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Mining  »Nv  Press 

VOLUME  113 

JULY  to  DECEMBER,  1916 

MINING  sc^V  PRESS 

420  MARKET  STREET             SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIFORNIA 

INDEX 


I 

.-■:. 

In  Ci 

i.e. 
I 

>n»umptlon   tit   leaching 
Addli  k  -  Wei 

.11  mi  nutation  i  • 

I 

r    N     i   '■  • 

Qi  ande - 

tannla  mine  

. 

outlying  districts 

Afflnft)    In  amalgamation    

general  Knowledge  of  

It     L.  and  A.,  and  the  Calumet  A    Hoc  la      



iratlon    and    Inspiration- 

:   onda    companies    

Air- com  pressor,   Hydraulic   \.  K.  Chodiko.  . .  . 

ovements   In    

a  ble   electrlc-drlven    

Air  drill  hose  and  "i I    

Filter,   tube-grate    

-      suit       

In  flotation   

In  flotation,  tisr  of,  by  Elmore  

in  mines,  quality  affected  by  consumption  »f  oxygi 

Nitrogen    In    

Shocks  In   War   

AJr-cel  I  



n  so  II  da  led  copper  mine   

Alabama,  gold  mining  in    

Alameda  v,  Success  extra-lateral  cas  

Alaska    Editorial 

Coal    Editorial.  .  . . 

Ketchikan  district    Emll  Edward  Kurja.... 

New  man  of,  and  results  In  1915 

Railroad    ill.   248, 

Railroads,    map     

i  [old  Mines  Co  .  output 



Alaska    Mexican    Gold    U  Alaska    Treadwi 

Milium  Co.,   Alaska   United  Gold   Mining  Co.,  consoli- 
dation of,  returns  to  date,  and  prospects 

Alaska  Treadwell  mill,  gold  from  copper  plates 

Alasklt*  t    term    

Alkalinity  m  cyanldatlon   

ent  powe>r  of  cyanide  for  gold 

M.  R.  Edmanda.  . . . 

Alloys    of    aluminum    

Alta.    Co  Fork   region   of   Utah,   geologic 

invest i ga tlon    of     . 

Altftud  i    Andes 

Alumina  sulphate    use   for   

Aluminum,    alloys    of    

is,     fusing     

Imports    

in  explosives  

<s  and  markets  every  ^ 

Production  of  United  states    

■  in.  Co.   ol    America  

Aluminum    Ore    Co 

Alunlte,  a  source  ■  

AtvaradO   Mining  &    Milling   Co 



or  county,   California,   wage   dispute Editorial. .  .  . 

Amalgamating  copper    plates    

Plates   absorbing   gold Editorial 

rl ty    in    

Physical   i themical    process   

amator,  shaking,  Cor  dredges   

an  boy  and  the  mine Robert  M.  Raymond.... 

Ital   in    British  Columbia Bditoral. . .  . 

Engineers'  work  in  British  Columbia 

Impression  of  South  Africa H.  Foster  Bain ...  . 

Machinery    exports    

Minmg   law,  and    the   extra-lateral    right 

Ships  and  export  carrying  

Americans  in  Mexico  R,  s.  Burdette. . . . 

Ditto     Editorial 

Americanizing  British  mines   Editorial. . . . 

American    Association    for   Advancement    ol    >■■  i.-ne. 

Editorial. . . . 

American   Chemical  Society   

American   Fork  district,  Utah,  development 

American  Girl  mine.  California 610. 

American    Institute   of   Mining   Engineers   as   censor — a   pro- 
test     \V.    h.    shockley.  .  .  . 

In    Arizona    Editorial. .  .  . 

in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  notes  on 

Flotation    discussion    at   Globe.   Arizona 

President    Editorial 

American    International    Corporation,    proposal    of 

Am",'i,nn    Mining  Congress    

Ditto     Editorial.  ...151, 

American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co..  company  report 


98 

SOI 

77 

134 

■ 

505 
558 

i  16 

2  8 :, 
394 

872 
159 

•177 

151 

297 

1  63 

2  S  9 
711 
509 
750 

:^ 


307 
723 
953 
116 

161 
B86 

59 
321 
570 
836 
849 
266 
494 
eek 
426 

147 
9  18 
66G 
681 
538 
331 
B69 
721 
342 
348 
203 
338 
865 
3 
301 
8 
701 
97 
263 


!S7 
367 
541 
846 

589 
297 
534 
633 
I  13 
19 
."1 1 


\     -    ,\    i;    • 
Prop* 

Ammonium  nil 

■ 

i     •  '    Ho| 

Mini  ilk     CO 

tit  with  Mlm  

And  ind  Utah  Coppei  comp 

Electrolytic  line  planl    ...  Ed  11 i  181 

Flotation    concent  ration    al 

Frederick  Lalst  and    \    E    w  >. 
Report    for  taxs  lion 

The   new    

Is  ol   molybdenum  ores 

M    Weatllng  and  Cat  I  Andi  *<17 

Anchorage  district.  Alaska 

nd  Weatllng,  H  .Anal] 

molybdenum    oi  ■■- 

Anderson,  Robert  .1 Flotation  ol  II 

Announcement    Editorial 

Anthracite  miners'   wages    



Antlmi  \  laska   

i '.  termination  or    1 1 

Prices  and  markets  every  week 

Edltoi  lal 

AnyOX   and  Gland    Fork  i  siting  al 777 

Apex    decision,   another    Editorial    ...    1 13 

Ditto    lohn    M.    NIcOl. 

i.aw  in   Rhodesia    106 

suit    In    London    Editorial. 

Arbitration,  strlki               hours Editorial ...  617 

Argo  mill.  Colorado,  notation  at   il'7 

1  pany  report 60S 


Arizona   as  b  copper  state Edlti 

Bureau  of  Mines  and  sale  of  ore Editorial. 

Burei E   Mines    Chaa.    F.    Willis. 

Copper   mines   in    

Flotation    in     Ed 


Mining  in 


Charles   F.  Willis. 


>;i7 

691 

B0 

.  157.   319 


Motor-truck  In   Wilbert  g.  McBrlde...,  16 

Ta  \     assessments     Ill 

United  States  experiment  station  In   

Arizona  Copper  Co.,   flotation  al    Mo  rend 

Incline  trams  of  

Labor    troubles    

Arkansas,  manganese  In  west  central               G    A.  Joslln. . . .  947 

Milling   practice    '. 289 

Mining  and    milling  In    L.   L.   Willi,  h. 

Asbestos    in    Arizona LOS 

In    Quebec    :'.:• 

Types   of    vim 

Assay  of  silver-gold  concentrate   

Assay- furnace,  oil  v.  charcoal  for  22 

rig    cupellatlon  losses  in   159 

Errors    in     '.*  I 

Assessment   work   on    claims    Editorial, . . ,  931 

Associated    smelters   of   Australia    112 

Atl,   Dr.,    work    in   Mexico    90 

Atlanta.  Idaho,  local  treatment  of  concentrate 41 

Atlantic    district.    Wyoming    254 

Atlantic  Mines  Co.  and  La   France  Copper  Co .".7 1 

Atlas   Mining   and    Milling   Co..    company    report.. :t:.v 

Atmospheric  decomposition   of  cyanide  solutions 

<;.  ii,  eleven  ger  and  Harry  Morgan....  113 

Humidity  ami  its  measurement. ..  .Kenneth  < '..  Smith. . . .  866 

Australia,  dredging  in 670 

Miners  and  Slavs    Editorial....  181 

Mining  law,  early   708 

Spelter    Editorial ....  108 

Zinc    si  I  nation 1  1  L' 

Austria ns   in    Russian    mines    .  7  J  I 

Re-opening  Serbian   mines    Editorial. . 

Authors,  suggestions  to Editorial. .. .  184 

Authorship  of  papers,  joint    Edltorla  l . 

Automatic  electric   hoisl   al    the   Ensplration 

II.  K.  Burch  and  M.  A    Whiting.  .  .  .  m-i 

Avery,  Paul  w importance  of  efficient  settling 

of  si I mo    7::^ 

B 

Babcock,  A.  H. ..  .Engineers  for  Officers'  Reserve  Corps....  7J*.» 

Ha  Id  Inn  in    Cold    Mines,    Nicaragua,   company    report 7  7.7 

Plant S.   M.    Parker....  911 

Badger  State  and  Emily  claims    and  PII01  dispute,  Butte....  160 

aley,  Effle  1..  and  basic  lining 519 

Bain,  11.  Poster.. American's  Impression  ol  South  Africa....  301 

Ditto Lif< an   earl:    geological  survey....  664 

Bald  Mountain  distrct  Washington    748 

Ball,  Sydney  H Lead  mines  of  Washington  county,  Mo *"7 

Ball-mill,    an    early S 

\nd  stamps,   fine  grinding W,   E.  Cahill...  79 

Crushing,    action    due    to 849 

v.  stamp" Editorial.  ifl 

Ditto Courtenay    De    Kalb.  389 

Ditto E.   C.    Morse.  .    .  988 

Bancroft,  Geo.  J Mining  in  Colorado 285,  673 

Bancroft,   Rowland Bolivian    tin   Industry.  . .  .  119 

Banket,  gold  of  the   Editorial....  3S 

Banks  of  the  World,  greal    230 


18501-= 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.  113 


Page- 





Developmi  in     ' 



1 
I'l"  '  nn;,    Baggaiey 



Batholllh   at  Butti  





iii    British  Guiana    ... 

""'•'  

!    

Belgian  Kid  •;;;.■.■. 

.... 

irthquake  In  Nevada 



I  man  Jjj 

I  '•  |.t- 

Blg  Three,  i1  

Rllharz  mill  

.,,,,, ...  ■,■■■■ 

Black 


613 
162 

126 

:.  i  •.' 

86 
198 


710 


kota,  mineral  production  of.  ■•■■•■ •.•: .J, 

Black-ll  gland. 


I.llll    H-ll^llll^ ■-. - r  I 

,,r  tl                                                               "'  '■'"'"    ' 
Blai  kv  


Bll 


,H|  -  I  1 1 1  1 1 : ' '   •              '       i    ' f  c 

i  ntah  _";; 

1       ; , ,. 




601 

198 
119 


Bo 



■  •    ,, 

ard  w     Mo; 

S     : 
na    by    the    Horn 

■ 

.     E    ' .     D 

•I    a.  Rickard 

Inslnns   kn    United   States    



Id   In  

Map   0«  .. 

P   ol  ,  ■     ■  ■  ■         -  - 

Editorial  181 

I*0'1  T„ 

Howland  Bancroft       .    119 

Editorial 





ipper  deposits 

on    

B.  II.  !•• 
■    Tungsti  n 

Bouldi  r  breaking  

;*° 

ilms    

Boul  well,  .1    M  .  on   Bingham  > 

Robert  H.  Raj  mond 

m  In  notation  suit 

..ii  notation  at  Wilmii  stoi  .51,  591 

1 1  i  ter  for  Bolul  li 

Bradley,  I-'   W     report  on  Treadwell  mines 

of 

nrldgc  dlsl  i  do 

>*    E.  Electrolytic  pri :i       , .    798 

282 



R,  B Two  Washington  mining  MS 

T.  A    Rickard  698 

Itlng  Co ,;''  i 

Editorle  I. . .      762 

Edltoria  1. . . .    B66 

Copper    mines    Editorial.. 

l-'siir  ror  1916 

Extra-let  i 

I  in  ■  ."12 

Journey  to  T.  A.  Rickard. 

Mm  t.'i-  1916.  estimate  

Mining  law    i 701 

lirst  half  ..r  1916 

ne  products   in  

and  W.  I-  .  .    520 

y  report 

rainfall   

\V:i  -  

Blnc-lead  deposits  t i^ 

dividends   v 7 1» 

Rrnmln,    production  of  United  States  in  i!»i". 246 

■  onomic  in 

.  K    i'  Prevention  of  misfires. ...  871 

Ines 

R    >:  Prom  precipitate  to  bullion, 

::  i  ■! 

Notes  on i  . 

da,  cyanlding  clayey  mp  at 

Paul    R.   Cock 

M  ' 1 06 

R.  R.  l:, 

Reining  f-.r  mint  

Bullwhacker   copper    mine.    Butt.-,   sends  ore   to    British    l 

lumbla    181 

Bunk ,  r  Hill  *  Sullivan  M.  a  C  Co.,  lead  output IT.n 


228 

228 
62 


Hiink.-i  mil  *.-  Sullivan  (con  I  Page, 

<,,,, .  Ed -lal.  ...  a3i 

11.   K..  ami  Whiting,   M.  A \ui  trie 

hoist  at   Insplral  ••  •••  ■«•;■/ Ti\ 

,  of  mailed  advertising F.  N.  Fletc 

tte,   R.  S x""  rlcans  In  M< 

tVj!;ora'- 

Ion    Editorial. 



Past   mining  by  •  •  •  ■  ■  - 

Mountain   •  -  power-plant .............   s»J 

Dltti  ■  W.  R.   Ingalls....    2T6 

>?2 

1 1.,    tables  '"''' 

na      . ....  SI,   9M 

1 00 

86 



Mining  Co.,  comp  inj    report 

Separation    813 

J .' 

Wins  Injunctloi  ■    Minerals  Separation. 

Buylnt  Nelson  Dicfcerman. 

-    from    United   States  coke-ovens 282 


i  ska 

Dredge Sumner  S.  Smith  .... 

Cadmium  in  zinc   

used  In  concreting  a  shaft   

Cahill,  \\\  E Fine  grinding,  stamps  and  hall-mills.... 

Calavei  -,:i- 

Plotatlon  at  a  simple  Bow-sheet.  .Hallet  it.  Robbins.... 

it El 

■    i ' 

c   I d  en  t s    

ndustry  W.  R.  Hamilton.... 

Gold  production  ol    Mother  Lode 

lucl 

Men   ■  ii  urn     ii    in    mines,  etc Edltoi  Is 

Mil prod  id ii.    1916 361. 

ii    

ol Herbert  La 

C pensatlon  A-cl  In  - '-  years 

ml  annual  mine- n  



California  Ti !o       

<':ii!,iu'  notation-mi  pulp 

■  i    Co     i ila lit  additions   

stoping  methods. .  ..Philip  D.  Wilson... 

Calumet   a.-   Heclo   Mining  Co Editorial.... 

A  ml    dotal Edltoi 

\n.i    Nevada   Consolidated,   mines  compared 



for  employees  

.7.    Parke  Chi Il 

1 IX. 

i     osl    Edltoria  I. 

ii   B  [ne,    historj    ni   discoi  '■!•>■   -  i 

:      I  ill     .  i  Ii     -I 

Ing  i  lorporatlon,  compi 'e ' 

Edll  oris 

ii- i     bulletin Editorial.... 

■    Co     notation   ai 

Re-timbering    Capote    shaft    

i.  Mexico,  copper  deposits   

Canby,  R.  C Discovery  of  cyanldation . . . . 

iii.    standard    

et ylent        



Capillarity,   -  flotation    

Capital  available  In  London  and  New  York. . .  .Editorial. . . . 

Foreign   T.  Nipper. .    . 

No.   j  shaft  re-timbering 

m  steel   

i  ii  mines  

.ii,-  ores,    notation   concentration 

Joseph  T.  Terry,  Jr. . . . 

In     notation      

Istrlct,  New  Mexico 

r,  Jay  A..  .Ore  treatment   at   West  En  a  Tonopah. . . . 

I    in  .     nl'  in   i Editorial  .... 

■ Septembei    1916 

On    mines Editorial 

Reign  in  Mexic 

■  iiml    work    

'  '■■  i  son    mine    

3S     

I  in   Korea 

-  system  ai  inspiration  

i   strontlanite    

overy  of    W.   Mall.  ■ 

in  Texas   

Treatment  tor  stronti  

Cement    for   underground   work    

Cutis.     US,-     of      

Mortar  for  plugging  trees   

Settling  in   mineralized   water    

ring   gravel    treatment    

I  '.ni  ral    fit  in,  ri,  an    .Mines.  npiinv   report    

Centra]   Eureka   company's  yield  unci  costs 

i  states,  metal  production  In  191S 

Centrifugal  pump  

Gordo   Mines  '  !o.  pays  dividend 

Progress - 

Chali it.-  nn.i  chalcopyrlte  slime  only  treatable  by  notation 

Reef  min,- 

1  :i.   China    

[ng.   i    Parke,  and  copper  mining. .  .T.  A.  Rickard.... 

omputlng  excavations    

Por   tape  correction    

Of  metal   prices    

mine  ventilation   

Chemical   industry    Editorial.... 

Industries,    National   Exposition   of    

Ohemli  Hption    at    Iiollingter    mine 


908 
908 
640 
527 

7  II 


868 

it:: 

946 

95 

236 
234 

1 



661 

i  -,; 

77 

391 
331 
247 
196 
180 

' 

16 
i  S3 

34 
.",17 
111 

r,6i 
567 

27  1 


506 
506 
624 

796 

567 

6 

B49 

531 

366 
197 

.",17 
874 

: 
| 

s 

952 

771 
570 

7ln 
138 

i 

221 
7T,7 
507 
:::,.", 
112 
:'| 
65 
-.-,.', 
1 

648 
4  87 
1SS 
827 
514 

886 


\..l    ii  : 


Ml\|\>.  .,ml  Nirnl.h,    I'KI  SS 


■ 

■ 

■ 



It       i 
I 

Id   French 

am  

22. 

C'huqul  

H . .  v. 

Ditto   .  .  .  .B    i:    Bai 

W  o  i  

Cinderella  Consolidated  mine,  Rand         

i  'Inn&b  

Flotation   for    Mark    R,    Lamb.... 

CltJ    Deep,   Ltd.,  c pany  report 

■  ■  ••  Editorial 

I  n   A  frlra 

b  of  mining  

i.  >,  and  I-',  in  paten)  No,  835.120,  Infringed 

ri.i|.|,.   ii    i; Flotation  at    Florence-Goldfleld  null., 

r     and     Mexico Editorial. . .  . 

ig-bell   type 

Clay -workings,  a  residual  lead  depo  lourl 

Clevenger.  G.  n..  and  Morgan,  Harry Atmospheric 

composition  of  oyanlde  solutions 

Mark    Twain   as  a    metal  In  I "gl 

Clifton -Morencl  district,  Arizona,  dotation  in   the 

David  Cole.  . .  . 

Mineralisation  of  

dyne,  c.  ii Stoddard  mill— a  copper  concent] 

CoaL   burning   powdered    

Consumpl  <i  States  per  capita   

Firing  reverberatorles  at  Garfield   

In  Colorado    

ng  in    Alaska    

Mmi--    wages  m  Colorado  ami  Pennsylvania 

■fining   in    Alaska    

Mining  n  1915  

PowiiiT'it  for  steam  

Coal-tar  as  a  flotation  agent  

Coast  Copper  Co.,  British  Columbia 

Cobalt,  notes  on   

Cobalt.  Ontario,  notation  at   

Products,   supplies,   and    power    

Progress  in  deep  development    

Result  of  labor  Investigation   

Cocur  d'Alene,    Idaho,  mining  in Editorial.... 

Small    mines   of    

district,  California   

Coghlll,  Will   II Molecular  forces  and  flotation  .... 

i  '<>k.    production  of  United  States   

Coke-oven  by-products  in   1915   2S2. 

Colby,  W.  E... Extra-lateral  right,  shall  It  be  abolished?. ... 

Cole.   David.  ..  .Flotation  in   the  Clifton-Morenci   district  of 

Arizona    

Ditto Grindlng-mllls   at  Inspiration.... 

Cole-Bergman    flotation-machine    

Collins.  George   G Elmore  and  flotation.... 

'oil.. His.    definition    of    

Color  of  earth's  surface 

'  if  porphyry  or  monzonite   

Colorado,   coal    output    in    1915    

Mining  in George  J.   Bancroft ...    885, 

Tungsten  in   Boulder  district E.   H.   Leslie.  .  .  . 

Uraninlte   in    

Colorado   Metal  Mining  Association    

And   tungsten    

do   Power   Company    

Colorado  School  of  Mines Editorial.... 

Colorado  Scientific  Society  and  revision  of  mining  law 

Columbia    University     

Comacaran   mine,   Salvador,   cyanidatlon   at   the 

C.  O'Brien.  .  .  . 

Ditto A.    B.    Peckham.... 

Company  repoi  ts: 

Amalgamated    Zim      i  I  i.      i  i     

American    Smelting    &    Refining    Co 

Am. Than    Trona     Corporation     

Argonaut    Mining   Co 

aii.i.   Mining  A    Milling  Co 

Babilonfa    Gold   Mines 

Blackwaler    Mines     

British  Columbia  Copper  Co 

Buffalo  Mines  Co 

Burma    Corporation     

Butte   &   Superior   Mining  Co 

Canadian    Mining   i  'orporatlon    

Central  American  Mines   

Chi-ksan    Mining   Co 

chin,,   Copper   Co 

City    Deep,     r.td 

Consolidated   Arizona   Smelting  Co 

Consolidated   Gold    Fields  of  South   Africa 

Consolidated  Tntersta te-Callahan  Mining  Co 

Cordoba  Copper  Co 


330 

M\ 

845 
199 

IVY, 

470 

247 

8 

::l 

301 
431 

5  l ;, 

808 

ii:: 
667 

556 
810 
598 
4  68 

836 
56 

;:,i 

26 

763 

I  II 
281 

:is 
urn 
512 
S52 
In.-. 
503 

13 
r.77 
::72 
1117 
751 
::n 

10 
530 
701 


556 
831 

560 
588 

in 

2  07 
267 
217 
07:: 

3  53 
41 

71 :. 
968 
678 
259 
898 
1ST 

n 
in 

220 
tTS 
B95 
505 

95S 
757 
54  6 
100 
106 
22S 

830 

34 
757 

73 
330 

::l 
::  6 1 
s:ir, 
757 
140 


I. 


tloliltl 

M.   I, 

■ 
Mi 

Ml      I. 

D  lug  las  i  'o|-i.,t   •■■■ 
Oriental   r  il    Mlnlni    Co 

i  mio   I'i.io  Qold   Mil'  II    ... 

Porcupine   Vlpond   Mini 

.1       COPPSI       Cm 

1  i    nbouw   Ma.. 

I!..,  [tester  Mines  Cc 

■  I     Mountain     Mining     Co 

o 

Tomboy  Gold   Mini  

Tom   Ri  ed  Gold  Mini  ■  Co 

Tonopa  h    Extension   Mlnln  r  Co, . . , 

1  'nlon    i  Ion.    Minion    i  '.i 

Utah  i      

i  c.ihi  Mlnln      Ci  

Zinc  '  torpors  tlon    

Compo  rise  una  mine 

,.  i          .... 
m,   i  'mi  1 1    dec!   Ions  on   

In    Montana     

Complex  ore  treatment  in  the  United  siatcs 

Compressed-air  by  falling  water  

I  I  :  i '  i  I  Of      

Pumping   water  with    

I'ScS     of      

o   I.    Lode,  Nevada,  progress  :"     191 

Progress   in    1916    

'..I rate,   cyanldlng  dotal \.   B.   Drucker.... 

Produced   ai    Suan    mine,    Korea    

Wet   treatment    of   per L,    Addlcks.... 

Whv   ship?    W,    Macdonald . . . . 

ii   i   smelting  of  vanadium  ore 

R.    I,    Grid.  I  .     .  . 

Ai    Garfield,    Utah    

AI     Miami      

i  >r  molybdenum    

I  If    I  nil  listen    or.-    in     Korea     

i  if  ores  by  flotation,   Hoover's  new  book  reviewed 

Tables  at  Flat  River,  test  between   

Cone lly  mill    Ruby  districts,  Washington 336 

cim. Hie  dividers  ami  guide   In  shafts   

Laying  in   cold    weather    

Stringers   in   inclined  shafts    

Concreting  a   shaft    Editorial.... 

Shafts  in  Am.'idoi unty.  California  

Th.   Sacramento  shaft  at  Blsbee G.  S.  . . . 

Condenser.    Beyer  barometric    

Conditions    in    Mexico    

I  el  i Our   Mexican    Correspondent. .  . 

Ditto E.   A.    II.  Tays.  . 

Congress  of  Human   Engineering 

Coning  and   qua  rter  In  g  sampling    

Conrev   Placer   Mining  Co..    dredging    results 

Consolidated    Arizona    Smelting   Co..    company    report 

Consolidated   Gold   Fields  of  South   Africa Editorial.... 

Company  report   

Consolidated  Interstate-Call.. ban  Mining  Co..  company  re- 
port       

Dividends     

Consolidated   Mining  &  Smelting  C".    of  Canada,    reduction 

works     

Consolidation    of   the   Treadwell    mines 

Contact  deposits,  definition  of   

Construction  and  operation  of  Nevada   Packard  mill 

Herbert  g,  Thomson 

Constructive  aid  for  prospector II.  N.   Lawrle..., 

Continuous  counter-current  decantatlon  pun  ess.  notes  on., 

Ore-sintering    machine     

Converters,  basic-lined  copper   

Basic,  who  used  the  first? 

Cook,  value  of  at  survey  or  mining  camps   

Cook.  Paul  n Cyaniding  clayey  ore  at   the 

Buckhorn    mine,    Nevada     

Coolers    lor    compressors    

Cool.v   and    llarz   jigs  at   .foplln    

Copper,    'Analysis   of  Copper' — new   book 

And    oilier    exports    Editorial.... 

AI   ::::  cents   Editorial.... 

Companies    and    Allies'    notes    Editorial.... 

Concentrate,  wet   treatment  of   r,.  Addlcks.... 

Concentrator,  Stoddard  mill    C.   P..  Clyne.... 

Consumed    in    electrical    products    

Converters,    basic-lined 

Cornices  from  buildings  In  Berlin,  stripping 

[i-posits    Of    New    South    Wales    

I  lerlva  tive  of  word 

Details    of   great   sale    to    Allies    

Dividends    Editorial. , .  . 

Electrolytic    at    Trail    

Exports  from  chile  and  Peru    Editorial.... 

Found  by  the  stefansson  expedition Editorial.... 

From     Alaska 

in  August,  refinery  output   Editorial.... 

In    steel     Editorial.... 

In  Texas  'panhandle'   

■Investments'     Editorial.  .  .  . 

Loss  at   Anaconda    

Merger,     'billion-dollar'     Editorial ...  . 

Mergers    


In  . 

.:i 


:i  1 1. 
•ci 

"i 
::-ji 

264 

880 

II 


r.  i 
839 

7  12 

131 

139 
139 

525 

2S2 
518 
501 

22  1 

XX 
X7I 
166 
si;:; 
707 
166 
364 
X'.'7 
896 

757 
177 

903 

::n7 
-an 

::77 

s::2 

7 

-s:: 

120 

5  i  8 

:,r,i 


369 
930 
357 

7  20 
III.-, 
7. M' 
X!l7 

.;::n 
:,:ix 
358 
12  0 
7  2 
271 
1  00 
:,  I  I 
0  17 

tun 
::ti 
789 
2IX 

in:. 
r.  si 
784 

701 

OS 

I 

792 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.   113 


t  loppel 

Mctallurg)    at  Garfield,  Utah.  L.  O    Howard. 

I'    B    Mi 

Mini  

<>r   liiitif-i,   Columbia 

Editorial, 
rvlev 

T    A.    Rl 

onomlca  in    Editorial 

iv  in  Nevada   



i  ires,  occurrence   In  certain   Sti 


:.  I 
391 

.  .  297 
.  !  187 
.  .    172 


Page. 

.    212 


i  lutput    In    Sepli  n  

Plates,  gold  aba ■  !  by "- 

every  week 

Prod  i  War i  721 

Mhs     

Production    In    ini7    Editorial.., 

Produc I  largi    Noi  th  and  So 

I -i ... i  51 

550 


Produi  tlon,    rat<    of      Ed 

Bdltoi  lal      .  .  is- 


lellca  in 


.  n ,  > : 

Solution,  strength  before  precipitation    

Solutions,    atmosi  ompositlon    "f 

G    H.  Clevengi  -'■'" 

Solutions,  on |±! 

Solu  for 

ids    

:rnss    Valley   and    N.  \ada 

in   1916 ',;.''  ■,-.'  ".'  ', 

ux  s  nd  1-     A.  \  estai 
'    mine,    Nei  ads 

Paul  R.  k 

Flotation  concentrate A.  E.   Drucker 

Cj  anidatlon  at  tl  in  mine,  Salvador..  .  .  , 

Ditto  *■■   1!    Peckham 

Dla i     Of .;.;     1;     ','.   '''j,"'','', 

|  iltt  .  .      I  his.      M  11  sll  ill 

i  its,  i  in  Ed ml  Shaw 

el   of  lead  sails  In    .'»' 

Of    Si!    '•••'" 


and   refinery  capacity    Editorial....    182 

in   advance Editorial. 

Surficlal    Indlcal s   "f    Editorial....    262 

Ditto,   IV  and    V      Prank   ii     P irl  ....81.  267 

Ditto  Courtenay    De    Kali,       .    116 

I ia    B     Joralemon.  . 

Taxation    Editorial.  . .  .76 

Tonnage    tax    In  

Transferring    molten  570 

Zlm     and  lead  Editorial....    I".  I 

n,  by  W.  II.  Weed 861 

California  

Copper  Queen   Consolidated  Mining  rating  shaft  at 

t, 

Cordoba  Co|  i  report   149 

188 

Cornwall,   treating   tin    ti    Ling  

Corporatloni 

Corrosion,   resists  i  tin   alloys    Tin 

<'i>*t  at  Mclntyre  mine,  Porcuplnt  211 

At  Ri  [in i  1 .", 

At  Treadv  

ila 

In  south-east   U  on  2 1 7 

onveyors 

Of  blasting  at   Chuqulcamata  186 

i   at   '  '"halt    

g  at  i  'tun r  186 



Of  decantatlon  

nr  development   at    the   Holllnger 62 

■  nglne   pov  ■  

lage  s I   the   Hoi II nget    

or  erecting    N-  P         ird   mill    

on  at   Mi.   Morgan    

Mas     .... 171 

Editorial 
yanldtng  at   Grass   Valley,   and   Nevada 

Calif  01  Ilia       in      IT, 

i:    E,  Tremoureux  and   F    A.  Vestal      .  -    706 
mining  at   Miami 

••ii  the  Mol  I     daya 

i  a  jit    motor- trucks    2E 

Of  operatlt  trucks  In   Arizona    

Of  opet  ::i  \ 

t>r  operation  of  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  It  

Editorial ....  7 

al    mi     Lyell [OS 

n.     at    Trail 93  1 

II  

11V 

smelting  al    Anyox,    B.  C 777 

Of  stoplns  ii    svstems    317 

Of     supplli  illfornla.    mill* 706 

Of    t  i  v<n;  n  I  i 

Of  treatment  nt    Nevada    Packard  mill   

<  »i    t ii.  hi   at    w.st    End,   Tonopah    

stalks   for    paper-pulp    Editorial....   371 

Cottonw ,1  district,  '  '  Ic  Investigation  '»r 59 

Progress    

Cottrell   plant    al    I  in. 

Plant   ai    T i.  iv' 

Process  al    i  

trren!   dt  i I.,   n.   Barnes 

i  Country   rock,   definition   <>f    

• '"an     :  impensatlon    94  fl 

mini     Ontario  ft    \v,irk   at    

Cressnn  mine.  Cripple  Creek,    reserves 47t 

28 

Cresyllc  acid   In   notation        inn 

CrlDDle  Creek    Colorado  put 

Notes  "n    89! 

'  Irook  8rts 

I'm."!  '     company  report 7:: 

Hoisting     at      

ratorv  porl  ' 

in  g  |n 

in    cyantdi  

Plant    f ,-» t  it  

I  "ii t,r,      mintnir    in 

i  Hipella  lion   lopqe  ng 

'  'upro-desclnlzl  te    ......  46S 

Iters    anil    small    mines I      M     Turnbull....    132 

nd-fill  avstem  of  mining      

New   Mexli  

Hills.  S.  D 

I      !  Ill" 

1   ,..  l  >  l 
..  .  .  . 

Risi    in  ]••  Ice  Edltoi  iii  789 


113 


706 


359 

2  r,l 


111 

:. 
in; 

112 


Daly-Judgt    Ml    i    -  '""I  Snake  Oreek  tunnel,  Utah 

Davi  npoi  i.  ii    -i     "I'  U.  S    ti  ide  In  South  America 

,     i  .  Gyratory  crusl  ■ 

Gold  mining  in  South  Africa.... 

IS-fa  mill,-     •  •  ■ ' 

i Iwood,  South  Dakota •■ 

B k   in. -iii. ..I    ..i    top  ■  licing  at   Miami.  .  .  . 

Death  \  n,  California,  mining  In ......... 

thi    i'    ii    •  •  -Jkl" 

i.  counter-current   L.  ' 

n  notation,  Wilmington,  tex pinion  by  Judge 

I  Ira. It".,  lil     

ne   .-a   npensal Court 

position    "t    cyanide    Editorial.... 

in'   cyanide    solutions,   atmospheric    

,:    iii  ■I,-.  i  iai  t  v  Morgan. . . . 

affecting  mining   in   Mexico    

i  

i  hllip    -I.  ath    of . ..  •  ■  •• 

I,,     Kalb,  Courtenay stamp  v.  ball-mill.... 

inn Surficlal   Indications  "f  copper.... 

Ditto,  to  join  ii"    Pbbss       V7;.'."  '.  ", 

a    ggljoi 

Deliver]   of  m. -mis  Editorial.  .  .  . 

I.,  1H..H.1    Charlea    I' MacDpugal 

netization  of  gold  bs   Great    Britain Editorial. . .  . 

nun  and  amortization Robert   s.   Lewis.... 

ony Jiarai  R.  Layng.... 

Detonators,    fulminate    for    

Notes  mi 

Testing  in  New  Zealand    

.1  found  at  Cherokee,  California............ 

imports    Editorial.  .  .  .111. 

Not ea  "a    ■ 

nd-drill  hole,  longest    horizontal 

Diatoms  iii    ■ 

Dickerman,  Nelson Buying  mine.... 

Diesel  engines  for  mine  power-plants.  .Charles  Liegrand.... 

,  ,     mil  pi i .ii.  definition  of 

Dlrei  „ Editorial.... 

w.   Walli 

i  if  cyanidatton    R-   ''-   ''anhy 

I  iltt,,    Tli"S,    Mai  shall.  .  .  . 

i    i."'  claims        

; .      i    ,1    b   In  cyanldatlon    Bdmi shi 

i, mi,, i    coppei     companies    results    In    third    quarter 

.a    1916     

Copper  deposits,  use  of  term  

Copper   mines,   outputs    ■ 

Ditto    Editorial .... 

mis  iii  Septeml I ompanies   .  . . . . 

Mining    Editorial  ___ 

Paid  i"     II        companies   677, 

I Run  Lead  Co.  and  St,  Joseph  Lead  Co.  consolidate 

Dolbeai    Samuel   H..Magnesite  production  and  markets.... 

Dolomite,   us,    "I    

I  a, in,.  M  i  in-  Co.,  company  report  

,if  Nova  Scotia  

Dorr  thickener,    180-ft,   diameter 

gives     si"11, to     United     Engineering 

s i ,     

-    Walter,  and  copper  quotations    

Town  area  of  Leadville  drained    

Drainage  scheme  at   Leadville    

Tiini,  at   Cripple  Creek 

development  and  operation  of  a   great   

Impro  Editorial.... 

Oi    Cai        creek.   Alaska    

, , ,,  ,n  mils  of  Conn  y  Placi  r  Mining  Co 

Gold  Bavlng  on Howard  i>    Smith 

.Tiffs    an 

ng  at   r.ii,.,   Colombia 

In    Australia     

in    Montana    Editorial.  . .  . 

Ditto    ■ Hennen    Jennln 

Redding.  California    

■    ,  nnt  of  California   

.  ii   fore H.  E.  Nieholls. . . , 

Drill-hole    deepest    

ring    I'".    H     Mason.... 

Drilling  results  with    Hummer  drills    

hafl    method   of  shaft-sinking    

Drops  of  "ii    Bpreadlng  of   

Drucker,  A.   E Cyaniding  fiotati loncentrate 

Dry  and  wet-bulb  thermometers   

i  tucktov  n  .  oppi  '    Sulphur  .v.-  Iron  Co 

imst    lossea    at    sm.lt. TS    

,in,,l     ,,,,,,  nt    Trail     

'...   notes  "n    la. 

Wood-flour  for  

Wrappers    U'r    

John  L. .  ."White  Caps  mine,  Manhattan,  Nevada..., 


337 

711 
601 

211 

a'.  1 

r,;,i 
n  i  r. 

1117 

in; 

in  2 

183 

117. 
933 
:: 
827 
112 
117 
581 
156 
.'.7 
320 

112 

849 

hi 



286 

:    , 

502 
189 
952 

f. 
116 
899 

'12 

767 

72S 
7  12 

543 

211V 

139 

22  1 

S2II 

21 

118 


550 
63 
169 
187 
I  13 
BOS 
908 
166 
202 
187 
526 
'17" 

1 
165 
571 
ii  in 
B 
71,1 

r, 
180 
164 

lcn 

nil 
366 

I'M 

ill!  I 
ll'A 

22 

"i: 


V.. I    MA 


MINING  ind  Scientift.    PI 


mill 

■ 


\    1 

V      1 

\    s 

Id  ItlHll    Coluillbl    I 

l.( 

1 6 1 , 








■ 
Antlri. 

■t  *■.    r 

ult  In  LJondoti 
Arbitration,   strikes,   and   houra    

Arizona   as  a    cop]  

Arizona  Bureau  <-f  Mln<  -r  ore. 

ment    work   on    claims  

Australian  miners  and  Slavs  

Ilan    spelt,  r  

Auntrlans  In   Russian  mines 


ii   mines    

Authorship  >>(  papers,  Joint   

Barytes    

metals  after  tin-   War    

■•1    McNeill,   death   .-r  

(Idles  

[-listing  firms  by  England    

in   antimony  and  tungsten    

riles    

collapses  al  Quebec    

British   Columbia    

British    Columbia   copper   mines    

Bunker  HID  &  Sullivan  smelter   

Bureau    ..f    Mines     

Burma  mines    

Business  of  mining  

ornla,  men   employed  in  mines,  etc 

•  rnlan    mining I ;.    Yah- ...  . 

Calum    I   A    Heels    

and   flotation    

itput   in   .".n   years   

Ditto,    yield  and   cost    

Canadian   taxes    

Alan   Mining  Institute  editor  and  D.  H.   Browne 

Capital  available  in  London  and  New  York 

inza  and   the  vice-presidency    

Carranzas    credit     

Carranza's  decree  on  mines   

Chemical    industry    

Chemical  fndus tries  Exposition    

a  n    patent.s     

Classification  and   Mexico    

Coeur  d'Alene   region,   Idaho    

Colorado  School   of  Mines    

re  ting  a  shaft    

Consolidated  Gold   PI  el  da  of  South  Africa   

Copper   added    to    steel    

Copper    and    Other    exports    

Copper  at  33  cents    

Copper  companies  and  Allies'  notes    

■  topper  dividends    

Copper   economies    in    production    

ler  found  by  the  Stefansson  expedition   

Copper    from    Chile    to    Peru    

Copper   In   August,  refinery   production    

i  'opper    'investments'     

ier,    low  cost   of  producing    

er  merger,  'billion  dollar    

i  'opper    mi  M.S.    the    '■:--■    -  ■     

production  after  the  War   

i  topper  prod  notion  of  '   i         i    ■,  per   

Copper    production    in    1917     

Ion,    rate   of    

'  topper  quotations   

Copper  sales   and    refinery   capacity    

Copper   sold    in    advance    

Copper    taxation    75, 

Copper,  /.inc.  and  lead   

of  living 405,  581,  685, 

Cost  of  producing  copper    

Cos  1  of  producing  copper  not  rising 

Cyanide  consumption  and   price  on  Rand 

Cyanide,    rise   in   price    

Cyanidation  of  silver  ore    

Decadence  of  the  Rand    

Decomposition  of  cyanide   

Delicate  subject,   a 

Delivery  of  metals    

i  lemonetization  of  gold  by  England    

Diamond  imports 111. 

Directors    

Disseminated  copper  mines  outputs   

•Directors"  of  A.   T.   M.   E 

Dividends,    mining    

Dollar,    purchasing   power   of    

Dredse    improvements    

Dredging  in  Montana   

Education    again    

Electrolytic    zinc   at    Trail    


1ST 

18] 

113 

113 

■ 

•;i; 

931 
181 

IMS 

:■>  1 

■ 

::. 

688 

;.i7 

flan 
151 
.:  H 
181 
105 
762 
297 
331 
791 
228 
261 
1 
1 1  1 

>  i 
331 
225 

IV, 
n  1 
372 
:.i7 


5 1 5 

152 

37 

863 

5 1  5 
272 
2  5  9 
5 1  6 
S*J7 
581 
405 
75H 
*!>7 
617 
515 
789 
371 
105 
701 

75 
1 

37 
721 

37 
547 
617 
482 
1*2 
685 
1*7 
154 
790 
827 
6 1  8 

.17 
789 

5S3 
107 

827 
581 

481 

1S9 

225 

617 

298 

75 

863 
I  i:: 
11J 
933 


■ 


.1 


■ 


If     of      |01< 

Hon   ut    Coball 

■ 

. 
Flotation  1 
Rotation    n 

Hellmann  1    appoint  m<  Dl 

d 

tradu    in   know  ledg< 
Gllmpi 
Qold, 
<;ohi  and  coppei    mini 

Qold  and  Mr.   Warburg    

■ 
"  lold  banks  , 

<  lold  1  ket 

Gold 

■ 

Ores  I  

Greatest  gold  i  

rd   1             or  plumbing  essay 7l*i 

1 .         I    ■.  1        

Me  r ton  A   Co 

d  the    War 

I  foil...  .'I        

H  uman    sil,      ,,.,.,  work 

Hyam      Godfn  a  thi    Tama  rack  sale 

Immigration    1 

imponderables,   the    

Industrial  capa<         dj    i*.  s.  Bold  in  advance 

1.  W.  v\\.  Minnesota   112 

international    engineering   Congress    582 

International    Papei    Co      , 

iron  production  of  U.  S.  In  lit  si  hair  of  [916 371 

! 

roseph    \    Holmes  memorial   5  17 .  7  ~i: 

Korean  labor  troubles  

i         1    scarcity    581 

Labor   tin  res  l    

1 r's  wages  profiting  bj    metal  prices  618 

1     1    ■  ■.  1    ■  .--,    learning,   to    help   trade    ".17 

Lead  production  ol   certain  states  2 

Leadvllle    76 

Lid   unlocked,   the    378 

MacDougall,  spelling  of    :i 7 1 

Machinery  for  Russia,  duty  free iyi 

Magnesite    

Matheweon.   E.  P 581 

Maiur  of  principle    5S2,  7t'.l 

.m.i  tougall,  spelling  of  371 

Mergers    792 

Metal    combines   and    cartels 932 

Metal  cost  on  ships   B97 

Metal   prices    297 

Metal   used  at   Verdun    225 

Mexico    187 

Ditto,    and    newspapers    547 

Ditto,  our  responsibilities;  also  protection  of  Americans..  259 

Ditto,  progress  in  six  years  759 

Mexican    affairs    582,    685,  828 

M>  \  lean    Commission 143 

Mexican  crisis,   the    8 

Mexican  employees  in  the  South -west 76 

Mexican    fizzle    76 

Mexican  mines  resume 106 

Mexican     money     151 

Mexican    muddle    '  ■■ 

Mexican  pesos,  value  Of 858 

Mexican  trade    -1'" 

Mills,  expanding  capacity  of   886 

Mines,    prolonging    life    of    B97 

Mining  by  the  Government  In  South  Africa 654 

Mining  education    4 

Mining  law ,;s  j 

Mini  ng    reform     82  S 

Mining  revision  by  Coloradu  Scientific  Society 898 

'Mining  Magazine,'  changes  on  staff 685 

Mining    methods    581 

Minerals  Separation  and  bond  by  Miami   581 

Minerals  Separation   wins    866 

Money    making   on    Wall    Street 515 

Mother    Lode.   California,   strike   over    685 

National    f  ii  v    Hanks   of   X.    Y 932 

New  York  Stock   Exchange 143 

flat  man   Bureau  of  Mines 721 

Ditto,    exaggerations    897 

Oil    production   of   U.   S I,  259 

Ores,  grade  of  certain    i '■'•  > 

Our  economic   bronze  age   40 

1  >uro    1  'rcio    mini  .     I  Irazi  I     871 

Oxv-acetyb-ne    explosions    225 

Pan-Americanism — a  myth    723 

Panama   Canal    790 

Paper   38,  151 

Ditto,  cost  of   653 

Ditto,   pulp  and   cotton   stalks ■'571 

Patents,   life   of    931 

Peace  and  Wall  Street   B97 

Peace,    effect   of  overtures   on   markets 931 

Persistence  of  ore   In   depth    821 

Platinum   prices 685 

pontics : 65:t 

Porphyry    828 

Porphyries'  second  quarter 2ns 

Preparedness  and   Engineers'   Reserve  Corps 111 

Presidential   election  and  business    481 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.   113 


Page 

■  ■ 

i'i  li  pera  and  magazines   . .. .      

ng  and   prosper  tors    618 

Western  Australia i 

Publicity  In  mining  

Hi 

Railroad  wagei  

Rand,   gold  output    871 

Rhodesia  and  apex  law 

Rio  Tlnto  mine  '■"•-' 



Base-brush  oil  

St.   J  

■  ■lit.'  and  gold 

otash  

for  Federal  experlmt  nt  station 

Selective  Dotation  at  Broken  imi 

Shaft-sinking  . 



Ship]  

Silver  ore  treatment   In  Nevada   

Silver  "ut ,  , 

Smelters  over-taxed    

Hum  sulphide • : 

Speculation   In  mining  stocks  

Spelter   18s 

I  Mil.  

I  Utto,   production 

i  Utto.  sold  I'M  ward  

Stamp  v    t.:i]i-mi)i  

828 

Statistical  618 

opper   wire    

Stock -spe<  181 

Ditto,  on  Wall  Street    

Strs  pendence.    Ltd    

Strikes  for  high  wages   

Successful  engineer  

ons  to  authors   184 

Suppll  Rand   B27 

Sun  

Sun  

British  Empire 182 

Taxa  tlon  i     London    

Taxes  in  Western  Australia   .  .    

Tennessee  Copper  18( 

Thanksgiving  time    

Then  and  now  (Mothe:  !  tellfornla  i 

Those  copper  quotations  

Tin     

illdation  

-:--U    ,:  .  

Ditto,  meaning  <>f  I'-mi   



Ditto,  problems  .  ::"l 

I",  s.  Tfui  fn ii  <<f  Mines  al  Ban  Frai 790 

U.  s.  Bureau  of  Mines,  saving  In  losses    ,  

i  rnlted  Vei  Ing  Co 

University  <•(   Idaho    

Vanderllp,    F.   A  

Wage  Increase  distributed    897 

\\':i  zee   i  n   She   ta    a  i     I        

WaR    Streel  

Walled  Mexli  4  44 

War  and  humanising  effect    filT 

War,  exports  and  tradi    151 

War.  two  187 

Western   Australia,   prospecting  in l 

Western  Australia,  mine  taxes   151 

Western  Federation  of  Miners 

Wilmington  decision    516,   619 

Wilson   and  

Wyoming    

Yuii  i  ted  Gold  Fields  

Zinc  exports '>'> 

Zinc  549 

Zinc  prices   ill 

Zinc  production  of  B  rlor 

Zinc,  sales,  probable   

Zinc  my 

Zinc   I  ?orp  ■■  falre  112 

BSdmands,   n.  It Lead  salts,  alkalinity,  and  solvent 

power  of  cyanide  for  gold [61 

Education  again Editorial.  ...    i  i  I 

United  Stal    ■  ■  s.  Howe 126 

Mining F.  Lynw 1  Garrison. . ,  9 

Educator,  mucking  as  an Curt  X    Si  -      i- 

<>f  faults  on  richness  of  ore 902 

ning Van   H,  Manning 

ball-mills    

Problems  of I.  n.  Fin  lay. . .  .   231 

Eldorado  Banket  Gold  Mining  Co.,  metallurgical  results 

Electric  blasting  i  186 

tp  and  fuse 224 

en    air-compressor    

ilage  in   mines    321 

ir  solutions ;  i  902 

Hoists  a1    the   1j ■-!  nine,  automatic * 

n    K    Burch  and  M.  A    Whiting, 

Hoists  of  Cleveland-Cliffs  Iron  Co 

Hoists  on  !'(.■  Rand   

Lamp,   Improved  mln<  r's    



Power  ■  onsumption  640 

Powi  ana   ?i 5 

Power    in    south -west    Missouri    27 1 

'     mps    

oka    silt 

Electric  Point  Mining  Co..  Washingtjpi    106,  U 

Electrical   transmission    in   shi  ■■  ■  

Electro  S61,  426 

Electro  nomena  In  dotation 4? 

Prarth-e S     I 

Precloltatlon    E.  C.  Morse.  .  .  .    622 

Refining  at  Trail T.  A.  Rlckard 

Zinc   at   Trail    Editorial, 

Zinc   In  Australia Editorial.  . 


Blectrol)  tli    (con.) 
Zln< 


Pagi  - 

606 

Ralston  ....    77*.t 


Zinc  ■■nisi  r. .  .Hai  rj   J.  Morga  n  and  Oliver  C 

Olyttc   ZlDC    CO.    Of    Australasia    

belt-bucket    

Elkhorn,   Montana    .  .    .  

e,  a.  Stanley    and  flotation Editorial. ..  .445,   .. 

i Georgt     E.   Collins 88 

ore,  A.  Stanlej In  elopraent,  and 

•ductlon  of  the  notation  process 44y 

Elmore,    Frank,  and   flol  WW    

Ditto,  do  tail  on  pateni 

■  *  :'',:; 

Elm  *  n -in   Mining  Co  port '.''J 

El   Oro    Mexico Editorial.  , 

Ore  deposits.  .  .  .    68S 

Emma  llling  results »10 

Emulsions,  notes  on    *9 

llity  of 169 

Endllch  and  Muhlenbei  -  patent 

.  California,  builds  railway 179 

lend    85 

Pi  oflta  for  ball  

'Engineering  ft    Mining   Journal,'   copper  quotations 48! 

in   the  i  rnited  States 

Charles  S.  Howe,  . .  .    126 

ung    2 T'i 

An.i  business    Editorial.  ...  188 

Ditto P.    B.    McDonald., 

•    A.  H.   Babcock  .  . 

i.     of    Editorial.  .  .  .  863 

5 n rich ni                nitlon  of   502 

Erie  district,   B.  C l  15 

Esperanza  Limited,  company  report   142 



notes  on   62 

Nevada     4  7.". 

.:   mine,  Sutter  « !reek,  California,  progress  at 

owing    in    shaft    237 

Bverson  and  flotation  588 

•i    for  computing    1S6 

Exchange  between  New  York  and  London  

Explosives    19.  166,  ::4*.' 

i  teterioratlon  of  98 

Not    allowed    on    t  rains     902 

United  States,  1915 

Extra-lateral   problem Robert  M.   Searls....  16m 

Right S.   s.   Fowler..    .  868 

Right— Shall  it  bi    abolished?         W.  E.  Colby.  ...  701 

hts  at  Tonopah   113 

Rights,  two  decisions  on   7 1 


st     Kami     Editorial 

Editorial.  . . . 

Fault,  definition  of   • 

Faults  on  richnesi  ecta  of 

I  aid  to  mining  efficiency Van  H.  Manning.... 

Feldapa  of  potaah   

Ferguson,  Claude    Traveler's   library.  .  . . 

i    ti  buyers  

Fibrous  structure  In  minerals  

Field-signaling  

Field-work  of  prospectors  Herbert   Ung. . . . 

Film -flotation    

Fllter-c;  ila    

Filtering  at  Nevada  Packard  mill   

At  Sa  i dls   

Filtration   troubles  al   Monltor-Belmont 

o     111  ons  in  Mexico  In  November,  1918 

Fine  grinding:  stamps  and  ball-mills W.  E.  Cahill.... 

I'm  lay,  J.  R Imponderables.  .  ,  . 

Ditto Problems  of  efficiency.  . . . 

Fin  lay  son,  a.  m..  and  copper  deposits 

■   owning  a  mine 

I'ii  .  s  at  mines  Editorial. . . . 

In    northern   Ontario    

in  United  Verde  copper  mine 

First -aid  to  injured    Editorial.  .  .  . 

First   National  Coppei    Co.,  California 

Walter,  and   shaft-sinking    

an  ing  of  term   

Flat    River,    Missouri    L39, 

-     i:.  N Burden  of  mailed  advertising. . . , 

FUnn-Towne  Rotation  system   

Florence- Goldfleld  mill,  flotation  at h.  B.  ciapp. . . . 

Flotation   and  dividend   payments      

And  Elmore A.  Stanley   Elmon 

Ditto    Editorial. .. . 

Ditto George   E.   Collins.... 

And  molecular  forces   Editorial. .. . 

At  Argo  mill,  Colorado 

Ar    A  this    mine    Editorial ...  . 

At   Britannia  mine   

At  Calaveras  Copper  mine Ernest  Gay  ford.... 

Ditto,  A  simple  flow-sheet Hallel    R.   Robbins 

At    Cobalt     Editorial 

At  Florence-Goldfleld  mill   M.  B.  Clapp.... 

At    MogOllon,    New    Mexico     

Book    titles    Editorial.  . .  . 

i  vu  at  Calavi  pas  i  opper  mill  

Conc<  Lnidlng   A,   E.   Drucker. . . . 

Cent  ration   at    Anaconda      

ierlck    Lafsl    and   A.    E.   Wiggin.... 
Hon  of  carbonate  oi  roseph  T.  Terry,  Jr. . . . 

isslon  before  A.  T.  M.  E.  at  Globe,  Arizona 

cinnabar   Mark  R.   Lamb.  .  .  . 

For  tungsten    me    

Hoover's  new  book  reviewed  

In  Clffton-Morencl  district,  Arizona David  Col< 

In    South-west Editorial .... 

in  rj.  S.  Supreme  Court   

Instruction  necessary  at  schools   

improved  pneumatic lames  m,  h> 

hlne,   Kraut-Koflberg    

Molecular  forces  and  Will  H.  Coghill .  . . . 


I 

902 
796 
665 
110 
2 
870 
520 
705 
34  I 
912 

2  I  5 
2  !9 
874 
79 
109 

s.u 
81 

1ST 
395 

168 

789 
217 

394 

748 
264 
558 
628 
813 

145 

588 


865 
76 

tn-. 
628 
■ 
759 
:;:: 
264 

847 

581 
633 

6 

6 
549 
778 

::n 

36 
341 


Vol.   II  : 


Ml\l\l.   ..,,.1  ScK-nllhc    IV 


i 

Rol 

\    si  .t,|.  |    Elm 

Editorial 

a   Min- 


Ml    in     i 


oldfteld 

lib..     . 



lackson    \    Peai 
■  f  opinion  by  Judge  Bradford. 

Ml.-   

Of   Boulder  Tuniestelt   l luctlon  Co.  mill 

Il  itiinlilu  mill    ...  

I  >f    >  '  mill    

i  if  « '    C    I '    plan!    

i  if   i  afield  mill   

nf  lead  plum  al  Trail    

of   Nevada-Packard  mill   

i  if  Plymouth    mill    

nf  Stoddard  null.  Arixonn   

Of  Vanadium   mill 

Fluorspar  and   galena   in   Kentucky    

[it  "f  Illinois  held  up  by  strike 

stain [lit y   of . 

Forbestown,   California,   development    at 

Ford  motor  factory,  foremen  not  to  discharge  men 

Foreign  Mines  Development  Co 

Formation  of  nitrate  deposits  

Forms  for  concreting  a  shaft  

Fort  Smith  Spelter  Co.,  <  making-zinc 

Fowler,  s.  s Extra-lateral   right... . 

ade  in  knowledge  Editorial 

Freeman.  Albert,  his  record   Editorial . . . . 

French,  A.  G.,  sine  process   

French.  Harold Prospecting;    <  on... .117 

Ditto afanufactui  chromlte. . . . 

French,  Thomas.  sln<  

r   pump    

Pump  arrangements  at  Nevada   Packard   mill 

Pumps,  notes  on   

Froment,  Alclde,  patent   

Kroih.  requirement  for   

Fumes  from  blasting  

Furnace  for  melting  precipitate    

Fuse  and  detonator  practice   

Kuture  developments   of  tin-   notation    process 

Rudolf  Gahl. . . 


114 

u; 

■nil 

389 

:.,-..; 

610 

:.is 
::l  i 

1 7  ;• 
868 
829 
881 

9 

4  SB 
8  i :, 
938 
J  i'.  I 
880 


50 


r,7n 


i  la  hi.  Rudolf Future  development  of 

the  flotation   process    

Ditto Notes   on    flotation.... 

Galena  and    fluorspar  in   Kentucky    

From    blende   by   Horwood   process   of   flotation,    s.  pal 

tion  of  Allan  D.  Rain.  . .  . 

Gambling  in  shares  Tra  B.  Joralemon . . . . 

definition  of 

rjtal     copper  metallurgy  at L.  O.  Howard. . .  . 

iting  Co.'s  plant,  notes  on 

Garrison.    F.    Lynwood Mining   education  .... 

Garvin  Cyanidi    Extraction  Co..  process  

E.  H..  advice  to  employers  

(las  consumed    in   Joplin   district    

From    explosives    321. 

In   magneslte   mines    

Gash  vein,  definition  of   

Gasoline   hoists,   danger  of  explosions 

Industry  of  California W,   R.  Hamilton.... 

Production  from  natural  gas   

Gayford,  Ernest ...  .Flotation  at  Calaveras  Copper  mine.... 

General  Development  Co 

i    al   survey,   life  on   an  early H.  Foster  Rain.... 

Geology  and   mineralogy   useful    for   prospectors 

In   its  economic  bearing    

i  if  Mohave  county,  Arizona   

i  if  i  tatman    

nf  tungsten  at  Boulder,  Colorado   

Georgetown.  Colorado..  Why  is  it  dull? 

German  silver  

Germany,   patent-office   decisions   on   flotation 

Use  of  zinc  in  place  of  copper. 

Zinc-smelting    processes    - 

Glassware   for  chemical    purposes,  American 

Glimpse  of  South  Africa   Editorial.  . .  . 

Goethals.  G.  W..  ami  the  Canal    

Gold    absorbed    by    copper    plates 

Absorption    lie    plates w.    Macdonald . . . . 

A  correction   Editorial.... 

And  calotte  

And   copper   miner's   wages Editorial.... 

And   Mr.   Warburg    Editorial.  ..  . 

And    silver  production   of  the  United   States 

Discovery   at   Atlanta.   Idaho    

From  saprolite,  recovery  of 

Imports    Editorial IS,. 

In   Bolivia    


196 
160 

r.iiu 

.-.I'll 

Till 

r.nn 

Tel 
SI 

:i 
622 

1112 
jr.a 
:■•  i:i 
:.7u 
501 
506 
95 
:.::] 
868 
192 

I  L'li 
iiei 
;:::: 
196 
:::,:: 
855 
!IS 

I  r.  t 
481 

3S7 
468 
300 
790 

721 
sun 

7S!I 
849 

1S1 

r,  it 

72 

540 

S7S 

» i  n 

198 


noil 
1'...  I. 

Hon 

i 

i  lolland  and  S«  ■  u-  n 
Gold   Circle,   N<  uni 

'  odd    Log    mine       \  1   . 

ti     A  I  low  ,    Clifford,    and    Dill  ' 
Golden    Hoi  se-Slio.     mini 

Goi.in.  lit    ,\.  tnpanlna  bufl) 

Gol.lllei.l    i  •..,,.  Dlldated  I 

Goldstone,  California 

Gouge, 

.ii.iat.  .1   Mining,  Smelting  A 
p. i  ny  reporl 

Mines  near  Ketchikan    

Gran. i  Bell  Copper  Co.,  Texas 

smelling   al 

i ;,  ami.,  at  'Butte,  n 
i  Iranu  latlon  at  Hei 

s    P.  Llndau  ami  il    B   Smll 

Granville  Ulnl  tori   

Graphic  method  for  correcting  .W,  s.  Wei 

Grass     Valley     and     X.'.      i        I      I  imla,      milling     and 

inldli       cosl        '    1916    

i :    K  Tremoureux  ami  F.  A.  Vet > 

Mm.       eold     laid       

t\  M    F Pro 

I 



Greal   Britain's  mineral  output  

Qn  ii  calamity,  the   Editorial.... 

Gold   mines    Editorial .  .  .  . 

r  AJo  Copper  Co 

Greater   Miami   Coppet    Co 

Greatest    gold    mine     Editorial ...  . 

Green.. -i    hi  ,i,.  .    Copper  Co.,  iiimiii    report 

Gri.ier.  R.  I. Concentration  ami  smelting 

vanadium    ore    

Grinding  al  the  Homes  take,  line  

Mills    at    the    Inspiration    David    I'oh      ... 

Tans    al    Rabilonia    

Gruel ter.  T.  W Platinum  on  thi    P 

Grunsky,  Jr.,  C.  17 Man  dp] 

Gudgeon,  C,  w Gold-scheellte  on-  in  New  Zealand 

Guggenheim  brothers   Edlto 

Guggenhelms,  enterprises  of   

Gun -eot  ton.  notes  on    

i  lypsum   mined  in  U.  S.  in   1916 

Gyratory  crushers   I.ee   Davenport 


H.  A.  C.  Tunnel  &   Mining  Co..  Ouray,   1'olorado 

Hague,  .lames  D-,  and  the  Calumet  &  Hecla 

Hague.  William Officers1    Reserve    Corps 

Hall.    Edgar    Useful    miles 

Hancock,  R.  T Flotation  or ss. 

Handling   Mexican   labor    H.    T.    \\  .       . 

Hanson.  Luring Earthquake  in  Nevada 

Hardenherg   mine.   California,    history  of 

Harding    sintering    machine    

Hardinge   mill   at   Inspiration    681, 

Harqua  Hala  Bonanza  mine 

Harvard    mine.   California,   changes    ownership 

Harvard  University,  prize  tor  plumbing  essay.  .Editorial 

If,  C.   I,,    (high  cost  of  living) .Editorial 

Heater  for  solutions,  electric I       l>     Bradley.... 

I  [eiiuiann.    Fred.,    appointment    Editorial 

II.i  eiiianeum,    Missouri,   matte   granulation    al 

S.  P.  Llndau  and  II.  R.  Smith 

Smeller  Improvements   

Herreshoff  ami  McDougall  furnaces  

Hicks    W    B Simple  tests   for   potash...  . 

Hiidehrand.  Joel  if Principles  underlying  notation.,.. 

Hill.  .Tames  J.,  on   finance   

Hill  City  Tungsten  Production  Co..  new  mill 

1 1, i hi    1."  J Matter  of  principle. .. . 

Hoists  at   the  Inspiration  mine,  automatic  electric 

II.  K.   Burch  ami  M.  A.  Whiting.... 

■Little    Tugger'    

On   the  Rami,  electric    

Hoisting  at   the  Inspiration    

Hollinger  mill,  decantatlon  plant   

Holman  pneumatic  stamp   ■  •  ■  ■ 

Holmes.   Joseph    A.,  memorial Editorial. ..  .647, 

Horn, stake  Mining  Co.,  hospital  

Mine •  _-  - 

Hoov.r.    II.   c.,  and   Belgium ....278, 

Hooper    J     C Amortization    "I    I apital.... 

Horn 1    pi' ss    °f    flotation,    Separation    nf    galena     li 

blenli  by  Allan   re  Rain.... 

Howard,  L.  O Copper  metallurgy  at  Garfield.   Utah 

Ditto  Mining   in    Utah  59, 

Howe    Charles  S Engineering  education   In 

the   United    States 

Ditto,   on    education    Editorial.... 

Huelva,  Spain,  copper  deposits  of    

Hulhert.    Edwin   J.,  and   the   Calumet   &   Hecla 

Hull    Copper   Co..   suit 

Human   side  of  engineer's  work Editorial ...  . 

Humboldt.    Arizona    


217 
85  I 


248 
654 


91 

■ 

136 

548 

16 

is,: 
' 


795 

B 
1111 
938 
117 
610 

s::i 
320 
7  s:: 
7  2  I 
931 
90! 
r.  is 

949 

21S 

:.s7 

" 
1  69 

87 
17.7 
586 

801 
652 

2I2 

961 
913 

7U_' 
711 
::::,'. 
900 

728 


529 

r.i 

209 

12f, 
11  I 
SI 
77 
830 
SO,  I 
..  o  2 


10 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.    113 


Humidity  of  air   

. 

KMward Ket"  I 

1  Editorial .  . 

Inst  In  Minerals  Separation  suit  943 

!  atlc  flotation-machine 

i pressor.  .  •>.;■:■"..  Isko 

California,  breach  <-f  Camtnettl  act.... 

418 

sulphtdlzlng  oxtdl                     17  i 

nidation    .  .  .  .  41  8 



5 

IT 


N 


.  . 
■    nents 

Flotation  al    

■ 



!  Iblo  liquids,  nut.  s  on 

Imponderables,    the     BdltO 

Ditto  i.  R.  Fin  lay. . . 

-nation,   de  

1 1.    il.-t.i  tion  ui.ii  s   M.  Hyde .  -  , 


.  editorial. . .  .1. 


lining  on 

i    ii  <.r  California 

1  ami  political  relationships 

loney    

it  of  flotatf<  'i  

\V     K  

Inspiration    <  !onsolldated    Copj 

.... 

Grinding  mills  I  •: 

I  rti i  ■  i  

Mine,  automatic  electric  hoi  el    

ll    k.  Burch  and  M.  a.  Whiting 

ng  methods ,  tan .... 

Iiiatltui  C   arles   F.   Willis. . .  . 

tlon   

I 

im  • ' 

ry   

International    Paper   Co Editorial.  .  .  . 

Invention,    development,    and    Introduction    of    the    flotation 

v  Stanley  Bin 



ry 

In   fli  of 







Irvln,  Donald  i  Strontium  nitrate:  a  new  Indus! 

Isherw i   kI  nc   procesi  

It  mine,  Alaska   

Ivan  h tin  

I.   W.   W    in  Minnesota  Editorial    .  . 


617 

49 
827 

409 

199 
24 

601 

."i :.  i 
276 

124 

S01 
188 

5 1 5 


149 

61 
148 

771 

166 
112 


Jack  I:  i  33 

i  iregon,  development  In  

: ; 1 1  Industry  ■  > f  i "  .r. 

Tungsten  production  "f  

Jarbidge,  Nevada    749 

Jennings,  Hennen  Dredging  In 

l>itt<>.  repi  ad  well  mlnec  

Jerome.  Arizona,  activity    820 

District,  Arizona,  mining C.  P.  Willis. .. .    671 

Jig  concentration  In  Joplln  district,   Missouri 

\    Wright 357 

■    dredges  Editorial.  ...    1st 

.11  m    Butler    Mining    Co.    v.    West     End    Consolidated    Mil 

Co.,   decision    10 

Johannesburg,  Transvaal   396    470 

Mitt  and  splice 378 

Belmont  notation-machine   

Joplln,  Missouri   177  642    921 

Floods 29 

District,    half-year,    1916,   output  67 

District  Jig  concentration Clarence  A.  Wright.. 

Zinc  on  

Jural. im. n,    ira   B..  on   AJo,   Arizona 

1  [ftto Gambling   in   Bhares.  ...    761 

Surflclal  indlcal  i 

Joalin.  Falcon 

In    west ntral    Arkansas..         947 

■  irnbia T.   A.    Rlckard 

mountains.  Montana,  copper  depos 
Jumbo   Extension,  company  report  

Condition    of    mine    

u.  Alaska    '    642 

Gold  belt,  map  ..f  ' ' '        (72 


Kalgoorlle,  Western  Australia,  some  large  mines 334 

Kaolin,   formation   of    

Kaolinizatlon   

Kama  tunneling-machlne  576 

Kearns,  Thomas,  and   Pa  nal    

Kelp  "i  sea  sh 

Kennedy,   Nevada,   earthquake  at    

Kentucky,  mineral  production  of  

Survey,  early  days  <>f   . .  .M 

Ketchikan  district,  Alaska Ktnfl   Edward   Hui 

irl    

Kidder  3.  .1 Modern   bit  »75 

::.T 

Kolar,   India,  sunn-  mines  of   

gold  mining  in E  Mtlfc     ,'.'.    915 

Labc Editorial  >'■'■  i 

Kotze,    it     N..   and   Transvaal    mining 


I  fltto,  report  on  Fur  East  Ha  ml 

Kraut    Mai Kraut-Kollberg    flotatlon^machlne.  ...      36 


n  of  Mother  Lodi                        6   1918 240 

In  South  Africa 

Scarcity    Editorial.  I 

Situation  In  Michigan  856 

Troubles  at   Kennett   180 

Troubles  In  An.. 

Troubles  In™                 Editorial. .  .  .  66  i 

.    California 217 

Troubles  at  Oatman    179 

Troubles  on  Mother  s  ornla   

Unrest   Editorial. 

Lackawanna  distrli  

any  report  B95 

1 1 1    Washoe   Reducl  ion 

Worka    868 

Ditto,  and  Wiggin,  a.  E Flotation  concen- 
tration at  Anaconda    B47 

I.akt-    View    &    <  >r<>  ■    ■     i                                                                       orl 756 

Lake  View  Consols  mine,  Western  Australia,  flotation  at...  162 

Lamb.  Mark  R Flotation   for  cinnabar.  ...  6 

Ditto  Naltagua  smelter....  '">J'.< 

Lamp,  Improved   miners           758 

ert i 

Ditto Potash -bearing  mlnerah                    rnia. .. .  6G."> 

Ditto or's    Beld-work. , 

Editorial. . .  .  ."» (7 

impanj    report  26 

i  mine,  Washington 7  in 

Launch!                  ba  No.  16 Walter  S.  Weeks.  ...  872 

703 

Lawrle,   H.  N Constructive  aid  for  prospector...,  B88 

Layng,   Haral    R Determination   of  antimony ...  ,  67 

Leaching  pyrltlc  copper  orea  at  Rio  Tin  to 81 

Bted  copper  concentrate  630 

Roasted  sine  ore 906 

Tailing  at  Calumet  A   Hecla 

Lcetate,  effect  of  In  cyanidatlon   161 

And                                 I   i  lunker  Mill  ami  C                k  ]  lecls  .  i  59 

And  fluorspar  In  Kentucky 

District  ol                        Missouri,  progress  748 

i 

Sydney  H.  Ball 807 

Electrolytic  at  Trail    940 

Ore  1                      i    Ri ]■  i.  B.  C 7  6  7 

'  ■    171 



Prices    ind   markets every  week. 

on  of  certain    Stat            Editorial....  2 

370 

Salts,  alkalinity,  and  solvent  power  of  cyanide  for  sold.. 

H.  R.  Edmands 161 

al     Trail     90  I 

.      Her<     Is  Ileum,    Missouri yso 

Lead-vanaoate  ore  of  Cutter,  New  Mexico 889 

lie,  Colorado 68    177,  287,  362,   169,  641,  674,  818,  930 

Editorial, . . .  7<; 

Population    of    - 

de  plants  92 

.Dlesi  i  engines  tor  mine  power-plants.. 

Mining  methods  at  Knspl  ration  ... .  532 

Lena   Go  Id  fields,    Ltd.,  c pany    reporl 16 

Sluices W.    E.    Thome.  . 

rt,  Warren  C Acetylene  v,  candles....  504 

E.  u  -Tungsten  in  the  Boulder  district,  Coloi 

Leucft<  of  potash    

Lewis,  Robert  C Amortization  and  depreciation....  456 

Lewlsohn    Bros 

Lewlston,    Montana    897,   648,  819 

Library,  traveler's  230 

Ditto   Claude    Ferguson ....  410 

Ditto   Arden   Proctor...,  411 

Ditto Iph.  .  .  .  689 

Ditto    John   B.  Stewart.  . . ,  876 

Lid  unlocked,  the   Editorial.. 

,H.  1  'oster  Bain  ....  58  i 

B  nidation    161 

From    molluscs    448 

Lin  da  u,  S.  P.,  and  smith.  H.  B Matte  granulation 

ill    mil,  Missouri    949 

Lining  of  ball-mills,   wear  of 

i    liquid.  Hquld-SOlld    

control  for  motors   788 

Slip-regulator  for  fly-wheel  set  804 

n  mines Russel  T.  Mason.  ,  tl'7 

ng   claims,    law    of    21 

i  discovery  of  claims 899 

Lockwood,  A.  A.,  and  Murex  process 204 

Log-washer  for  saprollte   878 

m      396 

[enderson   process   630 

irg,  New  Mexico  675 

Lost   Packer  copper  mine,  Idaho,  treatmenl  al 509 

Lo   ■  loi  i. .           ids    mining  around P.  B.  McDonald.  .*. .  14 

new  book  on    896 

Lumber,  prices  of  in  1916 821 

M 

maid,  W Absorption  of  gold  by  plates 869 

Ditto Why   ship  concentrate?. . . .  41 

ling   of   name Editorial. .. ,  371 

nitto Charles  D.   Demond. . . .  117 

nder  Mel  tougall. 

companies 570 

inery  for  Russia,  duty   free Editorial...,  481 

In   mining   P.   B.   McDonald.  ...  417 

MacNaughton,  Janv            I  Calumet  &   Hecla 78 

Mad   Mule  pocket   mine   229 

Magnesite     Editorial.  .  .  .  226 

Bi  Ick,  price  of 286 


Vol    II  : 


MINING  and  Scienli 


il 


i  in  i 


B    M    Do 


in 
il  ultl  to  ml | 

■  I    French 

.111  I ,.  III..  .1.1 

Itannla  mm.   dli 

lowing  pumping  schemes 

llf      M-M.'i..      11.    U 

i  »f    V  

n  

nr  Mother  Lode  of  California   .,  

tstern    Nevada    

nf    louthern    British    Columbia  

of  Wyoming    

■  il  nulls  iii  Detroit  mine 

mills  nt  Inspiration 

Murk  Twain  us  a  metallurgist <:.  II.  Clovenger. .  . . 

Murk,  tin*;  changes  for  n 

Mm  shall.  Tin is I  Hscovery  of  cjranldatlon  ... 

,  AI  II .Mining  in  Nevada.  .  .  . 

I*    I Swelling  ground  and    P  Canal.... 

P.  il Synthetic  - 

Ditto Tempering  iirin  steel. . 

Mason,  Russell  T Local  stories  about  mine 

I  'iii"   Pan -Americanism    -a  im-th  . .  .  . 

Mathewson.   B.  P Editorial.  , .  .681, 

an  all-round  metallurgist  -an   Interview 

T.  A.  Rickard 

'Matte'   ami    •mat'    

granulation  at   Herculaneura,   Missouri 

S.    P.    I. in. la. i   ami    II.    I!.   Smith     ... 

"f  principle   Bdltorla  I. . .  .582 

I'll'" '■     i:    ''.iiinskv,    Jr.... 

L.  J.   Hohl 

Ditto B.  W.    Parker.  .  .  .768. 

Ditto,   argument   closed    

I 'i ii".   Protest    \V.   H.  Shockley.... 

in,   Mexico 

Will"  it  il Motor-truck  In  Arizona. . . . 

ild,  P.  B Bnglneer  and  business. .. . 

'  'iti" Machinery   in   mining. .. . 

i  n"" Mining  a  run  ml    Lovelock,   Nevada; . . . 

Prospecting. . . . 

i'itt., Two  gr<  companies  compared . , 

MoDougall  furnace  T.  T.  Read. . . . 

Mclntyre  Porcupine  Mines  Co.,  company  report 

Costs   

McKlnley-Dari  ige   mines,   company   report 

McNeill,   Bedford,  death  "f   Editorial.... 

i  strict,  California,  ores   IK.. 

Measuring  with  steel  tap.-  in  mine-surveying 

W.    S     Weeks.  .  .  . 

Mellor.   E.  T.  ami  geology  "f  the  Witwntersrand 

Melting  ai   Santa  Gertrudls   

Men  employed  in  California  mines,  etc 

Mercuric  chloride  ami  wounds  22, 

Mercuric  fulminate,  notes  on  

I  'in,,,  power  "f  

is.  contact  between 

"  ■'     era     Editorial.... 

M-iriii  press,  operation  of  

M,-i  inn  &  CO.,    Henry Editorial.  .  .  . 

i  ir-screen   

i.ia   range   labor  troubles 

M.'.i  cartels  ami  combines Editorial.... 

Deductions  al   smelters    

I  ...vi    .in    shlDS Editorial  .  .  .  . 

Mini      a  mi  i  g  m -i i ns  rocks  

Price   Mini  na  l  inns   during    lie-    War 

Prices    Editorial.  .  .  . 

Production  of  Central  stales  in  1916 

Production   of  Ontario   for   third   quarter    

Mel. ils    after    the    War.    base Editorial.... 

i     lounty    mines.    California Editorial.... 

R vered  in  1915,  scrar. 

Through   Soo   canals 

Used    at    Verdun     Editorial.... 

Met.-ilim-  mining  district.  Washington   

'Metallurgical   Meeon'  in   Lnnilon    

Metallurgy  at  Garfield.  Utah,  copper L.  o.  Howard.... 

m.i  :i  -..mat  ism.   definition   of 

Metric  system  considered  by  Eastern  manufacturers. ..  .833, 

System  in  Pern   

Mexico Editorial...  .187,   272.   582.   686, 

American  capital  in    

Americans  in    Roller t  S.   Bnrdette.  .  .  . 

And    newspapers    Ed  i  tori  a  1  .  .  .  . 

*    walled    Editorial..  .. 

i  Yi m mission    Editorial ....  1  la. 

I'l.-.narison   of  mining  in    1912  and   1916 

Conditions    in     

Ditto E.   A.   H.   Tnvs.  .  .  . 

Ditto Our   Mexican    Correspondent, . . . , 

Crisis     Editorial  ...  , 

Currency     Editorial .... 


i 


I. .a 
S84 

HII 

1  l'.l 

611 

•'.II 

■  l 

831 
661 
131 
1  16 

81  i 

r. 
737 
901 
829 

887 

29s 

:i  I  '.i 
76] 
B67 
585 
M-,7 
910 
589 
607 
-IT, 

191 
■147 

1  I 
337 
391 
587 

109 

241 

2.7 

647 

7X2 


668 
38 

2  l  6 
1 
138 
320 
13« 
3lli 
7!' 2 
212 
297 
20  7 
112 
932 
13a 
S'I7 
207 
Til  I 
297 
355 
852 
686 
2."-'' 

72 
700 
225 
7  12 
452 

54 
502 
9r,ii 

670 
Ri.1 

7". 
"02 
647 
I  1  I 
5SR 
588 

88 


II 


.637. 


K.I 

Progress    i. 

.    .  .. 
•i'i.i.i. 

' 

Mia tonsollda  '•  .1    U 

Miami    Coppi 

Block   mothod  "f  top  sin  Ing.  .  i      ■      i  •■ 

'  "oil  1 1 

i  :,.  i  i 

sun   I..  Minerals  Separation    ....... 

Min. 

'  iklah a.  development 

e   of   sheet    

i    Sulphur   i'" 

Mikado  drainage  scheme  at   Leadvllls 

Mill  "i   the  Britannia  company,  B.  C  

i  'ml.  i  ground  In  '  Colorado    

Mills,  expanding  ci  -  Editorial . . . . 

In   iii.-  North-west    

Mills,  I-:,  w ' il,. i.i  mining  In  Korea.... 

i    cyanldlng   costs     -i    Grass    Valley    ami 

i'n>.    California,    in    1916 

R,  K   ii  i  ' ii  -  n\  and  i'    a    Vestal.  . .  . 

Ill     Arkansas     

t in    Santa  Gertrudls Hugh  Ri 

Tungsten   ore   in   Colorado    

Prletas   mine,   electrolytli     precipitation         

Mine.  American  boy  ami  the    Robert    U    Raymond..., 

Buying  supplies  for Nelson   Did 

Fire,  drowning   

Ladders,  attention   to   

Or  proBpect,  definition  of 

Pumping 

Resci nt.sl   in   California    

Supplies,   shipping    i 

Surveying,  measuring  with  si •-<- 1  tape...W.  s.  Weeks.... 

Ventilation,  cheap   

Ventilation  and  cost  of  mining 

Mine    Inspector's    Institute   of  America 

Mm.-  La   Mi.ii.-  Co.,  Missouri 

'Mines    Handbook    and    Clipper    Handbook.'    new    edition    by 
W.     II.     Wi-i-il     

Mines,  local  st  i  ai  es  about  Russell  T.  Mason. .. . 

Of   tile   Mother   Lode  of  California 

Prolonging    life   ,,f    Editorial.... 

'Mineral    Industry.'   the  bunk    review    

Mineral  industry  "f  -Japan   

Output   of   Great   Britain    

Output  of  I'.  S.  in   1915   

Production   of  Black   Hills   

Production  of  California  in    1915 

Prod  net  i f  Ontario   in   first    half  of   1916 

Minerals,    Mutation    of Unlit.    .1.    Anderson.  .  .  . 

in    desert    regions,    variety    of 

In    Rochester  district.   Nevada   

Through    the    ''anal     

Mineralization   of  Butte  granite,   incipient 

Mineral    Slide  drift    mine    . 

Minerals    Separation    and     Inspiration-Amu  inula     companies, 

agreement     

North  American  Corporation   

Origin    "f    

Patent,    life   of    

Remarks    on    its    attitude    Editorial.... 

v.   Butte  <v:  Superior's  dividends 

v.   -lames   M.    Hyde 

Hill",  decision,  text   919, 

Hill".    M.    S.    wins    Editorial.... 

v.  Miami  Copper  Co..  bond 

Ditto,    decision .".10. 

Miner-prospectors,  value  of  

Miner's  lamp,  Improved 

Mining  and   milling  in   Arkansas L.   L.   Wlttlch.... 

Around  Lovelock,  Nevada   P.  B.  McDonald.... 

Business    of     Editorial.  .  .  . 

Hi  Ho W.    R,    In  galls.  .  .  . 

Bv   the  Government   in    Alii,  a Editorial.  ..  . 

Decisions 71.  110,  481,   662,   720,  861.  930, 

Districts  of  Bolivia    

Districts,   reports   on — general    suggestions    

Education    Editorial. . .  . 

Ditto P.  Lynwood  Garrison. . . . 

Efficiency,  Federal  aid  to Van  II.  Manning.... 

In  Alaska,  conditions  in  September   

In   Arizona Charles   V.   Willis.  ...  157. 

In   Colorado George  .1.   Bancroft.  ...    285. 

Ill    I  'I  I  ha ,. 

In  Indian   reservations  

In    Jerome    district,    Arizona c.     p,    Willis 

In    Nevada    \1    H.    Martin 

In  Utah L.  o.    Howard 69. 

Law    revision     Editorial.  .  .  .687. 

Ditto,    Colorado   Scientific   Society Editorial.... 

Ditto. Falcon    Joslin  .... 

Legislation   in   Congress    

Methods    Editorial 

Methods  at  Inspiration George  R.   Lehman  .... 

Methods    in    Bolivia    

Possibilities  in  British  Columbia 

Publicity    in     Editorial 

Terms,    definition    of    


639 

in 

...I 
2  I  '.i 


i70 

600 
136 

sv.; 

'.llll 

712 

si',  I 
727 
336 
B97 
684 
i.-.r, 

281 

2  I'.  1 

538 

17 

r.iiT, 

-,,,! 
2:i:: 


249 

121 

866 

I",  I 
363 
in.; 
sk: 
866 
948 
866 
r.s.i 
:..-.  1 
186 
7,-x 

11 
201 

2  71'. 

or,  1 
963 

1  1:1 
199 

1 

9 

796 

1'.  I  2 

319 

,; ,  9 

072 
21 
071 
si  I 
309 
888 
398 

0H2 

2  22 

r.si 

532 

122 
702 
153 
502 


12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.   L13 


Page 


93S 


16 
L'3f. 


lilnln 

Tungsten  at   Bouldei 
Mining  &  Metallurgical  Society  ol  and  mining  law 



Mimn  lotatlone 

' Ion  price  to  $* 

Mining  Corporation  ol  mpany   report 

'Mining  Ma  on  st;i(T Bdlto   la] 

Misln  K. 

slppl    River    Power  Co.,  company   report 

.11.  diamond-drilling  and   grade  "f  ore 212 

i rl -Kansas  0  nine- lead  district   for  half  year,    i  T  * 

Mlxl n g  i  i :  i  n    

n   blasting  practice S.    i     Klddei 

Mogollon,   New    M  m 

LSI 

Mogollon     Mines    i  • 612 

Tamping- bag   filler   

inty,  Arizona,  ore  deposits  oi 

Mohave  Daily  Miner1   693 

Mokelumne     Hill  California 

Molecul  and  notation will  li.  Coghill. ...    .;  1 1 

Mollusi  "ni    t  is 

Molybdenite,  better  demand   Poi    

916 

In   *  mtarlo    672 

Neai  California    ■"»;  i 

Only   comn  ilybdenum    mineral 

B  tmi  ril     of      

i -nit m.  concentration   of 742 

Metal    

ol m.  Westllng  and  Carl  Andersen  ....    917 

d  markets every  week, 

Mon<  ^ 

Making  and  stocli  Ion  on  Wall  Street 

■  I 

Rei  lew  of  new  book  on   

Monltor-Belmonl   mill  troubles  229 

Montana,   dn  Hennen   Jennings 165 

Map    ol  175,   716 

291 

Montana    Powei    Co      

Moore,   Howard  w Blasting  practii  e 

Chuquicamata,  Chile 60 

Morencl,  Arizona,  flotation  at   556 

I -Me  tea  If  copper  deposits    

Morgai  H \ 

i  ions 413 

Ditto,  and   Ralston,  Oliver  C. .  .Electrolytic  zinc-dust. 

E.   C Electrolyl  l< 

Ditto Stamp  v,  ball-mills 

Mother  I.- 1 1 1.-,  California  ting  old  mines  along. . , 

T.  A     Ricl 

Wli  ■.  

Motors,  liquid  rheoatatlc  control  for   7v  B 

Motor-trui  ;  operating  268 

For    mines B26 

In   Arizona    Wllbei  I   1 1    McBi  ld< 

Mt.   Andrew  Mining  Co.,  Alaska   168 

Mi.   i loppy  53  i 

Mouni   Lassen  still  active  

Mt.  i.v.-ii  Mining  S  ompany  report 

Cop]  !  ion   '■  1 9 

an    mine    

Composition   of  on     

Mucking  as  an  educator Curt  x.  Schuette. . . .      IS 

Mu  lea,  note  on 

Murex  flotal  

Mysore  mine    

N 

Nails,    notes    OH     

Naltagus   smelt,  r Mark   I;     La 

■  eras  Hots  '  Ion  plants  i  om]  area 

National   Cltj    Bank   of  N.   Y Editorial.... 

National    Expi  Chemical   Industries 

Nations  notes  on  

Ilgs 

i   i'    s.  In  1915 

mining    industry 

do  

Neil]  jig  for  dredges 

Nelson,  Lloyd  G    I  !  silver  ore. . . ! 

lltlons   "f  mining   in    

s.    L.   Berry. .. . 

Loring    Hanson. . .  . 

Map    <>r    

Mining-  In        Al  H.  Martin '.'.'. '. 

Bllver  or.  [n   

Some    eastern    dl  

1    Consollds .  .     Co..    and    Calumet    A 

mines  

Company    report     . .'. 

Mine,    early    hlstoi 

Progress     '.'.'.'. 

Co..  compai  ,  ,....! 

Nevada    Packard,  costs    

Mill,  construction  and  operation  of ......[ 

,  .        ,  Herbert  G.  Thomson ... . 

New  c  hi    

New  Canadian  Metal  Co 

New  Cornells  Copper  Co.,  ore  reserves 

Protri.'^s    .'..'.'. 

New  ,!<<!■  ' 

New  Idria.  California,  new  mill  at   '..'.'/''' 

New  Jersey  Zinc   Ci        profits 76 

rty   

New  Mexico  metal  production  in  1916 

ew  of 

New  Mo  orid 

New   York  Stock    Exchange Editorial 

New  Zealand  i    

Gold-scl lite   ore    in C.   W.    Gudgeon 

Sua,    plant    of    Hal.il. mta    gold    mines 

x-.  ,    ,,      ,t   ^.  —  s    M    Parker.... 

Nlcholls,   II.   E Pr  elnis 

Nickel   and   polities  in  Canada 


62 
629 

see 

::: 

67 

202 

513 

597 

202 

22a 

52 

117 

.:• 

Nil 

:;;  l 
576 

291 
330 

9 
SEC 
575 
B50 

.177 
588 
7.;:, 
208 
1  r.  :> 
912 
28 
77.1 

,;x 
675 
656 

!  !  : 

186 

an 
8 


Nickel   (con 

■  states 570 

Controversy  In   Canada    V 

Nee  I  



Nickel-copper  matt.,   prod d  at  Sudbury 

Nl<  kel-Bteel    

Nicol    John  M *  decision. 

I Regarding  foreign  capital... .   797. 

ps   and    rolls  »} 

Nitrate  deposits,  formation  of   31- 

ted  9|atea  9t8 

Situ.  lean    

Stan  • 

Nitric  acid,  synthetic I' ■   >i    Ma 

Nltro-glycerlne,  notes  on    19.  167 

Moduli:      -               -    on | 

Nomenclatui                                'Sits   .->- 

North   Butte  Mining  Co Ill 

ir    taxation     ' '■■ 

North  Dominion  Copper  Co ;■■••,■,■ ;■•■■    J'.v 

Notes   on    ll..tati,.n Rudolf  Gahl....    I'." 


Oatman,   Arizona    - fi*.   "ll 

Leroy    A.    Palmer 

eau    of   Mines Editorial.... 

Exaggerations   Eklitorlal.  .    . 

Mills  ' 103, 

Southern  end  development   

Water   supply    

O'Brien.  C Cyanidatlon  at  the  Comacaran 

mill.-,    Salvador     

■  >. 'elusion,    use   of   term    

Corps,  engineers  tor. ...a.   m.   Babcock.... 

DittO     William     Hague.... 

Copper  Co.'s  affairs    

.ol  and  gas  prospects  In  Montana 

tlon  at  Inspiration   

Consumpl in  calcining   n  

Consumption    of   Diesel  engine 

Feeder    for    notation  . 

In  flotation  plants  

flotation,    new    

decision  

Lti tatentabllity  of  amount   

selective  action  of  

Flotation.    Suan    mill.    Korea 

For  hoisting  ropes,  .rude  

(Tor    railroad    loCOS     ■ 

Ill     Montana     

In    Ontario    

In  South   America,  early  indications   

Lands  of  i'.  S.   bill  before  Congress 

it    ,.f   world   in   1915 

Patentability   Of  amount   in   flotation    

Production  of  U.  s.   in   11. ir. Editorial.... 

m  of  U.  S.,  present  rate  of Editorial. . .  . 

p,  new  typ.-  of  mechanical  

■Hon    of    

Used  at  Suan  mill.   Korea   

ITsed  iii  flotation,  decision  of  the  court 

Weil,  dynamiting  

Wells  in  California,  new  610, 

Oklahoma,  recent  development  In   

Zinc  i  

Zinc-lead  region   100, 

i.i.i  Dominion  Mining  &  Smelting  Co..  Improvements  by 

ns  ot"  copper  converter 

Oleic  acid   in   flotation    

ii.it  i  ■ . ir    of     

Deposits Fred    R.    Ely... 

Deposits,  description  of  

I  ..posits  ,.f  Arkansas 

[,.  posits  ..f  Mohave  county,  Arizona  ...  F.  C.  Schrader.  .  .  . 

is  of   faults  on    richness    

Grade    Of     Editorial  .... 

Grade  of  metal 

Mined    in    l:     C.    in    I  a  I  a 

Treatment  at  West  End.  Tonopah..Jay  A.  Carpenter.... 

Sa milling  conditions  in  the  West.  .  .T.  R.  Woodbridge.  .  .  . 

Ore-bins  s t  Nevada  Packard   

Ore-shoot,  definition  of   

i.  inig  machine,   continuous 

ore  Concentration  Syndicate  and  Rotation  

platinum    in     

Takllma    district    

Oriental  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  company  report 

Oroya-Brownhill  mine 

Ouro   Pr.t..  eld   Mines  of  Brazil,  company   report 

Metallurgical   results    Editorial  .  . .  , 

Plant     for    settling    gold     

Out.  rops  and   (he   prospector William    II.   Storms.  .  .  . 

Of  important  coppet   deposits  described 

Oxidation  of  pyrlte   

mineral,  recovery  by  flotation   

Oxidized    ores,    flotation    of 

•|    C.    Ralston   and   Glen   L.   Allen 

Oxy-acetylene   explosions    Editorial .  .  - . 

Oxygen  in  oxy-acetylene  jet   

T  n    mine  air    

Ozokerite    in    Utah,    notes   on in.".. 


a;,  i 
la:: 
7.1 
v..  7 

J  7 
17a 

6 

49 

72a 

680 

717. 

a 

129 

177 

7,17 

552 

50 

640 

M  a 
ax 

291 

si:. 

loll 

3  i :: 

it.  a 

1 

B62 

:.a 
r.l  a 
r,i7 

212 
X7,:; 
136 
177 
921 

17.x 
1211 

500 

i;x  a 
laa 
886 
7:::: 
902 
87 

17.1 
72x 
197 

707 

::7x 

7.11 

288 

211 
291 
684 
18 

228 
871 

12a 
268 

XI 

nil 

171 

2  7  7 

506 

212 

.-,,  17 


Coast,  black  sand  of Herbert  Lang  -n 

Platinum    on    the T.    W.    Gruetter  20 

Pacific  Gas  &   Electric  Co.,  sales  to  mines 209 

Packin  u    ^ ts   lor  foreign  countries :::." 

Paleontology 712 

Leroy    A Oatman   district.   Arizona..  la:; 

Ditto Tungsten  near  Bishop.   California :1S.; 

Panama    Canal     Editorial  790 

Minerals  through .  .  393 

Swelling   ground   and F.   J.   Martin....  192 

niism — a    myth     Editorial..  7"2 

Ditto R.  T.  Mason.  ...  9111 


Vol    II  : 


MINING  ..".I  Soenl.fi,   l'KI  SS 


i  i 

nil.    fr<i 


■ 


110 

II 


tilts;    In 
I  ■  1 1  1  -  • 


IT 

i;mi 

71 


I 

I  .1   till  llll 
Hon    trlbulutii 

|u    .       I  I, 
nulla 

I'ell.llr. 

ivrku  I'll 

Edltoriul 

I 

in    in 

•     ..! 

•  r  notation 
.  k   in  Tennesse* 
mining 

.ns  of 

n    Dotation 

......  629 

nsumptlon   In  precipitating  - 

I i.i.  ti. .1.  In  first  hall  1918  .  Editorial 

...   ore 

Plna  Canyon                     m  Tunnel  Co  219 

I'iih-  Cri  

1'ip...    notes    "ii 

ipaclty R.    I'     Perkins 

Pipe-line   f"i    carrying  concrete  to  ;i  shaft 529 

247 

ilende  in  Gilpin  county,  Colorado 13 

lurg   niiii'-.  Gilpin,                    66 

Placer                                                ck 7  i 

*  rlsona 249 

Plant  of  Babllonla  Gold  Mines,  Nicaragua.  .S,  M.  Parkei 

absorption  of  gold  by W.   Macdonald . . . ,  B69 

mi    .in.l   quicksilver    

Field   test  for   

in  Siberia,   new  And 221 

In     Spain      

i  hi  thi    Pacific  .'....-i T.   w    .  20 

i    Editorial. 

and   markets 

imparlson   "f   286 

Production    <>f    world    174 

iiii 102 

Plattevllle,     Wisconsin 100,  287,    171.   608.    i  81  922 

Platts,  John   B. .  .Pocket-hunting  applied  to  prospecting 

I  Mi  to     Prospecting.. .  229 

lie    '. B40 

Plumb-bob,  notes  on   use 668 

iuth  mill.   How-sheet    231 

Pocket-hunting:  applied  to  prospecting John   1:.  Platts..  306 

Mining,     gold     229 

Politics     Editorial..    .  653 

,   Ontario,   geology  of 216 

Ipond  Mines,  npany   report   72 

bottom    for    flotation-machines 495 

yry"    Editorial  B2t 

•Copper' w.  N.  Thayer. .  728 

'Copper'  deposits,  cause  ol 

Porphj  1  tei Editorial 

I'nrls   of    Hi.-    world,    great 230 

Leading   123 

I..  South  America LOUlS  A.   Wright  ...  .  3  37 

ila  of  California Herbert    Lang....  665 

definition    of    term 162 

From  flue-gas    849 

Ii  •    Lake    Editorial.  .  :■  1  ^ 

Simple  tests   for W.  B.   Sicks....  207 

Potassium    and    potash    salts 162 

orate    manufacture   In    Japan -I9S 

Powder    at    Joplln,    cost    of 537 

Powder-plant   in    Montana    322 

Power   consumed   bi    Conrey   dredges 505 

Consumed   by  stamps  ami    ball-mills 210 

For    Cobalt.    Ontario     503 

Plants.   Diesel  engines  for  mine.  ..  .Charles  Legrand. . . .  393 

Precipitate  to  bullion Ft,   R.    Bryan....  834 

iltatlon  ami  melting-room  at  Santa  Gertrudls 241 

Electrolytic I..    I.    Rowland 622 

and    Engineer   Reserve  Corps ill 

Presidential  elections  and  business Editorial....  481 

Elections,  conditions  on  eve  of Editorial....  652 

Prevention  of  misfires E.   F.  Brooks....  871 

Prices  of  chemicals  and   old    metals 895 

Of    newspapers    and    magazines Editorial....  790 

Of    old    metals     514 

Principle,    matter    of     

B.    W.   Parker  an.]    C.    B.   Grunsky,   Jr....  867 

Principles  underlying  flotation. ....  .Joel   ii.   ETildebrand. . . .  168 

Probert.    Frank    II Surlleial    indications    of    copper — IV 

and    V    81,  267 

Problem   of   efficiency J.    R.    Flnlay 231 

Proctor.    Arden Traveler's    library....  411 

Profession,    definition    of    27'1 

Profit   in    high    metal   prices    241 

Progress    Mining   &    Milling   Co 920 

Prohibition,    notes    on     8 

Prospect    mountain.    Leadvllle,    development 362 

Prospects    and    prospectors I..    I.    Rowland..  621 

Prospecting,    a    suggestion Harold    French....    117.  II." 

iiittn M.    F.    Graupner....  376 

Ditto P.    B.    McDonald.  .  .  .  337 


II 


In     ,■  i 

v. . 

i  roi  ii 

Pulp 

Mi  .  leal  oil 

watoi    wnii  ... 

i'yi  II..    deposits    "t     '  •  I  lain     luipoi  t 

1  n   i sulphide 

Idatlon  a  n. t  . 

Produi  Hon  i  1915. 

netting    al    Anyox,    B    C 

Sue 


QuartSbUrg,     Idaho     

Quartzlte,    A  rlsona,    gold 

.  .  minora ' 
Quebec  brldi 




1 1 1 

■.    

i   markets 


Race  problems  in  South  aim...    

I 1. .n    of    Austria    iii    I9li 

Rag-mills  or  canvas  tables   '•"    tungsten 

Rail i    1 1 ..I   graph  companies,  some   t.i^ 

tructlon    in    Coeur    d'A Lene,    Idaho 

in    Alaska 

rial    reports 

. ' .   i      -    and     oal  u  i  <i  

01   i     S.,  operating  data   

i   IT.  s 

Edltoi 

Rain,   All-in   i' Separation  of  galena  fr blende  by 

I  loi  wood     process     of     llotal 

Ralph,  Joseph Traveler's  lib. 

Ralston,  Oliver  C,  and   Harry  J.  Morgan Electrolytic 

zinc-dust     

Ditto,  anil  Glen  U  Allen Flotation  "i   oxidized 

..i.s        

Ditto,     Views    on     ...niiii li.aliiii.nl 

i.  .a  n. i.n. e  of  the Edltoi 

Dividends    for   naif-year   

Eli  ctrlc   hoists   mi    tin-    

|.'ai    East    Edlto 

Hold  oi   iii..  bankel   

Gold    output    for    half-year 

Maps  Of  parts    

Notes   on    Editorial .... 

Supplies    on    tin-    

Rai    Consolidated   C ier  Co.,  company  report   

Rav   Hercules  Copper  Co 

Raymond,  Robert  M Unerlcan  boy  ami  the  mine.... 

Read.  T.  T Mel  ion  gall    f  urn:. 

Ready    Hullian   mine,    Alaska 

l: in    patents    175,  21".  860,    122.    180,  545,   603 

Redding.    California   

Redjang-Lebnng.  Ml.ihla.uw    Man  tseha  ppi.i.  company    report.. 
Redw Is    of    California,    notes    on     

Reed,  Jr..  Henry  s Sunday  work  at  the  mini 

Refining  at  Trail,  electrolytic T.  A.  Rickard. . ,  .903, 

Petroleum      

Refractory    Magnesite  Co 

Regarding    foreign    capita] T.    Nipper.... 

Rennerfell     eleelrie     furnace    for    ferro-tungsten 

Re-opening  of  obi   mines  along  Moiher   I....I...  California,!! 

T.   A.   Rickard 

Repairing    a    crusher     

Replacement,    definition    of 

Reports    on     mining    districts       general    suggestions 

Republic,    Washington,    notes    from 69, 

Reduced    rates  on   ores 

Re- timbering  a  f  our-com  par  linen  t  shaft.  ...  II.  G.  Thlele. 

Retorts,  zinc  smelting  in  vertical 

Reverberatory-furnace    practice    ai    Garfield,    Utah 

Revision  of  the  mining  law i'i  icon  Joslin. . . . 

Rheostatic  control   for  motors,   I  i  on  id 

Rhodesia  and  the  ape\-  law Editorial.  .  .  . 

Mining     law      

RlCO    Lake    district,    Manitoba     

Rickard,   T.   A HI  ue    Bell    mine,  Riondel,    I:    C.  ... 

Ditto Britannia    mine   and    mill.... 

Ditto Electrolytic    refining   at   Trail. ..  .908, 

Hill, T.    Parke    ('banning    and    copper    mining..., 

ibit Tourney   to   British  Columbia... 

Ditto. ...E,  p.  Mathewson,  an  all-round  metallurgist.... 

Ditto Re-ojening  of  old    niin.-s  along   the   Mother 

I, ode.      California.      IT 

Rickard,    Thomas,    death    of 

Kirk.  lis.    I,.    I" Matter   ..f   principle.... 

Rico   Wellington   Mines   Co 

Riondel.     B.     C 

Rio  Tint"   mine    Editorial.  .  .  . 

Notes  on   mine  an. i    treatment 

Roasted    gold    ore,    leaching 

Roasting    copper    concentrate 

Galena    for    flotation    

Zinc  ore  a  I  Trail  


354 


171 
583 

2ii  I 
"2 

517 
39 

Mil 
X27 

330 
103 

307 
893 
571 
109 

;,l 
79 

939 
96 

234 


236 

337 
10 
499 

2  I  5 

.-,11 

567 
387 
56 
69 

7SS 
in:, 

71  1 

1(11 

765 
093 

:..::. 
1X7 
657 
S37 

236 
717 
910 
ISO 
7 11,.', 
152 
81 
161 
630 
529 
9  01', 


14 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.   113 


Page. 
;  lotatton  ai  oppei      A   _   _ 

■ 
Robertson.  \v.   P.,  and  Smith.  G.  W Tax  on  nun.-  produi 

in    Brll  

Ditto,  imbla    " ■;• 



i-  .    Hand 

'rowder'D    notation    investigations •  -'._• 

I" 

■  ■ l4,  552 





Rock,    Impoi  tanl  p  

?v 

Rock-drill  practlci    in  1  Rand lis 

In     i  mine r- 

Uoli   practice   at   Nevada    Packard    mill    379 

■  i  

d  Storms,   \v.   M Prospei  t< 

.. Milling   practice  at   SanU   Gertrudlfl 242 

183 

■  ry o04 

Joplln 3d* 

d    Mountain    Mining   Co.,   company    report 756 

M  1 

I    ospecta  and  |        pec  ton 

il    Minerals  Sepal  a  Hon 40  fi 

Sepa- 
ration      

'  the   Russian    s 

Runner,  -I    J  gravity   method   for  tungsten 

11 

J 

on   in    1915 

d     mining  Editorial.  ...    898 

Measures   and   equivalents    166 

Notei      ii  94 

Oil    produ.  tlon  


S 


. « ;    5 


■  ■     ■ 

-■  rail  a 

nine   Editorial. . . . 



St.    John    Mines    Co  

:   i  >...    Run  Lead  <*«.,  consollda 

Improvements    at    Herculaneum    

Smelter    practtci 

■  ush    oil    Editorial ... 

Plotal  Ion  oil  from  

Notes    ->n  

Bale,   a    J Gold   In  silver  concentrate.... 



Bait  In  

Prod  

ide    mills 

of  

Mines    Morton  Web 

Band  and  gravel  production  •>(  r.  s    in  1916  

i     G.  Tyi  rel.  . , , 

sinking   through Edward    A     Sayi 

Pan    Francisco    Mini  186,   340.    112. 

I  tit  to,    lark'*'   bus!  



Hu( 



Sault  St.  Ms 

Sayre,    Edward   A Sli 



of   

,  .Editorial.  - . , 

W.   n    Storms 

Gold  ore  In  New  Zealand C  w.  Gudgeon. . . , 

Schrader,   P.  1  I  tunty,  Arizona.... 

Schuette.  Curt  N Mucking  ator.  -  .  . 

:   In    I  91  5 

■  .... 

te    and    tailing   at    Ai  izona    1 



Editorial .... 



Roberl   M Extra -1 

Seattle  as  site  for  1  periment  station.  .Editorial 

t ration    In   ore   formation 



Hill    

Ditto 

suits    

from    blende   by    Horwood    pn 

flotation  Allan    i  >,    Rain 

■■  mine  in    

Serlcltizatlon     

Settlements    by    smeltei  . . . 

Settling  sllmi 

10I  ruin,',  a  laska    

Seven  Troug  »n  mine,  Ne>  on ... 

Underground   photo  of   

Shadow  Creek  dfi  ' , 

Editorial. . . . 



nia 

1 ;    Thlele 

Sinking  Editorial 

Sinking.  

Sinking,    world's    1  ecord    '.'.'.'. 

Work  at   Butte  &   Superior      

in -Ira  B.   J 

1  '      I'    1  ling.  .  .  . 

county,   California,    labor   troubles 

Edmund.  .  ,DI  panidatlon. . . . 

Shear   rone,    definition    «>r    

if   ' ' 

Signs?               foi  1  .'ine!  ! !  ! 

Shipping    mining    supplies Editorial 


113 

. 

218 

■:  2  ."• 
806 
t.;; 

. 

si 
168 
192 

707 
846 

' 
562 

:.:■• 
112 

:■■ 
1 :: 6 

;  .  . 

72 

559 
■ 

471 
160 

272 

lv 

. 

2<i; 

14 

141 

51  fi 

" 

'.'•'7 
217 

I    ' 

: 

■ 
111 
332 


Page 
Shockley,  \v.  H. ..  .American  Institute  of  Utol  neers 

•t    &89 

1  'it i  rilnera'  wages     685 

ling  lead  ore  In  south -east   Missouri 46 

21 . 

Siberia,  minerals  in  Urlanhai  province   

Sierra  county,  California,   activity   in 103 

Signal  code   for   surveying W.    F.   Sherman....    411 

production    d!    United   States ;- 

Slltclflcatlon     

Silver,  bonuatpatd  In  Colorado "90 

1  r*-s  on   value    

>ld   in a.  J.  Bale..'..    B78 

Losses  In  cupellatlon 45y 

ments    In    England    440 

Bdltoi 

notation  on Lloyd  O.  Nelson  ...    223 

Futuri     ol  284 

Output    of    Mexico    Editorial.  . 

Output  of  Hogollon,   N.  M 475 

Prices   and    markets every   week. 

Statistical   position   In   July   1916 :>  ■ 

Silver  City,  New  Mexico,   notes  on   district 182 

Silver  ton.   Colorado.    In    1916    

Simmer  ft  Jack  mine  

tests    for    potash W.    B.    Hicks. 

Sinking  through  sand Edward  a.   Sayre., 

Sintering  machine,  continuous  ore   288 

Slack-cable  system  of  ore  haulage    

Slag  at    Rio  TlntO    85 

Study  at   smelters    '-<ii 

Treatment   ai    Butte    

Viscosity  of  furnace   

ii    Miami    

Methods  of   mining    

Slime  at  Morencl  only  ti  itation    

1   settling Paul   W.   Avery....    738 

at    Lena  gold  mine    

1-  M.  Turn  bull  - 

And   small   mine,  of  Arizona    677 

At     Xaltagua.    Chile     ■ 829 

irglan    fanners [92 

[Ing    Editorial.. 

at   Trail,  B.  C 903 

Profits 13:; 

Any  on  and  Grand    Porks,   B.  C 777 

Bolivian  tin,  charges  In   England  and  Germany 132 

ges  on  Butte  ore  1  m 

Study  of  slags    '.*n 

Tin    h      Boll    I..     

Vanadium   ore,   concentration  and R.   L.   Grlder. . . 

55tm  I   retorts    8$i 

Smith,  G    w  .and  Robertson,  \v.  P. ...Tax  on  mine  products 

in   British   Columbia    

and    Undi     .    S     P Mai  te    granul 

Herculaneum.     Missouri      944) 

Smith.  Howard   I 1 Gold  Bavlng  on   dredg  202 

Theory   of   dotation 16 

Smith.   Kenneth  G atmospheric   humldlt  y   and    Its 

nt     

ner  S <                                          ■  ;  iska.  ,  .  .  908 

Smuggler-Union   01                   do,   flotation   of 7."-i 

Snake  Creek   tunn                     205 

7  1 11 

Soap-bearing   plant   for  settling  gold   

Sodium   amalgam,   use  of   

And  potassium,  chemical  difference   

Editorial.  .  17 

Sulphide    for    testing    sll  ver-cyanidr    solution 

Sulphide    in    flotation    .  . .' 172 

in  cyanidatton    161 

ter  for F.  D.   Bradley....   00^ 

Sonora,    California     *17 

Sonstadt    solution     

Africa,  American  on  of..H.  Fos 

of    Editorial.  , 

1   mining  in W.   Karri   Davl 

States  ' 

Louis  A.    Wright 

Tariffs    201 

South  I  takota .  gold  production  of SO 



•a  rly    7"i 



Method  for  tungsten  J.  J.  Runner. .. .      11 

pulp 159 

11    mills    

Speculation    in    mining    stocks Editorial 

of   belt-conveyors SS5 

Torque  curves   fi  

ei     Editorial 1^ 

Early  history  of   

Exports    Editorial. ,  -  -   827 

For    galvanizing    wire    , 217 

Impurities   in is 6 

S     Editorial.  ...    259 

d    markets every    1 

rorward    Editorial. 

Spltzkasten    with    tube-grate  air-filter 

Spurr,  J.   !■'..  on  the  Raj  '. . 

Square-set    stoplng    315 

Stain    on    surl  272 

Statups    and     hall-mills     7 

And   hall-mills,   fine  grinding W.   E.   Cahill. . . .      73 

'  in    weight    

ball-mill     Editorial.  . 

1  Courtenav     De    Kalh.  . 

0 E.    C    Mori 

ies,  weight  of  steam   

Ales,    size   of 

State   mining    Editorial . 

ictlon  of 73 

pi  ospertty     Editorla  I. . .      61fl 

wii*e Editorial.  . .  .    8^7 

ps   En    Michigan    489 

cutting         




ii  ; 


MINIM.  ...id  Scientific   I'KI  SS 


»    - 


\\ . 


I  ,|    null.     Aril  .mi  i 

Sloping 

\i    ,v   a    P    In   n 
I'i 
s. ■«    ichoi  lit.-   d 

1  Mil"  '•" 

i  Idftorlul 
Strike  -it    Moihi  i    i.". I.     C  illfoi  nta,   mini 

Ed lal.  •  ■  ■ 



Is    .... . 
•,.  >w  Indueti  i  Donald  P.  In  In.... 

material        

mill.  Wallace,  Idaho     

tul   ■  "k ■      »  Editorial. 

Sudbury    Ontario,   nlckal-copper  matte  from 

Bdltoi  i'i 

in   Machinery  Co.,  alr-comprcesora 

Sul  li  mi  ii  mine,   B.  C 

Sulman,    Plcard   and    Ballot   and    flotation 

Sulphatlsu i    ••(    galena  

Sulphldlalng    oxldl 

Sulphur  from  mi    Lyell   

In   Wyoming    

.Mm '  

Sulphuretted   hydrogen   and  olla    

Sulphuric  acid  determination   in  sulphates 

iracture  In  Tennessee   

Manufactun    al    Copperhlll,  Tennessee    

Sun, lav  work  .u  Hi.-  mine Henry  s.  Reed,  Jr.... 

"   In  small  African  mlnea lohannesburi 

spondence     

Supplies  for  ii  mine,  buying Nelson  Dicker  man. . . . 

in,  the  Rand     Editorial 

Surface   tension    

Cause  of   

Itlon   ,.f    

Notea  on    

1   Indications  of  copper.   IV  anil   V    

Prank    II.    Probert 81 

to Ira     B.    Joraiemon  .  .  .  . 

o     Editorial 

I  iiit.,   Courtenay     De    Kali,.... 

W.  R.  Sherman 

iurlng    with    steol    lap"    In    mine.  .  .  .\V.    S.    Weeks.... 

Sutter    Creek,    California 24,   ml.   its.  -ii.  396,    171, 

571     608,   64  I.   676,   712,   749,   781,   861 

Sweating  copper   piat-.s    

Swelling   ground   and   Panama   Canal F.   J.   Martin... 

Symons  disc-crushers  at    New   Cornelia 

Synchronism    In    ore-sampling    

Synthetic  nitric  acid P.   H.   Mason... 


Itl 

ttl 
Itl 

..in 
218 
181 
IIS 
184 

904 

171 
919 

178 

SI  9 

188 

191 

79 

IT1 
350 
827 
342 
168 
IT 
16 

267 
337 
262 
lit 
411 
666 
507, 
in';: 
869 
192 
S32 
709 
265 


Tailings  and   their  abandonment,   law  regarding 

In   Cornwall,   treatment 691, 

Zini-.    treatment    al    Joplfn 

Til,    production  of  United  States 

Tamarack    mini-,    grail"    of    or" 

Sale  to  C.  &  li-  and  G.  M.  EXyams 

Tamplng-bag    filler    

Tank    construction    

Tap.-   In   mine-surveying,   measuring  with   tin-  steel 

W.    S.    W""kS 

Tapes,  graphic   method   for  correcting   steel 

W.  s.  Weeks. . .  . 

ii.  metallurgical  developments   

r  process    

i  mine  products  in  British  Columbia 

G.    W.    Smith    anil    W.    P.    Robertson 

Taxation    In    Arizona    

Of  mines  In   British   Empire Editorial 

Of  minis  in  London    

Taxes   In    Mexico    

Tays,    B.  A.   n Conditions  in  Mexico.... 

Ditto Mexican     tangle.  ,.  . 

1 1  writing  iiy  young  men 

nature  and  steel   tapes   

surface-tension    

During   tempering  drill-steel    

rn   Treadwell    mine 

in"  notation  concentrate  and   Altering 

ring    drill-steel P.    II.    Mason.... 

Drill-steel,  tanks  for   

Ten  a  "ss"".  map  "!'  "iijipi-r  and  zinc  districts 

Phosphate   rock    In    

Tennessee  '  lopper  Co Editorial. .. . 

Origin     of     ■ 

Tennessee  Copper  &   i  'h"mical  Co Editorial.  ..  . 

Tension    or    tensile   strength    of   liquids 

Terlingua,   Texas,   quicksilver   field    

Terry,  Joseph  T Flotation  concentration  of 

carbonate    s    

Texas    Graphite    Co 

Text  of  Minerals  Separation   v.    Ryde  decision 

Thanksgiving    time    Editorial 

Tharsis,    Spain,    ore    treatment 

Thayer,    w.    N Porphyrv    copper.... 

Then  and  now   (Mother  Lode  of  California) Editorial.  .  .  . 

Theory    of    flotation H.    Hardy    Smith 


737 

0  12 

23 

48S 

■i 

:;7:, 
886 


625 

::T2 

S3  I 


530 
319 

482 
760 
605 
165 

338 
842 
i;'ji; 
168 
6 
311 
953 
5 

98 
219 
680 
188 
491 
S63 

47 
822 

531 
326 
943 
759 

81 
7°s 
226 

11', 


and    iia 


Th 


all 

Tlmbel    l.i..l. 

I      in      lull" 

"I 
i,\    Unit,,  mines 
/.lie 
Tlmbei  Cal  umi  i    A    tiecla. 

Timbering   Capote   No    :   ahafl 

\  ml    lead,    an. I  Of  WOI  III"    I'i  ".la-  I  l-ui 

I'liai  I    -a     prlci 

I  ictlon 
Concentrating   plant   in   iiumui  provln 
pin,  nt    in   South    Dakota 

iiiiin  ii  i.i   Howland  I 

in    silk    manufacture    

a   Nevada    

-its  of  United  siai.s  for  six   months... 
Prlci  markets. 

Production  of  American  Smelting  *   Refining  plant....       10 

ii.in   "i    world    

I"!  H    "'     w  "i  la.    1,1  -  ">t 

Smelting   charges      

Tailing  treatment   In   Cornwall   

I's.-s    in    war    

Titan  in  in.    character!    I  

In    Mexico    94! 

ins     district,     Alaska     

Tomboy  Gold   Mines,  company    report    

Tom    Reed   Gold    Mines  Co.,   company   report 

Mine   developments    641 

Notes  on    

Tonnage   estimation    in    mills    

Tonopah,  Nevada   68,  !".'•.  181,  218,  263, 

541,  61  i.   648,  676,   ;.".:'    857,   888 

Tonopah    Extension    Mining   Co.,   company   reporl 22:: 

Tonopah     Western     1 ',111s, ,11. la  I  "il    Mining     1',, 475 

Top-slice  caving  system   of  mining 816 

Top-sllclng  ai    .Miami,   i.i. .rk   method BJ.   Q.    Deane....  601 

Toronto.    Ontario    

25,   mi.  140,  211.  896.    186,  607,  688,  578,  TI2.  7  Is.  Ma,  85 

Track-  lark    use    of    953 

Trail,   British  Columbia,  electrolytic    refining  at 

T.   A.    Rlokard.       90 

Notes    on     

Smeli.-r,  larger  receipts  <>f  ore    30 

Transvaal   Chamber  of   Mints,    report    371 

Traveler's     library     "'■'■" 

I  'in,, Claude    Perguson  ....    410 

i  at  i a rii .a i  Proctor. .. .    i'i 

Ditto loseph    Ralph        ..  689 

niit.i lohn    rv    Stewart....  376 

Treadwell    mines,    consolidation    of    801 

I  Ht  to     Editorial..;.  299 

Treasure   mill.  California   mi 

Treatment    charges    at    smelters 184 

Of   coppei licentiate,    wet L.    Addlcks...  I ;::" 

Of   molybdenite    661 

Tremoureux,   R.    E.,  ami   Vestal,    P.   A Milling   ami 

Cyaniding    costs    as     Grass     Valley     anil     Nevada     City, 

California     in     1915 706 

Trench.    I '.    S. .   aihlr.ss    mi    'M"tals   after    Hi,-    War' 686 

Triiiin     Star    Dredging    Co 103 

Till"     vein,     definition    of ' 

Tube-grate    flotation   ""11    658 

Tube-mills,   manganold   balls  and    Danish   pebbles 107 

Practi."   at    Nevada   Packard    mill    379 

Tube-milling  at    Santa   Gertrudis 245 

Tulare    Mining    Co 234 

Tungsten     Editorial.  ...  2 

Analysis,   specific  gravity   method    for.... I.   .1.    Runner....  11 

And  "gold   in    New   Zealand,   separation    of i::»i 

In    Boulder  district E.   II.   Leslie.  .  .  .  363 

In     New    Brunswick 

Meaning    of     terms Editorial... 

Mining  in  South  Dakota   676 

Near  Bishop,   California Leroy    A.    Palmer...,  186 

Ore   dealers    2 

Ore    occurrences    in    California 764 

Ores    of    South    Dakota 11 

Prices  Editorial....  617 

Pric  'S    and    markets every    Week 

Prices   in    Colorado   and   Japan 376 

Problem  Editorial....  331 

Production    of  United   States   in    first  half  of   1915 215 

Situation    in   Colorado    142 

Situation    in    Whit"    Pine   county.    Nevada 

Tunnel,   definition    of    .■•■-;: ;'2; 

Being  driven    near   Salt   Lake   City 1S- 

In   American   Fork  district,  Utah .  . .  . 541 

Turnbull.  J.  M Custom  smelters  and  small  mines. 

Twin-angle    compound    air- com  pressor 

Two   Washington   mining  districts R.   B.   Rrlnsmarle. 

Tyrrel   F.  G Black  sand. 

u 

Union    Cons.    Mining    Co.,    company    report 867 

United    Comstock    Pumping    Associations    work 151 

United   Eastern    Mining  Co.,   mine  and   mill JM 

United   Gold  Mining  Co.,  Oregon. Jlf 

United  states  coal  output  in  1915 ... . •; 

Engineering   education    In Charles   S.    Howe... 

Explosive   production   in   1915    

Bxports 

Foreign     trade,     1915-'16 


133 
929 
748 
937 


132 

57 
17  1 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Vol.  113 


Import*  in   IMS    .  - 

Induati  lal   i  apa  Bdll 

I 

Tin 

Edil 
Bdlto 

H'nrk    ..ii    flotation    1.1 

Irat  ball  "f  19H 

BO  t 

hi;  Cc Editorial.  ...       l 

10" 



Editorial. 



.::.     4  1 
S 

"mi' 490 

330 

69 

.54 



Mining   In  I.    .  .     I, 


m    flotation 

I 

.     14! 

- 

1.,.,.    .1  ,.• 


■•f 

or  •  ■ 

Ventilation,   cheap   mine  

In   driving   sn.ik..   Creek    tunnel..  

......  . . . . 

and 

I  ■  r     

c 

us    Power    ' '.- 23 

.333 

rada    

i'v  ..f  rurna 

w 

■  '. 

[nci  >uted    Editorial. 

nd,  low-native   718 

t:i)    prices Editorial. 

Waihi    Gold    Mining  I    

Mtn<  

'nm.  New  Zealand,  ore  treatment  at... 

Walk.  

Wall  Si  er   Editorial. 

Wall.-.!    Mexl  

Ed  Iti  rl  i 

metals   aft.- 1     Editorial.  . 

EITi  

Exports    and    trade      Editorial ....    151 

Situ:.  end  of  1916 899 

Two  Editorial. 

n    district,  Arizona    

9    a i',:. 

Washington,  l  k  C 24.  139.  322 

Ington  ci  .  ;■;•• 

v  H.  Ball 807 

Map    of    pair  lsj 

■ig  districts,    two U.    B.    Biinsma< 

Montana,    progress   at 67 

pper  Mining  Co 

■.  olframite 

i  wmi i is    



In    rocks 

Waste-dete<  tor,   Venturi    

on.   New    Mexico 

Of    tin-     world     

M-Tton Sampling    of    mines. 


Page. 

Weeks,   W.   S Graphic    mei 



Ditto....  ...Launching  <>(  Yuba   No.    16.. 

Ditto.  .Measuring  with  Bteel  tapes  in  mine-surveying.. 

and  Jira  Butl«-r  suit....    113 

191 

West     i  43S 

Western   Australia    mini  Editorial. ...   151 

Editorial l 

Wa  i  

Western    Federation    of    Miners Editorial 897 

\\".  stling     H.Aand    Anderson,  Carl Analysis   ..! 

molybdenun  917 

Wei    treatment    >>(   copi  L    Addlcks....   630 

Wetting  b    <»r   term    ...   ziG 

708 

black  labor  in  Africa   300 

mi  in'.   Manhattan,   Nevada.  .John  1^    Dynan. . . .    B84 
Whiting,   M,   a  .  ii  •  t  ru- 

plratlon    mine ...   801 

Why  ship  concentrate? William  Macdonald 41 

Wlggln,  a,    E.,  and   Lalst,   Frederick Flotation 

ition    al    An.  

Willis.  Charles  F Arizona   Bureau  of  Ml 

1  Utto Institute    meeting. . 

Ditto Mining  in   Arizona.. 

I  -itto .Mini::  Arizona 37] 

Willow    creek,    Alasb  m 

Wilmington   flotation   decision Editorla  I. . ,  .516,  619 

Ditto,  Text  "f  opinion   by  Judg.-   Bradford.. 

Wilson    and    Hughes    Editorial 

Wilson.    I 'in  lip    l  1 <  Comparison    of   sloping    methods    at 

Calumet    &    Arizona    mine 31s 

Wire  old  art    -.711 



Wini.ii.    I.    I...  di  ath  "i    

Ditto M 

Wolfram    in    Arg< 

\\'a.-p  No.  J.  South   Dakota 

Wolframite  ore,  analyses  of   ij 

Wolftone   drainage -scheme   at    L>eadvllle ]   mo 

Wood,    <;.    M  us    to    authors 

Wood   blocks  for   pi  -  

w (bridge.  T.  II.  .Ore-sampl)  tlone  in  the  West. . . .   7"7 

Wood-flour    for    dj  gj 

laho  ]  0  1    647 



H0 

a Ji>  opltn 

1    

Wright,   Louis  a i  Soutl     America, 

Wyoming     Edltoi 




California   mining  data 111 

Y    M.  C.  a.  al   But1  

Ida Editorial.  - 

Launching  of  No.   1  >'> Walter  S.   Weeks. . -.  ^7™ 

Yukon  Territory,  report  of  William  Si  me 

Silver  King  mine  at  Mayo 31 

z 

-    Editorial ...    US 

And    smelting    

Company  report    

ad  copper  In  Central  States    

Average   in  Joplin   or»- 

Dust,  electrolytic   

■ry  -i    Morgan  and  I  >ii . 

Dust  precipitation  at  Nevada  Packard  mill 

I  lust   production  of  United  States   

CtrolytlC    in    Australia     

Exports     Editorial.  ...      70 

Exports   and    imports  "f    United   States    

Extraction  from  ores   Editorial...      548 

In   Nova  Soot i a    719 

■     ■  d  States 

Metallurgy,   progress  in    

Mines  al    Butte,   Montana    

Mining   in    Nevada    

imports  in  6  months   368 

Ore    t  reatment 

»  ire  t    Trail    

*  Mjtput    of   New   South    Wales       

Editorial 111 

s   and    markets every    week. 

luctlon    Of    Australia    408 

Production  at    Bui  767 

Production   of   the  Butte  &   Superior,   copper   production 

ol    Utah    Copper    Editorial 37 

obable    Editorial....    515 

Smelting  in  Europe,  present  and  futuri 

Smelting  in   vertical   retorts    

vatlve  for  mine   timber 

Sulphide,    iron    pyrite    

Trust    in    Mexico    649 

Used   in   place  of  copper  in   German>' Editorial....    181 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T   A  RICHARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  JULY  I.  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  1 


"NATIONAL"  PIPE 


For  Mining  Service 


J  The  warm  rains  of  summer— the  clinging  ice  of  winter  are  a  trying  com- 
bination for  any  tubular  material. 

«I  The  uniformity  and  durability  of  "NATIONAL"  Pipe  meets  these  severe 
conditions  with  a  minimum  impairment  to  serviceableness. 

"NATIONAL"  Pipe   withstands  equally  well  the  severe  conditions  of 
general  mine  service. 


«I  Ask  (or  a  copy  ol  "NATIONAL" Bulle- 
tin No.  I  I— History.  Characteristics.  And  The 
Advantages    of    "NATIONAL"    Pipe— this 

r   r\  r\  l  •    r-  r\  n      is  one  of  a  numb« 
ol-NATlONAL" 

Bulletins  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Pipe.  The 
Bulletin  is  free,  but 
you   must  ask  for  it. 


It  paim.dp  £ 


THE   NAME 


Prepared 


NATIONAL  TUBE  COMPANY,     General  Sales  Offices,  PITTSBURGH,  PA. 

District  Sales  Offices  in  the  larger  Cities 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


OLIVER 

FfiLTI 


M 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Tilte  tr 

Company 

501  mar.k.elt   st. 
San  Franc  i  sco,  Cal.  ; 


Let  the  railroads  buy 
an  Oliver  Filter  for  you 

Sounds  strange  to  you!  Still  it  is  possible  to  make 

money  which  you  now  spend  on  railroad  or  other 

transportation    pay    for  an    Oliver   in    a   very    few 
months.     Listen ! 


One  user  writes:  "Our  Oliver 
Filter  installation  paid  for  it- 
self in  three  months  on 
freight  savings  alone."  This 
man  stopped  paying  excessive 
freight  and  handling  costs  on 
moisture  in  his  concentrate. 
You  can  do  the  same  thing. 

Assume  a  rate  of  $10  per  ton 
of  concentrate  from  mill  to 
smelter.  A  reduction  of  1% 
in  moisture  content  will  save 
10c.  a  ton  on  freight  alone. 
In  addition,  there  are  further 
savings  on  handling  in  the 
plant,  elimination  of  losses  in 


transit  and  the  cost  of  pur- 
chasing sacks.  Olivers  filter 
as  low  as  8%  moisture  con- 
tent with  great  rapidity  and 
at  exceptionally  low  cost. 

If  You  Use  Continuous 
Decantation, 

here  also  is  a  use  on  which 
the  Oliver  Filter  will  pay  for 
itself  well  within  the  year  and 
afterwards  pay  profits,  for  it 
will  save  cyanide,  eliminate 
soluble  losses  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, cut  in  half  the  zinc  used 
for  precipitation,  save  floor 
space  and  increase  capacity. 


Why  110!  get  details?  Tell  of  the  nature 
of  your  ore,   tonnage,  soluble  losses. 

NO  ROYALTIES  TO  PAY  ON  ANY  WORK  OF  AN  OLIVER 


.luU    1    1916 


MINING  .nd  Sdeatifii    l'KI  SS 


r 


QUALITY 


1 


MACHINERY 


AND 


SUPPLIES 

OF  ALL  KINDS 

FOR  THE 

MINE  AND  MILL 

MACHINE  SHOP 

POWER  PLANT 

CONTRACTOR 

SAW  MILL 

PLANING  MILL 

BOX  FACTORY 


IIV    STOCK 


IMMEDIATE    DELIVERY 


1 

1 


i 


We  carry  a  large  and  well  assorted  stock  of  machinery  and 
supplies  of  all  kinds  and  are  prepared  to  make  immediate 
shipments  of  any  standard  equipment  that  may  be  required. 

SERVICE 

ON  SMALL  ORDERS  AS  WELL  AS  LARGE  ONES 

A  complete  equipment,  a  pump,  hoist  or  an  order  for  a  few 
bolts,  a  pulley  or  a  shovel.    Let  us  know  your  requirements. 


i 


harron,  rickard 
&  Mccone 


SAN  FRANCISCO 


LOS  ANGELES 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


No.  54  Marcy  Mill 


Capacity  75—100  Tons  in  24  Hours 

Reduce  your  milling  costs  by  crushing 
and  grinding  in 

MARCY  MILLS 


ONE  EASY  STEP 


Minimum   Floor  Space.        Simplicity  of  Plant. 
Low  Horsepower. 

Made  in  the  following  sizes:  4',  5',  6',  and  8'  diameter. 
SEND  IS  YOUR  CRUSHING  PROBLEMS 

The  Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Company 

Denver  Salt  Lake  City         El  Paso 

New  York  Office  :     42  Broadway 

Mining  and  Milling  Machinery  Electrical,  Assay  and  Chemical  Supplies 

U'il/Iey  Tables,  Single  ami  Double  Deck 


Iiil\    1    1916 


MINING  .nd  Scrniiiu   PRESS 


Upkeep  expense  is  appreciably  less 
where  "Perfect"  Wire  cloth  is  used— 

Look  into  any  mill  where  screening  costs  are  at  absolute  bed-rock  and  where  efficiency 
is    at    par    and  you   will  find   "PERFECT"   Double  Crimped  Wire  Cloth   in   use. 


Costs  cut  in  stamps  or  jigs  — 

or  in  ball  and  tube-mills,  flotation  machines  or 
assay  offices.  Screens  wear  out — yes.  But  they 
need  not  wear  out  so  quickly.  They  will  not  if  you 
insist  on  getting  "PERFECT"  Wire  Cloth.  Its  life 
is  longer  by  reason  of  the  excellent  material  used 
and  its  design.  Its  efficiency  is  higher  because  of 
the  double  crimp,  which  eliminates  slippage  and 
assures  a  uniform  product. 

"PERFECT"  Cloth  is  the  culmination  — 

This  wire  cloth  is  the  result  of  taking  advantage 
of  every  success  and  every  mistake  made  in  the 
past.  It  represents  the  best  in  all  other  screens 
with  the  faults  eliminated. 


Remember  the  two  big  features  — 

Remember,  always,  that  "PERFECT'-  Wire  Cloth 
costs  less  to  maintain  and  that  it  gives  a  uniform 
product  under  all  conditions.  It  is  for  these 
reasons  that,  hereafter,  you  will  probably  specify 
this  screen  for  all  your  machinery. 

A  type  of  "PERFECT"  Cloth  for  all  work— 

This  wire  cloth  with  the  double  crimp  is  made  in 
a  score  of  types — from  the  lightest,  finest  mesh 
for  assay  work,  to  the  heaviest  and  coarsest  for 
classifying  crusher  product.  And  each  of  these 
types  or  sizes  is  backed  by  a  guarantee  of 
performance  under  which  all  r'PERFECT"  Cloth 
is  sold. 


WHY  YOU  SHOULD  WRITE  FOR  THIS  BOOK  TODAY 
We  publish  a  book  containing  worth-while  engineering  data 
on  the  subject  of  screening  as  well  as  a  description  of  all  types 
of  "PEEFECT"  Cloth.  It  shows  why  maintenance  cost  is  so 
low  and  efficiency  is  SO  high.     Write  for  a  free  copy  today. 

Ludlow-Saylor  Wire  Company,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


20  East  Jackson  Blvd.,  Chicago 


BRANCH    OFFICES: 
Mills  Bldg.,  El  Paso,  Texas 


Felt  Bldg.,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


MINING  .«nd  Sciaattfc  PRKSS 


.lulv  ).  1916 


Vanner  Practice  Is  Often  Bad 

Shut-downs,  feed  changes,  machine  adjustments,  all  mean 
variation  in  Bavins  as  well  as  capacity,  and  it  is  unques- 
tioned that  the  plant  whose  final  concentrators  require 
the  least  attention  makes  the  greatest  total  saving,  other 
things  being  equal. 

Mechanical    Effectiveness    Counts 


The  ISBELL  VANNER 

embodies  that  effectiveness ;  its  construction  and  arrange- 
ment are  improved  and  simplified,  thereby  insuring  a 
minimum  of  repairs.    It  is  a  24-HOUR- A-D A V  machine. 

As*  for  Bulletin  1801-A. 

Allis-Chalmers  Manufacturing  Co. 

Mining  Machinery  Dept.  ....  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin 

OFFICES    «*    ALL   PHNCVAL   CITES 
vU  Outtiiaa  Baaafes  re*r  t.-  Can»iar.  AUfc-OttWrs.  Ltd..  T  jiU 


.Iiil>    1    1916 


MINING  «nd  Sc.rt.hh.    I'KI  SS 


TANKS 


PIPE 


and  the  same  things  apply  to  pipe  — 

No  steel  tanks  made  can  equal  wood  tank  service.  Steel  tanks  may  be 
protected  from  acid  and  alkaline  solutions  —  but  not  for  long.  On  the 
other  hand,  tanks,  pipe,  and  vats  made  of  RKMCO  air-dried  RKDWOOD 
are  absolutely  uninfluenced.     And  they  last  for  75  years. 


IS^REMCO^ 

TANKS  -PIPE 

OP  AIR-DRIED    REDWOOD 

For  cyanide  or  flotation 
concentrating  mills ;  for 
handling  sluicings;  for  car- 
rying solutions  or  water; 
for  protection  against  in- 
sects, electrolysis,  and  fire 
risk. 


When  steel  tanks  buckle,  as  they  do,  a  workman  with 
an  oxy-acetylene  outfit  ami  a  riveter  will  tix  it  tor  yon. 
He'll  charge  you,  too.  Redwood  tanks  can  be  re- 
paired  by  your  own  mechanics — but     oul  of  thousands 

of  tanks  si. 1. 1,  noi  tnu   lias  failed. 

Tanks  of  RKMCO  Redwood  are  uninfluenced  by  heat, 
cold,  dampness,  dryness,  acid  or  alkaline  solutions,  or 
by  flotation  oil.  Neither  do  insects  harm  them.  First 
•  <>st  is  less — so  is  their  erection  cost.     Maintenance  is 

nil. 

Shown  below  are  four  of  a  battery  of  tanks  at  the 
Homestake  Mill,  Deadwood,  S.  D.  They  are  of  the 
"cannot  leak"  variety.  During  the  years  they  have 
been  in  use.  not  a  sign  of  deterioration  has  appeared. 

REMCO  tanks,  pipe  and  vats  are  erected  under  a 
definite  guarantee.  Guesswork  does  not  enter  into 
their  purchase.  That  is  the  reason  for  the  hundreds 
of  installations  made  annually  by  mining  companies 
in  every  part  of  the  world. 

There's  money  to  be  saved,  efficiency  to  be  gained,  trouble  to  be  elim- 
inated. Find  out  about  REMCO  tanks,  pipe,  and  vats.  Write  to  us  today. 


Redwood   Manufacturers  Company 


1611   Hobart  Building 


San  Francisco 


Of  course  they're 

REMCO 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


Krogh  Sand  Pumps  are  lower  in  first  cost 
and  in  maintenance  than  others  — 

Krogh  Lined  Sand  Pumps  will  give  you  greater  satisfaction  for  the  very  good  reason  that,  compared 
with  any  other  pump  of  equal  efficiency,  they  are  much  lower  in  first  cost  and  in  upkeep  expense. 
Other  pumps  of  equal  price  cannot  equal  K rogh  Lined  Sand  Pumps  in  work  or  in  low  operating  cost. 

Simple,  sturdy,  and  with  common  sense 
built  into  every  part,  these  pumps  are  de- 
signed by  men  who  know  mining  and 
milling  conditions. 

Notice,  in  the  illustration,  how  the  liners 
are  easily  removed  and  replaced.  They 
are  made  from  special  chilled  car-wheel 
iron,  harder  than  steel,  yet  less  costly; 
no  through  bolts  used  to  hold  the  liners 
in  place. 

Regularly  made  in  2",  3",  4",' 6",  and  8" 
sizes;  special  types  designed  to  meet  ex- 
traordinary conditions. 

We  shall  be  glad  to  mail  you  descriptive 
Bulletin  No.  M-79  or  other  bulletins  'In- 
scribing Krogh  Sinking  Pump,  Krogli 
Horizontal  and  Vertical  Automatic  Cen- 
trifugal Pump,  Horizontal  Motor  Driven 
Pump,  Krogh  Dredge  Pump,  Krogh  High 
Pressure  Centrifugal  Pump — write. 

Krogh  Pump  Manufacturing  Company 

159  Beaie  Street  San  Francisco 


K 


MOM  EY  S/WI  MG 

SandPamlDS 


H 


•gHMMMBBMi 


Flotation  Concentrate 

varies  so  much  in  settling  qualities  that  it  is  difficult,  without  making 
careful  tests,  to  determine  the  amount  of  area  required  for  each  case. 

We  have  made  a  careful  study  of  settling  and  are  equipped  to  make 
necessary  tests  as  a  convenience  to  those  planning  the  installation  of 
Dorr  Thickeners. 

If  you  are  in  doubt  as  to  the  settling  area  required,  send  us  a 
5-gallon  sealed  sample  of  your  pulp  to  be  fed  to  the  Thickener,  stating 
tonnage  to  be  handled,  and  we  will  advise  you  as  to  its  size. 

Dorr  Thickeners  are  used  extensively  for: 

Thickening  dilute  pulp  to  the  right  consistency 
Thickening  the  concentrate  before  filtration 
Recovering  water  for  its  re-use 

THE  DORR  COMPANY 


NEW  YORK 
1 7  Battery  Place 


ENGINEERS 

Successors  to  the  Dorr  Cyanide  Machinery  Company 

DENVER 
1009  17th  Street 


LONDON,  E.  C. 
16  South  Street 


.lulv    1      tOlfl 


MINING   «nd  ScMMiufic    PHI  SS 


Sullivan   Diamond 
Drilling   Service 

(Established  in  1884) 

is  the  most  reliable  and  accurate  means 
you  can  employ  for  testing  your  mines 
or  mineral  property. 

Sullivan  Core  Drills  show:  The  depth 
and  inclination  of  the  orehody :  the  thickness 
of  the  ore  and  its  richness;  if  more  than  one 
vein,  the  exact  location  of  each,  and  the  coun- 
try rock  to  be  penetrated  in  development ;  the 
cheapest  way  of  reaching  the  ore  and  the 
proper  point  for  sinking  a  shaft  or  driving  a 
tunnel. 

Sullivan  Drill  records  are  accepted  as  final 
authority  by  engineers  and  mine  owners  every- 
where. 


A  T.nF..ol  Sullivan  Cor.'  from  C'onl  Formation  In  Chile 

What  We  Do 


Sullivan  Contract  Drill  service  includes 
the  use  of  the  most  up-to-date  drilling 
machines  and  tools,  by  skilled  operators 
trained  in  our  organization. 

The  drills  are  operated  day  and  night. 

The  cores  and  other  records  are  pre- 
served under  lock  and  key  for  our  cus- 
tomers' information  only. 

We  supply  written  logs  of  each  hole  at 
the  completion  of  each. 

Sullivan  drilling  service  is  nation-wide. 
Between  30,000  and  50,000  feet  of  core 
drilling  done  annually. 

Shall  we  send  one  of  our  field  experts  to 
learn  your  requirements  and  quote  you 
a  price  per  foot  ? 

Booklet  13113  contains  further  details. 


Mill. van  1'rospocting  Outfit  in  Chile 


SULLIVAN   MACHINERY  COMPANY 


122  So.  Michigan  Ave ,  Chicago.,  U.  S.  A. 


461  Market  Street,  San  Francisco 


10 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


.Fulv  1.  1916 


Get   quick   action,  get  safe   dealing, 
save   on   freight  —  buy  it   locally  — 

If  you  are  in  touch  of  Phoenix,  Arizona,  you  can  save  on 
freight,  you  can  deal  with  a  local  firm  that  is  jealous  of 
its  reputation  for  square  dealing,  and  you  can  get  right  goods. 

We  carry  a  large  stock   of  exceptionally    high   grade  g^  W"v       *11 

mining  and   milling  equipment  and   supplies.     Com-  ^•OITiPrCSSOl'S*        UTlllSa 

pressors.    Drills.   Hoists,   and   Tools   and   Supplies  of  *■  '  ' 

the   Sullivan    Machinery    Co..    Foos   Gas    Engine    Co..  Hrticffi        Morninai'ir 

American  Pulley  Co..  Bond  Foundry  £  Machinery  Co.,  JTlOlSlSj     IVlClCIlinCl  J 

Peerless  Rubber  Co..  and  Hubbard  Shovel  Co. 

We  solicit  your  trade.  We  are  here  on  the  ground 
where  we  can  understand  local  conditions.  You  get 
courteous  and  fair  treatment.  Give  us  details  of  the 
work  in  which  you  are  engaged.  Just  address  us. 
Phoenix.  Arizona. 


WRITE    TODAY    FOR    CATALOGS 
AND    PRICES 


PRATT-GILBERT  CO. 


Phoenix, 


Arizona 


Eccleston  Periphery  Discharge  Ball  Mill 


Concentrators, 

Tube  Mill  Linings 
and  Balls, 

White   Iron    Castings, 
Screens,  Etc. 


ADJUSTABLE 
STEEL   LINERS 


Mining  Men 


The  mineral  contents  of  your  ore  are  hard  to  save  if  slimed.  Why  nut  crush  yonr  ore  in  tin-  only 
Periphery  Discharge  Ball  Mill  on  the  market  ami  save  sliming?  In  this  mill  the  product  is  discharged 
as  soon  as  it  is  crushed  tin.-  enough.  The  discharge  is  in  the  natural  place  and  for  the  full  length  of  the 
mill.    Wouldn't  it  he  wise  to  at  least  investigate? 


Write  for  Bulletin  TODAY 

ECCLESTON   MACHINERY  COMPANY 

162  SOUTH  ANDERSON  ST..     LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 


.Inly   I.    I ''It. 


MIMNi.   tod   Scienlin.    I'KI  SS 


11 


*t 


99 


Ingersoll-Roglcr 

AIR    COMPRESSOR 

INDORSEMENTS 

I  ou  cannot  fail  to  be  interested  in  the  reasons  which  prompted  the  following 
important  operators  to  buy  "Ingersoll-Rogler"  Class  "PRE"  Air  Compressors. 


A  Few  of   Many   Satisfied   Users  — 

No.  Purchased  Name  of  Company                                       Horsepower 

6             Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Co 4265 

1  Inspiration  Consol.  Copper  Co 1 1 80 

2  Maryland  Steel  Co 1800 

3  Isthmian  Canal  Commission 1700 

1  Cerro  de  Pasco  Mining  Co 550 

3  Ashio  Copper  Co.  (Japan) 1375 

12             Flinn-O'Rourke  Co.,  Inc 7200 

4  Tennessee  Copper  Co 1860 

2  Canadian  Copper  Co 1892 

3  United  Steel  Company 900 

2             Hardaway  Contracting  Co 1100 

1             Nevada  Consol.  Copper  Co 576 


"INGERSOLL-ROGLER"  VALVES  —  Silent,  sim- 
ple, efficient  and  durable. 

AUTOMATIC    FLOOD    LUBRICATION  —  Inde- 
pendent, reliable  and  cleanly. 

COMPLETE  CYLINDER  WATER  JACKETING 
— Absorbing  heal  of  compression. 

CLEARANCE  CONTROLLER-Auiomatic.  reliable 
and  economical  regulation. 

ENCLOSED  CONSTRUCTION— Dirtproof  yet  fully 
accessible. 


Bulletin  No.  3026 


Ingersoll-Rand    Company 


11  Broadway 
NEW  YORK 


Turbo   Blowers 


Olllai  the  World  Over 

F<<r  i  aimou.  aiMr-'-s  i  ;iiiii'liaii  InfrersoU-Kniul  Co..  Montreal 


Rock    Drills 


IBS  Q.  Victoria  SI. 

LONDON 


Drill   Steel 


12 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


POSTAL  TELEGRAPH  -  COMMERCIAL  CABLES 


I  RECEIVED  AT 
20   BROAD  STREET, 
MOKES:  RECTOR   1278 
NewYork  City  -9| 


DELIVERY  NO. 

CB  1420 


w_st,  BCSKX  MTtUT  «ft  «H9 

125RH  GR  1247PM---10 

SOUTH  PORCUPIHE,   OBT.MAY  20,1916 

HARDINGE  COHICAL  MILL  CO, 

120  BROADWAY, HEWYORX.H.Y. 
EBTER  ORDER  IMMEDIATELY  FOR  THREE  MORE  MILLS ;DETAILS    BY  MAIL 


DOME  MIKES  CO. 


A  50,000  Ton  Test  at  the 
Great  Dome  Mine,  Ltd. 

which  is  controlled  by  one  of  the  most  astute  mining  men  the  world  has  ever  pro- 
duced, and  managed  by  a  mining  engineer  formerly  of  Goldfield,  Nevada, 
is  scrapping  eighty  1250-lb.  stamps  because  these  eighty  stamps,  even  with  3s-in. 
screens,  produced  only  800  tons  per  day  and  the  mine  is  capable  of  producing 
2,000  tons  per  day. 


Therefore,  in  January,  1916,  the  Dome  Mines 
Company  installed  an  8  ft.  x  30  in.  Hardinge 
Mill  under  a  guarantee  by  the  Hardinge  Com- 
pany that  said  mill  would  crush  over  350 
tons  of  same  ore  to  a  finer  degree  than  its 
stamps,  returning  oversize  if  necessary ; 
that  the  power  would  not  exceed  125  net  hp. 
with  a  28,000  ball  charge  and  a  ball  and  lining 
consumption  of  less  than  %  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 


Result  at   the  End  of  Four  Months: 

This  mill  is  crushing  (to  be  exact)  498  tons 

per  day  and   has   crushed   over  600   tons 

— Without  returning  oversize ; 

—Is  consuming  113.2  hp.  with  28,000  lb. 

of  balls ; 

— Ball  consumption,  4-10  lb.  per  ton  of  ore  ; 

— Lining  consumption,  "too  light  to  estimate" 

at  the  end  of  4  months. 

Based  on  tonnage,  product,  power,  wearandtear,  we 

are  about  100  per  cent  over  guarantee,  while  the  tinal 
result  is  the  above  telegram,  sent  after  investigating 
tin-  claims  of  oilier  mills. 


Each  of  these  mills  occupies  the  space  of  1 0,  but  does  the  work  of  over  40  stamps. 

HARDINGE  CONICAL  MILL  CO. 

120  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK 

Cable  Address :  Halharding,  New  York  London  Office  :  Salisbury  House 

V.  A.  STOUT,  Pacific  Coast  Agent,  Balboa  Building,  SAN  FRANCISCO 


0»  > 

Milium  \i   -.1  UK 

t  \  nacARD 

II  w   mBERNEWITZ    I 

P.  a  M«DONALD  I 


t.l«.« 


Mini  II1 


Press 


1M  kBUSHHD  in 

PtMahnl  .1  420  M.ikH  N     !■  ('»««...  Lr  ih.  LVwr  I'ulMuat  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Ba»  M.u>n 


Ml.  Ml     i.iMKIl' 


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Probi 

.  Inchall 


S.  i.  n.  .■  hoi  in»  cni-my  sure  ihc  tjpioruni 


Iuued   Ev«ry  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  July  1,  1916 


IS  par  Year— 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

FDITORIAI.  Page. 

Nona   1 

a  Mm.  ui  Brand   3 

Regarding  a  controversy  in  progress  In  other  mining 
journals  concerning  the  American  invasion  of  tech- 
nical men  In  London 

Tin.  Mt\n  \\   CaiSIB    3 

As  the  position  appears  at  the  time  of  writing,  on 
June  16,  with  a  summary  of  events  leading  to  the 
crisis. 

Mimm  Education  4 

Comment  on  Mr.  Garrison's  article  in  this  issue.  The 
need  for  a  broad  education  and  the  p;irt  that  the  min- 
ing engineer  ought  to  play  in  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity. 

DISCUSsm.\ 

DlSCOVEBI    OF    CVANIDATION. 

By  R.  C.  Canby   5 

The  cyanide  process  is  stated  to  have  been  tried  at 
Lake  Valley,  New  Mexico,  in  18S5.  two  years  previous 
to  the  work  by  MacArthur  and  Forrest  in  Scotland. 
as  described  in  the  article  by  MacArthur  in  our  issue 
of  . I une  10. 
Ti.Mi'raM;    Dull i.-Steel. 

/>'.!/  F.  II.  Mason 5 

Solutions  for  quenching  drill-steel  need  not  be  so  lung- 
Irritatlng  as  that  employed  by  a  drill-manufacturing 
any  as  given  in  our  issue  of  May  27.    The  func- 
tion of  the  carbon  in  the  steel. 
Flotation  for  Cinnabar. 

By   Md'k    R,  I.amb 6 

Quicksilver  ore  in  Chile,  running  as  low  as  0.1'.   Is 
being  retorted.     A  McDougall  furnace  or  the  flotation 
icess  v.  ill  likely  be  adopted  later. 
CYANIDAT105    M    mi    CoMACARAN  Mink,  Salvador. 

By  'C.  O'Brien   6 

Points  about  the  continuous  counter-current  decanta- 
tion  process,  as  contrasted  with  using  filters. 
Phospi  i  i  in..  Before  Dredging. 

By  ll.  E.  Nicholb S 

Driving  pipe  for  prospecting  placer  ground  has  been 
employed  in  the  Malay  States  and  Xlgeria;  an  appre- 
ciation of  Mr.  Brayton's  recent  article. 
Useful  Notes. 

By  Edgar  Hall  8 

Exports  of  machinery  should  be  insured  fully  so  as 
to  cover  freight  and  miscellaneous  items.  An  Aus- 
tralian community  where  prohibition  has  been  a  suc- 
cess.    Ball-mills  and  nodulizers. 


ARTICLES 
Miking  Edu<  ation. 

By  F.  Lynwood  Garrison   

Many    distinguished    mining    engineers    came    from 


large  cities,  remote  from  mines.  The  value  ol  culture 
and  breadth  of  view  to  supplement  practical  attain 
menta, 

Sl-l.iiin    Giiamiy   Mi  l  ll. hi  nut  Ti  m. -ii  \    ANALYSIS. 

By  ./.  ./.  Runner  n 

Prospectors  may   learn   the  approximate  amount  of 

tungstlc  acid  in  ore  without  a  chemical  analysis. 
Additional    information    to    that    supplied    by    A.    D, 

Cox  In  our  Issue  of  January  8. 

Mineral  Production  of  the  Black  Bills 13 

The  llomestake  mine  produced  $6,446,191  In  gold 
during  1915,  of  a  total  of  $7,619,684  from  the  Black 
Hills  of  South  Dakota. 

Mining  Around  Lovelock,  Nei  u>a. 

Hii  P.  K.  McDonald  14 

Observations  from  an  underground  visit  at  the 
Rochester  silver  mine.  Other  activities  of  the  Love- 
lock region. 

The  Theory  of  Flotation. 

By  II.  Hardy  Km ith    16 

No  amount  of  agitation  or  blowing  will  produce  bub- 
bles of  the  right  kind  and  number  in  absolutely  pure 
water;   a  contaminant  is  necessary. 

Explosives    19 

Straight  dynamite  and  gelatine  are  explained. 

Platinum  on  the  Pacific  Cham 

By  T.  W.  Qruetter  20 

If  two-thirds  of  the  platinum  in  the  heavy  sands  going 
to  waste  at  hydraulic  mines  in  California  and  Oregon 
were  saved,  the  production  would  exceed  the  present 
consumption  of  the  United  States. 

Electric   Hoists  on  the  Rand   22 

Notes  from  a  recent  article  in  the  General  Electric 
Review;  electric  hoisting  is  important  on  the  Rand. 

DEPARTMENTS 

CONCENTBATES     23 

Rev i i:w   OF   Mining    24 

Special  correspondence  from  Sutter  Creek,  California; 
Washington,  D.  C;  Toronto,  Ontario. 

The  Mining  Summary    26 

Personal    31 

The  Metal  Market   32 

Eastern    Metal   Market    33 

Company    Reports    34 

City  Deep,  Limited;  Dome  Mines  Co.;  Canadian  Min- 
ing Corporation;  Mining  Corporation  of  Canada;  Lena 
Goldfields,  Limited. 

Book    Review    35 

'Elements  of  Mineralogy.'  by  Frank  Rutley,  revised 
by  H.  H.  Read. 

Recent    Publications     35 

Industrial  Notes    36 

The  Kraut-Kollberg  Flotation  Machine,  by  Max  Kraut. 

ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's  Guide   38 

Index  to  Advertisers  44 


Established  May  21.  1S60.  as  The  Scientific  Pre**;  name 
■changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Sclentlllc 
Pre**. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.     Cable   address:   Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York.  130S-10 
Woolworth    Bdg.;    London,   724    Salisbury   House.    E.C. 

Price.  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and  Mexico.  J3;  Canada.  $1;  other  countries  in  postal  union. 
21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


14 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 


Your  work  will  be  Easier, 

Your  efficiency  Higher, 

Your  costs  Lower, 

if  you  use 

UNION 

Placer  Equipment 

for 

Gold,  Tin  and  Platinum 


July  l.  1916 

UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(OHPAHY 


Union  Dredge  No.  18,  operating  on  Mastodon  Creek, 
near  Circle  City.  Alaska.  This  3A-ft.  dredge  has  made 
an  enviable  record  of  1900  cubic  yards  per  day  under 
adverse  conditions. 


We  invite  your  correspondence. 
Ask  for  Catalogues. 

UNION    CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY 


H.  C.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JOHNSON 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


UNION  DRILLS 

Prospect  your  dredging  ground  with 
Union  Drills.  Made  in  two  types. 
Above  is  shown  the  steel-frame  type 
in  operation.  Union  Drills  are  simple, 
easy  to  operate,  low  in  cost,  and  can 
be  transported  over  any  ground.  If 
necessary  they  can  be  knocked  down 
and  carried  mule-back.     Bulletin  15. 


NEILL  JIGS 

Eight  Neill  Jigs  on  one  dredge  have 
paid  for  themselves  in  60  days,  mak- 
ing a  commercial  success  of  jigging  a 
product  running  2ft  cents  per  ton. 
The  Neill  Jig  has  double  the  screen 
area  of  other  jigs  requiring  the  same 
floor  space.    All  parts  are  easy  of  access. 


unionTredges^-  bucyrus  dredges  -  urnoTnEmLTs^^EmuiGS 


.Iiih    I     1916 


MINIS'.    ,nd  Sdeobfii    I'KI  SS 


EDITORIAL 


♦ 


T.  A.  RICHARD.  Editor 


Oil.  PRODI  I  TION  of  the  United  States  is  ratio 
be  at  the  rate  of  800,000  barrels  daily,  equal  to 
o.ihhi  barrels  per  annum.  In  1915  the  total  was 
291,400,000  barrels,  but  the  marketed  production  waif 
onlj  267,400,000  barrels.  At  the  present  time  there 
exists  i  good  market  for  all  grades  of  petroleum 
products. 

A  STATEMENT   lias  i n    made,   and   widely   pub- 
lished, thai  mi  account  of  European  capital  being 

unavailable    t itinue    work    at    certain    California 

mint's,  tin -iv  are  1000  less  miners  employed  in  this  State 
than  formerly.  While  sundry  prospecting  operations 
depending  cm  foreign  capital  may  have  been  suspended 
or  reduced,  there  has  been  a  noteworthy  increase  in  the 
nnmber  of  men  employed  in  re-opening  old  minis,  start- 
ing ni-w  mills,  besides  an  expansion  of  operations  at 
antimony,  chrome,  copper,  lead,  magnesite.  manganese, 
tungsten,  and  zinc  mines  throughout  California.     Such 

increases  largely  ex 1  suspensions.     The   industrial 

Accident  Commission  reports  that  at  mines,  mills,  quar- 
ries, smelters,  dredges,  and  eemeut  plants  there  are 
13,000  men  employed,  and  gains  are  continually  being 
reported.  A  similar  expansion  is  in  progress  in  the 
West  generally. 

"DUMORS  are  current  on  Wall  Street  that  "a  billion- 
-*-*■  dollar  copper  merger"  is  to  be  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  consolidating  or  combining,  in  a  manner  not 
described,  all  "the  big  copper  mines  of  the  West  and 
Alaska."  We  believe  this  to  be  untrue,  for  no  sound 
economic  basis  exists  for  such  an  agglomeration.  The 
copper-company  units  are  big  enough.  Some  of  them — 
like  the  Kennecott  affair — are  already  more  conducive 
to  stock  manipulation  than  to  cheapness  of  operation. 
Any  idea  of  controlling  the  price  of  the  metal  by  re- 
striction of  output  or  domination  of  the  market  is  pre- 
posterous, having  in  mind  the  two  previous  abortive 
efforts  to  do  so.  If  the  Secretan  syndicate  failed  in  1899 
when  the  world's  eopper  production  was  only  47G.O00 
metric  tons,  what  chance  of  success  is  there  now  with  an 
output  of  over  1,200,000  tons  per  annum?  We  assume 
that  the  talk  is  made  in  order  to  excite  speculation. 


WESTERN  Australia,  as  a  State  in  the  Common- 
wealth, endeavors  to  assist  mineral  exploration  by 
means  of  money  grants,  the  erection  of  stamp-mills  for 
treating  small  lots  of  ore,  and  by  geological  surveys.  In 
the  end,  however,  the  best  work  is  done  by  private  and 
corporate  enterprise.  The  latest  phase  of  systematic 
prospecting  is  credited  to  the  Sons  of  Gwalia.  a  mining 


company  thai  produces  1100,000  in  gold  monthly,  Tins 
company  is  equipping  partus  to  prospect  for  gold  and 
oiher  metals.  The  men  are  paid  wages  with  a  contingent 
interest  in  anything  that  they  And.    Something  is  Deeded 

to  sustain  the  gold  production  of  the  Australian  i 

monwealth,  tor  a  Bteady  decline  is  reported  officially. 
During  the  first  quarter  of  the  current  year  the  yield 

from  the  Six  Stairs  was  104, 260  ounces,  as  against  177. 
410  ounces  during  the  same  period  of  1915  and  875,000 
ounces  ten  years  ago.      Western   Australia   showed  a  de 

crease  of  41,841,  to  255,948  ounces,  in  the  quarter  men- 
tioned. This  compares  with  460.(111(1  .unices  in  the  lirst 
quarter  of  1906. 


TMMIGRATION  is  increasing  slightly.  In  December 
-*■  1914.  also  in  January  and  August  1915,  the  admis- 
sions were  less  than  the  departures,  but  in  April  30,560 
arrived  as  against  4082  that  departed.  In  April  1914, 
before  the  War,  the  arrivals  numbered  119.N85  and  the 
departures  22,801,  a  gain  of  97,084.  This  question  of 
immigration  plays  an  important  part  in  fixing  the  price 
of  labor,  especially  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  During 
the  21  months  preceding  the  War,  2, 102, 360  immigrant 
aliens  were  admitted  to  the  United  States  and  538,850 
departed ;  in  the  ensuing  21  months,  503,364  were  ad- 
mitted while  293,644  departed.  Nobody  can  predict  con- 
fidently what  effect  the  War  will  have  upon  immigra- 
tion: whether  the  work  of  reconstruction  will  find  oc- 
cupation for  ex-soldiers,  as  well  as  the  many  women  now 
B0  usefully  employed,  or  whether  the  disintegration  and 
penury  of  large  masses  of  population  will  cause  them  to 
seek  new  opportunities  on  the  American  continent,  and. 
if  they  do  so,  whether  they  will  come  to  the  United 
States,  or  to  Canada  and  South  America. 


TTNITED  VERDE  EXTENSION  Mining  Co.,  the 
*-^  shares  of  which  have  risen  to  $30  from  a  par  value 
of  50  cents,  had  many  hard  knocks  before  success  was 
achieved.  The  company  was  organized  in  1894,  and 
early  work  on  the  claims  at  Jerome  proved  so  futile  that 
the  promoter  committed  suicide.  Later  the  Red  Rock 
mine  near  Providence,  also  in  Yavapai  county,  Arizona. 
was  acquired  without  successful  result,  and  relinquished. 
In  1902  the  United  Verde  Extension  Gold,  Silver  &  Cop- 
per Mining  Co.  was  re-organized  into  the  company  of  the 
present  name,  and  in  1912  another  re-organization  took 
place.  The  Boston  News  Bureau  estimates  that  the  high 
price  of  $30  per  share  will  just  repay  the  principal  to 
the  old  stockholders  of  16  years  record,  without  consider- 
ing interest.  In  1913  the  mine  had  about  one  mile  of 
underground  openings,  and  showed  "a  little  ore  of  2% 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.  L916 


copper,  1  <>z.  silver,  and  $3  gold  on  the  800-ft.  level." 
At  the  end  of  1915  the  bonanza,  an  orebody  250  feet 
square  of  17V,  copper,  was  uncovered.  The  president 
of  the  company  is  Mr.  James  S.  Douglas,  the  BOn  of  Mr. 
James  Douglas,  the  distinguished  president  of  Phelps, 
Dodge  &  Co.,  New  York. 


success  of  their  operations  on  a  price  nearer  that  exist- 
ing before  the  War  than  even  the  present  reduced 
quotation. 


p<  ODFKEY  M.  HYAMS  is  the  name  of  the  stockholder 
'-'  who  lias  brought  suit  in  the  United  States  court  to 
restrain  the  sale  of  the  Tamarack  mine  to  the  Calumet 
&  Electa  company.  He  charges  that  in  the  proposed  sale. 
the  Calumet  &  Eecla  is  acting  both  as  vendor  and  pur- 
r,  because  this  company  already  owns  19,400  shares 
of  Tamarack  stock,  nearly  one-third  of  the  total  issued. 
Air.  Hyams  claims  that  the  property  is  worth  $6,000,000 
instead  of  the  $3,563,486  offered  by  the  Calumet  & 
Eecla.  This  is  not  the  first  time  that  Mr.  Hyams  has 
blocked  the  financial  schemes  of  the  Michigan  copper 
companies.  By  menus  of  bis  scattered  holdings  of  stock 
lie  lias  opposed  nearly  every  important  move  made  by 
the  Calumet  &  Eecla  company  during  recent  years.  His 
ownership  in  the  Tamarack  mine  is  1300  shares,  which 
would  be  worth,  at  the  $59  offered  by  the  Calumet  & 
Eecla,  $76,700.  It  is  not  evident  what  .Mr.  Hyams  gains 
by  so  many  law-suits;  but  he  is  not  unique;  in  nearly 
every  mining  region  a  similar  type  of  man  exists,  a  con- 
sistent opponent  of  combination  ami  organization. 
people  love  to  thwart  others;  they  are  burn  cantankerous. 
others  engage  in  battle  to  defend  the  down-trodden,  for 
example,  minority  shareholders.  We  do  not  know  to 
winch  category  Mr.  Hyams  belongs. 


"TH'XCSTKX  is  quoted  at  $30  per  unit  and  France  is 
-*-  reported  to  be  buying  the  metal.  The  following 
list  of  buyers  and  manufacturers  of  ferro-tungsten  may 

prove  useful  to  some  of  our  readers:  in  Pennsylvania. 
the  Primos  Chemical  Company,  at  Primos;  the  Vana- 
dium-Alloys steel  Company  and  the  Manhattan  Reduc- 
tion Company,  both  at  Latrobe ;  the  York  Metals  and 
Alloys  Company,  at  York;  the  Bethlehem  Steel  Com- 
pany, at  South  Bethlehem;  the  Crucible  Steel  Company 
of  America,  at  Pittsburg:  the  Midvale  Steel  Company. 
at  Philadelphia;  and  the  Firth-Sterling  Steel  Company, 
at  McEeesporl  :  at  New  York  is  the  Goldschmidt  Thermit 
<  lompany,  at  120  Broadway.  Among  brokers  dealing  in 
tungsten  ores  are  the  Foote  Mineral  Company,  at  Phila- 
delphia; E.  P.  Earle.  Charles  Hardy,  and  Arthur  Selig- 
man  at  New  York.  Some  of  the  steel  companies  buy  ore 
as  well  as  ferro-tungsten.  The  recent  recession  in  price 
is  due  primarily  to  the  decreased  business  in  munitions. 
When  the  placing  of  contracts  for  munitions  was  at  its 
height,  there  was  a  heavy  shortage  of  high-speed  tool- 
steel,  so  that  an  inordinate  demand  for  ferro-tungsten 
was  incited.  Just  now  new  contracts  for  munitions  are 
few.  so  that  some  manufacturer*  find  that  they  had 
over-bought  tool-steel.  Fresh  foreign  business  is  pend- 
ing and  a  strengthening  of  the  market  is  anticipated, 
but  the  boom  prices  of  a  few  months  ago  must  be  con- 
sidered a  thing  of  the  past.     Those  are  wise  that  base  the 


T  EAD  is  produced  in  large  quantity  by  three  States, 
■Li  Missouri.  Idaho,  and  Utah.  Their  production  in 
1915  was  195,621  tons.  1^0,680  tons,  and  106,105  tons, 
respectively.  Colorado  was  a  poor  fourth  with  32,352 
tons.  The  great  bulk  of  Missouri's  output  comes  from 
the  south-eastern  part  of  the  State,  where  a  half-dozen 
companies  work  on  3  to  4%  disseminated  ore.  The 
characteristic  of  this  district  is  that  lead  alone,  without 
zinc,  is  produced.  Idaho's  production  cones  from  the 
lead-silver-zinc  ores  of  the  Cocur  d'Alene.  During  some 
years  the  output  of  this  region  has  exceeded  that  of 
Missouri.  Utah's  production  has  risen  steadily  during 
recent  years.  The  silver-lead  ores  of  Park  City  and 
Bingham  have  been  the  principal  source.  To  these  must 
be  added  the  mixed  ores  of  the  Tintic  district  From 
foreign  ore  and  bullion,  only  43,029  tons  of  lead  was 
refined  in  the  United  States  last  year.  This  compares 
with  94,984  tons  in  1911  ;  the  bulk  of  it  coming  from 
Mexico.  The  production  of  lead  from  domestic  ores  last 
year  reached  the  total  of  537.012  tons,  comparing  with 
389,211  tons  in  1910,  a  gradual  growth.  The  American 
Smelting  &  Refining  Co..  it  should  be  recalled,  produces 
about  50';  0f  the  country's  total  output  of  lead.  Next 
to  the  United  States,  the  important  lead-producing 
countries  of  the  world  arc  Spain  and  Australia. 

T"|ISCUSSION  this  week  starts  with  a  reminiscence 
*-*  from  Mr.  R.  C.  (  anliy.  who  recounts  an  unsuccessful 
effort  to  use  cyanidation  two  years  before  the  Mac- 
Arthur-Forrest  process  was  made  known.  Mr.  Canby 
was  one  of  the  principal  experts  in  the  Minerals  Separa- 
tion-Miami case:  hence  his  last  remark  is  apropos.  Our 
friend  Mr.  F.  H.  Mason  contributes  some  notes  on  the 
ring  of  drill-steel,  dealing  more  particularly  with 
the  physics  of  steel  as  elucidated  by  Osmond,  and  in- 
dicating the  part  played  by  quenching.  From  Chile  we 
have  a  letter  signed  by  Mr.  Mark  R.  Lamb,  the  repre- 
sentative, at  Santiago,  of  an  important  machinery  manu- 
facturer. He  describes  a  personal  experience  in  the  re- 
torting of  quicksilver,  with  due  consideration  for  the 
possible  use  of  the  flotation  process.  Mr.  C.  O  'Brien,  an 
experienced  mill-man.  lately  at  Kirkland  Lake,  breaks 
a  lance  with  a  recent  contributor.  Mr.  Peckham,  in  re- 
gard to  a  special  phase  of  cyanidation.  His  argument 
is  that  the  continuous  counter-current-decantation  sys- 
tem, which  he  mercifully  abbreviates  to  'C.  C.  D.',  does 
not  lose  efficiency  by  addition  of  high-grade  ore.  and 
that  any  failure  to  obtain  the  best  results  at  Comacaran 
was  due  to  an  imperfect  flow-sheet.  Mr.  H.  E.  Xieholls 
writes  from  London  to  approve  Mr.  Corey  C.  Brayton's 
recent  article  on  a  method  of  drilling  alluvium  and 
draws  attention  to  an  earlier  article  by  himself  on  the 
same  subject.  Finally.  Mr.  Edgar  Hall,  one  of  our  best 
friends  in  Australia,  contributes  bits  of  information  that 
will  be  appreciated  by  our  readers  as  coming  from  a  man 
of  varied  experience. 


-lt.lv  1.  I91ti 


MINING  .nd  Scwnnhc   PRESS 


A  Delicate  Subject 


We  DOtS  Ilml  lli«-  /-'in. in.  1. 1/  \.„ ,.  of  I don,  ami  tht 

Engim  i  rin,/  a  Milting  Journal,  of  New  fork,  have  got 
into  a  controversy  on  the  subject  of  'Americanizing 
British  .Minis."  referring  thereby  ii>  the  employment  of 
American  engineer!  by  British  oompaniea  The  subjecl 
has  alsn  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Mining  Journal,  of 
London.  These  journalistic  amenities  were  started  by 
an  intemperate  and  orudely  phrased  editorial  in  the 
Financial  Sins,  which  is  a  low-grade  paper  not  to  be 
confused  with  the  Financial   Times,  published  at   the 

san ntre.    The  article  in  the  Nfiwt  was  followed  bj  a 

number  of  letters  showing  much  prejudice,  and,  we 
think,  a  regrettably  provincial  attitude.  Some  of  the 
feeling  that  found  vent  in  this  ill-tempered  outburst  is 
the  product  of  the  War.  At  this  time  of  great  conflict, 
when  half  the  world  is  under  anus,  the  individual  be- 
comes  touchy,  if  not  belligerent,  on  international  affairs. 
Civilization  has  become  a  'rough-house'  Our  most 
cherished  beliefs  and  our  dearest  sentiments  are  being 
wounded  during  this  terrible  turmoil;  we  are  on  edge; 
even  the  beat  of  friends  wax  warm  over  the  issues  at 
stake.  Nn  wonder  then  that  the  politenesses  of  life  are 
in  danger  ami  we  say  tilings  that  in  quieter  normal  days 
would  Burprise  us.  The  controversy  to  which  we  refer 
is  a  sign  ut'  the  times.  Our  own  attitude  in  the  matter 
will  In-  readily  .surmised  by  our  readers.  Iii  professional 
matters  we  are  Mercutio,  having  no  sympathy  with  ei1  her 
the  Capnlets  or  the  Montagues  that  attempt  to  stir 
jealousy  or  ill  feeling  among  English-speaking  members 
ut'  a  hroad-gauge  profession.  The  American  engineer  em- 
ployed by  British  companies  has  been  selected  on  account 
of  his  ability;  so  long  as  he.  in  turn,  selects  his  assistants 
ami  subordinates  for  the  same  reason,  not  on  account  of 
the  plaee  nt'  their  origin,  lie  does  what  is  eminently  fit  and 
proper.  When,  however,  a  junior  is  picked,  not  on  ac- 
count of  fitness  for  the  work  in  hand,  but  because  he  is  a 
fellow-countryman,  a  brother-in-law,  or  a  Baptist,  the 
senior  is  not  dealing  fairly  with  his  employer,  whether 
that  employer  be  a  board  of  directors  or  the  shareholders 

in  a  company.  This  error  has  1 n  committed,  and  usually 

it  has  brought  its  logical  punishment  in  the  loss  of  con- 
fidence and  the  lowering  of  efficiency.  We  grant  that 
some  second-class  Americans  have  gone  to  London,  and 
have  faired  ill  there:  also  a  number  of  poor  specimens 
went  to  South  Africa,  where  they  did  tiot  remain  long ; 
but  only  an  ignorant  man  would  deny  the  splendid  serv- 
ice given  to  the  British  mining  industry  by  such  men  as 
Gardner  Williams.  Hennen  Jennings,  George  Webber, 
Prank  L.  Bosqui,  W.  L.  Honnojd,  R.  Oilman  Brown. 
H.  C.  Hoover,  W.  J.  Loring,  and  R.  M.  Raymond.  We 
agree  with  our  contemporary  in  New  York  that  if  the 
arts  of  mining  and  metallurgy,  as  applied  to  Great 
Britain's  overseas  dominions  and  her  investments 
elsewhere,  be  unsatisfactory,  it  arises  largely  from  the 
failure  to  appreciate  the  fact  that  the  British  empire 
was  extended  in  the  footsteps  of  the  mineral  explorer 
and  that   British   trade   followed,   not   the  flag,   but  the 


pick     (lining  education  alao  has  received  no 

port  i,-  ,i  deserves  at  the  metropolis  oJ  an  empire  the 

development  of  wbiofa  was  based  largelj  on  the  i  sploita 

''""  ol   leraJ  wealtK     The  Boys!  School  ol   Mines 

thanks  to  the  help,  among  others,  of  an  American,  .Mi 
Ileum  ii  Jennings,  has  been  saved  from  extinction,  it  is 
true,  but  it  is  absurd  to  oonsider  its  pi  tus  si 

sctorj  'o  us  endowmenl  as  adequate  for  the  one 
oentraJ  mining  college  of  a  people  whose  flag  tins  over 

such    mineral    regions   as   Australia.    South    Allien,    and 

India.  Fortunately,  Canada  has  taken  cure  of  herself  in 
this  regard.    So  that  if  this  controversy  is  remembered, 

we   hope   that    it    will   he   to  emphasize   the   fact    that    the 

mining  industry  needs  efficient  nun.  ami  will  get  them 

wherever  il  can.  particularly  from  among  those  speaking 
the  language  n[  ils  Anglo  Ainerie; peralois  ami  sign- 
ing with  them  the  great  traditions  of  fair  play,  honor 
able  sport,  ami  good  government 

The  Mexican  Crisis 


A   slate  of  war  exists  between   the   I'nited   Stales  ami 
Mexico,  but   at   the  time  of  this  writing  the   fact   had  mil 

yet  been  recognized  officially.     When,  on  June  17.  the 

President  called  the  state  militia  to  duty  on  the  Mexican 
border  ami  followed  this  step  by  the  publication,  on 
June  20,  of  -.,  not,,  to  the  <li  facto  government  of  Mexico, 

il  was  assumed  that  at  lasl  the  policy  of  watchful  wait- 
iiiL'  had  been  found  unavailing:  thai  a  policy  of  urn  ha  mi 
had  given  place  to  one  of  hay.  The  public  generally  sup 
posed  that  military  intervention,  as  a  preliminary  to 
restoring  order  in  Mexico,  was  assured  and  that  the  six 
years  of  .Mexican  misrule  was  to  end  in  measures  similar 
to  the  ones  found  effective  in  Cuba  and  the  Philippine 
islands.  Those  who  had  properly  interests  in  Mexico 
may  have  been  pardoned  for  supposing  that  heller  days 
were  in  store  for  them.  But  on  June  L>2  Secretary  Lan- 
sing scut  a  memorandum  to  the  diplomatic  representa- 
tives of  the  Central  and  South  American  republics  in 
which  he  stated  that  the  object  of  the  United  Stales 
government  was  "not  intervention  in  Mexican  affairs 
•  *  *  but  the  defence  of  American  territory  from  fur- 
ther invasion  by  bands  of  armed  Mexicans,  protection  of 
American  citizens  and  property  along  the  boundary 
from  outrages  committed  by  such  bandits,  and  the  pre- 
vention of  future  depredations  by  force  of  arms  against 
the  marauders  infesting  this  region  and  against  a  gov- 
ernment which  is  encouraging  and  aiding  them  in  their 
activities."  We  quote  at  length  because  this  statement 
is  one  likely  to  have  been  overlooked  or  subordinated  to 
the  diplomatic  note  published  two  days  earlier.  No 
reference  is  made  by  Mr.  Lansing  to  Americans  or 
American  property  in  the  interior  of  Mexico;  he  men- 
tions only  such  as  were  suffering  from  the  banditry  along 
the  border.  However,  while  the  statement  begins  by  dis- 
claiming intervention,  it  ends  in  the  promise  of  using  the 
force  of  arms  "against  a  government  which  is  encourag- 
ing and  aiding"  such  activities.  This  pointed  directly 
al    Senor  Venustiano  Carranza  and  his  associates;  and 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


:.s  these  gentlemen  constitute  the  dt  fpcto  government 

of  Mexico,  r gnized  as  such  by  the  United  States,  ii 

gave  warrant  for  the  belief  that  war  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  would  ensue,  if  the  unsavory  condi- 
tion of  affairs  was  allowed  to  persist.  The  truth  con- 
cerning the  Carranza  government's  attitude  toward  the 
brigands,  of  whom  Villa  was  only  one  and  the  attitude 
of  that  government  toward  American  life  and  property, 
whether  within  Mexico  or  on  the  border,  is  made  per- 
fect!] dear  in  the  note  of  June  20.  Indeed,  that  note 
indicates  what  bad  faith  Carranza  lias  shown  to  the 
i  oited  states,  the-  government  of  which  stretched  a  point 
in  recognizing  him,  in  the  hope  that  the  recognition 
would  strengthen  his  hands  in  the  work  of  pacification. 
It  shows  that  the  effort  made  by  General  John  J.  Per- 
shing's  expedition  to  catch  Villa  and  his  followers  re- 
ceived no  assistance  from  the  .Mexican  local  or  federal 
authorities,  that  other  notorious  bandits  have  hobnobbed 

with  Carranza 's  officers,  and  that  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment has  taken  do  steps  to  prevent  repetitions  of  the 
Brownsville  and  Columbus  raids.  One  weak  point  is 
the  evidence  that  the  punitive  expedition  was  not  sanc- 
tioned by  Carranza,  although  on  this  the  note  is  not 
clear,   for  in  one  place  it   is  said  that  the  expedition 

Crossed  the  border  Under  "the  repudiated  agreement  of 
March  10-13"  and  in  another  place  "it  is  admitted  that 
American  troops  have  crossed  the  international  bound- 
ary in  hot  pursuit  of  the  Columbus  raiders  and  without 
notice  to  or  the  consent  of  your  government."    Again, 

the  note  certifies  to  the  fact  that  t he  victims  of  the  Santa 
Ysabel  massacre  carried  safe-conducts  issued  by  the 
local  authorities.  In  that  horrible  affair,  as  in  the 
Columbus  raid,  the  Carranza  officials  took  no  steps  what- 
ever to  obstruct  Villa  in  the  perpetration  of  crime.    Then 

came  General  Jacinto  B.  Trevino's  order,  subsequently 
endorsed  by  General  Alvaro  Obregon.  the  Mexican  Secre- 
tary of  War.  forbidding  General  Pershing  to  make  any 
movement  of  troops  except  northward,  that  is,  a  retire- 
ment. General  Pershing  ignored  this  order;  in  conse- 
quence, on  June  21,  troops  C  and  H  of  the  Tenth 
(negro  i  cavalry  came  in  conflict  with  a  commando  under 

General  Felix  Gomez,  under  circumstances  not  yet  clear- 
ly disclosed,  but  with  the  result  that  several  were  killed 
on  both  sides  and  17  American  troopers  were  made 
prisoner.  Thereupon,  on  June  2-1.  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment coolly  informed  the  American  government  that  the 
attack  at  Carrizal  was  due  to  a  disregard  of  Trevino's 
order  to  Pershing.  To  this  our  government  replied  by 
demanding  "the  immediate  release  of  the  prisoners  taken 
in  the  encounter  at  Carrizal,"  with  a  peremptory  re- 
quest for  an  early  statement  as  to  the  course  of  action 
the  Mexican  government  proposed  to  take.  Obviously. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  loath  to  commit  this  country  to  war; 
equally  obvious  is  the  fact  that  Senor  Carranza  shrinks 

from  Starting  definite  hostilities;  but  it  looks  as  if  Villa's 
expectation  wouh']  be  fulfilled  and  his  depredations  force 
Carranza  either  to  war  with  the  United  States  or  out  of 

office.    Thai  is  the  position  today.    The  logic  of  events 

will   prove   too  strong   for  either  side.      At   this   tim 
writing  it   appears  to  us  that   war.  followed  by  military 


occupation  and  political  intervention,  in  order  to  ensure 
orderly  government,  is  inevitable. 


Mining  Education 

This  is  a  subject   often   discussed   in   the  MINING   and 

Scientific  Press,  and  we  offer  no  apology  therefor. 
Education  is  one  of  the  fundamental  problems  of  the 
orderly  way  of  living  called  civilization  and  it  must 
interest  every  man,  both  as  a  son  and  a  father.  In  this 
issue  we  publish  a  thoughtful  article  by  Mr.  F.  Lynwood 
Garrison,  himself  the  product  of  a  generous  culture  and 
a  wide  experience.  He  comments  upon  the  fact  that  an 
art  is  best  taught  in  the  place  where  it  flourishes,  while 
mining  schools  are  usually  situated  far  from  the  mining 
regions.  As  to  that,  it  is  natural  that  schools  should 
flourish  near  centres  of  population.  Freiberg  gave  this 
country  more  good  analysts  and  chemists  than  mining 
engineers.  It  is  the  old  question,  whether  it  is  better  to 
bring  the  fuel  to  the  mine  or  transport  the  ore  to  the 
fuel-supply.  Colleges  and  schools  need  the  support  of  a 
large  population  even  more  than  the  stimulation  of  an 
environment  congenial  to  a  particular  branch  of  study. 
The  reason  why  the  small  college  in  a  small  Western 
town  spoils  good  ranchmen  in  the  vain  effort  to  make 
mining  engineers  is  that  it  cannot  give  its  students  such  a 
range  of  instruction  as  is  within  the  scope  of  a  central 
university.  We  agree  with  Mr.  Garrison  that  a  mining 
engineer  requires  a  broad  education ;  he  needs  all  the 
education  he  can  get  in  order  to  cope  with  the  wide 
variety  of  men  and  conditions  he  has  to  face  during  his 
professional  career.  Indeed,  it  is  a  career  to  test  char- 
acter. Next,  Mr.  Garrison  refers  to  the  part  that  the 
engineer  plays  in  the  life  of  the  community.  He  is  a 
'super.'  instead  of  a  principal  actor.  The  profession  will 
never  reach  its  proper  status  until  the  members  of  it 
recognize  their  duties  as  citizens  and  demand  a  larger 
voice  in  community  affairs.  Most  of  us  think  that  the 
lawyer  plays  too  great  a  part  and  too  many  of  them. 
He  does  so  not  only  because  his  occupation  gives  him 
practice  in  public  speaking  and  writing,  but  because  his 
cultural  training  is  such  as  to  fit  him  for  leadership  in 
politics  and  government.  The  broad  or  cultural  educa- 
tion for  which  Mr.  Garrison  pleads  as  a  preparation  for 
the  mining  profession  is  exactly  the  training  that  makes 
not  only  a  capable  engineer  but  a  useful  citizen.  That 
should  be  the  aim  of  a  democracy  or  any  other  enlight- 
ened method  of  government.  Lacking  a  general  prepara- 
tion for  life,  trained  to  be  a  specialist,  prepared  to  pur- 
sue the  elusive  shekel,  the  mining  engineer  is  likely  to 
find  bis  opportunities  circumscribed.  To  practise  as  a 
specialist  he  must  be  where  his  specialty  is  in  demand ; 
to  pursue  the  shekel  successfully  he  must  have  a  modi- 
cum of  nwnas;  for  money  makes  money.  Not  many  en- 
gineers are  engaged  in  the  particular  branch  of  science 
lor  which  they  originally  made  sonic  special  preparation  ; 
most  of  us  did  the  work  that  was  first  offered,  and  found 
our  aptitudes  after  a  good  deal  of  'knocking  about' 
unci  the  fortuities  of  circumstance. 


Jul>    l    1916 


\1I\IV.  „„l  Scientifii    I'Kl  SS 


DISCUSSION 

our  rtadm  art  Invited  lo  uie  ihii  dtpartmtnl  |ur  fht  ducuuion  of  ttchnlcal  and  olh#i  molten  ptr- 
talninj  M  nrininj  mid  mrtallargy.  Hit  Editor  ivricomai  |Im  ucprouion  "/  vtam  eonlraiy  to  lu»  own,  tv- 
Hasina  dun  careful  crirtctom  ii  more  valaaMa  Hwn  Gonial  complbnml. 


Discovery  of  Cyanidation 
The  K.litor: 

Sir    I   have  read   with   interest   Mr.  John   8.   Mao- 

Arthur's  article  on  this  Bubjecl  in  y ■  issue  of  June  LO. 

It  is.  however,  nol  the  original  discovery  or  use  of 
cyanide  as  s  solvenl  of  gold  and  silver  from  hits  thai 
Mr.  MacArthur  describes.  !•'.  M.  Bndlich  and  Nicholas 
Muhlenberg  filed  ;i  caveal  in  the  0.  3.  Patent  Office  for  a 
process  utilizing  the  solvent  action  of  potassium  cyanide 
to  extract  by  leaching  gold  and  silver  from  their  ores. 
Hr.  Bndlich  was  the  general  manager  of  the  Sierra 
Grande,  and  associated  mines,  at  Lake  Valley,  New 
Mexico. 

In  lSN.'i  I  went  to  Lake  Valley  to  witness  a  trial-run  of 
the  Russell  hyposulphite  process  in  the  interest  of  the 
directors  of  those  mining  companies.  E.  H.  Russell  was 
himself  in  charge  of  the  Russell  process  plant,  which 
had  been  built  as  an  annex  to  the  Boss  continuous  process 
pan-amalgamation  mill.  The  extraction  by  the  Russell 
process  upon  the  20-mesh  ore  was  only  about  72%.  I 
was.  therefore,  persuaded  to  try  Endlich's  cyanide  proc- 
The  cost  of  the  cyanide,  however,  as  compared  with 
that  of  the  'hypo'  was  such,  and  the  improvement  in  ex- 
traction, if  any,  so  slight,  upon  the  20-mesh  ore,  that 
Bndlich 'a  cyanide  process  was  not  substituted  for  the 
Hussell  process.  This  was  before  the  days  of  fine  grind- 
ing. 

This  trial  of  the  Endlich  and  Muhlenberg  process  that 
I  made  in  the  Russell-process  hyposulphite-leaching 
plant  of  the  Sierra  Grande  company  at  Lake  Valley, 
New  Mexico,  some  two  years  prior  to  the  experiments 
referred  to  in  Mr.  MacArthur's  article,  I  believe  to  have 
been  the  first  application  of  cyanidation. 

1  have  always  considered,  however,  that  it  was  the 
very  two  things  which  Mr.  MacArthur  rather  minimizes 
in  his  article  that  actually  made  the  cyanide  process 
economically  possible ;  these  were  the  effectiveness  of  the 
dilute  solutions  and  the  precipitation  by  zinc.  I  agree, 
however,  most  fully  with  Mr.  MacArthur  when  he  says: 
"Cyanide  does  this  (dissolves  gold  from  ores  and  holds 
it  in  solution)  and  so  far  as  I  know  is  the  only  solvent 
that  can  do  it.  This  is  the  real  essence  of  the  invention — 
the  matter  of  weak  or  strong  solutions  follows  as  a 
matter  of  chemical  (and  commercial)  economies." 

Such  an  expression  from  Mr.  MacArthur  is  extremely 
apropos  in  the  present  notation  litigation,  in  which  it 
is  contended,  against  the  pretensions  of  the  patentees  of 
the  minute  quantity  of  'oil,'  that  it  is  the  notation  by 


use  of  such  reagents  that  is  the    "real  essence"  of  ti„ 
process  tin-  matter  of  more  or  less  of  the  reagent  being 
"a  matter  of  chemical  and  commercial  economies." 

R.  C.  Can  a  v. 
Wallingfbrd,  <  'mm.,  June  15. 


Tempering  Drill-Steel 
The  Editor: 

Sir— In  your  issue  of  May  27.  you  publish  a  drill- 
manufacturer's  recipe  of  7  lb.  blue  vitriol  and  4  lb.  sal- 
ammoniac  dissolved  in  15  gallons  of  soft  water  for  tem- 
pering drill-Steel.     Pi i  the  earliest  days  of  steel  to  the 

present  time,  blacksmiths  have  had  their  pet  recipes  for 
tempering  steel,  and  often  have  guarded  the  secrecy  of 
them  with  a  persistency  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  In  the 
16th  century  some  very  quaint  recipes  were  published,  as, 
for  instance  :•  ' '  Take  the  blood  of  a  man  XXX  years  of 
age,  and  of  a  sanguine  complexion,  being  of  a  merry 
nature  and  pleasant,  and  quench  the  steel  in  it."  I  don't 
say  these  recipes  have  no  merit ;  they  have,  but,  as  what 
merit  they  possess  lies  in  the  varying  thermal  conductiv- 
ities of  the  liquids,  the  end  may  be  attained  by  less  lung- 
irritating  or  typhoid-inducing  fluids  than  those  men- 
tioned above. 

Osmond,  the  French  metallurgist,  has  shown  that  iron 
cools  from  a  bright-red  heat  at  an  almost  even  rate  until 
it  reaches  a  temperature  of  858°  O,  when  the  cooling  is 
arrested,  and  it  takes  26  seconds  for  the  temperature  to 
drop  through  an  interval  that  had  previously  taken  and 
subsequently  took  only  6  seconds.  With  low-carbon  steel 
there  are  two  points  of  arrest,  at  about  720°  and  650°, 
respectively,  while  with  high-carbon  steel  these  two 
points  seem  to  be  merged  into  one,  and  there  is  a  long 
period  of  rest  amounting  in  the  case  of  1.25%  carbon 
steel  to  76  seconds  while  the  temperature  dropped  from 
685°  to  665°,  while  previously  it  had  fallen  through  a 
like  number  of  degrees  in  12  seconds.  Steels  containing 
20%  manganese  or  10%  tungsten,  on  the  other  hand, 
were  found  to  cool  at  a  uniform  rate  without  any  marked 
period  of  arrest.  Osmond  found  that  if  ordinary  steel 
was  heated  and  quenched  rapidly  before  it  reached  this 
period  of  arrest,  or  the  critical  temperature,  as  he  called 
it,  it  was  hard,  but  if  quenched  after  the  critical  tem- 
perature it  was  soft.  High  manganese  and  tungsten 
steels,  which  showed  no  critical  temperature,  are  hard 
when  cold  whether  they  are  quenched  or  allowed  to  cool 
slowly. 

•English  translation  of  'Reenter  Gebraueh  d.  Alchimei.' 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


From   tiles.-  experiments  Osmond   argin.l   thai    ;tt   the 

critical  temperature  there  is  ■  rearrangement  of  the 
molecules,  and  in  the  case  of  steel  there  is  a  re-arrange- 
ment of  both  iron  and  carbon  molecules,  and  that  while 
before  the  critical  temperature  the  carbon  is  dissolved  in 
the  iron,  after  that  point  it  exists  as  a  carbide  of  iron. 
The  point,  then,  in  hardening  steel,  is  to  eool  the  metal 
before  the  molecular  change  lakes  place,  and  while  the 
carbon  is  dissolved  in,  and  gives  hardness  to.  the  steel. 
St.rU  that  pass  rapidly  from  the  one  state  to  the  other 
require  a  quenching  fluid  of  high  thermal  conductivity, 
in  order  that  the  molecular  change  shall  not  take  place 
during  the  process  of  quenching.  In  the  tempering,  or 
'letting  down,' as  the  blacksmiths  often  call  it.  it  is  often 
desirable  that  the  quenching  operation  shall  he  pro- 
■  I.  so  that  tie-  earhon  may  he  jndieiously  mixed  in 
the  two  forms,  ami  in  this  ease  a  quenching  fluid  of  low 

thermal  conductivity  is  desirable. 

P.  II.  Mason. 
San  Diego,  June  7. 


Flotation  for  Cinnabar 

The  Editor: 

Sir — The  communication  from  Mr.  E.  M.  Hamilton 
on  this  Bubjecl  in  your  issue  of  April  15  makes  it  seem 
probable  that  our  experiments  at  I'unitaqui  (Chile)  will 
be  of  interest. 

We  are  retorting  quicksilver  ores  containing  from 
ii  )'.  up.  in  retorts  varying  from  12  to  24  in.  diameter. 
The  recovery  on  the  low-t;rade  material  is  much  lower 
than  on  the  ore  above  :',';  The  ores  contain  the  quick- 
silver in  four  distinct  forms:  cinnabar  is  the  most  im- 
portant; a  red  powder  supposed  to  be  an  oxide  is  next 
in  importance.  Followed  by  native  quicksilver  and  a 
tetrahedrite   containing   lo<;    quicksilver   in   the   pure 

mineral. 

When  the  price  of  quicksilver  drops  to  $30  our  prob- 
lem will  1m-  tn  choose  between  a  MeDougall  furnace  and 
flotation.  Flotation  gives  a  high  extraction.  The  oxi- 
dized ore  simply  cannot  he  wetted,  and  the  cinnabar  is 
little  better.  The  tetrahedrite  would  concentrate  well 
on  tables  and  also  gives  excellent  results  with  oil.  The 
only  tests  thai  show  a  loss  of  native  quicksilver  with 
flotation  are  on  minerals  very  poor  in  sulphides.  The 
ore  is  mainly  quartz  and  a  soft  gangue. 

So  far,  I  have  decided  that  retorting  is  much  the 
cheaper  treatment,  even  assuming  a  perfect  extraction 
by  flotation.  Even  in  the  present  slow  and  fuel-wasting 
manner,  the  retorting  is  extremely  cheap — much  cheaper 
than  the  crushing.  The  cinnabar  sometimes  occurs 
massive  or  in  20-mesh  crystals,  but  90$  of  it  is  in  the 
form  of  finely  disseminated  particles  in  the  quartz.  This 
would  mean  fine  grinding,  which  would  cost  more  than 
roasting,  and  the  plant  would  be  much  more  expensive. 
At  present  we  are  roasting  three  tons  with  a  ton  of  wood 
worth  $3.  With  a  MeDougall  we  could  roasl  40  tons  with 
line  fuel.  This  does  not  mean,  of  course,  that  we 
shall  diseontim ur  tests,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to 


treat  the  big  waste-dumps  in  the  most  profitable  way. 

Our  greatest  loss  at  present  is  in  the  vapor  that  cannot 
he  disentangled  from  the  ore,  after  the  major  portion 
has  been  dragged  out  by  the  water-vapor.  In  the  large 
retorts  containing  600  lb.  of  ore  with  a  content  of  24  lb. 
of  quicksilver,  it  will  be  easily  seen  that  half  the  metal 
can  remain  in  the  interstices  of  the  ore.  whatever  the 
temperature.  When  coarse  ore  is  being  treated,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  make  this  vapor  move  forward  into  the  con- 
densers by  squirting  about  a  gallon  of  water  upon  the 
red-hot  ore.  but  with  tine,  this  plan  docs  not  give  the 
desired  result. 

Mark  R.  Lamb. 

Santiago.  Chile.  May  16. 


Cyanidation  at  the  Comacaran  Mine, 
Salvador 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  studying  the  article  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Peekham 
appearing  in  your  issue  of  April  29,  one  cannot  help  but 
note  the  difference  in  practice  between  the  continuous 
counter-current  decantation  process  as  used  there  and  in 
such  localities  as  Porcupine,  where  it  is  recognized  as  a 

Slleees> 

The  flow-sheet  presents  something  unusual  in  the  re- 
grinding  closed  circuit.  Why  the  crushed  ore  from  the 
stamps  is  sent  to  a  Dorr  duplex  classifier,  the  overflow 
going  to  thickeners,  the  heads  to  a  simplex  classifier,  by- 
passing the  tube-mills,  is  difficult  to  understand.  The 
flow-sheet  shows  nothing  entering  the  tubes  but  some- 
thing coming  out.  This  must  be  a  mistake  in  the  dia- 
gram. However,  more  information  is  gleaned  by  reading 
under  the  heading  'Tube-milling  and  Classification.'  A 
suggestion  will  not  be  amiss.  Even  a  casual  analysis  of 
the  ore  and  screen  tests  would  make  the  article  of  greater 
value  to  metallurgists. 

Looking  over  the  'Slime  treatment,'  five  agitators  are 
in  use.  two  mechanical-air  and  three  Pachucas.  The 
size  of  these  agitators  is  important  but  it  is  not  men- 
tioned. Experience  all  over  the  world  proves  that  inter- 
mittent or  charge  agitation  is  not  any  better,  if  as  good 
as  continuous  agitation.  The  first  cost  of  the  latter,  and 
certainly  the  operation,  is  less.  The  agitation  would  be 
disclosed  by  analyses  and  screen-tests,  seeing  that  a  55c. 
loss  of  'insoluble'  metal  is  acknowledged. 

'Continuous  Decantation.'  To  one  accustomed  to  the 
simple  and  efficient  manner  of  regulating  the  passage  of 
the  pulp  and  the  counter-current,  so  that  it  becomes 
almost  automatic,  the  reason  for  juggling  the  solutions 
is  not  readily  apparent.  In  the  'C.  C.  D.'  process,  the 
distinction  between  values  of  the  dry  slime  and  solution 
are  of  paramount  importance,  especially  at  the  dewater- 
ing  end. 

"The  pulp  from  the  Pachucas,  which  contains  about 
$3.50  together  with  the  clear  overflow  of  battery-solu- 
tion from  thickener  No.  1.  which  contains  $1.  goes  to 
thickener  No.  4.  The  clear  overflow  from  No.  4  to  the 
rich-solution  tank,  which  assays  about  $1.75  per  ton." 


July  l.  1:>16 


MINING   .„d  Scientific  PRESS 


"'I'll-'  pulp  from  ili'-  Paehuoaa,  which  asNa>s  shout 

Is  this  \alm-  in  dry  slime  alone"     Tins  is  quoted 

under  '81iiBfl  treatment'  aa  -■'•'.  or  three  i"  one.    "The 
-  overflow   of  iinii.i  v  solution  contains  (1  "     Bi 

cepth nisi  l«-  taken  ti>  tliis  misnomer.    Ii  is  not  bal 

trry  solution.  Imt  the  overflow  Cram  Hie  closed  grinding- 
I'in-uit.  us  the  flu*  sheet  shows  tin-  Dorr  duplex  classifier 
tn  In-  tin-  only  outlet  tn  thickener  No.  1.  Then 
is  the  raise  of  extraction,  diasolved  valae,  in  the  closed 
grinding-circuit,  conaiating  of stamps,  tun  classifiers,  and 
Bra  tulxs.  'I'liis  seems  strange.  Practice  today  is  con- 
sidered I»>"|-  it'  it  lines  lint  dissolve  lit  least    "id',  . 

Precipitation  »<  solution,  value  $1.75,  cannot  be  said 

in  l.e  tin-  beat  practice,  when  so  much  richer  Boluti -an 

he  precipitated  at  the  same  coat,  greatly  curtailing  the 
work  in  the  refinery. 

The  flow-sheet  does  not  show  the  overflow  of  battery 
solution  from  thickener  No.  l  going  directly,  us  stated, 
tn  thickener  No.  4.  It  passes  through  settler  I).  What 
function  this  performs  is  not  stated. 

Coming  tn  'Tailing.'  One  notes  n  10c.  loss  as  dissolved 
value.  This  is  certainly  good  work :  credit  must  be  given 
and  taken.  The  'insnlulile'  metal  loss  is  55e.  In  the 
tables,  under  'Solution  Assays.'  'Tailing  thickener  7.' 
the  word  'undissolved'  is  used.  There  is  a  vast  differ- 
ence between  'undissolved'  and  'insoluble,'  in  metal- 
lurgy. 

The  rakes  of  the  thiekeuers  are  said  to  have  caused 
trouble  by  Sticking.  No  doubt,  some  of  us  have  had  tin- 
great  pleasure  of  emptying  and  cleaning  out  thickeners. 
The  chief  and  really  only  cause  of  that  is  abuse.  All 
sizes  of  thickeners,  like  all  machinery,  are  calculated  to 
do  so  much  work,  and  no  more.  When  they  are  over- 
loaded, like  the  mule,  they  buck  and  stick,  or  the  central 
shaft  turns  into  a  corkscrew.  In  this  case  the  Prenier 
pump,  a  pulsator  pump,  might  have  been  the  trouble. 
In  time,  a  large  amount  of  hard  pulp  is  likely  to  have 
accumulated  on  the  bottom  of  the  tank.  The  raising  of 
the  rakes  gave  a  little  more  grade. 

A  difference  of  opinion  arises  concerning  the  disad- 
vantages mentioned.  No  necessity  exists  for  precipitat- 
ing a  large  amount  of  low-grade  solution.  The  reverse 
is  more  nearly  true.  For  obvious  reasons  the  highest 
grade  of  precipitate  is  desired,  principally  to  save  zinc 
and  refinery  work.  The  precipitation  will  regulate  the 
barren  solution.  All  that  is  really  desired  is  enough  for 
the  counter-current.  The  water-wash  will  balance  the 
amount  of  moisture  sent  to  the  dump.  It  is  not  obvious 
why  barren  solution  is  fed  to  thickeners  No.  5  and  6 ;  one 
should  be  sufficient.  A  paramount  feature  of  the  decan- 
tation  end  is  a  steady  counter-current  and  a  general 
equilibrium.  But  under  'Sand  treatment,'  barren  solu- 
tion is  used  for  'baths.'  This  is  hardly  fair  to  the 
'C.  C.  D.'  This  explains  the  large  amount  of  barren 
solution.  The  process  is  only  meant  to  take  care  of  itself, 
not  two  processes.  (2).  The  impracticability  of  the 
process  with  an  ore  that  resists  settling.  This  is  vague. 
An  ore  that  resists  settling  may  still  settle  sufficiently  to 
permit  good  work.     An  ore  that  will  not  settle  has  few 


ehiii-ius  for  tin-  ''     i     l>  '  prooi  raid  have  been 

considered  in  tin-  beginning.  The  Hon-  people  an  frank 
in  this  matter.     They  make  all  their  calculations  mi 

moisture,  Bo  this  cannot,  again,  be  called  a  diaad 
rantagi  I  in-  C.  C.  I  >  process  is  not  thrown  out  of 

adjustment,  any  mure  than  any  other  process,  by  a  slid 

den  rush  of  rich  ore.  Of  course,  a  higher  tailing  may 
result.  This  is  imt  a  metallurgical  difficulty,  but  a  min- 
ing difficulty.      It'   the   mill  heads  an-   doubled    it    is   imt 

in Bsary  tn  double  the  amount  of  barren  solution,  nor 

use  more  water,  nor  is  it  sound  metallurgy  tn  say  the  tail- 
ing-loss will  double.  What  is  the  grinding-eireiiit  doing 
at  this  time?  Is  it.  dying  of  iiuuii  or  a  devotee  of 
m/i/Vnia?      (4).   A   large  amount  nl'  water  is  imt   used  in 

the  c.  c.  l).  process,  only  just  enough  tn  make  up  for  the 
amount  of  moisture  sent  tn  tin-  dump.    The  proci 
continuous  and  therefore  reuses  all  the  water,  solution, 
i  tc.    But,  it'  as  said,  water  is  scarce,  precautions  should 

be  taken  at  the  beginning,  and  something  like  an  Oliver 
filter  installed  to  save  as  much  moisture  as  possible. 

Wit  limit  exaggeration,  it  can  be  said,  that  the  con- 
tinuous counter-current  deeantation  process  has  come 
into  the  field  of  metallurgy  with  less  trouble  and  more 
practicability  than  any  other  process.  It  is  just  as 
amenable  to  the  treatment  of  high-grade  as  of  low-grade 
ores,  both  gold  and  silver,  and  is  being  installed  tn  treat 
highly  complex  ores.  In  the  beginning  the  metallurgy 
and  the  plant  should  conform  to  the  highest  grade  of  ore 
in  the  mine,  then  it  is  easy  to  take  care  of  the  lower 
grades  of  ore.  Its  flexibility  is  unequaled  by  any  process 
as  the  four  different  t.vpes  above.  It  has  redeemed  de- 
eantation. 

Reviewing  the  mechanical  side  of  the  plant:  With  the 
large  experience  before  us  today,  why  install  stamps? 
Let  us  make  a  short  comparison  with  a  ball-mill.  The 
Hardinge  conical  ball-mill  is  in  general  use.  A  6-ft. 
Hardinge  will  do  the  work  of  15  stamps;  it  is  cheaper  in 
first  cost,  mill  to  mill ;  takes  up  considerably  less  space, 
consequently  less  building ;  less  weight ;  less  foundation  : 
uses  less  power ;  crushes  ore  for  less  per  ton  than  stamps ; 
not  half  the  trouble  and  work  for  the  millmen ;  is  not  any 
more  difficult  to  transport  on  mule-back,  if  as  trouble- 
some, when  you  figure  heavy  stems;  the  putting  together 
is  not  more  difficult  than  batteries;  any  kind  of  crushing 
can  be  done  to  suit  conditions ;  amalgamation  can  be  per- 
formed, if  desired,  with  less  trouble  and  space.  So, 
really,  what  advantage  do  stamps  have  today? 

The  use  of  Frenier  pumps,  or  pulsators,  is  new  in  the 
C.  C.  D.  and  it  is  doubtful  if  they  can  be  recommended. 
No  one  would  use  them  after  having  tried  the  cheap  easy 
running  diaphram  pump. 

The  many  experiments  with  tube-mills  in  South  Africa 
proved  that  the  20-ft.  mill  was  not  any  better  than  the 
16-ft.  mill,  if  as  good.  Neither  crushing  nor  re-grinding 
takes  place  in  the  last  four  feet,  so  of  what  use  is  it  ?  Any 
U.  S.  machinery  is  just  as  good  as  Krupp's. 

C.  O'Briex. 
Berkeley,  June  9. 


- 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


Prospecting  Before  Dredging 

The  K.litor: 

sir— My  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  article  on 
this  subject  appearing  in  your  issue  of  April  29.  The 
auiln>r  refers  to  a  new  method  of  drilling  by  driving 
pipes,  as  used  extensively  by  him.  The  method  is  one 
which  was  adopted  by  me  in  the  .Malay  States  as  long 
ago  as  1903  and  was  the  subject  of  a  short  paper  read 
before  Ate  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy, 
I.ond  m.  and  incorporated  in  the  transactions  of  1904- 
1905. 

I  have  employed  this  system  with  equal  success  in 
northern  Nigeria;  given  suitable  conditions,  it  is  with- 
out doubt  not  only  the  cheapest  but  also  one  of  the  most 
reliable  methods  of  testing  alluvial  deposits.  My  own  ex- 
perience is  fully  borne  out  by  the  figures  given  by  Mr. 
lirayton  in  his  very  interesting  article. 

London.  June  2.  H.  E.  NlCHOLLS. 


Useful  Notes 
The  Editor: 

^In  one  of  your  recent  issues  you  refer,  as  you 
have  often  done  previously,  to  the  waste  of  mining  in- 
formation owing  to  so  much  experience  passing  un- 
recorded. May  I  contribute  a  little  of  my  experience 
ime  matters  touched  upon  in  various  articles  in 
your  issues  of  January  and  February,  which  have  just 
reached  met 

1       American  Machinery  Exports.     Among  the  im- 
portant points  necessary  for  exporters,  I  think  that  of 

insurance  has  been  omitted.  Next  to  having  the  articles 
properly  packed,  their  insurance  during  transit  is  of 
the  most  importance  to  the  buyer.  It  is  not  enough  to 
insure  the  goods  for  the  amount  of  the  invoice;  sufficient 
must  be  added  to  cover  freight  and  other  outgoings 
that  the  purchaser  must  pay.  and  often  in  advance.  In- 
surance companies  recognize  this,  and  it  is  customary 
to  increas st  and  charges  by  10' ,'  to  cover  further  pos- 
sible losses  to  the  purchaser  (through  delays  or  changes 
of  price  incidental  to  duplication  of  the  article  lost). 
This  does  not  appear  to  be  understood  by  some  American 
manufacturers. 

Some  years  ago  I  bought  a  machine  direct  from  a 
large  American  firm,  one  that  advertises  largely  in  all 
the  technical  papers  and  inundates  members  of  tech- 
nical societies  with  its  literature.  I  instructed  them  to 
pay  freight  and  insurance,  and  our  London  bankers 
paid  them  cash  on  shipment.  The  vessel  soon  after  went 
to  the  bottom  with  our  machine  on  board.  "When  we 
went  to  collect  the  insurance  we  discovered  that  the 
policy  covered  only  the  cost  of  the  machine  at  the 
maker's  works.  Result:  we  lost  freight  and  other 
charges  amounting  to  ,*150,  and  resolved  to  buy  nothing 
more  from  that  firm,  if  we  could  help  it. 

Prohibition.  This  village,  of  about  600  inhabi- 
tants and  solely  dependent  on  the  mine,  has  no  hotel  or 
licensed  house.  For  several  years  the  land  was  held  so 
that  the  owners'  opposition  was  sufficient,  later  the  ap- 


plication  for  license  was  defeated  by  direct  voting,  un- 
der a  local-option  clause  in  tic  State  Incensing  Acts. 
The  mine  worked  continuously  from  May  1893  to  the 
outbreak  of  the  AVar.  a  period  of  over  21  years.  The 
depth  attained  is  500  ft.  vertical ;  the  orebodies  are  iso- 
lated lenses:  the, ground  is  heavy  in  general,  and  in 
-  very  bad.  Only  one  fatality  occurred  during  the 
21  years:  a  fitter,  sent  below  to  repair  a  leaky  pipe, 
looked  down  the  shaft  and  was  struck  by  a  descending 
cage.  Only  one  broken  limb  occurred:  to  a  miner,  at- 
tempting to  light  a  cigarette  when  in  a  moving  cage, 
whose  projecting  elbow  struck  a  landing.  No  other 
accident,  at  mine  or  smelter,  to  any  workman,  could  be 
called  serious.  No  shift  was  ever  lost  owing  to  drunken- 
ness, and  no  delay  ever  occurred  at  the  furnaces  owing 
to  absence  of  men  through  drink.  There  were  no  St. 
Mondays.  No  other  Australian  mining  town  has  such 
a  record.  We  did  not  escape  'sly'  grog-shops,  but  judg- 
ing by  our  experience,  the  harm  done  by  drinking  on  the 
sly  is  small  compared  with  that  of  even  one  well-con- 
ducted open  and  publicly-licensed  hotel. 

Early  Rail-mills.  At  the  Sunny  Corner  mine. 
in  N.  S.  W.,  when  I  went  there  in  1887,  there  was  a  ball- 
mill  procured.  I  believe,  from  San  Francisco.  It  was 
then  idle.  I  got  it  going  and  used  it  for  crushing  quartz 
for  making  silica  bricks.     It  did  excellent  work. 

4  No.luliziiig.  At  the  same  Sunny  Corner  mine, 
in  1888,  I  treated  a  large  quantity  of  sulphide  ore  'fines' 
in  exactly  the  way  described  in  your  issue  of  February 
12.  as  now  practised  at  the  Rraden  mine,  only  we  did 
ill  it  'nodulizing.'  We  used  a  revolving  calciner, 
got  about  the  same  reduction  in  sulphur  content,  and 
the  same  red-hot  nodules  of  varying  size,  and  treated 
them  very  successfully  in  blast-furnaces,  apparently 
just  like  the  people  at  Rraden.  Again,  at  Silverspur  we 
have  a  small  sinter-plant  for  fine,  which  we  used  for 
some  time,  like  that  described  at  the  Rraden.  only  our 
boxes,  though  of  the  same  width,  and  using  similar 
grate-bars  and  down-draft,  are  much  shorter.  The  re- 
sults were  the  same  and  the  sintered  material  worked 
well  in  the  furnace. 


Edgar  Hall. 


Silverspur.  Queensland.  April  20. 


The  Russian  n<&/<>  is  equal  to  $0.5145673  United 
States  currency.  At  the  present  time  Russian  exchange 
is  quoted  at  $0.3075,  the  decrease  since  1913  being  ;:s 
follows:  to  51.50c.  in  1913.  51c.  in  the  first  part  of  1914. 
42c.  in  the  second  part.  29.75c.  in  1915.  and  29.31c.  t  > 
June  13.  1916.  Although  the  ruble  has  declined  about 
abroad,  its  purchasing  power  in  Russia  is  more 
nearly  holding  its  own.  advances  and  decreases  in  prices 
of  commodities  being  due  chiefly  to  changes  in  supply 
and  demand. 


Tungstex  ore  (wolframite)  concentrated  at  the  Wasp 

No.  2  gold  mine  in  South  Dakota  since  early  in  1916 

totaled  1800  tons,   averaging  1.08%   tungstic   tri-oxide 

WO,  i.     The  tailing  assayed  0.13%,  giving  a  recovery 

of  88%.    Concentrate  averaged  50  per  cent. 


Jul)    I,  1916 


MI\IV.  tnd  Scknufi.    I'KI  SS 


Mining  Education 


By   T.  Lynwooa    Qarxlson 


IT  might  naturally  be  supposed  that  the  minini 
gineering  profession  would  be  Largely  recruited  from 
boys  who  have  grown  up  in  communities  associated 
in  one  way  or  another  with  the  mining  industry.  While. 
of  course,  many  such  boys  drift  into  it  by  opportunity 
or  desire,  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  very  many  of  our  dis- 
tinguished mining  engineers  of  today  were  born  and 
reared  in  great  cities  remote  from  everything  apper- 
taining In  mini's,  minerals,  Or  geology.  Similarly  sunn-, 
if  not  a  majority,  of  our  great   mining  BChools  have  had 

their  origin  and  now  flourish  in  large  centres  of  in- 
dustry and  population  in  no  way  directly  related  or  con- 
i ted  with  the  mining  industry. 

\  atudent  in  every  Other  branch  of  engineering  may 
without  difficulty  find  in  all  large  cities  practical  ap- 
plications of  most  of  the  technical  subjects  with  which 
he  must  familiarize  himself,  but  the  mining  student  must 
needs  go  far  afield,  often  to  considerable  expense,  and 
seldom  has  the  opportunity  of  seeing  what  lie  learns  in 

tl lass-room  put  into  immediate  practical  use.    This  is 

an  unfortunate  condition  and  a  serious  handicap  to  the 
students,  for  an  art  is  best  taught  in  the  atmosphere  and 
environment  in  which  it  flourishes.  Probably  the  most 
ideal  and  certainly  the  most  famous  mining  school  in  the 
world  is  that  at  Freiberg  in  Saxony,  situated  on  the 
northern  flank  of  the  Erzgebirge,  a  mountainous  dis- 
trict famous  for  its  mines  since  the  Middle  Ages.  In- 
deed  the  old  Saxon  Mining  Academy  may  justly  claim 
to  have  been  the  mother  and  model  of  our  American  min- 
ing schools;  the  writings  of  its  professors,  such  as 
Planner.  Von  Cotta,  Rittenger,  Beck,  and  Stelzner  were 
and  still  are  among  the  classics  of  the  profession.  And 
although  its  glories  have  departed  with  the  closing-down 
of  most  of  the  neighboring  mines  and  the  rise  of  institu- 
tions better  qualified  to  teach  the  Anglo-Saxon,  the  Royal 
Saxon  Mining  Academy  in  my  student  days  was  a  name 
to  conjure  with  and  offered  its  students  an  excellent 
technical  training  both  theoretical  and  practical.  Like 
most  German  universities,  the  social  atmosphere  of  the 
place,  however,  was  coarse  and  degenerate,  sometimes 
demoralizing  and  often  disgusting  to  American  and 
English  boys  reared  in  refined  and  cultured  homes  where 
the  laws  of  God  and  the  moral  precepts  of  man  had  been 
taught  and  respected. 

There  has  doubtless  been  a  great  advance  in  tin-  effi- 
ciency of  our  American  mining  schools  in  the  last  twenty 
years,  but  at  the  same  time  there  seems  to  have  been  a 
needless  duplication  of  effort  that  has  tended  to  crowd 
a  profession  already  over-stocked  with  varying  degrees 
of  talent.  Some  of  our  "Western  universities  have  estab- 
lished mining  schools,  and  mining  schools  as  such  have 
been  started  in  "Western  towns  simply  because  they  hap- 


pen to  he  relativel]  near  mining  districts     1  once  I 

a  mine  manager  gay  that   as  far  as  he  could  See  tie 

tieal    result    of    most    of    these   schools    was    '"    -i""1    good 

ranchmen  and  make  mighty  pom-  enj  This  brings 

me  hack  to  my  original  thesis,  that  a  mining  engineer 
should  above  all  else  |>e  a  broadly  educated  man  and 
that  such  a  foundation  may  he  best  obtained  as  the  re 
suit    of   a   general    university   training.      I    doubt    it'   any 

profession  subjects  its  members  to  tests  of  character  so 
severe  ami  so  prolonged  as  does  that  of  tie-  mining  engi 

neer.      Consider  for  a   moment    how  often   he  is  jda I  in 

places  remote  from  restraining  influei s.  where  he  can- 
not seek  advice  of  his  elders  or  benefit  from  the  stimulat- 
ing moral  control  of  home  and  family.  In  the  absence 
of  these  checks  a  man  must  fall  back  upon  his  own  cul- 
tural ami  mental  resources,  his  books,  his  pen.  and  a  love 
Of  Nature,  into  which  the  educated  man  sees  so  much 
deeper  than  one  who  has  not  been  taught.  A  mining 
engineer  often  finds  himself  in  situations  so  absolutely 
detached  and  foreign  to  the  life  he  has  been  accustomed 
to.  that  it  becomes  a  serious  test  of  character  if  he  has 
no  diversions  save'  his  employment  and  the  often  friv- 
olous pastimes  of  his  companions,  ft  cannot  be  dis- 
puted that  a  too  complete  absorption  in  one's  work  is 
bad  both  for  the  man  and  the  job,  hence  it  is  highly  im- 
portant that  the  mind  for  short  periods  should  be  com- 
pletely detached  and  interested  in  something  wholly  un- 
connected with  the  engineer's  daily  occupation.  Under 
such  conditions  the  broadly  educated  man  has  a  great 
advantage  over  one  who  knows  the  technicalities  of  his 
work  and  little  more;  in  lonely  remote  mining  camps 
it  is  the  idle  hours  that  are  the  real  menace  to  both  body 
and  soul.  In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
on  the  last  analysis  it  is  the  man.  not  his  tools,  that  makes 
civilization,  and  the  character  of  it  will  be  either  brutal 
or  ethical  according  to  the  spirit  he  infuses  into  it. 

There  is  another  subject  relating  to  an  engineer's  edu- 
cation that  has  received  little  or  no  attention,  that  is, 
his  fitness  and  the  indisputable  importance  of  his  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  public  life  of  the  nation.  "We  live 
today  in  a  mechanical  age,  yet  it  is  the  rarest  thing  to 
find  men  who  have  had  engineering  educations  in  the 
supposedly  deliberative  bodies  that  make  our  laws  or  in 
the  executive  positions  and  offices  that  administer  them. 
No  country  in  the  world  affords  such  abundant  oppor- 
tunity for  higher  education  as  the  United  States  and  the 
least  its  recipients  can  do  is  to  make  some  return  in 
public  service.  During  our  Civil  War  the  military 
officers  on  both  sides  of  that  unfortunate  contest  were 
largely  recruited  from  the  professions,  chiefly  the  law : 
for  in  those  days  engineering  bad  hardly  reached  the 
dignity  of  that  designation.    Yet  today,  although  we  are 


10 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  l.  1!H6 


living  in  an  engii ring  age,  the  engine*  as  a  citizen  has 

mi  more  influence  or  voice  in  public  affairs  than  fifty 
years  ago.  This  is  all  wrong,  for  it  is  a  serious  blunder 
that  the  laws  now  governing  us  should  he  framed  and 
administered  by  men  wholly  unfamiliar  with  engineer- 
ing in  any  of  its  branches.  That  men  are  competent  to 
frame  laws  simply  because  they  a*  lawyers  is  absurd. 
for  law  is  or  should  be  based  on  common-sense  and  a 
thorou  :h  understanding  of  the  physical  conditions  affect- 
ing the  different  phases  of  human  life  and  endeavor  that 
it  is  intended  to  regulate.  In  the  present  War  the 
British  are  drawing  heavily  upon  the  engineering  pro- 
fessions for  their  army  officers  and  the  response  has  been 
gallanl  and  unselfish.  Now,  conditions  of  life  in  Eng- 
land and  the  United  States  are  almost  precisely  alike  as 
to  fundamentals  and  under  similar  circumstances  we 
shall  blunder,  expend  lives,  treasure,  and  time  just  as 
they  are  doing,  so  the  British  are  not  only  fighting  our 
battles  for  us  against  the  common  enemy  of  liberty  and 

all  mankind,  but  they  arc  giving  us  a  vivid  object-lesson 
as  to  how  we  shall  err  and  behave  when  our  turn  comes. 
Anticipating  thai  time,  we  are  now  engaged  in  a  cam- 
paign of  'preparedness';  it  is  a  most  welcome  sign  of 
national  sanity  and  it  is  to  be  fervently  hoped  it  will 
continue  unabated  until  something  substantial  is  ac- 
complished. The  plan  suggested  by  President  Wilson 
in  calling  for  the  co-operation  of  our  national  engineer- 
ing societies  is  a  wise  one.  for  they  arc  likely  to  become 
the  \ri-y  backbone  of  any  sane  common-sense  scheme  of 
defense.  And  I  think  it  will  be  found  that  the  engineers 
who  will  become  the  most  efficient  leaders  are  those  hav- 
ing broad  educations  and  tolerant  sympathies. 

As  to  the  over-crowding  of  the  engineering  professions 
in  genera]  and  thai  of  mining  in  particular.  I  would 
venture  to  say  a  few  words.  It  is  obvious,  it  seems  to 
me,  that  if  the  engineer  is  to  live  a  narrow  life  and  con- 
fine himself  strictly  to  the  technical  phases  of  his  craft. 
the  field  is  certain  to  be  restricted  and  over-supplied. 
My  notion  is  that  simply  because  a  man  has  had  an  en- 
gineering education  and  training  is  no  reason  why  he 
should  confine  his  activities  exclusively  to  that  class  of 
work.  The  mere  fact  that  a  youth  has  had  such  an  edu- 
cation ought  to  make  him  a  better  business  man.  a  more 
efficient  public  servant,  and  a  better  all-around  citizen 
than  if  he  had  not  had  it.  It  is  a  hard  rough  road  to  the 
top  in  any  narrow  strictly  professional  career,  and  one 
will  notice  if  he  looks  carefully  about  him  that  today 
many,  if  not  most,  of  our  leading  engineers  are  also  good 
business  men.  It  is  certainly  no  disgrace  to  make  a 
business  of  one's  profession,  indeed  I  would  go  further 
and  say  a  man  is  a  fool  who  neglects  to  do  so  unless  he 
is  on   a   salary  and   employed   in   strictly  technical  work 

having  littl -  nothing  to  do  with  the  commercial  end 

of  the  organization  with  which  he  is  connected.  I  think 
I  have  said  enough  to  show  that  a  professional  man  can- 
not be  too  broadly  educated,  but  there  is  a  great  danger 
in  sending  out  into  the  engineering  professions  men  who 
are  simply  skilled  artisans,  whose  hands  are  trained  but 
not  their  heads;  such  men  are  useful  for  what  they  can 


make  in  the  sane-  sense  a  brick-machine  is  valuable  for 
the  bricks  it  produces,  but  as  its  capabilities  are  strictly 
limited  to  that  product,  nothing  more  may  be  expected 
of  it.  A  man.  on  the  contrary  is  a  living,  growing,  de- 
veloping entity  whose  capabilities  may  often  be  unsus- 

1 teil   even    hy   himself,    until   opportunity   or    force    of 

circumstanc impels  him  to  do  things  he  never  antici- 
pated doing.  It  is  to  the  glory  of  our  race  thai  we  so 
often  do  them  well,  and  one  may  be  thankful  to  live 
under  a  System  of  culture  that  develops  the  individual 
and  in  a  country  that  affords  abundant  opportunity  for 
personal  initiative.  We  hear  much  said  against  soulless 
corporations,  and  indeed  this  indictment  has  often  been 
justified,  hut  it  must  he  remembered  that  without  the 
unity  of  individual  effort  in  the  form  of  corporations. 
there  are  a  great  many  enterprises  that  could  not  he 
carried  out  ;  a  corporation  is  simply  a  form  of  team-work 
in  which  a  number  of  individuals  are  pursuing  a  common 
purpose  in  a  co-ordinated  effort.  As  our  mineral  re- 
sources become  more  and  more  depleted  the  individual 
has  an  increasingly  difficull  task  in  competing  with  cor- 
porations having  great  resources  in  both  brains  and 
money.  As  ores  become  leaner  it  is  necessary  to  handle 
a  larger  and  larger  volume  in  order  to  make  profit  ;  a 
logical  corollary  to  this  is  the  increasing  equipment  and 
a  pay-roll;  hence  the  obvious  and  consistent  line  of  least 
resistance  is  for  the  individuals  to  combine  into  an  im- 
personal corporation.  Of  course,  the  tendencies  of  cor- 
porations is  to  stultify  individual  initiative,  which  is  to 
lie  deplored,  but  it  is  hard  to  see  how  this  may  he  avoid- 
ed, although  no  doubt  there  are  some  corporations  that 
give  considerable  latitude  to  their  employees  and  due 
credit  to  their  ability  and  genius.  I  believe  a  young  man 
fresh  from  college  should  seek  employment  with  a  cor- 
poration whose  system  is  well  matured,  and  that  has  a 
sound  traditional  policy,  even  though  the  pay  may  be 
smaller  than  those  organizations  which  appear  to  have  no 
policy  at  all  or  treat  their  employees  solely  as  parts  of 
the  machine  designed  for  the  purpose  of  making  money. 
.Men  want  money  because  they  must  live,  but  there  is  a 
subtle,  though  nevertheless  distinct  difference,  between 
the  attitude  of  mind  which  regards  money  solely  as  an 
end  in  itself,  and  that  point  of  view-  which  considers  the 
wages  of  labor  as  the  necessary  complement  to  decent 
living.  In  other  words,  one  cannot  make  a  genuine 
success  of  life  and  disregard  the  human  element  in  his 
daily  work.  Our  system  of  culture  was  never  intended 
to  make  machines  of  human  beings,  and  we  shall  fight 
to  the  limit  to  resist  anything  of  the  kind. 


(  Ioke  peoduction  of  the  United  States  in  1915  amount- 
ed to  41,581,150  tons,  an  increase  of  20%.  Of  the  total. 
34%  was  by-product  and  66%  beehive-oven  material, 
there  being  5481  and  40.540  ovens  worked,  respectively. 
Pennsylvania  made  25,622,862  tons  of  coke,  followed  Hy 
3.071,811  tons  in  Alabama  and  2.768,099  tons  in  Indiana. 


Tin  is  being  produced  at  Perth  Amboy,  in  the  A.  S. 
&  R.  smelter,  at  the  rate  of  250  tons  of  electrolytic  metal 
per  month. 


Jul)    1    1916 


MI\|V.    >nd  Sc*enti6i    I'KI  SS 


II 


Specific  Gravity  Method  for  Tungsten  Analysis 


By  J.  J.  Konnar 


h  is  probably  true  that  in  i !»»•  great  majority  of  tung- 
tbe  gangue  ia  composed  dominantly  of  quarts, 
insequence,  it  ironld  seem  that  1 1 1 » -  specific  gravity 
of  the  gangue  is  a  more  or  It  as  constant  factor.    The  ore- 
minerals  <>f  tungsten  are,  furthermore,  usually  confl I 

t"  one  <>f  ih<-  wolframite  aeries,*  or  to  Bcheelite,  the 
specific  gravity  of  which  is  easy  to  determine.  It  is  ap- 
parent, then,  that  if  we  know  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
ore-mineral  and  of  the  gangue,  we  can  easily  calculate 
the  percentage  of  the  former  from  the  specific  gravity 
.it'  the  ore,  and  from  tins  the  percentage  of  WO„  or 

tnngstic  acid,  in  the  ore,  from  the  pei ntage  of  WO   in 

the  ore-mineral,  by  means  <>f  the  formula?: 

xx   sp.  gr.  M         /  100  -  X   \ 

SP   8r.  0=  -        ,„„       -  +  (sp.  gr.  G  <  —Too-; 

_    100  x  (sp.  gr.  Q-sp.  gr.  G) 
'"'  J  _  Sp.  gr.  il  -  sp.  gr.  O 

nttare  -£-  =  '  i   by  volume  of  mineral  in  ore 
100 

Sp.  gr.  0  =  specific  gravity  of  the  ore 

Sp.  gr.  If  =  specific  gravity  of  the  pure  ore-mineral 

Sp.  gr.  0  =  specific  gravity  of  the  gangue 

Sp.  gr.  if  __  cr   Dy  weight  of  mineral  in  ore  |  W 
1  x   Sp.  gr.  0         ' 

U         ■  ,   WO,   in  ore-mineral  =  %  WO,  in  ore 

For  logarithmic  calculation, 
log  WO,  =  log  (sp.  gr.  O-sp.  gr.  0)  -log  sp.  gr.  0  + 
[log  sp.  gr.  M  -+-  log  %  \V03  in  mineral— log  (sp.  gr.  M 
-sp.  gr.  G]. 

To  test  the  efficiency  of  such  a  method  I  have  de- 
termined, with  considerable  care,  the  specific  gravity  of 
18  ores  of  tungsten  that  were  at  the  time  available  in  the 
laboratory  of  the  South  Dakota  State  School  of  Mines, 
and  computed  their  WO,  content,  assuming  the  specific 
gravity  of  the  gangue  to  be  2.65,  of  the  wolframite  to  be 
7.35,  of  scheelite  to  be  6.0,  and  the  WO,  content  of  wol- 
framite 74.58%,  and  in  scheelite  80%,  and  compared 
these  results  with  the  WO,  content  obtained  by  chemical 
analysis.  The  results  were  satisfactory  as  will  appear 
from  a  study  of  the  accompanying  table. 

The  value  2.65  is  taken  as  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
gangue.  for  in  all  of  the  underground  samples  used,  it 

•Throughout  this  article  the  name  wolframite  is  used  for 
the  hiibnerite-wolframite-ferberite  series.  The  differences  be- 
tween the  members  are  of  scientific  rather  than  of  practical 
value,  since  the  percentage  of  WO,  and  the  specific  gravity  of 
each  is  nearly  the  same.  Speaking  of  the  series  between  the 
end  members,  hiibnerite,  MnWO,  and  ferberite,  FeWO,.  Hess 
says:  "For  the  mixtures  between  these  end  members  the  older 
term  wolframite  may  properly  be  retained  and  this  term  may 
well  serve  as  a  general  or  field  name  for  the  members  of  the 
serieB  which  cannot  be  definitely  identified." 


was  evident  thai  the  gangue  was  predominantly  quartz, 
in  some  cases  with  small  amounts  of  sulphides,  oxides, 
ami  silicates,  on  the  whole,  resulting  in  specific  gravities 
differing  little,  though  slightly  higher  than  that  of 
quartz.  For  the  specific  gravity  of  the  wolframite  - 
Dana  gives  7.2  7.5,  and  hen-  the  mean  ?::.->  was  used. 
For  scheelite  Dana  t:i\es  5.9  6.1,  hence  G  was  taken. 
In  wolframite  it  was  found  thai  74  58$  gave  the  small 
est  differences  between  calculated  and  determined  WO, 


_.  .  . .. .           .                        L 

1 

__:       ~    .  i 

....    .                      1 

r 

1 

t       -i 

4-        t 

t       4 

4      -f 

L       I 

-iX-4 

/     4 

$-     -/ 

\rw  \7 

XX$- 

/      y< 

/     / 

/     7 

/ \y^ 

y^P' 

^ 

59 

57 

SS 

1 53 

1st 

I" 
i 

<§■«/ 

19 
3.7 
35 
33 
31 
23 

17  O     4      a     n     16    20    24   28    32    36   40  44   485236606468727680 
percentage  of   tYOj  in  Ore. 

CURVES    SHOWING    RATIO    OF    SPECIFIC    GRAVITY    OF    TUNGSTEN    MIN- 
ERALS   TO    RICHNESS    IN    TUNQSTIC    ACID. 

content;  hence  this  value  was  adopted.  It  was  not 
thought  permissible  to  obtain  a  value  for  WO,  in  scheel- 
ite in  a  similar  way  from  so  few  data,  so  that  8O9;  was 
adopted. 

The  material  for  testing,  in  the  case  of  nine  of  the  ores, 
was  taken  from  laboratory  specimens,  and  the  entire 
mass  was  pulverized.  In  the  other  eight  tests,  samples 
were  taken  from  materials  already  ground,  so  that 
there  was  no  selecting  of  ideal  samples.  The  ores  rep- 
resent 11  distinct  districts,  and  the  value  of  the  method 
lies  particularly  in  the  fact  that  such  close  agreements 
can  be  obtained  from  random  ores  representing  so  many 
occurrences.  In  some  cases,  however,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  specimen  used  represented  the  average  ore 
of  its  district,  for  example,  the  specimen  of  Cornish  ore 


12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Julv   1.   1916 


ed  to  contain  little  of  impurity  other  than  quartz. 
whereas  it  is  well  known  that  a  considerable  proportion 
(if  sulphides or  with  wolframite  in  that  district. 

The  method  is  recommended  as  useful  to  the  small 
producer  who  lias  no  apparatus  for  chemical  analysis, 
and  who  does  not  wish  to  go  to  the  expense  of  having 
analyses  made,  but  who  wants  to  obtain  an  approximate 
value  for  the  W03  content  in  his  ore:  and  for  others 
who  want  a  quick  method  for  obtaining  the  same. 

Ore  No.  2  from  Hill  City.  South  Dakota,  gives  a  10% 
too  high  WO,  content  when  calculated  from  specific 
gravity,  but  upon  investigation,  it  was  found  to  be  a 
plat  it  ore,  and  to  contain  cassiterite,  which  has  a  specific 

gravity  of  7,  and  he was  calculated  as  wolframite. 

Another  ore,  from  Bohemia,  was  treated  on  the  steam- 
hath  for  two  days  with  concentrated  hydrofluoric  and 
hydrochloric  acids,  but  failed  to  go  completely  into  solu- 
tion. BO  that  tin'  analysis  was  not  completed.  The  reason 
assigned  for  failure  to  decompose  it  completely  is  that  it 
contained  cassiterite,  and  hence  the  specific  gravity 
would  not  give  a  correct  value  for  the  W03  content  any- 
way. These  two,  then,  are  ores  for  which  the  method  is 
not  applicable  unless  the  cassiterite  content  were  con- 
stant and  eotdd  be  figured  with  the  gangue.  No  attempt 
to  do  so  was  made. 

Table  of  Analyses  of  WOLFBAHITE  Ohes 


9 
10 
11 
12 
13 


%  WO      ' 

'„  WO,  from 

S.G. 

calculated 

chemical 

Dif- 

of ore 

from  S.G. 

analysis 

ference 

Hill   City, 

S.    D...   3.09 

16.61 

16.92 

—  0.31 

,1         ,, 

"     ...    4.05 

40.32 

30.25 

'•    ...   6.77 

70.98 

70.94 

-f  0.04 

...    5.69 

62.31 

61.42 

4-0.89 

*•         " 

"...   6.28 

67.4.°, 

67.38 

+  0.05 

" 

"    ...   3.92 

37.79 

37.98 

—  0.19 

Utah...    7.27 

74.12 

73.58 

+  0.54 

.  .    ,    Colo 

rado     . . .   4.59 

49.30 

49.60 

—  0.30 

Cornwall. 

England  5.85 

63.80 

64.77 

—  0.97 

Rawhide, 

Nevada.   5.17 

56.85 

56.37 

+  0.48 

Yavapai, 

Arizona.   6.02 

65.29 

65.90 

—  0.61 

Tonopah, 

Nevada.   4.43 

46.86 

48.85 

—  1.99 

Wasp   mine.   Lead, 

S.    D. 

4.23 

43.56 

42.26 

+  1.30 

Harrison 

mine, 

S.    D. 

4.84 

52.77 

51.69 

+  1.08 

Mean 


Analyses  of  Scheelite  Ores 

15  Nome,    Alaska    ...   5.83  78.32             76.67 

16  Randsburg,      Cali- 

fornia        5.26  71.09             72.90 

17  Jardine,    Montana.    5.47  73.80             73.94 


0.649 

+  1.65 

—  1.S1 

—  0.14 


Mean  1.20 
It  will  be  noted  from  the  table  that  for  13  of  the  wol- 
framite ores  (omitting  No.  2  for  reasons  given  above), 
the  mean  difference  between  W03  calculated  from  spe- 
cific  gravity  and  obtained  by  chemical  analysis  is 
0.649%.  A  part  of  this  difference  is  flue  to  experimental' 
error  in  determining  specific  gravity,  and  part  to  wrong 
assumptions  as  to  tic  rarity  of  the  gangue,  pure 

mineral,  and  WO    content  of  pure  mineral.     Values  for 
scheelite  ores  are  less  closely  in  agreement  but  doubtless 


for  the  same  reason.  In  order  to  get  some  idea  of  what 
part  of  the  difference  between  the  value  calculated  for 
WO,  from  Specific  gravity  and  from  chemical  analysis 
was  due  to  these  various  factors,  the  specific  gravity  anil 
WO,  content  of  the  pure  mineral  were  determined  care- 
fully for  the  tvw  ores  in  which  the  differences  were 
greatest,  namely.  Tonopah  wolframite  and  Randsburg 
scheelite.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  Tonopah  wolfram- 
ite was  found  to  he  7.233  instead  of  7.35  as  assumed,  and 
the  WO,  content  of  the  pure  mineral  75.74%  instead  of 
74.58%.  In  the  case  of  the  scheelite  the  specific  gravity 
was  determined  as  5.91  instead  of  6.0.  and  the  WD 
■out cut  80.12%  instead  of  80%.  Substituting  these 
corrected  values  in  the  formula  we  obtain  48.03%  WO. 
in  the  Tonopah  ore  instead  of  46.86%,  and  72.10%  WO, 
for  the  Randsburg  ore  instead  of  71.09%.  both  of  which 
arc  more  closely  in  agreement  with  results  obtained  from 
chemical  analysis.  The  differences  between  48.03%  and 
48.85%,  or  0.82%  for  the  Tonopah  ore  and  between 
72.10%  and  72.90%  or  0.80%  for  the  Randsburg  ore  are 
due  in  part  to  experimental  error,  and  to  wrong  assump- 
tions as  to  specific  gravity  of  the  gangue.  By  the  use  of 
the  method  described  below,  specific  gravities  can  be 
made  to  check  within  two  or  three  points  in  the  second 
decimal  place,  for  example,  for  the  Randsburg  ore  the 
values  obtained  were  5.25  and  5.27,  which  gave  70.96% 
and  71.23%  for  the  WO,  content.  Assuming  the  mean 
71.09%  as  more  nearly  the  true  value,  we  find  that  with 
an  ore  of  this  grade,  one  can  check  to  within  0.14  to 
0.21%  of  the  mean,  so  that  0.80  ±  0.21%  or  0.6  to  1.0% 
may  be  taken  to  represent  approximately  the  error  due 
to  the  assumption  that  the  gangue  had  a  specific  gravity 
of  2. 65.  Little  error  is  assumed  to  be  due  here  to  in- 
accurate chemical  analysis,  for  duplicates  checked  to 
within  0.12%.  In  many  ores,  of  course,  the  specific 
gravity  of  the  gangue  might  vary  more  widely  from  2.65 
and  the  corresponding  error  in  determining  WO,  would 
be  greater. 

The  diagram  on  the  previous  page  shows  the  propor- 
tion of  WO,  to  the  specific  gravity  of  the  ore  assuming 
that  the  gangue  has  a  specific  gravity  of  2.65,  wol- 
framite of  7.35,  scheelite  of  6.0,  and  the  wolframite  con- 
tains 74.58%  WO,,  and  scheelite  80%  WO,.  They  are 
believed  to  approximate  within  a  few  percentages  (less 
than  2%  in  high-grade  ores)  the  WO,  content  of  the 
average  ore.  in  which  the  gangue  is  chiefly  quartz.  If 
the  gangue  contains  also  feldspar  and  mica  or  other 
light  silicates,  the  error  will  not  be  large.  Should,  how- 
ever, the  gangue  contain  heavy  minerals,  such  as  sul- 
phides and  oxides  in  appreciable  quantities,  the  error 
may  be  large,  and  the  method  will  not  be  applicable  un- 
less the  specific  gravity  of  the  gangue  is  accurately  de- 
termined, and  corresponding  corrections  made.  In  all 
eases  more  accurate  results  may  be  obtained  by  using 
correct  values  of  specific  gravity  and  WO;,  content  of 
pure  ore-mineral,  instead  of  those  here  assumed. 

The  specific  gravities  of  No.  1  and  No.  2  were  de- 
termined by  means  of  a  pyknometer,  with  rather  coarsely 
ground  ore,  using  distilled  water,  and  bringing  the  water 


Jojj    1     1916 


MINING   >od  Sir, |'KI  5S 


•wer  lha  01  the  IxiiIuil-  poii  expel  sir 

bubbh  oling  t..  the  room  temperature,  exhaust- 

ing under  an  mr  pump  in  order  to  remove  an)  remain- 
ing air.  BJling  the  pyknometer  with  freshly  boiled  di» 
tilled  »iii.r.  ami  linally  weighing  at  Hi.  room  temper- 
"""v  Thia  method  ia  recommended  wherever  poanbla 
.Ml  other  results  wen  obtained  by  a  method  ao  simple 

that  a  ran  be  d< in  the  ordinary  small-town  drug- 

•  r  any  place  where  a  balance  of  fair  accuracy  is  to 
!»•  found.    The  only  apparatus  necessary  ia  a  thin  rather 

long,  slender-necked,  Plorm Mask  of  25  oo,  capacity, 

with  a  scratch  around  the  neck  near  the  top,  (•>  at  rve  as  a 
mark.  Such  a  tlask  may  be  obtained  from  any  company 
dealing  in  chemiste'  or  assay ers'  supplies,  at  a  coal  of 
only  a  few  centa    [f  coarsely  ground  on  i     a  pin 

is  used,  the  sample  maj  vary  somewhal  from  the 
true  average  for  the  ore,  bul  for  ordinary  purposes  it  is 
better  tor  there  will  be  leas  difficulty  in  getting  the  ore 
to  settle,  and  less  trouble  with  bnbblea  However,  finely 
powdered  ore  can  be  used  with  success,  if  one  exercises 
sufficient  care  and  can  wait  long  enough  for  it  to  Bettle. 
Place  a  weighed  amount  of  ore,  aboul  5  grams  (or  75 
grains  in  the  flask,  till  aboul  half-way  with  wain-,  heal 
until  it  .just  comes  to  the  boiling-point,  cool  in  a  basin 
of  water,  then  in  several  changes  of  water  at  room  tem- 
perature, and  finally  till  to  the  scratch  with  water  that 
baa  r mtty  been  boiled  and  cooled  to  the  room  temper- 
ature, taking  car.-  that  no  bubbles  or  particles  of  ore  arc 
floating  on  the  surface,  and  that  the  inside  of  the  Bask- 
neck  is  dry  so  that  the  water  will  not  climb  up  the  side 
above  the  scratch.  Care  at  this  point,  is  vital,  for  in- 
accuracies here  will  lead  to  serious  error  in  the  final 
result.  When  the  level  of  the  water  is  nearly  to  the 
scratch,  it  is  besl  to  complete  the  operation  by  dropping 
in  the  remaining  water  from  a  glass  tube  drawn  fin.'  at 
.me  end.  for  a  large  drop  in  excess  results  in  a  consider- 
able percentage  of  error.  The  flask  should  be  filled  until 
the  central  and  lower  part  of  the  water  surface  is  on  a 
line  with  the  level  of  the  scratch  on  the  near  and  far 
side  of  the  neck.  Weigh  the  flask,  with  its  ore  and  water. 
when  it  has  come  to  the  room  temperature.  It  is  also 
necessary  to  obtain  the  weight  of  the  flask  filled  to  the 
scratch  with  water.  This  should  be  determined  by  using 
freshly  boiled  water  at  the  room  temperature,  and  tak- 
ing the  same  precautions  as  for  the  flask,  with  ore  and 
water,  mentioned  above.  If  the  flask  is  perfectly  dry 
when  operations  are  begun,  it  is  better  to  obtain  the 
weight  of  the  ore,  by  first  weighing  the  flask  empty,  then 
with  ore,  and  subtracting.  The  specific  gravity  of  the 
ore  can  now  be  calculated  from  the  formula: 

Specific  gravity  =     o  +  f°_f0u) 

where  O  =  weight  of  the  ore 

fw  =  weight  of  flask  with  water 
/ow  =  weight  of  flask  with  ore  and  water 

Having  the  specific  gravity,  the  approximate  WO, 
content  can  be  found  from  the  accompanying  curves. 
First  find  along  the  vertical  column  the  number  corre- 


sponding t.,  the  -i Ic  gravity  of  thi  dated 

from  'in  formula  then  follow  the  Una  nearest  tins  valui 
to  the  right  until  it  ureases  the  upper  ourve,  if  a  wol 
framite  or.-,  or  until  it  low,  ,■  curve,  If  a 

aoheelite  ore,  and  from  tins  point  go  straight  down  and 
read  the  percentage  of  WO   in  the  ore  on  the  base  line 

l-'"i-  example,  it  will  be  seen  from  the  cur.  | die 

gravity  of  4.7  corresponds  to  a  WO  content  of  61  J2% 


Mineral  Production  of  J  the 
Black  Hills 

The  Mine  Inspector's  report  for  1915,  covering  this 
part  of  South  Dakota,  gives  the  following  output: 

Value 

Wine                                                     Tons  of  gold 

Golden    Reward    58.837  $4s  I 

Homestake    1,573,822  6,446,191 

Mogul     87.419  161,606 

N'.w    Reliance    27,045  61,508 

Trojan    79.903  276,188 

Wasp    No.    2    111,300  183.488 

Placers     1,822 

Miscellaneous    950  3,887 

Total     $7,619,684 

The  Homestake  also  produced  25  tons  of  tungsten  ore 
worth  $31,331,  and  the  Wasp  No.  2,  187  tons  valued  at 
.+  147,730. 

The  Cobalt  district  is  beginning  to  show  signs  of 
prosperity  since  the  price  of  silver  rose.  Exploration  is 
increasing  and  search  for  the  high-grade  little  veins  is 
stimulated.  Reginald  E.  Hore,  a  geologist  who  has  given 
particular  attention  to  northern  Ontario,  says  editorially 
in  the  Canadian  Mining  Journal,  "the  geological  struc- 
ture at  Cobalt  is  such  that  one  can  reasonably  expect  to 
find  silver  on  some  claims  that  show  no  ore  at  surface. 
It  is  characteristic  of  many  of  the  orebodies  in  the  con- 
glomerate of  the  Cobalt  series  that  they  lie  close  to  the 
underlying  Keewatin  and  pitch  with  the  sloping  con- 
tact. Where  erosion  has  worn  the  conglomerate  thin,  the 
ore  outcrops.  In  other  places,  however,  the  ore  does  not 
extend  to  the  surface,  and  can  only  be  discovered  by 
underground  exploration."  This  helps  to  explain  the 
disappointment  that  occasionally  comes  when  a  company 
removes  the  surface  soil  or  unwaters  a  lake,  hoping  to 
find  outcrops  of  rich  veins.  These  may  be  present  but 
not  outcropping.  The  structure  suggests  the  reason  for 
lack  of  depth  of  many  of  the  orebodies,  because  they  are 
close  to  the  contact  of  the  underlying  Keewatin.  in  which 
the  veins  are  apt  to  be  barren.  Mr.  Hore  calls  attention 
to  the  importance  of  studying  the  faulting  system  at 
Cobalt,  and  indicates  also  the  significance  of  the  thick 
sheets  of  diabase  that  intrude  the  other  rocks.  "On  the 
theory  that  the  lower  contact  of  the  diabase  is  a  promis- 
ing horizon,  development  at  considerable  depth  is  to  be 
undertaken  at  the  Beaver  and  Temiskaming  mines, 
where  the  early  workings  were  in  rocks  overlying  the 
diabase." 


14 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


Mining  Around  Lovelock,  Nevada 


By  P.  B.  McDonald 


Nevada  has  the  least  people  and  the  most  mines  of  any 
stiii.  in  the  country.  It  has  more  square  miles  than 
inhabitants,  and  for  the  most  part  is  rightly  pictured 
as  an  arid  waste.  There  are,  however,  a  few  places 
where  conditions  favor  ranching,  ami  where  eases  appear 
in  the  sage-brush  desert.  These  are  the  more  attractive 
it'  they  can  he  used  for  a  headquarters  by  miners  and 

engii re.    Since  the  coming  of  the  automobile,  30  or  40 

miles  can  he  traveled  with  ease,  to  give  the  dust-covered 
mining  man  a  change  of  atmosphere  at  week-ends  or  In 
tween  trips.     Such  an  oa.sis  i^ 
the  town   of  Lovelock   in   the 
north-western     part     nf     the 
State  "li  the  main  line  of  the 

Southern  Pacific  Railroad, 
the  centre  of  a  prosperous 
cattle  industry  and  el'  varied 
mining  activities.     By  aid  of 

water  from  the  Humboldt 
river,  the  valley  produces  ex- 
cellent alfalfa  for  feeding 
eattle  and  sheep,  which  are 
sent  from  a  wide  area  in  tile 
West  to  In-  fattened  lor  the 
San  Francisco  market.  Love- 
loek  is  preferred  for  this  pur- 
pose rather  than  California, 
because  it  has  no  rainy 
winter. 

A  two-hours  automobile 
journey  south-eastward  from 
Loveloek   brings  the  traveler 

to  (lie  much  advertised  Rochester  silver  district,  and  tie- 
same  distance  northward  are  the  Seven  Troughs  gold 
mines.  The  Humboldt  range  has  long  been  a  famous 
producer  of  the  precious  metals;  it  was  here  that  the 
old  Queen  of  Sheba  and  De  Soto  mines  of  George  Hearst 
were  situated.  Regarding  the  foundation  of  the  Hearst 
fortune,  a  writer  iti  the  Overland  Monthly  remarked  re- 
cently. "Little  did  the  old-timers  dream,  as  they  prod- 
ded their  oxen  to  brackish  water-holes  with  creaking 
loads  of  ore.  that  the  wealth  they  carried  would  sen. 
day  appear  in  screaming  headlines."  A  number  of 
prospects  and  small  mines  are  scattered  throughout  the 
region.  Some  are  heing  operated,  others  are  idle,  and 
still  others  alternate  between  these  conditions.  Besides 
Rochester  and  Seven  Troughs.  I  may  mention  Mazuma, 
Vernon,  and  American  Canyon,  all  small  mining  camps 
At    Rochester  a  half-dozen  silver  mines  are  operating, 

notably  the  Rochester  Mines.  Rochester  Merger,  Xevada- 

ard,  and  Lincoln  Hill:  and  at  Seven  Troughs  are 

several  gold  mines,  the  more  important  being  the  Seven 


Troughs  Coalition.  Seven  Troughs  Mining  Co.,  and 
Mazuma  Hills.  Tungsten  has  been  found  west  of  Love- 
lock; several  mines  are  now  producing  tungsten  ores,  and 
one  or  two  eoneentrating-mills  are  heing  operated  near 
Toy.  along  tin-  edge  of  the  Humboldt  sink.     South-east 

nf  Lovelock,  about  60  miles,  is  Bernice,  near  which  are 
the    antimony    mines    described    recently    by    Willard 

Mallery.* 

The  two  principal    mines  with   headquarters  at    Love- 
lock are  the  Rochester  Mines  Co.  and  tie-  Seven  Troughs 


is  m]  !/ ' 

w< 

m.^  ^m 

ATKR  IN  NEVADA.   A  SCKNK  AT  LOVELOCK. 

Coalition  Mining  Co.  The  former,  a  silver  mine  working 
on  wide  veins  of  moderately  rich  ore,  is  the  largest  pro- 
ducer in  the  Rochester  district;  it  has  extensive  work- 
ings well  developed  by  adits,  and  a  10-stamp  continuous- 
decantation  cyanide-mill  of  a  capacity  of  120  tons  per 
day;  the  company  recently  accomplished  the  payment  of 
an  indebtedness  of  $200,000.  The  Coalition  mine,  in  the 
Seven  Troughs  district,  is  a  spectacular  producer  of 
high-grade  but  pockety  gold  ore ;  its  output  last  year 
was  +335.736.  of  which  $180,382  was  paid  in  dividends. 
A  10-stamp  mill  extracts  the  gold  by  amalgamation,  the 
concentrate  heing  shipped  to  the  Selby  smelter  on  San 
Francisco  hay.  A  cyanide-plant  was  destroyed  by  a 
cloud-hurst  several  years  ago.  when  10  lives  were  lost. 
The  mine  is  1650  ft.  deep,  and  the  vein  has  been  much 
faulted.  In  one  month.  October  1915.  over  $60,000  was 
produced,  at  the  rate  of  $2000  per  day  from  a  10-stamp 
mill — a  pleasant  performance  while  it  lasted! 

•ft.  &  S.  P..  April  15.  1916. 


July  l    1916 


Ml\l\i I  Suenti6<    I'KI  SS 


The  mine   was  operated   under  ■   leasing 

,:   ago     Tins  did  nol   pi 

apparent  ilmt  the  leasee*  were  work 

ing  the  300  m  blocki  without  any  re 
k'ur.l  for  the  future,  Drifta  in  the  various  blocks  wore 
not  >>n  the  same  leveL  Accordingly,  the  B  Mines 
Co.  pur.-lnis.-il  the  ti  for  140,000;  alao  the  ad 
jii.vnt  Weaver  claims  were  secured.  The  lessees  bad 
produ  I'..  nil  from  ore  averaging  over  $20  per 
ton  The  oompany,  operating  its  own  mine,  has  pro 
duced  in  nine  months  $433,606,  part  of  which  was  from 
purchi  ^ •  ■  -iii  ore  The  machinery  has  been  cen- 
tralited  at  the  mouth  <>f  the  lower  or  Friedman  adit. 
The  upper  or  transportation  adit  haa  been  straightened, 
widened,  and  laid  with  12-lb,  rails.  There  are  three 
productive  veins;  the  stopes  vary  up  to  15  or  18  ft. 
wide,  and  the  ore  runs  as  high  as  $90  per  ton,  but  moat 
of  ii  averages  $10  to  $30  per  ton.  The  ore  is  hand- 
picked  before  being  sent  t <>  the  mill.    Th «1  per  ton  of 

mining  during  the  nine  months  to  May  15,  1916,  was 
of  which  underground  tramming  absorbed  30c, 
timbering  35c,  ore  sorting  9c,  and  surface  tramming 
13c.  Explosives  coal  22c,  and  power  23c.  per  ton.  For 
the  month  of  May.  1916,  the  total  cost  of  mining  was 
$3.10  per  ton,  showing  a  slight  reduction.  At  present 
two  shifts  are  worked;  the  night  shift  drills  and  breaks 
the  ore,  the  day  shift  loads,  trains,  and  sorts  it.  By 
this  arrangement  everything  is  made  ready  for  the  drill 
operators  so  that  they  have  a  minimum  of  interruption 
ami  bother.  Also  the  requirement  for  power  is  dis- 
tributed  to  equalize  the  demand;  this  is  helped  further 
by  doing  the  coarse  crushing  at  the  mill  when  no  power 
is  needed  for  drilling.  Power  is  furnished  to  the  mine 
and  mill  by  the  Nevada  Valleys  Power  Co.,  which  de- 
rives it  from  th«'  Lahontan  dam.  a  government  irrigation 
project  85  miles  distant.  The  power  is  bought  at  $8  per 
horse-power  per  month. 

The  mill  was  started  to  operate  in  March,  1915.  A 
feature  of  the  practice  is  the  grinding  of  93%  of  the  ore 
to  200-mesh.  The  mill  was  designed  by  G.  W.  Wood  of 
the  Dorr  Co.  It  is  a  eontinuous  counter-current  decan- 
tation  cyanide-plant,  using  Dorr  thickeners  without  a 
filter.  A  complete  description  of  the  mill,  written  by 
Mr.  Wood.f  was  published  in  this  paper  a  year  ago.  The 
cost  per  ton  of  treatment  in  the  mill  during  the  year 
ending  May  15  last  was  $2.69,  of  which  coarse  crushing 
and  sampling  took  16c,  stamping  33c,  tube-milling  60c, 
thickening  7c,  agitation  52c,  decantation  17c,  and  pre- 
cipitation 49c.  The  cost  for  power  was  56c  per  ton. 
For  the  month  of  May  1916,  the  total  cost  of  milling  per 
ton  was  $2.14,  showing  an  appreciable  reduction.  Add- 
ing to  this  the  cost  of  mining,  $3.10,  the  total  is  $5.24. 
Indirect  expense,  such  as  transportation,  water-line, 
taxes,  etc.,  was  89c  per  ton,  making  the  total  of  all  ex- 
penses $6.13  per  ton.  This  figure  seems  high  but  the 
practical  difficulties  overcome  have  been  considerable. 

The  president  of  the  Seven  Troughs  Coalition  Mining 
Co.  and  the  Rochester  Mines  Co.,  is  L.  A.  Friedman  of 

t.M.  &  S.  P..  August  2S.  1915. 


I.      Mi    Friedman  ited  in  operating  the 

Coalition  mine  ■>   th.-  rush  to  the  Seven  Trougl 

trict,  which  came  ss  an  aftermath  of  the  Qoldfleld  boom 


THE    ROCHESTER    MINE;     ENTRANCE   TO   THE  TRANSPORTATION    ADIT. 

in  1907.  The  Coalition  mine  has  had  a  hard  row  to  hoe, 
in  spite  of  its  high-grade  ore.  Faults  in  the  vein,  the 
disastrous  cloudburst,  and  internal  disagreements  among 
stockholders  have  interfered  with  regular  production. 
It  has  been  necessary  to  go  deep  for  the  ore,  and  at  times 
it  has  required  considerable  faith  to  keep  going.  Later, 
Mr.  Friedman  secured  control  of  the  Rochester  Mines 
Co.  His  management  has  been  criticized  at  various 
times.  He  has  run  things  in  a  vigorous  way  to  get  re- 
sults, and  lias  conducted  a  wide  publicity  campaign  for 
making  the  stock  known  on  the  mining  exchanges.  As 
indicative  of  the  internal  differences  that  have  arisen, 
I  may  mention  the  recent  statement  by  Mr.  Friedman  to 
the  stockholders  concerning  the  previous  management. 
He  said:  "How  men  can  do  what  has  been  done  in  the 
affairs  of  your  company  and  escape  the  penalty  of  the 
law  is  beyond  my  comprehension."  In  a  general  way 
it  should  be  remembered  that  any  energetic  man  with  a 
definite  policy  makes  enemies;  and  to  achieve  results,  he 
must  be  allowed  to  manage  a  mine  according  to  his 
understanding  of  conditions. 


16 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  1.   1916 


The  Theory  of  Flotation 


By   B.    Barfly   Smith 


IT  appears  to  me  that  the  problem  of  elucidating  the 
theory  of  flotation  could  be  greatly  simplified  by 
formulating  some  definite  line  of  attack;  the  first  con- 
sideration in  which  should  be  to  segregate  the  various 
physical  forces  with  their  attendant  phenomena,  and  to 
attack  each  in  turn. 

It  is  quite  possible,  in  fact,  most  probable,  that  some 
of  the  forces  come  into  play  in  all  the  phenomena,  but 
by  delivering  a  massed  attack  on  each  section  in  turn, 
perhaps  success  can  be  achieved  more  easily. 
I  BUggesf  the  following  as  a  possible  segregation: 

(1)  The  physical  forces  governing  the  formation  of 
bubbles  in  a  pulp. 

(2)  The  physical  forces  governing  the  attachment  of 
bubbles  tu  sulphide  particles  in  a  pulp. 

(3)  The  physical  forces  governing  the  stability  of  the 
bubble  attachment. 

(4)  The  physical  forces  governing  the  stability  of  a 
bubble  at  the  free  surface  of  the  pulp. 

Leaving  out  of  consideration  those  processes  in  which 
bubbles  are  formed  in  a  pulp  by  the  chemical  action  of 
one  substance  on  another,  and  also  Mr.  Norris's  unique 
process,  in  which  minute  bubbles  are  'born'  in  a  pulp 
which  is  super-saturated  with  a  gas,  and  regarding  only 
processes  in  which  a  gas  is  introduced  directly 
from  an  external  source,  segregation  No.  1  will  be  found 
to  present  a  considerable  problem. 

Several  of  your  correspondents  appear  to  be  laboring 
under  the  delusion  that  it  is  simply  necessary  to  intro- 
duce air  violently  into  a  pulp  either  by  agitation  or 
blowing,  and  immediately  bubbles  of  the  right  number 
and  kind  obligingly  form  themselves.  Anybody  who  has 
had  practical  experience  with  flotation,  especially  with 
the  so  called  air-froth  flotation,  knows  that  most  un- 
furl imately  this  is  not  the  case.  No  amount  of  agitation 
or  blowing  will  produce  bubbles  of  the  right  kind  and 
number  in  absolutely  pure  water.  A  contaminating 
agent  is  necessary,  and  as  some  of  the  contaminating 
agents  commonly  used  happen  to  be  oils,  concentration 
by  frothing  most  unhappily  has  been  named  'oil-flota- 
tion,' thereby  masking  the  real  significance  of  the  use 
of  the  reagent.  The  action  of  certain  substances  in 
producing  innumerable  minute  bubbles  when  air  is  in- 
troduced forcibly  into  a  pulp,  seems  to  be  of  funda- 
mental importance,  since  without  these  bubbles  the  most 
common  forms  of  froth  flotation  cannot  be  considered. 

Professor  Pollock  of  Sydney  University,  in  Australia, 
has  done  some  very  interesting  and  useful  work  on  this 
all-important   subject,  and   I   believe   has  formulated  a 

tl ry.     I  once  saw  a  set  of  instantaneous  consecutive 

photographs  of  bubbles,  taken  by  him.  showing  their 
formation  after  the  introduction  of  a  blast  of  air.    With 


pure  water  the  bubbles  were  mostly  large,  and  even  the 
small  ones  which  were  instantaneously  produced  had  a 
tendency  to  collect  together  to  form  larger  ones.  With 
contaminated  water  the  reverse  was  the  case,  the  in- 
stantaneously produced  large  bubbles  seeming  to  break 
down  into  smaller  sizes. 

From  my  experience  in  the  practical  application  of 
the  froth-flotation  process,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
many  of  the  troubles  that  crop  up  from  time  to  time  at 
flotation  plants  are  due  to  the  inability  of  the  reagent 
used  to  produce  the  required  quantity  of  bubbles,  owing 
to  the  appearance  of  some  reactive  substance  in  the  pulp. 
Heine  practical,  as  well  as  theoretical  considerations 
demand  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  physical  forces 
governing  the  production  of  bubbles  in  a  pulp. 

Coming  now  to  segregation  No.  2.  More  attention  has 
been  paid  to  this  phase  of  the  question  perhaps  than  to 
any  other,  and  rightly  so,  as  it  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance in  all  flotation  processes,  those  employing  the 
surface-film  effect  being  excepted.  Many  writers  pass 
lightly  over  the  problem  and  simply  state  that  the 
bubbles  attach  themselves  preferentially  to  the  oil  or  gas- 
filmed  sulphide  particles. 

Let  us  now  see  whether  this  is  possible  if  the  two  forces 
of  surface  tension  and  adhesion  are  alone  considered. 
In  the  following  discourse  surface  tension  can  be  most 
simply  defined  as  that  force  acting  at  the  surface  of  all 
liquids  which  continually  tends  to  reduce  the  surface 
area ;  and  adhesion  as  that  force  which  acts  across  the 
interface  between  two  substances,  which  are  in  infinitely 
close  contact,  and  tends  to  keep  them  from  separating. 

Consider  a  particle  of  sulphide  mineral  (which,  for 
the  sake  of  clearness,  we  may  assume  to  be  nearly  spher- 
ical) and  a  bubble  in  close  contact,  in  the  interior  of  a 
pulp,  but  before  the  bubble  has  actually  'picked  up'  the 
mineral.  (Fig  1).  Even  if  the  particle  possesses  ap- 
preciable adhesion  for  the  water,  the  surface  of  the 
liquid  in  contact  with  the  particle  must  be  considered  as 
tending  to  have  surface  tension,  although  the  tendency 
is  opposed  by  the  adhesion.  (See  T.  J.  Hoover's  'Con- 
centrating Ores  by  Flotation,'  pages  50  to  55). 

In  the  first  case,  assume  the  adhesion  to  be  negligible. 
The  surface  tension  forces  that  now  come  into  play  are 
shown  in  Fig.  1.  where  Tg  is  the  gas-liquid,  and  Z'.s-  is  the 
solid-liquid,  surface  tension.  A  glance  at  the  force 
diagram  will  show  that  whatever  the  value  and  direc- 
tion of  the  forces  Ts  and  Tg,  their  component  Tc  can 
never  be  greater  than  Tg  +  Ts.  Therefore  surface-ten- 
sion alone  cannot  rupture  the  intervening  film,  and  cause 
the  bubble  to  envelop  the  particle.  If  the  particle  pos- 
sesses appreciable  adhesion  for  the  liquid,  then  the  case 
is  more  hopeless  still,  as   Tc  must   then  be  sufficiently 


Jnlj    1.  1916 


MINING  «nd  Scientific   I'KI  SS 


11 


strong  tn  rapture  the  intervening  film  ami  eiao  in  tear  it 
ewaj  against  the  aotion  of  tin-  adhesive  force  between  the 
solid  iiml  tin'  liltn. 

i »ini'  11  rapture  has  been  effected,  bubble  attachment 
resolves  itself  into  ■  straggle  between  surface  tension 
ami  adhesion,  the  Former  strongly  favoring  a  strategical 

retire at    ti>   tin-   rear,    tram   tin-  salient,   so   .1-.   in 

straighten  1 1 1 « -  line,  ami  adhesion  endeavoring  in  hold  the 
right  wing  to  its  position 

As  it  is  an  established  fact   (See  Pig.  'J      .Mr.  C   'l'. 


Fig.Z 


Bubble  unattached 

Bubble-film  continuous  and 

Bubble  perfectly  mobile. 


Bubble  attached  and 
Bubble-Film  discontinuous. 


Durell  notwithstanding)  that  a  bubble  contiguous  to  a 
surface  with  negligible  adhesion  does  become  attached 
almost  immediately,  so  that  its  film  forms  part  of  a  con- 
tinuous film  covering  both  solid  and  gas,  there  must  be 
some  force  that  causes  rupture  of  the  bubble-film  at  the 
point  of  contact. 

In  the  ease  of  two  plain  bubbles  in  pure  water  with 
their  films  in  contact,  the  immediate  coalescing  can 
probably  be  explained  by  the  difference  in  vapor-pres- 
sure existing  in  bubbles  of  different  radii.  But  we  add  a 
contaminating  agent  for  the  very  purpose  of  counter- 
acting this  force  due  to  the  difference  in  vapor-pressure 
so  as  to  allow  small  bubbles  to  exist  in  the  presence  of 
larger  ones;  otherwise  a  froth  would  be  an  impossibility. 
Hence  some  force  other  than  the  difference  in  vapor- 
pressure  must  be  present  when  one  of  the  bubbles  hap- 
pens to  have  some,  or  all,  of  its  interior  space  occupied 
by  a  sulphide  particle. 


In  .ill  probability  this  additional  force  manifests  itself 
in  tin-  phenomenon  known  as  the  'hysteresis1  of  tin-  oon 
ugle     Byati  resit  is  defl I  as  the  lagging  of  effect 

lii-hiii. I  .•ails,-,  ami  a  .•.■Mart  angle  is  the  "effect"  that   is 

".■aiis,., I"  by  bringing  a  solid  surface  in  contad  with  a 
liquid  Burface  in  tin-  presence  of  a  cas     With  many  sub 

stances  the  "effect"  (th tact  angle    does  not  assume 

its  inll  value  immediately,  but  lags  behind.    The  1 
why  the  angle  changes  can  l»-  fairly  well  explained  if  we 
assume  that  there  is  a  force  acting  between  a  solid  sur 
face  ami  a  gas,  inn. linn  in  concentrate  the  gas  mi  the 

solid  Burfi :  ami  that  this  force  is  sii g  enough  in  ant 

across  a  thin  lilm  of  the  liquid. 

In  Pig.  :i  the  solid  is  a  piece  of  glass,  which  is  clean, 
ami    has   been    ii -rsi-il    fur   some   time   in   the    liquid. 


On  drawing  it  through  the  surface,  a  contact-angle  is 
immediately  formed,  and  for  any  given  angle,  the  forces 
Tsg,  Tig,  and  Ad  are  in  equilibrium  (ignoring  gravity). 
If  now  the  solid  possesses  the  power  to  adsorb  the  gas 
through  the  very  thin  film  at  the  toe  of  the  angle,  the 
adhesion  of  the  liquid  for  the  glass  will  be  lessened  and 
a  corresponding  surface-tension  Tsl  set  up  in  the  direc- 
tion shown.  This  additional  force  will  be  sufficient  to 
upset  the  state  of  equilibrium,  the  toe  of  the  angle  will 
recede,  and  the  angle  will  increase  in  size.  The  stable 
angle  will  be  reached  when  Tsg,  Tig,  Tsl,  and  Ad  have 
such  magnitude  and  direction  as  to  balance  one  another. 

It  has  been  found  that  those  substances  which  possess 
the  greatest  power  to  vary  the  contact-angle  also  show 
the  strongest  tendency  to  float  under  suitable  conditions. 
and  it  is  reasonable  therefore  to  assume  that  this  power 
has  something  to  do  with  the  attachment  of  bubbles. 

The   problem    presented    by   segregation    (3)    is   not 


18 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


nearly  BO  formidable  as  that  just  considered;  it.  as  al- 
ready stated,  merely  resolves  itself  into  a  struggle  be- 
tween  surface-tension  and  adhesion.  With  most  sub- 
stances in  their  natural  states,  adhesion  is  altogether  too 
strong,  and,  even  it'  the  film  at  the  point  of  contact  is 
ruptured,  the  bubble  cannot  attach  itself  on  account  of 
the  inability  of  the  surface-tensiof  to  tear  the  solid  and 
the  liquid  surfaces  apart.  Hence  cither  the  surface- 
tension  must  be  increased  or  the  adhesion  decreased. 
The  hitler  course  is  usually  adopted,  as,  with  dilute  solu- 
the  former  is  difficult ;  except  for  very  small 
amounts  is  an  impossibility. 

Although  an  absolute  increase  in  the  surface-tension  is 
out  of  the  question,  a  relative  increase  is  possible  by 
raising  the  temperature.  Both  surface-tension  and  ad- 
hesion decrease  with  a  rising  temperature,  but  the  latter 
much  faster  than  the  former;  one  being  zero  at  the 
critical  temperature  and  the  other  probably  zero  at  the 
boiling-point.  This  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  solids  that 
will  not  collect  bubbles  at  ordinary  temperatures,  will  do 
so  when  the  boiling-point  is  approached. 

The  usual  methods  employed  for  decreasing  the 
natural  adhesiveness  of  liquids  for  solids  are: 

(a)  To  allow  the  solid  to  take  on  a  film  of  gas  by  ad- 
sorption (or  occlusion!). 

(b)  To  allow  the  solid  to  take  on  a  film  of  oil  or  other 
greasy  matter  by  adhesion. 

(c)  A  combination  of  both  (a)  and  (b). 


A  B 

While  collecting  evidence  for  one  of  the  patent  law- 
suits that  are  ever  with  us.  an  interesting  discovery  was 
made.  A  piece  of  Broken  Hill  sulphide  ore,  taken  from 
the  centre  of  a  large  uncracked  block,  was  found  to  con- 
tain 0.0037%  of  natural  grease,  as  obtained  by  an  ether 
extract.  Samples  were  afterward  taken  from  several 
other  mines,  and  all  gave  an  oily  residue  after  extracting 
with  ether  in  a  most  careful  manner.  Perhaps  it  is  just 
as  well  to  add  that  this  was  discovered  accidentally  and 
was  not  being  specially  sought  as  prospective  evidence. 
This  discovery  goes  a  long  way  toward  explaining  the 
preferential  adhesion   of  bubbles  to  sulphide  particles. 

The  tenacity  with  which  the  bubble  holds  the  particle 
depends  on  the  length  of  the  line  of  contact,  which  in 
turn  depends  on  the  size  of  the  contact-angle,  itself  pro- 
portional to  the  relative  values  of  surface-tension  and 
adhesion.     (See  Fig.  4.) 

If  the  adhesion  is  negligible,  and  the  particle  is  large 
in  comparison  with  the  bubble,  the  result  would  be  as 
shown  in  Fig.  A. 

If  the  particle  is  small,  then  the  result  would  be  as  in 
Fig.  B. 

As  adhesion  increases,  the  teudency  is  for  the  particle 


to  get  more  and  more  out  of  the  bubble  and  into  the 
liquid  until  the  surface-tension  does  not  act  over  a  suffi- 
ciently long  line  of  contact  to  hold  the  weight  of  the 
particle,  and  it  falls  off. 

The  problem  presented  by  segregation  (4)  has  been 
dealt  with  in  4  most  excellent  manner  by  Mr.  W.  H. 
Coghill  in  your  issue  of  February  26,  1916.  His  re- 
marks in  regard  to  a  lowering  of  the  surface-tension  per 
sc  not  being  essential  to  the  formation  of  a  froth,  are 
most  timely. 

The  tension  that  exists  in  a  pure  liquid  film  is  unlike 
all  other  tensions  with  which  we  are  familiar,  in  that 
the  stress  is  not  proportional  to  the  strain.  Within  the 
elastic  limit  (that  it.  the  limit  wherein  the  substance 
will  return  to  its  original  shape  when  the  contorting 
force  is  removed)  a  steel  rod,  or,  taking  what  is  more 
familiar  still,  a  steel  spiral  spring,  needs  twice  the  pull- 
ing force  to  stretch  it  twice  as  much,  and  so  on.  The 
well-known  spring-balance  depends  on  this  fact.  But 
with  a  liquid  film  the  same  force  can  continue  to  cause 
an  extension  until  rupture  takes  place,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  the  film,  right  up  to  the  point  of  rupture  is 
within  the  elastic  limit  according  to  the  above  definition. 

It  is  plain  then  that  our  common  conception  of  a  ten- 
sion must  be  entirely  revised  when  we  come  to  deal  with 
the  tension  at,  the  surface  of  a  liquid.  For  a  system  to 
be  in  a  state  of  stable  equilibrium  it  must  offer  a  greater 
resistance  to  any  force  which  tends  to  change  its  con- 
figuration, and  as  a  pure  liquid  film  does  not  fulfill  this 
requirement  it  cannot  possess  stability. 

The  extreme  instability  of  bubble-films  is  strikingly 
shown  by  the  phenomenon  in  certain  boiling  liquids. 
with  which  we  are  all  painfully  familiar  in  our  student 
days,  called  'bumping.'  In  the  absence  of  nuclei  on 
which  to  form,  the  radius  of  a  steam  bubble  when  it  first 
comes  into  being  must  be  infinitely  small,  and  the  vapor- 
pressure  to  balance  the  surface  tension  of  these  small 
hubbies  is  large.  Therefore  before  the  bubbles  can  ex- 
pand and  rise  through  the  liquid  (that  is,  before  boiling 
can  occur)  the  temperature  must  be  raised  above  the 
natural  boiling-point  of  the  liquid.  As  soon  as  the 
bubble  has  expanded  to  appreciable  size,  the  vapor- 
pressure  of  the  liquid  is  in  excess  of  that  necessary  to 
balance  the  surface  tension,  and  the  bubble  expands  so 
rapidly  that  it  literally  explodes. 

A  boiler  does  not  explode  until  its  steel  plates  are 
actually  ruptured,  but  the  bubble  explodes  at  the  bottom 
of  the  beaker,  that  is,  wrhile  its  shell  is  actually  in  ex- 
istence. 

In  the  case  of  a  solid,  the  greater  the  tension  the 
greater  the  tensile  stress  developed ;  for  a  material  of 
given  strength,  the  greater  the  tensile  stress,  the  greater 
the  chance  of  rupture. 

This  line  of  reasoning  does  not  hold  in  the  case  of  a 
liquid  film.  The  idea  that  a  bubble  film  can  be  ruptured 
by  the  force  of  its  own  surface  tension  is  about  equiva- 
lent to  the.  idea  that  a  man  can  lift  himself  by  his  own 
Shoe-strings. 

It  is  obvious  from  the  nature  of  the  molecular  forces 


.lulv   I.   [916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


IS 


engaged,  thai  the  greater  the  surface  tension  the  greater 
the  ultimate  tensile  strength  of  the  dim.  The  lowering 
of  the  tension  in  itself  therefore  cannol  give  gi 
stability  to  a  liquid  dim;  bu1  the  surface  adsorption, 
which  accompanies  the  lowering  of  the  tension  in  the 
of  ••••riiiin  solutes,  can 
For  reasons  thai  need  nol  be  gone  into,  a  solute  which 
lowers  the  surface  tension  of  ;i  liquid,  concentrates  at 
the  surfai f  tin-  solution,  but  iliis  process  of  concen- 
tration (called  adsorption  takes  a  certain  definite  time 
to  reach  its  full  value.  Now.  if  a  film  of  the  solution  be 
stretched,  new  surface  is  produced,  and  this  new  surface 
at  the  moment  of  production  possesses  greater  tension 
than  tlu>  rest  of  the  surface,  because  the  surface  adsorp- 
tion has  not   had  time  to  reach  its  full  value.      It   there 

fore  "tiers  s  greater  resistance  to  the  stretching  force, 
and  fulfills  the  conditions  tor  Btable  equilibrium.  Ku 
strong  is  the  adsorption   factor  in  certain  cases,  thai 

practically    the   whole   of   the    solute    is   con itrated    in 

the  surface  layers,  and  therefore,  although  the  absolute 
quantity  in  the  solution  may  be  exceedingly  slight,  the 
surface  effect  it  produces  is  considerable.  This  explains 
the  efficacy  of  the  extremely  small  amount  of  contaminat- 
ing agent  used  in  some  froth-flotation  plants. 

In  a  mineral-froth,  it  is  strikingly  obvious  that  those 
bubbles  which  have  their  films  thickly  studded  with 
sulphide  particles  have  their  stability  enormously  in- 
creased. In  some  froths,  one  such  bubble  can  he  seen 
pursuing  the  even  tenor  of  its  way.  amid  a  regular  holo- 
caust of  its  less  fortunate  brethren.  The  reason  for  this 
is  not  quite  clear,  but  it  is  probably  due  to  the  adhesive 
force  between  the  liquid  and  the  solid. 

The  above  remarks  are  given  for  what  they  may  be 
worth,  in  the  hope  that  they  may  be  of  some  assistance  to 
other  mill-men.  who.  like  myself,  are  anxious  to  see  the 
inner  workings  of  a  flotation  process  clearly,  as  by  the 
light  of  day.  but  at  present,  only  perceive  them  dimly,  as 
by  the  flicker  of  a  candle  at  the  far  side  of  a  50-ft.  stope. 
To  the  mind  of  the  ordinary  mining-man,  much  of  the 
reading-matter  available  on  the  theory  of  flotation  is 
just  about  as  ponderous  and  obscure  as  a  bull  elephant 
cavorting  in  a  fog.  I  sincerely  hope  that  the  preceding 
discourse  will  at  least  cause  the  fog  to  lift  a  little.  Our 
heartfelt  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  P.  A.  Fahrenwald*  for 
giving  those  gentlemen  their  quietus  who  wished  to  solve 
the  problem  of  flotation  by  leading  us  into  the  mystic 
realm  of  static  electricity.  I  think  the  trio,  surface 
tension,  adhesion,  and  adsorption,  if  given  an  attentive 
and  intelligent  hearing,  will  acquit  themselves  admir- 
ably. 


Explosives 


The  American-  International  Corporation',  formed 
to  promote  participation  of  Americans  in  foreign  enter- 
prise, will  confine  its  activities  to  a  semi-banking  busi- 
ness, encouraging  the  financing  of  railroads,  steamship 
lines,  light  and  heat  services,  water-works,  etc.  The 
Corporation  will  maintain  representatives  in  foreign 
countries  but  permanent  expenses  will  be  kept  low. 

♦The  Electro-statics  of  Flotation.'  M.  &  S.  P..  Feb.  26.  191G. 


Nitro  glycerine  is  a  limpid  oil  formed  by  the  action  of 
a  mixture  of  nitric  and  sulphuric  acid  upon  ordinary 
glycerine.  This  chemical  action  la  a  violent  one  unless 
carefully  controlled.    After  n  has  taken  plane,  the  nitro 

glycerine  is  Washed  repeatedly  U)  remove  any  trace  of 
acid   that    might    remain.      The   praam (  acid    is  dan 

gerous  in  the  finished  explosive  because  it  may  produce 

a    chemical    action    of   disastrous    results.       h'or    practical 

use.  the  liquid  nitroglycerine  is  so  sensitive  to  percus- 
sion and   friction   that   it   is  dangerous  to  transport   it   or 

attempt  to  employ  it  alone.  However,  when  nitro- 
glycerine Was  first  introduced  for  driving  the  Iloosae 
tunnel  in  Massachusetts,  and  tor  springing  oil-wells  in 
Pennsylvania,  it  was  used  alone,  being  carried  In  copper 
cans  and  loaded  in  tin  tubes.     In  the  oil-well  region,  men 

made  an  occupati if  driving  a  horse  and  light  wagon 

through  the  country  for  carrying  the  pure  nitro-glycer 
ine  to  the  consumers.  Many  accidents  were  reported, 
and  a  carrier's  position  was  scarcely  to  be  envied. 

Later  it  was  learned  to  mix  the  nitro-glycerinc  with  a 
quantity  of  kieselguhr,  an  infusorial  earth  composed  of 
the  silicious  skeletons  of  minute  diatoms,  and  therefore 
called  diatomaceous  earth.  The  nitro-gylcerine  is  ab- 
sorbed by  the  earth,  which  is  itself  inert  and  simply 
forms  a  plastic  mass  that  can  be  more  safely  handled 
than  the  nitro-glycerine.  Another  advance  came  when 
it  was  found  that  nitro-cellulose,  or  gun-cotton,  could  In- 
dissolved  in  the  nitro-glycerine  to  form  a  nearly  uniform 
jelly.  This  mixture  constitutes  blasting  gelatine.  The 
gun-cotton  is  made  by  the  action  upon  cotton  fibres  of 
the  same  acids  as  are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  nitro- 
glycerine, great  care  being  taken  to  wash  away  all  trace 
of  excess  acid.  When  gun-cotton,  or  nitro-cellulose,  is 
incorporated  with  the  nitro-glycerine,  it  shares  in  the 
explosion,  instead  of  acting  as  an  inert  base  like  kiesel- 
guhr. Thus  additional  power  is  gained.  Blasting  gela- 
tine, then,  is  a  mixture  of  two  complex  compounds, 
which  fact  increases  the  possibility  of  chemical  change 
with  consequent  deterioration  and  danger.  Blasting 
gelatine  contains  92%  nitro-glycerine  and  8%  nitro- 
cellulose. There  are.  also,  various  intermediate  mixtures 
of  nitro-glycerine  and  nitro-cellulose  with  a  proportion 
of  wood  meal  and  potassium  nitrate,  the  object  being  to 
product  effects  intermediate  between  straight  dynamite 
and  blasting  gelatine.  When  such  a  complex  mixture 
was  attempted,  it  was  at  first  difficult  for  any  mechanical 
method  to  render  a  perfectly  homogeneous  mass,  but 
later  methods  of  manufacture  have  improved  this. 

The  initial  pressure  of  the  different  explosives  when 
detonated  in  their  own  volume  are  as  follows:  straight 
dynamite  (nitro-glycerine  mixed  with  an  inert  base)  80 
tons  per  square  inch,  blasting  gelatine  113  tons,  gun- 
cotton  71  tons,  black  powder  21  tons.  It  is  evident  that 
blasting  gelatine  is  the  most  powerful.  Likewise  it  has 
the  highest  rate  of  detonation,  25,262  ft.  per  second,  as 
against  22,368  for  straight  dynamite  and  984  for  black 
powder. 


20 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


Platinum  on  the  Pacific  Coast 


By  T.  W.    Oruetter 


SOUTH-WESTERN  Oregon  and  northern  California 
in-  the  chief  Bonrcea  of  platinum  in  the  United 
States.  Tn  this  region  it  is  recovered  as  a  by-prod- 
uct from  gold  placers.  At  the  present  time  the  greater 
part  of  the  platinum  is  won  in  the  Californian  alluvial 
Mats  where  many  dredges  are  at  work,  and  where  more 
attention  is  given  to  saving  the  fine  metal  than  at  the 
average  hydraulic  mine. 

David  T.  Day  says  in  'Black  Sands  of  the  Pacific 
Slope,'  a  U.  8.  Geological  Survey  bulletin,  on  page  3: 
"If  only  two-thirds  of  the  platinum  in  the  heavy  sands 
going  i"  waste  at  hydraulic  mines  in  California  and 
i  Iregon  were  saved,  the  total  production  would  exceed 
the  preaenl  consumption  of  the  United  States." 

The  platinum  in  the  sea-beaches  from  Oold  Bluff,  Cali- 
fornia, to  i  '.mis  Hay,  Oregon,  varies  Erom  1 :  20  to  1 :  .">  as 
compared  with  gold,  while  in  the  dredging  areas  on  the 
Reather  and  Yuba  rivers  it  is  from  1:1000  to  1  :30oo. 
Eight  large  samples  of  natural  sand  from  Crescent  City 
southward  to  thr  vicinity  of  Gold  Bluff,  averaged  48c. 
gold  and  platinum  per  ton.  Eleven  similar  samples  from 
Crescent  City  north  tn  Coos  Kay  averaged  61e.  gold  and 
platinum.  The  largest  proportion  of  platinum  to  gold. 
along  the  mast,  is  in  the  vicinity  of  l*t.  Orford.  Where 
the  rivers  cut  large  hodies  of  serpentine  dunite),  the 
usual  source  of  platinum,  the  metallic  particles  are 
coarser  than  on  the  beaches.  Along  the  rivers  they  are 
often  encased  in  hematite,  chromite.  olivine,  serpentine 
from  olivine,  etc.  From  20  to  50c.  pel'  yard  is  not  un- 
common. 

[ridosmine,  "in-  of  the  platinum  group  carrying  a  high 
percentage  of  iridium,  forms  a  higher  proportion  of  the 
platinum  along  this  part  of  the  Coast  than  in  any  other 
locality  in  the  world,  one  Oregon  sample  being  37 
..1,  K.  Kemp,  I'.  S.  Geol.  Surv.  Bull.  No.  193,  p.  lit*. 
Tin'  iridosmine  is  generally  a  mechanical  inclusion  in 
the  platinum  and  is  present  as  fine  brilliant  plates. 
Aipia  regis  "ill  dissolve  the  platinum  from  the  nuggets, 
which  then  fall  apart  and  leave  the  fine  plates  exi 

As  usually  found,  the  platinum  will  pass  a  20-mesh 
screen.  It  cannot  be  separated  from  the  heavy  black 
sand  by  means. of  riffles.  The  flakes  of  platinum  and 
gold  drift  over  the  surface  of  the  black  sand  and  will  not 
concentrate  easily.  At  mines  where  all  the  heavy  sand 
is  saved,  it  is  sometimes  panned  by  hand  or  shipped  to  a 
smelter.  As  platinum  will  not  amalgamate,  gold  can  be 
separated  from  it  with  ease.  When  the  miner  ships  the 
black  sand  to  a  smelter,  the  platinum  is  not  paid  for. 
Some  mines,  by  table  or  centrifugal  concentration,  will 
make  a  rich  product  for  shipment,  discarding  the  tailing. 
which  is  a  wasteful  method.  Jigs  and  hydraulic  classi- 
fiers are  also  useil.  particularly  on  dredges,  to  improve  a 


low-grade  concentrate,  the  coarse  concentrate  being 
ground  fine  to  release  the  precious  metals.  This  refers 
to  inland  placers  where  the  sand  is  coarse. 

Occasionally  low-grade  black  sand  is  treated  with 
quicksilver  to  get  at  the  gold,  and  then  sodium  is  added 
to  make  sodium-amalgam  and  the  platinum  extracted 
with  this.  However,  the  sodium  soon  decomposes  and 
often  lets  go  of  the  platinum  before  it  is  collected.  Elec- 
trolytic sodium-amalgam  is  aiso  used  and  is  the  only 
practical  success  known  to  me.  Panning  is  a  tedious  and 
expensive  process.  When  machine  concentration  is  used, 
it  is  generally  carried  too  far,  a  concentrate  being  made 
that  is  worth,  say.  $3000  to  .$20,000  per  ton.  Of  course, 
this  usually  gives  only  a  few  pounds  of  concentrate,  the 
greater  part  of  the  valuable  contents  being  lost  in  the 
tailing,  which  are  discarded. 

Within  recent  years  dredging  and  hydraulic  mining 
companies  have  given  more  attention  to  close  saving  but 
except  where  electrolytic  sodium-amalgam  is  used,  there 
is  still  a  large  loss  of  platinum  and  coated  gold,  as  well 
as  gold  amalgam  from  "flouring'  and  'sickening.'  There 
are  immense  areas  of  rich  sand  where  the  gold  and  plat- 
inum are  flaky  and  coated.  These  can  be  worked  with 
electrolytic  sodium-amalgam  at  a  handsome  profit,  ps 
described  already.*  The  treatment  is  preceded  by  a  two- 
stage  concentration  process,  the  concentrate  being  nun  li- 
no richer  than  can  be  done  without  excessive  loss  in  the 
tailing.  A  95  to  100%  recovery  is  not  unusual.  The 
cost  ranges  from  a  fraction  of  a  cent  to  several  cents  per 
yard,  to  which  concentration  is  added.  Concentration 
on  a  2400-yd.  basis  would  be  about  2c.  per  yard  or  less. 
Mining  costs  run  from  lc.  to  10c.  per  yard  in  ordinary 
cases.  In  this  system  there  is  no  loss  from  oxidation  of 
sodium,  coatings  of  silica,  oil,  slime,  oxides,  etc..  unless 
the  metallic  particles  are  wholly  encased.  With  the  pres- 
ent high  prices  for  the  platinum  metals  it  would  pay 
many  mines  to  add  electrolytic  amalgamation  to  their 
equipment.  First  costs  vary  from  $500  to  $3000  in  ad- 
dition to  concentration  machinery.  The  new  system  has 
been  much  improved  and  a  high  degree  of  efficiency  and 
simplicity  has  been  attained.  The  correct  design  of  the 
apparatus  is  a  somewhat  complicated  matter,  but  once 
installed,  anyone  can  run  it.  I  have  not  patented  my 
improvements  and  would  be  pleased  to  give  further  de- 
tails on  application. 

As  already  stated,  platinum  is  mostly  derived  from 
serpentine.  Prospectors  should  test  deposits  of  chromite 
in  serpentine.  A  simple  and  reliable  test  is  as  follows: 
Have  your  druggist  order  1-oz.  stannous  (tin "t  chloride 
crystals;  1  package  4-in.  white  filter-paper;  buy  from 

*M.  &  S.  P.  November  6,  1915. 


.Iul>    1    1916 


MINIM,  ind  >.,<•„!,.„    l'KI  SS 


21 


linn  ii  bottle  two  thirds  tilled  with  strong  hydrochloric 

mill,  another  with  nilrir  arid ;  «  tlnr.l  for  dissolving  the 

stannous  ehloridi  should  be  about  1  oi 

with  glass  stoppers   .  two  drappen  end  Hveral  Bo.  teat- 
nmpleta  the  outfit,  which  should  nol  oosl  oi 

nor  weigh  over  1  pound 

t ill >•-   put    a   small    pinch   "I'   tilu'ly  -DOWi 

on  "r  rod;  drop  on  tins  tour  drope  hydrochloric  acid 
with  one  dropper  end  two  drops  nitric  said  with  the 
other  dropper,  taking  care  nol  to  draw  the  acid  into  the 
rubber  bulb,  and  washing.  Warm  contents  of tube  gently 
with  a  match  held  on  the  aide,  keeping  mouth  of  tnbe 
pointed  away  from  your  face.  This  will  dissolve  most  of 
the  gold  in  a  few  minutes.  It'  not  testing  for  gold,  this 
solution  may  be  poured  away.  Add  fresh  acid  in  the 
same  way  and  pour  off  all  but  enough  to  well  cover  the 
Band.  Boil  with  several  matches.  Then  pour  what  is 
left   of  this  solution  over  a  piece  of  Biter-paper.     From 

the  Btannous  chloride  bottle  pour  a  little  over  the  filter- 
paper  Where  the  two  solutions  meet  on  the  paper  a 
bright  orange  color  will  appear  if  platinum  is  present. 
The  gold  solution  crossed  with  the  stannous  chloride 
gives  B  red-purple  or  brown-purple  eolor,  according  to 
concentration.  If  both  metals  are  present,  both  colors 
will  appear  ami  the  intensity  of  eolor  is  in  proportion  to 
concentration  and  richness.  The  tin  crystals  are  dis- 
solved with  Water  and  hydrochloric  acid,  about  half  and 
half.  Leave  the  bottle  open  occasionally,  as  this  produces 
stannic  chloride  and  improves  the  action. 


Foreign  trade  is  becoming  important  to  mining  and 
manufacturing  companies  in  this  country.  Since  the 
War  has  called  attention  to  it.  interest  has  arisen  as  to 
how  such  business  is  transacted.  How  our  exports  of 
copper  are  marketed  in  Europe,  how  tin  is  bought  in 
London  and  shipped  direct  from  the  Straits  Settlements, 
how  mining  machinery  can  be  sold  in  South  America  or 
Russia,  all  these  questions  have  exercised  the  minds  of 
those  engaged  in  American  industries.  The  trade  at 
American  ports,  particularly  New  York,  has  increased 
greatly,  and  efforts  are  being  made  to  retain  perma- 
nently the  new  ties  of  foreign  business.  The  National 
City  Bank  of  New  York  points  out.  in  a  recent  publica- 
tion, how  London  has  built  up  its  commercial  supremacy. 
Two  principal  reasons  are  given.  First,  because  tin- 
port  was  free  to  all  the  world  with  few  restrictions  01 
encumbrances.  Secondly,  because  shippers  in  remote 
countries  had  confidence  that  a  cargo  of  anything,  sent 
to  London  and  consigned  merely  to  the  general  market, 
would  receive  fair  and  expert  treatment  in  storing, 
grading,  and  sale  to  buyers  that  would  speculate  in  any 
product.  A  shipper  could  draw  immediately  on  a  con- 
signment and  receive  part  payment. 


quire*  .1  prospector  to  make  an  actual  ■!  tnin 

erul  in  place  !■  ng  out  his  claim     The  more 

you    think   of   it.    the   more   absurd    it    he. oa       A    prOS 

is  a  man  searching  for  mineral.     He  must  neces 

■aril)   '"'  protected  in  Ins  possession  while  In-  is  search 

ing  lor  Ins  vein,  but   under  tin    present   law   he  is  a  Ins 
■    upon   the   public   domain   until   he   has   found   his 

vein      Twenty-five  yean  ago  it   was  perhaps  an  easy 
matter  to  make  a  discovery  without   an.v   prospecting 

work.       Today     it     is    ex lingly    difficult."      This    was 

said  ill  discussion  of  a  paper  by  Courtenay   | ),-  Kalb  in  a 
bulletin  of  the  American   Institute  of  Mining  Engine*  rS, 


The  minim;  law  of  this  country  contains  a  stipula- 
tion that  discovery  of  a  valuable  mineral  must  be  made 
prior  to  locating  a  claim.  Regarding  this,  Horace  V. 
Winchell,  the  well-known  authority  on  mining  law,  has 
remarked  ''No  other  country,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  re- 


ZlNC  is  temporarily  more  important  than  copper  in 
the  Central  or  Middle- Western  States,  gays  B  press  bul- 
letin of  the  r.  s.  Geological  Survey.  The  zinc  produc 
tion  of  the  Mississippi  valley  was  worth  (17,189,264  in 
1914  while  the  copper  output  of  the  Central  States, 
mostly  from  Michigan,  was  $21,865,043.  Bui  for  1915, 
the  value  of  the  zinc  produced  reached  the  remarkable 
figure  of  $53,540,472,  or  over  three  times  that  of  the 
previous  year.  The  copper  production  increased  in  Alii 
494,96!)  and  more  than  doubled  in  value.  The  value'  of 
the  copper  produced  in  the  Central  Slates  hail  for  years 

i'x -ded   that   of  zinc,  owing  to  the  higher   price  per 

pound  received  for  the  copper,  while  the  quantity  of 
zinc  produced  has  been  larger.  In  1915,  the  output  of 
copper  in  the  region  mentioned  was  101,300,000  lb. 
greater  than  in  1914,  but  the  low  figure  for  19]  I  was 
partly  due  to  a  disastrous  strike  of  copper-miners  in 
Michigan.  The  1915  output  of  zinc  exceeded  the  1914 
production  by  only  95,700,000  lb.,  but  the  proportionate 
increment  in  price  of  the  zinc  was  greater  than  for  cop- 
per. "The  salient  facts  relating  to  zinc  and  lead  mining 
in  the  Central  States  in  1915  were  the  building  of  new 
mills  and  roasting-plants  in  the  Wisconsin-Illinois 
region;  the  increased  output  and  the  better  recovery 
made  by  flotation  in  the  disseminated-lead  district  in 
Missouri;  the  more  general  use  of  thickeners,  classifiers. 
and  tables  and  the  vastly  larger  yield  from  the  sheet- 
ground  in  south-western  Missouri ;  the  development  of 
the  new  mining  territory  near  Picher  and  Cardin,  in 
the  north  Miami  field  in  Oklahoma;  and  the  active  pros- 
pecting and  mill-building  and  the  increase  in  shipments 
of  zinc  carbonate  in  Arkansas."  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  two  of  the  principal  uses  of  spelter  in  the 
manufacture  of  war  munitions  are  for  galvanizing  the 
barbed  wire  used  in  making  wire  entanglements  and  in 
making  the  brass  for  cartridge-cases  and  parts  of  pro- 
jectiles. The  average  price  paid  for  spelter  in  the  LTnited 
States  during  1915  was  14.44c.  which  is  nearly  three 
times  the  1914  average  of  5.36c.  Zinc  has  truly  been 
the  "metal  sensation  of  the  War."  It  is  generally  pre- 
dicted that  the  reaction  in  the  price  of  zinc  will  be  more 
decided  than  in  other  industries,  but  as  no  one  expected 
anything  different,  the  event  will  he  sufficiently  dis- 
counted. Some  authorities  predict  that  after  the  War, 
zinc  will  drop  to  its  former  price  of  5c.,  hut  others  ex- 
pect a  price  of  about  7  cents. 


22 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


CONCENTRATES 

Rradrrs  o(  Iht  MINING  und  SdmflflC  PRESS  art  imilrd  lo  ash  aualions 
and  iiivf  information  dralinti  Willi  technical  and  olhcT  matltn  pcrlmnini  to  Iht 
practiet  of  minirut,  millinjl.  and  irnclltnj;. 


Eighteen     elements     have     melting-points    above 
1700°C, 


ECTBIC    HAULAGE    ill    the    Hollinger    mine.    Ontario. 

resulted  in  a  saving  of  7'-.  per  ton  in  tramming  charges 
ear. 

Anaconda,  a  copper  producer,  yielded  s. 064,986  oz. 
<>f  silver  last  year;  Nipisaing,  a  silver  producer,  yielded 
1,097,301  o/  .  or  about  one-half  of  the  former. 


Flotation  at  the  Broken  Hill  Proprietary  Co. 'a  works 
in  Australia  lias  produced  744.816  tons  of  zinc  concen- 
trate from  2,988,919  tons  of  tailing,  since  1904. 


Rock-drills  working  in  the  Eomestake  mine,  South 
Dakota,  number  575.  There  is  4500  lb.  of  dynamite  used 
daily.  On  two  8-hour  shifts  1200  men  are  underground, 
extracting  4500  tons  of  ore. 


Ax    U3SAY-FUBNAOE  burning  crude-oil  at  the  Rosario 

mine.   Honduras,   effects  a   saving  of    1*5110   to   1MI00  per 
month  over  a  charcoal  type,  anil  also  allows  the  work  to 

be  done  iii  two-thirds  of  the  time. 


WoOD-FLOUH  and  wheat-flour  refuse,   worth  about  $15 

per  ton.  an'  used  in  the  manufacture  of  dynamite  to 
absorb  oitro-glycerine.  Flour  of  a  good  white  color  is 
preferred,  as  dynamite  is  judged  for  freshness  by  its 
light  color. 

Wounds  should  not  be  treated  with  mercuric  chloride 

dressings,  if  iodine  has  been  applied.  The  consequence 
would  he  the  formation  of  mercuric  iodide,  which  is 
strongly  irritating.  To  remove  mercuric  iodide,  wash 
the  wound  with  a  10','    solution  of  potassium  iodide. 


ChROMITE,  or  iron  ehroniate,  usually  called  chrome- 
iron  ore.  is  used  in  chemical  manufacture  to  make  salts 
used  in  tanning,  also  for  a  refractory  lining  employed 
in  basic  open-hearth  steel   furnaces,  more  particularly 

where  the  silica  brick  arch  meets  the  magnesite  lining 
Of  the  hearth.  Most  of  the  present  supply  to  this  coun- 
try comes  from  New  Caledonia  and  Rhodesia.  The  high 
ocean-freight  has  given  a  market  to  the  California  prod- 
uct, obtained  chiefly  in  Shasta.  Tehama,  Tulare,  and 
Fresno  counties.    The  chemical  trade  demands  a  45-55% 

ore;  for  refractory  brick  a  35    40',    ore  will  suffice. 


To  ai.i.ow  TAILINGS  to  flow  where  they  may  without  ob- 
struction, is  to  risk  the  loss  of  any  valuable  metal  re- 
tained. If  they  lodge  on  the  lands  of  another,  they  arc 
considered  as  an   accretion   and   belong  to  him.      If  they 

accumulate  on  vacant  and  unappropriated  public  land. 

it  has  been  the  custom  of  tin'  mining  regions  of  the  West 


to  recognize  the  right  of  the  first  coiner  io  appropriate 
I  hem  by  proceedings  analogous  to  the  location  of  placer 
claims.  The  Supreme  Court  of  Nevada  ruled  that,  al- 
though not  a  mining  claim  within  the  strict  meaning  of 
the  expression  as  generally  used  in  this  country,  a  "tail- 
ing claim"  is  sw closely  analogous  to  it  that  the  propriety 
of  subjecting  the  acquisition  and  maintenance  of  the 
possession  id'  it  to  the  rules  governing  the  acquisition  of 
the  right  to  a  strictly  mining  claim  at  once  suggests 
itself.  The  Land  Department  has  recognized  this  pos- 
sessory right  and  permitted  entries  to  be  made  on  lands 
containing  beds  of  tailings,  under  the  law  applicable  to 
placers.  There  ari'  no  adjudicated  cases  in  the  reports 
of  department  decisions  upon  this  subject  that  have 
Come  under  our  observation,  but  we  have  knowledge  of 
several  instances  where  patents  for  this  class  of  claims 
have  been  issued  under  the  mining  laws. 


Woodkn  ulocks,  crcosotcd.  which  arc  already  used 
extensively  as  paving  material  for  city  streets,  arc  com- 
ing into  use  as  flooring  for  warehouses,  factories,  shops, 
platforms,  etc.  Floors  made  of  wooden  blocks  placed  on 
end  are  noiseless  under  heavy  traffic,  durable,  sanitary, 
and  easy  on  the  feet  of  workmen.  The  high  cost  is  a 
disadvantage,  being  $2.40  per  square  yard  for  the  com- 
pleted floor.  The  wood  commonly  employed  is  Southern 
yellow  pine,  although  hemlock,  larch.  Douglas  fir,  black 
gum,  beech,  and  maple  are  also  used.  The  blocks  are 
sawed  from  long  sticks  of  timber  and  are  treated  ill 
Steel  cylinders  id'  li  to  7  ft.  diam.  and  100  ft.  long.  Creo- 
SOte-oil  is  run  into  the  cylinders,  and  pressure  is  applied 
lo  force  it  into  the  wood.  The  oil  is  a  product  obtained 
from  the  manufacture  of  coke  from  coal.  Wood  satur- 
ated witli  creosote  does  not  decay,  shrink,  or  swell  to  the 
extent  customary  with  untreated  wood.  The  blocks  are 
laid  usually  on  a  concrete  foundation,  with  the  grain  of 
the  wood  vertical  so  that  the  most  resistant  surface  is 
exposed.  The  joints  and  cracks  arc  tilled  with  hot  pitch 
or  asphalt. 

Hi  ST  LOSSES  in  smelting  plants  should  be  investigated, 

and  a  systematic  study  usually  proves  worth  while. 
Although  the  advantages  of  this  work  are  fairly  obvious, 
the  limitations  should  not  be  overlooked.  Estimates 
of  dust  losses  by  any  methods  at  present  in  use  are  sub- 
ject to  considerable  errors.    The  average  of  a  number  of 

lests  is  a  close  approximation  to  the  truth.  One  set  of 
tests  gives  a  figure  that  applies  to  the  particular  operat- 
ing conditions  of  that  time  only,  and  no  estimates  ran 
safely  be  made  from  it  of  dust  loss  under  different 
operating  conditions.  In  using  the  results  of  these  tests, 
a  probable  error  of  10^t  is  allowed  at  the  Copper  Queen 
smelter  at  Douglas,  according  to  J.  M.  Samuel  in  a 
paper  prepared  for  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  Changes  will  prob- 
ably improve  methods  from  time  to  time:  but.  in  measur- 
ing the  dust  content  of  a  flow  of  gas  in  a  conduit,  varia- 
tions in  How  and  composition  of  gas.  under  ordinary 
operating  conditions,  are  so  great  that  the  average  of  a 
number  of  tests  rather  than  individual  tests  will  always 

have  to  be  depended  on  for  accuracy. 


July  i    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Electric  Hoists  on  the  Rand 

*Exelusive  of  winches  then  are  148  eleotrio  hoist*  at 
(he  Rand  mines,  their  oombined  continuous  rating  being 
over  74.IHH)  hp.  Power  is  obtained  from  local  steam 
plants,  the  largest  of  which  are  those  of  the  Viotoria  Palls 
Power  Co.,  which  have  a  total  capacity  of  220,000  kw. 
i  This  ooncern  originally  intended  to  generate  power  at 


VIEW   OF   COMPLETE   HOIST. 

the  Victoria  falls  on  the  Zamhesi  river,  nearly  700  miles 
distant  from  Johanneshnrg,  but  the  difficulties  of  trans- 
mitting high-voltage  current  over  such  a  distance  were 
so  great  that  steam  plants  were  decided  upon  near  the 
mines.) 

Near  the  centre  of  the  region  is  the  property  of  the 
Crown  Mines,  which  in  1915  produced  763,061  oz.  of 
gold  from  2,497,000  tons  of  ore.    Reserves  are  estimated 


Number  of  turns  ol  n'i p  oooc 

*,ilv im  speed,  revolutions  per  minute 

wi;  ol  revolving  parts  of  hoist  (lew  motors),  pound 

f>,,,t   

Time  for  acceleration)  leoonda  

Time  for  retardation   (assumed),  seconds in 

•  rind,  seconds  7 

>  of  ski|i.  pounds   

Welsh!  of  ore  per  trip,  pounds 16,000 

Slse  of  rope,  Indus  diameter 

Weight   Of  rope  per  side,  pounds ^^.;iuu 

As  will  be  sect,  by  the  photograph,  direct-connected  to 

the  drums  nt  each  end  is  a  22  pole,  21 hp.,  5  1.6  r.p.m., 

560-volt,  shunt-wound  motor.  The  remainder  of  the 
electric  apparatus  includes  a  limit,  motor-generator 
set  consisting  of  one  16-poIe,  5000-hp.,  375-r.p.m.,  2000 
roll  induction  motor;  two  14-pole,  1650-kw.  375-r.p.m., 
550-volt  shunt-wound  generators;  and  one  60-kw.  com 
pound  wound  exciter  together  with  the  necessary  control 
apparatus.  The  hoist  motors  and  generators  operate  in 
series. 

The  accompanying  chart  shows  operation  of  the  hoist 
when  lifting  from  the  354.0-ft.  level.  It  was  found  thai 
when  winding  from  the  deeper  levels  the  apparatus  did 
not  heat  as  much  as  when  hauling  from  the  upper  levels. 
While  hoisting  from  the  higher  parts  of  the  shaft  the 
rope  never  leaves  the  cylindrical  portion  of  the  drums; 
on  the  other  hand,  while  lifting  from  deeper  levels  the 
conical  effect  of  the  drums  is  used. 


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DUTY-CYCLE   WHEN    HOISTING    FBOM    3540   FEET. 

at  9,938,000  tons  of  $6.25  ore.  Over  a  year  ago  a  Gen- 
eral Electric  hoist  of  the  following  construction  was  in- 
stalled at  the  South  Rand  shaft  of  the  company,  the 
shaft  being  3540  ft.,  inclined  at  an  angle  of  90°  to  the 
horizontal,  according  to  notes  by  F.  L.  Stone : 

Type  of  drum double  cylindro-conical 

Diameter  of  rope  centres  at  small  end  of  drums,  feet  12 

Diameter  of  rope  centres  at  cylindrical  end  of  drums, 

feet    20.75 

•Abstract  from  General  Electric  Review.  June,  1916. 


Tin  is  least  important  of  the  metals  from  a  military 
standpoint.  It  is  used  in  war  munitions  only  for  a 
minor  part  in  British  shrapnel,  and  some  other  metal 
could  undoubtedly  be  substituted.  The  recent  high 
price  cannot  be  laid  to  war  consumption,  but  rather  to 
the  uncertainty  of  supply  because  of  high  ocean  freights. 
Tin,  which  is  now  selling  around  41c.  per  pound, 
sold  for  an  average  of  42e.  during  1913,  for  37c. 
during  1914,  and  for  39e.  during  1915.  The 
Daily  Metal  Reporter  of  New  York  remarks  that 
"it  is  indeed  fortunate  that  tin  is  not  an  absolute 
recpuisite  in  the  manufacture  of  munitions  of 
war,  for  it  is  a  relatively  scarce  metal  compared 
with  iron,  copper,  lead,  and  zinc."  The  import 
of  tin  into  the  United  States  during  1915 — and 
this  country  is  the  greatest  consumer — was  57,- 
000  tons  or  about  1000  tons  per  week;  this  figure 
is  only  a  fraction  of  our  output  of  copper  or 
zinc.  The  new  smelter  of  the  American  Smelt- 
ing &  Refining  Co.  at  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey, 
is  now  smelting  Bolivian  concentrate.  The  proc- 
ess includes  roasting  in  a  Wedge  furnace  and  smelt- 
ing in  a  12  by  38-ft.  reverberatory  provided  with  oil 
burners.  Refining  is  done  electrolytically — a  new  de- 
parture in  tin  making.  The  output  averages  99.97% 
fine,  which  is  better  than  the  famous  Straits  tin,  and  the 
capacity  is  15  to  20  tons  per  day,  approximately  10% 
of  the  consumption  in  this  country. 


Talc   production   in   1915   was  166,336   tons   worth 
$1,041,197. 


•24 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 

As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  oirn  correspondents. 


SUTTER  CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Pimi'Im,    at   THE   Ei'KtK.i, — Lincoln   and   Other  Mines   to  be 
Re-opened.— Central  Eureka  ami  Kennedy. 

Two  of  the  three  sinking  pumps  have  been  installed  in  the 
old  Eureka  shaft  and  are  discharging  a  large  stream  of  water. 
The  compressor  and  other  parts  of  the  plant  are  working  well 
So  far  operations  have  been  done  only  on  one  shift,  but  the 
shaft  crew  has  been  increased  and  on  June  20  work  began  on 
three  8-hour  shifts.  As  the  water  is  lowered,  the  shaft-timbers 
are  Found  to  be  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  last  work  done  at  the  mine  was  dur- 
ing 1886;  in  fact,  it  is  said  that  much  of  the  sets  will  not  have 
to  be  renewed,  now  that  the  cave  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft  lias 
been  caught  up.  Miss  Marguerite  Beam  formally  opened  the 
mine  by  blowing  the  whistle  last  week,  on  the  day  the  pumps 


HI ■■-iH'ENINO   THE  OLD  EUREKA  AT   SUTTER   CREEK. 

were  finally  coupled  up  and  put  into  operation;  it  was  a -sound 
most  welcome  to  Sutter  Creek  residents. 

The  sale  of  the  well-known  Lincoln  group  of  mines  to  men 
interested  In  the  old  Eureka  property  was  confirmed  late  last 
week,  the  purchase  price  being  given  as  $205,000.  The  sale  in- 
cludes the  Lincoln  mine  proper,  as  well  as  the  Wildman. 
Mahoney.  and  Emerson  claims.  With  the  exception  of  some 
prospecting  at  the  Lincoln  a  few  years  ago,  no  work  has  been 
done  on  this  stretch  of  mining  ground  for  over  10  years,  finan- 
cial difficulties  having  caused  the  closing  down  of  the  mines 
and  their  subsequent  loss  by  the  last  operators.  The  assistant 
(Jniti  d  States  treasurer,  W.  I.  MeGee,  and  other  local  men  are 
largely  interested  in  the  present  deal,  as  they,  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  the  Lincoln  Consolidated  Mining  Co..  came 
into  possession  of  the  combined  properties  after  the  old  com- 
-  failure  to  raise  the  funds  necessary  to  pay  off  mortgages 
and  equip  the  property  for  development.  The  mines  have  been 
opened  by  four  shafts:  the  Wildman,  1*00  ft.  on  T2J  incline; 
Emerson,  619  ft.  vertical;  Mahoney,  1200  ft.  on  62°  incline; 
and  Lincoln,  2000  ft.  on  SZ°  incline.  The  intention  of  the 
former  management  was  to  sink  the  Emerson  vertical  shaft 
down  to  the  point  necessary  to  cut  the  large  vein  found  in 
the  Wildman   property  on  the  1400-ft.  level.     This  shaft  was 


sunk  in  diabase  1000  ft.  east  of  the  Wildman.  and  the  expecta- 
tion was  to  cut  this  great  orebody  at  a  vertical  depth  of  2300 
ft.  This  vein  at  1400  ft.  in  the  Wildman  was  opened  for  100  ft., 
solid  quartz  assaying  over  $3  per  ton,  and  should  be  made 
to  yield  a  good  profit  with  proper  working  facilities.  Two 
40-stamp  mills  are  on  the  property,  but  owing  to  their  old 
style  and  dilapidated  condition,  they,  with  most  of  the  other 
equipment,  will  have  to  be  replaced  with  modern  machinery. 
The  Wildman  and  Mahoney  plants  were  formerly  driven  by 
water-power,  the  company  owning  a  large  reservoir  and  pipe- 
line for  this  supply.  The  purchasers  are  said  to  be  Michigan 
men  of  whom  T.  Hoatson  is  one  of  the  principals.  T.  Walter 
Beam,  president  and  manager  of  the  Eureka,  has  taken  formal 
charge  of  the  Lincoln  property,  and  such  tools  and  supplies 
as  will  not  he  immediately  needed  at  the  Lincoln  are  being 
transferred  to  the  Eureka.  The  Wildman  claim  adjoins  the 
Eureka  ground  and  underlies  the  town  of  Sutter  Creek. 

At  the  Central  Eureka  70  men  are  employed,  where  20 
stamps  of  the  40-stamp  mill  are  in  steady  operation  on  ore  from 
the  2800,  3000,  and  3100-ft.  levels.  Some  development  is  con- 
templated  at  700  ft.,  and  preparations  are  in  progress  for  sink- 
ing a  winze  below  the  3200-ft.  level  in  accordance  with  sugges- 
tions made  by  C.  E.  Julihn,  who  examined  the  property  re- 
cently for  the  purpose  of  outlining  the  mine's  future  devel- 
opment.    Fred  Jost  of  San  Francisco  is  superintendent. 

At  the  Keunedy  mine  at  Jackson,  preparations  are  nearly 
completed  for  sinking  the  shaft  to  a  depth  of  3900  ft.  This 
vertical  shaft  is  now  said  to  be  the  deepest  of  any  gold  mine 
in  the  United  States,  and  the  ore  developed  on  the  lowest 
levels  is  quite  as  rich  as  that  worked  in  the  levels  above,  in- 
suring the  stockholders  handsome  quarterly  dividends. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


Mining  on  Indian  Reservations. — Mining  Law. 

A  bill,  prophetic  of  what  may  take  place  some  day,  is  that 
of  Senator  Ashurst  of  Arizona  before  the  Senate  to  authorize 
mining  for  metalliferous  minerals  on  Indian  reservations  in 
Arizona.  It  directs  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  under  regu- 
lations to  be  fixed  by  him  and  under  such  terms  and  conditions 
as  he  may  prescribe,  to  lease  to  citizens  of  the  United  States 
or  to  any  associations  of  such  persons  or  corporations,  any 
part  of  the  unallotted  lands  within  any  Indian  reservation  in 
Arizona,  withdrawn  from  entry  under  the  mining  laws,  for  the 
purpose  of  mining  for  deposits  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  or  other 
minerals,  the  leases  to  be  irrevocable  except  under  such 
breaches  provided  against  in  the  bill.  Ninety  days  after  enact- 
ment of  the  bill  the  lands  are  to  be  open  at  all  times  for  ex- 
ploration for  minerals,  the  claims  to  be  located  in  the  same 
manner  as  mining  claims  are  located  elsewhere  under  the 
mining  laws  of  the  United  States.  It  is  provided  that  the 
locators  or  their  heirs  or  assigns  shall  only  have  a  preference 
right  to  apply  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  a  lease 
within  one  year  after  the  date  of  location,  and  that  any 
locator  who  shall  fail  to  apply  for  such  a  lease  shall  forfeit 
all  right  to  his  mining  claim. 

The  leases  are  to  be  for  a  period  of  50  years,  with  the  prefer- 
ential right  to  renew  them  for  successive  periods  of  10  years 
under  conditions  and  terms  to  be  prescribed  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior.  Relinquishment  is  also  provided  for,  should 
the  locator  desire  to  give  tip  his  claim.    On  application  by  him 


July    I     1916 


Ml\l\t.  tnd  Scieouhi    1M<I  SS 


.1  >ii>;  ill.-  term  ..t  U>i 
upled  iiui. i.  nut  exceeding  .  i    for  ..iuii>- 

.iii.I   t..r  ..ih.  r 

m  '.. i  with  the  proper  development  and  una  ol   'i" 

i  in  Um  Imm     Poi   tin-  l  nit.-il  States  the  rlghl 

of  tin'  suit.!..-  ol  tii.-  hiii. I  embraced  within 

■.n  (in-  m  tin'  hud  iimy  tint  be  neceaean   inr  use 

ol  the  leasee  in  extracting  and  removing  thi  ..i  the 

IuikI  .   be  cancelled  tnd  Forfeited  bj  ti»-  Govern- 

mi  nt  bj  appropriate  i  In  the  United  Bl 

court,     For  the  privilege*  >>f  mining  tin1  lands  the 
pay  to  tile  United  States  a  myall 

the  output  of  the  minerals,  parable  at  the  end  ol  each  month 
ding  the  extraction  ol  the  mineral  From  the  nun.,  and 
an  annual  rental,  payable  at  the  data  ol  the  lease,  ol  26c  par 
acre  for  the  tirst  calendar  year,  50c.  for  the  second,  third, 
ami  fifth  year,  and  ji  for  each  succeeding  year  during 
the  continuance  Ol  the  lease.  In  addition  It  Is  provided  that 
the  lessee  shall  expand  annually  not  less  than  $100  In  de- 
velopment work  for  each  mining  clnlm  located  and  leased. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Is  given  full  power  to  examine 
the  books  and  accounts  of  all  lessees  and  to  require  them  to 
make  statements,  ail  under  oath.  The  money  from  all  royal- 
ties and  rentals  is  to  he  deposited  In  the  Treasury  of  the 
1'nited  States  to  the  credit  of  the  tribes  of  Indians  having 
tribal  rights  In  the  reservations  in  which  the  leased  land  is 
located.  The  rights  of  all  States  and  local  authority  Is  con- 
I,  such  as  collection  of  taxes.  Senator  Ashurst  has  also 
introduced  a  bill  in  the  Senate  authorizing  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  to  lease  for  the  production  of  oil  and  gas  ceded 
lands  of  the  Shoshone  and  Wind  River  Indian  reservations  in 
the  State  of  Wyoming,  the  moneys  resulting  to  go  to  the  In- 
dians, and  the  regulations  to  be  fixed  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior. 

Nothing  has  as  yet  been  done  by  the  committee  on  mines 
and  mining  of  the  House  of  Representatives  on  the  hills  pro- 
viding for  the  codification  of  the  mining  laws  of  the  country. 
The  committee  seems  to  have  gone  asleep  over  the  matter,  in 
spite  of  Its  enthusiasm  manifested  early  in  the  winter.  Those 
in  charge,  however,  appear  quite  impressed  with  the  many 
caustic  letters  that  have  been  received  in  criticism  of  the  so- 
called  Foster  bill  codifying  the  mining  laws.  It  seems  almost 
assured  that  no  codification  bill  will  become  law  in  this  Con- 
gress.   

TORONTO,  ONTARIO 

PORCUPINE,    KlRKI.AND   LAKK,    AND  COBALT. STEEL. 

At  Porcupine  the  Dome  management  has  definitely  decided 
to  substitute  ball-mills  for  stamps,  and  has  ordered  three  more 
machines  of  the  S  ft.  by  20-in.  type  already  found  highly  satis- 
factory. 

Construction  on  the  2000-ton  per  day  addition  to  the  Hol- 
linger  mill  has  been  started  the  contracts  having  been  let  for 
the  concrete  foundation. 

Diamond-drilling  at  the  West  Dome  is  showing  excellent  re- 
sults. Four  veins  have  been  cut,  the  last  at  a  depth  of  700  ft. 
below  the  surface,  being  10  ft.  wide  and  heavily  mineralized. 
The  shaft  is  down  227  ft.  on  a  vein,  carrying  free  gold,  and 
will  be  sunk  to  the  300-ft.  level. 

The  Mclntyre  has  cut  a  16-ft.  vein  on  the  1000-ft.  level.  This 
may  he  an  extension  of  that  previously  found  at  the  same 
depth  of  the  Mclntyre  Extension. 

Frank  L.  Culver,  president  of  the  Timiskaming  and  Beaver 
companies  of  Cobalt,  has  acquired  a  large  interest  in  the 
Schumacher,  and  has  been  elected  a  director  of  the  company. 

At  the  Vipond  the  shaft  has  been  connected  by  a  raise  from 
the  400  to  the  300-ft.  level,  making  the  high-grade  ore  on  the 
lower  level  accessible  for  hoisting  to  the  mill. 

Developments  at  the  Porcupine  Premier,  formerly  the 
Standard  mine.  100-ft.  level  have  been  encouraging.  A  num- 
ber of  Boston  people  inspected  the  property  on  June  3. 


At  Klrkliinil  lj»k.-  *••"•, I  pronrru  i»  i 

tit  ol  the  Labelle  Klrkland     Tbli  embrace)   II 
which  run  Mveral  >i 
The    luitt  i»  down  ::.'•"  ii    mi  a  lii:  in  which  hi 

elated  all  the  way,  and  win  be  (OUowed  la  depth 

A  station  has  been  cut  at  the  170-ft   level. 

The  Lake  slime  has  opened  ore  oontalnin  i  and 

tellurldee  on  the  !00-ft  level,  and  the  vein  is  thi 
tend  Into  the  TecV  Hughes  propi 

The  mill  .>i  the  Tough-Oakea  is  treating  about  120  tons  ol 
$20  ore  per  day.    The  company  is  laying  oul  ■  townalte  to  the 

north  ol  the  mine. 

Large  shipments  ol  ore  were  made  from  I 
the  total  amount   from  10  companies  being  164  tons.    Total 
bullion  shipments  fur  the  year  to  date  were  8,226,1 

The  Trethewey  mill  Is  again  In  operation,  treating  broken 

Ore  that  was  formerly  left  In  the  mine  becau  B  Ol  the  low 
price  of  silver  when  the  mine  closed  down. 

The  Kerr  Lake  has  taken  an  option  on  the  Maidens  property 
In  South  Lorrain.  where  it  is  thought  thai  there  Is  a  con- 
siderable body  of  low-grade  ore. 

The  annual  report  of  the  Peterson  Lake  for  the  year  ended 
April  30  shows  a  total  income  of  $303. is::.  After  paying  divi- 
dends, $277,376  was  carried  forward.  This  was  practically  all 
derived  from  royalties  paid  by  the  Seneca  Superior. 

The  Ophir  and  the  Peoples  mine  have  effected  an  agreement 
for  the  joint  development  of  their  properties  down  to  the 
contact  of  the  Keewatin  and  diabase  at  a  depth  of  approxi- 
mately 600  ft.  The  surface  of  both  mines  shows  a  number  of 
strong  veins  with  low  silver  content. 

Steel  plants  in  the  Dominion  are  very  busy,  mainly  on  war 
and  export  orders.  One  result  of  this  unusual  activity  Is  a 
shortage  in  the  output  of  steel  rails,  which  is  greatly  retard- 
ing railway  construction  in  the  West.  The  annual  report  of 
the  Dominion  Steel  Corporation  of  Sydney,  Nova  Scotia,  for 
the  year  ending  March  31,  shows  the  largest  profits  in  its  life. 
The  net  manufacturing  earnings  were  $7,004,310.  an  increase  of 
$3,433,258  over  the  previous  year.  After  all  deductions  for 
interest,  depreciation,  and  dividends  the  net  surplus  remain- 
ing was  $3,015,225.  One-half  of  the  total  output  of  the  year 
was  exported. 

Two  Cobalt,  Ontario,  silver  producers  in  1915: 

McKinley- 

La  Rose  Darragh- 
Mines         Savage  Mines 

Development,   feet    4,393  4,538 

Ore  reserves  for  mill,  tons 10,000  

Ore  reserves,  ounces   1,871,280 

Ore  milled,  tons   54.405  63,661 

Average  content,  ounces   15.28  17.165 

Recovery,   per  cent   7(1.7  80.9 

Ore  and  concentrate  shipped,  tons..        1740.5  1S93.8 

Silver  content,  ounces   1,071,694  1.107,815 

Net  value   received    $481,663  $515,401 

Cost  per  ounce,  cents 31.64  28.71 

Net  profit   $230,662  $231,433 

Balance   brought   forward $1,032,S11  

Dividends    paid     $328,000  $269,723 

Balance  carried  forward   $886,660  $280,299 

Silver  shipped  to  date,  ounces 22,891,038  15.1S3.661 

The  general  manager  of  the  La  Rose,  R.  B.  Watson,  reports 
that  only  a  small  amount  of  high-grade  ore  remains  in  pillars. 
but  in  clearing-up  the  mine  other  small  shoots  will  be  found. 
Some  dumps  should  yield  a  small  profit. 

At  the  McKinley-Darragh-Savage,  T.  R.  Finucane  is  man- 
ager. Ore  reserves  in  the  McKinley  were  maintained,  but  as 
the  property  has  been  thoroughly  prospected  the  chance  of 
finding  other  important  orebodies  is  slight.  Before  the  Savage 
mine's  possibilities  are  exhausted  a  considerable  amount  of 
exploration  remains  to  be  done. 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


THE  MINING  SUMMARY 

The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  (he  local  press. 


ALASKA 

Am  iroitAGE 

Contrary  to  general  belief,  the  Federal  government  has  with- 
drawn from  lease  only  a  small  area  of  the  Matanuska  and 
g  river  coalfields.  There  has  been  surveyed  over  200 
sections  of  040  acres  each,  and  under  the  law  the  Department 
of  the  Interior  is  authorized  to  withdraw  19  of  these  sections. 
but    it   has   not   done  so,   according   to   the   Anchorage   Daily 

The  mine  inspector,  Sumner  S.  Smith,  who  has  been  in  con- 
ference with  Franklin  K.  Lane  in  reference  to  the  leasing 
regulations,  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  entire  field,  with  the 
exception  of  Government  reservations,  will  be  open  to  lease. 
Applicants  can  go  on  the  ground  and  designate  any  area  they 
desire  to  lease,  subject,  of  course,  to  the  usual  mode  of  pro- 
cedure. Regulations  governing  the  leases  are  based  upon  the 
idea  of  the  immediate  development  of  the  coalfields  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale,  and  to  prevent  speculators  from  getting  hold  of 
the  land.  Those  who  are  willing  to  spend  the  most  money  on 
the  development  of  a  mine  will  be  given  the  preference  in  the 
granting  of  leases.  Mr.  Smith  believes  that  the  coal  can  now 
be  mined  on  a  workable  basts,  and  an  important  resource  of 
Alaska  fully  developed. 

Reports  from  Anchorage  state  that  a  large  number  of  men 
are  going  to  the  new  placer  strike  at  Tolstoi  in  the  Innoko 
district,  many  centres  in  the  Kuskokwim  valley  losing  their 
population,  Dogs  have  risen  in  price  200%.  As  usual,  opinions 
differ  as  to  the  prospects  of  the  ground.  A  town-site  has  been 
laid-out  at  the  mouth  of  Boob  creek.  The  distance  by  water 
from  Iditarod  to  Cooper,  the  new  town,  is  several  hundred 
miles,  but  the  diggings  can  be  reached  by  dog-team  traveling 
cross-country  in  a  60-mile  journey. 

Juneau 

Satisfactory  progress  is  reported  in  construction  of  the 
treatment  plant  of  the  Alaska-.Tuneau  company.  At  the  coarse- 
crushing  plant  concrete  work  has  been  completed,  and  steel  is 
now  being  erected.  Good  progress  has  also  been  made  with 
concrete  work  on  the  mill  and  power-plants. 

ARIZONA 

Cochise  COUNTY 
Water  from  the  precipitating  plant  at  the  Lowell  mine  of 
the  Copper  Queen  is  to  be  pumped  into  stopes  containing  low- 
made  sulphide  ore  to  dissolve  the  copper.  This  will  be  re- 
turned to  the  surface  for  precipitation  on  iron  as  usual,  and 
returned  to  the  mine  continuously. 

Gh.a  County 

It  is  reported  in  Boston  that  the  Old  Dominion  company  is 
to  spend  $1,000,000  on  additions  to  its  mill,  power-plant,  and 
smelter,  also  for  residences.  This  will  be  spread  over  some 
time. 

At  the  Inspiration  mill  some  of  the  sections  are  treating 
over  1000  tons  per  day  each;  their  rated,  capacity  is  800  tons. 
Improvements  to  the  Many  mills  have  helped  to  do  this.  The 
last  of  the  Colorado  and  Joe  Bush  ore-dumps  have  been 
Cleaned-up  and  sent  to  the  mill.  Underground  work  is  evident 
by  the  large  craters  forming  on  the  surface  near  the  shafts. 
Drainage  of  the  orebody  is  well  ahead  of  stoping. 


Grekni.kk  County 

Although  the  Arizona  Copper  Co.'s  employees  have  signed 
an  agreement  with  their  employers,  as  did  also  those  at  the 
other  mines  in  the  Clifton-Morenci  district,  yet  last  week 
some  men  at  the  Coronado  mine,  Humboldt  mine,  and  No.  6 


KING    INCLINE   OK  THE  ARIZONA    COPPER  CO.    AT    METCAI.F. 

concentrator  called  a  strike  without  authority.  A  Mexican 
mucker  at  the  Coronado,  considering  that  he  had  done  enough 
work  for  the  shift,  downed  tools  before  the  regular  time; 
others  followed  his  example.  After  some  argument  with  the 
superintendent,  this  resulted  in  the  mine  being  closed.  The 
grievance  committee  investigated  the  trouble,  two  men  were 
discharged,  and  the  mine  resumed.  At  the  Humboldt  a  man 
was  discharged  for  some  reason,  whereupon  the  next  shift 
refused  to  work  unless  he  was  re-instated.  The  grievance 
committee's  efforts  were  fruitless,  and  the  mine,  with  the 
concentrator,  was  shut-down.  Eventually  the  difficulty  was 
settled,  and  operations  re-started. 


.luh    I     T'li. 


MINING  and  Nin I'KI  SS 


m uuoor*  Ooi  m< 

[ration,  Dotmtlon,  and  cyanldallon,  la  to 

Hon  vn  Ooi  an 

Mtman   li 
confined  in  the  -miiiu  rn  and.  particularly  10  thai  pan 
an  the  Pioneer  rein  system     This  formation  extendi  Into  the 
Oatniau   Monet*   from   lilt   Arizona  Tom   Reed.     Work   11   till 
latter  is  still  largely  ,  but  Mine  ■  have 

been  obtained     The  main  shaft  is  down  100  tl  .  and 
assay iiu    iround  $i"  has  baan  ent     Greater  depth  will  be 

■  I    a-   on    Ihr   sain.'   vein    in   tin-    Pioneer  Rood   ore    was 
!  until  depth  waj  reached.     On  the  200  and    inOft. 

In  thi   Piont re  la  being  rollowod  toward  the  Arizona 

Tom  Reed  ground  with  good  results. 

Another   active    property    is   the    Paramount,   joining    the 
r  on  the  southeast.     At   present   the  principal  work  of 

moan)    la  confined  to  tl vet  ion  of  surface  plant  at 

the  main  shaft,  which  is  sunk  directly  on  the  vein,  Kx- 
cavating  is  under  waj  at  the  mlll-alte  and  for  the  hoist.  A 
contrast  has  baan  let  for  a  60-hp.  electric  hoist,  and  It  Is  ex- 
pected  that  the  transformer  will  he  running  in  BO  days.  Two 
shifts  are  working  In  the  mine.  The  shaft  is  down  To  ft.,  and 
Is  t.i  be  sunk  tn  :5<>m  ft.  The  drift  at  this  point  will  be  watched 
with  Interest,  as  it  will  settle  several  theories  regarding  tin- 
formation  of  the  vein  system  In  the  southern  end  of  the  dis- 
trict In  the  Paramount  the  drift  will  he  driven  toward  a 
Junction  of  several  well  denned  and  proved  veins,  one  coming 
from  the  Arizona  Tom  Reed  and  the  Pioneer,  and  others  from 
a  more  southerly  direction.  The  question  is  whether  high- 
grade  ore  will  be  found  at  this  junction. 

The  vein  system  of  the  southern  end  of  the  district  is  pe- 
culiar and  interesting.  It  comes  from  the  east  in  the  Lexing- 
ton Arizona  as  one  large  lode,  which  branches  out  in  that 
property  to  big  veins,  one  of  which  passes  into  the  Boundary- 
Cone  and  the  other  into  the  Paramount,  both  of  which  proper- 
ties Join  the  Lexington  on  the  west.  The  more  southerly  vein 
again  branches  out  in  the  Paramount,  one  of  which  goes  into 
the  Pioneer  and  the  Arizona  Tom  Reed  and  others  in  a  more 
southerly  direction.  As  yet  but  little  prospect  work  has  been 
done  on  these  junctions. 

(latman.  June  10. 

The  Elkhart  gold-silver-lead  mine  in  the  Chloride  district 
has  been  acquired  by  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  The  property  has  a 
past  production  of  $1,300,000,  and  has  been  idle  for  12  years. 
The  workings  are  flooded,  and  unwatering  is  under  way.  The 
Tennessee  zinc  mine  adjoining  is  owned  by  the  U.  S.  S.  R.  & 
H,  Company. 

Yavapai  County 

In  the  Shamrock  mine  of  the  New  State  group  of  claims,  S 
miles  south  of  Prescott,  6  ft.  of  $19.  14  in.  of  $276  ore,  and  a 
dike  of  $7  gold  ore  has  been  opened.  This  is  one  of  the  best 
developments  for  some  time.  A  number  of  promising  mines 
are  near-by. 

In  an  interview  with  the  Jerome  News,  W.  A.  Clark  of  the 
United  Verde  company  said:  "We  will  increase  the  output  of 
our  plant  here  as  soon  as  the  all-steel  fireproof  smelter  at 
Clarkdale  is  placed  in  full  operation.  The  smelter  is  the 
latest  word  in  the  construction  of  a  metallurgical  plant.  More 
houses  will  be  built  at  Clarkdale.  Additional  school  facilities 
will  also  have  to  be  built,  but  I  never  regret  money  spent  for 
schools.  Butte,  my  home  city,  has  more  schools  and  better 
equipment  than  any  town  of  its  size  that  I  know.  In  Jerome, 
arrangements  will  have  to  be  made  to  take  care  of  the  addi- 
tional force  that  will  be  employed  when  the  smelter  is  in  posi- 
tion to  operate  at  capacity.  The  Verde  district  certainly  has 
encouraging  prospects.  A  few  good  mines  will  result  from  the 
numerous  corporations  that  are  forming  here  this  year." 


Ibla   that    111.-   s.  >• 

i  ha  plant  i 

ARKANSAS 

\l   Mlli.S     COI     M  * 

The  north  10,000  lb.  ol  ore  during 

May     Seventeen  ol  the  rortj  minis  produced  ilni 

which  was  shipped  dlreol     a.1  Rush  the  fellow  Rosa  mine  has 
■  100  l"ii  null  at  work. 

CALIFORNIA 

lit   i  ll    OOUHTI 

Tin-  Hear  Can] langaneao  mine  at  Clipper  Mill 

closed  on  account  ol  ■  dispute  between  tha  owner,  o,  v. 
and  the  Noble  Electric  Steel  Co.,  which  is  operating  it  for  its 
smelter  at    Heroult,  Shasta  county.     The  ore  Is  li i Kit   gradi 
Woolley  la  opening  a  good  deposit  of  chrome  Iron  near-by. 

Cai.au  has  Cot  Ml 

i  special  Com  i lence.)-  The  MoKnlghl  Mining  Co.,  op- 
erating the  llamby  mine,  is  making  many  surface  Improve 
mcius.  A  Saii-cu.  ft.  Sullivan  compressor  and  motors  have 
been  Installed.  A  20-stamp  mill,  with  concentrators  and  aural 
gamator,  are  almost  completely  erected  and  housed  In  a  corru- 
gated-iron building.  Electricians  are  nearly  through  with  the 
wiring  and  the  plant  will  soon  be  ready  for  work.  The  hoist 
for  the  present  will  be  driven  by  steam  generated  with  fuel- 
oil.  It  is  contemplated  in  the  near  future  to  use  a  motor, 
using  steam  as  auxiliary  power.  Luther  Everltt  Is  superin- 
tendent 

The  Mokelumne  Mines  Co.,  a  subsidiary  company  of  the  In- 
ternational Investment  Syndicate  of  Los  Angeles  Is  now 
operating  the  Easy  Bird  mine  at  this  place,  together  with  ad- 
jacent property,  covering  an  area  of  400  acres.  A  457-cu.  ft. 
Ingersoll-Rand  compressor,  driven  by  electric  power,  has  been 
installed.  A  75-ton  plant  with  amalgamators,  concentrators, 
and  classifiers  will  be  installed  soon,  and  a  cyanide  plant  for 
treating  concentrate  on  the  ground,  may  he  erected.  A  con- 
tract has  been  let  to  John  Casey  and  Herbert  Blais  for  the 
construction  of  a  road  from  the  mine  to  the  public,  highway, 
whereby  freight  to  and  from  the  mine  may  be  hauled  to 
Martel  station  by  auto-trucks.  For  the  present  ore  will  be 
milled  from  the  upper  workings,  above  the  adit-level,  where  a 
good  body  of  $8.50  ore  has  been  blocked  out.  Work  will  soon 
be  commenced  on  a  three-compartment  shaft,  by  raising  from 
the  adit-level  about  350  ft.  to  the  surface  and  by  sinking  from 
the  same  point.  An  electric  hoist  will  soon  be  installed.  A.  M. 
Howat  is  superintendent  and  H.  J.  Wendler  is  manager. 

Work,  Sharpe,  and  Reade  are  re-opening  the  Nuner  adit  in 
Stockton  hill.  This  is  a  2000-ft.  tunnel  into  the  Ancient  Chan- 
nel mine,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  gravel  will  be  reached 
about  July  1.  The  property  is  equipped  with  a  Boise  gravel 
mill,  which  has  a  capacity  of  about  90  tons  per  24  hours. 
Water  from  the  Mokelumne  Hill  canal  will  supply  power  and 
for  washing  the  gravel.  H.  E.  Sharpe  is  in  charge  of  the 
underground  work,  and  F.  B.  Work  will  attend  to  surface 
operations. 

Mokelumne  Hill,  June  19. 

Kern  County 

The  Baltic  mine  and  mill  and  the  Buckboard  claims  near 
Randsburg  have  been  sold  to  Los  Angeles  people  headed  by 
A.  O.  Hunsaker,  J.  C.  Woodmancy,  and  L.  H.  Harrod  for 
$100,000.    The  mill  is  to  be  remodeled. 

Nevada  County 

At  Ormonde,  above  Washington.  160  acres  of  patented 
ground  has  been  acquired  by  the  Columbia  Consolidated 
Mines  Co.,  of  which  E.  C.  Klinker  is  manager.    The  company's 


28 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


•lulv   1.  1916 


area  la  now  430  acres.  The  Ocean  Star  and  German  mines 
were  also  bonded  by  the  company. 

Amalgam  was  stolen  from  the  plates  at  the  Black  Bear  mill 
in-  >r  Rough  and  Ready  last  week.    Quicksilver  was  also  taken. 

Lumber  and  machinery  amounting  to  $70,000  has  been 
ordered  by  C.  A.  Brockington  of  the  Grass  Valley  Consolidated 
Gold  Mines,  to  be  used  in  re-opening  the  Allison  Ranch  mine. 
R  I..  Hathaway,  of  Nevada  City,  will  erect  the  buildings.  The 
Taylor  Foundry  &  Engineering  Co.  will  supply  some  ma- 
chinery, Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co.  the  electric  hoist.  Ameri- 
can  Deep  Well  Co.  the  electric  pumps,  and  Sullivan  Machinery 
Co.  the  compressor,  etc. 

San  Bk.nito  COUNTY 

A  plant  of  250-ton  daily  capacity,  consisting  of  a  ball-mill 
and  tables,  has  commenced  treating  quicksilver  ore  at  New 
Idria.  Most  of  the  ore  comes  from  the  company's  San  Carlos 
mine,  which  is  of  considerable  promise,  is  at  a  much  greater 
elevation  than  the  plant,  and  is  being  connected  with  it  by  an 
aerial  tram  about  1»  miles  long.  The  cinnabar  in  the  San 
Carlos  occurs  differently  to  that  in  the  Idria,  where  narrow- 
veins  are  the  rule.  Three  furnaces  are  also  at  work  treating 
over  300  tons  daily. 

Shasta  Corvrv 

Zinc  ore  amounting  to  three  carloads  daily  is  leaving  Ken- 
nett  for  smelters  in  Kansas.  A  car  of  blister  copper  is  sent 
East  every  day. 

The  Mammoth  Copper  Co.  is  to  erect  an  electrolytic  plant 
to  treat  the  zinc  fume  caught  in  the  furnace  flues.  Wages 
will  be  lower  in  June  on  account  of  the  drop  in  price  of  copper 
during  May. 

Sierra  COUNTY 

For  the  sum  of  $5200,  part  of  the  North  Fork-Wisconsin 
property  near  Forest  has  been  purchased  by  the  North  Fork 
Mining  Co.  Both  companies  had  claims  on  one  another  and 
settled  disputes  amicably.  The  Wisconsin  is  to  open  its  gravel- 
claim  from  a  certain  point,  while  the  North  Fork  opens  Its 
vein  through  an  incline.  D.  E.  Hayden  and  G.  F.  Stone  are 
the  respective  managers. 

Solano  County 

A  farmer,  W.  Hawhuth,  and  others  have  erected  a  large 
drilling  outfit  Just  north  of  Vallejo.  A  hole  will  be  put  down 
to  1700  ft.  to  test  the  ground  for  oil.  The  prospecting  will 
cost  $"<>  000 

Trinity  COUNTY 

From  Its  property  near  Wild  Wood  the  Manganese  Company 
of  California  is  to  extract  10,000  tons  of  chrome  ore  this  sum- 
mer. This  will  be  carried  on  auto-trucks,  over  a  road  to  be  im- 
proved to  Redding. 

Yuba  County 

Near  Parks  Bar  on  the  Yuba  river  the  Yukon  Gold  Co.  has 
Tin  men  constructing  its  new  dredge. 

COLORADO 

rii  ub  Creek  Colnty 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Flotation  at  the  Argo  mill, 
Idaho  Springs.  Colorado,  is  giving  remarkable  results.  Cus- 
tom ore  containing  copper,  lead,  gold,  and  silver  yields  94'J 
of  its  metal-content.  A  good  recovery  is  made  on  carbonates. 
Free  gold  is  also  said  to  be  floated.  The  medium  is  S5%  of 
Wyoming  fuel-coal  and  l'v;  of  pine-oil. 

Idaho  Springs.  June  IS. 

At  Georgetown  the  Capital  mill  is  working  regularly. 

Gunnison  County 

At  Vulcan  tin-  Vulcan  Mines  &  Smelter  Co.  has  blown-in  a 
new  furnace.  Sulphide  copper  ore  from  the  Vulcan-Good  Hope 
mine  is  to  be  reduced.    C.  H.  Mace  is  in  charge. 


Lake  County  (Lkadvtlle) 

At  a  point  1700  ft.  from  the  portal  of  the  Valley  adit  in 
Prospect  mountain,  and  at  a  depth  of  150  ft.  below  it,  iron- 
silver-munganese  ore  has  been  cut  by  the  Interior  shaft.  A 
5U-ton  lot  was  sent  to  the  Arkansas  Valley  smelter  at  Lead- 
ville.     This  development  is  of  great  ini|>ortance  to  the  district. 

At  the  Wolftonc  shaft  the  water  is  down  100  ft.  below  the 
SOO-ft.  level,  leaving  SO  ft.  to  be  drained. 

The  Penrose  shaft  of  the  Down  Town  property  has  been 
unwatered  to  the  bottom,  namely,  874  ft.  Work  commenced 
on  May  S.  1915.  A  Providence  Manufacturing  Co.  centrifugal 
pump  of  3000-gal.  capacity,  against  a  900-ft.  head,  is  being  in- 
stalled. It  is  to  be  driven  by  a  650-hp.  G.  E.  motor.  The  pres- 
ent flow  is  1700  gal.  per  minute. 

Oubay  County 

The  Benack  Mining  Co.  is  to  drive  a  new  adit,  500  ft.  below 
the  present  outlet. 

Summit  County 

A  car  of  ore,  27  tons,  in  three  lots,  assaying  10.5,  97.5,  and 
1470  oz.  gold  per  ton.  also  some  silver,  worth  a  total  of  $30,000, 
was  shipped  last  week  from  the  Dunkin  mine  near  Brecken- 
ridge  to  the  Globe  smelter  at  Denver.  The  sampling  company 
devoted  10  days  to  sampling  the  lot.  Gayman,  Knorr,  Whar- 
ton, and  Summers  are  the  lessees. 

Teller  County   (Cripple  Creek) 

The  well-known  Cresson  mine  has  been  sold  to  Colorado 
and  New  York  capital  for  $4,270,000.  A.  E.  Carlton  negotiated 
the  deal.  The  Colorado  men  in  the  purchasing  syndicate  are 
Charles  M.  MacNeill.  Spencer  Penrose,  Eugene  P.  Shove,  John 
C.  Mitchell,  Harry  James,  and  Louis  Noble. 

IDAHO 
Shoshone  County  (Coeub  d'Ai.enei 

The  Marsh  Mining  Co..  which  has  been  operating  near  Burke 
until  two  weeks  ago  is  to  be  reorganized  as  the  Consolidated 
Marsh  Mines  Co..  capitalized  for  2.000,000  shares  at  $1  each, 
against  the  1,500,000  shares  in  the  old  company.  The  new  cor- 
poration will  take  over  all  the  holdings  of  the  company,  the 
Green  Mountain  Mining  Co.,  of  which  the  Marsh  has  control, 
and  probably  some  adjoining  properties,  the  extent  of  which 
has  not  been  decided  on. 

An  18-in.  shoot  of  galena  has  been  opened  on  the  1100-ft. 
level  of  the  Hypotheek  mine  near  Kingston.  The  new  125- 
ton  mill  is  doing  good  work. 

MICHIGAN 

Tin:  Copper  Cointry 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  committee  of  Lake  Superior 
shareholders  of  the  Centennial  company,  formed  last  year  to 
attempt  to  bring  about  a  plan  for  consolidation  with  the 
Osceola  Consolidated,  has  dropped  operations  for  the  present. 
They  have  information  to  the  effect  that  G.  M.  Hyams  of  Bos- 
ton is  a  shareholder  in  Centennial,  although  not  owning  the 
stock  so  that  it  shows  on  the  books.  Under  the  circumstances 
they  think  that  if  they  made  their  proposal  to  the  Osceola — 
both  corporations  being  under  Calumet  &  Hecla  management — 
Mr.  Hyams  would  be  almost  sure  to  bring  some  sort  of  court 
action  that  would  prevent  consummation  of  the  deal,  no  mat- 
ter how  fair  the  shareholders  of  the  Centennial  or  those  of 
the  Osceola  might  look  at  the  proposal.  Their  assumption  in 
that  direction  is  due  to  the  court  action  which  Mr.  Hyams  took 
against  the  Tamarack's  consolidation,  when  that  plan  and 
price  of  purchase  of  Tamarack  stock  by  the  Calumet  &  Hecla 
was  considered  fair  by  practically  every  Tamarack  stock- 
holder. 

Houghton,  June  19. 

In  the  Tamarack  and  C.  &  H.  business  the  latter  will  only 
grant  until  July  1  its  time-limit  for  completing  the  purchase. 


.luU    1.   1916 


MININC  ,...d  Sdantifu   I'KI  SS 


Mr  rJymmi  would  not  wain  an  appeal  iToin  th<  d 

('our!   now    In  .11  lug  ill' 

MISSOURI 

Th*  bowed  llttlt  •  1 1  < -  .input 

of  itn'  Missouri  k  noma  district   m   .■ 

■I  ton*  of  calamine,  and  879  ton*  .if  load,  av< 
lag,  M><  ">»'i  MO  i«m  ton,  pi  Th*  total  vain,.  wai 

$.•.".',.456. 

Ixtases  caused  DJI   the  heavy   r.iln    (6  In,   from    1"  SO  p.m.  to 

i  .1  in  i  on  .hm.'  19  amonni  to  1600,000,  hall  ol  which  was  al 
the  mines.  Three  men  won  drowned  In  the  Cornlluii  mine, 
ihitwood.  The  Ormee  mill,  of  too  ton  capacity,  alao  near 
Chltwood,  »as  stunk  i>>  lightning  ami  deatroyed  by  Bilbao- 
aural  Br*    There  wore  1600  telophonoa  put  out  of  commission. 

MONTANA 

Hi:>>  \l.w  A  l  l.K  Cor  \  i  Y 

Develoimients  at  Copper  City  are  reported  to  be  encouraging. 
The  Three  Forks  company  has  a  shaft  down  100  ft.  cutting 
good  veins.  Good  equipment  has  liecn  erected.  Power  Is  avail- 
able from  the  Montana  Power  Company. 

SlI.YKKIluW    Col   MY 

At  the  Butte  &  Superior,  according  to  the  general  manager, 
J.  L.  Bruce,  development  of  the  1700  and  1800-ft.  levels  shows 
larger  and  higher-grade  orebodies  than  the  1600-ft.,  though  on 
that  level  the  ore-shoot  is  1000  ft.  long.  During  the  last  Ave 
years  the  mine  has  produced  more  than  1,250.000  tons  of  ore 
from  the  levels  above  1600  ft.,  and  above  that  depth  there  is 
more  ore  than  was  blocked-out  when  the  company  took  hold  of 
the  property.  Ore  reserves  are  so  large  that  the  mine  can  go 
on  producing  zinc  at  its  present  rate  of  180,000,000  lb.  an- 
nually Indefinitely.  The  lower  price  of  spelter  has  reduced 
the  value  of  concentrate:  in  January  the  product  was  worth 
1101.60  per  ton.  In  May  $65.25.  The  May  output  was  11,668 
tons  of  concentrate  from  50.6SS  tons  of  ore.  The  mill  is  being 
re-modeled  to  increase  the  capacity  by  50%.  Ball-mills  are  to 
lie  installed  in  place  of  some  rolls.  Foundations  are  being 
prepared  for  the  new  hoist  and  primary  crushing  plant. 

The  Davis-Daly  Is  producing  100  tons  of  2.5  to  G%  copper 
ore  dally,  the  better  grade  coming  from  2500  ft.  depth. 

Development  at  depth  in  the  North  Butte  is  said  to  have 
been  disappointing  of  late. 

The  Bullwhaekcr  mine  is  sending  100  tons  of  4%  copper  ore 
to  the  Plttsmont,  or  East  Butte  smelter,  daily.  Regular  ship- 
ments also  go  to  Tacoma  and  Garfield.  Development  is  satis- 
factory, and  costs  are  low. 

Re-organization  of  the  Butte  &  Bacorn  is  proceeding  satis- 
factorily, nearly  $264,000  being  available  for  resumption  of 
work. 

NEVADA 

According  to  Victor  C.  Heikes  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey, 
who  recently  visited  Nevada,  there  is  optimism  for  the  future 
of  the  zinc-mining  industry,  though  disappointment  regarding 
the  present  price  of  spelter,  among  operators  in  the  Yellow 
Pine  district  and  at  Goodsprings,  who  are  sending  out  a  large 
quantity  of  ore.  There  is  considerable  activity,  also,  in  the 
Battle  Mountain  district. 

All  of  the  ore-loading  platforms  are  covered  with  ore  from 
the  different  properties,  and  five  dry  mills  are  in  operation. 
These  use  crushers,  screens,  and  the  Stebbins  dry  concentrat- 
ing table,  and  are  making  a  concentrate  that  runs  about  60% 
lead.  In  the  Goodsprings  district  they  are  using  caterpillar 
trucks  for  hauling  ore,  each  truck  carrying  30  tons  of  ore  per 
trip.  These  and  the  narrow-gauge  railroad  are  kept  busy. 
The  Yellow  Pine  Mining  Co.  is  producing  a  heavy  tonnage. 
The  placer  fields  in  the  Battle  Mountain  district  are  being 
vigorously  worked  and  extended.  All  of  the  larger  properties, 
including  the  Glasgow  &  Western  Exploration  Co.,   in  which 


Suit  Lake  mining  nan  nre  hoatrilj  Intt  cotlng 

■  ■'  gavsloi hi 

i,  rompan)    m  in  a  prooaaa  ol  liquidation,  and    I 
Ralph,  who  la  handling  thai  and,  aipooti  to  dhmoat   •  .(  the 

mi mt     ■  BommoT  s.iiiniiit,  of  Ball 

Lake,  is  in  chart*  ■*  goaeral  in 

British  ...ii. .■in.  in  which  th*  emits  Orally,  thread  manutao- 
..!.■  Interested     Th*  mo  ton  notation  mill  was 

last   wash  on  th*  Battlt  Mountain  Minion  A   I  nv.-lopim-i 
property    In   Lawla  aanyon      on  tin-  Gwrennh  pi.. 

I.e. Hi.,    a    Mali. mi    on    the    Nevada   (Vtilral    railn.a.l.    iiiiui 

tween  Austin  and  Battle  Mountain,  a  remarkable  rata  iuu»  been 
opened  by  the  Lemalr*  brother*.    The  high-grade  or*  carrla* 

native  n,,i,i  and  illvoi  chlorides,    Th*  Wlnnai ca  Mining  & 

Mining  Oo.'a  100-ton  cyanide  mill  is  about  ready  t.>  begin  op 

eratlons.     Construction  has  lien  delayed  somewhat  on  account 
of    the    failure    of    th*    transformers    to    arrive    according    to 

schedule, 

"Everything  Is  prospering  in  the  country  tributary  to  our 
line,"  according  to  Frank  M.  Jenifer,  traffic  manager  of  the 
Tonopah  &  Tidewater  railroad  In  the  Tonopah  Bonanza.    "The 


mines  of  the  lower  country  around  Death  Valley  are  rapidly 
developing  a  tonnage  that  is  all  the  more  surprising  since 
this  is  the  dull  period  of  the  year.  South  of  Beatty,  I  esti- 
mate there  are  450  men  steadily  employed,  and  there  is  a  good 
chance  for  the  number  to  increase  as  more  work  is  being  done 
and  more  improvements  installed  by  every  company  operat- 
ing. The  Tecopa  company  has  just  finished  its  concentrator 
that  treats  75  tons  daily,  and,  in  addition  to  this,  the  company 
is  delivering  to  us  an  average  of  35  cars  a  month.  This  com- 
pany owns  11  miles  of  standard-gauge  railroad  connecting  its 
several  mines  with  the  T.  &  T.  tracks  at  Tecopa.  At  Grant, 
12  miles  east  of  Tecopa,  I  understand  the  company  has  opened 
one  of  the  richest  orebodies  in  its  holdings.  The  Gunsight 
and  Noonday  mines  are  keeping  up  their  output.     At  Death 


30 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.   1916 


Valley  Junction  the  roaster  or  the  borax  company  is  running 
to  capacity.  At  Baker,  40  miles  north  of  Ludlow,  one  of  the 
Rigga  properties  is  shipping  three  cars  a  week  of  silver-lead 
ore.  The  manganese  mine  at  Owls'  Head  that  has  attracted 
so  much  attention  was  sold  recently  by  Alexander  Yeoman  to 
the  Mollett  Development  Co..  a  steel  concern  of  Massilon.  Ohio. 
for  $50,000.  This  company  is  shipping  at  the  rate  of  1000 
tons  a  month.  It  has  put  in  two  30-ton  Holt  caterpillar  trac- 
tors to  haul  the  ore  the  distance  of  27  miles  to  the  railroad  at 
Riggs.  The  Ibex  at  Zabriskie  has  been  taken  over  jby  the 
Goodsprings  company,  and  is  preparing  for  an  output  of  zinc 
ore  that  will  almost  equal  the  production  of  the  parent  mine 
at  Goodsprings.  This  company  is  putting  on  auto-trucks,  and 
may  mild  a  narrow-gauge  line  to  cover  the  distance  of  14 
miles  between  the  tracks  and  the  mine.  The  company  at  Car- 
bonate has  had  trouble  in  finding  the  right  type  of  tractor,  but 
now  has  secured  one  that  is  capable  of  doing  excellent  service. 
This  motor  came  in  recently,  giving  the  company  two  trucks 
and  tractors  capable  of  delivering  500  tons  per  month." 

Clark  Coin  iv 

The  old  Umberseat  mine,  known  as  the  Carbonate  King,  is 
employing  25  men  and  producing  zinc  ore.  in  charge  of  F.  A. 
Crampton  of  the  White  Pine  Mining  Co.  The  occurrence  of 
zinc  ore  here  adds  considerably  to  the  Goodsprings  belt.  Lead 
is  also  contained  in  the  ore. 

The  Quartette  gold  mine  at  Searchlight  has  been  sold  to  the 
Dupont  Copper  Co.  of  New  York  for  $120,000. 

Ksmkrai.iia  County    (Goi.dfiki.d) 

Exploration  in  new  ground  is  under  way  at  1750  ft.  depth  in 
the  Atlanta.  Other  work  on  this  and  the  15S0-ft.  level  has  re- 
vealed considerable  low-grade  gold-copper  ore. 

Better  ventilation  has  been  secured  at  the  Merger  through 
its  recent  connection  with  the  Jumbo  Extension. 

Development  has  been  resumed  at  the  Lone  Star  Consoli- 
dated in  charge  of  Emory  Arnold.  Work  was  started  at  225 
ft.  depth.  The  Silver  King  mine  at  Hornsilver  has  been 
acquired  by  A.  H.  Elftman  and  Eastern  people. 

Lincoln  County 

At  Freiberg,  65  miles  west  of  Pioche,  the  Alamo  Mining  Co. 
has  opened  gold-silver-copper-lead  ore  in  a  limestone-diorite- 
porphyry  contact.    This  is  a  new  and  promising  area. 

Washoe  Counts 
LaBt  week  the  Union  mine  on   the  Comstock  produced  ore 
worth  $15,000.     This  included  112  tons  of  $71.05  and  155  tons 
of  $34.81  ore  from  the  2400-ft.  level,  and  50  tons  of  $1S.43  ore 

from  2500  ft. The  Mexican  mill  treated  389  tons  averaging 

$39.20  per  ton. The  Sierra  Nevada  continued  repair  work 

at  2400  and  2500  ft. The  Ophir  and  Con.  Virginia  advanced 

drifts  at  2700  feet. 

OREGON 
Josephine  County 
Grants    Pass    people    are    trying    to    re-start    the    Takilma 
smelter,  which  has  been  closed  since  1908.    About  $4000  is  re- 
quired  to   overhaul   the   plant,   which   is   of   100-ton   capacity. 
Ample  ore  is  available. 

SOUTH   DAKOTA 

Lawrence  County 

Gold  ore  is  again  being  extracted  at  the  Wasp  No.  2.  On 
account  of  water  from  recent  rain,  mining  was  suspended  for 
several  weeks.  Dividends  since  January  1  total  $100,000, 
mostly  derived  from  wolframite  production. 

The  value  of  the  gold,  silver,  and  lead  produced  in  South 
Dakota  in  1915  from  33  productive  mines,  10  of  which  were 
placers,  amounted  to  $7,507,782.  compared  with  $7,431,343  In 
1914,  as  reported  by  Charles  W.  Henderson,  of  the  rj.  s.  Geo- 
logical Survey. 


UTAH 

BOXELDKR   COUNTY 

At  the  Lakeview  zinc-lead  mine  on  Promontory  point  there 
are  90  men  employed.  The  May  output  was  S00  tons  netting 
$16,000.  Dividends,  including  $5000  on  May  12,  total  $100,000 
since  October  last.  The  lead  ore  averages  26%,  and  zinc  ore 
32%  metal. 

Juab  COUNTY 

I  Special  Correspondence.  I — Under  the  direction  of  Forbes 
Rickard.  H.  M.  Byllesby  &  Co.  of  Chicago  has  opened  a  large 
tungsten  deposit  near  Lovelock.  Nevada.  Five  hundred  tons  of 
scheelite  has  already  been  shipped  to  the  plant  of  the  Utah 
Minerals  Concentrating  Co.,  at  Eureka,  Utah.  Operation  of 
this  mill  has  proved  quite  satisfactory  to  the  management. 
Already  several  hundred  tons  of  tungsten  ore  from  different 
producers  in  Nevada  and  northern  Utah  have  been  treated. 
The  management  attributes  the  success  of  this  plant  to  the 
elimination  of  stamps  in  favor  of  rolls.  The  extraction  has 
been  from  70  to  83%,  which  is  expected  to  be  increased.  As 
it  stands  now  the  plant  is  probably  doing  as  good  work  as 
could  be  expected,  considering  the  class  of  ore  received  for 
treatment. 

Ogden,  June  18. 

Millard  County 

Sawtooth  is  the  name  of  a  new  gold-copper  district.  45  miles 
south-west  of  Oasis  on  the  Salt  Lake  Route.  30  miles  north  of 
the  Beaver  County  line,  and  50  miles  east  of  the  Utah-Nevada 
State  line.  The  altitude  is  8000  to  9000  ft.  There  is  plenty 
of  water  and  timber  near-by.  The  veins  are  mostly  found  on 
contacts. 

Salt  Lake  County 

An  extensive  deposit  of  molybdenite  has  been  developed  at 
the  Alta  Gladstone  mine  in  the  Little  Cottonwood  district. 
About  400  sacks  are  ready  for  milling.  F.  Redmond  and  L.  S. 
Besley  are  lessees. 

In  Big  Cottonwood  canyon  the  American  Consolidated  Cop- 
per Co.  has  cut  30  in.  of  copper  ore  at  a  point  1200  ft.  in  from 
the  portal  of  the  adit. 

Summit  County 

Further  trouble  is  brewing  for  the  Silver  King  Consolidated 
at  Park  City,  whereby  Solon  Spiro,  one  of  the  directors,  and 
the  company  are  sued  by  J.  C.  Dugan  for  the  return  to  the 
company  of  72,1808  shares  and  $87,205.20,  plus  20,000  shares 
and  $20,000,  alleged  to  have  been  wrongfully  obtained  and 
appropriated  by  Spiro.  The  plaintiff  owns  9000  shares  in  the 
company.    The  details  are  somewhat  complex. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Ore  sent  to  the  Trail  smelter  is  increasing  in  volume.  In 
the  week  ended  June  19  the  total  was  10,826  tons.  For  23 
weeks  the  total  is  224.472  tons. 

A  large  quantity  of  zinc  carbonate  ore  is  being  opened  in  the 
Hudson  Bay  mine  near  Salmo.  Shipments  of  60  tons  daily 
average  around  30%  metal.  The  cross-cut  adit  to  open  the 
vein  at  a  depth  of  1750  ft.  is  in  600  feet. 

During  April  the  Standard  Silver-Lead  company  at  Silverton 
received  $95,115  from  729  tons  of  lead  ore  and  concentrate, 
also  $26,S47  from  zinc  sales.  The  profit  was  $86,773.  The 
surplus  is  $320,936,  after  distributing  $50,000. 

On  June  30  the  Hedley  Gold  Mining  Co.  pays  a  quarterly 
dividend  of  3%,  plus  2%  extra. 

Ontario 
The  Beaver  Consolidated  shaft  is  down  1630  ft.     Cross-cut- 
ting is  to  be  done  at  1600  ft.  to  explore  above  and  below  the 
contact.     At  530  ft.  a  4-in.  shoot  of  rich  ore  has  been  opened 
for  20  ft.     A  flotation   plant  may  be  added   to  the  mill.     In 


.luU    1    1916 


MINING  and  Scienlifi.    I'KI  SS 


M»>  i'  ■  r  to  storage,  and  i"s 

|91  1^1       On    A;  flint 

|l  0|   the  quarter  .- ii «t.-.t    M.n     :l    || 

Ol    <!t'M-]<i[<IIH'll(. 
Yl'KOS 

Tin'  Silver  King  mine  in  iiif  m.i>.i  diitrtel  has  been  ^ ■  •  i «i  bj 

T.  Ali:  .vi...  an.l   McGinn,  wall  Known  In 

the   Nonli       Winn  ih>.  mini.  1b  in  order  an.l  roads  pai  labia,  n 

0  tona  li  expected,    During  the  winter 
Aitkin  mined  1700  bona  worth  op  to  I-'1"1  par  ton.    Thl 

Is  considered  one  of  the  most  Important  In  years. 

KOREA 

I  In-  Beoul  Mining  CO.  re|>ort3  the  following  results  (or  May: 

Bullion  H9.no 

'  rata   95,660 


PERSONAL 


wort  awl  fippftfn/m/m/i.      Tin  i^'*i(k.h  u  .nlmrfi^ 


Total  recovery  $144,800 

55.000 


Operating  profit   JS9.S00 

Copper  Is  i  air ii la i ■■. I  at  ISc.  per  lb.  The  recovery  of  this 
metal  was  99.6' .. 

The  Oriental  Consolidated  company's  May  yield  was  worth 
$188,C 

MEXICO 

SONOBA 

Practically  all  Americans  have  left  Cananea.  Their  de- 
parture was  made  quietly  and  secretly,  the  Mexicans  being  in 
the  dark  as  to  movements  made.    General  Calles  issued  a  note 


THE   UNITED   states-Mexico  BORDER  DISTRICTS. 

to  the  Mexican  population  ordering  them  to  respect  the 
Americans  and  their  property. 

Americans  from  EI  Tigre  are  also  in  Arizona.  Loyal 
Mexicans  will  continue  to  operate  the  mine  and  mill  until 
compelled  to  suspend  work.  Bullion  was  brought  across  the 
border  safely  last  week,  also  concentrate  from  Nacozari. 

Many  hundreds  of  Mexicans  are  passing  through  Agua 
Prieta  on  their  way  south. 


The  Lake  Superior  Mixing  Institute  will  not  hold  its  usual 
August  meeting,  but  will  meet  January  20,  1917,  when  the  iron 
mines  are  not  so  busy,  for  making  a  trip  to  Birmingham, 
Alabama. 


MvaoN  l.   s.  w  i  -  1 1   baa  returned  i"  Bmunler,  Colo: 
Horaci    v    wi\.iihi    paaaad    through    Ban    \  > 
lone  -i. 
ltoniKi   HAWxatmai   Balled  from  New    fort  for  Nicaragua 

on  .Inn. 

O.  O.  Km.iii.iu  has  returned  for  a  visit  in  the  United  states 
from  Sardinia. 

Siiiili.N   llllirn  was  married  on  .Inn.-  24   lii  Miss  Man    Rand 

of  Minneapolis. 

IImm.imi  BfkBB  Is  with  the  Keweenaw  county  road  rum 
mission.  Michigan. 

\V.  II.  Si  win  lias  opened  an  office  in  the  Krlsc  building. 
Lynchburg,  Virginia. 

R.  B.  BBINSMADI  lias  returned  from  Mexico  and  Is  at  Bt 
Louis,  1429  Morgan  street. 

in  .ii  Rose,  resident  manager  of  the  Santa  Gertrudis,  is  at 
Wllliamstown,  Massachusetts. 

J.  D.  Si'iitu  has  resigned  as  mining  engineer  to  the  Tom 
Reed  Gold  Mines  Co.,  Oatman. 

P.  S.  Hauby,  mill  superintendent  of  the  Seoul  Mining  Co. 
of  Korea,  is  at  the  St.  Francis  hotel. 

E.  Fi.emino  L'Enole  has  been  appointed  manager  of  the 
Royal  Zinc  Co.  at  Joplin,  Missouri. 

R.  S.  Pratt,  superintendent  of  the  lola  zinc  mine 
in  Kansas,  recently  visited  at  Houghton.  Michigan. 

A.  J.  CLARK,  who  is  operating  tungsten   mines  at 

Bishop,  California,  was  in  San  Francisco  this  week 

Harrison   A.    Dunn,   a  graduate   of   the   Michigan 

College    of   Mines,    is    reported    to    be    in    prison    in 

Mexico  City. 

P.  J.  Jansen,  manager  of  the  Simau  mine,  Suma- 
tra, Dutch  East  Indies,  is  here  on  a  metallurgical 
journey  of  observation. 

Frank  A.  Love  has  been  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  Elkhart  mine,  at  Chloride,  Arizona,  recently 
acquired  by  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Company. 

F.  W.  Sperr  is  attending  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Engineering  Educa- 
tion held  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 

W.  E.  Tiiorne  has  entered  into  a  new  contract  for 
two  years  more  with  the  Lenskoie  Company  of 
Siberia,  for  selecting  dredging  and  hydraulic  ground 
and  sampling  same. 

Tiiko.  C.  Denis  has  been  released  from  service  in 
the    French    army   at    the    request   of   the   Canadian 
government,  and  will  reserve  his  position  as  Super- 
intendent of  Mines  in  Quebec. 
Albert  Dickson,  of  San  Francisco,  secretary  to  the  Wash- 
ington Mines  Development  Co.,  of  Douglas,  Arizona,  was  shot 
and  probably  fatally  wounded  June  21  in  an  ambush  fight  with 
a  band  of  Mexicans  near  Cumpas,  State  of  Sonora,  Mexico. 

H.  Kenvon  Burcii,  chief  engineer  of  the  Inspiration  Con- 
solidated Copper  Co.,  has  completed  his  work  pertaining  to 
the  design  and  construction  of  the  plant,  and  will  leave  on 
July  1  for  an  extended  vacation  trip  throughout  the  East. 
His  forwarding  address  for  the  next  few  months  will  be  care 
the  Sierra  Madre  Club,  L.  A.  Investment  building,  Los  Angeles. 


The  Editor  will  be  grateful  for  occasional  good  photographs 
of  subjects  relating  to  mining  and  metallurgical  operations. 
They  should  be  printed  on  glossy  paper. 


32 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July   1,   1916 


THE  METAL  MARKET 


METAL.   PRICES 

San  Erranclsco,  June  -~- 

Aniii                       per  pound -" 

:  t  olytic  copper,   cents   per   pound 89.60 

Pig   lead,   cents   per   pound 7.25 —  8.25 

Platinum:  soft  metal,  per  ounce $75 

Platinum:  hard  metal.  10%  Iridium,  per  ounce $79 

Quicksilver:   per  flask  of  75   lb $85 

Spelter,  rents  per  pound    15 

Tin,  cents  per  pound    

Zinc-dust,    cents    per    pound 30 

ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  June  27. 

Antimony:   50%   product,   per  unit   (lr'<    or   20   lb.) $1.26 

Chrome:  \0%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 12. 00 — 14.00 
Manganese:  50%  product,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton.  20.00 

Magneslte:    crude,    per    ton 7.00 — 10.00 

and  over,  per  pound 0.60 —  1.15 

Tungsten:  809    WO*  per  unit 30.00 — 35.00 

Tungsten  producers  ami  dealers  at  Boulder,  Colorado,  are 
more  hopeful  of  the  market.  W.  M.  Long  is  paying  $30  per 
unit  to  lessees,  and  $26  at  the  mill  for  other  concentrate.  The 
Boulder  Tungsten   Production  *'•>■   is   buying  from  lessees  at   $1". 

A    mini,  rate    amount    of    business    lias   been    done    in    New    fork 

from  $30  to  $35.  Russia  Is  reported  to  be  a  buyer  at  slightly 
over  $30.  France  has  been  seeking  t<>  buy  in  the  United  States, 
Japan,  and  South  America,  despite  a  statement  that  she  has  a 
maxim  per  unit. 

B    bulletin    of    the    1".    S.    Geological    Survey    is    available. 
.    1  :n  r.  the  averagi    price  "f  quartz  was  $3.30  per  ton  for 
crude    ami    $10.66    fur    around.    $18.60    for    trlpoll,    and    $v 
•  liatomaceous  earth. 

Gypsum  prices  averaged  $2,70  per  ton  in  1915. 

EASTERN    MCTAL   MARKET 
(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
June   27. — Copper   is  dull,   re-sellers   making   the   market 
is  llrmer  on  export  enquiry;  spelter  is  dull  and  easy. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations.  In  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

June   2\ 64.25 

■      22 65.00 

-       23 65.87 

'■       24 66.12 

26   Sunday 
'■      ■:<■>     ...  ..      . 

"      27 66.00 


Average  week  ending 

May    16 76.40 

"      23 74.14 

"      31 70.81 

June     6 66.35 

"      13 64.68 

"       20 63.62 

"      87 66.49 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Uch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

.Tune    ".t;.43 


Monthly  averages 
1915.  1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
67.88 
64.37 
74.27 


48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 


1914. 

July    64.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


The    movement    of    prices    has    been     upward    but    sensitive 

quantities  of  silver  are  purchased  In  England  and 

Europi    for  coinage,  and  there  is  a  lack  of  competitive  buying 

and   sales    from    India    and    China,    the    price    recedes    somewhat. 

The    large    requirements    of    the    mints    practically    guarantees 

producers  a  good  price  for  their  metal.     Stocks  in   London  are 

100  fine  oz..  a  large  part  of  which  is  immobile. 

If    war    commences    between    the    United    States   and   Mexico 

1    the  world's  production  will  be  unavailable. 
A    16c.    dividend    has    been    declared    by    the    Tonopah    Mining 

TIN 

Prices  In  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 


Monthly  averages  # 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1916. 

34.40 

Il.Ti; 

July    . 

...31.60 

37.38 

.  ..39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

34.37 

48.76 

50.50 

Sept.  .  . 

.  .  .33.10 

33.12 

Apr.    . 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct.     . 

.  .  .30.40 

33.00 

39.28 

Nov.    . 

.  .    88.61 

39.50 

...30.72 

Dec.    . 

...33.60 

38.71 

ion'. 


COPPER 
Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York.  In  cents  per  pound. 


Da 

te, 

j:: 
-l 
Si 
36 

.  .27.50 

Aver 

"      2.1 
"      31 

"      20 
97 

averages 

July 
Aug.    .  .  . 

Sept.  . . . 
Oct. 

age    week    endi 

ng 

:: 

Sunday 

1914. 
.  .14.21 

1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
IS. 71 
19.75 

27.00 

Monthly 
1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 

28.25 

.  .I'.vnii 

1914. 
13.26 
12.34 
12.02 
11.10 
11.75 
.12.75 

1915. 
19.09 

17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 

1916. 

I'd.. 

. .14.46 

Men. 

Apr. 

Mav 

14.11 

..13.97 
..13.60 

June 

Dec.    . . . 

Dividends  declared  are  $2  per  share  by  Granby  Consolidated. 
inspiration,  $1   by  Isle  Royale.  and  $4  by  Osceola.     Ten- 
passed    its   quarterly   on   account   of  trouble  at   its  acid 
plant. 

Kennerott    produced    10.500.000    lb.    In    May,    Granby    Consoll- 
i,::'T,'.'_,:i    lb.,   an.l    Miami.    4.600,000   pounds. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound.  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 

1 6.85 

"       88 6.80 

!8 6.76 

"      24 6.76 

25   Sunday 

■•      26 6.75 

"       27 6.76 


Average   week    ending 


Mav    16. 

"      31. 

June     6. 

"      13. 

"       27. 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Men. 

Apr. 

May 


1914. 

.    4.11 
.    1.  08 

.  3.94 
3.86 
3.90 


Monthly  averages 


7.43 

7.37 

:  ::. 
7.16 
6.90 
6  77 
6.77 


1916. 

5.95 

July 

6.23 

Aug. 

7.26 

Sept 

7.70 

Oct. 

7.38 

Nov. 

Dec. 

1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.86 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
6.34 


1916 


1915 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
June 3.90  5.75 

The  r.  S.  S.  R.  &  M.  Co.  has  declared  Jl  per  share  on  com- 
mon and  87*4c.  on  preferred  stock. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco.  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  Is  fixed  In  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  In  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 

Date.  I    June   13 (8.00 

May    31 75.00  ■'      20 68.00 

June     6 72.50    I        "      27 85.00 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 3  9.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

Mav    39.00 

June    38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

60.00 

295.00 

78.00 

819.00 

77.50 

141.60 

75.00 

90.00 

90.00 

1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.86 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915.        1916. 

95.00 
i;:  76 

91.00 

92.90 
101.50 
123.00 
England    and 


Good   sales   of   quicksilver   have   been   made   to 
Japan.     The  revival  of   export  business  in    this   metal   and   re- 
duction of  local  stocks  tends  to  higher  prices. 

ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
June   8] 


18.50 

18.85 

23 

24 18.00 

.  il  a  y 

86 1340 

27 12.76 


Average  week  ending 

Mav     16 16.35 

"      23 

"      31 14.52 

June     6 13.20 

"       13 13.64 

••      20 ii 

"      27 


Jan. 

Feb. 


1914. 

.  5.14 

.  5.22 

Mch 5.12 

Apr 4.98 

Mav     4.91 

June    4.S4 


Monthly  averages 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
IS  99 
18.40 
18.62 


1914. 

Julv    4.75 

Aug 4.75 

Sept 5.16 

Oct 4.75 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
•14.17 
14.11 
14.06 
17.20 
16.75 


1916 


Tin    is  easy  at  40  cents. 


The  New  Jersey  Zinc  Cn.  has  reduced  prices  of  its  three  high- 
■  i      iTands   by    Se.    per    lb.,    namely,    from    25    to    17c.    24.%    to 
and  24   to  16  cents. 


Juh    I     I'Mt. 


Ml\l\>.   ..id  Soanuh.    I'KI  SS 


Eastern  Metal  Market 


n.  v>   v.uk.  June  .'l. 
itlooa  .hi:  lower,  ami  tha  market  dull  In  ever)   metal 
but  our    ■liiminiim    Couaumera  <x  oopper,  line,  lead,  tin,  and 

.iii(unoii>  a-,  walling,  marking  time,  as  n  were,  i" 

at  ■■  what  u  going  to  happen.     Meanwhile  prloea  decline  In 
the  tattle  attempt  to  lndo.ee  action, 

Th>'  oopper  produoere'  quotations  show  evidence  "i  soften 

ins.  but  op  to  tin  scond-handa  are  taking  what  little 

m  there  la.    To  a  considerable  extent  the  Boarclty  and 

Inefflelenej  of  labor  la  restraining  consumption  of  the  metals. 

■  metal-working  planta  In  and  around  Newark,  New 

are  grappling  with  strikes.    Common  labor  is  bo  scarce 

that   unskilled   men  can   be   fussy   about    what    kind   of   work 

they  do. 

Zinc  la  neglected.  The  lead  market  is  basiug  some  hope  on 
a  revival  of  foreign  business,  but  so  far  it  has  not  material- 
ized. Consumers  of  tin  cannot  be  Interested.  Antimony  is 
weak  at  1^  cents. 

Aluminum,  alone,  shows  an  advance,  credited  to  ezporl 
Inlying. 

Consumers,  both  domestic  and  foreign,  are  taking  deliveries 
agalnsl  their  large  purchases  of  recent  months,  and  quiet  is 
perhaps  to  be  expected,  but  seldom  has  inactivity  been  so 
uniform  in  all  the  metals. 

The  steel  trade  continues  to  find  less  new  business.  A 
peculiar  phase  of  the  situation  is  that  Bessemer  steel  is  more 
easily  obtainable  than  open-hearth,  this  applying  to  plates, 
and  liars.  Japan  has  been  a  large  buyer  of  ship- 
plates,  while  Italy  has  been  a  large  buyer  of  pig-iron.  Russia 
is  buying  large  quantities  of  metal  working  machinery  in  this 
market  for  manufacture  of  all  kinds,  largely  automobile  works 
and  ship-yards.  The  domestic  machinery  market  is  quieter, 
with  the  demand  for  smaller  tools  predominating. 
COPPER 

Second-hands  have  continued  to  make  the  market  in  cop- 
per, hut  they  have  enjoyed  but  little  business,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  odd  and  scattered  lots  for  which  they  have  accepted 
87c,  cash.  New  York,  where  electrolytic  was  specified  for 
prompt  delivery.  Lake  is  absolutely  nominal  at  about  27.75c, 
although  the  price  might  be  put  at  a  lower  level  with  safety. 
There  is  evidence  that  the  producers  are  getting  tired  of  the 
Inactivity,  and  some  of  them,  at  least,  are  willing  to  sell  at 
prices  not  much  higher  than  those  which  re-sellers  ask.  The 
entire  market  is  inconsistent.  The  one  outstanding  feature 
is  the  intense  dullness.  There  is  no  new  war  business  re- 
ported. The  belligerent  countries  are  staying  out  of  the  mar- 
ket presumably  for  the  reason  that  they  are  now  taking  de- 
liveries against  their  heavy  purchases  of  a  few  months  ago. 
As  for  domestic  manufacturers,  they  are  covered,  in  fact  some 
of  them  have  more  copper  than  they  need,  especially  in  view 
of  the  unsatisfactory  conditions  which  exist  with  respect  to 
labor.  Not  only  is  common  labor  scarce,  but  once  found  it  is 
inefficient  and  independent.  Despite  the  fact  that  common 
labor  is  paid  more  than  in  years  heretofore,  workingmen  do 
not  hesitate  to  leave  employment  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  they  find  the  work  "too  hard" — work  which  men  in  or- 
dinary times  are  glad  to  do.  The  London  market  for  elec- 
trolytic is  dull,  and  the  quotation  is  lower  at  £13S  for  spot 
(June  19).  Exports  from  June  1  to  20  totaled  23,917  tons. 
The  copper  trade  is,  of  course,  watching  the  Mexican  situation 
closely,  but  so  far  it  has  exerted  little  influence  on  conditions. 
It  is  conceded  that  should  war  be  declared,  production  at  sev- 
eral mines  in  Mexico  might  be  suspended  unless  military  pro- 
tection were  provided.  The  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  it 
would  not  greatly  increase  the  demand  for  copper. 


ZINC 
There  la  little  i •  ■  saj   except  thai  bu  iwint 

in  the  metal.     A   few  mall  miles  of  prompt 

dnc  have  i a  made  al  ISJIOe,,  New    fork,  equal  i" 

si.  Louis.    Conaumera  iitim  determined  thai  quotation!  shall 

dip   Still    further  be! they    lake   hold,      .lulv    In   tO   be   held   at 

ebOUl     Ui ■..    New     Yuri..    AllgUBl    at     11.750.,    anil    Sepli-n. 
1 1.30c.,  Inn  futures  are  even  n  ed  than  ipot 

The  London  market  is  steady,  inn   Inactive,  al   £68      Bxporta 
in  the  •-•"Hi  total  8948  tons. 
Bheetrclnc  continues  at  80c,  carload  Iota,  f.n.b.  mill, 

Dlspatchea  from  the  Joplln,  Missouri,  district  state  that 
floods  have  caused  many  mines  to  shut-down,  as  was  noted  In 

the    PBC8S  "f   last    week. 

LEAD 
In  the  past  few  days  the  lead  market  lias  been  tinged  with 
hope  based  on  a  slight  revival  in  export  inquiry,  coupled  with 

the  Mexican  situation.    But,  the  fact  remains  that  prices  have 

continued  to  decline,  and  that  little  business  has  been  done,  on 
either  foreign  or  domestic  account.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  con- 
tinues to  quote  7c,  New  York,  and  6.92AC,  St.  Louis,  while 
Independents  are  asking  6.G2*c.  New  York,  and  G.45c  St. 
Louis.  Naturally  the  latter  are  taking  what  little  business 
there  is  stirring.  The  sellers  are  in  comfortable  position  in 
respect  to  their  order  books,  but  at  prevailing  prices  they  would 
be  glad  to  book  more  business.  Domestic  consumers  are  well 
covered,  however,  and  the  war  business  has  vanished.  The 
London  market  is  slightly  higher  at  £31  7s.  6d.  (as  compared 
with  a  week  ago).     Exports  for  20  days  total  179s  tons. 

TIN 
Buying  has  been  insignificant,  and  prices  are  lower.  Spot 
Straits  could  be  had  yesterday  at  40.75c,  prompt  delivery. 
The  supply  is  more  than  ample,  a  fact  of  which  consumers 
seem  to  be  well  aware.  They  also  realize  that  the  June  ship- 
ments from  the  Straits  Settlements  will  be  extremely  large, 
and  that  an  over-supply  may  bring  prices  down  to  a  still  lower 
level.  Until  the  market  steadies  itself  activity  cannot  be 
looked  for.  The  London  market  is  weak,  also  that  at  t lie 
Straits.  London  dropped  £4  today,  (June  21)  making  the 
quotation  £174.  The  market  has  been  dull  for  about  7  weeks, 
and  the  end  is  not  in  sight.  Arrivals,  up  to  the  20th  totaled 
3350  tons,  and  there  was  afloat  on  that  day  3S77  tons.  The 
encouraging  feature  of  the  situation  is  that  consumption  in 
this  country  is  on  a  great  scale.  Tin-plate  mills  are  filled 
with  orders,  most  of  them  to  the  end  of  the  year.  No  other 
item  in  steel  is  so  active. 

ANTIMONY 

The  bottom  has  dropped  out  of  the  antimony  market. 
Efforts  to  sell  to  uninterested  consumers  has  brought  the 
quotation  for  Chinese  and  Japanese  grades  down  to  18c.  per 
lb.  Foreign  buying  is  not  in  evidence.  Some  makers  of 
antimony  face  heavy  losses,  for  they  cannot  manufacture  at 
prevailing  prices.  In  many  quarters  it  has  been  felt  that 
ordinary  grades  of  antimony,  usually  worth  5  to  7c.  per  lb., 
have  been  entirely  too  high. 

ALUMINUM 

Good  buying  by  Russia  and  Italy   is  credited  with   having 
stiffened   the   aluminum   market,   with   the   result   that   63   to 
C5c  is  now  asked  for  No.  1  virgin  metal,  98  to  99%  pure. 
ORE 

Antimony:  It  is  reported  that  South  American  ore  is  no 
longer  offered.  To  do  so  would  be  unprofitable  in  view  of  the 
low  price  of  antimony  and  the  high  ocean  freights. 


34 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


COMPANY  REPORTS 


CITY   DEEP,  LIMITED 

This  Rand  company  will  be  remembered  as  one  at  whose 
mill  several  metallurgical  experiments  were  made,  chiefly  in 
crushing.  During  1916  there  were  150  ordinary  and  4  Nissen 
si  Mm  s  operated,  also  8  tube-mills,  reducing  677,200  tons  of 
ore.  This  averaged  $9.71;:!  per  ton.  of  which  66.4",  was  saved 
by  amalgamation.  The  cyanide  works  treated  678,160  tons  of 
sand  and  slime  assaying  $3,313  per  ton,  with  85';  extraction. 
A  Butters  filter-plant  was  ordered.  The  combined  actual  re- 
covery of  gold  was  95.3%.  against  96.3%  by  assay,  according 
to  the  manager.  Percy  W.  Sherwell.  The  year's  revenue  was 
£1,306,046,  of  which  £624,632  was  profit.  Dividends  absorbed 
£421,876.  The  balance  for  1916  was  £206,948,  compared  with 
li  in.)  17  from  1914.  Working  costs  were  $4.90  per  ton.  In  1914 
the  profit  from  505,300  tons  was  £404,835,  so  that  the  past  year 
showed  a  great  Improvement.  There  were  47ns  natives  em- 
ployed. 

At  the  mine,  a  section  of  which  is  shown  herewith,  develop- 
ment totaled  -7. ::'il  it.  The  circular  shaft  is  2271  ft.  vertical. 
Of  the  footage,  66%  was  in  reef  formation  as  follows: 
Main  Reef,  45  in.  wide,  worth  $3.30  per  ton;  Main  Reef  Leader. 


The  mill  treated  347,640  tons,  yielding  $5,117  per  ton  with 
recovery.  Of  this  59.04';  was  by  amalgamation,  and 
33.84%  by  cyanidation.  This  is  an  increase,  while  costs  de- 
creased to  91c. 

All  operating  charges  amounted  to  $2,559  per  ton.  From  the 
revenue  of  $1,778,959  there  remained  $912,380  profit.  Three 
dividends  absorbed  $600,000.  The  year  commenced  with  a  bal- 
ance of  $665,099,  and  ended  with  $602,560.  To  bring  the  mill's 
capacity  to  45,000  tons  per  month  it  was  decided  to  add  two 
Hardinge  ball-mills  (to  replace  10  stamps),  two  tube-mills, 
two  Pachuca  agitators,  three  Dorr  thickeners,  two  Merrill 
filter-presses,  an  air-compressor,  hoist,  head-frame,  etc.,  the 
whole  to  cost  $282,514. 


CANADIAN  MINING  CORPORATION 
MINING  CORPORATION  OF  CANADA 

The  first  of  these  concerns  is  an  English  company  holding 
1.911.319  shares  of  the  2,075,000  in  the  Canadian  operating 
company.  Out  of  dividends  received  from  the  Mining  Corpora- 
tion the  English  company  distributed  30c.  per  share,  or 
$460,000  in  the  year  ended  March  31,  1916.  The  balance  for 
the  current  year  is  $58,000. 

The  Canadian  company  owns  an  area  of  1S3.5  acres  in  the 
centre  of  Cobalt,  including  the  Cobalt  Townsite,  Townsite 
Extension.  Cobalt    Lake.  City  of  Cobalt,  and   Little  Nipissing 


Ground5toped(MainReef  Leader) 
Ground  included  in  ore  reserves.  u)ith  main  reel 

Dikes 


ONDEBOBOUND    WORKINGS    OF   THE   CITY    DEEP    MINE   ON    THE    RAND. 


27  in.  and  $21.10;  and  South  Reef,  29  in.  and  $14.  Of  the  784.- 
150  tons  mined  last  year,  the  Main  Reef  supplied  29%,  and  the 
Leader  71%.  There  was  13.5';;  discarded  as  waste.  Reserves, 
according  to  the  consulting  engineer,  E.  H.  Clifford,  are  esti- 
mated at  2,976,000  tons,  worth  $9.50  per  ton,  an  increase  of 
466,000  tons.    The  sand-filling  of  stopes  is  a  success. 


DOME  MINES  CO. 

This  Is  one  of  the  large  companies  operating  at  Porcupine. 
Ontario,  and  its  report  covers  the  year  ended  March  31,  1916. 
The  general  manager  is  C.  D.  Kaeding.  with  C.  W.  Dowsett  as 
metallurgist.  The  grade  of  ore  increased  by  82c.  ore  treated 
was  99,090  tons  more,  and  costs  were  43.6c.  per  ton  lower  than 
in  the  preceding  period. 

Development  totaled  17.359  ft.,  not  including  5654  ft.  of 
diamond-drilling.  Exploration  was  fairly  evenly  distributed 
on  the  five  main  levels,  with  a  zone  2000  ft.  long.  400  ft.  wide. 
and  700  ft.  deep.  Through  the  knowledge  gained  selective 
mining  can  be  done,  and  7S3.792  tons  of  unprofitable  material 
was  cut  out  of  reserves.  Reserves  ate  estimated  at  2,600,000 
tons  assaying  $6.20  per  ton.  On  No.  7  level  the  stoping  width 
shown  by  the  first  cross-cut  is  220  ft.  On  No.  5  and  6,  near 
No.  2  shaft,  there  is  120  ft.  width  of  $6.50  ore.  Two  new  wide 
zones  are  being  developed  on  No.  7.  The  new  main  shaft  was 
completed  to  a  depth  of  S77  ft.  All  development  cost  $307,090, 
or  60c.  per  ton.    Mining  cost  62.1e.  per  ton. 


mines,  also  treatment  plants.  The  consulting  engineer  is 
D'Arcy  Weatherbe,  and  general  manager,  C.  E.  Watson.  The 
report  for  the  calendar  year  1915  covers  44  pages,  not  in- 
cluding plans  and  photographs,  and  contains  much  of  interest. 
There  was  an  average  of  426.4  men  employed  at  all  prop- 
erties, who  worked  a.  total  of  133,776  shifts.  Development 
amounted  to  15.S16  ft.,  at  $12.06  per  ft.,  and  565  ft.  of  diamond- 
drilling.  In  309.5  working  days  an  average  of  57.4  machine- 
shifts  was  worked  per  day.  Stoping  continued  in  the  Town- 
site  mine,  and  a  good  deal  of  new  ore  was  opened,  but  in  the 
west  or  Keewatin  formation  only  a  small  area  is  available 
for  exploration.  In  the  Cobalt  Lake  mine  the  most  important 
results  obtained  were  along  the  Cobalt  Lake  fault,  which  pene- 
trates both  the  conglomerate  and  Keewatin  formations.  On 
three  levels  long  drifts  were  driven,  finding  some  rich  shoots, 
largely  of  argentiferous  niccolite.  Cobalt  lake  was  drained 
during  the  year,  using  5  centrifugal  pumps  with  capacities  of 
450  to  700  gal.  each  per  minute.  This  occupied  39  days.  From 
April  12  to  December  31.  1915.  the  cost  of  this  work,  including 
keeping  the  lake  empty,  etc..  was  $25,598.  The  idea  of  this 
work  was  to  render  accessible  ore  under  the  lake.  Present 
work  on  the  Fault  vein  in  the  Cobalt  Lake  mine  gives  promise 
of  finding  more  ore,  but  the  future  will  probably  depend  on 
results  of  exploration  in  the  north  end  of  the  property.  Recent 
drilling  proves  that  the  underlying  conglomerate  is  probably 
the  deepest  in  the  Cobalt  district.  Most  of  1916  will  be  occu- 
pied in  completing  the  work  planned  in  this  ground.     Reserve? 


July    1.    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


total   l"l  I  '■'■'  ton*  o(  ore.  contain:: 
•.mall  deereaaa      In  UN  OltJ    mtm-  nr.-  I 

egg  i>t   in  tin-  Ijii  n>l  1,407,910  o«.  Id 

tin'    T«>w iimII .-.  also  I  dc.lc.ise. 

n»  Detail  Lake  iimi  Cobali  Reduction  plants  treated  :i 
taw  ot  it*\879  too*  el  ere,  yielding  1,913,384  oi  el  silver; 
from  tl  eenl  to  nnelter  tin-  return  was  1,64] 

makiiiK  ■  total  output  ot  1,663,967  oa,    The  mill  recover)  waa 
..ui  amoanted  to  809,779  lb.    The  output  ot 
silver  to  data  la  18,671,699  oa.    Tin.  percentage  ot  extraction  by 
>yaniiiiiiK  ore  slim.-  and  concentrate  ellme  waa  74.98. 

COBta   In    1911   lor  alt  departments  wen   910.16   |>or  ton  and 

per  aa,   of  silver,  agalnat   19.16   and   80.91o.   In    1914 

lively.    In  the  latter  period  operations  were  tor  9  months, 

The  total  Income  was  91,633,682.    The  average  price  received 

for  silver  was  63.680.  per  ot  The  profit  was  $1.2X1,111  Divi- 
dend! absorbed  1618,760.  The  balance  carried  forward  was 
1674,646,  making  a  total  on  hand  at  the  end  of  1916  of  $1.- 
167.376. 

Btnce  April.  1914,  there  have  been  124  properties 
of  which   To  were  examined.     Of  the  total   100  were  gold,   12 
silver,  6  copper,  and  3  molybdenum. 

The  Cobalt  Reduction  Co.'s  plant  showed  marked  increased 
efficiency,  raisins  the  recovery  from  80.94  to  86.51";^.  This 
was  due  to  improvements  in  milium  and  cyaniding  introduced 
by  Mr.  Kairlle  Table  concentrate.  775  oz..  is  re-concentrated 
to  much  higher  grade,  namely.  20no  oz. 


Book  Review 


LENA  GOLDFIELDS.  LIMITED 
This  company  controls  the  Lenskoie  company,  which  oper- 
ates an  extensive  placer  mine  in  Siberia.  The  report  deals 
with  the  year  ended  September  30,  1915.  The  revenue  from 
sales  of  Lenskoie  shares,  and  dividends  from  same,  Russian 
bonds,  royalties,  loan,  interest,  re-payment  of  advances  by 
Lenskoie.  and  cash  balance  totaled  £1,S28,174,  against  £1,469,- 
302.  i The  head  office  is  in  London).  The  net  profit  was  SSO,- 
454  rubles  (1  ruble  =  50  cents),  and  a  dividend  of  R.1.25  per 
share  was  paid  on  1,158.297  issued.  The  balance  to  1915-'16 
was  over  £250,000  greater  than  for  1914-'15. 

The  consulting  engineer.  C.  W.  Purington,  reported  as  fol- 
lows: The  gold  recovery  increased  by  $5.68  per  yard  over  the 
1913-M4  result,  due  to  improvements  in  washing,  etc.,  using 
American  methods.  At  the  four  mines  974,234  cu.  yd.  was 
washed,  yielding  479.937  oz.  gold,  valued  at  £1,791,944,  equal 
to  about  $9.35  per  yard.  Including  the  gold  from  all  sources 
the  total  value  was  £1,966,388,  or  $9,450,000.  The  output  to 
date  is  $201,600,000.  While  the  costs  for  1914-15  are  not  known 
yet,  the  future  charges  are  assumed  at  $6.S4  per  yd.  Reserves 
are  estimated  at  2,238,850  cu.  yd.,  averaging  $S.0S  per  yd.,  and 
1.821,200  yd.  probable,  assaying  $5.32  per  yd.  Dredging  is  to 
be  tried  in  the  Bodaibo  division,  where  16,000,000  yd.  exists. 
Further  drilling  is  underway  at  that  point.  Costs  should  not 
be  higher  than  in  American  dredging  areas  with  similar 
climatic  conditions.  In  the  Nigri  division  is  5,200,000  yd.  of 
gravel  available  for  hydraulic-king,  worth  46c.  per  yd.  Some 
preliminary  washing  was  done  there  last  year.  The  Bulbukta 
tributary  contains  4,000,000  yd.  of  5c.  gravel.  Winter  washing 
was  carried  on  successfully  with  the  temperature  at  75°  F. 
below  zero.  Further  electric  power  is  to  be  developed.  Horses 
were  used  less,  and  the  efficiency  of  men  increased.  The  War 
had  little  effect  on  operations. 


During  1915  the  Greene-Cananea  Copper  Co.'s  properties 
yielded  13,547,575  lb.  of  copper,  536,657  oz.  of  silver,  and  33S5 
oz.  of  gold.  The  net  income  from  all  sources  was  $1,362,606. 
Dividends  absorbed  $500,000.  The  balance  was  $S62,606  against 
a  deficit  of  $3S4,20S  in  1914.  The  continued  revolution  in 
Sonora  was  most  annoying  to  the  company.  In  spite  of  the 
small  amount  of  development  done,  the  ore  opened  undoubt- 
edly exceeded  that  extracted,  and  there  were  notably  larger 
ere  reserves  at  the  end  of  the  year  than  when  work  resumed. 


Kiimim-    mi     Minium. m.\       II,     Frank    Itntlr).     revised    01 

H    li.  Head,  with  an  Introduction  bj  <;   T.  Holloway.     19th 

edition.      ThOE    Murbj     A:    <'"..    Loudon,    anil    |i     Van    N. 

Co..  New  York.  1916     P    194.     in..  Index    i-'or  tale  bj   the 

Mimm.    \\i.  Siiisiiin    I'm  is,     Price,  II 

Before  the  preaenl  revised  edition  waa  prepared  ibis  ueetol 
little  work  bad  is  separate  printings,  18  during  the  author*! 
life.    Owing  to  the  advance  In  tin  subject  during  rei 
and  the  number  of  appendices  added  to  former  editions,  altera 

tloiiB  iii  the  new  wort  wen.  dee 'i  nacaaaarj    Borne  pertinent 

remark!  as  to  the  association  anil  value  of  minerals  Is  given  In 
the  Introduction.     After  a  perusal  of  Part  I,  which  Includes  the 

chemistry,  optical  and  physical  properties  ot  minerals,  crystal 

lography:  and  Part  II.  describing  the  mineral  species,  we  can 
sakly  recommend  this  as  a  useful  and  practical  book,  and 
quite  up-to-date.  A  note  Is  given  on  flotation  of  minerals.  In 
:i  glossary  of  terms  used  in  economic  geology  are  to  be  found 
secondary  enrichment,  gossan,  magmatlc  segregation,  meta- 
iiini -pliisiu.  sedimentary  rocks,  tuff,  and  others  frequently  read 
in  technical  journals. 


Recent  Publications 


The  Caisson  as  a  New  Element  in  Concrete  Construction. 
By  O.  G.  Aichel.    Portland,  Oregon,  1916.    P.  32.    Plans. 


Engineering  Experiment  Station  of  University  of  Illinois, 
Urbana,  1916: 

Tests  of  Reinforced  Concrete  Flat-Slab  Structures.  By 
Arthur  N.  Talbot  and  Willis  A.  Slater.  Bulletin  84.  P.  128. 
Illustrated.  Tests  to  determine  the  action  of  concrete  and  re- 
inforcing steel  in  floor  slabs  of  the  flat-slab  type  of  building 
construction. 

Strength  and  Stiffness  of  Steel  Under  Bi-axial  Loading. 
By  Albert  J.  Becker.  Bulletin  85.  P.  65.  Illustrated.  An 
investigation  to  determine  the  laws  governing  the  strength 
and  stiffness  of  mild  steel  when  subjected  to  combined  stresses 
at  right  angles  to  each  other. 


I.NFORME    SOBRE    LOS    TRABAJOS    DE    LA    COMISION    DE    IRRIGACION 

ue  Puira.    Por  Juan  N.  Portocarrero.    P.  46.    Map,  illustrated. 
Boletin  55  del  Cuerpo  de  Ingenieros  de  Minas  del  Peru,  Lima. 


Physical  Geography  of  Wisconsin.  By  Lawrence  Martin. 
Bulletin  XXXVI,  educational  series  No.  4.  P.  549.  111.,  map, 
index.  Wisconsin  Geological  and  Natural  History  Survey, 
Madison,  1916. 

Students  will  find  this  well  prepared  publication  of  Interest. 


Administrative  Report  of  the  State  Geologist  of  Virginia 
for  1914  and  1915.  P.  45.  Maps.  Virginia  Geological  Survey, 
Thomas  Leonard  Watson,  director,  Charlottesville,  1916. 


Second  Pan  American  Scientific  Congress  held  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  from  December  27,  1915,  to  January  8,  1916. 
The  Final  Act  and  interpretative  commentary  thereon.  Pre- 
pared by  James  Brown  Scott.    P.  516.    Index. 

Every  topic  of  importance  to  the  Americas  was  discussed 
at  this  Congress,  this  volume  being  a  record  of  the  proceed- 
ings. 

In  a  neat  booklet  of  32  pages,  3  by  6  in.,  bound  with  'fabri- 
koid,'  the  Do  Point  Fabrikoid  Co.  of  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
discusses  'book  finish.'  Leather  is  scarce,  and  an  artificial 
product  is  necessary  for  books,  automobiles,  furniture,  etc. 
Fabrikoid  has  proved  that  it  wears  well,  and  many  book  firms 
are  using  it.  The  materia!  is  water-proof  and  washable,  also 
vermin-proof. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


INDUSTRIAL  NOTES 

In/iirmnliim  tupptini  tut  the  manu/tieturer* 

The  Kraut-Kollberg  Flotation  Machine 

Br    MAX    KRAUT 

This  machine  was  invented  and  designed  by  Mr.  Kollberg 
and  myaelf  at  Bisbee.  and  since  has  been  tried  successfully  at 
various  other  places.  Patents  on  the  machine  have  been 
grante.l  and  others  are  pending.  Disregarding  the  metallurgy 
of  flotation,  the  working  principle  of  this  machine  stands  in 
Dg  contrast  to  both  the  agitator  and  pneumatic  types  of 
flotation  apparatus.  While  the  former  effect  the  aeration  of 
the  pulp  by  agitating  and  churning,  and,  so  to  speak,  beating 
the  air  into  it.  and  the  latter  by  blowing  air  under  pressure 
through  a  porous  medium  into  the  pulp,  the  K  &  K  machine 
effects  the  aeration  by  an  original  device,  as  simple  as  it  is 
effective.  The  machine  consists  essentially  of  a  long,  hollow. 
cylindrical  drum,  mounted  on  a  horizontal  shaft.  This  drum 
rided  with  a  series  of  longitudinal  air-slots  and  a  larger 
number  of  longitudinal  riffles  running  the  entire  length  of  the 
drum.  The  drum  is  rotated  rapidly  inside  of  a  close-fitting 
casing,  the  whole  being  enclosed  in  a  suitable  housing,  as 
shown    by    the    accompanying    illustration.      A    discharge-lip 


SKETCH    "I      1111      KUUI-KCII.UiKRG    FLOTATION    MACHINE. 

placed  tangi  ntially  to  the  periphery  of  the  drum  provides  for 
taking  the  pulp  into  the  frothing-box  and  a  controllable  intake 
passage  at  the  bottom  of  the  frothing-box  provides  for  re- 
turning the  pulp  to  the  aeration-chamber  for  re-treatment. 

The  operation  of  the  machine  will  be  best  understood  by 
following  the  pulp  as  it  enters.  The  oiled  pulp  enters  the 
aeration-chamber  by  the  feed-pipe.  As  soon  as  the  level  of  the 
pulp  rises  inside  the  aeration-chamber  so  as  to  touch  the 
periphery  of  the  rapidly  revolving  drum,  it  is  taken  up.  partly 
by  the  adhesion  of  the  pulp  to  the  surface,  partly  by  the 
skimming  action  of  the  riffles;  it  is  taken  around  and  im- 
mediately discharged  by  centrifugal  force  over  the  discharge- 
lip  into  the  frothing-chamber.  But  any  fluid  moving  at  great 
speed  in  an  enclosed  passage  has  the  tendency  to  produce  a 
vacuum  while  in  such  passage  and  thus  induce  air-suction  if 
the  passage  has  a  proper  connection  with  the  outside  air.  The 
pulp  is  moving  In  a  thin  layer  at  great  speed  in  the  narrow 
space  between  the  periphery  of  the  drum  and  its  casing,  and 
hence  has  the  tendency  to  create  a  vacuum  and  thus  induce 
suction,  the  air  being  drawn  through  the  slots  from  the  inside 
of  the  hollow  drum.  In  turn,  the  inside  of  the  drum  is  sup- 
plied with  air  through  the  open  boxes  through  which  the 
shaft  passes  at  the  two  ends  of  the  machine,  as  is  plainly 
shown  in  the  illustration.  A  further  aeration  of  the  pulp  is 
effected  by  the  suction  induced  by  the  jet  or  spray  of  the  pulp 


thrown  off  the  periphery  of  the  drum  by  centrifugal  force  at 
the  point  of  discharge.  The  pulp,  thus  thoroughly  aerated, 
enters  through  a  number  of  holes  which  cause  it  to  spread  over 
the  entire  area  of  the  frothing-box.  The  mineral  froth  rises 
to  the  surface  and  discharges  over  the  edge  of  the  box  into  a 
launder  while  the  pulp  settles  down  and  again  enters  the 
aeration  chamber  fqr  re-treatment  through  passages,  the  open- 
ings of  which  are  controlled  by  a  sliding  gate.  These  open- 
ings are  so  adjusted  that  the  pulp  in  the  aeration-chamber 
can  never  rise  above  the  level  where  it  touches  the  periphery 
of  the  drum,  thus  assuring  a  perfect  aeration  at  a  minimum 
expenditure  of  energy,  as  in  this  manner  an  unnecessary  and 
power-consuming  agitation,  churning,  or  beating  of  the  pulp  is 
completely  avoided.  The  tailing  Is  discharged  through  a 
pipe,  the  discharge  being  regulated  automatically  by  a  level- 
control,  so  as  always  to  maintain  the  same  pulp-level  in  the 
frothing-box.  It  will  be  seen  that,  as  the  new  feed  enters  the 
machine  at  one  end,  and  the  tailing  is  being  discharged  at  the 
other,  the  pulp  gradually  advances  from  the  head  toward  the 
tail  of  the  machine,  describing  in  its  course  a  spiral,  as  it  is 
being  re-treated  repeatedly  in  the  aeration-chamber  and  dis- 
charged into  the  frothing-box.  A  direct  flow  of  pulp  from  the 
head  end  toward  the  tail  end  is  prevented  inside  the  aeration- 
chamber  by  rapid  cross-currents,  which  prevent  longitudinal 
currents,  and  in  the  frothing-box  by  a  number  of  partitions, 
thus  forcing  the  pulp  to  undergo  a  series  of  successive  treat- 
ments as  indicated.  Except  tne  tailing-discharge  valve,  which 
is  controlled  automatically,  there  are  no  other  valves  to  be 
regulated  or  adjusted  (the  bottom  gate  being  set  only  once); 
therefore  the  machine  is  self-regulating  and  requires  no  atten- 
tion beyond  keeping  the  bearings  oiled  properly. 

The  automatic-level  control  consists  of  an  overflow  arrange- 
ment attached  to  the  tail  end  of  the  machine  in  such  a  way 
thai  by  means  of  a  sliding  gate  the  overflow-level  can  be  set  at 
any  desired  height.  As  soon  as  the  level  in  the  frothing-box 
rises  above  the  edge  of  the  overflow-gate,  part  of  the  tailing 
overflows  into  a  suspended  bucket,  which  at  its  bottom  is 
provided  with  a  J-in.  hole.  When  the  overflow  becomes  so 
great  that  the  inflow  into  the  bucket  exceeds  its  discharge,  the 
bucket  gradually  fills  with  pulp  and  begins  to  exert  a  pull 
on  a  wire  or  string  connected  to  the  end  of  one  arm  of  a 
lever,  the  other  arm  of  which  actuates  a  plug  or  gate  con- 
trolling the  tailing-discharge.  In  this  manner,  whenever 
the  level  in  the  frothing-box  rises  it  causes  the  gate  or  plug 
of  the  tailing-discharge  to  be  opened.  When  the  level  sinks 
below  the  overflow  edge,  the  overflow  ceases,  the  bucket 
empties  itself  and  the  discharge-gate  closes.  But  now  it  is  ap- 
parent that  whenever  the  force  exerted  by  the  weight  of  the 
bucket  becomes  great  enough  to  move  the  discharge-gate,  it 
will  do  this  not  gradually  but  will  open  the  gate  completely 
at  once.  This  would  cause  the  mechanism  to  open  and  close 
the  gate  continually,  with  accompanying  fluctuations  of  the 
pulp-level  in  the  frothing-chamber.  To  overcome  this  diffi- 
culty, one  arm  of  the  lever  is  attached  to  a  mercury  dash-pot, 
that  is.  a  hollow-iron  weight  suspended  in  a  pot  of  mercury. 
The  hollow  weight  is  provided  with  a  small  hole  at  the 
bottom,  which  permits  the  mercury  to  run  in  and  out  only 
very  slowly.  When  now  the  bucket  at  the  other  end  of  the 
lever  is  exerting  a  pull,  the  mercury  inside  the  hollow  weight 
counter-acts  the  pull,  gradually  diminishing  in  force  as  the 
mercury  slowly  runs  out  of  the  hole.  The  reverse  action  takes 
place  when  the  level  sinks  below  the  overflow  edges.  The 
mechanism  is  sensitive  to  fluctuations  in  the  quantity  of  feed 
and  readily  adjusts  the  discharge-opening  to  correspond  to 
any  variations  in  the  feed  automatically,  and  thus  contributes 
to  the  ease  and  facility  with  which  this  machine  can  be 
operated. 


The  Western  Electric  Co.  announces  the  death  of  Enos  M. 
Barton,  one  of  its  founders,  and  for  20  years  its  president,  on 
May  3.  at  the  age  of  72. 


.Ink   1.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PKKSS 


16 


LIDGERWOOD 
MINE  HOISTS 

We  have  kept  pace  with  the  rapid  development  of  electric  mine  hoist 
practice.  Our  experience  in  building  electric  hoists  insures  their  capacity, 
safety,  and  economy  in  operation.  Lidgerwood  standard  practice  insures 
strength,  durability,  and  long  service. 


STEAM 

BUILT  UP  TO 

1000  H.P. 


ELECTRIC 
BUILT  IN 
ANY  SIZE 


More  than  38,000 
Steam  and  Electric 
Hoists  built  and  used 


LIDGERWOOD  MFG.  CO. 

96  Liberty  Street,  New  York 

Philadelphia     Pittsburgh     Chicago 
Seattle  London,  Eng. 

X.  B.  Livermore  A:  <o. 
SanlFranciECo  and  Los  Angeles,  Cal.     2 


MARATHON  MILLS 

Study  Some  More  Figures 

540  TONS  PER  DAY  FOR  A  20  HORSE-POWER 
MARATHON  MILL  EQUALS  27  TONS  PER  EACH 
HORSE-POWER  PER  DAY. 

Wet  grinding  a  feed  of  lVs"  to  %",  all  finer 
screened  out  before  feeding.  Product  the  first  time 
through,  no  screening  or  closed  circuit  to  send  back 
oversize  for  regrinding,  showed  over  67  per  cent 
through  4  mesh  screens.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  any  other  machine  doing 
one-quarter  that  under  same  conditions?  Even  with  4  mesh  screens, 
stamps  have  only  3  to  4  tons  capacity  per  horse-power  per  day.  Ball 
mills  require  screening  or  closed  circuit  to  send  back  oversize.  Rolls 
require  two-stage  grinding  with  screens  and  elevators  to  do  the  same 
work. 

Since  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Company  ordered  their  first  Marathon  Mill, 
we  have  received  repeat  orders  for  every  one  of  their  half  dozen  large 
ore  milling  plants;  also  from  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining  Com- 
pany and  many  others. 

Send  for  full  particulars  of  both  coarse  and  fine  grinding  tests  by 
our  customers.  OUR  MARATHON  ORE  CRUSHERS  AND  CLASSI- 
FIERS are  as  superior  to  others  as  are  our  grinding  mills. 


HI  I 


Patt-nti-cl 


Johnson 

Engineering 

Works 

First  National  Bank  Building 

CHICAGO,  U.  S.  A. 


Pacific  Const  Office: 

160  Beale  St..  San  Francisco 

H.  L.  VAN  WINKLE,  Mgr. 


MINING  .nd  Socntik  PRESS 


July  1 


•  Mad*  in  the   U.  S.  A. 


The  Uncle  Sam 


Carbide 
Mine  Lamp 


On.     •»     Ik.     J-.I..I.     I». 


It  M  feature*  never  before   incorporated  in  a  mine 

lamp.     It  has  a  removable  spiral  valve  stem;  an  improved  tip- 

a    trouble-proof    water  cap.    and.    when    desired,    an 

—for   use  in   wet  mines — that  protect*  the  rlame 

from  dripping  water 

.  still  use  can- 
in  half  beskJi 


<",„.-...♦.; 

QflBB 

"i 

MH..      1    «. 

and   dans 

■ 

1CMO  THE  COUPON  fOM  DETAILS 

JUSTR1TE   MANFG.   CO. 


:o7S 


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FILL  IN  AND  MAIL  THIS  COUPON 


II      MAM   UC 
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Dw    M 

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i  f v..  >4  Uw  C  ■ 


The    First    Line    of    Defense 

linst  the  an  t  em 

I  Thsj  attacks'  of  this  troub- 
lesome and    pi  1}    ropuiMd    when    \our 
ers  are   ;                    by 

DIXON'S  SoftM  GRAPHITE 


the  "Pion< 


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e.       1 

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irinir 


1  trill  then  steam   ireeK  and  cloai  -  a  matter  of  hours  instead 

I  A  K  I 
tlu-  I 

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Made  in  JERSEY  CITY.  N.  J.,  by   the 

JOSEPH  DIXON  CRUCIBLE  COMPANY 

I  .1.1,1. .1,^    in.-: 


Job  l.  1916 


MINING  .,ml  Sdwli6<    l'KI  SS 


Make  Yours  a  "Safety  -  First"  Mine 

By  Using 


No.  5  MACHINE 


BLASTING 
MACHINES 


FIRING    loaded   bore  holes  with  electrical  currents  de- 
creases the  liability   of  accidents,  increases  the  eliiciem  j 
of  explosives   and    reduces    the  cost  of  blasting  operations. 

SIMPLICITY  of  design,  compactness  and  dependability 
in  operation  make  Du  Pont  Blasting  Machines  practical 
and  popular  with  blasting  crews. 

SAFEGUARD  life  and   property   by  requiring  the  use  of  blasting 
machines  for  detonation  of  explosives. 

ASK    FOR   DESCRIPTIVE    FOLDER 

E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours  &  Co. 


WILMINGTON, 


Powder  Makera  Since   1802 


DELAWARE 


The  Flotation  Process 

The  only  book  printed  giving  practice  up  to  1916 

COMPILED      AND      EDITED      BY      T.     A.      RICKARD 

This  book  has  had  a  truly  remarkable  reception,   L600  copies  sold 

before   il    was  prillled.      Ilul    Hie    reason    is   casih    seen.      Kvcry    niinlni; 

operator,  engineer  and  metallurgist  recognizes  "The  Flotation 
Process"  as  a  book  to  fill  the  need  of  the  moment.  It  contains  useful 
notes  on  methods  in  vogue  In  many  districts;  ii  describes  the  ma- 
chinery necessary  I'or  the  three  methods  Of  dotation;  tells  how  to 
make  tests,  plan  and  build  a  mill,  treal  dotation  concentrate,  gives 
primary  principles  and  discusses  development  of  the  process.  Flota- 
tion is  destined  to  be  as  revolutionary  and  lo  have  a  scope  as  much 
wider  than  eyunidation  as  CyanldatlOD  was  in  advanced  ohlorlna- 
tion. 

The  authors  contributing  to  "Tin:  Fi.otvtiun  PaoCEBS"  are  among  the 
foremost  authorities  of  the  metallurgical  fields.  The;  include  the 
men  who  have  brought  the  process  to  its  present  stage  of  develop- 
ment. 

"THE  Flotation  FboOESS"  is  comprehensive,  it  Is  authoritative,  you 
need  it. 


364  Pages.      Illustrated.       Buckram   Binding 

Published  and  for  sale  by 


MINING 


AND 

SCIENTIFIC 


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NEW  YORK  OHIOAQO 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


ALBERT    ANCKER   Pkist  D"  R  L  BURCMAM    Sec* 

E  D    MOOERS    ViciPimt  CARL  H  FRY  Su» 

W  J.COTTON.  21°  Vice  Pdesr  anc-Mo*  0'»«cto« 


NATIONAL  BANK   OF  CALIFORNIA  Toi.s 
WARD  CHAPMAN.  Atty 
J  W  HARTMAN.  M   E 


mgg£ 


:Kan&oburq.(£al. 


June   15,    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  SERVICE, 
San  Francisco,  Cal . 

Gentlemen: 

We  want  to  thank  you  for  having  catalogs  and  prices 
on  transits  sent  to  us. 

Without  the  aid  of  your  Service  Department   it  would 
have  been   necessary  for  us   to  have  written  to  the  manufac- 
turers,   which  would  have  meant  a  delay  of  weeks. 

Very   truly  yours, 

Yellow  Aster  Mining  &  Milling  Co. 
(Signed)  C.    H.    Fry,    Supt . 


This  letter  needs  no  comment.  It  graphically  illustrates 
a  phase  of  M.  and  S.  P.  Service  that  is  of  vital  importance 
to  every  reader.  The  next  time  you  are  in  the  market  for 
anything,  from  a  hundred  feet  of  fuze  to  a  heavy-duty 
hoist,  save  time  and  trouble  for  yourself  by  writing  or 
wiring  to  M.  and  S.  P.  Service. 


.Inly   1.   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   I'KI  SS 


1" 


PRESCOTT 

Mine  Pumps 


IK  four  mine  is  electrleallv  equipped,  it  is  to  your 
advantage  to  gat  fully  acquainted  with  PRESCOTT 
Duplex  Power  Pumps  before  making  your  installation. 

We  are  specialists  on  Mine  Pumps  and  every  machine 
turned  out  by  us  embodies  our  knowledge  of  wbat  mine 
pumps  must  do,  gained  by  years  of  experience  In  this 
field. 

PRESCOTT  Pumps  are  operating  under  every  condi- 
tion to  be  found  In  a  mine,  and  our  experience  and 
success  enables  us  to  recommend  to  you  the  proper 
machine  for  your  particular  requirements. 

Send  us  your  specification*  and  ask 
for  copy  of  our  CATALOG  P10S-32. 

WORJHINGTON  PUMPAND  MACHINERyCORPORATION 

Successor  to  Fred  M.  Prescott  Steam  Pump  Co. 
US  Brosdwsy,  New  York  Works:    Milwaukee,   Wis. 

Branch  Offices  In  all  Principal  Cities  P179.2 


Meets  Every  Requirement 
of  a  Mine  Sinker 


Every  condition  of  economy  and 
efficiency   in   operation  are   met  by 

"American" 
Mine  Sinker  Pumps 

They  occupy  smallest  space  In 
the  shaft,  and  are  perfectly  bal- 
anced, so  that  they  do  not  require 
hangers. 

They  are  suspended  by  cables  and 
sheaves  from  a  hoisting  drum  at 
the  surface,  so  that  they  can  be 
quickly   raised   or   lowered. 

They  are  so  designed  that  motors 
will  not  be  overloaded  under  vari- 
able head,  which  is  an  important 
feature  in  a  centrifugal  pump  in 
shaft  service. 

Grit-proof  bearings  are  provided 
above  and  below  impellers,  so  that 
It  Is  impossible  for  grit  to  get  into 
the  main  bearings. 

They  are  automatically  primed, 
and  possess  many  other  features 
which  insure  greatest  economy  in 
operation. 

Tell  us  your  requirements. 
Ask  for  Catalog  132. 

The  American  Well  Works 

General  Office  and  Works :       Aurora,  III. 
Chicago  Office  :  First  National  Bank  Bde. 


STANDARD  BALL  MILLS 


A  Simple,  Strong, 
Durable  Mill  at  a 
Moderate  Pi  ice 


Lining  made  of  sptegellzed  Iron,  self-locking,  no  bolts 
through  shell.  Scoop  feed,  trunnions,  equipped  with 
spiral  feed  and  reverse  spiral  on  discharge  end. 

The  capacity  and  horsepower  can  be  varied  from  above, 
depending  on  the  steel  ball  charge,  and  Is  based  on  IH  to 
2-Inch  feed,  and  product  12-mesh  and  finer. 

Capacity.  Diameter  Width  Revolutions  Horsepower  BalU  to 

Tona  Dei  Mil],  Mill,  per  Chanje 

Hour  Feet                 Feet  Minute  Poundi 

20 6        6  26  65  9,000 

13 6        4  26  46  6.000 

17 6        6  27  65  7,000 

15 5        6  27  45  6,500 

12 6        4  28  40  6,000 

10 4        5  29  38  5.000 

6 4        4  32  15  2.500 

3 4 3 32 12 2,300 

THE  MORSE  BROS.  MACHINERY  &  SUPPLY  CO. 

1732  Wazec  Street,  Denver.  Colorado 


"It's  a 

Waugh" 

■NH    MfH 

Waugh    Stopers   will 

■^fc*              ^sJH 

drill  the  greatest  foot- 

LVk'JNH 

age  on    the    least    air 

i    V5l 

with      the      minimum 

breakage  of  steel  and 

R         ''-^l? 

cost  of  upkeep.   Their 

•Wlr 

reliability,  ease  of  rota- 

tion  and   simplicity  of 
construction  have  made 

,  -jffwm^h. 

them   deservedly  pop- 

w^--^: 

ular  with    the   miners. 

They  are  designed  in 

different  sizes  adapted 
to   all    classes  of  rock 

jpgBsf^|f 

and  for  either  high  or 

«Sk!Sj-»J&V   :  .._*V 

low  air  pressures. 

-|l£Vy\ww  \^^A)v^l  \\&#w^.vw«\  Q- 

New  York         El  Paso         DENVER,  COLO.         Salt  Lake          Sealde 

San  Francisco           Houghton           Bulte          Joplin           Kingman,  Ariz. 

20 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRF.SS 


July  1,  1916 


anon 


* 

■a. 


-ii i 


9SSS5SSSS. 


Till   fact  that  dredging  e  purchased 

to  infrequently  i.  one  "I  the  strati 

Wr   klx  -W   I'll"  pUT     ' 

Ki  <    mi    i     -.(    tin    ,    v.'     Ii  ,  I    th.n 

"I 

MARION  FXEVATOR  DREDGES  j 

ill. .ii  tin  f.i<  i  tii.ii  t.  .  hnicc  uf  Brim  who 

i  pin  "f  El  i  illcy  »<»  know  in  ad 

tll.ll    rr    : 

bi   r.  quln  -I  "t   it ,  hem  i 

whatever  you  buy  from  th!  rill  be  njgA/.mi 

'     work. 

M - - 

■" ■"  ^^"»Allm,l,.,  1  bll  '•«".  N"  w  V.,,1.,  Snn  liiiMllKi..  Smith 

tin:  MARION   BTBAM  SHOVEL  COMPANY 

MAKION,  OHIO 


Made   in   3   Size* 

Mid    o  to  no  to OUI 

/(  is  ;i  Ion;;  w:i\   Inmi  <>\-U-;uilS  tO  ailtO- 

tnobiles,  and  about  the  same  distance 
between  old  Btyle  ore-milling  machinery 
ami  ;i  Denver  Quartz  Mill. 

The  Real  Cost  Is: 

First  Cost  Plus  Upkeep 

Posl  yourself  mi  the  efficiency  <>f  our  pul- 
verizing machinery  bj  reaalng  our  (iiiiiloj; 
So   12.    Ask  for  ii 

The  Denver  Quartz  Mill  &  Crusher  Co. 

216-217  Colorado  Building,      Denver,  Colorado,  II.  S.  A. 


SMOOTH-ON 

TRAuE  MARK-  REG.U.S.  PAT.OFF. 


Iron  Cements 

Positively  stop  all  leaks  of  steam, 
water,  fire  or  oil,  in  iron,  steel  or 
concrete.  They  are  easy  to  apply, 
harden  quickly  and  make  perma- 
nent repairs,  proved  by  yt  ars  in  use. 

Every  engim ier  should  have  a 
copy  of  our  instruction  book. 

Smooth -On  Mfg.  Co. 

Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  U.  S.  A. 


Send  for  New 
No.15  Illustrated  Instruction  Book 


Here  s  Real  Power 
With  Real  Economu" 

..  i,.  i,     i at  flon'l   buj   merely  a  o.r- 

-I   I-.    ■    S i .  '•'"'  I'  >'"" 

lool    .i.  i  pi!   >"i"  thll  ">     i'      I  ■""   '  ■  111  ll"  ■ 

Bessemer  Oil  Engine 

(  \wnrdod  Gold  Mi  rtal  Pannmi  P&otfli  I    pa  ttloii  < 

i  ,,,    ii,.    in  ..*  ...i  . i ' 

i.i ■.     ;     '  i '■     ""i   tuol 

Mil. 

oi i- ."   Ii 

n  outf  ooata,  '-niM  in  .  I   where  n  i»  Inat&Uod 

in  i  ..I.  n  .■  I..-  ■    leal  r  i 

Of  Hi,. 

asking, 

oni  eompleta  tine :    Fuel  Oil  Enginci  from  i  i  in  185 

II.  I'.    Gat  Kni ^ll.V.     Keratin*  Enjina,  2 

i,>  8  H.P, 

The  Bessemer  Gas  Engine  Co. 

34  York  Street  Grove  City,  Pa. 

llcmM'im-r     Knaliipw     Hiuutlim     '1'inliiy 
In    SKIct'n    Tlimitniitl    rn»rr    I'lmilw. 


Jul. 


MINING   ...J  Sorniiftc  PRESS 


U 


Putman  Boots  Shorten  the  Long  Miles 

Mai  u.  ,_U<  mi  „„,.    OUm  aal  W.i  ka....  .«>,. 

aniaSJ  aMMB  tw  I  ,.J   tad  Maa*  lAMNIt      ft"  I  ■ 

—I  —I.  m<J  rW  ......  "IV- 

•    ..     M»S     l-i     iaaa.ll.     kW* 

k.  JaaV  illi    ill  'k-f 

Comfort  Shoe,  for  Active  Men 

-    Amy  >***  ii  iV-  i 


|..rt.U.    .aaraj   a—   kaan Mai,  o.  the 


a*  .  iS  n.  tai  fcai* 
xkIuiiI  Ji«.  MW  >  oal.  aa.  •«  *• 
am  aaoaaV  liiig-l  d*»i  ikra.  a  »• 
PWHi  CaiMocar 

It..    I'ulman  lloot  A  Shorlo. 
Minartpoaa.  Hkna. 


.attralaaai  ki 


CARD 
CONCENTRATOR 


Stanufacturtd  by 


Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.  &  Supply  Co. 

DENVER 


BLAKE,  MOFFITT  &  TOWNE 

DEALERS  IN  PAPER 

37  TO  45  FIRST  STREET,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 
BRANCH  HOUSES  IN  LOS  ANGELES  AND  PORTLAND 


■GOLD  DREDGES I 

Yuba  Ball  Tread  Tractors         Yuba  Centrifugal  Pumps 
THE  YUBA  CONSTRUCTION  CO., 

WORKS:  MuTsriDe.  Cal.  SALES  OFFICE:  433  California  St..  Sao  Francisco.  Cal. 


Dewey,  Strong  &  Townsend 

PATENTS 


rPANCISCO 


PATENTS    OBTArNAEDSMlN°°ALL    COUNTRIES 


NATIONAL  TANK  &  PIPE  Ca.WoHR2igE*mi 


Rock  Breakers 

Blake  Pattern  :  Dodge  Pattern 

Manufactured   by 

VULCAN  IRON  WORKS 

SAN    FRANCISCO,    CAL. 

Send    for   Catalog. 


ROEBLING 


Blue  Center  Rope 


i-   nol    rccoinnu'iidtx]   i 


Thin'  an.'   ii 


which  other  make*  <-\  Roebting  (tope  will  answer  better. 
But  for  heavy  hoists  and  haulages,  for  dredging.  logging, 
and  other  purposes  where  the  nervice  la  html  on  wire  rope, 
Blue  Center  Rope  \-  to  bo  preferred. 

John  A.  Roebling's  Sons  Company  of  California 


i   Franc  iftco 
iltle 


Lo«  Angeles 
Portland,  Ore. 


Turbine     PUMPS    Centrifu8al 

Where  the  service  is  hardest  you  will  find  the  Jackson. 

HYiie  for  Catalog  iVo.  t&-z 

Byron    Jackson    Iron    Works,    San    Francisco 


SILVER  PLATED  COPPER  AMALGAM  PLATES 

I'lllt    SAVING    BOLD 
Mont     exten.lve    and     MticccMnful     niftnufuc- 
torern.       Old     platen    rt-plnti-d — made    ra.ua! 
lo  new. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  PLATING  WORKS 

1J(9-51  Mission  SL,  Sail  Francisco        E.  0.  DENNISTON,  Prop. 

Get  our  prices.  Catalog  sent. 

Telephone  Market   2915. 


/  Sand  and  Slime  Tables 
CONCENTRATOR  Screens-Jigs— Classi- 
SPECIALTIES  (  fiers— Ore  Feeders,  &c. 

Write  lor  the  James  Bulletins 

JAMES  ORE  CONCENTRATOR  CO. 

35  Rnnyon  St.  NEWARK.  N.  J. 


AMERICAN    CAST    IRON    PIPE    COMPANY 


MAMF.KTI/KEKS 


n; 


./ 


BIRMINGHAM,  ALA. 


^sa*-^  SALES 

Birmingham.  Ala— Box  908. 
Columbus.  Ohio— 607  New  Hayden  Bldg. 
Minneapolis.  Minn.— 840  Plymouth  Bldg. 
New  York  City— No.  I  Broadway 


iffioes: 

Chicago.  III. — 509  In  Nat.  Bk.  Bldg. 
Dallas.  Tex— 1217  Praetorian  Bldg. 
Kansas  City,  Mo— 716  Scam'tt  Bldg. 
San  Francisco,  Cal. — 71 1  Balboa  Bldg. 


FLOTATION 

"AN  OIL  FOR  EVERY  ORE " 

Pine  Oils— Pine  Tar  Oils— Coal  Tar  Oils— Wood  Creosotes 


General  Naval  Stores  Co.,  J  75  Front  St.,  New  York 


PINE 


FLOTATION  OILS 

Pensacola  Tar  &  Turpentine  Company 

F.  E.  MARINER,  Pres.  Guix  Point,  Fla. 


22 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


JSiwHneers*  Instruments 

*ZJ  AND 


%^ 


*■  . 


Saves  20%  to 
40%  in  Fuel 
For  Work 
Accomplished 
and  Heat  Units 
Produced. 

The  Case 
Low 
Pressure 
Oil  Forge 

(burning  fuel  oil) 

not  only   works   this  saving,  but  it  possesses  other 
powerful  advantages. 

For  instance  :  Drills  heated  in  it  will  not  scale,  the 
steel  remaining  always  in  sight. 

Offsets  danger  from  sulphurized  or  oxidized  steel, 
and  makes  drills  bold  their  edge  a  longer  time. 

Practically  eliminates  noise  and  smoke. 

Get  our  descriptive  catalog.  More  than 
one  man  has  t>een  "converted"  by  it. 

The  Denver  Fire  Clay  Company 

Denver,  Colo. 


The  Roessler  &  Hasslacher 
Chemical  Company 

100  William  Street,   New  York 

Works;  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J. 

Cyanide  73-76% 

Cyanogen  Content  39-40% 

Cyanide  of  Sodium  96-98% 

Cyanogen  Content  51-52% 

AND  OTHEB  CHEMICALS  FOB 
MINING    PURPOSES 


Chemicals  for  Recovery  Processes 

Borax  Borax  Glass 

Lead  Acetate 

Zinc  Shavings  Zinc  Dust 

Cyanide 

EVERYTHING     FOR     THE     LABORATORY 


importer  San  Francisco.Cal.  ^porters 


Not  for  the 
man  equipped 
with — 


*      *^-*-*  *  V-F    ^    DAVIS    )   Oxygen  Apparatus 

Thb  apparatus  has  been  approved  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.  It  has  been  tested  and 
proved  by  mine  operator*  all  over  the  world.  It  has  replaced  other  apparatus  time  and 
time  again.  Why)  Because  oi  certain  features  explained  on  request.  "PROTO"  is 
reasonably  priced,  sturdy.  lasting,  simple.  Write  for  details. 

SIEBE,    GORMAN    &   CO.,    LTD. 

H.  H.  Fjmer,  Gen.  Agt.,  1140  Mtmadnock  Bik..  Chicago.  San  Francisco  AgL,  £.  D.  Buiiard,  m  MartelSI 
Pltlsburah  Agls,,  Mine  Saled  Appliances  Co..  541  Fourth  Ave.  New  York  Agts.  Elmer  &  Amend,  208  Third  Ave' 


SEND    FOR    CATALOG 

A-9  OF  BALANCES 
BX-9  OF  ENGINEERING  INSTRUMENTS 


WW.  AIXSWOKTH 
•  8-SOMS  • 


THE  PRECISION  FACTORY 


DENVER.  COIO. 
♦    U.S.A.   » 


Tapes  and 


Backed  by  a  record  of  25  years    KllleS 
of  dependable  service. 
CATALOG  ON  REQUEST 

SAGINAW,  HIGH. 
New  York 


7he fuFMN Rule  (?o. 


PR  ECISION 

BALANCES     AND     WEIGHTS 

For  twenty  years  metallurgists  and 
assayers  have  looked  upon  Thompson 
Balances  and  Weights  as  the  acme  of 

? precision.      Made   In   a   style  and   size 
or  every  purpose. 

Write  for  catalog;. 

THE     THOMPSON    BALANCE    CO. 

Denver,  Colo. 


FRENIERS    SAND    PUMP 

THE    MOST    DURABLE    FOR 
SLIMES,  TAILINGS,  BATTERY  SANDS,  Etc. 

AGENT8 
Allis-Chalmers  Co.  Steams-Roger  Mfg  Co. 

Chicago,  111.  Denver.  Colo. 

Harron.Rickard  &  McCone,  San  Francisco.Cal. 
Frank  R.  Perrot.  Sydney  and  Perth.  Australia. 

FREN1ER  &  SON.  RUTLAND,  Vt. 


July    1.    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRKSS 


Professional  Directory 

ENGINEERS,  METALLURGISTS,  and  GEOLOGISTS,  Arranged  Alphabetically 


(FOR  ADDRESSES  SEE  CARDS  ON  FOLLOWING  PAGES) 


RATES:    One  half  Inch.  $25  par  year,  subscription  Included.    Combination  rate  with  Th<  Minim  Mo, a, in.  (London),  one  half  Inch  In  each, 

$40  per  year,  subscriptions  Included. 


ENGINEERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 


a  niro\  A 

Bradley.    D.    II  .   Jr 
Burch.    II.    Kenyon. 
DaKalb.    Courtenay. 
Eye.    Clyde    M. 
Hind   at    Johnaon. 
Smith   A   Zleaemer. 
Tlmmona.  Colin. 
Willis.  Charlea  F. 


(  A1.IKIIHVIA 

Abbott.  James  W. 
Arnold,   Ralph. 
Beauchamp,  F.  A. 
Bradley.   Fred   W. 
Brayton  &  Richards. 
Bretherton.  S.  E. 
Burch.  Albert. 
Burch.   Caetanl    & 

Hershey. 
Caetanl,  Gelaslo. 
Caldwell.    Forest   B. 
Carpenter.  Alvln  B. 
Chodzko.    A.    E. 
Clark.   Baylies  C. 
Clevenger.   G.   Howell. 
Collins.   Edgar  A. 
Cranston.  Robert  E. 
Dennis,   Clifford  G. 
Durham.    Edward    B. 
Farlsh,  John  B. 
Gester.  G.   C. 
Gibson.   Arthur. 
Grant.    Wilbur    H. 
Grunsky.    C.    E..   Jr. 
Hamilton.  E.  M. 
Hanson.    Henry. 
Hoffmann.  Ross  B. 
Hunt  &  Co.,  Robert  W. 
Huston.  H.  L. 
I    Hyde,  James  M. 
Janln,   Charles. 
Jenks.  Arthur  W. 
Juessen.     Edmund. 
Klnzle.  Robert  A. 


Lanagan.    w.    H. 
Landera.    William    II. 
Lorlng.  W.  J. 
McBrlde.  Will.. :i  I  G. 
Merrill.   Charlea    W. 
Merrill  Metallurgical  Co. 
Morrla,    F.    L. 
Mudd,  Seeley  W. 
Munro.  C.  H. 
Myers.    Desalx    B. 
Nell!,  James  W. 
Newman,  M.  A. 
Pepperberg,   L.   J. 
Prlchard,    W.    A. 
Probert.    Frank   H. 
Radford,   William   H. 
Ray,  James  C. 
Rlckard,   J.   Henry. 
Rlckard.   T.   A. 
Rlordan.  D.   M. 
Royer,    Frank    W. 
Scott,   Robert. 
Slmonds,    Ernest  H. 
Sizer.   F.   L. 
Smith,  Howard  D. 
Stebblns.    Elwyn    W. 
Steel.   Donald. 
Stevens,  Arthur  W. 
Storms,    William    H. 
Tolman,  Cyrus  Fisher. Jr 
Turner.   H.    W. 
Tweedy,  Geo.  A. 
Wardner.  W.  R. 
West,  H.  E. 
Wiseman.  Philip. 
Woodworth.  S.   E. 
Wrampelmeler,   E.   L.   S. 


COLORADO 

Argall   &  Sons.   Philip. 
Bancroft.  Geo.  J. 
Chase.   Charles  A. 
Chase  &  Son,  Edwin  E. 
Collins,    George    E. 
Dickerman.   Alton   L. 
Dorr  Company,  The. 
Farlsh,   John   B. 
Finch,  John  Wellington 
Hills  &  Willis. 
Lunt,  Horace  F. 
Rlrkard,     Forbes. 


IDAHO 

Easton.  Stanly  A. 
Hershey,  Oscar  H. 


ILLINOIS 

Chase  &  Main. 
DeWllde.   F.  J. 
Hollls.  H.  L. 
Hunt   &   Co.,   Robert  W. 
Masscy    Co.,   George   B. 


LOUISIANA 

Stanford.    Richard    B. 


MASSACHUSETTS 

Dickerman.  Alton  L. 
Richards.  Robert  H. 
Rogers.   Allen   Hastings. 


MINNESOTA 

Collins.    Edwin    James. 
Longyear  Co..  E.  J. 
Wlnchell.    Horace    V. 


MISSOURI 

Brlnsmade,  Robert  Bruce 
Copeland.    Durward. 
Hall.  R.  G. 

Hunt  &  Co..  Robert  W. 
Kirby,  Edmond  B. 
Malcolmson,    Jas.   W. 
Robertson.   James  D. 


MONTANA 

Creden,  William  L. 
Greene,  Fred  T. 
Valerius,    McNutt    & 
Hughes. 


NEVADA 

Bristol.  J.  J. 
Lakenun,    C.    B. 
Symmes.  Whitman. 
Turner.   J.    K. 


NEW    MEXICO 

Kirk,  Charles  T. 


NEW   YORK 

Aldrldge,    Walter    H. 
Arnold,    Ralph. 
Ball,   Sydney  H. 
Banks,   John    H. 
Beatty,  A.  Chester. 
Benedict,   Wm.  de   L. 
Brodle.  Walter  M. 
Bulkley.  J.  Norman. 
Channing,  J.  Parke. 
Clapp.    Frederick    G. 
Cranston,    Robert   E. 
Dorr,  John  V.  N. 
Dunster.   Carl   B. 
Dwlght.    Arthur    S. 
Finch,  John  Wellington 
Flnlay.  J.  R. 
Henderson,  H.  P. 
Herzig,    Charles    S. 
Hoffmann.  Karl   F. 
Hunt  &  Co..  Robert  W. 
Leggett,  Thos.  H. 
Lloyd.    R.    L. 
Mein.    William    Wallace 
Mercer,  John  W. 
Mlnard,  Frederick  H. 
Olcott   &   Corning. 
Pavne.  Henry  Mace. 
Perry,  O.  B. 
Polllon  &  Polrier. 
Raymond,  Robert  M. 
Raymond.    Rossiter   W. 
Rogers,   Allen  Hastings 
Rogers,    Edwin    M. 
Sharpless,   Fred'k.  F. 
Slmonds  &  Burns. 
Simpson,   W.    E. 
Spllsbury,    E.    Gybbon. 
Sussman,  Otto. 
Thomas.    Kirby. 
Thomson.   S.   C. 
Von  Rosenberg,  Leo. 
Webber,   Morton. 
Westervelt.    William 

Toung. 
Weekes,   Frederic  R. 
Wllkens    and    Devereux 
Yeatman.   Pope. 


OKLAHOMA 

Valerius,    McNutt    & 

Hilgh.-K. 


Oregon-Idaho  Inveat- 
ment  Co 


PENNSYLVANIA 

Associated   Geological 

Engln.-.. i  n 
Chance,  H.  M. 
Garrey,    George    H. 
Garrison,    F.    Lynwood. 
Heinz,  N.  L. 
Hunt  &  Co..  Robert   W. 
Myers.   Desalx  B. 
Spurr,  J.   Edward. 


PHILIPPINE      ISLANDS 

Eye.  Clyde  M. 


Klnnon,  Wm.  II. 
Nicholson,  Francis. 


UTAH 

Fisher,  C.  A. 
Howard.  L.  O. 
Kirk  &  Leavell. 
Krumb.    Henry. 
Neill,  James  W. 
Schmidt.    F.    Sommer. 
Sears,  Stanley  C. 
Talmage,     Sterling    B. 
Vadner,   Charles  S. 
Wlnwood,  Job   H. 


VIRGINIA 

Stover.  W.  H. 


WASHINGTON 

Bard.  D.  C. 
Bellinger,   H.   C. 
Keffer  &  Johns. 
Levensaler,  L.  A. 


ENGINEERS  IN  FOREIGN  COUNTRIES 


AFRICA 

Dixon,  Clement. 
Dyer,  S.  C. 
Emery,  A.  B. 


ASIA 

Cole.   F.   L. 
Collbran,    Arthur    H. 
Macnutt.  C.  H. 
Mills,   Edwin  W. 
Vallentlne.  E.  J. 
Welgall.    Arthur    R. 


AUSTRALASIA 

Fraser.  Colin. 
Grace,    William   Frank. 
Jarman,  Arthur. 
Smith,  J.  D.  Audley. 


CANADA 

Brewer.  Wm.   M. 
Dodge,  W.  R. 

Ferrier,  W.   F. 
Fowler.    Samuel    S. 
Hitchcock.  C.  H. 
Hunt  &  Co..  Robert  W. 
Kirby,  A.  G. 
Lamb,    R.    B. 
Levy,    Ernest. 
Simpson.  W.  E. 
Summerhaves.    M.    W. 
Tvrrell.   J.   B. 
"Whitman.  Alfred  R. 


CENTRAL     AMERICA 

Hartley,  J.  H. 


Alexander,  Hill  & 
Stewart. 


Arnold.     Ralph. 
Bach,    William. 
Bayldon,  H.  C. 
Beadon,  W.  R.  Coleridge. 
Botsford,    Robert   S. 
Brown,    R.    Gilman. 
Collins.   Henry    F. 
Curie.  J.  H. 

de  Marny,  E.  N.  Barbot. 
Drucker,  A.   E. 
Erdlets,    J.    F.    B.,    Jr. 
Geppert.  R.  M. 
Holloway,  Geo.  T.  &  Co.. 

Ltd. 
Hoover.  H.  C. 
Hoover,    Theodore    J. 
Hunt  &  Co.,  Robert  W. 
Hutchins.    John    Power. 
Inder   &    Henderson. 
Inskipp  &  Bevan. 
Jones.    Henry   Ewer. 
Jones.  T.  J. 


Kuehn,  A.  F. 
Loring,    W.    J. 
Mayrels.   L.   J. 
McCarthy,  E.  T. 
McDermott,    E.    D. 
Michell.   George  V. 
Payne  &  Co.,  F.  W. 
Pearse,  Arthur  L. 
Perkins,  Walter  G..  &  Co. 
Purington.    Chester   W. 
Shaler.  Millard  K. 
Smith,  Charles  A. 
Smith.    Reuben    Edward. 
Stephenson,    Geo.    E. 
Stines.    Norman    C. 
Tellam,   Alfred. 
Thomas,   E.  G. 
Thorne,  W.  E. 
Titcomb.   H.   A. 
Truschkoff,  Nicholas  E. 


Weatherbe,    D'Arcy. 
Wilkens    and    Devereux. 
Wright.    Charles    Will. 


MEXICO 

Hoyle,    Charles. 
Mines    Management    Co. 
Nahl.  Arthur  C. 
Royer,    Frank   W. 
Stevens,   Blarney. 
Wllkens    and    Devereux. 


SOUTH  AMERICA 

Bancroft.    Howland. 
Chede    &    Company. 
Copeland.    Durward. 
Couldrey.   Paul   S. 
Lamb,   Mark   R. 
Lewis,    H.    Allman. 
McCann.    Ferdinand. 
Strauss.  Lester  W. 
Turner.   Scott. 


24 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 

PROFESSIONAL  DIRECTORY 


July  1,  1916 


ABBOTT,  James  W., 

Mining    KmkIih-it. 
123    N     Grand    Ave.,    Los    Angeles.    Cal. 


BELLINGER,  H.  0, 

Metallurgical    Engineer. 
Spokane,  Wash. 


BURCH,  H.  Kenyon, 

Mechanical  and  Metallurgical  Engineer. 

Inspiration   Con.   Copper   Co., 
Miami.  Gila  County,  Arizona. 


ALDRIDGE,  Walter  H., 

Mining:    anil    Metallurgical    Engineer. 

rn.    B.    Thompson, 
14   Wall  St..  New  York. 


BENEDICT,  William  de  L., 

Mining;   Engineer. 
19  Cedar  St.,  New  York. 


Burch,  Caetanl  &  Hershey. 

CAETANI,  Gelasio, 

Consulting;   Engineer. 

Crocker  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 

Cable:  Caetani.  Usual  Codes. 


ALEXANDER,  HILL  &  STEWART, 

Consulting  EnKlorfni  anil  Metallurgists 
4  Broad  St.  Place.  London,  E.C. 


BOTSFORD,  Robert  S., 

Mining;    Engineer. 
%    F.   Riches,  9th   Line,    No.    44. 
Basil  Island,  Fetrograd.  Russia. 


CALDWELL,  Forest  B., 

V.  P.  and  Gen.  Mgr.  San  Dimas  Co.. 

San  Dimas.  Durango.   Mexico. 

Crocker  Bdg.,   San  Francisco. 

Cable:  Candelaria.       Code:  McNeill,  1908. 


ARGALL  &  SONS,  Philip, 

Mining;    and    Metallurgical    Engineer*. 

First    National   Bank   Bdg..    Denver. 
Cable:  Argall.  Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


BRADLEY,  D.  H.,  Jr., 

Mechanical    Engineer. 

Mill     design.       Mine    equipment.       Mine 

management. 

Bank  of  Arizona  Bdg.,   Prescott,  Ariz. 


CARPENTER,  Alvin  B„ 

Mining    Engineer. 

508  Union  League  Building, 
Los  Angeles. 


ARNOLD,  Ralph,     Cable:  Ralfarnoil. 
Geologist    and   Petroleum    Engineer. 

Union  Oil  Bdg..  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

233  Broadway.  New  York. 

No.    1.    London    Wall    Bdg.,   London,    E.C. 


BRADLEY,  Fred  W., 

Mining    i:ni;ln,iT. 

Crocker  Building,  San   Francisco. 
Cable:  Basalt.  Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


CHANCE,  H.  M., 


Coal. 


Consulting*   Mining    Engineer. 

837  Drexel  Bdg..  Philadelphia. 


BACH,  William, 

Placer  Engineer. 

■ ..  I>  'n  garth,    Beech  wood   Rd., 

Sanderstead,  Surrey,    Kngland. 

Code:  McNeill.  190S. 


Corey  C.  Brayton.       E.  R.  Richards. 

BRAYTON  &  RICHARDS, 

Mining    and    Metallurgical    Engineers. 

Hobart   Bdg.,   San   Francisco. 


CHANNING,  J.  Parke, 

Consulting   Engineer. 

61   Broadway,   New   York. 


BALL,  Sydney  H., 


Mining    Geologist. 

71    Broadway,   New    York. 
Cable:  Sydball.       Code:  Bedford  McNeil 


BRETHERTON,  S.  E., 

Con.    Mining    and    Met.    Engineer. 

Specialty:   Smelting  of  copper  and   lead 

ores  and  treatm't  of  complex  zinc  ores. 

220    Mills   Bdg..   San    Francisco. 


CHASE,  Charles  A., 

Mining  Engineer. 

812-824   Cooper  Bdg.,  Denver. 
Liberty  Bell  G.   M.  Co..  Tellurlde,   Colo. 


BANCROFT,  Geo.  J., 

Con* iilling    Engineer. 

Mining.   Metallurgy,    Hydraulics. 
Bancroft    Blk..    220    Broadway.    Denver. 
Cable  Address:  Bancroft. 


BREWER,  Wm.  M., 

Mining  Engineer  and  Geologist. 

P.  O.  Box  701.  Victoria.  B.  C. 
Cable:  Brewer.       Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


M.  F.  Chase.  W.  D.  Main. 

CHASE  &  MADN, 

Metallurgical  Engineers. 

411   Marquette  Bdg..  Chicago.  111. 


BANCROFT,   HOWLAND, 

Consulting    Mining   Geologist. 

Symes    Bdtf.,    Denver.    Colo. 

CasiM  iro,   Bolivia. 

Cable:  Howban.      Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


BRINSMADE,  Robert  Bruce, 

Consulting   Engineer. 

4429   Morgan  St..  St.   Louis.   Mo. 


Edwin  E.  Chase.  R.  L.  Chase. 

CHASE  &  SON,  Edwin  E., 

Mining    Engineer-.. 

1028  First  Nat'l  Bank  Bdg.. 
Denver.  Colo. 


BANKS,  John  H., 


(Formerly  of   Ricketts   &  Banks) 

Mining    Engineer   and    Metallurg.Nt. 

61    Broadway.   New   York. 


BRISTOL,  J.  J., 


Mining   Engineer. 

Reno,   Nevada- 


CHODZKO,  A.  E., 

Conaultlng    Mechanical    Engineer. 

Specialty:   Compressed  Air. 
647  Phelan  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 


BARD,  D.  C, 

Mining   Geologist. 

660  Stuart  Building, 
Seattle.  Wash. 


BRODD3,  Walter  M., 

Mining   Engineer  and   Metallurgist. 
60   Broad   St..   New   York. 


CLAPP,  Frederick  G., 

Manngino  Geologist  and  Petroleum  Engineer. 

The   Associated    Geological    Engineer*. 

120  Broadway,  New  York  City. 


BAYLDON, 

H.  C, 

Ml 

□Ing   Engineer. 

Fort. 

No. 

2,  Sirdarensky 
Russia. 

Oblast. 

BROWN,  R.  Gilman, 

Consulting   Engineer. 

62,  London  Wall,   London,   E.C. 
Cable:  Argeby.  Usual  Codes. 


CLARK,  Baylies  C, 

Mining  and   Mechanical   Engineer. 

Sutter  Creek,  California. 
Cable:  Baclark.      Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


BEATTY,  A.  Chester, 

Consulting    Mining    Engineer. 

25   Broad   Street.    New    York. 

1,   London  Wall    Bdg..   London,    E.C. 

Cable:  Granitic.       No  professional  work 


BULKLEY,  J.  Norman, 


Consulting    Mechanical    and    Electrical 
Engineer. 

Mining  Work   a   Specialty. 
120    Broadway.    New   York. 


CLEVENGER,  G.  Howell, 

Metallurgical    Engineer. 
381    Hawthorne   Ave.,    Palo   Alto.    Cal. 


Hamilton.    Beauchamp,  Woodworth,  Inc. 

BEAUCHAMP,  F.  A., 

Metallurgist. 

Specialty:  Flotation. 
4 19    Kmbarcadero.   San   Francisco. 


Burch,   Caetani  &  Hershey. 

BURCH,  ALBERT 

Consulting   Engineer. 

Crocker  Bdg..   San  Francisco. 

Cable:  Burch. Usual  Codes. 


COLE,  F.  L., 

Mining   Engineer, 

Shanghai.  China. 
Cable:  Hanco. 


.lulv  I.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 

PROFESSIONAL   DIRECTORY 


COLLBRAN,  Arthur  H., 

MIuIbk    Knglirrr. 

Ovneral    Manager   Seoul    Mining   Co.. 
I'yriiK    Yang.   Korea. 


DICKERMAN,  Alton  L., 

I  .moulting    Mlnl.g    K.al.rrr. 

D   81  . 

i.i.i."  BpriAfa,  • 


FINLAY,  J.  R., 

MlalMK    i:ii|tlurrr. 

Roam  SOI.  (1  William  si  . 
New    Y..rk 


COLLINS.  Edgar  A., 


M  I  ti  I  o  *     K  u|(  I  nrr  r. 

It.n    l>omond.   CaL 


DIXON,  Clement, 

Mlalnic    Kaflnrrr. 

P.  O.  Box  30S.  Bulawayo.   Rhodesia. 
Cable:  Clement  Dixon.  Usual  Codes. 


FISHER,  C.  A., 


loa.tilf  liiu     (•roliiKlnt     A     I    n.-l     I  !nKlnrrr. 

Firm   Null.    Ii;ink    H. Ik..    li.nvor.  Colo. 
Kearna   Hdg.,  Halt   Lake  City.  Utah. 
Cable:  Ciillnli.. II  Usual 


COLLINS,  Edwin  James, 

M  i  "i  I  nt    Koslnrrr. 

aline    Examinations    and    Management. 

1008-1009   Torrey   Bdg..    Duluth.   Minn. 


DOLBEAR,  Samuel  H., 

CodiuKIdb    Mining    Knglorer. 

Specialty:   Non-metallic  minerals. 

1010    Flatlron    Bdg..   San    Francisco. 


FOWLER,  Samuel  S.( 

Mining    Engineer   anil    Metallurgist. 

Nelson.  British  Columbia. 
Cable:  Fowler.  Usual  Codes. 


COLLINS,  George  E., 

M  Inlug    Knglurrr. 
Mine    Examinations   and    Management 

*u    Boston    H.Ik.    Denver. 
Cable:  Colcomac. 


DORR  COMPANY,  THE, 

John  V.  N.   Dorr,  President. 
Hydroinetnllurglcol    and     W  H     Chemical 

DBfllWIli 
Denver.  New  York.  London.  EB.G 


FRASER,  Colin, 

Mining  (.HilonUt. 

%  Broken   Hill   Assoc.   Smelters,  Ltd., 

Collins  House,  Melbourne,   Victoria. 

Australia. 


COLLINS,  Henry  F., 

Mining:     I    "tiin-.r. 

Huelva  Copper  8t  Sulphur  Co..  Ltd.. 

Valdelamusa.  Pro  v.  de  Huelva.  Spain. 

Cable:  Huelvacop. Code:  Broomhall. 


DRUCKER,  A.  E., 

Mechanical  and  Metallurgical  Engineer. 

Ore  Dressing.  Cyanldlng.  and  Copper 
Leaching,  Testing.  Designing  and  Plant 
Construction.     62  London  Wall.  London. 


GARREY,  George  H., 


Consulting    Mining    Geologlnt    and 
Engineer. 

Bullitt    Bdg..    Philadelphia.    Pa. 


COPELAND,  Durward, 

Metallurgical    Engineer. 

Missouri  School  of  Mines.  Llallagua. 

Rolla.  Mo.  Bolivia. 


DUNSTER,  Carl  B„ 

Mlnlne  Engineer. 

11  Pine  St..  New  York. 

Marquette.   Mich. 

Cable:  Breltanco.  Code:  McNeill. 


GARRISON,  F.  Lynwood, 

Mining   Engineer. 

982    Drexel    Bdg..    Philadelphia. 
Cable:  Aurum.  Code:  McNeill. 


COULDREY,  Paul  S., 

Mlulntc    Engineer. 
Gen.   Mining  Supt.  Cerro  de  Pasco  Min- 
ing Co.,  Cerro  de  Pasco.  Peru,  S.  A. 
Cahl*:  Cerrocop. 


DURHAM,  Edward  B., 

Mining  Engineer. 

2227  Ward  St..  Berkeley.  Cal. 


GEPPERT,  R.  M., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Salisbury  House,  London,  E.C. 

Code:  McNeill. 


CRANSTON,  Robert  E., 

Mlnlntc   Engineer. 

437   Holbrook  Bdg..  San   Francisco. 
Room   H08.  No.   11   Pine  St..  New  York. 
Cable:  Recrans.  Code:  McNeill.  1908. 


DWIGHT,  Arthur  S., 

Mining   Engineer   and    Metallurgist. 

29   Broadway,   New   York. 
Cable:  Sinterer. 
Code:  McNeill:  Miners  &  Smelters. 


GESTER,  G.  C, 

Geological    and   Mining   Engineer. 

919  First  Nat.  Bank  Bdg., 
San  Francisco,   Cal. 
Cable:  Gester,  San  Francisco. 


CREDEN,  William  L., 


Consulting    Mining    Engineer. 

Mine    Examination    and   Management, 

First   National    Bank   Building, 

Butte,  Montana. 


DYER,  S.  C, 

Mining  Engineer. 

P.O.    Box    19.    Bulawayo,    Rhodesia. 
Cable:  Minerals.  Usual  Codes. 


GIBSON,  Arthur, 

Mining   Engineer. 

Specialty:  Placer  Mining. 
1022   Haight  St.,  San   Francisco. 


CURLE, 

J. 

H., 

Mliw 

Vainer. 

62. 

Lo 

ndon 

Wall. 

London. 

EASTON,  STANLY  A., 

Mining    Engineer. 

Manager  Bunker  Hill   &   Sullivan   Min- 
ing &  Concentrating  Company. 
Kellogg,  Idaho. 


GRACE,  William  Frank, 

Mining   Engineer. 

Gen.   Mgr.  Waihi  Grand  Junction, 

Waihl,  N.  Z. 

Cable:  Gracefully.  Usual  Codes. 


DE  KALB,  Courtenay, 

Consulting    Engineer.    Pacific    Smelting 

&  Mining  Co.,  Tucson,  Arizona. 
Cable:  Dekalb.  Code:  McNeill. 


EMERY,  A.  B., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Management   and    Equipment   of   Mines, 

Messina,  Northern   Transvaal, 

South  Africa. 


GRANT,  Wilbur  H., 

Geologic   and   Mining   Engineer. 

437  Holbrook  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 

Code:  Bedford  McNeill, 


de  MARNEY,  E.  N.  Barbot, 

Mining   Engineer. 

W.  O.  Stredny  Prospect.  33 

Petrograd,  Russia. 

Cable:  Barbot  deMarney.    Code:  McN..'08 


EYE,  Clyde  M., 

Mining  and  Metallurgical  Engineer. 

Supt.  Benguet  Consolidated  Mining  Co., 
Baguio,   Benguet,   P.    I. 


GREENE,  Fred  T., 

Mining  Engineer  and  Geologist. 

Butte,  Montana. 


DENNIS,  Clifford  G., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Crocker  Bdg..  San   Francisco. 
Cable:  Sinned.  Code:  McNeill. 


FARISH,  John  B., 

Mining  Engineer. 

58  Sutter  St.,  San  Francisco. 
315  Colorado  Bdg..  Denver. 
Cable:  Farlsh. 


GRUNSKY,  C.  E.,  Jr., 

Mining  Engineer. 

American  Engineering  Corporation. 
57   Post  St.,  San   Francisco. 


DE  WILDE,  F.  J., 

Mining   Engineer   and   Geologiat. 

Galena.  Illinois. 


FINCH,  John  Wellington, 

Mining  Geologist  and  Engineer. 

730  Symes  Bdg., 
Denver,  Colorado. 


HALL,  R.  G., 

Metallurgical  and  Chemical  Engineer. 

General  Manager, 
River  Smelting  &  Refining  Co., 
722  Chestnut  St..  St.  Louis.  Mo. 


26 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


PROFESSIONAL  DIRECTORY 


Hamilton.  Beauchamp,  Woodworth.  Inc. 

HAMILTON,  E.  M„ 

MetallurglM. 

Specialty:  Cyanldlng  Gold  &  Sliver  Ores. 
419  The  Embarcadero,  San  Francisco. 


HOOVER,  Theodore  J., 

Mining  Engineer. 

1,  London  Wall  Bdg..  London,  EC. 
Cable:  Mlldaloo. 


JONES, 

T.  J„ 

Mining    Engineer. 

No.  1   Nevsky 

Prospect, 

Petrograd. 

Russia. 

HANSON,  Henry, 

Metallurgical    Engineer. 

Hobart    Bdg.,    San    Francisco. 


HOWARD,  L.  0., 

HlolttE  Engineer. 

Examination.   Consulting,   Management. 
421  Felt  Bdg.,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. 


JUESSEN,  Edmund, 


Mining    Engineer. 
2S15  Parker  St..   Berkeley,  Cal. 


HENDERSON,  H.  P., 

Mining    Engineer. 
60  Broadway,   New   York. 


HOYLE,  Charles, 

Mining  Engineer. 

Apartado  8,  El  Oro,  Mexico. 


KEFFER  &  JOHNS, 

Mining  Engineers. 

Examinations,      Reports     and     Manage 

ment  of  Mining  Properties. 

610  Hutton  Bdg..  Spokane.   Wash. 


Burch.  Caetani  &  Hershey. 

HERSHEY,  Oscar  H., 

Consulting    Mining    Geologist. 

Kellogg,   Idaho. 
Cable:  Hershey. Code:  McNeill. 


HERZIG,  Charles  S., 

Mining  Engineer. 

27  William  Street.  New  York. 


Robert  W.  Hunt  Jas.  C.  Hallsted 

Jno.  J.  Cone  D.  W.  McNaugher 

HUNT  &  CO.,  Robert  W., 

Engineers 

Bureau  of  Inspection,  Tests  and  Consultation . 
Chlcagn-San  Krancisco-New  York-Pittsburgh . 
San  Francisco  Office.  261  Kearny  >t. 
St.  Louis-Montreal-London. 
Consulting,    Designing   and    Supervising    Engi- 
neers, Inspectors   of    Railroad.    Structural   and 
i  ithcr  Materials  ami  Equipment. 
Chemical.  Physical  and  Cement  Laboratories. 


KINNON,  Wm.  H., 

Mining   Engineer   and    Metallurgist. 

307    San    Francisco   St.. 
El  Paso,  Texas. 


KINZIE,  Robert  A., 

Mining  Engineer. 

First   National   Bank   Building. 
San   Francisco. 


HEINZ,  N.  L., 

Consulting  Engineer. 

Metallurgy  of  Zinc  and  Manufacture  of 

Sulphuric  Acid. 

1519  Oliver  Bdg.,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 


HUSTON,  H.  L., 

Mining   Engineer. 

634  Mills  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 
Cable:  Haruston. 


KIRBY,    A.    G.,      Metallurgist. 

Mill  Designing  and  Construction. 

Specialty:    Concentration  &  Cyanidation 

121    Howard    Park   Ave..    Toronto.    Ont.. 

Canada. 


Victor  G.  Hills.  Frank  W.  Willis. 

HILLS  &  WILLIS, 

Mining    Engineers. 

Cripple  Creek.  415  McPhee  Bdg.,  Denver. 
Cable:  HI1IWM1.  Usual  Codes. 


HUTCHINS,  John  Power, 

Consulting    Mining    Engineer. 

Apartment   24,  Morskaya  21,   Petrograd. 
Cable:  Getchlns.  Code:  McNeill,  1908. 


KIRBY,  Edmund  B., 

Mining   Engineer   and    Metallurgist. 

918  Security  Bdg..  St.  Louis. 

Specialty:    The  expert    examination    of 

mines   and    metallurgical   enterprises. 


HIND  &  JOHNSON, 


Assayers   and    Mining   Engineers. 

Mine  Examinations  and  Reports. 
Oatman,    Ariz. 


HYDE,  James  M., 

Treatment  of  Difficult  Ores. 
634   Mills   Bdg.,   San   Francisco. 
Cable:  Jamehyde. 


KIRK,  Charles  T., 

Mining    Geologist. 

Albuquerque.   New  Mexico. 


HITCHCOCK,  C.  H„ 

Mining   Engineer. 

Mines  examined  with  a  view  to 
purchase. 
Copper  Cliff,  Ontario. 


INDER  &  HENDERSON, 

Consulting   Engineers. 

Dredging  and  Hvdraulicklng. 
70,  Gracechurch  St.,  London,  E.C. 
Cable:  Inderdaad. 


KIRK  &  LEAVELL, 

Consulting   Engineers. 

Examination,   Management,   and   Opera- 
tion  of  Mines.      Design    Equipment. 
Newhouse  Bdg..   Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


HOFFMANN,  Karl  F., 

Mining   Engineer. 

2  Rector  St.,  New  York. 

Code:  McNeill.  1908. 


Dudlev  J.  Insklp.  John  A.  Bevan. 

INSKIPP  &  BEVAN, 

Mining  Engineers. 

1,  Broad  St.  Place,  London,  E.C. 
Cable:  Monazite.  Usual  Codes. 


KRUMB,  Henry, 


Mining:  Engineer. 

Felt  Bdg.,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. 


HOFFMANN,  Ross  B., 

Mining    KiiKlneer. 

228  Perry  St..  Oakland.  Cal. 
Cable:  Siberhof. 


JANIN,  Charles, 

Mining   Engineer. 

722  Kohl  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 
Cable:  Charjan.  Code:  McNeill. 


KUEHN,  A.  F., 

ConanJtlnK    Mining    Engineer. 

1  London   Wall   Building. 
London,   E.C. 
Cable:  Norlte.  


HOLLIS,  H.  L., 

Consulting   Mining   Engineer 
nnd  Metallurgist. 

1025  Peoples  Gas  Bdg.,  Chicago.  111. 


JARMAN,  Arthur, 

Asst.  General  Manager. 
Waihl    Grand  Junction, 
Walhl,   New   Zealand. 
Cable:  Artharman. 


LAKENAN,  C.  B., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Ely,  Nevada. 


HOLLOWAY  &  CO.,  Geo.  T.,  Ltd. 

Metallurgist    and    Metallurgical       , 
Engineers. 

13  Emmett  St.,  Limehouse,  London,  E. 
Cable:  Neolithic.  Code:  McNeill. 


JENKS,  Arthur  W., 

Mining   Engineer. 

2533   Chilton  Way.   Berkeley.   Cal. 
Cable:  Jenksville. 


LAMB,  Mark  R.,  m.e., 

Santiago,   Chile. 
Mgr.    for   Allis-Chalmers   in    S.   A. 
Data    and    information    available    on 
mines  and  equipment. 


HOOVER,  H.  C, 


Mining    Engineer. 

1,  London  Wall  Bdg..  London,  E.C. 
No  professional  work  entertained. 
Cable:  Crevooh. 


JONES,  Henry  Ewer, 

Mining   Engineer. 

Parliament  Mansions,  Victoria  St., 

Westminster,  London,  S.W. 

Cable  :Ewerones.    Code:BroomhaH's  Imp. 


LAMB,  R.  B., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Room   75,  25   Broad   St., 

New  York  City. 

Cable:  Boblam.  Code:  McNeill. 


July   1.  1916 


MINING  *mi  Scastifa  PRESS 

PROFESSIONAL  DIRECTORY 


n 


LANAOAN,  W.  H., 

Mini  ok    KRglNrrr. 
10&T    Mo  na  J  nook    IMk 
San    Kranclico.                         Code:  Mc 

N-  1" 

MAYREI8,  L.  J., 

Mining     Cnglnrrr. 

98    Harlnitvl.  it.    Kotterdum. 

Sol  bud. 

MUNRO,  C.  H., 

Mining    r.n»lnrrr. 
H  ..(..» [  t    H.I, 
Cable    »  u  mini  sfcNatll 


LANDERS,  William  H., 

laity:  Qulekallvar. 
■   Almadcn.  California. 


McBRIDE,  Wilbert  0., 


^Ilnhiii     Knglnrrr. 

''ill 
■  '...I.-:  Ii.  .ii... .1  McNeill 


MYERS,  Desaix  B. 

Mining    i:iik 

ill  Story  I)>1k.  Loi 

Philadelphia    Address: 

lorrr. 

'■      IS) 

Cal. 
"uce 

SI 

LEGGETT,  Thos.  H., 

t   ••ii*iiltlns     liiitliirrr. 

H9  Broadway.  New  Fork. 

Cable:  TomleK 


McCANN,  Ferdinand, 


Consulting      >l  ItiliiK      and      Ml  Inllurk  I. nl 

I     n  U  I  III1'    I  , 

La  Cotabambaa  Aurarla, 
%  A.  Calvo.  Cuxco,  Peru,  S.  A. 


NAHL,  Arthur  C, 


Mining    Engineer. 

Trlunfo.  Baja  California.    Mexico. 


LEVENSALER,  L.  A., 

Mining  Engineer. 
Box  1464.  Tacoma.  Washington. 


McCarthy,  e.  t., 

Mining  engineer* 

10  Austin  Friars.  London. 


NEILL,  James  W., 

Metallurgist    and    .Mining    Engineer. 

169   Plerpont  St.,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. 
Pasadena.   Cal.  Snolllng.   Cal. 


LEVY,  Ernest, 


Mining    I  Engineer. 

Representing  Alex.  Hill  &  Stewart. 

Rosslnnd.  British  Columbia. 

906  Old   Nafl   Bk.    Bdg..  Spokane.   Wash. 


McDERMOTT,  E.  D., 

Mining    Engineer. 

Zyrianovsk  Roudnlk. 

Tomsk  Government.  Siberia. 

Codes:    McNeill,    1908:   Moreing  &   Neal. 


NEWMAN,  M.  A., 


MIuIiik    Engineer. 
Vantrent,  Placer  Co.,  Cal. 


LEWIS,  H.  Allman, 

Managing   Engineer. 

The  Porco  Tin  Mines.  Ltd. 

Casilla  62.  Potosl.  Bolivia. 

Cable:  Porcorama.    Code:  McNeill  (1908) 


MEIN,  William  Wallace, 

Mini n,;   Engineer. 
43   Exchange  Place,  New  York. 
Cable:  Mein.  New  York. 


NICHOLSON,  Francis, 

Mining  Engineer. 

%  Rio  Grande  Valley  Bank  &  Trust  Co.. 

El  Paso.  Texas. 
Cable:  Nlckhop.  Code:  McNeill,   1908. 


LONGYEAR  COMPANY,  E.  J., 

Exploring    Engineers    and    Geologists. 

Diamond  Drill  Contractors. 

Manufacturers  of  Diamond  Drills 

and  Supplies. 

General  Office:  710-722  Security  Bank 

Bdg..  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Cable:  Longco.  Code:  McNeill. 


MERCER,  John  W., 


Mining    Engineer. 

Gen.  Mgr.   South  American  Mines  Co. 
Mills  Bdg..   Broad  St.,  New   York. 


MERRILL,  Charles  W., 

Metallurgist, 

121  Second  St.,  San  Francisco. 
Cable:  Lurco.  Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


OLCOTT  &  CORNING, 

(E.  E.  Olcott,   C.  R.   Corning.) 
Mining  and   Metallurgical    Engineers. 

36  Wall  St.,  New  York. 


OREGON-IDAHO  INVEST.  CO., 

Ore    Buyers,    AHHayen*. 

Mine    Examinations. 
Office:   First  and  Court  Sts.,  Baker,  Ore. 


LLOYD,  R.  L., 

Metallurgical    Engineer. 

Specialty:  Pyro-Metallurgy  of  Copper 
and  Associated  Metals.  Cable:  Rlcloy. 
Code:  McNeill. 29  Broadway.  N.  Y. 


MERRILL  METALLURGICAL  CO. 

Engineers. 


121  Second  St.. 
Cable:  Lurco. 


San   Francisco. 

Usual   Codes. 


PAYNE,  Henry  Mace, 

Consulting  Mining   Engineer. 

Woolworth  Bdg.,  New  York. 
Cable:  Macepayne.  Usual  Codes. 


Bewick.  Moreing  &  Co. 
LORING,    W.    J.,       Mining   Engineer. 

62   London  Wall.  London,   and 
1018   Crocker   Bdg.,   San   Francisco.  Cal. 
Cable:  Wantoness.  Usual  Codes. 


MICHELL,  Geo.  V., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Specialty:  Placer  Mining. 
37.  St.  Mary  Axe.,  London,   E.C. 


PAYNE  &  CO.,  F.  W., 

Dredging   Engineer*.. 

62,  London  Wall,  London, 
Cable:  Panedrej.                     Code 

:  McNeill. 

LUNT,  Horace  F., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Gazette  Bdg.,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 


MILLS,  Edwin  W., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Supt.  Tul  Mi  Chung  Mine. 

The  Seoul  Mining  Company, 

Holkol,  Chosen  (Korea). 


PEARSE,  Arthur  L.( 

Mining  Engineer. 

Worcester  House.  Walbrook. 

London,  E.C. 

Cable:  Undermined.  Usual  Codes. 


MACNUTT,  C.  H., 

Mining    Engineer. 

c/c  Burma  Mines,  Ltd., 
Namtu,  Northern  Shan  States. 
Burma.  India. 


MINARD,  Frederick  H., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Trinity  Bdg.,  Ill  Broadway,  New  York. 
Cable:  Frednard.  Code:  McNeill. 


PEPPERBERG,  L.  J., 

Mining  Geologist. 

Examination   of  Oil  Lands  a  Specialty. 
718   New   Call  Bdg.,   San    Francisco. 


MALCOLMSON,  Jas.  W., 


Consulting   Engineer. 

1012   Baltimore  Avenue. 
Kansas  City,   Mo. 


MORRIS,  F.  L., 

Mining  Engineer. 

1057  Monadnock  Bdg.,   San   Francisco. 
Cable:  Fredmor.  Code:  McNeill. 


PERKINS  &  CO.,  Walter  G., 

Metallurgical    Engineers. 

%  James  Whishaw.  Esq., 

Nlkolalevskaya  Quay  7, 

Petrograd,   Russia. 


MASSEY  CO.,  George  B., 

Consulting     Excavating     Engineers. 

Advice  on    Equipment   and   Methods   for 

Stripping,   Open-Cut   Mining,    Dredging. 

Peoples  Gas  Bdg..  Chicago.   Illinois. 


MUDD, 

Seeley  W., 

Mining   Engineer. 

1208 

Hollingsworth 

Building. 

Los  Angeles. 

Cal. 

PERRY,  0.  B., 

Mining   Engineer. 

120  Broadway,  New  York. 


28 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 

PROFESSIONAL  DIRECTORY 


July  1,  1916 


Howard  Poillon.  C.  H.  Polrler. 

POILLON  &  POHUER, 

Mining   Ensloeen. 
63  Wall  St..  New  Tork  City. 


ROGERS,  Allen  Hastings, 

Consulting    Mining;    Englnetr. 
201    Devonshire  St..  Boston,   Mass 
71  Broadway.  New  York,  N.  Y.        , 
Cable:  Alhasters. 


SMITH,  J.  D.  Audley, 

Mining   Engineer. 

Dlbbs   Chambers,    58   Pitt  St., 

Sydney,  Australia. 

Cable:  Jadunand.  All  Codes 


PFICHARD,  W.  A., 

Mining   Engineer. 

%   Oroville  Dredging.   Limited. 
Mills   Bdg..   San   Francisco. 


ROGERS,  Edwin  M. 

lonmiltluK    Mln 

Dg 

Engineer. 

32   Broadway, 

New  York. 

Cable:  Emrog. 

Code:  McNeill. 

SMITH,  Reuben  Edward, 

Mining  Engineer. 

%  Lenskoie  G.  il.  Co..  Bodaibo.  Siberia. 
Cable:  Resmlth.  care  Lenzoto. 

Code:  McNeill.  1908. 


PROBERT,  Frank  H., 

Mining    Engineer. 

University  of  California, 
Berkeley,    CaL 


ROYER,  Frank  W., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Consolidated   Realty  Bdg.,  Los  Angeles. 

and  Apartado  805.  Mexico  City.   D.  F. 

Cable:  Royo. Code:  McNeill. 


SMITH  &  ZIESEMER, 

(Franklin  W.  Smith.  Ralph  A.  Ziesemer. ) 

Mining    Engineer.. 
Bisbee,  Ariz.  Code:  McNeill. 


PURINGTON,  Chester  W., 

Mining   Engineer. 

62  London  Wall,  London,  E.C. 

Cable:  Olenek.  Usual  Codes. 


SCHMIDT,  F.  Sommer, 

Mining    Engineer. 

1020   Newhouse   Building. 
Salt    Lake    City.    Utah. 


SPILSBURY,  E.  Gybbon, 

Consulting,  Mining   and   Metallurgical 

Engineer. 

45  Broadway,  New  York. 

Cable:  Spilroe. 


RADFORD,  William  H., 

Alluvlnl    Mining. 

2360  Broadway,   San   Francisco. 
Cable:Bandan. 


SCOTT,  Robert, 


Inventor  and   Builder  of  the 
Scott    Qulckallver   Furnace. 

498  S.  Eleventh   St., 
San   Jose.   California. 


SPURR, 

J.  Edward, 

Mining 

Geologist. 

Bullitt    I 

Philadelphia 

Pa. 

Tonopah 

Mining 

Company  of 

Nevada. 

RAY,  James  C, 

Mining  Geoioglat. 

Microscopic   Examination   of  Ores. 
Palo  Alto,  Cal. 


SEARS,  Stanley  C, 

Mining   Engineer. 

Reports.  Consultation  and  Management. 

705   Walker  Bank  Building, 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. Usual  Codes. 


STANFORD,  Richard  B., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Room  206.  Metropolitan  Bank  Bdg.. 

New  Orleans,  La. 

Cable:  Stanford.  Code:  McNeill. 


RAYMOND,  Robert  M„ 

Mining    Engineer. 

Professor  of  Mining, 
School    of   Mines,    Columbia  Univ 
New    York. 


erstty, 


SHALER,  Millard  K., 

Mining   GeoiogUt    and    Engineer. 

4    Blshopgate,    London.   E.C. 


STAVER,  W.  H., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Metal   Mine   Management    and    Reports. 
Krise  Building,   Lynchburg,   Virginia. 


RAYMOND,  Rossiter  W., 

Mining    Engineer   nnd    Metallurgist. 

29  W.  39th  St.,  New  York.  P.  O.  Box  223. 


SHARPLESS,  Fredk.  F., 

Consulting    Mining    Engineer. 

52   Broadway,   New  York. 
Cable:  Fresharp.  Code:  McNeill. 


STEBBINS,  Elwyn  W., 

Mining  Engineer. 

819  Mills  Bdg..  San  Francisco. 


RICHARDS,  Robert  H., 

Ore   Dressing. 

Make  careful  concentrating  tests  for  the 

design  of  flow-sheets   for  difficult  ores. 

491    Boylston   St.,    Boston.   Mass. 


SIMONDS,  Ernest  H., 

Metallurgical  Engineer. 

616  Crocker  Bdg.,   San   Francisco. 


STEEL,  Donald, 

Mining   Engineer  nnd   Geologist. 
Palo  Alto.  Cal. 


RICKARD,  Forbes, 


Mining   Engineer. 

Equitable  Building.  Denver. 


SIMONDS  &  BURNS, 

Mining   Engineer*. 

25    Madison   Ave.,   New    York. 


STEPHENSON, 

Geo. 

E., 

Mining 

Engineer. 

%   E.   T. 

McCar 

thv. 

10,  Austin   Friars,  Lo 

ndon. 

E.C. 

RICKARD,  J.  Henry, 

Mining    Engineer   and    Metnliurglat. 

Superintendent    Chapman    Smelting    Co. 
Box    541.   South   San    Francisco. 


SIMPSON,  W.  E., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Amos.  Quebec,  Canada. 
Fundicion   de   Los  Arcos.  Toluca,   Mex. 
30  Broad  St..  New  York. 


STEVENS,  Arthur  W., 

Mining   Engineer. 

606   Park  Way  Avenue, 
Piedmont,   California. 


RICKARD,  T.  A, 

Editor.  The  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 
No    professional    work    undertaken. 


SIZER,  F.  L., 

Consulting   Mining    Engineer. 

701   First  Nat'l.   Bank  Bdg., 
San   Francisco. 


STEVENS,  Blarney, 


Mining   Engineer. 

Tema8caltepec.  Est.  de  Mexico, 

Mexico. 

%  Lane  Rincon  Mines,   Inc. 


RIORDAN,  D.  M., 

Consulting   Engineer. 

Mining    investigations    carefullv     made 

for  responsible  intending  investors. 

525   Market   St.,   San   Francisco. 


SMITH,  Charles  A., 

Design   and   Construction   Metallurgical 

Plants. 

%   The  Mining  and    Metallurgical   Club, 

3.    London    Wall   Bdg.,   London.  E.C. 


STINES,  Norman  C, 


Mining 
Engineer. 

Polefskoy,   Mramorskaya  Station, 
Perm   Government.   Russia. 
Cable:    Normstines.    Ekaterinberg. 
Code:  McNeill  (both  editions). 


ROBERTSON,  James  D., 

Con.uitlng    Mining    Engineer. 
Member  A.  I.  M.  E.  and  Am.  Chern.  Soc. 
1403   Syndicate  Trust   B.Ik 
St.  Louis.   M... 


SMITH,  Howard  D., 

Mining  Engineer. 

Kohl  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 
Cable:  Dlorlte.  Code:  Western  Union. 


STORMS,  William  H., 

Mining  Geologist  and  Engineer. 

Mining   Methods   a   Specialty. 
2437   Hilgard  Ave.,   Berkeley.  Cal. 


July  1.  l'Mii 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 

PROFESSIONAL  DIRECTORY 


STRAUSS,  Lester  W 

KngUrrr    ■><     Ml 

dillli  M4.   Valparaiso. 
Cable:  lustra- Valparaiso 

I 
»rs. 

g 
He 

A 
S'elll. 

TURNER,  H.  W., 


' us    KuIoi-it. 

634    Mills   Bdg:..   San    Francisco. 
Cable    Latlle.  i  tod*  :  Bedford  McNeill. 


WEIGALL,  Arthur  R., 

^11  n  I  uk     Ku|lurrr. 
%  Tho    B«OUl    Mining    I'mnpany, 

Sunn    Mln.-.    II. .Ik-. |. 

Whang  Hal   Provlm 


SUMMERHAYES,  Maurice  W., 

>l  tut  ut      I    iifclnrrr, 

Mgr    Portraplnt  Crown  Minus,  Ltd., 
Tltninlna.   Ontario,    Canuda. 


TURNER,  J.  K., 

Mining     I    nclii'T. 

Goldtteld.  Nevada. 


WEST,  H.  E., 

Mln  Ids    I  :nt  in.  .  r. 
Santa  Barbara.  Cal. 


SUSSMAN, 

Otto. 

>u 

•  In.;    K 

IK 

uci-r. 

el   Broadway, 

N 

bw   York. 

TURNER,  Scott, 


Mining    I'.iikl'MT. 

Apartado  ;:.*.  Lima,  Peru. 


WESTERVELT,  William  Young, 

Consulting     Mining     Engineer. 

17  Madison  Ave    (MadJaon  Square  East) 

New   Y<>rk. 
Cable:    Caaeweat.  Code:    HcNellL 


SYMMES,  Whitman, 


M  I  n  tut    Knglnrrr. 

Mk'iv    Uaxleail   Mine.   etc. 

Virginia  City.  Nevada. 


TWEEDY,  Geo.  A., 


MlnlttK    KiibIiiitf. 

545  Bradbury  Building, 
I.".-   Angeles.  Cal. 


WHITMAN,  Alfred  R., 

II  in  I  lit      (■rnlnglsf, 

5  Royal  Exchange  Bldg., 
Cobult.  i  Int. 


TALMAGE.  Sterling  B., 

Mining     (-•eulogist     and     KokIik-it. 
Geologic   Maps,    Kxunii nations,    Reports. 
200  Vermont  Bdg., 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. 


TYRRELL,  J.  B., 


Mining    Englnrer  and   Geologist. 

534    Confederation    Life    Bdg., 

Toronto,  Canada. 

Cable:  Tyrrell. Usual  Codea. 


H.  A.  J.  Wllkens.       W.  B.  Devereux.  Jr. 

WILKENS  and  DEVEREUX, 

Consulting     Mining     Kimlnri-rs. 

London.     120  B'dwy,  N.  Y.     Mexico,  D.F. 
Cable:  Kenreux.     Code:  Bedford  McNeill. 


TELLAM,  Alfred, 

MelallurarUt    anil    Ore    Dreeaer. 

1,  London  Wall  Building, 
London.  E.C. 
Code:  A.  B.  C.  Fifth  Edition. 


VADNER,  Charles  S.,  M.Sc, 

Research    and    Experimental    Work. 
Leaching  and  Electrolytic  Recovery  of 

Copper,   Zinc,  Iron.   etc. 
22 H   W.   7th  South   St..  Salt  Lake  City. 


WILLIS,  Charles  F., 


Director,  State  Bureau  of  Mines. 
University    of   Arizona,    Tucson,    Ariz. 


THOMAS,  Kirby, 


Mining    IlimlmiT. 
Examination,     Valuation    and     Explora- 
tion  of  Mining  Properties. 
120  Broadway,  New  York. 


VALERIUS,  McNUTT  &  HUGHES, 

Geologrlete  and  Mining;  Englncere. 

Tulsa.  Okla.  Billings,  Mont. 


WINCHELL,  Horace  V., 

Consulting    Mining    Geologist. 

826  First  Natlonal-Soo  Line  Bdg., 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Cable:  Racewin. 


THOMSON,  S.  C, 

Consulting    Mining    Engineer. 

120  Broadway,  New  York. 


VALLENTINE,  E.  J., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Osborne  &  Chappel,  Ipoh. 
Malay  States. 

Cod 

Perak, 

e:  McNe 

ill. 

WINWOOD,  Job  H, 

Mining  Engineer. 

Continental  Bank  Bdg. 
Salt    Lake    City,    Utah. 


THORNE,    W.    E.,    Mining    Engineer. 

%  Lenskoie  Gold   Mining  Co., 
Nadezhdinsky.    Irkoutsk   Govt..   Siberia, 
Cable:  Wethorne,   Bodaibo. 

Code:  McNeill,  both  editions. 


VON  ROSENBERG,  Leo, 

Consulting    Mining    Engineer. 

42  Broadway,  New  York. 
Cable:  Porphyry. 


WISEMAN,  Philip, 

Mining  Engineer. 

1210    Holllngsworth    Bdg.,    Los   Angeles. 
Cable:  Fil Wiseman.    Codes:W.U., McNeill. 


TIMMONS,  Colin, 

Mining   Engineer. 

Patagonia,  Arizona. 


WARDNER,  W.  R.,  Mining  Engineer. 

Examination,    Management.      Mining 

and   Oil  Properties. 

1924  West  21st  St.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Boston   Petroleum   Co.,  Bakersfleld,   Cal. 


Hamilton,  Beauchamp,  Woodworth,  Inc. 

W00DW0RTH,  S.  E., 

Metallurgist. 

419  The  Embarcadero,  San  Francisco. 


TTTCOMB,  H.  A., 

Salisbury  House    London,    E.C. 
Cable:  Tltcomb.  Code:  McNeill. 


WEATHERBE, 

D 

'Arcy, 

Mining 

Engineer. 

14  Copthall  Ave., 

London, 

E.C. 

Cable:   Natchekoo. 

Code 

McNeill. 

WRAMPELMEIER,  E.  L.  S., 

Mining  Engineer. 

701   First  Nat.   Bank  Bdg.. 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


TOLMAN,  Cyrus  Fisher,  Jr., 

Consulting  Economic  Geologist. 

P.  O.  Address: 
Stanford  University.   Cal. 


WEBBER,  Morton, 

Mine  Valuation   and   Development. 

39   Cortland  St..  New  York. 
Cable:  Orebacks. 


WRIGHT,  Charles  Will, 

Mining  Engineer. 

Ingurtosu,    Sardinia,    Italy. 
Cable:  Wright,  Arbus.  Code:  McNeill. 


TRUSCHKOFF,  Nicholas  E., 

Mining   Engineer. 

Gen.     Mgr.     Ekibastous     Mines    &     Sm„ 

Kirghiz  Mln.  &  Tr.  Co..  Irtysh   Corp,  Ltd. 

Pavlodar.  Siberia. 


WEEKES,  Frederic  R., 

Mining  Engineer. 

71  Broadway 


New   York. 


YEATMAN,  Pope, 

Mining  Engineer. 

Room    3533,    120    Broadway.    New    York. 
Cable:  Ikona.  Code:  McNeill. 


SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES 


A.  VAN  DER  NAILLEN  SCHOOL 

51st  and  Telegraph  Avenue,   Oakland.   Cal. 

Established  in  1867. 

12    months'    course    in    PRACTICAL    ENGINEERING. 

Mining,   Mechanical,   Civil  or  Electrical. 
Send  for  catalogue. 


NEW  MEXICO  STATE  SCHOOL  OF  MINES 

An    Institution    of    Technology    and    Engineering.     Full 
degrees,  low  cost,  fine  climate,  new  equipment,  accessible 
to  mines  and  smelters.     Write  for  catalogue. 
PAYETTE  A.  JONES,  President,   Socorro,  New   Mexico. 


30 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


Assayers,  Chemists,  and  Ore-Testing  Works 


ARIZONA 

Altlnger,  F.  O. 
Cole  &  Co. 

CALIFORNIA 

Atkins  &  McRae. 
Baverstock  &  Payne. 
Gibson,  Walter  L. 


Hamilton,   Beauchamp 
&  Woodworth,  Inc. 
Hanks.  Abbot  A. 
James  Co.,  The  Geo.  A. 
Luckhardt  Co..  C.  A. 
Perez,  Richard  A, 
Smith,  Emery  &  Co. 


COLORADO 

Burton.  Howard  K. 
Frost,  Oscar  J. 
Piers,  W.  L. 
Richards.  J.  TV. 

MISSOURI 
Buskett.  Evans  W. 

MONTANA 
Tout  &  McCarthy. 


NEVADA 

You«g.  H.  W. 

NEW  YORK 

Ledoux  &  Co.,  Inc. 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Penological  Laboratory. 


TEXAS 

CritchettA  Ferguson. 

UTAH 
Bardwell.  Alonzo  F. 
Bird-Cowan  Co. 
General    Engineering 

Co.,  The. 
Officer  &  Co..R.  H. 


ALTINGER,  F.  0„ 

A»»njiT  and   Cbemlnt. 

Analytical  Work  a  Specialty. 

Oatman,   Arizona. 


ATKIN  &  McRAE, 

Assayers.    Chemists,    and    Metallurgists. 

Control   and   Umpire  Assays. 

Careful  Analytical  Chemists. 

616  South  Olive  St.,  Los  Angeles.  Cal. 


J.   M.    Callon,    President. 


GENERAL  ENGINEERING  CO.,  THE, 

CONSULTING    ENGINEERS. 

169   Pierpont   Avenue.    Salt   Lake   City,    Utah. 
Design   and  Erection   of  all   Classes   of   Reduction   Plants. 
ORES  TESTED  IN  SMALL  OR   10-TON  LOTS  BY  AMALGAMATION,   CON- 
CENTRATION.  CYANIDATION,  MAGNETIC  SEPARATION,   FLOTATION 
The  3rd  edition  of  our  Ore  Testing  Bulletin  Is  now  ready   for  mailing.     We  shall 
be  pleased  to  send  It  to   you   upon   request. 


BARDWELL,  Alonzo  F., 

(Successors  to  Bettles  &  Bardwell,) 
Cum  to  in   Annajer  and  C'bfmUt. 
168   S.   W.   Temple  St.,   Salt   Lake.   Utah. 
^ Ore  Snippers'  Agent. 


BAVERSTOCK  &  PAYNE, 

Industrial    Chemliti    and    Aaanyera. 

Technical  and  Chem.  Analyses  of  Ores, 
Minerals,  and  All  Organic  Materials. 

223    W.    First    St..    Los    Angfles.    Cal. 


HAMILTON,  BEAUCHAMP,  WOODWORTH,  Inc., 

METALLURGICAL     ENGINEERS. 

SPECIALTY:  THE  TREATMENT  OF  GOLD  AND  SILVER  ORES,  BY  FLOTATION. 

BY   CYANIDE,   OR  BY  A  COMBINATION  OF   BOTH  PROCESSES. 

Flotation  of  Copper,  Lead,  Zinc,  and  Other  Minerals. 

Tests  Made  on  Lots  of  1  lb.  up  to  5  Tons. 

MILLS   DESIGNED   AND   CONSTRUCTED. 

CONSULTING   AND    EXPERT   WORK   UNDERTAKEN. 
Laboratory  and  Office:   419  The  Embarcadero,   San   Francisco,   Cal. 
Telephone:  Sutter  5266.     Cable  address:  Hambeau.     Codes:  West.  Union,  Bed.  McNeill. 


BIRD-COWAN  CO., 

Charles  S.  Cowan.  Manager. 
Cnatom  Aaanyera  and  Cbemlata. 

Agents   for  Ore  Shippers. 
160   S.   W.   Temple   St..   Salt  Lake.   U 


GEORGE  A.  JAMES  CO.,  THE, 

ASSAYERS   AND   CHEMISTS. 

Supervision   of   Ore   Sampling,    Technical   Analysis,   Cement   Testing. 
No.   28-32   Belden  Place   (off  Bush   near  Kearny),    San   Francisco. 


BURTON,  Howard  E., 

605  Harrison  Ave..   Leadvilte,   Colo. 
Specialty:  Rare  Minerals. 


LEDOUX  &  CO.,  Inc. 

ASSAYERS,    CHEMISTS    AND    METALLURGISTS. 

Independent  samplers  at  the  port  of  New  York. 

Representatives  at  all  Refineries  and  Smelters  on  Atlantic  Seaboard. 

Office  and  Laboratory:   99  John   Street.   New   York. 


BUSKETT,  Evans  W., 

Aaanyer    nnd    Chemist. 

Accurate  Assays  of  Zinc.  Lead.  Copper. 

Gold   and    Silver  Ores   from    Anywhere. 

620  Joplln  St..  Joplln.  Mo. 


C.  A.  LUCKHARDT  CO., 

(A.  H.  Ward.  Harold  C.  Ward.)  Telephone,   Kearny  5951. 

ASSAYERS     AND     CHEMISTS. 

Sampling  of  Ores  at  Smelters.  53  Stevenson  St..  San  Francisco. 


COLE  &  CO., 

A»»ayiT«,    Cbemlata. 

Ore   Buyer*. 

Shippers' 

Representatives. 

Box  BB 

Dougl 

is.   Ariz. 

SMITH,    EMERY    &    CO.,  (Ore   testing   plant.    I.o.    AnKele..> 

INDEPENDENT    CONTROLS    AND    UMPIRE    ASSAYERS. 

Represent  Shippers  at  Smelters,  Test  Ores,  and  Design  Mills. 

246  So.  Los  Angeles  Street,  Los  Angeles. 


651  Howard  Street,  San  Francisco. 


CRITCHETT  &  FERGUSON, 

Aaaayera   and  Cbemlata. 

El  Paso,  Texas. 
Umpire  and  Controls  a  Specialty. 


FROST,  Oscar  J., 

Aaanyer. 

420  18th  St..  Denver. 


PIERS,  W.  L. 

Assay  or 

207c 
Send    for    price 
envelopes.        428 

i 
und   Chemist. 

Discount. 

list    and    free    mailing 
18th   St..   Denver.   Colo. 

GIBSON,  Walter  L., 

Successor  to 

Fnlkennu   Assaying   Co., 

Aaany  Office  and  Analytical  Laboratory, 

School   of  Ajtaaytns;. 

824    Washington   St..  Oakland. 

Phone  8929. 

Umpire  assays  and  supervision  of  sam- 

Fling.     Working  tests  of  ores,  analyses, 
nvestigations      of      metallurgical      and 
technical  processes. 

Professor    L.    Falkenau.    General    Man- 
ager and  Consulting  Specialist. 


HANKS,  Abbot  A., 

Chemlat  and  Aaaayer. 

Established   1866. 

•30  Sacramento  St..   San   Francisco. 

Control  and  Umpire  Assays.  Supervision 

of  Sampling  at  Smelters. 
Cable:  Hani.     Code:  W.  U.  and  Bed.  McN. 


OFFICER  &  CO.,  R.  H., 

Assayera  and  Chemists. 

169  South  West  Temple  Street, 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. 


PEREZ,  Richard  A., 

Assayer,  Chemist  and  Metallurgist. 

(Established  1895.) 
120   N.   Main    St.   Los   Angeles.   Cal. 


PETROLOGICAL  LABORATORY 

\V.  Harold  Tomlinaon, 

Swathmore,  Pa. 

Petrographlc  work.    Rock  sections  made. 

Microscopic  examinations   of   rocks. 


RICHARDS,  J.  W., 

Assayer  and  Chemist. 

1118    Nineteenth    St.,   Denver. 
Ore  Shippers'  Agent.     Write  for  terms. 
Representatives  at  all  Colorado  smelters. 


tout  &  McCarthy, 

Richard  McCarthy, 
Assayers  &  Cbemlata. 

Butte.  Montana,  Box  858. 


Mgr. 


YOUNG,  H.  W., 

Chemlat   and   Aaaayer 

Prompt  attention  to  samples  by  mall. 
Box    348,    Reno.   Nev. 


THE  ACTIVE  MEMBERS  of  the  mining  and  metallurgical  profession   find  it  ad- 
visable   to    keep    their   names   and    addresses    where    possible    clients    can    find 

them  easily.     When  a  man   wants  advice,   he   wants   it  promptly.     This  directory 

of  practitioners  is  often  used  without  acknowledgment. 

ADVERTISING   RATES:   $25   for  a  one-half  inch   card   for   one  year,   including 

52   issues   of   the   MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS. 


•Inlv    1    1916 


MINING  «nd  Sdantife    PRESS 


81 


ALUMINUM  DUST  FOR  SALE 

■ 

I  f|*      folio*  : 

Buttoi  ■ 

with  tine 

it.i.l.-    at    32c.  4S.« 

Total  p*r   ton  Of  On  tr«*t<   I  10  l 

With    Aluminum    Duit: 

LSI  lb.   c  

id    aluminum   nt   Me.       23.; 

1.63   lb.   soda  a> 

Total    i'.*r    tOD    ..f    or«    lr«*.tt.-.|       . 

aluminum  duit,  II. fl 
in  addition  lo  iblf  than  ih  in  n  !'  Improved 

the  accumulation   i»r  ilnc   in  tha  solu- 
tion  would   have  an  Injurious  effecl 

CHARLES    BUTTERS   &  CO.,   LTD. 

LABORATORY   AND    ORE   TESTING   WORKS: 
6400   CHABOT   ROAD.  OAKLAND.   CA1_ 


AWAROCO  American  Steel  &  Wire  Company's 

1  \^.  Trenton  Klci.lu-rt  Sjlten 

Aerial  Tramways 

"VO  matter  vrha.  the  contour  of  the  ground,  we 
■*■     will  construct  ;i  tramway   thai    «ill    transfer 

material  at  ininiiniiin  expense;  and  no  grades  »re 
too  steep  to  surmount;  no  rivers  or  valleys  too 
wide  to  cross;  and  no  grading,  bridges  or  viaducts 
of  any  kind  are  required.  There  is  practically  no 
limit  to  the  length  of  these  tramways. 

Send     for   complete    descriptive    catalogue    of 
tramways  in  use. 

American  Steel  &  Wire  Company 

Chicago    New  York    Cleveland    I*itt»bur.th  Worcealer    Denver 

Export  Rrpfc*«nt«ilvc;     V.  S.  Sloel  Product- Co..  New  York 
Pmdfic  Coast  Representative:    U.  S.  Steel  Product-  Co. 
>.n  Francisco  Los  Anielea 


Portland 


Seattle 


Braun  Universal 

Laboratory  Sampler 

For  accurately  and  impartially 
sampling  dry  material — chem- 
icals in  pulverized  or  crystal 
form,  ores,  coke,  coal,  grains, 
fertilizers,  and  similar  material 


aj£mm 


POWER  PUMPS  FOR  MINES 

Dependability  and  economy  of  operation  are  combined 
to  an  unusual  degree  in  Deming  Pumpa.  There  is  a 
Deming  Pump  to  suit  every  mining  need  Tell  us  the 
details  of  your  pumping  proposition  and  we  will  recom- 
mend the  pump  best  suited  to  your  requirements. 

THE  DEMING  CO.,  Salem,  Ohio 

General  Distributing  Houses: 
Sun   Franclnco,  Cat.,  Norman  B.  Miller.  503  Market  Street 
Denver.  Colo.,     -     Hendrle  &  Bolthoff  Mfg.   &  Supply  Co. 
Chicago.  III.,  Henion  &  Hubbell.  217-221  North  Jefferson  St. 
Stir  York  Cltr,  Ralph  B.  Carter  Co.,  152  Chambers  Street 


The  prominent  features  are — 

The  separators  do  not  have  to  be  re- 
moved for  cleaning — 

It  is  practically  dust  proof — 

It  is  thoroughly  and  quickly  cleaned — 

Tho  Yo\Ut  Vihar  Prooc  It  delivers  an  accurate  and  impartial 

111     K     -v   llllu    1RN  sample  not  obtainable  by  hand  sampling- 

It  eliminates  the  personal  equation. 


(Patented) 
FOR  ALL  FILTRATION   RKllMllKllliM'S 

Write  for  Information. 
THE  KELLY  FILTER  PRESS  COMPANY 

207  Felt  Hdg.,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
E.  E.  Lunawitz,   303-E.  Hudson  Terminal  Bids..    New  York 


Shipping  weight,  220  lbs.     Price,  net  $100.00 
Ask  for  Catalog  50M. 


AUSTIN'S  FIRE  ASSAY 


By    U    S.    AUSTIN 


Published  and  For  Snlc  by 

MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 

420   MARKET    ST.,    SAN   FRANCISCO 


■  RAUH-KMCCHT-HEWAHH-CO 


U  llSrftBJTfjJB 


SAN  FRANCISCO.  U.  S.  A. 


LOS  ANGELES.  U.  S.  A. 


Manufacturers  of  Laboratory  Labor  Saving  Machinery 

Specialists  in  Laboratory  Equipment  and  Testing  Apparatus 

Dealers  in  Laboratory  Glassware  and  Chemicals 


32 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


July  1.  L916 


United  States  Smelting, 
Refining  &  Mining  Co. 

55  Congress  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Selling  OOct,  UNITED  STATES  SMELTING  CO„  Inc., 
120  Broadvrar,  New  York  City. 

NEEDLES    MINING    AND   SMELTING   COMPANY 

Custom  Lead  and  Zinc  Concentrator  at  Needles,  Cal. 
Address:  Needles,  Cal. 

MAMMOTH   COPPER   MINING    COMPANY 

Custom  Copper  Smelter  at  Kennett,  Cal.  Address 
Kennett.  Cal. 

UNITED   STATES    SMELTING   COMPANY 

Custom  Lead  and  Copper  Smelters  and  Custom 
Lead  and  Zinc  Concentrating  Mills  at  Midvale,  Utah. 
Address:   Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

Custom  Zinc  Smelters  at  Iola,  Altoona  and  La 
Harpe,  Kansas.  Address,  413  Republic  Bdg..  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo. 

GOLDROAD    MINES    COMPANY 
Goldroad,  Arizona. 

UNITED   STATES   METALS   REPINING   COMPANY 

Custom  Copper  Smelter  and  Electrolytic  Copper 
Refinery  at  Chrome,  N.  J.  Electrolytic  Lead  Re- 
finery at  Graselll,  Ind.  Address:  120  Broadway, 
New  York  City.  N.  Y. 

CIA.  DE   REAL   DEL   MONTE 

Mines  and  Mills  at  Pachuca  and  Real  del  Monte. 
Address:  Pachuca,  Hidalgo.  Mexico. 

UNITED  STATES  SMELTING,  REFINING  4  MINING 
EXPLORATION  CO. 
For  Examination  and  Purchase  of  Metal  Mines. 
Address:  55  Congress  St.,  Boston,  Mass.:  120  Broad- 
way. New  York,  N.  Y.:  1504  Hobart  Bldg..  San 
Francisco,  Cal.;  Newhouse  Bldg.,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah:  906  Mills  Bldg.,  El  Paso,  Texas:  Edlficlo 
La  Mutua  411,  Mexico,  D.  F. 

Iluj.r.  of  ORES,  MATTE  and  FURNACE  PRODUCTS 
RtOnrn  of  BLISTER  COPPER  and   LEAD   BULLION 
Seller,    of  GOLD,  SILVER,    LEAD,   COPPER,   ZINC   DUST, 
CADMIUM,  ARSENIC  and  SELENIUM 


AMERICAN  ZINC 

LEAD  &  SMELTING  CO. 

PURCHASERS  OF 

ZINC  ORE 


PRODUCERS  OF 

HIGH  GRADE  SPELTER 

Including  "MASCOT1  and  "CANEY"  Brands 


SULPHURIC  ACID 


Send  Ore  Inquiries  to 

1012  PIERCE  BUILDING 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 


Send  Spelter  and  Add  Inquiries  10 
120  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK,  N.  Y. 


EDGAR   ZINC   COMPANY 


Main  Olllcc: 
Boatmen's  Bank  Building 

St.  Louis 


BUYERS  OF  ZINC  ORES 


Address  communications  to 

David  Taylor 

Western  Ore  Purchasing  Agent 

Boston  Building  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


International  Smelting  Co. 

New  York  Office:  42  Broadway 

Purchasers  of 

Gold,  Silver,  Copper,  Lead 
and  Antimony  Ores 

SMRT1NG  WORKS:  INTERNATIONAL,  UTAH,  and  MIAMI,  ARIZ. 

REFINERIES: 

Rarltan   Copper  Works,   Perth  Amboy,  N.   J. 

International  Lead  Refining  Company,  East  Chicago.  Indiana. 

ORE  PURCHASING  DEPARTMENT: 
621  Kearna  Building.  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 


Beer,  Sondheimer  &  Co.,  inc. 

61  BROADWAY,  New  York  City 
SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 

•P,  .   Zinc  Ores,   Concentrates, 

nUVerS  OJ   Copper  Ores,  Matte,  Bul- 
lion, Mixed  Ores,  Etc. 

^pllprv  r.f  Spelter,  Copper,  Zinc  Dust, 
OtUU^a  U/   Quicksilver,  Etc. 


Own  Smelting  and  Refining  Works 


BEST  FACILITIES  FOR  TREATMENT  OF 

GOLD  and  SILVER 
BULLION 

Ores,  Concentrates,  Cyanide  Product 

CONSIGN  ALL  SHIPMENTS  TO  SELBY,  CAL. 


SELBY  SMELTING  &  LEAD  CO. 

Addreaa  correspondence  to 

GENERAL    OFFICES:     MERCHANTS     EXCHANGE    BDG.. 

SAN  FRANCISCO 


July 


nit; 


MINING  ..ml  Sirn.iii,    I'KKSS 


Granby  Mining  and  Smelting  Company 

Lm.i1  Smaller  Udc  Smaller  .ii.l  ArM  1'Lnl  inallir 

Urvutiy   Vo  Eaji  Hi   Lout,.  111.  ImIu.  Kkmi 

M   UiaU.  MlHourl         -AJJrru-  S«w  V.n.    S    Y 

Suit*  1710  Jrd  NM1  l:»»k  1M.I«  H.'l'l    W.  I'utiklln.  166  llro..l».y 

.-ffirVD  ol 

"lir»kr    llrnn.l  '    1Mb    L— j    '•">    "Orllrr.    .ml 

.Unula.i  urrr«    of    *>  u  I  p  Im  r  I.'     Arid. 

Burvr*  of  Hi»rn;r»ilf  CterbooM*.  BlUctti  .ml  BulphSd,  EIdi 
K».r  prupoalUoaa  od  or».  ftddnaa  SI.  LoaU  offlce. 


Address  our  O/rtc*  : 

703  Symes  Blag., 
Denver,  Colo. 


Or  a' rife  fo 

H.  L.  WILLIAMS. 

605  KEARNS  BLDC.. 

SALT  LAKE  QTY.  UTAH 


L.    VOGELSTEIN    &   CO. 

42   BROADWAY,    NEW    YORK 

BUYERS  OF  ORES  AND  METALS 

OF  ALL  CLASSES 

SELLERS  OF  COPPER,  TIN.  LEAD,  SPELTER. 
ANTIMONY,  Etc 


600  Illustrations 


Over  850  Pages 


Twelve  Folding  Plates 


1916  New,  Revised  and  Enlarged  Edition 

The  Modern  Gasoline  Automobile 

Its  Construction,  Operation, 
Maintenance    and    Repair. 


By  Victor  W.  Page,  M.E.   • 

A  Complete  Automobile  Book,  Showing  Every 
Recent  Improvement. 

Price  $2.50 

For  Sale  by  MINING  and  Scientific  Press.  420  Market  SI..  San  Francisco 


McKiernan-Terry  Drill  Co. 

MAM  K.KTIHKRS  OP 

Rock  Drills,  Hammer  Drills,  Core  Drills, 
Pile  Hammers,  Atlas  Jacks 

233   BROADWAY.  -  -  NEW    YORK 

The  Empire  Zinc  Company 
Buys  Zinc  Ores 


A  Guide  to  Technical  Writing 


By   T.   A.   RICKARD 


Second   Edition 


91   Postpaid 


Mr.  Rickard's  book  will  help  you  to  present  your  ideas  in 
such  a  convincing  way  that  everyone  will  exclaim,  "that 
man  knows  what  he  Is  talking  about."  Send  for  A  Guide 
1o  Technical  Writing.  You  will  read  it  through  at  the  first 
sitting,  

Published  and  For  Sale  by 

MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 

420  MARKET  ST..   SAN   FRANCISCO  2 


Test  your  ores — 

Before  you  begin  construction,  subject 
your  ores  to  thorough  tests.  It  is  the 
logical  tiling  to  do.  We  maintain  a  most 
modern  testing  plant  for  all  concentrating 
processes  including  the 


HUFF 


ELECTROSTATIC 
SEPARATOR 

i  0  THE 


Plumb  Pneumatic  Jig 


Have   you    complex    ore?      Write    to   us. 
Be  sure  you  are  right  before  you  go  ahead. 


American  Zinc  Ore  Separating  Co. 


1218  Foater  Bdg., 


Denver,  Colo. 


ATKINS,  KROLL  &  CO.,   San  Francisco 

IMPORT  MERCHANTS 

DANISH     FLINT     PEBBLES.       SILEX    LINING.       CYANIDE. 

QUICKSILVER.      MINING   CANDLES.      FIREBRICK. 

BORTS  AND  CARBONS.      BLACKSMITH   COAL      COKE. 

IMPORTED    FUSE.  SCHEELITE    CONCENTRATES,    70%. 

SUPERIOR  QUALITY  ZINC  DUST. 

STOCKS  CARRIED 

Buyers  of  Quicksilver  and  Platinum,  also  Ores  of  Antimony, 

Bismuth.  Molybdenum.  Tungsten,  Vanadium,  Zinc.  etc. 


WAH-CHANG'S  CHINESE  ANTIMONY 
W.  C.  C.  BRAND 

Beware  of  imitations.  The  genuine  Wah-Chang  Antimony 
Pigs  are  branded  "W.  C.  C."  and  our  trade  mark.  Sold  in  any  quan- 
tity. Wah-Chang  Antimony  rung  as  high  as  99.7*,  with  non-traeoahle 
arsenic  contents.  Was  awarded  highest  honors  at  Panama-Pacific 
Exposition.  1915.    Order  from  dealers  or  write  direct  to  us. 

WAH-CHANG  MINING  &  SMELTING  CO..  Ltd. 

2283  Woohvorih  Building,        New  York  City 


The  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting  Co., 
of  Canada,  Ltd. 

SMELTERS  AND  REFINERS 

Purchasers  of  All  Classes  of  Ores.     Producers  of 
Pig  Lead,  Bluestone,  and  Spelter. 

Offices,  Smelting  and  Refining  Dept.,  Trail,  British  Columbia 

Mining  Engineers'  Examination  and  Reprot  Book 

By    CHARLES    J.WIV 
In   Two   Parts  72.50   Postpaid 

PART  I  Is  a  handbook  covering  examination  of  and  reporting  upon  mines 
and  mining  property.  Part  n  is  a  skeleton  report,  serving  three  pur- 
poses: First  an  outline  of  a  model  report;  Second,  a  field  notebook  or 
Third,  a  blank  form  on  which  the  final  report  may  be  submitted. 

Published  and  For  Sale  by  27 

MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS,  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco 


M 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


ional 


ens 


July  1,  1916 


£!i 


m 


l»,l 


.s.« 


f^. 


Preparedness    and    Peace    and    the    Engineer 


T 


HE  United  States  desires  peace,  based  on  justice  and  maintained  with 
honor.  Hut  to  insure  this  kind  of  peace  Americans  must  know  that  nations 
are  now  defended  not  alone  by  fighting  men.  but  by  lighting  industries. 


The  Engineers  oi  this  country,  trained  as  only  American  Engineers  are 
trained,  hold  that  truth  to  be  as  fundamental  as  the  law  of  gravity.  With  the 
authority  of  the  United  States  Government  more  than  30,000  Engineers  and 
Chemists,  members  of  five  eminent  American  scientific  bodies,  are  making  for 
the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Government  a  minute,  sweeping  survey  of  the 
industrial  resources  of  America.  They  will  go  to  the  factories  and  mines  of  the 
land  and  with  their  sole  method,  efficiency,  and  their  sole  motive,  patriotism, 
form  a  vast,  flexible  organization,  such  as  the  world  lias  never  known. 

Their  work  will  lie  the  basis  for  creating  in  this  country  a  true  line  of  de- 
fense in  time  of  war — the  ability  to  produce  swiftly,  abundantly  and  with  sus- 
tained power  all  the  thousand  and  one  elements  of  modern  warfare.  Without 
such  production  there  can  he  no  efficient  army  and  navy. 

Military  Preparedness  wins  the  hattle.  Hut  Industrial  Preparedness  wins 
He-  WAR!  Industrial  Preparedness  involves  no  huge  expenses.  Only  the 
KNOWLEDGE  of  what  American  Industry  can  do.  To  KNOW  the  extent  of 
each  plaid,  the  equipment  of  each  shop,  tin-  capacity  of  each  machine,  the 
ability  of  each  man.    THAT  is  tic  essence  of  Industrial  Preparedness.    That  is 

the  task  to  which  thirty  thousand  Engineers  and  Chemists  are  pledged. 

The  Engineers'  and  Chemists'  work  will  lay  for  all  time  the  ghost  of  the 
••munitions  trust"  by  making  it  possible  to  have  munitions  made  in  thousands 
of  plants. 

This  vital  work  of  the  Engineers  and  Chemists  will  supply  the  military 
authorities  in  Washington  with  information  never  before  collected,  and  it  is 
carried  forward  without  a  dollar's  cost  to  the  Government.  And  this  advertise- 
ment is  not  paid  for.  The  Associated  Advertising  Clubs  of  the  World  have 
prepared  tic-  copy  and  the  publishers  have  patriotically  responded  and  printed 
it  without  pay  for  the  sake  of  National  Defense  and  International  Peace. 

.1//  .inn  ricans  an  ash  dto  strikt  hands  with  '/<<  Engim  t  rs  and  ('In  mists  so 
thai  America  shaU  learn  how  to  nils,  up  "<<  impregndbU  wall  of  deft  net  apaiiist 
a  thin  of  trial. 

COMMITTEE  on  INDUSTRIAL  PREPAREDNESS  of  the 

NAVAL    CONSULTING    BOARD    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES 

in  co-operation  with 

The  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers    •  The  American  Societt  op  Mechanical  Engineers 

The  Americas  IssTurTE  of  Mining  Engineers        Tee  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers 

The  American  Chemical  Society 

ENGINEERING  SOCIETIES  BUILDING  29  WECT  _Sth  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


July  l.  1816 


MINING   and  Soenhnc    PRESS 


Hydraulic  KUnlBf,  Yukon  Gold 

Wiilrr  Supplied   l'liri>U(?li 

Taylor  Spiral  Riveted  Pipe 

"New   York.   Jan.    16     1911. 
"Onilrnirn:     We    bpjr   to   acknowledge    youra   of   Jan.    9th. 
maklntj  Inquiry  aa  to  or  experience  with  your  Spiral  Riveted 
Pipe. 

•Our  drat  uie  of  Spiral  Riveted  Pipe  wae  In  connection 
with  our  hydraulic  mining-  operation*  aa  distributing  llnea 
from  our  main  ditch  ayetem.  The  pipe  waa  given  aevere 
aervlce  and  proved  entirely  antlsfactorv.  We  are  now  using 
It  In  dlametera  up  to  42  Inches  and  heads  up  to  530  feet. 
We  have  found  the  pipe  eaay  to  lay  and  handle,  strong  for 
Its  weight  and  generally  satisfactory. 
"Very  truly  yours. 

"(Signed)    YUKON  GOLD  CO., 

"O.  B.  Perry.  Oen.  Mgr." 

fiifatoffUt?  and  sjir-nat  pncm  Of)  rrr/urat. 


AMERICAN 


SPIRAL  PIPE  WORKS 

Chicago,  111. 


WRITE  FOR 
CATALOGS 

Dryers  -  -  -  Ho.  16 
Screening  -  -  No.  27 
Drop  Forged  Chain  No.  32 
Mining  Machinery  -  No.  41 
Crushers  -  -  -  No.  42 
Skip  Hoists    -    -    No.  43 


OUR  BUSINESS  IS  TO 


Reduce  Your  Handling  Costs 


Our  Automatic 
Skip  Hoists 

reduce  the  cost  of 
handling  materials  to 
a  minimum. 

We  make  ffie  larg- 
est variety  of  Mech- 
anical Dryers  in  (he 
world. 


THE  C.  O.  BARTLETT  &  SNOW  &  CO. 

CLEVELAND,  O.  50  Church  St,  New  York  City 


MEN  WANTED 


Men  are  wanted  SOMEWHERE  all  the  time. 
The  quickest  way  to  find  out  WHERE  is  to 
insert  a  classified  advertisement,  at  2  cents 
per  word,  in  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press 
Opportunity  Page.  Results  are  quick.  If  you 
are  out  of  work  or  wish  to  change  try — 

THE  OPPORTUNITY  PAGE 


TRAYLOR 
Ball-Mills =Tube-Mills 


IN  ALL  SIZES 


They  crush  Lumps  to  Sands 
or  grind  Sands  to  Slimes, 
consuming  the  minimum 
amount  of  power,  balls  or 
pebbles  and  lubricant. 

The  proofs  are  at  your  disposal. 

TRAYLOR  ENG.  &   MFG.  CO. 


NEW  YORK  OFFICE 
36  Church  Si. 


MAIN  OFFICE  AND  WORKS 
Allentown,  Pa. 


WESTERN  OFFICE 
Salt  Lake  City,  UUb 


Waab  IrtU  Wavks 

Paterson,  N.  J. 

Manufacturers  of  the  Drill  that  can  be 
"Cleaned  up  with  a  Sledge  Hammer" 
and  "Wiped  off  with  a  Scoop  Shovel," 
and  yet  "Stay  with  you." 


AGENTS : 

Joshua  Hendy  Iron  Wokks 

76  Fremont  St..  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Gardner  Machinery  COMPANY 

620  JopUn  St..  Joplin.Mo. 

LandesA  Co.,  Inc.,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah 

H.  C.  Darnell  &  Co..  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Pocatello  Engineering  &  Machinery  Co. 

Pocatello,  Idaho 

The  Canadian  Fairbanks-Morse  Co.,  Ltd. 

Vancouver.  B.  C. 


36 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


OFPOETUMITI 


Under  this  heading  announcements   may  be  made  of  new 
ard  second-hand  machinery  or  supplies,  for  sale  or  wanted. 
:    is   Ave  cents  per  word,  one  dollar  minimum  order. 
Remittances    MUST    accompany    order.      Copy    must    be    re- 
morning  for  the  following  week's  issue. 


MINING    TIMBERS   from   the  Tower   of  Jewels,   1,500,000    feet. 
No.  i  pine;  1x4,  14x14,  all  lengths  up  to  50  feet     Lowest  prices, 
'  y.     Quotations  f.o.h.  cars,   Exposition  Grounds. 
G.  w-issbaum  &  Co.,  owners,  131    1 1  th  St.,  San  Francisco. 

I   WILI,  SELL  CHEAP  on   account  of  sickness,  a  group  of  6 

roup  of    1   tungsten  claims,   with   rich 

showing  on   all  claims.     Only  6    mi  las  apart  on   good  road,  but 

only   f  miles  to  3  mills  buying  ore  or  concentrates.     Loca- 

tlon,   Pima  county,  Arizona.     Investigate  if  you  mean   business. 

ess  A.   P.   Voltsberg,  Tucson,  Arizona. 

ma  GRINDING  PEBBLES— Many  mining  companies 

Are   you?     Cheaper   than    imported.      All   sizes 

furnish. ,i.      Address    E.    E.    Garnett,    Manager,    Encinitas    Cash 

■  nitas,  Cal. 

FOR    SALE— One    tungsten    and    one    molybdenum    property 

situated   within    shipping  distance   of   San    Francisco,      will   sell 

i  •     witli    party    who    will    put    up    capital. 

to    hear    from    principals    but    will    deal    with    brokers. 

Full    Investigation    invited,    every    opportunity    afforded.      Ad- 

J.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

FOR    SALT-: — Prospecting    outfits    consisting    of    combination 

sollne  engine  and  air —  with   or  without  hoist. 

01      without    drilling    outfit       Can     be    carried     mule-back 

when    necessary.      Sizes    from    live    to    twenty- four    hp.      Prices 

very    reasonable.      Address    Rix    Compressed    Air    &    Drill    Co.. 

San  Francisco  and  Los  Angeles. 

WANT  HAUUNG  CONTRACTS  anywhere  in  California,  Ne- 
vada or  Arizona.  All  work  done  with  auto  trucks.  Estimates 
furnished.  California  Auto  Truck  Co.,  860  Waller  St..  San 
Francisco. 

FOR  SALE — Due  to  change  in  plans,  four  new  Wllfley  con- 
centrators, No.  5,  still  in  original  crates  at  station  on  S,  P.  R.  R. 
J.  F.  Luae  Company,  Sutherlin.  Oregon. 

FOR  SALE — New  gasoline  mine  hoist  and  20-ton  milling  plant, 
at  a  bargain.     W.  F.  Downie,  Shannon  Ave..  Spokane.  Wash. 

DO  YOU  KNOW  that  you  could  test  your  own  ores  by  Way's 
Process?  Send  for  booklet  describing  this  simple  and  eco- 
nomical method.  Accurate  and  reliable.  Used  by  mining 
schools  and  colleges.  No  technical  knowledge  required.  Way's 
Pocket  Smelter  Sales  Co..   Dept.   F.   South   Pasadena,   Cal. 

WRITE  HELENA  MINING  BUREAU,  Inc.,  Helena.  Mont.,  for 
booklet  describing  mining  investment  opportunities  In  the 
Helena  Mining  Region  as  outlined  in  Bulletin  No.  527,  United 
States  Geological  Survey. 


In  Stock  for 

Immediate 
Shipment 


— a  complete  line  of  Mining  Machinery  and  Supplies,  in- 
cluding 4-6-S-10  and  12  H.P.  Vertical  and  15-20-25-30-35- 
40-50  H.P.  Horizontal 

FUEL    OIL    HOISTS 

— also  Cleveland   Stopers.  Pluggers.  etc.     We  ship  on  day 

order  is  received. 

Write     for     Catalog     of     Tump*.     EnprlneH,      Motor*.     Etc., 

and  state  the  particular  equipment  you  are  interested  In. 

SMITH-BOOTH-USHER  CO. 

Michlnery— Supplies— Pipe  and  Fillings.  LOS    I  M.  i:i.i>.  CAL. 


FOR  SALE 


5    Dorr    thickeners    mechanism    with    lifting    device    for 
20x10  steel  tanks. 

3   Dorr  agitators  mechanism   for  steel   tanks   12xl0'8". 
The    above    have    been    used    three    weeks.      Immediate 
shipment. 

J  Mi:    HORSE   BROS.    MACHINERY   a    SUPPLY   CO. 
Denver,    Colorado. 


FOSKT10MS  AVAELAELE 


Announcements  in  this  column  are  secured  through  the 
co-operation  of  many  of  the  largest  mining  companies  in  the 
United  States.  Readers  of  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  are 
thus  kept  constantly  informed  concerning  opportunities  for 
employment. 


WANTED — Assayer  and  bookkeeper  for  mine  in  California. 
.Salary  $100  per  month;  board  $1  per  day.  State  experience  and 
references.     Address  box  340.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

WANTED — Two  good  lead  and  copper  concentrator  men  who 
can  furnish  best  references  as  to  ability  and  reliability.  Some 
flotation  experience  required.  Wages  $4  per  day,  8  hours.  Ad- 
dress  Box  341,   Mining  and  Scientific  Press, 

WANTED — Two  shift  bosses  for  California,  Preferablv  men 
who  are  familiar  with  handling  Italian  and  Mexican  labor; 
$1.50  per  day  wages.  Give  references  and  details  of  experience. 
Address  Box  331.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

WANTED— To  communicate  with  two  experienced,  practical 
shift-bosses.  Copper  property,  Arizona.  Positions  open  about 
July  1.     Address  Box  326.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

MINING  AND  SCIENTIFIC  PRESS  wants  a  permanent  circu- 
lation representative  in  every  mining  community  in  the  world. 
Replies  will  be  held  confidential  if  desired.  Address.  Tin  Man- 
ager, Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 


Second-Hand  Mining  Machinery  for  Immediate  Delivery 

ELECTRIC  POWER  PLANT 

Consisting  of  150-kva  Crocker-Wheeler  Generator,  B-phase.  60-cyele,  2800- 
volt.  complete  with  Exciter  and  Switchboard:  5 foot  Hug  Water  Wheel: 
0000  feet  of  20-lnch  Riveted  Steel  Pipe. 

MOORE  "TYPE  A"  FILTER 
Complete  with  Motor,  two  baskets,  nil  tanks,  vacuum  pumps,  hydraulic 
crane  for  handling  baskets,  capacity  800  tons  per  21  hours.  Practically  new. 


CRUSHERS 

1-6x10  Farrell-Blake. 

0  tfcFarlane-Blake. 

\H  Dodge. 
2—  No.  4  Samson. 

1—7x18  Forsyth. 
1—9x16  Davis-Blake. 

I— '.<xl5  D.  E.  W.- Blake. 
1— 15x24  Blake. 
l—18x«  lllake. 
i— No  Gardner,  18ixfll  jaws, 
1— No.  8  Aurora.  LS'xflO1  jaws. 
1— No.  10  Symons  Gyratory. 
1 — Size  C  Come!  gyratory. 
I— Size  It  Comet  Hyratory. 

CRUSHING  ROLLS 

l  set  RxlO  McFarlane. 

1  set  12x20  McFarlane. 

2  seta  12x20  Davis. 

1  set  14x27  McFarlane. 

.'sets  14x27  Colorado  Iron  Works. 

1  set  1 1x27  Montgomery. 

2  sets  14x80  Davis. 

2  sets  l'ix:ii;  Colorado  Iron  Works. 

2  sets  10x86  Davis. 

1  set  16x40  Colorado  Iron  Works. 

1  set  10x8  Triplex. 

1  set  18x5  Triplex. 

■  sets  26x6  Triplex. 

BALL  MILLS 
1— 6'xi1  Ball  Mill. 
I— 6'x4'  Standard  Ball  Mill. 
1— I'xS*  Standard  Ball  Mill. 

CONCENTRATORS 

1  J— Rebuilt  Wilfiey  Tables, 
s  -  ti1  Frue  Vanners— ih-w  belts. 
7— Sutton, Steele&SteeleDry  Tables 
8 — Overstrom  Tables. 
J— Ding  Magnetic  Separators. 

Send  tor  our  Compl 


CORLISS  ENGINES 

20 and  B2x  18  Fraserd  Chalmers  Cross 

Compound. 
18  and  86x42  Hamilton  Compound. 
24x48  Piles  &  StOWell  Heavy  Hutv. 
20x42  Reynolds  Corliss. 
18x42  Bates  Corliss. 
16x12  Files  &  Stowell  Corliss. 
12x21  Philadelphia  Corliss. 

AUTOMATIC  ENGINES 
16  and  80x27  Fitchburg  Comtound 
1—16x21  Atlas  Right-Han. 1. 
1 — 15x15  Arnimgton-Slmms  C.  C. 
1—13x12  Ball  Center  Crank. 
1—10  and  14x20  Atlas  Compound. 
l-Kixl'2  Traylor  Right-Hand. 
1  -  'V  igXlO  Armington-Simms  C.  (  . 
1—8x10  Hendv  *i  Meyer  C.  C. 
1—7x10  Rice  Left-Hand. 

SLIDE  VALVE  ENGINES 
1—14  x  ]*    Houston,    Manwood    & 

Gamble. 
1—14x18—80  H.  P.  Woodbury. 
I— 12x38— 65  H.  P.  Woodbury. 
1—12x16—60  H.  P.  Nagle. 
1— 10x20-50  H.  p_  Bass. 
1-llxlfi— I5H.  P.Atlas. 
1-11x14— 45  H.  P.Jackson. 
1—11x15 — |o  H.  P.  Erie. 
2— 10x12—  lo  II.  p.  Nagles. 
1-  8x12-25  H.  P.  Hendy  &  Meyer 
1—  BxlO— 20  H.  P.  Atlas. 
1—  7x10-15  H  P.Atlas. 

WATER  WHEELS 
\—\-  Morgan  smith  Turbine. 
1—85  In.  Samson  Turbine. 
1—  a  -ft.  Hug  Water  Wheel. 
1— t-ft.  Pelton  Water  Wheel. 
I— 5-ft.  Pelton  Water  Wheel. 
tie  Machinery  Lu 


The  Morse  Bros.  Machinery  &  Supply  Co.,  'KL^c^o.' 


.Illll      1       I'll. 


MINING  ..nd  Sci»u6<    I'KI  SS 


•  •■■•■ 


Minings.  ".'.Press       > 


]\t  OppoferoNiTY  Page 


POSITIONS  WANTED 

rtiaing  for  position!  wanton1  i*  |  oenti  per 
•  ii      Minimum  order  5o  cent*.     Ropllea  for- 
warded without  muit  soc pany 

•  •l  Saturday  morning  for  follow- 
ing week*  iMUe. 


WANTED  •     l in. i  n, 

\Z9,    Mining   And 
Scientific   itcm. 


POSITION  WANTED  M  ■uperlntendenl  or  chlof  electrician  «>f 

ii  to,  steam  "i  gms;  ox  - 

■■■it  in  station  economies,  construction  and  now 

lower  operating  expense*,   and   Increase 

■  i    details    up« m    request.      Address 

Box  33..  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

MASTER   MECHANIC     With   experience   In   steam,  electrical, 

.  ir.   machinist,   boiler  work,  stc;   expert 

ii   handle   men    with   results; 

n  .  strict  ly  a  ga  -'•';  mar- 

tluns  preferred.     Addri  Mining  and 



Ml:     M!.\r:   MANAGER:    l»..  you   want  an   efficient   young  man 

with  a   technical  education  and   some   practical   experience?     I 

wain  ■  permanent  position  with  chance  of  advancement    Hav* 

on.    four    years    experience    underground,    and 

•        position  as  Inspector  of  rockwork  for  a 

railroad  company,  whore  i  proved  my  aballty  to  handle  men.   No 

on    to    going    to    a    foreign    country.      Address    Box    336. 

Mmifii:  mill  Sci.-ntlflc  Press. 

POSITION  WANTJED— By  experienced  and  reliable  electrician; 

.■I   12  years  eal  experience 

In    intuii-    ana    oui  rlcal   construction,    installation    and 

maintenance  of  motors,  operating  in  light  and  power  stations; 

gas  and  water  driven;  at  present  employed  by  large  cor- 

n    as   chief   elect  rlclan ;    references   and   details   upon   re- 

guest.     Address  Box  338,  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

MASTER  MECHANIC  AND  CHIEF    ENGINEER.   12   years  In 
A-i   man  on    Diesel  oil  engines,  construction  work;  no 
plant  too  largo.     Have  son.  22,  who  is  stenographer  and  ware- 
man;    both   speak    Spanish.      Desire   position    together    in 
I vulval    or   South    America   or  any   foreign   country;   A-l    refer- 
Address  Box  334.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

COLLEGE  GRADUATE,  8  years  experience,  including  railway 

s t ruction,  gold  and  quicksilver  mining  in  Mexico 

and  California,  wishes  position  about  July  10;  good  references. 

Aililri  ss    jinx    ::i:i.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

i'I'KN  KOU  i:n<;.\i;EMENT  as  general  manager  or  general 
superintendent,  engineer  of  wide  experience  in  the  United 
Mexico,  and  Australia.  Thoroughly  posted  in  modern 
mining  methods.  References  of  the  highest  class.  Speak 
Spanish  fluently;  will  go  anywhere;  personal  interview  can  be 
arranged.     Address  Box  335.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

CONSTRUCTION  SUPERINTENDENT  AND  MILLWRIGHT; 
10  years  In  charge  of  various  kinds  of  construction,  mill-fram- 
ing, concrete,  erecting  machinery  and  shafting.  San  Fran- 
cisco references  as  to  ability  and  personal  character.  American, 
age  38.  Salary  $175  and  expenses.  Box  344.  Mining  and  Scien- 
tiflc  Press. 

EXPERIENCED  MINE  ACCOUNTANT  and  commissary  clerk; 

familiar  with  figuring  operating  expenses;  references.     Address 

12,  Mining  and  Scientific  PresB. 

INTEREST  TO  MINE  OPERATORS  ONLY— General  Sup- 
erintendent and  successful  organizer;  technical  graduate,  ex- 
perienced in  all  phases  of  mining,  development  and  examina- 
tion work;  desires  connection  with  reliable  mine  operator.  Ex- 
pert miner  and  mill  man;  exceptionally  qualified  to  work  out 
close  proposition  where  superintendent  must  be  able  to  hold 
a  foreman's  job.  Moderate  salary  and  opportunity  to  buy  in  or 
become  part  owner.  Address  Box  34  5,  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press.  

MINING  ENGINEER  of  the  highest  standing  who  has  traveled 
extensively  and  reported  on  properties  in  Asia,  Africa,  North, 
Centra]  and  South  America,  desires  to  form  a  connection,  in 
consulting  capacity  or  for  work  in  the  field,  with  an  organiza- 
tion contemplating  mining  investments  abroad.  Address  Box 
:-:25.  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 

FIFTEEN  YEARS  of  practical  experience  as  cyanide,  concen- 
tration, amalgamation  assayer  and  chemist;  can  make  all  re- 
pairs and  operate  gas  engines;  best  of  references.  Address 
Box   333,   Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 


Competent  Mining  Men  Supplied 


E=  TECHNICAL  MEN 

THE  MINES  TECHNICAL   AGENCY 
Washington  Building  LOS     ANGELES 


i  XPERIENCED  TOOL  SHARPENER  and   n 
Uon  in  California,    Addn  I,  Mining  and  Sclontlfli 

MINE    SUPERINTENDENT    doilrea    position     In    •  imrge    of 
opening   up  now   prop*  rty;   mining  onglnoer  "f   1 1 
tical   experience;  efficiency  and  cheapness  ■■!   o\ 

I     phosphatOi   gold   and   illvor.      Ad 
:\.  Mining  and  E 

«jraim*atk  mining  and  civil  engineer,  with  18  years  prac- 
tical mining  experience,  Includlni  I  veylng 
and  assaying,  de  porlntendanl  oi  assistant 
superintendent  of  mine.     Address  Box  164,  Mining  and  Scientific 

1 


The  MOYLE  Roll-Jaw 

Forced-Feed  Safety 
Crusher  and  Pulverizer 


PATENTED 

Something  new  in  Rock-Crushers.  Crushes 
to  40  mesh  in  one  operation.  Just  the  thing  for 
crushing  your  lead  and  zinc  for  jigging.  Will 
increase  the  capacity  of  any  mill  50  per  cent. 
Adjustability  and   safety  a  valuable   factor. 

Built  in  all  sizes,  up  to  12x20-in.  jaw  opening 

E.  H.  Moyle  Engineering  &  Equipment  Co. 


224  SOUTH  SPRING  ST., 


FOR  SALE 


WHOLE  OR  PART  AT  GREAT  BARGAIN 

1 — 114    cu>    yd.   Bucyrus   Vulcan   Electric   Shovel,    60   H.P. — 

30    H.P. — 30   H.P.    motors,   AC — 440   volts. 
3 — 50  K.W.  Transformers,  23000-440  volts. 
1 — 6"  Gravel  Dredging  Pump,  direct  connected   to  20  H.P. 

Westinghouse  Motor,  AC — 440  volts. 
1 — 6"     Centrifugal     Pump,     direct     connected     to     30     H.P. 

Westinghouse  Motor,  AC — 440  volts. 
1 — 20    H.P.    Westinghou.se    Motor,    back    geared,    AC — 440 

volts. 

Miscellaneous   l.ot  of  Ninall  Tool*.  Screen*}  Washers,  etc. 
ADDRESS:     F.    MANSFIELD,    GOLD  HILL,  OREGON 


LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 




MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


'HE- BUYER'S -GUIDE 


if! 


*^S3 


Machinery  and  Supplies  of  Dependable  Manufacturers  are  here  Listed 
Addresses  will  be  found  on  the  Sixth  followinq  Page   ••• 
If  you  do  not  find  what  you  want  communicatewith  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  Service 


3 


Acetylene  Generators 

Billiard,  i. 
Acetylene  Limpa 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Helmann     Co. 

Bullard.   K    1 1. 

Harron.   Rickard  &   McCone. 

Justrlte  Mfg.  Co. 
Asltators 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Dorr  Company.  The. 

General  Filtration  Co..  Inc. 

Harron.   Rickard  &  McCone. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Air   Brakes 

Westlnghouse  Electric  & 
Mfg.   Co. 
A  mnlKnnmted    Platen 

Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co 

Moyle   Eng.   A    Equip.   Co.. 
E.  H. 

San    Francisco  Plating  Wks. 
Aasarrra'  and  Chemists' 

Directory 
(See  Index  to  Advertisers) 
Aasaycra'  and   Chemists' 
Supplies 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Helmann    Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clav  Co 

Dixon  Crucible  Co..  Joseph. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 
Balances    and    Wrights 

Alnsworth  &  Sons.  Wm 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Helmann     Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co 

Thompson  Balance  Co. 
Ball   Mills 
(See  "Mills") 
Bearings 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company 
Belting 

Diamond  Rubber  Co..  The 

Dodge  Sales  &   Eng    Co 

£»HSr?,.*J?cn5r-   *  Sup.  Co. 
Goodrich  Co.,  The  B.  F 

Mef.\e  S  Gottfried  Company. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Bloners 

Allls-Chalmers  Mfg    Co 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co 

General   Electric  Co. 

Hendrle    &    Bolthoff    Mfg     & 
Supply  Co.  B     x 

Jngersoll-Rand  Co. 

null'  ^ros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co 

R!x,.£omp    Alr  *  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co 
Boiler  Graphite 

Dixon  Crucible  Co.,  Joseph 
Boilers 

Allls-Chalmers  Mfg    Co 

S^H°V'    R|ckard  ft' McCone 
snu*prpfv&CoBO,th0,r   Mf*'    * 

Mors^B'rrMlcn^S^^Co- 
Power  &  Mining  MachT  Co 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co 
Brick.   Fire 

Atkins.  Kroll  ft  Co 
Braun  Corporation,  The 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Brlfm^iiiDE   Machinery 
Braun   Corporation.  The 
Braun-Knecht-Helmann'    Co 
Meese  &  Gottfried  Company 
Traylor   En,-    ft   Mfff.   Co 

Brtinbea.  Motor  and  Generator 
Dixon  Crucible  Co..  Joseph. 
General   Electric  Co. 
"estinghouse  Electric  & 
Mfe.  Co. 

Bucket* 

Allls-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co 
A»,las  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 


Bucyrus    Company. 
Dodge  Sales  &   Eng.  Co. 
Hendrle   &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 

Supply   Co. 
Hendy  Iron   Works,   Joshua. 
Leschen  &  Sons  Rope  Co.,  A. 
Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 
New  York  Engineering  Co. 
Union  Construction  Co. 
Watt  Mining  Car  Wheel   Co. 
Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Burner*,  Oil 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 
Braun-Knecht-Helmann     Co. 
Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Cabletvaya,  Snapenslon 

Leschen  ft  Sons  Rope  Co..  A. 

Lldgerwood  Mfg.  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Roebllng's  Sons  Co.,  John  A. 

Sacramento  Pipe  Works. 

Sauerman   Bros. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 

Carta 

Atlas  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Harron,   Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendrle   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hendy  Iron    Works,   Joshua. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  ft  Sup.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Carbons,   Hon-,,   and    Dlamonda 

Atkins.  Kroll  &  Co. 
Cara 

Allls-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Atlas  Car  ft  Mfg.  Co. 

Harron.   Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendrle   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    ft 
Supply  Co. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.    Joshua. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Watt  Mining  Car  Wheel  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Caat   Iron  Pipe 

American  Cast  Iron  Pipe  Co. 
Castings 

Dodge  Sales  ft  Eng.  Co. 

Lunkenhelmer  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.   ft    Equip.    Co., 
E.  H. 

Union  Construction   Co. 

Tuba  Construction  Co. 
Chain 

Bucyrus   Company. 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Chemical* 

Braun   Corporation.  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Helmann    Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clav  Co. 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Roessler   &   Hasslacher 
Chemical  Co. 
Chilean  Mill* 
(See  "Mills") 

Claanlflers 

Allls-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 
Chalmers  &  Williams. 
Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 
Deister  Machine  Co. 
Dorr  Company,  The. 
James  Ore  Concentrator  Co. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Moyle   Eng.   &   Equip.   Co., 

National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Power  &   Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Trarlor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Clutches,   Friction 

Dodge  Sales  &   Eng.  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Coal    <  'utter* 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

McKiernan-Terry  Drill  Co. 


Coal    Handling    Machinery 

Bartlett  &  Snow  Co..  C.  O. 

Dodge  Sales  &   Eng.  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 
ComprenMora,   Air 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Bessemer  Gas  Engine  Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

General   Electric  Co. 

General  Machy.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Hendrle   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply   Co. 

Hendy   Iron   Works,   Joshua. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

International  Smelting  Co. 

Laidlaw-Dunn-Gordon   Co. 

McKiernan-Terry  Drill  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 
Concentrator   Belts 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Diamond  Rubber  Co.,  The. 

Goodrich  Co.,  The  B.  F. 

Concentrator* 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 

Deister  Concentrator  Co. 

Deister  Machine  Co. 

Eccleston    Machinery   Co. 

Hendrle   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hendy   Iron   Works.   Joshua. 

James  Ore  Concentrator  Co. 

Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 

Mine  &   Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Minerals  Sep.  Am.  Syn.,  Ltd. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Senn  Concentrator  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Concrete   Mlxera 

Harron,   Rickard  &  McCone. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Condenser* 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Cameron  Steam  Pump  Wks.. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Prescott   Steam   Pump  Co., 
Fred.  M. 
Converters 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Hendrle    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machv.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Conveyors,  Belt  or  Screw 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Dodge  Sales  &   Eng.   Co. 

Goodrich  Co.,  The  B.  F. 

Harron.    Rickard   &    McCone. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Union   Construction   Co. 
Cranes 

Harron.    Rickard   &   McCone. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Crucible* 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Helmann     Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Dixon  Crucible  Co.,  Joseph. 

Harron.    Rickard  ft   McCone. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 
Crushers 

Allls-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Bacon,  Earle  C. 

Bartlett  &  Snow  Co.,  C.  O. 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun -Knecht-Hei  man  n     Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado   Iron   Works  Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clav  Co. 

Denver  Quartz  Mill  &  Crush- 
er Co. 

Hendrle   &    Bolthoff    Mtg.    & 
Supply  Co. 


Hendy    Iron   Works,   Joshua. 
International   Steam   Pump 

Co. 
Johnson    Engineering  Wks. 
Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 
Meese  ft  Gottfried  Company. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Moyle  Eng.  &   Equip.   Co.. 

E.   H. 
Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 
Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Vulcan  Iron  Works. 

Cupels 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 
Braun-Knecht-Helmann    Co. 
Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 
Dixon  Crucible  Co..  Joseph. 
Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Cyanide  Plants  and  Machinery 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 
Butters  &  Co..  Ltd.,  Charles. 
Chalmers  &  Williams. 
Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 
Dorr  Company,  The. 
Hamilton.    Beauchamp, 

Woodworth,  Inc. 
Harron,   Rickard  &   McCone. 
Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    ft 

Supply   Co. 
Hendy   Iron   Works,   Joshua. 
Kelly  Filter  Press  Co. 
Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 
Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  ft  Sup.  Co. 
Moyle   Eng.   &    Equip.    Co., 

E.  H. 
National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 
Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co. 
Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 
Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 
Redwood  Manufacturers   Co. 
Steams-Roger  Mfg.  Co. 
Traylor  Eng.  ft  Mfg.  Co. 

Dewaterera 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 
Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 
Dorr  Company,  The. 
General  Filtration  Co..  Inc. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co. 
Pelton  Water  Wheel  Co. 
Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Distributers 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 
Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Moyle  Eng.   &   Equip.   Co., 

E.  H. 
National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 
Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Drafting   Material 

Alnsworth  &  Sons.  Wm. 

Buff  &  Buff  Co. 

Dixon  Crucible  Co.,  Joseph. 

Dragline  Excavators 

Bucyrus   Company. 
Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 
Lidgerwood  Mfg.  Co. 
Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co. 
Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 
Sauerman   Bros. 
Union  Construction  Co. 

Dredges 

Bucyrus   Company. 
Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co. 
New  York  Engineering  Co. 
Union   Construction  Co. 
Yuba  Construction  Co. 

Dredging  Machinery 

American  Locomotive  Co. 

Bucyrus   Company. 

Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    ft 

Supply  Co. 
Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co. 
New  York  Engineering  Co. 
Roebllng's  Sons  Co..  John  A 
Union   Construction   Co. 
Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Yuba  Construction  Co. 

Drill   Hole  Compass 

White.  E.  E. 

(Continued    on    page    40 1 


July  l    1916 


MINING    and    Scicnt.hc    PRESS 


i  r 


Smith    Hydraulic  Turbines 


The    Miner's    Standard 

The  Pelton  Wheel  was  Invented  by  a 
miner,  has  been  associated  with  nearly 
all  the  mining  camps  of  the  world,  and 
today  Is  the  accepted  standard  of  mine 
power.  It  Is  built  in  many  styles,  a 
popular  one  being  the  wood  frame  type 
illustrated  above.  Its  use  Is  described 
In  our  Bulletin  No.  8.  If  you  are  Inter- 
ested In  minim;  in  any  way.  a  copy  of 
this  bulletin  will  be  serviceable. 

The  Pelton  Water  Wheel  Company 

2229  H&rruon  Street,  89   West  Street, 

San  Fr&nciaco  New  York,  N.  Y. 

SOLE  MANUFACTURERS  OF  PELTON   WHEELS 


Let's  say  t liat  you  are  contemplating  the  development  of 
B  water  power.  You  are  confronted  by  Hie  task  of 
selecting  proper  equipment.  In  Ibis  your  choice  Is 
Influenced  by  a  number  of  considerations.  BUT — vour 
prime  requisite  is— SERVICE,  and  that  ultimately  is 
the  deciding  factor. 

THE  SMITH  TURBINE 

In  your  plant  will  do  just  what  It  Is  doing  In  thousands 
of  other  plants  throughout  the  country — 

JUSTIFYING  ITS  INSTALLATION 

Write  for  Bulletin    V. 

S.  MORGAN  SMITH  CO.,         York,  Pa. 

San  Francisco — 505  Sheldon  Bldg. 
Chicago— 76  W.  Monroe  St.  Boston— 176  Federal  St. 


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40 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


THE -BUYERS -GUIDE 


Drill    Makers    and    Sharpeners 

Eclipse    Drill    Sharpening 
Machine    Mfg.    Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Sullivan   Machinery  Co. 

Wood  Drill  Works. 
DHIU,  Air  and  Steam 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

Denver  Rock  Drill  Mfg.  Co. 

General  Machy.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

McKiernan-Terry  Drill  Co. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Rtx  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smlth-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 

Wood  Drill  Works. 
Dxilla,  Core 

Harron,   Rickard  &  McCone. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

McKiernan-Terry  Drill  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 

Union  Construction  Co. 
Drills,   Diamond 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 
Drills.  Electric 

General  Electric  Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Drills,  Prospecting 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

McKiernan-Terry  Drill  Co. 

New  York  Engineering  Co. 

RIx  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Sullivan   Machinery  Co. 

Union   Construction   Co. 
Dynamo* 

(See   "Generators") 
Employment    U  area  o 

Business    Men's    Clearing 
House. 

Mines  Technical  Agency. 
Engineer* 

(See    Professional    Directory) 
Engines,    Gas    and    Gasoline 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Bessemer  Gas  Engine  Co. 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

General  Machy.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Harron,  Rickard  &  McCone. 

Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hendy  Iron  Works,  Joshua. 

Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.   &    Equip.    Co., 
E.  H. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
En  Brines.    OH 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.  Co. 

Bessemer  Gas  Engine  Co. 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

Harron,   Rickard  &  McCone. 

Ingersoll-Rand   Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Snow  Steam  Pump  Works. 
Engines,    Steam 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.    Joshua. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Explosives 

Du  Pont  Powder  Co. 
Fans,    Ventilating 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.  Co. 

General   Electric  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard   &   McCone. 

Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Sullivan   Machinery  Co. 
Filters 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado   Iron  Works  Co. 

General   Filtration  Co.,   Inc. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Filter  Bags 

Filter   Fabrics  Co. 
Filters   Presses 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 


Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Kelly  Filter  Press  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Fire   Brick 

Atkins,  Kroll  &  Co. 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 
Fire  Extinguishers 

Bullard,  E.  D. 

Justrlte  Mfg.  Co. 
First   Aid    Equipment 

Bullard,  E.  D. 

Slebe,  Gorman  &  Co..  Ltd. 
Flotation    Apparatus 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Filter   Fabrics  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 
Flotation  Process 

Butters  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  Charles. 

Hamilton,    Beauchamp, 
Woodworth,  Inc. 

Minerals  Sep.  Am.  Syn.,  Ltd. 
Foundry    Equipment 

Dixon  Crucible  Co.,  Joseph. 

General   Electric  Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Forges 

Hendrie   &   Bolthoff   Mfg.   & 
Supply  Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Mine  &   Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 
Frogs  and   Switches 
(See  "Railway  Supplies") 
Furnace*.   Assay 
(See   Assay ers'    and    Chemists' 

Supplies) 
Furnaces,    Roasting   and 
Smelting 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.  Co. 

Colorado   Iron   Works  Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Gas  Producers 

Atlas  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Gaskets 

(See  "Packing") 
Gears 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

General   Electric  Co. 

Goodrich  Co.,  The  B.  F. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 
Generators 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

General   Electric  Co. 

Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply   Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Westinghouse  Electric   & 
Mfg.  Co. 
Giants,  Hydraulic 
(See  Hydraulic  Mining  Mach.) 
Graphite  Products 

Dixon  Crucible  Co.,  Joseph. 
Hammer  Drills,  Pneumatic 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 
Heaters,  Feed  Water 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.   Co. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Worthlngton    Pump    & 
Machintry    Corp. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Hoists,   Electric 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Bartlett  &  Snow  Co..  C.  O. 

Gerferal   Electric  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &    McCone. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 
Supply   Co. 

Hendy    Iron    Works.    Joshua. 

Lidgerwood  Mfg.  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &   Mining  Machy.   Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Sullivan   Machinery  Co. 


Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 

Westinghouse  Electric   & 
Mfg.  Co. 
Hoists,   Steam   on,  Air 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie  &    Bolthoff  Mfg.    & 
Supply   Co. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.    Joshua. 

Lidgerwood  Mfg.  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Hose 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool   Co. 

Denver  Rock  Drill  Mfg.  Co. 

Diamond  Rubber  Co.,  The. 

General  Machy.   &  Sup.   Co. 

Goodrich  Co.,  The  B.  F. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Hose  Couplings 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

National  Tube  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Wood  Drill  Works. 
Hydraulic    Mining    Machinery 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

American  Spiral  Pipe  Wks. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendy   Iron    Works,    Joshua. 

International  Steam  Pump 
Co. 

Movie   Eng.   &    Equip.    Co., 
E.  H. 

New   York  Engineering  Co. 

Pelton  Water  Wheel  Co. 

Sacramento  Pipe  Works. 
Injectors 

Lunkenheimer  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

National  Tube  Co. 
Iron  Cements 

Smooth-On.  Mfg.  Co. 
Jigs 

Allis-Chalmers   Mfg.   Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

James  Ore   Concentrator   Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Stearns-Roger  Mfg.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Laboratory   Supplies 
(See    Assayers'    and    Chemists' 

Supplies) 
Lamps,    Arc    and    Incandescent 

General   Electric  Co. 

Westinghouse   Electric   & 
Mfg.  Co. 
Lamps,   Miners 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 

Bullard,  E.  D. 

General   Electric  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Justrite  Mfg.  Co. 
Lead  Joint  Pipe 

National  Tube  Co. 
Locomotives,  Electric 

American  Locomotive  Co. 

Atlas  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 

General  Electric  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Westinghouse   Electric   & 
Mfg.  Co. 
Locomotives,  Steam 

American  Locomotive  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Lima  Locomotive  Corp. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Lubricants 

Dixon   Crucible  Co.,  Joseph. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Roebling's  Sons  Co.,  John  A. 
Lubricators 

Bucyrus    Company. 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

General   Machy.   &   Sup.   Co. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone 

Lunkenheimer  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 
Machinery,  Used 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 


Mngneslte 

Atkins,  Kroll  &  Co. 
Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 
Metal   Buyers  and   Dealers 

American  Metal  Co.,  Ltd. 
American      Zinc,      Lead      £ 

Smelting  Co. 
Atkins.  Kroll  &  Co. 
Beer,  Sondheimer  &  Co. 
Consolidated    Min.    &    Smelt- 
ing Co.,  of  Canada,  Ltd. 
Edgar   Zinc   Co. 
Empire  Zinc  Co. 
Foote  Mineral   Company. 
Granby    Mining   &    Smelting 

Co. 
International  Smelting  Co. 
Selby  Smelting  &  Lead  Co. 
U.    S.    Smelting,    Refining    & 

Mining  Co. 
Vasco  Mining  Co. 
Vogelstein  &  Co.,  L. 
Wah    Chang   Min.    &    Smelt. 

Co. 
WUdberg  Bros. 
Woods,  Huddart  &  Gunn. 
Meters — Flow,  Air,  Gas,  Water 
General  Electric  Co. 
Worthington    Pump    & 

Machinery    Corp. 
Rix.   Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 
Mills — Ball,   Pebble,   and   Tube 
Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 
Braun   Corporation,  The. 
Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 
Bullard.  E.  D. 
Chalmers  &  Williams. 
Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 
Eccleston   Machinery   Co. 
Hardinge  Conical  Mill  Co. 
Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 
•  Johnson    Engineering  Wks. 
Mine  &   Smelter  Supply  Co. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 
San   Francisco  Plating  Wks. 
New  York  Engineering  Co. 
Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Mills,   Chilean 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 
Chalmers  &  Williams. 
Colorado   Iron   Works  Co. 
Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 
Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co 
Power  &  Mining  Machy.   Co 
Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Motors 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 
Chalmers  &  Williams. 
General  Electric  Co. 
Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 
Hendrie    &    Bolthoff    Mfg.    & 

Supply  Co. 
Hendy   Iron   Works,   Joshua. 
Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 
Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 
Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Westinghouse  Electric   & 

Mfg.  Co. 
Oil  and  Grease  Cups 
(See   "Lubricators" ) 

OH    Well    Supplies 

Bessemer  Gas  Engine  Co. 

Diamond  Rubber  Co.,  The. 

Hendy  Iron  Works,  Joshua. 

National  Tube  Co. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 
Oil,  Flotation 

General  Naval  Stores  Co. 

Pensacola  Tar  &  Turpentine 
Co. 
Ore  Buyers 
(See    Metal    Buyers    and 

Dealers) 
Oxy- Acetylene      Welding      and 
Cutting    Apparatus 

Bullard,  E.  D. 
Oxygen  Apparatus 

Bullard,  E.  D. 

Siebe,  Gorman  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
Packing 

American  Spiral  Pipe  Wks. 

Diamond  Rubber  Co.,  The. 

General  Machy.   &   Sup.   Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Smooth-On.  Mfg.  Co. 
Paint,   Preservative 

Dixon  Crucible  Co.,  Joseph. 
Patent   Attorneys 

Dewey,  Strong  &  Townsend. 
Pebbles 

Atkins,  Kroll  &  Co. 

Hardinge  Conical  Mill   Co. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

(Continued  on  page  42) 


.Iui\    I     1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    I'KI  SS 


II 


The  Slogan*!  th*  Cameron    lt6haracter:  The  Grandest  Thing" 

Buy  Pumps  of  Proved  Efficiencies 

CAMERON    CENTRIFUGALS 


Vm 


'   UOt^ 


**.    rastfi  i|| 


J-Mfft* 


Write  for  Bulletins— they  tire  free. 


Wlu-ii  vim  buy  Cameron  Centrifugals,  you  buy  pumps 

thai  have  been  tested  by  the  st  modern  apparatus. 

This  apparatus  consists  of  weir  tanks  for  accurately 
measuring  the  capacities  of  various  size  pumps,  and 
a  torsion  dynamometer  connected  between  the  motor 
and  pump  I  as  shown  in  the  illusl  ration  I  for  determin 
ing  the  ezacl  horsepower  input  of  the  pump.  The 
results  obtained  are  exceptionally  accurate,  as  the 
operation  of  this  Dynamometer  is  entirely  independ- 
ent of  the  motor  Losses  when  the  pump  is  undergoing 
s  power  driven  test. 

Every  Cameron  Centrifugal  Is  given  a  rigid  lest  over  a  suf- 
ficient period  of  time  to  determine  its  capacity  and  effi- 
ciency for  the  conditions  specified. 

Tests  of  our  Centrifugal  Pumps  have  been  witnessed  by 
eminent  engineers,  with  entire  satisfaction.  Whether  tin- 
test  is  witnessed  by  the  purchaser  or  not.  it  is  condiu ited 
with  the  greatest  care.  This  is  one  reason  why  all  Cameron 
Centrifugals  now  in  service  are  giving  highly  satisfactory 
results. 


A.  S.  Cameron  Steam  Pump  Works,  1 1  Broadway,  New  York 


OFFICES   THE  WORLD    OVER 


r 


Second-Hand 
Machinery 
Quickly  Sold  — 

In  every  issue  of  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  will  be  found  a  quick 
means  for  disposing  of  used  machin- 
ery. Insert  a  classified  advertisement 
on  the  "Opportunity  Page."  Rates 
are  five  cents  per  word;  2J  cents  per 
word  when  500  words  are  contracted 
for.  No  advertisement  accepted  for 
less  than  $1.  Every  mine  or  mill 
manager  wants  used  machinery  at 
some  time,  perhaps,  just  when  you 
have  it  to  sell.     Try — 

THE 

OPPORTUNITY 
PAGE 


HOTEL  ST.  FRANCIS 

In  the  New  and  Largest  Goldflelds  of  America. 

Metropolitan  Service,  Day  and  Night 
Rates  $1.50  Per  Day  and  Up. 

Only  Hotel  in  Oatman  having  following  special  features: 

Large  Spacious  Lobby 

Ladies  Parlor  on  Second  Floor 

Baths,  Hot  and  Cold  Water 

Flush  Toilets 

Telephone  and  Telegraph  Service 

Rooms  Single  and  En  Suite  With  Private  Bath 

OATMAN,   ARIZONA 

LIMA LOCOJJJTOTIVES 

Every  one  of  our  locomotives  is  guaranteed  to  be  of  good  workman- 
ship and  material,  accurately  constructed.  Tills  guarantee  is  backed 
up  by  a  concern  that  has  been  building  good  locomotives  for  more 
than  30  years. 

Write  lor  our  Catalog 

LIMA  LOCOMOTIVE  CORPORATION 

111  W.  Second  St..  Lima.  Ohio 

30  Church  St.,  New  York  1 


42 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  1,   1916 


THE  ■  BUYER'S  -GUIDE 


Perforated    Metals 

Allis-Chalmers   Mfg.    Co. 

Ludlow-Saylor  Wire  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 
Pipe    Killing. 

American  Metal  Co.,  Ltd. 

General   Machy.  &  Sup.   Co. 

Lunkenhelmer  Co. 

National  Tube  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Sacramento  Pipe  Works. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Smith.  S.  Morgan. 
Pipe.    Iron 

American  Cast  Iron  Pipe  Co. 

Pipe,    Riveted 

American  Spiral  Pipe  Wks. 

New  York  Engineering  Co. 

Sacramento  Pipe  Works. 

Smith.  S.  Morgan. 
Pipe,  Steel 

American  Spiral  Pipe  Wks. 

Moyle   Eng.   &    Equip.   Co.. 
E.  H. 

New  York  Engineering  Co. 

Sacramento  Pipe  Works. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Pipe,  Wood 

National  Tube  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Redwood  Manufacturers  Co. 
Placer    Mining    Machinery 

American  Spiral  Pipe  Wks. 

Bucyrus   Company. 

Harron.   Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.   Joshua. 

Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.   &    Equip.    Co.. 
E.  H. 

New  York  Engineering  Co. 

Pelton  Water  Wheel  Co. 

Sauerman    Bros. 

Senn  Concentrator  Co. 

Union  Construction  Co. 

Yuba  Construction  Co. 

Pneumatic  Toola 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Powder 

Du   Pont   Powder   Co. 
Preservatives,   Wood 

General  Naval  Stores  Co. 

Pensacola  Tar  &  Turpentine 
Co. 
Preservative*,    Metal 

Dixon  Crucible  Co..  Joseph. 
Prospecting    Supplies 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard   &   McCone. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.   &   Equip.   Co., 

New    York    Engineering   Co. 
Rlx  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 
White.   E.  E. 
Pulleys,  Shafting-  and  Hang-era 

(See   "Transmission 

Machinery") 
Pulverisers 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

American  Metal  Co..  Ltd. 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun -Knecht-Helmann     Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron  WTorks  Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Denver  Quartz  Mill  &  Crush- 
er Co. 

Hardinge  Conical  Mill  Co. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.    Joshua. 

Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.   &    Equip.    Co., 
E.  H. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Pomps,  Centrifugal 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Cameron  Steam  Pump  Wks 
A.   .S 

Deane  Steam  Pump  Co. 

Deming  Co..  The. 

General  Electric  Co. 

Harron.   Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hen.lv   Iron    Works.   Joshua. 

Worthington   Pump  & 
Machinery  Corp. 

Jackson   Iron  Works  Byron. 

Jeanesvllle  Iron  Works. 

Krogh   Pump  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 


Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co. 
Prescott  Steam   Pump  Co., 
Fred.   M. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 

Snow  Steam  Pump  Works. 

Yuba  Construction  Co. 
Pomps,   Reciprocating 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Cameron  Steam  Pump  Wks., 
A.   S. 

Deane  Steam  Pump  Co. 

Deming  Co..  The. 

Harron.    Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hendy    Iron   Works.   Joshua. 

Jeanesvllle  Iron  Works. 

Laidlaw-Dunn-Gordon   Co. 

Mine  &   Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Prescott  Steam  Pump  Co., 
Fred.  M. 

Rix   Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 

Snow  Steam  Pump  Works. 
Pomps,  Air  Lift 

Sullivan  Machinery  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Pomps,    Vacoom 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Rix  Comp.  Air  &  Drill  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Quicksilver 

Atkins.  Kroll  &  Co. 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun -Knecht-Helmann     Co. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 
Quicksilver    Furnaces 

Hendy   Iron   Works.   Joshua. 
Railway    Supplies    and    Equip- 
ment 

American  Locomotive  Co. 

Atlas  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Lima  Locomotive  Corp. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 

Watt  Mining  Car  Wheel  Co. 
Rebeaters 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 
Rescue   Apparatus 

Bullard,  E.  D. 

Elmer.   H.   N. 

Siebe.  Gorman  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
Rolls,   Crushing 

Atlas  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Bacon,  Earlo  C. 

Bartlett  &  Snow  Co..  C.  O. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 

Harron.    Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hendv   Iron    Works,   Joshua. 

Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Rope,   Manila    and    Jute 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

Harron,    Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Leschen  &  Sons  Rope  Co.,  A. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 
Rope,  Wire 

American  Steel  &  Wire  Co. 

Dodge  Sales  &   Eng.   Co. 

Leschen  &  Sons  Rope  Co.,  A. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Roebling's  Sons  Co.,  John  A. 

Sauerman   Bros. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 
Safety  Appliances 

Bullard.  E.  D. 

Harron.   Rickard  &  McCone. 

Siebe,  Gorman  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
Samplers 

Braun  Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron   Works  Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Mine  &   Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Traylar  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Saw   Mill   Machinery 

Harron,    Rickard  &  McCone. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.    Joshua. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Smith-Booth-Usher   Co. 
Schools    nnd    Colleges 
(See  Index   to  Advertisers) 
Screens 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Bartlett  &  Snow  Co..  C.  O. 


Braun  Corporation.  The. 
Braun-Knecht-Heimann     Co. 

Cal.  Perforating  Screen   Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado   Iron   Works  Co. 

James  Ore   Concentrator  Co. 

Ludlow-Saylor  Wire  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Moyle  Eng.   &    Equip.   Co.. 
E.  H. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Roebling's  Sons  Co.,  John  A. 

Smith-Booth-L'sher  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Second -Hand   Machinery 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Shafting 

(See  Transmission  Machy.) 
Shoes  and   Dies 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Harron.    Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Hendy   Iron    Works.   Joshua. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Shovels,  Electric  and   Steam 

Bucyrus   Company. 

Marlon  Steam  Shovel  Co. 
Sllex 

Atkins.  Kroll  &  Co. 

Hardinge  Conical  Mill  Co. 
Smelters  and   Reflnera 

American      Zinc.      Lead      & 
Smelting  Co. 

Beer.  Sondhelmer  &  Co. 

Consolidated   Mln.    &   Smelt- 
ing Co.   of  Canada,   Ltd. 

Empire  Zinc  Co. 

Granby    Mining   &    Smelting 
Co. 

International  Smelting  Co. 

Selby  Smelting  &  Lead  Co. 

U.    S.    Smelting,    Refining    & 
Mining  Co. 

Vogelstein  &  Co.,  L. 

Wildberg  Bros. 
Smelting-  Machinery 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 

Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Power  &   Mining  Machy,  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Spring's 

American  Spiral  Pipe  Wks. 

Cary  Spring  Works. 

Harron,   Rickard  &  McCone. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 
Stamp   Mills 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.    Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron   Works  Co. 

Harron,   Rlckard  &   McCone. 

Hendrie   &    Bolthoff   Mfg.    & 
Supply  Co. 

Hendy   Iron   Works.   Joshua. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.   &   Equip.   Co.. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Straub  Mfg.  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Steel,  Drill   and  Sheet 

Denver  Rock  Drill  Mfg.  Co. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 

Sacramento  Pipe  Works. 
Suction   Dredges 

Bucyrus  Company. 

Krogh  Pump  Co. 

Marion  Steam  Shovel  Co. 

Union   Construction  Co. 

Yuba  Construction  Co. 
Tanks,  Cyanide 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

National  Tank  &   Pipe  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Power  &  Mining  Machy.  Co. 

Redwood   Manufacturers   Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Tanks,  Steel 

Hammond  Iron  Works. 
Tapes,   Measuring 

Lufkin  Rule  Co. 
Thickeners.   Slime 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado  Iron  Works  Co. 

Dorr  Company,  The. 

Harron.    Rickard  &   McCone. 

National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co 


Tractors 

Yuba  Construction  Co. 
Tramways,   Aerial 

Harron,   Rickard  &  McCone. 

Leschen  &  Sons  Rope  Co..  A. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Roebling's  Sons  Co..  John  A. 

Sauerman    Bros. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 
Transits 

Ainsworth   &   Sons,   Wm. 

Buff  &  Buff  Co. 
Transmission    Machinery 

Allis-Chalmers   Mfg.    Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

General   Electric  Co. 

General  Machy.   &  Sup.  Co. 

Harron,    Rickard  &   McCone. 

Hendy   Iron   Works,   Joshua. 

Lane  Mill  &  Machy.  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Tube    Mills 
(See    "Mills") 
Tubes 

National  Tube  Co. 

Turbine*.    Hydraulic 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.   Co. 
Hendy   Iron   Works.   Joshua. 
Pelton  Water  Wheel  Co. 
Smith,  S.  Morgan. 

Torbloes,   Steam 

Allis-Chalmers  Mfg.  Co. 

General  Electric  Co. 
Unions 

(See   "Pipe   Fittings") 
Valves 

(See  "Pipe  Fittings") 
Water   Wheels 

Dodge  Sales  &  Eng.  Co. 

Hendy   Iron   Works,   Joshua. 

Morse  Bros.  Mach.  &  Sup.  Co. 

Pelton  Water  Wheel  Co. 

Smith,  S.  Morgan. 

Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  Co. 
Waterproof  Coating 

Smooth-On  Mfg.  Co. 
Welding;  Process,   Electric 

General  Electric  Co. 
Welding    Process,    Oxy-Acety- 
lene 

Bullard.  E.  D. 

Smith-Booth-Usher  Co. 
Well    Drilling    Machinery    sad 
Sopplles 

American  Well   Works. 

Harron,   Rlckard  &  McCone. 

Ingersoll-Rand  Co. 
Wheels,  Car 

Atlas  Car  &  Mfg.  Co. 

Watt  Mining  Car  Wheel  Co. 
Winches 

Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co. 
Wire   Cables 
(See  "Rope.  Wire") 
Wire   Cloth 

Ludlow-Saylor  Wire  Co. 

Roebling's  Sons  Co.,  John  A. 
Wire,  Inaolated 

American  Steel  &  Wire  Co. 

General   Electric  Co. 

Meese  &  Gottfried  Company. 

Roebling's  Sons  Co.,  John  A. 

U.  S.  Steel  Products  Co. 
Zinc   Boxes 

Braun  Corporation.  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 

Chalmers  &  Williams. 

Colorado   Iron   Works  Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Moyle   Eng.    &    Equip.    Co., 
E.   H. 

National  Pipe  &  Tank  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

Redwood   Manufacturers   Co. 

Traylor  Eng.  &  Mfg.  Co. 
Zinc   Dust    nnd    Shavings 

American      Zinc.      Lead      &. 
Smelting  Co. 

Atkins,  Kroll  &  Co. 

Braun   Corporation,  The. 

Braun-Knecht-Heimann    Co. 

Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 

Granby    Mining   &    Smelting 
Co. 

Mine  &   Smelter  Supply  Co. 

Pacific  Tank  &  Pipe  Co. 

U.    S.    Smelting,    Refining    & 
Mining  Co. 


.Iiilv  1.  1916 


MINING  and  Sckntin,    PRESS 


I  : 


Giant  Fuel-Oil  Engines 

Single  or  Duplex 


Fuel    nil 
llrnlduuill 


Coal  oil 
Keroiicne 


Stationary  or  Tank  Mounted  for  Portable  Use. 

Direct  Connected  and  Belted  Sets 

For  Operating    Pump-*  and   Generators,  Air  Compressors 

and  all  Power  Purposes 

Mail.'  in  capacities  from  12  to  160  Horse  Power  and 
operate  successful];  on 

Stave  on  niraol 

Mnr   Oil  Solnr   Oil 

i  mi.. I  Gas  Oil 

which  means  Low  Operating  Cost. 

No  valves,  gears,  carburetors,  mixers,  oil  or  air  heat- 
i  is.  magnetos,  batteries,  timers,  switches,  coils,  wires  or 
spark  plugs. 

Hummer  Rotating  All  Types  and  Sizes  ol 

Jack  Hammers  Air  Compressors 

Write  for  Bulletins  and  Prices 

CHICAGO  PNEUMATIC  TOOL  COMPANY 

San  Francisco  Office:     71    First  St. 

Los  Angeles  Office:     915  Title  Insurance  Bdg. 

Portland  Branehe?  Kvr.-rywh.-re  Seattle 

MM  Fisher  Bdff.,  Chicago  :i  52  Vanderbilt  Ave..  New  York 


WHY    1NJOT? 


There  are  lots  of  reasons 
why  you  should  require  other 
than  a  stock  car.  If  this  Is 
the  case,  looking  over  our 
catalog  would  give  you  many 
valuable  ideas  for  the  pur- 
pose of  re-designing.  Re- 
member this — it  doesn't  cost 
anything  to  consult  us  on 
this  matter,  neither  do  we 
charge  extra  for  building  a 
car  to  meet  your  own  par- 
ticular ideas. 

Let  us  hear  from  you. 


THE  WATT  MINING  CAR  WHEEL  CO.,  Barnsville,  Ohio 

Denver  Office:    UNDROOTH  &  SHUBART  CO. 


LOCOMOTIVES 

and  CARS 

FOR   MINES,   SMELTERS,    ETC. 
ELECTRIC   CARS 

Switches,  Frogs,  and  Equipment. 

THE  ATLAS  CAR  &  MFG.  CO. 

Uept.    K.    CLEVELAND,   OHIO 


BACON  v  FARREL 

ORE   6-  ROCK 

CRUSHING  x    WORLD  KNOWN 

ROLLS-CRUSHERS 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 

Deister  and  Overstrom  Tables 

In  Either  SINGLE  or  DOUBLE  Deck  Type 

Thousands  of  ta- 
bles in  use  in  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

Test  sheets  and 
hundreds  of  testi- 
monial letters  from 
satisfied  users. 

It's  not  what  we 
say  of  our  products 
—  it's  what  our  cus- 
tomers say. 
Send  your  concentrat- 
ing table  problems  to 
ns  and  make  use  of  our 
years  of  experience. 

The  Deister  CONCENTRATOR  Co.,  *■■  i 


l  he  Original  and  Well  Known  Deister  Sllmer. 


Denver  Oillce :  1718-1720  California  St. 


Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

San  Francisco  Oillce  :  75  Fremont  St. 


"        E  ST\BUS  HE  O    IS5T\    V 

A.LEJ'CHEN^J'ON^RQPE  CO. 

kT+.Iibitij'.Mo.         Y\ 
NewYotk-C^iCci^o-Denvc^^tLakeCS^-JldVfVancij'Co. 

MeiiYvifAc-rurer^K      of1 

rIERCULE  AED  JTONDWlffi  ROPE 


PATENT  FLATTENED  JTRAND 

and 
LOCKED  COIL  WIRE  ROPE 


'HERCULES" 
WIRE  ROPE 


AERIAL  WIRE  ROPE 
TRAMWAYif 


44 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  1,  1916 


ALPHABETICAL-  INDEX-  TO  -  ADVERTISERS 

•  Dash  -Indicates  •  Eve  ry-Other-WeeK-or-Honthly- Advertisement - 


Pag.. 

AINSWORTH    ft    SONS,    WM.,    D.  river B2 

allis-ciialmers  .MFC.  CO.,   Milwaukee,  Wis 6 

AMERICAN  CAST  [RON  PIPE  CO.,  Birmingham,  Ala 21 

AMERICAN  LOCOMOTIVE  CO.,    iron  St,  New  STork....  46 

AMERICAN  META1 I.t.l..  61    Broadway,  Mew  York — 

AMERICAN  SPIRAL  PIPE  WORKS,   Chicago 35 

AMERICAN  STEEL  &  WIRE  CO.,  116  Adams  St.,  Chicago...  31 

AMERICAN  WELL  WORKS,  Aurora,  111 19 

AMERICAN  ZINC  ORE  SEP.  CO.,  1218  Foster  Bldg..  Denver.  33 

AMERICAN  ZINC  LEAD  &  SMELTING  i                        -    Mo...  12 

ASSAY ERS,  CHEMISTS  AND  ORE  TESTING  WORKS 30 

ATKINS,    KROLL  &   CO..    San    Franrisi  .1 33 

atlas  CAR  ft  MFG.  CO.,  Cleveland,  OI1I0 43 

BACON,  BARLE  <'.,  llavomeyer  i:Ug.  New  York 43 

BARTLETT  &  SNOW  CO.,  C.  O.,  Cleveland,  Ohio 35 

SONDHEIMER  ft  CO.,  61   Broadway,  New  York 32 

BESSEMER  CAS  ENGINE  CO.,  Grove-  City,  Pa 20 

BLAKE,  MOFFITT  &  TOWNE,  37  First  St..  San  Francisco...   -l 

BRAUN  CORPORATION,  THE,   Los  Angeles.  Cal 31 

BRAUN-KNECHT-HEIMANN  CO.,  San   Francisco 22  and  31 

BRODERICK  ft  BASCOM  ROPE  CO.,  St.  Louis,  Mo 10 

BUS  COMPANY.   South  Milwaukee.   'Wis — 

r.i   1  1     A    BUFF  CO,  Jamaica  Plain  Station,  Boston — 

BULLARD,    E.    I'.    268    Market   St..    San    Francisco — 

BUSINESS  MENS  CLEARING  HOUSE,  Denver 36 

BUTTERS  ft  CO.,  LTD..  CHARLES.  Oakland.  Cal 31 

cal.  PERFORATING  screen  CO.,   San   Francisco — 

CAMERON  STEAM  PUMP  WORKS,  A.  s,.  New   fork 41 

CART,   SI-RING  WORKS,   240  W.   2'.'tli   St..  New   Y..rk — 

CHALMERS  &   WILLIAMS,   Chicago  Heights.   Ill — 

c AGO    PNEUMATIC  TOOL  CO..  Fisher  Bldg.,   Chicago...    43 

COLORADO   IRON   WORKS  CO.,   Denver 47 

CONSOLIDATED  MIN.  ft  SMELT.  CO..  Trail.   B.   C„  Canada..    33 

DEANE   STEAM   PUMP  CO.,  Holyoke,  Mass — 

DEISTER  CONCENTRATOR  CO..  Fort  Wayne,  Ind 43 

LEISTER  MACHINE  CO.,   Fort  Wayne.  Ind Back  Cover 

DEMI  NO  CO.,  THE.  Salem.  Ohio 31 

DENVER   FIRE  CLAY   CO.,    171-    Champa  St.,   Denver 22 

DENVER   QUARTZ   MILL  ft    CRUSHEU    CO.,    Denver 20 

DENVER    ROCK    DRILL  MFG.   CO.,    18th    ft    Blake.    Denver...    19 

I  IBWET,   STRONG  &  TOWNSEND.  San  Francisco 21 

DIAMOND  RUBBER  CO..  THE,   Akron.   Ohio — 

I. INi  IN  CRUCIBLE  CO..  JOSEPH.  Jersey  City.  X.  J 16 

DODGE  SALES  &  ENG.  CO..  Mishawaka,  Ind — 

DORR   COMPANY.   THE,   B12   Cooper  Bldg.,   Denver IS 

DU  PONT   POWDER  CO..  Wilmington,   Del 17 

ECCLESTON   MACHINERY   i-ii,.    Los  Angeles.   Cal 10 

ECLIPSE  DRILL  SHARPENING  JIACH.  MFG.  CO..  Denver..   — 

EDGAR  ZINC  COMPANY,   Salt   Lake  City.  Utah 32 

ELMER,  It.  N.,  1140  Monadnock  Bloek.  Chicago 22 

EMPIRE  ZINC  CO.,  55  Wall  St..  New  Y'ork 33 

FILTER  FABRICS  CO.,  Felt  Bldg..  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah — 

FOOTE  MINERAL  COMPANY.   105   N.    19th   St..   Philadelphia.    — 
FRENIER  &  SON.  Rutland,  Vermont 22 

GENERAL  ELECTRIC  CO..   Schenectady,   N.   Y — 

GENERAL   FILTRATION   CO.,   INC..  Rochester.   N.   Y' — 

GENERAL  MACHINERY'  ft  SUPPLY*  CO.,  San   Francisco — 

GENERAL  NAVAL  STORES  CO.,  New  York 21 

GOODRICH  CO..  THE   B.   F..  Akron.  Ohio — 

GRANBY  .MINING  &  SMELTING  CO.,  St.  Louis.  Mo 33 

HAMILTON,    BEAUCHAMP.    WOODWORTH,    INC.,  419    The 

Embarcadero,    San    Francisco    30 

HAMMOND   IRON    WORKS.   Warren.    Pa — 

HARDINGE  CONICAL  MILL  CO.,  120  Broadway,  New  York.  12 

HARRON,  RICKARD  *  McCONE,  San   Francisco 3 

HENDRIE  ft   BOL.THOFF  MFG.  ft  SUPPLY  CO.,   Denver 21 

HENDY   [RON  WORKS,  JOSHUA,  San  Francisco — 

HERCULES  POWDER   CO..    Wilmington,    Del — 

1NGEKSOLL-KAND  CO..   11    Broadway.  New   Y'ork 11 

INTERNATIONAL  SMELTING  CO..  42  Broadway.  New  York.   32 

JACKSON  IRON   WORKS.   BYRON.  San   Francisco L' 1 

JAMES  ORE  CONCENTRATOR  CO.,  Newark.   N.   J 21 

NSoN  ENGINEERING  WR&,  1st  Nat.  Bk.  Bldg..  Chicago   15 

JUSTRITE  MFG.  CO..  2075  Southport  Ave.,  Chicago 16 


.  Page 

K  kij.y   FILTER  PRESS  CO..  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah : 

K ;n  PUMP  MFG.  co.,  149  Beale  St.,  San  Francisco 19 

LAIDLAW-DUNN-GORDON  CO..  115  Broadway.  New   York..   — 

LANE  MILL  A  MACHINERY  CO.,  Loa  Angeles,  Cal 45 

LESCHEN  ft   SONS  ROPE  CO..  A..  St.   Louis.  Mo 43 

LIDGERWOOD  MFG.  CO.,  96  Liberty  St..  New  York 15 

LIMA    LOCOMOTIVE   CORP..    Lima.    Ohio 41 

LUDLOW-SAYLOR    WIRE    CO.,    St.    Louis,    Mo 6 

LUFKIN    RULE    Co..    Saginaw.   Mich 22 

LUNKENHEIMBR  CO.,  THE,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 43 

MARION    STEAM    SHOVEL    CO J" 

[ERNAN-TERRY    DRILL   Co.,    -New    York :::: 

MEESE  &  GOTTFRIED  COMPANY.  San  Francisco.  .Back    Covej 

MINE   ft    SMELTER   SUPPLY    CO.,    Denver 4 

MINERALS  SEP.    AM.  SYN..   LTD..   San    Francis,  ,, 16 

MINES  TECHNICAL  AGENCY,  LOB  Angeles.  Cal 37 

MORELAND  MOTOR  TRUCK,  Los  Angeles.  Cal — 

MOUSE    PROS.  .MACHY.  ft   SUP.   CO.,    Denver 19   and    36 

MOYLE    ENG.   ft    EQUIP.   CO.,    E.    II..   Los  Angeles JT 

NATIONAL  TANK    &    PIPE   CO.,    Portland,    Ore 21 

NATIONAL   TUBE    CO.,    Pittsburgh.    Pa Front   Cover 

NEW  MEXICO  STATE  SCHOOL  OF  MINES.   Socorro,   N.   M. .    28 
NEW    YORK    ENGINEERING  CO.,  New   York 46 

OLIVER  FILTER  CO.,  501  Market  St.,  San   Francisco,  Cal...      2 

PACIFIC   TANK    ft    PIPE    CO.,    San    Francisco I.'. 

PELToN    WATER    WHEEL    CO..    San    Franri.sc ::i 

PENSACOLA  TAR  &  TURPENTINE  CO.,  Gull  Point,   Fla 21 

POWER  &  MINING  MACHY.   CO.,  Cudahy.    Wis ."  — 

PRATT-GILBERT    CO.,    Phoenix,    Ariz 15 

PRESCOTT  STEAM  PUMP  CO.,    FRED  M..  Milwaukee.    Wis.,    is 

PREST-O-LITE  CO.,  INC.,   Indianapolis.  Ind — 

PUTMAN  1100T  ft  shoe,  439  1st  Ave.,  N.  Minneapolis,  Minn.   21 

REDWOOD   MFGRS.   CO.,   1611   Hobart  Bldg..   Sun   Francis,,.  i 

KIN  COMP.  AIR  DRILL  CO.,  16  Fust  St.,  San  Francisco — 

ROEBLING  S   So.NS   CO.,   JOHN   A..  San    Francisco -1 

ROESSLER  ft  HASSLACHER  CHEMICAL  CO..   New    York...  22 

SACRAMENT'.    PIPE    WORKS.    Sacramento    Cal — 

SAN    FRANCISCO    PLATING    WORKS,    San    Francisco 21 

SAUERMAN    BROS.,    nil    Monadnock   Blk.,   Chicago    — 

II  'I.   AND    COLLEGES 29 

SELBY   SMELTING   &  LEAD  CO.,   San   Francisco 92 

SENN    CONCENTRATOR    CO.,    San    Francisco — 

SIEBE,   GORMAN  ft   Co.,   LTD..  Chicago 22 

SMITH-BOOTH-USHER  CO.,   22S   Central  Ave.,   Los  Angeles.  36 

SMITH.   S.    MORGAN,    York,   Pa 39 

SMOOTH-ON   MFG.   CO.,  Jersey   City.  N.J -0 

SNOW    STEAM    PUMP   WORKS,    New    York — 

STEARNS-ROGER    -MFG.    CO..    Denver — 

ST.    FRANCIS  HOTEL,  Oatman,  Ariz 4  1 

SULLIVAN    MACHINERY     CO.,    Chicago 9 

THOMPSON    BALANCE    CO..    S10    2oth    St.,    Denver 22 

TKAYLoR    ENG.   ft   .MFG.  Co.,    Allen  town,    Pa ::.'• 

UNION    CONSTRUCTION    CO.,     San     Francisco II 

c.   s.   SMELTING.  REFINING  ft   MINING   CO.,   Boston...  12 

C.   S.  STEEL  PRODUCTS  CO.,  New  York 

VAN  DER  NAILLEN  SCHOOL,  A..  Oakland.  Cal -'0 

VoGELSTEIN  &   CO.,   L..   42   Broadway.   New    York 33 

VULCAN   IRON  WORKS,   San    Francisco,  Cal 21 

WAH  CHANG   MINING  &  SMELTING  CO..  New    York 33 

WATT  MINING  CAR  WHEEL  CO..  Barnesville.  Ohio 43 

WELLMAN-SEAVER-MORGAN    CO..    Cleveland.    Ohio 47 

WESTINGHOUSE  ELEC.  &  MFG.  CO..  East  Pittsburgh.  Pa..  — 

WHITE.    E.    E..    Ishpeming,    Mich 

WILDBERG    BROS..    416    Pacific   Bldg..   San    Francisco — 

WOOD   DRILL  WKS.,  30  Dale  Ave..  Paterson,  N.  J 35 

W0RTHINGT0N    PUMP   &   MACHY.    CORP..    New    York 19 

YUBA    CONSTRUCTION    CO..    San    Francisco 21 


July   1.   l!U6 


MINING   ..ml  Scientific   IM<I» 


No  Metal  Exposure  to  Chemical  Fluids  in  Wood  Pipe 

Kur  two  laniratlODi  our  Dooglu  iir  and  redwood  pipe  hai  boon  mod  to  otrrj  mineral  or  tulpbur 
•atari     u  doM  not  corrode — »iii  Hand  Ugh  praMore,  hard  treesea,  and   rough  handling,  mai 
machine  banded  or  oontlnaooi  itave,  either  galTtnlMd  or  copper  wire  banded,    liade  for  preaiuree  ap 
to  100  ft  head. 

Our  many  (IokIkiis  of  tanks  ur. ide  of  Do.ikIiis  Or  or  redwood  I      Kor  itony,  saturated 

ore.  or  other  special  conditions,  we  make  tanks  with  vertical  ildei  or  epeclal  requirement!     Our  tanks 
»re  doing  the  work  in  inanv  parts  of  the  world. 

Working  loads,  various  tis.s.   weights,  photos  of  Installations,  etc.,  are  available  In  our  row  catalog, 
Send   (or  mining  Catalog  No.  7.  also  the  Interesting  booklet:      "Wooden    Pipe:    Its    Many    Advanl 
Hoth  are  tree. 


I***"? 


Pacific  Tank  and  Pipe  Company 

FACTORIES :   San  Francisco— Lot  Angeles.     OFFICES  :   502  Fifth  Sl„  S.n  Francisco  ; 
902   liuM  and  Saving*  Blag.,  Cor.  6th  and  Spring  Sis.,  Los  Angeles,  C«l.  i 


The  Minerals  Separation  Flotation  Processes 

Invented,  Perfected  and  Owned  by 

MINERALS    SEPARATION,    Ltd. 

of  62  London  Wall,  London,  England, 

and  lis  Affiliated  Companies. 

The  Processes  are  protected  in  the  United  States  of  America  by  over  forty  patents  and  applications  for 
patents,  which  include  practically  everything  essential  or  of  value  in  the  use  of  the  Process  and  Art  of 
Air  Froth  Flotation  of  mineral  values,  irrespective  of  ivhatever  mechanical  apparatus  may  be  employed. 

The  Processes  are  now  in  almost  universal  operation,  yielding  phenomenal  recoveries  and  record  break- 
ing profits  wherever  properly  installed  as  at  Anaconda,  Braden,  Britannia,  Inspiration,  Timber  Butte, 
and  numbers  of  other  important  Copper,  Zinc,  Lead,  Silver  and  Gold  Mining  Plants  throughout  the 
World. 

The  Plant  is  simple,  inexpensive  and  "Fool  Proof"  and  occupies  very  small  space  for  its  large  tonnage 
capacity. 

The  Patent  Rights  for  the  United  States  of  America,  Canada,  and  Mexico  are  controlled  by 

Minerals  Separation  American  Syndicate  (1913)  Ltd. 


Sole  Agenta :     BEER,  SONDHE1MER  &  CO. 
61     Broadway 
New  York 
Cable:  Beersond 


Chief  Engineer:     EDWARD  H.  NUTTER 

Merchants  Exchange  Building 

San  Francisco  California 

Cable;  Nomology 


Notice  Is  hereby  given  that  no  one  except  our  Chief  Engineer  and  the  Agents  named  above  is  authorized  to  act  for  or 
represent  us,  or  to  Introduce  Minerals  Separation  processes  or  apparatus  into  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico.  A 
testing  laboratory  is  maintained  in  San  Francisco  for  the  purpose  of  testing  ores  by  flotation,  and  samples  sent  to  our 
Chief  Engineer  there  will  be  tested  at  minimum  expense  to  prospective  licensees. 


Infringers    will    be    Prosecuted 


I 

j^fc_-.l<J     ^JjrLiStSfl*11' 

LANE  MILLS 

HAVE  SUPERSEDED  STAMPS 

in  several  plants  during  the  past  year.     The  following  con- 
clusions can  be  inferred  from  this  fact: 

'      The  equipment  in  use  did  not  give  satisfaction. 

The  Lane  Mill  mast  have  been  thoroughly  Investigated. 
The    investigation   must   have  shown   the   superiority   of   the 

Lane. 

No   sane   man   would   change   his   equipment   until  he   had 
received  positive  proof  that  it  would  lower  his  cost  of  opera- 
tion,  increase  his  extraction,   or  improve  his  plant  in   some 
way,  therefore  it  is  evident  that  we  are  able  to  conclusively 
I     demonstrate    the    superior   worth    of   the   Lane    Mill    for    the 

^^ 

better    for    vour    work,    too.      "Why    not    investigate    and    find 
out?    Our  Catalog  No.  7  will  aid  you.     Send  for  it. 

LANE  MILL  &  MACHINERY  CO. 

422-423  Wcnley  Roberts  Building,  Los  Aneelen,  Cal. 

46 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


July  1.  1916 


NEW  YORK  ENGINEERING  COMPANY 


2  RECTOR  STREET 


NEW  YORK 


For  Placer  Prospecting  You  Will  Want  to  Use  the  Empire  Drill 


Because 


It  is  endorsed  and  used  by  all  the  leading  mining  engineers  in  all  parts  of 
the  world. 

It  is  low  in  first  cost. 

There  is  practically  no  expense  for  repairs. 

(It  is  really  portable,  and  can  be  carried  anywhere  that  a  man  can  go. 
It  is  cheap  to  operate. 

And  most  important  of  all,  your  drilling  results  will  be  accurate. 

Write  lor  our  booklets  on  PLACER  DRILLING  and  GOLD  DREDGES. 


We  «ill  assist  yon  in 
financing,  or  we  will  equip 
your  property,  if  Empire 

results   prove   it   worthy. 


We  are  specialists 
in  Gold  Dredge 
Building  and  Placer 
Equipment. 


I 


LOCOMOTIVES    FROM 
INTERCHANGEABLE    STOCK    PARTS 

Our  standard  light  locomotives  are  built  on  the 
Interchangeable  Parts  Plan.  They  are  assem- 
bled from  stock  parts  made  to  accurate  gauges. 
Every  operation  is  done  in  a  carefully  designed 
jig,  and  neither  expense  nor  time  is  spared  to 
insure  absolute  accuracy.  On  completion,  a 
special  corps  of  inspectors  measure  every  part 
by  means  of  gauges  which  are  carefully  checked 
up,  and  no  part  can  be  placed  in  stock  until  it 
has  received  the  inspector's  stamp. 

With  this  system  every  part  must  be  so  accu- 
rately made  as  to  fit  every  other  locomotive  of 
the  same  size  and  type. 

For  this  reason  we  can  make  prompt  shipment  of  either  a  complete  locomotive  or  of  any  part.  This 
method  avoids  long  delays  when  parts  wear  out  and  also  enables  a  user  to  keep  on  hand  parts  liable  to 
wear  in  service  with  positive  assurance  that  each  part  will  fit. 

AMERICAN  LOCOMOTIVE  COMPANY 

30  CHURCH  STREET,  NEW  YORK 

McCormick  Building,  Chicago,  Illinois.  A.  Baldwin  &  Company,  New  Orleans,  La. 

Dominion  Express  Building,  Montreal,  Canada. 
N.  B.  Livermore  &  Company,  San  Francisco  and  Los  Angeles,  California. 
Northwestern  Equipment  Company,  Seattle,  Wash.,  and  Portland.  Oregon. 


.Inly   1.   1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


17 


The  Portland  Filter  is 

A  Satisfactory  Filter 

In  This  All  Users  Agree 

One  writes  — 

"After  ten  months'  use,  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  the  Portland  Filter 
has  passed  expectations  in  the  handling  of  a  difficult  collodial  slime  with 
satisfactory  washing,  the  capacity  being  20',  over  the  rating.  One  cloth 
lasted  7  months,  the  only  other  repair  being  the  replacement  of  the  worm 
drive,  which  was  cut  out  by  grit  getting  on  the  gear,  due  to  carelessness." 

Those  who  know  most  about  other  filters  are  most  enthusiastic  in  their 
praise  of  the  Portland.  There's  one  sure  way  to  solve  the  filter  problem  and 
that  is  to  install  a  Portland  Filter,  No  anxiety  over  possible  patent  litiga- 
tion—  we  guarantee  that  the  Portland  Filter  does  not  infringe  the  legal 
rights  of  the  owners  of  any  other  patents. 


SMELTING 

EQUIPMENT 


COLORADO  IRONWORKS  COMPANY 


I860-  DENVER. 


COLORADO -1916 


MILLING 

MACHINERY 


ELECTRIC   MINE   HOISTS   OF   EXCEPTIONAL   QUALITY 

In  a  Concrete  Chamber 
Two  Miles  Underground 


Hoist  Furnished  Silver  King  Coalition  Mines  Co..  Park  City.  Utah. 


The  double  reel  first  motion  electric  hoist  (shown 
here)  hoists  the  ore  from  a  vertical  shaft  over  which 
is  a  steel  head-frame,  the  ore  being  trammed  through 
a  tunnel  from  this  point  to  the  surface.  Among  the 
unique  features  of  this  hoist  is  automatic  accel- 
eration from  any  level  and  slowing  down  at  the  end 
of  each  trip,  thus  preventing  excessive  overloads  at 
starting  and  dangerous  speeds  when  landing.  The 
hoist  has  proved  thoroughly  certain  and  perfectly 
noiseless  in  operation. 

Our    Hoist    Bulletins    make    interesting 
reading  for  hoist  users.  Write  for  them. 


Meuhah-Seaw-Morgan  Co. 


NEW  YORK— Hudson  Terminal 


CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  U.  S.  A. 

DENVER— 611  Ideal  Building 


MEXICO,  D.  F.— Apartado  1220 


48 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  1.   1016 


The  New  Deister  Simplex  Rougher 
and  New  Deister  Simplex  Finisher 

are  the  latest  developments  in  the  art  of  ore 
concentration.  We  have  demonstrated  in  numerous 
competitive  tests  that  these  are  the  most  efficient 

Concentrating  Tables 


on  the  market  today.  This  was  again  demonstrated  in  a 
recent  competitive  test  at  the  Alaska  Juneau  Gold  Mining 
Company's  test  plant  at  Juneau.  Alaska.  THE  ROUGHER 
handled  230  torn*  per  day,  making  a  clean  concentrate, 
and  THE  FINISHER  handled  from  75  to  100  tons,  making 
a  clean  concentrate  and  low  tallln*.  As  a  result  of  this 
test  we  received  the  order  for  all  concentrating  tables 
and  classifiers  in  their  new  milL  consisting  of  48  Rough- 
ers,  102  Finishers,  and  72  Classifiers. 

Note:  The  reason  for  this  large  capacity  and  perfect 
control  of  the  line  of  separation  lies  In  our  Patented 
Duplex  Plateau,  which  consists  of  several  steps  or  rises 
along  a  diagonal  line  intermediate  the  dressing  zone  and 
the  main  concentrating  portion  of  the  deck. 


Our  customers  tell  us.  "We  consider  your  N'EW  SIM- 
PLEX    ROUGHER    and    NEW    SIMPLEX     FINISHER    the 

best  tables  made  today.  They  are  practically  automatic 
in  operation  and  require  very  little  attention.  An  occa- 
sional oiling  of  the  head-motion  is  about  all  that  Is  neces- 
sary." 

We  wish  to  make  clear  to  all  who  are  not  Intimately 
acquainted  with  the  personnel  of  the  Deister  Machine 
Company,  that  Emll  and  W.  F.  Deister.  who  are  the  In- 
ventor* of  the  original  an  well  aa  of  all  subsequent  true 
Deister  Tables,  are  exclusively  and  permanently  engaged 
with  this  company. 

Remember,  the  Deister  Simplex  tables  are  the  only  ones 
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SAN  FRANCISCO.  JULY  8,   1916 


Volumn  113 
Number  2 


-• 


BEFORE    THE    STORM 


PROSPECTORS,  and  others  familiar  with  Nature's  moods, 
will  recall  scenes  similar  to  that  illustrated  in  the  accom- 
panying photograph,  which  shows  the  rocky  crest  of  the 
range  illumined  in  a  strong  light  against  the  sombre  sky  pre- 
saging a  big  thunder-storm.  The  picture  typifies  the  days  in 
which  we  live,  when  death  and  destruction  have  been  har- 
nessed by  man  in  his  fierce  fight  for  ambitions  and  principles 
that  admit  of  no  compromise. 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  8.  1916 


r 


^©Knnniw@i#s 


u 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Titter 

Company 

50I  MAR.K.ET    St. 

San  Francisco.Cal. 


OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTERS 
have   been   installed  in  320  different 
mines. 

Is  the  experience  of  the  engineers  who 
have  devised  these  many  different  means 
of  meeting  conditions  of  any  use  to  you? 

Money  has  been  saved — output  has  been 
increased — operating  costs  have  been  re- 
duced—  in  silver,  gold,  lead,  zinc,  and 
copper  mines.     Why  not  in  your  mine? 


By  writing  to  our  engineering  department,  giving 
complete  details  of  your  conditions,  you  will,  with- 
out obligation,  get  data  concerning  Oliver  Filter 
performance.     Write. 


NO  ROYALTIES  TO  PAY  ON  ANY  WORK  OF  AN  OLIVER 


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p.  b.  McDonald 


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i  1 1  \RLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Bimi>~  M.w, 


SPECI  H.  i  ONTRJBI  MHs 

W      1 1 

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TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

aOlTORIAL  Page. 

N..ti~     37 

TntGo >  mi  Banket  3S 

The  origin  of  the  gold  in  the  deposits  of  the  Rand  as 
elucidated  by  Mr.  Uellor  ol  the  South  African  Geolog- 
ical Survey,  with  criticisms. 

Tun  First  Half  "»   1916  39 

Review  issued  by  the  Qeologlca]  Survey,  with  remarks 
of  our  own.  concerning  recent  progress  in  Western 
mining. 

Ot  R   Economic   Bronzk   Ai.f    40 

Preparedness  for  the  commercial  rivalries  of  peace 
amid  the  struggles  of  war.  A  warning  against  over- 
confidence. 

discission 
Why  Sum-  Cum  i  \  ikvte? 

By   William   Macdonald    41 

An  argument  for  treating  concentrate  by  cyanidation 
instead  of  shipping  it  to  a  smelter.  How  this  is  done 
in  New  Zealand. 

MrcKisi;  as  an  Educator. 

Hu  curt  .v.  Bcnuette 42 

Living  conditions  for  young  engineers  at  some  mines 
are  not  of  the  sweetest. 

I'ium.mte  is  Colorado. 

By  Ric/Utrd  Pearce  43 

The  discovery  of  a  mass  of  urauinite  or  pitchblende 
in  the  Wood  lode,  near  Central  City,  45  years  ago  is 
described  by  the  distinguished  metallurgist  to  whom 
the  discovery  was  due. 


ARTICLES 

The  Oi  (  OBBENCE  OF  Than  ism:  is  Colorado. 

By  Richard  Pearci    44 

The  author's  original  paper  on  his  discovery  of  uranin- 
ite  in  Colorado,  as  written  in  1895. 

Tiik  Motor-Thick  is  Arizona. 

By  Wilberi  a.  McBride 45 

Two  3 J-ton  motor-trucks  showed  a  cost  of  2.37  cents 
per  ton-mile  in  Arizona.  Skilled  truck-mechanics  and 
good  roads  are  necessary. 

Tiik  Flotation'  of  Minerals. 

By  Robert  J.  A  nderson 47 

Surface  tension,  adsorption,  colloids,  electrolytic  and 
electro-static  phenomena,  troth  and  bubbles,  air  and 
gas,  are  discussed  in  turn,  with  suggestive  comment. 

As  Earthquake  is  Nevada. 

By  8.  L.  Berry   52 

An  earthquake  in  October  1915  as  severe  as  that  at 


Page. 

San    Francisco    in     1906,    but     fortunately    was    in    a 
sly  populated  region,     a  scarp  E  to  IE  ft.  high 
and  22  miles  long  marks  the  earthquake-rift. 

Copper  Metallurgy  at  Gabfield,  Utah. 

By  I..  0.  Howard  54 

Description  of  the  Arthur  mill  of  the  Utah  Copper  Co.. 
and  of  the  Garfield  smelter. 

hi  i  i  RUINATION  OF  ANTIMONY. 

By  Harai  R.  Layng   57 

As  many  as  50  determinations  in  a  day  can  be  made 
by  this  method  of  determining  antimony. 

Misisc.  in  Utah. 

By  L.  O.  Howard  59 

Zinc  mining  is  receiving  an  impetus  in  Utah.  The 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey  is  preparing  a  new  report  on 
the  Alta-Cottonwood-American  Fork  district. 

Blasting  Practice  at  Chuquicamata,  Chile. 

By  Howard  W.  Moore  60 

Churn-drill  blasting,  as  practised  at  the  Nevada  Con- 
solidated, was  superseded  at  Chuquicamata  by  tunnel- 
blasting  on  an  elaborate  scale.  An  American  mining 
engineer  lately  in  Chile  gives  the  details. 


DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    62 

Ri:\  ti  \v  of  Mining   63 

Special  correspondence  from  Leadville,  Colorado:  Oat- 
man,  Arizona. 

The  Mining  Summary    65 

Personal   69 

The  Metal  Market "n 

Eastern  Metal  Market   71 

Metal  Statistics  72 

Scrap  Metals  Recovered  in  1915:  Manganese  in  1915: 
Gold  and  Silver  Production  in  the  United  States. 

Company  Reports  73 

Crown    Mines.   Ltd.:    East    Rand   Proprietary    Mines; 
Chiksan  Mining  Co.:  Porcupine  Vipond  Mines. 

Book  Reviews    74 

'English  and  American  Tool  Builders,'  by  Joseph  Wick- 
ham  Roe:  'Cartridge  Manufacture'  and  'Shrapnel 
Shell  Manufacture.'  by  Douglas  T.  Hamilton;  '.Modern 
Starting,  Lighting,  and  Ignition  Systems.'  by  Victor 
W.  Page. 
Mining  Decisions   74 

ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's    Guide    ■ 2S 

Index   to   Advertisers   34 


Established    May    24.     1860.     as    The    Scientific     Pre«»;    name 

changed  October  20   of   the  same  year  to   Mining  I   Scientific 

PreNS. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York.  1308-10 
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MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


job  - 


MINIM.   ,„d  Sccnlih.    1'RI  SS 


♦        EDITORIAL        ♦ 


T.  A.  RICKARD.  Editor 


t  \\  September  25  and  following  days  the  Beeond  Na 
^  ii"n;il  Exposition  of  ChemieaJ  [nduatriea  will  be 
held  in  New  York. 

OlI.YKi;  baa  been  steady  lately,  at  about  65  cents  per 
*-*  onnee,  with  a  tendency  to  riae.  We  note  that  Tin 
Statist  .'stimuli's  the  production  .if  Mexico  in  1915  at 
55,000,000  ounces,  aa  againat  70,703,828  in  1913.  We 
qaestion  the  6gures  for  last  year,  believing  that  the  re- 
daotion  of  output  was  more  than  is  indicated  by  our 
London  contemporary.    By  the  way,  the  Real  del  Monte 

ery  has  nol  yet  b. me  a  source  of  production; 

it  awaits  further  development. 


OODIUM  SULPHIDE  its  chemical  for  which  there  is 
k-'  likely  to  be  a  demand,  in  ton  lots,  in  consequence  of 
the  new  use  of  it  in  the  sulphatizing  of  oxidized  lead  and 
copper  ores  preparatory  to  flotation.  As  a  by-product, 
it  .-an  be  made  profitably  at  soda  works  and  similar  chem- 
ical manufacturing  plants,  if  only  a  demand  for  it  be- 
comes established  in  connection  with  flotation.  Inci- 
dentally, we  note  thai  the  Nipissing  company  is  about  to 
us.  sodium  sulphide  as  a  precipitant  for  silver  in  cyanide 
solutions,  in  place  of  aluminum,  the  price  of  which  has 
been  doubled  by  the  demand  created  during  the  War. 


I"  AST  week  we  published  an  article  on  the  theory  of 
*~*  flotation  ;  it  came  to  us  from  Korea  and  was  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  II.  Hardy  Smith,  who  explained  the  physical 
fores  governing  the  formation  and  behavior  of  bubbles, 
on  the  basis  of  his  work  at  the  Suan  mine.  In  this  issue 
we  give  our  readers  the  greater  part  of  a  paper  by  Mr. 
Robert  J.  Anderson,  Instructor  in  Metallurgy  at  the  Mis- 
souri School  of  Mines.  This  paper  is  to  be  read  at  the 
forthcoming  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Min- 
ing Engineers  in  Arizona;  it  reviews  the  state  of  the 
art  in  a  useful  way,  touching  upon  the  obscurities  that 
perplex  the  student  and  operator  in  this  new  branch  of 
metallurgy.  It  will  be  noted  that  Mr.  Anderson  refers 
to  several  articles  that  have  appeared  in  our  pages. 

rpHB  BIGGEST  thing  of  its  kind  always  attracts 
■*-  popular  interest.  We  note  that  Mr.  D.  C.  Jackling, 
in  an  interview,  places  the  Chuquicamala  as  the  biggest 
copper  mine  in  the  world,  having  regard  to  its  present 
development  and  future  prospects;  he  places  the  Utah 
Copper  second,  and  the  Braden  third.  For  the  time  of 
a  generation  the  Rio  Tinto  was  the  premier  copper  mine 
of  the  world,  but  during  the  last  decade  the  development 
of  the  disseminated  copper  deposits  and  of  the  two 
Chilean   properties  has  changed  our  standards  of  mag- 


nitude. The  Rio  Tinto  has  been  credited  with  a  reserve 
of  100,000,000  ions  of  l'1\  ore.  This  was  considered 
colossal  ten  year's  ago,  but  the  ChUquicam  redited 

with  four  times  as  much  ore  of  about  the  sane-  grade. 

■VTost  of  the  cyanide  used  on  the  Hand,  at  the  rate  of 

-1-*-1  5000    tons    per   annum,    worth    about    $2,500,000,    is 

now  obtained  from  Glasgow.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
War  tlie  British  government  arranged  for  a  supply  at  a 

price  of  17  cents  per  pound,  which  was  :!  cents  above 
the  ante-bellum  cost.  It  is  announced  that  a  new  con 
tract  has  been  made  between  the  principal  mining  groups 
operating  in  the  Transvaal  and  Rhodesia  by  which  a 
supply  of  cyanide  is  assured  for  five  years  from  the 
Cassel  Cyanide  Company,  of  Glasgow,  together  with  a 
minor  proportion  from  the  British  Cyanide  Company. 
Fortunately  for  the  Rand  and  other  goldfields,  the  re- 
striction of  silver  mining  and  milling  in  Mexico  has  re- 
duced the  demand  for  cyanide  from  that  country,  the 
treatment  of  a  silver  ore  requiring  about  four  times  as 
much  cyanide  as  a  gold  ore. 

TTOW   low-grade   is  the   gold   ore   milled   at  Juneau, 

-*■■*■  Alaska,  is  not  fully  appreciated.  For  example,  the 
Alaska  Gold  Mines  Co.,  during  its  ten  months  of  opera- 
tion in  1915,  recovered  only  94  cents  per  ton  from  1,115,- 
294  tons  of  ore,  obtaining  therefrom  23  cents  profit  per 
ton.  Miners  are  accustomed  to  think  of  the  copper  and 
iron  ores  of  Lake  Superior  as  being  the  last  word  in 
low  yield  of  metal,  but  a  30-ton  carload  of  1%  copper 
from  a  Lake  Superior  mine  contains  600  pounds  of  cop- 
per worth  $90,  with  copper  at  15c.  per  pound,  and  in 
recent  times  nearly  twice  as  much.  A  30-ton  carload  of 
iron  ore  is  worth  at  least  $60  at  the  mines  and  $100  at 
Lower  Lake  points.  On  the  other  hand,  a  30-ton  car  of 
$1  gold  ore  can  never  have  an  assay-value  of  more  than 
$30.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  three  mines  of  the 
Treadwell  group  on  Douglas  island  extracted  nearly  $2 
per  ton  from  the  1,652,307  tons  of  ore  treated  in  1915; 
of  this  about  80  cents  per  ton  was  profit. 


ZINC  is  being  produced  at  the  Butte  &  Superior  mine, 
in  Montana,  at  the  rate  of  90,000  tons  per  annum. 
This  is  more  metal  than  is  produced  by  the  Utah  Copper 
mine,  just  now  the  most  productive  copper  mine  in  the 
world.  The  Butte  &  Superior  company  extracts  this 
amount  of  zinc,  as  a  concentrate,  from  about  650,000  tons 
of  ore,  while  the  Utah  Copper  company  last  year  treated 
8.4H4.300  tons  of  ore  to  obtain  78,103  tons  of  copper.  At 
the  zinc  mine,  the  ore  averages  about  17%,  while  at  the 
copper  mine  the  average  yield  of  metal  is  only  1.5%. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8.  1916 


Ordinarily  copper  is  three  times  more  valuable  than  zin.-, 
but  in  191").  in  consequence  of  abnormal  conditions,  the 
average  price  of  spelter  al  St.  Louis  was  13  cents,  while 
the  copper  of  the  Utah  Copper  company  during  that 
year  was  sold  for  17,(i7!i  cents  per  pound.  In  1914 
spelter  averaged  only  5  cents,  while  copper  averaged 
13.31  cents  per  pound.  In  1914  the  production  of  spelter 
in  the  United  States  was  353,049  tons.  The  present  out- 
put of  the  Butte  &  Superior  is  equal  to  one-quarter  of 
the  country's  annual  production  before  the  War. 


account  of  his  discovery  of  this  rare  mineral,  uraninite. 
4.".  years  ago,  Suggests  that  Mr.  Richard  Pearce  is  in  the 
evening  of  life,  bul  we  arc  glad  to  say  that  he  retains  all 

his  old  interest  in  minerals  and  metals,  and  men. 


"pAI'KR  is  becoming  scarcer  and  more  expensive.  As 
-*•  a  means  of  reducing  this  country's  enormous  con- 
sumption of  paper,  Life  suggests  that  advertising  by 
means  of  circulars  be  curtailed,  as  scarcely  anybody 
reads  them  since  the  flood  of  them  has  become  so  great. 
A  further  hint  is  the  reduction  of  unnecessary  periodi- 
cals. Nearly  every  institution,  organization,  anil  cause 
publishes  a  periodical  of  some  sort.  Some  of  them  are 
useful  mediums,  interesting  to  various  kinds  of  intelli- 
gent people,  hut  "about  a  million  of  them,"  says  Life, 
"could  lie  stopped  entirely  and  no  one  would  ever  miss 

them."  Th.-  Congressional  Record  and  <;.  A.  B.  Journal 
are  mentioned,  and  there  are  a  great  many  more.  Pub- 
licity for  any  cause,  cut  down  to  its  proper  proportion. 
can  I"'  obtained  through  the  established  periodicals. 
Meanwhile,  if  waste  paper,  that  is  paper  that  lias  served 
its  purpose  whether  for  wrapping  or  reading,  were  col- 
lected and  saved  for  re-manufacture,  the  consumption 
of  a  national  resource,  wood-pulp,  could  be  lessened  con- 
siderably. 

T~\ISCUSSIOX  this  week  covers  a  variety  of  topics. 
-L^  The  first  contribution  asks  a  timely  and  pertinent 
question:  "Why  ship  concentrate?"  This  is  exactly 
what  a  number  of  managers  would  like  to  know,  particu- 
larly on  the  Mother  Lode  and  in  the  Tonopah-Goldfield 
region.  -Mr.  William  Maedonald,  a  mill-superintendent, 
who  has  had  much  experience  in  Australia.  New  Zealand. 
and  Nevada,  quotes  the  method  in  vogue  at  the  Waihi 
Grand  Junction  mine,  which  is  next-door  to  the  famous 
Waihi  mine,  in  New  Zealand,  and  has  been  conspicuously 
well  managed  by  Mr.  W.  Frank  Grace.  Next  comes  a 
letter  on  a  subject  discussed  recently  in  our  editorial 
columns.  Mr.  Curt  N.  Schuette  writes  frankly,  and  in 
the  vernacular;  we  are  glad  to  record  this  personal  ex- 
perience  of  a  young  man  serving  his  apprenticeship  in 
the  profession,  and  we  commend  it  to  the  serious  atten- 
tion of  educators  and  managers.  Many  of  our  readers, 
particularly  the  veterans,  will  be  pleased  to  see  the 
honored  name  of  Mr.  Richard  Pearce  at  the  bottom  of  a 
note  on  'Uraninite  in  Colorado.'  We  wrote  to  Mr. 
Pearce  asking  him  to  correct  a  recent  sensationally  in- 
accurate account  of  his  discovery  of  pitchblende  in  Gil- 

pil nntv:  hence  the  letter  ancl  the  re-publication  of  an 

article  on  tic  subject  from  the  proceedings  of  the  Colo- 
rado Scientific  Society.  Mr.  Pearce 's  many  friends  in 
the  West  will  lie  glad  to  know  that  he  is  living  near 
Liverpool,  where  he  and  one  of  his  sons.  Mr.  Frank 
Pearce,  have  established  a  successful  tin  smelter.     The 


TT    looks  Jike   another    vcracrusade.      General    Pershing 

-*■  has  withdrawn  his  force  three-quarters  "I  the  way 
home.  General  Trevino  has  surrendered  the  troopers 
captured  at  Carrizal,  and  Sefior  Carranza  has  made  an 
evasive  reply  to  our  Government's  latest  ultimatum. 
The  chances  arc  that  the  present  crisis  will  pass  without 
war.  but  it  bears  the  seed  of  further  friction.  The  de 
fat  In  government  of  Mexico  is  incapable  of  restoring 
order,  ami  recurrent  clashes  along  the  frontier  are  cer- 
tain. The  Mexican  muddle  is  no  nearer  a  settlement. 
nor  is  a  settlement  likely  until  the  United  States,  by  con- 
sent i.r  by  force,  intervenes. 


The  Gold  of  the  Banket 


An  ore  deposit  provokes  interest  commensurate  with 
its  richness,  that  is,  its  content  of  valuable  metal.  We 
speak  for  the  mining  engineer.  To  the  academic  geolo- 
gist the  purely  economic  phase  may  seem  less  insistent 
than  eccentricity  of  structure  or  abnormality  of  occur- 
rence. It  is  no  wonder  therefore  that  the  gold-bearing 
conglomerate  of  the  Witwatersrand  continues  to  attract 
technical  study  and  scientific  investigation,  because  the 
Rand,  as  it  is  called  for  short,  produces  40%  of  the 
world's  annual  output  of  gold.  Another  reason  for  con- 
tinued interest  in  the  subject  is  the  fact  that  the  origin 
of  the  gold  in  these  deposits  has  not  yet  been  explained 
satisfactorily.  No  monographic  official  treatise  of  a  kind 
comparable  with  those  published  on  the  Comstock,  Crip- 
ple Creek.  Pzribram,  or  BendigO  has  been  issued.  We 
have  had,  it  is  true,  a  number  of  papers  by  mining  en- 
gineers and  another  set  of  writings  by  geologists,  but 
these  cover  various  aspects  of  the  problem  without  the 
co-ordination  characterizing  a  single,  complete  and  sys- 
tematic investigation.  Hence  we  are  not  surprised  that 
the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy — it  should  be 
unnecessary  to  add,  in  London — gave  a  cordial  welcome 
to  the  paper  presented  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Mellor.  of  the 
Transvaal  Geological  Survey,  on  the  subject  of  'The 
Conglomerates  of  the  Witwatersrand.'  We  have  read 
this  essay  of  62  pages  and  as  much  of  the  discussion  as 
has  been  printed.  Undoubtedly  it  will  take  an  honor- 
able place  in  the  bibliography  of  South  African  economic 
geology.  It  represents  the  result  of  five  years  of  con- 
scientious work  by  a  capable  observer.  Mr.  Mellor 's 
main  conclusions  arc  (1)  that  the  gold  is  not  confined 
to  the  beds  of  conglomerate  now  being  mined,  but  i>  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  Witwatersrand  system,  which 
is  a  series  of  sedimentary  beds  fully  20.000  feet  thick: 
(2)  that  the  extraordinary  persistence  of  the  individual 
beds  constituting  tic  lodes  now  being  exploited — such 
as  the  Main  Reef  Leader — is  due  to  their  having  been 
laid  down  in  extensive  deltas.  Although  he  recognizes 
the  probability  of  a  re-distribution  of  part  of  the  gold 
deposited  mechanically  with  the  conglomerate,  and  does 


Jul)   -    1916 


MINING  «nd  Sic.ni,.    I'K!  SS 


not  ignore  nlDtioo  and  N  precipitation  u  factors  modi 
the  richness  of  1 1 1 «•  ban!  deposit,  ha 

ii>iiiIii.Ii-  ilmt  the  Main  R 

placer  In  lus  analysis  o(  the  condition!  tlmi  must  have 
governed  the  formation  of  these  extensive  beds  of  con- 
glomerate,  he  brings  to  bear  a  large  mass  of  evidi 
hii  impressive  kind;  in  short,  Ins  work  as  a  strotigrapher 
is  oonvinoing.  Se  explains  rhe  origin  <>f  the  oonglom 
ante  satisfactorily.  Next  oomee  the  harder  problem, 
tlmi  of  the  origin  ol  the  gold  aaaotiiatod  with  the  con- 
glomerate and  tn  which  it  owes  all  its  economic  impor- 
This  phenomenon,  or  appearance,  has  puzzled 
niisis  much  as  the  milk  in  the  cocoa  ant  or 
the  fly  in  tin1  amber  nonplussed  the  small  boy.  Mr. 
Mellor  proceeds  to  argue  thai  the  concentration  of  the 
gold  in  oertain  particularly  well-defined  and  continuous 
beds  coincides  with,  and  is  probably  the  result  of,  special 
conditions  of  sedimentation ;  and  even  the  distribution  of 

the  !_'■  'lil  within  these  individual  beds  of  conglomerate  is 

isiderad  by  him  attributable  to  the  manner  in  which 

sediments  were  laid  down  in  pre-Cambrian  time. 
He  Bnds  analogy  between  the  Kami  delta  and  the  Nome 

coastal  plain,  which  is  not  unreasonable,  as  regards  pro- 
-  of  sedimentation,  but  he  fails  to  note  the  entire 
unlikeness  between  the  marvellous  concentrations  of 
gold  constituting  the  raised  beaches — the  real  fossil 
placers  of  Nome — and  the  broad  area  of  low-grade  con- 
glomerate  constituting  the  Rand.  Again,  he  compares 
the  pre-Cambrian  conglomerate  in  the  White  Waters 
Range  of  the  Transvaal  with  the  Cambrian  conglomer- 
ate in  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota,  and  not  without 
warrant,  but  he  ignores  the  fact  that  while  the  Dakotan 
conglomerate  contains  gold  some  of  which  was  derived. 
by  erosion,  from  the  Homestake  vein,  it  is  also  true  that 
the  main  enrichment  of  the  latter  is  associated  with 
thermal  activity  accompanying  the  intrusion  of  rhyolite 
in  an  early  Tertiary  period.  However,  this  is  not  the 
place   for  detailed  criticism.     Another  interesting  fea- 

tui (  .Mr.   Mellor 's  presentation  of  the  subject  is  his 

uuhstei on   the  sedimentary  origin  of  the  gold  while 

acknowledging  the  later  deposition,  from  thermal  waters. 
of  most  of  the  pyrite  and  all  of  the  other  sulphides, 
found  particularly  in  the  younger  quartz  veins  that  cross 
the  conglomerate  beds.  Obviously,  the  last  word  has  not 
been  said  The  modification  of  the  Becker-Gregory 
theory  of  a  marine  deposit  along  a  subsiding  shore  and 
the  substitution  of  a  deltaic  deposition  is  interesting, 
but  it  is  not  conclusive  as  regards  the  origin  of  the  gold 
itself.  The  pyritic  nodules  that  bothered  Mr.  G.  F. 
Becker  have  been  dissected  by  Mr.  C.  Baring  Horwood 
in  the  admirable  investigation  described  at  length  in  the 
Miking  and  Scientific  Press  during  1914.  The  absence 
of  ore-shoots,  claimed  as  an  argument  against  the  theory 
of  a  lode  formed  by  infiltration  in  the  usual  way,  is  not 
brought  forward  by  Mr.  Mellor.  Indeed,  the  idea  of 
uniform  dissemination  suited  the  exigencies  of  Rand 
finance  better  than  it  fits  the  facts  as  disclosed  by  the 
mine  workings.  Of  course,  the  placer  theory  lends  itself 
to  talk  of  indefinite  persistence  of  ore  better  than  the 


lode  theory,  for  if  the  banket  be  an  Indefinitely  huge 
layei  of  pebbles,  sand,  and  gold,  all  of  sedimentar] 
origm.  then  it  is  hori  indeed     Bui  we  doubl  it. 

and  suggest  that  be  fori Ding  to  s  confident  conclusion 

it  will  be  well  to  study  the  known  gold  bearing  conglom- 
erates of  Nova  Scotia,  South  Dakota,  Alaska.  California, 
ami  Queensland.     Mr.  Mellor  has  read  about  son f 

these;    and    his    paper   caius   by    his    ivt'.ic s    to    them. 

At    least    he   has  escaped    Ihe   provincialism    thai    claimed 

the  Rand  deposits  as  unique.    The  idea  thai  any  ore  de- 

posit    is  a  BpeciaJ    creation    is   unseicnt ilic.      On    the  eon 

trary.  he  will  probablj  agree  with  us  thai  every  ore  de 

posil  must  be  studied  in  the  light  ol"  Ihe  knowledge  ex- 
tant concerning  kindred  phenomena  elsewhere. 

The   First   Half  of    1916 


With  commendable  promptitude,  the  Geological  Sur- 
vey issues  a  review  of  the  mineral  industry  during  the 

first  six  mouths  of  the  current  year.  "The  mining  man 
is  having  his  innings"  is  a  phrase  that  summarizes  this 
timely  appraisement  of  progress.  The  production  of 
gold  is  reported  as  a  little  short  of  last  year,  but  silver  is 
being  produced  at  a  rate  likely  to  break  all  previous 
records.  The  production  of  copper  has  responded  to  an 
average  price,  during  the  six  months,  of  26  cents  per 
pound,  so  that  the  rate  of  increase  noted  in  1915  has  con- 
tinued into  the  current  year.  Arizona  will  maintain  its 
first  place,  thanks  to  the  splendid  work  being  done  at 
the  Inspiration  mine,  among  others.  In  Montana  the 
total  of  all  metallic  products  shows  a  60%  increase.  Colo- 
rado has  increased  its  copper  output — which  is  small — by 
30%,  with  gains  in  lead  ami  zinc  also.  In  Utah  the 
copper  produced  will  have  a  value  twice  that  of  1915. 
Similar  optimistic  summaries  come  from  Idaho,  Nevada, 
and  Alaska,  but  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  them,  our 
own  pages  having  recorded  progress  week  by  week  and 
month  by  month.  "We  regret  that  the  Director  of  the 
Survey  is  unable  to  give  more  precise  information  ;  bis 
review  is  too  evidently  adapted  for  the  daily  press,  which 
enjoys  glittering  generalities.  However,  this  official 
dictum  concerning  the  prosperity  of  the  industry  is  in- 
tended for  those  detached  from  mining.  Any  observant 
traveler  in  the  West  during  the  last  twelve  months  will 
have  noted  the  many  signs  of  expansion:  cars  of  ore  on 
remote  railroad-sidings:  old  mills  being  re-modeled  and 
re-fitted;  the  smoke  rising  from  smelters  lately  idle; 
pack-mules  passing  down  abandoned  trails;  the  freight- 
train  loaded  with  machinery;  the  refineries  choked  with 
mine  products:  the  ships  being  loaded  with  refined 
metal;  the  engineers  on  their  way  to  examine  mines;  and 
the  speculator  eager  to  talk  about  the  price  of  metals. 
Tndccd.  we  scarcely  needed  an  official  recognition  of  the 
fact  that  the  mining  industry  of  the  West  is  thriving  as 
never  before;  and.  what  is  equally  important,  our  pages 
testify  to  the  re-awakening  of  technical  ingenuity  in  the 
devising  of  new  processes  and  the  trial  of  new  ideas  in 
every  branch  of  the  industry.  If  all  goes  well.  1016  will 
be  a  year  to  make  the  Americi Lner  glad  and  grateful. 


Ill 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  8.  191 G 


Our    Economic   Bronze   Age 


It  is  prudenl  to  give  serious  thought  to  the  perils  of 
peace  while  the  known  safeties  of  war  are  still  about  us. 
Men  Buffered  through  a  generation  of  armed  peace,  en- 
during economic  hardships,  poor  wages,  cut-throat  com- 
mercialism, contracts  that  protected  those  rich  enough  to 
get  such  justice  as  suited  their  desires;  it  was  a  time 
when  men  feared  war,  and  piled  up  armaments  so  mas- 
sive and  ominous  that  no  one  might  dare  to  Gght  while 
everyone  was  equally  prepared.  Wise  men  beholding 
this  enginery  of  destruction  declared  war  impossible.  It 
meant  suicide,  universal  annihilation,  the  wiping  out  of 
the  civilized  nations,  so  that  the  world  would  need  to 
start  over  again  from  the  nucleus  of  surviving  savages 
in  the  outer  darkness  of  unprcparedness.  The  parrot 
world  took  up  the  refrain  and  'peace  the  actual  and 
eternal,  war  the  impossible  and  abolished'  became  the 
chief  article  of  faith  among  deluded  nations.  They  did 
not  recognize  that  we  had  progressed  no  further  in 
genuine  civilization  than  Isaiah.  EpictetuB,  Luther,  or 
Napoleon.  The  doctrines  of  pure  morals  and  sound 
ethics  have  not  been  improved  in  any  material  aspect 
since  the  days  of  Augustus  Caesar,  nor  have  new  and 
sounder  economic  bases  of  peace  been  discovered.  The 
climax  in  human  conceptions  of  the  absolute  moral  was 
reached  early,  but  the  principles  of  a  safe  and  sane  peace 
have  continued  elusive.  We  are  in  the  economic  bronze 
age  still,  and  many  of  us  even  reflect  frankly  paleolithic 
barbarisms  of  economic  thought. 

It  was  such  a  barbarism  to  think  that  peace  could  be 
maintained  permanently  by  an  armed  menace  without  a 
mathematically  exact  balance  of  menaces.  It  was  a  simi- 
larly wild  dream  to  think  that  the  stimulus  of  enthusi- 
asm for  defense  of  country  would  awaken  the  dormant 
Mars  in  civilian  breasts  so  as  to  match  them  equally  and 
instantly  against  the  trained  millions  of  a  prepared 
power.  It  proved  a  dream  also,  destructive  of  the  beau- 
tiful theories  of  the  wise  ones  who  knew  how  to  settle  the 
affairs  of  men  over  their  after-lunch  cigars,  incontest- 
able' and  immutably  determined,  Q.  E.  D.,  to  wit,  that 
war  was  too  destructive  to  be  undertaken ;  and,  when  it 
wax  undertaken,  that  the  Hth  term  of  the  series  of  daily 
military  vulcanisms  necessary  to  destroy  all  Europe  was 
thirty — to  guess  at  the  extreme.  Meanwhile  others 
gained  reputation  for  wisdom  by  building  peace  palaces: 
arbitration  congresses  fought  over  the  way  peace  was  to 
be  maintained;  and  pacifist  secretaries  of  state  warred 
with  non-militant  presidents  over  the  pungency  of  non- 
militant  language  used  in  explaining  our  pacific  de- 
terminations. 

The  childhood  of  man  lias  not  yet  passed  away  when 
these  tollies  can  be  enacted  in  an  epoch  of  armed  and 
aggressive  peace,  when  the  struggle  for  trade  supremacy 
is  bolstered  up  by  tariff  walls,  by  subtle  subventions, 
and  by  gross  bonus  systems,  serving  as  the  infantry  of 
embattled  commerce  drawn  up  under  cover  of  the  ar- 
tillery of  protecting  nat  ti 

To  affirm  that  armies,  navies,  great  guns,  militarism. 


are  all  of  the  same  breed  with  the  economic  devices 
whereby  trade  is  stimulated  for  the  sake  of  national 
aggrandizement,  is  no  more  ridiculous  than  the  folly 
that  would  undertake  to  guarantee  peace  by  treaty,  and 
give  a  world-court  authority  over  the  nations  without 
an  obedient  force,  big  enough  to  transmute  that  court 
into  the  most  stupendous  grafting  oligarchy  that  the 
world  has  ever  seen.  When  capitalists  and  college  presi- 
dents and  politicians  of  international  fame  give  vent  to 
such  puerile  notions  we  may  be  excused  for  an  economic 
juvenility  of  our  own,  because,  even  if  the  realization 
linger  down  the  centuries,  the  old  system  of  tariffs  and 
guns  and  artificial  centres  of  trade  and  manufacture  will 
keep  us  from  the  perils  that  a  scientific  basis  of  economic 
peace  might  involve  if  applied  suddenly  as  a  cure  for  the 
madness  of  nations.  It  may  not  come  true  any  more 
than  arbitration  treaties  that  will  stand,  or  international 
courts  that  will  be  cheerfully  obeyed,  will  come  true; 
not  for  years  and  centuries,  perhaps,  can  this  come  to 
pass,  and  yet  it  must  come  true  in  the  end  if  a  man  is  to 
advance  higher  and  bring  his  economic  bread-getting 
existence  up  to  a  par  with  his  intellectual  conceptions  of 
morality  and  right. 

We  are  in  the  economic  bronze  age !  Only  copper  is 
free — copper  alone  of  the  ordinary  articles  of  commerce. 
It  is  strange  when  we  reflect  how  other  industries  have 
been  coddled,  while  copper  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the 
dominant  factors  in  trade  and  exchange,  unsustained  by 
tariffs  and  subventions.  The  bronze  age  points  the  way 
to  the  next  step  in  our  economic  liberation.  When  shall 
we  advance  to  the  economic  iron  age,  and  thence  into 
epochs  of  more  difficult  science  in  the  preservation  of 
industry  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  set  by 
nature?  Should  trade  be  allowed  to  grow  by  a  pact  be- 
tween exhausted  belligerents  and  their  supporters  in  the 
places  and  along  the  courses  which  by  nature  are  favor- 
able, rather  than  by  virtue  of  stimulative  laws  sustained 
by  arrogant  militarism,  then  a  police  force — all  the 
kinks  and  wrinkles  having  been  smoothed  out  by  experi- 
ence— would  be  enough,  just  as  it  would  be  if  all  men 
were  to  be  suddenly  inflamed  with  religious  zeal  to  obey 
an  international  court  and  abide  by  treaties  of  arbitra- 
tion as  the  corner-stone  of  a  world  association  of 
altruists. 

This  may  not  be  taken  wholly  as  a  jest.  In  jesting 
mood  and  manner  the  wholesome  truth  may  be  thrown 
at  an  autocratic  king.  So  may  it  be  thrown  at  a  too- 
proud  and  over-confident  people,  who  may  not  pause  to 
think  how  great  were  the  folly  of  the  fury  and  heroism 
of  the  European  war  if  it  should  bring  merely  peace — 
only  an  empty  peace,  with  the  worms  of  national  ag- 
grandizement rolled  up  in  it  to  consume  both  the  written 
word  and  the  parchment.  This  is  something  to  ponder 
while  the  guns  are  booming,  so  that  when  the  time  comes 
to  end  the  strife  the  world  may  have  caught  inspiration 
from  the  bronze  age,  and  may  set  something  else  free 
besides  copper;  may  establish  new  principles  of  freer 
commerce,  giving  hope  that  the  struggle  has  brought 
ncaiei-  the  blessings  of  an  economic  peace.  X. 


-    1916 


MINING  ud  Sdsntifi,    PRESS 


il 


DISCUSSION 

<>ur  itutltu  arc  Invited  i"  il-.  iln-  dtpartmtni  (or  ih* diwunlon  "/  technical  and  orhfr  matui 
Miiiirii,1  ro  minim*  and  nwtallurgy,      The Edifoi  wtUomm  the axpranlon  of  PunM  contrary  (o  in*  own,  b#- 
Iteoaia1  thut  cartful  <  riricimi  U  more  wiluaslf  than  eaaual  oovtplimantt 


Why  Ship  Concentrate? 
The  Editor: 

Sir  The  question  "t'  the  l« «« - ^ *  1  treatment  of  concen 
Irate,  especially  in  districts  remote  from  railways  and 
smelters,  is  mic  iliai  olaims  the  attention  of  many  mining 
oompaniea.  At  the  present  time  there  arc  several  in- 
stances  of  concentrates  being  shipped,  at  heavy  expense, 
although  they  could  undoubtedly  be  locally  treated  to 
greater  advantage  In  my  experience  in  this  country 
and  iii  other  parts  of  the  world  there  are  few  places 
where  the  raw  concentrate  is  not  amenable  to  treatment 
by  cyanide.  It  is  unlikely  that  any  concentrate  presents 
greater  difficulties  to  successful  cyanidation  than  that 
produced  at  some  of  the  Mother  Lode  mines  in  Cali- 
fornia, but  it  has  been  shown  iii  recent  interesting 
articles  in  this  paper  and  by  the  fact  that  there  are 
numerous  mines  on  the  Lode  successfully  treating  their 
raw  concentrate  that  such  difficulties  are  not  insuper- 
able. The  amenability  of  a  concentrate  to  cyanide  treat- 
ment having  been  demonstrated,  a  possible  field  is 
opened  up  for  treatment  of  the  whole  ore  by  similar 
methods,  whereas  preliminary  roasting  does  not  go  be- 
yond  the  disposal  of  the  concentrate.  This  fact  is  of 
great  importance  in  new  mining  regions  and  might 
affect  the  future  of  a  district  or  Lead  to  its  more  rapid 
develop nt. 

The  YVaihi  mine,  which  was  probably  the  pioneer  in 
this  branch  of  cyanidation  has  maintained  an  extraction 
of  95-96%  of  both  the  gold  and  silver  contents  of  the 
concentrate  over  a  period  of  12  years.     At  this  mine,  in 

Nevi  Zealand,  the  ei cut  rate  presents  no  difficulty  of  a 

chemical  nature,  the  chief  consideration  being  extremely 
fine  comminution  of  the  particles  and  sufficient  length  of 

tn f  agitation  to  dissolve  the  silver  content,  which  is 

high  in  proportion  to  the  gold.    At  Atlanta,  in  Idaho,  a 

eoi atrate    is   produced  carrying  4%   arsenic,   besides 

antimony,  lead,  zinc,  etc.,  in  less  quantities.  In  this  in- 
stance serious  difficulties  were  faced  in  starting  cyanid- 
ing  operations,  but  the  raw  concentrate  is  now  being 
treated  profitably.  Success  in  this  case  hinged  upon  the 
fact  that  freight-charges  to  the  nearest  railway-point 
were  excessively  high,  thus  allowing  a  considerable  mar- 
gin for  cost  of  treatment.  Each  concentrate  presents  its 
own  particular  problem,  which  may  not  be  allnL'cther  a 
metallurgical  one.  Local  conditions  may  be  a  deciding 
factor. 

Assuming  that  the  treatment  of  a  eoi atrate  in  the 

raw  state  is  a  commercially  sound  proposition,  the  ques- 
tion next  arising  is  the  best  method  of  dealing  with  it. 


Ii  is  generally  assumed  thai  separate  treatment  of  the 

ooncentrate  to  > over  the  valuable  metals  is  the  i es 

garj  procedure.  Where  the  whole  ore  is  cyanided  this 
does  not  follow.  At  the  Waihi  Qrand  Junction  mine, 
also  in  New  Zealand,  a  novel  system  of  dealing  with  the 
concentrate  was  introduced  some  years  ago  by   F\  ('. 

Brown,  the  inventor  of  the   Pachuoa  tank,  and  is  still  in 

successful  operation  at  that  mine.  Various  articles  have 
been  published  dealing  with  this  system  (some  of  which 
an-  mentioned  al  the  end  of  this  article),  but  in  mj 
opinion  it  has  not  been  given  the  consideration  thai  it 
deserves  by  metallurgists  in  Ibis  country.  I'.riefly  staled. 
the  system  consists  in  placing  the  concentrating  machines 
in  circuit  with  the  tube-mill  and  making  use  of  them  not 
to  recover  the  concent  rate  but  as  an  aid  to  liner  reduction. 


1 


■*— <^ 


Dorr  C/ass/f/e, 


M  /returnee/ 


-* \ 

W/Zf/py  or  De/'sfcr  7o&/e 


I 

Cone  t/ass/f/er    (      Dorr  7h/cAener      rla/Tofor 

\       S//S77P 

Orer/fa. 


% 


FLOW-SHEET  OF  Till-:  W.UIll   C.KAND  JUNCTION   Mil. I.. 

The  machines  are  placed  in  position  to  receive  the  over- 
flow pulp  from  the  tube-mill  classifier.  It  is  advisable  in 
most  cases  to  have  intermediate  cone-classifiers  for  the 
purpose  of  separating  the  bulk  of  solution  or  water  and 
fine  slime,  thus  avoiding  over-loading  the  concentrating 
machines  with  slime.  The  concentrate,  together  with 
what  would  usually  be  called  'seconds,'  or  just  as  much 
of  this  material  as  may  be  considered  desirable,  is  col- 
lected in  a  common  launder  and  elevated  back  to  the 
tube-mill  feed.  In  this  way  the  coarser  c< cut  rale,  to- 
gether with  the  larger  grains  of  sand,  is  repeatedly  re- 
turned and  re-ground  until  the  concentrate  is  sufficiently 
fine  to  float  off  with  the  ore  instead  of  settling  on  the 


42 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


table.     It  then  passes  on,  concentrate  and  pulp  being 

treated  together  as  one  product.  The  essential  features 
of  the  system  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  flow- 
diagram. 

Separate  treatment  of  concentrate  makes  crashing  and 
icentratmg  in  water  compulsory,  while  the  combina- 
tion treatment  can  be  carried  out  either  in  water  or  cya- 
nide solution.  Crushing  in  cyanide  solution  is  usually 
the  better  practice  for  reasons  well  known  to  metal- 
lurgists and  mill-men.  It  is  certainly  advantageous  to 
carry  out  the  operations  of  concentrating  and  grinding 
in  cyanide  solution,  one  advantage  having  a  direct  bear- 
ing on  the  system  being  that  the  strength  of  the  cyanide 
solution  can  be  kept  as  high  as  is  necessary  in  order  to 
attain  the  maximum  extraction  without  undue  loss  in  the 
form  of  waste  solution. 

The  Dumber  of  concentrating  machines  required  is 
somewhat  larger  than  would  he  ordinarily  use. I  on  any 
given  tonnage  of  ore  crushed  in  proportion  to  the  larger 
tonnage  passing  in  the  tube-mill  circuit.  The  Wilfley 
or  Deister  type  is  the  best  for  the  purpose,  as  the  con- 
centrate can  he  more  conveniently  collected  and  con- 
tinuously returned  than  in  the  case  of  machines  of  the 
Knie  or  Johnson  type. 

Some  of  the  advantages  of  this  system  are  obvious: 
(1)  The  process  of  treatment  is  simplified,  there  being 
only  one  product  to  handle  instead  of  two,  thereby  re- 
ducing cost  of  operation.  (2)  Saving  in  first  cost  of  in- 
stallation of  separate  plant.  (3)  Improved  metallurg- 
ical efficiency.  The  system  results  in  an  equal,  if  not 
higher,  extraction  at  a  less  cost  for  cyanide  and  other 
chemicals  and  a  more  rapid  dissolution  of  the  gold  and 
silver  content  than  when  separately  treated. 

The  improved  metallurgical  efficiency  is  accounted  for 
by  the  finer  reduction  of  the  concentrate,  due  to  the 
abrasive  action  of  the  sand  on  the  softer  particles  of  con- 
centrate and  the  fact  that  the  particles  of  concentrate 
are  separated  one  from  another  by  sand,  and  thus  kept 
from  packing;  also  the  high  ratio  of  cyanide  solution  to 
concentrate.  That  the  gold  and  silver  content  is  brought 
into  solution  much  more  rapidly  has  been  clearly  shown 
at  the  Waihi  Grand  Junction.  At  this  mine  80%  of  the 
total  bullion  content  in  the  ore  is  in  solution  before  the 
pulp  leaves  the  concentrating  tables,  and  24  hours'  agi- 
tation suffices  to  complete  the  treatment,  whereas  8  to 
10  days  was  previously  required  when  treating  separ- 
ately. The  decreased  consumption  in  cyanide  is  brought 
about  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  use  of  a  low-strength 
solution  is  made  possible.  The  solution  circulating  in 
the  mill  where  the  system  was  first  adopted  is  only  0.07% 
KCN  and  the  extraction  90.9%. 

It  is  not  suggested  that  the  system  can  be  applied  to 
ores  indiscriminately,  although  the  cases  where  it  cannot 
be  applied  an-  few.  outside  ores  and  concentrates  not 
amenable  to  cyanide  treatment.  If  prolonged  contact  of 
iiicentrate  with  cyanide  solution  is  required,  it  be- 
comes inadvisable  lo  hold  hack  the  ordinary  slime-treat- 
nieiit  in  order  to  extract  metal  from  the  concentrate,  but 
due  consideration  must  be  given  to  the  fact   that  a  more 


rapid  dissolution  of  the  bullion-content  ensues  than 
when  separately  treated,  Where  a  tube-mill  and  classi- 
fier operate  in  closed  circut  the  heavier  mineralized  por- 
tion of  the  on-  receives  preferential  treatment  owing  to 
its  higher  specific  gravity,  and  in  some  instances  the  con 

centrate  in*  the  pulp  coming  from  tl lassifier-Overflow 

may  he  sufficiently  fine  to  allow  an  economic  extraction 
of  the  precious  metals.    As  a  rule,  however,  it  is  a 
sary  to  reduce  the  concentrate  to  a  much  finer  condition, 
even  to  an  impalpable  slime,  necessitating  the  use  of  con- 
centrating machines  as  already  described. 

At  mines  where  the  method  of  treatment  consists  of 
amalgamation  followed  by  concentration  without  fine- 
grinding  or  cyanidation  of  the  whole  ore.  it  follows  that 
the  concentrate  must  be  treated  separately  or  shipped 
to  smelters,  but  it  is  a  problem  worthy  of  consideration 
by  companies  that  may  contemplate  treating  their  con- 
centrate, or  that  are  at  present  doing  so.  whether  it 
would  not  he  worth  while  to  go  a  step  further  and  treat 
the  whole  of  their  ore  by  some  such  system  as  the  one 
outlined.  Where  no  further  treatment  of  the  ore  follows 
concentration,  the  mineral  escaping  into  the  tailing  is  so 
much  profit  lost;  and  even  if  concentration  is  viewed  as 
a  fine  art.  it  is  still  subject  to  inefficiency  of  machines 
and  the  vagaries  of  the  personal  equation.  In  cases 
where  cyanidation  of  the  whole  ore  follows  concentration 

and  the  c •enlrate  is  shipped,  argument  in  favor  of  a 

combined  treatment  would  appear  to  be  even  stronger. 

The  above  sketch  of  an  exceptional  procedure  in  - 

nection  with  the  treatment  of  gold  and  silver  ores  is 
brought  forward  because  it  undoubtedly  has  metallur- 
gical merit,  and  is  being  applied,  in  at  least  one  instance. 
with  marked  success.  So  far  as  I  am  aware,  it  has  not 
been  applied  in  this  country,  but  there  must  be  many 
localities  where  it  could  he  adopted  successfully.* 

William  Macdonald. 
Berkeley.  June  5. 


Mucking  as  an  Educator 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Being  one  of  those  who  'muck'  during  the  sum- 
mer vacation  of  the  university,  in  order  to  gain  experi- 
ence and  to  accumulate  some  measure  of  filthy  lucre,  I 
would  like  to  contribute  a  little  first-hand  experience. 
the  gaining  of  which  greatly  increased  my  capacity  for 
galgenhumor.  I  obtained  my  job  by  applying  to  the 
manager  of  a  mining  company  whose  product  is  quoted 
at  twice  its  normal  value  since  the  War,  and  received  the 
answer  that  they  could  make  use  of  me  if  I  were  willing 
to  work  as  a  common  laborer. 

•The  following  articles  and  papers  have  appeared  on  this 
subject : 

'Notes  on  Cyanide  Treatment  of  Concentrate,'  by  A.  Grot  he. 
Proceedings  of  Mexican  Institute  of  Mining  &  Metallurgy. 
August  1909. 

■Cyanidation  of  Concentrate,'  by  F.  C.  Brown.  M.  &  S.  P.. 
August  27.  1910. 

'Fine  Grinding.'  by  H.  S.  Denny.  Mining  Magazine.  March 
1911. 


.Iillx 


T'tt; 


MINING    ..ml    Stirnt,        I'KI   S> 


Tht  •  I  lived  nt  tin-  company  'a  boarding 

paying  i  per  day  for  Ihe  privilege  of  sleeping  in 

mj  nun  blanket!  .1  bedstead,  the  mat- 

■  supplied  in  theory  onlj    aa  were  nine  tenthi 

of  tin  pan.  s  in  th.-  window. 

place  where  I  worked  was  a  stiff  50  minutea  walk 
from  th.  boarding-house  My  job  was  so  exacting  thai 
1  never  managed  t . ■  .-at  a  single  piece  "t'  bread  from  my 
lunch-buakel  at  one  sitting. 

Since  tli>-  boarding-honae  furnished  only  tin (medi- 

tneala  per  .lay.  and  aa  I  was  required  t"  work  on 

nigbl  "i-  graveyard  shift  exclusively,  1  seldom  managed 

more  than  two  meals  i"-r  day  [one  of  them  a  cold 

lunch  I  took  along),  which  .li.l  no1  deter  tl ompany 

from  colleoting  tin-  full  board-money  each  .lay.    I  then 

moved  into  a  cabin,  located  nearer  tin-  pin »f  my  work, 

and  'batched'  for  myself,  groceries,  etc.,  being  obtainable 
at  the  company  store  at  tin-  company's  prices 

Near  the  boarding-house  there  was  Bhower-bath, 

which  had  hot  water  only  when  tin-  oil-engines  broke 
down  ami  steam  had  to  be  substituted.  At  tin-  camp 
where  my  cabin  was,  there  was  no  shower-bath  until  1 
made  one  from  an  old  tin-ran  and  some  pipe-fittings. 
This  transformed  my  cabin  into  a  public  bath-room 
despite  the  assertion  "Oh,  if  I  build  a  shower  up  there 
you'd  '"'  tb ily  one  to  use  it." 

It  became  necessary,  in  the  course  of  human  events,  to 
lay  a  pipe-line  through  verdant  growths  of  'poison  oak.' 
Seeing  us  eovered  from  head  to  foot  with  the  loathsome 
eczema,  the  manager  facetiously  remarked  that  we  should 
have  taken  a  salt-bath  before  starting  in,  the  irony  of 
which  is  apparent,  there  being  no  bath-tub  within  miles 
of  the  place.  Then  it  was  pompously  announced  that 
there  was  medicine  for  us  "down  at  the  office"  and  I 
was  detailed  to  set  it.  It  consisted  of  a  12-oz.  can.  half- 
full  of  carbolated  ointment,  which  is  painfully  useless 
as  applied  to  poison  oak.  This  was  distributed  among 
five  men  and  each  man  was  charged  $1.75  for  "doctor's 
treatment  !"  Considering  the  fact  that  I  was  only  get- 
ting $1.75  per  day,  and  that  none  of  us  used  the  stuff, 
and  that  we  never  saw  a  doctor,  and  that  it  wasn't  our 
fault  that  we  had  the  malady,  w-e  felt  considerably  out- 
raged. 

Such  privys  as  were  oil  the  place  were  a  flagrant  men- 
ace to  public  health,  and  were  seldom,  if  ever.  used. 

The  lone  amusement,  or  diversion,  of  the  place  was  a 
home-talent  band,  whose  every  effort  lapsed  into  the 
familial-  strains  of  'Home  Sweet  Home,'  no  matter  what 
they  played. 

The  ambition  of  most  men  seemed  to  be  to  get  out  of 
the  company's  debt,  and  'beat  it.'  To  a  single  man  this 
was  practicable,  but  to  a  man  with  wife  and  children  it 
meant  a  long  struggle  and  privation,  in  addition  to  ex- 
posing his  family  to  the  prevalent  unsanitary  conditions. 
Other  things  that  T  heard  on  good  authority  and  with- 
out solicitation  convince  me  that  if  an  employee  of  that 
company  were  to  barter  his  soul  to  the  devil,  the  com- 
pany would  receive  a  rake-off  on  the  transaction. 

Compared  with  Goldfield  and  other  camps  in  which  I 


ha.'    'mucked'  and  'bohonked,'  working  In  this  camp 
can  •■iil>  I.,  expressed  by  the  ancient  phrase  damnati  ad 

It  max  not  i.e  aeceasarj  "for  an  engineer  to  have 
thumped  a  drill  or  shoved  a  ear  in  order  to  detect 
whether  the  one  kind  of  work  or  the  other  is  being  done 
properly,"  but  l  doubi  if  an  engineer  can  gain  a  true 
understanding  of  the  effeel  thai  g I  or  bad  treatment 

and   living  conditions  have  on   a   man's  attitude   toward 

bis  work,  unless  in-  has  worked  under  favorable  and  un- 
favorable conditions  aims 


CUKT  N.  Srin  1  111 


Somewhere  in  the  West,  June  -'>■ 


Uraninite  in  Colorado 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  response  to  your  reipiest  for  information  con 
eerning  mj  discovery  of  pitchblende  in  Gilpin  county, 
iS  years  ago,  I  send  you  a  copy  of  a  short  paper  of  mine 

Which  appeared  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Colorado 
Scientific  Society  (Vol.  V,  page  156),  which  gives  the 
true  story  of  my  discovery  of  uraninite  in  Gilpin  county. 
Colorado,  in  1871.  as  described  by  me  in  1895. 

The  clipping  from  the  Montana  paper,  you  will  see, 
is  incorrect.  The  discovery  was  made  in  the  Wood 
lode,  and  a  lease  for  working  was  obtained  some  two 
years  before  I  became  associated  with  Prof.  Hill  at 
Black  Hawk. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  record  a  peculiar  feature  con- 
nected with  the  deposit  of  mixed  minerals,  pyrite  and 
ehalcopyrite.  My  paper  was  written  long  before  the 
discovery  of  radium  or  the  radio-active  properties  of 
pitchblende.  In  the  concentration  of  the  mineral  for 
the  separation  of  the  pyritic  minerals  associated  with  the 
pitchblende,  I  noticed  that  the  copper  pyrite  was  black- 
ened on  the  surface ;  it.  had  the  appearance  of  being 
'powder-smoked.'  The  black  stain,  however,  was  only 
skin-deep,  for  a  fresh  fracture  showed  the  brilliant 
yellow  characteristic  of  copper  pyrite.  I  was  at  a  loss 
to  account  for  this  strange  appearance  at  the  time,  but 
when  the  wonderful  radio-active  properties  became 
known,  I  had  no  hesitation  in  assuming  that  the  black 
deposit  was  due  to  radio-active  forces. 

From  the  fact  of  there  being  such  a  large  deposit  of 
pitchblende  covering  a  comparatively  small  area,  the  ad- 
joining rocks  would,  in  all  probability  show,  on  examina- 
tion, indications  of  the  alteration  of  uranium  with  its 
ultimate  product  helium.  It  has  occurred  to  me  that 
samples  might  be  taken  by  sinking  into  the  rock,  some 
distance  below  the  surface,  or  better  still,  by  driving  a 
small  cross-cut  into  the  country-rock  each  side,  north 
and  south.  These  samples  need  not  be  large;  blocks 
about  one  pound  in  weight  would  be  quite  sufficient, 
being  carefully  labeled  and  making  the  distance  from 
the  deposit. 

Professors  Joly,  Rutherford,  and  Strutt,  who  have 
given  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  subject,  might  he 
glad  of  the  opportunity  of  investigating  a  matter  of  such 
great  interest  at  this  time. 


44 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


It  is  difficult  to  arrive  at  even  an  approximate  figure 
as  to  the  quantity  of  pitchblende  already  extracted  from 
tin-  Wood  lode.  My  own  figures,  winch  cover  the  amount 
extracted  under  my  lease  in  the  year  1872,  would  repre- 
sent, in  round  numbers,  three  tons  of  60%  U,08.  Later, 
in  1904,  I  purchased  some  orl  from  other  lessees,  which 
would  perhaps  represent  altogether  two  tons  more. 
Since  the  shaft,  in  which  the  discovery  was  made,  was 
sunk  clear  through  the  thickest  part  of  the  vertical 
lens-shaped  deposit,  the  quantity  of  matt-rial  suit  to  the 
stamp-mills  and  smelting-works  at  Black  Hawk  to  de- 
termine its  value  could  not  have  been  much  less  than 
another  three  tons  of  60%  stuff.  What  has  been  done 
since,  I  do  not  know,  but  if  we  add  still  another  two  tons 
for  later  discoveries,  we  have  a  total  to  date  of,  say.  in 
tons  of  concentrated  material  of  about  60%  Us08. 

The  presence  of  such  a  large  quantity  of  pitchblende 
must  have  had  great  influence  on  the  adjoining  rocks, 
and  one  might  expect  to  find  strong  indications  of  helium 
as  a  result  of  radio-activity  produced  on  a  large  scale. 

Richard  Pearce. 
Liverpool,  May  28. 

The  Occurrence  of  Uraninlte 
in  Colorado 


By  Richard  Pearce 

•This  rare  and  interesting  mineral  was  first  discovered 
in  Colorado  by  me  in  August.  1871.  and  occurred  in 
what  is  called  the  Wood  lode  in  Leavenworth  gulch. 
Gilpin  county,  about  one  and  one-half  miles  from  Cen- 
tral City,  and  not  at  Black  Hawk,  the  locality  given  in 
Dana's  'System  of  Mineralogy.'  As  the  discovery  was 
made  nearly  24  years  ago,  it  may  prove  of  interest  to  the 
members  of  this  society  to  have  recorded  a  few  details 
regarding  its  discovery,  and  the  peculiar  conditions 
under  which  it  was  found. 

In  the  summer  of  1871  my  attention  was  directed  to  a 
group  of  mines  in  Leavenworth  gulch,  owned  by  the 
Rochdale  Mining  Co.,  and  in  the  course  of  my  examina- 
tion of  one  of  the  several  claims  belonging  to  this  com- 
pany. I  found  on  the  dump  of  the  Wood  claim  a  heavy 
black  mineral  which  proved  to  be  uraninite  coated  with 
a  beautiful  canary-yellow  material,  uranium  vitriol,  a 
basic  sulphate  of  uranium  formed  from  the  oxide  by 
lengthened  exposure  on  the  surface. 

The  mine  had  been  worked  for  gold  some  years  pre- 
vious to  1871,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  ore  was 
mined  and  sent  to  the  mill,  and,  it  is  believed,  to  the 
smelter,  but  the  results  were  not  satisfactory,  and  the 
mine  was  abandoned.  The  agent  of  the  company  stated 
that  the  mill-men  objected  to  the  ore  on  account  of  its 
high  specific  gravity,  as  it  hung  most  tenaciously  to  the 

•Proceedings  of  Colorado  Scientific  Society.  Vol.  V.  1895. 
being  the  article  mentioned  in  the  preceding  discussion  by  the 
same  author. 


plates  and  scoured  the  amalgam  ;  he  also  stated  that  a 
of  the  ore  was  sent  to  the  smelter  to  be  tested,  and, 
alter  sampling  and  assaying,  it  was  found  to  contain 
no  gold,  pronounced  worthless,  and  thrown  into  the 
creek. 

The  discovery  of  uraninite  thrown  broadcast,  on  an 
old  dump,  was  a  source  of  astonishment  to  me,  for  I  had 
been  accustomed  to  see  it  only  in  very  small  quantities, 
and  under  peculiar  geological  conditions.  At  first  I 
could  hardly  venture  to  trust  my  own  opinion  ;  and  a 
blowpipe  apparatus,  the  property  of  an  old  Freiberg 
friend,  being  found  at  one  of  the  mills  close-by.  in  Russell 
gulch,  a  quick  test  proved  the  existence  of  uraninite.  or 
'pitchblende,'  as  it  was  commonly  called. 

About  200  pounds  weight  of  the  mineral  was  sorted 
out  of  the  dump  and  sent  to  me.  at  Swansea  (Colorado). 
There  it  was  still  further  selected  and  sold  to  the  firm  of 
Johnson  &  Matthey,  London,  for  the  sum  of  £42,  or  $210. 

The  rock  in  which  the  Wood  lode  occurs  is  mica- 
schist  traversed  by  veins  of  feldspar  and  quartz  enclos- 
ing magnetite,  and  the  lode,  which  had  been  explored 
only  to  the  depth  of  about  60  ft.,  was  said  to  be  four  feet 
in  width  with  six  inches  of  solid  uraninite.  The  associ- 
ated minerals,  as  seen  on  the  surface,  were  pyrite,  chal- 
copyrite.  with  small  quantities  of  pyrrhotite  and  gale- 
nite,  the  gangue  being  mainly  quartz. 

A  lease  of  the  property  was  obtained  in  the  following 
year,  and  the  mine  was  re-opened  and  worked  for  ura- 
nium. It  was  found  that  the  shaft  had  been  sunk  through 
the  centre  of  a  vertical  lenticular  deposit  of  uraninite. 
and,  consequently,  the  richest  and  by  far  the  largest 
hulk  of  the  ore  had  been  lost  through  ignorance  of  its 
value.  That  portion,  however,  which  was  left,  was  ex- 
tracted, and,  after  careful  sorting,  about  3  tons  of  rich 
ore,  containing  about  60%  of  pure  black  oxide  of  ura- 
nium, was  shipped  to  London  where  it  realized  about 
$7500. 

History  repeats  itself.  In  1894,  twenty-three  years 
later,  the  mine  was  again  opened  and  worked  on  lease, 
and  in  driving  west  from  the  old  shaft  at  a  greater 
depth,  another  lenticular  deposit  of  uraninite  was  en- 
countered; but  as  the  nature  of  the  mineral  was  un- 
known to  the  people  who  had  the  lease,  the  same  dis- 
appointment from  the  mill-returns  was  experienced  as  in 
the  first  discovery.  A  specimen  of  the  ore  was  brought 
to  me  by  the  lessee,  who  had  heard  from  some  source 
that  I  had  found  something  rare  and  valuable  in  the 
Wood  lode  many  years  before.  The  new  find  proved  to 
be  uraninite  of  exactly  similar  character  as  the  first 
deposit  found  in  1871.  I  purchased  a  quantity  of  the 
ore,  but  have  not  as  yet  been  able  to  find  a  satisfactory 
market  for  it. 

The  mineral  uraninite  formed  the  subject  of  some 
highly  interesting  investigations  by  a  former  president 
of  this  society,  Dr.  W.  F.  Hillebrand,  who  pointed  out, 
for  the  first  time,  that  it  contained  the  element  nitrogen. 
More  recently  Prof.  Ramsey  has  discovered  that  the 
large  bulk  of  the  gas  thought  to  be  nitrogen  by  Dr. 
Hillebrand.  proves  to  be  the  new  element  helium. 


Julj   -    1916 


MINING  «nd  Sdsntih,    PRESS 


i  • 


The   Motor -Truck   in   Arizona 


By   Wllb*rt    O.    McBrld« 


r-p-«\ 


WO  \;    •  :    ■ toi  trucks  were  used  by  Voting 

Broa    while  operating  al   the  Mammoth  Collins 
mine  at  Shull  One  was  equipped  with 

mi  nil  lank  holding  1"7">  gal.  ami  was  used  for  the  trans 
portation  of  'tops.'  Tin  other  was  Stted  with  a 
lin.lv  anil  used  to  earrj  machinery,  wood,  rails,  pip.-,  an. I 
all  classes  of  miscellaneous  supplies.  The  bodies  were 
made  of  oak  with  maple  flooring  and  were  attached  to  the 
frame  of  the  chassis  bj  I  Knits,  to  avoid  drilling  the  main 
members  of  the  frame. 

Most  of  the  hauling  was  done  from  Tucson,  a  distance 
of  471  mili-s.  During  tin-  fust  three  months,  part  of  the 
road  was  in  bad  condition  and  the  tire  eosl  was  exci  asive. 
After  this  part  was  repaired,  the  mad  was  in  fair  condi- 
tion, but  ni'ViT  good.  Then-  were  no  excessive  grades  or 
bad  saml.  but  wagon-ruts,  too  narrow  for  the  trnck- 

wl Is  and  of  a  different   gage,  caused  heavy  tire  loss; 

while  chuck-holes,  sharp  curves,  and  stones,  both  im- 
bedded and  loose,  wen-  objectionable  features.  During 
wet  weather  the  trucks  could  not  get  sufficient  traction 
to  climb  some  of  the  hills  and  were  likely  to  stick  in  the 
mud.  so  thai  UO  attempt  was  made  to  run  them  unless 
they  were  on  the  road  when  the  rain  started.  This  lost 
time  amounted  to  about  5C<  of  the  total,  but,  whenever 
possible,  it  was  utilized  in  making  minor  repairs. 

The  price  of  gasoline  was  from  17  to  21c.  per  gal. 
Rubber  tires  were  used  throughout.  Drivers  were  paid 
(4.50  to  $;">  per  shift,  and  a  return  trip  to  Tucson  was 
counted  as  two  shifts  even  when  made  in  one  day.  Driv- 
ers were  provided  with  a  room  in  Tucson  and  were  paid 
for  all  time  lost  due  to  causes  beyond  their  control. 
Trucks  were  loaded  one  way  only. 

Speed ters  were  placed  on  both  trucks,  but  the  ex- 
cessive vibration  soon  caused  them  to  fail.  For  this 
reason,  and  because  no  account  was  taken  of  the  distance 
covered  in  picking  up  a  miscellaneous  load  or  in  other 
minor  ways,  the  mileage  given  is  under  the 'actual  dis- 
tance traveled.  Some  of  the  weights  had  to  be  estimated. 
but  care  was  taken  to  have  the  number  of  ton-miles  low 
rather  than  high,  to  avoid  under-estimating  the  costs. 
The  cost  of  hauling  from  Tucson  to  the  mines  was  $12 
per  ton  with  the  trucks,  while  the  best  possible  team  price 
was  $15.  Teams  made  one  return  trip  a  week,  while  the 
truck  regularly  made  one  in  two  days  and  could  always, 
and  many  times  did.  do  it  in  one  day.  The  loss  of  time 
due  to  wet  weather  would  he  about  half  as  much  with 
teams  as  with  trucks. 

The  table  of  detailed  costs  given  below  covered  the 
period  from  August  21,  1013,  to  August  15,  1914,  the 

*A  paper  to  be  read  before  the  Arizona  (September  19161 
meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


only    time   in    which    the   trucks   were   continuoual; 
ployed.    Prom  August  15,  1914,  to  March  30,  1918,  the 
trucks  were  used  intermittently,  but  the  figures  tor  this 
d  have  been  excluded  as  not  being  representative. 

[f  included,  thej  would  lower- tl st  per  ton-mile,    .lust 

prior  to  the  close  of  the  period  covered  by  the  figures,  the 

trucks  were  overhauled  and   put    in  good  Condition;  new 

rear-wheels  were  put  on  and  new  tires  substituted.  The 
cost,  id"  all  this  was  charged  to  operation.    Allowances  for 

extra   tires  on   hand   would   reduce  Ih ist    per  ton  mile 

approximately  ;.-..  leaving  a  net  cost  of  about  25c.  Willi 
loads  on  the  return-trip  this  cost  per  ton-mile  would  be 
lowered  at  least  40%. 

OPERATING   DATA 

Total  distance  traveled  by  trucks  23,000  miles 

Total  work  done  by  trucks 42,700  ton-miles 

Average  distance  covered  per  gallon  of 

gasoline    4.5  miles 

Average  distance  covered  per  gallon  of 

lubricating   oil    128  miles 

Average  speed,  loaded   7  miles   per  hour 

Average  speed,  light   7.8  miles   per  hour 

DETAILS    OF    COST 

Total  Per  cent  Per  truck-  Per  ton- 
cost  of  total  mile  mile 

Wages  of   drivers    $2,623.32  23.91  $0.1141  $0.0614 

Wages  of  helpers   286.50  2.62  0.0125  0.0067 

Repairs,   labor     581.74  5.30  0.0253  0.0136 

Repairs,  lost  time  156.15  1.42  0.0068  0.0037 

Oils,  grease,  and  waste  .      379.17  3.46  0.0165  0.0089 

Gasoline     1.610.49  14.68  0.0700  0.0377 

Tires    2,445.75  22.30  0.1063  0.0573 

New    parts     515.08  4.69  0.0224  0.0121 

Miscellaneous  supplies  . .      348.82  3.18  0.0152  0.00S2 

Incidental   expense    226.21  2.06  0.0098  0.0053 

Depreciation    1,796.80  16.38  0.0781  0.0421 

Total    $10,970.03       100.00       $0.4770       $0.2570 

The  advantage  of  the  motor-truck  over  the  team  and 
wagon  are  many — increased  speed,  ability  to  work  24 
hours  per  day  when  necessary,  and  lower  cost  on  long 
hauls — but  its  adoption  by  the  mining  industry  has  been 
slow.  Where  trucks  are  used  around  mines  they  are 
usually  driven  by  cheap  inexperienced  men,  the  upkeep 
and  repairs  being  turned  over  to  the  regular  mine  me- 
chanics. It  would  be  equally  good  practice  to  employ  a 
timber-framer  to  make  a  dining-room  table.  Just  as  the 
niceties  of  cabinet-making  are  unknown  to  the  timber- 
framer,  the  ex  ct  adjustments  and  fine  workmanship  of 
the  high-speed  engine  and  transmission-gears  of  a  motor- 
truck are  beyond  the  ken  of  the  mine  mechanic,  one  of 
the  least  skilled  of  his  class.  If  there  are  enough  motor- 
vehicles  at  the  mine,  the  master  mechanic  probably  turns 
the  work  over  to  one  or  two  men  who,  in  time,  become  in- 


46 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  8.   1916 


different  auto-mechanics,  but  in  the  meantime  the  i 
maintenance  Boaie  and  often  the  trucks  are  condemned. 
The  aim  of  the  makers  of  all  motor-vehicles  is  to  secure 
the  maximum  of  strength  and  power  with  »  minimum  of 
weight  and  size.  To  do  this.  high-speed  engines,  tin-  best 
of  materials,  and  the  finest  of  workmanship  are  em- 
ployed, and  parts  are  reduced  to  the  least  possible  weight 
consistent  with  strength  and  durability.    This  is  just  the 

reverse  of  tl rdinary  American  mechanical  practice, 

in  which  reliability  is  secured  by  slow  speed  and  large 
size,  the  amount  of  material  used  and  the  space  occupied 
being  minor  considerations.  It  is,  therefore,  unreason- 
able to  expect  the  mechanic  trained  in  one  school  to 
understand  immediately  and  adapt  himself  to  the  ways 
of  the  other.  It  must  also  be  remembered  thai  no  other 
machine  is  given  the  hard  use  and  necessary  abuse  that 
motor-trucks  receive.  The  vibration  while  on  the  road 
will  loosen  nuts  and  rivets,  and  this,  if  not  attended  to  in 
time,  will  cause  serious  trouble.  Where  only  one  or  two 
trucks  arc  used,  the  drivers  should  he  competent  mi 
chanics  and  should  he  held  responsible  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  their  machines.  Where  several  are  used,  they 
should  be  under  the  direct  supervision  of  a  thorough 
truck-mechanic  that  is  held  responsible  for  operation  and 
given  entire  control  of  the  drivers  and  repair-work.  His 
constant  Care  will  detect  and  remedy  many  incipient  de- 
fects and  prevent  expensive  and  annoying  break-downs. 
Willi  the  exception  of  the  time  required  for  periodic 
overhauling,  he  should  he  able  to  keep  the  trucks  in  al- 
most continuous  service.  This  will  make  possible  the  em- 
ployment of  cheaper  drivers  without  undue  damage  to 
the  machines. 

Motor-trucks  should  not  be  installed  without  careful 
consideration  of  the  roads  to  he  traveled.  The  difference 
between  the  cost  of  motor-truck  and  team-hauling  is 
largely  controlled  by  the  quality  of  the  road,  and  on 
really  bad  roads  the  motor-truck  is  decidedly  the  more 
expensive.  Many  roads  are  fatal  to  truck-haulage,  and 
considerable  experience  is  required  to  decide  this  ques- 
tion without  an  actual  test  of  some  duration.  Excessive 
grades  are  to  be  avoided,  especially  long  ones.  The 
ordinary  truck  will  pull  over  a  short  20%  grade  with 
ease,  hut  will  give  great  trouble  on  a  long  one  of  half 
that  rise  unless  special  cooling  arrangements  arc  made. 
tirades  greatly  increase  the  tire  and  gasoline  consump- 
tion and  decrease  the  life  of  the  machine.  Rocky  roads, 
particularly  when  the  rocks  are  sharp  or  loose,  are  hard 
on  tires.  Deep  sand  is  difficult  to  cross,  and  for  this  class 
of  road  the  caterpillar  tractor  and  the  four-wheel-drive 
truck  have  distinct  advantages.  Trucks  that  drive  on 
the  rear  wheels  only  cannot  operate  in  heavy  sand. 
Narrow  or  rutted  roads  are  objectionable  for  the  larger- 
sized  trucks  because  they  throw  all  the  weight  on  one  of 
the  rear  dual-tires  from  time  to  time,  and  this  over-load- 
ing is  injurious  to  the  rubber.  Fairly  deep  streams  can 
he  crossed,  but  mud  is  an  absolute  harrier  except  to  the 
caterpillar  type  of  tractor.  Few  dirt-roads  will  stand 
up  under  a  7-ton  truck,  hut  those  of  4  tons,  or  under,  do 

less  damage  than  the  ordinary  freight-wagon. 


Unfortunately,  trucks  are  not  designed  to  suit  mining 

conditions.  At  Shultz  we  found  it  neccsary  to  cut  down 
the  gear  ratio,  increase  tl  the  wheels  and  tires, 

and  add  bumper  or  auxiliary  springs.  Had  the  grades 
been  steeper  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  increase 
the  cooling  capacity. 

For  long  hauls  the  motor-tractor  will  probably  replace 
the  motor-truck.  It  will  operate  at  a  lower  cost  because 
the  load  will  be  carried  on  iron  tires,  and.  as  the  table  of 
detailed  cost  shows,  the  rubber  tires  account  for  - 
of  the  total.  Tractors  travel  more  slowly  than  motor- 
trucks, but  the  tonnage  hauled  on  a  trip  is  much  greater. 
They  are  also  easier  on  roads,  as  the  load  is  distributed 
over  several  trailers.  By  using  extra  trailers,  loading 
and  unloading  can  be  done  on  the  road. 

Tlic  make  of  a  truck  is  not  as  important  as  the  care  it 
receives  Almost  any  standard  make  will  do  good  work 
if  given  careful  attention,  but  none  will  be  satisfactory 
if  not  well  cared  for.  Economy  should  not  be  sought  in 
the  lubricants  used;  the  best  oil  is  none  too  good.  Over- 
loading should  be  scrupulously  avoided.  A  truck  may  be 
made  to  carry  many  times  its  rated  load  without  break- 
ing down,  hut  the  damage  is  none  the  less  real  because 
not  immediately  apparent.  High  speed,  particularly  if 
the  road  is  rough,  should  be  avoided,  since  it  subjects  the 
machine  to  excessive  strain  and  vibration.  Most  trucks 
are  now  equipped  with  speed-governors,  but  these  are 
easily  tampered  with  and  must  be  carefully  watched. 
When  they  are  not  used,  the  drivers  should  be  carefully 
instructed  as  to  the  speed-limits  and  compelled  to  respect 
them. 

Distillate  and  'tops'  are  now  successfully  used  on 
trucks,  by  the  application  of  a  special  carbureter.  The 
use  of  these  should  effect  a  material  saving  in  the  gaso- 
line cost,  which  now  amounts  to  almost  15%  of  the  total. 
Tops'  usually  sells  for  30  to  35',  and  distillate  for  50 
to  60*5  of  the  price  of  gasoline.  With  a  properly  de- 
signed carbureter,  the  available  power  in  the  lower- 
grade  fuel  will  be  about  the  same  as  in  the  gasoline,  hut 
the  carbon  deposition  will  probably  be  somewhat  greater. 


SHOVELING  of  broken  rock  underground  in  the  lead 
mines  of  south-eastern  Missouri  averages  18  tons  per 
man  per  shift.  The  shovels  used  are  long-handled  round- 
pointed  No.  2  type,  requiring  about  130  shovelfuls  to 
fill  a  ton  car.  or  a  load  of  15  lb.  per  shovel.  The  cost  of 
shoveling  averages  1:1c.  per  ton.  Short  D-handled 
shovels,  such  as  are  used  in  the  mines  of  the  Lake  Su- 
perior region,  arc  not  liked  in  the  lead  mines.  The  ad- 
vocates of  the  short  shovel  claim  that  a  man  can  make 
more  and  faster  motions  with  the  shorter  tool  than  with 
the  long-handled  shovel,  ami  can  turn  around  more 
quickly  in  a  narrow  drift.  Hut.  it  is  argued  in  answer 
to  this,  the  amount  of  rock  that  a  man  will  shovel  in  a 
day  is  not  measured  by  the  fast  motions  that  he  can 
make  while  the  boss  is  looking,  but  by  the  continued 
strain  on  his  hack.  The  long-handled  shovel  scatters  the 
muscular  effort  over  the  body,  taking  some  of  the  burden 
from  the  hack  and  placing  it  on  the  legs. 


■    1916 


MINI\i.  ..ml  Scientific   l*KI  SS 


i; 


The  Flotation  oi  Minerals 


By  Kob#rt  J.  Anderson 


•Many  phenomena  are  supposed  to  contribute  t"  the 
flotation  of  minerals,  whether  in  whole  »r  in  pari  is  .1 
mooted  question,  l  shall  only  sketch  roughly  the  preset  1 
tendency  of  ideas  ami  make  no  reference  to  the  flrsl  early 
ami  crude  notions,  which  are  now  mainly  of  historical 
interest 

Surfaci  Tension  lias  been  well  defined  in  articles  ap- 
pearing in  ilii'  Journal  of  tin  Ann  rican  ('In  mical  8ocit  ty 
during  the  years  from  1908  to  1913.  The  theory  lias 
been  treated  in  particular  by  Laplace,  Qaus,  ami  more 
recently  by  Van  der  Waals,  ami  by  Willows  ami  llat- 
Bchek.'  As  defined  by  Jones,'  "potential  energy,  present 
at  tin-  surface  of  liquids,  produces  a  tension  which  is 
known  as  Burface  tension."  The  phenomena  invariably 
indicative  of  surface  tension  are:  Drops  of  a  liquid  not 
exposed  to  an  external  force,  that  is.  either  suspended  in 
another  liquid  of  the  same  specific  gravity  or  Ereelj 
falling,  assume  a  spherical  shape,  the  sphere  being  thai 
form  of  body  with  the  smallest  surface  per  given  volume; 
further,  if  water  be  placed  in  an  open  vessel  its  surface 
Mini  will  he  a  measurable  quantity,  and  its  thickness  will 
vary  with  a  number  of  factors  of  which  temperature  is 
one.  Its  thickness  is  observed  as  ranging  from  4  X  10"'' 
rin.  to  4  \  lit  ■  i-iii..  and  its  density,  when  referred  to 
the  main  hulk  of  the  water  below,  will  approximate  2.14. 
Surface  tension  is  not  affected  by  the  surface  area.  It  is 
numerical  in  value  and  expressed  in  dynes  per  centi- 
metre. It  is  a  variable  factor  dependent  on  temperature. 
increasing  numerically  with  falling  temperature,  for  ex- 
ample, water  at  18°  C.  has  a  surface  tension  of  73  dynes 
per  centimetre,  and  at  0°  C.  this  increases  to  75  dynes. 
At  the  critical  temperature  of  a  liquid  its  surface  tension 
becomes  nil. 

All  liquids  have  a  definite  cohesion  or  tensile  strength, 
which  is  ascribed  to  the  mutual  attraction  of  their  mole- 
cules. This  then  is  comparable  to  a  pressure  existing 
within  a  liquid,  which  has  been  termed  the  'intrinsic' 
pressure.  Naturally  the  value  of  the  surface  tension  of 
solids  is  numerically  high.  The  surface  tension  of  a  pure 
liquid  against  its  vapor  is  markedly  affected  by  the  addi- 
tion of  soluble  contaminants.  Some  salts  will  raise  the 
surface  tension  of  water  while  others  will  lower  it ;  the 
fact  that  the  salts  of  weak  acids  will  lower  the  surface 
tension  of  water  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  free  acid 
is  liberated  by  hydrolysis.  It  is  further  known  that  all 
acids  will  lower  the  surface  tension  of  water,  which  is 

•Abstract  of  paper  to  be  read  at  the  forthcoming  Arizona 
(September  1916)  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Min- 
ing Engineers. 

iWillows  and  Hatschek:  'Surface  Tension  and  Surface 
Energy,'  1915. 

-'Jones:   'Elements  of  Physical  Chemistry,'  1907. 


also  decreased  by  tin-  addition  of  oil.  or.  in  other  words, 
oil  will  reduce  the  interfacial  tension  between  the  water 

air  phases.     A  phen mm  for  which  no  explanation  has 

been  given  is  the  one  showing  that  the  addition  of  eon 
taminants  may  either  rais ■  lower  the  surface  tension 

of  water,  but  such  addition,  while  it  may  decrease  that 
tension  greatly,  can  increase  it  only  slightly.  Any  low- 
ering of  surface  tension  is  more  marked  in  a  liquid  lh.it 
has  a  high  surface  tension,  such  ;is  water,  than  in  liquids 
of  low  surface  tension. 

There  can  be.  of  course,  no  surface  tension  without 
adsorption,  which  produces,  in  the  case  of  positive  ad- 
sorption, an  increased  surface  concentration  resulting 
from  a  lowering  of  the  surface  tension  by  the  contaminat- 
ing and  dissolved  substance,  whatever  it  may  be.  The 
equation  of  (iibbs  (lt=  -C  Rt.do  dc)  gives  the  rela- 
tionship between  surface  tension  and  the  distribution 
of  the  solute  between  the  bulk  of  the  liquid  and  the  film 
interface.     Here  the  notation  is: 

»  =  excess  of  substance  in  the  surface  layer, 
i-  =  concentration  in  the  main  body  of  the  liquid, 
R  =  the  gas  constant, 
/  =  absolute  temperature, 
o  =  surface  tension. 

This  shows  that  when  the  surface  tension  is  reduced  by 
the  addition  of  a  contaminant,  the  quantity  do  dc  is 
negative  and  1/  is  positive  (from  algebraic  considera- 
tion). The  surface  film  then  contains  more  of  the  con- 
taminant than  the  main  body  of  the  solution.  If  the  sur- 
face film  contains  less  of  the  contaminant  than  the  main 
body  of  the  solution  it  is  a  case  of  negative  adsorption. 

As  given  in  the  foregoing,  the  surface  of  a  liquid 
against  its  vapor  is  in  tension;  the  surface  of  liquid 
against  another  liquid,  or  a  gas  or  solid,  is  also  in  a  state 
of  tension;  this  is  termed  'interfacial.'  In  the  flotation 
machine  the  following  conditions  obtain:  Pulp  consist- 
ing of  ore  of  approximately  SO-mesh.  water  in  ratio  of 
3:1  of  ore,  and  oil  in  disappearingly  small  amount,  is 
being  violently  agitated.  For  the  sake  of  a  specific  case. 
the  air  is  being  forced  mechanically  into  the  swirling 
pulp  by  beaters  or  stirrers.  The  phases  present  in  flota- 
tion by  the  oil-froth  process  are  therefore:  solid-liquid 
(ore-water),  solid-liquid  (ore-oil),  solid-gas  (ore-air), 
liquid-liquid  (water-oil),  liquid-gas  (water-air),  and 
liquid-gas  (oil-air).  Thus  six  tensions  are  present,  but 
if  the  oil  is  soluble  in  the  water  the  tensions  arc  reduced 
to  three.  It  is  known  that  pure  water  cannot  be  made 
to  maintain  a  persistent  froth  because  its  surface  tension 
is  too  high.  Acid,  if  present,  will  lower  the  surface 
tension  of  water,  as  will  oil,  if  it  is  soluble. 

Certain  metallic  sulphides,  such  as  galena,  have  the 


4s 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


power  of  floating  on  undisturbea  water;  they  are  uot 
wetted  and  the  curve  of  contact  is  convex.  Souk-  ganguc 
minerals,  such  ;is  quartz,  possess  an  adhesive  Eorce  of 
attraction  Eor  water  that  exceeds  the  intrinsic  pressure 
of  the  water;  they  are  therefore  wetted  and  sink  to  the 
bottom,  being  drawn  through  the,  surface  Elm.  Such 
properties  of  the  minerals  are1  affected  by  the  presence  of 
oil.  acid,  and  other  reagents.  Oil  has  a  greater  adhesive 
i  (traction  for  sulphide  minerals  than  for  gangue  min- 
erals; and  the  addition  of  acid  and  oil  (if  it  is  soluble) 
acts  as  a  contaminant  that  will  lower  the  Burface  tension 
of  the  water  and  aid  in  the  production  of  a  persistent 
froth.  Let  us  now  look  into  the  question  of  adsorption 
and  see  what  part  it  plays  in  notation,  since  it  is  so 
requisite  to  the  production  of  a  variable  surface  tension. 

Adsorption.  Generally  speaking,  adsorption  dials 
with  the  unequal  distribution  of  substances  at  the  inter- 
face between  dissimilar  phases  such  as.  solid-solid,  solid- 
liquid,  solid-gas.  liquid-liquid,  liquid-gas,  and  gas-gas. 
It  is  purely  a  physical  effect.  Commonly,  adsorption3  is 
construed  to  be  the  result  of  the  condensation  of  a  dis- 
perse phase  upon  the  interfacial  boundary  solid-liquid. 
Returning  for  a  moment  to  the  Gibbs  equation  quoted 
above,  adsorption  may  occur  if  the  interfacial  tension 
solid-liquid  is  reduced,  this  being  positive  adsorption. 
If.  however,  such  an  interfacial  tension  is  raised  in  value 
it  is  a  case  of  negative  adsorption,  as  the  solute  or  dis- 
perse phase  will  he  rejected  from  the  surface.  Any 
condensation,  strictly  slated,  of  a  solute  or  disperse  phase 
in  the  interfacial  boundary  separating  liquid-liquid  or 
liquid-vapor  is  held  to  be  a  special  case  of  adsorption. 
However,  in  the  general  sense,  the  phenomenon  is  looked 
upon  as  being  t lie  result  of  condensation  of  a  disperse 
phase  in  the  interface  of  two  immiscible  phases.  Adsorp- 
tion is  shown  strikingly  by  colloid  gels — the  product  ob- 
tained by  the  coagulation  of  sols — and  certain  cases  of 
selective  adsorption  are  most  remarkable.  Adsorption 
will  naturally  vary  with  the  surface  exposed.  In  Miss 
Benson's  experiments  with  amy]  alcohol  in  aqueous  solu- 
tion, amy)  alcohol  reduced  the  surface  tension  of  the 
water,  and  it  was  found  by  producing  a  voluminous  froth 
that  the  alcoholic  concentration  in  tin-  froth  exceeded 
that  in  the  bulk  of  the  aqueous  solution  by  about  5%. 
A  froth  has  a  very  large  surface,  and  it  would  be  ex- 
pected that  the  adsorption  would  be  greater.  Such  ex- 
periments prove  the  value,  qualitatively,  of  the  Gibbs 
rule. 

Recent  work  shows  that  all  solids  do  condense  gases  on 
their  surfaces  and  retain  them  there  with  great  tenacity. 
Liquids  in  like  manner  adsorb  gases.  Further,  liquids 
and  solids  exhibit  selective  adsorption  of  gases.  Al- 
though this  selective  adsorption  obtains,  no  proof  has 
been  submitted  indicating  that  the  amount  of  gas  ad- 
sorbed by  one  substance  is  latgelv  different  than  the 
amount  adsorbed  by  another  substance.  An  electric 
charge  on  an  adsorbed  Substance  probably  would  in- 
fluence   the   amount   adsorbed.      The   adsorption   of   air 

iBriggs:  Journal  of  Physical  Chemistry,  Vol.  XIX.  No.  3, 
p    21  ii  (March  1015). 


plays  an  important  role  in  flotation,  for  as  Hreuer  points 
out,  the  adsorbed  air  film  is  euormously  responsible  in 
preventing  the  coalescence  of  solid  particles. 

A  comprehensive  study  of  the  adhesion  of  small  par- 
ticles of  solid  to  the  dinerie  interface  (surface  separating 
two  liquid  phases  has  been  made  by  Hofmann*  based 
on  the  theory  of  1  )es  ('moires.'  From  the  standpoint  of 
flotation  this  may  he  given  as  follows:  If  a  solid  particle, 
such  as  quartz,  is  wetted  much  more  strongly  by  water 
than  by  another  liquid,  such  as  oil,  the  water  will  dis- 
place the  nil.  and  a  Him  of  water  will  form  about  the 
quartz  particle  according  to  the  relative  forces  of  ad- 
hesion. Then  the  quartz  particles  will  remain  in  the 
water  phase  if  the  water  has  a  specific  gravity  greater 
than  the  oil,  regardless  of  their  size;  but  if  now  the  oil 
has  a  greater  specific  gravity  than  the  water,  then  the 
quartz  particles  will  remain  in  the  water  phase  until  the 
size  of  the  particles  is  such  that  the  force  of  gravity  will 
remove  them  from  the  water.  Conversely,  if  a  solid 
particle,  such  as  galena,  is  wetted  more  strongly  by  oil 
than  by  water,  the  oil  will  form  a  surface  film  about  the 
particle  and  hence  prohibit  the  particle  from  being 
wetted  by  water,  that  is.  from  entering  the  water  phase. 
Then  the  galena  will  only  enter  the  water  phase  when  the 
water  is  more  dense  than  the  oil,  and,  further,  when  the 
galena  particles  are  of  such  a  size  that  the  force  of  grav- 
ity overcomes  the  adhesion  of  the  oil  film  to  the  oil. 

Returning  to  purely  theoretical  considerations.  Hof- 
niann  draws  certain  conclusions  that  deal  with  the  suppo- 
sition thai  solid  particles  will  then  remain  in  the  surface 
separating  two  immiscible  liquids,  if  those  particles  are 
wetted  partly  by  each  liquid.  I  quote  Bancroft  at 
length  on  this  matter."  "The  solid  particles  tend  to  go 
into  the  water  phase  if  they  adsorb  water  to  the  practical 
exclusion  of  the  other  liquid;  they  tend  to  go  into  the 
other  liquid  phase  if  they  tend  to  adsorb  the  other 
liquid  to  the  practical  exclusion  of  the  water;  while  the 
particles  tend  to  go  into  the  dinerie  interface  in  case  the 
adsorption  of  the  two  liquids  is  sufficiently  intense  to 
increase  the  miscibility  of  the  two  liquids  very  consid- 
erably at  the  surface  between  solid  and  liquid." 

Any  simultaneous  adsorption  of  two  immiscible  liquids 
by  a  solid  would  tend  to  form  a  homogenous  liquid  phase 
at  the  surface  of  the  solid. 

In  regard  to  the  effect  of  contaminants  or  other  im- 
purities in  contact  with  two  immiscible  liquids,  this  con- 
dition obtains:  If  the  contaminant  is  soluble  in  one- 
liquid  but  not  in  the  other,  and  also  lowers  the  interfacial 
tension  of  the  two,  the  equation  set  forth  by  Gibbs  exacts 
the  requirement  that  the  contaminant  should  obtain  in 
the  interface.  Examples  of  this  prove  the  validity  of 
the  law. 

The  terms  adsorption  and  absorption  have  been  used 
interchangeably  in  some  writings,  thus  contributing  to 
the  already  existing  confusion  of  ideas. 

tZeit.  Phys.  Chem.,  Vol.  LXXXIII,  p.  385,  1913. 

eft.   Entwicklungsmi ,  luinil;.   Vol.   VII.   p.   325,   1898". 
"Bancroft:  Journal  of  Physical  Chemistry,  Vol.  XIX.  No.  4.. 
p.  287.   (April  1915). 


-i ni*  8,  i9it; 


MINING  and  N.rnt.l..    I'RESS 


18 


•  n      Tii.  re  .11.  thro   waj  ■  by 
which  gases  oan  be  held  with  reference  to  solids:     1     By 
sorption;     2     in  solid  >- >1  n t i< m  :  snd, 

lasion.     The  term  'ooclnsion'  has  been  applied  in 

diacriminately  to  snj  of  these  methods  by  which 

are  held  by  solids     Strictly  speaking,  by  ' bided'  gas 

nt  gas  thai  is  absorbed  and  held  in  finely  divided 
or  openings,  which  may  be  of  microscopic  si 

■  tl rv:  holds  thai  occlusion  plays  the  operative 

role  in  the  flotation  ol  minerals  by  all  processes.  1  am 
onable  to  reconcile  myself  to  this  explanation,  for  n 
Dumber  of  reasons.  Marked  instances  of  occlusion  al 
normal  temperature  are  known  only  in  certain  amor 
plums  substances,  like  charcoal.  Many  metals,  of  coursi . 
Uiih  in  the  liquid  and  solid  states,  have  the  power  of 
occlnd  often  in  mark.. I  degree.    There  may  be 

ami  undoubtedly  are  One  pores  in  the  floatable  minerals, 

which  may  in  u  sense  bl isidered  as  an  assemblage  (if 

capillary  tabes;  these  can  and  do  occlude  gas.     Vet 

Iiisimi  is  marked  only  in  amorphous  substances  and 

in  certain  metals  as  just  stated.    It  is  definitely  known 

that  hided  gases  are  retained  with  great  tenacity  by 

the  substances  l luding  them  and  therefore  are  ex- 
pelled only  with  difficulty.  It  seems  anomalous  to  hold 
that  the  oeeluded  gas  can  depart  from  the  mineral  oc- 
cluding  it  with  sufficient  speed  to  aid  the  air  bubbles  in 
the  liquid  in  the  process  of  flotation.  I  believe  firmly 
that  occlusion  is  not  a  COgenl  factor  in  flotation,  and  that 
a  more  consistent  theory  may  be  formulated  without 
postulating  these  conjectures  regarding  occlusion. 

COLLOIDS,  in  the  original  definition  of  the  term  by 
Thomas  tiraham.  do  not  constitute  a  definite  class  of  SUD- 

stai s:  a  large  number  of  different  substances  may  be 

made  to  assume  the  colloidal  state  if  proper  precautions 
arc  taken.  All  of  wldch  reveals  the  striking  fact  thai 
this  colloidal  condition  is  a  state  and  not  a  form  of 
matter.  The  ultra-microscope  of  R.  Zsigmondy  and  H. 
Siedentopf  has  greatly  increased  our  knowledge  of  col- 
loids. A  general  statement  may  be  made  regarding  col- 
loids: that  they  do  not  show  osmotic  pressure  in  appre- 
ciable amount.  Colloidal  solutions — sols — are  regarded 
items  of  two  phases,  in  which  the  dissolved  sub- 
stance is  the  disperse  phase  and  the  solvent  the  continu- 
ous phase. 

Since,  in  flotation,  the  ore  is  often  as  small  in  size  as 
certain  of  the  colloids,  the  pulp  (ore.  water,  etc.)  can  be 
looked  upon  as  a  coarse  suspension,  and  the  laws  of  col- 
loids apply  here  with  equal  force  as  in  the  realm  of  col- 
loidal chemistry.  So-called  suspensions  are  systems  con- 
sisting of  solid  particles  of  microscopic  size  distributed 
through  a  liquid.  As  mentioned  by  Ralston,8  Reinders 
has  treated  at  length  the  particular  case  of  a  solid  phase 
maintained  in  contact  with  two  liquid  phases,  that  is, 
two  immiscible  liquids.    His  work  is  based  on  tbe  different 

'Dwell:  M.  &  S.  P..  Vol.  CXI,  No.  12,  p.  428  (Sept.  18,  1915) 
and  Durell:  Metallurgical  and  Chemical  Engineering,  Vol. 
XIV,  No.  5,  p.  251  (March  1,  1916). 

sRalston:  M.  &  S.  P..  Vol.  CXI,  No.  17,  p.  624  (Oct.  23, 
1915). 


•us  existing,  and  Ins  experiments  and 
Bofmann,  as  mentioned  in  an  earlier  paras 
considerable  bearing  on  the  flotation  problem 

t.oiU  coarse  dispersions  of  one  liquid 
hi  another  with  which  it  is  immiscible.    The  simples! 

and  eorai icst  emulsions  arc  the  pure  oil  wati  r  emu) 

sions,  containing  do  emulsifying  agenl  such  as 
proteids,  etc,  In  such  systems  the  oil  globules  can  be 
coagulate, i  by  electrolytes,  the]  show  the  Brownian 
movement  strikingly,  and  can  even  be  retained  by  some 
filtering  media.  Any  process  of  emuhnfication  is  di 
pendent  on  a  Lowering  of  surface  tension,  or,  to  be  more 
precise,  on  a  lowering  of  the  Lnterfacial  tension  between 
the  two  phases.  According  to  Hriggs  and  Schmidt,'  the 
two  essential  requirements  of  an  emulsifying  agenl 

I       The    property   of   condensing   by   adsorption    in    the 

dineric  interface;  and  (2)  the  ability  to  form  tinder 
these  circumstances  a  strong  coherent  film.  Tempera 
ture  is  a  decisive  la.  lor  in  einulsilical ion.  for  its 
is  to  reduce  the  interl'acial  tension  between  phases  and 
also  to  lower  the  viscosity  of  the  phases.  In  the  produc- 
tion of  emulsions,  a  considerable  amount  of  surface 
energy  is  produced  because  of  the  relatively  large  sut 
lace  ana  of  the  disperse  phase;  an  emulsion  is  the  more 
speedily  effected  if  such  surface  energy  be  reduced  by  the 
use  of  a  liquid  having  a  low  surface  tension  as  the  con- 
tinuous  phase.  Some  emulsions,  under  certain  condi- 
tions, display  a  great  increase  in  viscosity  over  that  of 
either  of  the  immiscible  phases,  for  example,  the  emul- 
sions of  the  Pickering  order — up  to  99%  of  oil  in  1% 
of  soap  solution — can  be  cut.  into  cubes.  Any  emulsion 
produced  with  soap  solution  is  at  once  destroyed  by  the 
addition  of  acid,  as  the  latter  will  decompose  tbe  soap. 

If  solid  particles  are  suspended  in  a  liquid,  they  tend 
to  increase  the  viscosity  of  thai  liquid  gradually,  de- 
pending on  the  amount  of  solid  particles  present.  Ex- 
periments have  shown  that  whenever  a  substance  in  sus- 
pension is  wetted  by  two  immiscible  liquids  simultane- 
ously, it  will  go  into  the  dineric  interface  in  the  manner 
already  mentioned,  and  will  tend  therefore  to  produce  an 
emulsion.  If,  however,  the  suspended  particles  cannot 
coalesce,  owing  to  adsorbed  oil  film  or  for  other  reasons, 
and  thus  effect  the  production  of  a  coherent  film,  the 
emulsion  will  not  be  stable.  Few  data  are  available  on 
the  production  of  emulsions  by  the  oils  used  in  flotation 
work,  or  on  the  matter  of  interfaeial  tensions  between 
such  oils  and  water.  However,  we  arc  no  doubt  dealing 
with  emulsified  or  partly  emulsified  pulp  in  some  of  the 
flotation  processes,  in  the  oil-froth  process  at  least. 

Electrolytic  and  Electro-static  Phenomena.  Any 
substance  placed  in  contact  with  water  or  many  other 
liquids  will  assume  an  electric  charge,  the  origin  of 
which  is,  as  yet,  not  set  forth.  Most  substances  when  in 
contact  with  water  become  negatively  charged,  but  these 
charges  can  be  differed  at  will  or  reversed  by  the  addi- 
tion of  the  proper  electrolyte  in  requisite  amount.  These 
electric  charges  are  by  no  means  confined  to  sub-micro- 

"Briggs  and  Schmidt:  Journal  of  Physical  Chemistry.  Vol. 
XIX,  No.  6.  p.  479   (June  1915). 


50 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


scopic  particles,  bnl  are  found  also  on  the  particles  of  a 
coarse  suspension.  Gangue  minerals,  such  as  quartz. 
when  suspended  in  water,  are  negatively  charged,  and 
sulphide  minerals,  such  as  pyrite,  are  positively  charged 
under  like  conditions.  <  >il  drops  are  negatively  charged, 
as  arc  air  bubbles  under  certain  conditions.  These 
charges  are  very  minute  when  referred  to  the  mass  of 
the  particle.  Substantial  evidence  is  at  hand  to  show 
that  floatable  minerals  have  the  positive  sign  of  elec- 
tricity when  suspended  in  water  or  can  be  made  to  as- 
sume that  sign  by  the  addition  of  proper  electrolytes  in 
sufficient  amount.  As  Callow10  observes,  there  is  a 
parallelism  between  electro-static  characteristics  and  the 
flotative  properties  of  ores.  Many  of  the  electro-static 
principles  have  either  been  carried  too  far  or  misapplied. 
as  recent  work  shows. 

Experiments  in  colloid  chemistry  indicate  that  the' 
contact  films  are  charged  and  that  such  charges  affect 
the  dispersion  or  coherence  of  the  particles  in  suspen- 
sion. Of  course,  oppositely  charged  contact  films  will 
coalesce  while  similarly  charged  contact-films  will  repel 
each  other,  if  the  charges  are  sufficient  in  amount  to  over- 
come the  force  of  cohesiveness ;  in  the  latter,  dispersion  is 
the  result.  The  oil  and  air  contact-films  having  negative 
charges  would  tend  to  attract  the  sulphide  particles,  but 
further  than  this  possibility  electro-statics  probably 
plays  little  part  in  flotation. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  only  good  conductors  are 
suitable  to  flotation.  Now  then,  as  the  electrical  theory 
contends,  electrified  bubbles  must  be  supplied  to  float 
the  conducting  minerals  that  are  attracted,  leaving  be- 
hind those  that  are  not.  The  bubbles  in  flotation  are 
simply  air  spaces  contained  by  a  mantle  of  oil  or  of 
water,  and  there  is.  therefore,  nothing  within  to  bear 
the  charge.  In  case  it  could  carry  a  charge,  which 
would  only  be  possible  by  the  presence  of  contained 
ionized  gases  or  water-vapor,  the  charge  would  be 
speedily  dissipated  by  contact  with  the  interfacial  boun- 
dary. Then  in  order  that  a  bubble  may  carry  a  charge 
it  must  he  protected  by  a  dielectric  film.  Further. 
electro-statics  plays  probably  little  part  in  holding  the 
sulphide  particles  and  the  gas  bubbles  together,  as 
neither  the  bubble  nor  the  particle  can  have  a  charge  of 
sufficient  magnitude  when  referred  to  the  size.  The 
electrical  theory  has  been  strongly  championed  by  at 
least  one  writer11  and  has  been  tolerated  by  some  others. 
A  recent  article12  indicates  that  the  principles  of  electro- 
statics have  been  considerably  misapplied.  It  is  my  be- 
lief that  electro-statics  may  be  a  small  contributing 
factor  in  flotation  in  a  manner  not  as  yet  understood  be- 
cause of  a  lack  of  information  concerning  charges  at  the 
interfacial  boundary  between  immiscible  phases,  for  ex- 

i  ij.  If.  Callow:  Bulletin  A.  I.  M.  E.  No.  108,  p.  3342 
(December  1915) 

■ i Bains:  The  Electrical  Theory  of  Flotation.'  M.  &  S.  P.,  Vol. 
CXI,  No.  22,  p.  824  (Nov.  27.  1915)  and  Bains:  The  Electrical 
Theory  of  Flotation.'  II.  ibid..  Vol.  CXI,  No.  24,  p.  883  (Dec. 
11,  1915). 

i-Fahrenwald:  'The  Electrostatics  of  Flotation.'  ibid..  Vol. 
CXI.  No.  11.  p.  375  (March  11,  1916). 


ample,  where  the  colloidal  state  is  introduced  in  oil- 
water  emulsions.  Apparently,  the  electric  theory  is  not 
important. 

Fboth  and  Bubbles.  The  idea  has  been  abandoned 
by  most  people  that  a  low  surface  tension  is  the  essential 
requirement  for  froth  formation.  As  mentioned  by 
Coghill  in  a  recent  writing,13  the  contamination  of  the 
liquid  with  an  impurity  that  will  cause  a  variable  sur- 
face tension  is  the  real  requirement.  A  bubble  of  air  is 
spherical  in  shape  and  this  shape  can  only  be  maintained 
if  the  external  pressure  exceeds  the  internal  pressure. 
Since  a  bubble  does  not  expand  per  se,  large  bubbles  can 
only  be  accounted  for  by  heat,  coalescence,  or  electrifi- 
cation. Viscosity  is  an  important  factor  in  froth-per- 
sistence, as  it  increases  the  tenacity  of  the  liquid  film 
and  thus  prevents  ready  rupture.  The  rupture  or 
bursting  of  bubbles  is  explained  thus: 

1.  Concussion  upon  a  surface  film  deficient  in  the 
requisite  viscosity  and  variable  surface  tension. 

2.  Relief  of  pressure — here  the  gas  of  the  bubble  in 
expanding  exerts  a  pressure  exceeding  that  of  the  liquid 
film. 

3.  Adhesive  force  of  the  entrained  gas  for  the  atmos- 
pheric air. 

4.  Evaporation  of  the  liquid  film. 

Flotation  bubbles  will  burst  for  any  one  or  a  com- 
bination of  these  reasons. 

Solutions  in  which  the  continuous  phase  is  a  solution 
of  soap,  various  products  from  the  saponification  of 
albumens,  etc..  will  froth  voluminously  even  in  a  very 
diluted  condition  ;  frothing  never  occurs  in  pure  liquids 
and  is  a  definite  proof  that  the  solute  or  disperse  phase 
lowers  the  surface  tension  of  the  solvent.  A  froth,  which 
shows  adsorption  at  the  interfacial  boundary  of  solution 
and  gas,  depends  for  its  persistence  on  the  production 
of  a  viscous  film  at  that  boundary;  these  viscous  films 
are  the  direct  result  of  surface  adsorption  of  the  disperse 
phase,  that  is.  dissolved  contaminants,  the  amount  of 
which  is  small — disappearingly  so.  The  work  of  Hall 
and  of  Miss  Benson  shows  that  in  a  foaming  liquid  the 
foam  is  richer  in  the  dissolved  contaminant  than  is  the 
bulk  of  the  liquid.  Froth  formation  in  the  Callow  cell 
is  the  result  of  the  injection  of  air  into  the  pulp  (already 
emulsified  I  :  the  froth  persists  as  long  as  there  is  suffi- 
cient air  injected  into  pulp  of  the  proper  consistence. 
Tlie  froth  in  the  Callow  cell  is  governed  in  nature  by  the 
kind  of  oil  used  and  by  the  amount  of  air.  A  pneumatic 
froth  is  unstable  or  ephemeral ;  it  dies  when  removed 
rapidly  from  the  influence  of  the  injected  air.  The  me- 
chanical froth,  on  the  other  hand,  is  thick  and  persistent. 
and  must  be  broken  up  in  dewatering  the  concentrates. 

Oils  have  a  selective  action  for  metallic  sulphides, 
tellnrides,  and  some  other  minerals.  The  fact  that  both 
the  oil  and  the  air  or  other  gas  have  a  selective  adhesion 
for  sulphides  prevents  them  from  being  wetted  by  water. 
Conversely,  the  quartz  and  other  minerals  exhibit  just 
the  opposite  characteristics.  The  gangue-minerals,  gen- 
erally,  do  not  exhibit  adhesion   for  either  gas  or  oil: 

is'The  Science  of  a  Froth.'  M.  &  S.  P.,  February  26.  1916. 


Jul]   8,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


51 


they  urr  readilj  wetted  by  water.    Oases  have  n 
well-defined  adl  (or  oila;  therefore  the  air  or 

ugly  to  the  ml  film.  Tin'  stability  of  a 
froth  depends,  in  the  main,  on  t h.-  kind  of  oil  osed,  for 
•sample,  pim-  oil  makes  a  weak  brittle  both,  and  creo- 
sote makes  a  stable  elastic  troth.    The  work  of  Devaux" 

mi  nil  tilms  explain!  how   so  small  an  amount  of  oil  as  is 

used  in  the  various  Rotation  processes  can  in-  so  effica- 
.ions  Prom  a  consideration  of  the  immiscible  oil-water 
interface,  it'  any  oil  will  nl iii  the  internal  surface  of  a 
Has  hul. hi.'  tin-  sulphide  particles  would  be  contained  in 
tin-  oil-water  interface  no  matter  what  the  nature  of  the 
intained  by  the  water  film.  Tin'  sulphide,  if  it 
enters  tin.  oil  phase,  would  then  presenl  an  oiled  Burface 
to  tin-  water  phase.  There  are  three  conditions  then  I 
The  mineral  enters  the  oil  phase  completely;  or  ( 2  i   the 

mineral  enters  the  water  phas unpletely  ;  or   (3      the 

mineral  enters  the  oil-water  interface. 

Experiments  made  to  determine  the  nature  of  the 
frothing  selective,  and  collective  action  of  different  oils 
show  some  interesting  results.  I  made  tests  on  a  zinc- 
iferous slime  from  Joplin  with  different  oils,  the  results 

obtained  indicating  that  a  definite  mixtui E  oils  will 

effect  better  recoveries  than  any  one  oil  alone.  The  best 
combination  consisted  of  pine-oil  as  a  frother.  plus  wood- 
creosote  as  a  frother  and  selector,  plus  refined  tar-oil  as 
a  froth  stiflVner. 

In  general,  pine-oil  makes  a  brittle  froth,  which  im- 
mediately dies;  creosotes  make  a  more  elastic  froth,  the 
bubbles  of  which  may  expand  to  3  in.  diam.  or  more 
before  rupture.  Coal-tar  products  are  poor  frothing 
agents  and  if  used  must  be  aided  by  either  creosote  or 
pine  oil  to  produce  a  good  froth.  Oils  of  a  lubricating 
nature  seem  to  be  of  little  value  in  flotation,  while  such 
light  oils  as  gasoline  and  naphtha  are  of  value  only  for 
thinning  the  heavy  coal  and  wood  tars. 

Am  iMi  Gas.  At  this  time,  there  are  three  ways  by 
which  a  gas  may  be  forced  into  a  solution  mechanically 
as  follows  : 

1.  By  beating  it  into  the  solution  by  means  of  pad- 
dles, as  in  the  .Minerals  Separation  and  similarly  me- 
chanically agitated  machines. 

2.  By  pneumatic  means,  as  in  the  Callow  cell,  where 
the  air  is  divided  by  the  porous  blanket-bottom  into 
minute  sprays. 

3.  l'.y  so-called  liquid  jets,  as  in  a  process  recently 
patented  in  which  the' air  is  introduced  as  a  surface  film 
surrounding  a  liquid  jet  by  surface  tension. 

Conversely,  there  are  three  methods  by  which  dis- 
solved gas  may  be  expelled  from  a  liquid: 

1.  When  the  liquid  is  super-saturated,  the  excess  gas 
is  expelled. 

2.  By  heating  the  liquid,  when  some  of  the  gas  is  ex- 
pelled owing  to  an  increase  in  its  volume. 

3.  By  pressure  reduction,  as  in  the  Elmore  vacuum 
process,  where,  according  to  the  law  of  Henry,1"'  "the 

"Devaux:  'Oil  Films  on  Water  and  on  Mercury,'  Smith- 
sonian Report  of  1913,  p.  261. 

i" Jones:  Elements  of  Physical  Chemistry,  p.  177,  1907. 


amount  ol  gas  dissolved  bf  s  liquid  is  proportional  to 

the  pr  ssiir.  to  which  the  gas  is  subjected." 

An    air   or    gas    bubble   on    being    introdu I    into    a 

liquid  is  at  one,-  surrounded  by  a  film  of  the  liquid. 
Such    a    bubble    will    rise    to    the   surface      carrying    the 

metallic  sulphides  by  resa f  the  Forces  already  men- 
tioned     on   in- ill   of   gravitation,   by   which   is   meant 

that  the  adherence  of  the  air  to  the  liquid  is  leas  than 

the  foi of  gravity. 

R       Ml      Prom  : sideration  of  the  foregoing,  it  is 

believed  that  the  tl ry  based  on  the  different  inter- 
facial    tensions   involved    is   the   dominating   one   at    this 

time.  Probably  flotation  is  die  to  a  combination  of  com- 
plex phenomena.  The  theory  based  solely  on  occlusion 
L'oi -s     "by    the   board,"   as   has   been   shown    that    th >n 

tributing  effect  of  this  phenomenon  has  I n  Interpreted 

laxly.1"     The  phenomenon  of  electro-statics  may  !»•  a 

small  contributing  factor,  but  recent  work  indicates  that 

the  principles  have  been  misapplied.  An  explanation 
more  in  consonance  with  fact  can  be  given  in  terms  of 
the    interfacial    tensions    involved,    without     postulating 

either  occlusion  or  electro-statics. 

The  main  and  essential  requirements  for  froth  flota- 
tion are:  (1)  The  production  of  a  persistent  froth;  (2) 
the  attachment  of  the  bubbles  of  air  to  the  sulphides  or 
other  material  to  be  floated:  and  (3)  the  maintaining  of 
a  selective  action  by  the  froth  bubbles  for  the  sulphides 
or  other  material  to  be  floated. 


Redwood  is  the  famous  big  tree  of  California.  Its 
property  of  resisting  the  action  of  acid  and  alkaline  solu- 
tions, oils,  insects,  and  decay  in  general,  has  brought  it 
to  the  attention  of  miners  and  mill-men.  Nearly  40% 
of  the  lumber  cut  annually  in  California  is  redwood;  in 
1915  redwood  furnished  418,824,000  ft.  of  a  total  of 
1,118,703,000  ft.  cut.  It  belongs  to  the  genus  of  conifer 
(or  cone-bearer)  called  sequoia,  which  forms  one  of  the 
links  between  the  firs  and  the  cypresses.  Two  species 
are  found  in  California,  the  sequoia  sempervirens  of  the 
Coast  Ranges,  and  the  sequoia-  gigantea  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  the  largest  of  known  conifer.  The  sempervirens 
is  the  typical  redwood  of  the  California  woodsmen.  It 
grows  to  large  size,  up  to  12  ft.  diameter  and  270  ft. 
long.  The  boughs  are  few  and  short,  and  the  trunk  is 
straight.  The  wood  is  like  cedar,  it  splits  evenly,  and 
polishes  well.  While  strong  and  durable,  it  is  not  espe- 
cially elastic.  The  tree  does  not  grow  in  other  parts  of 
the  United  States.  The  species  sequoia  gigantea  is  con- 
fined to  detached  localities  in  the  Sierra  Nevada,  usually 
at  an  elevation  of  4000  or  5000  ft.  A  few  have  attained 
a  height  of  400  ft.,  some  are  believed  to  be  3000  years 
old.  They  are  the  remnants  of  extensive  forests  belong- 
ing to  a  past  epoch.  Nowhere  else  in  the  world  are  red- 
woods of  large  size  found. 


Copper  production  of  Russia  during  1915  was  29,800 
short  tons,  compared  with  36,430  tons  in  1914. 

oiRalston:   'Why  Do  Minerals  Float?'  M.  &  S.  P.,  Vol.  CXI, 
No.  17,  p.  623  (Oct.  23,  1915) 


52 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


An  Earthquake  in  Nevada 

By  8.  X»  Berry 

The  old  mining  town  of  Kennedy,  in  Humboldt  county, 
is  situated  in  the  East  Humboldt  range,  in  township  28 
north,  ran};  and  is  about  half-way  up  the  east- 

ern Bide  of  Hi.'  range  above  Pleasant  valley. 

On  October  2,  1915,  at  3:40  p.m.  there  occurred  an 
earthquake  shock  of  sufficient  intensity  to  be  fell  plainly 
by  persons  standing  on  the  ground.  This  was  followed 
by  light  ones  until  about  six  o'clock,  when  a  fairly  heavy 
on.-  was  noticed,  followed  by  light  ones  at  frequent 
intervals.  Conditions  were  such  that  it  was  thought 
advisable  to  place  crockery  on  the  floor.  About  nine 
o'clock  things  quieted  down  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
seemed  sale  to  retire  for  the  night. 

At  about.  10:50  there  was  a  violent  prolonged  shock 
that  jerked  the  small  bunk-house  in  an  alarming  manner 
and    made  an   infernal   noise.      Shelves   were   cleared   of 

1 Iis-  bottles,  papers,  etc..  and  water  in  cans  on  the  floor 

was  scattered  about.  A  number  of  men  present  had 
been  through  the  San  Francisco  shake  of  1906,  and  it 
was.  and  is  now,  the  general  opinion  that  the  Kennedy 
shake  was  more  violent  than  that  one. 

The  feature  that  produced  much  nervousness  was  the 
fael  that  the  shocks  did  not  cease,  but  one  followed  an- 
other, at  frequent  intervals,  all  night,  connected  by 
periods  of  uneasy  feeling,  slight  tremblings  and  waves. 
The  sage-brush  was  good  camping-ground  for  the  thirty 
or  forty  people  of  the  town  during  that  night  and  many 
sl.pt  outside  for  some  time. 

Next  day  the  shocks  were  felt  at  close  intervals.  Some 
were  timed  at  noon  and  occurred  at  less  than  minute  in- 
tervals. An  estimate  based  on  frequency  showed  that 
during  the  three  months  following  there  were  at  least 
500  shocks,  mostly  light  ones,  but  many  moderately 
heavy. 

The  visible  signs  left  in  Kennedy  were  slight,  consist- 
ing of  small  cra.ks  in  soft  ground,  ore-piles  flattened  out. 
and  rocks  displaced  on  the  slopes,  but  a  rocky  summit 
on  the  ridge  above  town  was  whipped  to  pieces,  thou- 
sands of  tons  of  rock  rolling  down  into  a  gulch  on  the 
western  watershed. 

The  most  pronounced  evidence  of  the  disturbance  is  to 
be  found  on  the  east  side  of  Pleasant  valley,  just  where 
the  detritus  meets  the  steep  mountain  slopes.  The 
valley  is  about  three  miles  wide,  covered  with  sage- 
brush, with  steep  slopes  on  the  east  and  gentle  ones  on 
the  west.  The  slip  or  settlement  varies  from  5  to  12 
feet,  measured  vertically,  and  as  much  as  8  ft.  measured 
horizontally.  At  places  the  bedrock  is  visible,  showing 
signs  of  the  movement.  The  line  follows  the  contour  of 
the  hills  closely,  and  at  a  few  joints  there  are  two  slips, 
one  above  the  other.  Its  length  is  about  25  miles,  and  it 
extends  along  that  part  of  the  valley  where  the  slopes 
are  the  steepest,  disappearing  gradually  at  both  ends 
where  the  hills  flatten.  The  indications  are  that  this 
slip  was  a  result  of  the  earthquake  and  not  the  cause. 


although  it  may  have  contributed  to  the  length  of  the 

shock. 

A  ranch-house  within  300  yards  of  the  heaviest  slip 
had  much  less  shock  than  Kennedy,  although  only  five 
miles  from  the  nearest  point,  and  the  inhabitants  .li.l 
not  know^ibout  the  slip  until  next  morning.  The  floor  of 
Hie  valley  was.  in  places,  cracked  and  displaced;  water, 
carrying  line  sediment,  flowed  out. 

The  photographs,  taken  on  October  10,  will  give  a 
general  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  slip.  Streams 
flowing  from  the  mountains  into  the  valley  were  much 
augmented,  but  in  Grass  valley,  near  Winnemucca,  the 
flow  did  not  change  much,  and  at  one  point  a  spring  was 
cut  off. 

The  number  of  shocks  and  the  quietness  of  the  sur- 
roundings favored  a  detection  of  the  sounds  that  usually 
accompany  an  earthquake.  It  is  stated  that  tin-  velocity 
of  an  earthquake  shock  is  about  200  miles  per  minute, 
which  is  about  fifteen  times  the  velocity  of  sound  in  air. 
The  query  is,  why  is  the  rumbling  sound  heard,  in  many 
cas.s.  before  the  shake  is  felt?  The  sounds  here  have 
varied  from  sharp  explosive  to  low  rumblings,  like  dis- 
tant thunder,  generally  heard  a  fraction  of  a  second 
before  the  shock  was  felt.  There  have  been  many  in- 
stances of  sound  without  an  appreciable  shake,  a  few 
of  shake  without  noticeable  sound,  and  some  of  shake 
preceding  sound.  The  fact  that,  as  a  rule,  the  sound 
precedes  the  shake  and  the  further  fact  that  there  have 
been  numerous  cases  of  sound  without  appreciable  shock 
lead  to  the  suggestion  that  an  earthquake  may  produce 
sufficient  sound  to  be  heard  yet  lie  so  light  as  not  to  be 
felt.    Under  conditions  prevailing  here  sound  carries  far. 

|  In  the  Bulletin  of  the  Seismological  Society  of  Amer- 
ica for  December  1915  we  find  an  account  of  the  Pleasant 
Valley  earthquake  by  J.  Claude  Jones.  He  states  that 
the  fault  appeared  at  the  surface  "as  a  fresh  vertical 
scarp  from  5  to  15  feet  in  height,  running  for  over  22 
miles  along  the  junction  of  the  alluvial  apron  and  the 
base  of  the  Sonoma  range."  The  earthquake  was  as 
severe  as  that  of  1906  in  California,  but  the  damage  was 
small  because  the  centre  of  disturbance  passed  through 
a  sparsely  populated  region.  If  it  had  traversed  a 
densely  populated  country,  this  earthquake  would  have 
ranked  among  the  most  terrible  in  history.  An  observer 
at  Kennedy  describes  how  he  was  suddenly  awakened 
from  sleep  by  "a  great  roar  and  rumbling"  and  how  he 
was  "thrown  violently  out  of  bed  and  buffeted  in  all 
.lire,  lions."  One  effect  of  the  earthquake  was  to  in- 
crease the  flow  of  streams  and  springs  three  or  fourfold 
throughout  northern  Nevada.  Immediately  afterward 
the  office  of  the  State  Engineer  received  over  50  applica- 
tions for  new  water-rights. — Editor.] 


Gold  received  at  the  San  Francisco  mint  during  .May 
amounted  to  197.535  oz.  fine,  11.719  oz.  of  which  came 
from  Australia.  There  was  104,111  oz.  sold.  Silver  re- 
ceipts were  97.473  oz.  Coinage  was  only  $9500  in  one- 
cent  pieces,  and  f*21,000  in  one  centavos  for  the  Philip- 
pines.    The  vaults  contain  $371,681,472.13. 


.Inly  B,   1916 


MINING  and  Scientin,    I'KI  SS 


THE    EARTHQUAKE-RIFT    (WHITE   LINE    ALONG    MOUNTAIN    SIDE). 


NEABEK   VIEW    OF   THE   RIFT,    SHOWING   FAULT. 


54 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


Copper  Metallurgy  at  Garfield,  Utah 


By  L,  O.  Howard 


THESE  notes  are  based  on  a  visit  to  the  Arthur  mill 
of  the  Utah  Copper  Company  and  to  the  plant  of 
the  Garfield  Smelting  Company,  at  Garfield,  upon 
the  occasion  of  a  recent  excursion  by  the  Utah  section 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 

Arthur  Mill.  This  has  13  sections  enclosed  in  a 
structure  587  ft.  long  by  325  ft.  wide.  In  it  arc  treated 
daily  10,000  to  12,000  tons  of  low-grade  copper  ore  from 
Bingham,  the  remainder  of  the  25,000  tons  mined  by  the 
company  being  treated  in  the  Magna  mill,  after  which 
tin-  Arthur  is  modeled.  The  Arthur  mill  was  originally 
the  property  of  the  Boston  Consolidated  and,  before  it 
was  taken  over  by  the  Utah  Copper  company,  had  at- 
tracted much  attention  as  an  exponent  of  the  Nissen 
stamp.  There  were  over  300  of  these,  which  were  used 
alter  the  coarse  breakers  to  prepare  the  feed  for  the 
Wilfley  tallies.  A  comparatively  simple  flow-sheet  char- 
acterized the  plant  at  that  time.  The  finely  crushed  ore 
was  delivered  to  3-compartment  hydraulic  classifiers. 
The  first  two  spigots  were  tabled,  making  finished  con- 
centrate  and  tailing.  Middling  was  passed  over  John- 
Ston  vanners,  likewise  making  a  finished  concentrate  and 
tailing.  After  thickening,  the  slime  was  treated  on  other 
vanners  for  final  products. 

Construction  of  the  old  mill  was  along  the  most 
modern  lines.  Driving-shafts  were  placed  close  to  the 
machines,  and  belting  minimized.  Pipes  and  launders 
were  carried  in  tunnels  beneath  the  floor.  There  were 
no  elevators  or  centrifugal  pumps.  All  machines  had  in- 
dividual dutch-drives.  The  floor  was  of  wood,  special 
precautions  being  taken  against  spillage.  The  launders 
had  high  sides  anil  steep  pilches.  Vanner  belts  had 
high  flanges.  The  absence  of  elevators  aide,!  in  keeping 
the  floor  dry.  Launders  were  fitted  with  plate-glass 
bottoms. 

The  capacity  of  the  plant  was  given  in  1909  as  about 
2400  tons  per  day  of  ore  containing  1.58%  copper.  The 
recovery  was  21.8  pounds  of  copper  per  ton  of  ore,  80% 
of  the  total  concentrate,  containing  85%  of  the  total 
copper,  being  made  on  the  Wilfleys.  After  the  merger 
with  Utah  Copper  in  1910,  a  test  lasting  30  days  was 
made  under  identical  conditions  in  the  Magna  and 
Arthur  nulls,  resulting  in  the  decision  to  re-model  the 
Arthur  mill  to  follow  the  process  used  in  the  Magna 
plant,  in  which  a  greater  tonnage  was  treated  for  a 
higher  recovery  and  at  a  lower  cost.  Without  increasing 
floor-space,  the  capacity  was  raised  from  3000  to  8000 
tons  and  finally  to  about  12,000  tons  per  day.  The  best 
of  the  constructive  features  were  retained* 

The  increased  capacity  "as  obtained  by  the  use  of 
Garfield  tables  over  which  an  enormous  quantity  of 
material  was  passed,  with  no  attempt  to  make  any  fin- 


ished products  in  the  first  stage.  The  concentrate  was 
cleaned  on  Wilfleys.  the  tailing  classified  in  the  improved 
Kichards-.Janney  mechanical-hydraulic  classifiers,  the 
finer  sizes  going  to  vanners  while  the  coarse  was  re- 
ground  in  Chilean  mills,  reclassified  and  re-roughed  on 
Garfield  tables,  from  which  the  tailing  was  returned  to 
the  primary  classifiers.  The  concentrate  from  the  second 
set  of  tables  was  classified  and  cleaned  on  Wilfley  tables 
and  Johnson  and  Frue  vanners. 

The  ore  is  received  in  50-ton  ears  on  the  high  line  and 
dumped  to  the  receiving-bins.  These  are  300  ft.  long, 
34  ft.  wide,  and  20  ft.  deep,  with  a  steel  frame  and 
wooden  lining.  They  are  equipped  with  scalping  griz- 
zlies, and  the  fine  ore  is  by-passed  around  the  coarse 
breakers.  The  bins  have  80  discharge  openings  in  two 
rows,  delivering  to  chain-belt  feeders  driven  by  ratchet 
and  pawl.  Thirty-inch  flat  belts  take  the  ore  to  the 
coarse-crushing  plant  at  the  end  of  the  bins,  where  it  is 
reduced  to  |-inch  in  No.  8  Gates  crushers  and  72  by 
20-in.  rolls,  this  section  being  equipped  with  the  neces- 
sary grizzlies  and  trommels  to  increase  the  percentage 
of  coarse  fed  to  the  crushers.  From  the  coarse  rolls  the 
ore  is  taken  by  two  18-in.  belts  up  a  20°  incline  to  the 
fine-ore  bin,  into  which  it  is  distributed  by  two  self- 
tripping  18-in.  conveyors.  This  bin  is  580  by  22  by  20 
ft.  and  has  a  capacity  of  13.000  tons.     The  bottom  is  flat. 

The  ore  is  fed  automatically  to  impact-screens,  which 
appear  to  be  about  8  or  10  mesh.  The  oversize  is  crushed 
in  374  by  15-in.  rolls  and  elevated  to  the  screens.  The 
undersize  is  treated  on  Garfield  roughing-tables.  the  con- 
centrates being  classified  and  cleaned  on  Wilfley  tables 
and  [shell  vanners.  Each  section  has  6  Garfield  and  2 
Wilfley  tallies,  and  4  Isbell  vanners  for  the  primary 
concentration. 

The  tailing  from  all  these  tables  is  elevated  to  the 
primary  classifiers.  These  have  four  spigots  and  an  over- 
flow. The  pulp  from  the  first  two  spigots  is  re-ground 
to  about  40-mesh  in  two  6-ft.  Garfield  mills,  and  is  again 
classified  for  a  second  roughing  on  three  Garfield  tables. 
after  which  the  tailing  returns  to  the  primary  classifier. 
The  product  of  the  3rd  and  4th  spigots  of  the  primary 
classifier  is  re-classified  in  two  5-spigot  secondary  classi- 
fiers. The  coarse  product  is  treated  on  two  Garfield 
tables,  where  the  first  clean  tailing  is  made.  The  fine 
products  go  to  24  Isbell  vanners,  making  finished  con- 
centrate and  tailing.  The  concentrate  from  the  Garfield 
tallies  is  elevated  to  a  classifier  the  coarse  from  which  is 
finished  on  a  Wilfley.  and  the  fine  dewatered  in  24 
Callow  cones  before  final  treatment  on  36  Johnston  and 
Frue  vanners. 

The  flow  is  as  nearly  gravitational  as  it  is  possible  tc 
make  it.     The  successive  tables  are  strung  out.  down  the 


-    1916 


MINIM;  and  Scwnl.h,     NO   s.« 


li    liiblc  tr.Mtm.nl    being   "ii   I    -par-iit.-    BoOf 

Tin  .intiiillv  tin'  ir.-iiiiii.ui  doh  given 

111  I-  lii  th.    18th  mii.-li  experimental  work 

ha»  been  undertaken.  The  One  ernahing  bai  been  limpli- 
Bad     The  impac  rolla,  and  roll-return  elevators 

•  timinated,  and  ernahing  ia  done  in  two  Many 
Imll  nulls,  part  of  tin-  prodnol  going  t.>  the  Qarfleld  tables 
mi. I  through  the  lection,  aa  in  the  other  twelve.  The 
ah'me-vannen  have  been  taken  out,  and  nil  of  the  ma 

l.Tial    I". irni.-rl \-    t r.jit.-.l    then  .    BJ    Well    us   the    BnOBl    DM 

i.-riiil  from  the  kfarey  mills,  ia  subjected  to  flotation. 

Much  taating  with  oils  and  with  miMliti.-ntii.ns  ..r  standard 

practioea,  baa  been  conducted,  concerning  which  no  data 

iir>-  available  for  publication,  since  the  process  is  siill 

in  the  experimental  stage.     The  Janney  flotation  ma- 

-  ar.    need,  the  lateal  development   including  t  )■•• 

Callow  modification.    In  section  No.  13  there  are  12  mix- 

ing  cells  and  :>"  roughing-machines,  arranged  in  6  units 

aeh,  although  the  arrangement  is  flexible  and  may 

be  changed  if  conditions  indicate  s  differenl  grouping 

arable.    The  machines  in  each  unit  are  in  cascade. 

Ka.-li  machine,  whether  mixer  or  roughing,  is  driven  by 

an  individual  10-hp.  motor,  Bel  on  a  vertical  shall  in  the 

middle  of  the  machine.    On  each  side  of  the  agitation- 

ipartment  is  a  flotation-box.  which  is  eqiiippod  with 

Callow  mats  fur  the  introduction  of  air,  thus  combining 
mechanical  and  air  agitation.  The  receiving  compart- 
ment is  equipped  with  a  pulp-overflow  to  maintain  an 
even  teed,  and  the  concentrate  discharges  automatically. 
A  thi.-k  light  froth  was  produced  under  the  conditions 
obtaining  at  the  time  of  inspection. 

The  feed  to  the  flotation  department  is  lirst  dewater'cd 
in  s  7.">  by  12-ft.  Dorr  thickener,  elevated  on  a  timber 
stru.-ture.  from  which  the  pulp  is  pumped  to  six  units 
of  two  mixer-eells  in  series.  Construction  is  under  way 
to  provide  six  of  these  large  thickeners.  After  violent 
beating  in  the  mixer-cells,  the  pulp  flows  to  the  first  of 
the  roughing-cells,  oil  being  introduced  at  such  points 
•  Ivantageous.  Tailing  from  the  first  cell  goes  to 
the  next  lower  machine,  and  so  down  through  the  series. 
All  of  the  concentrate  is  received  in  a  common  launder 
delivering  to  the  cleaning-department  on  a  lower  level. 
The  machines  used  for  cleaning  are  of  the  straight  Jan- 
ney type.  No  air-mats  are  used.  Instead,  the  froth  is 
skimmed  by  a  board  driven  by  eccentrics,  the  froth  being 
much  heavier  and  more  compact  than  on  the  rougher?. 
Whereas  the  roughing-machines  were  arranged  with  all 
the  cells  in  a  single  line,  end  to  end,  the  cleaning-ma- 
chines, each  of  three  compartments,  are  set  side  by  side. 
They  deliver  concentrate  from  both  sides,  and  may  be 
operated  in  series  or  in  parallel.  Most  of  the  cells  at 
present  make  a  finished  concentrate,  only  the  last  few 
returning  middling  to  the  head  of  the  series.  Middling 
may  be  taken  off  any  machine  by  swinging  into  place  a 
hinged  board  that  diverts  the  overflow  to  a  launder. 

Another  set  of  these  machines  is  provided  for  clean- 
ing low-grade  vanner-eoncentrate.  Concentrate  con- 
taining 8%  copper  and  about  80%  insoluble  is  brought 
up  to  22  to  25%  copper,  thus  allowing  the  vanners  to 


mak.    a   larger  amount  of   loa  gradi    oonoentrat 
.•Iran  tailing,  with  a  higher  recover]    than  is  poaaibla 
with  tin-  vannera  in  the  other  aectioni 

The  part  played  by  Mutation  in  the  Arthur  mill  there 
lor.    ia  as  a  .substitute   l',.r  \aiin.  rs  in   handling  current 

slim.-,   and   as  a   .lean,  r   for   low  grade   -.  nlial..    from 

the  Isl.ell  vannera  in  particular,  which  in  reality  n...\ 
treat    a   line   sand   only,   the  slime   having   been    separated 

an.l  diverted  a.s  mentioned.  This  particular  applioa 
lion   may   be   regarded  as  the   reverse  of  the  customary 

treat at  of  tailing,  in   plants  where  the  tables  are  run 

to    make   as   high    a    concentrate    a.s   possible,    depending 

on   flotation    to   recover  any    tal    lost    in    tailing.      The 

advantage  of  removing  the  large  bulk  of  tailing  from  the 

process  is  made  possible  by  the  low  grade  of  the  ore, 

and    throughout     the    plant    it     will    be    noted    thai     this 

practice    is    followed.    I niing    the    principal    factor    in 

aug nting  the  capacity  of  the  plant.     All  concentrate 

is  laundered  to  drain-bine  below  the  mill,  and  ia  re- 
eiainied  by  clam-shell  buckets  loading  into  railroad-cars. 

Excellent  metallurgical  results  are  being  obtained  in 
the  experimental  section,  and.  incidentally,  on  an  ore  the 
principal  mineral  of  which  is  chalcocite.  not  so  long 
ago  regarded  as  unsuited  to  flotation.  ll  needs  no 
imagination  In  see  the  scrapping  of  approximately  1000 
vannera  and  about  700  cone-tanks,  in  the  two  mills,  as 
well  as  the  elimination  of  the  impact-screens  and  sev- 
eral sets  of  rolls  and  elevators. 

An  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  operations  can  be 
gained  from  the  following  list  of  machines  in  use  before 
the  adoption  of  flotation:  182  Garfield  roughing-tables. 
26  Wilfley  tables,  832  vanners,  92  Richards. lanney 
classifiers,  and  364  dewatering  cones. 

Garfield  Smelter.  This  treats  oxidized  and  sul- 
phide ores  from  Bingham  and  other  districts  in  Utah, 
Idaho,  Montana,  Colorado,  Nevada,  California.  Oregon, 
Wyoming,  and  Arizona,  silicious  ore  from  Tintie,  and 
concentrate  from  the  Utah  Copper  mills.  The  daily 
charge  to  the  furnaces  consists  of  about  equal  amounts 
of  crude  ore  and  concentrate. 

The  crude  ore,  with  foreign  matte,  is  unloaded  from 
gondola-cars  to  bins  or  to  belts  that  deliver  to  the  top  of 
one  of  two  sampling-mills  for  oxidized  ore,  or  to  one  of 
a  similar  pair  for  sulphides.  These  mills  have  a  com- 
bined capacity  of  2400  tons  per  day.  They  are  en- 
closed in  two  buildings  83  by  70  by  72  feet. 

The  oxidized  ore  and  the  coarse  sulphide  ore  from 
the  sampler  are  taken  by  belt  to  the  blast-furnace  bins, 
of  which  there  are  four  of  a  capacity  of  2500  tons  each. 
Concentrate  is  shovel-sampled  to  a  system  of  conveyor- 
belts  delivering  to  25,000-ton  bins,  where  the  fine  sul- 
phide ore  from  the  sampler  is  also  received.  Cuke,  lime- 
stone, slag,  matte,  and  miscellaneous  material  are  de- 
livered by  railroad-cars  to  long  bins,  arranged  in  four 
rows.  490  by  25  by  20  ft.,  divided  into  28  600-ton  com- 
partments. These  form  part  of  the  same  structure  with 
the  blast-furnace  ore-bins.  Eight  trolley-tracks  below 
serve  the  blast-furnaces  from  here. 

The  system  of  handling  ores  and   fluxes   is  flexible. 


56 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8.  1916 


Material  may  be  unloaded  into  bins,  or  upon  belts  de- 
livering to  the  sampling-plants,  or  to  blast-furnace  bins, 
or  may  go  directly  by  belt  to  the  fine-ore  bins. 

There  are  four  20-ft.  by  42-in.  blast-furnaces  equipped 
with  oval  settlers  25  by  1">  ft.  Each  furnace  has  22  4-in. 
tnyeres  on  a  side.  Jackets  are  10  by  6  ft.,  six  on  each 
siil'-.  and  one  at  each  end.  Twenty  thousand  cubic  Eee1 
of  air  per  minute  is  used  per  furnace  at  a  pressure  of 
40  oz.  The  ore,  flux,  and  coke  (7%,  made  from  Sunny- 
side  coal)  are  loaded  into  5-ton  ears  from  the  blast- 
furnace bins.  Trains  of  five  cars  run  to  the  top  of  the 
building,  and  deliver  the  charge  through  side-doors  of 
the  furnaces.  The  doors  are  operated  by  compressed 
air.  The  ore-column  is  15A  ft.  high.  Formerly,  with  a 
column  of  12  to  14  ft.,  the  furnace  was  fed  through  a 
set  of  chutes  delivering  below  the  level  of  the  feed-floor. 
The  openings  in  the  furnace  on  this  floor  were  confined 
to  end-doors  through  which  barring-off  was  done.  Only 
two  furnaces  are  now  in  operation.  With  the  increased 
delivery  of  flotation-concentrate,  and  the  higher  effi- 
ciency and  lower  cost  of  the  coal-dust  fired  reverbera- 
tories,  it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  the  coarse  ore 
will  be  crushed  and  smelted  in  reverberatories. 

Slag  flows  continuously  into  10-ton  slag-cars,  operat- 
ing in  a  tunnel  below  the  floor-level.  Matte  is  tapped  to 
10-ton  ladles  as  required  by  the  converters. 

Alongside  the  blast-furnaces  are  six  reverberatories. 
four  of  which  are  112  by  19  ft.,  one  is  112  by  204.  ft., 
and  another  is  120  by  204.  ft.,  with  an  average  capacity 
of  460  tons  each  of  ore  and  concentrate  per  day. 

Concentrate  is  prepared  for  the  reverberatories  in  34 
roasting-furnaces  having  a  capacity  of  about  2400  tons 
per  day.  Sixteen  are  6-hearth  MeDougalls,  18  ft.  diam. 
Fourteen  are  6-hearth  MeDougalls,  194  ft.  diam.,  and 
four  are  7-heartb  Herreshoflfjs,  19i  ft.  diam.  All  are  18J 
ft.  high,  and  have  air-cooled  shafts  and  arms. 

Larry  cars  operating  on  tracks  over  the  reverbera- 
tories bring  the  calcine  from  the  roasting-plant  in  tin 
charge-hoppers  of  the  reverberatories.  Part  of  the  fur- 
naces are  charged  from  hoppers  on  the  centre-line  of  the 
furnace,  and  part  through  slots  along  the  walls.  The 
best  results  have  been  obtained  by  a  combination  of  the 
two  methods  and  it  is  intended  to  equip  all  furnaces 
with  central  hoppers  and  side-slots. 

Although  the  plant  was  equipped  with  an  elaborate 
oil-firing  plant,  the  furnaces  are  now  fired  by  coal-dust. 
Utah  slack-coal  is  now  used  on  the  four  furnaces  in 
operation.  It  is  received  in  gondola-cars  and  dumped  to 
bins  near  the  ground-level,  from  which  it  is  taken  to  a 
60-ft.  Power  &  Mining  Machinery  cylindrical  dryer, 
having  a  capacity  of  225  tons  per  day.  Moisture  is  re- 
duced from  8  to  1%.  An  elevator  and  belt-conveyor  de- 
liver to  bins  over  four  Raymond  pulverizers  and 
vacuum-separators,  which  grind  the  coal  so  that  90% 
passes  100-mesh.  The  vacuum  system  lifts  the  coal  to 
screw-conveyors,  which  deliver  to  the  coal-hoppers  above 
the  furnaces.  The  coal  is  fed  to  Sturtevant  burners  by 
the  usual  methods. 

The  air  in  the  furnace  clears  rapidly  as  the  flue-end 


is  approached,  and  combustion  is  perfect.  There  is  no 
trouble  from  ash-blankets  on  the  charge,  nor  is  the 
draught  through  the  waste-heat  boilers  impeded.  Three 
Stirling  boilers  are  arranged  in  parallel  in  each  reverher- 
atory  flue.  About  400  horse-power  is  generated  at  each 
furnace. 

The  system  lias  given  excellent  satisfaction.  Furnace- 
capacity  has  been  increased  and  the  fuel-ratio  decreased 
to  7:1.  The  minor  advantages  are  many.  The  total 
consumption  of  coal  is  300  tons  per  day  for  the  four  fur- 
naces, which  in  1915  averaged  459  tons  of  charge  per 
day  each.  The  oil-burning  equipment  is  maintained  at 
full  efficiency  as  a  reserve.  In  ease  of  trouble  with  the 
coal  firing  apparatus,  it  is  only  necessary  to  swing  in  the 
oil-burners  and  continue  firing  without  interruption.  So 
far  no  serious  accidents  have  occurred.  Care  is  taken  to 
keep  the  pulverized  coal  in  small  units,  and  watch  is 
kept  for  incipient  fires,  which  have  been  easily  and 
quickly  extinguished. 

Slag  is  tapped  from  the  furnaces  once  per  shift,  8  to 
10  pots  at  a  time.  It  is  taken  to  the  dump  by  steam- 
Locomotives.  About  1200  tons  per  day  is  made.  Matte 
is  tapped  from  near  the  fire-end  into  10-ton  ladles. 

The  coal-pulverizing  plant,  blast-furnaces,  and  rever- 
beratories are  strung  out  in  a  row  along  one  side  of  the 
main  building,  which  is  840  ft.  long.  3054  ft.  wide,  and 
92  ft.  high.  In  the  south-east  corner  are  the  blast- 
furnaces. At  the  west  end  of  the  south  side  are  the 
reverberatories.  On  the  north  side  opposite  the  blast- 
furnaces are  six  converter-stands.  Three  60-ton  Shaw 
cranes  operating  in  a  60-ft.  aisle  serve  the  furnaces  and 
converters. 

The  converters  are  of  the  Pierce  &  Smith,  horizontal 
barrel,  type,  lined  with  magnesite  brick.  They  are  10 
by  24  ft.  outside  measurement,  and  7  by  21  ft.  inside. 
There  are  :;7  U-in.  tuyeres  on  each  converter.  Tilting 
is  by  means  of  a  hydraulic  piston  operating  a  cable 
wrapped  around  the  converters.  The  charge  to  the  con- 
verters consists  of  120  tons  of  matte  and  30  tons  of 
silicious  ore  from  Tintic.  Three  converters  are  in  opera- 
tion, producing  about  60  tons  of  blister  copper  per  day 
each.  Slag  is  taken  by  cars  to  a  easting-machine,  making 
cakes  60  by  17  by  4  in.,  which  discharge  automatically 
after  cooling  into  bins  or  chutes  delivering  to  railroad- 
cars,  which  are  hauled  to  the  blast-furnace  bins  at  a 
higher  level. 

Copper  is  handled  by  ladle  aud  crane  to  an  oil-fired 
cylinder,  from  which  the  pouring  ladle  is  filled.  There 
are  two  Walker  casting  machines.  24  ft.  diam.,  carrying 
26  molds.  The  cast-copper,  99.1%  pure,  is  shipped  to 
Perth  Amboy  or  Baltimore  for  refining. 

Independent  flues  are  arranged  for  blast-furnace, 
roaster,  reverberatory,  and  converter  gases.  The  blast- 
furnace flue  consists  of  three  sections.  One  is  of  brick, 
2300  ft.  long  and  a  cross-section  of  320  sq.  ft. ;  another  is 
of  steel,  620  ft.  long,  with  a  eross-section  of  215  sq.  ft. : 
and  the  third  is  of  brick,  600  ft.  long  and  215  sq.  ft.  in 
cross-section.  Gases  from  the  blast-furnace  pass  through 
the  flue  to  a  dust-chamber,  300  ft.  long  and  920  sq.  ft.  in 


.luh    B,   l"l<; 


MINING  and  Scientific    PRE.SS 


The  chamber  baa  Iw  ctiona  Bud  one 

on  hunt;  with  \ «- rt i .-n t  wins  at  intervals  of  1. 

md   provided   with  a   mechanical  shaking  device. 

From  the  dust-chamber  the  gases  pan  to  a  new  brick 

■tack, '-''.'  ft  diameter  at  tin-  top,  and  350  ft  high,  or  i 30 

ft  above  the  furnace-floor. 

The  Sue  from  the  roasting  furnaces,  made  of  brick,  is 
1600  ft  long  and  320  sq,  ft  in  section.  Roaster-gas  a 
.ir nducted  to  the  old  stack,  which  is  of  brick,  30  ft. 

top  diameter,  and  300  ft  high  or  500  ft  above  the 
floor  "i"  the  reverberatory  furnaces,  this  stack  receiving 

from  the  latter  also,  after  they  have  passed  through 
tlit-  waste-heal  boilers  by  means  of  a  l»ri«-k  flue  of  which 
1200  ft  baa  a  section  of  :t-°  wj.  ft,  and  775  ft  a  section 

1  s<|.  ft  Gases  from  the  converters  pass  through 
900  t't.  of  steel  One,  "Jl'T  sq.  t't.  in  section,  to  the  Cottrell 
plant.  After  treatment  in  this  plant  they  pass  to  the 
nru  stack.  The  Cottrell  plant  receives  only  gases  from 
the  converters;  they  can  be  handled  al  the  rate  of  250,- 
000  cu.  ft.  per  minute,  in  a  chamber  having  a  cross- 
section  of  1775  sq.  ft.  and  105  ft.  long,  in  which  are  2500 
"i-in  pipes.  1(1  ft.  long.  The  pipes  are  arranged  in  seven 
sections  of  360  each.  No.  10  iron  wire  is  used  for  dis- 
charge-electrodes, which  cany  a  voltage  of  25,000.  The 
power  consumed  is  60  to  80  k\v.  Several  tons  of  fume 
daily  are  recovered  thai  "ill  assay  over  50%  lead.  The 
fume  is  removed  from  the  pipes  by  shutting  off  the  gas 
from  each  section  in  turn,  and  striking  the  pipes  with 
swinging  hammers  operated  by  a  lever  at  the  side.  This 
equipment  was  the  first  of  the  multiple-pipe  type,  and 
has  smaller  tubes  and  a  lower  voltage  than  is  the  practice 
in  later  equipments.  The  high  content  in  lead,  the  varia- 
tion in  the  gas  analysis,  and  the  high  temperature,  alone 
or  together,  prevented  the  use  of  a  bag-house,  even  with 
the  aid  of  some  neutralizing  method,  as  it  was  impossible 
i"  feed  the  neutralizing  agent  automatically.  In  blowing 
leady  matte  it  has  been  the  custom  to  waste  the  lead. 
The  application  of  the  Cottrell  process  in  the  recovery  of 
this  lea.l  is.  therefore,  of  especial  interest.  An  interest- 
ing description  of  the  plant  and  the  tests  that  led  to  its 
adoption  may  be  found  in  the  Transactions  of  the  A.  I. 
M.  E.,  Vol.  XLIX.  page  540.  It  was  written  by  W.  H. 
Howard,  consulting  metallurgist  to  the  company. 

EXPORTS  from  the  United  States  increased  from 
.fl'. 4*4.000,000  in  1913  to  $3,555,000,000  in  1915,  which 
is  a  gain  of  more  than  a  billion  dollars  over  a  former 
total  of  about  24  billion  dollars.  "Astonishing  as  it  may 
seem,"  states  the  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and 
Domestic  Commerce,  "the  increase  in  the  export  of 
munitions  of  war  has  been  less  than  the  gain  in  sec- 
ondary war-supplies;  while  the  largest  increase  has 
been  in  materials  that  have  no  direct  relation  to  the 
activities  of  belligerent  nations."  Exports  from  the 
United  States  to  South  America  increased  32% ;  those 
to  Central  America  34%  ;  to  Africa  51% ;  to  Asia  135%  ; 
to  Australia  17% ;  and  to  Canada  23%.  One  of  the 
greatest  gains  that  American  industry  is  making  in  trade 
with  foreign  countries  is  that  of  good-will. 


Determination  of  Antimony 

By  Haral  R.  Layng 

Tie-  following  method  is  a  modification  <>(  a  pri 

published    III   till'   appendix   of    l.nue's  book.      The   modi 

lied  method  has  been  used  by  me  in  making  over  L500 

determinations  of  antimony  contai 1  in  ores,  alloys, 

ami  compounds,  and  it  is  the  result  of  numerous  experi- 
mental testa  The  application  of  this  method  will  enable 
a  chemist  to  make  as  man]   as  50  determinations  in  a 

day.      The   method   produces  reliable   results  on   samples 

containing  arsenic  or  tin,  and  in  this  reaped  it  differs 

greatly   from  the  unmodified   thod,  which   is  quit.-  no 

trustworthy  in  the  ease  of  samples  containing  arsei ' 

tin.      In  order  to  produce  reliable  results  it    is  neecssan 

to  follow  the  method  closely. 
Soluble  Substances  (alloys  and  sulphides).    Place 

J  gm.  of  the  liliely  pulverized  sample  in  a  dry  3(10  ee. 
tall  glass  beaker;  add  25  cc.  hydrochloric  acid  and  line 
mine  solution  (20  cc.  of  Br  dissolved  in  500  cc.  HC1) ; 
cover  with  watch-glass  and  heat  until  the  solution  is 
complete,  being  careful  always  to  have  bromine  present 
during  the  solution  of  the  metal.  Heat  to  boiling  for  a 
few  minutes  to  drive  off  the  excess  of  bromine.  Cool  to 
room  temperature,  add  carefully  8  gm.  (measured  to 
within  i  gm.  will  answer  for  most  purposes)  of  pure 
dry  anhydrous  sodium  sulphite,  then  add  25  cc.  hydro- 
chloric acid  in  such  a  manner  as  to  rinse  the  sides  of  the 
beaker.  Cover  with  a  watch-glass  and  place  on  stove, 
producing  a  heat  sufficient  to  maintain  the  temperature 
of  the  assay  at  108  to  109°C.  When  the  assay  has  had 
exactly  50  minutes  of  such  heat  treatment  add  40  fr. 
boiling  hot  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  (T  part  IIC1  to  2 
parts  ILO)  and  continue  heating  for  five  minutes. 
Rinse  the  bottom  of  the  watch-glass  and  the  sides  of  the 
beaker  with  as  little  hot  water  as  is  necessary,  add  4 
drops  of  methyl  orange  solution  (-/,T  gm.  to  100  cc.  ILO) 
and  titrate  the  nearly  boiling  hot  assay  with  a  standard 
solution  of  potassium  bromate,  adding  the  bromate  solu- 
tion as  rapidly  as  possible,  avoiding  such  a  rapid  addi- 
tion as  will  cause  localization  of  reactions,  stirring  vigor- 
ously all  the  while ;  continue  the  rapid  addition  of  the 
bromate  until  the  pink  color  of  the  assay  begins  to  fade ; 
then  proceed  more  slowly,  finally  finishing  the  titration 
drop  by  drop,  stirring  vigorously  meanwhile.  The  end 
point  is  the  disappearance  of  the  last  trace  of  pink  color- 
ation, or,  in  the  absence  of  color-forming  substances, 
such  as  salts  of  iron,  the  assay  liquid  is  water-white.  In 
the  absence  of  iron  or  like  salts,  a  yellow  colored  solution 
indicates  that  the  titration  is  overdone. 

Standardize  the  potassium  bromate  solution  against 
pure  pulverized  metallic  antimony,  proceeding  with  the 
method  exactly  as  before  stated.  The  standards  should 
check  exactly.  Run  blanks  on  the  chemicals,  using  the 
same  amounts  and  proceeding  exactly  as  in  the  ease  of 
the  sample.  The  blanks  sometimes  require  as  much  as 
■fV  ce.  potassium  bromate  solution   (1  cc.  of  KBrO^  = 


58 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


5  mg.  Sb),  depending  upon  the  chemicals  used.  The 
bromate  solution  should  be  standardized  often,  and  for 
particular  work  when  the  stove  does  not  give  a  steady 
heat  the  standards  should  be  run  with  each  batch  of 
assays  placed  on  the  stove.  For  ordinary  work  when  an 
electric  stove  is  used  the  solution  does  not  require  stand- 
ardizing more  often  than  once  in  three  or  four  days. 
The  titration  is  based  on  the  following  reaction : 

KBr03  +  3SbCl3  +  6HC1  =  3SbCl5  +  KBr  +  3H20 
The  excess  of  potassium  bromate,  to  finish  the  titra- 
tion, oxidizes  the  methyl  orange  indicator,  thereby  de- 
stroying the  pink  coloration  due  to  the  action  of  methyl 
orange  with  hydrochloric  acid.  The  standard  potassium 
bromate  solution  contains  2.191  gm.  KBr03  per  1000  cc. 
H,0  (lcc.  =  5mg.  Sb). 

Lnboluble  Products  (oxidized  ores).  Place  J  gm.  of 
tin-  finely  pulverized  sample  in  a  20  cc.  porcelain  cru- 
cible containing  about  6  gm.  of  an  equal  mixture  of 
sulphur  and  sodium  carbonate;  mix  well  and  cover  the 
mixture  with  about  2  gm.  of  the  sodium  and  sulphur 
flux.  Cover  witli  a  porcelain  cap  and  heat  gently  until 
the  mass  is  fused ;  do  not  prolong  the  heating.  Con- 
siderable experience  is  required  to  conduct  this  fusion 
method  and  I  would  advise  that  its  use  should  be  pre- 
ceded by  a  number  of  experiments  in  order  to  obtain 
knowledge  of  the  proper  temperature  at  which  to  con- 
duct (he  fusion.  High  heat  or  prolonged  heat  causes 
Considerable  loss  of  antimony,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
insufficient  heat  or  time  causes  low  results.  Dissolve  the 
fused  mass  with  hot  water;  filter  from  solids;  heat  the 
filtrate  to  near  boiling  and  add  sufficient  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid  (HC1  +  211,0)  to  render  the  assay  slightly 
acid.  The  mixture  is  stirred  for  a  moment  and  allowed 
to  stand  warm  with  occasional  stirring,  to  coagulate  the 
precipitate  of  antimony  sulphide,  for  about  10  minutes; 
add  a  little  H2S  water  and  filter,  using  preferably  an 
alundum  filter-cone.  Wash  with  11,8  water.  Rinse  the 
precipitate  from  the  filter  into  the  300  cc.  tall  beaker 
that  originally  held  it  with  as  little  hot  water  contain- 
ing traces  of  IPS  as  possible;  decant  the  excess  of  water 
nun,  the  precipitate  in  the  beaker.  Drive  off  the  balance 
of  the  water  from  the  beaker  by  means  of  moderate 
heating,  finally  finishing  on  a  water-bath.  Place  the 
beaker  containing  the  almost  dry  precipitate  under  the 
funnel  containing  the  filter  with  its  traces  of  antimony 
sulphide  and  pour  25  cc.  warm  hydrochloric  acid  and 
bromine  solution  through  the  filter  little  by  little  to  dis- 
solve traces  of  antimony ;  then  continue  to  treat  the  assay 
according  to  the  procedure  customary  with  soluble  ores 
as  described  previously. 

Remarks.  It  is  unnecessary  to  filter  from  insoluble 
residue  or  free  sulphur  unless  their  presence  is  so 
marked  that  they  obscure  the  .titration.  Small  amounts 
of  iron  do  not  interfere.  If  iron  is  present  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  obscures  the  end-point  or  bleaches  the 
methyl  orange  indicator  it  will  be  necessary  to  remove 
it  by  precipitating  the  antimony  as  a  sulphide  and  filter- 
ing off  the  iron  solution ;  in  such  a  ease  proceed  to  get  a 


practically  dry  antimony  sulphide  precipitate  and  treat 
it  just  as  if  it  were  the  sulphide  from  the  fusion.  With 
practice  an  operator  will  be  able  to  conduct  the  titration 
without  removing  the  iron,  in  cases  of  samples  contain- 
ing as  much  as  10r;  iron.  The  antimonious  chloride  and 
methyl  orjfcige  are  oxidized  by  the  potassium  bromate 
before  the  ferrous  chloride  is  attacked.  Zinc,  lead, 
arsenic,  or  tin  do  not  interfere.  The  arsenic  and  tin  are 
volatilized  during  the  50-min.  period  of  heating  the  solu- 
tion containing  sodium  sulphite.  Some  antimony  is 
volatilized  during  this  period  but  its  loss  in  this  manner, 
which  is  constant,  only  amounts  to  3  mg.  when  500  mg. 
of  antimony  is  present,  which  loss  is  corrected  by  the 
standardization.  In  cases  where  extreme  accuracy  is 
desired,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  have  present  the  same 
amount  of  antimony  in  the  standards  as  is  present  in  the 
assay,  in  order  to  compensate  for  the  loss  taking  place 
in  volatilization. 

The  determination  of  arsenic  in  the  presence  of  anti- 
mony appears  to  bother  many  chemists,  judging  from  the 
returns  given  by  different  chemists  on  samples  divided 
among  them.  I  have  made  many  experiments  along 
this  line  and  found  that  Lowe's  modification  of  the 
Pierce  method  is  absolutely  reliable. 

The  following  tests,  a  few  of  many  that  I  have  con- 
ducted, were  run  in  duplicate  and  are  given  to  show  the 
value  of  the  method : 

A 


Mg. 

Mg. 

Mg. 

Mg, 

Mg.       Mg 

Gm. 

Min. 

Bro- 

No. 

Sb 

As 

Sn 

Fe 

Zn        Cu 

Na-SO= 

Heat 

mate 

1 

250 

S 

50 

49.6 

2 

" 

50 

8 

59 

49.6 

3 

" 

6 

IS 

49.7 

4 

•• 

50 

6 

45 

50.1 

5 

•• 

3 

45 

49.7 

6 

" 

50 

3 

45 

50.5 

7 

•• 

3 

60 

49.5 

S 

" 

50 

3 

60 

49.75 

9 

50 

100 

B 

8 
10  cc. 

50 

49.6 

10 

200 

25%  Sol 

45 

39.76 

11 

25 

C 

45 

40.8 

12 

8 

50 

10.1 

13 

25 

8 

50 

40.3 

14 

2 

5 

S 

50 

11.6 

15 

50 

8 

50 

40.1 

16 

" 

8 

90 

39.6 

Letters   indicate   that   a   different   standard   solution 
was  used  for  each  series  of  tests. 


Baryta,  or  barite,  has  been  a  bugbear  to  many  oper- 
ators in  Summit  county.  Leadville,  and  in  the  San  Juan. 
Now  a  new  product  called  'lithopone'  is  being  produced 
at  Leadville  by  the  "Western  Zinc  Oxide  Co.,  this  product 
being  a  mixture  of  zinc  oxide  and  barite.  It  forms  a 
pure  white  pigment  that  is  used  as  paint  in  interior 
decorations,  and  to  some  extent  in  the  manufacture  of 
linoleum  and  rubber  goods.  The  market  for  baryta  has 
been  good  for  the  past  year. 


July  -.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PR  [AS 


Mining  in  Utah 


By  L.  O.  Howard 

Dullness  m  the  metal  market  baa  not  diminished 
activity  in  mining  in  tins  State,  Interest  in  sine  >>  in 
ng  The  neoesi  scored  at  Promontory,  where  a 
dividend-paying  mine  was  opened  at  graaa  roota,  baa 
■purred  other  prospectors  with  the  hope  of  finding  'poor 
men 'a'  minea  Zine  ore  haa  been  mined  in  the  san.i 
atones  of  Booth-eastern  Utah,  and  a  few  ears  shipped. 
About  98  miles  weal  of  Suit  Lake,  in  Timpie  canyon 
near  Qrantsville,  then  haa  beau  a  raah  of  prospectors 
for  sino,  and  from  one  mini'  shipments  are  being  made 
that  will  average  abont  '■-',.  In  Boxelder  county,  28 
milis  north  of  Ogden,  50  Ions  of  aino  ore  is  held  for 
shipment  al  one  mine,  and  others  are  being  opened  up. 
This  mine  is  only  Ij  miles  from  an  electric  railway,  ami 
other  facilities  are  said  to  he  available.  Zine  is  also 
known  to  occur  in  the  Santaquin  district,  south  of  Salt. 
Lake  City,  and  development  is  proceeding  there. 

Anions;  the  smaller  operators  much  activity  continues. 
The  Utah  Ore  Sampling  Co.  has  three  plants  at  work. 
The  one  at  Murray  is  sampling  500  tons  of  ore  daily, 
and  another  plant  of  equal  capacity  is  planned.  At 
Silver  City  the  plant  is  crowded  with  ore  from  the  Tin- 
tic  mines.  A  heavy  tonnage  is  also  heing  sampled  at 
Park  City.  Inasmuch  as  a  large  proportion  of  this  ore 
comes  from  the  small  mines,  a  healthy  condition  is  evi- 
dent. 

The  State  Conservation  Commission  announces  that  it 
has  arranged  with  the  University  of  Utah  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  free  information  bureau,  which  will  de- 
termine for  prospectors  the  nature  of  any  ore  or  mineral 
they  may  send.  It  is  not  intended  to  compete  with  regu- 
larly established  assayers  by  making  quantitative  an- 
alyses, but  the  prospector  will  be  aided  in  determining 
if  he  has  found  any  unusual  minerals. 

Tungsten  mining  is  at  a  standstill.  Where  low-grade 
ore  was  being  mined  and  sent  to  custom-mills,  operators 
face  a  decided  loss,  and  several  milling  projects  arc  held 
in  abeyance.  The  ardor  of  the  search  for  profitable  an- 
timony mines  has  cooled,  although  under  reasonably 
favorable  conditions  the  price  is  still  ample  to  permit 
profitable  exploitation.  The  potash  industry  is  flourish- 
ing. The  Mineral  Products  Co.  at  Marysvale  continues 
to  increase  its  production,  while  seeking  to  attain  higher 
extraction.  The  principal  vein  is  said  to  be  opened  for 
a  length  of  1000  ft.,  the  last  800  ft.  of  which  is  20  to  25 
ft.  wide,  and  is  composed  of  nearly  pure  alunite.  The 
Florence  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  has  selected  a  mill-site 
near  the  railroad  and  preliminary  work  has  been  started 
on  a  100-ton  plant  that  is  expected  to  produce  10  to  15 
tons  of  potash  salts  daily.  For  the  present  the  ore  will 
be  hauled  by  teams  from  the  mine,   13  miles   distant. 

During  May  the  Lakeview  mine  shipped  its  usual 
tonnage  of  zinc  ore  from  Promontory.  Indications  are 
that  this  district  will  become  a  producer  of  lead  and 
copper  ores  also.     The  Lakeview  has  done  enough  de- 


valopment  on  its  had  ore-al i  to  commence  ihipmenta 

Another  property  has  opened  a  vein  •  .i   will 

aaaaj   i ■••,   copper,  and  while  tins  average  may  not  be 

maintained    it    is   probable   that    a  good    tonnage   of  ship 

ping  ore  will  be  developed. 
The  uunmer  weather  haa  stimulated  activity  In  out 

lying  portions  of  the    l'ark    City   district    lliat    have   long 

been  idle;  tor  instance,  at  the  American  Flag,  where  a 

new  company  has  hecn  fon i  to  undertake  thorough 

exploration;  also  at  the  Daly  Judge  Extension,  when 

the  Old  workings  are  being  cleared  with  a  view  to  opera 
tioii;   and  at    I  lie   Iowa   Copper,  at   the  head  Of  Thayncs 

canyon,  on  Scott  hill,  near  the  crest  of  the  Big  Cotton- 
wood divide,  which  has  been  made  the  subject  of  a  re- 
organization to  provide  funds  for  development. 

Geologists  of  the  Survey  have  started  a  more  thorough 
study  of  the  Alta-Cottonwood-American  Fork  district. 
V.  K.  Ilintze,  of  the  geological  department  of  Lehigh 
University,  is  associated  with  the  Government  men  in 
the  work.  His  selection  is  a  happy  one,  for  to  him  is  due 
the  only  comprehensive  report  on  the  stratigraphy  and 
structure  of  this  region,  and  his  collaboration  may  be 
expected  to  aid  in  clearing  some  of  the  points  of  differ- 
ence appearing  in  various  descriptions  of  the  district. 
Concerted  effort  by  local  mining  men  is  responsible  for 
the  prompt  beginning  of  this  work.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  publication  of  results  will  follow  as  promptly, 
and  that  these  men  will  not  be  placed  on  other  work  be- 
fore they  have  completed  their  task.  There  appears  to 
be  a  tendency  recently  to  avoid  the  repetition  of  the 
Butte  and  Park  City  blunders,  so  that  the  information 
may  be  expected  to  be  available  before  another  spring. 

D.  C.  Jackling  of  the  Utah  Copper  has  announced  that 
in  two  or  three  weeks  work  is  to  begin  on  the  first  2500- 
ton  unit  of  the  long-expected  leacbing-plant.  Details  of 
the  process  are  withheld,  but  it  is  known  that  sulphuric 
acid  will  be  provided  by  the  plant  that  is  being  built  to 
utilize  the  Garfield  smelter-smoke.  About  40,000,000 
tons  of  oxidized  ore  containing  1%  copper  is  available 
for  treatment. 

The  overloading  of  the  lead  smelters  has  resulted  in  a 
demand  from  them  that  Tintic  shipments  be  curtailed. 
The  large  producing  mines  will  probably  confine  their 
shipments  to  the  better  class  of  ore.  The  Eagle  &  Blue 
Bell  was  first  forced  to  reduoe  shipments  from  150  to 
100  tons  daily,  and  later  to  50  tons.  The  Mammoth  and 
Chief  Consolidated  have  also  had  to  curtail.  Many  min- 
ers have  been  laid-off,  but  as  many  as  possible  are  being 
employed  on  additional  development  work.  The  Cen- 
tennial-Bureka,  owned  by  the  United  States  Smelting 
company,  will  continue  to  ship  at  a  maximum  rate. 

Shipments  from  Big  Cottonwood  canyon  arc  still  cur- 
tailed owing  to  the  slowness  of  contractors  in  improving 
the  road.  It  happens  that  the  part  that  is  causing  de- 
lay was  a  typical  mining  operation,  so  that  an  effort  to 
do  the  work  cheaply  has  delayed  transportation  and 
hampered  the  mining  companies  unnecessarily.  It  is 
evident  now  that  it  would  have  been  better  for  the  min- 
ing companies  to  do  this  portion  of  the  work  themselves. 


60 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,   1H16 


Blasting  Practice  at  Chuquicamata,  Chile 


By  Howard  W.  Moore 


The  disseminated  ore  at  this  mine  is  found  in  coarse 
grano-diorite.  The  mineralization  is  chiefly  along  the 
planes  of  fracture,  but  it  has  impregnated  the  entire 
country-rock.  The  important  minerals  are :  chalcanthite 
(CuS04)  5ELO;  brochantite  (CuSOJ  3Cu(OH)2i 
krohnkite  ( _'uSOl.N'a,S04.2H20 ;  pisantite  (FeCu)  S04. 
7H20 :  and  atacamite  t'u..ClH.:0.1.  The  average  copper 
content  of  the  ore  is  1.65%.  Steam-shovel  benches  40  to 
100  ft.  high  have  been  laid  out  parallel  with  the  long  axis 
of  the  orebody  on  a  3%  grade. 

The  first  method  of  breaking  the  ore  involved  the  use 
of  vertical  churn-drill  holes,  set  in  rows  that  were  40  to 
50  ft.  apart,  with  the  holes  in  each  row  about  25  ft. 
apart.  These  holes  were  drilled  to  a  depth  a  few  feet 
below  the  grade  of  the  shovel-bench  and  'sprung'  five  to 
seven  times  with  60%,  or  sometimes  75%.  dynamite.  A 
chamber  6  to  8  ft.  diameter  was  formed  by  this  spring- 
ing, ami  the  chambers  were  then  loaded  for  the  final 
shot.  The  cost  of  this  drilling  proved  so  excessive  that 
it  was  abandoned,  and  blasting  is  now  done  by  means  of 
tunnels,'  a  method  found  more  successful  and  econom- 
ical than  the  original  practice.  The  churn-drilling  cost 
about  $9.80  per  foot,  while  the  tunnel-work,  including 


sinking,  cross-cutting,  and  driving,  is  costing  only  $5 
per  foot,  and  all  of  this  work  is  accomplished  by  hand- 
drilling. 

The  tunneling  is  done  with  considerable  precision. 
Shafts  are  sunk  in  several  well-chosen  parts  of  the  ore- 
body,  to  a  depth  of  3  metres  below  the  grade  of  the 
shovel-bench.  From  the  bottom  of  these  shafts,  cross- 
cuts are  run  parallel  with  the  short  axis  of  the  orebody, 
and  drifts  are  extended  from  the  cross-cuts  parallel  with 
the  long  axis  of  the  orebody,  and  about  15  metres  apart. 
These  drifts  receive  the  charges  of  explosive ;  the  method 
of  loading  is  represented  in  Fig.  1.  Beginning  at  a  face 
of  the  drift,  10-metre  centres  are  measured  for  the 
powder  chambers,  aud  the  charges  are  calculated  for 
each  chamber  by  means  of  cross-sections  through  these 
centres,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  By  plotting  the  cross- 
aection  to  scale,  and  drawing  the  line  of  least  resistance, 
it  has  been  found  by  practice  that  approximately  46:! 
lb.  of  black  powder  should  be  used  for  every  metre  as 
measured  on  this  line  of  least  resistance.  For  dynamite 
of  60%  strength,  this  figure  should  be  divided  by  2.64. 

The  powder  is  loaded  in  sacks  of  100  lb.  each.  It  may 
be  loaded  in   cans,   but  is  naturally  more  compact  if 


-Shovel  Bench 


-Broken  Rock,  well  Tamped.  -* 
,-  Ponder. 


j.'»;o7  olfc: 

'  '-\  -4  ti.  Concrete  Wall 


4,  a."^'-^-.  f        --■,  Broken  Rock,  well  tamped.  -N 
^''i°&:°:^i.        /,- Powder.  )   r-Powder 

y-,-.a::;<k.^  ■'.-;      .,, .     .■-   .,-.-    o..  .,-■,.-- _-:       ■■-.-    .■    ,  ,,< 


rig.  /. 


Plan  or  Tunnel  Blcrsflncj,  Chuquiccrmcrr-cx,  Chile . 


-    1916 


MINING  tod  Scienlin<    I'KI  SS 


t.t 


ii>*  493 m  p*'  *****  .Mwn^*»  .    *  *ft*ma*  ngj 

*********  ***  &*c*  r>r**i*r 

Ufe  yr  '•*  *"'  '"*,r+  ^***»**ww 

-r  *r  4C%P^  ■ 

4**rwf*  a******  of  9»mc*  •******■  »*+,*•  A  Jf*> 
p*r  tufrt  m*fr* 
On*  cu*<  m*tr*  roc*  -  t&J  **» 
4v*rag*  mmcunt  Btock  to*Kl*e  ***** p*r  fpn  -  04S. 


■J* **  ■    r  S 


.■.-**.-»«•  Ami  '■ 

"^ ' 


rig  2 


--*>  *  If  Ultras " 

Mftftoa  of  Calculating  f^atyc/er  Charae 


X, 


Method  of  Loading  TUnnmt  for  Blasting 


1 


■■ 


At $t**>*rfr\L>r  -   ['  J''.  '•  "'.    '-  v 


i)I»wrt 


■ 


~VV>    -.7"'"V 


60%Dynamite.  I 


^ 


Transformers .  -  I  tin  -  Alternating  Current.  Single  Phase  -110  Volt. 

Caps:  in  Series  Tero  Series 

Wire,  SV/S  or  14  B.&S  Gauge  Rubber  Insula  tea 

Amperage  require**  for  20  Caps,  —  0*75  Amp 

Volts  required  for  20  Caps,-  110  rolls. 

Ohms  resistance  of I  Cap  ana  9  metres  of  fuse  erire-  2.00  Ohms 

Diagram  for  Tunnel  Blasts 


Fig.  4-. 


IKw  Nil. 
Transformer. 


IKrr.  «f! 
Transformer. 


loaded  in  sacks.  The  interstices  between  the  saeks  are 
filled  with  sand  or  any  kind  of  convenient  packing.  In 
the  centre  of  the  charge,  two  boxes  of  60%  dynamite  are 
placed,  which  Berve  as  the  'primers.'  One  electric  cap 
is  carefully  connected  with  each  box  of  dynamite,  and 
tin-  lead-wires  are  carried  from  the  primers,  along  the 
floor  of  tin-  drift,  in  grooved  stringers  (  2  by  3-in.  ma- 
terial with  i-in.  groove)  provided  with  J-in.  covers  care- 
tolly  nailed-down  after  the  wires  are  in  place.  A  cross- 
sect  inn  through  the  centre  of  the  charge  is  shown  in  Fig. 
:i.     The  lead-wires  and  stringers  are  cut  long  enough  to 

reach  from  '» harge  to  the  next,  and  after  the  chamber 

has  received  its  charge  of  powder,  broken  rock  is  filled-in 
closely  from  wall  to  wall  and  from  floor  to  roof.  Charg- 
ing of  tie-  other  chambers  is  done  in  a  similar  manner. 

It  will  In-  noticed  that  two  separate  series  are  carried. 
This  is  done  to  prevent  a  misfire,  which  might  result 
from  a  broken  circuit  in  one  or  the  other  series.  Each 
Belies  is  on  a  different  transformer.  Prom  careful  ex- 
periments it  was  found  that  for  a  series  of  20  caps,  a 
current  carrying  0.75  amperes  under  110  volts  should 
be  used  for  a  successful  'fire.'  Each  cap  showed  a  re- 
sistance of  about  2  ohms,  that  is,  the  cap  plus  about  30 
ft.  of  fuse-wire.  The  present  practice  of  wiring  a  charge 
is  shown  in  Fig.  4. 

After  the  drift  is  loaded,  the  cross-cut  leading  from 
this  ilrift  back  to  the  other  workings,  is  filled  with 
broken  rock  to  within  4  metres  of  the  first  drift  back. 
At  this  point  a  solid  concrete  bulk-head  is  put  in,  not  so 


much  because  of  the  resistance  it  affords,  as  to  seal  her- 
metically the  workings  back  of  the  shot,  for  preventing 
the  filtration  of  gases  after  the  explosion.  The  handling 
of  such  large  quantities  of  explosive  is  somewhat  haz- 
ardous, but  the  work  is  so  systematically  and  carefully 
superintended  that,  to  date,  no  accidents  have  occurred 
through  carelessness. 

[The  first  method  tried  and  discarded,  that  of  vertical 
churn-drill  holes,  is  used  successfully  at  the  Nevada 
Consolidated  copper  mines,  where  the  ore  is  softer  than 
at  Chuquicamata. — Editor.] 


Iron-ore  mined  in  the  United  States  in  1915  amounted 
to  55,526,490  tons,  worth  $101,288,984  for  the  55,493,100 
tons  shipped.  This  is  the  greatest  output  in  any  year 
save  1910  and  1913,  and  14,000,000  tons  more  than  in 
1914.  The  average  value  was  $1.83  per  ton,  according 
to  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  There  were  27  produc- 
ing States,  some  of  them  for  flux  only.  Minnesota  led 
with  33,464,660  tons,  Michigan  produced  12,514,516 
tons.  Alabama  5,309,354  tons,  Wisconsin  with  1,095,388 
tons,  and  New  York  with  998,845  tons.  Taking  the  dis- 
tricts, Lake  Superior  produced  85%,  and  Birmingham 
8.5%.  Seven  mines — including  the  Mahoning,  Hull- 
Rust,  and  Red  Mountain — yielded  over  1,000,000  tons 
each.  2.311,940,  2.307.195,  and  2,138,015  tons  respec- 
tively. The  ratio  of  pig-iron  to  iron  ore  was  53.15%. 
The  output  of  iron  was  29,916,213  tons,  worth  $13.21 
per  ton  at  furnaces. 


62 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  8.  line 


CONCENTRATES 

Readers  of  the  MIXING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  invited  (o  ask  questions 
and  iive  information  dealing  trilh  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the 
practice  o/  mining,  milling,  and  smelting. 


Brass  as  now  made  for  cartridges  contains  from  67% 
copper  and  33%  zinc  to  71%  copper  and  29  r7  zinc. 


Water-power  of  the  world  is  estimated  at  700,000,000 
horse-power;  21%  in  Africa,  21%  in  North  America, 
14%  in  South  America.  32%  in  Asia,  2%  in  Australia, 
and  10%  in  Europe. 

Cost  of  development  in  the  Hollinger  mine,  Ontario, 
is  as  follows :  diamond-drilling,  $1.60  per  ft. ;  cross- 
cutting,  $6.40;  shaft-sinking,  $42.32;  driving,  $10.10; 
raising,  $16.17,  and  winzing,  $39.20.  These  costs  are 
low  for  the  district,  notably  those  for  diamond-drilling 
ami  cross-cutting. 

Nails  driven  in  wood  that  is  exposed  to  alternate 
wetting  and  drying  are  likely  to  work  out.  The  wetting 
swells  the  wood  and  moves  the  nail,  which  does  not  re- 
turn to  its  original  position  when  the  timber  dries.  It  is 
for  this  reason  that  timber  structures  bolted  together 
and  exposed  to  weather  require  screwing  up  at  intervals. 


Silver  ore  at  the  Rosario  mine,  Honduras,  averaged 
16.97  oz.  per  ton  in  1915.  In  recovering  87.45%  of  this 
there  was  used  3.93  lb.  of  sodium  cyanide,  0.211  lb.  of 
lead  acetate,  35.5  lb.  of  lime,  3.58  lb.  of  tube-mill  pebbles, 
and  0.98  lb.  of  zinc-dust  per  ton  of  ore  treated  (323  tons 
daily). 

Five  hundred  and  two  feet  of  advance  in  one  month 
was  made  last  January  in  the  Tiger  adit  (8  by  9  ft.) 
of  the  Burma  Mines  Corporation  by  Chinese  miners, 
under  white  shift-bosses,  using  three  Leyner-Ingersoll 
drills  at  the  face  and  mule  traction  up  to  a  length  of  6000 
ft.    The  rock  is  rhyolite. 


Manganese  steel,  as  the  term  is  used  commercially, 
is  a  hard,  tough,  ductile  steel.  But  sudden  cooling  from 
a  heated  condition  is  apt  to  make  this  steel  too  ductile, 
while  slow  cooling  makes  it  brittle.  It  is  used  for  such 
purposes  as  parts  for  rock-crushers  and  dredges,  but  is 
not  suitable  for  the  largest  castings.  The  proportion  of 
manganese  is  about  12%,  with  carbon  1£%. 


Electric  hoists  of  two  types  are  used  by  the  Cleve- 
land-Cliffs Iron  Co.  They  are  the  direct-current  hoist 
operated  by  the  Ilgner  system,  and  the  induction-motor- 
driven  hoist.  Induction  motors*  directly  geared  to  the 
hoist,  are  used  where  the  ore  can  be  hoisted  in  loads  as 
small  as  three  tons,  at  a  speed  as  low  as  1000  ft.  per 
minute.  Where  a  greater  product  is  required,  the  Ilgner 
system  is  employed.  With  a  larger  generating-station, 
however,  greater  induction  motors  could  be  used.     It  is 


stated  that  in  designing  hoists  for  electric  drive  it  is 
desirable  to  make  the  rope  speed  as  low  as  possible, 
rather  increasing  the  weight  of  the  live  load  as  necessary, 
than  going  to  high  speeds  with  light  loads. 


LeachlvgVui.ing  at  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  will  be  in 
operation  during  July.  The  process  involves  the  use  of 
ammonia  supplied  by  the  Semet-Solvay  company  of 
Syracuse,  which  makes  the  liquor  from  by-product  coke 
manufacture.  Two  thousand  tons  of  tailing  is  to  be 
treated  daily,  the  cycle  of  operations  to  occupy  96  hours. 
Eight  vats  54  ft.  diam.  by  12  ft.  high,  holding  1000  tons 
each,  are  part  of  the  plant. 


Stronger  detonators  than  formerly  are  being  used, 
because  the  slight  extra  cost  is  many  times  repaid  by 
the  better  explosion  obtained  in  the  charge.  Suppose, 
for  instance,  that  three  sticks  of  powder  in  a  hole  are 
fired  by  a  weak  detonator,  No.  3.  The  detonator  will  un- 
doubtedly cause  sufficient  impulse  to  explode  the  first 
stick.  The  explosion  of  this  will  be  communicated  to  the 
second,  and  thence  to  the  third,  and  the  whole  charge 
will  apparently  explode.  Yet  among  the  resultant  gases, 
there  can  probably  be  detected  fumes  such  as  are  caused 
when  an  explosive  burns  rather  than  entirely  detonates. 
The  miner  speaks  of  the  powder  as  having  'burnt.'  If 
instead  of  a  No.  3  detonator,  a  No.  8  were  used,  the  in- 
itial impulse  would  be  transmitted  right  to  the  extreme 
end  of  the  charge,  instead  of  being  passed  from  cartridge 
to  cartridge.  When  the  explosion  has  to  be  passed  from 
cartridge  to  cartridge,  it  is  possible  that  toward  the  end 
of  the  charge  the  impulse  is  so  diminished  in  force  as  not 
to  create  that  instantaneous  transformation  which  is 
necessary  for  the  best  result.  Detonation  in  such  a  case 
approaches  the  nature  of  combustion,  and  unexploded 
sticks  of  dynamite  may  be  left  in  the  holes. 


Eucalyptus  is  a  genus  of  tree  indigenous  to 
Australia,  and  called  there  'gum-trees,'  by  reason  of 
their  resinous  leaves  and  fibrous  bark.  One  species, 
eucalyptus  globulus,  or  blue  gum,  was  brought  to  Cali- 
fornia over  50  years  ago,  and  it  has  also  been  introduced 
into  southern  Europe,  northern  Africa,  India,  and  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific.  The  eucalypti  are  rapid  in  growth, 
straight,  with  few  branches,  and  generally  reach  a  great 
height,  as  much  as  500  ft.  on  the  Dandenong  range,  in 
Victoria.  An  oil  of  eamphoraceous  odor  is  obtained  by 
aqueous  distillation  of  the  leaves,  and  this  has  been  used 
in  the  making  of  perfumes  and  varnish,  as  well  as  for  the 
flotation  process  in  metallurgical  plants.  In  Australia, 
several  species  of  the  timber  are  employed  extensively 
for  mining  purposes.  The  jarrah  and  karri  are  well 
liked  for  head-fames,  mine-timbering,  and  for  building 
mills.  The  wood  is  hard  and  heavy.  Jarrah  is  nearly 
double  the  weight  of  Oregon  pine,  so  that  a  disadvantage 
is  found  in  paying  freight  for  a  long  haul,  and  it  is 
likely  to  be  short-grained.  The  eucalyptus  in  California 
has  not  as  yet  been  used  much  for  timber  in  mines,  as 
other  woods  of  lighter  weight  and  less  resin  are  available. 


Juh   t)    1916 


MI\IV.    ud   Sdentlh.     |'|<1  SS 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 

Ai  awn  ui  nV  MNrld'i  frwl  mining  cMUra  i.mh. 


LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 

AXOTUES  LaBOI    DlAJKAQI    Sillnu      -KmI'IIii.  Zim    a\i>  \Vi-iiii\ 
GOMPAJIII  I'nihiniiM     l\     PlOBPHl     UODM 

i  w.v      DOW  s    T„\\  \   Qhu  i 

What  Is  considered  to  be  the  greatest  mining  venture  ever 
nndertakn  in  the  Leadville  district  is  non  under  way  at  the 

i><  »  Mikado  sh.ui  on  Iron  hill,  as  was  briefly  mentioned  In 
tin-  Pm  o(  June  M.  George  0.  Armiii.  manager  ol  the  Iron 
Silver  Mining  Co.  has  organized  one  of  the  strongest  combina- 
tions that  have  entered  the  district,  and  has  secured  control  of 
a  large  tract  of  valuable  territory  extending  through  Graham 
park  to  Stray  Horse  gulch,  and  along  the  foot  of  Iron  hill. 
The  tract  Includes  eight  full  claims;  the  R.  A,  M.,  Pyrenees, 
Devlin,  and  Cyclops  of  the  Marlon  group,  and  the  Sawtooth, 
Keystone.  Venus,  and  Young  America  comprising  the  Mikado 
group. 

lopment  of  the  property  Is  to  be  carried  on  through  the 
Mikado  shaft,  which  is  1206  ft.  deep.  At  present  it  is  in  poor 
condition,  both  Inside  and  on  the  surface,  requiring  the  in- 
stallation of  a  new  surface  plant  and  re-timbering  throughout 
the  entire  depth.  Water  stands  at  the  SOO-ft.  mark  In  the 
shaft,  making  it  necessary  to  install  good  machinery  as  soon  as 
the  shaft  has  been  repaired  to  the  water-level.  Mr.  Argall  an- 
nounces that  he  Is  prepared  to  fully  equip  the  property  with 
first-class  machinery,  and  make  all  the  necessary  preparations 
in  the  shaft,  an  undertaking  that  is  estimated  to  cost  over 
$300,000. 

Construction  work  at  the  Mikado  has  been  under  way  for 
two  weeks  under  the  direction  of  the  contractor,  Kenneth 
McLean.  The  largest  head-frame  in  the  district  is  being 
erected  over  the  shaft.  It  is  of  four  posts,  60  ft.  high,  with  a 
31  ft.  base.  It  Is  being  constructed  of  the  best  Oregon  fir.  The 
tirsi  and  main  bent  of  the  frame  has  been  hoisted  into  posi- 
tion: the  work  of  assembling  the  secondary  bent  and  supports 
is  progressing  rapidly.  The  completed  frame  will  weigh  more 
than  20  tons. 

Expensive  hoisting  machinery  has  been  ordered  for  instal- 
lation as  soon  as  construction  work  is  finished.  It  is  stated 
that  the  engine  alone  will  cost  $10,000.  Following  the  comple- 
tion of  the  surface  work,  shaft  timbering  will  begin.  Several 
carloads  of  Oregon  fir  square-sets  and  lagging  have  been 
delivered  at  the  property  for  this  work. 

Drainage  of  the  working  and  the  surrounding  basin  from 
the  800-ft.  level  to  the  bottom  of  the  Mikado  shaft  will  be  the 
most  difficult  point  of  the  undertaking.  Many  great  old  stopes 
in  the  sulphide  zone  exist  throughout  this  area,  and  draining 
will  be  comparatively  slow.  Excellent  machinery  has  been 
ordered  for  the  work.  Sinking  of  the  shaft  an  additional  100 
ft.  is  also  planned. 

The  ore-belt  which  is  to  be  explored  through  the  Mikado 
shaft  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  in  the  district.  Several 
years  ago  this  was  the  productive  centre  of  Leadville.  At  that 
time  such  properties  as  the  Maid  of  Erin,  Adams,  Mahala, 
Robert  Emmet,  Wolftone,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Greenback  were 
operating  below  1000-ft.  depth,  and  were  shipping  a  large 
quantity  of  lead-silver  ore.  The  decrease  in  the  value  of  silver 
and  the  low  metal  market  which  prevailed  for  several  years 
following,  caused  these  properties  to  suspend  operations  in  the 
sulphides,  and  those  that  had  no  other  ores  were  forced  to 
close  entirely.     Many  of  these  famous  old   mines  have  been 


Idle    for   >cai».   and    II    ||   (Mill    Ull    lit    KVlTSj    In    the    luelal 

marl. el    thai    has    Opened    another    period    cif   activity    l,,r    Ih.in 

The  lame  orebodlea  formerly  abandoned  are  now  very  valu- 
able and  should  produce  millions  of  dollar*  under  a  oontlnua 
tlon  of  the  ,  :  irable  conditions. 

The   Empire  Zinc  Co..  which    recently   purchased  the   i 

K el   and   other   properties   from    the   Bmall-Hopes-Boreel 

Wining  Co..  has  undertaken  extensive  work  preparatory  to  de- 
veloping the  Immense  bodies  of  sulphide  ore  Known  to  exist 
In  Its  holdings.  This  territory  adjoins  the  Mikado  project  on 
the  north-west.  The  old  .McCormick  shaft  on  the  Result  claim 
is  being  re-timbered  and  a  new  surface  plant  has  been  In- 
stalled, while  extensive  work  is  being  done  through  the 
Emmet  shaft. 

The  Western  Mining  Co.  is  draining  the  Wolftone  shaft  to 
the  1000-ft.  level,  planning  to  get  into  the  sulphide  ores  again. 
The  Greenback  is  also  active  again,  and  as  soon  as  the  water 
has  been  taken  out  of  the  property  through  the  Mikado  and 
Wolftone,  work  will  be  done  in  the  rich  stope  that  has  stood 
idle  for  a  number  of  years. 

All  the  preliminary  work,  with  the  exception  of  the  Mikado, 
will  he  completed  during  the  summer,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  tonnage  of  the  district  will  be  doubly  Increased  by  the 
production  from  these  properties.  There  are  thousands  of  tons 
of  valuable  ore  now  opened  and  blocked-out  in  these  properties, 
and  the  development  that  will  be  carried  on  at  greater  depth 
will  uncover  much  additional  ore. 

The  draining  of  the  Down  Town  basin  through  the  Penrose 
shaft  is  now  complete  to  a  depth  of  875  ft,  the  lowest  level 


Cart 
Penrose  Shaft 

onate  Hill  rault 

rnrhnnnfit  H,ll 

Granite 

/  ffiriTT  *"7"»'  and  Sand 

-fflfl 

—(""TV     1 

Oram  t  e f^^     Gram  t  e^^^^***»a» 

GEOLOGY  OF  THE  DOWN  TOWN   AHEA,  LEADVILLE, 

in  the  property.  The  unwatering  of  the  Down  Town  section 
was  started  on  May  8,  1915.  At  that  time  the  water  stood  at  a 
point  just  230  ft.  below  the  collar  of  the  shaft.  The  water  was 
drained  from  the  property  to  the  full  depth  of  the  shaft  on 
June  14,  1916.  Pumping  has  been  done  by  two  electric  centrif- 
ugal sinking  pumps  of  1500  gal.  capacity,  and  two  relief  pumps 
of  the  similar  capacity. 

Work  is  now  underway  preparing  the  bottom  station  for  the 
installation  of  a  2000  gal.  four-stage  motor-driven  centrifugal 
station  pump  recently  delivered  by  the  Providence  Manufac- 
turing Co.,  maker's  of  all  the  pumps  used  at  the  property.  The 
pump  is  a  vertical  machine,  and  requires  greater  height  in  the 
station  than  the  old  steam  pumps  that  formerly  were  operated 
there.  The  new  pump  will  be  propelled  by  a  650-np.  motor,  the 
largest  that  has  even  been  in  use  at  Leadville.  The  motor  is 
a  new  type  patented  by  the  General  Electric  Co.  in  June  of 
last  year.  The  station  machinery  will  be  in  place  by  the  end 
of  the  coming  month,  and  immediately  following  an  extensive 


64 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


mining  campaign  will  be  taken  up  in  the  upper  workings  of 
the  property  where  immense  bodies  of  carbonate  of  zinc  and 
high-grade  manganese  and  iron  ores  have  been  uncovered. 

The  most  important  discovery  of  ore  made  in  the  district 
since  the  early  80's  has  been  made  in  the  Valley  adit  in  Pros- 
pect mountain,  in  charge  of  Warren  F.  Page.  At  a  depth  of 
150  ft.  below  the  adit  level,  as  mentioned  in  the  Press  of  July 
1,  an  immense  body  of  oxidized  iron,  containing  good  values 
in  silver  and  manganese,  has  been  opened.  The  ore  is  identical 
with  that  found  in  the  first  contact  of  Carbonate.  Fryer,  and 
Breece  hills,  and  is  regarded  as  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
continuation  of  the  regular  Leadville  formation  into  the  vast 
and  undeveloped  area  of  Canterbury  hill  and  Prospect  moun- 
tain. The  property  is  now  being  equipped  with  large  ore-bins 
and  necessary  buildings  for  the  handling  of  a  large  output. 
Electric  power  is  available  in  the  adit,  and  is  used  for  hoist- 
ing at  the  interior  shaft,  a  distance  of  1700  ft.  from  the  portal. 

Prospect  mountain,  lying  immediately  north  of  Big  Evans 
gulch  and  on  the  trend  of  the  strong  ore-shoots  developed  in 
Fryer,  Breece,  and  Carbonate  hills,  comprises  an  area  of  un- 
limited possibilities  that  for  years  has  been  neglected.  Mining 
men  have  long  been  convinced  that  the  Leadville  formations 
known  south  of  the  Big  Evans  to  Iowa  gulch  did  not  exist 
north  into  Prospect  mountain,  and  looked  on  this  territory  as 
absolutely  barren.  It  has  only  been  recently  that  attention 
was  turned  in  that  direction,  due  undoubtedly  to  the  success 
of  the  Valley,  Silver  Spoon,  and  New  Monarch  properties  in 
Big  Evans  gulch.  Drill-holes  driven  from  the  lower  workings 
of  these  mines  into  the  mountain  disclosed  remarkable  re- 
sults. It  is  stated  that  one  of  these  holes  from  the  Valley  cut 
40  ft.  of  ore. 

The  driving  of  the  Valley  adit  was  immediately  undertaken 
by  Mr.  Page  following  the  drilling,  and  the  finding  of  ore  in 
the  interior  shaft  is  the  result  of  several  months'  continuous 
work.  It  occurs  in  the  blue  lime  and  porphyry'  that  form  the 
first  contact  throughout  the  now  developed  sections  of  the 
Leadville  district.  Huge  bodies  of  rich  ore  have  been  mined 
in  this  zone  throughout  Carbonate,  Fryer,  and  Breece  hills 
and  there  seems  to  be  no  doublt  that  deposits  equally  as  ex- 
tensive will  now  be  uncovered  in  Prospect  mountain.  Deeper 
development  will  also  open  the  continuation  of  these  ore-shoots 
into  the  second  contact. 

The  importance  of  the  opening  of  this  vast  and  new  terri- 
tory can  hardly  be  estimated.  Should  the  formations  hold  as 
great  a  store  of  wealth  in  Prospect  mountain  as  they  have  in 
the  other  parts  of  the  district,  Leadville  will  enjoy  a  great 
'comeback.' 

OATMAN,  ARIZONA 

Notes  on  the  Principal  Properties. 

The  Oatman  district  continues  to  be  the  centre  of  attraction 
in  the  south-west.  Etienne  A.  Ritter  has  made  an  extensive 
study  of  the  area,  and  in  commenting  upon  the  conditions  pre- 
vailing there  considered  that  it  will  prove  to  be  a  great  gold 
producer.  James  G.  Ray  has  just  completed  a  long  geological 
survey  of  the  Esperanza  Mining  Co.'s  ground.  This  is  the 
most  complete  investigation  which  has  been  made  of  any 
property  in  the  district,  and  is  an  exhaustive  study  of  the 
geology,  petrology,  and  mineralogy  of  the  southern  section  of 
the  field.  Mr.  Ray's  recommendations  as  to  further  mining  of 
the  property  will  be  carried  out  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

Persistent  rumor  continues  to  the  effect  that  a  fine  develop- 
ment has  been  made  on  the  new  1400-ft.  level  of  the  Tom  Reed. 
Officials  of  the  company  will  not  •confirm  or  deny  this  report. 
Ellis  Mallery  has  started  preparing  a  complete  geological  map 
of  the  Tom  Reed  company's  holdings.  The  annual  report  of 
the  company  for  the  year  ending  March  31,  1916,  has  just  been 
issued.  It  shows  that  during  the  year  571S  ft.  of  work  was 
done.  There  was  29,916  tons  of  ore  milled,  the  average  value 
being  $22.12.    The  extraction  was  98.6%.    The  yield  was  $661,- 


S71,  against  an  average  of  $739,690  for  the  preceding  seven 
years.  Total  production  is  $5,833,702.  Dividends  paid  during 
the  past  year  amounted  to  $163,720,  or  18%  on  the  par  value 
of  the  outstanding  shares.  It  was  estimated  that  11,000  tons 
of  ore  was  blocked-out  in  stopes  at  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  Gold  Ore  continues  to  ship  30  tons  per  day  to  the  Gold 
Road  mill,  lie  extraction  being  better  than  $20  per  ton.  De- 
velopment of  new  ore  continues. 

At  the  Big  Jim  35  men  are  at  work,  and  drifts  are  being 
driven  in  both  directions  on  the  vein  on  the  400  and  the  485-ft. 
levels.  The  faces  of  the  four  drifts  are  said  to  be  in  ore  aver- 
aging $35,  $150,  $30,  and  $100  per  ton,  respectively.  The  first 
two  values  are  for  the  drifts  at  400  ft,  which  have  been  car- 
ried in  farther  than  those  on  the  deeper  level. 

Developments  in  the  Ivanhoe  property  are  the  centre  of  in- 
terest in  Oatman.  At  a  depth  of  500  ft.,  and  a  distance  of  395 
ft.  from  the  shaft,  and  after  cutting  through  an  intrusive  dike 
of  quartz-porphyry,  the  main  vein,  which  was  the  objective, 
was  cut.  On  June  27  it  had  been  penetrated  27  ft.  beyond  the 
foot-wall,  with  no  hanging  wall  in  sight.  The  vein  filling  is 
quartz,  with  some  calcite  and  adularia,  considerably  stained 
by  limonite,  and  highly  oxidized. 

Steady  work  continues  in  the  Arizona  Tom  Reed,  both  in 
shaft-sinking  and  in  lateral  work  on  the  400-ft.  level  from  the 
Pioneer  shaft.  Development  in  the  Pioneer  property,  adjoin- 
ing, overshadows  in  interest  the  work  in  the  Arizona  Tom 
Reed  property.  The  two  companies  are  developing  the  same 
main  vein  systems,  it  is  estimated  that  the  strike  of  the  ore- 
shoots  being  developed  in  the  Pioneer  carry  them  into  the 
adjoining  property,  so  development  of  the  one  is  considered  as 
development  of  both. 

In  the  Boundary  Cone,  driving  operations  on  the  750-ft.  level 
have  not  yet  reached  the  zone  where  the  downward  continua- 
tion of  the  ore-shoots  opened  at  550  ft.  are  to  be  expected.  The 
formation  is  promising. 

In  the  United  Eastern,  blocking-out  ore  continues.  Concrete 
foundations  for  the  200-ton  mill  will  soon  be  completed,  after 
which  actual  erection  of  the  mill  will  be  rushed. 

The  Black  Range  is  steadily  driving  in  ore  on  the  300-ft. 
level.  Gold  content  is  spotted,  above  $30  for  a  few  feet,  and 
then  dropping  to  very  low-grade  material. 

Although  a  number  of  companies  that  entered  the  Oatman 
district  and  commenced  operations  on  a  'shoe-string'  are  in 
financial  straits,  and  some  of  these  operators  are  sending  out 
pessimistic  reports,  optimism  among  those  who  entered  the 
field  prepared  to  withstand  a  long  development  siege  is  higher 
than  ever.  Mining  activity,  backed  by  ample  funds,  is  greater 
than  at  any  previous  time. 

It  is  reported  that  the  head  of  the  Burro  Creek  Electric 
Company,  George  A.  Thayer,  was  at  Oatman  during  the  last 
week,  seeking  to  get  contracts  from  the  larger  companies  and 
mills  in  this  district.  Mr.  Thayer  visited  the  managements 
of  the  Tom  Reed,  Big  Jim,  Gold  Road,  United  Eastern,  Oat- 
man, Paramount,  Arizona  Tom  Reed,  Golconda,  and  Boundary 
Cone  mines,  and  will  visit  some  of  the  smaller  properties  as 
they  get  ready  to  use  power.  The  company  has  received  a 
permit  from  the  Arizona  Corporation  Commission  to  sell 
power  here.  The  Burro  Creek  company  generates  its  power 
at  Burro  creek,  about  65  miles  away,  and  will  build  a  line  into 
Oatman,  which  is  expected  to  be  completed  within  the  next  12 
or  IS  months. 

The  present  rate  for  current  here  is  from  $12.50  to  $14  per 
hp.,  but  the  rate  quoted  by  Mr.  Thayer  will  reduce  this  to 
about  $5  per  hp.-month.  This  reduction  of  electric  current  will 
have  a  material  effect  in  stimulating  development  in  this 
centre. 

There  are  125  properties  being  worked  in  the  Oatman  dis- 
trict. In  the  Black  Range  mine,  5  miles  south-east,  3  ft.  of  $29 
ore  has  been  cut  at  300  ft.  depth.  Another  note  on  this  prop- 
erty appears  in  the  above  column. 


•lulv  B,  1916 


MINING  .nd  Scicnl.li.    I'KI  NS 


66 


THE  MINING  SUMMARY 

I  hi  newt  of  (hi-  uwt  us  rold  by  our  sprriul  i-urr<*ponuYiit«  and  compiled  from  thr  toriit  preu. 


ALASKA 

Tin-  Alaskan  mining  imlustiv   will  have  I  prosperous  season 

in  mc,  according  to  ■  ttatement  bj  Alfred  n.  Brooks,  or  the 
i  s  Geological  Burrey,  eoTarlng  Um  operation!  daring  the 
tlrsl  six  months  of  the  year  Copper  mining  will  probably 
ihon  th.-  greatest  idvanoea.  About  16  Alaska  copper  mines 
ere  non  thinning  ore,  end  developments  are  being  piiBhed  on 
others.  indicating  the!  they  may  become  producers  before  the 
end  of  the  year.  The  gold  lode  mines  of  Alaska  will  also  make 
a  larger  production  this  year  than  last,  but  It  Is  not  now  ex- 
pected that  the  placer  mining  will  show  any  marked  Increase. 
The  shipment  of  antimony  from  Alaska  continues,  and  some 
tungsten  ores  have  already  been  shipped  from  the  Fairbanks 
district. 

J v.st  Al 

May  yields  of  the  mines  on  Douglas  Island  were  as  follows: 
Alaska  Alaska  Alaska 

Mexican         Treadwell  United 

Stamps  dropping   120  540  300 

Ore  crushed,  tons   16,667  82,082  44.33S 

Gold  from  all  sources $17. 228  $135,306  $S2,691 

yield  per  ton  $1.02  $1.65  $1.80 

Operating    expenses $24,347  $96,420  $70,643 

Construction  charges   ....       $3,542  $17,255  $11,020 

Profit    $20,278  $200 

Loss   $10,833  

Other  income   $3,730  $11,200  $3,730 

ARKANSAS 

Boone  County 

The  need  of  a  custom  mill  at  Harrison  is  felt  considerably, 
as  both  carbonate  and  sulphide  zinc  ore  are  mined,  which  is 
dumped  for  future  treatment. 

CALIFORNIA 

A.M.Ulull  COVNTY 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Unwatering  of  the  old  Eureka 
mine  is  progressing  satisfactorily.  About  130  ft.  of  the  north 
shaft  has  already  been  drained,  and  the  timbers  repaired  for 
60  ft.  The  old  timbers  were  found  to  be  solid,  and  many  of 
the  sets  would  not  have  to  be  changed  had  it  not  been  for  the 
settling  of  the  ground  around  the  collar  of  the  shaft,  which 
caused  the  sets  to  move  slightly  out  of  place.  A  cooling-tower 
has  recently  been  erected  near  the  compressor-house  for  cool- 
ing and  re-utilizing  the  water  used  in  pipes  as  a  water-jacket 
for  the  working  parts  of  the  large  air-compressor.  This  con- 
trivance is  something  new  for  Mother  Lode  mines,  as  hereto- 
fore the  mines  in  this  part  have  wasted  the  water,  except  where 
it  could  be  utilized  as  battery  water. 

Sutter  Creek,  June  30. 

Butte  COUNTY 

A  large  diamond  was  found  in  the  Cherokee  district  last 
week  by  J.  Hufford. 

Into  County 

At  a  point  800  ft.  from  the  portal  of  its  Buena  Vista  adit, 
the  Cerro  Gordo  Mines  Co.  has  picked  up  the  lower  extension 
of  its  orebody.  It  is  25  by  30  ft.,  with  115  ft.  of  backs.  Some 
of  the  zinc-lead  ore  is  high  grade.     Zinc  ore  shipments  to  Al- 


tOOna,  Kama,,  aiv   10  tons  dally.      Lead  on  will   I" 

soon.     Copper  ore  lias  I n  opined  In  the  Bine  Jaj  claim.     All 

machinery  Is  motor  driven.    Recent  Improvements  cost  $50. ooo. 
Oold-sllver-lead-copper  slag  from  past  smelting  i  1869)  ll  belni 


CERRO   GORDO    MINE,    INYO   COUNTY. 

shipped  at  the  rate  of  60  tons  per  day.  About  25,000  tons  of 
this  material  is  available  at  low  cost.  An  aerial  tram  delivers 
ore,  etc.,  to  Keeler,  5000  ft.  below,  and  S  miles  by  road.  A 
mill  to  $250,000  is  contemplated.  J.  C.  Climo  is  superin- 
tendent, and  Louis  D.  Gordon  is  general  manager,  in  charge 
of  75  men. 

Nevada  County 

For  the  purpose  of  hauling  ore  to  the  Golden  Gate  mill  from 
the  Narrow  Gauge  railroad,  a  900-ft.  tramway  is  soon  to  be 
constructed.  It  is  said  that  the  Pacific  Western  Commercial 
Co.  is  to  treat  tungsten  and  other  ore  from  its  mines  in  other 
districts  at  this  30-ton  mill. 

As  30  miners  employed  at  the  Spenceville  copper  mine  were 
not  paid  for  several  months  they  have  gone  on  strike. 

Plumas  County 

The  Engels  Copper  Co.,  near  Taylorsville,  is  paying  an 
initial  dividend  of  ljc.  per  share,  equal  to  $22,000,  on  July  20. 
Monthly  distributions  are  to  follow.  Net  earnings  for  the  past 
6  months  were  $275,000.  Of  this,  $137,000  was  set  aside  for 
development. 

San  Bernardino  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — On  the  California  side  of  the 
Colorado  river,  around  Vidal,  there  is  growing  activity.  The 
Bendigo  Mines  Co.  of  Los  Angeles,  which  has  shipped  450  tons 
of  gold-copper-silver  ore  netting  $45  per  ton  during  the  last 
few  months,  is  preparing  another  lot.  Several  individual 
operators  near-by  are  also  preparing  shipments  of  ore.  which 
as  a  rule  go  to  the  Hayden  smelter  in  Arizona.  One  notable 
find  of  high-grade  silver-lead  ore  has  been  made  in  the  dis- 
trict during  the  past  week,  while  on  another  property  an  8-ft. 
vein  of  copper-silver-gold  ore  has  been  opened,  yielding  ship- 
ping ore  at  several  places  on  the  surface. 

On  the  Parker  side  of  the  Colorado  river  in  Arizona  mining 
activity  is  increasing,  and  so  much  ore  is  being  shipped  that 


66 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


several  interests  are  considering  building  a  custom  smelter  on 
the  Colorado  river  near  Parker,  where  it  may  be  reached  by 
mine  operators  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
Vidai.  June  28. 

Shasta  County 

Regarding  the  electrolytic  plant  to  be  erected  by  the  Mam- 
moth Copper  Co.  at  Kennett,  the  general  manager,  G.  W.  Met- 
calfe, states  that  the  plant  will  cost  $350,000.  There  is  25,000 
tons  of  bag-house  dust  to  treat,  and  more  is  being  caught  each 
Jay  the  blast-furnaces  run.  One  thousand  horse-power  will  lie 
required.  The  chief  element  of  cost  is  electric  power.  The 
company  will  build  the  plant  on  Backbone  creek,  a  mile  above 
the  smelter.  The  process  was  developed  at  Winthrop  by  the 
Bully  Hill  Copper  Co.,  which  has  spent  S  years  experimenting. 
The  Mammoth  Copper  Co.'s  chemists  spent  four  months  last 
winter  and  spring  at  Bully  Hill  elaborating  the  process,  which 
is  something  almost  entirely  new.  Twenty-three  per  cent  of 
the  bag-house  dust  is  zinc.  It  contains  also  gold,  silver,  and 
copper,  as  well  as  cadmium,  bismuth,  and  antimony.  The 
plant  when  at  work  will  give  employment  to  50  or  60  men. 

On  Boulder  creek,  four  miles  west  of  Gibson,  chrome  and 
molybdenite  deposits  are  being  mined,  30  and  10  men,  respec- 
tively, being  employed.  A  car  of  chrome  ore  is  to  be  shipped 
twice  a  week. 

At  French  Gulch.  30  stamps  are  crushing  100  tons  daily  at 
the  Gladstone  mine.  Ore  is  extracted  from  below  1000  ft. 
depth. 

COLORADO 

Boulder  County 

Work  is  being  rushed  on  the  new  100-ton  Degge-Clark  tung- 
sten mill  in  Boulder  canyon.  It  is  hoped  to  have  the  plant 
ready  by  July  15.  Crushers  and  rolls  are  part  of  the  equip- 
ment. Mr.  Degge  has  been  purchasing  ore  right  along.  He 
says:  "I  have  absolute  confidence  in  tungsten,  and  am  con- 
vinced that  there  will  soon  be  a  steady  market  at  $30  to  $50.  I 
expect  to  be  a  constant  buyer  at  the  market  price,  and  as  in- 
dependent producers  It  is  to  our  interest  to  keep  the  price  up, 
and  we  shall  do  all  in  our  power  to  do  so." 

When  leases  on  the  Primos  company's  properties  expire  on 
Tuly  1  they  will  be  permitted  to  be  renewed.  Two  hundred 
lessees  will  be  benefited,  t'nder  the  present  Primos  schedule, 
lessees  are  paid  $12  per  unit  for  ore  containing  up  to  44%,  and 
50c.  additional  for  each  additional  1%  of  tungstic  acid  up  to 
60%. 

Chaffee  County 

A  copper-bearing  sandstone,  in  the  Badger  Creek  district,  a 
few  miles  east  of  Salida,  is  attracting  much  attention.  The 
formation  has  been  seen  for  years,  but  never  prospected.  The 
Badger  Creek  Copper  Syndicate  (J.  Hamilton,  D.  H.  Craig, 
S.  V.  V.  Zabriskie,  and  others),  have  shipped  a  carload  of  ore. 

Gilpin  County 

The  Pittsburg  mine  in  lower  Russell  gulch  continues  to  be 
the  largest  producer  of  high-grade  ore  in  the  county.  The  vein 
shows  persistence  with  depth.  The  Iron  City  mill  recently- 
treated  4  cords  (36  tons)  of  ore  for  16  tons  of  concentrate  con- 
taining 1.62  oz.  gold  and  4.38  oz.  silver.  Two  shipments  of 
ore  assayed  4.07  and  7.57  oz.  gold.  S  and  10  oz.  silver,  and  7.35 
and  7.59%  copper. 

In  Leavenworth  gulch  the  Bezant  mine  has  a  good  streak  of 
pitchblende  (radium  ore)  on  the  160-ft.  level.  It  is  expected 
soon  to  cut  the  uranium  belt.  Some  copper-iron  ore,  contain- 
ing 10  oz.  gold  per  ton,  also  occubb  on  this  level. 

IDAHO 

Blaine  County 

The  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.,  which  recently  acquired 
the  North  Star-Triumph  mines,  near  Hailey,  has  begun  the 
erection  of  a  300-ton  daily  capacity  concentrator  at  the  prop- 


erty, according  to  Frederick  Burbidge  of  Wallace,  general  man- 
ager for  the  Federal  company.  The  plant  will  be  equipped 
with  a  flotation  annex  and  electric  separator,  and  is  being 
designed  and  fitted  especially  for  treatment  of  the  North 
Star-Triumph  ores. 

l.i  Mill   County 

i  Special  Correspondence.)— Development  by  hand  has  been 
discontinued  at  the  Goldstone  mine  at  Baker,  and  machine- 
drills  are  working  in  the  lower  workings,  where  it  is  expected 
that  the  upper  ore-shoots  will  be  cut.  In  the  meantime  the 
mill  is  being  re-modeled.     H.  F.  Riebling  is  manager. 

Baker,   June   23. 

Owyhee  County 

The  well-known  De  Lamar  mine  near  Silver  City  has  been 
sold  to  J.  B.  Duncan,  W.  R.  Heim,  and  others.  The  manager, 
E.  V.  Orford.  has  formally  turned  over  the  property  to  the  new 
owners.    The  property  will  be  worked  under  a  leasing  system. 

Shoshone  County  (Coeur  d'Alene) 

The  sale  of  the  Independent  mine,  near  Kellogg,  to  P.  Gearon 
and  others  for  $300,000,  is  considered  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant for  some  time.  Machinery  for  600-ft.  depth  has  been  or- 
dered.   A  wide  lode  shows  on  the  surface. 

Thirty-six  tons  of  ore.  assaying  2S5  oz.  of  silver,  and  9% 
lead,  recently  returned  $3001  net  to  the  Big  Creek  Leasing 
Co.  of  Kellogg.    Prospects  for  more  rich  ore  are  good. 

Large  reserves  have  been  developed  in  the  Federal  company's 
Morning  mine  at  Mullan.  and  the  daily  output  is  to  be  increased 
from  1000  to  1500  tons. 

The  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  company,  at  Kellogg,  which 
has  a  lease  on  the  Alhambra  mine,  is  erecting  a  mill  of  25-ton 
capacity.    The  mine  has  been  opened  by  three  adits. 

At  the  National  copper  mine  there  are  60  men  employed. 
The  mill  is  worked  five  days  per  week.  Ore  on  the  1200-ft. 
level  is  of  better  grade  than  on  the  upper  levels. 

For  the  sum  of  $111,200  the  Nipsic  Mining  Co.  has  sold  its 
property  to  the  Interstate-Callahan  company.  The  claims  are 
north  of  the  new  owner's  mine. 

The  Constitution  Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  of  which  Judge 
George  Turner,  former  United  States  senator  from  Washington, 
is  president,  has  decided  to  build  a  mill  on  its  property,  the 
Constitution  group,  near  Kellogg.  The  plant  will  be  of  100 
tons'  daily  capacity,  and  will  cost  between  $30,000  and  $35,000. 
The  Constitution  ore  is  complex  lead-silver-zinc,  and  for  the 
last  three  months  the  management  has  been  making  tests  to 
determine  the  best  concentrator  that  would  be  required  to 
treat  the  ore.  A  mill-site  has  already  been  selected  1000  ft. 
from  the  main  workings,  at  a  point  where  adequate  water  can 
be  secured  from  Pine  creek  and  a  small  tributary  stream. 

Pine  Creek  notes  are  as  follows: 

In  the  lower  adit  of  the  Douglas  mine  of  the  Anaconda 
company  the  ore-shoot  is  3  ft.  wide  and  850  ft.  long.  The  adit 
170  ft.  above  is  also  in  good  ore.  Average  metal-contents  are 
2S%  zinc,  12%  lead,  and  S  oz.  silver  per  ton.  A  hoist  and  com- 
pressor are  to  be  installed  for  shaft-sinking. 

The  Highland-Surprise  mill  is  crushing  40  tons  daily,  and 
is  being  doubled  in  capacity.    There  are  50  men  employed. 

Regular  shipments  of  zinc  ore  are  being  dispatched  from 
the  Constitution. 

The  Star  Antimony  mine  has  yielded  25  to  30  tons  of  55% 
antimony  ore  during  the  past  few  weeks.  The  mine  is  de- 
veloping well.  The  Star  ore  is  hand-jigged,  there  being  three 
machines,  two  running  steadily.  Water  for  the  jigs  is  sup- 
plied by  pumping  it  from  the  creek  700  ft.  below,  through  a 
2-in.  pipe.  The  hill  is  steep  and  the  ore  is  delivered  at  the 
wagon-road  on  a  go-devil.  It  is  the  plan  of  the  company  when 
No.  3  adit  is  extended  under  the  present  workings  to  make  a 
raise  to  No.  2,  when  all  the  ore  will  be  taken  out  through  No. 
3.  A  gravity  tramway  will  then  be  constructed  that  will  de- 
liver the  ore  from  that  level  to  the  wagon-road,  and  this  will 


.lulv  8,  I91fl 


MINING   «nd  -Sc.ml.tH     PRI  S.S 


..; 


meet  the  r«tjulr«mrn(ii  until  a  fourth  mitt  opens  the  i 

at  the  lowest  practical  depth     Fourteen  ma  en  employed, 

workltiK  throe  shifts 

Other  praiHTlle*   on   the  I'rwk    report   snconraglng   reeulta. 
lie  Star  mine  a  pout-office  niiil  store  have  heon  opened, 

A  300-ton  flotation  itnm  \  will  be  worklnt;  within  60  days  nt 
the    Interstate  t'allal. at.    mill.      It    will    treat    concentrate   tad 
re-treat    .iic.iiin.l.ited    tailing.      Mill    feed   averages    U 
and   ':       lead.     A   »arj    favorable  ore  contract  has  been  made 
with  sine). 

The  Vienna 'IntiTiiiiilomil  Mining  Oo.1l  lead  mine  on  Placer 
.reek.  8  mllaa  from  Wallace,  oloaed  since  1910.  Ib  to  be  re- 
opened by  y.  c.  italley  and  others  of  Spokane.  K.  Mack  Is 
superintendent. 

MICHIGAN 
Tin-  Com ..  Couirai 

The  Calumet  &  Hecla  and  subsidiaries  are  paying  employees 
an  additional  bonus  of  25c.  per  day. Under  certain  condi- 
tions the  Court  has  denied  restraint  of  sale  of  the  Tamarack, 

as  asked  by  ('..  M.  Hyains. 

MISSOURI 

.U-i'kr  County   tJon.iN) 

The  ore  market  last  week  was  peculiar.  Choice  products  were 
just  as  firm  as  In  the  previous  week;  intermediate  grades  were 
weaker  and  brought  $2  to  $3  per  ton  less;  inferior  grades  were 
stronger  and  brought  $5  more  than  the  previous  week.  The 
decline  In  spelter  to  11.75c.  helped  bear  the  ore-market,  which 
under  ordinary  conditions  would  have  been  strengthened 
through  the  fact  that  production  was  considerably  curtailed 
by  heavy  rains,  according  to  the  News  Herald.  Calamine  found 
a  ready  market  at  $52.50,  for  'jag'  lots,  up  to  $55  for  carload 
lots  at  Joplin,  and  $65  for  carload  lots  at  Granby,  basis  of  40% 
metallic  zinc.  Lead  ore  was  $3.50  weaker  per  ton,  selling  for 
$77.50.  The  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  output  was  6040  tons 
of  blende,  194  tons  of  calamine,  and  1037  tons  of  lead,  averag- 
ing $7S,  $53,  and  $76  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value 
was  $564,495. 

The  output  for  the  first  half  of  the  present  and  past  years 
is  as  follows,  according  to  the  Globe: 

1916  1915 

Blende,  pounds   349,724,764  226,472,350 

Blende,  value  $16,842,369  $9,221,951 

Calamine,  pounds  1S.745.720  21,973,102 

Calamine,  value    $698,408  $462,469 

Lead,  pounds   54,119,082  40,420,100 

Lead,  value  $2,422,349  $1,025,982 

Total   value    $19,963,126  $10,710,502 

MONTANA 

Lincoln  County 

According  to  E.  G.  Mellander  of  Libby,  a  San  Francisco  firm 
is  to  construct  a  dredging  plant  at  a  cost  of  $410,000.  Gravel 
is  22  ft.  deep  to  bed-rock.  A  steam-shovel  will  load  the  gravel 
to  a  car,  which  is  lifted  and  discharged  to  a  4  by  28-ft.  revolv- 
ing screen.  The  fine  material  passes  through  sluice-boxes,  and 
the  boulders  go  to  the  dump. 

Silverbow  County  (Butte) 
According  to  The  Anode,  published  by  the  Anaconda  com- 
pany, conditions  at  the  Washoe  smelter  are  steadily  improving. 
With  the  completion  of  improvements  under  way,  copper  con- 
ditions will  be  considerably  exceeded  in  the  near  future.  Two 
steam,  oil-burning  locomotives  have  been  added  to  the  local 
tramming  and  weighing  department  equipment.  The  men 
who  are  to  handle  these  engines  have  taken  the  examination, 
and  as  soon  as  the  large  storage-tanks  are  completed  the  supply 
of  fuel-oil  will  be  ready  and  the  new  engines  assigned  to  serv- 
ice on  the  hot-metal  run.  The  addition  of  this  power  will 
greatly  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  local  tramming  depart- 


ment     ri.e  ..,■«   changi  bou  ■    undei   conat ruction   aaai   the 

oil  .flotation  plant.  Is  nearlni;  completion      It  will  be  I  modal  ol 

convenience,  Ore-proof  In  every  particular,  equipped  with  uteoi 
bowla  and  shower-baths     The  building 
is  of  brick,  concrete,  and  steel  construction.    The  light 
brick  used— the  product  or  tailing  from  the  oil  notation  plant 
nro  Int. I  In  dark  brown  mortar  with  receding  Joints.  Klin 
hulidtiiL;  an  .irtistie  appearance.    The  research  laboratory,  also 
under  construction,  will  soon  be  completed.    This  str 
win  be  up-to-date  In  averj  particular,  and  will  embody  man] 
m-\s  features  in  laborab  was  a  marked  ds 

crease  in  Incapacitating  accidents  during  the  month  of  May. 
This  may  be  attributed  to  the  improved  condition  lii  a  Dumber 
of  departments  In  Which  heavy  construction  work  and  other 
alterations  have  been  completed.  When  the  Ham  reaches 
normal  working  condition,  the  record  already  established  foi 
a  low  accident  rate,  no  doubt,  will  be  lowered  materially  from 
the  present   report. 

At  the  1600-ft.  level  of  the  Butte  ft  London  two  20  by  66  n 
stations  have  been  cut.  Two  1250-ft.  cross-cuts  are  now  to  be 
driven  to  cut  20  veins  running  east  from  Anaconda  hill. 

NEVADA 

Clark  County  (GooDSPRTNdS) 

In  the  Goodsprings  zinc-lead  district  there  are  now  over  40 
producers,   averaging   over   5000   tons   per   month,   employing 
over  1000  men.    The  town  is  growing  steadily. 
Esmeralda  County    (Goi.dfield) 

Daily  shipments  from  the  Jumbo  Extension  are  150  tons, 
averaging  above  $30  per  ton.  Over  a  week's  dispatches  assayed 
$42  per  ton.  Some  lower  grade  dump  ore  has  also  been  mar- 
keted.    Development  continues  satisfactory. 

Humboldt  County 

Plans  are  completed  and  work  begins  at  once  on  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  Rochester  Mines  mill  to  180  to  200  ton  capacity. 
The  announcement  is  made  by  L.  A.  Friedman,  president  and 
general  manager.  The  additional  equipment  is  made  necessary 
by  the  increased  ore  reserves  in  the  mine  at  Rochester. 

A  new  mill,  to  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $100,000.  is  being 
planned  for  the  near  future  by  M.  Byllesby  ft  Co.  of  Chicago, 
purchasers  of  the  Ragged  Top  tungsten  claims,  heretofore 
known  as  the  Beeson  property.  They  will  receive  custom  ores. 
Headquarter  offices  are  at  Lovelock.  During  the  60  days  the 
new  owners  have  been  working  the  property  they  have  ex- 
tracted and  shipped  550  tons  of  ore.  Thirty-five  men  are 
employed.  The  mill  will  be  erected  at  Toulon  on  the  Southern 
Pacific,  an  11-mile  haul. 

According  to  J.  Q.  Brown,  manager  of  the  Nevada  Valleys 
Power  Co.,  the  increase  in  use  of  electricity  in  the  Lovelock 
valley  and  mining  districts  is  400%  greater  than  a  year  ago. 

A  mill  is  probably  to  be  erected  by  the  Chicago-Nevada 
Tungsten  Co.  at  Toulon  on  the  Southern  Pacific  line,  20  miles 
south-west  of  Lovelock.  The  plant  will  be  on  the  shore  of 
Humboldt  sink,  the  only  available  water-supply. 

At  National,  of  which  little  is  heard  nowadays,  the  National 
mine  is  producing  gold  regularly.  Development  on  the  Indian 
Valley  claim  adjoining  is  satisfactory;  so  is  that  at  the  No.  2. 
On  the  south  end  of  the  Auto  Hill  property  Maney  brothers  are 
opening  antimonial-silver  ore.  Mines  at  Buckskin  are  giving 
good  results,  but  treatment  facilities  are  lacking. 

At  a  depth  of  1660  ft.  the  main  vein  of  the  Seven  Troughs 
Coalition  has  been  cut  in  the  Bird  winze.  The  value  across 
18  in.  is  $300  gold  per  ton. 

Lincoln  County 
The  Comet  district,  out  from  Pioche,  is  attracting  attention 
on  account  of  its  gold,  silver,  lead,  and  tungsten  deposits.  Lack 
of  easy  transportation  militates  against  rapid  work.  Auto- 
trucks are  to  be  used.  The  Silver-Comet  company  has  a  mill 
at  work  in  charge  of  E.  D.  Smiley. 


68 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


Nye  County 

Tonopah  mines  produced  9093  tons  of  ore  valued  at  $189,934, 
during  the  last  week  of  June.  The  Tonopah  Mining  Co.  pays 
15c.  per  share,  or  $150,000,  on  July  21,  and  the  Jim  Butler  10c, 
equal  to  $171,852.  During  May  the  Extension  yielded  159.86S 
oz.  of  bullion  from  S055  tons  of  ore,  with  $56, SIS  profit. 

An  option  has  been  secured  on  the  Jefferson  Gold  &  Silver 
Mining  Co.'s  Kanrohat  property  in  Jefferson  canyon,  7  miles 
northeast  of  Round  Mountain,  by  C.  S.  Sprague.  Considerable 
lb  velopment  is  to  be  done. 

NEW   MEXICO 

The  output  of  New  Mexico  mines  in  1915,  as  reported  by  the 
V.  S.  Geological  Survey,  had  a  value  of  more  than  $19,000,000. 
The  detailed  figures  reported  by  Charles  W.  Henderson,  of  the 
Denver  office  of  the  Survey,  give  the  production  as  $1,461,005 
in  gold,  2,005,531  oz.  of  silver,  76,788,366  lb.  of  copper,  4,542,361 
lb.  lead,  and  25,404,064  lb.  of  zinc  (in  terms  of  spelter  and  zinc 
in  zinc  oxide).  These  figures  show  an  increase  of  $289,309  in 
gold,  228,086  oz.  of  silver,  17,480,411  lb.  of  copper,  2,778,720  lb. 
of  lead,  and  7,000,672  lb.  of  zinc.  The  value  of  the  metals,  ex- 
cept silver,  was  higher  than  in  1914,  the  total  being  $19,279,368, 
against  $11,049,932  In  1914,  an  increase  of  $S,229,436. 

During  the  first  half  of  1916  gold  and  silver  increased 
slightly,  and  considerably  in  copper,  lead,  and  zinc. 

Grant  County 

The  old  Carlisle  gold-silver-copper-lead-zinc  mine,  13  miles 
from  Duncan,  in  the  Steeplerock  district,  is  to  be  re-opened 
after  27  years'  idleness.  New  York  capital  controls  the  prop- 
erty, which  is  said  to  contain  500,000  tons  of  ore  blocked  out. 
H.  K.  Welch  is  manager. 

Socokro  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Socorro  company's  clean-up 
for  the  last  half  of  May  yielded  25  bars  of  gold-silver  bullion 
weighing  over  one  ton.  A  1%  dividend  was  paid  June  1.  the 
third  of  like  amount  disbursed  since  January  1.  First  half  of 
June  yielded  23  tons  of  bullion  and  rich  concentrate. 

Preparations  are  under  way  by  the  Ernestine  company  for 
sinking  the  main  shaft  another  100  ft.  or  more.  A  hoist  from 
the  Maud  S.  mine  has  been  moved  to  this  plant  as  an  auxiliary 
in  the  underground  work.  The  mill  is  treating  125  tons  of  ore 
daily. 

At  the  Pacific  mine  the  main  shaft  has  been  square-setted 
from  surface  to  adit-level,  and  ore  extraction  will  begin  at  an 
early  date.  Terminal  towers  for  an  aerial  tramway  to  the 
Socorro  company's  mill  are  in  place,  and  ore-bins  at  each  end 
of  the  line  will  be  erected  as  soon  as  lumber  can  be  secured. 

The  Oaks  company's  work  at  the  Eberle  mine  is  at  present 
confined  to  two  headings,  both  of  which  are  yielding  ore  that 
is  being  sent  to  custom  mill.  At  the  Clifton  mine,  adjoining 
the  Eberle,  developments  were  recently  started  and  after 
driving  5  ft.  a  15-in.  shoot  was  encountered  which  has  indica- 
tions of  opening  into  a  large  orebody.  Shipments  to  the 
Socorro  company's  mill  were  begun  June  13. 

A  cross-cut  adit  at  the  Iron  Bar  has  just  been  completed, 
encountering  contact  400  ft.  from  the  portal.  The  vein  is  7 
to  S  ft.  wide  and  pans  well  on  the  foot-wall.  Driving  on  the 
vein  will  be  started  at  an  early  date. 

The  Socorro  Power  &  Lumber  Co.  has  a  saw-mill  on  Mineral 
creek,  and  has  been  delivering  lumber  to  the  divide  above 
Mogollon  by  a  board  flume  several  miles  long.  A  Canadian 
capitalist  and  a  representative  of  the  Pelton  Water  Wheel  Co. 
have  just  visited  the  property  and  made  definite  arrangements 
to  utilize  the  waste  water  in  generating  power.  A  pipe-line 
will  be  extended  from  the  end  of  the  flume  down  to  Mineral 
creek,  and  will  have  a  head  of  over  1000  ft.  and  develop  250 
hp.  for  which  there  is  a  ready  market.  It  is  expected  to  have 
the  plant  in  operation  by  the  end  of  the  year. 

Mogollon.  June  20. 


OREGON 

Lane  County 
The  Champion  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  with  a  capital  of 
3,000,000  shares  at  10c  each,  has  been  organized  by  Olaus  Jeld- 
ness  of  Spokane  and  associates  to  take  over  and  operate  three 
groups  of  claims  in  the  Bohemia  district,  near  Champion,  35 
miles  from  Cottage  Grove  on  the  Southern  Pacific,  at  a  reported 
price  of  $500,000.  Mr.  Jeldness  is  president,  J.  S.  Lewis,  vice- 
president  and  treasurer,  C.  V.  Bobb,  managing  director,  and 
H.  C.  Mahon  of  Portland,  Oregon,  secretary.  The  claims  were 
located  in  1858.  The  gold  output  totals  $2,200,000.  Consid- 
erable development  has  been  done.  The  30-stamp  mill  is  to  be 
enlarged  by  20  more.  Flotation  will  be  used  for  some  refrac- 
tory ore.  An  800-hp.  hydro-electric  plant  is  available.  About 
60,000,000  ft.  of  Oregon  fir  is  growing. 

TEXAS 

Brewster  Countt 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Preparations  are  proceeding  for 
re-opening  the  Big  Bend  and  other  cinnabar  mines  in  the 
Terlingua  district,  90  miles  south  of  Austin,  and  adjacent  to 
the  Rio  Grande,  despite  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  border 
region.  The  Colquitt-Tigner  quicksilver  mine  in  that  district, 
which  was  operated  for  a  time  several  years  ago,  has  been 
placed  in  working  order  and  is  again  producing  considerable 
quantities  of  cinnabar.  The  property  is  equipped  with,  a  40-ton 
furnace.  Marlow  Wells  is  in  charge.  Terlingua  is  now  well 
protected  by  detachments  of  soldiers,  and  the  Mexican  em- 
ployees do  not  seem  to  be  at  all  disturbed  by  the  war  excite- 
ment that  pervades  along  the  border. 

John  Harvey,  an  experienced  mining  man  who  recently  came 
to  the  upper  border  country  of  Texas,  has  discovered  an  ancient 
abandoned  silver-lead  mine,  three  miles  west  of  the  well-known 
Shafter  silver  mine,  in  Presidio  county.  The  antigua  promises 
to  be  a  rich  producer.  A  large  body  of  ore  that  assays  45%  in 
lead,  with  enough  silver  and  gold  to  pay  for  milling,  has  been 
found  by  exploration.  Mr.  Harvey  is  preparing  to  develop  the 
property  on  a  large  scale. 

Austin,  June  26. 

During  the  recent  raids  of  Mexican  bandits  upon  Texan 
towns  the  names  Tramway  and  Terminal  have  been  mentioned 
several   times.     According  to  the  monthly  publication  of  the 


M      F       X       I      C       0 

ORE  TRAMWAY   ACROSS  THE  RIO  GRANDE. 

Leschen  &  Sons  Rope  Co.  these  places  are  where  an  aerial 
tram  crosses  the  Rio  Grande  from  Mexico  to  the  United  States, 
as  shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch.  Glen  Springs  was  one 
of  the  towns  raided.  The  tram  was  erected  in  1910  for  the 
purpose  of  shipping  zinc  ore  from  the  Puerto  Rico  mine  to 
American  smelters.  There  are  three  divisions  in  the  system. 
The  first  consists  of  a  short  line  from  mine  to  wagon-road,  a 
good  difference  in  elevation.  This  tram  and  the  road  are  5 
miles  long.  The  gravity-line  across  the  river  is  31.500  ft.  long, 
starting  2}  miles  from  the  border.  The  track  ropes  are  1-in. 
diam.  on  the  loaded  side,  and  3-in.  on  the  empty  side.  Ninety 
buckets  of  600-lb.  capacity  each  travel  at  300  ft.  per  minute. 
The  ore  then  goes  by  road  to  the  railroad  at  Marathon.  Karl 
Halter  is  mine  superintendent.     In  case  of  war  with  Mexico 


.Inly  ft,   I9ia 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


lhl«   tram    OOUld   In-    n — .- .  1    tfl  b)    t In*    United 

u  run 

UTAH 
,lr  mi  CODirn 
'  ■■(  the  ambarte  of  the  melton  the  tron  Blawon 

Pintle  has  600  tons  of  on  tied  up  In  cars  at  Silver 
-The  Eagle  £  Hot  Ball  .an  only  send  BO  tons  dully  to 
the  smelter Steady  work  continues  tt  the  Gemini  and  Bul- 
lion 1: 

Bal  i   I. iki    Ooi  mi 

Work  la  to  commence  during  July  on  a  2500-ton  leaching 
plunt  tor  the  1'tiih  Copper  ("o.  The  capacity  will  gradually 
be  increased  Alioul  10,000,000  tons  of  K'c  ore  Is  available  for 
Mil  B  \  Wall  has  transferred  his  three  quarter  In- 
terest In  the  Kangaroo  claim  at  Bingham  to  the  company  in 
consideration  of  $30,000.  The  ground  will  be  used  for  dump- 
ing purposes.  It  was  originally  the  basis  of  a  big  damage  suit, 
and  the  transfer  settles  the  litigation  between  Wall  and  Utah 
Copper  that  has  been  waged  for  years.  The  company's  mills 
are  now  treating  over  30,000  tons  of  ore  dally,  with  a  copper 
yield  at  the  rate  of  17.000,000  lb.  per  month. 

Development  In  the  South  Hecla.  In  the  Little  Cottonwood, 
continues  good.  Shipments  last  week  were  300  tons  averaging 
$:'.'•  to  $30  per  ton. 

I 'riving  of  the  4000-ft.  7  by  9-ft.  drainage  and  transportation 
adit  by  the  Wasatch  Mines  Co.  In  Little  Cottonwood  has  been 
started.  Two  480-cu.  ft.  I.-R.  compressors  will  supply  air.  Ex- 
ploration of  a  large  area  will  be  facilitated  by  this  work. 

On  June  20  the  Utah  Copper  Co.  loaded  41,800  tons  of  ore 
at  the  mine  at  Bingham,  a  record.  The  daily  tonnage  treated 
in  June  is  approximately  34,000.  It  is  said  that  plans  are  to  be 
prepared  to  increase  the  mills  to  50,000  tons  per  day. 

Summit  Count* 

The  Big  Four  Exploration  Co.  at  Park  City  has  over  100  men 
on  additions  to  its  tailing  plant,  which  is  being  enlarged  to 
750  tons  per  day.  A  steam-shovel  has  been  ordered  to  facilitate 
handling  the  tailing. 

Sub-lessees  at  the  American  Flag  mine  are  extracting  $40.91 
gold-silver  ore  from  the  500  and  700-ft.  levels.  Some  ore  con- 
tains up  to  40.5%  lead.    The  Park  City  Mines  Co.  is  the  lessee. 

WASHINGTON 

For  the  first  6  months  of  1916  the  mines  of  Washington 
promised  increased  production  in  the  five  important  metals 
for  the  year.  The  industry  generally  seems  to  be  in  better 
condition  than  for  several  years  past. 

Ferry  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Republic  Consolidated  Mines 
Corporation  is  employing  40  men  in  the  Lone  Pine  mine,  ship- 
ping 200  tons  of  good  ore  per  week.  The  company  proposes  to 
extend  a  drive  into  the  Pearl  ground  on  the  Pearl-Surprise 

vein. The  Knob  Hill  mine  is  yielding  100  tons  of  ore  per 

week,  with  five  machine-drills  and  20  men.  A  new  compressor 
has  been  installed  in  place  of  the  old  one,  recently  damaged  by 

fire. The  San  Poil  mine  is  employing  22  men  on  the  first 

and  second  levels,  and  dropping  the  ore  to  the  adit-level  for 
exit  to  the  shipping  bins.  The  company  is  planning  to  sink 
the  main  shaft  deeper. Work  has  been  temporarily  sus- 
pended in  the  adit  on  the  Copper  Butte  mine,  Orient  district, 
because  of  trouble  with  the  compressor. The  Laurier  Min- 
ing Co.,  Orient  district,  proposes  driving  an  adit  for  lower 
working  and  cheaper  ore  extraction.  The  mine  is  producing 
and  shipping  a  good  grade  of  copper  ore. 

It  is  reported  that  the  miners  of  Republic  will  strike  for  $4 
per  day,  in  place  of  $3.50,  as  now  paid.  On  June  22  the  Repub- 
lic Mine  Operators'  Association  was  organized,  with  S.  H.  Rich- 
ardson as  chairman  and  D.  M.  Drumheller  as  secretary.  There 
are  between  110  and  125  men  employed. 

Republic,  June  24. 


lion  nl  thfir 

QroRuc  W.  Pool   leal  N' «   York. 

T.  vv.  Qat  1 1  n  i!  is  a<  the  Empire  hotel,  Ban  [Tram 

iv  l!  i.w,i\a\  la  here  from  Kiy.  Nevada. 

II.    ('.    PSBKUIB    and     Hinmn    jEMIIHOa    are    :il    Ti  euclwell. 
Alaska. 
Bdwih  Bl.  Chasi   and  Bon  have  gone  Cram  Denver  t»  Butte 

for  two  weeks. 

William  Uotbi  avn  1 1  has  returned  to  Colorado  Springs  from 
Pachuca.  Mexico. 

Robert  A.  Ki\/ik  has  gone  to  Juneau  and  will  be  in  that 
region  for  about  six  weeks. 

linw  L.  Aiiin  passed  through  San  Francisco  on  his  way 
from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Blsbee. 

Samuel  Fischer  has  been  appointed  assistant  foreman  at 
the  Great  Falls  smelter  of  the  Anaconda  company. 

Gkokge  E.  Farish,  of  New  York,  has  moved  his  western 
office  from  Denver  to  the  Nevada  Bank  Bdg.,  San  Francisco. 

V.viiim-s,  McNiiTT  &  HUOHES,  petroleum  and  mining  geolo- 
gists, have  moved  their  Oklahoma  office  to  the  Mayo  building, 
at  Tulsa. 

Victor  C.  Ai.derso.v,  formerly  president  of  the  Colorado 
School  of  Mines  at  Golden,  was  recently  in  the  Wlnnemucca 
district,  Nevada. 

E.  W.  Bullard,  safety  engineer  of  San  Francisco,  is  spend- 
ing two  months  studying  the  manufacture  and  use  of  safety 
equipment  in  the  Eastern  mining  districts. 

Malcolm  Maci.aren  is  now  returning  to  London  by  way  of 
Siberia,  having  completed  his  geological  investigations  in 
Korea.    He  is  due  in  London  about  the  middle  of  July. 

N.  C.  Whitten,  foreman  in  the  oil-flotation  plant  at  Great 
Falls,  Montana,  has  resigned  his  position  to  go  to  Peru,  where 
he  will  be  connected  with  the  Cerro  de  Pasco  Copper  Com- 
pany. 

Carl  J.  Trauebman  has  resigned  the  position  of  mill-super- 
intendent to  the  August  Mining  Co.,  at  Landusky,  Montana, 
and  is  inspecting  the  Beaver  Creek  mines  at  Zortman,  in 
Montana. 

Bernard  MacDonald  has  moved  his  office  from  Los  Angeles 
to  the  Mills  building,  El  Paso.  With  the  Alvarado  Mining  & 
Milling  Co.  he  is  designing  an  increase  in  capacity  of  its 
mill  at  Parral,  Mexico. 

Thomas  Wolfson,  vice-president  of  the  United  Metals  Sell- 
ing Co.,  and  president  of  the  Raritan  Copper  Works,  Perth 
Amboy,  New  Jersey,  was  recently  on  a  brief  visit  to  Great 
Falls,  Montana,  for  the  first  time  in  27  years. 


L.  L.  Wittich,  for  several  years  correspondent  of  the  Press 
and  several  other  well-known  journals  for  the  Joplin  district, 
Missouri,  and  mining  editor  of  the  News  Herald  at  that  centre, 
died  on  June  26  at  the  age  of  34,  leaving  a  wife  and  two 
children.  Mr.  Wittich  was  one  of  the  best  informed  of  writers 
on  matters  pertaining  to  the  zinc  region  of  south-west  Missouri. 


The  American  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers  of  New 
York  with  its  32  sections  and  54  branches  throughout  the 
country,  has  a  membership  of  8212.  This  is  a  net  increase  of 
15S  during  the  year  ended  April  30,  1916.  The  revenue  was 
$111,199,  and  expenditure  $109,999.  The  surplus  is  $614,013. 
John  J.  Carty  is  president.  The  Institute  has  its  quarters 
with  other  engineering  societies  in  the  United  Engineering 
building,  New  York,  and  with  them  is  aiding  the  Government 
in  its  national  preparedness  scheme. 


70 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


METAL   PRICES 

BaD    Francisco.   July  5. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 15 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents   per   pound 29 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.25 

Platinum:  soft  metal,  per  ounce $75 

Platinum:  hard  metal.  10%  Iridium,  per  ounce $79 

(Quicksilver:  per  flask  of  75  lb $80 

Spelter,  cents  per  pounil    15 

Tin,  cents  per  pound    43 

Zinc-dust,    cents    per    pound 30 

ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco.  July  5. 

Antimony:  50%   product,  per  unit   (1%   or  20  lb.  I 11.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 12. 00 — 14,00 
Manganese:   50%   product,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton.  12. 00 — 20.00 

Magnesite:    crude,    per    ton 7.00 — 10.00 

Molybdenum:    50%    and   over,   per   pound 0.60 —  1.15 

Tungsten:  60%  WO,,  per  unit 25.00— 35. 0(1 

New  York,  June  28. 
Antimony:  The  nominal  quotation   is  $2   per  unit,  but   there  is 
little    doing.      It    is    reported    that    ocean-freight    arrangements 
are  more  difficult  to  make,  and  that  South  American  ore  is  not 
easily  obtainable. 

Tungsten:  Inquiry  is  a  little  more  brisk,  and  several  small 
ileals  have  been  put  through  at  $30  to  $32  per  unit,  spot  de- 
livery. More  business  probably  could  be  done  were  it  to- 
ners of  the  concentrate  are  holding  for  $35  to  $40.  It  is 
expected  that  the  market  will  be  more  active  In  July,  when 
tie-  makers  of  tool-steel  and  ferro-tungsten  will  seek  their 
id-half  requirements. 

EASTERN   METAI.  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
July    .".. — Copper    is   dull   and    unchanged:    lead   Is   steady    but 
quiet;  spelter  is  neglecte.l. 

Owing  to  a  mistake,  some  of  the  June  24  prices  were  given  for 
those  of  the  Issue  of  July   1:   the  averages  for  the  latter  have 

1 m  corrected. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given   the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 
June 


28 66.25       May 

29 65.87 

30 65.00       June 

1 65.00 

2  Sunday 

3 65.00 

I   Holiday  July 

5 63.87 

Monthly  averages 
1915.        1916. 
48.85        56.76 


Average  week   ending 

23 71.14 

31 70.81 

6 66.35 

13 64.58 

20 63.62 


.65.49 
.65.16 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June   56.43 


48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
17.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


Advice  from  London  states  that  China  and  Indian  sales  are 
the  cause  of  weakness  In  silver,  but  from  a  statistical  point  of 
view  the  future  is  favorable. 

A  shipment  of  silver  from  San  Francisco  to  china  on  June 
28  was  worth  $832,000,  say  352,000  ounces. 


Prices  in  New  Y'ork, 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 


TIN 

In  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

10.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Auk 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34. 37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


QIICKSILVER 


The   primary   market  for  quicksilver  is   San   Francisco.   Cali- 
fornia  being   the   largest   producer.      The   price   is    fixed   in    the 


open    market,    according    to    quantity.     Prices,    in    dollars    per 
flask  of  75   pounds: 

Week  ending 

Date.  I    June  20 68.00 

June     6 72.50  "      27 B5.00 

13 68.00    I    July      .", 80.00 

Monthly  averages 
1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915.        1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

Julv    . 

.  .  .37.50 

95.00  „     .... 
93.75  *     

60.00 

295.00 

Aug.    . 

.  ..80.00 

78.00 

219.00 

Sept.  .  . 

.  .  .76.25 

91.00         

77.50 

141.60 

Oct.     .  . 

.  ..53.00 

92.90         

75.00 

90.00 

Nov.    . 

.  ..55.00 

101.50         

90.00 

74.70 

Dec.    . . 

..  .53.10 

123.00         

N't'w    fdria  will  pay  $1  per  share  on  June  30. 

COPPER 
Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Da 

te. 

30 
1 

3 
4 

.  .20.75 

J 
May 

June 

July 

averag 

July 
Aug. 
Sept 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

k.ver 
31 
13. 

5 

res 

age  wet 

k  end 

ng 

28.25 

.  .28.00 

Sunday 

Holiday 

1914. 

Monthly 
1915.        1916. 
13.60        24.30 
14.38        26.62 
14.80        26.65 
16.64        2S.02 
18.71        29.02 
19.75          27.17 

.  .26.54 

1914. 
13.26 
12.34 

11.10 
11.75 
.12.75 

1916. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 

1916. 

Feb 

.  .14.46 

Mch. 

. .14.11 

Apr. 
May 

.  .14.19 

,  ,13.97 
.  .13.60 

Anaconda    has    declared    a    dividend    of    $2    per    share;    North 
Butte.   75c:  and  Mohawk,  $10. 

From  January  1,  1915,  to  March  31.  1916.  Braden  sold  46,822.116 
lb.   of  copper  at   19.356c.  per  lb.     The  net  balance  after  paying 
for  operation  and  interest,  etc.,  was  $2,249,977. 
LEAD 
Lead  is  quoted  In  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 
Date.  Average  week  ending 
6.80       May    23 


July 


29. 
30. 

1. 

2 

3. 

4 

5. 


Sunday 
Holiday 


6.85 
6.85 


31. 

June     6. 

"      13. 

■'       20. 

"      27. 

Julv      5. 

6.85 

Monthly  averages 


7.37 
7.25 
7.15 
6.90 
6.77 
6.78 
3.84 


Jan. 
Feb. 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  1.02 

Mch 3.94 

Apr 3.86 

May    3.90 

June    3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.7  5 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 

7.26 
7.70 
7.3S 
6.88 


1914. 

July    3.80 

Aug 3.86 

Sept 3.82 

Oct 3.60 

Nov 3.68 

Dec 3.80 


1916. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


On  July  3    the   Bunker  Hill   &   Sullivan   paid   two   dividends   Of 
$81,750  each.     The  total  to  date  is  $17,754,000. 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  "Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

June  28 11.75 

"      29 11.62 

"      30 11.50 

July      1 11.25 

2  Sunday 

3 11.25 

4  Holiday 

5 11.50 

Monthly  averages 

1915.       1916. 

6.30        18.21 

9.05        19.99 

8.40        18.40 

9.7S        18.62 

17.03        16.01 

22.20  12  BE 


Average  week  ending 

May    23 15.27 

"      31 11.52 

June     6 13.20 

"      13 13.64 

"      20 13.12 

"       27 12.12 

Julv      5 1  1.40 


1914. 

Jan 5.14 

Feb 5.22 

Mch 5.12 

Apr 4.98 

May    4.91 

June    4.S4 


1914. 

Julv     4.75 

Aug.    4.75 

Sept 5.16 

Oct 4.75 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


Zinc  ore  at  Joplin,  Missouri,  averaged  $78.12   per   ton    for    10 
product  during  June.  The  range  was  from  $60  to  $90. 

The  reduction  of  8c.  per  lb.  on  three  of  the  New  Jersey  Zinc 
Co.'s  brands,  mentioned  here  last  week,  referred  to  oxide  prod- 
ucts. On  July  10  the  company  pays  10%.  and  on  August  10, 
1%  dividends.  Including  these,  the  disbursements  this  year 
total  $52   per  share,  equal  to  $18,200,000. 


,lul\   8,   1916 


MINING  and  Sc.ml.hc   PKI  SS 


71 


Eastern  Metal  Market 


New   York.  J. 18, 

Copper  eonUnrnt  dull,  with  aacond-handa  making  what  mar 
ket  there  la. 

Zinc  has  continued  to  decline,  and  the  trade  Is  wondering 
whin  (he  present  trend  will  Ik'  checked 

Lead  had  a  better  tone  based  on  moderate  export  baring 
last  week,  but  It  has  turned  easier  again.  The  present  level 
of  prices  is  dependent  on  renewed  foreign  baying. 

Tin  Is  lower,  with  the  supply  unusually  large.  Hanca  tin 
offerings  ut  roiuvssl,ni«  have  bel|>ed  to  upset  the  market. 

Antimony  shows  no  Improvement,  and  its  price  Is  lower. 

Aluminum  Is  weaker  by  la,  following  u  lighter  demand. 

With  the  urgent  war  buying  past,  nnd  new  buying  for  the 
belligerents  conducted  on  a  conservative  basis,  there  are 
many  reasons  for  considering  that  extremely  abnormal  war 
prices  have  gone  for  good.  The  question  now  is.  at  what  point 
above  normal  levels  will  prices  settle?  In  the  metals,  as  in 
many  other  commodities,  It  is  beginning  to  be  realized  that 
prices  which  are  far  In  excess  of  values  tend  to  strangle  busi- 
ness. In  steel-construction  work,  for  Instance,  many  ventures 
of  an  Investment  nature  are  being  indefinitely  postponed  be- 
cause between  2.50  and  3.50c.  per  lb.  is  asked  for  structural 
shapes.     All  building  materials  are  proportionately  high. 

Export  buying  of  steel  and  pig  Iron  is  a  supporting  phase  of 
the  situation,  while  the  prospect  of  large  Government  pur- 
chases of  steel  is  another.  The  strike  of  iron  miners  in  the 
Lake  Superior  district  is  growing  in  proportions,  and  may 
have  a  serious  affect  on  the  ore  market.  There  are  also  fears 
that  the  transportation  facilities  may  be  Inadequate  to  carry 
the  season's  output. 

COPPER 

The  market  continues  very  dull  and  weak,  with  scarcely 
enough  drift  to  show  the  exact  level  at  which  any  considerable 
business  might  be  done.  Such  prices  as  are  quoted  are  those 
established  by  the  offerings  of  second-hands.  Electrolytic  can 
be  had  today  without  difficulty  at  26.50c.  cash,  New  York.  The 
purely  nominal  price  of  Lake  is  27.25c.  cash,  but  it  is  so  neg- 
lected that  one  price  is  about  as  good  as  another.  That  the 
producers  are  not  looking  for  business  at  reduced  prices  is 
evidenced  by  the  fact  that  most  of  them  are  holding  to  29.50 
to  29.75c.  for  August,  whereas  second-hands  would  be  glad  to 
sell  at  2G.50  to  27c.  The  brass  mills  are  shading  their  quota- 
tions for  brass  rods,  indicating  that  they  are  catching-up  on 
deliveries.  Brass  sheets  are  still  difficult  to  procure  inside  of 
six  or  eight  weeks.  Copper  sheets  are  easier  to  get  than  they 
were  a  few  weeks  ago,  the  price  being  37.50c,  and  some  of  the 
mills  are  looking  for  future  business.  Of  course,  all  have 
enough  to  keep  them  busily  employed  for  many  weeks  to  come. 
The  foreign  demand  for  finished  brass  and  copper  products  is 
fair,  but  not  to  be  compared  with  that  of  even  a  few  weeks 
ago.  The  London  quotation  for  electrolytic  yesterday  was 
£130.  Exports,  June  1  to  27,  totaled  29,256  tons.  In  the  first 
four  months  of  this  year  the  exports  of  brass  products,  such 
as  bars,  plates,  etc.,  totaled  29.591  tons,  against  11,281  tons  in 
the  same  period  of  last  year.  The  National  Brass  &  Copper 
Tube  Co.,  commenting  on  the  market,  in  its  house  organ, 
Copper  Gossip,  says: 

"Business  in  copper  is  on  a  much  more  moderate  scale  than 
a  few  weeks  ago.  and  apathy  regarding  the  situation,  on  the 
basis  of  current  quotations,  gives  evidence  of  the  change  in 
tons.  The  diminishing  rate  of  activity  is  not  surprising,  how- 
ever, after  the  aggressive  buying  earlier  in  the  year  when  con- 
sidered in  connection  with  the  hesitation  over  the  outlook. 
The  enthusiasm  that  accompanied  the  remarkable  buying 
movements  of  a   few  months   ago  has  evaporated.     There  is 


mora    conservatism    In    all    quarters.       the    Impression    in    In 
tlnential   circles   Ik  that    the   price  advani  u   overdone, 

and  that   a   moN   normal   market   Is  m  >  Imparl   COB 

hilence." 

ZINC 

The  trend  of  prices  continue!  downward,  buslaeea  ih  almost 
at  a  standstill,  and  authorities  In  the  trade  are  frankly  (lis 
appointed,  A  tew  weeks  ago  they  thought  the  turn  had  come. 
when  there  was  a  little  business  during  which  prices  advanced 
about  }c.  Then  quiet  came  again,  and  it  has  lasted  without  a 
break.  The  New  York  quotation  yesterday  was  about  11.76c. 
for  spot  zinc,  with  St.  Louis  around  11.50c,  but  it  Is  reported 
that  at  least  one  sale  of  a  round  lot  was  made  at  11.871c  81 
Louis.  July  can  be  had  at  about  lie,  New  York,  and  August 
at  10.50c  Students  of  the  market  do  not  believe  that  the  bot- 
tom has  yet  been  reached.  They  hold  that  the  trade  should  be 
satisfied  if  the  market  steadied  at  or  near  the  existing  levels, 
provided  buying  became  active.  It  is  notable  that  the  pre- 
mium for  brass-mill  special  has  about  disappeared  and  that  it 
can  be  had  at  very  near  the  quotation  for  prime  Western.  If 
the  decline  can  he  checked,  good  buying  by  the  sheet  galvan- 
izers  probably  will  ensue.  Exports  keep  up  fairly  well,  those 
of  the  month,  including  June  27,  amounting  to  4078  tons;  but 
they  are  not  sufficient  to  absorb  enough  of  our  output  at  the 
present  time.  In  Great  Britain,  consumption  is  being  cut 
down  by  the  shortage  of  labor,  while  another  influence  detri- 
mental to  our  producers  is  the  sale  abroad  of  Japanese  spelter. 
The  output  of  Japan  is  reported  to  have  been  considerably  in- 
creased, and  that  of  France  also.  Despite  the  disposition  of 
the  British  government  to  assist  smelting  in  England  it  is 
hampered  by  the  difficulty  of  getting  ore  from  Australia.  In 
France,  large  quantities  of  prime  Western,  purchased  in  the 
United  States,  has  been  re-refined  for  brass  purposes.  The 
London  quotation  for  spot  yesterday  was  £65. 

Sheet  zinc  is  quoted  at  18c,  f.o.b.  smelter,  carload  lots. 

LEAD 
The  crux  of  the  lead  situation  lies  in  the  export  demand.  If 
it  is  good,  quotations  here  probably  will  be  maintained,  but  if 
it  becomes  light,  prices  almost  to  a  certainty  will  decline. 
About  the  middle  of  last  week  several  thousand  tons  were 
taken  by  foreign  buyers  and  the  market  stiffened  a  little, 
rising  from  6.G2c,  New  York,  to  6.85c,  but  after  the  activity 
tapered  off  the  market  weakened  again,  and  yesterday  inde- 
pendents were  eager  for  business  at  6.80c,  New  York,  and 
6.65c,  St.  Louis.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  meanwhile  adheres  to 
7c.  New  York,  and  6.92Jc,  St.  Louis.  The  London  spot  quota- 
tion yesterday  was  £29  15s.  Existing  demand  runs  chiefly  to 
desilvered  lead,  said  to  be  superior  for  some  munition's  pur- 
poses. 

TIN 

The  market  is  weak  and  unsettled,  partly  because  of  the 
offerings  of  Banca  tin  at  concessions  of  *  to  lc  from  the  price 
for  Straits,  and  because  of  the  large  arrivals.  From  June  1  to 
27  these  aggregated  5420  tons,  with  2237  tons  afloat.  June  de- 
liveries into  consumption  promise  to  be  large.  There  has  been 
some  quiet  buying  of  futures  by  consumers,  but  not  a  great 
deal,  and  no  real  activity  is  expected  until  the  market  becomes 
steady.  Spot  Straits  was  quoted  at  New  York  yesterday  at 
39  cents. 

ANTIMONY 

Conditions  are  but  little  changed,  and  the  market  continues 
dull  and  listless.  Lots  of  5  to  10  tons  can  be  had  at  17.50c, 
with  about  18c  asked  for  smaller  quantities.  Competition  is 
so  keen  that  the  situation  is  in  the  buyers'  hands. 


72 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8,  1916 


Scrap  Metals  Recovered  in  1915 


The  value  of  the  copper,  lead,  zinc,  tin,  aluminum,  and  an- 
timony recovered  in  the  United  States  from  scrap  metals, 
skimmings,  and  drosses  in  1915  was  $114,304,930,  against 
$57,039,706  in  1914,  a  100%  increase.     The  incentive  of  high 


STRIPPING   THE    COPPER   CORNICES   OFT    A    Bl'ILDING    AT   BERLIN, 

(Copyright,  International  Film  Service,  Incorporated.) 

prices  caused  all  metal  wastes  to  be  more  carefully  saved, 
segregated,  and  refined.  The  output  of  secondary  metals  was 
as  follows:  copper,  including  brass  and  alloys,  196,000  tons; 
lead,  79,000  tons;  zinc,  92,575  tons;  tin,  12,447  tons;  antimony, 
3102  tons;  and  aluminum,  S500  tons,  all  large  increases  over 
the  recovery  in  1914. 


Manganese  in  1915 


Production  of  manganese  ore  in  the  United  States  in  1915 
was  9651  long  tons,  the  largest  since  1901,  and  more  than  three 
times  the  production  in  1914,  which  was  2635  tons.  This  out- 
put was  made  by  34  operators  in  10  States,  of  which  the  four 
most  important,  in  order  of  output,  were  Georgia,  California, 
Virginia,  and  Arkansas,  according  to  figures  compiled  by  the 
U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  In  addition,  Alabama,  Arizona,  Colo- 
rado, Tennessee,  Texas,  and  Utah  produced  small  amounts  of 
ore.  Imports  of  manganese  ore  in  1915  were  313, 9S5  tons, 
compared  with  283,294  tons  in  1914.  Of  the  ore  imported  in 
1915,  268,786  tons,  or  85%  of  the  total,  came  from  Brazil- 
more  than  twice  the  quantity  received  from  Brazil  in  any 
preceding  year.  Imports  from  India  were  36,450  tons,  or  about 
one-fourth  the  average  of  the  preceding  10  years.  No  ore  was 
received  from  Russia. 


The  production  of  manganiferous  iron  and  silver  ores  in 
1915  was  798,404  tons,  almost  twice  the  output  in  1914.  Most 
of  this  ore  was  used  in  making  high-manganese  pig-iron,  but  a 
large  quantity  was  used  as  a  flux  by  lead  smelters;  66,530  tons 
contained  more  than  15%  manganese  and  a  large  part  of  this 
was  used  to  make  low-grade  ferro-manganese. 

The  priee%  offered  for  manganese  ore  adapted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  ferro-manganese  rose  during  1915  to  the  highest 
figures  that  have  been  recorded  for  30  years.  In  August,  East- 
ern alloy  makers  offered  $22.50  per  ton  for  50%  ore,  compared 
with  $12.50  per  ton,  the  average  price  for  the  preceding  five 
years.  In  March,  1916,  it  was  reported  that  $32.50  per  ton 
was  paid  for  such  ore.  This  great  rise  in  prices  was  due 
largely  to  the  advance  in  ocean  freights  caused  by  the  short- 
age of  vessels  in  which  to  move  imported  ore.  There  is  good 
reason  for  expecting  a  further  increase  in  domestic  produc- 
tion during  1916  as  a  result  of  the  high  prices  offered,  but  it 
is  doubtful  whether  more  than  10%  of  the  domestic  demand 
can  be  met  by  domestic  production. 

The  shortage  of  high-grade  manganese  di-oxide  ores  caused 
by  cessation  of  exports  from  Russia  has  become  a  serious 
menace  to  the  dry  battery  and  flint-glass  industries.  Prices 
as  high  as  $85  per  ton  are  freely  offered,  but  as  only  a  few  de- 
posits in  the  United  States  can  supply  ore  of  this  grade,  little 
domestic  ore  has  come  to  the  market.  There  is  record  of  a 
marketed  production  of  550  tons  from  mines  in  Arizona,  Cali- 
fornia, Colorado,  Utah,  and  Virginia  during  1915,  whereas  the 
annual  demand  ranges  from  20,000  to  25,000  tons.  Ore  of  this 
grade  was  imported  from  Japan  and  Cuba  during  1915. 


Gold  and  Silver  Production  in  the  United  States 


The  Bureau  of  the  Mint  and  the  Geological  Survey  have 
issued  the  following  joint  statement  as  to  the  final  figures  on 
the  production  of  gold  and  silver  in  the  United  States  during 
the  calendar  year  1915: 


Fine  Oz. 

Alabama    247 

Alaska    808,346 

Arizona    220,392 

California    1,090,731 

Colorado    1,089,928 

Georgia    1,684 

Idaho    56.62S 

Illinois    

Michigan     

Missouri    

Montana    240,825 

Nevada    574,874 

New  Mexico    70,632 

North  Carolina   . . .        8,258 

Oregon      90,321 

Philippine    Islands.      63,898 

Porto   Rico 34 

South   Carolina....  174 

South    Dakota 358,145 

Tennessee    329 

Texas    87 

Utah     189,045 

Vermont    

Virginia    24 

Washington    22,330 

Wyoming    672 


Value 

Fine  Oz. 

Value 

$5,100 

16,710,000 

1,054,634 

$526,100 

4,555,900 

5,665,672 

2,826,500 

22,547,400 

1,689,924 

843,100 

22,530,800 

7,199.745 

3,591,900 

34,800 

141 

100 

1,170,600 

13,042,466 

6,506,800 

3,892 

1,900 

581,874 

290,300 

55,534 

27,700 

4,978,300 

14,423,173 

7,195,600 

11,883,700 

14,453,085 

7,210,500 

1,460,100 

2,337,064 

1,165,900 

170,700 

1,496 

700 

1,867,100 

125,499 

62,600 

1,320,900 

15,148 

7,600 

700 

3,600 

7,403,500 

197,569 

98,600 

6,800 

99,171 

49,500 

1,800 

724,580 

361,500 

3,907,900 

13.073.471 

6,522,200 

150 

100 

500 

461,600 

213.877 

106,700 

13,900 

2,910 

1,400 

Total     4,887,604  $101,035,700  74,961,075  $37,397,300 

At  the  average  price  of  silver  per  fine  ounce  for  the  calendar 

year  1915,  $0.49889. 
These  figures  compare  with  the  production  of  1914 — $94,531,- 

800  in  gold  and  72,455,100  fine  ounces  of  silver. 


.lulv   8,   1916 


MINING  and  S.rntih.    I'KI  SS 


COMPANY  REPORTS 


[OWN    MINKS     1.IMI  IKh 

18  one  of  tbe  lumen!   >  onsolldaUoni  on   the   Hand,   In 
"i  a.  J.  Brett,  with  W.  J.  Pitehford  and  T.  Bimpaon  as 
Joint  num. i. 
During   IMS  there   eras  employed    1761   white  ami    16,298 
i   men,  a  irood  Increase,  whose  wages   totaled   £489,466 
and  (469,612.  respectively.    Development  In  the  mine*  amount- 
ed to  18,800  ft.,  ol  which  16,680  (t.  was  in  'reef  Formation. 
The  Mam  Reel  Lender  tor  11.580  ft.  averaged  19  In.  In  width, 
assaying  181.60  per  ton;    while  the  South   Bent  for  14,030  ft. 
:  in.,  worth  $10.30  per  ton.    Reserves  total  9.938,000  tons 
of  |6JS  ore.    There  wan  mined  8316,481  tons,  of  which  10.7% 
The  pumps   have  a  capacity   of   880,000  gal.   per 
hour. 

The  660  stamps  and  :'6  tube-mills  reduced  2.497,000  tons, 
yielding  768,061  tine  or.,  gold  by  amalgamation  and  cynnida- 
tlon.  The  actual  recovery  was  96.791  of  the  gold-content. 
Operating  revenue  was  £8,187,968,  and  profit  81,170.161. 
ure  18.88  per  ton.  Dividends  paid  amounted  to  £611,- 
069.  The  balance  from  1914  was  £1.146.552.  and  that  carried 
forward  to  1916,  £1,099,196. 


EAST  RAND  PROPRIETARY  MIXES 

In  its  Angelo.  Angelo  Deep,  Cason.  Comet,  Iniefontein,  and 
Hercules  mines  last  year  this  great  concern  did  52,475  ft.  of 
development.  In  the  40.438  ft.  sampled  the  average  width 
in.,  averaging  $10.40  per  ton.  Reserves  totaled  4,800,- 
000  tons,  also  9.SOO.000  tons  of  $2.20  ore.  Development  in  the 
Angelo  and  Comet  was  almost  completed,  restricting  future 
work  to  the  other  mines.  Unpayable  zones  have  been  en- 
countered, but  these  are  expected  to  improve  later.  The  water 
pressure  on  No.  2S  level  is  210  lb.  per  sq.  in.,  a  decrease  of 
195  lb.  The  quantity  pumped  was  919.000,000  gal.  Sand- 
filling  put  into  the  mine  was  320,000  tons. 

From  the  2.127.026  tons  extracted  9.4%  was  discarded.  The 
sun  stamps  and  25  tube-mills  crushed  1.983,600  tons  of  $6.41 
ore.  The  cyanide-plant  treated  1,962.816  tons  of  $3.01  ma- 
terial, with  SN.S7' ;  extraction.    Total  recovery  was  94.78%. 

The  revenue  was  £2.495,086  (£1.397,S53  by  amalgamation). 
Costs  were  $4.58  per  ton,  and  operating  profit  was  £636,277. 
Dividends  paid  were  £275,163.  The  balance  brought  forward 
from  1914  was  £161.313,  and  that  carried  on  to  1916,  £193,354. 

In  charge  of  the  superintending  engineer,  \V.  T.  Anderson, 
and  the  manager.  E.  C.  J.  Meyer,  were  1727  whites  and  17.19S 
Kaffirs. 


CHIKSAN  MINING  CO. 

The  35-page  report  of  this  company,  which  operates  in 
Chosen  (Korea)  is  for  the  period  July  1  to  December  31,  1915. 
All  monetary  values  are  given  in  Japanese  currency,  namely 
tbe  yen,  equal  to  50  cents  United  States.  The  general  manager 
Is  James  J.  Martin,  with  J.  S.  Bradford  as  general  mine  super- 
intendent, and  R.  B.  Elder  as  metallurgist.  In  the  president's 
report  (J.  R.  Geary)  is  a  summary  of  results  as  follows: 

Development  amounted  to  4222  ft.,  a  decrease  of  3040  ft. 
through  a  lack  of  explosives  due  to  the  War.  Ore  reserves  are 
estimated  at  100,887  tons  in  the  4  mines,  averaging  ¥14.44  per 
ton,  and  5290  tons  of  ¥19.88  in  bins.  Prospecting  of  the  con- 
cession was  carried  on  by  tributers,  who  sent  2907  tons  worth 
¥44,811  to  the  mill.  There  were  from  1403  to  2194  men  em- 
ployed in  this  outside  work.  The  property  was  surveyed  to 
comply  with  the  new  mining  law.  There  will  be  16,000,000 
tsubo  of  quartz  and  6,000,000  tsubo  of  placer  claims  (1  tsubo  = 

1 


1210 


of  an  acre). 


tons  of  VI". 61  ore  In  tin-  '.  months,  I  leldlng  I  total  Ol  Vf>61,676. 

I  to-  rw  ..[  N  I  r. r  too  for  milling, 

and  90  8  len  1 1  0  908  I  lor  oysnldlng, 

The  net  profli  *  .■!  which  *  •". wus  dimrit d, 

equal  i"  vi  per  -hare  tor  the  bah 

■  a   ti    dredge  is  t <>  be  -hipped  from  America  by  July. 

It   will  be  electrically  driven,  and  early   In   1911  should 
ho  at  work. 


PORCUPINE  VIl'ONh  MINKS 

According  to  the  manager  of  this  Ontario  company.  C.   II 

Polrler,  development  during  1916  covered  17U9  ft.,  also  r. u t  it 

of  diamond-drilling,    a  vertical  two-compartmenl  winze  was 

sunk  L'.'o  ft.  below  the  300-ft.  level.     Reserves  show  a  good  In- 

■  ■.  almost  double,  to  90,000  tons  broken  and  developed. 


Mine 

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Car  Scales   I 

Crustier    I""" 
flo/is 

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tleroiorl. 
Sell  r 
Consiom  Co»„ j,**— j— I 


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recvjio*<>toi n    ;y,' 


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<  ■,  i  ■'Gold  Solution 


.l*eirr_j 


'         I  Automatic  i. 


Tailings  to  tVasle 


The   Yangdei   reduction   and   cyanide   plants  treated   31,561 


FLOW-SHEET  OF  VIFOND  MILL,  PORCUPINE. 

The  mill  capacity  was  increased  from  3000  to  4000  tons  per 
month  by  adding  a  6-ft.  Hardinge  ball-mill,  in  place  of  a  4J-ft 
machine.  The  plant  treated  35,899  tons,  averaging  $7.51  per 
ton.  There  was  extracted  11,979  oz.  gold  and  1455  oz.  silver, 
with  92.1%  recovery.  All  costs  amounted  to  $5.47  per  ton,  a 
reduction  of  97  cents.    The  net  profit  was  $196,919. 


74 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  8.  1916 


BOOK  REVIEWS 


English  and  American  Tool  Builders.  By  Joseph  Wick- 
ham  Roe.  P.  315.  Index.  Yale  University  Press,  New  Haven, 
Conn.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  San  Fran- 
cisco.    Price,  $3. 

This  is  a  historical  work,  dealing  especially  with  the  careers 
of  the  great  builders  of  tools.  It  is  a  presentation  of  the 
human  side  of  the  evolution  of  machine-tool  design  and  con- 
struction, and  cannot  fail  to  interest  members  of  the  engineer- 
ing profession  who  can  appreciate  the  human  as  well  as  the 
materialistic  side  of  their  work.  The  European  War  has 
created  an  immense  demand  for  machine-tools  of  every  de- 
scription. 


Cartridge  Manufacture.  By  Douglas  T.  Hamilton.  P.  167. 
Index.  The  Industrial  Press,  New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press,  San  Francisco.     Price,  $1.50. 

Shrapnel  Shei.i.  Mam  i  actfbe.  By  Douglas  T.  Hamilton. 
P.  296.  Index.  The  Industrial  Press,  New  York.  For  sale  by 
Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  San  Francisco.     Price,  $2.50. 

The  War  has  brought  about  what  might  be  termed  an  in- 
dustrial upheaval  in  the  United  States.  The  demands  made 
upon  the  American  manufacturer  by  the  belligerents  in  Europe 
for  munitions  of  all  kinds  in  quantities  beyond  precedent  have 
practically  created  in  the  United  States  a  new  industry  over 
night.  The  manufacture  of  cartridges  and  other  munitions  is 
a  highly  specialized  industry,  calling  for  the  use  of  special 
tools  and  jigs  not  ordinarily  applicable  to  other  lines  of  manu- 
facture. The  publication  of  Mr.  Hamilton's  works  is  especially 
appropriate  since  the  American  government  seems  fairly  com- 
mitted at  this  time  toward  a  policy  of  preparedness.  The 
engineering-society  work  in  the  preparation  of  an  industrial 
census  should  make  every  manufacturer  of  iron  and  steel 
products  in  the  United  States  interested  in  learning  how  he 
may  adapt  his  own  equipment  to  munition-manufacturing  in 
case  of  emergency.  These  works  are  up  to  the  minute  and 
go  thoroughly  into  detail  in  regard  to  all  of  the  requirements 
incident  to  the  manufacture  of  cartridges  and  shrapnel  and 
should  find  a  place  in  the  reference  library  of  every  machine 
shop  operator. 


Modern  Starting.  Lighting,  and  Ignition  Systems.  By 
Victor  W.  Page.  P.  509.  111.,  index.  Norman  W.  Henley 
Publishing  Co.,  New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press,  San  Francisco.    Price,  $1.25. 

The  strides  that  have  been  made  in  the  development  of  the 
mechanical  details  of  motor  cars  have  been  so  phenomenal 
that  it  Is  difficult  even  now  to  say  whether  or  no  the  last  word 
has  been  said  on  the  subject  of  starting,  lighting,  and  igni- 
tion. Nevertheless,  the  opinion  is  general  that  these  phases 
of  automobile  design  have  been  fairly  well  standardized.  It 
is  a  far  cry  from  the  simple  coil  and  battery  ignition  that 
was  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  perplexity  for  the  pioneer 
motorist  of  a  few  years  ago,  to  the  nearly  lOOcj-reliable  light- 
ing, ignition,  and  starting  units  in  use  almost  universally  on 
the  motor  car  of  today,  regardless  of  price.  The  automobile 
has  proved  to  be  a  great  educator  to  the  layman,  insofar  as 
the  operation  of  the  motor,  transmission,  and  differential  are 
concerned,  but  the  electric  features  still  remain  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  a  sealed  book  to  the  average  motorist.  Here, 
then,  is  an  opportunity  for  those"  interested  to  understand  the 
why  and  the  wherefore  of  the  electrical  section  of  the  automo- 
bile power-plant,  an  opportunity  that  should  be  taken  ad- 
vantage of  by  every  motorist.  The  book  is  well  written,  in 
such  a  way  as  to  be  readily  understandable  by  the  average 
man.  It  is  replete  with  illustrations  that  will  facilitate  a 
ready  understanding  of  the  text. 


Quarry  Lease — Abandonment 

A  99-yearV  lease  of  a  granite  quarry  required  an  annual 
rental,  not  to  exceed  $25  when  the  quarry  was  worked,  and 
a  nominal  rental  of  $1  per  year  when  the  quarry  was  not 
worked.  The  lessees  failed  to  work  it  for  14  years,  and  then 
after  a  dispute  with  the  lessor  persisted  in  their  refusal  to 
work  it  for  an  additional  three  years.  Held,  this  inaction  on 
the  part  of  the  lessees  constituted  an  anbandonment  of  the 
lease  entitling  the  lessor  to  cancel  it  in  a  suit  to  quiet  title. 
Ellis  o.  Swan  (Rhode  Island),  96  Atlantic,  840.  March 
22,  1916. 


Placer  Locations  of  Phosphate  Rock 

The  act  of  January  11,  1915,  authorizing  the  completion 
under  the  placer  mining  laws  of  placer  locations  of  lands  con- 
taining deposits  of  phosphate  rock,  applies  only  to  placer 
locations  upon  which  the  assessment  work  has  been  annually 
performed:  and  the  Land  Department  is  without  authority  to 
extend  the  remedial  provisions  of  that  act  to  locations  upon 
which  annual  assessment  work  has  not  been  performed. 

San  Francisco  Chemical  Co.  (Land  Department),  44  Land 
Decisions,  356.     August  26,  1915. 


Extra-lateral  Rights  Below  Junction  of  Veins 

The  Supreme  Court  of  Montana  on  re-hearing,  modified  its 
previous  decision  in  the  Anaconda  Copper  v.  Pilot-Butte  case- 
by  awarding  to  the  plaintiff  an  extension  of  the  temporary  in- 
junction theretofore  granted,  so  as  to  include  the  portion  of 
an  extra-lateral  right  below  the  junction  of  a  discovery  and 
a  secondary  vein,  which  was  properly  tributary  to  the  second- 
ary vein.  Previous  decisions  that  as  against  a  hostile  claim- 
ant who  owns  no  part  of  either  apex,  the  boundary  planes  of 
the  senior  vein  will  control  the  right  below  the  point  of  junc- 
tion were  affirmed. 

Anaconda  Copper   Mining   Co.   v.   Pilot-Butte   Mining   Co. 
(Montana),  156  Pacific  409.    March  29,  1916. 


Boundaries — Monuments — Extra-lateral  Rights 

The  general  rule  that  monuments  mentioned  in  a  descrip- 
tion of  land  prevail  over  courses  and  distances  written  in  a 
conveyance  thereof  does  not  permit  of  the  curtailment  of  the 
1500  ft.  of  vein  and  20.45  acres  of  a  lode  claim  plainly  called 
for  in  the  patent,  to  a  vein  length  of  1364.5  ft.  and  proportion- 
ately smaller  area  bounded  by  some  stakes  found  19  years 
after  the  patent  was  issued  and  not  mentioned  or  described 
therein,  there  being  no  conflict  between  the  courses  and  dis- 
tances and  the  monuments  named  in  the  patent,  and  the  posts 
in  dispute  being  described  solely  in  the  field  notes  of  the  sur- 
vey. The  amendment  of  1904  to  Section  2327  Revised  Statutes 
held  not  applicable  to  land  patented  prior  to  that  date.  Where 
a  locator  seeks  protection  of  the  provision  of  law  giving  him 
an  extra-lateral  right  within  side-end  lines  where  he  has  by 
mistake  located  his  claim  across  instead  of  along  his  vein,  he 
must  establish  by  a  preponderance  of  evidence  that  the  vein 
in  question  was  actually  the  discovered  vein  and  the  location 
made  in  error.  He  will  not  be  allowed  after  a  lapse  of  25 
years  after  patent  to  claim  an  extra-lateral  right  through  his 
end-lines  on  the  basis  of  the  newly  discovered  fact  that  there 
was  a  cross-vein  apexing  some  400  ft.  away  from  the  original 
discovery  cut  and  that  no  length-wise  veins  exist. 

Conkling  Mining  Co.  v.  Silver  King  Coalition  Mining  Co. 
(Utah),  230  Federal,  553.     February  12,  1916. 


and 
Scientific 


JOSHUA  HENDY  IRON  WORKS 

MANUFACTURERS 
SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


Volume  I  1  3  Niuiilm   I 


Edited  hi 
T.  A.  R1CKARD 


^AN  FRANCISCO 
JULY  15,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15,  1916 


*mj  m 


1FBLTI 


Oliver 

Continuous 

7t  It&v 

Company 

50I   MAR.KXT    St.    1 

San  Francisco.Cal* 


Two  points  to  remember 
in  selecting  mill  equipment 

First:  An  Oliver  Continuous  Filter  does  better  work 
for  less  money  than  any  other  filter  made. 

Second:  An  Oliver  Filter  can  and  is  doing  work  that 
has  never  before  been  done  on  a  filter. 

These  two  points  mean  that,  ten  chances  to  one,  an 
opportunity  exists  in  your  work  for  the  application 
of  an  Oliver  that  will  result  in  many  a  dollar  saved. 

Whether  you  mine  gold  or  silver,  copper,  lead  or  zinc, 
there  is  an  Oliver  to  fit  the  need  and  an  experienced 
engineer  ready  to  show  you  how. 

Oliver  Filters  have  replaced  other  filters  or  dewatering 
systems  in  80  mills.  There's  a  reason.  It  lies  in  auto- 
matic, continuous,  efficient  operation  and  the  sturdy, 
simple  construction. 

The  Oliver  will  show  a  saving  in  your  mill.  Want 
to  know  how?  Write  us,  giving  details  of  your  case. 

No    royalties    to    pay    on   ANY  work   of  an   Oliver 


mirouu  si  wi 

T.  A  RJCKAKD  EJaa 

M   VI     MBOWVin     l  Aumu* 

p.  a  Mcdonald           •  Um 


Press 


I  M  VIII  IMIHi    II 
U  420  M..lrt  Sc  .  %m  Knxar...  I.,  ihr  [  V«r,  PubUm*  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  11^.™  M.o.,„ 


MM  Ml    CONTRIBI 
W     II     Nl,„.  kl.-y 

'I    S.    Auntln 

lanl 

»lb. 

I  lldll. 

•M     J„|||t| 

l '    K  .  inii 
V    II     Probarl 

C     W      P'lTlr 

Horaca   V.   Wlnoholl 


.•  has  no  ninny  miv  ilir  itfuortiNI 


Uau«d   Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  July  15,  1916 


13  per  YMr — 10  Cents  p«-r  Copf 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


BDITORIAL  Page. 

76 

Tin   Unn  »s   Fno  u  7ti 

Facta  that  must  he  faced  by  those  responsible  for  the 
ruinous  conditions  iii  Mexico.  The  limbo  of  Indeci- 
sion railed  'wnlchful  waiting.' 

I'm  Mir    &    Hm  i  .\    77 

The  senil  centenary  of  this  copper-mining  company 
Is  the  occasion  of  some  authoritative  notes  on  the 
discovery  of  the  famous  conglomerate  lode  by  Edwin 
J.  Hullnrt.  as  related  by  the  Kdltor. 

D18CV8SIOS 
Kim:  Ciiimhm,:    Stamps  ami  Bai  i  -M 1 1  i  ~ 


By  W.  E.  Cahill 


The  stamp-mill  gives  a  finished  product  in  one  op- 
eration, and  In  making  a  comparison,  of  stamps  with 
rolls  and  tuhe-mills.  it  Is  well  to  consider  the  cost  of 
the  finished  product. 


Sunday  Work  at  the  Mink. 

By  Henry  S.  Reed,  Jr 

Seconding  the  appeal  of  F.  C.  Brown,  in  our  issue  of 
June  17,  for  a  six-day  working  week  at  Western 
mines.  The  necessity  for  substituting  wholesome 
amusement  for  the  Sunday  debauch. 


ARTICLES 

Sirkhtal  Indications  of  Copper — IV. 

By  Frank  H.  Probert    81 

Considerations  affecting  the  deposition  of  copper  ore 
at  Rio  Tinto,  Spain;  also  in  Arizona  and  Montana. 
An  attempt  to  leach  the  oxidation  product  from  sul- 
phide ore  at  Morenci,  Arizona. 


Conditions  in  Mexico. 

By  Our  Oicn  Correspondent  

The  miserable  financial  conditions  in  Mexico,  the 
scientific  grafting  of  various  factions,  and  the  in- 
capacity of  the  Carranza  government. 


Page, 

1  u~.  ki  PANCIS8    in    ll  vmdu'IOX. 

By  Edmund   Shaw    92 

•s  of  differences  between  theoretical  and  actual 
extraction  by  the  cyanide  process.  Theft  Is  suspected 
more  often  than  is  warranted.  Errors  In  Bampling 
and  assaying. 


Tin:  California  Qaboline  Industry. 

By   W.   R.  Hamilton    95 

That  the  shortage  of  gasoline  will  extend  Into  1917 
is  predicted,  but  "the  future  has  generally  cared  for 
itself."  The  economic  features  affecting  the  price  of 
gasoline. 

Silver    97 

Predictions  by  London  authorities  indicate  that  the 
price  of  silver  will  continue  high.  Heavy  demands 
are  likely  for  coinage  in  China,  Egypt,  India  and 
.Mexico. 


DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    98 

Review  of  Mining   99 

Special  correspondence  from  Butte,  Montana;  Platte- 
ville,  Wisconsin;  Toronto,  Ontario;  Sutter  Creek, 
California. 

The    Mining    Summary    102 

Personal     106 

The  Metal  Market  107 

Eastern   Metal  Market    108 

Company   Reports    109 

Mijnbouw  Maatschappij  Redjang-Lebong ;  Mt.  Lyell 
Mining  &  Railway  Co.;   Mclntyre  Porcupine  Mines. 

Book   Reviews    HO 

'Mechanical    Engineer's    Hand    Book,'    by    Lionel    S. 
Marks;    'Microscopical   Determination   of   the   Opaque 
Minerals,'  by  Joseph  Murdoch;  'The  Engineer  in  War,' 
by  P.  S.  Bond. 
Mining    Decisions    110 

ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's  Guide   32 

Index  to  Advertisers    38 


Established  May  24.  1860.  as  The  Scientific  Presa;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Preiw. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York.  1308-10 
TVoolworth   Bdg.;   London,  724   Salisbury  House,    E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and  Mexico.  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  countries  in  postal  union, 
21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


14 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


Your  work  will  be  Easier, 

Your  efficiency  Higher, 

Your  costs  Lower, 

if  you  use 

UNION 

Placer  Equipment 

for 

Gold,  Tin  and  Platinum 

JBas  fc 

~»  ■  "HE 


July  15,  1916 

UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPAKT 


Union  Dredge  No.  18,  operating  on  Mastodon  Creek, 
near  Circle  City,  Alaska.  This  3*-ft.  dredge  has  made 
an  enviable  record  of  1900  cubic  yards  per  day  under 
adverse  conditions. 


We  invite  your  correspondence. 
Ask  for  Catalogues. 

UNION    CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY 


H.  G.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JOHNSON 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


UNION  DRILLS 

Prospect  your  dredging  ground  with 
Union  Drills.  Made  in  two  types. 
Above  is  shown  the  steel-frame  type 
in  operation.  Union  Drills  are  simple, 
easy  to  operate,  low  in  cost,  and  can 
be  transported  over  any  ground.  If 
necessary  they  can  be  knocked  down 
and  carried  mule-back.     Bulletin  15. 


NEILL  JIGS 

Eight  Neill  Jigs  on  one  dredge  have 
paid  for  themselves  in  60  days,  mak- 
ing a  commercial  success  of  jigging  a 
product  running  2ft  cents  per  ton. 
The  Neill  Jig  has  double  the  screen 
area  of  other  jigs  requiring  the  same 
floor  space.    All  parts  are  easy  of  access. 


N  PREDGES   -  BUCYRUS  DREDGES  -  u7noT7DRILLS^SE7LHlGT'n  fl 


July   15,   1'Mi; 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


EDITORIAL 


T.  A.  RICKARD.  Editor 


t  'ARRANZA'S  credit  ia  measured  by  the  sale  of  an 
^-*  ice-cream  oone  for  $-'  in  Bat  ourrenoy  al  the  bridge 
.spiiiiniiiir  the  Rio  Grande  between  Kl  Paao  and  Juarez. 

npilK  index  for  volume  112,  January  to  June  1916,  ia 
-*■    1 1 1  >  w  ready,  and  may  be  obtained  by  writing  to  this 
office.     The  uumber  11-  indicatee  that  this  paper  Ikis 
i  its  ."ititli  birthday. 

EMittM  consular  reports  and  other  sources  of  informs- 
-1-  tion.  it  appears  that  the  amount  of  American  capital 
invested  in  Mexico  makes  a  grand  total  of  $1.2:">o.ooo, nou, 

nut   nt'  which  (225, .in"1  is  invested  in   mines,  $26,- 

500,000  in  snirlti-rs.  and  •* IT"). 000.000  in  the  oil  business. 


44TNVESTING  American  lives  to  recover  American 
■*•  money"  is  what  the  Evening  Scream  calls  interven- 
tion. But  the  Brerbrigade  risks  life  to  save  property  and 
so  does  the  policeman  who  attacks  an  armed  burglar. 
Ifoal  of  us  think  it  honorable  to  protect  our  property 
and  our  rights. 


OlN'i'K  1890  the  pun-hasing  power  of  a  dollar  has  de- 
k-'  creased  ■'•'', .  but  the  purchasing  power  of  labor  has 
nut  decreased  in  the  same  proportion.  The  rise  in  wages 
is  tin-  economic  recognition  of  the  higher  cost  of  living, 
due  not  only  to  the  enhanced  price  of  necessaries  but 
also  to  the  expanding  consumption  of  luxuries. 


TJJ7IIAT  will  happen  to  the  Mexican  employees  of  the 
*™  copper  companies  in  the  South-West  in  the  event 
of  war  is  a  question  rightly  asked  at  this  time.  The 
population  of  the  CJnited  States  includes  120,000  Mexican 
men  of  adult  age,  of  whom  10$  only  are  naturalized. 
The  opinion  of  the  mine  managers  is  that  there  is  little 
probability  of  their  Mexican  employees  returning  to  the 
country  of  their  origin  in  order  to  take  up  arms  against 
us.  because  they  were  never  so  well  paid  as  they  are  now 
and  the  political  tangle  has  diminished  any  natural 
patriotic  impulse. 


"FEELINGS  engendered  by  the  horrors  of  the  War 
■*-  have  caused  many  thoughtful  men  to  break  from 
their  mental  moorings.  We  note  with  regret  that  Mr. 
Francis  W.  Hirst  has  had  to  resign  the  editorship  of  The 
Economist,  in  many  respects  the  most  trustworthy  and 
influential  financial  paper  in  the  world.  He  has  used  his 
position  to  express  his  personal  convictions  in  regard  to 
the  great  struggle  and  its  baleful  consequences  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  impair  his  efficiency  in  the  more  prosaic  work 
of  a  commentator  on  commercial  affairs.  He  was  a  fearless 


and  able  editor,  of  a  kind  rare  anywhere.  To  mining 
matters  be  gave  much  useful  and  incisive  criticism.  We 
hope  he  may  tind  scope  lor  his  unusual  ability  ami  high 

character  in  some  other  post  of  duty. 


f   OW   costs  ol'  producing  copper  are   being  Spoiled   by 

*-*  the  hurry  to  take  advantage  of  the  abnormally  favor- 
able market.  During  the  16  months  to  April  1,  1916, 
the   cost    at    Braden   averaged   9.67   cents   per   pound,   as 

against  the  estimate,  made  in  January  L915,  of  til  cents. 
However,  the  profit  per  ton  is  the  main  item  in  mining. 
not  the  cost. 


TVlSCIKSloN  this  week  starts  with  a  thoughtful  de- 
■■-'  fence  of  the  stamp-mill  by  Mr.  \V.  10.  t'ahill,  who 
writes  from  a  locality  where  I  lie  stamp  -mill  is  being 
used  on  an  enormous  scale.  This  letter  may  he  read 
in  conjunction  with  the  editorial  article  on  'Rolls  and 
Ball-Mills  v.  Stamps'  appearing  in  our  issue  of  October 
16,  1915.  Mr.  Henry  8.  Reed  writes  feelingly  on  the 
subject  of  Sunday  labor  and  voices  the  views,  we  be- 
lieve, of  many  of  our  readers.  We  are  always  glad  to 
give  space  to  matters  of  human,  as  well  as  technical,  in- 
terest. 


/CALIFORNIA  has  a  great  variety  of  useful  minerals, 
^-*  but  the  value  of  them  is  not  enhanced  by  such  ignor- 
ant advertisement  as  is  given  in  our  local  press.  On 
the  front  page  of  a  recent  issue  of  the  Morning  Howl 
we  find  a  lot  of  childish  nonsense  about  a  discovery  of 
barytes,  or  barite,  that  is  to  yield  "poisonous  volcanic 
vapors"  and  "promises  to  become  a  menace  to  the 
Kaiser's  armies  fighting  in  Russia,"  And  all  because 
barite  is  a  sulphate  from  which,  it  is  stated,  sulphuric 
acid  is  to  be  made.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  chief  uses 
of  the  mineral  are  in  the  manufacture  of  paints,  the 
coating  of  linoleums  and  oil-cloths,  enameling  iron  and 
steel,  besides  adulterating  sugar  and  making  poker  chips. 


COPPER  smelting  and  refining  is  being  considered  as 
the  subject  of  taxation,  says  our  Washington  cor- 
respondent. The  proposed  Tariff  Commission  is  ex- 
pected to  take  the  matter  in  hand,  the  impost  suggested 
being  1%  on  annual  receipts  between  $25,000  and 
$1,000,000;  2%  up  to  $10,000,000;  and  3%  on  $10,000,- 
000  or  more.  Under  such  taxation,  a  number  of  com- 
panies would  pay  $1  per  share  per  annum  and  others 
from  50  to  80  cents  per  share,  but  this  would  be  less 
than  the  daily  fluctuation  in  the  stock  quotation  and 
could  hurt  nobody.  The  Calumet  &  Hecla  would  pay 
$5.50  per  share,  when  copper  sold  at  25  cents  per  pound, 


76 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Julv  15,   1916 


bul  even  tliiit  should  not  break  the  heart  of  a  patriotic 
Bostonian. 


1V/HAT  the  zinc  market  owes  to  foreign  trade  is  sug- 
""  gested  by  the  statistics  of  export.  During  the  first 
six  months  of  the  current  year  1(18.500  tons  of  spelter 
was  exported,  as  compared  with  111,000  tuns  during  the 
•orrespondiug  period  of  last  year  and  only  1500  tons  two 
years  ago.  What  profits  have  accrued  from  the  rise  in 
spelter  is  indicated  by  the  dividends  paid  by  the  New 
Jersey  Zinc  Company,  which  has  distributed  $52  per 
$100  share  on  its  capital  of  $35,000,000  during  the  past 
8  months.  One  shareholder  has  received  $1,675,128  and 
another  $1,566,448  in  dividends,  while  three  others  have 
each  received  over  $900,000  (one  might  call  it  a  million 
for  short!)  during  the  same  period,  and  among  them  we 
are  glad  to  Bee  the  name  of  Mr.  J.  P.  Wetherell,  to  w  bom 
the  metallurgy  of  xi n<-  is  so  largely  indebted. 


ANACONDA  makes  a  fine  showing  in  the  report  for 
■^*-  the  twelve  months  to  June  1.  The  net  profit  is  $14,- 
363,881  after  expending  $8,715,881  on  improvements. 
What  these  improvements  are  and  how  they  have  in- 
creased the  efficiency  of  this  splendid  metallurgical 
establishment  was  made  clear  to  our  readers  recently  in 
the  articles  by  Mr.  L.  S.  Austin  and  in  our  own  comment. 
Owing  to  the  facl  thai  Anaconda  does  a  large  custom  and 
refining  business,  it  is  not  the  company's  habit  to  give 
information  concerning  the  cost  of  operations.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  the  total  cost  is  10  cents  per  pound 
of  copper.  Mr.  John  I*.  Ryan  has  been  quoted  assaying 
that  he  could  make  copper  for  5  cents  per  pound  for  5 
years  if  he  cared  to  gut  the  mines,  but  his  policy  is  ex- 
actly the  opposite  of  that,  namely,  to  operate  the  mines 
so  that  the  enterprise  will  approach  the  character  of  an 
investment.  It  is  probable  that  a  cost  of  less  than  9 
cents  per  pound  of  copper  will  be  attained  when  all  the 
improvements  have  come  into  effect.  The  company's 
mines  at  Butte  have  penetrated  below  3000  feet  in  ver- 
tical depth  without  noteworthy  impoverishment. 


T^  XPLORATION  among  old  workings  continues  to  be 
-*-J  the  main  feature  of  mining  at  Leadville.  The  first 
enterprise  of  this  kind,  that  of  unwatering  the  Penrose 
shaft  in  the  Down  Town  area,  was  completed  in  June, 
after  13  months  of  continuous  pumping  to  a  depth  of 
874  feet.  The  search  for  ore  can  now  proceed.  The 
next  scheme  was  to  unwater  the  Harvard  shaft  in  the 
Fryer  Hill  district.  This  is  being  done  by  the  United 
States  Smelting.  Refining  &  Exploration  Company,  a 
subsidiary  of  the  well-known  corporation  having  a  nearly 
similar  name.  Then  the  Empire  Zinc  Company  began 
to  drain  the  Wolftone  shaft  and  its  surrounding  terri- 
tory. In  our  last  issue  our  I>adville  correspondent  gave 
many  details  concerning  the  latest  venture,  that  of 
draining  and  re-opening  a  large  area  through  the  Mikado 
shaft,  which  is  1206  feet  deep.  This  venture  promises  to 
lie  the  most  important.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
motor-driven  centrifugal  pumps  are  being  used  with 
great  satisfaction.     Sudden  rushes  of  water  and  debris 


from  old  openings  cause  '  burn-outs'  occasionally,  but 
these  have  proved  minor  interruptions.  The  high  price 
of  lead  and  of  zinc,  and  lately  of  silver,  gave  an  impulse 
to  the  re-opening  of  these  old  properties,  and  even 
though,  a*  is  confidently  expected,  extensive  orebodies 
are  uncovered,  a  further  drop  in  prices  will  much  dis- 
appoint those  by  whom  capital  has  been  subscribed  for 
these  plucky  undertakings.  Later  in  the  current  year 
we  may  expect  to  hear  something  about  the  first  fruits 
of  development  in  these  abandoned  portions  of  a  famous 
mining  district.  The  Valley  adit,  which  penetrates  Pros- 
pect mountain,  another  exploratory  scheme,  has  disclosed 
iron-silvcr-manganese  ore.  and  promises  well.  The 
Arkansas  Valley  smelter  is  crowded  with  ore.  the  West- 
ern zinc-oxide  plant  is  being  enlarged,  and  many  promis- 
ing undertakings  are  in  full  swing,  so  that  the  future 
of  Leadville  seems  brighter  than  for  a  decade. 


The  Mexican  Fizzle 


On  another  page  we  publish  a  long  and  interesting 

letter  by  the  mining  engineer  who  was  our  correspondent 
in  the  City  of  Mexico.  He,  like  other  Americans,  had  to 
flee  the  country  when  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Carranza  be- 
gan their  exchange  of  explosive  notes  last  month.  We 
commend  his  description  of  the  state  of  affairs  prevail- 
ing in  Mexico:  it  serves  to  indicate  the  ineptitude  and 
corruption  of  the  Carranza  government.  Mr.  H.  Lain' 
Wilson,  formerly  ambassador  to  Mexico,  is  a  man  for 
whose  judgment  we  have  no  particular  respect,  as  we 
believe  that  he  contributed  largely  to  the  mistaken 
policy  of  Mr.  Taft,  when  President,  but  we  note  with 
approval  a  recent  remark  reported  to  have  been  made 
by  him:  "We  recognized  a  de  facto  government  that 
has  since  become  a  de  fun-cto  government."  And  suffi- 
cient proof  of  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  note  from  Wash- 
ington on  June  20,  in  which  the  Secretary  of  State 
asserts  that  for  three  years  "American  lives  have  been 
sacrificed,  American  enterprises  destroyed";  there  has 
been  committed  "outrage  after  outrage,  atrocity  after 
atrocity;"  and  during  "attacks  on  American  territory 
Carranza  soldiers  took  part  in  the  killing,  looting,  and 
burning."  Yet,  during  all  this  time,  knowing  all  these 
things,  the  Administration  at  the  head  of  our  govern- 
ment has  recognized  that  of  Carranza  and  his  followers. 
Finally,  they  were  called  to  order,  the  civilian  soldiery 
of  the  United  States  was  called  to  arms,  and  a  show  of 
real  resentment  was  made.  Carranza  replied  by  issuing 
insulting  statements  at  his  own  capital,  for  domestic  con- 
sumption, meanwhile  postponing  a  formal  reply  to  the 
peremptory  demands  from  Washington.  He  released  the 
Carrizal  prisoners  without  disavowing  the  orders  to 
General  Trevino  that  caused  that  affair  of  outposts.  Be- 
fore he  replied  to  the  note,  the  punitive  expedition  under 
General  Pershing  had  been  withdrawn  nearly  to  the 
frontier,  without  having  accomplished  its  object ;  for 
Villa  is  again  on  the  rampage,  as  impudent  as  ever. 
Carranza  appears  to  have  scored,  for  the  American 
threat  has  rallied  Mexican  support  to  his  side  and  di- 


.Inly  16,   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


77 


I  attention  momentarily  from  the  grim  reality  of 
famine;  .Mr  Wilson's eonaiatenl  deain  to  preserve  peace 
varied  by  a  sharp  note  and  a  little  prepared 
neither  apparently  meant  to  !><■  taken  too  seriously 
•  s  into  Ji  Sxxle.    Don  Venustiano  i 

ranaa  baa  made  g 1  hia  blnff.    We  are  where  we  wi 

in  thai  limbo  of  indecision  called  'watchfnl  waiting.1 
i/'ni.in.i  continues  to  epitomin  the  policy  of  the  Admin- 
iatration.    Again  the  relationa  of  the  Qnited  States  and 
Mexico  are  in  a  state  of  flux;  they  drift  on  the  logic  of 
Brents,  which  is  a  current  thai  flows  just  as  decisively  in 
a  definite  direction  as  the  meanderinga  of  the  chief  pro- 
tagoniata  trend  nowhere  in  particular.     It   is  reported 
that  the  State  Department  will  not  hold  itself  responsible 
for  the  safety  of  any  Americans  remaining  in  Mexico, 
[s  thai  to  hold  good  indefinitely  1     It'  not,  until  when? 
Is  the  $1,250,000,000  of  American  capital  to  be  jetti- 
aoned  until  such  time  as  Senor  Carranza  and  his  'con- 
stitutional1 friends  restore  order?    Apparently,  that  is 
the  idea;  no  chance  of  friction  with  those  amiable  gen- 
tlemenl  is  to  be  risked  by  mentioning  such  little  matters 
as  the   railways,  oil-wells,  and   mines  legally  owned   by 
Americans  in  Mexico.    The  United  States  has  no  moral 
right  to  interfere  in  a  foreign  country  to  defend  its  na- 
tionals resident   there  or  the  property  they  own  there; 
so  say  the  pacifists  now  dominant  at  Washington.    The 
adventurer  or  concessionaire  must  take  his  chances;  Ids 
country  washes  its  hands  of  him.    .So?    Yet  we  hear  that 
the  Administration  is  in  consultation   with   New   York 
bankers  with  a  view  to  furnishing  financial  aid,  that  is, 
lending  money,  to  the  bankrupt  government  of  Carranza. 
Is  the  loan  to  be  protected  by  the  United  States  or  is  it 
to  share  the  fate  of  the  equally  honorable  capital  already 
expended  in  Mexico  by  mine  operators,  for  example? 
What  is  the  distinction?    Of  course,  if  any  large  sum  is 
loaned  by  the  banks,  it  will  be  on  good  security  and  that 
security  will  be  the  backing  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  and,  what  is  more,  the  assurance  that  the 
Administration  will  take  measures  to  protect  the  bank- 
ers' mortgage  on  Mexico.    Meanwhile,  the  border  will  be 
patroled  by  a  large  force,  the  boundary  being  1300  miles 
long,  with   chances  for  complications  continually  pres- 
ent.    Later,  we  shall  have  trouble  with  the  European 
governments,  when  they  have  time  to  attend  to  this  little 
affair,  because  they  surely  will  not  consent  to  the  de- 
spoiling of  their  nationals,  even  if  we  are  willing  to  see 
our  own  driven  out  of  the  country  and  dispossessed  of 
their  property.     The  problem  will  have  to  be  faced ;  no 
'watchful  waiting'  will  solve  it;  it  is  a  condition  and  not 
a  theory  that   confronts  us  in  Mexico,  and  no  profes- 
sorial philosophy  can  wave  aside  the  brutal  fact.     The 
Mexican  tangle  can  be  made  smooth  in  two  ways:  either 
the  Carranza  party  will  restore  order  and  constitutional 
government,  or  the  United  States  government  will  in- 
tervene, by  consent  or  by  force,  for  that  purpose.     No 
promise  of  either  is  evident.     In  the  note  of  June  22 
addressed   to   the   representatives   of   the    Central   and 
South  American  republics,  Mr.  Lansing  stated  that  even 
if  hostilities  ensued  "this  Government  had  for  its  object 


not  intervention  m  Mexican  affairs  hut  Hi.  defence  of 
American  territory  from  farther  invasion  bj  bands  of 
armed  Mexicans  rims  the  Administration  has 

pledged  itself  nol  to  intervene,  In  the  sense  of  helping 
or  enforcing  the  restoration  of  order  In  Mexico     Hot 
ever,  tins  pledge  is  nol  binding  on  the  nexl  Administra 

tion.  and  there  lies  the  b.0] I  ending  this  miserable 

farce.  But  whatever  Mr.  Wilson  or  Sefior  Carransa  may 
do,  or  not  do,  one  thing  is  certain:  the  'rough  house'  in 
Mexico  cannol  endure.  <  lur  correspondent  speaks  of  ti„. 
spiv:,, i  of  famine  and  of  other  factors  that  are  bringing 
the  COtUltry  to  utter  misery  iin.l  ruin.  If  we  had  a 
humane  reason  forgoing  into  Cuba-    and  we  had  it      we 

have  many  of  them   for  going   i MeXIOO.      Bui    apart 

from  a  condition  that  may  be  remedied,  there  is  a  greater 

force  at  work  moulding  the  relations  of  the  United  States 
and  .Mexico.  When  President  lioosevelt  acquired  the 
Panama  Canal  zone  he  flung  the  strategic  frontier  of  the 
United  States  1600  miles  southward    To  that  latitude 

the   United   States  will   grow,   not    by   annexation,   let  US 

hope,  but  by  exercise  of  beneficent  control.  From  the 
Great  Lakes  to  the  Panama  Canal  the  United  States  is 
destined  to  exercise  some  sort  of  suzerainty.  This  fact 
must  he  faced  by  any  man  claiming  to  be  a  statesman,  in 
Hie  White  House  or  at  the  National  Palace. 


Calumet  &  Hecla 


On  July  15  this  great  copper  mining  company  cele- 
brates its  semi-centenary,   having  begun  operations  in 
1866.     The  celebration  arranged  by  the  local  manage- 
ment is  meant  to  make  the  day  memorable  to  the  5000 
employed  on  the  mine.    Mr.  Rodolphe  L.  Agassiz,  presi- 
dent of  the  company  and  the  son  of  Alexander  Agassiz, 
the  naturalist,  who  was  superintendent  of  the  mine  in 
1865,  will  share  the  honors  with  Mr.  Timothy  O'Shea, 
who  has  worked  at  the  mine  for  50  years  and  six  months, 
having  helped  to  dig  the  original  pit  excavated  at  the 
place  of  discovery.    The  actual  discovery  of  the  lode  is  to 
be  credited  to  Edwin  J.  Hulbert,  a  local  surveyor  and  a 
keen  student  of  geology  under  such  men   as  W.   H. 
Stevens,  Samuel  W.  Hill,  and  Charles  Whittlesey.     In 
1858  he  was  surveying  a  State  road  from  Copper  Harbor 
to  Ontonagon  when  he  noticed  a  violent  deflection  of  the 
magnetic  needle  in  Section  23  (T.  56,  R.  33),  near  where 
Hecla  No.  1  shaft  was  sunk  subsequently.     He   found 
fragments  of  a  brecciated  conglomerate  containing  native 
copper,  resembling  'float'  that  he  had  seen  several  years 
earlier  on  the  banks  of  the  Eagle  river.    At  this  time  he 
uncovered,  on  Section  14,  an  'ancient '  Indian  pit,  similar 
to  others  previously  found  on  the  Keweenaw  peninsula. 
Upon  examining  the  map  he  ascertained  that  the  dis- 
covery was  on  Government  land,  whereupon,  in  Febru- 
ary 1860,  he  acquired  a  tract  of  1920  acres,  so  located  as 
to  cover  the  ground  he  intended  to  explore  for  the  lode, 
not  yet  disclosed.     The  Civil  War,  his  own  illness,  and 
other  hindrances  prevented  him  from  doing  anything  un- 
til 1864.    We  have  the  testimony  of  the  late  James  D. 
Hague,  who  was  then  manager  of  the  Albany  &  Boston 


78 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  15,  1M6 


mine  in  the  same  district,  that  Hulbert  was  convinced, 
by  the  behavior  of  the  magnetic  needle,  that  a  strong 
lode  existed  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  even  showed 
his  note-book  to  Hague,  indicating  the  most  likely  lo- 
cality. A  few  months  later  the  first  exposure  of  the 
Calumet  conglomerate  was  made,  beneath  a  covering  of 
soil  and  drift  8, feet  thick,  in  a  pit  dug  at  a  spot  indi- 
cated by  Hulbert  himself.  On  September  17,  1864,  his 
In-other  John  and  Amos  H.  Scott,  working  under  his 
direction,  cut  through  the  amygdaloid  forming  the  hang- 
ing wall  of  the  lode,  into  the  copper-bearing  conglomerate 
on  Section  13.  A  barrel  of  the  ore  was  sent  to  Boston  on 
November  15,  1864.  Earlier  in  the  same  year,  by  aid 
of  the  late  Horatio  Bigelow,  he  had  formed  the  Hulbert 
Mining  Company  for  purposes  of  exploration.  In  this 
company  he  held  a  quarter  interest,  5000  shares.  In  De- 
cember the  Calumet  Mining  Company,  also  with  20,000 
shares,  was  organized  to  acquire  the  land  in  Section  13, 
and  in  the  same  month  the  Hecla  company  was  formed, 
with  another  20,000  shares.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he 
went  to  Boston,  where  he  arranged  with  the  late  Quincy 
A.  Shaw  for  the  loan  of  $16,800,  wherewith  to  buy  more 
land,  which  was  deeded  to  the  Calumet  company.  He 
received  5833  shares,  making  his  holding  10,833  shares. 
Meanwhile  the  'ancient'  pit  on  Section  14  proved  to  be 
an  Indian  'cache'  or  hiding-place,  in  which  birch-bark 
baskets  and  a  lot  of  oxidized  copper  was  unearthed,  but 
on  sinking  through  the  floor  of  this  pit  the  lode  itself 
was  cut  in  February  1866.  This  was  on  ground  belonging 
to  the  St.  Mary's  Mineral  Land  Company,  and  Hague 
endeavored  to  assist  him  in  purchasing  a  large  tract  for 
$100  per  acre,  but  his  friends  in  Boston  thought  the  evi- 
dence of  mineral  wealth  too  scanty,  so  the  deal  was  not 
made  and  Hulbert  made  his  arrangements  with  Bigelow 
and  Shaw.  Section  23,  a  square  mile  or  640  acres,  which 
became  the  Hecla  property,  was  bought  early  in  1866 
from  the  St.  Mary  'a  Mineral  Land  Company  for  $60,000. 
The  rest  of  the  property,  as  then  acquired,  cost  about 
$100  per  acre.  Some  of  the  first  ore  produced  from  the 
prospect-holes  was  milled  at  the  Albany  &  Boston,  where 
it  yielded  14.5%  'mineral,'  equivalent  to  12%  ingot 
copper. 

It  is  fortunate  that  we  have  the  testimony  of  such  a 
scientific  witness  as  James  D.  Hague  on  these  historic 
events,  besides  the  written  record  of  the  discoverer  him- 
self. Therefore  there  is  no  question  that  to  Edwin  J. 
Hulbert  belongs  the  credit  for  the  discovery  of  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla,  and  also  for  the  exploratory  work  that 
led  to  the  event.  It  may  be  added  that  the  present 
writer  was  able  to  discuss  the  subject  with  Mr.  Hague 
12  years  ago,  and  he  also  corresponded  with  Mr.  Hulbert. 
at  that  time  in  retirement  at  Rome.  In  1866,  the  shares 
of  the  Calumet  company  rose  to  $75,  but  before  the  profit- 
earning  stage  was  reached  there  were  many  delays 
and  much  disappointment,  causing  financial  embarrass- 
ment to  Hulbert,  among  others.  What  with  assessments 
and  loans,  about  $1,200,000  was  required  before  the  mine 
was  placed  firmly  on  its  feet  and  in  the  interval  the 
original  owners  of  the  enterprise  were  put  to  a  severe 


test.  Hulbert  lost  a  large  part  of  his  interest,  becoming 
much  embittered  with  Quincy  Shaw  and  the  Boston 
directors.  In  1884,  however,  a  settlement  was  made  with 
him,  whereby  lie  received  $300,000  in  Calumet  &  Hecla 
stock,  whicfc  was  placed  in  trust,  so  that  he  lived  com- 
fortably for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

The  Hecla  paid  its  first  dividend,  of  $5  per  share,  in 
December  1869 ;  and  the  Calumet  in  August  1870.  The 
two  companies  were  consolidated  in  May  1871,  absorb- 
ing the  Portland  and  Scott  companies  at  the  same  time. 
The  Calumet  &  Hecla  was  then  organized  with  a  capital 
of  $1,000,000  in  40,000  shares.  At  that  date  (1871)  the 
dividends  of  the  united  mines  had  already  amounted  to 
$2,800,000.  In  1874  the  output  was  230,000  tons  yield- 
ing 4.28%  copper  at  a  cost  of  $7.40  per  ton  of  ore.  In 
1879  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to  $2,500,000  in 
100,000  shares  of  $25  each,  this  being  the  limit  allowed 
by  the  laws  of  Michigan.  By  1881  eleven  shafts  had 
been  sunk  and  an  estate  of  1720  acres  had  been  con- 
solidated. In  1883  the  average  width  of  stope  was  re- 
ported as  8  feet  and  the  average  yield  4.5%  copper. 
The  mine  was  then  3000  ft.  deep  on  the  dip,  equivalent 
to  1950  feet  vertical.  In  1905  the  charter  of  the  com- 
pany was  amended  so  as  to  allow  it  to  acquire  control  of 
other  mines  and  organize  subsidiary  companies,  whereby 
it  now  controls  the  Ahmeek,  Allouez,  Centennial,  Osceola, 
Superior,  and  a  number  of  other  properties  in  the  cop- 
per region  of  Michigan.  These  are  now  helping  to  re- 
dress the  exhaustion  of  the  original  mine.  The  deepest 
shaft,  the  Red  Jacket,  is  bottomed  at  a  vertical  depth  of 
4920  feet,  cutting  the  lode  at  3287  feet.  As  our  readers 
know,  the  lode  is  cut  on  its  dip  in  the  adjoining  Tam- 
arack mine,  in  which  the  '  C.  &  H. '  has  a  large  interest.  Up 
to  date  the  company  has  paid  $130,750,000  in  dividends, 
or  $1339  per  share.  The  total  production  of  copper  is 
estimated  at  1,342,500  tons.  During  the  year  1915  the 
output  of  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  mine  was  3,188,583  tons 
of  ore  yielding  71,030,518  pounds  of  copper,  or  1.114%, 
at  a  cost  of  9.33  cents  per  pound,  as  against  an  average 
price  of  18.11  cents.  The  mine  cost  per  ton  of  ore  was 
$1.71.  During  last  year  the  company  paid  $5,000,- 
000  in  dividends,  drawing  $866,766  from  its  subsidiary 
companies.  While  the  management  was  at  one  time 
both  unprogressive  and  self-satisfied,  it  changed  for  the 
better  about  15  years  ago  and  is  now  highly  respected. 
thanks  measurably  to  Mr.  James  MacNaughton,  the  gen- 
eral manager,  who  was  born  at  Calumet  and  has  been  in 
charge  for  nearly  20  years.  Under  its  Boston  control 
the  mine  has  been  worked  as  a  source  of  copper  and  a 
legitimate  investment,  so  that  it  escaped  the  stigma  of 
chicanery  that  has  marred  the  reputation  of  many  other 
famous  mines.  To  its  proprietors,  its  employees,  and  the 
community  around  this  big  group  of  mines,  the  company 
lias  been  a  fruitful  enterprise.  Calumet  &  Hecla  may  be 
regarded  as  the  most  successful  mine  on  record.  We 
join  in  congratulating  the  directors,  the  management, 
and  the  staff,  and  hope  that  under  its  policy  of  sagacious 
expansion  it  may  long  continue  to  make  a  large  contri- 
bution to  the  copper  supply  of  the  world. 


Jufo 


MINING   and  Sirnlilu    I'KI  SS 


DISCUSSION 

our  nadtn  anrimrittdn)  uf  ihfo  dfporniwnl  for  th#  diaciurfon  ol  technical  and  <>iiu-r  mafunvpfr- 
mi n mi*  in  imimimii  and  nwfatturty.  J  lie  Rdtfoi  uwloomai  (hi  npratfion  "I  pI#m  <  <**> f r <*r  >■  in  tm  own,  !'»•- 
luxinii  ifuii  earvfal  criUcisn  Ei  morv  raluablf  than  cattial  compliment. 


Fine  Grinding:  Stamps  and  Ball -Mills 

Tin-  Editor: 

Sir  In  your  issue  nl"  .May  18,  Mr.  Hanson's  article 
contains  tin1    following   statement:    "At    till'    mill    (if    the 

Alaska  Qold,  at  Juneau,  a  much  nion-  radical  departure 
was  nude  from  what  was  oonaidered  standard  practice 
in  precious  -metal  ore-reduction.  Here  rolls  and  tube- 
inills.  instcail  of  stamps,  were  installed  and  tliis  within 

hearing  distant f  the  roar  of  the  falling  stamps  at 

Treadwell.  •  •  •  This  departure  from  conventional 
practice  has  probably  done  more  toward  sounding  the 
death-knell  to  any  future  stamp  installation  on  a  large 
scale  than  any  previous  attempt  to  break  away  from 
standard  method.  •  •  •  That  this  method  of  reduction 
is  more  economical  both  as  to  initial  and  operating  costs 
than  stamps  alone,  or  than  stamps  when  working  jointly 
with  tube-mills  and  grinding  to  a  like  fineness,  can  no 
longer  be  questioned." 

It  is  well  to  ponder  a  moment.  The  stamps  have 
served  us  so  well  that  it  is  hardly  fair  to  scrap  them  at 
one  sweep.  Granted  that  the  initial  cost  of  rolls  and 
tubes  is  less  than  stamps,  the  stamp-mill  has  not  been 
surpassed  in  economy  to  such  an  extent  as  to  be  un- 
worthy of  further  consideration. 

A  point  that  is  often  overlooked  is  that  the  stamp-mill 
gives  a  finished  product  in  one  operation,  whereas  with 
rolls  and  tabes,  etc.,  you  will  often  hear  of  a  certain  ma- 
chine handling  an  enormous  tonnage  at  a  very  low  cost,  if 
you  look  a  little  further  you  will  find  that  a  lot  of  other 
machines  are  used  to  complete  the  job.  so  that  in  terms  of 
finished  product  the  cost  per  ton  is  something  different. 
To  make  a  comparision  it  is  wise  to  consider  the  cost  of 
the  finished  product. 

Fortunately  we  have  here,  within  the  radius  of  a  few 
miles,  one  mill,  the  Alaska  Gold,  using  tubes  and  rolls; 
another,  the  experimental  mill  of  the  Alaska  Juneau, 
using  stamps  as  a  primary  crusher  and  finishing  with 
Chilean  mills ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  the  old  stamps  at 
Treadwell. 

The  actual  cost,  in  operating,  interest,  and  deprecia- 
tion, for  the  mills  at  Treadwell  during  the  year  1915  are 
as  follows: 

240  300  Ready 

Mill  stamps   stamps   Mexican     700-ft.     bullion 

Crushing    $0,038       $0.03S       $0,040       $0,037       $0,022 

Tramming    0.014         0.016         0.016         0.015         0.019 

Stamping    0.211        0.189        0.192        0.170        0.182 

Concentrating    0.066        0.059        0.058        0.052        0.070 

Total    $0,329       $0,302       $0,306       $0,274       $0,293 


These  data  were  kindly  furnished  by  Mr.  8.  B.  C 

best,  metallurgist  for  the  Alaska  Treadwell  Company, 

The  comparative  cost,  as  near  as  can  be  obtained,  at 
the  Alaska  Gold  is  '.i'i  cents.  That  of  the  Alaska  Juneau 
experimental  mill,  using  stamps  as  a  primary  crusher,  is 
;•_'  cents  per  ton. 

Tin-  Marey  mill  with  "one  easy  step"  is  looked  upon 
favorably  as  a  solution  of  the  problem.  This  type  of  mill 
is  to  be  installed  at  the  Alaska  Juneau  and  the  results 
will  he  watched  with  great  interest.  The  plans  for  con- 
solidation and  centralization  at  Treadwell  include  a  new 
mill  to  replace  the  scattered  units.    What  will  it  be! 

W.  E.  Caiiill. 
Treadwell,  June  19. 


Sunday  Work  at  the  Mine 

The  Editor : 

Sir — I  hope  that  Mr.  F.  C.  Brown  in  your  June  17 
issue  has  started  something,  for  this  subject  should  pro- 
voke an  interesting  and  instructive  discussion.  I  am 
afraid,  however,  that  the  majority  of  men  who  turn  to 
Trautwine  or  Rankin  when  in  doubt  will  not  so  readily 
accept  the  authority  quoted  by  Mr.  Brown  when  it  comes 
to  mining  and  milling. 

You  know,  it  is  a  generally  accepted  idea  that  any- 
thing can  be  proved  by  the  Scriptures.  Paul  says: 
"Prove  all  things.  Hold  fast  that  which  is  good,"  and 
I  believe  this  thing  is  susceptible  of  actual  proof.  I  have 
always  been  an  advocate  of  Sunday  closing  of  the  mine, 
though  I  have  never  found  a  board  of  directors  willing 
to  put  it  to  the  test.  Like  many  other  things  in  this 
life,  it  depends  upon  the  point  from  which  the  view  is 
taken.  A  great  many  mines  do  shut-down  on  Sunday, 
but  it  is  usually  because  the  mill  can  be  kept  running 
seven  days  by  six  days  work  underground.  There  are 
few  who  will  not  admit  that  a  man  is  a  better  work- 
man for  a  weekly  day  off,  except  the  poor  unfortunate 
who  comes  back  Monday  morning  chewing  a  dark-brown 
taste  and  feeling  for  his  head  at  arm's  length,  and  I 
respectfully  submit  that  the  one  place  in  the  world  where 
a  man  of  this  class  is  not  needed,  be  he  mucker,  miner, 
foreman,  or  superintendent,  is  underground,  where  the 
safety  of  all  is  so  inter-dependent. 

"Whether  the  same  be  true  of  machinery  or  not,  is 
another  question,  though  many  will  state  as  a  fact  that 
it  is.  Certainly  the  mill  that  requires  52  days  repair- 
work  per  annum  is  either  poorly  constructed  or  grossly 
neglected. 


BO 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15.  1916 


By  far  the  majority  of  mining  camps  are  isolated  and 
their  orebodies  limited  or  uncertain,  consequently  there 
is  little  idea  of  permanency.  Machinery  merely  to  serve 
the  purpose  is  installed:  dwellings  are  cheap  shacks  put 
up  without  thought  to  sanitation  or  convenience,  while 
culture  of  flower-gardens  and  trees  would  be  the  very  last 
consideration;  trails  are  used  until  road-building  has  be- 
eome  an  absolute  necessity.  All  this  has  developed  a 
class  of  men  unsettled  in  habits  and  ideas — here  today 
anil  off  tomorrow — packing  a  roll  of  blankets  or  at  most 
a  small  cheap  trunk. 

Among  the  real  reasons,  as  I  see  them,  for  running  the 
mine  on  Sunday  are  inadequate  development,  storage 
capacity,  or  transportation  facilities  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  the  reduction  plant.  Pumping  or  ventilation 
might  be  necessary  and  a  watchman  might  be  a  dead 
expense. 

I  believe  the  mill  should  be  kept  running  every  minute 
possible  for  365}  days  per  year.  Every  hang-up, 
whether  in  amalgamation,  eyanidation.  or  concentration 
means  a  loss  not  only  of  uncrushed  ore  but  in  the  ad- 
justment of  pulp  and  solutions.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
speak  of  blowing-in  a  smelter-furnace  every  Monday 
morning.  The  regular  mill-crew  or  a  part  of  them  could 
lay  off  Sunday,  their  places  being  taken  by  substitutes 
who  act  as  a  reserve  and  are  preparing  themse! 
become  mill-men.  getting  their  day  on  Saturday  or  Mon- 
day. But  (and  I  emphasize  the  "but')  if  we  turn  a 
camp-full  of  25.  50.  or  100  men  out  on  Sunday  who  have 
been  accustomed  to  work  on  that  day.  we  must  substitute 
something  else,  for  it  is  a  true  saying  that  an  idle  brain 
is  the  devil  "s  workshop.  It  makes  no  difference  to  the 
owner  or  manager  how  a  man  puts  in  his  time;  whether 
he  goes  to  church  or  fishing,  to  a  base-ball  game  or  lolls 
about  and  engages  in  idle  conversation,  so  long  as  he  does 
not  indulge  in  vicious  practices  that  unfit  him  for  his 
work ;  for,  after  all.  it  is  not  his  time  that  he  is  selling  to 
his  employer,  but  what  he  can  accomplish  during  that 
time.  And  this  is  where  true  management  comes  in. 
There  are  manifold  possibilities  in  the  club,  the  base-ball 
team,  the  camp-band  and  dances,  athletic  contests, 
beautifying  of  cottage  grounds,  the  up-building  of  the 
idea  of  "our  camp,"  but  the  management  must  avoid 
paternalism,  for  tltis  is  the  one  thing  above  all  else  that 
the  American  will  not  tolerate. 

It  requires  taet  and  patience,  but  in  time,  by  quiet 
elimination,  a  crew  of  men  can  be  gathered  who  will 
gladly  respond,  and  of  whom  any  manager  can  be  justly 
proud.  I  know  one  camp  where  before  the  end  of  the 
third  day  the  new-comer  would  not  think  of  coming  to 
the  dinner-table  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  and  everything  was 
quiet  and  orderly,  even  though  the  greater  part  of  the 
men  put  their  knives  in  their  mouths.  Needless  to  say. 
there  were  no  flies  in  that  dining-room,  nor  odors  from 
the  kitchen  or  swill-barrel.  The  superintendent  had  a 
tube  built  in  the  wall  from  his  room  to  the  dining-room 
down  which  he  would  occasionally  send  strains  from  his 
phonograph,  and  Saturday  nights  the  tables  and  chairs 
were  set  back  against  the  wall  for  a  dance.    I  have  not 


yet  seen  a  neater  tidier  camp  with  a  more  substantial 
mill  and  other  buildings  away  back  in  difficult  country 
far  from  the  railroad  nor  known  a  superintendent  who 
obtained  more  hard  willing  work  from  his  men.  Very 
few  men  were  discharged  and  there  were  no  drones. 
They  eliminated  themselves. 

It  might  almost  be  said  that  each  mine  is  in  a  class  by 
itself,  and  that  the  rules  applying  to  other  camps  and 
more  especially  to  farming  and  manufacturing  districts 
will  not  fit. 

The  underlying  and  commanding  principle  is  one  of 
time.  The  owner  lives  in  the  city  and  demands  returns 
on  his  investment  as  soon  as  possible,  realizing  that  all 
mines  eventually,  from  their  very  nature,  must  cease  to 
produce.  I  am  willing,  however,  to  believe  that  if  he  is 
shown  that  the  betterment  of  the  condition  of  his  men 
will  produce  better  men  and  better  and  more  work,  con- 
sequently profit,  he  will  be  equally  willing  to  give  the 
manager  a  chance  to  prove  or  disprove  any  theory.  But 
the  manager  must  believe  in  it  himself  and  make  more 
than  ordinary  effort.  The  mine  owner  will  tell  us  that 
all  our  big  men.  our  successful  men.  were  and  are  work- 
ers, putting  in  long  hours  and  continuous  days.  True 
and  well.  They  are  so  constituted  and  have  an  object 
and  pleasure  in  their  work,  an  aim  for  their  effort.  I 
was  reading  an  article  just  a  few  days  ago  in  which  it 
was  stated  in  effect  that  only  about  10"^  of  us  are  suc- 
cessful anyway.  Of  course,  that  calls  for  a  definition, 
and  I  modestly  offer  that  success  is  the  attainment  of  an 
individual's  ideals,  and  it  is  the  part  of  civilization  to 
the  standard  of  ideals. 

So  it  resolves  itself  into  a  problem  of  sociology  and  not 
of  religion,  with  perforce  the  dollar  sign  acting  as  a 
governor. 

Henry  S.  Reed.  Jr. 

Shawmut.  Cal..  June  22. 

Arizona  has  a  number  of  copper-mining  companies, 
rivaling  Michigan  in  that  respect,  and  contrasting  with 
the  copper-mining  industry  in  Montana.  Utah.  Nevada. 
Alaska,  and  New  Mexico,  where  one  or  two  large  com- 
panies account  for  the  bulk  of  the  output.  Of  large 
mines  Arizona  has  a  full  share.  It  is  scarcely  necessary 
to  mention  the  Copper  Queen  and  Calumet  &  Arizona  at 
Bisbee,  the  Inspiration  and  Miami  at  Miami,  the  Ray 
Consolidated  at  Ray.  the  Old  Dominion  at  Globe,  the 
United  Verde  at  Jerome,  the  Arizona  Copper  at  Clifton, 
and  the  New  Cornelia  at  Ajo.  Among  companies  of 
more  moderate  size  are  the  Shattuck-Arizona  at  Bisbe?. 
the  Consolidated  Arizona  at  Humboldt,  the  Arizona 
Commercial  and  Iron  Cap  at  Globe,  the  Shannon  at 
Metcalf.  the  Detroit  Copper  at  Morenci.  the  Ray-Her- 
cules at  Ray.  the  Magma  at  Superior,  the  United  Verde 
Extension  at  Jerome,  and  several  others  less  well  known. 
The  Shattuck-Arizona  Copper  Co.,  which  produced 
11.154.211  lb.  of  copper  in  1915.  makes  occasional  ship- 
ments of  lead  ore.  The  Magma  Copper  Co.  produced 
6.046.459  lb.  of  copper  last  year  from  59.219  tons  of  ore. 
which  is  well  over  100  lb.  per  ton. 


1916 


MINING  and  Scient.nc    PRLSS 


-I 


Surficial   Indications   of   Copper     IV 


By  Frank 

IN  rills  article  I  *h"ll  digToas  somewhat  from  1 1».- 
■equence  of  thoagfal  followed  in  the  throe  preceding 
contribution!  to  the  study  of  the  forces,  physical 
and  chemical,  thai  determine  the  nature  of  the  outcrop. 
In  the  discussion  of  the  chemistry  of  the  «>xi»lix<-«l  sane,  I 
explained  briefly  t  U«-  uature  of  the  surface  solutions  and 
rmation  of  the  several  Lmportanl  oxidised  salts  in 
the  laboratory  of  the  earth's  crust.  In  the  paragraphs 
thai  follow  I  shall  tirst  describe  1 1»«-  duplication  of  Na- 
i  work  in  the  l»-lt  of  leaching,  as  imitated  by  man 
in  the  treatment  of  tin-  pyritia  ores  of  Bio  Tinto,  and 
then  compare  the  attractive  gossan  of  the  llui'lva  depos- 
its with  the  insignificanl  outcrops  of  the  Butte  vein- 
system,  interpolating  such  aotes  as  are  pertinent  to  the 
subject,  gathered  from  other  districts.  I  have  visited 
and  studied  both  the  Spanish  and  .Montana  mining  dis- 
tricts, but  acknowledge,  and  have  abstracted  from,  the 
lucid  descriptions  of  A.  If.  Finlayson'.  and  Reno  SaleB*, 
respectively. 

For  many  years  pyritic  ores  from  the  open-cuts  at  Rio 
Tinto  were  piled  into  heaps,  fired,  roasted  sweet,  and 
then  washed  with  water.  The  copper  sulphate  liquor  was 
passed  through  predpitating-tanks  and  sponge-copper 
obtained.  This  process  was  costly,  the  sulphur  was 
burned  off.  all  vegetation  killed  for  miles  around,  and 
.•ndlcss  trouble  ensued.  The  'natural  cementation' 
process  was  developed  from  the  chance  ohservatiou  of  a 
colored  liquor  running  from  the  base  of  an  un roasted 
heap  of  ore.  after  a  heavy  summer  rain.  This  contained 
copper.  It  was  seen  that  roasting  was  unnecessary  and 
that  the  time  element  could  replace  the  effect  of  heat. 
This  discovery  led  to  systematic  experimentation,  the 
present  method  of  treatment  being  devised  about  25 
years  ago.  I  shall  not  dilate  on  the  relative  advantages 
of  this  method  and  the  old  wasteful  practice  of  heap- 
roasting. 

The  ore  from  the  pits  is  crushed  in  roek-breakers  to 
'2J-inch  ring,  sized,  and  transported  to  the  heaps.  The 
ore.  as  laid  down,  contains  about  2%  copper,  52%  sul- 
phur, and  4<5',*  iron.  The  fine  and  coarse  are  mixed  in 
varying  proportions,  according  to  the  depth  of  the  heap. 
At  Rio  Tinto.  the  ratio  is  3  of  fine  to  7  of  rough.  When 
the  heaps  are  too  deep,  the  air  will  not  circulate  freely 
throughout  the  mass  and  the  lower  portions  cannot  be 
controlled.  If  not  deep  enough,  aeration  is  too  rapid, 
and  the  heap  may  take  fire.  Experience  has  shown  that 
the  most  suitable  depth  is  about  10  metres.  The  surface 
is  covered  with  fine  that  serves  as  a  filter  for  the  wash- 
water.  A  simple  irrigating  system  is  arranged,  the  main 
canals  feeding  into  furrows  or  shallow  rectangular  reser- 

'Economic  Geology.  Vol.  5,  pp.  403-434. 
'^Trans.  A.  I.  M.  E„  Vol.  46.  pp.  1555-1560. 


S.  Probart 

TOirs  BO  that  water  can  be  distributed  to  any  part  of  the 

heap,  as  required. 

The  oxidation  of  pyrite  is  an  exothermic  reaction  ;  heat 
is  liberated  ami  the  mass  will  burn  unless  precautionary 
measures  are  taken  to  prevent  it.  Underground  mine 
fires  are  not  at  all  in miiion  in  pyritic  masses,  owing  to 

the  heat  generated  in  oxidation.  At  Jerome,  Arizona,  a 
special  force  of  men  is  maintained  to  keep  the  fire-zones 
under  control.  When  last  at  the  United  Verde,  I  noticed 
a  crystalline  sublimate  on  the  timbers  and  walls  of  the 
Openings  near  I  he  tire-areas,  which,  on  analysis,  proved  to 
be    arsenic    trioxide,    «■")';     pure.       This    came    from    the 

arsenopyrite  associated  with  tl upriferoua  sulphides. 

At  the  Coronado  mine  of  the  Arizona  Copper  Co.,  at 
Metcalf,  when  shrinkage  stoping  was  first  tried,  a  serious 
fire  broke  out  and  much  valuable  ore  was  lost.  The 
trouble  was  in  the  size  of  the  stopes.  Peter  B.  Scotland, 
the  mine  manager,  informs  me  that  by  working  smaller 
slopes  and  drawing  off  the  broken  ore  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, the  danger  of  fire  has  been  minimized. 

Because  of  this  tendency  to  burn,  the  temperature  of 
the  heaps  at  Rio  Tinto  has  to  be  carefully  regulated.  It 
is  found  that  the  best  results  are  obtained  at  about 
120°  P. 

The  washing  of  the  heaps  serves  to  keep  the  tempera- 
ture down,  forming  ferrous  sulphate  and  free  acid,  which 
react  to  form  ferric  sulphate.  This  attacks  the  copper 
sulphides,  the  resulting  copper  sulphate  being  leached 
out  and  carried  away  by  the  effluent  liquor. 

The  amount  of  water  used,  per  ton  of  ore  treated, 
varies.  At  Tharsis  it  takes  four  cubic  metres,  half  of 
which  is  required  during  the  first  year,  one  cubic  metre 
for  the  second  year,  and  one  cubic  metre  to  finish  the 
leach.  This  quantity  of  water  seems  abnormal,  but  the 
spent  liquor  from  the  precipitatiug-plant  is  returned  to 
the  heaps  to  continue  the  work,  so  that  the  cycle  is  com- 
plete and  the  loss  small.  It  takes  about  four  years  to 
extract  all  the  copper.  At  both  Rio  Tinto  and  Tharsis. 
50%  of  the  copper  in  the  ore  as  laid  down  is  extracted  in 
the  first  12  months;  25%  during  the  second  year,  and  the 
remainder  in  the  next  two  years,  but  at  the  end  of  the 
time,  the  pyrite  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  unaltered. 
Examined  macroscopically,  if  the  heaps  have  been  prop- 
erly regulated,  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  between  raw 
and  leached  ore.  but  the  leached  material  has  a  more  or 
less  rusty  appearance,  due  to  films  of  iron  oxide  that 
have  formed  on  inter-crystalline  faces,  and  the  mass  is 
not  quite  so  homogeneous.  I  have  repeatedly  observed 
that  the  periphery  of  pyritic  orebodies,  in  the  early 
stages  of  oxidation,  presents  this  same  appearance.  On 
the  1000-ft.  level  of  the  Cole  shaft  of  the  Calumet  & 
Arizona   mine,   at   Bisbee,   a   cross-cut   was   run   to   the 


82 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Julv  15,  1916 


Briggs  shaft.  It  was  in  hard  blue  Devonian  limestone, 
which,  as  an  orebody  was  approached,  became  more 
blocky,  the  cleavages  showed  slight  limonitic  staining, 
and  soon  a  mass  of  friable  rusty  pyrite  was  encountered, 
which  ran  like  sand.  When  it  was  cleared,  a  partly  oxi- 
dized orebody  of  cupriferous  pyrite  was  opened  up.  The 
same  condition  was  noted  in  the  glory-hole  and  upper 
lewis  at  the  United  Verde,  but  here  there  was  an  appre- 
ciable increase  in  the  gold  content.  I  have  seen  it  at 
Butte,  at  Metcalf,  and  in  surface  exposure  at  a  number 
of  other  mines.  It  is  due  to  the  leaching  of  the  minute 
grains  of  chalcopyrite  rilling  the  inter-crystalline  spaces 
of  the  pyrite.  I  consider  it  a  favorable  indicator  either 
in  surface  exposure  or  underground  development.  It 
denotes  the  presence  of  cupriferous  pyritie  masses. 

On  looking  over  the  leached  heaps,  I  found  that  any 
lumps  of  chalcopyrite  were  but  superficially  altered. 
Fineness  of  division  promotes  chemical  change.  So, 
too,  in  outcrops  or  the  upper  workings  of  mines  exploit- 
ing copper  deposits,  chalcopyrite  is  relatively  resistant 
to  the  attack  of  oxygenated  waters,  whereas,  when  the 
two  sulphides  are  associated,  as  cupriferous  pyrite,  the 
copper  readily  oxidizes.  Possibly  this  is  a  catalytic  re- 
action. 

An  analysis  of  the  liquor  leaving  the  heaps  at  Tharsis 
showed  it  to  contain,  at  the  time  of  my  visit  in  1900: 

Copper 2103  grams  per  cubic  metre. 

Ferrous  oxide 12252  grams  per  cubic  metre. 

Ferric  oxide 1710  grams  per  cubic  metre. 

Sulphuric  acid 1297  grams  per  cubic  metre. 

At  the  Cerda  plant  of  the  Rio  Tinto,  the  liquor  con- 
tained 1445  grams  of  copper  and  1570  grams  of  ferric 
iron  per  cubic  metre.  As  pig-iron  is  used  to  precipitate 
the  copper,  there  would  be  an  inordinate  consumption  of 
this  material  if  the  ferric  iron  was  not  reduced  before 
the  liquors  reached  the  precipitation-tanks.  To  effect 
this  reduction,  the  liquors  are  made  to  filter  through  a 
small  heap  of  fine  material  from  richer  ore.  The  -ic  salt 
is  reduced  to  the  -ous  stage  with  an  increase  of  copper 
content,  so  that  the  liquor  leaving  the  reducing  beds  con- 
tained 1583  grams  copper  and  only  120  grams  ferric  iron. 
This  means  a  reduction  of  1450  gm.  of  the  persalt  to  the 
protosalt — about  90%.  I  suggested,  in  my  report  to 
Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co..  for  whom  the  investigation  was 
made,  the  possibility  of  using  a  ferric  liquor  obtained 
from  the  slow  oxidation  of  a  pyritie  heap,  for  extracting 
copper  from  the  low-grade  oxide  ores,  of  which  they  have 
such  a  large  tonnage  too  low-grade  to  be  worked  profit- 
ably, in  their  mines  at  Morenci,  Arizona.  I  subsequently 
conducted  a  series  of  tests  along  these  lines,  but  had  to 
record  what  Huxley  termed  a  scientific  tragedy,  the  kill- 
ing of  a  beautiful  theory  by  an  ugly  fact,  for,  try  as  I 
would,  I  could  not  get  a  sufficiently  strong  ferric  liquor 
by  natural  oxidation  of  the  .Morenci  pyrite.  Ferric  sul- 
phide is  slowly  reduced  by  copper  carbonates  and  oxides, 
and  the  copper  dissolved,  although  sulphuric  acid  is  a 
much  more  ready  solvent.  The  Arizona  Copper  Co. 
leaches  the  tailing  from  the  rough  oxide-ore  concentrator 
by  sulphuric  acid,  at  a  substantial  profit,  and  the  same 


solvent  will  be  used  at  Ajo,  Arizona,  and  at  Chuquica- 
mata,  in  Chile. 

It  is  probable  that  the  free  acid  formed  by  the  attack 
of  oxygenated  meteoric  waters  on  sulphide  minerals  is 
the  most  nptent  factor  in  the  early  change  of  copper  out- 
crops, and  that  as  the  supply  of  free  air  is  diminished, 
the  ferric  solutions  become  more  and  more  active. 

The  rich  blue  liquor  leaving  the  reducing  beds  at  Rio 
Tinto  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the  deep-green  entering 
ferric  waters.  The  copper  is  precipitated  in  an  elaborate 
series  of  tanks,  aggregating  about  three  kilometres  in 
length,  the  inclination  of  which  increases  as  the  copper  is 
precipitated.  For  the  first  409i  of  the  copper,  it  is  1  in 
200;  for  the  next  30%,  1  in  150;  then  1  in  100,  and  for 
the  last  10%  of  the  copper,  1  in  50.  For  the  first  80%  of 
the  copper,  the  tanks  are  90  cm.  deep,  and  for  the  rest  of 
the  run  only  30  cm.  If  there  is  much  ferric  iron  or  free 
acid  in  the  liquors,  they  are  by-passed  to  tanks  of  greater 
slope.  This  prevents  the  throwing  down  of  arsenic,  the 
tendency  of  which  increases  as  the  quantity  of  copper  is 
lessened  and  free  acid  rises.  The  upper  tanks  precipitate 
the  bulk  of  the  copper,  60%  being  taken  out  in  the  first 
700  metres.  The  spent  liquors,  leaving  the  tanks  to  be 
pumped  back  to  the  ore-heaps,  show  a  complete  reduction 
of  the  ferric  iron,  and  a  neutralization  of  600  gm.  of  free 
acid  per  cubic  metre.  Over  70%  of  the  copper  precipi- 
tate assays  better  than  94%  copper. 

The  consumption  of  pig-iron  at  Tharsis  is  1.25  lb.  per 
unit  of  copper  obtained. 

I  have  described  this  natural  cementation  process  not 
only  because  it  presents  many  novel  features,  but  because 
the  reactions  are  the  same  as  those  that  occur  in  the  nat- 
ural oxidation  of  ore  deposits.  Man  substitutes  heat  for 
time,  but  Nature  cannot  be  hurried.  It  may  be  ques- 
tioned by  my  readers  why  the  rich  copper  sulphate  liquor 
does  not  precipitate  or  form  enriched  sulphide,  such  as 
chalcocite.  when  it  passes  through  the  so-called  reducing 
beds.  This  apparent  contradiction  to  the  theory  of  chal- 
cocitization  is  readily  explained  if  we  desist  from  think- 
ing of  laboratory  conditions  when  discussing  geological 
processes.  At  Rio  Tinto,  the  success  of  the  method  de- 
pends on  the  aeration  of  the  heaps  and  the  maintenance 
of  special  conditions  of  temperature,  porosity,  and  flood- 
ing with  solutions  under  control.  In  the  confines  of  the 
earth's  crust,  free  air  cannot  enter  to  any  extent,  and 
totally  different  conditions  exist. 

The  relative  solubility  and  order  of  attack  of  the  sul- 
phide minerals  lias  already  been  mentioned.3  The  effect 
of  the  association  of  the  natural  sulphides  on  the  rate  of 
oxidation  has  also  been  explained.4  After  four  years 
oxidation  and  washing  the  iron  pyrite  of  the  Rio  Tinto 
heaps  is  practically  unaltered,  but.  geologically,  four 
years  is  a  negligible  interval  of  time.  The  hematitic 
croppings  of  veins  or  masses  are  the  result  of  the  long- 
continued  attack  of  chemical  and  physical  forces. 

The  pyritie  copper  deposits  of  Huelva,  Spain,  occur  as 
a  series  of  lenticular  masses,  showing  marked  variation  in 

»M.  &  S.  P..  Vol.  112,  p.  894. 
<Op.  cit.,  p.  895. 


July  15,  I91C 


MINING  ..»d  Sdcnbfi.   1'KI  SS 


hi/i'.  in  ii  metallographie  province  extending  tor  many 
:'niin  the  province  <>f  Seville,  westward  into  Por 

tngal.  Roughly  speaking,  these  irregular  musses  of  .up 
in  pj  rite  in-.-  from  Iimhi  to  8000  tt  long,  100  to  :uk> 

ft.  wide,  end  of  ■  depth  consistent  with  the  other  two 


IMII'IIM     Ml  \l  KVI  1/  W  lo\    in'    in    III     i.ltwiTE,    600-FT. 
BOTHA    MINI,  i  minis,    MONTANA. 

dimensions  of  a  lenticular  mass.  Denudation  or  erosion 
has  been  the  all-important  faetor  in  determining  the 
present  vertical  extent  of  the  orebodies  now  being 
worked,  or  such  as  are  indicated  at  the  surface  by  gossan 
outcrops.  One  lens  may  feather  out  a  short  distance 
below  its  outcrop,  showing  only  the  root  of  an  eroded 


orebody,  othen  may  apex  «itli  the  tittle  end  up     an 
tnaignineanl  oatcrop  may    represent  either  the  top  or 
bottom  of  a  leni  ol  ore     li  is  doubtful  if  many  of  t li<- 
Huelva  depoaita  would  !"■  known  today  bad  il  no! 
for  long-continued  erosion,    The  orebodies  are  of  deep 

seated    origin,    formed    during    Per 

ii.  inns  lime,    i  if  iiir  :t:i  known  de 
posits,   I  are  enclosed  in  porphyry,  -  at 

ti ontacl  between  slate  and  diabase,  ii 

at  the  contact  of  slate  and  porphyry, 
while  16  are  wholly  within  the  nets 
morphosed  sedimentary  rocks.  They  can 
not  be  related  genetically  to  any  one  group 

of    igneous     rocks.      As     I     have    already 

pointed  out,  an  orebody  may  be,  and 
often  is.  the  result  of  cumulative  pro- 
cesses of  mineralization,  the  metallic 
emanations  of  one  magma  serving  as  a 
nucleus  or  locus  of  deposition  for  the 
heavy  vapors  from  later  iut  rushes.  The 
wall-rocks  are  impregnated  with  pyrite, 
u:i ._  enriched  in  places  to  form  workable  de- 

posits. The  whole  section  of  country  has 
been  repeatedly  fractured  and  sheared, 
but  the  pyritic  masses  themselves  do  not  show  exten- 
sive alteration  on  account  of  their  massive  and  resistant 
nature.  Imperfect  jointing  has,  however,  been  de- 
veloped. 

As  a  result  of  careful  microscopic  work,  Mr.  Pinlayson 
finds  that  the  copper  present  in  the  ore  is  not  chemically 


outcrop  or  quaktz  pyrite  vein  in  altered  nRAMTE,  butte.  Montana.     (Copied  from  Professional  Paper  No.  74,  U.  S.  G.  S.) 


84 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Julv  15,  1916 


combined  with  the  pyrite,  and  that  secondary  chalco- 
pyrite  followed  by  chalcocite  in  the  narrow  orebodies. 
and  chalcocite  in  the  Lean  deeper  ores,  is  the  evidence  of 
enriching  processes.  Be  also  states  that  the  preliminary 
changes,  dne  to  enrichment,  extend  far  down  into  what 
is  usually  regarded  as  primary  ore.  The  unenriehed  ore 
is  essentially  a  mechanical  admixture  of  chalcopyrite  and 
iron  pyrite. 

The  oxidized  zone  or  gossan  consists  of  massive  hema- 
tite containing  over  50$  iron.  The  average  depth  of  it 
is  about  100  ft.  The  depth  of  oxidation  has  been  deter- 
mined in  all  cases  by  the  topographic  level  of  ground- 
water. The  width  of  the  outcrop  and  the  boldness  of 
its  exposure  depend  upon  the  plane  in  the  vertical  scale 
to  which  erosion  has  advanced.  The  ore  is  mined  by 
open-pi1  methods.  To  anybody  standing  at  the  edge  of 
one  of  these  large  pits,  the  colors  of  the  several  zones 
appear  most  vivid;  the  deep  red  of  the  capping  con- 
trasting strikingly  with  the  pale  bluish-green  of  the 
sulphides.  Between  the  leached  overburden  and  the 
pyritic  ore  there  is  a  ribbon,  several  inches  wide,  of 
bright  oehreous-yellow  material  containing  the  concen- 
trated precious  metals  of  the  oxidized  zone. 

This  ribbon,  carrying  the  concentrated  precious  metals, 
\\  as  formed  by  the  precipitation  of  the  dissolved  gold 
and  silver  in  oxygenated  ferric  sulphate  solutions,  as 
soon  as  the  strongly  reducing  influence  of  the  pyritic 
zone  was  reached.  It  is  not  a  mechanical  concentration, 
for  the  overburden  of  massive  hematite,  from  50  to  150 
ft.  deep,  dependent  on  erosion,  is  very  compact.  This 
yellow  layer  will  assay  $30  to  $40  per  ton. 

The  npper  zone  of  the  enriched  sulphides  shows  a 
slight  impoverishment,  and  below  this  narrow  belt  the 
ore  is  richer  in  chalcocite,  running  as  high  as  6  and  7'," 
copper.  This  gradually  fades  into  the  cupriferous  mass 
below.  There  is  an  abrupt  change  between  the  oxidized 
and  enriched  ore,  but  no  sharp  line  of  demarkation  be- 
tween the  enriched  and  primary  pyritic  ore.  The  zone 
of  transition  is  variable  in  extent,  but  the  average  depth 
of  enrichment  is  from  150  to  200  ft.  below  the  gossan  or 
25(»  to  350  ft.  below  the  surface.  To  this  depth  the  ore 
has  averaged  about  3%.  The  relation  between  the  depth 
of  enrichment  and  the  depth  of  gossan  is  particularly 
well  emphasized  in  this  district.  There  is  no  appreciable 
quantity  of  copper  salts  in  the  oxidized  capping.  The 
chemical  processes  of  cementation  have  proceeded  faster 
than  the  physical  forces  of  denudation.  The  rainfall, 
about  25  inches  per  annum,  has  been  sufficient  to  ensure 
deep  alteration,  but  insufficient  to  cause  rapid  erosion  in 
a  country  of  gentle  slopes  and  smooth  surfaces. 

Mr.  Finlayson  summarizes  his  views  concerning  these 
deposits  as  follows: 

1.  The  pyijtic  orebodies  of  the  Huelva  district  consti- 
tute a  metallo-genetic  province  accompanying  a  petro- 
graphic  province;  and  the  concentration  of  the  ores  has 
been  due.  in  the  first  place,  to  a  process  of  magmatic  seg- 
regation of  sulphides  accompanying  the  differentiation 
ul'  the  igneous  rocks,  ami  dependent,  with  this  latter,  on 
the  Hercynian  tectonic  movements. 


2.  The  ores  have  been  deposited  from  solutions  that. 
after  the  cessation  of  the  igneous  outbursts,  rose  along 
gnat  thrust-planes  or  shear-zones;  and  the  deposit  was 
effected  by  replacement  of  the  sheared  and  crushed  rock 
by  the  ores. 

3.  Since  the  formation  of  the  lodes,  great  denudation, 
with  accompanying  sulphide  enrichment  (by  descending 
waters  i  has  taken  place,  and  to  this  enrichment  the 
economic  importance  of  the  deposits  as  a  source  of  cop- 
per, and  the  leading  position  of  this  locality  among  the 
great  copper  districts,  is  very  largely,  if  not  entirely, 
due. 

In  Finlayson's  comprehensive  description  of  the 
pyritic  deposits  of  Huelva.  no  mention  is  made  of  the 
influence  on  the  alteration  of  the  pyritic  masses  by  a 
migratory  water-level,  nor  am  I  able  to  find  in  the  review 
of  the  literature  of  these  deposits  any  comment  on  the 
relationship  of  structure  to  the  oxidized  zone.  The  ab- 
sence of  faults,  shearing,  or  prominent  joint-planes,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  general  compactness  of  the  gossan, 
anticipates  a  slow  and  complete  oxidation  of  the  mass 
to  a  definite  horizon  and  accounts  for  the  abrupt  change 
from  the  leached  material  to  the  enriched  ore.  There  is 
unquestionable  evidence  of  great  tectonic  movements 
later  than  the  ore  deposits,  but  these  only  find  expression 
in  the  surrounding  rock  or  at  the  lode-walls.  I  have 
already  pointed  out  that  structural  details  have  a  great 
influence  on  the  depth  of  oxidation  and  on  the  enrich- 
ment of  ore  below.  The  slow  and  continued  solution  of 
the  copper  contained  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Rio  Tinto 
deposits  probably  accounts  for  the  complete  extraction 
of  the  copper,  and  the  general  distribution  of  the  en- 
riched ore  along  horizontal  planes  in  gradually  decreas- 
ing amount  as  depth  is  attained.  This  seems  to  be  a 
general  condition  in  all  such  pyritic  masses  that  I  have 
examined.  At  the  United  Verde  mine,  in  Arizona,  large 
pyritic  masses  have  been  explored,  but  none  find  surface 
expression.  I  noted  there  that,  where  the  erratic  bodies 
traversed  by  highly  altered  dioritic  rock,  along  lines  of 
structural  weakness,  the  pyrite  is  locally  enriched  with 
secondary  chalcopyrite.  At  the  Copper  Chief  mine,  a 
lew  miles  from  the  Tinted  Verde,  the  outcrop  of  one  of 
these  pyritic  orebodies  shows  as  a  loosely  coherent,  sandy, 
Iimonitic  mass  with  little  or  no  oxidized  copper  salts. 
Here,  too,  the  zone  of  oxidation  is  limited  by  an  approx- 
imately horizontal  plane.  Referring  to  the  massive 
pyritic  deposits  of  Ducktown,  in  Tennessee,  W.  H.  Em- 
mons says5,  "The  secondary  zone  is  less  extensive  verti- 
cally than  most  chalcocite  zones  elsewhere.  The  lodes  are 
comparatively  impervious  to  downward  circulation,  and 
it  is  believed  that  the  reactions  were  brought  nearly  to 
completion  before  the  descending  oxidized  solutions  had 
moved  downward  great  distances." 

At  Fierro.  in  New  Mexico,  the  sudden  change  between 
oxidized  capping,  which  is  shipped  by  the  Colorado  Fuel 
&  Iron  Co.  as  an  iron  ore,  and  the  lean,  compact,  under- 
lying pyrite,  is  very  noticeable.  J.  A.  Reid  has  called 
attention  to  the  effect  of  lateral  pressure  on  the  down- 

•Bulletin,  U.  S.  G.  S„  470,  p.  172. 


.lulv   IS    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


ward  passage  of  meteoric  waters,  ud  In  this  way  es 

plains  the  (it--.,  ii..-  of  ■  mae  of  enrichment  in  the  «  op 
peropolii  depot 

.1  \v  Pinch  thus  deaeribee  the  La  Rofonna  mine,  in 
Qaerrero,  Mexico  "The  topography  is  very  rough, 
which  pre-aappoaea  rapid  run-off.  The  orebodiea  consist 
•>r  massive  pyrite,  ehaleopyrite,  and  aaaoeiated  sulphides. 
An  imperfecl  joinl  structure  has  developed  in  the  mass, 
lint  do  openings  that  would  admil  of  widespread  percola- 
tion of  meteoric  water*.  Such  fracturing  aa  there  is.  is 
apparently  recent  The  capping  is  of  the  nana!  gossan 
type,  containing  no  copper,  bnl  gold,  silver,  and  lead  are 

ntrated  above  tin-  pyrite  tune.    All  the  vain.-  of  the 

oxidized  /"in-  is  residual.  The  pyrite  mass  was  saturated 
with  water  held  there  by  capillarity  between  crystal 
thus  preventing  the  downward  seepage  of  surface 
-  ami  consequent  enrichment  Such  copper  as  was 
leached  from  the  gossan  capping  Has  been  diverted  let- 
erally  and  escaped  with  the  run-off.  The  line  between 
tin-  zuiii-s  ut'  oxidation  and  enrichment  is  as  sharp  as  that 
between  two  surfaces." 

While  discussing  pyritic  masses,  of  which  Rio  Tinto 
is  a  type,  it  may  interest  my  readers  to  know  that  these 
Spanish  mines  have  been  worked  intermittently  for  over 
8000  years.  They  were  successfully  operated  by  the 
Romans  and  by  the  Phoenicians  before  them,  Siculus, 
writing  of  the  Spanish  mines  in  the  tirst  century  B.  <'., 
.ays.  "Sometimes  at  great  depths  they  met  greal  rivers 
underground,  but  by  art  gave  check  to  the  violence  of 
the  streams."  "They  admirably  pumped  out  the  water 
with  those  instruments  called  Egyptian  pumps,  invented 
by  Archimedes.  By  these,  with  constant  pumping  on 
turns,  they  threw  up  the  water  to  the  mouth  of  the  pit 
and  thus  drained  the  mine;  for  this  engine  is  so  ingeni- 
ously contrived  thai  a  vast  quantity  of  water  is  strangely, 
and  with  little  labor,  cast  out."  "The  re-opening  of  the 
mines  at  Rio  Tinto  in  tin-  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury disclosed  old  Roman  slopes  in  which  were  found 

several  water-wheels.  These  wen-  alioiit  15  ft.  in  diam- 
eter, lifting  the  water  through  a  reverse  arrangement 
to  an  overshot  water-wheel.    A  wooilen  A  rchiiuedian  screw 

was  also  I .  mi  in  I  in  tin-  neighborhood."8 

Enormous  slag  dumps,  undoubtedly  of  Roman  time, 

are  still  to  he  seen  at  Rio  Tinto.  They  an-  bi-silicate 
BlagS,  unaltered  hy  weathering  during  this  long  interval 
of  time,  and  on  analysis  T  round  them  to  contain  less  than 
ti.2';  copper.  Such  metallurgical  work  we.  with  all  our 
modern  plant,  can  scarcely  duplicate  today.  Several 
relics  of  tie-  old  Roman  mining  methods  survive.  Slave 
labor  was  used,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
"high-grading'  was  practised  just  as  much  in  those  days 
as  it  is  now.  The  miners  would  steal  a  handful  of  the 
yellow  material  found  between  the  overburden  and  the 
ore  and.  having  accumulated  sufficient  for  a  charge, 
would  melt  it  down  in  small  scorifying  furnaces  made  of 
adobe.     The  yield  was  in  the  form  of  plaques  running 

"Economic  Oeology.  Vol.  2.  pp.  3S0-417. 
m.  &  S.  P.,  Vol.  101.  p.  498. 
"Hoover.    'De  Re  Metallica.'  p.  149. 


Km     Several  of  iheaa  were  round  while  I  was  in 
Spain,  cached  away  in  some  old  workings 

Prom  lluelva  to  Butte  is  a  far  cry.    The  climatic  con 

tlitions  are  totally  dissimilar,  tl re  deposits  an-  of  two 

distinct  typ'-.  tin-  one  is  worked  hy  open-cut  mining  and 

steam  shovels  at  comparatively  shallow   depths,  the  other 


urn  UNTO.     A  BENCH  IN  THE  MAKING  AT  THE  EAST  END  OF  THE 
SOOTH-LODE  OPEN-COT. 

by  shafts  to  depths  of  3000-odd  feet  ;  in  one  the  ore  oeeurs 
as  massive  lenses,  at  the  other  in  definite  veins;  at  Rio 
Tinto  faults  have  played  a  minor  role  in  the  enriehment 
and  have  not  interfered  with  the  ore-lenses,  at  Butte  all 
the  veins  are  faulted  and  a  most  complicated  structure  re- 
sults; the  Rio  Tinto  deposits  have  most  attractive  surface 
showings,  while  the  Butte  outcrops  are  inconspicuous  to 
tin-  degree  almost  of  non-existence. 


86 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15,  1916 


The  Butte  district  has  been  studied  exhaustively.  It 
has,  probably,  received  more  attention  from  competent 
geologists  than  any  other  copper  district  in  the  world. 
All  agree  as  to  the  rock  sequence  and  the  complex  struc- 
ture, but  there  is  no  uniformity  of  ideas  as  to  the  age  of 
the  several  ores  bund  there.  Under  the  direction  of 
Reno  Sales  and  liis  geological  department,  practically  all 
>f  the  exploratory  work  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Co.  is 
planned.  The  value  of  the  services  of  the  economic  or 
milling  geologist  in  directing  mining  work  has  been  rec- 
ognized and  demonstrated  in  this  field.  On  behalf  of 
the  D.  S.  Geological  Survey.  W.  II.  Weed  investigated 
the  district  and  presented  his  findings  as  Professional 
Paper  No.  74.  His  unravelling  of  the  fault-complex  and 
deductions  as  to  ore  genesis  served  as  a  basis  for  the 
more  complete  investigation  of  Sales,  the  results  of  which 
were  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.. 
Vol.  40.  pp.  1523-1626.  The  later  work  of  J.  C.  Ray 
called  attention  to  the  sequence  of  sulphides  in  the  Butte 
ores." 

The  Butte  district,  of  which  Anaconda  hill  is  the  cen- 
tre, is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  a  highly  altered  quartz- 
monzonite  or  'granite,'  as  it  is  locally  called,  which  is  a 
part  of  tin-  great  Boulder  batholith.  The  productive  area 
is  about  1A  miles  long  and  1  mile  wide,  although  many 
mines  have  been  opened  up  in  the  same  granite  mass 
within  a  radius  of  30  miles  of  Butte.  Differential  cool- 
ing of  the  iri.initie  magma  resulted  in  the  intrusion  of 
aeid  dikes  of  aplite.  the  economic  significance  of  which  is 
not  apparent  Later  acid  intrusions  of  rhyolite  have 
probably  a  genetic  connection  with  the  copper  ores. 

The  copper  output  of  Butte  comes  from  vein  mines. 
All  the  ore  is  confined  to  definite  fractures;  and  while 
the  granitic  wall-rocks  are  pyritized,  they  are  non-com- 
mercial. Several  of  the  shafts  have  reached  a  depth  of 
3000  ft.  and  as  yet  there  is  no  indication  whatever  of 
impoverishment. 

Fissuring  of  the  granite  is  a  common  feature  through- 
out the  batholith.  In  addition  to  the  fissuring.  profound 
faults  of  several  periods  of  regional  disturbance,  both 
before  and  after  vein  formation  or  mineral  deposition, 
have  brought  about  a  condition  of  intricate  complexity, 
which  has  resulted  in  so  much  litigation.  The  fissures 
may  lie  divided  into  six  distinct  systems,  of  which  the 
Anaconda  or  east-west  system  is  the  oldest,  as  well  as 
the  most  solidly  and  continuously  mineralized.  The  oldest 
fault  fissures  in  which  ore  is  found  constitute  the  Blue 
system.  Extensive  rock  alteration  has  taken  place,' par- 
ticularly in  Anaconda  hill.  It  is  closely  related  to  the 
important  vein-systems.  The  alteration  has  affected  both 
the  country-rock  and  the  veins  and  faults.  It  is  due  to 
the  effect  of  the  early  mineralizing  solutions,  to  the  in- 
fluence of  descending  waters,  and  to  natural  oxidation. 
These  processes  overlap.  The  greatest  change  is  noticed 
in  the  oldest,  or  Anaconda,  vein-system.  The  faulting 
and  crushing  of  the  Butte  granite  has  been  on  a  pro- 
found scale,  and  both  chemical  and  dynamic  agencies 
have  combined  to  bring  about  present  conditions.     The 

'Economic  Oeology.  1914,  p.  463. 


granite  is  pyritized  and  nearly  all  the  Eerro-magnesian 

minerals  are  obliterated;  the  feldspars  develop  sericite 
and  secondary  silica.  In  the  upper  levels  kaolinization 
is  advanced  owing  to  the  action  of  sulphate  waters  upon 
the  sericitifced  granite. 

The  effects  of  hydro-metamorphism  are  more  notice- 
able where  vein-forming  influences  have  been  most  active, 
that  is,  in  the  zone  associated  with  the  Anaconda  vein- 
system.  The  most  marked  effects  are  kaolinization  and 
chaleocitization.  accompanied  by  greater  porosity.  The 
average  depth  of  the  oxidized  zone  is  300  ft.  in  the  highly 
altered  area.  While  chaleocitization  is  always  accom- 
panied by  kaolinization,  the  reverse  does  not  hold  good, 
and  it  is  thought  that  sulphate  waters  have  been  active 
at  depth,  long  after  the  last  trace  of  their  contained  cop- 
per had  been  precipitated  as  ehaleocite.  A  distinction 
between  'sooty'  ehaleocite  of  secondary  origin  and  'pri- 
mary' ehaleocite,  which  occurs  in  quantity,  is  important. 
The  zone  of  secondary  ehaleocite  varies  from  50  to  200 
ft.  in  the  fault-veins  to  a  maximum  of  1200  ft.  in  the 
older  veins  of  the  Anaconda  system. 

It  is  probable  that  surface  waters  have  caused  changes 
in  the  rock-mass  beyond  the  depth  readied  by  mine- 
workings.  On  account  of  the  structure,  the  ground- 
water level  is  very  variable.  Present  ground-water, 
even  where  found  at  great  depth,  is  of  meteoric 
origin  and  contains  appreciable  quantities  of  free  acid 
and  the  iron  sulphates.  Secondary  enrichment  in  the 
Butte  district  is  dependent  largely  on  the  topography 
and  the  mineralogic  and  physical  characteristics  of  the 
vein  in  which  the  sulphides  occur. 

Ice  planation,  rock  disintegration,  erosion,  and  the 
Continental  fault  have  determined  the  present  surface 
contours  and  caused  a  mantel  of  wash  to  mask  many  of 
the  intersections  of  the  veins  with  the  surface.  Aside 
from  this,  the  outcrops  are  indistinct  and  are  seldom 
recognizable  in  the  absence  of  shafts  or  pits.  Butte  has 
the  least  surface  evidence  of  mineralization  of  any  dis- 
trict I  have  studied.  The  highly  colored  oxidation  prod- 
ucts of  copper  minerals  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence, 
ami  with  the  exception  of  local  developments,  no  oxide 
ores  are  mined  at  Butte.  Almost  without  exception,  the 
copper  veins  are  practically  barren  of  copper  at  the  out- 
crop and  in  the  zone  of  oxidation.  The  outcrop  of  a 
typical  vein  of  the  Anaconda  series  is  marked  by  altered 
granite,  quartz,  and  iron  oxides.  The  quartz  sometimes 
exhibits  honeycomb  structure;  infrequently  there  is  a 
little  clay  that  may  be  slightly  copper  stained. 

The  fault-veins  are  similar,  except  that  there  is  usually 
one  or  more  well-defined  fault  clay-walls.  "Taking  a 
broad  view  of  the  entire  copper  producing  area,  it  may 
be  said  with  emphasis  that  there  is  but  little  if  any  evi- 
dence of  a  positive  character  to  be  found  in  the  outcrops 
or  the  oxidized  zones  of  the  Butte  veins  to  indicate  the 
existence  of  copper  in  commercial  quantities  at  greater 
depths."10 

The  manganese-silver  veins,  forming  a  crescentic  arc 
to  the  north  of  the  copper  veins,  outcrop  boldly  and  may 

■  "Reno  Sales,  Trans.  A.  I.  M.  E„  Vol.  46,  p.  1556. 


Jnh    15,   1916 


MINING  mi  Sokatific  I'RtSS 


•  r  hundradi  or  even  thousand  on  the 

nc  veins,  oloaelj  associated  with  the  man 
nilver  aeries,  show  m  quartz,  or  rfaodoohrosite  ribs 
at  tli.  [ha  /in.-  blende  being  found  200  to  100  ft 

beloM 

Tlic  depth  of  the  tone  of  oxidation  at  Butte  is  exceed- 
imrls  variable     It  depends  upon  1 1 1 •  -  nature  of  the  reins 
and  the  wall  ru.k.  rather  than  on  the  topography.    The 
quartx-pyritc  reins  ..t'  the  Anaconda  system  arc  more 
deepl)  oxidised  than  the  fault-veins.    The  clayey  ma- 
hinders  percolation.    Again,  the  fault-veins  are  not 
avily   pyritised,   hence  the  solutions  are   not   as 
strong.     The  nridised    sane   shows   but    little   change 
ally  or  chemically,  from  the  surface  t.i  the  sul- 
phide ore,  but  tin'  change  between  them  is  very  abrupt. 
In  the  Ana. on. In  series  enriched  ore  immediately  under- 
lies the  oxidised  belt,  whereas,  in  the  fault-vein  system, 
large  areas  of  barren,  unoxidized  vein-matter  often  sep- 
arate ore-shoots. 
In  areas  of  great  rock  alteration,  the  rocks  and  veins 
turated  with  water.    The  many  periods  of  fault- 


&??■:! 


- 


S3 


Zia**L-]  Or*.  Slot*  f\j'p'.yr_, 

i.l.MllMI/tH    SECTION    OK   RIO  TI.NTO   LOOKS. 

(After  A.  M.  Finlayson.i 

ing  have,  however,  brought  about  local  irregularities, 
and  clay  fault-dams  will  cause  dry  sections,  alternating 
with  more  open  wet  zones. 

The  continued  crustal  adjustments  of  the  Boulder 
batholith,  particularly  that  part  that  was  first  weakened 
by  vein-forming  influences,  has  contributed  to  the  migra- 
tion of  the  metals  and  so  been  a  vital  factor  in  the  eeo- 
nomic  concentration  of  the  lean  primary  material. 

The  mineralogies!  relations  in  the  Butte  veins  do  not 
suggest  distinct  and  separate  periods  of  mineralization, 
but  rather  one  continuous  process  with  varying  degrees 
of  intensity. 

Reviewing  the  evidence  presented  at  Butte,  the  absence 
of  outcrops  can  be  readily  explained,  and  there  is 
nothing  in  conflict  with  the  ideas  I  have  already  ex- 
pressed concerning  the  surficial  indications  of  copper. 
All  the  ore  occurs  in  one  phase  or  another  of  a  differen- 
tiated monzonitic  magma.  It  is  confined  to  definite  frac- 
tures that  have  been  re-opened  subsequently  to  the  pri- 
mary mineralization  or  dislocated  by  later  earth-move- 
ments. This  complex  structure  has  either  facilitated  or 
retarded  enrichment,  dependent  on  increased  facility  for 
deep  penetration  of  meteoric  waters  by  openness  of 
fissures  or  the  damming  back  of  such  solutions  by  the 
development  of  fault-clay. 


The  granite  itself  is  intricate!)  jointed  and  thi 
matio   conditions   are    such    that    boulder-structure    is 

qnicklj  developed,  rock  disintegration  pr Is  rapidly, 

an. I  erosion  is  adva I     The  granite  is  pyritised  along 

the  joints  and  in   the   ferro  inaL'n.  sian   mineral  BonstiUl 

ents  The  oxidation  of  this  pyrite  would  of  itself  !»■ 
sufficient  to  upset  the  homogeneity  of  the  mass,  thus  as 

listing  erosion.     By  oxidizing  pr ssea,  the   feldspars 

and  mica  become  gericitized.  The  sulphate  waters  oon 
vert  part  of  the  Bericite  to  kaolin  and  quartz.  The  pus 
ent  topography  is  vastly  different  to  that  of  the  n 

ali/iiiL'  period,  an. I   it   is  probable  that   the  typical   irony 

outcrops  of  copper  veins  have  long  sin.-,,  been  removed 

by  erosion.    I  have  said  that  other  than  a  rusty  sta 

of  the  quartz,  even  limonite  is  but  sparingly  developed 

in  the  present  surface  exposure  of  the  veins;  this  sug- 
gests the  absence  of  iron  in  the  ore  represented  by  this 
remnant.  Again,  in  the  oxidized  zone,  cuprite  ami  some 
native  copper  are  the  most  plentiful  of  the  oxidized  min- 
erals. These  chemical  facts,  coupled  with  the  physical 
condition  of  the  district,  point  to  the  oxidation  of  sec- 
ondarily enriched  ores.  I  consider  it  highly  probable 
that  many  of  the  Butte  veins  are  in  the  second  cycle  of 
oxidizing  processes. 

Weed  says,"  ''The  quartz-pyrite  veins  are  often  .lis 
tincl,  though  not  conspicuous,  but  the  glanee-euargite 
veins  in  altered  granite  can  rarely  be  determined  in  out- 
crop; where  upraises  have  been  driven  to  find  their  apex, 
it  is  found  to  consist  merely  of  kaolinized  granite  ce- 
mented by  stringers  of  quartz.  Indeed,  one  may  infer 
from  the  absence  of  limonite  that  the  barren  quartz 
found  between  the  surface  and  the  big  orebodies  is  the 
result  of  oxidation  of  chalcocite  and  pyrite  only. 

"The  descending  waters  became  charged  with  ferrous, 
cupric,  and  zinc  sulphates  and  have  an  acidic  reaction. 
All  three  of  these  salts  are  easily  soluble  in  water  and 
all  three  are  carried  by  the  moisture  of  the  air  circu- 
lating in  the  mine  workings.  Such  air  deposits  its  mois- 
ture by  chilling,  and  as  a  result  many  of  the  old  mine 
workings  are  coated  by  efflorescent  deposits  of  zinc.  iron. 
and  copper  sulphates." 


The  metric  system,  as  applying  to  American  stand- 
ards of  weights  and  measures,  was  discussed  by  Frank 
Richards  in  a  recent  number  of  the  New  York  Evening 
Post.  He  argued  against  its  adoption  in  this  country. 
Regarding  the  tenet  of  the  advocates  of  metric  weights 
and  measures,  who  assert  that  it  would  be  a  convenience 
to  American  manufacturers  in  securing  trade  with  the 
metric  countries,  such  as  South  America,  he  stated  that 
the  rale  works  both  ways,  and  that  German  and  French 
manufacturers  are  equally  handicapped  in  making  goods 
for  our  markets  or  England.  Again  the  metric  system 
was  said  to  be  not  so  scientific  as  it  was  claimed  to  be, 
because  it  failed  in  the  facility  of  continued  sub-division 
by  two  and  three.  The  advocates  of  the  metric  system 
were  stated  to  be  largely  college  professors,  and  not  the 
business  people  who  would  be  affected  by  a  change. 

"Professional  Paper  No.  74,  U.  S.  G.  S.,  p.  99. 


88 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15.  1016 


Conditions   in   Mexico 


By  Our  Own  Correspondent 


In  my  letters,  appearing  on  January  29  and  June  10, 
I  discussed  something  of  Carranza 's  extraordinary 
paper-money  system,  by  which  lie  expected  to  "save  the 
nation  from  a  public  debt  and  distribute  the  eost  of  the 
revolution  equitably  among  all  classes."  It  is  not  defi- 
nitely known,  outside  the  inner  governing  ring,  if  the 
systematic  counterfeiting  which  has  been  a  regular  prac- 
tice of  the  Carranza  Hacienda  (treasury)  department 
has  inured  to  the  benefit  of  officials  or  of  the  Government 
itself.  A  favorite  device  lias  been  to  ehange  the  original 
die.  by  erasing  a   line  or  two.  and  then  to  declare  false 

all  the  previously  printed  notes  from  the  altered  die. 

Recently  the  only  way  I"  be  sure  of  the  genuineness  of 
any  Carranza  note  was  to  have  it  officially  re-scalcil. 
which  not  only  involved  a  wearisome  delay  but  the  risk 
of  having  it  destroyed  as  counterfeit.  The  unmoral  state 
of   Mexican    society    is    well    illustrated   by    the    fact    that 

many  respectable  Carranza  partisans  defend  this  official 

swindling   on    the    plea    that    "it    helps    to    amortize    the 

public  debt." 

After  the  discovery  last  summer  of  the  wholesale 
counterfeiting  of  the  p.">(i  and  1*1()()  notes — which  cul- 
minated in  the  execution  of  General  Gringas — the  Min- 
ister of  Hacienda.  Cabrera,  suddenly  departed  for  Bu- 
rope,  probably  to  escape  awkward  questioning,  bu1  os- 
tensibly to  secure  a  gold  loan  to  back  tip  his  new  issue  of 
f*500,000,000  'unfalsifiable'  notes,  which  he  hail  jUSt  or- 
dered printed  in  the  I'nitcd  States.  Failing  in  Europe, 
he  started  for  New  York,  where  he  hoped  to  work  on  the 
financiers  the  same  game  of  diplomatic  flattery  thai  Car- 
ranza had  found  so  successful  among  Washington  states 
men.     Hut  financiers  have  to  pay  their  own  way,  ami 

thus,  unlike  statesmen,  cannot  afford  to  cherish  any 
Quixotic  illusions  as  to  facts.  So  Cabrera,  in  spite  of  a 
skillful  and  arduous  social  campaign,  found  himself  no 
nearer  his  goal  of  coin  than  at  first,  and  was  finally  told 
that   to  persist   would  be  useless,  as  his  (iovernment   was 

deemed  both  incompetent  and  dishonest,    (in  his  return 

to  Mexico  in  March.  Cabrera  carefully  concealed  from 
the  populace  the  failure  of  his  loan  proposals,  and  soon 
announced  that  his  plans  for  the  issue  of  unfalsifiable 
notes  had  been  perfected  and  would  be  put  in  operation 
on  May  1.  During  the  last  week  of  April,  he  constructed 
a  new  Comision  <h  Cambios  of  seven  members,  as  he 
deemed  it  prudent  to  have  a  screen  of  marionettes  to 

protect  himself  from  the  popular  odium  that  the  publi- 
cation of  his  contemplated  financial  decrees  would  be 
sure  to  arouse. 

I  luring  the  spring,  the  press  had  hinted  that  the  new  or 
Unfalsifiable  notes  would  be  exchanged  for  the  old  notes 
at  par;  but  tile  first  decree  in  April  announced  a  ratio 
of  2:1:  while  the   final   decree,   by   which   the  issue   was 


begun  on  May  first,  fixed  a  redemption  value  of  111  cents 
(U.  S.)  per  peso  for  the  new  notes  and  2\  cents  for  the 
old  notes,  or  a  ratio  of  4:  1.  This  promise  of  redemption 
of  new  notes  in  coin  kept  their  value  up  for  some  days, 
but  when  it  was  discovered  to  be  largely  a  bluff  and  was 
being  hindered  as  much  as  possible  at  the  offices  of  the 
Cotidsion  iU  Cambios  in  order  to  prevent  the  escape  of 
real  money,  their  quotation  began  to  drop  and  was  down 
to  7  cents  during  the  last  week  of  May. 

As  the  decree  of  May  1  had  declared  that  the  old  notes 
should  continue  as  full  legal  tender  until  July  1.  and 
thereafter  should  continue  for  six  months  to  he  receiv- 
able for  all  taxes  payable  in  paper,  their  holders  slept 
tranquilly  on  the  night  of  May  31,  little  dreaming  of 
what  would  befall  them  on  the  morrow.  Between  June 
1  and  3  there  was  posted  all  over  Mexico  a  decree  that 
history   will   doubtless  deem   the   most   insane   of   all   the 

extraordinary  efforts  of  the  Carranza  regime.    The  gist 

of  ils  14  articles  was  an  abolition  of  the  legal-tender 
quality  of  all  1*20.  t*r>0.  and  1*100  notes  within  three 
days,  after  which  time  such  notes  would  only  he  receiv- 
able as  money  for  a  small  number  of  public  dues.  Hut 
if  deposited  in  the  Treasury  before  July  1,  they  would 
in    paid  for  on  October  1  with  gold  certificates,  which. 

within  five  years  thereafter,  would  lie  redeemed  in  coin 
at  the  rate  of  5c.  per  peso. 

But  an  even  worse  fate  than  the  nullification  of  their 
existing  stock  of  big  notes  was  in  store  for  the  merchants, 
because  they  were  obliged  to  continue  receiving  the  his 
notes  during  the  three  days  following  the  publication  of 
the  decree.  A  few  fortunate  ones  escaped  lightly  by 
closing  their  stores  most  of  tile  day  and  greatly  increas- 
ing their  prices,  but  many,  whose  stock  happened  to  be 

attractive  to  Carranzista  officers,  like  si or  hat  stores. 

found   themselves  beset   on   all   sides   and   had    Ilobson's 

choi I'  either  selling  out  for  worthless  notes  while  at 

liberty,  or  of  going  to  jail  ami  having  their  stock  'in- 
tervened.' 

But  the  financial  tragedy  was  not  yet  over.  I  In  June 
10  there  appeared  a  new  decree  declaring  that  the  old 
notes,  which  had  been  declared  worth  24c  on  May  1. 
were  now  worth  only  lc.  and  this  in  future  would  be 
valued  at  only  one-tenth  as  much  as  the  new  notes  in- 
stead of  one-fourth.  Henceforth,  the  only  remaining 
legal-tender  old  notes,  those  of  1*1.  1*2.  t*5.  and  1*10, 
would  have  only  40%  of  their  previous  value,  so  that 
the  masses,  who  had  already  lost  millions  by  the  decree 
of  June  1,  found  themselves  left  with  practically  uo 
money  to  spend  at  all. 

At  first  glance  it  would  seem  that  only  a  madman 
could  have  issued  these  absurd  decrees,  which  not  only 
repudiated  others  issued  barely  a  month  previously,  but 


.luiv  15,  i-in; 


MINING   and  Scent.!,,    I'M  SS 


l  universal  indignAl mm  m  the  Army  i 

I'li.ni.l is    plausil'lc :    I'll    .lime    ."<    the 

Innir  note*  fell  to  half  tlmr  rormer  value,  so  thai  any 
|ut> must..-  »|iii  happened  t"  have  »  balanee  of  HOO.OOO 
mid  exchange  H0,000  of  it  tor  t» 1 1 h>.«mm> 
of  big  notea  and  have  ■  difference  of  K0,000  free  and 
clear  for  himaelf,  ai  the  accounting  rules  required  Ins 
balanee  to  be  in  legal  money,  but  •  1  > <  1  not  specify  its  de 
nomination  <>n  Jane  9  there  issued  forth,  bright  and 
early,  from  the  offl,  •  -  I  Nicolas  Zembrano,  Treasurer  of 
hfexii  •  clerks  carrying  satchels  full  of  I'l  and 

P*.'  old  notes.  These  eager  youths  circulated  rapidly  in 
the  business  centre  of  Mexico  City,  and  offered  to  every- 
om   1*5  of  thee.  mall  old  notes  in  exchange  for 

each  1*1  value  of  new  notes,  the  market  rate  being  only 
l'i     Millions  were  thus  quickly  sold  on  June  9  at  5:1; 


man]  empl  have  no  gold  with  which 

.•  tins  purchase."    "What  do  »■  id  the 

Bureau  of  Labor,  "you  mny  do  n«  you  pleaai     '"it  re 

member:  if  you  attempt  to  close  down,  a  decree  i*  in 

providing  for  the  intervention  oi  your  plant  and 

stock  by  the  local  prebottal  lission,  which  will  at 

once  put  it  under  the  hammer,  and  from  its  pr ,!* 

pay  "ut  ■  quarter's  advi e  wages  to  all  your  patient 

employees,  too  long  abused  by  bourgeois  like  you." 

Many  of  the  shrewder  merchants,  discovering  some 
months  ago  that  they  rarely  would  fall  into  bankruptcy 
if  they  continued  business,  and  would  inevitably  be 
seized  by  the  prebostal  commission  if  they  tried  ■< 
pend  operations,  have  been  quietly  selling  their  stock  of 
merchandise.  Eowever,  this  recourse  is  not  open  to  the 
owners  of  mines  or  Factories  full  of  valuable  machinery, 


1                                                                                                      1- 

— ~  "    ■■  '                                                                                n 

mmmmmkwv  OFsT  a*rin 

■  *•*-    —     ^A-taaaaa                ' -J"**!*^    ■»                                                                                      ILaaW.                               iBSBaaaaaM- 

1 1 

AGIASCALIE.NTES.  a   SMELTER  TOWN    IN  CENTRAL  MEXICO. 


these  were  as  readily  bought  I k  the  next  day,  after 

the  aforesaid  decree  had  been  posted,  at  half  price  or  a1 
the  new  ratio  of  10: 1. 

The  strikes,  in  May.  of  all  the  workmen  of  the  Car- 
ranza  railroads  and  public  utilities,  for  the  payment  of 
wages  on  s  gold  basis,  had  been  quelled  by  first  declaring 

martial  law.  to  force  the  strikers  to  return  to  work,  and 
then  paying  all  their  wages  with  new  instead  of  old  notes. 

Naturally,  this  sudden  quadrupling  of  the  pay  of  public 

servants  made  all  other  workmen  dissatisfied,  and  hordes 
of  them  struck  for  8  like  change  in  their  wage  payments. 
Many  employers  offered  to  compromise  by  increasing 
the  rate,  hut  continuing  to  pay  in  old  notes  until  they 
eeased  to  he  legal  tender  on  July  1.  Yet  the  strikers 
would  not  listen  to  this  and  Carranza's  Bureau  of  Labor 
sustained  them  in  their  " righteous  objections  to  such 
miserly  treatment."  "Ah,"  said  the  beset  employers, 
"we  have  no  new  notes,  for  only  the  few  used  for  paying 
the  Army  and  Civil  Service  since  May  1  are  now  in  circu- 
lation." "Nonsense,"  retorted  the  Bureau  of  Labor, 
"the  Cumixion  <h  Cam  bios  will  sell  you  all  the  new  notes 
you  may  need  at  the  rate  of  10c.  (U.  S.)  per  peso." 
"Then  we  shall  have  to  close  our  business,"  answered 


and  their  only  recourse  is  to  have  such  a  severe  'accidenl  ' 
to  their  equipment  that  operations  can  he  no  longer  con- 
tinued. 

The  author  of  all  this  financial  legerdemain,  Luis 
Cabrera,  was  educated  for  the  law,  and  started  his 
career,  like  many  another  attorney  of  the  Diaz  regime 
in  Puebla  as  a  go-between  for  criminals  who  had  money 
enough  to  purchase  their  release  from  a  bench  of  easily 
corrupted  judges.  Later  he  went  to  Mexico  City,  and 
first  entered  the  limelight  about  1908,  when  he  fought  a 
ease  concerning  the  water-rights  of  the  Torreon  cotton 
district,  against  the  noted  eicntifico  lawyer,  Vera 
Estafiol.  Cabrera's  remarkable  gifts  as  an  orator  there- 
after kept  him  well  in  the  public  eye  till  the  beginning 
of  the  Madero  revolution  in  1910,  when  he  definitely 
took  the  Liberal  side  by  the  publication  of  three  open 
letters  against  I  hi'  re-election  of  Diaz. 

When  Madero  was  elected  president  in  November 
1912.  Cabrera  became  a  member  of  the  Federal  House 
of  Deputies,  and  made  a  creditable  record  as  an  advocate 
of  the  restoration  to  the  Indians  of  their  i ujidos  (com- 
munal lands)  of  which  they  had  been  robbed  by  the  Diaz 
ring.     After  Huerta  usurped  power  in   1913,   Cabrera 


90 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15,  1916 


hVd  north  in  join  Carranza,  ami  so  gained  the  latter's 
Confidence  thai  In-  appealed  as  his  spokesman  during  the 
military  convention  at  Mexico  City  in  September  1914. 
About  this  time  P.  P.  Villareal,  the  Minister  of  the 
Treasury,  refuse. I  to  contintue  Carranza 's  policy  of  un- 
limited currency  inflation,  so  he  was  dismissed  and 
Cabrera  appointed.  Unlike  his  predecessor,  Cabrera 
had  neither  a  theoretical  nor  a  practical  knowledge  of 
finance,  but,  too  conceited  to  take  expert  advice  and  free 
from  moral  scruples,  he  has  since  persisted  in  maintain- 
ing a  national  monetary  madhouse  that  has  ruined  a 
large  part  of  tin-  middle  class,  killed  thousands  of  the 
proletariat  by  famine  and  its  resultant  pestilence,  and 
bids  fair,  unless  foreign  relief  soon  arrives,  to  exter- 
minate the  whole  population. 

To  illustrate  what  I  meant  in  my  June  letter  by  stat- 
ing that  many  railroad-ears  are  the  "personal  per- 
quisite" of  some  local  general.  I  will  take  the  case  of 
General  Medina,  long  in  charge  of  northern  Puehla.  in 
which  State  are  tin-  mine  ami  smelter  of  the  TezuiHan 
('upper  Co.,  both  shut-down  since  1913.  The  Medina 
boys,  five  in  number,  were  horn  near  Matamoros  on  the 
Texas  border,  ami.  entering  tie'  Carranza  movement  near 
its  inception,  had  attained  high  military  rank  when  Car- 
ranza came  south  in  .July  1914 — all  except  one  brother, 
who  remained  a  civilian  in  order  to  manage  the  business 
interests  of  his  military  family.  Controlling  absolutely 
l  In'  city  of  Tczuitlaii  and  its  railroad  line  from  Oriental 
on  the  Inter-oceanic  system,  the  Medina  family  now 
found  itself  in  financial  clover,  for  no  freight  could 
move  cither  in  or  out  of  the  Tezuitlan  district  without 
paying  them  a  generous  toll. 

other  examples  of  revolutionary  patriots  are  General 
Luis  Gutierrez,  brother  of  the  unfortunate  president, 
Kulalio.  last  heard  from  as  a  fugitive  in  the  mountains 
of  San  Luis  Potosi,  who  up  to  1911  worked  by  the  day  as 
an  i.rlil  i  maguey  fibre)  laborer.  This  year  General  Luis 
was  sufficiently  Hush  to  advance  1*1.000.000  to  a  business 
partner.  General  Francisco  Coss.  who.  before  the  Revo- 
lution was  a  small  farmer  in  Coahuila,  hut  is  now  estab- 
lished at  Saltillo  as  the  ixtil  'king,'  using  a  capital  ob- 
tained chiefly  from  his  profits  for  a  year  as  Governor 
of  Puehla.  General  Candido  Aguilar.  now  Minister  of 
Foreign  Relations,  was  governor  of  Vera  Cruz  for  some 
18  months,  and.  though  just  able  to  write  his  own  name. 
has  found  his  ignorance  neither  an  obstacle  to  political 
preferment  nor  a  hindrance  to  the  rapid  accumulation  of 
a  fortune  of  several  million  dollars,  which  is  now  safely 
hanked  in  the  United  States. 

Of  all  the  Carranza  leaders.  Dr.  Atl  is  probably  the 
most  intellectual;  and  for  long  after  he  first  became 
prominent,  in  January  1915.  his  antecedents  were  a 
mystery  to  the  public,  for  be  goes  under  an  assumed 
name.  Since  then  his  history  has  gradually  been  re- 
vealed  Born  in  Guadalajara,  at  an  early  age  he  de- 
veloped talent  and  was  sent  to  Paris  to  be  educated  as  an 
artist.  While  in  France,  he  became  interested  in  syndi- 
calism, ami  soon  became  an  enthusiastic  anarchist.  On 
the  fall  of  the  Madero  government  he  joined  the  staff  of 


the  Paris  organ  of  the  Mexican  liberal  party,  and  when 
Iluerta  fled  in  1914.  Atl  had  just  landed  in  Vera  Cruz 
on  his  way  to  Mexico  City,  for  the  purpose,  it  is  said,  of 
assassinating  the  tyrant.  Balked  by  Huerta's  flight,  Atl 
decided  ti»  join  Zapata,  hut  on  his  way  to  C'uernavaca, 
he  was  captured  by  one  of  Zapata's  generals  and  con- 
demned to  be  shot  as  a  spy.  Just  before  the  sentence  was 
to  be  executed.  Atl  gained  :l  parley  with  his  jailer  and 
such  were  his  powers  of  persuasion  that  he  not  only  ob- 
tained a  pardon,  but  a  safe  conduct  to  Zapata  himself. 
Soon  he  had  become  the  confidential  adviser  of  the  wary 
brigand,  and  thus  continued  for  several  months  until, 
convinced  by  his  natural  shrewdness  that  Carranza 
would  he  the  final  winner,  he  escaped  to  the  lines  of  the 
First  Chief.  After  various  adventures,  he  finally  ob- 
tained a  job  with  General  Obregon  as  organizer  of  his 
Mexican  I.  W.  W.  Atl  has  an  all-around  artistic  tem- 
perament, and  it  is  as  orator  and  writer,  rather  than 
painter,  that  he  has  proved  himself  invaluable  to  the 
Carranza  ring;  for,  in  the  exercise  of  his  unusual  talents, 
he  is  not  hampered  by  any  of  those  spiritual  visions  or 
moral  ideals  that  have  rendered  so  many  of  the  world's 
geniuses  of  no  earthly  use  to  "practical'  men.  The  de- 
pravity of  the  triumphal  revolutionists  is  partly  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  that  during  the  advance  of  the  rebels 
against  Huerta  in  1913,  it  was  their  policy  to  open  the 
jails  of  captured  towns  on  condition  that  the  prisoners 
enlisted  as  soldiers.  And  though  this  policy  is  not  now 
recognized  by  the  Carranzistas,  it  is  still  the  custom  of 
the  Zapatistas.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  followers  of 
Villa,  the  bandit,  generally  paid  for  the  forage  and  food 
they  took  from  the  ranchers,  while  the  soldiers  of  Car- 
ranza, the  statesman,  seldom  pay  for  their  forage  even 
now.  In  fact,  the  live-stock  and  poultry  of  the  farms  in 
southern  Mexico  were  long  ago  declared  to  be  by  nature 
'Zapatistas,'  and  therefore  liable  to  capture  on  sight.  In 
1914  and  1915  many  green  crops  were  either  cut  for 
forage  or  trampled  by  pasturing  horses,  and  were  thus 
a  dead  loss  to  their  cultivators.  So  this  year,  in  spite  of 
the  high  prices  and  the  decree  of  1915  (allowing  anyone 
to  cultivate  land  if  the  owners  do  not)  only  a  fraction  of 
the  normal  average  has  been  planted.  This  is  the  case 
especially  in  the  vicinity  of  towns  garrisoned  by  cavalry. 

The  use  of  Vera  Cruz  by  Carranza  as  his  capital  from 
November  1914  till  his  re-capture  of  Mexico  City  in 
August  1915  is  explained  by  its  manifest  advantages  as 
the  seat  of  custom  duties  and  as  the  port  for  an  easy 
escape  in  case  his  army  was  defeated  by  the  Convention. 
But  his  fixing  of  his  next  capital  at  Queretaro,  instead  of 
accompanying  his  Federal  departments  to  Mexico  City, 
in  September,  is  more  of  a  mystery.  It  is  probable  that 
fear  of  a  re-capture  of  the  City  by  the  Zapatistas  and  of 
assassination  by  some  of  his  political  enemies  or  the  rela- 
tives of  his  victims  combined  to  make  him  shun  the 
Nation's  capital  as  long  as  possible. 

Yet  the  merchants  of  Mexico  City  were  told  to  prepare 
for  Carranza's  coining  by  erecting  a  line  of  triumphal 
arches  st retelling  for  the  league  between  the  National 
Palace  and  the  castle  of  Chapultepec.    Where  voluntary 


11)16 


MINING  «nd  Scientific  PRESS 


9] 


■obtcriptiona  were  not  forthcoming  to  cover  the 

tin-  a:  I  iii  I  locember, 

Carranxa  did  ni  until  April,  and  even  then  li>' 

same  into  town  secretly,  foregoing  a  triumphant  entry. 

ollowing  week,  1 1»«-  populace  waa  regaled  at  night 

lee  trio  illuminations  and  i afternoon  bj  a  wel- 
coming proeeaaion  of  police,  soldiers,  and  peons,  collected 
in  tin'  suburbs,  which  Carranaa  reviewed  from  a  balcony 
in  tin-  Zocalo.  Next  'lav  tin-  Qovernment  preea  an 
nonnced  that  Carranaa  waa  offended  by  the  failure  of 
tin'  professional  and  commercial  claaaea  of  the  city  to 

iiim  with  enthusiasm,  ami  that  a  merited  castiga- 
ti'in  waa  in  store  tor  them.  Is  it  possible  that  the  dread- 
ful financial  decrees  of  Jane  were  issued  in  fulfillment  of 

this  threat  1    Sure  enough,  on  June  r>,  rutin. i.nnn  of 

genuine  notes  became  practically  worthless  and  thousands 
of  artisans  and  middle-class  civilians,  as  well  as  Boldiers 
ami  servants,  walked  the  sti ts  of  the  capital  with  hands 


hod-growing  capacity.    Thuathen  >i.n  peopli 

to  be  fed  from  outside,  and  In  the  absence  of  foreign 
owned    railroada  to   'intervene,'   the    militarj    satraps 
could  not  obtain  a  monopoly  of  produce  transportation, 

M trer,  the  exportation  of  low-priced  and  bulky 

foods  waa  a  slow  affair  when  they  bad  to  !»■  carried  from 

the  central  plateau  to  the  distant  coast  > lule-back; 

an.l.  in  the  absence  of  a  depreciating  currency,  there 

was  little  profit  in  exporting  even  the  common  prod 

of  tli astal  plains.    With  only  coin  in  circulation,  the 

purchasing  power  of  money  was  never  affected  by  revo 
liitmnary  activity,  and  should  tli"  sustenance  of  one  dis 
trict  be  depleted,  it  could  easily  be  obtained  in  a  neigh- 
boring district  or  country  with  tl tallic  savings  of 

the  inhabitants. 

The  export  of  last  autumn's  crop  ha.s  left  the  whole 
country  practically  bereft  of  food,  and  from  the  scanty 
acreage  now   planted  there  seems  little  hope  of  any  les- 


A    UKCIMKNT   OF    MEXICAN    SOI.DIKHS. 


full  of  hi";  notes  that  would  no  longer  buy  them  even  the 
cheapest  food.  The  indignation  against  the  Government 
among  all  elasses  was  intense  ami  the  common  feeling 
oieed  hy  this  overheard  remark:  "Up  to  now  I  had 
some  doubt  if  our  terrible  political  condition  arose  from 

ignorance  or  dishonesty:  hut  this  last  decree  ha.s  con- 
vinced me  that  the  ( 'arran/istas  are  simply  hypocritical 
bandits."  Yet  there  apparently  were  to  be  no  reprisals 
or  revolts  against  these  bandits  by  the  outraged  people, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  no  Mexican  dares  to  trust 
another.  Thus  conspiracies  like  the  Ku-Khix  clan  of  the 
South  or  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  the  West  are  un- 
workable in  Mexico,  and  we  now  find  a  population  of 
15,000.000  disarmed  and  terrorized  pficififus  being 
starved  and  abused  with  impunity  by  less  than  200,000 
Carranzista  and  Zapatista  soldiers,  who  for  years  have 
been  having  a  continual  picnic  at  the  expense  of  foreign 
investors  and  the  native  owners  of  property.  It  may  be 
affirmed  that  no  former  revolution  has  ever  caused  in 
Mexico  such  widespread  suffering  as  the  present  one,  for 
in  the  old  days,  preceding  1876,  there  were  no  railroads 
or  paper  money.  Then,  the  population  was  mostly  rural 
and  was  distributed  over  the  land  in  proportion  to  its 


seniug  of  the  famine  after  this  year's  harvest,  even 
should  the  nefarious  export  operation  of  the  Casa  La 
Garda  be  cut  off  entirely.  In  the  country  the  great  es- 
tates that  are  still  in  operation  will  manage  to  provide 
food  for  their  peons,  and  the  small  farmers  and  the  In- 
dians of  egidos  can  raise  onough  for  their  own  use.  But 
the  proletariat  of  the  numerous  cities  is  even  now  in 
desperate  straits  and,  unless  some  arrangement  can  be 
made  for  their  wholesale  feeding  by  imported  food  dur- 
ing the  coming  year,  they  must  soon  begin  to  die  like 
flies,  of  starvation. 

Why  Carranza  is  now  trying  to  provoke  the  United 
States  to  war  is  not  exactly  clear.  In  the  light  of  his 
own  record  in  particular,  and  of  Mexican  character  in 
general,  his  base  ingratitude  to  President  Wilson,  who 
may  be  said  to  be  the  creator  of  this  political  Franken- 
stein, is  not  at  all  surprising,  but  what  has  Carranza  to 
gain  by  a  fight?  Unsupported  by  the  masses,  he  appar- 
ently relies  chiefly  for  safety  on  a  union  with  Zapata  and 
Villa.  Can  it  be  that  the  fates  have  relented,  and  that 
Mexico,  like  the  Sudan,  may  now  hope  for  a  brighter 
future  after  the  slaughter  of  all  her  banditti'  has  once 
been  achieved  at  some  western  Omdurman  ? 


92 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


.Inly   15,   1916 


Discrepancies  in  Cyanidation 


By  Edmund   Shaw 


As  sooX  as  crushing  in  cyanide  solution  became  a 
common  practice  it  was  found  difficult  to  click 
the  theoretical  extraction  of  the  mill  with  the  bul- 
lion actually  recovered.  Sometimes  there  was  a  super- 
recovery,  but  more  often  a  shortage,  for  it  is  a  weakness 
of  human  nature  to  estimate  on  the  'long'  side,  and  one 
has  always  to  contend  with  the  innate  depravity  of 
things.  A  part  of  the  difficulty  must  he  laid  to  the  new 
spirit  in  mining  which  demanded  careful  estimates  based 
on  observed  and  recorded  fact  in  the  place  of  guesses. 
A  lot  of  new  problems  came  up  and  ways  had  to  be  de- 
vised to  find  the  answer;  for  example,  the  method  of 
figuring  tonnage  from  the  specific  gravity  of  the  pulp. 
The  mill-man  found  he  had  to  become  a  metallurgical 
book-keeper,  or  hire  one;  and  sometimes  discrepancies 
persisted  and  experts  had  to  be  called  in  to  find  out  why. 
In  order  to  keep  the  mill-books  straight,  a  practice  has 
arisen  of  using  what  is  called  the  'bullion  plus  tailing' 
method.  The  sampling  of  the  ore  entering  the  mill  is 
disregarded,  the  value  per  ton  of  the  mill-headings  being 
arrived  at  by  adding  the  value  of  the  bullion  recovered 
to  the  value  discharged  in  the  residues,  dividing  by  the 

estimated  number  of  tons.  Really  this  is  DO  Check  "hat- 
ever  upon  the  work.  The  only  comment  necessary  is 
that  one  large  mining  company  has  admitted  in  a  pub- 
lished statement  that  by  using  this  method  there  was  an 
unsuspected  loss  n(  >t;r..niM>  per  year,  that  was  not  dis- 
covered until  better  methods  of  assaying,  sampling,  and 
id-keeping  were  introduced. 

The  books  of  a  mill  should  not  differ  essentially  from 
the  bonks  of  a  manufacturing  or  mercantile  business. 
The  mill  should  be  charged  with  the  value  of  the  ore 
received  from  the  mine,  as  determined  by  the  daily 
sampling,  assay,  and  tonnage  determinations,  and  cred- 
ited with  whatever  it  produces  in  bullion  and  residue. 
Whenever  a  statement  is  made,  account  must  be  taken 
of  the  ore  in  the  bin  and  in  process  of  treatment,  and  of 
the  value  in  solution  and  in  the  precipitation  depart- 
ment, etc.  and  this  account  must  be  occasionally  cheeked 
by  stock-taking  exactly  as  a  factory  cheeks  up  its  finished 
and  unfinished  product  on  hand.  As  sampling  and  as- 
saying are  not  exact,  there  will  be  shown  a  slight  differ- 
ence on  one  side  or  the  other,  which  goes  into  an  account 
Called  Unaccountable  Loss,  corresponding  to  the  Sus- 
pense Account  of  an  ordinary  set  of  books.  The  effort 
of  the  mill-man  should  be  to_  keep  this  unaccountable 
loss  at  a  minimum. 

The  causes  of  any  difference  between  theoretical  and 
actual  extraction  will  all  be  found  under  one  of  the 
following: 

(1)  Theft. 

(2)  Leakage  and  waste. 


(3)  Errors  in  estimation  of  tonnage. 

(4)  Errors  in  sampling. 

(5)  Errors  in  assaying. 

(1)  Theft  is  suspected  more  often  than  it  occurs.  In 
a  great  many  years'  experience  in  milling,  I  have  aever 
seen  a  shortage  that  could  be  credited  to  theft,  and  in 
the  cases  of  which  I  have  knowledge  the  evidence  of 
broken  locks  and  tapped  zinc-boxes  was  so  plain  that  it 
could  not  be  mistaken.  The  only  places  that  need  pro- 
tection are  the  precipitation  department  and  refinery, 
and  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  confine  the  responsibility 
for  these  places  to  a  very  few  persons. 

(2)  Leakage  in  old  and  badly-built  nulls  may  be  a 
serious  matter.  Hut  few  instances  are  recalled  in  which 
this  was  not  the  ease.  The  worst  was  in  an  old  mill, 
which  had  leaky  mortars.  The  solution  drained  away 
in  a  dark  place  behind  the  mortars  and  ran  into  a  creek 
that  flowed  by  the  side  of  the  mill.  The  loss  was  thought 
to  1.,-  insignificant  until  an  assay  id'  the  creek-water 
showed  it  to  carry  considerable  value.  Leaky  launders, 
and    launders    that    overflow    from    having    insufficient 

grade,  account  for  some  loss  ami  a  badly-built  elevator 

that  stops  or  breaks  down  will  often  cause  considerable 
waste.  Hut.  taken  as  a  whole,  these  are  small  mailers 
and  ones  that  even  the  most  careless  of  null-men  will  see 
and  remedy.  Perhaps  the  commonest  waste  about  a 
cyanide  mill  is  that  which  occurs  in  cleaning  up  and 
refining  precipitate.  This  always  amounts  to  something 
even  where  the  work  is  carefully  done,  and  it  has  been 
published  that  losses  as  high  as  6%  of  the  output  have 
been  traced  to  this  source. 

(3)  Errors  in  estimating  tonnage  are  a  frequent 
source  of  discrepancy.  In  large  mills  such  errors  can 
lie  reduced  by  the  use  of  automatic  machines  for  weigh- 
ing and  sampling,  but  the  capital  cost  is  too  great  fur  the 
small  plant.  Weighing  and  sampling  cars  by  hand  is 
considered  too  expensive,  so  the  usual  method  of  estimat- 
ing the  tonnage  of  ore  delivered  by  the  mine  to  the  mill 
is  to  multiply  the  number  of  cars  by  a  'ear  factor.'  This 
car  factor  is  obtained  by  weighing  all  the  ears  delivered 
to  the  mill-bin  over  a  period  of  time  and  sampling  them 
for  their  moisture  content.  From  the  weights  and  mois- 
ture determinations,  an  average  figure  is  obtained  that 
is  henceforth  used  to  determine  the  daily  tonnage  by 
multiplying  it  by  the  number  of  cars  for  the  day.  Where 
the  ore  is  clean  and  fairly  dry.  and  the  mine-cars  are  all 
of  the  same  capacity,  this  method  gives  reliable  figures; 
but  if  the  ore  is  wet  and  sticky,  so  that  the  moisture- 
content  of  individual  cars  varies  greatly,  and  the  cars 
do  not  empty  cleanly,  it  will  give  unreliable  results, 
especially  if  the  estimation  is  further  complicated  by  the 
use  of  cars  of  varying  capacity.     In  the  case  of  one  such 


July    15     I'M.. 


MINING  ...,d  ScKni.hc  PRESS 


re,  tiif  moisture-contents  sve  been  found 

In  \,ir.v  from  t>  tn  17'.  Tin-  iimntiiitH  left  tn  tin  oui 
■Iter  dumping  varied  from  almost  nothing  to  marly  lixt 
pound*  it  has  happened  al  the  plant  referred  to,  that 
tin  ear-tonnage  baa  varied  mora  than  li>',  from  the  ton- 
■age  thai  had  paaaed  the  mill  during  the  month,  aa  de 
termined  by  fairly  exact  methodi 

Another  method  of  determining  tonnage,  but  little 
oaed  in  eyanide  nulls  (except  in  getting  al  the  work  of  a 
particular  machine,  aueh  aa  a  battery  or  tube-mill)  is 
the  five  or  ten  seconds  sample.  All  the  pulp  from  a  bat- 
terj  for  example  is  run  into  a  tul>  or  other  receptacle, 
fur  five  or  ten  sooondn.  the  time  being  taken  by  >  stop 
watch  The  average  of  a  Dumber  of  testa  is  taken  to 
figure  the  tonnage  per  stamp-hour  <>r  other  unit.  Bare 
again  the  character  of  the  ore  baa  everything  to  do  with 
the  accuracy  of  the  method.    It  is  accurate  if  the  ore  is 

all  the  tit if  aixmt  the  same  character,  but  if  the  mill 

is  running  part  of  the  time  on  hard  quarts  and  the  real 
of  the  time  on  soft  clayey  ore  thai  washes  through  the 
screen  with  practically  uo  crushing,  it  cannot  be  relied 
upon. 

The  best  method,  and  the  one  now  in  common  use  in 

plants,  is  that  based  on  specific  gravity.     In  this  method 

the  stream  of  pulp  somewhere  in  its  course  is  run  into 
a  tank  of  known  dimensions,  ajid  measured  and  sampled 
for  s  determination  of  its  specific  gravity.  Calculation 
or  reference  to  a  table  gives  the  tons  of  dry  solid  in  the 
volume  measured.  But  even  then  there  are  opportunities 
for  error.  In  many  cases,  the  tank  is  not  evenly  agitated 
when  the  sample  is  taken.  In  the  ordinary  mechanical 
agitator  used  as  a  stock-tank  for  filters  there  will  usually 
!»■  found  a  difference  in  the  specific  gravity  of  the  pulp 
at  the  centre  and  at  the  outside  of  the  tank.  It  is  easy 
to  make  a  mistake  in  filling  the  weighing-flask  from  the 
sample  if  the  pulp  is  at  all  thin  and  contains  sand.  The 
tank  in  which  the  measuring  is  done  will  usually  be 
found  'out  of  round'  and  allowance  is  necessary  for  this 
in  making  up  the  tables.  Measurements  should  he  made 
from  water-level  to  water-level  instead  of  to  the  bottom 
of  an  empty  tank,  which  usually  has  an  irregular  bottom 
of  sand.  And.  finally,  care  must  be  taken  that  slime  does 
not  'build  up'  on  the  side  of  the  tank  so  as  to  decrease 
its  diameter.  An  inch  coating  on  a  30-ft.  tank  repre- 
sents no  inconsiderable  amount,  of  dry  slime.  In  a  word, 
those  who  are  in  charge  of  this  work  must  be  taught  to 
appreciate  its  importance  and  to  do  it  carefully.  Most 
errors  in  to-  ".age  determinations  are  cumulative;  while 
small  for  a  day.  they  may  grow  into  large  amounts  in 
the  course  of  a  year  or  even  a  month. 

It  is  almost  too  elementary  to  point  out.  but  it  is  a  fact 
sometimes  lost  sight  of.  that  there  is  often  a  difference 
between  the  car-tonnage  and  the  tonnage  passing  the 
battery,  and  between  the  battery-tonnage  and  that  which 
has  passed  the  mill  and  been  discharged  as  residue. 
Improper  accounting  of  tonnage  which  disregards  this 
fact  has  sometimes  shown  a  serious  shortage  where  none 
existed.  Take  the  case  of  a  mill  that  has  been  running 
with  a  short  ore-supply  for  a  considerable  time.     The 


mill  inn    is   empty,    storage-tanks   and    thickeners   are 

'pulled  down,'  and  everything  in  solution  is  precipitated 
so  far  .is  possible.      Now.  if  the  supply  of  ore  is  suddenly 

Increased  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  mill  to  handle,  the 
mill-bin  "ill  be  filled,  the  stock  tanks  ami  thickeners 

brought  back  to  the  normal  running  point,  and  tin- 
am t    held    in    solution    will    he    increased.      If   at    this 

point  a  clean-up  is  made,  a  large  shortage  will  be  shown 
if  the  recovery   is  figured  on  the  '"ir  tonnage.   Less  short 

age  if  figured  on  the  battery-tonnage,  and  least  if  figured 

on  the  residue tonnage  ;  and  only  a  complete  stock  taking 
will  show  the  true  slate  of  affairs.     Probably,  every  mill 

superintendent  of  much  experiei has  had  to  explain 

this  at  some  time  to  a  manager  or  a  director.  1  know  of 
a  case  in  which  a  small  mill  was  shut-down  and  every- 
thing about    the   plant    dea l-up   in   order  to  satisfy   a 

director  that  'something  was  not  wrong,'  mere  figures 
having  entirely  failed  to  convince  him. 

A  highly  important  tonnage  determination  is  that  of 
the  solution  passing  the  precipitation-department  each 
day.  But  this  presents  no  difficulty,  as  it  can  be  accu- 
rately determined  by  one  of  several  methods.  The'  best 
is  the  meter,  which  can  be  bought  or  made  at  the  plant, 
the  tilting-box  being  the  usual  form.  A  good  way  is  to 
run  the  solution  into  alternate  sumps  of  known  capacity 
and  keep  a  record  of  the  levels  of  solution  before  and 
after  pumping,  and,  if  no  other  way  can  be  used,  a  fairly 
good  estimate  can  be  made  by  measuring  with  the  ever- 
useful  five-gallon  can,  every  two  or  four  hours.  In  pass- 
ing, it  may  be  noted  that  there  is  no  more  useful  record 
than  that  of  the  quantity  and  assay-value  of  the  solution 
going  to  be  precipitated.  Properly  understood,  it  is  a 
check  on  several  things  and  a  source  of  valuable  informa- 
tion about  the  running  of  the  plant.  No  plant  should  be 
run  without  this  record. 

(4)  The  difficulties  met  in  sampling  are  too  thor- 
oughly discussed  in  the  standard  text-books  to  need 
much  emphasis  here.  The  head  or  feeder  sample  is  the 
mill-sample  that  gives  the  most  trouble.  If  Richards' 
law  is  followed,  the  resulting  sample,  from  ore  broken  to 
the  size  of  stamp-mill  feed,  is  so  large  that  the  work  of 
crushing  and  cutting-down  appalls  the  assayer  or  who- 
ever has  it  to  do.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  not  necessary 
to  follow  this  law.  A  smaller  sample  may  give  too  high 
or  too  low  a  figure  for  a  single  day,  but  it  will  be  bal- 
anced by  too  low  or  too  high  samples  in  the  days  follow- 
ing. This  is  said  of  mills  that  run  steadily,  and  on  ore 
that  does  not  vary  too  much  in  value,  as  mills  should 
run.  At  the  same  time  it  is  not  wise  to  leave  too  much 
to  the  law  of  averages;  as  big  a  sample  as  can  be  con- 
veniently handled  should  be  taken. 

Sometimes  a  sample  is  taken  from  each  car  before  it 
is  dumped  into  the  crusher,  but  this  practice  is  to  be 
condemned.  It  is  impossible  to  sample  ore  accurately 
by  grabbing  a  handful  out  of  a  car  and  if  the  fine  carries 
a  higher  value  than  the  coarse  ore  (as  is  usually  the 
case),  the  result  will  be  too  high. 

Ordinarily,  the  sampling  of  the  residue  presents  no 
difficulties,  but  I  recall  two  instances  in  which  bad  resi- 


94 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  15.  1916 


due  sampling  led  to  very  serious  discrepancies.  The  first 
was  in  a  leaching-plant.  The  tanks  were  filled  by  a 
Butters  distributer  and  no  care  was  taken  to  keep  a  bead 
in  the  hopper.  Consequently,  the  pulp  classified,  the 
coarse  sand  going  to  one  side  of  the  tank  and  the  slime 
and  fine  sand  going  to  the  other.  In  leaching  nothing 
was  extracted  from  the  slimy  side  of  the  tank,  but  a  good 
extraction  was  obtained  from  the  coarse  sand.  The  resi- 
due was  sampled  by  a  split  pipe  made  from  an  old 
vanner-roller.  It  gave  a  good  core  from  the  sand,  but 
almost  nothing  from  the  slime.  A  residue  was  dis- 
charged, supposedly  containing  only  forty  or  sixty  cents, 
which  really  contained  some  three  or  four  dollars.  It 
would  be  hard  to  find  such  an  exhibition  of  ignorance 
and  carelessness  in  a  cyanide-mill  today. 

The  other  case  was  in  a  filter-plant.  The  residue- 
sample  was  taken  by  scraping  off  a  little  of  the  cake  from 
a  point  about  a  foot  below  the  head  of  the  leaf.  In  in- 
vestigating the  causes  of  a  discrepancy,  a  leaf  was  pulled 
up  and  the  adhering  cake  measured  and  sampled  at  the 
top,  middle,  and  bottom.  The  bottom  of  the  cake  was 
found  to  be  twice  as  thick  as  the  top,  and  it  assayed  three 
times  the  value  of  the  top.  The  information  thus  ob- 
tained went  far  toward  explaining  the  discrepancy.  The 
reason  for  this  irregular  cake-forming  was  that  the 
crushing  was  very  coarse  for  an  'all  sliming'  plant,  and 
the  sand  in  the  pulp  settled  slowly  during  the  cake- 
forming  period. 

(5)  Mistakes  in  assays  are  far  commoner  than  is  gen- 
erally thought,  and  discrepancies  have  often  been  traced 
to  them.  A  persistent  super-recovery  has  been  noted  in 
some  silver-mills  and  explained  by  the  fact  that  the 
proportion  of  loss  in  cupelling  silver  is  much  greater 
on  a  large  button  than  on  a  small  one,  especially  if  the 
work  is  carelessly  done ;  hence,  the  head  sample  is  re- 
ported too  low. 

But,  far  greater  discrepancies  arise  from  trying  to 
assay  a  pulp  containing  dissolved  gold  by  'drying  down.' 
Assays  made  in  this  way  are  quite  unreliable,  a  fact  that 
was  not  generally  known  until  a  comparatively  recent 
date.  A  good  many  puzzling  discrepancies  were  then 
explained.  If  the  dissolved  value  is  very  low,  the  loss 
will  be  negligible,  but  if  it  amounts  to  as  much  as  40 
cents,  a  50%  loss  may  take  place  during  the  assaying. 

It  is  the  residue-sample  that  is  principally  affected  by 
this  loss,  and  there  is  only  one  way  to  avoid  it;  that  is, 
to  wash  out  the  dissolved  gold  by  filtration  or  decanta- 
tion,  or  both,  and  to  assay  the  washed  pulp  and  the  wash- 
ings separately,  and  to  combine  the  assays  in  proportion 
to  the  weights  they  represent.  This  looks  difficult,  but 
the  work  is  not  excessive  if  proper  arrangements  are 
made.  Where  connections  can  be  made  with  a  vacuum- 
line,  the  best  way  is  to  have  a  small  filter  made  of  tin. 
This  filter  has  a  receptacle  for  catching  the  wash  drawn 
through.  The  residue-sample  is  mixed  with  water  and  a 
sample  taken  for  specific  gravity.  To  make  sure  of  this, 
since  it  is  most  important  to  be  certain  of  the  proportion 
of  solution  and  solid,  a  wide-mouthed  bottle,  such  as  a 
pickle-bottle,  may  be  used  for  both  mixing  and  weighing. 


The  mixed  pulp  is  poured  on  the  filter  and  pulled  dry, 
and  the  solution  taken  from  the  receptacle  for  assaying. 
Then  the  pulp  on  the  filter  is  thoroughly  washed  with 
water,  and  if  the  bottle  is  used,  it  may  be  rinsed  out  with 
the  wash-^vater.  Since  the  pulp  then  contains  no  appre- 
ciable value  in  dissolved  gold,  it  may  be  dried  and 
assayed  like  any  other  ore-sample.  To  save  time,  it  is 
usual  to  prepare  a  table  showing  the  ratio  of  solution  to 
solid  for  different  specific  gravities,  and  to  use  this  in 
making  the  calculation. 

This  method  is  now  in  use  in  many  plants  and  has 
proved  itself  reliable.  An  alternative  method  is  to  pre- 
cipitate the  dissolved  gold  with  cuprous  chloride  or  other 
reagent  and  then  to  evaporate  to  dryness.  But,  in  my 
experience,  this  has  not  proved  satisfactory.  Any  as- 
sayer  can  see  reasons  why  it  is  difficult  to  cut  down  a 
sample  containing  precipitated  gold,  not  to  speak  of  the 
slight  error  that  results  from  adding  to  the  weight  of 
the  sample. 

Errors  in  the  precipitation-record  often  come  from 
improper  assaying  of  the  solution  going  to  the  precipita- 
tion-plant. The  method  of  assaying  by  the  use  of  zinc- 
dust  and  lead  acetate  is  simple  and  in  almost  universal 
use,  but  some  care  has  to  be  taken  or  it  will  give  low 
results. 

It  may  finally  be  noted  that  discrepancies  are  usually 
found  in  old  and  badly-designed  mills,  and  in  mills  that 
do  not  run  regularly,  either  from  break-downs  or  an 
irregular  ore-supply.  Steady  running  on  ore  of  fairly 
even  grade  goes  far  to  ensure  good  checking,  as  it  goes 
far  to  ensure  good  milling  in  other  ways. 


The  RrJSSIAN  Empire  is  the  largest  of  all  countries, 
having  an  area  of  8,417,115  square  miles,  which  is  more 
than  double  the  area  of  the  United  States  with  Alaska 
and  all  island  possessions.  In  population  Russia  is  sur- 
passed only  by  China  and  India.  In  1913,  Russia's  popu- 
lation was  174,000,000.  Siberia  alone  has  an  area  twice 
that  of  the  United  States  proper  and  a  population  of  only 
10,000,000,  equivalent  to  that  of  New  York  State  or 
Canada.  It  is  not  generally  realized  that  Russia's  cereal 
and  potato  crops  greatly  exceed  those  of  the  United 
States ;  Russia  also  has  more  horses,  sheep,  and  goats  than 
this  country,  although  not  so  many  cattle  and  hogs,  the 
total  of  all  live-stock  being  about  the  same.  The  Russian 
Empire  has  a  larger  forest  area  than  any  other  country. 
Many  commercial  and  business  enterprises  in  Russia 
have  been  financed  by  French  capital. 


Mining  was  discussed  by  A.  A.  Cole  in  his  presidential 
address  before  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute.  He  said : 
"Talk  to  the  man  on  the  street  and  you  will  be  amazed 
in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  to  find  that  he  does  not  realize 
the  basic  difference  between  a  mining  and  an  industrial 
enterprise.  He  will  tell  you  that  a  mining  proposition 
should  return  twice  the  income  of  an  industrial  concern 
because  it  is  more  risky.  He  has,  in  fact,  never  thought 
of  the  extra  profit  as  a  sinking  fund  or  return  of 
capital. ' ' 


1916 


MINING  ..,..1  Scientific  PRESS 


The  California  Gasoline  Industry 


IjW.IL  Hamilton 


■  'I'll.-  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  petroleum  in  south- 
ern California  datea  back  t"  the  .lays  of  the  in i - 

The  preaan if  u»| limit u in  an. I  semi  solid  bitumen  was 

reported  at  Santa  Barbara  in  1792,  but  bo  serious  nt- 
tempt  waa  made  to  develop  oil  until  Profeaaor  Silliman's 
optimistic  report  in  1>,,'>">  started  California's  Brat  oil 
boom.  Wells  were  drilled  in  many  counties  of  the  State, 
l.ut  the  equipmenl  was  nnauitable  and  the  drilling  diffi- 
.ult  and  in.  production  was  obtained  except  in  Ventura 
county.  Bven  there  production  waa  of  little  importance 
commercially,  and  not  until  the  early  '80s  'li.l  it  become 
sufficient  to  again  attract  attention.  In  1888  the  pro- 
duction  for  the  State  had  reached  a  total  of  about  7(H),. 
WO  bbl.  per  y.-ar.  practically  all  light  oil  produced  in 
Ventura  county,  I'i.-u  canyon,  Los  Angeles  county,  and 
in  the  Puente  hills.  The  production  of  petroleum  at- 
tain.-.1  the  dignity  of  an  industry  in  1895  when  the  Los 
Angeles  City  and  Coalinga  fields  were  discovered.  The 
subsequent  development  has  been  remarkable,  and  in  20 
years  the  production  has  increased  from  1,000,000  to 
100.000,000  bbl.  per  year. 

The  refining  industry  has  kept  pace  with  the  produc- 
tion of  oil.  The  Pacific  Coast  Oil  Co..  the  predecessor 
of  the  Standard  Oil  Co.  of  California,  was  the  virtual 
pioneer  refining  company  of  the  State,  having  built  a 
refinery  at  Alameda  about  1880.  When  purchased  by 
the  Standard  Oil  Co.  about  1902.  it  was  dismantled  and 
the  refinery  at  Point  Richmond  was  built.  The  Rich- 
mond refinery  is  now  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world,  hav- 
ing a  capacity  in  excess  of  60.000  bbl.  per  day.  A  small 
refinery  was  built  by  the  Union  Oil  Co.  at  Santa  Paula 
in  the  early  days  of  the  industry  and  later  many  asphalt 
refineries  were  in  operation  in  southern  California.  The 
Pacific  Coast  Oil  Co.  was  then,  as  has  been  its  successor. 
the  Standard  Oil  Co.  of  California,  the  principal  refiner 
and  marketer  of  light  products,  the  most  valuable  of 
which  was  kerosene. 

Before  the  opening  of  the  twentieth  century,  gasoline 
of  excellent  quality  was  produced,  though  it  was  always 
a  drug  on  the  market  and  was  produced  for  the  simple 
reason  that  its  presence  rendered  the  flash  and  fire  tests 
of  the  kerosene  too  low.  The  user  of  kerosene  at  the 
present  time  obtains  a  safer  and  better  oil  than  he  might 
receive  had  not  the  value  of  gasoline  been  increased  by 
the  increased  demand. 

The  phenomenal  development  of  the  California  oil 
fields  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  twentieth  century  was 
principally  in  oils  of  such  heavy  gravity  that  they  were 

♦Consulting  geologist.  Insurance  Exchange  Bdg.,  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

tPaper  to  be  presented  at  the  Arizona  meeting  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  September  1916. 


ii  the  crude  stat.-  for  fuel     During  the  last  si\ 
which  has  included  the  'gusher'  period  of  the 

Midway  fields,  the  production  of  refinabl is  has  in 

oreased  greatly,  while,  strunge  us  it  may  seem,  tin-  pro 
dnction  of  heavy  non-refinable  oils  has  decreased.  Dur- 
ing this  period,  from  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen 
tun-,  the  introduction  and  perfection  of  the  automobile 

has  changed  gasoline  from  a  despised  ami  troublesome 
by-producl  bo  the  most  valuable  and  important  product 
of  the  .-rude  oil.    The  production  of  light  oils  did  oof 

keep   pi with    the  demand   for  gasoline  and   as  a   con- 

Sequence  the  price  of  gasoline  increased  from  al t   Kie. 

in  1904  to  25c.  in  1910.  The  shortage  was  reflected  in 
the  prices  paid  for  light  crude.  In  the  feverish  de- 
velopment period  which  resulted,  an  enormous  increase 
was  shown  in  its  production,  until  in  1914  the  output  of 
light  oils  capable  of  being  refined  was  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  50,000,000  bbl.  The  resulting  gasoline  being  con- 
siderably in  excess  of  the  demand,  prices  began  to  fall  in 
1911  and,  aided  by  importations  of  gasoline  from  the 
Dutch  East  Indies,  the  price  rapidly  declined  to  a  low 
level  of  lie.  per  gallon  in  the  summer  of  1915. 

The  late  increase  in  the  price  of  gasoline  is  ascribed 
to  the  following  causes: 

1.  Decreased  production  of  refinable  oil.  The  decrease 
probably  amounted  to  about  6,000,000  bbl.  in  1915. 

2.  Steadily  increasing  consumption. 

3.  Discontinuance  of  gasoline  imports  due  to  increased 
European  demand. 

4.  Heavy  exports  due  to  European  war. 

All  of  these  conditions  may  reasonably  be  expected  to 
exist  for  some  months  to  come.  There  is  no  reason  to 
expect  a  reduction  in  the  rate  of  consumption.  The  ac- 
celeration of  the  growth  of  the  automobile  industry 
shows  no  decrease  and,  with  the  rapidly  increasing  mile- 
age of  improved  highways  in  California,  an  increase 
rather  than  a  decrease  may  be  looked  for.  It  is  unlikely 
that  gasoline  will  be  imported  from  the  Dutch  East 
Indies  so  long  as  it  is  possible  to  deliver  it  to  the  Euro- 
pean market.  The  serious  shortage  of  oil  in  the  Eastern 
and  Mid-Continent  fields,  which  developed  in  1915,  and 
which  resulted  in  cargoes  of  gasoline  being  shipped  from 
California  to  Europe,  does  not  as  yet  show  evidence  of 
alleviation,  and  the  only  prospect  of  production  reach- 
ing consumption  seems  to  rest  in  the  discovery  of  another 
phenomenal  field  such  as  Cushing,  Oklahoma.  Unless 
the  Eastern  fields  can  increase  their  production  it  is  to 
be  expected  that  further  exports  will  be  made  from  Cali- 
fornia. 

There  is  no  doubt  that,  unless  the  year  1916  shows  a 
considerable  increase  in  the  production  of  gasoline,  which 
is  unlikely,  or  unless  a  satisfactory  substitute  for  use  in 


96 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15,  1916 


motor  vehicles  is  provided,  we  face  a  serious  gasoline 
shortage  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Increased  production  of  gasoline  may  come  from  one 
of  the  following  causes: 

1.  Increased  production  of  light  oil. 

2.  Increased  production  of  casing-head  gasoline. 
.'J.  Lowering  the  grade  of  market  gasoline. 

4.  Innovations  in  refining  methods,  such  as  the  Ritt- 
nian.  Burton,  Snelling,  Cosden,  McAfee,  "Wells,  Kelsey 
and  Washburn  processes. 

1.  There  does  not  appear  to  be  more  than  temporary 
relief  to  be  looked  for  in  increased  oil  production.  All 
the  principal  fields  have  apparently  nearly  reached  the 
height  of  their  productiveness  and  while  some  may  in- 
crease, the  decline  of  the  others  will  probably  outweigh 
their  gain.  Unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  the  year  1914 
will  long  remain  the  banner  year  of  California's  oil 
production. 

2.  The  production  of  casing-head  gasoline,  which  is 
based  on  the  recovery  of  the  lighter  hydrocarbons  usually 
lost  in  oil  production  by  volatilization,  is  of  recent  de- 
velopment. At  present  it  accounts  for  less  than  10%  of 
the  gasoline  marketed  in  the  State.  Owing  to  the  low 
price  in  1913  and  1914,  the  increase  of  gasoline  produced 
in  the  gas  industry  has  been  retarded.  Several  new 
plants,  however,  are  now  under  construction.  The  gas 
amenable  to  such  treatment  is  limited,  and  it  is  unlikely 
that  the  new  production  of  gasoline  from  this  source  can 
be  expected  to  have  any  marked  effect. 

3.  By  lowering  the"  grade  is  meant  including  higher 
boiling-point  fractions  in  the  gasoline  as  the  cut  is  made 
at  the  refinery.  Before  the  demand  for  gasoline  was 
great,  the  gravity  of  marketed  gasoline  was  about  65° 
and  even  as  light  as  72°  Baume.  The  boiling-point  of 
the  'last  over'  or  the  end-point  of  the  distillation  of  snch 
a  gasoline  was  little  higher  than  200°  P.  With  dimin- 
ished supply  and  increased  demand,  the  gravity  has  been 
gradually  decreased  until  the  present  standard  is  from 
59°  to  61°  Baume  with  an  end-point  from  320°  to 
380°  P.  The  cut  in  the  refinery  distillation  is,  therefore, 
widened  and  the  production  of  marketable  gasoline  pro- 
duced is  thereby  increased.  If  no  other  way  is  found  to 
supply  the  demand,  this  cut  can  be  widened  still  further 
while  continuing  to  furnish  the  motorist  a  satisfactory 
fuel.  The  production  can  probably  be  increased  from  30 
to  50%  in  this  way. 

4.  The  processes  mentioned  show  considerable  promise. 
They  depend  for  their  success  upon  being  able  to  break 
up  the  molecule  of  high  boiling-point  hydrocarbons  into 
lower  boiling-point  molecules.  The  processes  may  he 
divided  into  two  main  classes,  those  which  depend  upon 
excessive  heat  or  pressure  or  both  and  those  which  de- 
pend upon  a  catalytic  agent. 

The  most  notable  of  the  former  are  the  Burton  and 
Rittman  processes.  The  Burton  process,  which  was  pat- 
ented by  William  M.  Burton  in  1912,  is  controlled  by 
the  Standard  Oil  Co.  After  many  difficulties  have  been 
overcome  and  much  money  expended  in  experimental 
work,  this  process  has  been  made  successful  and  is  now 


being  installed  in  many  Standard  Oil  refineries.  Much 
difficulty  was  first  encountered  in  producing  an  article 
that  was  of  good  color  and  odor.  This  has  been  overcome 
and  the  Burton  process  now  gives  the  Standard  Oil  Co. 
an  important  advantage  over  its  rivals.  So  far,  it  has 
not  been  successfully  applied  to  California  asphaltic 
oils  where  the  presence  of  a  large  proportion  of  unsatu- 
rated hydrocarbons  results  in  difficulties  not  experienced 
with  the  oils  from  the  Eastern  fields. 

The  Rittman  process  is  the  result  of  the  research 
work  of  W.  F.  Rittman  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 
The  process  has  already  been  successfully  applied  to 
the  commercial  manufacture  of  toluene  and  benzene.  It 
differs  from  the  Burton,  Snelling,  Cosden,  Washburn 
and  Wells  processes,  in  that  the  action  takes  place  after 
the  liquid  has  been  vaporized.  By  subjecting  the  vapor 
to  pressure  and  heat,  a  re-arrangement  of  the  molecules 
is  effected,  liberating  carbon  which  is  removed  from  the 
plant  without  difficulty.  The  process  shows  much  prom- 
ise and,  while  much  remains  to  be  done  before  it  can  be 
considered  a  commercial  success,  it  has  created  a  pro- 
found impression  among  refiners.  Under  the  rulings  of 
the  Government,  a  Federal  employee  may  not  profit  in 
this  country  from  any  discoveries  or  inventions  during 
his  connection  with  the  Government.  The  foreign  rights 
will  be  controlled  by  Dr.  Rittman.  The  Government 
proposes  to  allow  anyone  to  use  the  process  under  license, 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  increased  value  of  gasoline 
and  the  handicap  confronting  the  'independent'  re- 
finers on  account  of  the  Standard's  control  of  the  Bur- 
ton process  will  result  in  an  early  attempt  to  perfect 
the  process.  It  has  been  perfected  as  far  as  is  possible 
in  the  laboratory  stage  and  its  future  depends  upon  the 
results  of  its  application  on  a  practical  scale. 

Of  the  processes  making  use  of  a  catalytic  agent,  the 
McAfee  process,  which  is  controlled  by  the  Gulf  Re- 
fining Co.,  is  the  most  promising.  The  catalytic  agent 
is  aluminum  sulphate,  and  results  from  experimental 
work  are  said  to  be  excellent.  However,  this  process, 
like  the  Burton,  will  probably  be  unavailable  to  other 
companies. 

The  future  has  generally  cared  for  itself  and  will  un- 
doubtedly do  so  in  the  gasoline  industry.  While  we 
shall  probably  have  a  gasoline  shortage  extending  well 
into  1916  and  perhaps  into  the  early  part  of  1917,  the 
result  will  be  redoubled  interest  in  the  subject  of  per- 
fecting such  ideas  as  have  been  brought  to  light  in  the 
experimental  work  done  in  the  above-mentioned  pro- 
cesses. The  research  work  of  Dr.  Rittman  and  other 
able  scientists  who  are  working  on  the  problem,  bids 
fair  to  develop  a  practice  which  will  revolutionize  the 
refining  industry. 


Government  reports,  it  is  suggested  by  R.  E.  Hore, 
would  he  more  read  if  they  were  more  concise.  Verbose 
publications  are  likely  to  he  thrown  away  or  shelved.  A 
considerable  saving  could  be  made  by  intelligent  editing 
or  even  by  changing  the  usual  wasteful  typographical 
arrangement. 


Julj    15    1916 


MINING  «nd  SaSBbBl    I'M  SS 


Silver 

Silver  |"  i ri v  high,  but  those  who  watch  the 

murk'  i  iiiiiv  note  by  the  fluctuations  thai  il  is  aenaitive. 
\        ling  to  Messrs    Pixie)  A  Abel]  ol  London,  china 

ami  India  are  still  tl anae  of  weaknoaa,  and  sales  from 

other  "i"  these  quarters  have  been  in  evidence  al- 
laily,  with  the  reault  that  large  baying  orders  for 
coinage  have  been  easily  Oiled.  So  much  depends  on  the 
attitude  of  China  toward  tins  markel  that  the  immediate 
future  is  most  difficult  to  forecast  Looking  farther 
ahead  the  prospects  statistically  seem  favorable  for  the 
following  reasons : 

1  The  low  level  tlmt  the  stock  of  rupees  in  the  cur- 
rency reserve  of  [ndia  has  reached,  in  spite  of  purchases 
■mounting  to  some  millions  sterling,  a  ix«  >«  >«  1  deal  of  which 
baa  already  passed  into  currency,  points  to  a  continuous 
drain  on  this  reserve,  and  it  seems  probable  that  the  In 

dian  government  will  have  to  continu lining  for  some 

t i in*-  to  come  2  The  British  mint's  requirements  will 
probably  continue.  This  year  £2,200,000  has  been  ab- 
sorbed for  coinage  in  England.  3  The  demand  for  sil- 
jrer  by  the  Allies  is  likely  to  be  maintained  so  long  as  the 
War  lasts.  In  spite  of  important  purchases,  the  stock  of 
silver  in  the  Hank  o£  France  has  been  reduced  by 
El ,000,000  during  the  past  year.  (4)  The  probability  of 
the  retention  in  the  country  of  a  large  portion  of  the 

Mexican    production    for   the    purpose   of   re-establishing 

the  currency.  (5  It  is  questionable  whether  China,  hav- 
ing already  sold  such  large  amounts  of  silver,  is  in  a 
position  to  part  with  much  more.  According  to  latest 
advices  the  stock  of  'sycee'  (60-oz.  bars)  in  Shanghai  is 

reduced  to  26, I, Muds  (35,500,000 ounces).  (6)  The 

world's  production  of  silver  is  decreasing.  In  1915  the 
total  production  was  estimated  at  196.000,000  fine  ounces, 
against  21 1.000,000  in  1914.  For  these  reasons  the  fu- 
ture of  the  market,  from  a  purely  statistical  point  of 
view,  seems  favorable. 

Regarding  Egypt  as  a  factor  in  silver,  the  Egyptian 
correspondent  of  the  Pioneer  Mail,  on  March  10,  wrote 
as  follows :  "  Every  year  we  have  a  silver  'crisis,'  usually 
in  the  early  autumn,  when  large  numbers  of  laborers 
have  to  be  paid  daily  throughout  the  country  in  connec- 
tion with  the  cotton  crop:  but  the  crisis  usually  is  over 
by  Christmas,  being  met  by  imports  of  newly  minted 
coin  that  has  to  be  obtained  in  the  ordinary  course.  The 
War  has.  however,  completely  changed  the  situation. 
The  increase  in  the  army  has  necessitated  the  putting 
into  circulation  of  far  more  nickel  and  silver  currency 
than  ever  before,  and  the  financial  authorities  took  early 
steps  to  obtain  the  necessary  extra  supply.  Things 
would  not  have  been  so  bad  if  the  shipments  in  the 
Persia  and  the  Maloja  had  not  been  lost.  During  1915 
new  coin  to  the  value  of  £720,000  was  imported,  whereas 
the  average  of  the  preceding  five  years  had  only  been 
£140,000,  and  the  previous  recorded  maximum  annual 
import  was  £694.000  in  1896.  when  the  system  was  re- 
modelled. The  Sudan,  it  should  be  mentioned,  uses  the 
same  currency  as  Egypt  and  a  good  deal  of  British  gold 


mid  Egyptian  silver  remains  ever)  year  in  the  interior 
of  thai  dependency      India  appears  to  have  been   the 

only    part    of   the    Empire    thai    had    any    silver   coin    to 

and  by  special  arrangement  the  Egyptian  govern 
men)  imported  i it; uiantity  of  silver  rupees,  which, 

it    is   slut,-,!,   have   DOW    been   declared    legal   currency    111 

tl untry.     Whether  in  order  to  facilitate  trade  be 

tweeu  Egypt  ami  the  Sudan,  they  will  also  be  made  legal 

currency  in  the  latter  dependency,  is  not  known."  Ab 
Street   from    weekly    letter   of   Samuel    Montagu    &    Co., 

London. 

The  -ii. \  1 1;  pro, iii, -lion  of  the  world  has  averaged  about 
•jni i.i ii ii i.i ii ii i  02.  per  ,• um.  worth  approximately  .+  11111. ■ 

,000,    sii 1900.       This    compares    with    an    average 

annual  output  of  gold  during  the  same  period  of  more 
than  $400,000,000,  or  four  times  the  annual  value  of  the 

silver.  The  world's  output  of  silver  in  1915  is  estimated 
:,t  196,000,000  "/..  of  which  the  United  States  produced 

about  one-third.  Mexico.  Central  and  South  America 
another  third,  and  Canada  one-seventh,  the  remainder 
being  contributed  by  Australia.  Japan,  and  other  conn- 
tries.  The  figures  for  the  world's  yearly  production  of 
silver  since  1860,  issued  by  the  Director  of  the  C.  S. 
Mint,  show  that  the  increase  has  been  gradual,  from 
29,095,428  oz.  worth  $39,337,000  in  1860  to  211,339,749 
oz.  worth  +  116.849,900  in  1914.  But  from  189:!  to  1906 
the  output  remained  practically  at  a  standstill;  in  fact, 
the  production  in  1893  was  worth  slightly  more  than 
that  of  1906.  the  value  being  $129,119,900  in  1893  against 
+  111.721,100  in  1906  for  approximately  165,000,000  oz. 
in  both  years.  This  was  due  to  the  decline  in  the  silver 
market.  In  1912.  when  the  production  of  silver  reached 
224.310.654  oz.  worth  +137,883,800.  the  value  was  but 
little  greater  than  in  1891,  when  the  output  of  137,170,- 
000  oz.  was  worth  +135,500,200.  The  recent  rise  in  the 
price  of  silver  was  explained  in  a  nutshell  by  Samuel 
Montagu  &  Co.  of  London,  as  follows:  "The  quotation 
fell  quite  as  heavily  when  silver  was  demonetized  upon  a 
large  scale;  now  an  exactly  reverse  operation  is  taking 
place.     Silver  is  being  monetized  upon  a  large  scale." 


JAMES  J.  Hill's  comment  on  financial  and  national 
questions  was  always  interesting  and  usually  sound.  In 
a  letter  written  just  before  his  death,  and  printed  in  the 
Annalist,  he  said,  regarding  the  nation's  banking  system: 
"There  should  be  one  and  only  one  Federal  Reserve  bank 
for  the  United  States.  This  should  be  located  at  Chicago, 
the  central  city  of  the  country,  where  it  would  be  safe 
from  danger  of  naval  attack  in  ease  of  war.  It  should 
be  the  centre  and  directing  influence  in  financing  the 
business  of  the  country,  dealing  of  course  only  through 
other  banks.  There  is  much  less  danger  of  abuses  from 
a  single  central  bank  than  from  a  dozen  local  banks.  The 
division  of  the  country  into  districts,  drawTn  haphazard, 
was  and  is  a  mistake  from  every  point  of  view." 


Exports  from  tin'  United  States  to  the  extent  of  10% 
in  value,  or  35r'r  in  bulk,  are  carried  in  American  ships. 


'.» 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15.  1916 


CONCENTRATES 

Readers  of  the  MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  invited  to  ask  questions 
and  give  information  dealing  with  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  lo  the 
practice  of  mining,  milling,  and  smelting. 


German  silver  contains  60%  copper,  21%  nickel,  and 
/inc. 

Locomotives  on  40  railroads  in  the  United  States  use 
oil  for  fuel.  In  1915  there  was  36,648,466  bbl.  consumed 
in  this  way. 


Loss  of  copper  in  tailing  and  slime  at  Anaconda  before 
flotation  was  introduced  was  about  16  lb.  of  copper  per 
ton.  Since  the  introduction  of  the  flotation  process,  the 
loss  does  not  exceed  14  Hi.  per  ton. 

Serbia  has  one  good  copper  mine,  the  Bor.  operated 
before  the  War  by  a  French  company  that  paid  60* ,  in 
dividends  for  several  years.  The  ore  resembles  that  of 
Butte  and  averages  6%  copper.  The  output  was  7500 
tons  of  metal  per  annum. 


Am  AEROPLANE  is  used  to  make  daily  trips  from  tide- 
water to  the  Dolly  Varden  mine,  14  miles  inland  in  Brit- 
ish Columbia,  says  a  newspaper  report.  This  is  for  send- 
ing supplies  to  the  mine,  and  the  service  is  said  to  be 
rendered  by  the  California  Aeroplane  Co.  for  $600  per 
month. 

For  tempering  drill-steel  it  is  good  practice  to  have  a 
wire  netting  several  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the  tem- 
pering-tank.  This  prevents  the  bit.  when  being  cooled 
in  the  bath,  from  standing  in  the  accumulation  of  sludge 
in  the  bottom  of  the  tank.  Breakage  of  drill-steel  used 
in  hammer-drills  is  increased  by  continuing  to  use  bits 
after  they  have  become  dull. 

Thk  vix'ositv  of  different  furnace  slags  is  being  in- 
vestigated by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  at  Pittsburg 
An  apparatus  has  been  devised  to  measure  the  viscosity 
of  slags  by  a  torsion  method,  the  torque  being  indicated 
by  a  mirror  and  scale.  Several  surprising  facts,  contra- 
dictory to  the  ordinary  properties  observed  by  the  eye. 
have  been  disclosed  by  the  measurements. 

Pyritic  smelting  and  its  advantage  was  first  sug- 
gested by  John  Hollway.  who  pointed  out  that  copper 
ore  from  Rio  Tinto.  Spain,  containing  much  iron  pyrite, 
could  be  smelted  by  the  heat  mainly  derived  from  the 
oxidation  of  the  iron  and  sulphur.  Later,  in  Tasmania. 
Robert  <'.  Sticlit  applied  pyrftie  smelting  to  Mount  Lyell 
ore.  The  Tennessee  Copper  Co.  further  perfected  the 
practice,  under  the  direction  of  W.  A.  Heywood.  Only  a 
small  addition  of  coke  to  the  ore  is  required,  about  2C,',  . 

'High-speed'  tool-steel,  so-called,  containing  tung- 
sten, chromium,  etc..  is  not  as  hard  as  ordinary  high- 


carbon  steel,  and  usually  can  be  scratched  with  a  good 
file.  Its  resistance  to  cold  wear  is  less  than  that  of  beat- 
treated  high-carbon  steel.  The  special  property  of  '  high- 
speed' steel,  such  as  tungsten-steel,  lies  in  the  fact  that  it 
may  be  ua^d  at  a  speed  six  times  faster  than  ordinary 
carbon-steels,  without  being  softened  by  the  frictional 
heat. 


Deterioration  of  an  explosive  comes  from  storage  in  a 
climate  where  rapid  changes  of  temperature  are  usual. 
as  hot  days  and  cool  nights.  The  explosive  assumes  a 
dark  color  and  loses  its  elastic  consistence.  Nitro- 
glycerine separates  from  the  compound  and  shows  as  an 
oily  layer  on  the  paper  wrapper.  When  an  explosive 
has  been  stored  in  a  moist  place,  a  fine  salty  powder  of 
saltpetre  becomes  crystallized  on  the  wrappers.  Such 
explosive  should  not  be  used,  as  the  uniform  intermin- 
gling of  the  constituents  has  been  changed. 


USE  OF  powdered  coal  for  generating  steam  is  still  in 
the  experimental  stage.  Steam  can  be  efficiently  pro- 
duced by  this  method,  as  regards  combustion  and  evap- 
oration. The  loss  in  the  ash-pit  and  the  flue  is  less  than 
1%.  The  cost  of  fuel  preparation,  however,  is  high,  and 
conditions  have  to  be  favorable  for  the  practical  use  of 
powdered  coal.  The  great  success  of  powdered  coal  lies 
in  its  adaptability  for  metallurgical  furnaces,  as  in  the 
coal-dusl  firing  of  large  reverberatories  at  Anaconda  and 
Garfield,  and  for  the  tiring  of  locomotive-boilers. 


Aerial  tramways  are  well  liked  Eor  transporting  ore 

over  rough  country.  The  cost  of  moving  ore  by  this 
method  where  the  distance  is  2  to  5  miles  is  usually  not 
more  than  3  or  4c.  per  ton-mile,  say  8c,  for  moving  the 
materia]  2  miles  and  12c.  for  moving  it  -3  miles.  For 
shorter  distances  the  cost  does  not  decrease  much,  as  the 
expense  is  principally  at  the  terminals.  However,  in  a 
well-regulated  tramway  Less  than  a  mile  long,  operating 
with  self-dumping  buckets,  the  cost  may  be  as  low  as 
4c.  per  ton.  Where  only  a  small  quantity  is  handled, 
say  100  tons  per  day.  the  cost  becomes  relatively  high, 
because  over-head  expense  is  proportionately  large. 


Boiler  explosions  in  the  United  States  during  1915 
totaled  404.  There  were  132  deaths  and  236  injured 
persons  therefrom.  In  California  9  explosions  were  re- 
ported, causing  7  deaths.  Tentative  boiler  safety-orders 
have  been  prepared  for  this  State.  The  code  covers  the 
subjects  of  inspections,  ultimate  strength  of  material 
used  in  computing  joints,  minimum  thickness  of  plates 
and  tubes,  specifications  of  metals  used  in  building  boil- 
ers, construction  and  allowable  working  pressures  for 
power  boilers,  riveting,  calking,  requirements  for  man- 
holes and  wash-out  holes,  safety-valves,  water  and  steam 
gauges,  fittings  and  appliances,  hydrostatic  tests,  etc. 
The  boiler  code  of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers  has  been  incorporated  and  made  a  part  of  the 
tentative  orders,  with  a  few  changes  affecting  existing 
installations  only. 


.I.ih    15,  1916 


MINING   and  Scwnt.hc   PRESS 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 

As  MVfl  tit  fJM  SPOvM'l  lifi-iit  minim!  OIRlFM  I'v  nur  DfJBfl  ii>rr,-\pnridtllt«. 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 
Zim   Hutu  vm>  Paoaracn  n  Born, 

The  following  notes  and  map  give  a  good  Idea  of  the  *lnc 
l>om<itillltlca  of  this  well-known  copper  region: 

The    Unite   &    Superior    Mining   Co.    ( formerly    the    Unite    k 

Bnperlor  Copper  Co.)  is  hoisting  68,000  tons  of  it-,  sine  ore 

pel  month  through  Its  Black  Hock  shaft.  Tin-  two  Dew  shafts 
that  .lie  tttlng  sunk  in  the  Black  Hock  Claim  ale  dOWD  700  11 
One  of  them  has  already  bean  raised  from  tin-  I  I""  I!  lo  ahove 
the  80"-ft.  level.  The  remaining  ground  will  In-  taken  out  anil 
the  shaft  completed  from  the  surface  to  Hun  ft.  by  July  1". 
Foundations  of  the  two  mw  electric  hoists  arc  being  prepared, 
tpected  to  have  both  new  shafts  In  operation  this  year. 
With  three  shafts  the  company  will  have  the  hest  hoisting 
facilities  at  Butte,  and  production  of  the  B.  &  S.  need  never 
again  suffer  from  inability  to  hoist  ore  or  lower  timber,  More 
extensive  development  can  also  he  carried  on,  as  there  will  he 
better  arrangements  for  transferring  waste  from  one  level  to 
another.  The  mill  is  near  the  mine,  and  an  extraction  of  about 
obtained  by  concentration  and  flotation.  This  recovery 
will  lie  improved  by  changes  now  being  made.  The  monthly 
concentrate  contains  16,500.000  lb.  of  zinc,  340,000  oz.  of  silver, 
ami  250,000  lb.  of  lead.  The  company  has  purchased  the  Mas- 
todon claim,  north  of  the  Butte-New  York  ground,  which  is 
controlled  by  the  B.  &  S.  No  development  is  being  done  in  the 
Butte-New  York  at  present.  The  B.  &  S.  was  the  first  at  Butte 
to  develop  a  large  quantity  of  zinc  ore.  The  large  block-quartz 
manganese  outcrops  were  worked  in  the  early  days  for  silver. 
Later,  the  predecessors  of  the  present  owners  organized  a  com- 
pany to  explore  the  veins  at  depth  in- the  hope  of  finding  copper. 
No  copper  ore  was  found,  but  large  bodies  of  sphalerite  were 
disclosed.  It  then  became  necessary  to  find  a  satisfactory 
method  of  treating  the  ore.  The  mill  feed  averaged  17%  zinc, 
and  smelters  would  not  buy  concentrate  in  which  the  percent- 
age of  zinc  was  less  than  50';.  Development  of  the  flotation 
process  has  been  an  important  factor  In  the  solution  of  the 
milling  problem.  Concentrate  is  still  being  shipped  to  smelters 
in  Kansas  and  Oklahoma.  In  a  recent  interview,  D.  C.  Jack- 
ling,  managing  director  of  the  Butter  &  Superior,  said: 

"Since  acquiring  the  Butte  &  Superior  property  about  five 
years  ago.  we  have  mined  more  than  1,250.000  tons  from  the 
upper  levels  and  yet  there  is  today  more  than  double  the  ton- 
nage in  sight  on  those  levels  than  was  calculated  as  fully 
developed  when  we  toqk  over  the  property.  I  refer  particularly 
to  the  levels  above  the  16th.  We  have  done  much  development 
work  on  the  17th  and  a  limited  amount  on  the  18th;  and  have 
opened  on  these  levels  in  the  east  end  of  the  property,  in  virgin 
ground,  more  ore  than  was  in  sight  in  the  entire  property  when 
we  first  started  operations.  Orebodies  of  the  Black  Rock  claim 
are  extending  east  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  Black  Rock 
into  the  Four  Johns  claim.  So  large  now  are  the  ore  reserves 
of  the  Butte  &  Superior  that  the  company  can  go  on  producing 
indefinitely  at  the  present  rate  of  180,000,000  lb.  of  zinc  an- 
nually. Butte  &  Superior  can  produce  metal  at  less  than  4c. 
per  pound,  and  even  should  the  spelter  market  drop  back  to 
6c.  the  company  can  make  a  profit  of  2c.  and  earn  per  share 
better  than  $12  annually." 

The  Elm  Orlu  adjoins  the  Butte  &  Superior  ground  on  the 
west.  The  same  large  lode  extends  through  both  properties. 
The  ore  is  the  same  in  character  and  grade  as  the  B.  &  S.  ore. 


ami  tii-  ;  treatment  mllar.  The  mill  le  situ- 
ated mi  the  opposite  aide  ol  the  cltj  ami  is  handled  In 

50-ton  railroad  cars.  About  800  tons  ol  or*  is  hoisted  dall) 
this  quantity  will  i,e  Increased  materially  when  the  Dew  elec 
trie  hoist   is  Installed.     The  new   b  is  being  i. 

steel  and  brick,  and  is  practically  half  completed, 
The  Elm  Orlu  Mining  i !0    reports  that  it  mined  20 

of  zinc  ore,  averaging  $18.62  per  ton,  The  gross  value  was 
$8,717,498.  Expenditure  Included  $1,011,687  for  mining.  $1,- 
788,862  for  milling.  $lus.s2:;  for  transport  of  concentrate  to 
smelter,  and  $18,029  for  construction.  The  net  profit  was 
$495,757,  during  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916. 

The  Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Co.  is  making  25  tons  of  high 
grade  spelter  per  day  by  its  new  leaching  process  at  Anaconda. 
The  Lexington  and  Poulin  mines  are  supplying  most  m  the  ore 
for  this  plant.  The  ore  is  graded  up  to  15';  zinc  at  the  mines. 
180  tons  being  mined  each  day.  The  company  has  several  other 
mines  that  will  be  called  upon  to  furnish  zinc  ore  for  the  large 
leaching  plant  that  is  being  built  at  Great  Falls.  Occasionally 
cars  of  ore  are  sent  from  these  mines  to  the  Anaconda  experi- 


.. ?htt\ ;.. 


CLM  ORW 
(KAC/oy*. ■■-■  v'ffi>V^  . 

;  --J.  •r'MK£  Jnacona? 

'icxiNOTm  '-•-..      I  , 

.-'        '  ',  -  PClJt!k'^nac?r  I  ■ 

•jple  froduomg  Copp- 


Oranjtt    .    -  -  ■ 
(Under  Option  To  Anaconda) ."-_^— '-* ' 


ZINC  MINES  AND  PROSPECTS 
AT  BUTTE.  MONTANA 


mental  plant  for  testing  purposes.  The  ore  is  concentrated  and 
then  leached  with  sulphuric  acid.  Some  of  the  iron  and  copper 
goes  into  solution  also,  but  the  lead  and  silver  remain  in  the 
residue.  The.  iron  is  precipitated  with  lime  and  the  copper 
with  zinc-dust.  The  zinc  in  solution  is  then  precipitated  by 
electrolysis.  The  zinc  is  deposited  in  spongy  form.  The 
cathodes  have  knobs  and  irregularities  on  them,  similar  to 
those  formed  in  the  electrical  precipitation  of  copper;  cathodes 
are  melted  and  cast  into  molds.  Concentration  of  the  zinc  ore 
will  be  done  at  Anaconda,  and  the  product  shipped  to  Great 
Falls  for  leaching.  If  the  ore  could  be  milled  at  Butte  it 
would  eliminate  50  miles  of  railroad  haul,  but  there  is  a 
scarcity  of  water  here;  for  that  reason  the  large  copper  works 
of  the  company  were  built  at  Anaconda.  The  Butte  &  Superior 
is  obliged  to  buy  water  from  the  city  water  system,  although 
all  of  the  water  that  is  pumped  from  the  mine  is  used  in  the 
mill.  The  Timber  Butte  mill,  in  which  Elm  Orlu  ore  is  treated, 
gets  its  water  from  artesian  wells  in  the  flat  south  of  the  city. 
The  Alice  is  a  famous  old  silver  producer  that  was  recently 
purchased,  and  it  is  now  unwatered  to  prospect  for  zinc  ore.  It 
is  on  the  same  large  lode  that  goes  through  the  Butte  &  Su- 


Km 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Julv  15,  L916 


perlor  and  Elm  Orlu  properties,  and  lis  chances  ol  developing 
Into  a  large  sine  producer  are  ronaidered  good.  The  shaft  baa 
alread  ed  to  the  600-ft,  level. 

The  Nettle,  another  old  silver  producer  has  been  unwatered 

ami  repaired  to  the  600-ft  level,    it  is  situated  on  the  western 

id  there  hat  been  no  deep  development  near  it. 

however,  will  dfnbtleag  pay  for  re-opening  the 

mine,  which  has  an  excellent  chance  to  become  a  sine  pro- 

ducer  when  opened  al  depth.     [for  over  two  weeks  the  Nettle 

■  ii  making  regular  slni nta  Oi  ore.     Two  ore-lilns  are 

under  construction  at  the  mine. 

The  Lexington  mine  waa  formerly  controlled  by  the  late  F. 
A  Utilize.  It  has  produced  considerable  Btlver  and  copper 
Exploration  and  development  of  zinc  ore  Is  being  carried  on 
with  satisfactory  results.  The  Lexington  is  expected  to  be 
one  ol  the  big  zinc  producers  ol  Butte. 

i  ii.  elicit  will  also  be  a  zinc  producer.  This  Fractional 
claim  ol  six  acre's  was  purchased  from  the  Pilot  Untie  com- 
pany for  $1,125,000  cash.  The  claim  is  near  the  ltulte  ft  Su- 
perior, and  contains  both  zinc  and  copper  ore;  but  much  of 
it  was  tied-up  In  the  litigation  that  resulted  In  the  sale  of  the 
property.    There  Is  a  three-comps  haft  down  211511  ft. 

Mining  will  i"'  resumed  as  soon  as  the  new  hoist  Is  Installed, 

Among  the  Anaconda  company's  mines  that   have,  been   cop- 

reducers  In  the  past  and  In  which  zinc  ore  is  now  being 
a-oul   ma]    be  mentioned  the   East  Colusa,  Gray  Rock, 

and  I'onlln.     They  will  be  In  a  position  to  hoist  ore  when  the 

Great  Palls  works  are  completed. 

The  Emma  belongs  to  the  Butte  Copper  Zinc  c.i.  Inn  is 
being  opened  by  the  Anaconda  company.  The  shaft  Is  down 
-no  it .,  and  development  Is  under  way  on  that  level  and  also 

:il    mm.    inn    and    c; 'mi    i ■  1  ■  - 1  aide   '.inr  ore   lias  alreaili    lieell 

blocked   out,   bul    it  is  a  lower  grade  than   that    found    in   the 

northern  pari  of  unite,  and  sorting  will  have  to  be  resorted 

to  If  an  average  of  1  r.' ,    zinc  is  In  be  maintained.     A  cross-cut 

is  being  drive- i  the  1600-ft  level  from  the  Gegnon,  and  as 

soon  as  it  reaches  s  point  under  the  Emma  shaft  raising  will 

begin,  A  new  hoist  capable  of  hauling  ore  from  a  depth  of 
8000  ft.  has  been  installed,  and  the  work  of  sinking  the  shaft 
in  mi  ,i  the  raise  from  1600  It.  will  be  begun  immediately.  The 
Unite  Copper  Zinc  Co.  has  500.000  shares  issued.  Anaconda 
took  over  inn. nnn  shares  al  *l  each  cm  April  5.  It  has  a  further 
option  mi  an  additional  88,000  shares  good  mi 1 1 1  .Inly   10.  and 

contingent  on  opening  of  the  mine  to  the  1800-ft.  level,  in- 
cluding shares  bought  in  the  open  market,  it  is  surmised  that 
Anaconda  will  have  a  majority  interest  in  the  Emma  mine. 
The  Anaconda  and  Unite  ('upper  Zinc  companies  share  equally 
in  the  profits  of  the  Emma  for  Ave  years  more,  which  virtually 
gives  Anaconda  75';  of  the  profits, 

The  Untie  Del  mil  Copper  ii  Zinc  Mining  Co.  was  organized 
by  Philadelphia.  Boston,  Detroit,  and  Canadian  capital  to  take 
over  the  Ophir  mine  and  mill  from  the  Butte  Central  Copper 
Co.  The  Ophlr  produced  some  silver  ore.  and  a  150-ton  mill 
was  erected  to  concentrate  and  cyanide  the  low-grade  ore. 
The  mill    is  In   good  condition,   is  on   the   Butte,   Anaconda   & 

Pacific  Hacks,  and  maj  be  opened  as  a  custom  mill.  The 
equipment  consists  of  a  gyratory  crusher,  Chilean  mill  grind- 
ing to  M  mesh,  and  Bve  Deleter  tables.  The  tailing  goes  to 
Aklns'  classifiers  and  the  sand  product  to  a  tube-mill,  then  to  a 
cone  classifier,  the  underflow  Feeding  8  Deleter  slime-tables. 
The  tailing  is  dewatered  and  sent  to  the  cyanide  plant,  which 
consists  of  Aklns-Rotherwell  continuous  agitation  tanks.  Port- 
land tutors,  and  sine-boxes  The  three-compartment  shaft  was 
down  1066  Ft.,  is  now  being  sunk  unci  will  tie  ultimately  opened 
to  a  depth  of  2500  ft,  The  vein  will  be  thoroughly  explored  at 
depth  in  the  hope  of  finding  zinc  or  copper  ore.  The  old  hoist 
Is  capable  of  working  to  a  depth  of  1500  ft.  A  station  hoist 
win  be  put  in  at  thai  level  ana  later,  if  conditions  warrant  it, 

a   new   hoist   will    be   installed.     The   Ophir  contains  a   large. 

strong  mill'  zinc  has  been  found  on  the  upper  levels. 

naconda  continues  to  develop  Its  Douglas  mine  In  Idaho. 


PLATTEVILLE,  WISCONSIN 

Zl\c,    Li.aii,    \mi   Pvicmi:    MiiikH's    in    .1 

Reports  covering  June  operations  In  the  Wisconsin  zinc  dis- 

iin  i-  show  Intensifies  activity  in  all  departments.  A  gradual 
lowering  ofcjthe  price  of  zinc  ore  in  no  way  discouraged  o|>- 
matiirs.  many  of  whom  frankly  admit  the  day  of  sky  high 
prices  for  blende  is  over,  and  that  the  new  adjustment  of 
must  be  met  with  sense.  Blende  averaged  Jss.i^  per 
ton  in  Ma]  ;  in  June  the  average  was  $7N.12,  but  the  drop  of 
$ln  per  ton  applied  more  nearly  tn  the  prices  ruling  on  stand 
nrd  6091  concentrate.  On  the  lower-grade  products  discrimi- 
nation was  so  sharp  that  on  the  low  values  no  offerings  were 
submitted  by  ore-buyers,  and  the  close  of  the  month  found 
8000  tons  of  concentrate  unsalable,  and  likely  to  remain  a 
drug  on  the  hands  of  independent  operators  until  by  pre- 
arrangement  this  material  can  be  diverted  to  separating  plants 
doing  custom  work,  and  the  ore  converted  into  high-grade  ma- 
terlal.  The  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.,  nevertheless,  producing 
heavily  from  Its  own  string  of  mines  In  the  field,  offered  an 
outlet  lo  much  Independent  production,  and  the  National  Zinc 

Ore  Separating  Co.  and  the  Wisconsin  Zinc  Co.  received  low- 
grade  ores  from  mines  nol  con ited  with  these  corporations. 

On  the  lower  grades  the  following  list  of  prices  obtained: 
66%,  $7.",;  .'.ii',.  )46;  16%,  840;  40%,  $86;  86%,  $81,  and 
80%,  $25.  BelOW  8091  no  buying  was  recorded,  and  there  are 
many  producerB  in  the  lielcl  whose  average  grade  falls  below 
this  figure.  Some  of  the  higher-grade  ore  was  carried  over 
as  well,  but  this  was  clue  to  the  belief  that  prices  would  re- 
cover, enabling  operators  to  realize  on  their  holdings  to  better 
advantage. 

Heavj  rains  prevailed  at  all  points  in  the  Held  from  the 
LOth  to  the  20th  of  the  month,  making  ore  deliveries  to  track 
almost  impossible.  Production  was  fairly  well  maintained, 
going  over  40,000.000  lb.  of  crude  concentrate,  though  cur- 
tailed output  was  manifest  among  producers  who  learned  that 
no  market  was  at  hand  for  low-grade  concentrate.  Net  de- 
liveries out  of  the  field  to  smelter  direct  exceeded  20.000,000 
Mi,  i In  greater  part  of  this  being  high-grade  refined  ore  from 
the  magnetic  zinc  ore-separating  plants  operating  In  the  field. 
The  Mineral  Point  Zinc  Co.  during  the  month  of  June  shipped 
lo  smelter  at  DePue  5,012,000  lb.  of  high-grade  separator 
product;  National  Separating  Co.,  Cuba,  4,020,000  lb.;  Wis- 
consin Zinc  Co.'s  roasters  at  Benton  and  Galena.  ::,f>3K,00i>  Hi.; 
and  Galena  Refinery  Co..  1,100.000  lb.  The  Frontier  group  of 
zinc-  producers  shipped  1,581,000  lb.  out  of  the  Benton  district 
in  the  Grasselll  Chemical  Company. 

The  wage  question  arose  during  June,  several  leading  op- 
erators claiming  that  lower  prices  for  zinc  ore  will  surely  de- 
termine a  lower  wage-scale.  Men  of  all  classes  in  the  field  are 
in  in  well  paid  and  no  reductions  have  been  intimated  as  yet, 
Inn  agitation  at  times  dwelt  on  this  feature  of  the  industry 
With  prospects  of  probable  trouble.  Many  new  zinc  mines 
were  developed  during  the  month.  Several  new  power  and 
concentrating  plants  were  completed  at  different  points,  and 
given  satisfactory  trial-runs.  More  drilling  machines  were 
worked  night  and  day  than  were  reported  a  year  ago  when 
piicis  were  so  high.  Strikes  of  rich  deposits  were  numerous, 
and    leasing  was  again    in   great    favor,   more  especially   in   the 

southern  districts. 

Lead  ore  was  In  good  demand  at  the  beginning  of  the  month 
ai  prices  running  well  up  to  $90  per  ton.  Here.  too.  appre- 
ciable declines  were  registered,  and  the  price  at  the  close  of 
the-  month  stood  below  $S0  per  ton  for  809S  ore.  Sales  and 
■-.lupin. mis  were  light  and  a  fair  quantity  was  carried  over  in 
bins. 

Shipments  of  pyrlte  were  the  lightest  of  any  one  month  for 
the  year,  namely.  2. 550. win  lb,  This  all  came  from  the  Na- 
tional Zinc  Ore  Separating  Works  at  Cuba.  In  this  instance 
the  Shipper  was  protected  by  a  contract  wisely  drawn  at  a  time 
when  the  fine  pyrlte  obtained  as  a  by-product  at  magnetic  sep- 


.Inly  16,  1916 


MINING  and  SoMtib    I'KI  SS 


l"l 


aratliiK  planta  » .m  Id  Rood  demand      Al  all  of  th< 

aratlnc   planta  to  the   n.-l.l   |M»  tg  product   wm  carried  over. 

anioiiiiiliiic   .i!    tli'-   .  ikI   Dl    Um   month    to   millions 

wiih  prices  fur  commercial  sulphuric  add  h I k h .  the  in«-k  of 

demand   (or   tin*  rluna  of  mud-rial   Btemed  all   the  in.. 

plalnat.lp.    and    thr    t.-n.  ml    munao-i    ol    OM    «<    Um 

planta  almd  »hat  a|>|iearrd  a  ami  Illation     ' 1 1 ■  •  ■ 

■  loua  lutrraae  In  arldmakliiK  .a|.,..lh  In  ihe  United 
State-.  •>•  ulvrn  a*  one  reaaon  >"ii  (In-  mora  plausible  reaaon 
waa  Klvrn  In  hlch  prices  (or  a|M>t  acid.  Whil  h  DMlHi  l<  more 
profitable  td  DM  native  sulphur  from  lbs  iiiiiihh  of  l-oiilal- 
ana  and  high-trade  aulphur  ore  giving   larger  Mid   r. 

Id   'I. -piirtiui-nl   ..f   Um  Xi.»    Jersey   Zlne  Co.  111    Mineral 
Point    Increased    lia   capacity    sufficiently    in    >  i.lil    oni 
tank-rar  dally,  which  m  promptly  routed  out  to  th<-  United 
Statra  Steal  Corp.  and  other  Eastern  outlets.     At  the  HUM  HUM 

EiUC  Co     gave    notice  n(    III. III.  ell    prices   ill   zinc 

■■.  take  effect  .1 1 1 1  >  1  Heavy  import:iiiotis  of  Mexlcnn 
ralamlne  ore  and  Canadian  carbonate  of  zinc  ore  were  also  re 
ported  for  the  month  at  the  oxide  works  of  this  company. 

Producers  of  carbonate  of  zlne  ore  in  the  northern  districts 
of  the  field  were  favored  by  rain,  and  plenty  of  water  tor 
outdoor    washing  plants    increased    local    production. 


TORONTO,  ONTARIO 

Cii|-|-IK  AM"  <*..'U>  IN  MAMI.illA. —  III. Ml.  H'.IIIM.IK  imi  Otiii:k 
I'oKiIIIM.  .MlMv- Cilll.M  I  Al  m  lilts.  —  KlKKI  AMI  I.Vkl 
POWICB. — BOSTON    t'KHK. 

M  i 1 1  i  11 K  Is  making  great  progress  In  Manitoba  this  season. 
A  rush  to  the  Rice  Lake  district  has  set-in,  and  numerous  com- 
hare  been  organized  to  operate  there.  The  copper  area 
north  of  The  Pas  Is  also  attracting  much  attention.  The  dis- 
covery last  year  of  valuable  copper  deposits,  by  .lack  Haiimi ill. 
a  well-known  Toronto  prospector,  110  miles  north-west  of  The 
Pas,  near  the  eastern  boundary  of  Saskatchewan,  has  been 
taken  over  by  the  Guggenheim  Interests  of  New  York,  who 
have  commenced  development.  They  have  three  drills  at 
work,  and  have  blocked-out  ore  estimated  at  $.15,000,000.  The 
Tonopah  Co.  of  Nevada  is  operating  along  the  same  copper 
ri.1;.'.-,  farther  to  the  south-east,  and  opening  rich  ore.  The  min- 
eralized ridge  extends  from  the  north-west  part  of  the  province 
in  a  south-easterly  direction  to  Herb  lake,  175  miles  distant. 
where  rich  gold  claims  are  being  developed  by  a  syndicate 
headed  by  the  Hon.  Hugh  Armstrong,  formerly  provincial 
treasurer  of  Manitoba.  But  little  prospecting  has  so  far  been 
done  In  the  central  part  of  this  area,  which  is  thought  to  be 
rich  In  copper.  As  In  the  case  of  the  Rice  Lake  goldfields,  de- 
velopment Is  much  retarded  owing  to  the  lack  of  railroad 
facilities.  A  mining  exchange  is  to  be  operated  for  dealing  In 
local  share  issues  in  Winnipeg  early  in  July;  probably  at  a 
later  date  it  will  obtain  facilities  for  trading  in  Eastern  stocks. 
It.  ('.  Wallace,  provincial  mineralogist,  is  making  an  inspection 
of  the  Rice  Lake  field;  an  official  report  will  shortly  be  issued. 

The  Dome  company  at  Porcupine  made  a  new  high  record  in 
Hay,  milling  39,400  tons,  yielding  $189,600,  from  an  average 

grade  of  $4.80  per  ton. The  statement  of  the  Hollinger  for 

the  4  weeks  ended  May  19  shows  gross  profits  of  $154,369,  from 
the  treatment  of  33,558  tons  of  ore,  averaging  $8  per  ton. 
Working  costs  were  $3.33  per  ton.  Considering  the  heavy- 
advances  in  the  cost  of  materials,  particularly  explosives,  the 

reduction  of  costs  to  this  figure  is  considered  excellent. 

The  Niplsslng  of  Cobalt  is  taking  over  the  Plenaurum  property, 

in   which  some  of  its  officials  are  largely   Interested. The 

West  Dome  is  improving  with  depth.  At  250  ft.  a  shaft  sample 
was  taken  from  a  width  of  7  ft.  G  in.,  which  gave  $41.20  per 

ton.     Two  other  veins  have  been  cut  in  diamond-drilling. 

During  May  the  Schumacher  produced  bullion  to  the  value  of 
$20,908,  with  net  profits  of  $6060.  Some  300  ft.  of  driving  has 
been  done  on  one  of  the  new  veins  found  on  the  600-ft.  level. 
It  Is  about  6  ft.  wide  and  Is  of  good  milling  grade. A  merger 


la  belu(  arratiKrd  betwi  ond  and  the  Harontt 

Hi    1  hompson      1  li- 
mine bu  no...!  ore  mi  fiiur  lorela,  1. ut  bas  been  anal 

funds    for   1 1  ..r   ,<   mill       It    la  propoerd   If  the  deal 

r.«u«h  to  enlarge  the  vlpond  mill  to  a  eai 
per  day. 

silver  mining  al  Cobalt  is  buey;  man]  propertlea  thai  had 
been  eloaad  (or  sunn-  time  are  again  Ming  worked. 

Work  baa  been  started  on  tbt  SS-mlls  tranamlaelon-l it 

the  Northern  Ontario  Llghl  &  Powei  Co  1 1  Coball  to  Kirk- 

iiin.i  Lake     ii  is  expected  thai  thi  c pan)  will  be  able  to 

deliver  powei  to  the  latter  planta  early  in  Beptamber,  Thla 
win  civ.-  a  greal  Impetus  to  gold  mining, 

Tin-  Boston  C k  Gold  Mines,  Ltd.,  capitalized  at  $:. 

of  which  i-'.  m.  Richardson  or  New  fork  i«  president,  lias  taken 
over  the  holdings  of  ih.-  it.  a  i'  Syndicate  al  Boston  Creek, 
Including  the  townslte.  H.  D.  Bymsa  has  been  appointed 
manager. 

SUTTER  CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Mm  um  1 1  A.  1 1\  11  res. 

Daily  progress  in  unwatering  and  repairing  the  old  E Its 

shall  is  -J"  ft.,  and  since  Hie  pumps  began  discharging  BDOUl 
the  middle  of  June,  the  water  has  been  removed  to  a  point 
240  ft.  from  the  surface.  The  shaft-timbers  are  found  to  be 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  many  of  the  sets  simply  re- 
quiring a  little  timber  and  a  general  lining  up.  This  tact, 
coupled  with  the  successful  operation  of  the  pumps,  accounts 
for  the  good  progress  being  made. 

The  new  mill  at  the  Treasure  mine  began  crushing  on  July 
5  and  appears  to  be  giving  good  results.  The  plain  Is 
using  Hardinge  ball-mills  Instead  of  stamps.  The  crusher  is 
on  a  high  reinforced  concrete  frame  vertically  above  the  mill 
ore-bins.  Below  the  crusher  Is  a  trommel.  The  trommel  over- 
size goes  to  a  ball-mill  using  large  steel  balls.  The  trommel 
under-size,  together  with  the  ball-mill  discharge  is  screened  on 
16-mesh.  The  screen  over-size  is  ground  In  ball-mills  using 
small  steel  balls.  The  flow-sheet  of  the  lower  part  of  the  mill 
is  much  like  that  of  the  Plymouth.  A  shaking  amalgamator, 
Wilfley  tables,  Delster-Overstrom  tables  and  Frue  vanners  are 
used.  It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  the  ore-shoot  cut  in 
sinking  the  shaft  last  year  has  widened  out  to  such  an  extent 
that  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  plant  employed 
steadily  on  good-grade  ore.  This  mine  is  situated  between  the 
Bunker  Hill  and  Fremont  properties,  north  of  Amador  City. 

Construction  of  the  new  Argonaut  mill  is  well  under  way. 
a  large  part  of  the  machinery  having  been  installed  and  the 
buildlng  near  completion.  Much  of  the  iron-work  for  this  new- 
mill  has  been  made  at  the  foundry  of  the  Knight  company  at 
Sutter  Creek.  C.  G.  Cahill.  one  of  the  contractors,  has  been  in 
Jackson  for  several  days  past,  supervising  installation  of  the 
crushing  plant.  While  several  new  devices  for  saving  gold 
will  be  introduced  at  this  niijl,  the  company  does  not  contem- 
plate the  use  of  ball-mills  nor  of  flotation.  While  the  new 
equipment  is  being  erected,  the  old  40-stanip  mill  east  of  the 
shaft  continues  to  reduce  some  of  the  highest  grade  ore  being 
treated  in  the  county.  The  lowest  levels  of  this  mine  are  fully 
as  valuable  in  ore  reserves  as  the  levels  above. 

Sinking  is  in  progress  at  the  Kennedy  mine,  good  progress 
being  made  from  the  3750  to  the  3900-ft.  level,  vertical  depth. 
The  100-Btamp  mill  is  in  constant  operation  on  ore  extracted 
principally  from  the  lower  levels.  The  old  north  shaft  is  kept 
open  in  addition  to  the  main  east  workings,  thus  affording  a 
safety  exit  as  well  as  better  ventilation,  and  serving  also  as  a 
supply  channel  for  getting  supplies  to  the  working  levels. 
Wel.li  Smith  is  still  superintendent  of  this  mine,  which  is 
paying  its  shareholders  good  quarterly  dividends. 

.1.  0.  Satler,  well-known  in  mining  circles  in  Amador  county, 
and  in  Humboldt  county,  Nevada,  lost  his  life  in  an  automobile 
accident  which  occurred  on  July  2  near  an  antimony  mine  in 
which  he  was  interested  at  Unionville,  Nevada. 


102 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15.  1916 


THE  MINING  SUMMARY 

The  news  of  (lie  week  as  (old  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


In  its  mid-year  reports  on  the  mining  industry  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey  makes  the  following  remarks: 

The  mines  and  smelters  of  Arizona  have  been  working  at 
so  high  a  pressure  in  1916  that  they  are  probably  making 
record  productions  of  all  metals.  If  they  continue  to  work  at 
the  present  rate  during  the  year  they  will  make  an  output  of 
over  600.000,000  lb.  of  copper,  against  about  450,000,000  lb.  in 
1915.    There  is  much  greater  activity  in  gold  and  zinc  mining. 

There  has  been  much  greater  activity  in  the  mining  in- 
dustry in  California  for  the  first  six  months  of  the  year,  as 
compared  with  the  conditions  in  the  first  half  of  1915,  but  it 
has  been  largely  in  the  direction  of  the  re-opening  of  old  prop- 
erties which  have  been  idle  for  years.  Less  gold,  by  $366,000. 
has  been  received  by  the  Mint  and  smelters.  Aside  from  gold, 
silver,  copper,  and  lead  mining  there  has  been  thus  far  in 
1916  a  heavy  demand  for  such  minerals  as  chrome,  tungsten, 
magnesite,  manganese,  antimony,  etc.,  and  a  great  many  mines 
of  this  character  have  been  opened  and  are  shipping  some  to 
the  East  for  the  first  time.  There  has  been  greater  gold- 
mining  activity  in  the  Mother  Lode  counties  than  has  been  the 
case  for  a  long  period.  Hydraulic  mining  has  not  been  active 
outside  of  Trinity  and  Siskiyou  counties,  but  some  new  mines 
have  started  up  in  central  California.  The  gold-dredging 
industry  continues  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Copper  mining 
has  been  very  active  owing  to  the  high  price  of  the  metal. 

inning  the  first  six  months  of  1916,  according  to  returns 
received  by  the  Survey,  the  output  of  Colorado  indicates  a  15% 
decrease  in  the  yield  of  gold,  little  change  in  the  production 
of  silver,  a  small  increase  for  lead,  an  increase  of  30'.  [or 
copper,  and  a  small  increase  for  zinc. 

Unusual  conditions  in  Idaho  make  it  impossible  to  estimate 
accurately  the  lead  output  of  the  State,  but  shipments  are 
being  made  at  the  rate  of  about  360,000,000  lb.  of  lead  per 
year.  There  will  be  a  correspondingly  large  output  of  silver, 
and  a  great  increase  in  the  total  value  of  the  State's  output  of 
metals.  Important  changes  are  in  progress  in  the  metallurg- 
ical industry. 

The  unusually  high  prices  of  metals  in  1916  have  stimulated 
mining  to  a  marked  degree  in  Montana,  especially  at  Butte. 
At  the  present  rate  of  production,  there  will  be  notable  in- 
creases in  the  output  of  all  metals,  and  a  marked  increase  in 
the  total  value. 

Mine  reports  received  by  the  JJ.  S.  Geological  Survey  from 
V.  C.  Heikes  of  the  Salt  Lake  City  field  office  indicate  that 
during  the  last  six  months  the  mining  industry  in  Nevada  has 
experienced  one  of  its  greatest  revivals.  Gold  will  show 
little  increase;  silver  may  gain;  lead,  copper,  and  zinc  will 
record  big  increases. 

The  mines  of  New  Mexico  during  the  first  half  of  1916  show 
small  increases  for  gold  and  silver,  and  appreciable  increases 
in  lead,  copper,  and  zinc. 

No  changes  of  moment  in  the  mining  situation  in  Oregon  are 
noted  by  Charles  G.  Yale,  of  the  Survey,  for  the  period  under 
review.  The  bullion  receipts  of  the  Mint  and  smelters  at  San 
Francisco  show  that  the  output  of  gold  has  increased  $107,- 
000  and  that  of  silver  14,000  oz.  in  the  first  five  months  of  1916 
over  the  output  of  the  corresponding  period  in  1915.  The  in- 
crease in  gold  is  due  entirely  to  dredging  operations. 

High  prices  of  metals  during  the  last  six  months  caused 
Utah  producers  to  employ  all  available  miners  extracting  ore. 
In  some  of  the  snow-bound  camps  large  quantities  of  ore  were 


stored  during  the  winter  months,  and  when  this  was  released 
to  the  buyers  a  curtailment  was  requested  by  the  smelters  of 
all  producers  exceeding  contract  limits. 

The  mines  of  Washington,  for  the  first  6  months  of  1916 
promised  increased  production  in  the  five  important  metals 
for  the  year.  The  industry  generally  seems  to  be  in  better 
condition  than  for  several  years  past. 

ALASKA 

In  Professional  Paper  9S-C.  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 
Bertrand  T.  Johnson  discusses  the  retreat  of  the  Barry  glacier 
near  Port  Wells,  Prince  William  sound,  during  the  years  1910 
and  1914.  The  total  retreat  was  8200  and  2500  ft.  respectively 
along  the  eastern  and  western  edges. 

Juneau 

The  June  output  of  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  was  164,800  tons 
of  $1.06  ore,  compared  with  175,215  of  $1.40  in  May,  and  165,930 
of  94  cents  in  April.  Recovery  in  June  was  79.259c,  with  22-c. 
tailing:  the  May  extraction  was  82.25%.  None  of  the  better 
grade  ore  from  No.  5,  6,  and  7  levels  east  reached  the  mill 
until  June  17.  On  July  3  there  was  treated  S700  tons,  a  record. 
Shares  have  receded  to  $16.75. 

ARIZONA 

An  order-in-council  by  the  Canadian  government  on  March 
25  placed  an  embargo  on  the  shipment  of  asbestos  from  Canada 
to  other  than  British  ports,  but  permitted  shipments  to  the 
allied  countries  on  special  license.  This  looked  like  a  great 
hardship  on  American  manufacturers,  but  it  means  much  to 
the  owners  of  asbestos  mines  and  prospects  in  Arizona,  says 


MAP      SHOWING      ASBESTOS      MINES      A.NU      PROSPECTS      IN      ARIZONA. 
SHADING   SHOWS   AREAS  OF  PRE-CAMBRIAN   ROCKS.      (U.   S.  G.   S.) 

the  Arizona  State  Bureau  of  Mines.  In  1915  there  was  a  great 
increase  in  the  production  of  high-grade  asbestos  in  Arizona, 
most  of  the  lower  grade  in  the  country  coming  from  Georgia. 
The  embargo  creates  a  local  demand  and  Arizona  is  one  of  the 
few    States    that   can    supply    it.      With    the   opening   of   the 


Juli    IS    1916 


MINING  tod  Sdaatifc    I'KI  SS 


103 


i.lw.to.   mines  and  tin-   production   ol  asbeeto*  i 
•(able   ba»l*.    Whell    the  .:  u    Hiil    l.«- 

abi.  te  with  Canadlai  vhleh  heretofore  baa 

nppll  •  ater  part  of  the  world'!  supply, 

On  >  I  a  i 

Churn  drilling  hna  been  r.  turned  bj    the  Inspiration  V 
pp*r  Co.   at    Miami,    eventually    T    drills    will    ba 

During  tin-  bwi  weak  ••(  Ions  than  «.is  laid  i^""  ft  ol  Hn. 
■  •••r  .pipe,  whieb  I  I  with  ii»'  pumping  plan)  ol  th« 

Miami   Southwestern.  nn>l   whleh   »HI   supply   adequate   a 
to  the  two  ilium  iiriiis  now  on  tin-  iroand     aii  lumber  and 
material   is   ready    tor   the   erection    of    mean   ami    boat 
bouse*,  blaehsmlth-ahop,  assay-onice,  ami  tin-  general  ..;■ 

of  the  i-oiii|ianjr. 

OB    I laj     last    week    the    Inspiration   Consolidated    mine 

dneed  19  : is  ol  ore  in  24  hours.    The  i.iv  Oak  section 

l»  yielding   high-grade  slllclous  ore.     Preparations  are  under 
for  construction  Ol  two  more  units  at  the  mill.     A  Kansas 
<'lt\  firm  has  the  contract  for  steel  erection. 

\<  Clobe  the  Old  Dominion  mine  is  producing  1200  tons  of 

dally.     The  smelter  Is  treating  a  good  deal  of  custom  ore, 

Including  some  from  the  United   Verde  Extension  at  Jerome. 

Moll  Wl    Co]   MY 

Correspondence.)— Announcement  has  been  made 
that  Oatman  Is  to  have  a  custom  mill  Mr.  Brush,  superintend- 
ent of  the  Cold  Dust,  Is  now  In  Los  Angeles  perfecting  arrange- 
ments for  the  resumption  of  milling  at  this  property,  and  It 
is  Stated  that  the  company  would  employ  some  of  its  stamps 
on  custom  ore  The  mill  Is  completed,  and  only  needs  a  few 
repairs  to  allow  starting  within  :S0  days.  The  pumping  plant 
of  the  Cold  Dust  company  will  also  be  started  If  present  plans 
materialize  to  bring  the  water  from  the  Colorado  river  to  the 
property  for  milling  and  domestic  purposes. 

Dnrlng  the  past  week  the  Big  Jim  mine  had  a  visitors'  day, 
being  thrown  open  for  inspection  by  the  public.  This  prop- 
el t\  is  a  mine  The  developments  are  everything  that  was 
Claimed  for  them,  particularly  on  the  400  and  485-ft.  levels. 
•■  s  were  taken  right  across  the  fate  of  the  drift  at  400  ft. 
and  gave  1668  and  $333  per  ton.  The  superintendent,  Mr. 
Keating,  said   that   this  orebody  would  average  around   $400. 

Oatman,  July  5. 

For  the  first   time  since  last  October  20  stamps  are  being 
operated  In  the  mill  of  the  Tom  Reed  company,  Instead  of  ten. 
Pinal  County 

In  hole  No.  43,  200  ft.  north  of  No.  21,  the  Ray  Hercules 
company  at  Ray  has  cut  51  ft.  of  1.5%  copper  ore.    The  ore  is 
extending  north  instead  of  to  the  fault.    It  has  been  definitely 
<lecided  to  erect  a  1000-ton  mill,  employing  flotation. 
Yavapai  County  (Jerome  > 

The  Hull  and  Cleopatra  properties  have  been  acquired  by 
the  United  Verde  Copper  Co.  for  a  large  sum.  The  company  is 
to  increase  Its  mine  and  smelter  force  considerably. 

At  1400  ft.  in  the  Cnited  Verde  Extension  the  orebody  has 
been  developed  by  2000  ft.  of  lateral  work  and  two  raises  up 
100  ft.  A  winze  is  being  sunk  200  ft.  below  the  level.  There 
is  blocked  out  600,000  tons  of  16%  ore.  A  new  two-compart- 
ment shaft  for  hoisting  ore  only,  is  to  be  sunk.  The  company 
is  shipping  to  smelters  in  Arizona,  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  Jerome,  over  7000  tons  of  ore  per  month,  averaging  20% 
copper,  resulting  in  net  profits  of  about  $350,000  for  several 
months  past.  These  earnings  are  due  in  part  to  the  prevailing 
high  prices  for  copper.  Cash  on  hand  is  $793,882;  there  is  due 
from  ore  shipped  approximately  $1,000,000,  making  a  total  of 
$1,793,882. 

CALIFORNIA 

Amadob  County 
Mining  of  chrome  ore  in  the  vicinity  of  lone  is  increasing  in 


Importance     The  Jniiu  Barllll  mine  is  b nmaaos  shipping 

lit    .ih 

•lamp  mm.  i rlj  ■  Umax  mint 

i 

son  In  the  same  dlatl 

El  INIIIUNI    Col    v  m 

i  ding  to  iiurr  Brans  1 1  "  miles  ol 

river  channels,  containing  gold-bearing  gravel,  in  thla  county, 

The>  ii,.  .,i  .i  depth  "i  a  tea  DO  it.  below  iii.    Mirfaca 

One  is  known  as  the  'Blue  Lead;'  the  other  the  'Bad'  •■ 

i.e. iii  '     The  deposits  ure.  from  :'  to  ::u  ft.  thick,  with  a  grada  ..i 

$2  to  t''  per  ton  ol  gravel, 

Ni  \  loa  Ooi  \  n 

It  Is  now  fairl>   certain  that  the  Munliie  mine  neai    Ni 
City   Is  to  be  reopened.     Prior  to  closing  7.'.  nun  were  em- 
ployed.  The    Sultana    mine,    closed    tor    two    years,    is    now 

employing  1"  nun.  in  charge  of  A.  W.  Crase. 

On  July    I  a  first-aid  contest    was  held  at   Crass  Vail. 
suiting  in  the  North  Star  winning  with  95.5%,  followed  closely 
by  the  Empire  team. 

Shasta  Cm  vn 

County  assessments  for  this  year  will  be  $2,000,000  great  t 
than  they  were  In  1915.  Nearly  all  classes  of  property  had 
increases,  including  $250,000  extra  on  the  Mammoth  Copper 
Co.'s  holdings,  $40,000  on  the  Mountain  Copper,  and  $25,000 
on  the  Balaklala. 

SIERRA    Cot  MY 

The  Alleghany  district,  according  to  the  Nevada  City  News, 
is  more  active  than  for  many  years.  During  1915  fresh  capital 
became  available  for  mines.  The  Plumbago  mine  Is  to  add  5 
stamps  to  its  present  15  head,  making  a  daily  capacity  of  up 

to  70  tons. At  the  Morning  Glory,  adjoining  the  Tightner,  a 

compressor,  hoist,  and  5-stamp  mill  are  to  be  erected. The 

Sixteen  to  One  owners  are  installing  a  75-hp.  hoist,  and  are 

considering  a  mill. Joshua  Hendy  of  San  Francisco  is  to 

supply  a  50-ton  plant  for  the  Twenty-One.  In  addition  to  the 

Lane  mill  now  working. An  Allis-Chalmers  ball-mill   is  in 

course  of  erection   at  the   Irelan  mine. A  compressor  has 

been  ordered  for  the  Louise  Consolidated,  in  charge  of  C.  O. 
Jackson. These  extensions  of  plant  will  raise  the  dally  ca- 
pacity 100  tons,  making  a  total  of  350  to  400  tons,  employing 

300  men  in  mines  and  plants. Results  at  the  rich  Tightner 

mine  continue  satisfactory. 

The  Forest  City  district  Is  also  to  have  a  good  year,  judging 
by  proposed  work  and  prospects  of  the  North  Fork,  Wisconsin, 
South  Fork,  Young  America,  Cincinnati,  York-Finney,  and 
other  gravel  and  quartz  properties. 

Electric  power  is  available  throughout  these  districts;  roads 
are  good,  labor  is  satisfactory,  wood  is  abundant,  and  mails 
are  regular. 

Trinity  County 

A  5-cu.  ft.  dredge,  composed  of  parts  from  an  old  boat,  is  to 
be  constructed  on  the  Paulsen  ranch,  near  Lewiston,  by  the 
Trinity  Star  Dredging  Co.  Fred  Paulsen  is  a  director  of  this 
concern,  which  Includes  W.  F.  Davis,  S.  Keeler,  and  W.  B. 
Winston  of  San  Francisco. 

Tuolumne  County 

For  the  Dutch-App  mines  a  large  hoist  has  been  ordered. 
An  option  has  been  secured  on  the  J.  App  ranch,  west  of  the 
App  mine,  for  dumping  purposes. 

COLORADO 

Lake  County  (Leauville) 

Drainage  of  the  Harvard  shaft  and  surrounding  ground  to  a 
depth  of  407  ft.,  by  the  U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.,  is  nearly  com- 
pleted. In  94  days  there  was  175,000,000  gal.  of  water  re- 
moved.    A  month  will  be  required  to  clean-up  the  debris,  lay 


104 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


Julv  15,  1916 


track,  and  cut  a  pump-station.     Sinking  300   ft.   deeper  will 
then  be  started.    Prescott  steam  sinking-pumps  are  to  be  used. 

Teller  Cov.nty   (Cripple  Creek) 

(Special  Correspondence. I — Gold  production  for  June,  as 
reported  by  the  mills  and  smelters,  is  as  follows: 

Gross 

Tons       Value  value 

Golden  Cycle.  Colorado  City   39.000      $17.00  $663,000 

Portland.   Colorado   Springs    10,000        20.00  200,000 

Portland.  Victor  mill   18,1  18,375 

Portland.   Independence   mill    9,696          2.16  20.943 

Smelters.  Denver  and  Pueblo 4.500        55.00  247.500 

Reid-Gold    Sovereign    mill    700           3.2o  2.275 

Worcester-Rubie    mill    300          4.26  1.275 

Total    S2.946       $14.26    J1.1S3.368 

The  Golden  Cycle  Mining  &  Reduction  Co.  paid  its  regular 
monthly  dividend  at  the  rate  of  2c.  per  share,  or  $30,000,  on 
July  10.    This  makes  a  total  of  $210,000  for  the  present  year. 

On  July  25  the  Vindicator  Consolidated  distributes  $90,000. 

Cripple  Creek.  July  1. 

IDAHO 

The  State  mine  inspector.  Robert  N.  Bell,  has  the  following 
to  say  about  the  Wood  River  region: 

"This  area  is  also  experiencing  a  revival  of  mining  interest. 
The  recent  transfer  of  the  North  Star  mine  to  the  Federal  Min- 
ing &  Smelting  Co.  is  an  indication  of  vital  importance  to  the 
continued  progress  of  the  mining  industry  of  the  State  at  this 
time,  from  the  fact  that  the  orebody  of  the  North  Star  mine 
presents  what  is  probably  one  of  the  most  refractory  combina- 
tions of  mineral  elements  ever  discovered.  Its  valuable  metal 
contents  are  silver,  lead,  and  zinc:  but  these,  in  important 
average  value,  are  locked  up  with  a.  combination  of  sulphur, 
arsenic,  iron,  and  antimony  in  such  a  manner  as  to  have  re- 
sisted all  previous  efforts  for  their  successful  separation.  The 
recent  development  in  hydro-electric  metallurgical  science, 
which  insures  the  successful  and  profitable  treatment  of  these 
refractory  minerals,  about  marks  the  limit  in  ore-treatment 
progress,  and  presents  a  wide  field  for  its  further  application 
to  Idaho  mineral  resources.  Some  most  encouraging  results  of 
rich  ore  disclosures  by  deep  development  have  recently  been 
encountered  in  the  Wood  River  district,  and  a  decided  revival 
is  manifested  in  that  region,  which  contains  a  wide  distribu- 
tion of  promising  ore  prospects  in  great  variety." 

Boise  Coi'nty 

Operations  at  some  of  the  mines  in  this  county  are  briefly 
as  follows: 

The  National  Mining  &  Development  Co.  at  Placerville.  A.  C. 
Gallup,  manager,  has  a  10-stamp  mill,  employing  amalgama- 
tion, concentration,  and  cyanidation. The  Golden   Age   Jr. 

Mining  Co.  at  Pioneerville.  T.  H.  Sedina.  manager,  has  a  mill 

treating  ore  by  amalgamation  and  concentration. The  Diana 

Mines  Co.  is  developing  lead-copper  properties. The  Wash- 
ington. Sub  Rosa,  and  Gold  Coin  properties,  near  Idaho  City, 
were  recently  consolidated  and  taken  over  by  Oklahoma  peo- 
ple.   Development  was  started  on  June  1.    F.  E.  Johnesse  is  in 

charge. The  Lucky  Boy  at  Idaho  City  is  developing  its  mine 

and  enlarging  the  mill,  also  installing  power-plant.  F.  E. 
Johnesse  is  manager. 

At  the  Nellie  mine.  Horseshoe  Bend.  10  stamps  are  crushing, 
followed  by  amalgamation  and  concentration.     M.  E.  Hopkins 

is  manager. Several  properties  at  Pearl  are  being  re-opened 

but  there-  is  no  production  at  present. 

BOVNIIARY   CotNTY 

The  Idaho-Continental  mine.  26  miles  from  Porthill.  has  50 
men  repairing  the  road.  The  new  300-ton  mill  is  expected  to 
be  producing  60Cr  lead  and  30-oz.  silver  concentrate  by 
August  1. 


SlUisllONE    COUNTY     (COEIB    I>'Al  KM  I 

Development  of  the  Chicago-Boston  Mining  Co.'s  property  in 
Lake  gulch.  It  miles  west  of  Wallace,  has  been  so  good  that 
a  200-ton  mill  is  contemplated. 

During  the  first  quarter  of  1916.  the  Federal  Mining  &  Smelt- 
ing Co.'s  pS-ofit  from  31.844  tons  of  ore  and  concentrate  shipped 
was  $290,890. 

MICHIGAN 

TllK    OOPPKB   COUNTRY    (HOOGHTOK,    >   : 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  most  encouraging  feature 
about  the  Ahmeek  mine  is  the  increased  amount  of  copper  in 
the  ore  that  comes  from  this  northern  end  of  the  mine.  This 
was  not  expected.    Two  stamps  are  crushing  ore. 

When  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  took  over  the  Isle  Royale  along 
with  the  other  Bigelow  properties,  the  officials  looked  on  the 
former  as  questionable.  Lower  openings  did  not  look  en- 
couraging, operations  were  conducted  at  an  actual  loss,  and 
copper  w-as  none  too  high  in  price.  Now  earnings  are  at  the 
rate  of  $1,000,000  per  month;  the  second  dividend  in  50  years 
has  been  paid,  and  the  mine  is  opening  well. 

No  work  has  as  yet  been  done  to  re-build  the  Trimountain 
stamp-mill,  as  the  mines'  output  of  Trimountain,  Champion. 
Baltic,  and  Lake  is  cared-for  in  the  Baltic  and  Champion 
mills,  which  are  at  present  saving  a  greater  percentage  of 
copper  than  expected.  The  re-grinding  plant  is  working  satis- 
factorily. The  burned  Trimountain  mill  is  being  cut-up  and 
sold  at  better  prices  than  expected,  as  a  good  deal  of  the  steel 
is  fit  for  use  in  other  construction  work. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Centennial  will  pay  a  dividend. 
Richer  ore  is  being  developed.  The  treasury  is  accumulating 
a  large  surplus. 

Houghton.  June  27. 

MISSOURI 

Jasper  COUNTY    (JoplinI 

Zinc-ore  prices  were  weaker  last  week,  easing  off  to  $85  per 
ton  for  6<y,  product.  The  output  of  the  Missouri-Kansas- 
Oklahoma  district  was  0290  tons  of  blende.  32  tons  of  calamine, 
and  937  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $68,  $50.  and  $75  per  ton. 
respectively.     The  total  value  was  $511,915. 

MONTANA 

Mineral   County 

The  east  Coeur  d'Alene  district  in  western  Montana,  around 
Saltese.  is  more  active  than  for  several  years.  Good  develoi>- 
ments  are  reported  from  the  Last  Chance,  Monitor.  Silver 
Cable,  and  Tarbox.  A  mill  is  planned  for  the  Silver  Cable 
zinc  ore. 

Siiverbow  County   (BUTTE) 

TO  improve  ventilation  on  the  lower  levels  the  Tuolumne 
company  is  raising  from  2600  to  2400  ft.  A  winze  will  then 
be  sunk  from  2600  ft.  Daily  shipments  are  50  tons.  The 
company  is  re-timbering  700  ft.  of  the  Butte-Main  Range  shaft. 

NEVADA 

Esmeralda  County  i  Goldfield) 

Final  figures  of  the  Goldfield  Consolidated's  May  output  give 
a  profit  of  $50,693  from  32,400  tons.  Development  covered 
2668  ft.  at  a  cost  of  $5.59  per  foot.  This  revealed  little  of 
importance.    Net  costs  were  $4.66  per  ton. 

The  estimated  production  of  the  Goldfield  Consolidated  com- 
pany for  June  is  as  follows: 

Ore    mined,    tons    29, 1 

Gross  extraction    $185, 

Operating  expenses  145,000 

Net  realization  $  40,000 

Interesting  developments  are  expected  at  1750  ft.  in  the 
Atlanta  during  the  next  30  days.     Drifts  and  raises  between 


Jnh    15,   1916 


MININC;   and  Sctenl.nc   PRESS 


106 


ihos   lime  quantities  oi  ln» crndv 
ir  th.n  will  tw  treated  b)  notation  Imrr  on     Work 
i    In  tlir  Jumbo  Junior  I*  «l«o  at  an  iiii.-i . 
anil  at    I1M  ft    in  the  Merger. 

I.im  hi  -  I'm  BT1 

With  a  capital  Ol  I  Mlldatsd  Mining  *  Sin.  |ltlH| 

Co.  ha»  been  formed  to  ononis  in  the  Prelburs.  district,  nsai 

W    1.    1  .eland  of  8«n   Francisco  I*  on*  of  the  largest 
shareholder*. 

Ni  i  i  ..I  \  i> 

In  the  Jlin  Battel  r    Went  F.nd  rail  at  Tono|>ah.  the  Buprsmi 

t'ouri   of   Nevada  on  July   3   uphold  the  iIitIsIoii  Dl   the   lower 

court,  which  was  In  favor  of  the  West  End.     Tin-  original  case 

BOaosrnsd  ore  alleged   to  ha\.    inn    wrongfully    extracted    b] 

randan)      1 1  lodgment  win  be  discussed  In  in 

early  Issue  of  this  journal. 

A  rciwri  has  been  made  on  the  propertj  of  the  Kansas  City 
Nevada  Consolidated  Co.  at  Bruner  by  A.  E.  Swain  of  Kansas 
i'lt\  Missouri  The  altitude  Is  MOO  ft.  anil  nearest  railroad 
station  I*  Liming.  55  mlle.s  west  of  Bruner.  Fair  wagon-roads 
connect.  In  the  Paymaster  rlahns  1686  ft  of  work  has  been 
I'll.-  viin  Is  a  Assure  along  a  contact  of  andeslte  dike 
and  rhyollte  The  Ml  value  of  resorvoe  is  $86,162,  after  pay- 
ing for  minlnj  Ud  treatment  of  the  gold  ore.  The  Big  Henry 
claims  are  of  promise.  Not  enough  work  has  been  done  In  the 
Silent  Friend  claims  to  determine  anything.  The  Duluth 
group  Indicates  that  considerable  ore  will  be  available.  There 
is  plenty  of  water  for  all  purposes.  A  50-ton  plant,  including 
a  ball-mill,  crusher,  copiier-plates.  classifier,  retort,  etc..  also 
pipeline  and  other  equipment  is  contemplated,  costing  $75,000. 

NEW   MEXICO 

Socorro  County 
lal  Correspondence.  I — The  Mogollon  Mines  Co.'s  clean- 
up for  the  last  two  weeks  produced  14  bars  of  gold  and  silver 
bullion  and  S  tons  of  high-grade  concentrate.  Ore  treated  in 
the  past  week  was  875  tons.  The  new  3-conipartment  shaft  is 
nan  t"  ft.  below  the  700-ft.  level  and  Is  being  sunk  at  the  rate 
nf  2  ft.  per  day.  it  is  In  commission  for  regular  hoisting  from 
-ft.  level.  This  property  is  under  the  management  of 
S.   I.  Kidder. 

The  Socorro  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  is  constructing  a  con- 
veyor to  dispose  of  tailing  by  elevating  and  ftuming  onto  a 
comparatively  flat  area  near  the  mill,  to  avoid  discharging  into 
the  creek,  which  has  caused  more  or  less  inconvenience  to 
ranchers  in  the  lower  valleys  in  past  years.  The  plant  treats 
230  tons  of  ore  daily. 

Surveys  and  measurements  by  Earl  C.  Cleaveland  during  the 
past  two  years  on  West  Fork  creek  have  demonstrated  the 
availability  of  a  minimum  of  lOOn  to  1500  hp.  during  the  dry 
seasons.  For  its  magnitude  this  is  probably  the  most  feasible 
of  the  unappropriated  water-rights  within  a  radius  of  35  miles. 
and  If  developed  will  supply  the  greater  part  of  local  power 
requirements.  The  mines  for  a  number  of  years  have  used 
crude  oil.  freighted  about  90  miles  by  wagon,  as  a  source  of 
power,  at  a  cost  of  around  $150  per  hp.-year.  The  rising  price 
of  crude  oil  Is  turning  the  companies'  attention  to  the  possibil- 
ities of  water-power  development,  which  will  generate  cur- 
rent at  a  fraction  of  the  present  cost  by  internal-combustion 
engines.  It  Is  understood  the  operators  will  contract  for 
power  at  $100  per  hp.-year  with  any  outside  interests  under- 
taking the  Installation. 

Mogollon.  June   27. 

OREGON 
Baker  County 

The  E.  &  E.  mine  at  Bourne  is  to  be  examined  by  C.  O. 
l.indburg  for  the  American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting  Co..  which 
holds  an  option  on  it.  The  property  has  produced  gold,  but 
was  closed  since  the  early  90's. 


UTAH 

ilie  Salt  Ijike  enhance  during  the  find  half 
of  1011  totaled  -I 

III      tile      Whole      .,1       I'll 

:  shares  and  $1,668,(66  In  the  same  period  of  1916. 

in  Hull. 'tin  i.ii  a  ol  the  r.  s  Qsologtba]  Burvsy,  iicuh  M. 
Robinson  rtlimsssa  the  osoksrlta  (mineral  mm  deposits  in 
ceiiii.ii  Utah  (Utah  and  Wasatch  Bounties).  Thlsmlnsral  was 
also  described  In  this  Journal  of  June  17.  bj  i.  0,  Howard, 
pile  Quantity  ol  otokerlte  available  tor  future  mining  In  the 
l'tah  field  <an  hardly  be  estimated.  The  length  and  thli 
of  the  Assured  and  fractured  tones  containing  osokerll 
variable,  even  within  short  distances,  and  for  areas  beyond 
the  limits  of  prospected  ground  no  Quantitative  estimate  can  be 

made  with  safety.     Many  of  the  prospects  and  mines,  however, 
showed  ozokerite  In   place,  ami   the  fact   that    It   is  Irregularly 
distributed  should  encourage  more  thorough  prospecting.    The 
price  Is  now  up  to  40c.  |ier  pound. 
The  Wasatch  Ozokerite  Co.'s  new  mill  at  Soldier  Summit  Is 


MAP  in    II  All   SHOWING  THE  OZOKERITE  I  ll  in. 

now  operating  satisfactorily,  according  to  A.  G.  Burritt,  a  local 
engineer  who  recently  visited  the  property.  The  company  Is 
making  mineral  wax. 

Juab  County 

The  Eagle  &  Blue  Bell  mine,  now  producing  only  50  tons  of 
ore  dally  on  account  or  congestion  at  smelters,  is  to  sink  its 

shaft  from  1700  to  1850  ft. The  Colorado  Consolidated  shaft 

is  down  1300  ft.,  the  rate  being  5  ft.  daily. A  two-compart- 
ment shaft  is  to  be  sunk  at  Homansville  or  East  Tintic  by  the 
Chief  Consolidated  company. 

The  Dragon  Consolidated  is  shipping  400  tons  of  iron  ore 
per  day,  divided  among  the  A.  S.  &  R..  I.  S.,  and  l'.  S.  S.  R.  & 
M.  companies'  smelters  in  Utah. 

Salt  Lake  Covntv 

In  the  American  Fork  district  the  Pacific  company  is  to 
erect  a  60-ton  mill.     Mr.  Doolittle  is  manager. 

At  the  Utah  Metal  &  Tunnel  Co.'s  property  at  Bingham  there 
are  7  sets  of  lessees  working  in  7  old  adits.     The  company's 

profit  during  the  first  half  of  1916  was  over  $600. upper. 

Ore  is  being  milled  and  shipped  to  smelters,  while  lead  ore  is 
also  shipped. 

Summit  County   (Park  Cityi 

June  shipments  from  all  mines  totaled  8589  tons,  and  44,322 
tons  for  6  months. 

Dividends  paid  on  July  1  were  $1S7,500  by  the  Silver  King 
Coalition.  $120,000  by  the  Judge  Mining  &  Smelting,  and 
$63,750  by  the  Silver  King  Consolidated,  a  total  of  $371,250. 


10G 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July   15,  1916 


WASHINGTON 

Okanogan  Countt 

The  new  manganese  mine  near  Omak  has  been  leased  by  the 
Mlllroy  company  of  Tacoma.  One  shipment  contained  20% 
metal. 

Stevens  County 

At  a  depth  of  242  ft.  below  the  outcrop.  No.  2  chimney'  lias 
been  cut  in  the  Electric  Point  mine  near  Northport.  For  18  ft. 
the  galena  averaged  75%  lead,  also  mixed  carbonate  and  crys- 
tals with  50%.  lead.  Silver  is  over  20  oz.  per  ton.  The  remark- 
able feature  of  the  development  is  the  presence  of  so  much 
crystallized  lead  in  the  carbonate  ore  of  No.  2  chimney  as  to 
raise  the  grade  from  an  average  of  22%  in  the  first  chimney  to 
50%  in  the  newly  opened  orebody.  Galena  is  being  shipped 
to  Trail. 

The  old  Germania  tungsten  mine  near  Springdale  has  been 
sold  to  German  interests,  with  W.  Von  Scheck  to  be  manager. 
Development  has  cost  $500,000.  including  the  200-ton  mill, 
etc..  which  was  dismantled  recently.  Litigation  closed  the 
property,  and  it  never  produced. 

An  effort  is  being  made  to  revive  the  old  Spokane  Belle 
silver  mine.  35  miles  north  of  Spokane,  near  Clayton,  one  of 
the  oldest  mineral  locations  in  this  part.  E.  H.  Belden.  of 
Spokane,  sole  owner  of  the  property,  is  arranging  to  form  a 
syndicate  to  finance  further  development. 

CANADA 

Bkitish  Columbia 

Net  earnings  of  the  Galena  Farm  Mining  Co..  near  Silver- 
ton,  were  $40,000  in  May.  From  the  100-ton  mill  shipments 
aggregated  759  tons  of  concentrate  that  averaged  46.5';  zinc 
and  20  oz.  silrer.  which  netted  $25  per  ton.  and  237  tons  of 
concentrates  averaging  B7.3%  lead  and  66.1  oz.  silver,  netting 
$125  per  ton. 

During  158  days  in  1915  the  British  Columbia  Copper  Co.'s 
smelter  at  Greenwood  treated  122,514  tons  of  ore.  The  Mother 
Lode  mine  contributed  105.085  tons,  averaging  0.8746%  copper, 
0.037  oz.  gold,  and  0.21  oz.  silver.  The  sulphur  content  was 
3.16%,  The  metal  output  was  1.734,385  lb.  of  copper,  23,003  oz. 
of  silver,  and  5417  oz.  of  gold. 

The  new  sulphuric-acid  plant  of  the  Consolidated  Mining  & 
Smelting  Co.  at  Trail,  which  will  produce  acid  as  a  by-product 
from  smelter  fume,  the  first  plant  of  the  kind  to  be  erected  in 
British  Columbia,  is  in  operation.  The  present  daily  output 
is  10  tons.  • 

Ontario  (Cobalt) 

The  Buffalo  company  is  to  treat  its  own  concentrate  instead 
of  shipping  this  product.  A  roasting-furnace  and  dust-cham- 
ber will  be  erected.  The  concentrate,  30  tons  daily,  is  to  be 
given  a  chloridizing  roast.  A  large  saving  in  freight  and 
treatment  charges  will  follow  this  installation.  During  its 
financial  year  ended  April  30,  1916,  the  Buffalo  Mines  Co.  pro- 
duced 37,152  tons  of  ore,  yielding  705,055  oz.  of  silver  by  all 
processes.  The  revenue  was  $524,973,  and  operating  expenses 
$266,206.  Reserves  of  ore  in  the  mine  and  on  dumps  amount 
to  18.000  tons,  averaging  18  oz.  per  ton.  There  is  awaiting 
treatment  300.000  tons  of  tailing  containing  1,600.000  ounces. 

At  Cobalt  the  Nipissing  refinery  was  recently  damaged  by 
fire.  The  machinery  was  not  badly  damaged.  On  June  17 
cash  in  bank  amounted  to  $965,534:  bullion  in  transit.  $553,352; 
and  ore  and  bullion  on  hand  at  the  mine.  $330,026:  a  total  of 
$1,858,912.    A  dividend  of  5%  is  payable  on  July  20. 

KOREA 

Details  of  the  Oriental  Consolidated  company's  April  results 
are  just  to  hand.  The  plants  treated  25,142  tons  for  bullion 
valued  at  $143,701.  The  Taracol  and  Maibong  mills  recovered 
93.6%  and  92.4%,  respectively.  Tree  planting  for  the  season  is 
over,  the  work  including  175,000  acacias,  larch,  and  pines. 


PERSONAL 


\<>te:   Tlf  Editor  ilifiles  mnuhers  11/  the  profession  t«  srn'l  fatttCUiOH  "J  their 
work  firttrrtppointmeiit*.      Tliis  iii/irrmoiion  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 

Newton  B.  Knox  was  at  Denver  last  week. 

F.  W.  Bradley  was  at  Kellogg.  Idaho,  this  week. 

G.  G.  S.  Lindsey  has  returned  to  Toronto  from  China. 
William  \V.  Mein  is  expected  shortly  in  San  Francisco. 
Edward  H.  Benjamin  is  president  of  the  Bohemian  Club. 
Howard  W.  Moore  is  engineer  to  the  Calaveras  Copper  Co., 

at  Copperopolis. 

F.  L.  Sizeb  is  making  an  inspection  of  mines  in  the  Chloride 
district.  Arizona. 

Ben.  B.  Lawrence,  who  was  in  Oregon  last  week,  is  expected 
in  San  Francisco. 

Nelson  Dickerman  is  in  New  Mexico,  but  will  be  in  San 
Francisco  at  the  end  of  July. 

J.  A.  L.  HENDERSON,  from  London,  passed  through  San 
Francisco  on  his  way  to  Los  Angeles. 

Otto  Sussman  of  New  York  was  recently  at  Wallace,  Idaho, 
inspecting  the  Interstate-Callahan  mine. 

Harry  Heine  and  G.  L.  Clark  are  at  the  Porcupine  Vipond 
mine,  and  H.  H.  Lavery  is  at  the  Dome. 

R.  W.  Schultz,  formerly  with  the  Mond  Nickel  Co.,  has 
joined  the  staff  of  Minerals  Separation,  Ltd. 

Herbert  W.  Gepp,  of  Broken  Hill,  Australia,  is  visiting  the 
Bully  Hill  smelter.  Shasta  county.  California. 

Ross  K.  Macartney  has  been  appointed  manager  for  the 
Rhodesia  Broken  Hill   company,  South  Africa. 

G.  A.  Denny  is  acting  as  technical  advisor  to  the  General 
Mining  &  Finance  Corporation  at  Johannesburg. 

Percy  Marmion,  manager  of  the  Swansea  Vale  zinc  plant,  in 
South  Wales,  is  visiting  zinc  smelters  in  this  country. 

T.  Louts  Welp  has  been  appointed  superintendent  for  the 
Gold  Reed  Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  at  Oatman,  Arizona. 

Frank  Merbicks  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Mining 
&  Metallurgical  Club  (London  I.  BEDFORD  McNeill  is  vice- 
president. 

J.  B.  Tyrrell,  of  Toronto,  is  spending  some  time  in  British 
Columbia.  His  address  while  there  is  the  Vancouver  hotel, 
Vancouver. 

W.  A.  Paine,  president  of  the  Copper  Range  Consolidated, 
and  his  son.  F.  Ward  Paine,  are  visiting  in  the  Michigan 
Copper  Country. 

Clyde  T.  Griswoi.d  is  heading  the  Associated  Geological 
Engineers'  field  parties  for  extensive  examinations  in  south- 
western Oklahoma. 

Robert  Marsh.  Jr..  general  mine  superintendent  for  the 
Nevada  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  is  in  military  training  camp 
;< t  .Monterey,  California. 

T.  H.  Gill,  of  the  North  Star  company's  Champion  mine  at 
Nevada  City,  has  temporarily  joined  the  staff  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Accident  Commission. 

Gilbert  Rigg,  formerly  with  the  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.  has 
been  appointed  consulting  metallurgist  in  zinc  smelting  to  the 
Broken  Hill  Associated  Smelters,  in  Australia. 

Joseph  H.  White,  sanitary  engineer  for  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines,  has  resigned  to  take  a  similar  position,  including  wel- 
fare work,  with  the  Braden  Copper  Co.  in  Chile. 

John  D.  Ryan,  president  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Mining 
Co.,  has  been  taking  a  holiday  with  his  family  at  their  old 
home  in  the  Michigan  Copper  Country.  He  is  now  in  San 
Francisco. 

James  E.  Dams,  formerly  superintendent  of  the  Central 
Eureka  mine  at  Sutter  Creek,  has  been  appointed  superintend- 
ent for  the  Calaveras  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  at  Melones, 
California, 


Jul)    18    1916 


MINING  «nd  Scientific   \'l<\  SS 


107 


THE  METAL  MARKET 


mi:  i  \i    nil.  i  s 

July  11. 

Platinum    soft  metal. 
Platln 



il 
ind 

»und 


7.00—  7.75 

ITO 

»:i 

|U 

15 

13 


■  mi:  PBII  i  ~ 

July  11. 
Antliu.-:  luet,  per  unit   11  11.00 

Chrome:  40^  and  ovr.  f ..  t>   can  California,  per  lon.lt.OQ — 14.00 
■    r.o.b.  oara  California,  Ion.  11.00— 10.00 

MnKiic.it-      crude,    par    i"" 7.00 — 10.00 

Molybdenum     lOH    and  over,  p.-r  pound 0.60 —  1.15 

Tungsten    10      WOw  per  unit 25.00—35.00 

Potash  bulletin  «»r  the  (J    s.  Geological  Survey  is  now  avail- 
able,    ii  eontalna  38  page*  of  useful  Information. 

(wolframite)   conoentratea   from    the   Waap 
mine,  Boutb  Dakota,  were  settled  at  the  following 

Price 

per  unit 

»7.90 

10.50 

17.50 


\\.  i 
.48.14 
.27.10 
.44.93 


Price 
per  ton 
1381.09 
285.60 
2.748.04 
1.235.67 
5.085.64 
2.897.88 


D 

June 

August 

OctOb 

ber    -      48.08  51.51 

March       1916 62.01  82  00 

-     35.34  82.00 

In    11    lota  •  •(  208  tons  the  vnlue  was   »24:i.* 
BA8TBTRH   metal  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
July   11. — Cupper  Is  neglected  and  prices  are  nominal;  lead  la 
with    re-sellers   cutting   prices:    spelter   Is  also   neglected, 
hut  the  bottom  is  near. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,   In  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 
Julv      6 63.37 

7 >;:.7:. 

8 62.00 

9  Sunday 

"       10 60.00 

"       11 


May 
June 


July 


Average  week   ending 


81 70.81 

6 66.35 

13 64.58 

20 63.62 

27 65.49 

5 65.16 

11 62.02 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.63 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 68.62 

May    58.21 

Jun.-    .... 


1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.78 

:..;.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.36 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
17.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916 


The  past  week's  quotations  Indicate  sudden  fluctuations,  prob- 
ably due  to  speculation.  On  page  97  of  this  issue  are  some  in- 
teresting notes  on  silver,  rather  'bullish'  in  tone. 

Exports  of  silver  fr.mi  San  Francisco  during  the  llrst  half  of 
1916  amount. -d  to  (211.388  as  coin  and  $1,209,105  as  bullion. 

The    West    End    Consolidated    at    Tonopah    Is    paying    10c.    per 

TIN 


Prices 

In  New 

York, 

In  cents 
Vfonthly 

per  pound, 
averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915.        1916. 

Jan.    .  . . 

.37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

July    

.31.60 

37.38         

Feb.    .  .  . 

.39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Aug 

.50.20 

34.37         

Mch.    . .  . 

.38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

33.12         

..36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct 

.30.40 

33.00         

39.28 

19.10 

Nov 

.33.51 

39.50         

40.26 

42.07 

Dec 

.33.60 

38.71          

Tin  Is  easy  at  38.87  cents. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market   for  quicksilver  Is  San   Francisco,   Cali- 
fornia  being   the   largest   producer.     The   price   Is    fixed   In    the 


Una,    to    Quantity. 

flask  of  75   pounds: 

W.-.-k   ending 
Date  I  Ju: 

Jan..    13 If  ""        July 

10 68.00    I         "       II  . 

Monthly  averages 


li.    dollar!    per 


1911 

Jun 39.25 

Feb.    . 

Mch 39.00 

Apr.    . 

May    39.00 

Juno    38.60 


1915.        I'l.  1914.  1916. 

Ill  00       July     37.50  96.00 

60.00      295.00        Aug 80.00 

78.00      219.00        Sept 76.25  91.00 

77.60      141.60       Oct 63.00 

75.00        90.00       Nov 66.00  101.60 

90.00        7  1.7"        I :,3.10  123.00 

The  quicksilver   market  Is   tlrm.   Willi   k'<>>"l   enquiries. 


COPPER 

Prices  "i  sleotrolytlc  In  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 


Date 
July 


26.60 

7 26.26 

8 26.25 

9   Sunduv 

10 26.25 

11 26.00 


Jan. 


1914. 
.14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

A|.r 14.19 

May     13.97 

June   13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


.ge  week  ending 
May    u 28.26 

June     6 28.00 

"       13 28.00 

"      20 27.17 

"       27 

July      5 

"       11 26.25 

Monthly  averages 

1916.  1914.        1915.        1916 

24.30       July    13.26        19.09 

26.62        Aug 12.34        17.27 

26.65        Sept 12.02        17.69 

28.02        Oct 11.10        17.90 

29.02        Nov 11.75        18.88 

87.47        Dec 12.75        20.67 


Anaconda  produced  28.100,000  lb.  in  .lone.  an. I  riah  Copper. 
18.100,000  pounds. 

Profits  of  Inspiration  for  first  half  of  1916  are  estimated  at 
18.750,000.  from  53,000.000  lb.  of  metal.  Profits  of  Granby  Con- 
solidated for  year  ended  June  30  are  estimated  at  15,500,000. 

The  United  Verde  Extension  Co.  pays  an  initial  dividend  of 
50c.  per  share  on  August  1. 

A  40-page  paper  entitled  'Comparisons  between  electrolytic 
and  two  varieties  of  arsenical  Lake  copper  with  respect  to 
strength  and  ductility  in  cold-worked  and  annealed  test-strips.' 
has  been  written  by  C.  H.  Mathewson  and  E.  M.  Thalhelmer  for 
the  Arizona  meeting  of  the  A.  I.  M.   E. 

LEAD 

Lead  Is  quoted  In  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date 
July 


9  Sunday 

10 

11 


6.50 
6.15 
6.15 

6.45 

6.10 


Average  week  ending 


May 

31 

13 

>■ 

.. 

27 

July 

11 

7.25 
7.15 
6.90 
6.77 
6.78 
6.84 
6.45 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

.  3.94 

.  3.86 

.  3.90 

.  3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.86 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


1915. 
5.69 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 


delivery 

Date. 
July 


in  cents  per  pound. 


6 10.50 

7 10.00 

8 9.50 

9  Sunday 

10 9.50 

11 9.25 


May- 
June 


July 


Average  week   ending 


31 11.52 

6 13.20 

13 13.64 

20 13.12 

27 12.12 

5 11.40 

11 9.75 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 5.14 

Feb 5.22 

Mch 5.12 

Apr 4.98 

May    4.91 

June    4.84 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 

18.21 

19.99 

18.40 

18.62 

16.01 

12.85 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


Trail,  B.  C.  electrolytic  plant  of  the  Consolidated  M.  &  S.  Co. 
of  Canada  is  producing  20  tons  of  zinc  dally. 


108 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July   15,  1916 


Eastern  Metal  Market 


New  York,  July  5. 

All  the  metals  are  dull,  and  if  quotations  are  not  lower  in 
each  case,  they  at  least  are  weak. 

Copper  prices  are  fairly  well  sustained,  considering  the 
stagnation  of  the  market. 

Zinc  has  continued  to  decline  steadily. 

Lead  is  irregular  and  quiet. 

Tin  is  lower,  and  a  dull  month  is  predicted  because  of  the 
large  supply  and  heavy  deliveries  Into  consumption. 

Antimony  continues  on  the  downward  grade. 

Aluminum  is  easier. 

With  the  steel  mills  domestic  business  is  lighter,  as  here- 
tofore mentioned,  but  specifications  on  the  books  are  enough 
to  insure  activity  to  the  end  of  the  year  and  therefore  main- 
tained prices,  or  at  least,  prevent  substantial  declines.  Forg- 
ings  for  large  shells  constitute  a  large  item  with  the  larger 
mills.  The  total  pig-iron  production  in  June  was  3.211.58S 
tons,  or  107,053  tons  per  day,  against  3,361,073  tons  in  May, 
or  108,422  tons  daily.  Furnaces  are  showing  the  effects  of 
their  forced  operations.  There  is  a  heavy  export  demand  for 
steel-making  iron.  Iron  and  steel  exports  in  May  totaled 
$72,918,000,  against  $26,536,000  in  the  same  month  of  1915. 
The  total  for  11  months  ending  May  was  $545,418,000,  com- 
pared with  $279,000,000  for  the  record  period  ending  May,  1913. 

Munitions'  makers  who  have  finished  their  contracts  are 
beginning  to  offer  their  machine-tools  on  the  open  market, 
but  not  to  a  degree  which  injures  the  industry. 

COPPER 

In  the  past  week  the  situation  in  copper  has  undergone 
little  change,  and  interesting  features  are  almost  entirely 
lacking.  There  is  little  demand,  in  fact,  representatives  of 
the  trade  say  they  do  not  see  how  the  market  could  be  more 
dull.  Despite  the  quiet,  prices  are  fairly  well  maintained,  a 
situation  which  is  attributed  to  the  sold-up  condition  of  the 
larger  producers.  As  a  matter  of  fact  near-by  copper  is  not 
nearly  so  easy  to  obtain  as  some  of  the  daily  papers  assert. 
The  nominal  quotation  for  prompt  electrolytic  Is  26.50c.  cash, 
New  York,  or  about  26.37*c,  30  days,  delivered,  while  Lake 
is  nominally  quoted  at  27c.  cash,  for  prompt.  Just  a  trifle 
better  tone  is  apparent,  which  is  based  on  the  present  drive 
of  the  Allies  against  the  Germans.  It  is  argued  that  enormous 
quantities  of  ammunition  are  being  used,  and  that  a  fresh 
demand  for  copper  may  be  created.  Exports  in  June  reached 
the  excellent  total  of  35,753  tons,  a  figure  which  has  been 
exceeded  in  only  one  month  since  the  beginning  of  the  War. 
The  London  market  is  weak.  On  June  30.  when  the  last 
cable  quotation  was  received,  electrolytic  was  quoted  in 
London  at  £132. 

ZINC 

Quotations  for  this  metal  are  weak  the  world  over.  In  New 
York  and  at  St.  Louis  prices  have  continued  to  decline,  and 
to  do  so  without  exciting  the  interest  of  consumers.  Today 
prompt  zinc  is  easily  obtainable  at  lie,  New  York,  and  this 
price  probably  could  be  shaded.  It  is  equivalent  to  10.25c.  St. 
Louis.  July  delivery  can  be  had  at  10.50c,  St.  Louis,  and 
August  at  10c  At  London,  July  3,  the  market  dropped  £10  to 
£51  for  spot,  and  £8,  to  £45,  f<)r  futures.  It  is  difilcult  to  tell 
just  why  the  market  continues  to  decline  so  steadily,  al- 
though a  good  guess  would  be  that  new  producers  are  eager 
to  get  business,  while  the  old  ones  are  determined  to  retain 
their  hold  on  the  field.  Consequently  there  is  no  maintenance 
of  prices,  and  the  consumers,  aware  of  the  situation,  can 
afford  to  stand  by  and  see  just  how  low  prices  will  go.  The 
market  is  being  made  by  offerings.    Exports  last  month  totaled 


4275  tons*   The  quotation  for  sheet  zinc  is  18c,  f.o.b.  smelter, 
carload  lots. 

LEAD 
Reports  of  the  actual  condition  in  lead  are  contradictory, 
inasmuch  as  some  sellers  declare  they  are  doing  a  fair  busi- 
ness, while  others  say  there  is  nothing  doing.  One  thing  is 
certain,  and  that  is  the  recent  decline  in  the  market  was 
checked  by  some  export  buying,  including  one  lot  of  perhaps 
5000  tons  for  Russia.  Since  then  the  New  York  quotation  of 
independent  sellers  has  been  6.85c,  and  that  at  St.  Louis 
about  6.65c.  although  a  good  sale  involving  shipments  cover- 
ing the  last  half  of  the  year  was  made  at  substantial  conces- 
sions from  these  prices.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  continues  to  quote 
7c.  New  York,  and  6.92JC.  St.  Louis.  The  London  market  is 
weak  at  a  price  equivalent  to  6c,  New  York,  and  makes  further 
export  business  improbable.  Lower  domestic  prices  are  in- 
dicated.   Exports  in  June  totaled  2029  tons. 

TIN 

The  market  has  continued  dull,  and  prices  are  lower.  Aside 
from  these  basic  features,  interest  is  centred  in  the  June 
statistics.  These  showed  that  the  arrivals  of  the  month 
totaled  5695  tons,  and  that  the  deliveries  amounted  to  6398 
tons,  thereby  demonstrating  that  consumption  is  heavy.  Of 
the  deliveries,  2198  tons  came  from  the  Pacific  coast,  a  large 
part  of  which  probably  was  Chinese  tin.  The  heavy  deliver- 
ies indicate  a  slow  month  for  the  brokers.  The  total  of  Amer- 
ican deliveries  in  the  past  six  months  was  28,621  tons,  which 
compares  with  22,217  tons  in  the  first  half  of  1915,  an  increase 
of  6404  tons.  In  stock  and  landing.  June  30.  was  3963  tons, 
against  2468  tons,  May  31,  an  increase  of  1495  tons.  The 
London  market  is  weak.  The  New  York  quotation  was  easy 
at  38.87>c,  July  3.  but  despite  this  low  price,  business  could 
not  be  done. 

ANTIMONY 

This  metal  is  demoralized;  the  only  question  is  where  the 
decline  in  price  will  stop.  It  can  be  bought  today  at  16c,  per 
lb.  for  spot,  and  15c  for  futures,  and  it  is  asserted  that  a  firm 
offer  considerably  below  these  figures  would  not  be  spurned. 
Should  there  be  an  influx  of  shrapnel-shell  orders,  the  market 
would  take  a  sharp  turn  upward,  but  such  orders  are  not  con- 
sidered probable. 

ALUMINUM 

The  quotation  for  spot  No.  1  virgin  aluminum,  98  to  99% 
pure  is  lower  at  60  to  62  cents. 

ORES 

Antimony:  The  quotation  is  unchanged  and  nominal  at  $2 
per  unit. 

Tungsten:  In  a  general  way  the  situation  is  unchanged  and 
the  quotation  remains  unchanged  at  $30  to  $35  per  unit.  No 
business  of  importance  has  been  done,  although  there  are 
several  live  inquiries.  Some  of  these  come  from  sources  new 
to  the  sellers.  The  Tungsten  Products  Co..  Boulder.  Colorado, 
has  purchased  a  3-ton  Rennerfelt  electric  furnace,  150-kw.  for 
making  ferro-tungsten.  One  3-ton  electric  furnace,  and  one 
6-ton,  have  been  purchased  by  other  parties,  also  for  the  manu- 
facture of  ferro-tungsten. 

Melting  brass  and  bronze  with  the  electric  furnace  is  not 
new  in  Europe,  but  has  not  been  done  very  successfully  here- 
tofore in  the  United  States.  Two  Rennerfelt  electric  furnaces 
have  just  been  sold  by  Hamilton  &  Hansell.  New  York,  for 
melting  these  alloys.  The  Gerline  Brass  Foundry  Co..  Kala- 
mazoo. Michigan,  has  bought  a  J-ton  furnace  for  bronze,  and 
the  Titanium  Alloy  Mfg.  Co.,  Niagara  Falls.  New  York,  has 
bought  a  similar  furnace,  also  for  bronze. 


Jul:   i .-.    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


109 


COMPANY  REPORTS 


MIJNlioiw  MAAT8CHAPPIJ   RCDJANG  i  EBONQ 
This  silver  gold  producing  company's  proper!]  la  lo  Sumatra, 

Dutch  Bsst  ladles,  a  tan  boon  from  Blnga] Tha  report 

of  tht  leneral  manager.  K  C  Prey,  is  tor  tha  year  1916, 

lopmenl  amounted  in  1676  metres  (6680  ft.)     The  ore- 
body  was  .  in   00   Ni>.   7   level  hi   ilit'  middle  shall  dunlin   May, 

imt  water  makes  Further  work  slow.  PoaalbUIUea  oi  opanlns 
ore  at  depth  are  sufficiently  encouraging  u>  warrant  sinking 
the  shaft  in  No.  i"  level;  but  with  the  electric  power  available 
this  cannot  be  done  yet  Drought  Interfered  with  operations 
ear.  Two  new  power  schemes  have  been  Investigated. 
Mini-  ventilation  was  improved,    oui  atopes  were  fllled  with 

ions  of   waste.     Ore   reserves  are  estimated   ai    220,000 
Dg  $S  gold  ami  2  oz.  B  dwt  silver  per  ton.     During 


MAP   OF   THE   DUTCH    EAST    INDIES. 

The    Kedjang    Li-hoim    mine    is    in    Sumatra,    which    Is    also    a 

BUllton  Islands  and  the  Malay  Peninsula  are  large  tin  prod 
Burma  has  zinc-lead  mines,  also  ruby  deposits  and. oil.  In 
areas,  and  gold  lodes.  The  Celebes  have  copper  and  gold  n 
are  well-known  lode  and  dredging  properties.     New  Guinea 

tbe  year  13,094  tons  of  $9.50  gold  and  2  oz.  17  dwt.  silver  ore 
was  recovered  from  old  stopes.  This  was  formerly  regarded 
as  unprofitable.    The  value  of  the  ore  gets  less  with  depth. 

There  were  70  stamps  operated  293  days,  and  6  tube-mills 
248  days,  crushing  S3.329  tons  of  ore.  This  averaged  28.78 
gold  and  2  oz.  15  dwt.  silver  per  ton.  There  was  no  amalgama- 
tion done.  Pulp  was  classified  into  67.57r  for  slime  and  32.5% 
for  sand  treatment.  The  slime  plant  gave  94.S3%  gold  and 
B4.699!  silver  recovery,  and  the  sand  plant  86.99%  gold  and 
76.649!  silver.  Cyanide  percolates  with  ease  through  sand 
averaging  80%,  passing  200-mesh.  The  total  extraction  of  value 
was  90.69%.  Metal  recovery  was  34.204  oz.  of  gold  and  186,678 
oz.  of  silver,  worth  1,951,500  florins  (1  florin  =  40  cents).  The 
cost  was  $6  per  ton.  Dividends  absorbed  431.250  florins  or 
$172,500.  Employment  was  given  to  45  Europeans  and  1747 
colored  people. 

Among  the  experiments  done  during  the  year  were  included 
how  to  economize  in  cyanide  and  zinc,  also  the  local  treat- 
ment of  slag. 


M  I       I.VKI.I.    MINING    *    RAlLWAl     I   0 

Tbe  report  "f  Robert  Btlobl  fni  tba  adsd  March 

21,  1916,  uatsa  that  the  supply  id  labor  for  tha  minaa  »»»  In 
sufficient;  ns»  ft  oi  development  was  par  formed;  tha  HI 
Lyell  pyrltlc  orebody  was  opened  for  50  ft  on  Mo.  2  level, 
averaging  10  ft  wide,  which  i  d  to  ba  a  portion  oi  tha 

lowest   extremity  of  tba  deposit!   favorable   resulta  attended 

ting  a i  ljiio  it.  in  the  North  Lyell  mine;  ore  n 
lu  tba  Mt.  Lyell  mine  are  i. 816, .10.1  Ioiib  assaying  0.6891  copper, 
silver,  and  n. ni  n/..  gold;  in  ibe  North  Lyell  1,140,841 
tons  of  694  copper,  L88  oz  silver,  and  0.005  oz.  gold;  In  the 
South  I. yell  164,362  ions  of  of,  , upper.  0.2  oz.  silver  and  0.04 
0*.  gold:  tbe  dotation  plant  was  started  on  February  17.  and 
in  182  hours  treated  1 1 7 r,  ions  of  Lyell  Comstock  ore  oi 

grade  for  444  tons  of  8. S3",  concentrate,  a  satisfactory 

the  smelter  reduced   170,992  Ions  of  ore,    190,375  from  the  Ml. 

Lyell  and  69,497  from  the  North  Lyell),  flue-dust,  matte,  slag. 

etc.;  converters  produced  6,539,840  lb.  of  copper,  4682  oz.  of 
gold,  and  200,771  oz.  of  silver;  the 
cost  of  producing  blister-copper  In 
Tasmania  was  $4.56  per  ton  of  ore; 
Investigations  were  made  on  the 
recovery  of  sulphur  from  the  blast- 
furnaces; and  the  hydro-electric 
power  scheme  gave  complete  satis- 
faction. 

Owing  to  the  good  season  through- 
out Australia  the  super-phosphate 
works  at  Melbourne,  Adelaide,  and 
Fremantle  produced  a  large  quan- 
tity of  fertilizer. 

The  revenue  from  metals,  chem- 
ical products,  and  railroad  traffic 
totaled  £426,693  ($2,050,000).  The 
20th  dividend  absorbed  £80,575, 
making  £3,056,492  to  date.  Taxes 
amounted  to  £65,054  (Federal,  State, 
and  War).  The  company  has 
options  on  the  Hercules,  Tasmanian 
Copper,  and  Primose  mines  on  the 
west  coast  of  Tasmania.  These 
ores  are  complex,  and  are  being 
tested  by  flotation  at  Broken  Hill. 
An  average  of  2.61  blast-furnaces 
was  kept  up.  The  coke  works  in 
New  South  Wales  supplied  the  coke 
necessary.  Rainfall  at  the  mine 
was  35.67  Inches  on  112  days. 
Production  to  date  is  142,676  tons 
of  copper.  11,521,543  oz.  of  silver, 
and  341,079  oz.  of  gold. 


II  producer.  Banka  and 
ucers,  also  part  of  Siam. 
Borneo  are  oil.  dredging 
ines.  In  the  Philippines 
has   mining   possibilities. 


McINTYRE   PORCUPINE  MINES 

The  financial  year  of  this  Ontario  company  ended  on  March 
31,  1916.  The  report  of  the  manager,  R.  J.  Ennls,  contains 
interesting  notes  and  three  geologic  plans.  The  property  ad- 
joins the  Hollinger,  Schumacher,  and  Plenaurum  mines,  and 
includes  most  of  Pearl  lake. 

Development  amounted  to  6584  ft.,  also  5787  ft.  of  diamond- 
drilling.  Payable  orebodies  are  not  found  in  the  quartz-por- 
phyry of  No.  1  shaft.  Those  at  No.  4  are  confined  to  an  area 
of  two  acres  of  basaltic-schist.  Ore  reserves  are  estimated  at 
201.920  tons,  averaging  $11.12  gold  per  ton.  Mining  cost 
$2.5116  per  ton. 

The  mill  treated  105,758  tons,  assaying  $7,709  per  ton.  with 
95.6%  recovery,  at  a  cost  of  96.18c.  per  ton.  The  ball-mill  is 
entirely  satisfactory.  The  plant  now  has  a  capacity  of  450 
tons  per  day. 

The  year's  revenue  was  $775,821,  of  which  $327,524  was 
profit.  All  costs  were  $4.2783  per  ton.  The  balance  at  credit 
is  $383,050. 


110 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  15,  1916 


BOOK  REVIEWS 


MINING  DECISIONS 


Mm  iiAMi.u.  Engineer's  Hanu  Book.  By  Lionel  S.  Marks. 
P.  1836.     Index.    McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  New  York.     For  sale 

by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  San  Francisco.     Price,  $5. 

This  work  has  been  adapted  from  Hiitte.  translated  and  re- 
vised by  a  large  staff  of  specialists  on  various  engineering 
subjects.  Modifications  from  the  original  text  have  been 
made  in  order  to  adapt  the  subject  matter  to  American  use 
and  conditions.  It  is,  however,  not  merely  a  translation,  as 
the  greater  part  of  the  book,  especially  those  portions  deal- 
ing with  engineering  practice,  is  entirely  new.  Thirteen 
specialists  prepared  the  text  on  the  properties  of  engineering 
materials,  while  that  on  automobiles,  aeronautics,  illumina- 
tion, patent  law,  cost-accounting,  industrial  buildings  corro- 
sion, air-conditioning,  fire-protection,  and  prevention  of  acci- 
dents, has  each  been  prepared  by  separate  writers.  Mr.  Marks 
and  his  collaborators  have  done  a  splendid  work  in  presenting 
this  reference  work  for  the  benefit  of  the  engineering  pro- 
fession. 


Microscopical  Determination  ok  the  Opaque  Minerals.  By 
Joseph  Murdoch.  P.  165.  111.,  index.  John  Wiley  &  Sons, 
Inc.,  New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Piu:s>. 
Price,  $2. 

Three-quarters  of  this  book  consists  of  tables  for  the  classi- 
fication and  identification  of  minerals,  arranged  with  thumb 
Indentations.  The  first  quarter  of  the  book  treats  of  the  his- 
tory, development,  and  technique  of  the  microscopical  deter- 
mination of  minerals.  In  a  preface,  L.  C.  Gratton  of  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  remarks:  "This  scheme  for  determina- 
tion of  opaque  minerals  does  not  require  a  specialized  training 
for  its  intelligent  use.  Practically  the  only  requirement  is  to 
follow  the  simple  directions.  The  entire  scheme  may  be  mas- 
tered by  anyone  possessing  common  sense  and  a  good  eye." 
The  problems  that  were  solved  in  the  Harvard  laboratories 
by  this  method  of  investigation  include:  the  relation  of  gold 
and  silver  in  ores  as  affecting  choice  of  treatment;  the  condi- 
tion of  fine  metal  lost  in  mill  tailing  and  in  slag;  the  effect 
of  roasting  and  leaching  of  sulphide-bearing  tailing;  the 
character  of  furnace  matte;  geological  problems  involving 
metal  in  pulp  from  drill-holes. 


The  Engineer  in  War.  By  P.  S.  Bond.  P.  176.  111.,  index. 
McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  Inc.,  New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $1.50. 

This  book  is  a  revision  and  amplification  of  a  series  of  ar- 
ticles that  appeared  recently  in  the  Engineering  Record.  It  is 
addressed  mainly  to  the  civilian  engineer  who  is  desirous  of 
learning  at  least  a  little  concerning  the  part  he  may  be  called 
upon  to  play  in  time  of  war.  Any  attempt,  however,  to  write 
a  complete  treatise  on  military  engineering  is  expressly  dis- 
claimed. The  first  two  chapters  deal  with  the  military  policy 
of  the  United  States  and  with  the  general  duties  of  the  mili- 
tary engineer.  The  various  branches  of  military  engineering 
are  then  discussed,  emphasis  being  placed  upon  the  fact  that, 
whereas  the  civil  engineer  in  general  aims  to  build  a  per- 
manent structure  at  the  lowest  possible  cost,  the  military  en- 
gineer must  build,  in  the  least  rjossible  time  and  at  whatever 
cost  may  be  necessary,  a  temporary  structure  that  will  be 
serviceable.  A  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  mobilization  of  ma- 
terial resources  along  the  lines  of  the  industrial  preparedness 
census  now  being  taken.  The  final  chapter  contains  sugges- 
tions regarding  ways  in  which  engineers  and  contractors  may 
fit  themselves  for  military  service  in  time  of  need,  suggestions 
that  will  be  much  heeded  by  many  engineers. 


M i n i no  Contract — Abandon ment 

A  mining  contract  obligated  the  option-holder  to  install  cer- 
tain machinery  and  carry  on  development  work.  Abandon- 
ment of  work  for  a  period  of  six  months  was  to  operate  as  a 
forfeiture.  Held,  in  a  suit  to  quiet  title  and  forfeit  contract, 
that  the  obligation  to  commence  work  began  with  the  Bignlng 
of  the  option,  and  not  after  the  machinery  was  installed. 
Failure  for  more  than  a  year  to  install  the  agreed  machinery 
was  sufficient  grounds  for  forfeiture  of  the  contract. 

Barandun  v.  Barandun  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  (California  1, 
156  Pacific,  473.    March  8,  1916. 


Oil   Lands  Claimed  by   United   States — JURISDICTION 

A  Court  of  Equity  has  jurisdiction  to  grant  an  interlocutory 
injunction  in  a  suit  brought  by  the  United  States  to  enjoin 
the  taking  of  petroleum  from  land  which  the  Government 
claims  to  own,  and  which  constitutes  its  chief  value,  par- 
ticularly where  the  United  States  owns  adjacent  oil-lands 
which  might  be  drained  by  the  defendant's  alleged  illegal 
operations. 

El  Dora  Oil  Co.  v.  United  States  (California),  229  Federal. 
946.     December  4,  1915. 


Oil  Trespass — Damages  for  Conversion 

One  who  wilfully  and  intentionally  takes  ore,  timber,  or 
other  property  from  the  land  of  another  must  respond  in  dam- 
ages for  the  full  value  of  the  property  taken,  at  the  time  of  the 
conversion,  without  any  deduction  for  the  labor  bestowed  or 
expense  incurred  in  removing  and  preparing  it  for  the  market; 
but  if  he  commits  the  wrongful  act  unintentionally,  or  by 
mistake,  or  in  the  honest  belief  that  he  is  acting  within  his 
legal  rights,  the  measure  of  liability  is  the  value  of  the  prop- 
erty taken,  less  what  it  costs  to  produce  it.  This  rule  applies 
to  trespass  on  oil-lands,  and  additional  damages  may  be 
allowed  for  the  withholding  of  compensation  to  the  rightful 
owner. 

Bryson  v.  Crown  Oil  Co.   (Indiana).  112  Northeastern,  1. 
March  31, 1916. 

Petroleum  Withdrawals — Effect  Of 

The  proviso  of  the  act  of  June  25,  1910,  saving  from  the 
force  and  effect  of  petroleum  withdrawals  the  rights  of  bona- 
fide  occupants  or  claimants  of  oil  or  gas-bearing  lands  who  at 
that  date  were  in  the  diligent  prosecution  of  work  leading  to 
discovery  of  oil  or  gas,  contemplates  work  of  actual  develop- 
ment with  a  view  to  discovery  of  oil  or  gas,  and  does  not 
include  efforts  to  secure  capital  to  carry  on  work  of  develop- 
ment or  to  secure  a  purchaser  to  take  over  the  property.  An 
order  of  withdrawal  has  the  same  force  and  effect  as  an  ad- 
verse claim  asserted  by  any  qualified  person;  and  if  a  claim 
within  a  withdrawn  area  would  have  been  subject  to  peace- 
able entry  by  an  adverse  claimant  because  of  lack  of  diligence 
on  the  part  of  the  prospector,  it  would  be  defeated  by  the 
order  of  withdrawal.  Where  an  application  for  patent  under 
the  mining  laws  is  based  on  a  certain  specified  location,  and 
proceedings  by  the  government  are  instituted  against  the 
same,  charging  that  some  of  the  alleged  locators  are  without 
interest,  the  applicant  will  not  be  heard,  in  the  absence  of 
publication  and  all  other  processes  attendant  upon  an  original 
application,  to  assert  that  in  fact  he  bases  his  application  on  a 
different  location  of  the  same  land. 

Pacific  Midway  Oil  Co.  et  al.  (Land  Department).  44  Land 
Decisions.  420.    April  21,  1915. 


and 

Scientific 


t  J.t»d  by 
T.  A.  RICKARO 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  JULY  22,  1916 


Volum*  113 
Number  4 


INGOTS 


*££ 


CAKES 


WIRE-BARS 


COPPER  in  three  of  its  marketable  forms  is  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying photographs.  Ingots  usually  weigh  60  pounds  apiece 
and  are  used  for  casting  purposes.  Wire-bars  are  3  to  4  inches 
square  and  3  to  7  feet  long,  averaging  300  to  400  lb.;  they  are  used 
for  drawing  wire.  Cakes  are  cast  square,  in  weights  of  100  lb.  and 
more,  even  up  to  4000  lb.  for  special  purposes.  This  form  of  copper  is 
used  for  rolling  into  sheets.  To  the  miner  this  picture  will  look  good,  for 
those  lumps  of  metal  are  as  truly  bullion  as  gold. 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


Which  is  your  size? 

If   yours   is   a   flotation    or    cyanide    mil! — if   its 

capacity  is  5  or  5000  tons — if  you  run  gold  or 

silver,  lead,  zinc,  or  coppei — you  have 

use  for  an  Oliver  Continuous  Filter. 


We  Are  Specialists 

Filters  are  all  that  we  build.  Their  design, 
based  on  long  engineering  experience,  and 
their  performance  in  320  mills  have  made 
the  Oliver  the  filter.  In  80  of  the  320  instal- 
lations, the  Oliver  has  replaced  other  filter, 
ing  or  dewatering  systems.  The  first  Oliver 
built  is  still  in  use. 


To  the  left  are  shown 
four  of  the  types  in 
which  Oliver  Filters  are 
built  At  the  top,  the 
smallest  —  for  handling 
two  to  three  tons.  At 
the  bottom  is  the  12x12- 
ft.  type.  Between  are  the 
5x4-ft.  and  the  8x8- 
ft.  types.  Units  even 
larger  than  these  are 
in  successful  oper- 
ation. One  of  the 
types  or  sizes  will 
fit    your   mill   with 


By  giving  us  details  of  your 
work,  you  can  learn  of  new 
money  -  saving  uses  for  a 
filter.     No  obligation — write. 

No   royalties   to  pay  on 
ANY  work  of  an  Oliver. 


OLIVER 

CONTINUOUS 
FILTER  COMPANY 

501    MARKET  ST. 
SAN  FRANCISCO 


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San  Francisco,  July  22,  1916 


IS  p«r  Year— 10  Cent!  per 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

MD1TOR1AL 

111 

Amiiiiik   vii\   Decision  11J 

Tin-  uUeUnal  arch  as  hih-x  In  the  .llni  Bntler  v.  West 
End   esse  st   Tooopah.     Comparison   by    the    Editor 

with  Australia    and    dOIDM    in     ' 

i      Considerations    beyond    "thi  hi    of 

ITIOK    AGAIN     114 

..in  on  an  address  by  the  president  of  ill.'  Case 
School  of  Applied  Science,  as  abstracted  In  this  Issue. 
A  subject  that  Is  undergoing  much  comment  at  this 
time 


•       DISCI  B8ION 
Si  Km  I  M    IHDII   LTION8  "I    COPPEB. 

By  Courtenay  De  Kaib   115 

Comment  on  the  series  of  articles  by  Mr.  Probert.  The 
Importance  ot  alterations  In  rock  undergoing  miner- 
alisation by  later  invasions  of  heated  gases  or  solu- 
tions.   Cumulative  intensity  of  alteration, 

Thi  Discovsbi  01  Ci  intdation. 

By    Thos.    Marshall    1  in 

The  writer  first  introduced  the  discoverer  of  the 
cyanide  process.  John  9  MacArthur,  to  a  Californian 
gold  mine.  No  radical  change  in  the  cyanide  process 
has  since  1888,  but  mechanical  methods  o( 

operation  have  been  Improved 

As  Earthquake  in  Nevada. 

By  Loring  Sanson    11" 

Rumbles  and  shakes  continue  near  Golconda,  N<  vada, 

PBOSPEI  TIM.:    A    Si     i     -I  [OS. 

By  Harold  French  117 


on,  several  prospectors  working  under  the 
direction  of  a  mining  engineer,  is  recommended.  An 
inti  resting  suggestion. 


ARTICLES 

Tin.  BoLTvtAS  Tin    INDUSTRY. 

By  Howland  Bancroft  119 

Of  Bolivia's  tin  output.  409!  comes  from  two  con- 
tiguous mines.  More  than  26  other  mines  produce  in- 
termittently. Mining  methods  are  crude.  Indian 
laborers  average  $1  per  day.  Prices  charged  for 
smelting  Bolivian  tin  ores  were  $58  to  $72  in  England, 
$97  in  United  States,  and  $34  to  $44  In  Germany. 

ENGINEERING.   EdUCATTOS    in    THE   (JOTTED  STATES. 

By  Charles  8.  Howe 126 

The  choice  between  a  specialized  technical  course  or 
a  broad  general  training.    An  address  delivered  by  the 


Pi,  si, I,  nt 

•  land. 


"I    the   Case    School    of    Applied    Science, 


111  I.  ROP8    VNi,  1  in    Pbobpei  tor. 

By  William   II.  Storms   

The  outcrop  is  discussed  from  the  polnl  ol  view  ol  the 
prospector.     Attractive  outcrops  that  arc  barren.   In- 
different-looking outcrops  thai  covered  rich  orebodli 
Practical  notes  on  how  to  recognize  magneslte,  cb.ro- 
initc  cinnabar,  and  the  tungsten  minerals 

Cdstow  Smelters  and  Shall  Minis. 

By  J.   M.    Turnbiill    133 

Most  custom-smelters  play  the  game  fairly.  Several 
small  tricks  of  the  trade  explained  to  the  shipper  of 
ore.  Economic  considerations;  loss  in  smoke:  smelt- 
ers serve  as  selling  agents  and  bankers. 

Gold-Schkelitb  Obe  in  New  Zealand. 

By  C.   »'.  QuAgeon    136 

Gold-scheelite  ore.  after  being  hand-picked,  is  ground 
to  80-mesh,  the  coarse  gold  is  amalgamated,  the  schee- 
lite  separated  on  Willley  tables,  and  the  sand  cyanided. 
The  concentrate  is  roasted  and  treated  by  a  magnetic- 
separation  process. 


TlIK    DEM  v  Nil   FOB  Ql  li  K8ILVK8    

The    production    of   quicksilver    in    the    United    States 
during   1915  was  $1  .S.26, 912.  of  wiiich   $1,174,881    came 
from  California.     The  average  price  was  $86 
75-lb.  flask. 

Tin:  Bit;  THREE   

Three  copper  producers  show  a  net  earning  capacity 

of  $  in. .ikiii  on  a  25-cent   market.  Anaconda.  Kenne- 

COtt,  and  Utah  Copper. 


137 


137 


DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    138 

Review  of  Mini.no  139 

Special  correspondence  from  Plat  River,  Missouri: 
Wrangell,  Alaska:  Washington.  D.  C;  Toronto.  On- 
tario. 

The   Minim;    Summary    141 

Pebsonai 146 

Tin:  Metal  Market  147 

Eastebs   Metal  Mabkei    _ 14S 

Ci  'Mian  v   Reports   149 

Esperanza.  Limited;   Cordoba  Copper  Company. 

Hi  i  i-.r   Publications   150 

Industrial  Notes    150 

ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's  Guide    26 

Index   to   Advertisers    32 


Established  May  24,  1860.  as  The  Scientific  Pre**;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  game  year  to  Mining  nnd  Scientific 
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ter.     Cable  address:   Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York,  1308-10 
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MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  22.  1916 


Use  either   electrode  at  will,  all   ad- 
justments are  automatically  made 
by  G-E  Arc  Welding  Outfit 


Carbon  electrode 

used  for  cutting  or 

heavy  current  welding 


Metal  electrode 

builds  up  or  fills 

cavities  when  welding 


Welding  Seams  on  Locomotive  Firebox 


Cuts  Repair  Cost  —  Saves  Time 

If  shippers  are  busy  elsewhere  don't  wait — let  the  G-E  arc  welder  do  its 
own  chipping.  Don't  even  take  time  to  remove  a  flat  wheel — the  G-E  arc 
welder  will  build  it  up  while  in  place.  You  can  control  heat  and  building 
of  metal,  thus  preventing  distortion,  uneven  crystallization  and  cavities. 

The  <i-E  arc  welder  is  used  all  over  the  world.  It.  has  made  good  in 
China  ;  it  is  making  emergency  repairs  for  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  rapid 
transit  rolling  stock  of  New  York  City  is  kept  in  shape  by  its  help. 

Our   nearest   local   office    will    be    pleased    to   give   you    additional    information. 

General  Electric  Company 

General  Office :  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

District  Offices  in 

Boston.  Mass.        New  York,  N.  Y.         Philadelphia.  Penna.        Atlanta,  'la. 

Cincinnati.  Ohio.        Chicago,  III.        Denver.  Colo.        San  Franeisc  >,  <  al. 

St.  Louis.  Mo.        Sales  Offices  in  All  Large  Cities.  0120 


■*■ 


1916 


MINING  ....J  .S..c„i,h.    |'KI  SS 


111 


* 


EDITORIAL 


T.  A.  RICHARD,  Editor 


IK  prosperity  be  measured  by  the  purchase  of  Iuj 
then  ill''  importation  of  diamond!  and  other  precious 
i  ti  unmistakably.    In  the  Bacal  year  end- 
ing .luii.-  in  the  port  hi'  New  York  admitted  $44,887,886 
worth  gi  nsl  114,760,847  in  1916 

•  in  1914 


IN  mir  issue  n!'  July  6  we  criticised  the  mid-year  sum 
-*•  inary  of  mining  prog  l  by  tin1  Geological 

Surrey  as  being  too  general  in  it*  statements.  Since 
then  «•■  hare  received  the  resume1  prepared  by  Mr. 
Charles  G.  Yale  covering  mining  operations  in  California 
anil  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  thai  it  is  an  admir- 
able precis  of  information  prepared  by  a  trained  journal- 
ist In  reports  of  this  kind  it  is  necessary  to  give  live 
details  as  well  as  embracing  generalities.  To  do  so  effect- 
ively in  a  modicum  "t'  spa.,,  requires  something  more 
than  a  bundle  of  statie 


/~V  R  friend  the  editor  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Insti- 
^^  tute  bulletin  has  tin-  saving  sense  of  humor  that 
makes  the  wheels  of  lite  run  sweetly.    What  he  had  to 

Bay,    in    the   July    issue,   on    "the   delieate   subject"    dis- 

cussed  in  our  issue  of  July  1  is  excellent.  That  "all  the 
n-ally    important    mining    undertakings    in    the    United 

States  are  dii ted  by  Canadian  engi rs"  is  manifestly 

true  because  to  the  Canadian  only  the  undertakings  so 
dii ted  are  of  real  importance.  Joking  apart,  it  is  re- 
markable what  a  splendid  group  of  metallurgists  has 
been  given  to  this  continent  by  McGill  University. 


TFTK  Bad  it  necessary  to  refer  again  to  the  Canadian 
"  Mining  Institute's  July  bulletin,  because  it  con- 
tain^ an  article  by  Mr.  David  H.  Browne,  or  what  he 
explains  as  the  joint  effort  of  I  imself  and  his  friend  Mr. 
Gilbert  Rigg.  who  is  now  on  Ids  way  to  Australia,  and 
therefore  unable  to  disclaim  the  responsibility.  It  reads 
a  good  deal  like  our  friend  in  New  York,  so  we  shall 
presume  thai  be  and  Mr.  Kigg  are  equally  thoughtful  and 
sympathetic.  Truly,  such  a  splendid  lay  sermon  is  not 
often  to  be  found  in  a  technical  publication,  and  we 
thank  the  editor,  Mr.  II.  Mortimer-Lamb,  for  it.  Canada 
has  indeed  found  herself  in  this  war;  she  is  no  longer 
merely  a  population,  colony,  or  dominion,  but  a  Nation. 


T^INC  continues  to  cheapen.  Undoubtedly  the  estimate 
*-*  of  production  published  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Sur- 
vey seared  the  market,  fur  the  decline  in  price  followed 
immediately  thereafter.  The  forecast  of  an  output  this 
year  130%  higher  than  that  of  1914  was  enough  to  make 
the  producers  of  spelter  think  furiously  and  dejectedly. 


Even  though  this  official  estimate  erred  in  exaggerating 
the  probable  production,  it  bad  the  effect  of  a  loud  warn 
bag  to  tin-  careless  optimists  in  the  metal  market.  If  the 
Government  forecast  be  discounted  by  26%,  there  still 
remains  more  than  enough  sine  for  any  risible  demand. 
The  price  has  fallen  to  !'|  cents  per  pound,  as  compared 
with  IT '.  cents  in  January. 


T\1SCUSSI0N   tins   week   starts   with   some   interesting 

*-*  comment  by  Mr.  Courtenay  De  Kalb  on  Mr.  Pro- 

bert's  articles  on  'Surficial  Indications  of  Copper.*  Mr. 
De    Kalb  dwells  upon   the   part    played   by  gases  of   mag 

malic  origin  in  producing  the  alteration  of  mineralized 

rock.      Mr.   Thomas  Marshall,   now    with    the   North   Star 

Mines  at  Grass  Valley,  recounts  liis  early  acquaintance 
with  the  discoverer  of  cyanidation  and  gives  several  in- 
teresting noirs  concerning  the  first  application  of  the 
process  in  California.  Mr.  Luring  Hanson  corroborates 
Mr.  Berry's  description  of  the  earthquake  in  Nevada. 
Mr.  Harold  French  writes  as  a  mining  engineer  to  sug- 
gest a  new  scheme  of  prospecting,  giving  details  of  the 
cost  involved. 

QUICKSILVER  has  been  the  sport  of  artificial  con- 
ditions, as  our  readers  are  aware.  On  another  page 
we  publish  a  timely  summary  of  this  branch  of  the 
mining  industry  as  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 
The  supply  of  quicksilver  in  this  country  has  been 
coming  from  a  few  mines;  in  California  the  New  Idria 
has  contributed  75  to  80%  of  the  output  during  the  last 
decade,  and  in  Texas  the  Chisos  mine,  in  l lie  Terlingua 
district,  is  the  only  important  producer.  In  California, 
the  New  Almaden  and  Guadalupe  mines,  which  are  con- 
tiguous, are  important,  and  quite  recently  the  Oceanic 
has  come  into  prominence.  In  Nevada,  the  output  comes 
from  a  number  of  small  mines.  A  discovery  of  high- 
grade  cinnabar  ore  has  been  made  recently  near  Morton, 
in  Washington. 


"DEFERRING  to  the  subject  of  a  national  engineer 
■*-*•  reserve,  discussed  under  'Preparedness'  in  our  issue 
of  June  24.  we  are  glad  to  state  that  the  legislation 
authorizing  the  organization  of  an  Engineer  Reserve  has 
been  enacted  by  Congress  and  has  become  effective  as 
from  July  1,  1916.  This  Army  Reorganization  Act  con- 
tains provisions  for  the  formation  of  an  Officers  Reserve, 
including  engineers.  The  War  Department  is  issuing  an 
invitation  to  the  engineers  of  the  country  to  apply  for 
commissions  in  the  Reserve  Corps  of  Engineers  in  the 
several  grades  from  Second  Lieutenant  to  Major,  and 
any  of  our  readers  desiring  information  concerning  the 


112 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22.  1916 


method  of  procedure  required  to  secure  a  commission 
should  apply  to  the  secretary  of  their  respective  national 
engineering  society. 


QCHEELITB  in  gold  ore  may  make  the  ore  more  valu- 
^  able  for  the  tungsten  than  for  the  gold.  Hand-pick- 
ing the  scheelite  and  treatment  of  the  ore  for  gold  is  the 
usual  procedure,  as  noted  by  Mr.  A.  D.  Cox  in  our  issue 

.if  January  s  describing  praetiee  at  the  Union  Hill  mine. 
Crass  Valley.  Fine  crushing  would  usually  make  it  im- 
possible to  save  both  the  gold  and  scheelite,  as  the  latter 
is    friable   and    makes   a   floury   mess.      In   this   issue    we 

publish  an  article  describing  tin-  method  at  gold-scheelite 
mines  in  the  South  Island  of  New  Zealand.  The  ore  is 
crushed  to  30-mesh,  alter  being  hand-picked,  and  the 
coarse  gold  is  saved  on  copper  plates.  The  pulp  is 
classified  before  going  to  Wilfley  tables,  where  the  scheel- 
ite is  separated,  the  sand  being  eyanided.  As  much  as 
'>"<•,  pyrite  may  accompany  the  35%  of  scheelite  and 
the  2i.oz.  gold  in  the  concentrate.  Roasting  of  the  con- 
centrate follows,  with  magnetic  separation. 


rPIIE  notorious  I.  W.  W.  is  making  trouble  at  the  iron 
-*-  mines  of  the  Mesabi  range  in  Minnesota.  The 
initials  'I.  W.  \V.'  officially  mean  'Industrial  Workers 
of  the  World.'  and  unofficially  "I  Won't  Work.'  In 
Minnesota,  agitators  from  Chicago  found  support  from 
only  a  small  minority.  Foiled  in  an  attempt  to  eall  a 
strike,  the  disturbers  threatened  the  life  anil  property 
of  the  miners,  forcing  them  to  stop  work.  It  is  charged 
that  they   intimated,   through   the   wife  or  other   women 

of  a  household,  that  the  husband  or  brother  would  be 

killed,  or  thai  the  duelling  would  be  burned,  unless  the 
men  of  the  family  stopped  work.  Rather  than  live  in  a 
state  of  terror,  many  families  quietly  left  the  district 
and  found  employment  elsewhere.  This  constitutes 
neither  a  strike  nor  a  lock-out  ;  it  is  plain  terrorism.  As 
tlie  Iron  River  Reporter  exclaims,  "Think  of  it!  In 
these  United  States  of  America,  where  men  claim  the 
greatest  freedom  of  any  nation  on  earth,  a  few  profes- 
sional agitators  may  invade  a  peaceful  community  and 
drive  workingmen  from  their  toil  and  homes."  An  in- 
teresting side-light  was  thrown  on  the  Mesabi  strike 
when  a  particular  agitator  from  Chicago  communicated 
to  the  mine-managers  that  if  they  wanted  trouble 
stopped,  they  could  "make  arrangements"  with  him. 
Even  this  is  nothing  new.  The  worker  has  ever  been  the 
victim  of  irresponsible  anarchists,  for  that  describes  the 
man  that  disregards  all  the  laws  governing  an  organized 
community. 


T^ROM  the  lengthy  report  of  the  Zinc  Corporation 
■*■  meeting  appearing  in  the  Financial  Times  we  gather 
that  a  concerted  attack  has  been  made  on  the  manage- 
ment of  that  important  company's  affairs  by  Messrs.  F. 
A.  Govett  and  H.  C.  Hoover.  At  the  meeting  Mr. 
Govett,  as  chairman,  made  a  full  and  frank  statement; 
indeed  he  is  habitually  outspoken  and  ready  to  take 
shareholders  into  his  confidence,  to  a  degree  exposing  him 
to  the  charge  of  egoism.     But  it  is  a  good  fault,  partic- 


ularly at  a  time  when  the  difficulties  due  to  the  War 
have  caused  complications  in  the  company's  affairs  and 
offered  a  chance  tor  malicious  inuendo.  In  his  speech  he 
disclosed  the  extraordinary  diversity  of  the  company's 
financial  participations  and  promotions.  Business  of 
this  kiud  dtmuot  be  conducted  in  public  view;  much  of 
it  must  be  kept  secret  from  competitors;  therefore,  it  is 
essential  that  those  in  control  bold  the  complete  con- 
fidence of  the  shareholders.  If  the  latter  are  unwilling 
to  place  such  confidence  in  their  trustees,  the  business 
becomes  impracticable.  The  necessary  dealings  and 
interplays  of  finance  must  be  taken  on  good  faith  if  any- 
thing effective  is  to  be  clone.  We  do  not  know  why 
Messrs.  Govett  and  Hoover  should  not  be  supported  in 
their  management  ;  it  seems  to  us  that  the  Zinc  Corpora- 
tion would  have  been  on  the  scrap-heap  long  ago  if  these 
two  capable  men  had  not  co-operated  strenuously  to  re- 
organize and  administer  it  during  bad  times.  The  in- 
trusion of  an  old  feud  is  deeply  regrettable  and  can  do 
no  good  to  anyone.  Leaving  this  unpleasant  phase  of 
the  subject,  we  note  Mr.  Govett 's  tribute  to  Mr.  W.  M. 
Hughes,  now  Prime  Minister  of  the  Australian  Com- 
monwealth, who  has  shown  a  keen  appreciation,  so  rare 
among  British  officials,  of  the  importance  of  the  mining 
industry  and  of  I  he  necessity  for  protecting  the  metal 
production  of  the  Empire.  Apparently  the  idea  of  a 
bounty  or  preferential  tariff  on  zinc  is  being  advocated 
by  him  as  the  only  means  of  helping  the  Australian  zinc 
mines  against  foreign  competition.  Already  a  Zinc  Pro- 
ducers Association  has  been  organized  to  facilitate  the 
sale  of  the  concentrate  produced  at  Broken  Hill  and 
schemes  to  build  smelters  are  being  planned  with  the 
hope  that  the  Imperial  Government  will  grant  a  bounty 
ensuring  the  price  of  spelter  being  maintained  at  £23, 
or  $115  per  long  ton.  equivalent  to  5  cents  per  pound. 
There  is  talk  of  an  electrolytic  plant  to  be  built  in  Tas- 
mania, where  cheap  hydro-electric  power  is  available  An 
experimental  plant  of  this  kind  is  being  erected  at  New- 
castle in  behalf  of  the  Zinc  Corporation  and  the  Burma 
Corporation,  which  are  under  the  same  control.  Mean- 
while, under  the  energetic  leadership  of  Mr.  W.  S. 
Robinson,  the  Associated  Smelters  combination,  which 
acquired  the  Broken  Hill  Proprietary's  works  at  Port 
Pirie.  is  helping  to  take  care  of  much  of  the  lead  con- 
centrate that  used  to  be  treated  in  Europe.  Efforts  to 
sell  zinc  concentrate  in  the  United  States  were  checked, 
says  Mr.  Govett,  by  the  under-selling  between  the  vari- 
ous Australian  mining  companies,  leading  to  a  reduction 
in  ] i rice  that  spoiled  the  business.  It  seems  to  us  that 
the  import  duty  and  the  cost  of  frieght  to  this  country 
would  be  enough  to  prevent  the  establishmment  of  such 
a  trade.  To  bring  spelter  to  the  United  States  is  like 
carrying  coal  to  Pennsylvania ;  any  importation  suffi- 
cient to  affect  the  market  for  the  domestic  output  would 
provoke  the  demand  for  a  protective  duty,  in  addition 
to  the  10%  now  levied  on  the  gross  value.  Evidently 
the  future  of  the  zinc  industry  at  Broken  Hill  is  not  yet 
assured  and  unless  artificial  support  is  forthcoming,  by 
tariff  legislation,  it  is  likely  that  hard  times  will  ensue 
when  War  prices  cease  to  be  paid  for  spelter. 


1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


113 


Another  Apex  Decision 

On  July  .i  the  Supreme  Conii  of  Nevada  affirmed  the 

f  it"1  lower  court  in  the  Jim  Butler  i>.  Waal 

End  case,  i  Mm-  readera  «ill  recall  that  in  thiadiapute  be- 
tween two  mining  eompaniea  at  Tonopah,  the  trial  eourl 
had  derided  in  favor  of  the  Waal  End  Consolidated 
Mining  Company,  as  reoorded  in  our  is.su>'  of  May  i.\ 
at  which  time  we  pnbliahed  soma  detail!  of  the 
geologic  itruetnre  on  which  the  oonflict  was  baaed.  We 
ss  that  the  opinion  of the  higher  court,  just  aa  orach 
as  thai  of  the  lower  one,  in  so  far  as  either  defines  and 
.lis.-us.scs  the  geologic  features,  is  unconvincing,  The 
aooompanying  sketch  is  taken  from  the  text  of  the  de- 
cdaion.  Two  veins  meal  at  />'.  the  north-dipping  vein 
appears  t.>  extend  upward  to  .1,  where  it  reaches  the  top 
of  the  traohyte,  which  is  then vend  by  a  later  flow  of 


Hk-J^tj 


Iiiai.ii  \  M    in     mi  \    STH1  CTUBE. 

ami. -sit.-.  In  short,  the  point  .1  marks  a  former  surface, 
at  which  the  vein  is  cut  off.    The  West  End  claimed  this 

as  an  apex  that   gave  it  the  right   to  follow  not  only  the 

north-dipping  vein  but  also  the  one  dipping  south  into 
the  Jim  Butler  ground.  The  principal  feature  of  the 
case  was  the  introduction  of  a  theory  that  the  two  limbs  of 
tii is  si  ructure  constituted  an  anticlinal  arch.  In  the  opin- 
ion of  the  Supreme  Court  the  second  of  the  two  main 
questions  of  law  submitted  to  it — the  first  dealing  with 
irregularity  of  end  lines — was  "whether,  within  the 
meaning  of  the  Aci  of  Congress,  the  crest  or  crown  of  a 
vein  which  is  found  in  the  form  of  a  single  anticline  may 
he  regarded  as  the  top  or  apex  of  the  vein,  and  extra- 
lateral  rights  exist  upon  such  vein  in  opposite  direc- 
tions." The  Court  decides  that  "if  it  be  true  that  the 
law  contemplates  that  every  vein  has  an  apex,  then  it 
necessarily  follows,  we  think,  that  the  crest  of  the  anti- 
clinal roll  is  the  apex."  The  lower  court  evidently  was 
puzzled  by  a  set  of  conditions  so  far  outside  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  original  framers  of  the  law  of  1872,  and 
Judge  Averill's  opinion  reflected  his  perplexity,  for  he 
did  not  accept  the  idea  of  a  'blanket'  or  'contact'  vein, 
while  talking  about  "the  anticlinal  axis  of  the  united 
main  quartz  bodies."  No  wonder  that  he  confessed  that 
"the  condition  described  is  one  that  escaped  the  fore- 
sight of  Congress  and  is  also  exceedingly  remote  from 
the  simplicity  of  the  plan  they  chose  to  adopt ;  yet  the 


law  must  be  applied  to  it "  And  the  Ian  la  going  to  have 
a  hard  iim.  m  (tracking  tins  nut.  The  Supreme  Court  ..i 
Nevada  baa  i.e.. I  the  chief  problem,  whether  eitra  lal 

eral  rights  exisl   upon  a  vein  in  the  form  of  a  sine! 

elinal  fold  and  whether  those  rights  extend  over  both 

limbs  ..I'  the  structure  or  only  over  the  having  the 

same  dip  as  the  diseo\ery   vein.      It    decides  in    favor  of 

both  directions,  declining  to  hold  that  "end  lines  may 

I..-  considered  aa  having  only  •  direction,"     There 

fore  there  is  "nothing  in  the  statute  which  militates 
against  extra-lateral  rights  upon  such  vein  in  opposite 

directions  the  same  as  though  it  were  two  veins  with 
Separate  apices,  instead  of  one  vein."  A  lot  of  spa.e  iii 
the  opinion  is  given  to  defining  'top'  or  'apex,'  hut  there 

is  lefinition  of  'anticlinal  fold.'     Is  any  continuous 

deposition  of  ore  along  a  contact  or  along  two  contacts 
that  intersect  to  be  considered  an  anticline  if  it  has  the 

shape  of  a  fork,  pent-house,  or  arch  ?     Does  mil   the  term 

'anticlinal  fold'  suppose  the  bending  of  a  continuous 
layer  of  material,  not  necessarily  the  ore  that  follows  a 
beilditig-plane  or  sympathetic  fracture,  but  the  rock  in 
which  or  the  rocks  between  which  the  ore  lies?  The 
existence  of  such  it  structure  in  the  disputed  ground   is 

assumed,  although  the  lower  court  was  decidedly  hazy 
on  the  matter,  if  not  averse  from  the  idea.  We  may  add 
thai  the  present  writer  went  underground  on  the  day 
when  Judge  Averill's  decision  was  published  and  saw 
the  chief  evidence  himself  in  the  West  End  mine.  If 
his  opinion  have  any  value,  it  is  because  it  is  unpreju- 
diced and  is  based  upon  an  unusual  familiarity  with 
'saddle-reefs'  in  Australia  and  'domes'  in  Nova  Scotia, 
the  two  types  of  anticlinal  structure  pre-eminently  asso- 
ciated with  important  deposits  of  gold  ore.  In  the  West 
End  mine  he  saw  nothing  to  remind  him  either  of  the 
Miches  of  quartz  at  Bendigo  or  of  the  domical  formation 
at  Waverley.  Of  course,  those  orebodies  follow  the  hed- 
ding-plancs  of  sedimentary  rocks,  itself  an  important 
difference  from  the  conditions  at  Tonopah.  But  the  law 
is  going  to  have  other  problems  that  "escaped  the  fore- 
sight of  Congress."  At  Bendigo  there  is  a  series  of 
anticlinal  arches  trending  eastward,  in  accordance  with 
the  dip  of  the  anticlinal  axis.  Which  is  the  apex,  the 
crest  of  each  saddle  or  the  anticlinal  axis  that  skewers  a 
whole  series,  a  dozen  or  more,  of  them?  Usually  the  rock 
at  the  highest  point  of  the  arch  is  cracked,  and  along  the 
crack,  or  cracks,  quartz  has  been  precipitated,  so  that 
some  sort  of  connection  between  the  arches  can  be  in- 
ferred geologically  even  if  not  proved  legally.  More- 
over, transverse  cracks,  now  flatly  dipping  quartz  veins, 
connect  the  vertical  series  of  saddles;  is  the  one  on  the 
hanging-wall  side  to  be  considered  dominant  and  is  the 
apex  to  be  awarded  to  it?  Here's  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish 
for  any  court  that  tried  to  apply  that  belated  ana- 
chronism the  law  of  the  apex  to  conditions  so  far  be- 
yond "the  foresight  of  Congress."  And  what  of  the 
domes?  Given  an  orebody  that  followed  the  quaqua- 
versal  dip  or  domical  structure  of  a  rock  formation  such 
as  that  of  the  slate-quartzite  terrain  in  Nova  Scotia, 
what  is  the  apex?    A  dome  culminates  not  in  a  line  but 


114 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  22,  L916 


in  a  point.  Would  not  the  extra-lateral  right  "flow 
downward"  in  every  direction  like  the  ruin  on  an  um- 
brella I    We  leave  the  problem  to  our  readers. 


Education  Again 

This  subject  is  again  presented  to  our  readers  in  the 
lengthy  abstract  of  an  address  delivered  by  Mr.  Charles 
S.  Howe,  president  of  the  Case  School  of  Applied 
Science,  ;i  technical  college  at  Cleveland  that  is  coming 
into  honorable  prominence  We  thought  Dr.  Howe's 
treatment  of  the  question  so  much  to  the  point  that  it 
deserved  to  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  mining 
public  through  our  pages.  After  all.  few  questions  are 
more  deserving  of  continued  study  than  this.  Education 
is  on  the  operating  table,  as  it  were,  and  demands  careful 
disseetion  at  the  hands  of  the  experts,  such  as  the  chiefs 
of  our  teaching  institutions.  Technical  education  is  yet 
in  a  juvenile  stage,  in  its  recent  phases  it  is  still  imma- 
ture, and  every  bit  of  earnest  criticism  helps.  It  lias 
become  the  '-are  of  the  State  and  of  the  Nation,  having 
passed  out  of  the  dangerous  patronage  of  private  endow- 
ment. The  task  of  the  educator  is  a  big  one  and  terribly 
restricted  by  the  element  of  time.  Most  of  the  elaborate 
schemes  for  giving  young  men  a  training  adequate  for 
the  needs  ol'  a  professional  career  break-down  for  lack 
of  time.  The  necessity  for  earning  a  living,  for  becoming 
an  independent  self-sustaining  member  of  the  com- 
munity, prevents  most  young  men  from  remaining  under 
special  tutelage  longer  than  three  or  four  years  after 
they  have  emerged  from  the  high-school  or  other  boy- 
hood instruction.  Many  of  us,  long  in  the  field,  would 
like  to  return  to  the  lecture-room  and  laboratory  if  only 
life  were  not  sn  short.  It  is  the  old  engineering  problem 
of  doing  the  best  you  can  within  a  limited  time  and  with 
limited  means.  And  in  the  end  we  have  to  confess,  with 
Dr.  Howe,  that  "engineering  education  does  not  produce 
engineers."  It  only  helps  to  make  them.  Some  men  are 
engineers  by  the  grace  of  Qod,  and  education  stimulates 
their  natural  faculties  to  the  maximum  of  effective 
growth;  others  have  no  aptitude,  they  are  innately  fitted 
for  other  occupations  or  for  doing  nothing  gracefully. 
We  like  the  suggestion  that  one  of  the  things  that  will 
circumvent  old  Father  Time  is  to  teach  the  young  man 
where  to  find  the  information  he  may  need  in  the  course 
of  his  work.  Not  much  can  be  given  him  in  the  way  of 
in  formation  applicable  to  his  daily  requirements;  in  the 
short  years  of  training  he  is  taught  to  develop  his  facul- 
ties, rather  than  store  his  brain;  and  one  of  the  most 
useful  of  those  faculties  is  the  ability  to  find  information 
as  occasion  demands.  In  these  days  of  voluminous  pub- 
lication, in  the  form  of  books,  transactions,  and  period- 
icals, it  is  highly  important  for  the  young  engineer  to 
leant  how  to  extract  from  the,  vast  mass  of  printed  mat- 
ter such  portions  of  information  as  can  serve  him  best. 
To  know  everything  is  impossible;  to  know  where  to  find 
the  necessary  information  is  a  first  aid  to  successful 
technical  accomplishment.  And  here  we  confess  that  we 
wish  that  indexes  and  bibliographies  were  better  done. 


Most  of  them  fail  by  being  ^discriminating,  giving  so 
little  hint  concerning  the  reliability,  scope,  or  timeliness 

of  the  information.  We  need  an  index  of  indexes,  some- 
thing  to  guide  the  seeker  alter  trustworthy  data  on  any 
given  subject.  No  editor  but  is  aware  of  the  difficulty  of 
searching  for  information  in  the  jungle  of  non-deserip- 
live  titles  and  incomplete  references  that  are  his  only 
guide,  outside  personal  memory,  in  such  matters.  A 
more  contentious  phase  of  the  subject  is  instruction  by 
means  of  laboratories  and  extensive  equipment  of  plant 
in  the  technical  colleges.  We  confess  to  philistinism  in 
this  regard.  Many  schools  have  a  lot  of  elaborate  ap- 
paratus on  a  scale  so  large  that  continuous  demonstra- 
tion is  impracticable  on  account  of  the  labor  required 
and  the  material  consumed.  We  know  of  several  mining 
and  metallurgical  plants  that  are  white  elephants  for 
lack  of  ore  to  keep  them  going,  not  to  mention  the  diffi- 
culty of  obtaining  experienced  men  to  run  them  and  to 
instruct  the  students  intelligently  in  the  use  of  them. 
The  average  exhibit  of  machinery  in  a  mining  school 
serves  to  advertise  the  manufacturers  that  were  enter- 
prising enough  to  donate  specimens  of  their  products 
and  affords  the  students  a  measurable  amount  of 
physical  exercise  indoors.  In  after  life  the  least  prac- 
tical men  are  apt  to  be  those  that  have  tinkered  with 
such  apparatus  under  an  academic  instructor.  The  bet- 
ter plan  is  to  take  the  young  men  to  the  mine  and  mill, 
to  put  them  in  touch  with  actualities,  and  to  teach  them 
the  purpose  i'f  it  all  by  contact  with  working  conditions. 
A  wise  compromise  is  to  use  not  the  full-seale  exhibits 
of  the  manufacturer,  but  model  plants  on  a  scale  so  small 
that  the  machinery  can  be  taken  apart  readily  and 
studied  conveniently.  A  small  model  will  illustrate  the 
essential  principles  just  as  well  as  a  ponderous  machine, 
it  saves  material  and  labor  in  the  running  of  it,  and  it 
enables  a  variety  of  types  to  be  studied  without  wasting 
the  restricted  space  usually  available  for  the  purpose. 

In  the  discussion  that  followed  the  address  of  Dr. 
Howe,  a  reference  was  made  to  the  standing  of  the 
lawyer  and  doctor  as  compared  with  the  engineer,  to  the 
disparagement  of  the  last.  Is  it  not  a  criticism  on  his 
education  that  he  should,  as  a  citizen,  fail  to  have  the 
standing  of  those  in  the  allied  professions?  In  France 
and  Germany  the  title  of  mining  engineer  commands 
respect  because  it  presumes  a  good  education,  not  only 
technical  but  humane.  That  is  true  of  the  lawyer  and 
doctor,  both  of  whom  are  equipped  to  take  part  in  public 
life.  It  is  assumed  by  many  that  the  training  for  the 
work  of  engineering  is  so  insistent  that  no  time  is  left 
for  a  broad  cultural  education,  that  the  bread-and-butter 
earning  must  lie  assured  and  when  that  is  done  it  is  too 
late  to  become  familiar  with  good  literature,  political 
philosophy,  and  a  completeness  of  mental  life.  Never- 
theless, the  education  of  the  mining  engineer  will  be  a 
failure  unless  it  equips  him  not  only  to  win  a  wage  when 
he  graduates,  but  to  take  a  leading  part  in  the  com- 
munity when  he  is  twenty  years  older,  to  make  him  not 
only  a  successful  technician  but  an  effective  citizen — a 
leader  among  men. 


Julj   22    1916 


MINING   *nd   Scmlific    PRE5S 


II 


DISCUSSION 

Our  ndtbfl   iir,-  blWMd  ID   ">.    I'll.  .l.ji.itlin.Ml    /,,r  liu-  did  ikm.hi  ../   [, ,  lnn,,il  ,in,|  offtfT  in.ill.ri  |H-r- 

tauiinj  to  mlninj  and  iMtallursy.      Mu-  Editor  «.i m  \n*  laprasilon  •  •{  n.-u>  contrary  to  hb  mm,  i>.  ■ 

Ufenid  dial  eanfHl  erlrtdan  b  mora  ratuoM*  than  oamal  oompllnumf. 


Surficial  Indications  of  Copper 

Editor: 

9  Mr  Probert  has  presented  a  valuable  aummarj  of 
the  prominent  feature!  of  secondary  enrichment,  cover- 
ing .i  wide  !n-l<l  with  discriminating  observation  and 
simple  statement  His  papers,  however,  seem  to  accentu- 
ate the  paucity  of  our  knowledge  in  regard  to  the  can- 
neetion  between  kiml  and  character  of  outcrop  and  kind 
and  importance  of  deposit  beneath  it.  Whal  the  engi- 
neer is  seeking,  and  whal  tl apitalisl  ex\ ts  him  to 

some  body  of  rales  which  shall  suffice  to  •  1 1 •  - 
cipher  from  the  superfieial  record  the  history  of  the 
changes  below  the  surface  thai  have  made  for  the 
sis  or  otherwise  of  mineral  deposits.  Outcrops  vary 
within  the  widest  limits  iii  their  character,  even  when 
there  may  be  similarities  in  ore  deposition  beneath. 
Only  mi  1 1 1 •  ■  cycle  of  chemical  reactions  operative  in 
producing  secondary  enrichment  is  there  an  approach  to 
uniformity.  The  number  of  secondarily  enriched  de- 
posits in  the  world  that  has  been  studied  has  been  in- 
sufficient for  accurate  reading  of  the  lesson  of  the  out- 
orop.  A  man  passing  from  the  Utah  Copper  to  the 
Miami,  and  thence  to  the  Kay.  and  the  Ajo,  meets  with 
s  of  unlike  superficial  conditions,  and  the  world 
knows  the  story  of  hesitant  engineers  in  the  face  of  these 
variant  phases. 

This  only  serves  to  emphasize  the  importance  of  the 
discussion  which  Mr.  Probert  has  initiated.  After  a 
mine  has  been  proved,  more  attention  is  devoted  to  the 
underground  disclosures  than  to  a  detailed  study  of 
why  and  how  the  outcrop  may  have  indicated  what  lay 
below,  but  the  knowledge  of  these  relationships  is  pre- 
cisely what  the  world  needs  as  a  help  for  finding  another, 
and  yet  another,  mine. 

Mr.  Proberl  calls  attention  anew  to  the  favorable  e.on- 
ditions  presented  by  prolonged  mid  intermittent  vul- 
eanism.  and  by  a  succession  of  moderately  basic  intru- 
sions, followed  by  acid,  and  terminating  in  more  basic 
eruptions.  While  generalizations  are  easily  misleading, 
evidences  such  as  these  naturally  induce  to  careful  study 
of  a  region,  particularly  when  indications  of  actual 
metallization  are  found  in  conjunction  with  them.  Not 
infrequently  the  really  valuable  deposit  presents  fewer 
signs  of  metal  at  and  near  the  surface  than  appear  in 
the  minor  veins  and  zones  of  mineralization  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. An  investigation  into  the  geological  structure 
of  a  promising  district  is  often  the  key  to  the  discovery 
of  an  important  mine. 


I nnection  with  conditions  favoring  ore  deposition 

and  the  murks  1.1!  on  the  surface  it   may  not   be  amiss  to 

call  attention  to  our  feature  which  is  frequently  valu- 
able as  a  means  of  interpreting  the-  more  salient  phenom 
ens.  Primary  ore.  pre Bag  concentration  into  second- 
ary enrichments,  was  not  likely  to  present  spectacular 
effects.     Rare  and  striking  examples  of  mineralization 

Were  usually  absent.  The  oulerop  examined  for  evidence 
ol'  the  relatively  feeble  primary  mineralization  may, 
however,  disclose  significant  indications  in  portions  of 
the   rock   which   have  not    participated   in   those  katamor- 

phic  changes  thai    favored  the  leaching  of  the  early 
metallic  sulphides.     Here  the  microscope  is  an  essential 
aid.      Even   the  binocular  will  often   afford  nearly  con- 
clusive   evidence    in    the    field    in    advance   of   the    final 
revelations  by  laboratory  study  on  thin  sections.     Min- 
eralization of  extensive  copper  areas  has  usually  taken 
place  under  conditions  of  moderately  high  temperature 
and   pressure.     The   metallization,    moreover,   has   ordi- 
narily been  a  product  of  replacement,  accompanied  by 
extensive  alteration  of  the  rock-minerals,  even  where  the 
latter   have  not  been  involved   in   the   metasomatic   re- 
actions.     Important   quantities  of   magmatic   gases,   oc- 
cluded at  high  pressure  in  the  original  minerals  of  the 
rock,  become  liberated  in  this  process  of  alteration  under 
the  influence  of  the  later  ore-depositing  so-called  'min- 
eralizers, '  and  these  gases  enter  into  the  cycle  of  chem- 
ical changes.    The  carbonic  acid  gas,  commonly  the  most 
abundant  of  the  occluded  gases,   forms  carbonates  and 
sets  silica  free;  while  the  hydrocarbons,  also  abundant 
as   occluded   magmatic   gases   in   the    rock-minerals   of 
igneous  rocks,  perform  their  important   function  as  re- 
ducing   agents.      The    importance    of    the    alterations 
throughout  the  mass  of  a  rock  undergoing  mineraliza- 
tion by  later  invasions  of  heated  gases  or  solutions  as  a 
result  of  the  participation  of  the  original  occluded  mag- 
matic gases,  is  very  great.     A  cumulative  intensity  of 
alteration    results,   and   where   a   wide   extent    of   fairly 
uniform  high-temperature  alteration  is  accompanied  by 
metallization,  it  has  generally  been  assisted  in  no  small 
degree   by    the    earlier   occluded   gases.      Remnants   of 
denser  rock  masses  in  proximity  to  areas  of  mineraliza- 
tion, that  have  resisted  erosion  and  decay  by  reason  of 
their  density,  may  throw  light  on  the  genesis  of  indicated 
ore-bodies,   and    help   to   confirm   the   indications   when 
taken  in  conjunction  with  the  structural  features  of  the 
region.    When  the  remnants  of  primary  rocks  still  con- 
tain occluded  magmatic  gases  at  or  near  the  outcrop,  the 
conditions   for  original    (primary)    mineralization,   and 


116 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


Julv  22,   1916 


for  the  subsequent  alterations  which  promote  secondary 
enrichment,  are  relatively  unfavorable. 

The  milling  world  is  awaiting,  with  keen  expectations 
of  the  solution  of  many  a  riddle,  the  treatise  on  sulphide 
enrichment  now  being  prepared  under  the  general  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Graton.  In  addition  to  this  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  Mr.  Probert  will  include  in  the  program  of  the 
University  work  under  bis  charge,  a  continuation  of  his 
interesting  study  of  the  outcrop-criteria  of  orebodies. 
until  it  bear  fruit  in  a  monograph  which  will  become  a 
valuable  practical  guide  for  the  engineer  in  the  field. 

COURTENAY  De  KaLB. 

Tucson,  June  27. 


The  Discovery  of  Cyanidation 

The  Editor: 

Sir — It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  a  contemporary 
of  Mr.  MacArthur  in  the  Tharsis  company's  laboratory 
at  Glasgow  from  1872  to  1879,  when  I  left  to  take  a 
position  with  the  Sierra  Buttes  company  in  Sierra 
county,  California.  We  had  always  been  'chummy' 
while  working  for  the  Tharsis  company,  and  the  friend- 
ship was  continued  by  frequent  letters  after  I  came  to 
California.  His  told  me  of  research  work  he  was  doing 
on  the  Tharsis  ore,  and  mine  told  him  of  the  simple 
methods  of  treating  the  auriferous  sulphides  at  the 
Sierra  Unties. 

In  the  early  days  of  that  mine  no  concentration  was 
done  because  it  was  not  necessary;  but  as  depth  was 
attained,  and  the  quantity  of  unoxidized  sulphides  in- 
creased, something  had  to  be  done  to  recover  the  gold  in 
them,  and  in  the  'seventies  Hendy  'jiggers'  were  put  in. 
The i titrate  saved  on  these  was  spread  out  on  plat- 
forms below  the  mills,  mixed  with  salt,  and  allowed  to 
weather  for  several  months,  then  re-ground  in  amal- 
gamating pans.  This  was  the  method  I  told  MacArthur 
about  and  I  am  sun-  it  must  have  seemed  very  primitive 
to  him  against  the  eondensing-tower  recovery  practised 
by  the  Tharsis.  As  the  proportion  of  ore  crushed  from 
the  lower  levels  increased,  the  percentage  of  unoxidized 
sulphides  increased  also,  and  in  the  early  summer  of  '84 
the  first  shipment  of  concentrate  was  made  to  the  Pi- 
oneer Reduction  Works  at  Nevada  City.  The  returns 
were  so  satisfactory  that  along  about  '85  the  Sierra 
Buttes  company  put  up  ehlorination  works  of  its  own 
below  the  Yuba  mill,  which  was  equipped  with  Frue 
vanners  when  it  was  built  in  1883. 

Meanwhile  MacArthur  was  "pegging  away"  at  his 
cyanide  process,  and  in  the  fall  of  '86  he  asked  me  to 
send  him  a  small  sample  of  Sierra  Buttes  concentrate. 
This  I  did,  and  probably  it  was  the  first  product  of  a 
California  mine  to  be  cyanided. 

In  March  '89  he  wrote  me  that  he  was  coming  to  the 
United  States  and  that,  after  attending  to  his  patent 
business  at  Washington,  he  would  come  to  California  to 
look  over  the  ground  and  see  what  the  prospect  was  for 
the  adoption  of  his  process  in  this  State.  It  was  with 
the  greatest  pleasure  that  T  looked  forward  to  meeting 


my  old  chum  again'.  As  he  came  with  gilt-edged  cre- 
dentials, it  was  no  trouble  at  all  to  fret  the  Sierra  Buttes 
management  in  San  Francisco  to  give  him  cart*  blanche 
for  experiments  at  the  mine — and  so  I  had  the  honor  of 
introducing  the  discoverer  of  the  cyanide  process  to  a 

gold  mine* 

In  his  tests  at  Sierra  Buttes.  and  at  the  Plumas  Eu- 
reka also,  where  we  went  later,  he  stuck  resolutely  to  the 
custom  he  had  established  in  the  early  days  at  Glasgow 
of  " laying  the  gold  on  the  table";  but.  it  need  hardly  be 
added,  he  didn't  forget  to  assay  the  tailing. 

In  his  experiments  at  both  mines  the  extraction  was 
uniformly  satisfactorj-.  There  was  only  one  noteworthy 
fact  the  significance  of  which  none  of  us  saw  at  that, 
time.  In  the  mill  there  was  the  usual  system  of  boxes, 
below  the  concentrators,  for  saving  the  sulphide  slime, 
which  assayed  away  above  the  average  concentrate,  and 
the  extraction  was  also  very  high.  This  indicated  the 
advantage  of  tine  grinding,  but.  as  far  as  I  know,  none 
of  us  looked  upon  it  as  anything  more  than  a  splendid 
exhibition  of  the  potency  of  cyanide  to  dissolve  gold. 

The  Sierra  Buttes  management  was  nothing  if  not 
practical,  so  that,  without  doubting  the  scientific  truth 
of  MacArthur 's  claim  for  his  process,  they  looked  at  him 
with  indulgent  incredulity  when  he  spoke  of  its  becom- 
ing a  commercial  success.  At  that  time  (188!);  Mac- 
Arthur  told  me  he  knew  quite  well  that  the  cost  of  cya- 
nide (it  was  then  about  3  shillings  per  pound  in  Britain) 
was  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  general  adoption  of  his 
process  for  the  treatment  of  even  moderately  high-grade 
material ;  and  the  problem  he  had  set  himself  then  was 
to  find  some  process  to  cheapen  the  cost  of  manufactur- 
ing it. 

While  in  California  MacArthur  heard  of  the  wonder- 
fully rich  but  refractory  and  rebellious  ore  of  the 
Meadow  Lake  district  and  he  commissioned  me  to  visit 
that  decayed  camp,  as  soon  as  the  snow  was  off  the 
ground,  and  get  some  samples.  When  I  got  to  Cisco.  I 
inquired  about  a  means  of  getting  to  Meadow  Lake  and 
incidentally  told  the  hotel  people  the  object  of  my  quest. 
They  looked  at  me  rather  pityingly  as  if  they  thought 
I  was  sent  on  a  profitless  mission,  but  arranged  for  a 
guide  and  saddle-horses.  Capt.  Hartley  received  me 
kindly,  gave  me  lunch,  which  I  needed,  and  let  me  take 
the  samples  I  wanted,  and  I  returned  to  Cisco  well 
pleased  with  my  day's  work.  I  learned  the  meaning  of 
the  pitying  smile  of  the  morning  when  the  proprietor 
told  me  that  Capt.  Hartley's  usual  reception  of  any  un- 
accredited visitor  who  went  to  him  for  samples  and  in- 
formation about  his  property  was  to  drive  him  off  the 
premises  at  the  point  of  a  shot-gun.  The  samples  were 
taken  at  random  from  shallow  pits  and  open-cuts  along 
the  croppings  without  any  attempt  at  system,  the  pur- 
pose being  simply  to  find  out  if  this  rebellious  ore  would 
yield  to  cyanide  solution.  Some  of  the  samples  were- 
fairly  rich,  others  quite  poor,  but  they  all  yielded 
readily  to  cyaniding.  Nothing  came  of  the  Meadow 
Lake  business  for  the  reason  that  Hartley  wasn't  buying 
processes  and  the  Cassel  company  wasn't  buying  mines. 


Jills 


1916 


MINING    and   llJMlifn     l-KI  » 


117 


lii  the  fall  "i   -''  i  n«  in  Colorado  whan 

idvancc  guard  of  li  tampan)   pitched  its 

amp  in  lha  United  Statea    At  Creatone  I  met  1". 

n  charge  of  the 
company '•  exhibit  at  the  Midwinter  Pair  in  Ban 
Prenoisoo     In  tin-  nimmi  •  -  \  .ii 

North  sinr  tailing  Cor  a  work- 
ing teat  at  tii.   Caaeel  company's  experimental  plant  at 
tin-  Pair.     His  report  wai  that  tli<'  North  star  tailing 
■  lo«  grade  t<>  cyanide  at  a  profit     Now  tin-  North 

star opany  is  eyaniding  thousands  of  tons  profitably 

every  month     As  Mai-Arthur  statea  in  nil  article,  there 
■  n  no  radical  ehange  of,  or  addition  to.  the  pi 

Nil "88,  Inn  improved  mechanioal  methods  have  made 

tin-  difference  between  prutit  ami  loss. 

Tuns.   M  Misu  vi.i. 
i  iras.s  Valley,  Jane  89 


An  Earthquake  in  Nevada 

Tli.-  Editor: 

sir     I  have  read  the  account  of  tin-  earthquake  at 
Kennedy  by  S.  I..  Berry.     It  is  also  true  thai  we  still 

have  quakes  and  rumbles  every  (lay.    At  Winter's  ranch, 

six  miles  below  Mere  wli.-re  there  are  hot  Springs,  then- 
ar.- 15  ami  20  shakes  a  day  right  along  since  October  15 
last.  Lately  we  have  had  unite  a  few  rumbles  an. I  jerks, 
hut  uol  heavy  enough  to  do  damage:  Kennedy  is  30 
miles  south  of  here.  The  earth  is  cracked  all  along  the 
foot  of  this  range  on  the  north-west  side  of  the  Stoue 
II. his.-  valley,  two  miles  below  here.  It  is  also  true  that 
water  is  running  in  creeks  and  gulches  where  the  old- 
timers  have  never  seen  it  run  before. 

Loring  Hanson. 
Qolconda,  Nevada,  July  12. 


Prospecting:  A  Suggestion 

The  Editor: 

Sir —  What's  Wrong  with  Prospecting?'  has  become 
a  familiar  caption  in  the  mining  press.  "We  have  read 
the  lamentations  of  those  who  mourn  the  passing  of  the 
old-time  prospector  until  many  mining  men  have  come 
to  feel  that  much  of  this  vain  yearning  for  'the  good 
old  days'  bespeaks  negative  suggestion.  Yet  the  recent 
renaissance  of  mining  has  encouraged  prospectors  to  re- 
sume their  ancient  and  honorable  calling.  Exploration 
companies  and  syndicates  had  been  setting  the  pace  be- 
cause tiny  alone  knew  the  value  of  expert  prospectors  in 
their  organization.  Metallurgists,  chemists,  assayers, 
and  other  surface  men,  knowing  the  actual  commercial 
values  of  ore  deposits,  have  blossomed  forth  as  'pros- 
pectors'  of  the  new  school.  The  use  of  the  mining  en- 
gineer for  directing  explorations  for  small  operators  has 
not  been  emphasized. 

Let  us  consider  a  hypothetical  mineral  district  worthy 
of  exploration,  such  as  the  partly  prospected  and  de- 
veloped mineral  district  in  the  Siskiyou  mountains.  Cali- 
fornia.    This  region  has  been   skimmed  over  by  pros- 


I    OOppi  r    .iiel  Lad  during  the  past    lilty 
hut   their  Work   was  d.  siiltor>    in  character       With 

[tension  of  motor  trust  transportation,  considerable 
activity  is  being  aroused.  Prospectors  an  renewing 
then-  efforts  as  individuals,  but  their  explorations  would 

■  more  effective  If  co-ordinated    This  is  the  Bald 
in  which  the  exploration  syndicate  could  operate  with 
good  prospi 
Sere  is  bov.  the  old  ami  new  methods  of  prospecting 

"'" ipare.    Probably  a  s -,-  of  prospectors  within  a 

year  will  visil  a  particular  portion  of  tin-  Siskiyou  noun 

tains,  an   area  20  miles  from   east    to   west   ami    I  I   miles 
from  north   to  south.     Several  of  tli.-m  will  undoubtedly 
follow  Outcrops  and  locale  a  number  of  claims.     Si 
that    four  or  live   men   out   of  twenty   locale  claims   that 

give  promise  of  be ling  paying  mines.    Of  these,  only 

one    individual    prospector    succeeds    in    getting    enough 

backing  to  develop  his  property,     This  1   in  I'll  eha is 

a  fair  proportion.  The  other  1!»  spend  from  $5000  '" 
$10.11011  i,.  no  purpose.  Even  the  one  lucky  one  has 
made  a  random  hit.  lie  may  have  passed  over  dozens  of 
richer  deposils  in  his  hurried  wanderings.  -Most  of  the 
unlucky  19  are  backed  by  investors  who  have  •taken  a 
chance.'  Some  of  these  losers  are  not  good  losers  and 
tiny  seek  solace  in  calling  mining  a  'losing  game.' 

Co-operative  prospecting,  on  the  other  hand,  might 
be  conducted  in  a  radically  different  manner.  Let  us 
assume  that  this  particular  district  is  worthy  of  system- 
atic exploration  for  a  summer.  What  would  it  costf 
Suppose  that  a  group  of  20  investors  subscribe  a  total 
of  $5000  to  an  exploration  company  and  plan  to  devote 
that  sum  to  a  thorough  reconnaissance  of  the  district. 
They  make  a  wise  start  by  employing  a  mining  engineer 
who  is  qualified  to  conduct  a  geological  survey  and  to 
direct  the  efforts  of  prospecting  parties  in  the  more 
promising  sections.  He  spends  the  month  of  June  in 
traversing  the  ridges  and  canyons  of  the  region  with  a 
skilled  assistant  and  a  handy  man  who  combines  the 
services  of  a  packer  and  camp-cook.  At  the  end  of  June 
he  defines  three  zones,  X,  Y,  and  Z,  as  areas  in  which  he 
proposes  to  confine  the  efforts  of  three  experienced  pros- 
pectors. Each  prospector  has  a  man  to  help  him.  and, 
besides  a  fair  salary,  has  the  additional  incentive  of  a 
bonus  of  from  $500  to  $1000  offered  him  for  the  making 
of  a  'strike.'  A  regular  cook  is  then  employed  at  a  base 
camp,  while  a  packer  travels  from  camp  to  camp  carry- 
ing provisions  and  supplies  to  each  station  as  well  as 
from  the  railway  or  stage  shipping  point.  The  engi- 
neers assistant  helps  in  the  field-work,  in  mapping,  and 
in  making  assays  at  the  base  camp. 

By  the  end  of  July,  prospecting  in  zones  X  and  Z  does 
not  show  results,  but  the  prospector  in  zone  Y  discovers 
a  series  of  outcrops  trending  in  a  north-westerly  direc- 
tion from  the  middle  fork  of  Creek  B  across  the  divide 
to  the  cast  fork  of  Creek  D,  a  distance  of  six  miles.  A 
distinct  silicification  is  traced  along  the  line  of  a  fault 
traversing  this  favorable  formation.  The  four  men  cov- 
ering zones  X  and  Z  are  called  in  and  set  to  work  ex- 
ploring the  vein  system  discovered  in  zone  Y.     Let  us 


118 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


assume  that  the  original  strike  was  made  at  the  middle 
fork  of  Creek  B.  Subsequently,  the  prospector  from 
zone  Z  discovers  an  extension  a  mile  below  the  head  of 
the  North  Fork  and  the  largest  and  richest  orebody  is 
proved  to  exist  there.  Exploration  work  is  then  concen- 
trated there  during  August  with  the  result  that  the 
driving  of  several  hundred  leet  of  tunnels  and  the  sink- 
ing of  shafts  with  cross-cuts  demonstrate  the  existence 
of  150,000  tons  of  ore  having  an  average  value  of  $8  per 
ton.  Prospectors  Y  and  Z  share  ultimately  in  a  bonus 
of  $1000  paid  them  in  the  same  way  that  salesmen  work- 
ing on  a  salary  and  commission  basis  earn  their  bonuses 
for  sales  made.  Prospector  X  is  not  so  fortunate,  but  he 
may  benefit  by  working  into  a  steady  job  when  the  mine 
is  developed.  A  number  of  claims  are  staked  in  zone  Y 
and  the  exploration  company  has  something  to  show  by 
the  end  of  August.  Here  is  the  cost  sheet  of  this  theo- 
retical reconnaissance: 

Labor  and  Superintendence 

June  July  Aug.  Totals 

Engineer  in  charge $250  $250  $250  $750 

Assistant  to  engineer 100  100  100  300 

Cook  and   packer 75  ...  ...  75 

Regular  cook   50  50  100 

Regular  packer   60  60  120 

3  prospector-miners  at  $90 270  270  540 

3  muckers  at  $70 210  210  420 

$425  $940  $940  $2305 
OTHER  ExPKNniTiKi IS 

Provisions   $50  $150  $150  $350 

Camp    equipment 150  125  25  300 

Mining   tools    25  75  50  150 

Powder,  caps,  (use 20  80  200  300 

Assays  and  assay  equipment....     50  300  50  400 

Transportation    150  100  100  350 

Miscellaneous  expenses    50  75  75  200 

$495         $905         $650       $2050 

Grand   total    $920       $1845       $1590      $4355 

Balance    in    treasury $645 

Assuming  that  a  bonus  of  $1000  is  due  prospectors  Y 
and  Z,  the  total  cost  of  such  systematized  prospecting 
would,  according  to  these  convenient  figures,  amount  to 
$5355,  to  say  nothing  of  a  tidy  little  bundle  of  stock  cer- 
tificates in  the  re-financed  company  which  the  engineer 
ought  to  have  coming  to  him. 

Of  course  this  theoretical  prospecting  trip  had  to  re- 
sult in  the  discovery  and  blocking  out  of  an  orebody  that 
showed  up  1 50,000  tons  of  $8  ore.  Furthermore  this  ore 
must  be  supposed  to  yield  a  net  profit  of  $3  per  ton  after 
an  additional  investment  in  surface  equipment  and  work- 
ing capital  is  made.  This  figures  out  very  nicely  as  a 
business  proposition  in  which  the  original  investors  and 
their  financial  allies  subscribe  just  $105,355.  Even  if 
they  do  not  open  up  new  orebodies  and  confine  their  op- 
erations to  the  proved  deposit,  there  is  the  difference 
between  $450,000  gross  profit  on  ore  extracted  and  the 
total  investment  of  $105,355.  a  net  return  of  $344,645 
on  such  enterprise.     Tf  it  takes  seven  years  to  exhaust 


this  orebody,  there  would  be  a  net  profit  of  327%,  or 
46%  per  annum,  on  the  investment.  Now,  if  the  original 
20  men  who  raised  $5000  for  such  systematic  prospecting 
were  to  sell  their  mining  land  for  what  it  would  be 
reasonably  worth,  $75,000,  they  would  clean  up  1500% 
on  their  Speculation.  As  a  business  enterprise  this  beats 
'hogs  and  alfalfa'  or  'bees  and  wild  honey.' 

Mr.  Doubting  Thomas,  taking  a  contrary  view,  may 
say:  "Suppose  the  original  reconnaissance  party  of 
three,  after  a  June  outing  in  these  delectable  mountains 
doesn't  find  any  'zones'  like  X,  Y,  and  Z  worth  further 
exploration."  They  will  be  out  of  pocket,  but  only  to 
the  extent  of  $920.  Divided  between  20,  the  average  loss 
would  be  $46.  If  these  twenty  had  separately  'grub- 
staked' 20  different  prospectors  for  the  same  amount, 
approximately  $5000  in  all,  their  loss  would  have  been 
$250  per  capita  and  their  chance  of  sharing  in  the  half- 
interest  proposition  of  the  old-time  prospector  relatively 
less. 

Harold  French. 

Oakland,  June  30. 

Rock-drill  practice  on  the  Rand  usually  works  out 
differently  than  ill  the  United  States.  In  the  Transvaal, 
the  miners  are  Kaffirs  drilling  exceptionally  hard  rock 
in  flat  narrow  stopes.  New  devices  arc  apt  to  be  looked 
at  askance,  as  these  miners  do  not  take  readily  to  com- 
plicated mechanisms.  Recently  the  electric  firing  of 
blasts  was  tried  on  a  thorough  scale  at  the  Meyer  and 
Charlton  mine  where  conditions  were  believed  to  be 
favorable.  The  experiment  was  unsuccessful,  and  the 
electrical  equipment  was  removed.  The  blasting  of  so 
many  holes  simultaneously  injured  the  hanging  wall  and 
misfires  were  common.  The  Smith  African.  Mining 
Journal  reports  that  "interest  has  been  aroused  among 
engineers  and  mining  men  on  the  Rand  regarding  the 
application  to  rock-drills  of  the  newly  discovered  method 
of  transmitting  power  known  as  wave  transmission." 
As  yet  this  new  method  of  applying  power  to  drilling 
rock  is  said  to  be  in  the  experimental  stage,  and  details 
have  not  been  made  available. 


The  Calumet  &  Hecla  company,  which  recently  cele- 
brated the  50th  anniversary  of  mining  on  its  lands, 
awarded  gold,  silver,  and  bronze  medals  to  its  oldest 
employees.  Over  160  men  have  worked  for  the  company 
from  40  to  50  years,  and  one  man,  Timothy  O'Shea,  has 
worked  50  years  and  six  months.  Several  hundred  have 
worked  30  to  40  years  and  nearly  a  thousand  have 
worked  20  to  30  years.  In  an  age  when  labor  is  restive. 
these  figures  are  particularly  noteworthy.  Among  the 
old  employees  are  such  Cornish  names  as  Edyvean, 
Johns,  Jory.  Trevorrow,  Thomas,  Tonkin,  Cuddihy, 
James.  Nancarrow.  Richards,  Soddy,  Trathen,  Bennetts, 
Williams,  and  Penhall.  Other  nationalities  among  the 
veterans  include  Kelly.  Doyle,  Dooley,  Carlson,  Govette, 
Koch,  Kjolso.  Kruszka.  McLean.  MacNaughton,  Ventur- 
ino.  Swansea,  Pyrrhus,  Abramson,  Jolieoeur.  Marchetti, 
Salotti.  Baranowski.  and  Campbell. 


i,.h   22,   1916 


MINING   and   ScienUhc    I'KI  SS 


im 


The  Bolivian  Tin  Industry 


By  Howland  Bancroft 


INTRODUCTION  Mnti  ••  si  in  Bolivia  as  ■  -  (urce  of 
future  supply  of  tin  for  the  increasing  il.-inan.ls  of  the 
United  States  began  t"  appear  when  production  from 
Bolivia  exceeded  for  the  first  time  the  combined  produc- 
tion of  Banka  and  Billiton.  Prior  t.>  L906  the  produc- 
tion of  these  Dutch  colonies  was  second  only  to  that  of 
tin-  Miilny  straits.  In  1905  the  Bolivian  production 
passed  16,000  metric  tons  of  metallic  tin1  while  the  pro- 
duction from  Banka  and  Billiton  fell  from  the  record 
figure  of  20,000  metric  tons  in  1903  to  12,000  metric  tone 
in  1905,  siii.-i-  which  time  their  combined  production  has 
nut  equaled  the  Bolivian  output.  In  1897  the  Bolivian 
production  first  commenced  to  be  an  important  factor, 
and  this  output  lias  persistently  increased. 

Sim-.-  my  tirst  trip  to  South  America,  1  have  s.-.-n 
many  improvements  accomplished  in  the  railroad  system 
of  Bolivia,  while  outsi.i.-  the  Republic  marked  progress 
has  heen  made  in  the  treatment  of  the  ores  by  those  in- 
terested in  obtaining  a  clean  product,  in  order  that 
Bolivian  ores  might  command  as  high  a  price  in  the 
market  and  be  as  suitable  for  use  in  the  tin-plate  in- 
dustry as  those  from  other,  and.  I  might  say  in  this 
respect  at  least,  more  favorably  known  localities. 

The  declaration  of  war  in  Europe  caused  some  specu- 
lation in  the  United  States  in  regard  to  the  supply  of 
tin  for  domestic  consumption.  As  Great  Britain  con- 
trols a  majority  of  the  world's  production,  a  possible 
embargo  on  the  exportation  of  this  metal  was  anticipated 
with  a  foreboding  that  proved  correct.  When  the  em- 
bargo was  put  into  force  by  Great  Britain,  it  became 
evident  that  Bolivian  tin  ores  could  not  be  safely  shipped 
to  Germany  for  reduction,  and,  to  cap  the  climax,  Brit- 
ish smelters  raised  their  charge  fully  80%.  In  conse- 
quence, a  great  hue  and  cry  was  raised  in  Bolivia  as  to 
who  would  smelt  their  tin  ores.  Much  discussion  fol- 
lowed and  a  great  many  communications  were  exchanged 
regarding  the  erection  of  a  tin  smelter  in  the  United 
States.  Several  groups  talked  about  undertaking  this, 
hut  to  date,  only  one  company  has  done  anything  toward 
actually  building  a   smelter.2     In   1915.   the   American 

•A  paper  read  before  the  second  Pan-American  Scientific 
Congress  at  Washington,  and  revised  subsequently  by  the 
author. 

'Throughout  this  paper  references  to  productions  of  tin  are 
to  metallic  tin,  not  to  the  concentrate  or  'barilla'  from  which 
the  tin  is  obtained. 

2It  is  to  be  remarked  that  four  United  States  companies 
offer  to  treat  Bolivian  tin  ores,  two  of  which  contemplate 
smelting  these  ores  in  electric  furnaces.  Furthermore,  a 
French  commission  has  studied  the  available  hydro-electric 
power  possibilities  in  Bolivia  with  a  view  to  erecting  smelters 
there.  Also,  a  considerable  amount  of  agitation  is  apparent 
in  the  Bolivian  capital  regarding  bills  introduced  to  Congress 


Smilting  A  Refining  < lo,  began  constructing  ■  tin  smelter 
at  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jenej  ;  it  wen!  into  operation  hi 

March    1916.      This  plant    has  a  .-.-ipa.-ity  of  Sllllll  to  0000 

tons  of  metallic  tin  per  year,  or  a  little  Una  than  two- 
fifths  of  Bolivia's  present  total  output,  the  remainder 

of  which  will  doubtless  be  i Ited  in  British  furnaces 

until  the  end  of  the  European  war,  after  which  Amer 
iean.  English,  or  German  tin  contracts  with  Bolivian 
producers  will  depend  largely  on  the  prices  offered. 

World's  Production  of  Tin.  Reference  to  Fig.  1' 
will  show  the  production  of  tin  from  different  countries 
of  tin-  world.     It  will  he  seen  that  the  Malav  States,  Or, 


rays  i  nslnjclBd 
•way  3  surveyed 
K»sys  rt  constructor, 


as  they  are  also  known,  the  Straits  Settlements,  produce 
somewhat  more  than  half  of  the  total,  while  the  combined 
production  of  tin  in  British  possessions  and  protector- 
ates amounts  to  about  60%  of  the  world's  production. 
Next   in   importance   is  the  Bolivian  output,   which   in 

requesting  special  concessions  for  treating  the  Bolivian  out- 
put in  electric  furnaces  to  be  erected  in  the  Republic.  How- 
ever, as  yet  no  announcement  has  been  made  of  the  erection 
of  a  plant  to  smelt  tin  ores  electrically. 

3A11  generalizations  regarding  productions,  values,  and 
prices  refer  to  normal,  not  war,  conditions. 

<Frank  L.  Hess  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  kindly  con- 
sented to  bring  the  figures  1  and  2  up  to  date  from  1912,  as 
I  was  not  in  the  United  States  until  a  few  days  before  the 
presentation  of  the  paper,  and  such  statistical  information 
was  not  conveniently  at  hand  in  the  field. 


120 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


1913,  passed  25,000  metric-  tons,  or  about  20%  of  the 
world's  total.  Banka  is  the  only  other  country  having 
a  production  that  exceeds  5%  of  the  world's  total,  and 
ni  1!H2  Banka  was  credited  with  a  yield  of  about  1 
metric  tons,  or  13J%  of  the  total.  Cornwall,  Australia. 
China,  South  Africa,  and  Billiton  make  up  the  remain- 
ing 17%  of  the  world's  output,  and,  as  above  stated, 
the  individual  productions  of  each  of  these  countries  if 
less  than  5%  of  the  tin  production  of  the  world. 

On  the  same  diagram  will  be  seen  a  curve  representing 
the  total  amount  of  tin  produced  in  countries  other  than 
British  possessions  and  protectorates,  a  curve  showing 
the  consumption  of  tin  in  the  United  States,  and  also  a 
curve  illustrating  the  value,  in  millions  of  dollars,  of  the 
world's  production  of  tin  between  the  years  1897  and 
1915."  Some  notable  facts  are  illustrated  by  these  dia- 
grams. For  example,  the  total  amount  of  tin  produced 
in  countries  other  than  British  is  less  than  the  amount 
consumed  in  the  United  States,  and  has  been  less  during 
the  period  covered  by  this  diagram.  Further,  in  the  last 
few  years  the  value  of  the  world's  production  in  millions 
of  dollars  has  been  about  equal  to  the  world's  produc- 
tion in  thousands  of  metric  tons.  In  other  words,  during 
that  period  the  value  of  a  thousand  metric  tons  of  tin 
has  been,  in  round  numbers,  one  million  dollars.  In  this 
connection  Fig.  2  will  be  of  interest;  on  this  diagram  is 
shown  graphically  the  average  monthly  price  of  tin  at 
New  York  during  the  period  covered  by  Fjg.  1,  namely, 
between  1897  and  1915.  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
price,  with  some  exceptions,  has  risen  steadily  from  13 
cents  per  pound  in  1897  to  over  50  cents  per  pound  in 
1912  and  1913,  since  which  time  it  has  fluctuated  be- 
tween 50  cents  and  30  cents."  Between  1897  and  1915 
the  world's  production  has  increased  from  75,000  metric 
tons  to  over  120,000  metric  tons  of  tin.  This  continued 
increase  in  production,  accompanied  by  a  more  or  less 
constantly  advancing  price,  is  worthy  of  especial  remark. 

United  States  Consumption.  Since  1897,  or,  in  the 
last  19  years,  the  importation  of  tin  into  the  United 
States  has  increased  from  25,000  metric  tons  to  over 
50,000  metric  tons,  having  passed  this  figure  in  1912. 
The  growth  of  domestic  consumption  has  been  due 
largely  to  the  steady  growth  of  the  American  tin-plate 
industry,  although  the  large  use  of  tin  tetra-chloride  in 
the  silk  industry  has  had  a  considerable  effect  on  the 
amount  of  metal  consumed.  During  the  same  period  the 
British  tin-plate  industry  has  decreased  proportionately, 
the  protective  tariff  in  the  United  States  being  not  only 
responsible  for  the  rapid  growth  of  our  own  tin-plate 
industry,  but  also  for  the  decline  in  that  industry  in 
Great  Britain,  from  which  country  the  United  States 
purchases  90%  of  the  pig-tin  it  consumes.  The  United 
States  Steel  Corporation  is  the  largest  individual  con- 

This  period  is  chosen  for.  the  reason  that  prior  to  1S97 
the  Bolivian  production  was  too  small  to  be  considered  as 
important  among  the  productions  of  other  nations. 

"During  August,  1914,  tin  was  quoted  at  65c.  per  pound  in 
New  York.  However,  this  price  was  maintained  only  for  a 
brief  period. 


sumer  of  tin  in  the  world,  the  American  tin-plate  in- 
dustry having  been  developed  by  this  corporation.  It  is 
to  be  remembered  that  the  available  supply  of  tin  from 
nations  other  than  British  possessions  and  protectorates 
is  less  than  the  amount  consumed  annually  by  the  United 
States. 

Here  follows  a  brief  statement  regarding  secondary 
tin  in  the  Tinted  States.  This  industry  has  grown 
from  a  small  beginning  in  1900  to  such  proportions 
that  the  secondary  tin  recovered  in  1913  equaled 
14,178  tons,  valued  at  $12,567,379,  and  the  recovery 
for  the  year  1914  was  12,447  tons,  having  a  value  of 
about  $8,887,158.  These  figures  represent  respectively 
27.2%  and  26.2%  of  the  importations  of  tin  into  the 
United  States  and  indicate  a  constantly  increasing  do 
mestic  source  of  tin  supply.  J.  P.  Dunlop  statist 
"The  recovered  tin  includes  the  tin  content  of  products 
made  by  several  plants  from  tin  scrap.  These  include 
some  tin  oxide,  putty  powders,  etc..  but  consist  mainly 
of  tin  chloride,  stannic  and  stannous  salts.  Stannic 
chloride  is  usually  sold  either  as  a  water  solution,  called 
bi-ehloride  of  tin.  or  as  an  anhydrous  sirupy  liquid, 
termed  tetra-chloride  of  tin,  and  is  used  principally  in 
the  silk  industry.  Stannous  chloride  is  sold  in  the  form 
of  crystals  and  is  used  in  dyeing  and  calico  printing. 
Most  of  the  tin  oxide,  tetra-chloride,  and  other  products 
were  made  from  clean  tin-plate  clippings,  or  from  tin 
liquors  left  in  dyeing  and  weighting  silks.  The  dry 
chlorine  process  was  used  to  recover  the  tin  from  the 
clippings  in  some  places ;  in  others  reverberatory  fur- 
naces were  used  to  remove  the  tin  coating,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  tin  was  recovered  in  the  form  of  a  tin  pow- 
der by  the  electrolytic  treatment  of  clean  scrap,  the 
powder  being  sent  to  secondary  smelters.  The  largest 
recoveries  of  tin  were  made  from  the  scruff  and  drosses 
that  occur  in  making  tin  and  terne  plate,  and  amounted 
to  over  5000  tons.  The  recovery  of  tin  from  block  tin 
pipe,  tin  foil,  and  old  tin  cans  was  relatively  small. 
Only  one  firm  reported  using  old  tin  containers,  from 
which  the  tin  and  solder  were  first  sweated  and  the  black 
plate  re-melted  to  make  sash-weights.  The  principal 
alloys  in  which  secondary  tin  was  recovered  were  babbitt 
and  other  bearing  metals,  bronze,  solder,  pewter,  and 
electrotype  metal." 

Bolivian  Production.  The  production  of  tin  from 
Bolivia  in  1863  was  only  493  tons,8  while  the  following 
year  the  output  was  only  204  tons,  and  it  was  not  until 
1888  that  the  annual  production  exceeded  1000  tons." 
The  production  from  this  date  until  1898  fluctuated 
under  3000  tons  per  annum.  Since  1898  the  production 
has  been  almost  continuously  increasing  until  in  1913  it 
passed  25,000  metric  tons.  See  Fig.  1.  While  a  glance 
at  this  diagram  would  lead  one  to  believe  that  the  Bo- 

''Mineral  Resources  of  the  United  States,'  U.  S.  G.  S.,  1912. 

SA11  figures  regarding  production  of  tin  refer  to  the  amount 
of  metallic  tin  contained  in  the  ores  produced  and  shipped, 
and  do  not  refer  to  'barilla,'  in  which  form  it  is  customary 
to  refer  to  the  production  of  tin  in  Bolivia. 

Mineral  Industry.  Vol.  1.  p.  450  (18921. 


.luiv  aa,  1916 


MINING  and  StK-nl. 


121 


Uvian  production  represented  norma]  growth 

nary    ti>    know    certain    pertinent  g    the 

..    prodai  tion    from   the   individual   mines 
eoming  to  any  conclusions  regarding  tin-  stability  of  the 
Bolivian  tin  industry  u  a  whole      Por  example,  ona 
nunc  produoee  roughly  one-fourth  of  all  Boliria'i  "in- 
put   A  contiguous  property  eould  easily  prod another 

fourth,  but  the  i ►» » 1  i<->~  of  the  management  eeema  to  !»• 
rathrr  to  keep  to  ii  nominal  production  of  Il'.ihni  quin* 
tals  por  month,  this  repreaanting  17.1',    of  the  total 

output  from  Bolivia.    Of  the  remaining  58.7%,  tin - 

fifths aea  Mom  Huanuni,  Compania  Minora  de  Oruro, 

:.  Aramayo  Prank  &  Co.,  Souz,  Bebin  Brothers, 
ami  the  Avicaya  properties.  A  huge  proportion  of  the 
out  put  therefore  comes  from  a  comparatively  iVw  minea, 
over  two-fifths  from  two  contiguous 
mines  in  one  district.  Consequently, 
the  increased  production  from  Bolivia 
is  traceable  to  the  efforts  of  two  ••i>ni- 
paniea,  and  if  they  Btopped  operating 
the  total  output  from  Bolivia  would 
drop  to  a  third-rate  place  among  tin- 
producing  countries.  The  relatively 
small  proportion  of  tin  produced  by 
the  intermittent  shippers,  represent- 
ing a  little  over  20%  of  the  total  pro- 
duet  ion.  comes  from  numerous  proper- 
ties, more  than  ii">  others,  which  are 
not  continuously  operated,  and  which 
ship  from  a  few  hundred  to  a  few  thou- 
sand pounds  of  concentrate  per  year. 

The  reason  that  relatively  few  Bolivian  mines  pro- 
duce tin  in  quantity  seems  rather  to  be  due  to  a  general 
lack  of  foresight  and  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  own- 
ers than  to  a  poverty  of  ore.  Owners  of  prospects  not 
blessed  with  much  in  the  way  of  worldly  possessions 
are  usually  not  only  too  poor  to  develop  but  are  likewise 
unable  to  pay  taxes.  In  consequence,  these  so-called 
owners  keep  on  denouncing  the  deposits  over  and  over 
again,  either  each  succeeding  year,  or  often  enough  to 
complicate  the  titles.  Further,  any  deposit  so  rich  that 
it  can  be  worked  with  profit  from  the  surface  is  gutted 
without  regard  for  the  future.  The  natural  and  obvious 
result  is  that  when  the  rich  ore-shoot  is  mined,  or  when 
the  grade  falls  off  to  such  an  extent  that  profitable 
mining  is  no  longer  possible  with  the  crude  and  waste 
ful  methods  in  vogue,  there  is  no  ore  developed,  no 
money  for  development,  and  no  money  available  for  the 
purchaser  of  equipment.  The  same  generalizations  hold. 
with  possibly  two  exceptions,  even  among  the  few  mines 
that  are  contributing  four-fifths  of  Bolivia's  total  pro- 
duction. In  consequence,  we  have  here  to  deal  with  a 
few  productive  properties,  none  of  which  have  ore  re- 
serves assuring  a  continuance  of  output  for  any  consid- 
erable period.10     In  short,  the  Bolivian  production  has 

'"While  the  production  of  tin  from  Bolivian  placer  deposits 
is  small  at  present,  there  exist  placer  deposits  that  have  been 
practically  unexplored,  although  one  large  American  company 
has  done  some  drilling  with  unsatisfactory  results,  so  I  am 
informed. 


nl  importance  through  the  development 
of  a  n  .   "Inch  lm\e  praotioallj  paid 

tin-  gnaa-rooti     Other  properties  an  man  pn 
and  have  no  assured  future     However,  to  one  who  has 
studied  practically  all  of  the  properies  of  oonunerciaJ 

Importance,  and  has  at   the  same  ti ixamined  the 

region  carefully,  it  is  quite  apparent  thai  the  Bolivian 
tin  industry  in  still  in  its  Infancy.  However,  l  believe 
that  this  industry,  if  aided  by  the  Bolivian  government 
in  the  enactment  of  just  mining  laws,  regulations,  and 
taxes,  so  that  the  foreigner"  will  not  want  to  keep  out, 
is  destined  to  expand  to  first  importance. 

•lust  now  tin-  Bolivian  government,  ii mmon  with 

other  South   American   republics,   is  financially   hard 
pressed,  and.  as  ,-i  consequence,  in  attempting  to  mitigate 


..,■  ....         ..,,,         -jy  .,    ,.  :■,,,.-        ,,.,,         J%,        gg,         ..,,,,,         mfl       0M        fM        Jl:0         ^  ^,.  ml  mt         mt 


Fig.  2.    the  prick  of  tin  at  new  yobk. 

its  troubles,  it  turns  instinctively  to  the  mining  industry, 
which  is  really  its  backbone,  although  usually  unappre- 
ciated. To  raise  money,  Congress  considered  a  law  com- 
pelling all  of  the  tin  producers  to  buy  20%  of  their  for- 
eign exchange  drafts  (in  payment  for  barilla  exported) 
through  the  National  bank  at  the  standard  par  value  of 
the  boliviano,  which  is  fixed  by  Congress  at  12.50  bo- 
livianos for  one  pound  sterling.  This  is  all  very  well 
when  the  exchange  on  bolivianos  is  at  par.  However, 
when  the  law  was  being  discussed,  exchange  was  any- 
thing but  normal,  and  this  order,  if  passed  by  Congress, 
would  have  amounted  to  an  added  export  tax  of  $1,108,- 
510  U.  S.  currency,  which  would  be  an  appreciable  ad- 
dition to  the  export  tax.  To  make  lliis  more  clear: 
Under  normal  conditions  the  English  pound  sterling  is 
worth  $4.8665  U.  S.  currency,  and  has  a  value  in  bo- 
livianos fixed  by  the  Bolivian  government  of  12. ."in 
bolivianos.  This  makes  a  boliviano  worth  38.93  cents 
D.  S.  Taking,  for  illustration,  the  present  value  of  the 
boliviano  as  being  30.3c,  the  difference  in  its  purchasing 
value  and  the  value  at  which  mine-owners,  according  to 
this  law.  might  be  compelled  to  buy  one-fifth  of  all  their 
drafts  amounts  to  8.63c.  0.  S.  for  each  boliviano  in- 
volved  in   the   transaction.      Now,   the    tin    industry   in 

nConsiderably  less  than  50%  of  Bolivia's  tin  production 
comes  from  Bolivian-owned  mines,  and  of  this  portion.  31*% 
is  produced  from  mines  owned  by  a  capable  energetic  Bolivian 
gentleman  who  lives  in  Europe:  the  rest  of  the  Bolivian  output 
is  produced  by  mines  controlled  by  men  of  foreign  birth. 


122 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


Bolivia  has  an  annual  gross  value  of  roughly  $25,000,- 
000.  One-fifth  of  this  is  $5,000,000.  At  the  value  of 
the  boliviano  as  fixed  by  Bolivian  law.  $5,000,000  U.  S. 
equals  12,843,565  bolivianos.  At  the  present  value  of 
the  boliviano  the  same  amount  of  money  equals  16,501,- 
650  bolivianos,  a  difference  of  3,658,085  bolivianos  or 
$1,108,510  at  present  exchange.  This  would  go  through 
the  Banco  de  la  Nacion.  The  purchase  of  20%  of  the 
drafts  at  the  rate  of  exchange  fixed  by  the  Bolivian 
government  would  bring  in  an  annual  revenue  of 
$1,108,510.  Now,  as  the  production  of  tin  in  Bolivia  is 
at  present  roughly  50,000,000  lb.  per  annum,  and  this 
added  exchange  amounts  to  110,851,000  cents,  it  is 
equivalent  to  adding  an  export  tax  of  2.21c.  on  each 
pound  of  tin  contained  in  the  barilla  exported,  which, 
added  to  the  already  existing  export  tax  on  tin  (which 
ranges  from  0.86c.  per  pound  to  2.08c.  per  pound,  ac- 
cording to  the  London  quotation  on  Straits  tin)  would 
make  a  total  export  tax  ranging  from  2.77c.  to  4.36c. 
U.  S.,  figures  that  are  appreciable,  to  say  the  least,  and 
that  would  undoubtedly  have  the  effect  of  hindering,  if 
not  stopping,  the  exploitation  of  some  Bolivian  tin 
mines,  for  the  simple  reason  that  4  cents  gold  per  pound 
of  tin  produced  is  perhaps  the  limit  of  profit  in  many 
of  the  operations. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  fortunately  this  legislation 
failed  to  become  effective.  However,  the  very  fact  that 
such  a  measure  was  proposed  indicates  an  attitude  on 
the  part  of  the  Bolivian  government  that  is  anything  but 
conducive  to  the  introduction  of  new  foreign  capital, 
and  that  appears  rather  hostile  toward  the  investors 
already  in  the  field. 

Ownership  of  Tin  Mines.  There  are  in  Bolivia  at 
present  9  or  10  mining  companies  producing  tin  concen- 
trate in  quantity.  Of  these,  two  groups  produce  48.8% 
of  the  total  production.  It  will  be  interesting  to  note 
the  nationality  of  the  control  in  these  companies.  Two 
are  Bolivian,  two  Chilean,  two  French,  two  English,  and 
one  Italian.  The  two  companies  that  are  distinctly 
Bolivian  produce  in  the  neighborhood  of  15,750,000  lb. 
of  tin  per  annum.  The  two  Chilean  companies  con- 
tribute about  12,300,000  lb.  The  two  English  and  one 
Italian1-  mines  produce  about  7,150,000  lb.,  while  the 
production  of  the  two  French  companies  is  roughly 
3,600.000  lb.  The  total  is  38,800,000  lb.,  or  roughly 
four-fifths  of  the  total  Bolivian  production. 

In  considering  the  importance  of  this  ownership  to 
possible  relations  with  smelters  in  the  United  States,  it 
will  be  interesting  to  know  that  one  American  smelting 
company  has  contracted  for  the  total  output  of  the  two 
Chilean  companies  for  a  period  of  one  year,  and  has 
also  contracted  for  the  output  of  one  of  the  companies 
classed  as  English.  This  represents  contracts  for  about 
7000  tons  of  metallic  tin  per  year,  or  28.2%  of  the 
Bolivian  production. 

Prior  to  the  War  the  price  charged  in  England  for 

i=The  production  of  the  English  and  Italian  companies  is 
given  as  a  total  to  avoid  disclosing  actual  individual  produc- 
tions. 


smelting  Bolivian  tin  ores  of  a  rather  impure  character 
ranged  from  about  $58  to  $72  per  ton  of  material 
treated,  which  price  was  advanced  from  $121  to  $145 
when  hostilities  commenced.  The  American  company 
offered  a  certain  concern  a  two-year  contract  at  $97.20 
per  ton  9t  material  treated,  but  the  offer  was  not  ac- 
cepted. Before  the  War  a  German  house  smelted  tin 
ores  for  a  Bolivian-owned  mine  for  $34.02  per  ton  and 
for  a  French-owned  property  for  $43.74  per  ton.  the 
difference  in  smelting  charges  being  due  to  the  impurity 
of  the  ores  from  one  of  the  mines  and  to  the  difference 
in  the  amount  of  material  treated  for  the  two  companies. 

As  long  as  the  European  war  lasts  the  matter  of  get- 
ting Bolivian  tin  ores  for  American  smelters  should 
(barring  adverse  Bolivian  legislation)  be  an  easy  one, 
and  at  present  only  28.2%  of  the  total  output  is  under 
contract  to  Americans.  By  reason  of  the  high  smelting 
rate  existing  in  England  and  the  practical  impossibilty 
of  getting  tin  ores  into  Germany  for  reduction,  it  seems 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Americans  will  have  no 
difficulty  in  obtaining  as  much  of  the  Bolivian  tin  prod- 
uct as  they  desire.  On  the  conclusion  of  the  War,  how- 
ever, the  matter  will  be  more  serious,  the  American  tin 
smelters  will  have  to  be  prepared  to  stand  strong  com- 
petition, for  the  price  of  $34.02  per  ton  formerly  granted 
by  the  Germans  does  not  represent  the  lowest  possible 
price  at  which  the  same  house  could  smelt  these  ores  at 
a  profit,  and  when  again  entering  the  market,  they  will 
undoubtedly  be  willing  to  accept  a  smaller  profit  in 
order  to  regain  the  business  they  will  have  lost  through 
the  erection  of  one  tin  smelter  in  the  United  States  and 
the  completion  of  others  now  planned. 

It  is  my  belief  that  the  nationality  of  the  owners  of 
the  mines  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  placing  of 
their  smelting  contracts,  except  in  the  event  of  equal 
prices  being  offered,  in  which  case  presumably  the  con- 
tract would  go  to  a  house  of  the  same  nationality.  How- 
ever, granting  this,  the  English,  so  mixed  up  in  tin 
smelting,  and  the  Germans,  though  not  so  heavily  in- 
terested, control  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  Bolivian 
output  through  mine-ownership,  while  Italian,  Bolivian, 
Chilean,  and  French  custom  smelters  do  not  exist. 
Hence  the  conclusion  seems  justified  that  Bolivian  tin 
contracts  will  go  to  the  highest  bidder,  regardless  of 
nationality. 

Mining  and  Milling  Methods.  In  general,  Bolivian 
tin-mining  methods  are  crude  in  the  extreme.  This 
statement  applies  with  equal  force  to  all  but  a  very  few 
of  the  mines  at  present  important.  All  of  the  proper- 
ties in  Bolivia  have  been  gophered  in  their  upper  and 
richer  portions,  and  but  few  of  the  companies  are  at 
present  attempting  to  mine  along  improved  methods. 
Furthermore,  in  many  instances,  instead  of  following  a 
vein  on  a  comparatively  flat  dip,  circuitous  inclines  are 
sunk  entirely  off  the  vein.  Naturally,  the  lode  is  not  ex- 
posed, and  if  ore  is  again  encountered,  it  is  impossible 
to  say  with  any  degree  of  certainty  whether  it  is  the 
same  orebody  worked  above  or  not.  This  makes  little 
difference  to  the  owner,  as  he  will  mine  any  ore  so  long 


Jill)   -■-    1916 


MINING  an  J  Sasntfr    I'RESS 


tillable     However,  I  paining  eiiii 

anefa  nwlhi  ing  ninl  unsatisfactory   to  the 

to-moath    method   of    mining 
Intl.-  in  sight  fur  tin-  future,  and  is  »  serious 
hindrance  iii  further  exploitation  of  the  mine  after  the 
richer  portioni  ■■■  mined  out     The  propertiea 

will  then  remain  idle  until  someone  with  a  little  more 
energy  and  mone)  takee  bold,  and  by  dial  of  mora 
gophering  managea  either  ti>  loae  hia  money  or  perhapi 
luckily  uneovera  another  ore  shoot,  in  whioh  event  everj 
thing  goea  along  as  before  until  tin-  ore  shoot  is  worked 
nut  No  money  s.-euis  to  !>••  saved  fur  just  inoh  oontin- 
■  I  with  thr  almost  complete  lack  of  develop 
•in'  pinching  oul  of  an  orebody  may  mean  disaster 

t.i   tli npany.      At   this   point    til''  owners  an-   willing 

tn  vll.  and  seem  tn  fail  to  understand  just  why  American 
engineer!  do  nol  evince  more  interest  in  their  deposits, 

thr  skeleton  of  which  is  shown  with  the  verbal  r< rd  of 

past  production !  Furthermore,  tin-  owner  sinus  .lisin- 
clined  to  listen  to  any  kind  of  purchase  price  other  than 
one  at  least  equal  to  what  he  imagines  the  mine  has  pro- 
duced in  thr  past,  although  nine  times  put  of  ten.  he  will 

In-  unable  to  show  any  authentic  i »rd  of  what  this 

production  has  actually  heen. 

Lack  of  surveys,  unfainiliafity  with  the  type  of  de- 
posit being  mined,  ami  the  absence  of  a  scientific  study 

of  the  nature  of  the  veins  or  the  possible  extent  to  which 
smh  veins  will  he  productive  may  he  responsible  in  some 
measure  for  the  peculiar  mining  methods  in  vogue. 
afore  probably  they  are  the  direct  result  of  the  methods 
introduced  by  the  Spaniards  some  three  centuries  ago. 
Indeed,  this  brief  description  of  Bolivian  mining  meth- 
ods would  be  incomplete  if  I  failed  to  draw  attention  to 
the  unique  mining  methods  that  prevail  at  the  Cerro  dc 
Potosi.  ii  mountain  that  has  probably  given  more  min- 
eral wealth  to  the  world  than  any  other.  Here  the  old 
Spanish  boca  mina  law  is  still  followed  literally,  though 
not  in  the  spirit  of  the  law.  Our  own  apex  law  is  bad 
enough,  hut  the  boca  mina  (mine-opening)  law  caps  the 
climax  for  absurdity.  For  example,  the  right  to  a  mine- 
opening  is  granted  by  the  State.  Then  the  miner  may 
go  wherever  he  pleases  underground,  so  long  as  he  does 
not  cross  a  previous  underground  passage.  The  result 
naturally  is  that  the  underground  development  more 
closely  resembles  a  jig-saw  puzzle  than  a  mine,  for,  on 
In-taking  into  a  previously  existing  opening,  the  second 
operator  simply  goes  around  this  in  the  event  it  is  a 
shaft  or  winze,  or,  if  it  happens  to  be  a  level,  he  goes 
over  or  under  it  and  continues.  This  leads  to  anything 
hut  peaceful  mining  conditions.  Riots  have  been  com- 
mon, and  pitched  battles  have  taken  place  underground. 
Resort  to  arms  is  not  confined  to  the  Potosi  district,  how- 
ever, for  nearly  every  important  mine  in  Bolivia  has 
had  some  sort  of  an  armed  fighl  with  its  neighbors,  and 
rifle  racks  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  administration 
buildings  at  some  of  the  prospects. 

The  question  of  the  amount  of  erosion  that  has  taken 
place  since  the  veins  were  formed  is  one,  I  venture  to 
say,  the  importance  of  which  has  not  even  impressed 


upon    the    nun. Is    ot     |l,.  quits 

naturally,  no  attempt  has  keen  mini,    bj   tl 

ither  sufficient  data  upon  this  verj   im 

portent  subject     Bii little  monej  ded  purely 

for  development,  tins  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  knowledge  concerning  the  possible  depth  to  which  tin 
veins  '-an  I..-  expected  to  he  produotivi  ed  no 

great  waste  of  money.     However,  long  adits  havi 
attempted,  in  fact,  an-  at  the  moment  being  driven 
a  careful  study  of  tin-  genesis  and  modi-  of  deposition  of 


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A  *  Worlds  production  of  tin.  H  — »8anka  and  Bii/itott 

8.' •Value  of 'Worlds  production  of 'tin .  / 'Bdntv. 

C •  British  possessicns&prottcforatrs  J 'Cornwall. 

D. m  Straits  Settlements  production .  K. 'Australia. 

E 'fin  imported  into  the  United  States.  L. -Billiton. 

F. -Production  outside  of  British  floss-  ht- 'South  Africa. 

•esshns  and  Protectorates.  N- 'China. 

G 'Bolivian  Production. 

FlO.  1.     THE  PRODUCTION  OF  TIN  BY  COUNTRIES. 


the  tin  ores  in  each  particular  case  would  have  deter- 
mined the  logical  place  for  these  adits,  and  would  have 
made  some  rather  expensive  bores  of  much  more  prac- 
tical value. 

Although  several  so-called  up-to-date  mills  are  in  op- 
eration in  Bolivia,  the  loss  in  the  tailing  is  remarkable, 
the  cause  for  this  being  disputed  among  the  managers. 
Some  lay  it  entirely  at  the  door  of  the  native  mill-men. 
who.  they  justly  claim,  will  at  times  allow  the  concen- 


124 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


irate  from  the  tables  to  run  for  hours  into  the  tailing- 
box,  with  the  natural  result  that  the  saving  is  low,  and 
the  tailing  contains  appreciable  quantities  of  tin.  I  am 
inclined  to  believe,  however,  that  these  losses  are  largely 
the  result  of  a  misunderstanding  of  the  possibilities 
(limits)  of  the  machinery  installed,  in  other  words,  a 
lack  of  expert  administration,  for  few  of  the  mills  have 
men  in  charge  that  have  gained  their  experience  else- 
where. I  talked  with  several  managers  who  had  never 
visited  other  properties  in  the  same  district,  and  few  of 
them  are  conversant  with  the  mines  and  mining  condi- 
tions existing  elsewhere  in  Bolivia.  This  does  not  tend 
toward  efficiency,  and  the  owners  are  more  to  be  criti- 
cized in  this  connection  than  the  managers,  to  whom  too 
much  work  is  frequently  detailed  to  allow  of  their  going 
about  to  see  what  class  of  ore  others  are  treating  and  how 
successfully  they  are  accomplishing  their  purpose.  It 
all  harks  back  to  the  gophering  hand-to-mouth  method 
of  mining,  the  axiom  being:  "Spend  as  little  as  possible 
in  any  direction,  and  get  as  many  quintals  of  barilla 
with  as  few  laborers  as  you  can  and  with  as  little  fore- 
sight as  is  convenient."  This  seems  like  a  severe  criti- 
cism, but  I  speak  advisedly.  While  Bolivians  are  good 
miners  in  that  they  produce  good  ore  and  concentrate  at 
a  small  initial  expense,  they  do  so  with  a  tremendous 
loss  of  resources  and  no  conception  of  efficiency  in  its 
broader  sense. 

Smelting  in  Bolivia.  Until  quite  recently  tin  ores 
were  smelted  in  water-jacket  furnaces  at  Potosi,  the  im- 
pure product  being  shipped  to  Europe.  It  commanded 
a  lower  price  than  Bolivian  tin  made  from  barilla 
shipped  direct  to  Europe,  and  smelted  there,  and,  as  a 
consequence,  a  short  time  ago  the  Potosi  shipper  was 
notified  that  the  European  buyer  preferred  to  receive 
only  barilla,  since  which  notification  no  bar  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  shipped  from  Bolivia.  (The  com- 
pletion of  the  Potosi  branch  of  the  Antofagasta-Bolivia 
railroad  has  allowed  of  the  cheaper  and  more  expeditious 
handling  of  freight,  and  so  the  former  absolute  neces- 
sity of  reducing  the  bulk  as  much  as  possible  on  all 
freight  shipments  from  Potosi  is  not  now  so  urgent.) 

Sometime  before  'the  War,  a  French  commission  ar- 
rived in  Bolivia  to  study  the  available  hydro-electric 
power  possibilities  of  that  country  with  a  view  to  erect- 
ing electric  tin  smelters.  The  Government  looked  upon 
the  project  with  a  considerable  amount  of  favor,  and  un- 
doubtedly gave  the  commission  certain  unofficial  en- 
couragement. Following  the  War,  however,  the  French 
commission,  realizing  the  impossibility  of  carrying  out 
the  project  during  European  hostilities,  released  the 
Bolivian  government  from  any  obligation.  Subsequently 
two  bills  were  introduced  to  the  Bolivian  Congress  by 
representatives  of  two  different  United  States  companies, 
both  of  the  bills  having  for  their  object  the  establishment 
of  tin  smelters  to  smelt  tin  electrically.  These  bills  were 
too  general  in  their  demands,  and  too  sweeping  in  their 
nature,  to  allow  of  favorable  consideration.  Because  of 
the  desire  on  the  part  of  the  promoters  of  the  projects  to 
establish  a  limited  monopoly  on  the  Bolivian  tin  output, 


other  requests  have  been  made  with  a  view  to  keeping 
the  barilla  within  the  country  until  after  it  has  been 
smelted  in  the  proposed  electric  furnaces,  none  of  the 
plans  for  the  erection  of  which  seem  to  have  been  at  all 
thoroughly  elaborated.  I  believe  that  any  sort  of  a 
nionopory  on  the  smelting  of  Bolivian  tin  concentrates 
will  only  ensue  from  the  actual  erection  of  furnaces  of 
sufficient  size  to  treat  the  total  output,  and  this  will  have 
to  be  obtained  by  the  offer  of  competitive  rates  to  the 
ore-producers,  in  other  words,  ordinary  business  prac- 
tice. I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the  Bolivian  govern- 
ment would  look  with  considerable  favor  upon  the  erec- 
tion of  tin  smelters  within  its  borders,  and  if  they  proved 
beneficial  to  the  industry  as  a  whole,  that  is,  in  other 
words,  to  the  Bolivian  government,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  that  they  would  receive  full  protection  from  Con- 
gress. 

Productive  Area.  Argentine,  Chile,  and  Peru  have 
many  geological  relationships  in  common  with  those  of 
the  tin-producing  districts  of  Bolivia.  Notwithstanding 
this,  Bolivia  is  the  only  South  American  country  from 
which  there  is  an  appreciable  production  of  tin  ore, 
although  cassiterite  has  been  found  in  the  mountainous 
districts  in  all  of  the  contiguous  republics,  and  it  is  to 
be  expected  that  mines  will  be  developed  in  these  coun- 
tries in  the  future.13  While  tin  ores  are  found  over  an 
area  that  covers  100,000  square  miles  of  the  Bolivian 
mineral  belt,  the  principal  properties  are  in  the  depart- 
ments of  Potosi,  Oruro,  and  La  Paz.  Between  the  main 
ranges  of  the  Andes  broad  flat  pampas  extend  for  many 
miles,  the  mean  elevation  of  these  being  12,000  ft.  above 
sea-level.  Some  of  the  peaks  in  the  ranges  that  bound 
these  pampas  rise  to  elevations  of  over  20,000  ft. ;  the 
average,  however,  being  considerably  nearer  15,000  ft. 
Tin  ores  are  found  in  localities  scattered  throughout 
these  mountains.  In  general,  the  deposits  now  being  ex- 
ploited occur  between  the  elevations  of  12,000  and  16.000 
ft. ;  although  in  one  locality  such  deposits  have  been  ex- 
ploited at  an  elevation  of  19,000  feet. 

<  i.i.MATE.  In  general,  the  climatic  conditions  and  high 
elevations  do  not  tend  to  facilitate  mining:  the  efficiency 
of  human  labor  is  reduced,  a  minimum  of  work  is  accom- 
plished by  beasts  of  burden,  and  the  rated  horse-power 
of  all  gas  and  other  engines  is  decreased  by  from  3  to 
4£%  for  every  1000  ft.  rise  above  sea-level.  Wind  elec- 
trical storms  of  great  intensity  are  frequent,  and  the 
rare  atmosphere  of  the  higher  altitudes  detracts  from 
the  efficiency  of  human  effort.  Several  types  of  climate 
exist  in  Bolivia,  depending  largely  upon  altitude,  though 
influenced  to  some  extent  by  latitude.  As  nearly  all  of 
the  tin  properties  in  Bolivia  are  in  the  higher  regions, 
we  are  concerned  principally  with  the  conditions  ex- 
isting between  the  altitudes  of  11,000  and  16,000  ft. 
above  sea-level.  Two  seasons  are  conspicuous,  the  rainy 
season,  which  lasts  from  November  until  March,  and  the 

'Witness  the  tremendous  expansion  of  the  tungsten  in- 
dustry in  Peru  during  the  last  six  years,  an  industry  depend- 
ent upon  a  metal  the  deposition  ot  which  is  closely  allied  to 
that  ot  tin.    Argentine  also  has  a  tungsten  industry. 


July  22,  1916 


MIMNi.  ...,d  Scicnlih,    I'KI  SS 


from   April   i 
urv  not   Miark«'<|  by  any  isideraMe  change  in  tempera- 

.•.'■•ur  throughout  the  so-called  dry 
In  the  regions  above  15,000  It  DO  ruin  falls,  tin 
precipitation  being  in  the  form  of  hail  i>r  snow.  It  is 
quite  possible  to  ipend  weeks  at  a  time  in  the  higher 
regions  of  Bolivia  daring  the  rainy  eeeaon  without  onea 
getting  a  glimpse  of  the  sun.  And  h  is  to  be  remem- 
bered thai  all  of  the  tin-mining  districts,  of  Bolivia  are 
within  tin-  tropica,  where  the  'lays  are  Frequently  un- 
oomfbrtably  warm  and  tin-  nighta  dangerously  cold. 

ivh.in  The  tin-prodneing  districts  of  Bolivia 
are  barren  of  indigenoos  trees.  Eucalyptus  treea  have 
been  tried  at  altitndea  up  to  12,000  it.,  and  because  oi 
their  rapid  growth  would  prove  of  tremendous  benefit 
within  a  comparatively  fen  years  it'  planted  in  large 
iniinlirrs.  Turbn,  a  sort  of  peat,  serves  as  t'iK-1,  for  which 
purpose  a  resinous  plant  ealled  yareto  is  also  used.  How- 
ever,  the  aoeumulatianB  of  turba  are  limited,  and  the 
growth  nt'  yorefd  is  slow,  while  the  consumption  of  both 
for  use  aa  hie]  is  high.  Eence  the  supply  is  being  nip- 
idly  depleted. 

WaTSB.  Properties  situated  near  the  snow-line  are 
peculiarly  favored  in  our  respect  at  least,  they  have  an 
abundant  supply  of  water.  In  general,  water  is  Bcarce 
in  the  tin-mining  districts  of  Bolivia.  However,  dure 
are  running  streams,  and  while  these  are  not  always  con- 
veniently  situated,  they  afford,  nevertheless,  ample  water 
for  concentration  works  as  well  as  for  hydro-electric 
pnrpi 

TRANSPORTATION.  The  departments  of  La  Paz.  Oruro. 
Potosi,  and  Cochabamba  are  traversed  by  railroads  over 
which  combined  cargo  and  passenger  trains  are  run  at 
sufficiently  frequent  intervals  to  take  care  of  the  business 
offered.  However,  if  you  miss  a  train  you  may  have  to 
wail  a  week  to  go  160  miles.  Naturally,  the  completion 
of  each  projected  branch  facilitates  shipments,  and  re- 
ducea  to  some  extent  the  former  freight  rates.  The  rail- 
roads are  notoriously  high  in  their  charges  and  there  is 
still  much  to  be  desired  in  the  way  of  reasonable  freight 
tariffs.  While  the  cart-roads  in  Bolivia  are  numerous, 
there  are  many  properties  to  which  no  kind  of  road  has 
been  constructed.  A  few  of  the  mines  are  well  situated 
BS  regards  railroad  transportation,  but  the  majority  of 
the  deposits  are  at  a  distance  from  railroad  points,  and 
the  tin  ore  in  the  form  of  barilla  is  transported  from 
these  localities  by  carts,  mules,  or  llamas.  The  bulk  of 
the  tin  concentrate  is  carried  at  least  10  to  15  miles  to 
reach  a  railroad  station.  Two-wheeled  carts  drawn  by 
from  6  to  12  mules  will  transport  from  2  to  3  tons,  a  mule 
will  pack  200  to  300  lb.,  and  llamas  carry  about  75  lb. 
each.  The  wet  season  interferes  with  transportation  by 
carts  as  well  as  by  mule-back,  and  during  very  dry 
seasons  the  llamas  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  sufficient  food 
on  the  journey. 

Power.  Because  of  the  scarcity'  of  fuel  and  its  con- 
sequent high  cost,  various  means  of  generating  power 
have  been  attempted.  Steam,  generated  by  burning 
taquia,  turba.  yarcta,  coal,  or  oil,  is  used.     Anthracite 


reducer  engines  have  been  employed,  and    P 
water-wheels  bave  been  installed.     Bowcver,  at  |" 

tin-  majority  of  the  large  producers  are  using  tile 
engine,    from   which   electric  energy    is  gen,  rate. I       It    is 
my  belief,  already  stated,  that  hydro  elect  ii,-  equipments 

will  prove  the  future  aaoroe  of  power  for  Bolivian  nun 
bag  operations,  and  it  would  not  l"-  at  all  surprising  to 

tiud  ni>   prediction  Of  some  four  years  ago  regarding  the 

electric  smelting  of  tin  ores  borne  onl  by  tl reotion  in 

Bolivia  of  smelters  operated   by   hydro  elect  ri,-   plants 

I-'- m..    The  scarcity  of  fuel  forms  one  of  the  chief 

difficulties  Of  Bolivian  mining.  Kven  if  coal  OOUld  DC 
delivered  to  Coast  poinls  at  a  low  figure,  the  railroad 
rates  from  the  ports  to  the  interior  are  so  exorbitant 
that   they  have  tin-  effect   of  raising  tin-  cost  of  coal  $20 

0  per  ton  by  the  tune  it  reaches  Bolivian  railroad 
points.  Australian  coal  costs  about  $12.50  per  ton  at 
Coast  points.  This  prohibits  the  use  of  coal  as  a  means 
for  generating  power.  The  Peruvian  oilfields  suggest  a 
near-by  source  of  fuel.  However,  it  costs  less  to  import 
California  crude-oil   than   to  buy  the   Peruvian   product. 

Labor.  Native  Indian  labor  of  both  sexes  is  used  in 
the  mines  and  in  the  mills,  while  the  majority  of  the 
superintendents  and  mine  managers  are  Europeans. 
The  wages  of  ordinary  Indian  labor  vary  from  40c.  to 
$'_'.4i )  per  day,  the  average  being  about  $1.  The  Indians 
are  natural  miners  and  if  the  feast-days  were  not  so 
frequent,  these  laborers  would  prove  satisfactory.  There 
is  a  scarcity  of  labor,  however.  » 

Costs.  Generalizations  regarding  working-costs  are 
of  little  value,  and  my  disinclination  to  publish  more  or 
less  confidential  information  prevents  me  from  giving 
detailed  figures.  Further,  in  view  of  the  present  unreel 
among  Bolivian  mine-owners  caused  by  the  discussion  of 
the  so-called  20%  law,  I  do  not  care  to  be  quoted  as  hav- 
ing stated  the  actual  cost  af  any  one  locality.  My  ob- 
servation of  cost-sheets  of  mines  in  widely  scattered  lo- 
calities and  operating  under  diverse  conditions  shows 
that  the  total  cost  of  mining,  milling,  freight,  duties, 
commissions,  insurance,  etc.,  ranges  from  14  to  38c.  per 
pound  of  tin  contained  in  the  barilla  laid  down  in  Eu- 
rope. This  does  not  include  the  smelting  charge ;  and  it 
is  to  be  remarked  that  only  under  exceptionally  favor- 
able conditions  can  tin  ores  be  placed  on  the  European 
markets  at  the  low  cost  of  14c.  per  pound  of  metal.  The 
average  is  considerably  higher. 


Nickel-coiter  matte  shipped  from  the  Sudbury  dis- 
trict of  Ontario  during  1916  is  estimated  to  be  worth 
$28,000,000  before  being  refined,  a  large  increase  over 
previous  years.  The  nickel  is  worth  $20,000,000  and  the 
copper  $8,000,000.  After  refining  in  New  Jersey  the 
nickel  should  be  worth  $30,000,000  and  the  copper  $12,- 
000,000.  Refineries  may  be  built  in  Canada  by  the  Inter- 
national Nickel  Co. 


Idaho's  output  of  lead  in  pounds  is  about  equal  to 
Montana's  annual  output  of  copper,  but  the  average 
price  of  lead  is  only  about  a  third  that  of  copper. 


126 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


lEJnglne&iitatj   ^nsaSaon  In  the   X/zri-xssl   S£a£@g 


By   Charles  S.  Howe 


INGINEERING  EDUCATION  is  au  outgrowth  of 
the  idea  that  men  may  be  prepared  in  a  school 
I'm-  any  trade  or  profession.  This  idea  has  arisen 
In. m  time  to  time  in  the  minds  of  some  men  engaged  in 
various  branches  of  work,  but  has  been  very  slowly  ac- 
cepted as  a  general  truth.  In  considering  the  applica- 
tion of  this  idea  we  must  remember  that  a  school  is  a 
place  where  something  is  taught  and  a  teacher  is  a  per- 
son who  teaches  something  to  one  who  does  not  know  it. 
Engineering  may  have  originated  in  military  necessity 
or  have  come  about  through  the  overflowing  of  the  Nile, 
bu1  in  either  case  some  practice  in  the  subject  has  in 
every  country  preceded  systematic  instruction.  Without 
attempting  to  give  a  history  of  the  progress  of  engineer- 
ing, ii  may  be  said  that  the  building  of  roads,  bridges, 
and  other  structures  was  of  necessity  taken  up  by  armies 
long  before  schools  were  established. 

The  history  of  the  development  of  all  professional 
schools  has  been  practically  the  same.  The  first  law- 
school  in  the  United  States  was  established  in  1784.  Pre- 
vious to  that,  and  even  for  many  years  after,  the  young 
man  who  desired  to  become  a  lawyer  apprenticed  himself 
to  a  practicising  attorney  ami  acquired  bis  whole  knowl- 
edge of  law  from  what  he  could  learn  in  the  office  and 
in  the  courts.  At  the  present  time  hardly  anyone  would 
think  of  studying  law  in  this  way.  The  opportunities  in 
law-schools  are  so  much  greater  than  they  can  possibly 
be  in  a  lawyer's  office  that  the  legal  aspirant  now  attends 
the  former,  where  he  can  get  a  diversity  of  knowledge 
utterly  impossile  to  gain  from  one  attorney.  In  like 
manner  young  men  who  desire  to  become  physicians 
studied  with  a  physician,  were  quizzed  by  him,  and  prac- 
tised with  him  for  a  number  of  years  until  they  were 
deemed  worthy  to  practise  by  themselves.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  no  young  man  studies  medicine  in  this  way.  It 
is  impossible  for  any  one  practitioner  to  give  the  young 
medical  student  all  the  things  that  he  must  have  in  order 
to  pass  the  State  medical  examinations  and  to  practise 
on  his  own  account.  This  diversity  of  training,  and 
especially  the  laboratory  practice  now  necessary  can 
only  be  obtained  in  a  school. 

Fifty  years  ago  it  was  thought  that  engineering  must 
be  studied  in  a  similar  manner;  that  a  boy  must  work 
with  a  civil  engineer  or  with  a  mechanical  engineer  or  go 
into  a  mine  in  order  to  learn  anything  about  his  profes- 
sion. Today  the  great  majority  of  students  who  study 
engineering  do  it  at  a  technical  school  because  through 
the  breadth  of  the  courses  and  the  opportunities  in  the 

•Abstract  of  a  paper  read  before  the  Cleveland  Engineering 
Society  and  published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Society  in 
May  1916. 


laboratories  they  are  able  to  secure  a  broad  training  that 
cannot  possibly  be  obtained  in  any  other  way.  Not  long 
ago  business  men  would  have  laughed  at  the  idea  of 
teaching  business  methods  and  principles  in  school,  and 
yet  today  hundreds  of  young  men  in  Wall  Street  offices 
are  studying  business  in  school  and  are  taught  by  college 
professors. 

Up  to  the  year  1862,  the  schools  in  the  United  States 
where  an  engineering  education  could  be  obtained  were 
few  and  had  a  limited  number  of  students.  Not  many 
of  these  schools  had  a  four  years'  course  and  the  curricula 
were  very  meagre  as  compared  with  what  they  are  now. 
Nearly  if  not  quite  all  of  the  work  was  in  the  line  of 
civil  engineering.  In  1862,  Congress  passed  the  Morrill 
Bill  which  provided  for  the  "endowment,  support,  and 
maintenance  of  at  least  one  college  in  each  State  where 
the  object  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scientific  and 
classical  studies  and  including  military  tactics,  to  teach 
such  branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to  agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts."  This  was  a  wise  and  far- 
sighted  measure.  Up  to  that  period  few,  if  any,  of  the 
colleges  in  the  United  States  required  any  science  for 
entrance ;  most  of  them  gave  very  little  scientific  instruc- 
tion, and  almost  without  exception  there  was  no  labora- 
tory work  in  any  science.  A  measure  which,  in  spite  of 
this  practice  on  the  part  of  the  colleges,  required  in- 
struction in  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  thus  pro- 
viding for  strong  courses  in  applied  science,  was  almost 
revolutionary  and  in  the  light  of  recent  events  must  be 
considered  as  dictated  by  the  highest  wisdom.  By 
means  of  this  measure  the  State  universities  then  in  ex- 
istence established  agricultural  and  engineering  courses 
and  many  State  universities  have  since  been  established 
with  these  courses  as  a  part  of  the  regular  curriculum. 
The  term  "mechanic  arts"  has  been  interpreted  in  most 
eases  to  mean  "engineering  or  scientific  education." 

The  demand  for  men  to  originate  methods  and  super- 
vise construction,  to  apply  science  and  natural  laws  to 
manufacturing,  railroads,  mines,  and  chemistry,  was  the 
impelling  cause  that  led  to  the  establishment  of  courses 
in  engineering. 

Previous  to  the  Civil  War  our  development  along 
most  of  these  lines  had  been  comparatively  slow  and  the 
schools  then  established  seemed  sufficient  to  meet  the 
needs  of  the  slowly  growing  industrial  arts,  but  during 
and  after  the  war  progress  was  so  great  that  methods  of 
education  and  training  which  before  had  been  sufficient 
became  entirely  inadequate  and  the  introduction  of  these 
schools  not  only  opened  a  new  era  in  education,  but  also 
brought  into  the  field  of  industry  many  men  with  such 
preliminary  training  that  they  could  make  rapid  prog- 


July   23,  1916 


MINING  and  Smatib    I'Kl  SS 


reas  111  thr  Industrial  with  whioti  ti 

growth  of  then  institutions  baa  been  rapid     In 
but  itx  of  them  In  •  i  ad  the 

total  numl  -  not  more  than  30 

the  present  time  I  hi  r  I""  engineering  - 

and  the  total  number  of  etudenta  is  ehoul  26,000,  Some 
<>f  these  schools  are  privately  endowed  and  teaeh  engi- 
neering mi  Dgineering  departmenta  in  pri- 
vately endowed  unii  ad  some  are  definite  parts 
«>f  State  universities.  TI  ■  and  methods  of  in 
lion  in  all  of  them  are  essentially  the  same  and 
■   they  may  be  discussed  together. 

The  problems  thai  I  ila  have  had  to  mael  have 

been  new  and  difficult  Tiny  are  professional  schools, 
hut  their  «ork  much  harder  to  organise  than 

tliat  Hi"  must  su.-ii  s.-liools.  Schools  of  law  and  of  medi- 
••iii.'  take  students  either  from  the  high-schools  or  from 
the  colleges,  but  in  either  ease  they  do  not  attempt  to 
give  a  broad  education  nor  to  teaeh  the  subjects  usually 

taught  ii liege.     They  may,  therefore,  devote  their 

whole  time  to  the  special  subjects  in  which  it  is  their 
province  to  give  instruction.  But  the  engineering  schools 
are  on  an  entirely  different  basis.  The  great  majority  of 
their  Btndente  are  high-school  graduates,  but  before  they 
ean  comprehend  the  professional  subjects  which  they 
wish  to  learn,  it  is  necessary  to  give  them  instruction  in 
higher  mathematics,  English,  chemistry,  and  physics, 
and  in  most  cases  it  is  deemed  necessary  d>  give  instruc- 
tion in  at  hast  one  modern  language.  The  time,  then, 
devoted  to  purely  professional  work  is  not  so  long  as  in 

tl aae  of  other  professional  schools.    It  has  been  diffi- 

riilt  to  preserve  a  proper  balance  between  subjects  that 
are  sometimes  considered  as  purely  cultural  and  those 
that  are  distinctly  professional.  In  making  up  the  cur- 
riculum it  has  been  i ssary  to  keep  in  mind  what  the 

graduate  will  be  required  to  do,  and  the  qualifications 
tccees  Engineering  education  does  not  produce 
engineers.  It  merely  gives  to  young  men  that  thorough 
fundamental  training  which  will  enable  them  to  become 
engineers  alter  they  have  had  a  few  years  of  practical 
experience. 

Am  eminent  engineer,  who  has  been  at  the  head  of  a 
great  industrial  establishment  has  said  that  the  engi- 
neer of  today  should  be  accurate  in  his  calculations. 
thorough  in  his  investigations,  logical  in  his  deductions, 
lucid  and  isc  in  his  state nls.  Tie  should  have  un- 
tiring energy  and  alert  mind,  an  abundant  initiative, 
and  reasonable  self-confidence.  He  should  he  absolutely 
honest  in  all  his  dealings,  truthful  in  all  his  statements, 
loyal  to  his  clients,  faithful  to  his  employer's  interests, 
considerate  of  his  subordinates,  diplomatic  in  his  nego- 
tiations, and  tactful  in  all  his  relations.  While  the 
college  cannot  give  a  man  all  of  these  qualifications,  it  is 
evident  that  it  can  assist  in  the  development  of  many  of 
them  and  can  show  the  student  the  necessity  for  all  of 
them.  To  accomplish  these  results  the  student  must 
learn  certain  things:  he  must  learn  where  to  find  other 
things  and  he  must  learn  to  use  in  the  best  possible  way 
both  his  present  knowledge  and  that  which  he  will  here- 


after obtain      Ii  edingly  difficult  to  deter- 

mine just  what  things  the  student  should  learn 

' f  the  gravest  problems  that  technical 

whether  the  student  shall  be 
a  broad  general  training  or  whether  this  training  shall 
be  limited  and  the  courses  highly  specialized 
who  contend  that  a  broad  general  course  should  I" 
believe  that  sudi  a  course  is  the  proper  foundation  not 
only  for  that  general  culture  that  is  so  beneficial  to  every 

man    for    bis   own    satisfaction    and    in    his    relations    to 

others,  but  for  all  future  intellectual  progress.    They  be 

lieve  that  this  broad  foundation  should  be  the  basis  ,.l 
all  engineering  work  ami  that  the  man  who  has  it  is  able 
to  take  up  any  subject   and   rapidly  become  skilled  in  it 

whether  he  has  studied  it  in  college  or  not.  They  con- 
tend that  it  is  far  better  to  give  this  broad  training  with 
very  little  specialization  than  it  is  t ver  a  large  Dum- 
ber of  subjects,  which  may  be  of  special  practical  value, 

but  lor  which  a  man  is  unprepared  because  of  lack  of  the 

proper  ground-work.  It  is  particularly  advantageous, 
the  advocates  of  this  method  say,  for  a  man  to  finish  a 
general  college  course  before  entering  a  technical  school. 
Daring  his  college  course  he  learns  how  to  study  ;  he  de- 
c-ides upon  his  future  career:  he  trains  himself  in 
language,  in  mathematics,  in  English,  which  are  espe- 
cially advantageous  to  him  in  engineering  studies;  and 
his  mind  is  developed  to  such  an  extent  that  he  can  meet 

the    problems   which    will   come   up    in    ll Dgineering 

school  or  in  engineering  practice,  with  far  more  ease  and 
ability  than  can  the  student  who  has  merely  had  the 
professional  training. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  advocates  of  the  specialized 
courses  would  give  a  moderate  amount  of  the  subjects 
named  above  and  would  then  permit  the  student  to  spe- 
cialize so  that  he  might  determine  when  in  college 
whether  he  would  become  a  sanitary  engineer,  a  railroad 
engineer,  a  shop-superintendent,  or  an  analytical  chem- 
ist, etc.  It  is  claimed  by  those  who  favor  this  method 
that  specialization  has  reached  such  a  point  that  a  man. 
to  succeed,  must  give  his  attention  to  one  narrow  branch 
of  work — that  the  college  is  the  place  for  him  to  study 
the  theory  of  bis  specialty  and  to  obtain  so  much  labora- 
tory practice  that  he  will  readily  become  expert  in  his 
branch  after  he  leaves  the  institution.  Our  engineering 
schools  are  divided  between  these  two  theories.  In  a  few 
of  our  universities  the  engineering  work  is  a  post-gradu- 
ate course,  but  in  a  great  majority  of  our  technical 
schools  students  are  admitted  directly  from  the  high- 
school.  The  future  must  decide  whether  those  who  first 
finish  a  college  course  and  later  take  up  the  professional 
courses  in  engineering  will  succeed  better  in  engineering 
practice  than  those  who  have  had  the  more  limited  edu- 
cation. 

As  to  the  more  prominent  divisions  of  engineering  edu- 
cation to  be  pursued  there  is  general  accord.  These 
divisions  are  civil  engineering,  mechanical  engineering, 
electrical  engineering,  mining  engineering,  and  chemical 
engineering.  A  few  institutions  offer  but  one  of  these 
courses,  while  the  majority  of  our  colleges  offer  all  .of 


128 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


them.  Each  course  comprehends  a  number  of  sub- 
divisions and  every  year  sees  an  addition  to  this  num- 
ber. In  the  early  days  of  engineering  education,  civil  en- 
gineering was  the  only  branch  taught.  Later  the  devel- 
opment in  the  manufacture  of  machine-tools  and 
steam-engines  necessitated  courses  in  mechanical  engi- 
neering. For  some  time  after  the  application  of  elec- 
tricity to  practical  things  this  subject  was  taught  as  a 
part  of  mechanical  engineering,  but  within  the  past  25 
years  almost  every  institution  offering  engineering 
courses  lias  provided  a  special  course  in  electrical  engi- 
neering. Mining  engineering  courses  have  always  been 
divided  into  mining  engineering  and  metallurgical  en- 
gineering, while  chemistry,  which  was  formerly  merely 
an  analytical  subject,  has  now  united  with  engineering 
processes  and  developed  into  a  chemical  engineering 
course.  It  is  an  exceedingly  difficult  thing  to  decide 
what  subjects  shall  be  taught,  for  the  number  of  them 
increases  with  great  rapidity  and  if  all  are  to  be  given 
the  prominence  which  their  advocates  expect,  our  engi- 
neering courses  will  have  to  be  extended  from  four  to 
six  or  even  eight  years. 

Laboratory  work  has  always  been  an  essential  part  of 
engineering  education.  Before  1865  hardly  any  Ameri- 
can college  gave  laboratory  work  even  in  chemistry. 
From  the  first  the  engineering  schools  have  insisted  that 
practical  application  should  accompany  theory  in  every 
subject.  The  engineer's  work  is  essentially  practical — he 
must  do  things,  and  he  cannot  learn  to  do  things  by  sim- 
ply studying  theory.  The  letter  must  be  connected  with 
practice  so  that  the  laws  upon  which  theory  is  founded 
may  be  used  to  accomplish  engineering  results.  At  the 
present  time  every  engineering  school  has  extensive 
laboratories,  not  only  in  the  science,  some  of  which  are 
the  basis  of  engineering,  but  in  the  engineering  subjects 
themselves.  It  is  on  account  of  the  training  which  the 
student  receives  in  the  laboratory  that  he  is  able  to  apply 
natural  laws  and  scientific  methods  to  the  work  which 
he  will  take  up  as  soon  as  he  graduates.  Perhaps  in 
some  institutions  the  laboratories  are  too  extensive ;  per- 
haps too  much  detail  is  insisted  upon  in  some  branches, 
but  the  principle  of  the  application  of  the  theory  is  an 
essential  one  in  engineering  education  and  has  been 
largely  responsible  for  its  rapid  development  and  for 
the  success  of  those  who  have  pursued  it. 

But  no  matter  how  many  subjects  we  teach,  there  are 
always  some  that  cannot  be  taken  up  by  any  student. 
The  student  who  has  specialized  in  one  subject  in  the 
engineering  school  may  find  himself  pursuing  an  entirely 
different  line  of  work  after  he  graduates,  or  he  may  find 
that  in  his  own  specialty  there  are  developments  which 
were  not  known  at  the  time  when  he  was  a  student  or  for 
which  he  did  not  have  sufficient  time  when  he  was  within 
the  college  walls.  It  is  evident,  Jhen,  that  every  engineer, 
after  he  leaves  the  college,  must  use  many  things  which 
he  did  not  learn  when  in  college.  For  this  reason  it  be- 
comes important  to  teach  him  where  to  find  things  he 
does  not  know.  Engineering  books,  encyclopedias,  the 
reports  of  societies,  engineering  magazines,  all  contain  a 


vast  amount  of  material  that  may  be  of  use  to  an  engi- 
neer, and  in  fact,  must  be  used  by  him  from  time  to  time 
in  order  to  carry  out  the  most  recent  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. To  a  certain  extent  the  use  of  this  material  is 
mentioned  in  the  engineering  school.  It  has  always 
seemed  to  %ne,  however,  that  this  development  has  not 
reached  that  point  which  it  should — for  a  student  ought 
to  learn  where  to  find  anything  within  the  realm  of 
knowledge.  If  he  has  not  done  so  tbere  is  much  which  is 
known  to  some  one  but  which  is  hidden  from  him.  It  is 
evident  to  every  thinking  person  that  the  successful  man 
must  use  what  others  have  done  and  that  college,  which 
has  taught  the  student  where  to  find  anything  that  he 
may  need,  has  given  him  a  most  important  part  of  his 
engineering  training. 

But  knowledge,  whether  in  the  memory  or  hidden  in 
books  or  periodical  literature,  is  of  no  benefit  to  the  en- 
gineer unless  he  has  been  taught  how  to  use  it.  The  most 
important  thing  which  the  engineering  schools  are  try- 
ing to  do  is  to  teach  the  students  to  think;  to  see  the 
connection  between  what  they  know  or  what  they  may 
find  out,  and  the  special  problem  which  has  come  to  them 
for  solution;  to  determine  not  only  how  to  do  a  thing, 
but  to  do  it  in  the  best  way  from  an  engineering  stand- 
point; to  do  it  in  the  way  that  will  succeed  commercially 
as  well  as  scientifically.  It  is  much  easier  to  hear  a  man 
recite  or  to  lecture  to  him  than  it  is  to  teach  him  how  to 
use  the  thing  that  is  being  presented.  There  are  no  gen- 
eral courses  on  thinking;  there  are  no  perfected  rules  of 
initiative;  there  are  no  known  methods  of  teaching  com- 
mon sense.  These  things  come  to  a  student  through  his 
own  study;  from  his  own  thought.  He  must  be  gifted 
with  certain  faculties  of  mind  if  he  is  to  use  to  the 
greatest  advantage  those  things  which  the  engineering 
school  presents  to  him.  The  school  may  help  him  to  de- 
velop these  faculties,  and  every  course  properly  pre- 
sented does  assist  in  training  them,  but  no  professor,  no 
laboratory,  can  create  these  faculties. 

Engineering  education  means  four  years  of  discipline. 
In  its  highest  development  this  is  mental,  moral,  and 
physical.  The  mental  discipline  I  have  endeavored  to 
describe ;  the  moral  discipline  stands  out  in  every  recita- 
tion, in  every  laboratory  course,  in  every  instructor.  If 
science  and  engineering  teach  anything  they  teach  the 
student  to  look  for  the  truth  and  to  be  satisfied  with 
nothing  else.  They  teach  him  to  shun  the  shams,  to  have 
no  pre-conceived  notions,  to  look  at  both  sides  of  every 
question,  and  to  accept  in  his  engineering  work  only 
that  which  can  be  proved.  Such  teaching  as  this 
strengthens  the  moral  fibre  in  any  character  and  reacts 
upon  every  phase  of  the  student's  life.  Although  some- 
times unwritten,  there  is  a  code  of  professional  ethics  in 
every  branch  of  engineering  which  the  engineer  must 
live  up  to  if  he  is  to  be  at  peace  with  his  fellow  workers. 
Unfortunately  we  cannot  enforce  such  a  code  of  ethics  by 
law  as  is  done  in  some  foreign  countries,  but  the  opinion 
of  the  profession  at  large  has  done  much  to  prescribe 
honest  practice  as  between  engineers  and  between  the 
engineer  and  his  client. 


MINING  .nd  Scwnl.nc   PKKSS 


,29 


Outcrops   and   the   Prospector 


By  William  H.   Stoma 


A  KNOWLEDGE  of  geology,  iad  siill  more  of  min- 
eralogy,  ii   valuable   t.>   the  proepeotor.     h    ia 
ogely  brae,  however,  that  mne  of  the  great- 
if  tli.-  world  were  discovered  bj  men  having 
knowledge  of  neither  geology  nor  mineralogy,  bnl  then 
an  ,il-i  Domeroua  inrtanires  where,  had  tins.-  men  had 
even  a  rudimentary  knowledge  of  the  anenos  they  would 
have  located  more  wiaely,  thereby  raving  much  expensive 
lion  over  mining  righta 
What  well-informed  proepeotor  today,  having  found 
gold  ai  the  month  of  Gold  canyon,  would  1"-  ten  years  in 
aring  tli.-  Comatoek  lodel    And  yet,  this  was  the 

length  of  ti that   elapsed  between  the  finding  of  gold 

in  1848  bj  Mormon  campers  near  the  presenl  town  of 
d,  and  tin-  discovery  of  the  gold-bearing  outcrop 
mi  Gold  hill.  Tin-  experience  of  the  placer  miners  who 
worked  in  Six-Mile  canyon  was  identical,  (or  the  Ophir 
outcrop  was  discovered  at  about  the  same  time  that  the 
tin.l  was  mail.'  on  Gold  hill,  after  ten  years  of  placer 
operations  in  the  gulches  below  the  great  lode.  In  these 
days  the  Comatoek  would  have  been  discovered  and 
located  from  end  to  end  within  a  week  after  the  finding 
of  placer-gold  and  miles  of  territory  on  all  sides  of  it 
would  likewise  have  been  claimed  by  wide-awake  pros- 

1 tors. 

Again,  it  is  unlikely  that  miners  sluicing  and  getting 
good  pay,  but  finding  a  heavy  light-gray  sand  constantly 
Oiling  the  riffles  and  interfering  with  the  saving  of  the 
gold,  would  he  years  in  discovering  that  there  was  lead 
carbonate  in  the  neighboring  hills,  as  was  the  case  at 
I.eadville,  in  1866.  At  that  time  the  place  was  known 
as  <  )ro  City  and  the  placers  were  highly  profitable,  but  it 
was  not  until  about  1S76  that  lead-silver  ore  was  found 
on  the  slope  of  Carbonate  hill.  Soon  after  this  the  mines 
were  extensively  developed  and  produced  prodigious 
amounts  of  silver  and  lead,  hut  it  was  many  years  before 
the  presence  of  oxidized  ores  of  zinc  was  recognized. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  discovery  of  zinc  carbonate 
at  Cerro  Gordo,  in  California.  It  is  not  long  since  the 
miners  near  Nome,  Alaska,  threw  away  a  large  fortune 
in  tungsten  that  was  found  in  abundance  in  their  sluices. 
The  tungsten  occurred  as  scheelite,  in  the  form  of  peb- 
bles and  sand,  and  gave  them  not  a  little  annoyance  by 
packing  in  the  riffles.  Some  of  that  ground  may  be  re- 
worked now  to  recover  the  tungsten  ore.  and  at  pn 
prices  it  may  pay  well  to  do  so.  These  are  but  a  few  of 
many  similar  instances,  all  of  which  go  to  show  how 
essentia]  an  elementary  knowledge  of  geology  and  min- 
eralogy is  to  the  prospector.  In  the  case  of  the  Corn- 
stock  it  was  the  necessary  geological  knowledge  that  was 
nicking;  at  the  other  localities  cited,  it  was  the  failure  to 
recognize  common  minerals. 


The  question  natural])  arises,  can  ■  prospector  form  a 
definite  idea  of  the  pn. liable  value  of  an  undeveloped 
vein  or  deposit,  from  a  mere  inspection  "f  the  outcrop) 
In  many  cas.s  the  experienced  prospector  can;  bnl  what 

Of  the  ii. .vice,  what  shall  guide  him  in  his  search  7  lie 
baa  taken  Up  a  level  occupation,      !!«•  may  have  had  QO 

experience  or  instruction  in  mineralogy  or  geology,  and 

yet,  such   men  as  these  have  discovered  so >f  the 

world's  greatest  mines.  This  is  known  t"  be  a  (act,  but 
men  of  the  same  calibre  have  located  thousands  of  chums 

that  wen-  m.t  worth  the  trouble  it  took  t..  write  the  notice, 
or  t..  even  blaze  the  discovery-tree  ami  scrawl  thereon 
the  notice  of  location, 

Outcrops  vary  greatly  in  size  ami  appearance.  Some 
are  great  masses  of  heavily  mineralized  ailicioua  rock, 
standing  'boldly  above  the  surface,  as  at  Broken  hill; 
others  form  no  striking  topographic  feature,  as  at  Tono- 
pab,  and  therefore  attract  little  attention  from  I  he  casual 
observer.  Still  others  are  small  and  obscure,  but  they 
may  be  rich.  In  some  places  the  vein  is  mantled  by  a 
heavy  gossan  of  iron  and  manganese  oxides— black, 
ragged,  and  forbidding  in  aspect  ;  in  others  the  outcrops 
consist  of  large  masses  of  quartz,  gleaming  white  and 
usually  worthless.  Sometimes  the  outcrop  is  so  marly 
like  the  adjoining  country-rock  as  to  remain  unnoticed, 
until  discovered  by  accident.  Some  of  the  ore  of  the 
noted  Yellow  Aster  mine,  in  Kern  county,  California, 
is  to  all  appearances  an  ordinary  granite-porphyry,  ex- 
actly like  that  which  is  worthless. 

So  varied  are  outcrops  that  an  attempt  to  say  which 
kind  has  proved  to  indicate  the  most  valuable  mines 
would  probably  fail.  There  are  some  kinds,  however, 
that  may  usually  be  relied  upon  to  supply  a  large  amount 
of  ore,  though  possibly  too  low  in  grade  to  he  profitable. 
Still,  this  is  only  relative,  for.  by  change  in  conditions, 
particularly  in  transportation  facilities,  the  low-grade 
orebody  of  today  may  become  the  dividend-payer  of  to- 
morrow. There  are  numerous  great  and  profitable  mines 
being  operated  on  a  large  scale  that  would  be  disastrous 
failures  if  worked  in  a  small  way.  Examples  of  these 
are  found  in  some  of  the  great  low-grade  gold  mines  of 
Alaska,  the  copper  mines  of  Bingham,  Utah ;  Ely,  Ne- 
vada; and  Chino,  New  Mexico. 

Outcrops  distinguished  by  extensive  iron  mineraliza- 
tion are  usually  indicative  of  large  masses  of  sulphide 
ore  in  depth.  Many  noted  copper  mines  have  a  large 
iron-oxide  outcrop,  or  gossan ;  for  instance,  the  Iron 
Mountain  and  Mammoth  mines  of  Shasta  county,  Cali- 
fornia. The  former  was  originally  worked  for  silver. 
Another  example  is  furnished  by  the  Duektown  mines  of 
Tennessee,  which  were  first  worked  for  iron.  Mount 
Morgan,  in  Queensland,  Australia,  though  always  a  gold 


130 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22.  1916 


mine,  is  now  a  large  producer  of  copper,  derived  from 
bodies  of  sulphide  ore  found  at  depth.  The  outcrop  of 
this  mine  was  a  silicious  brown  iron  ore.  rich  in  gold. 
The  great  copper-bearing  lodes  of  Ely  and  of  Chino  con- 
tain very  little  copper  at  the  surface  that  would  attract 
the  attention  of  a  prospector  unfamiliar  with  that  type 
of  deposit.  The  copper  lodes  of  Butte,  Montana,  present 
merely  rusty-looking  outcrops  of  granite.  In  few  places 
is  there  evidence  at  the  surface  of  the  great  amount  of 
copper  lying  in  depth.  Outcrops  of  this  description  would 
hardly  be  Called  'gossan.'  Numerous  similar  instances 
( 1 1 i-i-i 1 1 «r  in  various  parts  of  the  world  may  he  men- 
tioned. Inn  those  mentioned  are  typical. 

Silver  and  lead-silver  mines  are  frequently  distin- 
guished by  heavy  outcrops  of  silicious  black  oxide  of 
manganese.  There  were  a  number  of  such  at  Leadville, 
at  or  near  the  surface.  What  is  known  as  the  Rainbow- 
lode,  at  Butte,  on  which  are  the  Lexington,  Alice,  Moul- 
ton.  Magna  Charta,  and  other  noted  silver  mines,  belongs 
to  this  class.  Among  the  famous  mines  of  this  type  are 
those  at  Broken  Hill,  in  Australia.  The  Bunker  Hill  & 
Sullivan  mine,  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene,  Idaho,  ij  another. 
It  is  said  that  the  discoverer,  a  man  named  O'Rourke, 
had  been  following  float  up  the  hillside  through  thick 
brush  and  over  fallen  timber,  when  he  came  upon  the 
huge  outcrop,  he  was  so  astonished  at  its  dimensions  and 
great  prospective  wealth  that  he  sat  down  on  a  log  for 
hall'  an  hour  or  more  to  contemplate  his  discovery  and 
decide  whal  he  had  better  do.  He  finally  returned  to 
his  partner  in  camp  without  having  even  put  up  a  notice, 
forgetting  all  about  it  in  his  excitement.  This,  as  a 
general  procedure,  is  not  to  be  recommended,  and  the 
valuable  the  property  the  more  foolish  would  such 
neglecl  be.  Every  .prospector  should  provide  himself 
With  copies  of  the  Federal  and  local  mining  laws,  and  he 

should  follow  out  every  requirement  of  these  laws  with 
scrupulous  exactness,  for  the  more  valuable  his  mine 
proves  to  lie,  the  more  necessary  will  it  be  to  secure  his 
title,  and  too  often,  with  all  the  painstaking  care  he  may 
exercise,  the  prospector  will  find  certain  forceful  indi- 
viduals who  will  endeavor  to  find  some  way  to  get  hold 
of  his  find.    In  the  early  days  gun-plays  were  of  frequent 

occurrei over  the  discoveries  of  rich  mines,  and  they 

are  not  wholly  unknown  today. 

The  outcrop  of  the  Comstoek  lode  at  Virginia  City 
and  i  told  Hill,  Nevada,  consists  of  a  series  of  iron-stained 
projections  of  quartz  running  along  the  lower  slopes  of 
Mount  Davidson.  From  Cedar  hill  on  the  north  to  Gold 
hill  on  the  south,  many  of  these  veins  along  the  foot-wall 
of  the  great  lode  si  ill  may  be  seen,  resembling  giant  walls 
falling  into  decay.  Near  Gold  hill  there  remain  thou- 
sands of  tons  of  low-grade  gold  ore  outcropping  in  rough 
silicious  masses.  At  Tonopah,  on  the  west  slope  of  Mount 
Oddie.  may  be  seen  the  remnants  of  the  once  extensive 
hard  silicious  outcrop  veins  that  first  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  Jim  Butler,  the  lucky  discoverer. 

The  Homestake  mine  in  South  Dakota  covers  some  of 
the  largest  bodies  of  gold  ore  in  the  world,  yet  no  hold 
outcrop  marks  these  immense  deposits,  and  never  did. 


The  formation  is  hornblende  schist,  which  in  plao  ■ 

the  surface  is  altered  to  chlorite  schist.  The  hills  are  not 
abrupt,  and  the  great  lenses  of  ore  at  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery did  not  look  unlike  the  surrounding  rock.  All  the 
ore  in  the  mines,  and  the  adjacent  country-rock  as  well, 
was  red — schist  and  quartz  alike — by  reason  of  the  iron 
oxide  derived  from  the  oxidation  of  iron  sulphides  and 
partly  from  the  iron  minerals  of  the  original  rock.  The 
discoverers  were  guided  to  the  outcrop  by  the  finding  of 
gold  in  the  gravel  of  the  neighboring  gulches  tributary 
to  Gold  Run.  There  are  numerous  places  in  the  Black 
Hills,  in  Arizona,  in  Nevada,  in  Southern  California, 
and  elsewhere,  where  similar  formations  appear — prac- 
tically identical  in  appearance  with  the  Homestake,  yet 
most  of  them  are  without  value. 

The  line  of  the  great  Mother  lode  of  California  is  indi- 
cated by  large  lenses  of  white  quartz,  and  still  larger 
masses  of  ankerite.  but  for  the  most  part,  these  outcrops 
are  not  valuable  for  their  gold  content,  and  the  most 
prominent  and  productive  mines,  as  a  rule,  have  not  had 
prominent  quartz  outcrops.  Generally  the  richest  ore- 
shoots  on  the  Mother  lode  do  not  outcrop  at  the  surface, 
but  are  found  several  hundred  feet  underground. 

Large  white  outcrops  of  quartz  are  common,  but  or- 
dinarily they  are  valueless.  Near  Custer  peak,  in  the 
Black  Hills,  is  a  mass  of  quartz  over  100  ft.  wide  and 
about  3000  ft.  long.  It  looks  like  a  huge  snowdrift  in 
the  summer  time,  so  white  is  it,  but.  as  far  as  known,  it 
is  destitute  of  gold.  It  is  called  the  Standing  Horse,  but 
whether  so  named  by  the  Indians  or  the  miners  I  do  not 
know.  Four  miles  south  of  Prescott.  Arizona,  is  another 
big  outcrop  of  white  quartz,  but  it.  like  the  other,  is 
practically  barren.  It  is  known  as  Quartz  mountain. 
These  great  tnasses  of  white  quartz  occur  in  many  places, 
but  few  of  them  ever  prove  to  be  of  value  for  gold  or  for 
anything  else  unless  they  are  close  to  the  railway,  in 
which  event  they  may  have  economic  value  for  the  mak- 
ing of  glass  or  similar  uses. 

In  the  Lava  Beds  mining  district,  in  San  Bernardino 
county.  California,  about  30  miles  east  of  Daggett,  is  a 
vein  that  would  attract  the  attention  of  any  prospector, 
experienced  or  otherwise.  The  locator  of  this  great  vein 
noticed  its  dark  wall-like  outcrop  from  a  range  of  hills 
20  miles  away,  while  prospecting.  Having  found  noth- 
ing encouraging  where  he  had  been  searching,  he  de- 
cided to  cross  the  intervening  desert  valley  and  investi- 
gate this,  which  to  him  seemed  to  answer  to  the  descrip- 
tions he  had  read  of  the  Great  Wall  of  China.  On  nearer 
approach  he  found  it  to  be  a  huge  vein,  and  not  a  dike, 
as  he  had  feared  it  might  prove  to  be.  Rising  at  its 
eastern  end  from  the  desert  detritus,  it  extended  for  8000 
ft.  without  a  break  except  where  displaced  for  a  few 
feet  by  dikes.  It  stood  from  10  to  80  ft.  above  the  sur- 
rounding surface  and  from  10  to  100  ft.  in  width.  It 
was  cut  by  two  canyons  to  a  depth  of  800  ft.  It  is  an 
immense  vein  and  structurally  a  beautiful  one.  but  the 
ore  is  mostly  too  low-grade  to  be  profitable,  though  there 
are  rich  places  here  and  there  along  its  course.  I  have 
seen  silver  chloride  ore  from  this  vein  that  was  worth 


I  ••If, 


MINING   and  Scimhli,     I'KI-XN 


131 


>.m  pi.  m>  thai  11  ii"t  worth  $4 
•  i     Ii  .il~  M<l  copper, 

abrupt!) 
linuatioo  had  one  In  thai  dii 

I'll.-  ooontr;  rook  of  th  - 
i  irphj  rj 

■>i  demand  for  industrial  mini  made 

ible  a  knowledge  of  the  mode  of  ooenrrenoe  of  man- 
iran<-*'.  ebramie  iron,  magnetite,  cinnabar,  and  the  tung- 
nieh   knowledge  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  the  prospector,  if  ha  hopes  to  discover  de- 
minerals;  so   1   add   further  notes  con- 
eeming  them. 

I  had  oeeaaion  to  inspect  ■  property  on 
which  it  was  said  n  depoail  of  magneaite  oocarn 

!  the  place  and  near  the  base  of  the  liill  found 
i  small  pieces  of  magneaite  that  seemed  to  be  of 
fair  quality.  It  was  raining  al  the  time,  but  I  went  np 
the  hill  and  began  to  hunt  for  the  magneaite  deposit  from 
which  the  small  pieces  h;i*  1  come.  I  searched  for  Borne 
time,  but  all  1  could  find  was  some  white  calcite  and  a 

quantity  of  porcelain-like  silica.    I  t"» > 1 1 m  1  n agneaite. 

Tli.'  f. > 1 1 ■  > w  i  1 1 ur  day  1  visited  another  place  where  there 
was  an  outcrop  of  magneaite.  Returning  to  town,  and 
having  nothing  in  particular  to  do,  I  decided  to  re-visit 
the  place  I  had  inspected  the  previous  day.  for  I  was 
defied.  I  tilt  sur>'  there  was  magneaite  somewhere 
on  the  hill  I  knew  perfectly  well  that  the  detached 
pieces  I  had  found  had  not le  up  hill — that  somewhere 


had  it  no)  first  ti I  would  ha\ 

le  ih'  n     Magni 

in  serpentine,  though  it  is  sasionally  associated  with 

other  rocks,  as.  (or  Instance,  the  unusual  deposits  at 
i.  20  miles  east  of  Mojave,  in  Kern  county,  '  ali 


01   rCBOF  OF  BULLTBOG   LODE,    IN    \iv\n\. 

above,  on  that  hillside.  I  would  find  magnesite  if  I  looked 
carefully  enough.  This  time  1  went  farther  up  the  slope, 
and  noticing  an  outcrop  of  black  rocks  above  me  wont  up 
to  them,  whereupon  I  discovered  that  the  outcrop  was  a 

body  of  magni'site  from  4  to  over  20  ft.  wide.  The  black 
color  was  duo  to  a  covering  of  moss.  Wherever  the  rock 
was  broken  by  my  hammer  the  snow-white  magnesite 
appeared  beneath.  It  was  only  the  knowledge  that  the 
pieces  I  had  found  the  day  before  must  have  come  from 
some  higher  point  that  decided  me  to  make  a  second 
visit  to  the  place,  with  the  result  above  stated.    Probably 


[OP  01      >     \i;i/    \  i    com  i  ciM  .  I'M  \uim 

fornia,  where  the  maguesite  is  interbedded  with  shales 

and  thin  beds  of  limestone. 

As  Ear  88  known,  chromic  iron  always  occurs  in  ser- 
pentine, there  being  no  known  exceptions  lo  Ihis  any- 
where in  the  world;  therefore,  the  prospector  will  look  in 
serpentine  areas  for  chrome  and  not  waste  time  in  a 
fruitless  search  for  this  mineral  in  limestone,  in  granite, 
or  anywhere  else  than  in  serpentine. 

Cinnabar  is  easily  recognized  by  ils  brilliant  carmine 
color  or  streak,  but  metacinnabarite,  which  is  essentially 
the  same  as  cinnabar,  as  far  as  com- 
position   goes,    might   easily    he    mis- 
taken  for   an   iron    mineral    of   some 
kind.     The  presence  of  cinnabar  or 
metacinnaliaiitc   may   lie  detected  by 
pulverizing  the  mineral  and  concen- 
trating by   panning.      I'lace   the  con- 
centrate in  a  beaker  or  in  an  ordinary 
tea-cup;  add  to  it  a  little  pulverized 
black   oxide   of   manganese   and   then 
add  hydrochloric  acid  and  boil.    After 
boiling   several    minutes,   dilute    with 
water  and  immerse  in  the  solution  a 
piece  of  perfectly  dean  copper.    The 
copper  may  be  prepared  by  first  dip- 
ping in  nitric  acid.    When  the  copper 
is  dipped  in  the  solution,  if  any  mer- 
cury is  present  it  will  be  precipitated 
on  the  surface  of  the  copper.     Meta- 
cinnabarite  is  not  a  common  mineral,  and  where  it  does 
occur  there  is  usually  some  cinnabar  with  it.     In  Cali- 
fornia the  ores  of  quicksilver  generally  are   found  at 
or  near  the  contact  of  sandstone  and  serpentine.     In 
fact,  this  applies  to  all  of  the  great  quicksilver  mines 
of    the    world.     At    Almaden,    in    Spain;    at    Idria,    in 
Austria;    at   New    Almaden   and    New    Idria,    in    Cali- 
fornia,   and   in    China.     However,   it   is   interesting    to 
know  that  ores  of  mercury  also  occur  in  limestone,  as  at 
Terlingua,  in  Texas,  and  in  eruptive  rocks,  as  in  Nevada. 
The  prospector  is  particularly  interested  in  finding 


132 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


ores  of  tungsten  at  this  time.  The  principal  tungsten 
minerals  are  wolframite,  manganese-iron  tungstate; 
hiibnerite,  manganese  tungstate;  ferberite,  iron  tung- 
st ;ii c ;  and  scheelite,  calcium  tungstate.  The  first  three 
minerals  are  grayish  to  brownish  black.  The  last  is 
white,  yellowish,  brownish,  or  sometimes  grayish  like 
bluish  quartz.  The  general  appearance  of  scheelite  is 
that  of  feldspar.  It  usually  presents  numerous  glistening 
faces,  due  to  cleavage,  which  is  absent  in  quartz.  All  of 
the  tungsten  minerals  are  noticeably  heavy,  and  for  this 
reason  alone  are  likely  to  attract  attention,  if  found  in 
pieces  the  size  of  a  walnut  or  larger.  Of  course,  a  hand- 
ful of  small  pieees  will  have  the  same  unusual  weight 
when  their  mass  is  considered.  Small  pieees.  though  of 
the  same  gravity  as  larger  ones,  may  fail  to  attract  at- 
tention to  this  property  of  their  remarkable  density. 
Where  tungsten  ore  occurs  in  disseminated  grains  it  is 
more  difficult  to  detect  than  where  it  is  found  in  masses 
of  considerable  size.  To  determine  the  presence  of  the 
tungsten  minerals  the  prospector  can  apply  the  same 
methods  he  uses  to  prospect  for  free  gold  :  that  is,  by  pul- 
verizing the  rock  and  panning.  The  concentrate  then 
can  be  tested  easily.  Tungsten  ores  are  generally  found 
in  highly  silicious  rocks,  such  as  granite,  granitoid  seliist. 
in  rhyolite,  at  and  near  the  contact  of  limestone  and 
granitic  rocks.  Tungsten  minerals  also  occur  in  peg- 
matite veins,  as  in  some  of  the  New  England  states,  ami 
in  the  Black  Hills.  The  most  profitable  tungsten  mines 
in  the  Black  Hills,  however,  are  found  associated  with 
the  sedimentary  formation  near  the  base  of  the  Cambrian, 
where  quartzites  and  limestones  appear  to  replace  the 
latter.  These  minerals  are  frequently  associated  in  veins 
with  the  ores  of  gold,  silver,  lead,  copper,  and  zinc, 
though  sometimes  they  are  scattered  through  the  country- 
rocks. 

When  the  rock  suspected  of  containing  tungsten  has 
been  pulverized  and  concentrated  by  panning,  the  con- 
centrate may  then  be  tested  in  a  simple  manner.  Place 
the  concentrate  in  a  test-tube,  a  drinking-glass,  or  even 
in  an  ordinary  tea-cup.  Add  a  litle  hydrochloric  acid ; 
if  tungsten  be  present,  a  yellow  powder  will  form  at  the 
bottom  of  the  glass,  though  this  may  be  discolored  some- 
what by  the  presence  of  iron  minerals.  Add  to  this  solu- 
tion a  little  metallic  zinc  and  the  solution  will  turn  blue 
if  tungsten  be  present,  the  depth  of  the  color  being  de- 
termined by  the  quantity  of  the  yellow  powder.  If  only 
a  little,  the  color  will  be  light-blue.  If  the  amount  is 
considerable,  the  color  will  be  darker,  even  to  deep 
indigo-blue.  The  addition  of  tin  in  place  of  zinc  to  the 
solution  has  a  similar  effect,  produeing  the  blue  color. 
The  prospector  may  have  neither  pure  zinc  nor  tin.  in 
which  ease  he  may  substitute  a  piece  of  tin-foil,  or  even 
scrape  a  little  tin  from  a  blight  tin-can,  or  chip  off  a 
little  piece  of  solder.  Either  of  these  substitutes  will 
produce  the  same  color  as  zinc  or  tin. 

When  zinc  is  added  to  the  solution  containing  the 
yellow  powder,  the  color  will  be  first  blue;  then  port-wine 
color;  then  brown,  but  if  the  reduction  takes  place 
quickly,  as  it  may  with  scheelite,  the  blue  color  may  not 


be  observed  at  all,  the  first  color  seen  being  a  reddish- 
lilac,  which  quickly  becomes  brown.  If  tin  be  used  in- 
stead of  zinc,  the  first  color  is  blue,  then  lilac,  then  port- 
wine  color,  which  slowly  turns  to  brown.  When  using 
this  test,  ailow  the  solution  to  stand  several  minutes  after 
boiling,  before  adding  the  zinc  or  tin,  in  order  that  the 
formation  of  the  yellow  powder  (the  tri-oxide  of  tung- 
sten) may  be  complete. 

Sulphuric  acid,  one  part  acid  to  two  or  three  parts 
water,  may  be  used  in  place  of  hydrochloric  acid  with 
the  same  results,  but  the  reactions  will  be  slower.  Nitric 
acid,  also,  will  give  the  yellow  powder,  but  no  blue  color 
is  obtained  by  the  addition  of  tin  or  zinc.  Wolframite 
must  be  boiled  much  longer  than  scheelite,  sometimes  10 
to  20  minutes.  Failure  to  give  it  plenty  of  time  may 
result  in  no  reaction  being  evident. 


Silver  was  discussed  recently  by  Thomas  W.  Gibson, 
deputy  minister  of  mines  for  Ontario.  As  printed  in  the 
Canadian  Mining  Journal,  Mr.  Gibson  said  in  part: 
' "The  fact  that  the  present  intrinsic  value  of  silver  coins 
is  much  less  than  their  face  or  denomination  value  does 
nut  appear  to  detract  from  their  usefulness,  which  pri- 
marily depends  upon  their  ability  to  pass  from  one  per- 
son to  another  without  demur.  That  a  50-cent  coin,  the 
silver  in  which  is  worth,  at  75  cents  per  ounce,  only  26 
cents,  or  a  25-cent  piece  worth  only  13  cents,  circulates 
freely  at  face  value  is  due  not  only  to  the  coins  being 
legal  tender,  but  also  to  the  circumstance  that  they  were 
first  made  legal  tender  at  a  time  when  their  nominal  and 
real  value  much  more  nearly  corresponded  than  they  do 
now.  T'se  and  want  have  habituated  people  to  the  situa- 
tion, and  silver  'change'  for  a  $5  gold  piece  is  given  and 
accepted  without  thought,  and  in  many  cases  doubtless 
without  knowledge,  that  if  the  silver  and  gold  were  both 
melted  the  latter  would  sell  for  $5.  while  the  forme? 
would  bring  only  $2.60.  The  government  that  eoins  the 
silver  and  stamps  it  with  its  nominal  value,  profits  by  the 
difference.  The  profit  of  the  British  mint  in  1913,  when 
silver  coinage  to  a  nominal  value  of  £1,934,404  was 
issued,  was  £726.926."  That  is.  this  amount  was  the  ex- 
cess of  the  face  value  of  the  coins  over  the  price  paid  to 
the  miner  for  the  silver. 


Production  of  explosives  in  the  United  States,  exclud- 
ing exports,  during  the  calendar  .year  1915,  according  to 
figures  that  the  Bureau  of  Mines  has  received  from  man- 
ufacturers, was  460,900,796  lb.  (230,450  short  tons),  com- 
pared with  450,251,489  lb.  (225,126  tons)  in  1914.  The 
report  covers  only  the  explosives  used  in  coal  and  metal 
mining,  railroad  construction,  and  other  industrial  enter- 
prises. The  production  for  1915  is  segregated  as  fol- 
lows: black  powder,  197,722,300  lb.;  high  explosives 
other  than  permissible  explosives.  235.828,587  lb.;  and 
permissible  explosives,  27.349,909  lb.  These  figures  rep- 
resent a  decrease  of  8.377.400  lb.  of  black  powder;  an 
increase  of  17,374,616  lb.  of  high  explosives,  and  1.652.- 
091  lb.  of  permissible  explosives  compared  with  figures 
for  1914. 


July  22    1916 


MINING  and  ScMOtifil    PRI  SS 


Custom   Smelters   and   Small   Mines 


BjJ.IL  Turabull 


nr" 


'UK  average  prospector,  mine-owner,  or  manager, 
and  others  interested  in  mining  on  a  small  scale, 
have  usually  vague  idaaa  in  regard  to  the  opera- 
tious  of  11  smelter.  Their  ideaa  concerning  the  vain.-  of 
mi  ore  are,  as  a  rule,  baaed  on  the  groan  returns.    It'  the 

gross  vali f  tin-  ore,  figured  on  a  full  assay  at  market 

prices  of  metals,  is.  say  (20,  and  the  smelter  treatment 

rat.-  is  >."..  one  Would  at  tirst  sis;ht  BX] t   to  gel  a  Del  of 

$15,  and  when,  instead,  one  gets  $8  or  $10,  it  is  natural  to 
feel  thai  there  is  something  wrong,  and  that  all  the  de- 
ductions made  by  the  smelter,  which  account  for  the  dif- 
ference, cover  a  large  hidden  profit — in  fad  that  one  lias 
been  robbed.  If.  however,  one  knew  how  these  deduc- 
tions Were  arrive.  1  at.  ami  had  an  idea  as  to  what  deduc- 
tions wen-  reasonable  and  justified,  and  what  were  not, 
he  would  be  in  a  better  position  to  see  what  kind  of  B 
deal  he  was  getting,  and  judge  its  fairness  for  himself. 

In  answer  first  to  the  broad  question:  Do  smelters  of 
custom  ores  make  exorbitant  charges,  or  rob  the  miner? 
I  have  no  hesitation  whatever  in  answering  "No."  In 
the  great  majority  of  eases  where  the  charges  seem  ex- 
cessive there  is  a  good  reason  back  of  them.  This  is 
partly  due  to  competition,  and  partly,  in  common  with 
other  large  business,  to  the  fact  that  in  the  long  run  it 
pays  to  be  reasonably  honest.  In  exceptional  cases  ex- 
orbitant charges  may  be  made,  but  eventually  they  dis- 
courage production,  on  which  the  life  of  the  smelter  de- 
pends, and  the  modern  policy  is  to  encourage  the  pro- 
ducer with  fair  rates,  and  so  build  up  a  permanent  busi- 
ness, in  return  for  the  large  capital  investment  involved. 
While  not  usually  guilty  of  robbery  and  extortion,  smelt- 
ers are  in  business  to  make  a  profit,  and  endeavor  to 
sell  to  the  best  advantage.  The  small  miner  can  hardly 
expect  as  good  rates  as  the  large  steady  producer,  but  by 
knowing  something  about  the  business  he  can  often  mar- 
ket his  ore  to  better  advantage,  and  get  the  best  contract 
possible. 

Smelter  Profits.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  the  so-called 
Trust,  did  a  volume  of  business  in  1915  amounting  to 
$225,000,000.  in  which  their  net  profit  was  some  $13,- 
000,000,  or  5%  on  the  turn-over.  Of  this,  however, 
nearly  $4,000,000  was  put  back  in  the  form  of  new  con- 
struction for  1916.  The  year  1915  was  a  good  year,  and 
the  profits  do  not  look  big  compared  with  some  of  the 
'war  baby'  stocks.  The  profits  were  very  good,  much  bet- 
ter than  in  many  former  years,  but  they  hardly  look 
like  extortion  or  robbery. 

On  over  4,000,000   tons  the   average   net  profit  was 

•Summary  of  informal  talk  before  the  Vancouver  Chamber 
of  Mines,  given  by  request,  for  information  of  prospectors  and 
small  mine  owners,  and  published  in  the  Mining  Engineering 
and  Electrical  Record,  at  Vancouver. 


al...ui  (2.25  per  ton.  In  British  Colombia  our  smelters 
arc  largely  engaged  in  smelting  ores  from  their  own 
mini's,  and  their  total  profits  arc  from  both  mine  and 
smelter,  and  the  Smelting  profits  arc  not  separately  given 
in  annual  reports.  In  the  case  of  the  Trail  smelter, 
which  treats  the  largest  tonnage  of  custom  ore  in  British 
Columbia,  this  represents  from  rj  to  l.v;  of  their  total 
only.  1  happen  to  know  positively,  from  my  past  eon 
nection  with  this  smelter,  that  their  rates  are  not  extor 
t innate  on  custom  ores. 

Having  given  the  smelters  a  fairly  good  charaoter,  I 

shall  now  take  up  certain  points  ii onection  with  their 

operations  and  charges  in  detail.  While  there  is  do  big 
nigger  in  the  fence,  there  are  a  Eew  small  Diggers,  a 
knowledge  of  whom  may  be  of  some  benefit  to  you. 

Settlement.  Theoretically  a  smelter  operates  on  the 
idea  that  be  takes  your  ore,  extracts  the  pure  metals 
from  it,  and  hands  them  back  to  you.  charging  you  a 
fair  price  for  the  work  of  doing  so.  In  practice  this  is 
found  to  be  impossible.  Each  lot  of  ore  cannot  be 
smelted  separately,  and  its  contents  kept  separate.  For 
economical  smelting  an  average  constant  mixture  must 
be  maintained,  so  that  before  the  ore  ever  sees  the  fur- 
nace it  is  mixed  up  with  other  ores,  and  since  ores  are 
received  irregularly,  some  are  smelted  quickly  and  others 
may  be  delayed  some  time,  in  order  to  keep  the  furnace 
mixture  reasonably  constant.  A  dozen  different  ores 
may  be  in  the  furnace  at  once  and  the  metal  produced  is 
merely  an  average ;  the  average  losses  can  be  determined, 
but  no  one  can  tell  what  the  exact  loss  is  on  any  particu- 
lar one  of  them.  What  the  smelter  does  is  to  put  each 
lot  separately  through  the  sampling-mill  and  assay  the 
sample,  determining  the  metal  content  by  this  assay. 
The  losses  can  only  be  assumed  in  each  case  from  the 
average  loss  on  all  the  ores  smelted  together. 

A  smelter  test  on  any  lot  of  ore  consists  of  an  accurate 
sampling  and  assay.  There  can  be  no  real  smelter  test 
on  one  lot.  To  ship  a  carload  for  a  smelter  test  means 
therefore  that  you  get  an  accurate  sample,  and  the  smelt- 
ing quality  of  the  ore  is  largely  judged  from  the  analysis 
made  in  the  laboratory,  long  before  the  ore  gets  near  the 
furnace.  Since  metal  is  produced  by  the  smelter  in  one 
lot  from  many  lots  of  ore,  it  is  practically  impossible  to 
separate  it  into  proportionate  small  lots  and  hand  each 
mine  back  its  proportion,  nor  could  it  be  sold  in  this  way 
to  advantage,  since  metal-selling  is  a  complicated  busi- 
ness, based  on  large  contracts,  etc.,  so  that  the  smelter  is 
compelled  to  act  as  selling  agent.  Selling  costs  money; 
therefore  the  smelter  always  deducts  a  marketing  charge 
from  your  ore  in  some  form  or  other. 

Extracting  the  metal  from  your  ore  and  selling  it 
takes  mi  the  average  about  three  months:  therefore,  un- 


134 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1!)16 


ten  you  wish  i"  wail  three  months  for  your  returns,  the 
Bmelter  is  oompelled  to  sol  as  banker,  and  advance  you 
the  money  Oil  the  basis  of  the  assay.     This  means  in 
charges,  which  are  also  deducted  from  yon  in  Bome  form. 
The  price  of  metals  may  vary  greatly  in  three  months, 

however,  bo  that  it'  the  a Iter  pays  you  on  the  basis  of 

the  price  at  the  time  he  receives  the  ore,  he  may  make  a 

profit  Or  L08B  "i]  the  sale  of  metal  three  months  later.  BC 

cording  as  the  price  goes  up  or  down  in  the  meantime. 

This  method  of  payment  is  known  as  'spol '  settlement. 

It  is  not  desired  by  the  smelter,  since  a  slump  usually 
occurs  when  metal  pii.es  are  high,  when  everybody  is 
shipping  all  he  ean  and  the  smelter  is  overstocked  with 
ores,  s.i  thai  the  tendency  is  [or  the  smelter  to  make  a 
larger  less  on  the  slump  than  his  gain  on  the  rising  mar- 
ket   To  plaee  the  visk  of  gain  or  less  on  the  mines,  the 

8 Iter   may    make  Contracts  on   B   three   months'  settle 

nient.  that  is.  paj  '.10'  ,  spot  and  adjust  the  halanee  on 
the    price   Of   metals   three    mouths  after    receipt,    paying 

ti    (act    as  near  as  possihle  on   the  liasis  of  what    he 

actually  receives  for  the  metal.  By  paying  yon  spot,  on 
a  rising  market,  and  switching  to  three-month  hasis  be 

fore  a  slump,  the  smelter  stands  to  make  an  extra  profit. 
The  miner's  interest  ohviously  calls  him  to  ,lo  the  op- 
pesite,  if  possihle.  It  is  a  kind  of  guessing  Contest,  and 
the  best  L'uessor  wins.  1  need  hardly  say  who  is  likely 
to  be  the  best  guesser,  and  the  smelter  is  hardly  likely  to 

allow  you  to  switch  to  your  advantage  when  you  please. 

so  that   you  should  not  allow  him  to  do  so  either,  which 

you  ean  accomplish  by  making  a  contract  over  a  con- 
siderable pei'io.l,  choosing  if  possihle  whieh   kind  of  set 
tlement  you  prefer,  if  you  ean  gel   it.     The  smelter  has 
the  advantage  of  a  better  knowledge  of  market  condi- 
tions and  of  not   being  oompelled  to  accept   a  settlement 

he  .lees  not  desire,  while  the  mine  has  the  advantage  of 
being  able  to  ship  heavily  or  lightly  according  to  condi- 
tions on  the  usual  contract.  This  is  one  small  nigger  in 
the  fence,  the  advantage  being  rather  on  the  side  of  the 
miner,  if  he  knows  the  game. 

Treatment  Charges,    in  quoting  you  a  treatment 

rate,  the  smelter  makes  various  deductions,  whieh  are 
supposed  to  cover  marketing  eosts,  losses  in  smelting, 

and  so  on.  Presumably  these  are  the  eosts  and  losses 
actually  incurred  by  the  smelter  in  operation,  acting  as 
your  agent,  and  do  not  theoretically  leave  any  profit  for 
the  smelter,  that  is.  from  the  deductions  alone.  In  addi- 
tion, a  straight  treatment  charge  is  made,  which  pre- 
sumably covers  the  aotual  coal  of  smelting  plus  profit. 

If  the  smelter  makes  an  unusually  low  treatment  charge, 
he  probably  makes  up  the  difi'erenee  hy  high  deductions, 
and  vice  versa.  A  low  treatment  charge  does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  that  you  are  getting  your  ore  smelted 
cheaply. 

In   the    meantime,    what    is   a    fair    treatment    charge t 
This  depends  on   the  ore.  and   ean   only   he  answered   in 

general  terms.    On  copper  ores,  with  immense  tonnages 

of  easily  smelted  ore.  the  direct  cost  of  smelting  may  be 
as  low  as  $1.2S  per  ton.  as  at  (irand  Forks.  With  high- 
grade  concentrates  it    may    run   up  to  $4,  or  even   more. 


On  the  general  run  of  ordinary  ores  somewhat  ahout  $3 
would  not   he  excessive.      Adding  one  or  two  dollars  l'or 

profit  a  charge  of  $4  or  .+">  is  reasonable  in  most  cases, 

provided   an   extra   profit    is  not   also   made   on   excessive 

deductions. 

i >u  leadkores  that  require  roasting,  as  most  B.  C 
do.  the  direct  .ost  of  smelting,  not  including  refining, 

may  run  as  nigh  as  $8  or  even  more,  but  it  is  even  more 

difficult  to  average  than  on  copper,  depending  on  the 
grade  of  the  ore.  and  treatment  charge  is  often  on  a  slid- 
ale  varying  from  $8  to  $12,  which,  including  profit, 
is  not  excessive  if  the  deductions  are  fair. 

die  as  received  at  the  smelter  in  railway-cars  is  first 
weighed,  giving  the  gross  weight,  then  in  turn  ii 

through  the  sampling-mill,  being  crushed,  run  over  sam- 
plers, etc..  in  the  course  of  which  it  dries  to  some  extent. 
The  sample  is  taken,  pari  of  it  is  weighed  and  dried  in 
an  oven,  and  the  percentage  of  moisture  determined. 
Prom  this  and  the  gross  weight  the  dry  weight  is  calcu- 
lated; the  assay  is  made  on  the  dried  sample  and  pay- 
ment is  made  on  the  dry  weight,  which  is  fail-  and  accu- 
rate. In  the  sampling  and  handling,  however,  the  ore 
dries  somewhat  and  there  is  often  a  considerable  loss  in 
dust.  To  cover  these  losses  the  smelter  sometimes  makes 
a  deduction  of  ahout  .' '  ,  ,  which  is  called  'yard'  l.'ss. 
The  loss  is  real,  hut  just  what  it  really  amounts  to  is 
hard  to  determine — impossible,  in  fact.  One  must  judge 
its  fairness  hy  circumstances.  It  is.  hewever.  not  a  dis- 
honest deduction  in  principle — it  is  a  question  of  amount. 
M  vKKKTiNii  CHARGES.  What  is  a  fair  marketing 
charge  1  This  is  rather  a  knotty  question  to  answer. 
Lei  us  see  what  marketing  charges  consist  of.  Refining 
either  lead  or  copper  is  usually  considered  as  part  of  the 
marketing.     Copper  refining  probably  costs  about   Je. 

per  lb.  in  the  Hast,  and  somewhat  higher  in  the  West, 
depending  on  labor  and  electric-power  eosts  largely,  as 
well  as  the  scale  of  operations,  say.  not  over  |c  Freight 
from  the  West  to  New  York  would  account  for  another 
A  to  |c.  Three  months  interest  brokerage  and  commis- 
sions bring  the  total  up  to  li  to  1  ;e.  for  the  big  fellows, 
while  the  smaller  smelter  might  he  out  3c.  or  even  more. 
On  custom  ores  the  deduction  is  usually  from  :>  to  4c. 
per  pound.  In  general,  the  smelter  probably  plays  safe 
on  til  is  and  makes  from  .1  to  1c.  per  lb.  equivalent  to  from 
SO  to  tide,  per  ton  on  a  :>'",  ore.  A  high  deduction  on 
this  account  is  all  right  if  the  treatment  charge  is  low  by 
a  corresponding  amount. 

In  the  ease  of  lead,  refining  is  less  costly,  being  a  mini- 
mum of  0.2c  per  pound  under  favorable  conditions  of 
cheap  fuel  and  labor.  In  the  West  it  might  run  up  to 
0.5o.  Freight  would  be  to  the  Fast,  where  the  chief 
market  is.  another  0.5  or  0.6c,  besides  selling  expi 
The  Trail  smelter  deducts  1c.  per  lb.  for  marketing,  on 
which  it  evidently  makes  no  profit.  American  smelters 
usually  deduct  1  |  to  IJc.,  on  whieh.  with  better  market- 
ing conditions,  they  should  make  a  considerable  profit, 
and  can  make  apparently  low  treatment  charges  on  ore 
in  consequence.  There  is  a  mutual  tariff-wall  between 
Canada  ami  the  F.  s.  on  lead;  hence  marketing  condi- 


Jul;  22    1916 


.M1MM-.    and    S.a.l.h.     I'KI   SS 


ire  somewhat  artificial,  whereat  Id  copper  tl 

pped  anally  contain 
fri>in  .  lead,  wl  per  orea  mn  from  1 

up  to  not  over  1"  or  l.v,  hence  the  marketing 
charge  on  lead  usually  Bgnrea  oat  mneh  higher  per  ton 
a  though  !<•!«  per  pound  oi  metal,  It  there- 
fore l.«>ks  mneh  none  than  it  is.  in  fast,  it  in  nu 
priming  that  miner*  will  cheerfully  paj  8c  per  pound 
■>n  copper,  and  yet  make  vigorous  objection  to  li 
pound  "ii  lead,  which  is  a  mneh  more  favorable  charge. 
Tin'  reason  is  probably  because  it  looks  none  per 
The  difference  is  plain. 

ii..sv  Smelters  usually  make  deduc- 
tions t'rom  the  metal  assay  to  cover  losses  in  smelting. 
In  tli.  npper,  losses  are  chiefly  in  the  slag,  and 

partly  mechanical,  handling,  flue-dust,  etc  Slag  in  the 
fnrnaee  snnmn  to  hold  a  certain  minimum  amount  of 
copper,  varying  to  some  extent  with  the  grade  oi  t  he  ore. 
Considering  all  tin-  operations,  the  loss  seldom  runs  much 
below  Ho'.  .  and  may  be  considerably  more  on  high-grade 
We  may  take  0.39  M  a  ,a'r  average  deduction 
on  which  the  smelter  is  not  mating  much,  if  any.  profit 
Except  on  high-grade  ores,  20  to  309  copper  or  more, 
any  deduction  over  uhout  0.3%,  represents  a  profit  for 
the  smelter.  In  many  cases  it  will  be  found  that  the 
smelter  is  making  a  deduction  of  1  to  1.3|  I  .  usually  with 
a  lou  treatment  charge  to  correspond,  since  few  smelters 
would  have  the  nerve  to  make  this  deduction  and  a  full 
treatment  charge  as  well. 

The  reason  for  making  this  high  deduction  is  three- 
fold: Fust.  1 .:'.',  is  an  old  standard  deduction  that  has 
been  adhered  to,  and  the  difference  made  up  by  reducing 
the  treatment  charges. 

S..oiid.  a  low  treatment  charge  looks  attractive,  many 
miners  scanning  that  more  closely  than  the  deductions; 
the  treatment  charge  may  even  be  zero,  which  looks  very 
fine. 

Third,  the  price  of  copper.  The  smelter  is  evidently 
making  a  profit  of  1%  copper,  or  20  lb.  At  12c.  net  per 
lb.  the  smelter  is  getting  $2.40  per  ton  of  ore,  and  at  24e. 
it  is  getting  $4.80  per  ton.  Your  treatment  charge  is 
automatically  rising  with  the  price  of  copper.  Fine  for 
the  smelter  on  a  rising  market,  and  vice  versa.  On  the 
24c  price  0.3%  deduction  and  $4.80  treatment  is  equiva- 
lent to  \  '■'■' <  deduction  and  zero  treatment.  In  the  latter 
case  you  are  getting  j'our  ore  treated  for  nothing,  I  don't 
think.    The  cathode  price  is  $c.  less  than  electrolytic. 

Lead  deductions  are  on  quite  a  different  basis,  chiefly 
because  lead  and  lead  compounds,  unlike  copper,  are 
volatile  at  the  usual  furnace  and  roasting  heats.  Lead 
smelters  make  various  rates.  The  Trail  smelter  pays 
90%  of  the  lead;  that  is  it  deducts  10%  for  losses,  which 
losses  mostly  occur  in  smoke.  Certain  American  smelters 
smelt  Mexican  lead  ores  in  bond  and  are  required  to  ex- 
port the  equivalent  amount  of  lead  metal.  The  U.  S. 
Government  therefore  cheeks  them  up,  and  makes  an 
allowance  for  losses  in  smelting  and  refining.  In  1914 
these  were  as  follows:  Balbach,  New  Jersey,  8.52%; 
Perth.  Amboy.  N.  J.,  22.32%;  El  Paso.  Texas.  18.56%. 


food  evidence      In  the  i 

know  that  the  losses  sre  over  10 91,  thai  ia  why  tin 
spending  so  much  mone)  on  <  ottrell  imoke  pit 

matter  of  fact  the  losses  depend  on  the  01*08;  they 

are  i.a>t  on  pare  ores     In  Missouri  they  mi 

than  .V  ,  .  but  on  impure  .inky  Orel  as  we  have  in  •  'anada. 

in  the  West,  10  sir  dednetioi •>■  than 

in  fact,  in  spite  of  tin  text  books,  which  tell  you  thai  thr 

■ Iter  s.i .  ■• ,  of  the  lead. 

Penalties    imd  Bonuses       Lead    furnaoe-slaga  can 

carry    about    li    or    "',     one    without     much    detriment. 

Above  this  point  the  one  has  two  bad  effects:  Qrst,  it 
tends  to  carrj  silver  into  the  Blag;  second,  ii  tends  to 

make  the  slag  infusible  and  pasty,  which   results  in  glow 
furnace   running,   greater  slag  losses,   and   difficult 
running,   which   add   materially   to   lb.-  cost   and   trouble. 

of  which  tiler,  are  plenty  in  lead  smelting  in  an\  case, 

and  cuts  down  capacity.  This  rapidly  becomes  worse  as 
the  zinc  gets  higher.  With  over  12  to  l.V;  zinc  it  is 
next  to  impossible  to  run  the  furnace.  A  smeller  that 
receives  low  zinc  ores  on  tin-  average  can  stand  a  few 
lots  of  high  zinc  without  much  detriment,  and  should 
not  charge  a  high  zinc  penalty.  Where  the  zinc  in  ores 
averages  high  anyway,  extra  lots  of  very  high  zinc  are 
a  serious  matter  and  necessitate  a  high  penalty,  and  even 
then  they  are  not  desired.  The  usual  penalty  is  25  to 
50e.  per  unit   I  1',  |  on  all  zinc  over  S  to  10%. 

Sit, ic.v.  Iron,  and  Lime.  In  order  to  run  a  furnace 
properly  the  smelter  must  keep  an  even  balance  between 
silica  on  the  one  baud  and  iron  and  lime  on  the  other.  If 
he  cannot  get  this  balance  in  the  available  ores,  he  is  com- 
pelled to  make  it  with  barren  fluxes,  such  as  quartz  iron 
ores  (free  from  sulphur,  if  possible)  or  limestone.  Few 
smelters  can  get  an  even  balance,  or  self-fluxing  mixture, 
from  ores  only,  and  have  to  offer  special  inducements  in 
order  to  attract  the  kind  of  ore  they  need,  and  make  it 

possible  to  ship  low-grade  ores  of  the  sded  class,  by 

offering  a  bonus  on  the  kind  of  material  they  require. 
At  the  same  time  they  usually  charge  a  penalty  on  ores 
of  opposite  character. 

The  proper  method  is  to  have  the  penalty  and  bonus 
equal  and  opposite,  usually  5  to  10c.  per  unit,  payable 
or  chargeable  on  the  excess  of  one  side  over  the  other, 
that  is,  silica  excess  over  iron  plus  lime  or  vice  versa. 
One  or  two  little  jokers  may  occur  here.  Where  the 
silica  excess  is  penalized,  the  contract  sometimes  forgets 
to  mention  the  lime  and  refers  to  iron  only,  so  that  too 
much  penalty  is  paid.  Sometimes  the  penalty  is  made 
larger  than  the  bonus,  and  all  the  silica,  say,  is  charged 
with  penalty,  and  all  the  iron  and  lime  credited  with 
bonus.  In  the  case  of  an  ore  running  even  there  should 
be  neither  penalty  nor  bonus,  but  by  this  joker,  if  there 
is,  say,  30%  of  each,  you  pay  30  by  say  10c.  penalty  and 
get  only  30  by  say  7c.  bonus,  a  difference  in  favor  of  the 
smelter  of  90  cents  per  ton. 

Instead  of  silica,  the  contract  may  specify  'insoluble,' 
which  means  merely  that  portion  of  the  ore  insoluble  in 
acids,  which  may  be  considerably  higher  than  the  true 
silica  in  some  cases. 


136 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


Gold-Scheelite  Ore  in 
New  Zealand 


By  C.  W.  Gudgeon 

•In  Otago,  in  the  South  Island,  gold  and  scheelite  ores 
occur  at  Macrae's  and  Glenorchy  in  Waihemo  and  Lake 
counties,  respectively.  At  the  former  centre  is  the  Gold- 
en Point  mine,  developed  by  adits.  In  it  are  three  paral- 
lel lodes,  running  conformable  with  the  altered  zone 
strata,  and  separated  15  and  25  ft.  They  are  much 
faulted  and  are  difficult  to  follow.  Careful  timbering  is 
necessary.  The  top  lode,  No.  1,  3  to  4  ft.  thick,  is  low  in 
gold  and  tungsten,  but  has  odd  pockets  of  rich  ore.  No. 
2  is  3  to  6  ft.  thick,  contains  0.5  to  1  oz.  gold,  and  is 
highly  impregnated  with  scheelite,  with  pockets  of  almost 
pure  mineral.  No.  3  is  small  and  of  no  importance.  The 
gangue  is  quartz;  the  country-rock  is  mica  schist,  lying 
horizontal.  Driving  is  cheap  owing  to  the  soft  schist,  as 
low  as  $1.44  per  foot  for  a  4A  by  6-ft.  drift.  Underground 
work  costs  $1.86  per  ton. 

Ore  treatment  consists  of  hand-grading  the  best  ore  to 
60-65%  WO„  which  is  shipped.  The  lower-grade  ore  is 
crushed  at  the  rate  of  30  tons  per  day  through  30-mesh 
by  ten  900-lb.  stamps.  Copper  plates  save  the  coarse 
gold.  The  pulp  is  classified  and  passed  over  Wilfley 
tables,  which  concentrate  out  the  scheelite.  Sand  is 
cyanided  in  vats  by  percolation;  the  slime  is  stored. 
Amalgamation  saves  46%  and  cyanidation  36%  of  the 
gold.  Increased  depth  of  mining  gives  scheelite  asso- 
ciated with  iron  pyrite.  The  concentrate  contains  30  to 
40%  CaWO,  (scheelite),  50  to  55%  pyrite,  10%  silica, 
and  2i  oz.  gold,  and  is  equal  to  0.5  to  1%  of  the  ore 
milled. 

Concentrate  treatment  consists  of  drying  the  product 
in  a  cylindrical  outside-driven  roasting-furnaee.  During 
this  process  the  calcined  concentrate  is  elevated  and 
dropped  8  ft.,  with  free  access  to  the  air.  Roasting  is 
done  as  far  as  the  magnetic  sulphide  stage.  The  concen- 
trate  is  next  separated  electrically,  making  an  iron-gold 
and  a  scheelite  product.  During  this  separation  15%  of 
the  scheelite  and  21','  of  the  silica  is  deflected  over  with 
the  magnetic  iron,  while  running  on  high  amperage.  This 
iron  product  is  submitted  in  re-treatment  and  re-roast- 
ing, giving  a  clean  iron  product  containing  5  to  6  oz.  gold 
per  ton,  and  73.495  CaW04,  equal  to  61.2$  \Y<>  .  Con- 
centrate high  in  silica  is  reduced  to  10%  or  under,  before 
separation,  by  jigging.  Total  treatment  charges  are 
$1.38  per  ton  of  ore  milled.     All  costs  were  $3.53  per  ton. 

Five  miles  north-west  of  the  Golden  Point  mine  is  the 
Highlay,  which  was  worked-out  in  1913.  The  coarse 
hard  ore  was  crushed  by  five  800-lh.  stamps,  while  a  5-ft. 
Huntington  mill  reduced  the  finer  and  softer  material. 
These  machines  were  followed  by  copper  plates,  Frue 
vanners  for  the  soft  and  Wilfley  tables  for  the  hard  ore. 
Sand  was  cyanided,  and  slime  run  to  waste.  For  many 
years  the  mill  treated  1000  tons  per  month,  averaging 

•Abstract  from  Bulletin  21  of  Aust.  I.  M.  E. 


0.28%  "WO,  and  42c.  gold  per  ton.    Costs  were  90c.  for 
all  departments. 

On  Mt.  Juda,  240  miles  north-west  of  Dunedin,  the 
Glenorchy  Scheelite  Mine  Co.  is  operating.  The  lode  is  in 
metamorphic  schist  .similar  to  those  at  Macrae's,  but  the 
schist  is  harder  and  more  crystalline.  The  mine  is  opened 
by  drifts  from  the  surface,  along  the  pitch  of  the  orebody.- 
The  gangue  is  a  dense  quartz,  and  has  associated  with  it 
gold,  scheelite,  iron,  and  arsenical  pyrite.  The  scheelite 
occurs  in  the  ore-channel  in  distinct  layers,  irregularly 


Oversize 
Breaker 


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Starr>frMi/l(5l  zo-Mesh 

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M/P/et/APP 
Heads       _  Tails 

Waste    f'f>e 

Cairo 


(fPfynticjCa/cine  Purnace 


I 


Drier 

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7b  Bags 


FLOW-SHEET  OF  GLENORCHY  GOLD-SCHEELITE  MILL,   NEW  ZEALAND. 

spaced,  through  the  barren  lode-matter.  The  lenses  are 
high  in  scheelite,  and  are  very  pyritie  in  the  sulphide 
zone. 

The  present  scheme  of  treatment,  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying flow-sheet,  gives  good  results.  As  little  crushing 
is  given  as  possible,  as  the  scheelite  is  so  friable.  If 
pyritie,  the  concentrate  is  roasted  and  re-dressed  to  70% 
WOj.  As  the  iron  tailing  is  low  in  gold  it  is  discarded. 
Prom  5400  tons  of  ore  the  recovery  averaged  7.09% 
W(  I    and  45c.  gold  per  ton.    Costs  total  $5.52  per  ton. 

The  following  is  a  reliable  assay  of  pyritic-scheelite 
concentrate:  Take  10  grams  of  material  and  grind  in  an 
agate  mortar.  Digest  in  aqua  regia  and  evaporate  to 
dryness  three  times.  Take-up  with  hot  H„0  and  boil. 
Filter.  Wash  with  hot  H,0  till  free  of  all  chlorides. 
Wash  with  hot  dilute  HC1.  Dissolve  the  CaW04  with 
hot  ammonia.  Evaporate  to  dryness.  Ignite,  and  esti- 
mate as  W03  (tungstic  oxide). 


Toe  San  Francisco  Mint  in  June  received  201,019  oz. 
of  gold  and  63,857  oz.  of  silver.  Gold  sold  amounted  to 
52,214  oz.  $24,000  in  nickels  and  $2700  in  pennies  were 
coined.    The  vaults  contain  $370,628,914.36. 


MINING  and  Sdaotific   I'KI  SS 


The   Demand   for   Quicksilver 

luickailver  indn  ratinued 

during    the    lir>l    til    months   of    ll'lli.    an. I    the    a. 

•  ii  about  double  tin1  exception- 
nlly  high  figure  for  the  entire  year  1915.    ETiguri 
eompiled  bj  the  i     8   Geologic*!  Survey  show  that  the 
total  prodnotion  of  quicksilver  in  the  United  Stal 
1915  7.">  lli.  each,  having  a  marketed 

value  of  11,826,912,  or  an  average  of  -*•;  s''.  per  Bask. 
Of  this  output  14,868  flaaka,  Bailing  tor  11,174,881  oame 

bom  California,  and  the  remainder  al si  entirely  from 

ada.  Tin-  actual  average  sales  value  tor 
th>-  whole  country  exceeded  the  average  market  value  in 
San  Francisco  which  was  --.". v"  for  tin-  .war  In  1914 
the  domestic  output  was  16,548  flaaka,  valued  al 
1811,680,  and  therefore  the  production  tor  1915  showed 
an  increase  of  over  -7','  in  quantity  and  12V;  in  value. 

The  increased  domeatio  demand  tor  quicksilver  in  the 
last  is  months  baa  been  due  mainly  to  war  requirement! 
for  fulminate  and  drugs.  Early  in  1915  domestic  stocks 
began  to  be  drawn  upon  and  production  became  morn 
active,  but  as  foreign  embargoes  left  the  field  clear  and 
domeatio  output  was  unable  to  meet  the  rapidly  increas- 
ing call  for  the  metal,  prices  continued  to  rise  throughout 
the  year  and  into  the  early  months  of  1916.  the  high 
mark  of  $300  per  flask  being  passed  in  February. 
Naturally  every  mine  and  prospect  became  of  interest. 
The  reaction  set-in.  however,  as  the  high  prices  drew  out 
quicksilver  supplies  in  Mexico  and  elsewhere  that  had 
I...  n  originally  purchased  for  amalgamation  of  gold  and 
silver  ores,  and  finally  as  the  British  government  per- 
mitted  exports  to  America  under  certain  limitations. 
The  average  monthly  domestic  price  in  San  Francisco, 
which  bad  climbed  from  $51.90  in  January  1915,  to  $295 
iii  February  1916,  dropped  to  $219  in  March,  +141.60  in 
April,  $90  in  May.  and  about  $72  in  June.  The  market 
remains  steady  and  in  general  highly  profitable,  and  as 
domestic  prices  have  dropped  below  London  quotations, 
exports  rather  than  imports  of  the  metal  may  be  ex- 
I  There  is  probably  no  great  quantity  of  metal 
Btored,  and  consumption  is  undoubtedly  abnormally 
large. 

Favorable  markets  have  brought  out  great  activity  in 
h  tor  new  prospects,  and  discoveries  near  Morton, 
Washington,  and  Beagle,  Oregon,  in  1916  have  led  to 
some  development  and  construction  of  reduction  plants. 
Also  in  the  Skull  Valley  deposits.  Arizona,  referred  to 
many  years  ago  by  W.  P.  Blake,  and  at  Black  Pine. 
Idaho,  some  activity  is  reported.  Many  old  furnaces 
have  been  repaired  or  enlarged  in  California,  Nevada, 
and  Texas,  old  workings  have  been  re-opened,  and  new 
discoveries  have  been  developed. 

It.  is  likely  that  the  exceptionally  high  prices  of  the  last 
few  months  have  led  to  gouging  and  robbing  many  mines 
of  their  best  ore.  and  the  average  tenor  of  the  ore  worked 
by  the  larger  mines  during  the  first  half  of  1916  may 
prove  considerably  below  that  of  previous  years.  More- 
over, some  mines  have  undoubtedly  passed  their  maxi- 


mum productivity  probably  offaol 

■  m  by  tii.  •  more  furnace 

now  working  ou  quickaih  than  al  any  previous 

tune  in  the  history  of  the  Industrj  On  the  whole,  the 
mid  year  outlook  is  for  an  output  in  1916  fully  equal  to 
that  of  1915. 

The  Big  Three 

There  are  three  copper  producers  on  the  American 
continent  which  can  each  show  a  net  earning  capacity  of 
$40,000,000  or  better  on  a  sustained  25-cenl  copper  mar 

ket :  Anaconda,  Kei ott,  and  Utah  Copper.    In  point 

of  volui f  output  ami  profit  these  are  America's  'Big 

Three'  in  th pper  industry.     No  others  are  in  the 

same  class. 

Measured  by  production,  Anaconda,  of  course,  stands 

at  the  top  of  the  list,  its  annual  output   now  running  at 

the  rate  of  340,000,000  lb.    Utah  is  s nd  with  190,000,- 

000  lb.,  and  Kennecott  third  with  216.IMMI.OHII  lb.,  but  of 
this  latter  amount.  4S, 000.000  is  represented  by  the  com- 
pany's 2">','  ownership  in  Utah  Copper.  Excluding  the 
Utah  duplication  referred  to,  these  premier  producers 
combined  arc  earning  at  the  rate  of  no  less  than  $124,- 
000.000  from  700,000,000  lb.  of  annual  output.  This  pro- 
duction represents  over  50%  of  the  total  s Iter  output 

of  the  United  States  in  1915—1,365,500,000  lb.  Carry- 
ing the  comparison  a  step  farther,  it  will  be  found  that 
Anaconda,  Utah  Copper,  and  Kennecott  are  earning  al- 
most three  times  the  total  profits  realized  from  the  1914 
production  of  the  whole  country,  including  imports.  In 
that  year  electrolytic  copper  averaged  13.30c.  for  the  12 
months  and  the  average  cost  of  production  was  easily 
9Jc.  per  lb.  At  the  outside,  therefore,  the  profits  could 
not  have  exceeded  four  cents  per  pound  on  1 .1  fill. 000,000 
lb.,  or  $46,000,000. 

That  three  properties  in  1916  should  he  able  to  earn 
three  times  what  all  the  mines  on  the  North  American 
continent  could  produce  two  years  ago,  testifies  not  only 
to  the  bigness  of  each  of  these  three  units,  but  to  the 
sensational  profits  that  are  made  when  copper  sells  for 
25  cents. 

There  are  no  other  copper  mining  concerns  which  can 
approach  the  class  of  the  Big  Three.  Phelps.  Dodge  & 
Co.  comes  fourth  with  140.000,000-lb.  output  when  its 
Mexican  property,  the  Moctezuma,  producing  22,000,- 
000  lb.,  is  in  commission.  Next  would  come  Inspiration 
with  120,000.000  lb.— Boston  News  Bum, a. 


The  Butte  &  Superior  mine  in  Montana  mined  591,- 
562  tons  of  ore  in  the  year  ending  June  30,  1916.  This 
ore  was  worth  $34.27  per  ton,  giving  a  gross  value  of 
$20,271,949.  This  makes  the  Butte  &  Superior  one  of  the 
great  mines  of  the  world.  For  comparison  the  Utah 
Copper  Company's  income  from  copper  produced  in 
1915  was  $2li.235.331.  The  Elm  Orlu  mine,  which  is 
adjacent  to  the  Butte  &  Superior,  mined  200.752  tons  of 
zinc  ore  worth  $18.52  per  ton,  in  the  year  ended  June  30. 
The  net  profit  was  $495,757. 


138 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22.  1916 


CONCENTRATES 

Rendu*  of  Ihe  MINING  and  Seienli/ic  PRESS  are  mviled  lo  alls  aueiliom 
and  Hive  information  dealing  tcith  technical  and  other  mailers  pertaining  lo  (he 
pracliee  of  minint.  milling,  and  smelling. 


«  iiiski.s  are  made  from  Steel  containing  0.75  to  0.85% 
carbon,  which  is  about  the  same  proportion  of  carbon  as 
is  contained  in  drill-steel. 


The  flotation  PROCESS  at  Braden,  Chile,  is  saving 
80%  of  the  copper  from  4000  tons  of  ore  per  day.  As 
10%  of  the  copper  minerals  is  oxidized,  this  is  equiv- 
alent to  00%  of  the  copper  sulphides. 


Mexican  silver  dollars  purchased  in  Sau  Francisco  in 
1857  by  a  traveler  going  to  the  Orient,  where  such  coins 
were  in  regular  circulation,  cost  $1.30  each  in  American 
gold,  the  price  of  one  ounce  of  silver  at  that  time. 


Mercury  fulminate,  used  in  detonators  and  floating 
mines,  explodes  ;ii  a  pressure  of  28,750  kilograms  per 
square  centimetre,  or  204.45  tons  per  square  inch.  Nitro- 
glycerine explodes  with  hss  than  half  of  this  force. 


Cyanide  consumption  at  the  Great  Boulder  mine, 
Kalgoorlie,  Western  Australia,  where  roasting  and  tine 
grinding  is  practised,  is  0.96  lb.  per  ton;  mercury  loss 
in  the  pans  is  0.11  oz.  per  ton.  The  cost  of  treatment  is 
$2.48  per  ton. 

A  blast  may  be  delayed  as  much  as  an  hour  by  the 
fuse  being  bent  and  the  spark  retarded.  It  is  not  well 
when  loading  a  blast  to  bend  fuse  at  a  sharp  angle;  nor 
is  it  well  to  approach  a  charge  of  unfired  explosive,  the 
fuses  of  which  have  been  lit  within  an  hour. 


Wounds  should  not  be  treated  with  mercuric  chloride 
dressings,  if  iodine  has  been  applied.  The  consequence 
would  be  the  formation  of  mercuric  iodide,  which  is 
strongly  irritating.  To  remove  mercuric  iodide,  wash 
the  wound  with  a  10%  solution  of  potassium  iodide. 


Cement-setting  in  drill-holes  in  mineralized  under- 
ground waters  is  not  thoroughly  understood,  and  there 
is  considerable  dispute  about  it.  One  system  is  to 
analyze  the  water  and  add  certain  chemicals  to  neutralize 
acidity.  Many  successful  well-cementers  declare  that 
minerals  in  the  water  have  nothing  to  do  with  it. 


Mine-timber  in  the  Passagcm  mine  of  the  Ouro  Preto 
company  in  Brazil  is  treated  with  lime  mixed  with  a 
solution  of  zinc  sulphate,  a  waste  product  from  the  cya- 
nide works.  This  liquor  has  a  preservative  effect  on  the 
wood.  White  ants  attack  some  mine-timber  near  the 
surface. 


Cement  mortar  is  used  on  the  Canal  Zone  to  plug 
cavities  in  trees  that  might  otherwise  collect  water  and 
serve  as  breeding  places  for  mosquitoes.  A  1:  4  mixture 
is  employed  for  ordinary-sized  cavities,  while  the  volume 


of  mortar  needed  for  large  ones  is  reduced  by  using 
pieces  of  rock  in  the  aggregate.  In  the  city  of  Panama 
over  4000  cavities  in  1600  trees  have  been  plugged. 


Metal  is  being  used  to  a  greater  extent  than  formerly 
for  farm  buildings.  Barns  with  steel  frames,  or  covered 
with  galvanized-steel  sheeting  and  equipped  with  metal 
ventilating  systems  are  becoming  popular.  Other  farm 
structures  that  are  being  made  at  least  partly  of  metal 
include  corn-cribs,  garages,  hog-cots,  and  silos. 


Lead-plated  steel  is  being  substituted  for  zinc-plated 
ami  nickel-plated  metal.  It  is  particularly  useful  for 
protection  against  the  corrosion  caused  by  acid  and 
fumes.  A  new  process  of  lead-plating  has  been  recently 
perfected  by  a  firm  in  Cleveland.  The  lead-plate  is 
said  to  be  cheaper  than  the  zinc-plate  or  nickel-plate. 


Nails  driven  in  wood  that  is  exposed  to  alternate  wet- 
ting and  drying  are  likely  to  work  out.  The  wetting 
swells  the  wood  and  moves  the  nail,  which  does  not 
return  to  its  original  position  when  the  timber  dries.  It 
is  for  this  reason  that  timber  structures  bolted  together 
and  exposed  to  weather  require  screwing  up  at  intervals. 


In  treating  gold  ore  worth  $10.11  per  ton  last  year, 
the  Hollinger  mill  at  Porcupine,  Ontario,  used  0.574  lb. 
of  cyanide,  1.896  lb.  of  lime,  0.467  lb.  of  zinc,  0.0032  lb. 
of  acid,  and  0.0021  lb.  of  lead  acetate  per  ton  milled. 
The  pregnant  cyanide  solution  averaged  $5,074  per  ton. 
Tailing  contained  40  cents  per  ton.  The  cost  of  treat- 
ment was  $1  per  ton. 

SAWMILLS  in  the  United  States  number  over  48,000, 
and  their  output  of  waste  in  the  form  of  saw-dust,  shav- 
ings, slabs,  and  other  wood  refuse  is  estimated  as  36,000,- 
000  cords  per  year.  Perhaps  one-half  of  this  so-called 
waste  product  is  not  strictly  speaking  wasted,  but  selves 
a  useful  purpose  as  fuel  under  the  boilers,  according  to 
the  Forest  Service.  Much  of  the  remaining  18,000,000 
cords  not  only  serves  no  useful  purpose,  but  in  most 
cases  is  a  source  of  inconvenience  and  danger,  and  cists 
the  mill  both  time  and  money. 


Impurities  in  spelter  are  chiefly  lead,  iron,  and  cad- 
mium ;  traces  of  arsenic,  antimony,  sulphur,  tin,  and 
copper  also  are  found.  In  some  special  brands  of  high- 
grade  American  spelter,  the  lead  does  not  exceed  0.02%, 
and  iron  0.01  to  0.02%.  In  good  ordinary  brands,  lead 
may  be  0.4  to  1%,  and  iron  0.03  to  0.05%.  In  spelter 
intended  for  rolling,  a  small  proportion  of  lead  is  desir- 
able, and  up  to  1%  it  has  no  injurious  effect  on  the  ductil- 
ity of  the  metal.  But  for  spelter  used  in  making  cart- 
ridges, where  the  mechanical  treatment  is  severe,  the  con- 
tent of  lead  should  be  as  low  as  possible,  not  exceeding 
0.1',.  Iron  makes  spelter  hard  and  brittle,  showing 
perhaps  as  grey  specks  on  a  fresh  fracture.  Not  more 
than  0.05%  iron  is  allowed  in  spelter  intended  for  brass. 
Cadmium,  often  associated  with  zinc,  is  not  harmful  up 
to  0.5rr  in  spelter  used  for  brass. 


July 


11116 


MIMNl.    ..nd   SctMlihl     J'KI  SS 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 

Aj  *mi  Jl  dM  unirlj'i  gr*OJ  iiitninjf  ,vtilr.«  hv  .  IpniMSMW 


FLAT  RIVER,  MISSOURI 
laieasaruti  ."M    ^  liiuu  Imab  i'i  >  i itt 

The  Nad  district  of  south-eastern  Missouri  Is  TBI 
ous  this  summer      Tin-  high  priM  for  Ihc  metal  Is  stimulating 
production,  and  a  record  output  is  being   mad*.     Employees 
are  reeetTlng  thi'  high'  »T*r  paid  hare,  another  LO  . 

bonus  having  been  added  In  April.  This  gives  labor  an  In- 
crease of  30%  above  that  of  18  months  ago.  According  to  the 
local  bankers  most  of  the  men  are  saving  their  money.  A 
rather  severe  lesson  was  taught  during  the  panic  of  1907; 
wages  were  high  then  and  money  was  spent  freely.  The  en- 
tire district  Is  under  local  option  now,  which  has  also  aided 
In  a  larger  saving  by  the  men. 

There  have  been  one  or  two  strikes  among  certain  elements 
of  the  men.  On  May  1  the  foreigners  at  the  Federal  Lead  and 
Doe  Run  Lead  companies  went  on  strike  for  higher  wages  and 
fewer  care  to  be  shoveled  per  manshift.  They  were  out  for 
over  a  week,  resulting  in  the  close-down  of  the  Federal  mill 
and  consequent  Idleness  of  several  hundred  men  as  well  as 
themselves.  The  strike  did  not  spread,  and  on  May  10  they 
returned  to  work  at  the  same  wage-rate. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  shareholders  of  the  Doe  Run  Lead  Co.. 
held  on  May  11.  it  was  decided  to  consolidate  with  the  St. 
Joseph  Lead  Co..  and  to  dissolve  the  Doe  Run  corporation.  A 
petition  to  this  effect  was  filed  with  the  Circuit  Court,  and  will 
be  acted  on  during  the  October  term  of  the  Court. 

Construction  of  the  new  Federal  mill  is  proceeding  rapidly. 
The  building  Is  of  concrete  and  steel  on  a  hill-side,  and  Is 
practically  complete.  This  is  the  only  mill  In  the  district  to 
use  a  steep  sloping  site.  An  interesting  test  has  been  con- 
ducted for  some  time  in  the  Federal  mill  between  Deister- 
Overstrom.  Butchart,  and  Wilfley  tables.  The  last-named  has 
long  been  the  standard  In  the  district,  but  during  the  last  year 
a  great  deal  of  Interest  has  been  taken  in  treating  large 
quantities  of  ore  on  a  single  table.  As  a  result,  the  St.  Joseph 
and  Doe  Run  companies  were  licensed  by  Mr.  Butchart  to  fit 
their  Wilfley  tables  with  his  riffle  system.  The  Desloge  Lead 
and  the  St.  Louis  Smelting  &  Refining  companies  are  installing 
Butchart  tables  in  their  mills,  replacing  Wilfley  and  Overstrom 
tables.    The  Federal  mill  will  use  tables  of  each  make. 

A  great  deal  of  option  and  development  drilling  is  being 
done  in  the  district.  The  Baker  Lead  Co.  is  drilling  the 
Barber-Turley-Cole  tract,  north-west  of  Bonne  Terre.  Some 
option  drilling  has  also  been  done  near  Des  Arc  in  Iron  county. 
The  St.  Joseph  Lead  Co.  is  shipping  slag  from  an  old  pile  at 
Bonne  Terre  to  Its  smelter  at  Herculaneum  for  re-treatment. 
This  slag  was  made  40  years  ago,  and  is  high  enough  in  lead 
and  matte  to  make  reduction  profitable. 

The  old  silver  mines  in  Madison  county  are  proving  to  be  a 
surprise  for  the  district.  It  Is  reported  on  reliable  authority 
that  a  large  amount  of  tungsten  is  available.  The  ore-bear- 
ing vein  has  been  traced  for  1*  miles  and  is  from  2  to  6  ft. 
wide.  In  addition  to  tungsten  the  ore  contains  lead.  zinc,  and 
silver.  A  stamp-mill  is  being  erected  with  tables  and  a  flota- 
tion plant. 

The  Fredericktown  district  is  being  opened.  The  North 
American  Mines  Co.  will  start  operation  shortly.  It  has  been 
announced  in  the  local  press  that  the  Mine  La  Motte  Co.  will 
build  a  railroad  from  its  property  to  the  Mississippi  river,  a 
distance  of  30  miles.     It  will  join  the  17  miles  of  road  now 


operated  bj  the  company,    The  waj   ban  bei  i   with 

low   grade*    The  estimated  coat  ol  road,  stations,  in 

etc,   will   lie   not  over   |600,l With   the   rolling-Block    now 

owned,  the  new  equlpmenl  win  not  coal  more  than  1160,000 
This  will  be  of  great  benefll  to  the  company,  as  It  is  now  pay- 
ing ll-'.OOO  per  month  freight  and  switching  charges,  tor  about 

200  tons  per  day,  covering  coal  and  land  eonoantrata,    in  addl- 


MAI'    SHOW  I  m; 


J1TUATT0N   OP   MINIM;   DISTRICTS   IN   SOUTH-EAST 
MISSOURI. 


tion  to  the  present  mines,  deposits  of  clay,  limestone,  granite, 
and  sand  become  available  for  market.  In  connection  with 
the  railroad,  the  company  plans  to  put  a  barge  line  in  opera- 
tion on  the  Mississippi  river,  to  be  connected  with  the  rail- 
road by  modern  wharf  facilities.  The  saving  in  freight  alone 
will  pay  the  maintenance  and  operating  cost  of  the  railway 
and  barge  line. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Sale  or  Oh-Land  Before  Congress. 

Gifford  Pint-hot  has  come  out  strongly  against  the  Phelan 
bill  which  disposes  of  3.000,000  acres  of  Government  oil-lands 
in  California  and  Wyoming,  withdrawn  by  ex-President  Taft 
to  protect  them  from  monopoly  and  to  await  further  legisla- 
tion. The  prospect  is  that  there  will  be  a  lively  fight  over  the 
bill.  It  is  familiarly  known  as  the  Leasing  Bill,  and  has  been 
reported  to  the  Senate  from  out  the  Committee  on  Public 
Lands  as  a  substitute  for  the  Ferris  leasing  bill  of  the  House 


140 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


of  Representatives,  which  included  coal  as  well  as  oil  and 
mineral  lands.  The  Phelan  bill,  strangely  enough,  excluded 
coal  lands  from  the  operations  of  the  act,  an  announcement 
stating  that  the  coal  lands  would  be  attended  to  in  a  later 
bill.  The  additional  new  feature  was  the  disposition  of  the 
California  and  Wyoming  oil-lands  mentioned.  The  conserva- 
tionists are  excited  over  the  prospects  of  the  bill,  and  Mr. 
Pinchot  announces  that  he  has  arrived  in  Washington  for  good 
to  combat  its  passage.  The  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
States  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  have  given  testimony  in 
opposition  to  the  oil-land  provisions  in  the  Phelan  bill,  and 
Mr.  Pinehot  takes  comfort  in  this,  but  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  consents  to  the  bill  in  toto. 


WRANGELL,  ALASKA 

Notes  on  the  Coi'ntkv  Adjacent. 

Essentially  a  fishing  town,  the  town  of  Wrangell  derives  but 
little  from  the  mining  industry.  It  is  an  outfitting  point  for 
some  prospectors,  but  very  little  in  the  way  of  actual  mining 
has  ever  been  done  in  the  district.  Several  groups  of  claims 
near-by  are  undergoing  development.  Wrangell,  as  the  second 
oldest  settlement  in  Alaska,  was  the  supply  centre  for  one  of 
the  oldest  Northern  mining  districts,  the  Cassiar.  The  city 
was  first  a  trading-post,  established  early  in  the  19th  century 
by  the  Russian-American  Fur  Co. ;  then,  with  the  development 
of  the  district  a  Hudson's  Bay  post  was  established.  After 
the  Cassiar  strike  in  1873,  an  American  garrison  was  sta- 
tioned there. 

J.  G.  Galvin,  formerly  of  Nome,  has  taken  a  bond  on  the 
Ground  Hog  properties,  which  are  on  the  mainland  15  miles 
from  Wrangell.  The  claims  are  owned  by  W.  D.  Grant,  S.  C. 
Shurick.  Brigham  Grant,  and  Donald  Sinclair.  The  price  for 
the  six  claims  is  stated  to  be  $50,000.  Galvin  plans  to  do  some 
development  work  soon.  But  little  more  than  surface  work 
has  been  done  so  far.  The  properties  are  3000  feet  above  sea- 
level.  Test  shipments  three  years  ago  showed  15  tons  to  aver- 
age $46.80  per  ton,  it  is  claimed. 

News  from  the  McDames  Creek  country  of  the  Cassiar  is  that 
H.  Godfrey  and  associates,  who  have  bonded  a  number  of 
placer  claims  there,  are  working  with  a  crew  of  men. 

The  most  promising  mining  news  is  the  discovery  of  new 
silver-lead  prospects  on  the  Stikine  river,  in  the  Devils  Elbow 
district.  The  prospects  caused  quite  a  flurry,  all  of  the  resi- 
dents of  Telegraph  Creek  stampeding  down-river  when  the 
first  news  leaked  out.  S.  I.  Silverman,  J.  E.  Chilberg,  and 
others  are  interested  in  the  properties,  having  taken  a  lease 
and  option  on  some  of  the  holdings  of  Dixon,  Bodell,  and 
associates.  The  claims  are  located  at  Glenora,  110  miles  from 
Wrangell  and  40  miles  below  Telegraph  creek,  on  the  British 
Columbia  side  of  the  boundary.  The  properties  are  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Stikine.  The  main  drawback  to  the  rapid 
development  of  the  district  near  Glenora  is  the  difficulty  of 
navigation  and  the  consequent  high  cost  of  supplies.  Assay- 
values  ot  samples  from  the  Glenora  are  said  to  vary  from  $3S 
to  $298  per  ton.  A  company,  the  A.  B.  C.  Metals  Co.,  has  been 
organized  to  finance  these  prospects. 

The  Stikine  Mining  Co.  also  has  a  crew  of  men  at  work  on 
a  newly  discovered  vein  in  the  same  district. 

The  last  boat  to  make  the  trip  up  the  Stikine  took  a  number 
of  prospectors  to  the  Glenora  district.  Sixteen  claims  were 
staked  and  recorded  in  the  Wrangell  district  last  year,  ac- 
cording to  the  files  of  U.  S.  Recorder  Thomas.  A  Crown 
grant  has  been  obtained  on  a  group  of  14  claims  on  the  Iskoot 
river,  a  tributary  to  the  Stikine.  by  P.  C.  McCormick,  C.  M. 
Coulter.  Alex  Vreatt,  E.  S.  Busby,  George  M.  Whitney,  Bruno 
Greif,  John  Maloney,  and  F.  E.  Bronson.  The  claims  show 
chalcopyrite. 

At  the  Surf  Inlet  mine  of  the  Tonopah  Belmont  company  on 
Princess  Royal  island,  construction  work  is  making  good  prog- 
ress in  connecting  the  mine  with  tidewater. 


TORONTO,  ONTARIO 
Porcupine,  Kikkland  Lake,  Sk.seki.mka,  and  Cohalt  News. 

A  valuation  of  the  Mclntyre,  Mclntyre  Extension,  and 
Jupiter  properties  is  being  made  by  C.  H.  Poirier  of  the  Vi- 
pond,  and  M.   W.   Summerhayes  of  the  Porcupine  Crown,  to 

obtain  a  basis  for  the  proposed  merger  of  the  companies. 

The  Newray  is  preparing  to  resume  active  development  on  a 
large  scale  and  is  letting  contracts  for  30,000  ft.  of  diamond- 
drilling. The  Dome  Lake  has  cut  a  20-ft.  vein  on  the  300-ft. 

level,  the  gold-content  of  which  when  first  opened  was  $9  per 
ton.  It  has  been  developed  for  50  ft.,  with  considerable  im- 
provement in  grade. Exploration  carried  on  at  the   Dome 

Extension,  under  the  option  given  to  the  Dome  Mines,  has 
given  encouraging  results.  A  diamond-drill  hole  put  down 
300  ft.  east  of  the  Dome  property   has  encountered  75   ft.  of 

good  ore. At  the  West  Dome  the  shaft  is  down  325  ft.  in 

ore  yielding  high  assays.  A  5»-ft.  vein  has  also  been  cut  by 
diamond-drilling  at  a  depth  of  330  feet. 

Mining  in  the  Kirkland  LaKe  district  is  active.  The  Tough 
Oakes  is  shipping  between  $80,000  and  $100,000  of  gold  per 
month  from  the  treatment  of  about  125  tons  daily,  a  consider- 
able proportion  of  which  consists  of  tailing  from  the  old  amal- 
gamation mill.  Rich  ore  is  being  extracted  from  the  400-ft. 
level  of  No.  6  vein.  Twenty-six  drills  are  in  operation,  but 
only  one  of  the  large  compressors  can  be  operated  owing  to 
lack  of  power.  With  the  completion  of  the  power  transmission- 
line  from  Cobalt,  which  is  expected  early  in  November,  the 
production  of  the  Tough  Oakes  and  other  mines  of  the  district 

will  be  largely  increased. Rich  ore  has  been  found  on  the 

300-ft.  level  of  the  Lake  Shore. The  Wright-Hargraves,  ad- 
joining the  Tough  Oakes,  which  has  two  veins  on  the  surface 
showing  free  gold,  is  being  opened. 

The  Malouf  properties  in  the  Sesekinika  district,  comprising 
three  claims  that  were  under  option  to  Buffalo  interests  last 
year,  are  to  be  developed.  John  Papassimakes,  who  has  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  the  development  of  Boston  Creek,  has  pur- 
chased a  half-interest,  after  sampling  had  yielded  satisfactory 
results.  Five  veins  have  been  uncovered  carrying  free  gold  or 
telluride. 

The  vein  recently  discovered  at  700  ft.  on  the  Crown  Reserve 
is  opening  well,  yielding  good  milling  ore  and  considerable 
high-grade  across  a  foot  of  vein-matter.     Another  vein,  6  in. 

wide;  cuts  across  it  at  right  angles. A  contact  has  been  let 

by  the  People's  Mining  Co.  for  the  sinking  of  the  shaft  from 
the  present  level  at  318  ft.  to  the  contact,  the  distance  being 

estimated  at  250  ft. The  Adanac  has  found  native  silver  in 

the  vein  on  the  west  winze  at  315  ft.  together  with  patches  of 

high   grade.     The  vein   is  14   in.  wide. The  Trethewey   is 

again  on  the  shipping  list,  and  the  Hudson  Bay  lately  re- 
opened   will    make   a   shipment   shortly. The    Cobalt   Gem 

Mining  Co.  is  being  wound-up. The  Quaker  City,  south  of 

the  Gifford,  is  being  re-opened.  The  shaft,  which  is  down  200 
ft.,  has  been  unwatered  and  will  be  sunk  deeper. 

Gold  output  of  the  Dome  in  June  was  $179,000  from  36,700 
tons  of  ore,  an  average  of  $4.88  per  ton.  Costs  were  $2.62 
per  ton. 

At  a  depth  of  900  ft.,  a  diamond-drill  from  the  500-ft.  level 
of  the  Mclntyre  passed  through  22  ft.  of  $36  ore.  A  station  has 
been  cut  at  1000  feet. 

During  June  the  Nipissing's  output  from  112  tons  of  high 
and  6380  tons  of  low-grade  ore  was  $294,660. 

In  the  issue  of  July  S  it  was  stated  that  the  Porcupine 
Vipond  profit  in  1915  was  $193,919;  this  was  the  total  expense, 
the  profit  being  $34,136. 

As  the  outcome  of  several  meetings  held  by  miners  at  Cobalt, 
it  appears  most  likely  that  arbitration  will  be  sought  before 
any  strike  is  attempted.  In  fact,  the  local  union  has  given 
notice  that  it  will  apply  for  a  conciliation  and  investigation 
board  and  it  has  definitely  gone  on  record  to  the  effect  that 
the  men  will  not  strike  until  such  board  has  been  refused. 


Jul}    28,   1916 


MINING  ...ul  Sbenbbc  I'M  SS 


I  tl 


THE  MINING  SUMMARY 

Thr  newt  of  fh«-  uwk  ui  (old  by  our  (ptviul  corrapoiidriili  mid  compiled  from  Ilif  lorul  pr«™. 


ALASKA 

l)u   (lif  tiuvvinnifiit    railroad  the   Alaskan   F.iiKineci  in 
minion    Is  employing   ISOO  nn'ii.   who   receive  I   total   of   $160,- 

r  month.    On  June  M  Congress  at  Wuhlngton  appro- 
Inning  construction  work  on   the 

line.     On    I  he  same  data  at   Anchorage  I   Bull    WS>  Started    in 

the  Dlttrlcl  Court,  whereby  J.  K   and  fc  I..  Ballaine  seek  to 

;  (460,000  for  alleged  damagea  sustained  through  a  Bull 

brought  agaJOJt  them  by  the  Alaska  Northern  Railway  Co.,  in 
whlrh  the  latter  corporation  sought  to  recover  the  Seward 
town  site  and  thus  placed  a  cloud  upon  the  title  of  the  property 
at  ii  time  when  its  value  reached  a  high  point.  The  case  was 
thrashed  out  In  the  Federal  Court,  and  after  a  lengthy  and 
ular  trial,  resulted  in  Judge  Brown  rendering  a  deci- 
sion which  gave  the  Itallaines  title  to  their  town-site.  Since 
then  lot-values  at  Seward  have  taken  a  downward  slump,  and 
the  Ballaines  feel  that  their  financial  loss,  as  the  result  ol 
this  litigation,  has  been  nearly  $500,000.  While  the  suit  to  re- 
cover damages  Is  against  the  Alaska  Northern  Railway  Co.. 
the  Alaskan  Engineering  Commission,  through  the  purchase 
of  this  road,  has  fallen  heir  to  it,  although  in  no  way  a  party 
to  the  transaction  which  deprived  the  Ballaines  of  any  of 
their  rights.  This  case  may  defer  the  payment  of  $650,000  to 
the  Alaska  Northern  Railway  Co.,  and  postpone  the  sale  of 
lots  at  Seward.  The  military  appropriation  hill  for  $500,000 
also  passed  Congress.  This  means  many  improved  roads,  and 
1850,000  will  be  spent  between  Valdez  and  Fairbanks. 

The  steamer  Burlington  will  sail  from  Seattle  on  July  ;.j 
with  3000  tons  of  rails  and  other  steel  for  the  Government 
railroad  to  be  delivered  at  St.  Michael,  thence  to  be  conveyed 
up  the  Yukon  and  Tanana  rivers  to  Nenana.  The  liner  Victoria 
will  sail  for  St.  Michael  on  the  same  day  with  supplies  to  be 
similarly  shipped  from  St.  Michael  to  Nenana. 

Preparations  are  being  made  to  ship  additional  equipment 
to  Alaska  for  the  Alaskan  Engineering  Commission  from  the 
stock  of  surplus  and  obsolete  equipment  left  over  from  con- 
struction of  the  Panama  Canal,  two  ship-loads  of  which  have 
already  been  sent,  according  to  the  Canal  Record,  published  at 
Balboa.  Arrangements  for  transportation  have  not  been  made, 
and  the  local  representatives  of  steamship  lines  have  been 
asked  to  keep  the  matter  in  mind  and  advise  the  Canal  author- 
ities if  any  of  their  vessels  calling  at  Balboa  would  be  inter- 
ested in  the  shipment.  Arrangements  are  to  be  made  with 
the  Alaskan  Engineering  Commission.  The  equipment  will 
probably  be  ready  for  shipment  about  the  first  of  September 
and  will  consist  of  7  narrow-gauge  locomotives,  two  75-ton 
steam-shovels,  four  standard  locomotives  of  5-ft.  gauge,  and  50 
Lidgerwood  flat-cars.  The  heaviest  lifts  among  the  knocked- 
down  parts  are  the  locomotive  boilers,  weighing  15  tons  each, 
and  the  steam-shovel  car-bodies,  weighing  14  tons  each.  The 
total  weight  of  the  shipment  will  be  approximately  3000  tons. 
The  equipment  is  being  crated  at  Balboa  by  the  Mechanical 
Division.  If  the  shipment  is  to  be  delivered  at  Cook  inlet, 
Alaska,  this  season  it  will  have  to  leave  Balboa  by  October  1 
in  order  to  reach  port  before  the  close  of  navigation.  Seward, 
the  other  port  at  which  it  may  be  delivered,  is  open  all  the 
year. 

Knik 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  trip  through  the  Willow  Creek 
district,  with  a  side  trip  to  the  mouth  of  Moose  creek,  where 


a  contractor  i«  «ctting  out  coal  for  the  Alaska  Railroad  Com 
mission,  revealed  the  following  points: 

The  season  has  been  an  extremely  backward  one  and  all 
operators  have  bean  greatly  handicapped  bj  tin-  snow  on  the 

mountains   and    hard    freighting   C Illlons.     This   spring    the 

Willow  Creek  Ulnea,  which  operates  the  Gold  Bullion  mine 

on  the  divide  between  Willow  and  Cralgle  creeks,  has  In- 
stalled an  additional  ."■  Stamps  In  its  plant  making  s  to 
1L'  Stamps.  The  new  ones  weigh  850  lb.  each,  hut  will  he 
probably  increased  to  1050  lb.  to  conform  with  the  rest  of  the 
equipment.  A  new  pipeline  Is  also  being  laid  that  will  supply 
water-power  under  a  400-ft.  head. 

L.  S.  Robe,  superintendent  of  the  Independence  Gold  Minis 
Co.,  is  Installing  a  5J-ft.  Denver  mill  at  the  property  on 
Fishook  creek. 

The  Mahle  Milling,  Mining  &  Power  Co.  is  installing  a  small 
Denver  mill   at  its   property  on   Archangel   creek.     The  mill, 
which  is  approximately  1200  ft.  below  the  mine,  will  be  con- 
nected by  a  3500-ft.  aerial  tram,  having  only  one  tower  bel 
terminals. 

R.  G.  Doherty,  who  has  a  contract  to  supply  the  Railroad 
Commission  with  2000  tons  of  coal,  has  opened  a  small  mine 
on  the  west  bank  of  Moose  creek,  about  1J  miles  above  the 
right-of-way,  and  is  grading  for  a  track  down  the  creek.  A 
255-ft.  drift  has  been  put  in  on  a  5-ft.  coal  seam  with  a  counter 
gangway  15  ft.  above,  from  which  the  breasts  will  be  turned 
off.  The  bed  is  5  ft.  thick,  strikes  south-west,  and  dips  about 
50°  south-east.  The  coal  is  a  lignite  and  rather  dirty,  but  a 
fair  product  can  be  secured  with  careful  hand-sorting.  Both 
walls  are  sandstone. 

Knik.  June  21. 

The  Talkeentna  Mining  Co.  recently  filed  articles  of  in- 
corporation. It  has  a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  with  headquarters 
at  Anchorage.  The  company  owns  four  lode  claims  in  the  Knik 
district.     F.  B.  Wiseman  of  Anchorage  is  the  Alaska  agent. 

The  Alaska  Anthracite  Railroad  Co.,  with  a  capital  of  $500,- 
000,  has  been  formed  by  Henry  Hewitt,  Jr.,  James  Campbell, 
and  Clark  E.  Davis.  The  company  will  construct  a  railroad 
from  Controller  bay  to  the  Bering  River  coalfields. 

ARIZONA 

The  State  Tax  Commission  has  valued  the  producing  mines 
of  Arizona  at  $172,731,914.  an  increase  of  $54,705,910  over  that 
of  the  previous  year.  The  Inspiration  is  $19,000,000  and  the 
United  Verde  Extension  $5,360,281  more.  These  are  new 
producers.  Other  gains  are  $5,000,000  by  the  Copper  Queen, 
$9,000,000  by  the  United  Verde,  $5,000,000  by  Ray  Con.,  $4.- 
000,000  by  Arizona  Copper,  and  $9,000,000  by  Calumet  £ 
Arizona.  The  status  of  counties  is  as  follows:  Cochise  $67,- 
807,045:  Gila,  $41,738,692;  Yavapai,  $26,466,763;  Pinal,  $16,- 
312,249;  Greenlee,  $15,778,041:  Mohave,  $3,128,987;  Pima, 
$1,164,539;   Santa  Cruz,  $215,836;  and  Yuma,  $119,762. 

Owners  of  mines  containing  a  mixture  of  vanadinite  and 
wulfenite  and  crocoite  have  had  considerable  trouble  market- 
ing the  same,  owing  to  the  inability  to  separate  the  vanadium 
and  molybdenum  content.  Either  was  undesirable  in  the 
other.  It  is  now  possible  to  separate  these  minerals,  and  more 
money  is  being  paid  for  low-grade  ore  than  was  formerly  paid 
for  clean  high-grade  concentrate.  Moreover,  gold  and  lead 
are  also  paid  for,  which  was  not  done  formerly.  There  are  a 
great  many  deposits  of  such  ores  in  Arizona,  whose  owners 


142 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22.  1916 


have  been  unable  to  market  them.  It  they  will  communicate 
with  Charles  F.  Willis,  director  of  the  State  Bureau  of  Mines, 
Tucson,  they  will  be  advised  where  such  ores  may  be  sold. 

Cochise  County 

The  June  output  of  Shattuck-Arizona  was  1,446,080  lb.  of 
copper,  61.889  lb.  of  lead,  24,636  oz.  of  silver,  and  367  oz.  of  gold. 

Makkoi-a  Cm  nty 

To  develop  11  claims  in  the  Cunningham  Pass  district.  S 
miles  northeast  of  Wenden.  J.  Burson  of  Phoenix,  A.  W. 
Snydor  of  Globe,  and  others  have  formed  the  Wenden  Copper 
Co..  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Some  good  copper-gold  ore  has 
been  shipped.    Pumping  machinery  is  to  be  ordered. 

Mohave  County 

The  recent  sale  of  Black  Range  shares  to  E.  McNeal  &  Co. 
of  Chicago  amounted  to  $100,000.  payments  to  be  at  the  rate 
of  $4000  monthly.  A  new  2-compartment  shaft  is  to  be  sunk 
In  place  of  the  old  incline  opening.  Some  good  ore  was 
opened  by  this  shaft.  A  60-hp.  Western  hoist  is  in  use.  The 
mine  is  considered  one  of  the  promising  properties  of  Oatman. 

CALIFORNIA 

Amador  County 
The  Plymouth  Consolidated  reports  as  follows  for  June: 

Ore  crushed,   tons   11,400 

Value     $56,685 

Working    expense    $28,000 

Development  charge  $  7.321 

Surplus    $21,364 

Other  expenditure   $15,525 

Gl.ENX    ColXTY 

According  to  news  from  Willows  a  gold-bearing  lode  has 
been  unearthed  by  A.  W.  Roucroft  between  two  deposits  of 
manganese,  alotis  the  road  that  connects  the  Alder  Springs  and 
San  Hedrin  roads. 

Sax  Bernardino  County 
A   shipment  of  30  tons  of  $200  ore  has  been  sent   to   Salt 
Lake  City  by  the  Goldstone  Mining  Co.  of  Goldstone,  the  new 
district.     In  the  June  issue  of  the  Mining  and  Oil  Bulletin  of 


Quartz  rem 


J)/Ae>  Quartz  3/jtem         Quartz       /J.trc 


SECTION    OF  BOLDSTONE   DISTRICT,   CALIFORNIA. 

the  Chamber  of  Mines  and  Oil  of  Los  Angeles,  this  district  is 
described  by  A.  E.  Rau.  The  general  altitude  is  3500  ft.  The 
accompanying  section  shows  the  ore  deposition. 

Nevada  County 
Machinery    is   arriving   at    the    Columbia   and   Ocean    Star 
mines  near  Ormonde,  including  a  200-hp.  generator  to  supply 
power  for  both.    A  20-stamp  mill  is  to  be  built  at  the  Ocean 
Star.    E.  C.  Klinker  is  in  charge. 

Placer  County 
The  Adventure  gold   mine  of  R.   L.  Turner  of  Colfax,   has 


been  bonded  by  Salt  Lake  City  people,  who  are  to  erect  a 
small  concentrating  mill.  The  property  is  in  Shirt  Tail  canyon 
of  the  Iowa  Hill  district. 

Plumas  County 
It  is  expected  that  the  new  100-ton  mill  of  the  Walker  com- 
pany will  Jje  completed  early  in  August,  so  will  the  aerial 
tram.  Recent  diamond-drilling  shows  56  ft.  of  12'i  copper 
ore.  Reserves  are  estimated  at  183,000  tons,  averaging  7%. 
Concentrate  will  be  hauled  to  the  Western  Pacific  line  at 
Portola,  thence  to  Salt  Lake  City  for  smelting. 

COLORADO 

Bol'loek  County 
The  tungsten  situation  at  Boulder  is  as  follows,  according 
to  the  Daily  Mining  Record:  W.  G.  Blake,  a  Denver  buyer  for 
the  Latrobe  Steel  Co.  at  Pittsburg,  has  just  shipped  10  tons  of 
high-grade  concentrate  to  the  company  by  express,  in  a  sealed 
car.  In  spite  of  dullness  in  the  tungsten  market,  not  one  of 
the  numerous  mill  projects  under  construction  throughout  the 
Boulder  district  has  been  abandoned.  The  Rare  Metals  Co.  at 
Rollinsville  has  its  plant  in  operation,  and  is  buying  large 
quantities  of  low-grade  ore  at  the  mill.  The  Degge-Clark  mill 
is  practically  completed,  and  will  begin  operations  within  the 
next  two  weeks.  The  Vasco  plant  at  Stevens  will  also  be  in 
operation  before  August  1.  J.  Gillingham  Hibbs  of  the  Red 
Sign  properties  in  Boulder  canyon  states  that  the  25-ton  mill 
of  his  company  will  be  ready  for  operation  by  August  1.  Sev- 
eral small  plants,  including  the  Montgomery  mill  on  the  Lord 
Byron  tract,  and  the  Grimm  mill  at  Duncan  are  now  in  opera- 
tion. In  spite  of  the  present  dullness  in  the  tungsten  market, 
a  spirit  of  optimism  as  to  the  future  prevails  at  most  of  the 
local  mining  offices.  One  of  the  large  buyers  who  has  been 
inactive  for  months  has  received  definite  instructions  to  begin 
purchasing  within  10  days,  and  he  expects  the  other  buyers 
to  follow  his  example. 

Lake  County   (Leadville) 

Water  in  the  Wolftone  shaft  last  week  was  only  20  ft.  above 
the  9S0-ft.  level,  or  bottom. Enlarging  of  the  Penrose  shaft- 
station  for  the  new  motor  and  pump  is  complete.  Cleaning- 
out  upper  levels  is  under  way. 

The  Valley  adit  in  Prospect  mountain  has  further  opened 
the  large  body  of  low-grade  oxidized  iron  ore,  containing 
pockets  of  shipping  ore. 

Four  new  furnaces  are  under  construction  at  the  Western 
Zinc  Oxide  Co.'s  plant.    Plenty  of  carbonate  ore  is  available. 

San  Juan  County 
Ore  and  concentrate  shipments  from  the  Silverton   district 
in  June  totaled  IIS  cars. 

IDAHO 

Owyhee  County 
In  a  report  on  the  new  Deming  gold  and  silver  district,  45 
miles  by  way  of  Oreana  from  Murphy,  terminus  of  a  branch 
of  the  Oregon  Short  Line,  the  Rowland  Corporations  of 
N'ampa  say  that  the  county  is  a  vast  basin  of  low  sweeping 
foot-hills,  hemmed  in  to  the  north  by  the  Silver  City  range 
and  the  Jarbridge  mountains  to  the  south,  the  Owyhees  to  the 
east.  Alternating  formations  seem  to  occur  in  rapid  order, 
giving  away,  however,  to  a  preponderance  of  feldspathic  gran- 
ite. In  some  portions  diorite  dikes  have  intruded  the  granite. 
Some  prospects  are  good.  Parties  going  into  the  district 
should  provide  themselves  with  food  and  blankets.  There  are 
only  two  small  tents  and  one  small  cabin  in  the  camp.  The 
Duval  ranch,  two  miles  below,  is  the  only  likely  place  to 
obtain  supplies  of  any  kind. 

Shoshone  County   (Coeue  d'Alene) 
On  July  25  the  Success  company  of  Nine-Mile  pays  3c.  per 
share,  equal  to  $45,000.     The  total   for  1916  is  $345,000,  and 
$1,940,000  to  date. 


Juh   22    1916 


MINING   and  Scientific    PRESS 


Tbr   N  '    Mullan  hu  c|i»r<l  Its  mine  and 

'  the  low  value  of  the 
mpany  has  Increased  It*  capital  from  t 
<  '.i  acquire  othsi  Two 

|B     111  Vll"    .,!  '    -l.l.-T.   .1 

A    rapid   Increase   In    nilnlni:   activity    U   reported    from    the 

a      Dsvalopmsnts  in  the  Constitution  and 
Douxlas  iliu'  mines  continue  to  I  bj    favorable      Tin- 

Highland  surprise  mm  is  producing  :'•'■  tons  of  concentrate 
daih.  rii.-  Nevada-Stewart.  Big  it.  Big  Bight,  and  Nabob  ull 
report  promising  results. 

MICHIGAN 

Till.  1""IT1K   I'm   Mm 

innaga   tax   ""   copper, 
which  has  boon  proposed  by  the  Federal  governmenl  on  the 
er   Is  .i  munition  of  war.     Homer   A.   Guck 
arxuea  that  a  tax  on  copper,  ones  on  the  books  at  Washington, 
would  be  retained  permanently,  while  the  tax  on  other  munl- 
■.Tould  automatically  reuse  when  the  war  In   Europe  Is 
This  would  mean  a  permanent  addition  to  the  cost  of 
produclDJ  eoppar.     It  Is  reiiorted  that  the  bill  has  been  drawn 
h\    ■  man  who  knows  so  little  of  copper  mining  that  he  pre- 
sumed the  smelters  buy  the  ore  from  the  mines  and  then  make 
exorbitant    profits   from    the   Bait   of   the   metal    to    European 
countries  at  war      Furthermore  the  large  consumption  of  cop- 
per for  iieareful  purposes  at  home  has  been  overlooked. 

The  Call <  *  Heela  reports  as  follows  for  May.  In  pounds: 

Mines  May  5  months 

Ahmeek    .  2,070,661  9,180.273 

Allouez    953.069  1,215,328 

Calumet    &    Heela     6.865.907  30.939.745 

nnlal    231.879  1,062,778 

Isle    Koyale    1,128,401  4,896,952 

La   Salle    123.592  568,238 

lis     1.775.222  8,219,726 

Superior    331.4:::;  1,472,841 

Tamarack    62o,::n  2.931,094 

White   Pine    446,607  1,888.024 

MISSOURI 

Joplix  District 

Ore  prices  at  Joplln  last  week  were  lower.  According  to 
local  Information  operators  are  unable  to  determine  whether 
the  weakening  In  the  market  which  has  steadily  taken  place 
during  the  last  month  is  indicative  of  a  return  to  hefore-the- 
war  schedules,  or  whether  the  present  market  fluctuations  and 
general  {instability  merely  precede  a  heavy  buying  movement 
on  the  part  of  Eastern  consumers,  which  will  result  in  a  rise 
In  prices.  There  is  scant  reason  to  believe  the  first  theory  to 
be  correct,  indications  being  all  in  the  direction  of  a  strength- 
ening of  the  market  and  increased  consumption.  Many  local 
operators  claim  that  the  operation  of  their  properties  is  im- 
possible on  less  than  $70  ore.  and  that  a  further  decrease  of 
prices  means  the  closing  down  of  a  number  of  mines.  At 
present,  but  little  effect  has  been  noticed  In  the  output,  which 
was  5969  tons  of  blende.  32  tons  of  calamine,  and  577  tons  of 
lead,  averaging  $70.  $44,  $73  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total 
value  was  $464,025,  making  $20,939,066  for  the  year  to  July  8. 

A  350-ton  mill  is  planned  for  the  Dr.  Carl  Mining  Co.,  P. 

Demerath,   manager,    south   of   Galena. A   300-ton   mill    is 

being  erected  at  the  Mary  C.  mine  at  Prosperity. 

MONTANA 

Missoula  Cou.nty 

(Special  Correspondence.) — There  is  marked  activity  in  min- 
ing in  the  Cataract  district,  and  prospects  of  a  successful  year 
seem  assured.  The  Crystal  Copper  Mining  Co.,  with  head 
offices  at  Boston,  is  operating  its  mine  on  Cataract  creek,  8 
miles  by  wagon-road  north  of  Basin.    The  company  has  opened 


n  promising  rain  a)  lbs  100-fl    Isral,  and  i»  diiting  an 

milt  t„  intsi  -'■  t  the  loo  Tbli  la  ,-, 

lo  be  done  bj   august   I,      i  ant,  John  A    Allen,  and 

Wallet    II     W.  ■•  .1     e\    • 

the  work. 

i  n.  i..  Ban  ironp  ■>(  claims  opsratad  by  Butts  capital, 

la  shipping  it' i      'Mi,-  propsrt)   la  on 

Cataract  creek,  four  mllss  from  Basin. 

Tin-  Blms  and  Klondike  mini  .  P  '  Manning,  manager,  are 
•unlaying  s  few  men  opening  the  old  1 'it   adit,  and  Inland 

driving  it  2sil-ft.  cross CUt  to  connect   with  the  KlOndlkS  shall 
Work    Is    progressing    satisfactorily,    and    shipments    will    lie 

mads  In  the  near  future    The  bead  office  of  the  company  is  ut 

Boulder.  Montana. 

The  Ruby  i:  Columbia  Mines  Co,  ol  Boston,  has  recently 
acquired  the  Bonsai  claims,  situated  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town  of  Basin.  Mining  operations  here  have  been  delayed  by 
heavy  snowfall  thlB  winter,  hut  with  the  arrival  of  M.  A. 
House,  the  general  manager  of  the  company,  from  Boston. 
development  undoubtedly  win  be  greatly  accelerated. 

Basin.  June  28. 

Sn.u  Know    I  '"i   n  IV    I  111    Ml   I 

During  June,  Butte  &  Superior  treated  52,600  tons  of  ore, 
yielding  15.200.000  lb.  of  zinc  and  310,000  oz.  of  silver,  also 
540  tons  of  lead  concentrate.  The  recovery  was  94%.  On 
July  11  the  B.  &  S.  tailing-dam  near  Meaderville  broke  away. 
inundating  the  north  end  of  the  suburb. 

East  Butte's  June  output  was  1,639,560  lb.  of  copper  and 
41,503  oz.  silver,  against  1.517,000  lb,  in  May. 

For  the  Butte  &  Bacorn  $204,000  has  been  subscribed.  After 
paying  debts  there  will  be  $180,000  for  resumption  of  work. 
A  steam  or  electric  hoist  is  to  be  ordered. 

In  the  first  3  months  of  1916  the  Tuolumne  company  made 
a  profit  of  $42,939,  from  10,310  tons  of  ore  shipped.     Its 
tions  continue   at   the    Main   Range   and   Colusa-Leonard    In- 
tension. 

At  the  Butte  &  Zenith  the  shaft  is  down  S30  ft.  Thirty  men 
are  working.    Cross-cutting  will  be  started  at  1000-ft.  depth. 

Unwatering  of  the  Butte-Detroit  has  been  done  to  a  depth 
of  950  ft.,  and  should  he  completed  to  the  bottom  this  week. 
The  shaft  is  in  good  condition. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  will  con- 
struct a  spur  to  the  Tropic,  Main  Range.  Colusa-Leonard,  and 
Butte  &  London,  about  G000  ft.  in  all. 

Financial  problems  of  the  Butte-Duluth  company  are  still 
complex,  and  the  receiver  is  trying  to  get  together  all  interests. 
Debts  amount  to  $875,000. 

According  to  the  assessment  report  for  taxation,  the  North 
Butte  Mining  Co.  during  the  12  months  ended  June  1,  showed 
the  following  results: 

1916  1916  1914 

Ore  mined,  tons    495,275  262,»;ir.  463,437 

Yield     $5,103,252       $2,583,071       $5,020,372 

Mining  cost    2,079,484         1.163,963         1,831,839 

Transportation     01.151  31.54S  40,494 

Treatment    1,733,274  933,536        1,784,452 

Total    cost    3,873,912         2,249,331         3,726.365 

Net    profit     $  1,229,339  $333,739       $1,294,000 

The  Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Co.'s  report  showed  the  fol- 
lowing: 

1916                1915  1914 

Ore   mined,    tons    4.946,001        3,311,488  4,714,653 

Gross  proceeds    $59,334,085     $29,608,1S4  $39,464,004 

Mining  cost    20,466,854       13,304,552  17,816,505 

Cost   of   transportation....      1,234,773            690,553  1,405,558 

Cost  of  reduction   10,092,566        6,352,895  8,057,896 

Cost    of    marketing    4,460,581         2,791,743  3,570,478 

Total    cost    «44,970,204       23,130,745  30,850,439 

Net   proceeds    $14,363,881       $G,468,439  $8,613,564 

•Includes  $8,715,428  spent  for  improvements. 


144 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,  1916 


NEVADA 

BSMESALDA  Cm'NTY 

In  hitherto  unprosiieetcd  ground,  250  ft.  from  the  Velvet 
shaft  of  the  Jumbo  Extension,  and  at  a  depth  of  770  ft.,  $10 
to  $15  ore  has  been  opened  on  the  foot-wall  side  of  the  vein- 
matter.    Also  at  900  ft.  a  raise  has  cut  good  ore. 

Humboldt  Copnty 

The  north  drift  on  the  1700-ft.  level  in  the  Seven  Troughs 
Coalition  is  now  yielding  8  in.  of  $700  ore.  Since  first  cut  in 
the  main  winze,  the  north  drift  has  opened  this  shoot  for  25 
ft.,  and  an  equal  distance  to  the  south,  where  although  good 
quartz,  is  showing,  the  value  is  not  as  high.     The  new  level 


i. "in  "UK  in   tiik   BETES   TBOUOHS   COALITION    MINK. 

is  designated  as  the  1700  ft.  A  new  direct-drive  compressor  of 
395-cu.  ft.  capacity  from  the  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co.,  just 
received  at  the  mine,  will  shortly  be  in  place.  This  will 
practically  double  the  air  supply. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  thorough  sampling  of  the  old 
Tuscarora  Mines'  dumps  is  being  made  on  behalf  of  an  Eastern 
syndicate.  The  main  dumps  are  from  the  old  Grand  Prize, 
Independence,  and  Navajo  properties,  and  contain  thousands 
of  tons  of  ore  averaging  around  $5  per  ton  in  gold  and  silver, 
mostly  the  latter  metal.  A  crusher  has  been  installed  and 
shallow  holes  are  being  sunk  in  the  dumps  to  facilitate  gen- 
eral sampling.  Arrangements  have  been  made  to  work  the 
mines  on  a  broad  scale. 

The  new  mill  at  the  Kennedy  mine,  near  Kennedy,  has  been 
placed  in  commission.  Mine  developments  have  been  pro- 
ceeding for  several  weeks  and  a  fair  quantity  of  good  ore  is 
available  for  the  plant.  L.  St.  D.  Rolance  is  general  manager, 
and  S.  L.  Berry  is  superintendent. 

The  lower  shaft  at  the  Wolverine  copper  mine,  near  Winne- 
mucca.  is  down  100  ft.  Work  has  been  suspended  pending  in- 
stallation of  machinery  to  take  care  of  water  encountered. 
The  upper  shaft  is  down  50  ft.  on  an  orebody  2  to  5  ft.  wide, 
containing  over  1634  copper,  with  some  gold  and  silver.  M. 
Endregg  is  superintendent. 

Suit  has  been  filed  against  the  Lincoln  Hill  Mining  &  Mill- 
ing Co.  of  Rochester  by  the  First  National  bank  of  Lovelock, 
to  recover  on  a  promissary  note  for  $917.35,  with  interest,  $250 
costs,  and  attorney's  fees. 

The  Hatch  Leasing  Co.  is  erecting  a  mill  to  treat  ore  from 
its  lease  on  the  Buckskin  National  mine,  at  National.  Large 
quantities  of  gold  ore  of  excellent  grade  are  stated  to  be  ready 
for  extraction. 

The  rise  of  silver  has  instilled  new  life  into  the  Golconda 
area.  Several  porperties  are  shipping,  and  re-opening  of  many 
old  mines  is  reported.     From  the  Bull  Con.  Caroline  two  cars 


of  ore  averaging  5  to  15%  copper  are  shipped  weekly.     S.  B. 
Kasper  is  managing  owner. 
Winnemucca,  June  30. 

Landkk  County 

Unwatering  of  the  Glasgow  &  Western  copper  mine  in  Co 
canyon,    if)    the    Battle   Mountain    district,    has   been    started. 
Water-level  is  at  440  ft.;  the  shaft  is  590  ft.  deep.     F.  Sonimer 
Schmidt  is  in  charge. 

Lyon  County 

During  June  the  Nevada-Douglas  company  shipped  22  cars  of 
ore  to  Utah,  worth  $51,040.  In  May  the  output  was  16  tons 
(18  cars)  netting  $2320  per  car.  Shipments  in  5  months 
totaled  1951  tons,  containing  479,990  lb.  of  copper,  valued  at 
$87,561  net.  Ore  treated  locally  at  the  leaching  plant  is  not 
included. 

Storey  County 

The  Sutro  tunnel  at  the  Comstock  is  of  great  value  to  present 
operations  in  the  Ophir,  Mexican,  Union,  and  other  mines  on 
the  lode. 

OKLAHOMA 
Ottawa  County 

The  new  Netta  mill  of  the  Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co.  in  the 
Cardin  zinc-lead  district  is  to  have  many  improvements  over 
other  plants  on  similar  ore.  The  crushing  department  for  one- 
half  includes  one  lS-in.  breaker,  one  set  of  42-in.  and  two  sets 
of  36-in.  rolls,  two  revolving  screens  and  one  24-in.  elevator, 
all  with  a  capacity  of  40  tons  an  hour.  The  jig  equipment  at 
the  Netta  consists  of  two  42  by  48  roughers  of  six  cells  each; 
one  chat-rougher,  36  by  42.  and  one  7-cell  cleaner.  The  chat- 
rougher  will  take  the  chats  directly  from  the  rougher-jigs,  and 
is  between  them.  The  jigs  are  built  high  and  there  is  a 
special  arrangement  for  taking  care  of  surplus  water.  The 
sludge-plant  will  occupy  a  good-sized  building  a  short  distance 
east  of  the  mill,  and  will  be  unusually  complete.  It  will  house 
22  Arbuthnot  tables,  which  will  be  operated  by  a  50-hp.  motor 
and  will  also  have  an  Eccleson  ball-mill,  which  already  has 
been  installed,  and  is  in  the  middle  of  the  sludge-room  and 
about  8  ft.  lower  than  the  tables.  This  mill  pulverizes  the 
middling  from  the  tables. 

OREGON 

The  Oregon  Bureau  of  Mines  and  Geology  at  Corvallis,  has 
resumed  publication  of  its  monthly  'Mineral  Resources  of 
Oregon,'  the  last  one  being  issued  in  December,  1914.  The 
May  number  of  114  pages  deals  with  some  little-known  scenic 
pleasure  places  in  the  Cascade  range,  by  Ira  A.  Williams.  The 
number  is  well  illustrated,  and  contains  a  good  deal  of  interest 
to  mining  men. 

Jackson  County 

On  July  10  an  election  was  held  at  Medford  to  decide 
whether  the  people  approved  of  the  Bullis  contract  for  con- 
struction of  a  railway  to  the  Blue  Ledge  mine.  The  voting 
was  1009  for  and  366  against  the  proposal,  a  win  for  those  in 
favor. 

SOUTH   DAKOTA 
Lawbence  County 

At  Lead  on  July  4  the  first  first-aid  contest  in  the  Black 
Hills  was  held.  The  seven  teams  were  composed  of  Homestake 
employees,  who  worked  hard  to  win  the  $350  in  prizes  donated 
by  the  company. 

The  Ofer  company  in  the  Bald  Mountain  district  is  sending 
100  tons  of  ore  daily  to  the  Mogul  mill  at  Terry. 

UTAH 

Beaveb  County 

Renewed  activity  is  reported  from  Fortuna. 

At  Newhouse  the  Utah  Leasing  Co.,  treating  the  Cactus  tail- 


July 


I'tn. 


MINING  and  Sc.cnt.ltc   PRRSS 


146 


in*  damp  b)   flotation.  i«  la  donl  I  imu 

uiko  In  general  manager. 
In    (lu-    Star   district   the    Mauler    Key    company    ha*    been 
elopmenL 

j i  in  Ooi  mi  i Tamo) 

Ob  Jalj  ;'.'.  Um   Iron  Blaeeom  compenj  i-i> > ?-  10c  per  ituuo, 

| 
Tin'  Tlntic  Milling  Oo.  has  levied  u  umbmiiI  ol  Ic,  pot 
do*  Aimust   i      With   this  tin-  mill  Is  to  bo  Increased 
from  ..lis  dully. 

Shi  i.iki  Oooim 

On  AiikiihI  lo  tlit'  Sutith  Hecll  company.  (Dipping  50  tons  of 
ore  dally  from  the  Cottonwoods.  pays  Its  Initial  dividend,  ol 

l.'.r    per  shine,  or  $:>'• 

Tha   Cardiff   company    not    ."•   caterplllar-tracton    and    60 

truilers    earning    OTO    from    Ulg    Cottonwood.      Tl input    is 

soon  to  lie  100  tons  dally. 

Si  m  mm    COI  MV 

Good  progress  is  being  made  in  erection  of  the  new  electro- 

lytic  zinc  plant  of  the  Judge  Mining.  &  Smelting  t'o..  according 
to  the  general  manager,  George  W.  Lembourne  to  the  Salt 
Lake  tribune,  When  the  new  plant  is  in  operation  it  will 
produce  15  tons  per  day  ol  the  highest  grade  speller.  In 
doing  this  It  will  treat  between  SO  and  40  tons  of  high-grade 
zinc  concentrate  per  day.  supplied  by  the  present  mill.  The 
concentrate  will  be  put  into  solution  and  the  metal  will  he 
deposited  from  the  solution  on  aluminum  cathodes,  circular  in 
form  and  revolving  at  a  slow  speed  while  Immersed  in  the 
solution.  The  electric  current  will  be  employed  to  deposit 
the  zinc  In  the  form  of  sheets  of  spelter  on  the  aluminum 
cathodes.  The  use  of  revolving  cathodes  is  a  departure  from 
present  methods,  and  Is  said  to  be  a  decided  improvement. 
As  far  as  Is  known  it  will  lie  employed  for  the  first  time  at 
the  Judge  plant.  The  spelter  will  be  produced  at  a  very  low 
cost.  The  mine  is  at  present  shipping  a  small  tonnage  of  zinc 
concentrate  which  is  being  stored  until  the  new  plant  Is  In 
operation. 

I'lNTAH    Col  "STY 

A  deposit  of  manganese  containing  50.39%  metal,  without 
impurities,  has  been  opened  on  the  Birch  Springs  ranch  in 
Lucerne  valley,  near  Manilla,  by  A.  S.  Brown  and  J.  D.  Wines. 

WASHINGTON 

Stevens  Cotjrtt 

The  Columbia  Copper  Co.,  capitalized  at  1,000,000  shares  at 
$1  each,  has  been  organized  by  Spokane  men  to  take  over  and 
operate  the  holdings  of  the  old  HIghgrade  Mining  Co.  in  the 
Deer  Trail  district.  C.  M.  Carroll  is  president,  Alex  Robinson 
Is  vice-president  and  general  manager,  Oscar  Olson  is  secretary- 
teasurer,  and  T.  J.  Vaughan  Rhys  is  consulting  engineer.  The 
purchase  price  of  the  group  is  $100,000,  payments  extending 
over  a  period  of  10  years.  This  is  a  property  on  which  large 
sums  were  expended  years  ago.  A  smelter  costing  $114,000 
was  erected,  but  was  never  of  any  use.  Some  good  machinery 
is  available. 

CANADA 

British  COLUMBIA 

Some  attention  is  being  given  by  American  mining  men  to 
the  Erie  gold-silver  district,  30  miles  from  Nelson.  Promising 
mines  are  the  Arlington,  Second  Relief  and  Keystone.  There 
are  deposits  of  many  minerals  in  different  parts  of  the  region, 
the  metals  appearing  in  combination  as  copper-gold,  gold  and 
silver,  and  lead-silver-zinc.  All  the  natural  facilities  for  min- 
ing operations  are  at  hand.  There  is  unlimited  water-power 
that  can  be  harnessed  at  small  cost,  and  an  abundance  of 
timber  for  all  purposes.    Capital  is  necessary  for  exploitation. 


Profit*  •■!  the  Btandard  silver  i  • 

a  decreei  iinl  or  less  ore  iblpmi 

returned  161,616,  end  zinc.  118,160    The  balance  la  > 

[He  Rambler-Carlboo'i  June  profit  «««  111,000  iium  load 
alone 

The  Jackson  Hell  Zinc  Mines  Co.  of  Kaalo  is  being  toll 
organized  at  Bpokani  by  0.  6*.  Caldwell  and  othera.     ship 

if  400  tons  monthly  uro  soon  to  be  M red. 

The  Delta  mine  on  Etoohar  Da  Boole  mountain,  near  New 
Baaleton,  has  been  purchased  for  $50,000  by  M,  T   Watl 

itei  ol  Edmonton,   Uberta,  according  u>  P.  J,  Jennlnga, 

lent  "i  the  Spokane -Uiichcr  He  Boule  kilning  &  Coppei 

Co.,  who  recently  returned  to  Spokane  from  the  district.    The 

i.i  t.i  have  been  paid  already  in  it.  Thompson 

and  li.  Ha  1 1  i  han.  the  two  prospectors  who  located  the  pro 
recently.  Work  has  been  started  on  the  6000-ft.  adit  through 
Rocher  De  Boule  mountain  to  open  at  depth  the  veins  of  the 
Rocher  De  Boule  mine.  In  the  upper  workings  ore  now  Is 
being  extracted  at  the  rate  of  100  to  130  tons  dally,  and  regu- 
lar shipments  to  the  Tacoma  smelter  are  being  maintained. 
The  ore  averages  10%  copper,  and  It  is  said  that  development 
and  exploration  have  disclosed  bodies  that  warrant  the  ex- 
pense of  driving  the  long  adit. 

Yl'KON 

According  to  William  Sime,  territorial  assayer  at  White- 
horse,  there  were  1242  samples  received  for  assay,  while  1573 
assays  or  quantitative  estimations  were  made.  Of  the  former, 
389  came  from  Whitehorse  district,  197  from  Dawson,  184 
from  Mayo.  150  from  Wheaton,  50  from  Conrad,  and  12  from 
Atlin.  Assays  made  included  1041  for  gold  and  silver,  337 
for  copper,  102  for  lead,  26  for  platinum,  and  23  for  antimony, 
with  several  for  zinc,  tin,  nickel,  tungsten,  and  molybdenum. 
In  the  Whitehorse  district  considerable  activity  in  copper 
mining  is  evident,  four  copper  companies  are  to  ship  ore  to 
the  smelter,  namely,  the  Pueblo,  Grafter,  Copper  King,  and 
War  Eagle.  Of  these  the  Pueblo  will  he  worked  on  the  most 
extensive  scale.  This  group  was  closed  down  shortly  after  the 
outbreak  of  war,  but  has  lately  been  re-organized  under  a  new 
company,  and  at  present  the  shafts,  which  were  allowed  to  fill 
with  water,  are  being  unwatered,  and  shipping  of  the  ore  will 
be  started  as  soon  as  possible.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  com- 
pany to  ship  an  average  of  about  300  tons  of  ore  daily  and 
employ  from  200  to  300  men.  The  Grafter  copper  mine  has 
been  shipping  ore  steadily  from  July  1,  1915.  During  that 
period  over  5000  tons  has  been  sent  to  the  smelter,  averaging 
\'<  copper  and  about  $3  in  gold  and  silver. 

In  the  Wheaton  River  district,  outside  parties  have  bonded 
six  of  the  best  antimony  properties,  and  are  getting  ready  to 
ship  at  least  100  tons  of  ore  per  month.  This  deposit  is  said 
to  be  extensive.  On  the  Buffalo  Hump  group  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver mines,  In  the  same  district,  local  parties  have  taken  a  two 
years'  working  bond  on  the  ground,  and  will  shortly  com- 
mence operations  preparatory  to  shipping. 

In  the  Conrad  district  steps  are  also  being  taken  to  open 
some  of  the  Windy  Arm  properties. 

In  the  Dawson  district,  the  Bear  Creek  Mining  Co.  intends 
working  its  quartz  properties  on  a  comparatively  large  scale 
this  summer.  The  company  intends  to  erect  a  modern  10- 
stamp  mill,  which  is  at  present  in  Whitehorse  waiting  trans- 
portation. The  company  has  also  received  rock-drills,  air-com- 
pressors, electric  motors,  etc.,  which  will  be  put  to  work  as 
soon  as  possible.  Considerable  work  has  already  been  done 
on  the  property. 

In  the  Mayo  district,  the  Silver  King  mine  has  been  hauling 
ore  all  winter  to  Mayo  landing,  for  shipment  outside. 

The  future  for  ore  mining  in  the  Yukon  territory  has  never 
looked  brighter  than  at  the  present  time,  and  particularly  so 
for  the  southern  end,  where  everything  points  to  this  being  a 
banner  year. 


146 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22.  1916 


KOREA 

The  Oriental  Consolidated  company's  June  cleanup  was 
valued  at  $128,600.  During  May  there  was  27,164  tons  treated 
for  $132,983.    Labor  and  water-supply  is  plentiful. 

MEXICO 

HlDALOO 

During  May  the  Santa  Gertrudis  at  Pachuca  made  a  profit  of 
$72,000  from  22.432  tons  of  ore. 

Sonora 

News  from  Douglas,  Arizona,  states  that  General  P.  Elias 
Calles.  military  governor  of  Sonora,  has  ordered  the  demobil- 
ization of  his  troops  along  the  border,  and  the  re-opening  of  all 
public  offices  in  the  region.  Most  of  the  troops  will  be  sent  to 
the  Yaqui  River  country  to  quell  the  Indian  trouble.  Amer- 
icans are  to  be  respected,  and  on  June  10  Calles  conferred  with 
J.  S.  Williams,  Jr.,  general  manager  of  the  Moctezuma  Copper 
Co.,  at  Nacozari;  L.  R.  Budrow,  general  manager  of  El  Tigre; 
and  George  Kingdon,  general  superintendent  of  the  Cananea 
Consolidated  Copper  Co.  at  Cananea,  as  well  as  a  number  of 
mining  men   representing  small   properties.     The  three  prop- 


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PART    Of'    NORTHERN    MEXICO. 

erties  have  been  working  with  Mexican  foremen  and  depart- 
ment heads  since  the  departure  of  the  Americans.  From  all 
centres  come  encouraging  reports  relative  to  production  and 
general  conditions.  Present  production  at  Cananea  is  60  tons 
of  copper  daily. 


The  U.  S.  Civil  Service  Commission  announces  an  open  com- 
petitive examination  for  senior  highway  engineer,  for  men 
only.  From  the  register  of  eligibles  resulting  from  this  ex- 
amination certification  will  be  made  to  fill  vacancies  in  this 
position  in  the  Office  of  Public  Roads  and  Rural  Engineering, 
Department  of  Agriculture.  The  duties  of  this  position  will  in- 
volve superintending  the  construction  of  roads  of  various  types 
throughout  the  United  States  and  co-operating  with  State  high- 
way departments,  etc.  Appointees  to  this  position  will  be 
designated  senior  highway  engineer,  with  salaries  ranging 
from  $2200  to  $4000  per  year.  Only  those  eligibles  who  obtain 
a  rating  of  S5'>  or  over  will  be  eligible  for  appointment  to 
positions  paying  $3000  or  over.  Applications  must  be  filed  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  by  August  8. 


PERSONAL 


KoU:  The  Editor  inrite*  members  of  the  pra/eMion  to  tend  particular*  as  their 
wjrk  and  appointment*.      TU  in  in/'rrmntion  it  interesting  to  our  readert. 

Hallet  R.  Robbers,  of  Seattle,  is  here. 

Fred  Seari .s.  Jr..  has  returned  from  South  Africa. 

T.  G.  Eic.il  is  mining  in  Modoc  county,  California. 

\V.  B.  Drains  of  Carlton,  Oregon,  is  in  San  Francisco. 

BoaraE  A.  H.  Tats,  from  San  Bias,  Sinaloa,  Mexico,  is  here. 

John    B.    Obynski    is    in    Berkeley    from    Baja    California 

Alfred  jAHts  has  moved  his  office  to  28  Victoria  street, 
Westminster,  London. 

M.  L.  Filler  of  the  Associated  Geological  Engineers,  Pitts- 
burg, has  gone  to  Cuba. 

G.  B.  Dillingham  has  returned  to  San  Francisco  from  San 
Vincente.  Sinaloa,  Mexico. 

L.  O.  Kexlogg  is  superintendent  for  the  South  American  De- 
velopment Co.  in  Ecuador. 

George  A.  Packard  was  here  last  week  on  his  way  from  Ari- 
zona to  his  home  at  Boston. 

A.  C.  Meagher  sailed  on  July  15  for  Valparaiso  for  the 
Charles  Butters  Company,  Ltd. 

N.  H.  Rubt,  engineer  for  Butters  Salvador  Mines,  Ltd.,  has 
left  for  the  mines  on  the  Peru. 

Percy  E.  Barboir  is  lieutenant  in  the  New  York  National 
Guard  now  training  at  Camp  Whitman. 

J.  E.  W.  Swent  and  wife  are  sailing  for  Mazatlan.  Mexico, 
on  their  way  to  the  San  Dimas  mines  in  Durango. 

Bernabd  Mac-Donald  has  moved  from  Los  Angeles  to  El 
Paso,  where  he  has  an  office  in  the  Mills  building. 

W.  H.  Landers,  manager  of  the  New  Almaden  mines,  has 
been  at  Black  Butte.  Oregon,  during  the  past  week. 

N.  O.  Lavvton  has  completed  his  investigations  in  Tennessee 
and  is  now  examining  copper  properties  in  Vermont. 

H.  F.  A.  Riebling  has  resigned  as  manager  of  the  Goldstone 
mine,  in  Lemhi  county,  Idaho,  and  has  gone  to  Nevada. 

Hennex  Jennings  and  H.  C.  Perkins  are  at  Treadwell. 
Alaska,  examining  the  Treadwell  group  of  mines  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  consolidation. 

Bernard  H.  Lasky  has  left  the  Kennett  (California)  plant 
of  the  TJ.  S.  S.  R.  &  M.  Co.,  and  is  on  examination  work  for  the 
same  company  in  Arizona. 

R.  T.  Bayliss.  who  lost  his  lefi  arm  during  a  zeppelin  raid 
in  England,  has  recovered  from  the  effect  of  the  accident,  and 
presided  at  a  recent  company  meeting  in  London. 

H.  L.  Smyth.  Professor  of  Mining  in  Harvard  University. 
is  spending  the  summer  in  Michigan  on  geological  work  for 
the  Cleveland-ClifTs  Iron  Co.  for  which  company  he  is  con- 
sulting geologist. 

C.  A.  Foster,  mine  owner  and  operator  of  Ontario,  has  be- 
come a  lieutenant  in  the  Canadian  army.  Half  a  dozen  other 
graduates  of  the  Michigan  College  of  Mines  are  holding  posi- 
tions in  the  British  armies. 

H.  O.  Hofman.  Professor  of  Metallurgy  in  the  Institute  of 
Technology,  Boston,  was  recently  at  San  Francisco  and  is  now 
at  Salt  Lake  City.  He  has  visited  the  lead  smelters  at  Chi- 
cago, Omaha,  East  Helena,  Northport,  Trail,  Selby.  and  Tooele. 

A.  B.  Appebsox  has  been  elected  governor  of  the  Utah  chapter 
of  the  American  Mining  Congress,  succeeding  R.  C.  Gemmei.l. 
resigned.  The  other  officers  of  the  chapter  are  Walter  Fitch. 
first  vice-governor;  J.  William  Knight,  third  vice-governor;  L. 
B.  McCobnick.  treasurer;  and  A.  G.  Mackenzie,  secretary. 


The   Engineers'   Club   of   San   Francisco   has   286    resident, 
116  non-resident,  and  2  honorary  members. 


Llewellyn  Humphreys  died  at  Los  Angeles  on  July  14  of 
Bright's  disease.  He  had  been  ill  for  several  months.  Born  in 
South  Wales  about  54  years  ago.  he  was  a  modest  and  useful 
member  of  the  profession.  During  the  last  20  years  he  had 
done  a  good  deal  of  important  inspecting  work  in  the  States 
of  Utah.  Nevada,  and  Arizona. 


1916 


MIMV.  tod  S.,mi.hc  PRKSS 


117 


THE  METAL  MARKET 


>ll    1   M      I'llll   I- 
Han   Krar, 
Antle 

Kir*  t                                                                 md  28. BO 

Pig   lead,   cents   |M*r    pOUBd i  •  .""0—7.76 

Platinum    ""ft  in.-tui  ...              8*6 

Platinum    bard  i  $6» 

Quicksilver    par  flaak  of  Tl  lb »■■'■ 

-.1  ....             18 

Tm.  ■                     mnd  io 

Uoe-duat  cents  per  pound 

■  MM     run  l> 

s  in  i ':  in.  laooi  July  18. 

Antn  or  30  lb.) 11.00 

■  tollfornln,  par  i"'  ' 

product,  f.o.b.  oari  California,  t.m.12.00 — 20.00 

per   ton  7.00 —  9.00 

and  over,  par  pound 0.60 —  lis 

Tungsten     «'".    WOi  per  unit 25.00—35.00 


BaJTBRH    sUBTAL   miiiki:i 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
July  l*  — Coppar  la  dull  and  easy;  land  la  alao  *iuii  and  weak; 
i  .  onaumera  are  now  interested. 

SILVER 

Below   iir,-  (Ivan   the  average  New  York  quotations,   in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 
July     12 


^1  ST 



II  82.62 

61.81 

■  lay 



II 


Average   week   ending 

June     6 66.35 

•'       13 64.58 

'•      20 63.62 

•'       27 65.49 

July      5 65.16 

11 62.02 

••        IS B2.ll 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Men 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    ... 


Monthly  averages 

1915.  1916. 

48.85  56.76 

48.45  56.74 

50.61  57.89 

60.25  64.37 

49.87  74.27 

49.03  65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


The  market  has  been  BOmewhat  erratic,  but  not  weak.  A 
continuance  of  preaenl  buying  In  London  may  advance  rates  a 
little,  but  in  Hi.  absence  "f  this  support  the  present  level  seems 
high  enough  for  the  time  being.  Exports  from  London  to  India 
t.niil  CS45.0OO  to  June  28,  agalnat  £2,652,000  In  this  period  ot 
1915.  a  decrease  of  16,000,000  oz.  It  Is  considered  that  the  In- 
dian Bazaars  are  not  ineliue.l  to  take  a  favorable  view  of  the 
future,  being  Influenced  by  reports  of  Indian  government  pur- 
.  buses  The  Indian  market  Is  generally  sensitive  and  swayed 
by  rumor.  Chinese  sales  created  an  unsettled  feeling  there. 
London  transactions  In  5  months  were  as  follows,  in  ounces: 

1916  1916 

Imports  of   refined   silver 37,502,989  39,275,640 

Exports   of  refined   silver 20,568,249  32,618,466 

COPPER 

Priees  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date 
July    1 


.26.76 


13 25.50 

14 26.60 

15 26.60 

16  Sunday 

17 85.26 

18 25.00 


Average   week   ending 

June     6 28.00 

"       13 28.00 

"       20 27.17 

"       27 27.25 

July      5 26.54 

"       11 26.25 

"       18 25.42 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

.  ..14.21 

13.60 

24.30 

Julv    . 

.  ..13.26 

19.09 

Feb.    . . 

..  .14.46 

14.38 

26.62 

Aug.    . 

...12.34 

17.27 

Mch.    .  . 

14.80 

26.65 

Sept.  . . 

...12.02 

17.69 

May    .  . 

16.64 

28.02 

Oct.      . 

.  ..11.10 

17.90 

18.71 

29.02 

...11.75 

18.88 

.  ..13.60 

19.75 

27.47 

Dec.     . 

.  ..12.75 

20.67 

4.M«.3,.« .  |b.;  Old  Dominion,  1,141,000  lb     I  nanaa,  t.&oo.- 

ooo  Hi  .  ami  Inspiration,  10,1 I  pound*. 

Otah  Coppar'a  outpat  In  tha  halt-«raaf  Juil  inflad 

oomparad    «iti.    IT, 100,000    lb.    In    111  mnnn. 

114,000.000,  arc  mora  than  doubla    Anaoonda'i  output  araa  16*.- 

fiOii.OOii    ll>  ,    ■  -.iiip.ti.  .1    wilh    136.060, (nut    pound*. 


I  i:\li 


Load   la  quoted   In  ccnta  per  pound.   New   York   delivery. 


Date. 


Average   week   endlnic 


.1  illy 

■•      M 

•■      87 

July      :. 

•■     11 

averages 

July    . 
Auk.   ... 

Oct, 

.    7.16 
.    6.90 

6.40 

.    ,.77 

» 

.    <  78 

Sun. 1. n 

.    6.84 
6.45 

1914. 

4.11 

Monthly 
1915.        1916. 
3.73          5.95 
3.83 

4.04          7.26 
4  21           7.70 
4.24          7.38 
6.75          6.88 

1914. 
3.80 
3.86 
3.82 
3.60 
3.68 
3.80 

1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
6.15 
6.34 

1916. 

Feb. 

.  .    4.02 

Mch. 

.  .    3.94 

Apr. 

May 

.  .    3.86 

.  .    3.90 

.  .    3.90 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery.  In  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
July    12 


13 

II 

15 

in  Sunday 

17 

lx 


ii.iiii 
n.iiii 
9.00 
9.25 

9.12 

'.i. nil 


Average  week  ending 

Juno     6 13.20 

"       13 13.64 

"       20 13.12 

"       27 12.12 

July      5 11.40 

"       11 9.76 

is 9.06 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June    4.84 


1914. 
.  5.14 
.  5.22 
.  5.12 
.  4.98 
4.91 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


1914. 

July     4.75 

Aug 4.75 

Sept 5.16 

Oct 4.75 

Nov 6.01 

Dec 5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting  Co.  pays  $1.50  per  share  on 
preferred  holders  on  August  10. 


QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  Is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75   pounds: 

Week  ending 
July 


Date. 
June  20 


.  r.x.un 
.  sr..oa 


5 80.00 

11 83.00 

18 83.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June    38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.60 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

July    37.60 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


TIN 


Prices  In  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound 
Monthly  averages 
1915. 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 


34.40 
37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39.28 
111.26 


1916. 
41.76 
42.60 
50.50 
51.49 
49.10 
42.07 


1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


Tin  is  easy  at  38.25  cents. 


June   outputs    were    as    follows:    Braden,    2,258,000    lb.:    Miami, 


Shares  of  the  Aluminum  Co.  of  America  recently  sold  at  1500 
each;  a  year  ago  they  were  1326  to  8350.  Additions  to  plant, 
costing  over  $25,000,000.  to  Increase  the  annual  output  of  metal 
to  200,000,000  lb.,  are  nearly  complete. 


148 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  22,   l!U6 


Eastern  Metal  Market 


New  York,  July  12. 

For  many  months  the  'wise  ones'  have  been  preaching  that 
the  metal  market  would  suffer  a  reaction.  The  reaction  is 
here  or  impending,  yet  despite  the  predictions,  nearly  every- 
one appears  to  be  shocked  at  the  dullness  which  has  overtaken 
the  market  and  at  the  resulting  declines  in  prices.  Perhaps 
the  only  influence  that  could  check  the  present  trend  of  cop- 
per, zinc,  lead,  and  antimony  would  be  renewed  war  buying; 
but  none  is  in  sight.  It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that 
the  metal  industry  is  not  going  to  smash  by  any  means,  and 
that  prices  can  decline  several  points  yet,  and  still  be  pro- 
ductive of  handsome  profits.  In  fact,  with  an  expansion  of 
domestic  demand,  conditions  will  be  far  healthier  than  they 
have  been,  even  at  lower  prices.  Everywhere  there  is  a  short- 
age of  labor  which  restrains  expansion,  but  this  may  be 
remedied  now  that  the  munitions'  makers  are  finishing  their 
contracts,  and  in  most  cases  not  getting  new  ones. 

Copper  is  inactive  and  lower. 

Zinc  is  dull  and  lower,  but  enquiry  from  galvanizers  is  a 
good  symptom. 

Lead  is  lower  and  dull,  although  a  flurry  of  buying  followed 
a  cut  of  lc  The  independents  are  taking  what  business 
there  is. 

The  heavy  June  deliveries  are  held  responsible  for  a  dull 
market  in  tin. 

Antimony  is  lower,  but  consumers  show  no  interest. 

Aluminum  is  a  trifle  lower. 

The  iron  and  steel  market  generally  is  quiet,  except  for  ex- 
port business.  Russia  has  just  purchased  365,000  tons  of  rails, 
delivery  to  be  completed  by  July  1917.  France  and  Great 
Britain  also  want  rails.  Russia  also  purchased  165,000  tons 
of  barb  wire,  while  the  Allies  are  seeking  100,000  tons.  Eu- 
rope Is  also  buying  steel-making  pig-iron. 

COPPER 

The  market  is  lifeless,  and  the  nominal  prices  are  lower. 
Practically  the  only  quotations  obtainable  are  those  of  offer- 
ings made  by  second-hands  or  brokers,  and  it  is  questionable 
how  much  copper  could  be  obtained  from  these  sources.  It  is 
suspected  that  some  of  the  metal  offered  is  being  supplied  by 
the  smaller  producers,  in  which  event  perhaps  more  can  be 
obtained  than  appears  on  the  surface.  The  more  important 
producers  are  well  sold  up  until  September,  as  repeatedly  said 
before,  and  this  is  the  one  sustaining  influence.  Electrolytic 
can  be  had  today  at  close  to  25.50c,  cash.  New  York,  and  Lake 
at  about  25.75c,  prompt  delivery  in  each  case.  Consumers 
have  been  out  of  the  market  for  about  three  months,  and 
there  is  no  indication  of  any  resumption  of  buying.  Sheet 
copper  is  quoted  at  37.50c,  but  it  probably  could  be  had  }c 
lower.  Brass  rods  are  quoted  at  3S  to  39c,  and  sheet  brass  at 
the  same  level.  New  business  in  these  products  is  lagging, 
but  the  mills  have  plenty  to  do  in  filling  existing  contracts. 
Offers  made  to  British  buyers  at  these  prices  have  brought  the 
response  that  the  proffers  are  "ridiculous."  Electrolytic  cop- 
per at  London  is  down  to  £12S.  Exports,  July  1  to  11,  totaled 
4913  tons. 

ZINC 

Quotations  have  continued  to  decline,  and  buyers  have 
steered  clear  of  the  market  so  far  as  buying  is  concerned. 
Yesterday,  however,  there  was  a  good  volume  of  enquiry  from 
galvanizers,  which  at  least  shows  interest  on  their  part.  So 
far  no  buying  has  resulted.  The  brass  mills  show  no  inclina- 
tion to  buy.  Spot  zinc  was  quoted  yesterday  at  9c,  New 
York,  and  8.75c  St.  Louis.  August  was  quoted  at  S.25c,  St. 
Louis,  and  September  at  8c  It  is  doubtful  whether  producers 
are  anxious  for  any  extensive  business  at  present  levels,  most 


of  them  looking  for  a  turn  upward  in  the  near  future.  They 
are  knosm  to  be  averse  to  selling  round  lots  for  future  de- 
livery. The  London  quotation  has  been  declining,  though  the 
downward  movement  there  appears  to  have  come  to  a  halt. 
The  quotation  yesterday  was  £44  for  spot.  Several  reasons 
are  mentioned  to  account  for  the  present  state  of  the  market, 
among  them  the  lack  of  domestic  and  export  demand,  large 
stocks,  and  over-production.  Some  interest  has  been  aroused 
by  offerings  of  Japanese  spelter  in  this  market,  but  the  quan- 
tities so  far  mentioned  are  not  sufficient  to  have  much  influ- 
ence. A  firm  of  Japanese  exporters  and  importers  has  offered 
lots  of  50  tons.  Exports  to  the  12th  totaled  2124  tons.  Sheet 
zinc  has  been  reduced  to  15c,  carload  lots,  f.o.b.  smelter.  8% 
off  for  cash.  Reports  from  the  West  are  to  the  effect  that  the 
production  of  zinc  ore  is  being  curtailed. 

LEAD 

Late  on  Wednesday.  July  5,  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  reduced  its 
quotation  *c,  or  to  6.50c  per  lb.,  New  York,  a  reduction  of 
$10  per  ton.  It  is  assumed  that  the  company  was  not  getting 
its  share  of  what  little  business  was  doing,  and  that  it  did  not 
wish  to  "hold  the  umbrella"  for  the  independents  any  longer. 
The  move  did  little  good,  so  far  as  the  company  was  concerned, 
for  the  independents  at  once  cut  the  new  price,  $1  and  $2  per 
ton.  Following  the  cut  there  was  a  flurry  of  business,  but  it 
only  lasted  about  one  day,  and  then  the  market  again  became 
quiet.  The  leading  interest  yesterday  quoted  6.50c,  New 
York,  and  6.42Jc,  St.  Louis,  while  the  outsiders  asked  6.45c, 
New  York,  and  6.25c,  St.  Louis.  Lead  is  the  most  active  of 
the  metals,  but  as  one  of  the  trade  says,  "this  is  not  saying 
much."  Spot  lead  at  London  is  quoted  at  £28.  Exports  in  12 
days  totaled  1037  tons. 

TIN 

The  heavy  deliveries  of  June  have  evidently  put  a  quietus 
on  business  for  some  time  to  come.  In  the  week  ended  July 
8  only  250  tons  was  dealt  in,  and  this  week  the  market  has 
been  dull  to  stagnation.  Spot  Straits  was  quoted  yesterday  at 
38.50c,  while  Banca  could  be  had  at  37.75c  The  markets  at 
London  and  the  Straits  Settlements  are  weak,  London  being 
quoted  at  £169  15s.  for  spot  Straits  yesterday.  Futures  are 
easy.  Arrivals  this  month  so  far  total  725  tons,  and  there  is 
afloat  2234  tons.  Not  much  is  coming  to  light  as  to  the  con- 
sumption of  the  electrolytic  tin  made  by  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  at 
Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey,  but  its  use  is  presumed  to  be  satis- 
factory in  view  of  the  company's  own  tests. 

ANTIMONY 

In  a  dead  market,  spot  Chinese  and  Japanese  can  be  had  at 
15.50c,  and  metal  in  bond  can  be  contracted  for  at  12c  In  the 
latter,  a  little  business  has  been  done.  Needle  antimony  finds 
no  market  at  10c  per  lb.  It  is  understood  that  certain  inter- 
ests which  recently  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  antimony 
cannot  profitably  operate  their  plants  with  the  metal  under 
30c  per  lb.  That  money  has  been  lost  in  antimony  is  fre- 
quently heard. 

ALUMINUM 

No.  1  virgin  aluminum,  98  to  99%  pure,  is  lower  at  59  to  61c 
ORES 

Antimony:  There  is  no  market,  and  no  quotations  are  ob- 
tainable, nominal  or  otherwise. 

Tungsten:  The  enquiry  for  tungsten  ore  and  ferro-tungsten 
is  extremely  light.  Holders  of  the  former  consider  that  they 
should  receive  $30  to  $35  per  unit,  while  the  consumers  are 
not  inclined  to  pay  much  over  $20.  Makers  of  ferro-tungsten 
find  less  demand  from  the  makers  of  high-speed  steel,  and  are 
beginning  to  look  rather  anxiously  for  orders. 


.Il.lv 


MINING   and  Scentihc   PRF-SS 


I  I't 


COMPANY  REPORTS 


BBI  I  Ml  l  ID 

Thin  compaaj  . urn i .iii»  operation*  ol  the  i  Mining 

rboae  property  li  al  ki  Oro,  Mexico.    Th*  nport  or  th* 

manager.  l'hurle»  I !■■>  !<-.  MT*n  th*  w-ar  1916,  and  IncludM 
the  following  general   remarks  as  to  operating  coiuliiloim  in 

Transportation  service  IM  badly  disarranged  during  th*  tall 
■  ■t  1914,  and  supplies  could  not  be  brought  up  to  the  mint 
r rtnti    Kl    Pi  DOT   Vera   I'm.'.    Mexico.      Than    ITU   a 

slight  improvement  1"  view  daring  the  last  half  ot  December, 

which  was,  however,  not  forthcoming  anil  was  completely  dis- 
alpaled  OB  Jannary  It,  1MB,  when  du  to  a  chnngc  In  political 

affairs  at  Mexico  City,  nil  rail  scrvlre  was  discontinued  and  Kl 
Oro  was  cut  off  completely  from  Iha  outside  world  Supplies 
were  carefully  stori'd  at  Vera  t'ru/.  and  Kl  I'aso.  when  they 
were  kept  In  safety  until  they  could  be  moved.  The  stock  of 
most  of  the  supplies  was  gradually  exhausted  at  the  mine 
until  than  was  no  cyanide,  candles,  carbide,  electric  lamps, 
nor  necessary  chemicals  for  use  in  the  assay-office.  A  special 
permit  was  obtained  from  one  of  the  hlKhcr  officials  of  the 
tiovernment.  and  during  February  and  March  a  carload  of 
supplies  was  bronchi  down  to  Irapuato.  thence  to  Celaya  and 
Acambaro.  and  30  cases  of  cyanide  were  brought  over  to  the 
mine.  During  the  spring  of  1915.  rarely  was  there  any  com- 
munication between  Kl  Oro  and  Mexico  City  by  rail,  and  at  no 
time  was  there  any  freight  service  available.  Travel  by  the 
so-called  passenger  trains  was  anything  but  pleasant,  and  one 
has  but  to  experience  a  trip  on  top  of  a  crowded  box-car  in  the 
hot  sun  or  rain  for  a  few  hours  to  appreciate  the  comforts  of 
the  situation.  The  only  consolation  one  had.  was  that  he  was 
not  packed  inside  with  his  more  unfortunate  brethren.  Letters 
and  newspapers  were  unheard  of  for  many  months  at  a  time. 
Much  of  the  time  watchmen  had  no  Illumination  at  night,  and 
electric-lamp  globes  became  so  scarce  as  to  cause  serious  appre- 
hension: more  so,  because  all  foreigners  and  native  employees 
wen-  entirely  unarmed,  not  even  being  allowed  to  have  a 
pocket  weapon.  The  work  at  the  Slrio  mine  suffered  much 
delay  because  of  the  lack  of  transportation  facilities,  since 
the  necessary  equipment,  such  as  hoist,  transformers,  motors, 
compressor,  and  pumps,  could  not  be  sent  out  from  Esper- 
anza.  The  absolute  lack  of  transportation  continued  until 
about  November  1.  when  the  newly-recognized  Government 
began  to  offer  a  limited  service  to  the  public;  and  during 
November  and  December  advantage  was  taken  of  the  oppor- 
tunity offered,  and  many  necessary  supplies  from  the  I'nited 
States,  Mexico  City,  and  Vera  Cruz  were  brought  to  the  mine. 
El  Oro  became  the  centre  of  revolutionary  activity  from 
February  until  October  of  the  year  under  review.  During  the 
last  few  days  of  February  the  place  was.  it  may  be  said,  com- 
pletely abandoned,  due  to  the  situation,  only  a  few  representa- 
tives of  the  mining  companies  remaining,  with  the  necessary 
pumpmen  to  keep  the  mines  from  'drowning.'  About  this  time 
i  March  4).  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  town  at  night,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  prompt  action  on  the  part  of  the  mining  com- 
panies, a  large  part  would  undoubtedly  have  been  destroyed. 
At  one  time  fighting  took  place  close  to  the  Esperanza  mill, 
and  the  3000  and  440-volt  transmission-lines  were  shot-down 
and  tanks  were  perforated  by  bullets.  During  the  changes  in 
control  of  the  El  Oro  during  these  monthrj  the  district  was 
entirely  unprotected,  and  looting  and  stealing  were  perpetrated 
on  the  defenceless  inhabitants  by  bandits;  and  it  was  during 
just  such  a  situation  that  about  30  men,  armed  with  rifles, 
pistols,  and  machetes,  raided  the  Esperanza  property  at  night. 
cut  their  way  into  the  vault  in  the  zinc-room  and  stole  what 
bullion  they  could  get.  One  man  was  killed  and  two  others 
seriously    wounded   in   the   affair.     It   should    be   stated    that 


proper   action    »n«   hi, in. Mi  enllni 

the  interest*  >■(  i 

much    an    present    conditions    will    penult.      A    rood    shoring* 

natural!]  obtained  on  account  of  the  laeh  ol  communli 

and  Deperanaa  paid  II  aaa  in  food-etufr*  which  nn 

bronchi  In  orerland.    At  one  tin  the  paj  mil  was 

iven  in  the  prime  necaaaltle*  ol  Ufa     Whan 
that  operation!  would  be  delayed  Indefinitely,  the  ma  it  a 

down    to    the    minimum    consistent    will)    proper    care    or    th* 

Operation*,  although  on  *  limited  scale,  wen  da- 
layed  bj  the  lack  ol  sufficient  power  at  times,  due  to  th*  inter 
ranted  service  or  th,-  power  company  ■applying  th*  currant, 
brought  on  by  the  abnormal  condition*  prevailing.     Dating 

September,  no  electric  power  was  available  for  a  period  of  14 
days  at  one  time.  Since  only  limited  transportation  was 
available  at  this  time,  sufficient  wood  for  the  iteam-plants 
could  not  be  brought  to  the  mine.  During  the  last  months  of 
the  year  labor  unrest  became  apparent  and  two  strikes  were 
declared  al  ED  Oro,  which,  bowarer,  were  later  settled.  Special 
messengers  were  sent  through  the  various  lines  whenever  op- 
portunity offered,  with  mail  and  cables.  It  is  pleasing  to  state 
that  the  mall  and  telegraph  service  is  again  practically  normal 
(February,  1916),  It  hardly  seems  necessary  to  remark  nn  the 
loyalty  displayed  by  the  staff  during  the  unpleasant  and 
critical  conditions  experienced  during  the  year  under  review; 
actions  speak  louder  than  words. 

Mine  development  covered  4502  ft.,  of  which  1958  ft.  was  on 
the  Descubrldora  vein,  and  1788  ft.  on  the  San  Rafael  vein. 
Work  on  the  former  was  encouraging,  but  the  vein  is  narrow 
(18  in.)  and  erratic  in  value.  Results  on  the  San  Rafael  were 
discouraging  at  depth.  Some  of  the  ore  contains  lead  and 
zinc.  Two  4-ton  Jeffrey  electric  locos  were  purchased  for  use 
on  No.  5  and  7  levels.  Diamond-drilling  amounted  to  938 
ft.  Ore  reserves  are  estimated  at  156,000  metric  tons,  which 
should  yield  $520,000  profit  under  normal  conditions.  There 
is  also  40.000  tons  of  low-grade  stope-fllling,  and  200,000  tons  of 
tailing,  the  latter  worth  $150,000  net. 

The  mill  treated  25,005  tons,  work  being  suspended  on 
February  25,  1915.  The  bullion  was  worth  $143,480,  and  profit 
$57,304.  In  1914  and  1915  the  total  revenue  was  $1,186,025,  of 
which  $315,000  was  paid  in  dividends.    The  balance  is  $168,132. 

Production  to  date  is  1»72, 344,098  (Mexican)  from  2,085,936 
tons  of  ore. 


CORDOBA  COPPER  CO. 

This  company  operates  in  Spain  in  charge  of  James  Hock- 
ing for  the  general  managers,  John  Taylor  &  Sons.  During 
1915  the  average  monthly  development  was  609  ft.  Results 
were  disappointing  at  1550  ft.  In  the  San  Rafael  section.  The 
eastern  shaft  was  sunk  to  1539  ft.  Reserves  are  estimated  at 
134,289  tons,  containing  2.64%  copper.'  The  amount  of  ore 
opened  did  not  equal  that  extracted,  namely,  89,639  tons.  The 
position  improved  later  in  the  year.  There  was  also  raised 
1.3S9.227  tons  of  water,  an  average  of  3806  per  day.  The 
pump  averaged  5.92  strokes  per  minute.  The  rainfall  was 
30.73  in.    Baling  raised  another  220,449  tons. 

The  concentration  plant  treated  48,585  tons  of  1.74%  ore 
from  dumps.  Some  ore  was  hand  picked.  The  Murex  plant 
treated  11,070  tons  of  middling  and  slime  assaying  1.42%, 
yielding  1136  tons  of  9.45%  concentrate.  The  recovery  was 
67.6%.  Combined  with  the  wet  mill  the  extraction  was  70.7%. 
This  increased  to  73.6%  later  in  the  year.  The  sintering  and 
briquetting  plants,  together  with  crude  ore,  supplied  the 
smelter  with  19,484  tons  of  material.  The  converters  pro- 
duced 1767  tons  of  blister  copper. 

The  revenue  was  $630,000,  and  profit  $49,000.  The  net  bal- 
ance of  $5000  was  carried  forward  to  1916. 


Gold  output  of  the  Rand  in  June  was  761,000  oz.,  making 
4.628,000  oz.  for  the  half-year. 


15(|  MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 

RECENT  PUBLICATIONS 


July  22. 


INDUSTRIAL  NOTES 

Information  supplied  liy  the  manufacturers 


1916 


U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916; 

Feldspars  of  the  Xi.»  Em, land  and  North  Appalachian 
States.  A.  S.  Watts.  Bulletin  92,  mineral  technology  9.  P. 
181.    111.,  maps,  index. 

Analysis  or  Permissible  Explosives.  By  C.  G.  Storm.  Bul- 
letin 96.     P.  88.    111.,  index. 

ABSTRACTS  of  Current  Decisions  on  Mines  and  Minim;.  Re- 
ported from  October  to  December,  1915.  By  J.  W.  Thompson. 
Bulletin  118,  law  serial  7.    P.  74. 

Effects  of  Atmospiiekes  Deficient  in  Oxygen  on  Small 
Animals  ami  Men.  By  G.  A.  Burrell  and  G.  G.  Oberfell.  Tech- 
nical paper  22.    P.  10. 

Sensitiveness  to  Detonators  of  Trinitrotoluene  and 
Titranitkomethylanilin.  By  Guy  B.  Taylor  and  W.  C.  Cope. 
Technical  paper  145.    P.  9. 

Technology  of  Quarrying.  By  Oliver  Bowles.  Bulletin  106, 
mineral  technology  13.  P.  174.  111.,  index.  A  useful  publica- 
tion. In  the  shaping  of  marble  pieces  the  use  of  carborundum 
in  cutting  is  described. 

U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Washington.  D.  C,  1916: 

Abrasive  Materials  in  1915.    By  Frank  J.  Katz.    P.  16. 

Fluorspar  in  1915.    By  Ernest  F.  Burchard.    P.  9.  Chart. 

Gold,  Silver,  Copper,  Lead,  and  Zinc  in  the  Eastern  States 
in  1915.     Mines  report.     By  James  M.  Hill.     P.  14. 

Graphite  in  1915.    By  Edson  S.  Bastin.    P.  18. 

Silica  in  1915.    By  Frank  J.  Katz.    P.  6. 

Talc  and  Soapstone  in  1915.    By  J.  S.  Diller.     P.  4. 

Mineralogtc  Notes.  Series  3.  By  Waldemar  T.  Schaller. 
Bulletin  610.     P.  164.     Illustrated. 

Potash  Salts  in  1915.  By  W.  C.  Phalen  and  W.  B.  Hicks. 
P.  39.    Abstracts  will  be  made  from  this  bulletin. 

The  Caduo  Oil  and  Gas  Field,  Louisiana  and  Texas.  By 
G.  C.  Matson.    Bulletin  619.    P.  62.    Maps,  index. 

Natural  Gas  Resources  of  Parts  of  North  Texas.  By 
E.  W.  Shaw,  G.  C.  Matson,  and  C.  H.  Wegemann.  Bulletin 
629.    P.  128.     Ill,  maps,  charts,  index. 

Ground   Water  in   San   Joaquin   Valley.   California.     By 
W.  C  Mendenhall,  R.  B.  Dole,  and  Herman  Stabler.     Water- 
*  supply  paper  398.    P.  310.    111.,  maps,  charts,  index. 

Some  Manganese  Mines  in  Virginia  and  Maryland.  By 
D.  F.  Hewett.    Bulletin  640-C.    P.  35.     Illustrated. 

Ozokerite  in  Central  Utah.  By  H.  M.  Robinson.  Bulletin 
641-A.    P.  16.     Map. 

Fauna  of  the  Chapman  Sandstone  of  Maine.  By  H.  S. 
Williams  and  C  L.  Breger.  Professional  paper  89.  P.  347. 
111.,  index. 

Mica  Gneiss,  Limestone,  and  Schist  in  Chester  County. 
Pennsylvania.  By  E.  F.  Bliss  and  A.  I.  Jonas.  Professional 
paper  98-B.    P.  26.    111.,  charts. 

Retreat  of  Barry  Glacier.  Port  Wells.  Prince  William 
Sound,  Alaska.  Between  1910  and  1914.  By  B.  L.  Johnson. 
Professional  paper  98-C.    P.  2.    Illustrated. 

Experiments  on  the  Extraction  of  Potash  from  Wyominc- 
ite.    By  Roger  C.  Wells.    Professional  paper  9S-D.    P.  4. 

Petroleum  Withdrawals  and  Restorations  Affecting  the 
Public  Domain.  By  Max  W.  Ball.  Bulletin  623.  P.  427. 
Eight  State  maps.  This  is  a  much-discussed  subject,  and  the 
bulletin  will  be  of  value  to  many  interested.  The  area  in- 
cluded in  the  petroleum  withdrawals  on  January  15.  1916, 
totaled  5,587.077  acres,  of  which  1.507,547  was  in  California  and 
1,952,326  in  Utah.  The  map  of  California  is  by  J.  H.  G.  Wolf, 
a  contributor  to  the  Press. 

Revision  of  the  Beckwith  and  Bear  River  Formations  of 
South-Eastern  Idaho.  By  G.  R.  Mansfield  and  P.  V.  Roundy. 
Professional  paper  98-G.    P.  9.     Illustrated. 


The  Seattle  office  ot  the  Lidgerwood  Mfo.  Co.  has  been  moved 
from  807-809  Western  avenue  to  63-65  Columbia,  street. 

The  Cyanide  Plant  Supply  Co.  writes  that  the  War  makes 
it  necessary  for  it  to  have  offices  in  Victoria  street.  West- 
minster, London,  so  they  are  now  at  No.  2S  on  that  street. 

Electric  hoists  of  half  and  one-ton  capacity,  type  S-l,  are 
discussed  and  illustrated  in  Bulletin  48,906  of  the  Sprague 
Ei.e(  ntic  Works  of  the  General  Electric  Co.  Complete 
dimensions  are  given  of  the  various  sizes. 

In  its  pamphlet  No.  2S-B  the  Colorado  Iron  Works  Co.  of 
Denver  describes  its  Portland  continuous  revolving-drum  type 
vacuum-filter.  Use  of  the  machine  for  dewatering  flotation 
concentrate,  and  filtering  and  washing  cyanide  slime  is  illus- 
trated.    A  list  of  users  ia  given. 

The  American  Manganese  Steel  Co.  of  Chicago  announces 
the  purchase  of  the  Brylgon  Steel  Casting  Co.'s  plant  at  New 
Castle,  Delaware.  This  modern  foundry  has  a  monthly  ca- 
pacity of  400  tons  of  steel,  and  will  be  making  manganese 
steel  by  July  15. 

The  Black  Prince  Tungsten  mill,  near  Boulder,  Colorado, 
was  recently  completed  and  put  in  operation  by  the  Denver 
Quartz  Mill  &  Crusher  Co..  for  John  T.  Duncan.  It  is  to  have 
an  additional  unit  supplied  by  this  firm,  for  delivery  by  July 
1.3.  When  in  operation  the  capacity  of  the  mill  will  be  75  tons 
per  day. 

The  General  Naval  Stores  Co.  of  New  York  announces  that 
it  will  hereafter  carry  stocks  of  G.  N.  S.  flotation  oils  at 
Denver,  and  will  be  in  a  position  to  fill  orders  from  that 
point  within  the  next  30  days,  following  June  21.  John  D. 
Davis,  with  office  at  1550  Glenarm  street,  Denver  is  the 
Colorado  representative. 

The  latest  folder,  No.  64,  of  the  Chain  Belt  Co.  of  Mil- 
waukee, gives  information  on  its  traveling  water-screens. 
These  screns  are  designed  primarily  to  remove  refuse  and 
foreign  material  from  water  before  it  enters  power-plants, 
steel  mills,  or  any  other  industrial  plant  requiring  large 
quantities  of  clean  water. 

The  Sprague  Electric  Works  of  the  General  Electric  Co. 
has  issued  bulletins  48,706,  48,907,  and  49,600.  The  first  deals 
with  motors  and  controllers  for  flat-bed  and  small  rotary 
printing-presses;  the  second  with  500-lb.  electric-hoists  for 
shop  use;  and  the  third  covers  flexible-steel  armored  con- 
ductors, steel  conduit,  fittings,  and  tools. 

The  latest  bulletin  of  the  Hendrie  &  Bolthoff  Mfg.  &  Supply- 
Co.  of  Denver  describes  and  illustrates  the  Leadville  drill- 
column  hoist.  Five  pages  discuss  the  'super-Leadville'  hoist, 
model  5,  which  is  designed  for  loads  up  to  1200  lb.,  against  700 
lb.  by  the  regular  sized  machine.  A  4J-hp.  air  engine  is  used. 
The  drum  holds  1080  ft.  of  j-in.  rope.  Total  weight  is  360  lb. 
net. 

In  a  circular  entitled  'Flotation.'  the  United  Naval  Stores 
Co.  of  New  York,  states  that  wood-creosote  leads  in  quantities 
used,  compared  with  the  other  oils  or  tars,  excepting  petroleum 
oil.  Pine-oil  was  originally  at  the  head  of  the  list,  but  while 
it  became  scarce,  and  high  in  price,  the  wood-creosote  was 
found  to  give  results  just  as  good  in  most  instances.  Even- 
tually wood-tar  will  probably  replace  most  of  the  wood  creosotes, 
and  other  oils  in  flotation,  because  it  contains  about  50%  of 
the  wood-creosote  in  a  crude  form,  besides  light  oils:  because 
its  cost  is  less  than  one-half  of  the  wood-creosote;  and  be- 
cause there  is  more  of  it  produced  than  all  the  other  wood- 
products  combined.  This  is  backed  also  by  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  mining  concerns  are  now  using  it  in  considerable 
quantities. 


and 
Scientific 


Edit*d  by 
T   K  RICKARO 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  JULY  29,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  5 


WM 


Every  wearing  part  of  this 

Tailing    Pump    easily    removable 

This  pump  was  designed  for  mining  work  by  mining 
engineers  and,  among  others,  is  now  used  by — 

Alaska  Treadwell  Gold   Mining  Company, 

Utah  Copper  Company, 

San  Vicente  Mining  Company, 

Seoul  Mining  Company,  and 

Vindicator  Consolidated  Cold  Mining  Company. 

Mining  Pumps  of  all  descriptions,  including  a  complete  line  of 

ACID  PUMPS 

BYRON  JACKSON   IRON  WORKS 

SAN  FRANCISCO  CALIFORNIA 


Pump  casts 
split  to  allow 
r.iniy  Inspec- 
tion or  re- 
moval of  im- 
pcllerorliner 


Catalog  76 
is  yours  for 
the  asking. 


White  ir<m  liner  split 
on  side  and  not  on 
center  line,  as  center 
is  subject  to  heaviest 
sand-blast  effect. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29.  1916 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Tiltev 

Company 

50i  market   st. 
San  Franc  i  sco,  Cal. 


"With  ore  sacks  at  17|c.  each," 

says  the  president  of  a  mining  company  at  whose  mill  an  Oliver 
Continuous  Filter  was  recently  installed,  "our  Oliver  not  only 
eliminates  the  necessity  of  paying  freight  to  the  smelter  on 
excess  moisture  in  the  concentrate,  but  also  saves  us  a  great 
deal  of  money  that  formerly  went  to  purchase  ore  sacks.  We 
were  able  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  several  men  required 
to  fill  sacks  and  load  the  cars,  as  the  product  is  now  loaded  in 
bulk  direct  from  the  filter." 

WHY  NOT  SIMILAR  SAVINGS   FOR  YOU? 


No  reason  at  all.  Your  condi- 
tions may  not  be  identical  with 
those  here;  but  the  Oliver  can 
readily  be  adapted  to  them.  Per- 
haps you  are  using-  an  entirely 
different  metallurgical  process. 
Still  you  can  effect  substantial 
savings  with  the  Oliver.  Are  yon 
using  acid  solutions  for  recover- 
ing your  zinc  or  copper.'  Special 
acid-proof  Oliver  Continuous  Fil- 
lers are  giving  splendid  results. 


Are  you  using  continuous  decan- 
tation  ?  The  Oliver  will  save  cya- 
nide, eliminate  soluble  losses  of 
gold  and  silver,  cut  in  half  the 
zinc  used  for  precipitation,  save 
floor  space,  increase  capacity. 

Whatever  your  process  or  what- 
ever your  conditions,  get  all  the 
facts  about  Oliver  Filtration. 
Write  for  descriptive  bulletin  or 
tell  us  of  your  particular  problem. 


A  RECENT  TELEGRAM 

Oliver  Cmitinuous  Filter  Co. 

Enter  order  for  shipment  to  Old  Dominion 
Copper  Mining  and  Smelting  Co.,  Globe,  Ari- 
zona, in  ten  days  without  fail  one  elev.-n 
and  one-half  by  eight  Oliver  Filter  with  iron 
screens.      Very   urgent. 

PhelpK.    Dodee    A    Co. 

NOTE:     Thiii  Triple  capacity  of  plant. 


NO  ROYALTIES  TO  PAY  ON  ANY 
WORK   OF  AN  OLIVER    FILTER 


.*        J* 

huiokmi   vl  uf 

T  A  RICKAKD 

M  V    ..-HIKM  WfTZ     \ 
P  a  MJJONALD  ' 


Utt 


I.." 


m)M  -     Press 


CHARLES  1    Ml  UMISSON.  B« 


Matiasjti 


MM  Ml     t  ONTJtlBI  J"K\ 
W      II     Hhockle) 


■ 

Ki'inp 
I'M       i 

C     W      I'lirlnittitn. 

Hoi  ,  ieU 


i   Bvtrjr  Saturday 


v  ienct  hai  M<>  ,!irrny  tavt  the  l&norant 


San  Francisco,  July  29,  191G 


13  p«r  Te»r— 10  Cenu  p«i   Capi 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL 

161 

Till    Mmi  iv    MUDolJ     163 

An  arraignment  of  the  policy  of  procrastination  as 
ettilng    political    problems.     'Watchful 

waiting    at    Washington:     wait   and    see'   ai    London: 
and  moiinmi  at   Mexico  City. 

I'liiinirv    is    Minin 1$8 

The  Mother  Lode  mining  companies  and  (heir  seere- 
nveness.     The  consideration  that   is  due  to  the  State 
that  protects  the  operators.    Mystery  is  apt  to 
Berate  the  profit  of  sold  mines. 

Coma,  Zim  .  ami  i.t  ah  154 

The   production,   price,  and  grade  of  the  ore.  of  the 
three  principal  base  metals.     A  comparison  of  figures. 


DI8CU88ION 


Conditions  in  Mexico. 


By  E.  A.  H.   Tays 15 

Most  of  the  Mexican  people  are  stated  to  be  friendly 
to  Americans.  A  debt  of  $250,000,000  should  be 
nothing  to  a  country  like  Mexico  if  properly  governed. 
A  protest  for  the  foreigners  having  property  interests 
in  Mexico. 


ARTICLES 


Mining   in   Arizona. 

By  Charles  F.    Willis    157 

Copper,  the  mainstay  Of  Arizona,  is  being  produced  at 
the  rate  ol  800,000  tons  per  annum.  Conditions  at 
the  Shannon.  Old  Dominion,  Inspiration.  United 
Verde,  and  other  mines.  A  visitors'  day  at  the  Big 
Jim  gold  mine.  Oattnan.  A  new  staff  for  the  Tom 
Reed  mine. 

An     ExTRA-LaTERAI.    PROBLEM. 

By   Robert   U.    Searls    l Hit 

The  Supreme  Court  of  Montana's  recent  decision 
pertaining  to  complications  arising  from  veins  join- 
ing on  the  dip.  A  San  Francisco  lawyer  explains 
the  intricacies. 

LEAD  Sams.  Alkalinity,  ami  SOLVENT  Power  ok  Cyanide 
fob  Gold. 

By  H.  R.  Edmunds    161 

Australian  experimental  work  on  leaching  roasted 
gold  ore.  Solutions  foul  with  soluble  sulphides,  arid 
solutions  in  which  the  sulphur  is  converted  to  thio- 
eyanates  and  thio-sulphates. 

Definition   of  the  Term   'Potash'    162 

potassa,'    is    K.O.     Other 


Potash,    or    more    properly 
potassium  compounds. 


Tin    Kl  rCHIB  vn    I  IISTBK  l.   Al  \-K  I. 

By  Emit  Edward  lluri,,  163 

Copper-mining  on  Prince  of  Wales  island  Is  active, 
si\    mines   an-   shipping    regularly,    the   total    being 

12, tons  per  month,    a  great   uaproBpected  rej 

Work  by  the  Granby  Consolidated  and  others. 

Kxi-i  osiv  is    166 

Notes  on  the  classification  of  explosives  used  In 
mining. 

Russian  Measures  ami  Equivalents  166 

A  useful  reference  table  for  those  participating  in 
Russian  mining  development. 

Principles  Underlying  BVttation. 

By  Joel  II.  inidrbrand   168 

The  assistant-professor  of  chemistry  in  the  University 
of  California  recently  delivered  an  address  on  the 
physics  of  flotation  before  a  joint  meeting,  at  the  En- 
gineers Club,  of  the  San  Francisco  Section  of  the 
A.  I.  M.  K.  and  the  California  Section  of  the  American 
Chemical  Society.    This  is  an  abstract  of  that  address. 

The  Flotation  of  Oxidized  Ores. 

By  0.  C.  Ralston  and  Olen  L.  Allen 171 

Experiments  on  oxidized  lead  ores,  principally  car- 
bonate. Forming  a  film  of  sulphide  over  the  oxidized 
particles.  Work  on  oxidized  copper  ores.  Little  suc- 
cess with  oxidized  zinc  ores. 

Platinum   Production    174 

Russia  produces  the  great  bulk  of  the  world's  plat- 
inum worth,  perhaps,  $11,000,000  per  annum.  Colom- 
bia also  a  producer. 

Chart  fob  Computing  Excavations   185 

DEPARTMENTS 

Recent  Patents    175 

Review  of  Mining   177 

Special  correspondence  from  Leadville,  Colorado; 
Joplin,   Missouri;    Sutter  Creek,   California. 

The   Mining   Summary    179 

Personai 183 

The  Metal  Market   184 

Eastern   Metal   Market    1S5 

Book    Reviews     ISO 

•Land  and  Marine  Diesel  Engines,'  by  Giorgio  Supino: 
•Metallurgy  of  Steel,'  by  F.  W.  Harbord  and  J.  W,  Hall. 


ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's  Guide   30 

Index   to  Advertisers   36 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Prens;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
PresH. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch   Offices — Chicago,   300   Fisher  Bdg.;   New   York,  1308-10 
Woolworth   Bdg.;   London,  724   Salisbury  House,    E.C. 
.  Price,  10  cents  per  copy.     Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and    Mexico.    $3:    Canada,    $4:    other   countries   In    postal    union, 
21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


Your  work  will  be  Easier, 

Your  efficiency  Higher, 

Your  costs  Lower, 

if  you  use 

UNION 

Placer  Equipment 

for 

Gold,  Tin  and  Platinum 


Union  Dredge  No.  18.  operating  on  Mastodon  Creek, 
near  Circle  City,  Alaska.  This  3}-ft.  dredge  has  made 
an  enviable  record  of  1900  cubic  yards  per  day  under 
adverse  conditions. 


We  invite  your  correspondence. 
Ask  for  Catalogues. 

UNION    CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY 


H.C.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JOHNSON 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


UNION  DRILLS 

Prospect  your  dredging  ground  with 
Union  Drills.  Made  in  two  types. 
Above  is  shown  the  steel-frame  type 
in  operation.  Union  Drills  are  simple, 
easy  to  operate,  low  in  cost,  and  can 
be  transported  over  any  ground.  If 
necessary  they  can  be  knocked  down 
and  carried  mule-back.     Bulletin  15. 


NEILL  JIGS 

Eight  Neill  Jigs  on  one  dredge  have 
paid  for  themselves  in  60  days,  mak- 
ing a  commercial  success  of  jigging  a 
product  running  2ro  cents  per  ton. 
The  Neill  Jig  has  double  the  screen 
area  of  other  jigs  requiring  the  same 
floor  space.    All  parts  are  easy  of  access. 


U  W  UNION  DREDGES   -  BUCYRUS  DREDGES  -  wRotn>Ru!±S^lif^  H 


:•'!.. 


MINIV.   ,„d   SbenliB.    I'KI  SS 


I  .1 


*        EDITORIAL        t 


T.  A.  KICKARD.  Editor 


%w T.Wi  export*  Imvf  not  ceased  by  any  means.    In  three 
"*  -      767,418  «'irih  of  mi.'Ii  material  went  oat 

York     Tliis  inolnded  15,601,903  of  oopper  ingots 
(plosives 


Ol  RFACB  TENSION  is  a  term  used  with  such  weari- 

ac  iteration  in  writings  on  flotation  thai  i'  Beems 

worth  while  to  agree  upon  an  abbreviation.     'S.T.'  is 

we  suggest  'sur.  ten.'     Eventually,  we 

may  write  it  'surten,'  for  convenience. 


TJAI'KK  is  expensive,  because  bo  much  of  ii  is  wasted. 
■*-  The  Government  bureaus  issue  tons  of  printed  paper 
much  of  which  is  just  bo  much  good  pulp  squandered  in 

the  effort  i ake  a  showing  before  Congress,    We  have 

just  received  the  Monthly  Review  of  the  I  .  S.  Bureau 
of  Labor  Statistics.    We  wonder  who  reads  it. 


I  piDOl  BTEDLT  trade  in  War  supplies  has  diverted 
*-'  interest  from  the  effort  t"  open  new  lines  of  trade 
with  Smith  America  and  Asia.  We  heard  a  lot  about 
opportunities  in  those  directions  during  the  early 
stages  of  the  War.  hut  not  much  lately,  except  the  ex- 
eellent  propaganda  of  the  National  City  Hank  of  New 
Fork.    Thai  has  done  a  great  deal  of  useful  work. 


DEFERRING  to  the  article  on  the  financial  chaos  in 
•*■«•  Mexico  appearing  in  our  issue  of  July  15,  we  can 
add  now  that  an  official  decree  imposes  the  death  penalty 
on  a  Mexican  and  deportation  on  a  foreigner  that  refuses 

to  accept  the  Carran/.ii  infiilxificable  currency  at  its  en- 

foi I  value,  of  20  centavos  or  10  cents  gold  per  peso. 

Incidentally  this  currency  hears  upon  it  no  statement  of 
any  obligation  to  pay. 

A  LA  SKA  is  prospering.  Recent  reviews  of  mining  lay 
-'*•  stress  on  the  growth  of  copper  production,  now  con- 
tributed by  15  enterprises,  chiefly  in  the  region  tribu- 
tary to  Cordova  and  near  the  railway  being  built  to 
Fairbanks.  Mining  for  gold  is  lively,  especially  around 
Juneau,  where  big  developments  are  in  progress.  We 
are  glad  therefore  to  announce  that  Mr.  Kmil  E.  Hurja, 
who  made  a  tour  through  Alaska  and  the  Yukon  in  our 
behalf  last  year,  is  now  re-visiting  the  mining  districts 
of  the  North,  or  more  accurately  North-West,  and  will 
contribute  a  series  of  articles  describing  the  principal 
operations.  In  this  issue  we  give  the  first  of  the  series, 
an  article  on  the  Ketchikan  district. 


f~^  OLD  mining  in  Western  Australia,  and  elsewhere 
^-*  under  the  flag  of  the  great  belligerents,  is  suffering 
from  the  imposts  necessitated  by  the  expenses  of  warfare. 
At  Kalgoorlie,  for  example,  the  mining  companies  have 


not  only  to  pay  mmv  for  all  their  supplies  and  equip 

meiit.  by  reaa >f  abnormal  freight-rates  and  scarcity 

of  skilled  labor,  but  they  have  to  face  the  Federal  land 
tax,  the  Federal  income  tax,  and  the  state  proflt-tax. 
Under  the  last  of  these  an  attempt  was  made  to  treat 

the  OOSt   Of  development   as  'profit.'  but   a   favorable  ver 

diet  iii  a  te..t  ,-ase  has  Bide-traoked  this  absurdity,  pend- 
ing appeal  to  a  higher  court.    It  is  bad  enough  to  treal 

dividends  as  income  if  paid  by  a   mine  that   has  not   yet 

redeemed  its  capital  expenditure.     A  mine  is  a  wasting 

ami  the  dividends  paid  by  it  do  not   represent 

'profit'  until  its  pur. -base  price  and  equipment  have  1 n 

amortized.  People  forget  this  because  they  keep  an  eye 
on  t be  shares,  not  t be  mine. 


DLACK-LISTING  of  firms  in  this  country  by  order 
-1-"*  of  the  British  government  will  affect  sundry  metal- 
producing  enterprises  and  it  has  aroused  the  interest  of 
many  engaged  in  mining.  One  local  firm  thai  does  a 
big  business  in  oil  with  Australia  is  on  the  list.  This 
presumably  is  a  pari  of  the  economic  warfare  that  is  to 
follow  present  hostilities  in  Europe.  It  is  none  of  our 
business  what  the  belligerents  do  to  each  other  ami  we 
do  not  doubt  that  the  Entente  agreement  to  restrict  the 
commerce  of  the  Central  powers  is  in  response  to  the 
zollverein  that  the  latter  have  organized  among  them- 
selves. Nor  do  we  question  the  right,  or  even  the  ad- 
visability, of  a  belligerent  discriminating  against  those 
that  aid  bis  enemy,  but  we  do  question  the  wisdom  of 
publishing  a  black-list  and  thereby  martyrizing  a  num- 
ber of  persons  or  corporations  and  arousing  a  reasonable 
irritation.  This,  we  take  it.  is  the  first  gun  in  an  inter- 
national trade  war.  to  be  waged  with  greater  intensity 
as  soon  as  military  operations  cease  It  may  be  un- 
gracious to  comment  on  this  policy,  but  we  doubt  either 
the  success  or  the  continuance  of  it  for  long.  Great 
Britain,  naturally,  will  abandon  free-trade  and  protect 
herself,  as  she  ought  to  have  done  long  ago.  against  the 
syndication,  cartels,  dumping,  and  bounty  systems  that 
prevailed  at  her  expense  in  central  Europe,  but  neither 
Great  Britain,  France,  nor  Russia  can  start  a  general 
black-listing  of  firms  in  neutral  countries  without  in- 
troducing a  kind  of  medieval  reprisals  that  will  do  as 
much  harm  to  them  as  to  their  enemies.  We  expect  a 
modification  of  sentiment  on  the  question  when  the  in- 
tense acerbities  of  the  War  become  alleviated  by  time. 


USEFUL  service  has  been  rendered  to  mining  by  the 
American  Mining  Congress,  but  its  entry  into  jour- 
nalism is  probably  the  least  useful  of  its  services  to  the 
industry.  The  duly  publication  contains  some  startling 
announcements  suggestive   of  the   misinformation   com- 


152 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


July  •_»!).   1916 


mem   in   the   daily   papers.     One   head-line   announces 

"Lake    Superior    iron    mines    shipping    ore    at     rate    of 

2,000,000  tons  i itlily."    This  is  a  statement  that  will 

surprise  anyone  who  knows  anything  about  Lake  Super- 
ior, for  it  would  indicate  an  annual  shipment  of  24.000,- 
000  tons,  when  as  a  matter  of  faet,  the  11)16  shipment  is 
estimated  at  til  1.0(10.1  II  1(1  tons  or  2^  times  the  amount 
stated.  The  editor  of  the  Mining  Congress  Journal  ap- 
pears to  have  divided  the  10,000,000  tons  shipped  dur- 
ing the  first  five  months  of  the  year  by  live,  forgetting 
that  shipping  does  not  open  on  the  lakes  until  the  middle 
of  April.  Another  thriller  says  "Nevada's  copper  out- 
put is  double  that  of  last  year."  This  would  mean  that 
the  Nevada  Consolidated,  instead  of  producing  (12.726.- 
651  pounds,  as  in  1915,  is  producing  at  the  rate  of  125,- 
000,000  pounds  per  annum.  That  is  not  what  has  hap- 
pened. It  is  the  value  of  the  output  that  has  been  nearly 
doubled,  thanks  to  tie-  combined  effect  of  better  priees 

and  a  50'.,'    increase  in  tonnage. 


pohlVIAX  tin  was  discussed  comprehensively  by  Mr. 
■*-^  Ilowland  Bancroft  in  our  issue  of  last  week.  As 
noted  by  him,  the  mining  and  milling  methods  in  use  on 
the  Andean  plateau  are  crude  and  unscientific.  The 
importance  of  tin  to  the  industries  of  the  United  states 
is  not  generally  recognized.     During  the  past  five  years 

the  vah E  the  tin  imported  into  this  country  has  aver- 

Bged  $45,000,000  per  annum.  This  compares  with  the 
value  of  this  country's  output  of  primary  spelter  in 
1914  of  +36,011,000  and  of  primary  lead  during  the  same 
year  of  $42,286,000.  In  other  words,  the  normal  pro- 
duction of  /ine  or  lead  in  this  country  has  been  of  less 
value  than  the  tin  imported.  A  ton  of  tin  is  worth  in 
ordinary  times  nearly  ten  tons  of  lead  or  zinc.  This 
country  uses  55,000  tons  of  tin  per  year,  about  1000  tons 
per  week.  The  new  tin  smelter  of  the  American  Smelt- 
ing &  Refining  Co..  at  Perth  Amboy,  will  produce  only 
100  tons  of  metal  per  week.  ]()',  of  the  American  con- 
sumption, when  it  attains  to  full  capacity.  Tin  mining 
and  smelting  should  offer  an  attractive  field  to  American 
enterprise  and  we  would  like  to  see  the  establishment  of  a 
tin  smelter  on  this  coast,  with  a  view  to  supplying  the 
regional  requirements  in  tin-plate,  terne-platc.  and 
alloys. 

"D IO  TINTO  is  the  largest  copper  mine  in  Europe. 
■*■*-  The  mine  is  in  the  province  of  Huelva,  in  south- 
western Spain,  and  the  company  owns  the  railway  to 
the  port  of  Huelva.  During  1915  the  dividend  paid  was 
55%,  compared  with  35%,  in  the  preceding  year.  The 
net  profit  was  $6,189,005.  against  $3,588,455  in  1914. 
Income  is  obtained  both  from  sale  of  metal  and  pyrite. 
In  1913.  a  normal  year,  the  copper  produced  at  the  mines 
was  21,062  long  tons,  while  635.900  tons  of  pyrite  was 
sold,  besides  825,408  tons  of'washed  and  other  sulphide 
ores,  for  the  manufacture  of  acid.  A  total  of  1,859,571 
tons  of  2.19%  ore  was  mined,  practically  all  by  open-cut 
methods,  the  metal  produced  amounting  to  36,320  tons, 
which  was  more  than  the  output  of  the  Calumet  &  Hecla 
or  any  of  the  American  disseminated  copper  mines  dur- 


ing that  year,  except  the  Utah  Copper.  The  Rio  Tinto 
minis  arc  owned  by  an  English  Company  that  acquired 
them  iii  1*72  at  a  cost  of  approximately  $19,466,000. 
The  French  have  a  large  holding  of  shares.  About 
10,000  men  are  employed,  and  four  villages  are  included 
in  the  sine  square  miles  of  property.  The  mines  have 
been  worked  successfully  by  the  Iberians,  Phoenicians, 
Carthaginians.  Romans,  and  British. 


■FLOTATION  is  to  the  fore  in  this  issue,  two  articles 
-*•  being  devoted  to  the  subject.  Mr.  Joel  H.  Ililde- 
brand.  Assistant  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  the  di- 
versity of  California,  discusses  and  illuminates  under- 
lying principles  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  physicist. 
Undoubtedly  we  want  more  of  this  kind  of  scientific 
study,  for  the  actual  use  of  the  process  in  the  mill  can- 
not be  intelligent,  and  is  unlikely  to  be  progressive,  un- 
less it  is  based  on  a  (dear  understanding  of  the  physical 
phenomena  underlying'  the  rationale  of  this  metallurg- 
ical method.  We  believe  that  Dr.  Hildebrand's  con- 
tribution will  help  many  of  our  readers  to  a  better  con- 
ception of  elementary  principles.  Next  we  reproduce  a 
bulletin  just  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  em- 
bodying a  study  of  flotation  as  applied  to  oxidized  ores. 
Messrs.  0.  C.  Ralston  and  Glen  L.  Allen,  of  the  Sail 
Lake  City  branch  of  the  Bureau,  need  no  introduction 
to  our  readers.  The  subject  they  discuss  is  of  the  most 
timely  interest.  Several  months  ago  we  announced  that 
Mr.  Joseph  T.  Terry,  Jr.,  had  found  a  way  of  treating 
oxidized  copper  ores.  His  method,  like  those  described 
by  Messrs.  Ralston  and  Allen,  depends  upon  sulphidiz- 
ing  the  carbonates,  forming  a  film  of  sulphide  that  aids 
flotation.  Similar  tests  on  lead-carbonate  ores  show  that 
sodium  sulphide  is  the  best  agent  for  the  purpose,  and 
it  is  now  being  adopted  at  Pioche.  The  results  are  en- 
couraging and  promise  to  enlarge  the  field  of  useful- 
ness, already  wide,  of  the  flotation  process. 


A  TTENTION  has  been  drawn  to  the  unpreparedness 
-'*-  of  this  country  in  regard  to  many  things  by  the  dis- 
turbance of  normal  trade  relations  during  the  European 
war.  The  stimulus  that  this  discovery  of  weakness  is 
giving  to  the  chemical  industry  in  particular  will  have 
far-reaching  results.  The  man  with  a  process  for  ex- 
tracting potash  from  feldspar  no  longer  is  regarded  as  a 
crank;  indeed  it  has  come  to  be  expected  that  the  potash 
chemist  will  take  a  place  in  the  industrial  ranks  of  the 
day  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  Cushraan  and  Coggeshal] 
process  for  making  the  chloride  has  established  the  fact 
that  from  American  feldspar  a  product  may  be  made 
equal  to  that  formerly  imported  from  Europe.  An- 
other simple  method  is  that  known  as  the  Hart  process, 
based  upon  the  fusion  of  feldspar  with  sodium  sulphate 
and  carbon,  extraction  with  sulphuric  acid,  and  precipi- 
tation of  the  potash  as  an  alum.  This  is  an  attractive 
field  for  the  chemist  possessed  with  that  sort  of  imagina- 
tion which  is  dubbed  inventive  genius.  Mr.  Chester  O. 
Gilbert  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  has  recently  sent 
out  a  call  for  efforts  to  discover  some  more  economical 
and   practicable   means  of  oxidizing  ammonia   obtained 


•'    1916 


MINING  and  >.,r„..iH    PRESS 


product  coking  •>■•  in  t..  make  cheaper  nun. 

sent  time  1 1 1 •  -  production  of  ammonia  sulphate 

coking  ol  ooala  in  this  countrj   i-  about  2 
•■■r  annum.     With  the  plants  now  under  construe 
'in  quantity   «ill   be  double   in   the   next    twelve 
n     The  possible  output  is  above  700,000  t  mi 
words,  the  fixed  nitrogen  represented  bj    175,000 
if  aiumooium 'sulphate  ^  yearl)   being  wasted  be- 

ii  iluit  form  no  adequate  market  exists.  Here  in  a 
opportunity  for  chemical  ingenuity  Not  only  is 
acid  needed  for  the  manufacture  of  fertilisers,  but 

nilitary  n ssity  ii   is  one  of  the  urgent  affairs 

•ted  with  that   preparedness  which  an  awakened 

will  insist  upon,  no  matter  who  may  have  the 
ig  of  our  political  destinies  during  the  nexl  four 

The  Government  is  giving  considerable  attention 

possibilities  of  utilizing  our  unemployed  water- 
in  the  fixation  of  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  calcium 
mid,  but   the  waste   Erom  our  crude  methods  of 
:  is  one  of  the  sad  facts  of  industry  that  should 
ate  chemists  to  remove  this  blot   from  an  epoch 

asts  of  conservation  and  progress 


The  Mexican  Muddle 


v   publish  a  timely  letter  from  Mr.  B.  A.  U.  Tays,  a 
z  engineer  recently  resident  in  Sinaloa,  who  cor- 

tcs  and  amplifies  the  description  of  Mexican  finan- 
cial onditions  as  given  by  our  regular  correspondent 
in  t  :•  issue  of  July  15.  Mr.  Tays  writes,  as  many  min- 
ing ten  would,  in  a  spirit  of  goodwill  toward  the  un 
hap ■■  country  in  which  he  has  lived  and  worked  from 
That    makes  his  complaint   all   the   more  con- 

g.  To  him  and  to  the  Scores  of  other  engineers 
and  perators  driven  nut  of  .Mexico  owing  to  the  with- 

I  of  protection  by  their  own  government,  we 
pro!  r  our  understanding  sympathy.  Their  disappoint- 
men  and  disgust  is  natural.  Dispossessed  of  their 
proprty  and  driven  from  their  work,  they  may  he  par- 
don for  even  more  irritation  than  they  express. 
hile  the  pitiful  farce  continues  to  unfold  like  an 
nd    s    cinema-lilm.    punctuated    with    scenes    of    lurid 

ity.     The  latest  proposal,  that  of  an  international 

ssion  of  eminent  American  and  .Mexican  citizens, 
seen  to  us  only  "the  passing  of  the  buck"  to  the  next 
man  a  mere  shifting  of  responsibility  and  a  postpone- 
men  of  action.  The  trouble  with  Mexico  is  that  it  has 
no  ective  government,  the  administration  at  Wash- 
ingl  i  having  recognized  a  group  of  predatory  politi- 
cian as  a  de  facto  government.  Under  the  anarchy 
that  esults  from  political  chaos,  our  own  territory  has 
i  evaded  by  hands  of  marauders,  whom  the  Mexican 
rule  are  unable  to  suppress  and  whom  our  soldiers  are 
fori  den  further  to  pursue  under  threat  of  war  with 
Mex  o.  Villa  is  again  in  command  of  large  forces  and 
is  ii  dug  faces  at  both  administrations,  that  of  Senor 

iza  and  that  of  Mr.  Wilson.  We  have  to  main- 
tain large  force  of  citizen  soldiers  along  the  border  to 
prut  t   ourselves    from   the   inhabitants   of   a    country 


government  »■  .  .1  premature!)  as  reapon 

sihle  and  capable  of  maintaining  order  Disorder  reigns 
supreme.  Six  weeks  is  likelg  to  be  waited  in  farther 
parleys  between  the  member*  of  the  Commission  while 

famine   drives   more  of  the   unhappy    peons   Into    Villa's 

mob  of  looters  and  desperadoes.  To  join  one  of  the  no 
called  armies  in  Mexico  is  now  the  best  waj  (•■  gel  some 
thing  to  ,at.  No  kind  of  settlement  of  the  Mexican 
question  is  possible  until  Mexico  has  a  real  government, 
able  to  represent  the  Mexican  people  in  negotiations  for 
the  adjustment  of  grievances  and  able  to  redress  the  cal- 
amitous condition  of  the  country.  •Watchful  waiting' 
at  Washington,  'wail  and  gee'  at  London,  ami  maHana 
at  Mexico  City  are  all  expressions  of  political  incapacity. 

On  July  ■'!!  SeSor  Carranza  deer I  the  nullification 

of  all  civil   i ords  made  during  "the  usurpation  ad 

ministrations'"  of  his  predecessors.  This  is  to  be  miti- 
gated by  re-validation  on  appeal  to  the  authorities  now 
in  control,  thereby  opening  unlimited  probabilities  of 
graft.  I'll t i I  the  end  of  the  Current  year  is  the  time  set 
for  such  re-validation.     This  action,  we  understand,  was 

prompted  h\  Senor  Luis  Cabrera,  who  with  General 
Alvaro  Obregon  constitutes  the  power  behind  the  tinsel 

throne  of  the  First  Chief.  That  gentleman  has  placated 
native  sentiment  by  issuing  insulting  statements  for  do 
nieslic  consumption  while  sending  polite  notes  to  Wash 
ington.  but  this  double  play  will  prove  ineffective  unless 
Villa  and  his  followers  arc  crushed.  These,  of  course. 
hope  to  unsaddle  Senor  Carranza  from  his  unsteady  91  at 
by  appealing  to  anti-foreign  sentiment  and  they  will 
succeed  unless  the  <l,  furl,,  ( jo\  eminent  is  more  cordially 
supported  by  the  other  military  adventurers  of  the  I  Ion 
stitutional  party  than  is  apparent.  The  Mexican  prob- 
lem persists  and  no  make-believe  will  solve  it.  We  be- 
lieve that  conditions  will  have  to  be  worse  before  they 
are  better  and  that  the  logic  of  events  will  prove  too 
strong  for  any  commission  of  enquiry,  like  the  Niagara 
conference,  which  left  no  mark  on  current  history — only 
a  memorandum  of  conversations. 


Publicity   in   Mining 

When  the  Engineering  Congress  was  in  session  in  San 
Francisco,  last  year,  a  usually  well-informed  engineer 
made  the  remark  that  he  supposed  mining  along  the 
Mother  Lode  was  dead,  as  he  had  heard  nothing  about  it 
recently.  We  assured  him  that  the  region  to  which  he 
referred  so  casually  was  in  a  state  of  remarkable  pros- 
perity and  that  to  it  largely  California  owed  her  first 
place  among  the  States  of  the  Union  as  a  producer  of 
gold.  The  articles  that  have  appeared  since  then  in  this 
paper  will  have  told  that  engineer,  in  New  York,  a  good 
deal  concerning  one  of  the  principal  gold-mining  regions 
of  North  America.  But  how  came  it.  that  he  should  have 
labored  under  such  a  misapprehension?  The  answer  is 
that  the  mining  companies  operating  on  the  Mother  Lode 
consist  for  the  larger  part  of  private  companies  and  small 
syndicates,  most  of  which  desire  no  publicity,  while  some 
even  endeavor  to  escape  it.    Is  this  wise  ?    We  have  dis- 


i:>4 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


July  29,   1016 


cussed  the  matter  with  several  of  the  principal  operators, 
men  of  wide  experience  and  high  character,  and  from 
them  have  elicited  the  reasons  why  they  are  content  to 

work  their  mines  without  attracting  public  notice.  What 
applies  to  them  and  their  operations  will  apply  to  others 
elsewhere  to  whom  publicity  is  repugnant.  In  the  first 
place,  they  argue  that  any  advertisement  of  their  profits 
tends  to  invite  the  attack  of  the  labor  agitator  and  even 
the  less  arrogant  claims  of  the  labor-union,  because  a 
show  of  large  production  and  successful  results  gives 
ground  for  a  demand  that  wages  be  raised  and  so  forth. 
In  the  same  category  we  may  place  the  idea  that  a  state- 
ment of  production  and  profit  gives  the  tax-collector  an 
excuse  for  raising  his  impost.  To  this  we  would  reply 
that  mystery  always  exaggerates,  that  a  mine  operated 
secretly  is  the  sport  of  fanciful  stories,  that  the  actual 
profit  made  by  a  mine  is  nearly  always  less  than  that  re- 
ported in  the  adjoining  community,  Eor  example,  in  the 
hotels  and  saloons  of  adjacent  towns.  If  the  assessor 
wants  to  get  at  the  tacts,  he  is  empowered  !>y  law  to  obtain 
them:  and  if  the  labor  agitator  is  anxious  to  ascertain 
how   much   money  a   mining  company  is  making,  he  can 

do  so  by  enquiring  among  the  men  working  on  the  mine. 
obtaining  from  them  usually  a  highly-colored  version  of 
the  figures  in  the  case,    in  short,  we  believe  that  secrecy 

does  not  protect;  on  the  contrary,  it  renders  a  mining 
company  particularly  vulnerable  to  injury  from  such 
sources.  Next,  we  are  informed  that  the  small  company, 
working  its  own  mine  in  its  own  way.  has  no  stock  to 
sell  and  no  share  quotations  to  boost.  That  is  well.  We 
recognize  thai  the  kind  of  mining  done  by  such  pro- 
prietaries, on  the  .Mother  Lode  and  elsewhere,  represents 
a  clean  operation  ;  it  aims  to  extract  gold  to  the  profit  of 
the  proprietors  and  not  to  victimize  the  public  by  selling 
shares  at  an  inflated  price.  So  far.  so  good.  But  the 
State  of  California,  the  city  of  San  Francisco,  and  the 
county  in  which  the  mining  is  being  done  are  each  and 
all  entitled  to  he  considered  in  the  matter,  and  as  good 
citizens,  these  modest  operators  should  consider  them.  It 
is  to  the  advantage  of  the  State,  county,  and  city  that 
honorable  and  successful  work  of  this  kind  should  be 
made  known,  so  that  our  domestic  mining  industry  may 
receive  public  support.  Gold  mining  is  a  business  that 
is  not  hurt  by  competition.  We  cannot  see  how  a  dis- 
closure of  facts  creditable  to  all  concerned  is  going  to  do 
any  harm  to  anybody.  We  do  not  insist  that  the  mines 
be  listed  on  the  local  stock-exchange,  hut  we  venture  to 
point  out  that  a  holding  in  a  privately-owned  property 
is  not  a  liquid  asset.  Tt'  any  member  of  a  small  syndicate 
or  private  company  owning  a  mining  enterprise  that 
courts  seclusion  should  wish  to  sell  his  interest,  as  is 
frequently  the  case  in  any  business,  he  has  no  market 
outside  the  members  of  his  group,  because  nobody  knows 
anything  about  the  mine  outside  that  group.  A  prop- 
erty is  enhanced  in  value  by  becoming  a  liquid  asset. 
We  hope  to  he  pardoned  for  discussing  the  matter 
frankly.  Far  he  it  from  us  to  teach  our  grandmother  the 
pneumatic  extraction  of  the  albuminous  contents  of  an 
egg.    However,  we  hope  our  friends  on  tin-  Mother  Lode 


will  consider  the  matter  seriously.  A  great  deal  of  new 
and  promising  work  is  being  done  along  the  foot-hills  of 
Amador.  Calaveras,  and  Tuolumne  counties  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  Old  mines  are  being  re-opened,  many  of  the 
deepest  mines  are  doing  handsomely,  and  there  is  every 
reason.  It  seems  to  us.  why  the  world  at  large  should  be 
informed  concerning  the  excellent  work  in  progress. 


Copper,  Zinc,  and  Lead 

In  1913.  before  the  War  created  abnormal  conditions, 
the  world's  production  of  copper,  zinc,  and  lead  was 
respectively  1.002,284  metric  tons,  999,890  metric  tons, 
and  1,142,264  metric  tons.  In  round  numbers  the  pro- 
duction of  each  of  the  three  metals  was  a  million  tons. 
In  1900,  the  total  output  of  copper,  zinc,  anil  lead  was 
respectively  491.435  metric  tons,  479.128  metric  tons. 
and  849.168  metric  tons.  Thus,  16  years  ago  the  pro- 
duction of  copper  and  zinc  was  half  what  it  is  now,  while 
that  of  lead  was  only  a  quarter  less.  From  1900  to  1913, 
the  average  price  of  copper  varied  between  12  and  20 
cents  per  pound,  that  of  zinc  between  5  and  7,  and  that 
of  lead  between  4  and  6  cents.  Obviously,  if  the  condi- 
tions of  mining  and  smelting  these  three  metals  were 
such  that  they  could  he  produced  at  the  same  cost,  and 
the  amount  of  each  metal  required  by  the  world  remained 
as  shown  above,  then  the  price  of  each  would  be  the  same, 
disregarding  the  possible  effect  of  monopolies  and  sell- 
ing agreements.  However,  if  the  price  of  these  base 
metals  became  equal,  the  demand  would  cease  to  be  equal, 
because  copper  would  be  preferred  for  purposes  for 
which  zinc  and  lead  are  at  present  used  and  for  which 
copper  is  now  too  expensive.  Copper  has  more  valuable 
properties  than  either  zinc  or  lead,  being  tougher,  more 
ductile,  a  better  conductor  of  electricity,  and  more  at-  . 
tractive  in  appearance.  Again,  the  higher  value  of  the 
metal  enables  the  miner  to  exploit  deposits  of  copper  that 
are  much  lower  in  grade  than  the  equivalent  deposits  of 
zinc  or  lead.  The  copper  of  Michigan  comes  from  ores 
that  average  1%  in  copper;  the  production  of  many  of 
the  other  great  copper  mines  of  the  world,  including  the 
disseminated  chalcocite  deposits  of  the  Western  States. 
the  Braden  and  Chuquieamata  in  Chile,  and  the  Rio 
Tinto  in  Spain,  is  derived  from  ores  of  ahout  2%  grade, 
varying  from  1.5  to  3%.  Ores  of  zinc  and  lead,  on  the 
other  hand,  are  plentiful  in  much  higher  ratios.  The 
Butte  &  Superior  mine  in  Montana,  which  is  now  con- 
tributing 12%  of  the  American  production  of  zinc,  is 
mining  ore  containing  16%  zinc.  The  mines  of  Broken 
Hill,  in  Australia,  yield  ore  containing  12r;  zinc  and  14'",' 
lead,  with  ahout  10  ounces  of  silver  per  ton.  The  Con- 
solidated Interstate-Callahan  mine  in  Idaho  has  ore  run- 
ning from  20  to  30%  zinc.  The  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan 
lead-silver  mines,  also  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene.  produced 
37,292  tons  of  lead  in  1915  from  ore  averaging  S';  lead. 
It  is  true  that  in  south-east  Missouri  the  companies  min- 
ing disseminated  ore  successfully  treat  material  of  '■','', 
lead,  hut  conditions  there  are  exceptionally  favorable  to 

a  low  cost  of  exploitation. 


.Iul>   29,   l''l-. 


MINING  .nd  S««.t.f.c  PRESS 


DISCUSSION 

Our  PMldffJ   arc  invil.J  In    tec  ftlli  tlr(»iir(ni,-ri(    (or  flic  .lo.  BMKJH  of    ltvtlNlt.lt  tlfltl  older   iii.jII.ti  p«T- 

lalninl  lo  mbtbif  and  nwfaUurfj       I  hi  Editor  wriooinM  (ha  ocpra "  of  ctaM  contrary  to  Mi  own,  (•«•• 

it.-,  ipic  thai  oortfal  criifctan  b  moravohuiMi  ihan  oofaal  oompHiMnt 


Conditions  in  Mexico 
Tli.-  Editor: 

Sir  It  is  ;i  pity  that  editorials  like  'The  Mexican 
Fizzle.'  mill  articles  like  'Conditions  in  Mexico,'  to  he 
found  in  Venn-  issue  of  July  l">.  could  u<>i  be  read  by  the 
President  ami  his  advisers.  I  should  like  to  add  to  what 
your  correspondent  lias  said. 

No  Mexican  dares  to  criticize,  publicly,  public  acts, 
lint  we  have  been  reared  to  believe  do  public  Bervaut  '-an 
i  nipt  from  criticism  unless  liis  public  life  is  ex- 
emplary. The  President,  the  General,  the  Governor,  in 
Mexico,  is  not  a  public  servant :  In-  is  an  over-lord.  What 
is  power  for,  if  oot  to  In-  used.1  For  the  public  weall 
\V<I1.  hardly,  unless  the  public  weal  coincides  with  per- 
sonal aims.  However,  my  remarks  air  in  no  way  meant 
as  derogatory  to  Mexico  or  its  people.  It  must  be  under- 
stood by  the  American   people  that   the   present   (lovern- 

menl  does  not  represent  Mexico  or  its  people;  ami.  also. 
that  most  of  the  Mexican  people  are  friendly  to  tin 
American  people,  and  then-  is  no  country  in  tin-  world 
where  a  decent  law-abiding  foreigner  is  shown  more  re- 
Bpect  ami  courtesy.     It  should  also  he  understood  hy  the 

Mexican  people  that  the  Mexican  people  themselves  are 
Mexico's  greatest  enemy  and  not  the  I'.  S. 'Government. 

Mexico  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  very  worst  elements 
iii  the  country,  with  a  very  tew  exceptions.  Senor  Car- 
ranza himself  is  an  educated  and  wealthy  man.  hut  he 
belongs  to  the  old  school,  and  whatever  he  may  believe 
to  the  contrary,  having  had  no  training  in  democracy, 
and  having  been  raised  in  the  old  vice-regal  atmosphere, 
his  idea  of  government  can  he  only  domination.  He  has 
even  changed  an  article  of  the  Mexican  Constitution 
(Art.  5.  if  I  am  not  mistaken  I  hy  decree,  and  that  too. 
at  a  time  when  he  was  nothing  hut  the  head  of  a  war- 
ring faction,  and  could  have  none  of  the  powers  with 
which  he  thought  himself  invested.  Before  this,  al- 
though fighting  for  Constitutional  rights,  he  tried  to  de- 
pose the  constitutionally  elected  governor  of  Sinaloa. 
who  had  given  him  material  aid  at  a  time  when  it  was 
vital  to  Carranza.  And  he  would  have  deposed  the  gov- 
ernor had  not  he  met  determined  opposition  from  Gen- 
eral Carrazco.  1  mention  this  only  to  show  what  the 
First  Chief  is.  He  is  surrounded  by  some  able  men,  hut 
most  of  the  officers  of  his  army  are  ignorant  and  dis- 
honest, many  being  unable  to  read  or  write,  and  only  a 
very  \\-w  having  more  than  a  sixth-grade  education.  I 
refer  to  this  merely  to  sustain  my  statement  that  the 
country  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  very  worst  elements 
in  Mexico,  and  to  show  the  futility  of  expecting  a  gov- 


ernment of  any  character  while  such   factors  are  in  eon 

troi.    They  'lo  not  represent  the  Mexican  people. 

During   tin-    last    two  years    the    Mexican    people    have 

been  robbed  ami  murdered  ami  every  vestige  of  rights 
ignored,  ami  tin-  foreigner  has  fared  the  sa The  best 

people  the  educated  and  the  wealthy  have  heen 
driven  out  of  the  country.  And  DOW  He-  American  gov 
eminent  has  toned  all  Americans  out  of  Mexico  instead 
of  demanding  that  our  rights  as  foreign  citizens  he  iv 
spected.  enforcing  the  demands  if  not  heeded.  The 
course  adopted  by  the  Administration  is  bringing  about, 
not  intervention,  hut  just  what  neither  country  desires. 
war.  The  hulk  of  the  middle  class  is  tired  and  sick  of 
the  present  muddle,  and  the  great  peon  class  is  apathetic. 
Hut  all  are  cowed,  and.  for  a  number  of  reasons  not. 
necessary  to  discuss,  how  the  head.  1  said  to  a  young 
fellow  who  was  criticizing  conditions:  •'There  surely  is 
one  way  to  alter  them."  "What!  I  bear  arms?"  he 
asked  excitedly  and  in  a  deprecatory  way.  ".Yes,  my 
friend,  cither  that  or  you  will  hear  the  burden." 

I  have  digressed  from  my  original  intention  of  adding 
a  little  light  to  the  monetary  situation  in  order  to  give 
some  light  on  the  inner  conditions  that  are  less  known. 
so  that  the  whole  may  he  better  understood.  Right  here 
let  me  repeat:  The  Mexican  people  have  no  enmity  for 
the  law-abiding  decent  foreigner.  Whatever  men's  mo- 
tives, they  can  only  be  judged  by  their  public  acts,  ami 
the  present  financial  muddle  in  Mexico  certainly  reflects 
no  credit  on  the  Government.  Your  correspondent 
would  lay  the  chief  blame  on  Senor  Cabrera.  But  such 
is  not  just,  for  the  decrees  are  signed  by  V.  Carranza. 
and  the  blame  must  he  laid  wholly  on  his  government. 
When  the  Hist  hat  money  was  issued,  it  was  forced  into 
circulation  at  par  with  the  peso,  and  a  peso  is,  legally, 
one  ounce  of  silver  1)02.7  fine.  Although  the  people  at 
large  were  not  enthusiastic  in  the  reception  given  the 
new  paper  money  (and  it  was  very  crude  at  first)  still, 
as  it  was  issued  under  penalty  of  fine  and  imprisonment 
and  was  really  the  lesser  of  two  evils — the  other  being 
forced  loans — it  went  into  general  circulation  at  par  and 
remained  so  for  some  time.  The  early  bills,  issued  in 
good  faith,  all  had  an  expressed  obligation  on  the  face 
of  them.  The  State  or  the  Army  Corps,  or  the  Constitu- 
tionalist Army  ■•will  pay  the  bearer  one  peso."  These 
were  counterfeited,  of  course,  but  it  is  publicly  believed 
by  the  Mexican  people  that  the  statement   hy  your  cor- 

res] hut  that  the  Government  issued  two  forms  of  the 

sane  bill  and  called  one  counterfeit  after  it  was  once  in 
circulation,  is  a  fact.    It  is  hardly  to  be  believed  that 


156 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


anyone  would  copy  a  bill  exactly  and  then  put  on  the 
signatures  one-half  or  double  the  size  of  the  original,  as 
in  the  ease  of  the  Monelova  issue.  I  commented  on  this 
with  a  member  of  Sefior  Darranza's  cabinet,  and  he.  of 
course,  refuted  the  charge.  "Hut,"  I  told  him.  "I  have 
seen  the  brand  new  bills  of  the  so-called  counterfeits  put 
directly  into  circulation  by  the  troops."  To  this  he  re- 
plied that  they  had  notice  that  some  of  the  Army  pay- 
blasters  had  bought  up  counterfeit  issues  (at  a  low  price, 
of  course.)  and  had  issued  them  to  the  troops,  keeping 
the  legitimate  issue,  lie  also  said  that  they  could  do 
nothing  toward  punishing  such  acts  at  that  time.  When 
these  bona-fide  issues  were  retired  later  by  decree,  with- 
out being  redeemed,  they  were  replaced  by  the  Vera 
Cruz  issues  of  the  Constitutionalist  government,  after- 
ward called  the  resellados.  Instead  of  bearing  a  prom- 
ise to  pay.  the  hgend  read:  "Will  pay  this  bill."  The 
aninuis  is  evident  at  that  date.     These  bills,  the  Govern- 

lit  said  again  and  again,  over  the  signature  of  Sefior 

(  arranza,  would  be  respected  and  would  never  be  re- 
pudiated. Four  correspondent  shows  how  they  were 
thrown  out  of  circulation,  being  replaced  by  a  new,  so- 
called  infalsificable  bill,  which  the  Mexican  public  be- 
lieves meant  (and  1  am  only  voicing  what  I  have  heard 
many  Mexicans  say)  that  the  Government  would  only 
make  one  issue  and  respect  it.  But  this  issue,  the  lies! 
made  and  a  handsome  bill,  bears  no  obligation  on  it  at 
all.  On  the  reverse  side  it  has  this  note:  "This  bill  will 
circulate  in  accord  with  the  decree  of  duly  21.  1915,"  a 
year  before  this  issue  was  put  into  circulation. 

This  would  have  been  acceptable  had  it  replaced  the 
old  issues  ;it  par  and  been  exchanged  for  the  five  hun- 
dred million  pesos  acknowledged  to  have  been  issued  by 
the  Government.  A  like  amount  of  the  new  bills  was 
printed.  Hut  the  various  decrees,  one  following  the 
other  rapidly,  forced  the  old  issues  out  of  circulation  by 
June  30,  and  any  one  holding  them  after  that  date  be- 
came liable  to  fine  and  imprisonment,  and  the  bills  would 
be  void.  The  decree  ordered  all  bills  to  be  turned  into 
the  Treasury  offices  with  a  triplicate  list,  having  on  them 
a  complete  description  of  each  bill,  a  job  much  easier 
ordered  than  complied  with.  But  the  new  infalsificable 
was  put  into  circulation  per  se,  to  be  exchanged  for  the 
old  at  1  :  4.  This  itself,  although  rated  at,  let  us  say. 
on.'  peso,  "as  valued  by  the  Government  at  20  centavos 
Mexican  gold  (10  cents  U.  S.  currency  i  for  redemption 
purposes.  This  20  cents  was  offered  for  four  pesos  of 
the  old  bills  that  had  been  issued  at  par,  and  par  value 
received  for  them  in  Mexico ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  old 
would  be  redeemed  at  5  centavos  on  the  peso,  and  with 
a  bill  that  had  less  behind  it  than  the  old — no  more 
surely.  A  neat  way  of  honestly  reducing  the  national 
obligation  95%  !  What  it  did  do  was  to  produce  con- 
sternation and  absolute  bankruptcy  and  alienate  95% 
of  the  sympathy  of  the  people  from  the  Government. 

To  the  above  we  can  now  add  that  a  decree  has  fixed 
the  death  penalty  for  all  natives  who  refuse  to  take  the 
infalsificable  bills  at  the  Government  rate.  10  cents  1".  S. 
gold  per  peso,  and  the  foreigner  refusing  them  will  have 


Art.  :j:j  of  the  Constitution  applied  to  him.  which  means, 
deportation  as  an  undesirable  alien. 

All  taxes,  however,  are  payable  in  Mexican  gold;  and, 
in  the  ease  of  milling,  have  been  doubled.  But,  as  one 
could  not  raise  one  thousand  dollars  of  Mexican  coin  in 
any  State!  under  penalty  of  death  for  failure,  as  prac- 
tically no  Mexican  gold  has  ever  been  in  circulation  at 
any  time,  it  simply  reduces  down  to  all  taxes  having  to 
be  paid  in  U.  S.  currency.  Hut  you  are  fined  if  you  dare 
offer  anything  for  sale  in  exchange  for  U.  S.  gold.  I  can 
cite  two  cases,  within  my  personal  knowledge,  of  per- 
sons that  were  fined. 

In  October  last,  I  believe,  a  bill  of  the  Ejercito  Con- 
stitucionaMsta,  called  the  aguila  negra,  was  decreed  out 
of  circulation  as  counterfeit,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  much  had  been  put  in  direct  circulation  by  the 
Army  itself.  Last  April  (1916)  this  same  bill  was 
decreed  into  circulation  again,  at  least  on  the  West 
Coast,  but  went  out  again  with  all  the  rest.  These  are 
facts,  not  dreams  nor  vagaries.  What  need  has  any 
Government  of  Mexico  for  such  tricks?  Say  500,000,- 
000  pesos  ($250,000,000  U.  S.  gold)  has  been  issued, 
and  even  if  half  has  been  squandered  or  stolen,  it  re- 
mains a  sacred  obligation  on  the  present  Administration, 
for  the  portion  used  honestly  put  that  administration  in 
power  and  should  be  honestly  accepted.  What  is  $250,- 
000,000  in  gold  as  a  debt  for  a  country  like  Mexico  if 
decently  governed?  In  two  years  of  peace  and  honest 
government,  not  a  sign  of  the  present  distress  would  be 
apparent,  and  only  the  debt  would  remain  ;  but,  if  hon- 
estly borne  by  all.  it  would  fall  lightly  on  all  and  be 
onerous  on  none.  The  people  at  large,  the  workers,  pay 
it  anyway.  It  will  certainly  not  be  paid  by  Sefior  Car- 
ranza  or  any  or  all  of  his  collaborators.  Then  why  try 
to  wipe  out  the  obligation  in  such  a  way  that  it  falls  so 
heavily  on  the  holders  of  the  hills  as  to  induce  absolute 
bankruptcy  and  loss  of  national  honor  and  consequent 
loss  of  credit?  It  certainly  needs  no  special  financial 
ability  to  readily  see  the  sure  way  out  of  the  difficulty. 
With  its  natural  resources,  the  little  State  of  Sinaloa 
alone,  100  miles  wide  by  400  miles  long,  can  support 
25,000,000  people,  and  alone  could  assume  all  of  the 
Mexican  national  debt  of  1,000,000,000  pesos,  or  $500,- 
000.000  gold.  Of  course,  if  the  Mexican  nation  at  large 
puts  up  with  such  dealings  by  the  clique  in  power 
(150.000  at  the  outside,  out  of  a  population  of  15,000,- 
000)  outsiders  have  nothing  to  say.  That  we  must  con- 
cede, even  if  the  Mexican  population  is  too  supine  to  sub- 
mit. But,  when  the  foreigner  goes  to  Mexico  under 
treaty  rights  and  is  shuffled  out  of  most  of  a  life-time's 
earnings  in  the  manner  described  (to  state  the  case 
mildly),  has  he  to  submit,  has  he  no  right  to  state  his 
case  and  demand  remuneration  for  honest  loss?  Has  his 
government  no  obligation  to  enforce  an  honest  settlement 
in  case  the  Mexican  government  should  ignore  his  rights, 
as  the  present  government  is  ignoring  the  rights  of  its 
own  citizens  ?   Mexicans  may  have  to  stand  for  it.   Do  we  * 

E.  A.  H.  Tays. 

Berkeley.  California,  July  20. 


JuU    29,   1916 


MINING  ...d  S,.r.,i,i,.    1'KI  SS 


Mining    in   Arizona 


»y   Chutes  F.  Willi* 


Till-:  mines  and  unelten  in*  have  been  work- 

ing )ii  so  bigfa  11  pressure  in  1916  thai  they  are 
making  t -.1  productions  nil  ronnd.    It  the]  eon> 

linui-  at  tin-  present  rate,  they  will  make  an  output  of 
000,000,000  ll>.  «(  copper,  against  432,467,690  in  1916, 
ai-.-iT.lini.'  to  reports  received  by  the  U,  S.  Geological 
Bnrvey  from  Victor  <'.  Heikea  of  the  Salt  Lake  office, 

A  corresponding  in.-r.-jis>'   in   tin-  output   of  tin-   preoioua 

metals,  an. I  a  gain  in  thai  of  I. -a. I  an. I  /in.-  at  tin-  greatly 
increased  prices,  will  make  tin-  total  vain.-  of  tin-  metallic 
output  in  1916  nearly  doable  thai  of  1915,  which  was 
about  $88,000,000.  Arizona  not  only  retains  first  place 
as  a  copper  producer,  but  is  yielding  at  a  rate  nearly 
twice  that  of  any  other  state.  Aside  from  tin-  mi 
usually  active  market,  several  factors  have  aided  this 
increase,  such  as  the  settlement  of  the  strik.-  at  the 
Clifton-Morenci  mines  in  January.  The  International 
smelter,  which  treats  on-  Erom  the  Inspiration  mine, 
contributes  the  greatest  part  of  the  increase,  for  this 
plant  is  supplying  one-quarter  of  the  State's  total  out- 
put of  copper.  Increases  and  improvements  were  also 
made  at  the  Unite. I  Verde,  .Miami.  Calumet  &  Arizona. 
and  Old  Dominion  mines;  and  the  Sasco  smelter  in  Pima 
county  was  again  blown-in.  The  railroad  to  Ajo  was 
completed  anil  work  begun  on  the  4000-ton  leaching 
plant. 

Tungsten  has  furnished  excitement,  but  the  total 
aggregate  production  is  small  compared  with  copper. 
Oatman  has  had  a  real  boom,  but  gold  plays  a  relatively 
small  part  in  the  total  value  of  the  State's  metals. 

It  is  proposed  in  the  revenue  bill  before  Congress  to 
place  a  tax  upon  copper  smelting,  singling  out  copper 
from  all  the  other  metals.  Yet  the  copper  stocks  of 
Arizona  have  not  been  characteristic  'war  babies.'  The 
Inspiration  mine,  which  is  increasing  the  copper  pro- 
duction of  the  State  over  25%,  is  in  no  way  a  product 
of  the  great  contest  across  the  Atlantic.  The  New 
Cornelia  at  Ajo,  which  will  add  32,000,000  lb.  of  copper 
to  the  annual  production,  likewise  was  planned  long  be- 
fore the  War. 

It  is  true,  of  course,  that  practically  all  of  the  larger 
mines  have  increased  their  production,  owing  to  the  high 
prices,  but  they  are  disturbed  in  their  plans  for  im- 
mediate expansion  by  a  notification  from  Eastern  re- 
fineries that  they  have  received  more  copper  bars  than 
they  are  able  to  handle  at  present.  In  consecpience,  the 
Copper  Queen  is  restricting  its  output  to  about  15,000,- 
000  lb.  per  month.  At  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  smelter 
the  same  condition  is  understood  to  apply,  the  refiners 
having  notified  the  management  of  the  congestion  now 
existing,  which  has  caused  them  to  stack  copper  bullion 
instead  of  immediately  refining  it.    The  output  there  was 


approximately  7,600,000  lb.  p,-r  month.  The  Kansas 
Citg  Structural  st.-.-i  Co,  is  erecting  derricks  at  tin-  C. 
A  A.  for  handling  the  st.-.-i  for  the  n.u  roaster  addition, 

the  acid-plant,  enlarge n1   of  the   power  I s.-.   and 

machine-shop.     The  Foundation  for  tin-  add-planl  was 

completed  several  weeks  ago,  and  i h  of  the  steel  has 

arrived, 

Since  the  end  of  the  miners'  sink.-,  the  Shannon  Cop- 
per Co.  has  shown  a  steady  increase  in  production,    In 


.    -  ■ 


-*    ff  • 


WILSON  AND  METCALF  INCLINES  OF  ABIZONA  COl'PEB  CO.  AT  METCALF 

May  the  output  was  1,074,000  lb.  of  copper,  an  increase 
of  nearly  100,000  lb.  over  April.  The  cost  of  produc- 
tion at  the  Shannon  is  higher  than  that  of  any  other 
Arizonan  company.  Apparently  it  costs  about  18  cents 
to  turn  out  a  pound  of  copper,  but  the  average  May  sell- 
ing price  was  28.625c,  and  the  total  earnings  for  the 
month  were  a  trifle  under  $100,000.  During  the  first 
five  months  of  1916  the  Shannon  earned  $320,000  net. 
This  amounts  to  about  $1  for  each  share  of  outstanding 
stock,  and   advices  from   the   East   are  that  the  stock- 


158 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29.  1916 


holders  are  expecting  a  dividend  soon.  There  is  no 
necessity  for  accumulating  a  greater  surplus,  for  the 
company  had  a  working  capital  of  more  than  $750,000 
on  June  1.  Of  this  sum.  however.  $190,000  is  set  aside 
for  the  retirement  of  the  Shannon-Arizona  railway 
bonds. 

The  production  at  the  Old  Dominion  smelter  for  the 
month  of  June  was  slightly  in  excess  of  3.000,000  lb. 
In  addition  to  the  copper  produced  at  the  Old  Dominion 
smelter,  there  was  over  750.000  lb.  produced  from  Old 
Dominion  and  United  Globe  concentrates  at  the  Inter- 
national smelter.  The  Old  Dominion  smelter  is  at  pres- 
ent taking  a  considerable  tonnage  of  custom  ores  from 
the  outlying  portions  of  the  district,  as  well  as  from  the 
United  Verde  Extension  mine  at  Jerome.  Shipments 
are  also  being  made  from  several  of  the  old  dumps  on  the 
company's  property  that  show  a  profit  at  present  copper 
prices  by  sorting  thoroughly.  Four  furnaces  are  being 
operated.  At  the  smelter  power-house  the  converter- 
engine  is  being  installed  on  its  new  foundation  and 
should  be  running  by  the  middle  of  July.  Foundations 
are  in  place  at  the  boiler-plant  for  two  additional  Stir- 
ling boilers.  At  the  concentrator  800  tons  is  being 
treated  daily,  while  the  flotation-plant  is  treating  about 
300  tons  of  ore  per  day. 

Several  minor  improvements  are  being  made  in  the 
mill,  including  the  installation  of  Senn  vanners  and  cone- 
classifiers.  A  Marathon  mill  is  also  being  erected  to 
experiment  with  fine  grinding.  Two  additional  con- 
crete concentrate-tanks  are  being  built  outside  of  the 
concentrator,  and  a  slime-pond  for  settling  slime  is 
being  constructed  on  the  old  Hamm  lands. 

In  the  mine  department  of  the  Old  Dominion,  1200 
tons  is  being  hoisted  daily.  Most  of  this  comes  from  the 
12th.  14th.  and  16th  levels.  A  little  stoping  is  being 
done  in  the  upper  levels  for  cleaning-up  what  remains  of 
old  orebodies.  Development  on  the  10th  level  is  being 
advanced  near  the  Grey  shaft  to  open  the  Old  Dominion 
vein  at  that  point.  A  drift  on  the  14th  level  is  being 
pushed  east  of  the  Grey  shaft  to  prospect  the  vein  be- 
tween the  Grey  and  the  Arizona  Commercial-Copper 
Hill  shaft.  On  the  18th  level  at  A  shaft,  work  has  been 
resumed  in  the  foot-wall  drift,  and  it  is  expected  that 
this  drift  will  be  connected  and  ready  for  operating 
within  the  next  few  months.  The  station  on  the  18th 
level  at  the  A  shaft  is  also  practically  finished.  Devel- 
opment is  proceeding  west  on  the  17th  and  18th  levels 
from  the  west  winze,  where  the  conditions  look  favor- 
able. Steps  are  being  taken  to  concrete  the  pump-winze, 
which  was  recently  holed  from  the  18th  level  to  surface. 
Later  the  electric  cables  and  steam  and  water  lines  will 
be  moved  from  A  shaft  and  installed  in  this  pump-winze. 

The  Inspiration  mine  is  producing  about  10,500.008  lb. 
of  copper  per  month,  substantially  in  excess  of  the  orig- 
inal estimate  of  120.000.000  lb."  per  year.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  company  will  earn  during  the  current  year  suf- 
ficient to  pay  for  all  its  mining  claims,  a  total  of  $18,- 
000,000.  Work  on  the  erection  of  the  additional  con- 
centrator sections  will  soon  be  under  way.  and  they 
should  be  at  work  in  the  early  part  of  winter.    The  mine 


appears  to  be  in  excellent  shape  for  the  delivery  of  the 
added  tonnage.  Recently  a  record  hoisting  performance 
was  established,  when  the  mine  produced  19,700  tons  in 
24  hours.  This  amount  of  ore  is  more  than  the  20  mill- 
sections  would  ordinarily  handle,  but  at  the  rate  of  pres- 
ent increase  it  is  conceivable  that  the  mine  might  have 
to  maintain  a  daily  production  of  19,000  tons. 

Considerable  attention  is  being  given  to  the  question 
of  water  reclamation  for  the  mill-supply  of  the  Inspira- 
tion, the  arrangement  of  the  tailing-dams  being  con- 
venient for  the  purpose.  It  requires  a  good  deal  less 
power  to  pump  water  from  the  tailing-dams  to  the  head 
of  the  mill  than  is  required  in  pumping  water  from  the 
wells  in  the  flat  below  the  smelter.  Consequently  the 
company  makes  every  effort  to  return  all  available  water 
instead  of  letting  it  run  to  waste.  In  order  to  clarify  the 
water  that  is  being  returned  from  the  lower  dams,  prepa- 
rations are  being  made  with  the  view  to  excavating  a 
large  canal-like  opening  in  the  surface  of  the  material 
stored  behind  the  Ellison  canyon  dam.  which  has  now 
reached  the  limit  of  its  tailing  capacity.  This  canal, 
which  will  probably  be  made  by  means  of  a  suction- 
dredge,  will  be  used  as  an  immense  settling-tank  that 
will  allow  the  water  to  overflow  in  almost  clear  condition. 

The  New  Cornelia  is  pushing  construction  work  rapid- 
ly and  Ajo  is  developing  into  a  real  city.  Two  distinct 
types  of  dwellings  are  noticeable,  temporary  tent-houses, 
and  those  being  constructed  of  stone,  brick,  and  cement, 
for  permanence.  Streets  are  being  graded,  houses,  stores 
and  offices  erected,  and  parks  decorated ;  the  grass  is 
growing,  and  the  temporary  nature  of  the  town  is  gradu- 
ally disappearing. 

The  United  Verde  Copper  Co.  has  in  progress  the 
sinking  of  an  interior  three-compartment  shaft  from  the 
1000-ft.  level,  where  the  main  adit,  with  standard-gauge 
tracks,  connects  with  the  underground  workings,  and 
through  which  the  ore  is  hauled  to  the  smelter  at  Clark- 
dale.  The  planned  collar  of  the  new  shaft  is  close  to 
the  adit,  and  it  is  to  sink  to  2200  ft.  The  equipment 
ordered  includes  an  Allis-Chalmers  hoist,  with  'Westing- 
house  electrical  equipment.  It  is  a  geared  double-drum 
hoist,  driven  by  an  electric-motor  set,  adapted  to  receive 
alternating  current,  and  to  furnish  direct  current  to  the 
hoist-motor  and  controlling  apparatus.  The  hoist  will 
have  a  speed  of  1900  ft.  per  minute,  and  will  operate  to 
a  depth  of  300O  ft.  The  sheaves  will  be  placed  at  the 
800-ft.  level,  and  the  ore  will  be  dumped  by  automatic 
dumping-cradles  between  the  800  and  900-ft.  levels,  then 
conveyed  through  chutes  to  storage-bins  on  the  1000-ft. 
level,  a  1500-ton  storage-bin  on  each  side  of  the  adit 
being  equipped  with  loading  devices.  These  plans  were 
developed  under  the  direction  of  "Will  L.  Clark,  general 
manager,  and  R.  E.  Tally,  superintendent. 

Plans  to  use  steam-shovels  in  stripping  the  surface 
orebodies  at  the  United  Verde  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old 
smelter  site  are  under  consideration.  These  plans  in- 
volve the  removal  of  80  to  100  ft.  of  overburden,  making 
it  practicable  to  mine  the  ores  from  the  surface  down, 
instead  of  by  underground  operations  adjacent  to  the 
fire  area. 


Jul)   89    1916 


MINING  tnd  Scientific   PRESS 


eapacitj  of  ill.'  Miami  mill  will  l»-  increased  to 
(ktiiiic  it  monthly  jicld  of  5,000,000  lb  ol  oopper  Thai 
baerease,  h  ■  nol  i  cpeeted  to  become  effi 

until  curly  in  1911  It  will  involve  n.»  equipment  an«l 
pow.r  plant.  work  OB  wln.lt  has  already  1  •••••  i >  Started. 
TIut.  lias  Ih,h  put  int..  operation  a  Iini  Ion  ,-\p.  n 
menUl  mill  f.>r  Miami's  low  grade  on  from  which  an 
extraction  of  al»ml  SO' ,  liiut  Ih.-ii  made.  Willi  mi  .Hit- 
put  of  4,600,000  ll>.  in  May.  the  Miami  ottabliahed  a 
now  high  record    Th >st  approximated  B  7.-   per  lb., 


A*  fbrh 


Brings 

Hot  Springs. 


MAP    SHOWING    JKROMF.    AND    CI.ARKDALE. 

against  a  January  cost  of  over  9c.  Miami's  normal 
monthly  production  may  now  be  regarded  as  approxi- 
mately 4,500,000  lb.  copper.  Estimating  the  June  yield 
at  this  figure,  the  output  for  the  first  half  of  1916  is  about 
25,300,000  lb.,  produced  at  an  average  cost  of  slightly 
less  than  9c.  per  lb.  On  the  basis  of  4,500,000  lb.  per 
month,  the  yield  for  the  concluding  half-year  should 
approximate  27,000.000  lb.,  or  close  to  53,000,000  lb.  for 
the  year. 

Calumet  &  Arizona  engineers,  some  of  them  the  same 
that  sampled  the  New  Cornelia,  are  sampling  the  A.jo 
Consolidated  property,  which  adjoins  the  New  Cornelia 


on  tlir  rust  an. I  north.      It   is  not  kimuu   uli.nu  th.-  >  ngi 

repreaanl  in  tins  partieular  instant r  what  the 

examination  signifies  The  -\j"  Consolidated  is  one  of 
the  oldest  properties  in  the  South  area)      Aooording  to 

reports,  more  than   15,000,000  tons  of  "re  is  blocked  "Ut. 

The  "i".-  is  sai. I  to  average  about  l",,  as  oompared  nrith 
I  i  at  the  New  Cornelia,  and  besides  this,  there  are 
some  patches  of  ri.-h  ore. 

The  Big  Jim  at  Oatman  has  started  something  new,  a 
visitor's  day,  set-aside  by  the  management  to  permit 
people  t..  see  thugs  for  themselves;  they  are  allowed  t" 
■ample  th'1  mine  anywhere  they  wish.  an. I  form  their 

own   .■oneliisions.      Mining   men    in    the   camp    an    made 

welcome,  and  the  invitation  also  includes  brokers,  pro- 
moters, assayon,  newspaper  representatives,  and  the 
public  in  general.    Many  have  taken  advantage  of  the 

invitation.  . 

It  was  with  an  entirely  new  staff  that  the  Tom  Reed 
mine,  also  at  Oatman,  started  operations  for  June,  when 
the  new  administration  took  the  place  of  the  officials 
whose  retirement  was  announced  recently.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  officers:  pres.,  \V.  P.  Moerdyke;  vice-pres., 
Chas.  Mushrush;  superintendent.  B.  M.  Rabb :  consult- 
ing geologist,  Ellis  Mallery;  resident  agent,  J.  ('.  Me- 
Cabe;  master  mechanic,  J.  W.  Hayes;  mine-foreman, 
A.  C.  Hoffman;  engineer,  Victor  A.  Light.  Mr.Moerdyke 
announces  a  program  of  economy  and  efficiency  in  all 
departments.  A  complete  examination  will  be  made  of 
the  reserves  and  physical  condition  of  the  mine.  Mr. 
Moerdyke  states  that  the  career  of  the  Tom  Reed  is  all 
before  it.  past  performances  being  slight  in  comparison 
to  the  future.  Yet  from  an  extraction  of  slightly  more 
than  $6,000,000  from  the  Ben  Harrison  claims,  divi- 
dends aggregating  $3,000,000  have  gone  to  the  sharehold- 
ers. In  the  past,  information  has  not  been  obtainable 
from  the  company  officials,  but  it  is  admitted  that  the 
Black  Eagle  shaft,  beyond  the  Telluride  and  Combina- 
tion, has  600  ft.  in  ore  on  the  565-ft.  level.  This  is 
claimed  to  be  merely  the  apex  of  the  ore-shoot,  and  it 
is  hoped  that  it  may  prove  as  great  a  deposit  as  the 
United  Eastern,  though  not  as  yet  developed  to  the  same 
extent.  It  excels  the  Ben  Harrison  itself  and  is  now 
known  to  be  the  biggest  orebody  in  the  mine.  The  aver- 
age for  the  entire  known  portion  is  said  to  be  $20  per 
ton. 


The  tin  produced  annually  by  the  world  can  be  taken 
in  round  numbers  at  100,000  tons  worth  $1000  per  ton, 
or  a  total  of  $100,000,000.  Though  it  is  not  generally 
appreciated,  this  is  worth  as  much  as  the  world's  normal 
output  of  zinc  and  lead,  each  of  which  at  1,000,000  tons 
per  annum,  worth  approximately  $100  per  ton,  is  also 
valued  at  $100,000,000. 


Lead  produced  by  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  Co.  dur- 
ing 1915  was  74.584,741  lb.,  which  is  approximately  equal 
to  the  output  in  copper  of  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  Co.  The 
lead  was  sold  for  4.7c.  per  lb.,  while  the  copper  brought 
18.11c,  or  nearly  four  times  as  much. 


160 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29.  1916 


An  Extra-Lateral  Problem 


By  Robert  M.  Scmrla 

A  recent  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Montana 
throws  light  on  a  new  complication  in  the  law  of  extra- 
lateral  rights  as  applied  to  veins  joining  on  the  dip. 
The  questions  decided  are  an  extension  of  those  prin- 
ciples outlined  in  the  Ajax-Hilkey  case  (31  Colorado, 
131,  72  Pacific  447)  and  the  Del  Monte-Last  Chance  case 
(171  United  States,  55),  hut  disagree  in  part  with  the 
ruling  in  the  Stemwinder  cases.  They  will  be  best  under- 
stood by  reference  to  the  following  diagrams,  which  are 
copied  from  the  decision  as  reported  in  156  Pacific,  409. 


F/6   / 


The  plaintiff  in  this  case  owned  the  Badger  State  and 
Emily  claims,  the  defendant  owned  the  Pilot  claim.  The 
two  lodes  shown  on  the  diagram  apexed  in  both  the 
Badger  and  Emily  claims  but  united  on  the  dip  at  the 
point  E  and  thereafter  continued  as  one  lode  under- 
neath the  Pilot  claim.  The  order  of  seniority  of  loca- 
tion was  (1)  Badger,  (2)  Emily  and  (3)  Pilot.  The 
southerly  of  the  two  veins  shown  was  the  discovery  vein 
for  both  the  Badger  and  Emily  claims.  Suit  was  brought 
by  the  owner  of  the  Badger  and  Emily  claims  to  enjoin 
extraction  by  the  Pilot  owner  of  ore  lying  beneath  the 
Pilot  claim  and  within  the  limits  of  the  extra-lateral 
plane  of  the  Badger-Emily  lodes.  The  question  raised  on 
appeal  was  as  to  the  boundaries  of  the  plane  to  which  the 
plaintiff  might  lawfully  claim  title  and  hence  obtain 
an  injunction. 

-    The  trial  court  awarded  an  injunction  prohibiting  the 
Pilot  owners  from  mining  upon  the  portion  of  the  vein 


beneath  the  Pilot  claim  bounded  by  planes  drawn 
through  the  Emily  west  end-line  and  the  Badger  States 
east  end-line  projected  north  indefinitely.  From  this 
decision  the  defendant  appealed,  claiming  that  the  plain- 
tiffs had  no  right  to  that  portion  of  the  plane  lying  within 
the  Pilot* boundaries  and  bounded  by  the  lines  BF  and 
BC  (Fig.  1).  In  this  contention  they  were  sustained  by 
the  appellate  tribunal  on  the  original  appeal,  but  on  re- 
hearing the  injunction  was  modified  so  as  to  exclude  as 
not  belonging  to  the  plaintiff  only  that  portion  of  the 
plane  lying  below  the  junction  E  and  bounded  by  the 
lines  ET  and  EC  (Fig.  2). 

The  line  of  reasoning  adopted  by  the  Supreme  Court 
in  its  final  decision  on  re-hearing  was,  briefly  stated,  as 
follows:  (1)  If  two  veins  unite  on  the  dip,  the  owner  of 
the  senior  vein  takes  that  portion  of  the  lode  below  the 
union  (Revised  Statutes  See.  2336)  ;  (2)  therefore  his 
ownership  below  that  point  should  be  governed  by  the 
boundary  planes  of  the  senior  vein  in  the  absence  of  any 
other  consideration;  (3)  if  the  reasoning  stopped  here, 
the  south  or  Badger  vein,  being  the  discovery  vein  for 
both  claims  would  be  bounded  extra-laterally  by  planes 
passed  through  BC  and  the  Badger  State  east  end-line  as 
to  the  Badger  claim,  and  by  BF  and  DE  as  to  the  Emily 
claim,  leaving  the  shaded  portion  in  Fig.  1  not  subject  to 
ownership  by  the  plaintiffs;  (4)  but  the  north  or  Emily 
vein  is  a  secondary  vein,  apexing  within  the  Emily 
claim,  and  the  owners  of  the  Emily  are  entitled  to  an 
extra-lateral  right  thereon  measured  by  the  length  of 
free  apex  of  such  vein  lying  between  the  end-lines  of  the 
Emily  claim  (Ajax  Mining  Co.  v.  Hilkey,  31  Colorado, 
131,  72  Pacific,  447),  that  is,  it  is  bounded  by  planes 
passed  through  ED  and  AC;  (5)  this  right  however 
will  be  limited  below  E,  the  junction  of  the  Emily  and 
Badger  veins,  which  is  inside  the  Emily  vertical  bound- 
aries, by  the  boundaries  of  the  senior  Badger  right 
wherever  it  conflicts;  (6)  but  as  demonstrated  in  pro- 
position (3)  the  Badger  right  of  itself  does  not  include 
the  shaded  portion  of  Fig.  1;  (7)  It  follows  that  the 
secondary  Emily  vein  has  an  extra-lateral  right  BFJL 
(Fig.  2),  which  is  independent  of  the  Badger  right  and 
is  found  by  subtracting  the  Badger  right  from  what 
would  be  the  Emily  extra-lateral  if  the  Badger  did  not 
exist,  ('Lindley  on  Mines,'  Sec.  594,  p.  1394) ;  (8)  there- 
fore the  plaintiffs,  who  are  entitled  to  an  extra-lateral 
right  on  both  the  Badger  and  Emily  veins,  should  be 
awarded  an  injunction  against  the  Pilot  owners  pre- 
venting the  latter  from  working  any  part  of  the  extra- 
lateral  segment  except  the  portion  comprised  within  the 
shaded  portion  of  Fig.  2. 

It  should  be  noted  that  in  fixing  the  eastern  boundary 
of  the  extra-lateral  right  to  the  north  or  secondary  vein 
at  AC  instead  of  BF  the  Court  departed  from  the  rule 
of  the  Stemwinder  cases  but  is  in  accord  with  the  doc- 
trine of  the  courts  as  laid  down  in  State  ex.  rel.  Ana- 
conda C.  M.  Co.  v.  District  Court  (25  Montana.  504, 
65  Pacific  1020)  and  in  the  Del  Monte  case  (171  U.  S. 
55  .  In  other  words,  within  the  boundaries  of  the  end- 
line  planes  of  the  claim,  the  secondary  vein  is  given  an 
extra-lateral  right  based  upon  its  length  of  free  apex 


I'll,, 


MINING  *nd  ScKnlihc  I'Kl  SS 


1..I 


.  not  limited  by  tin-  boundary  planea  of  the  d 
try  miii 

Tli.'  accident  of  anion  of  tin-  two  veins  i» ««m.-  im- 
I'.irian'  <ml\  because  the  right  t<>  the  united  rein  below 
the  i>"uit  of  anion  was  th.-  nbjeet  of  inqniry,  The 
mirili  rein,  having  no  extra-lateral  aa  against  the  senior 
south  rein  wherever  there  " <>ul,l  be  a  eonflid  in  extra- 
lateral  rights  below  ilmt  point  of  anion,  ao  right  us 
against  third  partite  eonld  be  asam Irul  by  the  north  rein 
owner  at  mob  confliot  unless  the  aenior  right  eonld  pre- 
vnil.  rvi'h  though  ownerahip  of  the  junior  apex  would 
have  established  the  right  if  the  eonfliet  had  uot  existed. 
A  right  eannol  be  predicated  upon  a  trespass. 


Tii.   oast    is  ..  ourioua  one,  in  that,  ti Ihi    stand 

point  of  the  Bmilj  owners  ana  leas  apex  they  had  on 
their  discoverj  \.in.  the  better  it  waa  for  them.  If  the 
reina  bad  croaaed  1  >•  •  1 1  >  end  linea  they  would  bare  loat 
their  right  altogether  because  the  end  linea  were  not 

parallel  and  diverged  in  the  .1" tiqn  of  dip.    Ead  the 

discover}  vein  been  more  nearly  coincident  with  the 
south  side-line  and  hence  shorter,  the  excluded  triangle 
JKC,  would  in, \ .  been  stdl  smaller  and  they  oould  have 

claimed  a  larger  s.-l' at   under  their  see lary  vein 

extra  lateral.    It  is  an  example  of  1 1 1 implications  into 

which  the  law  governing  extra  lateral  righta  sometimea 
leads. 


Lead   Salts,    Alkalinity,    and    Solvent    Power   of 

Cyanide   for   Gold 


By  H.  R.  Bdmands 


•In  the  course  of  experimental  work  on  leaching 
roasted  gold  ore,  Bpecial  attention  was  given  («)  to  solu- 
tions foul  with  salable  sulphides,  ami  (/,')  to  solutions  in 
which  til.1  sulphur  was  mainly  Converted  into  thio- 
.•vanal.s   and    thio-sulphat.'s.    ami    none    was   present    as 

sulphide. 

Thr  appearance  of  soluble  sulphides  in  working  cya- 
nide solutions  is  of  unusual  occurrence,  an.l  was.  for- 
tunately, only  a  temporary  incident,  soon  obviated  by 
providing  Facilities  for  quicker  draining  and  thus  in- 
creasing the  leaching  rate  of  vats,  hut  the  thio-cyanates 
and  tliio-sulphatrs  were  always  present  in  quantity  vary- 
ing with  tin-  sweetness  of  the  roast.  As  the  treatment 
of  roasted  ore  by  leaching  is  somewhat  unusual,  it  may 
in-  as  well  to  state  that  satisfactory  extractions  are  being 
obtained,  the  main  desiderata  being  rapid  leaching,  and 
either  double  treatment,  or  turning  over  the  ore  in  the 
vats,  that  is,  digging  down  into  the  sand  as  far  as  pos- 
sible to  allow  of  its  .  xposure  to  the  air. 

Soluble  Sulphides.  The  general  impression  seems  to 
be  that  if  these  ever  occur,  they  are  extremely  unstable, 
ami  disappear  on  decanting  from  one  vessel  to  another, 
if  they  are  not  already  precipitated  by  the  zinc  always 
present  in  working  cyanide  solutions.  A  series  of  tests 
showed  that  their  proneness  to  oxidation  has  been  greatly 
exaggerated,  that  the  presence  or  absence  of  protective 
alkalinity  has  little  effect  on  their  oxidation,  but  that 
soluble  carbonates  have  a  tendency  to  hasten  oxidation. 
A  much  more  effective  oxidation  of  soluble  sulphides 
takes  place  in  the  leaching  vats;  these  after  thorough 
draining  have  a  strong  oxidizing  tendency  on  solution 
subsequently  passed  through — partly  due  to  the  air  pres- 
ent in  the  drained  vats,  but  probably  largely  assisted  by 
the  presence  of  ferric  oxide  in  the  ore.  (The  use  of 
ferric  oxide  in  freeing  town  gas  from  H2S  is  well 
known).     Treatment  with  lead  acetate  was,  of  course, 

•Abstract  from  Monthly  Journal  of  Chamber  o£  Mines.  Kal- 
goorlie.  Western  Australia. 


quite  effective  in  precipitating  all  soluble  sulphides,  but. 
it  remained  to  be  seen  what  effect  such  treatment  would 
have  on  the  solvent  power  of  the  solution  for  gold. 

Effect  of  Lead  Salts  in  Cyanide  Treatment.  This 
has  been  investigated  by  Clennell,1  Clevenger,-  Holt,' 
and  others,  but  more  particularly  in  reference  to  the 
treatment  of  silver  ores.  The  general  conclusion  ap- 
pears to  be  that  its  use  in  silver-ore  treatment  is  de- 
cidedly beneficial,  and  also  to  a  lesser  extent  in  gold  ore, 
but  that  it  is  necessary  to  add  the  correct  quantity  as 
an  excess  may  be  injurious ;  no  specific  rule,  however,  is 
given  for  determining  the  correct  amount,  nor  is  any 
reason  advanced  as  to  why  an  excess  may  prove  in- 
jurious. 

Experiments  made  on  the  roasted  ore  discussed  in 
this  article  showed  that  the  addition  of  CaO  improved 
extraction — adding  lead  acetate  in  addition  to  CaO  gave 
a  further  improvement — but  the  best  extractions  were 
obtained  by  adding  acetate  and  omitting  lime,  at  a  cost, 
however,  of  greater  cyanide  consumption.  It  should  be 
noted  that  in  these  tests  no  soluble  sulphides  were  de- 
tected either  before  or  after  treatment. 

Somewhat  different  results  were  obtained  by  two  tests 
in  which  roasted  ore  was  agitated  with  solution  foul  with 
soluble  sulphides.  It  would  appear  that  under  the  con- 
ditions, in  a  solution  containing  little  or  no  protective 
alkali,  the  use  of  acetate  in  just  sufficient  quantity  to 
precipitate  soluble  sulphides,  is  beneficial,  but  may  be 
injurious  in  the  presence  of  much  CaO,  especially  if  the 
acetate  be  in  excess.  The  effect  of  adding  acetate  to 
solutions  containing  soluble  sulphides  is,  that  if  the  pre- 
cipitated sulphide  be  removed  by  filtration,  a  consider- 
able increase  in  solvent  activity  ensues,  but  that  the  pres- 
ence of  PbS  renders  solutions  carrying  any  protective 
alkalinity   almost   incapable   of   dissolving   gold,    which 

'Enri.  .1  Mill,  .lour.,  Sep.  28,  1912. 
=M.  &  S.  P.,  Oct.  14,  1914. 
m.  &  S.  P..  Apr.  17.  1909. 


162 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


power  is  only  imperfectly  restored  by  neutralizing  the 
protective  alkalinity. 

The  reaction  assumed  to  take  place  between  PbS  and 
KCN  is  a  reducing  one 

PbS  +  KCN  +  0  =  KCNS  +  PbO. 

To  ascertain  how  far  the  above  reaction  proceeded,  a 
weighed  quantity  of  freshly  precipitated  PbS  was  added 
to  a  freshly  prepared  solution  of  NaCN  of  definite 
strength,  and  agitated  for  16  hours  with  excess  of  air 
and  with  high  and  low  protective  alkalinity  (CaO).  It 
was  found  that  with  low  P.A.  all  the  PbS  was  appar- 
ently oxidized,  but  that  much  remained  unoxidized  with 
high  P.A.  Strong  traces  of  NaCNS  were  formed  with 
low,  and  less  with  high  P.A.^  but  in  neither  case  had  any 
large  proportion  of  the  sulphur  contained  in  the  PbS, 
combined  with  NaCN  to  form  NaCNS.  With  high  lime 
content  much  remained  unaltered,  and  with  low  lime 
the  dissolved  air  had  probably  largely  oxidized  the  sul- 
phide to  sulphate.  In  neither  case  was  the  formation  of 
NaCNS  commensurate  with  the  weight  of  PbS  added; 
this  was  shown  by  titrating  the  solution  for  NaCN  and 
observing  the   loss  due   to   formation   of   thio-cyanates. 

The  general  results  of  several  tests  on  the  effect  of 
adding  lead  acetate  to  solutions  containing  soluble  salts, 
PbS  removed  by  filtration  or  left  in,  and  P.A.  present  or 
neutralized,  are  materially  different  from  those  obtained 
by  t nnting  roasted  ore  with  cyanide  solutions  contain- 
ing CaO,  lead  acetate,  etc. 

Another  lol  shows  the  effect  of  addition  of  acetate  to 
solutions  prepared  from  NaCN  and  pure  CaO,  ami  to 
mill  solutions  free  from  soluble  sulphides,  but  contain- 
ing other  sulphur  compounds,  as  thio-Cyanates,  thio- 
sulphates,  etc.,  ferro-cyanides  being  present  in  traces 
only.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  addition  of  so  small  a 
quantity  of  lead  acetate  as  0.0025%  should  have  so  great 
an  adverse  influence  on  solvent  activity,  such  influence 
being  shared  by  PbS  and  PbO.  That  alkali  increases 
the  effect  of  such  compounds  is  doubtless  because  it  in- 
creases their  solubility,  but  it  is  certainly  remarkable 
that  similar  results  should  not  occur  when  treating  ores 
containing  notable  amounts  of  galena,  cerussite,  etc. 
Galena,  for  instance,  is  a  frequent  constituent  of  ores  in 
the  Menzies  district,  its  presence  usually  indicating  high 
gold-content ;  or  lead  compounds  are  also  present  in 
many  of  the  oxidized  ores  there,  but  they  give  no  special 
trouble  in  cyanidation. 

Further  experiments  on  the  effect  of  varying  alka- 
linity, both  on  mill  solutions,  containing — as  before — 
thio-cyanates  etc.,  and  on  pure  solutions,  showed  that 
neutralization  of  protective  alkalinity  in  some  cases  in- 
creases solvent  activity  and  addition  of  CaO  depresses 
it;  and  if  the  total  alkalinity  of  mill  solutions  is  neu- 
tralized, using  phenol-phthalein  as  an  indicator,  there  is 
a  large  increase  in  their  solvent  activity. 


fluence  you  to  act  contrary  to  your  own  interests.  To 
both  employer  and  employee,  I  would  emphasize  the  fact 
that  each  must  rely  upon  the  other  for  success;  neither 
is  independent  of  the  other ;  they  succeed  or  fail  together. 


Definition  of  the  Term  Potash 


Judge  Gaby's  advice.  To  employers  of  labor  I  would 
say:  Treat  your  men  right;  treat  them  justly  and  liber- 
ally. To  employees  I  would  say:  Loyal,  efficient  service 
is  sure  to  be  rewarded.     Do  not  permit  outsiders  to  in- 


*To  meet  the  numerous  inquiries  that  have  been  ad- 
dressed to  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  regarding  the 
exact  meaning  of  the  terms  'potash,'  'actual  potash,'  and 
'potassium,'  the  following  explanation  is  given: 

The  element  potassium,  represented  by  the  symbol  K, 
is  the  basis  of  all  potash  salts  or  compounds.  This  sub- 
stance is  a  metal ;  that  is,  it  possesses  metallic  properties. 
To  prevent  rapid  change  it  must  be  kept  from  air  and 
water,  with  both  of  which  it  combines  with  great  avidity. 
Combined  with  oxygen  it  forms  potassium  oxide,  repre- 
sented by  the  symbol  K,0,  known  as  potassa,  but  popu- 
larly as  potash.  In  estimating  the  quantity  of  potassium 
in  the  different  products  of  the  Stassfurt  (Germany) 
deposits,  this  compound,  K„0,  is  employed  as  a  standard, 
the  object  being  to  establish  a  basis  of  comparison  for 
all  potassium  salts.  Among  chemists  as  well  a  laymen 
there  has  grown  up  the  practice  of  using  for  this  stand- 
ard the  term  'potash.'  When  only  the  term  'potash'  is 
used  in  speaking  of  potash  products,  it  is  understood  to 
refer  to  the  potassium  oxide  (K„0)  present.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  however,  potasli  salts  are  not  sold  in  the  form 
K,0,  but  as  the  sulphate  or  the  chloride.  By  the  term 
'potassium  sulphate'  is  meant  potassium  (K)  combined 
with  the  acid  radicle  of  sulphuric  acid  (SO.,),  or  potas- 
sium oxide  (ICO)  combined  with  sulphur  trioxide  (S03), 
making  the  compound  K,S04.  By  potassium  chloride  is 
meant  potassium  (K)  combined  with  another  element, 
chlorine  (CI),  and  represented  by  the  formula  KC1. 

In  the  following  table  are  given  the  percentages  of  the 
element  potassium,  and  also  of  the  combination  known  as 
potash  in  or  obtainable  from  the  common  potassium  com- 
pounds and  minerals : 

Chemical 
Percent-     equivalent 
age  of       in  terms  of 
Name  and  symbol  potassium       potash 

Element:  (K)  (K.O) 

Potassium— K    100  120 

Potassium  salts  or  potash  salts: 

Potassium     chloride      (mineral     syl- 

vite)— KC1    52  63 

Potassium    muriate    (same    as    chlo- 
ride) 

Potassium    sulphate — K.SO. 45  54 

Potassium  nitrate   (saltpeter) — KNO,        39  47 

•Potassium   carbonate — K-CO,    57  68 

Potassium    hydrate    or    caustic    pot- 
ash—KOH   70  84 

Potassium  cyanide — KCN   60  72 

Stassfurt  minerals: 

Carnallite— KMgCl,.6H,0    14  17 

Kainite— MgSO,.KC1.3H-0    16  19 

Sylvite   (potassium  chloride) — KC1..         52  63 

•The  term  'potash'  is  often  applied  to  this  compound. 

•Abstract  from  'Potash  Salts,  1915.'  by  W.  C.  Phalen. 


jui>  ."'  mt 


MINING  and  Sc*ntihc  PRESS 


The   Ketchikan   District,   Alaska 


By  Emli   Edward   Hnrja 


bikan'a  copper  muiiii^  industry  baa  taken  a  oen 
lease  mi  life,  liy  help  of  the  higher  price  tot  the  metaL 
Si\  propertiea,  all  of  them  on  Prinoe  of  Walea  island, 
dripping  regularly.  The  total  t< >niiii^;t-  per  montb 
from  then  au  propertiea  amounta  t"  il'.imhi  tons,  with 
odil  ahipmenta  from  proapeeta  and  mines  undergoing 
development.    Three  hnndred  men  ure  employed. 

Tlir  district  is  still  in  the  development  stage.  Exam- 
inations urv  being  made  in  many  localities,  the  must  in- 

•  being  that 
of  the  Alask 
tineau  party  in 
charge  of  P.  B. 
Hyder,  of  Juneau, 
Enoch  Perkins  and 
<>  P.  Bog 
ing.  This  party  has 
been  examining  prop- 
in  ami  ahout 
Ketchikan  since  May 
l  and  daring  the  six 
weeks  following  \is- 
ited  nearly  all  of  the 
prospects  in  the  dis- 
trict. Some  options 
have  been  taken  and 
further  inspection  of 
some  of  the  claims  is 
being  made.  Other 
exploratory  work  is 
that  nf  the  Lakinaw- 
Tagish  company,  in  charge  of  J.  L.  Harper. 

The  principal  mining  is  being  done  by  the  Granby 
Consolidated  .Mining,  Smelting  &  Power  Co.  on  the 
Mamie  and  It  claims.  Both  of  these  claims,  together  with 
a  third,  the  Dean,  on  which  work  has  been  suspended, 
were  taken  up  by  the  Granby  company  in  1913  on  work- 
ing options.  Both  claims  have  since  been  paid  for  by 
ore  taken  out  during  the  course  of  development.  The 
work  of  the  company  is  in  charge  of  Nelson  "W.  Sweetser. 
W.  J.  Coulter  is  foreman  at  the  Mamie  mine,  and  Bert 
Ross  at  the  It.  The  Granby  holdings  are  on  Kasaan  pen- 
insula, near  Hadley,  30  miles  north-west  of  Ketchikan. 
The  Mamie  mine,  which  is  shipping  at  the  rate  of  6000 
tons  per  month  to  the  Anyox  smelter,  has  2500  ft.  of 
workings.  Eighty-five  men  are  employed.  A  Riblett 
aerial  tram  7200  ft.  long  carries  the  ore  from  the  mine 
to  the  bunkers  at  Hadley,  where  ocean-going  scows  are 
loaded  and  conveyed  by  tugs  to  the  smelter.  The  ore, 
chalcopyrite  in  a  silicious  and  magnetite  gangue,  occurs 
in  large  lenses.  The  largest  lens  is  300  by  100  ft.  The 
It.  upon  which  the  final  payment  of  a  $50,000  purchase 


price  was  made  on  May  1.  has  shipped  15,000  1"iis  dar- 
ing the  pa-st  year.  Thirty  men  are  employed.  The  wi.rk 
Of  the  past  year  consists  of  1IMMI  ft.  Of  drifts  ami  raises 
and  1500  ft.  of  diamond  drill  holes.  Diamond  drilling 
is  still  going  on  at  the  It  and  tin-  Mamie  to  determine  the 
extent  of  the  orehodi.s.  The  It  is  shipping  at  the  rale  of 
1000  tons  monthly. 

The  Mt.  Andrew  mine,  at  the  head  of  Kasaan  hay,  27 
miles  from   Ketchikan,  is  Bhipping  1500  tons  per  month. 


■aw  * 
»5afsaii~  -       T.    -^ 

—     ■                           ^Wfc7««                          -a^ 

am  -  -\^~1T'** 

TL'G    TOHHODOHV    LEAVING    HADLEY    WITH    SEA-GOING    HARGE   LOADED    WITH   2500  TONS   OP   '  OPP1  B. 


The  group  consists  of  21  claims,  owned  by  the  Mt. 
Andrew  Mining  Co.  of  New  York.  The  claims  were 
bonded  on  June  1,  1915,  by  W.  J.  Rogers,  who  is  now 
directing  the  mining  operations.  The  adits  aggregate 
7000  ft.  Total  shipments  from  the  property  amount  to 
90,000  tons.  The  principal  development  work  is  an  adit 
that  increases  the  depth  on  the  orebody  from  150  ft.  to 
460  ft.  This  'tunnel'  lacked  80  ft.  of  being  the  necessary 
1560  ft.  in  length  to  reach  ore  on  June  16.  The  deposit 
contains  magnetite  and  chalcopyrite,  with  some  gold  and 
silver.  Twenty-nine  men  are  employed.  New  buildings 
will  be  started  soon.  The  property  is  situated  at  an 
elevation  of  1300  ft.  above  sea-level.  The  ore  is  conveyed 
to  the  dock  in  a  Riblett  aerial  tram  4200  ft.  long.  En- 
gineers of  the  Alaska-Gastineau  company  are  conducting 
an  examination  of  the  property.  The  Mt.  Andrew  mine 
is  on  the  border  of  the  same  eruptive  as  the  Mamie.  Axel 
Carlson  is  superintendent. 

Rush  &  Brown,  on  their  claims  at  the  head  of  Kasaan 
bay,  are  mining  from  a  contact  metamorphic  lens  of 
magnetite  ore  containing  chalcopyrite.  and  shipping  at 


164 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


the  rate  of  500  tons  monthly  to  the  Anyox  smelter.  They 
are  employing  25  men.  Recent  work  on  the  Rush  & 
Brown  property  consists  of  a  winze  and  drifts  from  the 
winze.  The  orebody  has  been  picked  up  below  a  fault. 
The  lowest  level  on  which  work  is  being  done  is  250  ft. 
below  the  surface.  A  narrow-gauge  railroad  connects 
the  mine  with  the  bunkers  and  dock  at  Kasaan  bay.  On 
May  29,  Rush  &  Brown  shipped  800  tons  of  ore  on  the 
ship  Granby.     John  Wilcox  is  superintendent. 

The  Goodro  property,  on  Karta  bay,  one  mile  south  of 
the  Rush  &  Brown  mine,  has  700  tons  of  ore  ready  for 
shipment.  No  new  work  has  been  done  on  this  claim. 
Ore  is  being  broken  from  the  100-ft.  level  to  the  surface. 
Ten  men  are  employed.  The  ore  is  bornite  disseminated 
in  gabbro.    It  also  carries  some  native  gold. 

Development  work  is  being  carried  on  steadily  on  the 
Valparaiso  group  of  gold  claims  near  Dolomi.  The  group 
is  operated  by  the  Princeton  Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  with 
B.  A.  Eardley  as  manager.  Ed.  C.  Morse  has  charge 
of  the  10-stamp  mill,  together  with  a  Chilean  mill. 

The  Lakinaw-Tagish  Co.,  of  which  J.  L.  Harper  is 
manager,  has  taken  options  on  the  Westlake-King  prop- 
erty, known  as  the  Portland  group,  on  the  north  arm  of 
Moira  sound,  as  well  as  on  the  Cymru  mine,  in  the  same 
locality.  On  June  2  a  bond  was  taken  on  the  Portland 
group,  upon  which  $6000  worth  of  work  has  been  done. 
No  shipments  of  ore  have  been  made  as  yet.  Assays 
show  zinc,  lead,  copper,  and  silver,  in  a  fissure-vein  4  ft 
wide.  The  maximum  depth  attained  is  130  ft.  As  zinc 
is  the  principal  ingredient  of  the  ore,  shipments  will  be 
made  to  Oakland,  CaL,  where  special  treatment  will  be 
given.  At  the  northern  end  ni'  the  property  is  a  gold- 
lead  deposit,  from  which  shipments  are  planned  to  the 
Trail,  B.  C.  smelter.  Ore  mined  from  the  Portland  group 
is  conveyed  1000  ft.  on  an  aerial  tram  to  Mineral  lake, 
taken  across  the  lake  14  miles  with  scows  to  connect  with 
the  Cymru  tramway.  Five  hundred  tons  of  ore  has  been 
mined  and  is  ready  for  shipment  by  July  15.  A  com- 
pressor plant  and  air-drills  will  be  available  soon,  and  the 
tram  extended  around  Mineral  lake  to  avoid  the  water- 
haul.    Ten  men  are  employed. 

On  the  Cymru  property  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  100  ft. 
A  three-drill  compressor  is  in  operation,  as  well  as  a 
gasoline  hoist.  A  one-mile  narrow-gauge  track  with 
gasoline  locomotives  connects  the  mine  with  tide-water. 
Three  hundred  tons  of  ore  will  be  shipped  to  the  smelter 
at  Tacoma  early  in  July. 

In  the  Portland  Canal  district,  everything  is  quiet. 
The  season  has  been  backward  and  all  exploratory  work 
has  been  retarded.  The  Alaska-Gastineau  company  has 
an  option  on  the  Missouri  group  of  claims,  on  which  some 
work  will  yet  he  done.  H.  R.  Plate,  representing  the 
Hermosa  Issues  Co.  of  New  York,  has  given  up  his  bond. 
Access  to  these  prospects,  which  are  on  the  British 
Columbia  side  of  the  line,  is  obtained  through  the  Salmon 
River  valley. 

The  Alaska  Venture  Syndicate,  of  London,  a  sub- 
sidiary of  the  Great  Boulder  Proprietary,  of  Western 
Australia,  has  suspended  work  on  the  Old  Glory  claims 


at  Smuggler's  cove  on  Cleveland  peninsula,  25  miles 
north  of  Ketehikan.  The  original  owners  of  the  claims 
were  Martin  Bugge  and  associates.  Development  work 
done  on  the  property  after  the  spring  of  1914  consists 
of  surface  stripping  and  prospecting.  Improvements 
on  the  claims  aggregated  $150,000.  The  work  is  held 
in  abeyance  because  of  the  War. 

It  is  reported  in  Ketchikan  that  Catlin,  owner  of  the 
Sunshine  silver-lead  property  on  Cholmondeley  sound, 
is  to  resume  work  soon.  Over  150  tons  of  ore  is  on  the 
dump,  ready  to  ship. 

The  It  Mining  Co.,  of  which  H.  C.  Strong  is  president 
and  J.  L.  Barber  secretary,  is  planning  to  develop  the 
Gold  Stream  property,  consisting  of  the  Gold  Spring  and 
Gold  Stone  claims,  on  Gravina  island,  opposite  Ketchikan, 
three  miles  from  t lie  town.  Work  on  the  lode,  which  con- 
tains gold,  consists  of  150  ft.  of  shaft  and  300  ft.  of  tunnel 
work. 

W.  H.  Gilmore  and  Fremont  King,  owners  of  the  Sea 
Level  property,  near  Ketchikan,  have  bonded  it  to  Carl 
B.  Lancaster,  of  Seattle,  with  whom  are  associated  C. 
H.  Black  and  Carl  Strong.  The  property  shows  a  vein 
varying  in  width  from  2  to  10  ft.  and  carrying  free- 
milling  gold  ore.  The  Sea  Breeze  claim,  which  adjoins 
the  Sea  Level  property  on  the  east  and  carries  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Sea  Level  vein,  will  be  opened  up  through 
the  Sea  Level  workings,  which  have  been  unwatered. 
Four  men  are  employed  under  Carl  B.  Lancaster.  The 
workings  of  the  Sea  Level  run  to  within  150  ft.  of  the 
Sea  Breeze  line.  A  small  hoist  is  in  use.  A  Fairbanks- 
Morse  semi-Deisel  25-hp.  engine  and  a  Fairbanks-Morse 
compressor  have  been  bought  and  will  be  on  the  property 
when  the  work  is  farther  advanced.  The  Sea  Level  has  a 
30-stamp  mill  built  in  1907  but  not  used  for  many  years. 

The  Goo  Goo  group  of  gold  claims,  owned  by  Richard 
Nuckolls  and  associates,  and  situated  near  the  Sea  Level, 
have  been  examined  by  Alaska-Gastineau  engineers. 
Nine  tons  of  samples  were  taken  on  June  15. 

M.  M.  Reese  has  discontinued  work  on  the  Dunton 
property  near  Ilollis.  Development  at  the  Ready  Bul- 
lion continues.  Exploratory  work  on  other  prospects  in 
the  same  vicinity  is  being  carried  on  steadily.  But  little 
more  than  assessment  work  has  been  done  on  the  promis- 
ing Lucky  Nell  group,  situated  8  miles  from  tide-water 
at  Hollis.  Thirty  tons  of  this  ore  yielded  $46  per  ton  in 
1913.  Since  that  time  no  shipments  have  been  made. 
Poison  &  Ickis  are  continuing  work  on  their  copper  and 
gold  property  at  McLean  arm,  40  miles  from  Ketchikan. 
Two  chalcopyrite  deposits  are  exposed. 

Mining  on  the  west  coast  of  Prince  of  Wales  island, 
which  also  is  tributary  to  Ketchikan,  is  based  almost  en- 
tirely on  copper  ore.  The  oldest  regular  producer  in  the 
district  is  the  Jumbo,  near  the  head  of  Hetta  inlet.  This 
mine  is  operated  by  the  Alaska  Industrial  Co.,  of  which 
Senator  Charles  A.  Sulzer  is  active  manager.  Shipments 
are  being  made  regularly  at  the  rate  of  150  tons  per 
month.  The  ore.  chalcopyrite  in  lime,  epidote,  and 
garnet  gangue,  is  practically  neutral  and  is  easily  smelt- 
ed.    Shipments  are  made  to  Tacoma.     A  total  depth  of 


1916 


MINING  and  Scieotih,    I'KK-SS 


!••-. 


ii   in.nl.    poaaible  with  connected 
Knmi  the  lowest  .1  ■■•  been  sunk  800  ft 

Ihia  depth  atoping  ia  now  being  carried  on     Thewii 

being  Mink  another  1 1 h >  ft   t,. necl  with  «  lower  adit 

Suri'a ixploration  of  the  weatern  and  of  the  Jumbo 

n  encouraging     Senator  Sulser  cXpecU 


8cm  ng  an  Allis  <  Ihalmen  tube  mill 

for  the  reduction  of  baritc  fr.nn  n  depoail  that  be  •  1  ■  k 
covered  near  Knur  point  Baveral  hundred  imi^  of  iIhh 
product  waa shipped  last  year,  with  iry  r<sultn, 

w>  Senator  Sulxer  plana  t"  treat  the  ore  al  home,  The 
depoail  iaover  iix>  ii.  wide.       Sweet  brothera are oper 


STOI'E   IN   THE    IT    MINE.    KASAAN    PENINSL'I.A. 


to  open  up  that  end  of  the  orebody  next,  building  short 
aerial  trams  to  connect  with  the  main  Leschen  aerial 
tram,  which  carries  the  ore  a  distance  of  two  miles  to  the 
bunkers.  A  saw-mill  has  been  purchased  and  new 
quarters  and  other  buildings  will  be  built.  W.  L.  Moore, 
formerly  with  the  Alaska-Juneau  at  Juneau,  is  superin- 
tendent of  construction.  Robert  Pollock  has  been  made 
mine  superintendent. 


ating  the  mine  of  the  Northland  Development  Co.  at 
Big  Harbor,  under  a  bond.  A  shipment  of  150  tons  was 
recently  made  to  the  smelter  at  Tacoma.     The  ore  is  a 

massive  pyrite  containing  chalcopyrite. Assays  of  ore 

from  the  bottom  of  a  75-ft.  shaft  on  the  Keete  mine  at  the 
head  of  Kci'te  inlet  shows  ore  that  averages  7.1','   copper. 

This  property  is  owned  by  C.  A.  Sulzer. P.  A.  Tucker, 

recently  operator  of  the  Big  Harbour  property,  has  bond- 


166 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


ed  the  Gould  claims  on  the  south  end  of  Suquan  island. 
He  has  a  small  force  of  men  employed  in  exploratory 

work. W.  H.  Link  and  J.  W.  Rickenback,  of  Seattle, 

arrived  recently  on  the  Curacao  and  have  resumed  de- 
velopment work  on  their  property  adjoining  the  Red 
Wing  at  Copper  City.  John  Spaeth,  George  Burch,  and 
John  Wilcox  have  prospected  and  made  new  locations  of 
copper  claims  at  Hunter's  bay. 

Prospecting  has  been  given  an  impetus  by  the  success- 
ful operation  of  a  number  of  properties.  The  district 
can  stand  prospecting,  however,  for  the  total  area  of  the 
Ketchikan  mining  district  is  9370  square  miles,  of  which 
2800  square  miles  is  represented  by  Prince  of  Wales 
island  alone. 


Copper  is  said  to  have  derived  its  name  from  the  island 
of  Cyprus,  whence  the  Romans  obtained  their  supplies 
of  copper  ore. 


Explosives 

Explosives  are  classified  by  the  Bureau  of  Mines  into 
four  groups:  ammonium-nitrate  explosives;  hydrated 
explosives;  organic-nitrate  explosives  other  than  nitro- 
glycerine ;  and  nitro-glycerine  explosives. 

Ammonium  nitrate  itself  is  not  an  active  explosive,  but 
under  particular  conditions,  such  as  a  strong  detonator, 
is  capable  of  explosive  decomposition.  When  pure  it 
has  no  practical  application  for  blasting,  but  needs  the 
addition  of  'sensitizers.'  These  sensitizers  may  them- 
selves have  explosive  qualities,  as  nitro-glycerine  or  nitro- 
cellulose, or  they  may  be  non-explosive  such  as  resin,  sul- 
phur, flour,  sugar,  oil,  paraffin,  or  coal.  A  large  number 
of  commercial  explosives  are  included  in  the  ammonium- 
nitrate  group. 

Hydrated   explosives  are   those   that   depend   largely 


Measures 


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Juh   -•'    1916 


MINING  .ixl  Scientific   PRESS 


npon  the  ••"•link'  offset  of  the  wntiT  of  crystallisation  tn 
reduce  the  Bmmc  temperature  for  tln-ir  safe  naa  in  coal 
mind  The  bydratsd  salts  employed  i"  furnish  the  wstar 
<>f  crystallisation  ere  Bpeom  salt  or  potassium  slum. 
Tin-  hydrated  explosives  •••■it iiin  nitro  glycerine  us  the 
principal  explosive  Ingredient,  and  most  of  them  also 
contain  ammonium  nitrate.  Duly  ■  fen  oommeroial  <-x- 
plosivee  are  in  thia  group. 

The  third  group,  the  organic  nitrates,  inolodea  ex- 
plosives  wtntaining  'nitro-atarch'  [starch  nitrate  .  or  a 
similar  organic  nitrate  aa  the  characteristic  ingredient. 
Starch  is  a  carbo-hydrate,  of  the  eompoaition  C,H    0 

Nitro  stnr.li    explosives    an    known    t ..    mining    nun    ;is 

brim;  the  explosive  sold  by  oi r  two  manufacturing 

eompaniee  in  particular.  When  naed  alone,  oitro-atarch 
hberatea  the  dangerona  carbon-monoxide  tins,  bul  by  the 
iiililitinii  of  oxidising  eompoonda  in  the  manufacturing 


tlii>  disadvantage  is  reduooj     The  Nevada  Conaolidatad 

Copper  Co  • 1  deal  of  nitro-ataroh  explosive  in 

its  open  in'  blasting. 

The  fourth  group,  oitro-glyoerine,  Includes  nil  a 
plosivi  s  trhose  characteristic  Ingredient  i»  nitro  glycerine 
iiinl  which  are  not  Inolndad  in  the  class  of  'hydrated  a 
plosives.1  Various  Lngredienta  are  naed  with  the  nitro 
glycerine,  either  an  absorbent  neutral  base  such  as  in- 
fusorial earth  for  the  making  of  'straighl  dynamite,'  or 
tin-  active  gun-cotton  which  dissolves  in  the  nitro  glycer- 
ine to  make  gelatine.    A  nr<-a!  many  of  tl ommeroial 

explosives  belong  to  the  nitro-glj rim-  group. 


'I'm:  STEEL  iiii.mi.is  Used   in  the   French  army  to  pro- 

tr.-t  the  heads  of  Boldiera  are  only  one  millimeter  I  I  26 
inch  I  thi'-k  and  are  surprisingly  light.    They  are  made 

of  the  bi\st  liiill' -liiinli'iii-il  slii'i-t  slci'l 


and   Equivalents 


|  By  courtesy  of  Edward  L.  Stengen 


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168 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


Julv  29,  1016 


Principles   Underlying   Flotation 


By  Jo«l  B.  HUdcbrand 


INTBODUCTION.  The  phenomena  involved  in  ore 
flotation  are  mostly  effects  of  surface  tension,  so  that 
an  understanding  of  this  force  and  how  it  may  be 
modified  by  various  factors  is  fundamental  to  a  scien- 
tific study  of  flotation. 

Wherever  different  phases  are  in  contact  we  have  sur- 
where  the  effects  of  surface  tension  may  be  ap- 
parent. It  will  be  convenient,  for  our  purposes,  to 
classify  the  boundaries  between  phases  as  follows:  (1) 
liquid-gas,  (2)  liquid-liquid,  (3)  liquid-solid.  The 
boundaries  solid-gas  and  solid-solid  will  not  be  consid- 
ered, being  unimportant  from  the  standpoint  of  our  sub- 


W\ 


\\ 


^ 


WW 


& 


\\\W 


\W 


\\\ 


V 


\\ 


\ 


Fio.  1. 


ject  Since  the  effects  of  surface  tension  are  increased 
as  t he  surface  between  the  phases  increases  in  extent,  we 
will  be  led  to  consider  the  systems  encountered  in  flota- 
tion processes,  in  which  one  of  the  phases  is  highly  dis- 
persed. These  systems,  corresponding  to  the  above 
classifications  are  (1)  foams,  in  which  the  gas  is  highly 
dispersed  in  the  liquid  (the  other  system,  fog.  in  which 
the  liquid  is  dispersed  in  the  gas  does  not  here  concern 
us    ;  (2    emulsions:  (3)  suspensions. 

Liquid-Gas  Boundary,  (a)  Definition  and  Measure- 
ment of  Surface  Tension.  It  is  found  that  all  liquids 
have  a  tendency  to  assume  a  form  which  will  have  the 
smallest  surface.  Where  the  liquid  is  supported  by  a 
surface  that  it  does  not  wet  it  tends,  for  example,  to 
assume  a  spherical  form,  manifest  especially  with  small 
drops,  where  the  influence  of  gravity  is  small.  A  soap- 
bubble  tends  to  contract,  expelling  the  air  through  the 
orifice  of  the  pipe  from  which  it  is  blown.  A  liquid  that 
wets  the  walls  of  a  tube  will  be  drawn  up  into  it.  The 
magnitude  of  this  force  can  be  measured  by  various 
methods,  such  as  the  rise  in  a  capillary  tube,  the  shape 
of  a  drop  under  the  opposing  action  of  surface  tension 
and  gravity,  the  weight  of  a'drop  that  surface  tension 
will  support  as  a  liquid  issues  slowly  from  a  tip  of  defi- 

•  Abstract  of  an  illustrated  lecture  delivered  before  a  joint 
meeting  of  the  San  Francisco  section  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers  and  the  California  section  of  the 
American  Chemical  Society.  February  15,  1916. 


nite  size.    A  general  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  this  force 
may  be  obtained  from  the  values  given  in  Table  I. 

Table  I 

Temperature,      Surface  Tension, 

Liquid  °C.  Dynes  per  Cm. 

Hydrogen    -  Hi  2 

Carbon  di-sulphide  20  33.5 

Alcohol   20  22 

"Water    20  73 

Ether    20  16.5 

Mercury    18  436 

Gold    1070  612 

Sodium  sulphate  S80  1ST 

(b)  Cause  of  Surface  Tension.  It  must  be  noted  that 
we  can  define  and  measure  surface  tension  without 
making  any  assumptions  whatever  as  to  what  causes  it. 
The  fact  that  the  surface  tends  to  contract  with  a  defi- 
nite force  does  not  mean  that  the  surface  is  coated  with 
anything  like  a  rubber  membrane.  The  surface  of  a 
liquid,  except  for  a  slight  difference  in  density,  is  doubt- 
less the  same  as  the  rest  of  the  liquid.  The  existence  of 
surface  tension  is  to  be  attributed  to  inter-molecular 
attraction.  Consider  a  molecule,  such  as  a  in  Fig.  1,  in 
the  interior  of  a  liquid.  It  will  be  attracted  by  the  sur- 
rounding molecules,  and  these  attractions  may  be  re- 
solved axially  into  four  equal  components,  as  shown  in 
the  figure.  Consequently  nothing  but  viscous  resistance 
would  oppose  the  moving  of  this  molecule  to  another 
portion  of  the  liquid,  provided  it  remains  in  the  interior. 
The  moment,  however,  it  approaches  sufficiently  near 
the  surface,  the  upward  component  of  molecular  attrac- 
tion is  reduced,  becoming  zero  at  the  surface  at  6,  if  we 
neglect  any  effect  of  gas  or  vapor  above  the  surface. 
The  result  is  that  we  have  to  do  work  upon  each  mole- 
cule brought  from  the  interior  to  the  surface  of  a  liquid, 
and  any  considerable  extension  of  its  surface  involves 
the  doing  of  a  considerable  amount  of  work  against  a 
force  the  component  of  which  along  the  surface  of  the 
liquid  we  call  'surface  tension.' 

(rl  Effect  of  Temperature.  Since  the  increase  in 
kinetic  energy  of  the  molecules  with  temperature  forces 
them  farther  apart  we  should  expect  inter-molecular 
attraction  and  hence  surface  tension  to  diminish  with 
increasing  temperature,  and  such  is  indeed  the  case.  At 
the  critical  temperature,  where  the  density  of  the  vapor 
becomes  the  same  as  that  of  the  liquid,  the  surface  tension 
becomes  zero,  of  course. 

(d1)  Effect  of  Dissolved  Substances.  The  surface  ten- 
sion of  mixtures  of  liquids  is  usually  less  than  that 
which  would  be  calculated  on  an  additive  basis,  so  that 
the  more  general  tendency  is  for  solutes  to  lower  the 
surface  tension  of  the  solvent.    We  find  that  the  surface 


MIMNl.   and  Sum I'KI  SS 


169 


in  usual  I)  raised  b)  dissolved  sail 
I  bj  other  liquids,  and  especially  bj  organ 
->i>li  as  albumen,  glue,  soap,  saponin,  etc.     More- 

thou     thcrmo  dynamically    lliat 

-  which  lower  the  surface  tension  of  the  solvent 
ten. 1  to  concentrate  at  the  mrfaee,  still  farther  lowering 
the  mi  For  this  reason  wry  different 

obtained  tor  static-  ami  dynamic  met 

onion  with  solutions  of  such  rab> 


Flo.  2. 

stances    Table  ll  shows  the  reanlts  of  sneh  meaaorementa 
with  sodium  oleate  (soap)  solutions. 
Table  II 


Concentration, 


0.025 
0.26 

1.2.-. 


Surface  Tension, 

Dynes  per  Cm. 

Static  Dynamic 

. .     55  79 

. .     26  79 

.26  62 

. .     26  58 


It  will  be  seen  that  where  time  is  allowed  for  the  con- 
centration of  the  soap  at  the  surface  the  tension  is  mach 
less  than  in  the  dynamic  method,  where  no  time  is  al- 
lowed  for  the  effect  to  be  manifest.  This  behavior  is  ex- 
ceedingly important  in  connection  with  the  stability  of 
foams,  emulsions,  etc.,  as  we  shall  see. 

(e)  Stability  of  Foams.  Since  the  production  of  a 
foam  (or  a  mist)  from  a  liquid  involves  an  enormous 
increase  in  surface,  and  consequent  performance  of  work 
against  surface  tension,  such  a  system  is  unstable  unless 


stabilized  by  some  means.  Drops  or  bubbles  tend  to 
coalesce,  hence  pure  liquids  never  foam.  To  produce  a 
stable  foam  requires  a  film  that  is  stable.  The  chief  con- 
dition for  this  is  the  presence  of  a  solute  that  will  be 
strongly  adsorbed  at  the  surface  of  the  solution,  lower- 
ing its  surface  tension,  as  explained  above.  How  this 
will  give  a  stable  film  may  be  understood  by  the  aid  of 
Fig.  2,  which  represents  a  film  of  solution,  the  shading 
indicating  the  greater  concentration  at  the  surface.  If 
such  a  film  should  be  stretched,  becoming  thinner  at 
some  portion,  as  at  a,  the  new  surface  formed  by  the 
stretching  would  contain  less  solute,  the  time  not  being 
sufficient  for  adsorption,  and  hence  would  be  stronger 
than  the  old  surface.  It  is  obvious  that  such  a  film  would 
be  stable,  automatically  becoming  stronger  wherever 
rupture  is  threatened.  This  is  the  action  of  the  foaming 
agent,  such  as  pine-oil,  used  in  flotation  processes.    Here. 


bilitj  is  in,. I.  lirabli 
miiNt  be  broken  down  later, 

"tli  of  uiiiitir  Importance  In  tbility 

an  risoosity,  which  retard!  the  draining  of  the  Bun 
(hence  the  Frequent  addition  of  glycerine  to  loap-bub 
blea  .  small  volatility,  preventing  evaporation  of  the 
foam  where  ezpoaed  to  the  air;  and  1 1 1.-  protection  of  the 
bnbblea  from  coalescence  by  the  forming  of  b  skm  or 
armor  about  them.  The  particles  of  soii.i  ore  presenl  in 
the  foam  in  flotation  processes  undoubtedly  act  in  this 
way. 

Liqi  id-Liquid  Bot  mdaby.  Much  thai  has  been  said 
applies  here.  Methods  of  measuremenl  are  similar.  The 
magnitudes  of  these  interfacial  tensions  are  illustrated 
in  Table  ill. 

Table  III 

Surface  Tension, 

Boundary  Dynes  per  Cm. 

Mercury-water    370 

Benzene-water    33 

Turpentine-water    12 

Methyl  alcohol-carbon  dl-sulphlde 0.82 

This  surface  tension  becomes  zero  at  the  critical  tetn- 
perature  of  mixing  of  the  liquids,  and  it  is  affected  by 
dissolved  substances  according  to  the  same  principles  as 
apply  to  the  simpler  systems. 

(a)  The  Spreading  of  Drops.  The  spreading  of 
drops  of  oil  upon  water  to  form  an  exceedingly  thin 
film  is  familiar  to  all.  Whether  or  not  this  phenomenon 
takes  place  depends  upon  the  magnitudes  of  the  three 
surface  tensions  indicated  in  Pig.  3,  which  represents  a 
drop  of  a  lighter  liquid  placed  upon  a  heavier  one  with 
which  it  does  not  mix.  Obviously  the  drop  will  spread 
out  over  the  surface  whenever  the  surface  tension  rep- 
resented by  a  is  greater  than  the  sum  of  0  and  c.  When 
a  <  b  +  c  the  drop  will  remain  in  lens  form  upon  the 
other  liquid.  One  of  these  cases  may  be  converted  into 
the  other  by  the  addition  of  suitable  solutes  to  one  phase. 
For  example,  although  oil  usually  spreads  upon  water, 
where  the  surface  tension  of  the  water  is  much  lowered, 
as  it  is  in  meat-broth  by  the  presence  of  albumen,  gela- 
tin, etc.,  the  value  of  a  is  small  enough  to  allow  any  oil 
present  to  remain  as  lens-shaped  drops. 

(b)  The  Stability  of  Emulsions.  This  is  obviously 
favored  by  a  low  surface  tension  between  the  phases,  by 
viscosity,  by  the  presence  of  a  substance  tending  to  form 
a  skin  preventing  the  droplets  of  the  enclosed  phase  from 
coalescing,  as  they  naturally  tend  to  do,  and  most  im- 
portant of  all,  the  presence  in  the  phase  that  is  to  en- 
close the  other  of  a  substance  that  will  be  positively 
adsorbed  at  its  surface,  thus  making  stable  a  film  of  the 
liquid  separating  two  droplets  of  the  other,  enclosed, 
liquid.  The  enclosed  phase  takes  the  place  of  the  bub- 
bles in  the  previous  discussion  of  foam  stability.  By  a 
suitable  choice  of  solutes  either  phase  may  be  made  the 
enclosed  phase.  For  example,  when  soap  is  added  to 
water  the  films  of  water  become  stable,  and  a  liquid 
like  benzene  may  be  made  to  form  a  stable  emulsion  in 
water.  On  the  other  hand,  when  a  magnesium  soap  is 
dissolved  in  benzene,  films  of  benzene  become  stable,  and 


170 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29.  1916 


benzene  will  yield  both  stable  foams  and  stable  emulsions 
with  water  as  an  enclosed  phase. 

Liquid-Solid  Boundary.  With  a  boundary  of  this 
sort  direct  measurement  of  surface  tension  is  impossible, 
but  relative  values  may  be  inferred  by  noting  the  wet- 
ting power  of  a  liquid  for  a  solid,  especially  as  indicated 
by  the  angle  of  contact.  When,  for  example,  a  drop  of 
water  is  placed  upon  a  bright  metal  surface,  instead  of 
spreading  over  the  surface  of  the  latter  as  would  kero- 
sene, it  remains  in  drop  form,  its  surface  meeting  the 
metallic  surface  at  a  certain  angle.  When  a  drop  of 
castor-oil  is  placed  on  the  metal  it  forms  a  much  flatter 
drop,  the  angle  being  different,  corresponding  to  greater 
wetting  power  for  the  metal.  The  surface  tension  be- 
tween these  phases  can  be  altered  as  before  by  the  addi- 
tion of  adsorbed  solutes,  so  that  a  drop  of  soap  solution 
will  be  much  flatter  when  placed  upon  the  metal  than 
the  drop  of  pure  water.  This  wetting  power  is  als« 
different  for  the  same  liquid  upon  different  solids,  as  is 
illustrated  by  the  experiment  shown  in  Fig.  4,  where 
the  angles  of  contact  indicate  that  when  chloroform  and 
water  are  in  competition  the  former  has  greater  wetting 
power  for  a  metal  surface,  while  the  latter  has  greater 
wetting  power  for  glass.  It  would  seem  that  determina- 
tions of  these  angles  should  offer  a  valuable  preliminary 
to  flotation  experiments. 

As  a  consequence  of  this  relative  wetting  power,  if  a 
layer  of  kerosene  is  placed  over  water,  and  a  powdered 
silicious  material  dropped  into  the  vessel,  it  will  stop 
only  momentarily  at  the  oil-water  surface.  As  fast  as 
the  oil  can  be  displaced  by  the  water  the  particles  drop 
through  into  the  water  phase.  If,  however,  a  metallic 
powder,  or  a  sulphide  with  metallic  lustre,  be  dropped 
into  the  vessel,  it  remains  in  the  oil  phase,  supported,  if 
the  mass  is  not  too  great,  by  the  surface  tension  at  the 
boundary. 

The  ease  with  which  a  solid  particle  can  float  on  the 
surface  of  a  lighter  liquid  depends  upon  its  size,  the 
difference  in  density  of  solid  and  liquid,  and  the  angle 
of  contact  the  liquid  makes  with  the  solid.  The  relation- 
ship is  expressed  in  Fig.  5,  where  we  assume,  for  sim- 
plicity, a  cylindrical  particle  of  radius  r,  height  h,  and 
density  rf,  floating  on  a  liquid  of  density  d,  and  surface 
tension  s.  The  maximum  effect  that  could  be  exerted  by 
gravity  upon  the  particle  would  obviously  be  -rr-hg 
(d.,-d,)  dynes.  If  the  solid  were  not  wet  at  all  by  the 
liquid  and  the  angle  of  contact  were  zero,  the  upward 
force  tending  to  prevent  the  particle  from  sinking  into 
the  liquid  would  be  2-Trrs.  In  an  actual  case,  however, 
where  this  angle  is  a.  the  upward  force  is  2wrs  cos  a.  It 
is  obvious  that  the  floating  tendency  would  be  greater 
the  smaller  the  particle,  the  less  its  density  relative  to 
that  of  the  liquid,  the  greater  the  surface  tension  of  the 
liquid,  and  the  smaller  a.  In  boating  practice  the  den- 
sities are  not  to  lie  altered,  the  size  of  the  particles  is 
made  as  small  as  is  consistent  with  economical  grinding 
and  subsequent  recovery,  the  surface  tension  of  the  water 
cannot  be  increased,  but  is  rather  decreased  by  the  agent 
added  to  produce  foaming.     The  foaming  gives  a  large 


surface,  as  the  total  quantity  of  ore  floated  is  pro- 
portional to  the  surface  of  the  water  and  not  to  its 
volume.  The  most  effective  modification  that  can  be 
made  in  the  above  factors  is  to  decrease  the  angle  a  as 
much  as  possible  for  the  ore  particles, 
while  still  leaving  it  greater  than  90° 
for  the  gangue  particles,  the  condi- 
tion necessary  that  the  latter  should 
sink.  This  is  the  purpose  of  the  small 
quantity  of  oil  added  during  the 
grinding  of  the  ore.  The  wetting 
power  of  oil  for  a  metallic  surface 
causes  the  oil,  if  the  right  kind,  to 
spread  over  the  metallic  surface  as  it 
would  over  the  surface  of  water.  The 
water  present  at  the  same  time  wets 
the  gangue  preferentially,  preparing 
for  the  separation  that  results  when 
the  large  amount  of  water  is  added. 
It  is  obvious  that  the  frothing  agent 
necessarily  added  later  works  against 
the  effect  here  desired  of  the  least  pos- 
sible wetting  of  the  ore,  as  it  de- 
creases the  surface  tension  both  at  the 
liquid-air  and  at  the  liquid-solid  sur- 
faces. 

A  word  might  he  said  in  conclusion  about  the  stability 
of  suspensions.  Besides  the  stabilizing  influences  im- 
portant in  the  ease  of  foams  and  emulsions,  another  here 
rises  to  great  importance,  namely,  the  electric  charges  on 
the  suspended  particles  due  to  adsorbed  ions.  This  effect 
may  be  illustrated  by  dividing  a  suspension  of  fine  silica 
into  two  portions,  and  adding  to  one  a  little  acid  and  to 
the  other  a  little  alkali.     It  is  found  that  in  the  second 


• 

k 

0) 

M 

<v 

* 

r 

s 

o 

K 

<? 

<b 

<v 

Q> 

■§ 

s 

1 

Fig  4. 


\x\\\\ 

^  0\\\  \ \\\\w 


Fig.  5. 


case  the  suspension  is  quickly  flocculated  and  settles  out, 
while  in  the  acid  solution  it  remains  suspended  for  a 
long  time.  Reference  must  be  made  to  works  upon  col- 
loids for  further  discussion  of  the  many  interesting  phe- 
nomena connected  with  such  behaviors.  In  ore  flotation, 
the  effect  of  even  slight  amounts  of  acid  or  alkali  may 
be,  aside  from  that  just  mentioned,  to  clean  the  ore  par- 
ticles and  thus  expose  a  more  truly  metallic  surface  to 
the  oil,  and  to  affect  the  surface  tensions  involved,  espe- 
cially by  modifying  chemically  the  other  substances 
added,  notably  the  frothing  agent. 


Jul)  89,  1916 


MINING  .nd  Sdaeubi   I'KI  SS 


171 


The   Flotation   of   Oxidized   Ores 


By  O.   C  Kalrton  and  Glen  L.  Allan 


INTRODUCTION  •Concentration  of  natural  ml- 
pbldc  ores  by  the  floUtioii  proem  has  met  with  luefa 
•  ss  that  attempts  have  recently  been  made  to 
apply  the  process  to  the  Dotation  of  ores  other  than 
natural  sulphidi  I 

■  ii  tins  nhjeel  arc  frequently  received 
by  tlic  Bureau  of  Mines,  it  has  been  though)  beat  to  pub- 
lisli  a  summary  of  tin-  results  so  far  obtained  from  the  ex- 
perimental work  on  oxidised  ores  at  the  Salt  Lake  City 
station  of  the  Bureau,  in  co-operation  with  the  depart- 
ment of  metallurgical  research  of  the  University  of  Dtah. 
The  work  has  been  directed  by  0,  C.  Balaton,  assistant 
metallurgist  of  the  Bureau,  and  was  carried  on  for  the 
most  part  by  G.  I.  alien;  N.  C.  I 'hristenscn  and  If.  W. 
Johnson  assisted. 

A-  above  stated,  this  paper  is  only  n  summary,  or  a 
preliminary  report  of  the  experiments  on  the  flotation  of 
oxidised  ores.  More  complete  details  as  regards  the  flo- 
tation of  carbonate  ores  of  lead  will  be  given  later,  and  in 
the  near  future  the  Bureau  expects  to  publish  a  still 
more  complete  discussion  on  the  flotation  of  oxidized 
ores  of  lead,  copper,  and  zinc. 

M"st  of  the  experimental  work  in  the  laboratory  at  the 
1'tah  station  has  been  with  the  oxidized  ores  of  lead. 
Only  minor  attention  has  been  given  to  the  oxidized  ores 
of  tine  and  of  copper  for  the  following  reasons:  little 
success  has  been  had  with  the  zinc  ores:  many  others  are 
engaged  in  testing  copper  ores,  so  that  there  was  no 
pressing  necessity  for  experimentation  with  copper  ores 
by  the  Bureau,  although  an  attempt  is  being  made  to  co- 
ordinate the  work  of  those  who  are  willing  to  join  in 
solving  the  problem.  Flotation  of  oxidized  minerals 
depends  upon  a  preliminary  'sulphidizing'  by  any  meth- 
od that  will  convert  at  least  the  surface  of  the  mineral 
particles  to  a  sulphide  of  the  metal.  This  step  is  fol- 
lowed by  flotation  of  the  artificial  sulphide,  which  re- 
sults in  a  concentration  of  the  valuable  metals  in  the  low- 
grade  oxidized  ore  being  treated. 

The  methods  of  sulphidizing  that  have  been  investi- 
gated are  as  follows:  (1)  By  the  use  of  hydrogen  sul- 
phide on  either  the  dry  or  the  wet  crushed  ore,  (2)  by 
the  use  of  solutions  of  the  various  sulphides  and  sulpho- 
compounds  of  sodium,  (3)  by  the  use  of  solutions  of  the 
various  sulphides  and  sulpho-eompounds  of  calcium,  (4) 
by  the  use  of  sulphur  vapor,  (5)  by  the  use  of  a  sul- 
phuretted oil,  (6)  with  colloidal  sulphur. 

It  has  been  found  that  treatment  by  some  of  these 
methods  will  form  a  film  of  sulphide  over  the  surface  of 
the  particles  of  such  minerals  as  lead  carbonate  or  cop- 
per carbonate,  whereas  in  other  cases  the  mineral  par- 
ticles arc  sulphidized  to  the  core.     Other  methods  failed. 

•Issued  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 


('.Mums  vii  ui  l.i  mi  <  tit i  - .  All  of  the  above  methods 
Of  sulphidi/nig  have  been   tested  on  a   gnat   number  of 

lead-carbonate  on*,    s. ■  of  these  ores  contained  silver 

and    some    continued    lead    as    the    principal    metal.      A 

number  of  the  ores  have  been  successfully  concentrated 
an.l  others  refuse  to  yield  to  concentration  by  flotation. 

In  general,  a  high  alumina  content  (acid  soluble  <  in  an 
or.-  s.ems  to  prevent  the  application  of  sulphidizing  and 
flotation.  The  purpose  of  this  report  is  to  give  the  main 
features  of  the  flotation  of  oxidized  ores  of  lead,  as  well 
as  other  ores. 

In  sulphidizing  with  hydrogen  sulphide  gas,  as  ap- 
plied to  the  lead-carbonate  ores,  it  was  found  thai  the 
best  method  of  applying  the  gas  to  a  dry  powdered  ore 
was  in  a  tumbling  barrel  with  the  gas  inlet  in  the  end. 
Sulphidizing  in  a  glass  bottle  showed  that  the  ore  black- 
ened quickly  after  the  application  of  the  hydrogen  sul- 
phide gas.  On  attempting  to  float  out  lead  sulphide  from 
the  ore  as  soon  as  it  had  blackened  it  was  found  that  a 
low  extraction  of  lead  was  obtained  and  likewise  a  low- 
grade  concentrate,  unless  the  pulp  was  previously  acidi- 
fied with  sulphuric  acid.  By  acidifying  the  pulp,  a 
cleaner  concentrate  was  floated,  but  the  extractions  of 
lead  remained  low.  Only  by  prolonged  treatment  with 
hydrogen  sulphide  gas  could  the  extraction  of  the  lead 
be  raised  to  commercial  grade.  With  a  number  of  ores 
eight  hours'  treatment  gave  an  extraction  of  over  80% 
of  the  lead. 

The  use  of  hydrogen  sulphide  was  considered  for  the 
reason  that  it  can  be  generated  quite  cheaply.  With  iron 
matte  available  at  $5  to  $10  per  ton,  and  sulphuric  acid 
at  from  $5  to  $10  per  ton,  the  cost  of  the  hydrogen  sul- 
phide resulting,  including  labor,  etc.,  is  between  $30  and 
$50  per  ton.  If  this  gas  in  combining  with  the  metal  in 
the  ore  produces  only  a  surficial  film  of  sulphide,  and 
does  not  penetrate  to  the  centre  of  the  particles,  it  might 
be  possible  to  make  a  ton  of  the  gas  sulphidizc  many 
tons  of  ore. 

Unfortunately  hydrogen  sulphide  attacks  the  metallic 
particles  of  the  ore  with  such  avidity  that  by  the  time 
the  latter  are  sulphidized  sufficiently  to  permit  of  good 
extraction  by  flotation,  they  have  also  been  sulphidized 
to  the  core,  and  practically  a  chemical  equivalent  of 
hydrogen  sulphide,  to  the  lead  in  the  core,  has  been  ab- 
sorbed. Even  coarse  pieces  of  ore  in  a  bottle  absorb  the 
gas  with  evolution  of  heat,  and  on  breaking  open  the 
pieces  the  black  coloration  is  seen  to  have  traveled  deeply 
into  the  particles. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  value  of  the  lead  concen- 
trate obtained  is  very  low  as  compared  to  the  amount  of 
hydrogen  sulphide  necessary  te  sulphidizc  it,  this  process 
is  not  regarded  as  commercially  practicable. 


172 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


Application  of  hydrogen  sulphide  to  the  ground  ore 
suspended  in  water  does  not  seem  to  be  subject  to  the  same 
difficulty.  True  'filming'  of  the  particles  with  lead  sul- 
phide seems  to  take  place,  and  the  extractions  possible 
after  a  short  treatment  with  the  gas  are  satisfactory. 
The  speed  of  travel  of  molecules  of  hydrogen  sulphide 
gas,  as  compared  with  the  speed  of  travel  of  the  .same 
molecules  in  solution  affords  an  explanation  of  the  differ- 
ence in  the  action  of  the  gas  when  applied  to  dry  pul- 
verized ore  as  compared  with  its  action  when  applied  to 
pulp  suspended  with  water. 

The  best  results  on  lead-carbonate  ores  have  been  ob- 
tained when  sulphides  of  sodium  were  used  for  the  sul- 
phidizing  agent.  The  sodium  sulphide  must  necessarily 
be  introduced  in  solution  and  seems  to  cause  true  filming. 
The  sulphides  of  sodium  considered  commercially  ap- 
plicable are  the  normal  sulphide  of  sodium,  Na„S ; 
sodium  poly-sulphides.  Na.S,,  and  Na„S.,  and  the  sulph- 
hydrate  of  sodium,  NaSH.  Of  these,  the  last,  the  sulpli- 
hydrate,  seems  to  be  effective,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
quicker  blackening  of  the  pulp,  and  the  deeper  blacker 
color  formed.  The  normal  sulphide  is  almost  as  effective ; 
the  poly -sulphides  seem  to  be  the  least  active.  Different 
ores  require  10  minutes  to  24  hours  of  contact  with  the 
solutions  of  sodium  sulphide,  depending  on  the  proper- 
ties of  the  ore  and  on  the  strength  of  the  solution. 
Amounts  of  sodium  sulphide  varying  from  10  to  20  lb. 
per  ton  of  ore  are  usually  sufficient,  and  should  be  ap- 
plied to  pulp  containing  about  one  ton  of  water  per  ton 
of  ore,  in  order  that  the  solution  may  be  as  strong  as  pos- 
sible during  the  sulphidizing  stage  of  the  process.  After 
a  good  black  color  has  developed  and  the  color  has  ceased 
to  increase  in  blackness,  the  pulp  in  diluted  with  water 
to  a  3: 1  or  4: 1  mixture  and  floated  in  either  mechanic- 
ally agitated  or  pneumatic  machines.  The  market  for 
sodium  sulphide  is  limited  and  it  should  be  obtainable  at 
considerably  less  than  2  cents  per  pound. 

The  poly-sulphide  of  calcium,  obtained  by  boiling 
powdered  sulphur  with  slaked  lime,  seems  to  be  satisfac- 
tory for  ores  that  yield  easily  to  sulphidizing.  but  is 
sluggish  in  its  action,  as  compared  with  the  sulphides 
of  sodium.  The  normal  sulphide  of  calcium  is  only 
slightly  soluble  and  hence  its  use  was  discontinued  as  a 
possible  sulphidizing  agent.  The  sulph-hydrate  of  cal- 
cium is  the  most  active  of  these  reagents,  but  has  not  been 
tested  to  any  extent  in  this  work,  as  there  is  doubt  as  to 
whether  it  would  be  commercially  feasible  to  prepare 
such  a  compound. 

Sulphidizing  with  sulphur  vapor  has  been  tried  with 
little  success,  for  the  reason  that  it  must  be  applied  at  a 
temperature  above  the  boiling-point  of  sulphur  in  order 
to  prevent  condensation  of  the  sulphur.  This  means 
that  the  ore  must  be  heated  to  a  temperature  above 
445°  C.  There  seems  to  be  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
elemental  sulphur  vapor  commercially,  as  pyrite  will 
give  up  half  of  its  sulphur  content  when  heated  in  a 
closed  space,  and  sulphur  di-oxide  gas  can  be  reduced 
to  elemental  sulphur  by  passing  it  through  a  heated  zone 
in  the  presence  of  a  reducing  agent.  As  lead  itself  is 
easily  reduced  from  its  carbonate  form,  the  temperature 


might  as  will  In-  raised  to  the  point  where  the  lead  can 
be  liquated  out,  a  reducing  atmosphere  being  used  in- 
stead of  a  sulphidizing  atmosphere. 

The  use  of  a  sulphuretted  flotation  oil,  in  which  loosely 
combined  sulphur  is  available  for  combination  with 
carbonates  of  lead  or  other  metals,  and  the  rest  of  the  oil 
is  then  available  for  'oiling'  the  artificial  sulphide,  has 
given  but  little  encouragement  in  the  tests  conducted  by 
the  Bureau.  Finally,  colloidal  sulphur,  mentioned  as  a 
possible  method  of  sulphidizing,  does  not  seem  to  combine 
with  lead  carbonate  at  all.  It  floats  as  a  white  lining  of 
the  air  bubbles  in  the  flotation  machine,  and  brings  up 
very  little  lead  with  it. 

Usually  the  precious  metals  contained  in  a  lead-car- 
bonate ore  accompany  the  lead.  We  have  noticed  that 
the  silver  extraction  will  lag  behind  the  lead  extraction 
when  the  ore  is  sulphidized  with  sodium  sulphide,  and 
that  the  reverse  has  usually  been  true  when  hydrogen 
sulphide  was  used. 

The  importance  of  sulphidizing  flotation  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  there  are  many  deposits  of  lead  carbonate  ore 
in  all  of  the  Western  States  and  many  of  these  ores  have 
been  milled  with  varying  success.  Frequently  the  lead 
carbonate  can  be  concentrated  satisfactorily  by  gravity 
methods,  hut  often  it  is  found  that  the  particles  go  into 
the  slime  and  are  lost.  Tailing  heaps  containing  5  to 
10%  of  lead  are  common.  The  object  of  this  investiga- 
tion is  to  determine  whether  sulphidizing  flotation  could 
not  be  applied  to  the  treatment  of  the  deposits  of  lead 
carbonate  above  mentioned,  to  prevent  the  waste  that 
now  takes  place  when  these  ores  are  treated  by  gravity- 
concentration  processes,  and  render  amenable  to  treat- 
ment, carbonate  ores  that  are  too  low-grade  to  be  treated 
by  present  methods. 

The  General  Engineering  Co.,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  has 
carried  on  extensive  tests  of  different  lead-carbonate 
ores  with  varying  success,  according  to  the  ore  tested. 
The  company  owns  several  sulphidizing  methods,  which 
it  has  either  patented  or  purchased. 

A  flotation  plant  to  apply  sulphidizing  and  flotation 
to  an  ore  containing  lead,  silver,  and  gold  is  being  con- 
structed by  the  Prince  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  at 
Pioche,  Nevada,  for  the  treatment  of  two  tailing-dumps 
from  former  pan-amalgamation  and  cyanide  operations 
in  that  vicinity.  This  plant  is  expected  to  be  in  opera- 
tion shortly. 

Oxidized  Copper  Ores.  Many  attempts  have  been 
made,  both  by  large  operating  companies  and  by  other 
experimenters,  to  float  the  carbonate  and  other  oxidized 
minerals  of  copper.  For  that  reason  the  testing  of  such 
ores  by  us  has  been  limited. 

Hydrogen  sulphide  seems  to  be  by  far  the  best  medium 
for  sulphidizing  oxidized  copper  ores  previous  to  flota- 
tion. When  applied  to  the  dry  ores  we  found  the  same 
conditions  as  those  mentioned  for  lead ;  the  particles  are 
sulphidized  to  the  centre,  which  requires  an  excessive 
amount  of  hydrogen  sulphide.  Applied  to  the  wet  pulp, 
the  hydrogen  sulphide  seems  to  cause  true  filming.  Our 
work  has  yielded  a  black  concentrate,  but  we  are  in- 
formed by  Mr.  J.  M.  Callow,  of  the  General  Engineering 


July  29,  1916 


MIMNl.   ..„d  Sccnt.lu    FK1-SS 


.a  tin-  oompanj  ha*  bean  able  to  redone  tha  ■ ml 

phur  used  tn  h  poinl  where  the  fnith  is  green  with 
aHghtly  coated  malachite.  He  itatea  that  nx  tittle  m  i  all 
a  pound  of  sulphur  per  ion  of  on  ia  giving  k,m"1  ■ 

n  tli>'  |>liuit  of  the  Hagma  Copper  •  o .  at  Magma, 
,i  where  In-  oompanj  has  put  in  tha  fli 
ful  i retaliation  of  this  kind. 

Bodium  aulphide  baa  I d  tested  b)  a  Dumber  of  tha 

companies  thai  hare  ozidiaed  oopper  minerals  in 
tlinr  suipiii.li-  orea.  The  amonnl  of  ozidiaed  oopper  in 
noh  orea  ia  usually  a  fraction  of  r. .  an  thai  only  two  or 
three  pounds  of  aodinm  aulphide  per  ton  of  ore  ia  necea- 
aarj  Tins  is  usually  added  to  the  machines  during  flo- 
tation, nr  to  the  mixing  tanks  before  flotation.  <»ur  ex- 
perience ia  tluit  it'  aosu  little  time  of  preliminary  con- 
tact i-  allowed  baton  flotation  is  attempted,  better  sol- 
phidiaing  of  the  material  will  result 
Calcium  poly-sulphide  has  been  used  for  some  time  in 


a  number  of  the  Ian  iting  nulls  with 

indifferent  to  be  detrimental  in  some 

install. is  On  the  orea  tested  bj  us  fair  results  wan  oh 
tained  if  the  calcium  poi)  rolphidc  waa  allowed  to  act 
until  the  on  had  become  wall  blaeki  oed 

h  is  stated  that  sulphur  vapor  was  tested  at  '>n.'  of  the 

large  plants  tor  flotati i  bxidised  forma  of  oopper 

ami  gave  better  results  than  an]  other  method  of  sul 
phidiaing.    Of  oourae  this  method  baa  the  diaadvantage 
lit'  having  to  !»■  applied  i"  dried)  heated,  and  flnelj 
divided  ore. 

Sulphuretted  ..ils  an  being  used  at  a  Dumber  of  plants 
t.i  supplement  other  methods  of  ralphidizing  and  oon 
aiderable  aecrecy  ia  observed  as  to  the  teohnical  details 
of  this  work. 

So   far  as  we   know.   Colloidal   sulphur  lines   tint    assist 

in  the  flotation  of  oxidized  forms  of  copper.    Neither 
has  the  silicate  of  copper  been  successfully   floated   by 


Method  or  Sulphiduung 

No.  l.   Two  hours'  treatment  with  II. s  gas  on  dry  ore. 

N.i    _'    Four  hours'  treatment  with  H.S  gas  on  dry  ore. 

V  3.  Eighteen  hours'  treatment  with  1',  solution 
of  Na  s.  l'ii  lh.  per  ton  of  ore. 

No.  4.  Three  hours'  treatment  with  0.8','  solution  of 
i  aS..  16  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 

No.  5.  Four   hours'   treatment   with    1','    solution   of 


Na  S,  20  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 

No.  6.  One-half  hour's  treatment  with  6%  solution  of 
Na^S,  12  11).  per  ton  of  ore. 

No.  7.  One-half  hour's  treatment  with  0.75',  solution 
of  Na._,S,  15  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 

No.  8.  Short-time  treatment  with  hot  1%  solution  of 
Na,S,  20  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 

No.  9.  Na,S  or  H..S  in  various  amounts. 


ReSILTS   Of    SULPHIDIZING    AND    FLOTATION    OF   OXIDIZED   ORES 


No.  Mine 

1  Daly  Judge.  Utah 

2  May  Day.  Utah   . . 

3  May  Day.  Utah   . 

4  May  Day.  Utah   . . 


Wilbert  dump.   Idaho 
Scranton.  Utah   


LEAD-SILVER   ORE 

Metal 

Content 

Metal  Content  of  Ore 

, — of  concentrate — 1 

r-  Extraction  — , 

Lead, 

Silver, 

Lead, 

Silver, 

Lead. 

Silver 

% 

Oz. 

% 

Oz. 

% 

% 

16.1 

20.6 

33.6 

41.5 

83 

80 

4.2 

2.36 

24.6 

9.6 

80 

55 

4.5 

2.8 

28.4 

12.04 

86 

64 

4.5 

2.8 

26.1 

11.5 

73 

48 

LEAD 

ORE 

Metal  Content 

Metal  Content 

of  Ore 

of  Concentrate 

Extraction 

Lead, 

Lead 

Lead. 

% 

% 

% 

5.77 

28.2 

54 

8.74 

65.0 

88 

Shattuck.   Arizona 


8        Grand  Central,  Utah 


LEAD-SILVER-GOLD  ORE 

, Metal  Content v 

Lead,       Silver,       Gold, 
%  Oz.  Oz. 

.   15.42         12.88  0.05 

COPPER-SILVER-GOLD    ORE 

,— Metal  Content  of  Ore—, 
Copper.     Silver.       Gold, 

%  Oz.  Oz. 

.     0.60  4.80  0.22 


Metal  Content 

, of  Concentrate , 

Lead,       Silver.       Gold, 

%  Oz.  Oz. 

48.3  45.2  0.128 

Metal  Content 

, of  concentrate , 

Copper,     Silver,       Gold, 

%  Oz.  Oz. 

4.75  32.9  1.28 


, Extraction 

Lead,       Silver,     Gold, 
%  % 

88  89  70 


, Extraction , 

Copper,     Silver,     Gold. 
%  %  % 

67  75  73 


ZINC    ORE 

Metal  Content 

Metal  Content  of  Ore 

of  Concentrate 

Extraction 

Zinc. 

Zinc, 

Zinc. 

Honorine.  Utah 


28.45 


27.2 


Nil 


174 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


sulphidizing  flotation.  It  will  blacken  when  sulphidized, 
but  resists  flotation.  Possibly  it  still  presents  a  silicate, 
rather  than  a  sulphide,  surface  to  the  flotation  elements. 
For  this  reason  a  number  of  the  large  copper  companies 
are  seriously  contemplating  leaching  the  oxidized  copper 
ores,  rather  than  lose  what  silicate  of  copper  may  be 
present. 

Repeated  attempts  to  float  the  natural  sulphides  aloug 
with  sulphidized  minerals  have  failed,  as  the  sulphidiz- 
ing  agents  cause  trouble  with  the  flotation  of  the  natural 
sulphides.  By  careful  adjustment  this  difficulty  has 
been  solved  in  one  plant,  though  the  details  are  not 
available. 

Oxidized  Zinc  Minerals.  Attempts  to  float  the  par- 
ticles of  oxidized  zinc,  both  before  and  after  sulphidiz- 
ing  by  most  of  the  above  methods,  have  met  with  no 
success  whatever  in  our  laboratory  experiments.  We  are 
informed  that  some  headway  was  made  with  the  problem 
by  Prof.  P.  W.  Traphagen,  at  the  Colorado  School  of 
Mines,  but  that  the  sulphide  film  seemed  to  come  off  too 
easily.  However,  poor  results  were  obtained,  whatever 
the  cause. 

Our  experience  has  been  that  most  of  the  carbonate 
ores  of  zinc  contain  important  amounts  of  the  silicate, 
and  this  may  be  one  reason  for  the  non-success  of  this 
work,  for  the  same  reasons  that  copper  silicate  will  not 
float. 

Direct  flotation  of  oxidized  minerals  of  the  kind  men- 
tioned, so  far  as  known,  has  not  been  successfully  ac- 
complished. In  all  of  the  successful  work  witnessed  by 
us  there  has  been  some  form  of  alteration  of  the  oxide 
to  the  sulphide.  A  number  of  parties  claim  to  be  success- 
ful in  the  flotation  of  copper  carbonates  without  sul- 
phidizing,  and  others  in  the  flotation  of  scheelite,  fluorite, 
and  magnetite.  We  were  unable  to  verify  these  state- 
ments. 

Results  of  Tests.  Some  of  the  best  results  and  some 
average  results  which  have  been  obtained  in  the  work  at 
the  Utah  station,  are  given  in  the  table  on  the  preceding 
page. 

Patents.  A  list  of  patents  dealing  with  methods  of 
sulphidizing  and  flotation  follows: 

U.  S.  Patent  807,501  Dec.  19,  1905  A.  Schwarz 
U.  S.  Patent  1,094. 7G0  April  28,  1914  .1.  T.  Terry 
U.  S.  Patent  1,098,668       June       2,  1914       H.  B.  Hovland  and 

G.  B.  Frankforter 
U.S.  Patent  1,140,865      May      25.1915       R.F.Bacon 
D.  S.  Patent  1,140,866      May      25,  1915       R.  F.  Bacon 
U.  S.  Patent  1,159,942       Nov.        9,  1915       H.  B.  Hovland 
U.S.  Patent  1,180,816      April    25,  1916       R.  F.  Bacon 
British  Patent    26,019      Nov.     10,  1909       H.  L.  Sulman  and 

H.  F.  K.  Picard 

Provisional  specifications  28,612,  Sulman  and  Picard, 
applied  for  Dec.  7,  1909.  and  29.616.  applied  for  Dec. 
17,  1909,  are  incorporated  in  British  Patent  26,019. 


ports  over  imports  during  the  last  fiscal  year  was  $2,145,- 
082,161,  comparing  with  the  ordinary  figure  before  the 
War  of  about  $500,000,000  per  annum.  Of  our  total 
foreign  trade  about  55%  is  with  Europe;  of  the  exports 
alone,  about  659<  goes  to  Europe.  Comparing  American 
foreign  trade  with  that  of  Japan,  our  exports  and  im- 
ports during  one  month.  May  1916,  were  more  than 
the  whole  foreign  trade  of  Japan  for  a  year.  Japan's 
foreign  trade  is  about  $600,000,000  per  annum,  being 
less  than  that  of  Canada,  which,  with  one-sixth  the 
population  of  Japan,  has  a  foreign  trade  of  more  than 
$1,000,000,000.  Australia,  with  5,000,000  people,  has 
a  foreign  trade  equal  to  that  of  Japan.  In  the  same 
class  are  China,  Switzerland,  and  Brazil.  Great  Britain's 
foreign  trade  amounts  to  over  $6,000,000,000  per  annum, 
Germany's  foreign  trade  was  about  $5,000,000,000  be- 
fore the  War,  that  of  France  is  $3,000,000,000  and  the 
Netherlands  $2,500,000,000. 


The  foreign  trade  of  the  United  States  during  the 
fiscal  year  ended  June  30  reached  the  enormous  total 
of  $6,489,148,585,  which  exceeds  by  more  than  $2,000,- 
000,000  the  trade  of  any  previous  year,  and  compares 
with  a  total  $2,244,424,266  in  1900.     The  excess  of  ex- 


Production  of  crude  platinum  in  California  and  Ore- 
gon in  1915,  according  to  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey, 
was  741.91  troy  ounces,  having  a  value  of  about  $23,538, 
an  increase  of  171.91  oz.  over  the  production  in  1914. 
Californian  mines  produced  most  of  this  quantity;  only 
one  mine  in  Oregon  reported  production  in  1915.  The 
Rambler  mine,  Albany  county.  Wyoming,  produced 
platinum-bearing  copper  concentrate,  which  was  shipped 
to  Eastern  refiners.  No  platinum  ore  was  shipped  from 
the  Boss  mine,  Clark  county,  Nevada. 

According  to  reports  received  by  the  Survey  from  the 
platinum  refiners,  8665  oz.  of  new  metals  of  the  platinum 
group  was  recovered,  of  which  at  least  1587  oz.  is  be- 
lieved to  be  of  domestic  origin.  Secondary  metals  de- 
rived from  the  refining  of  scrap  and  sweeps  to  the 
amount  of  42,970  oz.  were  sold  in  1915. 

Notwithstanding  the  embargo  placed  on  the  exporta- 
tion of  platinum  by  all  the  Allied  governments,  United 
States  imports  of  platinum  and  allied  metals  during  the 
year  1915,  as  compiled  by  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  and 
Domestic  Commerce,  Department  of  Commerce,  were 
only  107c  below  the  1914  imports,  amounting  in  all  to 
over  69.000  oz..  having  a  value  of  $2,768,688. 

Figures  showing  the  world's  production  of  platinum 
and  allied  metals  are  at  best  estimates  made  from  the 
most  reliable  information  obtainable,  and  the  table  below 
gives  the  best  estimates  from  information  available  to 
the  Survey  at  this  time  (the  figures  are  ia  ounces)  : 

Country  1912  1913  1914  1915 

Borneo  and   Sumatra 200  200  (*)  (*) 

Canada    30  50  30  100 

Colombia    12,000  15,000  17,500  19.000 

New    South    Wales 778  1.275  1,248  t56 

Russia    300,000  250,000  241.200  124,000 

United    States 721  483  570  742 

313,729     267,008     260,548     143,898 
•No  basis  for  estimate. 

tNo  figures  from  Tasmania  available  at  time  report  goes  to- 
press. 


.Ink  29    1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


Recent  Patents 


U1N  link  and  '■ 

Davern.  Albuquerque.   N     M.\       Kiln!  Sept    :'t.   I 


A  device  for  separating  float  or  flour  gold  from  fine  foreign 
substances,  comprising  a  mercury  receptacle,  a  vertical  column 
extending  downwardly  Into  said  receptacle  and  provided  with 
a  plurality  of  sides,  a  pyramidal  deflector  extending  upwardly 
Into  (he  lower  end  of  the  mercury  column,  said  deflector  hav- 
ing a  series  of  sloping  sides  equal  In  number  to  the  sides  of  the 
column  and  sloping  toward  the  lower  ends  thereof,  the  de- 
flector being  provided  with  horizontal  flanges  defining  narrow 
elongated  horizontal  exits  into  the  body  of  mercury,  and  an 
inlet  at  the  top  of  the  column. 


1,178,081.     Process    of    Cvanidi.no.     Harai    R.    Layng,    San 
Francisco,  Cal.     Filed  Mar.  19,  1913. 


1.  A  method  of  extracting  values  from  ores  and  recovering 
cyanid  from  its  solution  which  consists  in  first  treating  the 
ores  with  a  cyanid  solution,  then  filtering  the  solution  to 
remove  the  undissolved  residue,  conveying  the  pregnant  solu- 
tion to  a  sealed  receptacle,  adding  a  chemical  to  liberate 
cyanid  and  to  precipitate  salts  of  the  metals,  conveying  the 
liberated  cyanid  to  a  recovery  device  to  recover  the  cyanid,  and 
filtering  the  remaining  solution  to  recover  the  precipitated 
salts. 


1,182,951.  Process  of  Desci.i  irizing  Ores.  Howard  F. 
Wierum,  Upper  Montclair.  N.  .T.,  assignor  to  the  Sulphur  Syn- 
dicate Limited,  London.  England,  a  Corporation.  Filed  Dec. 
29,  1914. 

1.  A  process  of  separating  sulfur  from  metallic  sulfids,  which 
consists  in  first  subjecting  the  ore  to  a  temperature  sufficient 
to  distil  a  larger  part  of  the  less  stable  atom  of  sulfur  present 
in  the  raw  ore.  and  in  an  atmosphere  which  is  non-oxidizing; 
then  passing  the  ore  through  another  section  of  the  same  fur- 
nace, in  which  a  highly  reducing  atmosphere  is  maintained, 
and  a  temperature  preferably  just  under  the  fusing  or  melting 
temperature  of  the  material  under  treatment;  then  passing 
the  material  through  a  third  section  of  the  furnace,  In  which 
an  oxidizing  atmosphere  is  maintained,  in  which  third  sec- 
tion a  greater  or  less  amount  of  the  sulfur  remaining  in  the 
material  under  treatment  is  oxidized  and  sulfur  dioxide,  usu- 


al!) »ith  Mmt  trloxld,  present,  and  paielng  the  rem*  und 
vapom  formed  throughout  Umm  mooeaaive  step*  in  a  dl 

opposite  to  thai  "f  Hie  travel  „f  the  ore.  (bun  providing  nivalin 
for  the  reduction  of  sulfur  oxlds  formed  In  the  third 
el  the  furnace  t"  be  reduced  to  sulfur  In  their  passage  through 
the  second  lection  ot  the  furnace,  and  el  tor  prevent 

Ing  either  the  oxidation  or  combination  with  oarbonaceoui 
matter  of  the  elemental  sulfur  dimmed  In  the  first  section  of 
the  furnace,  ei  well  .i*  the  elemental  sulfur  produced  in  the 
second  section  of  the  furnace. 


1,183,786.     l'u...  i~-  iii    itniMM.  Ciniiii     Bdward  C.  King, 
Cananea,  Mexico.    Filed  October  :■:'.  1910. 


1.  The  hereindescribed  improvement  In  the  art  of  refining 
copper  in  an  oxidized  condition,  which  consists  in  introducing 
hydrocarbon  oil  free  from  oxygen  into  direct  contact  with  tin- 
interior  of  a  body  or  bath  of  molten  copper  while  the  latter  is 
protected  from  oxidizing  influences. 

2.  The  hereindescribed  method  of  refining  copper  which  con- 
sists in  introducing  liquid  hydrocarbon  oil  free  from  oxygen 
into  the  interior  and  below  the  surface  of  a  body  of  the  metal 
while  in  a  molten  state  and  while  in  an  oxidized  condition, 
and  continuing  such  operation  until  all  the  impurities  and  the 
oxygen  contained  in  the  copper  have  been  eliminated  there- 
from. 


1,183,431.  Tube-Mux.  David  E.  Carlson.  Chicago  Heights, 
111.,  assignor  to  Chalmers  &  Williams,  Inc.,  Chicago  Heights, 
111.,  a  Corporation  of  Illinois.    Filed  July  14,  1915. 


1.  A   diaphragm   plate   for  a  tube-mil!   comprising  separate 
plates  secured  together  and  adjustable  relatively  to  each  other. 


176 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


said  plates  being  provided  with  holes  the  edges  of  which  over- 
lap, the  holes  of  one  of  said  plates  being  relatively  large,  and 
projections  on  the  other  plate  which  extend  into  said  holes, 
said  projections  being  narrower  than  the  width  of  said  holes 
and  forming  sides  of  free  openings  in  the  plate  other  than 
that  on  which  they  are  formed,  the  opposite  sides  of  said  free 
openings  being  formed  by  the  edges  of  the  holes  in  said  plate 
which  overlap  the  edges  of  the  holes  in  the  plate  on  which 
said  projections  are  formed,  substantially  as  described. 


1,183,226.  Dry  Ore-Separator.  David  M.  Owings.  Canton, 
and  William  R.  Kinsey,  Bartlesville,  Okla.  Filed  Dec.  16, 
1915. 


1.  In  a  dry  ore  separator  the  combination  of  a  concentrating 
table  having  spaced  metal  receiving  channels  therein,  a  hood 
inclosing  said  table  and  open  at  its  opposite  ends,  means  for 
discharging  a  blast  of  air  through  said  hood  over  said  table, 
means  for  feeding  ore  containing  material  to  said  hood  in  the 
path  of  said  blast,  and  cylindrical  agitators  having  radially 
projecting  teeth  and  disposed  entirely  within  said  channels 
to  avoid  obstructing  the  surface  of  the  table  over  which  the 
ore  containing  air  blast  is  directed. 


1.182.S90.  Separation  of  Metallic  Sulfids.  Leslie  Brad- 
ford. Broken  Hill.  New  South  Wales,  Australia.  Filed  Sept. 
10,  1913. 

1.  A  process  for  the  preferential  or  selective  separation  of 
zinc  sulfids  from  lead  sulflds  in  ores  containing  mixed  sul- 
fids  which  consists  in  submitting  the  ores  to  agitation  with 
a  frothing  agent  in  a  heated  feebly  acidulated  solution  of 
common  salt  of  such  a  nature  as  to  render  the  lead  sulfld 
particles  immune  to  flotation  while  in  the  said  medium  but 
as  not  to  affect  the  subsequent  floatable  properties  of  the 
said  lead  sulfld  particles  by  the  ordinary  flotation  treatments 
and  which  does  not  similarly  affect  the  zinc  sulfld  particles 
and  permits  the  said  zinc  sulfld  particles  to  float  substan- 
tially in  the  manner  hereinbefore  described. 


1,184,520.  Electric  Furnace  Permitting  the  Extraction 
in  a  State  of  Purity  of  Zinc  From  Its  Ores.  Eugene 
Francois  Cote  and  Paul  Rambert  Pierron,  Lyon,  France, 
assignors  to  SociStG  Anonyme  pour  l'Electrom6tallurgie  du 
zinc,  ProcSdes  Cote,  et  Pierron,  Lyon,  France.  Filed  July 
24,  1914. 


1.  An  apparatus  for  extracting  zinc  from  ores  in  a  state  of 
purity,  comprising  a  furnace  for  melting  the  ores,  and  a 
refining  furnace  Into  which  the  zinc  vapors  from  the  melting 
furnace   are   delivered,   said   refining  furnace   being   provided 


with  means  for  condensing  the  zinc  vapors  in  the  form  of 
drops  or  powder,  and  with  means  for  re-distilling  the  zinc 
drops  or  powder,  whereby  the  metal  will  be  refined  successively 
with  the  production  thereof  while  at  a  temperature  next  to  the 
point  of  volatilization  thereof. 


1.1x3.086*  Process  of  Cyaniiunu.     Harai  R.  Layng,  Seneca, 
Cal.     Filed  Dec.  29,  1914. 


1.  A  process  for  regenerating  cyanid  and  recovering  values 
from  a  cyanid  solution  containing  compounds  of  valuable 
metals  which  comprises  treating  the  solution  with  suitable 
chemicals  of  precipitate  cyanogen  compounds  of  the  metals, 
separating  the  precipitate  so  formed  from  the  solution,  and 
treating  the  precipitate  with  a  mixture  comprising  an  oxidiz- 
ing agent  and  capable  of  converting  cyanid  into  hydrocyanid 
acid,  substantially  as  described. 


1,187,822.     Ore-Concentrator.    George  B.  Eberenz  and  James 
I.  Brown.  Cripple  Creek,  Colo.    Filed  Mar.  2.  1916. 


1.  An  apparatus  for  concentrating  ores  by  gaseous  flotation 
of  mineral  particles  in  liquid,  including  an  agitating  tank  and 
a  spitzkasten,  the  agitating  tank  having  an  opening  at  its 
base  leading  into  the  base  of  the  spitzkasten  and  an  opening 
leading  from  the  spitzkasten  and  into  the  agitating  chamber 
above  the  base  and  below  the  overflow  level  of  the  spitzkasten, 
and  an  agitator  rotating  in  a  vertical  plane  within  the  agitat- 
ing tank  and  disposed  below  the  plane  of  the  second-named 
opening,  the  agitator  rotating  in  such  a  direction  as  to  draw 
liquid  inward  into  the  agitating  tank  from  the  spitzkasten  by 
the  upper  opening  but  force  liquid  from  the  agitating  tank 
into  the  spitzkasten  by  the  lower  opening,  the  upper  and 
lower  openings  being  so  proportioned  as  to  maintain  a  liquid 
level  in  the  agitating  tank  lower  than  that  In  the  spitzkasten. 


1.185.757.  Process  of  Preparing  Pure  Zinc-Sulfate  Solu- 
tion From  Zinc  Ores.  Shunjiro  Arakl.  Osaka,  Japan.  Filed 
Sept.  6,  1913. 

1.  The  process  of  producing  a  pure  zinc  sulfate  solution 
from  zinc  ores  which  comprises  extracting  the  ores  with  a 
sodium  bisulfate  solution,  removing  from  the  solution  the 
heavier  metals  by  treatment  with  metallic  zinc,  separating  the 
greater  part  of  the  iron  and  manganese  by  neutralizing  with 
alkali  and  by  treatment  with  an  oxidizing  agent,  and  remov- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  iron  and  manganese  by  adding 
sodium  silicate,  neutralizing  the  sodium  silicate  with  sulfuric 
acid  to  form  silicic  acid  and  sodium  sulfate,  and  heating  the 
resulting  solution  containing  silicic  acd  to  convert  the  dis- 
solved colloidal  silicic  acid  into  an  insoluble  form. 


.Iul>   29    I'M i. 


MINING  ,nd  S  ■«•„(,(,£  PRESS 


ITT 


REVIEW  OF  MINING 

.  n  u(  0M  World*!  tfr.-.ii  iiiiiiina  ,,-iilr.-*  f-\  mijt  Dflpn  mrr.  >j-<hJ.mii. 


LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 

l'»'i'Mlliiv   IOB  Hmi    \mi       Ni»    HlRH       bOCAl     Hi-! 

km  a  t;i  1 1  ii  m 

The  Hnil  slv  iiioDlha  of  the  nirr.nl  veal  shows  the  Leadville 

district  to  I  i  record  i<oih  in  ore  production,  value 

of  output,  ami  in  Increasing  the  development  of  old  ami  new 

D  In  January  huh  approximately  60,000 

ton*.  »n  avenge  of  nearly   1000  tons  daily;    February  dropped 

us.  but   with  a  dally  nil  to  that  of  the 

M.u.ii   recorded  ■  small  gain  with 
tinned   the  advance   with   66,000  tone;    May 

following   with   7  anil   June   produced    B8.260   tone, 

an  Increase  ol  in. nun  tona  over  any  previous  month.  The  total 
output  of  the  district  during  the  half-year  Is  402,260  tons. 
Mont  of  the  ore  has  been  zinc  carbonate  and  zinc-lead  sul- 
both  of  which  have  realized  high  prices  during  the 
period.  The  other  ores  varj  (ram  low-grade  Iron-man 
to  huh-grade  gold-silver.  Including  several  shipments  of  bul- 
lion from  the  Derry  dredge.  The  estimated  value  of  produc- 
tion Is  $10,000,000. 

During  the  term  1  new  and  28  old  mines  resumed  opera- 
tions. Among  these,  the  most  important  are  the  Harvard  and 
op  on  Fryer  hill  controlled  by  the  D.  S.  S.  R.  &  K.  Co.. 
the  Mikado  on  Iron  hill,  under  the  management  of  George  O. 
Argall:  the  Greenback  in  Graham  Park,  owned  by  Patrick 
Bfulrooney  and  rated  as  one  of  the  best  mines  in  the  district; 
and  the  McCormick  on  Yankee  hill,  purchased  from  the  Small 
Hopcs-Boreel  Mining  Co.  by  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.  The  others 
mailer  properties  in  all  parts  of  the  district,  indicating  a 
most  unusual  revival.  The  activity  reaches  from  Iowa  gulch 
on  the  south,  through  the  district  Into  Prospect  mountain 
and  East  Tennessee  gulch  on  the  north,  and  includes  a  number 
of  properties  on  Sugar  Loaf  to  the  west,  an  area  that  has 
had  little  development  for  years. 

A  general  wave  of  prosperity  due  to  the  mining  uplift  is 
also  noticeable  in  business  circles.  Real-estate  men  say  that 
the  value  of  property  in  Leadville  has  increased  at  least  10', 
during  the  past  six  months.  Good  store  lots  are  held  at  a 
premium,  and  there  are  but  few  inhabitable  residences  un- 
occupied. Property  owners  have  been  busy  during  the  spring 
ami  summer  months  repairing  old  houses,  putting  them  into 
shape  for  tenants  who  are  dail.  coming  in  from  other  places. 
Fully  200  men  have  been  added  to  the  district  pay-rolls  since 
the  first  of  the  year,  and  several  times  that  number  will  find 
employment  as  soon  as  the  Down  Town  and  Fryer  hill  mines 
begin  mining  In  earnest.  The  Mikado  enterprise  will  not  be 
ready  for  development  this  year  but  will  be  a  factor  in  1917. 

The  work  recently  started  In  Iowa  gulch  is  at  present  at- 
tracting no  little  interest  from  local  mining  men.  Steady- 
shipments  are  being  made  from  the  Lilian,  one  of  the  oldest 
properties,  and  it  is  stated  that  the  output  from  the  mine  is 
now  far  greater  than  it  has  been  for  years.  Several  groups  of 
lessees  are  developing  the  property,  most  of  the  work  being 
done  in  the  upper  levels  where  many  large  bodies  of  carbon- 
ate of  zinc  have  been  found.  Some  good  gold-bearing  ore  is 
also  being  shipped  from  the  Lilian,  and  present  indications  are 

promising. The  First  National,  also  one  of  the  early  day 

mines  of  Iowa  gulch,  is  producing  a  regular  tonnage  of  lead- 
zinc  ore  containing  good  value  in  gold  and  silver.  This  makes 
it  the  best  policy  of  the  operators  to  ship  the  material  as  a 


ther  Ulan  a  leed-slnc  combination    although 
a  good  price  could  !"•    wcured  foi   the  latter.        The  Contin- 
ental Chief,  one  "i  the  well-known  mlnea  <•<  thi 
being  developed  attain  after  several  years  <>r  Idleneaa;   it  Ik 

reported  thai  tome  good  ore  has  i d  uncovered        The  iim.ui 

Horn  la  shipping  o  stead]  output  ol  carbonate  ..i  dm   from  ■ 
large  rein  outcropping  a)  the  surface.       'Leasees  ar.-  prepai 

resume  operations  on  the  Doris  where  s. good  car 

Donate  wns  found  last  fall. Owners  of  the  Qlpay  Carbonate 

are  aboul    ready  to  start  development   again. It   Is 

thai   Denver  people  are  Inspecting  the  Rex  and  surrounding 
ground,  proposing  to  undertake  a  large  dralnagi 
similar  to  those  Just  completed  In  other  parts  of  Leadville, 

The  Derry  Ranch  Gold  Dredging  Co.'s  boat,  operating  In 
Box  creek,  is  having  a  remarkable  success.  Weekly  clean-ups 
are  being  made,  and  although  the  exact  value  of  the  mild  has 
not  been  made  public,  the  manager  states  that  it  is  profitable. 
This  year's  results  are  reported  to  be  better  than  those  of  last 
year.  Leadville  people  traveled  over  this  deposit  for  years 
without  suspecting  Its  value. 

Denver  people  are  preparing  to  do  some  extensive  diamond- 
drilling  in  Prospect  mountain,  close  to  the  Valley  adit,  where 
ore  has  recently  been  opened.  The  entire  area  on  the  moun 
tain  from  the  Valley  and  Omega  group,  north  to  the  Anderson 
adit  ground  near  Blrdseye  on  the  northern  slope,  and  west 
to  the  Mansfield  group,  covering  several  square  miles,  has 
been  staked  out  by  pioneer  Leadville  mining  men  who  have 
made  their  fortunes  here  and  are  now  residing  in  Denver. 
This  entire  territory  will  he  patented  and  extensive  develop- 
ment done  in  the  near  future. 

JOPLIN,  MISSOURI 

Tin;  Uissoubi-Karsas-Oklahosu  Region  fob  the  Fiksi   Halt 

of  1915. — Miami,  Oklahoma.    DEVELOPMENT. 

The  first  half  of  191C  showed  total  shipments  of  zinc  and  lead 
conci  in  rates  aggregating  over  $20,000,000  in  value,  a  record 
over  all  previous  periods.  The  value  in  detail  was  as  follows: 
blende,  $17,085,500,  calamine,  $1,010. 005.  and  lead.  $2,503,380. 
This  represents  an  increase  of  $0,955,839  for  blende.  6640,641 
for  calamine,  and  $1.405,2.S9  for  lead  products.  These  remark- 
able increases  were  in  part  due  to  increased  prices,  but  also 
to  larger  output  for  the  same  period.  The  average  price  for  the 
first  half  of  1916  for  blende  was  $97.38;  for  calamine.  $70.33, 
and  for  lead  $89.58  per  ton  of  60%,  40%,  and  S0r/c  products. 
This  compares  with  $70.02,  $42.63,  and  $51.38  respectively  in 
the  same  period  of  1915.  This  alone  accounts  for  a  large 
portion  of  the  increase.  The  increase  in  price  for  zinc  con- 
centrate is  slightly  in  excess  of  $25  per  ton,  while  the  increase 
in  the  price  of  lead  ore  is  nearly  $40.  Turning  to  the  increase 
in  tonnage,  the  first  half  of  1916  produced  175,149  Ions  of 
blende,  14,652  tons  of  calamine,  and  27,943  tons  of  lead.  These 
were  gains  of  32,000  tons  in  blende,  3418  in  calamine,  and 
6569  In  lead.  This  does  not  tell  the  whole  story,  as  there  was 
stored  in  bins  of  ore  producers  as  surplus  stocks  on  June  30, 
23,650  tons  of  zinc  ore,  compared  with  4150  in  1916;  and  2000 
of  lead  ore,  against  825  tons  in  1915.  Stocks  and  increased 
shipments  combined  give  a  total  Increase  of  35%  for  zinc  and 
33J%  increase  in  lead.  This  represents  slightly  more  than 
anticipations  of  the  operators  at  the  beginning  of  the  year. 

The   increase  has  been  a  steady  growth  since  the  first   of 


178 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


xx 


Cherokee 
Shale 

Pitkin 

L  i  mestone 


Fayetreville 
Shale 


^q 


iii 


Boone 
Forma  / 1  on 


January,  and  represents  the  completion  of  many  of  the  pros- 
pecting enterprises  undertaken  during  the  latter  part  of  1915. 
It  also  represents  in  a  large  measure  the  revival  of  many  of 
the  low-grade  sheet-ground  ore  mines  that  had  been  devel- 
oped and  abandoned  during  the  former  period  of  high  prices 
and  reaction  in  1907  and  1908.  There  is  yet  to  come  that  in- 
crease in  production  which  will  result  from  the  unusually 
large  number  of  new  producers  in  the  Miami,  Oklahoma,  dis- 
trict. This  field  will  add  a  large  tonnage  to  the  production 
during  the  second  half  of  1916,  and  should  prices  for  ores  be 
reduced  to  a  level  that  would  result  in  the  curtailment  of  pro- 
duction in  the  sheet-ground  district  of  Webb  City,  Prosperity, 
and  Duenweg,  the  increase  from  Oklahoma  alone  will  probably 
make  up  for  that  decrease  by  the  end  of  the  year.  The  new- 
mines  brought-in  from  the 
Oklahoma  district  belong  to 
that  class  of  producers  that 
can  mine  profitably  when  the 
price  is  $40  to  $50  per  ton,  an 
advantage  not  possessed  by 
sheet-ground  men. 

Development  in  the  Okla- 
homa field  is  in  many  ways 
one  of  the  most  remarkable 
features  in  the  Joplin  district. 
Starting  as  an  isolated  and  a 
small  group  of  prospects  de- 
veloped under  adverse  condi- 
tions, the  area  has  grown  fast 
until  it  is  now  one  of  the  rich- 
est zinc  and  lead  centres. 
When  first  opened,  the  mines 
produced  concentrate  low  in 
zinc  and  high  in  iron,  bitumen, 
and  silica.  These  impurities 
brought  the  prices  paid  for  the 
product  to  a  low  figure,  in 
some  cases  as  low  as  $5  per 
ton  for  the  finished  product;  a 
condition  that  would  have  pre- 
vented any  further  develop- 
ment had  it  continued.  With 
development  at  deeper  levels, 
however,  the  amount  of  iron 
pyrite  decreased,  there  was  no 
bitumen  worth  mentioning,  and 
the  grade  of  the  concentrate 
improved  equal  to  that  of  any 
other  part  of  the  field.  With 
this  the  advantages  of  this 
centre  at  once  appealed  to  all 
mine  operators,  and  the  influx 
of  capital,  new  prospectors,  and 
building  of  new  mills  became  features  of  greater  importance 
than  in  any  other  mining  territory  of  the  centre.  No 
single  part  of  the  field  ever  had  the  number  of  prospect 
drills  at  work  that  this  one  had.  Prospecting  has  been  not 
only  extensive,  but  thorough,  and  an  ore  deposit  was  thor- 
oughly developed  before  the  mill  was  built,  a  feature  of  the 
work  that  is  entirely  different  from  the  former  procedure 
in  the  older  parts  of  the  district.  The  character  of  the 
drilling  is  different  also  from  that  that  has  formerly  been 
done.  Instead  of  being  generally  distributed  over  a  lease, 
the  prospector  so  places  the  drill-holes  that  they  cross-section 
the  ore-deposit.  This  has  been  brought  about  largely  by  local 
experience,  of  which  has  shown  the  deposits  to  consist  of  long 
'runs,'  the  linear  dimensions  ranging  from  }  to  5  of  a  mile  or 
even  greater,  while  the  width  of  the  run  would  he  from  20  to 
200  ft.  It  soon  became  evident  to  the  prospector  that  if  he 
put  a  series  of  holes  across  part  of  such  a  run  that  a  general 
distribution  of  the  holes  along  it  would  prove  of  little  value. 
A  single  cross-section  at  another  point  would  not  only  be  of 


iT-t^ea^i 


saa< 


t^t- 


C  hattanooga 
Shale 


Tyner 
Formation 


Burgen 
San/is  font 


GEOLOGICAL     SECTION     OF     NORTH 

EASTERN    OKLAHOMA. 


as  much  value  as  the  general  distribution  of  the  holes,  but 
more  so  in  that  it  gave  a  chance  to  determine  the  width  and 
direction,  as  well  as  the  thickness  of  the  deposit  at  a  much 
lower  cost.    This  system  of  drilling  is  now  generally  adopted. 

During  1915  there  were  around  40  drill-rigs  constantly  at 
work  in  the  Miami  district;  during  1916  so  far,  there  have 
been  150.  Naturally  such  development  has  shown  the  ex- 
istence of  a  large  amount  of  mineralized  ground,  and  has 
added  a  large  tonnage  to  the  known  reserves  at  Miami.  Fol- 
lowing in  the  wake  of  the  drill-rigs  has  come  the  sinking  of 
shafts  and  the  building  of  mills,  so  that  today  the  actual 
tonnage  of  ore  extracted  has  been  largely  increased,  and  the 
potential  production  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  will  un- 
doubtedly show  a  much  larger  increase. 

Zinc  ore  dropped  $5  per  ton  again  last  week.  Lower  prices 
and  a  shortage  of  electric  current,  due  to  an  accident  to  the 
Empire  District's  Riverton  plant,  combined  to  cause  a  number 
of  large  producing  mines  to  shut-down  during  the  week. 
Most  of  the  sheet-ground  producers  of  West  Joplin  are  down, 
and  several  in  North  Webb  City.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
production  is  curtailed  at  least  1000  tons.  There  is  also  less 
water  in  the  Spring  river  since  the  recent  rains  stopped.  It 
is  estimated  that  concentrate  stored  totals  7500  tons.  In  the 
Oklahoma  section  the  largest  surplus  is  said  to  be  in  bins.  The 
output  of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region  was  5118  tons 
of  blende,  44  tons  of  calamine,  and  941  tons  of  lead,  averaging 
$65,  $45,  and  $75  per  ton.  respectively.  The  total  value  was 
$405,600. 


SUTTER  CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Onetoa     and     South     Eobeka. — Eureka     Progress. — Central 
Eureka. 

Twenty  stamps  are  dropping  at  the  Oneida  mill,  one  of  the 
plants  operated  by  the  South  Eureka  company,  which  has  80 
stamps  crushing  on  its  own  mine.  An  underground  hoist  is 
now  being  installed  on  the  2200-ft.  level  of  the  Oneida  shaft 
for  the  purpose  of  sinking  a  winze  and  developing  that  mine 
deeper  than  heretofore.  The  new  hoist  has  a  sinking  capacity 
of  1500  ft.  The  shaft  has  been  unwatered  within  400  ft.  of 
the  sump,  and  the  block  of  ground  to  be  opened  by  this  winze 
and  the  unwatering  of  the  shaft  should  yield  ample  ore  to 
keep  the  two  mills  well  supplied  for  some  years.  The  South 
Eureka  company  purchased  the  idle  Oneida  mine  several  years 
ago,  the  object  being  to  connect  the  shaft  with  that  of  the 
South  Eureka  mine,  forming  a  safety  exit  and  improving 
ventilation.  Connections  were  made,  and  some  ore  of  good 
grade  opened  in  making  connections,  but  until  recently  little 
work  has  been  done  at  the  Oneida.  It  was  in  unwatering  the 
mine  below  the  connecting  cross-cut  that  a  shoot  of  good  ore 
was  found  that  warranted  starting  10  stamps  of  the  mill.  Now 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  keeping  20  stamps  supplied.  Henry 
Schmal  is  superintendent  of  the  combined  properties,  under 
general  manager  H.  Malloch.    About  250  men  are  employed. 

The  old  Eureka  shaft  has  been  unwatered  to  a  depth  of  380 
ft.  from  the  surface.  Three  sinking-pumps  are  working,  and 
as  soon  as  the  shaft  is  cleared  to  600  ft.  it  is  intended  to 
install  another  pump.  Far  better  progress  is  being  made  than 
was  anticipated  in  re-opening  the  old  shaft,  as  many  of  the 
timbers  do  not  have  to  be  changed.  Three  shifts  of  shaft  men 
are  employed,  and  a  number  of  men  are  engaged  on  the  surface 
plant. 

The  sump  below  the  3200-ft.  level  of  the  Central  Eureka 
shaft  is  being  cleaned  out,  and  sinking  will  be  started  at  once 
for  the  purpose  of  opening  at  greater  depth  the  good  ore 
mined  on  the  present  lowest  level.  Twenty  stamps  of  the  mill 
are  crushing  ore  from  the  2800,  3100,  and  3200-ft.  levels,  and 
sufficient  ore  is  now  available  to  permit  starting  another  10 
stamps  within  a  few  days.  W.  J.  Bryant  has  been  appointed 
foreman  of  the  mine,  taking  the  place  of  W.  Parrow,  who 
resigned. 


Jal) 


MINING  and  Selenitic  PKI» 


179 


THE  MINING  SUMMARY 

I  lw  ntMt  of  ilw  »wk  ui  ImM  bv  (Mr  >p>>  "'I  corr*»ponJi-nn  and  compiled  (rum  ihi-  local  prra. 


ALASKA 

.1 1   M  II 
■•.-»   ill    (hi-   Al.mku  Jul  .|»   fOllOWl 

iree-enianing  ['lam  la  completed,  and  tin-  aldea 

ami  root  are  being  put  on.    Power-house  1 1 .1 1 1 1 ••  i-  half  finished. 

t   tin'  mill  building   foundations  are  made. 

for  iiu-  crashing  and  power  plants  has  nr- 

rlv,-il      The  rrushrni  will  1"  watoiy  and  two 

■     ratora  are  to  ba  6000  Irw.  aaeh. 
'line  to  B.  L.  Thaue  of  the  Alaska  Qastlneau,  on  June 
mil]  treats  is  of  ore.    Blnoe  tha  I 

the  operation  of  the  big  mill,  tha  average  coal  of  mining  and 
milling  the  ore  baa  been  conalderahly  under  the  76c.  pel  ton, 
which  whs  the  orlKlmil  estimate  made  by  the  engineers.  Emi- 
nent m  ■  minim;  profession  rreelj  predicted  that  the 
coats  could  not  ba  reduced  to  76c  aa  estimated.  For  the  past 
(<•«  in. nulls  tha  costs  have  In  en  66c  ami  under.     The  mill  Is  at 

ton  average  daily  capacit] . 
which  was  the  original  estimate,  but  Its  actual  capacity  is 
more  than  double  that  amount,  or  between  12.000  and  15.000 
tons  dally.  As  the  mine  development  to  the  east  progresses 
the  mill  will  gradually  be  speeded  up.  Owing  to  the  contour 
of  the  ground  and  the  lay  of  the  orebody  on  the  west  end.  the 
ore  must  be  taken  from  certain  places  first  In  order  that  the 
mine's  producing  capacity  be  not  impaired.  This  work  Is  now 
progressing  rapidly  and  large  bodies  of  ore  of  a  higher  value 
are  being  opened  out  for  stoping  purposes,  and  within  a  short 
time  the  mill  will  be  at  capacity  as  the  company  is  able  to 
take  the  ore  from  the  east  end  and  mix  it  with  the  west  end 
ore.  bringing  the  average  of  the  ore  to  the  correct  grade. 

ARIZONA 

GlL.V    COI'NTV 

The  inspiration  Needles  company  at  Miami  has  two  drills 
In  operation  and  will  shortly  start  three  more.  No.  1  was 
down  125  ft.  on  July  17  and  is  making  from  20  to  30  ft.  daily. 
Over  3m  men  are  employed. 

Mohavk  County 

A  Many  ball-mill  has  arrived  at  the  United  Eastern  mine 
at  Oatnian.  The  new  200-ton  plant  Includes  this,  tube-mills. 
Dorr  classifiers,  thickeners,  etc..  and  Merrill  precipitating 
presses. 

The  Arizona  Corporation  Commission  has  ordered  the  Tom 
Reed  company  to  resume  supplying  citizens  of  Oatman  with 
water.  The  company  also  sells  electric  current  in  the  town. 
To  further  help  the  water  supply  the  Oatman  Water  &  Sewer 
Co.  has  been  formed,  and  has  purchased  the  water  of  the  Big 
Jim  mine,  the  Mazona  supply  and  plant,  and  the  supply  and 
plant  of  the  I^exington-Arizona  Mining  Co.,  which  furnishes 
the  town  of  Old  Trails.  The  pipeline  of  the  Orion  Mining  Co. 
has  been  purchased.  In  turn,  the  new  company  will  furnish 
water  to  the  Orion  and  it  will  start  its  stamp-mill  and  do  cus- 
tom work.  The  Oatman  water  company  will  also  pump  water 
from  weils  along  the  Colorado  river,  a  distance  of  11  miles,  as 
has  been  previously  mentioned  in  these  pages. 

Owing  to  a  wage  dispute  miners  and  mill-men  at  the  Gold 
Road  are  on  strike,  affecting  about  70  men.  Recognition  of 
the  Snowball  Miners'  Union  No.  124  is  part  of  the  grievance. 
The  strike  lasted  5  days,  demands  being  granted  temporarily. 

For  violation  of  the  8-hour  law.  allowing  men  to  work  over- 


turn-, tin-  managsr  and  luperlntendent,  two  oonti 

tin-  Pioneer  oompanj   are  being  triad  al  Oatman    at  tha  in 

stain f  tha  Snowball  Ulnars'  Union. 

Y  \\  kFAl   Cot  mi 

rdlng  to  .1.  Nelson  Nerlua  In  tha  Bulletin  ol  the  Cham- 
ber "I   .Mines  ami  Oil  ol  BS,  tha  Octave  gold  mine,   10 

mibs  anal  ol  Congroai  Junction,  In  tha  Walker  district,  win 

shortly  be  a  producer  again.     Past  yields  In  a  depth  of 

have  been   $2,000,000.      \ n ■  r  erecting  an  axpanaivt  electric 

power-plant  at    Wickciilmrg.  a   12-mllfl  t  ruusmisslon-llne.  and  a 

complete  motor  equipment  ai  tha  mine,  the  i  shut- 

down   some   years   ami.      The    vein    has    recentl) 
beyond  the  fault  for  27u  ft.,  averaging  27  In.  wide  and  $10.06 
per  ton.     The  shoot  is  i>oor  for  25   It.,   followed   by  90  ft.  of 
$18.44  ore  across  4   ft.     H.  C.  Glbbs  of  Boston  Is  president  of 
the  company. 

ARKANSAS 
Sebastian  Count? 

On  July  15  the  Fort  Smith  Spelter  Co.  at  Fort  Smith  pro- 
duced its  first  metal.  Two  blocks  of  retorts  are  reducing  ore, 
others  to  follow  at  an  early  date. 

CALIFORNIA 

Amadou  County 

The  40-ft.  high  and  500-ft.  long  tailing-dam  of  the  Argonaut 
company  has  been  completed  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.— —The  Ken- 
nedy company  is  to  increase  the  height  of  its  concrete  dam 
by  20  feet. 

Inyo  County 

According  to  L.  D.  Gordon,  general  manager  of  the  Cerro 
Gordo  Mines  Co.,  near  Keeler.  the  largest  body  of  zinc  ore 
ever  opened  in  the  property  was  encountered  last  month  on 
the  200-ft.  level,  500  ft.  south-east  of  the  shaft.  It  is  zinc  car- 
bonate that  occurs  as  a  replacement  in  limestone.  It  is  circu- 
lar in  form,  standing  vertically,  and  is  25  ft.  diam.  A  square- 
set  stope  is  being  carried  up  above  the  200-ft.  level,  and  there 
is  a  winze  down  40  ft.  below  the  200-ft.  level  all  in  ore.  It 
contains  35';  zinc.  Monthly  shipments  are  700  tons  of  ore 
and  1500  tons  of  old  slag. 

Nevada  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  5-ft.  vein  of  copper-gold  ore 
has  been  discovered  at  a  depth  of  35  ft.  on  the  Downey  ranch, 
12  miles  below  Grass  Valley.  The  ore  is  said  to  assay  5% 
copper  and  $7.50  gold  per  ton.  Development  is  proceeding 
under  the  management  of  W.  R.  Dibble. 

Shipments  of  high-grade  chrome  ore  are  being  made  from 
the  Red  Ledge  mine  in  the  Washington  district.  The  chrome 
is  found  in  small  deposits  in  a  gold-bearing  formation.  De- 
velopment of  the  6-ft.  vein  of  gold  ore  recently  opened  is  pro- 
ceeding vigorously,  and  a  good  quantity  Is  going  to  the  mill. 
Streaks  of  specimen  ore  are  found  with  the  milling  quartz. 
The  Red  Ledge  is  owned  by  Cole  &  Williamson  of  Washington. 

Grass  Valley,  July  16. 

Plumas  County 
The    Utah    Construction    Co.    of    Salt    Lake    City    has    been 
awarded  the  contract  to  build  27  miles  of  railway   from   the 
Engels  copper  mine  in  Lights  canyon  to  Keddie  on  the  West- 
ern Pacific  at  a  cost  of  $800,000. 


180 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


At  the  Walker  copper  mine  the  adit  has  been  driven  into  the 
lode  for  20  ft.,  and  is  now  almost  under  thes  haft.  The  aerial 
tram  is  now  delivering  ore  to  the  bins  of  the  new  mill,  which 
will  be  finished  in  three  weeks. 

SlIAST.V   COUNTY 

Miners  of  the  Mammoth  Copper  Co.  are  demanding  an  in- 
crease of  50c.  per  day  in  wages.  Present  wage  is  $3.50  to 
$3.76,  plus  25c.  when  copper  is  above  26c.  per  lb.  The  bonus 
was  not  paid  in  June,  owing  to  low  copper.  The  men  want 
straight  pay  and  no  bonus.  The  company  has  since  agreed  to 
the  men's  demands  while  copper  is  over  15  cents. 

Sierra  County 

Around  Sierra  City  there  is  reported  to  be  considerable 
work  going  on.     On  the  west  slope  of  Sierra  Butte   (S600  ft. 

high)   is  the  Monarch  mine  supplying  ore  for  20  stamps. 

Development  in  the  Cleveland  is  expected  to  give  good  re- 
sults;   25    men    are   employed. An   Oakland   syndicate   has 

secured  a  bond  on  the   Bullion   claims  from   F.   J.  Cook  and 

others. The  Bigelow  is  under  bond  to  W.  B.  Pearson  of  the 

Plumbago  mine,  near  Alleghany. Under  the  management  of 

F.  E.  Barnett  the  Butte  Saddle  and  Sacred  Mound  mines  are 

being   opened. Good    ore   has   been   opened    in   the   Chipps 

mine,  which  has  10  stamps. The  William  Tell  and  Sierra 

Butte  properties  are  practically  idle. 

COLORADO 

Clear  Creek  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Colorado  Central  Leasing 
Co..  operating  the  Colorado  Central-Aliunde  group  of  mines  on 
Leavenworth  mountain  above  Georgetown,  will  shortly  start 
work  in  the  construction  of  a  100-ton  concentrating  plant. 
It  is  proposed  to  treat  all  dumps  of  the  mine,  as  well  as  extract 
numerous  old  stopes.    A  steam  tramway  3  miles  long  is  to  be 

constructed.     T.  Kyner  is  manager. The  Linn  mill,  which 

has  been  closed  for  the  last  two  weeks  undergoing  repairs, 
will    resume    next   week.     A    4S<7<    lead   concentrate    is   being 

made. Work  has   been   resumed   on   the   Rendahl   property 

on  Bard  creek  and  early  shipments  are  promised. A  ship- 
ment of  200  tons  of  silver-lead  ore  will  be  started  next  week 
from  the  Wide  West  mine  on  Leavenworth  mountain.  This 
ore  is  of  good  grade,  and  will  yield  close  to  100  oz.  of  silver 
per  ton.  A.  L.  Stephens  is  manager. Work  has  been  re- 
sumed on  the  Aramosa  mine  on  Columbia  mountain  by  A. 
Swanson  &  Co.     Driving  is  in  progress  on  a  6-in.  streak  of 

silver-lead  that  is  worth   nearly   $100  per  ton. The  Culley 

adit  on  Saxon  mountain  is  being  repaired  preparatory  to  re- 
sumption of  work  in  the  face.    The  bore  now  has  a  length  of 

1100  ft. Men  are  employed  at  the  Doric  adit.     Numerous 

caves  that  occurred  during  the  eight  years  the  property  lay 
dormant  are  being  caught  up  and  extension  of  the  adit  will 
be  in  order  within  30  days.  It  is  proposed  to  drive  1200  ft., 
when  cross-cutting  will  start  to  the  west  to  connect  with  the 

Capital    adit    workings.      T.    Kyner    is   manager. The    Tol 

Reynolds  property  on  Alpine  mountain  is  receiving  attention 
and  occasional  shipments  of  a  lead-zinc  ore  are  going  out. 
The  ore  is  consigned  to  the  Linn  mill  for  separation.     L.  B. 

Davenport    is    lessee. The    Capital    Tunnel    &    Mining   Co., 

controlling  one  of  the  largest  mineral  estates  on  Griffith  moun- 
tain, has  awarded  a  contract  to  John  Connors  to  extend  the 
west  drift  500  ft.    This  will  take  the  heading  to  the  end-lines 

of  the  Aetna  vein. Hamilton   &  Co.,   leasing  on  the   west 

urift  of  the  Aetna  vein,  has  a  4-ft.  vein  of  smelting  ore  ex- 
posed that  brings  a  settlement  averaging  $70  per  ton  in  gold, 
silver,  and  lead.    A  net  earning  of  $2000  per  month  is  made. 

Work  has  been  resumed  on  the  Queen  City  group  of  claims 

on  Democrat  mountain.  Repairs  are  being  made  preparatory 
to  extending  the  adit,  which  now  has  a  length  of  600  ft.    G.  W. 

Teagarden  is  manager. The  Red  Oak  Mining  Co.  has  been 

prosecuting   active   development    for   the   last   several    weeks. 


Operations  are  being  centred  through  the  Sceptre  adit,  and 
there  is  already  a  fine  show  of  ore.  E.  Anderson,  of  George- 
town, is  manager. Stephens  brothers  have  secured  a  favor- 
able lease  on  the  greater  portion  of  the  Pelican  mine,  and  are 
now  employing  men  in  repairing  the  various  workings.  It  is 
proposed  to  send  a  large  tonnage  of  lead-zinc  ore  to  the  Men- 
dota  mill.-* — It  is  reported  that  work  will  be  resumed  at  an 
early  date  on  the  Kelly  adit  on  Democrat  mountain.  This 
bore  has  a  length  of  2800  ft.    A  working  fund  of  $12,000  has 

been  provided. The  Argo  Leasing  Co.,  operating  the  Doctor 

Town  mine  in  the  Daily  district,  will  shortly  start  work  in 
the  construction  of  a  mill  with  a  daily  capacity  of  50  tons. 
The  road  leading  from  Empire  station  to  the  mines  is  now 
being  repaired  so  that  heavy  machinery  may  be  transported. 
Albert  Hanson,  of  Empire,  is  manager. 
Idaho  Springs,  July  18. 

Dolores  County 

After  spending  $250,000  on  development  and  $75,000  on  a 
mill,  etc..  also  paying  off  a  bond  of  $150,000,  the  Rico  Wel- 
lington Mines  Co.  is  out  of  debt.  Over  $15,000  of  ore  is  in 
transit.     A  compressor  and  drills  are  to  be  installed.     J.  C. 

Jensen   is  manager   at    Rico. The   Rico   Argentine   Mining 

Co.,  under  the  same  management,  is  to  install  similar  ma- 
chinery. 

Lake  County   (Leadvtlle) 

When  pumps  arrive  the  La  Plata  mine  in  California  gulch 
is  to  be  unwatered. 

Exploration  in  East  Tennessee  gulch  is  receiving  attention. 
The  Helen  Gould  adit  is  in  over  600  ft.  in  good  porphyry,  and 
has  opened  a  small  vein  assaying  1*  oz.  gold  and  22  oz.  silver 
per  ton.  The  Jennie  June,  Emma  Mabel,  and  Gold  Leaf  are 
properties  of  promise. 

Large  shoots  of  zinc  carbonate  and  sulphide  have  been 
opened  in  the  Gambetta  on  Yankee  hill.  The  monthly  out- 
put of  these  ores  is  800  and  400  tons,  respectively. 

Saguache  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Near  the  San  Luis  lakes,  east 
of  Hooper,  the  San  Luis  Soda  Co.  is  to  treat  the  extensive  de- 
posit of  soda  owned  by  it. A  large  deposit  of  manganese 

ore  has  been  developed  by  a  company  14  miles  east  of  Moffat. 

S.  R.  Miller,  of  Moffat,   is  president. On   Pole  creek,  near 

Liberty,  the  Golden  Treasure  Mining  Co.  is  developing  by 
adit  a  good  gold-copper  vein.  Machinery  is  to  be  ordered. 
B.  O.  Roloson  is  manager. Since  the  Rolla  mine  at  Bo- 
nanza was  sold  that  place  is  much  more  active  than  before. 

Crestone,  July  14. 

San  Miguel  County 

In  May  the  Tomboy  company  treated  13,000  tons  of  ore  for 
bullion  worth  $94,000.    The  profit  was  *28,650. 

MICHIGAN 

The  Copper  Country 

The  Calumet  &  Hecla  reports  the  June  outputs  as  follows, 
in  pounds: 

.Mines                                                          June  6  Months 

Ahmeek    2.280.923  11.461,195 

Allouez     922,584  5.137,907 

Calumet  &  Hecla 7,217.837  38,157,582 

Centennial    216,919  1,269,697 

Isle    Royale    1,138,814  6, "35,766 

La   Salle    69,370  632,608 

Osceola     1.571,714  9.791,439 

Superior    286.124  1.758.465 

Tamarack    515,331  ::. 446,425 

White   Pine    302,448  2,190,472 

On  July  15  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  Mining  Co.  celebrated  its 
fiftieth  anniversary  at  Houghton.     Everything  went  off  well. 

save  for  a  little  rain  which  interfered  somewhat.  The  affair 


Jul)   29,   1916 


MINING   »nd  Sewn., 


1-1 


was  held  lo  Calumet   i>urk      The  crowd  was  addressed  b)    the 
general   nianacrr.   Jain  |htOD;    Hear)    I 

UW,    lonit   connected    with   the   i'<nu|<in      am!    i. 
Ferris  of  Michigan.     Thr  parade  .  ■  •■».   with  M 

Naushlon  a»  grand  munihal.  consisted  01 

thr  honor  medals  vara  distributed,  after  some  remarks  made 
nlpha  Agassis.    Thet.  ,,|  S8I 

medals  lo  men  who  had   worked   BTBf    I"    10,  end   M 
year*,  rem  • 

Daring    Haj     tbt    Ooppw  illroad's    revenue    waa 

$90,639.  of  which  $21,647  waa  profit      hi  II  months  Uu  n 
totaled   $M1'.>7".  against   |tM,0M   In  thr   previous  term.     The 
reapertlvr  profits  were  $146,161  and  173.420. 

MONTANA 

I'lln  i  ii's   OOOIITI 

destroyed  proparti  In  the  mining  town  ot  Zortmon,  in 
the  Little  Rockies,  to  tin-  value  of  $2.".. on  .luly  v 

BAjrona  Ooi  an 

Thirty  tons  of  antimony  ore  was  shipped   by   F.  B.   Hough- 
land   ami    partners   from   Thompson    Falls   last   weak.     They 
•    good    property    on    Prospect    creek,    midway    between 
Thompson  Falls  nnd  Mum 

sn  ruaow  Cot  mi  (Butte) 

rii.-  Trail,  Qrand  Porks,  and  Braenwood  smelters  in  British 

Colombia  are  to  smelt  500,  50.  and  100  tons  daily,  respectively, 

from  the  Bullwhacker  copper  mine.    The  smelting  charges  are 

S:t.  and   $1    per   ton.   with   $4   per  ton  for  freight   from 

Butte.      Lessees   last    week    shipped   a   car   of    12';    ore    to   the 

Butte  smelter. 

Work  has  been  suspended  temporarily  at  the  Rainbow  mine, 

shaft  Is  down   1500  ft.     The  company  Is  developim:  the 

Butte  &  London. 

No.  II  adit  ol  the  Bntte-Columbla  company,  at  the  head  of 
Tramway  gulch,  is  In  800  ft.,  and  is  within  175  ft.  of  the  lode. 
Electric   motors,  cells,    insulators,  anodes,  and   other  appar- 
atus of  the  Butte-Duluth  was  sold  last  week  by  trustees  order 
for  $6174. 

NEVADA 
Clash  County  (Qoodspsinqs) 

According  to  T.  II.  M.  Crampton,  copper  minerals  are  more 
abundant  in  the  Goodsprings  district  than  generally  supposed. 
Tley  are  found  with  certain  zinc  deposits,  alone,  with  iron, 
and  with  platinum.  The  Green  Monster  has  copper-lead-zine 
ore.  the  Copper  Peak  copper  carbonates  alone,  cuprite  alone 
In  the  Columbia,  and  malachite  and  hrochantite  in  the  Boss 
platinum  mine. 

Elko  County 

In  the  northern  part  of  this  county,  8  miles  south  of  the 
Willow  Creek  dam,  W.  C.  Davis  and  Salt  Lake  City  people 
have  opened  a  deposit  of  rich  cinnabar  over  a  length  of  14"  ft., 
and  12  ft.  depth.    A  10-ton  plant  Is  to  be  erected. 

At  Jarbldge  the  Long  Hike  and  O.  K.  mines  are  bonded  to 
the  SI0S8  interests  of  San  Francisco,  while  the  Success  and 
Pick  and  Shovel  properties  are  bonded  to  the  Tevis  people. 
The  Buster  mine  is  also  the  subject  of  a  deal. 

Humboldt  County 

For  the  Oklahoma  Gold  Mining  Co.'s  mill  out  from  Jungo  on 
the  Western  Pacific  line,  30  miles  south-west  of  Wlnnemucca, 
lumber  and  machinery  has  been  bought  in  San  Francisco. 
T.  Ewing  is  president. 

The  Bird  winze  in  the  Seven  Troughs  Coalition  is  down  to 
the  1725-ft.  point  in  rich  ore. 

Native  silver  is  being  mined  in  ore  from  the  deep  workings 
of  the  Rochester  Mines  Co.  Winze  301,  known  as  the  Codd 
winze,  now  down  a  trifle  over  800  ft.  on  the  dip  of  the  east 
vein,  produces  this  ore.     The  whole  bottom  of  the  winze  is  in 


much  belli  iraga  ihiiiiiik  value,  latest  assay* 

Inj   sunk    rapldlj    i marl    »nli    tii. 

adman  adit     it  »ui  tvenloallj   be  th.   outlet  lot  ore 
from  all  parti  or  th. 

I.i  m  ,.i  \  Ooi 

n.e  Consolidated   Nersda-Utab   company'!   nan    mill 
Plocha  is  working  ■  | .  product! 

concentrate,  and  Iron-gold-sllver-lead  ooncei 

par  month. 

Lroa  Cot  m> 

a  dredge  is  i «>  be  erected  si  Dayton  b]  thi  Baa  I 

Gold  Dredging  Co     i    ii    Baa  li  president    The  B   R    B r, 

Hachlnerj  Co,  "i  i^.s  Angelee  is  to  supply  some  ol  the  plant. 

Nti  Cot  » n    (Toropab  > 

During  the  second  week  "f  July,  Tt pah  mines  produced 

10.360  tons  of  ore  valued  al  $212,660;  in  the  third  week  the 
yield  waa  10,189  tons  worth  $208,688. 

The  June  output  of  the  Belmont  was  230.652  oz.  of  silver 
and  8400  oz.  of  gold,  from  12,074  tons  of  ore.  The  profit  was 
$116,847.  The  returns  for  6  months  total  16,844  OS,  Of  gold  and 
1,448.906  oz.  of  silver  Horn  7 r. .r,  1  <;  tons  of  ore.  Profits  amount 
to  $649,673. 

For  June  the  Tonopah  Mining  Co.  reports  9otii i    treated, 

119,325  oz.  of  bullion  shipped,  and  $19,950  net  profit.  Work  is 
to  be  extended  at  the  Sand  Grass  claims,  as  the  70-ft  head- 
frame  at  the  Red  Plume  shaft  Is  to  he  moved  there. 

The  Jim  Butler  company  has  decided  to  appeal  against  the 
recent  decision  in  its  suit  with  the  West  End,  wherein  the 
latter  had  a  favorable  judgment. 

At  1260  ft.  in  the  Extension  the  junction  of  the  North  Uergei 
and  Murray  veins  has  been  reached.  This  makes  the  former 
shoot  700  ft.  long,  and  from  3  to  30  ft.  wide. 

Storey  County 
The  United  Comstock  Pumping  Association  has  commenced 
to  unwater  the  north  end  workings  to  the  2900-ft.  level,  under 
water  since  1886.  This  will  re-open  200  ft.  more  ground.  Un- 
watering  from  2500  to  2700  ft.  cost  $17,000;  the  proposed  work 
will  cost  less.  The  Union  shaft  will  be  completed  to  2700  ft. 
in  a  few  days. 

NEW   MEXICO 

Sn.  OEEO   COUNTY 

(Special  Correspondence. I — Merchants  and  business  men  of 
Clifton,   Arizona,   are   making  a   strong  bid   for  the   Mogollon 


1             / 

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MAP  SHOWING   SITUATION   of  THE   MOQOLLON    DISTRICT,   WITH 
KKUARD   TO   ITS   TRANSPORT   PROBLEMS. 

business.  It  is  said  that  from  a  survey  down  the  Frisco  river 
good  road  grades  have  been  found.  This  route  would  give  a 
haul  to  railroad  of  about  65  miles,  instead  of  over  80  miles 
via  Silver  City,  New  Mexico,  and  would  reduce  freight-charges 
in  the  neighborhood  of  $5  per  ton. 


l  si- 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


Work  is  to  be  started  by  the  Alberta  Mining  &  Development 
Co.,  A.  H.  G.  Palmer  in  charge,  at  the  Alberta  claims,  which 
are  favorably  situated. 

The  Eberle  mine  shaft  of  the  Oaks  Co.  has  been  unwatered. 
Drifts  at  the  bottom  are  yielding  ore  for  the  custom  mill. 

The  Pacific  mine  shaft  has  been  re-timbered  to  500  ft. 
Everything  is  electrically  driven. 

Abundant  rains  in  the  mountains  during  the  past  week  have 
assured  ample  water  supply  for  mines  and  mills,  and  all  plants 
are  running  at  full  capacity.  The  economic  importance  of 
utilizing  one  of  the  locally  available  sites  for  a  hydro-electric 
installation  is  becoming  more  and  more  apparent,  and  it  is 
confidently  believed  some  definite  steps  to  this  end  will  be 
taken  in  the  early  future  on  a  scale  sufficiently  large  to  meet 
the  growing  power  consumption  of  the  district. 

Mogollon,  July  18. 

Grant  County 

A  recent  addition  to  the  geologic  map  of  the  United  States 
which  the  I*.  S.  Geological  Survey  is  constructing  is  the  Silver 
City  folio,  by  Sidney  Paige,  which  describes  the  geology  and 
resources  of  the  region  adjacent  to  Silver  City,  in  south- 
western New  Mexico.  It  contains  geologic  and  topographic 
maps  and  a  map  showing  geologic  structure,  besides  numerous 
photographic  illustrations.  The  country  described  has  long 
been  known  for  its  deposits  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  zinc,  and 
iron,  all  of  which  are  mined.  The  Silver  City  district  borders 
the  desert  region  north  of  Deming.  It  is  partly  mountainous, 
partly  a  foot-hills  country,  and  its  geology  is  complex  and 
varied.  Sedimentary  and  igneous  rocks  furnish  a  long  record 
of  its  history,  in  which  volcanism,  faulting,  and  folding  each 
played  a  part.  In  recent  years  the  development  of  valuable 
bodies  of  low-grade  porphyry  copper  have  added  to  the  fame 
of  the  Santa  Rita  or  Chino  district,  in  the  Silver  City  region, 
where  for  more  than  a  century  rich  oxide  ores  of  copper  have 
yielded  great  returns.  In  the  Burro  mountains  also  deposits  of 
low-grade  copper  ore  are  developed,  and  zinc  mining  has  been 
stimulated  by  the  development  of  replacement  deposits  near 
Pinos  Altos.  Turquoise,  of  superior  quality  and  in  extremely 
rich  deposits,  has  in  the  past  been  produced  in  this  region. 

OREGON 

Josephine  County 
The  well-known  Layton  placer  property  on  upper  Williams 
creek,  near  Grants  Pass,  has  been  sold  to  the  Pacific  Placer 
Co.,  headed  by  Austin  Wilson  of  Boston,  by  the  heirs  of  the 
late  J.  T.  Layton.  To  the  600  acres  are  to  be  added  the  ad- 
joining 400  acres.  There  are  38  miles  of  ditches,  delivering 
water  with  a  300-ft.  head  to  the  giants.  More  plant  is  to  be 
added. 

UTAH 

Beaver  County 

A  25-ton  flotation  plant  is  proposed  for  the  Antelope  Star 
lead  mine,  12  miles  from  Milford.     A.  C.  Nebeker  is  manager. 

At  the  Moscow  mine  the  shaft  is  down  1000  ft.  During 
June  300  tons  of  copper  ore  was  shipped  to  smelters,  averag- 
ing 9%  metal. 

At  a  depth  of  155  ft.  in  the  Croff  mine,  in  the  Lincoln  dis- 
tlict,  8  ft.  of  ore  assaying  40c.  gold,  11.2  oz.  silver,  0.27' ',  cop- 
per, 30."';  zinc,  and  2195  lead,  has  been  cut.  R.  R.  Tanner  is 
manager. 

J  UAH    COUNTY 

A  25-ton  zinc  leaching  plant  is  to  be  erected  at  the  Lower 
Mammoth  mine  at  Tintic.  The  process  of  Pierre  Peugeot  will 
be  used.  The  Western  Spelter  CO.  of  Salt  Lake  City  controls 
the  system,  and  may  construct  the  plant  at  Goodsprings. 
Nevada. 

In  sinking  the  new  shaft  at  the  Chief  Consolidated,  progress 
in  the  first  few  days  was  10  ft.  dally. 

Profits  of  the  Eagle  &  Blue  Bell  are  increasing  so  much  that 
it  is  thought  dividends  may  soon  be  resumed. 


Salt  Lake  County 

The  Bingham-Tooele  tunnel  of  the  Ctah  Metal  &  Tunnel  Co. 
is  in  853  ft.,  following  a  porphyry  dike  to  the  limestone- 
quartzite  contact. 

The  Alta  Tunnel  &  Transportation  Co.'s  tunnel  In  Big  Cot- 
tonwood is  in  over  ZuOO  ft.  Gas  from  blasting  is  bad,  but  a 
suction-fan  has  been  installed  at  the  portal  to  draw-off  the 
fume. 

Preliminary  work  for  power-plant,  etc.,  at  the  Wasatch  in 
Little  Cottonwood  is  completed,  and  it  is  expected  that  driving 
of  the  tunnel  will  be  commenced  by  August  1. 

Tooele  Couhtx 

At  the  International  smelter  at  Tooele,  two  units  of  the 
Cottrell  process  were  started  last  week.  This  will  reduce  fume 
considerably,  and  several  farmers  have  settled  with  the  com- 
pany for  alleged  damages  to  crop.  Two  more  units  will  be 
ready  in  a  month. 

The  Ophir  district  is  producing  more  zinc  ore  than  ever 
before.    The  Ophir  Hill  Consolidated  is  treating  300  tons  daily. 

Uintah  County 
In    the    Three    States   district,    close    to    the   Colorado   and 
Wyoming  borders,  a  rich  copper  property  is  being  developed 
by  a  company  of  which  .1.  T.  Fitch  is  president,  and  W.  O'Neil 
manager. 

WASHINGTON 

Stevens  County 
The  Electric  Point  Mining  Co.  near  Northport  closed  a  con- 
tract with  the  Trail,  B.  C.  smelter  for  its  entire  output  for  one 


NORTH-EASi     WASHINGTON. 


year,  shipments  to  be  made  at  an  average  rate  of  between  75 
and  100  tons  daily.  The  clean  sulphide  ore  is  to  be  kept 
separate  as  much  as  possible  from  the  carbonate  ore.    All  ore 


MINING   and  Soi-nt, 


roulalulut  l«"»*  Il  id  In  carload  lots  It  lo  l» 

•  uat*.  and  tak*  thr   lower   frrlsht   and   treatim  nt    tula 

<  .  *  nli  tine 
anulter*  at  KOM,  nnd  Ix-wn 
vanu    hat   •  Ml  thr  Vbol 

■ 

and  alee  lii*  contracted  fur  t !»«•  p 

/in.     M  operaUnt   M-v.rnl   propartlea   In   the   Kaslo- 

dlatrlel   ••(   llrliNh  Colombia,  a.  N.wt.in    W. 

dI  Um  Kum  company. 

v     Welch,    president,    the    Norman 

'hik   Um   Last   chance   and   Qroat    Wi 

from   NOTtbport,  will  construct   a  mill   ihlM 

fall  in  handle  the  lower-grade  ore*  from  both  propertlea    ii  u 

noi .1  thai  On.  oompany  baa  Just  entered  Into 

'.irk  Smelting  *  Mining  ("o.  at  Coffeyvllle, 

Kansas,  i.>  which  it  »iii  forward  1000  tons  of  land  tine  ore  nt 

■t  ton.    Thu  ore  1 1  no*  being  loaded  al 

Northiiort  and  the  consignment   will  be  OUl   bol the  end  Ol 

Auk  ; 

.iitiook  for  practically  all  the  companion,  both  develop- 
ill  il    operating.    In    the    Cttawelab    district.    Is    decidedly 

nil  within  the  nasi  rear  there  undoubtedly  win  he 

a  number  of  new  shipping  properties  added  to  the  list  I 
of  capital  to  properly  finance  development  and  exploration  Is 
all  that  has  prevented  the  camp  from  becoming  recognized  as 
the  Important  copper  regions  of  the  West,  but  this 
difficulty  gradually  Is  helm;  overcome,  ami  nearly  all  the 
IntareeU  represented  there  have  funds  to  carry  their  plans  to 
a  successful  conclusion.  The  United  Copper  is  shipping  con- 
centrate regularly.  The  Copper  King  is  soon  to  commence  ore 
extraction.  The  Security  Copper  shaft  is  down  350  ft.  Pros- 
il  the  Chewelah  Consolidated,  Lookout,  and  Jumbo- 
K.  ho  an-  said  to  be  good. 

MEXICO 

An  announcement  made  last  week  by  the  International 
Commit  customs  department  at  Douglas  dealt  with  a 

list   01  i  fixed   by   the   Mexican  government   for  the 

exportation    of    various    metals    in    the    month    of    July.      All 

ii tlmated   In   Mexican   national  gold.     The  unit  of 

assessment  is  the  kilogram  of  2.2  pounds: 

Silver  bars.  $3,353  per  kilo:  concentrates  and  ores,  $4,191. 

Copper  bars.  10.06742;  concentrates  and  ores,  $0.07175;  cop- 
$0.06455. 

l..ad  bars,  $0.00905:  concentrates  and  ores,  $0.01131. 

tntlmony  ban,  $0X0454;  concentrates  and  ores,  $0.00630. 

Tungsten  metal.  $0.27949;  concentrates,  $0.34936. 

Graphite,  $0.00166;  refined.  $0.02229. 

Zinc  bars,  $0.07271;  concentrates  and  ores,  $0.09098. 

Tin  l.ars.  $0.01898;  concentrates  and  ores,  $0.02512. 


PERSONAL 


Obituary 


Philip  In  im  miiimui.  who  first  Introduced  the  'square  set' 
system  of  timbering  Into  American  mines,  died  in  this  city  on 
July  20  at  the  age  of  84.  In  1860,  when  a  vein  of  ore  65  ft. 
wide  had  been  exposed  In  the  Ophlr  mine,  on  the  Comstock, 
he  went  from  Georgetown,  California,  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada, 
at  the  request  of  W.  F.  Babcock  in  order  to  overcome  the 
difficulties  of  stoping  ore  of  unusual  width.  He  introduced 
what  is  now  known  everywhere  as  the  square  set,  hut  he 
obtained  no  particular  reward  for  his  ingenuity  and  although 
respected  and  liked  by  the  mining  community  in  California 
he  died  a  poor  man.  He  made  the  first  report  on  the  project 
to  bring  water  from  Lake  Tahoe  to  San  Francisco  and  did 
much  useful  work  in  his  day.  He  is  survived  by  a  widow.  It 
is  proposed  to  do  honor  to  his  memory  by  helping  her. 


I  Kttf  iimrra  mrmbm  q/  t»<  |».i/~..»  (..  anal  portlntfu.  I 
w--l  nml  .iiif-iiMawW        Tfcn  tn/nrmaltun  U  tml*r*Htm0  to  tmr  rmdMt. 


S    II    Dm  iiil»s  has  gone  to  New  York. 

in"'  t   Dixoa  baa  gone  from  London  to  Colombia. 

lli  um  in   i  unlnlng  ii:  i  r:i\ . 

Nevada. 

f    I.    si/iu   |i   examining   mines   in   Banta   Crui   county. 

ana. 
il.  L  Swai*  and  ii  C,  Baldwin  have  . 
from  Mexli  n  City. 

Aii  in  n    II     ItiiiH.Ks.    of    me    U.    8.    Geological    Survey.    Is  at 
Ketchikan,  \laska. 
ih\MN  Jairmiraa  and  H.  C.  Paaxota  are  at  the  i-'.m il 

hotel,  San    I'lalielsco. 

Humi-os  A.  Dl  ait,  reported  I"  he  In  prison  In  Mexico  City, 

is     al.    .il    La 

Kum  m  Kiii'iik".  ol  Aiiaiimila,  visited  Houghton  on  his 
return  from  New  York. 

R.  S.  Hi  i:n>  mi:  has  left  Guadalajara,  Mexico,  and  Is  tempo- 
rarily in  San  Francisco. 

I'iiam;  II  PsOBEBT  has  gone  to  Portland,  Oregon.  On  his 
return  he  will  go  to  Arizona. 

llnwAiiii  |i.  Smiiii  sailed  from  New  York  by  the  Touraine 
mi  July  17.  on  his  way  to  London. 

Km  in  an  K  G.  Clapp  of  the  Associated  Geological  Engineers 
is  in  Wyoming,  and  will  go  to  Oklahoma  shortly. 

:r  11.  Jeffrey  has  been  appointed  manager  to  the 
Mazapil  Copper  Co.,  at  Saltlllo,  Mexico,  in  succession  to  the 
late  Percy  B.  O.  Cabb. 

C.  N.  Wiiiiakkh.  .In.,  was  married  on  June  9  to  Miss  Alice 
Wlshard.  He  returned  recently  from  Mexico  and  is  now  with 
the  Empire  Zinc  Co.,  at  Denver. 

Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  announces  the  following  promotions: 
Walter  I  mi  ii  as  to  be  vice-president  with  headquarters  at 
New  York;  S.  W.  French  succeeds  Walter  Douglas  as  gen- 
eral manager;  A.  V.  Dvk  becomes  assistant-general  manager; 
G.  H.  Dowki.i.  becomes  general  manager  of  the  Copper  Queen 
Consolidated  Mining  Company. 


Lovis  Ro.si.miiii.  president  of  the  Eagle  Shawmut  Mining 
Co.  at  Shawmut,  Tuolumne  county,  California,  died  in  San 
Francisco  on  July  20,  at  the  age  of  54.  For  over  20  years  he 
controlled  and  operated  the  mine,  one  of  the  best  along  the 
Mother  Lode,  without  any  litigation.  Those  who  knew  him 
personally  and  in  business  spoke  highly  of  his  qualities. 


Jon n  F.  Campion,  mine  operator  and  banker,  formerly 
conspicuous  at  Leadville,  died  at  Denver  on  July  17.  He  was 
horn  on  Prince  Edward  island,  Canada,  on  December  17,  1849. 
In  1862  he  went  to  California  with  his  parents.  At  the  age 
of  17,  toward  tile  end  of  the  Civil  War.  lie  enlisted  in  the  Navy 
and  made  a  good  record.  At  the  end  of  the  War,  he  returned 
to  California  and  started  his  mining  career.  Later  he  moved 
to  Nevada  and  then  to  Leadville  in  1879,  the  boom  year.  His 
work  at  Leadville  was  most  useful.  Besides  being  a  pioneer 
he  had  enough  knowledge  of  geology  to  undertake  successful 
exploratory  work.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  four  children, 
and  a  brother  in  Denver. 


The  U.  S.  Civil  Service  Commission  announces  an  open 
competitive  examination  for  laboratory  assistant,  on  August 
23-24.  From  the  register  of  eligibles  resulting  from  this  ex- 
amination, certification  will  be  made  to  fill  existing  vacancies 
in  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  at  entrance  salaries  ranging  from 
$900  to  $1200.  Applications  should  he  filed  at  Washington  as 
early  as  possible. 


184 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29.  1916 


THE  METAL  MARKET 


METAL    PRICES 

San  Francisco,  July  25. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound   15 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 27.50 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.00 —  7.75 

Platinum:  soft  metal,  per  ounce $65 

Platinum:  hard  metal,  10%   iridium,  per  ounce $69 

Quicksilver:  per  flask  of  7'.  lb $80 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound   12 

Tin,  cents  per  pound 41 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound 20 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  July  25. 

Antimony:  50%   product,  per  unit  (1%  or  20  lb.) |1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 
Manganese:   50%  product,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton.  12. 00 — 20.00 

Bite:  crude,   per  ton    7.00 —  9.00 

Molybdenum:   50%  and  over,  per  pound 0.60 —   1,16 

Tungsten:    60",    WO*    per    unit 15.00 

New   York.  July  19. 

Antimony:  The  decline  in  the  price  of  refined  metal  seems  to 
have  put  a  quietus  on  business  in  ore.  At  prevailing  prices  it 
seems  impossible  to  import  the  ore  from  South  America.  No 
quotations  are  given. 

Tungsten:  Dealers  report  the  market  difficult  to  gauge,  the 
smaller  buyers  being  ready  to  pay  higher  prices  than  the  large 
consumers.  Business  in  20-ton  lots  has  been  done  at  $J7  per 
unit,  while  $25  has  been  bid  for  a  36-ton  lot.  France  is  reported 
in  the  market  for  tungsten  ores  at  about  $20  per  unit,  and 
wants  a  large  quantity. 


states  that  the  cessation  of  China  sales  created  a  firm  tone,  re- 
sulting in  a  rise.  After  certain  Indian  Bazaar  operators  had 
taken  profits  on  re-sales  during  the  early  part  of  the  period 
under  review,  the  improved  outlook  of  the  market  encouraged 
other  Indian  dealers  to  make  moderate  purchases  on  spi 
tive  account.  Thus  a  measure  of  competition  with  coinage 
orders  arose  and  a  more  robust  tone  was  the  outcome. 

Domestic  consumption  is  increasing  considerably,  especially 
in  photography.  The  Eastman  Kodak  and  International  Silver 
use  4.000,000  and  3,000,000  oz.   yearly,  respectively. 

It   is   estimated    that  Mexico's  silver  production   has  dropped 

to   the   rate   of   25,000,000   oz.    per   annum,   about   35%    of   normal. 

It  is  said  that  Mexicans  are  hoarding  silver,  rejecting  the  new 

Carranza  currency.      Mining  companies   report   that   each    month 

t    wages  disappears   from   circulation. 


LEAD 


Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 

Average  week  ending 

July 

19 

6.30 

June   13. 

.    6.90 

•* 

■',. 

6.30 

20 

.    6.77 

■■ 

"l 

6.30 

•'      27. 

.    6.78 

6.30 

Sunday 

"       11. 

.    6.45 

" 

:M 

6.30 

"       18. 

.    6.39 

25 

6.30 

Monthly 

"       25 . 
averages 

.    6.30 

1914. 

1915.        1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

Jan. 

..    4.11 

3.73          5.95 

July    .  .  . 

.    3.80 

5.59 

Feb. 

..    4.02 

3.83          6.23 

Aug.    ... 

.    3.86 

4.67 

Men. 

..    3.94 

4.04          7.26 

Sept.  . . . 

.    3.82 

4.62 

Apr. 

..    3.86 

4.21          7.70 

Oct.     . .  . 

.    3.60 

4.62 

May 

..    3.90 

4.24          7.38 

.    3.68 

5.15 

June 

3.90 

5.75          6.88 

Dec.     .  .  . 

.    3.80 

5.34 

EASTKRX    MIOTAL    MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
July  25. — Copper  is  quiet  though  stronger;  lead  is  dull,  prices 
are  nominal;  spelter  is  stronger  abroad,  sellers  are  reserved. 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

July    19 


25.00 

20 

21 25.00 

22 25.00 

28  Sunday 

24 25.00 

86 25.00 


Average   week  ending 

June   13 28.00 

"      20 27.17 

"      27 27.25 

July      5 26.54 

"       11 26.25 

"       18 25.42 

"       25 25.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May     13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
_■  7 .  ST 


1914. 

Julv    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.76 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


M;iss  Consolidated  pays  its  initial  dividend,  of  $1  per  share, 
on  August  15.  This  is  equal  to  $100,000.  Champion  Copper  is  to 
pay  $6.40  per  share.  The  first  dividend  of  the  First  National 
Copper  Co.  will  be  25c.  per  share  on  600,000  shares. 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

July    19 62.12 

■'       20 62.75 

"      21 63.37 

"       22 63.37 

23   Sun 

"      24 63.37 

"      25 62.87 


Average  week  ending 

June  13 64.58 

"      20 63.62 

"      27 65.49 

July      5 65.16 

"       11 62.02 

'•       IS 62.41 

■'       26 62.97 

Monthly  averages 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

July    19 


9.25 

20 9.50 

21 9.87 

22 10.12 

23   Sunday 

24 10.25 

25 10.50 


Average   week   ending 

June   13 13.64 

"      20 13.12 

"       27.: 12.12 

July      5 11.40 

"      11 9.75 

-       18 9.06 

"       25 9.91 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

.  5.14 

.  5.22 

.  5.12 

.  4.98 

.  4.91 

June    4.84 


Jan. 
Feb. 

Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


1914. 

July    4.75 

Aug 4.75 

Sept 5.16 

Oct 4.75 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


1915. 
20.64 
14.17 

14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


ai'ICKSILVER 


The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds; 

Week  ending 


Date. 

June  27 85.00 

Julv      5 80.00 


July 


.83.00 
.  83.00 
.80.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
205.1.1" 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

Julv    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916 


Prices  In  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915.        1916 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915.        1916. 

.  ..57.58 

48.85 

56.76 

July    .  . 

.  ..64.90 

47.52 

.  .  .37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

Julv    .  . 

.  ..31.60 

37.38         

Feb.    . . 

...57.53 

48.45 

66.74 

Aug.    .  . 

.  ..54.35 

47.11 

Feb.    . . 

.  ..39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Aug.    .  . 

.  ..50.20 

34.37         

Mch.    .. 

...58.01 

60.61 

57.89 

Sept.  . . 

...63.75 

48.77 

Mch.    .  . 

.  ..38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

Sept.  .  . 

.  .  .33.10 

33.12         

...58.52 

50.25 

64.37 

Oct.     .  . 

...51.12 

49.40 

.  .  .36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct.     . . 

.  .  .30.40 

33.00         

.  ..68.21 

49.87 

74.27 

..  .49.12 

51.88 

.  .  .33.29 

39.28 

49.10 

Nov.    . 

.  ..33.51 

39.50         

...56.43 

49.03 

65.04 

Dec.    . . 

..  .49.27 

55.34 

.  ..30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

Dec.    . 

..  .33.60 

38.71         

Writing  at  the  end  of  June,  Samuel  Montagu  &  Co.  of  London 


Tin  is  quiet  at  38.50  cents. 


1916 


MINING   and  Soenl.nc    PR  FAS 


Eastern  Metal  Market 


New  York.  Juh 

Dm  rural  wltb  regard 

ilvantirra  have  taken  a  icood  qui 
for    (hlpnienl    throughout    the    year,    ami    thl    quotation    I*    a 
little  stronger. 

ntliiuee    practically    lifeless,   and   concession.-    art 
greater.  »lth  somo  reported  on  the  |>art  of  producers. 

Lead  Is  dull  and  weak. 

Tin  l»  getting  low  enough  lo  Interest  consumers,  deeplta 
the  fart  that  mom  of  them  are  well  covered. 

Antimony  Is  stagnant. 

Aluminum  Is  unchanged  at  59  to  61  a 

It  Is  not  a  bad  thing  that  the  metals  are  approaching  a  more 
rational  basis  with  regard  to  prices.  Even  at  below  present 
big  profits  are  possible,  and  with  costs  nearer  normal 
a  Urge  amount  of  domestic  business  Is  likely  to  be  released,  as 
exemplified  by  zinc  Many  prominent  members  of  the  trade 
are  frank  In  saying  that  excessive  war  prices  are  not  healthy. 

Slight  shading  of  prices  Is  beginning  to  appear  In  some  steel 
products  which  have  been  so  high  as  to  repress  domestic  de- 
mand, this  being  particularly  true  in  the  case  of  structural 
shapes.  Jobbers  in  this  Meld  have  led  the  way  by  underselling 
the  mills.  Export  sales  continue  to  grow  in  magnitude. 
Foreign  consumers  are  contracting  for  shell-steel,  beams,  steel 
rails,  plates,  steel-making  pig  iron,  barb-wire,  spikes,  steel 
axles,  etc..  all  of  which  will  have  a  supporting  effect  on  the 
market.  The  lower  cost  of  zinc  is  having  its  effect  in  gal- 
vanized-steel  products,  galvanized  sheets  having  sold  down  to 
4.25  cents. 

There  is  a  vast  amount  of  second-hand  metal-working  ma- 
chinery on  the  market,  and  tool  builders  are  wondering  what 
effect  its  existence  will  have  on  their  future  business. 

COPPER 
The  market  continues  practically  lifeless,  but  with  second- 
hands  offering  substantial  concessions  there  should  come  a 
change  before  long.  It  already  is  reported  that  certain  pro- 
ducers are  looking  for  business,  and  that  they  are  willing  to 
take  prices  lower  than  those  for  which  they  have  been  hold- 
ing, although  they  are  not  yet  willing  to  meet  re-sale  prices. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  still  is  insisted  that  they  have  contracts 
a-plenty  to  keep  them  busy  until  September,  at  least.  The 
situation  is  so  mixed  that  it  seems  the  forerunner  of  a  change 
of  some  kind.  Electrolytic  can  be  had  easily  at  25c.  for  prompt 
delivery,  and  probably  at  Ic.  less,  while  forward  deliveries  are 
quoted  at  23.50  to  24c.  The  War  contractors  and  large  con- 
sumers are  unquestionably  well  covered  for  this  quarter.  A 
little  review  of  some  of  the  products  into  which  copper  enters 
may  be  interesting:  The  brass  mills  would  like  to  have  more 
demand  for  the  larger  sizes  of  brass  rods  for  which  they  ask 
29c,  or  less,  per  lb.  Sizes  under  }  in.  are  still  held  at  a 
premium.  Sheet  brass  is  as  hard  to  procure  as  it  has  been 
since  the  War  started,  the  mills  having  orders  booked,  which, 
in  conjunction  with  the  known  requirements  of  their  regular 
customers,  will  keep  them  busy  for  some  months  to  come. 
High  sheet  brass  is  quoted  at  38  to  39c.  Brass  wire  Is  not  as 
difficult  to  obtain  as  sheets,  and  is  quoted  at  38  to  42c,  de- 
livery in  three  to  four  months.  The  mills  which  make  brass 
and  copper  tubing  are  loaded  up,  seamless  copper  and  brass 
tubing  being  quoted  at  about  44c  Hot-rolled  sheet  copper  is 
37.50c,  and  cold-rolled,  38.50c  The  London  market  for  elec- 
trolytic is  weak,  and  since  the  last  report  has  declined  £fi. 
European  statistics  received  here  this  week  show  that  stocks 
in  Great  Britain  and  France  remain  about  stationary.  On 
July  15  they  totaled  7464  tons,  against  7603  tons  June  30,  and 
6459  tons,  June  15.  A  slight  decrease  will  be  noted.  Exports. 
July  1  to  18,  totaled  15,235  tons. 


ZINC 

li  it"   natal  Hint  has  •ity.  and  an  Im- 

provement In  prlot     Lata  laat  »•■<•!».  with  tin-  tool  market  at 

about  9c.  and  soint    mmorl  of  concessions  slightly  below  this 

who  (or  mom  time  had  been  aratchli 
market  clooerj  became  active,  and  ttu-y  are  reported  to  have 
taken  ■  good  tonnage  (<>r  delivery  to  the  and  "f  the  >c:ir.  The 
iiimyi -ineiit  might  have  been  of  greater  proportion!  had  It  not 
been  for  the  unwillingness  of  a  goodly  number  of  the  pro- 
ducers to  sell  into  the  future.  The  buying  began  at  a  shade 
under  !•<-.  New  York  for  spot,  and  8.75c  St.  Louis,  but  prices 
quickly  stiffened  and  mounted  to  about  9.25c,  New  York,  by 
July  15.  September  was  taken  at  around  8c,  St.  Louis,  and 
October  at  7.75c.  Consumers  had  been  vainly  hoping  that 
futures  would  drop  to  7c  The  spot  quotation  yesterday  was 
about  9.25c.  New  York,  and  9c,  St.  Louis,  and  the  buying  had 
not  entirely  ceased.  August  was  quoted  yesterday  at  9c  St. 
Louis,  and  September  at  8.75c  The  brass  mills  have  not  been 
active  as  buyers.  The  price  of  sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at 
15c,  f.o.li.  smelter,  in  carload  lots.  The  London  quotation  for 
spot  zinc  is  stronger  at  £48,  an  advance  of  £4  In  the  week. 
Exports  in  18  days  were  4407  tons. 

LEAD 

A  few  thousand  tons  of  lead  have  been  sold  for  export,  but 
the  domestic  demand  has  continued  quiet,  and  prices  are 
sagging.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  has  adhered  to  6.50c  New  York, 
and  6.42jc,  St.  Louis,  but  announcement  of  a  reduction  in  its 
prices  Is  expected  at  any  time.  Quotations  of  independent 
producers  and  re-sellers  have  declined  steadily,  and  they  un- 
doubtedly have  taken  what  little  business  has  been  doing. 
Their  quotation  yesterday  was  6.25c,  New  York,  and  6.10c, 
St.  Louis.  There  is  no  new  war  demand,  and  features  are  few, 
but  one  which  may  be  mentioned  is  a  railroad  strike  in  Spain 
which  may  make  deliveries  from  that  country  somewhat 
difficult.  If  the  strike  is  serious  it  may  cause  some  of  the 
warring  nations  to  look  here  for  lead.  Meanwhile  the  market 
is  a  waiting  one,  consumers  expecting  to  see  lower  prices. 
The  London  quotation  for  spot  lead  is  practically  unchanged 
since  the  last  report,  namely,  £28  10s.  Exports  from  the  1st 
to  18th  amounted  to  2046  tons. 

TIN 

Heavy  arrivals  and  the  well-supplied  condition  of  the  con- 
sumers have  conspired  to  make  a  quiet  market,  with  conse- 
quent lower  prices.  Whereas  a  week  ago  spot  Straits  tin  was 
quoted  at  38.50c,  it  was  to  be  had  yesterday  at  37.25c.  Banca 
can  be  had  at  a  fraction  of  a  cent  less.  At  present  price  levels, 
consumers  are  showing  interest  and  It  would  not  be  surprising 
if  a  buying  movement  of  moderate  size  should  come.  While 
most  of  the  consumers  are  well  supplied,  there  always  are 
those  who  will  buy  at  a  bargain,  and  in  the  case  of  tin,  it  also 
is  to  be  considered  that  its  consumption  is  on  a  record-break- 
ing basis.  Never  before,  perhaps,  have  the  tin-plate  mills 
been  so  busy.  Not  only  Is  the  domestic,  demand  good,  but 
export  sales  at  premiums  are  numerous.  The  arrivals  of  pig 
tin  this  month  aggregate  1580  tons,  and  there  is  afloat  2109 
tons.  The  spot  Straits  quotation  at  London  yesterday  was 
£164  10s.,  against  £169  15s.  a  week  ago,  indicating  weakness. 

ANTIMONY 

All  that  can  be  said  about  this  metal  is  that  it  seems  to  hold 
no  interest  for  buyers.  Chinese  and  Japanese  grades  were 
quoted  yesterday  at  14c,  duty  paid,  and  at  11  to  11.50c  in 
bond.  One  good  sale  is  recorded,  a  Canadian  munitions'  maker 
having  taken  a  round  lot,  but  the  quantity  was  not  sufficient 
to  halt  the  trend  of  the  market. 


186 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


July  29,  1916 


Chart  for  Computing  Excavations 


The  accompanying  chart,  which  is  taken  from  the  Excavat- 
ing Engineer,  will  be  found  useful  In  computing  the  approxi- 
mate volume  of  excavations  with  vertical  sides,  and  can  also 
be  adapted  to  computations  for  sloping  sides.  The  lines  on 
the  chart  show  the  method  of  computing  the  volume  of  an  ex- 


LEN&TH 
FEET 
-r-l 


50 
60 

70 
SO 
SO 


50O 
600 
700 
800 

900 
1000 


CHABT    FOE    COMPUTING    EXCAVATION'S. 


cavation  10  ft.  deep  by  40  ft.  wide  by  100  ft.  long.  Draw  line 
from  point  100  in  column  A  to  point  40  in  column  D  and  mark 
the  intersection  with  column  B.  From  this  point  draw  line 
to  point  10  on  column  D.  At  the  intersection  with  column  C 
read  1500  cu.  yd.,  the  volume  of  the  excavation. 

Where  two  dimensions  are  alike,  the  work  is  still  simpler. 
If  the  excavation  is  40  by  40  by  100  ft.,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
draw  the  line  from  100  on  column  A  to  40  on  column  D  and 
read  the  quantity,  6000  cu.  yd.,  directly  from  column  C. 

For  a  cut  100  ft,  long,  40  ft.  wide  at  the  bottom,  60  ft.  at  the 
top,  and  10  ft.  deep,  proceed  as  for  a  cut  with  vertical  sides  50 
ft.  wide. 


BOOK  REVIEWS 


Anntai.  Report  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1915.  Charles  D. 
Walcott,  secretary.  P.  544.  111.,  maps,  index.  Washington, 
D.  C,  1916.    May  be  obtained  through  this  office;  price,  $1.50. 

As  usual,  the  report  of  the  Secretary  and  the  22  contributors' 
papers  are  of  considerable  interest  and  variety.  The  latter 
include  from  astronomy  to  submarine  signalling,  primitive 
life  to  the  linguistic  areas  of  Europe. 


Land  and  Maeine  Diesel  Engines.  By  Giorgio  Supino.  P. 
309.  111.,  plans,  index.  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  London;  J.  B. 
Lippincott  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1915.  For  sale  by  the  Mining 
and  Scientific  Pbess.    Price,  $3.75. 

This  is  the  third  work  on  Diesel  engines  that  we  have  re- 
ceived for  review  in  the  past  few  months.  The  author,  an 
Italian  engineer  of  repute,  died  in  1913,  just  as  the  volume 
was  printed.  Translation  in  English  is  by  A.  G.  Bremner  and 
James  Richardson  of  London.  The  Diesel  engine  is  becoming 
more  and  more  of  importance  in  machine-shops,  power-plants, 
and  on  vessels.  A  large  number  of  such  motor-driven  boats 
are  continually  visiting  American  ports.  The  trip  of  the 
German  submarine  merchant-boat  across  the  Atlantic  was 
made  possible  by  the  Diesel.  Part  I  of  this  publication  dis- 
cusses Diesels  for  all  services,  their  fuel,  efficiencies,  and  the 
like.  Part  II  deals  with  foundations,  bed-plates,  engine-fram- 
ing, cylinders,  shafting  and  rods,  valves  and  gear,  reversal  of 
the  engine,  fuel  pump,  compressors,  marine  installations, 
testing,  and  rules  for  classification  and  survey  of  Diesels.  In- 
terspersed are  370  illustrations  and  19  drawings,  making  the 
whole  of  practical  value  to  the  modern  engineer. 


Cbdde    gypsum    mined    in    the    United    States    during    1915 
totaled  2,447,611  tons.     All  products  totaled  $6,596,893. 


Mktai.i.i/bgy  of  Steel.  Metallurgy  by  F.  W.  Harbord;  me- 
chanical treatment  by  J.  W.  Hall.  Vol.  I,  p.  532,  ill.,  charts, 
plans,  index;  Vol.  II,  p.  441,  ill.,  charts,  plans,  index.  Fifth 
edition.  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  London;  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co., 
Philadelphia.  For  sale  by  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 
Price,  $12.50  for  the  two  books,  not  sold  separately. 

There  is  much  excellent  material  in  the  933  pages  of  read- 
ing matter  in  these  two  volumes,  but  space  available  will 
permit  of  only  a  brief  review.  Since  the  last  edition  there  has 
been  no  special  development  in  iron  and  steel  manufacture, 
but  steady  progress  was  made  in  details  of  practice.  These 
advances  are  discussed,  including  the  manufacture  of  nearly 
chemically  pure  iron  from  phosphoric  pig-iron  in  the  basic 
open-hearth  furnace,  also  methods  of  producing  sound  ingots 
and  for  decreasing  segregation.  Armor-plate  making  and 
theories  of  hardening  steel  are  brought  up  to  date.  The  object 
of  the  present  work  is  to  furnish  a  full  description  of  the 
various  branches  of  steel  manufacture,  both  from  a  metal- 
lurgical and  an  engineering  stand-point,  as  well  as  to  discuss 
the  physics  and  chemistry  of  steel  in  relation  to  its  manu- 
facture. The  work  has  been  divided  into  four  sections: 
namely,  manufacture  of  steel,  mechanical  treatment  of  steel, 
re-heating,  and  finished  steel.  The  chapters  include  Bessemer- 
izing,  basic  furnaces,  gas  producers,  open-hearth  furnaces, 
steel  castings,  crucible  steel,  electric  smelting,  influence  of 
other  metals  on  steel,  microscopical  examination  of  metal, 
plans  of  typical  steel  plants,  rolling  and  other  mills,  power, 
forging,  tube-making,  wire  drawing,  corrosion,  and  many  other 
important  phases  of  the  steel  industry.  The  571  illustrations 
are  of  practical  value.  American.  English,  and  European 
practice  is  compared.  Generally  the  work  should  be  of  value 
to  all  steel  makers.  The  index  of  30  pages  by  C.  O.  Bannister 
is  excellent. 


and 

Scientific 


'J  by 

T   A   RICKARO 


SAN  FRAVIno.  AUGUST   ..   1916 


Volume  113 
Number  6 


mi 


A    FLOTATION    MACHINE    IN    OPERATION 


FLOTATION  continues  to  gain  ground  and  we  continue  to 
publish  the  latest  information  on  this  new  branch  of  metal- 
lurgy. The  accompanying  photograph,  illustrating  an  article 
in  this  issue  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Hyde,  shows  the  froth  rising  to  the 
surface  of  an  aeration-cell  and  flowing  over  the  edge,  for  removal  to 
a  continuous  filter,  by  which  the  superfluous  water  is  removed,  so 
that  the  concentrate  can  be  transferred  for  final  treatment,  either  by 
cyanidation  locally  or  to  a  smelter.  Recent  research  and  experiment 
indicate  that  even  oxidized  lead  and  copper  ores  are  amenable  to 
flotation  after  being  sulphidized  or  covered  with  a  film  of  sulphide. 


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PabUked  .1  4,20  M.ikrt  St,  S.n  Francaco.  br  *.  !>».■»  I'uElahtni  Co 
i  HARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  H«,„r-  M.n.tr, 


Iiuk-'I   Kvrry  Saturday 


s,  i.ii.,'  hoi  no  mcmjp  lave  Ih«  ignorant 

San  Francisco,  August  5,  1916 


sin  Ml     I  ONTPJBI   TOM 

\v    ii   Btaookln 

\  natln 
OtlaalO  I'artnnl 
'  <mii  tens*   I  i,.   Kttlb 
r    Lyawood  Garrison 

I'liarlm    Jjiriln 
James   F.    Kemp. 

K  ii    Preb 

C    W     PorlortOD. 

Horace  V.   Wlnrh«ll. 


IS  per  Tear— 10  Cent!  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Pag* 

1  n7 

Bxoixma   md  Business  188 

As  mam   engineers  make  a  mess  of  their  careers  by 
mixing  In  business  for  which  they  have  do  Btnet 
miss   the   Shanoe   to   become    rich   quickly    by    keeping 
aloof  from  financial  affairs. 

DlBV  ina>    1  n;i 

The  considerations  governing  the  proceedings  and  re- 
sponsibilities nf  boards  of  directors  of  mining  com- 
panies in  this  country  and  Kngland. 

DI8CU88I0X 
Tin.  Flotation  Process. 

By  K.  T.  Hancock  131 

A  correspondent  in  West  Africa  states  that  he  used  an 
early  flotation  process  previous  to  all  patents  except 
that  of  Mrs.  Everson. 
Tin   K\i;i\tnc  ami  Business. 

By  P.  B.  McDonald 191 

Review  of  recent  opinions  on  the  desirability  of  en- 
gineers mixing  in  business.     The  value  of  advertising 
In  the  present  days  of  pushfulness. 
Swiii.im,  QbOI  mi  ami   lilt:  Panama  Canal. 

By  F.  J.  Martin    192 

Senator  Kearn's  statement  on  the  effect  of  swelling 
ground  at  the  Panama  Canal  are  questioned  by  an 
experienced  mining  man.  . 

ARTICLES 

Tut  Oatman  District,  ojiizona. 

By  Lertyy  A.  Palmer   193 

A  review  of  conditions  at  the  gold-mining  district  of 
north-western  Arizona.  The  veins  and  ore  occurrence 
are  discussed;  geological  problems  that  await  solution. 

The    Naw    An.u  o.NUA    196 

In  normal  times  this  great  mining  company  should 
produce  from  its  Montana  mines  150,000  tons  of  cop- 
per and  35,000  tons  of  zinc  i>er  annum. 

Ore  Treatment  at  nil:  West  Enh.  Tonopah. 

By  Jay  A.   Carpenter   197 

Cyanidation  alone  recovered  the  silver  and  gold  from 
the  ore  produced  by  this  mine  during  1915.  Concen- 
tration was  abandoned  in  1914.     Extraction  is  92%. 

Cull.   IN    Hm. IMA    198 

A  gold  nugget,  weighing  14  lb.  and  worth  $4000,  was 
found  recently  in  Bolivia. 

ClIRo.MITE 19S 

Irregular  market  conditions  have  curtailed   the  min- 
ing of  chrome  ore:  more  interest  is  now  being  taken. 
An  Improved  Pneumatic  Flotation  Machine. 

By  James  M.  Hyde  199 

The  machine  described  by  this  well  known  metallurg- 
ist may  be  considered  "the  lineal  descendant  of  the 


Delprai   and   Salman  &   Picard   types,   with   sugges- 
tions from  the  Hoover-Minerals  Separation  and 
low  machines." 

Cm  n-S.u  in.    on    I  IBXDOES. 

By  Howard  I).  Smith    202 

Saving  gold   on   dredges  has   undergone   little   change 

during  the  past  ten  years  until  recently.    A  in- 

of  concentration   that   includes  jigs  and  a   Hardtnge 

mill  to  brighten  the  gold  particles. 

The  Murex   Flotation   Process   204 

Magnetite,  ground  to  100-niesh,  is  added  to  the  oil 
used  in  this  process  of  flotation.  Carbonates  and 
oxides  can  be  treated  as  well  as  all  the  sulphides. 

Snake  Creek   TUNNEL,   Utah 205 

I  Hiving  of  this  2j-mile  adit  in  Utah  was  accomplished 
by  the  latest  methods.  A  300ft.  section  was  con- 
creted. 

Cheat  Britain's  Mineral  Output  206 

Coal,  iron,  tin.  and  oil-shaie  are  the  important  items. 

Simple  Tests  eor  Potash. 

By   H\  B.  Hicks   207 

Tests  that  require  only  an  elementary  knowledge  of 
chemistry.     Suggestions  for  the  prospector. 

Belt-Conveyors     208 

Rubber  and  balata  conveyor-belts  are  compared  from 
data  of  service  and  costs  obtained  from  the  Rand. 

.Mining  IN  UTAH. 

By  L.  0.  Howard 209 

Dullness  due  to  smelters'  embargoes  and  lower  prices 
for  metals  is  evident.  The  Cottonwoods  increase  ore 
production.  Utah  Copper  Co.'s  Ieaching-plant  excava- 
tion started.    Dividends. 

departments 

Recent  Patents  210 

Concentrates    212 

Review    of    Mining    213 

Special  correspondence  from   Butte,  Montana:   Sutter 

Creek,  California:  Toronto,  Ontario. 

Mining  Su.mm.uiv    216 

Personal     220 

The  Metal  Market   221 

Eastern   Metal  Market    222 

Company    Reports    223 

Tonopah  Extension  Mining  Co.,  Ouro  Preto  Gold  Mines 

of  Brazil,  St.  .John  del  Rey  Mining  Co. 

Recent  PUBLICATIONS    223 

l NuisTHiAi.   Notes    224 

Beyer  Barometric  Condenser;  Commercial  Paragraphs. 

ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's  Guide    36 

Index  to  Advertisers  42 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Preaaj  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining-  and  Scientific 
Preaa. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-offl.ee  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  Tork,  1308-10 
Woolworth   Bdg.;   London,  724   Salisbury  House.   E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and  Mexico,  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  countries  In  postal  union, 
21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


12 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  5.  1916 


World's  Largest  Electric  Shovel 
Strips  Overburden  from  Coal 

At  Smithfield,  Ohio,  the  Piney  Fork  Coal  Company  strip 
the  overburden  from  their  coal  with  a  6-yard  electric  shovel, 
operated  by  purchased  electric  power  from  Wheeling,  West 
Va.,  a  dozen  miles  away.  G-E  Motors  and  Control  equip- 
ment are  used  exclusively. 

The  economy  and  certainty  of  power  resulting  have  per- 
mitted uninterrupted  operation  through  the  coldest  weather. 

Two  electrical  equipments  for  8-yard  shovels  have  been  sold  as  a 
result  of  the  splendid  satisfaction  given  by  the  6-yard  shovel.  These 
shovels  are  operated  by  one  man  and  are  both  roomy  and  clean,  thus 
promoting  safety  of  operator. 

General  Electric  Company 


Atlanta  G*. 

r  Colo. 

Baltimore.  Md. 

Des  Moines.  Iowa 

Birmingham.  Ala. 

Duluth.  Minn. 

Boston.  Mace. 

Elmira.  N.Y. 

Buffalo.  N.  Y. 

Eri^.  Pa. 

Butte,  Mont. 

Fort  Wayne.  Ind. 

Charleston.  \V.  Vs. 

Hartforo.  Conn. 

Charlotte.  N.  c. 

Indianapolis.  Ind. 

Chattanooga.  Tenn. 
Chicago.  111. 

Jacksonville.  Fla. 

Joplin.  Ho, 

Cincinnati.  Ohio 

Ka:  - 

Cleveland.  <  >hio 

■ 

Columbu-.  Ohio 

Los 

Dayton.  Ohio 

General  Office  :  Schenectady,  N   Y. 
ADDRESS   NEAREST   OFFICE 


Memphis.  T-nn. 
Milwauk 
: 
Nashville.  Tom. 
New  Haven.  Conn. 
N-w  <  irleans.  La. 
New  York.  N.  Y. 
Niagara  Falls.  NY 


Omaha.  Neb. 

Philadelphia. -Pa. 

Pittsburg.  Pa. 

Portland.  Ore. 

Providence.  R.  I. 

Richmond,  Va. 


Rochester.  N.  Y. 
BL  Louis.  Mo. 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah 
Su  Fmncisco.  Cal. 
-  ?ady   N.  Y. 
Seattle.  Wash. 
Spokane.  Wash. 
.-pringneld.Mass. 


Syracuse.  N.  Y 
Tol-.-do.  Ohio 
Washington.  D.  C. 
Youngstown.  Ohio 


For  Michigan  business  refer  to  General  Electric 
Company  of  Michigan.  Detroit.  Mich. 
Pttr  Eexag,  Oklahoma  and  Arizona  taurines 

RlectrlC Company  'formerly 
Hobson  Electric  Co.).  Dallas.  Hou.«tnn. 
El  Paso  and  Oklahoma  City.   For  Cana- 
dian business  refer  to  Canadian  General 
-.'■  Company.  Ltd..  Toronto.  Out 


6  Cu.  Yd.  Electric  Shovel 
Piney  Fork  Coal  Co., 
Smithfield,  Ohio 


August   V   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRKSS 


1-7 


5  UITORI AI 

XICKARD,     Editor 


T. 


/^<>l.|i  imports  continue  at  an  extraordinary  rate.  Be- 
^-r  twees  January  1.  1915,  and  .inly  24,  1916,  Draught*} 
<>vii-  18  months,  the  grand  total  of  gold  brought  into  tin' 
Qnited  States  is  $688,877,000,  or  more  than  all  the  gold 
produced  by  the  mines  of  the  Qnited  states  from  19^)9  to 
1915.  Tlir  proper  sequel  to  this  is  expansion  of  trade 
abroad. 

DETWEEN  Angus)  :•  ami  12  the  Paoifia  division  of 
*-*  tin-  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science  will  hold  its  annual  meeting  at  San  Diego. 
Among  the  societies  included  is  the  Cordilleran  Section 
of  the  Geological  Society  of  America,  as  well  as  the 
astronomical,  entomological,  and  ecological  societies  of 
the  Pacific  ('oast. 

THINKS  are  common  during  these  hot  months,  endaa- 
■*■  gering  mining  plants.  We  regret  the  bad  luck  of 
the  Mammoth  and  Miami  communities,  where  destruc- 
tion of  property  has  followed  upon  the  ignition  so  easy 
when  grass  and  brush  are  as  dry  as  tinder.  In  both 
cases,  however,  the  principal  mining  equipments  escaped 
destruction.  We  commend  the  article  on  fire  insurance 
by  Mr.  t '.  T.  Hutchinson,  in  our  issue  of  June  24,  to  the 
attention  of  mine  managers. 

rpw<  i  YEARS  of  the  pentecost  of  calamity  have  passed 
■*■  and  the  world  hopes  that  the  end  is  in  sight.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  total  cost  to  all  the  belligerents  is  55 
billion  dollars.  That  is  the  smaller  item,  the  major  is 
the  loss  of  5,000,000  killed,  5.000.000  crippled,  and  5,000,- 
000  imprisoned.  Whatever  our  sympathies,  we  may 
unite  in  hoping  that  those  responsible  for  this  organized 
calamity  will  he  blighted  to  all  eternity.  Those  of  us 
who  an-  detached  spectators  may  also  join  in  sympathy 
and  respect  for  the  examples  of  devotion  and  self-sacri- 
fice that  the  nations  of  Europe  have  shown  to  this  ma- 
terial civilization. 

nPHE  proposed  tax  on  the  revenue  of  the  copper  com- 
-*•  panics  has  aroused  protest  among  those  threatened 
with  the  unexpected  impost.  A  concerted  effort  is  being 
made  to  defeat  this  selective  legislation,  largely  on  the 
ground  that  it  is  unfair  to  tax  copper  and  not  other 
products,  such  as  cotton,  steel,  and  spelter,  which  also 
are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  munitions.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  the"  tax  would  collect  $15,000,000  from  the 
producers  of  copper  and  its  alloys  for  the  calendar  year 
1916 ;  and  it  is  calculated  that  the  profit  of  the  'industry 
will  be  about  $300,000,000  this  year.  The  domestic  out- 
put of  copper  is  expected  to  be  800,000  tons,  of  which 


about  one-half  will  In-  consumed  at  home.     During  the 

18  months  preceding  the  War.  German]   r ived  240,- 

000  tons  of  copper  from  this  country.    Senator  W.  A. 

Clark  and  other  authorities  on  the  subject  condemn  the 
tax  while  they  predict  a  continuation  of  the  heavy  de- 
mand for  copper  when  peace  is  declared,  anticipating 
large  purchases  by  Germany  and  other  countries  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  reconstruction,  besides  a  growing 
consumption  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  We  share 
these  anticipations. 

Since  the  above  was  written  we  have  learned,  from 
Washington,  that  the  Senate  Finance  Committee  has 
struck  the  copper  tax  from  the  omnibus  revenue  bill  and 
it  is  considered  probable  that  the  leaders  of  both  houses 
of  Congress  will  agree  to  drop  the  tax.  having  been 
convinced  that  it  is  unfair. 

/CONDITIONS  in  Mexico  are  unchanged.  Seiior  Car- 
^  ranza  talks  of  resigning,  in  order  that  he  may  pre- 
sent himself  for  election  to  the  presidency.  Any  elec- 
tion will  be  worse  than  the  customary  farce  while  dis- 
order continues  to  prevail  over  the  larger  part  of  Mexico. 
The  negotiations  for  a  conference  proceed  in  a  leisurely 
way,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  these  preliminaries  plus 
the  conference  and  the  negotiations  to  follow  may  last 
until  the  first  Tuesday  in  November  has  come  and  gone. 
Meanwhile  Pancho  Villa  is  on  the  rampage  and  another 
party,  the  Legalista,  is  hatching  a  new  revolution  under 
cover  of  Texan  hospitality.  The  publication  of  the  diary 
of  Mrs.  Nelson  O 'Shaughnessy  and  the  letters  of  Mr. 
Henry  Lane  Wilson  afford  further  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  the  Mexican  political  morass  has  no  bottom.  As 
we  go  to  press  the  speech  of  acceptance  by  Mr.  Hughes 
is  published.  It  should  please  those  interested  in  Mexi- 
can affaire.  Particularly  we  like  the  statement:  "It  is 
most  unworthy  to  slur  those  who  have  investments  in 
Mexico  in  order  to  escape  a  condemnation  for  non-per- 
formance of  duty." 

JIGS  constitute  a  comparatively  new  addition  to  the 
apparatus  annexed  to  a  gold  dredge,  but  our  readers 
heard  of  the  innovation  about  two  years  ago,  when  Mr. 
James  W.  Neill  described  the  device,  which  he  invented, 
in  our  issue  of  November  28,  1914.  Since  then  the  jig 
has  been  applied  successfully  on  several  dredges.  In 
this  issue  we  publish  a  description  of  the  device,  and  the 
use  of  it,  by  a  detached  observer,  Mr.  Howard  D.  Smith, 
who  has  taken  a  good  deal  of  trouble  to  ascertain  the 
facts.  Those  with  experience  in  such  matters  will  under- 
stand the  difficulty  of  accurate  sampling  on  a  dredge 
and  the  care  necessary  to  ascertain  just  what  the  inter- 


188 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


position  of  such  a  device  as  a  jig  is  accomplishing.  Mr. 
Prank  Griffin,  long  honorably  connected  with  dredging 
practice,  is  responsible  for  the  introduction  of  the  jig 
at  Natoma.  and  to  him  Mr.  Howard  Smith  and  ourselves 
are  largely  indebted  for  the  information  now  published. 
We  hope  that  at  an  early  date  Mr.  Griffin  will  be  in  a 
position  to  furnish  further  details. 

OPELTER  has  stopped  its  retrograde  movement,  but 
^  not  before  a  price  of  8  cents  had  heen  touched.  We 
agree  with  our  contemporary  at  New  York  that  this 
lowest  recent  price  is  comparable  with  the  5-cent  quota- 
tion of  the  ante-bellum  period  in  being  close  to  the  cost 
of  production.  The  increased  cost,  due  to  higher  wages 
and  the  advance  in  the  price  of  materials,  has  made  it 
hardly  more  profitable  to  supply  spelter  to  an  8-cent 
market  than  formerly  to  one  that  paid  5  cents  per  pound 
for  tlie  metal.  The  hurry  of  production  incited  by  the 
needs  of  the  munition-makers  has  tended  to  decrease  the 
efficiency  of  labor  and  to  lower  the  metallurgical  extrac- 
tion. These  defects  will  be  overcome  in  time,  perhaps 
before  th,e  present  margin  of  profit  is  wiped  out,  but  the 
get-rich-quick  phase  of  spelter  production  is  Hearing  an 
end.  Meanwhile  it  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  one  good ; 
the  galvanizing  trade  is  recovering  as  the  price  of  the 
metal  renders  its  use  profitable  for  this  purpose.  For 
eight  months  the  manufacture  of  galvanized  iron  has 
been  crippled  by  the  cost  of  the  chief  material,  decreas- 
ing output  by  a  third.  Conditions  more  nearly  normal 
are  at  hand  apparently. 

TTAKI)  LUCK  has  befallen  the  Tennessee  Copper  en- 
-*-•*-  terprise.  When  an  insistent  demand  for  sulphuric 
acid  was  made  in  the  early  days  of  the  "War,  it  was  ex- 
I I'd  that  this  company  would  be  able  to  take  full  ad- 
vantage of  the  opportunity.  Unfortunately  a  contract 
running  to  1920  had  already  been  made  with  the  Inter- 
national Agricultural  Corporation  for  the  delivery  of 
acid  at  a  low  price,  but  the  collapse  of  the  cotton  market 
killed  the  Southern  demand  for  fertilizer  and  the  Agri- 
cultural Corporation  tried  to  get  out  of  its  obligation  to 
buy  the  acid.  When,  however,  the  price  of  acid  began 
to  soar,  in  consequence  of  war-orders,  the  two  companies 
reversed  their  positions,  the  Agricultural  Corporation 
holding  to  its  contract  like  grim  death  in  the  prospect 
of  re-selling  the  acid  that  the  Tennessee  had  agreed  to 
deliver.  This  tangle  had  been  almost  forgotten  when,  on 
March  21,  a  fire  at  Copperhill  destroyed  the  plant  in 
which  trinitrotoluol,  a  powerful  explosive,  was  being 
made  for  the  Russian  government,  that  Government  hav- 
ing advanced  $1,500,000  for  the  construction  of  the 
plant.  Whereupon  another  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
responsibility  arose  and  the  Russian  government  filed  suit 
to  recover  the  money  advanced.  Still  later  came  the 
news  that  the  aeid-ehambers  had  been  closed-down  dur- 
ing the  spring  in  order  to  permit  thorough  repairs.  The 
mines  of  this  company  are  in  the  extreme  south-eastern 
corner  of  Tennessee  near  the  boundary  of  Georgia  and 
North  Carolina.     Suits  started  by  the  State  of  Georgia 


over  damage  to  vegetation  led  to  the  building  of  the  acid- 
making  plant.  During  191"),  the  Tennessee  Copper  Co. 
produced  12.750,148  lb.  of  copper  from  pyritic  ore  yield- 
ing 27  pounds  of  copper  per  ton.  The  output  of  add 
last  year  was  210,666  tons  of  60CB.,  but  this  rate  should 
be  much  increased  when  the  new  addition  to  the  plant  is 
at  work.  Over  $5,000,000  in  dividends  has  been  paid 
since  1903.  Not  so  much  is  heard  of  the  Ducktown  Sul- 
phur, Copper  &  Iron  Co.,  an  older  English  company  that 
operates  an  acid  plant,  smelter,  and  mines  in  the  same 
district.  Their  output  of  copper  is  about  half  that  of  the 
Tennessee  Copper  Company. 

OIIASTA  county  has  been  the  scene  recently  of  two  or 
^  three  strikes  that  were  settled  amicably  in  short 
order.  It  appears  that  the  men  employed  by  the  three 
principal  copper-mining  companies  demanded  an  in- 
crease of  50  cents  per  day  so  long  as  copper  sells  for  15 
cents  or  better.  They  preferred  this  arrangement  to 
bonuses  based  on  a  sliding-seale  graduated  by  the  price 
of  tie-  metal.  It  looks  as  if  they  had  made  up  their  minds 
that  any  price  much  above  15  cents  would  not  be  lasting 
and  preferred  to  lose  the  chance  of  a  bigger  bonus  in 
order  to  assure  themselves  of  steady  wages  at  a  fixed  in- 
crease. This  may  prove  wise,  but  we  regret  the  discard- 
ing of  the  sliding-seale,  because  it  involves  losing  an 
automatic  method  of  adjusting  wages  in  some  sort  of 
proportion  to  the  profits  made  by  the  employer.  It  is 
easy  and  pleasant  to  raise  wages  in  times  of  prosperity; 
it  is  difficult  and  unpleasant  to  cut  them  down  when 
times  are  bad.  That  is  when  trouble  begins.  However 
just  and  reasonable  the  average  miner  may  be.  his  lead- 
ers have  as  yet  shown  too  little  sense  of  fair-play  to  war- 
rant the  expectation  that  a  lowering  of  the  wage-scale 
when  copper  drops  will  he  effected  without  friction  and 
opposition.  That  is  why  we  regret  the  passing  of  the 
sliding-seale  at  the  Shasta  mines  and  smelters. 


Engineers   and   Business 

We  publish  a  letter  on  this  subject.  It  deals  with  an 
important  phase  of  professional  life.  Several  public 
utterances  recently  have  bewailed  the  narrow  horizon  of 
the  engineer  and  his  limited  scope  as  a  citizen.  The  sug- 
gestion has  been  made  that  he  is  too  self-centred,  that  he 
thinks  parochially  instead  of  imperially  on  human  affairs. 
that  he  ought  to  emerge  from  his  self-made  shell  and 
bestir  himself  as  a  man  and  a  citizen.  With  much  of 
this  we  agree.  Perhaps  the  greater  participation  in 
business,  as  distinguished  from  technology,  and  the 
larger  assumption  of  executive,  as  against  consultative, 
functions  will  work  to  that  end.  There  does  not  seem 
much  reason  for  criticizing  the  engineerin  this  regard  : 
he  appears  to  be  gaining  ground  in  the  council-room  and 
on  the  quarter-deck  of  enterprise.  The  names  of  a  num- 
ber of  successful  men  come  to  mind  as  having  proved 
themselves  possessed  of  unusual  financial  sagacity  and 
executive   ability    in   connection    with   big   enterprises. 


August  G    1916 


MINING   ..t,J  Scientific   PRUSS 


189 


Technically  educated  as  they  were,  they  have  ahowu  them- 
■alvea  mora  alever  in  th ranting  room  than  the  »r- 

iliiuirv    business  man   iiik t    mOTC   skillful    in    Snanoe   than 

tlif  avrage  bankar.     An  able  man  generall]   does  ool 

take  long  to  aaeartain  Ids  higheal  aptitude  and  he  becomea 

gaful  when  he  lias  the  opportunity  to  display  it 

effectively.     It  is  at  laaal  as  true  thai  many  engineers 

make  ■ n  of  their  careers  by  mining  in  s| olation  and 

l>n> tion  tor  whii-lt  tiny  have  nn  fitness,  meanwhile 

neglecting  tin-  purely  technical  work  for  which  they  an' 
peculiarly  adapted  by  inherited  quality  and  special 
training,  as  it  is  thai  Bome  of  them  miss  the  chance  to 

li in''  rich  quickly  by  keeping  themaelvea  aloof  from 

tlir  Bnanoial  side  of  the  industry.  No;  we  need  nol  presB 
the  idea  of  further  participation  in  this  essentially  tricky 
ami  morally  dangerous  annex  to  professional  life.  We 
prefer  to  pass  to  the  next  suggestion,  namely,  thai  the 
engineer  fails  to  let  people  know  what  he  ran  do  and 
thereby  misses  the  chance  not  only  to  win  clients  or  em- 
ployers hut  to  take  a  larger  share  of  the  world's  work. 
That  is  more  argent.  We  live  in  a  noisy  world,  full  of 
assert ivemss  and  pushfulness.  The  philosophic,  which 
means  the  wise,  man  recognizes  that  to  he  effective  he 
iniisi  adapt  himself  to  the  flux  of  phenomena  called  life, 
he  must  he  in  harmony  with  the  conditions  constituting 
this  complex  mode  of  living  we  call  civilization.  To  he 
"a  flower  horn  to  blush  unseen"  is  a  poetie  destiny,  hut 
it  laughs  at  our  notions  of  virility.  Edmund  Garett.  one 
of  the  great  journalists  of  our  time,  used  to  say  that  two 
things  made  life  worth  while:  friends  and  the  hope  of 
being  effective.  It  seems  a  far  cry  from  so  nohle  an  ex- 
pression to  the  word  'advertising.'  but  the  fact  remains 
that  a  man  can  become  effective  only  by  co-operation 
with  his  fellow-men.  and  to  get  the  chance  of  being  so  he 
must  become  known  to  them  as  one  whose  aid  is  worth 
having.  Thus  we  arrive  at  the  idea  that  the  proper 
study  of  mankind  is  man  and  the  cognate  idea  that  the 
knowledge  of  men  is  at  least  as  useful  as.  if  not  more 
useful  than,  the  knowledge  of  things.  We  have  advised 
young  engineers  frequently  to  become  'acquainted'  with 
the  members  of  their  own  profession  and  with  the  mine- 
operators,  having  in  mind  the  notion  that  such  acquaint- 
ance would  be  likely  to  furnish  opportunities  for  work 
and  employment.  Personal  acquaintance  is  a  great  fac- 
tor in  life  and  it  comes  into  play  in  most  unexpected 
ways.  Those  who  read  the  interviews  we  have  published 
with  the  notable  men  of  the  profession,  and  those  who 
will  read  others  that  are  to  follow,  will  detect  how  a 
career  can  receive  a  decisive  diversion  or  a  fateful  di- 
rection in  consequence  of  a  chance  meeting  with  a  force- 
ful personality  on  a  train  or  steamship.  To  take  the 
trouble  to  meet  many  men  means  an  increase  in  the 
chances  of  meeting  one  that  will  be  a  friend  indeed.  It 
is  a  way  of  becoming  known.  There  are  others.  There 
is  the  mental  acquaintance  that  follows  from  the  writing 
of  something  that  many  other  men  will  read.  Of  course, 
we  know  scores  of  instances  in  which  the  publication  of  a 
sensible  article  or  paper  on  a  technical  subject  has  called 
attention   to   a   man's — not   always   a   young   or   hereto- 


fore unknown  engineer's    ability  or  capacity  in  a  given 

diii 'tin 11     We  in itc,  for  simple,  with  interest,  how  Mr 
EC.  T.  Mell'ir's  recent  paper  "H  the  geology  of  the  Wit 

waterarand  lias  i q  followed  so  soon  by  tin-  announce 

men)  that  In-  has  been  appointed  consulting  geologist  to 

tie-   Kami   Mines  and  Central  Mining  corporations.      We 

give  away  m>  secret  when  we  mention  that  the  prepara- 
tion "I  the  paper  on  the  siirlicial  signs  of  copper,  by  Mr. 
Prank  11.  Probert,  and  the  delivery  of  it  on  invitation  as 
a  series  of  lectures,  let  to  the  offer  of  the  pn.l",'ssorship 
ill  milling  at  the  University  of  California;  ami  thus.'  of 
us   who    belong    to    the   older   generation    know    how    the 

writings  on  copper  smelting  by  Dr.  Kdward  D.  Peters 
led  tirst  to  an  important  and  highly  remunerative  hi 
gagemenl  as  metallurgical  adviser  to  the  Mount   Lyell 

Company,  and  subsequently  to  the  professorship  at    liar 

vard.  where  Dr.  Peters  has  1 n  enabled  t"  tin. I  his  true 

mitier  ami  fulliil  it  with  ran-  distinction.  Instances 
could  be  multiplied.  Tn  smaller  ways  a  large  number  of 
iiun.  every  year,  emerge  from  the  ruck  by  writing  some- 
thing that  stamps  them  as  intelligent  observers  or  care- 
ful experimenters.  That,  it  seems  to  us,  is  one  of  the 
most  effective  methods  of  gaining  prominence  honorably. 
We  have  no  patience  with  those  that  claim  a  superior 
kind  of  modesty  or  a  sanctified  sort  of  diffidence  by  ab- 
staining from  appearance  in  print  or  from  taking  part  in 
public  technical  discussions.  Usually  we  have  found 
such  mock-modesty  a  necessary  cloak  for  lack  of  knowl- 
edge or  inability  to  convey  ideas,  and  not  the  scholar's 
shyness  or  the  demureness  of  a  scientific  intellect.  There 
are  those  that  write  too  much,  and  an  editor  by  force  of 
circumstances  is  one  of  them,  hut  the  number  is  small. 
There  are  those  that  write  to  fill  space  and  they  are  a 
weariness  of  the  flesh,  but  they  are  discovered  before 
their  ravages  can  extend  far.  We  conclude  therefore 
that  among  the  methods  whereby  an  engineer  can  'ad- 
vertise himself,'  as  it  is  phrased  frankly,  or,  as  we  prefer 
to  put  it,  become  known  honorably,  none  is  so  useful  to 
himself  and  to  others  as  the  occasional  writing  of  an 
article  describing  something  he  has  seen  or  done.  When 
he  does  it,  he  shakes  hands  mentally  with  a  host  of  new 
acquaintances  among  whom  presently  he  will  discover 
several  friends. 


The  director  of  an  American  mining  company  does 
not  hold  a  position  either  of  legal  responsibility  or  of 
financial  profit  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the  corre- 
sponding official  in  a  British  company.  In  England, 
thanks  to  the  Companies  Act,  the  duties  and  obligations 
of  the  members  of  a  directorate  are  clearly  set  forth  in 
great  detail,  minutely  safeguarded  by  law,  and  that  is 
why  perhaps  directors  are  better  paid  for  their  services. 
An  American  director  does  not  regard  his  appointment 
or  election  as  a  matter  of  gain,  because  usually  the  emol- 
ument is  restricted  to  a  fee  of  five  dollars  for  attending 
each  meeting.     Even  when  as  much  as  $20  is  paid,  the 


190 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


sum  is  rarely  a  factor  of  importance  to  the  individual 
concerned.  In  England  the  fee  used  to  be  a  guinea,  and 
that  is  how  the  term  'guinea-pig'  became  applied  to 
those  who  sat  on  many  boards  without  evincing  obvious 
fitness  for  their,  often  self-sought,  duties.  Now  the  di- 
m-tor in  London  receives  a  regular  payment,  which  is  al- 
most a  salary,  ranging  from  £100  to  £200,  or  even  £500, 
pet  annum,  with  £200  to  £500,  or  even  £1000,  for  the 
chairman.  Some  men  are  directors  or  chairmen  of  a 
sufficient  number  of  companies  to  win  a  living  therefrom, 
their  income  from  this  source  running  into  several  thou- 
sand pounds  per  annum.  That  is  one  reason  why  the 
board  usually  consists  of  a  small  number,  generally  five 
or  seven,  including  the  chairman.  But  multiple  director- 
ships constitute  an  absurdity,  if  not  a  scandal,  there 
being  several  gentlemen  who  are  on  more  than  twenty 
different  boards.  At  '-2(H)  apiece  that  would  be  equiva- 
lent to  £1000  or  £5000  per  annum.  The  amount  of  money 
paid,  of  course,  is  not  the  main  point  of  objection;  it  is 
the  obvious  inability  of  any  man  to  give  proper  attention 
to  such  a  number  of  enterprises.  While  a  few  may  make 
a  livelihood  out  of  di  ompany  affairs,  it  is  prob- 

able that  their  presence  at  the  council-table  is  valuable 
to  them  chiefly  because  it  puts  them  in  a  position  to  safe- 
guard the  property  in  which  they  have  placed  their  own 
or  their  friends'  money.  A  smaller  number,  we  regret 
to  add,  find  it  advantageous  to  be  on  a  board  because  it 
enables  them  to  obtain  the  first  information  from  the 
mine  and  use  it  for  profitable  share-dealing.  In  this 
country  boards  of  directors  are  much  larger,  partly  be- 
cause a  large  directorate  is  not  an  expensive  luxury  and 
mainly  because  it  is  deemed  desirable  to  give  representa- 
tion to  divers  groups  of  shareholders.  The  American 
Smelting  &  Refining  Company  has  30  directors,  of  whom 
five  belong  to  the  Guggenheim  family.  The  United 
States  Smelting.  Refining  &  Mining  Company  has  19 
directors;  the  United  States  Steel  Corporation,  18;  the 
American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting  Company;  15.  Un- 
doubtedly the  scattered  and  varied  holdings  of  the  big 
corporations  explain  the  bigness  of  their  boards  and  the 
desirability  for  having  a  large  variety  of  talent  and  in- 
formation at  hand  in  the  council-room.  Actual  control 
is  rested  in  an  executive  committee  consisting  of  heads 
of  departments.  The  boards  of  these  big  mining  and 
metallurgical  corporations  consist  largely  of  members  of 
the  staff,  none  of  whom  receives  any  fee  for  serving  as  a 
director.  Indeed  the  number  of  directors  not  connected 
with  the  actual  management  of  the  enterprise  tends  to  be- 
come relatively  small.  The  Granby  Consolidated  has  13 
directors;  the  Utah  Copper,  15  ;  likewise  the  Inspiration ; 
the  Anaconda  has  9  ;  but  the  purely  mining  companies 
have  smaller  boards:  thus  the  Goldfield  Consolidated 
has  7  directors,  the  Butte  &  Superior  and  the  Homestake 
have  5  each.  The  Calumet  &  Hecla,  which  is  almost  a 
family  affair  has  five  on  the  board,  one  of  them  being  the 
resident  manager;  the  Hollinger  has  the  same  number, 
two  of  them  representing  the  Timmins  family,  which  has 
been  associated  with  the  enterprise  from  the  very  begin- 
ning.   In  several  eases  the  general  manager  is  a  director. 


This  is  a  wise  practice  and  is  only  hindered  by  the  fact 
that  the  mine  usually  is  several  days'  journey  from  head- 
quarters. The  responsibility  for  the  technical  operation 
and  for  the  final  result,  that  of  making  money  for  the 
shareholders,  rests  chiefly  on  the  manager;  therefore  it  is 
fair,  and  it  is  wise,  to  put  him  in  full  possession  of  the 
ideas  and  confidence  of  those  'higher  up.'  While  recog- 
nizing the  wish  to  give  representation  to  groups  of  share- 
holders, it  is  still  a  pity  that  responsibility  should  be 
divided  among  so  many.  The  character  and  the  ability 
of  a  group  of  men  is  much  below  the  average  of  them. 
In  the  last  resort,  it  is  usually  one  dominating  person- 
ality that  settles  the  policy  of  a  company  and  directs 
its  destiny.  On  most  boards  there  are  several  passengers. 
Those  that  take  their  responsibilities  seriously  and  act 
as  trustees  for  the  shareholders  are  few;  the  majority 
think  they  are  doing  well  enough  when  they  protect  their 
own  interest  and  that  of  the  friends  whom  they  repre- 
sent ;  but  the  interests  of  these  may  not  be  identical  with 
that  of  the  minority  shareholders.  For  this  det'eet  in 
company  management  there  is  no  apparent  remedy,  ex- 
cept the  election  of  men  of  high  character,  and  of  that 
there  can  be  no  assurance  so  long  as  selection  is  based 
mainly  on  property  qualification.  It  remains  a  serious 
blemish  in  collective  speculation,  such  as  the  operations 
of  a  mining  company,  that  the  men  in  charge  are  not 
selected  for  their  special  fitness.  The  ideal  management 
would  be  a  managing  director,  an  assistant,  and  the  resi- 
denl  manager.  The  assistant  to  the  managing  director 
might  be  the  consulting  engineer.  All  of  them  should  be 
paid  handsomely  and  be  under  obligation  not  to  play  the 
share-market,  so  that  the  proprietary,  that  is.  the  whole 
body  of  shareholders,  might  be  assured  of  undivided 
attention  to  their  business.  The  more  the  general  direc- 
tion of  a  complex  technical  enterprise  is  in  the  hands  of 
bankers,  brokers,  and  book-keepers,  the  less  it  is  likely  to 
achieve  its  purpose,  which,  in  mining,  is  to  make  money 
out  of  the  exploitation  of  mineral  deposits.  There  should 
be  a  profession  of  directors,  men  qualified  by  training 
and  experience  to  conduct  the  general  affairs  of  indus- 
trial enterprises.  The  present  writer  remembers  his  first 
contact  with  a  board  of  directors;  he  had  suppose,]  that 
they  would  be  men  chosen,  of  course,  on  account  of  their 
unusual  sagacity;  he  expected  to  face  a  group  of  retired 
mining  engineers  or  men  otherwise  versed  in  the  matters 
to  be  discussed.  He  will  never  forget  his  disillusionment, 
when,  traveling  from  California  to  London,  he  found 
his  directors  were  a  lot  of  duffers,  one  of  them  titled,  all 
of  them  supremely  ignorant  of  the  matters  in  hand,  and 
the  only  one  that  had  even  seen  a  metal  mine,  through  a 
telescope,  was  the  most  unpractical  of  the  lost.  That  was 
many  years  ago.  In  those  days  a  companion  picture 
might  be  found  in  New  York.  On  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic these  things  are  done  better  now ;  but  still  it  seems 
a  waste  of  time  and  of  good  brain-tissue  to  put  persons 
wholly  unversed  in  technology  on  the  board  of  a  mining 
company  and  to  entrust  the  direction  of  its  affairs  to  a 
mixed  aggregation  so  numerous  as  to  scatter  responsi- 
bility  rather  than  crystallize  decision. 


August   V   1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


191 


thtr  rrtttli  r*  <trr    inritnl  '»  h*-  thi  \het  matt*/*  prrftlin- 

I    ■ 

if  i.i/u.i/./.  ■  umpUnu  ni. 


The   Flotation  Process 

The  Editor: 

sir  1  have  read  with  appreciation  the  lucid  account 
of  the  development  of  the  patents  and  of  the  mentality 
of  the  patentees  which  appropriately  appeared  in  your 
issue  of  April  I.  Perhaps  the  following  desoripl 
a  proofs  used  by  me  for  some  time  past  may  be  of 
interest  My  first  use  of  it  anticipated  all  the  ruling 
patents  except  that  of  Mrs,  Carrie  Bverson,  but  unless 
ill.-  Colorado  Scientific  Society  unearths  further  bio- 
graphical details  it  would  In-  difficult  to  cite  ber  in  sup- 
port of  prior  use.  On  the  other  hand,  it  resembles  the 
more  recent  developments  of  the  process  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  The  selective  agent  used  was  an  oil-residue  ob- 
tained as  a  by-prodnot  in  the  manufacture  of  nitro- 
glycerine. The  quantity  used  was  minute;  I  can  give 
no  actual  figures,  but  a  small  supply  lasted  a  long  time. 
Atmospheric  air  was  introduced  by  vigorous  agitation. 
resulting  in  the  formation  of  a  froth  that  was  removed 
by  a  form  of  scraper-conveyor  specially  made  for  the 
purpose  by  a  well-known  Sheffield  firm.  My  earlier  ex- 
periments were  not  uniformly  successful,  values  (permit 
the  word  in  this  connection)  tending  to  accompany  the 
waste  matter,  and  necessitating  the  occasional  use  of 
alum  as  a  corrective.  Apart  from  this  no  chemical  agent 
was  employed.  Now,  Sir.  in  view  of  recent  and  pending 
litigation,  would  your  advice  be  to  grow  whiskers,  or  to 
run  the  risk  of  an  injunction  and  an  action  for  the  re- 
covery of  royalties? 

R.  T.  Hancock. 

■Temaa,  West  Africa,  May  28. 

[Grow  the  whiskers:  they  will  be  handsome.  An  in- 
junction  and  the  attempt  to  collect  royalties  will  prove 
unpleasant  and  unprofitable.  Dedicate  the  process  to  the 
mining  industry  and  feel  proud  of  your  abrogation. — 
Editor.] 

The  Editor: 

Sir — The  relation  of  the  engineer  to  business  continues 
to  interest  both  engineers  and  business-men.  At  the  in- 
augural meeting  of  the  Engineering  Section  of  the  Natal 
Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Science  and  Art  in  Dur- 
ban, South  Africa,  on  May  If),  the  chairman,  J.  Roberts, 
said  in  part,  "The  business-man  generally  found  at  the 
head  of  manufacturing  concerns  is  likely  to  be  only  su- 
perficially informed  on  the  technical  details  of  the  busi- 
ness.   In  some  cases  the  technical  man  knows  that  if  the 


Control  were  placed  in  his  hands  the  final  result  would  he 
improved.  In  tie-  majority  of  eases,  however,  the  situa- 
tion is  accepted  ;is  inevitable)  with  the  result  that  many 
times  a  manufacturing  proposition  quite  Bound  on  the 
technical  side  fails  from  the  fad  that  the  control  is  in  the 
hands  of  one  who  cannot  conduct  tlie  business  portion 
sagaciously,  We  know  of  men  with  only  a  technical 
training  who  have  been  put  in  charge  of  purely  Belling 
us  and  who  have  turned  -'i  struggling  business  into 
one  yielding  good  profit  with  quite  remarkable  expan- 
sion. Only  an  engineer  can  realize  what  -lass  of  ma- 
chinery or  tools  is  most  suitable  to  the  conditions  of 
the  market  and  how  the  standard  article  can  he  advan- 
tageously modified  to  suit  conditions." 

Mr.  Roberts's  argument  in  full  contends  that  an  en- 
gineer's l raining  fits  him  to  direct  business  matters  and 
cultivates  in  him  a  capacity  for  organization.  To  this 
opinion  many  business-men  will  undoubtedly  demur,  just 
as  many  of  the  old  style  of  bankers  in  Wall  Street  are 
said  to  be  looking  askance  at  the  advertising  methods 
and  foreign  connections  of  the  National  City  Bank  of 
New  York,  the  greatest  bank  in  the  country,  the  presi- 
dent of  which,  Frank  A.  Vanderlip,  secured  much  of  his 
training  while  the  financial  editor  on  a  Chicago  news- 
paper. 

In  the  Engineering  Magazine  for  July,  is  an  article 
with  a  good  deal  of  sense,  even  if  written  in  a  colloquial 
style.  The  author,  Leonard  M.  Cox,  suggests  that  en- 
gineers should  broaden  their  outlook  to  the  bigger  things 
of  business.  He  advises  them  to  "take  active  interest 
in  all  public  matters;  to  make  a  practice  of  forming 
judgment  on  large  affairs  and  then  check-up  in  the  light 
of  subsequent  events;  to  discuss  politics  and  business 
with  men  who  know."  Mr.  Cox  adds  that  "the  engi- 
neer who  talks  to  his  board  of  directors  in  technical  terms 
is  making  a  mistake.  They  want  a  man  who  can  talk  to 
them  in  their  own  language  of  bonded  indebtedness, 
amortization,  fixed  and  operating  charges,  and  who  can 
decide  upon  all  technical  problems  involved  without 
obligating  his  clients  to  admire  his  erudition.  •  •  •  In 
the  breast  of  many  engineers  is  a  genuine  lust  for 
analysis,  for  the  solving  of  unusual  problems.  It  is  as 
fascinating  as  chess,  and  like  chess  it  can  absorb  more 
time  and  thought  than  the  large-calibre  man  can  afford 
to  give  it.  A  certain  young  engineer  had  been  selected 
for  promotion  to  a  position  of  superintendent,  when  a 
tempting  bit  of  difficult  analysis  proved  his  undoing. 
The  young  engineer  forgot  his  executive  duties  at  once 
and  worked  day  and  night  on  a  detail  of  girders  and 
stresses.     The  result  was  a  unique  and  original  solution 


192 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


for  maximum  economy,  a  saving  of  perhaps  $35 — and  his 
ultimate  transfer  to  the  drafting-room!" 

These  opinions  may  be  a  trifle  exaggerated  but  to  a 
measurable  extent  similar  thoughts  are  exercising  the 
minds  of  most  men  engaged  in  the  mines  and  industries 
of  this  country.  The  Journal  of  Electricity  Power  and 
Gas  has  stated  editorially  that  the  engineer  is  a  man 
who  ipso  facto  has  eschewed  advertisement  and  sales- 
manship. This  is  not  so.  Elbert  Hubbard,  I  think  it 
was,  said  that  '"advertising  is  letting  people  know  what 
you  can  do,  and  if  you  can  do  anything  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary, it  is  of  no  value  to  you  unless  you  let  people  know 
that  you  can  do  it."  As  expressed  by  a  writer  in  the 
July  Bulletin  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute.  "  Merit's 
no  good  if  no  one  ever  tells."  While  advertising  and 
salesmanship  cannot  be  applied  to  engineering  to  the 
game  extent  as  other  industries,  and  while  the  advice  of 
Engineering  <t-  Contracting  that  ""if  you  want  to  attract 
attention,  get  in  front  of  people  and  bother  them"  is  not 
to  he  commended,  yet  B  good  deal  more  could  be  done  by 
engineers  to  strengthen  their  profession  than  has  been 
usual  in  the  past 

-.    ,  ,       T  ,    ,.  P.  B.  McDonald. 

Berkeley.  July  15. 


Swelling  Ground  and  the 
Panama    Canal 

The  Editor: 

Sir — The  Los  Angeles  Times  of  July  9  had  an  article 

by  Senator  Thomas  Kearns  on  the  cause  of  slides  in  the 
Panama  Canal,  which  I  read  with  a  great  deal  of  inter- 
est. I  also  have  hail  eonsiderable  experience  witli  swell- 
ing ground,  during  my  thirty  odd  years  of  mining;  and 
I  am  still  having  it;  but  with  all  due  respect  to  the 
Senator's  superior  geological  knowledge  and  greater  ex- 
perience. I  cannot  agree  with  him. 

If  the  slides  are  caused  liy  "gas  pressure."  as  he  be- 
lieves, then  why  doesn't  the  pressure  cease  when  the 
ground  has  cracked  loose,  making  fissures  through  which 
the  gas  could  escape? 

It  is  my  experience  that  the  swelling  element  is  con- 
tained in  the  material  itself,  whether  solid  rock  or 
crushed  material  or  gouge  (the  latter  being  a  mud.  hard 
or  soft  I . 

The  mines  along  the  Mother  Lode  here  in  California, 
pretty  much  all  have  trouble  with  swelling  ground,  and 
it  generally  occurs  in  the  gangue  and  in  either  wall  for 
varying  distances.  In  some  places  the  area  of  swelling 
is  narrow  enough  to  be  entirely  removed  by  the  width 
of  the  drift  or  stope,  in  which  ease  the  swelling  con- 
tinues only  from  above  and  below.  I  have  always 
thought  the  main  cause  of  swelling  was  lime,  which 
slakes  when  exposed  to  air.  or  air  and  water.  T  cannot 
accept  the  Senator's  elaborate  test  of  his  swelling  ma- 
terial as  conclusive,  si ■  I  believe  his  process  of  kiln- 
drying  ami  roasting  permitted  it  to  exhaust  its  swelling 
qualities,  or  to  destroy  it.  Had  he  taken  the  raw  ma- 
terial   ami    placed    it    in   a   glass  receptacle   and    added 


water,  or  even  let  it  remain  exposed  to  the  air,  he  would 
have  noted  a  continuation  of  the  swelling. 

A  good  example  of  what  swelling  material  will  do, 
after  having  been  removed  from  any  possible  gas-pres- 
sure, may  be  seen  in  Amador  county,  where  the  old 
dump  at  th%  Hardenburg  mine  crawled  or  moved  on  an 
incline  of  less  than  30  degrees,  and  did  so  for  months 
after  any  fresh  material  had  been  added  to  it.  But 
granting  the  Senator's  theory  to  be  correct,  then  how  is 
the  ground  at  the  Canal  to  be  relieved  of  its  gas-pres- 
sure 1 

The  experience  of  sinking  shafts  and  working  in 
swelling  ground  is  not  of  an  optimistic  nature.  Boring 
would  be  useless,  since  the  holes  would  close  almost  im- 
mediately on  completion,  unless  properly  cased,  which 
would  nullify  their  value.  Personally.  I  believe,  as  do  the 
Canal  engineers,  that  the  slides  are  caused  by  the  weight 
of  the  banks  on  the  soft  underlying  material,  with  a 
possible  swelling  tendency,  and  when  this  ground  breaks 
loose  and  moves,  it  pushes  the  soft  material  ahead  of  it 
and  causes  it  to  bulge  in  places.  A  good  example  of  this 
may  be  seen  on  the  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railway 
tween  Benicia  and  Sacramento,  where  the  road  passes 
through  some  marshy  country.  When  the  road-bed  was 
being  built  the  rock-ballast  squashed  the  mud  out  of 
place,  and  raised  it  in  ridges  on  either  side  of  the  track, 
in  sonic  places  higher  than  the  road-bed  itself. 

It  is  my  belief  that  the  only  thing  that  can  be  done  at 

the   Canal   is   being   d< namely,   remove   the   material 

until  the  banks  have  attained  an  'angle  of  repose.'  A 
thorough  ditching  of  the  banks  to  carry  off  the  torren- 
tial rain-water  should  be  beneficial.  This  would  permit 
the  banks  of  the  Canal,  composed  of  this  rotten  porous 
material,  to  drain  itself  and  stiffen. 

The  above  is  not  in  the  spirit  of  criticizing  the  learned 
Senator.  We  all  wish  to  see  the  Canal  a  success,  and  it 
will  be. 

F.  J.  Martin. 

Angels  Camp,  July  15. 

We  have  received  copies  of  several  newspapers  con- 
taining the  Senator's  article.  If  we  remember  correctly, 
he  propounded  his  explanation  on  the  opinion  of  a  min- 
ing engineer  in  his  employ,  not  on  his  own.  In  any  case. 
it  did  not  seem  convincing,  in  the  light  of  information 
obtained  from  other  observers.  We  discussed  the  sub- 
ject of  the  slides,  and  the  cause  of  them,  in  our  issue  of 
June  10. — Editor.] 


China  is  reported  to  have  exported  13.000  tons  of  cop- 
per coins  to  Japan  in  1915,  and  dealers  in  Shantung 
province  are  said  to  have  accumulated  20,000  tons  more, 
a  total  of  33.000  tons,  which  is  nearly  as  much  as  the 
annual  output  of  copper  by  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  com- 
pany, and  nearly  half  the  normal  yearly  production  of 
copper  in  Japan. 

Salt  production  of  the  United  States  in  1915  was  38.- 
231.496  bhl.,  averaging  31c.  per  bhl..  equal  to  $2.19  pet- 
ton,  a  general  increase. 


Augual  5    1916 


Ml\l\i.  tad  Sdentifi.    l'Kl  SS 


I  111     M  w\    STREET. 


II  M    MM.    0ON(  I   N  lltMl  , 


aJiiy    Oatmim    JJisj-M^    Ariaonsi 


By      I<  •  r  07 


Palmer 


Genkkal.  This  district,  commonly  known  as  the 
Gold  Rond-Tom  Reed,  and  officially  as  the  San  Fran- 
cisco mining  district,  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of 
Mohave  county,  Arizona,  about  ten  miles  due  east  of  the 
Colorado  river  at  the  point  where  California,  Nevada, 
and  Arizona  come  together.  It  is  27  miles  by  stage 
from  Kingman,  Arizona,  and  20  miles  from  Needles, 
California,  both  on  the  main  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  rail- 
road. The  district  is  on  the  west  flank  of  the  Black 
range,  which  separates  the  Sacramento  and  Mohave 
valleys.  Drainage  from  the  west  slope  is  directly  to  the 
Colorado  river. 

The  Black  range  is  typical  of  the  desert.  Elevations 
in  this  vicinity  are  not  extreme,  the  town  of  Oatman 
having  an  altitude  of  2500  ft.,  and  most  of  the  slopes 
are  moderate,  in  comparison  with  the  rugged  topography 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Occa- 
sionally a  fault-scarp  or  some  other  geologic  feature,  as 
the  outcrop  of  an  erosion-resisting  dike  or  vein,  gives 
local  abruptness  to  the  hills,  but,  in  general,  the  slopes 
are  such  as  can  easily  be  scaled. 

Climate  and  vegetation  are  characteristic  of  the  south- 
western desert.  The  winters  are  moderately  cool  with 
occasional  short  periods  when  the  thermometer  falls  well 
below  the  freezing-point.  The  summers  are  blazing  hot, 
the  mercury  soaring  to  115°  and  above,  but  the  humid- 
ity is  low;  there  is  a  daily  breeze  and  the  nights  are 
pleasantly  cool. 

The  precipitation  is  scanty,  about  five  inches  per 
annum  in  the  valleys  and  somewhat  more  in  the  moun- 
tains. The  vegetation  is  typical  of  the  arid  regions  of 
the  South-west ;  greasewood,  various  cacti,  including  the 
giant    ocotilla,   sage-brush,    yucca,    this   last   being   the 


only  growth   in   the  locality   that   is  suitable   for  fuel. 

History.  The  first  discovery  in  the  district  was  made 
in  the  early  'sixties  by  a  party  of  Californian  pros- 
pectors headed  by  John  Moss,  who  found  very  rich  ore 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Moss  mine,  about  four 
miles  north-west  of  the  Gold  Road.  A  rush  of  consider- 
able proportions  followed  but  conditions  were  rigorous, 
even  for  the  hardy  pioneers,  and  the  Indians  were  so 
hostile  that  prospecting  was  unsafe  except  in  large 
parties,  something  to  which  the  prospector  is  naturally 
averse.  But  about  ten  years  later  the  number  of  the  in- 
habitants was  augmented  by  many  who  worked  their 
way  down  from  Pioche  and  other  Nevada  camps  so  that 
the  Indians  withdrew  farther  into  the  mountains,  the 
prospectors  enlarged  their  field  of  exploration,  and  sev- 
eral new  districts  were  discovered. 

Two  attempts  at  milling  the  ore  were  made  in  the 
early  days,  one  by  the  Moss  mine  and  one  by  a  custom- 
mill,  but  both  were  unsuccessful.  Consequently  until 
the  extension  of  the  railroad  in  1882  all  ore  was  hauled 
or  packed  on  burros  to  the  Colorado  river,  transported 
by  steamer  to  the  Gulf  of  California  and  thence  by  ship 
to  San  Francisco,  where  it  was  trans-shipped  to  the 
smelters  in  Wales.  Obviously  the  ore  had  to  be  rich  to 
stand  such  a  haul  and  when  the  higher-grade  deposits 
were  worked  out  operations  in  the  district  slackened  and 
the  miners  scattered,  many  of  them  going  to  the  silver 
discoveries  that  had  been  made  to  the  east  in  the  Cerbat 
range. 

The  district  experienced  a  revival  in  1902.  when  Joe 
Jeneres,  a  Mexican  prospector  who  had  been  grubstaked 
by  Henry  Lovin  of  Kingman,  now  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  Oatman,  discovered  the  Gold  Road  mine  while  hunt- 


194 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5.  1916 


ing  a  stray  burro.  The  mine  was  sold  shortly  after  by 
Jeneres  and  Lovin,  eventually  becoming  the  property 
of  b  French  syndicate,  which  sold  it  to  the  United  States 
Smelting,  Refining  &  Mining  Co.  in  1910. 

The  Blue  Kidge,  now  the  Tom  Reed,  was  discovered 
two  years  earlier  than  the  Gold  Road,  but  active  opera- 
tions were  not  commenced  on  it  until  after  1906,  when 
-  Bold  to  the  Tom  Reed  Gold  Mines  Co.  composed 
chiefly  of  Pasadena  capitalists. 

Both  of  these  mines  became  producers  and  soon  there- 
after dividend-payers.  Their  success  stimulated  pros- 
pecting, several  claims  were  located  in  the  district,  and  a 
lew  of  them  became  productive  in  a  small  way.  But  the 
real  awakening,  in  the  spring  of  1915,  is  due  to  the 
United  Eastern. 

The  Tom  Reed,  which  was  working  through  the  Tom 
Reed  shaft,  toward  the  south-east  end  of  its  ground,  went 
about  half  a  mile  to  the  north-west  and  sunk  a  shaft  on 
its  Olla  Oatman  claim.  A  cross-cut  was  started  from  the 
shaft.  1  >u t  found  no  vein  where  it  was  expected.  This 
fact  became  known  to  George  W.  Long  and  J.  L.  Mc- 
[vor,  two  practical  miners  with  a  good  working  knowl- 
edge of  geology.  They  formed  a  theory  as  to  the  where- 
abouts of  the  missing  vein,  and.  while  working  under- 
ground in  the  Tom  Reed,  made  such  observations  as 
confirmed  them  in  their  belief.  They  then  bought  from 
J.  F.  McConnell  and  Joe  Perrizzo  the  ground  on  which 
they  believed  the  vein  was  to  be  found,  financed  it  for 
Limited  development  work,  and  commenced  sinking  a 
shaft  in  September  1914.  At  200  ft.  they  cul  the  vein 
and  at  300  ft.  they  drove  a  cross-cut,  which,  in  February 
1915,  broke  into  the  vein  where  it  had  a  width  of  30  ft. 
and  assayed  up  to  $190  per  ton.  Naturally  this  awak- 
ened interest  in  the  district  and  attracted  the  attention 
of  men  of  reputation  and  capital,  so  that  a  year  later 
claims  were  located  over  an  area  of  120  square  miles. 
There  has  probably  never  been  a  new  district  in  which 
so  much  cash  was  paid  into  the  treasuries  for  actual 
Lopmenl  work  and  so  many  competent  mining  men 
were  in  charge  of  operations  as  at  Oatman.  At  this 
time  there  are  approximately  125  companies  operating 
all  told,  and  about  4000  people  scattered  through  the 
five  towns  in  the  district. 

GEOLOGY.  On  casual  examination,  the  geology  of  the 
district  appears  to  be  comparatively  simple,  but,  as  one 
goes  into  it.  complexities  appear  and  it  resolves  itself 
into  a  problem  presenting  many  angles.  For  the  fol- 
lowing general  outline  I  can  Nairn  nothing  strictly 
original.  It  is  rather  the  correlation  of  the  notes  of 
several  engineers  who  have  given  the  subject  consider- 
able study,  checked  and  supplemented  to  some  extent  by 
my  own  observations  in  the  field. 

Briefly,  the  formation  is  as  follows:  A  pre-Cambrian 
complex,  which  forms  the  base  of  the  range,  and  con- 
sists of  schist,  granite,  and  gneiss,  appears  locally  as 
granite-gneiss  in  limited  areas,  notably  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boundary  Cone  peak.  Overlying  this  basement  com- 
plex is  the  Tonto  group  of  sharply  upturned  Paleozoic 
sediments.    These  are  also  of  very  limited  extent,  locally 


only  one  outcrop  giving  a  favorable  exposure,  at  a  place 
3J  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Oatman  and  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  south  of  the  Times  claim,  where  this  group  appears 
as  limestone,  almost  invariably  marbleized,  and  as  meta- 
morphosed si  Mile. 

Overlying  the  sediments  are  various  flows  of  presum- 
ably Tertiary  age.  The  most  important  of  these  rocks  is 
andesite,  of  which  four  distinct  flows  have  been  recog- 
nized. Locally  the  andesite  is  labeled  as  the  'earlier' 
and  the  'later.'  The  earlier'  is  a  typical  andesite  that 
rests  on  the  Toiito  group,  or,  where  these  sedimeutaries 
have  been  removed  by  erosion,  directly  on  the  pre-Cam- 
brian complex.  Following  this  extrusion  came  a  long 
erosion  interval  preceding  the  outpourings  of  'later' 
andesite.  Four  different  flows,  one  of  which  is  ehloritic, 
without  any  erosion-interval,  have  been  distinguished  in 
the  later  andesite.  which  is  of  somewhat  greater  extent 
areally  than  the  older. 

The  later  andesite  was  covered  by  a  layer  of  andesite 
tuff,  overlaid  by  latite,  and  that,  in  turn,  by  an  amyg- 
daloidal  basalt.  The  latite  and  basalt  do  not  appear  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  Oatman,  but  the  ridges  there- 
abouts are  capped  by  the  later  andesite,  which  exhibits 
the  pronounced  columnar  structure  usually  found  most 
highly  developed  in  the  basalts,  so  that  one  observing 
these  ridges  from  a  distance  would  come  to  the  natural 
conclusion  that  he  was  looking  at  the  latest  of  the  flows. 

Vfjx  Formation.  All  of  these  flows,  except  the  latite 
and  the  basalt,  were  subjected  to  heavy  stresses  result- 
ing in  a  series  of  profound  fault-fissures,  which  were  sub- 
sequently intruded  with  dikes  and  plugs  of  rhyolite. 
These  fissures  have  a  general  northwest-southeast  strike 
but  north-west  of  the  town,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Pitts- 
burg and  Times,  is  a  series  with  almost  due  east  and 
west  strike.  These  have  generally  been  supposed  to  rep- 
resent a  distinct  system  but  more  recent  observations  in 
connection  with  development  work  tend  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  are  all  part  of  one  great  fissure  system. 

The  age  of  all  of  the  volcanics  is  supposed  to  be  Ter- 
tiary.  The  andesites  were  Early,  the  period  of  faulting 
and  intrusion  Middle,  and  the  latite  and  basalt  Late 
Tertiary,  with  the  possibility  of  the  basalt  overlapping 
into  the  Quaternary. 

Following  the  intrusion  of  the  rhyolite,  veins  were 
formed  along  the  dikes  and  adjacent  thereto,  and  in  a 
few  instances,  as  at  the  Gold  Road,  in  the  dikes  them- 
selves. These  veins  are  of  ealcite  and  were  probably 
formed  by  hydro-thermal  action  on  the  feldspar  of  the 
andesite,  this  action  being  accompanied  by  a  silicifieation 
of  the  andesite  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  veins. 
The  andesite  when  silicified  much  resembles  quartzite 
and.  resisting  erosion  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  un- 
affected rock,  stands  up  in  many  prominent  ridges  or 
combs  by  which  the  veins  can  sometimes  be  traced  and 
which  have  given  rise  to  a  local  term,  'quartzite  dikes.' 

The  ealcite  proper  is  barren,  but  following  its  de- 
position the  veins  were  strike-faulted,  thus  allowing  the 
upward  circulation  of  silicious  solutions  containing  gold, 
which  was  deposited  by  metasomatie  replacement  of  the 


MIMV.  .,nd  Scienlifi,    I'Kl  SS 


Gram /e  Porfi/tyrj/ Pre  Ca/nbrtan 
HAROY  MTS.  dnetsa 


Pa/eoxo/c    5erf//nen/ar/«j 


BIACH  rXAWGf. 


..Iiiiin.ii  m    CS088-8SDXI01I    11    ommas.      (After  Edwiinl    II.    HldnKs.l 


caleite.  The  veins  show  distinctly  the  banded  structure 
characteristio  of  deposition  from  upward  circulating 
solutions,  and  specimens  of  quarts  psendomorphic  after 
oalcite  an  not  rare.  Occasiona]  specimens  are  found  in 
which  the  gold  appears  to  be  deposited  in  the  caleite 
itself,  l>ut  it  is  probable  that  the  microscope  would  show 
that  it  is  associated  with  some  quartz.  As  a  rule  the 
walls  carry  very  little  gouge,  bul  they  are  usually  clean- 
cul  and  the  veins  are  rarely  found  frozen. 

Thus  we  have  two  periods  of  faulting  previous  to  min- 
eralization and  having  a  direct  bearing  upon  it.  There 
[so  a  third  period,  which  was  subsequent  to  min- 
eralisation. Following  the  deposition  of  the  gold  ores 
intense  lateral  stresses  brought  about  a  series  of  trans- 
verse faults  at  right  angles  to  the  major  faults,  in  which 
the  throw  was  largely  horizontal  and  limited  to  a  few 
hundred  feet  This  resulted  in  a  displacement  of  the 
wins,  hut  had  no  mineralizing  effect,  as  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  the  transverse  faults  are  barren  except  for 


SUCb  small  amounts  of  mineral  as  have  been  Carried  Onto 

the  fault-plane  by  the  drag. 

Sn  far.  all  of  the  orebodies  are  in  what  may  be  desig- 
nated for  the  occasion  as  the  'middle'  andesite,  that  is, 
the  uppermost  of  the  flows  as  well  as  the  earlier  andesite 
are  barren  although  the  veins  are  found  therein,  l-'or 
some  time  it  was  supposed  that  the  ore-zone  was  de- 
limited by  the  chloritic  andesite.  but  more  recent  de- 
velopments have  upset  this  theory,  although  the  occur- 
rence of  any  ore-shoots  in  the  earlier  andesite  is  yet  to 
be  demonstrated.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  veins  ex- 
tend into  the  pre-Cambrian  and  some  ore  of  value  has 
been  found  therein,  but  at  present  it  is  not.  safe  to  Bay 
what  part  this  formation  will  play  in  the  future  of  the 
district. 

The  fact  that  it  is  customary  in  the  Oatman  district 
to  sink  to  depths  of  300  to  500  ft.  before  attempting  to 
reach  the  vein  has  given  rise  to  the  general  belief  that 
pay-ore  is  not  to  be  found  nearer  the  surface.    This  con- 


TOWN  OF  GOLD  HOAD  AND  PART  OF  THE  OATMAN   DISTKTl  T. 


196 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5.  1916 


ception  is  not  strictly  true,  as  proved  by  such  mines  as 
the  Times  and  the  Oat  man  United,  at  which  good  ore  is 
found  on  the  surface.  This  was  also  the  case  with  the 
Green  Quartz,  whose  former  owner,  the  prospector  who 
located  the  ground,  kept  himself  in  bacon  and  beans  for 
several  years  before  selling  to  the  present  company  by 
treating  in  an  arrastra  such  ore  as  he  took  out  by 
gophering  around  by  hand,  none  of  his  workings  being 
over  50  ft.  deep.  The  ore  occurs  in  shoots  that  are  dis- 
tributed both  vertically  and  horizontally.  Where  the 
latest  of  the  andesite  flows,  in  which  the  veins  are  barren, 
are  in  place  it  becomes  necessary  to  reach  the  orebodies 
by  sinking,  but  where  these  flows  have  been  removed  by 
erosion  and  the  productive  andesite  is  exposed,  there  is 
the  possibility  of  finding  an  ore-shoot  at  the  surface. 

Another  reason  for  the  deep  mining  at  the  start  is 
that  Oat  man  must  of  necessity,  because  of  the  low  grade 
of  its  ores,  be  a  deep-mine  camp.  For  this  reason  the 
operators  have  recognized,  fortunately,  that  their  first 
task  must  be  to  prove  their  mines.  For  a  new  camp  and 
one  that  has  attracted  so  much  attention  with  the  cor- 
responding  temptation  to  speculation,  Oatman,  is  re- 
markable for  its  conservative  development  and  the  lack 
of  elaborate  or  unnecessary  equipment. 

The  veins  of  the  district  can  be  classified  into  four  dif- 
ferent mineral  zones,  according  to  the  more  prominent 
mines  thereon.  These  zones  tend  to  show  a  slight  con- 
vergence toward  the  south-east,  but  the  junction,  if  there 
is  one,  has  not  been  found,  being  concealed  by  the  later 
flows  and  Burficial  material. 

The  veins  of  the  district  have  been  traced  over  dis- 
tances of  several  miles.  Their  general  appearance  in- 
dicates depth,  but  as  yet  a  definite  prediction  as  to  the 
persistence  of  ore  cannot  be  made.  As  stated,  no  ore- 
bodies  of  importance  have  yet  been  found  in  the  earlier 
andesite,  but  development  in  this  zone  is  very  limited. 
The  ground-water  level  presumably  coincides  with  that 
of  the  Colorado  river,  which  has  an  approximate  eleva- 
tion of  500  ft..  2000  ft.  lower  than  the  town  of  Oatman. 
Thus  if  the  ore  persists  to  that  depth  it  will  be  found 
oxidized  to  the  level  of  the  river.  If  this  proves  to  be 
the  case,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  make  any  material 
change  in  milling  practice  for  some  years  to  come. 

This  account  is  necessarily  brief,  for  the  reason  that 
scientific  evidence  concerning  the  geology  of  the  district 
is  still  so  incomplete,  a  condition  that  development  is 
tending  to  overcome.  There  are  many  problems  yet  to 
be  solved ;  for  instance,  as  to  whether  the  east-west 
fissures  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Times  are  distinct  or  part 
of  the  main  fissure  system.  Do  the  fissures  unite  some- 
where south-east  of  the  district,  and,  if  so,  what  is  the 
result?  Why  are  ore-shoots  limited  to  the  'middle'  an- 
desite. while  the  'earlier'  and  the  upper  flows  are  bar- 
ren There  have  been  some  interesting  theories  formed, 
on  some  of  these  points  and  I  should  like  to  go  into  them, 
but  that  is  properly  the  privilege  of  those  who  are  work- 
ing them  out  and  who  will  undoubtedly  be  able  to  make 
more  definite  statements  later  than  I  could  offer  now. 
Oatman  promises  to  be  a  fruitful  field  for  the  geologist 
as  well  as  the  miner. 


The  New  Anaconda 

In  a  pamphlet  entitled  The  New  Anaconda,'  Eugene 
Meyer,  Jr.,  &  Co.  of  New  York  describe  present  condi- 
tions at  that  great  property.  The  pamphlet  says  in  part : 
Anaconda  is  mining,  reducing,  and  marketing  at  the 
rate  of  330,000,000  lb.  of  copper  annually — approxi- 
mately one-fourth  of  the  copper  produced  in  the  United 
States,  and  one-seventh  of  the  copper  produced  in  the 
world ;  in  addition,  it  is  refining  and  selling  the  product 
of  other  companies,  in  some  of  which  it  has  part  owner- 
ship, to  the  extent  of  240,000,000  lb. ;  making  a  grand 
total  of  570,000,000  lb.  of  copper — more  than  one-third 
of  the  product  of  the  United  States  and  nearly  one- 
fourth  of  the  total  copper  production  of  the  world. 
Anaconda,  besides  its  copper,  is  producing  annually  13,- 
000.000  oz.  of  silver  and  150,000  oz.  of  gold ;  is  smelting 
and  refining  at  its  custom-plants  an  additional  4,000,000 
oz.  of  silver  and  100,000,000  lb.  of  lead;  it  will,  within 
a  few  months,  be  producing  at  the  rate  of  70,000,000  lb. 
of  zinc  per  annum.  By  the  end  of  1916,  Anaconda  will 
be  using  126,000  hp.,  or  700,000,000  kilowatt-hours 
annually.  Electrification  has  meant  a  saving  of  $3,500,- 
000  to  $4,000,000  annually.  Prior  to  1915  Anaconda 
found  it  impracticable  to  separate  more  than  82%  of 
the  copper  in  the  ore.  With  flotation  machines  installed, 
the  recovery  of  copper  in  concentrate  has  been  increased 
to  96%.  The  leaching-plant,  in  which  tailings  are  treat- 
ed, has  a  capacity  of  more  than  2000  tons  per  day  and 
recovers  about  85%  of  the  metal  in  the  tailing.  Its 
annual  recovery  amounts  to  7,000,000  lb.  of  copper  at  a 
cost  of  8i  cents  per  pound.  As  the  old  tailing  piles  con- 
tain more  than  20,000,000  tons,  there  is  enough  of  this 
material  available  to  enable  the  leaching-plant  to  con- 
tinue at  the  present  rate  for  nearly  30  years.  These 
tailing  piles  are  capable  of  being  converted  into  200,- 
000.000  lb.  of  copper.  It  is  a  conservative  assumption 
that  Anaconda  in  1917,  with  normal  prices  of  zinc,  will 
be  able  to  earn  a  profit  of  two  cents  per  pound  on  its 
70.000,000-lb.  output — an  annual  net  earning  of  $1,400,- 
000  from  this  new  source. 

Earnings  in  Montana: 
300,000,000   lb.   copper  annually   at   cost   of  9c.   per 

pound,  copper  at  14c $15,000,000 

70,000,000  lb.  of  zinc  annually  at  a  cost  of  3Jc.  per 

pound,  zinc  at  5}c 1,400,000 

$16,400,000 
Other  income: 
Return  from  security  holdings 6,250,000 

Total $22,650,000 

Per  share    $9.72 

Within  the  next  few  years  the  company  should  begin 
to  realize  on  its  investment  in  Chile.  It  is  fair  to  assume 
a  production  of  100,000,000  to  150,000,000  lb.  of  cop- 
per annually  at  a  profit  around  5  cents  per  pound  under 
normal  metal  prices.  Anaconda  owns  75%  of  the  operat- 
ing company  in  control  of  the  Chilean  deposits.  This 
should  return  an  amount  equivalent  to  at  least  $2  per 
share  per  annum  on  Anaconda's  stock. 


Angus!  5,  1916 


MINING  .nd  Scicnnfic   PKKSS 


197 


Ore   Treatment  at  the  West  End,  Tonopah 


By      Jay      A. 

A  considerable  amount  of  interesting  work  has  I m 

done  ut  the  Weal  Bnd  mill,  u  the  following  notes  from 
the  iiiuuial  report  for  the  past  year  will  show : 

There  was  5ti.!'7t>  tons  treated,  with  a  gross  value  of 
$958,657. 

The  value  is  calculated  at  $20.67  per  ounce  for  gold, 
an. I  50.86  cents  for  silver.  The  average  metallic  content 
of  the  ore  was  H.245  oz.  of  gold  and  23.42  oz.  of  silver. 
Gold  extraction  of  9-J  :  silver  of  90.88%  are  the 

highest  recoveries  yet  made  by  the  West  End  mill.  The 
combined  extraction  was  90.92%  of  the  metallic  content, 
and  ol'.Iik;  of  the  money  value  of  the  ore.  (This  latter 
figure  of  92.1%  is  the  accepted  method  of  reporting  ex- 
traction.) It  is  to  be  further  noted  that  this  recovery 
was  made  by  cyaniding  only.  Concentration  was  aban- 
doned in  1914,  as  the  additional  gross  extraction  made 
by  its  aid  was  overbalanced  by  the  8  to  10%  marketing 
cost  on  the  value  removed  in  the  concentrate.  The  cost 
in  1915  of  marketing  the  products  of  cyanidation  was 
only  1.7%  of  the  gross  value  of  the  ore,  giving  the  high 
net  extraction  of  90.4%.  This  is  also  the  highest  annual 
figure  yet  attained,  and  is  considerably  above  the  av- 
erage 1915  figure  of  89.75%  for  the  mills  of  the  Tonopah 
district. 

The  total  recovery  of  metals  was  13,219  oz.  of  gold  and 
1,210,037  oz.  of  silver. 

The  daily  amount  treated  was  156  tons,  which  re- 
quired 22.6  stamps  dropping  continuously,  giving  an 
average  of  6.9  tons  per  stamp-day.  Of  the  daily  tonnage, 
39  was  custom  ore,  and  47  was  the  disputed  Jim  Butler 
v.  West  End  ore  which  was  treated  as  custom.  The  cus- 
tom ore  was  irregular  in  quantity,  varying  from  $6  to 
$96  per  ton,  and  ranged  in  character  from  oxidized-ore 
screenings  to  the  hard  flint  of  the  Kernick  ore.  These 
variations  made  it  impossible  to  keep  the  consumption  of 
chemicals  and  power  to  as  low  a  point  as  could  be  done 
with  a  fairly  consistent  tonnage  and  grade  of  ore,  and 
it  required  great  attention  to  details  of  plant  operation 
to  obtain  equal  extraction.  The  sampling  of  all  ores, 
with  the  control  assays  and  necessary  supervision,  intro- 
duced a  new  expense  in  milling  charges.  However,  if 
the  treating  of  custom  ores  added  to  the  expense  of  mill- 
ing, it  was  far  over-balanced  by  the  direct  profit  from 
the  milling  of  these  ores.  In  addition  to  the  direct  profit 
there  was  an  important  indirect  profit  accruing  from  the 
increased  daily  tonnage  milled. 

During  the  last  six  months  of  the  year  the  average 
value  of  the  ore  treated  was  $20.10.  This  was  a  com- 
posite of  Tonopah  ores,  being  mainly  sulphide  ores.  A 
gross  extraction  of  92.1%  was  obtained,  giving  a  net  ex- 
traction of  90.5%.  Although  there  was  no  concentra- 
tion, the  average  titration  of  the  strongest  solution  in  the 


Ctrpeater 

mill,  being  that  of  No.  1  agitator,  was  3.5  lb.  of  potassium 

cyanide  ami  (1.7  lb.  of  protective  sodium  hydrate. 
Sodium  cyanide  consumption  was  2.9  lb.  and  1.16  lb.  of 
rinc  shavings.  These  results  are  worthy  of  mention,  as 
they  mark  a  high  point  in  the  treatment  of  Tonopah  ores 
without  concentration. 

The  year  1915  was  notable  for  its  advance  in  price  of 
nearly  all  materials  used  in  milling,  but  such  increases 
are  usually  met  in  all  industries  by  greater  economy  and 
a  closer  study  of  costs.  We  are  pleased  to  state  that  in 
our  case,  with  a  reduction  in  daily  tonnage  from  17't 
tons  to  156,  and  with  an  increase  in  the  gold  and  silver 
contents  of  the  ore  from  18.7  to  23.66  oz.,  the  total  direct 
milling  costs  show  a  decrease  of  3c.  per  ton.  With  the 
decreased  tonnage  the  total  cost  of  labor  and  power  per 
ton  was  held  at  the  same  figure,  and  with  a  25%  increase 
in  the  metallic  content  of  the  ore  the  cost  of  supplies 
actually  decreased  3c.  per  ton. 

The  following  table  shows  the  main  items  of  cost  for 
1015.  and  those  of  1914  for  comparison: 

Amount  Used 

per  Ton  Cost  per  Ton 

1915         1914         1915  1914 

Labor    (average   of   $4.50   per 

shift),  shift    0.156        0.161     $0,704       $0,724 

Power,  kw.-h.our   36.0  35.0  0.526        0.506 

Sodium  cyanide,   pounds 2.6  2.83        0.567        0.600 

Cut  sheet  zinc,  pounds 1.21  1.34        0.179        0.126 

Lime,   pounds    3.88  3.95        0.028        0.033 

Lead  acetate,   pounds 0.66  0.43        0.051        0.037 

Fuel-oil,   gallons    3.19  3.10        0.122        0.121 

Water,   gallons    226.0        246.0  0.170        0.185 

Pebbles,   pounds    7.39  6.05        0.087        0.105 

Tube-mill  liners  and  supplies 0.042        0.050 

Shoes  and  dies   0.030        0.026 

Other  supplies  0.235        0.25E 

Total  direct  milling  costs $2,741       $2,768 

Indirect  costs  without  depreciation 0.211        0.202 

Total  direct  and  indirect  without  depreciation .  $2,952       $2,970 
Special  features  that  held  the  interest  of  the  mill-crew 
during  1915  were  as  under: 

Six  tons  of  manganoid-steel  balls  were  substituted  for 
the  six-ton  load  of  Danish  pebbles  in  the  5  by  15-ft.  tube- 
mill.  There  was  a  sharp  increase  in  the  power  required 
for  the  mill,  but  less  power  per  ton  ground.  The  saving 
in  power  was  over-balanced  by  the  greater  cost  per  ton 
for  the  steel  balls.  Later,  the  mill  was  reduced  to  3  ft. 
diam.,  and  charged  with  steel  balls,  resulting  in  a  con- 
siderable increase  of  tonnage  and  decrease  in  the  power 
required  for  the  mill  over  the  use  of  Danish  pebbles  in 
the  5-ft.  mill.  On  account  of  a  33%  saving  in  power  per 
ton  ground,  the  test  is  being  continued  over  a  long  period 
to  determine  the  consumption  of  steel  balls  under  the 


l!l» 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


favorable  conditions  of  the  3-ft.  diam.  mill.  In  1915, 
using  mostly  Manhattan,  Nevada,  chalcedony  pebbles  in 
by  is  It.  tube-mills,  the  consumption  per  ton  of 
on-  was  20%  greater,  but  the  total  cost  per  ton  of  ore 
ground  was  20',  less  than  in  1914  when  Danish  pebbles 
were  mostly  used.  The  Komata  shell-liner  placed  in  one 
of  the  •">  by  18-ft.  mills  in  1913,  with  the  idea  of  reducing 
the  cost  of  shell-liners  50%,  has  given  the  following  re- 
sults: life  of  plates,  22  months;  life  of  angles,  6  months; 
while  filler-bars  were  not  worn  at  all.  All  this  material 
mvliased  from  the  local  foundry,  and  the  cost  per 
ton  ground  was  2c,  which  is  33%  of  the  cost  when  using 
the  smooth  liners. 

In  order  to  hasten  the  settling  of  light  slime  that  lies 
close  to  the  surface  of  the  Dorr  thickeners,  an  experiment 
was  tried  in  one  thickener  of  placing  4-in.  square  sticks 
•1  in.  apart  horizontally,  and  projecting  3  ft.  vertically 
below  i  lie  surface  of  the  solution-level.  Due  to  the  daily 
change  in  character  of  the  ore  milled,  accurate  settling 
data  have  nol  yet  been  obtained,  but  the  originator  of  the 
idea  demonstrated  a  great  improvement  in  settling  in  his 
experimental  tank  thus  equipped. 

During  the  year  one  of  the  Trent  agitators  was 
equipped  as  a  replacer,  to  determine  the  feasibility  of  re- 
placing the  rich  solutions  of  the  agitator  pulp  with  bar- 
ren solution  and  then  with  water  without  recourse  to 
the  canvas  leaf-filter.  It  was  shown  that  it  was  possible 
to  maintain  a  barren  zone  in  the  bottom  of  the  replacer 
and  thus  replace  solutions  by  this  method;  but,  like  the 
eontinuous-decantation  system,  although  to  a  lesser  de- 
gree, the  extra  tankage  required  did  not  justify  a  change 
from  the  present  leaf-filter. 

The  most  interesting  and  profitable  experimental  work 
of  the  year  was  a  study  of  the  mill  solutions  to  determine 
what  saving  could  be  made  in  the  use  of  cyanide  and  zinc 
without  lowering  extraction.*  The  result  was  an  in- 
creased extraction,  as  shown  in  the  figures  given  above 
for  the  last  six  months  of  the  year.  The  saving  in  chemi- 
cals is  shown  by  the  fact  that  during  1915  we  used  0.126 
lb.  of  sodium  cyanide  per  fine  ounce  of  gold  and  silver 
bullion,  compared  with  0.170  lb.  in  1914,  a  saving  of 
26%  ;  and  in  1915  we  used  0.056  lb.  of  zinc  shavings  per 
ounce  of  bullion,  compared  with  0.081  lb.  in  1914,  a  sav- 
ing of  31%.  While  the  1914  results  compared  favorably 
with  standard  practice  of  this  district,  the  1915  con- 
sumption of  cyanide  and  zinc  would  have  been  about 
$16,000  greater  had  the  1914  consumption  figures  pre- 
vailed. This  would  have  increased  milling  costs  28.1c. 
per  ton. 

During  the  year  considerable  testing  was  carried  on 
to  find  out  if  the  flotation  process  could  be  used  instead 
of  cyaniding  on  West  End  ore,  or  as  an  adjunct  to  cya- 
niding.  Although  flotation  can  make  an  equal  extrac- 
tion with  cyaniding  on  sulphide  ores,  it  was  decided  that 
there  was  no  field  for  flotation  at  present  in  the  mill,  as 
some  of  the  ore  is  oxidized,  and  there  is  at  present  no 
satisfactory  method  of  treating  silver  concentrate  locally. 

It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  mill-crew  that,  due  to  their 

•M.  &  S.  P..  Dec.  11,  1915. 


observance  <>!'  Safety-First  the  year  passed  with  only 
minor  injuries,  and  no  call  was  made  on  the  State  in- 
surance fund. 

Qold  in  Bolivia 

A  gold  nugget  weighing  14  lb.  was  recently  found  in 
the  placer  mines  of  Beuedicto  Goytia  at  Chuquiaguillo. 
This  nugget  has  a  maximum  diameter  of  13  centimetres 
(1  centimetre  =  J-in.)  and  a  maximum  and  minimum 
thickness  of  8  and  3  centimetres,  respectively ;  it  is  valued 
at  $4,000.  In  the  gravel  of  this  same  river  another  cele- 
brated gold  nugget,  worth  $4500,  was  found  by  an  In- 
dian miner  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  was  placed 
on  exhibition  in  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  at 
Madrid,  Spain.  Much  of  the  gold  in  the  possession  of 
the  Incas  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  of  the  Spaniards 
384  years  ago  is  said  to  have  been  obtained  from  the 
Chuquiapu  and  Chuquiaguillo  rivers.  The  name  of  the 
latter  river  means  in  the  Aimara  Indian  language  'inher- 
itance of  gold.'  In  Bolivia  gold  is  widely  distributed  in 
veins  and  placers.  Along  the  rivers  which  run  in  a 
north-easterly  direction  following  the  eastern  slopes  of 
the  Andes,  there  are  extensive  deposits  of  auriferous 
sands  of  great  richness.  The  Chuquiapu,  or  river  of 
gold,  upon  which  La  Paz,  the  capital  of  Bolivia,  is  situ- 
ated, contains  within  the  city  limits  auriferous  gravel 
washed  down  from  the  slopes  of  the  Andean  range,  and 
during  the  colonial  period  the  gold-placer  deposits  of  this 
river  in  the  vicinity  of  La  Paz  were  profitably  exploited 
by  the  Spaniards. — Bulletin  of  Pan  American  Union. 

Chromite 


The  only  commercially  important  ore  of  chromium  is 
chromite,  which  is  an  oxide  of  chromium  and  iron. 
Fe(  'r,04.  In  California  the  iron  is  likely  to  be  replaced 
by  magnesium,  and  the  ore  is  found  in  serpentine. 
Chromite  is  usually  sold  on  the  basis  of  50%  of  chromic 
oxide  ('chromic  acid'),  Cr,03,  on  which  basis  it  brings 
$12  to  $30  per  ton  at  New  York.  The  wide  variation  in 
price  is  due  to  the  irregular  and  uncertain  condition  of 
the  market,  which  is  affected  spasmodically  by  imports. 

The  production  of  chromite  in  the  United  States  dur- 
ing 1915  was  3281  long  tons.  The  quantity  imported 
was  76.455  tons;  this  came  from  New  Caledonia, 
Rhodesia.  Portuguese  Africa,  Quebec,  and  Greece.  The 
domestic  production  is  largely  from  California,  which 
uses  most  of  its  output  locally,  although  a  little  is 
shipped  to  the  Eastern  States  at  a  freight  rate  of  $11 
per  ton.  The  Quebec  deposits  have  attracted  attention 
since  a  revival  of  mining  during  the  past  two  years. 
During  1915,  Quebec  shipped  10,087  tons  of  chromite 
to  American  buyers  in  Pennsylvania  steel  districts.  New 
Caledonia,  the  French  island  in  the  South  Pacific  be- 
tween Australia  and  Fiji,  has  been  the  world's  greatest 
producer  of  chromite,  having  mined  as  much  as  82,806 
metric  tons  in  one  year.  Of  late  years  Rhodesia  has 
been  an  important  producer. 


1916 


MINING  and  Scientific    I'Kl  SS 


198 


An   lmp-iuv-d    Pn;  c   Flotation   M 


Jamas 


Hyd« 


Having  had  occasion  to  batrodui incentration  1  >y 

■II  into  a  mill  where  the  flotation  machine  would 

have  t"  be  in  charge  of  the  table  operator,  whose  time  was 

already  fullj   occupied  with  his  regular  work,  it  was 

war]    i"  design  an  apparatus  that  would  give  a 

maximum  r ivory  with  a  minimum  of  attention. 

In  order  to  meet  this  oontingenoy,  a  machine  was  de- 
I  containing  sundry  novel  features.  Details  arc 
shown  in  the  accompanying  drawings.  The  body  of  the 
machine  is  a  rectangular  tank  with  a  sloping  hoitom  and 
overflow  sides.  Pulp  from  the  launder  (11  enters  the 
feed  chamlx  r  2  and  flows  into  the  flotation-chamber, 
when'  it  passes  over  the  cast-iron  air-eells  (4),  through 
the  upper  canvas  surface  of 
which  compressed  air  is  being 
forced.  The  air  is  supplied 
through  the  hose  (5)  from  the 
header-pipe  (6).  Each  air-cell 
is  regulate. 1  independently  by  a 
valve  (7).  The  air  rising  through 
the  previously  oiled  pulp  builds 
up  a  bed  of  mineral-bearing  froth 
above  the  water-level;  this  froth 
flows  continuously  over  the  lip 
(8)  and  is  carried  away  by  the 
launder  (9)  and  the  cross-laun- 
der (9a).  The  bed  of  fragile 
froth,  which  readily  breaks  down 
unless  air  is  constantly  bubbling 
up  beneath  it,  is  prevented  from 
flowing  over  the  tailing-discharge, 
where  DO  air  is  rising,  by  a  par- 
tition (10)  that  divides  a  dead- 
water  space  (11)  from  the  frothing-chamber.  The  bulk 
of  the  tailing  is  discharged  through  the  valve  (12).  The 
deflector  (13)  guides  any  bubbles  carried  toward  the 
tailing-valve  by  the  flow  of  the  pulp  back  into  the  froth- 
ing-ehamber.  The  deflector  (14)  causes  a  counter-cur- 
rent of  froth  to  flow  toward  the  feed-end  of  the  machine. 
Slime-tailing  fknvs  through  the  opening  (15)  and  the 
swing-pipe  (16 1  and  through  the  drain-pipe  (17)  and 
joins  the  sand-tailing  in  the  main  tailing-launder  (18). 
The  swing-pipe  (16)  may  be  fastened  at  any  desired 
height  by  engaging  the  proper  link  of  the  chain  (20) 
over  the  nail  (21).  When  the  valve  (12)  is  set  by  the 
handle  22  so  that  the  valve  does  not  permit  quite  all 
of  the  tailing  to  flow  through  it,  the  position  of  the 
swing-pipe  fixes  the  height  of  the  water-level,  which  will 
not  vary  until  the  pipe  is  re-set.  The  novel  features  of 
this  machine  are : 

(1)   Individual  Air-Cells.     This  feature  is  of  prime 
importance.     There  is  no  possibility  of  leaky  partitions 


permitting  sir  from  one  eel]  to  leak  into  and  be  dis- 
charged  from  another.    A  perfeel  distribution  and  con 

irol  of  air  is  therefore  possible.     The  aii lis  may  be 

kepi   mi  hand  ready  to  be  put   into  the  machine  and  if  a 

leak  us  in  the  canvas  in  any  pari   of  the  machine. 

the  leaky  cell  may  be  replaced  in  less  than  live  minutes 
and  the  canvas  changed  at  leisure.  Thus  belter  work  and 
mure  continuous  service  is  ensured  than  would  be  the 
ease  if  the  wlmle  canvas  had  to  be  changed  at  once. 

(2)  No  Froth  Over  Tailing-Discharge.  This  ensures 
a  maximum  recovery.  The  'mineral'  in  the  froth  that 
breaks  down  over  the  tailing-pocket  is  lost,  as  no  air  is 
rising  there  to  re-float  it. 


Longitudinal  Section- 


Cross  Section. 


SECTION    OK   THE   FLOTATION    MACHINE. 


(3)  Counter-Current  of  Froth  Toward  Feed-End. 
This  also  assists  in  attaining  a  high  recovery  by  making 
all  of  the  froth  that  rises  at  the  tailing  end  of  the  ma- 
chine flow  quickly  away  from  the  danger  zone. 

(4)  Constant  Water-Level  at  any  Desired  Height. 
By  setting  the  sand-tailing  valve  so  that  not  quite  all  of 
the  tailing  is  discharged  through  it,  and  then  setting  the 
swing-pipe  at  any  desired  point,  all  fluctuations  in  flow 
are  positively  taken  care  of  and  the  water-level  remains 
at  the  determined  point.  The  actual  water-level  is  al- 
ways visible  to  the  operator  in  the  dead-water  compart- 
ment. 

(5)  Amount  of  Attention  Required.  The  first  of  these 
machines  erected  is  in  charge  of  a  man  who  also  cares 
for  three  Chilean  mills  and  eight  Wilfley  tables.  The 
constant  water-level  device  and  an  improved  positive  oil- 
feeder,  which  is  closely  adjustable,  account  for  the  fact 
that  the  machine  requires  so  little  attention. 

These    machines   have   demonstrated   a   capacity    for 


200 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


treating  pulps  that  are  much  more  dilute  than  it  has  been 
considered  possible  to  treat  satisfactorily,  but  dilution 
of  the  slime-pulp  should  be  avoided  as  far  as  possible  by 
de-sliming  with  a  minimum  amount  of  water  after  each 
crushing  operation  before  thorough  classification,  jig- 
ging, or  tabling  is  attempted.  By  following  this  plan 
the  bulk  of  the  classification  water,  and  the  jig  and  table 
water,  can  be  kept  out  of  the  slime  or  flotation-feed. 

The  oil-feeder,  which  has  been  used  so  satisfactorily 
with  this  machine  is  of  the  type  used  by  the  Anaconda 
company  and  was  all  ready  to  install  when  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  Anaconda  feeder  appeared  in  the  Mining 
AND  Scientific  Pbess.  It  consists  of  a  revolving  disc  on 
which  are  mounted  cups  that  raise  the  oil  from  a  pan 
and  discharge  it  into  a  tray,  from  which  it  flows  to  the 
ore  pulp,  and  mechanism  for  driving  the  disc  with  a  vari- 
able speed.  This  feeder  is  much  more  positive  than  any 
form  of  valve,  is  less  trouble  than  any  kind  of  a  pump, 
it  can  be  regulated  and  set  to  give  any  desired  amount  of 
oil,  and  will  continue  to  feed  exactly  that  amount.  The 
feeder  shown  in  the  photograph  is  made  up  from  parts 
that  are  standard  and  with  accessories  that  can  be  ob- 
tained or  manufactured  anywhere. 

Referring  to  the  photograph.  (1)  is  a  worm-gear  speed- 
reducer,  such  as  is  used  in  window-display  work.  This 
is  regularly  provided  with  a  cone-pulley,  but  as  it  was 
necessary  to  actuate  the  oil-feeder  from  a  line-shaft  run- 
ning at  240  r.p.m.,  a  wooden  pulley  was  fitted  over  the 
cone-pulley,  so  that  a  flat  belt  could  be  used.  The  speed- 
reducer  has  a  ratio  of  48: 1.  The  wooden  disc  (3)  was 
fitted  to  a  plate  regularly  attached  to  the  speed-reducer. 
A  buffing-head  (4),  to  one  end  of  the  spindle  of  which 
a  wooden  disc  (3a)  had  been  fitted,  was  so  set  that  the 
discs  (3)  (3a)  were  off-centre.  Motion  is  transferred 
from  (3)  to  (3a)  by  a  leather-faced  wheel  that  runs 
freely  betweeu  fixed  collars  on  the  round  rod  (6),  one 
end  of  which  is  threaded  so  that  the  position  of  the 
wheel  (5)  may  be  varied.  A  yoke  support  (7)  threaded 
at  one  end,  supports  the  rod,  (6),  which  has  a  hand- 
wheel  at  one  end  and  a  lock-wheel  at  the  other.  A 
circular  disc  (9)  is  attached  to  the  spindle  of  the  buffing- 
head.  To  the  face  of  this  plate  four  32-calibre  cartridge- 
shells  were  attached  by  flat  band-spring  standards.  It  is 
necessary  to  set  the  cups  out  from  the  plate  so  they  will 
drip  freely  into  the  drip-tray,  not  shown  in  the  photo- 
graph. Any  number  of  cups  may  be  used.  The  spring 
(10)  ensures  contact  between  the  driving  disks  (3)  (3a) 
and  the  wheel  (5). 

This  arrangement  gives  absolute  control  of  the  oil- 
feed.  Many  variations  of  it  will  suggest  themselves,  but 
this  one  has  proved  satisfactory  and  is  made  of  standard 
parts  easily  obtainable.  If  many  were  to  be  made,  the 
plates  (3)  (3a)  could  be  made  of  qast-iron  and  the  stand 
of  the  speed-reducer  could  be  made  as  high  as  the  stand 
of  the  buffing-head. 

It  has  been  found  that  satisfactory  oiling  is  obtained 
by  adding  the  oil  to  the  pulp  before  it  goes  to  an  elevator 
to  be  raised  to  the  level  of  the  flotation-machines.  I  have 
found  that  a  launder  in  which  square  blocks  of  one-third 


to  one-half  the  width  of  the  launder  are  placed  alter- 
nately along  the  sides  makes  an  efficient  mixer,  or  any 
kind  of  a  vertical  or  inclined  cascading  device  is  service- 
able. The  launder  with  hindered  flow  is  excellent,  it 
uses  a  minimum,  of  head-room,  and  requires  no  power. 

The  details  of  the  method  of  dressing  the  individual 
air-cells  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  photograph, 
which  makes  plain  the  method  of  attaching  the  canvas 
with  a  wooden  parting-stop,  and  of  obtaining  a  flat  sur- 
face by  covering  the  canvas  with  wire  hardware-cloth. 
The  strip  across  the  centre  is  punched-screen  and  may 
be  omitted. 

It  has  become  customary  in  introducing  flotation  ma- 
chines to  the  mining  public  to  present  genealogy  in  order 
to  establish  their  respectability.  The  following  family 
tree  is  presented  for  the  improved  machine  herein  de- 
scribed. 

The  first  successful  commercial  application  of  flota- 
tion concentration  on  a  large  scale  was  the  use  of  the 
Potter  and  Delprat  processes  in  the  treatment  of  Broken 
Hill  zinc-middling.  In  this  work  hot  acid  solutions  re- 
acting upon  the  calcite  of  the  ores  generated  carbon 
di-oxide  gas,  which,  with  the  assistance  of  no  other  oil 
than  that  in  the  exhaust-steam  by  which  the  solution  was 
heated,  caused  the  zinc  sulphide  to  rise  and  overflow  as  a 
froth.  Potter  used  several  devices  in  bis  work,  the  final 
one  being  a  pointed  lead-lined  tank.  Delprat 's  patent 
shows  a  tank  with  a  bottom  sloping  from  the  feed-end  to 
the  tailing-pocket  and  provided  with  an  overflow  for  the 
removal  of  the  mineral-bearing  froth  at  the  water-level. 

At  about  the  same  time,  Alcide  Froment,  in  experi- 
menting with  the  Elmore  bulk-oil  process,  observed  the 
effectiveness  of  gas  bubbles  in  floating  slightly  oiled  par- 
ticles. Three  students  of  the  University  of  California 
also  independently  observed  the  same  phenomena  and 
described  the  agitation-froth  process  in  the  California 
Journal  of  Technology  for  November  1903. 

In  1903  Sulman  and  Picard  broadly  described  the 
method  of  floating  certain  minerals  as  a  froth  by  intro- 
ducing a  gas  into  an  oiled  pulp  in  a  patent  in  which  one 
form  of  apparatus  suitable  for  carrying  on  their  process 
was  described  and  figured  as  a  tank  in  which  revolved 
a  coiled  pipe  through  the  perforations  of  which  air  was 
introduced  into  the  pulp  with  aspirated  oil.  The  coil  was 
to  be  revolved  so  as  to  cut  the  air  into  small  bubbles  and 
mix  it  with  the  pulp.  The  tank  had  a  sloping  bottom 
and  received  the  pulp  at  one  end,  discharging  the  tailing 
at  the  opposite  end,  with  an  overflow  for  the  'mineral 
froth.' 

In  1910  Theodore  J.  Hoover  and  Minerals  Separation 
Ltd.  took  out  a  patent  in  Great  Britain,  but  not  in  the 
United  States,  in  which  was  described  a  process  for  in- 
troducing gas  into  an  oiled  pulp  through  a  permeable 
medium  with  the  object  of  causing  floatable  minerals  to 
rise  and  be  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  ore. 

In  this  patent  various  permeable  media,  such  as  coke, 
porous  ceramic  materials,  and  fabrics  were  set  forth  as 
fit  materials  through  which  to  introduce  the  gas  into  the 
pulp.    A  number  of  types  of  apparatus  were  suggested. 


Alien-!  5,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


201 


in  1919,  or  thereabouts,  Callovi  introduced  into  use  in 
tin'  United  States  u  apparatus  (or  causing  the  flotation 
of  oiled  mill-mis  by  the  dm  ol  »ir  introduced  through 
canvas.  His  machine  consisted  ol  ■  rectangular  tank, 
having  ■  sloping  canvas  bottom  From  beneath  which  air 
»;is  introduced  into  an  oiled  pulp.  The  tank  received 
the  oiled  pulp  at  one  end,  discharged  the  tailing  Cram 
the  opposite  and,  and  overflowed  the  oiled  mineral  as  a 
froth  over  the  sides  of  the  tank. 

The  machine  described  herein  may  be  considered  the 


section,  the  bottom  slopes,  to  provide  Cor  the  flovi  ol  i 

pul] ntaining  sand,  the  pulp  is  Fed  in  al  one  end,  tin- 

tailing  is  discharged  t'i i  the  opposite  end,  and  an  over 

flow  lip  i-  provided  for  collecting  mineral  particles 
buoyed  t"  the  top  by  bubbles.  The  individual  oharacter 
iatics  that  it  possessea  have  been  previously  described 
an. I  have  been  evolved  to  make  the  machine  effective  and 
easy  to  operate. 


Tilt  HYDE  FLOTATION   MACHINE. 


lineal  descendant  of  the  Delprat  and  Sulman  &  Picard 
devices,  the  suggestions  contained  in  the  Hoover-Miner- 
als Separation  patent  and  the  Callow  machine.  As  in 
the  others,  the  containing  tank  is  rectangular  in  cross- 


Boutb  American  tamffb  have  always  been  diffionlt 
tor  North  American  shippers  to  un- 
derstand. It  is  truly  said  that  the 
greatest  obstacle  In  trade  lietween  na- 
tions is  a  complicated  and  varying 
tariff  system.  Vet  import  duties  are 
the  principal  source  of  revenue  for 
many  governments.  In  Smith  Ameri- 
can countries,  when  money  is  wanted 
for  a  new  project,  what  is  called  a 
sur-tax  is  added  to  the  regular  tariffs. 
The  surtaxes  are  kept  separate  from 
the  regular  duties,  which  have  likely 
been  assigned  to  foreign  holders  of 
government  securities.  Other  vexa- 
tious imposts  on  imports  include  fines 
for  failing  to  observe  formalities,  or 
for  inexact  statements  in  the  invoices ; 
many  of  these  violations  by  shippers 
are  unintentional.  New  tariff  laws 
have  been  suggested  for  the  South 
American  countries,  and  have  been 
adopted  in  several  of  them,  notably 
Chile.  The  Department  of  Commerce  of  the  United 
States  has  published  a  report  that  explains  in  detail  the 
tariffs  of  the  South  American  countries,  investigation 
having  been  made  by  visiting  the  countries  in  question. 


SHOWING    METHOD    OF    DRESSING   INDIVIDUAL    AIR-CELLS. 


202 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


So'M^smncj    om   iDi^dtj^ 


By      Howard 

During  the  last  ten  years  little  change  has  been  made, 
until  recently,  in  gold-savin;;  on  dredges.  Long  and 
costly  experience  demonstrates  that  saving  in  the  sluices 
must  be  accomplished  by  simple  riffles,  fed  with  quick- 
silver, that  clear  themselves. 

Hungarian  riffles,  consisting  of  wooden  bars  protected 
on  the  top  by  a  strip  of  steel,  are  now  standard  practice. 
Formerly  riffles  made  of  angle-iron  were  in  general  use. 
but  these  were  found  to  give  more  difficulty  in  cleaning- 
up,  while  first  cost  and  maintenance  were  higher.  Prior 
to  this,  cocoa  matting  and  expanded  metal  were  discarded 


Smith 

content  consequently  is  too  uncertain  to  be  useful.  At- 
tempts to  determine  the  gold  content  of  the  tailing  direct- 
ly by  following  the  principle  of  taking  part  of  the  tailing 
part  of  the  time  will  never  give  conclusive  results. 
Operators  thus  far  have  been  unwilling  to  spend  the 
money  necessary  to  make  a  test  on  the  principle  of  taking 
all  of  the  tailing  part  of  the  time.  The  amount  and  vel- 
ocity of  material  to  be  dealt  with,  as  well  as  the  inaccess- 
ible position  of  the  end  of  the  sluice,  in  some  cases  below 
water-level,  explains  this.  Re-handling  in  tolo  the 
ground  previously  dredged  has  come  about  where  it  was 


Fig.  1. 


I z-o 1 

NEII.L  .ll{,    ami   El  CENTRIC   DRIVE. 


in  California.  Owing  to  the  scouring  action  of  the  mass 
of  sand  and  water  running  over  the  sluices,  amalgamat- 
ing devices  that  expose  quicksilver-coated  surfaces  to  the 
action  of  the  current  have  all  resulted  in  failure,  and  this 
despite  the  fact  that  some  of  the  devices  give  excellent 
results  where  small  quantities  of  material  and  low  cur- 
rent-velocities are  involved.  Many  years  ago  this  condi- 
tion suggested  the  making  of  a  concentrate  that  could  be 
treated  subsequently,  but  until  recently  no  means  at  all 
suitable  could  be  found. 

The  idea  prevailing  in  dredging  circles  that  gold-sav- 
ing was  efficient  did  much  to  prevent  attempts  to  solve 
the  concentrating  problem.  This  was  owing,  in  part,  to 
the  fact  that  approximately  90%  of  the  clean-ups  came 
from  the  first  few  feet  of  sluices  and  but  little  from  the 
tail-sluices.  Figures  for  the  'heads'  are,  at  best,  an  ap- 
proximation. There  is  only  one  thing  definite  about  the 
occurrence  of  gold — lack  of  uniformity.  Anyone  who  has 
attempted  to  check  a  rich  drill-hole  with  others  as  close 
as  a  yard  away  becomes  keenly  aware  of  this  fact.  Esti- 
mation of  losses  by   subtracting   recovery   from   known 


necessary  to  move  a  dredge  through  tailing-piles  to  reach 
new  ground,  and  also  by  design.  Very  little  gold  was 
recovered  by  this  treatment  in  the  case  of  free-washing 
gravel  where  the  original  gold-saving  was  at  all  efficient, 
but  considerable  recovery,  as  much  as  seven  or  eight  cents 
per  cubic  yard,  was  made  where  the  ground  contained 
clay  not  thoroughly  disintegrated  by  the  first  washing. 
Obviously  none  of  these  operations  determined  whether 
more  gold  could  be  saved  by  other  means  than  the  stand- 
ard riffles  used  in  both  treatments. 

During  several  months  in  1914  the  Lyons  Syndicate, 
in  which  Frank  Griffin,  Maurice  Griffin,  and  0.  B.  Perry 
were  interested,  conducted  tests  at  Natoma  to  determine 
whether  the  ideas  of  Robert  Lyons,  concerning  the  amal- 
gamation of  gold  by  the  use  of  zinc  amalgam,  would 
prove  practical  on  gold-dredges.  The  results  were  un- 
satisfactory, but,  incidentally,  important  data  concern- 
ing losses  were  obtained.  From  the  results  of  the  test 
on  the  Natoma  No.  7  dredge  it  was  estimated  that  when 
recovery  from  about  135,000  cubic  yards  by  standard 
equipment  was  23  cents  per  yard,  approximately  $220 


1916 


MINING  ,,.,d  Scientific   1'KI  S3 


tag  lost.    Tin-  large  loan  on  thii  dredge  ia 

,..|   !■>    ill.    clayey   ground  .'1111(111111118  much   rusty 
gold.  "Iii.'li  WDUld  DO)  amalgamate. 

No.  l  dredge,  working  in  tree-washing  ground, 
oing  do  rusty  gold,  with  :i  yardage  approximately 
rge,  and  a  recovery  about  9o   per  yard,  indi- 
■  of  a  little  leaa  than  (40  per  da] 


£ 


— -  -*— "  • — n 

BfJ 

* 

fesfc 

tflf^ 


B* 


•W*s»  ttr—f*  <*mAar  4te  a4m 
Flu.    2.       SHAKING    AMALGAMATOR. 

I'll,  matter  of  selecting  a  concentration  scheme  to  deal 
with  conditions  on  Natoma  No.  7  was  then  taken  up. 
Any  concentration  device  to  he  successful  on  a  dredge 
must  upy  small  space,  run  efficiently  with  little  atten- 
tion, and  have  large  capacity.  The  Neill  jig,  shown  in 
Fig.  1,  appearing  to  possess  these  characteristics,  was  ac- 
cordingly tried.    In  order  to  brighten  the  gold  a  4J-ft. 


\M///  a/  j>ectye  Sect/on     /I  4 

Fio.  3.    cross-section  showing  arrangement  of  jigs,  hardinge 

MILL,    AMI    AMALGAMATOR. 

Hardinge  mill,  using  pebbles  from  the  tailing,  was 
erected,  followed  by  a  shaking  amalgamator  and  copper 
plates.  The  general  scheme  is  shown  in  Fig.  2.  Results 
are  as  follows : 


Amalga- 

Amalga- 

\ alue 

mator 

mator 

per 

Total 

recov- 

recovery 

yard 

recovery 

ery 

per  cu.  yd 

ft  of 

Interval 

cu.  Yd. 

cents 

I 

1 

cents 

total 

Dec  30, 1915  to 

Jan.  27.  1916. 

132,220 

11.14 

18.701.93 

2129.79 

1.61 

11.4 

Jan.  27,  1916  to 

Feb.  li.  191.'. 

128.910 

14. « 

IS.929.11 

3031.67 

2.35 

16.0 

Feb.  21. 1916  to 

Mar.  31.  1916 

162.950 

9.90 

16,136.02 

3200.70 

1.96 

19.8 

The  progressive  improvement  shown  was  brought 
about  largely  by  better  adjustment.  Installation  of  a 
leveling  device  for  the  amalgamator  was  also  beneficial. 


A  thong  teal  ahowgd  thai  ■»:>*.    of  the  gold  p 
Iihi  meali  and  nil  paaaed  a  20  tneah  aoreen. 

Clean  upa  of  tail  aluieea  before  the  addition  of  ti 
tram  a  point  where  tin1  jigs  would  .ii  ailing  when 

install.-. I  t..  tin-  diaoharge  in  the  pond,  indicated  thai  of 

tlw  gold  savi-il  by  tin-  jiga  and  following  apparatus,  from 

90  tod"1;  would  otherwise  have  been  lost.    These  reanlta 

gratifying,  notwithstanding  their  not  being  entirely 

conclusive.    The  gold  content  of  the  gravel  was  only  ap 


«_li 


M>»  1/X^jrt  . 


.  1 1  r  it 


' 


ii 


m 


... 


Oat 

j 

— 

- 

as  - . 

ti" 

" 

i: 

Fig.  4. 


PLAN    AND    ELEVATION    OF   TABLES    SHOWING    POSITION    AND 
DRIVE  OF  JIGS  AND  MILL. 


proximately  the  same  throughout  the  comparative  tests. 

Under  the  distribution  scheme  on  Natoma  No.  7,  al- 
though the  amount  of  sand  going  to  each  side  of  the 
dredge  is  approximately  equal,  more  gold  is  carried  to 
the  port  side  of  the  dredge,  the  side  opposed  to  the  rota- 
tion of  the  screen.  Consequently,  a  comparative  test 
could  not  be  made  by  using  riffles,  only,  on  one  side  and 
jigs  on  the  other.  The  distribution  shown  in  Fig.  4, 
which  is  in  use  on  Natoma  No.  4,  divides  the  gold,  as  well 
as  the  sand,  more  equally  between  the  port  and  starboard 
sides  of  the  dredge.  For  this  reason  it  is  hoped  that  the 
management  will  shortly  make  a  more  conclusive  test  on 
this  boat.  The  installation  on  Natoma  No.  10  is  similar 
to  that  on  Natoma  No.  7.  There  is,  however,  much  less 
rusty  gold  than  in  the  case  of  Natoma  No.  7. 

Results  at  Natoma  No.  10  are  as  follows : 


Interval             Cu.  Yd. 
May  7,  1916  to  June 
l  1916 241.100 

Value 
per 
yard 
cents 

13.07 
11  r. 

Total 

recovery 

* 

81.607.82 

25,400.19 

Amalga- 
mator 
recov- 
ery 
* 

1937.13 
1864.66 

Amalga- 
mator 

recovery 

per  cu.  y. 

cents 

0.80 
0.85 

.     of 
total 

0  1 

June  1.  1916  to  July 

7.3 

204 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


Data  from  the  plant  at  Natonia  No.  4,  where  no  mill 
is  necessary  to  brighten  the  gold,  will  soon  be  available. 
The  results  obtained  in  this  case  are  more  like  what  may 
be  expected  under  average  conditions,  for  the  gravel  at 
No.  4  is  clean  wash  and  the  gold  is  not  rusty. 

The  increased  saving  over  standard  riffles  is  due  not 
only  to  the  greater  quantity  of  fine  gold  saved  but  also 
of  finely  divided  quicksilver.  One  extra  man  per  shift  is 
necessary  for  the  efficient  operation  of  a  jig  plant.  Spe- 
cial care  should  be  taken  to  screen  the  water  fed  under 
the  jig-screens  so  that  they  may  not  become  clogged. 

In  order  to  place  the  jigs  the  most  important  lower 
tables  were  taken  out.  While  this  increases  the  load  on 
the  upper  tables,  the  excess  material  is  distributed  over 
so  many  of  the  tables  that  the  efficiency  of  the  riffles  is 
not  impaired.  It  is  hoped  that  it  may  prove  safe  to  dis- 
card all  the  lower,  and  part  of  the  upper,  tables  by 
placing  the  jigs  in  the  tables  instead  of  in  the  tail  sluices. 

The  development  of  the  jig  and  other  gold-saving 
devices  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  F.  W.  Griffin,  L.  D.  Hop- 
field,  and  Edward  Strouse,  of  the  Natomas  Company, 
together  with  the  cordial  co-operation  of  the  general  man- 
ager, Emery  Oliver.  The  results  given  are  not  held  to 
be  representative,  but  are  interesting,  and  with  the  ex- 
tension of  the  jigs  to  other  dredges,  together  with  ex- 
periments now  being  carried  out  on  the  Feather  river, 
will,  in  the  near  future,  give  data  relative  to  the  more 
general  application  of  the  jigs. 

—  / 

The  American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  received 
$54,952,106  from  sales  of  gold  during  1915.  This  is 
equivalent  to  more  than  one-half  the  annual  production 
of  gold  in  the  United  States.  While  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co. 
operates  smelters  and  mines  in  Mexico,  the  bulk  of  its 
holdings  are  in  this  country.  The  silver  production  of 
the  company  in  1915,  partly  of  course  from  Mexico  and 
Canada,  was  $38,007,727,  which  is  more  than  the  entire 
annual  output  of  silver  in  the  United  States.  The  com- 
pany's receipts  from  sale  of  lead  during  1915  was  $27,- 
027,012,  which  is  equivalent  to  more  than  one-half  of  the 
total  annual  production  of  lead  in  the  United  States.  The 
largest  item  of  income  for  the  company  was  copper,  the 
sale  of  which  brought  $92,356,662,  equivalent  to  over 
35%  of  the  country's  production  last  year.  The  total 
cash  receipts  of  the  company  for  the  year  from  all 
sources,  principally  from  the  sale  of  metals,  was  $232,- 
281,182.  This  is  considerably  more  than  the  annual 
production  of  gold  in  the  Transvaal.  Dividends  paid  by 
the  A.  S.  &  R,  Co.  in  1915  were  $8,002,964 ;  its  preferred 
stock  brought  7%  and  the  common  stock  4%.  The  smelt- 
ers controlled  by  the  company  include  lead  smelters  at 
Omaha,  Denver,  Pueblo,  Leadville,  Murray  in  Utah,  East 
Helena,  Kansas  City,  Selby  in  California,  Monterrey  and 
Chihuahua  in  Mexico.  Among  th"e  copper  smelters  con- 
trolled are  those  at  Perth  Ainboy  in  New  Jersey,  Hay- 
den  in  Arizona,  Garfield,  Tacoma.  El  Paso,  Baltimore, 
and  Aguascalientes  in  Mexico.  The  board  of  directors 
has  30  members,  five  of  whom  are  members  of  the  Gug- 
genheim family. 


The  Murex  Flotation  Process 


This  process  was  invented  and  patented  by  A.  A.  Lock- 
wood.  Various  blends  of  crude  oils  are  used  in  the  pro- 
portion of  15  ft  20  lb.  (or  |  to  1%)  of  oil  per  ton  of  ore, 
to  which  is  added  an  equal  quantity  of  magnetite,  ground 
to  100-mesh.  This  mixture  of  oil  and  magnetite  forms 
a  permanent  paint,  which,  no  matter  how  finely  it  may 
be  divided  or  broken  up,  will  always  be  found  to  be  com- 
posed of  the  two  substances  in  the  same  ratio.  The  se- 
lective affinity  of  the  oil  in  the  magnetic  mixture  enables 
it  to  adhere  to  any  particle  of  valuable  mineral,,  either 
sulphide  or  oxide,  contained  in  an  ore,  with  which  it  may 
come  in  contact,  forming  a  rich  magnetite-oil-mineral 
mixture  containing  little  or  no  worthless  gangue. 

In  practice  the  crushed  ore  and  water,  together  with 
a  regulated  quantity  of  oil  mixture,  are  fed  through  a 
horizontal  tube  revolving  slowly,  which  contains  several 
hundred  pounds  of  }-in.  rough  iron  shot.  The  shot  be- 
comes oiled  and  collects  the  mineral  particles,  both  fine 
and  coarse,  in  the  form  of  a  paste  that  adheres.  This 
paste  is  continuously  broken  away  from  the  shot  by  at- 
trition and  flows  with  the  pulp  through  a  screen  at  the 
opposite  end  of  the  agitator- tube  onto  a  shaking  tray 
which  feeds  it  under  a  powerful  electro-magnet.  The 
coated  mineral  particles  are  attracted  by  the  magnet 
from  the  flowing  stream  of  pulp  to  the  under  side  of  an 
endless  belt  traveling  under  the  magnet  at  right  angles 
to  the  shaking  tray,  thereby  suspending  them  until  they 
are  carried  out  of  the  magnetic  field,  when  they  are 
washed  off  by  a  spray  of  water,  into  a  concentrate-box 
provided. 

The  points  of  advantage  claimed  for  this  process  are : 
first,  the  ore  need  only  be  ground  fine  enough  to  free  the 
mineral  particles  from  the  gangue,  in  some  cases  being 
crushed  only  to  5  mm. ;  second,  both  sand  and  slime  are 
treated  together  in  one  operation,  so  that  no  classifica- 
tion is  necessary ;  third,  this  process  is  suited  to  the  treat- 
ment of  practically  all  the  sulphide  ores,  and  also  suc- 
cessfully treats  lead,  copper,  and  zinc  carbonates  and 
oxides,  making  extractions  up  to  93%  in  some  cases. 

In  Rhodesia,  during  the  first  quarter  of  1916,  the  El- 
dorado Banket  Gold  Mining  Co.  had  the  following  metal- 
lurgical results: 

Stamps   dropping  65.01   days    20 

Chijean  mill  crushing  77.78  days   1 

Pans  grinding  87.98  days   4 

Total  ore  reduced,  tons 12,212 

Gold  by  amalgamation,  ounces   5,439 

Gold  by  cyanidation,  ounces  1,533 

Cost:  V 

Stamps  and  Chilean  mill   $0.72 

Pans    0.36 

Sand   treatment    0.43 

Slime    treatment    0.32 

Total    $1.83 

The  ore  averaged  $11.54  per  ton,  of  which  $6.48  was 
profit. 


August  5,  1914 


Ml  NINA.  and  Scientific  PRESS 


206 


Snake  Creek  Tunnel,  Utah 

nil*  adil  for  draining  mines  was  oomp 

iy  mar  Midway,  which  ia  a  few  miles  south-east 

nf  Salt  Lake  Cit]  and  eloae  to  the  Cottonwood  and  Pari 

t'ii>   districts,  in  Utah.     The  intonating  featuree  in- 

eluded  the  eoncreting  of  300  ft,  when  swelling  ground 

trouble,  and  the  overcoming  of  difficulties  due  t" 

wive   wetness  ami   hardness  of  the   roek. 

The  ailit  «as  driven  by  the  Mid-West  Tunnel  Co  on 

eontracl  for  the  Snake  Cnek  Mining  A  Tunnel  Co.    The 

purpose  is  tn  develop  and  drain  the  mines  of  the  latter 

iiy.  nf  the  l>aly -Judge  Mining  Co.  (now  the  Judge 

Mining  A  Smelting  Co.  .  and  the  Knight  claims  in  the 


selto  RoJ.. 

*  tf  cecV-s 


tinned  fur  :mmi  ft   when  a  oontaot  toi f  hard  marble 

ami  quartrite  out  by  nnmeroua  tongues  of  banc  igneous 
rook  was  penetrated.  At  10,198  ft  from  the  portal  the 
adit  entered  the  Clayton  peak  diorite  stoek  ami  has  been 

in  this  formation  ever  sit It  is  a  .lens.-  tough  forma 

tioii,  ami  very  wet. 

Power:  Electricity  was  furnished  by  the  Utah  Power 
&  Light  Co.,  which  operates  a  power-plant  a  mile  below 
the  portal,  anil  uses  the  drainage-water  tn  generate 
power,    Power  wus  supplied  at  140  volts. 

COMPRESSORS:  These  were  situated  at  the  portal.  One 
Sullivan  two-stage  type,  size  18  by  11  by  1  1;  rated  ca- 
pacity  650  cu.  ft.  at  sea-level,  belted  to  a  100-hp.  General- 
Electric    induction    motor.    One   Bury   two-stage  com- 


i    LPNG.ITUPINALiT-ofr)   5EOTIOMH  'i^.ffij 


'-r;~- 


THE   COXCBETED   SECTION  OF  THE  SNAKE  CREEK   TUNNEL. 


Park  City  and  Cottonwood  districts.  Details  of  the  work 
are  furnished  by  the  Judge  Mining  &  Smelting  Com- 
pany. 

Length  :    14,500  feet. 

Elevation  op  portal  :    6932  ft.  above  sea-level. 

Grade:    0.25%. 

Water-channel:  3J  ft.  deep  by  4  ft.  wide.  Capacity, 
about  30  second-feet.  The  theoretical  capacity  is  some- 
what larger,  but  the  depth  is  decreased  by  a  deposit  of 
fine  mud. 

Timber  :  10  by  10-in.  Oregon-fir  caps  and  posts.  Posts 
are  given  a  slight  batter  and  are  set  on  the  solid  ground 
in  niches.  Caps  are  not  framed,  but  are  set  on  the  posts 
and  wedged  in  place  and  a  2-in.  spreader  is  nailed  on 
the  bottom  to  keep  the  posts  in  place. 

Concrete  :  Swelling  ground  was  encountered  about 
3000  ft.  from  the  portal.  The  formation  was  black  lime- 
stone cut  by  porphyry.  Timber  failed  to  hold,  so  about 
300  ft.  was  concreted. 

Rock  :  Near  the  portal  is  limestone  dipping  20°  north- 
west, and  parallel  with  the  line  of  the  adit.     This  con- 


pressor,  size  20  by  12  by  12 ;  rated  capacity  900  cu.  ft.  at 
sea-level,  belted  to  a  two-speed  G.  E.  induction  motor  of 
75-150  hp.  Both  compressors  are  connected  to  a  4-in. 
delivery-pipe  that  enters  the  receiver  in  the  compressor- 
house  and  goes  then  into  the  adit. 

Ventilation  :  A  No.  5  Root  rotary-pressure  blower  is 
in  the  compressor-house  at  the  portal,  connected  to  a  16- 
in.,  No.  16  gauge,  galvanized-iron  pipe,  and  runs  as  an 
exhaust.  The  blower  has  a  displacement  of  19.6  cu.  ft. 
per  revolution,  with  a  speed  of  255  r.p.m.  and  is  there- 
fore drawing  nearly  5000  cu.  ft.  of  air  per  minute. 
Blower  is  belted  to  a  35-hp.  G.  E.  induction-motor.  Ven- 
tilation is  also  helped  by  a  small  booster-fan,  at  the 
12,000-ft.  point,  belted  to  an  air-engine.  Ventilator-pipe 
comes  in  rolled  sheets,  and  the  pipes  are  made  by  the 
dump-man  at  odd  times,  into  15-ft.  lengths  with  a  slip- 
joint  wrapped  with  canvas  and  tar.  The  average  tem- 
perature in  the  adit  is  55°F.  The  highest  temperature 
occurs  at  5000  ft.,  where  hydrogen-sulphide  gas  is  gen- 
erated. Temperature  here  is  59°F.  Lowest  tempera- 
tures in  some  of  the  wet  places  do  not  go  below  52°F. 


206 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


Drilling  :  Formerly  No.  8  Leyner  drills  were  used 
but  were  replaced  by  No.  60  Dreadnaught  drills.  Three 
drills  were  mounted  on  a  horizontal  bar  and  operated  on 
an  air-pressure  of  110  lb.  A  round  consists  of  18  to  24 
holes  varying  with  the  hardness  of  the  rock.  Depth  of 
holes  drilled,  7  ft.  Ground  hard  and  tough,  and  the 
drilling  cycle  usually  exceeds  eight  hours.  Water  is 
sup]  tied  to  the  drills  from  an  old  receiver  placed  under 
a  permanent  flow  in  the  adit  and  usually  kept  within 
1000  ft.  of  the  face.  Water  is  piped  into  the 
heading  from  the  receiver.  Floor  of  heading  is 
carried  6  in.  under  grade,  so  as  to  facilitate  the 
laying  of  track  and  make  less  drilling  in  the  ditch. 
Jack-hammers  have  been  used  in  the  ditch.  Holes 
are  drilled  2  ft.  apart  in  a  single  line  about  a  foot 
from  the  wall.  Ditch-drillers  become  expert  and 
there  is  no  trouble  about  breaking  the  whole  ditch 
at  one  shooting. 

Tramming:  Broken  ore  is  shoveled  off  steel 
sheets  into  cars  of  20-cu.  ft.  capacity.  Gauge  of 
track  is  18  in.    Tramming  is  done  by  mules.  There 


Progress:  Average  progress  per  month  for  the  last 
two  years  has  been  337  ft.  The  greatest  progress  in  one 
month  was  in  August  1915,  when  436  ft.  was  made.  The 
Snake  Creek  Tunnel  is  not  a  place  to  break  records.  The 
ground  has  al\$ays  been  difficult,  and  water  troubles  pre- 
vent speed.  Since  passing  3000  ft.  the  working  lias  been 
almost  continuously  wet,  and  unusual  trouble  has  been 
experienced  since  entering  the  diorite.  Here  nearly 
every  crack  is  saturated  with  water,  frequently  under 

heavy  pressure.  Often 
there  are  intersecting 
cracks  that  make  the 
ground  loose  and  blocky 
and  a  good  deal  of  tim- 
ber is  required. 

Trouble  comes  in  the 
heading  where  a  rush  of 
water  is  encountered. 
After  draining  for  a 
short  time  the  pressure 
is    reduced.    th>-    cracks 


is  a  switch  at  11,500  ft.  and  a  mule  works  each  way  from 
this  point.  Eight  cars  are  hauled  into  the  heading  at  a 
time ;  the  full  cars  are  run  into  the  heading  out  of  the 
way  and  the  empties  are  thrown  off  the  track  at  the  side. 
The  mule  is  then  hitched  to  the  full  train  and  takes  it  out 
to  the  switch.  In  loading  the  empty  cars  the  one  farthest 
from  the  heading  is  thrown  back  on  the  track  and  loaded 
first,  then  run  out  past  the  other  empties  and  the  second 
one  is  loaded.  The  ditch  is  carried  about  150  ft.  back 
from  the  heading  so  as  to  leave  enough  room  to  remove 
the  empty  cars.  The  crew  usually  loads  two  cars  while 
the  other  shovelers  in  the  heading  are  loading  six. 

The  cars  have  roller-bearings,  and  the  mule  hauling 
from  the  switch  outside  has  no  trouble  in  handling  a 
20-car  train.  It  takes  about  2i  hours  to  make  a  trip 
from  the  switch  to  the  dump  and  back,  including  the 
dumping  of  the  train.  The  tra»k  is  laid  on  the  solid 
ground  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  adit  from  the  ditch. 
Long  sills  are  laid  5  ft.  apart  with  short  sills  spaced  be- 
tween them.  Permanent  sills  are  usually  kept  within 
25  ft.  of  the  end  of  the  ditch.  Carrying  the  floor  in  the 
heading  6  in.  low  always  leaves  a  little  hill  in  the  track 
for  the  inside  mule  to  pull  over,  but  he  manages  8  cars. 


become  plugged  with  sand  and  the  flow  subsides,  but 
when  first  struck  the  tendency  is  for  the  rock  to  cave, 
and  it  is  often  necessary  to  use  long  8  by  8-in.  crown- 
bars  to  hold  the  back  until  sets  can  be  put  in. 

Great  Britain's  Mineral  Output 

Production  of  the  principal  minerals  in  England.  Scot- 
land, and  Wales  last  year  was  as  follows,  in  tons : 

Mineral                                                      1915  1914 

Barium    compounds    60,801  45,910 

Bauxite     (alumina)     11,723  8,286 

Clay,   etc 322,708  531.000 

Coal    253,179,446  265.643,030 

Fire-clay    1,839,746  _.::74,06S 

Fluorspar    25,577  24.688 

Gold  ore    5,086  47 

Gypsum     204,574  220,096 

Iron  ore  7,876,105  8,984.492 

Lead  ore   20,698  25,988 

Limestone    287,680  234.779 

Manganese  ore    4,640  3,437 

Oil-shale    (Scotland)     2,998,652  3.26S.666 

Tin  ore  (dressed  to  say  60%)   6,420  6,635 

Tungsten    ore    329  205 

Zinc   ore    12,057  15,419 


Angus!  '..  1916 


MIMV.  tad  Scientific  PRESS 


Simple  Tests  i'jt  Potash 


By      W.      ] 

Detection      Pol  asinm  is  generally  found  in  Datura 
in  solution,  u  soluble  Halts  or  saline  residues,  in  organia 
Buhstancwi,  in  alunite,  and  in  silicate  rooks  ami  minerals. 
Tin-  following  testa  have  been  used  by  members  of  the 
S  '      logical  Survey  and  may  l"-  used  successfully,  it 
■  v.-.l.  by  imy. mi-  with  a  little  experience  in  chemi- 
cal manipulation.    They  depend  on  the  fact  that  when  a 
volatile  potassium  compound  is  heated  in  a  flame  it  im- 
a  characteristic  violet  color  to  the  flame.    Though 
usually  masked  by  th lore  produced  by  other  ele- 
ments, especially  sodium  and  calcium,  the  coloration  due 
to  potassium  is  readily  seen  and  identified  by  observing 
the  flame  through  a  Merwin  color-screen. 

The  equipment'  necessary  for  making  the  tests  consists 
of:  1  Lamp  for  volatilizing  the  potash  compound.  For 
ibis  purpose  an  ordinary  alcohol  lamp  with  an  asbestos 
wick  «ill  often  suffice,  hut  a  gasoline  or  alcohol  blast- 
lamp,  which  requires  no  wick  and  which  burns  with  a 
hut.  non-luminous  flame,  gives  far  better  results.  (2) 
Platinum  wire  4  in.  long.  One  end  of  the  wire  should  be 
sealed  into  the  end  of  a  short  glass  rod  to  serve  as  a 
handle,  and  the  opposite  end  should  be  bent  into  the 
form  of  a  small  loop.  (•')  Merwin  color-screen.2  (4) 
Small  beaker.  (5)  Hydrochloric  acid.  (6)  Gypsum  or 
calcium  sulphate. 

First  clean  the  loop  of  platinum  wire  by  dipping  it  in 
hydrochloric  acid  and  igniting  it  until  the  flame  is  no 
longer  colored.  By  means  of  the  clean  platinum  loop  re- 
move a  drop  of  the  solution  to  be  tested,  carefully  evap- 
orate it  to  dryness  by  holding  over  the  flame,  finally 
ignite,  and  observe  the  color  of  the  flame  through  the 
Merwin  color-screen.  The  best  results  are  obtained  by 
using  a  black  background,  holding  the  Merwin  screen 
close  up  against  the  eyes,  and  looking  through  the  cen- 
tral section  of  the  screen.  If  potassium  salts  are  present, 
the  flame  will  appear  reddish  to  reddish  violet,  and  the 
intensity  and  duration  of  the  color  will  give  some  idea  as 
to  the  amount  of  potassium. 

Procedure  for  Soluble  Salts.  For  detecting  potas- 
sium in  saline  residue  and  soluble  salts  in  general,  as 
well  as  for  detecting  soluble  potassium  compounds  in 
muds,  days,  and  ashes,  proceed  as  follows:  Dissolve  a 
portion  of  the  sample  in  a  small  quantity  of  water,  allow 
the  undissolved  material  to  settle  out,  remove  a  drop  of 
the  clear  solution  by  means  of  the  loop  of  platinum  wire, 

■  The  equipment  here  described,  except  the  Merwin  color- 
screen,  may  be  purchased  reasonably  from  most  dealers  in 
chemical  and  laboratory  supplies. 

=The  Merwin  color-screen  is  manufactured  and  sold  by  G.  M. 
Flint.  S4  Wendell  street,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  for  25 
cents.  Hand  spectroscopes  may  be  used  instead  of  the  Merwin 
color-screen.  These  may  be  had  from  most  dealers  in  labora- 
tory apparatus  at  $7  or  more. 


I.      Hicks 

ami  test  iii  the  flame  a.s  just  described  tor  waters  and 

brines. 

in  teats  for  alum  and  other  sulphates  the  clear  solu- 
tion should  be  poured  off  from  the  insoluble  residue  and 
some  hydrochloric  acid  added  before  making  the  test. 

The  water  used  in  all  BUCh  tests  should  be  examined  to 

see  whether  ii  contains  potassium,  as  a  precautionary 

measure. 

Prookdi  m:  bob  Organic  Si  bstani  ,  substance 

to  be  tesied  is  lirsi  ignited  or  burned  at  as  low  a  tem- 
perature as  possible  until  only  the  ash  remains.  The  ash 
is  then  tested  for  potassium  according  to  the  procedure 
jusi  described  for  soluble  salts. 

Pbocedi  re  fob  Alunite.  Powder  the  sample  to  be 
tested  and  moisten  it  with  hydrochloric  acid.  By  means 
of  the  loop  of  platinum  wire  transfer  a  portion  of  the 
moistened  powder  to  the  flame,  ignite,  and  observe  the 
color  of  the  flame  through  the  Merwin  color-screen.  If 
potassium  is  present,  the  flame  will  appear  deep  reddish 
violet. 

Emphasis  should  be  placed  on  the  fact  that  this  pro- 
cedure is  a  test  for  potassium  and  not  necessarily  for 
alunite.  Other  potash-bearing  materials,  especially 
leucite  and  glauconite,  will  give  similar  results  with 
such  treatment. 

The  following  simple  field-test  for  the  mineral  alunite 
has  been  suggested  by  W.  T.  Schaller.  Boil  the  pow- 
dered sample  with  water  or  with  hydrochloric  acid  for 
several  minutes;  after  allowing  the  powder  to  settle, 
pour  off  the  liquid  and  repeat  the  operation  to  insure 
the  removal  of  all  soluble  sulphates.  Dry  the  powder 
and  heat  to  dull  redness.  Again  boil  in  water  and,  after 
settling,  pour  off  some  of  the  clear  liquid.  To  this  add  a 
small  fragment  or  a  solution  of  barium  chloride.  If  the 
mineral  is  alunite  a  heavy  white  precipitate  will  form. 
To  be  sure  that  the  water  used  in  this  test  does  not  eon- 
tain  sulphate  in  solution,  it  should  be  tested  with  barium 
chloride,  and  if  it  gives  a  marked  precipitate  it  cannot 
be  used. 

For  this  test  all  that  is  required  that  was  not  included 
in  the  equipment  for  the  detection  of  potassium  is  a  little 
barium  chloride,  a  small  crucible  in  which  to  ignite  the 
mineral,  and  a  support  for  the  crucible. 

Procedure  for  Silicate  Rocks  and  Minerals.  In 
order  to  detect  potassium  in  silicate  rocks  and  minerals, 
such  as  feldspar,  granite,  leucite,  rhyolite,  glauconite, 
and  sericite,  powder  the  material  finely,  mix  with  an 
equal  quantity  of  pure  gypsum,  and  moisten  the  mix- 
ture with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  By  means  of  the 
loop  of  platinum  wire,  transfer  a  portion  of  the  moist 
mixture  to  the  flame,  ignite,  and  observe  the  color  of 
the  flame  through  the  Merwin  color-screen.     The  red- 


208 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


dish-violet    color    will    be    apparent    if    potassium    is 
present. 

Although  with  less  satisfactory  results,  as  a  rule,  the 
test  may  be  carried  out  by  mixing  the  material  to  he 
tested  with  either  hydrochloric  acid  or  gypsum  alone. 

Estimation.  A  rough  quantitative  determination  of 
the  soluble  potash  in  any  salt  may  be  made  according 
to  the  method  described  below.  To  obtain  even  approxi- 
mately correct  results  the  conditions  in  making  up  the 
standard  and  in  carrying  out  the  actual  determination 
on  the  unknown  salt  must  be  exactly  the  same. 

The  extra  equipment  required  for  this  work  is  a  small 
balance  and  a  measuring  cylinder.  A  hand  spectroscope 
in  place  of  the  Merwin  color-screen  will  probably  give 
better  results. 

Dissolve  1  gram  of  pure  potassium  chloride  in  10  cc. 
of  water  and  mix  thoroughly.  Remove  a  drop  of  the 
solution  by  means  of  a  loop  of  platinum  wire,  dry  care- 
fully over  the  flame,  ignite,  and  examine  through  the 
Merwin  color-screen.  Gradually  dilute  the  solution 
with  measured  amounts  of  pure  water,  mixing  thor- 
oughly and  testing  in  the  flame  for  potash  the  resultant 
solution  after  each  addition  of  water,  until  the  potas- 
sium flame  can  just  be  seen  or  disappears  altogether. 
Record  the  exact  volume  of  the  solution  at  this  point, 
and  by  repeated  trials  make  sure  of  the  correctness  of 
the  value.  Designate  this  value  for  the  standard  solu- 
tion by  S. 

Dissolve  1  gram  of  the  salt  to  be  tested  in  10  cc.  of 
water  and  mix  thoroughly.  Remove  a  drop  of  the  solu- 
tion by  means  of  a  loop  of  platinum  wire,  dry  carefully 
over  the  flame,  ignite,  and  examine  the  color  of  the  flame 
through  a  Merwin  color-screen.  Now  gradually  dilute 
the  solution  with  measured  amounts  of  water,  mixing 
thoroughly  and  testing  in  the  flame  the  resultant  solu- 
tion after  each  addition  of  water,  until  the  potassium 
flame  can  just  be  seen  or  disappears  altogether.  Record 
the  exact  volume  of  the  solution  at  this  point,  and  by  re- 
peated trials  make  sure  of  the  correctness  of  the  value. 
Designate  this  value  for  the  unknown  salt  by  X. 

To  obtain  the  percentage  of  potash  expressed  as 
potassium  chloride  in  the  unknown  salt,  divide  the 
volume  of  the  unknown  solution  at  which  the  potassium 
flame  could  no  longer  be  seen,  designated  A',  by  the 
volume  of  the  standard  solution  at  which  the  potassium 
flame  could  no  longer  be  seen,  designated  S,  and  multiply 
the  result  by  100.  In  other  words, 
Percentage  of  potassium  chloride  (KC1)  = 


Belt-Conveyors 


Volume  found  for  unknown  salt 
Volume  found  for  standard  salt 

Percentage  of  potash   (K„0)     = 
Percentage  of  potassium   (K)    = 


X100  = 

63.17^ 

8 
52.44Z 


100.Y 


Graphite  mining  is  on  the  'increase  in  Clay  and 
Chilton  counties  of  Alabama,  and  near  Burnet  in  Texas. 
The  mineral  occurs  as  small  flakes  in  crystalline  schist 
into  which  some  granite  pegmatite  has  been  injected. 
Weathering  to  50  ft.  in  Alabama  has  reduced  milling 
difficulties. 


Belt-conveyors  were  discussed  recently  by  A.  Robert- 
son and  A.  McA.  Johnston  before  the  South  African 
Institution  oik  Engineers.  Two  kinds  of  belts  were 
stated  to  be  in  general  use,  balata  and  rubber.  In  normal 
times  a  rubber  belt  costs  about  15%  more  than  a  balata 
belt.  A  balata  belt  is  made  of  several  plies  of  canvas 
witli  balata  gum  impregnated  between  the  layers.  A 
rubber  belt  is  made  of  several  plies  of  padded  canvas 
with  a  covering  of  rubber  on  the  upper  and  under  sides 
and  edges.  It  should  be  recalled  that  the  figures  given 
by  these  Rand  engineers  apply  to  the  handling  of  quartz 
ore,  which  is  sharp  and  destructive  of  belts.  For  an 
approximate  figure  it  was  found,  from  average  of  a 
number  of  both  kinds  of  belts,  that  the  cost  of  the  belt 
alone  for  handling  broken  rock  was  about  30  cents  per 
foot  per  month,  while  the  cost  of  the  belt  for  handling 
sand  was  about  14^e.  per  foot  per  month.  Among  the 
detailed  statistics  given  was  that  of  a  24-in.  rubber  belt, 
182  ft.  long,  6-4  ply,  which  carried  sand  for  nearly  six 
years  at  the  rate  of  68  tons  per  hour,  a  total  of  1,586,764 
tons;  this  belt  cost  $3.72  per  ft.,  and  the  cost  of  the  belt 
alone  was  5Jc.  per  ft.  per  month.  This  is  an  unusually 
low  cost  for  Rand  practice.  As  an  example  of  a  high 
cost  for  carrying  fine  crushed  ore  to  the  mill,  a  30-in. 
rubber  belt,  923  ft.  long,  7  ply,  with  J-in.  rubber  face, 
was  in  service  18  months,  carrying  117  tons  per  hour,  a 
total  of  854,000  tons.  The  cost  of  the  belt  alone  was  28Jc. 
per  ft.  per  month;  the  belt  had  cost  $5.84  per  ft.  orig- 
inally. A  balata  30-in.  belt,  291  ft.  long,  6  ply  and  with 
7  rows  of  copper  stitching,  conveyed  fine  crushed  ore  for 
672  days;  the  tonnage  per  week  of  54  hours  was  5000 
tons,  and  the  total  amount  carried  was  397,546  tons. 
The  cost  of  the  belt  alone  was  lie.  per  ft.  per  month  ; 
the  cost  per  ton  of  material  carried  was  18c,  and  the 
original  price  of  the  belt  was  $2.44  per  ft.  This  cost 
per  ft,  per  month  is  low  for  balata  belts  carrying  fine 
quartz.  As  to  life  of  belts,  a  balata  24-in.  belt,  750  ft. 
long  and  5  ply,  original  cost  $1.26  per  ft.,  was  used  for 
conveying  damp  ore  to  the  stamp-mill  from  a  Rand  gold 
mine,  operating  on  an  incline  of  18°  at  a  speed  of  350 
ft.  per  minute ;  it  carried  nearly  50,000  tons  per  month 
for  27  months,  a  total  of  1,200,000  tons.  The  quality  of 
the  rubber  is  of  the  greatest  importance  in  determining 
the  life  •  f  n  rubber  belt. 

The  New  Corxelia  Copper  Co.,  which  is  opening  a 
copper  mine  at  Ajo,  Arizona,  estimates  that  its  orebody 
contains  11,950,000  tons  of  1.54%  oxidized  ore  and  28,- 
303.600  tons  of  1.50%  sulphide  ore,  a  total  of  40,258,000 
tons  averaging  1.51%  copper.  No  overburden  exists  and 
the  ore  is  mostly  in  a  series  of  small  hills.  For  the  leach- 
ing process  of  treatment  with  sulphuric  acid  the  ore  is 
crushed  only  to  4-mesh. 


The  Cxited  Yerde  Extexsiox  Mixixg  Co.'s  first  divi- 
dend of  50  cents  per  share  happens  to  be  exactly  equal 
to  the  par  value  of  the  stock. 


1   •  1  r. 


Ml  \  INC.   ..t,d   Scirnllhl     I'KI  SS 


Mining  in  Utah 


By     I.. 


Howard 


Tin-  embargo  on  silver-lead  ore  baa  been  made  more 

In  addition  to  the  curtailment  of  shipment*  from 

Tintic,  ordered  bj  ''"'  smelters,  reference  t"  which  whs 

laal  month,  thia  restriction  baa  non  been  extended 

-i  i>f  the  other  small  shippers  in  this  State.  Those 
who  have  leasee  or  are  small  mine-owners  dependent  mi 
frequent  shipments  fur  meeting  the  pay  roll  are  in  a 
quandary,     The  lead  smelters,  having  accumulated  a 

tonnage  of  bigh-pri I  ore,  have  tin-  situation  en- 
tirely in  their  own  bands,  ami  the  wish'--  •  •!  producers 

•i  likely  t«>  have  much  weight.  The  only  possible 
thing  to  do  is  to  await  the  smelt  re'  own  good  time.  A 
year  ago  I  went  into  details  of  smelting  and  roasting 
capacity  and  Bhowed  the  possible  limits  on  production, 
Thai  tin-  curtailment  was  postponed  so  long  was  due  to 
tin-  willingness  of  tin-  smelters  to  till  their  yards  with 
orr.  ami  it  is  tins  accumulation  thai  is  also  the  cause  of 

present  conditions,  and  prevents  .• arly  release  of  the 

■  iiilmrgo. 
Combined  with  the  embargo  on  lead-silver  ore,  the 

I r  market  for  zinc,  antimony,  and  tungsten  lias  helped 

to  hurst  get-rich-quick  booms.  Many  small  owners  were 
making  an  inflated  profit,  and  dreaming  of  it  as  unend- 
ing     '''heir  awakening  has  been  rude.    However,  many 

mines  are  now  able  to  ship  on  a  lower  market  that  would 

never  have  started  had  prices  remained  normal.  Deal- 
ing in  shares  is  dull,  so  that  mining  is  attracting  less 
attention  than  a  year  ago.  The  strongly  fortified  pro- 
dueers  continue  to  accumulate  large  profits.  The  Utah 
Copper  is  breaking  all  records,  the  latest  being  44.000 
tons  of  ore  mined  in  24  hours,  with  25,000  tons  of  over- 
burden removed  the  same  day. 

Mining  prosperity  is  based  on  the  profitable  operations 
of  tin'  rank  and  file,  and  it  is  idle  to  expect  better  con- 
ditions during  the  hot  season.  The  share-market  is 
marked  for  dullness  until  the  man  on  the  street  is  again 
interested  in  something  besides  the  cool  breezes  and  the 
lure  of  the  trout  in  the  near-by  canyons,  where  be  so 
forgets  liis  interest  in  mining  as  to  bewail  the  clatter  of 
the  ore-teams. 

The  road  iii  Big  Cottonwood  canyon  is  now  in  good 
condition,  bridges  have  been  re-built,  grades  cut  down. 
and  all  is  ready  for  the  experiment  with  tractors,  five 
of  which  are  at  the  transfer  point  of  the  Cardiff  mine 
at  the  mouth  of  South  Fork.  The  first  loads  will  prob- 
ably be  hauled  before  this  letter  is  in  print.  Develop- 
ment continues  in  both  the  Cottonwoods.  but  without 
any  startling  results.  Mines  that  were  made  last  year 
are  shipping  large  tonnages,  but  no  new  ones  have  been 
opened.  In  Big  Cottonwood,  the  Cardiff  and  Maxfield 
continue  to  do  all  the  shipping.  The  former  will  in- 
erease  its  daily  rate  from  120  to  300  tons  as  soon  as  the 
traction-engines  have  been  established.  The  Maxfield 
mine  has  made  a  record  of  two  cars  per  week  of  ore  net- 
ting $100  per  ton,  and  is  opening  ore  faster  than  it  is 


being  shipped     Tin-  stock  isea  little  interest  on  ac 

count  of  the  beavy  bond  issue 

In  l.i i tie  Cottonwood  the  South  Hecla, «  .in  idond 

payer,  is  producing  the  largest  tonnage,  with  othei 
ments  coming  from  the  Alia  Con,  and  Michigan  Utah, 
Borne  sine-silver  ore  has  been  shipped  from  tie-  \v i 

lawn,   jusl  over  the  divide  in  Big  Cotton" I   I'r Alia 

This  ..re  averages  '-'7'.   /me.  7',    lead,  1  * ;  oz,  silver  per 

ton. 
American  Fork  canyon  is  in  full  swing.    Three  shifts 

work  driving  adits  on  iii.-  Miller  inn.  Dutchman, 

and    Whirlwind    mines.         Ore    is    being    broken    on    the 

Pacific  ami  on  the  Bay  state.  The  Texan,  Bar!  Bagle, 
and  Belerophon  are  developing  promising  fissures.  The 
Alpine  Empire,  Stewart,  Mountain  King,  silver  Flat, 
Wasatch  King.  North  star.  American  Fork  Con.,  Silver 
Dipp.r.  Smuggler,  Utah-Centennial,  South  Fork,  Pacific 
Extension,  ami  Major  Evans  are  employing  Hire.-  to  sis 
men  each, 

Tintic  and  Park'City  arc  shipping  heavily  despite  the 
curtailment.  There  is  no  abatement  in  new  construe 
tion  al  Park  City,  where  long  adits  are  being  driven, 
new  mills  creeled,  and  old  plants  re-modeled  for  larger 
capacity.  Work  is  being  rushed  on  the  elect  rolylic-zine 
plant   for  Hie  Daly  Judge,  details  of  which  have  already 

appeared  in  the  1'hess. 

Signs  of  the  new  lcaching-plant  of  the  Utah  Copper 
may  now  he  seen.  Two  steam-shovels  are  excavating  a 
mill-site  just  above  and  west  of  the  Magna  mill,  on  a 
spur  of  the  Bingham  &  Garfield  railroad,  thus  affording 
excellent  transportation  facilities.  Details  of  the  proc- 
ess arc  not  yet  public. 

Stress  has  been  laid  upon  the  increased  metal  output 
of  Utah  by  the  Geological  Survey's  report  for  the  first 
half  of  the  year.  Its  rosy  predictions  appear  warranted 
by  the  dividends,  which  totaled  $10,915,000,  an  amount  in 
excess  of  that  for  the  whole  of  1915.  Utah  Copper  is  the 
heaviest  contributor,  having  paid  $8,934,500  to  July  1. 
Whether  a  record  of  $20,000,000  shall  be  made  for  the 
year  depends  upon  the  performance  of  this  one  com- 
pany. Since  its  copper  is  sold  well  ahead  at  high  prices, 
and  production  is  heavy,  it.  is  probable  that  the  total 
will  be  surpassed.  Fourteen  other  companies  con- 
tributed to  the  record.  They  are  the  Centennial-Eureka, 
Chief  Consolidated,  Iron  Blossom,  Gemini.  Mammoth 
and  May  Day.  of  Tintic.  with  a  total  of  $468,000;  the 
Utah  Copper,  Utah  Consolidated,  and  Utah  Apex,  of 
Bingham  with  a  total  of  $9,579,500;  Daly-Judge,  Silver 
King  Consolidated  ami  Silver  King  Coalition,  of  Park 
City,  with  $697,500;  the  Lakeview,  of  Promontory,  with 
$35,000,  the  Horn  Silver,  of  Beaver  County,  with  $10.- 
000.  and  the  Cardiff,  of  Big  Cottonwood,  with 
$125,000. 

Electric-power  sales  by  the  Pacific  Gas  &  Electric 
Co. — the  fifth  largest,  concern  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States — to  the  mining  industry  of  California  in  its  past 
financial  year  amounted  to  $650,740.  This  is  a  gain  of 
$59,426  over  that  of  the  previous  term,  indicating  an  ex- 
pansion in  mining  operations. 


210 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


I^IEiSlElf^ 


PJ^^i^S 


1,185.902.    Process  of  Treating  Outs.    Royal  S.  Handy.  Kel- 
Idaho.    Filed  Oct.  28,  1914. 


1.  The  process  of  treating  sulfid  ores  containing  lead  which 
comprises  roasting  the  ores,  extracting  the  lead  sulfate  with 
an  aqueous  solution  of  sodium  chlorid.  extracting  other  metal 
constituents  with  an  aqueous  solution  of  iron  chlorid,  and 
recovering  the  lead  and  other  metal  constituents  from  such 
solutions. 


1.Im;.306.     Process  ok  EXTRACTING  METALS  From  Their  Ores. 
William  E.  Greenawalt,  Denver,  Colo.    Filed  May  7.  1912. 


and  roasting  the  residue  in  the  presence  of  sulfuric  acid  to  sul- 
fate the  silver  and  copper  for  separation  from  the  unsoluble 
gold. 

2.  The  method  of  treating  mineral  bearing  material  con- 
taining arsenic,  selenium,  gold,  silver,  copper  and  the  like, 
comprising  roasting  the  slime  with  sodium  carbonate  at  a 
temperature  which  will  complete  the  reaction  of  the  materials 
before  the  mass  sinters,  leaching  the  sintered  mass,  filtering 
to  remove  arsenic  and  selenium,  and  roasting  the  residue  in 
an  oxidizing  roast  in  the  presence  of  sulfuric  acid  to  sulfate 
the  silver  and  copper,  and  separating  the  gold  from  the  silver 
and  copper. 

1,186,104.  Furnace.  William  M.  Kelly,  Anaconda.  Mont. 
Filed  Dec.  18,  1915. 


£»v 

I , 

1 — 

1         1 

-      1 

1.  A  process  which  consists  in  dissolving  copper  from  its 
ores  with  an  acid  solvent;  applying  hydrogen  sulfid  to  the 
resulting  copper  solution  to  precipitate  the  copper  and  re- 
generate acid:  separating  the  regenerated  acid  solution  from 
the  sulfid  precipitate  and  returning  it  to  the  ore  to  dissolve 
more  copper;  treating  the  sulfid  precipitate  to  recover  the 
copper  and  elemental  sulfur;  treating  the  elemental  sulfur  to 
convert  it  into  a  precipitant,  and  then  applying  the  precipitant 
so  produced  to  precipitate  the  copper  dissolved  by  the  regener- 
ated acid  solution. 

1,185.00:,.     Process    ok    Treatment    ok    Anode-Slimes    and 

Similar   Materials.     Francis   C.   Ryan,   Hammond,   Ind.,   as- 

I    Of  one-half  to  United  States  Metals  Refining  Company. 

Chrome,  N.  J.,  a  Corporation  of  New  Jersey.     Filed  Feb.  24. 

1914. 

1.  The   method   of   treating  mineral   bearing  material   con- 

ig    arsenic,   selenium,   gold,   silver,   copper   and   the   like 

comprising   roasting  the   slime   with   alkali   carbonate,   leach- 

Ing  with  water,  filtering  to  eliminate  the  arsenic  and  selenium. 


1.  A  metallurgical  furnace  comprising  two  reverberatory 
furnaces  disposed  back  to  back  and  in  longitudinal  axial  aline- 
ment,  the  same  forming  a  single  treatment  chamber  arched 
across  the  longitudinal  axis  of  the  chamber,  a  central  trans- 
versely disposed  waste  flue  leading  from  and  spanning  said 
chamber,  and  means  on  the  longitudinal  axis  at  each  end  of 
the  chamber  for  firing  the  furnace. 


1,188,237.  RECOVERING  NOXIOUS  and  Other  Materials  From 
Smelteb-Fumes.  Clarence  Barrett,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah,  as- 
signor of  one-half  to  George  Morrow,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah. 
Filed  Jan.  15,  1915. 


1,  The  process  of  treating  smelter  fumes  for  the  elimination 
of  sulfur  dioxid  therefrom  and  the  recovery  of  volatile  metallic 
values,  consisting  in  subjecting  the  smelter  fumes  on  their 
passage  from  the  furnace  to  the  atmosphere  to  the  action  of  a 
solution  of  bisulfid  of  an  alkali  or  alkaline  earth  metal,  thereby 
converting  sulfur  dioxid  contained  in  the  fumes  into  a  soluble 
salt  by  the  alkali  contained  in  the  solution,  and  also  pre- 
cipitating the  soluble  metal  combinations  in  the  fumes  in  the 


August  •">.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PKKSS 


ill 


■  t  insoluble  suit*  of  tin'  inetuis  and  collecting  inch  in- 

aolubtt-  metallic  fn.in    the  solution. 


Iharlea   I.    l.awtoii,  Hancock, 
MlCh.     Filed  May  19,  1915. 


1,190.401,     Ball-Mux, 
111.  <l  Nov.  is.  1916, 


Ernest  s    Oregory,  Anaconda,  Mont. 


3 


1.  In  combination,  a  launder  for  transporting  material  by 
liquid,  and  fluid  pressure  means  operated  by  a  fluid  other  than 
the  liquid  by  which  the  material  is  transported  for  automatic- 
ally taking  and  elevating  samples  of  the  material  at  predeter- 
mined intervals. 

2.  In  combination,  a  launder  for  transporting  material,  suc- 
tion means  movable  transversely  of  the  launder  for  automatic- 
ally taking  and  elevating  samples  of  the  material,  and  means 
for  moving  the  suction  means  back  and  forth  with  reference 
to  the  launder. 


l.  The  combination  with  a  tumbling-barrel  or  container 
rotatable  about  a  fixed  axis  and  having  a  crushing  compart- 
ment  provided  respectively   with   intake  and  discharge 

[or  the  material  disposed  about  said  axis,  a  pulp-teed 
adapted  to  be  charged  from  the  exterior  and  provided  with 
an  axial  tubular  member  discharging  the  material  to  be 
crushed  into  the  compartment  aforesaid,  a  stationary  holder 
for  the  crushing  bodies  provided  with  a  discharge  openin 
and  a  ball-feed  tube  leading  from  said  opening  and  discharging 
into  the  tubular  member  aforesaid. 


1,190.466.  Apparatus  for  Separating  Materials  of  Differ- 
ent Specific  Gravities.  Charles  Schifferle,  San  Francisco, 
Cal.,  assignor  to  The  Yuba  Construction  Company,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  a  Corporation  of  California.    Filed  May  IS.  1915. 


1,186,709.  Double-Acting  Grinding  Pan-Mill  and  Amalgam- 
ator. Charles  Davey  Tregoning,  Grass  Valley,  Cal.  Filed  Oct. 
2S,  1915. 


*t™ 


1.  In  an  ore  pulverizing  machine  the  combination  of  an  ore 
receiving  pan,  a  bed  plate  mounted  in  the  bottom  therof, 
grinding  disks  mounted  to  revolve  flatwise  on  said  bed  plate, 
a  central  gear  arranged  therein,  a  plurality  of  gears  mounted 
on  and  fixed  to  said  disks  and  surrounBing  and  meshing  with 
said  central  gear,  and  means  for  rotating  said  central  gear. 


1.191,053.  Process  of  Concentrating  Metallic  Ores  by 
Flotation.  Homer  T.  Yaryan,  Toledo,  Ohio.  Filed  Mar.  29, 
1916. 

1.  The  process  of  concentrating  metallic  ores  which  con- 
sists in  agitating  the  ores  in  comminuted  form  in  a  mixture 
of  water,  oil  and  a  suitable  resinate,  and  then,  by  flotation,  re- 
covering the  froth  thus  produced  together  with  its  accom- 
panying metallic  particles. 

3.  The  process  of  concentrating  metallic  ores  which  con- 
sists in  agitating  the  ores  in  comminuted  form  in  water  to 
which  is  added  a  mixture  consisting  of  sixty-five  per  cent,  oil 
and  thirty-five  per  cent,  resinate  of  soda, — petroleum  consti- 
tuting upward  of  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  whole, — and  then  by 
flotation  recovering  the  froth  thus  produced  together  with  its 
accompanying  metallic  particles. 


1.  An  apparatus  of  the  character  described,  comprising  a 
rotatable  annular  casing,  means  for  introducing  fluid  into  said 
casing  to  fill  the  same,  an  annular  pocket  formed  in  the  iuner 
wall  of  said  casing  and  a  lip  on  the  casing  extending  into 
said  pocket,  the  lip  being  spaced  from  the  wall  of  the  pocket 
to  permit  fluid  to  flow  from  the  casing  into  the  pocket. 


1,190,224.  Apparatus  fob  the  Separation  of  the  Sand  and 
Water  Raised  in  Dredging  Gravel.  Leon  Desire  Drouard  and 
Paul  Armand  Drouard,  Rouen,  France.  Filed  Apr.  1,  1912, 
Serial  No.  687,922.    Renewed  Feb.  11,  1916. 


A  separator  of  the  character  described,  comprising  a  bowl 
which  forms  the  bottom  of  the  separator;  a  conveyer  which 
passes  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  bowl;  screen-like  vertically- 
disposed  walls  which  rise  from  said  bowl  on  three  sides  and 
form  the  walls  of  an  inner  foraminated  compartment  one  side 
of  which  is  open  to  permit  the  free  ingress  thereinto  of  the 
stream  of  dredged  sand  from  that  side;  an  inlet  conduit 
through  which  the  dredged  sand  passes  into  the  bowl:  and  an 
outlet  conduit  through  which  is  led  off  the  stream  of  muddy 
water  flowing  through  said  walls  from  said  inner  compart- 
ment. 


21 -J 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


•  i'  mullm  prriainino  to  tht  pruc- 
tttt  a/ mining.  ngltffV. 


MixK-w ATi:n  usiiiilly  contains  fine  sand  or  grit  in  sus- 
pension. Engineers  in  South  Africa,  who  "have  examined 
microscopically  the  grit  in  the  water  from  Rand  mines, 
find  that  the  partieles  possess  sharp  corners  that  prove 
destructive  to  pump-valves  and  piping.  The  rock  mined 
there  is  quartz. 

Haulage  in  mines  by  compressed-air  locomotives  with 
storage-tanks  is  :!  cuts  per  ton  cheaper  than  by  horses. 
mainly  due  to  less  labor,  according  to  Raoul  Green  in 
a  paper  for  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute.  The  cosl 
of  supplies  and  depreciation  are  about  the  same  in  each 
ease.  <  '(impressed  air  permits  of  from  two  to  three  times 
more  ere  being  handled  than  by  horses. 

LOW-GBADE  lead  ore  is  mined  in  south-eastern  Mis- 
souri. The  average  lead  content  is  about  3%.  Compar- 
ing this  with  low-grade  copper  ore.  such  as  the  1%  ore 
of  Michigan,  it  is  seen  that  the  grade  varies  inversely 
as  the  price.  That  is.  lead  is  ordinarily  sold  for  4  or 
5c.  per  lb.,  while  copper  sells  for  12  to  15c.  per  lb.,  or 
three  times  as  much.  Inversely.  3%  lead  ore  and  1', 
copper  ore  are  about  the  lowest  grades  mined. 

Diamond-drillim;  costs  are  low  in  the  lead-mining 
field  of  south-east  Missouri.  They  average  only  75c.  per 
foot,  varying  usually  from  60c.  to  $1.  Of  a  cost  of  75c, 
about  25c.  would  be  paid  for  labor,  25c.  for  diamonds. 
10c.  for  fuel,  and  15c.  for  repairing  and  miscellaneous 
items.  These  low  COStS  are  due  to  the  consistently  regular 
structure  of  the  limestone,  which  is  free  from  flint,  and 
to  the  excellent  labor  and  cheap  fuel  available.  Drill- 
ing in  the  region  is  active  at  this  time. 

The  GOLD-SCHEEUTB  ore  of  the  Golden  Point  mine,  at 
.Macraes,  in  the  South  Island  of  New  Zealand,  is  higher 
in  gold  when  the  tungsten-content  is  low,  and  the  reverse-. 
A  chart,  covering  1906  to  1913,  when  the  average  con- 
tent of  -14.435  tons  was  $2.88  gold  per  ton  and  0.66% 
scheelite,  shows  this  peculiarity  of  the  ore  to  a  marked 
degree,  except  in  1911- '12.  Exceptions  to  this  rule  are 
sometimes  evident  when  50%  W03  specimens  have  free 
gold  adhering  to  them. 

3HOOTING  of  wells  with  dynamite,  which  the  California 
State  Mining  Bureau  has  recommended  as  an  experi- 
ment with  a  view  of  increasing  production  from  the  shale 
in  the  Santa  Maria  Held,  is  giving  encouraging  results 
on  the  Western  Union  property  where  well  No.  41  was 
shot.  Strings  of  torpedoes  50  ft.  long,  and  carrying  300 
lb.  of  gelatin  were  used.  Six  shots  were  set-off.  The 
well  was  dry  before  shooting,  aud  during  the  subsequent 
cleaning-out  and  intermittent  pumping  is  said  to  have 


produced  from  50  to  75  bbl.  of  oil  per  day.  It  is  planned 
to  try  the  experiment  at  several  other  wells.  The  Santa 
-Maria  field  is  one  of  the  few  in  California  where  the 
ground  stands  up  well  enough  to  require  or  even  permit 
shooting. 

An  automatic  electric  hoist  is  giving  satisfaction  at 
the  Inspiration  mine  in  Arizona.  A  particular  feature 
is  that  the  motor  is  so  fully  controlled  automatically 
that  the  hoist  is  started  and  stopped  with  a  minimum  of 
assistance  from  men.  The  reduction  of  labor  in  loading 
by  an  automatic  system  at  the  foot  of  the  shaft  also  de- 
creases the  cost  of  operation.  All  the  ore  is  raised  from 
one  level,  which  is  630  ft.  deep:  from  10.000  to  14,000 
tons  is  hoisted  per  14  hours.  There  are  two  vertical 
shafts  a  short  distance  apart,  with  two  electric  hoists  of 
Nordberg  type.  A  motor-generator  set  eliminates  peak- 
loads.  Each  hoist  is  driven  by  a  580-hp.  direct-current 
motor  through  a  flexible  coupling  and  Falk  gear. 

Economy  in  mill  supplies  has  become  imperative 
owing  to  the  increase  of  cost,  due  to  the  War.  We  read 
with  interest  in  the  report  of  the  Redjang-Lebong  com- 
pany, operating  in  Sumatra,  that  during  1915  the  man- 
ager had  been  able  to  economize  on  the  most  expensive 
item,  cyanide,  by  thickening  the  slime  introduced  into 
the  treatment  plant  and  only  using  enough  cyanide  to 
get  the  gold  and  silver  into  solution.  It  was  then  found, 
that  while  an  efficient  precipitation  could  be  maintained 
in  the  zinc-boxes  under  steady  working  conditions,  it  be- 
came necessary  to  increase  gradually  the  strength  of  the 
solution  in  order  to  maintain  the  precipitation  under  the 
intermittent  working  conditions  prevailing.  As  an  al- 
ternative to  increasing  the  strength  of  the  working  so- 
lutions so  as  to  maintain  the  precipitation,  the  inert  zinc 
could  be  removed  from  the  boxes,  but  this  also  was  at  an 
enhanced  cost  due  to  the  greatly  increased  price  of  zinc 
aud  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  sulphuric  acid. 

Atmospheres  that  are  deficient  in  oxygen  begin  to 
affect  men  when  the  amount  of  oxygen  is  about  as  low 
as  that  affecting  canaries  and  mice.  Canaries  are  slight- 
ly more  susceptiblelo  want  of  oxygen  than  are  mice.  In 
mixtures  of  air  and  nitrogen  containing  only  7.6  to 
7.8%  oxygen,  canaries  show  pronounced  distress.  When 
the  oxygen-content  is  about  7%,  mice  show  considerable 
distress,  and  a  man  is  in  grave  danger  of  dying;  hence 
canaries  and  mice  should  not  be  used  by  exploring 
parties  in  mines  to  show  when  men  unequipped  with 
breathing  helmets  should  retreat  because  the  atmo- 
sphere is  low  in  oxygen,  according  to  G.  A.  Burrell  and 
O.  G.  Oberfell  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.  Mice  and 
canaries,  especially  the  latter,  are  chiefly  of  value  for  in- 
dicating to  exploring  parties  the  presence  of  dangerous 
proportions  of  carbon  monoxide.  In  an  atmosphere  in 
which  oil-fed  lamps  will  not  burn,  an  exploring  party 
should  not  depend  on  canaries  for  further  guidance,  but 
should  use  breathing  apparatus  in  advancing  into  the 
atmosphere. 


August  5,  1916 


MINING   and  Scent,!,.    I'M  SS 


si^i'VX^'W     O'J    MlWlWiQ 


At  tern  <ij  On  varid't  <jm\t  mining  emtra  '"/  <".r  o 


BUTTE,  kfOA  /'.n  I 

lima    ••!     mi     Kimikv     Si.  ii. i\        UlACOHDA,    N.uuil     Hi  in. 
Hi  i  ii   In  li  l  ii.  Ti  "i  i  mm  .   Hi  i  ii    Cm  H    I'm  s.   i\n  l>u  i^- 

iHi  ^  On u nous. 

There  Is  great  activity  in  all  pans  of  the  Butte  district 
The  Northern  Pmclfle  will  build  a  spur  Into  the  eastern  section 
that  will  provide  shipping  facilltes  for  several  working  mines 
now  dependent  on  haulage  by  teams.  Among  the  mines  that 
will  be  benefited  by  the  new  spur  arc  the  Tropic  and  Green- 
leaf  .>r  the  Ana. .hi. la  company,  the  Colusa-Leonard  and  Butte 
Main  Range  under  option  to  the  Tuolumne  company,  and  Die 
Hutte-Duluth.  Bullwhacker.  and  Butte  &  London.  Almost 
.  ompany  here  is  deepening  one  or  more  of  its  shafts,  and 
work  Is  being  pushed  on  a  large  tunnel  that  will  penetrate  the 
continental  divide  three  miles  east  of  Butte.  All  the  produc- 
ing mines  are  hoisting  ore  at  full  capacity,  and  development 
companies  are  having  no  difficulty  In  obtaining  funds  for  ex- 
ploration purposes. 

It  Is  rumored  that  the  electrolytic  zinc  plant  of  the  Anaconda 
company  at  Great  Palls  will  not  be  In  operation  before  October 
1.  The  experimental  plant  at  Anaconda  is  turning  out  25  tons 
per  day  of  high-grade  spelter.  Since  July,  100.000  additional 
shares  of  the  Butte  Copper-Zinc  Co.  have  been  taken  up  under 
the  Anaconda's  option  at  $1  per  share.  The  shaft  at  the  Emma 
mine  will  be  sunk  to  the  1600-ft.  level,  and  will  be  in  a  position 
to  make  large  shipments  of  zinc  ore  when  the  Great  Falls  plant 
is  ready  to  receive  It.  A  contract  has  been  let  to  sink  the 
Nettie  shaft  from  the  500  to  the  1500-ft.  level.  This  will  be 
the  first  deep  development  in  the  western  part  of  the  district, 
and  will  be  watched  with  great  interest  as  it  is  expected  to 
give  some  Idea  of  the  possibilities  of  the  production  of  zinc 
and  silver  In  the  surrounding  properties.  The  United  Copper 
Securities  Co.  has  filed  an  amended  complaint  under  the 
Sherman  law  against  the  Anaconda  in  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict Court  at  New  York.  The  United  Copper  Securities  Co. 
has  acquired  the  copper  interests  of  Otto  Heinze  and  company. 
It  is  alleged  that  the  defendants  tried  to  influence  the  Montana 
courts  to  deprive  Heinze  illegally  of  his  interests  in  Butte 
mines.  Another  charge  is  that  in  1897  the  defendants  set 
fire  to  Heinze's  concentrator  and  smelter  and  shut  the  water  off 
for  1J  hours  while  the  plant  was  burning.  Damages  were 
estimated  at  over  $4,000,000,  and  under  the  law  three-fold 
damages  were  asked. 

The  recent  slump  in  the  North  Butte  shares  was  not  due  to 
unfavorable  developments  underground.  Fifteen  hundred  tons 
of  ore  is  being  hoisted  daily,  and  during  June  2,096,326  lb.  of 
copper  and  90.713  oz.  of  silver  was  recovered.  This  is  an  in- 
crease over  the  May  production  of  about  100,000  lb.  and  2000 
oz.  Driving  on  various  levels  has  developed  high-grade  ore 
that  materially  adds  to  the  reserves,  and  will  tend  to  increase 
the  grade  of  shipments.  The  Granite  Mountain  shaft  is  down 
below  the  3500-ft.  level,  and  it  will  probably  be  sunk  to  3700  ft. 
The  lower  levels  are  hot,  and  several  connections  are  being 
made  to  provide  better  air.  The  dividend  rate  has  been  in- 
creased from  $2  to  $3  per  share  per  year,  and  at  the  present 
rate  of  production  and  25-c.  copper,  the  company  is  making  a 
net  earning  of  about  $7  per  share.  The  surplus  will  be  used 
for  the  purchase  of  new  properties  and  for  the  further  develop- 
ment of  claims  that  have  not  been  thoroughly  explored. 

The  mine  and  mill  of  the  Butte-Duluth  company  were  closed- 
down  by  Court  action   when  the  company  failed   to  pay   the 


i  on  bonds  held  by  the  Providence  Sec lee  Co    ..i 

Duluth.  The  Indebtedness  amounts  In  (876,000.  The  bond 
issue  is  for  $500,000,  and  the  balance  is  made  up  ol   liens  for 

lumber,  and  machinery.  Foreclosure  proceeding 
started  with  tin-  idea  nf  dismantling  the  plant,  ami  Belling  the 
machinery  to  Battery  the  claims  fur  wages  ami  lumber.  The 
bond  holders,  through  their  committee,  filed  a  suit  in  Inter 
vention  that  beld-up  the  foreclosure  and  sale  of  machinery. 
The  high  price  of  sulphuric  acid  for  leaching  makes  It  itn 
possible  for  the  receiver  to  operate  the  property   at  a  profit. 

Efforts   were   made   to   obtain   acid    from    the   Anaconda   < 

pany,  but  its  output  Is  at  present  limited  to  100  tons  per  day, 
all  of  which  is  required  for  the  operation  of  its  own  leaching 
plant.  The  Butte-Duluth  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  leaching 
in  this  country. 

The  Tuolumne  company  will  sink  the  Colusa-Leonard  shaft 
from  the  800  to  the  1600-ft.  level,  and  cross-cut  at  that  depth 
to  the  side-lines  of  the  property,  a  total  distance  of  1800  ft. 
For  the  doing  of  this  work  the  Tuolumne  company  will  receive 


PART   OF   EASTERN    BUTTE. 

51%  of  the  shares  of  the  Syndicate  Copper  Co.,  the  holding 
company  of  which  is  the  Colusa-Leonard.  Each  80  ft.  of  shaft- 
sinking  will  be  considered  1%  of  the  total  work  to  be  done. 
One-half  of  the  stock  so  earned  will  be  paid  to  the  Tuolumne 
at  the  end  of  each  60-day  period,  the  balance  when  the  work 
is  completed,  which  is  stipulated  must  be  before  May  22,  1919. 
The  Colusa-Leonard  is  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Butte  dis- 
trict, near  the  Tropic  mine  of  the  Anaconda  company.  No 
work  has  been  done  on  the  property  since  1907,  but  until  that 
time  development  had  progressed  with  encouraging  results. 
The  Tuolumne  has  taken  an  option  on  1,000,000  of  the  1,500,000 
shares  of  the  Butte  Main  Range  Copper  Mining  Co.,  the  aver- 
age price  being  65c.  per  share.  Under  the  terms  of  the  agree- 
ment $10,000  per  month  is  to  be  expended  in  development 
work.  The  shaft  is  now  being  enlarged  and  re-timbered  from 
the  700-ft.  level  to  the  surface.  Good  ore  was  encountered  in 
the  shaft,  and  it  has  been  developed  on  the  500-ft.  level  where 
it  is  reported  to  average  9%  copper.  This  ore  will  be  extracted 
as  soon  as  repairs  to  the  shaft  are  completed.  About  70  tons 
of  copper  ore  is  being  shipped  per  day  from  the  Tuolumne 
claim.  Work  is  being  hurried  in  a  raise  to  connect  the  2600 
with  the  2400-ft.  level,  to  improve  ventilation  on  the  lower 
levels.     It  is  then  proposed  to  sink  a  winze  in  the  Jessie  vein 


.'14 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5.  1916 


from  2600  ft.,  and  if  developments  are  favorable  the  shaft 
will  he  sunk  to  the  2S00-ft.  level. 

The  cross-cut  south  from  the  shaft  on  the  500-ft.  level  of  the 
Untie  Great  Falls  has  cut  the  Dewey  vein.  A  heavy  flow  of 
water  was  encountered,  stopping  work  until  the  water-level  is 
lowered.  The  cross-cut  Is  over  700  ft.  long  and  cut  two  other 
veins  whirh  did  not  contain  profitable  ore.  Many  of  the  rich- 
est veins  at  Butte  are  not  productive  on  the  upper  levels,  and 
the  company  will  explore  its  veins  at  greater  depth.  The 
plans  include  a  new  shaft  near  the  Dewey  vein,  to  be  raised 
from  the  cross-cut  to  the  surface,  and  then  it  will  be  sunk  to 
the  1000-ft  level.  Application  will  be  made  to  list  the  stock 
on  the  Boston  curb. 

Davis-Daly  is  hoisting  about  100  tons  of  copper  ore  through 
its  Colorado  shaft.  This  is  being  mined  on  the  1400,  1500,  and 
2500-ft.  levels.  The  ore  from  the  upper  levels  averages  2.5%, 
but  at  2500  ft.  a  drift  has  been  put  in  over  400  ft.  in  ore  aver- 
aging 595  copper.  With  the  new  hoist  that  is  now  being  placed 
in  position  the  output  can  be  increased  considerably.  The 
old  hoist  is  only  strong  enough  to  pull  from  1700  ft.,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  hoist  to  that  level  with  a  station  engine. 
Lessees  on  the  Colorado  dump  have  been  able  to  sort  ore  that 
contains  2.6'  I  'upper  and  some  silver. 

At  the  Butte  &  Superior  No.  2  and  3  shafts  are  down  655 
and  1400  ft.,  respectively.  Steel  is  soon  to  arrive  for  the  132- 
ft.  head-frames.  The  June  output  was  10,830  tons  of  zinc  con- 
centrate from  48.475  tons  of  ore. 

Butte  and  Eastern  capitalists  are  to  supply  money  for  sink- 
ing a  1000-ft.  shaft  on  a  claim  in  Meaderville,  east  of  the  Cam- 
bent  and  Leonard  mines. 

The  Butte  &  Bacon  Copper  Co.'s  stock  and  property  has 
been  transferred  to  the  Great  Butte  Copper  Co.,  a  re-organiza- 
tion company.  A  90-ft.  head-frame  and  steam  hoist  are  to  be 
erected  at  the  Calumet  shaft.  The  new  company  has  a  work- 
ing capital  of  $180,000,  and  no  debts. 


SCTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Pboqbess  at  Olh  EiBth-i. — Keystone's  Half-Yeas. — Plymouth 
Hoist. — Macnksitf.  and  Copped. 

Grading  has  commenced  at  the  old  Eureka  mine  for  the  new- 
steel  head-frame  and  hoisting  machinery  to  replace  the  tem- 
porary arrangement  that  has  been  used  up  to  the  present  in 
unwatering  the  mine.  A  good  double-drum  hoist  has  been 
purchased,  to  be  on  the  ground  by  the  time  the  foundations 
are  ready.  Meanwhile  the  work  of  unwatering  and  repairing 
the  old  shaft  continues,  this  being  in  first-class  condition  for 
430  ft.,  with  the  water  removed  20  ft.  below  that  point.  The 
next  improvement  contemplated  is  a  large  timber-shed  and 
modern  saw-mill,  excavation  for  which  is  now  under  way. 

The  semi-annual  report  of  the  Keystone  Mines  Co.  at  Amador 
City,  to  July  1,  has  been  published,  and  is  interesting  in  show- 
ing how  low  a  grade  of  ore  can  be  profitably  worked  under 
conditions  prevailing  here.  The  41.048  tons  treated  yielded 
only  $1.98  per  ton.  In  spite  of  this  the  company  has  in  its 
treasury  $10,000  more  than  it  had  six  months  ago,  after  pay- 
ing for  mining,  milling,  taxes,  and  overhead  expenses.  The 
half-year's  product  consists  of  gold  bullion,  $16,563;  concen- 
trate. $80,58S;  and  base  bullion,  $1606.  Freight  and  smelter 
charges  on  1450  tons  of  concentrate  amounted  to  $17,391.  The 
ore  was  taken  mostly  from  the  900,  1200,  and  1400-ft.  levels, 
each  of  which  produced  from  10,000  to  13,000  tons,  while  5602 
tons  was  hoisted  from  the  1000-ft.  lexej.  Work  has  been  tem- 
porarily stopped  at  900  ft.,  and  nothing  has  been  done  for  sev- 
eral months  at  800  ft.,  but  veins  of  fair  value,  ranging  in 
width  from  6  to  15  ft.,  are  showing  on  the  1000,  1200,  and 
1400-ft  levels,  north  of  the  shaft.  Connections  have  been  com- 
pleted  by  raises  from  1200  to  700  ft.,  affording  good  ventila- 
tion and  increasing  the  miners'  safety.  On  the  1400-ft.  level. 
at  a  point  150  ft.  north  of  the  main  cross-cut,  the  vein  formed 


two  branches.  Drifts  have  been  driven  on  each  of  these,  the 
face  of  the  east  branch  now  being  in  low-grade  ore  at  a  point 
420  ft.  north  of  the  shaft  cross-cut;  and  the  west  branch,  which 
has  followed  the  vein  formation  for  about  650  ft.  has  now  8  ft. 
of  ore  in  the  face.  Preparations  are  now  under  way  for  cut- 
ting a  shaft  station  and  chute  at  1S00  ft.,  from  which  an  east 
cross-cut  will  be  driven  to  the  vein.  Although  the  Keystone 
mine  has  been  operated  almost  continuously  since  its  dis- 
i  overy  in  1851,  until  now  it  has  had  no  chance  to  prove  its 
value  in  depth,  the  deepest  workings  until  three  years  ago 
having  been  but  1400  ft.,  or  1572  ft.  on  the  incline,  much  nearer 
the  surface  than  its  neighbors  north  and  south.  The  present 
company  extended  the  shaft  1000  ft.,  and  considerable  interest 
is  taken  in  the  results  to  be  obtained  in  exploring  this  ground. 
B.  Hoxie  is  foreman,  and  C.  R.  Downs  of  Sutter  Creek  is  gen- 
eral manager  of  this  well-known  mine,  which  was  until  recent 
years  owned  by  M.  J.  McDonald  of  San  Francisco.  During 
the  six  months  just  ended,  the  mill  lost  only  2  days  and  50 
minutes  on  account  of  repairs,  clean-up,  and  shortage  of  power, 
and  the  fact  that  only  6  hours  of  this  lost  time  was  due  to 
power  being  off  speaks  well  for  present  electrical  service 
rendered  in  this  district,  a  contrast  with  a  few  years  ago. 

During  the  week  there  arrived  at  the  Plymouth  Consoli- 
dated one  of  the  finest  hoists  on  the  Mother  Lode.  It  is  to 
be  installed  immediately  in  place  of  the  present  machinery, 
which  has  proved  somewhat  inadequate  for  present  require- 
ments. 

There  appears  to  be  some  prospect  of  large  deposits  of 
magnesite  being  worked  in  this  vicinity  in  the  near  future. 
John  Beecher  of  San  Francisco  has  been  in  Jackson  for  a  few 
days  examining  several  properties.  It  is  said  that  there  are 
valuable  deposits  of  this  mineral  here  awaiting  development. 

At  the  Allen  copper  mine,  formerly  known  as  the  Hayward 
mine,  three  miles  east  of  lone,  the  shaft  is  down  500  ft.,  and 
preparations  are  completed  for  stoping  a  large  block  of  this 
ore.  The  vein  is  5  ft.  or  more  in  width,  and  contains  gold 
as  well  as  copper  of  profitable  value.  Large  reserves  of  this 
ore  have  been  blocked-out,  and  regular  shipments  will  soon 
be  made.  C.  N.  Johnson  of  Sutter  Creek  is  managing  this 
mine  for  the  Allen  Estate  Company. 


TORONTO,  ONTRAIO 

Fuethke  Controversy  on  Nickki.. 

A  keen  political  controversy  has  arisen  over  the  policy  of 
the  Canadian  government  regarding  the  exportation  of  nickel 
matte  for  refining  in  the  United  States.  The  question  was 
before  Parliament  several  times  last  session,  strong  fear 
being  expressed  that  the  product  of  the  Sudbury  mines,  once  in 
the  hands  of  Americans,  would  find  its  way  to  Germany.  At 
that  time  the  strongest  assurances  were  given  that  sufficient 
precautions  had  been  taken  under  an  agreement  with  the 
International  Nickel  Co.  to  render  this  an  impossibility,  and 
that  the  British  government  was  entirely  satisfied  with  the 
arrangements.  It  was  further  stated  that  the  company  would 
without  delay  erect  and  operate  a  refining  plant  in  Canada  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  satisfy  the  nickel  requirements  of  the 
British  Empire.  The  agitation  subsided,  but  has  been  sud- 
denly revived  in  greater  force  than  ever  owing  to  the  an- 
nouncement that  the  German  merchant  submarine  Dcutsehland 
has  taken  on  board  a  quantity  of  nickel  purchased  in  open 
market  in  the  United  States.  This,  it  is  contended,  must  be 
from  Canadian  mines,  as  the  United  States  is  almost  wholly 
dependent  on  the  Dominion  for  its  nickel.  The  topic  has 
been  taken  up  by  the  Liberal  party,  and  will  undoubtedly  he 
a  prominent  issue  in  the  next  election.  The  position  of  the 
Government  is  one  of  great  difficulty.  If  it  were  to  yield  to 
the  clamor  for  a  total  prohibition  of  the  export  of  nickel,  it 
would  not  only  prevent  the'  possibility  of  Germany  getting 
any.  but  it  would  cut  off  the  supply  of  the  American  manu- 


1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  1'KI  SS 


munlUoni  ror  thi  md  the 

would.   It   Ik  >i»' 
M  years.    So  far  the  Government 
lo  adopt  mi  trlngenl    1 1 ' - 

..ii  .m  it...  ground  tiint  ii  ims  rooolTi 
ranoM  that  th«  Imperial  autboril  srtectlj 

satisfied   with  the  precautions  taken  to  keep  Canadian   nickel 
fmin  tailing  Into  Carman  bands,  and  thai  the  Deutichlan&t 
haw   been   obtained    fiom   mm   other   source. 
Meanwhile  the  international  Nlokal  Co 

(round  In  Ontario  with  ■  view  of  nlectlng  a  rite 

for    thi-    proixised   Canadian    brnnrb.      The    Mines    Department 
arlo  contemplates  establishing  a    nickel    refiner, 
mini    undertaking,    and    Is   conducting   a   series   of    ex- 
pel lni.-nts  with  two  nee    patent   piis-esses. 

Profits   of   the    International    Nickel    Co.    during   the   second 
quarter  <>i    1916   were  18,805,674,     Preferred  shares   re< 

•    in   dividend*,     The   surplus   is   $8,171,885,   equal    to 

amnion  stock.    Cash  amounts  to  $4,137,688. 

The    Porcupine-Crown    mill    Is  treating   140   tons   dally.     A 

winze  below  500  ft.  Is  down  to  a  depth  of  730  ft.    Sinking  is  to 

ne  to  S00  feet. 

The  Holllnger  Consolidated  Gold  Mines  has  issued  a  stale 


F 


LCCCN  D 

■ 


/ 


Gto'og  cv 

D  oi'unj   .  ■ 


11  AN    OF   THE  TIIUIU   LEVEL    (300   FT.),   PORCUPINE    CROWN     MINE,     SHOWING    GEOLOGY     AND 
INTRK  All     HI. I.  K    AND   STEP  FAULTING   TO    WHICH    THE   VEIN   HAS   UEEN    SUBJECTED. 


menl  for  the  period  .lanuary  1  to  June  16.  From  8  levels,  down 
to  1250  ft.,  there  was  hoisted  265,490  tons  of  ore.  The  mill 
treated  263,356  tons,  averaging  $8.80  per  ton.  Mining  cost 
$2,031  and  milling  S9.3c.  per  ton.  The  mill  is  soon  to  be  treat- 
ing 1900  tons  daily. 

Faulting  is  much  less  at  700  and  1000  ft.  depth  in  the  Mc- 
Intyre  mine  than  in  the  upper  workings. 

The  Tough-Oakes  mill  is  treating  125  tons  daily.  Twenty- 
one  drills  are  working  underground. 

During  June  the  Schumacher  yielded  4000  tons  of  $5.94  ore, 
with  $8793  profit.  The  company  has  issued  its  first  report, 
covering  October.  1915,  to  June  30.  1916.  The  mill  treated 
30,120  tons,  averaging  $5.42  per  ton,  at  a  cost  of  $4.48,  now 
$3.S7.  The  profit  was  $31,933.  Ore  reserves  are  64,900  tons 
worth  $6  per  ton.  A  new  shaft  is  to  be  sunk  for  extensive 
exploration. 

The  West  Dome  company  has  decided  to  sink  a  4-compart- 
ment  shaft  in  the  centre  of  the  property.  Considerable  work 
is  under  way. 

The  Vipond's  June  yield  was  $37,600  from  10.1S5  tons  of  ore, 
at  a  cost  of  $4.45  per  ton.  At  500  ft.  in  the  mine  the  ore-shoot 
is  160  ft.  long. 

With  a  capital  of  $2,000,000  the  Augarita  company  has  com- 
menced operations  in  the  Dome  area  of  Porcupine.  A  contract 
has  been  let  for  diamond-drilling.    W.  G.  Barney  is  manager. 


A  notation  plai  detailed  in  tin    I  Etedui 

nun  i  o  etna  has  been  ordi 

The  Ki  i  .i  i.,i  June 

The  Beaver  Coniolld 
plore  the  lower  .  "in 

At  Chlppawa  i  i..-i  refining  plant  ol  thi   Canada 

Ni.kei  Smelling  &  [tanning  Co.  is  al il  completed     Power 

Is  supplied  from  Niagara 

inning  Hi.-  nrst  inii r  m  mi',  ii...  Temtekamlng  co 
B080  it.  ..I  development    The  main  ahafl  has  readied  a  depth 

H  ft.,  a  working  station   having  been  CU(   at    Hi..   1160-ft 
level.     Sinking   will   be  continued    until   the   lower  'inn  Ii 

tween  the  diabase  and  keewatln  formations  is  reached,  which 

exists  ai  a  depth  in  1600  ft.  from  the  surface.  On  the  upper 
levels  of  the  mine,  work  is  progressing  favorablj  and  some 
high-grade  ore  is  being  extracted.  Cash  on  hand  amounts  to 
$17n.219.  and  bullion  in  storage  and  In  ore  502,288  ounces. 


REPUBLIC,  WASHINGTON 

TBANSACTIONS  OF    iMI'mn  i\i  i     i"    nil     DISTRICT. 

It  lias  been  made  public  that  the  Day  brothers,  operating  in 
Idaho  and  a  smelter  at  Northpoii. 
have  secured  control  of  the  Lone 
Pine,  Pear],  and  Surprise  claims  at 
Republic.  Two  instruments  have 
been  filed  in  the  Ferry  County 
auditor's  office  (1)  a  deed  from 
George  S.  Bailey,  trustee  in  bank- 
ruptcy for  the  Republic  Mines  Cor- 
poration, transferring  the  Lone 
Pine,  Pearl,  and  Surprise  claims, 
the  final  payment  on  which, 
amounting  to  $S2,000,  was  made  on 
July  17;  and  (2)  a  mortgage  on 
the  same  property  to  Jerome  L. 
Day,  of  Wallace,  Idaho,  executed 
by  A.  B.  Willard  and  A.  J.  Laugh- 
ton,  respectively  as  president  and 
secretary  of  the  Republic  Consoli- 
dated Mines  Corporation,  to  secure 
a  loan  of  $93,000,  payable  in  one 
year  and  bearing  interest.  The 
provisions  of  the  mortgage  prac- 
tically authorize  the  mortgagee  to 
direct  the  management  of  the  property.  The  $S2,000  received 
by  Mr.  Bailey,  as  trustee  in  bankruptcy,  will  enable  him  to 
wind  up  the  affairs  of  the  Republic  Mines  Corporation  during 
August  and  pay  the  criditors  100  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  the 
shareholders  of  the  Republic  Consolidated  Mines  Corporation 
will  receive  a  final  dividend  of  about  5c.  per  share. 

In  the  Keller  district  work  has  been  resumed  in  the  Golden 
Crown  mine  adit  with  expectation  of  cutting  the  vein  in  less 

than  50  ft. It  is  probable  that  the  Adison  mine,  on  Silver 

creek,  will  be  soon  re-opened.    It  has  good  ore  developed. A 

shipment  of  ore  is  being  dispatched  from  the  Iron  Creek  mine 

on  Iron  creek. The  Manilla  Creek  bridge  on  the  San  Poil 

river  is  being  repaired  to  enable  the   Illinois  Mining  Co.  to 
ship  ore.     A  new  road  from  the  mine  to  the  main  San  Poil 

Valley  road  has  been  completed. The  power  flume  for  the 

Keller  smelter  is  under  repair. The  Walla  Walla  mine  shaft 


is  down  5  ft.  with  good  copper-zinc  ore  in  the  bottom. 

During  the  first  half  of  1916,  tungsten  production  of  the 
United  States  was  equivalent  to  3290  short  tons  of  concen- 
trate, averaging  60%  WO„  valued  at  $9,113,000,  according  to 
the  Geological  Survey.  This  estimate  is  considered  to  be  cor- 
rect within  107r,  rather  under  than  over  the  true  figures.  Colo- 
rado contributed  1505  tons,  California,  9S4  tons,  and  Nevada, 
461  tons.    Eight  other  States  reported. 


220 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  •">.  1916 


ployees.  Heretofore  the  company  has  been  sending  food  sup- 
plies to  those  partB  of  the  country  where  the  plants  are  situ- 
ated,  not  only  for  employees  hut  for  all  living  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  plants.  This  has  now  become  practically  impossible  due 
to  the  inability  of  the  Carranza  officials  to  guarantee  the 
arrival  of  such  shipments. 

KOREA 

The  Seoul  Mining  Co.,  operating  the  Suan  concession  in 
Whang  Hai  province,  Chosen,  reports  the  following  results 
for  June: 

Ore   treated,   tons    14,555 

Mills  ran,  days,  average  22 

Bullion    %  25,105 

Concentrates    92,552 

Total   recovery    $117.r,r,7 

Expenses    57,500 

Operating  profit  $  60,157 

June  was  low  in  milling  days,  principally  because  of  changes 
made  at  the  Holkol  40-stamp  mill.  Beginning  with  June  10 
half  this  mill  only  was  run  on  ore  from  the  Suan  mine,  which 
the  mill  has  previously  treated  exclusively.  The  other  half 
of  the  mill,  after  making  some  changes  for  the  purpose, 
treated  ore  from  the  adjacent  huge  low-grade  deposit  of  gold, 
copper,  and  tungsten,  in  order  to  determine  practically  the 
best  method  of  extraction.  This  deposit  is  known  as  the 
Soctarie.  Half  the  Holkol  mill  was  worked  for  25  days  on 
Suan  ore  and  half  for  19  days  on  Soctarie  ore,  or  an  average 
of  22  days.  Also  owing  to  changes,  the  mill  at  Tul  Mi  Chung 
mine  ran  only  a  little  under  23  days  on  its  ore,  henre  the 
smaller  results  shown  for  June  than  for  a  few  months  pre- 
viously. Extraction  on  the  Suan  ore  was  remarkably  good, 
91.6$  gold  and  86.5%  copper.  From  2150  tons  of  Soctarie  ore 
8262  lb.  of  tungsten  concentrate  was  recovered,  presumably 
of  an  expected  50  to  60%  grade,  this  besides  a  fair  recovery  of 
gold  and  copper  contents.  For  the  first  milling  this  is  con- 
sidered satisfactory.  Milling  capacity  at  Tul  Mi  Chung  is 
being  rapidly  raised,  the  record  being  453  tons  on  June  6. 
They  are  not  now  amalgamating  at  Tul  Mi  Chung. 

The  Amalgamated  Zinc  (De  Bavay's),  Limited,  in  the 
half-year  ended  December  31,  1915  states  that  the  flotation 
plant  at  Broken  Hill.  Australia,  treated  161,043  tons  of  pur- 
chased tailing,  yielding  48,195  tons  of  concentrate  assaying 
49.1%  zinc,  6.896  lead,  and  7.9  oz.  silver;  also  710  tons  of 
concentrate  containing  Til'',  lead.  11.4',  zinc,  and  48.2  oz. 
silver  per  ton.  There  was  shipped  65,934  tons  of  concen- 
trate, part  of  which  was  from  the  previous  period.  Sales 
realized  £3S5,552.  of  which  £159,823  was  spent  in  oper- 
ation, payment  of  tailing,  etc.  The  profit  was  £168,078.  No. 
16  dividend,  of  72  cents  per  share,  was  paid  on  January  16, 
1916,  absorbing  £75,000,  making  £550,000  to  date. 

The  general  manager,  H.  W.  Gepp,  is  still  in  America  in  con- 
nection with  sales  of  concentrate,  and  investigating  electro- 
lytic zinc  processes. 

Obituary 

Matthew  Henry  Walker,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Utah,  who, 
with  his  brothers,  was  a  pioneer  in  mining  in  that  State,  died 
from  cancer  at  Salt  Lake  City,  on  July  28.  He  is  survived  by 
a  widow,  a  son.  and  a  daughter.  Mr.  Walker  was  connected 
with  many  mining  companies,  and  the  Walker  Brothers  bank 
in  Salt  Lake  City  is  a  well-known  institution.  He  was  a 
man  of  charitable  instincts,  and  did  many  acts  of  kindness  in 
a  quiet  way. 

The  Editok  would  he  grateful  for  photographic  prints  suit- 
able for  reproduction  in  this  paper. 


Personal 


Note:     The  B&ttOT  Intita  nomhrr*  of  Ihr  wuflubm  to  rfnil  particular*  OS  their 
work  ami  apiiolitlmiiil*.      Thie.  iiifitrtniilioit  in  iiUrrrntiua  to  our  rratleri. 


W.  B.  De.nni.s  has  gone  to  New  York. 

E.  A.  Julian  was  in  Amador  county  this  week. 

J.  R.  Tyruki .i.  of  Toronto  is  in  British  Columbia. 

A.  Rous  is  mining  copper  near  Organ,  New  Mexico. 

Lori*  A.  In  i  oio  is  on  his  way  back  from  Columbia. 

David  Keith  of  Salt  Lake  City  was  in  town  last  week. 

Heriieh.t  C.  Woolmer  has  arrived  in  London  from  Moscow. 

William   Bradex   has  returned  to  New  York   from  Chile. 

Wai.demar  LiNDOBEN  was  in  the  Yellowstone  Park  during 
July. 

John  D.  Kim  hen  of  Tonopah  was  in  San  Francisco  this 
week. 

V.  P.  Stanley  Low  has  returned  to  London  from  South 
Africa. 

E.  H.  Cook  has  returned  to  Los  Angeles  from  Culiacan, 
Mexico. 

George  S.  Emiii  ry  has  returned  to  Berkeley  from  Pachuca, 
Mexico. 

O.  B.  Perry  has  returned  to  New  York  from  the  Yukon 
goldfields. 

Fred  S.  PORTER  is  now  with  the  Canadian  Klondyke  Co.  at 
Dawson. 

Ciiari  ks  Jams  is  on  his  way  back  from  Dawson.  Yukon 
Territory. 

Arthur  W.  Stevens  has  returned  from  Colorado  to  Pied- 
mont, California. 

W.  A.  Carlyi.e  has  left  London  for  Toronto,  which  he  will 
make  headquarters. 

E.  M.  Halo  has  joined  the  engineering  staff  of  the  Tonopah 
Extension  Mining  Company. 

G.  H.  Wohlhaupter  of  Magna,  Utah,  is  taking  a  holiday 
at  Houghton,  Michigan. 

F.  C.  Rork  of  Michigan  is  now  with  the  Consolidated  Arizona 
Copper  Co.  at  Humboldt. 

L.  G.  E.  Bignell  has  joined  the  sales  department  of  the 
Colorado  Iron  Works  Co.  at  Denver. 

Wurir  G.  Miller  has  been  to  Mount  Lyell  and  Broken  Hill, 
proceeding  from  Melbourne  to  New  Caledonia  on  July  6. 

Henry  G.  Walker  has  arrived  here  from  Shanghai,  having 
inspected  mines  in  the  Chinese  province  of  Chekiang. 

Joseph  W.  Richards,  professor  of  metallurgy  in  Lehigh 
University,  was  in  Butte  last  week,  on  his  way  to  the  Pacific 
Coast. 

Robert  M.  Raymond,  professor  of  mining  in  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, has  been  in  Michigan  and  is  now  at  Butte.  He  is 
expected  here  next  week. 

Ernst  MABO.UABDT,  who  has  been  in  China  for  some  time, 
has  joined  the  Associated  Geological  Engineers  of  Pittsburg, 
and  is  now  in  Oklahoma. 

E.  T.  Mellor  has  resigned  from  the  Geological  Survey  of 
the  Transvaal  to  accept  a  position  as  consulting  geologist 
with  the  Rand  Mines  and  Central  Mining  companies. 

Jno.  M.  Baker  and  Hamilton  W.  Baker  have  resigned  as 
general  manager  and  mine  superintendent,  respectively,  of 
the  Baker  Mines  Co.  of  Oregon,  and  are  now  at  Denver. 

Morton  Webber  has  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  New  York.  For  the  larger  part  of  two  years  he  served 
as  an  artillery  officer  in  the  British  army,  in  France,  Gallipoli. 
and  Bulgaria,  being  twice  wounded  and  finally  discharged 
with  honor. 


August  -V   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


221 


mii  M    run  i> 

BAD    1'ium  in««r.   AUffUi 

AnlHnuiiy,    MDtl    \»  i     pound    16 

IDd  27.50 

■    i                   r.00 —  7.76 

Platinum     soft    :■  $65 

um:  hard  metal  i *•- ;   Iridium,  per  ounot  $69 

QufokelWer    p«r  Husk  of  75  lb $80 

i   pound  it 

Ttn.                      pound ii 

Zinc-dust,  cents   per   pound 20 

of    platinum    ere    reported    i"    have  been    >iis- 

!  recently  on  the  RIvst  Vitus,  near  Irkutsk,  in  Stb 

ORE   PRIGBS 

S.ui    Francisco,  August    1. 

Antimony:  .'•"■.    product,  per  unit  <i*.    or  -'"  lb.) $0.7:. 

Chrome;  40'^   and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  13. 00 — 16.00 
llangmm  product,  &o.b,  care  California,  ton. 12.00 — 16.00 

llagnealte:  crude,  per  ton   T.00 —  9.00 

Molybdenum;   S09(    una  over,  per  pound 0.60 —  t.iS 

Tungsten:  60      v70     per  unit 20.00 

The  tungsten  situation  at  Boulder,  Colorado,  i*  considered  by 
.1     «;     Clark,    of   the    Boulder   Tungsten    Production    Co..   to    be 
better.     His  company  Is  negotiating  for  a 
unit. 

New    York.    Juh 

Antimony;  A  few  sales  of  spot  material  is  reported  at  $1.25 
to  $1.50  per  unit. 

Tungsten :  French  consumers  continue  to  negotiate,  but  the 
buyers  do  not  want  to  meet  the  market.  The  nominal  quotation 
is  $27  to  $30  per  unit.  It  is  reported  that  production  has  been 
curtailed  in  several  directions.  It  Is  a  significant  fact  that 
high-speed  tool-ste«l  was  scarce  and  eagerly  sought  a  few 
months  ago,  while  today  the  makers  are  looking  for  business, 
and   likewise  the  sellers  of  ferro-tungsten. 

EASTERN'    METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
August  1. — Prompt  copper  is  scarce;  lead  is  stagnant;  spelter 
Is  dull  and  easy. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 

Date. 

July     26 25.00 

27 26.S0 

"      23 25.75 

"       29 26.00 

30  Sunday 

31 26.00 

1 26.25 


Auk. 


Average  week  ending 

June   20 27.17 

27 27.25 

5 26.54 

11 26.25 

is 25.42 

25 25.00 

1 25.75 


July 


Aug. 


Monthly  averages 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July     13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Men 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   13.60 

Th.'  Ohio  Copper  Mining  Co.  of  Utah  is  to  be  re-organized 
with  a  capital  of  ?5, 000, 000  new  securities.  The  Bingham  Cen- 
tral Railway  is  included.     Foreclosure  takes  place  on  August  22. 

June  outputs  include  4,500,000  lb.  by  Arizona  Copper,  and 
4,011,361  lb.  by  Granby  Consolidated. 

Greene-Cananea  is  operating  on  the  basis  of  5,000,000  lb.  per 
month.  A  dividend  of  $2  per  share  is  payable  on  August  28. 
Utah  Metal  &  Tunnel  Co.  is  paying  its  initial  dividend  of  50c. 
per  share,  on  August  15.     This  amounts  to  $325,000. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  In  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Average  week  ending 

June   20 63.62 

"      27 65.49 

July      5 65.16 

"       11 62.02 

"       18 62.41 

"      25 62.97 

Aug.      1 63.71 


Date. 

Julv    26 

''7 
••       28 

63.25 

63.75 

63.62 

"       29 

63.50 

"      30  Sundav 
31 

64.12 

64.00 

1914. 

Jan 

Feb 

58.01 

Apr 

May    68.21 

Jim.-    


Monthly  averages 

1915.  1916. 
48.85  56.76 
18.46  60.74 
67.86 
50.25  64.37 
49.87  74.27 
49.03        65.04 


1914. 
July    ... 

Auk 64.36 

S-|'t 68.75 

(i.l.      ., 

N..v 19.13 

DCO 49.27 


1916. 


Tin-   market   ha,   continued   '"   bi  .   although 

have   been  a   little  stronger,      i  tool   now   i 

lo.ooo.ooo  oz„  and  lie  not  any  evldenee  •<(  wea 

the  amount  is  not  at  all  likely  t.> 
Into  the  market  ha,  rathor  dlsoouraged  ■""  Idi  buying, 
I  fi ii..-  Indian  Bazaara.    The  m  of  tin-  heavi- 

ness of  tin-   market   is  a   certain   amount  »t  selling   by   hank-* 
dealing   with  China,   which,   together   with   normal   supplli 
America,  has  met  tin-  demand  for  coinage — a  demand  necessarily 
urgent  and  continuous, 

LEAD 

Lead  Is  quoted  In  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 


Average  week   ending 


-'<■ 
J  7 
2S 

29 

10 

31 

1 

,  ,    6.20 
6.20 

.    i;."u 

averages 

Sept 

Dec.    . . . 

.    11  7  7 

Sunday 

1914. 
4.11 
4.02 
3.91 
3.86 
3.90 
. .    3.90 

6.20 

6.20 

Monthly 
1915.        1916. 
3.73          5.95 
3.83          6.23 
4.04          7.26 
4.21          7.70 
4.24          7.38 
5.75          6.88 

.    6.30 

Jan. 

Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 

1914. 

3.82 

3.68 
.    3.80 

1915. 
:.  59 

4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 

1916 

6.49 

On   August  4  the  Bunker  Hill  &   Sullivan  company  paid  two 
dividends  of  $S1,750  eaeh.     The  total  lo  date  is  917,917,690. 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 

Average  week  ending 

July    26 10.50       June   20 13.12 

"      27 12.12 

July      5 11.40 

"      11 9.75 

"       18 9.06 

"       25 9.91 

Aug.      1 10.12 


Aug. 


.,- 

28 

30   Sunday 

31 

10.00 

1 

9.75 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 5.14 

Feb 5.22 

Mch 5.12 

Apr 4.98 

May    4.91 

June   4.84 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
S.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


1914. 
.    4.75 


July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


5.16 
4.75 


1915. 
20.5  1 

14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 


QUICKSILVER 


The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date. 

Julv      5 80.00 

"      11 S3.no 


July    IS sn.no 

■'       25 80.00 

Aug.      1 80.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

.  ..39.25 

51.90 

222.00 

July    . 

.  .  .37.50 

95.00 

81.20 

Feb.    . . 

...39.00 

60.00 

295.00 

Aug.    . 

.  .  .si). mi 

93.75 

Mch.    .. 

.  ..39.00 

78.00 

219.00 

.  .  .76.25 

91.00 

77.50 

141.60 

Oct.     .  . 

.  ..53.00 

92.90 

75.00 

90.00 

...55.00 

101.50 

...38.60 

90.00 

74.70 

Dec.     . 

...53.10 

123.00 

TIN 

Prices  in  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

..  .37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

Feb.    . . 

...39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Mch.    .  . 

.  ..38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

...36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

.  ..30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

Julv    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.60 
38.71 


1916 
38.37 


Tin    is   quiet  at  38.12   to    38.67   cents. 


222 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


'^ii^'i^Tii    lyi^iiil    iVJaiflkiri 


New  York,  July  26. 

'upper,  zinc,  and  tin  present  a  better  aspect,  and  the  entire 
market  has  not  the  forlorn  appearance  it  had  a  week  or  two 
ago. 

Copper  has  a  better  tone,  and  it  is  asserted  that  good  buy- 
ing will  follow  a  reduction  of  a  few  points  in  producers'  quota- 
tions.   The  metal  in  second-hands  is  gradually  being  absorbed. 

In  the  past  10  days  export  buying  of  zinc  has  been  heavy, 
and  quotations  have  advanced  both  here  and  in  London. 

Future  deliveries,  and  metal  afloat,  have  been  fairly  active 
in  the  tin  market,  and  the  tone  is  the  best  for  many  months. 

Lead  continues  to  drag  in  the  absence  of  War  business,  and 
the  trade  says  that  new  sales  can  be  expected  only  at  lower 
prices.    Buying  probably  would  start  at  6c,  New  York. 

Antimony  continues  dull. 

Aluminum  is  unchanged  at  58  to  60  cents. 

An  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  steel  has  been  in  demand  is 
afforded  by  the  fact  that  the  earnings  of  the  United  States 
Steel  Corporation  in  the  second  quarter  of  this  year  amounted 
to  $M,000,000.  In  many  products,  particularly  steel  plates,  the 
demand  is  unabated.  Following  the  decline  in  zinc,  the 
makers  of  galvanized  iron  and  steel  pipe  have  reduced  their 
prices  $10  per  ton.  Sheets  are  easier  also.  Though  not 
officially  confirmed  it  is  known  that  orders  for  shells  valued 
at  approximately  $60,000,000  are  to  be  placed  in  this  country 
by  Great  Britain's  fiscal  agent.  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co.  Sizes 
ranging  from  6  to  12  in.  will  be  called  for.  Already  pros- 
pective contractors  are  inquiring  for  the  large  lathes  and  other 
machine-tools  needed  to  execute  such  work. 

ZINC 

The  improvement  noted  last  week,  which  was  started  by 
purchasing  on  the  part  of  domestic  galvanizers,  at  prices 
somewhat  under  9c.  (for  spot),  was  followed  by  an  excellent 
demand  for  foreign  consumers.  A  large  quantity  of  zinc  has 
been  sold  for  export,  at  prices  ranging  from  9c.  New  York,  for 
spot,  to  10.50c,  the  quotation  of  yesterday  (July  25).  It  is 
not  thought  that  the  export-demand  is  entirely  satisfied.  The 
London  market  is  strong;  it  was  quoted  yesterday  at  £60 
against  £48  a  week  ago,  an  advance  of  £12.  It  is  not  considered 
that  zinc  will  again  go  to  the  high  levels  of  early  this  year. 
when  at  one  time  21.50c,  was  quoted,  but  the  opinion  is 
pretty  general  that  it  will  not  average  much  under  10  to  12c, 
from  this  time  on.  Of  course,  this  is  all  more  or  less  guess- 
work, but  it  does  indicate  what  the  trade  would  like  to  see. 
Domestic  consumers  assert  they  should  get  the  metal  at 
about  8c,  spot  delivery,  but  it  is  pointed  out  that,  considering 
the  higher  cost  of  production  now  prevailing,  this  price  would 
be  about  equal  to  5c  The  galvanizers,  though  they 
bought  heavily  a  few  days  ago,  should  do  more,  inasmuch  as 
they  are  operating  not  to  exceed  60%  of  capacity,  and  a  few- 
only  35  to  40%.  The  galvanized-sheet  market  is  very  dull, 
consumers  waiting  for  lower  prices.  Now  that  zinc  has  taken 
a  turn  upward  it  is  questionable  if  they  will  get  them.  Not 
only  is  the  cost  of  zinc  involved,  there  also  is  the  high  price 
of  sheet  bars  from  which  t\e  sheets  are  rolled.  Prices  for 
zinc,  prevailing  yesterday,  were  10.50c,  New  York,  for  spot, 
10.25c  for  August,  and  10c.  for  September.  Exports  in  26 
days  were  large,  amounting  to  564S  tons.  Sheet  zinc  is  un- 
changed at  16c.  f.o.h.  mill,  carload  lots.  89i  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  market  has  continued  dull  and  drooping.  Today  (July 
"i;i.  lead  can  be  obtained  at  6.20c  New  York,  and  6c.  St. 
Louis,  but  there  is  little  or  no  business  despite  the  fact  that 
some  large  consumers  are  known  to  be  disposed  to  buy.  It 
can  be  reiterated  that   present   prices   cannot   be  maintained 


unless  there  develops  a  large  volume  of  export  business.  The 
A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  continues  to  quote  6.50c,  New  York,  and  t 
St.  Louis.  It  is  believed  that  6c  New  York  would  start  some 
action.  Some  authorities  say  that  stocks  are  not  accumulating, 
but  others,  equally  as  authoritative,  say  that  production  is 
exceeding  consumption.  The  London  market  is  slightly  lower 
than  a  week  ago,  at  £28  5s.  (July  25).  Exports,  to  the  26th, 
totaled  2126  tons. 

COPPER 

While  the  quotation  for  spot  lots  of  electrolytic  held  by 
second-hands,  and  to  some  extent  by  the.  smaller  producers, 
has  been  practically  stationary  at  25c,  cash.  New  York,  the 
market  has  a  firmer  tone  and  a  more  hopeful  aspect  generally. 
Inquiries  have  been  more  numerous,  the  re-sale  metal  is 
gradually  being  absorbed,  and  there  is  a  pretty  well-defined 
feeling  that  the  big  producers  are  trying  to  'local'  a  level  which 
would  stir  consumers  to  action  for  the  later  deliveries.  It  is 
recognized  that  29.25c — the  public  quotation  of  the  large 
producers — is  a  nominal  price  that  will  attract  no  buyers.  It 
is  commonly  expressed  by  the  trade  that  somewhere  around 
24c  would  be  likely  to  win  business.  As  already  said,  in- 
quiry has  been  better  in  the  past  two  or  three  days  and  re- 
sale prices  have  become  firmer,  and  the  holders  are  not  over- 
anxious to  sell.  Some  of  them  are  asking  up  to  86c.  for  July 
delivery,  and  25c  for  September.  Lake  copper  is  nominal 
around  25.25c.  cash,  for  spot  delivery.  The  London  market 
also  shows  renewed  strength,  although  electrolytic  there  is 
unchanged  at  £122.  Exports  from  July  1  to  26  totaled  2 
tons.  The  export  demand  for  spelter  has  been  good  in  the 
past  10  days,  and  it  has  been  expected  that  some  of  this 
betterment  would  be  imparted  to  copper.  The  following  com- 
parative statement,  prepared  by  Secretary  Mayer  of  the  Metal 
Exchange  shows  copper  exports  from  the  United  States  in 
six  months  of  this  year,  compared  with  those  of  the  same 
period  in  1915,  in  long  tons: 

1916  1915 

United    Kingdom    81,732  47,109 

France    76,127  49,148 

Holland    1,138  457 

Italy    23,723  28,966 

Denmark   898  1,050 

Norway   and   Sweden    7,223  10.507 

Russia    5,053  !.l  51 

China  and  Japan   71  49 

Sundries    1,978  1.031 

Total     147,943  136,627 

TIN 

The  week  has  been  a  fairly  good  one,  and  for  the  first  time 
in  many  months  the  market  has  shown  strength.  The  activity 
began  on  July  19  with  purchasing  of  futures  and  tin  afloat, 
followed  again  July  25  by  another  flurry  for  the  same  posi- 
tions. Extensive  sales  were  made  on  the  basis  of  38c  for  spot 
Straits.  More  would  have  been  done  had  not  London  ad- 
vanced too  rapidly.  The  London  market  for  spot  Straits 
yesterday  was  £167  against  £164  10s.  a  week  ago.  There  was 
afloat  yesterday  2396  tons,  and  in  the  month  2055  tons 
arrived. 

ANTIMONY 

A  few  inquiries  are  before  the  market  but  they  are  not 
sufficient  to  change  the  trend  of  prices,  and  the  metal  is  dull 
at  13.50  to  14c.  duty  paid.  Antimouy  in  bond  has  been  sold 
at  lie.  Needle  antimony  is  nominally  quoted  at  9c.  per  lb., 
forward  delivery. 


Aufiul  5,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Company  Reports 


Recent  Publications 


INOPAB  BXTBN810N  MINING  00. 

Thin  N'  \  .ni.i  company  had  ;<  highly  profitable  period  during 
u  ended  March  tl,  1916,  when  the  net  revenue  mi 
6619,418,  iimi  the  Murray  vein  »as  opened  tor  ■  considerable 
site  at  ■  depth  "f  1646  (t.  Roservec  Indicate  tl  leaal  15 
ore  supply,  According  to  the  general  manager,  John  ('■. 
Klrchen,  doTelopmenl  ooTered  18,961  ft.  making  116,848  n. 
to  .lute. 

The  mill,  whirh  is  being  enlarged,  treated  91,981  tons  of  ore, 
I  .unl  M.99  o*.  silver  per  ton,  a  di 
of  metal-content    The  extraction  was  99.89%. 

There  was  sold  20.575  oz.  of  gold  and  8,106,618  oz.  of  silver 
for  $1,532,910.  Costs  totaled  $10,965  per  ton,  a  decrease  of 
51.1c.  Mining  was  84-614,  treatment,  84.478,  and  Freight,  re- 
fining,  etc.,  6.01c.     Dividends  absorbed  $306,613. 

OTJBO  PHOTO  GOLD  MINES  OF  BRAZIL 

This  English  company  operates  in  the  province  of  Minas 
Genes,  Brazil.  The  interesting  72-page  report  of  the  super- 
intendent. A.  J.  Bensosan,  deals  with  the  year  1915.  Develop- 
ment In  the  Passagetn  mine  totaled  5375  ft.,  a  good  increase. 
The  secondary  No.  3  shaft  is  down  4641  ft.  on  the  incline. 
Some  promising  results  were  obtained,  but  no  large  orebodies 
were  added  to  the  reserves,  which  amount  to  74,705  tons,  a 
decrease  of  37,973  tons.  The  80-stamp  mill  crushed  85,400 
tons  of  ore  with  91.41%  recovery;  the  cyanide  works  treated 
6736  tons  of  concentrate  with  88.71%,  63.206  tons  of  sand  with 
74.01%,  and  11,630  tons  of  slime  with  81.96%  extraction.  Sand 
treatment  cost  14c.  and  slime  71c.  per  ton  of  material.  Gold 
from  all  sources  realized  £120,592  ($580,000),  equal  to  $6.78 
per  ton.  Expenses  in  Brazil  were  $6.10  per  ton.  The  profit 
was  £9545.  Preference  shareholders  were  paid  £1221,  or  10% 
per  annum.     The  net  balance  is  £5137. 

The  report  includes  figures  in  metres,  kilometres,  grams, 
milreis.  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence. 

ST.   JOHN  DEL  REY  MINING  CO. 

The  6S-page  report  of  the  superintendent,  G.  Chalmers,  for 
the  85th  annual  meeting  of  this  English  company  operating  the 
Morro  Velho  mine  in  Brazil,  contains  a  mass  of  detail  from 
which  the  following  is  abstracted: 

Horizon  (level)  19,  a  vertical  depth  of  5526  ft.  below  the 
surface,  was  opened  by  a  winze  from  No.  18  level,  a  distance 
of  304  ft.  Good  ore  was  cut  at  242  ft.  down.  Development  of 
the  lode  on  No.  19  was  quite  satisfactory.  Ore  reserves  are 
estimated  at  788,439  tons,  equal  to  4  years  for  the  mill.  Ventil- 
ation as  usual  occupied  considerable  attention,  the  temperature 
on  No.  19  being  107°  F.  The  fan  worked  well  throughout  the 
period.  There  were  6  fatal  accidents  in  the  mine.  There  was 
no  shortage  of  labor. 

The  mill  crushed  and  treated  192,500  tons  of  ore,  yielding 
109,555  oz.  of  gold  and  silver  bullion,  equal  to  $11.63  per  ton. 
Several  improvements  were  made  to  the  plant. 

The  revenue  was  £470,236,  less  £284,004  for  all  charges  and 
£27.156  for  Brazilian  State  and  Federal  duties,  etc.  The 
working  cost,  with  development,  was  $6.94  per  ton.  Dividends 
paid  amounted  to  £11,750  on  preferred,  and  £54,627  on  ordinary 
shares,  including  taxes.  Investments  were  valued  at  £202,994 
on  February  29,  1916. 

On  account  of  rapid  cutting  of  trees  re-afforestation  has 
been  studied,  and  many  trees  planted.  Further  additions  are 
proposed  for  hydro-electric  power.  The  average  cost  is  2.918 
cents  per  hp.-day.  The  S-kilometre  electric  tram  from  the 
mine  to  Raposos  on  the  Central  Railway  worked  well.  The 
medical  department  attended  to  24,655  patients. 


Volcanii    Hibtobi  or  Lamm  Pbak.    Hy  .1.  s.  Dlller.    Re> 
print  from  Science,  Mai  86,  1916.     P.  7.     IIIuhIi. 


Maiumis   mil   Mumsiin    ami   JIkiiim   TOOLS    III     ISOI 
By   .1.   A.   Maaseil.      P.  64.      Illustrated.     Special   Agents  Series 

No,  116.    Department  of  Commerce,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916, 

II  INDBOOE    IM'  In  si  Kirnw   I'minji   m    nil    M :u     C,,i 

in  PIOUS   is   'i  111    I   mm  n  Si  mi  s   Nanus  m.   Ml  -1  1  U       B 
Merrill.     Bulletin  94,     P,  807.     Illustrated.    Waahll 
1916, 

I'm  11  1.  II1M1111-.     BOW    in  l-'isn  ash  Ksnw  Tin  m.     Ily  A.  J. 
Burdlck.      P.    1:.     Gateway   Publishing   Co.,   Beaumont.    Call- 
Price  60c.     A  handy  little  book  for  prospectors  and 

o(  hers. 

On  Kim  mi.,s  Pbocbsses.  Patents  relating  to  R.  S.  Lewis 
and  O.  C.  Ralston.  P.  56.  Index.  Bulletin  8  of  Utah  Engi- 
neering Experiment  Station  of  University  of  Utah,  in  co- 
operation With  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Tin  [DEAL  MOBTAB  FOB  Brick  Masomiv.  The  Hydrated  Lime 
Bureau  of  the  National  Lime  Manufacturers  Association, 
Pittsburg.  P.  32.  111.,  index.  Discusses  experiments  made 
with  various  mortars.  One  composed  of  50  lb.  cement.  20  lb. 
hydrated  lime,  and  300  lb.  sand  gave  greater  strength  than 
several  containing  a  greater  proportion  of  cement. 

Heavy  Timber  Mill  Construction  Buildings.  By  C.  E. 
Paul.  P.  66.  111.,  index.  Engineering  Bureau.  National  Lum- 
ber Manufacturers  Association,  Chicago.  Mill  construction  is 
here  used  in  the  restricted  sense  of  timber  construction  under 
special  recognized  standards.  The  result  should  be  a  structure 
that  is  in  many  respects  more  fire-resisting  than  a  poorly 
constructed  steel  building.  The  pamphlet  discusses  the  de- 
sign and  construction  of  such  buildings  and  gives  a  number 
of  useful  tables.  While  issued  by  an  association  of  lumber 
manufacturers  with  the  object  of  increasing  the  use  of  their 
product,  the  pamphlet  can  hardly  be  called  'trade  literature' 
in  the  ordinary  and  somewhat  derogatory  sense  of  the  term. 

The  Theory  and  Practice  of  Modern  Framed  Structures. 
By  J.  B.  Johnson,  C.  W.  Bryan,  and  F.  E.  Turneaure.  Ninth 
edition,  rewritten  by  F.  E.  Turneaure  and  W.  S.  Kinne.  Part 
III.  Design.  P.  479.  111.,  index.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc., 
New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  San 
Francisco.    Price,  $4. 

The  latest  edition  of  this  standard  work  has  been  rewritten 
by  one  of  the  surviving  authors  in  collaboration  with  W.  S. 
Kinne.  The  general  arrangement  and  the  topics  covered  are, 
however,  similar  to  the  old  work.  The  subject  of  columns 
has  been  treated  at  considerable  length,  both  from  the  stand- 
point of  experiment  and  of  theory.  Secondary  stresses  are 
considered  with  special  reference  to  their  influence  upon  de- 
sign. The  analysis  of  plate-girder  stresses  is  unusually  com- 
plete. The  chapters  on  highway  bridges,  roof  trusses,  and 
mill  construction  are  comparatively  brief.  The  complete  list 
of  chapter  headings  is  as  follows:  Styles  of  Structures,  Work- 
ing Conditions,  Compression  Members,  Combined  Direct  and 
Bending  Stresses,  Riveted  Joints,  Plate  Girders,  Truss  Bridges, 
Design  of  a  Pin-Connected  Railway-Bridge,  Riveted  Trusses, 
Design  of  a  Riveted  Highway-Bridge,  and  Steel  Railway 
Bridges.  The  appendices  contain  general  specifications  for 
steel  railway  bridges,  tables  of  standards,  and  a  discussion  of 
unsymmetrical  bending. 


224 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  5,  1916 


Industrial  Notes 


Beyer  Barometric   Condenser 


The  Ingersoll-Rand  Company  of  11  Broadway.  New  York,  is 
now  offering  to  the  trade  complete  steam  condensing  plants  for 
all  service  conditions.  This  equipment  includes  the  Beyer 
barometric  condenser,  for  which  the  company  has  secured  the 
patent  rights.  Imperial  duplex  and  Ingersoll-Rogier  straight- 
line,  reciprocating,  dry  vacuum-pumps  and.  where  required. 
Cameron  simplex  and  centrifugal  pumps. 

The  Beyer  condenser  is  of  the  counter-current  type,  in 
which  air  and  cooling  water  flow  in  opposite  directions.  The 
steam  inlet  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  condensing  vessel,  the  water 
inlet  above,  and  the  air  removal  opening  at  the  top.  The 
sheets  of  cooling  water  overflowing  the  pool  at  the  inlet  point 
meet  the  entering  steam.  The  two  are  brought  into  intimate 
contact   by  conical  baffle-plates  assisting  the  water  to  absorb 


■-X-- T 


>N     1MI    PHOTO    nl     A,  HAL    INSTALLATION    OF    BF.YEK 
BAROMETRIC    CONDENSER. 

to  its  full  capacity  the  latent  heat  of  the  steam.  The  non- 
condensable  air  liberated  in  the  condensing  action  rises 
through  the  falling  water  to  the  removal  point  at  the  top. 
being  cooled  to  practically  the  temperature  of  the  incoming 
water.  It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  ample  opportunity  is  given 
for  the  removal  of  t lie  air-content  of  the  water  before  it  mixes 
with  the  steam.  This,  the  manufacturer  points  out.  not  only 
facilitates  the  mixing  process,  hut  permits  the  removal  of  air 


and  vapor  at  a  comparatively  low  temperature,  a  distinct  ad- 
vantage as  the  reduced  volume  saves  in  vacuum  pumpage 
horse-power.  The  steam  inlet  is  of  large  diameter  to  secure 
low  velocity,  and  is  hooded  in  such  a  way  as  to  discharge  the 
steam  into  the  centre  of  the  condensing  vessel.  The  air  re- 
moval opening  is  also  of  ample  area  and  is  protected  by  a 
self-draining  baffle  and  trap!  This,  it  is  said,  positively  pre- 
vents water  being  carried  over  into  the  vacuum  pump.  The 
hot  waste  water  is  discharged  through  the  self-draining  tail- 
pipe. This  pipe  straddles  the  hot-well  and  rigidly  supports 
the  condenser.  The  Imperial  and  Ingersoll-Rogler  vacuum- 
pumps  are  of  the  manufacturer's  standard  type.  When  a 
water-pump  is  required  to  elevate  cooling  water  to  the  con- 
denser he:id.  Cameron  pumps  are  provided.  These  may  be 
either  reciprocating  or  centrifugal  as  desired.  The  Ingersoll- 
Rand  Co.,  however,  emphasizes  the  fact  that,  where  the  level 
of  the  cold-well  is  of  sufficient  height  above  the  hot-well,  the 
condenser  will  lift  its  own  cooling  water,  dispensing  entirely 
with  a  water-pump. 

The  manufacturer  emphasizes  the  point  that  the  vacuum 
and  water  pumps,  being  independently  operated,  can  be  regu- 
lated to  suit  varying  water  temperatures  and  conditions. 


Commercial    Paragraphs 


Vulcan  steel-frame  electric  hoists  for  mines  are  described 
by  tile  Henduie  ii  BOLTHOFF  MANfl  ACTVRING  &  SUPPLY  Co.  Of 
Denver  in  an  attractively  arranged  booklet.  The  250-hp. 
machine  has  a  capacity  of  3700  ft.  of  rope. 

Cemented  gold-bearing  gravel  is  difficult  to  treat  and  save 
the  precious  metal,  so  some  method  of  disintegrating  the  gravel 
is  necessary,  whereby  the  large  boulders  and  pebbles,  which 
are  barren,  are  simply  free,  not  crushed,  and  discarded,  while 
the  sand.  etc..  is  available  for  washing.  Many  systems  have 
been  tried  with  varying  success.  The  G.  W.  Price  Pump  & 
Engine  Co.  of  San  Francisco  claims  to  have  devised  a  cement- 
gravel  mill  that  will  give  the  desired  result.  The  machine 
consists  of  a  hexagonal  drum,  in  which  the  gravel  is  disin- 
tegrated by  rubbing  against  itself,  and  cleaning  the  boulders 
of  adhering  material  with  streams  of  water.  The  fine  ma- 
terial passes  through  screens  and  sluices,  where  the  gold  is 
caught.  The  large  stones  are  automatically  discharged.  A  6- 
ft.  mill  will  treat  from  6  to  15  tons  per  hour,  using  12  hp.,  at  a 
cost  of  5.6  to  9.4  cents  per  ton.  depending  on  circumstances. 

If  improvements  are  to  made  in  mining  methods,  the  E.  I. 
du  Pont  »e  Nemoles  &  Co.  of  Wilmington.  Delaware,  considers 
that  one  should  install  and  adopt  the  electric  method  of  firine: 
explosives  instead  of  the  old  method  of  fuse  and  blasting  cap. 
In  most  of  the  modern  and  up-to-date  coal  mines  electric  firing 
and  the  use  of  permissible  explosives  have  been  adpoted.  Few 
mines  exist  in  which  conditions  could  not  be  made  more  safe, 
and  the  protection  of  the  property  enhanced  by  the  use  of 
permissible  explosives  and  electric  firing.  The  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines  reports  that  fatalities  during  1903.  directly  traceable 
to  explosives,  were  0.339  per  1000  men  employed;  in  1914, 
0.096  per  1000.  a  reduction  of  72^.  Much  of  the  credit  for  this 
remarkable  improvement  is  due  to  the  use  of  permissible  ex- 
plosives and  electric  firing.  When  explosives  are  detonated 
electrically,  the  maximum  execution  is  always  assured.  The 
blast  cannot  occur  until  the  miner  desires  it  and  when  every- 
one is  in  a  safe  place.  As  many  holes  can  be  fired  at  one  time 
as  desired,  so  that  it  is  possible  to  use  less  explosives  per  ton 
of  coal  or  ore  than  when  fired  by  fuse  and  blasting  caps.  The 
cost  of  installation  is  low:  a  blasting-machine  suitable  for  use 
in  coal  mines  costs  about  $10  and  will  last  for  years  if  properly- 
cared  for.  while  electric  blasting  caps  cost  little  if  any  more 
than  ordinary  fuse  and  caps,  and  the  cost  of  leading  wire  is 
small.  The  advantages  and  benefits  gained  greatly  outweigh 
the  small  first  cost  of  installation. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  AUGUST  12,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  7 


NATIONAL 

THE  CONSUMER'S 
GUARANTEE    OF 

QUALITY 


Mpjams=j£Qj>  e 


Prepared 


GENERAL  SALES  OFFICES.  FR1CK  BUILDING 

PITTSBURGH,  PA. 


NATIONAL  TUBE  COMPANY, 


District  Sales  Offices:       Atlanta  Boston         Chicago  Denver  Kansas  City  New  Orlean 

Philadelphia  Pittsburgh  St.  Louis  St.  Paul  Salt  Lake  City 

Pacific  Const  Representatives:    U.  S.  STEEL  PRODUCTS  CO.,  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles,  Portland,  Seattl 
Export  Representatives:    U.  S.  STEEL  PRODUCTS  CO.,  New  York  City 


New  York  Omaha 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


g©WTiww©i|s 


Olivet9 

Continuous 

7t Iter  \ 

Company 

50I  MAR.K.ET    St. 

San  Franc  i  sco,  Cal. 


Here  is  another  of  many  instances  where  mine  operators 
have  found  it  to  their  advantage  to  install  the 

OLIVER 

Continuous  Filter 

after  having  tried  other  means  of  separating  liquid 
from  pulp. 

At  the  Comacaran  Gold  Mining  Company's 
cyanide  mill,  near  San  Miguel,  Republic  of  Salvador, 
Central  America,  continuous  decantation,  after  trial, 
had  only  one  result — to  emphasize  the  need  for  an 
Oliver  Continuous  Filter. 

This  filter  was  erected  by  native  labor,  and  word 
received  from  the  Manager  states  that  "the  Filter  has 
given  excellent  satisfaction,  and  I  have  never  seen  a 
better  or  more  automatic  filtering  unit,  while  the 
heavy  sand  content  of  the  slime  has  never  settled  nor 
affected  in  any  way  the  operation  of  the  filter.  The 
filter  is  making  a  net  saving  over  Continuous  Decan- 
tation of  $1200.00  per  month."  This  will  pay  for  the 
total  installation  in  four  months. 

Be  guided  by  the  experience  of  others.  Install  an 
Oliver  at  the  start. 


Our  engineers   can   and   will   help   you   to  solve  your 
problems.   Write  for  information.  There  is  no  obligation. 

No  royalties    to  pay  on  any    work    of  an  Oliver. 


KDITOH  VI    5TAFI 
T  A  RKTKARD  Eitaof 


P.  B.  McDONAlX) 


Aaaliol 

Ml-, 


HS1  IBJ  Mil  l>  ISM 

PutiUvd  .1  4:0  Mill*  N  .  Sb  Ki.nc.to.  I.y  U,r  Drwry  PubMiina  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  H,.„„~.  M.u|n 


SPBCML  1  ONTRIBI  l"H> 
\v    11   Bbooklty. 

Leonard  8.  Austin 
QelaslO   Ouclanl 

I  '..111  irtiu  y     1"..    Klllb. 

n  n 1  iinrrlaon. 

'  'l. 111  Irs  Junln 
JnmfH   F.   Kemp. 

r   11    Prober! 

C.   W.    PurlnRton. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchrll. 


Science  hus  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  August  12,  1916 


13  per  Year — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

i:  1)1  TORI  AL  Page. 

Notes    --?> 

Tiu\   (\ii  Nun    226 

Tin-  important  part  played  by  machinery  in  revolu- 
tionizing the  cost  of  mining.  Easy-going  methods  of 
the  early  days. 

The   Isil'oMiKRAHLES    227 

Mr.  Finlay's  statements  on  materialism  as  exemplified 
by  the  production  of  iron  and  the  modern  large  cor- 
porations are  questioned.  The  finer  things  that  make 
for  progress. 

The   Burma   Mines    228 

The  richness  of  an  orebody  of  the  Burma  Mines  Cor- 
poration in  the  Northern  Shan  States  is  shown  by  the 
figures  on  600,000  tons  of  ore  that  is  63%  metal  in 
lead  and  zinc,  besides  37  oz.  of  silver  per  ton. 


DISCUSSION 

PBOSFECmNQ. 

By  John   H.  Platts 229 

Exception  is  taken  to  the  co-operative  prospecting 
suggested  recently  by  Harold  French.  A  pessimistic 
view  of  the  rewards  of  searching  for  valuable  min- 
erals in  modern  times. 

Flotation  oh  Silver  Ore. 

By  Lloyd  G.  Nelson 229 

Treatment  of  the  flotation  concentrate  from  silver  ore. 
Experiments  with  a  continuous  filter  under  unusual 
conditions. 

A  Traveler's  Library. 

By  a  Subscriber  230 

An  engineer  writes  from  Central  America  asking  for 
advice  on  selecting  a  compact  and  useful  library  of 
reference-books. 

ARTICLES 
The  Problem  of  Efficiency. 

By  James  R.  Finlay  231 

A  well-known  protagonist  for  the  'age  of  industry' 
speaks  optimistically  of  modern  opportunities  for  art 


I'llKe 

and  literature.  The  manufacture  of  iron  and  its  In- 
fluence.    Big  corporations  and  their  employees. 

Maqnebite  PRODOCTION  ami  Marki  is. 

By  Samuel  II.  Dolbear  234 

This  industrial  material  is  being  mined  in  California. 
Imports,  chiefly  from  Europe,  are  about  double  the 
domestic  production.  The  crude  ore  is  worth  $5.50  to 
$12  per  ton. 

The  Rb-OpenING  of  Old  Minks  Along  the  Mother   L 

California. 

By   T.   A.   Rickard 236 

Conditions  and  costs  of  mining  and  milling  in  1869 
and  1916  are  compared  by  the  Editor.  A  great  im- 
provement in  practice  has  been  made  since  the  old 
Eureka  mine  was  operated  a  generation  ago.  and 
much  lower-grade  ore  can  now  be  worked  profitably. 

Chilean  Nitrate   241 

Normal  production  has  been  restored  in  this  Pacific 
Coast  industry. 

Pyrite  Production  241 

Pyrite  is  in  demand  for  acid  making  and  imports  have 
decreased  from  lack  of  ships. 

Costs  at  the  McIntyre  Mine.  Porcupine 241 

Mining  cost  was  $2.51  and  milling  cost  $0.96  per  ton 
during  last  year;  a  total  of  $3.47  on  ore  averaging 
$7.71. 

Milling  Practice  at  the  Santa  Gertrums. 

By  Hugh  Rose 242 

Stamps  and  tube-mills  are  used  at  this  mine  in  the 
Pachuca  district  of  Mexico.  Pebbles  for  tube-mills 
are  of  mine  rock.  Details  of  agitation,  filtering,  and 
precipitating. 


DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    247 

The  Mining  Summary   248 

Personal   255 

The  Metal  Market    256 

Eastern   Metal  Market 257 

Recent  Publications   258 

Industrial  Notes  258 

ADVERTISING  SECTION 

Buyer's    Guide    32 

Index  to  Advertisers  3S 


Established  May  24,  1860.  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


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12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(ONPAIIT 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


UNION  DRILLS 

Prospect  your  dredging  ground  with 
Union  Drills.  Made  in  two  types. 
Above  is  shown  the  steel-frame  type 
in  operation.  Union  DrlllB  are  simple, 
easy  to  operate,  low  in  cost,  and  can 
be  transported  over  any  ground.  If 
necessary  they  can  be  knocked  down 
and  carried  mule-back.     Bulletin  15. 


NEILL  JIGS 

Eight  Neill  Jigs  on  one  dredge  have 
paid  for  themselves  in  60  days,  mak- 
ing a  commercial  success  of  jigging  a 
product  running  2ft  cents  per  ton. 
The  Neill  Jig  has  double  the  screen 
area  of  other  jigs  requiring  the  same 
floor  space.    All  parts  are  easy  of  access. 


SPECIALISTS 


IN 


Placer    IVftning 
Equipment 

Years  of  successful  experience  in  designing, 
manufacturing  and  operating  have  been  concen- 
trated upon  a  single  objective,  to  produce  appa- 
ratus that  will  represent  the  highest  state  of  the 
industry  for  working  placer  or  mineral  deposits. 


Union  Dredge  No.  18.  operating  on  Mastodon  Creek, 
near  Circle  City,  Alaska.  This  3J-ft.  dredge  has  made 
an  enviable  record  of  1900  cubic  yards  per  day  under 
adverse  conditions. 

THE  SUCCESS 

of  this  concentrated  effort  is  confirmed  by  the  great  num- 
ber of  Union  Gold  Dredges,  Union  Drills  and  Neill  Jigs  in 
successful  operation. 

We  invite  your  correspondence. 
Ask  for  Catalogues. 

UNION    CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY 


H.G.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JOHNSON 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 


1C 


UNION  DREDGES    -  BUCYRUS  DREDGES  -  UNION  DRILLS   -  NEI 


jiino 


Auinist    12,   1916 


MINING  and  Scicnt.hc  PRESS 


225 


T.    A.    RICKARD.     Editor 


T^Wd  fellowships,  Hi"  $.">(M1  each,  in  metallurgical  re- 
*■  Beareh  have  been  established  in  the  University  of 
Idaho  by  the  mining  men  of  thai  State.  This  is  an  ex- 
ample to  <>iir  friends  in  other  mining  regions. 


SAGE-BRUSH  is  one  of  those  plentiful  products  of 
nature  for  which  it  would  be  desirable  to  find  in- 
dustrial me;  our  readers  will  therefore  be  interested  to 
know  that  a  notation-oil  is  being  distilled  from  sage- 
brush, and  thai  experiments  made  at  the  School  of  Mines 
al  Reno,  Nevada,  indicate  that  it  is  twice  as  effective  per 
volume  as  an  equal  quantity  of  pine-oil. 

"T\rMN(i  July  several  lives  were  lost  in  California 
*-*  by  explosions  attributed  to  oxy-acetylene  apparatus. 
Enough  evidence  has  been  gathered  by  the  Industrial 
Accident  Commission  to  warn  users  that  tanks  contain- 
ing oxygen  made  by  the  electrolytic  method  are  likely  to 
contain  hydrogen,  forming  a  dangerous  mixture.  In- 
vestigations are  being  continued. 

TToYV  metal  is  consumed  at  the  battle-front  is  sug- 
■*-■*•  gested  by  figures  given  by  Hilaire  Belloc.  Accord- 
ing to  him  it  is  stated  at  Berlin  that  in  taking  Hill  304, 
commanding  the  approach  to  Verdun,  37  trainloads  of 
4o  cars  each  of  shells  were  used.  He  also  states  that  the 
actual  cost  of  the  eight  or  ten  million  shells  used  at 
Verdun  alone  during  the  past  five  months  of  continuous 
fighting  has  been  $300,000,000. 

'"piIAT  the  mines  exploiting  disseminated  copper  have 
■*•  increased  their  production  greatly  is  indicated  by  a 
comparison  between  the  June  output  this  year  with  that 
of  June  1913. 

June  1916  June  1913 

Lb.  Lb. 

Utah   Copper    17,877,432  11,637,949 

Nevada  Con 8,651,772  6,344,863 

Ray    6,598,594  4,392,612 

Chino    7,243,618  3,876,533 

These  four  comprise  the  so-called  Jackling  group.  The 
other  mines  of  the  'porphyry'  type  are  increasing  their 
production  at  a  similar  rate. 

ST.  JOHN  DEL  REY,  the  deepest  metal  mine  in  the 
world  continues  to  do  well.  The  bottom  remains  at 
5826  feet  vertically  below  the  surface.  The  company  has 
just  issued  its  85th  annual  report,  from  which  it  can  be 
seen  that  the  enterprise  is  of  respectable  age.  During 
the  year  ended  on  February  29,  1916,  the  mine  produced 
192,500  tons  of  ore  yielding  $2,280,644  worth  of  gold,  or 


$11.84  per  ton,  earning  a  profit  of  $771,518.  Owing  to 
the  step-like  succession  of  shafts  and  levels,  the  poor 
ventilation  is  an  obstacle  to  deeper  exploration.  The 
temperature  at  the  bottom  is  104°  F.  Mr.  (icorgc  (.'halm- 
era,  the  veteran  manager,  intends  to  use  a  cooling  and 
drying  equipment  for  improving  the  air,  expecting  there- 
by to  render  conditions  more  comfortable  for  the  miners 
underground. 

/"^ALUMET  &  HECLA  is  receiving  honorable  mention 
^~*  in  the  press  in  consequence  of  its  semi-centenary. 
The  changes  in  the  yield  and  cost  per  ton  of  ore  afford  a 
good  text  for  comment.  At  one  time  the  yield  of  copper 
was  100  pounds  per  ton  of  ore ;  this  declined  to  20 
pounds.  Meanwhile  the  cost  has  been  reduced  from  $10 
to  $2  per  ton  of  ore,  otherwise  the  mine  would  have  been 
closed-down  long  ago.  The  Calumet  &  Hecla  has  done 
well,  but  it  would  have  done  much  better  if  it  had  not 
stuck  so  long  to  a  policy  of  secrecy  in  regard  to  its  tech- 
nical operations.  Secrecy  usually  goes  with  unprogress- 
iveness.  The  man  or  company  that  declines  to  give  infor- 
mation is  the  one  not  to  receive  it.  Our  own  observation 
proves  to  us  that  the  management  that  refuses  access  to 
its  mine,  mill,  or  smelter  is  usually  behind-hand  in  its 
technical  work.  The  three  notoriously  secretive  mining 
companies,  the  Rio  Tinto,  Homestake,  and  Calumet  & 
Hecla  have  gained  nothing  from  such  a  policy. 

TI/TAGNESITE  has  depreciated  suddenly.  The  prin- 
-L'J-  cipal  producer  of  this  mineral  product  in  Tulare 
county,  a  company  that  has  been  contributing  80%  of 
the  Californian  output,  has  been  unable  to  renew  its 
contracts  with  the  American  Refractories  Company,  the 
General  Refractories  Company,  and  other  big  consumers. 
The  contracts  were  to  have  been  renewed  in  July.  An- 
other company,  also  operating  near  Porterville,  finds 
itself  unable  to  find  a  market.  The  reason  is  that  the 
product  has  been  allowed  to  deteriorate,  by  increase  of 
silica,  to  such  a  point  that  it  became  unsaleable.  In  one 
case  an  effort  has  been  made  to  raise  the  average  by  buy- 
ing higher-grade  deposits  and  mixing  their  produce  with 
the  main  supply,  but  even  this  improvement  has  proved 
unavailing  in  face  of  the  unexpected  importation  of 
20,000  tons  of  Greek  magnesite,  knocking  the  bottom 
out  of  the  domestic  market.  Of  course,  prices  have  been 
abnormal  recently.  Crude  magnesite  used  to  be  de- 
livered at  "West  Berkeley  for  $2.50  per  ton,  allowing 
$1.50  for  mining  and  $1  for  freight.  Calcined  magnesite 
used  to  sell  for  $15  in  the  East.  Recently  consumers  at 
Pittsburg  and  Joliet  had  to  pay  something  like  $40  for 
calcine,  the  price  for  crude  here  being  $10.    That  is  why 


226 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12.  1916 


the  European  supply  has  been  drawn  upon,  as  was  done 
when  quicksilver  was  kited  to  an  impossible  price. 

Then  and  Now 

In  this  issue  we  discuss  the  difference  in  economic  con- 
diii  his  governing  mining  on  the  Mother  Lode  in  Cali- 
fornia as  compared  with  thirty  years  ago.  A  similar 
en  nparison  might  be  made  for  any  other  Western  min- 
ing district,  and.  with  minor  differences,  it  would  be 
equally  suggestive.  It  happens  that  1869  just  includes 
the  use  of  nitre-glycerine,  which  was  first  introduced,  at 
the  Hoosac  tunnel,  in  1S67.  The  discovery  of  an  ab- 
sorbent for  nitre-glycerine  and  the  preparation  of  a 
neutral  product,  both  of  which  we  owe  to  Nobel,  marked 
a  distinct  epoch  in  mining.  Previously,  owing  to  its  ex- 
cess of  oxygen,  which  renders  this  explosive  so  effective 
without  the  aid  of  extraneous  oxygen,  it  had  been  most 
unsafe  to  handle  and  had  been  the  cause  of  a  number  of 
accidents  almost  ludicrous  in  their  unexpectedness.  Soon 
afterward  came  the  power-drill,  the  Burleigh  machine 
being  used  at  the  Hoosac  tunnel  in  1866  and  at  the 
Georgetown  mines.  Colorado,  in  1870.  It  was  gradu- 
ally modified,  increasing  in  strength  and  lightness  until 
now  it  is  handled  by  one  man  and  employed  advan- 
tageously even  in  a  narrow  stope.  Where  formerly  a 
miner  would  do  6  to  8  feet  of  drill-holes  in  a  shift  and 
break  11  tons  of  ore,  now  with  a  machine-drill  one  man 
drills  35  feet  of  holes  and  breaks  7  tons  per  shift.  Even 
in  later  years  the  improvement  is  remarkable.  In  the 
North  Star  mine,  at  Grass  Valley,  it  required  80  men  in 
the  stopes  to  supply  40  stamps;  now  20  men  will  make 
the  same  output  of  ore.  Another  example,  among  many. 
of  the  help  given  by  machinery  is  the  tool-sharpener. 
This  simple  device  will  cost  $1200  and  last  four  years,  so 
that  allowing  5%  on  the  original  cost,  it  will  cost  $1440 
in  four  years.  It  does  the  work  of  six  men,  three  pairs 
each  consisting  of  a  sharpener  and  his  helper,  at  a  cost 
of  $5.75  per  pair,  or  $17.25  per  day  or  $5175  per  annum 
or  $20,700  in  four  years.  The  power  required  for  a 
sharpener  is  only  50,000  cubic  feet  of  air  at  2\  cents  per 
1000,  or  about  $1  per  shift.  Using  this  machine  a  pair 
of  men  will  sharpen  and  temper  300  to  350  drills  per 
shift ;  by  hand  a  pair  of  men  will  sharpen  80  to  175  drills 
per  shift.  Again,  to  make  a  wider  comparison:  The 
labor  of  40  men  will  cost  $36,000  per  annum.  Machin- 
ery that  would  do  the  work  of  40  men  may  cost  $40,000; 
it  will  last  10  years  and  represent  a  cost,  with  interest,  of 
$60,000.  But  in  10  years  the  40  men  will  have  received 
$360,000  in  wages.  This  example  would  show  a  saving 
of  $300,000,  less  the  cost  of  power,  for  the  machinery. 
Apart  from  the  actual  saving,  the  use  of  machinery 
facilitates  large-scale  operations  .that  not  only  lower  the 
cost  per  ton  but  diminish  the  effect  of  vagaries  in  the 
richness  and  distribution  of  the  ore.  Extensive  devel- 
opment carries  a  large  mine  through  bad  times,  which 
compel  a  small  mine  either  to  shut-down  or  change 
ownership  at  intervals. 

Speed  of  exploratory  work  is  an  important  factor,  de- 


creasing the  ratio  of  overhead  expense  and  enabling  new 
reserves  to  be  opened  up  at  a  rate  commensurate  with 
the  increased  capacity  of  the  mill.  Where  two  or  three 
feel  was  made  in  a  cross-cut  by  hand,  it  is  now  practicable 
to  advance  7  t'*t  per  shift  by  use  of  a  power-drill.  The 
speed  of  driving  on  a  vein  is  fully  twice  what  it  was. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  not  wise  to  have  too  much  ground  open 
at  any  given  time,  owing  to  the  cost  of  re-timhering. 
Along  the  Mother  Lode,  most  drifts  in  the  ore  have  to  be 
re-timbered  at  least  every  six  months.  It  is  the  Inst 
opinion  that  reserves  enough  to  supply  the  mill  for  two 
years  is  a  proper  compromise  between  the  cost  of  keeping 
the  necessary  workings  open  and  the  assurance  of  an  ade- 
quate supply  of  ore. 

Another  point  worthy  of  emphasis  is  the  accurate 
sampling  of  ore  in  the  mine,  of  pulp  in  the  mill,  and  of 
tailing  before  it  runs  into  the  creek.  When  a  superin- 
tendent is  without  accurate  information  on  these  matters 
he  is  not  only  pretty  sure  to  be  losing  much  of  the  metal 
be  is  trying  laboriously  to  win,  but  he  cannot  cheek  his 
operations  at  various  stages  so  as  to  improve  them  ;  in 
short,  he  is  unscientific.  In  the  old  days  a  grab-sample 
would  he  taken  and  the  assay  of  it  would  become  a  tradi- 
tion. For  instance,  old  Thomas  Price,  'Professor'  as  he 
was  called,  a  well-known  assayer  twenty  or  thirty  years 
ago.  took  a  sample  at  a  mine,  still  richly  productive,  and 
reported  that  the  tailing  assayed  $1  per  ton,  when  the 
ore  was  yielding  $15  in  the  stamp-mill.  That  would  he 
good  work,  indicating  an  extraction  of  93%.  For  many 
years  the  Professor's  dictum  was  accepted  as  correct. 
Finally,  accurate  sampling  was  introduced  and  proved 
that  the  tailing  averaged  $2.25,  after  the  grade  of  the  ore 
had  fallen.  In  those  days  the  recognized  method  of 
sampling  was  to  place  a  tin-can  at  the  outflow  and  allow 
it  to  fill,  while  the  water  and  slime  ran  away.  This,  of 
course,  was  a  rough  process  of  decantation,  all  the  rich 
slime  being  carried  away  and  the  can  filled  with  the 
heavy  sand,  usually  the  poorer  part  of  the  pulp.  An- 
other source  of  error  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  mill- 
man,  much  occupied  with  his  multifarious  duties,  would 
take  a  sample  in  a  leisure  moment,  when  the  concen- 
trators and  other  machines  were  all  running  sweetly,  this 
being  the  very  time  when  the  loss  in  the  tailing  was  at  its 
minimum.  In  these  matters  we  have  learned  a  good  deal, 
as  also  in  cost-keeping  and  the  general  recognition  that 
small  items  of  expense  become  important  cumulatively. 
As  to  the  work  underground,  the  best  proof  of  our  gain 
in  economy  and  skill  is  afforded  by  the  ability  to  treat 
profitably  the  filling  from  the  old  stopes.  It  used  to  be 
the  custom  to  'resue'  or  strip  the  vein,  breaking  the  ore 
separately  from  its  casing  or  wall-rock.  This  Cornish 
method  has  much  to  recommend  it  in  narrow  rich  veins, 
but  it  was  over-done.  The  'old-timers'  failed  to  get  the 
stringers  or  'feeders'  in  the  wall-rock  and  they  were  un- 
able to  prevent  the  fine  from  mixing  with  the  fill,  so 
that  in  the  end  'resuing'  was.  we  venture  to  say.  a  waste- 
ful method  of  mining.  Nowadays,  we  stope  the  width 
required  for  a  power-drill,  breaking  to  the  full  size  of  the 
vein  and  its  branches,  and  then  sort  out  the  waste  both 


August  V2.  l'.Mh 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


underground  and  at  the  surface,  finding  tins  economical, 
among  the  reasons  why  it  ii  proving  worth 
while  to  re-open  aome  old  mines,  particularly  in  a  dis- 
triol  where  intenae  mineralisation  makea  it  probable  that 
nan  orebodiea  are  likely  to  be  bond  by  diligent  search 
ami  intelligent  exploration.  The  Mother  Lode  is  worthy 
ofaneh  ventures,  it  must  be  acknowledged.  The  Kennedy 
mine  ia  now  3896  feel  deep  vertically  and  baa  been  at 
work  uninterruptedly  for  8]  yean,  Most  of  the  other 
important  mines  have  been  re-opened  more  than  once, 
The  Plymouth,  now  bo  successfully  operated  by  an 
Engliah  company,  lay  idle  from   1888  to   1913.     The 

Qwin,  which  Messrs.  F.  F.  Thomas  | ami  we  pause  a 

ment  tn  record  Borrowfully  that  this  honorable  engineer 
iiml  good  citizen  has  just  died]  and  David  McClure 
re-opened  in  1894  and  closed-down  in  L908,  is  again  t  •  > 
suscitated,  we  understand,  During  the  hist  cam- 
paign of  1  t  years  this  mine  yielded  $:(, 500,000  gross  and 
(1,000,000  profit,  half  of  which  was  put  into  plant  and 
purchase  of  adjoining  ground.  The  richest  mine  on  the 
Lode,  the  Argonaut,  is  4350  feet  deep  on  the  dip,  equal 

in  -: feet    vertical;  a  new  hoisting  engine  has  been 

placed  recently  on  the  3900-ft.  level  and  the  shaft  is  to 
he  sunk  4(ioii  feet  more,  so  say  the  owners,  who  have 
every  reason  to  feel  cheerful,  the  ore  at  the  bottom  aver- 
aging $13  per  ton.  In  1915  Amador  county  passed  Ne- 
vada county  into  first  place  as  a  producer  of  gold.  The 
largest  tonnage  (17,000)  came  out  of  the  Kennedy,  this 
mine  being  only  approached  in  bulk  of  output  by  the 
Plymouth,  which  produced  129,500  tons.  The  average 
yield  in  the  county  was  $4.76  tons,  of  which  $3.11  was 
won  by  amalgamation  and  $1.65  by  concentration,  the 
concentrate  averaging  $79.91  per  ton.  The  mines  of  the 
Jackson-Sutter  Creek  district  showed  an  average  yield 
of  $5.51  per  ton,  indicating  ore  of  considerably  higher 
grade  than  in  the  mines  northward,  which  reduced  the 
average  to  $4.76,  as  we  have  seen.  And  all  this  good 
work  is  being  done  unobtrusively — almost  too  quietly  for 
the  fame  of  the  mining  district — without  the  aid  of  anjr 
of  those  questionable  practices  that  cling  to  share-deal- 
ings on  a  stock-exchange.  The  men  controlling  these 
mines  are  veterans,  familiar  with  local  conditions  and 
not  without  acquaintance  with  districts  farther  afield; 
they  deserve  the  success  they  have  won,  and  we  hope  it 
may  continue. 

On  another  page  we  give  our  readers  an  address  de- 
livered recently  before  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines  by 
Mr.  J.  R.  Finlay.  What  he  says  or  writes  is  interesting, 
for  he  is  an  engineer  that  can  think  on  his  own  account 
and  express  his  ideas  in  convincing  phrase.  In  this 
utterance,  and  in  others  made  by  him  since  the  War  be- 
gan, he  shows  himself  much  impressed  by  the  material 
aspect  of  civilization,  by  the  coal  and  iron,  by  the  ma- 
chinery and  industrial  energies  of  a  nation.  The  esti- 
mation of  progress  in  terms  of  tonnage  and  of  human 
ability  in  units  of  horse-power  appeals,  we  presume,  to 


the  engineering  Instinct.  Prom  that  it  is  a  logical  step 
u<  the  admiration  for  tonnage  and  hone  power  as  pro 

duoed  or  applied  by  largt mbinationa  of  men  and  ma 

ohinery,  and  to  the  placing  of  a  bouquet  at  the  feel  of 

the  big  corporations.    A  g I  case  can  be  made  for  this 

view  of  mundane  attain  and  we  acknowledge  that  Mr. 
Finlay  presents  his  opinions  in  an  interesting  manner. 
Hut  he  dues  imt  persuade  lis  in  i In-  least.  Making  every 
allowai I'm-  tin-  stimulation  nf  the  arts  nf  life  by  the 

glial   industrial  develop nts  of  the  last  half-Century  or 

more,  we  deny  the  argument  that  humanity  has  pro- 
gressed over  slag-dumps  or  culm-piles,     England,  tier 

many,  and  the   United  Stales  may  exhibit   a  coincidence 

of  industrial  wealth  and  advance  in  civilization,  but  it 
would  be  arrogant  indeed  to  deny  that  peoples  lacking 
the  stimulus  of  material  growth  have  played  a  notable 
part  in  the  world's  intellectual  progress.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  refer  to  one  raw — the  Hebrew— that  for 
centuries  was  denied  industrial  participation,  that  was 
harried  and  harrassed.  and  yet  out  of  poverty  and  degra- 
dation produced  countless  master-spirits  of  Art.  Prance 
is  an  industrial  country,  she  has  valuable  resources  in 
coal  and  iron,  but  who  would  dare  to  measure  her  con- 
tribution to  the  spiritual  advancement  of  humanity  by 
her  output  of  coke  or  steel  ?  The  history  of  European 
civilization  thunders  a  denial.  The  chronicle  of  our  own 
day,  of  these  calamitous  years,  proves  that  the  crass  ma- 
terialism fed  on  coal  and  iron  has  stultified  Christianity 
and  sent  civilization  to  the  shambles.  Prom  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  not  Chicago,  Illinois,  from  Oxford,  not 
Manchester,  have  we  drawn  our  inspirations.  The  great 
universities  may  no  longer  be  found  in  Egypt  or  Greece, 
but  the  argument  of  a  vanished  learning  is  like  that  of 
the  man  who  remarked  on  the  providential  fact  that  the 
big  rivers  were  near  the  big  towns.  Universities  are 
placed  near  the  centres  of  population.  We  like  the  man 
who  prefers  to  use  a  steam-shovel  rather  than  a  mob  of 
shovelers,  for  he  shows 'intelligence,  but  we  demur  to  the 
suggestion  that  such  a  man  "is  likely  to  have  valuable 
ideas  about  Art,  Literature,  Science,  etc."  That  type  of 
man,  unfortunately,  is  only  too  likely  to  read  the  tape 
in  preference  to  Shakespeare  and  to  prefer  watching  the 
ticker  to  looking  at  a  Corot.  It  is  a  sad  fact  that  devo- 
tion to  machinery  is  not  usually  compatible  with  love 
for  the  things  that  have  no  price.  Darwin's  love  for 
music  was  atrophied  by  the  grinding  of  generalizations. 
The  delight  in  the  machine  and  the  absorption  in  the 
work  of  producing  the  raw  materials  of  civilization  are 
not  necessarily  favorable  to  "Art,  Literature,  Science, 
and  Government;"  on  the  contrary,  we  see  plenty  of 
signs  that  they  deaden  the  finer  perceptions  and  the 
greater  preoccupations.  The  doctrine  that  concentration 
of  commerce  and  congestion  of  trade  are  identical  with 
human  welfare  and  national  progress  is  worth  attacking 
at.  this  time  when  our  country  is  in  the  midst  of  an  orgy 
of  industrial  success  while  the  great  nations  across  the 
Atlantic  are  spending  themselves  unreservedly  in  a  fight 
for  great  principles.  We  need  to  be  reminded  that  not 
the  ton  of  coal  or  iron,  nor  even  the  dollar,  is  the  only 


228 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


unit  thai  enters  into  the  account  between  man  and  his 
destiny.  Huxley,  speaking  al  the  opening  of  Johns  Hop- 
kins University,  in  IsTti.  said:  "I  cannot  Bay  that  I  am 
in  tin'  Blightesl  degree  impressed  by  your  bigness,  or 
your  material  resources,  as  such,    Si^e  is  nut  grandeur, 

ami  territory  dors  not  make  a  milion.  The  great  issue. 
about  which  hangs  a  true  sublimity,  and  the  terror  of 
ove  hanging  late,  is:  Whal  are  you  going  to  do  with  all 

these  tilings?  What  is  to  he  the  end  to  whieh  these  are 
to  1m-  the  means.'"  That  great  philosopher  would  not 
have  been  impressed  by  the  number  of  employees  in  the 
service  of  the  corporations  that  served  Mr.  Finlay  - 
venience  between  New  York  and  Denver.  He  would  re- 
gret having  to  trouble  so  many !  Nor  would  the  multi- 
farious activities  of  the  Guggenheim  brothers  evoke  his 
admiring  astonishment,  although  he  would  respect  the 
technical  skill  exhibited  in  their  mining  and  metallurg- 
ical operations.  The  great  expositor  of  the  evolution 
theory  would  question  the  necessity  tor  agglomerating 
undertakings  in  Chile  with  others  in  Alaska,  and  he 
would  ask  whether  the  consolidation  of  industrial  enter- 
prises had  not  progressed  beyond  the  evolution  of  a 
super-man  capable  of  controlling  them  efficiently.  As- 
suredly lie  would  have  ridiculed  tin-  statistical  theory 

that    the    output    of    coal    and    iron    measured    national 

greatness.    No;  the  great  imponderables  outweigh  them. 

and  not  even  the  heft  of  the  sword  shall  change  the  judg- 
ment of  the  eternal  scales.  As  engineers,  we  rejoice  in 
technical  achievement ;  we  take  our  part  in  the  exploita- 
tion of  national   resources,  we  recognize  how  much  of 

materia]  Comfort  anil  convenience  has  coiiie  to  man  from 
the  digging  of  metal  and  the  fashioning  of  machines:  lull 
we  know  how  to  observe,  we  have  read  history,  we  have 
imagination;  let  us  then  not  he  fooled  into  thinking  that 
the  making  of  munitions  is  as  fine  :is  the  personal  service 
in  the  trenches,  that  the  lending  of  money  compares  with 
enlistment  in  a  great  cause,  that  the  trade  in  copper  is 
as  splendid  as  the  right  hand  of  self-sacrifice. 

The  Burma  Mines 

In  a  recent  issue  we  referred  to  the  Burma  Cor- 
poration, which  owns  the  Bawdwin  mines,  in  the  North- 
ern Shan  States.  Since  then  we  have  received  the 
company's  annual  report,  in  which  is  recorded  the  latest 
estimate  of  ore  reserves.  It  shows  2,300,000  tons  con- 
taining 25.4  ounces  of  silver  per  ton,  27.5%  lead,  and 
22.27,  zillr'  besides  733.000  tons  of  "anticipated  addi- 
tions" to  which  no  definite  assay-value  can  be  assigned, 
making  3,033,000  altogether.  A  deduction  of  5%  in 
volume  is  made  for  vugs.  Metallurgical  tests  indicate 
that  two  products  can  be  made:  (1)  a  lead  concentrate 
comprising  39%  of  the  weight  of  the  ore  and  assaying 
45  nz.  silver,  55%  lead,  and  14' ,  zinc,  the  recovery  being 
70%  of  the  silver,  79%  of  the  lead,  and  24%  of  the  zinc  ; 
(2)  a  zinc  concentrate  comprising  35%  of  the  weight  of 
the  ore  and  assaying  15  oz.  silver.  10%  lead,  and  45% 
zinc  with  recoveries  of  21,  13,  and  68%  respectively. 
The   combined    metal    recoveries  would    be   111','    of  the 


silver,  92$  of  the  Lead,  and  92$  of  the  zinc,  hut  in 
concentrates,  of  course,  not  as  refi 1  metals.  Such  con- 
centrates were  "easily  saleable"  says  the  report,  "before 
the  War.  and  on  pre-war  contracts  would  yield  good 
profits."  At  oresenl  selected  silver-lead  ore  is  being 
concentrated  on  the  spot,  the  product  being  treated  in 

the  company's  smelter  al  Xanitu.  13  miles  from  the 
mines,  pending  further  arrangements.  The  capacity  of 
the  refinery  has  been  increased  to  1100  tons  per  month. 
Meanwhile  further  tests  and  arrangements  are  pending 
for  the  disposal  of  the  major  produce  of  the  mine,  the 
zinc-lead  ore.  In  the  article  in  whieh  we  mentioned  the 
Burma  Corporation  as  a  source  of  zinc,  we  referred  to 
the  purchase  of  the  Swansea  Vale  smelter,  in  South 
Wales,  by  a  syndicate  headed  by  the  group  controlling 
the  Zinc  Corporation.  We  learn  now,  through  The  Min- 
ing MagaeMu  .  that  the  purchaser  is  Mr.  R.  Tilden  Smith, 
one  of  the  principal  shareholders  in  the  Burma  enter- 
prise. Nor  will  the  Zinc  Corporation  spend  a  large  sum 
of  money  on  another  smelter,  as  was  announced  in  Lon- 
don recently.  The  zinc-smelter  business  is  as  hopelessly 
muddled  now  as  it  was  nearly  two  years  ago,  the  British 
authorities  having  failed  to  appreciate  the  importance 
of  the  matter,  despite  the  urgent  representations  of  the 
producers  and  consumers  of  spelter  in  the  Empire. 

Since  the  above  was  written  we  have  read  the  account 
of  the  recent  annual  meeting  of  the  Burma  Corporation, 
as  reported  in  the  London  financial  press.  On  that  occa- 
sion Mr.  Theodore  J.  Hoover,  who  is  chairman  of  the 
Technical  Committee,  brought  his  estimate  of  ore  up  to 

date  and   stated   that   3,500,000   tons  had   1 n    proved 

the  Tiger  Tunnel,  which  is  the  main  drainage  adit, 
lb-  described  " an  inner  core  of  most  phenomenal  rich- 
ness," this  core  being  850  feet  long  by  45  feet  wide  and 
containing  600,000  tons  of  ore  assaying  40%  lead,  23% 
zinc,  ami  37  ounces  silver  per  ton,  so  that  it  consists  of 
63%  solid  metal.  His  forecast  of  profit  is  $15  per  ton,  to 
be  won  at  the  rate  of  $5,000,000  per  annum.  Any  money 
needed  for  capital  expenditure  can  be  obtained  from  the 
rich  core  by  extracting  40,000  tons  annually  for  a  year 
or  two.  The  enterprise  started  by  smelting  an  old  accum- 
ulation of  slag  made  by  the  Chinese ;  now  the  smelter  at 
Namtu  is  treating  the  old  slag  and  the  ore  from  the  mine 
in  equal  proportions,  and  the  tendency  will  be  to  in- 
crease steadily  the  proportion  of  mine  product  and  to 
decrease  that  from  the  old  smelter-dumps.  Investiga- 
tions are  being  made  preparatory  to  building  a  zinc 
smelter  in  England,  with  a  subsidiary  plant  in  India, 
where  coal  and  labor  are  cheap.  The  German  contracts, 
under  whieh  some  of  the  zinc  ore  was  sold  before  the 
"War.  have  been  cancelled  by  order  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment, so  that  the  company  is  free  to  make  new  arrange- 
ments, In  many  respects  the  technical  operations  of  the 
Burma  Corporation  are  of  unusual  interest  and  we  hope 
to  keep  mir  readers  advised  concerning  them.  Mr.  H.  C. 
Hoover,  the  chairman  of  the  company,  has  resigned. 
temporarily,  owing  to  his  absorption  in  the  work  of  the 
Belgian  Relief  Commission;  but  be  continues  to  be  a 
member  of  the  hoard. 


Angus!   IS,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


229 


1)1 


Li  £j  £i  K  D 


<iir  mini  'i  u«  (Ail  depaitnu  nl/or  ihf  dUruaion  Our  mattsrt 

«";/  to  iiiMHiii;  ami  mHaUarg  onlrary  to  hit  oum,  Miev- 

inij  Out  nirr/ul  eriUewm  u  man  MJuaob  lAan  eairuai  oamuUmnU. 


Prospecting 


B'v-.'->A>.r.7.-. 
./.  >:i.v.i  .>.«•>  *.- 


, crushed  s'a+e 


Tli.'  Editor: 

Sir      In  your  issue   tor  .Inly  22  appears  a  letter  from 

Harold  French  beaded  'Prospecting:  A  Suggestion. ' 
Mr.  French  offers  a  good  example  of  a  plausible  theory 
thai  would  not  work  iii  practice. 

In  the  first  place  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  ex- 
perienced prospectors  to  work  under  the  conditions  pro- 
posed.   Such  men  rightly  have  a  high  opinion  of  their 

abilities  and  would  in- 
sist on  receiving  at 
least  a  half-interest  in 
all  valuable  discov- 
eries. 

There  is  no  region 
in  the  United  States 
where  a  mine  may  be 
found  by  superficial 
prospecting.  In  other 
words,  it  is  extremely 
unlikely  that  there  are 
still  any  undiscovered 
visible  outcrops  of 
profitable  ore  on  the 
public  domain.  The 
Siskiyou  country  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  French 
as  the  goal  of  his  hy- 
pothetical prospecting 
expedition  is  one  of 
the  least  prospected 
regions  because  it  is 
one  of  the  most  inac- 
cessible. I  spent  three 
seasons  prospecting  in 
that  region  and  am 
more  or  less  familiar 
with  it.  Every  sum- 
mer there  are  many  prospectors  scattered  over  the  Sis- 
kiyou hills  singly  and  in  parlies  of  two  or  more.  Most  of 
them  are  experienced  men  and  their  work  is  quite  thor- 
ough. They  have  long  since  ceased  to  look  for  outcrop- 
ping orebodies  and  now*  use  the  methods  of  the  pocket- 
hunter.  By  the  way,  the  finding  or  orebodies  by  pocket- 
methods  is  a  science  in  itself  and  one  not  taught  in  the 
schools. 

Any  experienced  prospector  will  see  that  the  blocking 
out  of  150,000  tons  of  ore  during  the  month  of  August  or 
any  other  month   on   a   raw  prospect  is  an   absurdity. 


----_-  ^sV\^>^-- 


Slate 


Porphyry 


CaJcite 
io  feet 


IRREGULAR  POCKETS   IX   MAD    MULE 
MIXE,    SISKIYOU   COUNTY. 


Alter  the  discovery  of  a   promising  outcrop  a  large 

amount  of  time  and  often  much  money  must  be  spent  in 
order  to  find  the  proper  place  to  begin  blocking  out 
operations.  Also,  more  often  than  not,  the  promising 
outcrop  floes  not  fulfill  its  promises  and  we  are  forced  to 
begin  the  search  over  again.  $5000  would  make  a  mine 
of  some  prospects.  It  took  over  $1,000,000  to  bring  the 
Calumet  &  Ilccla  to  the  dividend  stage.  No  two  are 
alike. 

In  my  opinion  an  'exploration  syndicate'  could  be 
made  a  success,  but  it  would  be  necessary  to  operate  on 
a  much  bigger  scale  than  that  proposed  by  Mr.  French. 
A  capital  of  $1,000,000  or  more  would  be  necessary  and 
it  should  be  understood  that  the  majority  of  the  pros- 
pects thought  promising  enough  to  justify  the  expendi- 
ture of  money  for  development  work  will  prove  to  be 
worthless.  However,  one  real  mine  will  offset  a  number 
of  failures. 

John  B.  Platts. 

Oatman,  July  24. 

[We  have  added  the  sketches  (after  the  U.  S.  G.  S.) 
of  the  pockets  of  ore  found  in  the  Mad  Mule  mine, 
which  is  in  Siskiyou  county,  as  illustrating  Mr.  Platts' 
remarks. — Editor.] 


Flotation  on' Silver  Ore 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Last  fall  we  started  up  a  100-ton  flotation  plant 
on  the  Monitor-Belmont  mines  here,  at  Belmont,  in  Nye 
count.y,  Nevada.  I  believe  this  was  the  first  oil-flotation 
plant  in  Nevada  for  the  treatment  of  silver  ores.  The 
ore  is  crushed  through  70-mesh  screens  and  pumped  to  a 
Dorr  thickener.  From  there  it  flows  to  the  flotation- 
machine.  At  present  we  are  using  12  cells  of  the  Min- 
erals Separation  type  with  sub-aeration,  followed  by  a 
pneumatic  machine  somewhat  on  the  Callow  order.  Our 
extraction  and  ratio  of  concentration  are  now  quite  satis- 
factory, but  we  have  had  one  experience  that,  I  believe, 
you  will  like  to  hear,  particularly  since  we  learn  that 
others  are  having  the  same  difficulty,  and  that  is  in  the 
taking  care  of  the  concentrate  after  it  is  made. 

"We  installed  a  continuous  filter  to  drain  our  concen- 
trate. The  original  installation  provided  for  taking  the 
froth  over  the  lip  of  the  mechanical  machine  without  the 
introduction  of  air  from  a  blower  and  then  the  filter 
handled  the  froth  nicely,  and  later  when  all  the  froth 
came  from  the  pneumatic  machine  the  filter  had  no  diffi- 
culty, but  after  we  added  the  sub-aeration  feature  we 


230 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


found  it  an  impossibility  to  utilize  the  Biter.  It  had  an 
ample  capacity  too — all  we  asked  of  it — but  the  makers 
only  claimed  that  it  was  intended  to  take  a  product  that 
was  at  least  50%  solid  and  preferably  60%,  while  ours 
with  sub-aeration  was  about  107c  solid.  We  put  in  two 
cones,  hoping  to  thicken  it  sufficiently  before  putting  it 
into  the  filter,  hut  a  considerable  portion  of  the  concen- 
trate would  stick  to  the  sides  of  the  cones  and  later  would 
come  down  with  a  rush,  plugging  tbein  up.  Then  it 
would  take  considerable  time  to  start  them  flowing  again, 
and  the  cones  were  generally  running  over  the  sides  and 
also  taking  back  a  very  rich  product  to  the  Dorr  thick- 
ener and  on  through  the  system  again,  and  we  were  losing 
;i  considerable  quantity  of  concentrates  on  the  floor,  so 
we  conceived  tin-  following  idea,  in  desperation: 

We  built  six  tanks,  each  4  by  4  by  16  ft.  long,  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  mill.  These  were  built  of  the  lumber 
we  bad  on  hand.  2-in.  planks,  which  we  tongued  and 
grooved  and  kept  full  of  water  for  a  few  days.  We  built 
these  in  two  series  of  three  tanks  each  and  We  took  the 
froth  direct  to  Tank  No.  1  and  allowed  the  water  and 
froth  to  run  over  the  top  into  tank  No.  -  and  from  that  to 
tank  No.  3.  We  put  the  small  l.'-in.  pump,  which  had 
been  doing  service  on  the  filter,  to  pumping  the  overflow 
from  tank  No.  3  hack  into  the  Dorr  thickener.  We  ran  on 
these  tanks  until  No.  1  was  solid  and  No.  2  nearly  so.  No. 

3  being  only  partly  full.  Then  we  changed  the  delivery  to 
tank  No.  1  of  the  second  scries  and  repeated,  and  emptied 
the  first  scries.  We  made  small  doors  in  the  bottom  of 
the  end  through  which  we  shoveled  the  concentrate  and 
from  there  to  the  drying-plate.  This  concentrate  con- 
tains 25  to  30$    moisture  and  if  we  had  the  elevation 

We  would  have  taken  this  product  to  the  filter  before  put  - 
ting  it  on  the  drying-plate,  as  it  was  then  in  the  proper 
condition.     We  have  discontinued  the  use  of  the  filter. 

The  light  froth  builds  up  several  feet  above  the  height 
of  these  tanks,  but  we  add  boards  to  hold  it  in.  and  in 
due  time  it  settles  hack  into  the  tank.  We  are  now  hav- 
ing no  difficulty  in  taking  care  of  our  product  and  the 
loss  in  so  doing  is  negligible. 

Lloyd  G.  Nelson. 

Belmont,  Nevada.  June  30. 

[This  letter  is  interesting.  It  exemplifies  the  use  of  a 
good  machine  under  conditions  for  which  it  was  not  de- 
signed and  for  which  it  was  never  intended.  Obviously. 
the  employment  of  a  filter  on  a  pulp  containing  only  10% 
solid  is  incorrect.  We  venture  to  suggest  that  experience 
would  point  to  the  placing  of  a  thickener  hefore  the  filter. 
instead  id'  the  settling-box  system,  which  is  an  old  device 
that  has  been  discarded  ever  since  mechanical  thickeners 
became  available.  Moreover,  the  lack  of  fall  below  the 
tanks  and  the  consequent  want  of  elevation  for  a  filter 
is  a  reflection  on  the  design  of  the  mill,  not  on  the  filter. 
Indeed,  the  description  fails  entirely  to  reflect  on  the  use- 
fulness of  the  continuous  filter :  it  simply  illustrates  bow 
such  usefulness  can  he  spoiled  by  a  misconception  of  the 
proper  function  of  a  specialized  machine,  which  has 
proved  itself  invaluable  wherever  a  flotation  product 
needs  to  be  drained.     The  obvious  course  to  take,  when 


it  was  found  that  sufficient  fall  was  not  available  to 
carry  the  thickened  pulp  from  the  settling-tanks,  would 
have  been  either  to  lower  the  level  of  the  filter  or  elevate 
the  pulp  to  the  filter  rather  than  send  a  thickened  pulp 
■arrying  some  iJ0%  of  moisture  to  the  drying-floor. 
.Mechanical  filtration  is  more  economical  than  dewatering 
with  the  aid  of  fuel. — Editor.] 

A  Traveler's  Library 

The  Editor : 

Sir — Could  you,  through  an  article  in  your  widely 
read  columns,  inaugurate  a  discussion  as  to  the  most 
suitable  library  of  general  technical  reference  books  for 
iui  engineer  on  foreign  service?  The  text-books  used 
during  a  college  course  are  generally  so  many  and  of 
such  size  and  weight  that  their  transportation  in  these 
lands  of  mule  and  'pit-pan'  travel  becomes  an  engineer- 
ing problem  in  itself.  Therefore  emphasis  should  be 
laid  upon  compactness  and  number. 

.,         rt    \        i  t    i      ir*  SUBSCRIBER. 

San  Salvador,  July  16. 

|  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive  suggestions. — Editor.] 


Foreign  trade  has  developed  so  rapidly  that  atten- 
tion has  been  directed  to  the  great  ports  of  the  world. 
Before  the  War  introduced  unusual  conditions,  the  six 
greatest  ports  in  point  of  annual  total  value  of  foreign 
commerce  were  New  York,  Hamburg,  London,  Liver- 

i I    Rotterdam,  and  Antwerp,  ranging  between  $1,000,- 

000,000  and  $2,000,000,000  each  in  imports  and  exports 
|ci  annum.  Of  secondary  importance  are  Hull,  Bremen, 
Marseilles.  Havre,  Trieste,  Buenos  Aires,  Calcutta,  and 
Bombay,  each  having  a  foreign  trade  between  $300,000,- 
000  and  $700,000,000.  Ranking  next  in  importance  are 
Manchester,  Southampton,  Glasgow,  Dunkirk,  Genoa, 
New  Orleans,  Galveston,  Boston,  Montreal,  Santos,  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  Shanghai,  Yokohama,  Kobe,  Singapore, 
Alexandria,  Sydney,  Melbourne,  Bordeaux,  Philadel- 
phia, Baltimore,  San  Francisco,  and  Havana.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  whole  foreign  trade  of  Japan, 
even  with  the  added  impetus  of  War  conditions,  is 
scarcely  more  than  a  quarter  of  that  of  the  single  city 
of  New  York.  Liverpool,  or  London. 

Potjb  American  hanks,  all  in  New  York,  are  now  in- 
cluded in  the  list  of  the  20  great  banks  of  the  world, 
having  each  over  $200,000,000  in  deposits.  First  in  the 
list  is  the  Imperial  Bank  of  Russia  with  deposits  of  $760,- 
405.000:  second  is  tin-  Bank  of  England  with  almost  the 
same  amount.  Then  follow  three  other  London  banks, 
and  sixth  is  the  National  City  bank  of  New  York,  which 
in  1913  was  17th  and  the  only  American  bank  in  the 
list.  The  three  other  American  hanks  now  included  are 
Guaranty  Trust  Co.,  National  Bank  of  Commerce,  and 
the  Bankers  Trust  Co.  The  Bank  of  Montreal  is  also 
listed.  In  the  list  for  1913,  were  the  Hongkong  &  Shang- 
hai Banking  Corporation.  Bank  of  Spain,  and  Banco  de 
la  Nation  Argentina.    No  Japanese  bank  is  in  the  list. 


August   12,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


*Irhs    PiroKleim    oi    '^iihA^ii^j 


By      Jamas     R.      n  a  1  m  y 


*H'  1  were  to  try  to  do  what  I  fear  you  may  expect  mi 
tn  do,  namely,  t"  discuss  the  various  technical  improve- 
ments in  the  art  of  mining  which  have  come  Forward  in 
the  past  !'•»  years,  I  could  do  little  more  than  recite  a 
long  list  ot'  them.  Moreover,  1  should  probably  be  try- 
talk  aliiiiu  something  that  your  graduating  stu- 
dents know   better  than  1  do.     Nevertheless  1  shiill  try 

tn  be  technical.     Perhaps  1   may  su ed  in  drawing 

your  attention  tu  some  of  the  most  practical  of  subjects 
that  your  graduates  "ill  Face  at  once  and  will  continue 
tn  face  all  their  lives, 

Tins  school  is  engaged  in  the  business  of  preparing 
young  men  I'm-  tin-  industrial  career  known  as  mining. 
It  occurs  tn  mi-  that  it  may  In-  interesting,  even  valuable, 
tn  pass  in  review  Borne  of  the  major  conditions  under 
which  an  industrial  career  is  carried  on.  I  wish  tu  call 
your  attention  to  tin-  proportion  of  things  in  the  world's 
affairs:  how  important  power-driven  industry  is,  how  it 
gives  rise   to   industrial  corporations,  and  how  large  a 

part  tins rporations  play  in  our  every-day  life  and 

particularly  in  the  mining  business,  and  how  success  in 
the  business  of  mining  depends  so  largely  upon  knowing 
how  to  deal  with  them.  And  through  all  this  I  should 
like  to  convey  the  impression  that  after  all  there  is 
nothing  su  valuable  as  a  good  mind  properly  trained. 

The  ess,- f  modern  industry  is  just  this:     A  man 

equipped  with  his  muscles  and  his  brain  develops  ahout 
one-twelfth  of  a  horse-power  and  he  can  use  it  for  per- 
haps eight  hours  per  day.  You  pay  him  for  doing  this, 
say.  $3.  The  same  amount  of  mechanical  energy  can  he 
purchased  in  industrial  communities  for  less  than  one 
cent.  Therefore,  it  is  perfectly  plain  that  in  these  days 
when  you  hire  a  man  you  are  paying  not  particularly 
for  his  muscular  energy,  because  if  you  were  buying 
energy  you  could  buy  four  hundred  times  as  much  in 
another  form  for  the  price  you  pay  your  laborer.  You 
pay  your  laborer  for  using  his  brain  to  direct  not  only 
his  own  muscular  energy  but  tbe  mechanical  energy,  so 
vastly  cheap,  that  can  be  supplied  to  him  through  ma- 
chines. 

In  mining  I  see  nothing  to  separate  it  widely  from 
other  forms  of  industry.  The  mere  fact  that  the  miner 
digs  material  out  of  the  crust  of  the  earth  does  not  make 
his  methods  essentially  different  from  those  of  the  man 
who  makes  use  of  materials  already  lying  on  the  surface. 
The  problem  of  mining  industry  today  is  the  problem  of 
applying  the  greatest  amount  of  mechanical  energy  that 
can  be  used  effectively  by  a  unit  of  human  energy. 

Having  stated  the  thing  this  way,  we  come  at  once  to 
the  important  fact  that  this  problem  is  the  problem  of 
corporate  effort  and  not  of  individual  effort.    The  energy 

'Address  before  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines  at  Golden. 


from  a  power-plant   cannot   possibly  he  utilized   by  a 

single  person;  uor  can  it  he  built,  or  the  machines  in  it 
manufactured,  by  individuals.     Power-driven  industry 

even  in  its  crudest   form  implies  collective  effort.     Tn 

lake   aii   example    from    the   history   of   mining,    when    the 

gold-hunters  first  came  to  Colorado,  or  mm rtainly 

when    they    liisl    went    to   California,    they    use, I    uu    ma 

chinery.  They  used  tools,  picks,  shovels,  pans,  rockers, 
and  wheelbarrows,  hut   nut  steam-engines.     So  long  as 

they   worked   that    way  each   man   could   work  effectively 

by  himself ;  and  in  the  placer  days  of  California  nothing 
was  heard  of  corporations.    The  gold  was  produced  bj 

a  nameless  swarm  of  independent  workers.  But  when 
they  liegan  to  operate  lode  mines,  in  which  steam-engines 
must   he  employed   for  pumping,  hoisting,  and  stamping, 

that  was  an  enterprise  calling  for  a  number  of  em- 
ployees; it  took  collective  effort,  it  produced  the  cor- 
poration immediately.  The  same  kind  of  illustration 
can  he  found  in  any  other  industry  that  uses  me- 
chanical power.  Thus  in  transportation,  so  long  as  it 
was  a  question  merely  of  pack-animals  or  wagons,  the 
individual  unit  was  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  effective  as  a 
corporate  unit.  One  man  with  his  team  could  haul  as 
cheaply  as  a  company  managing  ten  men  with  ten  teams. 
Not  so  when  they  came  to  use  steam,  or  any  other  form 
of  power  for  transportation.  Your  locomotive  needs  a 
roadbed  and  rails;  it  must  have  cars.  The  thing  needed 
collective  effort  and  capital. 

It  is  well  to  remember  that  if  this  country  had  re- 
mained in  the  industrial  status  of  the  time  when  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  made  we  might  by 
now  have  had  our  population  of  a  hundred  million 
people,  but  practically  the  only  corporations  we  would 
have  known  about  would  have  been  the  Central  Govern- 
ment, the  48  States,  innumerable  counties  and  cities; 
and  also  religious  corporations,  churches,  and  colleges. 
But  under  those  conditions  it  would  have  taken  a 
month's  hard  travel  to  go  from  Denver  to  New  York; 
you  would  have  been  lucky  here  in  Colorado  to  get  an 
answer  to  a  letter  sent  to  New  York  in  two  months, 
while  as  it  is  you  can  get  one  easily  in  a  week :  indeed, 
if  you  are  in  a  big  hurry  you  can  talk  to  New  York  by 
telephone  in  15  minutes. 

One  essential  thing  in  bringing  about  this  change,  be- 
sides the  invention  of  appliances,  has  been  the  develop- 
ment of  a  new  kind  of  corporation,  the  business  or  in- 
dustrial company,  to  supplement  the  political,  religious, 
and  educational  corporations  that  had  been  known  he- 
fore.  It  cannot  be  said  truthfully  that  these  business 
corporations  are  entirely  the  result  of  the  use  of  me- 
chanical power,  for  trading,  financial,  and  other  com- 
mercial companies  have  been  known  for  many  hundred 


232 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  12.   1916 


lint  it  is  quite  true  to  say  that  their  great  im- 
portance aa  a  factor  in  daily  life  rones  from  the  use 
of  mechanical  power. 

In  this  way  it  seems  to  me  that  the  development  of 
mechanical  industry  is  greatly  widening  the  exereise  of 
human  intelligence.  There  is  exereise  for  great  ability 
in  direct  in";  the  innumerable  business  corporations, 
raanul'i  storing  concerns,  transportation  concerns,  min- 
ing concerns,  in  every  one  of  wbieh  there  is  a  distinct 
reward  for  the  man  who  can  make  a  little  better  mix- 
ture of  the  ingredients  of  efficiency;  but  it  is  not  only 
the  managers,  but  practically  all  of  the  employees  who 
have  a  widened  scope  for  the  exercise  of  their  brains. 
Anyone  who  exercises  power  beyond  those  of  his  own 
body  is  using  his  intelligence  more  than  he  otherwise 
would.  Thus,  the  man  who  drives  a  locomotive  must 
have  experience  and  knowledge  above  that  of  the  man 
who  simply  walks.  These  are  facts  that  no  intelligent 
man  can  deny.  I  believe  it  to  be  an  absolute  fact  that 
those  regions  and  those  races  which  have  developed  in- 
dustry best  have  developed  mentality  best.  They  have 
developed  industry  because  they  have  had  the  men- 
tality: and  while  this  is  true.  I  think  it  is  also  true  that 
a  prosperous  industry  attracts  good  human  material  to 
it.  A  man  does  not  think  highly  who  is  content  with 
stupid  unproductive  labor.  Of  course,  people  without 
high  intelligence  may  move  a  lot  of  coal  and  iron:  but 
which  is  the  more  intelligent  man.  be  who  insists  on 
moving  coal  and  iron  with  bis  bare  hands  or  he  who  does 
it  with  a  steam-shovel  ?  I  think  the  question  needs  no 
answer.  Moreover,  I  fully  believe  that  the  man  who 
wishes  to  use  a  steam-shovel  and  make  it  work  is  the 
more  likely  to  have  valuable  ideas  about  Art.  Literature, 
Science,  and  the  Government,  or  whatever  manifestation 
of  mentality  is  desired. 

The  mechanical  industries  that  have  sprung  up  in  the 
United  States  and  Europe  have  produced  great  pros- 
perity and  this  prosperity  has  helped  to  develop  not 
only  the  natives  of  these  regions,  but  it  has  induced 
ambitious  and  intelligent  people  to  migrate  to  those 
areas  from  other  parts  of  the  world. 

The  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating!  Where 
are  the  seats  of  learning  today?  Where  do  you  go  to 
barn  Art,  Literature.  Science.  Music — anything  you 
can  think  of?  You  do  not  any  longer  go  to  Italy  or  to 
Greece  or  to  Egypt  to  learn  these  things.  You  go  to  the 
great  industrial  countries,  the  United  States.  England. 
Germany,  ami  to  those  portions  of  France  that  are  more 
paritcularly  industrial.  It  should  be  pointed  out  that 
power-driven  machinery  is  made  of  metals,  particularly 
of  iron,  and  driven  by  coal.  It  is  natural,  therefore,  that 
industry  should  be  most  active  in  those  regions  where 
iron  can  be  successfully  manufactured.  This  is  the  case 
to  a  greater  extent  than  most  people  realize.  The  areas 
of  the  world  in  which  iron  is  successfully  manufactured 
are  relatively  small.  There  are  two  great  areas:  A  belt 
bordering  the  Great  Lakes  from  the  upper  Mississippi  to 
the  Atlantic  coast  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York, 
and  another  belt   extending  from  the  Irish   Sea  across 


England   and    into   Germany,    including    Belgium   and 

northern  France.  These  arc  the  areas  in  which  at  least 
90%  of  the  iron  of  the  world  is  manufactured  and  a 
very  large  percentage  of  the  machinery  operated.  And 
what  do  you  find  there?  You  find  the  six  greatest  cities 
of  the  world,  one  after  the  other. 

The  more  you  examine  into  it  the  more  you  will  be  im- 
pressed by  the  fact  that  these  areas  have  become  the 
market  and  the  clearing-house  of  the  world's  commerce, 
the  centres  to  which  all  other  metals,  including  gold, 
must  go  to  be  utilized.  You  will  notice  further  that 
these  areas  hold  the  reins  of  power  in  human  affairs. 
You  find  there  the  financial,  political,  military,  intel- 
lectual, social,  and  artistic  capitals  of  the  modern  world, 
to  which  not  only  every  article  of  trade,  but  human  in- 
telligence itself,  goes  for  cultivation  and  development. 

It  seems  to  me  worth  while  to  lay  stress  on  this  situa- 
tion because  a  great  many  people  would  like  to  believe 
what  I  have  said  is  not  all  true.  There  are  those  who 
would  have  us  believe  that  we  are  focussing  our  attention 
too  much  on  the  pursuit  of  industry  and  wealth ;  that 
by  so  doing  we  miss  the  chance  to  develop  higher  and 
better  things.  You  will  be  told,  for  instance,  that  the 
growth  of  corporations  is  turning  us  into  a  nation  of 
employees,  another  name  for  slaves;  that  after  all  only 
a  few  can  be  leaders,  the  rest  must  be  followers;  that 
the  opportunities  for  personal  initiative  and  independ- 
ent action  are  being  swallowed  up  in  a  flood  of  corpora- 
tion routine  which  will  end  by  giving  human  life  the 
monotony  of  machine-made  goods.  There  may  be  some 
truth  in  this,  but  whether  it  is  true  or  not.  I  believe  that 
we  are  in  an  age  where  the  tendency  is  irresistibly  in 
the  direction  of  the  continued  growth  of  corporations. 
Whether  we  like  it  or  not.  we  shall  have  to  accept  it.  It 
is  an  element  of  common  sense  to  accept  the  inevitable, 
not  only  with  resignation  but  with  cordiality. 

But  I  do  not  look  upon  this  development  as  unde- 
sirable. We  are  living  in  a  great  age.  which  will  be 
called  by  future  historians  the  age  of  the  conquest  of 
natural  forces  by  the  human  mind.  There  was  a  simi- 
lar age  thousands  of  years  ago  in  prehistoric  times  when 
men  domesticated  animals  and  plants:  when  they  ex- 
changed the  free  life  of  mere  hunters  for  the  exacting 
and  settled  life  of  agriculture  and  trade.  By  giving  up 
a  portion  of  their  freedom  those  ancient  people  found 
that  they  were  repaid  by  a  great  expansion  of  the  pos- 
sibilities of  life.  We  are  doing  the  same  thing  in  a  dif- 
ferent way.  The  old  hunter  was  persuaded  to  give  up 
his  freedom  to  wander  in  order  to  enjoy  freedom  from 
hunger.  Our  people  are  being  persuaded  to  give  up  a 
portion  of  their  freedom  of  individual  effort  and  under- 
go the  discipline  of  the  collective  effort,  for  the  privilege 
of  having  a  lot  of  things  and  of  doing  a  lot  of  things 
which  they  could  not  have  or  do  otherwise. 

To  illustrate  how  far  the  activities  of  corporations 
affect  our  daily  life.  I  thought  it  would  be  interesting  to 
find  out  bow  many  people  were  employed  by  the  cor- 
porations with  which  I  would  have  to  deal  in  coming 
from  New  York  to  Denver.     I  went  through  this  simple 


•\»k>".'  •-■  WM                                       MINING  and  Scmtifii   PRESS 

P*1 "!  '  r'""''l  ■  telegram  tram  Mr.  Phillips,  trav  bul  I  have  do  time  to  niter  into  that,    The  thing  I  am 

dad  over  the  Pennavlvania  and  Burlington  raUroadi  ».  trying  to  bring  oui  ii  tin  kind  of  efBci.                corpora 

Pullman  ,-an,  and  upon  arriving  at  Denver  talked  to     tions  are  securing,  and  ho«  the  tel.  pi a.  a  mechanical 

Mr  1  h,  l,,,s  ..vr  the  telepl I  find  thai  -der  ...     ,,,,„.,.  ,,,s  , „  ,„,,,,,,.„„,,„.,,  ,,v  far  ...  ,„„,,,,„. 

''"  ""s  '  "'  •1"1'-"'1 < u  M  '""""-  porate  device,  ha , ehaniam  o£  156,( ta,  in 

'•ri>  Onion  Telegraph  Co,  employs    40.000     order  to  pnl  the  enormous venience  of  the  telephone 

Pennsylvania    Railroad  .,,   ii,,.  .«.„;.       ,-  ,.          ,  ■•        .... 

„    ,,    ,       ..                                       -  '"   i'1,                      the  public.      III.               rns  are  no 

BorllnitOD,  Northern  P               I  Great  Northern  ... .    100.000  ;   ;                                      .    ,    , 

Pullman  Panu  .. ,     ' ""-  concerns,  bul  we  And  the  same  thing  going  on 

American  Telephone  a-  Telegraph  Co "'  ''"'  "lining  business  on  (ally  as  greal  a  Bcale.     The 

United  States  Steel  Corporation  is  the  greateal  of  in- 

v  mtai  of.  say 651,000  .insiriiil  corporations  and  it  is  a  mining  and  metallargical 

It'  we  add  to  these  the  Qnited  States  Steel  Corporation,  ooncern. 

which  makes  ;i  g I  pari  of  the  rails,  bridges,  and  cement         ''  " '"  '"'  "'  ' ''  interest,  perhaps,  to  take  sum,,  note 

lor  these  structures,  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works  and  "'  ,Ik'  growth  of  mining  corporations  in  the  West.    This 

American  1 aotive  works,  which  build  the  engines,  l1,1"  bears  the  name  of  Guggenheim  and  this  suggests 

we  should  find  thai  the  corporate  machinery  we  depend  discussion  of  a  great  mining  and  metallurgical  concern 

upon  to  make  this  trip  would  soon  count  up  to  a  million  lllil1  originated   right   in   Colorado.     Moreover,  a  brief 

employees— in  eight  concerns  alone.    The  Steel  Corpora-  inquiry  into  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Guggenheim  in- 

tion  alone  is  employing  about  250,000.  terests  will  serve  as  well  as  anything  else  to  illustrate 

In  getting  this  information  1  secured  the  lasl  annual  'I"'  forces  thai  are  causing  thai  growth. 
reports  of  a  number  of  these  companies  and  1  found  in  ''"'  group  of  enterprises  operated  by  the  Guggenb. 
them  a  number  of  bits  of  information  well  worth  know-  makes  as  yet  only  a  modest  comparison  in  point  of  size 
ing.    For  instance,  I  find  thai  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  ""'"'   tll(i  great  corporations  I   have  mentioned.     They 
has  either  as  pensioners  or  employe.  s  4.'!illl  men  who  have  employ    only    35,000    to    40,000    men.      The    companies 
been  in  the  service  40  years  and  upward.     This  is  a  good  under  their  management  are  the  American  Smelting  & 
example  of  how  these  corporations  affect  people's  lives.  Refining  Co.,  the  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.,  the 
Another    thing   is   interesting    to    mining    people.     The  Kennecott  Copper  Co.,  the  Nevada  Consolidated  Copper 
Pennsylvania    handled    last   year    142,000.000    tons   of  Co.,  and  the   Chile  Copper  Co.     I  suppose  there  are 
freight,  of  which  over  till',',  nearly  86, OHO. 000  tons,  was  other    ramifying    interests.      Of    these    the    largest    in- 
the  product  of  mines.     To  this  we  could  add  8.500,000  dustrial  unit  is  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co., 
tons  of  manufactured  iron  and  steel,  so  that  the  total  which  in  1915  employed  15,500  men  in  the  United  Slates. 
freight  really  coming  from  the  mines  amounts  to  nearly  and  I  understand  about  10,000  in  Mexico.     I  shall  not 
two-thirds  of  the  total.  take  up  your  time  by  tracing  the  history  of  this  com- 
I  find,  moreover,  that  this  concern  is  owned  by  93,936  pany  except  to  remind  you  that  its  present  size  is  largely 
stockholders  of  whom  45,906,  or  nearly  half,  are  women,  the  result  of  consolidations  made  during  two  or  three 
Its  funded  debt  amounts  to  $728,353,615,  held  by  about  years  from  1899  to  1901.    Before  that  time  the  proper- 
100,000  bondholders.    Its  employees  number  about  225.-  ties  of  which  it  now  consists  were  divided  among  at 
mill,  so  that  altogether  the  number  of  people  who  depend  least  20  separate  companies.     An  immense   amount   of 
partly  or  wholly  upon  this  concern  for  their  livelihood  mining  property   and  smelting  property   has   been   ac- 
exceeds  400,000.  quired  by  purchase  or  has  been  constructed  by  the  con- 
I  think  few  of  us  realize  on  what  a  colossal  scale  these  solidated  company.     As  in  the  case  of  the  Pennsylvania 
concerns  are  co-operative  industries.     They  are  owned  railroad,  I  wish  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  *.hat 
literally  by  the  public.     There  is  no  stockholder  of  the  the  American  Smetling  &  Refining  Co.  is  owned,  I  be- 
Pennsylvania  who  owns  2%  of  the  stock.     The  board  of  lieve,  by  about  15,000  stockholders.     There  is  no  domi- 
directors  and  the   officers,   numbering  in   all   about  90  nating  owner,  or  group  of  owners.     The   Guggenheim 
men,  are  said  to  own  altogether  less  than  5%   of  the  brothers  only  own  a  few  percentages  of  the  stock.    They 
stock.  and  their  friends,  however,   continue   to   dominate  the 
Almost  every  one  of  these  reports  contains  something  management,  because  that  management  is  good  and  there 
of  interest.     In  that  of  the  American  Telephone  &  Tele-  is  nobody  among  the  stockholders  to  challenge  it,  not  any 
graph  Co.,  I  find  this  sentence :   "The  radius  of  depend-  feeling  of  discontent  among  the  stockholders  to  make 
able  commercial   speaking   transmission   has   been   very  them  to  wish  to  change  the  management, 
greatly  increased,   and   it   is  now   certain   beyond   any  This   concern   is  believed   by   many   people   who   are 
question  that  as  fast  as  developed  or  potential  business  competent  to  judge  to  be  in  the  very  front  rank  of  effi- 
and  social  requirements  indicate   commercial  practica-  cient  corporations.     Its  growth  is  built  upon  that  effi- 
bility,  every  section  of  the  country  can  be  put  in  speak-  eeincy.    There  is  nothing  in  the  least  mysterious  about  it. 
ing  transmission  with  every  other  section,  and  every  sub-  The  men  at  the   head  have  breadth  of  view  and   the 
scriber  to  the  Bell  system  will  be  able  to  speak  to  every  faculty  of  leadership  that  enables  them  to  keep  the  corn- 
other  subscriber,  regardless  of  distance."     The  report  pany  well  equipped  in  three  essentials,  adequate  finance, 
goes  on  to  explain  parti}'  how  this  has  been  accomplished,  organization,  and  technical  skill. 


234 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August   12,  1916 


Maepiasfe    iPirotkic-tfcm    and    Mnirlia-is 


By      Samuel 

Uagnesite  from  foreign  countries  was  less  available 

in  1915  than  in  the  previous  year.  From  the  Austria- 
Hungarian  deposits  some  shipments  were  received  until 
March  of  lasl  year.  The  Greek  mines  continued  to  ex- 
port occasional  cargoes  to  the  United  States,  and  doubt- 
Less  would  send  more  were  it  not  for  the  scarcity  of  ships. 
The  following  gives  imports  that  reached  American 
polls  from  foreign  countries,  in  short  tons,  being  for  the 
year  1915: 

Austria-Hungary    52.0S6  Netherlands    3,554 

Germany    722  England    129 

Greece    4,437  Scotland    150 

Denmark    103  Canada   948 

Ctalj     710  Venzuela    50S 

These  figures  do  not  mean  that  all  of  the  countries 
named  are  producers  of  magnesite.  High  prices  in  the 
United  states  caused  re-shipment  from  some  of  ties. 
countries.  Total  imports  into  the  United  States  during 
1915  are  reported  as  63, 348  tons  of  calcined  and  18,731 
tons  "i  'rude  material.  Prices  rose  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  year.  Imports  of  calcined  magnesii 
creased  heavily,  whereas  nearly  live  times  as  much  crude 
was  imported  as  in  1914. 

('u.ifoknu.  The  domestic  production  of  magnesite 
in  the  United  States  during  1915  was  :!D,:J25  tons  of 
elude,  which  includes  10,951  tons  of  calcined;  as  against 
11,293  ions,  estimated  as  crude  during  1914.  Produc- 
tion during  1916  will  no  doubt  greatly  exceed  that  of  any 
former  year.  Because  of  the  difficulty  in  securing  im- 
ports, the  demand  for  the  Californian  product  has  been 
active  and  many  new  mines  are  now  shipping  ore. 
Tulare  county  continues  to  be  the  most  important  source. 
The  chief  development  in  that  region  has  been  the  re- 
opening  of  the  deposits  abandoned  by  the  Tulare  Min- 
ing Co.j  and  purchased  by  the  Porterville  Magnesite 
Co.,  and  the  operation  of  a  new  mine  of  great  promise 
adjoining  that  of  the  Tulare  Mining  Co.  on  the  south 
fork  of  the  Tule  river,  14  miles  north-east  of  Porter- 
ville. A  5-mile  rail-extension  has  been  made,  and  a  tram- 
way built,  giving  excellent  transportation.  The  devel- 
opment of  this  mine  was  commenced  by  S.  R.  Coghlan 
and  T.  E.  Frederick  in  the  latter  part  of  1915,  the  mine 
being  sold  subsequently  to  R.  D.  Adams  of  the  Lindsay 
Mining  Co.  Doyle  &  Smith  have  opened  another  new 
deposit  in  Frazier  valley;  so  have  Cook  &  Langley  in 
the  vicinity  of  Deer  creek,  where  an  excellent  grade  of 
ore  is  being  mined.  The  California  -Magnesite  Co.  oper- 
ated several  leases  in  the  Porterville  district,  and  com- 
menced the  erection  of  a  large  calcining  plant.  Their 
work  was  later  interrupted  by  litigation.  Aside  from 
the  mines  mentioned  there  are  many  smaller  ones  yield- 
ing one  or  more  carloads  per  month.     Shipments  from 


H.      Dolfeltr 

the  Porterville  district  in  May.  1916.  totaled  127  car- 
loads. 

The  Tulare  Mining  Co.  continues  to  remain  the  largest 
producer  in  the  State.  All  of  the  product  from  its 
Porterville  mines  is  calcined.  The  company  operates  two 
shaft-kilns.  It  also  made  shipments  of  crude  ore  from 
its  Napa  county  deposits. 

In   Sonoma   county,   tin-   Sonoma   Magnesite   Co.  com- 


MAGNESITB   VEI.N    OF   LIXUSAY    MINING   CO. 

pleted  a  rotary  calciner,  and  shipped  some  calcined 
material.  This  was  hauled  14  miles  to  Guerneville,  the 
projected  narrow-gauge  road  having  been  completed 
recently. 

The  Refractory  Magnesite  Co.  re-opened  the  old  Creon 
deposits  near  Preston  in  Sonoma  county,  and  shipped 
several  hundred  tons  of  crude  ore,  which  was  calcined 
at  the  plant  of  the  Pacific  Carbonic  Gas  Co.,  the  carbon 
dioxide  content  being  recovered.  This  mine  yields  an 
unusual  ore.  having  a  greenish  cast  due  to  the  presence 
of  iron  carbonate.     On  calcining,  the  ore  becomes  dark- 


•    12,   1916 


MINING  .,nd  Scirnl.h,    l'KI  SS 


brown,  the  iron  carbonati  being  reduced 

oxide  thai  is  somewhat  magnetic.     A  shaft  kiln  is  dov 
ealeining  ore  at  the  mine. 

At  ltiss.li  the  Bex  Plaster  Co.  extracted  s,  \ ,i-;ii 
thousand  tuns  From  sedimentary  deposits,  a  part  i>f 
which  was  calcined  in   the  company's  rotary  kiln  nt 

Los  Ann,  lis 

In  Santa  Clara  county  the  Western  Magnetite  De- 
velopmenl  Co.  baa  shipped  both  crude  and  calcined  ore. 
The  reduction  plant  is  tituated  near  the  mine,  which  is 
"ii  Bed  mountain,  and  motor-trucks  are  now  employed 
in  hauling  the  product  to  Livermore,  a  distance  of  -i~> 
miles. 

At  Madrone,  in  Santa  Clara  county,  II.  Sherlock  has 
shipped  Beveral  hundred  tons  of  impure  magnetite.  Thia 
was  calcined  at  the  plant  of  the  Pure  Carbonic  (las  Co, 


s;i!k  «iiii  alkaline  carbonates      The   following 
are  rcpi  ■  st'iitative  anal)  ■ 


M  0 

Hat} 


Lobs  In   Ignition    44.15 


11  IJ 

li  81 

0,94 

36.40 

14.15 

ROTARY    CALCINES    FOB   CALIFORNIA    MAQNESITE   CO.   AT  FORTERVILLE. 


at  West  Berkeley,  the  carbonic  gas  recovered,  and  the 
residue  Bent  to  a  paper-mill  in  Oregon  for  making  pulp. 

The  "White  Rock  mine,  in  Xapa  county,  yielded  sev- 
eral hundred  tons  of  crude  ore,  which  was  shipped  from 
Rutherford.  Aside  from  the  more  important  deposits 
mentioned,  there  are  many  smaller  operations  heing 
conducted  in  various  parts  of  the  State. 

Production  of  California  by  counties  in  short  tons  is  as 
follows,  (equivalent  to  crude)  tons: 

Sonoma  3,729 

Santa   Clara    7,270 

Tulare    12,116 

Napa    l,t)50 

Oilier  counties   6,890 

Total    31,055 

Nevada.  The  discovery  of  a  large  deposit  of  magnesite 
in  Clark  county,  a  few  miles  from  the  town  of  St. 
Thomas,  has  been  reported.  This  is  said  to  be  similar  to 
that  at  Bissell,  in  California,  which  is  of  sedimentary 
origin.  Magnesite  is  considered  to  have  been  precipi- 
tated by  the  contact  of  solutions  containing  soluble  mag- 


Contidering  that  buyers  of  magnetite  have  established 
a  maximum  admissable  limit  of  .V,  sio,  and  :;',  CaO, 
this  product  would  appear  to  be  too  low-grade. 

Canada.     Magnetite   was  mined   to  some  extent   in 
Canada  during  the  p.isi  Mar.  in  the  township  ol  Gren- 
ville,  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  and  in  Atlin  township, 
Yukon  Territory,  and  in  the  Lilloet  district.  93  miles 
north    of    Ashcroft.     Cans 
dian      magnesite     is     usually 
high  in  lime,  much  of  it  con- 
taining   10    to    1595     1'iifn , 
About   1000  tons  was  shipped 
into    the    United    Stales    (lur- 
ing l!Hf>,  and  ii    is  believed 

thai   there  is  little  likelih 1 

of  many  future  shipments 
"" ing  to  the  impurity  of  tin- 
product. 

Mexico.    The  Internation- 
al Magnesite  Co.  commenced 

shipment  of  crude  magnesite 
from  ils  deposits  "ii  Santa 
Margarita  island  in  the  Gulf 
of  California.  The  ore  is 
brought  by  water  to  Chule 
Vista,  California,  near  San 
Diego,  where  it  is  calcined  in 
a  rotary-kiln.  The  capacity 
of  the  plant  is  stated  to  be 
22  tons  of  calcined  magnesite  per  day. 

Market.  The  price  of  crude  magnesite  ranged  from 
$5.50  to  $12  per  ton  during  1915.  Calcined  magnesite 
sold  at  a  wide  margin,  namely,  $20  to  $60,  hence  no 
fixed  price  can  be  said  to  represent  the  market.  Domes- 
tic calcined  magnesite  in  bulk  sold  for  $25  to  $30  per 
ton  f.o.b.  San  Francisco,  or  other  California  points. 
When  ground  and  packed  in  barrels,  the  price  ranged 
from  $40  to  $60  per  ton.  Powdered  Greek  magnesite, 
when  available,  brought  similar  prices  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. Early  in  1915  Austrian  calcined  magnesite  was 
quoted  at  $22  to  $25  per  short  ton,  and  Greek  caustic 
magnesite,  not  ground,  $29  at  ships'  tackle  in  Atlantic 
ports. 

Magnesite  is  used  in  the  rubber  industry.  After  cal- 
cining, the  ore  is  ground  to  pass  200-mesh,  after  which 
it  is  put  through  water.  The  contained  silica  precipi- 
tates, the  lime  is  dissolved  and  is  taken  up  by  water.  The 
pure  magnesite  floats.  The  dried  product  is  packed  in 
paper-lined  barrels  and  sells  for  10  to  lie.  per  lb.  to  the 
rubber  people. 


236 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


Augusl  12,  1916 


The   Re-Opening   of   Old   Mines   Along   the 
Mother   Lode,   California     II 


By     T.     A.  Rlckard 

The  Mother  Lode  is  a  gold-bearing  fissure  that  trav-  mines  has  been  developed  on  an  eastern  spur  from  the 

erses  the   western   foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  in  a  main   vein.     Likewise  across  the  Stanislaus  river  into 

line    parallel    with    the    main    axis    of    that    mountain  Tuolumne  county.     But.  as  stated,  the  most  intense  ore 

range,    which    separates   California   from   the  State   of  deposition  and  the  most  successful  mining  are  alike  in 

Nevada.     The  productive  portion  of  the  Lode  extends  Amador  county,  where  are  the  deepest  mines.    Of  these, 

from    Ophir   in   Mariposa  count}'   to    Placerville   in   El  the  Kennedy  has  reached  a  depth  of  3896  ft.  vertically, 

Dorado  county,  a  distance  of  71  miles,  bul  the  full  length  while  the  Argonaut,  at  present  the'  richest  mine  on  the 

nf  the  Lode  is  about  125  miles,  for  it  is  stated  to  have  Lode,  is  down  4500  ft.  on  the  incline,  equivalent  to  3900 

been  traced  from  Fresno  county  to  mine  workings  north  ft.  vertically.    The  recorded  production  of  the  Mother 

of  the  American  river,  into  Placer  county.    The  richest  Lode  region  from  1880  to  1914  is  $153,000,000,  of  which 

portion  is  within  Amador  county,  where  a  nearly  con-  $69,000,000  is  credited  to  Amador  county.    Allowing  for 

tiiiunus   series  of  productive   mines   extends  along   the  the  production  before  1880  and  since  1914,  it  is  estimated 

strike  of  the  Lode  for  12  miles,  the  chief  properties  in  that  the  Mother  Lode  has  yielded  a  grand  total  of  $230,- 

order  northward  being  the  Argonaut.  Kennedy,  Oneida,  000,000  in  gold,  of  which  $110,000,000  came  from  the 

South     Eureka,     Central     Eureka.     Eureka.     Wildman-  mines  in  Amador  county. 

Mahoney,  Lincoln,  South  Spring  Hill,  Keystone,  Original  Statistics  for  last  year,  as  compiled  by  Charles  G. 

Amador,    Hunker   Hill,   Fremont,    and    Plymouth    Con-  Yale,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  are  as  follows: 

Gold  and  Value  In 

Silver  Gold  and                             Total 

Bullion  Produced       Recovered  Concentrate  Produced     Silver          Total         Recovery 

Quantity,          Gold,          Silver,      on  Plates.    Quantity,        Gold,  Silver,       per  Ton,     Recovery,     per  Ton, 

County                Tons                  $                  Oz.           per  Ton  Tons                $                 Oz.                $                    $                  $ 

Eldorado    21,428              63,790              418             2.99  403              35.4::,              540           88.58                99,707         2.65 

Amador    819,550         2.519,284         27,144             3.09  17,165         1,364,575         12,521           79.91           3,903,969         4.76 

Calaveras     383,808            502.125           4.742             1.31  10,316            388,843           4,824           37.93              895,818         2.33 

Tuolumne    248,907            i;4L'.:us         26,211              2.58  11,220            409,037           1,045           36.48           1,065,297         1.28 

.Mariposa    48,154            331.282           2.S90             6.91  847              52,109              247           61.67              384,981         7.99 

1,621,8*7         4,059,335         60,405             2.52  39,947         2,249,989         19,177           56.57           0,349,772          117 

solidated.     (See  accompanying  map  .  The  counties  are  arranged  in  geographic  sequence. 

In  this  part  of  the  lode-channel  the  gold-bearing  quartz  Silver  is  estimated  at  55.3  cents  per  ounce.    The  total  of 

is  distributed  along  one  or  more  well  defined  fractures  $6,349,772   I'm'  1915  compares  with  $5,075,552  in   1914 

traversing  black  'slate'   (the  Mariposa  schist  i   where  it  and  $4,728,450  in  1913. 

is  in  contact  with,  or  close  to,  'greenstone'    (diabase)  In  Amador  and  Tuolumne  counties  at  this  time  there 

dikes.     These  ore-bearing  fractures  have  the  same  strike  is  increased  activity;  the  productive  mines  are  doing 

(north-west)    as   the   country-rock,    but   they    dip    less  well,  and  many  idle  mines  are  being  resuscitated.     This 

Steeply,  although  usually  in  the  same  direction   (north-  has  prompted  me  to  make  a  comparison  between  eco- 

easl    .     The  point  to  be  emphasized  is  the  general  coin-  nomic  conditions  prevailing,  for  instance,  when  the  old 

cidence  of  strike  and  the  discordance  of  dip.     In  the  Eureka  mine  was  in  its  heyday  of  prosperity  and  today, 

principal  mines  the  dip  averages  65°.    Lenticular  masses  when  it  is  being  re-opened.     It  is  assumed  by  those  en- 

uf  quartz  mure  than  50  ft.  thick  are  not  uncommon,  and  gaged   in    unwatering   the    Eureka   workings   that    the 

they  are  as  much  as  1500  ft.  long,  but  as  a  rule  they  are  greater  cheapness  of  material  and  the  increased  skill  of 

more  persistent  in  dip  than  in  strike,  so  that  in  their  the  operators  nowadays  will  enable  them  to  exploit  ore 

shape  they  resemble  chimneys.     Thus  the  Lode  is  not  a  that  could  not  be  touched  30  years  ago  and  to  find  ore 

single  continuous  vein  but  a  system  of  fractures  along  that  was  missed  by  the  miners  of  an  earlier  period.     It 

which    gold   has  been  deposited,   usually  in  association  will  he  interesting  to  enquire  into  the  reasonableness  of 

with  quartz.     Where  this  zone  is  constricted,  the  fissur-  these  expectations. 

ing  is  almost  continuous  and  the  deposition  of  ore  un-  In  'American  Mines  and  Mining.'  a  resume  of  statis- 

commonly  persistent.     Thus,  in  Calaveras  county,  where  tieal  and  other  data  collected  by  Kossiter  W.  Raymond 

the  Lode  is  wide  and  ill  defined,  the  gold  veins  are  scat-  when  Commissioner  of  Mining  Statistics  in  1871,  I  find 

(civil  and  unimportant,  except  at  the  southern  end  of  the  a  statement  giving  the  principal  items  of  cost  at  Sutter 

county,  where,  at  Angels  Camp,  a  group  of  productive  Creek  on  January  1.  1869.    It  is  here  appended,  with  the 


Augiut   U.  1916 


MINING.  »nd  Scientific  PRESS 


237 


i  Kl  l  ^   OaOWIKQ    UMtmO    mi:  OLD  EUBEKA   nhakt  .11  IB 1    BEVOBB   IT   WAS  EE-OPKNED. 

corresponding  prices  prevailing  on  January  1.  1916. 

Comparison  01  Costs 

i 869  1916 

Miners'   wages   $3    per   shift  $3 

Surface  labor   $2.25  per  shift  $2.50 

Lumber    $2S    per    thousand  $20 

Fuel     $5.50  per  cord  $5 

Explosive    $1.25  per  lb.  12c. 

Quicksilver    05c.  per  lb.  70c. 

Steel    18c.  per  lb.  6c. 

Freight  from  San  Francisco $20  per  ton  $4.25 

Cost  of  mining $4.67  per  ton  $2.50 

Cost  of  milling    $2.15  per  ton  32c. 

Average  yield  of  ore   $20.34    per   ton  $5 

Average  recovery   IV,  90% 

The  cost  of  labor  constitutes  60%  of  the  entire  ex- 
penditnre,  therefore  it  is  an  important  fact  that  wages 
remain  practically  the  same.  On  April  1,  1916,  how- 
ever, the  chief  mining  companies  operating  in  Amador 
county,  on  the  initia- 
tive of  the  Plymouth 
Consolidated,  raised 
miners'  wages  to 
$3.25  per  shift.  Sur- 
face labor  is  paid 
$2.50  to  $2.75.  In 
making  a  comparison 
with  1869,  it  must  be 
noted  that  the  shift 
then  was  10  hours 
underground  and  12 
hours  for  surface 
labor ;  now  the  time 
is  reduced  to  8  and  9 
hours,  respectively. 
Whether  an  allow- 
ance should  be  made 
for  the  shorter  time 
of    work,     I     cannot 

*,„,.     T\r..         ~      _■_:  Eureka  mine       Tramway 

say.   My  own  opinion 

SUTTER  CREEK   IN   1S6S. 


i-.  iluii  8  hours  is  enough  for 
the  man  who  works  oonacien- 
i  ioush  ,  no. I  thai  such  ■  worker 
will  accomplish  very  little 
more  in  in  hours,  but  raperin 
tendenta  complain  thai  they 
do  not  gel  s  hours  of  real  work 
ami  thai  the  wasting  of  time 
reduces  the  shift  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  make  the  labor 
more  expensive  than  formerly, 
when  the  shift  was  longer  and 
the  worker  more  willing.  This 
is  in.  partly  to  the  spread  of 
trade-unionism  and  partly  to 
the  change  in  the  composition 
of  the  population  of  Amador 

county.  In  IMiil  dm  mm  were 
mostly  native-born  Americans 
from  the  older  communities 
east  of  the  Missouri;  today 
they  consist  largely  of  Austrians,  Serbians,  Italians,  ami 
Spaniards. 

As  regards  lumber  and  wood,  there  is  no  noteworthy 
change.  Lumber  is  a  little  cheaper,  owing  to  better  rail- 
way transport,  and  wood-fuel  has  been  replaced  to  a 
large  degree  by  electricity.  The  materials  used  in  min- 
ing— steel  and  explosive — are  much  cheaper.  Just  now 
dynamite  costs  19c.  per  pound,  owing  to  the  War,  but 
12c.  was  the  normal  price  two  years  ago.  The  consump- 
tion varies  greatly  as  between  neighboring  mines,  for 
instance,  from  two-tenths  of  a  pound  to  one  pound  per 
ton  of  ore,  so  that  this  item  is  important.*  The  cost  of 
steel  as  given  covers  the  average  for  all  kinds  of  steel 
material,  such  as  drills,  stamp-shoes,  turn-sheets,  cars, 

♦How  the  consumption  of  dynamite  may  vary  is  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  at  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  mine,  in  Idaho, 
it  is  half  a  pound  and  at  the  Alaska  Treadwell  two  pounds  per 
ton  of  ore. 


Stamp-mill 


238 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  12.  1916 


and  rails,  the  last  of  these  costing  only  3$c.  per 
pound,  but  the  others  raising  the  average  to  6c.  All 
shovels,  hammers,  and  tools  generally,  are  cheaper  and 
better  now  than  they  were  in  1869.  The  improvement  in 
tliis  department  is  emphatic.    Quicksilver  has  I n  worth 

$4  per  pound  i'i lit ly.  but  70c  is  nearer  the  usual  price 

and  a1   that   figure  it  is  about   the  same  as  50  years  ago; 

but  much  less  of  ii  is  used,  and  a  smaller  proportion  is 
wasted,  in  modern  milling. 

Freight  is  important  when  assembling  the  parts  of  a 
new  and  large  plant,  but  ordinarily  it  is  not  a  heavy 
item  in  the  economy  of  a  gold  mine,  which  requires  a 
relatively  small  quantity  of  supplies.  An  American  min- 
ing  community  consumes  12  lb.  of  supplies  per  ton  of 
ore  produced  and  a  modern  gold  mine  requires  only  5 
to  6  lb.  per  ton.  Since  1869  the  railway  has  been  built 
from  Sacramento  to  lone  and  from  lone  to  Martel,  which 
is  only  two  miles  from  Sutter  I 'reek,  so  that  Latrobe  is 

no  longer  the  rail-head  for  this  community,  although  it 
still  serves  Plymouth,  which  pays  $9  for  freight  from 
San  Francisco.  But,  even  if  the  freightage  on  ma- 
chinery and  supplies  be  a  small  item,  it  is  certain  that 
the  facilities  for  the  prompt  delivery  of  accessary  ma- 
terials plays  an  important  part  in  the  comfortable  oper- 
ation of  s  mine. 

The  cost  of  mining  given  for  1869  is  that  at  the 
Eureka;  thai  of  1916  is  obtained  from  the  Plymouth  Con- 
solidated, which  I  quote  as  typifying  the  new  order  of 
things.  The  $2.50  per  ton  includes  (12  cents  for  devel- 
opment, 40c.  for  construction,  and  21c.  for  depreciation; 
in  Bhort,  it  represents  the  real  cost  of  mining  and  is  not 
the   illusory   figure  given   so  often,   namely,   the   mere 

operating  cost.    Tl osi  of  milling  at  Plymouth  can  be 

divided  into  34c.  for  the  milling  itself  and  31c.  for  the 
additional  cost  of  treatment   and   freight   ■mic-ntrate. 

which  crocs  in  the  Selby  smelter  on  San  Francisco  bay. 

The  total  COSl  of  mining  and  milling  is  $:i.."!0  per  Ion  at 

Plymouth,  and  this  is  the  figure  that  the  management  of 
the  resuscitated  Eureka  can  safely  accept  as  a  guide. 
As  to  the  richness  of  ore,  the  old  Eureka  averaged  $27.38 
in  1869  and  out  of  this  74',  was  recovered;  today  the 
Plymouth  ore  averages  $5.50  and  the  extraction  is  Ulr,  ; 
the  tailings  then-fore  would  contain  +7.11  and  49.5c. 
respectively  in  gold.  Here  we  find  convincing  testimony 
of  the  increase  of  skill  acquired  by  the  modern  metal- 
lurgist. At  the  Plymouth  30  stamps  and  2  conical 
Bardinge  tube-mills  crush  360  tons  per  day.  or  12  tons 
per  stamp,  while  the  old  Eureka  mill  crushed  2  tons  per 
Stamp,  in  each  case  the  fineness  of  grinding  sufficing  for 
the  after-treatment. 

The    metallurgical    treatment    is   quite   different   now 

what  if  was  in  former  days.  In  the  old  mills  the 
stamps  had  wooden  slems  and  were  shod  with  iron,  drop- 
ping in  wooden  mortar-boxes.  Iron  and  steel  slowly 
supplanted  wood  in  every  part.  The  gold  used  to  he 
saved  by  amalgamation  first  in  the  mortar  itself,  on  a 
plate  inside,  below  the  screen-outlet,  and  then  on  the 
'aprons,'  which  were  sloping  tables  covered  with  sheets 

•  per  having  a  carefully  prepared  amalgamated  sur- 
face.     Screens   of   20-mesh    were   used   in   the   battery. 


A  tier  flu-  -free  gold,'  meaning  the  ■.'old  less  intimately 
mixed  with  the  pyrile.  had  been  extracted  by  amalgama- 
tion, flic  pnlp  passed  down  sluices,  as  in  placer  mining, 
in  which  flic  coarser  parlichs  of  pyrite  and  other  gold- 
bearing  sulphides  were  concern  rated.  Blankets  were  also 
employed,  after  a  fashion  borrowed  from  Georgia,  which 

derived  it  from  Hungary.     In  1871   th "licentiate  from 

Kureka  mill  went  to  the  ehlorination  works  of  Jones 
^V  Belding.  In  the  report  for  1*76  mention  is  made  of 
llendy's  apparatus,  a  sort  of  huddle,  which  represented 
one  of  the  earliest  attempts  to  introduce  machinery  for 
concentration.  The  belt  machines  came  much  later.  For 
a  long  time  ehlorination  held  the  field;  even  today  the 
Kennedy  concentrate  is  chlorinated;  but  the  other  mines 
now  send  this  pyritic  by-product  to  the  Selby  smelter, 
on  San  Francisco  bay.  at  a  cost  for  wagon-hanl.  railroad- 
freight,  and  treatment  of  .+12  per  ton.  The  old  ehlorina- 
tion mills  used  to  charge  $20  per  ton  for  treatment  and 
pay  905?  of  the  gold  in  the  concentrate.  To  this,  of 
course,  the  cost  of  w  agon-haulage  had  to  he  added.     Ob- 


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viously.  the  present  custom  of  sending  the  concentrate  to 
a  smelter  152  miles  distant  is  a  confession  of  metallurg- 
ical failure.  With  a  revival  of  technical  enterprise,  I 
expect  lo  see  the  development  of  a  method  for  treating 
concentrate  locally. 

To  furnish  a  contrast  with  the  old  metallurgy.  I  ap- 
pend the  flow-sheet  of  the  Plymouth  mill,  which  is  the 
lab  st,  not  the  last,  word  in  Mother  Lode  practice.  This 
mill  does  credit  to  all  concerned.  It  is  clean,  dry.  and 
well  lighted  as  compared  with  the  sloppy  dark  sheds  in 
which  the  old  stamps  used  to  splash.  The  'aprons'  are 
covered  with  silvered  copper  (1  oz.  silver  per  square  foot 


■  ta,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


239 


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240 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


of  copper)  and  are  uniformly  coated  with  amalgam,  in 
tli is  respect  also  affording  a  favorable  contrast  with 
ancient  days.  The  ore  as  it  comes  from  the  mine  is  fed 
to  a  Gates  gyratory  crasher  and  distributed  by  con- 
veyors to  the  mill-bins,  from  which  it  is  delivered  auto- 
nialically  to  the  30  stamps.  Then  the  pulp  is  re-ground 
by  two  Hardinge  pebble-mills.  From  these  it  goes  to  the 
amalgamators,  which  discharge  to  amalgamating  tables. 
As  first  designed  the  pulp  went  thence  to  sloughing-off 
cones,  the  overflow  from  which  was  uniformly  dis- 
tributed to  24  vanners.  while  the  spigot  product  from 
the  cone  went  to  a  two-compartment  Richards  hindered- 
settling  classifier,  the  spigot-product  from  which  in 
turn  was  treated  on  two  Wilfley  tables  while  the  over- 
flow from  t lie  Richards  classifier  went  to  six  vanners. 
This  part  of  the  flow-sheet  has  been  changed  because 
the  feed  to  the  six  vanners  varied  so  much  as  to  pre- 
vent them  from  operating  satisfactorily ;  the  reason 
for  the  variation  being  the  changes  in  the  hardness  and 
coarseness  of  the  ore,  and  the  occasional  idleness  of  a 
5-stamp  battery.  The  spigot-discharge  from  the  cone 
now  feeds  two  Wilfley  tables,  all  the  tailing  from  which 
goes  back  to  the  Hardinge  mills  to  be  re-ground.  A 
narrow  streak  of  middling  returns  to  the  cone,  this  mid- 
dling being  a  mixture  of  fine  concentrate  and  fine  sand, 
the  result  of  incomplete  classification. 

However,  the  feature  that  distinguishes  a  moi 
plant,  like  this,  from  the  old  mills,  is  l lie  sampling  where- 
by I  lie  superintendent,  really  knows  what  he  is  •• 
An  automatic  sampler  just  below  the  battery  gives  the 
average  content  of  the  pulp  before  metallurgical  extrac- 
tion begins,  and  another  automatic  sampler  outside  the 
mill  clucks  the  loss  in  the  tailing.  While  the  old  Eureka 
mill,  for  example,  is  credited  with  74%  recovery,  it  may 
he  assumed  confidently  that  this  ratio  Battered  the  skill 
of  the  superintendent,  and  that  65%  is  probably  nearer 
the  truth. 

It  remains  to  note  the  use  of  labor-saving  devices. 
Since  1869  the  machine-drill  has  gone  far  to  replace 
human  muscle.  Machines  have  been  introduced  in  many 
departments.  The  use  of  compressed  air  for  sharpening 
drills  and  the  heating  of  the  bits  with  oil-fuel,  instead  of 
charcoal,  may  be  mentioned:  also  the  timber-framing 
machine. 

Time  is  money;  the  mine-manager  of  today  can  ex- 
pedite his  work  in  many  ways,  and  so  accomplish  a  great 
deal  more  underground  in  proportion  to  the  overhead 
expense.  Rapidity  of  exploration  has  been  gained  by  the 
introduction  of  the  machine-drill.  Where  Hayward's 
men  used  to  advance  2  to  3  ft.  per  day  in  a  cross-cut. 
their  successors  now  make  7  ft.  with  a  machine.  In  a 
drift  the  speed  is  just  double  what  it  used  to  be.  As  the 
orebodies  overlap,  or  follow  en  echelon,  it  is  necessary  to 
cross-cut  freely.  Thul  the  old-time  miners,  particularly 
the  Comishmen,  would  be  slow  to  do.  They  preferred  to 
follow  a  good  gouge  if  no  ore  offered.  As  one  honored 
veteran  remarked  to  rae:  "When  the  Cornish  miners  got 
onto  a  streak  of  ore,  they  would  stick  to  it  till  hell  froze 
over,  and  never  by  any  chance  drive  a  cross-cut  to  find 
out  if  they  had  missed  anything."    Well,  it  is  the  second 


rule  of  mining  to  follow  the  ore,  the  first  rule  being  to 
find  it.  so  I  shall  not  blame  them  so  severely,  but  when 
they  "got  off  the  pay"  they  should  have  shown  no  hesi- 
tation to  cross-cut. 

The  bucket  and  hemp  rope  have  been  replaced  by  the 
skip  and  steel  rope.  A  bucket  used  to  hold  from  500  to 
2000  pounds;  the  skip  carries  from  2  to  5  tons.  The 
handling  of  ore  underground  has  been  expedited.  Huge 
timbers  are  not  now  necessary ;  for  there  is  more  back- 
filling of  stoped  ground.  Ventilation  and  pumping  have 
been  improved ;  men  work  under  better  conditions  under- 
ground, with  better  tools  and  explosives.  On  surface, 
electric  lighting,  the  telephone,  and  the  typewriter  facili- 
tate business. 

All  this  tends  to  reduce  the  number  of  men  'on  top.' 
In  1869  the  Eureka  employed  60  miners,  12  blacksmiths 
and  engineers,  25  feeders,  amalgamators,  and  teamsters. 
or  97  men  altogether,  of  whom  37  were  at  surface,  to 
produce  60  tons  of  ore,  that  is,  j  ton  per  man.  Nowa- 
days the  Plymouth  reverses  the  ratio  and  produces  97 
tons  for  60  men,  the  actual  average  being  1.8  tons  per 
man.  This  comparison  goes  to  the  root  of  the  economics, 
for  60%  of  the  cost  of  mining  is  recorded  on  the  monthly 
pay-roll. 

Thus  the  question  of  the  cost  of  winning  gold  in  this 
mining  region  is  answered  confidently  in  favor  of  modern 
practice.  The  cost  per  ton  is  about  one-half  what  it  was 
■"in  years  ago  and  the  extraction  of  the  gold  is  15  to  20% 
cleaner.  But  in  mining,  especially  gold  mining,  the  chief 
problem  is  to  find  the  ore.  How  have  we  progressed  in 
that  regard  ?  I  dare  to  put  the  advance  at  50%.  Those 
early  operators — men  like  Hayward — were  shrewd  trad- 
ers but  they  were  not  mining  engineers.  They  lacked  the 
scientific  training  of  those  who  are  now  re-opening  the 
old  mines  on  the  Lode.  While  geology  is  still  a  timid 
guide  to  the  miner,  the  engineers  in  charge  of  develop- 
ment underground  know  more  about  the  pitch  of  ore- 
shoots,  post-mineral  faulting,  and  the  helpfulness  of 
systematic  sampling  than  the  superintendents  of  1869. 
Moreover,  the  maps  and  assay-plans  are  studied  today 
with  an  insight  undeniably  greater  and  the  use  of 
diamond-drills,  plus  the  rapidity  of  exploration  obtain- 
able by  the  use  of  machine-drills,  has  appreciably  in- 
creased the  chances  for  finding  ore.  Besides,  the  mine- 
manager  today  has  learned  to  watch  details  of  expendi- 
ture and  to  systematize  the  whole  of  his  highly  special- 
ized business  in  a  manner  foreign  to  the  easy-going 
superintendent  of  a  more  romantic  era. 

The  one  thing  that  has  not  changed  is  Nature:  the 
character  of  the  Lode  and  the  distribution  of  the  ore: 
that  still  puzzles  the  most  highly  technical.  Then,  as 
now,  some  luck  is  needed — the  luck  of  the  miner.  And 
he  is  entitled  to  it,  for  he  takes  his  chances.  Whether 
much  ore  has  been  left  in  old  workings  depends  upon 
the  definition  of  'ore,'  that  is,  how  rich  it  must  be  to  war- 
rant the  expense  of  re-opening.  One  old-timer  told  me, 
apropos  of  the  opening  of  the  Eureka:  "If  ever  they  get 
a  mine,  they'll  have  to  find  it."  That  is  probably  true. 
The  gleanings  will  not  suffice.  But  I  believe  they  will 
find  fresh  or^hodies.     The  experience  of  the  Plymouth 


I    1916 


MIXING  and  Sdantinc   I'KI  SS 


•_M1 


ranging.  Thai  rum.  was  olosed  down  on  January 
l.  1888;  twent}  live  yean  later,  in  1913,  when  the  worl 
ipening  began,  the  water  waa  running  out  al  the 
the  shaft  on  Angus!  1,  1914,  the  new  mill  began 
crushing.  At  the  end  of  March  1910  a  million  dollara 
worth  of  gold  had  been  won  al  a  profit  oi 
When  the  nen  start  waa  made,  the  main  abaft  waa  down 
1660  it  .  and  the  bottom  level  was  at  1600  ft.  vertical 

A  winae  had  I o  sunk  To  ft  below  this  level  al  a  poini 

7"i  ft.  north  of  the  shaft ;  this  winze  averaged  (2  per  ton 
all  the  way,  except  at  the  bottom,  where  a  $17  sample  was 
obtained  when  the  mine  was  pumped  out  Apparently 
the  bottom  had  not  been  sampled  by  those  who  worked 
the  mine  in  1887  or  they  had  not  cleaned  up  after  the 
last    round   of   holes.     Anyway,   they  appear  to   have 


i  the  top  of  an  ore  shoot.    The  winze  was  sunk  880 
ft  in  ore  averaging  |5.50  tor  a  width  of  8  ft.     The 

length  of  tins  ore-al t.  so  far  proved,  ia  300  ft.    The 

shaft  is  now  2760  ft.  jeep  on  the  dip  or  2280  ft  vertic 
ally.  When  driving  on  the  ISOO-ft  level  another  ore 
body  was  outj  this  has  been  traced  up  to  within  s7."j  ft 
from  the  surface;  it  averages  67.50  for  a  width  of  12  ft 
and  for  a  length    bo  far  proved    of  820  ft    Tins  ia  a 

new  asset  unknown  to  the  picd.vrs.snrs  of  .M.ssis  Albert 
Burch  ami  W.  J.  Loring,  who  are  now  directing  opera 

lions.    Other  chai b  of  finding  ore  remain.    This  ex- 

perience  should  encourage  those  who  arc  re-opening  the 

Eureka.  Horizontal  exploration,  by  drills  and  cross- 
cuts, should  be  an  important  feature,  for  that  is  one  of 
the  advantages  of  a  mine  having  a  deep  shaft. 


Chilean  Nitrate 

The  reported  production  of  nitrate  of  soda  in  northern 
Chile  during  April  was  5,337,592  Spanish  quintals  of 
101.4  lb.  each  (541,231,929  lb.),  while  the  amount  ex- 
pori.d  to  all  countries  was  4.913,379  quintals  198.275.- 
630  lb.  .  The  production  for  the  same  month  in  1915 
«ax  1,988,101  quintals  and  the  exports  were  2,964,136 
quintals,  and  for  1914.  5,589,542  quintals  produced  and 
4.444.371  quintals  exported. 

The  pri d  nitrate  increased  somewhat  during  April, 

being  quoted  at  .+1.80  per  quintal  at  the  end  of  the 
month,  u-ee  alongside  vessel,  for  the  ordinary  95% 
nitrate  and  $1.86  for  the  refined.  The  rise  is  due  to  a 
demand  from  the  United  States. 

There  is  not  the  same  tendency  to  rush  production  that 
was  evident  during  the  latter  part  of  1915.  The  largest 
Chilean  company  has  closed  one  of  the  oficinas  operated 
hy  it.  and  a  number  of  other  oficinas  will  close  as  soon  as 
they  finish  producing  nitrate  already  contracted  by 
them.  Three  oficinas  owned  by  the  Compafiia  Salitrera 
Alemaua.  and  shipping  through  the  port  of  Taltal  have 
been  forced  to  shut-down,  as  no  shipments  could  be  made 
by  them,  due  to  lack  of  sacks.  The  embargo  placed  by 
British  authorities  tends  to  prevent  German  nitrate  com- 
panies from  securing  the  jute  sacks  used  to  ship  nitrate. 
— Ciimiiu  rce  Report. 


The  domestic  production  of  pyrite  in  1915  reached  a 
new  high  level,  due  chiefly  to  the  unprecedented  demand 
for  the  mineral  in  making  sulphuric  acid.  The  output 
was  394.124  long  tons,  valued  at  $1,674,933,  an  increase 
of  57.462  tons  in  quantity  and  of  $391,587  in  value  com- 
pared with  1914.  according  to  W.  C.  Phalen,  of  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey.  The  consumption  of  ore — that  is, 
the  combined  domestic  production  (394.124  tons)  and 
imports  (964,634  tons) — was  1,358,758  tons,  a  decrease 
of  4521  tons  compared  with  1914.  This  decrease  is  due 
to  a  falling-off  in  imports.  The  general  resumption  of 
activity  at  acid  plants  especially  created  a  great  demand 

1 


for  both  foreign  and  domestic  pyrite,  and  the  imports, 
particularly  of  European  pyrite,  would  have  been  larger 
if  suitable  vessels  had  been  available   for  the  carrying 


trade. 


€©stis    lii  tibia   M€'lm.tjTB    Mm^j 


During  the  year  ended  March  31,  1916,  this  property 

yielded  105,758  tons  of  gold  ore  averaging  $7.71  per  ton, 
at  the  following  cost: 

Mining:                        Per  ton  Milling:                        Per  ton 

Labor    $0.8132      Crushing,  etc $0.1029 

Supplies    0.3063      Ball-mills   0.1502 

Hoisting      and      tram-  Tube-mills,   etc 0.1721 

ming   '.   0.5673      Reagents    0.1405 

Timbering   0.1650      Agitators   0.0387 

Rock-drills       mainten-  Thickeners    0.0493 

ance    0.0495      Clarifiers    0.0299 

Air    0.232S      Precipitation    0.1246 

Preparing  steel    0.1281      Pumping,  etc 0.0211 

Track    0.0109      Heating    0.0325 

Pumping    0.0273      Refining   0.0513 

Assaying    0.0569      Assaying    0.0284 

Surveying    0.0427      Superintendence    0.0266 

Exploration  0.0726  

Total  Milling   $0.9618 


Total  mining    $2.5116 

The  miner  does  not  profit  so  much  as  the  smelter  by 
an  increase  in  metal  prices.  The  editor  of  Metallurgical 
&  Chemical  Engineering  remarks  that  a  particular  ship- 
per of  lead,  silver,  and  copper  concentrate  has  been  re- 
ceiving only  52%  of  the  gross  market  value  of  the  metal 
contained  in  the  ore,  leaving  48%,  for  the  smelter.  This 
was  when  prices  for  the  metals  were  high.  A  year  pre- 
vious when  metals  were  at  much  lower  prices,  concen- 
trate of  about  the  same  grade  brought  61%  of  the  gross 
market  value  to  the  miner,  and  39%  to  the  smelter.  One 
reason  for  this  discrepancy  in  favor  of  the  smelter  when 
prices  are  high  is  the  fact  that  the  smelting  schedule  is 
designed  to  encourage  production  when  metal  prices  are 
low,  so  as  to  equalize  as  much  as  possible  the  amount  of 
ore  shipped.  A  smelter  should  be  operated  as  regularly 
as  possible. 


242 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August   12,  1!»16 


Milling   Practice   at   the   Santa   Gertrudis 


\y      Hugh      Rob* 


^/Vv, 


•Tin  properties  of  the  company  lie  within  the  Pachuca 
district.  Slate  of  Hidalgo,  Mexico,  connected  by  three 
railway  lines  with  Mexico  City,  55  miles  south-west,  and 
by  two  lines  with  Vera  Cruz.  2.~>0  miles  south-east. 

The  ores  were  formerly  divided  by  sorting  into  two 
classes,  smelting  and  milling,  the  former  averaging  about 
2  oz.  gold  and  335  oz.  silver,  the  latter  0.12  oz.  gold  and 
23  oz.  silver.  The  smelting  ores  were  sold  to  custom 
plants,  principally  the  American  Smelt- 
ing &  Refining  Co.  at  Aguascalientes. 
The  milling  ores  were  treated  by  the 
patio  process  at  the  Guadalupe  Ha- 
cienda, at  Pachuca.  This  patio  was 
probably  the  largest  in  existence  at  the 
time  and  continued  in  active  operation 
up  to  March,  1910. 

In  January,  1910,  the  mines  and 
patio  were  sold  to  English  interests,  rep- 
resented by  Camp  Bird  Limited.  Two 
new  companies  were  formed,  the  Com- 
pania  de  Santa  Gertrudis,  to  operate  the 
mines,  ami  the  Compafiia  Beneficiadora 
de  Pachuca,  to  build  and  operate  a  cus- 
tom cyanide-milling  plant.  The  ca- 
pacity of  the  plant  is  1100  tons  per  day. 

DESIGN  OF  Mill.  The  ore-bins  of  600 
tons  capacity  feed  two  No.  6K  gyratory 
crushers,  discharging  to  a  double  screen 
14  ft.  limy.  The  oversize  from  the  4-in. 
round-hole  screen  passes  by  conveyor  to 
the  tube-mill  storage-bin.  while  the  un- 
dersize  joins  the  oversize  of  the  2-in. 
round-hole  screen  for  crushing  in  two 
No.  4K  gyratory  crushers.  The  under- 
sizc  from  the  2-in.  screen,  together  with 
the  discharge  from  the  secondary  crush- 
ers, is  delivered  to  a  22-in.  troughed 
belt-conveyor,  equipped  with  a  Merrick 
weightometer. 

The  22-in.  conveyor  discharges  over  the  first  of  three 
Vezin  samplers,  a  ">','  cut  being  taken  and  stored  in  a 
sample  bin  of  15  tons  capacity.  The  reject  flows  to  a 
30-in.  shuttle-type  flat-belt  conveyor  for  distribution  into 
bins  of  2000  tons  capacity.  The  first  sample-cut  is  fed 
from  the  15-ton  bin  through  a  set  of  26  by  15-in.  rolls 
reducing  to  J  in.  and  finer,  and  discharging  to  a  second 
Vezin  sampler  cutting  out  10%,  which  is  delivered  by 
a  revolving  Challenge  feeder  to  the  third  Vezin,  taking 
a  20%  cut.  A  sample  of  ]  ton  is  thus  obtained  for  each 
1000  tons  milled  and  is  crushed  to  \  in.  in  a  size  F  gy- 

•Part  of  a  paper  to  be  read  before  the  September  meeting, 
in  Arizona,  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


ratory  crusher,  thereafter  being  cut  down  by  Jones 
riffles  and  reduced  in  the  usual  manner.  Rejects  from 
the  second  and  third  Vezin  samplers  and  from  the 
quartering-floor  arc  returned  to  the  battery-bins  by  an 
s-in.  elevator. 

The  ore  passes  from  the  battery-bins  through  Hoscur 
feeders  to  sixty  1550-lb.  stamps  arranged  in  units  of  10 
stamps  each,  20  stamps  being  driven  by  a  65-hp.  motor. 


solution  fe EO 

LAUNDER  BATTEHY 


SECTIONAL  \n:\v  OF  STAMP-MILL. 


belted  to  a  jack  shaft.  The  stamps  make  102  drops  of 
74  in.  per  minute:  3-mesh  and  4-mesb  screens  are  used, 
the  pulp  from  the  batteries  flowing  through  split  dis- 
trihuting-laundcrs  to  six  primary  duplex  Dorr  classifiers, 
the  sand  passing  to  six  5  by  16-ft.  tube-mills,  the  dis- 
charges from  which  are  delivered  to  the  launder  leading 
to  the  secondary  classifiers  by  elevator  or  by  reserve  10 
by  "i4-in.  Frenier  pumps,  one  pump  to  each  mill.  The 
slime-overflow  from  the  primary  classifiers  is  laundered 
to  eight  secondary  duplex  Dorr  classifiers,  which  feed 
the  sand  to  four  5  by  20-ft.  and  two  5  by  22- ft.  tube- 
mills,  the  discharges  from  which  are  returned  by  ele- 
vator or  Frenier  pumps  to  the  classifiers. 

The    slime-overflow    from    the    secondary    classifiers 


August   12,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


24: 


•.  primary  Dorr  thiokening  tanks.  :;."■  ft.  .limn. 
by  15  ft  deep,  wherein  the  pulp  is  thickened  from  10:  1 

to  1  .">  :  1 

The  thickened  pulp  is  delivered  t"  a  Ml  of  1 1  primary 
Brown  agitators  l.">  by  45  ft.,  operating  in  series;  i in- 
discharge  From  the  last  tank  in  the  serias  is  by  means  of 
mi  air  lift,  submerged  in  the  tank  itself,  and  delivering 
to  :i  launder  where  a  wash  of  four  parts  of  mill  solution 
is  applied,  the  i»ul|>  flowing  to  four  secondary  Dorj 
thickening  tanks,  35  by  l">  ft.,  wherein  it  is  again  thick- 
ened  to  aboul  1.78:1  and  delivered  to  a  set  of  14  sec 
miliary  Brown  agitators,  15  by  l">  ft.,  also  operating  ill 
•  the  discharge  from  the  lasl  tank  flowing  to  two 
:{.">  by  12 -it.  storage-tanks  equipped  with  mech; 
agitators. 

These  Btorage-tanks  feed,  by  gravity  al  35-lb.  pressure, 
four  90-frame  Merrill  filter-presses,  size  of  leaf  4  t't. 
by  6  ft.,  width  of  frame  3  in.  The  tailing  sluiced  from 
these  presses  flows  to  four  35  by  L5-ft.  Dorr  thickeners 
for  recovery  of  water  before  passing  to  the  tailing-stor- 
age dams.  The  pregnant  solution  is  clarified  by  passing 
through  four  sand-filter  tanks.  40  ft.  diam.  by  10  ft. 
deep, 

Precipitation  is  effected  by  the  Merrill  zinc-dusl  proc- 
ess in  two  circuits,  partial  and  barren,  in  order  to  econo- 
mize the  zinc-dust. 

The  precipitate  is  melted  in  a  battery  of  eight  oil- 
liivil  No.  400  crucible- furnaces  arranged  on  the  are  of  a 
circle  and  served  by  a  radial  jib-crane,  fitted  with  an 
air-cylinder  for  raising  and  lowering  the  pots. 

All  pumping  of  solution  and  water  is  concentrated  in 
two  pump-houses,  one  placed  below  the  filter-plant  and 
the  other  below  the  precipitation-plant.  The  pumps  are 
of  vertical  triplex-plunger  types,  gear-driven  by  motors, 
and  are  installed  so  that  one  pump  is  in  reserve  for  two 
circuits. 

An  electrically  operated  inclined  tramway  runs  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  mill,  delivering  material  to 
any  floor. 

( Compactness  of  design  was  sacrificed  in  order  to  secure 
a  gravity-flow.  This  was  permissible  owing  to  an  un- 
usually ample  mill-site  of  17°  slope,  coupled  with  a  mild 
climate  requiring  no  housing  of  tanks.  Supervision  is 
made  easy  because  the  size  of  the  plants  warrants  the 
division  into  two  departments,  mill  and  cyanide,  and  the 
tramway  is  used  by  the  bosses  in  getting  round.  The 
mill  is  electrically  driven  throughout,  50-eycle  alternat- 
ing current  being  distributed  at  440  volts. 

The  Crushing-Plant  design  exhibits  no  points  of 
special  interest.  The  elimination  of  elevator-returns 
and  the  favorable  character  of  the  ore  make  the  opera- 
tion unusually  easy  and  simple.  Consumption  of  steel 
liners,  etc.,  is  almost  negligible.  The  6K  gyratory  crush- 
ers, driven  by  30-hp.  motors,  take  only7  15  hp.  each.  This 
is  again  due  to  the  character  of  the  ore  and  the  large  per- 
centage of  fine,  which,  if  the  ore  had  greater  abrasive 
quality,  it  might  pay  to  screen  out  beforehand. 

An  ample  supply  of  mine-rock  for  use  in  the  tube- 
mills,  in  place  of  pebbles,  is  obtained  cheaply  from  the 


revolving  sei n  oversize  as  described  above,    The  Mar 

rick  weightometer  is  shocked  weekly  against  a  weighed 
quantity  of  ore,  the  average  error  being  well  under  i', 
Current  weighings  a iv  corrected  by  the  weekly  factor 

thus  obtained. 

Particular  attention  is  paid  bo  securing  an  accurate 

sample  of  the  ore  delivered  to  the  mill,     Ordinarily  two 

classes  of  ore  are  sampled  separately  eaeh  day.  The 
rejects  from  these  two  are  thorough!}  mixed  ami  quar- 
tered down,  tO  make  the  mixture  sample  for  the  day.   The 

calculated  average  assay  of  the  two  class-samples  checks 
closely   the  assay-results  of  the  mixture.     The   usual 

samples   are    taken    for   moisture,    which    averages   about 

Stamping  un>  Tube-Milling.  The  design  of  the 
stamp  battery  follows  standard  lines  except   in  a  few 

minor  details.  The  mortar-box  foundation  bolls  are 
crossed,  as  shown  in  the  sketch,  thereby  permitting  a 
broken   bolt  to  be  removed  easily;  none  has  broken  thus 

far.    A  traveling  crane,  as  well  as  a  crawl,  installed  with 

the  building,  was  found  useful  in  erecting  the  battery 
and  in  making  current  repairs. 

The  stamp-duty  averages  21.1  tons  through  3-mesh  and 
4-mesh  screens.  Crushing  is  in  mill-solution.  10  parts  of 
solution  to  1  of  ore.  Screen  wear  is  of  no  importance. 
Steel  wear  per  ton  is:  Shoes  0.16  lb.,  dies  0.08  lb.,  liners 
0.60  lb.  Life  of  shoes,  94,  in.  diam.  by  14  in.  long,  aver- 
ages 90  days ;  of  dies  97  days ;  of  liners  43  days.  Shoes 
and  dies  are  forged  steel.  Liners  are  cast-iron  made 
locally.  Manganese-steel  liners  have  been  tried,  but  the 
cost  per  ton  crushed  was  considerably  higher.  The  65-hp. 
motors,  each  driving  20  stamps,  are  overloaded  about 
8%. 

A  trial  was  made  of  introducing  the  battery-solution 
through  nozzles  in  the  back  of  the  mortar-box  above  the 
dies,  but  without  success.  Stationary  screens  placed 
between  the  feeder  and  the  mortar-box  to  take  out  the 
fine  were  also  tried  and  abandoned,  the  benefit  being 
doubtful  while  requiring  more  supervision. 

Average  screen-analyses  of  feed  and  discharge  of  the 
stamp-battery,  equipped  with  3-mesh,  No.  32  wire 
screens,  are : 


Inches 


1... 

*. .. 

Mesh 

4... 


10. 
20. 
30. 


Feed, 

% 
.  0.5 
.1S.4 
.13.8 
.    8.0 

.18.7 

.11.5 
.  1.8 
.  8.5 
.    3.9 


Dis- 
charge, 


4.0 
16.3 

7.5 

14.8 

8.1 


Feed, 

% 
.  1.4 
.  2.2 
.  2.0 
.    0.5 

+  120 0.8 

+  150 0.4 

+  200 0.2 

—  200 6.9 

99.5 


Mesh 
+    40... 
+    60... 
+    80... 
+  100... 


Dis- 
charge. 
% 
4.4 
6.7 
6.2 
2.7 
3.2 
1.7 
2.7 

21.2 

99.5 


Distribution  of  the  pulp  from  the  battery  to  the 
primary  classifiers  by  means  of  split  launders  could  be 
improved  by  a  mechanical  distributer  of  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful revolving  types.  The  classifier  platforms  were 
built  on  an  incline  to  save  head-room  over  the  tube-mill 


244 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


gears  as  well  as  to  follow  the  slant  of  the  classifiers. 
Returns  to  the  classifiers  from  the  tube-nulls  are  by 
■  levators  with  Individual  Frenier  pumps  as  reserves.  A 
better  design,  following  later  practice,  would  be  to  effect 
such  returns  by  means  of  the  classifiers  themselves. 

'rube-mill  grinding  is  done  in  two  stages,  using  5-ft. 
mills  throughout,  the  primary  series  being  16  ft.  long 
and  the  secondary  series  JO  ft.  and  22  ft.  Comparison 
of  this  system  with  single-stage  grinding  has  failed  to 
show  conclusive  results  in  its  favor,  although  a  slight 
benefit  is  apparent.  This  benefit  is,  however,  insufficient 
to  warrant  a  repetition  of  this  refinement  of  design  un- 
less in  conjunction  with  water  concentration,  not  re- 
quired with  this  ore. 

Danish  flint  pebbles  were  used  for  a  considerable 
period,  but  their  increasing  cost  led  to  the  adoption  of 
mine-rock.  A  supply  is  obtained  mechanically  in  the 
crushing-plant  as  described  and  is  sent  separately  over 
the  regular  conveyors  to  a  compartment  in  the  battery- 
bin  from  which  it  is  transferred  by  chute  to  the  primary 
tube-mill  floor  where  it  is  distributed  by  ear.  Part  of 
the  rock  is  introduced  into  the  mill  through  the  feeder. 
As  the  trunnion  opening  of  the  mills  is  not  as  large  as  it 
should  be.  rocks  over  5  in.  as  well  as  occasional  large 
boulders.  12  to  15  in.,  required  in  the  primary  mills  for 
efficient  grinding,  are  loaded  into  the  mills  through  the 
manholes  once  per  day;  130  lb.  of  rock  is  required  for 
each  ton  of  ore  milled  and  is  credited  to  the  total  tonnage 
treated. 


Tests  are  now  in  hand  using  cast-iron  balls  in  place  of 
rock  Results  thus  far  obtained  indicate  a  capacity  in- 
of  3395  with  liner  grinding.  Power  load  shows  an 
increase  of  33%  from  60  to  90  hp.  per  mill.  Forged- 
steel  lialls  ordinarily  used  for  such  grinding  were  not  ob- 
tainable but  it  is  quite  probable  that  chilled  cast-iron  or 
semi-steel  balls  and  liners  will  prove  more  economical, 
taking  into  account  the  low  cost  of  locally-made  eastings, 
2.5c.  per  pound,  as  against  high  first-cost  plus  importa- 
tion expenses  of  steel  balls.  Ball  wear  is  1.7  lb.  per  ton 
milled.  Tube-mill  liners  are  of  modified  El  Oro  type,  of 
hard  cast-iron,  the  average  life  being  6  months;  cost  2.2e. 
per  ton  of  ore  milled. 

The  motor  driving  each  mill  through  a  flexible  coup- 
ling and  one  reduction  of  spur  gearing  is  of  high-torque 
induction-type.  65-hp.,  230  r.p.m.  Allis-C'halmers  make. 
Its  ample  design  easily  carries  the  over-load.  But  the 
power  factor  of  this  motor  is  low.  75%,  and  an  improve- 
ment would  be  to  use  a  higher-speed  motor  with  a  single 
reduction  of  herringbone  gearing. 

The  economical  grinding  point  is  taken  at  75% 
through  200-mesh.  Screen-tests  of  feed  and  discharge  of 
primary  ami  secondary  tube-mills,  using  mine-rock  and 
at  a  plant-capacity  of  1000  tons  per  day.  are  as  follows: 

Moisture,  35  to  40%.  Operating  without  return.  175 
tons  of  ore  passes  through  tube-mill  per  24  hours. 

.Moisture  35  to  40%.    Operating  with  return,  in  el 
circuit.    200   tons   of   ore   passes   through    mill    per   24 
hours. 


PREGNANT  SOLUTION  ST0RA6E  TO  PARTIAL  PRECIPITATION  CIRCUIT  PREGNANT  SOLUTION  STORAGE  TO  BARREN  PRECIPITATION  CIRCUIT 


Na2  NoJ 

PUMPS 


IT  AN    OP    PRECIPITATION    AMI    MKI.TINi;    KOOM. 


August  12,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific    I'KI  SS 


2 1  , 


Prlmsrj    Tube-mills    Beoondarj    Tube-mills 

Me-h  His.  h:i  i  ■-;.-.  I'... I.  liiHiliarKe, 

+     4    13.9  0.1  i.i; 

+     s  H  O.S  0.1 

+    10    8.6  0.4  O.J 

+    20    in  0.2 

+    30   11.1  10.9  3.4  0.7 

+    40    4.7  is  3.3  I  " 

+    60    8.0  12.1  IT.".  10.8 

+    80   1.9  10.1  9.6  B.6 

+  100    1.1  6.2  11.4  10.3 

1-120    1.5  17.6 

+  150    0.7  4.0  9.6  11.8 

0.8  5.7  8.4  11.2 

—  200  25.0  15.6  30.7 

99.4  99.8  99.6  99.7 

IDAB1  Q  v  —  ii  in:  l)u  i:i  i  o\v 
(Finished  Product  of  Mill  i 
Mesh  %  Mesh  •', 

+  100  3.8   +200  9.5 

+  120  5.7   —  200  75.1 

+  150  5.5  

99.6 

AGITATION.  An  extraction  of  55. 5rJ  of  the  gold  and 
of  the  silver  is  made  in  the  mill  before  the  pulp 
reaches  the  Brown  agitator  system. 

Cyanide  of  sodium,  either  128  or  120%  as  obtainable, 
in  lump  or  in  brick  form,  is  added  at  the  first  tank  of  the 
primary  series,  at  the  rate  of  4  gr.  sodium  cyanide  for 
each  gram  of  silver  in  the  ore  delivered  to  the  mill.  The 
sodium  cyanide  consumed  is  3.15  lb.  per  ton,  including 
mechanical  loss.  The  strength  of  solution  at  the  begin- 
ning of  agitation  is  0.55%  KCN;  of  the  mill  solution, 
0.4%. 

Protective  alkalinity  is  maintained  at  about  0.75%; 
the  lime,  fed  dry  into  the  ore  at  the  crushing-plant,  is 
low-grade,  averaging  about  65%  available,  the  consump- 
tion being  20  lb.  per  ton.  Arrangements  are  in  hand  to 
improve  the  method  of  feeding  by  emulsifying  the  lime, 
adding  it  either  to  the  primary  tube-mills  or  to  the 
Brown  agitators. 

Crude  litharge,  between  85  and  90%  PbO,  adopted  in 
place  of  lead  acetate  as  being  both  cheaper  and  more 
efficient,  is  ground  in  a  small  tube-mill,  24  in.  diam.  by 
37  in.  long,  discharging  into  the  first  Brown  agitator  at 
the  rate  of  0.6  lb.  per  ton  of  ore.  The  best  results  are 
obtained  with  72  hr.  agitation  although  60  hr.  gives 
within  2%  as  high  extraction.  The  air  pressure  is  27  lb., 
75  cu.  ft.  per  minute  being  required  for  each  tank. 

No  difficulty  has  been  experienced  with  the  series  op- 
eration of  the  Brown  agitators.  Connections  between 
tanks  are  made  by  10-in.  horizontal  pipes,  placed  3  ft. 
from  the  top,  the  joint  between  two  abutting  pipes  being 
made  leak-proof  by  a  wrapping  of  tarred  canvas.  This 
joint  takes  up  the  tank  vibration  and  effects  an  easy 
connection.  To  avoid  undue  accumulation  of  slime  on 
the  inside  of  the  tanks,  they  are  emptied  and  sluiced 
once  a  month.  This  operation  requires  about  3  hours 
per  tank,  using  a  3-in.  Traylor  slime-pump  for  the  re- 
turn. 

Screen-tests  of  the  inflow  and  outflow  of  the  system 


arc  practically  identical,  showing  thai  there  is  no  sogre 
gation  or  Bhorl  circuiting  of  wind  nr  slime. 

I'll .nuiN.i.     This  step  in  llic  process  is  difficult,  Owing 

to  tine  grinding  of  ore  containing  a  considerable  amount 

Of  colloidal  mallei'.  Also,  the  dissolved  metal  in  the 
|iul|i  t"  the  filters  is  high,  3.6  OS.  silver  per  Ion  of  solu- 
tion.   After  extended  working-scale  tests  of  several  types 

Of    vacuum    ami    pressure    tillers.    Merrill    presses    were 

adopted,  rising  i! -Hire  system  of  Oiling.    A  press  cycle 

occupies  75  min.  made  up  of 

Mln. 

Charging  26 

Barren  solution  wash   l :: 

water  wash   18 

Sluicing  23 

75 

Bristol  recording-pressure  gauges  are  attached  to  the 
tilling  pipe  of  each  press,  the  cycle  curves  from  the  chart 
giving  an  excellent  check  upon  the  care  taken  by  the 
attendants  in  operating  the  presses.  The  sluice-valve 
bar  and  the  tilling  valves  are  electrically  connected  so 
that  both  cannot  be  coincidently  opened  without  ringing 
an  alarm-bell.  The  cakes  average  \\  in.  thick,  thereby 
leaving  \  in.  space  in  the  centre  of  the  3-in.  frame  for 
entrance  of  washes.  Dry  pulp  handled  per  cycle,  14.5 
tons.  Sluicing  water  is  at  90  lb.  pressure  and  five  parts 
are  required  to  clean  out  a  press.  The  bulk  of  this  water 
is  recovered  in  dewatering  tanks  as  explained  heretofore. 

No.  6  cotton  duck,  72  in.  wide,  is  used  regularly,  after 
extensive  trial  of  several  other  weights.  A  set  of  cloths 
lasts  about  2500  cycles.  Acid  washing  to  remove  lime 
is  done  in  the  press  every  10  days,  using  a  0.75%  sul- 
phuric acid  solution. 

Much  care  is  taken  with  the  nozzles  of  the  sluice-bar. 
The  bar  of  each  press  is  taken  out  and  tested  every  48 
hr.,  any  defective  nozzles  being  replaced.  Nozzles  are 
ordinarily  -J-in.  cast-iron  plugs,  drilled  iVin.  hole ;  these 
last  practically  as  long  as  special  steel  nozzles  and  are 
much  cheaper. 

The  unwashed  metals  in  the  press-discharge  averages 
a  trace  of  gold  and  0.08  oz.  silver,  showing  an  efficiency 
of  97.7%. 

Precipitating.  All  solutions  to  be  precipitated  are 
first  passed  through  ordinary  sand-filter  tanks.  The 
addition  of  about  40%  by  volume  of  sawdust  to  the  sand 
considerably  improves  the  clarifying  efficiency  of  the 
filtering  medium  and  at  the  same  time  reduces  the  fre- 
quency of  slime-skimming  and  sand-cleaning.  The  latter 
operation  is  effected  by  shoveling  the  sand  from  the  tank 
to  a  launder  leading  to  a  small  trommel  where  the  sand 
is  washed  free  of  slime,  with  small  loss,  and  returned  for 
re-use. 

In  this  way,  4500  tons  of  solution  is  filtered  daily  at  a 
cost  of  0.28c.  per  ton  of  solution.  Possibly  Merrill  clari- 
fying-presses  would  be  an  improvement,  although  no 
comparative  figures  are  available.  At  any  rate,  the  ex- 
isting equipment  does  the  work  efficiently  and  cheaply. 

The  Merrill  zinc-dust  process  of  precipitation  has 
justified  its  adoption.     Its  efficiency,  safety,  cleanliness,. 


246 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12.  1916 


etc.,  compared  to  the  zinc-shaving  method  are  too  widely 
known  to  need  Farther  elucidation  here  The  ease  and 
rapidity  with  which  a  clean-up  ran  be  made  gives  it  a 
further  special  advantage  in  a  good-sized  mill  treating 

silver  ores  with  tl nsequenl  considerable  production 

of  precipitate.     Formerly  the  process  enjoyed  the  ad- 

vantiigi'   of   a    lower    priee    for   zinc-dust    than    for   zine- 

shaving;  the  difference  now  is  practically  negligible. 

The  solution  from  the  sand-filters  averages  0.015  oz. 
gold  and  3  oz.  silver.  Two  circuits  are  maintained,  one 
precipitating  to  barren  solution,  sufficient  for  the  filter- 
press  washing,  and  the  other  circuit  to  an  effluent  con- 
taining from  0.9  to  1.2  oz.  silver  per  ton.  To  accom- 
plish iliis.  a  slight  excess  of  zinc-dust  is  fed  to  the  barren 
circuit  in  the  propprtion  of  1.1  oz.  zinc-dust  to  1.0  oz.  fine 
bullion;  to  the  partial  circuit  0.8  to  1.0.  The  average 
zinc   consumption   Of  the   plant    is  an   ounce   of  zinc    tor 

each  ounce  of  fine  bullion. 

Clean-ups  made  at  the  middle  and  end  of  the  month. 
and  sometimes  oftener,  provide  an  accurate  check  on 
current  work. 

Melting.    The  only  drying  of  the  precipitate  is  done 
by  blowing  air  through  the  presses  at  25-lb.  pressui 
an  hour,  reducing  the  contained  moisture  to  aboul  30$ 
The  precipitate  is  removed  from  the  presses  into  rec- 
tangular sleel  ears.  .")   ft.   Ill  ill.  by  ti  ft.  4  ill.  by  1    ft.  deep. 

iii  which  it  is  weighed.  Based  upon  the  calculated  dry 
weight  of  the  precipitate,  flux  consisting  of  11' ,  each  of 
borax  and  bottle-glase,  is  added  on  top  without  mixing. 

and  the  charge  is  then  shoveled  fr the  car  into  No.  400 

crucibles.  To  permit  the  introduction  of  a  high  column 
of  precipitate,  a  discarded  pot  with  the  bottom  out  is 
temporarily  fitted  into  the  crucible,  being  removed  after 
the  charge  has  melted.     This  procedure  reduces  dust 

losses  and  accelerates  charging  and  melting. 

The  eight  furnaces  are  oil-tired,  built  flush  with  the 
Boor  of  the  melting-room,  on  the  arc  of  a  circle  with  fire- 
pit  at  the  rear.  This  arrangement  has  proved  satisfac- 
tory and  is  to  he  recommended  as  convenient  and  labor- 
saving. 

The  crucible,  upon  being  lifted  from  the  furnace  by 
tongs  attached   to   j-in.   wire-Cable   raised  or   lowered   by 

air-cylinder  on  the  post  of  the  jib-crane,  is  swung  around 
to  one  side  to  the  pouring-carriage  containing  the  bul- 
lion-molds. The  slag  is  first  skimmed  off,  using  sand. 
As  the  liars  are  poureil.  sticks  of  wood  are  laid  on  top 
and.  igniting,  prevent  too  rapid  cooling  of  the  centre  of 
the  bar  with  the  consequent  subsidence  and  holing. 

The  precipitate  averages  85%  fine  bullion:  the  Dore 
hars  weigh  1000  oz.  and  assay  5.0  gold  and  940  silver  fine. 
The  No.  400  crucibles  contain  an  average  of  seven  bars 
per  melt  with  a  maximum  of  10  bars.  The  average  life 
of  a  crucible  is  10  melts  or  70  bars,  which  may  be  con- 
sidered satisfactory. 

With  bullion  of  this  fineness,  no  difficulty  with  matte 
formation  is  experienced.  The  bars  are  carefully  cleaned 
and  all  chips  and  corners  removed  before  sampling  and 
weighing.  Drill-samples  are  taken,  one  on  the  top  of  the 
bar.  one-third  the  distance  along  the  diagonal  toward  the 


centre,  and  one  on  the  bott< f  the  bar  at  one  corner; 

each  hole  is  drilled  half-way  through  the  bar. 

Melting  the  precipitate  in  an  electric  furnace,  built 
alter  the  Alaska  Treadwell  and  Lluvia  de  Oro  design,  is 
under  trial.  Alternating  current  at  120  volts  is  used. 
the    input    being  aboul    600   amp.    working  at    full   heat. 

Trouble  has  been  experienced  with  dusting  and  with 
burning  a  hole  through  the  bottom  of  the  furnace;  a  re- 
newable iron  plug  may  provide  a  convenient  remedy  for 
the  latter.    The  dusting  is  probably  due  to  the  precipi- 


tin. 

ELECTBIC  Mm. TIN(.  FURNACE. 

late  being  wet,  the  intense  heat  at  the  electrode  setting 
up  a  central  draft  of  steam  and  air.  Either  the  precipi- 
tate should  he  dried  or  some  dust-collecting  apparatus 
attached  to  the  furnace-top.  The  advantages  of  this 
system  over  the  oil-tired  crucible  method  of  melting  are 
rapidity  of  melting  and  discontinuance  of  the  use  of 
crucibles  and  oil,  both  of  which  require  a  long-distance 
haul. 

Imports  to  the  United  States  during  1915  totaled 
1,1.778.600,000,  which  is  about  the  normal  amount.  Of 
this,  more  than  one-third  came  from  the  British  domin- 
ions; the  next  largest  contributors  were  Cuba,  Brazil, 
and  Japan.  Exports  totaled  $3,547,500,000,  which  is  a 
tremendous  increase.  Of  this  nearly  one-half  was  to  the 
British  dominions.  The  next  largest  customers  were 
France,  which  took  14%,  Italy  which  took  7%,  Russia, 
Holland,  tuba,  and  Scandinavia. 

Bromine  production  of  the  United  States  in  1915  was 
855.857  lb.,  worth  practically  $1  per  lb.,  an  increase  of 
278,866  lb.  and  $653,213  over  1914. 


August   18,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


2  17 


Concentrates 


V/V/Y. 


■Shift innt  ami 
prrtatmme  to  tkt  jkiwn 


L 


ELulsoadg  ,.t'  the  United  States  consume  21',  of  1 1 > •  - 
total  '"ill  production  of  the  country. 

< ;k v —  Vallei  mines,  including  Nevada  City,  yielded 
$11.14  in  gold  and  7  cents  in  silver,  or  $11.2]  in  both 
metals  per  ton  in  1915. 

ran  -powbb  easts  at  the  mines  of  the  St.  Joseph 
Lead  Co.  in  south-west  Missouri,  range  from  0.55  to  1.56 
cents  per  kilowatt-hour.  Gas-producers  and  gas-engines 
.•is  well  as  Bteam-turbines  and  Corliss  engines  are  used 
to  generate  the  power.    Coal  is  cheap  in  the  region. 


Dwellings  owned  by  the  Calumet  &  Secla  company 
and  rented  to  employees  number  over  800,  and  1000  other 

employees  own    houses  <>n   tl mpany's   land.     The 

dwellings  are  piped  with  clean  Lake  Superior  water, 
ami  id'-  company  removes  all  garbage.  No  stores  are  on 
tin-  company's  land,  hut  many  school-houses  are. 


Among  Mother  Lode  mines  the  Bagle-Shawmut,  in 
Tuolumne  county,  is -remarkable  because  85$  of  the 
yield  of  gold  is  won  from  the  concentrate  by  means  of 
chlorination.  The  concentrate  has  an  average  assay- 
value  of  $39.21  per  ton.  Only  76  cents  per  ton,  or  15% 
of  the  total  yield,  comes  from  the  amalgamating  plates. 

PlPE-THREADS  are  cut  differently  on  English  pipe  and 
fittings  than  on  those  of  American  manufacture.  The 
number  of  threads  per  inch  and  the  shape  of  the  threads 
arc  different.  Inconvenience  frequently  occurs  at  mines 
in  foreign  countries  where  part  of  the  fittings  are  Amer- 
ican and  part  are  English.  Care  should  be  taken  when 
ordering  supplies  in  foreign  countries  to  specify  which 
thread  is  wanted. 

Red  wrappers  for  dynamite  sticks  have  been  request- 
ed by  the  Alaska  Treadwell  Gold  Mining  Co.  of  the 
du  Pont  explosives  company.  Such  wrappers  make  dy- 
namite more  conspicuous  when  scattered  about  or  in 
missed  holes.  The  idea  was  suggested  at  the  Treadwell 
mine  by  a  miner  competing  for  the  quarterly  safety- 
first  prize  offered  by  the  company,  but  is  not  new  to  the 
explosives  manufacturers. 

Cost  of  mining  and  delivering  ore  to  the  mills  in  the 
lead  district  of  south-east  Missouri  averages  85  cents 
per  ton.  of  which  lie.  is  paid  to  miners  extracting  ore  on 
contract  by  a  per-ton  basis.  Compressed  air  for  drilling 
costs  5c.  per  ton,  and  explosives  8c. ;  the  cost  of  keeping 
roofs  and  backs  safe  is  3c.  Tramming  with  mules  or 
pow-er-haulage  underground  costs  5c.  exclusive  of  track 
work.  Pumping  costs  8c,  the  amount  of  water  raised  in 
the  district  averaging  12,000  gal.  per  minute  against  a 
head  of  500  ft.     The  cost  of  diamond-drilling  and  pros- 


pecting  may  add  ■<  to  l.v  to  this  amount.  The  output  of 
me  per  man  for  all  underground  labor  is  about  .">  7  ions 
par  day;  that  for  all  employees,  including  those  engaged 

in  mines,  mills,  and  prospecting,  is  :i  tons  per  man  .lay. 


High-grade  apclter  is  used  for  galvanising  telegraph 

and  telephone  wires  that  are  required  to  stand  sharp 
bending,  If  impure  spelter  is  used,  it  cracks  and  peels 
off  the  wire.    Cadmium  is  esj ially  harmful  for  such 

use.  as  it  makes  spelter  hard  and  brittle  if  present  in 
amount    of    I    or  2%.      Some  authorities,    however,    aSBOrl 

that  the  high  temperature  of  brass-pots  causes  so  much 
of  the  cadmium  impurity  to  volatilize  that  the  remainder 
has  little  deleterious  effect. 

Shaft-sinking  costs  of  30  years  ago  are  illustrated  hv 
the  figure  of  .+li1  per  foot  for  the  Tamarack  No.  1  shaft 
at  Calumet.  Michigan.  This  vertical  shaft  was  started 
in  February,  L881,  and  struck  the  Calumet  &  Ilcela 
conglomerate  lode  at  2100  ft.  depth  on  June  20,  1885, 
4£  years  later.  The  lowest  rate  of  sinking  was  42  ft. 
per  month,  and  the  highest  70  ft.  This  was  in  tough 
solid  rock,  and  uncertainty  existed  all  the  time  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  undertaking  would  he  a  sii ss. 

Shoveling  machines  for  loading  broken  rock  into  ears 

underground  are  being  used  in  mines  where  1 1 ost  of 

shoveling  is  high  on  account  of  handling  a  large  amount 
of  low-grade  ore,  such  as  at  the  Lake  Superior  iron 
mine^  and  the  underground  porphyry-copper  mines. 
Several  types  of  mechanical  loader  are  on  the  market. 
They  are  operated  by  electricity  and  are  as  compact  as 
possible  to  enable  working  in  a  narrow  drift.  A  patent 
has  recently  been  granted  to  H.  H.  Talboys  of  Duluth 
for  a  particularly  light-weight  loader  that  will  permit 
of  easy  transportation  and  have  a  low  first-cost.  This 
loader  has  no  continuously  moving  parts,  but  follows 
the  steam-shovel  design  of  requiring  motion  only  when 
the  excavating  bucket  is  doing  work.  This  bucket  i» 
actuated  by  an  arm  much  as  on  a  steam-shovel. 


Cinnabar  float  found  on  a  hillside  should  be  located  as 
a  placer,  not  a  lode,  claim.  The  rule  is  that  "if  a  dis- 
covered deposit  satisfies  the  law  as  to  its  mineral  char- 
acter, and  it  is  not  found  in  veins  of  quartz  or  other 
rock  in  place  it  may  be  appropriated  under  laws  applic- 
able to  placers."  ('Lindley  on  Mines,'  See.  419).  The 
element  of  commercial  value,  its  susceptibility  of  being 
extracted  and  marketed  at  a  profit,  are  the  controlling 
factors  in  determining  the  question.  It  has  been  held  by 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Nevada  (Rogers  v.  Cooney,  7 
Nevada,  213),  that  abandoned  mine-tailing  that  has  been 
suffered  to  flow  and  accumulate  on  vacant  and  unappro- 
priated public  land  is  subject  to  placer  location.  It 
would  seem  therefore  that  if  an  original  deposit  of  this 
kind  can  be  located  as  to  placer,  so  much  the  more  would 
the  mineral-bearing  rock  that  has  reached  its  present 
position  by  actual  erosion.  There  being  no  apex,  there 
could  of  course  be  no  basis  on  which  to  predicate  a  lode 
location. 


248 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1016 


The  newt  of  the  vn-k  a$  told  by  our  special  correspondent*  and  compiled  from  the  local  pi 


ALASKA 

ANCHORAGE 

In  the  Broad  Pass  district  there  are  about  30  prospectors 
busy,  with  a  number  going  in.  The  Government  camp  at 
Talkeetna  has  facilitated  transportation.  Recently  E.  Miller 
and  others  opened  rich  silver-lead  and  copper-gold  ore  on  Ohio 
creek.  This  area  is  expected  to  develop  into  an  important 
lode  district. 

On  July  22  the  Government  held  a  sale  of  town  lots  at  An- 


I  To  Broad  Pass 
Chulrfn3*^Pass 


OFFICIAL  MAI'  OF  PAKT  OF  THE   RAILROAD   UNDER  CONSTRUCTION 
IN    ALASKA. 


chorage.    A  total  of  131  were  sold,  realizing  $28,740.  at  prices 
ranging  from  $75  to  $700  each. 

In  Bulletin  642-F  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  Stephen  R. 
Capps  discusses  gold  mining  in  the  Willow  Creek  district. 
Work  continued  during  1915  on  about  the  same  scale  as  in  1914. 
The  output  is  derived  mainly  from  the  three  mines  that  have 
been  operating  for  several  years,  namely,  the  Alaska  Free, 
Gold  Bullion,  and  Independence.  These  are  equipped  with 
mills,  the  first  two  with  cyanide-plants,  and  employ  a  total  of 
about  120  men  during  the  season.  Other  mines  of  the  district 
are  the  Mabel.  Rosenthal,  Shough,  Jap,  Mammoth,  and  McCoy. 
Some  hydraulicking  was  done.  The  total  output  in  1915  was 
$843,901  gold  and  $1828  silver. 

Cordova 

Shipments  of  copper  in  ore  from  Alaskan  mines  during  the 
first  five  months  of  1916  are  as  follows,  in  pounds: 

1916  1915  1914 

January     9,365,733  2,149,476  2.784,802 

February     10,913,458  3,678,880  1,859,360 

March     10,992,707  2,149,272  2,133,980 

April     12,992,523  2,845,980  1,319,110 

May     12,405,421  3,525,600  603,492 

At  present  the  Kennecott  company  contributes  10,000,000  lb. 
monthly  to  the  total. 

Junf.au 

During  July  the  Alaska  Gastineau  mill  treated  140,043  tons 
of  ore.  yielding  $1.24  per  ton. 

Sewabd 

A  meeting  was  held  at  Seward  on  August  1  to  consider  the 
question  of  erecting  a  smelter  there.  The  copper  mines 
tributary  to  Prince  William  sound  are  estimated  to  contain 
1,000,000  tons  of  ore.  The  smelter  at  Tacoma  is  unable  to 
handle  all  that  is  offered. 

ARIZONA 

Cociii.se  County 
Bisbee.  During  the  second  quarter  of  1916  the  Shattuck- 
Arizona  Copper  Co.  produced  4.194.S73  lb.  of  copper.  192.459  lb. 
of  lead.  11147  oz.  of  gold,  and  70,350  oz.  of  silver.  The  cost  was 
10.44c.  per  lb.  of  copper.  Profits  were  $689,615.  against 
$781, 3S0  on  the  first  quarter. 

Gila  County 

Miami.  Fifteen  miles  south-east  of  Miami,  near  the  prop- 
erties of  the  Pandora  Copper  Co.,  Arizona  Zinc  &  Lead,  Cole 
Development  Co.,  Independence,  Pinal  Development  Co..  Troy 
&  Arizona,  Gila  Development  Co.,  and  Ray  Eastern  &  Whitcher 
is  that  of  the  Greater  Miami  Copper  Co.  A  fair  amount  of 
development  has  been  done,  and  veins  containing  gold,  silver, 
copper,  and  lead  exposed.  More  men  are  to  be  employed  in 
charge  of  N.  W.  Tanner.    Road  construction  is  under  way. 

On  one  day  last  week  the  Inspiration  mill  treated  16,900 
tons  of  ore.  Steel  workers  are  busy  on  the  extensions.  Car- 
penters are  erecting  trestles  for  tailing  launders  in  Warrior 
canyon. 

Globe.  The  North  Dominion  Copper  Mining  &  Develop- 
ment cori>oration  is  being  organized  by  A.  Billard  and  S. 
Sutherland  of  Globe  to  develop  the  Mercer  property  at  Radium, 
near  Globe.     Past  work  indicates  promising  results. 


Aim-iist   12.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


249 


Mull  ivi:    001  S  n 

I'm  ><uii»:.    At  u  depth  ol  ISO  ft.  in  thr  Beheneetadj  mine  itch 

zlm •■silver  ore  ha*  been  opened,  It  Ib  Hiiniliir  U)  thai  at  1400 
ft.  In  the  Tennessee. 

Oatman.  All  kinds  of  rumors  are  current  concerning  llie 
Big  Jim  mine.  Engineers  representing'  various  syndicates 
have  been  examining  the  property.  A  consolidation  wiili  ail- 
Joining  mines  Is  mentioned.  The  dally  output  Is  3"  Ions.  At 
MO  ft  the  vein  assays  $46.30  par  ton  for  the  1S4  ft.  of  open- 
ings. The  500-ft.  level  has  been  opened  for  195  ft.  Close  to  the 
Bit  Jim  shaft  the  Tom  Keeil  company  Is  sinking  a  shaft. 

The  Suniiyslde  mine,  adjoining  the  Tom  Reed,  has  bean 
financed  by  Los  Angeles  people,  including  Seeley  Mudd  and 
John  Wuseman.  involving  185,000. 

1'IMV    ('Ml  MV 

Ajo.  The  New  Cornelia  Copper  Co.  has  750  men  employed. 
Excavation,  foundations,  and  other  work  at  the  mill-site  is 
well  advanced.  Overburden  is  being  removed  from  the  ore- 
body.  Streets,  water  and  sewer  systems,  and  stores  at  Ajo 
are  making  good  progress.    The  town  plaza  Is  finished. 

V  \\  IPAJ    t'"l   \  H 

.li  iioMK.  It  has  been  hinted  by  James  S.  Douglas,  president 
of  the  United  Verde  Extension  company,  that  a  smelter  and 
other  treatment  plant  are  eventually  probable.  High-grade 
ore  continues  to  be  shipped  to  smelters.  This  company  is  also 
developing  the  Jerome-Verde  mine  from  the  Extension's  1400- 
ft.  level. 

Yuma  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Work  on  the  plants  of  the  Yuma 
Consolidated  and  the  Plomosa  company's  is  progressing  as 
fast  as  the  great  heat  and  transport  delays  allow.  The  Plo- 
mosa expects  to  begin  operations  not  later  than  September. 
The  Yuma  company  will  have  a  2000-yd.  and  the  Plomosa  a 
1000-yd.  plant.  At  present  great  interest  is  being  centred  on 
a  deep  hole  on  the  Yuma  ground,  the  first  of  its  kind  in  that 
district,  intended  to  be  an  experiment  and  a  demonstration  of 
what  had  been  considered  heretofore  by  old-timers  to  deep  to 
be  of  much  value.  This  hole,  which  is  140  ft.  deep,  has  been 
a  revelation.  At  the  surface  the  gold  was  rather  fine,  at  va- 
rious depths  rich  seams  were  cut  averaging  12  to  20  in.  in 
width,  and  worth  up  to  $12  per  yard.  A  hard  strata  of  cement 
was  then  penetrated,  which  also  carried  finer  gold  and  then 
the  layer  of  bedrock  gravel  was  met  with,  which  was  found  to 
be  thick.  Of  this  seam,  15  ft.  above  bedrock  averaged  better 
than  $6.65  per  yard.,  while  the  whole  bed  of  gravel  and  cement 
to  the  surface  yielded  over  $2,  thus  proving  that  for  work  in  a 
large  way  the  deeper  ground  of  the  district  may  be  found  to  be 
even  better  than  the  partly  worked  and  shallower  ground; 
the  later  areas  still  have  ground  that  will  return  $12  per  yard. 

Regardless  of  the  hot  weather  many  engineers  ape  visiting 
the  district  to  see  the  test-plant  operating,  erected  at  a  cost 
of  $65,000.  Runs  were  made,  the  pulverizer  and  Stebbins  dry 
concentrator  doing  good  work,  practically  97%  of  the  gold 
being  recovered.  A  large  influx  of  mining  people  is  expected 
on  the  approach  of  cooler  weather,  and  as  a  consequence  every 
foot  of  ground  has  been  covered  for  15  miles. 

Quartzite,  July  31. 

CALIFORNIA 

Butte  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Mineral  Slide  drift  mine 
near  Magalia,  owned  by  L.  Cohn,  J.  Gooday,  and  S.  Moody,  has 
been  bonded  by  John  Cowan  and  associates  of  Salt  Lake  City. 
C.  E.  Hand  of  Los  Angeles  is  in  charge.  Work  has  been  pro- 
ceeding steadily  during  the  past  month.  Twelve  men  are  at 
work  and  the  old  flume  and  ditch  are  being  repaired.  When 
this  work  is  completed  a  1500-ft.  bedrock  adit  will  be  driven 
on  a  sluice-grade  to  cut  the  gravel  at  depth.     Mucking  ma- 


chines will  be  usod  and  all  labor-saving  appliance!  possible. 
I  lie  price  fixed  on  the  property  Is  unknown,  hut  Is  thought  to 
be  about  $100,000.    This  property  has  produced  appro] 

d  colli  since  iir*t  opened  and  is  still  considered 

good.  Apparatus  to  save  tho  fine  gold  and  black  sand  will 
mean  success  inr  this  properly,  as  It   would   with   many  other 

drift    mines    In    this    State.      The    present    i pany    has    the 

money.      Visitors   at   the    Exposition    will    remember    the    gold 

exhibit  in  the  California  building.    Nearly  all  tho  gold  in  the 

Butte  County  exhibit  was  from  the  Mineral  Slide  mine,  one 
nugget  being  worth  $193.  The  gold  in  this  property  Is  coarse, 
and  much  platinum  is  found  In  the  black  sand. 

The  Lucky  John  mine,  adjoining  the  Mineral  Slide  on  the 
east,  owned  bj  I.  D.  Hubbard  and  others  of  San  Francisco, 
has  completed  the  work  on  a  1000-ft.  adit  and  96-ft.  raise,  and 
will  soon  be  washing  gravel.  This  property  is  up  stream  from 
the  Mineral  Slide  and  holds  excellent  promise  to  become  a 
steady  producer. 

Magalia,  July  30. 

Calaveras  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  manager  of  the  Calaveras 
Copper  Co.,  S.  M.  Levy,  reports  that  the  company  is  doubling 
the  flotation  plant,  bringing  the  capacity  to  500  or  600  tons 
daily.  The  new  installations  will  include  one  S-ft.  Hardinge 
conical  ball-mill,  a  20-ft.  Dorr  thickener,  11  pneumatic  flota- 
tion-cells, and  a  11  ft.  6  in.  Oliver  filter.  The  flotation  process 
has  proved  a  success  here.  Concentrate  from  the  old  method 
was  never  higher  than  6  to  S%  copper,  while  the  flotation 
makes  a  product  of  15%,  which  could  be  raised  to  18%,  but 
would  probably  result  in  a  greater  tailing  loss.  The  new  3- 
compartment  shaft  is  completed  to  the  sixth  level.  A  new 
machine-shop  has  been  erected  at  this  shaft,  where  all  repairs 
for  mine  and  mill  may  be  made.  A  new  rock-crushing  plant 
has  been  erected  near  the  mill,  to  be  in  commission  within 
two  weeks.  This  plant  will  be  capable  of  crushing  1500  tons 
of  lj-in.  and  smaller  size,  in  24  hours.  Power  is  supplied  by 
the  Sierra  &  San  Francisco  Power  Co.  Coffer  &  Trask,  lessees 
in  the  upper  workings  of  the  mine,  are  producing  10  to  15 
tons  of  shipping  ore  per  day. 

A.  Wetzel  is  mining  and  shipping  chrome  from  W.  P. 
Hendsch  and  Campbell  &  Perry's  properties  near  Copperopolis. 
About  100  tons  has  been  shipped.  Rant  &  Deane  of  Felix  have 
shipped  60  tons.  While  there  seems  to  be  an  abundance  of 
chrome  in  this  area,  freight  rates,  owing  to  bad  roads  and 
distances,  make  the  margin  of  profit  an  uncertainty.  Mr. 
Wetzel  will  soon  open  a  body  of  manganese  ore  on  the  Stack- 
poole  ranch  near  Milton,  and  has  taken  a  bond  on  another  man- 
ganese property  near  Bear  mountain. 

The  American  Asbestos  &  Manufacturing  Co.  of  San  Fran- 
cisco is  developing  a  large  deposit  of  asbestos  near  here.  A 
plant  for  separating  the  fibre  from  the  rock  is  being  installed 
at  present.  Excavating  for  the  mill  is  being  done  with  12 
men.  A  large  body  of  asbestos  which  can  be  worked  prac- 
tically as  a  quarry  in  benches,  is  under  the  control  of  this 
company,  and  as  soon  as  roads  and  other  freight  problems  are 
solved  there  will  be  a  great  quantity  extracted.  J.  A.  Voor- 
hees  is  manager  of  the  company. 

Copperopolis,  August  1. 

Inyo  County 

Bishop.  The  new  300-ton  mill  of  the  Tungsten  Mines  Co.  is 
practically  complete.    Developments  continue  satisfactory. 

Nevada  County 

Nevada  City.  Mining  men  of  this  place  and  Grass  Valley 
have  bonded  the  old  Delhi  mine  near  Columbia  Hill.  R. 
Tremeroux,  of  the  Champion  mine  at  Grass  Valley,  is  to  be 
in  charge. 

Gbass  Valley.  At  the  Allison  Ranch  mine,  building  con- 
struction is  well  under  way,  nearly  ready  to  receive  ma- 
chinery.    Foundations  for  the  head-frame  are  being  poured, 


250 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


and  grading  has  been  started  for  the  mill.  A  water  ejector 
Is  to  be  used  in  unwatering  the  first  part  of  the  shaft.  A 
larger  drum  has  been  fitted  to  the  main-shaft  hoist  of  the 
Brunswick  mine. 

Plumas  County 

Colfax.  The  new  mill  at  the  Walker  copper  mine  is  prac- 
tically complete.  Assays  of  the  vein  in  the  face  of  the  1000-ft. 
adit  average  7.14',  topper,  3.6  oz.  silver,  and  $1.20  gold  per  ton. 

Sierra  COUNTY 

Ai  i  m.ii any.  In  the  V .  S.  District  Court  at  San  Francisco  the 
Twenty-One  Mining  Co.  is  being  sued  by  the  Sixteen-to-One 
Mining  Co.  for  $100,000  and  an  injunction,  alleging  that  the 
Twenty-One  is  trespassing  in  the  Sixteen-to-One's  ground. 

Tulare  Coi  my 

PoBTKBVimt,     On   pages  225  and   234   of  this   issue   will   be 


OUTCROP  AXI>  OPEN-CUT  ox  mai.nesite  VKIN  OF  LINDSAY   mimm,  i  O., 

PORTEBVIIXE,    CALIFORNIA. 

found  some  interesting  notes  on  the  magnesite  situation,  di- 
rectly affecting  the  Porterville  district. 

COLORADO 
Lakk  County  (Lkadville) 

It  has  been  found  that  a  creek  flowing  down  Evans  gulch 
was  pouring  into  workings  of  the  Harvard  shaft  of  the  U.  S. 
S.  R.  &  E.  Co.,  preventing  the  pumps  from  draining  the  ground. 
At  first  this  was  thought  to  be  a  natural  flow  in  the  mine.  This 
surface  water  is  to  be  diverted. 

The  Tarsus  shaft  on  Yankee  hill  has  been  repaired  to  600-ft. 
depth.  On  the  bottom  level  a  large  vein  assaying  89  to  309  oz. 
of  silver  and  ll'<  copper  has  been  found,  and  promises  to  be 
persistent. 

The  Connors  lease  at  the  Ibex  last  week  shipped  one  ton 
of  ore,  yielding  gold  metallics  worth  $2470  on  screens,  after 
which  is  assayed  105  oz.  per  ton. 

Ouray  County 

Oubay.  The  H.  A.  C  Tunnel  &  Mining  Co.  has  been  incor- 
porated with  a  capital  of  1,000,000  shares  at  $1  each,  to  de- 
velop 30  gold-silver  claims  in  the  UncompahKre  district,  2* 
miles  from  Ouray.  An  adit  has  been  driven  800  ft.  to  cross- 
cut the  property,  and  in  400  ft.  the  fiist  large  vein  is  expected, 
which  has  a  good  surface  outcrop.  Some  interesting  work  is 
contemplated. 

Teller  County  (Cripple  Creek  i 

The  Roosevelt  drainage-tunnel  is  now  in  850  ft.  east  of  the 
Blkton  shaft,  in  breccia  formation.  A  little  over  12  ft.  is 
being  advanced  daily.  The  flow  of  water  is  11,200  gal.  per 
minute,  a  decrease  of  2300  gal.  since  July  1. 


The  July  gold  yield  was  as  follows: 

Average  Gross 

Plant                                               Tons  Value  Value 

Golden    Cycle    34,000  $18.00  $612,000 

Portland   12,000  20.00  240,000 

Portland    % 18,000  2.79  50,220 

Portland    14,550  1.92  17,936 

Reid-Gold  Sovereign  1,350  3.60  3.275 

Won  cster-Rubie    250  2.90  725 

Smelters    4,760  55.00  261,250 

Totals    84,900  $13.96        $1,185,406 

Dividends  paid  totaled  $210,000,  $90,000  by  the  Vindicator. 
$90,000  by  the  Portland,  and  $30,000  by  the  Golden  Cycle. 

KANSAS 

Cherokee  COUNTY 

Columbus.  Several  farms  5  miles  south  of  this  place  have 
been  leased  to  Picher  and  Commerce,  Oklahoma,  men,  who  are 
to  prospect  the  1200  acres  by  drilling.  They  consider  that  an 
extension  of  the  Miami,  Oklahoma,  field  is  possible.  This 
marks  the  third  prospecting  campaign  started  recently  north 
of  the  Oklahoma  border.  A  total  of  6000  acres  is  to  be  tested 
by  all  concerns. 

MICHIGAN 
The  Copper  Country 

Houghton.  It  is  probable  that  the  Mayflower  company  will 
sink  a  shaft  in  the  near  future,  although  officials  do  not  affirm 
the  rumor.  Farmers  working  on  the  surface  have  been  told 
not  to  plant  their  next  crops.  The  geology  of  the  property  has 
been  studied  recently. 

An  assessment  has  been  made  by  the  Keweenaw.  Crushing 
of  ore  may  start  in  September. 

In  connection  with  the  Tamarack  mine  and  G.  M.  Hyams, 
several  shareholders  are  to  bring  suits  against  him  for  his 
interference  in  the  sale  of  the  property  to  the  Calumet  &  Hecla, 
whereby  they  may  lose  a  good  deal  of  money. 

MISSOURI 
Joplin  District 

Joplin.  On  account  of  the  great  increase  in  mining  activity 
in  the  district  the  use  of  natural  gas  has  advanced  257c  during 
the  past  two  years.  The  Kansas  Na'ural  Gas  Co.  reports  that 
in  May  of  the  past  three  years  the  consumption  was  41,000,000, 
55,000.000,  and  75,000,000  cu.  ft.,  respectively. 

The  past  week  was  uneventful  in  the  ore  market.  The  dis- 
trict's output  was  4550  tons  of  blende,  66  tons  of  calamine,  and 
954  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $66,  $44,  and  $72  per  ton,  respec- 
tively.   The  total  value  was  $374,172. 

Owing  to  prices  of  zinc  blende  only  averaging  $66.30  per  ton 
during  July,  miners  will  receive  25c.  per  day  less. 

The  Ramage  No.  6  mill  is  now  ready  to  treat  1000  tons  of 
ore  daily,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  district.  Wilfley  tables. 
Dorr  thickeners,  sand  rolls,  jig,  screens,  etc.,  costing  $18,000 
were  recently  installed. 

Galena.  The  new  smelter  of  the  Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co. 
commenced  operating  on  July  27.  It  is  thoroughly  modern, 
costing  $100,000.  Considerable  attention  has  been  devoted  to 
a  change-house  for  employees.  John  McClaren  is  manager. 
Coke  from  Collinsville.  Illinois,  is  being  tried;  if  successful, 
it  means  a  large  saving  over  coal. 

IDAHO 

Boise  County 

Quartzburo.  Lode  mining  in  the  Quartzburg  and  Grimes 
Pass  porphyry  belt  on  Boise  Basin  is  described  by  E.  L.  Jones, 
Jr..  in  Bulletin  640-E.  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  Idaho 
City.  Centerville.  Placerville.  Quartzburg.  and  Pioneerville  are 


Aogust  19,  l!'lti 


MINING  and  Sc.enlihc   PRESS 


I  centres  nr  tha  region     Tha  Basin  baa  ■ 
lion  nf  IOC  people,  compared  with  thousand*  In  tha  aarlj  days, 

Hoods   <-iiiiiii  .  I    tho    towns.      (Juiiil.     mining;    cumin,  111  ■ 

after  Um  nlaoera  awr*  found     In  186?  there  wars  t"  mills  in 
no*  at)  baring,  been  devised.    Gold 

output  of  tha  Utt»t r If t  from  1868  to  1914 

arga  dredges  an  «»»   working  creak-bed  «ra\. 
jrtaid  In   1911,  1918,  and  1914  balna  ovai    I  year. 

Natural  conditions  are  favorable  to  mining,  Including  timber, 

ijut,  and  power,    The  future  of  tha  area  will  depend 
largely  on  the  adoption  of  suitable  treatment   i<>r  thi 
which  arc  becoming  Incraaslngl]  baas,    Veins  occur  In  zones 
nf  sheeted  granite,  the  Quartsburg  and   Grimes,  and  Qam- 
lirtniis   balta   being   tha   most   persistent.     Oxidation   only   ex- 


■  iiim  ;>(  Spokane     Work  should  toon 
Nim.mmi      ri..  itcd  Interatate-Callahan  company 

follows  dm  the  • ml  quai U 

<ir.'  milled  ■  i.  inns 

ind  concentrate  shipped    (62.08      and    18.619 

sine),  tons  is,u«9 

Zinc  in  products,  pounds  16  • 

Cost  or  mining,  per  ton }l ,:i7 

Cost  of  milling,  per  ton  11,49 

Profll    (. 

Compared  with  the  Brsl  quarter  nel  earnings  «cr.'  199,106 
less,  yel  thej  were  more  than  Bufflclenl  to  pa]  the  quarterly 
dividend  "i  $1.60  per  share. 

Mi  why.    The  new  mill  of  the  Eimpire  Copper  Co,  on  the  in- 


Scale   25o,ooo 


Gold  quartz  vein 


MINES 

1.  Blaine 

2.  Illinois 

3.  Lucky  Boy 

4.  Eureka 

5.  Gambrinus 
G.  Washington 

7.  Sub  Rosa 

8.  Forest  King 
'.'  Boulder 

10.  Elkhom 

11.  Mountain  Chief 

12.  BL-lshazzar 

13.  Gold  Hill 

14.  Iowa 

15.  Carroll 

16.  Mountain  Queen 

17.  Idaho 

18.  Golden  Age 
Diana  Mines  Co.: 

19.  Enterprise 

20.  Mohawk 

21.  Coon  Dog  No.  1 

22.  Coon  Dog  No.  4 


1 

Stream  gravels 

I 

OK 

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cbpei 

Ba 

(Eruji 

•CtU  formal 

t.  i    I  a  '■<  '.j 

on 
tola 

riBfll 
W 

>all  l.ivn  tl 

J  rfuriiifl  rfi/ 
aytttt  formali 

Rock. 

Ctj.jrl;  if 
Mrpftm 

myolog. 

-'.'.'.'. 

belt 

,  (jraaif* 
granitif 

si 

of  porphyrj 
oritV  pcipAi/r, 

■  _"'•  i   ft* 

H 

*5 

I'vJ-'ti- 

GEOLOGIC   MAP  OF  THE  BOISE  BASIN,   IDAHO. 


tends  a  short  depth  below  the  surface.  Pyrite  and  sphalerite 
are  the  most  widely  distributed  minerals.  The  report  devotes 
a  good  deal  of  space  to  notes  on  the  several  mines. 

Idaho  County 

Elk  City.  H.  L.  Herkalrath  and  others  of  Spokane  have 
secured  a  bond  for  $15,000  on  the  Gold  Drop  claims  six  miles 
away.  The  mine  has  been  fairly  well  developed,  showing  270 
ft.  of  $9  gold  ore.    A  15-ton  mill  is  to  be  erected. 

Shoshone  County   (Coeur  d'Alene) 

Kellogg.  Lead  miners  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  received  the 
bonus  of  $1  per  day  for  July. 

Burke.  The  Hecla  Mining  Co.  pays  15c.  per  share,  or  $150,- 
000,  on  August  20.    This  makes  $950,000  for  1916. 

The   Marsh   and   Ambergris   companies   recently   completed 


tie  north  fork  of  the  Coeur.  d'Alene  river  is  treating  150  tons 
daily,  and  will  soon  be  up  to  the  300-ton  capacity.  Concentrate 
contains  22.5%  copper. 

Wallace.  In  its  two  mills  the  Hecla  company  is  now  treat- 
ing 750  tons  of  ore  daily.  A  good  deal  of  crude  ore  is  shipped 
direct  to  smelters.  Underground  developments  continue  to  be 
most  gratifying. 

MONTANA 

Jefferson  County 

Basin.  At  the  head  of  Bear  creek,  elevation  7600  ft.,  near 
here,  the  Crystal  Copper  Co.  is  developing  a  property  that  has 
yielded  $100,000  of  ore  to  lessees.  A  cross-cut  adit  is  being 
driven.  The  ore  yields  4%  copper.  11  oz.  silver,  and  $4  to  $6 
gold  per  ton. 


252 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


Gallatin  County 

Three  Fork*.  Within  three  months  the  Three  Forks  Copper 
Mining  Co.,  7  miles  north,  will  he  shipping  ore.  Reserves  are 
considerable  down  to  a  depth  of  425  feet. 

LEWIS  and  Clark  County 

Helena.  Claims  in  the  Scratch  Gravel  and  Grass  Valley 
districts  are  to  be  developed  by  the  Cruse  Consolidated  Min- 
ing Co..  recently  formed.    R.  A.  Weisner  of  Helena  is  secretary. 

SlLVERBOW    COUNTY     (BtJTTE) 

At  1000  ft.  depth  in  the  Butte-Detroit  the  company  is  to  put 
in  a  cross-cut  800  ft.  to  cut  the  vein  opened  on  the  500-ft.  level. 
The  Ophir  mill  is  to  be  started  early  in  September. 

During  the  second  quarter  of  1916  the  North  Butte  Mining 
Co.  treated  146,190  tons  of  ore,  yielding  6,074,742  lb.  of  copper, 
264.400  oz.  of  silver,  and  442  oz.  of  gold,  compared  with  131,071 
tons,  5,740,193  lb.,  244,976  oz.,  and  365  oz.,  respectively,  in  the 
first  quarter.  A  good  vein  was  cut  in  July,  15  ft.  below  the 
3500-ft.  level  in  the  Granite  Mountain  shaft,  500  ft.  below  the 
present  deepest  working  level. 

Owing  to  the  lower  price  of  copper  in  July,  wages  at  Butte 
have  been  reduced  from  $4.50  to  $4.25  per  day. 

The  2000-ton  zinc-ore  concentrating  plant  of  the  Anaconda 
was  expected  to  start  work  on  August  5,  also  the  electrolytic 
zinc  refinery  at  Great  Falls  on  the  10th. 

According  to  the  manager,  W,  L.  Creden,  the  Davis-Daly 
gives  most  hopeful  indications  of  ultimately  developing  into 
a  sizable  and  profitable  mine.  Prospects  lie  on  the  Hesperus 
orebody,  which  has  been  definitely  found  on  the  2500-ft.  level. 
At  this  point  the  orebody  has  been  opened  for  450  ft.,  with  an 
average  width  of  12  ft.,  the  ore  assaying  between  5  and  7', 
The  breast  of  the  drift  on  this  level  is  still  in  ore. 
Development  of  this  orebody  contemplates  openings  above  and 
below  2500  ft.  and  to  this  end  a  drift  is  also  being  put  in  on 
the  2400-ft.  level,  where  it  is  expected  that  the  vein  will  be 
encountered  in  about  two  months.  The  new  hoist  should  be  in 
commission  about  October  1,  at  which  time  production  should 
be  doubled  from  the  present  total  of  about  135  tons  per  day. 
There  is.  however,  no  attempt  being  made  at  present  to  extract 
ore  except  that  which  is  met  with  in  development.  The  aim 
is  to  keep  income  and  expenditure  balanced  pending  the  time 
when  the  Hesperus  orebody  has  been  developed  to  a  point 
where  a  substantial  tonnage  of  ore  can  be  economically  mined. 
With  copper  at  its  present  prices  it  is  calculated  that  the 
Hesperus  will  easily  pay  for  its  own  development.  Aside  from 
the  favorable  showing  in  the  Hesperus.  Davis-Daly  has  an 
asset  Of  potential  value  in  its  Hibernia  claim,  next  to  the 
Nettie  which  the  Anaconda  company  is  developing  as  a  zinc 
mine.    No  work  is  being  done  on  the  Hibernia  at  present. 

At  500  ft.  in  the  Butte  &  Great  Falls  mine  a  heavy  flow  of 
water  has  necessitated  installing  a  500-gal.  pump  and  100-hp. 
motor.     The  Dewey  vein  is  close  at  hand. 

NEVADA 

Elko  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  following  notes  cover  the 
Gold  Circle  district: 

The  Gold  Circle  Queen  is  being  opened  by  lessees.  So  far 
they  have  milled  200  tons,  mostly  through  a  two-stamp  mill. 
Some  was  crushed  at  the  Elko  Prince,  but  the  haul  to  the 
latter  mill  is  expensive  and  the  service  decidedly  unsatis- 
factory. The  lessees  announce  that  tiey  have  secured  a  lease 
on  the  Rex  five-stamp  mill,  and  will  haul  the  best  of  their  ore 
there.  The  gold  is  generally  very  fine,  but  is  readily  amalgam- 
able.  The  Rex  is  equipped  with  a  modern  cyanide  plant,  the 
stamps  being  followed  by  a  tube-mill,  but  it  is  not  known 
whether  the  lessees  will  attempt  to  make  use  of  it.  The  ore- 
shoot  developed  in  the  Queen  is  a  little  over  80  ft.  long,  and 
varies  from  4  to  S  ft.  in  width.    Four  feet  of  this,  in  the  north 


drift,  assays  $50.    The  whole  shoot,  as  far  as  developed,  would 
bp  first-class  mill  ore  if  a  plant  were  on  the  ground. 

Early  in  July  the  Elko  Prince  company  sent  out  nearly  1300 
lb.  of  bullion,  the  June  clean-up.  No  information  as  to  its 
value  is  available,  but  it  is  estimated  locally  at  $70,000.  Re- 
cently  the  Prince»completed  the  cross-cut  to  a  parallel  vein  on 
the  June  Bell  claim.  It  has  proved  to  be  of  good  milling  grade, 
resulting  in  the  addition  of  a  substantial  supply  for  the  mill, 
and  a  rise  in  Elko  Prince  shares,  which  are  now  around  40 
cents. 

On  the  Gold  Circle  group.  Randall  brothers  have  opened  a 
shoot  of  high-grade  ore  for  20  ft.  The  vein  is  from  15  to  18  in. 
wide,  with  an  additional  24  in.  worth  $12  to  $15.  Silver  has 
predominated  so  far,  but  the  gold-content  is  increasing  with 
depth.  This  strike  brings  a  new  section  of  the  district  into 
prominence.  Bamberger's  $10,000  pocket  on  the  Midas  ground 
is  not  far  from  the  Randall  find,  but  the  Bamberger  strike  had 
become  ancient  history,  and  many  of  the  newcomers  were  in- 
clined to  become  skeptical  as  to  the  existence  of  rich  ore.  So 
this  latest  find  comes  at  an  opportune  time.  Lessees  would  be 
all  over  this  ground  if  there  were  adequate  milling  facilities 
close  at  hand.  The  Prince  mill  is  in  an  out  of  the  way  place 
and  has  a  monopoly  of  the  custom  business  at  present.  There 
should  be  more  here. 

Noble  and  Stone  have  completed  their  road  to  the  Lucky 
Boy  shaft  on  the  Grizzly  group,  and  will  begin  hauling  ore  to 

either  the  Prince  or  Rex  mill. Lessees  on  the  Missing  Link 

claim  are  mining  some  shipping  ore.  and  have  a  fair  tonnage 
of  mill  ore  on  the  dump. 

Midas.  July  31. 

Elko  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — An  experimental  plant,  costing 
about  $50,000,  is  being  erected  one  mile  south  of  Elko  for  the 
extraction  of  gasoline  from  the  immense  beds  of  shale  in  this 
neighborhood.  Tests  indicate  each  ton  of  shale  will  yield 
approximately  200  lb.  of  paraffin.  The  project  is  financed  by 
R.  M.  Catlin  of  New  York. 

The  Tobar  zinc  mines  at  Tobar.  a  new  town  80  miles  from 
Elko,  are  being  operated  by  the  Nevada  Zinc  Co.  It  is  stated 
that  enough  ore.  much  of  it  high  grade,  is  opened  to  warrant 
building  a  smelter,  and  officials  of  the  company  recently 
Inspected  the  new  plant  of  the  Anaconda  company  in  Montana. 

Salt  Lake  City  people  are  vigorously  developing  the  Clipper 
mine  south  of  Tecoma.  The  ore  contains  a  good  deal  of  silver 
and  lead,  with  traces  of  gold.  In  sinking  the  main  shaft,  now 
90  ft  deep,  there  is  still  ore  in  the  bottom.  From  the  80-ft. 
point  driving  is  under  way  and  small  shipments  of  ore  are 
going  to  1'tah  smelters.  The  group  comprises  six  claims,  situ- 
ated between  the  Tecoma  and  Copper  Mountain  mines,  both 
noted  early-day  producers. 

Elko,  August  6. 

Esmeralda  County 

Goldfield.  The  estimated  production  of  the  Goldfield  Con- 
solidated during  July  is  $183,000  from  26,700  tons  of  ore.  The 
profit  is  $30,000.  During  June  net  costs  were  $5.11  per  ton. 
The  second  section  of  the  mill  should  be  converted  to  flotation 
by  August  15. 

Cuprite.  Thirteen  miles  south  of  Goldfield  the  Los  Angeles 
Sulphur  Co.  owns  large  deposits  of  sulphur,  recent  shipments 
being  paid  for  on  a  basis  of  To'/,  pure  sulphur.  A  camp  is 
being  erected  for  employees,  and  a  contract  has  been  arranged 
for  250  tons  of  ore  per  month.  A.  W.  L.  Dunn,  with  head- 
quarters at  Goldfield,  is  in  charge.  Sulphur  is  worth  $30  to 
$32  per  ton  in  San  Francisco. 

Humboldt  County 

(Special  Correspondence.  I — News  has  been  brought  to  Win- 
nemucca  of  an  important  copper  discovery  in  the  Jackson 
mountains,  about  32  miles  from  Jungo,  a  station  on  the  West- 
ern Pacific  railway.    According  to  the  reports  of  miners  there 


Antrum  19,  L916 


MINING  and  Scient.fic   PRESS 


»rv   two  dlsllnt't   copper-bearing  lodes  In   u   mon/milin   form* 
ii> .n    traceable  for  11,000  ft    with  I  Width  Of  1800  ft      Ont  rata 
contains  carbonate,  the  other  consists  of  snlphldi 
rniiKc  from  i  to  IW  copper,    arrangementi  imn'  baao  rnadi  to 

aiiip  ii  ma,  mill  aagotlatla 

line  for  thr  building  ol  a  r."-ti'ii  plant 

The  iii'»  10-atamp  mill  in  ilii-  Kramer  Kill  i;olil  mine,  iwo 
mllrs  from  QoloondS,  ling  ticen  tested  mul  Is  rt'iuly  to  start 
crushing.     A  largo  reserve  01  good-grade  on  Is  exposed. 

Work  has  bean  resumed  at  the  Adelaide  copper  mine  In  the 
Gold  Run  district.  11  milM  south  of  Qolconda  Several  build- 
lng»  an   under  oonatraotlon  and  mine  workings  an   being 

in  shape  for  a  largo  output.    The  property  was  n 
acquired    by    John    O.    Klrcben    nml  01    Tonopah. 

Charlea  Klrchen  is  superintendent, 

Walker  brothert  ol  Ball  Lake  City  have  taken  »n  option  on 
the  Granite  Creek  tungsten  mine.  80  miles  northwest  of  Gol- 
conda.  and  started  work.  The  orebody  in  plans  range 
20  to  B0  ft.  wide,  and  assays  from  1  to  2"',  tungstlc  acid.  The 
mine  Is  owned  by  Q.  W.  Carty,  P.  V.  Sanders,  Curl  Stolfelt,  and 
George  Fnrrls. 

The  Hatch  lease  has  completed  the  tramway  from  the  Buck- 
skin National  to  the  mill,  and  construction  of  the  plain  is 
priii. oiling  rapidly.  Development  continues  highly  pleasing. 
The  Gayer  &  Defenbaugh  lease  has  driven  its  adit  90  ft.,  and 
expects  to  Intersect  the  Buckskin  National  vein  within  80  ft. 
This  lease  has  also  started  work  on  a  block  of  ground  in  the 
Buckskin  Mary. 

Golconda.  August  5. 

Lincoln  County 

PloCHE.  On  September  1  the  Prince  Consolidated  pays  5c. 
per  share,  equal  to  $50,000.  The  gross  yield  for  the  first 
quarter  of  1916  was  $294,643.  The  output  of  ore  is  12,000  tons 
monthly.  The  new  tailing-treatment  plant  at  Bullionville  is  at 
work. 

I  levelopment  in  the  Hamburg  mines  near-by  is  reported  to 
be  improving.  Thirteen  cars  of  ore  have  been  shipped,  netting 
$15  per  ton.    Machinery  is  to  be  installed. 

Nye  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Ralston  Mining  Co.,  recently 
formed  with  1,000.000  shares,  has  acquired  control  of  the  K.  C 
group,  adjoining  the  East  End  mine,  for  a  reported  considera- 
tion of  $18,000.  The  ground  is  east  of  the  Halifax  mine.  It 
is  stated  that  extensive  work  will  be  started  shortly,  and  con- 
siderable machinery  installed.  Charles  E.  Perry  is  president; 
William  Foreman,  vice-president;  T.  A.  MacDuff,  secretary- 
treasurer,  with  J.  H.  Evans  and  R.  J.  Highland,  directors. 

Tonopah.  July  31. 

Tonopah.     Last    week's    output    of    10    mines    at    Tonopah 

amounted  to  9662  tons  valued  at  $199,996. From  its  final 

clean-up  for  July  the  West  End  shipped  67.3S8  oz.  of  bullion. 

The  Extension  has  resumed  development,  after  60  days' 

idleness,  in  the  Victor  mine. At  800.  1140,  and  1200  ft.  in 

the  Sand  Grass  claim,  the  Tonopah  Mining  Co.  is  doing  con- 
siderable work.    A  large  new  hoist  is  to  be  erected  at  the  shaft. 

White  Pine  County 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Nevada  Consolidated  will 
average  12.000  tons  per  day  during  August,  of  a  better  grade 
than  usual,  just  under  2%  copper.  On  the  surface  of  the  Ruth 
mine,  the  company  is  mining  some  5%  and  over  carbonate 
ore.  which  is  found  by  opening  some  of  the  iron-quartz  gossans, 
wherever  carbonate  stain  is  found.  A  considerable  tonnage  is 
being  obtained  in  this  manner,  part  going  to  the  McGill  plant 
for  direct  use  in  the  converters  for  its  silica  content,  and  part 
to  Utah  smelters.  Work  has  been  commenced  to  increase  the 
crushing  capacity,  all  material  having  been  ordered.  Some  of 
the  Wilfley  tables  are  being  double-decked  to  take  care  of  the 
increased  tonnage. 


The  Consolidated  Coppermlnea  (old  Qlroux)  bun  four  drills 

.ii   wurk. 

The  lung  ten  Industry  If' quiet  The  Independent  oompsny, 
■Iter  spending  about  140,000  on  ■  complete  plant,  bas  shut 
down    Indefinitely.       The   I  »d    rung  ten    ''"..   Just 

soiiiii  ol  the  U  st  rn  .  lias  heellte 

Atnerva  propertj  i  la  mining  and  telling  soi r  in  the 

U.  8.  T.  Co. Tllford  brothers  an  running  their  tWO-etamp 

mill,  selling  the  product  i"  the  sum  company,    it  is  expected 

thai   the   I'    S.  T.  CO.    will  have  tO  Close  as  soon  us  Its  i 

■ trad  with  the  Mldvale  Steel  Co.  expires,     Present  prices 

are  too  low. The  Tungsten  M.  &  M.  Co,  is  running  steadily, 

and  making  a  high-grade  concent  rate.     The  company  lias  large 
orebodles.  cheaply  mined,  anil   It  can  make  a  profit   at 

prices     Some  property  In  this  vicinity  has  been  bonded  re- 
cently, the  principals  being  unknown. 
Ely,  August  1. 

NEW    MEXICO 

Socorro  County 

(Special  Correspondence. ) — The  Socorro  Mining  &  Milling 
Co.  produced  19  bars  of  gold  and  silver  bullion  and  a  large 
quantity  of  concentrate  during  the  first  half  of  July. 

Delivery  of  machinery  for  the  hydro-electric  power-plant  of 
the  Socorro  Power  &  Lumber  Co.  has  been  promised  early  in 
January,  and  it  is  now  thought  that  the  plant  will  he  in  com- 
mission by  April.     It  is  designed  to  generate  250  horse-power. 

M.  L.  Nanquin,  operating  a  fleet  of  oil  and  freight  trucks 
between  Silver  City  and  Mogollon.  reports  a  loaded  truck-mile 
cost  of  $0,141,  based  on  a  total  of  5236  truck-miles  and  an 
average  load  of  6500  lb.  It  is  divided  as  follows:  repairs,  gas 
and  lubricating  oil.  $0,033;  tires,  $0,038;  labor,  $0,062.  The 
average  milage  per  set  of  tires  was  1396.  The  grades  exceed 
20%  for  short  distances  in  a  number  of  places. 

The  proposed  road  from  Clifton,  Arizona,  to  Mogollon  is 
again  receiving  consideration.  It  is  understood  that  the 
Arizona  factors  will  construct  a  first-class  highway  to  the 
State  line,  and  the  Mogollon  interests  are  now  surveying  from 
the  Silver  City  road  at  Cactus  Flats  to  determine  the  feasibil- 
ity of  the  route.  It  is  said  the  distance  to  railroad  would  thus 
be  shortened  by  20  miles  with  a  reduction  of  $5  per  ton  in 
freight  charges.  As  the  in-and-out  freight  for  this  district 
amounts  to  many  thousand  tons  yearly,  the  saving  would  be 
appreciable. 

Mogollon,  August  1. 

OKLAHOMA 
Ottawa  County 

Commerce.  The  Croesus  and  Bethel  mills,  each  of  200-ton 
capacity  in  10  hours,  three  miles  north-east  of  this  place,  have 
made  their  initial  'turn-ins'  of  concentrate.  Miami  people  con- 
trol the  properties. 

In  the  Oklahoma  field  the  Delaware  Zinc  Co.  is  to  employ  5 
drills  in  prospecting  its  3000  acres  of  land  near  Picher. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Lawrence  County 

Flatiron.  At  the  Wasp  No.  2  mine,  in  addition  to  mining 
500  to  600  lb.  of  wolframite  daily,  the  mill  is  being  supplied 
with  250  tons  of  gold  ore  worth  $3  per  ton. 

UTAH 

Juab  County 

Tintic.  During  July,  35  mines  at  Tintic  shipped  a  total  of 
679  carloads,  double  the  quantity  of  that  month  in  1915.  Prin- 
cipal producers  were  the  Chief  Consolidated  with  134  cars; 
Dragon,  139;  Iron  Blossom,  78;  Mammoth,  62;  Centennial,  58; 
and  Gemini,  48  cars. 

At  a  depth  of  1832  ft.  the  Eagle  &  Blue  Bell  shaft  has  cut 


254 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


The  daily  output 


20  ft.  of  ore  worth  from  $20  to  $50  per  ton 
from  the  mine  is  50  tons. 

Ki  iit.KA.  The  superintendent  of  the  Chief  Consolidated  Min- 
ing Co.,  Cecil  Fitch,  reports  as  follows  for  the  first  half  or  1916: 

ipment.  feet   9  592 

Ore  shipped,  tons   42,144 

Cross  value  per  ton    $30.0S 

Net  profit   $355,702 

II  e  ore  averaged  0.124  0/..  gold,  20.02  oz.  silver.  11.79',  lead 
(on  lead  orei.  1.95';  copper  (on  copper  ore),  and  30.3(5',  zinc 
101    zinc  ore  1.     Flat   deposits  between  600  and 
ft   yielded  a  considerable   part  of  the  out- 
put.    A  new  'system'  of  ore  has  been  de 

DO  ft  Dividends  absorbed  $88,182.  The 
balance  is  $381,589.  At  present  production  is 
curtailed   owing  to  ore  congestion   at  smelters. 

It   seems  that   the  smelter  situation  In   Utah 
loving,   and    in   a   short    time   the  Tlntie 
district  mines  will  be  able  to  market  their  nor- 
mal  Quantity  of  ore.     Generally  the  district   is 
prosperous. 

Piute  County 

Mwiysv.uk.  Grading  for  the  new  potash 
plant  of  the  Florence  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  is 
progressing  on  a  ranch  south  of  the  U.  &  R.  G. 
railway  depot. 

The   Log   Cabin  mining  district    is    11,000   ft. 
above  sea-level,  and  almost  above  timber-line. 
Salt  Lake  Cook  i  v 

Aii\.  On  August  10  the  South  Hecla  com- 
pany distributes  $40,000.  its  initial  dividend 
The  daily  output  of  ore  is  50  tons.  Machine- 
drills  are  being  installed.  Power  drills  are 
being  increasingly  used  in  the  f'ottonwood  dis- 
trict-, replacing  the  single-jacker'  and  hand 
work. 

Uim.ua  m.    The  Bingham  Coalition  Mines  Co., 
a    new    Boston   concern,   represented   by   G.   A. 
Packard,  has  taken  over  the  Utah  Development. 
Massasoit,  and  Butler  Liberal  claims,  also  the  Markham  mill. 
The  properties  are  fairly  well  equipped  and  developed.    Lessees 
have  made  good  profits  in  the  past. 

Owing  to  lower  prices  prevailing  for  copper,  employees  at 
the  Utah  Copper  Co.'s  mills  had  their  wages  reduced  25c.  per 
day  last  week. 

Summit  County 

During  .luly  the  Park  City  mines  shipped  7TS0  tons  of  ore 
and  concentrate  worth  $350,000.  About  a  dozen  properties 
contributed. 

WASHINGTON 
Okahooan  County 
Chesaw.  The  British  Columbia  Copper  Co.  has  taken  a  24 
months'  bond  on  the  Ramshorn  and  Cariboo  mining  claims  on 
Copper  mountain,  five  miles  north-east  of  Chesaw.  The  mine 
is  to  be  opened  at  once.  A  tramway  to  carry  ore  from  the 
property  to  the  Great  Northern  line,  a  distance  of  over  4 
miles,  is  contemplated. 

Stevens  County 

1111  wh  ail  The  United  Copper  mine  is  producing  300  tons 
of  ore  daily,  soon  to  be  increased  to  400  tons.  Tailing  is  to  be 
re-treated.  A  motor-truck  and  trailer  carries  ore  and  concen- 
trate to  the  railroad. 

WYOMING 

In  Bulletin  626  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  the  Atlantic 
gold  district  and  the  north  Laramie  mountains  of  Fremont, 
Converse,  and  Albany  counties,  are  described  by  Arthur  C. 
Spencer.     With  maps  the  publication  covers  S5  pages.     Eleva- 


tion of  the  Atlantic  district  is  76X3  ft.  It  is  25  miles  from  a 
railway.  Rocks  are  crystalline  schists,  in  layers  with  north- 
east strikes  and  steep  dips.  Diorite  intrusions  are  most 
abundant.  Placer  gold  was  discovered  in  the  Sweetwater  dis- 
trict in  1842.  Small  stamp-mills — 12  with  161  stamps — were 
erected  to  crush  the  gold  quartz  by  1871.  It  is  estimated  that 
to  1911  1  m.i-  ielded  $1,725,001).  and  lode  mines  $4,1: 
The  bullion  is  850  fine.  According  to  the  State  geologist,  L. 
W.  Trumbull,  the  veins  are  found  in  the  schists,  diorite, 
andesite,  and  in  one  case,  in  granite.  On  account  of  lack  of 
near-by   rail   transi>ort   the   immediate   outlook   for   a  general 


MAP   OF    WYOMING. 

revival  is  not  encouraging.  The  veins  are  considered  to 
persist  in  depth.  Development,  ore  treatment,  transport,  and 
cost  of  power  are  the  main  considerations  for  success  here. 
Most  of  the  alluvial  gold  has  been  won  by  working  in  a  small 
way.  Recent  production  has  been  small  and  sporadic.  The 
small  gravel  deposits  offer  little  promise  for  the  future. 

In  the  north  Laramie  mountains  there  has  been  a  search 
for  copper  ore,  but  the  prospects  opened  so  far  do  not  seem 
encouraging.  Chromite,  magnetite,  and  asbestos  occur,  but  not 
in  large  quantities.  Details  are  given  of  some  of  the  proper- 
ties developed. 

Cbook  County 

Bear  LoncE.  The  Warner  Peak  Mining  Co.  has  resumed 
work  in  this  district.  The  5-stamp  mill  will  be  used  to  test 
the  value  of  the  ore. 

CAXADA 

British  Columbia 

On  August  15  the  Rambler-Cariboo  Mining  Co.  pays  lc.  per 
share,  equal  to  $17,500.  This  makes  $70,000  for  the  current 
year. 

Ontario 

Porcupine.  Good  progress  is  reported  on  stamp-mill  and 
cyanide-plant  foundations  at  the  Hollinger. 

A  report  on  the  reserves  of  the  Dome  Lake  mine  by  the  man- 
ager, G.  G.  Thomas,  shows  that  the  total  is  83,600  tons  worth 
$1,246,500,  to  a  depth  of  400  ft.  Indications  point  to  persistence 
below  the  bottom  level.  The  shaft  is  to  be  sunk  to  600  ft.  The 
enlarged  mill  will  treat  200  tons  daily. 


Auguri   12,  1916 


MINING   and   Sarntih.     1*10  SS 


tJ'ti  r    'P-.rr<->  rrr; 


am i      ii.  i, rj    Bwtft   Kimball,  St.   i-ouu. 

lean  Zinc   Lead  «.  Bmeltlng  Company, 
I'll,  .i  Feb.  t.  191 1. 


i.  The  method  ol  promoting  and  Insuring  liquefaction  by 
condensation  of  a  metal  from  a  gas  thereof,  which  consists  in 

subjecting  the  metallic  gas  when  at  or  near  the  tempera  tine 
of  condensation,  to  a  field  of  electric  stress,  thereby  accelerat- 
ing the  agglomeration  of  liquefying  particles  and  preventing 
individual  oxidation  thereof. 

1,186,617.  Excavating  ind  Loading  Machine..  Henry  H. 
Talboys.  Duluth,  Minn.,  assignor  of  one-third  to  Alexander  M. 
(low  and  one-third  to  Stacy  H.  Hill.  DulUth,  .Minn.  Filed  Feb. 
10,  1914.     Serial  No.  S17.774. 


1.  An  excavating  and  loading  machine,  including  a  support- 
ing frame,  a  transverse  shaft  journaled  thereon,  a  vertically 
swinging  hoisting  arm  rigid  with  the  shaft  and  carrying  a 
dipper,  a  wheel  loose  on  the  transverse  shaft,  an  operative 
connection  between  the  wheel  and  the  dipper,  counter-shafts 
journaled  upon  the  supporting  frame  and  arranged  parallel 
to  the  transverse  shaft,  gearing  positively  connecting  one  of 
the  counter-shafts  and  the  hoisting  arm,  gearing  positively 
conecting  the  other  counter-shaft  and  the  wheel,  and  independ- 
ent motors  geared  to  the  respective  counter-shafts  for  simulta- 
neously swinging  the  hoisting  arm  and  dipper  to  impart  a 
crowding  movement  to  the  dipper  and  swing  the  hoisting  arm 
upwardly  and  rearwardly  to  discharge  at  the  rear  of  the 
machine. 

1,188,705.  Process  for  the  Recovery  of  Metals  From  Ores 
and  the  Like.  Charles  S.  Vadner,  Butte,  Mont.  Filed  Feb. 
14,  1916. 

1.  The  process  which  consists  in  recovering  manganese  and 
other  metals  from  naturally  oxidized  or  sufficiently  roasted 
sulfld  ores  containing  manganese  and  other  metals  by  spray- 
ing the  finely  ground  pulp  of  said  ores  into  sulfurous  fumes 
containing  sulfurous  gases,  oxidizing  the  solution  and  ridding 
the  solution  of  other  metals  contained  therein  by  precipitating 
same  from  the  cold  solution  by  means  of  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  finely  pulverized  calcium  carbonate  and  recovering  the 
manganese. 


/    :  ;>jnnl 


iV.rfr:      7  '  .  mrmtfTta/ !'■ 


Cm.    WaTKINH   E\  v  n-.  ..t   S.alll. 

Alfred  i     m>i\,  manager  "i  the  Bl  or...  is  in  London, 
Jai  a   Carpi  ntkh  Ii  on  a  vacation  in  Southern  California. 
Uniuiii  s.  Rosa,  ol  Newhaven,  baa  returned  from  Honduras, 
f.  W.  Bradlsi  leaves  for  Treadwell,  Alaska,  on  the  18th  Inst 
Harri   .i.  sin  mi   is  nun.,  superintendent  al    Dulzura,  Cali- 
fornia. 
Noki  >'i  sninghaii  has  moved  his  office  to  100  ivenue, 

New  York. 

G.  C.   RAY,  who  has  been   doing  military   duty   ai    Monti 
has  returned  to  Oatman. 

U.S.   Ill  inn. I'll    left    l.i.s    SiiL-rlrs  for  (luailalajara   BJ    iVl 
Eagle  Pass,  on  August  7. 

R,  R.  Li  si  ii.  iii.-iiiauri   .it   lis    I'm  in  -   1  m     ihImi n.       ..,',  .. 

for  Salvador  on  August  8. 

C.  R.  Kkyes.  of  lies  Moines,  lias  been  in  Nevada  and  is  now 
on  bis  way  to  British.  Columbia. 

Frank  S.  Baii.uk  has  been  appointed  manager  to  the  Baker 
Mines  Co.,  at  Cornucopia,  Oregon. 

Van  H.  Manniho,  director  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  is 
expected  here  on  the  15th  instant. 

J.  O.  Clifford,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  has  been  in  the  South-West 
and  passed  through  San  Francisco. 

D.  C.  Jacklihg  has  been  elected  to  the  directorate  of  the 
American  Zinc.  Lead  &  Smelting  Co. 

P.  A.  Robbins  has  been  appointed  managing  director  of  the 
Hollinger  Consolidated  Gold  Mines  of  Porcupine. 

Joseph  F.  Thorn,  consulting  engineer  to  Charles  Butters, 
has  arrived  from  Salvador  and  gone  to  New  York. 

Fred.  S.  Norcross,  superintendent  of  mines  for  the  British 
Columbia  Copper  Co.,  has  been  taking  a  holiday  in  Michigan. 

Fred  Searls.  Jr.,  and  George  Scarke  left  on  August  7  for. 
Vancouver,  from  where  they  sail  in  the  Empress  of  Russia  for 
China. 

Ben  Hughes,  editor  of  the  Northern  Miner  at  Cobalt,  has 
enlisted  in  the  British  forces.  Richard  Pearce  of  Toronto 
succeeds  him  as  editor. 

J.  W.  Boyle,  manager  of  the  Canadian  Klondyke  company 
at  Dawson,  is  in  London.  His  son,  J.  W.  Boyle.  Jr.,  is  in 
charge  of  the  dredging  operations. 

R.  Chester  Turner  of  the  Brunswick  Consolidated,  Grass 
Valley,  fell  60  ft.  in  an  automobile  near  Colfax  on  August  5, 
but  luckily  only  bruised  his  knees. 

Hennen  Jennings,  Thos.  B.  Stearns,  R.  A.  F.  Penrose,  and 
John  B.  Farish  are  attending  the  jinks  of  the  Bohemian  club, 
of  which  Edward  Benjamin  is  president  this  year. 


Frederick  Folger  Thomas  died  at  Berkeley  on  August  6,  at 
the  age  of  73.  He  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York  and 
a  graduate  of  Y'ale  in  the  class  of  1863.  Four  years  after 
graduation  he  came  to  California  and  during  his  long  and 
honorable  career  took  a  leading  part  in  useful  work,  particu- 
larly along  the  Mother  Lode.  In  1888  he  joined  Mr.  David 
McClure  in  re-opening  the  Gwin  mine  in  Calaveras  county. 
Later  he  became  one  of  the  chief  controllers  of  the  Kennedy, 
in  Amador  county.  He  opened  up  the  United  Verde  copper 
mine  and  was  manager  for  several  years,  in  the  early  '90s,  of 
the  Central  mine  at  Broken  Hill,  Australia.  In  all  his  business 
affairs  and  mining  operations  he  showed  rare  good  sense  and  a 
keen  desire  for  right  dealing.  He  is  survived  by  a  wife  and 
five  children. 


256 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12.  1916 


METAL   PRICES 

Sun   Francisco.  August  8. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 13 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 27.50 

Pig   lead,   cents  per  pound 6.25 —  7. :;:> 

Platinum:  soft  metal,  per  ounce $60 

Platinum:  hard  metal,  i"'.   iridium,  per  ounce $65 

Quicksilver:  per  Mask  nf  ;.*.  II, $75 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 12 

Tin.  cents  per  pound 41 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound 20 

ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  August  8. 
Antimony:  50%  product,  per  unit  (1%   or  20  lb.)....  $0.75 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 
Manganese:   50%  product,   f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton.  12. 00 — 16.00 

Magneslte:  crude,  per  ton    7.00 —  9.00 

Molybdenum:    50%   and   over,   per   pound 0.60 —   1.15 

Tungsten:  60%  WOj,  per  unit 20.00 

At  Boulder,  Colorado,  the  Primos  Chemical  Co.  has  made  a 
new  scale  for  Its  tungsten  lessees,  who  were  paid  $12  to  $2<> 
per  unit.  Ore  containing  from  3  to  327?  WO.  is  to  receive  $s 
per  unit,  plus  25c.  for  each  1%  above  the 

New   York.  August  2. 

Antimony:  The  market  is  uncertain,  and  business  difficult,  in 
view  of  the  situation  in  i lie  metal  The  nominal  quotation  is 
11.25  to  $1.60  per  unit. 

Tungsten:  Buyers  and  sellers  are  still  far  apart.  It  is  re- 
i  that  one  company  declined  to  accept  $27.50  per  unit  for 
high-class  seheelite.  holding  for  $30.  Small  lots  are  said  to 
have  sold  in  the  West  as  low  as  $20  per  unit,  but 
involve  only  hundreds  of  pounds,  not  tons.  Large  quantities 
could  not  be  purchased  at  that  figure.  The  market  for  ferro- 
tungsten  is  quiet  at  around  $5  per  pound  of  contained  tungsten. 
Near  June  1  it  was  quoted  at  $7  to  $8. 

EASTERN    METAL,  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
August  s. — It  is  reported  that  copper  Is  being  bought  for  ex- 
port; lead  is  dull  and  easy:  spelter  is  dull  and  weak. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  sliver. 


Date. 

Aug.      2 64.00 

3 64.75 

4 61.87 

5 66.12 

6  Sunday 

7 65.87 

S 86  26 


Average  week  ending 

June  27 65.49 

July      ", SE  16 

"       11 62.02 

"       IS 62.41 

"      25 62.97 

Aug.      1 63.71 

8 65.31 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 


1914. 
.57.58 

Feb 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 
48.85 

48.45 
60.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July     54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 


The  past  week's  prices  seem  to  indicate  speculation,  with  a 
firm  undertone.  China  has  been  a  factor  for  some  time,  and  is 
expected  to  continue  so.  The  moratorium  proclaimed  in  that 
country  may  result  in  silver  moving  to  the  'Treaty  Ports,'  then 
sales  to  India  and  London.  The  permanent  currency  require- 
ments of  the  country  must  also  be  considered.  Shipments  of 
silver  from  London  to  India  up  to  July  19  total  £1,052,500. 
against  £2.810,000  In  this  period  of  1915. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  In  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Aug.      2 26.00 

3 25.50 

4 

5 

6  Sunday 

7 

S 


Average  week  ending 

II I';.:1:. 

July      5 26.54 

"       11 26.25 

"       is 25.42 

"      25 25.00 

Aug.      1 26.76 

8 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

July    . . 

...13.26 

19.09 

25.66 

Feb.    . 

...14.46 

14.38 

26.62 

Aug.    . . 

.  ..12.34 

17.27 

Mch.    . 

..  .14.11 

14.80 

26.65 

Sept.  . . 

...12.02 

17.69 

May 

.  ..14.19 

16.64 

28.02 

Oct.     .  . 

...11.10 

17.90 

.  ..13.97 

18.71 

29.02 

Nov.    . . 

.  .  .11.75 

18.88 

...13.60 

19.75 

27.47 

Dec.    . . 

.  ..12.75 

20.67 

June  outputs  were  as  follows:  Chino.  7.243.618  lb.;  Nevada 
Con.,  6,661,722  lb.;  Ray.  6,598,594  lb.;  Utah  Copper.  17.877,432  lb.. 
all  large  increases  over  May.  Also  Miami,  4,305,000  lb.;  Shan- 
non, 666,000  lb.:  Anaconda,  28,200,000  lb.;  and  Inspiration.  11,- 
300,000  pounds. 

On  August  1  the  United  Verde  paid  two  dividends  of  75c. 
each,  making  $8.25  per  share  for  the  year  so  far. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Aug.     2. 
3. 
4. 

5. 


6  Sunday 
7 


6.10 
6.00 
5.95 
5.95 


Aug. 


5.95 

6.95 

Monthly  averages 


Average  week  ending 

June  27 

July      5 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June   3.90 


1914. 
.  4.11 
.  4.02 
.  3.94 
.  3.86 
3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 

7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 


July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 

Nov 3.68 

Dec 3.80 


1914. 
3.80 
3.86 
3.82 
3.60 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
6.15 
5.34 


6.78 
6.84 
6.45 
6.39 
6.30 
6.20 
6.98 

1916. 
6.40 


Zinc  Is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Dat 

Aug. 

e. 
2 

:: 

4 

r, 
6 
7 
8 

Sunday 

9.25 
8.75 

s.r,2 
8.50 

8.50 

Aver 

June  27. 

July      5 

"      11, 

"      18 

"       25, 

8, 
averages 

July     ,     . 

Oct.     .  .  . 

tge  week  ending 

12.12 

11.40 

9.75 

9.06 

9.91 

10.12 

,, 

.    8.69 

1914. 
..    5.14 

Monthly 

1915.        1916. 
6.30        18.21 
9.05        19.99 
8.40        18.40 
9.78        18.62 
17.03        16.01 
22.20        12.85 

1914. 
4.75 
4.75 
5.16 
4.75 
5.01 
.    5.40 

1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 

14.05 
17.20 
16.75 

1916. 
9.90 

Feb. 

..    5.22 

Mch. 

..    5.12 

Apr. 
May 
June 

.  .    4.98 

4.91 
..    4.84 

Zinr  ore  prices  at  Joplln  during  July  averaged  $66.30  per  ton, 
basis  of  60%  metal. 

In  the  quarter  ended  June  30  the  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.'s  net 
Income  was  $S, 735. 292,  of  which  $6,650,000  was  distributed.  The 
earnings  were  an  increase  of  $288,907  above  those  of  the  March 
quarter. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Da 
July 

e. 
18 

1914. 
.39.25 

83.00 

Monthly 

1915.        1916. 
51.90      222.00 
60.00      295.00 
78.00      219.00 
77.50      141.60 
75.00        90.00 
90.00        74.70 

T 

York,  in  cents 
Monthly 
1915.        1916. 
34.40        41.76 
37.23        42.60 
48.76        50.50 

48.25  51.49 
39.28        49.10 

40.26  42.07 

July 
Aug. 

averag 

July 
Aug. 
Sept 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

IN 

per  po 

averag 

July 
Aug. 
Sept 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

25 
1 

,80.00 
.80.00 

8 

.75.00 

es 

1914. 

37.50 
80.00 
76.25 
53.00 
55.00 
53.10 

1914. 
31.60 
50.20 
33.10 
30.40 
33.51 
.33.60 

1915. 
95.00 
93.75 

91.00 

92.90 

101.50 

123.00 

1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 

1916. 
81.20 

Feb. 

.39.00 

Mch. 

.39.00 

.38.90 

May 

39.00 
.38.60 

Prl 

ces 

in  New 

1914. 
37.85 
39.76 
38.10 

und. 
es 

1916. 

38.37 

Mch. 

Apr. 
May 

33.29 
.30.72 

Angus!   r_'.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   I'KI  SS 


267 


Eastern   Metal   Market 


\.m    Y,,,i.     August    8. 

Tin'  in---!  showing  nm.ii'  i.isi  Hi'i'k  tu  iii  lead,  for  which 

tin  i.'   was  U  active  demand   l.ir  carload   lots  to  be   delivered 

promptly— an  Indication  that  consumers'  reserve  stinks  are 
low.    Prices,  however,  declined,  and  there  is  still  a  reeling  that 

thf  market  must  come  down  to  start  any  heavy  movement. 

r  has  a  niurh  better  undertone,  and  is  higher,  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  adsorption  of  rrnsln  metal,  ami  the  feeling  that  the 
time  is  near  for  the  large  producers  to  announce  a  price  which 

will  interest  consumers. 

Zinc  Is  extreme]}  dull  and  lower,  with  betterment  depending 
on  the  brass  mills  replenishing  their  supplies. 

Tin  Is  quiet  at  well  maintained  prices,  but  the  outlook  Is 
not  favorable  for  the  dealers  and  brokers,  because  of  the 
large  available  supply  especially  of  Banca  which  is  offered  at 
concessions. 

Antimony  continues  stagnant  despite  lower  prices. 

Aluminum  is  dull  and  unchanged  at  5S  to  60  cents. 

The  large  orders  which  have  been  placed  for  G  to  12-in. 
shells  in  the  past  10  days  will  not  help  the  metals  to  any 
great  extent,  inasmuch  as  they  are  of  steel  and  do  not  require 
brass  casings.  Inquiry  for  the  steel,  amounting  to  several 
thousand  tons.  Is  before  the  trade.  Export  buying  of  steel 
products  is  heavier  than  at  any  time  heretofore,  and  if  it  con- 
tinues will  adversely  affect  the  domestic  consumers  who  de- 
lay too  long  in  covering  future  needs. 

Tig-iron  production  in  July  was  3.226.719  tons  or  104, OSS 
tons  per  day,  against  3,211,588  tons  in  June,  or  107.053  tons 
per  day.  a  falling  off  of  3000  tons  daily.  Weather  conditions 
and  repairs  occasioned  the  falling-off. 

Heavy  lathes  for  shell  making  are  in  great  demand. 

COPPER 

The  market  is  stronger,  not  because  there  has  been  any 
buying  of  large  proportions,  but  because  the  metal  in  second- 
hand is  gradually  disappearing;  and  more  particularly  be- 
cause of  a  feeling  that  the  time  is  drawing  near  when  the 
leading  producers  will  take  action  to  stimulate  business. 
Their  quotations  for  months  have  been  of  a  nominal  char- 
acter, and  their  attitude  one  of  content  in  executing  the  huge 
contracts  on  their  books.  It  is  expected,  almost  any  day  now, 
they  will  fix  a  price  at  which  business  will  go  forward  in 
fourth  quarter  and  next-year  deliveries.  The  better  tone  of 
the  past  few  days  caused  prices  to  advance  from  25  to  26.25c. 
for  spot  electrolytic.  September  electrolytic  is  around  25.50c, 
and  November  around  24.75c.  Quotations  have  anything  hut  a 
narrow  range,  and  all  that  will  steady  the  market  is  some 
indication  of  what  price  the  big  producers  are  willing  to  make. 
Lake  is  nominally  quoted  about  Jc.  higher  than  electrolytic. 
Copper  for  delivery  in  the  first  quarter  of  1917  can  be  had 
around  24  to  24.50c.  Meanwhile,  near-by  metal  is  rather 
scarce.  The  president  of  the  Crocker-Wheeler  Co.,  at  Ampere. 
N.  J..  S.  S.  Wheeler,  manufacturer  of  electric  motors,  and  a 
large  consumer  of  copper,  in  commenting  on  the  copper  situa- 
tion said:  "I  do  not  think  that  the  present  high  price  of 
copper  will  continue.  But  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  it  re- 
turns to  its  former  level  of  15c.  How  could  it  do  so  in  the 
face  of  the  unprecedented  consumption  that  is  still  going  on? 
Granted  that  production  in  America  is  greater  than  ever, 
most  of  this  is  under  contract  before  it  is  shipped  from  the 
smelters,  and  there  are  practically  no  accumulations  of  metal 
to  be  found  in  middle-hands."  He  went  on  to  say  that  many 
manufacturers  had  turned  to  substitutes  for  copper,  but  that 
they  would  return  to  its  use  when  normal  conditions  are  re- 
stored.    The   London   market   for   spot  electrolytic   yesterday 


126  agalnal  Hit  a  week  ago     Exports  In  Julj 
:::..'i|s  tons,  ■  satisfactory  quantity. 

ZINC 

another  slump  has  hit  /inc.  and  the  marital   is  dull  and 
weak.    Prompt  and   August  ware  quoted  '.'.25  to 

1  E0i    St  Louis,  and  9.E0  to  9.76c,  New  fork,  ai  probable 

thai  these  figures  might  be  shaded.  September,  was  about  9c, 
St.  Louis,  and  last  quarter  about  s.aiic.  Brass-mill  special  Is 
easily  obtainable  at  10.50  to  lie.  The  London  market  declined 
£5  yesterday,  dropping  from  £60  which  was  the  spot  quotation 
a  week  ago.  Not  much  change  In  the  situation  is  looked  for 
until  the  brass  mills  draw  near  the  end  of  the  contracts  under 
which  they  are  now  being  supplied  with  metal,  and  this  may 
not  be  for  a  few  weeks.  Meanwhile,  it  would  not  be  surprising 
if  the  metal  dropped  to  a  level  in  which  some  of  the  newer  and 
smaller  producers  would  find  little  profit.  It  is  hinted  that 
some  of  the  strength  of  a  week  ago  was  due  to  a  few  interests 
which  were  short,  and  whose  endeavors  to  get  metal  sent  the 
market  up  and  created  a  short-lived  scarcity.  Plenty  is  to  be 
had  today.  Exports  in  July  were  large,  amounting  to  7079 
tons.  The  new  shell  orders  recently  placed  are  all  for  the 
large  sizes  which  do  not  require  brass  casings.  Japanese 
spelter  is  becoming  more  of  a  factor  in  this  market  as  well  as 
abroad.     Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at  15c- 

LEAD 

Fair  activity  has  been  shown  in  this  metal  in  the  past  week, 
and  these  are  indications  that  a  movement  of  importance  Is 
not  far  away.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  adheres  to  its  quotations  of 
6.50c,  New  York,  and  6.42JC,  St.  Louis,  and  declares  that  it  is 
taking  business  at  these  prices.  The  trade  cannot  understand 
the  statement  of  the  big  company,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
smaller  producers,  all  of  whom  have  been  taking  orders,  are 
quoting  as  low  as  6.20c  on  spot  business,  and  down  to  6.10c 
for  September.  A  notable  feature  in  the  past  week  is  that 
the  call  has  been  principally  for  carloads  of  prompt  shipment, 
an  indication  that  consumers'  reserve  stocks  are  running  low, 
and  it  is  believed  that  should  the  leading  interest  drop  to  6c, 
New  York,  heavy  buying  would  ensue.  Interspersed  with  the 
buying  referred  to  were  some  fairly  large  export  orders.  The 
business  done  was  handled  almost  entirely  by  the  producers, 
dealers  and  second-hands  doing  little.  The  spot  quotation  at 
London  yesterday  was  £28  7s.  6d.,  against  £28  5s.  a  week  ago. 
Exports  in  July  totaled  2541  tons. 
TIN 

Business  was  fair  on  one  or  two  days  in  the  week,  other- 
wise the  market  has  been  dull.  The  large  stock  available  does 
not  indicate  strength  for  the  near  future.  Deliveries  into 
domestic  consumption  in  July  totaled  4432  tons,  of  which  832 
tons  came  to  the  East  via  Pacific  ports.  In  stock  and  landing 
on  July  31  was  5028  tons.  Afloat  on  August  1  was  1696  tons. 
The  market,  so  far  as  the  sellers  are  concerned,  is  adversely 
affected  by  the  large  quantity  of  Banca  tin  here  and  which,  as 
usual,  is  selling  at  substantial  concessions  from  the  price  of 
Straits  tin.  Spot  Straits  was  quoted  yesterday  at  38c,  while 
Banca  has  sold  at  37c. 

ANTIMONY 

This  metal  presents  a  sad  aspect.  Asiatic  brands  are  down 
to  13c,  duty  paid,  but  still  there  is  no  demand.  Some  of  the 
holders  are  said  to  possess  stocks  for  which  they  paid  30c. 
per  lb.  The  anxiety  of  the  owners  of  such  metal  to  dispose  of 
their  stocks,  despite  the  fact  that  they  must  pocket  a  consid- 
erable loss,  tends  to  bear  down  the  market,  even  more  than 
the  lack  of  demand. 


258 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  12,  1916 


Recent  Publications 


I  a  d'Ai.kne  Minim.  Information,  1916.  Compiled  by  Wm. 
Wagner  of  Wallace,  Idaho,  between  April  15  and  June  15, 
1916.  P.  174.  Index.  May  be  obtained  through  the  Minim, 
ami  SuiMiHi    Press.     Price.  $4. 

The  Coeur  d'Alene  mining  district  Includes  Shoshone  county. 
Idaho,  and  the  western  part  of  Sanders  and  Mineral  counties 
of  Montana.  It  covers  a  considerable  area,  and  contains  many 
well-known  lead-silver  and  zinc  mines,  as  well  as  minor  prop- 
erties yielding  copper,  gold,  and  antimony;  in  fact,  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  is  one  of  the  most  important  regions  in  the 
country.  This  little  pocket-book  has  been  carefully  compiled 
and  arranged.  Alphabetically  are  given  the  names  of  396 
companies,  their  respective  capital,  officers,  situation,  and  brief 
notes  on  the  property.  Several  pages  are  devoted  to  produc- 
tion and  profits;  also  something  on  the  Wallace  Exchange. 
We  consider  this  a  useful  work,  right  up  to  date,  although  a 
map  would  have  added  to  its  value. 

Origin  of  Texas  Red  Beds.  By  Charles  Lawrence  Baker. 
Bulletin  29.     P.  8.     University  of  Texas.  Austin. 

Regulations  Covering.  Coal-Land  Leases  in  Alaska.  Ap- 
proved May  is,  1916.  Information  regarding  coal  lands.  P. 
86.  Maps.  Department  of  the  Interior.  Washington,  D.  C, 
1916. 


lujgjffod  by  the  manujacturers. 


U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916: 

Gas  Analysis  as  an  Am  in  FIGHTING  Mink  Foots.  By  G.  A. 
Burrell  and  Frank  M.  Sibert.  Technical  paper  13.  P.  16. 
Illustrated. 

Quantity  or  Gasoline  Nkcebsabv  to  Produoe  Explosive 
Conditions  in  Sewers.  By  G.  A.  Burrell  and  H.  T.  Boyd. 
Technical  paper  117.     P.  17.     Illustrated. 

Effects  of  Temperature  and  Pressure  on  the  Expi.osiuility 
or  Methane-Air  Mixtures.  By  G.  A.  Burrell  and  J.  W.  Robert- 
son.   Technical  paper  121.    P.  14.    Illustrated. 

Cobs-Oven  Accidents  in  the  United  States  in  1915.  Com- 
piled by  Albert  H.  Fay.  Technical  paper  151.  P.  17.  Out  of 
31,060  employed  38  were  killed,  a  decrease. 

Production  of  Explosives  in  the  UNITED  States  in  1915. 
With  notes  on  coal-mine  accidents  due  to  explosives,  and  a  list 
of  permissible  explosives,  lamps,  and  motors  tested.  Compiled 
by  Albert  H.  Fay.    Technical  paper  159.    P.  24. 

U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Wrasbington,  D.  C,  1916: 

Asphalt,  Related  BITUMENS,  and  BITUMINOUS  Rock  in  1915. 
By  John  D.  Northrop.    P.  16.    Chart. 

Gypsum  in  1915.     By  Ralph  W.  Stone.    P.  9. 

Manganese  and  Manganiferous  Ores  in  1915.  By  D.  F. 
Hewett.     P.  15. 

Lode  Mining  in  the  Quartzbuhg  and  Grimes  Pass  Porphyry 
Belt.  Boise  Basin,  Idaho.  By  E.  J.  Jones,  Jr.  Bulletin 
640-E.     P.  29.     Map. 

Possibilities  of  Oil  and  Gas  id  North-Central  Montana. 
By  Eugene  Stebinger.     Bulletin  641-C.    P.  42.    Maps. 

STRUCTURE  of  the  Vhksburg-Jackson  Area.  Mississippi. 
With  special  reference  to  oil  and  gas.  By  Oliver  B.  Hopkins. 
Bulletin  641-D.    P.  28.     Maps. 

An  Anticlinal  Fold  Near  Billings,  Noble  County,  Okla- 
homa.   By  A.  E.  Fath.     Bulletin  G41-E.    P.  IS.    Map. 

Tiuanci  lation  in  California.  1913-1915.  Bulletin  644-C. 
P.  60.    111.,  index. 

The  Lignite  Field  of  NOETH-WESTEBN  South  Dakota.  By 
D.  E.  Winchester,  C.  J.  Hares.  E.  Russell  Lloyd,  and  E.  M. 
Parks.     Bulletin  627.     P.  169.     111.,  maps,  charts,  index. 

The  Ciiisana-White  River  District.  Alaska.  By  Stephen 
R.  Capps.    Bulletin  630.    P.  130.    III.,  maps,  index. 


In  Price  List^Xo.  6E  the  Chain  Belt  Co..  of  Milwaukee,  gives 
the  cost  of  its  Mogul'-steel  bushed  chain-belt,  'Durex'  com- 
bination chain-belt,  malleable  iron  elevator-buckets,  and 
sprocket-wheels  for  detachable  chain-belt. 

The    'P.    &   H.'   single-line   grab-bucket   of   the    Pawling    & 

Harnisi  iiiic. ik  Co.  of  Milwaukee  is  described  in  Bulletin  101. 
It  is  made  of  the  best  steel,  with  good  mechanical  details,  and 
for  handling  sand  and  other  fine  material  the  machine  has 
proved  satisfactory. 

The  Sullivan  Machinery  Co.,  of  Chicago  and  London,  has 
established  an  agency  in  Holland  with  Messrs.  Petrie  &  Co., 
Heerengracht,  141-145  Amsterdam,  as  its  special  representa- 
tives, who  will  sell  the  Sullivan  products  in  the  Netherlands. 
This  new  arrangement  replaces  the  Sullivan  agency  previously 
at  the  Hague. 

The  Ingkrsiii  i .-Rand  Company  has  issued  a  catalog  in  Span- 
ish under  the  title  Productos  de  la  Ingersoll-Rand.'  This  is 
attractively  and  well  bound,  and  contains  124  pages  replete 
with  illustrations  of  descriptive  matter  and  tabulated  data.  It 
should  be  of  great  service  to  Spanish  speaking  users  of 
pneumatic  machinery. 

The  third  number  of  'Roebling  Wire  Rope,'  the  technical 
wire-rope  bulletin  of  the  John  A.  RoEBLINO's  Sons  Co..  Trenton, 
N.  J.,  has  been  issued.  It  contains  information  on  aerial 
wire-rope  conveyors  (continued),  the  right  and  wrong  way  to 
measure  wire  rope,  the  oldest  suspension  bridge  in  America, 
the  Roebling  galvanized  drop-forged  wire-rope  clip,  wire-rope 
practice,  incline  planes,  Roebling  wire-rope  slings  and  ready 
reference  tables.  The  information  given  is  all  of  practical 
value. 

The  use  of  oxy-acetylene  in  cutting  and  welding  metals  is 
expanding  rapidly,  and  like  the  pneumatic  hammer  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  see  how  engineers  could  get  on  without  it.  In  Form 
W-308,  the  Prest-O-Lite  Co.,  of  Indianapolis  has  published  a 
45-page  instruction  book  on  this  subject,  written  by  H.  Sidney 
Smith  and  A.  F.  Brennan.  This  fourth  edition  is  sold  for  50 
cents,  and  will  be  found  thoroughly  practical.  Details  are 
given  of  the  oxygen  and  acetylene  apparatus,  the  blow-pipe, 
flame,  preparation  of  materials,  fluxes,  actual  welding,  notes 
on  the  metals,  and  useful  hints. 

On  account  of  change  from  steam  to  electricity,  the  steam 
power-plant  of  the  Arkansas  Valley  plant  of  the  American 
Smelting  &  Refining  Co.,  at  Leadville,  has  been  purchased  by 
the  Morse  Bros.  Machinery  &  Supply  Co..  of  Denver,  and 
will  be  removed  to  its  Denver  warehouse  for  re-sale.  The 
Lord  Byron  mill  at  Sugar  Loaf,  Colorado,  is  being  dismantled 
by  this  firm  and  shipped  to  Denver.  The  Flint  mill  near 
Rollinsville.  Colorado,  erected  two  years  ago,  operating  three 
weeks  as  a  cyanide-plant  has  been  purchased  also.  The  Colo- 
rado &  Eastern  railway,  a  line  running  out  of  Denver  to  Scran- 
ton.  Colorado,  was  recently  purchased  by  the  firm,  which  will 
dismantle  and  ship  all  the  rails,  locomotives,  etc..  to  Denver 
for  re-sale.  The  large  plant  at  Leadville  known  as  the  Yak 
mill,  situated  near  the  portal  of  the  Yak  tunnel,  was  recently 
purchased.  This  was  a  500-ton  zinc-lead  mill  equipped  with 
crushers,  rolls,  roasters,  dryers,  Cleveland-Knowles  magnetic 
machines,  tables,  etc..  all  electrically  driven.  The  original 
cost  of  the  equipment  was  over  $200,000.  The  Geyser  mine  at 
Westcliffe,  Colorado,  equipped  with  the  largest  hoisting  engine 
in  the  State  and  a  complete  boiler-plant,  compressors,  rails, 
cars,  drills,  pipe,  etc.,  is  being  dismantled  by  the  firm  for 
shipment  to  Denver. 

At  the  Buckeye  Belmont  mine,  Tonopah,  recent  tests  on  the 
Dreadnaught  drill  were  of  considerable  interest. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  AUGUST  19,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  8 


THE    INSPIRATION    MINE    AND    MILL,    ARIZONA 


SEARCH  for  copper  has  been  intensified  by  the  high  price 
of  the  metal.  The  prospector  wants  to  know  what  outward 
signs  on  the  surface  indicate  the  presence  of  orebodies 
underground.  We  have  published  a  valuable  series  of  articles 
by  Mr.  Frank  H.  Probert  in  order  to  give  such  information. 
The  fifth  and  last  of  the  series  appears  in  this  issue,  in  which 
he  refers  to  the  ore  deposits  at  Miami,  on  which  is  based  the 
present  success  of  the  Inspiration  and  Miami  mines.  These  were 
discovered  by  an  intelligent  application  of  knowledge  such  as 
he  has  collected  and  discussed  with  unusual  care  and  skill. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


Oliver 

Continuous 

7t  Iter 

Company 

50I  MAR.K.ET    St. 

San  Francisco.Cal. 


Excess  Moisture  in  Concentrate 

adds  nothing  to  your  smelter-returns.  But 
it  adds  materially  to  your  freight  and  haul- 
ing bill.     That  is  why 

The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter 

will  be  found  in  the  flow  sheet  of  all 
up-to-date  concentrate  plants,  dewatering 

More  than  4000  Tons  of  Concentrate 

every  day,  removing  92  per  cent  of  the 
moisture. 

If  You  Are  Not  Using  an  Oliver 

you  are  permitting  a  needless  waste  of 
money. 

There  Is  a  Size  and  Type 

to  meet  your  conditions,  whatever  they 
may  be.  Write  us  fully  concerning  your 
problem.  Our  experience  and  advice  are 
at  your  disposal  without  obligation. 

No  Royalties  to  Pay  on  Any  Work  of  an  Oliver. 


■DITOMAL  ->!  lit 

T  A  WCKARD  E<ak» 

M  «    ■  aBERNEWnZ     I  A—u.i 

P  B  M.DON AID                 I  Eiu 


PuUahnJ  M  4.'U  M.ikH  S,  .  S.n  rr.nt.ru.  br  liu  IVvr,  l\,rj«l,in,  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HLTTCHINSON.  Bonn.  M.w 


MM  III.    c  iiMHIIil    /<JHS 

w    ii    Ihookley. 

I   S    Aumln 
■  tunl 
Courttnay  i  '•■  K»lb. 
K    l.ynwnod   Uarrleon. 
'  'luirles  Jnnln 
Jnmea   K.    K 

i'   ii    Probni 
C.  W.   PurlnKlon. 
Horace  V.  Winched. 


Srimrr  h.i>  no  enemy  lave  ilic  Ignorant 


Ii.u.d  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  August  19,  1916 


IS  par  Tear— 10  Centa  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Noma   259 

Stamp  t    hui-mui    260 

Is  the  stamp  simple?  Simplicity  of  the  ball-mill,  and 
application  of  cement-grinding  machinery  to  the  reduc- 
tion of  metallic  ores. 

Tiik  Bi  mm  sa  or  Minim.  26] 

Exclusiveness  and  democracy  in  mining  engineering. 
Two  conflicting  stories  of  the  discovery  of  the  Camp 
Bird  mine:  the  propagation  of  a  gilded  myth. 

Si  in  n  i  u    Si.n-  uf   COPPKB   262 

Comment  on  the  last  of  the  series  of  articles  by  Mr. 
Frank  H.  Probert.  The  stimulation  of  Intelligent  curi- 
osity on  outcrops,  a  contribution  to  human  progress. 

DISCV8SI0X 
Americans  in  Mexico. 

By  R.  8.  Bw&ette 263 

A  specific  cuse  of  injustice  to  a  mining  man  in  conse- 
quence of  the  failure  of  the  Department  of  State  to 
protect  Americans  in  Mexico. 

The  Biuiikn  at  Mailed  Advertising. 

By  R.  X.  Fletcher  264 

The  abuse  of  the  mails  by  advertisers.  Complaint  of 
a  mine  manager  whose  desk  is  flooded  with  circulars 
that  he  never  reads. 

Cyamiu.no  Flotation  Concentrate. 

By  A.  E.  Druelcer 264 

Sundry  points  pertaining  to  the  choice  of  machinery 
for  this  treatment  are  cleared.  Frenier  spiral  pumps 
and  belt  and  bucket  elevators. 

ARTICLES 
Sy.n i iiktk   Nitric  Ann. 

By  F.  B.  Mason   265 

Why  American  business  men  have  not  gone  into  the 
manufacture  of  nitrates,  obtaining  nitrogen  from  the 
air.  Not  an  efficient  or  profitable  process.  A  sugges- 
tion for  an  indirect  method. 

Surficial  Indications  of  Copper. 

By  Frank  H.  Probert 267 

The  author  says,  "I  am  no  longer  attracted  by  a  chain 
of  blood-red  hills;  they  suggest  to  me  the  presence  of 
lean  pyritic  mineralization  without  enrichment."  Sur- 
face indications  at  the  porphpry-copper  mines  of  the 
West.    The  finding  of  an  orebody,  by  geological  infer- 


Page. 

ence,  in  the  Hay  Centra]  mine  al  Kay.  Arizona.  Con- 
clusion of  a  series  of  five  articles,  previously  delivered 
by  lecture  at  the  University  of  California. 

The  Hi  siness  "i   Mining. 

By  11'.  II.  Inaalls 276 

Annual  commencement  address  before  the  Missouri 
School  of  Mines  by  the  Editor  of  the  Engineering  and 
ttining  Journal.  Mining  Is  a  business  not  a  profes- 
sion: "highfalutln"  "  ideas  on  the  dignity  of  engineer- 
ing. 

United  States  Mineral  Production  281 

All  metals  in  1915  reached  a  total  production  of  $987,- 
500.000.  including  pig  iron. 

Coax  Mining  in  1915  281 

Pennsylvania  was  the  greatest  coal-producing  State 
in  both  bituminous  and  anthracite  during  last  year. 

Concrete  Stringers  for  Inclined  Shafts  282 

Practice  in  South  African  mines  is  discussed.  Con- 
crete stringers  are  cheaper  than  timber  sills.  The 
design  of  the  stringers:  the  counteracting  of  the  noise 
by  the  use  of  wooden  cushions. 

Early  History  of  Spelter 282 

Zinc  was  obtained  during  the  early  eighteenth  century 
from  Asia  and  Holland;  the  starting  of  the  industry 
in  England. 

A  Continuous  Ore-Sintering  Machine 283 

A  new  type  of  considerable  merit.  Grate  troubles  are 
lessened.    Parts  subjected  to  heat  are  protected. 

The  Future  of  Silver 284 

China's  influence  on  prices. 

Mixing  in  Colorado. 

By  George  J.  Bancroft 285 

New  capital  for  Colorado  mines;  the  slump  in  tung- 
sten; successes  and  failures  with  the  flotation  process; 
centrifugal  pumps  at  Leadville. 

DEPARTMEXTS 

Concentrates    286 

Review  of  Mining  287 

Special   correspondence   from    Platteville,    Wisconsin; 

Leadville,  Colorado. 

The  Mining  Summary   289 

Personal   292 

The  Metal  Market 293 

Eastern  Metal  Market 294 


Established  May  24.  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Preen;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining:  nnd  Scientific 
Preen. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg\;  New  Tork.  1308-10 
Woolworth   Bdg. ;   London,  724   Salisbury  House,   E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and  Mexico.  $3;  Canada.  $4;  other  countries  in  postal  union, 
21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


Ill 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  111  1(1 


World's  Largest  Electric  Shovel 
Strips  Overburden  from  Coal 

At  Smithfield,  Ohio,  the  Piney  Fork  Coal  Company  strip 
the  overburden  from  their  coal  with  a  6-yard  electric  shovel, 
operated  by  purchased  electric  power  from  Wheeling,  West 
Va.,  a  dozen  miles  away.  G-E  Motors  and  Control  equip- 
ment are  used  exclusively. 

The  economy  and  certainty  of  power  resulting  have  per- 
mitted uninterrupted  operation  through  the  coldest  weather. 

Two  electrical  equipments  for  8-yard  shovels  have  been  sold  as  a 
result  of  the  splendid  satisfaction  given  by  the  6-yard  shovel.  These 
shovels  are  operated  by  one  man  and  are  both  roomy  and  clean,  thus 
promoting  safety  of  operator. 

General  Electric  Company 


Atlanta   Ga. 
Baltimore.  Md. 
Birmingham,  Ala. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Butte.  Mont. 
Charleston,  \V.  Vu. 
Charlotte,  N.  C. 
Chattanooga,  Tenn. 
Chicago.  111. 
Cincinnati,  Ohio 
Cleveland.  Ohio 
Columbus.  Ohio 
Dayton.  Ohio 


Denver,  i 

IHlhllli.  Mum. 

Elmira,  N.  Y. 
Erie,  Pa. 

Fori  Wayne.  Ind. 
Hartford.  Conn. 
Indianapolis,  bid. 
Jacksonville,  Fia. 

Mo. 

1  'icy.  Mo. 

Knoxville,  Tenn. 
Los  Angeles,  *  al. 
Louisville.  Ky. 


General  Office :  Schenectady,  N  Y. 

ADDRESS  NEAREST   OFFICE 


Memphis,  Tenn. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Minneapolis,  Minn 

Tenn. 
New  Havon, ( 'onn. 
N.'W  Orleans,  L*t, 

New  York.  N.  Y. 
Niagurn  Falls,  S.  Y 


'  Has  1 18     N<4>. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pittsburg.  Pa. 
Portland.  Ore. 
Providence,  ft.  I 
Richmond.  Va, 


Rochester,  N.  Y. 

St.  Louis.  Ho. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

Sun  Francisco.  ("al. 
Schenectady.  N.  Y. 
Seattle,  Wash, 
Spokane,  Wash. 

Springfield.  Mass. 


Syracuse,  N".  Y. 

Toledo.  Ohio 
Washington.  D    ' 
Youngstown,  Ohio 


For  Michigan  business  refer  to  General  E'ectric 
Company  of  Michigan   Detroit,  Midi. 
For  Texas.  Oklahoma  and  Arizona  buslnefi 

to  SoathwestGeneral  Electric  Company  *  formerly 
Hobson  Electric  Co.).  Dallas.  Houston. 
El  Paso  and  Oklahoma  City.    For  Cana- 
dian business  refer  to  Canadian  Oeneral 
Electric  Company,  Ltd.,  Toronto.  Out. 


6  Cu.  Yd.  Electric  Shovel 
Piney  Fork  Coal  Co., 
Smithfield,  Ohio 


August   19,  1916 


MINING  ...id  Scientific   PRESS 


IS  ID  1  aJ  0  'Si  1  j-\  'f 


T.    A.    RICK 


dltor 


A  NN'nl  NCEMENT    of    the    resignation    of    Messrs,  oul  of  date,  of  course.    Twenty  or  thirty  yean  ago  it 

-'*■  William  B.  Phillips,  as  President,  and  P.  W.  Trap-  was  nol  bo  improper  to  inspect  mines  Prom  the  hurricane 

hagen,  sbP  I  Metallurgy,  in  the  Colorado  School  deck  of  a  mule  or  to  appraise  an  ore  deposil  from  i  h<- 

of  Mines  draws  attention  again  t"  the  miahnmlling  of  this  small  end  of  a  telescope,  but  the  naivety  of  the  gentleman 

useful  institution.     When  will  the  people  of  Colorado  is  to  be  commended.     Be  d< ives  nobody.     His  pre- 

t iik«-  steps  to  put  the  control  of  their  School  of  Mines  in  decessors  in  the  act  of  seeing  mines  where  only  holes 

g I  hands  ami  take  it  out  of  petty  poll'  exist  were  less  scrupulous. 


"POLITICAL  discussion  ot'  the  Mexican  mess  during 
■*•  the  presidential  campaign  will  have  one  good  result : 
it  will  give  our  people  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  condi- 
tions in  Mexico  and  of  our  responsibilities  in  the  mailer. 
Thus  it  should  prepare  the  way  for  a  consistent  policy. 
The  nomination  of  Mr.  Franklin  K.  Lane  on  the  Con- 
ference Commission  has  given  keen  satisfaction  in  the 
West. 


l\/foKK  crude  petroleum  was  marketed  in  the  United 
-1-'1-  States  during  1915  than  in  any  previous  year,  ac- 
cording to  final  figures  just  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey.  The  total  was  281,104,104  barrels,  valued  at 
$17!>,4<i2.8!it>,  This  is  a  li',  increase  over  the  output  in 
11114.  Prices  were  lower,  however,  the  average  for  the 
country  being  63.8  cents,  against  80.6  cents  per  barrel 
in  1914.  Only  in  Colorado  and  Wyoming  did  prices 
improve.  At  the  present  time  quotations  are  rising 
steadily,  and  prospects  of  the  industry  are  brighter.  In 
1915  California  had  to  give  way  to  Oklahoma  for  first 
place  on  the  list  of  producing  States. 

j\/f  ETALLI'RC Y  nowadays  wins  more  than  one  metal, 
■"-'-  sometimes  three  or  four,  out  of  an  ore,  so  that  it 
I omes  difficult  to  decide  under  what  category  to  clas- 
sify a  mine.  For  instance,  in  1915  the  group  of  copper 
mines  in  Shasta  county,  around  Kennett,  California, 
yielded  315,549  tons  of  ore  from  which  was  won 

$477,684  in  gold  or  $1.51  per  ton 

396,183    "  silver  "     1.26  "  " 

3.772,218    "  copper  "  11.96  "  " 

1,022,722    "  zinc  "     3.24  "  " 

the  total  being  $5,668,807  or  an  average  of  $17.97  per 
ton,  as  against  a  total  of  $3,087,279  and  an  average  of 
.$12.70  per  ton  in  1914. 


TN  a  report  recently  written  on  a  Californian  mine  we 
-*•  find  the  following:  "In  a  rather  hurried  survey  of 
your  vast  estate,  taken  from  the  back  of  a  mountain 
pony,  I  saw  many  evidences  that  you  have  a  valuable 
property,  quartz  croppings  on  hills  and  mountain  tops, 
in  gulches  and  canyons,  and  almost  everywhere  was 
seen  the  remains  of  extensive  placer  mining."     This  is 


"ItyflNIXt;  men  are  returning  to  Mexico,  despite  the  lack 
-L"  of  protection  from  the  Administration  at  Washing- 
ton. Passports  arc  refused  by  the  State  Department,  yet 
the  managers  and  owners  of  mines  are  going  hack  he- 
cause  they  know  that  this  affords  the  only  chance  of  pro 
tecting  their  property.  On  another  page  we  publish  the 
exchange  of  telegrams  between  a  mining  engineer  and  I  be 
State  Department.  We  are  informed  that  other  engi- 
neers have  had  exactly  the  same  experience,  being  told 
peremptorily  that  they  must  leave  Mexico  or  stay  at  their 
own  risk.  It  was  the  threat  of  war  that  made  it  danger- 
ous to  stay  and  not  interference  from  the  Mexicans,  so 
say  those  operating  on  the  West  Coast  more  particularly. 

SPELTER  had  a  flutter  during  the  last  two  weeks  of 
July,  rising  from  9.25  to  10.50  cents,  but  soon  re- 
ceded to  a  new  low  point  in  the  present  market,  namely, 
8.25  cents.  One  smelter  in  Kansas  is  shutting  down  a 
block  of  furnaces,  while  others  are  not  buying  more  ore 
than  necessary.  A  mid-year  statement  on  the  metal  has 
been  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  covering  the 
first  half  of  1916.  The  supply  totaled  330,922  tons,  in- 
cluding 14,253  tons  of  stocks  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year,  267,449  tons  from  domestic  ore,  and  48,756  tons 
from  foreign  ore,  also  464  tons  imported.  There  was 
withdrawn  20,197  tons  for  foreign  export,  58,007  tons 
for  domestic  export,  while  stocks  on  June  30  were  24,000 
tons.  The  apparent  consumption  was  228,700  tons.  In 
addition  to  the  retorts  erected  at  the  middle  of  the  year, 
193,696,  there  were  22,188  building  or  contemplated. 

CONFUSION  still  exists  among  prospectors  as  to  the 
basis  on  which  ores  of  tungsten  are  bought  and  sold. 
It  is  possible  to  misunderstand,  for  instance,  the  mean- 
ing of  "concentrate  of  50%  tungsten  oxide,"  and  to 
think  erroneously  that  this  means  concentrate  consisting 
of  50%  scheelite  or  wolframite,  which  contains  only 
about  60%  of  tungstie  oxide,  or  tungstic  acid.  The  con- 
fusion arises  from  the  fact  that  tungstic  oxide,  which  is 
the  acid  radical  W03,  cannot  be  visualized  by  a  miner. 
He  understands  that  a  40%  zinc  or  copper  concentrate 
means  40%  of  zinc  or  copper,  rather  than  40%  of  sphal- 


260 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19.  1918 


t'l-ilt-  or  chalcocite,  becuse  he  has  seen  zinc  and  copper 
in  their  metal  forms.  But  he  never  has  seen  any  tungstie 
oxide.  A  price  of  $30  per  unit  of  tungstie  oxide  means 
$:JD  for  each  percentage,  or  1%,  or  20  pounds.  A  price 
ill'  $30  per  unit  for  60%  concentrate  means  $1800  per 
ton  lor  concentrate  containing  60%  tungstie  oxide. 


Stamp  v.  Ball-Mill 

This  case  is  on  trial  in  the  great  assize  of  experience. 
Wt-  might  have  headed  our  article  'The  passing  of  the 
stamp-mill.'  but  that  heading  has  been  used  so  often 
during  the  past  twenty  years  and  the  stamp-mill  has 
shown  such  stolid  refusal  to  pass  that  it  seemed  wisest 
not  to  tempt  the  refutation  of  events  so  confidently.  Any 
mechanical  device  that  has  withstood  the  whips  and 
scorns  of  scientific  observers  for  a  time  longer  than  the 
lives  of  most  of  its  critics,  and  that  still  persists  in  hold- 
ing its  ground  despite  the  onslaughts  of  competing  in- 
ventions of  greater  ingenuity,  must  have  sterling  merit. 
Even  its  best  friends,  however,  do  not  claim  that  as  a 
crushing  machine  it  is  a  model  of  efficiency,  for  the  ratio 
between  power  consumed  and  work  performed  suggests 
a  radical  defect.  The  more  frequent  claim  for  the  super- 
iority of  stamps  is  their  simplicity  both  of  construction 
and  operation. 

People  are  apt  to  regard  the  things  they  understand  as 
simple,  those  they  do  not  understand  as  complex.  Is 
not  this  the  real  reason  for  the  alleged  simplicity  of  the 
stamp?  Consider  the  innumerable  adjustments  that 
have  to  be  made  and  the  tendencies  to  a  break-down. 
The  foundation-bolt  nuts  must  be  tightened  frequently: 
the  screens  watched  with  a  vigilant  eye;  the  chuck- 
blocks  lowered  and  the  false  dies  replaced  as  the  shoes 
and  dies  wear  down  ;  the  shoes  and  dies  themselves  must 
be  replaced  when  worn  out ;  ■  broken  stems  have  to  be 
replaced  and  welded ;  tappets  must  be  set  so  as  to  com- 
pensate for  the  wear  of  the  crushing  surfaces;  the  lin- 
ing of  the  mortar  is  abraded;  cam-shafts  break,  and  so 
on.  The  'fingers'  that  'jack-up'  the  stamps  have  to  be 
manipulated  with  careful  skill;  the  clean-up  inside  the 
mortar  is  a  time-wasting  nuisance.  The  indictment  be- 
comes formidable. 

Designers  allow  2\  horse-power  for  the  operation  of  a 
stamp  weighing  1000  pounds  dropping  100  times  per 
minute  from  a  height  of  6  inches,  although  the  actual 
energy,  as  measured  in  foot-pounds,  is  equivalent  to  only 
1.6  horse-power.  What  the  efficiency  is,  based  upon  the 
power  required  for  crushing  ore  in  a  theoretically  per- 
fect device,  we  do  not  know.  Ordinarily,  the  capacity  of 
a  stamp  such  as  is  mentioned  above  may  be  taken  at  from 
4  to  5  tons  per  day  of  24  hours,  with  1^-inch  feed  crushed 
to  pass  a  30-mesh  screen,  or  not  less  than  half  a  horse- 
power per  ton  of  ore  milled.  The  low  output  of  the 
stamp  is  due  in  great  part  to  its  inability  to  discharge 
the  crushed  product  when  once  reduced  to  the  desired 
fineness.  Various  devices  and  improvements  in  design 
have  been  offered  from  time  to  time  in  order  to  over- 
come this  defect.     Multiple-discharge  mortars  of  many 


types  have  been  invented,  but.  while  they  increase  the 
capacity,  it  has  been  done  at  the  expense  of  what  is 
really  the  greatest  point  in  favor  of  the  stamp-mill,  its 
service  as  an  amalgamating  machine.  This,  combined 
with  the  ability  to  effect  a  greater  proportionate  re- 
duction in  a  single  stage  than  any  other  device,  plus  the 
familiarity  of  the  average  mill-man  with  its  many  vag- 
aries and  complexities,  constitutes  the  real  reason  for  the 
hold  it  retains  upon  the  affections  of  the  miner. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  stamp-mill  has  been 
able  to  retain  its  astonishing  supremacy  during  all  these 
years  without  a  struggle.  A  bewildering  array  of  com- 
peting apparatus  has  been  introduced,  good,  bad,  and 
indifferent.  Every  form  of  mechanical  motion  under 
the  sun  has  been  tried,  from  high-speed  centrifugal  ma- 
chines that  pulverize  everything,  including  themselves, 
in  no  time  at  all,  to  some  of  the  so-called  pulverizers  that 
gently  massage  the  rock  in  a  leisurely  manner  until  it 
finally  falls  apart  from  sheer  weariness  Some  of  the 
various  roller-mills  have  found  a  comparatively  limited 
field  of  application  in  the  crushing  of  soft  ores,  or  in 
performing  their  part  in  one  stage  out  of  a  three  or 
four-stage  crushing  operation.  That  is  why  the  stamp 
more  than  held  its  own  until  the  introduction  of  the 
cyanide  process  started  a  revolution  in  milling  practice 
that  shook  the  old  battery  to  its  very  foundations. 

It  will  he  remembered  that,  in  the  development  of 
cyanidation,  leaching  came  first.  Then,  owing  to  the 
long  contact  required  for  taking  the  coarse  gold  into 
solution,  fine-grinding  was  introduced,  with  its  inevit- 
able sequel,  filtration,  and  with  it  the  more  or  less  com- 
plete rejection  of  amalgamation  as  one  of  the  means  of 
extracting  the  precious  metal  from  the  ore.  When  the 
need  for  a  simple  and  effective  fine-grinding  apparatus 
was  manifest,  the  engineer,  casting  about  for  something 
ready-made  that  would  fill  the  bill,  jumped  over  the 
fence  into  the  field  of  cement  machinery  and  lifted  the 
tube-mill  bodily  into  the  domain  of  ore-dressing.  It  was 
soon  discovered  that  the  highly  diluted  pulps  produced 
by  the  stamp  did  not  give  the  best  results  in  tube-milling, 
so  pulp-thickening  and  de-watering  devices  were  em- 
ployed, until  finally  the  classifier  was  introduced  into  the 
fine-grinding  circuit,  returning  the  oversize  for  re-grind- 
ing and  sending  the  fine  product  to  the  cyanide  annex 
for  the  extraction  of  its  metallic  contents.  And  still  the 
old-fashioned  battery  thundered  in  the  canyon,  taking 
the  product  from  the  primary  crushers  at  about  1-inch 
cube  and  delivering  a  10-  or  20-mesh  product  to  the 
tube-mills.  In  a  few  instances,  rolls  and  Chilean  mills 
were  substituted,  but,  generally  speaking,  our  friend 
the  stamp,  after  five  hundred  years  of  usefulness,  con- 
tinued to  prove  his  marvellous  adaptability  by  being 
ready  to  meet  the  latest  of  emergencies. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  just  what  started  the 
ball-mill  epidemic.  Here  is  another  instance  of  borrow- 
ing the  implements  of  the  cement  industry ;  in  fact,  as 
far  as  the  crushing  department  is  concerned,  cement  ma- 
chinery has  been  annexed  almost  bodily  by  the  metal 
miner.     However,  the  ball-mill  as  a  competitor  of  the 


August   19,   1910 


MINING  ud  Scientific  i'Kl  SS 


stamp  in  now  an  insist,  mi  foot,  an.l  ii  real!]  begim  to 
appear  as  if  ,inr  old  friend  before  long  «ill  have  i<>  join 
the  innumerable  owniD  of  the  obsolete,  retiring  with 

drawn  vehicles  end  sedan  ehaira  into  the  limbo  of 
diacarded  things,  There  is  nothing  irrational  about  the 
popularity  of  the  ball-milL  Speaking  of  simplicity, 
hare  ia  the  real  thing!  Take  a  hollow  shell;  put  s  head 
at  each  end;  provide  means  for  rotating  it  at  compare 

lively  slow  speed;  punch  s  hole  in  i nd  for  teed,  and 

iu  the  other  end  for  the  discharge;  liqe  it  in  such  a  way 

afford  s  readily  removable  shell  on  the  inside; 
Huron  in  a  few  tons  of  balls;  and  there  yon  are;  do  bair- 
trigger  adjustments,  take-ups,  or  any  other  form  of 
Duisance  attending  the  operation  of  a  stamp-battery. 
Bach  ball  is  a  stamp  that  crashes  and  grinds;  the  rotary 
movement  of  the  shell  lifts  the  halls  ami  drops  them  upon 
the  pulp,  which  is  actuated  from  the  feed  to  the  .lis 
oharge  by  perfectly  natural  forces,  ami  is  gradually 
comminuted  meanwhile.  The  eoarso  product  will  gravi- 
tate to  the  periphery,  while  the  finer  particles  will  work 
their  way  to  the  centre  of  gyration,  in  other  words,  the 
centre  of  the  mill,  ami  finally  escape  through  the  hollow 
trunnion  at  the  discharge  end.  The  pulp  is  agitated 
by  the  halls  so  as  to  be  kept  constantly  stirred,  breaking 
even  particle.  As  for  results,  here  are  some  typical 
figures  made  public  by  a  well-known  manufacturer  of 
hall-mills.  A  mill  in  Canada  had  been  operating  eighty 
1 '_'."> 1 1 -pound  stamps  and  crushing  800  tons  per  day 
through  |-inch  screens.  The  consumption  of  powrer  per 
stamp,  therefore,  would  appear  to  have  been  about  3 
horse-power,  or  0.3  hp.  per  ton  of  ore  milled.  By  way  of 
experiment,  one  hall-mill  was  installed,  and,  after  four 
months'  trial,  it  proved  itself  able  to  crush  498  tons  per 
day.  using  113.2  horse-power,  with  a  charge  of  28,000 
pounds  of  balls,  or  0.225  hp.  per  ton  of  ore  milled.  The 
floor-space  occupied  was  about  the  same  as  would  be  re- 
quired by  ten  stamps,  or  one-fifth  that  taken  by  the 
stamps  per  ton  of  ore  milled.  And  there  were  no  count- 
er-shafts, pulleys,  belts,  tighteners,  broken  stems,  cam- 
shafts or  tappets  to  set  up,  or  any  of  the  other  things 
that  characterize  the  'simplicity'  of  the  stamp.  That  is 
also  the  opinion  at  Juneau,  where  ball-mills  are  dis- 
placing stamps.  The  time  has  come  to  revise  our 
opinions. 

The  Business  of  Mining 

In  a  recent  issue  we  published  a  commencement  address 
delivered  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Finlay  before  the  Colorado  School 
of  Mines ;  on  another  page  we  reproduce  the  larger  part 
of  a  similar  address  made  by  Mr.  W.  R.  Ingalls  before  the 
Missouri  School  of  Mines.  These  two  engineers,  besides 
giving  nearly  simultaneous  lectures  to  our  young  men  on 
a  kindred  subject,  both  served  as  secretary  and  president 
successively  of  the  Mining  and  Metallurgical  Society  of 
America,  an  organization  that  has  proved  more  influen- 
tial than  representative.  Of  course,  the  address  by  the 
editor  of  the  Engineering  &  Mining  Journal  is  as  inter- 
esting to  older  men  as  it  must  have  been  to  the  particular 


pun  of  the  audience  for  whom  it  was  primarily 

pared.     Mr.   Ingalls  regrets  the  sheen f  regulations 

>ling  the  mining  profession.    The  .Mining  \  Metal 
lurgical  Society  introduced  some  lemblanoe  ol    reguls 

Hon  by  restricting mbership  ami  it  is  conceivable  thai 

had  it  not  been  stranded  on  the  shoal  of  axoluaiven 
might  have  exercised  a  salutary  influence  on  the  profea 
lion.    Itnt  the  idea  of  forbidding  a  man  to  practice  any 
profession   i.s  one  unlikely  to  come  into  favor  in  this 

democrat] ontry.    The  ideal  of  equality  of  opportun- 

ity  is  too  precious  to  he  endangered  either  by  legislative 

restriction  or  oligarchic  tabOO.  The  definition  of  'pro- 
fession' as  given  in  Webster's  dictionary  ami  Quoted  by 
Mr  Ingalls  is  not  a  good  one,  but  it  is  good  enough  to 
introduce  the  suggestion  of  commercialism.  Undoubt- 
edly mining  is  a  business,  to  which  the  profession  min- 
isters, and  any  mining  engineer  that  expects  to  succeed 
must  understand  the  various  phases  of  this  business  to 
which  his  advisory  functions  are  dedicated.  Young  men 
with  high  professional  ideals  may  become  disillusioned 
whin  they  discover  that  the  striking  successes  are  won 
by  financial  shrewdness  rather  than  by  technical  ability; 
but  then  comes  the  test  of  the  true  professional  man :  the 
love  of  his  work,  compensating  him  for  the  monetary 
gain  that  he  sees  escaping  him.  Doctors,  lawyers,  clergy- 
men are  recognized  as  members  of  professions  because 
they  treat  their  respective  occupations  as  a  vocation,  al- 
though many  of  them  might  enrich  themselves  readily 
by  selling  automobiles,  promoting  mines,  teaching  the 
one-step,  or  dealing  in  real  estate.  So,  we  presume,  there 
will  continue  to  be  simple-minded  whole-hearted  men 
willing  to  remain  professional  when  they  might  so  easily 
become  predatory.  However,  it  is  good  advice  that  Mr. 
Ingalls  gives  in  urging  misfits  to  change  their  employ- 
ment. The  square  peg  in  a  round  hole  is  the  type  of  mis- 
direction. A  good  sales-agent  is  the  superior  of  a  bad 
engineer.  Those  are  fortunate  that  find  the  work  for 
which  they  are  adapted,  and  it  is  a  splendid  character- 
istic of  American  life  that  the  change  from  one  occupa- 
tion to  another  is  so  easy  and  so  reputable,  affording  men 
the  opportunity  to  discover  what  they  can  do  best,  and 
giving  them  a  chance  to  do  it.  Mr.  Ingalls  mentions  four 
representatives  of  the  'generals'  of  mining.  Let  us  add 
four  representative  'staff-officers';  E.  P.  Mathewson,  E. 
H.  Hamilton,  Philip  Argall,  and  Albert  Burch.  And  to 
that  we  may  append  four  representatives  of  the  'war 
council,'  the  men  of  proved  sagacity  in  directing  the 
broad  lines  of  a  campaign :  H.  C.  Perkins,  D.  W.  Brun- 
ton,  D.  M.  Riordan,  and  E.  T.  McCarthy.  These  are 
merely  typical;  each  reader  can  add  to  the  number  out 
of  his  knowledge  and  acquaintance.  It  is  at  least  a  sign 
of  the  times  that  the  famous  members  of  the  profession, 
or  business,  are  to  be  found  in  the  class  of  'generals.' 
They  are  men  that  were  technicians  until  they  became 
connected  intimately  with  big  enterprises  and  then,  in 
some  cases  almost  automatically,  they  participated  in  the 
buying  and  selling  of  mines,  finally  playing  a  hand  in  the 
big  'game,'  as  it  is  called  in  the  West,  of  promotion  and 
speculation.     The  stories  of  the  late  Marcus  Daly  and 


262 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  1!'.  1916 


Mr.  .Inliii  D.  Ryan  are  apropos,  for  the  engineer  must 
learn  that  the  basic  purpose  of  mining  is  to  make  money, 
not  to  dig  holes  or  to  spoil  the  scenery.  We  associate 
ourselves  with  Jlr.  Ingalls  in  his  admiration  for  the  work- 
done  by  Mr.  II.  C.  Hoover.  He  pave  to  the  cause  of 
Belgina  what  money  could  not  buy — disinterested  ser- 
vice and  executive  ability  of  the  highest  order.  But  we 
must  demur  to  the  Walsh  story  of  the  discovery  of  the 
Bird.  That  story  would  furnish  an  excellent  text 
for  a  commencement  address  if  it  were  true.  It  is  not. 
M  -.  Ingalls  mentions  that  the  account  as  given  by  the  late 
Thomas  F.  Walsh  to  an  admiring  class  of  students  was 
re-printed  in  the  journal  of  which  he  is  now  editor,  but 
the  true  story  was  printed  in  the  same  journal  before  he 
became  the  editor  of  it.  In  1899,  three  years  after  the 
'•vent,  and  ten  years  before  the  official  myth  was  propa- 
gated, Walsh  told  the  present  writer,  in  the  presence  of 
Andy  Richardson,  while  all  three  stood  close  to  the  scene 
of  discovery,  how  lie  had  stumbled  upon  his  fortune.  His 
story,  corroborated  and  corrected  by  his  faithful  re- 
tainer. Richardson,  was  recorded  on  the  spot  and  the  gist 
of  it  was  published  in  the  Enginecrimj  A-  Mining  Journal 
of  July  18,   1903.      If  that  first  published  account  had 

I n  incorrect  it  is  probable  that  Walsh,  or  his  manager 

John  Benson,  or  other  persons  cognizant  of  the  facts. 

would  have  eon ted  it  at   that  time.     It  is  not  unusual 

I'm-  the  finding  of  a  rich  mine  to  he  credited  wrongfully 
to  scientific  acumen.  The  simple  facts  become  smothered 
in  romantic  details  until  a  gorgeous  myth  passes  current 
as  history,  to  be  retailed  even  by  the  discoverer  himself, 
who  finally  persuades  himself  that  it  is  true.  In  the  same 
way  \V.  S.  Stratton  was  given  credit  for  knowledge  of 
chemistry  and  mineralogy,  and,  on  the  insistence  of  his 
friends,  credited  himself  with  them,  although  he  had 
pottered  around  the  one  conspicuous  outcrop  in  the 
Cripple  Creek  district  for  many  days  before  at  haphaz- 
ard he  chipped  a  piece  of  the  decomposed  granite,  which 
proved  to  assay  19  ounces  in  gold  per  ton.  Then  the  mill- 
wright graduated  as  a  mineralogist,  and  in  course  of  time 
he  forgot,  as  also  did  his  friends,  that  he  had  told  the  true 
story  to  a  person  able  to  record  it.  As  to  Walsh's  story, 
"a  slide  of  reddish  pyritiferous  porphyry"  would  be  no 
"indication  of  gold"  in  a  district  where  the  andesitic 
mountains  are  red  as  radishes;  nor  does  the  Camp  Bird 
Ore  carry  tellurides  "in  circles  of  glistening  black  min- 
eral." The  thin  dark  bands  consist  of  fine-grained 
galena  and  blende,  the  proportion  of  telluride  being  not 
only  minute,  but  doubtful.  Walsh  heard  about  the  'tellu- 
ride" long  afterward,  when  Mr.  F.  L.  Ransome  had  pub- 
lished his  report  on  the  Silverton  quadrangle.  The 
pink  mineral  that  attracted  Walsh's  attention  on  the 
Gertrude  dump  was  rhodonite;  he  mistook  it  for  fluor- 
spar, with  which  he  had  become  familiar  at  Cripple 
Creek  and  with  which  he  associated  the  occurrence  of 
gold. 

What  Mr.  Ingalls  has  to  say  regarding  the  play  of 
character  in  a  technical  career  is  well  stated.  So  is  the 
final  insistence  on  the  main  purpose  of  both  mining  and 
metallurgy — to   make   money,   not    to   apply   geological 


theories  or  to  use  pretty  machinery;  in  short,  as  liis  whole 
address  emphasizes  admirably,  the  winning  of  the  metals 
from  the  earth  is  not  a  scientific  pursuit  hut  a  business. 

Surficial  Signs  of  Copper 

— — 

The  last  of  the  series  of  articles  mi  this  Bubjeol  appears 

in  this  issue,  and  we  feel  confident  that  our  readers  will 
feel  under  pleasant  obligation  to  Mr.  Frank  H.  Prober! 
for  his  painstaking  and  illuminating  analysis.  The  in- 
formation he  has  given  and  the  suggestions  he  has  offered 
can,  and  will,  be  put  to  practical  use  by  those  in  search 
of  the  metal  that  plays  so  important  a  part  in  civiliza- 
tion, and  in  the  attempt  to  destroy  it.  The  colors  of  the 
landscape,  particularly  in  the  South-West,  will  I 
forth  have  a  new  meaning  for  the  observant  prospector, 
geologist,  and  engineer.  Yellowness,  rather  than  redness, 
will  attract  the  eye  of  the  seeker  after  another  Miami  or  a 
second  Chuquicamata.  In  his  last  article,  the  author. 
not  content  with  his  own  observations,  has  been  wise 
enough  to  gather  the  views  of  a  number  of  engineers 
closely  associated  with  successful  copper  explorations, 
adding  thereby  to  the  value  of  his  own  conclusions.  An- 
other phase  of  the  subject,  that  of  rock  alteration,  is 
reviewed,  indicating  the  principal  parts  played  by  silici- 
fication  and  kaolini/.ation.  Here  also  Mr.  Probert  has 
drawn  mi  the  experience  of  other  observers,  submitting 
tin-  opinions  of  mining  geologists  connected  with  im- 
portant enterprises  in  Arizona  and  Mexico.  His  own 
successful  diagnosis  of  the  Ray  deposit  affords  a  striking 
example  of  the  direct  application  of  geology  to  mining 
and  illustrates  the  economic  value  of  these  scientific 
studies.  We  hope  that  some  of  the  gentlemen  quoted  by 
him  will  add  further  to  the  value  of  the  essay  by  con- 
tributing comment  and  criticism.  We  are  glad  that  Mr. 
Probert  should  conclude  his  present  writing  with  a  quo- 
tation from  Mr.  R.  A.  Penrose's  paper  on  'The  Super- 
ficial Alteration  of  Ore  Deposits,'  for  we  believe  that  that 
particular  article  did  a  great  deal  to  stimulate  intelligent 
curiosity  in  regard  to  the  nature  of  outcrops  and  proved 
of  direct  value  to  mining  engineres  in  many  parts  of  the 
world.  That  is  what  Mr.  Probert,  in  turn,  will  have 
done.  Such  publication  of  individual  observation  and 
experience  is  a  contribution  to  human  progress  that 
every  man  should  aim  to  make,  in  return  for  the  heritage 
of  knowledge  given  to  him  gratuitously  by  others.  We 
venture  to  close  by  referring  to  a  pathetic  incident. 
Among  thase  lost  on  the  Lusitania  was  ('.  T.  Brodrick, 
a  Harvard  graduate  and  a  young  geologist  of  the  great- 
est promise.  He  had  been  studying  secondary  enrich- 
ment and  its  allied  problems  in  the  Siberian  copper 
mines  and  elsewhere,  and  on  his  last  journey  he  carried 
with  him  a  mass  of  invaluable  manuscript  recording  his 
observations.  This  went  down  with  the  gallant  ship 
when  she  was  assassinated.  If  he  had  only  had  a  mul- 
tiple copy  made,  or  if  his  notes  had  been  printed,  they 
would  have  been  preserved  as  a  fitting  memorial  to  a 
truly  scientific  man  and  would  have  perpetuated  the 
work  to  which  he  had  applied  himself  so  devotedly. 


Augtul   19,  1916 


MINING  snd  Scient.hc  PRESS 


'■■•i  (.,  in?  f/,.  -Kr-r  maittrt  , 

lining ''"''  iit't'tH"'  wttttry  to  hit  own,  /«■/..>'- 

m0  thai  oartful  eritieitm  it  mow  ••ilwihi,  than  eatual  compliment. 


Di^i 


Americans  in  Mexico 

The  Editor: 

sir— The  Following  telegram  to  the  Department  of 
State,  and  the  reply,  may  be  of  interest. 

Tumuh 

San  Francisco.  July  30,  1916 
Department  of  State.  Washington,  D.  C. 

1  am  an  American  citizen.  July  8th  left  Mauzanillo,  Mexico, 
■gains)  my  wish,  after  seeing  telegram  from  Department  saying 
'Americana  must  leave.'  Went  to  Mexico  nine  years  ago  after 
investigating  and  finding  I  had  right  to  go  there  to  live.  All 
1  have  is  In  Mexico  and  remembering  exodus  of  1914  and  the 
hardships  caused  have  left  my  wife,  mother  and  two  small 
children  at  our  home  in  Guadalajara.  Mexico,  with  wile's 
father  who  is  German.  Wishing  to  return  to  my  home  please 
authorize  passport  and  transportation  or  failing  in  this 
please"  authorize  funds  for  bringing  my  family  to  this  country 
and  for  our  maintenance  here  and  subsequent  return  to  Guada- 
lajara where  we  have  the  right  to  live  and  be  protected  as 
American  citizens.  There  is  no  war  with  Mexico  and  having 
been  advsed  to  abandon  the  results  of  our  work  in  Mexico  by 
the  State  Department  does  not  alter  our  rights  nor  the  obliga- 
tions of  the  United  States  towards  its  citizens.  Awaiting  favor 
of  prompt  reply  so  I  may 'make  plans  accordingly. 

R.  S.  Bubdette, 
Hotel  Sutter. 

Answer  to  Above  Telegram 

Washington,  D.  C,  Aug.  2,  1916,  2  pm. 
R.  S.  Bubdette,  Hotel  Sutter,  San  Francisco. 
Your  telegram  July  31.  Department  does  not  deem  it  ad- 
visable for  the  present  to  withdraw  the  advice  previously 
given  American  citizens  to  remove  temporarily  from  Guada- 
lajara district  or  to  make  exceptions  thereto.  Department 
will  be  glad  to  consider  advisability  issuing  passport  to  you 
as  soon  as  it  is  satisfied  conditions  in  Guadalajara  district  war- 
rant such  action.  You  are  in  error  when  you  state  Department 
said  in  telegram  Americans  must  leave  Mexico.  What  it  did 
was  to  advise  Americans  to  leave  Mexico  temporarily  for  their 
safety.  Department  has  no  funds  at  its  disposal  that  could  be 
used  for  your  maintenance  in  this  country  or  for  your  return 
transportation  to  Guadalajara.  You  are  further  advised  that 
only  destitute  American  citizens  in  Mexico  can  be  furnished 
transportation  to  their  homes  in  United  States. 

Frank  L.  Polk, 
Acting  Secretary  of  State. 

Before  I  left  Guadalajara,  on  July  3,  the  following 
telegram  was  received  by  the  Americans  remaining  in 
Mexico : 

Consular  Department  informed  several  hundred  Americans 
in  various  parts  of  Mexico  intend  to  disregard  this  govern- 
ment's advise  to  leave  Mexico.  This  government  feels  that  it 
cannot   be   responsible   for   any   such  Americans    unless   they 


leave  Immediately.  Unless  they  leave  D  >w  the  abilities  to 
assist  them  in  their  i-xit  will  inevitably  be  rendered  extremely 
difficult  t"  accomplish.  Impress  on  all  Americans  still  In 
Mexico  districts  that  they  are  assuming  grave  responsibilities 
if  they  should  elect  i"  dl  reg  ird  tble  advice. 

(Signed)   LAK81 

The  telegram  Baying  "Americans  must  leave  immedi- 
ately" I  saw  on  board  the  Maryland  at  Manzanillo  on 

July  8;  for  this  the  State  Depart  incut  denies  responsi- 
bility in  its  answer  to  my  telegram.  This  telegram  was 
shown  to  me  by  U.  S.  Vice-Consul  Stadden  at  .Manzanillo 
on  board  the  Maryland  in  the  presence  of  the  captain  of 
that  ship.  I  believe  the  telegram  was  signed  by  Admiral 
Fullan  and  both  Stadden  and  the  captain  of  the  ship 
gave  me  to  understand  clearly  that  it  came  through  the 
State  Department  and  called  my  attention  to  the  word 
"must"  used  in  the  telegram.  I  was  anxious  to  go  back 
on  shore  and  return  to  my  home  in  Guadalajara  but  de- 
cided to  leave  in  view  of  the  telegram  and  the  urging  of 
the  Consul  and  captain. 

Comparing  my  telegram  and  the  reply  received  one 
can  easily  see  how  discouraging  it  is  to  be  an  American 
citizen  in  Mexico.  In  general,  those  of  us  who  have 
lived  in  Mexico  consider  our  Government 's  policy  grossly 
inefficient.  Through  incompetence  or  stupidity  it  is 
causing  the  ruin  of  over  90%  of  the  people  of  Mexico 
both  financially  and  morally.  The  richer  classes  have  in 
large  measure  moved  to  other  countries,  the  middle-class 
has  for  a  long  time  been  living  without  hope  and  pawn- 
ing their  little  valuables;  the  poor  class  has  been  forced 
to  trade  their  women  and  daughters  for  a  bare  existence. 
Hunger  makes  many  men  do  things  that  are  ordinarily 
condemned  by  well-fed  human  beings. 

I  do  not  speak  disparagingly  of  the  Mexican  people. 
The  conditions  thrust  on  that  country,  largely  by  the 
action  of  the  United  States,  have  made  it  impossible  for 
many  millions  to  gain  a  livelihood,  and  I  doubt  if  the 
behavior  of  any  other  race  would  be  better  if  placed  in 
the  same  helpless  position  through  circumstances  beyond 
their  control. 

It  is  easy  for  some  one  to  suggest  that  the  Mexicans 
should  free  themselves  from  these  conditions.  The  prob- 
lem is  a  large  one,  but  Mexico  would  probably  have  come 
to  a  solution  before  now  if  our  special  representatives 
had  been  competent  and  the  information  they  gathered 
had  been  acted  upon,  instead  of  trying  to  make  the  case 
fit  the  impossible  policy  of  our  administration  during 
the  past  four  years  at  the  cost  of  thousands  of  innocent 
lives,  while  our  State  Department  talks  of  "humanity" 


264 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August   19,  1916 


and  dodges  all  of  its  real  obligations  to  Mexico  as  a 
nation  and  to  its  own  citizens  in  and  oul  of  Mexico,  as 
will  as  to  foreigners  who  must  be  protected  if  the  Monroe 
doctrine  is  to  hold. 

R.   S.   BURDETTE. 

San  Francisco,  August  4. 


The  Burden  of  Mailed  Ad- 
vertising 

Thfl  Editor! 
sir    With  ever  increasing  volume  the  il''sk  of  the  mine 

manager  is  trarde I  with  advertising  matter  thai  comes 

through  the  mail  in  the  form  of  letters  until  it  lias  be- 
eome  a  nuisance  and  a  pest.  Mining  men  are  proverb- 
ially up-to-date  in  their  business  affairs  and  constantly 
on  the  look-out  for  improvements  in  machinery  and 
methods;  bul  this  does  not  mean  that  busy  men  give 
their  time  cheerfully  and  patiently  to  running  through 
a  mass  of  letters  addressed  to  them  only  to  discover  thai 

QOne  of  it  has  any  particular  value  for  them.  They 
would  not  give  half  an  hour  a  day  to  a  book-agent  or  a 
peddler;  why  be  expected  to  give  it  to  a  solicito' 
gets  into  the  Office  surreptitiously  through  the  mails'.' 
Mining  men  look  to  the  columns  of  their  professional  and 
trade  journals  for  information  as  to  advancement  in 
the  line  of  mining  and  ore-treatment ;  and   they  look  to 

the  advertising  columns  of  these  papers  for  information 

concerning  machinery  and  supplies  that  are  safe  to  buy. 
Some  of  the  largest   advertisers  in   the  trade  papers  arc 

tin'  most  persistent  solicitors  through  the  mails,  bul   1 

cannol    believe  it    pays.      In   an  experience  of  more  than 

twenty  years  I  do  not  recall  buying  any  sort  of  an  article 
because  my  attention  has  been  called  to  it  by  a  mailed 

circular.  Invariably  I  consult  tic  columns  of  the  PbESS 
or  other  paper.  Somehow  that  seems  to  be  the  legitimate 
method  Of  soliciting  trade.  It  is  open  and  above-hoard. 
ami  in  the  long  run  must  be  able  to  stand  competition 
and  investigation.  Not  so  the  mailed  circular,  which  can 
make  any  sort  of  claims  regardless  of  actual  fads. 
Editors  even  of  high-class  journals,  do  not  of  course 
guarantee  the  statements  of  their  advertisers,  but  they 
do  not  long  tolerate  advertising  by  unreliable  concerns; 
and  thus  the  appearance  of  an  advertisement  in  a  jou  I  ttaJ 
like  the  1'uk.ss  carries  with  il  a  certain  air  of  respectabil- 
ity and  worth.     The  cm rn  publishing  it  at  least  keeps 

good  company.  Tin'  mailed  solicitor,  on  the  other  hand, 
comes  along  like  a  thief  in  the  night,  and  even  if  he  is 
thoroughly  honest  he  bears  no  signs  of  a  good  character. 
But  the  worsl  of  him  from  tin-  busy  man's  standpoint  is 
his  impertinence  and  bis  waste  of  valuable  time,  lie 
comes  in  without  knocking,  plants  his  feet  on  your 
table,  and  there  remains  until  you  can  find  time  to  dis- 
cover whether  lie  has  a  legitimate  right  to  your  time  or 
is  an  imposter.  By  law  all  advertising  matter  appearing 
in  publications  must  be  specifically  marked  as  such 
either  by  form  or  by  label:  the  law  should  provide  that 
all  soliciting  sent  through  the  mails  should  lie  plainly 
labeled   'advertising  matter'  on   the  wrapper.      The  busy 


manager  could  then  c"iisit.'n  it  to  the  waste  basket  with- 
out loss  oi'  time  and  patience. 

R.  N.  Fletcher. 
Nevada,  August  1. 

I  We  sympathise  with  our  correspondent.  The  only 
corrective  to  the  nuisance  is  a  large  waste-paper  basket. 
like  our  own. — Editor.] 

Cyaniding  Flotation  Con- 
centrate 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  your  issue  of  June  24,  M.  G.  P.  Sohnlein  dis- 
agrees with  sundry  points  in  my  article  appearing  in  the 
issue  of  April  8,  1916. 

Mr.  Sohnlein  is  quite  right  in  what  he  has  to  say  re- 
garding classifiers  and  the  Prenier  pump  when  used  with 
ordinary  mill-pulp.  My  description  of  these  machines 
applies  only  to  the  treatment  of  clean  sulphide  minerals, 
which  is  quite  another  matter. 

The  Prenier  spiral  pump  can  best  be  applied  for  low- 
lifts  up  to  1(1  ft.  in  the  case  of  clean  sulphides  of  high 
specific  gravity.  However,  I  prefer  a  well-designed  cen- 
trifugal pump  (of  the  Byron-Jackson  type),  for  elevat- 
ing the  sulphide-pulp  overflow  (200-mesh  material) 
from  a  Dorr  combined  hydraulic  and  rake  classifier  to 

the  thickeners  or  agitators.  I  am  certain  this  arrange- 
ment will  give  the  minimum  of  trouble.  The  most  re- 
cent plants  for  treating  concentrate  are  using  the  cen- 
trifugal. 

Belt-bucket  elevators  have  not  met  with  much  favor  at 
cyanide-mills  treating  concentrate.  However  well  de- 
signed they  may  he,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  cause 
as  much  trouble  as  any  machine  about  the  mill.  Long 
elevators  give  more  trouble  than  the  short  ones.  Such 
has  been  my  experience. 

Mr.  Sohnlein  agrees  that  "when  a  pulp  is  so  fine  as  to 
pass  100-mesh,  pumps  are  also  satisfactory  and  cheaper 
to  install."     Such  is  the  case  with  a  cyanide-mill  treating 

concentrate  (clean  sulphide  from  tables,  vanners,  or 
flotation)  where  all  the  pulp  (product  to  be  elevated) 
overflowing  the  Dorr  classifier  will  practically  pass  a 
200-mesh  screen.  What  he  has  to  say  about  the  combined 
hydraulic  and  mechanical  classifier  applies  only  to  the 
usual  mill-pulp  containing  minerals  of  widely  varying 
specific  gravity.  His  statements  do  not  strictly  hold  for 
the  classification  of  a  more  homogeneous  material  (clean 
sulphide)  concentrate,  at  which  my  article  was  aimed. 
The  figure  of  30  to  :55^{  moisture  in  the  coarse  concen- 
trate is  too  high.  This  is  my  mistake.  There  is  every 
reason  to  expect  a  less  moisture  when  the  discharged 
coarse  material  contains  less  undersize. 

A.  E.  Drucker. 
London.  July  25. 

[  Evidently  Mr.  Drucker's  experience  with  elevators 

has  not   been  satisfactory,  yet    in  many  plants  they  work 

well  at  low  cost.  Tn  our  issue  of  February  15,  1913, 
we  described  an  elevator  at  Goldfield. — Editor.] 


August   19,   1916 


MINING  and  Sc.ent.nc  PRESS 


./■ili-ii[;    m±rlz    i\<eM 


By     F.     H. 

The  daily  papers,  hom  time  to  time,  have  been  im- 
pressing on  capitalists  the  desirability  of  erecting  n 
plant  for  the  manufacture  of  nitrates  in  1 1 1 » -  United 
-.  ami  one  enthnsiaatic  booster,  in  a  San  Francisco 
daily,  pointed  ont   that  a  nitrate  plant   ami  a  health 

resort   slumlil  I stablishcd  at   the  saint'  place,   because 

the  former  would  help  the  latter  by  removing  nitrogen 
from  the  air,  ami  thus  leave  a  more  invigorating  atmo- 
sphere for  the  invalids.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  here 
that  in  tin'  synthetic  preparation  of  nitric;  acid  from  the 
atmosphere  more  than  twice  as  much  oxygen  as  nitrogen 
is  removed,  but  the  enthusiast  need  not  be  afraid  that 
such  a  plant  would  injure  the  (alifornian  climate,  for 
even  if  a  plant  were  started  it  would  have  no  more  effect 
ou  the  composition  of  the  atmosphere  than  the  salt-plants 
on  the  shores  of  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego  harbors 
have  on  the  salinity  of  the  Pacific  ocean. 

The  American  business  man  is  not  slow  to  grasp 
opportunities,  nor  does  he.  as  a  rule,  require  to  be  urged 
by  the  daily  press;  the  latter  more  often  trails  along  in 
his  wake,  inaccurately  reporting  his  aims  and  ambitions 
ami  the  progress  he  is  making  in  the  industries  to  which 
he  has  turned  his  attention.  We  may  be  assured,  then, 
that  there  is  some  good  reason  why  capitalists  of  the 
United  States  have  not  taken  up  the  manufacture  of 
nitrates  from  the  air.  Certainly  the  reason  is  not  lack 
of  raw  material,  for  it  has  been  calculated  that  above 
each  square  mile  of  the  earth's  surface  there  is  some 
20,000.000  tons  of  nitrogen  and  5,000,000  tons  of  oxygen; 
enough  raw  material,  in  all  conscience,  without  taking 
into  consideration  the  law  of  diffusion  of  gases.  We 
know,  also,  that  extensive  water-powers  are  available  in 
both  the  United  States  and  Canada  to  supply  the  neces- 
sary energy.  We  must  look,  then,  for  some  other  cause, 
and  in  doing  this  it  will  be  well  to  see  what  has  been 
done  in  Europe,  where  plants  for  the  synthetic  prepara- 
tion of  nitrates  have  been  in  operation  for  several  years. 

The  preparation  of  nitric  acid  from  the  atmosphere  is 
no  new  discovery.  When  Cavendish,  in  the  'eighties  of 
the  18th  century,  was  making  his  historic  experiments 
on  the  composition  of  water,  he  noticed  that  when  hydro- 
gen and  air  were  exploded  in  a  eudiometer*  the  result- 
ing water  was  invariably  acid,  but  when  hydrogen  and 
oxygen  were  exploded  the  resulting  water  was  neutral. 
Prom  this  he  rightly  concluded  that  the  nitrogen,  as 
well  as  the  oxygen  and  hydrogen,  had  taken  part — 
though  only  to  a  small  extent — in  the  chemical  re- 
action, and,  in  1784,  he  demonstrated  this  by  preparing 
nitrate  of  potash  by  passing  electric  sparks  through 
equal  volumes  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen  in  a  globe  contain- 

*A  graduated  glass  vessel  used  in  volumetric  analysis. — 
Editor. 


Mason 

ing  a  small  quantity  of  a  solution  of  caustic  potash.  It 
was   I'oiiml   to  he  necessary  to  remove  the  nitric  peroxide 

a>  B i  as  made       as  with  caustic  potash,  fur  instance 

Or  thai  already  made  would  be  decomposed  into  its  orig- 
inal elements  hy  continued  action  of  the  electric  dis 
Charge,  and  it  is  this  that  has  been  the  stumbling-block 
that  has  held  back  the  commercializing  of  Cavendish's 
discovery  for  a  century  and  a  quarter.  The  simple 
equation  N  +  O  =  NO  is  reversible,  and  unless  the  nitric 
oxide  made  is  immediately  removed  from  the  conditions 
that  brought  about  the  combination  of  its  elements  the 
reverse  equation  takes  place. 

With  increased  facilities,  however,  Birkland  and  Eyde, 
in  1903,  were  able  to  prepare  nitric  acid  from  the  air 
on  a  commercial  scale,  and  four  years  later  they  erected 
a  plant  at  Notodden,  in  Norway,  utilizing  a  water-power 
of  40,000  hp. ;  and  other  works,  using  other  kinds  of 
furnaces,  quickly  followed. 

The  furnaces  employed  for  the  manufacture  of  nitric 
acid  from  the  air  vary  considerably,  but  the  object  of 
all  of  them  is  to  bring  the  air  into  intimate  contact  with 
an  electric  arc,  for,  it  is  generally  conceded,  electricity, 
as  well  as  intense  heat,  plays  an  important  part  in  unit- 
ing the  two  gases.  In  the  Birkland-Eyde  furnace,  the 
electrodes  are  two  copper  pipes,  cooled  by  water,  through 
which  a  high-tension  alternating  current  of  5000  volts 
passes;  poles  of  a  powerful  electro-magnet  are  placed 
at  right  angles  to  the  electrodes  at  the  point  where  they 
approach  each  other,  and  flare  the  arc  into  a  disc;  this 
is  enclosed  in  refractory  material,  and  air  is  blown 
through  the  dise-like  arc,  where  it  is  raised  to  a  temper- 
ature of  from  3000  to  8000°  C.  The  gases  issuing  from 
the  furnace  are  cooled  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  500°, 
because  it  has  been  found  that  while  temperatures  above 
3000°  are  best  suited  for  the  formation  of  nitric  oxide 
the  range  between  2500°  and  1000°  is  favorable  to  its 
decomposition.  The  gases  are  passed  under  boilers, 
where  they  are  used  to  generate  steam,  into  the  oxidiz- 
ing-chamber,  kept  at  50°,  where  nitric  oxide  is  converted 
into  nitrogen  peroxide  by  surplus  oxygen.  From  the 
oxidizing-chamber,  the  gases  are  passed  to  a  series  of 
absorption-towers,  where  they  pass  up  through  broken 
quartz  and  meet  a  descending  shower  of  water  or  acid, 
which  converts  the  nitrogen  peroxide  into  nitric  and 
nitrous  acid : 

2N02  +  H20  =  HN02  +  HN03 
NO  +  N02  +  H20  =  2HN02 

It  would  appear  from  the  equations  that  such  nitrous 
acid  is  formed,  but  in  practice  this  becomes  unstable 
with  increasing  concentration,  and  splits  up  thus: 

3HNO„  =  HN03  +  2ND  +  H20 


266 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


the  NO  is  oxidized  to  NO,  as  it  passes  through  the  towers. 
The  weak  acid  obtained  from  the  last  tower  is  pumped 
into  the  one  preceding  it,  then  into  the  next  one,  and  in 
this  way  the  tower  nearest  to  the  furnace  is  mad''  to  pro- 
duce an  a<id  of  40  to  60%  strength  that  it  used  to  de- 
compose  limestone,  forming  nitrate  of  lime,  which,  after 
evaporation,  is  ready  tor  the  market. 

If  the  combustion  of  the  air  wire  complete  in  accord- 
ance with  the  equation 

4N  +  0  =  3N  +  NO 

— too  much  to  ask.  of  course — the  gases  issuing  from  the 
furnace  should  contain  40%  nitric  oxide,  instead  of 
which  if  they  contain  2.5%  of  that  gas  the  furnace  is 
considered  to  be  doing  unusually  good  work.  The  weak 
point,  them,  about  the  process  is  the  inefficiency  of  the 
furnaces.  The  issuing  gases  from  the  Birkland-Eyde 
furnace  contain  2%  of  nitric  oxide,  many  furnaces  pro- 
duce less,  few  more.  One  reason  for  this  low  efficiency 
is  that  the  atmosphere  contains  four  parts  of  nitrogen 
to  one  of  oxygen  while  the  proportion  required  for  the 
reaction  is  equal  parts  of  each  gas,  so  that  60%  of  the 
gases  passing  through  the  furnace  serves  no  useful  pur- 
'.\  bile  it  absorbs  an  immense  amount  of  heat.  It 
has  been  found  experimentally  that  by  adding  oxygen  in 
the  proper  proportion  to  form  nitric  oxide  to  the  gases 
entering  the  furnace  as  much  as  14^<  of  nitric  oxide  was 
contained  in  the  gases  issuing  from  the  furnace,  but  this. 
of  course,  is  impracticable  commercially  on  account  of 
the  cost  of  oxygen. 

Here  then,  in  the  inefficiency  of  the  process,  seems  to 
be  the  reason  that  the  American  business  man  has  not 
turned  bis  attention  to  the  manufacture  of  nitrates. 
There  are  innumerable  uses  for  electric  power  that  will 
bring  an  infinitely  better  return,  and.  now  that  power 
can  lie  transmitted  economically  long  distances  from 
where  it  is  generated  into  electricity  the  man  who  de- 
velops the  power  usually  looks  for  a  better  return  on 
his  investment. 

There  is.  however,  an  indirect  method  of  preparing 
nitric  acid  from  atmospheric  nitrogen  that  gives  greater 
promise,  and  seems  likely  entirely  to  supersede  the  direel 
combustion  of  the  atmosphere.  This,  like  the  other,  rep- 
resents the  commercializing  of  knowledge  that  has  been 
the  common  property  of  chemists  tor  a  number  of  years. 
Soon  after  the  discovery  of  ammonia  it  was  found  that  its 
combustion  with  oxygen  produced  nitric  acid  and  water, 
and  as  long  ago  as  1830  Kuhlmann  produced  nitric  acid 
by  the  oxidation  of  ammonia  by  aid  of  a  catalyst.  But 
in  those  days  ammonia  was  far  too  costly  for  the  process 
to  be  economically  successful.  Recently,  ammonia  has 
been  prepared  by  a  number  of  different  ways,  directly 
and  indirectly,  from  atmospheric  nitrogen;  it  is  made 
by  direct  union  of  its  elements,  the  nitrogen  being 
separated  from  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  either  by 
fractional  liquefaction  or  by  passage*  over  heated  copper. 
By  the  latter  way.  an  almost  oxygen-free  nitrogen  can  be 
obtained,  while  the  copper  oxide  formed  can  be  rehabili- 
tated by  passing  coal,  water,  or  natural  gas  over  the 
heated  oxide.     The  nitrogen  and  hydrogen  are  made  to 


unite  by  the  aid  of  a  catalyst — generally  uranium  is 
used — at  olio  to  inn  ('..  and  the  best  results  are  obtained 
under  a  pressure  of  3000  lb.  A  simpler  process  for  mak- 
ing ammonia  is  thai  of  passing  superheated  steam  over 
cyanamide.  the  last  having  previously  been  made  by 
passing  nitrogen  through  calcium  carbide  heated  to  800°. 
Another  methoa  of  preparing  ammonia  is  that  of  first 
preparing  nitride  of  aluminia  by  beating  bauxite  and 
carbon  in  an  atmosphere  of  nitrogen  in  an  electric  fur- 
nace. The  nitride  is  treated  with  caustic  soda  when  the 
following  reaction  takes  place: 

Al  N  +  3Na()II  =  XII ,  +  Na,Al  03 
By  neutralizing  the  sodium  aluminate  with  acid  a  pure 
alumina,  that  can  either  be  marketed  or  used  for  the  pro- 
duction   of    more   nitride,    is   obtained.      Calcium    and 
magnesium  nitrides  also  have  been  used. 

The  ammonia,  by  whatever  method  obtained,  is  mixed 
with  ten  times  its  volume  of  air  and  passed  rapidly  over 
a  catalyst  consisting  of  platinum,  the  face  of  which  is 
covered  with  platinum  black.  The  preparation  of  the 
catalyst  is  all-important,  as  if  an  excess  of  plating  black 
is  present  there  is  a  tendency  to  get  the  reaction: 

4NH,  +  30,  =  2N,  +  6H20 
instead  of  the  desired  one: 

NH3  +  20,  =  HN03  +  H20 
The  mixed  gases  are  passed  through  porcelain-lined  or 
enameled-iron  tubes  into  a  chamber  containing  the  cata- 
lyst where  the  oxygen  and  ammonia  unite;  the  resulting 
nitric  acid,  water,  and  nitrogen  are  led  through  a  series 
of  towers  packed  with  broken  quartz  or  earthenware 
where  the  nitric  acid  is  condensed  by  a  stream  of  acid 
falling  through  the  earthenware. 

When  nitric  acid  is  made  by  the  oxidation  of  ammonia 
it  is  usually  neutralized  with  ammonia,  forming  ammon- 
ium nitrate,  which  as  a  fertilizer  contains  35%  of  nitro- 
gfin,  as  opposed  to  16.5%  in  sodium  nitrate,  and  which  is 
used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  some  explosives. 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  the  indirect  method  has  the 
great  advantage  that,  beside  being  more  economical  of 
power,  the  site  of  the  plant  is  not  confined  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  a  huge  water-power. 

Imports  op  crude  and  scrap  aluminum   in   the  11 

months  endcl  May  31,  1916  were  only  7,551,063  lb., 
against  11,978,283  lb.  and  14.868.574  lb.  for  the  same 
periods  in  1915  and  1914,  respectively.  In  1915  imports 
were  8,534,834  lb.,  compared  with  23,185,775  lb.  in  1913. 
On  the  other  hand,  exports  have  increased.  For  the  11 
months  ended  May  31.  1916.  they  were  valued  at  $5,156,- 
342.  against  $2,994,476  and  $1,040,686  in  1915  and  1914. 
respectively.  Decreased  imports  are  a  supporting  factor 
of  the  market,  now  58  to  60  cents,  and  new  uses  of 
aluminum  continue  to  be  found. 

TnE  Urianhai  province  of  Siberia  is  considered  to  be 
of  considerable  promise  by  some  English  mining  men 
who  were  investigating  the  area  last  year.  Asbestos, 
coal,  copper,  and  platinum  deposits  have  been  found,  as 
well  as  gold. 


Anifu-t   19    1916 


Ml\l\i.   and  Socnli 


Surficial   Indications   of   Copper    V 


By      Frank 

in  the  four  preceding  articles  I  nave  attempted  to 
review,  in  sequence,  the  factors  thai  influence  the  out- 
crop and  tend  toward  the  concentration  of  copper  salts 
to  form  ore.  It  is  oot  necessary  to  summarize  the 
ideas  already  expressed,  although  I  would  again  em- 
phasize  the  fact  that  metal  mines  are  found  in  connec- 
tion with  igneous  rocks,  thai  these  are  present  in  moun- 
tainous districts,  thai  conditions  favoring  fairly  rapid 
circulation  increase  the  possibilities  of  oxidaton  and  en- 
richment, and  that  the  erosion  of  the  surfa auses  a 

lowering  of  permanenl  water-level.  These  features 
shniilil  In-  studied,  and  inferences  drawn  from  topo- 
graphic and  climatic  conditions. 

In  appraising  the  value  of  prospective  mineral  land. 
there  is  seldom  anything  hut  the  bare  surface  of  the 
ground  and  the  engineer's  experience  i"  guide  him.  It 
has  been  said  thai  "analogy  is  a  dangerous  weapon  in 
the  hands  ut'  the  inexperienced."1  It  is,  but  the  Latin 
idiom  'experentia  docet'  may  be  freely  translate,!  'ex- 
perience does  it.'  Examining  a  new  district,  with  little 
or  no  underground  development,  we  must  interpret  the 
surface  signs  by  the  light  of  experience.  The  key  to  the 
dour  ut'  a  mine  may  he  found  in  the  outcrop. 

The  color  scheme  of  the  earth's  surface  defies  the 
palette  of  an  artist  ;  how  much  mure  so  must  it  baffle  the 
description  of  a  mining  engineer!  Still  the  color  or  dis- 
coloration of  rocks  is  important.  I  have  said  that  any 
unusual  surface  feature  warrants  investigation.  Strik- 
ing colors,  particularly  the  reds  and  deep  purplish- 
browns,  beckon  the  prospector.  The  presence  of  copper 
is  often  denoted  by  the  color  of  iron  oxides,  this  on  ac- 
count of  the  universal  association  of  the  two  metals,  the 
predominance  of  iron,  and  the  strength  of  the  red  as  a 
permanent  pigment.  The  surface  coloring  of  vein  out- 
crops is  generally  more  striking  than  that  of  the  dissem- 
inated deposits  because  of  the  greater  concentration  of 
metallic  salts  per  unit  of  area,  and  again,  because  most 
of  the  "porphyry  coppers'  bave  suffered  long  continued 
erosion  and  they  are  only  commercial  because  the  chal- 
cocite  zone  is  comparatively  near  the  surface. 

The  color  of  outcrops  will  vary  with  the  nature  of  the 
enclosing  wall-rock.  Veins  in  limestone  are  more  highly 
colored  than  those  in  quartzite  or  the  igneous  rocks. 
Limestone  often  shows  a  spread  enrichment  at  the  sur- 
face, the  iron  waters  replacing  the  wall-rock  for  con- 
siderable distances  beyond  the  actual  limits  of  the  frac- 
ture. Hematite  coloring  is  common  in  the  lime  sediments, 
whereas  the  quartzites  may  be  superficially  painted  with 
copper  silicates  without  much  iron. 

The    yellowish-brown    color   of    contact   metamorphic 

iT.  A.  Rickard.  Lectures  on  Economic  Geology.  University 
of  California,  February,  1916. 


B.      Proturt 

areas  is  quite  characteristic  with  occasional  blotches  of 
oopper  paint.    Th itcropa  generally  weather  in  bold 

relief. 

The  amount  of  siirta oloring  increases  in  the  deaerl 

areas,  partly  on  | mint  ,,!'  the  more  rapid  oxidation,  and 

partly  because  of  the  high  evaporative  factor.  Then.  too. 
arid  sections  are  seldom  forested,  so  that  the  coloring  of 
mineral  deposits  is  iv  ispicUOUS.  Little  or  no  diffi- 
culty will  he  found  in  recognizing  the  outcrop  of  veins. 
hut  the  disseminated  deposits  must  he  more  carefully 
studied.  As  a  little  oil  will  spread  out  over  a  large  BUT 
I'aee  of  water,  so  a   little  copper  will  stain   a   large   land 

surface.    It  is  often  deceiving.    [  am  no  longer  attracted 

by  a  chain  of  hi I  red  hills;  they  suggest  t the  pres- 
ence of  lean  pyritie  mineralization  without  enrichment. 
Red  Mountain,  near  the  Three  R  mine,  at  Patagonia. 
Arizona,  is  brilliantly  colored  by  iron  .oxide.  It  can  be 
seen  1'or  many  miles.  On  going  over  the  surface  <<(  this 
andesitic  porphyry  mass,  dirty  yellowish  patches  show 
melanterite  stains,  and  a  few  inches  below  the  surface 
the  unaltered  barren  pyrite  is  found,  peppered  through 
the  slightly- altered  rock.  Oxidation  is  shallow  but  the 
surface  discoloration  is  vivid.  At  the  Piedras  Verdes,  a 
name  wholly  unsuitable,  the  same  condition  exists,  al- 
though here,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  there  are  local 
segregations  of  oxidized  copper  ore. 

La  Caridad,  near  Nacozari,  presents  a  most  brilliantly 
painted  landscape.  The  country  is  extremely  rugged, 
suggesting  periodic  but  torrential  rainfall.  High  on  one 
resistant  peak  a  small  orebody  of  enargite.  which,  by  the 
way,  is  extremely  persistent  even  in  the  presence  of 
strong  oxidizing  waters,  was  mined.  The  rest  of  the 
mountain  chain  is  barren.  I  use  this  word  in  a  commer- 
cial sense.  In  looking  for  disseminated  copper  ores, 
avoid  the  intense  flush  and  seek  the  more  neutral  tints  of 
creamy-yellow  or  buff-grey. 

The  'porphyry  coppers'  owe  their  commercial  value  to 
the  continued  and  advanced  oxidation  and  concentration 
of  the  copper  contents  of  large  masses  of  low-grade  sul- 
phides. Chalcocite  is  the  resulting  product,  scattered 
throughout  a  highly  altered  rock-mass.  Chalcocite  does 
not  contain  iron,  hence  its  oxidation  leaves  no  red  stain 
behind.  Such  staining  as  does  occur  is  due  to  the  oxida- 
tion of  imperfectly  replaced  pyrite,  and  the  more  highly- 
colored  the  surface  of  these  deposits,  the  greater  the  pos- 
sibility of  early  impoverishment.  At  Morenci,  Metcalf, 
Santa  Rita,  in  parts  of  the  Inspiration  and  Ray  districts, 
and  at  Bingham,  the  porphyry  or  monzonite  is  of  a 
creamy  yellow  color,  bleached  and  dead.  It,  of  course, 
shows  unmistakable  evidence  of  great  rock  alteration. 
Local  patches  of  green  coloration  indicate  the  uneven 
thickness  of  the  orebody,  and  incomplete  oxidation  of  the 


i'<;.< 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August   19,  1916 


protruding  knobs  of  chalcocite.  As  ftatnsome  says,  "the 
largest  orebodies  of  Miami  are  doI  often  found  under 
those  Borface  rocks  thai  are  most  vividly  colored  by  cop- 
per compounds  or  iron  oxides." 

At  Kay  and  Miami,  the  ore  is  found  in  a  sericitized 
schist.  Tin-  surface  is  of  a  pale  chocolate-brown  color, 
in  which  the  pearly  sheen  of  the  sericitc  plates  is  seen 
plainly.    Frequently  a  film  of  copper  silicate  paints  the 

cleaved  SUrfaCI  s.     I  would  lure  point  out  thai  al  Morenci 

and  Bingham  such  surface  evidence  of  copper  as  is  pre- 
sented is  in  the  form  of  carbonates,  both  the  hydrous  and 
anhydrous,  whereas,  in  the  silieilied  sericitized  schist, 
silicate  paint  predominates.  Then-  is  marked  kaoliniza- 
tion  of  the  monzoiiitic  porphyries,  marked  sericitization 

of  tin-  schists. 

To  confirm  opinions  formed  from  many  years'  study  of 

copper  deposits,  1  wrote  to  a  number  of  engineers  asking 
for  an  expression  of  their  views.  One  of  our  leading  cop- 
per specialists  thus  replies :  "It  is  said  that  if  you  know 

a  subject  .von  should  be  able  to  speak  and  write  about  it. 
I  fear,  however,  that  when  it  comes  to  describing  the 
characteristics  of  the  outcrop  of  a  so-called  disseminated 
property.  I  will  have  to  fail."  Such  a  frank  statement 
emphasizes  the  necessity  for  systematic  study  of  this 
subject.  I  take  this  opportunity  of  inviting  a  Liberal 
discussion  of  my  tentatively  expressed  id. -as.  Construct- 
ive criticism  is  more  helpful  than  casual  comment. 

J.  Parke  ( Inarming  writes  me:  "The  outcrop  at  Miami 
uas  a  massive  rock,  intensely  Sllicified,  stained  red  in 
patches  by  iron  oxide,  and  showing  only  'occasionally 
small  green  stains  of  copper.  The  marked  thing  about 
it.  however,  was  the  fact  that  the  rock  undoubtedly  had 
been  intensely  altered  and  while  the  presence  of  a  small 
amount  of  copper  was  interesting  as  showing  that  copper 
had  been  one  of  the  primary  constituents  of  the  rock, 
still  the  fact  that  there  was  not  very  much  copper  indi- 
cated that  most  of  it  had  been  leached  and  presumably 
precipitated.  The  No.  1,  or  Captain  shaft,  showed  very 
much  more  copper  on  the  surface  than  did  the  No.  2,  or 
Red  Rock  shaft,  and.  as  it  turned  out,  the  best  ore  was 
under  the  lid  Rock  shaft.  The  No.  3,  or  Red  Spring 
shaft,  was  sunk  in  an  area  where  there  was  a  great  deal 
more  iron  ;  in  fact,  the  rock  was  soft  and  contained  large 
quantities  of  iron  oxide.  It  turned  out  that  the  zone  of 
enrichment  there  was  not  over  8  or  10  ft.  thick,  and  I 
imagine  that  the  primary  rock  consisted  largely  of 
pyrite  containing  a  little  copper." 

Walter  II.  Weed  says  of  Miami:  "The  schistose  area 
of  the  Miami  Copper  Company  is  netted  with  contraction 
fractures  and  later  Assuring  due  to  metasomatic  changes 
of  volume,  accompanying  mineralization  and  alteration. 
The  ore  belt  is  marked  by  silicifieation  and  intense  alter- 
ation of  the  schist,  a  change  that  fades  out  into  natural 
gray  schist  a  few  hundred  yards  north  of  the  Miami  and 
Inspiration  mines.  The  ore  zone  is  oxidized  and  leached 
in  an  average  depth  of  210  ft.,  this  part  containing  small 
seams  and  veinlets  of  oxidized  ore.  Below  this  leached 
hell  a  few  feet  of  mixed  ore  is  succeeded  by  the  zone  of 
disseminated  glance,  a  rather  soft,  much  altered  rock 
specked  with  tiny  glance  grains  and  films. "- 


Pope  Veatman  describes  the  mineralized  surface  of 
the  Chile  Copper  Co.'s  property  as  being  gentle  hill- 
slopes,  in  a  rainless  district,  of  equable  climate  the  year 
round,  but  where  dews  arc  heavy.  He  attributes  the 
crusts  that  form  on  the  surface  to  the  action  of  the  dew 
in    furnishing   moisture   for  dissolving  the  soluble  salts. 

'I'll -eliudy  lies  in  an  intensely  crushed  area  of  grano- 

diorite.  The  actual  surface  is  leached,  is  of  a  dull-gray 
color,  and  much  fractured.  The  ore  is  the  liroehantite 
of  the  oxidized  zone,  due  to  the  oxidation  of  chalcocite. 
A  fresh  face  in  the  shovel-pits  is  green,  due  to  the  pres- 
ii  lit  this  mineral.  Some  sections  are  iron-stained,  hut 
lure  pyrite  is  more  plentiful.  The  transition  zone  be- 
tween the  liroehantite  and  chalcocite  is  quite  wide,  hence 
this  deposit  differs  from  those  of  the  disseminated  sul- 
phide ores  in  the  United  States.3 

In  summing  up  an  article  on  'Disseminated  Replace- 
ment Copper  Deposits.'  C.  YV.  Botsford  writes,*  "The 
necessary  phenomena  attendant  on  the  formation  of  a 
disseminated  copper-ore  deposit  of  the  replacement  type 
are: 

1.  An  intrusion  of  granitic  to  monzoiiitic  rock  of  some 
size,  carrying  a  considerable  percentage  of  iron  minerals. 

2.  After  solidification  .a  general  fracturing,  while  still 
at  high  temperatures.  This  may  affect  neighboring 
rocks,  which  may  subsequently  be  mineralized. 

3.  The  mineralization  of  large  volumes  of  rock  by 
cupriferous  pyrite  with  the  necessary  accompanying 
metamorphism  resulting  In  a  quartz-serieite  rock  with 
few  remains  of  the  iron  minerals. 

4.  Uplift  of  mass  and  exposure  to  atmospheric  condi- 
tions. 

5.  Large  areas  showing  residues  from  leaching. 

6.  Arid  to  semi-arid  conditions  and  a  rather  mature 
topography  where  the  rate  of  erosion  must  be  slower 
than  the  rate  of  oxidation. 

With  these  conditions  fulfilled,  the  existence  of  a  dis- 
seminated orebody  is  probable. ' ' 

J.  M.  Boutwell  describes  the  mineralized  monzonite 
mass  at  Bingham  as  follows:"  "The  occurrence  of  dis- 
seminated copper  ore  in  igneous  rock  in  Bingham  shows 
that  this  extensive  mass  of  monzonite  carries  dissem- 
inated throughout  its  areal  extent,  so  far  as  known,  ir- 
regular grains  of  pyrite  and  chalcopyrite ;  that  the 
known  mineralized  tract  is  characterized,  not  by  a  series 
or  succession  of  normal  fissures,  but  by  multitudes  of 
thin,  unsystematized  parting-planes;  that  the  rock  is  ex- 
ceedingly altered  by  bleaching  and  silicification.  es- 
pecially in  and  adjacent  to  zonal  areas  of  strong  shatter- 
ing; that  assays  show  copper  to  be  lowest  at  the  surface 
and  in  old  workings;  that  in  relatively  firm  unaltered 
rock  the  copper  ore  lies  in  flat  scales  and  films  on  the 
silicificd  walls  of  cracks,  while  in  areas  of  great  shatter- 
ing and  alteration,  it  occurs  abundantly  both  on  quartz- 
coated  cracks  and  disseminated  in  the  silicified  bleached 
walls.    In  brief,  copper  is  disseminated  at  depth  through- 

='Copper  Handbook.'  Vol.  XI. 
»E.  it  .V.  ./..  Feb.  12.  1916. 
*E.  iS  M.  J..  Vol.  95,  p.  622. 
■■'U.  S.  G.  S.,  Prof.  Paper  No.  38. 


August  l".  1916 


MINING  «nd  Scientific   I'KI  S.S 


out  tin'  porphyrj  and  oeonn  moat  abundantly  in  hih  of     The  outcrops  of  oxidised  ore  are  then  for*  ■  •■  ■  i -s  patobi  ■ 


maximum  sruahing,  silicification,  and  alteration.  Suoh 
general  features  as  tins  apparently  indicate  a  relation 
between  quality  of  ore  and  degree  of  opening,  alteration, 

and  nlioification,  and  suggest  thai  the  metalli tents 

reached  t h>i r  preaenl  ^t nt<-  through  secondary  agen 
In  tin'  tenth  annual  report  of  tin-  liah  Copper  Com 


m  iiiM\i.si\  11  iskiii,     colossus  vein,  8  R  mini:,  patagonia,  abizona 


pany,  l>.  C.  Jackling  states  thai  the  ore-area  uow  proved 
ix  226.3  acres,  with  an  average  thickness  of  i55  ft.    There 

is  380,000.(1(1(1  inns  of  or,,  developed,  of  wliieli  270.000.- 
ooo  inns  is  classed  as  fully  exposed.  The  year's  addi- 
tion 191  I  was  10.000,000  tons  in  excess  of  that  rained. 
The  average  assay  of  fully  developed  ore  is  1.57%.  In 
calculating  this  average  grade.  56,714  samples,  repre- 
senting 334,518  linear  feel  of  develop- 
ment, were  laken. 

Rock  alteration  is  another  helpful  fac- 
tor in  sizing  up  the  possibilities  of  a  dis- 
trict. Advanced  alteration,  decomposi- 
tion, and  disintegration  are  reflected  in 
the  topography  and  areas  of  gentle  slopes, 
or  rounded  hills  are  more  promising  for 
large  low-grade  deposits  than  rugged 
country.  Such  a  surface  is  also  easier  to 
mine  by  the  modern  methods  devised  for 
the  extraction  of  large  daily  tonnage. 

P.  B.  Scotland,  mini'  manager  for  the 
Arizona  Copper  Co.,  writes  me:  "The 
productive  copper  veins  of  the  Morenci- 
Metcalf  district  mostly  occur  in  the  more 
silicious  phase  of  the  porphyry  intrusion. 
and  their  outcrops  are  characterized  by 
heavy  copper  staining,  frequently  consti- 
tuting ore.  They  are  generally  fault- 
fissures  of  varying  magnitude  and  show  very  prominent 
outcrops  of  fault-breccia.  The  Coronado  vein  is  the 
most  important  deposit  of  this  type  in  the  district.  Its 
outcrop  shows  highly  silicified  iron-stained  fault-breccia 
with  occasional  patches  of  partly  oxidized  sulphide  ore 
showing.  As  a  rule  there  is  from  200  to  300  ft.  of 
leached  vein-matter  before  the  sulphide  zone  is  reached. 


that  Inn.   reiuHti  •:  weatlu  ring. 

"Tl itcrops  of  broad  mineralized  areas  in  this 

trie!    generally   show   Iron  stained  open   (paces   in   the 

matrix   and    in    the   .1 t  plains  of   tie-    porphyry.      The 

degree  of  iron  staining  is  nol  great ;  it  is  more  favorable 
to  find  the  iron  staining  extensive  in  area  rather  than 
intense  in  degree  Beavj  iron-staining 
ma]  indicate  the  surface  oxidation  of  a 
very  pyritic  deposit  or  vein  with  only  a 
shallow  and  unimportant  /on.'  of  enrich- 
ment beneath.    A  in iated  and  faulted 

condition  of  the  quartz-porphyry  is  favor 
able.    A  quiescent  state  of  cooling  a 
magma,  indicated  by  decided  joint-planes 
is  unfavorable.    Sorfai pper  stains  if 

Confined    to   the   more  silieious  and    resist 
ant   parts  of  the  outcrop  are  prnmisii" 
dieations   lint    in    outcrops   in    more    basic 

porphyry,  staining  may  be  entirely  ab- 
sent. Fragments  of  quartzite  ami  lime- 
stone,   floated    in    the    porphyry    magma, 

will     generally     show     strong     metai ■- 

pliisin. 

"Veinlets  of  secondary  quartz  are  rum 

mini  in  copper  bearing  intrusions,  but   not 
necessarily  indicative  of  orcbodies  beneath. 

"The  ferro-magiK'sian  or  dark  minerals  are  invariably 
bleached  and  destroyed  in  any  porphyry  intrusion  in 
which  mineralization  and  enrichment  has  occurred  and 
the  feldspar  is  always  changed  to  sericite  or  kaolin.  The 
porphyry  lias  always  a  characteristic  crisp  and  weath- 
ered  texture   that   is   indescribable.      In   any  particular 


IIKMA'I 'ITK    OCTCKOI',    ill, I)    IKIMINKIN    VKIN.    lll.OUK.    ARIZONA. 


porphyrj'  intrusion,  the  most  favorable  ore-area  is  found 
where  doming  of  the  superincumbent  sediments  has  oc- 
curred. In  other  words,  porphyry  sills  are  seldom  ore- 
bearing.  I  have  observed  cases  where  the  main  porphyry 
stock  showed  all  the  favorable  ear-marks  of  ore,  while 
sills  branching  therefrom  showed  ferro-raagnesian  or 
dark  minerals  quite  unaltered." 


270 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August   lit.   1916 


The  outcrop  may  be  enriched  not  only  by  increment  of 
metal  bn1  by  abstraction  of  other  material.  Limonite 
and  secondary  silica  will  remain,  outlining  the  casts  of 
eroded  sulphides,  and  these  cellular  outcrops  often  con- 
tain the  precious  metals.  The  completeness  of  the  proc- 
ess of  leaching  depends  on  the  relative  solubility  of  the 
rock-constituents  and  the  presents  of  effective  precipi- 
tants.  which  may  arrest  the  migration  and  cause  residual 
masses  id'  oxidized  ore. 

Of  the  many  phases  of  hydro-metamorphism  that  in- 
fluence the  outcrop,  kaolinization  is,  I  think,  one  of  the 
most  important.  Kaolinization  must  not  be  confused 
with  soricitization.  Hie  processes  are  totally  dissimilar. 
Kaolin  is  formed  by  the  action  of  sulphate  waters  on  the 
alkaline  feldspars  and  their  products,  whereas  sericite 
denotes  hydro-thermal   metasomatic  reactions.     Kaolin 

may  he  and  often  is.  an  after-product  of  sericite.  If 
the  rocks,  generally  acid  intrusives.  are  abundantly  kao- 
linized.  it  indicates  the  complete  oxidation  of  original 
sulphides  ami  suggests  enrichment  below.     Kaolinization 

is  accompanied  by  a  decrease  of  volume,  with  incre: 
porosity.     It   lends  to  destroy  the  original  structure  of 

the  rocks:  lie if  on  close  examination  the  outlines  of 

the  feldspars  are  sharp,  it  is  reasonably  certain  that  the 
alt. -ration  is  superficial. 

A  letter  PI ived  from  \Y.  II.  Emmons  says,  in  part: 

"The  silicification  and  kaolinization.  other  than  the  pres- 
ence of  copper  salts,  should  lead  us  to  the  discovery  of 
the  porphyry  deposits.  My  detailed  work  on  this  sub- 
ject was  done  at  Cananea.  There  a  distinct  segregation 
of  silica  was  noticeable  above  some  of  the  altered  ore- 
bearing  porphyry." 

Silicification  of  the  surface  is  significant,  particularly 
as  found  in  shear-zones  or  brecciated  areas.  Arthur 
Nbtman,  geologist  to  the  Copper  Queen  Consolidated. 
writes  me  from  Bisbee  concerning  the  newly  developed 
porphyry  mine  on  Sacramento  hill:  "The  mineraliza- 
tion of  Sacramento  hill  is  confined  to  certain  well-defined 
areas  id'  brecciation,  which  have  their  greatest  develop- 
ment at  the  east  and  west  ends  and  south  of  the  main 
axis  of  the  hill,  toward  the  contact  with  the  Paleozoic 
limestones.  The  mineralization,  consisting  of  pyrite, 
chalcopyrite,  and  bornite.  with  secondary  chalcopyrite 
and  covellite  and  associated  silica,  has  replaced  both  the 
cementing  material,  largely  silica,  and  the  fragments. 
The  proportion  of  sulphides  in  the  ore  so  far  developed  is 
rather  high,  as  indicated  by  the  fact  that  experimental 
concentration  shows  a  ratio  of  only  about  four  to  one. 
The  copper  content  is  materially  higher  than  in  most 
disseminated  ores.  The  large  tonnage  already  developed, 
including  all  material  above  1.6$  copper,  shows  an  aver- 
age of  about  3.5%.  In  the  west  end  of  the  hill  particu- 
larly, tlie  change  from  the  breccia  ore  to  contact  deposits 
in  the  limestone  is  very  gradual.  The  boundary  of  the 
mineralized  zone  of  the  north,  away  from  the  limestone 
contact  in  the  case  of  the  west-end  orebody,  is  marked 
by  a  very  strong  fracture-zone,  of  apparently  pre-min- 
eral  origin.  At  the  east  end,  there  are  no  such  clearly 
marked  structures.  At  surface,  these  brecciated  areas 
have  1 n  altered  almost  entirely  to  hematite,  limonite. 


and  silica.  Copper-staining  is  conspicuous  by  its  ab- 
sence, there  being  only  one  or  two  places  that  show  any 
traces  of  the  carbonates  or  silicate.  This  is  true  also  of 
the  leached  zone  below  surface,  which  contains  practic- 
ally no  oxidized  copper,  save  here  and  there  for  a  few 
feet  above  the  |pne  of  secondary  sulphides.  The  depth 
of  the  leached  zone  varies  from  a  minimum  of  100  ft.  to 
a  maximum  of  200  ft.,  with  an  average  of  about  160. 
Toward  the  bottom  of  the  leached  zone,  kaolin  and  other 
aluminous  compounds  appear  in  rapidly  increasing 
amounts,  and  continue  through  the  enriched  zone,  gradu- 
ally giving  way  to  sericite  and  unaltered  feldspars  as  the 
zone  of  primary  mineralization  is  approached.  In  all 
cases,  there  is  a  leached  zone  above  the  enriched  zone." 

A  silicified  outcrop  is  a  favorable  sign  when  the  silica 
is  of  a  crypto-crystalline  variety,  formed  either  by  mag- 
matic  waters,  by  the  earbonatization  of  feldspar,  or  by 
the  abstraction  of  alumina  from  kaolin.  Such  silica  is 
frequently  found  with  sulphide  ores  or  in  the  oxidized 
zone  near  the  surface.  Silicious  outcrops  often  give 
place  to  a  softer  leached  zone  a  short  distance  below  the 
surface,  as  at  Cananea. 

In  my  first  report  on  the  Ray  Central  mine,  I  said  in 
part:  "'The  mineralized  portion  of  the  Ray  field  is  not 
characterized  by  marked  topographic  detail ;  the  hills 
present  a  rolling  surface  with  but  few  cragged  outcrops. 
Particularly  is  this  the  case  where  diabase  comes  to  tht 
surface.  which,  on  weathering,  crumbles  to  a  soft  rich 
brown  earth  so  that  it  forms  gentle  slopes  and  saddles 
in  the  landscape.  The  ore  deposit  is  in  a  locally  crushed 
quartz-miea-schist.  highly  altered  and  silicified.  The 
schist  is  foliated  and  cut  into  angular  fragments  by  an 
interlacing  network  of  tiny  quartz  films  and  veinlets.  and 
by  joints  stained  by  films  of  iron  oxide  and  copper  sili- 
cate. As  a  rule,  the  rock  breaks  into  fragments,  the 
planes  of  which  are  not  those  of  foliation." 

J.  E.  Spurr.  in  his  exhaustive  geological  report  on  the 
property  of  the  Ray  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  discussed 
in  great  detail  all  the  factors  that  have  determined  the 
present  orehody.  He  says:  "The  Ray  orebod.v  belongs 
to  a  class  of  disseminated  deposits  in  schist  and  por- 
phyry. It  has  been  silicified  by  the  primary  mineraliza- 
tion, hence  the  exposed  part  west  of  the  Ray  fault,  being 
relatively  resistant,  stands  out  as  a  ridge  of  hills.  It  is 
iron-stained  from  the  alteration  of  the  original  pyrite. 
The  area  of  the  maximum  primary  mineralization  gener- 
ally corresponds  with  that  of  maximum  secondary  ore- 
formation.  The  main  belt  of  primary  mineralization 
was  thoroughly  shattered  during  the  fault  movements 
that  succeeded  the  original  ore  deposition.  It  contained 
only  a  fraction  of  a  per  cent  of  copper,  so  was  not  com- 
mercially valuable.  From  it  the  present  orebody,  aver- 
aging 2  to  3%  copper,  has  been  concentrated  by  down- 
ward percolating  surface-water,  which  permeated  the 
shattered  rock,  oxidized  the  superficial  portions,  dis- 
solved out  the  copper  and  carried  it  down  to  the  ground- 
water level,  where  it  was  precipitated  as  the  rich  copper 
sulphide,  chalcocite.  The  primary  orebody  was  first  ex- 
posed to  surface-waters  by  early  Tertiary  erosion.  Sub- 
sequently it  was  covered  up  by  the  various  desert  wash 


Auguil   19,  1916 


MI\|V.  ..nd  Scientific  I'Kl  SS 


-'71 


• 


iil'KN-i  rr.  shannon  ciM-ri.lt  OO.'fl    MINK.    Mill   u.i.    ARIZONA.      (OXIDIZED  ORE  IN  CONTACT  METAMOBPHIC  LIMESTONE.) 


I. WING    SURFACE    OF    DISSEMINATED    'POUPIIYHY    COPPER     DEPOSIT.       RAY   CON.   COPPER  CO.,    RAY,    ARIZONA. 


272 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


ami  volcanic  deposits  of  the  Tertiary,  and  during  this 
d  of  burial  there  was  probably  no  secondary  con- 
centration.  With  the  removal  of  the  Tertiary  covering. 
the  Ore-belt  was  again  exposed  to  the  surface,  and  cli- 
matic  conditions  appear  to  have  been  favorable  for 
secondary  concentration  throughout  most  of  the  Pleisto- 
cene." 

"Certain  conditions  have  affected  the  process  of  sec- 
ondary concentration.  The  surface  of  the  secondary  ore 
follows  iii  a  general  way  the  larger  inclinations  of  the 
surface.  In  detail,  however,  the  apexes  of  certain  sharp 
ridges  arc  marked  by  corresponding  troughs  in  the  ore. 
This  is  believed  to  be  the  result  of  scant  rainfall  and  de- 
fective  underground  circulation.  Certain  relatively  im- 
pervious rock-formations  have  operated  to  retard  the 
downward  passage  of  surface-waters,  so  concentrating 
and  localizing  the  secondary  ore-deposition.  In  the  Kay. 
Parson,  and  neighboring  claims,  a  relatively  thin  sheet 
of  diabase  has  been  an  important  factor  of  this  sort. 
Where  this  diabase  is  fortuitously  so  placed  that  it  co- 
incides with  the  ground-water  level,  it  has  been  very  ef- 
fective in  diminishing  the  thickness  and  raising  the 
grade  of  the  secondary  ore-zone. 

"Porphyry  dikes,  especially  when  kaolinized,  and 
fault-zones  where  marked  by  soft  gouge,  also  constitute 
relatively  impervious  layers  that  have  locally  deflected 
the  circulation,  and  affected  the  localization  of  secondar3- 
ore.  The  diabase  was,  at  the  time  of  the  primary  miner- 
alization, highly  pyritized.  but  very  little  silieified.  The 
alteration  that  took  place  tended  to  make  it  a  soft  tough 
rock  not  easily  permeable  to  ground-water,  hence  it  eom- 
moiih  contains,  even  quite  close  to  the  surface,  a  little 
slightly  altered  pyrite,  while  the  adjacent  granite-por- 
phyry has  been  entirely  oxidized  and  the  copper  leached 
out.  These  sheets  and  dikes  of  diabase  frequently  check 
the  downward  How  of  water  and  concentrate  the  circula- 
tion along  their  upper  margins.  Chemically,  the  diabase 
appears  to  have  been  an  unusually  active  precipitant  of 
secondary  as  well  as  primary  ore,  apparently  distinctly 
more  so  than  either  the  schist  or  the  granite  porphyry. 
This  is  probably  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of  iron 
contained  in  the  diabase,  which  is  believed  to  have  pre- 
cipitated the  copper  from  solution.  Along  the  upper 
contacts  of  the  diabase,  therefore,  the  grade  of  the  ore 
tends  to  he  unusually  high;  while  beneath,  it  is  often  un- 
usually low. 

"Strong  oopper  staining  at  the  surface  is  considered 
an  unfavorable  indication  and  is  a  symptom  that  the 
downward  migration  of  the  secondary  copper  zone  has 
not  been  able  to  keep  pace  with  the  down-cutting  erosion, 
so  that  part  of  the  copper  in  the  rocks  is  being  carried 
away  by  the  surface  drainage  while  another  part  tends 
to  scatter,  seeking  lower  levels.  Throughout  the  pro- 
ductive area,  there  are  very  few  copper  signs  on  the  sur- 
face to  indicate  the  remarkable  chalcolite  zone  beneath." 
'  While  discussing  the  Ray  district,  it  will  not  be  out  of 
place  to  describe  the  oxidized  indications  of  an  orebody 
that  has  no  surface  expression.  The  Globe-Isabella 
group  of  the  Kay  Central  Company,  at  the  time  of  my 
examination  in  1909,  hail  been  systematically  drilled  by 


churn-drills  and  fairly  well  developed  by  underground 
workings,  and,  as  a  result,  the  bond  on  the  property  was 
relinquished.  When  I  was  called  in  by  the  old  Ray 
Central  company,  1  made  a  careful  geological  survey  of 
the  property  and  prepared  glass  models  so  that  I  could 
visualize  the  trenj  of  1  he  diabase  sills  and  the  effect  of 
the  roek-structure.  A  churn-drill  chart  gave  the  record 
of  a  hole  that  passed  through  leached  schist  for  nearly 
400  ft.,  and  entered,  without  warning,  clean  chalcocite 
ore  running  5  or  6%  copper,  which  slowly  faded  off  into 
leaner  material.  It  was  a  perfectly  good  hole  with  no 
caving,  and  no  casing  was  required.  The  record  was 
blue-penciled  "Assays  unreliable."  From  my  geologic 
study  anil  the  models.  I  was  convinced  that  there  was  a 
depressed  area  or  basin  in  this  section  that  offered  possi- 
bilities of  great  local  concentration  that  had  been  pene- 
trated by  this  drill-hole.  I  carefully  examined  the  work- 
ings on  the  400-ft.  level  and  noted  in  the  white  silieified 
schist  appreciable  quantities  of  native  copper  and  cu- 
prite. From  the  sections,  I  saw  that  the  orebody  dipped 
about  20°  to  the  east,  following  a  diabase  sill,  and  about 
the  same  angle  to  the  south.  I  knew  of  the  Mineral  Creek 
fault  to  the  east  and  its  possible  effect.  On  the  300-ft. 
level,  a  drift  400  ft.  north  of  the  co-ordinate  on  which  the 
drill-hole  had  been  sunk,  showed  a  plentiful  development 
of  chalcotrichite  in  a  highly  sericitized  and  silieified 
schist.  The  general  trend  of  the  orebody  suggested  that 
this  development  was  in  the  oxidized  shell  and,  assuming 
that  it  maintained  its  dip,  it  would  pass  below  the  400-ft. 
level  and  correspond  with  the  results  obtained  in  the 
drill-hole.  From  these  data  I  outlined  the  approximate 
shape  and  extent  of  the  orebody ;  as  was  verified  by  a 
small  amount  of  development  work.  When  the  property 
was  absorbed  by  the  Ray  Consolidated,  the  engineers  esti- 
mated the  net  value  of  this  orebody,  allowing  for  amortiz- 
ation and  all  contingencies,  as  being  approximately  4} 
million  dollars.  It  was  the  salvation  of  the  Ray  Central. 
I  have  made  excerpts  from  the  extremely  interesting 
paper  of  Ira  B.  Jarolemon  descriptive  of  the  Ajo  dis- 
trict, Arizona.  "The  mineralized  area  of  about  55  acres, 
proved  to  depths  of  400  to  600  ft.,  is  a  coarse  quartz- 
monzonite  originally  overlain  by  a  rhyolite  cap,  subse- 
quently removed  by  erosion.  The  mineral  is  primary 
chaleopyrite  and  boniite,  with  little  or  no  chalcocite. 
The  monzonite  is  thoroughly  shattered  and  silieified,  at 
times  entirely  replaced  by  secondary  silica.  Pyrite  is 
conspicuously  absent.  Very  thin  films  of  chalcocite  are 
sometimes  found  immediately  below  the  water-level, 
which,  in  this  ease,  has  no  relation  to  the  surface  con- 
tours, although  the  bottom  of  the  belt  of  oxidation  par- 
allels the  water-plane.  The  variations  in  the  grade  of 
ore  are  due  to  the  intensity  of  the  primary  mineraliza- 
tion and  not  to  the  enriching  after-effects  of  solution  and 
precipitation.  The  surface  alteration  is  entirely  unlike 
other  low-grade  copper  districts.  The  sulphide  bodies 
are  capped  by  a  crushed  silieified  material  stained  with 
malachite,  limonite,  hematite,  and  a  little  chrysocolla. 
The  rock  is  hard,  although  the  feldspars  are  partly 
kaolinized,  which  are  in  places  stained  green  by  absorp- 
tion of  copper  from  descending  waters.     Tile  hills  are  of 


Augual   19,  1916 


MINING  .nd  Scientific  PRESS 


l  \>l    END  OF  THB   Klo  TINTO   workings. 


SACRAMENTO   HILL,  BISBEE,   ARIZONA,  AN  ORE-BEARING   PORPHYRY   MASS   SURROUNDED    BY    MINERALIZED   LIMESTONE. 

(After  Ransome,  U.  S.  G.  S.  Prof.  Paper  21). 


L'74 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August   19,   1916 


a  deep  red-brown  color  with  splashes  of  copper  paint  in 
protected  places.  The  oxidized  zone  is  constant  in  value 
from  top  to  bottom,  and  in  actual  copper-content  assays 
the  same  as  the  sulphide  ore  below.  Malachite  forms 
85%  of  the  oxidized  mineral.  Here,  then,  is  proof  that 
there  lias  been  little  or  no  migration  of  metal  or  descent 
of  surface-waters  much  below  the  exposed  surface. 

"To  the  east  of  this  proved  orebody,  the  same  mon- 
zonite  is  soft  and  kaolinized,  yellow  in  color,  due  to 
limonite.  with  but.  slight  copper  staining.  The  section 
is  low  and  rolling,  contrasting  strikingly  with  the  bold 
brown  and  green  outcrops  of  the  silicified  ore-zone.  The 
mineralization  is  pyritic,  of  low  copper  tenor,  and  the 
outcrop  has  more  limonite  and  alumina  and  less  silica 
and  copper  than  the  commercial  deposit.  There  is  a 
narrow  belt  of  enriched  chalcocite  ore  below.  The 
ground-water  level  is  constant  throughout  the  district. 
Post-mineral  erosion  has  been  more  rapid  than  oxidation. 

In   the   oxidation   of  the   silicious   chalcopyritic   orebody 

very  little  free  arid  was  formed  to  kaolinize  the  feld- 
spars. The  waters  wen-  evidently  carbonated  and  the 
copper  solutions  early  arrested  in  their  descent.  This  is 
largely  due  to  the  aridity  of  the  district." 

I  may  add  that  there  arc  P2  million  tons  of  oxidized 
ore  averaging  1.54| ,  .  and  28  million  tons  of  sulphide  ore 
running  1.5%  developed  in  tins  property. 

At  the  Old  Reliable  mine  near  Copper  Creek,  Arizona. 
the  outcrops  are  essentially  blow-outs  or  chimneys  of 
rough,  craggy,  light-colored  rock  rising  several  feet 
above  the  weathered  surface  of  diorite.  The  ore  is 
primary  chalcopyrite  in  a  gangue  of  quartz  and  sericite 
with  accessory  tourmaline.  Cavities  or  vugs  in  the 
ciated  material  are  lined  with  stout  quartz  crystals. 
The  orebodies  are  of  the  pneumatolytic  type. 

The  mines  of  the  Moctezuma  Copper  Co.,  at  Nacozari, 
Mexico,  show  mixed  limonitic  and  hematitic  croppings 
cementing  a  friction-breccia  of  andesitic  rock,  which 
weather  out  as  two  bold  pillars,  hence  the  name  Dos 
Pilares.  The  outcrops  contain  carbonates  of  copper,  but 
not  in  profitable  quantity.  The  ore  below  has  not  been 
greatly  enriched  by  secondary  processes. 

At  Cananea,  in  Sonora,  Mexico,  a  district  I  have  not 
visited  for  seven  or  eight  years.  I  remember  well  noting 
the  great  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the  outcrops 
of  the  contact  nictamorphic  limestone  deposits  and  the 
mineralized  porphyry  areas.  The  former  had  conspicu- 
ous gossan  outcrops,  with  much  silicate  of  copper,  while 
the  latter  were  leached  and  indicated  the  enriched  ehal- 
COCite  below  by  the-  rusty  surface  and  general  silicifica- 
tion.  I  should  point  out  that  in  nearly  all  the  areas  in 
which  copper  is  mined  from  contact  metamorphic  de- 
posits, by  far  the  larger  part  of  the  total  output  comes 
from  the  enriched  ore  concentrated  in  the  intrusive  por- 
phyritic  rock.  This  is  well  worth  noting.  The  garnet- 
ized  areas  will  resist  erosion  and  attract  attention,  they 
will  also  furnish  desirable  oxidized  ore  for  the  smelter, 
and  they  may  be  included  in  the  indicators  of  enriched 
porphyry  deposits. 

P.  L.  Ransome  ascribes  the  lack  of  enrichment  at 
Yerrington.   in   Nevada,   to   the   impenetrability  of  the 


rock-mass,  and  to  the  fact  that  erosion  has  kept  pace  with 
oxidation. 

The  Chilean  mines  owe  most  of  their  prosperity  to  rich 
secondary  ores  developed  in  regions  of  low  rainfall  and 
slow  erosion.  In  the  desert  areas,  oxidation  may  reach 
a  depth  of  1000  ft.  locally,  and  rich  masses  of  chalcocite 
and  oxidized  ore  are  frequent.  At  Cerro  de  Pasco,  which 
is  situated  on  the  Andean  plateau  of  Peru.  14.000  ft. 
above  sea-level,  the  oxidized  zone,  to  a  depth  of  300  ft., 
carried  exceedingly  rich  silver  ore.  Famatina,  in  the 
Argentine,  is  in  a  mountainous  and  dry  region,  where 
erosion  is  slow  and  the  water-table  deep.  The  gossan  has 
been  leached  of  copper,  but  carried  gold  and  silver.  A 
zone  of  oxidized  copper  on-  succeeds,  carrying  up  to  15% 
copper,  with  66  oz.  silver,  and  1  oz.  gold  per  ton,  while 
most  of  the  primary  sulphide  ore  carries  only  4' ,  copper. 

At  the  Three  R  mine,  at  Patagonia.  Arizona,  the 
country  is  rugged  and  there  is  little  opportunity  for 
much  of  the  rain-water  to  seep  into  1 1n-  rock  mass,  ex- 
cept in  the  major  faults.  One  such  fault,  the  Colossus, 
showed  considerable  fracturing  of  the  alaskite  on  either 
side  of  the  main  break.  Hematitic  staining  was  the  sole 
indicator  of  the  remunerative  orebody  subsequently 
mined  below.  The  friable  hematite  outcrop  gave  place 
suddenly  to  lenses  of  pure  glance.  Stopes  were  mined  20 
ft.  wide  of  solid  glance  in  an  alunitized  alaskite  gangue. 
in  an  orebody  300  ft.  long  and  400  ft.  deep.  The  lenses 
were  connected  by  highly  altered  rock  in  which  blebs  of 
glance  were  irregularly  distributed.  There  were  a 
number  of  parallel  faults,  but  the  Colossus  was  the  only 

I that  showed  this  shattered  outcrop  and  incidentally  _ 

was  the  only  one  that  was  ore-bearing. 

J.  E.  Carne  says  of  the  copper  deposits  of  New  South 
Wales,  Australia:  "The  surface  staining  is  very  delus- 
ive. The  most  favorable  indications  are  cellular  iron 
oxide  and  secondary  quartz,  but  this  is  only  presumptive 
evidence,  and  not  an  infallible  guide."  The  Burra  and 
Moonta,  of  South  Australia,  had  nothing  at  surface  to 
suggest  the  carbonates  and  chlorides  that  were  mined  at 
a  depth  of  180  ft.  except  a  concentration  of  lead  min- 
erals and  precious  metals. 

The  outcrops  of  the  Great  Cobar  lode,  in  New  South 
"Wales,  form  a  low  ridge  in  a  monotonous  level  country 
of  Silurian  sandstone  and  slate.  Mineralizing  agencies 
have  hardened  the  lode;  the  sandstone  is  silicified,  and 
the  slate  ferruginous.  Copper  showed  only  in  one  place 
on  the  surface.  At  150  ft.  the  ore  is  a  mixutre  of  carbon- 
ates and  chalcocite.  while  the  oxidized  zone  extends  to 
250  ft.,  below  which  primary  sulphides,  pyrrhotite  and 
chalcopyrite,  are  mined. 

In  Shasta  county,  California,  some  of  the  orebodies  do 
not  come  to  the  surface,  others  have  comparatively  small 
outcrops,  others  have  outcrops  disproportionately  large 
compared  with  the  small  orebodies  underneath.  The  ex- 
posed portions  of  the  orebodies  have  been  much  altered 
producing  a  gossan  of  limonite,  some  magnetite,  and 
other  ferruginous  oxides.  Iron  has  been  oxidized  and 
rendered  stable  to  atmospheric  conditions.  Some  of  the 
dissolved  copper  has  escaped  into  the  surrounding 
country-rock,  but  most  has  been  concentrated  below  as 


August   19,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific    I'Kl  SS 


ehaleocite,  bornite,  and  ehaieopyrite,  which,  on  further 

action,   baa   formed   native  copper,  cuprite,  and   to 
e  extent,  the  carbonates.     Silver  was  similarly  con- 
centrated.   The  partly  impregnated  wail-rock  baa  ' 

ei tized  and  Icaolinixed,  stained  red  by  iron  sails  This 
lias  led  i"  confusion  and  misconception  regarding  the 
connection  of  outcrops  with  the  larger  orebodies.  The 
of  deep  seated  origin  and  have  only  been 
exposed  by  long  continued  erosion.  The  present  topo- 
graphy  is  widely  different  from  that  at  the  time  the  ores 
were  formed.  The  topographic  conditions  are  no  criteria 
depth  of  ore. 

I  have  already  described  the  attractive  outcrops  of 
.similar  enriched  pyritic  masses  at  Rio  Tinto.* 

Descriptions  of  outcrops  could  be  multiplied  indefin- 
itely until  the  copper  mines  of  the  world  were  exhausted. 
Every  district,  in  fact,  every  mine,  has  peculiarities  all 
its  own;  there  are  no  two  alike;  even  so,  the  more  ex 
tensive  our  field  of  observation  and  (lie  greater  the  num- 
ber of  deposits  with  which  we  are  familiar,  the  better 
prepared  we  shall  be  to  pass  judgment  Our  ability  to 
observe  correctly  must  be  fundamentally  sound  and  we 
must  discriminate  between  that  which  is  apparenl  and 
that  which  is  inferential,  similar  conditions  will  bring 
about  similar  results,  hut  we  must  be  sure  that  conditions 
arc  similar,  or  our  anticipated  results  may  never  ma- 
teralize. 

In  this  series  of  articles  I  have  endeavored  to  point  out 
the  sign-posts  to  be  read  in  the  examination  of  a  copper 
prospect.  In  the  light  of  our  present  knowledge  of  the 
subject,  it  is  impossible  to  make  positive  statements.  In 
.•■inclusion  I  suggest  that  an  engineer  always  look  for 
signs  of  widespread  mineralization.  If  the  metallic 
vapors  have  been  strong  enough  to  form  important  ore- 
bodies,  they  will  have  effected  rock-alteration  over  a 
large  area.  There  may  be  but  one  local  concentration, 
but  iron-stained  surfaces,  pyritic  mineralization,  vein- 
lets  of  ore,  kaolinization.  and  other  indicators  will  be 
found  all  around.  Copper  deposits  are  generous  with 
their  outcrops  and  invariably  in  districts  of  productive 
mines  there  is  ample  mineralized  territory.  The  possible 
size  of  the  orebodies  can  be  determined  by  an  accurate 
decipherment  of  the  general,  aerial,  and  structural  geol- 
ogy, and  the  grade  of  ore  will  be  indicated  by  the  rock- 
alteration,  color  of  outcrop,  the  climatic  conditions,  and 
extent  of  erosion. 

Oxidation  tends  to  obscure  the  primary  mineral  re- 
lationships and  causes  a  segregation  of  newly  formed 
minerals.  The  order  of  attack  by  oxidizing  influences 
varies  directly  as  the  relative  affinities  of  the  several 
metals  for  oxygen  and  inversely  as  their  affinity  for  sul- 
phur. 

It  is  important  to  find  out  the  nature  of  the  primary 
ore.  Old  workings  or  deep  canyons  may  show  this,  and  if 
lean  sulphides  appear  near  the  surface,  no  matter  how 
gorgeously  colored  the  outcrop,  it  is  well  to  consider 
seriously  before  recommending  the  expenditure  of 
money.    The  nature  and  extent  of  leaching,  if  correctly 

»M.  &  S.  P.,  Vol.  113,  p.  S3. 


diagnosed,  other  facton  being  satisfied,  will  often  decide 
for  or  against  development. 

te,  hi  his  able  pap<  r  pn  tented  to  the  <  'anadian 

Mining  Institute  in  .March.  1910,  reviewed  the  criteria  of 
downward  sulphide  enrichment/  Summarizing  his 
views,  confirmed  by  mj  own  observations  in  the  field,  it 

would  seem  thai  progressive  impoverishment  of  similar 
sulphide  deposits,  as  depth  is  attained,  in  any  given  dis 
trict  is  indicative    of  secondary  enrichment.     The  change 

in  the  zonal  arrangement  should  show  dependence  upon 

topography.      The   presence   of   such    minerals   as 

chalciicitc  or  covellite  is  almost   indisputable  evidence 

that    the    primary    ores    have    been    oxidized    and    COncen 

(rated. 

The  presence  of  kaolin  or  alunite  at  any  horizon  in  a 
copper  deposit  must  be  secondary  and  is  due  to  attack  of 
sulphate  waters  on  gangue-material.  Alunite  is  quite 
extensively  developed  in  the  so-called  porphyry  coppers. 

The  pseudomorphous  replacement  of  one  mineral  by  an- 
other is.  pt  r  si ,  evidence  of  change,  as  is  also  the  encrust- 
ing or  veining  of  one  mineral  by  another. 

"Just  as  a  pearl  in  the  oyster  is  an  abnormal  segrega- 
tion resulting  in  a  beautiful  gem.  so  the  Ore-sl 1  in  the 

earth  is  an  abnormal  segregation  resulting  in  precious 
metals;  just  as  there  are  thousands  of  oysters  that  con- 
tain no  pearls  to  one  that  does,  so  there  are  apparently 
thousands  o'f  favorable  receptacles  for  ore-shoots  that  yet 
carry  none;  just  as  the  pearl  diver  finds  it  remunerative 
to  hunt  for  the  oyster  that  may  contain  his  prize,  so  the 
miner  finds  it  remunerative  to  hunt  for  the  spot  that  may 
contain  his  ore-shoot ;  and  though  the  paths  of  both  are 
strewn  with  disappointed  hopes,  yet,  the  possibility  of 
realization  leads  them  on."8 


Quebec  province,  Canada,  produced  in  1915  increased 
amounts  of  asbestos,  chromite,  niagnesite,  and  coppcr- 
pyrite.  The  output  of  asbestos  was  114,115  tons  of 
picked  fibre,  worth  $3,544,302,  an  average  of  about  $30 
per  ton  for  the  various  grades.  This  is  an  increase  over 
the  $2,895,935  produced  in  1914,  a  consequence  of  the 
greater  amount  shipped  to  the  United  States,  which  is 
manufacturing  asbestos  articles  for  South  American  and 
domestic  consumption  that  were  supplied  formerly  by 
Germany.  The  output  of  chromite  in  1915  was  14,076 
tons  worth  $221,287,  a  value  of  $15.70  per  ton.  More 
than  half  of  this,  8473  tons,  was  shipped  to  the  United 
States.  For  several  years  the  production  of  chromite 
and  niagnesite  in  Quebec  had  been  practically  nil.  The 
magnesite  produced  in  1915  was  16,285  tons  worth  $137,- 
304,  a  value  of  $8.50  per  ton.  The  output  of  copper- 
pyrite  ore  in  1915  was  142,769  tons  worth  $1,020,605,  or 
slightly  over  $7  per  ton.  Much  of  this  came  from  the 
"Weedon  mine  north  of  Sherbrooke,  and  was  shipped  by 
rail  to  smelters  in  the  United  States  for  treatment. 
Asbestos  from  Arizona  is  competing  with  that  from 
Quebec  and  in  1915  the  Arizona  product  brought  an 
average  price  of  $44  per  ton. 

'.Economic  Geology,  Vol.  5. 

sR.  A.  F.  Penrose,  Jr.     Economic  Geology,  Vol.  5,  p.  133. 


276 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


The   Business   of 


By      W. 


Ingtlli 


•I  have  called  the  subject  of  my  address  to  you,  'The 
Business  of  Mining.'  Here  is  my  first  exhibition  of 
heresy.  Some  may  think  that  in  addressing  a  class  of 
embryo  mining  engineers,  I  ought  to  talk  about  the  'pro- 
fession of  mining.'  Hut  no,  that  does  not  sound  just 
right.  I  should  say  rather  the  profession  of  'mining  en- 
gineers.' We  mining  engineers  are  strongly  given  to 
talking  about  our  profession,  about  its  dignity,  about  its 
ethics,  ;\u<\  so  forth. 

Now,  during  r nt  years  1  have  been  wondering  more 

and  more  whether  we  are  not  rather  highfalutin'  in  talk- 
ing about  ourselves  as  professional  men,  and  if  we  are 
not  really  simply  business  men  and  are  shutting  our  eyes 
to  the  fact.  Of  course,  this  idea  does  not  apply  to  the 
mining  and  metallurgical  engineer  alone.  It  pertains  to 
the  civil  engineer  in  general,  using  the  term  'civil  engi- 
neer' in  eontra-distinction  to  military  engineer,  which 
was  its  original  meaning,  long  before  it  became  substan- 
tially restricted  to  the  railway-builders,  bridge-builders, 
and  their  kindred.  As  between  the  civil  engineer,  in  this 
broad  sense,  and  the  physician,  surgeon,  lawyer,  and 
clergyman,  there  is  surely  a  difference.  The  medical, 
legal,  and  theological  men  all  have  to  comply  with  cer- 
tain regulations,  either  prescribed  or  sanctioned  by  the 
State.  If  they  misbehave,  they  are  liable  to  lose  their 
right  to  practice.  There  is  neither  such  a  requirement 
nor  such  a  penalty  in  the  case  of  the  engineer.  He  prac- 
tices of  his  own  free  will  and  he  may  misbehave  griev- 
ously without  losing  the  right  to  practice,  although  he 
may  lose  the  esteem  of  his  fellow-men.  Furthermore, 
the  medical,  legal,  and  theological  men  have  a  certain 
standing  in  the  eyes  of  the  law.  If  they  are  the  holders 
of  professional  confidences,  they  are  supposed  not  only 
to  preserve  them,  but  also  may  not  be  required  on  the 
witness  stand  to  disclose  them.  The  engineer  also  is 
under  this  moral  obligation,  but  he  possesses  no  such 
legal  inviolability.  In  this  respect  the  journalist  prob- 
ably lias  more  of  a  legally  recognized  characteristic  than 
the  engineer. 

Well,  what  is  a  professional  man?  What  is  a  profes- 
sion      Lit  us  refer  to  Webster's  dictionary. 

•'PROFESSION.  That  of  which  one  professes  knowl- 
edge: the  occupation,  if  not  purely  commercial,  mechan- 
ical, agricultural,  or  the  like,  to  which  one  devotes  one's 
self;  a  calling  in  which  one  professes  to  have  acquired 
some  special  knowledge  used  by  way  either  of  instructing, 
guiding,  or  advising  others  or  of  serving  them  in  some 
art ;  calling ;  vocation  ;  employment ;  as.  the  profession  of 
chemist.     The  three  professions,  or  learned  professions, 

•Annual  Commencement  Address,  School  of  Mines.  Uni- 
versity of  Missouri,  May  26,  1916. 


is  a  name  often  used  for  the  professions  of  theology,  law 
anil  medicine." 

This  is  a  definition  that  illuminates  rather  than  defines. 
engineer  when  engaged  in  a  mechanical  operation, 
and  that  is  the  largest  part  of  his  work,  is  inferentially 
excluded,  but  when  he  employs  the  special  knowledge 
that  he  professes  to  have  acquired  either  for  instructing, 
guiding,  or  advising  others,  he  may  be  considered  a  pro- 
fessional man.  I  might  also  do  some  quibbling  with 
respect  to  the  doctors  and  lawyers,  some  of  whom  are 
charged  distinctly  with  practices  of  commercialism,  and 
an-  criticized  for  not  conforming  to  the  principles  of 
altruism  that  are  supposed  to  govern  professional  prac- 
titioners. Well,  let  us  engineers  brush  away  all  pre- 
tences. Let  us  admit  that  in  the  main  we  are  engaged 
in  mechanical  occupations,  the  prime  purpose  of  which  is 
to  produce.  The  engineer  constructs  things  and  operates 
them  when  constructed.  He  is  engaged  in  a  business  and 
needs  no  code  of  ethics  beyond  those  that  prevail  in  all 
kinds  of  commercial  life  as  a  guide  of  correct  conduct. 
The  young  man  who  leaves  school  and  enters  into  life 
with  any  other  idea  than  this  is  likely  to  do  himself  harm. 

How  often  have  we  seen  graduates  of  mining-schools 
lingering  unsuccessfully  in  a  vocation  for  which  they 
were  unfitted,  sustained  by  a  pride  in  what  they  call  their 
profession,  reluctant  to  confess  that  they  had  made  a  mis- 
take in  going  into  something  for  which  they  wen  aol 
adapted.  I  recall  a  young  man  of  this  sort  who  was 
graduated  from  a  distinguished  mining  school  and 
promptly  called  himself  a  mining  engineer.  He  was  not 
an  engineer  then,  nor  at  any  subsequent  time — he  had 
not  the  kind  of  a  mind  that  an  engineer  must  have — but 
he  stuck  on,  flitting  from  one  petty  job  to  another.  I 
urged  him  to  switch  to  something  else,  but  my  sugges- 
tions were  not  favorably  viewed.  On  one  occasion,  how- 
ever, he  got  so  far  as  to  inquire  of  me  what  I  should  ad- 
vise hini  to  take  up. 

"  Well,  Brown,"  I  said,  "you  will  probably  be  shocked. 
I  feel  certain  that  you  were  not  cut  out  for  an  engineer. 
But  I  have  a  notion  that  you  would  be  a  first-rate  sales- 
man in  some  business  associated  with  engineering." 

Of  course  he  went  right  up  in  the  air.  The  possessor 
of  an  engineering  sheepskin  to  be  a  salesman!  Perish 
the  thought !  He  left  me  to  take  the  superintendency  of 
a  picayune  mine,  having  a  good  title,  but  a  dubious 
stipend.  In  a  few  months  he  was  out  of  a  job  again  and 
trying  to  collect  arrears  of  pay  for  his  last  one.  Then  for 
several  years  I  saw  nothing  of  him.  I  surmise  that  lie 
just  managed  to  exist  on  fitful  occupations.  But  mind 
you.  he  was  during  all  this  time  a  mining  engineer  and  a 
professional  man. 


August   19,   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  I'KI  SS 


•J77 


he  «as  ushered  into  mj  offloe  and  gi ted  me 

effusively.  Be  was  arrayed  with  elegance  and  exhibited 
many  evideneeaof  prosperity,    lit-  informed  me  early  in 

niir  conversation  thai  he  had  quil  angii ring  and  bad 

I »me  a  talesman;  thai  he  had  lately  closed  a  half  mil 

lion  dollar  contract  and  was  going  to  be  the  general  sales- 
agent  of  Ins  company.  Be  was  aot  even  aheepiah  in  his 
confession;  also  he  had  forgotten  my  own  advice  to  him. 

I  knew  another  young  man  who  threw  up  a  good  but 
subordinate  position  for  which  he  was  well  fitted  to  go 
into  the  field  as  advisory  engineer.  1  urged  him  not  i « ■ 
do  it,  pointing  out  that  he  was  unfitted  (or  it.  and  also 
that  the  unattached  engineer  is  likely  t"  experience  six 
Iran  yean  t"  every  fat  one;  but  unfortunately,  he  had  a 
tat  one,  right  in  sight  After  a  while  the  lean  ones  came 
and  things  began  t"  be  harder  and  harder.  Be  used  to 
send  me  desperate  appeals  for  help  and  advice.  Finally 
he  wrote  me  that  he  was  quite  unable  to  earn  a  living  by 
his  profession;  thai  he  was  just  managing  to  gel  along 
by  selling  soap;  what  should  I  advise  him  to  do?  I  re- 
plied that  if  he  had  found  he  could  not  get  a  living  by 
what  he  called  his  profession,  but  could  get  it  by  selling 
soap,  the  logic  of  the  situation  seemed  to  me  to  point  to 
his  continuing  to  sell  soap.  However,  in  the  course  of 
tune,  he  fell  into  a  more  congenial  but  modest  niche  in 
engineering  and  then  was  well  content  to  stay  there. 

My  purpose  in  relating  these  anecdotes  has  been  to 
point  out  to  you  young  men  that  you  should  not  be  led 
astray  by  pride  in  a  supposed  profession,  which  really  is 
not  a  profession  so  much  as  it  is  a  business  avocation ; 
and,  secondly,  that  you  should  not  hesitate  to  abandon 
your  now  chosen  work  if  you  find  later  that  you  are  un- 
fitted for  it  and  made  a  mistake  in  choosing  it.  We  all 
make  mistakes  and  shall  continue  to  do  so  as  long  as  we 
are  human.  The  most  that  any  of  us  can  hope  for  is  not 
to  make  the  same  mistake  twice,  but,  alas !  we  do  even 
that.  It  is  no  confession  of  incapacity  for  a  young  man 
to  say  five  years  after  graduation  that  he  made  a  mistake 
in  studying  mining;  that  he  would  better  have  been  a 
farmer  or  a  merchant.  It  would,  however,  be  distinctly 
a  confession  of  incapacity  to  stick  to  something  to  which 
you  know  yourself  to  be  unfitted,  or  something  that  is 
uncongenial  to  you. 

Now,  I  am  not  the  materialist  that  perhaps  my  words 
have  indicated.  On-  the  contrary  I  am  an  idealist.  All 
my  life  I  have  been  doing  those  things  that  I  liked  to  do 
and  have  not  thought  enough  about  what  they  paid.  We 
have  several  kinds  of  engineers.  There  is  first  of  all  the 
great  body  of  men  who  operate  our  mines  and  metal- 
lurgical works.  They  are  the  subalterns,  captains,  and 
colonels  of  our  army.  Fewer  in  number  are  those  who 
advise  about  the  development  of  mines,  build  metallurg- 
ical works,  devise  new  metallurgical  processes.  They  are 
the  staff-officers.  Many  of  them  are  great  scientists, 
whose  work  is  often  inadequately  requited.  Finally  there 
are  the  engineers  in  whom  the  business  instinct  is  highly 
developed — men  like  Jaekling,  Hoover,  Hammond,  Brad- 
ley— who  are  our  generals.  I  admire  the  engineers  of 
each  of  these  classes.     Each  in  his  own  way,  humble  or 


high,  is  doing  neceaaais  work  ami  contributing  to  the 
wealth  that  the  mining  industry  bestows  upon  the  world 

However,  i ining,  as  in  everything  else,  the  scarcity 

is  in  good  offici  re,  and  the  higher  you  go,  the  greater  is 
the  scarcity.    Every  man  in  the  ranks,  every  oi t  you, 

like  Napoleon's  soldiers,  carries  a  marshal 's  baton  in  Ins 

knapsack,  meaning  thai  the  road  of  promotion  is  per 
feeily  open.    Whether  you  will  travel  thai  road  rapidly 

or  not  depends  irj yourself  alone.    Now.  please  note 

that  anion;.'  our  engineering  generals  the  predominant 
characteristic  is  their  business  instinct.  Their  engineer 
ine;  training  has  been  relegated  to  the  background.  There 
have  been  and  are  manj  generals  who  have  had  no  engi- 
neering training,  or  have  paired  it  incidentally,  with- 
out going  to  school  for  it.  Such  a  one  was  Marcus  Daly,  a 
very  great  general,  and  among  the  many  stories  of  him  I 

recall  one  thai  illustrates  my  idea.  It  is  reported  of  him 
that  he  used  to  say: 

"I  listen  to  the  reports  of  my  engineers  and  then  I 
lock  myself  in  my  room  lest  they  influence  my  judg- 
ment." 

This  did  not  mean  that  he  depreciated  either  his  engi- 
neers or  their  advice,  but  simply  that  he  had  to  consider 
other  phases  of  the  question  than  those  of  purely  engi- 
neering character. 

And  similarly,  John  D.  Ryan,  another  great  general, 
lately  said  to  me : 

"If  the  Anaconda  company  should  do  all  the  good 
things  its  engineers  recommended,  it  would  never  pay  a 
dividend.  They  are  good  engineers,  and  most  of  the 
projects  they  urge  are  good,  but  if  we  carried  out  all  of 
them  our  capital  would  be  perpetually  tied  up." 

Here  we  have  one  of  the  great  functions  of  the  busi- 
ness general,  namely  to  control  expenditures  within  the 
limits  of  what  can  be  afforded,  having  in  mind  first  of  all 
the  interests  of  the  stockholders,  the  owners  of  the  busi- 
ness. 

I  am  disposed  to  think  that  it  is  exactly  this  sense  of 
perspective  that  the  technically  trained  engineer  must 
seek,  especially  to  obtain,  if  he  hopes  to  rise  high  in  rank 
and  material  success.  We  have  all  noticed  cases  where 
the  engineer  upon  assuming  the  duties  incident  to  gen- 
eral management,  considered  many  of  his  new  duties 
as  less  important,  and  more  or  less  subordinate  to  those 
of  engineering,  and  would  still  dwell  upon  the  engineer- 
ing functions  of  the  business  instead  of  developing  the 
possibilities  in  his  new  and  broader  field  of  effort.  The 
technically  trained  man  too  often  overlooks  the  fact  that 
a  knowledge  of  the  markets  where  the  materials  and 
supplies  necessary  to  production  may  be  secured ;  their 
purchase,  transportation,  and  storage ;  the  employment 
and  application  of  labor,  supplies,  and  power ;  the  super- 
vision, compensation,  and  organization  of  labor,  and  the 
proper  balancing  of  the  activities  of  each  department  in 
itself  and  its  relations  to  the  other  departments;  the  ad- 
justing of  the  business  as  a  whole  to  the  activities  of  the 
outside  world ;  the  proper  recording  and  analyzing  of  the 
operations  of  the  business ;  the  knowledge  of  the  markets 
in  which  the  production  must  be  sold,  together  with  the 


278 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


selling  of  the  production  ;  the  raising  of  working  capital, 
disbursements  and  investment  of  earnings;  are  all  func- 
tions of  the  business  of  mining  that  are  separate  and  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  engineering  and  are  co-ordinate  in  im- 
portance. And  finally,  there  is  ever  to  be  home  in  mind 
the  great  key  of  the  secret  of  success  in  business  admin- 
istration, namely  the  getting  of  other  people  to  do  things 
for  you.  whether  they  be  people  that  are  working  for 
you,  people  with  whom  you  come  in  contact  as  buyers  and 
sellers,  or  people  who  can  in  any  way  assist  you  in  get- 
ting things  done.  The  man  who  possesses  this  art  is 
often  described  as  a  'good  mixer.'  Uncouth  and  imper- 
fect as  that  term  may  lie.  it  expresses  nevertheless  some- 
thing of  the  quality  that  is  important. 

In  the  development  and  equipment  stage  of  mining  and 
metallurgy,  good  engineering  is  all  important.  With  a 
badly  developed  mind  and  a  poorly  designed  metallurg- 
ical plant,  the  best  of  administrators  is  bound  te  have  a 
hard  time.  It  was  formerly  the  custom,  in  the  days  when 
our  industry  had  not  attained  the  organization  of  the 
present  era,  that  the  mining  and  metallurgical  engineer 
was  a  jack  of  all  trades.  The  same  man  might  develop 
and  equip  the  mine,  design  and  build  the  smelting  plant. 
and  operate  both  of  them.  That  day  is  long  past.  Not 
•  > 1 1 1 \  do  we  now  specialize  between  mining  and  metallurg- 
ical engineers,  but  also  do  we  specialize  among  builders 
and  operators.  One  kind  of  metallurgical  engineer  de- 
signs and  builds  the  plant  and  turns  it  over  to  the  other 
kind  to  operate.  In  the  two  branches  of  work,  a  different 
kind  of  talent  is  necessary. 

But  of  course  the  operating  men  are  the  great  majority 
of  the  technically  trained  engineers  engaged  in  the  min- 
ing industry.  Among  them  there  is  no  question  that  we 
need  a  greater  increase  in  business  efficiency,  a  greater 
direction  of  attention  to  mining  as  a  business,  rather  than 
as  an  art  and  science.  The  great  need  among  our  great 
mining  and  metallurgical  corporations,  which  have  won- 
derful technical  departments  and  magnificent  mechan- 
ical equipment,  is  not  so  much  for  more  technical  and 
mechanical  efficiency,  as  it  is  for  more  business  efficiency, 
more  intelligent  purchasing,  better  organization,  better 
recognition  of  the  principles  of  economics.  The  genius 
wlio  possesses  those  qualities  shines  the  same  in  what- 
ever he  undertakes.  The  mining  industry  does  not 
merely  obtain  its  generals  sometimes  from  other  fields. 
Often  it  gives  its  own  men  to  other  work.  Consider 
Hoover,  a  mining  engineer  relatively  young  in  years,  who 
lias  become  one  of  the  great  figures  of  the  world.  We  of 
the  mining  industry  knew  Hoover  as  a  great  adminis- 
trator long  before  the  world  at  large  had  heard  of  him. 
During  the  last  two  years  we  have  seen  him,  who  had 
been  conducting  brilliantly  mining  operations  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  exercise  the  same  talents  in  feeding  and 
clothing  a  nation. 

The  story  of  how  the  Belgian  Commission,  under 
Eovoer,  supported  a  people  requiring  $65,000,000  per 
annum  in  food  supplies  with  but  $10,000,000  in  foreign 
contributions,  is  one  of  the  romances  of  business.  The 
British  press  has  consistently  asserted  that  it  is  not  the 


generosity  of  Americans  for  which  Belgium  should  be 
most  grateful,  but  for  the  commission 'a  organizing 
genius,  which  is  to  say  Hoover's  genius.  The  problem 
was  huge.  It  was  necessary  to  utilize  the  credit  of  a  pop- 
ulation deprived  of  all  metallic  and  almost  all  paper  cur- 
rency ;  to  do  a  systematic  banking  business  a'-mss  enemy 
lines.  Hoover's  commission  had  so  to  organize  its  charity 
that  the  destitute  in  Belgium  should  be  aided  by  their 
own  countrymen.  Its  direct  efficiency  is  attested  by  the 
fact  that  by  careful  purchases,  the  chartering  of  ships. 
and  the  substitution  of  volunteer  effort  for  middle-men  it 
kept  the  price  of  bread  in  Belgium  below  that  in  London 
and  yet  made  $6,000,000  profit  on  its  sales  during  the  tirst 
year.    This  was  business. 

I  have  dwelled  upon  some  of  tic  matters  that  you  have 
not  learned  about  in  your  course  in  this  excellent  school. 
Nobody  learns  about  them  in  any  school.  I  aim  to  im- 
press upon  you  that  in  leaving  your  Alma  Mater,  where 
you  have  gone  through  some  hard  training  under  the 
guidance  of  able  teachers,  you  have  nevertheless  been 
doing  nothing  but  preparatory  work.  You  must  realize 
that  your  education  and  training  have  just  begun  and  if 
you  are  to  develop  in  your  chosen  work,  you  must  keep 
mi  studying  as  you  have  been  doing,  but  if  anything. 
harder.  You  are  no  longer  going  to  come  up  for  exam- 
inations at  the  end  of  semesters,  at  which  you  are  striving 
for  marks,  but  you  are  going  to  be  examined  just  the 
same,  by  the  men  who  are  employing  you  and  their  ex- 
aminations will  be  the  real  thing.  They  will  test  what 
you  know  and  that  will  mean  dollars  and  cents,  reputa- 
tion and  even  livelihood  to  you. 

How  then  are  you  to  fit  yourself  for  these  coming  ex- 
aminations? I  cannot  suggest  to  you  any  simple  vade 
nit  cum.  no  pony,  crib,  or  dope-book;  not  even  any  plain 
line  of  conduct,  practice,  or  study.  As  well  as  I  can 
generalize,  the  broad  precept  is  self-cultivation.  Pay 
attention  to  everything  that  you  are  doing,  whether  it  be 
work  or  play.  Perhaps  the  best  rule  I  can  give  you  is: 
Observe  and  think.  I  venture  to  say  that  it  is  precisely 
that  rule  that  your  teachers  in  this  college  have  been  try- 
ing to  impress  upon  you.  Without  any  doubt,  they  have 
aimed  especially  to  train  you  to  think  about  the  problems 
in  mining  and  metallurgy  that  you  are  going  to  run  into. 
Probably  they  have  also  trained  you  somewhat  in  obser- 
vation, but  alas,  the  training  of  most  of  us  in  observation 
is  defective.  We  have  not  the  excuse  of  the  blind  man 
afflicted  by  nature.  We  possess  the  sense  of  vision ;  but 
we  go  around  with  our  eyes  open  and  see  not.  Sometimes 
we  do  not  even  see  enough  to  take  care  of  our  persons, 
and  allow  ourselves  to  be  run  down  by  automobiles.  One 
of  the  most  exasperating  things  in  our  business  is  the 
difficulty  of  getting  young  men  who  will  see.  In  the 
mine,  in  the  mill,  in  the  smeltery,  they  will  overlook  the 
clues  to  the  riddles,  simply  for  not  having  been  trained 
adequately  to  observe  and  report. 

Listen  to  the  story  of  how  Thomas  F.  Walsh  laid  the 
foundation  for  his  great  fortune.  This  was  told  by  Mr. 
Walsh  in  an  address  to  the  graduating  class  of  the  Colo- 
rado School  of  Mines  upon  an  occasion  similar  to  this. 


August  L9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   l'Kl  SS 


•JT'i 


ninl  lit.-. I    in    the    Engineering  sad    Mmiiui 

inder  the  sub-caption  of  "I  •..•  four  Own  Byes 
mi. I  Judgment."  Thai  ia  m.-r.-ly  a  different  way  of  put- 
ting what  I  have  already  said  to  you,  namely,  "Observe 

ninl  'flunk  " 

Along  in  the  '80a,  milliona  of  dollara  were  expended  in 
the  development  of  silver  lead  veins  and  the  erection  "i 
mills  in  the  Imogene  baain,  nine  miles  From  Ouray,  in  the 
Sim  Juan  region  of  Colorado.  The  mines  proved  disap- 
pointing. In  the  oourae  of  time  the  mills  and  machinery 
were  dismantled  and  sold.  In  L896  when  Walsh  visited 
the  region,  it  had  been  condemned  us  a  Failure  and  ex- 
hibited .ill  the  aspects  of  a  "boated  oommunitj ." 

The  country  waa  abandoned,  Bave  by  one  Andy  Etich- 
ardaon,  the  original  proapeotor.  One  day  Walsh  went 
with  Richardson  to  examine  a  claim  near  tin-  summit  of 
tin.  range.  The  trail  ran  along  the  slope,  and  high  op  the 
aide  of  a  steep  mountain.  About  three-fourths  of  the 
way  np  Mr.  Walsh  noticed  a  slide  of  reddish  pyritiferous 
porphyry,  which  attracted  his  attention  as  having  indica- 
tions of  gold  in  or  near  it.  and  he  took  some  samples  of  it. 
Be  aaked  Andy  it'  gold  bad  ever  been  Found  in  the  basin. 
Andy  replied : 

"No,  Mr.  Walsh,  there  is  no  gold  in  Imogene,  except  a 
little  associated  with  silver  or  lead." 
Mr.  Walsh  said: 

"Andy,  I  believe  there  is  gold  in  Imogene,  and  I  am 
going  to  find  it." 

His  samples  of  porphyry  proved  to  assay  $2  per  ton  in 
Hold,  and  that  confirmed  his  suspicion. 

Among  the  mining  claims  owned  by  Walsh  at  that  time 
was  one  situated  at  about  the  same  altitude  about  300 
ft.  east  from  where  he  sampled  the  porphyry.  He  had 
never  seen  the  workings  of  this  claim,  for  a  snow-slide 
that  never  melted  covered  the  tunnel  to  a  great  depth. 
The  idea  occurred  to  him  that  a  gold-bearing  vein  passed 
through  or  near  the  porphyry  dike.  Therefore  he  direct- 
ed Andy  to  drive  a  tunnel  through  the  snow  and  have 
samples  for  him  on  his  return.  Upon  his  return,  Andy 
gave  him  two  or  three  sacks  of  samples  saying: 
"These  are  what  you  asked  me  to  get." 
Something  within  Walsh,  as  he  described  it,  said  to 
him : 

"Go  and  take  your  own  samples.  Remember,  Andy 
has  been  in  tin-  basin  for  18  years  and  has  never  found 
gold." 

Arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel,  Walsh  found  a 
dump  of  very  showy  ore  containing  zinc,  lead,  and  pyrite. 
Going  inside  and  examing  the  vein,  he  found  an  18-in. 
streak  of  the  same  kind  of  ore  that  was  on  the  dump.  Be- 
tween it  and  the.  hanging  wall  there  was  three  feet  of 
modest-looking  quartz.  It  had  none  of  the  shiny  mineral 
in  it,  and  looked  so  barren  that  the  average  miner  would 
consider  it  no  good  but  as  Walsh  examined  it  closely  he 
saw  little  specks  and  threadlike  circles  of  glistening  black 
mineral  all  through  it,  which  experience  told  him  was 
gold  in  a  telluride  form.  While  he  was  sampling  this 
grayish-looking  quartz,  Andy  grew  uneasy.  Thinking 
that  he  did  not  see  the  metalliferous  streak,  he  called 


Walsh's  all.  n! I,,  it.  I8J  iiil'  that  It  was  tin-  pay  streak 

llicd  : 

"Never  mind,  And]  i  I  always  assay  everything  in  the 
rein." 

I  ii-.  samples  l 'nun  the  common  looking  r«>«-k  ran  aa  high 

11111  per  ton     I king  over  the  situation,  he  found 

that  tin-  mm  who  had  done  the  work,  although  they  were 
no  ordinary  prospectors,  had  saved  the  showy  low  grade 
stuff  and  had  thrown  the  iimdest  but  rich  ore  over  the 
dump,  from  which  Walsh  afterward  Bhipped  it.  This 
linn,  the  Famous  Camp  Bird  mine  produced  millions. 
It  was  a  strange  coincidence  that  the  bonanza  part  of  the 
vein  waa  immediately  beneath  the  spot  where  Walsh 
picked  up  the  piece  of  porphyry  en  the  trail. 

Cases  .if  this  kind  iii  the  history  of  mining  in  the 
United  states  may  he  cited  in  great  numbers.    This  is 

why  there  arose  in  the  minds  of  the  administrators  "I 
mines  during  the  last  decade  or  two  the  advantage  of  hav- 
ing a  corps  of  trained  observers  in  the  underground 
workings,  men  having  nothing  to  do  with  execution  of 
the  mining  work,  which  opened  an  entirely  new  Held  of 

employment   to  the  young  college  graduate.      The   Ana 
COnda  company  was  the  first  to  develop  this  system,  as  it 
has  many  others  of  great  industrial  importance.     I).  \V. 
Brunton,  who  was  then  consulting  engineer  for  the  Ana- 
conda company,  remarked  in  a  technical  paper  in  1906  : 

"In  my  judgment,  every  company  operating  large 
mines  would  find  it  advantageous  to  employ,  as  a  separate 
official,  a  competent  mining  geologist,  whose  duty  it 
should  be  to  follow  continuously  all  workings  and  sur- 
veys, and  note  with  precision  those  indications  which 
hard-worked  superintendents,  foremen  and  surveyors, 
however  intelligent,  might  easily  overlook  or  fail  to 
record.  The  proper  man  for  this  most  important  work  is 
a  man  who  has  nothing  else  to  do,  and  will  do  this 
one  thing  with  industry,  enthusiasm,  and  technical 
knowledge." 

Just  the  same  thing  may  be  said  of  mining  operation. 
The  efficiency  engineer,  with  his  time  studies,  is  above 
everything  else  an  observer.  Of  metallurgy,  too,  the  same 
story  may  be  told.  What  are  our  great  steps  in  advance 
during  the  last  50  years?  In  copper,  the  principle  of 
pyritic  smelting,  coal-dust  firing  of  reverberatory  fur- 
naces, basic  converting,  and  electrolytic  refining.  In 
lead,  first  of  all,  the  knowledge  of  compounding  proper 
slags,  then  the  filtration  of  smoke,  and  finally  the  blast- 
roasting  of  sulphide  ores.  In  gold  and  silver,  cyanide 
lixiviation.  In  mechanical  concentration,  the  flotation 
process.  In  no  one  of  these  cases  was  the  progress  the 
result  of  a  lucky  discovery.  No  one  drew  a  grand  prize 
in  the  lottery  of  success.  Bach  one  was  the  result  of 
technical  evolution.  The  genu  of  the  idea  dated  back  a 
half  a  century  in  some  of  the  cases.  Scores  of  investiga- 
tors had  played  with  it,  some  of  them  coming  within 
sight  of  success.  In  most  cases  the  thing  needful  was 
staring  them  in  the  face,  but  was  overlooked  through  the 
human  failing  to  observe  accurately.  When  finally  it  was 
found  everybody  was  amazed  by  the  simplicity  of  it. 

It  is  only  in  the  metallurgy  of  zinc  that  there  have  been 


L>,SI  I 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


00  major  improvements  that  I  think  of,  yet  thai  iloes  not 
disprove  my  point.  The  art  of  zinc  smelting  was  trans- 
planted from  China  to  England.  From  England  it  was 
taken  to  Carinthia,  Silesia,  and  Belgium.  America  got 
it  from  Europe.  Both  in  Europe  and  America  it  remains 
today  essentially  as  it  was  in  China  centuries  ago  and  is 
there  still.  Our  improvements  have  been  in  details, 
chiefly  mechanical,  the  principle  remaining  the  same. 
Y<  t  il  has  been  by  observation  that  we  have  improved 
the  art  in  its  multiplicity  of  details  and  created  a  practice 
thai  China  will  some  day  copy  from  us,  just  as  we  firsl 
got  it  from  China. 

lint  it  is  not  enough  merely  to  observe.  Observation  is 
of  no  use  without  thought.  Observation  must  also  be 
accurate.  Inaccurate  observation  and  absence  of  thought 
may  result  in  sueli  erroneous  deductions  as  happened 
from  a  freak  of  Jim  Gillie  of  Jackass  Hill  in  the  gold  dig- 
gings of  California.  Jim  was  Mark  Twain's  'Truthful 
James.'  In  the  early  days  the  stage  road  passed  Jim's 
house,  or  cabin  I  should  say.  The  old  miners  used  to 
make  sour-dough  bread,  and  Jim  had  some  in  a  pan  try- 
ing to  make  it  rise,  but  it  would  not.  So  he  said,  "I'll 
make  you  rise,  durn  you."  So  he  put  the  pan  out  under 
the  oak  that  branched  over  the  stage  road,  and  put  a  stick 
of  giant  powder  under  it,  and  as  a  result  the  dough  rose 
and  hung  all  over  the  limbs  of  the  tree.  .  Just  then  the 
stage  came  along  loaded  with  Eastern  women  and  'ten- 
derfeet,'  looking  for  curiosities  in  the  gold-diggings.  A 
lady  asked  Jim  what  kind  of  a  tree  it  was.  Jim,  with  a 
sober  face,  replied,  ".Madam,  that  is  a  bread  tree." 
"Really,  is  thai  bread  we  see?"  "Oh  yes,"  said  Jim. 
"you  can  take  the  dough  in  your  hands  and  work  it  into 
bread."  Whereupon  she  took  some  of  it  and  believed, 
and  told  everywhere  about  Jim  Gillis'  bread  tree  of  Jack- 
ass Hill. 

Such  imperfect  observation  and  Buch  errors  in  deduc- 
tion have  led  to  some  very  serious  mistakes  both  in  min- 
ing and  metallurgy.  Accurate  observation  and  sound 
thinking  have  h'd  to  brilliant  successes.  The  trouble  with 
most  of  us  is  that  we  neither  see  nor  think.  Millions  of 
men  before  Newton  observed  apples  to  drop,  but  so  far  as 
we  know,  nobody  before  him  gave  thought  to  what  caused 
t  hem  to  drop.  I  have  no  doubt  that  hundreds  of  mill-men 
30  years  ago.  or  more,  observed  greasy  froths  of  mineral 
floating  on  their  mill-water  and  thought  nothing  about 
it.  except  to  pronounce  it  a  nuisance.  I  happened  to  be 
connected  with  the  introduction  of  the  cyanide  process  in 
the  United  States  20  odd  years  ago.  We  tested  in  our 
laboratory  all  kinds  of  minerals  and  knew  accurately  re- 
specting the  solubility  of  silver  minerals.  In  a  refinery 
that  we  operated  we  produced  silver  bars  from  black 
precipitate  coming  from  some  place  in  Nevada  where 
some  one  was  cyaniding  old  mill-tailings.  Yet  none  of  us 
thought  of  the  general  applicability  of  the  cyanide  proc- 
ess to  silver  ores.  That  important  industrial  develop- 
ment came  years  later,  although  it  was  screaming  for  our 
attention.  But  our  ears  were  plugged  and  our  minds 
were  saturated  with  ideas  of  gold. 

Now  it  is  for  correct  observation  and  sound  thinking 


thai  your  college  training  has  been  preparing  you.  1 
think  there  is  a  certain  mistaken  tendency  among  engi- 
neers of  middle  age  to  depreciate  the  importance  of  tech- 
nical training.  You  are  probably  conversant  with  a 
questionnaire  recently  addressed  by  Prof.  Mann  of  the 
Carnegie  Foundation  to  1500  engineers,  asking  what  to 
their  minds  are  the  basic  qualities  lor  engineers.  The 
collated  replies  showed  that  41  points  out  of  100  should 
be  assigned  to  character,  17A  to  judgment,  14+  to  effi- 
ciency, 14  to  understanding  of  men,  and  only  13  to  tech 
nieal  ability.  Dean  Marston,  of  Iowa  State  College,  ap- 
plied these  figures  to  six  acquaintances  with  whose  per- 
sonal characteristics  he  was  familiar,  and  found  that  the 
banker,  the  grocer,  and  the  merchant  rated  higher  as  en- 
gineers than  did  three  successful  practitioners  of  engi- 
neering. 

There  is  manifestly  here  a  misconception.  The  engi- 
neers of  mature  years  have  seen  technically  trained  men 
remaining  in  the  background,  while  non-technically 
trained  men.  by  virtue  of  their  character,  judgment,  effi- 
ciency, and  understanding  of  men.  step  in  and  take  a 
large  number  of  the  important  administrative  positions. 
Take  railroading,  for  example.  It  is  rather  a  rarity  to 
find  a  railway  president  who  has  risen  through  the  engi- 
neering corps.  And  in  mining  and  metallurgy  we  find 
a  large  proportion  of  our  chiefs  taken  from  some  other 
line  or  some  other  industry.  That  1300  out  of  1500  en- 
gineers— 87' ;  — consider  some  one  of  the  elements  that  go 
to  make  up  character  the  fundamental  necessity  for  engi- 
neering success  does  not  mean  that  the  average  of  these 
1500  engineers  would  rate  the  elements  of  character  as 
making  up  87%  of  the  necessary  qualifications  of  an  en- 
gineer. Not  one  of  those  engineers  would  think  of  taking 
a  graduate  of  a  business  college  as  a  technical  assistant. 
Such  a  one  would  not  even  be  able  to  understand  the 
language.  No,  the  meaning  is  rather,  I  think,  that  on  top 
of  technical  training  the  elements  of  character  are  of 
supreme  importance  and  that  in  course  of  time  they  out- 
weigh everything  else  and  are  those  things  that  make  for 
success  in  any  business  man.  The  technical  training  is  a 
ground  work,  and  only  a  ground  work.  If  we  find  fault 
with  the  product  of  our  technical  schools  it  is  for  their 
assumption,  real  or  fancied,  that  technical  training  is  the 
whole  thing,  that  they  are  creating  professional  men.  not 
merely  business  men. 

Thus  I  come  back  to  my  theme — the  business  of  min- 
ing. Mining  is  a  business.  It  should  be  so  regarded. 
You  should  consider  yourselves  as  business  men.  You  are 
not  going  to  be  any  better  or  any  worse  than  other  busi- 
ness men.  Y'ou  are  not  going  to  have  any  professional 
dignity  to  uphold  that  the  honest  stockbroker  or  the  con- 
scientious manufacturer  of  woolen  goods  has  not  got  to 
have  in  mind.  Both  of  them  may  be  just  as  honorable 
men  in  business  as  are  miners  and  smelters.  There  is 
no  greater  fallacy  than  when  it  is  told  of  the  miner  that 
he.  like  the  farmer,  is  one  of  the  producers  of  clean 
wealth  for  the  reason  that  coming  out  of  the  ground  it 
does  not  come  out  of  anybody  else,  with  the  implication 
that  other  kinds  of  wealth  are  more  or  less  tainted.     The 


August  19,  1916 


MINING   and  Scirnti 


88] 


value  ipf  minerala  in  the  ground  inherently  ii  nil  One 
hundred  million  ild  ore  in  Antarctic  lands  might 

not  |»,  worth  any  more  than  "and  in  Florida.  By  the 
expenditure  of  work  in  overcoming  the  obstacles  of 
nature,  it  might  become  worth  a  great  deal  All  wealth 
ia  the  result  <>f  human  labor,  generally  assisted  by 
capital,  which  is  the  result  of  previous  labor.    The  wealth 

accumulated  by  the  standard  * » i t  <'o.  by  lomies  in 

manufacturing  and  marketing  is  just  as  clean  as  the 
wealth  that  the  miner  produces  out  of  the  ground.  The 
banker,  the  broker,  or  the  merchant  is  just  as  necessary 
and  just  as  honorable  a  man  nt'  business  as  is  the  pro- 
ducer, and  men  of  business  who  talk  in  terms  of  profit 
are  just  as  honorable  as  professional  nun  who  talk  about 
ad  engineers  who  pride  themselves  apon  not  being 
concerned  with  commercial  considerations, 

The  mistake  that  is  must  often  made  in  business  is  to 
suppose  that  we  grow  rich  by  taking  riches  from  other 
men,  nr  that  nations  prosper  by  depriving  other  nations 
lit'  their  prosperity.  That  would  be  true  if  riches  con- 
sisted only  nt'  money,  and  it'  there  were  just  bo  much 
money  and  no  more  in  the  world.  But  thai  is  not  so. 
Nations  grow  rich,  that  is  to  say.  gel  comfort,  rase,  and 
luxury,  only  when  other  nations  are  growing  rich  too, 

only  1 ause  other  nations  are  growing  rich.    And  so  it 

is  with  individuals. 

Consider,  therefore,  that  in  going  out  into  the  world 
t'rnm  this  school  you  are  going  into  business — the  busi- 
ness of  mining,  which  is  a  very  interesting  business. 
Consider  that  you  are  going  into  business  to  ereate 
wealth,  for  if  you  do  not  create  wealth  you  will  have  a 
bard  time  of  it  and  might  as  well  not  try  it.  At  first  you 
will  probably  have  to  make  money  for  an  employer  and 
a  portion  of  what  you  make  for  him  will  come  back  to 
you  as  wages  or  salary.  The  cycle  may  not  be  obvious. 
It  may  be  delayed.  But  the  principle  exists  and  always 
will.  You  will  see  many  things  done  in  ways  that  by 
book  they  ought  not  to  be.  You  will  observe  many  ex- 
amples of  crude  mining,  of  muscular  metallurgy — less 
now  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  But  if  muscular 
metallurgy  makes  money  and  refined  metallurgy  does 
not,  obviously  muscular  metallurgy  is  the  thing  to  do, 
for  otherwise  there  would  be  no  bank  account  and  on 
pay-day  there  would  be  gloom.  Keep  that,  principle  in 
mind,  but  observe  always  and  think  whether  by  doing 
the  right  thing  an  improved  metallurgy  would  not  make 
more  money.  Look  sMjhings  always  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  business  man  aB^wot  from  that  of  the  pedant  and 
doctrinaire.  Rub  against  your  fellowman.  Build  up 
your  character.  Don't  be  afraid  to  take  chances  and 
accept  responsibilities.  And  when  the  battle  is  over,  let 
your  friends  be  proud  to  read  an  epitaph  like  this : 

Here  lies  one  who  took  his  chances 
In  the  busy  world  of  men: 
Battled  luck  and  circumstances. 
Fought  and  fell,  and  fought  again; 
Won  sometimes — but  did  no  crowing, 
Lost  sometimes — but  didn't  wail; 
Took  his  beating — kept  on  going, 
Never  let  his  courage  fail. 


United  States  Mineral  Pro- 
duction 

The  value  of  tin-  mineral  production  of  the  United 
stales  in  1915,  a nling  to  preliminary  figures  com- 
piled li.\   tie    I      S    Qeological  Survey,  was  approximately 

a  gam  of  (258,000,000,  ..,•  re  than 

l-'.  over  I'M  i     Tie'  value  I'm-  L91S  has  been  exceeded 

but   once      in    1913      when   a   total   of  $2,43! "'">   was 

recorded. 
The  metallic  products  reached  the  greatest  value  ever 

r rded,  having  advai d  from  $691,000, in  1914  to 

$!is7.".oii,(iiio  in  mi.-,    a  gain  of  nearly  43%.    Themetals 
contributing  most   largely  to  this  increase,  their  com 

billed   gains  being  HI',    of  the  total,  are  as   follows:    Pig 

iron,  increase  $102,630,000,  or  :;i>,  ;  copper,  $89,930,000, 

or  oil',  ;  and  zinc,  $78,589,000,  or  224$  . 

The  value  of  the  non-metallic  products  in  1915  has 
been  exceeded  in  1013  and  1914  only,  showing  in  L915  a 
decrease  of  less  than  :!','  from  the  preceding  year.  The 
figures  lor  1914  and  1915  are  $1 ,423,000,000  and  $1,385, 
000,000,  respectively.  The  final  figures  for  the  value  of 
the  non-metallic  products  in  1915  may  be  somewhat  in 
creased  over  the  preliminary  figures  given. 

The  mining  activities  and  output  reported  for  the  six 
months  just  ended  show  that  1916  promises  to  be  a 
record-breaking  year  in  the  value  of  mineral  products. 


!^of2ii  MMmg  mi  l^io 

The  production  of  bituminous  coal  and  anthracite  in 
the  United  States  in  1915  amounted  to  531,619,487  short 
tons,  valued  at  $686,691,186,  an  increase,  compared  with 
1914,  of  18,094,010  tons,  or  3.5%,  in  quantity,  and  of 
$5,200,543,  or  0.8%  in  value,  according  to  C.  E.  Leshcr, 
of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  Of  this  total  output. 
442,624,426  short  tons,  valued  at  $502,037,688,  was  bitu- 
minous coal  and  lignite,  and  88,995,061  tons,  valued  at 
$184,653,498,  was  Pennsylvania  anthracite.  Pennsyl- 
vania, with  an  output  of  157,955,137  tons  of  bituminous 
coal  and  88,995,061  short  tons  of  anthracite,  ranks  first 
among  the  coal-producing  States.  West  Virginia,  with 
77,184,069  tons;  Illinois,  with  58,829,576  tons;  Ohio,  with 
22,434,691  tons;  and  Kentucky,  with  21,361,674  tons, 
follow  in  order  of  production.  Thirty  States  and  the 
Territory  of  Alaska  contributed  to  the  total,  of  which 
number  13  States  and  Alaska  had  increased  production, 
and  17  had  decreased  production,  compared  with  1914. 
To  produce  this  coal,  734,008  men  were  employed  for  an 
average  of  209  days. 


The  value  of  the  base  metals  recovered  from  scrap 
in  the  United  States  during  1915  was  double  the  value 
recovered  in  1914,  being  $114,304,930  against  $57,039,- 
706.  This  was  due  to  the  higher  prices  received  for  these 
metals,  and  the  consequent  stimulating  in  the  gathering 
of  junk. 


282 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


Concrete   Stringers  for  In- 
clined  Shafts 


At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Chemical.  Metallurgical 
iuid  Mining  Society  of  South  Africa,  the  concrete  shaft 
equipment  at  the  Bantjes  Consolidated  mines  was  dis- 
cussed by  W.  W.  Lawrie  and  •.  Hildick  Smith.  As  is 
well  known,  longitudinal  concrete  stringers  for  inclined 
shafts  are  a  substitute  for  limber  sills.  They  have  been 
used  in  North  America,  notably  at  the  Lake  Superior 
copper  mines  and  the  Sudbury  nickel  mines.  At  the 
Bantjes  shaft  on  the  Rand,  the  incline  is  :!4  .  the  track 
gauge  is  4  ft.  2  in.,  and  the  rails  are  60  lb.  per  yard. 
The  three  interior  stringers  each  carry  two  sets  of  rails 
ami  are  2  ft.  H  in.  wide  at  the  top,  the  angle  of  hatter  of 
the  sides  being  65".  The  two  outside  stringers  are  1A 
ft.  each.  The  thickness  or  height  of  stringers  varies,  of 
course,  with  the  irregularities  of  the  foot-wall,  hut  is 
usually  1  ft.  9  in.  The  building  of  the  stringers  in  the 
shaft  is  done  from  the  bottom  upwards.  The  holding- 
down  bolts  for  fastening  the  rails  to  the  stringers  were 
placed  6  ft.  apart  at  first,  but  later  were  spaced  at  4  ft. 
One  white  man  and  nine-  natives  can  build  an  18-ft.  sec- 
tion of  concrete  in  a  shift,  making  the  cost  for  labor  63c. 
per  foot  of  stringer.  Ten  bags  of  cement  are  required 
per  18-ft.  length  of  stringer,  making  86c.  per  ft.  for 
cement.  The  cost  for  labor  and  cement  is.  then,  $1.49 
per  foot  of  stringer  or  $7  per  foot  of  shaft.  The  equiv- 
alent cost  of  timber  sills  on  the  Rand,  as  exemplified  at 
the  Nourse  mine,  is  about  $12  per  foot.  In  other  words, 
concrete  stringers  on  the  Rand  are  4M',  cheaper  than 
timber  sills.  This  is  due  largely  to  the  high  cost  of  tim- 
ber there,  as' the  material  of  the  timber  stringers  cosis 
more  than  the  labor  for  framing  and  placing  them.  On 
the  concrete  stringers,  the  rails  rest  on  thin  steel  plates 
bedded  in  the  concrete  at  4-ft.  intervals  at  the  holding- 
down  holts.  Strictly  speaking,  the  rails  only  touch  these 
bedding-plates,  hut  in  practice  the  space  between  the 
concrete  and  the  chair  of  the  rails  soon  becomes  filled 
with  tine  dirt. 

The  conclusions  reached  were:  that  concrete  stringers 
are  preferable  to  timber  stringers  in  incline  shafts  up  to 
45°  provided  there  is  no  movement  of  the  foot-wall  of  the 
shaft  ;  skip  derailments  do  much  less  damage  with  con- 
crete than  with  timber;  for  shafts  from  45  to  60°,  con- 
crete stringers  could  be  held  in  position  by  pegging  the 
foot-wall  at  intervals. 

At  the  Creighton  mine  of  the  Canadian  Copper  Co.  in 
the  Sudbury  district  of  Ontario,  a  shaft  of  55°  incline 
is  fitted  with  concrete  stringers.  Skips  of  10-ton  capac- 
ity are  used.  It  was  not  considered  safe  to  place  tie- 
rails  directly  upon  the  concrete  stringers,  so  steel  girders 
were  set  in  the  concrete  at  74  ft.  intervals  for  sleepers. 
Rails  of  85-lh.  per  yard,  4$-ft.  gauge,  were  attached  to 
them,  a  bit  of  belting  being  placed  between  the  base  of 
the  rail  and  the  top  of  the  girder.  The  concrete  string- 
ers are  3$-ft.  wide  and  run  down  the  centre  of  each  com- 
partment.    These  data  on  the  Creighton  mine  were  fur- 


nished in  discussion  of  the  above  paper,  by  II.  Foster 
Bain  who  was  a  visitor  at  the  meeting  of  the  South 
African  society. 

In  the  Lake  Superior  copper  mines  concrete  stringers 
have  given  good  satisfaction  after  several  modifications 
Here  made  from  the  original  design.  These  modifications 
included:  clinging  the  design  of  holding-down  bolts  so 
that  the  head  is  exposed  at  the  side  rather  than  on  top  of 
the  stringer;  employing  wooden  plank  laid  longitud- 
inally between  the  concrete  base  and  the  rail  to  reduce 
the  •hammering'  and  noise  produced  by  the  bare  con- 
crete, particularly  in  steep  shafts  of  70°.  The  jarring 
on  bare  concrete  stringers  made  considerable  breakage 
on  the  skip  as  well  as  wear  of  the  holts  in  the  concrete. 
Wooden  cross-pieces  may  lie  used  as  a  cushion. 

Early  History  of  Spelter 

Spelter  was  first  made  in  England  in  the  early  part  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  but  the  industry  wa.s  destroyed 
by  the  merchants  and  importers  of  1'ivston.  who  reduced 
the  price  from  £260  to  £48  per  ton  (56  to  11  cents  per 
lb.)  when  their  interests  were  threatened.  William 
Champion  was  one  of  the  first  English  manufacturers 
of  spelter,  previously  imported  from  India.  He  had  his 
works  at  Warmley,  a  freehold  property  bequeathed  to 
him  by  his  father.  On  February  21,  1750.  Mr.  Champion 
presented  a  petition  to  the  House  of  Commons  in  which 
he  stated:  "That  he  had  spent  a  great  portion  of  his  life 
traveling  abroad,  and  on  his  return  to  England  had 
found  the  supply  of  'tontouage.'  commonly  called 
spelter,  dependent  on  the  East  Indies.  Ingrossers  had 
raised  the  price  in  1731  to  £260  per  ton,  and  he  applied 
in  1731  for  a  patent  for  making  'tontonage'  or  spelter, 
and  this  had  expired  in  1750.  He  had  erected  large 
premises  and  made  20(1  tons,  when  the  importers  brought 
in  a  large  supply,  and  lowered  the  price  from  £260  to  £48 
per  ton.  at  a  supposed  profit  of  £22  to  £25  per  ton  to  the 
importers.  Not  being  able  to  procure  such  prices  for  his 
spelter  as  would  admit  of  profit,  he  was  a  great  sufferer, 
and  he  therefore  prayed  for  an  extension  of  his  patent." 
The  petition  was  opposed  by  traders  of  Preston  and  was 
rejected.  It  appears  that  brother  of  the  petitioner,  John 
Champion,  in  early  life  went  to  Holland,  there  represent- 
ing himself  as  a  beggar,  and  got  employed  there  as  a 
laborer  during  which  time  he  learned  the  secret  to  make 
brass  and  zinc.  When  he  left  he  induced  several  work- 
men to  return  with  him  to  England,  and  with  them  he 
set  up  the  works  for  the  production  of  metal  at  Warmley. 
— Daily  Metal  Reporter. 

By-products  from  coke-oven  operations  in  the  United 
States  during  1915  were  valued  at  $78,382,904.  These 
included  ammonia,  benzol  products,  and  gas — domestic 
and  industrial. 

Brick  and  tile  manufactured  in  the  United  States 
during  1915  were  worth  $125,794,844,  a  decrease  of  V, 
compared  with  the  output  in  1914. 


I    1916 


MINING  and  Scientific    PR  I  SS 


A   Continuous   Ore-S 


ivjh  fj  i  j 


•This  machine  was  designed  by  P.  0.  Harding,  now 
with  the  Bradeu  Copper  Co.  in  Chile,  to  treat  i i-< •  •  i  ores, 
and  in  the  result  of  ■  study  t"  avoid  the  burning  and 

ig  of  the  grate,  so  detrimental  i"  sintering  meth- 
ods, and  to  overcome  the  operating  difficulties  and  ei 

•  ■t'  igniting  -  Other  features 

developed  are  the  tapering  tube  and  the  protection  of  all 
parts  subjected  to  heat. 
Prom  the  illustration  it  will  be  noted  that  the  machine 

v  fed.    The  mixture  (alls  to  the  distributor,  and 
is    in    turn    further    distributed    by    the   spreader   and 


down  rapidly,  resulting  in  a  burned  grate.    To  effect  a 

screening  acti f  the  air,  preventing  the  ii u<-  ore  from 

being  drawn  through  the  grate,  finely-broken  limes) 

is  used.  This  readily  dehydrates,  as  mentioned  above, 
and  powders;  the  grate  in  this  way  becomes  oloi 
In  large  sintering  pans  it  is  customary  to  'dig  '>ut'  the 
grates  after  each  charge,  and  to  place  bricks  or  large 
chunks  nt'  sintered  ore  over  the  burned  spots.  This  is 
continued  until  the  grate  is  burned  in  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  spuis  to  cut  the  effective  area  to  a  point  requiring 
replacement. 


tutHt 

Apt 


Operating  Pbthr/n 


SECTION    AND    GENEBAL    VIEW    Of    THE    IIAUDI.M;    CONTINUOUS    0RE-SIXTEH1XG    MACHINE. 


pusher.  Air  is  drawn  through  the  tube  to  the  bustle- 
pipe  by  an  exhauster.  The  elinkered  material  descends 
and  is  discharged  by  the  extractor  to  the  cars  or  storage- 
pit  below. 

The  burning  of  grates  in  the  down-draft  machines  is 
caused  by  the  line-fusion  progressing  in  waves.  This 
may  be  caused  by  poor  mixing  or  segregation  afterward, 
and  by  uneven  moisture-content  of  the  mixture.  When 
the  peak  of  such  a  wave  reaches  the  grate,  the  operator 
has  his  choice  between  a  burned  grate  or  dumping  the 
charge  before  the  mass  is  entirely  sintered ;  he  generally 
compromises.  It  is  the  common  practice  to  protect  the 
grate  by  a  layer  of  limestone.  Unfortunately  this  method 
acts  as  a  barrier  for  only  a  short  time.  The  heated  gases 
from  the  combustion  above  dehydrates  it,  and  where  the 
hot  masses  of  clinker  come  in  contact  insulation  is  broken 

•Abstract  from   The  Iron  Age. 


As  to  the  ignition,  this  is  continuous  in  this  machine 
after  the  operation  is  once  started.  No  oil  is  used  and 
burner  difficulties  are  obviated.  The  cost  of  oil  and  the 
expensive  equipment  of  handling  it  are  thus  saved.  The 
flaring-tube  not  only  facilitates  the  downward  passage 
of  the  elinkered  material,  but  opens  up  channels  for  the 
passage  of  air.  The  elinkered  ore  is  scoured  of  its  dust, 
and  small  globules  of  unfused  ore  are  thus  swept  back  to 
the  zone  of  fusion.  This  is  important,  since  experience 
on  unscreened  sintered  ore  in  one  instance  yielded  5% 
flue-dust  at  the  blast-furnaces,  the  untreated  ore  only 
2.95%. 

The  pan  equipment  of  the  down-draft  process  is  sub- 
jected to  wide  variations  of  temperature.  This  is  ex- 
treme, as  the  volatile  content  of  the  flue-dust  is  carbon. 
This,  together  with  the  fact  that  one  of  the  favorite 
methods  of  eleaning  the  grate  is  by  violent  hammering, 


284 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,   1916 


causes  the  pans  to  crack.     This  is  applicable  to  the 

small  pans.  The  grates  of  the  larger  units  are  'dug  out,' 
as  mentioned,  bul  contraction  and  expansion  difficulties 
of  the  pans  have  been  encountered  that  have  not  success- 
fully been  met. 

In  this  machine  the  fire-body  is  enclosed  by  fire-brick. 
After  the  discharge-bell  and  cone  reach  their  working 
temperature,  this  is  maintained.  They  are  circular,  and 
on-  admit  expansion  with  minimum  internal  stress- 
es  The  Bpreader  is  bathed  in  the  green  'entering'  mix- 
ture.     If  the  line  of  fusion  should   become  uneven  and 

burning  through  the  mixture  i essary,  the  spreader  can 

be  raised.  One  feature  nol  to  be  forgotten  is  the  use  of 
the  spreader  as  a  ram  when  the  tube  becomes  skulled  or 
tl tinkered  material  arches. 


While  thorough  mixing  of  the  ore  and  flue-dust  is 
essential  for  the  best  operation  of  the  machine,  this  need 
not  be  carried  to  an  extreme,  as  is  necessary  with  the 
down-draft  equipment.  However,  a  batch  concrete- 
mixer is  recommended.  The  flue-dust  addition  to  the  ore 
varies,  but  2095  of  the  25%  carbon-content  dust  has 
been  found  ft  give  good  sinter.  The  dust,  however,  can 
he  increased,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  dilu- 
tion to  a  point  that  excessive  skulling  does  not  occur. 
Sufficient  water  should  he  added  in  the  mixing  to  make 
the  ore  take  the  shape  of  the  hand  when  squeezed.  The 
diameter  of  the  tube  should  be  6  ft.,  height  of  column  3 
ft.,  and  estimated  output  125  tons  of  sintered  ore  per 
day.  these  being  the  measurements  that  have  been  found 
to  give  best  results. 


Tiv-  Future  of  W^vzi 

our    esteemed    contemporary    Tin    Financial    Times 

|  London      says  : 

A  little  over  two  months  ago  the  continued  rise  in  the 
price  of  silver,  which  had  then  reached  37d.  per  ounce, 
was  threatening  to  raise  serious  complications,  particu- 
larly for  the  Indian  Government,  which  is  pledged  to 
maintain  the  fixed  rate  of  exchange  of  Rsl5  to  the  sover- 
eign. By  one  of  those  queer  turns  of  fortune's  wheel,  to 
which  we  are  becoming  accustomed  in  these  disturbed 
times,  the  danger  was  averted  just  when  it  became  most 
critical,  and  the  Indian  Government  was  not  obliged  to 
take  any  extraordinary  measures  to  protect  itself.  The 
relief  came,  however,  from  a  source  which  threatens 
further  difficulty  later  on.  Apart  from  minor  factors, 
the  main  cause  of  the  reaction,  which  has  brought  the 
price  of  the  metal  down  to  30d.,  has  been  the  selling  of 
accumulated  stocks  in  China,  mainly  owing  to  the  polit- 
ical uncertainty  in  thai  chaotic  Empire,  and  there  is 
some  reason  to  believe  that  the  process  has  been  carried 
so  far  as  to  endanger  the  currency  system  of  the  country. 
In  spite  of  the  high  prices  ruling  there  has  been  com- 
paratively little  increase  in  the  production  of  the  metal 
recently,  except  in  the  United  States,  and  this  has  not 
in  any  way  compensated  for  the  shrinkage  in  the  output 
from  .Mexico.  Conditions  in  the  latter  country  have 
gone  from  bad  to  worse  and  show  no  signs  of  improve- 
ment, and  in  any  event  it  will  be  a  very  long  time  before 
confidence  can  be  so  restored  that  the  output  from  the 
mines  will  be  resumed  on  its  former  scale.  In  the  mean- 
time the  employment  of  silver  for  currency  purposes 
continues  to  increase  owing  to  the  withholding  of  gold 
from  circulation,  and  tie-  tendency  is  likely  to  continue 
for  some  time  even  after  the  War  has  ceased.  It  has 
even  been  BUggested  that  after  the  "War  Germany  and 
Austria  may  go  upon  a  silver  basis,  and  though  we  con- 
sider this  extremely  unlikely,  the  fact  that  the  possibil- 
ity is  being  discussed  is  iii  itself  significant. 

There  does  not  seem  therefore  to  be  much  likelihood 
either  of  a  material  increase  in  the  output  of  the  metal 
or  of  a  shrinkage  in  the  present  abnormal  demand,  and 


there  are  obvious  limits  to  the  continuance  of  the  drain 
upon  the  stocks  of  silver  in  China.  As  Samuel  Montagu 
&  Co.  point  out  in  their  latest  circular,  the  permanent 
currency  requirements  of  China  cannot  be  overlooked. 
At  present  they  are  in  abeyance  owing  to  the  moratorium 
and  the  general  unrest,  and  this  has  facilitated  a  steady 
secret  flow  of  silver  into  the  Treaty  Ports.  How  much 
silver  China  has  parted  with  during  the  last  year  and 
a  half  can  only  be  guessed  at.  Samuel  Montagu  &  Co. 
put  the  shipments  on  Russian  account  during  the  eight- 
een months  at  1 :',.( UK l.( II III  .mures  and  those  to  India  and 
London  at  20,000,000  ounces,  making  a  total  of  33,000,- 
000  ounces.  "No  one."  they  go  on  to  add,  "at  all  con- 
versant with  the  currency  requirements  of  China  can 
imagine  that  that  country  can  dispense  with  so  large  an 
amount  of  its  stock  for  any  great  length  of  time,  for  in 
normal  times  China  attracts  annually  an  amount  of  the 
world's  supplies  which  compares  appreciably  with  the 
total  lately  disgorged." 

The  conclusion  is  obvious  that  if  and  when  confidence 
in  the  Chinese  Government  is  restored  she  will  become 
a  heavy  buyer  instead  of  a  seller.  Even  as  i!  is.  no  fur- 
ther large  quantities  of  the  metal  can  be  expected  from 
that  quarter,  while  there  is  no  evidence  of  any  real 
slackening  off  in  the  demand  for  coinage  purposes. 
There  semis,  therefore,  every  prospect  of  the  market  re- 
maining firm  while  the  possibility  of  a  fresh  sharp  ad- 
vance taking  place  should  there  be  any  marked  improve- 
ments in  the  internal  conditions  of  China  cannot  be 
ignored. 

The  value  of  the  materials  that  contain  manganese 
depends  largely  on  the  percentage  of  metallic  manganese, 
and  also  both  on  the  manganese  minerals  present  and  the 
condition  or  state  of  aggregation  of  the  material.  This 
is  for  use  in  making  ferro-manganese.  The  consumption 
of  manganese  in  dry  batteries  is  20,000  tons  annually. 
The  value  of  an  ore  for  this  purpose  depends  on  its  niaii- 
ganese-oxide  content.  Caucasus  ore  contains  up  to  92$ 
Mull.. 

Gold  and  silver  production  of  New  Zealand  in  1915 
was  valued  at  $6,562,422.  against  $7,799,293  in  1914. 


August   19,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Mining    in    Colorado 

By     Qiorgi     J.     Bancroft 

Throughout  the  rammer  months  mining  in  Colorado 
has  made  stead;  advancement  in  spite  of  the  Fall  in  1 1 »» ■ 
price  of  the  metals.  In  (act,  one  of  the  gratifying  ele- 
ments in  recent  mining  progress  is  the  t • » t < 1 1  absence  of  a 
'mining  fever.'  The  mining  that  is  being  done  nowadays 
in  Colorado  is  done  for  the  most  part  by  mining  people, 
m>t  by  'tenderfeet,'  and  mining  people  base  their  plans 
on  average  metal  prices,  not  on  war-time  quotations. 
For  instance,  the  Vindicator  people  have  gone  into  lung- 
sten  fining  and  milling  in  Boulder  county. 

As  predicted  some  months  ago,  the  quickly  made 
money  from  the  Boulder  tungsten  districts  is  supplying 
capital  for  neighboring  counties.  Gilpin  has  more  men 
at  work  this  summer  than  for  several  years  and  this  con- 
dition exists  iii  spite  of  the  fact  thai  a  large  part  of  her 
population  is  still  busy  digging  tungsten  in  Boulder. 
That  county,  of  course,  is  flourishing  beyond  belief.  The 
slump  in  tungsten  came  just  at  the  right  time  from  a 
public  standpoint.  The  sellers  of  stock  were  just  begin- 
ning to  get  the  "dear  public"  td  buy  tungsten  shares 
when  the  slump  came.  I  do  not  SHOW  that  any  of  these 
shares  sold  were  hail.  In  fact,  such  movements  generally 
start  with  fairly  conservative  enterprise,  but  I  think  it 
it  much  better  for  the  mining  industry  and  a  whole  lot 
better  for  the  "dear  public,"  if  mining  speculation  is 
confined  to  those  who  understand  the  game. 

Tungsten  is  still  being  bought  and  a  good  price  is  be- 
ing paid  for  it,  but  what  that  price  is.  it  is  hard  to  de- 
termine. Unfortunately  the  tungsten  market  has  degen- 
erated to  a  horse-trading  affair.  In  spite  of  this  demoral- 
ized market,  money  is  rolling  into  the  tungsten  fields  by 
the  cart-load  and  the  accumulated  capital  is  to  a  large 
extent  being  used  in  mining  ventures  of  various  sorts. 
As  result  Boulder,  Gilpin,  and  Clear  Creek  counties  are 
active  along  intelligent  and  conservative  lines. 

George  H.  Barnhart  of  Ouray  is  building  a  unique 
mill,  for  it  is  placed  underground.  The  Mountain  Top 
mine  has  some  good  ore  but  it  is  situated,  as  its  name  im- 
plies, on  the  very  top  of  a  precipitous  peak  in  the  San 
Juan.  There  was  only  one  feasible  outlet  apparent  to 
everybody  and  that  was  to  connect  with  the  long  adit  of 
the  Atlas  mine  (above  Ouray)  and  tram  the  ore  out  that 
way.  Even  then  it  meant  building  a  long  surface  tram. 
Barnhart  conceived  the  idea  of  building  his  mill  under- 
ground, close  to  his  orebodies.  Thereby  he  obtains  an 
equitable  temperature  and  a  closely  concentrated  opera- 
tion. The  light  may  not  be  very  good  on  the  day-shift, 
but  at  night  it  will  be  just  as  good  as  it  would  be  out- 
side. He  is  installing  a  crusher,  ball-mill,  two  Wilfley 
tables  and  a  flotation  plant.  The  mill  will  be  driven  by 
electricity ;  it  is  about  12,500  ft.  above  sea-level,  and  will 
have  an  initial  capacity  of  about  50  tons. 

Altogether  about  thirty  flotation  plants  have  been  in- 
stalled in  Colorado.  Of  these  about  one-half  are  success- 
ful.    The  failures  of  the  other  half  might  be  more  in- 


structive than  lie  successes  n'  ■hi.-  could  be  sure  they  had 
any  on-  to  work  on.     Two  instances,  which  I  went  to  some 

pams  to  investigate,  tutned  out  to  he  mills  built  for 

mines   that    Deeded   an   alchemist,   not    a   coiiiiik lelnl 

lurgist 

Several  interesting  points  are  illustrated  by  the  four 
big  pumping  projects  now  under  way  nt  L*adville, 
Within  the  last  thirtj  years  underground  pumping  has 

been    done    mostly    with   steam  actuated    reciprocating 

pumps.  Trior  to  that  tunc  there  were  a  good  many 
Cornish   pumps   in  operation.      Of  the   various  types  all 

have  their  advantages  and  disadvantages,  hut   i te 

type  has  proved  g I  enough  to  displace  the  others. 

Operations  at  Leadville  have  demonstrated  a  distinct  and 
measurable  advance  in  pumping  and  hence  are  worthy 
oi'  special  consideration. 
The  two  pre-eminently  important  steps  are  the  use  of 

centrifugal  or  turbine  pumps,  and  the  driving  of  the 
same  by  an  extended  vertical  shaft.  The  rotary  type  of 
pump  is  far  less  heavy  and  cumbersome  than  the  recipro- 
cating type.  It  is,  therefore,  much  easier  handled  in  the 
shaft.  The  idea  has  prevailed  that  centrifugal  pumps 
were  limited  to  low  heads,  but  this  difficulty  has  been 
overcome  by  treating  the  water  in  several  'stages.'  The 
discharge  of  one  stage  is  the  intake  of  the  next,  and  in 
this  way  pumping-lifts  of  several  hundred  feet  may  lie 
effected.  I  notice,  however,  that  relay-pumps  are  still 
used  in  high  lifts  where  centrifugals  are  employed.  Of 
course,  the  cost  of  one  high-pressure  water-column  and 
one  high-pressure  turbine  may  be  greater  than  the  cost  of 
two  low-pressure  water-columns  and  two  low-pressure 
turbines.  Then  again  a  mine  does  not  always  get  all  the 
water  on  the  bottom  level.  It  is  often  possible  to  halt  the 
natural  downward  flow  of  water  at  some  level  that  has  a 
fairly  good  bottom,  and  connect  it  direct  to  an  inter- 
mediate pump.  These  considerations,  no  doubt,  had 
their  bearing  in  designing  the  Leadville  plants,  for  the 
greatest  single  lift  is  425  feet. 

The  advantages  of  an  extended  vertical  driving-shaft 
are  obvious  to  anyone  who  has  worked  with  electricity  in 
a  wet  mine.  The  farther  the  motor  and  wires  can  be  kept 
from  water  and  drip,  the  better  the  manager  can  sleep 
at  night.  The  motor  actuating  the  centrifugal  pumps  is 
12  ft.  above  the  intake.  Supposing  the  pump  is  set  5  ft. 
above  average  water-level,  that  gives  17  ft.  of  fill  before 
the  pump  is  dead.  The  turbines  have  200  ft.  of  vertical 
shaft.  They  call  them  'shoe-string'  pumps  for  this 
reason,  but  are  thoroughly  pi'actical.  I  designed  a  pump- 
ing plant  some  years  ago  for  a  mine  in  New  Mexico,  in 
wThich  the  vertical  revolving  shaft  extended  clear  to  the 
surface.  The  relative  cost  of  installing  and  operating  an 
electrically-driven  rotary  pumping-plant  in  the  Leadville 
district  is  said  to  be  about  one-half  the  cost  of  a  steam- 
operated  reciprocal  pumping-plant  of  the  same  capacity. 

The  four  large  pumping  schemes  at  Leadville  have 
been  described  in  previous  issues  of  the  Press.  The 
Down  Town  project  and  the  Iron  Hill  are  using  cen- 
trifugal pumps.  The  Leadville  Unit  and  the  Wolftone 
are  using  'shoe-string'  pumps. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


fftvefnftmi  ■itrrtniniimtot/ieprttc- 

niiing.  miUino,  unit  mwJMftf. 


Babite  or  barytes  is  barium  sulphate ;  baryta  is  barium 
oxide. 


without  the  wheels  slipping.  But  with  cars  equipped 
with  roller-bearing  axles,  the  same  locomotive  pulled  six 
ears  of  22  cu.  ft.  capacity  each. 


The  timber  used  in  building  the  power-plant  at  the 
1 ).  Beers  diamond  mines  in  South  Africa  several  years 
ago  was  brought  from  the  Pacific  t'oast  of  North  Amer- 
ica, and  cost  $1  per  cu.  ft.  or  $85  per  thousand  board 
measure. 

Platinum  has  declined  from  $100  per  oz.  early  in  1916 
to  .$64.  Before  the  War  it  was  $42.  Most,  of  the  plat- 
inum comes  from  Russia,  where  production  fell  from 
300,000  oz.  in  1912  to  124.000  oz.  in  1915.  Colombian 
mines  in  the  period  increased  production  from  12,000  to 
19,000  ounces. 

FUMES  from  blasting  are  generally  worst  when  im- 
exploded  butts  of  dynamite  are  found  in  the  broken  rock. 
This  shows  that  instead  of  detonating  properly  the  pow- 
der merely  burned.  At  such  times  unexploded  sticks  of 
dynamite  may  give  trouble  in  the  crushing  of  the  ore 
on  surface.  These  conditions  may  be  corrected  by  using 
stronger  detonators. 

The  acid  used  by  the  New  Cornelia  Copper  Co.  at 
Ajo  for  the  leaching  of  oxidized  copper  ore  will  be  fur- 
nished from  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  smelter  at  Douglas, 
where  it  is  a  by-product  of  the  reduction  of  sulphide  cop- 
per ore.  A  large  amount  of  lead  was  recently  bought  for 
lining  the  leaching-vats.  Sulphuric  acid  of  !I'J.  strength 
will  be  used  to  leach  the  ore  crushed  to  }-in.  particles. 

Ordinary  socks  are  not  worn  by  German  soldiers,  it  is 
stated.  They  use  a  square  cloth  somewhat  larger  than  a 
large  napkin,  which  can  be  wrapped  around  the  foot  in 
30  different  ways,  according  as  it  is  desired  to  protect 
any  particular  portion  blistered  by  long  marches.  This 
method  of  encasing  the  foot  for  the  wear  of  heavy  boots 
is  well  known  to  miners,  many  of  whom  prefer  the  square 
cloth  to  socks. 


The  LONGEST  horizontal  diamond-drill  hole  that  has 
been  drilled  on  the  American  continent  is  believed  to  be 
1870  ft.  bored  at  the  Quincy  copper  mine,  Michigan,  by 
the  E.  J.  Longyear  Co.  of  Minneapolis.  The  deepest 
core-drill  hole  in  America  is  claimed  by  the  Sullivan 
Machinery  Co.,  which  has  drilled  a  hole  4900  ft.  deep. 
Depths  as  great  as  6900  ft.  have  been  attained  by  drill- 
holes in  South  Africa. 

Well  designed  tram-cars  and  good  tracks  ai ssen- 

tial  for  an  underground  electric-haulage  system.     In  a 
mine  of  the  Moetezuma  Copper  Co.,  Mexico,  a  3-ton  loco- 
motive could  pull  only  five  loaded  cars,  each  of  20  cu.  ft. 
ity,  when  equipped  with  regular  'Anaconda'  axles. 


M agnesite  brick  of  high  quality  was  $150  per  1000 
prior  to  the  ^'ar;  now  it  is  $600  to  .$650,  for  large  lots. 
A  recent  export  order  for  20,000  at  New  York  was 
quoted  at  $775.  Dead-burned  magnesite-is  selling  at  $80 
per  ton.  All  Austrian  supplies  arc  cut  off.  Consider- 
able Grecian  ore  is  coming  to  this  country.  In  making 
magnesite  brick  the  great  problem  is  in  burning.  Amer- 
ican ore  is  not  the  best  for  this  purpose  as  it  does  not  con- 
tain sufficient  iron,  a  fault  some  makers  are  trying  to 
remedy  by  adding  rolling-mill  scale. 

In  wire-rope  practice  if  it  is  desired  to  secure  a  sample 
from  a  coil  of  wire  and  not  having  a  pair  of  cutters,  the 
wire  is  bent  backward  and  forward  until  it  breaks  at 
point  of  bending.  It  is  surprising  how  few  reverse 
bends  are  required  to  cause  failure,  and  it  should  clearly 
demonstrate  that  if  the  wire  in  a  rope  is  subject  to 
similar  reverse  bends  short  life  will  result.  The  average 
user  of  wire  rope  is  fully  aware  of  this,  and  doubtless 
has  secured  samples  in  a  similar  manner;  yet,  how  few 
stop  to  consider  that  if  their  sheave  equipment  is  ar- 
ranged to  subject  the  rope  to  this  reverse  bending  they 
cannot  expect  maximum  rope  service. 


Molybdenum  is  a  white  metal,  malleable,  ductile,  and 
soft  enough  to  be  tiled  with  ease.  However,  it  is  seldom 
produced  in  the  pure  state.  Its  melting-point  is  in  ques- 
tion, although  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Standards  places  it 
at  2500°  <'.  or  45Hi)°  F.,  which  is  1400°  C.  above  the 
melting-point  of  copper.  Tungsten  is  one  of  the  few 
metals  that  have  a  higher  melting-point.  The  appear- 
ance of  molybdenum  varies  with  the  method  of  making 
it ;  reduction  of  the  oxide  or  sulphide  by  hydrogen,  yields 
molybdenum  as  a  grey  powder,  which,  under  heat  and 
pressure,  may  be  compacted  into  a  brittle  metallic  bar. 
When  drawn  into  wire,  its  tensile  strength  increases  with 
the  fineness  of  the  wire.  In  other  words,  as  with  copper 
and  tungsten,  the  more  the  metal  is  worked  the  stronger 
it  becomes. 

Drowning  a  mine-fire  in  Michigan  is  being  done  in  a 
thorough  manner.  The  Dober  mine,  a  large  under- 
ground iron  mine  of  the  IT.  S.  Steel  Corporation  at  Iron 
River,  has  been  burning  for  five  years  as  a  consequence 
of  pyrite  in  the  ore.  Several  months  ago,  the  gas  and 
fumes  from  the  fire  became  so  bad  that  nearly  all  work 
had  to  be  stopped.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  to  control 
the  gas  by  a  ventilating  blower  drove  sulphur  fumes 
among  the  residents  around  the  mine.  Now  the  manage- 
ment has  decided  to  draw  temporarily  the  pumps  and 
machinery  from  the  mine  and  divert  Iron  river,  a  good- 
sized  stream,  into  the  workings.  Three  days  will  be 
needed  to  fill  the  mine  with  water,  and  2,000.000.000 
gal.  will  be  required.  After  the  fire  is  extinguished,  the 
mine  will  lie  unwatered  and  mining  resumed. 


Augusl   19,  ll'lti 


MINING  and  Scientific  I'KI  SS 


Ii  ^7-nX  W     U  T     ivi  1 W  il  iNl  G, 

A*  ten\  at  Hit  tcurlil't  tjrritt  minimi  rmlrrt  In/  (mr  MOD  ,wr.  tpoiufanft. 


PLATTSVILLE,  WI8CON8IA 

Conditions  i\    chi   Zinc-Laid  Rmiom    Dubimq  July. 

Tiir  month  ol  July  in  t h<-  ilno-lead  mining  districts  of 
south-*  cm  Wisconsin  »ui  be  recorded  as  one  ol  the  greatest 
periods  in  the  history  ol  the  region,  in  shipments  of  zinc  ore. 
lUy  with  highly  tinsiitisfai -iiiry  market  conditions,  a 
IiIkIi  point  was  reached.  Reserve  slocks  of  zinc  concentrate 
arc  large,  Six  new  mines,  developed  within  the  past  half-year 
and  brought  up  to  the  producing  stage  by  erection  of  elaborate 
equipments,  commenced  regular  operations.    Prospecting  with 

drilling  machines,  the  Keystone  steamer  type  prevailing, 
reached  a  high  point  during  the  month,  some  operators  being 
engaged  with  as  many  as  15  machines  each.  Rich  strikes  of 
zinc  ore  In  virgin  soil  were  numerous,  and  many  areas  mined 
successful!;  for  years  were  cheeked  up,  bringing  extensions 
into  existence  on  adjoining  lands  which  were  promptly 
secured  by  mining  lessees.  Building  operations  continued  at 
all  points,  16  new  plants  being  completed.  Eighty  fully- 
equipped  mines  contributed  to  the  production  during  July,  and 
10  zinc-ore  'refineries'  operating  at  maximum  capacity  enabled 
the  field  to  deliver  to  smelters  direct  over  12,000  tons  of  stand- 
ard 60%  commercial  zinc  concentrate.  The  zinc-ore  refining 
branch  of  the  industry  will  oe  materially  enhanced  in  the  near 
future  by  the  construction  of  two.  and  perhaps  three,  new 
plants,  one  of  which  is  to  be  the  largest  in  this  field.  This 
plant  is  proposed  for  the  Benton  district  by  Indianapolis  busi- 
ness Interests  now  largely  involved  in  mining  in  this  field, 
the  purpose  being  to  include  all  low-grade  zinc-ore  producers. 
The  new  project  is  to  be  capitalized  at  $500,000,  stock  to  be 
taken  by  the  companies  becoming  a  factor  in  the  undertaking, 
and  to  be  paid  for  at  the  rate  of  $1  per  ton  deducted  from  the 
sale  of  finished  product.  Small  operators  will  be  permitted 
to  negotiate  loans,  enabling  them  to  become  active  share- 
holders at  a  low  rate  of  interest.  It  is  proposed  to  employ  the 
McIJougal  type  of  furnace  with  a  total  capacity  of  300  tons 
of  raw  ore  per  24  hours.  The  new  plant  will  cost  complete 
$200,000. 

Prices  on  zinc  ore  held  nearly  all  month  at  $60  to  $68  per 
ton,  base  of  60%  zinc  for  top  grades,  while  on  seconds  and 
medium-grade  ore  the  base  fell  as  low  at  one  time  as  $53  per 
ton,  including  down  to  50%  zinc-content.  Some  gain  was  made 
at  the  close  of  the  month,  inferior  grades  being  brought  up  to 
$58  per  ton  base,  at  which  price  shipping  increased.  All  low- 
grade  producers,  and  in  this  class  were  delegated  all  ores 
under  507c,  suffered  sharp  discrimination  in  price,  many  being 
unable  to  market  their  output  at  all. 

Lead  ore  was  in  poor  demand  all  the  month,  and  ship- 
ments were  light.  A  fair  gain  was  shown  in  production  for  the 
entire  field;  much  of  this  class  of  ore  being  carried  over. 
Prices  were  unsettled,  offerings  at  the  beginning  of  the  month 
holding  at  about  $75  per  ton,  receding  to  $70  per  ton  for  S0% 
metal-content  when  the  month  closed. 

Shippers  of  pyrite,  and  this  includes  nearly  all  zinc-ore 
refineries  now  in  operation  in  the  field,  experienced  another 
disastrous  month.  High  prices  prevailing  for  spot  acid  en- 
hanced the  demand  for  high-grade  sulphur  from  the  Louisiana 
deposits  and  high-grade  pyrite.  The  average  Wisconsin  iron 
pyrite  contains,  on  the  general  run  of  fine  secured  from  sepa- 
rating-plants,  less  than  50  units,  and  with  the  exception  of  one 
or  two  shipments  of  note   during  the  month   nearly   all   the 


current    production    and    the    reserve    ol    the    previous    t it  li 

was  carried  over.  A  careful  tabulation  of  this  class  of  ore 
held  In  the  Held  at  the  close  of  the  month  was  In  excess  of 
6000  tons,  and  there  was  absolutely  no  sign  that  the  situation 
would  be  in  any  manner  relieved  for  a  long  time, 

Producers  of  carbonate  of  zinc  ore,   buoyed   up  by  a   false 
bops  early  In  the  month  that  a  Inlying  season  had  set-In,  ac- 


TOPOGRAPHIC   MAP  OF  WISCONSIN   ZINC   REGION. 

celerated  production,  and  a  fair  quantity  was  prepared  for 
market.  Such  shipments  as  were  reported  came  mainly  from 
the  mines  of  the  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.  in  the  northern  centres. 
The  price  held  strong  at  $40  to  $50  per  ton,  40%  metal-content, 
but  sales  were  light,  a  little  over  1,000,000  lb.  A  consider- 
able reserve  was  piled-up  and  carried  over. 

Ore  deliveries  totaled  54,288,000  lb.  of  blende,  689,230  lb.  of 
lead,  and  4,533,500  lb.  of  pyrite. 

LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 

Prospects  op  the  Lackawanna-Halfmoon  District. — Fryer 

Hill  Mines. 

It  is  no  longer  doubted  that  the  Leadville  district  has  an- 
other rich  and  extensive  gold-belt  in  the  territory  comprising 
the  Lackawanna-Halfmoon  section.  The  remarkable  success 
of  the  Mt.  Champion  mine  at  the  head  of  the  Lackawanna 
gulch,  together  with  the  data  gathered  by  geologists  who  have 
made  a  thorough  study  of  the  formations,  mark  this  western 
corner  of  Lake  county  as  one  of  the  most  promising  mineral 
areas  in  the  State.  J.  V.  Howell,  assistant  professor  of 
geology  at  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  is  now  in  the  Lacka- 
wanna territory  completing  work  that  he  began  two  years  ago. 
He  has  covered  Mt.  Champion,  the  location  of  the  Mt.  Cham- 
pion mine,  Casco  mountain,  and  Sunset  mountain.  He  is  now 
extending  his  work  to  Hunter's  pass,  Star  mountain,  and  Red 
mountain,  where  several  rich  ore-shoots  have  been  discovered. 
Mr.  Howell  is  greatly  impressed  with  the  possibilities  of  the 
ground,  stating  that  the  outcropping  veins  which  are  numer- 
ous, are  richer  and  stronger  in  many  cases  than  that  of  the 
Mt.  Champion  mine.    The  geological  work  in  the  Lackawanna 


288 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


section  is  being  done  by  the  State  of  Colorado  under  the  su- 
pervision of  Russell  D.  George  of  the  State  University  and 
head  of  the  State  Geological  Survey.  During  the  past  month 
he  spent  several  days  in  the  territory  looking  over  many 
points  of  interest,  and  noting  the  progress  of  the  work  under 
way.  He  endorsed  Mr.  Howell's  impression  of  the  area,  and 
added  that  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  prospectors  have  turned 
their  attention  to  other  fields  and  neglected  the  Lackawanna- 
Halfmoon  section  with  its  promising  indications.  He  also  in- 
spected the  ML  Champion  mine,  and  considered  it  a  wonderful 
gold  producer  with  well-defined  and  extensive  orebodies. 

Tl  e  ML  Champion  is  the  only  large  active  property  in  Lack- 
awanna, and  at  present  is  one  of  the  richest  producers  of  the 
Leadville  district.  The  mine  is  near  the  head  of  Lackawanna 
gulch  about  18  miles  from  Leadville,  on  the  south-western 
slope  of  Champion  mountain.  A  new  100-ton  mill  has  been 
erected  on  Halfmoon  gulch  at  the  foot  of  the  northern  slope 
of  the  mountain,  one  mile  from  the  mine.  A  tram  conveys 
the  ore  from  the  mine  to  the  mill.  Last  month  the  mine 
shipped  approximately  300  tons  of  concentrate  valued  at  $100 
per  ton,  and  several  bars  of  gold,  making  the  total  yield 
$40,000.  A  large  vein  has  been  cut  in  the  mine,  and  is  being 
extracted  through  three  adits.  The  work  that  has  been  done 
on  the  vein  has  opened  the  ore  to  a  depth  of  300  ft,  and  the 
deepest  development  shows  the  vein  to  be  persistent.  Fifty 
men  are  employed  at  the  mine  and  mill. 

Lessees  have  taken  charge  of  the  Lackawanna  Belle  prop- 
erty on  Sunset  mountain,  and  the  latest  report  states  that  a 
vein  of  rich  gold  ore  has  been  cut  in  the  main  adit,  and  is 
being  followed  with  good  results.  This  property  has  produced 
a  large  quantity  of  rich  ore  from  workings  on  and  below  the 
adit-level.  The  vein  was  lost  in  the  main  adit,  and  writer 
the  abandonment  below,  resulting  in  closing  the 
property.  The  uncovering  of  the  vein  again  indicates  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  rich  ore-shoot  ahead,  and  extensive  develop- 
ment is  contemplated.  Should  the  ore  prove  up  to  expecta- 
tions, another  adit  will  be  driven  in  to  the  vein  from  the 
bottom  of  the  mountain,  a  piece  of  development  that  will  give 
unlimited  sloping  ground  and  do  away  with  water  trouble. 
All  the  ore  that  has  been  taken  from  the  Lady  Belle  netted 
over  $100  per  ton. 

Other  discoveries  of  rich  material  have  been  made  in  the 
Lackawanna  district,  and  before  the  winter  suspends  surface 
work  many  veins  may  be  found.  Prospectors  recently  located 
a  vein  on  the  south  side  of  Lackawanna  peak,  where  the  out- 
crop showed  a  brown  honeycomb  quartz  that  assayed  53  oz.  of 
gold  per  ton.  The  development  of  this  vein  is  now  being 
rushed  by  locators  who  have  traced  it  for  some  distance. 

Mining  men  must  now  begin  to  turn  away  from  the  old  and 
developed  centres  and  seek  new  fields  for  exploitation.  Present 
operations,  which  continue  development  of  the  old  mines,  are 
at  the  high  expense  of  draining  and  sinking,  items  that  were 
inconsiderable  in  the  early  days  when  ore  was  found  at  the 
surface.  The  work  now  being  done  through  the  Penrose.  Har- 
vard, and  YVolftone.  and  that  proposed  for  the  Mikado,  has 
been  successful  in  removing  the  water  from  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  district,  but  it  has  cost  a  large  sum.  The  returns 
for  this  expenditure  should  be  great  and  undoubtedly  they 
will  be.  providing  a  high  metal  market  prevails  for  several 
years.  But  it  all  goes  to  show  that  the  new  mines,  the  rich 
mines  of  the  future,  must  be  sought  away  from  the  present 
centre  of  activity.  The  Lackawanna-Halfmoon  section  is  ex- 
tensive and  rich,  and  awaits  the  time  when  mining  men  will 
fully  understand  its  value  and  turn  their  attention  to  its  de- 
velopment. The  only  drawback  to  the  section  is  its  isolation 
from  transportation,  being  IS  miles  from  the  nearest  railroad 
siding.  Prospectors  prefer  to  work  nearer  home,  it  seems,  and 
for  that  reason  more  than  any  other  the  wealth  of  this  ground 
has  not  been  discovered. 

The  manager  of  the  Leadville  Unit  (U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.), 
H.  S.  Lee,  operating  the  Harvard  and  surrounding  properties 


on  Fryer  hill,  has  a  new  problem  to  solve  before  the  ground 
is  drained.  It  appears  that  after  the  Harvard  shaft  was  un- 
watered  several  weeks  ago,  water  rushed  in  from  supposed 
workings  on  the  lower  level  and  blocked  plans  for  installing  a 
station  pumping-plant  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft.  This  flo- , 
instead  of  being  a  temporary  flood,  continues  to  run  in,  and 
Its  source  was  not  known  until  recently  when  the  manager, 
on  an  inspection*our,  discovered  an  old  raise  near  the  western 
boundary  of  the  mine,  where  a  large  water-course  has  broken 
through  and  was  pouring  into  the  lower  workings.  The  water 
was  at  once  known  to  be  from  the  surface,  and  could  come 
from  only  two  sources;  the  stream  running  through  Evans 
gulch  or  the  reservoir  in  the  gulch  just  above  the  Harvard. 
The  reservoir,  however,  was  there  when  the  Harvard  shaft 
was  sunk  and  no  water  trouble  was  then  experienced.  So  un- 
less water-courses  have  gradually  worked  their  way  through 
the  interlying  formations,  the  water  does  not  come  from  the 
reservoir.  The  stream  is  the  only  remaining  factor  and  steps 
have  been  taken  to  prevent  further  trouble  from  that  direction. 
A  large  flume  is  being  built  through  i  mile  of  the  gulch  above 
the  Harvard  to  carry  off  the  water.  Mr.  Lee  states  that  this 
work  will  cost  $2000,  but  it  will  effectively  block  any  channels 
whereby  the  water  has  been  running  underground  and  in  time 
will  more  than  pay  for  itself.  Aside  from  the  draining,  the 
operations  of  the  Leadville  I'nit  are  progressing  in  a  satisfac- 
tory manner.  Large  bodies  of  high-grade  carbonate  of  zinc 
have  been  opened  in  the  Tip  Top  shaft,  and  three  shifts  of 
miners  are  extracting  ore.  The  property  is  now  producing  50 
tons  per  day,  and  the  output  will  be  increased  from  time  to 
time. 

Plans  are  complete  for  re-opening  the  old  Fitz  Hugh  prop- 
erty, also  controlled  by  the  Leadville  Unit,  and  rated  as  one 
of  the  big  mines  of  the  district,  now  that  the  water  has  been 
drained.  Other  extensive  developments  in  this  territory  are 
proposed,  and  the  coming  month  should  see  a  heavy  produc- 
tion from  the  mines. 

The  Wolftone  shaft  of  the  Western  Mining  Co.  is  now 
drained  to  the  1000-ft.  level,  where  the  old  steam  pumping  ma- 
chinery is  again  at  work,  handling  the  flow  from  this  point 
directly  to  the  surface.  The  shaft  is  being  re-timbered,  which 
until  recently  was  under  water.  Following  the  shaft  work  it 
is  planned  to  drain  the  remaining  100  ft.  to  the  bottom,  and 
probably  sink  still  deeper.  The  property  continues  to  ship  350 
tons  of  high-grade  carbonate  of  zinc  daily. 

Discussing  the  low  price  of  Alaska  Gold  shares — $16 — the 
Boston  .Yews  Bureau  considers  that  this  is  due  to  the  low 
value  of  the  ore  treated.  In  the  year  ended  December  31  last 
there  was  treated  1,115,294  tons  of  ore  averaging  $1.15  per  ton. 
with  tailing  losses  of  21.9c.  per  ton.  It  so  happened  that  for 
the  eight  months  ended  July,  including  December  1915,  the 
tonnage  treated  and  the  average  grade  of  ore  were  practically 
the  same  as  for  the  period  covered  by  the  annual  report.  For 
the  eight  months  referred  to,  ore  treated  was  1,170,097  tons  of 
an  average  grade  of  $1.17  per  ton.  If  losses  in  tailing  be  esti- 
mated at  22c,  the  net  recovery  was  95c.  This  compares  with 
$1.50  net  recovery  estimated  when  the  company  was  formed. 
In  1915  average  mining,  milling,  smelting,  and  miscellaneous 
costs  were  71c.  per  ton,  not  including  all  development.  It  is 
safe  to  say,  however,  that  even  as  at  present  operated,  Alaska 
Gold  is  earning  its  current  expenses  and  interest  on  $3,000,000 
bonds,  but  probably  not  much  more  than  this.  Returns  are  as 
follows:  Tons  Assay  value 

December   1915    114,183  $1.36 

January  1916   119,914  1.42 

February   122,856  1.02 

March    162,796  1.03 

April   165,930  0.94 

May     175,215  1.40 

June   164,800  1.06 

July    150,403  1.24 


|«l     I'Ui. 


MINIM;   and   Socnlilu    I'KI  >> 


tk  »w  /"/''  fry  «»'r  */**••-■>■/  eorr$tpotufenU  and  m  tfit  toeal  i>rr*n. 


ALASKA 

The  Aiuakim  mining  Industrj  in  L91C  It  totalled  bj 
H.  Brooks  and  others  In  Bulletin  MS  A  ol  the  D.  B.  Geological 
Surrey.    With  a  map  the  publloatlOD  covers  Ti  pages.    Twelve 

mi  Investigations,  the 
varying  from  8  to  B  months,    Reeonnaissanee  aurveya  covered 
.ind  detailed  geologic  sorvey  800  aq.  miles.    The  areas 
Included   aouthrM  ka,  Copper   River  basin.   Prince 

William    sound.    Cook    InJet-8usltna    region,    Yukon    basin, 
Yukon-Kuskokwlm   region,  and  a  general  Investigation.     The 


16" l-KT )3H'  U4 


MAT    OF    ALASKA. 

appropriation  was  $100,000.  The  mining  industry  of  the  Terri- 
tory was  more  prosperous  than  in  any  previous  year,  the  total 
mineral  yield  being  $32,S54,229,  against  $19,065,666.  This 
great  increase  was  due  to  $12,2S6,195  from  copper,  and  $937,- 
SS5  from  gold.  Considerable  attention  was  given  to  antimony 
deposits.  The  Tolovana  district  attracted  many  men.  Several 
pages  are  devoted  to  the  coal  situation,  including  leasing. 

Anchorage.  Six  miles  north  of  the  Gold  Bullion  mine, 
J.  Garber  has  uncovered  rich  gold  ore  at  the  head  of  Paterson 
creek,  in  the  Willow  Creek  district.  He  has  been  at  Anchorage 
recording  his  claims. 

Juneau.  On  August  1  the  240  and  part  of  the  300  stamp- 
mills  of  the  Treadwell  company  were  stopped.  This  started 
rumors  on  Douglas  island  that  the  mines  were  to  suspend 
work  for  some  time.  The  superintendent,  P.  R.  Bradley,  states 
that  there  is  no  foundation  for  the  rumors.  He  stated  further 
that  the  shutting-down  of  the  240-mill  and  half  of  the  300-mill 
had  resulted  in  a  process  of  re-adjustment  of  labor,  rather  than 
in  the  actual  letting  out  of  men;  that  many  of  the  workmen 
from  the  fills  had  been  placed  in  other  departments  of  the 
mines,  so  that  the  actual  number  of  laborers  out  of  employ- 
ment, as  a  result  of  the  suspension  of  operations  at  the  mills 


bad  i a  placed  on  other  duty.    The  suspension  ol  opei 

si  the  mills  has  caused  even  less  disturbance  than  bad  been 
anticipated 

ARKANSAS 

iti  bb.     it  has  en  published  by  Thomas  Shlras  of 

the  nonii  Arkansas  mining  district  thai  the  producers  of  that 
region  have  thrown  away  Into  the  talllng-plles  an  average  of 

I  ,    ore   In  the  last  12  months.     This  Is  but  one  of   the   many 
mistakes  due  to  lack  of  working  knowledge  which  have  led  to 

many  failures  in  the  early  history  of  the  Held.  Sunn  of  the 
talllng-plles  have  been  found  to 
contain  as  high  as  8%.  In  an  In- 
terview with  .1.  C.  Shepherd,  of 
Rush,  who  Is  the  largest  producer 
in  the  field,  he  states  that  a  saving 
of  all  but  slightly  over  V/,  is  pos- 
sible. He  has  been  experimenting 
for  some  time  on  this  problem  and 
at  present  is  engaged  in  building  a 
200-ton  tailing-plant,  through  which 
to  treat  his  25,000-ton  dump,  as  well 
as  all  chats  coming  from  his  con- 
centrating plant.  Mill  construction 
during  the  early  days  of  the  dis- 
trict was  poor,  as  far  as  it  per- 
tained to  high  recoveries.  Few 
mills  had  tables  or  even  hand-jigs. 
Carbonate  and  silicate  ores  do  not 
have  as  high  a  specific  gravity  as 
blende,  and  in  some  instances  the 
lighter  ores  are  so  closely  inter- 
woven with  lime  that  unless  ground 
fine  complete  recovery  is  impossi- 
ble. The  mineral  is  lost  in  both 
the  fine  and  the  coarse  tailing.  A 
radical  change  in  mills  has  been 
made  during  the  past  few  months. 
Tables  of  the  Wilfley  type  have 
been  installed,  also  hand-jigs  and 
additional  rolls;   the  loss  generally 

hereafter  will  be  small. 

Yellviixe.    According  to   J.   H.   Hand   shipments  from   the 

north   Arkansas   zinc-lead   field   in   July   totaled    75   carloads. 

Many  producers  are  holding  their  ore  for  better  prices. 

ARIZONA 

Bisbee.  A  5-compartment  shaft  is  to  be  sunk  1800  ft.  deep 
by  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  company.  The  shaft  will  be  con- 
creted throughout.  It  will  serve  the  Junction  and  Briggs 
workings,  the  former  of  which  are  1S00  ft.  deep. 

Miami.  During  July  the  Inspiration  mine  produced  485,000 
tons  of  ore,  in  spite  of  day  lost  on  July  4.  A  locomotive  repair- 
shop  is  to  be  constructed  on  No.  6  level.  Two  more  10-ton  H. 
K.  Porter  air-locos  have  been  ordered. 

Ray.  The  Ray  Hercules  shaft  was  down  338  ft.  at  the 
middle  of  July.  The  first  level  will  be  opened  at  455  ft.,  the 
next  at  1000  ft.  or  lower.  Churn-drills  are  still  at  work.  The 
daily  output  is  one  carload  of  6%  copper  carbonate  ore.  The 
power-plant  has  been  ordered.  It  will  be  at  Kelvin,  near  the 
mill  being  designed,  and  includes  three  1045-hp.  oil  engines 
driving  three  generators. 

Wenden.     Globe  people  are  developing  the  Wenden  Copper 


290 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


Co.'s  property  8  miles  north,  and  3  miles  from  Cunningham 
pass.    Prospects  of  the  district  are  said  to  be  favorable. 

CALIFORNIA 

Colfax.  The  International  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  has 
acquired  control  of  the  Walker  copper  mine,  at  which  a  mill 
is  being  erected,  for  $630,000.  Considerable  development  is  to 
be  done  under  the  terms,  costing  $25,000.  John  F.  Cowan  of 
Salt  Lake  City  is  managing  director  of  the  Walker  Copper 
Company. 

COPPIBOFOUS.  The  Southern  Pacific  company  is  surveying 
a  line  from  Milton  to  Copperopolis.  a  distance  of  17  miles. 

Grass  Valley.  The  Golden  Center  company  is  to  add  20 
stamps  to  its  present  equipment  of  20.  C.  E.  Brockington  is 
superintendent. 

The  Orleans  mine,  adjoining  the  Empire,  is  being  re-opened 
in  charge  of  B.  Crase. 

HmOTJLT.  The  Noble  Electric  Steel  Co.  has  three  furnaces 
running,  two  making  ferro-manganese  and  the  other  reducing 
nickel  ore  from  the  Grants  Pass  district  of  Oregon.  There  are 
125  men  employed. 

Laws.  The  Tip  Top  gold  mine  is  to  be  re-opened  by  the 
Louisiana  Consolidated  Mining  Co.  The  company  has  an  op- 
tion for  $35,000  on  the  adjoining  property.  The  10-stamp  mill 
may  be  added  to. 

Nevada  City.  With  a  capita]  of  $2011. ),  the  St.  Louis  Con- 
solidated Gold  Mines  Co.  has  been  organized  to  operate  in  the 
Willow  Valley  district.  J.  T.  Hennessey  of  Grass  Valley  is 
secretary. 

Pobtkbvuxe.  The  district's  shipments  of  magneslte  in  July 
were  175  carloads  worth  $85,000. 

COLORADO 

Sii.vkbton.  The  July  shipments  from  31  producers  in  this 
district  totaled  227  carloads,  lis  more  than  a  year  ago. 

Tki.li 'biiik.  The  following  reduced  facsimile  of  a  notice 
posted  at  San  Miguel  County  mines  is  of  interest  to  silver  pro- 
ducers: 

NOTICE 

Effective  June  1,  1916,  and  so  long  thereafteras 
the  New  York  quotation  for  silver  shall  average  '">>' 
the  month  sixty-five  (65)  cents  per  ounce  or  more, 
the  undersigned  Companies  will  pay  a  bonus  of 
thirty  (30)  cents  per  shift  to  every  employee  who 
works  a  full  month;  but  failure  to  work  a  full  month, 
if  due  to  sickness,  injury  or  other  cause  beyond  the 
control  of  the  employee',  will  not  cause  a  forfeiture 
of  this  bonus. 

A  copy  of  this  notice  has  been  filed  with  the  In- 
dustrial Commission,  State  of  Colorado. 
THE  TOMBOY  GOLD  MINES  COMPANY,  Ltd. 
By  D.  A.  Herron,  Manager. 
THE  TOMBOY  TRAMWAY  &  TUNNEL  COMPANY 
By  D.  A.  Herron,  President 
LIBERTY  BELL  GOLD  MINING  COMPANY 
By  Charles  A.  Chase,  Manager 
PRIMOS  CHEMICAL  COMPANY 
By  Robert  Sterling,  Asst.  Manager 
THE  COLORADO-SUPERIOR  MINING  COMPANY 
By  J.  H.  Jasberg,  President 
THE  WAGNER  DEVELOPMENT  MINING  CO. 

By  John  M.  Wagner,  President 

THE  SMUGGLER-UNION  MINING  COMPANY 

By  Bulkeley  Wells,  President 

THE  HUMBOLDT  MINES  COMPANY 
By  Bulkeley  Wells,  President 


Builder.  The  Logan  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  is  to  erect  a 
25-ton  flotation  plant  during  September.  This  mine,  in  charge 
of  H.  Lower,  produces  rich  gold-silver  ore. 

IDAHO 

Obosbasde.  Washington  i>eople  have  financed  the  Orogrande 
Gold  Mining  Co..  which  has  purchased  the  Butte-Orogrande 
property  of  340  acres  of  lode  and  145  acres  of  placer  ground, 
with.  200-ton  mill.  etc.  A  cyanide-plant  is  soon  to  be  erected, 
the  machinery  is  due  to  arrive  soon.  Hydro-electric  power 
is  available. 

Coeub  d'Alexe 

Murray.  The  Golden  Chest  mine  produces  a  gold-tungsten 
ore  which  is  difficult  to  treat,  but  a  process  is  to  be  tried,  de- 
vised by  the  superintendent.  R.  T.  Horn,  and  R.  R.  Goodrich 
of  the  School  of  Mines  at  Moscow.  As  much  scheelite  as  pos- 
sible is  hand-sorted,  the  ore  then  being  crushed  by  stamps,  the 
gold  amalgamated,  and  concentration  done  in  Harz  jigs,  and  on 
Wilfley  and  Johnson  tables.  To  remove  the  manganese  from 
the  tungsten  concentrate  it  is  proposed  to  try  magnetic  separa- 
tion. 

Nine  Mile.  During  the  year  ended  June  30,  1910.  the  Con- 
solidated Interstate-Callahan  Mining  Co.'s  profit  was  $3,100,491 
against  $1,591,773  in  1914-'lo.  Dividends  were  $3,254,930  and 
$697,597,  respectively.  The  surplus  is  $S06.711.  against  $1,- 
094,862. 

KANSAS 

Pittsbiro.  One  block  of  furnaces  has  been  closed  by  the 
Pittsburg  Zinc  Co..  with  more  to  follow  if  the  spelter  market 
does  not  improve,  according  to  E.  V.  Lanyon. 

MICHIGAN 

The  Copper  Country 

Houghton.  Three  units  of  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  leaching 
plant  at  Lake  Linden  are  in  operation.  Within  three  weeks 
the  company's  Dollar  Bay  smelter  will  have  another  furnace  in 
blast,  likewise  at  Hubbell.  making  five  and  three  at  each  plant. 

During  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  the  Wolverine  Copper 
Mining  Co.  treated  388,898  tons  of  ore,  yielding  6,541,492  lb.  of 
refined  copper,  equal  to  0.853%  in  the  ore.  This  is  less  than 
in  1914'15.  but  the  profit  of  $735,218  was  an  increase  of  $417.- 
"17.  Dividends  amounted  to  $660,000,  compared  with  $360,000. 
The  surplus  is  $862,529. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  The  News  Herald  recently  published  the  following 
interesting  note:  Several  of  the  assayers  in  this  district  make 
a  practice  of  saving  the  remnants  of  blende  samples  analyzed 
during  the  year.  At  the  close  of  the  year  the  lot  is  thoroughly 
mixed  and  carefully  sampled,  from  which  an  average  or  com- 
posite assay  for  the  year  is  made.  Each  assay  thus  represents 
several  thousand  lots  of  ore.  In  most  eases  each  individual 
sample  included  in  the  composite  represents  a  carload  of  con- 
centrate. In  1915.  a  composite  made  up  of  1S06  lots  was 
assayed  by  Evans  W.  Buskett.  and  found  to  contain  56.76r; 
zinc  and  2.36%  iron.  For  the  same  year,  W.  George  Waring 
analyzed  a  composite  of  9240  samples  and  found  it  to  contain 
57.19%  zinc.  2.40%  iron  and  0.985%  lead.  This  average  sample 
has  been  assayed  by  W.  W.  Petraeus  and  E.  W.  Buskett  for  the 
last  19  years,  and  in  that  time  the  amount  of  zinc  has  not 
varied  more  than  Vlc,  the  average  being  579f.  A  similar  table 
has  been  kept  by  C.  V.  Millar  and  W.  G.  Waring.  Their  assays, 
however,  show  variations  between  55.30';  zinc,  in  1901,  and 
58.95-7r  zinc,  in  1905. 

The  ore  market  at  Joplin  is  dull  and  weak,  blende  ranging 
from  $50  to  $70  per  ton  for  OO':',  product.  The  week's  output 
was  3737  tons  of  blende,  122  tons  of  calamine,  and  797  tons  of 
lead,  averaging  $59.  $40,  and  $66  per  ton,  respectively.  The 
total  value  was  $281,796. 


Ami.'. is!    19,    1916 


MINING  and  Stimuli,    l'Kl  SS 


291 


i/i»\  TANA 

lii   Bulletin  i.ii  r  ,'f  tin-  U    B    Geological   Sui  n 
steiiiuKfr  dlacuaeea  Um  i>omiimiii1i'»  o!  oil  tad  gaa  la  north 
central  Montana,     The  facta  observed  Man  iv>  warrant  the 


.? i 


••   :1 


HAP  BHOWllta    UU  v  i  OV1  Ktn  HV  (ill.  INVKSTIOATION. 

statement  that  considerable  gas  territory,  on  a  scale  com- 
l>arable  with  the  Alberta.  Canada,  fields,  may  be  found  and 
also  that  the  area  shows  some  probability  of  yielding  oil.  A 
rational  search  for  oil  and  gas  in  the  State  should  begin  with 
operations  in  the  areas  where  the  rocks  are  most  strongly 
arched. 

Bi  in:.  The  July  output  of  the  Butte  &  Superior  was  15,- 
000.000  lb.  of  zinc  in  concentrate,  recovered  from  51,710  tons  of 
ore.  This  is  a  slight  falling-off  when  compared  with  June. 
The  new  main  shaft  is  completed  and  timbered  to  1500  ft. 
It  will  be  sunk  to  1900  ft.  The  Black  Rock  shaft  was  damaged 
last  week  by  a  cage  dropping  for  some  distance. 

On  August  4  a  serious  cave-in  took  place  at  2000  ft.  in  the 
Tramway  mine  of  the  Anaconda  company. 

North  of  the  shaft  at  1600  ft.  the  Butte  &  London  has  cut 
mineralized  quartz.  The  south  cross-cut  is  soon  expected  to 
cut  the  vein  opened  at  1100  feet. 

The  Tropic  mine  of  Anaconda  yielded  250  tons  of  4}%  ore 
daily  during  July. 

On  the  1500-ft.  level  of  the  East  Butte  property  a  body  of 
good-grade  ore  is  reported  to  have  been  discovered. 

Re-timbering  of  the  Tuolumne  company's  Main  Range  shaft 
will  be  completed  this  month.  The  Colusa-Leonard  shaft  is  in 
good  order,  as  far  as  unwatered. 

The  Butte-Duluth  mine  and  plant  has  been  leased,  by  Court 
sanction,  for  5  years  to  Alfred  Frank  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The 
mine  must  be  re-opened  within  15  days.  The  plant  is  to  be 
enlarged  to  500  tons'  capacity. 

The  July  pay-roll  of  the  district  approximated  $2,250,000,  of 
which  the  Anaconda  paid  $1,466,730,  Butte  &  Superior,  $275,000, 
and  North  Butte,  $130,000.    The  wage  was  $4.25  per  day. 

NEVADA 

Goi.dfield.  At  the  Florence  mine  there  is  a  good  quantity  of 
ore  available  on  the  650-ft.  level.  The  enlarged  flotation  plant 
is  in  operation. 

Virginia  Citt.  During  July  the  Union  Con.  produced  1865 
tons  of  ore,  returning  $37,398  net.  The  cash  surplus  is  now 
$104,214,  more  than  the  company  has  had  in  40  years.  The 
Union  shaft  has  recently  been  sunk  from  the  2000  to  the  2680-ft. 
point,  where  work  is  held  until  the  hot  water  at  the  bottom 
can  be  diverted  by  means  of  work  that  will  be  done  through 
the  Sierra  Nevada-Union  east  winze.     There  is  a  working-con- 


I  ,,i 

MOO  and  MOO  ft    ftnd  there  will  aoon  be  fi     Within 

;,  few  in, mill-  iii,-  com]  unwaterlng  from 

-'7n"  ii    where  are  lha  lowosl  pumpa,  to  1900  fl 

atlj  U  waa  dacldad  t"  axpl not  "Hi*  tl ••  I  rein  "f 

lha  Mexican,  bul  alao  to  explore  the  main  Con 
u  whs  it  conaldarable  undertaking  al  the  tli 
ware  man]  tbouaand  drlfl    to  open  up,  and 

this  work  had  i"  be  dona  undei  great  difficulties  aa  n> 
ventilation,  until  air  connectlona  were  made,     Before 

long  will  be  the  opportunity  t<>  Bjtpl the  formation 

in  a  number  of  placaa  and  then  the  real  i real  will 

U  begin.  Except  for  ib ■•  takei ol  the  i  nlon  and 
'1  Sierra  Nevada,  and  a  little  exploratory  work  done  in 
the  Ophir.  everything  elae  thai  has  been  done  in  the 
laal  couple  of  years  has  i a  pracUcall)  all  dead  work. 

NEW    MEXICO 

1  (Special  Correspondence.)     Machine-drills  are   now 

in  use  hi  the  Pacific  mine,  operated  by  the  Socorro 
company,  and  driving  is  being  done  (iii  the  500-ft  level. 
All  lumber  for  the  terminal  station  of  the  aerial  win- 
rope  train  at  mill  end  is  now  on  the  ground,  and  the 
ore-bins  and  bead-frame  are  nearing  completion.  Tim- 
ber for  construction  at  the  Pacific  end  Is  being  de- 
livered. No  definite  date  has  been  set  for  placing  the 
tram  in  commission,  hut  it  is  understood  it  will  be  in 
use  in  the  early  future. 

Operations  for  second  half  of  July  on  the  Last  Chance  mine, 
conducted  by  Mogollon  Mines  Co.,  yielded  17  bars  of  gold  and 
silver  bullion  and  4.2  tons  of  high-grade  concentrate.  Ore  treat- 
ed for  the  period  was  2125  tons.  The  new  shaft  is  now  some 
distance  below  the  800-ft.  level,  and  sinking  continues  at  rate 
of  2  ft.  per  day.  The  counter-balanced,  self-dumping  skips 
recently  installed  have  relieved  the  congested  hoisting  condi- 
tions. 

No.  2  orebody  in  the  Eberle  mine  of  the  Oaks  Co.  has  been 
cut  south  from  the  main  shaft,  and  has  the  appearance  of  pro- 
ducing a  large  tonnage. 

This  district  is  credited  with  a  total  production  of  $15,000,- 
000,  and  is  yielding  at  the  rate  of  $1,500,000  gold  and  silver 
per  annum.  With  the  consummation  of  larger  and  more 
centralized  operations  now  pending,  decreased  mining  and  re-' 
duction  costs  that  will  be  effected  by  hydro-electric  power  in- 
stallations and  more  direct  shipping  facilities,  a  large  tonnage 
of  lower-grade  ores  will  become  available,  and  insure  a  greatly 
increased  annual  output  for  a  long  period.  The  future  of  the 
region  is  considered  to  be  extremely  good. 
Mogollon.  August  8. 

OREGON 

Takilma.  At  the  Queen  of  Bronze  mine  a  gravity  tram  is 
to  be  constructed  to  the  bins  on  the  new  railway  partly  built 

from  Grants  Pass  to  Crescent. The  Del  Norte  Claims  Co.  of 

Chicago  is  setting-up  a  diamond-drill  near  Preston  Peaks. 

D.  Van  Austrand  of  Denver  contemplates  erecting  a  50-ton  mill, 

embodying    flotation. Ore    shipments    from    mines    in    the 

Illinois  valley  are  increasing  fast.  Last  week  10  carloads  left 
Waters  Creek,  at  the  terminus  of  the  new  line.  Half  of  this 
quantity  was  copper  ore  from  the  Queen  of  Bronze  and  Waldo 
mines,  while  the  remainder  was  chrome  ore.  These  ores  went 
to  Tacoma  and  New  York,  respectively.  A  large  quantity  of 
chrome  ore  is  said  to  be  available. 

UTAH 

Tintic.  Owing  to  lower  prices  of  metals  and  the  smelters' 
embargo  on  ore,  wages  at  Tintic  have  been  reduced  25c.  per 
shift. 

At  the  Standard  mine,  a  fan  capable  of  delivering  2500  cu. 
ft.  of  air  per  minute  is  to  be  installed.     A  larger  compressor 


292 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  19,  1916 


Is  also  to  be  put  in.     Development  at  1G00  ft.  has  been  satis- 
factory. 

Bingham.  On  August  29  the  Ohio  Copper  Mining  Co.'s 
property  is  to  be  sold  at  sheriff's  sale. 

Mabysvale.  The  Mineral  Products  Co.'s  mill,  six  miles 
away,  has  been  re-modeled  in  charge  of  the  president,  H.  F. 
Chappell.  The  revolving-kiln  used  to  lose  a  lot  of  dust,  but  a 
dust-chamber  and  Hues  reduced  this.  The  100-ton  mill  is  yield- 
ing nearly  twice  as  much  potash  as  formerly.  The  mine  con- 
tains a  large  quantity  of  alunite  of  high  grade.  Near-by  the 
Floi  mce  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  is  commencing  to  erect  a  100-ton 
mill. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Thau.  Ore  received  at  the  Consolidated  Mining  company's 
smelter  during  July  totaled  40.2C..S  tons,  making  286,078  tons 
in  7  months.  The  Center  Star  at  Rossland  contributed  110,177 
tons;  Le  Roi,  Rossland,  81,123;  Sullivan,  East  Kootenai,  42,370; 
Le  Roi  No.  2.  9680;  San  Poil.  Republic.  Washington,  7928; 
United  Copper,  Chewelah,  Washington,  6131;  and  Standard,  at 
Sllverton,  4209  tons. 

Owing  to  better  settlement  terms  with  the  Kusa  Spelter  Co. 
of  Oklahoma,  zinc  producers  of  this  Province  will  benefit  con- 
siderably. As  an  example.  V.  W.  Newton  of  the  company  says 
that  in  the  case  of  a  40'v  ore  or  concentrate,  with  spelter  at  8c., 
the  difference  in  favor  of  the  mine-owner  under  the  new  basis 
of  settlement  will  be  $3  per  ton. 

Ontabio 

Cobalt.  The  Coniagas  company  is  to  install  a  100-ton 
Callow  flotation  plant,  which  bas  been  ordered. 

On  August  15  the  Seneca  Superior  paid  a  part  liquidating 
dividend  of  20c.  per  share.  The  total  for  1916  is  $470,000,  and 
to  date  $1,677,526. 

Nipissing  during  July  produced  $288,577,  from  134  tons  of 
high  and  6866  tons  of  low-grade  ores.  Development  on  vein 
490  at  No.  5  level  was  good.  Surface  dumps  are  now  providing 
90  tons  of  ore  daily. 

Porcupine.  The  Dome  in  July  produced  38,400  tons  of  $5.25 
ore. 

MEXICO 

Shipments  of  mineral  products  into  the  United  States  during 
July,  through  Agua  Prieta  and  Naco,  were  valued  at  1*1,182,600 
and  "1*1.934.460,  respectively.  The  Moctezuma  at  Nacozari  sent 
7641  tons  of  concentrate,  Cananea  6.515.9S2  lb.  of  copper  and 
concentrate,  and  El  Tigre  906  lb.  of  gold-silver  bullion. 

FLtbalqo 
Pachuca.  The  Santa  Gertrudis  company  reports  that  in 
June  I'j.TT.-j  tons  of  ore  yielded  $154,000,  of  which  $16,500  was 
profit.  The  directors  report  that  the  further  disturbed  condi- 
tions resulting  from  the  political  tension  between  the  govern- 
ments of  the  United  States  and  Mexico  have  militated  more 
than  heretofore  against  the  successful  operations  at  the  mine. 
It  became  necessary  during  June  temporarily  to  withdraw  the 
American  management  and  staff,  and  to  arrange  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  operations  under  English  and  Mexican  manage- 
ment. A  policy  of  future  operations  was  arranged  which 
necessitated  the  treatment  of  lower-grade  ore  than  that  milled 
during  the  last  few  months.  Other  causes  seriously  affecting 
profits  are  shortage  of  timber,  owing  to  disturbed  railway 
communications,  higher  cost  of  labor,  and  increased  tax- 
ation. 

Two  fellowships  of  metallurgical  research  have  been  estab- 
lished at  the  UNIVERSITY  or  Idaho.  Moscow,  by  contribution 
from  the  mining  men  of  the  State.  Each  fellowship  carries 
$500.  The  metallurgist  at  the  University  is  Robert  Rhea  Good- 
rich. 


IPs^SD-nul 


Kotr:    Thr  JSdUa  Ibtno/Vu  prit/rmtm  to  tend  particular*  of  their 

work  ami  ammintmnil*.     Tl*  fa  information  it  (nterettlno  to  our  readers. 


Corey  C.  Bkay*ox  is  in  Montana. 

E.  R.  RiciiAiiiis  is  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

George  A.  Laird  has  arrived  here  from  Sydney,  Australia. 

Arthur  L.  Peabse  has  returned  to  New  York  from  Tucson, 
Arizona. 

K.  Freitag  has  opened  offices  in  the  Hobart  building,  San 
Francisco. 

T.  A.  RlOKASD  sailed  for  victoria,  to  visit  British  Columbia, 
on  August  1L'. 

Cn  uii  is  E.  Duttoh  of  Goldfield,  Nevada,  has  gone  to  New 
York  and  Boston. 

O.  B.  Perry  passed  through  San  Francisco  on  his  way  from 
New  York  to  Dawson,  Y.  T. 

H.  C.  Dudley,  of  Duluth.  was  in  San  Francisco  on  August  16, 
on  his  way  to  Lower  California. 

R.  E.  Cranston  left  San  Francisco  on  August  11  on  an  ex- 
tended trip  through  Nevada,  Colorado,  and  Montana. 

John  WELLINGTON  Finch  of  Denver  has  gone  to  China  for  a 
large  exploration  company.     He  will  be  gone  about  a  year. 

Arthur  Not.man.  geologist  for  the  Copper  Queen  Consoli- 
dated, Arizona,  has  returned  to  Bisbee  after  a  month's  vaca- 
tion in  New  York. 

V\n  H.  Manning,  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  is  visiting 
Important  mining  centres  of  the  West  in  connection  with  the 
proposed  experiment  stations. 

Henry  M.  Howe,  professor  of  ferrous  metallurgy  in  Colum- 
bia University,  has  been  appointed  honorary  vice-president  of 
the  Iron  &  Steel  Institute  of  Great  Britain. 

Waldemab  Liniigeen,  professor  of  economic  geology  in  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  has  received  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Science  from  Princeton  University. 

Among  those  who  attended  the  30th  anniversary  re-union 
of  the  Michigan  College  of  Mines  at  Houghton  last  week  were: 
O.  G.  Encelhek  lately  from  Sardinia,  C.  F.  Schaber  of  Bes- 
semer, Alabama,  Arthur  Rigby  of  Mineville,  N.  Y.,  Arthur 
Houle  of  Bisbee.  Lee  E.  Ives  of  New  York,  W.  R.  Bauder  of 
Cleveland,  E.  H.  Bbang  of  Sandow,  B.  C,  J.  H.  Winwood  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  George  R.  Sheldon  of  Salt  Lake  City.  J.  M. 
Longyear.  Jr.  of  Boston,  F.  O.  Williamson  of  Chicago,  Walter 
Segswobth  of  Toronto,  and  James  A.  Barb  of  Mt.  Pleasant. 
Tennessee. 


DMtUHTy 

Robert  Safkord  Towne.  well  known  from  his  connection 
with  Mexican  mines,  died  at  the  Engineers'  Club,  New  York, 
on  August  3.  at  the  age  of  58.  He  was  connected  with  the 
Fresnillo.  Mexican  Lead,  Montezuma  Lead,  Soubrette,  Tezuit- 
lan  Copper,  and  the  Metallurgical  Engineering  and  Process 
companies. 

Ai.vin  Robert  Ken  neb  was  accidentally  drowned  on  July  4 
while  bathing  in  a  small  lake  in  a  public  park  near  Nevada  City, 
California,  to  which  place  he  had  recently  gone  to  inspect  the 
Big  Murchie  mine  before  it  was  to  be  taken  over  by  the  Rio 
Plata  Mining  Co.  He  graduated  from  the  Colorado  School  of 
Mines  in  1907,  after  a  thorough  training  at  the  Armour  Tech- 
nical Institute  of  Chicago.  At  Chloride,  Arizona,  he  will  be 
remembered  by  the  many  friends  that  he  made  while  super- 
intendent of  a  mine  at  that  place.  During  the  early  days  of 
the  first  Villa  revolution  in  Mexico  he  was  superintendent  of 
a  large  mine  at  Parral,  where  he  stayed  until  the  Mexicans 
destroyed  the  railroad  over  which  the  mine  shipped  its  ore  to 
the  smelter  and  the  property  closed. 


I    19,   1916 


MIXING  and  Scient.fic   PRESS 


Ml    1    M      |-Ull'l> 

Anlln               dU   per  pouod 10 

ind 

Bd                    6.25 —  7.2T. 

Platinum      *"ft    unit    bard   met                                             $60 — 65 

Quli  >.                                            lb »7i 

pound                                      11 

Tin,                             pound 41 

Zlnc-du»t.  cOBtl  per   pound 20 


ORE  PBICB9 

Sun   l'runeise,..  AUSfuel    1"'- 
Antl  product,  per  unit  (IfJ   .■>•  :•"  III  I,...  10.60 

Chrome:  40"%  and  over,  fob.  earl  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 
iO'Tr  product,  f.o.b.  cam  California,  ton. 12. 00 — 16.00 

rude,  per  ton    7.00 —  9.00 

Molybdenum:   50%  and  over,  per  pound 0.60 —  1.15 

Tungalan:  80*   WO*  per  unit 20.00 

Now  York,  August  9. 

Antimony:  Small  quantities  have  changed  hands  at  $1.10  to 
81.81  par  unit. 

Tungsten:  The  situation  continues  uncertain.  High-class  ma- 
Uj  Quoted  at  From  $25  to  $30  per  unit.  Export  Inquiry 
continues  to  be  received  by  dealers,  and  a  moderate  amount  of 
business  Is  said  to  have  resulted. 


nt  metal  .in  nevei   before     The  large  producer!  are  eold  up  f"i 
the  remainder  "f  the  year,  with  other  larg leri  pondlnff. 


Below  are  given  (he  average  New  York  quotations.  In  cente 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 
Aug.     :> 66.87 

■'      in 

"      II 

"       12 

18  Sunday 

14 1111. 62 

■•       IS 66.62 


ige   week   ending 

July      r. 

••      11 

18 

"      26 62.97 

Aug.      1 63.71 

X 65.31 

"      LG 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 67.68 

Feb 67.63 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1916. 

1916. 

48.85 

66.76 

48.45 

56.74 

50.61 

57.89 

50.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    G  1.90 

Aug 64.36 

Sept 63.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.13 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
65.34 


1916. 
63.06 


The  inclination  of  prices  has  been  upward,  with  periods  of 
steadiness.  The  Indian  Bazaars  have  been  active,  and  the  har- 
vest promises  to  be  good,  China  sold  on  recent  rises.  The 
advance  In  price  "f  money  In  London  lias  unsettled  China  ex- 
change, and  it  is  possible  that  tills  will  adversely  affect  the  sli- 
ver market.  Stocks  in  Shanghai  on  July  15  consisted  of  30,500,- 
000  oz.  in  'sycee'  and  $17,000,000  In  other  forms. 

Exports  of  silver  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Orient  on  August 
12  totaled  $70ii.'iii|i.  say.   1,060,000  ounces. 


EASTERN    METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
<t    II. — Domestic  buying  of  copper  is  reported;   there  is 
better  demand  for  lead:  spelter  Is  llrmer  with  better  demand. 


QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  Is  fixed  In  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices.  In  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 

Aug.     1 


Date. 

Julv    IS 83.00 

•■      25 80.00 


15. 


80.00 
75.00 
74.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

60.00 

295.00 

78.00 

219.00 

77.50 

141.60 

75.00 

'.MP.Illl 

90.00 

74.70 

1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916. 
81.20 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  In  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Aug.     9. 

'■       10. 
"      11. 


86.60 

j  i',.::. 
26.75 
26.75 


12 

13  Sunday 

14 26.75 

15 27.00 


Average  week   ending 

July      5 26.54 

"       11 26.25 

"       18 25.42 

"      25 25.00 

Aug.      1 25.75 

8 25.58 

"       15 26.75 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 


July  yields  were:  Braden,  2,760,000  lb.  (low,  due  to  bad 
weather):  Kennecott,  10,750,000  lb.;  East  Butte,  1,893,120  lb.; 
Old  Dominion,  3,852,000  lb.;  Miami,  4,310,000  lb.;  and  Greene 
Cananea,  4,600,000  pounds. 

Discussing  copper  recently,  Joseph  Clendenin,  sales  manager 
for  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  stated  that  the  market  has  been  cleared 


LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Aug.     9. 


10 

11 

12 

13  Sunday 

14 

15 


5.95 
.',.!>  r. 
5.95 
5.95 


5.95 
5.95 


Average  week  ending 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

.  3.94 

.  3.86 

.  3.90 

.  3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 


July 

5 
11. 

25. 

1 

8. 
15. 
■es 

.    6.84 

.    6.45 

M 

fi 

.    6.30 

Aug. 

.    6.20 

.    5.98 

•  • 

.    5.95 

verag 

July 
Aug. 
Sept 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

1914. 
3.80 
3.86 
3.82 
3.60 
3.68 
.    3.80 

1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 

1916. 
6.40 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date 

Aug, 


....    S.37 

10 

8.50 

8.50 

S.50 

13   Sunday 

14 

8.60 

Average   week   ending 

July      5 11.40 

"      11 9.75 

"       18 9.06 

"      25 9.91 

Aug.      1 10.12 

8 8.69 

"      15 8.54 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


914. 

1915. 

1916. 

5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July 

5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug. 

5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept 

4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct. 

4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov. 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec. 

4.75 

20.54 

4.75 

14.17 

5.16 

14.14 

4.75 

14.05 

6.01 

17.20 

5.40 

16.75 

TIN 

Prices  in  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 


Monthly 

averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1916. 

1916. 

...37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

July    ... 

..31.60 

37.38 

38.37 

Feb.    . 

.  ..39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Aug.    .  .  . 

..50.20 

34.37 

Mch.    . 

.  ..38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

Sept.  .  . . 

..33.10 

33.12 

...36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct.     .  . . 

..30.40 

33.00 

.  ..33.29 

39.28 

49.10 

..33.51 

39.50 

June   . 

.  ..30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

Dec.    . . . 

..33.60 

38.71 

.... 

Tin   is  strong  at  39.25   to  39.75  cents. 


•J! '4 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August   h).  1916 


Eastern   Metal   Market 


New  York,  August  9. 

Copper  again  presents  the  best  tone  of  any  of  the  metals. 
It  is  far  from  active,  but  the  metal  in  second-hands  is  about 
cleared  up,  and  the  quotations  for  near-by  deliveries  are 
stronger. 

Zinc  is  lower;  the  market  is  dull  and  the  future  is  uncertain. 

The  expected  cut  to  6c,  New  York,  by  the  principal  pro- 
ducer of  lead,  came  to  pass,  but  did  not  bring  business. 

Tin  is  in  bad  shape  because  of  the  excessive  quantity  of 
Banca  tin  on  the  market. 

Antimony  has  continued  to  decline. 

Aluminum  continues  firm  at  58  to  60c.  A  decrease  in  im- 
ports has  been  a  supporting  factor. 

The  prices  of  many  steel  products  have  been  advanced.  The 
domestic  demand  is  slow,  but  export  requirements  are  greater 
than  ever.  Orders  placed  for  shell-steel  in  the  past  few 
weeks  aggregate  nearly  $100,000,000,  and  more  steel  is  wanted. 
The  pig-iron  market  is  dull  and  weak,  likewise  that  for  old 
material:  which  is  a  subject  for  discussion  in  view  of  the 
great  production  of  finished  products. 

COPPER 

As  a  result  of  the  absorption  of  re-sale  lots,  near-by  metal  is 
scarce,  and  there  is  a  tendency  to  ask  premiums  for  spot  de- 
livery. The  quotation  for  spot  at  this  writing  is  about  26.50  to 
26.75c.  cash,  New  York.  As  a  matter  of  fact  there  has  been 
but  little  business  in  the  past  week,  but  the  tone  of  the  market 
is  much  better  and  prices  are  firm.  Lake  is  about  26.75c.  cash. 
New  York,  but  nominal.  October  and  November  can  be  had 
around  25.50  to  26c,  and  December  at  25c  There  have  been 
some  export  inquiries  in  the  market,  but  reports  differ  as  to 
whether  business  resulted.  The  trade  is  surprised,  in  view  of 
the  stiffening  of  the  market,  over  the  action  of  some  of  the 
larger  rolling  mills  in  reducing  their  quotation  for  sheet  cop- 
per from  37J  to  35c  The  smaller  mills,  while  they  will  make 
the  lower  price  to  the  regular  customers,  continue  to  ask  37jc 
from  newcomers.  'Copper  Gossip,'  published  by  the  National 
Brass  &  Copper  Tube  Co..  recently  said  the  following:  "The 
outlook  for  a  heavy  consumption  of  copper  during  the  balance 
of  the  year  is  excellent.  For  a  long  time  to  come  manufac- 
turing activity  is  assured.  Melting  continues  about  as  it  has 
for  some  time,  and  this  feature  of  the  situation  indicates  an 
underlying  soundness  deserving  particular  consideration.  The 
tremendous  pressure  put  upon  manufacturing  capacity  for 
many  months  has  afforded  an  outlet  for  an  enormous  tonnage 
of  copper.  Unusual  foreign  orders  kept  domestic  plants  work- 
ing night  and  day.  Meanwhile  local  and  domestic  require- 
ments have  been  held  up  to  a  large  extent.  But  later  on  we 
look  for  a  condition  of  remarkable  prosperity  resulting  from 
a  deluge  of  domestic  orders.  As  regards  copper,  it  is  probable 
that  with  the  establishment  of  a  satisfactory  price  level  new 
business  in  heavy  volume  will  be  attracted,  especially  as  dil- 
atory buyers  appear  to  be  waiting  for  some  such  action." 

The  London  market  for  spot  electrolytic  was  quoted  yester- 
day at  £124,  against  £125  a  week  previous.  Exports  from 
August  1  to  S  totaled  5966  tons.  Imports  (including  ore,  matte, 
and  regulus)  reduced  to  fine  copper,  in  the  first  six  months  of 
the  year  reached  the  large  total  of  103,500  tons:  total  imports 
for  the  year  1915  were  137,500  tons. 

ZINC 

The  market  is  lower,  and  the  outlook  is  not  good.  Spot  zinc 
was  to  be  had  yesterday  at  8.50c,  New  York,  and  S.25c,  St. 
Louis.  September  delivery  is  quotable  around  Sc,  St.  Louis. 
and  last  quarter  at  7.75c  The  London  market,  at  £44  for  spot 
yesterday,  is  £11   lower  than  a  week  previous.     Twice  in  the 


week  sizeable  quantities  of  spelter  have  been  sold  'under  the 
rule"  on  the  floor  of  the  New  York  Metal  Exchange,  which 
means  that  a  few  buyers  have  failed  to  take  metal  for  which 
they  contracted.  On  August  2,  75  tons  of  Granby  selected'  was 
sold  for  immediate  shipment  from  the  West  at  8jc,  St.  Louis, 
a  low  price  for  that  grade.  Yesterday  50  tons  of  prime  West- 
ern, en  route  from  Illinois  to  this  city,  was  sold  on  the  Ex- 
change for  8.15c  St.  Louis,  a  price  about  10  points  below  the 
market.  Aside  from  these  forced  sales  the  market  has  been 
extremely  dull.  The  preliminary  figures  on  spelter  production 
and  consumption  for  the  first  six  months  of  1916.  by  C.  E. 
Siebenthal  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  are  variously  con- 
strued. It  is  estimated  by  him  that  the  production,  etc..  in 
that  period  totaled  330,922  tons,  from  which  are  taken  foreign 
exports,  20.197  tons:  domestic  exports.  58,007  tons;  and  stocks 
of  June  30,  24,000  tons:  leaving  228.700  tons  as  the  apparent 
consumption.  It  is  pointed  out  that  earlier  in  the  year  Mr. 
Siebenthal  estimated  the  production  for  this  year  at  885.000 
tons  (based  on  available  capacity),  whereas  the  yearly  rate  in- 
dicated by  his  later  figures  for  the  first  six  months,  is  but  632,- 
410  tons.  This  constitutes  a  bull  argument.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  figures  just  issued  show  that  the  stock  on  hand  at  January 
1  totaled  14.253  tons,  whereas  on  June  30  they  had  increased  to 
24,000  tons,  the  figures  being  subject  to  revision.  In  addition 
to  the  number  of  retorts  on  record  June  30 — 193.696 — there 
are  now  building  or  contemplated  22,188.  all  of  which  is  not  so 
favorable  to  the  future  of  the  metal.  From  August  1  to  8 
exports  totaled  1975  tons.  Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at  15c 
for  carload  lots,  f.o.b.  smelter,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  expected  reduction  in  price  by  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  came 
late  on  Aug.  2.  when  it  announced  its  quotations  to  be  6c. 
New  York,  and  5.92JC,  St.  Louis.  Immediately  after  making 
the  reduction  the  big  producer  booked  two  or  three  large  ex- 
port orders,  but  domestic  consumers  did  not  become  active. 
Independent  producers  at  once  followed  the  reduction,  but  held 
at  6c,  New  York,  for  only  a  few  hours,  then  dropping  to  5.95c, 
which  is  about  the  quotation  today.  At  St.  Louis,  5.75c.  can 
be  done.  It  was  expected  that  a  good  movement  would  follow 
the  establishment  of  the  6c  level,  but  consumers  continued  to 
hold  aloof  from  the  market,  evidently  thinking  they  could  buy 
more  advantageously  still.  The  result  has  been  a  quiet  mar- 
ket. The  London  market  yesterday  stood  at  £28  15s.  Exports 
in  8  days  totaled  429  tons. 

TIN 

Through  the  week  the  market  has  been  without  activity 
worthy  of  note,  and  the  one  feature  is  the  large  stocks  on  hand, 
particularly  of  Banca  tin,  of  which  there  is  estimated  to  be 
4000  tons.  It  sold  yesterday  at  36.25c.  whereas  spot  Straits 
was  quoted  at  37.62JC  The  offerings  of  Banca,  at  what  is  de- 
clared to  be  less  than  actual  value,  has  upset  the  market.  One 
steamer  that  arrived  on  August  4  from  Batavia  brought  1100 
tons  of  Banca  metal.  Of  Straits  there  is  also  an  over-supply. 
A  quiet  market  for  some  time  to  come  is  indicated,  even 
though  prices  recede  still  further.  Up  to  yesterday  1887  tons 
had  arrived  this  month,  and  there  was  afloat  32S5  tons. 

ANTIMONY 
The  market  has  continued  dull  and  adversely  influenced  by 
offerings  of  those  who  bought  for  profit,  but  see  only  losses  in 
view.  Asiatic  grades  were  to  be  had  easily  yesterday  at  lie, 
duty  paid,  and  even  at  10.50c,  according  to  some  reports.  One 
or  two  fair-sized  lots  have  been  purchased,  but  in  general  the 
market  presents  a  dead  aspect.  Needle  antimony  is  nominally 
quoted  at  S.50  cents. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARO 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  AUGUST  26,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  9 


iiiEirirnrF;,r'r!r'ii!"i;: ;,?  wr\  -jrt 


For  Slime  and 
Tailing  Pumps 

No  Higher 
Award  Given 


Note  the  easy 
access  to  all 
working  parts. 


Award  Given 


^P  ..•■*  ,r.' 


~\ 


More  than  two  thousand 
in  actual  use. 


*I  The  liner  is  made  of 

chilled    white  iron,  be-       For  High 

cause  the  cost  of  replace-  Pressu,c  PumPs 

ment  per  ton  of  slime      No  Higher 

or  sand  pumped  is 

lower    than    for    any 

other   material. 


1 1t's  low  first  cost 
and  comparative 
thinness  reduces 
the  clearances 
and  consequent 
loss  of  pump- 
efficiency  when 
the  liners  wear 
down. 


Send  for  Catalogue  No.  79. 
It  will  pay  you. 

Krogh  Pump  Mfg. 

Company  _„     , 

KROGH  MULTI-STAGE  STATION  PUMP         159  Beale  St.,  San  Francisco  pump  SB 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,   1916 


Oliver 

Continuous 

TtLte r 

Company 

50I  MAR.KJET    St. 

San  Francisco, Cal. 


,5     euoa 

.  ConUr.uou*  "' 

v,„   foul    I'1101  .    ,    F   UllM 

,.,0    to    M1"* 


Here  Is  Another  Proof 

of  the  Money-Earning  Ability  of  the 

The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter 


The  selection  of  filtration  apparatus 
was  under  consideration  by  the  officials 
of  the  Aetna  Chemical  Company  of 
Pennsylvania.  They  decided  on  an 
Oliver,  of  course.  Its  superiority  was 
manifest.  The  element  of  time  of  de- 
livery was  then  discussed.  The  saving 
by  the  Oliver  made  an  impression,  so 


strong  an  impression  that  it  was  ob- 
vious that  every  minute's  delay  in 
commencing  operations  meant  a  loss 
of  money.  '  Why  delay  ?"  was  the  next 
question.  Why  wait  for  freight  ?  Ship 
by  express.  It  was  cheaper  to  pay  an 
express-bill  of  nearly  $700  than  to  wait 
two  weeks  longer  for  their  Oliver. 


These  are  the  type  of  men  who  know  economy,  and  these  are  the  men  who 
select  the  Oliver  Continuous  Filter.  Their  experience  points  the  way  to  you. 
Tell  us  your  conditions.    We  can  help  you. 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER  COMPANY 

SOI  MarRet  St.  San  Francisco 


No  Royalties 
to  Pay  on 
Any  Work  of 
an  Oliver. 


J*        J» 
BorraitMt  s/  ni: 

T.  A.  RICKARD  Edaoc 

M   V    »«.  BERNF.WITZ     I 
P.  B  MtDONALD  > 


Mi,„ 


KM  Mil. Is/Ill)    isr.ii 
Publalxd  .1  420  M.iU  St.  San  Fl.ncico.  by  lhr  LVwry  PubMiina  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  I 


Ml  CML  CONTRIBUTORS 
\\     ii    Bhoi  klay. 

int  III. 

Qt-laalo  i'ii,  linn 
■»"V    D«   >-. 

'■'    Lynn Q 

Charlaa  .iiuiin 

F,    Kemp, 
r    H     Probarl 
C    W     ■  ■    ■ 
Horai  ■    V    win.  i, all. 


i   Kv.tv  Baturday 


Scieiicr  hat  no  ninny  tave  the  ignorant 


San  Francisco,  August  26,  1916 


18  pei    real      10  Cent!  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Nona  L'iit 

Mi  vim;   Dividends    298 

The  Ni  w  Jersey  Zinc  Co.  and  the  Utah  Copper  Co. 
are  the  premier  dividend -payers. 

Labor    unrest    299 

Railway  traffic  is  threatened  by  a  great  strike  of 
trainmen. 

The  Treadwell  Consolidation  299 

The  report  by  H.  C.  Perkins.  Hennen  Jennings,  and 
!•".  \V.  Bradley,  as  published  in  this  issue,  is  discussed. 
The  Treadwell  mines  have  been  doing  poorly  for  sev- 
eral years.  The  total  ore  blocked-out  is  15,000,000 
tons,  of  which  only  7,000,000  tons  can  be  extracted. 

A  Glimpse  of  South  Africa  30) 

Comment  on  H.  Foster  Bain's  description  of  the  min- 
ing regions  of  South  Africa.  The  Dark  Continent 
and  its  illusions;  a  land  of  surprises. 


ARTICLES 


■ 
$21,337,651  was  paid  In  dividends,  on  ore  yielding  $2.37 
per  ton. 

Formation  op  Nitrate  Deposits  314 

Nitrate  in  northern  Chile  is  found  in  a  dry  Hal  desert 
where  there  Is  practically  no  rainfall.  Yet  ground- 
water exists  at  a  shallow  depth. 

Comparison  ok  Stoping  Methods  at  Calumet  &  Arizona  Mink. 

By  Philip  D.  Wilson 315 

Several  methods  of  stoping  the  mass-deposits  of  soft 
copper  ore  at  Bisbee  are  compared.  Square-sets,  top- 
slice  caving,  cut-and-flll. 

Electric  Pumps   31s 

Centrifugal  electric  pumps  at  a  Michigan  mine  cost 
for  maintenance  only  60%  of  the  maintenance  for 
steam-pumps. 

Minixii  ix  Arizona. 

By  Charles  F.  Willis  319 

The  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  will  establish  a  mining  ex- 
periment station  at  Tucson,  similar  to  the  one  at  Salt 
Lake  City.  Gold-mining  in  the  Walker  district  south 
of  Prescott. 


Ax  American's  IMPRESSIONS  OF  South  Africa. 

By   H,    Foster  Bain 301 

The  former  editor  of  this  paper  gives  personal  impres- 
sions of  a  trip  of  8000  miles  in  South  Africa.  Johan- 
nesburg compared  with  Denver.  California's  rival  at 
the  Cape.    The  inefficiency  of  the  workmen. 

POOKET-HUNTINO   APPLIED   TO   PROSPECTING. 

By  John  B.  Platts 306 

Methods  found  valuable  by  an  experienced  gold-pocket 
hunter  can  be  applied  to  prospecting  on  a  larger  scale. 

Consolidation  of  the  Treadwell  Mines 307 


The  report  by  Messrs.  Perkins.  Jennings,  and  Bradley 
on  the  three  gold-mining  companies  of  Douglas  Island, 
Alaska.    The  total  yield  has  been  $62,797,460,  of  which 


DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    321 

Review  of  Mining 322 

Special  correspondence  from  Washington,  D.  C:  Hum- 
boldt, Arizona;   Butte.  Montana. 

The  Mining  Summary   324 

Personal    327 

The  Metal  Market    328 

Eastern  Metal  Market   329 

Company   Reports    330 

Chino  Copper  Co.;  Nevada  Consolidated  Copper  Co.; 
Ray  Consolidated  Copper  Co.;  Butte  &  Superior  Min- 
ing Co.;  Utah  Copper  Company. 

Recent  Publications   330 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address;  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York,  1308-10 
Woolworth    Bdg.;    London,   724    Salisbury   House,    E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription;  United  States 
and  Mexico,  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  countries  in  postal  union, 
21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


Ill 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  26.   1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(l 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(OHPAIir 


UNION  DRILLS 

Prospect  your  dredging  ground  with 
Union  Drills.  Made  in  two  types. 
Above  is  shown  the  steel-frame  type 
in  operation.  Union  Drills  are  simple, 
easy  to  operate,  low  in  cost,  and  can 
be  transported  over  any  ground.  If 
necessary  they  can  be  knocked  down 
and  carried  mule-back.     Bulletin  15. 


NEILL  JIGS 

Eight  Neill  Jigs  on  one  dredge  have 
paid  for  themselves  in  60  days,  mak- 
ing a  commercial  success  of  jigging  a 
product  running  2  ft  cents  per  ton. 
The  Neill  Jig  has  double  the  screen 
area  of  other  jigs  requiring  the  same 
floor  space.    All  parts  are  easy  of  access. 


SPECIALISTS 


IIM 


Placer    Mining 
Equipment 

Years  of  successful  experience  in  designing, 
manufacturing  and  operating  have  been  concen- 
trated upon  a  single  objective,  to  produce  appa- 
ratus that  will  represent  the  highest  state  of  the 
industry  for  working  placer  or  mineral  deposits. 


Union  Dredge  No.  18.  operating  on  Mastodon  Creek, 
near  Circle  City,  Alaska.  This  3J-ft.  dredge  has  made 
an  enviable  record  of  1900  cubic  yards  per  day  under 
adverse  conditions. 

THE  SUCCESS 

of  this  concentrated  effort  is  confirmed  by  the  great  num- 
ber of  Union  Gold  Dredges,  Union  Drills  and  Neill  Jigs  in 
successful  operation. 

We  invite  your  correspondence. 
Ask  for  Catalogues. 

UNION    CONSTRUCTION    COMPANY 

H.  G.  PEAKE  W.  W.  JOHNSON 

604  Mission  Street  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


EK 


UNION  DREDGES    -  BUCYRUS  DREDGES  -  UNION  DRILLS   -  NEILL  JIG 


Angus)  26    1916 


MINING  ind  Sc.cntific  PRKSS 


C"1  RCES  of  flotation  nils  admittedly  are  i ipara- 

^  tivelj  Fen     We  learn  that  the  Canadian  government 
is  to  investigate  the  possibility  of  utilising  pine-stumps 
in  Northern  Ontario  for  the  manufaoture  of  pu 
Flotation  al  Cobalt  is  increasing  at  a  rapid  rate,  and 
the  consumers  desire  to  have  a  supply  of  oil  near-by. 


/^•OPPBB  maintains  a  high  price — 27  rents.  The  other 
^  metals  have  gained  strength  during  the  week,  So 
much  copper  is  sold  far  ahead,  with  probable  large  Bales 
in  tin-  near  future,  that  its  resistance  to  a  decline  is  ex- 
plainable, Prom  the  highest  point  during  the  current 
year  to  the  present  quotations,  following  are  the  per  cent 
reductions  in  prices:  aluminum,  8.9;  copper,  13;  lead. 
29;  quicksilver,  7."> ;  silver.  12;  tin.  33;  and  zinc,  60. 

O HAFT-SINK INQ  records  are  always  interesting.    In 

k-'    OUr    Butte    letter    tllis   week    we    give    some    notes    mi 

Butte  &  Superior  practice.  By  a  combination  of  sinking 
ami  raising,  a  system  increasing  in  popularity,  an  av- 
erage of  250  feet  per  month  was  sunk  in  hard  granite. 
The  usual  rate  of  direct  sinking  at  Butte  is  100  ft. 
monthly,  timbering  at  the  same  time.  At  the  chief  Con- 
solidated mine  al  Tint i.-.  Utah,  a  shaft  ti  hy  15  feet  in 
the  clear  was  sunk  2.">G.:i  feet  in  a  month.  For  150 
feet  the  formation  was  hard  porphyry,  the  remainder 
limestone.  This  is  considered  to  be  much  above  any 
previous  record. 

/"^OAL  is  now  being  hauled  from  the  Matanuska  coal- 
^-*  fields  to  Anchorage,  Alaska,  over  the  new  railroad, 
the  h'rst  train  moving  on  August  16.  We  are  in  com- 
plete agreement  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  when 
he  says  that  "the  opening  of  these  fields  is  regarded  as 
a  must  important  valuable  benefit  to  both  Alaska  and 
the  Pacific  north-west.  It  means  cheaper  fuel  for  that 
country,  and  it  is  confidently  predicted  that  it  will  he 
followed  by  industrial  and  mining  expansion."  Prob- 
ably in  1917  Fairbanks  and  other  interior  points  will 
get  this  coal  direct  by  rail,  resulting  in  re-opening  many 
promising  lode  mines  that  are  now  closed  on  account  of 
high  fuel  costs. 

~P<  ><  >K  as  Mexico  is  said  to  be,  its  trade  with  the  United 
■*■  States  alone  for  ten  months  of  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30,  was  $119,080,000,  of  which  $79,023,000  was  ex- 
ported to  this  country  and  the  remainder  imported  from 
us.  This  is  a  gain  of  40%  over  Mexico's  total  trade  of 
the  previous  year,  which  was  $88,288,000.  In  spite  of 
chaotic  condit'  >ns,  justification  remains  for  Humboldt's 
description  "the  treasure  house  of  the  world."    Mexico 


hat  nearly  as  large  a  population  SB  thai  Of  Spain  and  al 

most  four  times  iis  ana.  We  note  that  some  of  the  min- 
ing companies  that  withdrew  their  staffs  when  War  with 
this  country  Beamed   imminent   are  now    Bending  them 

back  into  .Mexico,  particularly  in  the  districts  distant 

from  the  northern  bonier.  Whether  they  are  wise  iv 
mains  to  lie  seen. 

A  lilZOXA  is  to  be  host  to  the  American  Institute  ,,r 
-fl  .Mining  Engineers  .luring  the  week  beginning  Sep- 
tember 18.  This  is  the  first  time  that  the  Institute  has- 
met  in  thai  State.  An  appropriate  arrangement  has 
been  made  whereby  smelting  will  be  discussed  at 
Douglas,  mining  and  geology  at  Bisbee,  and  mining, 
smelting,  leaching,  and  flotation  at  Globe.  The  papers 
to  be  read  cover  a  diversified  field.  We  have  already 
abstracted  some  of  them  for  this  journal.  Excursions 
will  be  made  to  the  mines  and  reduction  works  of  almost 
all  the  leading  copper  companies  of  Arizona,  the  Chino 
property  in  New  Mexico,  and  the  Roosevelt  dam,  the  last 
iitioned  supplying  power  to  mines  as  well  as  irrigat- 
ing the  desert. 

~W7E  have  received  a  letter  from  Henry  R.  Merton  & 
""  Co.,  the  metal  merchants  in  London,  announcing 
that  "the  shares  in  our  company  heretofore  held  by 
German  firms  have  all  been  accpiired  by  British  sub- 
jects." and  adding  that  the  company's  "articles  of  asso- 
ciation now  contain  very  stringent  provisions  by  virtue 
of  which  the  company  is  now  and  will  always  remain 
under  exclusively  British  control."  The  objection  we 
have  expressed  to  the  business  connection  between  this 
firm,  the  Frankfurt  Metallgesellschaft,  the  American 
Metal  Company,  and  others,  was  based  not  upon  the 
German  control  but  on  the  fact  that  a  small  group  of 
international  or  non-national  brokers  and  dealers  had  the 
control  of  metal-selling  in  Europe  and  America.  That 
objection  remains. 

TJRITISH  COLUMBIA  can  boast  two  big  copper  enter- 
prises.  The  Britannia,  on  the  coast,  25  miles  north 
of  Vancouver,  is  one  of  them.  This  mine  has  not  yet  got 
into  full  swing,  and  has  had  an  undue  share  of  bad  luck 
recently.  A  disastrous  snow-slide  in  March  1915  stopped 
operations  for  three  months,  and  a  shortage  of  water  for 
power  during  an  equal  period  in  the  fall  interfered 
seriously  with  production.  Only-  9,058.045  pounds  of 
copper  was  produced  in  the  twelve  months  of  1915,  and 
on  this  a  net  profit  of  $194,238  was  made.  The  Granby 
Consolidated,  in  the  Boundary  district,  is  producing 
copper  at   the  rate  of  50,000,000  pounds  per   annum, 


298 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


and  in  the  nine  months  ending  March  31,  1916,  made  a 
net  profit  of  $2,373,863.  The  Britannia  is  estimated  to 
have  IT.diiD.iiiii)  tons  of  1>',  ore  assured.  The  new  mill- 
ing units  should  treat  2500  tons  per  day.  when  opera- 
tions are  in  full  swing.  The  concentrate  will  be  Bmelted 
by  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co..  at  Taeoma,  in 
accordance  with  a  seven-year  contract  recently  made. 

/~\N  another  page  we  give  abstracts  of  the  quarterly 
"  reports  issued  by  what  are  termed  the  "Ilayden- 
Jackling  porphyries" — the  Chino,  Nevada  Consolidated, 
Bay,  and  Utah  Cupper  companies.  Their  total  yield  was 
109.241.946  pounds  of  copper;  earnings,  $21,276,772: 
dividends,  $9,069,106;  and  surplus.  $12,157,664.      In  the 

previous  period  the  figures  were  87,795,825  pounds, 
$14,814,175,  $6,937,730,  and  $7,650,588  respectively. 
These  are  big  figures  and  highly  satisfactory  results. 

With   enpper  at    27   cents   and   sales   made   far  ahead,   a 

continuance  of  this  prosperity  seems  assured.  Costs 
'were  reduced  by  all.  the  Nevada  Consolidated  showing  a 
drop  from  9.65  to  8.51  cents  per  pound.  To  treat  ap- 
proximately a  million  tons  of  oxidized  and  partly  oxi- 
dized ore.  a  1000-ton  unit  is  to  be  erected  by  Chino.  Ad- 
ditional line-grinding  machinery  is  to  be  installed  at  the 
old  mill.  A  plant  has  been  designed  to  treat  several 
million  tons  of  tailing.  The  only  report  giving  the  ex- 
traction is  that  of  Utah  Copper,  which  acknowledges 
63.51%,  a  low  point  due  to  the  effort  to  achieve  a  maxi- 
mum production  during  the  period  of  high  prices  for 
copper.     We  also  give  the  Butte  &  Superior  report. 

COMPARISON  is  the  essence  of  clear  description:  for 
^  instance,  the  practical  value  of  a  discussion  on 
sloping  systems  depends  upon  the  force  of  contrast.  In 
this  issue  we  publish  an  article  elucidating  the  respective 
merits  and  demerits  of  various  methods  of  stuping  ir- 
regular masses  of  soft  ore,  as  based  upon  experience  in 
the  Calumet  &  Arizona  company's  mines.  The  article  is 
by  Mr.  Philip  D.  Wilson,  assistant  geologist  to  the  com- 
pany, but  he  gives  full  credit  to  Mr.  M.  W.  Mitchell,  a 
foreman  in  one  of  this  group  of  mines,  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  particular  methods  now  in  use.  These  are 
various,  for  it  has  been  found  advisable  to  modify  estab- 
lished practices  so  as  to  suit  them  to  a  diversity  of  local 
conditions.  Ry  the  way.  in  the  text  as  published  by  the 
American  Institute  we  find  the  word  'matte'  used  in 
connection  with  timber  and  caving,  to  signify  a  pro- 
tective covering;  thus  a  "timber  matte"  is  a  covering  of 
timber  to  protect  broken  ore  from  admixture  with  waste. 
Unless  care  is  taken,  this  blundering  use  of  'matte,' 
noted  by  us  in  other  publications,  will  become  estab- 
lished. It  should  he  'mat.'  of  course.  The  incorrect 
spelling  will  make  confusion  with  the  metallurgical 
'matte'  that  goes  to  a  converter. 

TITVOMINi;  is  the  only  western  slate  that  is  not  im- 

"     portant    in    metal    mining.      Comprising   an    area 

larger  than  Utah,  and  surrounded  on  every  side  by  great 

mining  regions,  its  mineral  production  is  confined  to  oil 


and  coal,  except  for  relatively  small  contributions  of  cop- 
per and  gold.  175  tons  of  copper  and  672  ounces  of  gold 
in  1915.  A  new  industry  is  the  mining  of  sulphur  near 
Cody  in  the  north-western  part  of  State,  not  far  from 
the  Yellowstone  National  Park.  The  Midwest  Sulphur 
Company  is  working  open-cuts  made  by  removing  the 
shallow  overburden  of  gypsum.  The  mixed  rock  under- 
neath is  said  to  average  35%  sulphur  in  places  where 
vents  have  allowed  the  sulphurous  gas  to  escape.  The 
rock  is  broken  to  6-inch  size,  loaded  in  small  perforated 
iron  cars,  three  of  which  are  placed  in  a  closed  retort, 
where  steam  melts  the  sulphur  in  four  hours.  The  sul- 
phur is  drawn  from  the  bottom  of  the  retort,  is  cooled, 
ground,  and  packed  in  100-lb.  sacks.  The  refined  sul- 
phur is  shipped  to  paper-mills,  sugar-factories,  druggists, 
and  to  ranchers  that  use  it  to  spray  crops  or  live-stock. 
The  price  is  high  at  this  time,  being  $30  to  $35  per  ton. 
Western  sulphur  has  to  compete  with  the  product  from 
Sicily.  Japan.  Louisiana,  and  Texas. 

A  RIZONA  is  the  premier  copper  State,  not  only  in 
-^*-  yearly  production  but  in  number  of  large  mines. 
We  note  that  the  tax  commission  of  the  State  has  raised 
the  valuation  of  mines  by  $54,705,910.  of  which  $19,000,- 
000  is  (he  increase  on  the  Inspiration.  The  total  valua- 
tion of  Arizona's  producing  mines  is  given  at  $172,731,- 
913.  The  Copper  Queen  Company  is  assessed  for  $36,- 
159,300,  the  Inspiration  for  $20,400,897,  and  the  Ray 
Consolidated  for  $15,568,782.  The  Calumet  &  Arizona 
company  is  assessed  for  $25,248,003,  which  includes  the 
New  Cornelia  mine  at  Ajo,  and  is  second  only  to  the 
Copper  Queen,  being  more  than  double  Miami's  $11,- 
406,804.  Among  other  well-known  mines,  the  United 
Verdi-  is  assessed  for  $20,687,011.  the  United  Verde  Ex- 
tension for  $5,360,281,  the  Shattuck-Arizona  for  $5,229,- 
400,  the  Old  Dominion  for  $4,487,153.  with  the  affiliated 
United  Globe  at  $4,353,936,  the  Arizona  Copper  for  $10,- 
362.469.  the  Detroit  for  $4,394,775.  and  the  Shannon 
for  $1,020,797.  In  proportion  to  the  amount  of  atten- 
tion they  have  drawn,  the  gold  mines  of  Mohave  county 
seem  small  compared  with  the  copper  mines.  The  Tom 
Reed  has  the  largest  assessment.  $2,053,270.  and  the  Gold 
Road  $318,998.  The  National  Tungsten  Co.  in  Pima 
county  is  assessed  at  $278,500. 

Mining   Dividends 

The  prosperity  of  the  mining  industry  is  indicated 
by  the  large  dividends  paid  during  the  first  half  of 
1916.  Contrary  to  what  might  be  supposed,  the  Ana- 
conda did  not  pay  the  greatest  amount,  but  ranked 
below  several  others,  including  the  Utah  Copper.  This 
company  distributed  $8,934,695,  while  Anaconda  paid 
$6,993,750;  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Anaconda  is 
producing  copper  from  its  Butte  mines  at  the  rate  of 
165,000  tons  per  year  as  compared  with  the  100,000  tons 
of  the  Utah  mine.  Incidentally.  Anaconda's  July  divi- 
dend has  been  postponed  to  August.  The  first  place  as  a 
dividend-payer  is  held  by  a  zinc-producer,  the  New  Jersey 


Aufrual  26,   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


899 


Zinc  Company,  whioh  paid  the  tremendom  total  ol 
200,000  Another  aotable  sine  mine,  the  Butte  &  Super- 
ior, paid  $5,862,993  in  the  tu  months.  Phelpa  Dodge  & 
Co,  which  i»  a  holding  company,  paid  (5,400,000.  Iv  a 
uecott,  another  holding  company,  paid  $7,000,000;  and 
the  Quggenheim  Exploration  paid  $10,713,456.  In  Mich- 
igan, the  Champion  mine  on  the  South  Range  axi ded 

the  Calumet  &  Beda,  paying  $3,720,000  to  the  latter 'a 
$3,000,000  Among  other  noteworthy  coppar-mining 
companies,  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  paid  $2,565,676;  the 
Minim  paid  $2,054,563;  the  Nevada  Consolidated  $2,500,- 
000;  t ti.-  United  Verde  $1,395,000.  Among  precious 
metal  mines,  the  Hollinger  at  Porcupine  paid  $720,000 

and  the  Dome  $400,000.    The  II" stake  paid  $979,524; 

Kerr  Lake,  $300,000;  Nipissing,  $600,000;  the  North 
star.  $100,000;  Santa  Qertrudis,  a  Mexican  mine  paid 
$364,500;  Seneca  Superior,  which  has  completed  its  ca- 

i r,  paid  $335,219;  Tonopah  Belmont,  $562,500;  Tono- 

pah  Mining  Company,  $300,000;  Tough  Oakes,  $132,875; 
Viikon  Gold,  $525,000.  In  the  Coeur  d'Alene,  the  Her- 
cules  Mining  Company  surpassed  the  Bunker  Hill  & 
Sullivan,  paying  $1,450,000,  which  exceeds  its  issued 
capital,  tu  $827,500  of  the  Hunker  inn  company,  while 
the  Interstate! 'allahan,  a  zinc  mine  in  the  same  region, 
paid  $1,394,970.  A  Californian  quicksilver  operator. 
the  Ne«  lilria.  paid  $200,000,  which  is  40' ;  on  its  issued 
capital  of  .*.">oo.OOO.  The  International  Nickel  Corpora- 
tion had  a  prosperous  half-year,  paying  $5,705,876. 
Among  the  less  fortunate  companies  is  Goldfield  Con- 
solidated,  which  paid  $300,000  in  1915  but  is  temporarily 
off  the  list.  So  also  the  Tennessee  Copper  Company 
passed  its  regular  July  dividend,  as  did  also  Utah  Con- 
solidated. The  Engels  Copper  Company,  on  the  other 
hand,  paid  an  initial  dividend  of  11  cents.  All  told,  1915 
will  lie  much  surpassed  by  1916,  as  the  dividends  for  the 
first  six  months  already  exceed  those  for  the  entire  pre- 
vious year. 

Labor  Unrest 


Labor  troubles  are  more  acute  this  season  than  usual. 
Great  uneasiness  is  felt  throughout  the  United  States 
at  the  deadlock  now  existing  between  the  railroads 
and  four  sections  of  their  employees.  The  train- 
bands are  demanding  an  eight-hour  day  with  certain 
excess  pay  for  overtime.  These  demands,  according  to 
the  managements,  are  practically  impossible  to  grant, 
but  they  have  offered  arbitration,  which  the  employees 
have  declined.  The  President  has  taken  a  hand  in  the 
fray  and  has  called  a  series  of  conferences  at  Wash- 
ington between  the  parties  involved.  At  present  writ- 
ing practically  nothing  has  been  accomplished,  both 
sides  apparently  remaining  firm  in  their  original  posi- 
tions. In  case  of  a  strike,  the  onus  will  be  clearly  upon 
the  train-men,  who,  by  reason  of  their  refusal  to  arbitrate 
their  differences,  are  arrogating  to  themselves  an  arbi- 
trary power  that  will  bring  down  upon  them  the  full 
weight  of  popular  condemnation.  While  it  is  undoubt- 
edly true  that,  during  the  present  high  tide  of  industrial 


prosperity,  the  railroad  net  earnings  have  I n  large,  the 

lean  years  that  have  gone  before  should  not  lie  forgotten. 

urn-  should  a  possibility  of  further  lean  years  lie  over 
looked,  It  is  i"  lie  hoped  that  a  reasonable  middle 
ground  «dl  he  found,  whereby  some  profit  sharing 
plan  will  I..-  developed  and  this  constant  agitation  he 
avoided.  Copper-mining  companies  employ  a  wage 
scale  that  fluctuates  with  tin-  price  of  copper.    Why  not 

apply  this  principle  to  railroad  operation,  adopting  a 
minimum  as  a  basis,  and  a  bonus  depending  upon  the  ml 

earnings.'  The  tie-up  of  the  transportation  facilities  of 
this  country  would  paralyze  all  industries.  We  hope 
that  the  President  will  justify  his  tenure  of  the  high 
est  office  by  averting  so  great  a  disaster.  Mining 
would  in1  greatly  affected  by  an  interruption  to  traffic, 
as  this  industry  supplies  55%  of  the  total  of  over  a 
billion  tons  of  freight  hauled  annually,  and  contributes 
37%  of  the  railroads'  earnings,  We  note  in  a  recent  re- 
port of  the  American  Railway  Association  that  the  net 
surplus  of  freight-cars  on  August  1  was  10,616,  com- 
pared with  264.2411  a  year  ago,  showing  greatly  improved 
business  of  the  railroads  of  the  country. 


Th&   ^ff'Ba'flwsllil   ^©aasolMaii&Qn 

On  another  page  we  publish  an  abstract  from  the  re- 
port, just  completed,  on  the  consolidation  of  the  three 
companies  operating  on  Douglas  island,  Alaska.  We 
have  reproduced  the  larger  part  of  the  report  because 
we  know  that  it  will  be  found  interesting  on  account  of 
its  subject  and  the  reputation  of  the  engineers  by  whom 
it  is  signed.  Indeed,  the  shareholders  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated in  obtaining  such  good  advice.  Mr.  H.  C. 
Perkins,  as  an  associate  of  Hamilton  Smith,  visited  the 
Treadwell  mine  in  1889  and  since  then  has  had  a  world- 
wide experience.  Mr.  Henuen  Jennings  had  been  engi- 
neer to  the  largest  gold-mining  operations  in  the  world, 
on  the  Rand,  and,  like  his  senior  colleague,  has  won  a 
reputation  for  sincerity  and  sagacity  that  is  unequalled. 
Mr.  F.  W.  Bradley  has  been  16  years  in  the  service  of 
the  three  Treadwell  companies  as  engineer  and  managing 
director,  although  his  official  title  is  president ;  he  has 
also  been  in  charge  of  other  big  mines  in  the  West  and 
is  regarded  as  a  man  whose  ability  matches  his  probity. 
Therefore  the  report  is  a  valuable  document.  It  deals 
with  a  serious  problem ;  nothing  less  than  the  choice  be- 
tween abandoning  vertical  development  or  spending 
further  capital  in  deeper  exploration.  The  Treadwell 
mines  have  been  doing  poorly  during  the  last  three 
years,  particularly  the  parent  property.  While  so 
many  million  tons  of  ore  have  been  blocked-out,  the  bot- 
tom levels  are  so  poor  that  the  proportion  sent  from  the 
lower  workings  since  1912  has  ranged  only  1|%  of  the 
total  mill-supply.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  Mexican  and 
Alaska  United  companies  have  been  operated  at  a  loss 
during  the  first  five  months  of  the  current  year,  and  we 
understand  that  390  stamps,  out  of  960  on  the  three 
properties,  had  stopped  dropping  on  August  1.  The 
yield  of  the  parent  mine  has  declined  from  $2.60  in  1914 


300 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  -Jti.  1916 


to  $1.66  in  1916.  .Meanwhile  the  cost  has  risen  from 
$1.08  tn  $1.32  per  ton.  Moreover  the  caved  condition  of 
portions  of  this  group  of  mines  threatens  the  loss  of  a 
considerable  part  of  tin-  ore  reserves.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  while  (lie  total  of  ore  blocked-out  is  placed  at  over 
15,000,000  tons,  only  7,000,000  is  considered  by  Mr.  K. 
<i.  Wayland,  the  general  superintendent,  as  reasonably 
sure  of  salvage.  A  big  crack  has  been  made  through  the 
main  ore-bearing  ground,  endangering  the  availability  of 
large  blocks  and  compelling  great  care  in  the  further  ex- 
traction of  ore.  Therefore  the  committee  of  appraisal 
faced  the  most  serious  problem  that  confronts  the  engi- 
neer of  mines:  to  go  deeper  or  to  quit.  The  reply  to  the 
question  has  been  answered  firmly  and  we  believe  saga- 
ciously. The  history  of  this  group  of  mines,  and  the 
splendid  production  made  by  them,  forbids  a  hasty 
abandonment  of  hope;  on  the  contrary,  the  facts  "make 
it  imperative  that  all  these  mines  should  be  explored 
and  proved  must  exhaustively  in  depth,"  so  says  the  re- 
port. But.  in  order  to  do  this  economically  it  is  neces- 
sary that  the  three  companies  be  consolidated,  join 
forces,  and  unite  in  a  comprehensive  scheme  of  explora- 
tion, the  result  lit'  which  will  accrue  to  the  benefit  of  the 
consolidated  property. 

A  Glimpse  of  South  Africa 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  us  to  publish,  as  it  will  be  to 
mi i-  subscribers  to  read,  the  article  on  South  Africa  by 
Mr.  II.  Foster  Bain,  who  is  now  editor  of  The  Mining 
Magazine  in  London.  Mr.  Bain  has  just  returned  from 
a  comprehensive  journey  of  observation  in  South  Africa, 
his  travels  having  included  not  only  the  Cape  Colony 
and  the  Transvaal,  hut  also  Rhodesia  and  the  adjacent 
part  of  the  Congo  territory.  Writing  as  an  American, 
and  transmitting  to  us  the  impressions  formed  during 
his  first  acquaintance  with  regions  peculiarly  interest- 
ing to  mining  men.  he  dwells  chiefly  on  the  human  side 
of  the  mining  industry.  In  the  easy  and  agreeable  style 
familiar  to  our  readers  he  gives  them  vivid  glimpses  of 
the  contact  between  the  white  man  and  the  dark  races 
of  the  interior,  of  the  impact  between  our  complex  civil- 
ization and  the  simple  ways  of  living  characteristic  of  the 
indigenous  population.  But  before  he  warms  to  his 
subject,  we  are  given  some  necessary  information  con- 
cerning the  political  geography  of  what  was  formerly 
the  Dark  Continent  of  the  days  when  Livingstone  and 
Stanley  stalked  across  our  school-boy  maps  and  blazed 
the  trail  of  later  knowledge.  What  most  of  us  do  not 
know  about  Africa  is  well  worth  knowing,  and  we  ven- 
ture to  digress  a  moment  to  say  that  the  War  has  ex- 
posed vast  lacunae  of  misinformation  in  regard  to  con- 
tinental areas  even  nearer  home  than  Africa.  Our 
State  universities  would  further  *he  education  of  youth — 
and  even  of  our  adult  population — by  establishing  chairs 
of  political  geography,  so  that  the  average  man  might 
acquire  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  bigger  world  outside 
our  borders.  That  is  one  reason  why  Mr.  Bain's  cheery 
effort  to  enlighten  us  will  be  keenly  appreciated.     We 


like  the  emphasis  on  the  home-like  features  of  the 
country.  The  great  gift  of  the  miner  to  man  has  been 
not  so  much  the  production  of  metals  as  the  opening  up 
of  new  tracts  suitable  for  the  building  of  human  nests, 
of  places  in  which  to  work  and  to  live,  fresh  opportunity 
and  a  new  home.  To  the  traveler  the  discovery  that  a 
name  on  the  map  is  a  human  habitation  is  a  surprise  that 
no  repetition  can  stale.  By  the  time  a  man  has  been  to  a 
lew  corners  of  the  earth  and  come  back  from  them  with 
recollections  of  homes  and  children,  manly  effort  and 
womanly  kindness,  he  begins  to  realize  whal  the  world  is 
and  how  small  a  part  of  it  his  own  bailiwick  forms.  That 
is  the  idea  conveyed  in  a  charming  manner  by  Mr.  Bain. 
He  finds  one  part  of  South  Africa  not  so  unlike  Cali- 
fornia, another  recalls  Colorado,  a  third  suggests  the  up- 
lands of  southern  Missouri.  The  chief  difference  is  in 
the  human  element ;  the  dominant  factor  is  a  large  Supply 
uf  cheap  black  labor.  The  economic  value  of  the  Kaffir  is 
obvious,  but.  as  Mr.  Bain  suggests,  the  general  depend- 
ence of  the  white  man  upon  the  native  for  all  manual 
labor  is  injurious  to  the  moral  fibre  of  the  superior  race. 
In  one  of  his  books  H.  G.  Wells  suggests  that  no  man 
should  go  about  with  the  marks  of  another  man's  toil 
on  his  person,  for  instance,  a  shoe-shine.  To  the  author 
of  I'uni)  Bungay'  the  mansion  that  can  boast  three 
butlers  is  an  absurdity.  Undoubtedly  the  multitudinous 
retainers  of  an  ancient  civilization  in  Europe  and  the 
mob  of  black  boys  at  the  call  of  a  mine  manager  in  Africa 
are  equally  suggestive  of  a  waste  of  labor,  that  is,  the 
employment  of  men  in  unproductive  tasks.  Such  condi- 
tions react  on  the  employer,  rendering  him  slothful  and 
eventually  ineffective.  Mr.  Bain's  remarks  on  the  in- 
efficiency of  both  the  white  and  the  black  labor  on  the 
Rand  and  in  Rhodesia  are  most  interesting.  He  explains 
some  of  the  reasons  for  the  unsatisfactory  conditions. 
The  over-supply  of  Kaffirs  and  the  squandering  of  this 
economic  resource  is  described  in  moderated  language 
but  none  the  less  vividly  by  our  observant  friend.  Here 
surely  is  something  to  which  the  Union  Government 
should  give  serious  attention,  for  South  Africa  is  wast- 
ing its  patrimony.  Next  Mr.  Bain  touches  upon  the 
racial  problems  arising  from  the  relation  of  the  horde  of 
black  natives  to  the  small  white  communities,  the  rela- 
tion of  the  Dutch  to  the  British,  and  the  more  recent 
difficulties  made  by  the  East  Indians,  whose  incursion 
into  Natal  reminds  him  of  the  trouble  caused  by  the 
Japanese  in  California.  There,  as  here,  the  conflict  of 
races  is  not  only  a  political  but  an  economic  factor  that 
must  be  taken  into  account  by  those  engaged  in  business. 
However,  Mr.  Bain  concludes  on  a  note  of  friendly 
optimism  and  tells  the  adventurous  that  South  Africa  is 
a  land  rich  in  opportunity,  as  in  sunshine,  Kaffirs,  and 
menagerie  beasts.  We  feel  assured  that  those  who  read 
Mr.  Bain's  article  will  have  glimpsed  a  fascinating  land 
and  that  they  will  join  us  in  the  hope  that  the  gastro- 
nomic items  mentioned  by  him.  incidentally,  will  have 
had  a  beneficent  effect  on  his  health,  for  the  readers  of 
this  paper,  we  know,  wish  him  good  health  and  happiness 
always. 


August  86,   1916 


MINING  .,nd  Scientific  PRKSS 


An   American's   Impressions  of  South  Africa 


By     H.     Foster     Bala 


IT  is  .i  most  unuaual  visitor  who  does  qo!  land  al 
Capetown  with  bia  bead  lull  of  misinformation  about 
Africa.  Despite  well-meaning  efforts  on  the  part  of 
fellow-passengers,  the  handicap  of  past  reading  is  nol 
to  be  overcome  even  in  1 1  > « -  17  days'  voyage  from 
London.  Most  of  us  began  our  atudiee  of  Africa  by  the 
aid  "i"  those  thin  fiat  books  of  generous  width  of  page 
opon  which  we  were  wont  to  stark  our  readers  and 
arithmetics  when  the  inevitable  day  came  that  'school 
took  up  again.'  In  su.-li  hunks  Africa  was  a  large  blotch 
of  variegated  color.    Within  iis  limits  a  few  lakes  were 

placed,  though  well  toward  tin ntre  and  fairly  Becure 

from  accurate  observation.  Over  its  surf  ace  a  few  rivers 
found  their  uncertain  way.  and  <  aim.  Timbuctoo,  and 
Capetown  were  given  equal  and  impartial  prominence. 
Political  boundaries  were  almost  as  indefinitely  traced 
as  the  rivers,  anil  there  are  geographies  still  in  use  in 
which  the  South  African  republic  maintains  its  inde- 
pendence, for  a  fact  must  be  mature  indeed  to  find  its 
way  into  some  text-books.  On  this  meagre  foundation 
we  added  a  reading  of  Rider  Haggard  and  Stanley,  both 
informing  and  stimulating  hut  neither  exactly  descrip- 
tive of  Africa  as  it  exists  today.  Perhaps,  too.  our 
youthful  impressions  were  colored  by  the  talcs  of  some 
returned — I  almost  said  'reformed' — missionary,  who 
dilated  upon  the  trials  and  tribulations  of  work  among 
the  heathen'  in  'the  heart  of  the  great  hlack  continent.' 
Sow  often  that  resounding  phrase  has  been  made  to  do 
duty.  Almost  certainly  our  imaginations  were  fired  by 
the  tales  of  the  big-game  hunter,  who  artfully  leads  one 
to  infer  that  from  the  Cape  to  Cairo  is  one  unending 
Hagenbeck  domain,  minus  the  bars  and  keepers.  One 
comes  to  associate  'elephant  guns' — whatever  they  may 
be — with  Africa  as  closely  as  bread  with  butter,  and 
finally  reaches  a  mental  state  when  it  is  almost  as  un- 
thinkable to  start  for  that  country  without  fire-arms  as 
to  attempt  a  ramble  through  rural  England  without  a 
walking-stick. 

It  is  on  such  a  background  that  most  of  us  have  pro- 
jected our  later  information  about  Africa.  The  period  of 
company  reports  ushered  in  by  the  coming  of  the  Rand, 
gave,  it  is  true,  a  deluge  of  facts  but  without  any  ade- 
quate increase  in  information.  Even  when  our  data  are 
correct  they  are  more  apt  than  not  to  be  wrongly  as- 
sembled and  correlated.  To  one  who  has  never  been  on 
the  Rand.  'Randfontein'  and  'Reitfontein'  sound  much 
alike,  and  unless  he  reads  with  always  a  map  before  him, 
which  few  are  careful  to  do,  facts  get  curiously  tied  up 
with  the  wrong  property.  Several  thousand  miles  away 
it  is  difficult  to  realize  that  two  properties  which  sound 
so  much  alike  lie  really  as  far  apart  as  Cripple  Creek  and 
Colorado  Springs,  and  that  while  of  the  same  general 


type,  they  mv  as  unlike  as  the  Dome  mine  is  from  that  at 
rlirkland  Lake,    The  resemblances  between  Shaba  and 

Shamva  have  als ialed  many  a  careless  reader  who 

knows  nothing  at  first-hand  of  dista a  in  Africa.    It 

is  worth  while  t<>  journey  from  London  to  South  Africa 
ami  back  if  only  to  I nnc  mentally  oriented  in  such 

matters;  it  is  much  more  worth  while  for  any  mining 
man   who   has  a   broad   interest    in    his   profession   and   a 

keen  human  interest  in  the  problems  of  a  growing  democ- 
racy. His  visit  will  l> le  continuous  scries  of  stimulat- 
ing experiences,  and  a  not   inconsiderable  part  of  his 

tunc  will  be  devoted  to  being  set  right  as  tu  things  lie 
had  got  wrong. 

It  is  a  trait  of  human  nature  to  dwell  on  the  unusual. 
It  lias  been  largely  owing  lo  this  that  progress  has  been 
made,  for  it  has  been  by  picking  out  the  exceptional  and 
so  devising  as  to  make-  it  the  ordinary,  that  better  con- 
ditions have  been  made  general.  Commendable  as  this 
is,  there  are  limits  to  the  usefulness  of  the  process.  Most 
of  those  who  have  written  of  Africa  have  devoted  major 
time  and  space  to  the  things  which  in  actual  life  in  that 
country  are  really  out  of  the  ordinary.  Lions  and  can- 
nibals have  been  the  stock  properties  of  the  writers.  One 
may  freely  admit  that  to  him  who  goes  venturing,  ad- 
ventures fall,  but,  armed  with  a  vivid  imagination  and  a 
Cook's  ticket,  one  may  experience  thrills  in  any  land. 
An  experiencing  nature  has  experiences,  while  the  ordi- 
nary citizen  lives  an  ordinary  life,  in  Africa  as  in  Britain 
or  America,  and  the  bulk  of  the  men  and  women  one 
meets  are  ordinary  citizens.  I  should  not  argue  strongly 
from  the  limited  experience  of  a  short  trip  but,  traveling 
over  8000  miles  in  Africa  by  all  sorts  of  conveyances,  and 
over  high,  low,  and  middle  veldt,  I  never  saw  or  heard  a 
lion.  This  might  not  mean  much,  since  I  certainly  was 
near  them  at  times,  but  repeatedly  friends  of  twenty 
years  of  more  varied  experience  in  the  country  assured 
me  that  their  only  sight  of  lions  had  been  at  the  Zoo  in 
Regent's  Park.  As  for  cannibals,  one  needs  only  to  see 
the  native's  devotion  to  'mealies'  to  feel  confident  that 
whatever  may  have  been  true  in  the  past  'long  pig'  is 
by  no  means  now  a  regular  article  of  diet.  Indeed  the 
strongest  and  most  lasting  impression  brought  back 
from  South  Africa  is  of  its  likeness  to  other  countries, 
and  its  entire  liveableness.  It  is  a  country  of  homes — 
a  country  where  men  and  women  just  such  as  you  and  I 
and  our  wives  have  their  homesteads  or  bungalows, 
where  children  are  born,  grow  up,  go  to  school,  and  be- 
come in  time  men  and  women,  with  never  a  thought  that 
they  are  temporary  exiles  from  some  more  favored 
country.  The  South  African  loves  his  country  and  is 
proud  of  it,  with  a  jealous  and  well  justified  pride.  He 
resents  it  being  considered  one  of  the  ends  of  the  earth 


302 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


August  26.  lftl  fi 


where  one  may  go  to  amass  a  fortune,  bat  where  no  one 
not  obliged  to  da  SO  would  think  of  remaining,  and  to 
one  who  has  lived  in  other  pioneer  countries  and  comes 
by  his  liking  lor  them  naturally,  this  feeling  seems  the 
only  possible  one.  It  is  only  city  dwellers  who  would 
be  lost  in  any  country,  or  those  bnpeleflsly  ontransplant- 
able  people  to  whom  no  place  is  ever  like  the  old  one, 
who  find  Africa  unthinkable  as  a  home.  To  a  man  with 
any  ordinary  degree  of  adaptability  or  any  usual  ability 
to  assimilate,  the  new  country  offers  a  bewildering 
variety  of  stimuli  and  impressions  out  of  which  to  build 
a  life  that  can  never  stagnate. 

It  is  an  old  saying  thai  every  farmer  thinks  life  would 
be  easy  if  he  only  had  a  gold  mine,  while  every  gold- 
miner  looks  forward  to  spending  his  declining  years  on  a 
farm  where,  either  with  pigs  and  alfalfa,  chickens  or 
oranges,  he  has  nothing  to  do  but  eat,  sleep,  and  rest  from 
his  exertions,  while  nature  provides.  California  has  an 
enviable  reputation  among  mining-men  as  the  fairyland 
to  which  all  good  engineers  are  translated  in  this  life 
whatever  may  be  their  chances  in  the  life  to  come,  but  as 
I  visited  the  *'apc  anil  drove  from  sea-point  to  Hout 
Hay.  over  to  Muizenbcrg,  and  back  along  the  high  road  to 
the  Mt.  Nelson  hotel.  I  wondered  whether  California  has 
not  an  unsuspected  rival.  There  is  the  same  panorama  of 
sea.  mountain,  and  sky.  the  same  bewildering  variety  of 
flowers,  the  same  beautiful  smooth  roads  shaded  by  long 
rows  of  tall  trees  which  meet  in  an  archway  overhead, 
and  the  same  Beries  of  charming  little  houses  inter- 
spersed with  the  more  pretentious  places  of  those  of 
greater  wealth.  For  the  Mexican  missions,  the  old  Dutch 
homesteads  afford  a  substitute,  and  Eor  the  Chinese  and 
Japanese,  there  are  the  Bast   Indians  and  the  'colored 

people'  in  every  shade  and  hue,  as  well  as  in  every  color 
and  cut  of  garment.  Life  must  be  interesting  when  there 
is  so  much  of  contrast  and  comfort  and.  on  extending  my 
journey  to  other  old  settled  parts  of  the  Cape,  the  con- 
viction grew  that  here  is  a  place  in  which  a  man  might 
settle  down  and  take  his  case  in  comfort.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  many  other  parts  of  the  country.  Johannes- 
burg is  much  such  a  city  as  Denver;  and  Bulawayo,  with 
its  wide  wind-swept  streets  and  constant  talk  of  cattle. 
is  reminiscent  of  Cheyenne.  The  Katanga  is  to  most 
people  a  far-off  country  of  hard  living  conditions  where 
amid  'geological  nightmares'  a  few  pig-headed  people 
are  attempting  with   no  skill   and   little  information   to 

mak pper.     Actually,   it   is  a  replica  of  the  Ozark 

country  in  which  the  wealthy  citizens  of  St.  Louis  and 
■  it  her  knowing  ones  have  built  summer  houses.  The 
geology  proves  to  be  unusual  only  in  the  great  size  and 
richness  of  the  orebodies.  and  the  supposed  pig-headed 
ones  are  well-trained  engineers  who  are  conducting  high- 
ly-skilled technical  operations  under  conditions  that  are 
a  bit  trying  for  the  present,  it  is  true,  but  which  they  are 

n ting  with  eminent  success.     Riding  in  a  comfortable 

automobile  to  a  tennis  tournament,  or  sipping  tea  with 
your  hostess  in  a  big  comfortable  living-room,  it  seems 
a  minor  matter  that  a  leopard  last  night  carried  off  the 
pet  dog  of  the  assistant-manager  from  before  his  very 


<yes.  Such  things  do  happen,  but  they  do  not  interfere 
with  the  general  smooth  and  even  course  of  a  pleasant 
existence.  It  is  this  general  liveableness  and  likeableness 
of  the  country  that  one  must  get  fixed  in  the  background 
of  his  mind  if  he  would  correct  the  false  impressions  of 
the  past. 

The  second  point  that  is  quickly  borne  in  on  the 
visitor  is  that  the  average  standard  of  comfort  in  South 
Africa  is  high,  at  least  around  the  mines.  In  current 
phrase  they  'do  themselves  well.'  It  is  not  merely  that 
in  Johannesburg  even  the  shift-bosses  have  high-powered 
autos  and  the  miners  are  the  chief  supporters  of  racing, 
hut  the  average  scale  of  white  man's  living  is  much  above 
that  in  England  and  most  parts  of  America,  as  proved  by 
the  figures  of  the  Economic  Commission.  The  houses,  it 
is  true,  are  small  and  simple,  for  building-materials  are 
expensive.  They  are  neither  so  large  as  in  England  nor 
so  convenient  as  in  America,  hut  they  are  sufficient  for  an 
out-door  country  and  they  are  surprisingly  comfortable. 
Even  a  galvanized  iron  tank  with  a  thatched  roof  and  a 
cement  Hour  makes  over  into  a  delightful  room,  one  well 
adapted  to  the  special  conditions  of  the  country.  Food 
is  varied  and  abundant.    For  a  while  at  least  I  got  away 

from  tic  steady  sm ssion  of  boiled  Cabbage  and  potatoes 

that  marks  the  too  common  limit  of  incursions  into  the 
vegetable  kingdom  in  England  in  war-time.  In  South 
Africa  peas  and  other  vegetables  are  regarded  as  articles 
of  food  and  despite  the  fact  that  'mealies'  (the  local 
name  for  corn)  is  regarded  as  Kaffir  food.  I  did  at  rare 
intervals  taste  roasted  ears.  All  this  wandering  into  un- 
t ravelled  gastronomic  fields  is  possible,  too.  without  get- 
ting out  of  reach  of  the  roast  beef  which  binds  the 
Kiiipirc  together  or  missing  the  bacon  and  eggs  on  which 
the  sun  never  sets.  South  Africa  does  not  yet  raise  all 
the  food  it  requires,  but.  enjoying  as  it  does  a  large  in- 
come, it  imports  liberally  anything  lacking  and  even 
the  most  persistent  of  thin  men  visiting  the  country 
takes  on  flesh  and  fills  out  his  gaunt  frame. 

The  secret  of  comfort  in  South  Africa,  as  also  the 
heart  of  many  other  things  peculiar  to  the  land,  is  the 
presence  of  enormous  numbers  of  black  men.  Untrained 
and  ignorant  of  our  ways  as  they  are,  they  are  so  numer- 
ous that  none  are  too  poor  to  have  at  least  one  servant, 
and  in  most  homes  the  head  of  the  house  is  surrounded. 
like  :i  chief  of  old,  by  a  very  cloud  of  men  at  hand  to  do 
his  bidding.  "Let  the  boy  do  it"  is  about  the  first 
phrase  in  South  Africa  that  a  visitor  hears,  and  'the 
boy'  is  so  numerous,  so  patient,  and  so  willing,  that  the 
white  man  soon  gets  out  of  the  way  of  doing  anything 
that  requires  mere  labor.  "The  white  man."  the  boy 
says,  "works  with  his  finger."  meaning  thereby  that  he 
points  out  merely  what  some  other  person  must  do. 
While  this  does  not  tell  the  whole  story,  it  still  is  largely 
true  and  in  South  Africa  white  men  achieve  comfort 
with  less  hard  labor  than  in  any  country  that  I  know. 
This  mere  physical  comfort  of  living  is  the  second  point 
that  impresses  the  visitor  after  he  overcomes  the  first 
feeling  of  repugnance  to  having  everything  done  for  him. 
It  may  all  be  very  wrong  and  demoralizing  to  both  white 


IS116 


MINIM.  .,..d  Scientific   I'KI  SS 


ami  black    .ui.l  it  may    nay   pinhahU    do«S,  involve  much 

patting  up  with  things  poorl]  done,  but  il  certainly  is 
ifortal 

>  abundam  lerrice  brings  in  mind  tha 

third  impreaaion,  and  it  is  not  so  pleasant  li  is  thai  of 
the  waate  in  labor.  Everywhere  1  heard  of  the  scarcity 
of  labor,  everywhere  1  saw  tin.  waate  ami  inefficiency  of 
thai  which  «as  employed.  There  is  some  attempt  to 
economize  in  tin-  nnmber  of  white  workers,  though  even 

strong  white  moii  an-  employed  to  do  what  would 
be  black  man'a  work  elsewhere  or  at  leasl  tin-  work  of 
boys,  bal  there  is  nol  Bofficienl  effort  to  see  thai  the  white 
man  is  efficiently  used,  His  tun.,  is  wasted  ami  he  is 
allowed  to  become  slothful,  waiting  while  'the  boy'  does 
something  he  ooold  •!"  more  quickly  hiimmlf  The  in- 
efficiency of thi'  white  labor  of  South  Africa  is  something 


^^7aaVf^B  /  ^^sV  ^^al  '*  ^■"■™5 

Sir    ^Wllrp.  ^^3S^^^~  >  »•• 


I  \   A    SATIVE  COMPOUND. 

that  must  strike  every  visitor  familial-  with  what  white 
nun  ran  ami  do  accomplish  elsewhere.  Even  more 
appalling  is  the  waste  of  black  labor.  Here  it  is  not  only 
that  it  is  insufficiently  trained,  and  for  that  there  are 
many  excellent  reasons,  but  very  little  effort  is  made  to 
economize  in  the  number  of  boys  used.  At  the  time  of 
my  visit  conditions  were  a  trifle  exceptional  in  that  poor 
crops  had  driven  an  unusual  number  of  boys  to  the 
mines  and,  the  diamond  mines  being  closed  except  for 
surface  work,  the  gold  mines  had  more  than  their  normal 
complement.  It  is  one  of  the  anomalies  of  the  situation 
that  practically  a  mine  manager  must  find  work  for  all 
the  boys  applying;  otherwise  the  flow  of  new  boys  being 
checked,  the  mine  will  suffer  later.  Therefore,  work 
was  being  made  for  boys  on  all  sides.  And  in  other  parts 
of  the  country  and  in  other  industries  where  different 
conditions  obtained,  the  same  over-abundance  of  labor 
was  to  be  observed.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  an 
underground  station  where  there  were  not  several  black 
boys  waiting,  and  repeatedly  it  could  be  noticed  that 
when  a  task  was  finished  no  provision  had  been  made  in 
advance  for  moving  the  men  at  once  to  something  else. 
This  abundance  of  'boys'  leads  white  men  as  well  as 


black  into  had  habits  Repeatedly  on  entering  ■< 
the  manager,  mine  captain,  or  whoever  was  guidi 
his  personal  black  attendant  around  to  stop  all  ii 
chines  so  thai  conversation  might  l»-  more  easilj   eon 

ducted.    If  il nversation  proved  long  ami  we  all  sat 

round  and  discussed  mailers  lo  a  eomhiMon.  all  Hie  ma 

chines  stood  idle  ami  the  boys  waited,  li  was  a  courtesy 
to  the  visitor  ami  I  would  not  want  to  seem  ungrateful, 
hut  it  did  interrupt  the  work,  ami  ii  at  least  seemed  to 
he  customary.  There  is  nol  the  drive  to  the  work  to 
which  one  is  accustomed  elsewhere  and  a  readiness  to 
accept  excuses  exists  that  seems  appalling,  li  must  be 
realized  thai  working  with  raw  savages  many  of  whom 


PBOSrECTINQ  IN  RHODESIA. 

never  saw  a  white  man  five  years  before  and  almost  none 
of  whom  have  any  comprehension  of,  or  interest  in,  his 
task,  is  a  different  matter  from  directing  highly  skilled 
white  labor.  It  is  also  true  that  when  the  average  term 
of  black  man's  service  is  eight  months,  and  a  discourag- 
ing number  of  white  miners  drift  along  the  'reef  looking 
for  a  'snap'  and  working  but  a  month  at  a  time  in  one 
property,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  build  up  a  real  or- 
ganization, still  it  seems  not  unfair  to  say  that  too  many 
merely  take  the  easy  way  and  pile  more  'boys'  on  the 
work,  thereby  helping  to  perpetuate  bad  conditions  and 
ruining  natives  who  might  become  good  workmen.  This 
unsatisfactory  condition  of  the  labor  situation  is  one  of 
the  phases  of  wrork  in  South  Africa  that  is  forced  over 
and  over  upon  one's  attention. 

Race  problems  are  the  outstanding  feature  of  South 
African  life.    To  one  who  has  always  lived  in  a  country 


304 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


where  your  fellow-citizens,  it'  they  ao  dot  agree  with 
you — and  generally  they  don't — al  least  think  by  the 
es,  are  influenced  by  tin-  same  ideals, 
and  actuated  by  the  same  general  purposes  as  yourself, 
African  life  is  a  puzzle.  Having  always  thought 
in  certain  ways  yourself  and  lived  with  people  who  ac- 
cepted niost  of  your  own  premises,  it  comes  as  a  shock 
that  there  are  people  in  the  world,  and  in  numbers  suffi- 
cient to  make  it  necessary  to  take  them  into  account,  who, 
it'  they  do  nol  actually  deny  that  two  and  two  make  four, 
at  least  have  no  knowledge  of,  or  interest  in,  any  number 
above  four.  To  the  Canadian,  with  his  experience  in 
fitting  government  to  people  of  both  French  and  British 
descent,  the  Dutch-British  problem  is  an  old  one.  The 
French  of  Canada  have  their  affiliations  with  the  France 
of  long  ago  and  have  fitted  themselves  to  their  environ- 
ment, just  as  the  Dutch  of  South  Africa  hark  back  to  a 
Holland    that    has   disappeared    and    have   been   moulded 

by  their  life  into  a  different  people  from  the  modern 
Hollanders.  To  the  American  with  his  experience  with 
Indians  under  tribal  conditions  and  with  negroes  in  the 
Southern  States,  the  white-black  problems  of  South 
Africa  seem  all  part  of  his  past  existence.  But  no 
people  other  than  those  of  South  Africa  have  been  called 
upon  to  face  at  one  time  the  race  problems  that  are  so 
disturbing  features  of  life  in  both  Canada  and  the  United 
States.  Added  to  this  is  the  fact  that,  while  in  Canada 
the  French  are  in  the  minority,  in  South  Africa  the 
Dutch  have  a  (dear  majority.  In  the  United  States, 
while  the  total  number  of  black  men  is  about  the  same  as 
in  South  Africa  south  of  the  Zambesi,  they  are  only  as 
1:10  in  total  population  and  about  2:1  in  the  States 
where  most  numerous,  while  in  South  Africa  they  vastly 
outnumber  the  whites,  -lust  as  on  the  western  coast  of 
both  Canada  and  the  United  States  there  are  enough 
Asiatics  to  complicate  the  situation,  so  in  Natal  and  else- 
where in  South  Africa  the  East  Indian  fellow-subjects 
of  the  Empire  have  come  in  to  demand  a  place.  A  still 
further  complication  is  that  whereas  Canada  and  the 
United  States  stand  off  somewhat  alone,  and  the  two 
peoples  who  in  the  main  think  alike  are  free  to  settle 
their  race  problems  as  they  see  fit,  the  British  territories 
of  South  Africa  are  hedged  in  by  those  of  Portugal  and 
Belgium,  in  both  of  which  the  attitude  toward  natives 
and  race  admixture  is  markedly  different  from  that  in 
Rhodesia  and  in  the  Union.  There  has  been  a  further 
complication  due  to  the  presence  of  the  Germans,  but 
what  that  may  amount  to  in  the  future  is  beyond  ken. 
These  numerous  and  overpowering  race  problems  enter 
into  every  phase  of  life  in  South  Africa.  One  cannot  go 
far  in  any  direction  without  facing  them  and  cannot  in- 
vestigate any  problem,  be  it  ever  so  technical,  without 
taking  them  into  account.  They  are  kaleidoscopic  in 
their  phases  and  studying  them  is  much  the  most  fasci- 
nating problem  in  existence  to  any  one  who  either  lives 
in  or  visits  the  country. 

I  may  say  at  once  that  I  do  not  believe  that  they  will 
be  solved  immediately  or  by  any  set  rule.  It  will  only 
be  by  slow  steps  and  through  long  years  that  relations 


will  come  to  be  adjusted.  What  the  end  will  he  can  only 
he  guessed  and  in  the  meantime  those  of  us  whose  homes 
are  outside  the  country,  but  who  may  have  some  definite 
interest  in  it.  cannot  do  better  than  to  stand  aside  and 
watch  with  the  keenest  and  most  sympathetic  int. est 
the  Struggles  |f  those  who  face  the  problems  on  the 
ground.  It  is  impossible,  however,  to  think  of  South 
Africa  without  taking  race  problems  into  account,  and 
each  must  form  for  himself  a  working  hypothesis  as  to 
the  changes  likely  to  ensue  in  the  next  ten  or  twenty 
years,  the  period  over  which  most  of  us  plan  investments. 
We  may  go  wrong,  doubtless  we  shall  in  large  part,  but 
we  must  come  to  some  conclusion  or  else  stay  wholly 
outside  the  country.  Perhaps  the  most  powerful  im- 
pression obtained  in  South  Africa  is  of  the  necessity 
and  importance  of  considering  race  problems  when  plan- 
ning a  business  enterprise. 

And  lastly,  are  there  opportunities  in  South  Africa? 
That  is  what  it  all  comes  hack  to  for  those  of  us  who 
are  still  outside,  who  have  not  committed  ourselves  as 
yet  to  the  venture  of  money  or  person  in  the  country. 
Without  hesitation.  I  may  answer  Yes.  The  opportun- 
ities stare  one  in  the  face  from  the  day  of  landing  to  the 
moment  when  the  steamer  backs  away  from  tie-  Cape- 
town quay  find  starts  on  the  home  voyage.  Readers  of 
the  MINING  and  Sciextikic  Press  need  little  education 
as  to  the  mining  possibilities  of  the  country,  but  I  may 
suggest  that  it  is  by  no  means  true  that  all  the  mines 
have  been  found  or  all  those  found  have  been  developed. 
Money  is  needed  at  many  points  to  start  the  wheels  of 
industry  in  mining  as  well  as  for  other  ventures.  I  am 
not  competent  to  judge  as  to  agriculture,  but  certainly 
there  are  considerable  areas  of  seemingly  fertile  land 
which  are  either  not  cultivated  or  are  so  poorly  tended 
as  to  be  virtually  wild,  and  certainly  such  farmers  as  I 
met  seemed  by  all  outward  signs  to  be  doing  quite  as  well 
as  they  deserved.  Men  as  well  as  money,  however,  are 
needed:  men  of  experience,  ability,  and  ideals  above  the 
achievement  of  enough  wealth  to  permit  the  owning  of  a 
String  of  race-horses.  The  country  needs  roads  and 
road-makers  in  many  a  sense.  It  has  its  big  men,  but 
here  as  elsewhere  there  is  abundant  room  at  the  top  and 
men  with  creative  ability  are  needed.  To  such  men  the 
country  will  yield  large  returns.  Without  facing  the 
question  as  to  whether  Africa  is  to  prove  a  white  man's, 
a  black  man 's,  or  a  brown  man 's  country,  I  may  say  un- 
hesitatingly that  there  is  room  for  many  more  white  men 
than  are  now  in  the  country,  provided  they  be  of  the  sort 
that  makes  pioneers.  Such  men  will  find  a  thinly  occu- 
pied field,  many  natural  resources  lying  unused,  and  a 
most  friendly  hospitable  people  to  welcome  them.  With 
the  wide  sweep  of  the  veldt  in  front,  and  glorious  sun- 
shine above,  they  can  feel  that  here  they  start  even  in 
life  and  with  a  fair  chance  to  win  the  race. 

Dividends  paid  by  Rand  companies  in  the  first  half 

of  1916  amount  to  £3,634,795,  compared  with  63,845,036 
in  the  same  period  of  1915.  Far  East  Rand  mines  made 
increased  distributions. 


Augual  26    1916 


MINIM.  ..nd  ScitnliAi    I'KI  SS 


«£A.i  .-= 

SURFACE   PLANT    AT   THE    ItAMHdMI  l\    CENTRAL    MINK. 


DRILLING    IN   THE   HARD  03E   OF   THE   RAND.       NOTE   THE    MIXED   CHEW. 


306 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


Pocket -Hunting  Applied  to 
Prospecting 

By     John     B.     Pltlti 

A    method   commonly    used    for   prod) ting   hidden 

veins  i  lint  do  not  outcrop  seems  to  be  unfamiliar  to  so- 
called  'engineer-pros] tors.'    This  is  'rimming'  with  a 

pan  ;is  practised  by  the  'pocket-hunters'  for  gold. 

Gold  pockets  are  c tentrationa  near  the  surface,  or 

at  least  in  the  oxidized  zone.  They  commonly  oocupy  a 
small  space  such  as  a  vug  in  a  quart/  stringer  or  in  a 

small,  partly  open  lissnre.  The  gold  is  usually  loose  and 
free  from  gangue.  which  is  likely  to  he  clay  and  decom- 
pose,! rock  minerals  mixed  with  oxides  of  iron  and  man- 

and.   in   the  deeper   pockets,   with  secondary  sul- 
phides,   in  true  pockets  the  proportion  of  gold  to  gangue 

is  considerable,  an iting  to  solid    metal   in  extreme 

cases.  Large  placer  nuggets  are  probably  derived  from 
such  pockets.  There  is  abundant  evidence  that  these 
pockets  are  secondary  deposits  derived  From  aear-by  low- 
grade  primary  deposits.  The  gold-pockets  are  found  in 
'iron  seams'  and  iron-hearing  quartz  veins  and  less  often 

in   calcite  stringers.     The  pocket-hunter   pays  special 

attention   to  yellow  spots  or  streaks  in  the  alluvium,  as 

these  indicate  a  concent  ration  of  iron.    Sufficient  Ferrous 

sulphate  may  be  present  to  form  a  gold-pocket  and  not 
B  distinct  Coloration  in  the  soil.  Hence  in  a  favor 
able-looking  region  or  near  when-  pockets  have  Keen 
I  in  the  past,  it  is  customary  to  do  systematic  pros- 
pecting  over-  Considerable  areas  regardless  of  I  he  color  of 
the  ground.  Ferrous  sulphate  is  the  most  common  pre- 
cipitant of  gold  chloride  in  solution  in  meteoric  water. 
the  gold  having  been  dissolved  by  chlorine  set  free  by 
the  action  of  oxides  of  manganese  on  soluble  chlorides, 
tins  being  the  theory  of  formation. 

The  word  'trace'  is  used  as  by  pocket-hunters,  mean- 
ing the  spill  of  gold  in  the  surface-soil.  The  process  of 
sampling  a  trace  is  called  •rimming'  or  tracing.  When 
the    | ket-hunter   finds   a   yellow   spot    on   an   otherwise 

favorable  hill-side,  he  spades  up  a  shovelful  of  earth  and 
pans  it  carefully.    The  presence  of  one  or  two  fine  colors 

is  enough  to  cause  him  to  thoroughly  investigate  the 
neighborhood,  lie  takes  a  row  of  samples  along  the  hill- 
side, three  or  four  feet  apart  and  following  a  contour. 
If  he  is  on  a  real  trace  several  of  these  probably  will 
show  more  or  less  gold,  while  the  end-samples  of  the  row 

will  he  barren.    If  a  large  number  show  gold,  that  is,  if  the 

trace  is  wide,  it  will  mean  one  oh  three  things:  I  1  I  that 
the  pocket  is  some  distai up  the  hill.  L'  it  is  an  un- 
usually large  one.  and    (3)    I  he  gold   comes   from   a   vein 

in  which  it  is  not  concentrated  in  pockets.     The  first 

contingency  is  the  most  probable,  and  the  third  next: 
big  pockets  are  rare.  The  pockcMiuntcr  then  takes 
another  row  of  samples  a  short  distance  higher  up  the 
hill   than   the  first   row.     ft   is  not   necessary  this  time  to 

take  the  extreme  end-samples  much  beyond  the  limits 

of  the  trace  as  shown  hy  the  first  row  of  samples.  If 
the  pocket  is  near-by,  the  strip  of  soil  carrying  gold  will 


narrow  rapidly  as  one  goes  up  hill.  If  the  trace  comes 
from  a   line  pocket  it  will  [tract   to  a  width  of  a   \'rw 

feet  as  tin-  prospector  takes  successive  rows  of  samples. 

Here  he  must  move  slowly  and  cautiously,  as  the  i lot 

may  he  in  the  surface  soil  and  contained  in  a  space  no 
bigger  than  a  shovelful.      It    is  easy  to  overlook  such   a 

I ket.  or  unwittingly  shovel  it  down  the  hill.     However 

the  pocket  is  usually  found  in  the  bed-rock.  A  point 
will  he  found  where  no  gold  appears  on  the  surface. 
Deeper  digging  for  the  next  row  of  samples  will  show 
that  the  trace  is  still  there,  and  a  careful  examination 
reveals  a  layer  in  the  soil  of  a  different  color  to  the  rest, 
commonly  more  yellow.  The  gold  will  he  confined  to  this 
yellow  layer  and  to  a  narrow  strip  of  it.  At  this  point 
the  experienced  pocket-hunter  begins  to  pan  the  entire 
gold-bearing  streak  instead  of  only  samples,  to  avoid 
shoveling  the  pocket  over  the  dump.  Inexperienced 
pocket-hunters  lose  miieh  gold  by  neglecting  to  observe 
this  precaution.  The  gold-hearing  layer  will  he  found 
to  approach  bed-rock  as  it  is  followed  until  it  lies  upon 
it.  and  finally  stops  at  an  iron  seam  or  quartz  stringer 
or  vein  of  calcite.  After  finding  the  vein  that  contains 
the  gold,  the  prospector  continues  to  dig  and  pan  all 
the  gold-hearing  material  until  the  pocket  or  pfukets 
are  unearthed.  A  single  stringer  will  often  contain  sev- 
eral pockets. 

If  the  ground  is  Hat  the  surface-soil  is  likely  to  be 
deep,  and  the'  amount  of  digging  below  the  surface  will 

1 xtensivc.     If  the  hill-side  is  steep,  the  surface-soil 

will  he  thin  or  absent  in  spots,  and  when  a  trace  passes 
over  a  hare  spot  it  is  difficult  to  follow.  Surface  slides 
often  complicate  traces.  A  close  inspection  of  the  colors 
with  a  lens  will  tell  the  experienced  pocket-hunter 
whether  a  trace  is  worth  following.  True  pocket  gold  is 
rough  and  ragged,  often  appearing  like  fragments  of 
finely  branched  moss.  Smooth  grains  like  tiny  seeds  or 
flakes  an-  likely  to  lead  to  unprofitable  scattered  deposits 
m  talc  or  serpentine. 

Pocket-hunters  are  sometimes  embarrassed  by  over- 
lapping traces,  that  is.  traces  from  several  sources  min- 
gled in  the  same  soil.     Tl xpert  can  often  untangle 

over-lapping  traces  by  examining  the  gold  and  noting 
differences  in  color.  Natural  gold  from  different  deposits 
is  likely  to  vary  more  or  less  in  the  color  due  to  alloyed 
impurities. 

The  method  of  the  pocket-hunter  can  he  used  to  ad- 
vantage by  the  man  prospecting  for  larger  gold  ore- 
shoots.  Such  are  likely  to  be  found  in  the  softer  and 
less  resistant  portions  of  veins,  and  hence  are  often 
covered  with  surface-soil.  A  large  deposit  does  not 
throw  a  narrow  trace  like  a  pocket,  but  a  more  scattered 
layer  id'  liner  gold.  When,  for  any  reason  it  is  suspected 
that  an  ore-shoot  may  apex  on  a  given  hill-side,  a  sys- 
tematic rimming  will  find  it  or  prove  its  absence.  This 
prospecting  method  may  ,be  applied  to  the  search  for 
cinnabar,  tungsten  minerals,  and  cassiterite.  "Where 
base  metal  sulphides  appear  at  t lie  surface,  lead,  copper, 

and  iron  sulphides  may  lie  panned    from  the  surface  soil 

below  aii  apex. 


August  •-'•;.  1916 


\ll\l\i.  md  Scienl.fi.    l'KI  SS 


CLAIM       ALASKA 
'       G/orj,   lte/  .  MEXICAN 

TREAOWtLL        /ltal»»«*rf>' 


READY    BULLION 
Hh,U 


,  Utttt  u»,/«t) 


n  w  <>i   imiii'hii  it  -.  u\  not  i.i  is  m  wii.   \i  irk  A, 


Consolidation   of  the   Treadwell   Mines 


[Herewith  we  give  abstracts  from  tin-  report  by  a  com- 
mittee of  engineers,  composed  of  Messrs.  II.  ('.  Perkins, 
II. mi.  M  Jennings,  and  F.  W.  Bradley,  who  were  called 
upon  to  advise  on  the  consolidation  of  the  Alaska  Tread- 
well,    Alaska    United,    anil    Alaska    .Mexican    companies; 

operating  contiguous  mines  on  Douglas  island,  Alaska.] 

TllK  ANNUAL  REPORTS  of  the  three  companies  have 
been  carefully  studied.  Since  1890,  these  annual  reports 
have  given  the  most  comprehensive  and  generous  infor- 
mation, and  as  they  have  mirrored  the  successful  accom- 
plishment of  gold  mining  upon  the  lowest-grade  ore  ex- 
ploited until  recent  years,  these  reports  have  historic  as 
well  as  present  practical  value.  [The  Ready  Bullion 
and  700-Foot  claims  belong  to  the  Alaska  United  com- 
pany.] 

The  summary  of  returns  from,  each  mine,  from  the 
starting  up  to  June  1,  1916,  are  as  follows: 

Treadwell 

Tons  crushed    16,066,702 

Total  yield $38,803,810.85 

Total  yield  per  ton  2.41 

Operating  profit  17,907,530.28 

Operating  cost  per  ton 1.31 

Operating  profit  per  ton 1.10 

Total  dividends  paid   15,785,000.00 

Dividends  per  ton 0.99 

Ready  Bullion 

Tons  crushed    3,802,299 

Total  yield $7,910,491.25 

Yield  per  ton 2.08 

Operating  profit  1,966,011.57 

Operating  cost  per  ton  1.57 

Operating  profit  per  ton 0.51 

Dividends  per  ton  0.338 

700-Foot 

Tons  crushed    2,239,833 

Total    yield $4,644,316.34 

Yield  per  ton 2.07 

Operating  profit  1,086,2S8.58 

Operating  cost  per  ton . . . . , 1.59 

Operating  profit  per  ton 0.48 

Dividends  per  ton  ^  0.339 


Alaska    United   dividends  total   $1,991,210. 
Mexican 

Tons  crushed    4,355,218 

Total   yield    $11,438,842.47 

Yield  per  ton   2.62 

Operating  profit  , 4,078,748.64 

Operating  cost  per  ton  1.68 

Operating  profit  per  ton   "  :i  I 

Total  dividends  paid 3,607,381.00 

Dividends  per  ton  0.81 

The  grand  total  summary  of  accomplishment  of  all  the 
mines  for  the  period  of  their  whole  history  is  as  under: 

Tons  crushed 26,464.047 

Yield    .'.  .$62,797,459.91 

Yield  per  ton   2.37 

Operating  profit  25,038,579.07 

Operating  cost  per  ton 1.42 

Operating  profit  per  ton 0.95 

Dividends  21,337,651.00 

Dividends  per  ton  0.805 

If  the  returns  for  the  years  1914  and  1915  and  the 
first  five  months  of  1916  be  compared,  they  will  show  as 
under: 

TltEAnWEIX 

Jan.  1  to  June  1 

1914                1915  1916 

Total  yield   $2,367,561.71  $1,828,723.49  $642,900.86 

Yield  per  ton  2.60                  2.03  1.66 

Operating   profit 1.3S6, 119.36        718,521.13  195,346.73 

Operating  cost  per  ton. .                1.08                  1.23  1.32 

Operating  profit  per  ton.                  1.52                   0.80  0.34 

Mexican 

Total  yield    509,023.61  379,796.82  111.30S.87 

Yield  per  ton   2.18  1.75  1.31 

Operating  profit    170,020.18  99.476.75  1.086.58* 

Operating  cost  per  ton. .  1.45  1.29  1.53 

Operating  profit  per  ton  0.73  0.46  0.22* 

United  (Ready  Bullion) 

Total  yield   534,407.68  521,912.25  253.664.S5 

Yield  per  ton  2.29  2.07  2.09 

Operating  profit    191.827.34  192,738.40  S5, 561.98 

Operating  cost  per  ton..  1.47  1.31  1.39 

Operating  profit  per  ton.  0.82  0.76  0.70 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  August  26,  1916 

United  (700-Foot  Ci.mm  i  conditions  sitiu  favorable,  the  temptation  is  great  t"  re- 
Total  yield  431,383.89      520,262.50    171,952.29  duce  the  accumulation  of  broken  ore;  an/1  under  other 

Yield  per  ton i.9i              1.85            i.o9*  circumstances  on  account  of  lack  of  profitable  ore  to 

Operating  profit    66,112.24        151,253.99       27.563. 75*  .                             •    ,       , 

Operating  cost  per  ton..                 1.62                  1.31                1.96  slM'''    MW    S,"I,,1S-    ,hl'    a"Km",    of   broken    l,r0    ,1'"'s    n0t 

siting  profit  per  ton.             0.29              n.54            0.27*  correspond  with  |he  mill  demands  owing  to  the  impossi- 

•Loss.  liility  of  opening  enough  stopes  to  maintain  the  supply. 

Theore  reserves  are  as  Eollows:  shoul'1  8naft>  Sterol  development,  and  stope  work  be 

allowed  tu  get  behind,  such  arrears  must  he  made  up  in 

_„    .     ,,                                                      _,,.,-..                 ,'.  later  periods,   and   future  costs  are   thus  adversely   af- 

rreadwell    (,012,755                  44J  ' 

,„  1,188,866                !  Eected.    At  the  present  time  the  Treadwell,  the  Seven 

Ready  Bullion   2,583,105                  16»  1 1  ill  id  red.  and  the  Mexican  mines  are  ill  the  unfortunate 

700-Foot  4,893,908                 31J  condition  of  being  unable  to  make  a  good  showing  of  ton- 

nasie  unless  a  trespass  is  made  upon  pillars  and  reserves 

Total    15,678.634                 100  TZ               , 

ot  low-grade  ore. 

It  will  be  noted  that  for  the  ore  in  place   (which  in-  When  there  is  a  serious  fall  in  the  yield  of  a  mine  and 

dudes  pillars    and  also  for  the  broken  ore.  no  valuation  a  lower  grade  of  ore  than  has  been  successfully  worked 

is  given,  nor  can  it  be  given  accurately,  but  an  esthna-  in   the  past  is  all  that  is  available,   self-preservation 

tion  has  been  made  by  the  general  superintendent,  Mr.  prompts  the   making  of  an   extra  effort  to   reduce  the 

R.  G.  Wayland.  working  cost,  even  if   it  demands  new  capital   outlay. 

This  valuation  is  really  on  the  basis  of  salvage,  that  is.  This  is  justifiable,  provided  there  is  positive  assurance 

no  development  COSts  are  included  and  all  charges  prepa-  of  sufficient  quantities  of  ore  being  available  to  redeem 

ratory  to  future  exploitation  are  omitted.     A  summary  of  the  extra  expenditure  incurred. 

his  valuation  is  given  and  discounted  to  present  value  The  Alaska  Juneau  and  Alaska  Gold  companies,  oper- 
by  o ' ,    annuity-tables  with  rough  estimates  of  the  time  ating  on  the   mainland  opposite   Douglas  island,   have 
required  to  extract  the  ore.  as  under:  both  been  able  to  make  a  showing  of  a  much  lower  work- 
Present  jng  cost.     The  Alaska  Gold  Mines  Company   has  defi- 
Profit        Total        value      Present  nitely  set  forth  the  possibilitv  of  reducing  the  total  work- 
Mine                      Tons      per  ton       profit      per  ton      value  .     ,         ..         „„                                 ,     ,          ,           .,  . 

Treadwell    3.000,000     $0.46     »1.868,000     $0.41     $1,231,000  >"g  cost  to  less  than   ,0  cents  per  ton  ;  but  to  do  so  this 

Mexiean    50,000      0.30           L5.000      0.30           15,000  company   has  incurred  a  capital  outlay   amounting  to 

700-Foot    2.400,000      0.28        666,000      0.25        598,000  some  $7,000,000.     The  Alaska  Juneau  is  engaged  in  de- 
Ready   Bullion..  .1,560,000      0.94      1,470,000      0.64        992.000  veh.ping  its  mine  on  a  daring  but  sound  caving  system 

by   which   it  is  believed   even   a  cost  lower  than   that 

Total     7,010,000     $0.50     $3,519,000     $0.40     $2,836,000  ,   .        ,  ,       ,.        .  ,     ,       „   ,.  ,r.                   ,        .  .    .      ,     ,     . 

claimed  by  the  Alaska  Gold  Janes  can  be  obtained;  but 

The  factor  of  caving  possibilities  in  the  future  is  most  here  the  mine  development  and  mill  construction  work 

serious.     It   is  thoroughly  discussed  by  Mr.  Wayland,  in  progress  demand  an  expenditure  of  $4,000,000. 

and  will  be  referred  to  later  in  this  report.  It  has  been  our  privilege  to  inspect  the  workings  and 

The  geological  cross-section  of  the  Ready  Bullion,  plants,  as  well  as  the  maps  and  accounts,  of  both  of 
showing  the  position  of  the  old  shaft  and  Gastincau  these  companies.  We  are  satisfied  that  they  will  achieve 
Channel,  explains  graphically  the  high  discount  given  a  new  record  for  low  cost  in  gold  mining.  We  are  also 
to  the  pillar-reserves  of  this  mine  and  t he  reason  for  the  satisfied  that  the  mining  conditions  presented  by  them 
abnormal  proportion  of  ore  held  in  reserve  in  pillars  are  not  comparable  closely  with  those  existing  at  Tread- 
compared  with" the  ore  milled;  but  it  is  to  be  noted  that  well,  where  the  rock  is  harder  to  drill  and  less  favorably 
a  greater  present  value  is  allowed  for  the  ore  reserves  adapted  to  the  caving  method.  These  mines  on  the  op- 
in  this  mine  than  the  mine  has  earned  in  dividends  dur-  posite  shore  are  so  developed  that  the  lowest  level  is  sev- 
ing  its  life  of  18  years.  eral  hundred  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  mill;   thus 

1  OSTS.     The  annual  reports  have  given,  in  much  de-  they  have  no  costly  hoisting  or  pumping  ecpiipmeuts  nor 

tail,  the  operating  and  other  costs  of  the  various  de-  the  cost  of  operating  such  machinery,  coupled  with  in- 

partments  over  long  and  varied  periods;  but  to  make  fair  creased  temperatures  due  to  increment  in  depth. 

comparisons  between  periods  or  hazard  future  forecasts,  The  metallurgical  methods  as  employed  at  present  in 

more  than  periodical  results  must  be  knowrn  and  taken  the  Alaska  Gold  mill  are  slightly  cheaper  than  at  Tread- 

into  consideration.  well,  but  this  is  off-set  by  the  greater  pro-rata  loss  in  the 

While  working  stopes,  mining  conditions  make  it  im-  tailing.     The  extraction  at  Treadwell  is  89.86%  as  com- 

perative  that   only  one-third  of  the  ore  so  broken  can  pared  with  81.06%  in  the  Alaska  Gold  mill. 

be  drawn  for  the  mills.     Therefore  in  some  periods  of  The  feasibility  of  lowering  costs  by  new  equipment 

disappointing  development,  it  is  difficult  to  have  a  suffi-  both  underground  and  at  surface  at  Treadwell  has  been 

eient  number  of  new  stopes  in  progress  to  maintain  a  considered  carefully  by  the  consulting  engineer,  Mr.  P. 

mill-feed   consisting  of   normal   proportions  of   freshly  R.Bradley.    He  has  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Alaska 

broken  ore,  broken  ore  in   reserve,  and  caved  ore  from  Juneau — Alaska    Gold    practice    and    accomplishments, 

pillars.     In   time  of  supposed  plenty,  if  underground  and,  as  manager  of  the  Alaska  Juneau,  he  is  conversant 


AugURl  26    1916 


MINING  »nd  Scient.ln    l'KI  .S.S 


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with  the  possibilities  of  making  even  a  better  showing 
for  your  companies.  His  tentative  and  preliminary 
estimate  for  a  combination  plant  Bets  forth  the  following 
saving  iii  operating  costs: 

Min  i  Per  ton 

Sloping    $0,122 

Tramming  0.032 

Hoisting    0.026 

Pumping    0.001 

$0,181 

Milling:  Per  ton 

whing    $0,012 

Tramming    0.009 

Stamping    0.063 

Concentrating    0.035 

$0,119 

$0,300 
Concentrate    expense    $0,024 

Total  saving  per  ton  $0,324 

The  capita]  expenditure  required  to  obtain  these  savings 
would  be  $1,356,462. 

This  seems  to  us  a  sanguine  estimate,  but  it  is  illum- 
inating in  that  it.  suggests  the  maximum  reduction  of 
working  expense.  The  report  is  most  able  and  interest- 
ing, but  the  expenditure  involved  would  only  be  justi- 
fied by  the  certainty  of  an  adequate  reserve  of  profitable 
ore.  Since  writing  his  report,  Sir.  Bradley  has  given 
closer  study  to  other  problems  connected  with  the  mines 
and  In-  is  now  in  hearty  accord  with  us;  that  new  mill- 
equipment  should  await  more  assured  and  better  mining 
disi  losures  and  in  the  meanwhile  surface  improvements 
be  kept  to  a  minimum.  On  the  other  hand,  we  agree  with 
him  in  recommending  a  larger  expenditure  underground. 

ACCOUNTS.  Appended  herewith  are  valuation  state- 
ments of  the  independent  surface  and  -other  equipment 
of  each  company  and  of  the  proportionate  interest  of 
each  company  in  the  joint  facilities  and  utilities  as  pre- 
pared by  Mr.  H.  A.  Pinger;  and  also  statements  of  the 
cash  assets  and  liabilities  of  each  company,  exclusive  of 
its  properties  and  plants,  as  prepared  by  the  Secretary, 
Mr.  P.  A.  Hammersmith.  These  statements  show  that 
the  cash  assets,  after  deduction  of  liabilities,  of  the  three 
companies  amount  to  $1,584,868.     And  they  show  the 


surface  equipment  and  joinl  utilities  to  have  a  valuation 
of  $4,745,331,  the  grand  total  being  $6,330,200.     The 

expenditure  necessary  for  the  full  equipment  of  the 
mines  to  their  present  crushing  capacity  of  4850  tons  has 
amounted  to  practically  $lllll(l  per  ton  of  daily  capacity. 

Comparing  these  statements  with  those  contained  in 
the  annual  reports,  the  reason  for  the  operating  profit 
being  in  excess  of  the  dividends  is  apparent. 

Organization.  The  Douglas  Island  mines  have  been 
managed  in  the  past  as  if  they  had  been  owned  by  one 
company.  The  Treadwell  has  been  the  pioneer,  or  par- 
ent, of  the  group.  It  has  played  the  part  of  banker  for 
the  other  companies,  and  has  enabled  them  to  obtain  a 
large  amount  of  their  equipment  and  facilities  from 
operating  profits.  The  dates  of  the  starting  of  the  vari- 
ous companies  are  as  under: 

Alaska   Treadwell    f 1889 

Alaska  Mexican    1S91 

Alaska  United  1894 

The  Treadwell  company  owns  the  stores,  machine- 
shops,  foundry,  original  water-power,  original  wharves, 
boarding-houses,  etc.  It  has  furnished  and  supplied  the 
other  companies  with  such  necessaries  at  a  moderate  per- 
centage above  cost. 

All  of  the  supply  departments  sell  goods  to  the  public 
in  general  through  the  store,  the  latter  getting  the  bene- 
fit of  the  extra  profit  over  and  above  the  departmental 
percentage.  The  store's  profits  accrue  from  supplies 
sold  to  the  public  at  retail.  Other  departments  show 
but  small  profits. 

The  President  and  Board  of  Directors  of  each  of  the 
companies  are  the  same,  as  are  also  the  head  officials; 
differences  are  found  only  in  a  few  minor  departments. 
The  Superintendent  has  no  motive  to  favor  one  com- 
pany more  than  another,  and,  as  far  as  we  can  learn,  the 
present  or  past  superintendents  have  not  done  so  know- 
ingly. Such  an  organization  has  much  to  commend  it  in 
the  way  of  reducing  the  overhead  charges  for  each  com- 
pany and  in  obtaining  high-class  talent  for  each.  In 
time  of  peace  and  plenty,  this  system  has  certainly 
worked  effectively  and  harmoniously;  but,  should  a  time 
of  stress  and  disappointment  come,  coupled  with  con- 
flicting ownerships,  there   exist  latent  explosive  possi- 


310 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,   1916 


bilities  in  such  a  co-partnership,  especially  when  mixed 
with  the  Schedule  'B'  arrangement. 
Mining    Property,   Underground    Gonditionb,   and 

Outlook.  The  mining  properties  of  the  three  com- 
panies are  contiguous  and  interlocked,  being  situated 
upon  and  covering  the  lode-channel  containing  the  ore- 
bodies. 

Tlie  Treadwell  group  can  be  considered  in  two  sec- 
tions, the  eastern  and  western.  The  eastern  is  distinct 
and  known  as  the  Ready  Bullion  mine,  which  is  some 
2400  ft.  from  the  near.-st  exploited  ground  of  the  Mexi- 
can mine.  Its  problems  and  underground  conditions 
seem  distinct,  although  the  lode-channel  in  all  the  mines 
is  a  dike-roek  of  similar  character  that  may  possibly 
have  had  the  same  origin. 

The  western  section  consists  of  the  Treadwell,  Mexi- 
can, and  Seven  Hundred  Foot  mines.  They  are  in  such 
ju.xta-position  and  so  merged  together  and  influenced  by 
similar  conditions,  that  they  should  have  had  one  owner- 
ship; but  a  compromise  has  been  made  in  the  union  of 
management  under  one  general  superintendent,  as  has 
been  already  stated. 

It  would  appear  that  the  Ready  Bullion  is  a  diorite 
pipe  with  varying  dip,  and  with  varying  swells  and  con- 
tractions, but  of  restricted  area.  The  condition  of  the 
bottom  of  the  mine  is  most  favorable;  in  fact,  the  show- 
ing there  is  above  the  average  both  in  tonnage  and  assay- 
value. 

Although  the  amount  of  ore  below  the  2200-ft.  level  in 
the  Ready  Bullion  (1800-ft.  level,  Treadwell  datum)  is 
merely  a  matter  of  guesswork,  the  fact  that  high  gold 
contents  have  been  found  on  the  United 's  700-ft.  claim 
on  the  2300-ft.  level  (4600  ft.  to  the  west),  or  500  ft. 
deeper,  warrants  an  estimate  of  profitable  ore  below  the 
present  bottom ;  therefore  an  assumption  of,  say,  300  ft., 
to  the  2100-ft.  level  seems  fair. 

To  obtain  some  base-line  for  the  estimate  of  ore  below, 
the  record  of  the  mine  offers  the  best  basis.  Consulting 
this,  it  will  be  found  that  the  average  profit  per  year  for 
18  years  has  been  $104,000.  but  with  40%  of  the  ore  left 
as  pillars.  Allowing  a  proportional  valuation  of  the 
pillars  on  the  basis  of  Mr.  Wayland's  estimate  and  a  time 
allowance  of  six  years  for  the  work,  an  extra  credit  of 
$370,000  should  be  given  to  the  Alaska  United 's  present 
total  assets. 

Though  the  Ready  Bullion  mine  has  at  present  a  most 
encouraging  outlook,  it  has  not  bulked  large  in  dividends 
— little  more  than  6%  of  the  total  for  the  Douglas  Island 
mines,  as  shown  below : 

Dividends  % 

Treadwell    $15,785,000  73.98 

Mexican    3,507,381  16.43 

700     760,582  3.56 

Ready  Bullion    1.     1.2S4.688  6.03 

Total    $21,337,651  100.00 

The  history,  returns,  and  ore  reserves  of  the  western 
mines  have  already  been  given.  The  output  of  $54,- 
886,96s  yielding  $21,337,651  in  dividends,  besides  most 
of  the   eost   of  the   present   equipment,   is   certainly   a 


heritage  of  hope,  which  demands  at  least  that  all  reason- 
able mining  exploration  should  be  continued  before  work 
is  abandoned  in  this  territory. 

While  there  have  been  periods  of  depression  and  un- 
certainty in  the  Bast,  especially  between  the  years  1900- 
1902,  there  has  never  been  such  a  critical  state  of  affairs 
in  the  history  of  the  companies  as  exists  at  present ;  nor 
one  that  demands  as  much  hopefulness,  skill,  and  good 
judgment  from  the  management  as  well  as  larger  hope 
and  patience  from  the  shareholders. 

The  Mexican  mine  may  be  obliged  to  suspend  all  mill- 
ing operations  in  a  few  months  on  account  of  the  lack  of 
ore,  and  on  its  present  lower  levels  there  seems  but  little 
likelihood  of  finding  further  profitable  ore. 

From  the  Treadwell,  Mexican,  and  700  mines,  below 
the  1600-ft.  level,  the  proportion  of  ore  sent  to  the  mill 
was  less  than  1%  in  1912.  less  than  0.5%  in  1913,  less 
than  \\%  in  1914  and  less  than  2J%  in  1915.  The  stopes 
above  the  1600-ft,  level  are  now  about  exhausted  and  the 
mills  are  being  kept  running  largely  by  drawing  on  the 
reserves.  The  value  of  the  ore  developed  and  worked  in 
the  stopes  below  the  1600-ft.  level  has,  on  the  whole,  been 
most  disappointing.  Encouragement,  however,  should 
be  taken  from  the  fact  that  for  the  Treadwell  the  assay- 
value  of  $1.85  on  the  2100-ft.  level  is  39c.  higher  than 
the  average  of  $1.46  on  the  1750-ft.  level;  and  that  for 
the  700  Claim,  the  average  of  $1.80  on  the  2100-ft.  level 
is  86c.  higher  than  the  average  of  94c.  at  1750  feet. 

The  combined  area  of  the  orebody  of  the  Treadwell 
and  700  mines,  on  the  2100-ft.  level  is  greater  than  for 
any  other  level  above. 

A  bore-hole  recently  run  in  the  centre  of  the  orebody 
on  the  2300-ft.  level  has  shown,  for  a  distance  of  272  ft., 
an  average  assay-value  of  $2.40  per  ton — a  circumstance 
certainly  most  encouraging,  as  it  demonstrates  that  sat- 
isfactory ore  does  exist  at  this  depth.  The  2300-ft.  level 
has  been  but  partly  developed  and  it  will  be  nearly 
another  year  before  its  true  character  is  determined  by 
the  usual  development  and  stoping  work. 

At  the  present  time,  development  work  and  facilities 
for  exploitation  even  on  the  2100-ft.  and  2300-ft.  levels 
are  by  no  means  satisfactory.  The  danger  of  settlement 
of  the  machinery  connected  with  the  Central  shaft,  as 
also  the  possibilities  of  further  changes  in  the  alignment 
of  the  shaft  by  settlement  are  shown  in  the  appended 
statement  of  the  general  superintendent.  Men  and  ma- 
terials are  lowered  from  the  No.  2  shaft  of  the  Tread- 
well to  the  1750-ft.  level  and  then  transferred  some  1500 
ft.  to  the  Central  shaft.  This  shaft  has  been  enlarged 
below  this  level  and  one  compartment  added,  which  is 
served  by  an  independent  electrical  winding-engine 
underground.  Should  cracking  or  caving  prevent  the 
operation  of  the  Central  shaft,  from  which  a  daily  out- 
put of  about  4000  tons  is  being  hoisted,  all  exploitation 
would  have  to  be  suspended  until  a  new  shaft  and  equip- 
ment could  be  put  into  operation  elsewhere. 

It  is  only  recently  that  a  decision  was  made  providing 
for  the  safe  and  thorough  development  of  deeper  levels. 
This  is  to  be  accomplished  by  the  enlargement  of  the  old 


August  86,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   I'KI  SS 


.111 


mum  M.\:  now    kihiwn  ii>  the  Combination 

ft,  which  »>>rk  wu started  in  January  1916, 

In  Mr.  Way  land 'a  appended  itatementa  will  be  found 
an  estimate  of  cost  and  ■  time-acbedale  in  relation  to  the 
development  and  opening  of  the  2500-ft  and  -'■ 
levels     Tins  estimate  shows  thai  an  expenditure  i 
115,000  will  be  required  and  thai  the  atopea  will  not  )»■ 
na.lv  to  be  drawn  until  January   I',l,'_>.  or  about  ■">) 
from  now.     It  would  appear  that  conclusive  evi 
deuce  as  to  the  economic  value  of  the  orebodiea  in  depth 
ami  the  influence  <>f  the  Starr  dike  cannot  l*-  looked  for 
abort  of  the  2700-ft  level 

In  regard  to  the  extra  ooel  t"  be  incurred  aa  depth  is 
gained,  the  most  obvious  are  in  the  departments  of 
pumping  and  hoisting.  There  being  but  little  water  in 
the  minis  .Mini  as  the  present  cost  of  dealing  with  it  is 
but  two  cents  per  ton,  there  appears  mi  necessity  for 
anticipating  any  serious  increase  in  tins  item. 

The  cost  of  hoisting  is  10  cents  per  ton,  but  with  im- 
proved facilities,  a  reduction  rather  than  an  increase 
may  be  expected  at  least  on  the  2500-ft.  and  2700-ft. 
levels  -but  at  the  price  of  great  capital  outlay. 

The  following  observations  of  temperature  have  been 
taken  in  the  Treadwell  mine: 


Level 
990 
1250 

1600 
1750  . 


°F. 

Level 

58.6* 

2100 

59.9 

2300 

64.7 

2300 

68.0 

"F. 

73.4 
78.0 

76.0* 


•Records  were  taken  too  near  a  shaft  to  be  correct. 


These  temperatures  were  taken  during  the  month  of 
March  1916.  The  thermometers  were  sealed  in  drill- 
holes (varying  from  three  to  seven  feet  deep),  and  al- 
lowed to  remain  until  a  constant  reading  was  noted  (24 
to  72  hours).  An  increment  of  about  1°  for  every  60  ft. 
in  depth  is  indicated.  This  is  not  abnormal,  but  much 
greater  than  is  found  in  the  deep  workings  of  the  gold 
mines  of  South  Africa  and  the  copper  mines  of  the  Lake 
Superior  region  where  the  increment  of  increase  is  un- 
usually small,  not  over  1°  for  each  200  ft.  in  depth. 
However,  down  to  4000  or  5000  feet  working  conditions 
can  be  made  favorable  by  generous  ventilation,  but  only 
at  the  cost  of  large  capital  outlay  for  equipment. 

The  factor  of  increased  cost  due  to  depth  on  the  Wit- 
watersrand,  South  Africa,  shows  the  importance  of 
ample  ventilation,  the  difficulties  in  connection  with 
extra  pressure  of  superincumbent  strata,  the  great  extra 


capital  expenditure  involved,  and  the  aeon 

by  the  consolidation  of  power, 

All   the   foregoing  litiona  point    to  thi    absolute 

rity  of  vigorous  work  on  the  Combination  abaft, 
should  Berioua  deeper  development  be  decided  upon. 
The  maps  ami  Beotion  slmw  the  freedom  of  tins  abaft 
from  caving,     It  is  true  that  an  incline  shaft  on  the 

north-western  side  Of  the  mine  OOuld  be  made  to  serve  the 
same  purpose,  and  should  the  Central  shall  cave  at  some 

future  time  and  much  deeper  exploitation  I"-  justified 
by  encouraging  development,  it  might  still  be  nee. 

to  sink  it;  but  the  quicker  and  cheaper  plan   is  t n 

tinue  the  t  lombination  shaft. 
The  difficulties  and  costs  incident  to  deeper  exploits 

tion,  even  down  to  the  2700-ft  level,  have  1 n  now  fully 

presented.     The  main  factor  above  all  others  is  the  per 

sislen if  the  ore.     All   the   factors  hearing  upon  this 

problem  have  been  considered,  with,  as  a  whole,  more 
reason  for  discouragement  than  encouragement.  At  the 
depth  of  2,300  ft.,  having  in  mind  the  past  records,  it 
would  appear  that  the  700  mine  has  the  best  possibilities 
in  this  regard,  while  the  Mexican  has  the  worst  and  the 
expectations  of  the  Treadwell  are  limited.  A  careful 
study  of  the  plans  and  geological  sections  and  the  in- 
spection of  the  mines  would  lead  one  to  conclude  that  the 
present  trend  of  the  gold-bearing  dikes  musl  change  in 
depth,  as  these  dikes  may  be  restricted  by,  or  be  merged 
with,  more  barren  dike-matter.  The  dike  known  as  the 
Starr  would  seem  to  have  a  trend  to  the  north-west  and 
to  have  been  a  factor  in  the  cutting  or  pushing  out  of 
the  gold-bearing  dike  in  the  Mexican  mine.  If  the  Starr 
dike  continues  on  its  present  course,  it  will  interfere 
with  the  ore  in  the  700  mine  at  the  2300-ft.  or  2500-ft. 
level,  and  at  about  3000  ft.  it  will  affect  all  the  Tread- 
well and  700  orebodies.  Assuredly  it  presents  a  serious 
menace  unless  conditions  change  in  depth.  There  is, 
however,  no  certainty  that  at  depth  more  favorable  con- 
ditions will  not  supervene,  and  new  orebodies  may  be 
found  as  good  as  those  above.  There  is  mere  conjecture, 
but  it  points  to  the  necessity  of  all  three  companies 
standing  together  and  sharing  in  the  risk  and  profit,  on 
some  established  basis,  of  the  deeper  and  costly  ex- 
ploration that  must  be  undertaken. 

Summary  and  Discussion.  The  various  visible  assets 
of  the  three  companies,  with  an  allowance  of  ore  for  the 
Ready  Bullion  below  its  bottom  level,  can  be  summarized 
and  tabulated  as  follows: 


Visible  Assets 


Surface 
Company  equipment 

Treadwell    $1,364,070 

United    638,690 

Mexican  432,390 


Joint 

utilities 

$1,386,108 

462,036 

462,036 


Cash  assets 

less 

liabilities 

$1,198,324.52 

147,718.22 

238,826.12 


Present  value 
ore-reserves 
$1,231,000 
1,960,000* 
15,000 


Total  % 

$5,179,503  54.3 

3,208,445  33.7 

1,148,252  12.0 


Total    $2,435,150 

•700-Foot  above  bottom   $598,000 

Ready  Bullion  above  bottom   992,000 

Ready  Bullion  below  bottom   370,000 


$2,310,1S0         $1,584, 868.86         $3,206,000         $9,536,200       100 


$1,960,000 


312 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


In  this  stale nt,  the  valuations  must  not 'be  taken  as 

a  basis  of  share  appraisal,  but  merely  as  a  guide  for  ob- 
taining equitable  proportions  for  a  consolidation;  and 

under  the  supposition  that  a  large  amount  of  work  will 
l»-  justified  in  the  future. 

Tin-  ore  reserves  have  been  discounted  to  present  value 
by  estimating  future  profits  as  annuities  at  6%. 

'Hie  development  and  assay-value  of  the  ore  on  the 
bottom  levels  of  tlie  various  mines  are  sueh  that  in  none 
of  them,  with  the  exception  of  the  Ready  Bullion,  does 
the  showing  justify  any  definite  calculation  of  profitable 
ore  below.  There  are,  however,  substantial  grounds  for 
hopes  ol'  betterment,  as  already  stated. 

The  Ready  Bullion  ore-pipe  on  the  lowest  or  2200-ft. 
level  i  corresponding  to  1800-ft.  Tread  well)  is  500  ft.  long 

by  an  average  width  of  116  ft.  with  an  average  assay- 
value  nt'  s>{.:;7.  This  assay-value  and  the  lack  of  any  dis- 
turbing factor  justify  an  allowance  of  about  $500,000 
gn.ss  profit,  with  $370,000  net  present  value  as  given  by 
Mr.  Way  land,  even  if  a  somewhat  speculative  credit  is 
given  to  the  outlook  in  depth.  Ready  Bullion  has  there- 
fore been  credited  accordingly  in  the  tabulation  of 
visible  assets. 

However,  such  assay-values  must  not  be  taken  as  a 
mill  return  without  modification:  the  loss  in  tailing  has 
to  he  .le, In,  te,|  ;iii<]  an  allowance  must  also  be  made  for 
a  variable  coefficient  of  average  divergence  from  mine 
assays.    These  differences  have  been  found  as  follows: 

Average  mine      Mill  and  cyanide 

assay-value  returns 

per  ton  per  ton 

Ready  Bullion    $2.66  $2.08 

700  Claim    2.52  2.07 

Mexican    3.05  2.62 

Treadwell    2.53  2.41 

An  effort  has  been  made  to  arrive  at  a  basis  for  con- 
solidation by  giving  certain  assets  preferential  consid- 
eration over  other  assets,  sueh  as  taking  cash  assets,  less 
liabilities,  at  100;  and  taking  at  50  each  the  joint  util- 
ities, the  surface  equipment,  the  present  value  of  ore  re- 
serves, and  our  ideas  of  future  prospects.  On  this  basis 
the  proportion  works  out  thus: 

Treadwell  United  Mexican 

53.S1' .  34.20%  11.99% 

Conclusions  and  Recommendations.  We  have  con- 
sidered all  the  factors  bearing  upon  the  present  earning 
eapaeities  of  the  different  properties,  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  the  ore  reserves,  the  probalities  of  more  ore 
and  its  possible  value:  we  have  discussed  the  mining 
problems  and  the  means  of  overcoming  the  difficulties 
arising  from  working  at  greater  depth  and  the  danger 
connected  with  raving  ground;  and  we  have  taken  into 
consideration  the  present  and  future  equipment.  Two 
of  the  members  of  your  committee  had  all  available  re- 
lents and  data  before  them  at  Washington,  D.  C.  for 
several  months  before  visiting  the  mines.  They  spent 
three  weeks  at  the  mines  and  ten  days  at  San  Francisco 
in  investigations  and  deliberations.  One  of  them,  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Smith  &  Perkins,  visited  Douglas 


island  ill  1889  and  brought  about  a  change  of  ownership 
and  initiated  the  plan  of  management  since  largely  fol- 
lowed. The  other  member  of  the  Committee  has  spent 
16  years  in  the  service  of  the  companies  and  has  an  in- 
timate knowledge  of  all  their  affairs. 

The  committee,  witli  the  facts,  aid,  and  study  given  to 
the  consideration  of  the  problem,  now  urgently  recom- 
mend a  speedy  consolidation  of  the  three  companies  in 
as  intimate  and  binding  a  way  as  possible.  The  legal 
method  of  working  out  the  consolidation  should  be  left 
to  your  able  legal  advisor.  Judge  Curtis  H.  Lindley. 

The  equitable  basis  for  the  consolidation  we  find  to  be 
54',  Alaska  Treadwell,  34%  Alaska  United,  and  12% 
Alaska  Mexican. 

The  dominant  necessity  and  advantage  of  immediate 
consolidation  seem  to  us  to  be  as  under : 

The  arrangement  of  joint  management  without  unifi- 
cation of  boundaries  or  ownership  has  been  worked  with 
efficiency  and  fairness  in  the  past,  but  it  is  not  possible 
for  this  arrangement  to  take  care  of  the  future.  In  the 
past,  the  management  has  been  able  to  preserve  the 
equities  and  keep  separate  the  ores  of  each  property; 
this  is  becoming  a  more  and  more  difficult  problem  with 
depth  owing  to  the  caving  of  pillars. 

The  recent  development  of  the  Treadwell,  700-Foot 
Claim,  and  Mexican  mines  has  been  disappointing,  com- 
plex and  interlacing;  and  the  lower  levels  of  these  three 
mines  as  at  present  developed  are  not  payable  as  a  whole. 
However,  the  lower  levels  of  the  Ready  Bullion  are,  as 
already  stated,  in  a  much  more  satisfactory  condition. 

There  is  no  certainty  that  the  trend  of  the  gold-bearing 
dikes  and  of  the  barren  dikes  in  the  Treadwell,  700,  and 
Mexican  mines  will  continue  in  depth  as  at  present;  that 
is.  while  the  orebodies  show  a  tendency  to  unite  in  one 
great  ore-chimney,  we  cannot  predict  its  trend  in  depth. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  history  of  the  Ready  Bullion. 
Mexican,  700,  and  Treadwell  mines,  with  an  output  of 
.t62.707.459  from  which  $21,337,651  in  dividends  has 
been  paid,  makes  it  imperative  that  all  these  mines  should 
be  explored  and  proved  most  exhaustively  in  depth. 

The  2100-ft.  level  from  the  Central  shaft  is  the  lowest 
that  has  been  fully  developed  and  this  has  proved  the 
existence  of  a  great  mass  of  low-grade  ore,  but  only  parts 
of  it  arc  profitable. 

The  2300-ft.  level  from  the  Central  shaft  is  only  partly 
developed,  and  while  the  assays  from  development  work 
thus  far  show  ore  that  is  close  to  the  economic  limit,  a 
bore-hole  run  272  ft.  in  the  most  promising  part  of  the 
700  mine  gives  an  average  assay-value  of  $2.40.  with 
several  assays  above  $9  per  ton. 

There  is  not  sufficient  certainty  of  the  behavior  of  the 
orebodies  in  depth  to  justify  any  one  of  the  companies 
in  undertaking  the  burden  of  deeper  development  alone, 
inasmuch  as  it  would  cost  over  $1,000,000  for  additional 
equipment  and  exploration  down  to  the  2700-ft.  level. 

The  most  conclusive  results  can  be  obtained  most  speed- 
ily and  economically  by  seeking  for  more  orebodies  upon 
the  lines  laid  down  by  Nature  rather  than  upon  artificial 
boundaries  of  ownership. 


■     1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRI  SS 


ud  hopes,  each  of  the  coin- 
-  must  have  ■  Axed  and  definite  interest  in  future 
discoveries  As  the  companies  have  experien I  vary- 
ing periods  of  good  and  ill  fortune,  it  would  have  been  a 
difficult  problem  u>  have  selected  any  particular  time  as 
the  iih  >-»t  equitable  for  consolidation.  However,  as  the 
aituatiou  now  confronts  us.  the  effort  to  consolidate 
should  im>  longer  be  postponed;  any  technicalities,  prej 
udices,  or  refinements  of  calculation  should  qoI  be  per- 
mitted to  stand  in  the  way  of  accepting  im> liate  con 

solidal as  r essary  for  the  '-111111111111  good. 

\  Further  grave  objection  to,  and  danger  from,  the 
continuance  of  tl»'  present  system  of  separate  ownership 
is  thai  should  a  change  occur  in  the  common  control  and 
management,  conflicts  and  disputes  might  resull  thai 
would  !"•  must  dangerous  and  injurious  t"  all  of  tin 1 


should  be  suspended  musl   bi    acted  upon  immediately, 

as  the  lives  •  >!  their  workmen  must  receive  Aral  isi.l 

1  ration 

In  reaching  our  decis and  in  making  our  recom 

mendations,  we  are  quite  aware  thai  in  the  future  id- 
allotment  of  value  may  be  found  somewhat  in  error,  but 
we  believe  thai  the  basis  thai  we  have  worked  out  and 
adopted  is  as  fair  and  jual  as  the  preaenl  facts  and  dis 
closures  will  permit, 


Tin  orb  has  1 ntlj  been  found  in  the  extreme  north 

ern  part  of  Lander  oounty,  Nevada,  in  an  unnai I  short 

range  of  hills  20  miles  north  of  Battle  Mountain,  a  town 

mi  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad.     Wha1  the  substa • 

was.  however,  remained  unknown  until  a  mining  engi- 
aeer  who  had  I □  in  Mexico  happened  to  Bee  it  at  Battle 


M.l.'uh   VIEW    01    nil.    700-FOOT    MINK   ami    PART   OF   Till-:    ISLAND. 


panics,  especially  at  tins  time  when  their  critical  condi- 
tion calls  for  the  utmost  harmony  and  mutual  support  in 
the  planning  and  conduct  of  their  operations. 

Another  problem  fraught  with  most  serious  conse- 
inn -iii-.-s  has  also  to  be  faced  jointly,  namely  the  caving  in 
the  mines,  connected  with  the  fact  that  the  workings  are 
largely  under  the  sea.  The  very  strength  of  the  'green- 
stone' hanging  wall,  which  has  been  a  factor  of  safety 
in  the  past,  may  he  a  menace  in  the  future  for  if  it  should 
give  way,  it  may  be  in  the  form  of  extensive  slips  and 
slides  rather  than  the  domical  caving  normal  to  softer 
or  weaker  rock  structures. 

The  fact  that  there  has  been  no  subsidence  in  the  sur- 
face  debris  of  the  'glory-hole'  during  the  past  year,  and 
that  the  dip  of  the  orebody  has  flattened  below  the 
1450-ft.  level,  while  reserves  of  broken  ore  have  been 
greatly  drawn  upon  during  the  past  three  years,  in- 
tensifies  the  seriousness  of  the  problem.  The  evidence  of 
future  disturbance  may  remain  constant  for  a  long 
period  or  it  may  change  rapidly  from  day  to  day. 

The  mine  superintendent  and  the  general  superintend- 
ent, both  of  whom  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  past 
cavings,  are  on  the  spot  to  watch  daily  indications. 
Their  judgment  as  to  when  the  drawing  of  ore  reserves 


Mountain  and  recognized  it  as  'wood  tin,'  a  name  given 
to  that  form  of  the  natural  oxide  of  tin  that  is  character- 
ized by  a  concentric  banding  resembling  the  annual 
growth  in  rings  of  wood.  Search  was  immediately  made 
for  the  bed-rock  source  of  the  ore,  which  has  already 
been  found  at  several  places  in  a  belt  two  miles  long. 
These  occurrences  were  recently  examined  by  Adolph 
Knopf,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The  ore  occurs 
in  narrow  veinlets  in  rhyolite  lavas,  which  were  erupted 
in  middle  Tertiary  time.  In  places  the  veinlets  are  suffi- 
ciently numerous  to  form  low-grade  lodes,  but  because 
of  the  small  development  so  far  done  not  much  is  known 
as  to  the  size,  extent,  and  richness  of  these  lodes.  Indi- 
cations of  the  stronger  lodes,  taken  in  connection  with 
their  geology,  are,  in  the  opinion  of  Government  geolo- 
gists, such  as  to  warrant  further  exploration. 

Oil  output  of  the  World  in  1915  totaled  426,892,673 
bbl..  equal  to  57,298,786  metric  tons.  The  United  States 
contributed  65.85%;  Russia,  16.06%;  Mexico,  7.71%; 
Dutch  East  Indies,  2.9%;  Roumania,  2.82%;  India, 
1.73% ;  and  Galacia,  0.98%.  The  1915  yield  was  an  in- 
crease of  7%.  Since  1857  the  grand  total  is  6,017,457,- 
366  bbl,  the  United  States  producing  60.1%. 


:U4 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


Formation  of  Nitrate  Deposits 

Nitrate  deposits  of  Chile  are  found  in  the  Tamarngal 
pampa,  as  the  great  rial  desert  is  called,  The  pampa  is 
bounded  on  the  east  by  the  western  range  of  the  Andes, 
and  on  the  west  liy  the  coast  range.  It  is  a  country 
characterized  by  an  almost  complete  absence  of  rainfall. 
Winils  thai  Mow  across  the  continent  of  Soutb  America 
i'r<  m  the  cast  an'  laden  with  moisture.  As  they  reach 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Andes  they  are  deflected  upward. 
This  movement  causes  a  rapid  cooling  of  the  air.  due  to 
the  lower  temperatures  prevailing  at  higher  altitudes, 
and  to  the  decrease  in  atmospheric  pressure.  Conse- 
quently, these  moisture-laden  air-currents  precipitate 
their  moisture  most  copioulsy  on  the  eastern  Andean 
slopes,  and  reach  the  western  side  of  the  mountains  prac- 
tically devoid  of  moisture.  Instead  of  causing  rainfall 
in  the  pampa  country,  these  winds  evaporate  with  ex- 
treme avidity  whatever  moisture  they  may  come  in  con- 
tact with. 

Almost,  equally  dry  are  the  winds  that  blow  across  the 
pampa  from  the  Pacific  Ocean.  A  short  distance  off  the 
west  coast  of  South  America  is  a  cold  northerly  current. 
known  as  the  Humboldt,  that  acts  as  unfavorably  on 
the  climate  of  that  coast  as  does  the  Gulf  Stream  favor- 
ably on  the  climate  of  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  United 
States.  The  prevailing  winds  along  this  west  coast  arc 
the  westerly  winds  coming  in  from  the  sea.  As  they 
cross  the  zone  of  cold  water  of  the  Humboldt  current. 
they  are  chilled  and  lose  most  of  their  water-content. 
Then  on  reaching  the  coast,  and  being  warmed  up  again, 
they  are  deficient  in  moisture  and  also  have  a.  great 
evaporating  capacity. 

Hence,  whether  it  is  the  prevailing  westerly  winds  or 
the  occasional  winds  that  sweep  across  the  pampa  from 
the  Andes  on  the  east  that  are  blowing,  the  air  over  the 
pampa  is  nearly  always  extremely  dry  and  evaporates 
water  rather  than  precipitates  it.  These  atmospheric 
conditions  have  made  the  pampa  a  desert  in  the  strictest 
sense  of  the  word.  We  speak  of  deserts  in  the  Great 
Basin  region  of  the  western  United  States,  but  there  one 
does  see  an  occasional  clump  of  sagebrush,  or  patch  of 
grease-wood,  or  at  least  a  few  scattered  cacti,  whereas  one 
can  search  in  vain  for  the  smallest  evidence  of  living 
vegetation  over  many  miles  of  the  pampa. 

A  consideration  of  these  extreme  conditions  of  parched 
winds,  cloudless  sky.  and  hot  tropical  sun  have  resulted 
in  great  solars,  or  salt-beds,  and  nitrate  deposits.  The 
pampa  is  a  flat  plain  with  a  gentle  westward  slope  away 
from  the  Andes  toward  the  coast-hills.  The  site  of  the 
present  pampa  was  once  a  large  broad  valley  that  has 
been  filled  up  with  gravel,  sand,  and  silt,  washed  down 
largely  from  the  summits  and  slopes  of  the  Andes  moun- 
tains that,  tower  above  it  on  the  cast  side.  In  past  ages 
rainfall  was  more  abundant  in  these  regions  than  now, 
and  the  water  collected  in  numerous  depressions  in  the 
surface  of  the  pampa  in  the  form  of  inland  lakes.  On 
account  of  the  westward  slope  of  the  pampa  the  lakes 


formed  mostly  along  its  western  edge.  The  waters  drain- 
ing into   the    lakes  carried   with    them   the   soluble   salts 

leached  out  of  and  formed  by  the  disintegration  of  the 

rocks  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  since  they  had  no 
outlet  they  became  more  and  more  saline,  just  as  in  the 
case  of  ( ireat  Salt  Lake  and  the  Dead  Sea.  As  aridity  in- 
creased the  lakes  finally  dried  up,  giving  rise  to  the 
highly  saline  depressions  in  the  pampa  that  are  known  in 
Spanish  as  solars.  These  are  characterized  by  an  abun- 
dance of  sodium  chloride,  or  common  salt,  in  the  under- 
lying soil,  and  the  absence  of  nitrate.  The  nitrate  occurs 
in  the  surrounding  higher-lying  ground. 

The  only  waters  circulating  at  the  present  time  across 
the  pampa  are  the  underground  waters  which  have  a 
general  direction  of  flow  from  the  higher  slopes  of  the 


HKAi.-I.INK  SCBAPEB  IN  NITRATE  KKGIOX. 

Andes,  their  feeding  ground,  westward  under  the  pampa 
to  the  sea.  The  upper  surface  of  ground-water  level 
has  approximately  the  shape  of  the  surface  of  the  earth 
above  it,  but  with  less  accentuated  relief.  In  other 
words,  it  is  nearer  the  surface  at  the  points  of  lowest 
elevation  and  farther  from  the  surface  under  the  highest 
points.  Consequently  the  underground  waters  are  near- 
est the  surface  underneath  the  solars  on  the  west  side  of 
the  pampa. 

One  of  the  striking  features  of  the  pampa  is  the 
shallow  depth  at  which  ground-water  is  encountered.  In 
even  less  arid  regions  than  this  ground-water  usually  lies 
at.  a  depth  of  hundreds,  and  in  some  cases  thousands  of 
feet,  whereas,  in  the  nitrate  fields,  the  depth  of  ground- 
water is  measured  in  tens  of  feet.  Still  more  remark- 
able is  the  fact  that  in  the  solar  in  question,  where  the 
salt  is  produced,  ground-water  lies  at  a  depth  of  only  3 
to  34,  feet. — Joseph  T.  Singewald,  Jr..  and  Benjamin  Le 
Roy  Miller  in  Bulletin  of  Pan  American  Union. 

The  boston  creek  gold  district  of  Ontario  has  just 
been  reported  on  by  A.  G.  Burrows  and  P.  E.  Hopkins 
of  the  Bureau  of  Mines.  The  area  is  45  miles  north- 
west of  Cobalt.  The  T.  &  N.  0.  railway  traverses  the 
field.  The  elevation  is  from  700  to  1050  ft.  Principal 
roeks  are  greenstones  with  some  volcanic  fragmental 
rocks,  the  former  containing  gold-bearing  veins.  The 
deepest  shaft  is  down  135  ft. 


1916 


MINING  and  Sarniinc  I'KI  SS 


ui    Do.  'jIjticj    'Mzihoi 


at  Calumet  & 


Philip     D.     Wilson 


l  \  ik.  ii  .1  ction.  *The  mines  of  the  Calumel  &  A>  < 
company  are  near  Bisbee,  Arizona.  The  ore  is  Found  as 
irregular  masses  in  limestone  near  porphyry  or  along 
Fracture  sonea  many  hundred  feel  from  the  intrusive. 
In  one  place  the  ore  has  a  vertical  dimension, of  900  ft.; 
other  orebodiea  are  over  -t'o  ft,  but  many  are  only  30  ft, 

thick.    Several  methods  of  mining  ai mployed;  they 

will  l«-  briefly  compared. 

Btoping.  The  square-se1  system  is  the 
flexible  of  any  used,  and  where  the  orebody  is 
irregular,  with  included  blocks  of  waste,  ii  is  the  most 
satisfactory.  The  waste  run  be  left  behind  as  a  portion 
of  the  filling,  and  where  the  mining  of  too  large  a  sec- 
tion is  not  attempted  ami  the  tilling  is  kepi  within  a 
reasonable  distance  of  the  hark,  it  is  as  safe  as  any 
method.  The  oust  of  mining,  including  labor,  powder, 
timber,  carbide,  and  air,  ranges  from  80  cents  per  ton 
in  sulphide  ore  to  $1  or  even  $1.30  in  oxidized  ore. 
Where  the  ground  is  heavy,  additional  timber  as  hulk- 
heads  and  double  sets  increases  the  cost,  and  in  sulphide 
ore  the  excessive  timber  makes  the  risk  of  fire  an  im- 
portant consideration.  In  a  normal  square-set  stope  the 
item  of  timber  (laid  down  at  the  mine  for  $17.50  per 
thousand)  is  25%  of  the  total  cost  of  mining. 

Recovering  Square-Set  Timbers.  The  attempt  to  re- 
duce expenses  was  made  by  M.  "W.  Mitchell,  foreman  of 
one  division  of  the  mines,  who  devised  a  method  for  rob- 
bing a  portion  of  the  timber  from  a  square-set  stope 
during  the  process  of  filling.  Approximately  50%  of 
the  timber  can  be  recovered,  and  the  cost  is  reduced  by 
about  8%.  The  ground  may  be  too  heavy  to  risk  re- 
moving the  timbers,  or  the  timber  may  be  so  badly  dam- 
aged that  it  is  not  worth  extracting.  The  method  serves 
best  where  an  orebody  is  mined  in  successive  sections  so 
that  the  recovered  timber  may  be  left  in  open  sets  at  the 
edge  of  the  stope  and  used  when  the  adjacent  section 
is  being  worked,  as  the  cost  of  excessive  handling  re- 
duces the  saving  to  the  vanishing  point. 

It  is  not  feasible  to  recover  timber  from  a  stope  over 
50  ft.  high.  A  gangway  is  maintained  in  the  central 
row  of  sets  on  the  sill-floor  and  chutes  are  built  in  the 
alternate  sets  on  each  side.  Slides  at  appropriate  places 
will  deliver  the  broken  ore  to  the  chutes  with  a  minimum 
of  shoveling.  "When  the  ore  has  been  extracted  and  the 
stope  is  ready  for  robbing,  6  by  6-in.  braces  are  placed 
between  the  two  diagonally  opposite  caps  in  the  second 
and  fourth  rows  of  sets  on  the  two  floors  above  the  sill. 
After  the  braces  are  put  in  place  the  caps  in  the  second 
row  are  cut  to  permit  of  slipping-out  the  girts.     When 

•Abstract  of  paper  to  be  read  at  the  Arizona  meeting  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  in  September. 


these  have  I n  removed,  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  remove 

the  cups  and  the  sill  and  firsl  il ■  poBts     Waste  is  then 

introduced    for   filling  until   it    reaches   within   a   few 

inches  of  the  second  Boor  above  the  sill    As  s i  as  the 

timber  is  remove,!,  it  is  repla I  by  'gob,'  or  waste,  so 

that   the   walls  Of  the  slope  are  at    all   times  amply   sup 
ported.      Il    is  evident    that    by   ilsinir  this  thod    in   seV 


TIMBER   BROKEN    BY    PRESSURE    AT    BISBEE,    ARIZONA. 

eral  successive  sections,  only  every  third  row  of  posts  and 
caps  is  left  behind  in  the  'gob,'  while  all  the  intermediate 
timbers  are  recovered.  Success  is  due  to  the  narrowness 
of  the  stopes,  and  the  care  in  keeping  the  filling  well  up 
to  the  floor  from  which  the  timber  is  being  taken. 

Slicing  System.  The  next  improvement  in  stoping 
was  a  slicing  system,  also  devised  by  Mr.  Mitchell.  A 
block  of  ore  broke  from  the  back  in  a  heavy  sulphide 
stope,  and  in  order  to  recover  it,  long  stringers  of  timber 
were  thrown  across  the  top  of  the  ore  to  support  the  back. 


316 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


and  the  ore  mined  from  above  by  underhand  stoping. 
The  method  is  applicable  to  orebodies  in  which  the  hang- 
ing wall  is  flat  and  regular,  and  the  lateral  pressure  not 
too  great.  Square  sets  may  be  used  in  mining  irregular 
and  outlying  portions.  There  must  be  no  large  quantity 
of  waste  iu  the  ore,  for  while  it  is  possible  to  sort  and 
leave  some  waste  behind  iu  the  stope,  the  method  loses 
tte  advantage  if  careful  sorting  has  to  be  done. 

A  small  sloping  cut  is  made  in  every  alternate  set  on 
the  same  side  of  each  cross-cut  for  a  loading-chute,  but 
not  on  both  sides  of  the  same  pillar,  for  if  this  is  weak- 
ened, trouble  is  sure  to  ensue.  The  first  slice  is  taken 
from  raises  over  the  whole  top  of  the  pillar,  cutting  it 
loose  from  the  hanging  wall.  Where  only  one  chute  is 
used  the  broken  ore  fills  the  square  sets  until  its  normal 
angle  of  repose  is  reached,  the  remainder  running  from 
the  chute  by  gravity.  Stringers,  15  ft.  long  framed 
with  2-in.  tenons,  are  tlu-own  across  the  open  slice  be- 
tween the  caps  of  the  topmost  run  of  square  sets  and 
directly  under  the  hanging  wall  with  such  blocking  and 
lagging  as  is  necessary  to  keep  the  stope  safe  and  the 
timbers  secure.  The  next  slice  is  then  taken  across  the 
top  of  the  pillar.  Drills  set-up  on  columns  between  the 
stringers  are  used  to  make  down-holes,  pointed  so  that 
the  ore  is  broken  directly  into  the  chutes.  The  slices  are 
taken  to  within  one  floor  of  the  sill,  leaving  one  set  of  ore 
to  be  mined  from  below.  A  floor  is  then  laid  over  the 
entire  stope  and  2-in.  lagging  is  spiked  vertically  to  the 
inside  of  both  vertical  runs  of  square  sets,  leaving  the 
square  sets  open,  when  the  stope  has  been  filled  for  a  set 
of  chutes  in  each  of  the  adjoining  sections.  If  the 
ground  is  heavy,  it  is  impracticable  to  leave  the  sets  open, 
and  they  are  lagged  on  the  outside  and  filled  with  the 
rest  of  the  stope.  Upward  of  50%  of  the  stringers  may 
be  removed  under  favorable  conditions. 

The  maximum  height  to  which  a  section  may  be  mined 
safely  by  this  method  is  about  60  ft.  The  saving  in  labor, 
timber,  and  powder  over  the  square-set  system  is  obvious, 
but  the  main  advantages  are  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
ore  may  be  mined  and  the  increased  tonnage  per  man. 
While  5  or  6  tons  per  man  is  considered  creditable  in  a 
square-set  stope,  it  is  not  extraordinary  in  mining  the 
pillars  as  above  described  to  mine  three  or  four  times  as 
much  and  in  soft  ground  a  yield  as  high  as  50  tons  per 
man  per  shift  has  been  attained.  The  saving  in  the  cost 
of  stoping  amounts  to  20  or  30r;  of  that  of  the  square- 
set  system. 

Top-Slice  Caving.  It  was  decided  that  the  top-slice 
caving  method  as  used  on  the  Minnesota  iron  range,  at 
Cananea,  and  elsewhere,  might  be  applied  to  a  large 
body  of  oxidized  ore  in  which  heavy  and  swelling  ground 
made  the  cost  id'  square-sets  excessive.  An  inclined  top- 
slice  caving  method  was  di  vised  by  Mr.  Mitchell;  this 
reduces  the  handling  of  ore  in  the  stope.  incidental  to 
ordinary  top-slicing,  to  a  minimum.  The  method  is  ap- 
plicable to  the  same  conditions  as  ordinary  top-slicing, 
that  is.  to  uniform  ground  too  heavy  for  economical 
square-set  stoping  and  caving  readily,  but  kept  under 
control.     There  should  be  reasonable  assurance  that  no 


ore  is  left  unextracted  above  the  body  to  be  caved,  as  the 
subsequent  mining  of  this  would  be  attended  by  many 
difficulties.  In  common  with  ordinary  top-slicing,  ven- 
tilation is  poor  in  the  stopes.  Some  ore  is  sacrificed  in 
the  process  tven  under  the  most  satisfactory  conditions. 
The  orebody  is  laid  out  in  45-ft.  sections  that  may  be 
mined  for  the  width  of  the  ore  to  a  maximum  of  80  ft. 
Permanent  six-post  raises  are  driven,  preferably  in  waste 
at  the  edge  of  the  ore,  to  a  height  equal  to  the  top  of  the 
orebody.  One  compartment  is  used  as  a  chute,  the  other 
for  passing  timber  and  men.  Parallel  rows  of  square 
sets  are  carried  the  width  of  the  ore  on  the  three  floors 
directly  beneath  the  hanging  wall.  A  pillar  40  ft.  wide 
is  mined  by  horizontal  slices  from  the  top  downward, 
one-half  from  either  Bide  simultaneously,  and  the  back 
allowed  to  cave  as  stoping  progresses.  The  first  cut  is 
taken  from  both  sides  simultaneously  across  the  pillar  at 
the  end  of  the  ore  and  is  supported  by  standard  square 
sets.  As  the  slice  retreats  toward  the  main  drift,  the  rows 
of  square-set  posts  first  erected  are  shot  and  the  back 
caved,  leaving  at  least  two  open  sets  between  the  working- 
face  and  the  caved  ground.  To  prevent  the  square  sets 
being  crushed  by  the  weight  of  caved  ground,  small  hulk- 
heads  are  built  under  the  lower  caps  of  this  floor  resting 
upon  the  angle-timbers.  The  posts  are  then  cut  at  points 
directly  under  the  angles,  thus  transferring  the  weight 
from  the  square  sets  below  to  the  solid  ground  in  the 
pillar.  When  the  upper  slice  has  proceeded  far  enough 
from  the  extremity  of  the  section  so  that  the  ground  first 
caved  is  solid,  preparations  may  be  begun  for  the  sec- 
ond slice.  After  the  preliminary  cut  has  been  made,  the 
major  portion  of  the  ore  is  'slabbed'  directly  into  the 
chute-sets,  leaving  one-third  to  one-fifth  to  be  shoveled. 
It  has  been  found  that  the  maximum  thickness  of  slice 
that  can  be  safely  carried  in  these  mines  is  10A  ft.  and 
slices  id'  this  thickness  are  not  attempted  until  the  fourth 
slice  is  taken  and  the  caving  mat  is  under  perfect  con- 
trol. If  waste  is  encountered  in  the  ore,  it  is  feasible  to 
sort  and  leave  it  behind  to  become  incorporated  with 
the  caved  ground  and  timber  mat,  but  like  the  method 
last  described  the  system  loses  most  of  its  advantage 
where  careful  sorting  is  necessary.  A  10%  reduction  in 
cost  is  gained  over  ordinary  top-slicing.  The  labor  cost 
is  cut  about  15%  and  the  item  of  powder  is  reduced. 
The  ore  may  be  mined  rapidly  and  safely  in  the  heaviest 
kind  of  ground.  An  output  of  about  10  tons  per  man 
per  shift  or  a  total  of  about  125  tons  per  day  can  be 
maintained  from  each  section. 

CuT-AXD-Fii.t.  System.  A  cut-and-fill  method  was  de- 
vised by  Oscar  Gilman ;  this  permits  of  a  minimum  of 
timber,  low  cost,  flexibility,  and  tonnage.  The  method 
may  be  used  wherever  the  ore  and  country- rock  are 
strong  and  solid,  and  while  the  width  of  each  section  is 
limited  to  40  ft.,  the  length  and  height  of  stopes  are 
limited  only  by  the  extent  of  the  ore.  Cross-cuts  are 
driven  at  40-f't.  intervals,  and  a  cutting-out  stope  is 
started  by  enlarging  the  cross-cut  with  stoper-drills. 
When  it  has  reached  a  height  of  8  or  9  ft.  above  the  rail, 
bitches  are  cut  in  the  walls  and  temporary  stringers  are 


1916 


MINING  ..ml  Scientific    PRI  SS 


;r 


thrown  BOItM  Ili>-  SrOSS-CUt  ill   5  II     intervals,  .'.   II    aliov, 

the  mil     Flooring  ia  laid  upon  the  stringers  so  that  ore 
mui>  be  loaded  directly  into  dan 

Daring  thia  preliminary  preparation,  at  aboul  the 
oantra  of  eaoh  aeotioii  a  rais.-  baa  been  started  to  connect 
ultimately  with  the  level  above,  and  t"  be  need  tor  tim- 
ber and  Ailing.  When  the  10  i'i  limit  baa  been  reached, 
dmitted  and  forma  a  cone  extending  onl  to 
ward  the  edgea  oi  the  atope.  The  bank  may  be  sup 
:  in  any  weak  apota  while  the  next  slice  is  being 
taken  by  temporary  Btnlla  or  bulkheads  resting  upon  the 

waste.    As  the  ehntea  under  tliis  till  ar vered  they  are 

abandoned  and  il re  as  broken  runs  upon  the  doping 


W&sfe  Hanging 


W<3// 


SLICING    METHOD. 

floor  and  is  drawn  from  the  chutes  still  open  at  either  end 
of  the  waste. 

Carrying  a  stope  between  two  filled  sections  is  at  best 
an  uncertain  operation  and  the  risk  may  be  avoided  en- 
tirely by  taking  the  sections  in  succession  as  described. 
The  ridge  of  ore  35  ft.  wide  and  14  ft.  high  between 


eaoh  atope  on  the  sill  floor  is  left  to  be  mined  from  be 
low,    The  ooal  under  thia  system  is  low,    It  will  a,\ 
about  60o.  per  ton,    Although  slightly  more  expensive, 
than  the  old  shrinkage  method,  the  factor  of  safety  more 

Caved  Q round  and  Timber  Matte 


TOP-SLICE   CAV1.M;. 

than  compensates  for  the  small  increase  of  cost  over  the 
more  hazardous  system.  The  ventilation  is  good  and  the 
efficiency  of  the  men  high.  An  average  yield  of  12  tons 
per  man  per  shift  can  be  maintained  under  normal  con- 
ditions.    The  daily  output  of  each  section  will  average 


CUT-AND-FILL    METHOD. 

100  tons  per  day  and  may  be  crowded  to  150  or  even 
200  tons. 

Summary.  The  cut-and-fill  system  is  easily  the  cheap- 
est and  most  satisfactory  in  every  way  where  conditions 
are  favorable.     The  item  of  timber,  usually  a  large  one, 


Comparative  Stopinq  Costs 


Method  and  Conditions  .  Labor 

Square-set,  oxidized  ore,  heavy  ground $0.73 

Square-set,  oxidized  ore,  average  ground 0.60 

Square-set,   oxidized  ore,   robbing  timbers 0.61 

Top-slice  caving,  old  method,  oxidized  ore,  heavy  ground     0.63 

Top-slice  caving,  oxidized  ore,  heavy  ground 0.54 

Slicing,  oxidized  ore,  average  ground 0.51 

Square-set.  sulphide  ore.  average  ground 0.49 

Slicing,  sulphide  ore,  average  ground 0.43 

Cut-and-fill,  Gilman  method,  sulphide  ore,  good  ground..     0.34 
Cut-and-fill,  old  method,  sulphide  ore,  good  ground 0.32 


Candles  or 

Other 

plosives 

Timbei 

Carbide 

Air 

Supplies 

Total 

$0.06 

$0.34 

$0.01 

$0.12 

$0.04 

$1.30 

0.05 

0.25 

0.01 

0.10 

0.04 

1.05 

0.05 

0.16 

0.01 

0.10 

0.04 

0.97 

0.07 

0.20 

0.01 

0.10 

0.03 

1.04 

0.04 

0.21 

0.01 

0.10 

0.03 

0.93 

0.05 

0.20 

0.01 

0.06 

0.02 

0.85 

0.04 

0.19 

0.01 

0.04 

0.03 

0.80 

0.03 

0.15 

0.01 

0.03 

0.01 

0.66 

0.04 

0.07 

0.01 

0.04 

0.01 

0.51 

0.04 

0.04 

0.01 

0.04 

0.01 

0.46 

318                                                                 MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS                                          August  26,  1916 

is  much  reduced  and  the  risk  of  fire  is  virtually  elim-  as  a  consequence  of  the  change  of  seasons.    An  advantage 

inated.    While  any  large  'horse'  in  the  ore  may  be  kept  of  the  centrifugal  type  is  that  the  quantity  of  water 

separate  and  left  in  the  fill,  any  attempt  at  close  sorting  pumped  can   be  regulated  within  comparatively  wide 

is  inadvisable.    As  in  the  .-as.-  of  the  slicing  Bystem,  if  limits,  with  but  slight  variations  in  the  efficiency,  by 

the  ore  is  fairly  Mean  the  greatest  ultimate  economy  will  simplv  opening  and  doting  a  valve  on  either  the  suction 

uned  by  mining  it  all  as  it  comes,  without  attempt-  or  tll,  ais.-haV^-pipe.     A  reciprocating-pnmp,  on  the 

ing  to  sort.    The  consequent  low  cost  obtained  by  min-  otlleI.  |umd    mus,  be  „  at  constaut         d>  unlesg  the 

|ng  a  large  tonnage  rapidly  will  more  than  off-set  the  spm,  of  „,,.  ,„„„„.  r,m  ^  ^.^   ^  ^  a  dipect.cup. 

increased  cost  ot  handling  and  treating  a  shghtlv  lower-  .      _._       „   .            .  .„       ,                                      ,  . 

,               T         ...                              „              "      '•  rent  motor.    But  a  centrifugal  pump  may  be  altered  for 

grade  ore.     In  neither  system  can  the  grade  of  ore  be  ,          ,.«        ,  ,       ,    ,       ,        .         ■/,       ..             . 

..    ,            .      .            .      ..»                                          ,.  work  ""  different  levels  by  changing  either  the  number 

controlled   as  closelv   as  in   the  square-set   or  top-slice  .,      ,.                -  .,              ,,          T 

.,,'.,           ,             .     .          .            ,     ,,  or  the  diameter  of  the  impellers.    In  smaller  sizes  a  cen- 

cavmg  methods.     Where  the  ore  is  irregular  or  badly  «    c      i                  •     a>  ■  \.   ,    .  *.       «  ■ 

f     ...                .,                             ..     ' ,.    ^,     ,            '  tnfugal  pump  is  inefficient,  but  the  efficiency  increases 

mixed  with  waste,  the  square-set  method  is  the  best.    If  ...    .,               „                                    .  „..  /  ,„„„ 

....                  .,      .,                ^  with  the  size.     Pumps  ot  a  capacity  of  600  to  1200  gal. 

the  stope  is  in  good  condition  a  considerable  proportion  .                  ,          .,          . *\   .      ,                „  .             „ 

.    .                  ,                 .    ,      ,  ,           K  ■     ,    ■  Per  minute  can  be  easily  maintained  at  an  efficiency  of 

oi   the  timbers  may  be  extracted  safelv  as  it  is  being  Ee  .     ct.„ 

fill  d  ^°' 

„  '        ,                 ..               .    ,     .,           ,.      ,   .        ,.  At  a  Michigan  mine  900  ft.  deep,  where  the  flow  is 

ror  a   heavy   unitorm  orebodv  the  inclined  top-slice  „„  .      ,„       ,                            ..          .                     ,  .         ,      . 

,    ,      ....  .,            ..„    r .   .  30  to  40  gal.  per  minute,  there  is  a  motor-driven  hori- 

eaving  system   is   recommended.      While  it   still   retains  .  ,      ,                                                .              „„_ 

,.  ,,      ,.                           .  .,        ,,  -    ,.        ,  .        ,.  zontal    plunger-pump    ol    a    capacity    of    12o    gal.    per 

some  ot  the  disadvantages  of  the  old-fashioned  top-slice,  .             -,     „      ,             ,,,.,., 

.,   r   ,,  minute.     On   Sundays  and   holidays  the  pump  can  be 

it    is   in    many    ways   an    improvement    over   the   older  .    ,   .               ,           ,,-,,, 

,     ,      ...,  ■•■,,,                   il            •        •  operated  from  surface,  the  high  and  low-water  marks 

method.      I  he  lirmeipal  advantages  are  the  saving  in  .     ,,               ,    .       <..,,..,           ,            ,     . 

,           ,            ,  ,,            .  ,.          •.,,-,,  ln  'he  sump  being  furnished  with  an  electric  device  for 

labor  and  powder,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  the  ore  .        ..       ,     .,     ,    .  .,                                    ,...  ,  . 

.              .     „,,          -          .,    .    .                .,          „    ,,  signaling  to  the  hoist-house.    At  another  Michigan  mine 

may  be  mined.     1  he  unfavorable  teat  ores  are  those  of  all  ,-,rr,  „.    i                           ,  • 

'   ..                        ..    ,      .,       ,                  ..  ,.            .e  11-j0  ft.  deep,  two  motor-driven  plunger-pumps  are  em- 

top-slice  caving  methods:  the  almost  inevitable  sacrifice  ,        ,      _       .        .,            ,,                   ,            .         „  „_ 

...                                 ,                     .,  ..            ..  ployed.     One  is  triplex  and  has  a  rated  capacity  of  95 

of  some  of  the  ore,  narrow  work,  poor  ventilation  in  the  ,               .            „         ,        .     ,                  ,  ,                   , 

,,,„..,..,                 ,     ,                   ,     ,,  gal.  per  minute,  the  other  is  duplex  and  has  a  rated  ca- 

stopes,  and  the  fact  that  the  ground  above  is  so  badly  .f_     .  ,„_    '         ml      . 

,      ,                       ...                      .  .  .              ,  pacity  of  125  gal.     The  flow  at  this  place  averages  50 

broken  as  to  render  the  expense  of  lnture  work  on  upper  ,                .                      .                      ,  .   r               .  ^ 

i                                        .                  ,-,•.■          .,-,        r  ■  gal.   per  minute,   occasionally   reaching  a   maximum  of 

levels  so  great  as  to  be  almost  prohibitive.     The  slicing  ...    '    . 

system  finds  its  chief  application  to  fairly  regular  ore-  B           " 

,'     .      .                   ,                       ,      ..    ,       .          ,,  v igures  on   the  cost  for  maintenance  of  centrifugal 
bodies  in  not  too  heavv  ground.     Under  favorable  con-  ,  °  .  ,                .                                 ,              ,.,,, 
....         .,           ,   .     ,                                 .,  .          .,     ,  .,  and  triple-expansion  steam-pumps  show  a  decided  ad- 
ditions the  cost  is  lower  when  using  this  method  than  c.       f          ,  .,       ,               „,,.,,. 

,                             ...       „             ...    ,.                         ,.  ,,  vantage  for  the  centrifugal  type.    The  following  figures 

when  using  any  of  the  others,  with  the  exception  of  the  .              ,,.  ,  .                     .         .   ,                      „           .        , 

j  en        »u  j      rrn           •       •     i  i.           i.i       •  from  a  Michigan  mine  tor  eight  pumps,  four  of  each 

■  ut-and-hll  method.     The  saving  in  labor  and  timber  is  ,     .                                               r       r 

type   duriii**  one  year  ■ 

appreciable    over    square-set   Stoping    and    the    cycle    of  Centrifugal           Steam 

preparing,  mining,  filling,  and  abandoning  a  section  is     shop  labor  *717  '760 

,,  ,  ™,.     c     ,  ,,...        .  Labor  on  pumps  690  590 

normally  a  short  one.     This  feature,  in  addition  to  per-  SuDn]jes                                                        50o 

mitting  a  large  daily  output,  reduces  the  repair  cost  in-  

cidental  to  keeping  a  section  of  the  country  open  over  $1910                 $3371 

a  long  period.     The  introduction  of  these  methods  has  jt  is  geen  ^  ^  ^^  ^  ^  ahm]t  ^  same  for 

effected  a  large  saving  to  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  Co.  each]  Wt  that  ^  steam.pumps  had  a  greater  expense 

during   the    past    few   years   without   endangering   the  fop  supplies  mostly  fop  paeking  fop  the  water.end.    The 

safety  of  the  men  or  of  the  mines.  centrifugal  pumps  mentioned  had  motors  with  wound 

.        ^^  rotors  and  a  device  for  short-circuiting  the  secondary 

-TLilGCulC     jt  J.JIl_fj£>  current  and  relieving  the  brushes  from  wear  by  lifting 

them  from  the  rings.  These  pumps  were  rated  at  900 
Pumps  driven  by  electricity  are  either  of  the  recipro-  gal.  per  minute  each.  The  flow  of  water  increased  to 
eating  type  or  the  centrifugal  type.  Generally  speaking,  1100  gal.  This  was  too  much  for  one  pump  and  not 
a  reciprocating-pnmp  driven  by  an  induction  motor  is  enough  for  two,  so  it  was  necessary  to  start  and  stop 
suited  to  pump  a  regular  amount  of  water  against  a  one  pump  frequently.  Later  it  was  found  that  by  in- 
head  thai  may  be  varied  at  pleasure.  With  a  centrifugal  creasing  the  speed  of  the  generator  in  the  hydro-electric 
pump,  on  the  contrary,  the  quantity  of  water  can  be  power-house  from  6.0  to  62i  cycles  per  second,  each 
regulated,  bul  the  head  cannot  be  materially  changed  pump  could  handle  1200  to  1300  gal.  per  minute.  But 
without  making  structural  alterations  in  the  pump.  A  this  overloaded  the  motors  and,  after  running  some  time, 
reciprocating-pnmp  is  adapted"  for  work  in  mines  where  it  was  found  that  the  insulation  had  been  baked  until 
the  flow  of  water  is  steady,  and  where  it  is  a  convenience  it  was  brittle.  This  made  trouble  when  it  became  neces- 
to  be  able  to  transfer  the  pump  to  different  levels  as  the  sary  to  repair  the  windings.  A  drop  in  efficiency  will 
mine  is  deepened.  The  centrifugal  pump  cannot  be  also  overload  the  motor,  so  that  it  is  well  to  provide 
shifted  to  different  levels  without  impairing  the  centrifugal  pumps  with  motors  of  a  size  larger  than  for 
iii-y.  but  it  can  take  eare  of  a  varying  flow  of  water  the  normal  head  and  quantity. 


August  96,  1916 


MIXING  and  Sciential    l'KI  SS 


Mining  in  Arizona 


By      Char  1*  s      T.      Willi* 

Mine*  and  smelter*  in  Arizona  have  been  working  at 

such  high  pressure  this  year  that  they  are  making  r >rd 

out  put-  of  all  metals.  It'  they  continue  to  work  at  the 
r  the  remainder  of  the  year  they  will 
produce  over  600,000,000  lb.  of  copper,  against  160,000, 
(HMt  lh  in  1916.  A  corresponding  increase  in  the  output 
of  the  precious  metals,  and  in  lead  and  rino,  combined 
with  higher  prices,  will  make  the  ti»tal  value  of  the  our. 
rent  year  nearly  double  that  for  1915,  which  "as  about 
$s.s.iM>iMHHi.  Asi.l.-  from  ^Tort  to  take  advantage  "I" 
what  was  an  unusually  active  market,  several  factors 
have  aided  tins  increase,  such  as  resumption  of  the  Clif- 
ton-Morenci  mines  in  January.  The  International 
smelter,  which  reduces  Inspiration  concentrate,  con- 
tributes  tl  -■  part  of  the  increase,  as  this  plant 

is  supplying  about  -•">',  of  the  total  copper.  Marked  in- 
creases and  improvements  were  made  at  the  United 
Verde,  Miami.  Calumet  &  Arizona,  and  <M<1  Dominion 
miius.  The  Sasco  plant  in  Pima  county  was  again 
blown-in.  The  railroad  to  Ago  was  completed,  and  work 
has  been  started  at  tin'  New  Cornelia  on  a  400-ton  leach- 
ing plant.     There  is  greal  activity  in  the  production  of 

gold,  especially  in  Mohav ranty,  and  the  high  price  of 

zinc  has  stimulated  production  at  the  Tennessee.  Union 
Basin,  and  Kingman  zinc  mines,  which  are  in  the  same 
region. 

Announcement  that  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  had 
authorized  a  mining  experiment  station  at  the  University 
of  Arizona,  is  a  step  forward.  Permanent  progress  of 
the  State  is  dependent  on  mining.  Over  25%  of  the 
males  here  are  employed  at  mines.  It  was  not  unex- 
pected that  Tucson  would  he  chosen  as  the  site  of  one  of 
the  first  three  stations  authorized,  for  while  the  city  is  not 
the  geometrical  centre  of  the  State,  it  is  in  almost  every 
other  way.  Tucson  is  on  two  main  railroads,  and  has 
other  lines  branching  from  it.  It  is  the  centre  of  the 
State's  educational  activities,  of  the  State  Bureau  of 
Mines,  of  the  State  University,  the  centre  of  population, 
the  centre  of  the  State's  copper  production,  and  the 
centre  of  money  distribution.  It  is  connected  directly 
with  all  of  the  largest  copper  centres  of  Arizona  save 
Jerome  Although  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  has  an 
independent  personnel,  its  presence  is  of  great  advantage 
to  the  students  of  the  University  of  Arizona  College  of 
Mines.  The  influence  of  noted  investigators,  the  use  and 
observation  of  machinery  that  would  not  otherwise  be 
available,  an  insight  into  methods  of  research  of  great 
problems,  all  of  these  are  of  benefit  to  the  student.  This, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  the  ground  has  already  been 
broken  for  a  new  mining  and  engineering  building  of  the 
University,  is  important.  The  last  Legislature  appropri- 
ated $75,000  for  a  new  building,  contingent  on  the  Uni- 
versity authorities  raising  an  equal  amount.  Through 
the  generosity  of  the  mining  companies,  who  contributed 
in  proportion  to  their  copper-output,  $100,000  has  been 


raised,  and  the  plans  for  the  building  are  actually  under 
wag 
It  Kerns  to  be  generally  considered  that  i  state  a<l 

Vancing  in  m'-tal  output  as  is  Arizona,  can  have  hut   few 

unsolved   problems;  an  analysis  of  the  situation   will 

show  that   this  is  not   so.     Over  !>.">',    of  lli pper  pro 

duoed  iii  the  state  is  from   13  companies,  out  of   100 
producers.    Although  mining  contributes  both  directly 

and  indirectly  al t  66' ,  of  the  state's  taxes,  over  90% 

of  this  amount  is  paid  by  these  i:i apanies,  practically 

hearing    the    liiirden     for    the    entire    Stale.    There    are 

thousands  of  mines  here  waiting  for  suitable  treatment 


MAP    OF    ARIZONA. 

methods.  At  present,  with  no  facilities  for  metallurgical 
research,  the  only  hope  of  the  smaller  companies  having 
such  problems  is  to  sell  to  the  larger  corporations  having 
the  capital  to  carry  on  research.  This  is  proved  by  many 
recent  changes  of  ownership.  The  Calumet  &  Arizona 
spent  a  large  sum  in  devising  a  process  for  its  Ajo  ores, 
although  the  mine  there  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  State. 
Lead,  zinc,  and  molybdenum  ores  are  others  requiring 
attention. 

Probably  the  greatest  discussion  of  the  past  month  has 
been  on  the  proposed  copper  tax.  This  would  hit  Ari- 
zona hard,  causing  the  operators  to  pay  approximately 
$4,000,000.  Arguments  have  not  been  against  a  tax,  hut 
rather  on  the  unfairness  of  singling  out  the  copper  in- 
dustry for  taxation.  When  the  price  of  copper  reaches 
a  normal  level,  such  a  tax  would  be  extremely  burden- 
some, in  many  cases  prohibitive. 


820 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


The  Parker  district  offers  good  opportunities  to  min- 
ing   n.    The  Manning  &  Roeder  property  was  acquired 

last  week  by  J.  L.  Mclver  and  Geo.  W.  Long,  the  men 
who  discovered  and  developed  the  United  Eastern  gold 
mine  a1  Oatman.  Associated  with  Mclver  and  Long  in 
the  purchase  are  w.  K.  Ridenotfr  of  the  Telluride  Min- 
ing &  Development  Co.,  and  A.  L.  Kreiss.  The  property 
con  Ms  of  23  claims,  8  miles  north  of  Parker  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Colorado  river.  Over  3000  ft.  of  devel- 
opment has  been  done  and  extensive  bodies  of  copper  ore 
have  been  opened.  The  poreha.se  priee  is  $:{O0.000,  with 
a  substantia]  cash  payment,  the  balance  to  be  paid  in 

installments  extending  over  two  years. 

By  a  Hist  payment  of  several  thousand  dollars  the  sale 

of  the  50  copper  claims  of  C.  J.  McNulty  and  M.  McBride 
on  Copper  creek,   10  miles  south-west   of   Prescott,  has 

1 ii   Consummated,  and  the  group  is  now  in   the  hands 

of  the  Daly-Crawford-Lewisohn  syndicate.  It  is  stated 
that  the  consideration  was  over  $:i(.)0,000.  The  ground 
has  been  thoroughly  prospected,  the  original  owner.  Mc- 
Nulty, having  devoted  more  than  15  years  to  this  work. 
The  largest  mining  deal  ever  closed  ill  the  Walker 
district,  south  of  Prescott,  as  well  as  in  this  field  gener- 
ally, is  that  by  which  the  Sheldon  Mining  <  !o.  succei  ds  to 
the  holdings  of  the  .Major  Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  in 
which  the  cash  has  been  paid  and  the  titles  cleared.     All 

conflicting  interests  of  the  estate  of  II.   T.  Andrews. 

deceased.  Stukey  brothers,  the  Metals  Mining  Co.,  the 
Empire  Mining  Co.  and  the  Major  Mining  &  Milling  Co. 
have  been  merged  with  the  Sheldon,  embracing  a  group 
of  nine  gold-copper  mines  of  attractive  rating.  With  this 
transaction  complete,  operations  will  soon  begin  on  a 
large  scale.    It  is  probable  that  the  Eureka  and  Sheldon 

hoi, lings  will  be  the  base  Of  operations.  John  P.  Pell,  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  is  to  head  the  Sheldon  as  president. 
Negotiations  to  effect  this  important  merger  have  been 
under  consideration  for  several  months.  Some  of  the 
oldest  ami  best  known  of  pioneer  gold  mines  in  this 
county  that  had  lain  idle  for  years  are  now  assured  of 
becoming  active,  and  probably  highly  productive. 

Rapid  progress  is  being  made  at  the  New  Cornelia 
company's  leaching-plant  at  Ajo.  After  various  delays 
construction  progress  is  now  satisfactory.  The  leaching 
vats  are  88  ft.  square.  The  power-house  is  160  ft. 
square,  and  the  electrolytic  tower-house  160  by  280  ft. 
id  the  cement-mixers  and  keep  the  concrete  work 
going,  a  temporary  crusher  is  at  work  continuously,  pro- 
viding 350  tons  of  Crushed  rock  per  day. 

After  lying  idle,  water-logged,  and  caved  for  years. 
the  old  Harqua  Hala  Bonanza  gold  mine,  has  come  to 
life  with  the  opening  of  another  rich  shoot  in  new  ground 
north  of  ihe  old  working-shaft.     The  vein  widens  with 

depth.  It  might  lie  assumed  Jhat  a  mine  which  has 
produced  $4,000.(100  would  he  a  deep  one.  yet  this  is  not 
so.     It  was  worked  in  the  early  days  to  a  depth  of  400  ft.  : 

levels  were  driven  at  intervals  of  50  it.,  and  some  of  them 

for  a  considerable  length.  Put  the  deeper  ore  is  still  un- 
disturbed, save  for  the  new  work.  The  ore  also  carries 
Copper.     The  40-stamp  mill  is  crushing  ore  from  the  Up- 


per levels.  After  the  winze  has  been  sunk  200  ft.,  and 
the  ground  further  explored  from  it,  a  three-compart- 
ment vertical  shaft  will  he  sunk.  The  mill  will  also  be 
greatly  improved. 

Another  suit,  further  implicating  the  already  tangled 
affairs  of  the  llull  Copper  Co.,  was  Hied  recently  at  Pres- 
cott. The  names  of  Wm.  II.  Kemp.  (I.  0.  I'.owman, 
Benj.  P.  Walton,  Andres  B.  Tarbett,  and  John  II.  Page 
appear  as  plaintiffs:  the  Hull  Copper  Co.,  Geo.  W.  Hull, 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Hull.  S.  F.  Denison,  Will  L.  Clark,  (has. 
W.  Clark.  W.  A.  Clark,  and  the  United  Verde  Copper 
Co.  an-  named  as  defendants.  One  of  the  principal 
allegations  of  the  plaintiffs  is  that  a  number  of  shares 
have  hen  wrongfully  issued  to  Hull  and  his  wife.  Oiler 
complaints  petition  for  a  disclosure  of  all  facts  in  con- 
nection with  the  recent  deal  for  the  transfer  of  Hull's 
controlling  interest  in  the  Hull  Copper  Co.  to  the  Clark 
interests.  A  temporary  injunction  preventing  this  is 
asked.  The  history  of  the  Hull  litigation  dates  back 
several  years.    All  the  company's  funds  were  exhausted 

and  Hull,  it  is  alleged,  personally  advanced  large  sums 
for  the  continuation  of  development.  He  eventually 
filed  suit  for  an  accounting.  The  hope  is  expressed  that 
the  icw  litigation  may  result  in  some  Court  action  that 
will  make  possible  the  transfer  of  all  the  Hull  ground  to 
the  United  Verde,  and  its  development  by  that  company. 

It  is  certain,  however,  that  much  time  must  pass  before 
this  is  brought  about. 

On  ACCOUNT  of  the  present  high  price  of  mercury 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  mercury  fulminate,  deton- 
ators have  greatly  advanced  in  price.  Manufacturers 
are  seeking  a  substitute  to  partly  replace  the  fulminate. 
liy  the  use  of  a  suitable  base  charge  and  of  a  fulminate- 
chlorate  as  a  primer  in  the  reinforced  detonator,  about 
one-half  as  much  fulminate  is  required  for  a  cap  of  given 
strength.  Commercial  blasting-caps  have  been  manu- 
factured containing  both  TXT  (trinitrotoluene,  and 
tetryl  as  the  base  charge.  About  0.40  gram  of  base 
charge  and  0.32  gram  of  90:10  fulminate-chlorate 
primer  make  a  cap  of  the  No.  6  grade.  It  is  important 
to  us,-  as  a  factor  of  safety  about  50$  excess  primer 
above  the  minimum  quantity  required  for  complete  de- 
tonation of  the  base  charge.  It  is  also  important  to  use 
a  base  charge  not  too  insensitive  to  slightly  moist  ful- 
minate. Any  explosive  proposed  for  use  as  a  base 
charge  should  he  thoroughly  tested  to  meet  any  possible 
conditions  of  treatment  or  storage  to  which  the  blasting- 
caps  are  likely  to  be  exposed  in  practical  work,  for  the 
failure  of  a  single  cap  may  be  a  serious  matter.  On 
account  of  its  insensjtivensss  to  slightly  moist  fulminate. 
TNT  has  proved  an  unsatisfactory  base  charge. — 
Abstract  from  Technical  Paper  145  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines,  by  G.  B.  Taylor  and  W.  C.  Cope,  entitled  'Sensi- 
tiveness to  Detonation  of  Trinitrotoluene  and  Tetra- 
uitromethylanilin. ' 

Xithii-glyc'Ekix  of  50%  strength  is  now  sidling  at 
$19.50  per  100  lb.,  or  $390  per  ton. 


August  26,  1916 


MINING  .nd  Sacnt.fic   PKI  SS 


321 


Concentrates 

1  !•*  taJfcrM,i/fc>n  dnWiHtf  "'**  f^cAMinW  ii»(  t>/Arr  Mttf.Vrt  prrfalniNtf  (o  IKt  l".*-- 


To  ooNVBn  specific  gravity  to  Batumi  gravity,  divide 
Hit  by  specific  gravity  and  dedncl  130.  Tin-  result  is 
tlio  Baume"  gravity  (approximati  To  convert  Baums 
gravity  to  specific  gravity,  add  130  t<>  Baume*  gravity 
and  divide  into  li".  giving  specific  gravity  (approxi- 
mate Specific  gravity  multiplied  by  8.331  gives 
pounds  per  gallon. 

'I'm    DANOEBOOS  QAS  CO  Should  no)   result   from  the  ox- 

ploaion  of  a  modern  high  explosive.    The  results  of  blast- 
ould  be  CO,  and  H»0,  providing  the  explosive  is 

properly  compounded  and  detonated,     it  has  I a  said 

that  the  carbon  contained  in  the  paper  wrappers  of  dj  ds 
a  imetimes  makes  •  !<  •  gas.    As  little  as  0.25^ ,  of  CO 
in  the  air  may  affect  a  miner,  while  7  or  8%  of  CO. 
led  'choke  damp'    is  a ssary  to  cause  distress. 


I\  iti.vsTiNc;,  the  more  nearly  the  charge  of  explosive 
is  adjusted  exactly  to  the  burden  of  rock,  the  more  com- 
plete should  be  ill'-  explosion  and  the  less  should  he  the 
fume.  The  pressure  of  the  explosion  is  greatest  when  a 
charge  is  carefully  adjusted  to  the  burden,  the  thermo- 
dynamic  changes  being  interdependent.  Over-charging 
of  holes  in  blasting  is  customary,  in  order  to  ensure  a 
successful  shot. 


TllK  HIGHEST  habitation  in  the  world  is  stated  to  be 
in  Peru.  Professor  Isaiah  Bowman  reports  that  he 
crossed  the  Andes  by  the  passes  between  Antabamba  and 
Cotahuasi,  and  at  17,100  ft.  altitude  saw  a  thatched 
stone  hut  that  sheltered  a  family  of  five.  These  natives 
were  apparently  quite  healthy,  and  "three  rosy-cheeked 
children  almost  as  fat  as  the  sheep  about  them  were 
playing  with  balls  of  wool."  A  man  accustomed  to  low 
altitudes  could  not  live  at  so  high  an  altitude  without 
suffering  ill-health. 

A  gold  TRUST-FUND  is  proposed  for  simplifying  com- 
mercial settlements  between  the  different  North  and 
South  American  countries.  This  would  save  unnecessary 
transfer  of  gold  in  adjustment  of  balances.  A  unit  of 
money  equal  to  one-fifth  of  the  American  gold  dollar 
was  approved  at  a  recent  conference  in  Buenos  Aires. 
If  adopted  by  the  various  countries,  this  would  provide 
a  uniform  basis  of  transaction  among  all  the  American 
nations.  It  will  also  afford  a  standard  likely  to  be 
adopted  for  gold  coinage  by  South  American  countries 
when  they  find  themselves  able  to  employ  a  gold  basis. 

Compressed  air  can  be  utilized  in  a  variety  of  ways 
around  an  industrial  plant.  Not  only  the  mechanical 
force  of  the  escaping  jet  is  used,  but  it  is  an  efficient 
drier,  and,  when  equipped  with  spray,  a  moistener. 
For  cleaning  out-of-the-way  nooks  nothing  can  equal  it. 


It  agitates  cyanide  or  flotation  liquids,  ventilates  mine 

workings,  and   blows   factors    whistles       It    is  .lean,  and 
whin    it    has   done   its    work    is    in    nobody's   way.      Air 

pressure  is  one  of  the  best  ways  of  quickly  and  thor- 
oughly forcing  the  water  oul  of  boiler  tubes,  as  well  ai 

for  leaks  iii  pipes  or  boilers. 


Kin  raio  MM  LAQi  underground  is  well  liked  at  large 
mines  where  the  tramming  can  be  concentrated  on  a  few 
levels,  as  in  the  extraction  of  large  mass  deposits  of  cop 
per.  iron,  or  Low-grade  gold  ore.  In  mines  where  the 
tramming  is  scatter,-, I  on  many  levels,  as  in  the  Michigan 
copper  mines,  or   in  mining  narrow   lodes  of   high  grade 

ore,  electric  haulage  is  not  so  well  adapted.    The  cosl  of 
maintenance  of  underground  electric  traction  in  a  large 

mine  is  likely  to  be  about   lf>c  per  ton-mile.     Of  this.  Je. 
would  be  for  power.  ,'»■.  for  maintenance  of  track.  (,-.  for 
maintenance  of  trolley,  and  3c.   for  maintenance  of  loCO- 
motives.      Similar   costs   were    found    necessary    in    the 
Copper  Queen  mines  at  Bisbee. 


Pricks  of  lumber  during  1915  arc  given  in  a  bulletin 
of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  most  ex- 
pensive woods  in  a  list  of  27  were  cypress,  yellow  poplar, 
hickory,  and  ash,  all  worth  between  $20  and  $23.50  per 
1000  ft.  Of  the  soft  woods,  white  pine  was  $18,  hemlock 
$13,  spruce  $16.50,  redwood  $13.50,  cedar  $15.50,  and 
tamarack  $11.  Southern  yellow  pine,  of  which  a  great 
quantity  was  cut,  constituting  30%  of  the  total,  was 
$12.50.  Douglas  fir.  which  contributed  10%  of  the  coun- 
try's cut  for  the  year,  was  $10.50.  Of  the  hardwoods, 
oak  sold  at  $19  per  thousand,  maple  at  $15.  birch  at 
$16.50,  and  Cottonwood  at  $17.50.  Oak,  white  pine,  and 
hemlock  are  the  only  varieties  other  than  yellow  pine 
and  Douglas  fir,  of  which  over  2,000,000,000  bd.  ft.  was 
cut. 

The  slack-cable  system  for  removal  of  ore  from  un- 
derground is  being  tried  at  the  Quick  Seven  zinc  mine, 
in  the  Joplin  district  of  Missouri.  The  excavating  out- 
fit consists  of  a  mast  or  gin-pole,  supporting  a  track- 
cable  upon  which  runs  the  bucket,  and  the  engine  neces- 
sary to  operate  the  bucket.  The  engine  has  two  drums, 
one  of  which,  by  a  direct  pull,  loads  and  hauls  the 
bucket ;  the  other,  by  means  of  a  set  of  double  blocks, 
tightens  the  track-cable  in  order  to  raise  the  bucket  off 
the  ground.  The  system  is  installed  at  the  side  of  a 
large  cave-in  at  the  mine.  There  is  a  145-ft.  face  of  ore, 
extending  from  a  depth  of  160  ft.  to  within  15  ft.  of  the 
surface.  The  ore  averages  17%  zinc.  One  great  advan- 
tage of  the  slack-cable  system  is  that  it  works  equally 
well  in  dry  ground  or  in  water — in  other  words,  if  the 
cave-in  at  the  Quick  Seven  were  completely  filled  with 
water,  the  bucket  could  operate  at  nearly  the  same  effi- 
ciency as  if  it  were  drained.  The  upper  15  ft.  is  of 
sand  and  clay.  This  will  be  washed  down  and  disposed 
of  hydraulically,  thus  leaving  the  orebody  exposed  to 
the  direct  action  of  the  bucket.  One  Morris  and  one 
Cameron  sand-pump  have  been  installed  for  this  work. 


322 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26.  1016 


miEWimw    oy  mmnmu 


~l 


^T 


n  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  oicn  correspondents. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

A  Session  WITHOUT  Value  to  Mining 

This  session  of  Congress  is  about  to  close  without  having 
done  anything  for  mining,  save  what  is  involved  in  the  gen- 
eral appropriation  bills,  but  these  have  included  no  new  legis- 
lation bearing  on  the  industry.  The  bill  to  create  a  com- 
mission to  codify  the  mining  laws  has  failed  in  final  action, 
and  is  considered  dead  for  this  session,  inclusive  of  the  short 
session  beginning  in  December.  While  considerable  enthusi- 
asm was  manifested  at  the  beginning  by  members  of  the  House 
for  the  passage  of  such  legislation,  opposition  developed  in 
the  House  Committee  on  Mining,  which  decided  that  if  there 
was  to  be  any  codification  at  all,  it  should  be  done  by  the  Com- 
mittee itself.  The  bill  that  passed  the  Senate  was  side-tracked, 
similar  treatment  being  given  the  bill  of  Representative  Fos- 
ter of  Illinois.  The  whole  Mining  Committee  has  now  ad- 
journed sine  die  for  the  current  session,  without  taking  action, 
and  all  that  has  been  held  out  is  hope  that  something  would 
be  done  at  the  short  session.  This,  however,  will  be  crowded 
with  business,  particularly  in  anticipation  to  the  inauguration 
of  the  new  President.  What  has  vexed  mining  men  particu- 
larly is.  that  while  there  has  been  general  sentiment  in  Con- 
gress favoring  codification  of  the  mining  laws,  legislation 
should  be  held  up  by  a  few  men,  one  of  the  most  influential 
being  James  Wickersham.  delegate  from  Alaska. 

A  final  measure  of  interest  to  the  West  has  been  the  passing, 
by  the  House,  of  the  bill  to  authorize  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior to  lease  for  production  of  oil  and  gas  ceded  lands  of  the 
Shoshone  or  Wind  River  Indian  Reservation  in  Wyoming. 
The  act  follows  the  lines  of  usual  leasing  bills.  The  Senate 
has  yet  to  act  on  it. 

HUMBOLDT,  ARIZONA 

Notes  on  Important  Mines  of  the  District. 

The  Stoddard  and  Copper  Queen  properties,  G  miles  from 
Mayer,  are  erecting  a  joint  mill  of  100  tons'  capacity.  Each 
mine  is  about  1000  ft.  from  the  mill-site,  and  the  ore  will  be 
hand-trammed  from  them  on  a  slight  down-grade  to  the  mine 
ore-bins.  The  two  trams  arrive  at  the  bin  with  a  difference 
in  elevation  of  8  ft.  The  mine  ore-bin  is  flat-bottomed  with 
two  compartments,  having  provision  for  dumping  the  ore  from 
either  mine  in  either  compartment.  The  run-of-mine  ore  will 
be  taken  from  the  bin  by  belt-conveyor  to  a  Gates  crusher. 
The  topography  of  the  country  necessitated  the  digging  of  a 
pit  for  the  crusher-discharge,  which  is  then  conveyed  to  the 
mill-bin  by  an  inclined  belt-conveyor.  The  mill-bin  has  a 
sloping  bottom  and  holds  100  tons.  A  Marcy  mill  in  closed- 
circuit  with  a  Dorr  duplex  classifier  prepares  the  ore  for  the 
Gahl  flotation  machine.  This  consists  of  a  16-cell  rougher,  and 
a  fi-cell  cleaner,  a  diaphram-pump  being  used  to  elevate  con- 
centrate from  the  rougher  to  the  cleaner.  All  flotation  tailing 
flows  by  gravity  to  three  double-deck  .Deister  tables,  the  tail- 
ing from  which  go  to  waste.  Concentrate  is  dewatered  in  a 
Dorr  thickener  and  2  Oliver  filters.  Instead  of  a  concentrate- 
bin,  a  long  wide  chute  will  be  used  to  deliver  the  concentrate 
by  gravity  from  the  filters  to  trucks  for  haulage  to  Mayer,  the 
nearest  shipping  point.  The  building  is  of  wooden-frame  con- 
struction with  corrugated-iron  walls  and  roof.  It  is  expected 
that  the  plant   will   be  ready  for  operation   within  a   month. 


iwssibly  sooner.  It  was  designed  by  Kenyon  Burch.  The  Gahl 
flotation  machines  are  the  same  as  those  devised  at  the  In- 
spiration, consisting  of  air  agitation  exclusively.  The  ore 
contains  .;' ;  copper. 

The  Big  Ledge  Development  Co.,  owning  the  Henrietta  and 
Butternut  gold-copper  mines  near  Poland  Junction,  has  bought 
the  old  Treadwell  smelter  at  Mayer,  and  the  Hackberry  mine 
near-by.  The  company  proposes  to  re-model  the  smelter  along 
modern  lines,  using  the  Hackberry  ore  as  basic  flux  for  its 
own  highly  silicious  ores. 

The  Big  Pine  gold  mine  owners,  IS  miles  from  Prescott  in 
the  Groom  Creek  district,  have  purchased  the  old  Mascot  mill 
at  Crown  King,  and  will  use  most  of  the  machinery  in  the 
construction  of  a  mill  at  their  property.  Crushing  by  rolls, 
and  counter-current  decantation  will  be  the  cyanidation  treat- 
ment. Precipitation  will  be  by  zinc-dust.  Mr.  Dunning  is 
general  manager. 

Two  miles  west  of  Humboldt  is  the  Camp  Anderson  lead- 
silver  mine.  A  mill  is  contemplated,  using  Huntington  mills 
and  gravity  concentration.  Development  is  opening  a  good 
vein. 

The  New  Year  is  an  old  property  in  the  Chaparral  district, 
5  miles  from  Humboldt,  recently  re-opened  by  Prescott  and 
Phoenix  capital,  under  the  superintendence  of  Claude  Fergu- 
son. The  shaft  was  re-opened  and  thoroughly  re-timbered  to 
a  depth  of  200  ft.  Operations  were  then  suspended  until  two 
weeks  ago,  when  a  small  crew  commenced  on  development. 
One  drift  will  be  driven  on  two  shifts,  and  another  on  day 
shift  only.  The  shaft  is  inclined  at  about  70°;  water  and 
waste  is  raised  and  supplies  lowered  in  a  torpedo  bucket, 
using  a  15-hp.  Fairbanks-Morse  electric  hoist,  which  has  given 
good  service  for  that  purpose. 

At  the  Consolidated  Arizona  the  frame-work  for  a  new 
temporary  sample-mill  is  about  completed.  The  old  mill  was 
burned  on  June  9.  At  present  the  company  is  handling  only 
the  Swansea  ore  and  high-grade  custom  ores  and  concentrates, 
in  addition  to  its  own  supply  from  the  Blue  Bell  and  De  Soto 
mines.  When  the  temporary  mill  is  completed,  the  company 
will  be  able  to  handle  its  usual  quota  of  custom  ores.  When 
the  pressure  of  other  work  has  slackened,  the  company  pro- 
poses installing  a  modern  change-room  for  its  men.  This  will 
be  a  much  needed  and  greatly  appreciated  improvement. 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 

Silver  Production. — Dynamite  Factory. — Electrolytic  Zinc. 
— Shaft  Work  at  Butte  &  Superior. — Butte-Duluth 
Affairs. 

Few  people  realize  the  great  quantity  of  silver  recovered  in 
this  district.  Anaconda  produces  10,000,000  oz.  yearly  as  a 
by-product  from  its  copper.  The  Black  Rock  mine  of  the  Butte 
&  Superior  yields  10,000  oz.  daily.  As  the  average  price  of 
silver  for  the  first  six  months  of  this  year  has  been  20"f  higher 
than  that  of  last  year,  the  increase  has  added  considerably  to 
the  profits  of  all  operating  companies  at  Butte,  also  a  good  help 
to  the  smaller  companies  all  over  the  State. 

Construction  work  is  being  hurried  on  the  DuPont  powder- 
plant  being  built  on  a  1200-acre  tract  S  miles  west  of  Butte. 
Several  buildings,  to  be  used  for  storing  powder,  are  complete, 
and  have  been  surrounded  with  earth  embankments  to  lessen 


Angus!  26,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


the  dancer  from  explosions     Ths  In  ■  remot* 

port   ot    the    uroun.l.   uliil    I  lit-   OjfltOI    hnlMlnp    »|||    In-    near    III.- 
Iliulll   I  D   Hull.-  ami  A  inn 'omlii.     Spuihn, 

ICted  over  ill.-  i  i  gg  t li«-  nialii  I1d«  ol  tin-  Butt*, 

ida  *  Pacific  roiui.    Butt*  naaa  t,(  ■■!  dynamtt* 

ii      ill.-  DMtraal  powder-plant  in  at  DuPont,  Waahli 
uml  a*  the  freight-rale  on  explosive*  li  high,  a 

»ui   i Heated   bj    manufacturing   the   tracteur  nearer   in* 

point  ol  consumption.  Part*  ol  Dtah  and  Idaho  will  alao  be 
supplied  from  this  plant  'iin-  factor]  will  b«  completed  late 
in  December,  and  win  manufacture  dynamite  and  gelatine 
only.  Nitric  add  will  be  made  from  Chilean  nitrate.  Sul- 
phuric add  «ui  come  from  the  Washoe  planl  al  An  < 
When  working  si  normal  capmcltj  150  men  will  be  employed. 

One  unit  of  the  Anaconda  electrolytlc-alnc  planl  at  Great 
Kails  baa  been  itarted.    Btxcellenl  progress  has  been  made  In 

construction,  and  the  whole  plain  of  8 ton  capacity  of  ore 

per  day  is  expected  to  be  In  operation  bj  September  l.    The 

Kmma  mine  will  supply  most  of  the  ore.  lis  shall  is  in  the 
the  residence  ilistriet  of  Hun.',  and  ii  will  he  difficult 
to  construei  a  railroad  spur  to  Its  ore-bins,  The  company  had 
an  option  on  the  I'.-.ir  and  Travonla  Fraction  claims  adjoining 
the  Kmma  on  the  south-west  bul  allowed  the  option  to  lapse. 
The  purchase  price  was  $:;00,000,  and  a  payment  of  $50,000 
had  been  made.  Why  the  property  was  not  taken  over  is  not 
known.  The  Kmma  vein  extends  through  the  Czar,  and  both 
Claims  could  be  easily  worked  through  the  Kmma  shaft. 

The  king-bolt  on  a  loaded  skip  broke  in  the  Black  Rock  shaft 
of  the  Butte  &  Superior,  and  the  skip  containing  5  tons  of  ore 
dropped  from  the  150  to  the  1100-ft  level,  where  it  lodged 
across  the  shaft,  after  having  knocked  out  the  timbers  in  all 
four  compartments  for  a  distance  of  50  ft.  A  complete  shut- 
down for  10  days  was  necessary  while  the  shaft  was  repaired. 
The  tact  thai  a  wreck  of  this  kind  usually  puts  all  the  com- 
partments of  a  shaft  out  of  commission  was  one  reason  why 
the  management  decidejl  to  sink  separate  shafts  for  hoisting 
ore  and  lowering  timber.  A  typical  Butte  shaft  is  shown  in 
Fig.  1.  The  new  shafts  are  shown  in  Fig.  2  and  3.  They  are 
separated  by  a  50-ft.  block  of  solid  ground.  The  cage  that 
lowers  timber,  transfers  men,  etc.,  is  locally  known  as  the 
chippy-cage.'  Two  compartments  in  the  new  shafts  will  be 
devoted  to  chippy-cages,  to  be  run  in  counter-balance,  effecting 
a  great  saving  in  power.  By  a  combination  of  sinking  from 
the  surface  to  about  800  ft.,  and  raising  from  the  1000,  1200, 
1300,  1400,  and  1500-ft.  levels,  the  ore  shaft  was  completed  from 
the  surface  to  1500-ft.  in  6  months.  This  is  a  new  record  for 
the  Butte  district.  The  average  rate  of  sinking  in  hard 
granite,  timbering  as  the  work  proceeds,  is  less  than  100  ft. 
per  month.  The  shafts  will  have  separate  stations  on  each 
level.  The  confusion  that  results  from  unloading  timber  on  a 
station  where  ore  is  being  dumped  into  a  skip-chute  will  in 
this  way  be  eliminated.  Jackhammer-drills  weighing  about  40 
lb.  each  were  used  in  sinking.  A  round  consisted  of  24  to  30 
U-ft.  holes.  All  men  working  in  the  shaft  were  paid  a  bonus 
for  speed,  and  with  three  machines  the  average  drilling  time 
per  round  was  2J  hours.  Surveying  was  done  under  difficulties. 
On  the  surface  the  temperature  ranged  from  zero  to  40°  below 
zero,  the  ground  moved  continually,  several  of  the  sights  under- 
ground were  short,  and  the  timber-men  had  to  be  watched  to 
get  them  to  line-up  the  timbers  accurately.  Regulation  shaft 
timbers  were  used  in  all  the  raises,  and  the  connections  were 
made  with  a  maximum  error  of  2-in.  The  error  is  distributed 
among  several  sets,  so  that  it  is  not  noticeable  in  ordinary 
shaft  operation. 

The  Butte-Duluth  property  has  been  leased  to  Alfred  Frank 
and  associates  of  Salt  Lake  City  for  5  years.  Repair  work 
will  be  started  immediately,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  plant 
will  be  operating  at  full  capacity  by  September  1.  The  prop- 
erty includes  the  Macarona,  Montgomery,  Park,  and  Recorder 
claims,  and  parts  of  the  Altona,  Colleen  Bawn,  and  Amazon. 
The  ore  was  formerly  mined  in  open-cuts  with  electric  muck- 


m i|  from  onan  i  uis  mil  p.-  continued,  and  in 

addition  Hi.-  Mi. if  .it  win  in-  rank  deeper  and  much 

exploration  work  will  be  don*     The  mill  will  be  enlarged  to 

with  a  gyratory,  mils,  ami  Bymons  dlso-crnsbei       II 
leached  with  sulphuric  acid  In  Dorr  ell  i  the  copper 

precipitated  from  ii"'  solution  bj  slactrol]  Ii     11  ha  ,  been  re 
ported  thai  a  notation  plant  win  be  Installed  and  thai  leaching 

practice  will  be  abando I,  because  ol  the  icarclt]  of  sulphuric 

add.    Flotation  docs  nol  seem  practicable,  as  aearlj   9 
the  cor;  carbonate*.    The  propciii   n 


t«j*- 


-rff- 


mrr 


T 


■'■' 

Ufa***   P 

'., .,     .   . 

,■"'•      , 


cn 


* 

'  '  ' 

!'„,.,<„„i.i 


=HT 


ol 


\\ 


ng.i 


-i**^ 


Ladder-  *vay, 
Wottr- column, 
t~/eefric  cable  i 


:"'--■        b' 


/MX 


-^a%\ 


Counter- 
balanced 

6"--         J-8'-    —  *ltf 

t 


__J    .'  . 


Fig.z 


sv?%  -&'■  ***** y-yi        *t-/^y  ■ 


T^ 


'-Centre  of  Engine  and  Frame   , 
----S'8< •>- 

-i 8W J* s'y -v 

Fig.  J 

Fig.  1  is  a  typical  butte  shaft;   Fig.  2    is  the  new  chippy 

SHAFT    AT    THE    BUTTE    &    SUPERIOR;    ANB    FlG.    3    IS    THE    NEW 
HOISTING  SHAFT  AT  THE  SAME  MINE. 

Court  action  brought  by  the  Provident  Securities  Co.  for  non- 
payment of  interest  on  bonds.  A  receiver  was  appointed. 
Claims  for  labor  and  lumber  amounted  to  $75,000.  Until  all 
the  debts  are  liquidated  the  Butte-Duluth  will  be  technically 
in  the  hands  of  the  receiver.  Under  the  terms  of  the  lease 
the  company  will  receive  50%  of  the  proceeds  after  the  cost  of 
operation,  construction,  and  the  expense  of  receivership  have 
been  deducted.  After  February  1919,  Mr.  Frank  agrees  to  pay 
the  sum  of  at  least  $7500  every  three  months.  These  payments 
will  take  care  of  the  interest  on  the  outstanding  bonds  of  the 
company.  Mr.  Frank  is  well  known  in  Butte.  He  was  for- 
merly consulting  engineer  for  the  Heinze  interests.  He  took 
over  the  affairs  of  the  Ohio  Copper  Co.  in  Utah  under  a  similar 
receivership,  and  his  success  with  that  property  was  a  big 
factor  in  influencing  the  bond-holders  to  give  him  a  lease  on 
the  Butte-Duluth  property. 


324 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26.  1916 


The  neirg  of  told  by  our  special  correspondent*  and  condoled  from  the  local  j>r?s*. 


A LA  SKA 

In  Bulletin  649  of  the  V.  S.  Geological  Survey.  Alfred  H. 
Brooks  describes  the  antimony  deposits  of  Alaska.  Dp  to  the 
recent  drop  in  the  price  of  the  metal  there  had  been  many 
inquiries  regarding  occurrence  of  the  ore  in  the  Territory,  and 
in  1915  the  output  was  83:!  tons  of  crude  ore  worth  $74,000. 
.  Stibnite  has  been  found  in  07  localities  in  Alaska,  in  nearly 
all  the  gold-bearing  areas,  but  only  a  few  deposits  have  been 
studied  in  detail,  especially  those  in  the  Fairbanks  district 
Most  of  these  occur  in  mica  and  quartz-schist.  The  country- 
rock  of  the  lodes  is  sedimentary  as  a  rule.  The  deposits 
show  little  oxidation.  Fairbanks  last  year  shipped  6S5  tons  of 
ore,  from  the  Scrafford,  Stibnite,  Gilmer,  and  Chatham 


sa 


Cuaru    diorit«  Porphyntic  gran.te  Stnkjanddip 

Of  pr'iopsi  lode* 

SKKTl  II    SHOWING    DISTRIBUTION    OF   LOOES    AT    FAIRBANKS. 

Creek  mines.  Operations  were  on  a  small  scale  and  chiefly 
by  open-cuts.  Details  of  other  centres  are  given  in  the  64 
pages  comprising  the  publication. 

Anchorage.  In  the  Excavating  Engineer  for  August,  L.  T. 
Russell,  briefly  describes  progress  of  the  Alaskan  railroad. 
The  Anchorage  division,  in  charge  of  Frederick  Mears,  is  com- 
pleted from  Anchorage  to  Peters  creek,  about  mile  135.  The 
Fairbanks  division  is  in  charge  of  Thomas  Riggs;  while  the 
Seward  section  is  under  W.  C.  Edes.  The  latter  line  is  that  of 
the  Alaska  Northern,  acquired  by  purchase.  Anchorage  is  the 
base  of  supplies  for  construction  in  both  directions.  Bucyrus 
steam-shovels  are  in  use  along  the  line-. 

Bethel.  The  900-ton  gas  schooner  Ku&kokicim  River  re- 
cently  arrived  here  from  Seattle  with  a  full  cargo,  including  a 
Union  Construction  Co.,  San  Francisco,  dredge  for  Candle 
creek.  This  was  transhipped  to  the  river  steamer  Tana.  The 
spring  clean-up  on  Candle  was  $125,000.  When  the  dredge 
commences  this  output  will  be  much  larger.  Conditions  in  this 
region  are  much  better,  now  that  larger  supplies  are  available. 


ARIZONA 

Kingman.  Near  here  the  Arizona-Butte  Mines  Co.  is  doing 
considerable  work.  Its  Banner  mine  contains  38,000  tons  of 
ore.  To  develop  the  veins  in  Stockton  hill  a  long  adit  is  to 
be  driven,  reaching  a  depth  of  1500  ft.  A  compressor,  engine, 
and  drills  have  been  ordered.  The  200-ton  mill  is  nearing 
completion.  It  includes  a  jaw-crusher,  rolls.  Huntington  mill, 
screens,  and  concentrating  tables,  making  lead  and  zinc  con- 
centrates.    The  tailing  will  eventually  be  floated. 

Oatman.  The  new  custom  mill  will  be  ready  to  receive 
ore  in  about  30  days,   the  machinery   now  being  overhauled. 

Water  comes  from  the  Big  Jim  mine. At  400  ft.  in  the  Big 

Jim  22S  ft.  of  openings  have  been  made;  at  500  ft.,  223  ft.  of 

drifts. At  750  ft.  in  the  Boundary  Cone  the  south  drift  has 

cut  the  vein  130  ft.  from  the  shaft. 

Superior.  In  the  second  quarter  of  1916  the  Magma  Copper 
Co.  produced  2,232,930  lb.  of  copper,  with  a  profit  of  $305,025. 
The  price  received  was  24.16c.  per  lb.,  while  costs  were  10.47c. 
Respective  figures  for  the  previous  term  were  2,043,784  lb., 
$270,201,  22.39c,  and  9.13  cents. 

CALIFORNIA 

During  the  2}  years  of  the  operation  of  the  Workmen's  Com- 
pensation, Insurance,  and  Safety  Act,  up  to  July  1916,  there 
were  filed  with  the  Commission  2822  applications  for  adjust- 
ment of  controversies  over  compensation  claimed.  Of  this 
number  of  cases  the  Commission  had,  up  to  this  date,  decided 
2407,  and  of  these  94,  or  slightly  less  than  V/c,  had  been  ap- 
pealed to  the  Supreme  Court  or  District  Courts  of  Appeal  of 
this  State.  In  all  the  others — 2313 — the  decisions  of  the  Com- 
mission were  accepted  by  the  parties  as  conclusive  of  the 
issues  involved. 

Qolostone.  The  200-ton  mill  of  the  Daggett  Reduction  Co. 
at  Daggett  is  to  be  available  for  ore  from  the  Goldstone  dis- 
trict.    This  should  aid  lessees  considerably. 

Grass  Valley.  More  rich  ore  has  been  unearthed  in  the 
Golden  Center  mine.  This  company  is  also  re-opening  the 
Allison  Ranch  mine,  at  which  unwatering  is  making  steady 
progress. 

Oromlli:.  Local  men,  including  P.  Reicker,  J.  M.  Chubbuck, 
G.  C.  Riley,  and  others  have  located  6000  ft.  along  the  middle 
fork  of  the  Feather  river,  which  they  will  work  by  the  diving 
system  of  mining. 

On  Slate  creek  25  men  are  constructing  a  concrete  restrain- 
ing dam  for  Los  Angeles  people,  who  intend  hydraulicking  at 
Searles,  St.  Louis,  Howland  Flat,  Port  Wine,  and  other  places. 

Placf.rville.  At  the  Montezuma  mine  the  shaft  is  1000  ft. 
deep,  at  which  point  cross-cutting  is  being  done.  Develop- 
ment is  under  way  at  300,  500,  and  800  ft.  In  charge  of  25 
men  is  R.  Le  Fontain.  This  old  mine  is  being  re-opened  by 
Plymouth  Consolidated  people. 

Plymouth.  The  following  is  the  statement  of  output  and 
expenditure  for  July  at  the  Plymouth  Consolidated: 

Ore   treated,   tons 10,900      Development    charge.. $  7,214 

Total   value    $57,300     -Surplus    23,869 

Working  expenses   ...   26,217      Other    expenditure....     5,256 
(Special   Correspondence.) — The   Argonaut   mill   is   nearing 
completion.     The   Knight   company   of   Sutter  Creek    is   sub- 
contractor, a  Los  Angeles  firm  being  in  charge  of  construction. 


Arjgiisl  26,   1916 


MIXING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


■  plant  win  i»-  saulpped  with  (0  (tamps,  rapUcIni  tha 

p  mill  now   In  DM.     The  liirt;.    COnOretS  dam 

tailing  from  the  new  mil]  is  10  (i  hlgb  al  the  lowest  point 
aiul  (""  it  long,  ronntni  ■  buln  HUM  will  hold  tha  waata  froni 
thli  mill  fur  man  nd  eliminate  present  expense  and 

Inconvenlen         N    B    Ki  inperlntendenl  of  this  well- 

known  which  i*  one  or  Amador  •  ■■  ri  dlvi- 

Owlni  i"  encountering  a  cava  In  t ii«-  abaft  it  i»  aald  that  the 
work  ol  onwaterlng  tha  old  Eureka  hai  not   pi  i 
wall  during  tha  pa  \  point  near  the  500-ft  level  lias 

been  reached,  and  all  efforts  are  being  made  to  catch  np  the 
cave    The  plan  la  to  Install  another  pump  when  the 
level  i  ached,  bat  ii  la  expected  that  more  >u   leas 

difficulty   will   be  encountered   from    now   mi.   as  It   Is  nol    ex- 
•hut  the  mini'  conld  remain  foil  ol  water  for  80  years 
without  canning  damage  to  the  slum. 

ai  ih.-  Banker  Hill  mill  near  Amador  City  a  new  building, 
Is  to  be  erected  to  house  new   rolls  and  coneen- 
This  mine  is  paying  well,  but  the  management  re- 
alizes the   benefits  to  he  derived  from   modern  methods  of 
treatment 

tugust   16. 

WoODT.  The  Werlnger  Mines  Co.  has  2  years'  ore  ready 
to  extract.  The  100-ton  flotation  plant  is  expected  to  he  in 
operation  within  90  days.  High-grade  chalcoclte  was  en- 
countered in  the  200-ft.  level  cross-cut.  About  one  car  per 
week  of  high-grade  sulphide  is  being  extracted  for  shipment. 
One  lot  of  rich  carbonate  from  the  upper  levels  will  be  sent 
to  Selby  this  week.  The  winze  at  200  ft.  is  down  12  ft.  in 
I      chalcopyrlte,  suitable  for  milling. 

COLORADO 

Leadvuxe.  Exploration  of  the  Down  Town  property  is  to 
begin   at   once,  now   that   the  water  in   the  Penrose  shaft  is 

under  control. At   the  Wolftone  shaft  the  water  is  below 

1000    ft.,   leaving   100    ft.   to   he   drained. For   the   Mikado 

shaft  on  Iron  Hill  the  Colorado  Power  Co.  is  constructing  two 
transmission-lines. 

Montezi  ma.  At  the  St.  John  mine  there  is  6000  tons  of 
stope-filling  on  the  surface,  ready  for  treatment.  This  is  part 
of  30,000  tons  rendered  available  by  development.  A  profit 
of  $2  per  ton  is  expected  from  this.  A  stope  400  ft.  long  is 
ready  for  extraction. 

Ouray.  The  Revenue  tunnel  of  the  St.  John  company  is  com- 
pletely repaired.  The  re-modeled  mill  is  soon  to  be  ready, 
with  a  capacity  of  3000  tons  monthly.  Copper  recoverable 
from  old  mill  and  power-plant  is  valued  at  $25,000. 

Tkii.i  kihr.  In  July  the  Tomboy  Gold  Mines  made  a  profit 
of  $29,240  from  13,000  tons  of  ore,  yielding  $93,800. 

IDAHO 

Salmon.  Ten  of  the  15  stamps  at  the  A.  D.  M.  &  R.  mill  at 
Gibbonsville  are  to  resume  crushing  shortly,  in  charge  of  E.  E. 

Edwards.     A  good  deal  of  ore  is  ready  for  the  plant. Near 

the  old  town  of  Yellow  Jacket  a  hydraulic  hoist  is  being  in- 
stalled by  Burkhart  &  Son.  Near-by,  H.  De  Prew  proposes  to 
add  30  stamps  to  the  Yellow  Jacket  mill. 

MISSOURI 

Galena.  Four  large  mines,  the  Diplomat,  Empire,  Portia, 
and  West  Virginia  are  closed  on  account  of  the  low  price  of 
ore.  Many  smaller  ones  have  suspended  since  the  flood  8 
weeks  ago. 

Gkanby.  Cottages  for  employees  are  to  be  built  by  the 
American  Zinc.  Lead  &  Smelting  Company. 

Joplin.  Zinc  ore  had  another  slump  last  week,  prices  rang- 
ing from  $45  to  $65  per  ton,  basis  60%  metal.  A  fair  number 
of  mines  are  closed.    The  turn-in  of  concentrate  was  the  light- 


ed tot   months.     The  >  i<-i«i  si  thi  1111  tons  of 

blende,  calamine,  and  821  tons  ol  lead,  averaging 

$55.  $40,  and  |86  per  ton,  raapectlvel]      The  total  rains  was 

J2-JO.I.I7. 

bfOA  TA  \.l 

i:t  i  i        i      third  option  on  80,000  Bullwh 
bean  axi  raised  nj  ndlcate,  (or  125,00 

of  ore  sent   to  iin-   Baal    Butts  smeltei'  ranged   from    L16   to 
per. 

Work  has  been  atarted  b]  the  Great  Butte  company  al  th.' 
Bacon  property.     Boilers  and  pumpa  are  arriving.    A  Tuft. 

head  ira i.   to   I"-   erected,     The  Calumet    ahafl    is  to  be 

di  epened  from  1000  to  1500  feet. 

Gbeai   i'iiiv    ,\i   us  Rainbow  dam  on  the  Missouri  river 

the    .Molilalia    POWI  r    Co.    is    lo    in  pacity    of    the 

power-plant  by  I". kw„  al  a  cost  of  over  $600,000.  The  de- 
mand for  power  by  Butte  mines.  Hie  new  zinc-  plant  al  Great 
Falls,  anil  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  line  renders  this 
addition  necessary.  F.  M.  Kerr  is  manager,  and  F.  Scotten 
superintendent,  liming  the  first  hull'  ol  1916  the  Krosa  reve- 
nue was  $2,903,753,  against  $1,910,207  in  this  period  of  1915. 
The  balance  tor  dividends  is  $1,551,604,  compared  with 
$789,277. 

Harlowton.  It  is  expected  that  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railway  will  have  its  line  electrified  from  Harlowton 
to  Avery,  Idaho,  by  October  1. 

Kendall.  During  the  second  quarter  of  1916  the  Barnes- 
King  Development  Co.'s  revenue  totaled  $87,773,  $83,482  of 
which  was  bullion  from  13,652  tons  of  ore.  The  net  loss  was 
$26,157,  against  a  profit  of  $26,012  in  the  first  period.  The 
quarter  started  with  a  balance  of  $184,710,  and  ended  with 
$57,414.  The  Shannon  mine  work  cost  $29,117,  and  the  Ken- 
dall $37,S10,  including  $30,181  part  payment  for  the  property. 
The  North  Moccasin  mine  made  a  profit  of  $12,913,  the  Piegan- 
Gloster  a  loss  of  $1S,373.  No.  2  dividend  absorbed  $30,000. 
In  July  the  North  Moccasin  yielded  $12,400  from  1622  tons 
of  ore. 

Libby.  Nine  miles  from  Lihby  the  Lukens-Hazel  Mining 
Co.'s  development  has  been  rather  encouraging.  The  Buzz 
Saw  claim  is  the  centre  of  operations.  The  ore  contains  gold, 
silver,  and  lead. 

Troy.  Unusual  activity  prevails  in  this  district,  including 
work  at  the  B.  &  B.  mine  of  the  Snowstorm  company,  and  that 
of  the  new  L.  &  TJ.  Mining  Co.,  9  miles  from  this  place.  The 
L.  &  U.  claims  contain  lead-silver  veins.  A  3-mile  road  is  to 
be  constructed  to  the  mine.     Spokane  people  are   in  control. 

NEVADA 

Ely.  On  August  1  the  Consolidated  Coppermines  Co.  sus- 
pended work,  and  is  now  doing  nothing,  save  trying  to  sell 
bonds  for  overhauling  the  mill. 

Goldfield.  July  returns  of  the  Jumbo  Extension  amounted 
to  $2S,400  net  from  1976  tons  of  shipping  and  808  tons  of 
dump  ore.  That  shipped  was  worth  $72,500  gross.  The  Jumbo 
Extension  company  has  passed  its  usual  quarterly  dividend. 
The  following  statement  was  made  public:  "The  cash  in  bank 
and  ore  reserves,  in  the  opinion  of  the  directors,  do  not  war- 
rant the  payment  of  a  dividend  at  this  time.  No  new  work- 
able ore  has  been  opened  in  the  mine  for  the  past  six  months, 
and  the  production  has  come  entirely  from  the  one  ore-shoot 
first  opened  IS  months  ago.  The  drain  on  reserves  has  been 
great,  and  the  end  of  the  productive  life  of  the  mine  is  not 
remote  unless  further  development  discloses  new  orebodies. 
J.  K.  Turner's  plan  of  development  will  require  at  least  $100,- 
000.  It  is  also  the  purpose  of  the  company,  in  order  to  per- 
petuate the  corporation  to  acquire  a  new  producing  property. 
One  year  ago,  having  the  present  contingencies  in  view,  the 
directors  adopted  a  policy  of  keeping  on  hand  a  reserve  of 
$200,000,  and  distributing  only  surplus  cash  and  ore  in  transit 


.(26 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26,  1916 


in  dividends,  when  the  necessary  amount  accrued.  The  cash 
in  hand  and  ore  in  transit  do  not  permit  of  the  distribution 
of  a  dividend  for  this  quarter  without  seriously  impairing  the 
reserve  and  jeopardizing  the  future  of  the  company." 

At  the  Silver  Pick  Con.  the  main  shaft  is  880  ft.  deep,  and 
should  soon  enter  the  quartz  zone  which  gave  high  assays  in 
drill-cores.  The  Calyx  core-drill,  working  on  the  500-ft.  level, 
is  down  1100  ft.  from  the  surface.  Three  promising  veins  were 
cut.    A  heavy  flow  of  water  is  coming  into  the  shaft. 

A  large  head-frame  and  45-hp.  electric  hoist  have  been  in-' 
stalled  at  the  Grandma  shaft,  which  adjoins  the  Kewanas  on 
the  east. 

PtociiK.  One  hundred  miles  south-west  of  here  is  the  Groom 
district,  in  which  Utah  people  are  interested.  The  ore  is  in 
limestone  and  shale,  containing  lead  and  silver.  It  is  hauled 
by  teams  and  trucks  to  Indian  on  the  Salt  Lake  Route. 

Sever  Troughs.  It  will  take  30  days  to  overhaul  the  Seven 
Troughs  Coalition  mine,  which  was  flooded  a  week  ago  by  a 
flow  of  water  below  the  1700-ft  level.  The  water  rose  to 
1500  feet. 

Tonopaii.  Last  week's  output  was  9257  tons  of  ore  valued 
at  $192,706.  The  Extension  mill  treated  2200  tons.  Develop- 
ment on  the  Murray  vein  at  1450  ft.  continues  excellent. 

SOD TH  DAKOTA 

In  Bulletin  627  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  the  lignite 
field  of  the  north-west  of  this  State  is  discussed  by  four  of  the 
staff.  The  area  covers  4900  sq.  miles  in  Perkins  and  Harding 
counties,  north  of  Deadwood  and  Lead.     Lignite  is  present  in 


MAP   SHOWING    LIGNITE   AREAS   1)1     SOUTH    DAKOTA. 

nearly  every  part,  but  mostly  in  thin  lenticular  beds.  Prob- 
ably the  greater  part  will  never  become  of  more  than  local 
economic  importance.  A  few  beds  are  sufficiently  thick  and 
persistent  to  warrant  proper  development. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.  I — Henry  Bordnet  and  others  are 
preparing  to  develop  a  rich  cinnabar  claim  discovered  a  few 
months  ago,  30  miles  north-west  of  Boquillas.  The  outcrop  is 
some  distance  from  the  Terlingua  quicksilver  district.  It  is 
stated  that  a  20-ton  furnace  and  other  equipment  will  be  in- 
stalled. Outcrops  of  cinnabar  are  found  in  many  parts  of 
the  Big  Bend  district,  but  so  far  actual  development  has  been 
confined  to  Terlingua  and  the  immediate  vicinity. 

Boquillas,  August  18. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Texas  Graphite  Co.  has  75 
men  employed  in  developing  a  large  graphite  deposit  near 
Burnet.  Construction  of  a  200-ton  mill  in  four  units  is  now 
under  way.  A  large  quantity  of  graphite  ore  has  already- 
been  mined.  It  contains  from  8  to  12%  flake  graphite.  Treat- 
ment will  be  by  flotation.  The  company  has  spent  a  consider- 
able sum  in  erecting  residences  for  its  employees  and  making 


other  preliminary   improvements.     The  mill   product   will   be 
shipped  to  a  refining  plant  in  New  Jersey. 
Burnet.  August  18. 

UTAH 

Alta.  Kails  are  soon  to  be  laid  from  Salt  Lake  City  to 
Alia,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  line  will  be  operating  before 
snow  falls. 

Cottonwoods.  Caterpillar-tractors  are  pulling  5  to  6  trail- 
ers of  ore,  equal  to  30  tons,  from  Big  Cottonwood.  Sixty-ton 
loads  were  tried,  but  were  too  much  for  one  tractor. 

According  to  G.  H.  Watson  of  the  South  Hecla  company, 
prospects  for  a  largely  increased  tonnage  being  developed  in 
the  Little  Cottonwood  district  were  never  brighter.  There  is 
no  comparison  between  the  work  being  done  at  present  in  the 
district  with  that  of  a  few  years  ago.  A  number  of  projects 
now  under  way  will  have  a  vital  effect  on  the  production  of 
the  district,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  important  develop- 
in.  ia<  in  the  near  future.  Diamond-drilling  operations  by 
the  Emma  Copper  Co.  and  the  Old  Emma  Leasing  Co.  are  full 
of  possibilities.  Officials  of  those  companies  are  searching 
for  the  continuation  of  the  famous  Old  Emma  orebodies  that 
were  cut  off  by  the  Montezuma  fault.  It  is  easy  to  under- 
stand the  importance  to  the  district  of  the  discovery  of  these 
orebodies  beyond  the  fault.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Cot- 
tonwood canyon  the  Wasatch  Mines  Co.  has  three  shifts  of 
men  at  work  in  preparation  for  the  driving  of  the  long  drain- 
age adit.  The  machinery  is  installed  in  the  new  power-plant, 
and  the  miners  will  be  drilling  in  the  near  future.  The  re- 
cent consolidation  of  the  Columbus  Extension  and  the  Rexall 
properties  and  the  work  now  under  way,  may  eventually  lead 
to  an  outlet  on  the  Little  Cottonwood  side  for  the  Cardiff  ore. 
It  also  offers  a  means  for  developing  the  Rexall  property  at 
great  depth.  Numerous  companies  are  operating  in  the  dis- 
trict, and  there  are  more  miners  employed  at  present  than  at 
any  time  in  the  history  of  the  district.  Practically  all  of  the 
work  under  way  is  being  done  along  modern  scientific  lines. 
The  South  Hecla  company  is  sending  out  all  of  the  ore  that 
the  smelters  will  take  at  present,  with  good  prospects  for  an 
increased  tonnage  later  on.  The  Cardiff  is  producing  ore 
worth  $120,000  monthly.  A  dividend  of  25c.  per  share,  or 
$125.1100,  is  to  be  paid. 

Eureka.  It  is  understood  that  the  Chief  Consolidated  is  to 
electrify  its  plant.    Boilers  are  being  repaired  at  present. 

Murray.  The  new  600-ton  plant  of  the  Utah  Ore  Sampling 
Co.  commenced  work  last  week.  With  the  plants  at  Park 
City.  Tintic,  and  the  other  at  Murray  the  total  daily  sampling 
capacity  is  2100  tons. 

Park  City.  Seven  mines  here  last  week  shipped  a  total  of 
1405  tons  of  ore.  There  is  increased  activity  throughout  the 
district.    The  Keystone  is  to  sink  a  shaft,  working  three  shifts. 

Tintic.  In  31  days  at  the  Homansville  mine  of  the  Chief 
Consolidated  the  shaft  was  sunk  256.3  ft.,  a  splendid  record. 
The  opening  is  6  by  15  ft.  in  the  clear,  which  has  been  tim- 
bered during  sinking.  For  150  ft.  the  shaft  was  in  porphyry, 
the  balance  in  limestone.  Walter  Fitch,  Jr.,  was  the  con- 
tractor. 

WASHINGTON 

Chewelah.  During  the  second  quarter  of  1916  the  United 
Copper  company's  income  was  $S3,326,  of  which  $26,364  was 
profit.  Ore  reserves  above  1000  ft.  are  estimated  at  320,000 
tons,  plus  40,000  tons  broken  in  stopes.  A  new  contract  has 
been  made  with  the  Consolidated  company  at  Trail  as  fol- 
lows: Treatment  charge.  $3  per  ton  on  crude  ore  and  $4  per 
ton  on  concentrates;  freight  charges  on  a  sliding  scale  from 
$1.25  to  $3.20  per  ton,  according  to  value;  settlement  basis, 
!'"  ,  of  the  gold  value,  90%  of  the  silver  value,  and  100%  of 
the  copper-value  at  3c.  per  pound  less  than  the  New  York 
quotations,  with  0.3%  deduction  for  slag-loss. 


AofnD  86,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRKSS 


827 


:  \  IDA 

b«iii~m  On  i  Mm  \ 

ding    t..    It     K.    Keith   n(   .loplln.    UlaMOlti    -nt  1  >    in- 

>.-,!  iii  Spokane,  tins  Province  has  .i  Mk  future  a* 
produce!     while  the  orai  are  not  similar  io  those  of  Joplln, 
yet   somewhat    slinlliir    treatment    ehould    suffice       Tin-    Alns- 
wortb  and  Slocan  BtH4  in-  vi -ry  promising, 

Old  tain 

i      rii.  Nlplssing  company  baa  decided  i"  increase  its 
tailing-flotation  plan)  i"  BOO  mns  per  day. 

The  Mini m;  Cirporatlon  o(  Canada  will  soon  be  refining  all 

or  Its  bullion,  instead  or  shipping  concentrate. 

MEXICO 
Novo  Laos 

(Special  Correspondence. ) — In  the  Concepclon  del  Oro.  the 
Cerralvo,  and  a  number  of  other  mining  districts  of  this  part 
of  the  country  foreign-owned  properties  are  again  being 
operated!  after  s  shut-down  of  several  weeks  due  to  the  acute 
Situation  that  existed  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States. 
In  some  instances  these  mines  are  still  in  charge  of  trust- 
worthy Mexican  employees.  The  Minerals  anil  Metales  com- 
pany, which  owns  extensive  mines  at  Guadalupe.  50  miles 
north  of  Monterrey,  recently  resumed  operations  on  a  larger 
scale  than  at  any  time  since  the  revolutionary  troubles  began. 
It  is  owned  by  Germans,  and  this  is  said  to  assure  the  prop- 
erty protection  by  the  de  facto  Government.  Recently  large 
shipments  of  machinery  for  the  mines  and  smelter  of  the 
company  were  brought  in.  and  development  is  to  be  extended. 
The  company  has  also  imported  steel  rails  and  other  material 
for  buildim:  a  spur-track  from  its  mines  to  a  connection  with 
the  Monterrey-Laredo  division  of  the  National  Railways  of 
Mexico. 

It  is  reported  here  that  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining 
Co.  will  make  another  effort  to  operate  its  plants  at  Chihuahua. 
Monterrey,  and  Aguascalientes  as  soon  as  the  necessary  sup- 
plies of  coke  can  be  obtained. 

Comparatively  few  Americans  have  returned  to  the  rich 
Guanajuato  mining  district  since  the  general  exodus  occurred 
when  war  between  the  two  countries  seemed  to  be  imminent. 
Conditions  in  that  district  are  about  as  bad  as  could  be  pic- 
tured. Thousands  of  Mexicans  who  were  thrown  out  of  em- 
ployment by  the  closing  down  of  the  mines  are  on  the  verge 
of  starvation.  In  the  mining  districts  and  cities  of  the  States 
of  San  Luis  Potosi  and  Zacatecas  this  distressing  condition 
exists  even  to  a  worse  degree  than  in  Guanajuato. 

Monterrey,  August  17. 

KOREA 

July  results  on  the  Suan  Concession  of  the  Seoul  Mining 
Co.  are  given  below,  and  show  a  good  improvement  over  re- 
cent months,  particularly  when  it  is  considered  that  half  of 
the  Holkol  mill — 20  stamps,  etc. — is  still  being  used  for  test- 
ing purposes  on  the  ore  of  the  huge  Soctarie  low-grade  de- 
posit of  gold,  copper,  and  tungsten.  This  naturally  cuts 
down  the  returns  from  that  mill.  On  the  other  hand  the  Tul 
Mi  Chung  mill  shows  a  large  gain  in  returns  this  month  and 
improved  extraction.  The  tungsten  ore  is  proving  better  than 
expectations  for  this  experimental  work. 

Mills  worked,  average  days 29 

Ore  treated,  tons 17,510 

Bullion  recovered    $  29,070 

Concentrates   119,930 

Total  recovery   149,000 

Expense    57,500 

Operating  profit  91,500 

The  complex  ore  occurs  as  a  mineralized  band — 8  to  40  ft. 
wide — of  quartzite  inter-bedded  in  limestone. 


Personal 


wort  ami  apjxin/m. '.-  „.iil».,»,  ,»  InlfrMflNS  la  .mr  f.,i</rri. 


M.  I.    RkcjI   i   Is  examining  properties  In  Alaska. 
II.  I*.  AiiMsimiN,.  is  with  the  Weringer  Mines  Co.  at  Woody, 
California. 

!•>«  miii  p..  Durham  Is  now  with  the  Mammoth  Copper  Co.  at 

Kennett.  California. 

P.  II  (in\\  i. urn  ol  I 'ivlsadcro.  Salvador,  is  returning  to  Palo 
Alto,  California,  for  a  holiday. 

B,  Y\-i  KAWA,  ol  the  Sado  mine,  Mitsubishi  &  Co.,  Japan,  Is 
visiting  mines  in  the  United  States. 

II.  W,  Ross  has  been  appointed  assistant  manager  for  the 
Backus  &  Johnston  Co.  at  Casapulca.  Peru. 

Pope  Vi  viMw.  for  several  years  with  the  Guggenheim  com- 
panies, resumes  private  practice  on  September  1. 

Edwin  S.  Besot  will  engage  in  consulting  mining  engineer- 
ing after  September  15  with  offices  In  New  York. 

Claris  R  Blur  of  Yerington.  Nevada,  was  married  on 
August  5  to  Miss  Bessie  Shields  of  Hancock,  Michigan. 

Frederick  Bbadshaw  of  the  Tonopah  Belmont  is  at  its  Surf 
Inlet  mine  on  Princess  Royal  island,  British  Columbia, 

W.  J.  Elstendorf  has  returned  to  Seattle  from  Nevada,  and 
will  proceed  shortly  to  the  Copper  River  district,  Alaska. 

I.  Kamimuea,  chief  engineer  for  the  Osaruzawa  mine.  Mitsu- 
bishi &  Co.,  Japan,  is  visiting  at  Kennett  and  the  oilfields. 

Robert  Livebmore,  manager  of  the  Kerr  Lake  mine  at 
Cobalt,  has  resigned;  H.  A.  Kee  of  the  Nipissing  succeeds  him. 

C.  A.  Randall,  mill  superintendent  for  the  Tough  Oakes  com- 
pany, Ontario,  has  gone  to  Cuba  to  supervise  erection  of  two 
mills. 

William  B.  Phillips  has  resigned  as  President  of  the  Colo- 
rado School  of  Mines  and  returned  to  professional  practice  at 
Austin,  Texas. 

Howard  C.  Parmelee.  western  editor  for  Metallurgical  and 
Chemical  Engineering  of  New  York,  has  been  elected  president 
of  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines. 

F.  W.  Trapiiagen  has  resigned  as  professor  of  metallurgy  in 
the  Colorado  School  of  Mines  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the 
Colorado  Metal  Mining  &  Reduction  Company. 

T.  R.  Hunt  left  London  about  August  1  for  the  San  Juan 
Mines  property,  Rodeo,  Argentina,  where  he  is  to  take  charge. 

Edward  Thornton,  superintendent  of  the  Bush-Baxter  mine. 
Twin  Buttes,  Arizona,  has  been  transferred  to  Silverbell,  as 
superintendent  of  the  Imperial  mine  of  the  American  Smelting 
&  Refining  Company. 

Morton  Webber  has  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion after  being  invalided  for  wounds  received  while  fighting 
with  the  British  forces,  and  resumes  his  association  with 
Ellis  P.  Earle  of  New  York  City. 

\V.  R.  Hamilton  announces  that  he  has  withdrawn  from  the 
management  of  Montebello  Oil  Co.  and  affiliated  companies, 
to  engage  in  general  engineering  work  in  petroleum  and 
metal  mining  with  offices  in  the  Hobart  building,  San  Fran- 
cisco. 


DMtnary 

C.  W.  H.  Kirchoff,  of  New  York,  died  on  July  23  at  the  age 
of  63.  He  was  born  in  San  Francisco,  and  graduated  from 
the  School  of  Mines  at  Clausthal,  Germany.  From  1883  to 
1906  he  was  with  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  collecting 
statistics  on  copper,  lead,  and  zinc.  From  1889  to  1910  he  was 
editor  of  The  Iron  Age.  In  the  early  '80s  he  was  with  the 
Engineering  and  Mining  Journal.  During  his  membership  of 
many  technical  societies,  Mr.  Kirchoff  was  president  of  the 
A.  I.  M.  E.    He  is  survived  by  a  wife,  brother,  and  two  sisters. 


328 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26.  1916 


*1 


"IE 


mh^i, 


AXl^l* 


METAL    IMUCES 

San   Francisco,  August  22. 

Antimony,   cents   per  pound II 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 28.75 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound '>.7.'. —  8.00 

Plutlnum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce | 

Quicksilver:  per  Mask  of.  76  lb $72 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound   11 

Tin.    rents   per   pound 41 

Zfnc-dust.  cents  per  pound 20 


ORE   TRICES 

If  t   22. 

Antlmon  i    20  lb.)....  $1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 
Manganese:   6096  product,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton. 12. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesite:  crude,   per  ton    7.00 —  9.00 

Molybdenum:   507'   and  over,  per  pound 0.60 —  1.16 

Tungsten:   60%  WO».  per  unit 20.00 

'I'll.-    tungsten    marks  1    In    Colorado   is   somewhat    better,    fair 
sales  of  concentrate  being   reported, 


EASTERN    METAL    MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
August    22. — Copper   is   higher   on    account   of   heavy    buying; 
lead  Is  advan'  nig  on  better  demand;  spelter  is  firm  but  quiet. 


Of  sil\  1. h>n  to  India  to  August  2  amount  to  £1,43 

ired   with    £2.955,000   in    tl  of   1915.     The  good  de- 

mand   for    coinage    still    continues,    while    there    has    also    been 
smiie    Inquiry    on    speculative    account,    the    moderate    supplies 
absorbed.      The   Indian    Bazaars   still    seem    to  con- 
that    the   present    level   Of   prices   is   high  enough,  for,  al- 
though   purchases    have    been    made    for    that    quarter,    sales    on 
that   account    have   predominated.      This   increase   of   the   Indian 
count  should  prove  a    factor  for  strength  later  on.  as  the 
amount   now   open   is  by   no   means   a   negligible   quantity,   while 
the    demand    for    coinage    should    prevent    any    weakness    in    the 
near  future,  although  China  exchanges  are  still  lagging  b< 


Lead  Is  quoted  In  cents  per  pound.  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 


Average   week   ending 


Aug. 

ie 

6.00 

July    11. 

,    6.46 

is 

S.10 

••       18 

"      25. 

.    6.39 

" 

S.2S 

19 

e  so 

.    6.20 

•■ 

"11 

Sunday 

8. 

.    5.98 

•• 

s  so 

■      16. 

■■ 

averages 

.    6.32 

Monthly 

1914. 

1915.        1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916 

Jan. 

..    4.11 

3.73          5.95 

July    ... 

.   3.80 

5.59 

6.40 

Feb. 

..    4.02 

3.83          6.23 

.    3.86 

4.67 

Mch. 

..    3.94 

4.04          7.26 

Sept.  . . . 

.    3.82 

4.62 

Apr. 
May 

..    3.86 

4.21          7.70 

Oct.     . . . 

.    3.60 

4.62 

..    3.90 

4.24          7.38 

.    3.68 

5.15 

June 

3.90 

5.75          6.88 

Dec.    . . . 

3.80 

5.34 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

AllK.    16 

•        17 

"       18 

•■       19 27.76 

20  Sunday 

ji 

•■      22 28.26 


Average  week  ending 

July    11 

"       18 26.42 

••      25 25.00 

Aug.      1 26.76 

8 25.58 

15 26.76 

27  62 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 11.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 


Copper  Range  is  paying  $2.50.  anil   Champion   $6.40   per 
The  latter  lias  paid  $37  per  share  this  year. 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  Quotations,  In  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Aug.    16 66.50 

"       17 66.25 

"       18 65.75 

■'       19 65.76 

20  Sunday 
"       21 66.00 

■■     22 


Average   week   ending 

July    11 

••      18 62.41 

"      25 62.97 

Aug.      1 63.71 

8 65.31 

■'      15 66.48 

"      22 66.08 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

..  .57.58 

48.85 

56.76 

Feb.    .  . 

...57.53 

48.45 

56.74 

Mch.    .  . 

.  .  ,68.01 

50.61 

57.89 

...58.62 

50.25 

64.37 

...58.21 

49.87 

74.27 

.  ..56.13 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    51.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 


The  tendency  of  prices  has  been  somewhat  erratic  during  the 
current  week.    The  latest  London  advice  states  that  on   - 

lona    rather    heavy    sales    have    been    made    attributed    to 
stale  hulls  and  other  exceptional  sources.     When   Eastern 
are  dis  buyers   hang  back,   knowing  that   the  market 

lies  in  their  hands,  but  when   rates  are  cabled  steady  tbi 

Only    l"i>   glad    tu    take    whatever    Offers.      America    has    been    sell- 
ess     freely.       The    silver     reserve     in     the     Indian     treasuries 
continues    to    Increase,    but    as    in    preceding   weeks    the    total   of 
the  note  Issues  Is  enlarged  to  about   the  same  extent.     Exports 


ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Aug.   16 

"      17 
■•      IS 

.  .    9.00 

Aver 

July    11. 
"      18 
"      25. 

•■      16. 

averages 

July    . . . 
Aug.    ... 
Sept.  .  . . 
Oct.     ,  ,  . 

ige  week  endii 

lg 

.    9.75 

9  26 
9.50 

9.06 
9.91 

..      20 
21 

Sunday 

.  .    9.60 

.    8.69 

.    8.54 

.    9.43 

1914. 
..    5.14 

Monthly 

1915.        1916. 
6.30        18.21 
9.05        19.99 
8.40        18.40 
9.78        18.62 
17.03        16.01 
22.20        12.85 

1914. 
4.75 
4.75 
5.16 
4.75 
5.01 
5.40 

1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 

1916. 
9.90 

Feb.    . 

..    5.22 

Mch 
Apr.    .  . 
May    . . 

4.98 
..    4.91 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  In  the 
open  market  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 
Aug. 


Date, 

Julv    25 80.00 

Aug.      1 80.00 


8 75.00 

16 74.00 

22 72.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

Mav     39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

60.00 

295.IIU 

78.00 

219.00 

77.50 

141.60 

75.00 

90.00 

90.00 

74.70 

1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916. 
81.20 


TIN 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

.  ..37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

Julv    .  . 

...31.60 

37.38 

38.37 

Feb.     .  . 

37.23 

42.60 

Aug.    .  . 

...50.20 

34.37 

Mch.    .. 

...38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

Sept.  .  . 

.  .  .33.10 

33.12 

.  ..36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct.     . 

...30.40 

33.00 

May     .  . 

.  ..33.29 

39.28 

49.10 

Nov.    . 

...33.51 

39.50 

June   .  . 

.  ..30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

Dec.     . 

.  ..33.60 

38.71 

Tin   is  steady  at  38.25   to  38.75   cents. 


August  26,   1916 


MINING  and  S-ientifi.    I'KI  -- 


Eastern   iVJe-ial   Maidtet 


N.w    V.irk.   AUSJUIt    16 

■bow   an  Improvement   In  prices 

and  ' 

ind  mora  active  and  second-hand  metal 
ill)  disappeared.    The  probable  foreign  purchases 
tattoo. 
zm.    la  higher,   with   demand   from   foreign   and   domestic 

nuts  Increasing  rapidly. 
Tin   It  ng  on   fair  sales  with   Inquiry  considerably 

batter. 
Lead  r  and  th<'  price  slightly  higher. 

Antimony  is  again  rising  after  a  decline  to  a  point  regarded 
as  the  bottom. 

AJumlnnm  continues  linn. 

Domestic  buying  of  steel  has  developed  to  an  extent  not 
seen  in  weeks.  This  comes  as  a  result  of  large  War  and  other 
export  orders  recently  placed.  Estimates  put  the  total  number 
of  large  shells  ordered  in  the  last  two  weeks  at  3,000.000, 
ins  Of  shell-Steel  has  now  been  ordered  by  the 
Allies.  Pig-Iron  is  brighter,  with  signs  that  a  buying  move- 
ment. ex|«cted  In  September,  has  already  started. 

COPPER 

Some  brokers  are  of  the  decided  opinion  that  the  copper 
market  is  stronger  than  at  any  previous  time.  It  is  true  that 
Inquiry  for  both  foreign  and  domestic  account  has  broadened 
extensively.  The  market  has  been  full  of  rumors  of  the 
probable  purchase  by  various  foreign  governments  of  large 
quantities  of  copper,  estimates  of  their  needs  running  from 
250,000,000  to  350,000,000  lb.  Some  regard  this  as  largely  talk, 
as  so  far  prices  have  failed  to  advance  to  any  extent.  Others 
report  a  good  business  having  been  done  in  both  foreign 
and  domestic.  Inquiries  from  domestic  consumers  have  been 
stimulated  by  the  prospective  foreign  purchases,  because  of 
the  desire  to  anticipate  this  buying.  In  some  quarters  it  is 
the  opinion  that  force  has  been  attempted  by  these  rumors  to 
bolster-up  prices.  At  any  rate  the  whole  tone  is  stronger  and 
better,  and  there  is  no  evidence  of  weakness  anywhere.  The 
quotation  for  spot  at  this  writing  is  27c.  cash,  New  York, 
with  last-quarter  metal  obtainable  at  26  to  26Jc.  It  is  re- 
ported there  is  little  near-by  copper  available.  The  London 
quotation  yesterday  was  £126,  compared  with  £124  a  week  ago. 
Exports  in  16  days  were  13,456  tons.  Lake  copper  is  nominal 
at   26.75c  cash.     One  broker  considers   that  already  at  least 

123. lb.    of    the    prospective    foreign    needs    1ms    been 

negotiated  for  1917  delivery,  the  sales  being  apportioned  among 
large  producers  by  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  as 
the  chief  distributor.  A  rumor  that  the  Central  Powers  were 
also  purchasers  or  Inquirers  cannot  be  substantiated.  Any 
purchases  they  might  make  would  be  for  delivery  after  the 
War. 

ZINC 

A  decided  change  has  come  over  the  market  and  demand 
yesterday  was  reported,  at  least  by  one  broker,  as  more  active 
than  at  any  time  in  several  months.  He  characterized  the  tone 
as  unusually  strong.  Inquiries  were  numerous  in  lots  of  250 
to  1000  tons,  and  some  good  business  was  done.  The  demand 
comes  not  only  from  foreign  sources,  but  also  from  domestic 
consumers,  among  whom  are  the  brass  mills  and  especially 
the  galvanizers,  who  are  regarded  as  about  to  cover  for  fourth- 
quarter  needs.  Prices  have  been  advancing  during  the  past 
week  until  yesterday  spot  metal  at  New  York  was  quoted  at 
9c.  and  S.75c.  at  St.  Louis.  One  broker  said  he  turned-down 
an  inquiry  for  1000  tons  at  9c.  yesterday.  For  last  quarter 
S.25-  to  S.oOc,  New  York,  is  asked.    The  demand  has  been  for 


both  aear-bi  and  fourth-quarter  deliver)  Exports  »o  far 
this  month,  Including  yesterday,  were  2649  tons  Bheel  sine 
Is  still  16c.  for  carload  lots  f.o.b.  smelter,  89!  off  for  'ash. 

LEAD 

The  market  is  stronger  and  demand  is  better,  ■  spurt  having 
manifested  Ita  ,    The  ■■nun-  ton 

ami  prices  are  a  little  higher.  The  quotation  todaj  is  6c,  New 
York,  and  5.90c,  St.  Louis.     Inquiry   i 

rorelgn  and  domestic  sources,  and  some  good  sales  are  re- 
ported. The  imi'  have  been  recently  under-selling 
the  leading  Interest,  bul  yesterda]  their  price  had 
reached  the  hitter's.  Exports  this  month,  up  to  and  Including 
yesterday,  were  75s  tons  compared  with  429  tons  a  week  ago. 
The  London  market  yesterday  was  £30  for  spot  and  E29  L6b. 
for  futures.    The  tone  of  the  market  Is  much  less  pessimistic. 

TIN 

There  has  been  more  interest  in  the  market  in  the  past  week 
and  the  feeling  is  better.  Some  sellers  reported  a  good  demand 
at  one  time,  while  others  at  the  same  period  took  a  contrary 
view.  This  attitude  was  later  reversed  by  both  parties  so  that 
the  market  has  presented  a  queer  aspect.  But  a  decided  im- 
provement is  certain  and  there  have  been  substantial  inquiries 
and  some  fair  sales.  On  the  9th  there  was  a  good  demand  for 
Banca  tin  with  a  fair  quantity  sold,  as  well  as  some  Straits 
tin  for  Eastern  shipment — probably  200  to  250  tons  in  all. 
The  market  was  quieter  on  the  10th  with  inquiry  fair  but.  ap- 
parently no  sales.  The  next  day,  however,  it  developed  that 
at  least  225  tons  had  been  sold  on  the  10th.  On  the  11th  dull- 
ness appeared  but  late  that  day  a  boom  started  resulting  in 
sales  of  over  200  tons.  Saturday  inquiry  was  good  and  more 
tin  could  have  been  sold  had  there  been  more  sellers,  but  at 
least  100  to  150  tons  changed  hands.  This  week  there  have 
been  moderate  sales,  mostly  for  spot,  August  and  September 
delivery.  Yesterday  the  market  was  again  dull  with  spot 
Straits  quoted  at  39c,  New  York,  against  39}c.  the  day  pre- 
vious. Arrivals  up  to  August  16  total  2497  tons,  with  3135  tons 
afloat. 

ANTIMONY 

It  is  believed  that  the  bottom  of  the  decline  was  reached 
when  Asiatic  grades  sold  as  low  as  91c.  last  week,  duty  paid. 
A  turn  has  recently  been  evident  with  a  much  better  demand 
and  some  business  done  with  Canada.  Yesterday  the  metal 
had  advanced  to  10  to  10}c,  duty  paid.  In  all,  several  hundred 
tons  are  said  to  have  changed  hands.  There  is  little  business 
in  needle  antimony  at  8  to  8Jc  per  pound. 

ALUMINUM 
The  market  is  firm  at  59  to  60Jc.  per  lb.,  for  No.  1  virgin 
metal,  9S  to  99%  pure.    A  month  ago  60c  was  asked,  and  one 
year  ago  it  sold  as  low  as  34c    The  high  price  for  1916  thus 
far  has  been  65c,  with  41c  as  the  low. 

ORES 

Antimony:  There  has  been  practically  no  business  during 
the  past  week,  the  last  sales  of  small  lots  having  brought  SI. 10 
to  SL 20  per  unit. 

Tungsten:  This  ore  is  nominally  S20  to  $25  per  unit,  but  the 
prospect  for  a  higher  market  is  brighter.  The  foreign  demand 
is  a  dominating  factor,  and  considerable  quantities  have  been 
sold  recently  to  foreign  countries  thus  diverting  shipments 
from  the  United  States  and  absorbing  some  of  our  stocks.  In 
addition,  on  July  19  Japan  prohibited  the  exports  of  tungsten 
and  molybdenum  except  under  license.  These  facts  tend  to  a 
more  steady  market. 


330 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


August  26.   1!I16 


Cumpmiy  'liz-poxte 


CHIXO   COPPER   CO. 

Reports  covering  the  second  quarter  of  1916  are  as  under: 

Overburden  removed,  cubic  yards 871,138 

Ore  treated,  tons   788,500 

Average  metal-content,   per  cent    1.79 

Copper  production,  pounds   (including  precipitate) .  .18,157.922 

Average  price  received,  cents  per  pound 27.49 

Cost,  cents  per  pound   8.89 

Profit    $3,221,969 

Dividends  paid    ' 1,957,455 

Surplus    1,264,514 

The  monthly  yield  was  610,000  lb.  more  than  in  the  previous 
period,  when  the  price  was  26.57c.  per  pound.  While  the 
profit  was  $470,000  more,  the  surplus  is  $400,000  less,  after 
paying  an  increased  amount  of  dividend,  $770,000.  The  mill 
is  to  be  improved  to  treat  oxidized  ore  and  tailing. 


I'TAH  COPPER  CO. 

During  the  period  construction  started  on  additions  to  the 
mills  and  for  the  new  leaching  plant.  The  former  work  will 
increase  their  capacities  and  recoveries. 

Overburden  removed,  cubic  yards 1,659,594 

Ore  treated,  tons   (a  record ) 2,758,500 

Average  grade,  per  cent 1.381 

Recovery,  per  cent  63.51 

Copper  production,  pounds   (a  record) 48,384.929 

Cost,  cents  per  pound  6.726 

Profit,  including  dividends  received,  etc $9,958,317 

Price  received,  cents  per  pound 26.758 

Dividends  paid  4,873,470 

Surplus    5,084,847 

RAY  CONSOLIDATED  COPPER  CO. 

Development,   feet    16,217 

Cost  of  mining  and  coarse  crushing,  cents  per  ton. . .  80.85 

Ore  treated,  tons   865,300 

Average  content,  per  cent  1.631 

Cost  of  treatment,  cents  per  ton 51.41 

Copper  production,  pounds  (with  crude  ore  smelted)  .19,171,238 

Cost,  cents  per  pound  10.507 

Profit    $3,242,542 

Dividends   788,590 

Surplus    2,453,952 

Over  110,000  tons  more  was  treated,  the  yield  was  3,300,000 
lb.  greater,  the  profit  was  an  increase  of  $1,000,000  and  the 
surplus  $1,000,000  more  than  in  the  first  quarter.  Dividends 
were  practically  the  same. 

The  profit  was  almost  $3,000,000  larger  than  in  the  March 
quarter.  There  was  no  unsold  copper  on  hand  at  the  end  of 
the  term.  Costs  were  lowered  0.364c.  per  pound.  The  surplus 
shows  a  gain  of  over  $2,000,000. 

BUTTE  &  SUPERIOR  MINING  CO. 

In  the  second  quarter  spelter  averaged  11.41c.  per  pound,  in 
the  first  16.1052c;  the  total  net  profit  was  $2,062,029,  against 
$3,554,940,  a  large  decrease  due  to  low  metal  prices.  Dividends 
absorbed  $10.75  per  share.  Net  quick  assets  are  $3,900,000,  an 
increase  of  over  $300,000.  Sales  of  spelter  for  future  delivery 
have  been  made,  covering  a  good  proportion  of  production  in 
the  remainder  of  1916. 

At  the  mine  a  great  deal  of  shaft  work  was  done.  Develop- 
ment commenced  at  1700  and  1800  ft.,  where  as  far  as  opened, 
the  character  of  the  orebodies  is  as  favorable  as  in  the  levels 


above.     Reserves  increased  307c  above  the  quantity  extracted. 
Work  beyond  the  Black  Rock  claim  was  especially  gratifying. 
The  cost  of  mining  was  $4.4971,  an  increase  of  46.3  cents. 
.Mill  results  were  as  follows: 

Ore  treated,  tons   161,270 

Zinc-content,  jer  cent  15.9709 

Silver-content,  ounces  6.7041 

Zinc-content  of  concentrate,  per  cent 52.9956 

Silver-content  of  concentrate,  ounces 21.8757 

Zinc  in  concentrate,  pounds 47,901,445 

Recovery,  per  cent 92.989 

Cost  of  treatment,  per  ton  $1,761 

.Milling  results  generally  were  almost  the  same  as  in  the 
previous  term,  although  costs  were  18.47c.  higher.  All  costs 
were  $6.25S1,  against  $5.6104  per  ton. 

NEVADA  CONSOLIDATED  COPPER  CO. 

Ore  treated,  tons  (12%  from  underground) 1,094,879 

Metal-content,  per  cent    1.57 

Copper  production,  pounds  24.091,021 

Price  received,  cents  per  pound 27.23 

Cost,  cents  per  pound   8.51 

Earnings   $4,853,945 

Dividends    1.499,593 

Surplus  after  depreciation  and  ore  extinguishment..   3,059,917 

Comparing  with  the  previous  quarter  there  was  167,999  tons 
more  treated,  the  output  was  a  gain  of  4,930,747  lb.:  and  the 
price  was  1.66c.  per  pound  higher. 


Tebtiaby  Faunal  Horizons  of  Western  Washington.  By 
Charles  E.  Weaver.  P.  67.  Plates.  University  of  Washington, 
Seattle,  1916. 


Mining  in  Northern  Ontario.  By  Arthur  A.  Cole.  P.  72. 
111.,  Index.  Temiskaming  and  Northern  Railway  Commission, 
Toronto,  1916. 

Sources  of  Nitrogen  Compounds  in  the  United  States.  By 
Chester  G.  Gilbert.  P.  12.  Published  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916. 

Investigation  of  the  Peat  Bogs  and  Peat  Industry  of 
Canada,  1913-'14.  By  Aleph  Anrep.  Bulletin  11.  P.  185.  111., 
maps,  index.     Department  of  Mines,  Ottawa,  1915. 

Strength  of  Webs  of  I-Beams  and  Girders.  By  H.  F.  Moore 
and  W.  M.  Wilson.  Bulletin  86.  P.  50.  Illustrated.  Univer- 
sity of  Illinois  Engineering  Experiment  Station,  Urbana,  1916. 

Argentine  Railways.  A  review  of  their  position,  condi- 
tions, and  prospects.  By  Leopold  Grahame.  P.  36.  Illus- 
trated. Renskorf.  Lyon  &  Co.,  New  York,  1916.  A  map  would 
have  improved  this  interesting  booklet. 

Strength  and  Other  Propebties  of  Concretes  as  Affected 
by  Materials  and  Methods  of  Preparation.  By  R.  J.  Wig, 
G.  M.  Williams,  and  E.  R.  Gates.  Technological  paper  58.  P. 
172.  Illustrated.  Bureau  of  Standards,  Washington,  D.  C, 
1916.  It  includes  the  results  of  about  20,000  tests  on  300  aggre- 
gates consisting  of  limestone,  granite,  gravel,  and  trap-rock 
which  are  used  for  concrete  materials  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States.  The  conclusions  are  of  especial  interest  to  con- 
tractors, engineers,  architects,  and  others  who  use  concrete, 
since  it  points  out  that  with  the  same  aggregates  a  variation 
in  strength  of  as  much  as  100%  may  result  owing  to  the  lack 
of  proper  precautions  in  mixing  and  placing  the  material. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  SEPTEMBER  2,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  10 


*>^ 


THE    MAMIE    MINE,    KASAAN    PENINSULA 

SNOW  looks  good  during  hot  weather.  The  accompanying  picture  of  a  mine  in  south- 
eastern Alaska  may  soothe  those  sweltering  in  mid-summer  heat.  Alaska  is  engaging  the 
attention  of  mining  men  and  we  have  sent  a  special  correspondent  northward  in  order  to 
give  our  readers  the  latest  information  concerning  mining  developments.  Last  year  this  territory 
produced  $16,702,000  in  gold,  $15,139,000  in  copper  and  $543,400  in  silver.  The 
increase  in  copper  was  $12,286,195,  due  largely  to  the  rich  ore  of  the  Kennecott  and  other 
mines  in  the  Copper  River  district.  The  Yukon  basin  yielded  $7,367,776  of  the  gold  and 
the  Juneau-Treadwell  region  $5,808,978.     The  present  season  is  full  of  promise. 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


OLIVER 

EILTII 


Olivet* 

Continuous  \ 

Ttlte v 

Company/ 

501  Market   St. 
San  Francisco, Cal.  ; 


Metallurgical  Apparatus 

must  meet  conditions  imposed  by  the 
character  of    the    ore   to   be  treated 

The  ore  itself  is  unchangeable — its  charac- 
teristics are  fixed.  There  remains  the 
selection  of  apparatus  that  will  assure  the 
best  possible  results  on  your  particular  ore. 

There  is  nothing  haphazard,  no  guesswork,  about 

Oliver  Continuous  Filters 

They  are  not  taken  off  the  shelf  and  sent  to 
you  on  a  chance  that  they  will  do  your  work. 

Each  individual  installation  is  carefully  studied 
and  scrutinized  before  a  recommendation  of  fil- 
tration apparatus  is  made. 

Wherever  the  conditions  to  be  met  are  not  filled 
by  established  standard  sizes,  a  special  machine 
is  designed  that  WILL  meet  the  conditions. 

The  large  filter  shown  below  was  specially  de- 
signed to  fulfill  conditions  never  before  experi- 
enced. It  is  14  feet  diameter  by  24  feet  in  length 
and  was  designed  and  built  in  two  weeks  from 
receipt  of  order.  Like  all  Olivers,  it  has  given 
complete  satisfaction. 

WE    CAN    SOLVE   YOUR    PROBLEM.       WRITE    US. 

No  royalties  to  pay  on  ANY  of  the  work  of  an  Oliver 


4       .* 

UHTOUA1    51  Ml- 

T   A  RtCKARO  EJa 

M  W    «>«  Bt.RSF.Vl  tTZ     A- 1  Ed. 


■  ■IN     s*o  Fnnwo.  by  the  LW*y  PulJ^iing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Bo**.  M.n.,r> 


•.in  mi    !  ONTRIBI  l"Hs 

«       II 

?    i  III 

ChmrlN  Jtiniii. 

J" iv   K«mp 

i'    11    Proberl 
C.  W.   PurlngLon. 

\      u  II,.  I, ,11 


Science  hat  no  enemy  tave  the  ignorant 


San  Francisco,  September  2,  1916 


LO  Cent!  p< 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

BDITORI  U  Page. 

NOTES    

SHIPPING   Mini    SUPPLIES 332 

li  :s  essential  to  give  people  what  tliey  want  In  order 

to  hold  their  regard. 

Tin  GUI  w  G Minis 332 

The  great  ^old  mines  of  the  world  are  discussed;  their 
output,  dividends!  and  reserves.  South  Africa,  Aus- 
tralia, and   India,  the  Waihl  in  New  Zealand,  the  Es- 

peranza  in  Mexico. 

DISCI  BBim 
Qybatobi  Cbi  --in  it-. 

By  L-;    Davenport   337 

Breaking  of  gyratory  crushers.    A  steel  spider. 
Posi  lob  i"  South  America. 

By  Louis  .1.  Wrigh  t  337 

The  surprising  carelessness  of  American  correspond- 
ents. Half  the  mail  of  an  engineer  in  Chile  comes 
with  insufficient  stamps. 

Pbospei  nuo. 

By  P.  B.  McDonald 337 

Enthusiasm  and  personality  make  impossihle  things 
possible.  Some  men  do  what  others  thought  was  im- 
possible. 

Anotheb  Ai-kx  Decision. 

By  John  M.  Nieol 33S 

A  working  of  the  "insane  apex  law"  carried  to  logical 
ends.    Some  sarcastic  conclusions. 

Tin.  Mkxh  an  Tangle. 

By  B.  A.  H.  Tays  33S 

Protection  of  American  citizens  and  their  property  in 
Mexico  is  argued  for. 

The  Amekk  an  Boy  and  the  Mine. 

By  Robert  .1/.  Raymond 33S 

The  industrial  corporation  school  of  the  Cleveland- 
Cliffs  Iron  Co.  The  professor  of  mining  in  Columbia 
University  writes  of  the  American  boy  and  the  immi- 
grant miner. 

Stamp  v.  Ball-Mill. 

By  Courtenay  De  Kalb  339 

Fashions  and  styles  in  machinery.  The  principles 
of  comminution  and  abrasion. 

ARTICLES 

Molecular  Forces  and  Flotation. 

By  Will  H.  OogMll   341 

The  application  of  the  principles  of  physics  to  the 
flotation  process.  Capillarity,  surface  tension,  films. 
Suggestive  experiments. 


Explo81\  es    349 

Comments  on  explosives  by  E.  M.  Weston  ol   Johan 

nesburg. 

Bcyino  Supplies  fob  k  Mini  . 

By  Nelson  Dickerman  350 

Unnecessarily  heavy  packing  for  tobacco  shipped  to 
Colombia  made  it  cost  $14,111  per  pound.  Plate  glass 
that  arrived  broken.  The  desirability  of  American 
firms  establishing  personal  relationships  with  foreign 
customers. 

BELT-CON!  1  vnii-     352 

The  capacity  of  a  narrow  belt-conveyor  is  Surprisingly 
high.     Loads  and  costs. 

Tungsten  in  the  Boulder  district.  Colorado, 

By  E.  H.  Leslie   353 

Colorado's  famous  tungsten  field  is  described  by  the 
Chicago  representative  for  this  paper.  The  milling 
practice. 

Atmospheric  Humidity  and  Its  MEASUREMENT. 

By  Kenneth   C.  Smith 356 

How  to  determine  atmospheric  humidity.  The  wet 
and  dry  bulb  thermometer.  A  reminiscence  of  Mark 
Lamb's  'Curves  of  Comfort'  in  the  Mining  am, 
Scientific  Press  of  August  27,  1910. 

Jig  Concentration  in  Joplix  District.  Missouri. 

By  Clarence  A.   Wright    357 

Recent  mill  practice  in  the  Missouri  zinc  region. 

Copper  Production  for  Six  Months   358 

Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  and  Utah  Copper  produced  al- 
most the  same  amounts.  Likewise  Ray  Con.,  C.  &  A., 
Chiuo,  and  Cerro  de  Pasco. 

Cyanidino  Clayey  Ore  at  the  Bickhorn  Mine.  Nevada. 

By  Paul  R.  Cook   359 

Exceptional  ore  and  the  treatment  found  necessary 
at  a  gold  mine  in  north-central  Nevada. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Recent    Patents     360 

Mineral  Production  oe  California  in  1915   361 

Final  figures  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau.  Some  large 
increases,  notably  in  antimony,  copper,  gold,  quick- 
silver, tungsten,  and  zinc. 

Review  of  Mining   362 

Special  correspondence  from  Leadville,  Colorado; 
Victoria,  British  Columbia.  ,» 

The   Mining    Summary 364 

Pebsonai 367 

The   METAL   Market    368 

Eastern  Metal  Market 369 

Industrial   Notes    jf 370 

Portable  Electrically-Driven  Air-Compressor;  Com- 
mercial Paragraphs. 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


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Woolworth   Bdg.;   London.  724   Salisbury  House,    E.C. 

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20 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


■  ml.r  2,    ' 


MINING    and    Scicnl.lu     l*KI  S.s 


:\M 


"TM1K  metal  market  is  better  than  Bra  Borne  time  past, 
-*■  uiul  readera  will  find  our  New  Vm-k  letter  this  week 
worthy  of  attention.    The  lead  situation  is  interesting. 


ANTIMONY  iniiuTs  ami  smelters  have  experienced  u 
■£*■  dull  time  lately,  the  price  of  their  product  dropping 
from  46  cents  tn  !>  cents,  and  at  the  Latter  figure  the 
metal  was  almost  unsaleable.  The  market  is  now  much 
stronger  in  tone,  with  an  advance  to  14  cents,  as  a  conse- 
quence ut'  undcr-estimation  of  stocks  by  the  trade,  re- 
uewed  buying,  and  considerable  sales  lor  munitions'  pur- 

TNCREASED  wages  are  asked  by  miners  of  Amador 

■*■  nullity.  California,  ou  account  of  the  high  cost  of 
Living.  The  men  receive  from  .+2.75  to  .+3.25  per  shift, 
which  includes  a  25-cent  raise  granted  some  time  ago. 
Now  they  speak  of  an  additional  50  cents  per  day.  The 
mine-owners  say  that  this  cannot  be  given,  as  the  cost 
of  supplies  has  increased  so  much.  There  is  quite 
enough  labor  unrest  in  the  country  at  present,  and  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that  this  latest  dispute  will  be  settled 
amicably. 

"D  ECENTLY  we  commented  on  the  Calumet  &  Hecla 
-*■*■  semi-centenary.  The  president,  Rodolphe  L.  Agas- 
siz,  has  given  some  interesting  figures  to  the  Boston 
News  Bureau  regarding  50  years  of  operation.  The  cop- 
per output  was  2,686,896,000  pounds,  equal  to  1,343,448 
tons.  Dividends  amounted  to  $132,250,000.  The  most 
significant  feature — and  one  that  might  be  profitably 
noted  by  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners,  now  the  In- 
ternational Union  of  Miners,  Mill,  and  Smelter  Men,  is 
the  amount  paid  in  wages,  namely,  $129,230,938,  nearly 
equal  to  the  dividends. 

TpLOTATION  is  elucidated  in  this  issue  by  Mr.  Will 
■*-  H.  Coghill.  He  offers  an  analysis  of  the  molecular 
forces  that  are  at  the  back  of  the  curious  phenomena  of 
frothing.  While  some  of  our  readers  may  prefer  a  de- 
scription of  the  application  of  the  process  in  a  mill,  it  is 
certain  that  our  methods  of  concentration  by  flotation 
will  not  improve  until  we  get  a  firm  grip  on  the  essential 
principles  of  the  physics  involved.  This  is  being  recog- 
nized by  the  mining  companies.  Even  if  they  have  not 
sent  members  of  their  staff  to  engage  in  research  work 
in  university  laboratories,  they  have,  we  believe,  in  sev- 
eral instances  commissioned  metallurgists  to  make  spe- 
cial investigations.  The  better-equipped  mines  have 
laboratories  in  which  a  great  deal  of  research  work  is 
being  done  and  we  would  only  venture  to  suggest  that 


those  doing  such  WOrh  should  be  given  a  chance  to  sol 
laborate  with  physicists.  The  metallurgist  must  ap- 
proach the  fundamentals  of  Dotation  from  the  physical, 
not  the  chemical,  side.  There  he  is  weak  admittedly,  tn 
the  same  way  the  study  of  notation  in  nuning-schools  is 
left  too  much  tn  the  metallurgical  department,  aided  by 
the  chemical,  ignoring  the  Cad  that  the  Btrange  features 
ut'  the  process  can  be  explained  only  in  terms  of  physics. 
His  writing  on  the  subject,  in  this  issue,  will  well  repay 
careful  study,  for  he  has  the  scientific  spirit,  which  never 
rests  until  it  gets  at  the  truth.  Comments  or  criticisms 
on  his  article  will  be  deemed  a  compliment  by  him  and 
by  us. 

TN  our  issue  of  April  8,  1916,  we  gave  some  particulars 
-*-  of  the  smelter  to  be  erected  at  Kellogg,  Idaho,  by  the 
Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  company.  We  note  with  pleas- 
ure that  on  August  19  the  beginning  of  actual  construc- 
tion was  duly  celebrated  by  the  company,  its  employees, 
and  citizens  of  Kellogg.  A  feature  of  the  proceedings 
was  the  presentation  of  several  bars  of  lead  by  the  gen- 
eral manager,  Mr.  Stanly  A.  Easton,  to  public  institu- 
tions, these  bars  being  the  first  made  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene.  We  hope  that  our  next  announcement  con- 
cerning this  smelter  will  chronicle  the  blowing-in  of  the 
furnaces. 

T3  OLIVIA  has  come  to  the  front  in  tungsten  produc- 
-*-^  tion  during  the  past  two  years.  In  the  first  three 
months  of  1916  there  was  exported — 75%  to  the  United 
States  and  25%  to  Europe — 608  tons  of  wolfram,  con- 
taining 65%  tungstic  acid.  This  does  not  indicate  the 
production,  as  it  is  said  that  considerable  quantities  of 
ore  are  being  stored  until  the  end  of  the  War.  Of  the 
output,  69%  comes  from  Oruro,  19%  from  La  Paz,  the 
remainder  from  Potosi,  all  well-known  centres  in  con- 
nection with  the  tin  industry.  During  the  whole  of 
1915  wolfram  exports  were  only  625  tons.  The  antimony 
yield  is  also  gaining  in  importance.  In  the  first  quarter 
exports  amounted  to  7191  tons  of  high-grade  ore  valued 
at  $1,500,000,  as  against  509  tons  in  the  same  period 
of  1915.  Regarding  wolfram  it  may  be  added  that  two 
years  ago  only  two  companies  were  extracting  this  min- 
eral ;  now  there  are  over  two  hundred. 


T^UNGSTEN  producers,  especially  those  in  Colorado, 
-*-  are  optimistic  regarding  an  early  rise  in  price,  now 
$10  to  $20  per  unit  for  60%  concentrate.  New  war  con- 
tracts necessitate  more  high-speed  tool-steel.  The  for- 
eign demand  is  increasing,  and  shipments  from  South 


332 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1916 


America  have  been  diverted  to  Europe,  thus  relieving 
the  domestic  market.  In  this  issue  we  publish  a  readable 
article  on  mining  and  treating  tungsten  ore  in  Boulder 
county,  Colorado,  by  Mr.  B.  II.  Leslie,  our  Chicago  rep- 
resentative. The  flow-sheet  is  unusual,  as  it  includes 
canvas  tables  and  a  flotation  annex,  the  former  a  new 
departure,  while  the  latter  is  rather  in  the  experimental 
state.  Treatment  of  ferberite  is  improving  generally  in 
this  district.  We  learn  from  Boulder  that  the  Black 
Metals  Reduction  Company  is  making  a  small  quantity 

of  tungstic  acid,  using  cleetric-t'urnaees  and  other  ap- 
paratus designed  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Ekelcy.  state  chemist. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  problems  in  which  tungsten 
is  a  Factor  is  the  treatment  of  the  huge  deposit  of  gold- 
copper-tungsten  ore  at  the  Soctarie  mine  of  the  Seoul 
Mining  Company  in  Korea.  This  contains,  evenly  dis- 
tributed. 75  cents  of  gold,  ti  to  10  pounds  of  tungstic 
oxide,  and  15  pounds  of  copper  per  ton,  also  a  little  bis- 
muth. Gravity  concentration  and  notation  give  a  fair 
result,  but  it  seems  doubtful  whether  separate  market- 
able products  of  gold  ami  eopper  on  one  hand,  and  tung- 
sten on  the  other,  can  !»•  produced  at  present.    Th p- 

per  concentrate  will  always  contain  too  much  tungsten; 

conversely  the  tungsten  coi titrate  will  contain  too  much 

copper.  The  gold  appears  to  distribute  itself  evenly  be- 
tween the  two  classes  of  concentrate.     In  the  tungsten 

product  there  is  too  much  Copper  to  permit  cyanidation 
Of  the  gold-content.  Amalgamation  is  ineffective.  Some 
Chemical  process  may  have  to  be  devised.  The  Seoul 
company  has  20  stamps  and  eoneentrating-tables  treating 
this  ore.  to  which  flotation  is  to  give  aid.  At  the  Golden 
Chest  gold-tungsten  mine  mar  Murray.  Idaho,  a  some- 
what similar  problem  has  arisen.  Manganese  is  an  inter- 
fering mineral,  and  magnetic  separation  is  to  be  tried  on 
oncentrate.  At  the  gold-scheelite  mines  in  New 
Zealand,  described  in  our  issue  of  July  22,  amalgama- 
tion, concentration,  and  magnetic  separation  have  been 
sti ssful. 

Shipping  Mine  Supplies 

American  business  men  have  awakened  to  the  fact 
that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  export  trade,  and  that  the 
bulk  of  it  has  been  secured  by  other  countries  than  the 
United  States.  For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  for- 
eign commerce,  American  merchants  and  manufacturers 
are  studying  the  requirements  of  foreign  buyers.  A  re- 
alization that  the  buyer  must  lie  satisfied,  that  he  wants 
what  he  wants,  and  wants  it  the  way  he  wants  it.  and.  in 

ast,  has  not  been  able  to  get  it  thus  from  Americans. 
is  somewhat  tardy,  but  has  not  come  too  late.  In  this 
isMi,  Mr.  N'.-lson  Dickerman  contributes  some  notes  ou 
tin-    subject,    emphasizing    the    importance    of    packing 

ods.  It  is  in  this  respect  that  American  manufac- 
turers have  been  the  worst  offenders.    Familiarity  with 

the  customs  regulations  of  foreign  countries  is  essential. 
and  such  knowledge  is  cot  difficult  to  acquire.  Prac- 
tically all  Mexican,  and  Central  and  South  American 
nations  maintain  consulates  in   large  cities.     Copies  of 


their  customs  regulations  are  obtainable.  An  intelligent 
understanding  of  them  will  promote  profitable  business 
relations,  while  disregard  or  ignorance  will  continue  to 
prevent  it.  as  it  lias  in  the  past. 

Tastes  differ,  and  if  a  Mexican,  for  instance,  likes  his 
machinery  painted  red  and  green,  why  not  send  it  to  him 
decorated  in  his  favorite  colors  1  A  prominent  match 
manufacturer  tried  to  introduce  his  wares  into  Russia. 
His  matches  were  of  superior  quality,  but  no  one  would 
buy  them.  It  seems  that  the  Russians  were  accustomed 
to  buy  matches  in  miniature  barrels.  The  American 
custom  is  to  pack  them  in  little  boxes.  That  is  why  there 
were  no  sales.  There  are  hundreds  of  similar  instances 
of  excellent  products  that  didn't  take,  and  for  no  more 
serious  reason  than  that  of  the  matches. 

American  insularity  in  trying  to  compel  the  other  Eel- 
low  to  learn  our  language  is  a  stumbling-block.  Corre- 
spondence, circular  matter,  catalogues,  invoices,  and  the 
like  should  be  prepared  in  the  language  of  the  country 
to  which  they  are  sent:  prices  should  be  expressed  in 
terms  of  thi'  buyers'  money,  not  the  sellers'.  Shipping- 
marks  should  lie  written  in  the  language  understood  by 
those  who  have  to  handle  the  packages  at  destination. 
These  are  some  of  the  countless  details  that  in  tin'  past 
have  been  ignored  by  American  shippers.  It  is  encour- 
aging to  find  that  a  movement  is  under  way  to  study  tin- 
foreigner  and  his  needs,  and  then  to  fill  the  order  as  in- 
structed. 

The  Great  Gold  Mines 

More  than  nine  years  ago,  on  May  4.  1907,  in  these 
columns,  we  published  a  list  of  the  16  leading  gold  mines 
of  the  world  and  discussed  their  relative  merits  as 
sources  of  legitimate  wealth.  We  gave  the  figures  of  ton- 
nage, yield,  and  profit  for  December  1906  and  January 


1907.  It  will  be  interesting  to  ascertain  how  these  big 
mines  have  fared  in  the  interval.  The  appraisal  of  min- 
ing property  as  a  branch  of  technical  science  suffers  for 
lack  of  post-mortems ;  in  order  to  learn  how-  to  estimate 
the  life  of  a  mine  and  its  possibilities  of  production,  it 
is  well  to  study  the  performances  of  individual  mines, 
as  an  actuary  bases  his  estimate  of  a  human  life  ou 
statistical  records  and  the  data  derived  from  the  his- 
tory of  a  large  number  of  individuals.  If,  for  example 
we  could  lay  hands  upon  a  hundred  reports  on  mines 
made  by  a  number  of  first-rate  engineers  ten  years  ago 
and    compare    their    forecasts   of   production    with    the 


September  2,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     I'KI  SS 


333 


actual  performance  daring  t li« ■  ensuing  deaade,  we 
slioulcl  have  a  body  of  evidence  of  the  greatest  value  in 
the  engineer!  engaged  today  in  mitring  similar  appraise- 
ments. Hut  reporta  on  mines  constitute  a  km. I  of  litera- 
ture that  fen  people  take  1 1 » *  -  trouble  t"  preserve.  There- 
lore  we  loae  ill''  benefit  of  much  useful  Information,  How 
ever,  here  we  have  some  examples,  Mine  yean  ago  a 
detached  onlooker  of  some  experience  in  these  matters 
undertook  to  prepare  a  list  of  the  principal  gold  mines. 
Let  us  aee  whal  happened,  In  that  list  there  were 
five  Smith  African  mini's.  Of  these,  the  Cason  is  now  a 
part  of  the  Baal  Rand  Proprietary,  a  consolidation  that 
became  the  victim  of  a  fiasco  in  1911,  when  a  depredation 
0,000,000  in  the  market-value  of  the  property  took 
place  within  a  few  months,  followed  by  a  further  de- 
preoiation  of  (17,750,000  in  the  three  ensuing  years,  so 
thai  shares  quoted  as  £5]  sank  to  tl\  <m  a  capital  of 
2,445,897  shares,  indicating  a  loss  of  over  s.~>i>. ooo.ooo. 
It  was  proved  that  the  capacity  of  the  mine  had  been 
hugely  over-rated,  the  mill-returns  had  been  .juggled,  and 
a  number  of  relatively  worthless  properties  had  been  in- 
eluded  within  the  consolidation  in  order  to  enable  their 
Owners  to  realize  upon  them  at  the  expense  of  the  publie. 
From  that  shock  the  South  African  market  has  scarcely 
recovered  yet.  The  Cason,  which  in  1907  was  earning  a 
profit  of  $174,000  (£1  being  taken  at  $4.85)  monthly 
from  an  output  of  36,500  tons,  in  1915  averaged  a  profit 
of  $265,115  from  165,300  tons  monthly.  Thus  the  ton- 
nage  was  more  than  quadrupled,  while  the  profit  increas- 
ed to  about  one-third  more  than  it  was  nine  years  earlier. 
The  grade  of  ore  declined  from  $10. HI  to  $6.25 
per  toll,  while  the  cost  decreased  only  from  $5.51 

to  $4.75,   despite   the  enormous  growth  of  ton-     _  

nage.  It  is  evident  that  the  Cason  has  proved  a 
disappointment,  although  on  the  whole  it  has 
done  better  than  some  of  the  other  mines  in- 
eluded  in  the  East  Rand  Proprietary.  The  next 
mine  on  the  select  list  was  the  Simmer  &  Jack, 
which,  in  1907.  was  treating  much  the  largest 
tonnage  of  any  mine  on  the  Rand.  In  that  year 
its  monthly  average  was  62,200  tons,  yielding 
$505,500  gross,  and  $226,000  in  profit  on  $8.12 
ore.  During  the  year  ended  June  30,  1915,  the 
mill  treated  68.122  tons  monthly  for  a  gross 
yield  of  $350,250  and  a  profit  of  $133,600  on  ore 
averaging  $5.34  per  ton.  Here  again  the  ton- 
nage has  been  increased,  but  not  much,  while 
the  yield  and  the  profit  have  fallen  considerably. 
The  mine  is  nearing  its  end,  having  only  2,428,- 
000  tons  remaining,  or  enough  ore  to  last  three 
years.  It  has  fulfilled  expectations  fairly  well. 
These  mines  on  the  Rand  have  no  extra-lateral 
right,  so  that  their  future  prospects  are  delimited  by 
the  side-line.  When  an  'outcrop'  mine,  that  is,  one  lo- 
cated so  as  to  cover  the  outcrop  of  the  gold-bearing  beds 
of  conglomerate,  or  '  banket, '  is  worked  out  on  the  dip  up 
to  a  line  vertically  under  its  surface  boundary  on  that 
side,  it  has  to  stop ;  the  property  owning  the  ground  cov- 
ering the  continuation  of  the  lode  on  its  dip  is  called  the 
'deep  level. '  This  is  the  relation  of  the  Simmer  &  Jack  to 


the  Simmer  Deep,  of  the  Robinson  to  the  Robinson  Deep, 
of  the  Village  Mam  Reef  to  the  Village  Deep,  for  example. 

The  lack  of  apex  rights  limits  the  future  pros] ti  of  an 

•outcrop'   mine,  but    the  existence,   below    its  ultimate 

bottom,  of  workings  due  to  the  operation  of  the  corre- 
sponding deep  level'  mine  serves  to  sample  the  ground. 
so  thai  the  resources  of  the  property  are  ascertainable 
with  a  completeness  comparable  to  the  appraisal 

alluvial  area  that  has  1 n  carefully  drilled, 

Next  we  come  to  the  Robinson,  which  is  among  the 

great  mines  that  have  made  good.  At  the  beginning  of 
1907  the  output  was  31,100  tons  monthly,  yielding  $438, 

500  gross,  and  a  profit  of  $286,000,  on  an  ore  averaging 

$14.10  per  ton.  In  1915  the  average  output  was  57. 100 
tons,  yielding  $387,690  gross,  and  a  profit  of  $198,225 
monthly,  on  ore  averaging  $7  per  ton.  The  grade  ha  bee  i 
lowered  to  one-half  what  it  was  and  the  cost  has  been  re- 
duced from  $4.90  to  $3.40  per  ton,  so  that  with  a  tonnage 
nearly  doubled,  the  profit  is  30%  less.  This  decline  in 
profit  has  been  marked  only  in  the  last  two  or  three  years. 
The  Robinson  is  now  nearly  exhausted,  but  it  has  ful- 
filled its  promise  handsomely,  as  we  shall  sec  on  further 
analysis  later.  The  Robinson  Deep,  which  follows  the 
Robinson  on  the  dip  of  the  banket,  was  producing  38.800 
tons  monthly  in  1907,  yielding  gold  worth  $414,(100,  and 
a  profit  of  $209,000  on  ore  averaging  $10.68  per  ton. 
During  the  year  ended  July  31,  1915.  the  average  month- 
ly output  was  50,583  tons,  yielding  $348,784,  of  which 
$125,388  was  profit,  on  ore  averaging  $6.80  per  ton.  In 
this  case  also  the  resources  of  the  mine  are  near  an  end, 


_   Outcrop 
I  D/kes 

o  A/i// 
m  Start 


^Drifefonlem  ///]"</>■  ■*. 
f-\       '  '//'"/"An'qelo/  /  -.<-<  -~C>v.* 
NOv~      //Cphier/    J 

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fAST    K^Ll 


Cinderella  Consolidated 

Sca/e  of  Fee f 

sooo  /o.ooo 


THE  EAST   BAND   PROPRIETARY. 

the  ore  assured  amounting  to  1,787,000  tons  averaging 
$6  per  ton,  or  enough  for  three  years  only,  with  no 
chance  of  further  discovery.  The  fifth  South  African 
mine  cited  by  us  in  1907  was  the  Village  Main  Reef, 
which  at  that  time  was  producing  37,100  tons  monthly 
for  a  gross  yield  of  $315,000  and  a  profit  of  $119,000  on 
ore  averaging  $8.50  per  ton.  During  1914  and  1915  the 
mine  suffered  from  'air-blasts'  or  settlings  of  rock,  caus- 


334 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1916 


ing  suspension  of  work  on  the  lower  levels,  for  several 
months.  Before  this  trouble  interfered  with  the  regular 
output,  the  mine  was  producing  34,000  tons  of  $9  ore 
per  month  and  earning  a  profit  of  $150,000  monthly. 
From  this  it  is  apparent  that  the  Village  Main  Reef  was 
more  than  holding  its  own  until  the  weight  of  the  hang- 
ing wall  caused  a  caving  of  the  stopes.  However,  the 
accident  came  near  the  end  of  life,  for  the  reserves  are 
estimated  at  035,000  tons  of  $7.40  ore,  only  enough  to 
supply  the  mill  for  two  more  years. 

The  big  mines  of  Kalgoorlie.  in  Western  Australia, 
have  done  fairly  well.  The  Oroya-Brownhill,  which  in 
1907  yielded  11,800  tons  of  $22  ore  monthly,  is  now  ex- 
hausted and  in  1909  was  consolidated  with  the  Golden 
Links  and  Kalgoorlie  Amalgamated  properties,  now 
known  as  the  Oroya  Links.  Its  Eclipse  mine  has  a  re- 
serve of  158,622  tons  of  $5.84  ore.     In  1915  the  mill 


1,026,801  tons,  averaging  $8.84  per  ton,  so  that  nearly 
five  years  of  further  life  ean  be  anticipated.  Prom  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1899.  to  April  27.  1916,  the  mine  had  paid  $16,- 
881,000  in  dividends  from  the  treatment  of  3.219,100 
tons,  yielding  1,932.963  ounces  of  gold,  worth  $39,971,- 
915.  The  other  big  mine  at  Kalgoorlie,  the  Golden 
Horse-Shoe,  has  about  three  years  assured.  In  1907  it 
was  yielding  21.350  tons  monthly,  worth  $249,500,  for 
a  profit  of  $121,200  on  $11.70  ore.  In  1915  the  average 
yield  had  fallen  to  $10  on  an  output  of  20,280  tons  month- 
ly, while  the  cost  was  a  little  under  $6,50  as  against  $6  in 
1907.  The  dividends  for  the  year  totaled  $460,750.  The 
ore  reserve  is  estimated  at  704.359  tons  averaging  $9.21 
per  ton.  This  mine  since  February  28,  1899,  has  pro- 
duced 3,520,670  tons,  yielding  $23,685,018  in  gold  and 
$15,604,875  in  dividends — another  fine  record.  These 
three  mines  at  Kalgoorlie  are  dying  hard :  they  have 


VOGEL-/               """"*- 
STRUISf 

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WEST   /MA,N   REEF/U»UDATEO 

■^^^     /                                AflNGUAGTE  I    3     <*    I3j~i                 \J                           |\DEEPJ J  W jtMlltOjK^^-J \.« 

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\     OIEPKLOOF          ^~^ 

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i^L  A 

1TURFFONTEIN          /                \ 

I'.VUT  OF  THE  WITWATKRSRAND,   SHOWING   1'OSITIO.N   OK  ROBINSON   AMI   ROBINSON   DEEP   MINES. 


treated  141.300  tons  of  $5  ore.  The  Great  Boulder  Pro- 
prietary, which  was  producing  12,600  tons  of  ore  worth 
$17.85  for  a  profit  of  $134,540  monthly  in  1907,  pro- 
duced 195,524  tons  during  1915,  yielding  $2,877,830,  from 
which  dividends  aggregating  $1,273,125  were  distributed. 
Thus  the  tonnage  has  increased  25%,  the  profit  being  al- 
most the  same.  The  ore  reserve  at  the  end  of  last  year  was 
estimated  at  500,000  tons,  worth  $7,500,000,  or  enough  to 
last  2i  years.  The  company  is  seeking  to  prolong  its  use- 
ful activities  by  acquiring  mines  elsewhere,  in  Victoria 
anil  Alaska.  From  April  1895  to  the  end  of  the  year  1 915 
the  (ireat  Boulder  had  produced  £10,124,194  or  $49,- 
092,333  in  gold,  and  by  the  end  of  the  current  year  $25,- 
000.000  will  have  been  distributed  in  dividends — about 
half  the  gross — a  superb  record.  The  Ivanhoe  has  done 
even  better  during  the  past  nine  years.  In  1907  it  was 
producing  18,500  tons  monthly,  yielding  $211,000  gross, 
and  a  profit  of  $102,360  on  ore  averaging  $11.33.  Last 
year  the  output  averaged  19,876  tons,  yielding  $154,385 
monthly,  and  dividends  of  $509,250  were  paid,  or  $42,- 
338  per  month,  on  ore  averaging  $8.82  per  ton.  The  cost 
had  been  reduced  during  the  interval  from  $5.84  to 
*5.22.  but  the  grade  has  decline:  I  Easter,  so  that  the  profit 
is  1-ss  than  half  what  it  was.    The  ore  reserve  stands  at 


passed  their  zenith  and  are  no  longer  in  the  first  rank, 
it  is  true,  but  they  have  fulfilled  expectations  and  will 
continue  to  win  a  handsome  profit  for  several  years  to 
come.  While  their  assured  reserves  are  equal  to  only 
two  or  three  years'  output,  it  must  be  remembered  that  so 
long  as  exploratory  work  is  in  progress  and  they  have 
scope  for  deeper  development,  there  is  always  a  chance  of 
making  an  important  discovery.  In  this  respect  they 
differ  from  the  Rand  mines,  which,  while  less  risky, 
afford  no  opportunity  for  an  extension  of  life. 

Two.  out  of  five,  of  the  surviving  mines  on  the  Kolar 
goldfield  were  included  among  the  16  properties  cited  in 
1907.  These  two,  the  Mysore  and  the  Champion  Reef, 
continue  productive.  Nine  years  ago  the  Mysore  was 
producing  16,236  tons  of  $20.41  ore  per  month  costing 
$11.30  per  ton,  obtaining  $331,463  gross,  of  which  $173,- 
387  was  profit.  In  1915  the  monthly  output  averaged 
25.417  tons  of  $11.33  ore  at  a  cost  of  $5.75  per  ton.  The 
gross,  including  the  treatment  of  old  tailing,  was  $355,734 
monthly,  of  which  $191,350  is  recorded  as  profit.  Thus 
the  tonnage  has  been  increased  55%,  and  the  gross  out- 
put of  gold  8%  :  the  yield  per  ton  has  fallen  50%,  the 
cost  49%.  while  the  profit  has  increased  10%.  In  this 
ease,  as  is  the  practice  common  among  British  mining 


_•    1916 


MINING    and    Scrni.h,     PRESS 


companies,  ilir  'profit'  is  a  men  hit  of  I >« >« >!-.  keeping,  the 
m  measured  in  dividend*,  being  considerably 
in  1916  the  'profit'  «;i^  while  the  divi 

amounted  tOO.     From  Septeinl 

i  of  1915  the  Mysore  nun.-  produced  4,525,871  t..ns 
ni'  ore,  yielding  $82  r  i  1,89]  in  gold,  and  paid  dividends 
►39,287,961.  The  Champion  Reef,  which 
adjoins  the  Mysore  and  exploits  the  same  lode  on  the 
downward  pitch  of  the  ore-shoots,  »;is  producing  1.6,730 
ioiin  of  $12  ore  in  1907,  w inning  $202,000  gross  and  $65,- 
ihmi  profit  monthly.  In  1915  the  average  ontpul  was  17, 
ill  i  tons  of  $11. 1")  <>re,  including  yield  from  tailing,  m;ik- 
^220,040  gross  and  $84,875  profit  monthly.  Evi- 
dently the  ore  has  maintained  its  grade,  while  the  cost  has 
been  reduced  from  -r  T .  ♦ ;  • ;  to  $7.04  per  ton.  The  increase 
of  tonnage  and  decrease  of  cosl  have  enabled  the  com- 
pany to  in.  nasi-  its  dividends.     In   1907  the  total  yield 


me  an  inglorious  imash.     In  the  sum r  of  1910 

the  shares,  which  had  >!<•«>•  I  si  £10$,  began  to  fall  on 

riimnrs  from  New  Zealand,    As  a  matter  of  fact,  tl on 

tracti t'  ii rebodiea  below  the  eoi f  oxidation  be 

oa apparenl  in  1909.    In  August  1910  the  Geological 

Survey  of  New  Zealand  began  ■  study  of  the  district, 
eliciting  information  unfavorable  to  the  future  of  the 
mine.  Bu1  the  information  was  no)  [riven  to  the  share- 
holders, so  thai  the  news  came  suddenly  and  disastrously 
in  1911,  The  ore  in  reserve  si  the  end  of  1915  was 
Btated  as  806,000  inns,  besides  678,900  t"ns  in  pillars  and 
remnants,  bo  that  the  mine  has  a  lit'.'  of  seven  or  eight 
years,  al  least,  and  some  chances,  slender,  it  is  true,  of 

rehabilitation.    Tl utput  of  gold  and  silver  to  the  end 

of  1915  is  $53,904,937  from  4,790,403  inns,  of  which 
$24,755,525  was  distributed  in  dividends. 

The  great  bonanza  in  the  Ksperanza  did  nol   hist  long. 


MAP   OF   GOLD-MINING    PROPERTIES    AT    KAI.GOORI.IE. 


was  E500.189  and  the  dividends  £104,000;  in  1915  the 
yield  was  £545,338  and  the  dividends  £147,333.  From 
1892  to  the  end  of  1915  this  mine  has  produced  3,607,487 
tons,  yielding  *.38,464,375  in  gold  and  $20,879,085  in  div- 
idends. The  ore-shoots  have  a  pitch  of  about  45°  south- 
ward, so  that  the  question  of  downward  persistence  is 
determined  for  the  Mysore  by  the  evidence  obtainable  in 
the  Champion  Reef  ground.  The  latter  did  handsomely 
until  about  11  years  ago,  when  it  had  attained  a  depth  of 
3700  feet.  In  1905  the  dividends  were  £416,000.  Since 
then  the  length  of  stoping  ground  has  contracted.  The 
greatest  vertical  depth  attained  on  this  lode  is  4670  feet, 
in  the  Ooregum  mine,  south  of  the  Champion  Reef,  which 
itself  has  a  shaft  4340  feet  deep.  The  Mysore  is  down  to 
3465  feet  vertically,  or  5000  feet  on  the  dip  of  the  lode. 
These  mines  are  still  to  be  ranked  among  the  big  fellows, 
but  they  exhibit  signs  of  impoverishment,  and  the  value 
of  their  reserves  is  not  known  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
managers  state  the  tonnage  of  ore  assured  but  they  do 
not  state  the  average  gold  contents  of  it.  However,  they 
have  made  a  splendid  record,  they  have  been  wisely  ad- 
ministered, and  the  statistical  evidence  proves  that  they 
were  properly  classed  among  the  great  producers  of  gold. 
The  Waihi,  which  ranked  among  the  very  best  in  ]907, 


although  the  mine  lias  continued  to  be  productive.  This 
property,  at  El  Oro,  Mexico,  came  into  sudden  promi- 
nence in  1904,  the  shares  jumping  early  in  1905  from  $5 
to  $30.  Three  years  later  the  rich  ore  had  been  worked 
out,  but  since  then  more  ore  of  medium  grade  has  been 
found  by  intelligent  exploration.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
the  Esperanza  should  have  been  included  in  the  list  of 
the  great  gold  mines ;  it  yielded  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able orebodies  and  made  a  spectacular  production  for  a 
short  time,  but  it  never  had  the  assurance  of  continued 
richly  productive  life  such  as  characterizes  the  mines  of 
the  very  first  rank.  In  1906  this  mine  produced  150,047 
tons,  yielding  $4,548,975,  out  of  which  $3,420,462  was 
paid  in  dividends.  The  ratio  of  gold  to  silver,  in  value, 
in  the  ore  is  as  4: 1.  The  total  production  from  October 
1903  to  the  end  of  1915  has  been  2,085,936  metric  tons, 
yielding  $36,172,049,  from  which  dividends  of  $11,971,- 
620  have  been  paid.  In  1914  the  output  was  120,975 
tons,  which,  with  the  re-treatment  of  45,237  tons  of  tail- 
ing, yielded  $1,039,698,  of  which  $402,426  was  profit. 
So  it  is  evident  that  the  mine  is  still  a  notable  producer. 
In  1915  operations  were  crippled  by  the  Mexican  revolu- 
tion. Ore  reserves  are  estimated  at  156,000  tons,  con- 
taining a  profit  of  $532,000,  or  enough  for  over  a  year. 


336 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1916 


Two  American  mines  were  included  in  tin-  list ;  of  these 
the  Camp  Bird  is  practically  exhausted,  unless  the  un- 
expected happens  and  new  orebodies  are  found  by  the 
deep  adit  now  being  driven  far  below  the  existing  work- 
ings. Even  in  1907  it  was  known  that  the  showing  in 
depth  was  poor  and  thai  t'nturc  production  depended 
chiefly  on  lateral  development.  Hut  the  Camp  Bird  has 
done  well.  Prom  April  30,  1903,  to  June  30,  1915,  it 
produced  795,129  tons  yielding  $22,152,297,  or  $27.86 
per  ton    The  profit  distributed  had  been  $14,427,090,  to 

which  must  he  added  the  .+  1  .500.000  used  in  the  purchase 

fit'  the  Santa  Gertrudis,  which  is  controlled  by  the  Camp 


Tilt   IMIIAN    MINIS. 

Bird  company.  The  mine  was  discovered  in  1896  and 
yielded  $4,035,500  gross  and  $2,400,000  profit  to  Thomas 
P.  Walsh  before  it  was  sold  to  the  English  company,  so 
that  altogether  it  lias  yielded  $26,187,797  gross  and  $18,- 
327,000  in  actual  profit.  The  Camp  Bird  lias  done  all 
that  was  expected  of  it  and  a  good  deal  more.  The  shares 
were  never  kited,  so  that  the  public  had  a  good  run  for 
the  money  put  into  this  mine.  The  Homestake  is  doing 
just  as  well  as  nine  years  ago.  It  has  proved  a  wonderful 
mine.  In  1907  the  monthly  output  was  120,250  tons  of 
$3.85  ore,  yielding  $454,000  grogs  and  $135,000  net,  at  a 
cos!  of  $2.73  per  ton.  Now  the  average  output  is  131.000 
tuns  of  $4.08  ore,  yielding  $535(750  gross  and  $184,184 
net.  at  a  cosl  of  $2.65  per  ton.  By  supplying  10,000  tons 
more  monthly   to   the   mill,   the  eost  has  been   reduced 


while  the  yield  has  been  more  than  maintained.  In  1914 
the  yield  was  $3.88  and  the  eost  $2.89.  The  dividends 
paid  during  the  calendar  year  1915  amounted  to  $2,210,- 
208  as  compared  with  $1,201,200  in  the  year  ended  May 
30,  1907.  Th% company's  fiscal  year  has  been  changed. 
This  mine  therefore  is  doing  almost  twice  as  well,  in 
terms  of  dividends,  as  it  was  nine  years  ago.  What  ore  is 
in  reserve  is  not  stated. 
Next  we  come  to  the  Mount  Morgan,  in  Queensland. 

This  mine  has  become  increasingly  important  as  a  source 

of  copper,  the  ore  averaging  2.6$  copper,  worth  (at  IT 
cents.  $8.84,  and  7.7  dwt.  gold,  worth  $7.70.  |„  the 
half-year  ended  .May  28,  1916,  the  Mount  Morgan 
produced  208,676  tons  of  ore  yielding  3997  tons  of  cop. 
per  and  57,352  ounces  of  gold,  together  worth  $2,930,000, 
equivalenl  to  34,780  tons  and  $488,300  monthly.     The 

surplus  was  $858,450,  or  $143,075  per  month.    This  i - 

pares  with   26,275  tons.  $4ii4. i  gross,   and   $147,500 

profit  per  month  at  the  beginning  of  1907.    In  the  latter 

half  of  1906  the  output  of  copper  was  only  1751  tons  of 
blister  and  172  tons  of  precipitate,  and  the  total  revenue 
in  that  period  was  $2,173,482.  The  yield  in  copper  and 
gold  is  $13.65  now  as  compared  with  $15.36  then.  Evi- 
dently this  mine  is  still  going  strong.  The  control 
passed  into  new  and  capable  hands  in  1913,  when  a  pur- 
chase of  350,000  shares  iout  of  1,000,000)  Eor  $6,250,000 

marked  the  withdrawal  of  the  Hull  family  out  of  this 
enterprise.    The  profit  had  been  disproportionate  to  the 

L'inss  output   and  the  management   had  lacked  initiative. 

since  then  the  plant  has  been  re-modeled.  From  1882  to 
November  30,  1915,  this  great  ore  deposil  had  yielded 

4.147.111)0  oui s  of  gold,  worth  $85,335,750  and  65,600 

tons  of  copper,  worth  $18,973,200,  or  a  total  of  $104,- 

309,950,  from  which  $40,396,455  has  been  paid  in  divi- 
dends. Production  of  copper  began  in  1906.  In  1911 
the  Many  Peaks  mine  was  purchased  as  a  source  of  low- 
grade  pyrite  suitable  for  mixing  with  the  silicious  ore 
of  the  Mount  Morgan  deposit  ' 'lilorination  was  aban- 
doned shortly  thereafter  in  favor  id'  matte-Smelting.  At 
the  end  of  1915  the  ore  reserve  was  estimated  at  1.000,- 
000  tons,  averaging  '■'•'■',  copper  and  9.81  dwt.  gold, 
2,930,000  ions  averaging  2.42' ;  copper  and  5  dwt.  gold, 

also  496,000  tons  of  1.19  to  2.4li',   copper  and  6.9  to  1.02 

dwt.  gold  per  ton. 

Summarizing  the  performances  of  these  Hi  mines  dur- 
ing the  \)  years,  it  is  apparent  that  four  proved  sad  and 
expensive  fiascos,  owing  to  human  frailty  rather  than 
geologic  perversity:  twelve  justified  the  estimates  formed 
of  them  by  competent  engineers,  and  of  these  twelve,  five 
still  hold  their  rank  among  the  great  producers  of  gold. 
Four,  possibly  five,  out  of  the  sixteen  were  given  so  in- 
flated a  value  on  the  share-market  that  they  were  the 
cause  of  large  loss  to  the  public.  Allowing  for  these  ex- 
amples of  over-valuation,  aided  by  chicanery  on  the  part 
of  market-operators  posing  as  trustees  for  the  share- 
holders, it  is  evident  nevertheless  that   these  rich   mines 

have  been  the  hasis  for  a  wonderfully  profitable  business. 
In  a  later  article  we  shall  discuss  I  he  question:   Which 
is  the  greatest  gold  mine  in  the  world? 


September  8,  1916 


MIXING    and    8cicnl.fi,      I'KI  >.s 


OHrna  faiftoMftiM)  dtpattmnUfor  \ht  ■  '"  hnieal  and  othtr  mattm  pertain- 

•  mtnj  and  metaliurgg.      V      I  tntrary  to  Ml  own,  i<  rU,v- 

iiuj  Out  earqflil  ariUaitm  it  mora  vaUiabk  than  eamal  complinu  nl. 


Gyratory  Crushers 

The  Editor: 

Sir  Owing  i"  the  fact  thai  repairs  cause  a  large  re- 
duction in  the  profits  of  every  rock-crushing  plant.  I 
believe  the  following  will  be  of  interest  to  some  of  your 
readers.  1  have  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  gyra- 
tory rock-crushers  due  t<>  breaking.  A  crusher  which 
has  the  bow]  and  bottom  spider  casl  in  one  piece,  often 
breaks  in  the  spider  from  contraction  and  expansion.  I 
hit  upon  the  plan  of  having  the  spider  cut  on)  and  a  new 
one  cast  of  Bteel,  with  the  legs  larger  than  the  old  one 
ami  made  with  a  shoulder  thai  projects  below  the  rim  of 
the  howl.  After  having  both  howl  and  legs  milled 
smooth,  the  spider  is  pressed  into  place  and  fastened  with 
tour  l  t-incb  stud-bolts  in  each  leg. 

I  now  have  in  use  three  crushers  that  have  been  re- 
paired in  this  manner  and  they  seem  better  than  new 
ones.  The  howls  of  this  size  cost  about  $600  at  the  fac- 
tory while  the  repairs  cost  aboul  ^150. 

Lee  Davenport. 

I'. inland.  Oregon,  August  5. 


Postage  to  South  America 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Your  editorial  of  June  17.  discussing  deficient 
postage  to  foreign  countries,  should  have  been  printed 
in  'box-car  letters.'  and  I  would  like  to  stamp  it  at  the 
bottom  of  every  letter  that  I  write  to  the  United  States. 

Since  my  arrival  in  Chile  five  months  ago,  about  one- 
half  of  the  first-class  mail  that  has  come  to  me  from  the 
Tinted  States  lias  been  held  up  at  the  local  post-office 
and  fined  for  lack  of  sufficient  stamps.  This  apparent 
ignorance  of  postal  regulations  affecting  foreign  coun- 
tries is  inexcusable.  I  am  reliably  informed  that  the 
'frank'  privileges  of  the  I".  S.  government  does  not  ex- 
tend to  South  America. 

If  the  people  in  the  United  States  expect  to  per- 
manently increase  their  business  with  South  America, 
they  should  give  serious  heed  to  your  advice,  and  do  all 
possible  to  avoid  these  little  but  intensely  irritable  faults. 
If  it  makes  a  loyal  American  citizen  hot  to  have  a  large 
proportion  of  his  mail  materially  delayed,  and  to  have  to 
pay  a  money  fine  for  such  carelessness,  it  is  not  to  be 
expected  that  our  South  American  friends  will  be  more 
tolerant.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  believe  that  such  little 
things  cut  a  good  deal  more  figure  in  our  daily  business 
dealings  than  we  realize,  and  that  persistent  failure  in 


attention   to  small   details  has  a  decided   bearing  on  our 
estimates  of  the  people  with   whom  we  deal. 


Louis  A.  Wright. 


Santiago.  ( 'hile.  Jul-,     I:; 


Surficial  Indications  of 
Copper 

The  Editor: 

sir — One  or  two  points  occur  to  me  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Probert's  interesting  articles  that  may  he 
worth    mentioning.      His   opinion    on    the    possibility    of 

guessing  at  the  probable  copper-content  of  primary  ore 

from  the  color  anil  consistence  of  the  surface  iron  stain 
and  of  the  gossan  would  he  valuable,  Has  Mr.  Probert 
found  that  a  dark,  rich,  golden-oak  or  mahogany-colored 
surface  stain  usually  indicates  that  the  primary  ore  was 
fairly  rich  in  copper,  while  a  lighter  yellow  or  bright- 
red  stain  indicates  that  the  primary  ore  was  lean  in  cop- 
per, requiring  great  enrichment  to  form  commercial  ore? 
Also  I  should  like  to  know  whether,  unlike  most  of  us, 
Mr.  Probert  has  any  explanation  for  this  coincidence. 

In  his  third  article.  Mr.  Probert  speaks  of  a  sandy, 
granular  pyrite  in  the  Briggs  mine  here,  associated  with 
enriched  ehalcoeite  ore.  While  there  is  a  lot  of  this 
sandy  pyrite  with  limonite  seams  and  stains,  it  is  by  no 
means  a  certain  indication  of  ore.  Apparently  when 
well-formed  pyrite  crystals  are  cemented  by  finer  grain- 
ed, less  crystallized  pyrite.  part  oxidation  will  cause  an 
iron-stained  pyrite  sand  similar  to  that  which  is  formed 
when  the  cementing  material  between  the  pyrite  grains 
consists  largely  of  copper  sulphides. 

IliA   B.  JORALEMON". 

Warren,  Arizona,  August  15. 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  the  issue  of  July  22,  Harold  French  outlined 
a  scheme  for  co-operative  prospecting,  which  requires 
the  combined  capital  of  20  investors  and  the  efforts  of 
several  skilled  prospectors  under  the  direction  of  a  min- 
ing engineer.  In  the  issue  of  August  12,  John  B.  Platts 
throws  cold  water  on  the  plan  and  says  that  it  would  not 
succeed  in  practice.  The  objections  given  are  that  skilled 
prospectors  would  not  work  for  less  than  a  half-interest 
in  a  discovery,  and  that  it  is  "extremely  unlikely  that 
there  are  any  undiscovered  visible  outcrops  of  profitable 
ore  on  the  public  domain."     Permit  me  to  suggest  that 


338 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1916 


no  business  scheme  will  succeed  unless  it  is  backed  by 
confidence.  It  is  likely  that  Mr.  French,  who  believes  in 
the  idea,  could  organize  a  party  of  prospectors  and  stand 
8  chance  of  unearthing  something  valuable.  Mr.  Platts 
probably  would  not  'make  a  go'  of  the  plan,  because  he 
does  not  believe  in  it.  It  is  so  of  any  venture  where  the 
human  clement  is  important.  Some  men  are  always 
doing  tilings  that  others  said  cannot  be  done.  As  to  the 
statement  that  no  "undiscovered  outcrops  of  profitable 
ore"  remain  on  the  public  domain,  this  may  be  true  if 
the  "outcrops"  are  such  as  any  novice  could  spot  as  being 
valuable  without  effort.  Mr.  Platts  can  scarcely  mean 
that  no  new  mines  will  be  discovered  by  prospectors.  A 
chance  blast  here,  a  test-pit  there,  the  extension  of  an 
old  tunnel,  the  recognition  of  a  commercially-new  min- 
eral, the  skilled  examination  of  an  abandoned  prospect- 
hole,  all  contain  possibilities,  especially  in  these  pro- 
gressive times.  In  the  oldest  of  settled  countries  new 
mineral  finds  are  constantly  being  made.    Outcrops  that 

n  have  looked  at  unseeingly  for  years  are  sometimes 

found  to  contain  valuable  mineral  just  under  a  surface 
stain  oi'  beneath  a  cover  of  moss.  The  rewards  may  not 
be  so  apparent  as  a  generation  ago,  but  prospecting  isn't 
quite  dead  yet. 

,.    ,    ,        .  .  nl  P.  B.  McDonald. 

Berkeley,  August  21. 


to  the  value  of  ore  already  extracted  as  due  and  just 
compensation  for  my  expert  advice  in  the  matter. 

John  M.  Nicol. 
San  Francisco,  August  7. 


Another  Apex  Decision 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Referring  to  your  editorial  on  this  subject  in 
your  issue  of  July  22,  I  note  another  of  those  gloriously 
impossible  decisions  that  the  judges  are  forced  to  give  in 
an  effort  to  get  equity  and  justice  out  of  the  insane  apex 
law. 

I  humbly  beg  to  disagree  with  his  honor,  the  judge, 
and  through  the  medium  of  your  valuable  journal  to  offer 
a  solution  that  should  reverse  the  former  decision  on  all 
true  and  logical  grounds,  as  follows: 

(1)  That  whereas  title  is  dependent  on  the  apcxing 
within  the  claims,  and  whereas  the  present  vein  or  veins 
do  not  apex  on  the  present  surface,  a  former  geologic 
surface  being  assumed  and  admitted,  therefore  in  all 
logic  we  must  assume  the  geologic  surface  that  existed 
when  the  veins  did  truly  appear  on  the  surface. 

(2)  That  whereas  by  your  evidence  the  veins  are  not 
a  single  saddle  or  anticline,  but  are  two  distinct  veins, 
the  one  being  probably  more  recent  and  having  cut  the 
other,  and  that  they  have  therefore  at  some  time  both 
apexed  at  a  geologic  surface  of  greater  elevation  than  the 
present ;  then  it  is  clear  that  on  the  upward  dip  the  vein 
DB  apexed  in  the  Jim  Butler  ground,  and  the  vein  CB 
apexed  in  the  MacNaraara  ground,  and  the  West  End  had 
no  vpin  and  no  apex  at  all. 

3  '  Now  therefore  be  it  decided  in  all  justice  and 
equity  that  the  vein  within  the  MacNamara  ground  and 
downward  to  the  centre  of  the  earth  belongs  to  the  Jim 
Puller,  and  conversely  the  vein  in  the  Jim  Butler 
belongs  to  the  MacNamara:  and  the  West  End  having  no 
right  and  title  and  no  mine,  shall  pay  to  me  a  sum  equal 


The  Mexican  Tangle 

The  Editor : 

Sir — Touching  on  Mexico  again,  a  subject  that  seems 

i scupy  all  minds,  1  desire  to  discuss  briefly  an  aspect 

of  the  problem  that  seems  to  occur  to  few,  and  certainly 
not  to  the  many  peace-at-any-pri<JG  people  I  am  amazed  to 
meet  here  on  this  Coast,  where  they  harp  so  much  on  that 
chimerical  phantom,  the  Japanese  peril.  They  say: 
"Why  should  the  United  States  mix  up  in  Mexican 
affairs,  etc.?"  No  one  wants  the  United  States  to  inter- 
vene, much  less,  go  to  war  with  Mexico;  and  we  who 
have  all  to  lose  and  nothing  to  gain  by  such  a  course,  de- 
sire it  least  of  all. 

By  "We,"  I  mean  all  foreigners  who  reside  in  Mexico 
and  are  carrying  on  the  many  industries  that  represent 
over  two-thirds  of  the  capital  invested  in  that  country. 
We  have  nothing  against  Mexico  nor  its  people.  We  do 
not  wish  nor  ask  for  intervention  or  war,  although  many 
of  us  fear  that  due  to  the  omissions  of  the  past  five  years, 
only  the  firmest,  most  honest,  and  most  diplomatic  en- 
deavor can  evade  the  former.  We  cede  the  right  to  the 
Mexicans  to  murder  and  rob  each  other  to  the  point  of 
extermination,  if  they  so  see  fit;  and  we  readily  grant 
the  contention  that  the  American  government  should  in 
no  way  mix  up  in  Mexican  politics,  and  certainly  its 
citizens  should  not.  But  has  Mexico  no  obligations  to 
foreigners?  Has  the  foreigner  no  rights  under  existing 
treaties? 

Mexicans  may  have  the  right  to  ruin  their  own  coun- 
try, to  murder  and  rob  each  other  and  to  destroy  the 
property  of  their  own  nationals;  but  when,  in  working 
their  own  sweet  will  in  Mexico,  they  murder  the  foreigner 
and  rob  him,  and  by  their  acts  ruin  his  property,  de- 
stroying, and  jeopardizing  foreign  interests  that  have 
been  induced  to  go  to  that  country  under  treaty  guaran- 
tees, has  the  foreigner  no  right  to  expect  protection  from 
his  government?  Has  his  government  no  obligation  to 
give  him  that  protection?  Has  his  government  no  right 
to  demand  that  protection  ?    These  are  the  questions. 

E.  A.  H.  Tays. 
Berkeley,  August  9. 

The  American  Boy  and  the 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Mr.  Burch's  article  in  your  issue  of  May  13 
senses  a  fact  which  is  becoming  very  evident  throughout 
the  mining  regions.  The  good  Cornishmen  and  the 
sturdy  Irishmen  are  not  sufficient  in  number  to  go 
around,  in  the  increasing  operations  of  this  count  ry, 
and  many  other  nationalities  are  now  employed. 

The   chief   trouble    with   the   workmen    from   central 


r  2,    1916 


Ml\l\i.    and    Nicnlitic    PRllSS 


Burop«  is  their  lack  nee  in  mining  operations, 

their  laek  of  knowledge  of  the  language,  the  difficulty 
in  making  them  comprehend  and  'I"  efficient  work.  The 
rorkmen  are  liable  to  I"-  fewer  in  number 
era!  yean  to  eome,  offon  »  chance  for  American 
young  hum  in  a  buaineaa  which  is  both  attractive  and  re 
munerative. 

Mining  work  baa  appealed  to  few  of  "in-  young  men, 
lily  meant  hard  manual  work  for  which 
they,  with  their  better  education,  usually  consider  them- 
salves  superior.  The  increasing  efficiency  i>r  mining 
ems  ami  id.,  larger  amounl  of  work  done  by  me- 
ohanical  means  now  gives  a  better  Geld  for  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  educated  American.  There  has  been,  and  is 
now,  better  opportunity  for  young  men  in  mining  than 
ever  before,  and  better  than  in  many  other  occupations. 

The  mining  companies  employ  a  ■_' 1  'lass  of  work- 
men, but  would  iiml  it  to  their  advantage  to  follow  the 
tinea  suggested  by  Mr.  Bnrch  and  give  them  instruction, 
in  order  to  make  them  more  efficient.  This  is  already 
being  done  to  some  degree  in  the  weekly  and  monthly 
conferences  that  the  larger  mining  companies  arrange 
with  their  foremen  and  shift-bosses  for  the  safety  and 
efficiency  of  the  men.  Still  better  results  would  ensue 
if  this  scheme  were  enlarged  so  as  to  give  general  in- 
structions to  t lie  men  employed  in  the  mine,  and  botli 
officials  and  workmen  would  find  it  to  their  mutual  ad- 
have  such  courses  arranged.  Undoubtedly 
assistance  could  be  given  by  members  of  the  staff  of 
scientific  institutions,  if  available,  in  the  vicinity,  to 
assist  and  broaden  the  work. 

A  noticeable  example  in  this  line  is  that  of  the  Cleve- 
land-! 'lift's  company  of  Ishpeming,  where  a  technical 
man  of  experience  is  giving  instruction  to  the  employees. 
This  is  helping  the  workmen  in  a  very  laudable  and  very 
decided  manner  and  bettering  both  their  operations  and 
the  community.  .Many  mines,  as  well  as  other  industries, 
have  tried  to  get  along  with  as  few  foremen  and  officials 
as  possible.  This  error  has  been  realized  and  is  being 
overcome  by  the  appointment  of  efficiency-engineers 
whose  work,  at  times,  necessarily  conflicts  or  runs  on  the 
sane-  lines  with  that  of  the  foreman.  It  would  be  better 
if  foremen  and  shift-bosses  were  increased  in  number  and 
efficiency  themselves,  and  gave  more  time  to  individual 
men.  The  Newport  mine,  in  Michigan,  one  of  the  best 
managed  large  producers  in  the  iron  region,  divides  the 
mine  into  districts  with  30  to  50  men  each.  The  boss  of 
each  district  and  each  of  the  men  receive,  besides  their 
wages,  an  additional  amount  per  ton  hoisted,  each  day's 
work  and  the  amount  gained  being  made  known  the  next 
morning.  This  gives  a  zest  and  emulation  among  all 
hands  and  the  operations  always  have  the  close  super- 
vision and  help  of  the  district-boss. 

The  training  that  Mexicans  have  received  from  Ameri- 
cans in  mining  operations,  in  mechanical  and  metallurg- 
ical work,  has  enabled  many  of  them  to  occupy  positions 
of  importance  in  that  country  and  to  do  work  for  which 
it  had  been  necessary  to  employ  foreigners  in  the  earlier 
operations  that  outside  companies  had  undertaken.     It 


is  worthy  of  note  that,  generally,  throughout  tie-  Re 
public,  the  population  of  milling  towns  has  doI  taken 
part  in  tins  fratricidal  revolution,  but  has  always  been 
anxious  to  work. 

Inasmuch    as    iliis   country    is   anxious    t"    have    good 

workmen  for  iis  Industries  and  a pis  all  .-lass.s  from 

outside  countries,  if  is  certainly  to  the  advantage  of 
operators  to  train  men  in  efficiency  and  in  citizenship. 

If  it  be  known  to  American  young  men  that  such  train 

bag  gives  them  opportunity  to  learn  a  business  that  is 
interesting,  healthy,  and  remunerative,  particularly  with 
the  more  efflcienl  methods  now  applied,  more  applica- 
tions for  employment   will  be  received   from  them. 

Mining  operations  nowadays  depend,  no!  onlj   on  a 

st  rong  arm,  but  quite  as  much  on  some  knowledge  of  ore, 
on  the  intelligent  handling  ami  care  of  drills  and  other 
mechanical   appliances,   ami  on   adaptation   in    breaking 

and  handling  various  kinds  of  ground.     A rican  young 

men  have  an  advantage  over  their  fellow-citizens  fresh 
from  other  lands,  and  practical  knowledge  of  mining 
operations  gives  them  opportunity  to  be  placed  in  charge 
of  men,  if  they  display  energy  and  intelligence.  It  is 
too  true  that  American  miners  have,  in  recent  years, 
been  in  disfavor  in  the  mines  of  California  and  other 
States,  but  there  are  examples  of  good  material  left  to 
their  own  wandering  devices,  without  just  this  interest 
in  their  welfare  and  training  that  Mr.  Burch  suggests. 

Robert  M.  Raymond. 
San  Francisco,  August  11. 


Stamp  v.  Ball -Mill 

The  Editor : 

Sir — The  closing  sentence  of  your  charmingly  un- 
biased criticism  of  stamps  and  ball-mills  carries  by 
implication  a  further  criticism  of  milling  practice  on  its 
psychologic  side.  You  refer  to  the  selection  of  machinery 
' '  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  times ;  not  stamps, 
but  ball-mills."  In  other  words,  fashion  affects  the  equip- 
ment of  the  milling-plant  as  well  as  dictating  the  cut  of 
the  coat  and  the  shape  of  the  hat  that  the  manager  wears. 

Many  will  remember  the  days  when  the  weight  of  the 
stamp  began  to  grow.  From  a  standard  of  750  pounds  it 
crept  up  to  850,  to  1000,  to  1250,  and  even  higher.  The 
manager  of  a  small  plant,  where  experimentation  was 
out  of  the  question,  specified  the  heavy  stamp,  merely 
because  it  was  in  the  spirit  of  the  time.  Then  the  higher 
weights  lost  favor,  until  the  950  to  1000-lb.  stamp  be- 
came standard.  That  meant  simply  that  wide  experi- 
ence bad  shown  this  weight  to  give  superior  average  re- 
sults. It  did  not  mean  that  it  was  best  for  every  ore. 
No  general  rule  can  apply  exactly.  Many  a  mill  is 
pounding  away  with  1000-lb.  stamps  upon  ore  that  would 
yield  better  extraction  if  crushed  with  lighter,  or  perhaps 
with  heavier,  stamps.  The  difficulty  is  to  find  opportun- 
ity to  test  what  conditions  best  suit  any  particular  ore. 
Only  large  and  wealthy  corporations  are  accustomed  to 
do  this.  The  smaller  and  weaker  concerns  follow  the 
fashion,  assuming  the  prevailing  practice  to  represent  the 


340 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


wisdom  expressed  in  the  law  of  averages.  The  same 
tiling  applies  to  the  relative  efficiency  of  stamps  and 
ball-mills.  The  manager  who  follows  the  fashion  is  less 
open  to  criticism,  even  though  he  may  obtain  an  economic 
result  inferior  to  that  which  might  be  reached  after  care- 
ful experimentation.  Capitalists  usually  expect  an  en- 
gineer to  assume  an  attitude  of  infallibility  in  deciding 
upon  a  line  of  treatment.  The  suggestion  of  experi- 
mentation is  received  as  an  indication  of  weakness.  Only 
those  who  have  made  a  business  of  mining  appreciate  the 
superior  understanding  of  him  who  regards  the  rules  of 
the  text  book  and  of  current  practice  as  expressing 
merely  general  principles  which  must  be  modified  to  fit 
special  cases.  In  the  hurry  to  begin  production  it  may 
be  safer  to  follow  the  fashion,  but  many  a  plant  would 
soon  demonstrate  a  financial  gain  by  including  in  the  de- 
sign a  flexible  unit  where  the  problems  presented  by  the 
particular  ore  under  treatment  could  be  worked  out  at 
leisure. 

No  one  can  deny  the  greater  economy  of  power  in 
crushing  by  ball-mills  instead  of  by  stamps.  If  the  ex- 
traction maintains  a  high  average  also,  the  ball-mill  be- 
comes fully  vindicated  in  that  instance. 

No  two  ores  will  crush  precisely  alike,  although  the 
tendency  to  give  similar  acreening-curves  is  pronounced 
when  the  crushing  conditions  are  the  same.  Departure 
from  this  general  principle  depends  upon  the  greater 
tendency  of  certain  minerals  to  generate  colloids  in  wet 
grinding.  If  the  ores  are  crushed  dry.  and  contain  less 
than  about  i";  moisture,  the  curves  will  be  nearly  iden- 
tical. Variation  in  the  curve  is  obtained  chiefly  by 
changing  the  conditions  of  crushing.  Therefore  a  direct 
comparison  between  two  appliances  so  widely  different 
as  stamps  and  ball-mills  is  of  no  great  value,  so  far  as 
interpretation  of  screening-curves  is  concerned.  It  is  a 
question  as  to  the  treatment  that  is  to  follow,  and  as  to 
which  pulp  will  yield  the  higher  extraction. 

The  stamp  produces  fine  stuff:  it  also  produces  slime, 
but  not  by  any  means  as  large  a  proportion  as  the  ball- 
mill.  Engineers  are  not  in  agreement  concerning  the 
relative  degree  of  comminution  effected  in  a  ball-mill  by 
shock  and  by  abrasion.  A  third  principle  is  also  active: 
particles  gripped  by  neighboring  balls  or  pebbles  are 
crushed  in  the  same  manner  as  in  rolls.  The  probability 
is  strong  that  far  more  crushing  is  due  to  this  than  to 
shock. 

In  the  ease  of  the  stamp,  the  major  effect  is  that  of  fine 
comminution  due  to  rupture  of  the  particles  induced  by 
what  may  be  called  the  reaction  from  the  die.  An  ore- 
particle  upon  which  the  stamp  drops  is  first  compressed. 
A  series  of  compressive  waves  is  consequently  trans- 
mitted through  the  mass.  On  reaching  the  die  these 
waves  are  reflected  upward,  and  meeting  the  on-coming 
initial  compressive  waves  overcame  the  cohesion  of  the 
mass,  and  line  comminution  results.  This  takes  place 
close  to  the  die.  The  upper  portion  of  the  particle  is 
coarsely  fractured.  A  fuller  account  of  experi- 
mental data  on  this  point,  which  I  obtained  some  years 
ago.  is  quoted  by  Robert  Richards  in  his  treatise  on  '  Ore 
Dressing'   (Vol.  III.  p.  1330).     The  result,  then,  is  to 


produce  fine,  not  slime,  except  in  so  far  as  colloidization 
occurs. 

In  the  ball-null  the  comminution,  so  far  as  produced 
by  shock  and  radial  crushing  (as  in  rolls,  vidt  Kichards, 
i  will  also  lie  granular,  though  very  fine,  but,  to 
the  extent  that  abrasion  occurs,  the  tendency  to  sliming, 
both  by  flouring  and  by  colloidization,  is  enormously  in 
exei-ss  of  any  similar  effect  yielded  in  stamp-milling. 

The  practical  point  to  establish,  therefore,  is  whether 
there  be  any  gain  in  extraction.  If  very  fine  grinding 
be  essential  for  releasing  the  metal  to  the  attack  of 
solvents,  the  ball-mill  wins.  If  moderately  fine  comminu- 
tion be  .sufficient,  then  the  balance  must  be  struck  be- 
tween the  higher  power-consumption  in  stamping  and  the 
lower  extraction  from  a  pulp  presenting  the  difficulties 
due  to  high  colloidal  content.  The  latter  difficulties  are 
evidently  threefold;  protection  of  metal  in  colloidal  en- 
velopes, interference  with  free  filtration,  and  adsorption 
of  bases  from  the  ionized  solution,  affecting  both  the  dis- 
solved metal  and  the  base  in  the  original  solvent.  Dry- 
grinding  of  ore  containing  not  above  2f;  moisture  will, 
of  course,  reduce  colloidization  to  a  minimum,  but  drying 
costs  money,  and  can  be  reckoned  economical  only  in  the 
face  of  a  demonstrated  increase  in  extraction  sufficient 
to  pay  a  material  profit  on  that  operation. 

Crushing  devices  that  utilize  the  principle  of  abrasion 
sometimes  present  peculiar  phenomena.  An  illustration 
will  best  indicate  my  meaning.  While  making  tests  of 
material  for  cement  manufacture  1  had  to  deal  with  a 
limestone  which  had  been  formed  as  a  beach  deposit  in 
Tertiary  time.  It  was  essentially  a  mass  of  consolidated 
shell  -debris,  with  many  shells  still  quite  perfect  and  re- 
taining the  nacre  as  lustrous  as  when  it  had  been  washed 
by  the  ancient  tide.  From  time  to  time  floods  had  evi- 
dently invaded  the  lagoon  and  had  carried  silt  to  the 
lime-beds,  which,  however,  introduced  no  technical  diffi- 
culty ;  but  what  appeared  more  serious  was  the  fact  that 
these  thin  layers  of  silt  often  contained  quartz-sand  in 
considerable  quantity.  Chemically  the  limestone,  al- 
though rather  high  in  alumina  and  silica,  would  make  an 
ideal  'mix'  with  limey  clays  available  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  question  was  whether  the  flouring  of  this  free 
silica  would  prove  too  expensive  by  prolonging  the  time 
of  grinding,  thus  adding  a  prohibitive  power-cost.  After 
the  first  charge  had  been  treated  in  the  tube-mill.  I  was 
shocked  to  see  the  large  amount  of  granular  material  re- 
maining in  my  testing-sieve.  A  gleam  of  mother-of- 
pearl,  however,  gave  a  hint  of  the  truth.  The  residue 
was  soluble  in  cold  hydrochloric  acid.  The  quartz  grains 
had  been  successfully  floured,  but  the  shell-nacre,  which 
seemed  relatively  so  soft,  had  resisted  abrasion  the 
longer.  Similar  peculiarities  are  displayed  by  many 
gangue-minerals  in  ores  which  one  would  expect  to  be 
readily  reduced  to  fine. 
Tucson.  August  22. 

Gold  received  at  the  San  Francisco  Mint  during  July 
totaled  260,425  fine  oz.,  and  191,383  oz.  of  silver.  There 
was  no  coinage  on  account  of  the  annual  settlement.  The 
vaults  contain  $370,535,105.84. 


COURTENAY  DE  KaLB. 


inner  -*.   1916 


MINING    and    Sacntilic    PRESS 


341 


Molseute  lrJo: 


I  fl  f  I 


J\LvOm&irj:ri 


By     Will     H.     Coghtll 


The  warning  about  young  man  8] ialuung  iu  flotation, 

tided  by  E.  P.  Mathewson  in  a  recent  number  <>t' 

the  Press,  should  be  considered  by  all  who  are  'lit ting 

these  men  in  their  education.  It  provokes  the  question 
that  ever  confronts  the  instructor  in  ;i  technical  school. 

The  Btudent  may  be  drilled  on  the  design  and  construc- 
tion of  the  various  flotation  machines,  and  the  methods 
ami  results  nt'  the  experimenters,  and  be  sent  into  the 
field  Feeling  that  he  is  strictly  up-to-date,  but  his  school- 
work  would  not  amount  to  much  if  he  has  been  taught 
only  the  ever-changing  art  Be  would  have  acquired 
something  more  enduring  and  be  better  prepared  to  bene- 
fit from  his  college  course  had  he  been  taught  natural 
hn\s  with  enough  of  the  art  to  give  a  view  of  the  field  to 
which  the  laws  could  be  applied,  for  man's  methods  are 
ever  changing  while  Nature's  laws  are  invariable.    The 

pr sses  of  a  few  years  ago  are  now  obsolete,  but  the 

principles  upon  which  they  were  rounded  will  be  applied 
to  new  thods  for  generations  to  come. 

To  the  workers  in  flotation  has  fallen  the  problem  of 
outlining  the  rudiments,  and  then  by  means  of  labora- 
tory experiment,  made  by  aid  of  the  results  of  workers 
in  the  related  sciences,  develop  flotation  to  the  point 
where  scientfie  reasoning  may  be  applied  to  direct  tests 
on  ores  as  is  now  done  in  cyanidation.  It  took  twenty 
years  to  develop  the  science  of  the  cyanide  process.  It 
will  take  as  long  in  flotation  if  we  continue  our  an- 
tiquated methods.  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  not  more  than 
two  of  the  great  number  of  recent  contributors  of  articles 
on  flotation  have  had  an  opportunity  for  a  deliberate 
study  of  the  related  sciences.  The  rest  of  us  have  a  job 
to  look  after  and  are  busy  enough  attending  to  it.  Ad- 
v;i in m  incut  is,  therefore,  slow.  The  papers  by  0.  C. 
Ralston  and  E.  E.  Free  are,  of  course,  excellent.  But  in 
many  cases  they  shoot  above  our  beads;  for  this  we  and 
not  they  are  to  blame. 

The  majority  of  the  w-orkers  in  flotation  who  have  had 
the  advantage  of  a  school  of  mines  training  have  taken 
only  the  prescribed  four  years  and  then  hurried  into  the 
business  of  mining.  Their  love  for  science  was  none  too 
great  when  they  left  school  and  the  constant  employment 
in  the  art  has  in  no  way  tended  to  increase  it.  By  a 
careful  reading  of  the  articles  mentioned  they  might 
hope  to  glean  some  fact,  the  know-ledge  of  which  would 
be  of  aid  in  the  art  of  metallurgy,  hut  the  material  is 
entirely  too  heavy  for  one  who  has  not  had  a  special 
training  in  science. 

We  should  learn  to  think — not  parrot  the  statements  of 
others — in  terms  of  the  molecule  before  science  will  be 
of  aid  to  us  in  flotation.  We  cannot  adjust  ourselves  to 
this  in  a  moment.  It  requires  time  and  effort.  Many  of 
us  have  sat  aghast  while  an  astronomer  spoke  of  distances 


in  terms  of  the  diameter  of  the  earth.     We  must   now  go 

to  the  other  extreme  and  I me  familiar  with  molecular 

dimensions.     This  requires  much  study,  but   in  it   we 

acquaint  ourselves  with  tl bservations  of  physicists 

and  chemists  so  that  we  are  not  likely  to  spend  valuable 
•i '"  discovering  something  that  is  already  known. 

The  mastery  of  science  is  not  easy.    While  in  scl l 

we  had  to  learn  11 hapters  pap.'  by  page,  but  this  does 

ool  seem  to  be  the  best  way  for  those  without  an  in- 
structor. To  advise  one  to  go  through  a  book  rapidly, 
gathering  only  an  idea  here  and  there,  and  through  it 
again,  may  seem  to  be  superficial.  But  the  aim  is  to 
master  the  subject  and  this  is  doubtless  the  way  to  do  it. 
This  method  of  study  is  endorsed  by  Dr.  V.  H.  Gotts- 
ehalk1  when  lie  says:  "After  several  readings  of  the 
short  paper  on  *  *  *,  read  first  the  excellent  summaries 
at  the  end  of  *  *  *  before  undertaking  a  rapid  survey 
of  the  whole  set ;  follow  this  by  a  more  careful  consid- 
eration of  the  summaries  with  re-reading  of  portions  of 
the  text  when  necessary;  continue  this  process  until  the 
drift  of  the  argument  begins  to  reveal  itself." 

One  contributor  has  said  that  the  scientific  man  has 
aided  little  in  flotation.  Indeed  he  is  correct,  and  so  is 
the  old-timer  who  says  that  more  mines  have  been  dis- 
covered by  simple  prospectors  than  by  mining  engineers. 
The  ratio  of  those  who  pursue  the  right  methods  to  those 
who  have  no  method  at  all  is  as  1 :  1000. 

Have  any  of  the  big  companies  put  their  engineers  on 
retainers  so  that  they  could  review  the  fundamentals  of 
science  and  pursue  post-graduate  work  in  a  university 
where  they  could  have  access  to  a  complete  library? 
Probably  none,  because  the  American  business  man  goes 
straight  for  the  dollar  and  must  see  the  wheels  turning 
before  he  is  assured  of  dividends. 

Some  of  the  blunders  that  have  crept  into  the  articles 
on  flotation  are  a  great  drawback  to  those  who  wish  to 
learn  but  find  thier  library  incomplete.  One  writer  has 
said,  for  example,  "the  cohesion  of  water  varies  as  the 
temperature  *  *  *  and  at  the  boiling  point  there  is  no 
cohesion."  This  statement  is  misleading.  Scientists  had 
this  problem  pretty  well  in  hand  nearly  a  century  ago 
and  knew  that  surface  tension  became  zero  at  the  critical 
temperature  and  not  at  the  boiling  point,  as  we  ordi- 
narily use  this  term.  Brunner2  recognized  this  fact  in 
1847  and  knew  that  sur.  ten.  decreases  with  rising  tem- 
perature until  the  critical  point  is  reached,  when  liquid 
and  vapor  become  identical  and  sur.  ten.  is  zero. 

In  the  Smithsonian  Physical  Tables,  the  sur.  ten.  of 

iBibliography,  'Concentrating  Ores  by  Flotation,'  University 
of  Missouri. 

^'Physical  Chemistry.'    Ramsey  and  Smiles. 


:{42 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1916 


water  at  100°  C.  is  given  as  61.5,  and  nothing  is  said 
about  boiling  point. 

Since  critical  temperature  is  so  closely  related  to  sur. 
ten.  if  is  obvious  that  we  shall  acquire  a  working  knowl- 
edge of  it.  At  one  time  it  was  considered  sufficient  for 
us  to  be  able  to  say  that  critical  temperature  was  the 
temperature  above  which  a  gas  could  not  be  liquefied  no 
matter  how  great  the  pressure.  This  served  the  purpose 
£«r  which  it  was  intended,  but  it  is  inadequate  for  us 
now.  If  we  define  it  as  the  temperature  at  which  the 
sur.  ten.  between  a  liquid  and  its  vapor  becomes  equal 
to  zero,  and  any  meniscus  or  bounding  surface  disap- 
pears, we  have  added  to  our  knowledge  of  molecular 
forces. 

It  follows  that  when  liquids  are  near  their  critical 
point,  for  example,  condensed  gases,  they  will  have  small 
sur.  ten.,  while  liquids  far  removed  from  their  critical 
point,  such  as  molten  metals  and  fused  salts,  will  have 
large  surface  tensions. 

Liquid  carbon  dioxide  is  an  example  of  a  liquid  that 
is  near  its  critical  point  at  atmospheric  temperature ; 
the  critical  temperature  is  31°C.  Its  sur.  ten.  is  there- 
fore very  small  unless  artificial  refrigeration  is  used. 

Mercury,  on  the  other  hand,  at  atmospheric  tempera- 
ture, is  so  far  below  its  critical  point  that  it  would  be 
expected  to  have  a  great  sur.  ten,  as  indeed  it  has. 

To  aid  further  in  getting  the  relation  of  critical  tem- 
perature to  sur.  ten.,  I  quote  from  Ferguson.3  He  in- 
dicates their  relation  and  the  basis  on  which  sur.  ten.  of 
liquids  should  be  compared,  saying:  "In  earlier  re- 
searches on  the  subject,  comparisons  [of  sur.  ten.]  were 
made  at  the  same  temperature,  but  it  was  recognized  by 
Schiff  that  sur.  ten.  should  be  compared  at  correspond- 
ing temperatures,  that  is,  at  temperatures  which  are 
equal  fractions  of  critical  temperatures  of  the  liquids 
under  consideration."  Continuing,  we  find  him  stating 
the  relation  of  critical  temperature  to  boiling  point,  thus: 
' '  Unfortunatly  the  critical  temperature  of  comparatively 
few  organic  compounds  have  been  directly  determined, 
and  it  was  supposed  that  these  conditions  were  fulfilled 
at  the  boiling  point  of  the  liquids  examined.  If  this  be 
the  case  the  ratio  of  the  boiling  point  to  the  critical  tem- 
perature of  all  liquids  should  be  the  same  where  tempera- 
tures are  measured  on  absolute  scale." 

The  degree  of  exactness  with  which  this  condition  is 
fulfilled  is  remarkable,  as  can  be  seen  by  an  examination 
of  tables  published  by  Ferguson,  also  those  in  the  '  Hand- 
book of  Chemistry  and  Physics,'  and  elsewhere.  They 
show  the  value  of  this  ratio  calculated  from  a  number  of 
substances  of  very  diverse  boiling  points. 

An  examination  of  these  tables  shows  that  it  is  a  fairly 
accurate  generalization  to  put 

Boiling  point  =  0.656  x  crit.  temp, 
where  temperatures  are  measured  on  the  absolute  scale ; 
so  that  from  the  boiling  point  we  can  calculate  the  critical 
temperature  (subject  to  an  error  of  not  more  than  5% 
in  the  case  of  the  carbon  compounds).  For  a  proof  that 
vapors  as  well  as  liquids  are  regarded  as  having  niolec- 

Science  Progress,  January  1915. 


ular  cohesion,  one  has  only  to  refer  to  Van  der  Waals' 
modification  of  Boyle's  law. 

The  toy-balloon  theory'  that  each  molecule  of  water 
is  drawn  toward  the  centre  of  gravity  of  its  mass  cannot 
be  taken  as  a  substitute  for  the  accepted  theory  of  sur. 
ten.,  for  it  is*  not  in  accord  with  physicists  either  here  or 
abroad.  They  generally  agree  that  the  radius  of  molec- 
ular attraction  is  insensible  but  finite.  They  are  of  one 
accord  in  the  opinion  that  "every  molecule''  attracts 
every  other  molecule  that  may  happen  to  be  within  a 
certain  distance  from  it,  which  we  denote  as  the  sphere 
of  molecular  attraction.  In  the  body  of  the  liquid,  this 
attractive  force  is  more  or  less  neutralized  by  the  fact 
that  the  molecule  we  are  considering  is  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  others,  all  pulling  in  different  directions. 
Hence  the  combined  effect  is  practically  zero.  At  the 
surface,  however,  all  the  molecules  are  below  it.  and  there 
are  none  above  to  neutralize  the  force  they  exert.  There 
is  thus  a  strong  downward  force  tending  to  drag  the 
molecule  into  the  surface.  This  force  makes  itself  mani- 
fest in  the  phenomenon  known  as  'surface  tension'  or 
'capillarity.' 

Methods  of  ore-dressing  today  fall  under  one  of  two 
heads,  gravitation  or  flotation.  The  fundamental  law  of 
the  former  was  discovered  by  Archimedes,  that  of  the 
latter  by  Leslie.  Archimedes,  as  we  know,  while  in  his 
bath,  noticed  the  loss  of  weight  of  his  own  body  and  it 
occurred  to  him  that  any  body  immersed  in  a  liquid 
must  lose  a  weight  equal  to  the  weight  of  the  liquid  dis- 
placed. Leslie,  a  British  scientist,  was  the  first  (1802) 
to  give  a  correct  explanation  of  the  rise  of  a  liquid  in  a 
tube."  Archimedes  considered  only  the  force  of  gravity 
on  known  masses ;  Leslie  took  into  account  the  molecular 
force.  It  is  Archimedes  v.  Leslie.  Metallurgists  have 
written  much  on  Archimedes'  law  and  very  little  on 
Leslie's,  the  latter  having  been  left  to  the  physicist  and 
chemist. 

It  is  surprising  how  little  attention  metallurgists  have 
given  to  the  application  of  the  physical  principle  dis- 
covered by  Leslie.  Until  recently  they  have  been  quite 
satisfied  to  call  it  'capillarity'  and  let  it  pass.  Capillar- 
ity has  made  itself  manifest  to  us  in  many  ways.  Rich- 
ards speaks  of  it  in  his  'Textbook  of  Ore  Dressing'  under 
the  subject  of  amalgamation.  He  says  that  the  capillar- 
ity of  mercury  is  negative  except  with  those  metals  with 
which  it  easily  amalgamates;  and  the  trouble  due  to 
grease  is  familiar  to  mill-men.  In  cupellation,  the  lead 
oxide  is  drawn  into  the  pores  of  the  cupel,  while  the  lead 
ignores  them  and  tends  to  shape  itself  into  a  sphere. 
"Were  it  not  for  molecular  cohesion  the  resulting  silver 
bead  would  flatten  and  become  so  contaminated  by  the 
cupel  that  its  subsequent  treatment  would  be  difficult. 
Galena7  penetrates  the  fire-brick  of  the  furnaces  in  which 
it  is  treated.  Often  a  network  of  small  veins  of  bright 
crystalline    galena   is   found   in   furnace   linings.      The 

<  Dudley  H.  Norris,  in  M.  &  S.  P.,  Feb.  12.  1916. 
•"•'Molecular  Physics.'    Crowther. 

"Some  authorities  state  that  Laplace  first  developed,  about 
1S0T.  a  theory  of  capillary  action. 
''Metallurgy  of  Lead.'    Hofman.    P.  8. 


•  in!.,  r  2,    1916 


MINING    .nd    Scienl.hc    PRESS 


molecular  deportment  of  galena  and  litharge  is  quite 
different  from  thai  of  lead  itself. 

In  tine  smelting  it  is  necessary  to  re-work  the  'blue 
powder'  beeanafi  the  fllm  of  oxide,'  which  eoata 
particle  of  lino,  prevent!  ooal  The  forces  thai 

oontrol  the  lilms  "ii  blister-eteel  and  blister-copper  are 
identical  with  tln>s.-  thai  maintain  the  Bonn  of  the  soap- 
bubble. 

The  geologist  baa  studied  the  bubbles  in  lava  and  has 
found  that  the  vesicles?  an  roughly  spherical.  This 
spherical  shape  cannot  I"-  maintained  unless  the  pressure 
on  the  inside  is  greater  than  that  without  only  sur- 
ten.  can  account  fur  this  exoesa  lie  is  also  aware  that 
if  tin-  wick  of  a  lamp  touches  water,"  the  latter  rises 
througb  the  capiOsxies  previously  Blled  with  oil.  makes 
tin-  flame  sputter,  and  often  extinguishes  tin-  light  In 
tii.  same  way  water  will  pass  from  the  coarse  spaces  of 
sand  or  from  fissures  into  the  tiii*-  capillaries  of  shale, 
displacing  the  oil.  which  is  thereby  forced  into  the  sand 
through   neighboring  pores.     The  cohesion   that  holds 


Mil.  n, 1 i„-  s..  minute  that  the  for f  gravity  acting  upon 

it  may  be  disregarded.    Tin-  fur. f  adhesion  of  the  wall 

will  pull  the  liquid  particles  at  0  m  tie-  direction  ol  OR 
Tin-  force  of  cohesion  of  the  Liquid  will  pull  these  same 
particles  In  tin-  direction  of  OF.  The  resultant  of  these 
two  pulls  on  the  liquid  at  0  win  then  In-  represented  by 
"/.'     Pig.  l   .     If  then  the  adhesive  force  "/.'  ex Is 

the  cohesive  force  OF,  the  direction  of  <>li  Of  the  re- 
sultant force  will  lie  to  the  left  of  the  virtual  UM  i  Fig, 
•J     ill  which  ease,  since  the  surface  of  the  Liquid  always 

assumes  a  position  at  righl  angles  to  the  resultant  force, 

it  must  rise  up  against  the  wall  as  water  .lues  against 
glass.  If  the  cohesive  force  OF  (Pig.  -f  is  strong  in 
comparison  with  the  adhesive  force  OK,  the  resultant 
OR  will   fall  to  the  right   of  the   vertical,   in   which   case 

the  Liquid  must  be  depressed  about  0.    Whether  then,  a 

liquid  will  rise  against  a  solid  wall  or  he  depresscil  by 
it  will  depend  only  on  the  relative  strengths  of  the  ad 
hesion  of  the  wall  for  the  liquid  and  the  cohesion  of  the 
liquid  for  itself.     Since  mercury  does  not  wet  glass'-'  we 


E*r 


Et — 


l"n..  2. 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 


^>©!g5t 


Fig.  5. 


Fig.  6. 


together  the  particles  of  a  crayon  and  adhesion  of  the 
chalk  to  the  blackboard,  or  of  dust  to  a  mirror,  are  all 
evidence  of  molecular  force.  Many  of  the  examples 
cited  come  under  •capillarity,'  but  since  that  is  difficult 
to  define  and  is  therefore  likely  to  be  used  to  cloak  ignor- 
ance. I  shall  not  attempt  a  definition.  Molecular  cohe- 
sion and  adhesion,  and  probably  molecular  repulsion, 
must  be  studied  in  detail. 

A  study  of  capillarity  is  of  great  aid  in  gaining  a  con- 
ception of  the  conduct  of  the  molecular  forces  of  cohe- 
sion and  adhesion  that  cause  some  substances  to  float  on 
the  surface  of  a  liquid  while  others  sink.  I  quote  from 
a  high-school  book  on  physics.11  which  to  my  mind,  gives 
one  of  the  first  lessons  in  the  science  of  flotation.  The 
discussion  is  as  follows:  "We  must  keep  in  mind  two 
familiar  facts:  first,  that  the  surface  of  a  body  of  water 
at  rest,  for  example  a  pond,  is  at  right  angles  to  the  re- 
sultant force,  that  is,  gravity,  which  acts  upon  it ;  second, 
that  the  force  of  gravity  acting  on  a  minute  amount  of 
liquid  is  negligible  in  comparison  with  its  own  cohesive 
force.  Consider  then  a  very  small  body  of  liquid  close 
to  the  point  0  (Fig.  1)  where  water  is  in  contact  with  the 
wall  of  the  glass  tube.     Let  the  quantity  of  liquid  con- 

s'Metallurgy  of  Zinc  and  Cadmium.'    Ingalls.     P.  526. 

s'Igneous  Rock  and  Their  Origin.'    Daly. 

"'Role  and  Fate  of  Connate  Water  in  Oil  and  Gas  Sands,' 
R.  H.  Johnson,  Bull.  No.  98,  A.  I.  M.  E.,  p.  221;  also  'Capillary 
Concentration  of  Gas  and  Oil,'  C.  W.  Washburn.  Bull.  No.  93, 
A.  I.  M.  E. 

ii'A  First  Course  in  Physics.'    Millikan  and  Gale. 


know  that  cohesion  is  here  relatively  strong,  and  we 
should  expect,  therefore,  that  the  mercury  would  be  de- 
pressed, as  indeed  we  find  it  to  be.  The  fact  that  water 
will  wet  glass  indicates  that  in  this  case  adhesion  is 
relatively  strong,  and  hence  we  should  expect  water  to 
rise  against  the  walls  of  the  containing  vessel,  as  in  fact 
it  does.  As  soon  as  the  curvatures  just  mentioned  are 
produced,  the  concave  surface  aob  (Fig.  4)  tends,  by 
virtue  of  surface  tension,  to  straighten  out  into  a  flat 
surface  ao'b.  But  it  no  sooner  begins  to  straighten  out 
than  adhesion  again  elevates  it  at  the  edges.  It  will  be 
seen,  therefore,  that  the  liquid  must  continue  to  rise  in 
the  tube  until  the  weight  of  the  volume  lifted  balances 
the  tendency  of  the  surface  to  flatten  out.  Similarly  a 
convex  surface  aob  (Fig.  5)  falls  until  the  upward  pres- 
sure at  o  balances  the  tendency  of  the  surface  aob  to 
flatten  out." 

If,  in  the  case  of  water  against  glass,  the  water  is 
pulled  upward  and  in  the  case  of  mercury  against  glass 
the  mercury  is  pulled  downward,  the  converse  must  also 
be  true,  namely,  that  in  the  former  the  glass  is  pulled 
down  and  in  the  latter  the  glass  is  pushed  up. 

Now  assume  that  you  had  two  minerals  so  that  they  are 
partly  submerged  by  a  liquid  and  that  with  one  ad- 
hesion is  very  great  (relatively)  and  that  with  the 
other  the  adhesion  is  very  slight.    It  is  obvious  that  the 

i=It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  there  is  a  slight  adhesive  force 
between  mercury  and  glass  and  that  mercury  exerts  an  attrac- 
tive force  upon  air.  but  the  quotation  suffices  for  the  present. 


:;it 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1916 


surface  of  the  liquid  will  turn  up  at  the  contact  with  the 
Conner  and  down  and  around  the  other,  and  that  if  these 

particles  are  so  small  that  the  force  of  gravity  is  neglig- 
ible it  is  impossible  lor  the  former  to  float  and  just  as  im- 
possible lor  the  latter  to  sink.  One  of  them  cannot  ride 
on  the  surface  and  is  actually  drawn  into  the  liquid  like 
gold  into  mecury,  while  the  other  cannot  by  any  iinans 
enter  the  liquid  unless  its  mass  is  sufficient  to  overcome 
the  contractile  force  in  the  surface  of  the  depressed 
liquid. 

This  pi- ss  of  reasoning  is  what  I  consider  to  be  a 

natural  ami  correct  result  of  the  study  of  the  cause  of 
capillary  rise  and  depression  as  presented  by  Millikan 
and  Gale,  and  to  show  that  my  conclusions  are  in  har- 
mony with  their  ideas  I  quote  them  again,  where  they 
discuss  the  floating  Of  a  nee, lie.  They  say:  "So  long  as 
the  needle  is  so  small  that  its  own  weight  is  no  greater 
than  the  upward  force  exerted  upon  it  by  the  tendency 
of  the  depressed  liquid  surface  to  straighten  out  into  a 
flat  surface,  the  needle  eoidd  not  sink  in  the  liquid,  no 
matter  how  great  its  density.  If  the  water  had  wet  the 
needle,  that   is.  if  it   had   risen   about   the   needle   instead 

of  being  depressed,  tie  tendency  of  the  liquid  surface  to 

flatten  out  would  have  pulled  it  down  into  the  liquid  in- 
stead of  forcing  it  upward.  Any  body  about  which  the 
liquid  is  depressed  will  therefore  float  on  the  surface  of 
the  liquid  if  its  mass  is  not  too  great." 

If  the  needle  floats,  the  surface  is  turned  downward, 
as  in  Pig.  :!.  where  the  resultant  of  the  parallelogram  of 
adhesive  and  cohesive  forces  lies  in  the  liquid;  ami  if  it 
sinks,  the  surface  is  turned  up,  as  in  Fig.  2,  where  the 
resultant  lies  in  the  solid.  Therefore,  may  we  not  say 
that  if  we  can  draw  the  resultant  of  the  forces  of  cohesion 
and  adhesion  when  a  mineral  is  in  contact  with  water, 
we  can  predict  whether  or  not  it  is  floatable:  for  if  the 
resultant  lies  in  the  liquid  (Pig.  ■'  I  it  will  float,  and  if 
it  lies  in  the  mineral  (  Fig.  2)  it  will  sink. 

We  note  next  that  when  water  is  in  contact  with 
quartz  the  resultant  lies  in  the  solid:  when  it  is  in  con- 
tact with  galena"  the  resultant  lies  in  the  liquid.  We 
can.  therefore,  separate  galena  from  quartz  by  flotation. 
1  believe  it  to  he  quite  possible  for  us  to  use  a  contaminat- 
ing substance  in  the  water  and  thus  vary  the  molecular 
attractive  tones  so  that  with  some  sulphides  the  resultant 
lies  in  the  liquid  and  with  other  sulphides  it  lies  in  the 
solid.  This,  indeed,  has  been  done,  and  1  believe  that 
this  idea  is  essential  to  the  understanding  of  selective 
and  differential  flotation.  To  be  sure,  the  introduction 
of  the  parallelogram  of  forces  is  only  a  shift  from  one 
series  of  unknowns  to  another,  but  it  affords  a  means  of 
stating  the  problem  accurately,  which  is  the  first  step  in 
a  solution. 

The  reader  here  exclaims:  "Oh  well,  you  are  talking 
about  film-flotation?"  I  think  that  anyone  who  will 
give  serious  thought  to  the  above  demonstration  of  capil- 
lary rise  and  depression  will  be  convinced  that  there  is 


"Galena  and  quartz  are  here  supposed  to  be  in  such  condi- 
tion that  they  are  typical  of  floatable  and  non-floatable 
minerals. 


nothing  hut  film-flotation."  All  flotation  depends  upon 
the  film.  If  a  piece  of  sulphide  is  brought  to  the  surface 
by  a  bubble,  it  is,  indeed,  riding  on  the  wall  of  a  hole  in 
the  water,  the  Only  difference  between  this  and  what  is 
commonly  meant  by  film-flotation  being  that  the  hole  is 
a  sphere  witbtfinite  radius  while  in  'tilm-flotation'  the 
surface  of  the  wall  has  an  infinite  radius. 

If  this  is  true,  we  go  too  far  afield  when  we  marshal 
osmosis,  new-born  gas,  static  charges,  etc.,  for  a  first 
lesson  in  flotation. 

Many  writers  have  expressed  a  desire  to  discover  the 
nature  of  the  forces  that  cause  a  sulphide  particle  to 
(ding  to  a  bubble.  I  think  their  desire  will  never  he 
appeased,  for  there  is  no  such  adherence,  except  insofar 
as  there  is  a  slight  adhesion  of  the  liquid  film  to  the 
mineral  as  it  rides  in  the  cavity  in  contact  with  the  wall 
or  on  a  plane  surface.  With  this  exception,  a  bubble  does 
not  (ding  to  a  sulphide  particle  in  a  flotation-cell  any 
more  than  butter  clings  to  our  fingers  when  we  carry  a 
pound  of  it  from  the  store. 

What  has  been  observed,  and  not  properly  interpreted, 
is  the  coalescence  of  two  cavities,  one  of  which  is  filled 
with  mineral  and  the  other  with  air,  where  the  mineral 
is  brought  to  rest  on  the  wall  of  the  resulting  cavity  or, 
perchance,  the  walls  of  the  two  cavities  do  not  break 
through  but  merely  cling  together. 

A  piece  of  submerged  galena  is  just  as  surely  sur- 
rounded by  a  sur.  ten.  liquid  film  as  is  the  air-bubble  or 
submerged  greased  needle.  If  this  is  not  plain  look  again 
at  the  familiar  cross-section  of  the  floating  needle.  Fig. 
6.  That  the  film  extends  below  the  needle  there  is  no 
question,  and  it  is  just  as  sure  that  if  the  needle  were 
submerged  the  film  would  surround  it.  It  is  obvious 
that  any  submerged  solid  is  surrounded  with  a  liquid 
film  when  the  resultant  lies  in  the  liquid,  for  this  re- 
sultant represents  an  inward  drawing  of  the  molecules 
that  causes  the  contractile  force  known  as  surface  ten- 
sion. 

If  a  piece  of  quartz  impinges  against  the  wall  of  one 
of  these  cavities  and  has  not  sufficient  kinetic  energy  to 
carry  it  through,  as  a  bullet  pierces  a  thin  board,  the 
rise  of  the  liquid  about  it  and  the  contractile  drawing 
of  sur.  ten.  will  cause  it  to  retreat  directly  into  the  liquid 
just  as  surely  as  the  glass  tube  in  Pig.  4  is  pulled  into 
the  water.  If  it  has  sufficient  energy,  so  that  it  can 
pierce  the  wall  where  it  first  impinges  and  falls  on  the 
wall  in  another  place,  it  will  likewise  be  cast  out  of  the 
cavity.  When  a  piece  of  galena  hits  the  wall  the  condi- 
tions are  entirely  different;  for  the  galena  fills  a  cavity 
that  has  walls  just  like  those  of  the  bubble  and  what 
happens  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  the  coalescence  of 
two  bubbles.  If  the  impact  is  very  slight  they  might 
only  cohere,  and  thus  give  the  appearance  of  a  mineral 
grain  clinging  to  the  bubble,  when  in  fact  it  is  the  bag 
about  the  mineral  that  has  become  attached. 

It  is  commonly  accepted  that  a  hole  in  water  filled  with 
air  is  encased  in  a  sur.  ten.  film:  by  applying  the  prin- 

"This  statement  applies  to  the  processes  now  in  operation, 
not  the  original  bulk-oil  method  of  Elmore. 


1916 


MINING   md   Scienbfi.    I'KI  SS 


eiples  set   forth  bj   Mill tknii  ami  iial ie  sees  thai  a 

similar  encasing  film  exists  when  the  hole  is  Oiled  with 
either  a  greased  needle  or  galena  lu  the  Oral  caae  there 
is  11  wall  of  air;  m  the  second,  a  wall  oi  grease;  and  in 
the  third,  a  wall  of  galena.1  In  everj  caae  the  re 
siiltant  of  cohesion  and  adheaion  is  such  that  ii  lien  in  the 
liquid,  A  piece  of  glass  submerged  in  mercury  would 
Im-  surrounded  by  an  extremely  strong  Blm.  [f  glass  in 
snbmerged  in  water  there  is  no  but.  ten.  li«i«i ■•  1  Blm. 

1  have  cited  an  instance  where  there  is  no  Liquid  en- 
easing  Mm  at  all  (glasa- water  interface  and  one  where 
the  lilm  is  excessively  strong  glass-mercury  interface). 
May  nol  these  extremes  be  plotted  and  connected  by  a 
oontinnoua  curve  with  points  to  show  the  tension  at  the 

aolid-liqnid  interface  of  various  i initiations  of  sub- 

stanceal  Yes.  and  more  than  that  One  end  of  the 
curve  illicit  represent  great  sur.  ten.  in  the  surface  of 
the  s..ii,i  and  the  other  end  a  great  sur.  ten.  in  the  sur- 


face of  the  liquid.  Fig.  6a  is  a  diagrammatic  sketch  to 
show  this.  The  sur.  ten.  of  the  glass-water  interface, 
where  the  resultant — and  therefore  the  sur.  ten. — is  in 
the  solid,  is  placed  at  one  end  and  the  curve  passes 
tli  rough  a  zero  sur.  ten.  to  an  extreme  point  representing 
tension  at  the  glass-mereury  interface. 

If  the  resultant  lies  in  the  solid  there  is  no  liquid  film, 
but,  instead,  a  sur.  ten.  solid  film,  and  the  sur.  ten.  would 
plot  on  ao  in  the  quadrant  xoz ;  while  if  the  resultant  is 
in  the  liquid  there  is  a  liquid  film  and  the  sur.  ten.  would 
be  indicated  by  a  point  on  ob  in  the  quadrant  woy.  It 
Beems  to  me  obvious  that  the  non-floatative  minerals 
would  plot  to  the  left  and  the  floatative  minerals  to  the 
right  of  zw,  and  that  such  minerals  as  fluorite,  garnet, 
and  calcite.  which  have  been  described  as  at  times  in- 
clined tn  float,  would  be  placed  very  near  :>c. 

Since  I  have  said  so  much  about  the  encasing  sur.  ten. 
film,  it  might  be  well  to  see  if  the  workers  in  colloid 
chemistry  take  cognizance  of  this  sort  of  thing.  Indeed, 
we  find  that  there  is  no  lack  of  precedents.  The  idea  of 
films  around  small  particles  has  long  since  been  accepted, 
and  furthermore,  before  the  Wilfley  table  was  invented, 
they  knew  that  it  was  the  coalescence  of  these  films  that 
caused  aggregation.  I  quote  from  'Colloid  Chemistry' 
by  Ostwald,  page  88:  "Stress  was  laid  upon  the  im- 
portance of  these  envelopes  in  phenomena  of  condensa- 
tion early  in  the  history  of  colloid  chemistry.  This,  J. 
M.  van  Bemmelen  wrote  in  1888 :  '  I  think  it  possible  that 

^Whether  or  not  galena  be  surrounded  by  a  film  of  adsorbed 
air  or  grease  does  not  concern  us  now. 


the  formati f  the  Makes  which  are  precipitated  In  s 

liquid  is  dependent  upon  a  change  in  the  surface  ten 
don  of  the  liquid  membranes  surrounding  the  colloid 
parti.  i,s.  of  such  type  that  these  membranes  between  the 
particles  are  torn  at  some  point,  thus  permitting  the 
particles  to  form  aggregates.'  " 

This  excellent  picture  of  aggregation  tempts  me  to 
quote  more  of  Ostwald 'a  text,  but  we  must  leave  it  and 
finish  the  high-school  book  before  taking  np  a  more  ad 

tranced    work.      In   doing   this   let    us   make   some   simple 

tests.    Touch  the  round  .'ii. i  of  a  glass  rod  to  the  surface 

of  water.     No  b ier  does  the  smallest  physical  point 

come  in  contact  with  the  water  than  the  water  seems  to 
jump  to  the  md  ami  spread  over  the  end  as  if  it  were 

magnetized.     We  say.  that   is  to  I speoted,  that  is 

capillary  rise.  Observing  that  there  must  he  a  great 
pressure  exerted  upon  the  Blm  that  is  pulled  to  the  glass 
rod  with  such  manifest  energy,  we  explain  tin-  spreading 

an. I  consequent  rise  in  the  terms  of  John  Leslie,  who,  in 
L802,  said:  "The  result  of  this  pressure  if  unopposed 
is  to  cause  this  stratum  to  spread  itself  over  the  surface 
of  the  solid  as  a  drop  of  water  is  observed  to  do  when 
placed  on  a  clean  horizontal  glass  plate;  and  this  even 
when  gravity  opposes  the  action,  as  when  the  drop  is 
placed  on  the  under  surface  of  the  plate." 

Since  this  plain  and  simple  reasoning  of  Leslie's  is 
credited  by  Clerk-Maxwell  as  being  a  correct  explanation 
of  the  rise  of  a  liquid  in  a  tube  and  further,  since  it  leads 
us  to  the  same  conclusions  as  does  the  'component  and 
resultant'  method  of  Millikan  and  Gale,  we  feel  an  added 
security  and  proceed  with  a  similar  test  using  a  different 
solid  substance.  Let  us  take  for  this  test  a  fragment  of 
galena  and  touch  it  gently  to  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Does  a  dimple  appear  immediately  to  indicate  the  pres- 
ence of  a  membranee  that  is  resisting  rupture?  Not  so. 
The  water  jumps  to  the  galena  much  as  it  did  to  the 
quartz,  though  probably  not  so  vigorously.  We  argue 
that  this  is  not  in  accordance  with  our  expectations ; 
thereupon  we  repeat  the  test  and  make  sketches. 


Glass 


Water 


Fio. 


Fio.  8. 


Fig.  7  shows  how  the  surface  of  the  water  is  elevated 
to  wet  the  glass  rod,  and  Fig.  8  shows  much  the  same 
sort  of  phenomenon  when  galena  is  used.  Though  badly 
confused,  we  decide  to  carry  the  test  one  step  farther. 
To  do  this,  press  the  end  of  the  glass  rod  below  the 
natural  surface  of  the  liquid  and  also  allow  the  galena  to 
float.  Fig.  9  and  10  show  a  cross-section  through  the 
contact  of  liquid  and  the  two  solids. 

The  liquid  is  now  plainly  elevated  around  the  rod  and 
depressed  around  the  galena.  This  seems  perfectly 
natural  and  satisfactory;  but  how  about  the  rise  of  the 
liquid  in  Fig.  8  where  galena  seemed  to  be  wetted?     It 


346 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


September  2,   1916 


is  nothing  more  not  less  than  adhesion,  a  component 
that  must  In-  reckoned  with,  however  small  it  may  be,  as, 
I'm-  example,  in  Fig.  •'!.  where  mercury  is  in  contact  with 
glass.  Let  us  prove  that  there  is  adhesion  between 
mercury  and  glass.  To  do  this  we  will  take  some  mercury 
in  ;i  watch-glass  and  use  the  same  glass  rod.    If  we  watch 


Gloss 


Goleno 


Wofer 


Water 


Fig.  9. 


Fir,.  10. 


Closely,  ;is  we  lower  the'  rod  to  meet  the  mercury,  we  can 

see  that  the  mercury  rises  a  little  around  the  end  of  the 
rod  at  the  instant  they  come  in  contact.  See  Fig.  11. 
I  pon  palling  the  rod  away  it  is  plainly  seen  that  there 
is  adherence.  Having  performed  this  experiment  we 
may  go  into  the  mineralogy  laboratory  with  a  beaker  of 
water  and  find  thai  any  one  of  a  dozen  minerals  taken  at 
random  adheres  more  or  less  firmly  to  water.  In  some 
cases,  when  the  mineral  is  pressed  below  the  surface  we 
can  detect  capillarly  rise  ami  in  others  a  depression. 

Then  what  does  our  popular  term  'wetting'  mean?  It 
can  mean  nothing  more  than  absence  of  repulsion  unless 
we  give  it  a  special  definition,  as  some  physicists  have 
done.  As  for  the  spreading,  Leslie,  the  sage  of  more  than 
a  century  ago,  in  speaking  of  adhesion  of  a  liquid  to  a 


Mercury 


Mercury 


Fig.  11. 


Fig.  13. 


solid  as  indicated  in  Fig.  7,  8,  and  11,  said:  "the  result 
of  this  pressure,  if  unopposed,  will  cause  the  liquid  to 
spread."  When  the  adhesive  force  is  sufficiently  in  ex- 
cess of  the  cohesive  force  the  liquid  will  spread  indefi- 
nitely, regardless  of  gravity,  until  the  thickness  is  such 
that  it  could  only  be  measured  in  terms  of  the  diameter 
of  a  molecule.  If  the  solid  body  attracts  the  liquid 
strongly  enough  it  will  draw  every  particle  of  it  as  near 
as  possible  to  itself.  Thus  it  is  that  a  liquid  spreads  over 
certain  clean  surfaces.  But  such  perfectly  clean  sur- 
faces1" are  difficult  to  obtain  and  that  on  account  of  this 
very  phenomenon.  Thus,  the  least  drop  of  oil  touching 
a  glass  surface  spreads  over  it  quickly  and  completely 
changes  the  effect  of  adding  a  drop  of  water.  Such  de- 
portment needs  no  emphasis  to  impress  those  interested 
in  the  laws  relating  to  flotation. 

The  spreading  of  a  group  of  molecules  of  water  within 

■('Mechanics,  Molecular  Physics,  and  Heat.'     Millikan. 


the  radius  of  molecular  activity  of  the  glass  is  analagOUS 

to  the  spreading  of  a  ball  of  soft  putty  while  resting  on 

a  plane  surface.  In  both  cases  the  distortion  is  due  to 
attraction  ;  in  the  first;  the  attraction  is  called  molecular; 
in  the  second*  gravitational. 

Hut  analogies  do  not  satisfy  us;  we  arc  seeking  the 
foundation  of  a  new  and  important  science,  and  there 
will  be  opportunities  for  analogies  later.  Leslie  said  "if 
Unopposed."  We  shall  do  well  to  deal  with  components 
and  not  generalities.  We  are  reminded  therefore  how 
we  Stated  above  that  in  some  eases,  when  the  mineral  was 
pressed  below  the  natural  surface  of  the  water,  we  could 
detect  capillary  rise  and  with  other  minerals  a  depres- 
sion. This  statement  must  he  considered  with  caution 
lest  we  let  important  facts  slip  our  attention. 

Look  again  at  Fig.  4  and  5.  Shall  we  agree  that  in 
contact  with  a  perfectly  clean  piece  of  glass  the  surface 
of  water  always  turns  up  and  that  of  mercury  always 
turns  down  I  You  say.  Yes;  that  has  been  proved.  Not 
so;  and  here,  as  has  often  been  our  experience  we  find 
that  we  have  to  unlearn  what  we  have  once  learned.  Let 
us  place  a  glass  rod  in  mercury  so  that  it  will  rest  in  a 
position,  not   vertical   as  in   Fig.  5.   but   in  an   inclined 


Glass 


Fig.  12. 


position,  and  draw  the  components  of  adhesion  and  co- 
in Mun  and  their  resultant.    See  Fig.  12. 

Now  we  know  that  the  surface  of  a  liquid  tends  to 
adjust  itself  at  right  angles  to  the  resultant  of  the  forces 
acting  upon  it  and  that  if  gravity  predominates  the  sur- 
face is  horizontal.  But  let  us  consider  a  group  of  mole- 
cules at  0  so  small  that  the  molecular  forces  predomi- 
nate over  gravitational  forces.  We  have  the  force  of 
adhesion  >>/>'  acting  at  right  angles  to  the  surface  of  the 
glass  and  pulling  the  molecules  to  it  and  the  cohesion  of 
the  liquid  pulling  these  same  particles  in  the  direction  of 
OF.  The  resultant  of  these  two  forces.  OR,  is  the  force 
to  which  the  surface  assumes  a  position  at  right  angles, 
and  since  OR  lies  to  the  left  of  a  vertical  line  through  O 
it  is  apparent  that  the  surface  of  the  mercury  must  turn 
up  to  meet  the  glass.  In  like  manner  it  can  be  shown 
that  the  mercury  turns  down  to  meet  the  glass  at  0'. 
Sine,-  the  mercury  turns  down  at  O  in  Fig.  3  and  up  at 

tin   sai itact  in  Fig.  12,  it  is  obvious  that  there  is  a 

slope  of  the  glass  at  which  the  mercury  would  stand 
level.  It  may  seem  bold  to  draw  these  components  so 
freely  when  so  little  is  known  of  their  absolute  value.  It 
must  lie  said  in  explanation  that  they  are  only  dia- 
grammatic and  that  is  all  that  Milligan  and  Gale  in- 
tended. It  is  a  fact,  however,  subject  to  a  simple  ocular 
demonstration,  that  mercury  does  turn  up  to  meet  the 
glass  at   0  and  down  at  O'  Fig.  12.     The  point  to  be 


ml*r  2,   1916 


MIXING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


147 


iiiikI<-  is  iliai  In  both  cases  the  resultant  liai  in  the  mer- 
cury, ivi-n  though  tin-  mercury  turns  np  t"  meel  the 
glass  as  doee  water  against  glass  where  the  raaultanl 
Uea  in  the  aolid,  and  thai  the  dope  of  the  liquid  contact 
must  be  considered  only  in  connection  with  the  angle  al 
which  the  mineral  units  the  original  surface  i>f  the 
liquid  The  elevation  of  the  mercury  .-it  "  does  nol 
mean  that  the  sum-total  of  nil  the  tones  tends  to  pull 
the  glass  down  as  does  water  pull  the  glass  in  Fig.  4. 

for  we  must  remember  thai  the  Sim  of roury  extends 

entirely  around  and  under  the  glass  and  thai  it  tends  to 
contract  and  reduce  its  distorted  but.  ten.  film  to  a 
minimum.  It  will  therefore  push  the  glass  upward  if 
the  downward  component  due  to  weight  of  the  glass  is 
lees  than  the  upward  component  due  tn  the  contractile 
force  of  the  liquid."  Briefly  stated,  an  upturned  liquid 
does  not  always  indicate  that  the  resultant  turns  into 
the  solid  as  one  would  Conclude  from  a  study  of  Pig.  '_'. 

By    the    purely    theoretical    treatment    of   components 

adopted  in  Pig.  1-.  one  can  show  that  the  surface  of 
water  also  may  well  he  approximately  horizontal  when 
iii  contact  with  glass. 

After  reaching  these  conclusions  by  merely  "reading 
between  the  lines"  of  a  most  elementary  physics  and 
checking  them  by  laboratory  tests,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  a  more  advanced  text-book18  gives  further  cor- 
roboration in  the  recitation  of  a  "test  to  determine  the 
angle  of  contact  of  mercury  with  glass." 

An  inverted  spherical  flask,  as  shown  in  Fig.  13  is 
used.  The  quantity  of  mercury  in  the  flask  is  adjusted 
until  its  surface  in  contact  with  the  glass  is  horizontal. 

Then -j-  =r  cos  (0-  y),  where  Q  is  the  angle  of  con- 
tact sought,  d  =  diameter  of  circle  of  contact  of  mer- 
cury  and  glass,  and  r  =  radius  of  the  spherical  flask. 

Likewise  the  surface  of  water  would  be  about  as  shown 
by  line  BB.  Contamination  of  the  glass  or  liquid  might 
well  give  surfaces  that  lie  anywhere  between  the  two 
mentioned.  This  might  be  called  a  reciprocal  method 
for  determining  the  angle  of  contact;  for  in  this  test  the 
liquid  surface  is  horizontal  and  the  solid  surface  is  in- 
clined, while  the  angle  of  contact,  as  we  are  accustomed 
to  thinking  of  it,  appears  with  an  inclined  liquid  surface 
against  a  vertical  solid  surface.    The  'direct'  position  of 


ftft    ^Mercury 


h 


m 


Fig.  14. 


Fig.  13  appears  in  Fig.'  14  where  AA  and  CC  are  ver- 
tical. This  shows  the  same  angle  of  contact  in  a  position 
more  familiar  to  us. 

The  foregoing  shows  that  it  is  insufficient  to  say  that 
the  liquid  turns  up  or  down.  The  angle  of  contact  must 
be  given ;  it  is  the  same  regardless  of  the  slope  of  the 

"Here  the  principle  of  Archimedes,  namely,  loss  of  weight 
due  to  displaced  liquid,  is  not  taken  into  account. 
"'General  Physics,'  by  Edser,  p.  306. 


solid  surface.    For  example,  in  Fig.  12  the  angle  "i  con 

tact  at   ()  must   be  the  same  as  at  ■>'  mid  again  the  same 

at  0  in  Fig,  ;  Again  the  actual  angle  of  contact  may 
be  distorted  by  the  weight  of  the  mass  as,  when  a  drop 
of  mercurj  rests  on  glass. 

The  questii lay  well  be  repeated:  is  it  correct  to 

speak  of  a  Bur.  ten.  film  of  mercury  against  glass,  and 

if  the  term  is  correct.  ,|„  We  I  .hided  evidence  that  it 

does  exist  at  the  mercury-glass  interfao 
In  our  tirst  conception  of  the  film  we  thought  only  of 

the  upper  horizontal  Burfi »f  a  liquid,  thai   is.  the 

liquid-air    interl'a if   standing    water.      We    then    ex 

tended  it  to  include  the  walls  of  a  submerged  air-bubble, 

and  now  the  only  rational  application  of  film  Or  mem- 
brane is  to  include  also  all  interfaces  where  there  is  sur- 
ten.    If  there  is  a  Bolid-liquid  interface  in  which  the  re- 

suliant  turns  into  the  liquid,  the  membrane  is  iii  the 
liquid,  and  if  the  resultant  turns  into  the  solid,  the 
membrane  is  in  the  solid.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
thai  we  add  contaminating  substances  to  the  mill-water 
that  will  cause  the  membrane  surrounding  the  grains  of 

ore  (sulphides)  to  be  in  the  liquid  and  simultai ualj 

cause  the  membrane  around  the  gangue  to  be  in  the  solid. 
Since  the  solid  membrane  is  an  intangible  sort  of  a  thing 
because  it  is  solid,  it  is  best  to  deal  with  its  antithesis: 
the  absence  of  a  liquid  membrane.  It  may  well  be  said 
therefore  that  when  the  flotation  metallurgist  has  con- 
taminated his  liquid  so  that  there  is  a  liquid  membrane 
around  the  ore  particles  and  none  around  the  gangue,  he 
has  mastered  the  first  step  in  his  process. 

The  liquid  film  must  not  only  surround  the  ere  par- 
ticles, but  it  must  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  will  rupture 
at  the  point  of  contact  with  an  impinging  air-bubble  and 
thus  cause  coalescence ;  or  if  coalescence  does  not  take 
place  the  films  must  cohere.    This  is  the  second  step. 

Reference  to  another  simple  and  familiar  physical  ex- 
periment may  be  of  service  here  to  give  added  evidence 
that  when  mercury  is  in  contact  with  glass  the  membrane 
is  in  the  liquid — a  state  quite  different  from  water  in 
contact  with  glass — and  aid  in  further  acquainting  us 
with  laws  second  to  none  in  their  application  to  flotation, 
the  laws  of  molecular  cohesion  and  adhesion. 

Take  two  conical  capillary  tubes,  a  and  b,  Fig.  15. 


~V       P 


^r—WZfA' 


Z3 


Fig.  15. 

Place  mercury  in  a  and  water  in  b.  The  mercury  will 
at  once  run  to  the  large  end  and  the  water  as  quickly  to 
the  small  end  of  the  respective  tubes.  The  mercury  will 
travel  to  the  larger  end  of  the  tube  even  thought  it  be 
slightly  elevated.  In  doing  so,  it  decreases  its  surface 
and  finally  reaches  the  point  where  the  diameter  of  the 
tube  is  sufficient  to  allow  it  to  assume  the  form  of  a 
sphere.  Such  conduct  is  possible  only  when  a  liquid  is 
surrounded  by  a  sur.  ten.  liquid  membrane.  Here,  with 
the  mercury,  surface  energy  in  the  liquid,  after  its  well- 
known  manner,  tends  to  reduce  the  amount  of  surface  to 


34a 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


September  2.  191<j 


a  minimum.  The  same  components  exist  in  b,  Imt  they 
arc  of  different  magnitudes  and  are  such  thai  the  liquid 
membrane  is  only  at  the  liquid-air  surface,  and  it  is 
obvious  that  it  is  reduced  by  a  movement  toward  the 
small  end.  The  concave  water  membrane  at  the  ends  are 
similar  to  the  piston  of  an  hydraulic  press,  and  the 
liquid  is  drawn  in  the  direction  of  the  greatest  force  per 
of  area.  If  we  assume  that  these  concave  surfaces 
are  hemispherical  it  is  obvious  from  the  formula,  P  = 

27" 

-    that  the  drawing  forces  per  unit  of  area  toward  the 

ends  are  inversely  as  t In-  radii.  If  the  liquid  film  ex- 
tended entirely  around  the  water  such  an  increase  in 
total  surface  could  not  happen. 

"Al  a  solid  liquid  interface  two  rases  are  therefore 
possible  Mir.  ten.  in  the  same  sense  as  in  the  case  of  the 
gaseous  bounding  medium  may  appear  or,"  according 
to  Wilhelm  Ostwald,  "we  may  have  a  surface  tension  of 
tin'  opposite  character.  In  this  the  (liquid)  surface  does 
not  tend  to  become  as  small  as  possible,  and  we  say  that 
the  solid  body  is  wet  by  tin'  liquid.  Mercury  on  glass  is 
an  example  of  the  first  :  oil  on  glass,  of  the  second.  When 
the  surface  of  a  solid  is  wet  by  a  liquid,  it  (the  solid) 
acts  like  the  surface  of  a  liquid,  and  therefore  seeks  to 
become  as  small  as  possible." 

At  this  point  an  analogy  may  be  of  value,  not  as  a 
proof  but  as  an  aid  ill  showing  how  the  deportment  of 
mineral  grains  in  a  flotation-cell  might  well  depend  on 
whether  they  are  or  are  not  surrounded  by  a  liquid  film. 

In  this  hypothetical  case,  we  grant  first  that  it  is  a 
physical  fact  that  glass  submerged  in  mercury  is  encased 
in  a  liquid  membrane;  that  this  membrane  is  squeezing 

2.T 


the  glass  in  accordance  with  the  formula  /'  = 


in  the 


same  manner  as  if  air  occupied  the  hole  in  the  mercury 
in  place  of  the  glass.  Second,  let  us  remind  ourselves 
of  the  great  'affinity'  of  mercury  for  gold.  This  affinity 
or  capillarity1"  is  well  known  and  one  only  needs  to  be 
reminded  that  gold  is  drawn  into  mercury-'0  in  the  same 
manner  as  glass  is  drawn  into  water  to  see  that  they  are 
perfectly  co-ordinate. 

We  take  a  pulp  composed  of  mercury,  particles  of 
gold,  and  crushed  glass;  we  place  it  in  a  Callow  cell  and 
blow  air  through  it.  Can  you  conceive  of  the  gold  en- 
tering or  even  clinging  to  an  air-bubble?  No,  you  would 
not  think  of  such  a  thing  any  more  than  you  would  of 
the  gold  in  the  amalgam  on  the  copper  plates  myste- 
riously popping  to  the  surface  and  parting  company 
from  the  mercury.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  consider  the 
glass.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  liquid  membrane  of  mer- 
cury. If  this  membrane  comes  into  contact  with  the 
membrane  of  an  air-bubble  and  bursts  at  the  junction, 
the  glass  will  lie  squeezed  out  of  its  little  sack  into  the 
large  one  and  ride  securely  to  the  surface  on  the  wall  of 

'■In  using  affinity'  and  'capillarity'  I  am  only  attempting  to 
use  terms  that  we  have  all  used  when  discussing  amalgamation. 

-  "Thomas  T.  Reed,  Trans.  A.  I.  M.  E.,  Vol.  37,  says  that 
amalgamation  is  a  physical  rather  than  a  chemical  process; 
that  the  sur.  ten.  of  mercury  draws  the  gold  beneath  the 
surface. 


the  resulting  bubble.  Thus  the  cell  would  produce  an 
overflow  of  glass  and  an  underflow  of  mersury  with  the 
gold.  If  we  replace  mercury  with  water,  glass  with 
galena,  and  gold  with  quartz,  and  adjust  the  detail  by 
means  of  a  contaminating  substance,  we  afford  a  com- 
plete and  perfect  transfer  from  an  hypothetical  to  an 
actual  operating  flotation-cell.  Unfortunately,  too  many 
of  us  have  concerned  ourselves  so  much  with  detail — 
the  contaminating  substances,  etc. — that  we  have  failed 
to  grasp  the  fundamental  idea.  Electrolytes,  static 
charges,  osmotic  pressure,  and  much  of  the  researches  of 
recent  workers  in  physical  and  colloid  chemistry  will  all 
have  their  places  in  the  science  of  flotation  after  the 
foundation  has  once  been  laid. 

Archimedes  was  interested  only  in  the  mass  per  unit 
of  volume,  Leslie  in  the  manner  in  which  the  molecular 
forces  of  a  substance  affected  an  unlike  substance.  Since 
tin'  range  of  action  of  molecular  forces  is  so  very  small 
it  is  obvious  that,  only  those  molecules  at  the  surface 
could  be  sufficiently  close  to  another  substance  to  affect 
it.  We  are  interested,  therefore,  in  the  forces  at  the 
common  surface  of  two  substances.  In  this,  our  posi- 
tion is  the  same  as  that  of  the  chemist.  Bigelow21  says, 
"more  and  more  we  are  realizing  that  the  conditions  in 
contact  surfaces  often  play  the  decisive  role  in  impor- 
tant processes." 

I  have  tried  to  expose  the  fallacy  that  mineral  par- 
ticles adhere  to  impinging  bubbles;  as  an  alternative,  I 
have  advanced  a  theory  involving  coalescence,  this  being 
more  in  accord  with  scientific  ideas.  We  are  familiar 
with  the  coalescence  of  two  soap-bubbles,  but  have  much 
to  learn  concerning  the  coalescence  of  two  films  when 
one  of  them  surrounds  a  solid.  Here  I  would  recommend 
a  study  of  boiling  in  the  volume  on  'Heat'  in  the  'Text- 
Book  of  Physics'  by  Poynting  and  Thompson.  It  teaches 
that  the  bubbles  which  carry  the  steam  to  the  surface  of 
a  liquid  do  not  rise  from  points  at  random,  but  from 
definite  points  or  particles  of  foreign  matter  that  form 
a  boundary  of  the  liquid.  There  must  be  a  nucleus  in 
the  shape  of  a  minute  bubble  into  which  the  steam 
passes.  As  evaporation  proceeds,  the  bubble  grows  and 
finally  breaks  away,  always  leaving  a  small  portion  be- 
hind as  a  nucleus,  just  as  part  of  the  neck  of  a  drop  of 
water  is  left  when  the  drop  breaks  off  from  a  surface. 
Some  substances  carry  a  great  many  nuclei  while  others 
are  barren.  A  beaker,  thoroughly  cleansed  in  hydro- 
fluoric acid,  is  so  barren  of  nuclei  that  water  can  be 
raised  several  degrees  above  the  boiling  point  without 
boiling  taking  place.  A  piece  of  flint  immersed  in  a 
liquid  was  alive  with  bubbles  over  its  entire  face  until 
broken  in  two,  when  no  steam  was  given  off  from  the 
freshly  formed  surface.  The  introduction  of  iron  filings 
caused  rapid  ebullition.  Substances  over  which  water 
is  most  reluctant  to  spread,  that  is,  those  solids  which 
show  the  least  adhesion  for  water,  furnish  the  greatest 
number  of  nuclei.  One  paragraph  from  a  paper  by 
Lord  Rayleigh,"  where  he  discusses  'Liberation  of  Gas 

"'Theoretical  and  Physical  Chemistry.'  p.  247. 
'^Philosophical  Magazine.  Vol.  48.  1899. 


September  '.'.   1916 


MIXING  and  Sciciilih.    I'Kl  SS 


frniM  Super-saturated  Solutions,'  is  rofflaienl  In  show 
tin-  close  relation  between  boiling  and  flotation.  He 
■ays:  it  Menu  i"  me  that  Tomlinson  «as  substantially 
correct  in  attributing  the  activity  of  non-porous  surfaces 
ti>  imperfect  adhesion.  We  have  to  consider  in  detail 
tin'  001  rents  when  a  surface,  for  example,  of 

glass,  is  introduced  into  the  liquid.  If  the  Burface  be 
•■Iran,  it  is  wetted  by  the  water  advancing  over  it, 
whether  there  be  a  film  of  air  condensed  upon  it  or  not, 
ami  no  gas  is  liberated  from  the  liquid.  Hut  it'  the  sul- 
fa.'.•  be  greasy,  even  in  a  very  Blight  degree,  the  be- 
havior is  different."  In  another  boob  we  learn  that 
"metal  turnings  depress  the  boiling  point  because  their 
molecular  attraction  for  water  is  less  than  that  of  glass." 
We  have  ample  evidence,  therefore,  that  Bolids,  like 

fresh   quartz   over   Which    water   spreads    freely,   do   not 

carry  nuclei  of  air,  while  solids  like  galena,  over  which 
does  not  spread  freely  on  account  of  adhesion,  do 
have  small  bubbles  attached  to  them  while  submerged 
iu  water.  For  an  extreme  ease  where  air  nuclei  would 
be  present,  we  might  suppose  a  glass  sphere  to  be  sub- 
merged  in  mercury;    As  it  passes  below  the  surface  with 


Flo.  16. 


Fig.  IT 


its  angle  of  contact  of  140°,  it  would  appear  as  shown 
in  Fig.  16. 

With  the  disappearance  of  the  waist  at  a,  the  film 
closes  around  an  air  nucleus.  A  small  quantity  of  air 
would  thus  be  carried  down  and  if  the  mercury  were 
transparent,  one  could  see  an  air  bubble  attached  to  the 
glass.  A  fresh  piece  of  glass  in  water  would  not  do  this, 
for  the  water  would  close  over  it  as  shown  in  Pig.  17. 
But  we  do  not  have  to  go  so  far  afield  to  account  for 
attached  air-bubbles.  The  surface  of  all  minerals  con- 
tain depressions  and  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to 
pass  from  air  to  water  without  some  of  the  air  residing 
in  the  depressions  being  carried  below  the  surface. 
Whether  or  not  the  air  is  held  in  place  depends  on  the 
adhesion  of  water  and  mineral.  If  adhesion  is  less  than 
cohesion  of  the  liquid  molecules,  the  sur.  ten.  film  will 
pass  around  the  air  nuclei  and  hold  them  in  place,  but 
if  adhesion  is  great  the  water  will  spread  over  the  entire 
surface  of  the  mineral  and  ultimately  release  the  air 
bubbles.  The  application  of  these  principles  to  flotation 
is  simple :  minerals  with  the  least  adhesion  for  water 
will  retain  the  greatest  number  of  small  bubbles;  these 
bubbles  are  inflated  by  gases  expelled  from  the  solution ; 
and  finally  an  air-bubble  in  its  passage  impinges  against, 
and  coalesces  with,  the  attached  bubbles  and  the  min- 
erl  is  carried  to  the  surface  by  the  resulting  bubble, 

-3'Theory  of  Heat.'    Preston. 


which  is  inflated  with  air  and  expelled  gas.  I  vmsIi  to 
express  my  gratitude  to  Dr,  Joel  II  Hildebrand  for  his 
critical  reading  of  these  notes  and  for  his  assistance  dur 
ing  the  seminar  in  'Colloids  and  Surface  Tension'  at  the 
University  of  California.     Also  I  wish  to  than*  II    U 

Parks    and    Ira    A.    Williams   of    the    Oregon    School    of 

Mines  for  their  co  operation. 


Explosives 

Explosives  as  used  in  mines  are  discussed  by  E.  M. 
Weston  of  Johannesburg,  in  his  recent  little  book  'Prac- 
tical Mining  on  the  Band.'  This  book  was  written  for 
the  purpose  of  explaining  to  shift-bosses  and  miners  the 

things  they  should  know  about  rock-drills,  explosives. 
Btoping,  development,  ami  similar  subjects.  The  author 
is  manger  of  a  mine  on  the  Easl  Kaud.  Of  so  practical 
a  description  arc  the  contents  of  the  book  that  the  Trans- 
vaal Chamber  of  Mines  purchased  3000  copies  for  distri- 
bution among  underground  employees.  The  miner's 
work  is  dependent  on  the  proper  use  of  explosives,  and 
if  this  is  not  understood,  bad  results  are  sure  to  follow. 
Explosives  are  of  two  kinds;  slow  or  rending,  such  as 
gun-powder;  and  high  or  quick,  such  as  dynamite.  Gun- 
powder or  black  powder,  when  exploded,  changes  into 
gas  in  one-hundredth  part  of  a  second.  One  part  of  the 
powder  makes  1500  to  2000  volumes  of  gas,  and  exerts  a 
pressure  of  11  tons  per  square  inch  of  rock.  On  the 
Band,  high  explosives  are  commonly  used.  They  turn 
into  gas  much  more  quickly  than  black  powder,  taking 
only  one  twenty-thousandth  to  one  fifty-thousandth  part 
of  a  second.  One  volume  of  high  explosive  makes  16.000 
volumes  of  gas,  which  exerts  a  pressure  of  117  tons  per 
square  inch  of  rock.  This  is  a  force  over  10  times  more 
powerful  than  black  powder.  The  high  explosives  in- 
clude straight  dynamite,  gelatine  dynamite,  gelignite, 
and  blasting  gelatine.  Nitro-glycerine  forms  the  chief 
constituent  of  all  four.  It  is  a  thin  oily  liquid,  of  specific 
gravity  1-J.  Straight  dynamite  is  nitro-glycerine  ab- 
sorbed in  diatomaceous  earth  or  some  similar  neutral 
base.  Gelatine  dynamite  contains  also  nitro-cellulose 
with  potassium  nitrate,  and  wood-meal.  It  is  25% 
stronger  than  straight  dynamite.  Gelignite  is  a  mixture 
of  nitro-glycerine,  nitro-cellulose,  potassium  nitrate,  and 
sawdust.  It  is  12%  more  powerful  than  dynamite. 
Blasting  gelatine  contains  about  93%  nitro-glycerine, 
which  forms  a  jelly  by  combination  with  an  extract  from 
gun-cotton.  It  is  50%  stronger  than  dynamite.  Nitro- 
glycerine begins  to  evaporate  and  exude  from  an  ex- 
plosive at  110°  F.  Any  explosive  in  this  condition  is 
dangerous  to  handle,  and  should  not  be  used,  but  de- 
stroyed. Frozen  explosive  should  be  thawed  before 
using,  as  otherwise  it  will  jiot  detonate  properly  and  is 
likely  to  explode  from  rough  handling.  When  a  man  has 
been  overcome  by  nitrous-oxide  gas  resulting  from  an 
explosion,  it  is  a  mistake  to  carry  him  out  at  once.  The 
first  effort  should  he  to  reach  the  air-cock  and  turn  on  the 
air,  or  break  the  pipe  with  a  hammer.  The  sufferer 
should  be  held  in  the  escaping  air,  thus  gaining  time. 


350 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


'l^-nymg    S-iappHss    ioi 


iVIiij,  9 


By      Nelson     Dlckermam 


(in.-  ui'  tin-  must  important  problems  for  the  nianage- 
iii' nt  hi'  milliner  enterprises  in  foreign  countries  is  the 
proper  maintentnee  of  warehouse  storks.  Supplies  of 
all  kinds  that  might  I"  m ssary  and  in  suffieient  quan- 
tity to  meet  every  demand  must  he  kept  on  hand.  And 
demands  must  be  anticipated,  often  as  much  as 
six  mouths,  so  as  to  have  the  goods  on  hand  when  needed. 
At  tin-  aame  time  the  management  must  not  invest  in 
supplies  any  more  money  than  is  ahsolutely  necessary 
for  this  purpose,  as  this  money  is  totally  unproductive. 
Perhaps  a  few  notes  concerning  my  experiences  in  such 
matters  while  in  Colombia  will  In-  of  interest. 

We  could  depend  hut  little  on  the  local  market  in 
Colombia  ami  what  supplies  we  got  in  the  country  wire 
bought  at  such  an  advance  in  price  over  that  of  the  same 
article  from  ahroad,  that  we  did  only  a  small  percentage 
of  our  trading  there.  Our  nearest  market  was  New 
York,  and  it  took  from  three  to  four  months  from  the 
writing  of  an  order  to  the  receiving  of  the  material. 
Even  by  cabling,  to  which  we  sometimes  resorted  in  case 
of  great  necessity,  it  took  from  a  month  to  six  or  seven 
weeks  to  get  the  goods. 

In  ordering,  it  was  very  important  to  state  precisely 
ami  accurately  what  we  wanted,  how  it  was  to  he  packed, 
and  how  shipped.  At  this  point  I  shall  digress  and  state 
that  the  United  States  will  never  he  ahle  to  supplant 
England  and  Germany  to  any  large  extent  until  export- 
ing houses  learn  how  to  till  orders  accurately,  pack  prop- 
erly, mark  packages  in  the  language  of  the  country  to 
which  they  are  consigned,  ami  make  out  correct  bills-of- 
lading  and  consular  invoices.  Many  of  the  houses  here 
think  their  duty  to  their  foreign  customers  ends  with 
the  tilling  of  the  order  and  getting  it  off  their  hands. 
But  unless  the  goods  arrive  in  a  satisfactory  condition 
ami  with  the  least  amount  of  expense  and  bother  to  their 
customers,  they  have  failed  in  the  performance;  and 
this  means  a  dissatisfied  customer.  Perhaps  it  will  he 
well  to  run  over  the  various  phases  of  ordering  and  re- 
ceiving supplies  in  the  hope  that  there  may  be  a  point 
here  and  there  that  will  help  someone  who  is  undertak- 
ing this  duty  for  the  first  time  under  similar  conditions. 

Our  warehouse  and  supplies  were  administered  under 
as  accurate  and  thorough  a  system  as  we  would  main- 
tain at  home.  A  card-index  of  supplies  was  carefully 
kept,  and  checked  whenever  possible.  Any  extraordi- 
nary demands  were  anticipated  -ns  far  as  possible  by 
keeping  in  touch  with  the  foremen  of  the  different  de- 
partments; in  fact,  it  was  only  hy  the  closest  co-operation 
of  all  departments  that  we  never  had  to  shut-down  for 
want  of  material  or  tools  that  we  could  not  improvise  on 
tin-  ground. 

The  supply-man  had  to  he  more  self-reliant  than  on  a 


similar  job  in  the  States.  He  endeavored  to  keep  on 
hand  a  complete  file  of  catalogues  and  descriptive  mat- 
ter. Frequently  the  need  of  some  new  tool  or  device 
would  find  him  without  the  proper  catalogue;  or  the 
need  of  some  part  of  electrical  or  pump  machinery  that 
was  not  a  common  stock  article  would  find  him  without 
proper  descriptive  matter.  He  could  not  order  a  thing 
on  trial,  as  the  customs  and  transportation  charges  would 
not  permit  the  returning.  Nor  could  he  afford  to  take 
the  chance  that  the  people  from  whom  he  ordered  would 
understand  better  than  he  did  what  was  wanted.  The 
chance  of  a  mistake  might  mean  the  having  to  wait  for 
the  proper  fulfillment  of  the  order  from  four  to  six 
months.  He  had  to  be  sure  of  what  he  was  ordering  and 
whether  the  article,  if  a  new  one.  would  he  satisfactory 
miller  the  peculiar  climatic  conditions.  In  sending  an 
order  it  was  necessary  to  give  full  directions  for  mark- 
ing and  shipping.  And  often  after  some  particularly 
had  luck  we  would  append  packing  directions  to  our 
next  order  or  the  correct  way  of  making  out  consular 
declarations. 

Under  packing  troubles  we  had  a  number  of  com- 
plaints to  make.  Here  are  a  few  as  they  recur  to  me. 
Under  the  custom  duties  of  Colombia,  the  tax  is  not 
charged  on  the  net  weight  of  an  article  only  but  on  the 
container  and  packing  as  well.  We  ordered  a  high- 
grade  smoking  tobacco  from  one  of  the  largest  distribut- 
ing houses  in  New  York,  asking  them  to  pack  it  as 
lightly  as  possible  in  tightly  strapped  boxes.  This  to- 
bacco comes  in  half-pound  vacuum-sealed  tins.  It  was 
sent  to  us  two  tins  each  in  heavy  porcelain  jars,  the  latter 
a  generous  gift,  packed  in  a  heavy  wooden  box.  As  to- 
bacco pays  one  of  the  highest  duties  in  Colombia,  this 
tobacco,  which  retails  here  at  $2.25  per  pound,  cost  us 
^14. HI  per  pound  to  land  in  our  store,  and  no  one  could 
afford  to  buy  it.  On  several  different  orders  we  request- 
ed this  same  house  to  remove  the  heavy  wooden  caddy 
from  chewing  tobacco  and  wrap  the  tobacco  in  oiled 
paper,  hut  they  never  complied  with  our  request  and  we 
finally  had  to  have  the  tobacco  sent  to  a  hardware  firm 
who  re-packed  it  for  us  as  we  desired. 

Another  and  more  costly  packing  was  used  on  the 
order  of  some  dredge-bucket  pins.  These  pins,  weighing 
almost  200  lh.  apiece,  were  packed,  ten  together,  in  a 
heavy  two-inch  plank  case,  which  made  the  weight  over 
a  ton  to  a  box.  Not  only  did  we  have  to  pay  the  custom 
duties  on  these  boxes  but  we  had  to  pay  the  extra  tariff 
on  river-steamers  for  the  extra. weight.  This  on  boxes 
or  crates  weighing  500  kilo  amounted  to  25%  extra; 
1000  kilo  to  50%,  and  so  on  up.  in  addition  to  the  regular 
rale  These  forged  pins  could  have  been  shipped  loose, 
savint;  all  that. 


1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


:::.! 


li  i>  well  for  exporting  houaea  to  understand  the  ocean 
I  '•■  space  and  weight  extras,  and  pur- 
iuld  give  the  looal  river  and  transportation 
tariffs  ~>  that  goods  '1111  be  packed  in  packages  <>f  1 1 1 « - 
--urintr  the   lowest    rates.     We 
ordered  a  l"t  of  window  and  plate  glass  from  a  firm  in 
the  United  States  three  times  and  out  of  over  one  hun- 
dred pi 9  we  did  not  receive  half  a  dozen  pie© 

broken  in  the  three  shipments.  We  had  carefully  gone 
over  the  result  of  the  arrival  of  each  shipment  in  tetters 
to  the  tii-iii  supplying  the  same,  and  even    made  sugges 

linns  ;,N  to  the  way  w msidered  it  ln-st  to  pack  the 

glass,  bul  all  tn  nil  purpose.  Finally  we  placed  the  order 
with  a  German  firm  and  received  it  without  a  single 
broken  piece. 

By  the  above  examples  I  do  nol  mean  to  advocate  a 
tight  boxing  or  a  sparing  of  packing  material.  It  all 
depends  on  what  is  being  sent.  Some  goods  can  be  sent 
wrapped  only  in  burlap  when  there  is  no  danger  of 
crashing  or  breaking;  and  if  liable  to  be  injured  by 
water,  further  protection  is  obtained  by  using  water- 
proof paper.  But  in  the  case  of  delicate  machines  or 
electrical  apparatus,  the  utmost  care  must  be  taken  in 
packing.  One  must  have  the  idea  constantly  in  mind 
what  handling  the  goods  will  undergo  before  reaching 
their  destination.  The  journey  from  the  warehouse  to 
the  docks  is  usually  not  hard.  Here  the  ships  take  the 
different  boxes,  crates,  and  parcels  in  rope-slings  and 
drop  them  into  the  hold,  often  with  quite  a  shock.  If  a 
light  crate  happens  to  be  on  the  bottom,  under  heavy 
boxes,  it  is  apt  to  be  damaged.  The  storage  on  the  voy- 
age is  not  likely  to  produce  much  damage :  but  the  un- 
loading is  again  attended  with  danger.  The  captain  is 
usually  in  a  hurry  to  clear  his  hold  and  the  slings  are 
filled,  hoisted,  and  dropped  with  all  possible  speed.  At 
Puerto  Colombia  the  goods  from  these  slings  are  loaded 
immediately  on  freight-cars  and  run  up  to  Barranquilla, 
a  distance  of  18  miles,  to  the  custom-house.  Here  they 
are  unloaded  and  inspected.  When  released,  they  are 
taken  in  carts  to  the  yards  of  the  river-steamboat  com- 
pany and  dropped  off  the  carts  upon  the  ground.  And 
here  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  any  sign  in  English,  such 
as  "(ilass.-'  '-This  Side  Up."  or  "Handle  With  Care," 
is  \i  11  intelligible,  and  totally  disregarded.  If  in  Spanish, 
it  meets  with  but  little  more  consideration.  It  is  only  by 
being  on  the  spot  and  with  constant  nagging  that  you  can 
in  any  way  protect  your  goods.  I  do  not  mean  that  these 
signs  should  not  be  put  on  the  eases;  they  should  be  in- 
scribed  in  both  languages,  but  the  packing  should  be  done 
with  such  skill  that  even  after  all  possible  hardships  the 
articles  enclosed  will  arrive  safely  at  their  destination. 
The  loading  on  the  river-boat  is  all  done  by  hand,  using 
block  and  tackle  or  a  steam-capstan.  The  smaller  pack- 
ages are  dumped  into  the  hold  and  rolled  into  place;  the 
larger  ones  are  put  on  deck  or  on  barges  to  be  towed. 
The  voyage  of  370  miles  up  the  river  is  usually  not  hard 
on  the  cargo,  except  that  some  of  the  boxes  on  the  barges 
may  be  thoroughly  wetted  and  sometimes  those  in  the 
hold   (ire  similarly  treated.     In  the  dry  season  all  the 


Hoods  will  be  dumped  mi  the  bank  if  the  boat  is  unable  to 

reach  its  destination,  to  «ait  there  until  the  river  rises 
and  the  boat  again  reaches  the  gpot.    We  had  several  ex 
periences  of  tin-  river  coming  up  and  1! ling  goods  left 

on    the   bank    high    above    low    water,    but    not    above    the 

flood  level.    When  tic  g is  reached  us  \s.-  were  able  to 

unload  them  by  derrick  and  see  that  they  were  bandied 
rightly.    Put  the  damage,  if  any,  had  been  done  before 

their  arrival. 

The  best  practice  in  the  packing  of  small  articles,  it 
Beems  to  me,  is  to  put  them  in  packages  of  around  l"'i  to 

loll  pounds  weight.  These  can  be  carried  easily  and  Hie 
carriers  arc  not  given  the  incentive  to  drop  them.  In 
the  packing  of  SUCh  articles  as  bolts  the  tendency  is  to 
put  th. 111  iii  cases  weighing  from  :!()()  to  400  lb.  and  these 
eases  we  often  received  badly  damaged,  or  with  some  of 
the  contents  missing. 

In  this  connection  I  am  reminded  of  the  eases  of  petty 
pilfering  that  used  to  annoy  us,  especially  in  the  matter 
of  food  supplies.  A  can  or  two  from  a  case  would  be 
missing.  The  condensed-milk  cases  suffered  especially. 
Sometimes  the  cans  would  be  punctured,  the  contents  re- 
moved, and  the  can  replaced.  Often  too  the  cans  would 
be  damaged  in  the  rough  treatment  received  and  the  eon- 
tents  spoiled.  This  might  be  due  to  the  cases  being  too 
lightly  constructed,  allowing  the  cans  too  much  move- 
ment. Especially  was  this  true  of  the  gallon-cans  of  fruit 
that  often  arrived  in  poor  shape.  We  had  to  give  up  the 
use  of  these  large  cans  and  use  the  smaller  sizes.  How- 
ever, if  the  exporter  would  have  his  fruit  put  up  in 
heavier  cans  and  more  solidly  constructed  cases  than  are 
used  for  domestic  consumption,  this  would  not  occur. 
The  English  are  far  ahead  of  us  in  putting  up  food  sup- 
plies for  tropical  countries,  in  great  measure  due  to  the 
large  trade  they  have  had  for  many  years  with  India. 
We  have  ordered  dried  fruits  put  up  in  sealed  tins  from 
one  of  the  large. New  York  houses  and  they  came  in 
screwed-top  tins.  The  moisture  and  heat  soon  spoiled 
a  good  part  of  the  contents. 

In  the  movement  of  heavy  machinery  there  are  many 
difficulties  to  overcome.  I  remember  a  punch  and  shears 
we  ordered  that  when  crated  weighed  13|  tons.  The 
only  trouble  in  handling  this  piece  wTas  from  the  railroad- 
ear  to  the  river-boat,  a  distance  of  not  over  a  hundred 
feet,  but  it  took  70  men  10  days  to  get  it  off  the  car  and 
on  the  boat.  The  extra  freight  for  excess  weight  on  the 
machine  was  horrible,  as  I  remember  it,  about  400%  of 
the  regular  ton  weight.  We  unloaded  this  easily  with 
our  derrick,  but  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have 
taken  it  up  to  some  of  the  mines  in  the  hills.  In  this 
respect  manufacturers  should  carefully  consider  the  sec- 
tionalizing  of  machinery  for  mule  or  other  transport  into 
localities  requiring  it. 

Returning  to  the  extension  of  our  trade  with  foreign 
houses,  it  seems  to  me  there  are  certain  rules  that  must 
be  followed  if  we  are  to  keep  this  trade. 

(1.)  The  catalogue,  which  is  the  first  introduction  to 
the  new  customer,  should  be  compiled  carefully  and  accu- 
rately for  the  country  in  which  it  is  to  be  used  and  in  the 


352 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.   1916 


language  of  thai  country.     It  should  fairly  and  in  lull 
detail  describe  tin-  articles  to  be  sold,  giving  the  weight, 
net   and  crated,  for  export   shipment;  if  for  larg< 
chinery,  the  weight  and  size  of  the  largest  piece  should 

In-  slated.  Prices  and  all  charges,  terms  of  payment  and 
delivery,  should  lie  fairly  set  forth.  If  discounts  from 
these  prices  are  given  and  these  must  be  written  for.  this 
sbo. lid  be  stated  'dearly. 

(2.)  Correspondence:  The  first  letter  of  inquiry 
should  have  personal  attention  given  to  it  and  the  en- 
deavor  made  to  establish  a  personal  relationship.  If 
orders  follow  this,  personal  interest  should  be  extended 
and  continued  in  the  hope  of  making  a  confirmed  cus- 
tomer: especial  attention  should  be  accorded  to  com- 
plaints. 

(3.  Packing:  The  directions  for  this  should  be  fully 
given  and  carried  out. 

I  Bills  of  lading  and  consular  invoices  should  be 
carefully  prepared,  filled  out.  ami  forwarded  promptly 
with  invoices  and  packing-lists.  Also  in  the  case  of 
machinery,  instructions  and  blue-prints  should  ai 
pany  the  letters.  Of  course,  all  this  must  be  made  out  in 
the  language  of  the  customer. 

(5.)  A  request  should  be  sent  to  the  customer  with 
every  shipment  asking  him  to  write  on  receipt  of  goods, 
stilting  the  condition  of  tie-  goods  on  arrival  and  whether 
perfectly  satisfactory.  Also  asking  him  for  suggestions 
as  to  any  means  he  might  propose  in  which  better  service 
could  have  been  given,  this  for  reference  in  future  ship- 
ments. A  regular  form-card  could  be  sent  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  it  should  be  checked  on  return  and  filed  for 
future  shipments. 

By  such  a  system  I  believe  we  could  establish  a  foreign 
trade  based  on  such  honesty  of  goods  and  service  that 
other  nations  would  find  it  bard  to  take  it  from  us.  It  is 
not  altogether  a  question  of  price.  We  must  learn  to  do 
business  in  the  way  of  our  customers  and  to  gain  their 
confidence.  We  cannot  know  them  without  living  among 
them  and  understanding  their  conditions.  And  only  by 
knowing  them  and  establishing  a  common  bond  of  de- 
pendence, can  we  hope  to  keep  their  trade.  And  above 
all,  our  Government  must  encourage  and  protect  young 
men  going  into  foreign  countries  and  working  there  to 
advance  themselves  ami  American  trade. 

Belt  -  Conveyors 

For  moving  material  supplied  in  a  continuous  stream, 
a  belt-conveyor  is  well  adapted.  The  capacity  of  a 
narrow  belt  is  surprisingly  high  in  consequence  of  the 
speed  at  which  it  may  be  run.  Reginald  Trautschold, 
writing  in  tie-  Engineering  Magazine,  gives  the  most 
economic  speed  for  various  materials  handled  by  belt- 
conveyors.  Coke  is  best  conveyed  at  2.30  ft.  per  minute. 
Coarse  broken  stone  and  lump  coal  should  also  have  low 
speeds,  about  275  ft.  per  minute.  Fine  coal,  however,  is 
best  handled  at  the  high  speed  of  400  ft.  per  minute. 
Sand  or  gravel  and  ordinary  crushed  stone,  are  con- 
veyed most  economically  at  375  It.  per  minute.     A  belt- 


conveyor  1  ft.  wide  can  handle  nearly  90  tons  of  sand 
per  hour,  while  one  3  ft.  wide  has  a  capacity  of  S00  tons 
per  hour,  or  nine  times  as  great,  in  each  case  run  at  a 
speed  of  375  ft.  per  minute.  These  figures  apply  only 
when  conditions  are  working  perfectly.  The  power  re- 
quirement of  belt-conveyors  is  low.  A  30-in.  belt,  when 
working  at  most  economic  speed,  can  handle  270  tons  of 
fine  coal  per  hour,  elevating  20  ft.,  and  distributing  the 
coal  by  an  automatic  tripper  over  a  50-ft.  storage- 
bunker,  at  a  requirement  of  134  hp.,  of  which  5J  hp. 
would  be  needed  for  the  horizontal  travel.  54  for  elevat- 
ing the  load,  and  24  for  the  tripper,  the  conveyor  being 
equipped  with  grease-lubricated  idlers.  If  ball-bearing 
idlers  are  used,  the  power  consumed  would  be  11}  hp., 
the  reduction  of  1}  hp.  being  principally  the  saving  in 
friction  on  the  horizontal  travel. 

The  best  grade  of  rubber  is  none  too  good  for  a  con- 
veyor, as  its  large  capacity  makes  initial  cost  secondary 
in  importance  to  that  of  wearing  quality.  The  labor 
charge  for  inspecting  and  repairing  conveyors  is  gener- 
ally taken  at  He.  per  hour  per  inch  of  width.  The  cost 
for  grease  and  incidental  supplies  varies  directly  with 
the  horse-power  consumed,  and  averages  fc.  per  hp.  per 
hour.  Depreciation  of  a  belt  comes  from  hardening  of 
the  rubber,  and  is  more  apt  to  follow  idleness  than  care- 
ful use.  Ordinarily,  an  annual  depreciation  charge  of 
25%  on  the  belt  covers  the  wear  and  tear.  The  net  oper- 
ating cost  on  an  18-in.  belt-conveyor,  500  ft.  long,  han- 
dling 85,000  tons  of  fine  coal  at  a  rate  of  85  tons  per 
hour  for  1000  hours  per  year,  was  less  than  2c.  per  ton. 
This  conveyor  elevated  the  coal  30  ft.  and  distributed  it 
over  a  bunker  100  ft.  long  by  means  of  an  automatic 
traveling  tripper,  power  being  furnished  at  2c.  per  hp.- 
hour.  The  speed  was  400  ft.  per  minute;  the  power  was 
14  hp.  (11  hp.  if  roller-bearings  are  used)  ;  the  initial 
i  equipment  was  $3720;  depreciation  was  charged 
at  $710  per  year;  annual  fixed  charges  were  $316;  labor 
cost  $270  per  year;  and  power  cost  $280  per  year. 

"When  a  large  quantity  of  material  has  to  be  handled  at 
a  rapid  rate  in  a  limited  space,  and  the  cost  for  power 
is  not  so  important  as  the  initial  investment,  flight- 
conveyors  may  be  used.  While  their  speed  is  slow,  the 
load  per  foot  is  high.  The  best  advisable  speed  is  100  to 
200  ft.  per  minute.  A  horizontal  flight-conveyor,  8  by 
18  by  16  in.,  150  ft.  long,  handling  150.000  tons  of  fine 
coal  in  600  operating  hours,  the  power  costing  2c.  per 
hp.-hour.  would  have  a  net  operating  cost  of  0.8c.  per 
ton.  The  advisable  speed  would  be  200  ft.  per  minute; 
the  capacity  260  tons  per  hour;  the  power  required 
would  be  31$  hp.  costing  $378  per  year  using  shoe- 
flights,  or  284.  hp.  costing  $342  per  year  using  roller- 
flights  ;  the  initial  cost  of  equipment  would  be  $b'."i."i  with 
shoe-flights  or  $8*0  with  roller-flights. 

Screw-conveyors  have  comparatively  a  limited  capacity 
and  a  high  consumption  of  power.  They  are  particu- 
larly well  liked  for  handling  cement.  Though  cheap  in 
first  cost,  the  depreciation  is  rapid;  the  screw  revolving 
in  the  load  receives  destructive  abrasive  action.  The 
economic  speed  is  governed  by  the  diameter  of  the  screw. 


September  '-'.  1916 


MI\I\U    ud    Seienlifi.     l'KI  SS 


I  HI. in  ami:  one  ok  the  iioi  eiiek  county  tinc.sten   [OWNS. 


Tungsten   in  the 


,b-x   iDiisfcriLgtfy   €^m&&y 


By      '.E  .      S 

In  the  year  1870,  Sam.  P.  Conger,  prospector  and 
pioneer,  in  going  over  the  hills  of  Boulder  county  found 
a  heavy,  dark  mineral  which  occurred  as  float.  The  true 
nature  of  this  mineral  was  a  mystery  to  Conger  and 
others,  to  whom  it  became  known  as  'heavy  iron,'  'hema- 
tite.' 'black  iron,'  or  'barren  silver.'  It  was  consid- 
ered to  be  of  little  commercial  importance  until  many 
years  later  when  a  prospector,  W.  H.  Wanamaker,  a 
partner  of  Conger's,  returned  from  a  prospecting  trip 
in  the  Dragoon  mountains  of  Arizona,  where  he  came 
across  similar  mineral.  This  he  ascertained  to  be  ferber- 
ite,  the  tungstate  of  iron.  Wanamaker  and  Conger  kept 
the  matter  secret,  making  every  effort  in  the  meantime  to 
secure  possession  of  some  of  the  placer  tungsten  and  vein 
deposits  of  Boulder  county.  In  August,  1900,  Conger 
secured  a  lease  on  the  property  which  is  now  known  as 
the  Conger  mines  in  the  Nederland  district,  and  by 
the  end  of  that  year  extracted  about  40  tons  of  high- 
grade  ore.  In  1901  the  production  amounted  to  65  tons, 
which  was  marketed  at  $2.25  per  unit.  In  1902  there 
was  a  decided  slump,  making  operating  conditions  un- 
favorable. From  that  time  until  about  a  year  ago,  the 
mining  of  tungsten  ore  in  Boulder  county  was  spasmodic 
and  of  comparatively  little  importance,  although  inter- 
est in  the  district  was  kept  alive  and  considerable  pros- 
pecting was  done.  Within  the  last  year  a  decided  re- 
vival in  interest  in  tungsten  has  taken  place  by  reason  of 
the  abnormal  market  conditions  for  tool-steel  and  other 
uses  to  which  it  has  been  found  so  well  adapted. 


The  principal  part  of  the  tungsten  district  of  Boulder 
county  is  the  south-eastern  quarter.  The  latest  geologic 
maps  show  that  the  tungsten  mining  area  has  a  gen- 
eral north-east  and  south-west  trend,  dipping  down  into 
Gilpin  county  on  the  south,  where  some  important  dis- 
coveries have  been  made.  The  principal  towns  in  the 
district  are  Nederland,  Cardinal,  Phoenixville,  Rollins- 
ville,  Sugarloaf,  and  Magnolia. 

Most  of  the  mines  are  found  in  the  granite,  gneissoid 
granite,  and  the  more  granitic  parts  of  the  gneiss.  A 
number  of  the  properties  are  situated  close  to  the  con- 
tact of  gneiss  and  granite ;  in  some  places  the  workings 
are  almost  entirely  within  the  gneiss.  In  the  Neder- 
land-Beaver  Creek  area,  a  number  of  veins  follow  the 
dikes  of  coarse  and  fine  pegmatite,  but  the  relationship 
is  due  to  structure  rather  than  to  any  common  genesis. 
The  Assuring  now  occupied  by  the  veins,  which  were  long 
subsequent  to  the  formation  of  the  pegmatite  dikes,  fol- 
lowed the  lines  of  least  resistance,  which  in  several 
places  coincided  with  the  dikes.  Other  veins  are  asso- 
ciated with  a  fine-grained  intrusive  biotite-granite  which 
forms  dikes  and  irregular  masses,  such  as  that  at  the 
Clyde  mine,  a  mile  north-east  of  Nederland.  In  some 
cases  the  vein  leaves  the  dike  entirely  and  passes  out  into 
the  neighboring  formation,  usually  at  a  sharp  angle 
with  the  dikes.  In  the  north-western  area,  the  long  line 
of  mines  and  prospects  roughly  parallel  to  middle 
Boulder  and  Boulder  creeks,  near  Castle  Rock,  is  closely 
associated  with  a  narrow  but  rather  continuous  dike  of 


351 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  1!>16 


fine-grained  granite.  In  places  the  entire  width  of  the 
dike  is  occupied  by  the  vein.  There  is  no  regular  system 
of  veins,  but  in  the  Nederland  and  Beaver  Creek  area  a 

greal   many  strike  north-oast  and  south- west.     Few  have 

a  strike  west  of  north.  The  average1  strike  of  11  well- 
defined  veins  in  the  western  pari  of  the  Nederland- 
Beaver  <  Ireek  area  is  north  32  east.  The  angle  of  dip  of 
the  veins  is  generally  steep,  often  approaehing  the 
vertical  and  rarely  falling  as  low  as  45°. 

I'm-  further  details  of  tl conomic  geology  of  these 

tungsten  deposits  I  suggest  a  study  of  R.  D.  George's 
monograph  entitled  'The  Main  Tungsten  Ana  of  Boul- 
der County.  Colorado.' 

In  Boulder  canyon  the  mines  are  generally  worked 
through  adits  by  over-hand  stoping  methods,  with  raises 
and  open  Btopes  requiring  little  timber.  The  veins  as  a 
rule  dip  at  a  steep  angle  of  from  75  to  90°  and  the  strike 
is  generally  north-east  and  south-west.  Some  of  the 
larger  operators  have  power  at  the  mines  for  drilling, 
but  single  and  double-jacking  methods  are  responsible 
for  a  great  part  of  the  output.  In  some  instances  miners 
arc  working  from  the  outcrops  by  open-cut  methods.  In 
the  vicinity  of  Nederlands  the  mines  are  generally 
worked  through  shafts,  the  deepest  of  which,  at  the 
Conger  mine,  is  down  1160  ft.  Others  in  the  district  are 
from  200  to  400  ft.  deep.  The  water  problem  is  com- 
paratively insignificant.  The  average  ore  contains  from 
1.5  to  2.59!.  although  ore  has  been  found  in  quantity 
averaging  as  much  as  35%  tungstic  oxide  (WO.,). 

Milling  practice  closely  follows  standard  wet  concen- 
tration methods,  although  these  have  been  amplified  to 
meet  more  fully  the  requirements  of  the  ferberite.  In 
early  work  on  this  ore  it  was  found  that  a  good  deal  of 
the  tungsten-content  was  contained  in  the  slime,  and  as 
such,  in  the  ordinary  milling  methods,  the  greater  part 
of  the  loss  occurred  in  this  division  of  classification.  To 
meet  this  loss,  it  has  been  found  that  rolls  or  mills  of  the 
Chilean  type  are  better  adapted  for  crushing  than 
stamps,  due  to  their  making  less  slime  and  a  better 
product  for  jigs  and  tables.  It  may  be  said  that  excel- 
lent work  is  being  done  at  the  Wolf  Tongue  plant,  which 
is  an  old  re-modeled  stamp-mill.  As  supplementary  to 
regular  milling  there  have  been  added  'rag-mills'  or  sta- 
tionary canvas  tables,  which  have  increased  the  recovery 
materially.  The  mills  are  generally  of  from  15  to  25 
tons'  capacity  daily,  although  on  another  class  of  ore 
and  with  the  same  equipment  they  would  undoubtedly 
tnat  a  much  greater  tonnage.  It  has  been  found  that 
it  is  impossible  to  crowd  the  mill  in  treating  tungsten 
ore,  without  a  decided  reduction  in  the  extraction. 
When  I  say  that  the  mills  are  making  an  average  re- 
covery of  from  89  to  91%  of  the  tungsten-content  of  the 
ore  treated.  I  am  quoting  several  of  the  superintendents 
and  operators  of  the  larger  mills.  A  good  deal  of  the 
ore  treated  is  that  from  small  operators  and  lessees.  The 
concentrate  averages  from  60  to  65%  WO,. 

The  Clark  mill  of  the  Boulder  Tungsten  Production 
Co.,  situated  just  east  of  the  big  Nederland  dam  in  what 
is  known  as  Stevens  Camp,  is  representative  of  the  most 


modern  practice  for  the  treatment  of  the  local  ferberite 
ore.  This  plaid,  which  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $25,000, 
commenced  op, .ration  at  the  beginning  of  1916,  and  it 
was  said  that  its  entire  cost  was  repaid  by  the  first 
month's  profit  The  mill  was  designed  by  Kandall  P. 
Akius  of  the  Colorado  Iron  Works  Co.,  which  company 
supplied  all  equipment  and  superintended  its  construc- 
tion.     It  was  designed  as  a  30-ton  mill,  and  was  working 


Picking  Belt-Conveyor  - 
Picked  Ore  To  Ship. 


I 


Mine  Ore-Bin 


Custom  Ore-Bins 

-7 — r 


Grizzley-^ 


Tx  10" Bloke  Crusher 


Elevator. 


Picked  Ore  To  Ship. 


•■d 


-Picking  Belt-Conveyor. 


Mill  Ore-Bin  —* 
Shaking-Screen  Feeder 


Sample  for  Assay . 


T^X, 


Custom  Storage 
Ore-Bins. 


20**5%' Rolls 


Concentrate 

< 

To  Ship 


Concentrate 


Two-Compartmen  t 
— * 1 — y*-i  Oversize 


Elevator. 


<-3x3'lmpact-Screen  4-Mesh. 
\  Oversize. 

3x3 Impact-Screen  IZMesh. 


j.-  -  Two-Compar  tmen  t 
y\?  '     I  Spitzkosten 
■  N°6  WilfleyTobles., 


To  Ship. 


xtkins  Classifiers. 
Elevator.  . 


Fl.nw-SHF.F.T  OF  BOULDER  TUNGSTEN    rKOIH'CTIOX   CO.  S    Mil. I.. 

90  days  after  the  contract  was  signed.  The  accompany- 
ing flow-sheet  shows  the  process  employed.  The  final 
residue  is  passed  over  stationary  canvas-tables  or  a  rag- 
mill  not  shown  in  the  flow-sheet.  The  flotation  machines 
shown  in  the  flow-sheet  were  not  installed  at  the  time  of 
my  visit,  but  plans  were  being  prepared  for  a  thorough 
investigation  of  the  adaptability  of  flotation  as  a  sup- 
plement to  milling,  with  special  reference  to  the  slime 
product,  which  is  at  present  being  treated  on  tables  and 
in  the  rag-plant. 


2,   1916 


MINING  »nd  Scientific  PR KSS 


The  ore  treated  varies  from  0.5  t"  i" ,  .  giving  an  ex 
traction  of  aboul   90%.     The  mill   is  driven  by   three 
elect ri  -    supplied  with  ourrenl  by  the  Colorado 

Centra]  Power  Co.;  about  60  hp.  is  required  for  the 
entire  plant 

fallowing  is  mi  outline  of  the  treatment  al  a  few 
of  tlir  other  mills  in  the  diatriot : 

At  the  Woli  Tongue,  which  is « >f  the  oldeat  here, 

machinery  '-'insists  of  a  jaw-crusher,  stamps,  jigs,  Wil 
flag  and  Card  tables,  Monnell  slime-tables,  olasaifiera,  and 

stationary  canvaa  tables  or  rag-plant    The  Bow-al t  baa 

l"''-n  undergoing  many  changes  lately,  bul  the  work  done 
is  s.ii.i  to  be  highly  Batiafaotory. 

The  Lucky  Two  Tungsten  Co.  has  I n  treating  tung 

st. mi  ores  since  1910.  Its  equipmenl  i sists  of  two  Den- 
ver quarts  mills,  two  pairs  of  12  by  20-in.  rolls,  ji'-rs. 
Wilfley  tables,  Monnell  slime-tables,  and  rag-plant.  The 
mill  is  treating  -■">  t"ns  daily. 

At  the  Duncan  mill,  at  the  Black  Prince  property, 
there  is  an  s  by  12-in.  Denver  crusher,  Denver  quartz 
mill,  12  by  20-in.  McFurland  rolls,  liirhanls'  jig.  two 
Wilfley  tables,  two  Monnell  slime-tables,  a  rag-plant  and 
accessories. 

The  mill  of  the  Tungsten  Mines  Co.,  between  Neder- 
lainl  and  Kollinsvillc.  on  Beaver  ereek,  lias  been  in  opera- 
tion since  1910,  and  has  similar  equipment  to  that  men- 
tioned above.  The  Red  Sign  mine  of  the  Primos  com- 
pany will  erect  shortly  a  mill  following  general  practice. 


BOULDER 

JATHESTOVTlO 

OGLENDAj_e 


Amec-or     ^        *!        f  £>  F0RK3CBEEK 

£i©3ec»GETO'Vr*'    C     /-"   t^ 


MAP    .SHOWING    SITUATION    OF    TUNGSTEN    FIELD. 

The  Ross  and  Foley  is  another  of  the  representative  mills 
of  the  district. 

Some  experimental  work  is  being  done  at  the  Wolf 
Tongue  mill  of  the  Vasco  company  to  determine  the  ap- 
plicability of  flotation  to  the  Boulder  County  ores.  It  is 
also  proposed,  as  stated,  to  experiment  with  this  process 
at  the  Clark  mill.  While  tests  have  not  progressed  to  a 
point  that  will  warrant  a  definite  statement,  results  so 


tar  sih.w  thai  there  it  is  pcobable  thai  flotation  »ill  And 
a  place  in  the  treatiuenl  of  farberite  on 
The  trip  from  Denver  to  the  tungsten  district,  a  'bs 

tan' I  60  nulls,  is  generally  made  by  automobile.    Thai 

there  is  a  mining  I n  in  Boulder  county  is  advertised 

on  the  street  corners  of  Denver  by  display  placards  on 
automobiles,  in  hotel  lobbies,  by  groups  of  mining  men 
discussing  the  strength  or  weakness  of  the  tungsten  mar 
ket,  and  in  offices  of  the  machinery  manufacturers,  who 
are  being  called  on  to  meel  an  al rmal  markel  for  all 


amlilfalkiSU 


KTHKF.T    SCENE    AT    NKIIEI1I.A  Nil. 

kinds  of  equipment  for  the  mining  and  treatment  of 
tungsten  ores.  It  is  not  at  all  unusual  to  hear  of  a  mill 
being  constructed  in  two  or  three  months  and  paying  for 
itself  in  an  equal  length  of  time.  The  road  to  Boulder, 
on  an  early  Sunday  morning  especially,  is  crowded  with 
machines,  trucks,  and  wagons  laden  with  sight-seers, 
miners,  equipment,  and  all  that  goes  into  the  making  of 
the  mushroom  growth  of  a  boom  community.  At  Boul- 
der, where  a  stop  is  usually  made  before  entering  the 
canyon,  the  streets  are  filled  with  a  heterogeneous  col- 
lection of  people  and  conveyances.  Beyond  and  through 
the  canyon  one  continuous  stream  of  motor-cars  pours 
its  burden  through  the  gulleys  and  over  the  precipitous 
mountain  road  into  Nederland.  The  trip  is  punctuated 
with  trucks  and  ears  that  have  gone  over  the  embank- 
ments and  others  which  have  been  unable  to  make  the 
grades.  Nederland,  like  Oatman,  Arizona,  is  a  dry  camp 
and  as  a  result,  the  movies  and  soft-drink  emporiums  are 
the  sole  diversions,  while  a  greater  amount  of  miners' 
and  lessees'  earnings  are  going  into  drill-steel,  dynamite, 
and  savings  accounts.  The  streets,  or  more  properly 
street,  is  congested  with  people  and  traffic,  and  the  land- 
scape presents  the  appearance  of  a  national  guard  en- 
campment with  the  numerous  tents,  commissaries,  bunk- 
houses,  pine  lumber,  and  unpainted  buildings,  which 
spring  up  almost  over  night.  At  the  time  of  my  visit, 
during  May,  the  town  had  grown  from  a  population  of 
about  500  six  months  ago  to  one  of  about  4000  people. 

Value  of  copper,  lead,  silver,  and  zinc  produced  in 
the  Central  States  during  l3l5  was  $121,283,262,  an  in- 
crease of  120%  compared  with  that  for  1914,  this  being 
principally  in  zinc  and  copper. 


356 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


Atmospheric   Humidity   and 
Its  Measurement 

By     Kenneth     G.     Smith 

•The  large  number  of  deaths  from  heat  in  the  East- 
ern states  recently  has  drawn  attention  to  the  excessive 
humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  which  was  registered  on 
one  day  as  70%.  Humidity  in  mine  air  is  also  an  im- 
portant problem.  According  to  the  law  of  partial  pres- 
sures, commonly  known  as  Dalton's  law,  two  gases  at 
the  same  temperature  do  not  interfere  with  each  other's 
pressures  when  mixed,  provided  there  is  no  chemical 
action.  Each  one  exerts  the  same  pressure  that  it  would 
at  the  given  temperature  if  the  other  were  not  present. 
The  total  pressure  is  the  sum  of  the  pressures  of  the  two 
gases.  Experiment  shows  that  this  law  holds  good  for  a 
mixture  of  gas  and  vapor  such  as  water-vapor  and  air. 
faking  water-vapor  and  air  as  an  example,  if  Pa  is  the 
air-pressure  and  Po  the  vapor-pressure,  then  Pa -\-  Po  = 
Pt  =  total  pressure  of  vapor  and  air.  If  the  vapor  is 
saturated,  the  temperature  of  the  mixture  is  definitely 
fixed  at  the  saturation  temperature  corresponding  to  the 
pressure  Pt.  If  the  temperature  is  higher  than  the  sat- 
uration temperature  at  tin-  driven  pressure,  the  vapor  is 
superheated!  Water-vapor  in  the  atmosphere  is  super- 
heated except  on  damp,  foggy  days,  when  the  water- 
vapor  is  saturated,  or  as  we  say.  the  air  is  saturated  with 
moisture. 

The  weight  of  a  cubic  foot  of  superheated  vapor  is 
less  than  the  weight  of  a  cubic  foot  of  saturated  vapor. 
If  m,  is  the  weight  of  a  cubic  foot  of  saturated  vapor, 
and  m..  =  weight  of  a  cubic  foot  of  superheated  vapor  at 

the   same  temperature,  then   the   ratio — -  expressed   in 

per  cent  is  called  the  humidity  of  the  air  containing  the 
vapor;  that  is,  it  is  the  ratio  of  the  moisture  actually  con- 
tained in  the  air  to  that  which  the  air  could  contain  at 
that  temperature  if  saturated. 

If  a  mixture  of  air  and  superheated  vapor  is  cooled  at 
constant  pressure  (say  atmospheric  pressure),  it  will 
finally  reach  a  point  w-here  the  vapor  becomes  saturated 
instead  of  superheated,  and  further  cooling  results  iu 
condensation.  The  temperature  at  which  condensation 
begins  is  called  the  dew-point.  This  is  simply  the  satura- 
tion temperature  for  the  given  pressure.  The  gas  law 
PV  =  constant,  which  we  may  assume  holds  good  for  low- 
vapor  pressures,  gives  us  the  means  of  calculating  the 

ratio  — -  already  referred  to  as  the  humidity. 

Let  PlVi  represent  the  condition  of  saturated  vapor 
at  the  given  temperature,  and  P2V2  its  actual  condition 
at  this  temperature — that  is,  in  its  superheated  state. 
Then 


P1Vs  =  PlV,  and 


P, 


v, 


If  the  vapor  is  cooled  .it  a  constant  pressure  P,  down  to 
the  saturation  temperature — that  is,  to  the  dew-point — 

•Abstract    from    Coynpresned   Air  Magazine,   originally    pub- 
lished in  loua  Engineer  of  Iowa  State  College. 


P  V 

then  since  P.  is  unchanged  the  ratio  -£-  =  -—■  still  holds 

•-' 1:    now  substituting  for  the   volumes  per  cubic   foot, 

their   reciprocals,   the  weights  per  cubic   foot.  -^-  =  — " 

Hence,  the*  humidity  in  per  cent  is  equal  to  the  ratio 
of  the  pressure,  corresponding  to  the  dew-point,  to  the 
saturation  pressure,  corresponding  to  the  temperature 
of  the  mixture.  An  example  will  make  this  method  of 
measuring  humidity  clear.  Suppose  that  air  has  a 
temperature  of  70°,  and  the  dew-point  is  found  to  be 
50°.  What  is  the  humidity  and  weight  of  vapor  per 
cubic  foot?  From  a  table  of  vapor-pressure  we  find  that 
at  55'  the  saturation  pressure  is  0.436  in.  of  mercury. 
At  75     the  saturation  pressure  is  0.8735  in.  of  mercury. 

The  humidity  is  then  ^^7=50%,  nearly.     If  the  air 

were  saturated  at  75°,  it  would  contain  9.36  grains  of 
moisture  per  cubic  foot.  Hence,  at  50%  saturation  it 
contains  9.36  X  0.5  =  4.68  grains  per  cubic  foot. 

To  measure  moisture  in  this  way  would  be  difficult 
under  other  than  laboratory  conditions,  and  for  that 
reason  another  method,  using  a  wet  and  a  dry -bulb 
thermometer,  has  been  adopted.  The  dry-bulb  ther- 
mometer is  simply  an  ordinary  Fahrenheit  thermometer. 
The  wet-bulb  instrument  is  exactly  the  same  except  that 
it  has  a  piece  of  muslin  or  other  porous  material  wrapped 
around  the  bulb  and  saturated  with  water.  "When  both 
arc  exposed  to  the  air,  the  wet-bulb  thermometer  im- 
mediately falls  to  a  lower  temperature  than  the  other, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  evaporation  of  the  moisture  in 
the  cloth  requires  heat.  The  drier  the  air  the  more  the 
evaporation  and  the  greater  the  drop  in  temperature. 
From  the  difference  in  temperature  between  the  wet  and 
dry-bulb  thermometers  the  humidity  may  be  calculated. 
In  practice  it  is  not  calculated,  but  read  directly  from  a 
table  or  curve. 

One  might  naturally  ask  the  reason  for  the  fixed  tem- 
perature to  which  the  wet-bulb  thermometer  drops.  This 
temperature  is  known  as  the  temperature  of  adiabatie 
saturation,  and  is  fixed  for  any  dry-bulb  temperature 
and  percentage  of  humidity.  To  understand  this  state- 
ment, imagine  three  thermometers  placed  in  a  body  of 
air  to  which  moisture  is  to  be  added  without  exchange  of 
heat  with  any  source  outside  of  the  air  and  water.  The 
first  thermometer  is  arranged  to  show  the  dew-point  and 
reads  the  lowest.  The  second  or  dry-bulb  thermometer 
shows  the  dry-bulb  temperature  or,  as  we  call  it,  the  tem- 
perature of  the  air.  The  third  thermometer  shows  a  tem- 
perature between  the  dry-bulb  temperature  and  the  dew- 
point.  Take,  for  example,  air  as  70°  and  33r;  saturated. 
Then  the  conditions  are  as  follows:  dry-bulb  temper- 
ature, 70°;  dew-point.  39°;  wet-bulb  temperature,  54°. 

If  now  a  fine  spray  of  water  having  a  temperature 
higher  than  39c  is  introduced,  the  air  absorbs  moisture, 
with  the  result  that  the  dry -bulb  temperature  drops  at 
once,  the  dew-point  temperature  rises  ami  the  wet-bulb 
temperature  remains  stationary.  The  reason  is  that  the 
total  heat  of  the  air  is  constant.  The  heat  required  to 
evaporate  the  moisture  is  rendered  latent,  and  the  sen- 


1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


Bible  i  -mi  bj  the  dry-bulb  thermometer  becomes 

it  the  nun  of  latent  and  sensible  heal  is  constant. 

It'  moiatui ntinuea  to  !><•  added,  the  dew-poinl  tern- 

peratare  eontinnea  to  rise,  the  dry-bulb  temperature  oon 
tinuis  to  fall  until  all  three  are  stationary  at  the  wet 
bull)  temperature,  when  the  air  is  saturated.  The  total 
heat  of  the  air  is  the  same  as  it  was  before  the  moisture 
dded,  but  it  contains  more  latent  and  less  sensible 
heat  On  the  total  heat  the  wet-bulb  temperature  de- 
pends, and  therefore  it  is  fixed  for  any  temperature  and 
percentage  of  humidity,  because  the  total  heat  of  the  air 
in  the  given  condition  is  fixed. 

In  tin-  example  given  the  percentage  of  humidity  may 
be  calculated  if  we  know  the  dry  ami  wet-bulb  temper- 
atures. These  are  as  given,  dry-bulb  70  .  wet-bulb  54  . 
The  temperature  of  adiabatic  saturation  is  ."i4°,  and  at 


this  temperature  the  air  contains  62, 1 1  grains  per  pound 
when  saturated.  The  total  heat  of  t  li«-  mixture  squall 
the  heat  of  the  air  plus  the  heat  of  the  moisture,  or 

0.2375      54   |    tW4™  *"-«■««  B.tit 

Since  the  total  beat  of  the  air  is  constant  during  the 

change,  the  totrl  heal  at  7 mala  the  total  heat  at 

54  .  or 

0.2375  X  70  +  (1084.7.)  +  0.48  X  16  XA'  =  22.44 
X  =  Grains  of  moisl  are  in  air  at  70°. 
0.48  =  Specific  heat  of  the  vapor. 
Solving  for  A',  we  have  X      M.-  grains  per  pound 
of  air. 
Since  saturated  air  at  70°  contains  110.01  grains  per 

pound,  the  humidity  is  xiooi  —33%. 


Jig   Concentration  th  Juulln 
District,  Missouri 


By      Clarence 


Wright 


•The  most  common  type  of  jig  used  in  this  district  is 
known  as  the  Cooley,  which  is  similar  in  principle  to  the 
liar/..  It  is  of  the  fixed-sieve  type,  the  water  being 
forced  up  and  down  through  the  screens  or  grates  by 
the  action  of  a  plunger  placed  in  an  adjacent  compart- 
ment. The  number  and  size  of  the  compartments  for 
each  jig  depend  on  the  size  and  character  of  the  ore 

treated. 

« 

In  general,  a  system  of  'roughing'  and  'cleaning'  is 
followed  in  which  the  feed  is  given  a  preliminary  clean- 
ing that  eliminates  the  greater  proportion  of  waste  ma- 
terial on  one  or  two  rougher-jigs  and  the  enriched 
product,  which  will  assay  from  14  to  18%  zinc,  is 
cleaned  on  a  cleaner-jig  for  the  final  treatment,  bring- 

•Abstract  from  Joplin  Globe. 


ing  the  zinc  tenor  up  to  55  to  60%.  The  'dials'  or  in- 
cluded mineral  particles  from  both  the  rougher  and  the 
cleaner-jigs,  which  together  will  assay  4  to  8%  zinc,  are 
re-crushed,  and  either  returned  to  the  rougher-jig  feed 
or  treated  separately  over  a  chat-jig.  The  tailing  from 
the  rougher-jig  is  devvatered  by  means  of  a  trommel  with 
1\  to  2  mm.  openings,  over  the  outside  of  which  the 
tailing  passes  as  the  trommel  slowly  revolves.  The 
undersize  from  this  dewater-screen  flows  to  settling- 
tanks  and  the  oversize  to  the  tailing  elevator  as  waste. 
The  overflow  from  the  tailing-end  of  the  cleaner-jig  and 
other  jigs,  if  used,  also  passes  to  the  settling-tanks  for 
subsequent  treatment. 

The  rougher-jigs  usually  consist  of  5  to  6  cells  with  a 
screening  or  grate-area  of  30  by  42  in.  to  36  by  48  in. 
The  speed  of  the  shaft  connecting  the  plunger  and 
eccentrics  varies  from  90  to  120  r.p.m.,  with  the  length 
of  the  stroke  of  the  plungers  ranging  from  $  to  14,  in. 
The  eleaner-jigs  have  6  to  7  cells  with  a  grate-area  some- 
what smaller  than  that  of  the  rougher-jig.  The  speed  of 
the  shaft  connecting  the  eccentrics  and  plungers  is  from 


NEW   TYPE   OF  JIGS    IX   TAILIXG-MILL  AT   CHITWOOI),    MISSOURI. 


358 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


160  to  200  strokes  per  minute,  with  lengths  of  stroke 
ranging  from  f  to  J  in.    The  chat-jigs,  which  are  not 

commonly  used,  are  smaller  and  usually  consist  of  4  to 
5  cells,  and  are  operated  at  a  higher  speed  and  shorter 
stroke. 

The  material  fed  to  the  first  cell  of  the  jig  is,  as  a  rule, 
not  graded  or  classified.  A  bed,  5  to  6  in.  deep,  is 
formed,  and  as  a  result  of  the  pulsating  action  of  the 
water  the  lighter  gangue  material,  such  as  flint,  settles  on 
the  surface,  the  heavier  free  grains  of  lead  and  zinc 
working  to  the  bottom.  The  downward  suction-stroke 
causes  the  finer  grains  of  minerals  to  continue  through 
the  screen  or  grate-openings  into  the  hutch  of  each  com- 
partment. The  strength  of  the  suction-stroke  is  in- 
creased by  having  the  gates  of  the  hutch  partly  open. 
The  accumulation  in  the  hutch  is  known  as  'smittem,' 
and  is  further  treated  Oil  the  cleaner-jig.  The  bed 
products  of  the  first  two  or  three  cells  are  also  drawn- 
off  and  pass,  together  with  the  hutch-product,  to  the 
cleaner-jig.  The  chats  or  included  mineral  particles, 
usually  from  the  last  hutch  and  the  last  two  or  three 
beds,  are  drawn-off  and  re-ground  before  further  treat- 
ment. 

It  has  been  found  from  various  tests  that  a  few 
minor  changes  in  the  flow-sheet  or  treatment  of  the  ore 
would  seem  feasible  to  effect  more  efficient  jigging  and 
to  make  a  greater  savin;.'  possible. 

The  feed  to  the  rougher-jig,  which  in  most  cases  is 
ungraded  material,  consists  of  both  coarse  and  tine  ma- 
terial. In  the  treatment  of  a  sheet-ground  ore  we  find 
that  3.25%  of  the  feed  to  the  rougher-jig  consisted  of 
material  finer  than  200-mesh,  with  a  zinc-content  of 
o.TT','.  which  represented  1.72%  of  the  total  zinc  in  the 
feed.  Also  the  screen  analyses  of  the  tailing  before  it 
was  dewatered,  show  that  the  assay-value  of  the  material 
finer  than  200-mesh  was  1.50%  zinc,  indicating  that  a 
small  recovery  was  made  on  this  size  material  as  it  passed 
over  the  jig.  The  percentage  of  material  finer  than 
200-mesh  in  the  tailings  was  3.62,  which  represented 
32.26r,'  of  tin'  total  zinc  in  the  tailing.  Screen  analyses 
of  the  dewatered  tailings  showed  that  there  was  still  _ 
1.09%  of  the  material  finer  than  200-mesh  contained  in 
the  tailings,  with  an  assay  value  of  4.20%  zinc,  which 
was  discarded. 

It  is  reasonable  to  believe  from  the  above  figures  alone 
that  it  would  be  advisable  to  de-slime  at  the  head  of  the 
rougher-jig.  However,  the  importance  of  de-sliming  is 
more  strongly  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  the  dewater- 
ing  screens  as  used  at  the  end  of  the  jigs  in  this  district 
are,  as  a  rule,  not  very  efficient,  which  means  a  loss  of 
fine  mineral  in  the  jig-tailing.  To  show  this  more  fully 
the  efficiency  of  the  de watering  screen  at  the  end  of  the 
rougher-jig  was  determined.  It  should  be  stated  that  the 
object  of  the  dewatering  screen  is  not  to  eliminate  the 
water  from  the  tailing,  but  to  collect  as  much  of  the  fine 
as  possible  from  the  tailing  overflowing  at  the  end  of  the 
jig  for  further  treatment  on  tables.  The  dewatering 
screen  had  1.5-mm.  openings;  the  screening  efficiency  was 

as  follows: 


Screen  product,  size  of  opening        Screen  feed     Screen  over- 
size.    | 

80.1 

19.9  12.5 


Over  1.5  mm 

Through  1.5  mm 


Weight  at'  und<ysize  in  the  oversize  =  80.1  X  12.5 -H 
87.5=  11.44.  Screening  efficiency  =  19.9-  11.44  or  s.46 
-19.9  =  42.51%. 

Another  important  point  is  that  the  greater  the  quan- 
tity of  slime  in  the  feed  the  more  value  or  fine  mineral 
particles  will  be  forced  over  the  jig  by  the  flow  of  the 
top  water.  This  fact  is  especially  true  as  the  quantity 
of  water  added  to  the  cells  of  the  jig  increases  the  top 
water  of  each  succeeding  cell.  Better  work  can  also  be 
obtained  from  the  jig  by  having  clear  top  water,  which 
is  another  reason,  when  the  material  is  not  sized,  why  tin- 
feed  to  the  rongber-jig  should  be  de-slimed,  although  this 
would  not  mean  the  elimination  of  the  dewatering  screen 
at  the  end  of  the  rougher-jig. 

Coy  pa?   Production   for  m-x 
Months 


The  following  compilation  shows  properties  in  North 
and  South  America  whose  production  for  the  first  half 
of  1916  has  been  reported,  in  pounds: 

Increase 

1916  1915 

Anaconda    164,500,000  112.200,000  46 

Phelps,   Dodge  &  Co..     85,000,000  65,000,000  30 

Utah    Copper    84,949,000  67,216,000  26 

Calumet  &  Hecla  and 

subsidiaries    79,882,000  60,000,000  33 

Kennecott    61,400,000  t45,000,000  36 

Inspiration    53,847,000  * 

Nevada  Con 43,346,000  26,020,000  66 

Cerro  de  Pasco 36,000,000  26,000,000  38 

Ray    Con 35,580,000  28,987,000  22 

Calumet  &  Arizona. . .      34.S75.000  t29,000,000  20 

Chino    34,365.000  30,185,000  13 

Copper  Range 26,000,000  24,000,000  8.4 

Miami     25,585,000  17,574,000  45 

Greene-Cananea    25,212,000  * 

Braden     23,200,000  15,238,000  52 

Granby     22,059,000  17,140,000  28 

Chile     19,724,000  * 

Old   Dominion    19,759,000  11,372,000  73 

Quincy    11,000,000  10,000,000  4 

Mohawk    and    Wolver- 
ine        9,571,000  11,595,000  J15 

Total     895,854,000  596,527,000  50 

'No  production.     fEstimated.     JDecrease. 

In  the  first  half  of  1915  the  Greene-Cananea  plants 
were  closed  owing  to  disturbances  in  Mexico.  The  Chile 
Copper  Co.  did  not  start  its  mill  until  Hay.  1915.  so  that 
the  copper  produced  to  end  of  the  following  June  was 
only  a  few  thousand  pounds.  The  Inspiration  mill  did 
not  get  under  way  until  June  2,  1915. — Boston  News 
Bureau. 


More  than  half  the  world's  production  of  copper  in 
normal  times  is  used  for  the  manufacture  of  electrical 
equipment. 


September  -'.  1916 


MINING    «nd    Scienl.tic     PRESS 


Cyaniding  Clayey  Ore  at  the 
Buckhorn  Mine,  Nevada 


■r     Phi     ». 


Cook 


•The  ore  deposil  of  the  Buckhorn  Mines  Co.,  Buck- 
horn,  Nevada,  is  peculiar  as  it  ocoutb  as  a  shallow 
kaolinixed  mass  of  material  with  basalt  walls,  having 
apparently  oo  direct  connection  with  any  of  the  usual 
gold-bearing  rocks.  The  ore  generally  contains  16' I 
water  of  hydration,  and  the  cyaniding  of  this  hydrous 
clayey  material  offered  unusual  difficulties  when  com- 
pared with  the  typical  gold-quartz  ores  of  Nevada  The 
orebody  was  thoroughly  developed.  Then  the  mill  was 
buill  according  to  the  latest  cyanide  practice,  embodying 

changes  n< ssitated  by  the  peculiar  nature  of  this  ore; 

but  on  Btarting  the  mill,  the  ore  proved  more  difficult  to 
treat  than  had  been  anticipated. 

Considerable  trouble  was  experienced  in  mining  the 
Sticky  ore  and  getting  it  to  the  treatment  plant.  The 
next  problem  was  to  get  the  ore  out  of  the  mill-bin  and 

to  Crush  it.  The  bin  was  an  ordinary  circular  steel  type. 
with  natural  earth  bottom  and  side  gate.  This  ore  would 
not  run  from  the  bin.  The  mill  was  designed  to  treat 
300  tons  per  day,  but  even  with  one  man  in  the  ore-bin 
and  two  at  the  crusher,  it  was  impossible  to  get  more 
than  loll  tons  through  in  "24  hours.  In  crushing,  the 
large  kaolin  lumps  gave  the  most  trouble. 

The  jaw-crusher  was  discarded  in  favor  of  high-speed 
toothed  rolls  that  gave  the  desired  crushing  capacity. 
The  rolls  are  well  adapted  for  sticky  ores.  To  dispense 
« ith  a  man  on  each  shift  shoveling  ore  out  of  the  bin,  a 
36-iu.  conveyor-belt  was  installed  to  feed  the  crusher. 
The  opening  in  the  bottom  of  the  bin  over  the  belt  was 
2  ft.  wide,  extending  clear  across  the  bin.  It  was  closed 
by  means  of  short  pieces  of  mine  rails  that  could  be  re- 
moved as  desired  to  allow  the  ore  to  be  drawn  out. 

The  45  by  15-in.  Anaconda-type  rolls  with  smooth 
shells  would  dear  themselves  fairly  well  if  one  of  the 
shells  had  a  channel  1  in.  wide  by  A  in.  deep  machined  in 
it.  but  it  was  troublesome  to  keep  a  groove  in  the  shells 
as  they  wore  down. 

One  6-ft.  Hardinge  ball-mill  was  intended  to  reduce 
the  whole  tonnage.  After  plastering  the  balls  to  the 
side  of  the  mill  with  clay  a  few  times,  the  mill-men 
learned  by  the  sound  of  the  mill  when  it  was  beginning 
to  choke ;  feed  was  then  cut  off. 

Another  ball-mill  made  it  possible  to  keep  the  rest  of 
the  plant  going  while  grinding  out  the  mills,  one  at  a 
time,  and  allowed  the  rolls  being  set  coarser  on  sticky 
ore.  With  clean  ore  300  tons  per  day  was  sometimes  put 
through  one  mill. 

The  ball-mill  discharge  was  classified  in  two  36-in. 
Akins  classifiers,  the  oversize  fed  to  two  5  by  18-ft.  tube- 
mills  with  Komata  liners.  The  tube-mill  discharge  was 
classified   in    a    home-made    drag-classifier.      The   small 

•Abstract  from  paper  prepared  for  Arizona  meeting  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


quantity    of   material    requiring    re  grinding    included 
fragments  of  basalt  'nigger-heads.'    Tins  material  •■■ 
most  ax  hard  as  the  pebbles  themselves  and  of  low  asaaj 
value.    Occasionally  enough  accumulated  in  the  circuit 

to  be  troublesome  ;nnl  « as  thrown  out.     A  small  amount 

was  though)  to  help  grinding.  About  80^  of  the  prod 
net  delivered  to  the  cyanide  plant  would  pass  a  150  mesh 
screen. 

Of    the    mill  head    value    Ml',     was    dissolved    in    the 

crushing-plant    Onlj  small  additional  extractii ould 

be  obtained  in  the  resl  Of  the  plant.  The  real  trouble 
was  to  remove  the  dissolved  value  from  the  clayey  pulp. 
Accordingly  the  three  :{2  by  14-ft.  Dorr  agitators  were 

changed  to  thickeners.  The8e  settled  300  tons  daily  of 
1  to  10  pulp,  as  delivered  from  the  crushing-plant,  to  a 
specific  gravity  of  1.15.  The  s  sq.  ft.  of  settling  area 
provided  per  Ion  of  ibis  ore  settled  in  24  hr.  would  be 
sufficient  to  settle  an  average  Nevada  quartz  ore  to  a 
speeitie  gravity  of  1.33.  The  overflow  was  precipitated, 
and  the  underflow  mixed  with  the  barren  solution  ami 
fed  to  six  36  by  12-ft.  Dorr  thickeners,  delivering  a  1.23 
Specific  gravity  underflow  to  the  filters.  The  20  sq.  ft. 
of  settling  area  per  ton  settled  in  24  hr.  is  three  times  the 
area  required  to  settle  an  average  Nevada  ore  to  a  specific 
gravity  of  1.33.  Primary  thickeners  were  held  with  2  ft. 
of  clear  solution  ;  the  secondary  thickeners  with  6  in.  It 
was  impossible  to  settle  the  raw  Buckhorn  ore  beyond  a 
specific  gravity  of  1.26,  either  in  the  mill  or  experi- 
mentally. 

The  maximum  capacity  of  each  of  the  four  14-ft. 
diam.  by  12-ft.  face  Oliver  filters  was  50  tons  per  day, 
about  one-half  their  capacity  on  average  Nevada  ore. 
An  additional  filter,  24-ft.,  had  to  be  installed  to  filter 
300  tons  per  day. 

A  sample  of  Buckhorn  ore,  dried  carefully  at  a  tem- 
perature below  110°C,  had  a  specific  gravity  of  1.9.  A 
higher  temperature  gave  an  additional  loss  of  16%  in 
weight,  and  entirely  changed  the  physical  properties  of 
the  ore.  The  dehydrated  sample  had  a  specific  gravity 
of  2.4,  and  settled  and  filtered  almost  as  well  as  a  quartz 
ore.  Dehydrating  also  removed  the  sticky  qualities. 
Both  samples,  however,  gave  the  same  extraction  with 
cyanide.  The  temperature  of  a  laboratory  electric  hot- 
plate was  sufficient  to  dehydrate  a  sample  nicely.  As 
CO,,  etc.,  would  not  be  driven  off  at  this  temperature, 
this  loss  in  weight  must  be  due  to  water  of  hydration. 
With  cheap  fuel,  dehydration  before  milling  would  be 
the  best  treatment  for  this  class  of  material.  The  ore 
would  mill  and  classify  easier,  the  thickeners  and  filters 
would  have  normal  capacity,  and  dissolved  metals  would 
be  more  completely  removed.  The  temperature  of  a 
commercial  drier  would  dehydrate  the  ore  with  about 
the  same  fuel  consumption  (100  lb.  of  coal  per  ton  of 
ore)  as  in  removing  the  18%  H,0  if  it  existed  in  the 
form  of  moisture.  The  high  price  of  fuel  delivered  at 
Buckhorn  prevented  the  adoption  of  dehydration  at  this 
mill.  The  ore  was  treated  raw  at  the  cost  of  $1.59  per 
ton;  total  costs  were  $2.55  per  ton.  Power  cost  $8  per 
hp.  month. 


360 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2,  191B 


Recent  Patents 


1,190,012.  Amaummatob.     Percy   A.   Robbins.   Tlmmins,   On- 
tario, Canada.     Filed  Oct.  10,  1014. 


1.  Amalgamating  apparatus  comprising  a  chamber  journaled 
for  rotation  and  provided  with  an  axial  opening  and  a  circular 
axial  outlet  opening,  the  chordal  planes  of  segments  of  the 
chamber  tangentially  intersecting  the  periphery  of  the  outlet 
opening  at  different  points  of  the  circumference  thereof  vary- 
ing in  area  to  cause  the  surface  of  contained  mercury  to  alter- 
nately approach  and  recede  from  the  axis  of  rotation  as  the 
chamber  is  rotated. 


1,190,306. 
selmo,  Cal. 


Ork-Com  i:n  ritAioii 
Filed  Oct.  6,  1914. 


Rudolph    Leonhart.   San    An- 


An  ore  concentrator  including  a  conical  body  mounted  for 
rotation  and  having  a  substantially  perpendicular  portion  lead- 
ing downwardly  to  the  apex  of  the  body  and  a  slightly  inclined 
portion  leading  upwardly  to  the  apex  of  the  body,  there  being 
an  outlet  and  said  apex,  means  for  rotating  the  body  in  one 
direction  about  an  axis  extending  along  said  slightly  inclined 
bottom  portion,  means  for  directing  values  onto  the  bot- 
tom portion  of  the  table  between  the  outlet  and  the  front 
of  the  table,  and  means  extending  along  the  periphery  of  the 
table  at  the  uppermost  portion  thereof,  for  directing  water 
downwardly  toward  the  outlet  to  direct  into  the  outlet  values 
adhering  to  the  table. 


1,191,271.  Furnace  Constriction.  James  A.  Bow  and  Peter 
Thill,  Great  Falls,  Mont.,  and  Archer  E.  Wheeler.  London. 
England.     Filed  Dec.  IT,  1914.     Serial  No.  877,706. 


1.  In  a  furnace  of  the  character  described,  a  roof  provided 
with  longitudinally  disposed  expansion  joints  opening  into  the 
treatment  chamber,  and  transverse  joints  likewise  opening 
into  said  chamber,  the  several  joints  being  closed  to  the  atmos- 
phere. 

2.  In  a  furnace  of  the  character  described,  a  roof  composed 
of  bricks  bonded  and  laid  in  courses  and  forming  longitudinal 


and  transverse  expansion  joints  opening  into  the  treatment 
chamber,  and  means  for  closing  said  joints  to  the  atmosphere. 
3.  In  an  arch  or  roof  of  a  furnace  of  the  character  described, 
a  pair  of  bricks  positioned  to  form  a  joint  opening  into  the 
treatment  chamber  but  closed  to  the  atmosphere,  and  means  on 
the  bricks  outside  the  roof  for  preventing  the  bricks  from 
dropping  into  the  treatment  chamber. 


1,188,899. 
Canal  Zone. 


1  ikf  mi  i:-Spud  Brace. 
Filed  July  Ml.  1915. 


Albert  Basil  Clardy.  Balboa, 
Serial  No.  42,975. 


1.  The  combination  with  a  dipper  dredge  and  a  spud  con- 
nected therewith,  of  means  connected  adjacent  the  lower  end 
of  the  spud  and  extending  thence  upwardly  and  rearwardly  to 
brace  the  same,  and  means  temporarily  holding  the  upper  end 
of  said  bracing  means,  substantially  as  set  forth. 

1,192,478.  Amalgamator,  Albert  E.  Vandercook,  Alameda. 
Cal.,  assignor  to  California  Macvan  Company,  a  Corporation 
of  California.    Filed  June  16,  1914.    Serial  No.  845,387. 


1.  In  an  amalgamator,  a  tank,  a  mercury  covered  plate  ar- 
ranged in  said  tank,  a  hollow  armed  rotatable  structure  ar- 
ranged above  said  plate,  nozzles  on  said  structure  directed 
toward  said  plate,  a  pump  arranged  externally  of  said  tank 
and  arranged  to  force  liquid  through  said  structure  and  noz- 
zles, a  suction  pipe  for  said  pump  opening  into  the  tank  be- 
low the  normal  level  of  the  liquid  therein  and  a  feed  pipe  ex- 
tending into  said  tank  and  terminating  below  the  normal  level 
of  the  liquid  therein  and  in  close  relation  to  the  end  of  the 
suction  pipe,  whereby  material  discharging  from  the  feed 
pipe  is  drawn  directly  into  the  suction  pipe. 

1,190,549.  Process  of  Recovering  Valites  from  Ores.  Henry 
Hirsching.  Oakland.  Cal.    Filed  November  28,  1913. 

A  process  for  recovering  copper,  silver  and  gold  from  roasted 
or  unroasted  ores,  consisting  in  acting  on  the  ore  with  aqueous 
ammonia,  thereby  dissolving  the  copper  and  the  silver,  ex- 
pelling the  ammonia  from  the  solution,  thereby  causing  a  pre- 
cipitate from  the  solution  of  the  black  copper  oxid  and  silver 
oxid,  settling  and  decanting,  dissolving  the  precipitate  with 
sulfuric  acid,  electrolyzing  to  deposit  copper,  recovering  the 
silver,  and  recovering  the  gold  from  the  ore  residue  substan- 
tially as  and  for  the  purpose  set  forth. 


•■  2,  1916 


MINING    ..ml    Scientific     1'Kl.ss 


Mineral   Production    of 
fornia  In  1915 


Call- 


ii  output  ol  California  during  M16  was  ralued  at 
rude  mateiiala,  Including  iv  different  mln- 
eralii.    of  the  68  oounUaa  In  the  state  -> 1 1  bul  two  contributed 
mineral  product    Compared  with  the  1914  output,  the 
two  notable  i  startling  Increaaea  in  some 

<>f  the  metal*,  and  the  decrease  In  petroleum,  both  in  quantity 
due,    The  result,  however,  i>  a  net  Increase  in  the 
grand  total  value  "f  I  over  the  MM  total.    01  the 

antimony  again  entered  the  active  list  after  an  absence 
Copper  Increaaed  over  10,000,000  lb.  in  quan- 
nd  18,114,192  In  value;  gold  Increaaed  11,788,800;  quick- 
silver Incres  In  quantity  and  more  Hum  doubled  In 
value;  tungsten  Jumped  from  a  value  of  1180.575  to  $1,006,467; 
line  gained   from   899,641    lb,  worth  $80,881,  to  13.048,411    lb. 


MAP       or 

CALIFORNIA 


|M  E  X  I  C  O 


valued  at  $1,617,383.  Petroleum  decreased  approximately  12,- 
000.000  bbl.,  but  the  average  price  per  barrel  was  slightly 
higher,  so  that  the  net  result  was  a  decrease  in  value  of 
$3.983.1'72. 

California  yields  commercially  a  greater  number  and  va- 
riety of  mineral  products  than  any  other  State  in  the  Union, 
and  possesses  latent  possibilities  in  other  items  so  far  un- 
developed. The  total  annual  value  of  the  output  is  surpassed 
by  only  four  other  States,  they  being  the  great  coal  and  iron 
producers  east  of  the  Mississippi  river.  California  is  the 
sole  producer  of  borax,  chrome,  and  magnesite.  For  several 
years  the  State  has  been  leading  all  others  in  gold,  petroleum, 
platinum,  and  tungsten;  but  was  surpassed  in  1915,  for  the  first 
time,  in  petroleum  by  Oklahoma.  , 

During  1916  there  is  certain  to  be  a  considerable  increase  in 
the  output  of  chrome,  copper,  magnesite,  tungsten,  and  zinc. 
Many  new  deposits  of  chrome  and  magnesite  are  being  mined. 
ln>o  county  will  swell  the  tungsten  yield. 

The  following  table  shows  the  yield  of  mineral  substances 
in  -California  during  1915.  as  compiled   from  the  returns   re- 


eelved  bj  the  suite  Mining  Bureau,  Si 
to  Inquiries  sent  to  product 

Mineral  Quantit) 

. v  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  >  1 1  \   ,  tons  610 

■  iiH    143 

ma    i in 

Bituminous  rock,  tons  it.Ts'.i 

Borax,  i"i^  ui 

Brick   180,688, 

4,918,976 

Cbromlte,  tons  jt726 

Clay    i  potter]  i.    tuns    s66 

Coal,   tons   10,299 

Copper,   pounds    40,968,966 

Dolomite,   tons    Wxi 

Feldspar,   tons    \,sm\ 

Fuller's   earth,    tons 692 

Gems    

•Gold     

Gypsum,  tons  20,200 

Infusorial  earth,  tons 12,400 

I  urn   ore,  tons   724 

Lead,   pounds   4,796,299 

Lime,  barrels   356.531 

Limestone,  tons  146,324 

I. itltia.    tons    91 

Magnesite,  tons   30,721 

Manganese  ore,  tons 1,013 

Marble,  cubic  feet  22,186 

Mineral  paint,  tons  311 

Mineral   water,   gallons 2,274,267 

Natural  gas,  cubic  feet 21,992,892,000 

Petroleum,   barrels    91,146,620 

'Platinum,   ounces    667 

Potash,  tons   1,076 

Pumice,  tons  380 

Pyrite,  tons  92,462 

Quicksilver,  flasks  14,199 

Salt,  tons  169,028 

Sandstone,  cubic  feet  63,350 

Silica  (sand  and  quartz),  tons...  28,904 

•Silver    

Slate,  squares  1,000 

Soapstone  and  talc,  tons 1,663 

Soda,  tons   5,799 

tStone,   miscellaneous    

Tungsten  concentrates,  tons 962 

Zinc,  pounds  13,043,411 


In    III! 

61,468 
1,664,681 
1,61 
6,044,960 

26,662 

7,169,667 

l  1,604 

4,002 

3.565 

22,442,296 

48,953 

62,000 

2,584 

225,426 

286,304 

156,288 

1,365 

283,461 

49,098 

41,518 

1,756 

467,738 

1,706,480 

43,503,837 

21,149 

19,391 

6,400 

293,148 

1,157,449 

368,737 

8,438 

34,322 

851,129 

5,000 

14,750 

83,485 

5,011,108 

1,005,467 

1,617,383 


$96,663,369 
•Courtesy  of  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

tlncludes  granite,  macadam,  rubble,  paving  blocks,  sand  and 
gravel,  and  grinding-mill  pebbles. 

At  the  coming  convention  of  the  American  Electrochemical 
Society  to  be  held  at  New  York  on  September  27  and  30  one  of 
the  sessions  will  be  devoted  to  'Made  in  America'  products  of 
the  electric  furnace  and  electric  cell.  These  products  include 
many  of  the  most  important  staples  such  as  copper,  aluminum, 
abrasives,  and  bleach.  While  such  chemical  industries  as 
coal-tar  dyes  are  distinctly  European,  the  electro-chemical  in- 
dustry is  decidedly  American.  Aluminum  was  invented  here 
and  put  on  a  commercial  basis.  The  first  plant  for  the  elec- 
trical synthesis  of  the  elements  of  the  air  and  the  production 
of  artificial  fertilizer  nitrate  was  erected  at  Niagara  Falls. 
Large  quantities  of  abrasives  are  made  in  the  electric  furnace. 
Other  electro-chemical  products  of  importance  are  graphite, 
phosphorus,  hypo-chlorite  of  lime,  magnesium  metal,  carbon 
bisulphide,  calcium  carbide,  hydrate  of  sodium,  ferro-silicon, 
and  other  iron  alloys. 


:i62 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


mmwmw   dif 


^ 


ramjre 


/  at  the  world's  great  mining  centrs*  h,,  our  . 


LEAHY iLLE,  COLORADO 
un- — Re-opening   ink  Greenback. — Wolftone 
Shaft.  —  Robinsoh     Distbict.  —  Hauvauu     and     Penrose 
Shafts. 

The  first  extensive  development  to  be  undertaken  in  the 
new  Prospect  Mountain  territory  since  ore  was  discovered 
in  the  Valley  adit  has  been  started  by  Clarence  Jarbeau. 
manager  of  the  Julia  Mining  Co.,  now  operating  the  Home 
Extension  and  Cloud  City  properties  in  the  Down  Town  sec- 
tion. Mr.  Jarbeau  has  organized  a  strong  company,  and 
secured  a  long  term  lease  on  the  old  Mansfield  claims  on  the 
north-west  slope  of  Prospect  mountain.  The  property  is  owned 
by  the  Lanphier  brothers,  operators  of  the  Penn  mines  on 
Breece  hill.  They  have  done  some  development  on  the  Mails- 
Held  in  past  years,  the  most  recent  work  uncovering  a  large 
body  of  iron-manganese  ore.  A  low  price  was  offered  for  the 
ore  at  the  time,  and  it  was  not  profitable  to  continue  work. 
The  ground  has  been  unworked  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
Jarbeau  thinks  that  the  Mansfield,  as  well  as  the  many  other 
properties  on  Prospect  mountain,  will  prove  as  rich  in  ore  as 
the  territory  throughout  Breece,  Fryer,  and  Carbonate  hills, 
and  he  has  determined  on  thorough  development.  The  Lan- 
phier adit  was  driven  a  distance  of  200  ft.  This  is  to  be  con- 
tinued 250  ft.  farther,  when  cross-cutting  from  the  main  open- 
ing will  be  started  at  several  points.  The  exposure  of  iron- 
manganese  ore  will  be  explored  at  once,  and  it  is  thought 
that  shipments  of  It  will  be  made  soon,  as  there  is  a  good 
market  for  it.  The  Mansfield  includes  12  full  claims  located 
midway  between  the  holdings  of  the  Valley  and  that  of  the 
Anderson  tunnel  near  Birdseye. 

Patrick  Mulrooney,  owner  of  the  Greenback  mine  in  Graham 
park,  has  undertaken  another  important  step  in  its  re-opening. 
Recently  the  shaft  was  re-timbered  at  the  900-ft.  level.  The 
pumping  that  was  carried  on  through  the  Wolftone  shaft 
drained  the  Greenback  to  this  point,  where  there  is  a  large 
steam  pumping  plant  that  has  been  under  water  for  several 
years.  The  pumps  have  been  repaired  and  are  in  good  order. 
It  has  been  decided  to  drain  the  Greenback  to  the  bottom  level. 
1350  ft.  A  Layne-Bowler  deep-well  electric  pump  of  1000  gal. 
capacity  has  been  purchased  for  this,  and  is  expected  within  a 
week.  A  150-hp.  motor  has  been  installed  on  the  900-ft.  level 
for  propelling  the  sinking  pump.  The  water  will  be  raised  by 
the  sinker  to  the  900-ft.  level,  where  it  will  discharge  into  the 
old  steam  plant,  which  in  turn  will  deliver  to  the  surface.  It 
is  thought  that  the  flow  will  not  exceed  500  gal.  after  the  shaft 
has  been  drained.  The  Colorado  Power  Co.  has  completed  the 
erection  of  a  line  to  the  Greenback,  and  line-men  are  now 
erecting  a  transformer-house  at  the  property.  Transformers 
have  been  delivered  for  installation,  and  everything  will  be  in 
readiness  for  operation  as  soon  as  the  pump  is  installed. 

The  Western  Mining  Co.  is  preparing  to  continue  the 
draining  of  the  Wolftone  and  surrounding  mines  to  a  depth  of 
1050  ft.,  the  bottom  of  the  Wolftone  shaft.  The  pumping  that 
has  been  done  in  this  shaft  has  already  reduced  the  water- 
level  In  the  Greenback,  Mikado,  and  Pyrenees  150  ft.,  and  has 
completely  drained  the  Robert  Emmet.  With  further  draining 
prepared  for  the  Greenback  and  the  Mikado,  this  section  of  the 
district  will  soon  be  open  for  deep  mining. 

The  old  Robinson-Kokomo  district,  just  over  the  line  in 
Summit  county,  is  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  boom  that  has 


been  known  for  some  years.  A  year  ago  there  was  nothing 
doing  throughout  the  entire  district.  Two  or  three  old  prop- 
erties were  active,  but  they  were  producing  only  a  small  ton- 
nage, employing  a  few  men.  Now  there  are  14  mines  working, 
all  of  them  shipping  heavily  and  employing  a  total  of  250  men. 
The  bulk  of  the  ore  being  extracted  is  a  lead-zinc  sulphide, 
which  is  shipped  to  the  Progress  mill  near  Robinson.  This 
plant,  formerly  known  as  the  Wilson  mill,  has  been  completely 
overhauled  and  re-modelled  by  the  Progress  people,  and  at 
present  is  one  of  the  most  efficient  separation  plants  for  lead- 
zinc  ores.  It  is  a  combination  process  of  flotation  that  gives 
unusual  results.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  500  tons  and  is 
working  regularly. 

A  rich  gold,  silver,  and  lead  strike  has  just  been  made  on 
the  Columbine  property  near  Robinson,  which  is  under  lease  to 
some  Leadville  mining  men.  A  3-ft.  vein  assaying  1  oz.  gold, 
786  "z.  silver,  and  10r/c  lead  has  been  opened.  Several  ship- 
ments have  been  made.  Estimates  on  the  returns  from  the  ore 
now  at  the  smelter  give  $15,000  a  25-ton  carload,  an  average 
value  of  $600  per  ton.  The  Columbine  is  one  of  the  oldest 
mines  in  the  Robinson  district,  and  has  just  been  re-opened  by 
lessees  after  years  of  inactivity.  It  has  produced  lead  and 
silver  heavily,  and  was  known  to  contain  rich  lead-zinc  veins. 
The  present  operators  proposed  to  develop  the  zinc  deposits, 
and  were  proceeding  with  this  work  when  they  discovered  the 
silver  ore.  One  of  the  men  was  digging  a  drain  at  the  bottom 
of  a  70-ft.  stope  when  he  found  the  ore.  Other  prospecting 
exposed  the  vein  for  11  ft.  A  large  tonnage  is  being  extracted, 
and  the  mine  has  every  indication  of  becoming  one  of  the  rich- 
est producers  of  the  district. 

The  water  problem  at  the  Harvard  property  on  Fryer  hill, 
being  exploited  by  the  C.  S.  S.,  R.  &  E.  Co.  has  finally  been 
solved.  The  flume  that  was  constructed  through  part  of 
Evans  gulch,  which  is  now  carrying  the  stream  past  the 
Harvard,  has  effectively  blocked  the  surface  water  that  was 
causing  considerable  trouble.  Immediately  after  the  water 
had  been  turned  into  the  flume,  the  flow  in  the  shaft  decreased 
from  300  to  500  gal.  per  minute.  The  mine  is  now  being 
rapidly  drained.  Preparations  are  being  made  for  sinking  the 
shaft  another  300  ft.,  making  it  1040  ft.  deep. 

Drainage  of  the  Penrose  shaft  and  workings  in  the  Down 
Town  basin  is  now  complete.  The  large  4-stage  electric  cen- 
trifugal station-pump  of  2000-gal.  capacity  has  been  installed 
at  the  bottom  level,  and  connected  with  its  650-hp.  motor.  A 
water-column  has  been  attached,  and  the  pump  is  now  steadily 
throwing  a  large  stream  to  surface  against  a  head  of  870  ft. 
One  of  the  sinkers  has  been  removed  from  the  shaft,  this  com- 
partment being  used  for  hoisting.  The  flow,  which  is  estimated 
to  be  between  2500  and  2S0O  gal.  per  minute,  will  be  handled 
by  the  station-pump  at  the  bottom,  and  one  sinker  working  in 
relay  with  the  relief  pumps  at  the  450-ft.  level.  Mining  in  the 
old  workings  is  extending.  Surface  rights  to  a  large  area  sur- 
rounding the  Penrose  have  been  purchased  for  dumping.  Most 
of  this  ground  has  been  occupied  by  residences:  the  buildings 
are  being  moved  to  other  locations.  It  is  officially  reported 
that  ore  has  been  exposed  in  several  places  and  that  shipping 
will  be  started  in  a  short  time. 

Returns  from  the  Pittsburg  mine  in  lower  Russell  gulch. 
Gilpin  county,  continue  rich.  Two  recent  lots  yielded  6.61  oz. 
gold.  7  to  s  oz.  silver,  and  6.5  to  16.5%  copper.  This  was  mined 
from  a  depth  of  900  feet. 


September  2,  1916 


MI\I\U     ..ml     Sc.cntihc     PRESS 


I  WTORJA,  BRIT18B  COl  I  VBIA 

Bn  ktoimii   Paooasaa  i\  Minims  am.  Unuii  . 

•rally,    tlu    mining    Industry    of    this    Province    mad* 
116.    The  chlel  troubh 
•■.I  ni  |n  the  latter  huif  of  Joni  dalaj   in  de- 

al ore  from  th<  'Ping  to  tbe 

vi  rti  ■  ji  Trail,  rapidly 
meltlni  anon  bai  d  Boodi  tbat  damaged  rallwa; 

and,  in  several  Instance  that  broke 

mpplj    Uhm  to  mines  and  concentrating  mills  and  In 
other  «ays  Interfered  with  mining  and  milling  operatloi 

ii   period  of  two  1"  f"vir  wet  ■■'■   hall   "I    It 

opened   with   labor   disputes   In    the   Crowaneal    coal-mlnlng 
>  employees  having  demanded  a  higher  "war 
bonus"  than  the  opera!  rilling  to  concede,  consequent 

1>  there  was  ■  stoppage  ol  work  tor  a  shun  time  and  a  re- 
sultant break  In  coal  and  ink.  production.  The  shortened 
supply  of  the  lattei  made  necessary  a  curtailment  ol  operations 
at  coppersmelting  works.  However,  a  settlement  is  iii  sight. 
ndlcatlng  the  progress  made  in  Kootenay  district  <bis 
war.  the  Bgures  showing  the  ore  receipts 
at  the  Trail  smelter  are,  on  the  whole. 
satisfactory.  In  making  the  following 
comparison  of  the  totals  of  ore-receipts 
In  tbe  first  half  of  eaeh  of  three  years. 
I'M  I.  1916,  and  1916.  it  should  be  kept  in 
mind  that  the  outbreak  of  War  in  Europe 
did  not  affect  figures  for  the  1914  period 
quoted,  since  War  was  not  declared  until 
after  the  close  of  that  half-year.  It  did 
affect  the  1915  period,  however,  and  so  far 
as  a  few  mines  previously  producing  regu- 
larly but  not  operated  since  the  outbreak 
of  War,  to  some  extent  the  1916  period 
also.  The  several  half-yearly  totals  were 
as  follows:  to  June  30,  1914,  183,427  tons; 
June  30,  1915,  217,627  tons;  and  June  30, 
1916.  245,466  tons.  The  increase  in  re- 
ceipts was  largely  from  mines  operated 
by  the  Consolidated  company  itself,  cus- 
tom ores  having  increased  only  from 
38,131  tons  in  the  1914  half-year  to  40,265 
in  the  corresponding  period  of  1916,  the 
latter  having  been  a  substantial  improve- 
ment   on    the    1916    figures,    which    were 

21.511  tons  to  June  30  of  that  year.  The  total  quantity  of  cus- 
tom ores  received  from  British  Columbia  mines  during  the 
first  half  of  1914  was  29,464  tons,  compared  with  6386  tons  in 
the  corresponding  months  of  1915,  and  25,258  tons  in  that  of 
1916.  On  the  other  hand,  receipts  from  mines  in  the  United 
States,  chiefly  in  the  northern  part  of  Washington,  were 
8667  tons  in  the  1914  period,  15,125  tons  in  that  of  1915,  and 
15,007  tons  in  that  of  1916.  In  this  connection  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  ores  from  the  State  of  Washington  have  also 
been  sent  to  smelting  works  in  the  Boundary  district  of 
British  Columbia,  though  these  and  Trail  will  hereafter  have 
a  strong  competitor  in  the  lately  remodeled  reduction  works 
at  Northport,  Washington.  Another  thing  to  be  taken  into 
account  is  that  the  larger  mines  in  Slocan  district  have  this 
year  taken  advantage  of  the  high  prices  for  zinc,  as  is  seen 
by  the  following  comparison:  zinc  ore  and  concentrates  ship- 
ped during  the  first  half  of  1916  included  5476  tons  for  the 
Standard,  2220  tons  from  the  Lucky  Jim,  1647  tons  from  the 
Galena  Farm,  and  1110  tons  from  the  Slocan  Star,  a  total  of 
10,453  tons,  compared  with  only  83  tons  from  all  four  mines 
in  1915.  The  figures  for  the  Surprise  mine  are  the  other  way; 
its  1915  total,  to  June  30  was  305S  tons  of  zinc  product,  while 
that  for  this  year  is  only  185  tons,  the  destruction  of  the  con- 
centrating mill  by  fire  having  prevented  production  this  year 
pending  completion  of  a  new  mill. 


The  mil    Includs   production    In 

Bounder;  ami  Coast  districts,  tn  which  are  iltuated  thi 
the  province,    Full  partlcul 

able  JuM    now,   but    an   Idea  of  pro  I    from 

the  follow  in  ,   amount  ol 

bj  the  Qrantrj  company,  practically  all  from  Its  own  mil 
the  two  menl d.    in  January,  6,122,879  lb.;  Febru- 

ary,  2,690,266   lb.;    Han 
May,  1,727,929  lb.    The  Britannia  company  made  an  lm 

Summarizing  tE nltlon  so  far  as  concerns  some  ol  the 

larger  prodn  In  Kootenai  district,  ii  is  noteworthy 

that  Blast  Kootenay  o  Trail  In  six  months  of  1916 

tons  of  ore— nearly   all    from   the  Sullivan    mine     C 

pared  with  10,766  to  June  80,  1914;  and  West  Kootenay  mines 
189,972  tons  against  168,073  tons,  in  regard  to  West  Kootenay. 
there  was  an  increase  from  Uossland  mines  from  128,000  tons 
In  the  1914  period  to  nearly  173,000  tons  in  that  period  ol 
while  on  the  other  hand  receipts  at  Trail  from  mines  in  Alns- 
worth,  Slocan.  and  Nelson  divisions  decreased  from  35.100  tons 
in  tbe  first  part  of  1914  to  16,700  tons  in  that  of  1916.  Yet  on 
the  whole,  there  is  believed  to  have  been  an  appreciably  large 


MILL    AT    THE    SEA-LEVEL    MINE    NEAR    KETCHIKAN,     NORTH    OF    THE    BRITISH   COLUMBIA 

BOUNDARY. 


increase   in  ore   production   for  the   province   compared   with 
1914  and  1915. 

Metallurgical  progress  has  been  keeping  up  with  that  of 
mining.  The  most  striking  changes  are  those  made  at  the 
Consolidated  company's  works  at  Trail.  Accompanying  a  pic- 
ture of  the  new  zinc-refining  works  at  Trail  used  lately  in 
New  York  newspapers  was  the  statement  that  Trail  is  the 
only  place  in  the  world  where  gold,  silver,  lead,  zinc,  and  cop- 
per are  all  refined.  Whether  this  be  so  or  not,  the  fact  re- 
mains that  operations  at  Trail  now  include  the  electrolytic 
refining  of  lead  and  zinc,  and  probably  copper  if  the  new  plant 
has  been  completed,  while  the  refining  of  gold  and  silver  has 
been  done  there  for  years.  There  is  little  if  any  change  at 
Boundary  district  copper-smelters,  long  noted  for  their  effi- 
ciency; a  higher  gold-saving  standard  has  been  reached  at  the 
Hedley  Gold  Mining  Co.'s  40-stamp  mill  and  cyanide  plant;  in 
Slocan  district,  several  of  the  older  wet-concentration  mills 
have  been  much  improved  and  two  or  three  new  ones  erected 
and  equipped,  flotation  being  provided  for  in  several  instances; 
it  is  claimed  that  the  French  zinc-saving  process  will  soon  be 
in  successful  operation  at  Nelson;  the  Britannia  company  has 
made  striking  progress  with  its  enlarged  mill,  using  the  M.  S. 
flotation  process  on  silicious  copper  ore;  and  the  Granby's 
smelter  at  Anyox  is  producing  copper  at  low  cost,  with  com- 
plete satisfaction  to  the  management. 


364 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


The  nam  trftht  icfek  as  (old  fry  our  tpecial  correspond!  ni  tiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA 

Fairbanks.  From  the  Eldorado  mine  at  the  head  of  Cleary 
creek,  16  tons  of  lead  ore  was  shipped  to  smelters  last  month. 
This  is  the  first  time  that  galena  has  been  sent  from  the 
Tanana  valley. 

LIVENGOOD.  A  preliminary  report  on  the  Tolovana  district, 
by  Alfred  H.  Brooks,  has  been  published  as  Bulletin  642-G  of 


MAT  OF  TOLOVANA  DISTRICT,   ALASKA. 

the  r.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The  region  lies  in  the  headwater 
territory  of  Tolovana  river,  which  flows  southward  into  the 
Tanana,  and  in  the  upper  basin  of  Hess  creek,  which  flows 
westward  into  the  Yukon.  Gold  placers  have  been  found  and 
are  being  developed  there.  Production  so  far  has  been  confined 
chiefly  to  the  ground  on  Livengood  creek.  The  present  rush 
set  in  during  1914  and  1915.  From  10  properties  the  out- 
put last  year  was  $80,000.  The  topography  of  the  country 
shows  the  characteristic  flat-topped  ridges  of  the  Yukon- 
Tanana    upland.      The    bedrock    is    mainly    cherty    crystalline 


limestone,  and  black  and  red  slates,  with  some  chert  beds.  The 
gold-bearing  gravels  are  largely  greenstone  and  chert,  as  well 
as  quartz.  The  deposits  are  in  four  classes,  namely,  deep, 
bench,  and  creek  gravels,  and  slide  material.  The  deep 
channel  gold  of  Livengood  creek  is  dark  colored,  and  is 
worth  from  $1S.75  to  $18.90  per  oz.  This  channel  constitutes 
the  most  continuous  placer  deposit  that  has  been  developed 
here,  what  seem  to  be  parts  of  the  same  channel  having  been 
opened  at  several  places  for  3  to  4 
miles.  The  richest  gravels  devel- 
oped are  in  this  channel  and  in  the 
streams  cutting  across  it.  The  town 
of  Livengood  is  the  commercial  cen- 
tre of  the  district.  There  is  abun- 
dant timber  available,  but  hardly 
enough  water  for  sluicing. 

ARIZONA 

Globe.  During  the  first  half  of 
1916  the  Arizona  Commercial  pro- 
duced 2,251,000  lb.  of  copper  and  a 
net  profit  of  $334,000.  Development 
on  No.  14  level  is  opening  more  and 
better  ore  than  above.  Machinery 
for  the  power-plant  is  being  deliv- 
ered at  the  mine. 

Humboldt.   The  Consolidated  Ari- 
zona   Smelting  Co.    reports   as    fol- 
lows   for    the    second    quarter    of 
1916: 
Ore  reserves  on  July  1,  tons 

(increase   of   200,000)...    500,000 

Mill  treated,  tons 20,884 

Smelter  reduced,  tons    (in- 
cluding  custom   ore)....      26,077 
Copper   output,    pounds.  ..  .2,450,000 

Gold,  ounces  1,576 

Silver,  ounces  35,788 

Net  profit  $249,503 

All  figures  are  a  considerable  in- 
crease over  those  in  the  first  quar- 
ter, the  profit  being  $88,546  greater. 
As  mentioned  in  last  week's  issue, 
the  crushing-plant,  sample-mill,  and 
ore-bins  at  the  smelter  were  burned 
on  June  9;  but  this  is  quickly  being 
remedied. 

Nogales.     In  its  issue  of  August 

15  The  Oasis  has  a  special  mining 

edition     describing     conditions     in 

Santa  Cruz  county.     A  map  shows 

the  position  of  the  mines. 

Oatmah.     At  a  vertical   depth  of  110  ft.   in  the  Lexington 

mine  a  lode  9  ft.  wide,  of  good  value,  has  been  cut.     Of  this 

30  in.  assays  $13.50  per  ton.     This  strike  is  the  best  found  so 

shallow  in  this  district. 

At  the  Boundary  Cone  the  lode  is  26  ft.  wide. 

Patagonia.  To  develop  a  gold-silver-lead-zinc  property  27 
miles  north-east  of  Nogales  and  25  miles  south  of  Patagonia, 
the  Santa  Cruz-Bisbee  Mining  Co.  has  been  formed  in  the 
Warren  district.     J.  F.  Walker  is  in  charge. 


rnbor    2,     1910 


MINING    .»nd    Sirntihc     1'KI  SS 


I    ILIPORNIA 

The  California  Metal  Producers  Association  and  thi 

loa   met    in   Join  at   the 

unv<>*  u(  the  Association  on  August  11  '">  the  purpose  uf  iii« 
■  plans  providing  I"T  u  uniform  system  for  mine 
tnd  taxation     Bararal  propoaala  were  discussed     Plana 
to  be  iinaiu  agieed  on  will  be  submitted  t"  tlu  < '"iiuiiiasion 
MntiiiT  eonilderatlon. 
DanaiOK.    Al    the   Globe   Oonaolldatad    work    hns   been    re- 
■nmed  la  chaise  . -i  ii    U.  Ball,    Pari  of  the  10-stamp  cyanide 
mill  in  to  be  k.'pt  working     a  lower  adit  is  being  driven  t" 
the  ralni  al  depth. 
Ck\~~  vum     ai  the  Golden  Gate  mine  $5000  has  been 

spent  since  June  :'"  in  r.  (Construction  of  the  mill.  800ft.  stir 
ram,  and  other  work.  The  plant  now  has  a  capacity  of 
0"  tone  dally.  It  Is  said  that  the  Pacific  Western  Commercial 
Co.  Is  to  treat  tungsten  ore  brought  from  other  districts. 

The  old  placer  town  of  You  Bet  was  considerably  burned 
last  week. 

Ilmmir.  At  the  Noble  Electric  Steel  Co.'s  smelter  one 
furnace  has  been  in  continuous  operation  since  April  14  mak- 
ing ferro-manganese  and  other  products. 

Ki  NNETT.  The  Mammoth  company  is  making  good  progress 
in  driving  the  5000  and  4000-ft.  adits  in  its  Mammoth  and 
Frlday-Lowden  mines. 

In  the  Bully  Hill  area  of  the  copper  belt  a  dozen  properties 
are  busy.    The  Green  Horn  is  to  install  motors. 

Okiivii.i.k.  On  August  24  the  Natomas  company  commenced 
re-dredging  tailing  on  the  Feather  river.  This  ground  was 
dredged  in  1900.    G.  H.  Thurman  is  in  charge  of  this  new  work. 

Ykika.  The  Eliza,  one  of  the  oldest  gold  mines  in  Siskiyou 
county,  12  miles  from  this  place,  has  recently  been  examined 
by  an  engineer.  Seven  years  ago  the  property  was  acquired 
by  W.  B.  Shearer.  R.  H.  De  Witt,  and  A.  E.  Junker  of  Yreka, 
with  O.  H.  Lawson  in  charge.  A  considerable  amount  of  ex- 
ploration was  done  since  then,  especially  on  No.  5  level,  which 
is  in  1700  ft..  1000  ft.  of  which  contains  $5  per  ton  free  gold. 
and  is  heavily  mineralized.  Ore  reserves  are  estimated  at 
70,000  tons.  A  30-ton  mill-test  yielded  $5  per  ton  free  gold,  the 
feed  being  $7.69  per  ton.  Facilities  for  mining  and  working 
the  10-stamp  mill  are  abundant.  A  lower  adit  is  to  be  driven. 
also  additional  plant  is  proposed. 

COLORADO 

According  to  the  deputy  State  mining  commissioner,  M.  B. 
Tomblin,  there  are  15,000  men  employed  at  Colorado  mines,  an 
Increase  of  50%  over  the  number  in  the  same  period  of  1915. 
There  were  26  fatalities,  a  decrease  of  40%. 

Alma.  In  the  new  tungsten  field  in  Park  county  there  is 
great  activity.     Several  mines  are  opening  well. 

Oubat.  The  most  active  of  the  new  properties  commencing 
work  is  the  Vernon  near  Ironton.  At  present  the  company  is 
installing  a  new  hoist  and  is  building  a  bunk-house,  board- 
ing-house, and  shaft-house.  At  60  ft.  depth  there  is  from  10 
to    12    ft.    of   high-grade   enargite   ore.     A.   G.    De   Golyer   is 

manager. The  Revenue  mine  has  30  men  cleaning-up  and 

re-timbering,  preparatory  to  starting  on  a  large  scale. The 

Ouray  Tungsten  Mining  Co.  has  leased  part  of  the  Wanakah 
mill  below  Ouray,  and  will  concentrate  its  ore  there  until  it 
builds  its  own  mill  at  the  property.  G.  W.  Barnhart  is 
manager. 

Placerville.  The  Primos  Chemical  Co.  has  withdrawn  its 
miners  from  the  vanadium  mines  above  Placerville,  and  ar- 
ranged them  between  the  property  at  a  point  a  short  distance 
below  Sawpit  and  at  the  Bear  Creek  mines.  There  is  plenty 
of  ore  developed  and  being  extracted  to  keep  the  plant  at 
Vanadium  working  at  full  capacity.  Labor-saving  devices  are 
being  put  in.    At  the  mine  and  mill  there  are  100  men. 


A  i  V8A8 

Prrraauaa.  Al  the  Joplln  Oh  a  Bpelter  Co.'e  sine  smeltei 
t»o  block  an  stopped  Indsflnltel) . 

ytWHIQA  \ 

I   Ml      C.I-I-I  II    COI    MIIV 

The  Calumel  &  Hecla  companj  reports  as  follows  for  July, 
in  pounds: 

Mines  July  7  months 

AlniMck    1,741,097  18,202,292 

Allouez    744,624  5,862,681 

Calumel  &  Hecla  «.  172.9ns  14,830,490 

Centennial    190,262  i,4.v.t.».v.i 

Isle    Royale    980,574  7,016,840 

La   Salle    93.580  726,188 

Osceola 1.S18.241  11.609,680 

Superior    183,020  1,941,485 

Tamarack   476,652  3,928,077 

White   Pine    U77.M41  2,468,413 

MISSOURI 

Inn  i\.  Zinc  ore  advanced  $5  per  ton  last  week,  the  top 
price  being  $70  per  ton  for  60%  content.  The  output  of  the 
region  was  4063  tons  of  blende,  364  tons  of. calamine,  ami  822 
tons  of  lead.  The  total  value  was  $309,142,  and  for  33  weeks 
$22,898,046.  A  shortage  of  water  is  bothering  mines  and  mills 
in  the  district,  several  of  them  being  closed  until  rain  or  until 
supplies  are  obtained. 

A  300-ton  mill  is  to  be  erected  by  the  Bell  Mining  Co.  at 
Duenweg.  A  new  shaft  is  down  105  ft.,  ore  occurring  at  140  ft. 
The  ore  contains  up  to  15%  zinc. 

MONTANA 

Bitte.  Connection  has  been  made  at  2600  ft  in  the 
Tuolumne,  and  mining  is  to  commence  on  that  level.  The 
output  can  be  increased  25  per  cent. 

Wages  in  August  will  be  $4.50  per  shift  on  account  of  copper 
being  over  25  cents  per  pound. 

NEVADA 

Fairview.  In  June  the  Nevada  Hills  company  made  a  profit 
of  $S738.  and  $19,155  in  the  first  quarter.  Quick  assets  amount 
to  $302,000. 

Hornsilver.  At  the  Hardwick-Reid  lease  on  the  Orlean 
property,  from  12  to  36  in.  of  $80  ore  has  been  opened,  also  a 
foot-wall  seam  of  several  inches  assaying  5  oz.  gold  and  1700 

oz.  silver  per  ton. At  the  Horn   Silver  company's  mine  a 

40-hp.  hoist  has  Been  installed.  The  shaft  is  540  ft.  deep. 
Plenty  of  milling  ore  is  opened. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Pocahontas  mine  has  been 
bonded  for  $50,000  from  M.  Feeney  by  F.  W.  Cole  and  D.  W. 
Minier,  president  and  general  manager  respectively  of  the 
Azalia  Mining  Co.,  operating  the  Azalia  and  Surprise  prop- 
erties in  this  district.  The  Pocahontas  is  between  the  Yellow 
Pine  and  Red  Cloud  mines,  and  has  been  opened  by  a  300-ft. 
adit  and  25-ft.  shaft.  The  latter  is  to  be  deepened  and  equip- 
ment installed. 

The  Bullion  Mining  Co.,  composed  of  Salt  Lake  people,  has 
taken  over  the  Bullion  mine  and  is  preparing  for  a  large  out- 
put. The  Bullion  has  been  extensively  developed  and  a  con- 
siderable tonnage  of  shipping  ore  is  said  to  be  ready  for  ex- 
traction. 

Shipments  of  gold-platinum  ore  are  being  made  at  the  rate 
of  $12,000  per  month  from  the  Boss  mine.  The  company  is 
said  to  have  devised  a  process  for  treating  its  ores,  and  will 
probably  erect  a  plant  in  the  near  future. 

Five  concentrating  plants  are  being  operated  in  the  dis- 
trict, and  two  more  have  been  practically  decided  on.  In 
addition  to  the  ore  treated  by  concentration,  heavy  shipments 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


SeptemlHT  2.  1916 


of  silver-lead  and  zinc  ores  are  hems  made  to  custom  smelters 
from  a  number  of  properties.  Several  important  deals  have 
been  made  recently,  and  tlie  district  is  recording  greater  activ- 
ity than  ever.  While  the  Yellow  Pine  continues  to  be  the 
principal  producer,  the  Anchor.  Green  Monster.  Surprise,  and 
several  others  are  yielding  well.  On  August  10  the  Yellow 
Pine  paid  an  extra  dividend  of  10c.  per  share.  This  makes 
100  for  the  current  year,  or  75c.  per  share.  The  company 
has  $84,000  cash.  In  June  the  output  was  200  tons  of  lead  and 
Ol  zinc  concentrate,  giving  a  net  profit  of  $51,430. 

Goodsprings,  August  19. 

-J  v nit ii >< -k.  There  are  200  men  employed  at  this  place,  where 
some  encouraging  strikes  have  been  made  recently. 

TONOPAH.     Some  .Inly  returns  were  as  follows: 
Mine  Tons  Oz.  bullion  Profit 

Belmont    11,828  237,459  $107. 

Extension    8,139  180,240  69,209 

Jim    Butler    4,752  25,829 

Tonopah    8,019  111,565  26,763 

Last  week  the  West  End  mill  treated  S2S  tons  of  its  own 
and  458  tons  of  custom  ore.  As  to  the  status  of  the  Jim  Butler- 
West  End  litigation  the  Supreme  Court  of  Nevada  has  granted 
a  motion  made  by  the  Jim  Butler  attorneys  to  keep  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  ore  extracted  from  the  disputed  territory  Im- 
pounded until  the  further  adjudication  of  the  case  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  In  consequence,  the  re- 
turns from  this  ore  will  be  tied-up  for  some  time. 

The  district's  output  last  week  was  8916  tons  worth  $186,568. 

VlBOlKIA  ClIT.  Two  new  sinking  pumps,  motor-turbine  type 
of  combined  capacity  of  1000  gal.  per  minute,  have  arrived  at 
the  C.  &  C.  shaft  of  the  Pumping  Association.  The  pumps  are 
to  be  installed  at  2900  ft.  in  the  Ophir-Mezlcan  winze  to  drain 
that  level. 

NEW    MEXICO 

AxBCQUEBQOE.  A  year  or  more  ago  interest  was  renewed  in 
the  Carocito  copper  district,  near  Scholle,  a  station  on  the 
A.  T.  &  S.  F.  railway,  50  miles  south-east  of  Albuquerque.  The 
ore  is  of  the  'wood-copper'  type,  in  sedimentary  formations. 
Unlike  most  such  bedded  deposits  of  copper  in  the  Western 
red  beds,  however,  it  lies  mainly  in  limy-shales.  Several 
horizons  appear  within  a  stratigraphic  thickness  of  100  ft.  or 
less,  but  none  is  more  than  2  ft.  thick — usually  not  more  than 
10  inches.  The  field  has  been  prospected  over  an  area  of  some 
1"  Bq.  miles,  according  to  the  State  geologist,  Charles  T.  Kirk, 
though  only  one  vertical  shaft  has  been  sunk  below  25  ft. 
The  I'rilchard-Cavin  mine  is  down  72  ft..  61  ft.  of  which  is  in 
ore  containing  from  7  to  9.5%  by  carload  lots.  Near  the  sur- 
face this  ore  is  dominantly  malachite,  but  soon  passes  into 
azurite.  of  better  grade,  and  is  now  largely  chalcocite  at  the 
shaft  bottom.  This  ore  is  shipped  without  picking  or  other 
concentration  to  El  Paso.  Nearly  all  other  properties  are  hand- 
ng  ore  from  near  surface  workings,  mainly  open-cuts. 

Lobdsbcbo.  It  is  probable  that  the  Eighty-Five  Mining  Co. 
mar  here  will  erect  a  flotation  plant  in  the  near  future. 
Tests  have  been  made  for  some  time. 

tSpecial  Correspondence.) — The  Socorro  Mining  &  Milling 
Co.  shipped  1700  lb.  of  gold  and  silver  bullion  to  Mint  and 
several  tons  of  concentrate  to  smelter,  clean-up  from  the  last 
half  of  July. 

With  good  milling  ore  in  the  Eberle,  and  two  different  parts 
on  the  Clifton  mine  yielding  profitable  ore,  the  Oaks  company 
is  steadily  proving  the  value  of  the  Queen  Vein'  or  'Mother 
I. ode'  of  the  district,  in  which  the  management  has  always 
had  great  faith. 

The  new  8-compartment  6  by  lc-ft.  shaft  of  Mogollon  Mines 

Co.  ha-  B  depth  of  S30  ft.     This  company  has  started 

work  on  a  board  flume  to  keep  tailing  out  of  creek,  the  inten- 

Ing  to  extend  it  to  the  present  tailing  storage-dam  on 

Mineral    creek,   some   4   miles   below   and    permanently    keep 


residue  out  of  streams.  The  different  companies  have  spent 
several   thousand  dollars  in  recent  ud  now  have  the 

tailing  problem  well  under  control. 

The  companies  of  Mogollon  have  completed  survey  of  the 
proposed  new  road  to  the  Arizona  line  to  connect  with  the 
route  to  Clifton:  early  action  in  this  matter  is  expected. 

Work  on  fne  Good  Luck  claims  was  recently  resumed  by  the 
owners,  Lauderbaugh  and  Thorlston.  A  250-ft.  cross-cut  adit 
encountered  the  contact  at  depth  of  170  ft.,  and  it  is  under- 
stood the  showing  is  satisfactory. 

Iiuring  first  half  of  August  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co.  treated 
2013  tons  of  ore.  producing  1600  lb.  of  gold-silver  bullion  and 
several  tons  of  concentrate.  The  first  section  of  tailing  flume 
has  been  completed  and  is  now  in  commission. 

Flotation  experiments  made  at  one  of  the  local  mills  show 
that  the  ores  from  the  northern  end  of  the  district  will  give 
a  high  extraction.  Whether  or  not  other  mines  here  will  be 
aided  by  this  method  has  not  been  fully  determined.  Careful 
tests  are  being  made  under  various  conditions  with  the  hope 
of  improving  on  and  doing  away  with  the  cyanide  process. 

Mogollon.  August  22. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — It  is  announced  that  the  work 
of  exploring  this  section  for  potash  by  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey  is  soon  to  be  resumed.  The  Government  commenced 
boring  for  potash  near  Cliffside  more  than  a  year  ago.  It  is 
considered  that  this  part  of  the  panhandle  of  Texas  contains 
potash  in  commercial  quantities. 

Cliffside,  August  25. 

UTAH 

Ai.T.v.  Progress  in  diamond-drilling  by  the  Emma  Copper 
Co.  is  between  45  and  50  ft.  daily.  The  first  hole,  at  an  angle 
Of  62  .  is  down  below  500  ft.  J.  J.  Beeson  is  the  geologist  in 
charge. 

Morgan.  The  Western  Oil  &  Shale  Co.  is  being  organized 
by  Chicago,  Salt  Lake  City,  and  other  people  to  operate  ex- 
tensive holdings  of  oil  and  shale  land  in  Sanpete  county.  The 
shale  is  said  to  contain  from  10  to  16%  of  paraffin.  G.  T. 
Stenhouse  of  Morgan  is  the  leading  spirit.  About  $40,000  is 
to  be  spent. 

Shi  Lake  City.  On  account  of  Utah  smelters  putting  an 
embargo  on  ore-supplies  there  is  probably  to  be  an  investiga- 
tion into  the  erection  of  another  smelter  near-by. 

Tintic.  Shipments  from  24  concerns  last  week  amounted 
to  5400  tons.  The  Tintic  Milling  Co.  sent  out  precipitate 
worth  $24,000.  The  plant  is  treating  100  tons  daily,  to  be  in- 
creased to  300  tons  when  the  new  roasting-furnaces  are  erected. 

WASHINGTON 

The  Conconully  and  Ruby  mining  districts  are  in  the  north- 
central  part  of  Washington,  about  40  miles  south  of  the 
Canadian  border.  The  ore  deposits  were  discovered  in  1886. 
but  production  has  been  small  owing  to  lack  of  transportation 
facilities,  difficulty  in  treating  complex  ores,  and  the  decline 
in  the  price  of  silver.  The  most  valuable  ore  deposits  in  these 
districts  consist  of  quartz  veins  which  occiir  in  schists  near 
the  areas  of  granite  or  at  the  contact  of  schist  and  granite. 
The  ore  minerals,  pyrite.  zinc-blende,  chalcopyrite,  and  gray 
copper,  carry  silver  and  a  little  gold.  A  report  on  these  dis- 
tricts, by  Edward  L.  Jones.  Jr.,  just  published  by  the  TJ.  S. 
Geological  Survey  as  Bulletin  640-B,  contains  a  study  of  the 
.  and  mineralogy  of  the  region  and  detailed  descrip- 
tions of  the  individual  mines  and  prospects. 

Noethpobt.  A  statement  issued  by  the  Electric  Point  Min- 
ing Co.  shows  that  the  mine  was  discovered  in  June.  1915. 
and  started  producing  lead  ore  in  July,  1916.     The  company 

has   1.000,000   shares.   400.000   being   in   the   treasury, 

going  to  the  incorporators.  Cash  on  July  31  was  $13,537. 
From  July  31  to  August  14  shipments  to  Trail  amounted  to 
ons,  the  present  output  being  75  tons  daily. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scicntih.     l'KKS.s 


<\\  U)A 

Bunas  Ooi i  mi 

il  Canadian  proi 

do  to  ol  here.  i>i   which   lift  .  n   heard   for 

mded  bj    ic    Clarke  and  othen  t"  BJ,   E 

.■I  San  Frapclaco  ami  aaao  On  the 

dally  thlpnii  torn  "f  ore  to  the  Qrasb)  amelter  there 

will  be  paid  a  royaltj  ..i  ;."  centa  per  ton,    J.  McKay  is  in 

I'hai  - 

ii\  i  uuo 

On  Beptamber  IE  tbe  Ken-  Lake  will  distribute 
ISc    dot  Bbare,  equal  to  1150,000.    This  makes  $460,000  for 
OOO  '■>  lata 

The     IVun-i,  nning   shaft    is   down    1250    ft,    nearly,   lo   the 

dlabasi  > ». contact. At   the   Beaver  Con,   exploration 

continues  below  1600  feet. 

Poei  i  Mm  The  Mclntyre  mill  Is  to  lie  enlarged  to  600  tons 
-.,-nt  oapaeltj  is  12, i  ions  per  month. 

I  Hiring  tin-  18  days  ended  July  H  the  Hollinger  Consolidated 
made  ■  profit  of  |216,16G  from  46.01S  tons  of  ore.  This  aver- 
aged $9.15  per  ton.    Costs  totaled  $3.99  per  ton. 

Open-cut  work  Is  supplying  two-thirds  of  the  Dome  ore. 
Tin-  n,  w  central  shaft  is  causing  some  delay.  A  great  quantity 
of  ore  is  being  broken  on  No.  4  and  5  levels.  On  No.  7  the 
orebody  is  240  ft.  wide. 

Diamond-drilling  at  the  West  Dome  is  reported  to  be  en- 
couraging. 

An  orebody  40  ft.  wide  and  90  ft.  deep  has  been  opened  by 
drilling  at  the  Dome  Extension. 

KOREA 
The  July  clean-up  of  the  Oriental  Consolidated  was  valued 
at  $128,750. 

PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

Following  is  the  statement  of  production  of  the  Benguet 
Consolidated  Mining  Co.  for  the  first  half  of  1916:  The  mill 
treated  8030  tons  of  ore,  containing  $161,615,  or  practically 
$20  per  ton.  The  actual  bullion  recovered  and  shipped  to 
mint  was  $140,487  by  mine  assays,  or  an  average  of  $17.50  per 
ton.  The  total  amount  of  bullion  shipped  was  10,539  oz.,  or 
equal  to  an  average  value  of  practically  $13.50  per  ton. 

The  Americas  Chemical  Society  will  hold  a  meeting  at  New 
York  on  September  25  to  30,  in  conjunction  with  the  Second 
National  Exposition  of  Chemical  Industries.  Charles  H.  Herty, 
of  the  1'niversity  of  North  Carolina,  president  of  the  Society, 
will  open  the  Exposition  on  the  25th.  His  address  will  review 
the  history  of  chemistry  and  the  chemical  industries  of  this 
country  and  outline  developments  since  the  outbreak  of  war  in 
Europe.  The  presidents  of  co-operating  societies,  such  as  the 
American  Electrochemical  Society,  American  Institute  of  Min- 
ing Engineers,  and  American  Paper  and  Pulp  Association,  will 
follow  Dr.  Herty  with  speeches  of  welcome  and  reviewing  the 
progress  made  in  the  industries  represented  by  them. 

The  University  of  California  Bulletin  for  July,  of  269  pages, 
covers  the  announcement  of  courses  for  the  academic  year 
1916-'17  in  the  colleges  of  mining,  chemistry,  civil  engineer- 
ing, and  others. 

Instead  of  holding  its  21st  annual  meeting  on  the  Menominee 
Range,  the  Lake  Superior  Mining  Institute  will  make  a  trip 
to  i he  Birmingham  district  of  Alabama  on  March  13,  1917. 

The  U.  S.  Civil  Service  Commission  states  that  in  the  open 
competitive  examination  for  junior  mining  engineer,  to  be 
held  on  October  11  and  12  on  the  subject  of  'mining  opera- 
tions,' there  will  be  two  series  of  questions,  one  on  coal  and 
the  other  on  metal  mining.  Competitors  may  be  examined  in 
either  one  or  both  of  these. 


;J     ■/..;  j j.._ ,[ 


JCtiir:     7 

wort  ami  apt* 


P.  k.  i.i  .  i  uba  and  Coata  Rli 

Qcoboi  k   i  arned  to  Lob  Angelet  from  Miami, 

Arizona. 

J.   B.    Itis,,n  i    lias   resigned   as  manager   for  the  Teni 
Copper  i  !o 

E.  E,  i' it  Baltimore  la  examining  potash  ,i 

Blair.  Nevada. 

R.  B.  Lamii  is  in  Nevada  and  California  and  will  be  away 
From  New  York  for  two  weeks. 

B.  S.  Buti.ku  is  investigating  the  Cottonwood  districts  m 
Utah  for  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

W.  C.  Okem,  general  manager  for  the  Nevada-Douglas  Con- 
solidated Copper  Co.  is  visiting  the  mines. 

Charles  B.  Croneb  is  examining  the  Aivord  mine  north  of 
the  Calico  district  for  Los  Angeles  people. 

J.  A.  Wilkinson  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Chemical, 
Metallurgical  and  Mining  Society  of  South  Africa. 

Roscoe  Edyvean  will  leave  the  Messina  Transvaal  Develop- 
ment Co.  in  South  Africa,  when  his  contract  expires  on  Sept.  16. 

A.  G.  de  Golyeb,  formerly  of  New  York,  has  been  appointed 
general  manager  for  the  Vernon  Mining  Co.  at  Ironton,  Colo- 
rado. 

J.  L.  Bruce,  general  manager  for  the  Butte  &  Superior,  was 
recently  operated  on  for  appendicitis,  at  Rochester,  Minn.,  but 
has  returned  to  Butte. 

G.  H.  Wohlhaupter,  formerly  with  the  Utah  Copper  Co., 
will  conduct  flotation  experiments  for  the  Stimpson  Equipment 
Co.  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

James  A.  Lewis,  Jr.,  assistant  chief  engineer  for  the  Calu- 
met &  Arizona,  was  severely  injured  on  the  1300-ft.  level  of  the 
Junction  mine  on  August  16. 

Harry  Huntington  Miller,  manager  for  the  Compania 
Anonima  Minera  Lo  Increible,  El  Callao  district,  Venezuela, 
has  resigned  and  is  in  Los  Angeles. 

Charles  T.  Kirk,  state  geologist  of  New  Mexico,  who  has 
been  in  the  Mid-Continent  oil-field  and  in  Yavapai  county, 
Arizona,  has  recently  returned  to  Albuquerque. 

E.  W.  Bullard,  safety  engineer  of  San  Francisco,  has  re- 
turned from  visiting  the  coal  mines  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
iron  and  copper  mines  of  Michigan  and  Minnesota. 

N.  H.  Emmons,  2nd,  for  18  months  assistant  manager  and 
for  three  years  manager  for  the  Tennessee  Copper  Co.,  has 
again  been  appointed  manager,  with  residence  at  Copperhill. 

James  MacNaughton,  vice-president  and  general  manager 
for  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  Mining  Co.  will  reside  in  New  York. 
John  Knox,  general  superintendent,  will  be  in  charge  at 
Calumet. 

W.  Earl  Greenough,  has  resigned  as  managing  director 
of  the  Marsh  Mines  Consolidated,  of  Wallace,  Idaho,  to  engage 
in  independent  practice  as  consulting  mining  engineer  with 
headquarters  at  Spokane. 


Alexander  Fraser,  metallurgist  at  the  plant  of  the  Cia. 
Min.  de  Augustias,  Pozos,  State  of  Guanajuato,  Mexico,  was 
killed  on  July  31  by  revolutionists  under  Nateras.  Fraser 
had  been  20  years  in  Mexico.  He  was  48  years  of  age,  and 
leaves  a  wife  and  two  children  in  London. 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


M^aJ^i     'MA'Si'S<:^^ 


HKTAL    1MIH  i> 

Isco,  August  29. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 14 

Electrolytic   copper,   cents   pei    pound 28.75 

Pig  lead,  centa  per  pound 6.75 —  8.00 


Platinum:  soft  anil  hard  metal,  per  ounce. 

Quicksilver:  per  Mask  >><  7."  Hi 

-      cents    per    pounil 

Tin.   centa   per   pound    

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    


865—69 

$77 
12 
11 
20 


(IKK  I'KK'ES 


San  Francisco,  August  89. 
Antimony:   509!    product,   per  unit    (191    or   20   ll>.)....  $1.00 

Chrom'      "        "  r.o.b   cara  California,  perton. 18.00 — 16.00 

Manganese:   5095    product,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton. 12. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesile:  crude,  per  ton   7.00 

Molybdenum  per    pound 0.60 —    1.16 

Tungsten:    609!    WO,,   per  unit 15.00 

While  optimism  prevails  at  Boulder,  Colorado,  the  Rare 
Metals  Ore  Co.  at  Roliinsviii,-  lias  reduced  its  tungsten  quota- 
tions to  J10  per  unit  for  60';,  $8.50  f..r  50%,  87.50  for  I"',.  86.50 
for  30',,  $.",.r,ii  for  15%,  and  $::.:">  for  "',   product. 

Platinum   bulletin   of   the   i'    S.   Geological   Survey   hat 
issued;  also  that  on   bauxite  and  aluminum. 

BASTBUM    METAL    MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.  > 
August  29. — There  is  a  good  demand  for  last-uuarter  copper; 
lead  has  an  easier  tendency;  spelter  is  dull,  with  second-hands 
weak. 

gn/i  Kit 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cente 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 
Aug.    88 


66.37 

24 

25 

26 

27    Sunday 

2s 66.60 

66.50 


Average    week    ending 
Julv    IS 62, 1 1 

Aug.     1 

8 

"      15 66.48 

"      22 66.08 

"      29 66.35 


Monthly   averages 


191  1. 

1915. 

1 1 1  8. 

1914. 

1916. 

1916. 

.  .57.58 

48.86 

56.76 

July     . 

...54.90 

4  7.52 

63.06 

Feb.    . 

...57.63 

4S.45 

.56.74 

Aug.    . 

. ..54.35 

47.11 

Mch.    . 

...58.01 

50.61 

."7  B9 

.. .53.75 

48.77 

.  .  .58.62 

c;i.:i7 

.  .    51.12 

49.40 

.  .  .68.81 

19  ^7 

74.27 

.  ..49.12 

51.88 

June    . 

49.03 

65.01 

i  lee.    . 

.  .  .49.27 

55.84 

It  might  be  said  that  the  tone  of  the  silver  market  is  steady, 
a  slight  downward  movement  indicating  little.  Earlier  In  Au- 
gust, American  offerings  In  London  had  shrunk  appreciably, 
China  was  not  selling,  and  supplies  of  metal  were  not  forth- 
coming from  other  sources,  resulting  in  less  active  business. 
.Stocks  in  Shanghai  have  gained  from  30.500.000  oz.  and  17,000.- 
000  Mexican  ,1.. liars   to  22.000.000  oz.  and  P16.000.000. 

On  August  27  the  'Ecuador'  took  silver  worth  $591,000.  say 
900.000  oz..  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Orient. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  In  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Aug.  23 28.00 

"  24 28.00 

"  85 28.00 

"  86 28.00 

••  27  Sunday 

"  88 28.00 

"  2s 38.00 


Average  week  ending 

Julv     IS 25.42 

25 25.00 

Aug.      1 25.75 

8 25.58 

"      15 26.75 

"      22 27.62 

"       29 28.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan II  81 

Feb 14.48 

Mch 11.11 

Apr 14.19 

Slav    18.97 

June    13.60 


1015. 

1916. 

24  30 

1  I.S8 

1  1.80 

26.65 

16.64 

18.71 

19.75 

1914. 

*ilv    18.86 

Aug 12.84 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 

17.87 

17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 


Dividends  payable  are.  Calumet  &  Hecla.  $20;  Allouez,  $2.50: 
Magma,  50c:   Calumet  &  Arizona.   $2;   and   Quincy,   $4   per  share. 

Tennessee  Copper  is  being  sued  for  $9S0.000.  the  bank  ac- 
counts  having  been  attached. 


LEAD 

entS  per  pound.   New   York  delivery. 


Ann  28. 

"  24 . 

•'  26. 

"  26. 


6.75 

6.75 
i;  75 

6.75 


Average  week  •tiding 


July    is. 
25. 
1  . 


Aug. 


'      29. 
Monthly  averages 


6.39 

6.20 
5.98 
5.95 
6.38 


Jan. 
Feb 
Mch. 
Apr. 
Hay 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

4.11 

3.73 

5.95 

July 

4.02 

3.83 

6.23 

Aug, 

3.94 

4.04 

7. 21', 

Sept 

3.86 

4.21 

7.70 

Oct. 

3.90 

4.24 

7.38 

Nov. 

3.90 

5.75 

0..SS 

Dec. 

1914. 

.    3.80 


3.82 

::.i;n 


1915. 

4.67 
4.152 
4. 62 
5.15 
5.34 


1916. 
6.40 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,   in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

..    9.75 

A  vera 

July   is 

-       25.-. 
Aug.      1.. 

ge     Week     endin 

e 

21 

9  50 

,, 

26 

2  7 

29 

Sunday 

9.37 

.  .    9.2S 

-       15 
..       88 

29.. 

H  54 

.    9.13 

■  • 

1914. 

9.00 

-Monthly 

1915.        1916. 
6.30        18.21 
9.05        19.99 
8.40       18  t" 
9.78        18.62 
17.03        16.01 
22.20        12.86 

.     9  2  7 

a  \  ei  B  ges 

July 
Aug 

Sept 

Oct 

1914. 

1.75 
5.16 

5.01 

1915. 

2".T.  1 

14.17 

14.14 

l  1.06 

17.2" 
16.76 

1 9 1  6. 

Feb 

Mch. 

.  .    ."..  1  3 

Apr. 
May 

..    4.98 

..    4.91 

..    4.84 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  has  issued  its  'Press  Bulletin'  on 
the    production    of  spelter   in    the    first    half  of    1916.      Details    are 

given    of    output,    consumption,    stocks,    exports,    Imports;    and 
smelter  capacity. 

Zinc  ore  imported  Into  the  United  States  in  the  period  Janu- 
ary-June 1IU6.  was  as  follows,  in  short  tons: 

Zine- 
Froni  Quantity 

Canada    12,863 

Mexico     79,663 

Spain     38.239 

Italy      7.52S 

Australia     88,776 

•Other   countries    9,780 

•Including  China  and  Japan. 

Exports  of  spelter  and  sheet-zinc  totaled  58,007  tons  of 
domestic,  and  20.197  tons  of  foreign  metal. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollar-  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


content 

Value 

5.187 

8814,624 

25,471 

16.006 

1.051.315 

3,283 

212.27.", 

38,133 

2,225,790 

5.827 

390,160 

Date. 

Aug.      1 

8 76.00 


Aug.  15. 
"  22. 
"      29. 


.74.00 

.77  "•! 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May     39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

60.00 

295.00 

78.00 

219.00 

77.50 

141.60 

7  5.00 

90.00 

90.00 

74.70 

1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

Max' 

June    30.72 


1916. 
34.40 

37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39.28 
40.26 


1916. 

41.76 
12.60 
50.50 
61.49 
49.10 
42.07 


1914. 

Julv    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

St  it 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.1111 


1915. 

34.37 

2  3.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
SI. 20 


1916. 
38.37 


Tin  Is  firm  at  39  to  40  cents. 


September  l\  1816 


MINING    and    Scientifu     l'Kl  SS 


369 


Eastern   Metal  Mi 


NVw  York.  August  .::. 

aii  metals  neap)  tin  have  advanced  in  prion,  and  havi 
or  arc  in  strong  demand. 

Ooppei  has  advanced  oonalderably  on  large  foreign  and 
domestic  buying. 

Zliu-  is  higher  with  ■  Rood  business  done  for  foreign  and 
domestic  consumption,  which  ims  slackened  somewhat 

Tin  Is  a  little  lower  but  Dim  and  quiet,  the  position  being 
strong, 

I.e. id  has  risen  on  active  demand  and  sales  to  foreign  and 
domestic  consumers. 

Antimony  galea  liavc  been  large  and  the  price  has  advanced. 

Aluminum  is  quiet  and  dull  at  58  to  60c.  Sheets  are  quoted 
at  80  to  v'.c  .  two  to  six  weeks'  delivery. 

In  I  lie  steel  market,  pig-iron  is  now  the  leader  and  buying 
has  been  on  a  large  scale,  particularly  steel-making  grades. 
Enormous  orders  for  shell  and  other  war  material,  with  de- 
livering running  6  to  10  months  ahead,  have  been  booked,  and 
it  is  evident  that  the.  Allies  want  much  more  steel  from  this 
country.  The  recent  increase  in  domestic  buying  leaves  the 
total  shorter  than  some  steel  producers  expected.  There  are 
signs  in  the  building  trade  that  high  prices  for  steel  are  not 
to  retard  new  structures,  and  car  re-building  is  a  factor  rather 
than  new  cars,  orders  with  25.000  to  30,000  tons  wanted  for  the 
former.    Prices  generally  are  stiffening. 

COPPER 

The  rumors  reported  last  week  of  large  inquiries  from  both 
foreign  and  domestic  sources  have  developed  into  an  extensive 
buying  movement,  the  amount  involved  being  hard  to  deter- 
mine. It  is  considered  in  some  quarters  that  the  250,000,000 
lb.,  estimated  as  the  probable  purchase  of  the  Allies  to  cover 
their  requirements,  during  part  at  least  of  the  next  six  months, 
has  already  been  arranged  for  and  that  at  least  25,000,000  lb. 
has  been  sold  for  domestic  account.  In  any  event  the  pur- 
chases have  been  large  for  last  quarter  and  near-by  delivery 
and  prices  have  advanced  sharply,  rendering  the  market  very 
strong.  Spot  electrolytic  yesterday  was  hard  to  buy,  and  was 
quoted  at  27c.  cash.  New  York,  with  Lake  ingot  nominal  at 
27.25c,  also  an  advance.  At  present  the  market  is  quieter  with 
consumers  apparently  well  covered.  Sellers  dominate  the  situ- 
ation and  they  are  disinclined  to  make  any  concessions.  Some 
sales  are  reported  for  early  1917  delivery.  Electrolytic  for 
last  quarter  is  obtainable  at  26  to  26.50c.  The  rush  to  provide 
for  needs  has  brought  the  market  back  to  the  high  prices  of 
last  May.  The  London  market  yesterday  was  £127  against 
£126  last  week.  August  exports  so  far  are  22,544  tons. 
ZINC       . 

The  activity  that  characterized  the  early  days  of  last  week 
soon  resulted  in  extensive  buying  on  the  part  of  foreign  and 
domestic  brokers,  Drass  mills  and  perhaps  second-hands.  The 
price  advanced  accordingly  until  prompt  metal  was  quoted 
yesterday  at  9.75c.  New  York,  and  9.50c.  St.  Louis,  with  last 
quarter  at  about  Jc.  per  month  below  these  prices.  Just 
now  demand  has  slackened,  and  the  market  is  quieter  but  firm. 
It  is  thought  that  there  is  less  metal  in  second-hands,  and 
that  producers  are  in  a  better  sold  up  condition  than  when  the 
last  advance  was  manifested.  A  feature  of  the  week's  busi- 
ness has  been  the  buying  of  large  quantities  of  high-grade 
spelter  that  has  been  a  drug  on  the  market  for  some  time.  The 
recent  spell  of  buying  has  been  well  distributed  among  users 
of  prime  western,  brass  special,  intermediate,  and  high-grade 
metal.    Exports  to  August  22  were  6990  tons. 

Some  interest  has  been  manifested  in  the  announcement  that 
Great  Britain  has  entered  into  an  agreement  with  Australia 
to  take   100,000   tons  of  zinc   concentrate   and   45,000  tons  of 


spelter  yearly   for   the    period   of   the    War   and    tor    I" 
thereafter.    Pull  detail!  have  not  been  made  public 

l.KAl) 
The  spun,  which  was  noted  early  la.sl   week,  developed   Into 

a  heavy  demand  from  all  Quarters,  and  sales  are  estimated  by 
cm-  i. inker  in  have  attained  an  aggregate  of  about  10,000  inns 
lasi  week.     The  buying  was  for  foreign  and  domestic  con 

Burners,  especially  for  prompt  and  August  delivery.  The  latter 
circumstances  was  due  probably  to  the  fact  that  buyers'  stocks 
had  been  decidedly  depleted,  necessitating  their  entry  Into 
the  market.  The  demand  grew  until  It  attained  such  propor- 
tions that  the  outside  price  passed  that  of  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co., 
which  immediately  raised  Its  quotations  on  Thursday  to  6.26c. 
per  lb.  New  York.  On  persistent  demand  the  same  interest 
again  raised  its  price  to  6.50c.  per  lb.  on  Friday.  It  is  be- 
lieved now  that  sellers  are  pretty  well  sold-up,  and  that  there 
is  not  much  lead  left  for  shipment  within  a  month.  For  the 
first  part  of  this  week  quietness  has  prevailed,  with  buyers 
refraining  from  climbing  and  sellers  not  inclined  to  sell.  A 
small  quantity  is  reported  as  having  been  sold  at  St.  Louis  as 
high  as  6.55c,  and  a  small  lot  at  6.65c,  with  special  circum- 
stances attending  the  latter  transaction.  One  broker  reports 
the  leading  interest  as  out  of  the  market  for  early  delivery 
metal.  Another  statement  carries  the  conviction  that  the  inde- 
pendents are  better  sold-up  than  they  have  been  at  any  time 
since  the  boom  in  March  and  April,  leaving  the  opportunity 
favorable  for  the  big  interest  to  raise  its  price  again. 

The  general  strength  of  the  lead  market  is  indicated  by  the 
rather  high  quotations  on  an  inquiry  for  the  Frankford 
Arsenal  for  300,000  lb.,  the  Nassau  S.  &  R.  Works,  quoting 
6.72Jc  per  lb.,  American  Metal  Co.,  6.79c,  Nathan  Trotter  & 
Company,  6.S3}c,  and  Federal  White  Metal  Co.,  6.85c  It  is 
noticeable  that  neither  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  nor  the  leading 
independent  producers  were  competitors. 

TIN 

Quietness  dominates  the  market,  and  there  is  a  distinct  ab- 
sence of  any  excitement  or  any  anxiety  to  sell  or  buy  tin.  The 
necessary  protection  of  contracts  or  the  covering  of  short 
sales  has  resulted  in  some  business,  but  the  tonnage  involved 
has  not  been  of  large  proportions.  Despite  the  quietness, 
the  week  has  been  featured  by  steadiness  in  prices  with  no 
indications  of  easing  anywhere.  Yesterday  Straits  tin  was 
obtainable  at  38.50c  New  York,  and  Banca  tin  at  37.50c  and 
steadier.  Arrivals  this  month,  including  those  for  the  22nd, 
have  been  3137  tons,  with  3110  tons  afloat. 

ANTIMONY 

The  events  of  the  past  week  have  substantiated  the  specula- 
tion of  last  week  that  the  bottom  of  this  market  had  been 
reached  at  91c  duty  paid,  for  since  last  week's  report  a  steady 
advance  has  taken  place  and  sales  of  500  to  1000  tons  are  re- 
ported. The  price  has  advanced  from  10  to  lOAc,  duty  paid, 
last  week  to  13*  to  14c  this  week  and  the  demand  is  good. 
ORES 

Antimony:  The  market  is  exceedingly  quiet,  with  the  last 
reported  sales  at  $1.10  to  $1.20  per  unit. 

Tungsten:  The  foreign  demand  is  active  and  considerable 
business  has  been  done.  The  demand  comes  from  France  and 
Russia,  and  it  is  reported  that  these  countries  have  bought 
nearly  500  tons.  Some  sales  of  concentrate  have  been  made  at 
$17  to  $19  per  unit.  Stocks,  while  still  of  fair  size,  are  prob- 
ably reduced  50%  at  New  York  and  Pittsburg.  Great  Britain 
is  said  to  have  purchased  80  tons  of  concentrate  in  the  last 
few  days.  Ferro-tungsten  has  declined  until  it  can  be  bought 
as  low  as  $2.75  per  lb.  of  contained  tungsten. 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2.  1916 


:<mUi<m  nttpftied  6y  the  maimfactitrert. 


Portebis  -£lectrte*Driv{p  Air-Compressor 

Compared  with  electric-driven  coal-cutting  machinery  pneu- 
matic equipment  is  cheaper  in  first  cost;  it  is  also  safer.  In 
order  to  present  means  of  securing  the  fullest  benefits  of  com- 
pressed-air machinery  in  electric-equipped  mines,  the  Chimin 
Pneumatic  Tool  Co.  has  developed  a  portable,  self-contained, 
electric-driven  air-compressor,  known  as  the  Class  N-SE  Mine- 
Car.'  In  economy  the  unit  compares  favorably  with  a  central 
compressor-plant  on  the  surface.  Its  initial  efficiency  is  of 
course  not  as  high,  due  to  its  smaller  capacity;  but  this  differ- 
ence is,  in  an  appreciable  degree,  equalized  by  the  losses  re- 
sulting from  leakage  and  drop  of  pressure  in  the  pipe-line  of 
the  large  plant ;  also,  the  portable  compressor  may  be  run 
close  to  the  work  so  that  the  temperature  of  the  air  delivered 
to  the  drills,  etc.,  is  considerably  increased.  Feeder  pipes  are 
eliminated,  often  a  considerable  saving. 

The  compactness  of  this  mine-car  compressor  is  evident 
from    the    illustration.      The    unit    consists    of   a    horizontal. 


PORTABLE    elei-TRH'-iiriven    air-compressor. 

straight-line,  single  cylinder  air-compressor,  driven  by  means 
of  a  motor  through  the  medium  of  herring-bone  gears.  An 
air-receiver  of  proper  size  and  a  rheostat  are  provided.  The 
entire  apparatus  is  mounted  upon  a  strong,  but  light,  steel- 
car  frame.  The  air-cylinder  is  fitted  with  the  company's 
patented  and  efficient  'Simplate'  inlet  and  discharge-valves. 
Necessary  fly-wheel  effect  is  secured  through  the  rotation  of 
the  heavy  gear.  The  positive  splash  system  of  lubrication  is 
employed.  Gears  work  in  a  bath  of  oil.  Every  part  of  this 
compressor  unit  is  completely  enclosed.  Exposure  to  dump 
ness  will  not  injure  it.  Delicate  or  complicated  features  of 
construction  have  been  avoided,  and  the  machine  is  well 
suited  to  rough  and  heavy  duty.  It  is  so  entirely  automatic 
in  action  that  it  requires  no  attendant.  The  comparative 
lightness  of  the  car  permits  of  its  removal  from  the  rails 
when  desired.  The  machines  are  made  in  six  sizes,  ranging 
in  capacity  from  51  to  314  cu.  ft.  of  free  air  per  minute  at 
pressures  of  80  to  100  lb.  The  larger  sizes  will  take  care  of 
6  to  v  and  the  smaller  1  or  2  'hummer'  drills. 

Commercial    Paragraph* 

TIi<-  HAMMOND  Iron  Wobks  of  Warren.  Pa.,  has  arranged 
tor  representatives  in  Cuba,  Central  America,  Brazil.  Argen- 
tina, South  America,  and  the  British  Colonies. 

The   United   Naval   Stores   Co.   of   130    Pearl    street.    New- 


York,  announces  that  it  is  ready  to  supply  all  the  different 
fractions  of  pine  and  hard-wood  distillates  to  mining  com- 
panies, engineers,  universities,  etc.,  for  research  work.  Several 
well-known  institutions  have  already  been  given  such  oils. 

In  its  instruction  book  No.  10,  of  144  pages,  the  Smooth-Ob 
)Iim  i  Mil  ki.\»  Co.  of  Jersey  City.  X.  J„  tells  all  about  Smooth- 
On  iron  cements,  iron  paints,  corrugated  iron  gaskets.  The 
cements  are  chemically  prepared  iron  compounds  sold  in 
powdered  form,  and  used  by  mixing  with  water  to  the  con- 
sistence of  putty.  All  manner  of  repairs  may  be  effectively 
made  by  its  use.  We  advise  engineers  to  secure  a  copy  of  this 
useful  work. 

An  interesting  9-page  pamphlet  entitled,  'Why  Highly  Ox- 
idized Red  Lead  is  Superior,'  by  G.  W.  Thompson,  chief 
chemist  of  the  National  Lead  Co..  has  been  published  by  that 
concern.  For  centuries  red  lead,  Pb30„  has  been  used  in 
paints  for  the  preservation  of  iron  and  steel.  The  percentage 
of  true  red  lead  in  red  lead  varies  from  70  to  100.  Anything 
under  100%  is  considered  a  mixture  of  red  lead  and  uncon- 
verted oxide  of  lead,  litharge,  from  which  red  lead  is  made. 
Much  progress  has  been  recorded  in  the  manufacture  of  red 
lead  in  the  last  25  years.  One  is  an  increased  percentage  of 
true  red  lead,  another  is  that  red  leads  are  finer  from  better 
grinding.  Notes  on  painting,  quantities  used,  and  results  are 
given. 

Book  Review 

Making  Money  Make  Money.  By  H.  L.  Barber.  P.  315. 
A.  J.  Munson  &  Co.,  Chicago,  1916.  For  sale  by  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press.     Price.  $1.50. 

A  unique  book  in  its  excessive  use  of  capitals  for  emphasis. 
The  author  contends  that  men  of  limited  means  should  put 
money  into  shares  of  newly-formed  companies,  rather  than  into 
bonds  or  savings  banks,  and  thus  have  the  chance  of  making 
from  100  to  10007c  annually  instead  of  the  3  to  5%  of  the  con- 
servative investor.  He  holds  that  men  of  limited  means  are 
deluded  by  our  leading  financiers,  who  conspire  to  get  all  of 
the  money  of  the  country  into  their  own  hands,  and  to  this 
end  subsidize  the  great  newspapers  and  influential  magazines 
to  preach  the  false  doctrine  that  shares  are  dangerous  and 
bonds  safe.  The  complaint  of  the  author  that  a  conspiracy 
exists  to  conceal  the  large  profits  paid  by  common  shares 
seems  ill-founded,  in  view  of  the  'Blue  Sky'  laws  of  many 
States,  and  the  flood  of  circulars  and  advertisements  issued 
by  brokers  and  promoters.  He  finds  that  "innumerable  oppor- 
tunities" exist  for  money  to  earn  from  100  to  1000%  annually, 
and  on  page  31  shows  that  an  annual  investment  of  $100  at 
100%  will  amount  to  $82,300  in  10  years  (the  correct  amount  is 
$102,300) ;  at  the  end  of  15  years  the  investor  will  be  a  multi- 
millionaire. The  reviewer  feels  that  stopping  at  15  years 
would  be  absurd,  for  by.  continuing  for  31  years  the  total  be- 
comes over  $200,000,000,000,  or  more  than  the  aggregate  wealth 
of  the  United  States.  On  page  221  is  a  "typical  case"  of  capi- 
talistic greed — the  Western  owner  of  a  nAneral  deposit  con- 
taining several  hundred  million  dollars,  on  applying  to  capital- 
ists for  half  a  million  dollars  for  development  was  asked  to 
give  up  the  whole  property  in  exchange  for  the  promise  of  a 
permanent  superintendency  at  $150  per  month.  The  reviewer 
feels  that  this  is  a  "typical"  prospector's  dream,  and  bears  no 
relation  to  hard  facts.  The  author  gives  instances  of  the 
greut  profits  made  by  the  fortunate  buyer  of  common  shares: 
in  19  years  $100  invested  in  Postum  Cereal  Co.  grew  to 
$20,097;  and  Gillette's  Safety  Razor  $100  shares  expanded  to 
$52,000.  These  and  other  profits  are  enough  to  lead  many 
sanguine  readers  to  follow  the  advice  on  to  fortune,  but 
prudent  readers  will  be  governed  by  the  fear  that  they  may- 
be unlucky  enough  to  buy  in  one  of  the  companies  that  fail — 
and  95%  of  all  companies  are  said  to  fail — and  prefer  to  keep 
their  money  in  bonds  or  savings  banks. — W.  H.  S. 


1 

"'o 

I 

Q! 

O 

11 

1 

and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  SEPTEMBER  9,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  11 


2%  x  6  x  300  =  4500 


This  "KEWANEE"  Union  was  connected  and  disconnected 
4500  times  and  still  held  tight. 


11  Prove  the  figures  yourself. 

«  Translated  into  "KEWANEE"  these  figures  sig- 
nify service. 

I  The  Master  Mechanic  of  a  large  cotton  mill  in 
the  South  writes  that  he  has  a  "KEWANEE" 
Union  in  use  in  connection  with  a  boiler  flue 
blower  that  has  four  openings  between  the  boilers, 
which  has  been  in  service  over  2%  years,  con- 
nected and  disconnected  6  to  8  times  every  day, 
on  an  average  of  300  days  a  year,  and  that  the 
union  still  holds  tight. 

H  Study  the  illustration..  Battered  and  marred — 
the  joint  is  still  as  sound  as  when  first  installed. 

II  This  is  typical  "KEWANEE"  Union  service. 

1i  Isn't  this  the  kind  of  union  service  you  want? 

H  Does  your  union  service  measure  up  to  this 
standard  ? 

H  Do  you  know  the  "KEWANEE"  Advantages— 
the  advantages  that  make  such  service  possible  ? 
Briefly  they  are : 


1.  Brass  to  Iron  Thread  Connections.     (No  Corrosion.) 

2.  Brass  to  Iron  Ball  Joint  Seat.     (No  Gasket.) 

3.  Compressed  Air  Test  Under  Water.     (No  Defective  Fittings.) 

4.  Solid  Three-Piece  Construction.     (No  Inserted  Parts.) 

5.  Easily  Connected  and  Disconnected.     (No  Force  Required.) 

r    Have  you  a  copy  of  The  Whole  "KEWANEE"  Family?     The  booklet  that  tells  all   about  "KEWANEE"  Unions 
and  Specialties.     There's  a  new  and  enlarged  edition  just  out.     Write  today  for  your  copy.     It's  free. 

NATIONAL  TUBE  COMPANY 

GENERAL  SALES  OFFICES:    FRICK  BUILDING,  PITTSBURGH,  PA. 

DISTRICT  SALES   OFFICES: 

Atlanta  Boston  Chicago  Denver  Kansas  City  New  Orleans  New  York  Omaha 

Philadelphia  Pittsburgh  St.  Louis  St.  Paul  Salt  Lake  City 

Pacific  Coast  Representatives:    U.  S.  STEEL  PRODUCTS  CO.,  San  Francisco.  Los  Angeles,  Portland,  Seattle 

Export  Representatives:    U.  S.  STEEL  PRODUCTS  CO.,  New  York  City 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


FILTER 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Tilte r 

Company 

501  MARXiT    St. 

San  Francisco. Cal.  j 


The  Nevada  Packard  Mill 

is  OLIVER  EQUIPPED,  of  course 


The  cake  is  discharged 
on  a  belt  conveyor  and 
has  a  moisture  content  of 
only  21.4  per  cent  and  a 
soluble     loss     averaging 


Scents  per  ton.  These  re- 
sults would  be  considered 
remarkable,  except  that 
they  become  a  matter  of 
course  — 


Where  the  OLIVER  FILTER  is  used. 


This  low  loss  is  due  to 
the  perfect  displacement 
possible  by  the  Oliver 
Patent  construction  and 
to  the  high  vacuum  main- 
tained by  the  Oliver  Dry 
Vacuum  System  illus- 
trated. 


Users  of  the  Oliver  are 
its  best  salesmen,  wheth- 
er used  in  dewatering 
concentrate,  in  cyanida- 
tion,  or  in  any  of  the 
many  other  purposes  for 
which  it  is  in  successful 
use. 


The  OLIVER  is  an  investment 

Write  us  for  the  figures  to  prove  it. 

NO  ROYALTIES  TO  PAY  ON 

ANY  WORK  OF  AN  OLIVER 


Tin-  Oliver  Installation  at  Nevada  Packard  Mill. 


■Drroaui  si  \rr> 

T  A  RKTKARD  Ed*. 

M  W    «»  BERNE  WIT  Z     Ami  EA*» 

J*  J* 


PuUaknj  .1  4J0  M.ikrt  St,  Su  FnnoKo.  I.y  itir  Drwrr  1'iiUakim  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Biainc*  M.n..« 


Si'KCMI.    I  (IMKIIII   KIRS 
\V     II 

Ll  "mil  .1    B       I 

lanl 

« '-in  ■■■  ,11. 

I'.  Lynn i  I  in  iixin 

i  'Ii.it  lei    . I. mill 

Jamoi  i-\   Kemp 
!■■    ii    Probi  1 1 

''     W      I'm  iiiki.iii 

Hon V    W'Iim  lull 


Science  hat  no  enemy  tave  the  ignorant 


luunl  Every  smurdty 


San  Francisco,  September  9,  1916 


M  pei   rear — 10  Centi  i«  i  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

BDlTORi  U  Page. 

N.ni-    371 

Tm    I. in  I'm  in  Kin :'.!'■', 

The  special   legislation   forced  by  the  railway  unions 

and  the  significance  of  the  event 

Ci  unDATIOH  "1    Silver  Ore 374 

Review  of  practice  at  Rochester.  Nevada,  where  two 
mills  treat  silver  ore  by  different  systems. 

DISCUSSIOX 
Modern  Blasting  Practice. 

By  8.  -I.  Kidder 376 

Increased  prices  for  explosives  have  led  to  investiga- 
tions into  their  more  economical  and  efficient  use. 
Valuable  notes  are  given  on  tamping  powder. 

A  Traveler's  Library. 

By  John  B.  Stewart    37C 

A  suggestion  for  useful  books  to  be  carried  by  engi- 
neers when  in  the  field. 

Prospecting. 

By  M.  F.  (iraiipner 376 

This  correspondent  would  prefer  to  employ  a  good 
prospector,  spend  a  certain  sum,  and  then  have  an 
examination  made  by  an  engineer. 

ARTICLES 

Construction  ami  Operation  of  the  Nevada  Packard  Mill. 

By  Herbert  G.   Thomson 377 

This  plant  was  constructed  late  in  1915.  Cost  of  erec- 
tion is  given.  It  has  a  capacity  of  about  100  tons  daily 
of  ore  containing  silver  chloride.  Ore  is  reduced  by 
gyratory  crushers,  rolls,  and  tube-mills.  Cyanidation 
consists  of  a  combination  of  agitation,  thickening, 
counter-current  decantation,  filtration,  and  zinc-dust 
precipitation.    The  cost  of  milling  is  $1,265  per  ton. 

Mining  and  Milling  in  Arkansas. 

By  L.  L.  Wittich 3S5 

Notes  on  a  district  that  has  revived  owing  to  high 
metal  prices. 

Tungsten  Near  Bishop.  California. 

By  Leroy  A.  Palmer 386 

Description  of  the  largest  tungsten  mill  in  the  United 
States. 


Page 

Zinc  Smelting  in  Vertical  Retorts  :;st 

Horizontal  retorts  are  troublesome,  and  the  vertical 
type  evolved  in  Germany  may  displace  the  former. 

I'ini  i  an  Nitrate  SITUATION    388 

Production  Is  increasing  considerably. 

Concentration  and  Smei.tim;  of  Vanadium  Ore. 

By  R.  L.  Qrider.  T". 389 

Little  is  known  about  the  treatment  of  such  ore.  which 
in  this  case  is  difficult  to  separate.  Flow-sheets  are 
given.  Smelting,  leaching,  and  reduction  to  ferro- 
vanadium  is  described. 

Two  Great  Copper  Mines  Compared. 

By  P.  B.  McDonald   391 

The  Calumet  &  Hecla  and  Nevada  Consolidated  mines 
produce  approximately  equal  quantities  of  metal  un- 
der vastly  dissimilar  conditions. 

Minerals  Through  the  Canal 393 

Figures  showing  movements  of  ore  and  metals. 

Diesel  Engines  for  Mine-Power  Plants. 

By  Charles  Legrand  393 

The  Burro  Mountain  Copper  Co.,  New  Mexico,  has 
found  this  type  of  engine  to  be  quite  reliable  for 
fluctuating  loads. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    394 

Review  of  Mining   395 

Special  correspondence  from  Sutter  Creek,  California; 
Toronto,  Ontario;  Johannesburg,  Transvaal;  London; 
Lewiston,  Montana. 

The  Mining  Summary   398 

Personal    401 

The  Metal  Market 402 

Eastern  Metal  Market 403 

Industrial  Notes  404 

Book  Reviews   404 

'Coal  Miners'  Pocket-Book;'  'The  Theory  and  Practice 
of  Modern  Framed  Structures,'  by  J.  W.  Johnson,  C. 
W.  Bryan,  and  F.  E.  Turneaure;  'Hydraulic  Flow  Re- 
viewed,' by  Alfred  A.  Barnes. 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  Tork,  1308-10 
Woolworth   Bdg.;   London,  724   Salisbury  House,    E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and  Mexico.  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  countries  in  postal  union, 
21s.  or  ?5  per  annum. 


12 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANT 


September  9,  1916 

UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPAHT 


In  This  Age  of  Specialization 


No  one  branch  of  engineering  has  pro- 
gressed more  in  the  last  ten  years  than 


The  Design  and  Construction  of  Gold  Dredges 


The  recovery  of  placer  gold,  tin  and 
platinum  is  a  field  in  itself,  and  the 
success  or  failure  of  any  placer-mining 
enterprise  hinges  directly  upon  the 
skill,  experience  and  ability  of  the  en- 
gineers entrusted  with  the  design  and 
construction  of  the  apparatus.  The 
Neill  Jig  has  increased  the  savins 
under  certain  conditions  where  gold 
saving   was  difficult. 


More  than  One  Hundred  Gold  Dredges 


in  operation  in  every  placer  mining 
field  in  the  world  is  the  best  guarantee 
of  efficiency.  Gravel  having  a  content 
of  less  than  five  cents  per  cubic  yard, 
has  been  worked  at  a  profit.  This  we 
think  is  a  world's  record  cheap  mining. 

Audits     for    Bucyrus     Placer    Dredge 

Machinery  in  the  Western  States, 

British    Columbia   and   Alaska 

We  solicit  your  inquiries. 
Our  help  and  advice  are  at  your  disposal. 


UNION  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY 


H.  C.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JONHSON 

San  Francisco 


s.-|.i. •:.,!..  r  9,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     PRESS 


871 


.    « 


T.    A.    RICKARD,     Editor 


phi  IRON  prodaotion  is  recognised  as  a  barometer  of 
■■■  industry:  thai  of  the  United  States  is  increasing. 
Final  figures  for  the  Brat  half  of  1916  show  a  yield  of 
19,619,522  tons,  compared  with  12,233,791  tons  in  this 
period  of  1915,  and  17,682,422  tons  in  the  second  pari  of 
lust  year.  Ferro-manganeae  made  a  gain  from  0.43  to 
0.519  of  the  total,  and  spiegeleisen  0.33  to  0.45%.  The 
demand  for  steel  from  the  warring  nations  shows  no 
si'.'n  of  abatement 

TjM'KliY  man  is  entitled  to  have  his  name  spelled 
•"-J  correctly,  and  the  correct  spelling  is  the  way  he 
spells  it  himself.  How  does  the  inventor  of  a  famous 
roaating-fnrnace  spell  his  name?  The  good  people  who 
ns.'  his  furnace  a(  Anaconda  » - ; 1 1 1  it  MacDougall,  as  shown 
in  the  excellent  pamphlet  recently  issued:  Mr.  L.  S. 
Austin  makes  it  McDongal;  Mr.  T.  T.  Read  spells  it 
McDougall;  while  the  A.  1.  M.  E.  volumes  give  both 
McDongal!  and  MacDougall.  Finally,  the  manufacturer 
of  the  furnace  uses  McDougall.  We  should  like  to  hear 
from  the  gentleman  himsrlt'.  or  his  heirs  and  assigns,  as 
the  final  authority  on  the  matter. 

"1/TETALLFRGK'AL  results  at  the  Ouro  Preto  gold 
■'■'■'■  mine  in  Brazil  show  careful  work.  The  lode  is  a 
quartzose  replacement  in  schist,  the  gold  being  associated 
intimately  with  arsenical  pyrite.  On  ore  averaging 
$7.:-:i>  per  ton  the  extraction  is  91.41%,  the  total  loss 
of  metal  from  all  sources  being  60  cents  per  ton.  Last 
year  8.r>.400  tons  was  treated.  At  the  sand-plant,  the 
63,206  tons  leached  averaged  88  cents  per  ton  before 
treatment,  of  which  59  cents  was  recovered.  Slime 
assayed  92  cents,  giving  a  recovery  of  80.6%.  The  com- 
bined cost  of  sand  and  slime  treatment  was  only  23  cents 
per  ton.  These  are  excellent  results  from  such  low-grade 
material,  with  such  a  comparatively  small  tonnage,  and 
are  a  credit  to  the  superintendent,  Mr.  A.  J.  Bensusan, 
and  his  staff.    Total  costs  amounted  to  $6.10  per  ton. 

OHIPMEXTS  of  copper  from  Chile  and  Peru  to  United 
*~J  States  refineries  continue  to  increase,  due  mainly  to 
operations  at  Cerro  de  Pasco,  Chuquieamata,  and  Bra- 
den.  For  the  eleven  months  ended  May  31,  1916,  exports 
from  these  countries  were  51,279,639  and  64,956,459 
pounds,  respectively,  a  total  of  116,236,098,  compared 
with  67.530,320  and  55,684,377  pounds  for  similar  pe- 
riods of  the  previous  two  years.  Contemplated  additions 
to  these  properties  in  the  near  future  will  augment  the 
output  considerably.  The  Chile  Copper  Company's  yield 
in   the   first   half  of  the   current  year   was   19,724,385 


pounds.       In    future    this    C puny    will    issue    monthly 

statements.  A  new  estimate  of  ore  reserves  places  the 
total  al  354,130,660  tons,  averaging  2','  copper.  This  is 
an  increase  of  50,000,000  tons  since  April  1915. 

TV7E  hope  it  is  true  thai  cotton-stalks  can  be  used  for 
**  making  paper-pulp,  as  reported  from  Berlin,  for 
the  price  of  that  commodity  has  risen  uncomfortably. 
The  use  of  thick  paper  for  lining  the  trenches  from  the 
Channel  to  Switzerland  is  given  as  one  cause,  although 
paper  wadding  is  no  longer  used  in  rifles.  Imports  of 
rags  for  paper  manufacture  have  declined  to  nearly  one- 
quarter  what  they  were  before  the  War.  But  the  waste 
of  paper  iu  this  country  is  reason  enough  for  a  scarcity. 
The  bulky  issues  of  a  cheap  and  misinforming  daily  press 
indicate  where  the  paper  goes.  An  effort  to  reduce  the 
number  of  pages  has  been  made  by  several  dailies  in  the 
East.  As  Thomas  H.  Price  says  in  Commerce  and 
Filature,  "The  average  daily  newspaper  prints  too 
much  stuff.  There  is  not  enough  attention  given  to 
editing.  Condensation  is  not  the  art  it  used  to  be."  This 
is  true  of  the  technical  journals  also.  Quantity  is  at- 
tained at  the  expense  of  quality.  The  public  is  not 
critical  and  thinks  it  is  getting  more  for  its  money  when 
a  paper  is  bulky  and  un-edited  than  when  it  is  given 
matter  that  has  been  condensed  and  revised  carefully. 

/~^  OLD  output  of  the  Rand  in  July  was  practically  the 
^-^  same  as  in  June,  namely,  761,000  ounces.  The  cur- 
rent year  will  probably  make  a  record.  We  have  just  re- 
ceived the  annual  report  of  the  Transvaal  Chamber  of 
Mines  covering  the  year  1915.  It  is  less  voluminous  than 
the  previous  statement,  but  contains  a  number  of  inter- 
esting items.  At  the  gold  mines,  an  average  of  22,081 
whites  and  193,687  Kaffirs  were  employed,  earning 
£6,283,884  and  £6,041,090  respectively.  There  were  5675 
machine-drills  operated.  The  crushing  of  28,314,579 
tons  of  ore,  averaging  $6.30  per  ton,  was  accomplished 
by  9990  stamps  and  321  tube-mills.  The  working  cost 
averaged  $4.18  per  ton.  The  total  yield  was  £37,264,992, 
equal  to  40.1%  of  the  world's  total  gold  production  in 
1915.  Dividends  amounting  to  £7,619,416  were  dis- 
tributed. The  Transvaal  also  produced  5,202,805  tons 
of  coal,  and  diamonds  worth  £128,067,  this  small  amount 
being  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Premier  mine  was  closed. 
Incidentally  we  note  in  a  consular  report  from  Johan- 
nesburg that  a  new  diamond-field  has  been  discovered 
six  miles  from  the  Premier,  but  the  extent  of  it  is  not 
yet  known.  Copper  ore  valued  at  £408,667  was  also  pro- 
duced, and  tin  ore  worth  £337,488.  Taxes  totaled 
£1,877,452.  A  committee  for  the  Chamber  has  completed 


372 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


Septemlxr  9,  1916 


four  dust-sampling  surveys  of  the  mini's,  a  work  of  great 
utility.  The  staff  is  to  he  increased,  so  that  every  mine 
may  he  sampled  once  every  two  months.  Stores  pur- 
chased by  all  companies  amounted  to  £10,889,115.  At 
Johannesburg,  on  June  s.  a  conference  of  the  councils' 

of  nine  South  African  teehnieal  soeieties  was  held  to 
start  a  movement  for  the  furtherance  of  scientific  re- 
search in  the  Union.  As  these  are  all  live  institutions, 
some  good  results  may  he  expected. 

TVTEW  capital  to  the  amount  of  61,978,986,200  has  been 
-1-  ™  issued  in  London  since  the  War  began.  Mining, 
financial,  and  commercial  enterprises  have  suffered  a 
great  slump;  of  the  total  amount  of  new  capital  issued 
for  all  enterprises,  only  £102,694,300  was  invested  in 
this  direction.  Increases  in  the  capitalization  of  existing 
companies  amount  to  £9-3.828,700,  which  leaves  little  for 
fresh  enterprise.  Mining  seems  to  have  been  the  chief 
sufferer.  Daring  the  period  of  peace  from  August  1913 
to  August  1914.  £5,733,200  was  invested  in  mining  enter- 
prises. This  amount  has  dwindled  to  £1,841,800  during 
the  first,  and  £516,500  in  the  second  year  of  the  War. 
The  flow  of  English  capital  to  foreign  countries  lor  the 
development  of  mines  lias  practically  stopped.  The 
United  states  sinus  to  have  heroine,  at  least  temporarily, 
the  hanker  for  the  nations.  Foreign  loans  and  credits 
made  in  the  United  States  since  the  War  total  .+;  1 .7 1 >4 . - 
950,000.  This  includes  the  new  War  loan  of  $250,000,- 
000  to  England,  while  $1,115,000,000  represents  the  total 
loans  to  Canada,  England,  France,  and  Russia,  all  for 
War  purposes.  In  the  meantime,  our  friends  in  South 
America  have  not  been  neglected,  Argentine  having  re- 
ceived $68,500,000,  Chile  $6,000,000,  and  Bolivia 
$1,000,000. 


TX/T1NING  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  cannot  boast  the  nearly 
-*-*-*-  three  score  and  ten  years  of  the  Californian  gold 
mines,  nor  the  nearly  50  years  of  operation  of  its  chief 
competitor,  the  lead  district  of  south-eastern  Missouri. 
Compared  with  copper-mining  in  Michigan  or  silver- 
mining  in  Nevada,  the  great  mineral  region  in  the  pan- 
handle of  Idaho  is  only  ill  its  youth.  Mining  of  placer 
gold  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  was  begun  in  1882  by  A.  J. 
Prichard,  and  the  lead-silver  deposits  were  staked  sev- 
eral years  later.  •"Thirty  years  ago,"  says  Mr.  William 
Wagner  of  Wallace  in  his  new  handbook  on  the  Coeur 
d'Alene,  "the  district  was  uninhabited  except  for  a  few- 
daring  prospectors,  and  the  Indians,  who  came  to  hunt 
and  fish."  Mr.  Wagner  continues,  "nowhere  can  be 
found  a  mining  district  more  favored  by  nature.  There 
is  an  abundance  of  fresh  water  ;  the  hills  are  well  timber- 
ed, supplying  cheap  lumber;  electric-power  lines  are 
built  and  railroads  have  been  extended  to  the  big  mines. " 
During  1915  the  Consolidated  Interstate-Callahan.  a 
zinc  mine,  made  the  greatest  profit  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene, 
$2,921,487.  The  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  won  a  profit  of 
$1,145,854.  and  the  three  companies  under  the  same 
management,  the  Caledonia,  the  Ontario,  and  the  Siena 
Nevada,  made  profits  of  $761,797  and  $223,724,  and  $46,- 


354,  res] lively.  The  Federal  .Mining  &  Smelting  Com- 
pany, which  is  a  subsidiary  of  the  American  Smelting  & 

Refining  Company,   made  $571,560   from   its  Morning 

mine,  besides  smaller  amounts  from  the  Last  Chance  and 
Standard  p«perties.  while  its  Frisco  and  Iron  Mountain 
mines  made  no  profit.  The  (irecnhill-l 'leveland  Mining 
Company,  controlled  by  the  Federal  company,  cleared 
the  sum  of  $497,864.  The  Hercules  Mining  Company 
and  the  Tamarack  &  Custer,  which  arc  controlled  by  the 
Day  family,  made  profits  of  $1,096,019  and  $346,796 
respectively.  The  Success  Mining  Company,  also  owned 
in  the  North-West,  won  $898,935  in  profit.  The  Hecla 
and  Stewart  companies  made  nearly  identical  winnings, 
$593,680  and  $572,231  respectively.  The  Gold  Hunter 
Company  made  a  small  gain,  and  a  dozen  other  oper- 
ators shipped  ore  without  financial  advantage. 

Tj1  LECTROLYTIC  zinc  will  he  an  Australian  product 
*->  in  the  near  future.  We  learn  by  mail  that  the 
Amalgamated  Zinc  (De  Bavay's)  Company  has  con- 
tracted with  the  government  of  Tasmania  the  island 
State  i    for  a  supply  of  electric  power,  the  first   unit  of 

4000  horse-power  to  be  available  by  January  1918,  or 
earlier  if  desired.  It  will  he  remembered  that  the  Amal- 
gamated Zinc  operates  at  Broken  Hill,  in  New  South 
Wales,  buying  zinc-lead-silver  tailing  from  the  mining 
companies,  treating  it  by  flotation  (at  the  rate  of  over 
4(1,000  Ions  per  month  in  normal  times),  and  making  a 
concentrate  containing  49','  zinc.  Since  the  War  hegan, 
this  company  has  had  some  difficulty  in  disposing  of  its 
product,  much  of  which  came  to  American  smelters.  It 
is  the  desire  of  Australians  to  treat  their  output  of  ore 
and  concentrate  within  the  Commonwealth.  As  the  Tas- 
manian  government  has  recently  acquired  a  hydro-elec- 
tric plant  capable  of  considerable  expansion,  permitting 
low  rates  for  current,  and  as  electrolytic  zinc  production 
is  a  success  in  the  United  States,  the  Amalgamated  Zinc 
no  douht  felt  that  it  could  go  ahead  and  treat  its  con- 
centrate by  this  method.  This  company's  general  man- 
ager, Mr.  H.  W.  Gepp.  has  investigated  practice  in  this 
country.  The  Electrolytic  Zinc  Company  of  Austral- 
asia has  recently  been  organized  with  a  capital  of 
E1,000,000,  hacked  by  Amalgamated  Zinc,  for  the  pro- 
duction of  electrolytic  metal.  While  on  this  subject  it 
may  he  said  that  in  the  west  coast  region  of  Tasmania 
there  are  several  mines  containing  refractory  ores.  A 
smelter  operated  at  Zeehan  for  a  time,  hut  unprotitahly. 
A  good  deal  of  ore  was  sent  to  Europe  for  treatment. 
Recently  the  Mount  Lyell  company  completed  its  option 
on  the  Mount  Read  and  Rosebery  mines,  which  are  esti- 
mated to  contain  800,000  tons  of  ore  averaging  29% 
zinc  7.5$  lead,  and  9.5  oz.  silver,  and  $2.50  gold  per  ton. 
It  is  probable  that,  in  addition  to  concentration  of  this 
ore,  electrolytic  treatment  of  the  concentrate  will  follow. 
The  Mount  Lyell  company  has  installed  hydro-electric 
power-plants  near  its  own  copper  mines  at  Queenstown, 
dispensing  with  steam.  Tasmania  is  capable  of  large  de- 
velopment in  water-power,  and  is  destined  to  become  the 
lahoratorv  of  Australasia. 


September  9,  1916 


MI\IV.    ,,nd    Sirntili,      I'KI  Ss 


373 


The   lid   Unlocked 

The  weakness  of  the  Government  has  been  beti 
s.>  that  nil  tin-  world  may  see  Any  minority,  any  clan 
nr  group  Hi'  iii.n.  Bxed  in  their  determinations  aa  we 
know  tnn I.-  unions  to  be,  can  work  its  will.  The  rail- 
road engineer!  and  trainmen  an  too  intelligent  a  class 
to  wish  t..  expose  the  country  t..  the  peril  of  dominance 
l>y  the  great  hordes  that  are  ever  ready  for  the  plnnge 
int..  anarchy,  but  they  have  betrayed  the  fatal  secret. 
The  pi. his  pacifists  have  had  their  way.  and  the  nation  .>t' 

a  l"1 llions  has  an  army  such  as  was  deemed  necessary 

when  we  numbered  80  millions.    We  were  going  to  have 

our  way  by   force  Of  moral  suasion.     That   lias  .iust   been 

subjected  t<>  trial,  and  we  Bee  that  might  rules,  as  usual. 

V7e  have  bad  to  r. gniie  that  the  ultimate  police  force 

of  tl uiiitry  is  insufficient  to  compel  the  Bettleme.n1  of 

industrial  disputes  within  their  proper  sphere.  Four 
handred  thousand  men,  through  their  four  spokesmen  at 
Washington,  command  the  representatives  of  100  million 
people,  and  are  obeyed.  An  ultimatum  is  hurled;  a  nar- 
row- time  limit  s.t  ;  and  the  dignity  of  the  nation  is 
humbled  to  comply  with  the  mandate. 

No  regrel  need  be  felt  that  the  railroad  men  are  to 
have  an  8-hour  day  without  reduction  of  wage.  It  is  to 
be  supposed  that  the  public  ran  afford  to  pay  the  bill 
It  will  mean  such  a  vanishing  fraction  of  a  mill  per  ton- 
mile  of  freight  moved  that  the  only  serious  evil  that 
might  Mow  from  it  would  be  the  excuse  it  might  give  to 
merchants  for  raising  prices  out  of  due  proportion  to 
the  actual  increased  cost  We  do  not  grudge  the  labor- 
ing man  his  just  reward;  our  regret  is  that  the  discovery 
should  have  been  made  that  neither  he,  nor  you.  nor  we 
Can  fount  so  hopefully  as  we  did  upon  the  future  se- 
cnrity  of  our  Government  with  its  guarantees  of  life, 
liberty,  and  equality  of  right  to  seek  and  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  the  earth. 

The  decision  of  the  railroad  engineers  and  trainmen  to 
vail  a  strike  was  pregnant  with  evil.  Equally  may  it  he 
said  that  the  refusal  of  the  railroad  managers  to  accept 
the  8-hour  day  as  a  basis  for  negotiation  of  the  other 
points  at  issue  was  an  act  of  folly.  They  have  added  to 
the  indignity  put.  upon  the  country.  They  acted  more 
like  a  company  of  poker  players  than  a  body  of  far- 
seeing  business  men ;  they  tried  to  win  by  a  bold  game 
of  bluff,  when  all  the  world  could  plainly  see  that  their 
opponents  held  the  better  cards.  Both  sides  were  guilty 
of  trifling  with  that  most  sensitive  of  all  explosives,  the 
passion  of  the  multitude.  It  is  not  necessary  to  reach  a 
firm  conclusion  as  to  the  merits  of  the  case  in  dispute  to 
be  able  to  brand  the  entire  performance  as  dangerous  to 
the  welfare  of  the  country. 

If  the  crisis  presented  by  the  action  of  the  railway 
brotherhoods  shall  awaken  the  American  people  to  the 
need  of  preparedness  to  meet  the  emergencies  of  the 
Republic  in  both  civil  and  military  spheres,  it  will  have 
served  a  most  useful  purpose.  The  spectacle  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States  working  day  and  night 
to  prevent   an  industrial  strike,  and  of  Congress  con- 


verting itself  with   feverish   precipitation   into  ■   re 

machine  for  legalising  the  demands  of  the  represents 

of  labor-un s,  is  not  edifying,  nor  does  it  augur 

well  for  tin-  future  stability  of  industry  and  national  de- 
velopment It  makes  patent  the  indifference  thai  Con 
grass  has  displayed  toward  the  great  needs  of  the  day. 

It   provokes  Wonder  as  to  what   new  dilemma  may  arise. 

unforeseen  and  unprovided  for.  where  the  whip  of  cir- 
cumstances   may    In-    used    to    foi hasty    adjust  in. -nts, 

which  the  nation  may  repent  at  leisure.  Without  ex- 
pressing an  opinion  as  to  which  side  in  this  controversy 
possesses  the  larger  measure  of  right,  any  citizen  who 

believes   in    his   country    must    feel    pained    at    what    has 

happe I.    Thf  thing  to  which  we  cannot  close  our  eyes 

is  that  the  brotherhoods  brought   forward  their  demands 

at  a  moment  when  the  pi s  were  so  set  on  the  national 

chessboard  that  refusal  was  impossible.  This  indieates, 
what  so  many  have  long  feared,  that  the  physical  in- 
ability of  our  Government  to  maintain  law  and  order 
lias  been  measured  with  exactitude  by  the  masses.  Eng- 
land, heeause  of  military  weakness  prior  to  the  Euro- 
pean war,  which  has  given  a  new  direction  to  English 
thought  and  feeling,  was  dragged  again  and  again  to 
the  verge  of  social  revolution.  Many  able  students  of 
polities  and  sociology  had  pointed  out  that  a  foreign 
war  would  prove  her  speediest  cure  for  the  social  fer- 
ment imperiling  the  existence  of  the  Empire.  We  have 
witnessed  the  fruit  of  unpreparedness  in  Mexico,  where 
a  petty  revolution  headed  by  Madero,  after  capturiug 
nothing  more  than  a  single  port  of  entry  two  thousand 
miles  from  the  capital,  revealed  to  the  people  the  im- 
potence of  the  government,  so  that  soon  the  flames  of 
anarchy  were  sweeping  the  country  and  destroying  the 
institutions  built  under  the  constructive  statesmanship 
of  Diaz.  No  doubt  the  virtue  had  been  allowed  to  rot 
out  of  some  of  those  institutions;  no  doubt  reforms  were 
needed ;  yet  is  it  also  true  that  the  structure  reared  by 
Diaz  had  in  it  more  hope  for  the  future  of  all  Mexico, 
for  peon  and  aristocrat,  than  can  be  found  in  the  ashes 
that  remain  after  the  social  conflagration.  Madero 
playing  Pandora  found  the  lid  unlocked  and  pried  it 
open;  never  since  have  the  sprites  of  evil  suffered  it  to 
be  shut. 

Is  our  political  strong-box  also  unlocked,  and  is  the 
power  wanting  to  hold  in  check  the  unthinking  spirits 
that  would  sacrifice  the  treasure  of  our  institutions  for 
the  sake  of  fleeting  revel  in  the  debaucheries  of  political 
license,  so  bitterly  seen  in  the  excesses  of  the  French 
Revolution  1  It  is  evident  that  the  railroad  brother- 
hoods found  at  least  one  chest  with  the  lock  off.  Not 
only  is  our  army  pitifully  inadequate  to  insure  respect 
for  the  laws,  but  almost  the  whole  of  that  army  had  been 
dispatched  to  guard  the  1700  miles  of  our  southern 
boundary.  Interruption  of  traffic  for  a  few  days  would 
reduce  these  forces  to  destitution  and  practical  helpless- 
ness. In  such  a  situation  the  chances  of  renewed  diffi- 
culties with  Mexico  would  have  been  intensified.  The 
folly  of  concentrating  nearly  our  entire  military 
strength  on  the  border,  and  the  certainty  that  it  would 


■m 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


give  rise  to  strikes,  was  pointed  out  in  many  quarters 
at  the  time.  The  action  of  the  railroad  brotherhoods  has 
justified  tin'  warning  then  sounded. 

That  the  brotherhoods  took  advantage  of  the  situation 
is  not  cause  for  condemning  them.  They  did  what  busi- 
ness Mien  are  daily  doing  in  the  smaller  affairs  of  in- 
dividual commercial  warfare.  They  have  merely  dis- 
covered the  opportunity  for  successfully  forcing  the 
bands  of  those  with  whom  they  were  dealing.  The 
declaration  in  the  strike-order  against  the  use  of  vio- 
lence counts  for  nothing.  No  body  of  men  could  hope 
to  win  in  such  an  industrial  battle  by  merely  quitting 
work  and  permitting  others  to  be  substituted  in  their 
places.  Coercion  is  an  essentia]  part  of  these  industrial 
protests.  A  government  that  was  prepared  to  restrain 
the  strikers  from  committing  excesses  through  riot  and 
arson  could  stand  by  and  suffer  the  parties  in  interest 
to  come  to  their  own  conclusions,  while  at  the  same  time 
protecting  the  general  welfare  and  rights  of  the  public. 
Instead  of  that,  the  whole  Administration  and  both 
houses  of  Congress  are  thrown  into  a  panic,  and  half- 
baked  legislation  is  turned  out  over-night  to  grant  the 
8-hour  day.  with  provisions  to  protect  in  some  measure 
the  rights  of  the  railroads  and  the  general  public,  all  of 
which  may  be  upset  by  the  Supreme  Court,  provoking 
new  issues  as  perilous  as  those  that  for  the  moment  were 
averted. 

This  same  Congress,  that  has  just  been  passing  a  nig- 
gardly appropriation  for  an  utterly  inadequate  increase 
of  l  he  Army,  is  now  compelled  to  put  on  a  subservient 
Chinese  grin  at  the  behest  of  the  calmly  confident  chiefs 
of  the  brotherhoods,  and  do  their  bidding!  It  may  be 
better  than  to  let  the  social  pot  boil  over;  the  sympa- 
thetic strikes  that  would  have  accompanied  the  railroad 
walk-out  might  easily  have  let  loose  the  barbarian  ele- 
ment in  society,  imperiling  the  very  foundations  of  the 
Republic.  We  may  not  forget  what  happened  not  many 
years  ago  at  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  in  Idaho,  nor 
the  social  war  and  terrorism  in  Colorado,  nor  the  dis- 
play of  the  ugly  side  of  human  nature  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania coal  strikes,  nor  the  brutalities  that  suddenly 
thrust    themselves    above    the   erstwhile    peaceful    surface 

at  Youngstown,  Paterson,  Lawrence,  and  Homestead. 

The  American  people  should  learn  from  this  lesson 
and  consider  well  the  amelioration  of  industry  by  appro- 
priate enabling  legislation  while  there  is  time  to  work 
out  the  equities  of  the  social  problems  involved,  and 
meanwhile  create  a  strong  arm  to  insure  order  and  re- 
spect for  law  in  every  emergency  in  order  to  prevent 
the  destruction  of  those  institutions  under  which  men 
have  found  freedom  and  opportunity  for  generations. 
Imperfect  many  of  these  institutions  may  lie.  but  they 
have  l ii  winnowed  experiments  and  conscien- 

tious efforts  of  men  who  have  mostly  been  true  patriots, 

and  who  have  shown  superior  genius  for  developing  a 
sane  and  wholesome  demodratic  government.  These  in- 
stitutions may  not  be  lightly  endangered,  for  they  repre- 
sent the  fruit  of  rational  evolution.  WhjBD  the  lid  is  off 
it  is  not  the  people  that  rules,  it  is  not  the  national  con- 


science that  dictates,  but  the  passions  of  an  unscrupu- 
lous minority.  Neither  is  it  when  the  lid  is  off  that  the 
poor  obtain  justice  and  opportunity.  Behold  Mexico,  if 
anyone  doubt!  Consider,  moreover,  that  two  small 
minorities,  sb  unlike  in  character  and  traditions  that  they 
could  no  more  mix  than  can  oil  and  water,  are  the  ones 
that  clamor  against  military  preparedness — the  pious 
fanatics  called  'pacifists.'  and  the  socialistic  brother- 
hoods. 

Cyanidation   of   Silver   Ore 

At  Rochester.  Nevada,  the  latest  developed  silver-gold 
district  in  that  State,  there  are  two  cyanide  mills  in 
operation.  In  our  issue  of  August  28,  1915,  the  plant  of 
the  Rochester  Mines  company  was  described  by  Mr.  G. 
W.  Wood;  in  the  present  issue  that  of  the  Nevada  Pack- 
ard Mines  company  is  described  by  Mr.  Herbert  G.  Thom- 
son. The  Rochester  mill  is  a  typical  equipment  of  the 
continuous  counter-current  deeantation  system,  known 
briefly  as  C.  C.  D.  Thickeners  are  used  exclusively 
without  a  filter.  The  ore  is  crushed  in  solution  by  heavy 
stamps,  and  is  finally  reduced  in  tube-mills  so  that  94% 
passes  a  200-mesh  screen.  Following  this,  the  pulp  is 
agitated,  thickened,  and  decanted  in  a  series  of  vats.  As 
custom  ore  is  treated,  no  figures  of  cost  are  available  for 
this  120-ton  mill,  which  is  being  duplicated. 

The  Nevada  Packard  100-ton  mill  was  erected  in  1915 
at  a  cost  of  165,452,  compared  with  the  estimate  of 
$65,740  made  by  the  designer.  Mr.  Knud  Freitag.  The 
ore  is  described  as  highly-altered  sericitized  rhyolite,  of 
varying  hardness,  traversed  by  quartz  veinlets.  Cerar- 
gyrite,  the  chloride  of  silver,  is  the  valuable  constituent. 
The  content  ratio  of  gold  to  silver  is  1 :  300.  After  being 
crushed  to  1^-inch  size  the  ore  is  further  reduced  to  f 
inch  by  rolls.  Fine-grinding,  so  that  83.395  passes  200- 
incsli.  is  done  by  successive  reduction  in  two  short  tube- 
mills,  working  in  closed  circuit,  with  a  duplex  classifier. 
This  scheme  has  proved  entirely  satisfactory.  The  first 
contact  of  the  ore  with  cyanide  solution  is  at  the  No.  1 
tube-mill  feed-box.  Selected  lumps  of  rhyolite  have 
largely  replaced  Danish  pebbles,  to  the  gain  of  efficiency 
and  economy.  The  spiral  pumps  used  are  considered 
superior  to  bucket-elevators  or  air-lifts.  From  the  thick- 
eners the  pulp  goes  to  agitators,  where  most  of  the  cya- 
nide and  lead  acetate  are  added.  Interesting  data  were 
secured  on  the  use  of  lead  salts.  From  the  agitators  the 
pulp  flows  to  thickeners,  it  is  then  diluted  with  barren 
solution,  and  partly  treated  by  the  ( '.  C.  D.  system.  The 
underflow  from  the  thickeners  is  finally  dewatered  on  a 
filter  of  the  revolving-drum  type.  The  soluble  loss  per 
ton  treated  is  ."i  cents,  an  excellent  result  due  to  counter- 
current  wash  and  the  heavy  water-wash  on  the  filter. 
The  total  cost  of  treatment  is  $1.26  per  ton.  and  the  re- 
covery is  94.9';.  A  comparison  of  crushing  and  treat- 
ment at  the  two  plants  at  Rochester  shows  considerable 
differences.  The  variation  from  Tonopah  practice  is 
also  noteworthy.  Mr.  Thomson  gives  some  useful  hints 
on  building  construction  and  cost  of  installation. 


September  !•.  1916 


MINING    and   Sccniific    PRESS 


375 


DISCU 


ON 


Our  rtaden  an  invited  to  um  this  departmentjbr  the  diaausnon  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 

in*/  to  mmimj  «ijj«/  metallurgy.      Thf  Editor  welcomes  expression*  of views  contrary  t<>  Hit  own,  btftov* 

t»i</  //id/  .nzr/iii  critu-iim  it  mure  valuaSU  than  ctixtud  OOmplwu  "/. 


Modern  Blasting    Practice 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Tin-  benefits  of  careful  tamping  (or  stemming) 
have  been  so  fully  brought  out  in  the  paper*  by  Walter 
<>.  Snelling  ami  Clarence  Hall,  ami  emphasized  by  E.  A. 

Collinsv   ami  1'.   B.  McDonald, J  that  there  seems  little 

reason  for  its  not   being  more  generally  adopted.     The 

Ql  high  prici'  of  explosives  offers  a  special  induce- 


With  hard  ammonia  powder  is  little,  it'  any.  more  diffi- 
cult than  where  soft  gelatin  powder  is  used.  It  has 
been  noted  that  the  chief  difficulty  in  introducing  the 
practice  of  tamping  is  the  lack  of  suitable  material  fur- 
nished in  convenient  form  to  the  men  who  load  the  holes. 
If  the  tamping  material  is  furnished  in  specially  marked 
cartridges,  which  are  as  easily  loaded  as  a  stick  of 
powder,  there  is  little  difficulty  in  getting  it  used. 

The  tamping-bags,  now  being  furnished  at  small  cost 


Elevation 


Drive  Pulley    250  R.P.M  , 

Spiral     -v         SoR.P.M._  Scale  IS  =  I 

Cop*  city  of  machine  - 100  - 1%  cartridges  p  er  ho  ur. 
-  *  SO  cartridges  without  refillmo 


Idler 


Discharge  End 


Dia.  of  Screw    -    (,%■ 
Titch  •  (■  ' 

Length  of    ■       -    le' 


TA.Ml'lXU-BAO    FILLER   OF    MOUOI.LOX    MIXES    CO.,    NEW    MEXICO. 


ment  to  reduce  the  quantity  of  explosives  used  and  at 
the  same  time  to  substitute,  where  possible,  cheaper 
grades  having  approximately  the  same  strength  as  the 
corresponding  gelatin  powders. 

The  conclusion  drawn  from  the  tests  made  by  the  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Mines,  that  both  these  economies  can  be  ef- 
fected by  careful  stemming,  have  been  verified  in  the 
practice  at  Mogollon.  With  plenty  of  suitable  tamping 
material  on  hand  the  loading  of  back  holes,  in  stoping, 

•Technical  Paper  17,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 
f'Efficiency  of  Tamping,'  M.  &  S.  P.,  May  22,  1915. 
t'Modern  Blasting  Practice,'  M.  &  S.  P.,  May  27,  1916. 


by  some  powder  companies,  have  undoubtedly  tended  to 
increase  the  practice  of  tamping.  However,  the  filling  of 
the  bags  by  hand  is  slow  and  unsatisfactory.  To  over- 
come this  we  have  introduced  at  Mogollon  a  simple  ma- 
chine for  filling  the  bags,  which  is  outlined  in  the  ac- 
companying drawing.  The  empty  bags  are  slipped  over 
the  spouts  on  the  end  of  the  machine  and  the  movement 
of  the  spiral  forces  the  material  into  the  bags,  causing 
them  to  slip  off  from  the  spouts  as  they  fill.  A  tight 
and  loose  pulley  and  belt-shifter  add  to  the  convenience 
in  operating.  That  such  a  machine  can  be  improvised 
at  almost  any  mine  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  one 


376 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


shown  was  built,  under  the  direction  of  D.  L.  Perkins, 
mill  superintendent,  mostly  from  material  recovered 
from  the  scrap-pile. 

At  the  La-st  Chance  mine  of  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co. 
the  factors  affecting  the  amount  of  ore  broken  in  stop- 
ing  are  the  width  of  the  vein  and  the  character  of  the 
vein  filling.  In  the  wider  stopes,  up  to  14  and  18  ft. 
wi  |e,  there  is  a  large  amount  of  calcite  present,  permit- 
ting deep  holes  to  be  drilled,  while  in  the  stopes  5  to  10 
ft.  wide  the  relative  amount  of  caleite  is  usually  less  and 
the  silieihVation  greater.  Between  these  extremes  the  ore 
broken  in  stoping  varies  from  16  to  8  tons  per  drill-shift. 
or  from  1  to  J  tons  per  lb.  of  powder.  In  any  stope 
where  conditions  have  remained  the  same  there  has  been 
no  decrease  in  the  quantity  of  ore  broken  per  drill-shift 
when  tamping  material  has  been  substituted  for  the  last 
stick  of  powder  in  loading  holes.  The  number  of  tons  of 
ore  broken  per  pound  of  powder  has  shown  a  propor- 
tionate increase,  and  the  cost  of  explosives  per  ton  a 
corresponding  decrease. 

S.  J.  Kidder. 

Mogollon.  New  Mexico,  August  21. 

[The  high  price  of  dynamite  as  a  consequence  of  the 
War  has  caused  many  mining  companies  to  experiment 
with  lower-grade  explosive  but  using  stronger  detonators, 
thus  substituting  say  40%  powder  for  60%.  Results 
have  been  successful. — Editor.] 

A  Traveler's   Library 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  the  August  12  issue  'Subscriber'  wishes  to 
solve  a  problem  that  has  worried  every  conscientious 
engineer  who  has  traveled  extensively.  Personally  I 
have  found  a  tiling  method  based  on  Carl  A.  Allen's 
admirable  extension  of  the  Dewey  indexing  system  to  be 
of  great  value,  and  have  used  it  as  the  most  suitable 
receptacle  for  all  of  my  notes  and  many  text-books 
which  I  have  unbound  and  distributed  through  the  files. 
Therefore,  knowing  where  I  am  going  and  the  general 
nature  of  the  work  to  be  done,  I  can  take  as  many  en- 
velopes (11  by  14  in.  fibre)  as  I  find  necessary  to  cover 
the  work  in  hand.  Later,  if  I  find  that  I  need  more 
data,  I  have  only  to  write  to  the  office  for  the  required 
envelopes,  giving  their  numbers,  and  so  get  them  in  a 
reasonably  short  time. 

In  conjunction  with  the  files  I  suggest  the  following 
books :    ■ 

Hiitte's  '  I  >.is  Inginieurs  Taschenbuch.'  3  volumes,  with 
Pliigel's  dictionary  English-German  and  German-Eng- 
lish; Hoover's  'Principles  of  Mining;'  Finlay's  'Cost  of 
Mining;'  Gillette's  'Cost  Data;'  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers  index  to  all  volumes;  a  good  book  on 
therapeutics  and  Materia  Medica,  and  a  good  book  on 
theory  and  practice  of  technical  writing,  followed  by  a 
choice  of  the  following  subjects:  surveying,  assaying, 
metallurgy,  chemistry,  geology,  mineralogy,  prospect- 
ing, and  sampling. 

This  will  make  17  volumes  in  all.  besides  the  file  en- 


velopes, all  of  which  may  be  packed  with  room  to  spare 
for  the  card  index  in  a  box  114,  in.  wide  by  14i  in.  deep 
by  30  in.  long  (all  inside  measurements).  Such  a  box 
made  of  |-in.  ash  or  oak.  with  dove-tailed  corners,  a 
hinged  cover* and  padlock,  will  last  from  6  to  8  years, 
and  can  be  made  water-tight  by  including  two  thick- 
nesses of  heavy  canton  flannel  between  all  joints  and  the 
application  of  new  electrician's  tape  around  the  joints 
of  the  cover  from  time  to  time. 

In  addition  to  this,  an  engineer  should  remember  the 
service  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  Library  Bureau. 

John  B.  Stewart. 
Waxhaw,  North  Carolina,  August  17. 


PrOSpeCtlng 


The  Editor: 

Sir — I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Piatt's  article  in  the 
August  12  issue  as  to  the  absurdity  of  Mr.  French's 
assumptions.  Mr.  French  is  unjust  to  the  prospector. 
While  not  disparaging  the  value  of  an  engineer's  ser- 
vices. I  would  sooner  pay  a  good  prospector  $250  per 
month  and  the  engineer  $90  while  looking,  or  prospect- 
ing, for  a  mineral  deposit.  My  long  experience  in  this 
work  makes  me  feel  that  way.  After  a  mine  is  opened, 
with  considerable  ore,  I  would  employ  an  engineer  to 
examine  it,  make  assay -plans,  etc.,  and  advise  on  a  treat- 
ment process.  Mr.  French  rewards  two  prospectors  with 
$1000  if  they  find  a  rich  mine,  while  the  engineer,  who 
probably  could  never  fine  one,  is  to  receive  shares  in  the 
company.  Mr.  French  does  not  know  the  real  old-time 
prospector,  or  he  would  not  talk  in  this  manner.  Since 
large  mining  companies  will  buy  only  properties  showing 
a  certain  amount  of  ore — and  they  are  right  in  this — I 
would  suggest  that  a  small  company  be  organized  to 
lease  and  bond  one  or  more  promising  prospects,  of  which 
there  are  many  owned  by  prospectors,  who  have  done  a 
good  deal  of  work  on  them.  With  $5000  judiciously 
spent,  not  in  high  salaries  for  engineers,  probably  a  good 
mine  would  be  opened  without  having  to  spend  time  and 
money  searching  for  it  first.     Given  $5000  I  could  do 

this  now. 

M.  F.  Graupner. 
Butte,  Montana,  August  16. 

Tungsten  in  Japan  is  worth  $1300  per  ton  for  65% 
product,  or  $20  per  unit.  In  seven  months,  shipments 
to  the  United  States  total  over  400  tons.  The  monthly 
output  of  Japanese  and  Korean  mines  is  about  150 
tons.  At  Rollinsville,  Colorado,  the  Rare  Metals  Ore 
Co.  is  paying  the  following  for  tungsten  ore:  1%  ore, 
$2  per  ton;  1J.  $4.50;  14.  $6;  15,  $7.50;  2,  $10.50;  3, 
.+2o :  4.  $35 ;  5,  $45 ;  6.  $55 ;  7,  $65 :  8,  $75 ;  9,  $85 ;  10, 
$95;  15.  $150;  20,  $200;  25,  $250;  and  30% r  $300  per 
ton.  The  tungsten  situation  at  Boulder  is  brighter,  ac- 
cording to  Eugene  Stevens,  of  the  Rogers  mines,  who  re- 
cently sold  a  lot  for  $20  per  unit.  It  is  reported  that 
users  of  tungsten  will  not  make  any  time  contracts,  and 
will  not  order  ahead  for  30  days. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     PRliSS 


877 


THE  Nk.VAh.vr.UK.UiU  MILL. 


Construction  and  Operation  of  the  Nevada 

Packard  Mill 


iy 


:  ■  I  b  e  r  1 


Introductory.  The  cyanide  plant  of  the  Nevada 
Packard  Mines  Co.  is  situated  at  Packard,  in  Humboldt 
county.  Nevada,  four  miles  from  Rochester  and  nine 
from  Oreana,  the  nearest  Southern  Pacific  railroad  point. 
The  Nevada  Short  Line  narrow-gauge  railroad  runs 
within  four  miles  of  the  property,  but  the  combined  rail 
and  wagon  transportation  charges  for  supplies  from 
Oreana  are  the  same  as  the  all-wagon  haulage-rate  from 
that  point,  $8.75  per  ton. 

The  ore  is  a  remarkable  one.  It  is  essentially  a  highly 
altered  sericitized  rhyolite,  varying  from  a  soft  and 
friable  talcose  or  schistose  product  to  an  extremely 
tough  silieified  variety.  The  rhyolite  is  traversed  by 
occasional  stringers  of  quartz.  Cerargyrite  is  the  valu- 
able constituent  of  the  ore.  Sulphides  occur  sparingly, 
while  sulph-antimonates  or  arsenates  are  extremely  rare. 
The  ratio  of  gold  to  silver  is  about  1 :  300.  In  places 
small  quartz  veinlets  carry  a  much  higher  proportion  of 
gold,  giving  a  string  of  colors  when  panned.  Prelim- 
inary tests  showed  the  ore  to  be  easily  amenable  to  cya- 
nidation.  Briefly,  the  process  consists  of  crushing  dry 
in  rolls,  grinding  in  tube-mills,  agitation,  and  modified 
counter-current  decantation  followed  by  filtration. 

Construction.  The  mill  was  designed  and  erected  by 
Knud  Freitag,  who  remained  as  superintendent  for  sev- 
eral months  after  the  completion  of  the  plant.  The  mill 
is  directly  below  the  portal  of  the  lowest  adit.  In  order 
to  allow  sufficient  room  at  the  bottom  for  the  disposal  of 


G  ■      T  3h  ©  wel  s  ©  in 

tailing,  it  was  necessary  to  house  the  tube-mills  in  an 
addition  at  the  side  of  the  main  building.  The  slope  of 
the  mill-site  is  about  15°,  allowing  most  of  the  pulp- 
transference  to  be  done  by  gravity.  The  crushing-plant 
is  situated  80  ft.  from  the  mill.  Construction  of  the  mill 
started  on  August  12,  1915,  at  which  time  three-quarters 
of  the  excavation  work  was  completed.  Operations  began 
on  December  4,  1915.  The  usual  'tuning-up'  process  was 
conspicuous  by  its  absence.  In  excavating  for  founda- 
tions, 5200  tons  of  material  was  removed,  a  large  part 
being  hard  rhyolite,  so  that  1000  pounds  of  dynamite 
had  to  be  used.  All  foundations  are  of  concrete.  The 
main  building  is  64  ft.  wide  by  144  ft.  long.  The  tube- 
mill  addition  is  40  by  42  ft.,  and  the  erushing-plant  24 
by  32  ft.  In  all,  220,000  ft.  B.M.  of  lumber  was  used  in 
the  mill-construction.  Oregon  pine  was  used  for  the 
framing,  while  the  roof  and  sides  were  built  of  1-ineh 
fir  boards  covered  with  J.  M.  asbestos  roofing.  The 
Oregon  pine  was  furnished  by  the  C.  P.  Smith  Lumber 
Co.,  the  siding,  roof,  and  flooring  by  the  Red  River 
Lumber  Co.,  and  the  heavy  timbers  for  the  crushing- 
plant  by  the  Sierra  Nevada  Wood  &  Lumber  Co.  The 
asbestos  covering  has  proved  an  excellent  non-conductor 
of  heat.  With  a  temperature  ranging  from  10°  below  to 
110°  above  zero,  this  becomes  an  important  feature. 

The  entire  mill-frame  presents  a  neat  and  finished  ap- 
pearance, and  the  observer  is  highly  impressed  with  the 
clean-cut  and  workmanlike  manner  in  which  attention 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1016 


has  been  given  to  every  detail  of  the  construction.  Due 
consideration  has  been  given  to  the  proper  design  of  all 
i  rs  of  the  structure,  without  the  use  of  an  excess  of 
material.  There  is  a  notable  absence  of  useless  or  over- 
size timbers,  without  loss  of  the  necessary  strength  and 
rigidity.  Another  feature  is  the  use  of  butt-joints  and 
corbel  (Fig.  1)  for  joining  stringers,  instead  of  the 
usual  splice-joint  (Fig.  2).  The  use  of  this  joint  means 
a  saving  in  labor,  both  in  framing  and  erecting.  The 
splice-joint,  of  course,  is  used  in  all  trusses.  The  thick- 
ener and  agitator  mechanisms  are  suspended  from  the 
trusses,  as  well  as  the  transmission  machinery.  Good 
clearances  have  been  provided  around  all  machinery  and 
tanks,  and  every  part  is  easily  accessible.  Floors  are 
constructed  around  all  tanks.  Runways  are  built  around 
and  alongside  all  the  mechanical  appliances.  Belts  and 
transmission  parts  are  overhead  and  well  guarded  in  ac- 


SlS'x  IB'Corbel. 
f  Drift  Pin 

Fig  I. 


Fig  S. 


DETAILS  OF  BUTT    AND   SIM.H  K-.TOINTS    IN    BUILDING. 

cordance  with  safety-first  ideas.  Circular  steel  ore-bins 
furnished  by  the  Western  Pipe  &  Steel  Co.  were  used  in- 
stead of  the  ordinary  wooden  bins.  The  first  cost  of  this 
type  is  about  half  of  that  of  wooden  bins  of  the  same 
capacity.  The  entire  equipment  was  selected  with  one 
object  in  view :  to  obtain  the  highest  metallurgical  as  well 
as  mechanical  efficiency.  All  purchases  were  made  from 
manufacturers  of  high-grade  material  on  competitive 
bids  based  on  complete  detailed  specifications  submitted 
by  the  constructing  engineer.  No  material  was  pur- 
chased because  it  was  "good  enough"  or  cheap,  as  ex- 
perience has  proved  that  this  manner  of  selection  means 
grief  for  the  operators. 

The  selection  of  high-grade  machinery  does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  high  first  cost  of  mill,  as  has  been  shown  at 
Packard.  However,  it  does  mean  low  costs  of  operation 
and  maintenance. 

The  original  estimate  furnished  by  Mr.  Freitag  called 
for  $65,740.  The  final  cost  of  the  completed  mill  was 
$65,451.94  divided  as  follows : 

Equipment  (machinery,  supplies,  etc. ) $38,765.34 

Grading  (material,  labor  and  teams) 4.213.05 

Concrete   (material  and  labor ) 1,738.48 

Framing   (material  and  labor) *. 10.096.57 

Construction   (material  and  labor) 9,093.50 

Engineering   1,545.00 

Total   $65,451.94 

As  carefully  segregated  costs  were  not  kept  until  the 
actual  construction  work  began,  more  detailed  figures  are 


not  available.  However,  the  complete  labor  costs,  ex- 
clusive of  teaming,  grading,  and  excavating,  which  work, 
as  previously  mentioned,  was  nearly  completed  when  the 
erection  of  the  mill  started,  may  be  of  interest. 

Mill  construction  (framing  and  erecting): 

305.5  shifts  at  $4 $1,222.00 

683.75     "        "    $5 3.41S.T:. 

84  V        "    $6 504.00 

$5,142.75 

Pipe  work: 

73.5  shifts  at  $4 $    294.00 

43  "        "    $5 215.00 

509.00 

Crusher  plant  ore-bins: 

13      shifts  at  $4 $      52.00 

6  "        "    $5 30.00 

82.00 

Mill  ore-bins: 

9      shifts  at  $4 $     36.00 

15  "        "    $5 75.00 

111.00 

Painting: 

9     shifts  at  $4 36.00 

36.00 

Concrete: 

58     shifts  at  $4 $    232.00 

49.25     "        "    $5 246.25 

478.25 

Electrical  equipment: 

31      shifts  at  $4 $    124.00 

51.25     "        "    $5 256.25 

380.25 

Erecting  tanks: 

22     shifts  at  $4 $      8S.00 

36         "        "    $5 180.00 

268.00 

Erecting  Oliver  Alter: 

35.5  shifts  at  $4 $    142.00 

27  "        "    $5 135.00 

277.00 

Installing  machinery   (not  included  under  above  headings): 

132.25  shifts  at  $4.00 $    529.00 

24  "        "    $4.50 108.00 

195  "        "    $5.00 975.00 

1,612.00 

Watchman: 

94      shifts  at  $4 $    376.00 

376.00 

Total   $9,272.25 

Operation.  From  the  mine,  the  ore  is  trammed  in 
one-ton  Matteson  cars  to  the  crushing-plant,  where  it  is 
weighed  on  a  Fairbanks  recording-beam  scale,  and  dump- 
ed into  one  of  two  circular  steel  ore-bins,  having  a  com- 
bined capacity  of  100  tons.  Lime  is  added  at  this  point, 
usually  one  shovelful  to  every  four  cars  being  sufficient 
to  maintain  the  desired  alkalinity.  The  steel  bins  are 
each  12  ft.  diam.  by  16  ft.  deep,  constructed  in  four 
courses,  with  2|  by  2i  by  $  angle-iron  reinforcements  at 
top  and  bottom.  The  two  lower  sections  are  of  ^-inch 
Steel,  and  the  upper  two  of  ^-inch.  As  far  as  the 
rigidity  of  the  bins  is  concerned,  -ft-in.  steel  would  have 
been  sufficient  for  all  four  courses,  but  J-in.  wTas  used  on 
the  lower  two  so  as  to  withstand  abrasion  from  the  coarse 
ore.     These  bins  have  proved  satisfactory,  especially  to 


191(1 


Ml\l\u    and    Scientifii    I'KI  SS 


the  mill-men,  who  an  relieved  of  all  ore  bin  shoveling. 
The  ore  ia  drawn  out  through  two  standard  Is  bj  24  in 
iteel-plate  rack  and  pinion  ore  bin  galea  passing  over 
!»..  20  by  45  in  griaxlies  spaced  It  inohes  and  eel  on  a 
-J.'i    slope.     The  Bne  paaaea  to  the  bucket-elevator  and 

the iree  ia  fed  t"  a  No.  ■">  Superior  MoCullj  gyratorj 

oruaher  set  to  li  inch.  The  crashed  product  ia  elevated 
in  the  14  in.  bell  and-bubjet  elevator  t"  a  9  ft  by  30  in. 
trommel,  constructed  of  No.  10  win,  2  mesh,  having 
openinga  and  making  20  r  p.m.  The  wear  on  these 
screens  ia  heavy,  the  life  of  each  being  only  about  two 
months.  The  oversize  paaaea  to  a  set  of  374  by  16  in, 
Garfield  rolls,  and  the  underaue  to  the  mill  conveyor- 
belt  The  rolls  are  Bel  to  J-in.  and  readily  handle  the 
tough  ore  as  well  as  an  occasional  drill-steel.  Automatic 
feeding  devices  are  not  used,  but  in  spite  of  the  com- 
paratively .nais,'  feed,  the  roll-shells  have  not  corru- 
gated tu  any  appreciable  extent  after  seven  months'  run. 
The  shells  are  of  chrome-steel.  The  discharge  from  the 
mils  is  returned  by  the  elevator  to  the  trommel  for  re- 
sizing. The  trommel,  elevator,  and  chutes  are  enclosed 
in  a  light,  removable,  dust-proof  housing  lined  with 
sheet-iron.  The  conveyor  is  troughed  and  equipped  with 
14-in.  Maxecon  belt.     It  is  70.5  ft.  centre  to  centre  of 


pulleys,  in.  lined  at  an  angle  of  18  .  and  running  at  u 
i  of  300  ft  per  minute. 

Tl rusher,  rolls,  trammel,  and  elevator  are  driven 

bj  .1  60-hp.  v7eatinghouae  induct motor,    This  motor, 

as  well  as  all  others  in  the  null,  is  equipped  with  auto 

static  overload-relay  and  no-voltage  release.    <• Irich 

Pinnacle  rubber  belting  is  oaed  for  driving  the  mils  and 
crusher  ami  is  giving  good  aervioe.    The  belt veyor 

discharges  the  ore  into  a   l.'i   by  US   ft.    100  Ion   sle,-|   bin, 

similar  in  construction  to  those  in  the  crusher  plant. 

Head  grab-samples  are  taken  from  the  ascending  si  ream 
of  ore.  These  have  el Iced  fairly  well  with  smeller- 
returns,  but  an  automatic  dip  sampler  will  sunn  be  in- 
stalled. 

The  grinding  department  in  the  Packard  mill  differs 
radically  from  standard  practice  by  the  introduction  of 
stage-grinding  in  short  tube-mills.  The  grinding  is  done 
in  two  short-length  Power  &  Mining  Machinery  Co. 
tube-mills  in  closed  circuit  with  a  Dorr  duplex  classifier. 
The  designer  of  the  mill  is  an  advocate  of  short-length 
tube-mills,  and  the  work  they  do  has  borne  out  his  con- 
tentions regarding  their  efficiency.  In  spite  of  the  pres- 
ence of  some  soft  ore,  there  is  enough  of  the  extremely 
tough  silicih'ed  rhyolite  to  give  a  run-of-mine  ore  similar 


THIS    PICTURE    IS    FULL    OF    INTEREST    TO    THE    METALLURGICAL    ENGINEER,    SHOWING    MOTOR    AND    CHAIN-DRIVEN    SHORT    TUBE-MILLS    IN 

CLOSED-CIRCUIT   WITH   A   CLASSIFIER. 


380 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


to  that  of  the  average  California!!  Mother  Lode  mine. 

Through  a  bin-gate  the  ore  is  drawn  onto  a  2  by  6-t't. 
link-Belt  steel  apron-feeder,  and  discharged  into  the  No. 

1  tube-mill  feed-box.  This  is,  I  believe,  the  first  time  that 
an  apron-feeder  has  been  used  for  this  purpose  in  a 
cyanide  plant.  It  has  proved  a  thorough  success.  The 
regularity  of  the  feed  and  the  ease  with  which  it  can  be 
adjusted  are  attractive  features  of  the  apron-feeder. 
The  quantity  of  material  fed  to  the  tubes  is  regulated 
either  by  the  speed  of  the  feeder,  controlled  by  an  ad- 
justable eccentric  or  by  the  amount  that 'the  ore-bin  gate 
is  opened.    When  once  set,  it  needs  no  further  attention. 

In  No.  1  tube-mill  bos  the  ore  first  comes  in  contact 
with  the  cyanide  solution.  Sufficient  solution  from  the 
stock-tank  is  added  to  bring  the  moisture  content  up  to 
40%.  The  first  tube-mill  is  six  feet  in  diameter  by  rive 
feel  in  length.  At  the  discharge  end,  sufficient  stock- 
solution  for  proper  classification  is  added;  and  the  pulp 
flows  by  gravity  to  the  feed-box  of  the  classifier.  This 
machine  does  its  usual  excellent  work.  The  classifier- 
discharge  is  transferred  to  the  second  tube-mill,  6  ft. 
diam.  by  10  ft.  long,  by  a  10  ft.  by  8  in.  screw-conveyor, 
chain-driven  from  the  classifier-shaft.  Solution  is  again 
added  to  bring  the  moisture  up  to  40%.  The  tube-mill 
discharge  is  again  returned  to  the  classifier. 

No.  1  mill  was  designed  for  use  as  a  ball-mill,  but  in 
the  first  test  made  with  silex  pebbles  it  did  such  satis- 
factory work  that  the  change  to  a  ball-mill  will  soon  be 
made.  It  is  probable  that  Campbell  &  Kelly  liners  and 
balls  manufactured  at  Touopah  will  he  used.  They  have 
proved  satisfactory  in  the  Tonopah  and  Manhattan 
mills.  Both  mills  are  at  present  lined  with  Forbes  white- 
iron  liners.  These  are  similar  to  the  El  Oro.  They  are 
spaced  so  as  to  allow  for  the  removal  of  single  sections 
when  worn,  thus  obtaining  maximum  life  for  each  liner. 
An  average  life  of  about  eight  months  is  indicated.  The 
mills  were  started  with  silex  pebble-loads,  but  selected 
rhyolite  has  largely  replaced  the  Danish  pebbles.  Al- 
though the  rhyolite  is  tough  and  silicified,  it  still  retains 
enough  of  its  granular  structure  to  'sand'  somewhat,  and 
it  is  evident  that  the  capacity  of  the  mills  would  be  re- 
duced below  90  tons  daily  if  rhyolite  entirely  were  used. 
However,  as  the  rhyolite  'pebbles'  contain  sufficient  gold 
and  silver  to  pay  for  all  handling,  the  use  of  them  has 
proved  ecouomical,  especially  during  the  present  scarcity 
and  high  price  of  the  silex.  No  account  is  kept  of  the 
quantity  added,  as  the  amount  about  compensates  for 
the  moisture  contained  in  the  ore.  no  reduction  for  which 
is  made  in  computing  tonnage.  The  discharge-screens 
are  4  ft.  diam..  made  in  two  sections.  Being  strongly 
ribbed  on  the  discharge  side,  the  ribs  act  as  lifters  assist- 
ing in  a  rapid  discharge.  The  use  of  reverse-screw  dis- 
charges was  considered,  but  the  reduction  of  discharge- 
area  and  capacity  consequent  upon  their  use  would  more 
than  outweigh  any  advantage.  The  main  bearings  are 
16  by  16  in.  The  scoop-feeds  are  of  special  design,  hav- 
ing removable  plates  on  the  outer  faces,  allowing  inspec- 
tion of  the  spirals.  They  are  also  fitted  with  white-iron 
digging-lips,   bolted   to  the   frames,   taking  the  heaviest 


wear  from  the  scoops.  These  lips  last  about  six  months 
and  are  easily  and  cheaply  replaceable.  The  mills  are 
driven  by  a  single  100-hp.  Westinghouse  slip-ring  induc- 
tion motor.  For  this  motor,  a  rheostatic  controller  is 
used.  The  motor  is  connected  to  the  tube-mill  gear-shaft 
by  silent  chain-drives  and  Hill  clutches.  These  clutches 
are  rarely  used,  the  mills  starting  from  rest  on  slow 
speed.  The  following  screen-tests  show  the  work  being 
done  in  the  grinding  department. 


No.  1 

tube-mil 

No  2 

Classi- 

Screen 

Head 

dis- 

Classi- 

tube-mill 

fier 

aperture. 

ing 

charge 

fier  dis- 

dis- 

over- 

Mesh 

In. 

% 

charge 

charge 

flow 

+      4 

0.185 

33.9 

0.2 

0.2 

+    10 

0.065 

21.7 

0.9 

2.5 

+    20 

0.034 

9.8 

2.3 

3.9 

+    40 

0.015 

5.6 

11.4 

17.8 

1.6 

+    60 

0.00S7 

2.9 

10.4 

22.8 

11.8 

0.4 

+  100 

0.0055 

2.5 

6.4 

20.2 

17.8 

3.7 

+  150 

0.0041 

2.7 

6.9 

12.9 

16.2 

6.8 

+  200 

0.0029 

0.9 

2.6 

3.5 

5.8 

5.2 

—  200 

19.6 

57.8 

15.9 

46.2 

83.3 

99.6 


98.9 


99.7 


99.4 


99.4 


Of  the  minus  200  classifier-overflow  product,  5.2%  is 
sand  and  94.8%  slime.     These  screen-tests  are  not  ex- 


Fig-3. 

FKENIEB   PUMP    ABBANGEMEXT. 

ceptional,  but  the  averages  of  all  tests  made,  the  majority 
of  them  having  been  made  while  the  pebble-load  con- 
sisted of  about  50%  each  of  rhyolite  and  silex.  A  short 
while  ago  it  was  noted  that  a  heavy  concentrate  was  col- 
lecting in  the  feed  and  discharge  boxes  of  the  tube-mills 
and  classifier;  after  removing  the  iron  with  a  magnet,  an 
assay  of  the  residue  showed  .+2300  gold  and  $180  silver 
per  ton.  An  examination  of  the  coarser  particles  proved 
the  presence  of  flakes  of  a  coated  gold-silver  alloy.  As 
has  been  previously  observed  in  many  Mexican  cyanide- 
plants  where  tube-mills  were  used,  the  fragments  of 
copper  and  brass  from  caps,  wire,  etc..  were  heavily 
plated  with  silver.     Careful  tests  on  the  tailing  showed 


ruber  9,  1916 


MINING    «nd    Scientific    PRESS 


181 


that  thr  i  tol  as  mi  effective  barrier  to  the 

passage  of  tins  concentrate  farther  into  the  mill-circuit. 
The  olasaifier-overflow,  dilated  to  n t >< >i 1 1  7:1,  is  ale 
vated  by  a  No  1  AbM  Frenier  spiral  pnmp  to  No.  l  D<  n 
thickener.  The  lift  is  abonl  23  fl  .  and  as  the  maximum 
height  to  which  ■  Frenier  will  elevate  tins  material  is 
abonl  80  ft.,  an  air  connection  was  made  to  the  riser. 
Men  l.v  'cracking'  the  valve  admits  enough  air,  acting 
ou  the  air-lift  principle,  to  overcome  the  difference. 
When  tirst  installed,  the  pump  showed  a  disconcerting 
tendency  to  slop  over  under  Blight  provocation.  By  re- 
turning ii  portion  of  the  pulp  through  a  by-pass  as  shown 
in  the  accompanying  sketch,  tins  trouble  was  entirely 
remedied.  1  believe  that  everyone  who  has  seen  the  work 
done  here  by  the  Prenierwill  agree  thai  it  is  far  superior 


inn  tank  in  which  sixteen  5  by  -  it    Buth  n  type  canvas 

leaves   are   suspended,    Tl tear   solution    is   drawn 

through  these  leaves  bj  a  ii  in.  Gould  rotary  pump,  ami 
discharged  into  a  12  by  10  ft  pregnant  solution  tank. 
This  clarified  solution  is  pumped  through  one  of  two 
in  frame  .'.i>  in.  Merrill  precipitation  presses  by  a  ■">}  by 
•i  Deane  triplex-plunger  pump.  The  two  presses  are 
used  alternately,  clean  upa  being  made  every  12  to 
IS  clays.  Single  cloths  of  No.  10  eanvaa  onh  are  used, 
saivh  withstanding  a  pressure  of  SS  lb.,  which  is  reached 
just  before  a  elean-up.  The  same  cloths  are  used  several 
times.  From  5  to  6  tons  of  solution  per  ton  of  ore  is 
precipitated.  The  Btandard  Merrill  zinc-dust  screw- 
feeder  and  emulsifier  are  used.  The  zine  is  added  to  the 
pregnant  solution  at  the  pump  intake,  and  is  in  contact 


I'KKell'ITATIOX-PKESSES    AND    MOTOR-IIKIVKN    COMPUESSOIt. 


to  the  bucket-elevator  or  straight  air-lift.  However, 
when  the  manufacturer's  catalogue  naively  states  that 
"it  is  impossible  to  have  the  wheel  elevate  all  the  liquid 
without  having  some  of  the  liquid  overflow  at  times  and 
when  starting  and  stopping,  so  that  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  provide  a  sump  to  receive  the  overflow,"  the 
prospective  user  may  be  pardoned  for  maintaining  the 
Missourian  attitude. 

The  Dorr  classifier,  Frenier  apron-feeder  and  screw- 
conveyor,  as  well  as  the  crushing-plant  conveyor-belt,  are 
driven  by  a  10-hp.  motor.  Discharge  from  the  Frenier 
flows  into  a  28  by  10-ft.  Dorr  thickener  (No.  1) .  So  far, 
no  trouble  has  been  experienced  from  foaming  in  any 
part  of  the  thickeners.  They  are  all  equipped  with  the 
simplified  type  of  lifters,  and  with  electric-bell  overload- 
alarms.    The  solution  overflows  to  a  12  by  10-ft.  clarify- 


with  it  through  about  30  ft.  of  pipe,  before  entering  the 
presses.  At  the  Packard  mill  this  has  proved  a  sufficient 
length  of  contact  for  satisfactory  precipitation.  No  at- 
tempt is  made  to  obtain  complete  precipitation,  the  aim 
being  rather  to  procure  a  high-grade  product.  The  preg- 
nant solution  has  averaged  $1.37  and  the  barren  effluent 
7  cents.*  By  testing  the  effluent  frequently  with  10% 
sodium  sulphide  solution,  the  mill-men  keep  the  silver 
content  within  a  few  cents  of  the  latter  figure,  except  for 
a  short  time  after  'cutting  in'  a  new  press,  when  the 
barren  solution  usually  runs  slightly  higher.  This 
method  of  testing  the  effluent  is  in  use  in  many  cyanide- 
plants  treating  silver  ores,  yet  it  does  not  seem  to  be 
generally  known. 

'Wherever  assay-values  are  given  in  this  article,  they  will 
be  on  the  basis  of  50-cent  silver. 


382 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


The  pregnant  rotation  entering  the  presses  averages 
1.6  KCN  and  0.8  I".  A.  The  effluent  titrates  1.95  KCN 
and  0.7  I'.  A.  A  re-generation  of  0.35  lb.  KCN  per  ton 
on  a  2-lb.  Botation  is  remarkable,  but  it  lias  been  re- 
peatedly checked  by  different  operators.  The  advan- 
tages of  zinc-dust  over  shaving,  except  in  smaller  mills, 
have  been  too  frequently  mentioned  to  warrant  repeti- 
tion. The  survival  of  tin-  obsolete  zinc-boxes  shows  tor- 
toise tendencies. 

The  precipitate  is  dried  to  less  than  14%  moisture 
and  shipped  to  the  smelter.  A  refinery  will  be  erected 
soon.  A  representative,  though  incomplete,  analysis  of 
the  product  follows: 

%  % 

Ag    69.9  Al.O,  +  Fe:Os 0.89 

Au    0.022  Insoluble : 

Z°    16.50  AUO,  ) 

CaCO,    3.35  SiCv,  etc.   1.61  ( 

CaO    0.82  Cu    trace 

Na:CO,    0.80  Pb    none 

Returning  to  the  mill-circuit:  The  underflow  from 
No.  1  thickener,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  about  1.45. 
is  discharged  into  the  first  of  two  Dorr  agitators,  each  2s 
by  16  ft.,  where  it  is  diluted  to  a  gravity  of  1.3,  with 
stock  solution.  Most  of  the  cyanide  and  lead  acetate  are 
added  in  this  agitator,  the  remainder  being  dissolved  in 
the  stock-tank.  The  cyanide  strength  is  kept  around  2  1)>. 
KCN  and  the  protective  alkalinity  at  0.8  lb.  Ca<»  per 
ton.  Sodium  cyanide  in  the  'cyan-egg'  form  is  used,  hut 
following  general  custom,  the  silver  nitrate  solution  is 
standardized  to  KCN.  An  analysis  of  the  solution  show- 
ed the  following  constituents: 


%  % 

CaO    0.038* 

Al.tSO.),    0.069 

K.Fe(CN),    trace 


K;ZncCN>,    0.15 

NaCN    (free)    0.07 

NaAg(CN).   0.009 

SiO,    0.004 

•By  analysis.  0.05  by  P.  A.  determination. 

Total  solids  at  110°  =0.35:<' , 

Total  cyanogen  =  2.06  lb.  per  ton  in  terms  of  KCN'. 

The  reducing  power  of  the  solution  is  remarkably 
low,  being  equivalent  to  -,"„-  CC.  X  10  KMn04  on  a  10  cc. 
sample  (with  2  cc.  1 :  1  ELSOJ. 

In  the  use  of  lead  salts,  we  had  the  usual  experience. 
Knowing  that  sulphides  were  practically  absent,  it  was 
hoped  that  had  would  not  have  to  be  used,  though  a  sup- 
ply was  kept  on  hand.  For  the  first  three  weeks  the  ex- 
traction remained  near  95%,  and  then  dropped  gradu- 
ally. Immediately  upon  the  addition  of  lead  acetate,  the 
extraction  returned  to  normal.  Frequent  tests  with  both 
nitro-prusside  and  lead  carbonate  have  failed  to  show  a 
trace  of  alkaline  sulphides  in  any  part  of  the  mill-circuit. 
Ten  pounds  of  lead  acetate  only  are  added  daily. 

The  two  agitators  are  connectedjjn  series  by  a  straight 
pipe.  The  agitating  mechanism  is  suspended  from  the 
roof-trusses.  A  unique  feature  is  the  use  of  one  right 
and  one  left-hand  drive.  Besides  the  more  symmetrical 
arrangement,  there  is  a  saving  of  one  bent  in  the  mill- 
framing.  The  air  is — or  was — admitted  at  the  bottom  of 
the    tanks,    through    ball-check    air-inlet    valves.      Soon 


after  beginning  operations,  one  valve  snapped  off,  and 
was  found  reposing  in  one  .if  tin-  launder-arms.  The 
agitator  worked  as  well  as  ever,  so  the  valve  was  never 
replace, 1.  The  Dorr  machines  work  well  on  low  air- 
pressures.  reqAre  practically  no  attention  and  little 
power.  Although  a  development  of  the  last  few  years, 
they  have  already  sent  many  of  the  weird  and  wonderful 
devices  that  went  by  the  name  of  agitators  to  the  scrap- 
The  two  agitators,  thickener,  zinc-dust  feeder. 
triplex  and  rotary  pumps  are  driven  by  a  10-hp.  motor. 
Prom  the  agitators  the  pulp  flows  by  gravity  to  the 
feed-bos  of  No.  2  Dorr  thickener — the  first  of  two  coun- 
ter-current (lecantation  tanks.  It  is  diluted  in  the  box  by 
the  overflow  from  No.  3  thickener  and  flows  down  a  stag- 
gered riffle  mixing-launder  to  the  feed-well  of  No.  2  thick- 
ener. The  clear  solution  flows  to  the  sump-tank.  The 
discharge  is  transferred  by  a  No.  4  Colorado  Iron  Works 
diaphragm  pump  to  No.  3  thickener,  where  it  is  diluted 
with  the  barren  solution  discharged  from  the  Merrill 
presses.  No.  2  thickener  is  28  ft.  diam.  by  1  ft.  deep. 
No.  3  thickener  has  the  same  diameter  but  is  12  ft.  deep, 
giving  a -fall  of  two  feet  between  them  for  allowing  the 
decanted  solution  to  flow  from  the  third  to  the  second 
tank.  The  increase  in  the  depth  of  this  tank  provides 
additional  storage-room  for  pulp  during  shut-downs  of 
the  filter.  The  underflow,  having  a  specific  gravity  of 
about  1.5,  is  discharged  into  an  11 J  by  12-ft.  Oliver  filter. 
The  vacuum  is  maintained  at  22  in.  by  a  10  by  12  in. 
Doak  dry-vacuum  pump  connected  with  a  receiver  fitted 
with  the  usual  float-valve  release.  The  pipe  connecting 
the  receiver  and  dry-vacuum  pump  is  run  to  the  upper 
mill-floor  and  back,  giving  an  effective  rise  of  nearly  50 
ft.  It  is  not  always  remembered  in  installing  dry- 
vacuum  pumps  for  filtration  that  the  combined  air-lift 
action  and  vacuum  will  raise  the  solution  many  feet 
above  the  theoretical  30,  if  the  float  valve  fails  to  release. 
The  solution  is  handled  by  a  2-in.  Krogh  centrifugal 
pump,  discharging  into  the  20  by  12  ft.  sump-tank.  Ex- 
ternal air-lifts  as  well  as  mechanical  agitators  are  used  to 
keep  the  pulp  from  settling.  The  filter-canvas  will  have 
a  probable  lift  of  10  months.  Water  only  is  used  for 
washing  and  is  sprayed  on  both  the  ascending  and  de- 
scending sides  by  vermorel  sprays.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  giving  the  cake  practically  the  limit  of  water- 
wash  just  holds  the  amount  of  solution  constant  in  the 
mill-circuit.  In  many  of  the  Californian  mills,  an  all- 
water  wash  would  make  the  'wasting'  of  solution  neces- 
sary in  a  very  short  time.  The  explanation  of  the  differ- 
ence lies,  of  course,  in  the  low  moisture-content  of  the  ore 
treated  and  the  excessive  evaporation  of  mill-solution 
due  to  the  dry  atmosphere.  The  cake  is  discharged  with 
a  moisture-content  of  21.4%.  Daily  determinations  of 
the  soluble  loss  were  made  for  the  period  of  one  month, 
and  averaged  slightly  over  5  cents  per  ton.  This  low 
loss  is  due  to  the  reduction  in  value  of  the  solution  by 
counter-current  wash  in  the  thickeners  and  the  heavy 
water-wash  on  the  drum.  All  soluble-loss  assays  are 
made  by  determining  the  moisture-content  of  the  sample, 
agitating  thoroughly  with  a  measured  volume  of  water 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


f    lUrubrM.lls 

■ M  ana  General 

1  |     \  Mill  Circuit 


W:" 


Cyanide      Plant . 


/  fair  bonks  Recording  Beam-Scale. 

2  I?'*  if  Steel Ore-Bins. 

I  I8'x  24Steel  Ore-Bin  Gates. 
4.  20'x45'6rizzties,  l^' spaces. 

5  t/?5  Mf  Cully  Gyratory  Crusher  Superior  Type. 

6  PTBeltond Bucket-Elevator,  l2"x6"Mall  Buckets 
7.  30"xS:3' Trommel,  2-mesh,  Nv  10  Wire  Screen. 

8  I5i"x37'6arfie/d  Rolls. 

9  14'  Conveyor-Belt 
10.  15x28  Steel  Ore-Bin. 

II  2'x  6'  Steel  Apron-Feeder. 

12  5'x6'  Tube-Mill 

13  6',  10'  Tube-Mill 

14.  Dorr  Duplex  Classifier. 

IS  8"x  9' Screw-Conveyor. 

IG.  N?l  Frenier  Pump 

17  10x28' Dorr  Thickener. 

18.  10'x  12' Clarifying  Tank  - 16 ■  5x8" Butters  Leaves. 

19.  2" Rotary  Force-Pump,  "Gould" 

20.  10'x  12' Pregnant  Solution  Tank. 

21.  Merrill  Zinc-Dust  Feeder. 

22.  Zinc-Dust  Emulsifier 

23.  5%'x 6' Deane  Triplex-Pump. 

24.  36"  Merrill  Precipitating-Presses,  16  Frame. 


Dry  Ore 
Pulp. 
Solution. 
Water. 


25.  16' x  28  Dorr  Agitators. 

26.  feed-Box. 

27  10'xZBDorr  Thickener. 

28.  N?4  Diaphragm  Pump,  Colorado  Iron  Works  Type. 

29.  IZ'x  28' Dorr  Thickener. 

30.  l/-'6"x  12' Oliver  Filler. 

31.  Vacuum-Receiver 

32  2"Krogh   Centrifugal  Pump. 

33  12' x  20' Sump-Tank 

34.  5%'x  6llDeane  Triplex  Pump. 

35.  12' x  18'  Stock-Tank 

36  I4"xl2"  Dry  Vacuum-Fvmp. 

37.  12'  x8'lngersoll-Rand  Air-Compressor,  Low  Pressure. 

38.  ff"&7&"xl2"/ngersol/-fland Air-Compressor,  For  Mine. 

39.  12" Belt-Conveyor. 


FLOW-SHEET  OF  NEVADA  PACKARD  MILL. 


384 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


and  assaying  the  filtered  solution.  It  need  scarcely  be  re- 
marked that  the  anwaahed-mtnus-waahed  tailing  method 
does  not  give  accurate  results.  The  cyanide  loss  in  the 
tailing  is  under  0.2  lb.  per  ton.  It  is  a  safe  prediction  that 
the  counter-current  decantation  method  is  going  to  play  a 
large  part  in  future  eyanidation.  It  is  an  equally  sate 
prediction,  however,  thai  except  in  the  case  of  low-grade 
ore  treated  with  low-content  cyanide  solutions,  contin- 
uous vacuum-filtration  will  follow  the  decantation  step 
in  the  process. 

The  following  table  gives  the  extraction  throughout 
tin'  mill : 

Cumulative 
Assay-  extraction, 

value  7c 

Headings   $7.06 

Washed  No.  1  tube-mill  discharge 3.16  55.3 

Washed  classifier-discharge  3.31  53.1 

Washed  No.  2  tube-mill  discharge 2.07  70.0 

Washed   classifier  overflow 1.45  79.5 

Washed  No.  1  thickener  discharge 1.38  80.4 

Washed  No.  2  agitator  discharge 0.56  92.1 

Washed  No.  2  thickener  discharge 0.49  93.0 

Washed  No.  3  thickener  discharge  (filter- 
feed)     0.46  93.5 

Washed  filter-tailing   0.38  94.6 

Unwashed  filter-tailing  0.44  93.8 

The  above  are  the  averages  of  a  number  of  assays  run 
on  consecutive  days.  The  high  extraction  in  the  tube- 
mill  circuit  and  the  low  extraction  in  the  thickeners  are 
interesting.  The  tailing  is  conveyed  to  the  dump  by  a 
12-in.  Goodrich  conveyor-belt,  only  sufficient  water  being 
added  to  keep  the  discharge-chute  wet.  A  5-hp.  motor 
direct-geared  to  the  head  pulley  drives  the  tailing-con- 
veyor. A  30-hp.  motor  furnishes  power  for  driving  the 
two  lower  thickeners,  diaphragm-pump,  Oliver  filter, 
transfer-pump,  air-compressor,  and  Deaue  triplex  pump. 
The  latter,  equipped  with  the  usual  by-pass,  returns  the 
solution  from  the  sump-tank  to  the  stock-tank  at  the  head 
of  the  mill. 

The  power-line  of  the  Nevada  Valleys  Power  Co.  de- 
livers the  current  to  the  transformers  at  6600  volts,  and 
is  there  stepped  down  to  440  volts  for  the  motors,  and  to 
120  volts  for  the  lighting  circuit.  250-watt  nitrogen 
lamps  arc  used  for  illuminating  the  tube-mill  floor,  and 
60-watt  tungsten-filament  lamps  elsewhere.  In  order  to 
balance  the  power-load,  the  crusher  and  rolls  are  run  on 
graveyard  shift  while  the  compressor  at  the  mine  is  shut- 
down. 

The  entire  crew  in  the  mill  consists  of  three  solution- 
men,  three  solution-helpers,  a'  repair-man  and  a  roust- 
about. The  solution-helpers  run  the  crusher.  As  the 
mine-compressor  is  in  the  mill-building,  and  is  looked 
after  by  the  mill-crew,  the  time  of  one  man  daily  is 
charged  to  mine-account.  The  wages  paid  are  probably 
as  high  as  any  in  Nevada. 

Solution-men     $5.00      Roustabout    $4.00 

Solution-helpers     4.50      Repair-man   5.00 

The  cost  per  ton  milled,  on  a  basis  of  2796  tons  per  month 
(the  average  since  starting  I  is  $1,265  per  ton  distributed 
as  follows: 


Consumption 
per  ton 

of  ore      Price        Cost 
milled,      per  lb.,    per  ton. 

Lb.        Cents        Cents  % 

Cyanide    0.316          25             7.9  6.3 

Lead   acetate    . .% 0.118          13.7          1.7  1.4 

Zinc    0.747           29            21.8  17.2 

Pebbles  (exclusive  of  mine-rock  1 .2.29              7.6          4.0  3.1 

Hydrochloric  acid    0.029            7.6          0.2  0.1 

Lime   2.36              1.1          2.6  2.1 

Power.  1.425  hp.  at  26.5c.  per  hp.-day 38.0  29.9 

Assaying   (7895  labor)    3.3  2.8 

Miscellaneous   chemicals    0.2  0.1 

Labor    31.5  24.9 

Supervision    .• 2.9  2.3 

Maintenance  and  repairs   (90%  labor) 3.9  3.0 

Miscellaneous  supplies   S.5  6.7 

Total    Sl-265    100.0 

The  extraction,  based  on  smelter-returns,  has  averaged 
94.9','   since  the  beginning  of  operations. 

In  conclusion,  a  few  words  may  be  added  regarding 
what  Gelasio  Caetani  has  called  "the  psychology  of 
milling."  The  mill  is  well  lighted  and  arranged  so  that 
all  parts  are  easily  accessible.  The  company  furnishes 
the  unmarried  men  on  shift-work  with  cabins,  while  the 
bunkhouses  of  the  miners  are  divided  into  rooms,  two 
men  sharing  a  room.  The  boarding-house  is  run  at  cost, 
and  high  wages  are  paid.  A  total  mining,  milling,  and 
development  cost  of  a  few  cents  over  $4  per  ton,  and  an 
extraction  of  95%  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  ore 
strengthens  the  belief  of  the  management  that  successful 
mining  and  low  wages  are  not  synonyms. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Freitag  for  many  of  the  data 
given  in  this  article,  and  also  to  J.  W.  Wiliey,  superin- 
tendent, and  B.  B.  Hall,  accountant,  of  the  Nevada 
Packard  Mines  Co.  for  aid  given  in  its  preparation. 


The  TURN  in  the  zinc  market  as  a  consequence  of  War 
conditions  is  indicated  by  the  record  of  the  Consolidated 
Interstate-Callahan  mine  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene.  Pre- 
vious to  the  War,  the  company  was  losing  money.  For 
the  year  ended  June  30,  1914,  the  operating  loss  was 
$99,314.  During  the  year  ended  June  30.  1915,  this 
debt  was  paid,  dividends  of  $697,597  were  distributed, 
and  in  addition  there  remained  a  surplus  of  $1,094,862. 
A  single  dividend  in  August,  1915,  was  $960,000,  and 
the  dividends  during  1915  totaled  $2,530,000.  During 
the  first  six  months  of  1916,  the  Interstate-*  lallahan  paid 
dividends  of  $1,394,970. 

A    TIN-CONCENTRATING    AND    SMELTING    PLANT    for    the 

An- Yuan  mines  in  Hunan  province,  southern  China,  is 
shortly  to  be  placed  in  commission  by  the  Wah  Chang 
Mining  &  Smelting  Co.,  which  will  offer  this  product 
for  sale  at  New  York  and  through  agencies  in  Europe. 
These  mines  are  in  the  Ichanghsien  district,  and  contain 
both  oxide  and  sulphide  ores  occurring  as  chimneys  in 
limestone,  marmorized  by  granite  and  intrude.!  by  a 
later  granite  dike  along  the  course  of  which  the  ore- 
chiraneys  are  found. 


September  '.».  ll'lii 


MINING    and    Scientific     PRESS 


M: 


lcj    and   Milling   in   Arkansas 


By      I..     L.     Wlttlcto 


•Zinc  ami  lead  ores  Bhipped  from  aorthern  Arkansas 
minis  aggregate  s"  to  1< n »  carloads  per  month.    About 

85' ,    of  tins  is  zinr  carbonate,  •">',    sphalerite  and  •"''. 
lead,  chiefly  galena.    At  no  time  lias  the  output  been  bo 

heavy;  at  do  time  lias  activity  in  mill istrnction  been 

so  pronoun 1.     The  influx  to  Arkansas  fields  is  due  to 

tin'  high  price  of  tine  ore,  and  the  steady  development  of 
the  mining  industry  is  resulting  in  new  mining  centres 
springing  op  at  several  points,  while  old  ones  are  becom- 
ing greatly  overcrowded. 

Dnlike  the  deposits  of  the  Joplin  district  (Missouri- 
Knnsa.s- Oklahoma  .  which  are  found  in  the  Mississippian 
Beries  of  the  carboniferous  system,  the  Arkansas  ores  oc- 
cur chiefly  in  the  Yellville  formation  of  the  Ordovician 
system,  which  is  a  much  older  sedimentation  than  the 
U  ississippian.  Overlying  the  Ordovieian  and  underlying 
the  carboniferous  is  found  the  Devonian.  The  Yellville 
formation  is  composed  of  magnesian  dolomites,  outcrops 
being  common  in  northern  Arkansas.  The  base  of  this 
system  shows  no  outcropping  and  its  depth  is  estimated 
only  by  deep  drilling,  which  indicates  that  it  may  extend 
down  to  the  pre-Cambrian  crystallines.  Where  the  Yell- 
ville formation  outcrops  along  the  White  river  its  width 
reaches  500  ft.  Whereas  the  coolitic  limestone  is  the  guid- 
ing geological  formation  of  the  Joplin  district,  overlying 
the  Grand  Falls  chert  or  ore-bearing  stratum  of  the 
sheetground  regions,  in  the  northern  Arkansas  field,  the 
most  valuable  guide  is  the  Key  sandstone  occurring  in 
benches  and  usually  marking  the  cap-rock,  overlying  the 
dolomites  in  which  the  ore  occurs.  Fracturing,  jointing, 
faulting  and  slight  brecciation  characterize  the  areas 
where  the  mineral  is  most  likely  to  be  found.  The  ore, 
when  a  blende,  usually  produces  a  concentrate  containing 
as  high  as  62  to  64%  metallic  zinc,  with  no  iron,  while  the 
carbonates  produce  a  concentrate  or  free  chunk  ore  from 
38  to  48%  metal.  The  Key  sandstone  is  distinguished 
through  its  resemblance  to  coarse  brown  sugar  and  its 
decomposed  formation. 

The  first  mining  for  lead  was  in  1818,  but  not  until 
1857  was  this  ore  produced  on  an  extensive  scale.  In  the 
same  year  zinc  carbonate  was  extracted  for  the  first  time. 
In  1899  prices  soared  to  a  point  that  encouraged  exten- 
sive mill  construction.  The  greatest  activity,  however, 
began  about  six  months  ago,  since  which  time  about  20 
mills,  chiefly  of  the  most  modern  design,  have  been  con- 
structed, and  12  or  15  more  are  under  course  of  erection 
or  will  be  built  in  the  near  future. 

As  the  ore-bearing  stratum  usually  is  found  high  on 
the  mountain-side,  the  method  of  mining  is,  in  most  in- 
stances, confined  to  adits  on  the  orebod}'.    Sometimes  the 

•Abstract  from  Joplin,  Missouri,  News  Herald,  written 
shortly  before  the  writer's  death  in  June. 


on  formation  is  simply  quarried,  and  where  it  is  rich 
enough,  mill  concentration  is  sometimes  dispensed  with 

and  the  free  carbonate  i  little  blende  is  mined  in  this  man- 
ner is  corded  up  ami  sold  to  the  smelter.  The  ore  is  sold 
chiefly  in  the  open  market  to  the  highest  bidder,  although 
where  some  producers  have  made  long-time  contracts 
with  smelting  concerns,  the  producers  are  getting  all  the 
best  of  it,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  open-market  prices 
have  declined  materially,  whereas  the  contract  settlement 
is  holding  tirm.  The  ore  goes  to  smelters  in  Illinois,  Kan- 
sas, and  Oklahoma,  and  is  reputed  to  make  an  exception- 


\ 


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Ml     S    S   O    U    R    I 


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MAP   OF  ARKANSAS   ZINC   DISTRICT.       SHELTERS   ARE   AT   FORT   SMITH 
AND   VAN    BUREN. 

ally  choice  grade  of  spelter,  due  to  the  almost  complete 
absence  of  lead  and  to  the  high  grade  of  the  metallic 
content. 

The  big  Hurricane  No.  2  mill,  operated  by  John  Con- 
ness  Shepherd  of  Rush,  situated  four  miles  west  of  Pin- 
dall,  Arkansas,  or  40  miles  west  of  Rush,  will  be  one  of 
the  most  complete  plants  in  the  district.  It  will  be 
equipped  with  a  6-ft.  by  16-in.  Hardinge  conical  mill,  the 
first  of  the  kind  to  be  used  either  in  the  Missouri  or  the 
Arkansas  district.  Shepherd  owns  the  fee  to  588  acres  on 
which  the  Hurricane  is  situated,  having  purchased  it 
recently  for  $89,000. 

Over  the  Hurricane  No.  1,  which  is  a  mere  'coffee  mill,' 
the  output  is  25  to  40  tons  of  concentrate  per  week.  A 
carbonate  deposit,  outcropping  on  a  hill-side,  and  mined 
from  an  open-pit,  which  now  has  reached  a  depth  of  85 
ft.,  and  a  length  of  200  ft,  supplies  the  ore.  The  No.  2 
mill  will  be  situated  across  the  valley  north  from  No.  1, 
and  will,  for  the  time,  handle  only  the  tailing  from  the 
No.  1  property.  The  new  mill  will  be  equipped  with  a 
Dorr  thickener,  30  ft.  diam.  by  10  ft.  deep,  seven  Wilfiey 


386 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


tables,  ami  i>n<-  Deister-Overstrom  slime-table.  Peed 
for  tin'  mill  will  be  supplied  with  a  3-in.  pump.  The  mill 
will  be  driven  by  a  Fairbanks-Morse  oil-engine. 

At  the  Philadelphia  mine  (on  Clabber  creek,  at  Ri 
steam  power  lias  been  replaced  with  oil-engines  of  the 
Fairbanks-Morse  make,  one  of  100  hp.  to  run  the  mill 
machinery,  and  another  of  similar  capacity  to  operate  a 
60f  -ft.  Ingersoll-Rand  compressor.  Sullivan  jack-ham- 
mers are  to  be  used  for  the  lighter  work  of  putting  in 
•t  drifts,  while  the  regulation  drills  will  continue 
in  use  driving  adits.  A  new  aerial  tram  ^-mile  long, 
spanning  a  deep  ravine,  will  conned  the  Monticello  shaft 
on  the  south  side  of  the  valley  with  the  mill.  The  tram 
will  be  almost  200  ft.  high  at  its  highest  point,  and  will 
in -t  +SO00.  Mining  at  the  Philadelphia,  which  is  one  of 
the  steadies!  producers  in  the  Rush  field,  is  carried  on 
from  three  ailits  at  various  elevations  above  the  bottom 
of  the  valley.  The  highest  is  about  225  It.  above  the 
creek-bed.  Beneath  this  is  another  175  ft.  above  the 
creek-leveL  Some  workings  rise  above  the  floor  of  the 
main  adit,  others  below,  according  to  the  trend  of  the 
Orebody,  which  has  'made'  in  'breaks'  between  limestone 
walls.  The  ore  from  both  these  adits  is  sent  down  chutes, 
lined  with  railroad  iron,  to  the  mill  hopper.  From  the 
third  adit,  which  is  only  30  ft.  above  the  creek-bed,  the 
ore  is  hauled  to  the  mill,  and  hoisted  to  the  hopper.  In 
addition  to  the  two  WilnVy  tallies  that  have  been  in  use 
at  this  property,  two  additional  ones  are  being  installed. 

Two  large  new  concentrating  plants  have  just  been 
conpleted  in  the  south  end  of  the  town  of  New  Rush, 
which  is  1  J  miles  down  Rush  creek  from  the  old  town. 
These  mills  are  the  Edeith  and  the  Yellow  Rose,  the  for- 
mer operated  by  E.  Emanuel  and  the  latter  by  -Tames 
Met 'arty  &  Co.  The  Edeith  gets  its  ore,  a  white  carbon- 
ate from  an  adit  in  the  mountain-side,  and  treats  it  in  a 
200-ton  plant  operated  by  two  50-hp.  Chicago-Pneumatic 
oil-engines.  The  mine  is  situated  on  a  lease  from  the 
Buffalo  Zinc  &  Copper  Co.  The  Yellow  Rose  is  equipped 
with  Chicago-Pneumatic  oil-engines  and  has  a  capacity 
of  1(10  tons.  The  company  owns  a  fee  to  four  acres  and 
has  first  lease  on  40  additional  acres. 

Although  conditions  are  ideal  for  gravity  milling,  the 
system  is  little  in  use  throughout  the  Arkansas  mines. 
and  the  treatment  is  much  the  same  as  in  the  average 
plant  where  ore  is  hoisted  from  a  vertical  shaft.  The  one 
important  exception  to  the  rule  is  the  Mcintosh  mill,  a 
new  plant  of  100  tons'  capacity,  situated  on  an  80-acre 
between  the  new  and  the  old  towns  of  Rush,  and 
owned  by  J.  C.  Shepherd.  Steam  power,  wood  being  the 
fuel  used,  drives  the  mill.  The  ore  passes  from  hopper 
to  crusher,  then  to  rolls  and  revolving  screen,  thence 
through  the  ordinary  process  of  mill  concentration,  each 
step,  however,  being  at  a  lower  level  than  the  preceding 
one.  Only  one  elevator  is  used.'  that  being  to  lift  the 
middling  back  to  the  rolls. 

Lead  exports  from  Bolivia  during  the  first  four 
months  of  1916  amounted  to  1,848,000  lb.  In  the  whole 
of  1915  the  total  was  4,855,400  lb.,  and  3,421,000  lb.  in 
1914. 


^micjs-isj:'  Near  iiishopj 
California 


Bjt     Ltioj     A.     Palmer 

The  new  mill  of  the  Tungsten  .Mines  Co.  is  8  miles 
from  Bishop.  It  is  the  largest  tungsten  mill  in  the 
country,  and  is  expected  to  1"-  in  operation  by  the  latter 
part  of  August.  The  initial  capacity  is  350  tons  per 
day  of  scheelite  ore. 

The  mine  has  been  opened  by  three  levels,  which  give 
a  depth  of  215  ft.  on  the  vein.  The  ore  is  trammed 
around  the  mountain,  a  distance  of  1800  ft.,  and  dumped 
into  the  crude-ore  bin  at  the  mill.  From  this  a  short 
conveyor  carries  it  to  a  500-ton  Wall  crusher,  which  re- 
duces to  li  in.  This  product  goes  to  a  4-mesh  trommel, 
the  oversize  of  which  goes  to  a  bin,  the  undersize  to  two 
sets  of  rolls,  14  by  20  in.  and  16  by  26  in.  The  oversize 
is  fed  from  the  bin  by  means  of  a  conveyor  to  a  set  of  15 
by  40-in.  Allis-C'halmers  Anaconda  type  rolls.  This 
product  goes  to  two  4-mesh  trommels,  the  oversize  being 
elevated  to  two  sets  of  Allis-C'halmers  rolls  for  further 
grinding.  The  undersize  joins  that  of  the  first  4-mesh 
trommel  and  is  reduced  finer  in  the  two  sets  of  rolls  men- 
tioned. 14  by  20  in.  and  16  by  26  in.  These  rolls  dis- 
charge to  two  14-meeh  trommels,  whose  undersize  goes  to 
an  A  kins  classifier  and  oversize  to  the  elevator  to  the  two 
sets  of  Allis-t  lhalmers  rolls.  The  product  of  the  latter  is 
separated  in  a  similar  pair  of  1 4-mesh  trommels,  oversize 
to  the  elevator  and  undersize  to  the  classifier.  The 
coarser  sand  from  the  classifier  is  treated  on  five  Isbell 
tallies  and  the  finer  sand  on  four  "Wilfleys.  Slime  from 
the  classifier  is  settled  in  three  6-ft.  Callow  tanks  and 
treated  on  two  Deister  slime-tables. 

Power  is  obtained  from  the  Nevada-California  Power 
Co.,  whose  lines  pass  close  to  the  plant.  Individual 
motors  totaling  130  hp.  are  used. 

The  attitude  of  neutral  countries  toward  gold  im- 
ports is  curious  and  interesting.  It  is  reported  that  Hol- 
land wished  to  purchase  lumber  from  Sweden,  and  as 
Sweden  would  not  take  any  gold,  such  purchase  was 
found  to  be  impracticable,  as  the  two  countries  possessed 
more  gold  than  they  needed  or  cared  to  have.  After 
prolonged  negotiations,  Sweden  agreed  to  take  a  certain 
amount  of  gold,  as  a  matter  of  grace,  at  a  price  3% 
lower  than  the  ruling  rate.  The  transaction  was  then 
completed  and  Holland  received  its  lumber*  Thus  the 
extraordinary  circumstances  occurred  of  gold  being  ac- 
cepted by  a  State  institution  only  at  a  heavy  discounl 
compared  with  the  currency  of  that  country.  ■  The 
National  City  Bank  of  New  York  remarks  in  an  inter- 
esting circular  that  the  Norwegian  kroner  on  April  22 
had  the  proud  position  of  having  the  monetary  values 
of  the  entire  globe  under  par  with  respect  to  its  own 
value. — Weekly  letter  of  Samuel  Montagu  &  Co., 
London. 

S and  and  gravel  production  of  the  United  States  in 
11H5  was  76.603,303  tons,  valued  at  $23,121,617. 


1916 


MIX  IV.    ..,,.1    Sc.rnt.h.      l'Kl  SS 


Zinc   Bmeltbicj   in  kVs 


T'l  f- 


•lt  lias  been  known  daring  the  last  half-dozen  years 
tluit  experiments  were  being  oonduoted  in  Germany  with 

tlir  object  of  evolving  a  continuous  sine-smelting  pr iss 

osing  vertical  retorta  The  great  advantage  of  -such  a 
•  ^  would  be  the  reduction  of  the  amount  of  skilled 
labor  required  ami  tin'  improvement  in  the  nature  and 
conditions  of  the  labor,  together  with  other  economic  con- 
siderations. M  Ldebig  read  a  paper  before  the  German 
Metallurgical  and  Mining  Society  in  1913  describing  the 
pr ss  anil  plant  devised  on  this  system  by  Roitzheim 


the  usual  type,  He-  I'lirmer  let  into  Hie  walls  .if  the  retort 

horizontally,  the  outer  ends  being  supported  by  the  wall 
of  tin-  furnace.  The  condensed  zinc,  and  zinc-dust  are 
collected  in  the  usual  way.  but  as  tbe  condensers  of  a  row 

of  retorts  are  all  oe  level,  the  collection  is  much 

easier  than  is  the  ease  with  the  ordinary  furnace  having 
tiers  of  horizontal  retorts.  The  charging  and  discharg- 
ing are  both  done  mechanically.  The  charging  is  done 
from  cars  traveling  over  the  furnace,  and  the  discharged 
ash  is  carried  away  by  conveyors  or  cars.    It  will  be  seen 


m-f 


FlG.    1.       PRELIMINARY    HEATING  DEVICE. 


Fig.  2.    scraper  for  keeping  bottom  of 
retort  clear. 


Fig. 


COOLING   DEVICE   FOR   DIS- 
CHARGE-END. 


and  Remy.  He  has  more  recently  described  the  per- 
fected plant,  erected  under  these  patents  at  the  Hamborn 
zinc  smelter  of  the  Aktiengesellschaft  fur  Zink  Industrie 
formerly  Wilhelm  Grillo,  the  article  appearing  in  Metall 
und  Erz  for  March  22  last.  The  description  of  the 
process  given  in  the  following  paragraphs  is  based  partly 
on  this  article  and  partly  on  British  Patents  1338  of 
1912  and  732,  6771,  and  9314  of  1913.  The  illustrations 
are  taken  from  the  patent  specifications. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  reference  to  the  drawings,  that  the 
retorts  are  mounted  vertically  in  the  furnaces.  They 
are  fed  at  the  top  through  special  openings,  where  the 
charge  is  given  a  preliminary  heat,  itself  forming  a  seal 
to  the  rest  of  the  retort.  The  ash  is  discharged  from  the 
bottom  by  means  of  a  convenient  mechanical  appliance. 
The  condensers  and  prolongs  (otherwise  nozzles)  are  of 

•Precis  by  Edward  Walker,  in  The  Mining  Magazine,  July 
1916. 


that  the  conditions  of  labor  are  much  easier  than  with  the 
ordinary  furnace.  The  difficult  process  of  charging  the 
horizontal  retorts  by  hand  is  entirely  abolished,  as  also  is 
the  objectionable  duty  of  removing  the  residue  from  the 
hot  retort.  It  is  estimated  that  the  labor  force  will  be 
halved,  and  that  for  most  of  the  work  only  unskilled 
labor  will  be  required.  The  prolongs,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  modern  German  practice,  are  divided  down  the  mid- 
dle, and  the  carbonic  oxide  and  other  gases  evolved  dur- 
ing smelting  are  not  discharged  into  the  air  but  sent  to 
the  stack  and  burnt.  The  retorts  are  arranged  in  two 
rows  back  to  back,  with  a  central  brick  chequer-work 
between,  and  in  a  full-sized  furnace  there  would  be  40 
retorts,  20  in  each  row.  The  life  of  the  retorts  is  much 
longer  than  that  of  the  horizontal  retorts,  as  the  temper- 
ature is  uniform,  and  there  is  no  rough  usage  in  charging 
and  discharging.  As  the  process  is  continuous,  the 
capacity  of  the  retort  is  much  greater. 


388 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1316 


In  looking  through  the  British  Patent  specifications 
mentioned  above,  it  is  clear  that  the  application  to  zinc 
smelting  of  the  continuous  vertical  retort  or  muffle 
heated  from  the  outside  is  not  patentable,  and  that  the 
Roitzheim  and  Remy  patents  relate  to  methods  of  over- 
coming difficulties  in  practice.  It  will  be  seen  also  that 
the  retorts  illustrated  have  two  condensers,  one  on  each 
side ;  whereas  in  the  description  by  Liebig  mention  is 
only  made  of  one  condenser. 

In  Fig.  1  is  reproduced  the  drawing  attached  to 
patent  1338  of  1902.  The  object  of  the  invention  therein 
described  is  to  provide  a  preliminary  heater  for  the 
charge,  the  heating  being  effected  without  any  reduction 
of  the  zinc.  The  preliminary  heater  or  fitting  a  is  formed 
with  a  number  of  small  tubes  or  narrow  passages  b, 
through  which  the  charge  passes.  These  arc  surrounded 
by  the  flames  within  an  extension  of  the  furnace.  The 
large  contact  surfaces  and  narrow  cross-sections  of  the 
tubes  enable  the  mixture  to  be  quickly  and  completely 
heated.  From  the  preliminary  heater  the  material  de- 
scends into  the  retort  c  below.  The  condensers  are  shown 
at  (I.  The  residue  is  continuously  or  at  short  intervals 
removed  at  e.  The  mixed  materials  sink  gradually  in 
the  retort.  The  hot  gases  for  heating  the  retort  ascend 
from  the  ports  /  along  the  annular  space  g  and  then 
escape  through  an  opening  near  the  top  of  the  furnace. 

Patent  732  of  1913  (Fig.  2  ) relates  to  a  method  of 
keeping  the  discharge-end  of  the  retort  clear  of  obstruc- 
tion. In  practice  it  is  found  that  the  residue  hardens  on 
the  walls  of  the  retorts,  where  they  project  out  of  the 
furnace.  At  the  lower  mouth  of  the  retort  a  rim  of  slag 
is  formed  which  would  constrict  the  opening  and  finally 
entirely  close  it  if  arrangements  were  not  made  for  its 
removal.  The  invention  consists  of  means  for  cutting 
away  or  removing  these  crusts.  The  retort  o  is  prefer- 
ably of  circular  section  at  its  lower  mouth,  and  it  is 
mounted  on  the  support  6.  A  rotatable  cutter  c,  such  as 
a  milling-cutter,  or  a  borer  or  scraping  tool,  is  mounted 
on  the  square  shaft  d.  The  lower  end  of  this  shaft  car- 
ries a  toothed  rack,  shown  at  e.  A  pinion  /,  which  is 
rotated  by  means  of  a  crank  handle,  meshes  with  the 
teeth  of  the  rack,  so  that  the  shaft  d  can  be  elevated  and 
lowered  by  it.  The  shaft  d  is  held  as  in  a  guide  by  the 
spindle  g.  This  spindle  carries  the  worm  k.  The  quan- 
tity of  charge  traveling  through  the  furnace  can  be  regu- 
lated by  varying  the  speed  and  pitch  of  the  worm.  The 
spindle  g  is  driven  by  worm-gears  I,  I'.  The  support  6 
is  provided  with  a  cooling  device,  comprising  the  cham- 
ber m  and  the  water-supply  and  discharge-pipes  n.  A 
chute  o  is  also  provided. 

Patent  6771  of  1913  (Fig.  3)  concerns  a  method  of 
cooling  the  lower  part  of  the  retort,  so  that  the  dis- 
charged residue  shall  not  contain  vapor.  If  the  residue 
is  discharged  hot.  vapors  of  lead,  zinc,  and  sulphur  are 
given  off,  greatly  to  the  discomfort  of  the  workers.  The 
illustration  shows  vertical  retort  a  in  a  furnace  e.  A 
jacketted  vessel  b,  made  of  a  suitable  metal,  is  fixed  at 
the  bottom.  Between  its  double  walls  a  current  of  water 
or  steam  flows,  so  that  effective  cooling  is  obtained.  The 


vessel  is  held  tightly  against  the  lower  edge  of  the  retort, 
so  that  it  may  he  considered  to  form  an  extension  of  the 
retort.  It  is  closed  below  by  a  grate,  or  as  shown  in  the 
drawing  by  the  residue  heaped  on  the  conical  plate  c. 
This  plate  c  1b  secured  to  a  screw  i.  which  screws  in  the 
stationary  plate  k,  whereby  the  said  conical  plate  c  can 
be  raised  or  lowered.  The  pipe  d  supplies  the  cooling 
water,  which  flows  through  the  jacket  space  g  between 
the  walls  of  the  vessel  6  and  runs  out  through  suitable 
outlet-pipes  into  a  discharge  or  gutter  /. 

Patent  9314  of  1913  describes  internal  arrangements 
within  the  retorts  for  facilitating  the  escape  of  the  gases 
and  vapors  and  need  not  be  quoted  at  length. 

In  examining  the  illustrations  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  they  are  merely  sketches  and  not  necessarily  work- 
ing drawings;  also  that  the  descriptions  in  the  patent 
specifications  do  not  necessarily  represent  the  actual 
practice.  In  several  ways  the  descriptions  in  Liebig's 
article  do  not  tally  with  those  of  the  specification,  not- 
ably in  the  number  of  condensers  used. 


The  Chilean  Nitrate  Situation 

For  the  11  months  ended  May  31,  1916,  the  production 
of  Chilean  saltpeter  was  67%  greater  than  for  the  cor- 
responding period  of  the  preceding  nitrate  year.  In  this 
fact  lies  one  of  the  chief  explanations  of  the  improve- 
ment in  the  value  of  the  Chilean  paper  peso  and  also  in 
the  purchasing  power  of  the  country.  No  one  knows 
what  the  effect  of  peace  is  going  to  be  on  the  nitrate 
industry,  and  it  would  seem  reasonable  that  when  the 
use  of  explosives  ceases  there  might  be  immediate  stop- 
page in  orders  for  nitrate,  unless  the  War  ended  at  the 
period  when  nitrate  is  needed  as  a  fertilizer. 

One  of  the  surprising  features  of  the  nitrate  industry, 
at  least  to  a  casual  observer,  has  been  that,  in  spite  of 
the  great  demand  and  the  high  prices  obtained  abroad, 
the  price  of  nitrate  in  Chile  has  not  risen  much  above  the 
normal  figure  of  previous  years.  This  is  undoubtedly 
due  to  the  fact  that  when  the  sudden  stoppage  of  ship- 
ments occurred  and  many  men  were  thrown  out  of  em- 
ployment in  the  nitrate  fields,  thereby  making  it  im- 
possible for  them  to  buy  the  agricultural  products  of  the 
south,  the  Government  advanced  large  sums  of  money  to 
the  producers  solely  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  their 
plants  running.  They,  of  course,  piled  up  an  enormous 
supply,  which,  coupled  with  a  general  resumption  of 
work,  meant  that  there  was  always  more  nitrate  available 
than  ships  to  carry  it.  The  difference  between  the  price 
received  for  nitrate  in  Chile  and  that  paid  by  purchasers 
in  foreign  countries  has  been  absorbed  in  ocean-freight 
rates.  Exchange  was  down  when  there  were  no  ships  to 
transport  the  nitrate.  Cargo  space  is  a  little  more  plenti- 
ful now.  and  vast  quantities  of  saltpeter  are  being  sold. 
Gold  is  coming  in,  and,  being  abundant,  it  becomes 
cheap:  or.  to  put  it  another  way,  one  buys  dollars  with 
fewer  pesos  than  when  gold  was  dear. — Commerce 
Report. 


mber  9,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     PRESS 


889 


Concentration 


Vm  !->"|-Kn 


of  Vanadium   Ore 


The  lead  vanadate  ore  al  Cutter,  New  Mexico, 
ocean  in  a  gangue  mostly  calcareous  and  usually  con- 
taining quarts,  barite,  manganese  oxide,  galena,  flnorite, 
calcdte,  iron  minerala,  and  amall  amounts  of  arsenic,  cop- 
per, and  phosphorus.  Some  of  the  ore  was  s.-nt  from 
the  mine  directly  t<>  the  oxide  plant  tor  treatment — it 
was  u»>  rich  to  be  milled. 

Since  the  specific  gravity  of  silica  and  limestone,  barite, 
galena,  and  lead  vanadate  is  2.6,  4.5,  7.4,  and  6.8,  re- 


By      X.      L .      Qrldtr 

delivered  the  over-size  through  the  rolls  (5)  onto  ili>- 
12-mesh  impact  screen  (6)  with  the  under-aize  from  tin- 
small  grizzly  (4) ;  water  was  added  on  the  impael  screen 
(6)  and  the  under-size  went  around  the  Elspass  mil]  to 
join  the  over-size,  at  the  20-inesh  impact  screen  (8), 
after  the  over-size  had  been  ground  to  12-niesh  by  the 
Elspass  mill  (7).  The  over-size  from  the  impact  screen 
(8)  passed  to  Wilfiey  (10)  and  the  middling  from  Wil- 


1 — Coarse  Grizzly. 

J — 7x10  Sampson  Crusher. 

3— Mill-Bin. 

4 — Plunger   Feeder   and    Small 
Grizzly. 

5—14x27  Colo.  I.  W.  Co.  Rolls. 

6 — 3x3-ft.  Impact  Screen,  12-mesh. 

7 — Elspass  Mill. 

8 — Impact  Screen,   20-Mesh. 

9 — Isbell  Classifier. 
10,  11,  12,  13,  19— Wilfiey  Tables. 
14 — 2  Comp.  Classifier. 
15,  16,  17,  18— 6-ft.  Callow  Tanks. 
20— Standard  Table. 
21— 6-ft.  Corrugated  Belt  Frue 

Vanner. 
22— Tailing-Elevator. 
23 — Dewatering-Box. 
24— C.  F.  Pump. 
25 — Smooth  Belt  Frue  Vanner. 
26— A.  &  E.   Slime  Tables. 


U^Jy 


To  dt-/np 


To  du 


trip. 


FLOW-SHEET    NO.    1. 


FLOW-SHEET    NO.    2. 


spectively,  it  is  difficult  to  separate  the  vanadium  min- 
eral from  the  barite.  The  best  saving  made  on  1% 
vanadium  ore,  with  milling  machinery  arranged  as  in- 
dicated by  flow-sheet  No.  1,  was  69%.  The  assay  of  the 
mill-products  was  as  follows:  Vanadium, 

% 

Wilfiey  concentrate   8      to  9 

Secondary  concentrates   4.5  to  5 

Slime    0.7  to  1.S5 

Mill.  The  ore  passed  over  the  coarse  grizzly  (1 )  ; 
the  under-size  fell  into  the  mill-bin  (3)  ;  and  the  over- 
size passed  through  the  crusher  (2)  to  the  mill-bin  with 
the  undersize ;  the  plunger  feeder  and  small  grizzly  (4) 


fley  (10)  went  to  Wilfiey  (19),  while  the  tailing  from 
Wilfiey  (10)  and  middling  and  tailing  from  Wilfiey 
(19)  went  to  the  tailing-elevator  (22).  The  under-size 
from  the  impact  screen  (8)  went  to  the  Isbell  classifier 
(9),  whose  spigot-discharge  passed  to  Wilfiey  (11)  and 
the  overflow  to  the  two-compartment  classifier  (14). 
The  first  spigot  of  classifier  (14)  discharged  onto  Wilfiey 
(12),  the  second  spigot  discharged  onto  Wilfiey  (13), 
and  the  overflow  went  to  the  six-foot  Callow  tank  (15), 
whose  spigot-discharge  passed  to  the  smooth  Frue  van- 
ner (25).  The  middlings  from  Wilfieys  (12)  and  (13) 
were  treated  on  the  corrugated  Frue  vanner  (21)  and 
the  tailing  together  with  the  taibng  from  the  corrugated 


390 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


Frue  vanner  (21)  passed  to  the  tailing-elevator  (22). 
The  overflow  from  the  Callow  tank  (15),  together  with 
the  tailing  of  the  smooth  vanner  (25),  joined  the  water 
from  (23)  at  the  centrifugal  pump  (24)  and  was  ele- 
I  to  the  Callow  tanks  (16)  (17)  and  (18),  whirl, 
fed  the  three  A.  &  E.  slime-tablee  (26). 

A  screen  test  on  the  ore  after  being  ground  in  the 
El- pass  mill  showed: 

Mesh  %  Mesh  % 

On     20 10.49  On  150 8.34 

"      40 17.29  "    200 4.79 

"      60 10.49  Through    200 39.39 

"    100 8.19 

This  test  indicates  that  the  Elspass  mill  slimes  the 
ore  too  much  for  high  recovery  by  concentration.  A 
large  proportion  of  that  passing  the  200-mesh  screen 


I        T=3"-j         , 

hzr    T 


jFcrrQ-ya-.iiJuim  \iq  I 

Fig.  3.    vanadium  oxide  plant  No.  1. 

was  lost,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  following  test  on  the 

tailing.  Assay, 

Mesh  %  %V 

On  100 30.26  0.0675 

•■  150 24.80  0.0666 

"  200 9.52  0.0625 

Through  200 35.42  0.1700 

A  series  of  19  mill-runs  was  made  on  lots  ranging 
from  9490  to  21,000  lb.  of  mill-tailing  assaying  from 
0.1721  to  0.24%  vanadium. 

To  illustrate  how  some  of  these  tests  were  made,  I 
submit  the  flow-sheet  No.  2  and  the  following  descrip- 
tion: 

Mill-tailing  treated  for  further  recovery  was  weighed 
on  the  Buffalo  track-scales  (1),  passed  through  the 
grizzly  (2)  into  the  ore-bin  (4),  then  through  rolls  (6) 
and  (7)  onto  the  impact  screen  (8),  where  the  over-siz» 
was  elevated  by  a  centrifugal  pump  (9)  back  to  the 
rolls  (7)  and  the  under-size  delivered  into  the  IsbeLl 
classifier  (10),  whose  spigot  discharged  onto  the  Wilfley 
table  (12).  The  middling  from  Wilfley  table  (12)  was 
treated  on  Wilfley  table  (20)  and  the  tailing  from  Wil- 


fley  table  (12),  together  with  the  tailing  from  Wilfley 
table  (20),  were  sent  to  the  tailing-elevator  (18).  The 
middling  from  Wilfley  (20)  passed  to  the  corrugated 
Frue  vanner  (141.  The  overflow  from  tin-  [shell  classi- 
fier (10)  entered  the  two-compartment  classifier  (11) 
whose  spigots  discharged  onto  the  two  Wilfley  tables 
(13),  and  the  overflow  from  classifier  (11)  entered  the 
6-ft.  Callow  tank  (23)  whose  spigot  discharged  onto  the 
smooth  Frue  vanner  (15). 

The  tailing  from  the  Wilfley  tables  (13)  and  the  cor- 
rugated Frue  vanner  (14)  were  sent  to  the  elevator 
(18),  and  the  middlings  from  the  Wilfley  tables  13 
were  sent  to  the  corrugated  Frue  vanner  (14).  The 
overflow  from  the  6-ft.  Callow  tank  (23)  and  the  tail- 
ing from  the  smooth  Frue  vanner  (15)  were  discharged 
into  the  6-ft.  Callow  tank  (19),  whose  spigot  fed  the 
A.  &  E.  slime-table  (17). 

A  set  of  16  by  36-inch  Colorado  Iron  Works  rolls  was 
substituted  for  the  Elspass  mill  during  the  last  half  of 
the  tests.  The  tailings  were  ground  to  sizes  varying 
from  20  to  80-mesh  by  these  rolls,  and  an  average  ex- 
traction of  55.35%  of  the  vanadium  was  obtained. 
Figures  based  on  these  tests  indicate  an  extraction  of 
vanadium  not  less  than  80  to  86%,  when  treating  the 
ore  in  the  order  outlined  below. 

(1)  Crushing  with  rolls. 

(2)  Screening. 

(3)  Concentration. 

(4)  Re-grinding  the  tailings  and  middlings  from  the 
Wilfley  tables,  the  tailing  from  the  corrugated  Frue 
vanner,  and  the  over-size  from  the  impact  screens  of 
the  re-grinding  unit,  in  a  Hardinge  conical  mill. 

(5)  Screening. 

(6)  Classification. 

(7)  Concentration  of  the  re-ground  product,  and 

(8)  Concentration  of  slimes  from  both  primary  and 
secondary  crushings. 

Smelting.  The  treatment  of  high-grade  ore  from  the 
mine  and  of  concentrate  and  slime  from  the  mill  by 
acid-leaching  methods  is  expensive.  The  insoluble  sul- 
phates of  barium,  calcium,  and  lead,  in  the  sludge,  pre- 
vent the  recovery  of  the  lead.  The  elimination  of  the 
copper,  arsenic,  and  phosphorus  from  the  vanadium  so- 
lutions makes  the  process  tedious,  complicated,  and  ex- 
pensive. 

After  much  experimentation,  vanadium  ore,  concen- 
trate or  slime,  commercial  sodium  carbonate,  and  coal 
were  charged  into  a  furnace  and  smelted.  This  yielded 
metallic  lead  and  a  vanadium  slag  practically  free  from 
copper,  arsenic,  and  phosphorus.  The  results  from  test 
No.  35,  following,  illustrates  the  method: 

% 

Ore  assayed,  vanadium  3.60 

Ore  assayed,  lead   23.54 

Weight  of  ore  exceeds  weight  of  slag  per  charge 32.66 

Lead  recovered    90.50 

Slag  assayed,  vanadium   5.22 

Slag  should  have  assayed,  vanadium   5.35 

Extraction  of  vanadium  from  slag  98.50 

Value  of  lead  recovered  per  ton  of  ore  smelted $21.19 

Cost  of  flux  per  ton  of  ore  smelted $4.56 


1918 


MINING    ami    Sciential     I'KI  SS 


391 


Li  u  his..     Pulverise  the  iUg  in  the  crushing  unii 
I  ,  ss  -!  own  ••!!  !l  weigh  the  quutitee 

on  thi  -.in-  oonoentrated  i aereial 

sulphuric  acid  into  the  ground  Blag  until  th<'  mass  in 

.mil  charge  the  mass  into  the  baking  furnace     i 
Uiikr  to  dry  cake,  pulver  with  water 

ainl  l>oil  r>ir  aeveraJ  hours  in  the  steam-coil-heated,  eircn 
lar.  wooden,  lead-lined,  lixiviating  val    6  .    Daring  the 


1 

! 

naamtn       ■■           :^ 

.          i    i    • 

1 

VANAhll  M-OXIDK    PLANT.       CUTTER,    NEW    MEXICO. 


baking  of  the  cake  the  excess  of  the  sulphuric  acid  can 
be  recovered  by  passing  the  hot  fume  through  water, 
making  a  saving  in  a  10-ton  plant  of  about  $49  per  day. 
Pump  the  charge  through  the  acid  egg  (8)  into  the  sul- 
phate filter-press  (9)  at  about  120-lb.  pressure  and  col- 
lect the  vanadium  solution  in  the  circular,  wooden,  lead- 
lined  storage-tanks  (10).  Wash  the  sulphates  in  the 
filter-press  (9)  with  water  under  a  pressure  of  120  to 
150  lb.  and  collect  the  wash-water  in  the  circular. 
wooden,    lead-lined    storage-tank    (11).     These    wash- 


wat<  rs  are  used  to  lixivitte  Fresh  lota  o(  pulverized  dry 
oake  in  val 

The  vanadium   liquora  from  storage-tonka     1" 
drawn  into  evaporating-furnsoea  (12),  (18  .  and     n  . 
the  water  and  free  sulphuric  acid  are  driven  off. 
The  solid  material,  principally  vanadium  sulphate,  is 
calcined  in  the  Furnace    IS    at  a  i lerately  high  tem- 
perature  t"   drive    off   the   sulphur,    which,    in    a    semi 
molten  state,  is  prepared  for  the 
redaction  department   by  granu 
lating  it.  in  water  (16). 

Reduction.  Mis  the  vanadium 
oxide,  V..<>...  with  granulated  alu- 
minum and  iron  tilings  or  borings 
of  low  carbon  and  charge  into  a 
220-lb.  capacity  hopper   (17)   in 

which  (hi-  materials  are  mixed. 
At  the  bottom  of  the  hopper  a 
screw-conveyor  feeds  the  mixture 
through  an  opening  into  a  mag- 
nesite-lined  crucible  (18)  large 
enough  to  hold  the  charge.  Place 
a  small  amount  of  sodium  per- 
oxide on  paper  in  the  bottom  of 
the  crucible  to  start  the  chemical 
action  between  the  vanadium, 
aluminum,  and  oxygen,  thus: 

3  V20.  +  10A1  =  5A1203  +  6V 

The  high  temperature  created  during  this  reaction 
melts  the  iron  borings  with  the  vanadium,  forming  the 
alloy,  ferro-vanadium.  The  aluminum  oxide  and  other 
impurities  of  lighter  specific  gravity  form  a  slag  on 
top  of  the  ferro-vanadium.  After  cooling,  break  the 
slag  from  the  ferro-vanadium,  with  sledges.  This  ferro- 
vanadium  (30.55%  to  40%  V,  brittle  when  cold),  after 
being  crushed  and  sized,  is  the  commercial  product. 


slxwu    Qz'&srl    G®rpp3z   Mm®&   €®mtipm&& 


By       IP . 


IsDsaald 


For  several  years  the  Nevada  Consolidated  and  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla  mines  have  produced  approximately  the 
same  amount  of  metal  from  ores  of  nearly  the  same  pro- 
portion in  copper.  The  actual  mining  operations  at  the 
two  properties  are  radically  different ;  one  is  an  old 
underground  mine  of  great  depth  working  lodes  of 
native-copper  ore,  the  other  is  a  'porphyry'  mine  extract- 
ing low-grade  sulphide  ore  in  open  pits.  One  is  situated 
in  the  attractive  Lake  Superior  region,  the  other  in  the 
sage-brush  desert  of  eastern  Nevada.  The  altitude,  cli- 
mate, and  living  conditions  are  in  strong  contrast. 

Taking  1915  as  a  typical  year,  the  two  mined  almost 
the  same  quantity  of  ore.  3,077,811  tons  at  the  Nevadan 
mine,  and  3,188,583  tons  for  the  mine  in  Michigan.  The 
Nevada  Consolidated  recovered  21.61  lb.  of  copper  per 


ton,  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  recovered  22.28  lb.  per  ton. 
That  the  figures  are  so  closely  alike  is  a  striking  coin- 
cidence, particularly  when  the  totally  different  char- 
acter of  the  two  mines  is  considered.  The  cost  to  the 
Nevada  Consolidated  during  1915  of  putting  refined 
copper  on  tbe  Atlantic  seaboard  was  8.23e.  per  pound ; 
this  figure,  in  the  words  of  Pope  Yeatman,  consulting 
engineer,  includes  "all  possible  charges,  such  as  ship- 
ping, refining,  marketing,  legal  expense,  taxes,  New 
York  and  Nevada  expenses,  and  plant  and  equipment 
depreciation."  The  cost  to  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  of 
producing  copper  during  1915  was  9.33c.  per  pound. 
While  this  is  more  than  a  cent  higher  than  for  the 
Nevada  Consolidated,  it  is  partly  compensated  by  the 
fact  that  the  C.  &  H.  received  a  price  for  its  copper 


392 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


nearly  a  half-cent  per  pound  over  the  price  received  by 
the  Nevada  Consolidated. 

The  annual  product  ions  of  the  two  mines  for  seven 

years  is  as  follows: 

Nevada  Calumet  & 

Consolidated  Hecla 

lb.  lb. 

1910  62,772,340     72,672,469 

1911  '78,541,270     74.130,977 

1912  63.063,261     67,866,429 

19  8  64,972,829     45,016,890 

1914  49.244,056     63,691,562 

1915  62,726,651     71,030,518 

1916  t85.000.000     t80.000.000 

•15  months. 

tEstimated. 

The  question  of  cost  of  production  is  an  important  one 
for  companies  treating  low-grade  ore  from  which  the 
recovery  of  copper  is  but  slightly  over  1%.  An  ore 
of  1%  copper  means  20  pounds  of  copper  per  ton.  To 
produce  the  metal  at  10c.  per  pound  requires  a  cost  for 
mining,  milling,  smelting,  freight,  transportation,  con- 
strui'tiim.  overhead,  development,  and  miscellaneous  of 
only  $2  per  ton.  Taking  one  year  with  another,  the  cost 
of  C.  &  II.  copper  is  generally  given  at  10c.,  that  of 
Nevada  Consolidated  at  9  cents.  The  cost  at  the  two 
mines  is  apportioned  quite  differently.  At  the  C.  &  EL, 
the  cost  of  milling  and  smelting  is  relatively  low,  being 
not  to  exceed  2c.  per  pound.  At  several  of  the  copper- 
mills  in  Michigan,  the  cost  of  milling  is  as  low  as  lc.  per 
pound  on  the  finished  metal.  The  cost  of  smelting  is 
perhaps  0.5c.  per  pound.  Any  close  analysis  of  the  oper- 
ations of  the  C.  &  H.  is  difficult  because  the  costs  on  the 
conglomerate  ore.  which  contributes  two-thirds  of  the 
mine's  output,  are  higher  than  those  for  the  amygdaloid 
ore,  which,  however,  contains  less  copper  per  ton.  Dur- 
ing last  year,  the  C  &  H.  treated  1,739,984  tons  of  ore 
from  its  famous  conglomerate  lode,  about  55%  of  the 
total  tonnage  milled,  and  1.448.599  tons  from  the  Osceola 
amygdaloid  lode,  constituting  the  remaining  45%.  The 
conglomerate  ore  was  more  than  twice  as  rich  as  the 
amygdaloid  ore.  yielding  29.74  lb.  of  copper  per  ton  to 
13.32  lb.  per  ton  of  the  amygdaloid.  But  the  conglomer- 
ate ore  is  both  more  expensive  to  mine  and  the  amount 
in  reserve  is  not  large.  It  is  used  to  sweeten  the  low- 
grade  amygdaloid.  The  higher  costs  on  conglomerate 
are  due  to  the  greater  depth  of  underground  workings, 
the  consequent  heat  at  that  depth,  the  expense  of  timber- 
ing a  loose  hanging  wall,  and  the  tough  angular  char- 
acter of  native-copper  conglomerate  which  makes  drill- 
ing, shoveling,  and  stamping  more  expensive.  Taking 
the  figures  lor  last  year,  the  mine  cost  per  ton  of  con- 
glomerate (excluding  construction)  was  $2.13  per  ton. 
For  an  average  of  29.74  lb.  of  copper  per  ton,  this  means 
over  7c.  per  pound  on  the  metal. produced  as  the  charge 
for  mining.  The  total  cost  of  producing  copper  from 
conglomerate  ore  is  given  at  8.69c.  The  difference  be- 
tween 7  and  8.69c.,  or  1.69c,  must  pay  for,  construction, 
the  cost  of  which  is  always  liitrb  at  these  mines,  for  smelt- 
ing and  refining,  freight,  selling,  and  all  miscellaneous 
expense.      Considering    the    amygdaloid    ore.    which    in 


1915  averaged  13.32  lb.  per  ton,  and  for  which  the  mine 
cost  per  ton  of  ore  (excluding  construction)  was  $1.07, 
this  shows  a  cost  of  over  8c.  per  pound  of  metal  to  be 
charged  against  mining.  The  total  cost  of  producing 
copper  from  afcygdaloid  ore  was  9.71c.  per  pound,  leav- 
ing only  1.71c.  per  pound  for  all  other  expense.  It  is 
evident  that  the  problem  at  Michigan  copper  mines  is 
largely  one  of  cheap  mining.  The  milling  and  smelting 
ate  comparatively  simple,  the  freight-rate  to  the  Eastern 
market  is  low  by  reason  of  lake  transportation,  and  the 
selling  cost  of  such  an  established  brand  of  copper,  so 
much  in  demand,  is  small.  It  is  apparent  why  the  man- 
agement decided  a  few  years  ago  to  conduct  a  vigorous 
campaign  to  lower  the  underground  cost  of  mining. 

At  the  Nevada  Consolidated,  the  ore  was  extracted  in 
1915  for  a  mining  cost  of  15.24c.  per  ton.  To  this  must 
be  added  about  25c.  per  ton  for  redemption  cost  of  re- 
moval of  overburden.  This  capping  averaged  155  ft. 
thick  at  the  Liberty  pit,  101  ft.  at  the  Hecla  pit,  and  87 
ft.  at  the  Eureka  pit.  The  redemption  cost  for  the  three 
pits  are  respectively  30'  22,  and  15c.  per  ton  of  ore. 
Taking  the  average  redemption  cost  at  25c,  the  total  cost 
of  mining  becomes  40c.  per  ton.  For  ore  yielding  22.28 
lb.  of  copper  per  ton,  this  figures  only  1.8c.  per 
pound  of  a  total  cost  of  8.23c,  a  proportion  of  22%. 
against  much  heavier  proportion  at  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla.  The  cost  of  concentration  is  relatively  high  at 
the  Nevada  Consolidated,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
ratio  of  concentration  is  low,  being  7.18%  for  1915;  this 
contrasts  with  the  approximately  70%  metal  in  the  con- 
centrate shipped  from  the  Michigan  mills.  Only  70.18% 
of  the  copper  in  Nevada  Consolidated  ore  was  recovered. 
It  is  impossible  to  compare  this  with  extraction  at  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla,  for  the  simple  reason  that  practically 
no  assaying  of  Copper  Country  ore  is  done.  It  is  not 
practicable  to  sample  native-copper  ore  that  varies  from 
fine  specks  to  huge  masses  in  a  most  irregular  way.  The 
extraction  of  copper  from  Michigan  ore  has  been  im- 
proved during  recent  years,  notably  through  the  work  of 
C.  H.  Benedict,  metallurgist  for  the  Calumet  &  Hecla, 
who  pointed-out  that  in  order  to  save  fine  particles  of 
copper  it  was  necessary  to  grind  the  ore  closely  enough 
to  liberate  these  fine  particles.  Yet  it  is  not  likely  that 
the  extraction  on  Michigan  ore  is  radically  better  than  at 
the  Nevada  Consolidated.  The  latter  has  its  own  smelter, 
differing  in  this  respect  from  the  other  porphyry -copper 
mines.  As  compared  with  smelting  in  Michigan,  an  ad- 
ditional cost  comes  from  roasting  the  ore  before  treat- 
ment, the  proportion  of  pyrite  being  relatively  high. 
Freight  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard  is  higher  than  at  Lake 
Superior,  and  the  general  expense  of  operating  in  a 
region  where  freight  and  labor  are  expensive  conduce  to 
larger  items  of  cost. 

In  most  ways,  except  output  and  grade  of  ore,  these 
two  great  copper  mines  are  radically  different.  The 
Nevada  Consolidated  is  controlled  through  ownership 
in  51%.  of  its  stock  by  the  Utah  Copper  Co.,  of  which,  in 
turn,  the  Kennecott  Copper  Co.  owns  25%,  together 
with  a  control  of  the  Bradeu  Copper  Co.    The  Calumet 


•■  9,   ll'lti 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


393 


\  li    la  control!  a  ili'/cn  other  Michigan  rapper  mines 
rioua  stock  holdings;  the  combined  output  of  these 
subsidiaries  ia  approximately  equal  to  thai  of  the  parent 
mini'.    Incidentally,  the  debl  incurred  in  1908,  in  eonae 

quel of  taking  over  these  outside  properties,  has  been 

almost  |niiil  by  purchasing  the  10-year  notes,  The  Calu- 
met A  Beds  recently  oalebrated  the  50th  anniversary  of 
its  operations,  the  present  company  having  been  orpin 
ised  in  1871,  forty-five  yean  ago.  The  Nevada  Con 
solidated  was  organized  in  1904,  twelve  years  ago.  The 
Calumet  &  Heela  employs  .">000  men,  and  with  its  sub- 
sidiaries 9000  men,  which  is  more  men  than  is  engaged 
in  mining  in  the  entire  State  of  Nevada.  The  Nevada 
Consolidated  is  generally  understood  to  be  controlled 
by  the  Quggenheims,  although  their  ownership  of  stork 
in  the  company  is  relatively  small.  I).  ('.  Jackling  is 
vice-president,  and  ('.  B.  Lakenan  is  the  resident  man- 
Tie-  Calumet  &  Heela  is  controlled  by  tin-  Agassiz 

and  Shaw  families  of  Boston,  the  company  having  been 
formed  by  earlier  members  of  these  families  when  copper 
mining  in  this  country  was  in  its  infancy.  James  Mac- 
Naughton  is  resident  manager  and  one  of  the  five  di- 
rectors. 

As  to  profit,  it  is  well  known  that  the  Calumet  &  Heela 
is  the  most  profitable  mine  in  the  world,  having  paid 
over  $130,000,000  on  a  paid-in  capital  of  $1,200,000;  in 
one  year,  18!)!).  dividends  of  $100  per  share  were  paid. 
The  Nevada  Consolidated  has  a  capital  of  $10,000,000, 
and  has  paid  dividends  in  the  seven  years  since  1909  of 
over  $20,000,000  or  $10  per  share  compared  with  the  par 
value  of  $5  per  share.  The  mine  has  an  assured  life  of 
at  least  15  years  more.     This  is  not  a  had  record. 

Minerals   Through   the  Canal 

According  to  the  ('anal  Record,  among  the  50  prin- 
cipal commodities  passing  through  the  Canal  during  the 
year  ended  June  30,  1916,  totaling  2,417,146  tons,  the 
following  are  of  interest  to  mining  men: 

Atlantic  Pacific  to 

to  Pacific,  Atlantic,  Total, 

Mineral                                    Tons  Tons  Tons 

Nitrates    60  894,079  894,139 

Refined    petroleum    260,540  10.501  271,041 

Coal     243,211  5  243,216 

Crude  oil    50,033  19,779  69,812 

Iron  ore   52,250  52,250 

Copper 849  35,851  36,700 

Copper  ore 17,940  17,940 

Chrome  ore   25,920  25,920 

Zinc  concentrate   22,079  22,079 

Tin 9,205  6,004  15,209 

Iron     8,364  4,152  12,516 

Cement   11,697              11,697 

Explosives   6,986  4  6,990 

Lead    476  5,713  6,189 

Chemicals    5,207  664  5,871 

Gasoline    91  1,936  2,027 

Lubricating  oil  6,904  23  6,927 

During  June  a  total  of  124  ships,  totaling  400,044  tons, 
passed  through  the  Canal. 


Diesel  Engines  for  Mine 
Power -Plants 

By      Charles      Lignnd 

•At  the  Burro  Mountain  ( 'upper  ( 'o.'s  plant  at  Tyrone, 
Now  Mexico,  are  two  5-cylinder,  2-cycle  Diesel  oil  en- 
gines, the  largest  stationary  engines  of  their  type  ill  the 
United  states,  operating  at  an  altitude  of  5950  feet. 
They  drive,  direct-connected,  two  815-kva.,  60-cyele,  3 
phase.  6600-volt,  180-r.p.m.  generators,    The  current  is 

used    for    hoisting   ore,    driving  air-compressors,    eleelrie 
ll lotives.  and  a  15011-ton  concentrating  plant  :H  miles 

distant,    The  load  is  extremely  variable. 

These  engines  are  of  the  vertical  design,  rated  at  1250 
b.hp.  at  sea-level.  The  cylinders  are  20.6-in.  diam..  with 
26-in.  stroke.  Each  engine  has  a  scavenging  cylinder  of 
4 1 ,25-in.  diam.  and  23.6-in.  stroke;  also  a  3-Stage,  4- 
cylinder.  high-pressure  vertical  compressor,  both  di- 
rectly connected  to  the  engine.  This  compressor  de- 
livers the  air  necessary  for  fuel  injection  and  for  starting 
the  engine.  The  scavenging  pump,  which  is  larger  than 
usual,  delivers  air  to  blow-off  the  products  of  combustion 
and  fill  the  cylinders  with  fresh  air  at  the  beginning  of 
the  stroke.  This  pump  was  increased  in  size  to  be  able 
to  fill  the  cylinders  with  air  at  24-lb.  gauge  pressure  at 
the  beginning  of  the  stroke.  This  gives  nearly  the  same 
initial  absolute  pressure,  and  allows  the  engine  to  gen- 
erate nearly  the  same  indicated  horse-power  as  it  would 
at  sea-level.  The  work  done  in  the  scavenging  pump  is. 
however,  increased  and  the  horse-power  available  is  ap- 
proximately 95%  of  sea-level  output.  The  fuel  con- 
sumption per  horse-power  is  increased  over  sea-level  con- 
ditions on  account  of  the  extra  work  of  the  scavenging 
pump,  and  the  resulting  lower  mechanical  efficiency  of 
the  engine  when  operating  at  the  elevation  of  this  plant. 

Fuel  used  is  California  asphaltum  base  oil,  averaging 
16°B.  and  18,360  B.t.u..  costing  $1.85  to  $1.98  per  barrel. 
This  is  heated  to  120°F.  Oil  of  25°B.  is  used  at  the 
start.    Consumption  of  oil  is  about  0.78  lb.  per  kw.-hour. 

The  cost  of  power,  based  on  total  power  generated  less 
that  used  for  auxiliaries  in  power-plant  in  May  1916  was 
$0.0080935  per  kw.-hour  available.  The  load  factor  is 
0.62. 

Operation  of  the  engines  in  parallel  is  satisfactory, 
even  when  the  load  is  light.  In  actual  operation,  with 
one  engine  in  service,  the  peak  load  carried  has  been 
higher  than  was  expected. 

The  greatest  trouble  with  the  engines,  not  due  to  care- 
lessness, is  with  the  helical  gears  driving  the  cam-shaft. 
The  amount  of  lubricating  oil  consumed  is  being  reduced, 
while  the  maintenance  charge  is  also  expected  to  come 
lower.  On  the  whole,  operation  of  the  plant  has  been 
satisfactory,  and  the  cost  is  considerably  better  than  with 
a  steam  plant  of  the  same  capacity  run  under  similar 
conditions,  amply  justifying  the  extra  investment  for 
this  type  of  engine  where  the  cost  of  fuel-oil  is  high. 

♦Abstract  of  paper  written  for  Arizona  meeting  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


394 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


Rnvlrr*  vt U"  .V/.v/.V'  PJM5SS  ore  tariled  t"  ™*  «u««om  otk! 

'  prrtaininototlicprac' 
titt  of  mining,  milling,  and  tnuttino. 


Patents  to  the  number  of  1036  were  issued  in  one 
a   ik  by  the  V.  S.  Patent  Office  during  July. 


Fitches  is  a  good  technical  term.  It  signifies  the 
jamming  or  sticking  of  the  steel  in  a  drill-hole,  as  hap- 
pens in  ground  that  is  seamy. 

Air-hammer  drills  were  probably  used  first  for  drill- 
ing holes  Eor  blasting  in  the  quarries  of  New  England. 
They  were  adapted  from  pneumatic  riveters  to  drill 
plug-and-feather  holes. 

Aeroplanes  to  the  number  of  398  were  exported  from 
the  United  States  in  1915.  The  value  was  $2,960,814,  an 
average  of  $7439  per  machine.  A  large  export  of  aero- 
plane parts  was  also  made. 

Compressed  mi  is  employed  by  French  soldiers  in  the 
trenches  for  throwing  bombs.  Four  men  work  with 
bicycle-pumps  to  make  a  high  pressure  of  air,  and  the 
bomb  is  shot  noiselessly  from  a  piece  of  pipe  improvised 
as  a  eannon. 


The  copper  OEES  of  Butte  average  '■'>'',  '-upper  and  2 
oz.  silver  per  ton.  The  proportion  of  eopper  recovered 
from  its  ore  by  the  Anaconda  company  lias  been  in- 
creased from  77  to  90%.  On  '■'>';  ore.  this  additional 
saving  of  13%  represents  about  8  lb.  Of  copper  per  ton. 

Blasting  in  the  bottom  of  a  well  is  a  remedy  for  in- 
creasing the  flow  of  water.  It  is  related  that  an  old  well 
35  ft.  deep  "was  not  providing  enough  water  for  a 
horse  to  drink."  The  bottom  of  the  well  was  partly  in 
rock.  A  man  climbed  down  and  put  two  cartridges  of 
dynamite  in  the  rock.  After  the  shot,  the  flow  of  water 
was  plentiful  and  elear. 

Sulphuric  acid  for  use  in  the  leaching  process  of  the 
New  Cornelia  Copper  Co.  will  be  furnished  by  a  new 
acid-plant  under  construction  at  the  Calumet  &  Arizona 
smelter  at  Douglas.  This  acid-plant  will  have  a  capacity 
of  200  tons  per  day.  The  acid  will  be  produced  from 
roasting  sulphide  eopper  ores  on  24  Herreshoff  roasters. 
At  the  New  Cornelia  mine,  the  acid  will  lie  conducted 
from  tank-cars  by  gravity  directly  into  four  storage- 
tanks  of  a  combined  capacity  of  150.000  gallons. 


Starting  a  PUMP  that  has  been  under  water  for  over 
B  year  is  illustrated  by  an  accident  at  a  Montana  mine. 
A  pump  in  the  Butte  &  Zenith  mine  was  under  275  ft. 
of  water.  It  was  of  the  duplex  sinker  type  and  was  in  a 
horizontal  position.  Compressed  air  was  turned  into 
I  In  pipe-line,  and  the  pump  started  almost  immediately 
although  it  had  been  idle   for  15  months.     It  ran  until 


the  water  was  lowered  65  ft.,  when  trouble  arose  in  the 
air-compressor.  After  the  compressor  had  been  repair- 
ed, the  pump  could  not  be  started  again,  until  superin- 
tendent Gibson  tinned  100  lb.  of  pressure  on  the  air- 
column,  with»the  pressure  released  on  the  water-column, 
forcing  the  plunger  back.  The  pump  started  again  and 
was  kept  in  continuous  operation  until  the  shaft  was 
unwatered. 

A  WATER-SUPPLY  was  obtained  for  the  plant  of  the 
New  Cornelia  Copper  Co.  by  sinking  a  650-ft.  shaft  in 
the  desert  eight  miles  north  of  Ajo.  Drilling  had  first 
demonstrated  that  water  existed  there.  An  electric- 
pump  forces  the  water  through  a  10-in.  pipe-line  to  large 
steel  storage-tanks  on  a  hill  at  the  mine,  the  lift  of  the 
pump  being  1100  ft.  The  water  is  alkaline  and  of  a  tem- 
perature of  102°F. 

A  mule-driver  in  a  Kentucky  mine  was  kicked  by  a 
mule,  which  he  had  struck  with  a  whip.  He  tried  to  re- 
cover damages  for  injuries  received.  The  judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals  in  denying  the  plea,  said,  "The  mule 
would  have  been  untrue  to  itself  and  to  every  tradition 
of  its  breed,  if  it  bad  kept  its  heels  on  the  ground,  and 
an  employee  cannot  court  danger  by  inviting  a  mule  to 
kick  him  and  then  recover  for  consequent  injuries." 


Black  blasting-powder  is  a  mechanical  mixture  of 
finely  pulverized  sodium  nitrate  with  charcoal  and  sul- 
phur. In  making  black  powder,  the  original  cakes  are 
broken  into  small  grains.  These  are  put  in  a  revolving 
barrel  and  are  rounded  by  rubbing  together,  lessening 
any  tendency  of  the  grains  to  absorb  moisture  from  the 
air.  The  ordinary  black  powder  used  in  mines  and 
quarries  is  73' ".,'  sodium  nitrate.  li;\  charcoal,  and  11% 
sulphur.  The  powder  is  sold  in  grades  varying  with  the 
size  of  the  grains,  which  are  as  large  as  A  in.  and  as 
small  as  ,1,..  inch. 

Air  shocks  from  the  explosion  of  shells  have  killed 
men  in  the  trenches  on  European  battlefields.  It  was 
imi  iced  after  artillery  battles  that  many  bodies  bore  DO 
apparent  wounds,  and  evidently  death  had  come  from  in- 
stantaneous stoppage  of  the  circulation.  According  to 
La  Satan  of  Paris,  the  explosion  of  a  high-power  shell 
causes  a  considerable  barometric  depression  equivalent 
to  the  exhausted  atmosphere  at  the  top  of  Mount  Blanc. 
15,000-ft.  altitude.  A  sudden  barometric  depression, 
similar  to  the  experience  of  an  aeronaut  who  descends 
too  rapidly,  separates  from  the  blood  the  air  and  car- 
bonic-acid gas  normally  held  in  solution,  and  these 
bubbles  become  caught  in  the  capillaries  and  stop  the 
flow  of  blood  instantly.  Death  occurs  from  'gaseous 
embolism.'  This  is  similar  to  the  form  of  paralysis, 
known  as  tin-  'bends,'  that  afflicts  miners  or  'sand-hogs' 
working  in  compressed-air  caissons,  when,  on  coming 
out.  they  do  not  remain  in  the  reducing-chamber  long 
enough.  These  phenomena  are  dangerous  only  when  the 
change  is  too  sudden;  if  the  transition  is  gradual,  the 
blood  takes  care  of  the  bubbles  of  air. 


1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


IfilEJ-yi^W     D1£J    Miwm  Gi 


At  tttn  at  the  isortd'i  ymii  mining  omftw  t>>i  our 


8(  /  TER   CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

l>Kii|iAlil.t:    LAMM  Tll-i l  HI  f  .      KlYBTO.NE,   On.    Ki  in  i.  v.    ASOONAI  i 

An  announcement  baa  been  made  by  the  following  mining 
companies  of  Amador  county  thai  any  demand  for  a  material 
Increase  In  wages  and  shortening  of  bonri  of  labor  will  be 
i  and  thai  if  inch  demand  be  Insisted  upon,  the  mines 
win  he  oloaed  Indefinitely :  Plymouth  Consolidated,  Fremont 
Consolidated,  Bunker  Hill.  Treasure.  Keystone.  Original 
Amador  Consolidated.  Consolidated  Amador  (Old  Eureka). 
South  Eureka,  Central  Eureka,  Kennedy,  and  Argonaut  min- 
ing companies.  As  a  reason  for  this  attitude,  the  mine-owners 
rail  attention  to  the  fact  that  while  the  price  of  copper  has  in- 
creased, the  price  of  gold  remains  unchanged.  The  price  of 
supplies  such  as  timber,  powder,  tools,  rails,  etc.,  has  con- 
siderably increased,  and  the  Industry  iu  general  Is  being  con- 
ducted at  a  small  profit.  Attention  is  also  called  to  the  fact 
that  the  companies  recently  made  a  voluntary  increase  of  25c. 
per  day  In  wages.  Whether  this  announcement  will  have  the 
effect  of  deferring  the  threatened  strike  remains  to  be  seen. 
Rumors  are  now  current  that  the  walk-out  will  take  place  on 
September  9. 

The  1800-ft.  station  is  now  being  cut  in  the  Keystone  shaft 
at  Amador  City,  and  following  the  company's  usual  custom 
the  station  will  be  large  and  well  equipped.  In  this  mine,  the 
veins  worked  in  the  levels  above  give  evidence  of  converging 
at  depth,  and  considerable  good-grade  ore  is  known  to  exist 
below  1400  ft.,  so  there  are  excellent  indications  of  opening 
a  large  reserve  of  ore  by  means  of  the  stopes  that  will  be 
opened  above  the  ISOO-ft.  level.  Notwithstanding  a  large 
amount  of  dead  work  done  during  the  past  six  months,  a 
profit  of  nearly  $14,000  has  been  made.  The  Keystone  property 
has  been  in  almost  continuous  operation  since  its  discovery 
in  1861  and  has  yielded  well,  although  shallow  in  depth  com- 
pared with  its  neighbors.  The  present  company  sank  the 
shaft  from  the  1400  to  the  2400-ft.  level,  equipment  has  been 
materially  improved,  and  general  conditions  are  good  for 
economically  handling  ore  opened  by  the  last  year's  develop- 
ment work.  C.  R.  Downs  of  Sutter  Creek  is  manager  and  B. 
I.  Hoxsie  is  foreman. 

Water  has  been  removed  from  the  Old  Eureka  shaft  to  the 
600-ft.  level,  and  the  shaft-timbers  above  that  point  have  been 
repaired.  Another  sinking-pump  will  be  installed  so  as  to  un- 
water  more  rapidly  the  levels  below.  Fairly  good  progress  is 
expected  until  the  SOO-ft.  level  is  reached.  It  is  understood 
that  the  fire  which  caused  the  shutting-down  of  the  mine  30 
years  ago  did  most  of  its  damage  at  and  below  this  depth. 
Grading  on  the  steep  hill-side  is  now  in  progress  in  prepara- 
tion for  the  erection  of  a  modern  steel  head-frame,  but  the 
present  one-reel  hoist  with  low  wooden  head-frame  is  ade- 
quate for  current  needs.  Construction  of  a  timber-shed  is  well 
under  way,  and  machinery  for  the  modern  saw-mill  will  soon 
be  installed.  A  crew  of  about  25  men  are  employed,  including 
three  shifts  of  shaft-men. 

Carpenters  are  now  engaged  in  completing  the  interior  of 
the  new  60  stamp-mill  at  the  Argonaut  and  putting  on  the 
corrugated-iron  roof.  The  building  is  situated  on  the  highest 
part  of  the  ridge  west  of  the  present  plant,  so  there  will  be 
no  difficulty  in  the  tailing  following  by  gravity  to  the  large 
dam  prepared  for  the  residue.  The  old  40-stamp  mill  con- 
tinues to  make  a  monthly  profit  of  over  $35,000.  Interesting 
tests  are  made  at  this  plant  most  of  the  time. 


TORONTO,   ONTARIO 

Firm  Enoanoeb  Mining  Districts.-  Km   Laki      Nh 

The  forest  fires  thai  devastated  large  portions  ol  northern 
Ontario  four  weeks  ago.  causing  a  loss  of  over  200  lives,  threat- 
ened to  destroy  the  Porcupine  district.    The  mining  centn 

.scaped  serious  losses,  with  the  exception  of  Munro  township, 
where  several  lives  win.  lost  and  the  surface  plant  of  the 
Croesus  mine  was  completely  destroyed.  A  number  of  pros- 
pectors In  this  area  also  perished.  In  some  mineralized  sec- 
tions the  destruction  of  vegetation  has  left  the  rocks  bare, 
thus  facilitating  prospecting.  The  burned-out  settlers  are 
being  given  prompt  relief,  and  the  towns  destroyed  will  be  re- 
built as  quickly  as  possible.  The  fires  are  supposed  to  be 
caused  by  the  carelessness  of  settlers  who  start  fires  during 


MAP   SHOWING   WATER-POWEK  AVAILABLE   KOK  PORCUPINE. 

dry  weather  to  clear  their  land.  The  disaster  has  drawn 
attention  to  the  defects  in  the  fire-ranging  service  of  the 
Province,  and  above  all  to  the  necessity  of  strict  official  control 
of  all  clearing  operations. 

A  New  York  syndicate  represented  by  Henry  Cecil  of 
Haileybury,  has  purchased  from  Angus  MacDonald.  discoverer 
of  the  Rice  Lake  goldfield  in  Manitoba,  the  properties  known 
as  the  Gold  Pan,  Gold  Seal,  and  Gold  Pan  Fraction,  covering 
147  acres,  the  price  being  reported  at  $500,000.  It  is  under- 
stood that  Bache  &  Co.  of  New  York  are  heavily  interested. 
Development  will  be  started  without  delay,  and  the  equipment 
has  been  ordered.  The  company  will  be  known  as  the  Gold 
Pan  Mining  Co.  There  is  now  a  shaft  125  ft.  deep  at  the 
Gold  Pan. 

Notwithstanding  reports  to  the  contrary,  the  site  of  the 
Canadian  refinery  to  be  erected  by  the  International  Nickel 
Co.  has  not  yet  been  finally  decided  upon.  The  company  is 
understood  to  have  an  option  on  a  site  at  Port  Colborne  on 
Lake  Erie,  hut  the  matter  is  still  unsettled,  and  it  is  not  un- 


396 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


Sepfember  9.  1916 


likely  that  a  place  in  northern  Ontario  may  be  selected.  Mean- 
while many  centres  are  making  strong  efforts  to  secure  the 
refinery.  The  question  of  compelling  the  refining  of  all  nickel 
ore  in  Canada  is  much  to  the  front  in  politics.  A  by-election 
for  the  Ontario  Legislature  is  now  in  progress  in  Toronto,  and 
the  Liberals  are  endeavoring  to  make  this  the  principal  issue. 
The  building  of  the  International  company's  branch  plant  in 
Canada  will  not  settle  the  matter  by  any  means,  so  long  as 
political  capital  can  be  made  by  agitating  for  more  extreme 
measures. 


JOHANNESBURG,  TRANSVAAL 

Reduced  Dividends  ami  Pboposed  Deeper  Mining. 

Although  statements  have  been  made  recently  in  the  Union 
parliament  at  Cape  Town  to  the  effect  that  the  Transvaal  gold 
mines  "are  having  the  time  of  their  lives,"  a  little  reflection 
will  show  that  the  speeches  made  and  the  results  indicated  at 
the  many  annual  meetings  of  shareholders  recently  held  are 
giving  some  cause  for  alarm.  While  last  year's  dividends 
were  less  than  those  in  the  previous  year,  there  is  a  con- 
siderable decrease  in  the  distributions  during  the  first  six 
months  of  the  current  year,  compared  with  the  corresponding 
period  of  1915.  The  three  great  producers,  the  Crown  Mines, 
East  Rand  Proprietary,  and  Rand  Central  Mines,  whose  com- 
bined nominal  capitals  approach  £8,000,000  and  whose  size, 
development,  and  equipment  were  supposed  to  make  results 
independent  of  any  reverses,  are  causing  stockholders  some  un- 
easiness. Take  for  instance  the  Crown  Mines,  the  largest 
gold  producer  on  the  Rand.  Its  declared  dividend  was  only 
25%  in  the  last  six  months,  against  20'',  for  the  previous 
half-year,  and  35' ;  for  the  corresponding  period  of  1915.  Such 
a  heavy  decline  was  never  expected.  The  last  half-year's  un- 
satisfactory results  have  been  largely  brought  about  by  the 
adoption  of  the  engineer's  method  of  selective  mining,  which, 
while  it  increased  the  grade  of  ore  sent  to  the  mills  by  50 
cents  per  ton,  increased  the  cost  to  a  corresponding  extent, 
and  the  reduced  tonnage  treated  decreased  monthly  working 
profits  by  something  like  £20,000.  The  method  adopted  was 
to  reduce  the  stoping  widths  by  leaving  the  poorer  portion  of 
the  reef  in  the  hanging  wall,  by  substituting  hand  for  ma- 
chine stoping.  The  result  of  this  new  method  was  to  increase 
the  proportion  stoped  by  hand  from  14  to  56%;  but  although 
the  number  of  stopes  was  increased  by  37.  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  send  the  same  quantity  to  the  mills  with  the  above 
results.  Needless  to  say  the  former  method  of  working  is 
being  reverted  to  as  quickly  as  possible.  Another  novel  method 
of  testing  deep  ground  is  being  introduced  at  the  East  Rand 
Proprietary  Mines.  At  a  vertical  depth  of  4000  ft.,  throughout 
the  whole  length  of  the  property,  payable  ore  has  practically 
disappeared,  and  every  effort  to  discover  good  ore  has  failed. 
With  170,000  tons  treated  per  month,  and  milling  reserves  re- 
duced to  4,800,000  tons,  some  method  of  expediting  the  dis- 
covery of  ore  has.  if  possible,  to  be  adopted.  There  is  a  great 
area  south  of  the  three  deep  shafts  still  unexplored,  but  of 
somewhat  doubtful  value,  on  which  the  future  of  the  East 
Rand  Proprietary  depends.  At  the  southern  limit  of  this  area 
the  reef  probably  approaches  a  vertical  depth  of  8000  ft.  In 
order  to  prove  this  area  as  soon  as  possible,  it  is  intended,  in 
addition  to  following  the  reef  on  the  incline,  to  drive  two 
cross-cuts  from  the  two  Angelo  Deep  shafts  at  a  depth  of  4000 
ft.  a  distance  of  4000  ft.,  and  then  put  down  a  vertical  shaft 
to  the  reef  supposed  to  lie  at  a  funther  vertical  depth  of  2000 
ft.  it  is  anticipated  that  this  will  occupy  4  years  and  cost 
£200,000.  Whether  the  reef  will  be  found  profitable  at  such  a 
depth  as  6000  ft.  seems  problematical. 

In  The  Miunm  Magazine  for  August,  the  Far  East  Rand  and 
suggested  changes  in  the  gold  law  are  discussed  by  R.  X. 
Kotze,  this  being  an  abstract  of  a  Government  report:  also 
The  Far  East  Rand  and  the  Government.'  by  H.  Foster  Bain, 
who  recently  personally  studied  the  question. 


LONDON 
in    Zinc   Smelting   in    England  ami   Eirope. — Zixc 
Corporation  Affairs. 

The  great  increase  in  spelter  production  in  the  United  States 
has  attracted  much  attention  on  this  side  and,  especially  now 
that  prices  have  tumbled,  questions  are  being  asked  as  to 
what  the  condition  will  be  after  the  War.  It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  in  pre-War  days  the  world's  smelting  capacity  was 
equal  to  its  demand  for  spelter.  In  the  normal  course  of 
events  consumption  would  have  grown  and  additional  furnaces 
would  have  been  needed  by  now.  When  the  various  nations 
again  settle  down  to  industry  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  the 
tendency  toward  increased  consumption  of  zinc,  which  has 
been  a  feature  of  the  metal  industry  for  years,  will  re-assert 
itself.  There  will,  however,  be  an  excess  furnace  capacity. 
So  far  as  is  known,  no  considerable  portion  of  the  pre-War 
furnaces  has  been  wrecked.  The  big  chimney  of  the  Overpelt 
works  of  Beer,  Sondheimer  &  Co.  was  blown  down  by  the 
Belgians  and  other  damage  done  to  the  works,  and  Belgian 
plants  near  Liege  have  suffered  some  damage.  It  is  impossible 
also  to  foretell  what  may  happen  if  the  Germans  move  out 
of  Belgium.  Many  of  the  works  are  in  the  probable  line  of 
fire  and  if  the  retreat  be  bitterly  contested,  further  damage  is 
to  be  anticipated.  In  a  large  way  though  it  is  true  that  no 
considerable  amount  of  plant  has  been  wrecked,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  War  the  furnaces  that  used  to  supply  the  world's 
demand  for  spelter  will  still  need  to  be  taken  into  account. 
Staff  and  men  will  be  scattered  and  many  will  be  dead,  but  the 
gaps  can  be  filled,  supplies  purchased,  and  in  general,  the  old 
business  can  be  re-established.  If  this  is  not  done,  the  men 
will  work  at  something  else,  the  plants  be  converted,  and  com- 
petition will  merely  be  diverted  to  new  channels.  The  Ger- 
mans have  a  large  and  probably  adequate  supply  of  ore  with- 
in their  own  boundaries,  and,  while  they  were  formerly  ex- 
tensive buyers  of  ore  in  Australia  and  elsewhere,  but  a  small 
part  of  what  they  purchased  was  actually  treated  in  Germany. 
If  the  flow  of  concentrates  from  Australia  to  Europe  be  di- 
verted, it  will  be  Belgian  and  French  furnaces  that  will  suffer 
more  than  those  actually  in  Germany.  These  facts  are  be- 
ginning to  be  understood  here  and,  without  in  the  least 
abating  the  determination  to  free  the  world  from  German 
domination  of  the  metal  trades,  the  method  is  receiving 
more  serious  thought  that  at  first.  Your  own  greater  ex- 
pansion of  smelting  capacity  is  a  matter  which  gives  us  pause. 
Doubtless  many  of  the  furnaces  now  in  commission  in  the 
United  States  will  not  be  able  to  run  under  normal  condi- 
tions, but  among  the  new  plants  are  evidently  a  number 
which,  being  well  built  and  well  financed,  can  stand  compe- 
tition as  well  as  any  in  the  world.  With  your  domestic  ore 
supplies  and  these  new  furnaces,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  you 
will  play  a  larger  part  in  the  world's  spelter  market  than  in 
the  past.  There  are  also  the  new  furnaces  in  Japan,  though 
to  the  best  of  knowledge  here  the  Japanese  are  not  well  forti- 
fied with  ore  supplies.  Doubtless  they  can  supplement  their 
local  resources  by  drawing  upon  China,  but  how  far  is  an  open 
question.  Russia  is  striving  to  develop  home  resources,  and 
Austrian  prisoners  are  already  making  spelter  at  Ekibastus 
in  Siberia.  With  all  these  considerations  to  face,  it  has  not 
been  an  easy  problem  to  determine  how  Britain  is  best  to  take 
advantage  of  the  great  resources  in  zinc  ores  found  within  the 
Empire,  and  especially  at  Broken  Hill  and  in  Burma.  In 
round  figures  the  pre-War  production  of  the  zinc  furnaces  in 
Great  Britain  amounted  to  60,000  tons,  and  the  local  consump- 
tion of  spelter  was  200,000.  Since  the  War  started,  additions 
to  local  works  have  been  made  or  contracted  for  that  will 
about  double  the  capacity.  Zinc  smelting  has  been  started  in 
Australia  and  Canada.  The  ideal  held  up  here  is  that  the  Em- 
pire, having  the  ore,  should  at  least  make  within  it  borders 
the  amount  of  spelter  called  for  by  its  own  industries.  To  do 
this  entirely  would,  however,  interfere  with  the  industries  of 


1916 


Ml  NINO    ..ml    S.rnl.ln      HKI.S.S 


m,  and  then  li  oo  disposition  ii>  do  thin.     Also.  11   is 

aomloi  t.>  maltlpl  I  Ij  the  Dumbei  ol 

••«  In  a  world  iimt  win  alreadj  hart  an  OTtr-ahnndante. 

Th.'  latest  proposals  therefor.-  look  toward  D  with 
Igtan  and  French  mwlUni  Companies  H  wall  as  ih. 
British  concerns  Aa  a  n?«nit  of  Qegotiatlons  conducted  by 
\v.  m.  Hughes,  the  Australian  prima  minister.  H  is  announced 
that  the  Imperial  Qorerament  win  finance  Uu  tnovami 
Broken  mil  concentrates  .1-  Americana  hare  donbtlesa  alreadj 
!  The  plan  is  for  the  authorities  to  purchase  from  Ho- 
mines loo. toni  of  concentrates  per  rear  tor  10  rears,    The 

ament  has  also  agreed  ta  finance  the  imiiiiing  of  Aua- 

:••  of  producing   (5, 1  ions  of  spelter 

and  to  buy  the  product,  The  concentrates  shipped  to  Greal 
Britain  will  be  distributed  to  English  smelters  for  treatment. 
As  a  first  stop  the  Government  has  actually  purchased  from 
the  Zinc  corporation  ion, tons  of  concentrate,  and  Is  al- 
lotting this  to  the  British  plants  for  reduction.  This  was 
bought  on  the  basis  of  £25  per  ton  for  spelter,  the  Government 
Mumming  all  cost  and  risk  of  shipment.  These  arrangemi  11 1 s 
are  to  be  extended  when  circumstances  permit  so  as  to  provide 
for  such  French  and  Belgian  plants  as  may  desire  to  enter 
the  combine.  The  French  plant  at  Dunkirk  is  already  being 
allotted  ore.  All  this  'socializes'  the  British  zinc  industry,  to 
use  a  word  our  socialist  friends  much  affect,  to  an  extent 
thai  before  the  War  would  have  been  considered  out  of  the 
question.  In  effect,  the  Government  assumes  the  responsibility 
of  providing  a  market  for  the  miners  and,  in  part  at  least,  for 
the  smelters.  It  is  to  act  as  broker  and  in  this  way  control 
the  situation  without  entering  the  politically  dreaded  field  of 
tariffs  and  subventions.  Clearly  it  may  make  or  lose  money, 
or  it  may  do  both  in  turn,  but  also  clearly  the  Imperial  gov- 
ernment will  for  some  years  to  come  be  an  important  factor 
in  the  zinc  business  and  the  old  lassiz  faire  methods  are  aban- 
doned. So  far  proposals  for  buying  ore  only  extend  to  Aus- 
tralia. What  action,  if  any,  will  be  taken  to  control  the  flood 
of  metal  that  the  Burma  Mines  will  soon  be  ready  to  supply, 
remains  unknown. 

The  contest  against  the  management  of  the  Zinc  Corpora- 
tion that  was  made  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  shareholders 
is  being  continued  though  with,  scant  success.  The  system  of 
ownership  of  British  companies  when  those  in  control  take 
every  means  to  increase  the  number  of  shareholders,  opens 
the  way  to  contest  whenever  anyone  is  disposed  to  spend  the 
money  and  energy  necessary  to  circularize  minor  owners.  In 
practice  such  contests  are  not  common  and  rarely  amount  to 
much.  In  this  instance  F.  C.  Auld,  who  has  in  the  past 
achieved  some  success  in  such  matters,  attempted  to  control  the 
annual  meeting  but  failed.  He  has  since  tried  to  form  a  com- 
mittee to  pursue  the  contest  but  has  met  with  a  series  of 
resignations.  First  W.  Graham  resigned  giving  as  his  reason 
that  a  circular  had  been  issued  in  which  he  was  mentioned  as 
connected  with  the  Financial  Times,  whereas  his  intention  in 
joining  the  committee  was  to  act  in  his  private  capacity.  Sir 
Edward  Samuel  was  announced  as  his  successor  but  has 
issued  a  letter  saying  he  gave  no  permission  for  the  use  of  his 
name.  Later  E.  Rodocanachi  withdrew  so  that  of  the  original 
list  there  now  remain  only  Mr.  Auld  and  three  others  two  of 
whom  have  no  financial  interest  in  the  Corporation.  The 
attempt  to  interfere  in  company  management  by  men,  none  of 
whom  have  a  large  interest  and  some  of  whom  have  none,  will 
probably  appeal  to  American  readers  as  most  peculiar,  but  it 
is  to  be  remembered  that  in  London  company  management  has 
become  almost  a  profession,  with  little  relation  to  the  par- 
ticular business  in  which  the  company  is  concerned.  As  -to 
the  merits  of  this  particular  contest,  which  seems  doomed  to 
die  before  it  gets  properly  started,  it  may  be  fairly  said  that  no 
one  who  has  studied  the  history  and  present  condition  of  the 
Zinc  Corporation  takes  the  matter  seriously. 

On  page  372  of  this  issue  electrolytic  zinc  in  Australia  is 
discussed  editorially. 


LEW18TON,    HOST  AN  A 

i.mi.-i  I'niiM  Putin  Btash  Winn.     Junrrn  M01 

l-i  I   In  POORS. 

The  Hanover  Oypsnm  Oo,  darted  its  new  mill  B  weeks  ago. 

Soon  after,  the  new  mill,  1 acres  ol  land,  and  the  remalndei 

of  the  property  was  told  to  the  Three  Forks  Portland  Cement 

Co..  which  operates  Montana's  onlj  ce m  plant  at  Trident. 

Tins  concern  is  controlled  by  Chas.  Boetteher  and  asso 

who   have  already   started   work  on  a  f  1,00  I    plant 

to  he  built  on  the  property  just  purchased  near  Lewistown. 
This  will  be  rushed  to  completion  in  the  next  few  month    and 

it  is  expected  to  supply  much  of  Montana  and  the  Dakotas 
from  the  new  plant.  Abundant  deposits  of  pure  llmi 
outcrop  less  than  two  miles  away  in  the  South  UocCS  In  moun- 
tains, which  can  easily  be  transported  by  gravity  tram  to  the 
proposed  plant.  Extensive  beds  of  clay  suitable  for  cement 
manufacture  also  are  found  near-by. 

Mining  and  prospecting  in  the  Judith  mountains  is  more 
active  than  for  many  years.  The  Spotted  Horse,  Cumberland, 
and  MacGlnness  mines  at  Maiden  are  producing  regularly. 
Ore  has  also  been  shipped  from  the  War  Eagle,  and  from  pros- 
pects on  the  north  and  east  side  of  the  mountains.  It  is 
reliably  reported  that  the  four  lessees  of  the  Cumberland  have 
refused  an  offer  of  $250,000  for  their  lease  and  bond,  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  recent  rich  development;  at  any  rate  Milo  Skerro 
has    sold    his    one-fourth    interest    in    the    lease    to    George 

Wieglenda,  one  of  his  partners,  for  $25,000. The  Mammoth 

claims  near  Gilt  Edge  have  been  leased  after  being  closed  for 
nearly  10  years;  development  work  is  now  in  progress  and  it 
is  expected  to  soon  re-open  the  mill  with  which  the  property 

is  now  equipped. Several  lead-silver  and  gold  claims  in  the 

Cone  Butte  district,  east  of  Maiden,  are  opening  well,  some  ore 
being  shipped. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  developments  this  summer  is 
finding  copper  ore  in  commercial  quantities  in  the  .Judiths. 
On  the  north  side  of  Red  mountain  are  five  claims  controlled 
by  E.  Sutter  and  others  of  Lewistown.  Already  one  car  has 
been  shipped,  from  which  it  is  expected  to  realize  a  profit  of 
$1S00  above  smelting  charges;  more  ore  will  follow.  The  ore 
mined  averages  21%  silica,  18%  copper,  and  25'a  iron,  and  in- 
cludes azurite,  malachite,  chrysocolla,  and  the  black  earthy 
oxide,  melaconite,  and  some  cuprite.  Development  so  far  is 
not  extensive,  but  indications  are  favorable  for  the  occurrence 
of  a  large  sulphide  orebody  in  depth.  On  the  Sutter  1,  2,  3 
claims  oxidized  ore  occurs  in  rather  irregular  bodies  in  in- 
trusive rhyolite-porphyry  near  limestone.  A  heavy  iron  gossan 
overlies  the  deposit  and  there  is  evidence  that  the  surface  ores 
have  been  leached,  which  may  indicate  a  zone  of  secondary 
enrichment  in  depth.  In  West  Armell's  Creek  valley,  a  few 
hundred  yards  away,  there  is  a  vein  of  pyrite  carrying  gold 
and  copper.  On  the  Missourian  claim  somewhat  farther  away, 
the  copper  ore  is  found  near  a  dike  of  phonolite.  On  the  south 
side  of  Red  mountain  are  four  claims  owned  by  Sutter  broth- 
ers and  Hawkins,  on  one  of  which,  the  Copper  King,  a  face  of 
60  ft.  of  1  to  3%  copper  is  exposed.  Others  have  staked  claims 
near-by  and  considerable  interest  has  been  aroused. 

In  the  North  Moccasin  mountains  both  the  Barnes-King  and 
Kendall  properties  are  regularly  producing.  Development  is 
being  done  on  the  West  Kendall,  where  considerable  lead  ore 
carrying  gold  has  been  found,  and  on  the  North  Kendall  where 
a  body  of  low-grade  gold  ore  is  being  sampled.  The  Barnes- 
King  company  continues  to  improve  its  surface  equipment. 

Oil  and  gas  locations  are  still  attracting  interest.  Recently 
the  Grass  Range  Oil  &  Gas  Co.  has  been  organized  to  prospect 
for  oil  on  10,000  acres  of  leases  near  Grass  Range,  35  miles  east 
of  Lewistown.  Still  farther  east  in  the  Cat  Creek  basin  near 
Winnett,  Warren  C.  Wright  of  Chicago  has  leased  4000  acres  on 
a  pronounced  anticline,  and  expects  to  begin  drilling  in  a  few 
months. 


398 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


Septpmbw  9.  1916 


The  news  of  the  week  at  t<*f<l  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  t)te  local  p 


ALASKA 

In  Bulb-tin  642-E  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  Stephen 
R.  Capps  discusses  the  Turnagain-Knlk  region.  This  report 
covers  4S  pages,  accompanied  by  maps.  The  geology,  gold  de- 
posits, mines,  and  prospects  are  described  in  detail. 

The  Cosna-Nowitna  and  Ruby-Kuskokwirn  regions  are  de- 
scribed in  Bulletin  642-H  by  H.  M.  Eakin.  J.  B.  Mertie,  Jr.,  and 
G.  L.  Harrington.    The  area  is  east  of  Fairbanks. 

Juheatt.  Commenting  on  affairs  at  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines. 
D.  C.  Jackling  recently  made  the  following  remarks:  "Con- 
ditions are  not  at  all  discouraging.  As  far  as  we  are  con- 
cerned we  pay  no  attention  to  stock-market  prices.  We  are 
interested  in  the  mining  end  of  it.  The  operating  costs  are 
about  65c.  per  ton.  Conditions  at  Juneau  are  different  than  in 
some  other  mining  properties.  We  have  to  take  the  ore  that 
we  have  on  hand  and  dispose  of  it  before  we  can  get  at  other 
ore.  At  present  we  are  opening  the  mine  in  some  new  places, 
and  this  will  probably  soon  result  in  an  improvement.  Con- 
ditions are  not  as  good  as  we  expected,  nor  as  good  as  we  ex- 


MAP   [NCLUDHni   THE  TtliNAI,AIN-KMK    BEOIOR. 

pect  they  will  be.  But  we  have  faith  in  the  property  and  be- 
lieve that  we  will  run  into  better  ore  that  will  show  good 
profits  later.  Our  July  report  showed  the  ore  was  averaging 
$1.24  per  ton.  an  Improvement  over  the  average  shown  by  the 
ore  treated  In  previous  months.  The  average  for  last  year 
was  a  little  over  $1.15  per  ton.  We  look  for  still  further  im- 
provement, after  the  ore  that  is  broken  and  ready  for  the  mill 
Is  disposed  of.  Alaska  Gold  is  a  long-time  proposition  and 
must  be  worked  out  gradually,  as  it  has  an  enormous  tonnage." 
July  returns  of  the  Treadwell  group  were  as  follows: 

Mexican.  Treadwell  United 

Ore  crushed,  tons   14,385  77.721  45,010 

Gold  yield   »1!  $157,465  »74.Q52 

Average   per  ton 1.33  2.03  1.64 

Operating   expenses    22,096  98.727  77.445 

Construction   charges    2,424  12,326  11,338 

Profit    44,837                  

Loss    5,689  15.471 

Other   income    3,730  11,281  3,730 


ARIZONA 

BiSBEE,  Flotation  experiments  on  low-grade  silicious  gold- 
silver-lead  ores  are  now  being  made  at  the  Shattuck-Arizona 
mine.  During  July  the  yield  was  315  oz.  gold,  22,525  oz.  silver. 
174,091  lb.  lead,  and  1,397,445  lb.  copper. 

Chloride.  Firemen  and  cage-men  at  the  Tennessee  mine 
asked  for  a  raise  of  50c.  per  shift,  and  because  this  was  refused 
the  whole  force  at  the  mine.  175  men,  downed  tools.  An  offer 
of  25c.  was  made  but  refused  by  the  men.  Water  is  likely  to 
be  a  trouble  if  the  pump-men  walk  out. 

Oatman.  At  the  United  Easterns  No.  2  shaft  raising  has 
been  started  from  690  ft.  to  meet  sinking  from  590  ft.  At  the 
mill  two  ball-mills  have  been  erected.  Three  tube-mills  are 
ready  to  be  installed. 

CALIFORXIA 

Alleghany.  On  October  4  a  meeting  of  the  Tightner  Mines 
Co.  is  to  be  held  at  Grass  Valley  to  consider  increasing  the 
capital  from  $100,000  to  $750,000,  also  to  change  the  par  value 
of  shares  from  $1000  to  $10  each.  The  mine  continues  to  yield 
rich  ore. 

AUBUBN.  The  north  fork  of  the  American  river,  between 
Auburn  and  Colfax,  is  to  be  prospected  by  the  Guggenheim 
interests.    A  large  drill  is  being  assembled. 

Happy  Camp.  The  Gray  Eagle  mine,  known  locally  as  the 
Dakin  &  Farish  property,  7  miles  from  Happy  Camp,  up 
Indian  creek,  in  Siskiyou  county,  has  been  sold  to  Charles  F. 
Ayre,  representing  W.  B.  Thompson  of  New  York.  An  ex- 
amination had  been  made  previously  by  Orvil  R.  Whitaker. 
This  is  a  developed  copper  (chalcopyrite)  mine,  with  500,000 
tons  of  5%  ore  assured.  Evidence  indicates  this  to  be  one  of 
the  most  important  copper  developments  in  California  since 
the  Mammoth  came  into  prominence. 

Jamestown.  On  the  SOO-ft.  level  of  the  Knox  &  Boyle  shaft 
of  the  Nyman  Consolidated,  after  driving  30  ft.  through  the 
fault  the  north  orebody  was  cut.  Two  feet  assays  $50  per 
ton.    Ten  stamps  are  crushing  3  tons  per  day  each  of  $15  ore. 

Marysville.  On  August  23  the  Pacific  Gold  Dredging  Co.,  a 
subsidiary  of  the  Yukon  Gold  Co.,  launched  a  new  dredge  a 
few  miles  above  this  place. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — It  is  expected  that  the  Excelsior 
mine,  situated  near  Sugar  Pine,  will  be  re-opened  and  operated 
in  a  vigorous  manner.  The  property,  which  produced  around 
$400,000  in  the  early  days  of  quartz  mining  in  this  county, 
when  a  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  225  ft.,  was  recently  in- 
spected by  H.  L.  Huston,  of  San  Francisco,  who,  it  is  under- 
stood, will  report  favorably  to  the  prospective  purchasers.  The 
Excelsior  is  owned  by  Fred  Sutton  of  Sonora. 

Operations  will  begin  soon  at  the  Omega  mine,  now  un- 
watered  to  a  depth  of  over  300  ft.  While  the  pumps  are  taking 
out  the  remaining  water,  the  drifts  on  levels  No.  1,  2,  and  3 
are  being  re-timbered  preparatory  to  the  extraction  of  ore  and 
further  development.  It  is  the  intention  later  to  drift  from 
the  bottom  of  the  600-ft.  shaft  to  open  the  orebodies  exposed 
in  the  workings  above. 

Boston  people  have  taken  the  Bell  mine  under  bond  and  will 
begin  operations  at  an  early  date  under  the  direction  of  Paul 
S.  Bernard.  The  ore  is  low  grade,  but  the  vein  is  large  and 
the  property  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  promising  in  the 
Tuttletown  district. 

The  Rawhide,  which  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Silver  Peak 
Mining   Co.,    is   being   equipped    with    powerful    modern    ma- 


1916 


MI\IV.    ..ml    Scientihi     I'KI  SS 


hi.  hi     it  has  i 11  unwati  ired  to  i 

II  working. 
The  •  ivelsnd,  has  been  bonded  to 

'niin  enough  Financially   to 
thorough  trial,     it   in  understood  thai 
>ui  work  will  begin  at 

Woodi     CootracU  were  i>'i  on  August  38  bj  the  Wertnger 

Mm.  -  Co  for  machinery.  Including  ■  Hardlnge  ball-mill,  Dorr 

classifier  and  Oliver  Biter,  (or  a  dotation  plant  to  treat  the  ral 

phlde  ores  of  the  company'!  property.    This.-  macblnea  will 

piled  by  Collins  *  Wehb  of  Lot  sjigeles.     a   160-bp. 

engine  was  also  purchased  From  the  Western  Qas 

Engine  Corp.  of  Los  Angeles,     C   H    White  *>r  Cambridge, 

reporting  on  the  Weringer  property. 

COLORADO 

Breikinkiih.i.  The  Breckinridge  district  Is  shipping  2900 
tons  of  ore  and  concentrate  per  month.  The  largest  producer 
Is  the  Wellington  Uinea  Co.,  which  sends  out  zinc  ore  and  con- 
centrate. The  Commach  company  luis  recently  completed  a 
new  mill.  The  Tonopah  Placers  and  French  gulch  dredges 
send  their  gold  regularly  to  the  Denver  mint. 

CarpPU  CaaxK.  The  Cresson  company  is  to  pay  dividends 
of  1»',  monthly  on  the  1.220,000  shares,  which  are  now  selling 
at  $5.50  each.  $1  par  value.    This  is  equal  to  $1,400,000  yearly. 

Tin-  Independence  mill  has  been  stopped,  pending  re-model- 
ing, which  will  occupy  the  remainder  of  the  year.  It  will  then 
have  a  daily  capacity  of  1200  tons,  double  that  at  present. 

Gold  output  of  the  district  during  August  is  estimated  as 
follows: 

Average         Total 
Plant  Tons         value  value 

Golden  Cycle.  Colorado  Springs..   36,800        $17.00        $625,600 

Portland,  Colorado  Springs 13,000  21.00  273,000 

Portland.  Victor 19,600  2.85  55,860 

Portland,    Independence    16,958  1.94  32,898 

Caley-Jerry   Johnson    2,400  4.00  9,600 

Rex    1,860  2.40  4,464 

Reed-Gold   Sovereign    700  2.50  1,750 

Worcester-Rubie    300  2.40  720 

Smelters,  Denver  and  Pueblo   . . .     4,630  55.00  254,650 


96,248         $13.07      $1,25S,542 

On  October  1  the  Doctor-Jack  Pot  company  pays  lc.  per 
share,  equal  to  $30,000.  Profits  in  the  second  quarter  were 
$12,315.  Cash  assets  are  $139,083.  The  ore  averages  $8.75  per 
ton. 

Sinking  has  been  temporarily  suspended  at  the  main  shaft 
of  the  Strong  mine  at  Victor,  where  a  depth  of  1500  ft.  has 
been  attained.  A  station  for  the  fourteenth  level  is  now  being 
cut  out.     Cross-cutting  will  then  be  started. 

The  United  Gold  Mines  Co.  has  taken  a  lease  on  the  old 
Victor  mine  belonging  to  the  Smith-Moffat  estate.  Part  of  the 
ground  will  be  sub-leased,  either  on  the  split-check  system  or 
on  a  slight  increase  in  royalty  over  that  paid  by  the  leasing 
company  to  the  estate. 

Leadviixe.  The  Mt.  Champion  mine  is  probably  to  be  sold, 
and  it  is  now  being  examined.  The  price  is  not  stated,  but  the 
property  is  valued  at  $S00,000.     Present  production  is  large. 

The  mines  included  in  the  Down  Town  basin  recently 
drained  are  the  Bon,  Bon  Air,  Valentine,  and  Weldons  to  the 
south,  all  of  them  at  one  time  heavy  producers  of  iron-man- 
ganese and  silver  ore;  the  Home  Extension  and  Cloud  City, 
now  steadily  shipping  a  large  quantity  of  iron-manganese;  the 
Penrose,  the  centre  of  draining  operations;  the  Elks,  Midas, 
Hussey,  Hibschle,  Hope,  Wolcott,  Sixth  Street,  Coronado,  M. 
E.  C,  and  Northern,  a  territory  known  to  be  rich  in  iron- 
manganese  extending  almost  through  the  entire  city  from  its 
north  and  south  limits.  The  mines  in  this  section  were  with- 
out exception  last  active  before  the  entrance  of  carbonate  of 


in.  into  '  he  i    i  "i  i  .mini,  i  ,  be  found  In  thi 

viiic  district.    Bblpmei  .miiT.    were  made  from  the 

•■  'iiiinii  after  «  bad  been  Idle  toi  md  wben  1 1 1 •- 

water  too  expensive  an  obstacle  t"  di 

Hi. .hi     Indication!  of  line  earbonai  ound  In 

man)  other  properties  In  the  Down  Town  basin.    Thin  know), 
nee  hi  tine  throughout  the  i  low  n   i  on  I 
■  r  with  the  exceptionally  strong  market  thai  bus  pre- 
i. ii-  spelter  toi   some  time,  were  the  main  fact 
bringing  about  the  draining  ol  the  terrltorj      Now  the  watei 
has  been   removed   and   mining  can   again   proceed   without 

difficulty. 

IDAHO 

i  !oi  i  a  n'Ai  i  m. 

Dividends  paid  by  Coeur  d'Alene  companies  in  AugUSI 
totaled  $677,175,  making  $6,844,670  in  8  months. 

Burke.  The  Consolidated  Marsh  .Mines  Co.  has  arranged  a 
10-year  lease  on  certain  claims  of  the  Federal  Mining  Co.  The 
Marsh  company  is  to  spend  $40,000  In  the  Marsh  property. 
Under  the  lease  the  Marsh  is  to  account  to  the  Federal  com- 
pany for  milling  ore  on  the  following  basis;  When  the  ore 
contains  9ft  'ead  or  less  the  royalty  shall  be'  35c.  per  ton 
milled,  and  for  each  unit  of  lead  above  9%  the  royalty  is  to  be 
increased  at  the  rate  of  25c.  per  ton  for  each  unit  in  excess. 
This  rate  is  to  apply  when  lead  is  5jc.  per  lb.  in  New  York, 
and  when  higher  than  5}c.  the  royalty  shall  be  increased  at 
the  rate  of  30c.  per  ton  for  each  cent  above  5c.  per  lb.,  fractions 
proportionately.  The  royalty  on  crude  ore  is  15%  of  the  net 
smelter  returns  when  lead  is  5Ac.  in  New  York,  20%  when  the 
price  is  5}  to  7c,  and  25%  when  the  price  is  7  to  8c.  The 
Marsh  company  also  agrees  to  pay  all  taxes,  and  holds  the 
Federal  company  free  from  loss  or  damage  by  reason  of  per- 
sonal injuries,  liens,  or  other  encumbrances. 

Kellogg.  July  profits  of  the  Caledonia  were  $90,000.  On 
September  5  a  dividend  of  3c.  per  share,  or  $78,150,  will  be 
paid.    This  makes  $677,300  for  the  year. 

Murray.  It  is  almost  certain  that  the  O.-W.  R.  &  N.  Co. 
will  construct  a  railway  up  Beaver  creek.  The  line  has  been 
surveyed.  It  will  serve  the  Ray-Jefferson,  Interstate-Callahan. 
Idora,  Tuscumbia,  and  Virginia,  all  producing  properties,  and 
the  Friend,  Toughnut,  Parrott,  Sunset,  and  -several  others 
that  will  be  able  to  ship  as  soon  as  transportation  is  provided. 
A  minimum  monthly  tonnage  agreement  is  said  to  have  been 
entered  into  with  the  companies  that  will  benefit,  the  deficit, 
if  any,  to  be  subscribed  pro  rata. 

Pine  Creek.  It  is  reported  that  the  Coeur  dAlene  Antimony 
Mining  Co.  of  Spokane,  operating  near  the  mouth  of  Pine 
creek,  is  to  erect  a  smelter  to  reduce  its  ore  and  concentrate. 
The  mine  continues  to  open  well. 

MICHIGAN 
The  Copper  Country 

Houghton.  Additional  men  are  being  taken  on  by  the  Calu- 
met &  Hecla  and  subsidiary  companies.  A  good  class  of  miner 
is  being  attracted  to  the  district.  A  10,000-kw.  turbo-generator 
is  being  constructed  for  the  C.  &  H.  plant  on  Lake  Linden  by 
the  Allis-Chalmers  company.  This  machine  is  to  replace  two 
others  of  smaller  capacity.  The  new  one  and  another  at  work 
will  supply  17,500  kw.  Power  consumption  is  increasing  con- 
tinually. The  new  leaching  plant  is  said  to  be  working  satis- 
factorily. 

At  the  Lake  mine  the  old  Belt  shaft  is  being  unwatered  by 
means  of  an  air-lift. 

Concerning  the  Calumet  &  Hecla-Tamarack  business,  the 
C.  &  H.  distributed  on  August  31  to  its  own  shareholders 
20,000  Tamarack  shares,  each  holder  of  5  shares  in  the  C.  &  H. 
getting  1  share  of  Tamarack.  Apparently  the  sale  of  the  latter 
to  the  C.  &  H.  for  $59  per  share  is  off. 

Calumet  &  Hecla  shares  remain  steady  around  $540;  Copper 
Range  are  $60  each. 


■41  Ml 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916, 


MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Flotation  of  slime  is  being  adopted  in  this  district, 
although  somewhat  in  the  experimental  stage.  Companies 
using  the  process  are  the  Vogey  at  Carterville,  Martin  &  Wild- 
era  al  Chitwood,  Wingfleld  Bertha  A.  at  Webb  City,  and  Picher 
at  Picher,  Oklahoma. 

Ore  prices  were  unchanged  last  week,  the  average  (or 
blende  being  $61,  40%  calamine.  $41:  and  80$  lead,  $65  per 
ton.  The  total  yield  was  valued  at  $332,953,  making  $23,230,- 
999  for  34  weeks.  August  production  of  blende  was  5500  tons 
less  than  in  any  other  month  of  this  year;  April,  the  largest, 
was  12,387  tons;  August  was  15,749  tons.  Surplus  ore  in  bins 
is  estimated  at  23,000  tons. 

MONTANA 

BUTTE.  The  Anaconda  company  has  recently  purchased 
from  the  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Mfg.  Co.  a  1215-hp.  syn- 
chronous motor  that  is  to  be  used  for  compressor  service  in 
the  Leonard  mine. 

The  Butte-Zenith  shaft  is  down   1000   ft.,   where  a  600-gal. 
Ic  pump  is  to  be  installed.    Cross-cutting  is  to  be  started 
on  October  1. 

..  A  recent  shipment  of  2561  lb.  of  concentrate  from 
tailing  at  tin-  Hose  Consolidated  Mining  Co.'s  property  near 
hi  re  returned  $1163  in  tungsten,  according  to  Harve  H.  Phipps 
Of  Spokane,  the  company's  president.  As  this  property  was 
purchased  as  a  gold  mine,  the  owners  are  pleased  with  this 
extra  yield.  The  tungsten  is  a  high-grade  scheelite.  and  the 
ore  returns  $5  per  ton  more  than  the  present  market  price 
under  the  contract.  The  new  10-stamp  mill  is  completed,  and 
only  awaits  the  erection  of  feeders  and  wiring  for  electric 
lights.  The  mill  is  built  so  that  with  small  expense  i 
pacity  can  be  doubled  by  adding  a  Hardinge  mill,  tables,  and 
other  equipment.  Three  years  of  ore  is  blocked  out.  One 
adit  was  driven  at  right  angles  to  the  vein,  cutting  it  at  350 
ft.  From  this  a  raise  150  ft.  to  the  surface  was  made  in  ore 
all  the  way.  The  vein  is  from  1  to  5  ft.  wide,  and  averages 
$12  to  $20  in  gold,  with  tungsten  the  whole  distance.  A  sec- 
ond adit  cut  the  vein  at  the  same  distance  from  its  portal,  and 
a  raise  about  180  ft.  opened  ore  all  the  way,  where  it  is  a 
little  wider  and  a  little  richer.  These  two  adits  and  raises 
are  800  ft.  apart.  The  ore  has  been  further  proved  by  small 
shafts  and  surface  explorations  between  the  two  raises.  Oscar 
Nordquist  of  Wallace  is  manager  of  the  Rose  Consolidated. 
P.  S.  Rose  of  Libby  is  superintendent. 

Supebiob.  Mining  in  Mineral  county  is  experiencing  a  good 
revival.  At  the  Iron  Mountain  140  men  are  employed.  The 
Inter-Mountain  is  shipping  copper  concentrate.  The  King  and 
Queen  near  Saltese  are  opening  silver-lead  ore.  The  Tarbox 
is  sinking  500  ft.  The  Silver  Cable  and  Big  Elk  are  extracting 
ore. 

NEVADA 

Goldfif.lv.  The  annual  report  of  the  Jumbo  Extension  Min- 
ing Co.  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  includes  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Development  covered  8917  ft.,  inclusive  of  595  ft.  of  shaft- 
sinking.  Development  cost  $6.95  per  foot:  sinking,  $37.06  per 
foot.  In  the  Poleverda  claim  1252  ft.  of  work  was  done.  Two 
promising  stringers  did  not  produce  large  quantities  of  ore. 
Exploration  continues  at  932  ft.  The  claim  yielded  6400  tons 
of  $30  ore.  In  the  Velvet  claim  7665  ft.  of  work  was  accom- 
plished. The  output  was  30,734  tons  of  $35.42  ore.  The  shale- 
latite  orebody  has  been  stoped  steadily  from  the  930-ft.  to  the 
800-ft.  level,  over  300  ft.  on  the  dip.  A  large  tonnage  still 
remains  there.  Raises  from  the  1017-ft.  level  are  being  put 
up  to  cut  its  downward  extension.  The  shale  orebody  found 
in  1915  has  been  worked  out.  Ore  found  at  1017  ft.  is  not 
profitable.  The  Velvet  shaft  is  down  895  ft.,  and  at  790  ft. 
was  connected  with  the  Poleverda  shaft.  Extensive  work  is 
under  way  on  the  769  and  879-ft.  levels.     Any  estimate  of  re- 


serves would  be  impossible,  owing  to  the  peculiarities  of  the 
shalelatite'orebodies.  Mining  and  development  cost  $5.40  per 
ton.  Tests  are  being  made  on  dump  ore  and  tailing  at  the 
Bonnie  Claire  mill. 

The  year's  output  was  35,.")41  tons  averaging  $31.64  per  ton, 
equal  to  $1,124.*S7.  Smelter  losses  were  $4.32  per  ton.  leaving 
1970,785.  Total  expenses  were  $15.82  per  ton.  against  $18.97  in 
the  previous  year.  Four  dividends  were  paid,  totaling  $465,000, 
equal  to  30c.  per  share. 

At  a  depth  of  nearly  900  ft.  the  Silver  Pick  Consolidated 
has  cut  3  ft.  of  $25  ore,  but  a  sudden  rush  of  water  has 
stopped  sinking  for  the  present.  The  Calyx  drill,  working 
from  the  500-ft.  level,  is  at  a  depth  of  1130  ft.  Several  good 
veins  have  been  cut. 

Manhattan.  Developments  at  the  White  Caps  mine  are  of 
importance  to  this  district.  The  ore  above  210  ft.  had  been 
mostly  extracted,  water  was  troublesome,  and  the  ore  was  re- 
bellious. The  shaft  has  since  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  310  ft. 
The  east  drift  is  out  300  ft.,  and  cut  12  ft.  of  ore  assaying  $30 
per  ton.  The  west  drift  is  22  ft.  in  ore  of  high  grade.  Treat- 
ment problems  are  practically  solved.  J.  G.  Kirchen  of  Tond- 
pah  is  in  charge. 

OKLAHOMA 

Commerce.  A  boom  continues  at  this  and  the  other  new 
towns  in  the  zinc-lead  district,  namely,  Cardin.  Oklahoma,  and 


PART  OF  OKLAHOMA.    SHOWING   /.INr    CENTRES, 

Picher.  The  mines  have  grown  at  a  rapid  pace.  The  ore, 
which  often  contains  30';/-  blende,  is  free  and  in  sheet-ground. 
Hand-jigs  make  a  good  saving.  The  railroad  centre  of  Qua- 
paw  is  also  busy.  Conditions  in  the  Miami  district  are  flour- 
ishing. 

ITAH 

Alta.  The  Alta  Tunnel  &  Transportation  Co.'s  adit  is  in 
2100  ft.  Large  ore-bins  are  to  be  built  at  the  portal.  These 
are  not  needed  at  present,  but  should  be  within  three  months. 
At  least  three  veins  will  be  cut  during  the  next  500  feet. 

In  American  Fork  Canyon  the  Earl  Eagle  company  is  ad- 
vancing its  adit  8  ft.  daily  in  hard  blue  limestone.  The  face 
is  in  325  ft.  A  300-cu.  ft.  Ingersoil-Rand  compressor  and  25- 
hp.  Fairbanks-Morse  oil  engine  have  been  installed.  The  por- 
tal of  the  adit  has  an  elevation. of  S500  feet. 

EiHEKv.  Besides  treating  local  lead-silver  ore.  the  Utah 
Minerals  Concentrating  Co.  is  treating  tungsten  ore  from  sev- 


ember  !•,   1916 


MINING    and    Sc.cnl.fic    PRESS 


lol 


tral  place*,  uoiai.lv  tram  the  RvUeeh)  mini  near  Lovelock,  Nt 

v»da.  From  Jane  :':'  to  Jul*  U  tlM  plul  treated  MS  tons,  Ud 
Hi. -n  n .  Alien  11-.  ,.f  inn.  M  ore 

contain..     WO    s  in.  ii  i- .  ..ii.  .nt  r.i ' .  .1  i  irnel 

Interferes  with  good  separation    The  recover]  i 

sn  i  i.vm  Cm     Tii.-  niii..  Coi  ■  linn- 

ham  was  sold  nt  ■  sheriff*!  smW-  tor  (7(0,000  i.>  K.  II  Bkyaa  of 
the  Hun  nf  Sui  romwell,  Will  street,  Nevi  York. 

Turno.    A  25-ton  leaching  plum  000,  to  treat  line 

ore  of  the  Lower  Mammoth  la  to  oe  erected  within  three 
month-.  Development  al  1500  ft  In  the  mine  is  opening  a 
huge  »hoot.    .i.  c.  Dick  i»  manager 

WASHINGTON 

c'>ii\wi  ui.  Tin-  Admiral  mine,  near  Valley,  ami  Hecla 
co|)|iorsiivcr  mine,  near  Chewelah,  will  be  shipping  ore  within 
the  nezl  two  months.    Both  air  newlj 

REPUBLIC  Sale  of  the  Republic  Consolidated  Mines  Co."s 
property  here  to  the  Day  Interests  for  $143,000  is  now  con- 
firmed. As  ill.-  new  owners  have  ample  capital,  it  is  expected 
that  there  will  he  a  much-needed  revival  at  Republic. 

CANADA 

BBTTIfiB  t'.u  i  MiiiA 

Dividends  paid  in  tins  province  during  August  were  $367,470, 
making  $2,043,246  for  8  months. 

According  to  Oscar  Lachmund,  general  manager  of  tin? 
British  Columbia  Copper  Co..  the  main  adit  has  verified  dia- 
mond-drill work.  The  9  by  10-ft.  adit  is  in  1000  ft.,  and  has 
cot  ore.  The  smelter  at  Greenwood  is  kept  busy  on  company 
and  custom  ores. 

AIN3WOBTH.  At  the  Florence  silver-lead  mine  there  are  70 
men  employed  in  construction  and  development.  The  hydro- 
electric power-plant  is  being  erected.  A  building  for  the  250- 
ton  mill  is  half  complete.  A  Broderick-Bascom  aerial  tram. 
1400  ft.  long,  is  to  be  constructed.  The  mine  contains  200,000 
tons  of  ore. 

Trail.    The  Consolidated  smelter  received  11.4S7  tons  of  ore 
from  August  15  to  21.  inclusive,  a  large  gain  over  the  previous 
week.    The  total  for  the  year  is  318,558  tons. 
Ontario 

Cobalt.     On  the  330-ft.  level  of  the  Adanac  the  rich  shoot 

opened  at  280  ft.  has  been  cut. A  2-in.  surface  vein  showing 

native  silver  has  been  uncovered  at  the  Hudson  Bay. The 

shaft  being  sunk  by  joint  arrangement  between  the  Peoples 

and  the  Ophir.  on  the  property  of  the  former,  has  reached  the 

a.   diabase,  and  cross-cutting  has  been  started  on  the  425-ft.  level. 

Porcitine.  There  is  said  to  be  a  shortage  of  skilled  labor 
at  this  centre. 

A  second  ball-mill  is  now  crushing  ore  at  the   Dome  mill. 
This  makes  70  stamps,  2  ball-mills,  and  6  tube-mills  at  work. 
Yukon 

Dawson.  On  August  17,  the  20th  anniversary  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  the  district,  the  Daicscm  Daily  News  issued 
a  special  edition.  Including  the  estimate  of  $4,000,000  for 
1916.  the  gold  yield  since  18S5  totals  $190,000,000. 

KOREA 

On  August  29  the  Oriental  Consolidated  distributes  50c.  per 
share. 

MEXICO 

Hidalgo 
Pachuca.     During  July  the  Santa  Gertrudis  made  a  profit 
of  $7200  from  the  treatment  of  20.282  tons  of  ore. 

More  than  20  mining  and  metal  corporations  are  to  be  rep- 
resented by  Institute  members  at  the  meeting  of  the  A.  I. 
M.  E.  that  convenes  in  Arizona  on  September  18.  Leading 
metal  producers  will  have  members  of  their  staffs  at  the 
sessions,  at  which  70  papers  on  all  subjects  are  to  be  discussed. 


P  -:;,'..  I 


Sittr:     7  .  nflhrir 

warbtntdappotntmnu.     r  randan, 


MOBTOK    Wi  inn  n  Ii   in   Arizona. 

s.  ii.  Dot  in  vis  la  m  Grant    Paa  .  Oregon. 
Posses  Rigkabd  la  again  al  Lovelock,  Nevada. 

\v.  f.  i.'i  mi  1 1  ii  Is  examining  mines  in  British  Columbia, 

Horace  V.  \\'i\ was  i Trent ly  at  Lovelock,  Nevada. 

.1.  P.  Montague,  formerly  al  Tonopab  and  Manhattan,  Is  at 

Butte. 

H.  A.  B.  M.niintvvi  1 1  is  with  the  Arizona  Copper  Co.  at 
Clifton. 

G.  T.  HoLLOWAY,  wlio  lins  been  in  Xnrwav .  is  on  his  way  to 
Canada. 

T.  A.  RjOKABD  returned  from  British  Columbia  on  Sep- 
tember 3. 

Raymond  Brooks  is  in  San  Francisco  on  his  return  from 
Manitoba. 

Nelson  Dickebman  has  gone  to  Bolivia,  expecting  to  return 
in  December. 

Howard  D.  Smith  has  returned  from  London  and  is  now 
in  New  York. 

H.  G.  Tiiih.e  succeeds  P.  B.  McDonald  as  an  assistant-editor 
on  this  paper. 

C.  S.  Wiabd  has  returned  to  the  Onondaga  mine,  George- 
town, Colorado. 

F.  W.  Oldfield  has  returned  to  the  Cinco  Minas,  Jalisco,  by 
way  of  Mexico  City. 

R.  Gilman  Brown  and  D.  P.  Mitchell  have  returned  to 
London  from  Russia. 

H.  Vincent  Wallace  has  been  to  Oatman,  Arizona,  and  is 
now  at  Yellow  Jacket,  Idaho. 

F.  L.  Sizer  has  gone  to  Montana.  His  temporary  address  will 
be  at  the  Silver  Bow  club,  Butte. 

Norman  C.  Stines  is  to  remain  for  another  three  years  with 
his  company  at  Polevskoj.  Siberia. 

W.  Pellew-Harrey  passed  through  Vancouver  on  his  way 
from  London  to  Great  Cobar,  Australia. 

R.  B.  Brinkmade  has  been  examining  mines  in  the  Metaline 
and  Washougal  districts  of  Washington. 

H.  A.  Gi'ess  of  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  is  on  the  directorate  of  the 
New  York  &  Honduras  Rosario  company. 

George  E.  Stephenson  was  at  Vancouver  last  week  on  bis 
way  from  London  to  Prince  of  Wales  island. 

B.  L.  Thane  is  to  continue  in  active  charge  of  the  operations 
of  the  Alaska  Gastineau  Gold  Mining  Company. 

Amasa  P.  Peake  of  the  Weringer  Mines  Co..  Woody,  Cali- 
fornia, was  here  for  a  few  days  and  has  gone  East. 

P.  G.  Moroan,  director  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  New  Zea- 
land, has  been  appointed  Under  Secretary  for  Mines. 

Donald  F.  Irvin  is  engaged  In  the  investigation  and  estab- 
lishment of  the  strontium  nitrate  industry  at  Los  Angeles. 

C.  H.  Abeling,  recently  with  the  Broadwater  Mills  Co.  at 
Park  City,  Utah,  is  with  the  O.  &  N.  Mines  Co.,  Helena.  Mon- 
tana. 

Alfred  H.  Brooks,  who  for  19  years  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
work  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  in  Alaska,  recently  paid 
his  annual  visit  to  Juneau. 

Myron  A.  Folsom  is  now  in  charge  of  the  commercial  and 
legal  departments  of  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  company, 
with  headquarters  in  San  Francisco. 


402 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


September  9.  1916 


METAL    PRICES 

San  Francisco.  September  5. 

Antimony,   cents   per  pound 

Electrolytic   copper,  cents  per   pound 2 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 

Platinum:  bo  ft  ami  hard  metal,  per  ounce $80' 

Quicksilver:   per  flask  of  75  lb 

Spelter,   cents  per   pound 

Tin,  cents  per  pound    

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    

Platinum  has  jumped  $20  per  oz.  above  last  weeks'   price. 


MM 

-84 


ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco.  September  5. 

Antimony:   50%    product,   per  unit    (1%   or   20  lb.) $1.00 

Chrome:  50%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 
Manganese:   50%   product,  f.o.b.  cars  California,   ton.  12. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesite:  crude,  per  ton   7.00 

Tungsten:   60%  WO*  per  unit 14.00 


EASTERN    METAL    MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
September  5. — Copper  is  strong  and  fairly  active,  spot  metal 
being   scarce;    lead    is    dull    and    weak;    spelter    is    stagnant    and 

weak. 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Average  week  ending 

July    25 

Aug.      1 88.71 

8 65.31 

"      15 66.48 

"      22 66.08 

"      29 66.41 

Sept.    5 t;;.t;; 


Date. 

Aug.  30 

31 

.  .67.26 

Sept.     1 
i 

.  .68.12 

.  .67.75 

3 
4 

5 

Sunday 

.  .68.00 

Jan.    . . 
Feb.    . . 

1914. 
..57.58 
.  .57.53 

1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 

Monthly 

1916. 

56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
85.04 

Mch 

58.01 
..58.52 

58.21 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 84.86 

Sept.  .  .  . 

Oct S1.12 

Nov 49.1  J 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.84 


The  silver   market   is  strong,  with   a  higher  tendency. 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 


A   big 
India 


demand   for  coinage  continues  In    England  and   Europe. 

n  .ilsposed  to  compete  with  the  coinage  orders.  Exports 
from  London  to  India  up  to  August  16  totaled  £1,687,600,  against 
E8.076.260  in  this  period  of  last  year.  It  is  reported  that  China 
has  parted  with  as  much  silver  lately  as  could  be  spared;  but 
metal  is  still  arriving  at  Shanghai  from  the  interior,  and  as 
long  as  this  movement  continues  the  rise  in  silver  may  be 
retarded. 


CUri'KR 


Prices  of  electrolytic  In  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Aug.    30 28.00 

"      31 28.00 

Sept.     1 28.00 

2 28.00 

3  Sunday 

4  Holiday 

5 28.00 


Average   week   ending 

.luly    25 25.00 

Aug.      1 25.75 

8 26.58 

■'      15 26.75 

"      22 27.62 

"       29 I 

Sept.     5 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

19.75 

87.47 

1914. 

Julv    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

11.10 

Nov 11  T.- 
Dec  


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1918. 
25.66 


On  September  80  the  following  Dividends,  are  payable:  rhino, 
$1  and  »1.25;  Nevada  Con..  $n..i7>4  and  $0.50;  Ray,  $0.50  and 
$0.25:  and  Utah  Copper.  $1.50  anil  $1.50  p,-r  share.  United  Verde 
is  paying  $0.75  and  $0.75;  Wolverine.  $6;  and  Utah-Apex,  $0.25 
per  share. 


Estimates,    place    the    August    output    of    Michigan    mines    at 
23,000.000    pounils. 

na    Copper    Co.    produced    4.400.000    lb.    in    July;    Chino. 
6,883.403    lb.;    Nevada  Con..    8,537.231    lb.;    Ray,    6.834,492    lb.;   and 
Copper,   20,302,228   lb.     Shannon's  August  yield  was  925.000 
pounds. 

LEAD 

Lead  Is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound.  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Aug.   30. 


Sept. 


Sunday 
Holiday 


6.70 
6.67 
6.67 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June   3.90 


1914. 
.  4.11 
.  4.02 
.  3.94 
3.86 
3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


6.65 

Monthly 

1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 


July 
Aug. 


Average  week  ending 


Sept.     5 
averages 

July  .  . 
Aug.  . . 
Sept.  . . 
Oct. 


6.30 
6.20 
5.98 
5.95 
6.32 
6.75 
6.67 


Nov 3.1 

Dec. 


1914. 

.    3.80 

.    3.86 

.    3.82 

3.60 


1.80 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
6.15 
5.34 


1916. 
6.40 
6.28 


On    September    5    the    Bunker   Hill    &   Sullivan    pays    two    divl- 
nf    $81,750    each.      This    makes    $1S.081.000    to    date.      St. 
Joseph   Lead  Co.   pays  25  and   50c.   per  share  on   September  20. 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery.   In  cents  per  pound. 


iMt.'. 

Aug,   80. 

31. 
1  . 
2 
3 
4 


Sepl 


Sunday 
Holiday 


9.00 

July 

25 

9.00 

Aug. 

1 

s  y? 

8 

B.76 

,, 

15 
2  2 
29 

8.75 

Sept. 

5 

Average  week   ending 


9.91 
.10.12 
.  8.69 
.  8.54 
.  9.43 
.  9.37 
.    8  87 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
'i  i, 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July 

5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug. 

5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept 

4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct. 

4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov. 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec. 

1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 


June   4.! 

Butte  &  Superior  pays  $1.25  and  $5  per  share  on  September  30. 

Owing  to  sales  of  accumulated  metal,  the  July  profit  of  Ameri- 
can  Zinc   was  over  $900,000. 


ftLICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco.  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  In  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices.  In  dollars  per 
llask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date. 

Aug.      S 75.00 

"      15 74.00 


Aug. 


29. 


s-pt. 

Monthly  averages 


.72. 'mi 
.77.00 
.77.00 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 

2!ir,.0ll 

219.00 

141.60 

90.00 

74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct.     53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


Prices  in  New  York. 


in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

M<  h 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

33.29 

June    30.72 


1915. 
34.40 
37.23 
18.76 
18.25 
39.28 
40.26 


1916. 
41.76 

5il  5  0 
51. 4  9 
4;..  in 
12.117 


1914. 

Julv    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 

a  1.87 

33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 


Tin  is  firm  at  3S.S5  to  39.25  cents. 


1916 


MI\IV;    ..ml    Scientific    I'KI  SS 


^aitani    IVIs'ial    'Mil:.:: 


New    ^  01  )-.   AUgU 

In  copper  It  on  ■  more  moderate  scale,  bnl  there 
slhlni  dotal  »n  the  time,  end  the  band-  eondttlon  of  the 
;  i»  good. 

/in.    declined  IfBln   when  consumers  covered  their  require 
in  the  peal   three  (reeks  larce  quantities  have  been 
sold  for  export  ami  domestic  consumption,  both  prime  W< 
and  hlnhcr  grades  having  been  taken. 

Lead  i,-  much  less  active,  und  the  quotations  of  Independents 
tune  dropped  to  the  level  of  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  Exports  of  lead 
are  light 

The  tin  market  has  been  quiet  and  presents  little  of  Interest, 
thai  it  is  firm. 

antlmonj  has  turned  dull  again,  and  prices  will  recede 
unless  demand  develops.  Inasmuch  as  many  holders  are  anxious 
to  sell. 

Aluminum  is  quiet,  but  firmer  at  59  to  Glc.  per  pound. 

The  steel  trade  is  struggling  to  meet  a  demand  that  exceeds 
capacity,  and  prices  of  some  products  are  stiffening  again.  In 
June  and  July  there  was  a  slight  abatement  of  new  business  in 
some  lines,  but  full  pressure  is  on  again.  Steel  is  not  offered 
today,  it  must  be  sought,  and  then  cannot  be  had  if  early 
deliveries  are  wanted.  Pig  Iron  is  becoming  more  active,  a 
pleasing  circumstance,  especially  with  regard  to  foundry  iron, 
the  demand  for  which  has  been  lagging  for  months  despite  the 
call  for  steel.  Foundry  grades  would  have  been  very  active 
heretofore  were  It  not  for  the  scarcity  of  molders  and  other 
help.  The  machinery  trade  is  enjoying  a  steady,  healthy  de- 
mand, although  large  lists  are  few. 

COPPER 

Business  continues  good,  but  it  is  on  a  more  moderate 
scale.  Spot  metal  is  scarce  and  again  is  commanding  a 
premium.  The  refineries  are  behind  in  their  deliveries  be- 
cause of  the  recent  heat  and  mechanical  troubles.  No  strikes 
are  reported.  Prompt  electrolytic  is  quoted  at  28  to  28.50c, 
with  last  quarter  around  27.25c,  and  first  quarter  at  26.50c. 
Lake,  last  quarter  delivery,  is  about  27.50c  The  metal  is  in  a 
strong  position,  statistically  and  otherwise,  and  should  there 
he  a  furtherance  of  the  recent  big  demand  prices  will  go  up 
rapidly.  Most  of  the  late  business  has  been  handled  by  first- 
hands,  dealers  figuring  but  little.  The  London  market  was 
strong  yesterday  at  £129,  against  £127  a  week  previous.  Ex- 
ports, August  1  to  29,  totaled  27,635  tons.  Sheet  brass  con- 
tinues difficult  to  obtain  for  delivery  this  year.  Customers  of 
the  largest  producer  are  reported  to  be  paying  37  to  38c  per 
lb.,  but  others  have  to  pay  up  to  40c  Sheet  copper,  also  bars, 
are  quoted  at  37»c  base,  and  heavy  copper  tubes  at  44c 
Smaller  sizes,  more  in  demand,  are  quoted  at  46c  and  upwards. 
A  great  quantity  of  brass  and  copper  products  have  recently 
been  purchased  by  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co.  for  export  to  the  Allies. 
In  connection  with  the  future  of  the  copper  market  the  follow- 
ing, appearing  in  'Copper  Gossip,'  the  house  organ  of  the 
National  Conduit  &  Cable  Co.,  is  interestng: 

"Interests  in  control  of  the  bulk  of  American  output  have 
maintained  a  significant  degree  of  firmness  lately.  It  was 
asserted  recently  by  a  representative  of  one  of  the  dominant 
factors  that  the  producers  are  in  comfortable  shape  to  the  end 
of  the  year,  without  booking  any  further  business.  The  con- 
dition may  therefore  be  fairly  used  as  an  argument  for  sus- 
tained strength  on  the  basis  of  the  present  copper  market.  If 
the  foreign  inquiries  coming  from  Great  Britain,  France,  Italy, 
Germany  and  other  countries  culminate  in  sales  anywhere  near 
the  tonnages  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  feelers  thrown 
out,  the  transactions  will  require  tremendous  shipments  to 
meet  all  the  demands." 


ZINC 

The  market  has  a  quieter  tendency  and  prices  arc  on  the 
decline,  bul  In  the  past  three  weal  idous  buslni 

been  done,  both  for  export  nnd  domestic  consumption.  As  was 
hoped,  the  brass  mills  became  active  and  contracted  for  large 
tonnages  of  brass-mill  Bpeclal,  while  prime  Western  was  active 
also,  and  some  of  the  producers  are  tiled  to  the  '-mi  of  the 

year.  Prompt  prime  Western  was  quoted  yesterday  al 
9.25c„  New  York,  and  8.75  to  9c,  St.  Louis.  Fourth  quarter 
could  he  had  at  8.50  to  8.75c,  St.  Louis.  The  producers  think 
that  the  market  is  basically  strong,  although  the  feeling  at 
London  is  that  the  market  there  will  sag.  Spot  zinc  was 
quoted  at  London  yesterday  at  £58,  against  £55  a  week  pre- 
vious. Exports  to  the  29th  totaled  10,618  tonB.  At  present 
domestic  consumers  are  well  supplied  with  metal.  Complaint 
is  heard  that  the  recurrent  weakness  of  the  market  Is  largely 
due  to  the  failure  of  small  producers  to  sit  tight  when  demand 
eases  off.  If  the  market  is  still  for  a  short  time  they  become 
worried,  and  end  by  offering  concessions  to  induce  business. 
Sheet  zinc  in  carload  lots  is  unchanged  at  15c  per  lb.,  8% 
off  for  cash. 

LEAD 
The  heavy  buying  of  a  week  or  ten  days  ago  has  tapered  off, 
and  with  the  subsidence  of  business  the  quotations  of  inde- 
pendent producers  have  declined.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  continues 
to  quote  6.50c,  New  York,  and  6.421c,  St.  Louis.  The  outside 
producers  have  dropped  their  New  York  quotation  to  6.50c 
They  ask  the  same  price  at  St.  Louis.  A  few  days  ago  they 
were  asking  and  getting  6.75c,  New  York,  and  one  sale  was 
reported  at  6.80c,  New  York.  For  a  time  while  the  leading 
interest  was  quoting  6.50c  it  was  not  selling  at  that  figure; 
later  it  began  to  sell,  but  only  to  regular  customers  and  then  it 
fixed  the  quantities  which  were  to  be  delivered.  It  knows 
pretty  well  what  its  customers  require.  The  London  market 
yesterday  was  £31  for  spot,  against  £30  a  week  previous.  Ex- 
ports in  29  days  were  only  769  tons. 

TIN 
On  the  24th  and  again  on  the  28th  there  were  spurts  of 
business,  but  not  a  great  deal  was  done,  and  the  week  as  a 
whole  has  been  quiet.  Spot  Banca  tin  is  still  a  factor  in  the 
market,  but  has  not  prevented  the  price  of  spot  Straits  from 
advancing  a  few  points.  It  was  quoted  yesterday  at  39.25c, 
with  consumers  showing  but  little  interest.  The  arrivals  of  the 
month,  up  to  yesterday,  totaled  3617  tons,  and  there  was  afloat 
3235  tons.  The  manifest  of  the  German  merchant  submarine 
DeutscMand,  filed  at  the  Baltimore,  Maryland,  Customs  House, 
recorded  that  the  vessel  had  taken  in  her  cargo  181,049  lb.  of 
tin;  also  752,674  lb.  of  nickel.  This  metal,  of,  course,  must 
have  been  obtained  by  re-melting  and  recovery  processes,  in- 
asmuch as  no  firm  would  dare  to  ignore  England's  regulations 
with  regard  to  exportation  of  the  metal. 

ANTIMONY 

The  market  is  stagnant  again,  but  the  quotation  of  a  week 
ago — 13.50c. — still  holds,  although  a  search  might  find  sellers 
willing  to  shade  this  price.     Needle  antimony  is  10  to  10.50c 

Antimony  ore:  No  business  is  reported,  and  none  is  likely 
with  the  refined  metal  so  stagnant  as  it  is  at  present.  The 
last  sales  recorded  were  at  $1.10  to  $1.20  per  unit. 

Tungsten  ore:  The  foreign  demand  continues,  and  about 
200  tons  has  been  taken  for  export.  Foreign  buyers  want  to 
buy  below  the  market,  otherwise  more  would  be  done.  In  the 
past  week  $20  per  unit  has  been  paid  by  domestic  consumers, 
and  negotiations  are  pending  for  100  tons  around  that  figure, 
although  down  to  $18  has  been  quoted. 


404 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  9,  1916 


lnjtirmaiwn  mpptitd  by  Oic  vtanu/acturert. 


Portable  and  semi-portable  air-compressors  are  described  in 
Bulletin  No.  B5  of  the  Zin-Ho  Mamt  u  n  ring  Co.,  of  Chicago. 
Methods  of  driving  are  electric   mid  gasoline, 

The  Intermountain  Tungsten  Milling  Co.  of  Denver  is  re- 
modeling the  Black  Cloud  mill  near  Salina,  Boulder  county, 
and  has  given  the  Denver  Quartz  Mill  &  Crusher  Co.,  an 
order  for  one  No.  2  Denver  quartz-mill,  8  by  12-in.  Denver 
crusher,  and  other  equipment. 

In  its  180-page  'directory'  the  Burd  High  Compression  Ring 
Co.,  of  Rockford.  111.,  gives  a  tabulation  of  the  piston-ring  re- 
quirements of  almost  every  automobile  of  importance  made  in 
the  United  States  during  the  past  in  years;  also  similar  in- 
formation on  other  internal-combustion  engines. 

At  the  Dome  Lake  mine.  South  Porcupine.  Ontario,  the 
residue  is  worth  only  40c.  per  ton.  The  Kokhin.;  Cfabxding 
Process  Co.  is  highly  pleased  with  the  results  of  its  system  in 
this  mill.  Prior  to  installation  of  the  cyanide  plant  the  loss 
was  {1.83  per  ton.    The  mill  is  now  treating  SO  tons  daily. 

Catalog  No.  12  of  the  National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co.  of  Portland. 
Oregon,  describes  its  products,  namely,  standard  water-tanks, 
patent  water-tanks,  plain  and  patent  oil-tanks,  closed  oil-tanks, 
gravity  tanks,  storage-tanks,  house  tanks,  half-round  stock- 
tanks,  joist  foundations,  wood  and  steel  tank-towers,  and  tank- 
covers.    Some  useful  tables  complete  the  publication. 

Polyphase  induction-motors;  type  AA-7a  air-compressor  for 
air-brake  equipment;  type  AC-3  air-compressor  for  air-brakes, 
stationary  equipments,  and  portable  equipments;  and  com- 
pressors for  industrial  purposes,  are  described  and  illustrated 
in  Bulletins  10S7A,  1525A,  1530A,  and  1530  of  the  At  us- 
CiiALMi.ii-;  Manufacturing  Co.,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin. 

The  Frontenac  mill  at  Black  Hawk.  Colorado,  has  been  pur- 
chased by  the  Mouse  Bros.  Machinery  &  SUPPLY.  Co.,  of 
Denver,  who  will  dismantle  it  and  move  the  material  to 
Denver.  The  plant  was  of  250-ton  capacity,  consisting  of 
crushers,  rolls,  tube-mill,  Traylor  jigs.  Card  and  Deister  tables, 
all  electrically  operated.  The  plant  was  built  in  1912,  and 
operated  about  9  months.  In  purchasing  the  Colorado  &  East- 
ern line.  17  miles  long,  the  firm  has  185  tons  of  60-lb.,  and  400 
tons  of  18-lb.  rail  for  sale. 

While  centrifugal  pumps  have  been  a  product  of  the  Pei.ton 
Water  Wheel  Co.  of  San  Francisco  for  a  number  of  years,  it 
Is  only  after  a  careful  study  of  their  performances  that  the 
firm  has  decided  to  place  these  pumps  on  the  general  market. 
In  Bulletin  No.  9  the  Pelton-Doble  centrifugal  is  described. 
One  of  the  unusual  features  is  the  uni-diffusion  system  of 
the  volute.  This  results  in  high  efficiencies.  Another  con- 
venient characteristic  is  the  over-hung  pulley.  The  belt  and 
direct-connected  types  of  pumps  are  inter-changeable. 

The  Ingersoll-Rand  Co.  of  New  York  recently  issued  three 
new  bulletins  as  follows:  (1)  Form  9024  on  steam-condensing 
plants — Beyer  barometric  type,  described  in  this  journal  in  the 
issue  of  August  5.  (2)  Form  4122  describing  the  IR  model 
Leyner  drill-sharpener.  To  those  interested  in  properly  formed 
and  sharpened  bits,  this  bulletin  will  be  of  timely  interest,  as 
it  explains  and  illustrates  the  sharpener  in  detail  and  shows 
the  various  styles  of  bits.  And  (3)  Form  3033  describing  the 
Imperial  'XPV  duplex  steam-driven  compressors  produced  to 
meet  a  universal  demand  for  a  steam-driven  air-compressor 
designed  and  constructed  to  operate  satisfactorily  under  high 
pressures  and  superheat  as  well  as  under  ordinary  steam  con- 
ditions. 


Com  Mi\ers'% Pocket-Book.  P.  1172.  111.,  index.  McGraw- 
Hill  Book  Co.,  New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  the  Mining  ami 
Si  n  \iiiic  Press.     Price,  $4. 

This  is  the  11th  edition,  revised  and  enlarged,  of  what  was 
formerly  the  Coal  and  Metal  Miners'  Pocket-Book.'  In  this 
edition  matter  dealing  with  mining  of  ore  has  been  omitted, 
hence  the  change  of  title.  But  those  connected  with  any  class 
of  underground  work  will  find  here  a  fund  of  information, 
such  as  mathematics,  surveying,  concreting,  wire  ropes,  proper- 
ties of  materials,  hydraulics,  value  of  fuels,  boilers,  compressed 
air,  electricity,  explosives,  timbering,  haulage  and  hoisting. 
ventilation,  and  glossary  of  mining  terms.  The  book  is  well 
arranged,  printed  on  thin  paper,  is  flexible,  and  should  be 
found  worth  the  price. 

The  Theory  and  Practice  OF  MODERN  FRAMED  STRUCTURES. 
By  J.  B.  Johnson.  C.  W.  Bryan,  and  F.  E.  Turneaure.  Ninth 
edition,  re-written  by  F.  E.  Turneaure  and  W.  S.  Kinne.  Part 
III.  Design.  P.  479.  III.,  index.  John  Wiley  &  Sons.  Inc., 
New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining  ami  Scientific  Press.  Price, 
$4. 

The  latest  edition  of  this  standard  work  has  been  re-written 
by  one  of  the  surviving  authors  in  collaboration  with  W.  S. 
Kinne.  The  general  arrangement  and  the  topics  covered  are, 
however,  similar  to  the  old  work.  The  subject  of  columns 
has  been  treated  at  considerable  length,  both  from  the  stand- 
point of  experiment  and  of  theory.  Secondary  stresses  are 
considered  with  special  reference  to  their  influence  upon  de- 
sign. The  analysis  of  plate-girder  stresses  is  unusually  com- 
plete. The  chapters  on  highway  bridges,  roof  trusses,  and 
mill  construction  are  comparatively  brief.  The  complete  list 
of  chapter  headings  is  as  follows:  Styles  of  Structures.  Work- 
ing Conditions,  Compression  Members,  Combined  Direct  and 
Bending  Stresses,  Riveted  Joints,  Plate  Girders,  Truss  Bridges, 
Design  of  a  Pin-Connected  Railway-Bridge,  Riveted  Trusses, 
Design  of  a  Riveted  Highway-Bridge,  and  Steel  Railway 
Bridges.  The  appendices  contain  general  specifications  for 
steel  railway  bridges,  tables  of  standards,  and  a  discussion  of 
unsymmetrical  bending. 

Hydraulic  Flow  Reviewed.  By  Alfred  A.  Barnes.  P.  152. 
111.,  index,  and  11  plates.  Spon  &  Chamberlain,  New  York.  For 
sale  by  Mining  and  Si  tenth  ii    Piikss.     Price.  $4.50. 

In  Part  I  the  author  discusses  the  formulae  of  Chezy.  Kutter. 
and  Bazin  for  hydraulic  flow  and  offers  a  new  formula  of  the 
form  o=  i'li'ii,  where  A",  a.  and  o  are  constants  for  each 
class  of  pipe  or  channel.  It  should  be  noted  that  m  and  i  are 
the  quantities  more  familiarly  known  to  American  engineers 
under  the  names  r  and  s.  and  that  A",  of  course,  corresponds  to 
c  in  the  Chezy  formula.  The  various  kinds  of  pipes  and 
channels  are  divided  into  IS  different  classes,  and  values  of 
A",  a.  and  b  given  for  each  class.  The  last  two  quantities 
are  less  than  unity  in  every  case.  Lists  of  several  hundred 
experiments  by  different  investigators  for  all  conditions  of 
hydraulic  flow  are  given,  the  velocity  actually  measured  agree- 
ing with  the  velocity  computed  from  the  author's  formulae 
within  a  few  per  cent  in  every  case. 

In  Part  II,  the  author  in  a  similar  manner  derives  simplified 
formulae  for  the  discharge  from  triangular  and  rectangular 
weirs  and  circular  orifices,  comparing  the  results  derived  from 
the  formulae  with  those  actually  obtained  from  experiment. 
The  author  has  done  a  large  amount  of  painstaking  work,  and 
those  hydraulic  engineers  who  are  not  completely  wedded  to 
the  use  of  some  of  the  accepted  formulae,  are  in  a  position 
to  profit  from  it. 


1 

""o 

I 

3] 

C 

11 

m 

and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARO 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  SEPTEMBER  16,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  12 


'    " ::!'   ''     '  ! 


T1 


'HF,  prospector  is  the 
herald  of  the  min- 
ing industry;  indeed, 
he  is  the  fore-runner  of 
civilization.  Only  too  of- 
ten he  misses  his  reward, 
which  goes  to  those  less 
simple-minded  and  more 
shrewd  in  business  than 
himself.  All  the  more 
should  we  honor  him  and 
assist  him  in  his  good 
work.  In  Australia  he  re- 
ceives Government  assist- 
ance; in  Canada,  he  is  aid- 
ed by  the  mining  depart- 
ments; in  our  country  he 
receives  no  help;  the  price 
of  an  unnecessary  post- 
office  or  a  needless  court- 
house would  help  a  num- 
ber of  these  pioneers  and 
give  a  fresh  incentive  to 
exploration.  The  first 
step  in  mining  is  to  find 
ore;  the  second  is  to  take 
it  from  the  ground  and  extract  the  valuable  metals.  No  engineering 
skill  will  avail  until  ore  is  found  in  quantity  sufficient  to  yield  an 
economic  result.  The  prospector  is  the  first  link  in  the  chain  of 
causation.     Trade  follows  the  flag,  but  the  flag  follows  the  pick. 


PANNING    THE    GOLD 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  1916 


FLOTATION       CONCENTRATE 

carries  a  large  excess  of  moisture  which  must  be  removed 
before  shipment  or  after-treatment 


This  tyi t   concentrate   differs    radically 

From  that  of  ordinary  water-concentration. 

I k  ;il  tin-  illusl  ration. 

Ii  Bhowfi  tin-  froth,  "r  concentrate  from  a 
well-known  flotation  machine. 


Globules  of  air.  surrounded  by  a  thin  film'of 
water  admixed  with  nil  to  which  particlestof 
sulphide  mineral  air  clinging,  all  making  up 
a    spongy    froth   heavily  impregnated  with 

metallic  particles:  this  is  the  character  of 
concentrate  that  has  to  be  de- watered. 


It  is  a  notable  fact  that  practically  all  of  the  flotation 
concentrate  produced  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada  is  de-watered  by  the 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS   FILTER 

Anaconda,  Inspiration,  Butte  &  Superior,  Ray  Consolidated, 
A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  and  hundreds  of  others  are  using  the  Oliver. 

You  may  follow  their  example  with  perfect  security. 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Ttlte r 

Company/ 

501  Mar.k-et   St. 
San  Francisco.Cal. 


Our 

engineering 

staff 

is  at  your 

service 


No  Royalties 

to  pay  on 

any  of  the 

work  of 
an  Oliver 


BDfTOHAL  SI  IFFl 

T.  A.  R1CKARD          ■                    Ed*» 
M   W    «.  BERNEWITZ  '    .    .    gj. 
H.G.  THIELE                  ' 

J*             > 

SPECIAL   Co.VfKJDl/TOJIS 
W.  ii    Bbookley 
'ar.l  s.   Auitln 
i"  ' 'iKtJiiii 
■  ■■■    \ 

'■'.   i.ynu i   I  ;..  rrlion, 

rani  ii 
F,   Kemp 
P.  n.  Probart 
C.  w.  Purlng-ton, 
race  v    Wlnchell. 

1 

lipg      ! 

-ress 

BSl  IBUSHBO  IS60 

Puhlkfced  .1  420  Mukrt  St..  S.n  Frencaco.  by  the  Dewey  Publihinj  Co. 
CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  B-.no  M.iuln 

Science  has  no  eitemy  save  the  ignorant 


Mrdny 


San  Francisco,  September  16,  1916 


*::  per  Year — 10  Centl  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Nona  405 

Flotation   Royalties   406 

Comment  on  the  contract  between  Minerals  Separation 

and  two  important  copper  companies. 

Decomposition  of  Cyanide  407 

Review  of  the  causes  of  cyanide  losses,  which  are 
chemical  and  mechanical:  Investigations  made  in 
America  and  Africa,  and  the  practical  value  of  them. 

AUSTRALIAN    Spelter    40S 

The  purchase  of  Australian  metal  and  concentrate  by 
the  British  government.    Effect  on  the  market. 

DISCUSSION 
The  Imponderables. 

By  J.    Ii.   Fiulay    409 

Reply  to  an  editorial  in  our  issue  of  August  12,  re- 
viewing an  article  entitled  'The  Problem  of  Efficiency.' 

Prospecting. 

By  F.  F.  Sharpless   409 

Disagreement  with  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  French,  that 
co-operative  prospecting  be  done,  the  prospectors  re- 
ceiving a  bonus.    Results  of  another  method. 

A  Travei.kr's  Library. 

By  Claude  Ferguson  and  Arden  Proctor  410 

Books  suitable  for  the  roving  engineer.  Coated  and 
India  paper  volumes. 

Signal  Code  for  Surveying. 

By    W.    R.    Sherman    411 

Illustrated  notes  showing  simple  field-signals. 

CYA NIDATION    AT   THE   COMACARON   Ml.NE,    SALVADOR. 

By  A.  B.  Peckham    411 

Discussion  of  the  C.  C.  D.  system,  solution  flow, 
battery-feed  solution,  soluble  losses,  thickeners,  tube- 
mills,  and  American  machinery. 

ARTICLES 
Atmospheric  Decomposition  of  Cyanide  Solutions. 

By  O.  H.  Clevenger  and  Harry  Morgan 413 

A  valuable  paper  detailing  results  of  an  extensive  in- 


Page. 
vestigation.  Decomposition  is  due  to  chemical  reac- 
tions, and  large  losses  are  due  to  action  of  the  air. 
Special  apparatus  was  devised  for  this  work.  The 
Chemistry  of  decomposition  is  discussed,  and  a  com- 
parison made  with  work  done  on  the  Rand. 

AGREEMENT  Between    Minerals   Separation    and   the    Inspira- 

tion-Anai  oniia    Companies    424 

Copy  of  agreement  giving  royalties  to  be  paid,  and 
possible  termination  of  contract  when  the  M.  S.  v. 
Hyde  suit  is  decided.  According  to  quantity  treated 
the  royalty  varies  from  12  to  4  cents  per  ton  of  ore. 

Basic-Lined  Copper  Converters    426 

Interesting  table  showing  results  of  operating  the 
Great  Falls  type  in  Arizona,  Texas,  and  Sonora. 

Manufacture  op  Electro-Chemical  Products   426 

This  industry  is  increasing  in  its  scope,  and  in  a  few 
years  Europe  will  not  have  a  monopoly  of  the 
products. 

Flotation  Tribulations. 

By  Jackson  A.  Pearce    427 

A  cyanider  considers  his  trials  with  flotation  on  a 
gold-silver-copper-lead-zinc  ore,  the  precious  metals 
predominating.  Concentration  on  tables,  oils,  temper- 
ature, theories,  surface-tension,  and  electro-statics  con- 
sidered. High  recoveries  made  and  comparison  with 
cyanidation.  A  summary  of  the  present  flotation 
process  at  this  Colorado  mill. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Mining  Decisions 431 

Book    Reviews    431 

'Concentrating    Ores    by    Flotation,'    by    Theodore    J. 

Hoover;   'Steam  Power,'  by  C.  F.  Hirshfeld  and  T.  C. 

Ulbricht. 

Recent  Patents    432 

Review  of  Mining  : 434 

Special  correspondence  from  Butte,  Montana;  Toronto, 

Ontario;  Joplin,  Missouri. 

The  Mining  Summary    436 

Personal   439 

The  Metal  Market  440 

Eastern  Metal  Market : 441 

Recent  Publications    442 

Industrial  Notes 442 

An  Improved  Centrifugal  Pump. 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
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Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
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12 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  1916 


Use  either   electrode  at  will,  all   ad- 
justments are  automatically  made 
by  G-E  Arc  Welding  Outfit 


Carbon  electrode 
used  for  cutting  or 
heavy  current  weldii 


Metal  electrode 

builds  up  or  fills 

cavities  when  welding 


Welding  Seams  on  Locomotive  Firebox 


Cuts  Repair  Cost  —  Saves  Time 

If  drippers  are  busy  elsewhere  don't  wait — let  the  G-E  arc  welder  do  its 
nun  dripping.  Don't  even  take  time  to  remove  a  flat  wheel — the  G-E  arc 
welder  will  build  it  up  while  in  place.  You  can  control  heat  and  building 
of  metal,  thus  preventing  distortion,  uneven  crystallization  and  cavities. 

The  G-E  arc  welder  is  used  all  over  the  world.  It  has  made  good  in 
China;  it  is  making  emergency  repairs  for  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  rapid 
transit  rolling  stock  of  New  York  City  is  kept  in  shape  by  its  help. 

Our   nearest   local   office   nt'll    be    pleased    lo   give  you    additional    information. 

General  Electric  Company 

General  Office :  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

District  Offices  in 
Boston.  Mass.        New  York,  N*.  V.        Pniladelpbia.  Penna.        Atlanta,  (ia. 
Cincinnati.  Ohio.        Chicago,  III.        Denver,  Colo.        Han  Francisco,  Cal, 
St.  Louis.  Mo.        Sales  Offices  in  All  Large  Citiej.  6120 


! 


Sept,  iiili.r    It'..    1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRRSS 


405 


EDITORIAL 

T.    A.    RICKARD,     Editor 


"PHK  industrial  capacity  of  iliis  country  is  gold  in  ad- 
-*■    vance  to  the  middle  of  HUT. 

/"'•OST  of  living,  aocording  to  Tin  Annalist,  baa  risen 
^-*  tram  182  in  September  1915  to  182.51  in  September 
1916.  These  figures  represenl  index  numbers  of  house- 
hold commodities. 


A/rKX U'AN  conditions  arc  under  review  by  the  Inter- 
■'■"■'•  nat ional  Commission;  meanwhile  resumption  of 
iiiinin^  is  in  progress  in  several  districts.  We  are  glad 
to  hear  thai  the  Dos  Bstrellas,  Bsperanza,  and  Mexico 
mining  companies,  at  Bl  Oro,  are  again  at  work. 


HPWO  years  ago  the  four  principal  banks  of  Europe, 
■*■  namely,  those  of  England,  France,  Germany,  and 
Kussia.  held  .$680,000,000  more  gold  than  was  possessed 
in  the  United  States;  now  the  gold  supply  of  this  country 
is  within  $50,000,000  of  the  combined  holdings  of  the 
four  great  central  hanks  of  Europe. 

REFINEKY  production  of  copper  in  August  is  esti- 
mated at  155,000,000  pounds,  which  is  35,000,000 
less  than  in  May.  Slow  deliveries  of  machinery  and 
other  equipment  are  said  to  he  retarding  smelter  pro- 
duction, but  by  October  a  further  increase  of  output  is 
expected.  At  150,000,000  per  month,  the  annual  pro- 
duction of  the  United  States  would  be  1,800,000,000 
pounds,  as  against  1,225,000,000  in  1913— a  50%  in- 
crease. 

TT  is  estimated  that  the  extra  $50,000,000  to  be  paid  to 
■*•  the  train-men  in  wages,  in  accordance  with  the 
Adamson  Act,  will  require  an  increase  of  2J%  in  the 
freight  revenue  of  the  railroads.  Last  year  the  New 
York  Central  had  an  income  of  $105,000,000  from  freight 
charges ;  on  an  8-hour  basis  the  additional  expense  would 
be  .$2,625,000  annually.  None  of  these  figures  begin  to 
reflect  the  damage  done  to  the  country  by  the  bulldozing 
of  Congress. 

"TiURING  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  exports  of  cop- 
-*-^  per  and  manufactures  had  a  total  value  of  $173,946,- 
226,  in  comparison  with  $99,558,030  in  1915.  Brass 
exports  totaled  $164,876,044,  as  against  only  $20,544,- 
559  during  the  previous  year.  The  export  of  explosives 
increased  from  $41,476,188  to  $467,081,928— a  more 
than  tenfold  multiplication.  Lead  and  its  manufactures 
increased  from  $9,044,479  to  $13,787,774.  Machinery, 
from  $93,863,694  to  $182,677,065.  Iron  and  steel  prod- 
ucts were  exported  to  the  amount  of  $621,209,453,  as 
compared  with  $225,861,387  in  1915.    Finally,  zinc  and 


its  manufactures  contributed  (45,867,156  to  our  export 

trade,  as  against  $21,243,935  in  the  previous  year.  These 

are  eloquent   statistics. 


AS  we  go  to  press,  the  evening  paper  announces  the 
**■  collapse  of  the  bridge-structure  across  the  St, 
Lawrence  at  Quebec.  Apart  I'rnni  the  loss  of  life  and 
money,  this  is  one  of  the  greatest  disasters  in  the  his- 
tory of  engineering,  because  it  follows  a  similar  collapse 
of  steel-work  in  1907  at  the  same  spot  and  in  the  same 
effort  to  bridge  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  earlier  disaster 
was  made  the  subject  of  a  novel,  'Web  of  Steel,'  reviewed 
in  our  issue  of  April  22,  1916.  The  double  event  proves 
that  the  art  of  bridge-building  is  not  based  on  exact 
science.     It  calls  for  a  painstaking  investigation. 


T^LOTATION  is  to  be  part  of  the  regular  practice  in 
A  the  silver  mills  of  Cobalt,  Ontario,  the  product  to  be 
treated  being  slime  that  has  passed  over  concentrators 
and  old  tailing.  At  the  McKinley-Darragh  the  residue 
now  contains  only  0.9  oz.  silver  per  ton,  after  flotation. 
The  Buffalo  company  is  just  completing  a  600-ton  plant. 
Other  flotation  units  are  being  erected,  one  of  500  tons  at 
the  Nipissing,  another  of  100  tons  at  the  Coniagas,  an- 
other of  200  tons  at  the  Dominion  Reduction,  and  one 
of  100  tons  at  the  Northern  Customs  plants.  Beneficia- 
tion  of  the  silver-cobalt-arsenie-nickel  ores  of  this  dis- 
trict will  he  considerably  improved  by  flotation.  The 
silver  ore  of  Tonopah  is  much  easier  to  treat  by  cyanide 
than  that  of  Cobalt,  and  the  question  of  freight  on  con- 
centrate has  to  be  considered  in  Nevada,  so  it  is  not 
likely  that  flotation  will  be  applied  there  as  largely  as  in 
Ontario. 

T>  HODESIA  made  the  mistake  of  adopting  the  apex 
■*■*■  law  at  about  the  time  when  most  of  us  in  this  coun- 
try had  begun  to  wish  it  had  never  been  introduced.  Now 
the  London  courts  are  being  treated  to  a  lovely  example 
of  the  interminable  kind  of  dispute  engendered  by  the 
extra-lateral  doctrine.  The  suit,  between  the  Amalgam- 
ated Properties  and  the  Globe  &  Phoenix  companies,  was 
commenced  last  October  and  was  continued  for  122  days, 
until  the  end  of  July,  when  it  came  to  an  abrupt  stop  by 
reason  of  the  illness  of  the  defendant's  leading  counsel. 
His  illness  is  not  surprising,  seeing  that  he  had  been 
speaking  for  23  days  before  his  strength  failed ;  he  asked 
for  an  adjournment  in  order  that  he  might  recuperate 
his  energies,  but  the  plaintiff  objected ;  eventually  the 
Judge  decided  that  part  of  the  summer  holiday  must  be 
sacrificed  and  the  hearing  was  resumed  on  August  21. 
The  problem  before  the  court  is  the  old  one  as  to  the 


406 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


identify  ot  veins:  whether  there  arc  several  formed -at 
different  periods  or  only  one  with  branching  veins.  The 
discussion  is  proceeding.  The  point  at  issue  will  be  de- 
cided on  scientific  grounds  at  the  Greek  kalends. 


/~\X  September  18,  and  the  remainder  of  that  week,  the 
"  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  will  hold  a 
meeting  in  Arizona,  the  various  sessions  being  dis- 
tributed among  the  towns  of  Douglas,  Bisbee,  Globe,  and 
Phoenix.  Preliminary  announcements  indicate  that  the 
chief  metal-producing  districts  will  be  visited,  besides 
other  points  of  interest.  This  is  the  first  time  the  Insti- 
tute has  held  a  meeting  in  Arizona  and  it  is  expected 
that  the  attendance  will  be  large.  At  Douglas  the  tech- 
nical discussion  will  be  devoted  to  smelting ;  at  Bisbee  to 
mining  geology ;  at  Globe,  one  day  to  mining  and  smelt- 
ing, another  to  leaching,  and  a  third  to  flotation.  Ad- 
vance-sheets of  the  papers  to  be  presented  at  these  ses- 
sions indicate  the  probably  unusual  interest  of  the  dis- 
cussions to  be  elicited.  The  committee  in  charge  of  local 
entertainment  is  headed  by  Mr.  Gerald  F.  G.  Sherman, 
aided  by  Mr.  Arthur  Notman  as  secretary. 


rWSCUSSION  begins  this  week  with  a  letter  from  Mr. 
-L'  J.  R.  Pinlay,  replying  to  our  editorial  comment  on 
the  views  expressed  by  him  in  a  recent  address  before 
the  Colorado  School  of  Mines.  We  are  glad  that  Mr. 
Finlay  should  have  submitted  a  rebuttal,  for  we  feel  sure 
that  our  readers  will  find  it  interesting.  Next.  Mr.  F.  F. 
Sharpless,  a  mining  engineer  of  distinction,  writes  from 
New  York  to  comment  upon  the  suggestion  made  recently 
by  Mr.  Harold  French,  who  suggested  a  scheme  for  pros- 
pecting. The  objections  raised  by  Mr.  Sharpless  are 
reasonable  and  serve  to  illustrate  further  the  great  diffi- 
culty of  organizing  exploratory  work.  The  account  of 
the  procedure  adopted  by  a  particular  organization  and 
the  results  of  it  are  much  to  the  point.  In  regard  to  se- 
lection of  books  suitable  for  use  by  the  nomadic  members 
of  our  profession,  we  publish  suggestions  from  Messrs. 
Claude  Ferguson  and  Arden  Proctor.  We  shall  be  glad 
to  hear  from  others.  Mr.  W.  R.  Sherman  suggests  a 
simple  code  for  signalling.  Mr.  A.  B.  Peekham.  who 
wrote  the  original  article  on  cyanidation  at  the  Coma- 
caran  mine,  in  Salvador,  replies  to  Mr.  C.  O'Brien's 
criticisms.  The  C.  C.  D.  system  does  not  lend  itself 
readily  to  discussion,  but  we  hope  that  this  fact  will 
have  impressed  itself  less  on  the  readers  than  it  has  upon 
the  contributors  to  this  department  of  our  paper. 


Flotation    Royalties 

On  another  page  we  publish  verbatim  the  agreement 
made  between  the  Minerals  Sepamtion  Limited  and  two 
great  copper-mining  companies,  the  Anaconda  and  In- 
spiration. This  agreement  and  another,  made  previously 
with  the  Anaconda  company,  were  included  in  the  evi- 
dence taken  in  the  Minerals  Separation  v.  Miami  suit 
tried  at  Wilmington  last  year;  they  formed  part  of  the 


court  record  and  are  therefore  public;  we  simply  ob- 
tained a  copy  as  anybody  is  entitled  to  do.  And  we  did 
this  because  these  contracts  are  likely  to  serve  as  a 
measure  of  the  damage  to  be  claimed  by  Minerals  Sep- 
aration in  case  this  company's  patents  are  upheld.  As 
the  number  or  those  disregarding  the  patents,  under  the 
belief  that  they  are  invalid,  is  at  least  as  large  as  the 
number  of  those  licensed  by  Minerals  Separation,  it  is 
likely  that  this  contract  will  be  studied  with  interest  by 
many  of  our  readers.  Out  of  the  25,000,000  tons  of  ore 
now  being  treated  by  flotation  in  the  United  States,  we 
estimate  that  fully  one-half  pays  no  royalty  and  expects 
to  pay  none.  Accurate  statistics  of  tonnage  are  not 
available,  for  obvious  reasons.  The  chief  alleged  in- 
fringers are  the  Jaekling  group  of  copper  companies, 
the  Miami,  the  Butte  &  Superior,  and  the  operators  in 
the  Coeur  d'Alene.  To  them  the  decisions  in  the  two 
pending  suits  will  prove  important.  The  more  impor- 
tant, the  Supreme  Court  decision  in  the  Hyde  ease,  is 
expected  in  November,  while  the  pronouncement  in  the 
Miami  ease  by  the  first-trial  court  at  Wilmington  is  due 
during  the  current  month.  Hence  the  question  of 
royalty  is  pertinent.  The  unprejudiced  reader  will 
agree  with  us,  we  believe,  that  the  royalty  charged  to 
the  Anaconda  and  Inspiration  companies  is  not  exces- 
sive; it  ranges  from  12  to  4  cents  per  ton  of  ore  treated, 
in  proportion  to  the  tonnage.  At  the  present  time  these 
companies  are  treating  an  aggregate  tonnage  of  fully 
30,000  per  day.  According  to  the  terms  of  the  agree- 
ment they  would  be  paying  9  cents  per  ton  on  the  first 
10,000  tons;  they  would  be  free  of  royalties  on  the  next 
5000  tons,  up  to  15,000 ;  they  would  pay  8  cents  on  the 
next  15,000  tons,  so  that  the  average  would  be  7  cents 
per  ton  on  the  30,000  tons  treated.  Taking  a  royalty  of 
12  cents  on  a  1%  ore,  containing  20  pounds  of  copper  at 
20  cents,  for  example,  the  rate  is  12  cents  per  $4.  or  3%. 
On  a  2%  ore,  it  would  be  1J%.  This  assuredly  is  not  an 
excessive  tax.  provided  the  Minerals  Separation  repre- 
sents the  real  inventors  of  the  process,  as  to  which  we 
should  venture  to  express  a  pious  doubt  even  after  the 
Supreme  Court  had  decided  otherwise,  having  read  the 
record  ourselves.  In  the  Anaconda  agreement  the 
royalty  is  specified  up  to  any  tonnage  above  6000 ;  evi- 
dently the  rapid  extension  of  the  process  led  to  the 
making  of  the  later  and  more  comprehensive  contract 
that  we  publish.  Of  course,  on  these  big  tonnages  the 
Minerals  Separation  company  gathers  a  lordly  income; 
7  cents  per  ton  on  30,000  tons  daily  represents  about 
$750,000  per  annum.  A  royalty  of  10  cents  on  the 
25.000,000  tons  being  treated  in  this  country  alone  would 
represent  $2,500,000  per  annum.  Evidently  the  fight 
over  the  patents  involves  a  great  deal  more  than  a  scien- 
tific principle.  Moreover,  the  patent-owning  company  is 
claiming  royalty  not  only  on  the  ore  treated  in  the  flota- 
tion machine  but  on  all  the  ore  that  enters  a  mill  in 
which  the  process  is  used;  they  have  claimed  it  on  ore 
removed  on  a  picking-belt  and  on  jigs  or  tables  previous 
to  frothing.  Another  factor  prejudicial  to  the  welfare 
of  the  mining  industry  and  irritating  to  the  licensees  of 


lib)  r    111.    1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


m; 


Minerals  Separation  t*  the  olauae,  appearing  in  the  Ana 

oonda  itraet,  whereby  any  improvements  or  dia 

eriai  made  bj  the  liei  I  !>■■  made  known  to  the 

licensors,  to  be  patented  "n  their  account  by  them.    The 
licena  to  give  "all  assistance,  information,  and 

advice  in  their  power  aa  to  the  working  of  any  of  the 

i  inventions,"  bat  it  has  been  the  axperie i 

era!  liw  usees,  as  the;  have  informed  us.  thai  once  a  eon 
tract  Iuls  been  signed  tin-  interesl  of  the  licensors  in  aid- 
ing their  clients  haa  decreased  rapidly.     Moreover,  in 

ill iginal  plant  and  mode  of  operating 

introduced  by  Minerals  Separation  have  been  discarded 
in  favor  of  better  methods  or  more  efficient  machines  de- 
vised by  the  licensees,  who  are  still  under  legal  coui- 
pnlaion  to  pay  royalty.     Again,  the  licensees  are  not 
permitted  to  "communicate  any  detail  connected  with 
the  working  of  any  of  the  said  inventions  to  any  third 
party  nol  being  a  licensee."    To  this  the  sheaf  of  in- 
forming papers  presented  at  the  Arizona  meeting  of  the 
Institute  by  engineers  iu  the  service  of  the  Inspiration 
and   other    licensed    companies   is   a   sufficient    reply. 
Finally,  we  remind  our  readers  of  the  illegal  contract 
forced  by  Minerals  Separation  upon  metallurgists  in  the 
employ  of  licensees,  as  made  clear  in  our  issue  of  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1916.    All  these  efforts  to  place  an  embargo  on 
the  spread  of  knowledge  and  the  publication  of  technical 
information  have  failed,  and  we  are  proud  of  having 
contributed   to   the   failure.     The   flotation   process   in- 
vented by  Elmore  and  modified  by  Froment  was  de- 
veloped mainly  on  Australian  practice,  but  the  process 
as  used  today  in  the' United  States  has  been  developed 
during  the  last  three  years  by  American  metallurgists 
most  of  whom  were,  and  are,  outside  the  employ  of 
Minerals   Separation,     We   sympathize   with   the   good 
feeling  of  those  in  technical  control  of  the  operations  at 
the  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  mines  in  their  willing- 
ness to  recognize  the  good  work  done  by  the  Minerals 
Separation  people  and  their  appreciation  of  the  help 
given  in  treating  a  low-grade  product  profitably,   but 
we  have  no  less  sympathy  with  the  numerous  operators 
that   have   had   the   muzzle   of   a  peremptory   contract 
leveled  at  them,  with  sundry  preposterous  clauses,  in  a 
spirit  so  overbearing  as  to  provoke  instant  opposition. 
Such  powerful  companies  as  the  Anaconda  and  Inspira- 
tion have  made  terms  by  no  means  onerous,  as  will  be 
seen,  but  the  smaller  operator  has  had  to  pay  a  larger 
royalty,  up  to  25  cents  per  ton,  and,  what  is  worse,  to 
tie  himself  by  conditions  stultifying  to  himself  and  to 
his  staff.     On  gold  ores  the  royalty  is  usually  25  cents 
per  ounce,  or  \\%.     This  also  is  small,  provided  the 
patents  owned  by  Minerals  Separation  cover  the  basic 
invention.    But  again  we  say  that  the  question  of  royalty 
would  have  raised  no  antagonism  if  the  attempt  to  en- 
force it  had  not  been  accompanied  by  other  demands, 
some  of  them  illegal  and  others  only  irritating.    The  fat 
is  in  the  fire ;  the  so-called  infringers  are  led  by  a  group 
of  rich  and  resourceful  men ;  it  is  quite  certain  that  no 
compromise  is  now  possible  and  that  the  fight  is  to  a 
finish. 


Decomposition   of   Cyanide 

.Mill  men  are  familiar  with  tl dor  of  hydrocyanic 

acid  gas  in  a  cyanide  plant,  particularly  in  damp 
weather,  but  few  have  troubled  to  investigate  the  cause 
of  it.    By  the  dissolving  of  precious  metals  in  cyanide 

solution  and   their  subsequent   precipitation,  most   of  the 

cyanide  is  lost,  thai  is.  .■>  weak  solution  is  made  up  to 
working  Btrength  by  adding  cyanide  Bait,  bul  during 
tli.'  cycle  of  operations  the  solution  returns  to  its  original 

weak  point,  therefore  Hi,,  salt  added  is sumed.     ( 'hem 

ieal  and  mechanical  causes  ai mi  for  losses  of  cyanide, 

the  principal  ones  being  reactions  with  the  ore,  atmos- 
pheric decomposition,  waste  in  residue,  and  leakage  from 
tanks.     These  losses  are  not  the  same  in  any  two  mills, 
even  on  similar  ores.     Cyanicides  in  ore  and  water  are 
always  present,  and  usually  they  can  be  checked,  but  not 
without  constant  attention.    Mechanical  losses  should  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum  without  much  trouble.     The  av- 
erage metallurgist  knows  that  air  plays  an  important 
part  in  cyanidation,  also  that  it  causes  decomposition  of 
the  solution,  but  he  has  been  content  to  assume  that  this 
was  unavoidable.     And  his  conclusion  is  not  far  wrong. 
On  another  page  of  this  issue  we  publish  the  results  of  a 
thorough  investigation  into  this  matter  made  by  Messrs. 
G.  H.  Clevenger  and  Harry  Morgan  at  Stanford  Uni- 
versity.   In  1909  the  former  observed  that  when  a  plant 
was  treating  below  its  capacity,  consumption  of  cyanide 
per  ton  of  ore  was  greater  than  when  working  at  full 
capacity,  although  the  quantity  of  solution  in  circulation 
was  similar  for  both  tonnages,  giving  the  air  equal  scope 
for  action.    Laboratory  tests  made  at  a  plant  in  Central 
America  showed  that  after  216  hours'  exposure  to  the 
mill  atmosphere  only  a  trace  of  KCN  remained.    Several 
kinds  of  cyanide  with  different  solutions  were  tried,  con- 
firming previous  tests,  although  there  was  less  decom- 
position in  the  mill-solutions  than  in  those  from  fresh 
cyanide  to  which  no  protective  alkali  had  been  added. 
Light  has  practically  no  effect  on-  the  decomposition  of 
solutions,  as  was  proved  by  exposure  for  192  hours  in 
light  and  dark  stoppered  bottles.     In  1912,  Mr.  A.  J. 
Clark  made  a  similar  test  at  the  Homestake,  showing  sub- 
stantially the  same  decomposition.     Julian  and  Smart, 
Thorp,  Clennell,  and  Watt  have  discussed  atmospheric 
action  on  cyanide  in  their  books.    While  studying  these 
reactions,  Messrs.  Clevenger  and  Morgan  found  it  neces- 
sary to  determine  cyanide,  cyanate,  hydrate,  carbonate, 
ammonia,  and  formate  in  cyanide  solutions.     This  work 
necessitated  careful  research.     Next  they  exposed  solu- 
tions of  a  particular  strength  to  the  air  in  5J-ineh  beak- 
ers.   In  two  series  of  tests  when  no  alkali  was  added,  a 
steady  loss  of  cyanide  was  observed ;  but  where  alka- 
linity was  kept  constant  the  rate  of  decomposition  was 
lowered,  but  never  so  low  as  without  alkali.    A  study  was 
made  of  the  gaseous  products  of  atmospheric  decomposi- 
tion of  solutions,  with  the  discovery  that  most  of  the 
reaction  involves  the  formation  of  HCN.    Other  products 
are  an  alkaline  carbonate  and  ammonia.     In  addition  to 


4i  is 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  L6,  1916 


atmospheric  action,  there  is  the  decomposition  known  as 
hydrolysis,  having  the  equation 

KCN  +  H.O  =  KOH  +  HCN 

This  proceeds  until  equilibrium  is  established  for  the 
particular  concentration  of  cyanide  in  solution.  A  mill- 
solution  that  contains  no  protective  alkalinity  may  lose 
some  of  the  HCN  through  normal  hydrolysis,  but  if 
sufficient  air  be  brought  into  contact  with  the  solution  a 
large  part  of  the  cyanide  may  be  lost  through  progres- 
sive hydrolysis.  Hydrolysis  may  be  defined  as  the 
chemical  decomposition  of  a  compound  that  ensues  when 
the  group  ILO  is  absorbed  by  it.  causing  the  formation 
of  new  compounds.  Cyanide  plants  that  operate  with  a 
low  alkalinity  run  the  risk  of  losing  cyanide  owing  to  the 
accumulation  of  the  soluble  alkaline  carbonate,  K,C03, 
which  does  not  afford  protection  against  the  CO,  of  the 
air  when  the  real  protective  alkalinity  (lime)  has  dis- 
appeared. 

In  another  part  of  their  paper,  the  authors  discuss  in- 
-'utions  on  the  Rand  during  1915,  an  abstract  of 
which  was  published  in  this  journal  under  date  of  Janu- 
ary 8,  1916.  In  treating  25,701,954  tons  of  ore,  there 
was  consumed  an  average  of  0.4  pounds  per  ton.  A  num- 
ber of  tests  on  typical  sand  and  slime  showed  that  the 
loss  of  cyanide,  due  to  the  escape  of  HCN  as  gas  into  the 
air,  was  from  44.7  to  49.5%.  Loose  or  incomplete  cover- 
ing on  sump-solution  tanks  did  not  suffice  to  prevent  loss 
of  alkali  or  cyanide.  In  weak  solutions  there  is  no  loss 
of  HCN  as  total  cyanide,  and  but  little  loss  as  free  cya- 
nide, so  long  as  a  protective  alkali  is  present.  When  the 
protective  alkalinity  is  below  0.01$  XaOH,  the  loss  of 
HCN  as  free  and  total  cyanide  becomes  serious.  The 
presence  of  zinc  considerably  decreases  the  loss  of  HCN 
by  hydrolysis.  Another  investigation  covered  the  ex- 
posure of  working  solutions  to  the  atmosphere  under 
varying  conditions.  While  transferring  solutions  from 
slime  treatment  vats  at  one  plant,  as  much  as  0.14  pounds 
of  sodium  cyanide  per  ton  of  slime  disappeared  by 
evaporation  of  HCN.  It  was  concluded  that  the  loss  is 
greater  in  pure  synthetic  solutions,  when  making  tests, 
even  with  added  alkali,  than  is  the  case  with  ordinary 
working  solutions,  and  a  heavy  loss  is  shown  in  the  pres- 
ence of  little  or  no  protective  alkali,  when  determined 
with  additions  of  ferro-cyanide.  By  fitting  tight  covers 
to  treatment-vats  and  solution-tanks  a  saving  of  0.09 
pounds  per  ton  of  ore  might  be  effected.  Regarding 
hydrolysis,  it  was  ascertained  that  simple  solutions  de- 
compose by  this  action ;  higher  temperatures  accelerate 
this  decomposition  ;  the  alkali  formed  as  a  product  of 
hydrolytic  action  has  little  or  no  protective  effect  on  the 
remaining  cyanide,  so  that  hydrolysis  proceeds  until  all 
the  cyanide  is  destroyed ;  and  that  the  protection  af- 
forded by  adding  an  excess  of,  caustic  alkali  is  only  of 
temporary  value.  Messrs.  Clevenger  and  Morgan  at- 
tacked the  problem  in  the  same  general  way  as  the 
African  metallurgists,  but  completed  most  of  their  tests 
before  the  latter  began.  Generally  our  authors  agree 
with  them,  but  are  not  in  accord  concerning  the  pro- 
tective alkali.     Whether  atmospheric   decomposition  of 


cyanide  is  worth  the  study  of  mill  operators  is  answered 
by  concluding  that  (1)  it  may  become  a  serious  factor 
with  solutions  containing  little  or  no  protective  alka- 
linity. (2)  the  cyanide  lost  through  reactions  with  oxy- 
gen cannot  be  economically  recovered,  and  (3)  the  most 
effective  method  of  preventing  decomposition  is  to  main- 
tain a  sufficiently  high  concentration  of  alkaline  hydrox- 
ides in  the  solution. 

Australian   Spelter 

In  our  last  issue  we  published  an  interesting  letter 
from  our  London  correspondent,  commenting  upon  the 
future  of  the  zinc-smelting  industry  in  its  world-wide 
aspect  and  referring  to  the  recent  purchase  by  the 
British  government  of  100,000  tons  of  concentrate  from 
the  Zinc  Corporation  on  the  basis  of  £25  per  ton  for  the 
metal.  This  shipment  of  100,000  tons  is  to  be  distributed 
among  the  smelting  plants  in  Great  Britain,  their  total 
capacity  being  about  that  much  per  annum,  as  compared 
with  60.000  tons  before  the  War.  In  previous  issues  we 
have  referred  to  the  Australian  zinc  problem,  that  is,  the 
question  of  treating  the  500,000  tons  of  zinc  concentrate 
produced  at  Broken  Hill.  Formerly  this  product  was 
smelted  in  Belgium  and  Germany.  There  has  been  much 
talk  concerning  the  building  of  new  smelters  in  Great 
Britain,  which  consumes  annually  200,000  tons  of  spelter, 
or  just  about  as  much  as  Australia  produces,  but  nothing 
has  been  done  toward  the  erection  of  any  big  plant  be- 
cause pre-existing  contracts  and  other  obstacles  inter- 
vened. As  stated  in  our  Metal  Market  Review  recently, 
the  British  government  has  agreed  to  purchase  100,000 
tons  of  concentrate  per  annum  during  the  War.  and  for 
ten  years  after  the  War.  Moreover,  the  same  govern- 
ment will  purchase,  annually  for  10  years,  45,000  tons  of 
speller  produced  in  Australia,  this  being  the  equivalent 
of  112,500  tons  of  concentrate  per  annum  on  an 
average  assay  of  40r-7  zinc,  besides  6%  lead,  and  9 
ounces  of  silver  per  ton.  Thus  212,500  tons  of  concen- 
trate is  marketed.  Altogether,  adding  the  tonnage 
already  under  contract  in  Australia,  not  less  than 
250.000  tons  per  annum  is  sold.  Negotiations  arc  pend- 
ing for  the  sale  of  the  remaining  half  of  the  output 
to  France  and  Belgium.  A  sum  of  $125,000,000  is  in- 
volved in  this  deal  between  the  British  government  and 
the  Australian  mining  companies.  The  transaction  is 
due  to  the  initiative  of  Mr.  W.  M.  Hughes,  the  Federal 
premier,  and  to  Mr.  W.  S.  Robinson,  a  distinguished 
director  of  mining  companies  in  London.  Finally,  it  is 
announced  that  the  Imperial  government  has  arranged 
to  advance  $2,500,000  toward  the  cost  of  erecting  the 
necessary  smelting  plant  in  Australia.  While  these  plans 
go  far  to  solve  the  Australian  zinc  problem,  they  do  not 
settle  it  conclusively,  for  fully  half  the  output  of  con- 
centrate remains  in  the  air,  so  to  speak.  However,  this 
recent  development  will  interest  zinc  producers  in  this 
country  for  many  reasons,  one  being  the  lessening  chance 
of  our  own  domestic  market  being  flooded  with  Aus- 
tralian ore. 


mber  16,   1916 


MINING   ind   Scientific    I'Ul  s> 


4< »'» 


Oar  nadtn  an  hunted  to  tue  thi*  departm  nifor  thi  dii  Hnioal  and  other  matter*  pertain* 

mg  to  irtmiiiij  and  metaUargn,      7V  Editor  welcomes  txp  wfrary  to  Mi  otm,  belieth 

imj  that  twrrfid  cntinttn  i.<  mart  valuable  thOM  •;i,*u,il  r,,„ijiluif  ill. 


The  Imponderables 

The  Bditor: 

Sir  -While  I  have  do  objection  whatever  to  your 
editorial  on  my  address,  I  am  not  altogether  pleased  at 
giving  the  impression  of  being  a  worshipper  of  the  out- 
cut  of  .>>;il  and  iron. 

1 1  seems  to  me  the  great  imponderable  is  mens  .«/«</  in 
corpon  saihi.    This  includes  everything,  even  greatness 

of  BOUl.  It  is  mi  simple  thing,  hut  a  marvelously  sulitlr 
and  complex  aggregate  of  balanced  qualities — not  an  ex- 
aggeration of  any  virtue.  Even  greatness  of  soul  may 
be  exaggerated  into  a  stupid  vice.     We  look  upon  the 

Hindoo  ascetic  who  vows  to  show  his  fortitude  to  (ioil 
and  man  by  holding  his  hand  over  his  head  until  his  arm 

withers  and  bee es  useless,  as  a  mere  travesty  of  a  man. 

The  healthy  minded  Anglo-Saxon  thinks  that  he  will  do 
better  to  use  both  his  hands  as  well  as  his  head  and  that 
Qod  will  love  him  just  as  well  if  he  exerts  himself  to  be 
comfortable  as  if  he  exerts  himself  to  be  miserable.  At 
any  rate  he  exerts  himself. 

I  think  one  of  the  manifestations  of  his  mental  and 
bodily  vigor  is  his  success  in  industry.  To  say  that  this 
success  is  obtained  at  the  expense  of  losing  out  in  other 
directions  is  to  my  mind  absurd.  The  illustrations  you 
use  to  point  toward  the  great  mental  impulses  that  come 
from  non-industrial  peoples  do  not  prove  your  case,  but 
the  contrary.  For  instance :  You  say  that  the  Hebrew 
race  was  denied  industrial  participation.  Was  it?  Were 
not  the  Jews  a  part  of  the  Semitic  race,  which  held  for 
many  centuries  the  industrial  and  commercial  leader- 
ship of  the  Mediterranean?  Are  not  the  Jews  of  today 
as  well  known  for  their  materialism  as  for  their  idealism 
and  do  not  they  produce  in  every  country  high  examples 
of  both  i. 

The  age  of  Pericles  was  the  age  of  the  industrial  and 
military  supremacy  of  the  Greeks.  In  the  days  of  Virgil, 
Italy  was  the  political,  industrial,  and  military  leader 
of  the  world.  The  same  England  that  produced  Shake- 
speare, produced  at  the  same  time  Queen  Elizabeth  and 
Sir  Frances  Drake.  In  the  same  country  Tennyson  was 
the  contemporary  of  Bessemer,  and  Byron  was  a  con- 
temporary of  Watt.  Your  Oxford  is  a  suburb  of  the 
industrial  centre  of  the  world;  Huxley  lectured  in  the 
heart  of  London  ;  and  the  people  of  Boston,  much  as  they 
might  value  your  compliment  to  Harvard's  intellectual 
prowess,  would  be  likely  to  remind  you  that  Cambridge 
is  in  the  heart  of  a  great  industrial  centre.  The  same 
Germany  that  produced  Goethe  also  produced  the 
Krupps.    I  have  no  doubt  that  Russia  having  produced 


its  Tolstoi   will  come  along  With   some  industrial   Renins. 

When  Van  Dyok  and  Etembrandl  painted  in  Holland, 

that  country  was  the  leader  in  trade.  Louis  XI  V  was  lie- 
patron    of    Moliere.      Four    argonauts    of    California 

brought  with  them  Bret  Ilarte  and  Mark  Twain,  and 
I  Inner  sang  of  the  explorer  Odysseus.  The  country 
that  produced  Lincoln  and  Julia  Ward  Howe  had  at  the 
same  time  Kockfcller  and  Armour.  The  country  of  John 
Knox  is  that  of  Carnegie. 

You  say  the  type  of  man  who  runs  a  strain-shovel  "is 
more  likely  to  read  the  tape  than  to  read  Shakespeare." 
Well  let  us  get  down  to  that:  Who  reads  Shakespeare? 
Speak  it  gently:     It  is  the  hustling  German! 

J.    R.    FlNLAY. 

New  York,  August  22. 


Pn.©sjp'3£\i:iiEi<g) 


The  Editor : 

Sir — Suggestions  as  to  a  practical  manner  of  pros- 
pecting are  always  interesting,  but  I  fear  that  some  of 
the  uninitiated,  who  were  addressed  in  the  communica- 
tion of  Mr.  Harold  French,  in  your  issue  of  July  22, 
would  be  disappointed  should  they  attempt  to  follow  his 
suggestions  too  closely. 

In  the  first  place  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  yon  are  wise 
in  giving  space  to  suggestions  that  are  made  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  are  thinking  of  "taking  a  chance," 
that  is,  our  citizens  who  are  but  slightly  interested  in 
mining — the  average  banker,  broker,  merchant,  trades- 
man, or  small  capitalist.  Such  men  are  not  reading  tech- 
nical journals  relating  to  mining  and  the  papers  they  do 
read  do  not  care  for  that  kind  of  copy.  Your  readers  are 
largely  men  with  a  little  or  with  considerable  knowledge 
of  mining  and  generally  have  their  own  conception  of 
the  proper  method  of  conducting  prospecting  operations 
and  I  fear  will  not  give  very  serious  consideration  to 
theoretical  suggestions  as  to  the  best  way  in  which  to 
spend  small  sums  for  that  purpose.  Being  one  of  this 
class  myself  and,  as  noted  above,  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, I  would  appreciate  an  opportunity  to  read  of  suc- 
cessful prospecting  enterprises,  the  method  of  financing, 
the  manner  of  working,  what  was  done,  what  was  found, 
and  what  was  done  with  the  find. 

I  have  had  some  years  of  experience  in  this  line  of  work 
but  I  was  never  so  fortunate  as  to  find  and  develop  150,- 
000  tons  of  $8  ore  with  $5000  as  in  the  supposed  case  of 
Mr.  French,  and  while  not  denying  the  possibility  of  such 
attainment,  I  doubt  its  frequent  occurrence. 


410 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.   1!U6 


There  are  .several  practical  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
such  an  attractive  undertaking.    The  employment 
"mining  engineer  who  is  qualified  to  conduct  a  g< 
ical   survey   and    to   direcl    the   efforts   of   pros] ting 

parlies."  at  a  salary  (if  .fL'.'iO  per  month  for  tile  mot 

June,  wiili  the  possibility  of  the  work  being  discon 
or  extended  over  another  month  or  two.  will  be  a  hard 
order  t<>  execute.    The  summer  months  are  the  busy  days 
f  u'  such  independent  engii  could  take  such  short 

engage nts  and  except  in  rare  instances  of  temporary 

unemployment,  they  are  not  available  at  such  figures. 
N«>  more  aic  "skilled  assistants"  easy  to  find  at  $100  per 
month. 

Again,  three  miners  and  three  muckers  "driving  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  of  tunnels,  sinking  shafts,  and  making 
cross-cuts"  thus  demonstrating  150,000  tons  of  $8  ore, 
would  not  only  have  to  lie  very  capable  men  but  would 
have  to  be  provided  with  something  better  than  candles 
or  carbide.  Aladdin's  own  lamp  would  certainly  have  to 
be  a  part  of  the  outfit. 

Having  asked  for  the  methods  of  other  operators  in 
prospecting  or  exploring,  it  may  be  pertinent  to  mention 
the  methods  of  procedure  followed  by  one  or  more  of  the 
organizations  with  which  I  have  been  connected.  An 
organization  that  had  been  operating  successfully  Eor 
several  years  desired  to  secure  some  new  business.  Their 
consulting  engineer  selected  a  man  to  scout  for  them. 
This  man  was  a  technical  graduate,  had  been  an  assistant 
in  a  number  of  examinations,  and  had  spent  three  years 

in  subordinate  positions  in  mines  and  mills.  He  was  nut 
»  trained  geologist,  experienced  mining  engineer,  nor  a 

high  elass  metallurgist.  He  was  a  bright  intelligent 
graduate  with  quite  a  varied  practical  experience,  ami 
was  worth  about  .fii'it1  per  month,  and  that  was  what  In' 
was  paid  i'ii  engagement  by  the  year.  There  was  nothing 
in  the  contract  in  relation  to  participation,  but  from 
tli,'  action  of  the  directors  in  previous  instances,  it  was 
pretty  well  understood  that  if  he  brought  any  good  busi- 
ness in  them  it  would  be  to  his  material  advantage.  He 
was  sent  scouting  in  districts  named  by  the  directors. 
Broadly  speaking,  he  was  instructed  to  look  for  new  busi- 
ness, but  mure  particularly  for  things  of  prospective 
value  that  possessed  indications  of  developing  into  some- 
thing of  importance. 

It  was  found  that  this  man's  expenses  amounted  to 
approximately  $10  per  day  while  away  from  the  home 
office,  or  th"  total  expense,  salary  included,  amounted  to 
about  $6000  per  annum;  this  included  his  traveling,  the 
employment  of  a  few  helpers  from  time  to  time  to  assist 
in  sampling  or  digging  prospect-holes,  assaying,  si. me 
local  legal  expense  and,  in  fact,  everything  connected 
with  the  scouting. 

The  practical  result  in  three  years  of  this  work  was 
thai  about  $5000  additional  was  spent  on  prospects  I  hat 
developed  nothing,  his  principals  became  interested  as 
minority  stockholders  in  three  producing  mines  which  he 
had  brought  to  their  attention.  One  very  promising 
prospect  was  taken  up  on  which  $10,000  was  spent,  by  a 
newly  organized  and  subsidiary  company. 


The  location  of  this  prospect  and  its  cropping  was  such 
that  a  complete  sampling  of  the  surface  over  a  width  of 
20  ft.  and  length  of  1500  ft.  was  possible,  also  five  cross- 
cuts were  pushed  '"to  'I'1'  v™'  at  an  average  depth  of 
about  oi)  ft.  from  the  surface,  and  short  drifts  were  run 
at  the  interdiction,  thus  giving  a  very  fair  indication  of 
what  values  to  expect  in  the  100,(11111  tous  of  ore  nea 
the  surface. 

About  10(10  ft.  of  cross-cuts  and  drifts  were  run.  about 
four  months'  time  was  consumed,  a  little  less  than  $10.- 
000  was  expended,  the  value  of  100,000  tons  was  indi- 
cated.* but  not  proved.  Conditions  for  cheap  prospect- 
ing were  exceptional,  the  expense  of  driving  and  cross- 
cutting  in  rather  hard,  tough  material,  scarcely  reach- 
ing .$5  per  foot,  the  other  $5000  being  used  in  sundry 
overhead  and  traveling  expenses  incidental  to  this  opera- 
tion. 

The  foregoing,  from  an  actual  experience,  was  far  less 
profitable  than  the  hypothetical  case  of  Mr.  French,  but 
is  probably  much  closer  to  what  might  be  expected  in 
practice.  It  was.  however,  sufficiently  profitable  to  war- 
rant the  organization  continuing  the  practice  over  a 
gradually  broadening  field,  resulting  in  the  acquisition  of 
five  prospects  that  have  developed  into  mines  as  well  as 
the  acquisition  of  control  or  minority  interests  in  a 
number  of  operating  or  more  fully  developed  properties. 


F.  F.  Sharpless. 


New  York.  August  6. 


A  Traveler's  Library 

The  Editor: 

sir — Referring  to  the  communication  of  'Subscriber' 
in  your  issue  of  August  12,  the  following  observation 
concerning  books  suitable  for  a  traveler's  library  may 
prove  of  value.  It  is  my  experience  that  such  books 
should  not  he  printed  on  coated  paper.  A  library, 
especially  that  of  an  engineer,  is  at  times  subject  to  hard 
usage,  such  as  a  book  printed  on  coated  paper  will  not 
withstand.  If  such  a  book  should  get  wet,  unless  the 
accident  is  discovered  immediately  and  pieces  of  blotting 
paper  placed  between  the  leaves,  the  book  is  ruined.  In 
camp,  'forty  miles  from  nowhere,'  this  is  not  always  an 
easy  thing  to  do.  I  had  my  Hoover's  'Concentrating 
Ores  by  Flotation'  ruined  in  this  manner.  This  was  a 
beautiful  book  printed  on  a  fine  grade  of  coated  paper. 
It  received  a  thorough  soaking,  and  when  I  got  a  chance 
to  examine  it.  some  days  later,  I  found  it  to  consist  of  a 
solid  block  of  paper  pulp,  neatly  bound  in  cloth.  Sev- 
eral other  books  which  I  had  with  me  at  the  time  were 
similarly  wet.  but.  being  printed  on  ordinary  uncoated 
paper,  suffered  little  damage  in  comparison. 

I  believe  the  thin  bible  paper  (India  paper),  now  al- 
mi  st  universally  used  in  our  various  engineers'  pocket- 
books,  to  be  the  ideal  paper  for  books  for  the  traveler  and 

•When  this  ore  was  mined  and  milled  two  or  three  years 
later,  it  was  found  that  the  indicated  value  and  tonnage,  or 
probable  ore.  checked  very  closely  with  the  quantity  and  value 
of  that  mined  from  the  area  of  the  vein  considered. 


mber  16,  1916 


MINING    «nd    .Sucntilic    PRESS 


III 


engineer     it  la  light  end  strong,  and  the  pages  »ill  no) 
stirk   together  <m   being  wet     About   everything  baa 

tied  to  my  Trautwine  that  could  to  a  l k  without 

eompletelj  deatroying  it,  and  it  ia  atill  ' <l<>iiiKT  business 
at  tin-  same  >»ld  .stand.'  _ 

I    I.M   I'l      I-  I  Kill  SON. 

Mayer,  Arizona.  August  20 


The  Editor: 

\  subaeriber  in  San  Salvador,  asks  in  your  An 
gnat  12  iasue  for  a  portable  library.    The  following  list, 
though  rudimentary,  may  start  him  on  the  right  track 
oonomy  of  space  and  weight  are  concerned: 

Tracy's  '  Plane  Surveying.' 

Trumbull's  'Underground  Surveying.' 

'Electrical   Engineer's  Handbook,'  McGraw-Hill. 

Croft's  'American  Electrician's  Handbook.' 

Trautwine's  '< '.  B.  Handbook.' 

Spurr's  (leather)  'Geology  Applied  to  Mining.' 

Miller's  'Prospector's  Companion.' 

,,     .  i  xt  t    »         loi  Ardex  Proctor. 

Englewood,  N.  J.,  August  31. 

Signal  Code  for  Surveying 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Dining  my  experience  as  a  field  engineer  and 
surveyor  I  have  been  surprised  at  the  faet  that  there 
seems  to  be  no  simple  and  efficient  wig-wag  code  in  com- 
mon use  among  engineers.  There  is,  it  is  true,  a  gen- 
erally recognized  code  of  signals  for  the  more  common 
operations  in  the  field,  but  a  more  elaborate  system, 
which  would  cover  any  point  which  might  arise,  would 
result  in  the  saving  of  much  traveling  and  unnecessary 
work. 

The  wireless  telephone  is  still  out  of  the  question,  and 
the  army  and  navy  codes,  while  efficient,  are  too  com- 
plicated. I  have,  therefore,  devised  a  code,  which,  while 
comparatively  slow,  is  efficient  and  may  be  learned  in 
two  hours  practice  at  short  distance. 

In  the  starting  position  both  hands  rest  on  the  breast 
and  after  each  signal  return  to  the  same  position.  The 
different  signals,  corresponding  to  the  illustrations,  are 
1,  2,  3,  4.  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and  0,  and  are  self  explanatory. 
For  the  alphabet  the  numbers  corresponding  to  the 
alphabetic  positions  of  the  letters  are  given;  that  is  A-l, 
■T-20,  Z-26,  etc.  The  letters  are  separated  by  a  dip  and 
the  words  by  a  rise,  both  of  which  are  shown.  The  dip 
and  rise  also  indicate  that  letters,  and  not  numbers  are 
being  given.  The  signals  are  shown  in  the  accompanying 
illustration,  commencing  with  1  at  the  left,  the  positions 
from  start,  rise,  and  dip  being  on  the  right. 


Convenient  practice  may  be  had  by  two  persons  stand 

inn  at  opposite  ends  of  a  room  and  sending  anj py, 

sioli  aa  oolu sof  figures,  that  may  be  at  hand. 

\V.    K.    Nlll.UM  v\. 

Newman,  California,  Augual  16, 

Cyanidation  at  the  Comaca- 
ran  Mine,  Salvador 

The  Editor: 
Sir-  In  reading  Mr.  C.  O'Brien's  criticism  in  the  issue 

Of  July  1.  1  felt  that  it  called  for  an  answer.     In  his  zeal 

to  defend  what  lie  styles  a  C. C.  I>.  system  Mr.  O'Brien 

makes  statements  that  call  for  discussion.  I  am  just  as 
strong  an  exponent  of  the  continuous  counter-current 
deeantation  process  as  he  is,  but  there  is  no  machine  or 
process  that  is  faultless. 

In  the  first  paragraph  of  the  criticism  the  question 
is  asked  why  the  tube-mills  arc  by-passed,  "why  some- 
thing is  coming  out  and  nothing  is  going  in."  The 
reply  is  that  the  arrow-head  on  the  dotted  line  connecting 
the  figure  representing  the  tube-mills  with  that  showing 
the  Dorr  duplex  classifier  was  missed  in  the  drawing. 
The  capacity  of  the  agitators  is  120  tons  each.  The 
gravity  sample  of  each  slime-charge  is  screened,  and  only 
5%  of  minus  80-mesh  stays  on  200-mesh.  The  brevity  of 
my  article  did  not  permit  giving  the  screen-tests  and 
analyses  asked  for. 

I  must  apologize  for  the  annoyance  the  misuse  of  the 
word  "insoluble"  has  caused  Mr.  O'Brien. 

In  the  fourth  paragraph  of  his  article  he  desires  to 
know  the  reason  for  the  "juggling"  of  the  solutions. 
This  was  necessary,  as  after  a  thorough  trial  of  the 
straight  C.  C.  D.  system,  it  was  found  to  be  insufficient 
with  the  number  of  thickeners  we  had,  and  we  were 
forced  to  use  barren  solution  also.  A  glance  at  the 
Comacaran  flow-sheet  will  show  that  thickeners  5,  6,  and 
7  are  in  a  real  counter-current  system.  Between  4  and 
5  the  system  is  changed.  The  overflow  of  5,  which  assays 
50c.  per  ton,  goes  to  the  battery  solution-tank  instead 
of  to  4,  whose  pulp  is  diluted  with  the  overflow  from 
thickener  1,  which  assays  .$1  per  ton.  The  reason  for 
this  change  is,  that  the  dilution  carried  on  in  thickener  5 
is  so  great  that  if  the  overflow  were  used  in  thickener  4 
the  zinc-box  heads  would  be  impoverished  too  much. 
Furthermore,  this  disposal  of  the  overflow  of  5  makes  it 
possible  to  reduce  the  dissolved  metal  in  the  pulp  from 
the  thickener  that  precedes  it,  over  two-thirds,  while 
each  of  the  thickeners  in  the  real  C.  C.  D.  system  reduces 
the  dissolved  value  in  the  pulp  from  the  thickener  that 


SIGNAiS   FOR    SURVEYING. 


412 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  1916 


ides  it  only  a  hall',  due  to  the  dependency  of  these 
thickeners  on  the  capacity  of  the  pumps  and  piping. 
These  are  the  reasons  for  the  juggling  of  the  solutions. 
Mr.  O'Brien's  exception  to  what  I  called  a  battery 
solution  is  well  taken.  The  overflow  of  thickener  1  is  not 
only  the  battery  solution,  but  the  solution  from  the 
closed  grindi ng-eircuit  as  well.  But  on  looking  at  the 
flow -sheet  and  reading  the  paragraph  entitled  'Tube- 
Milling  and  Classification,'  it  will  be  seen  that  a  30c. 
battery  solution  is  fed  to  the  stamps  that  crush  to 
3-mesh.  The  pulp  from  the  batteries  goes  directly  to  the 
Dorr  duplex  classifier.  I  have  not  the  assay-value  of  the 
solution  coining  from  the  stamps,  but  considering  the 
si/.-  of  tie-  screens  and  the  short  time  that  the  ore  is  in 
the  mortar,  it  can  be  seen  that  the  solution  can  be  en- 
riched little  above  its  original  30c,  and  that  this  solu- 
tion mixing  with  the  much  smaller  quantity  of  solution 
from  the  closed  grinding-circuit  dilutes  the  latter  and 
gives  the  $1  overflow  from  thickener  No.  1.  So  the 
grinding-circuit  is  safe  from  the  ignominious  fate  of 
"dying  of  ennui." 

In  paragraph  eight  Mr.  O'Brien  at  last  finds  some- 
thing worthy  of  praise  in  a  tailing-loss  of  10c.  in  dis- 
solved metal.  The  0.8  lb.  of  cyanide  lost  in  the  tailing 
cannot  be  accredited  to  the  C.  C.  D.  system.  It  is  one 
of  the  disadvantages  of  the  use  of  barren  solution.  The 
loss  in  cyanide  and  dissolved  metal  in  the  tailing  is  now 
being  recovered  by  the  use  of  Oliver  filters. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  sticking  of  the  thickeners 
at  the  Comacaran  mill  was  due  to  abuse.  The  chief 
reason  was  that  the  bottoms  were  too  flat  for  the  density 
of  the  underflow  sought.  The  rakes  can  handle  only 
the  small  quantity  of  non-mobile  material  that  forms 
on  the  bottom,  as  the  slope  of  the  bottom  should  be  suffi- 
cient so  that  everything  fluid  enough  to  flow  towards  the 
centre  can  do  so.  It  is  obvious  that  a  pulp  containing 
but  25%  of  solid  will  not  need  as  steep  a  slope  as  a  pulp 
containing  60%.  One  of  the  home-made  thickeners  at 
the  Comacaran  has  a  bottom  slope  of  17°  and  will  easily 
give  an  underflow  containing  50%  solid.  The  only  time 
this  thickener  stuck  was  when  a  peon  dropped  a  shovel 
into  it.  Another  unavoidable  source  of  sticking  was  due 
to  hard  material  caving  from  the  sides  and  from  the 
spider  supporting  the  rakes. 

In  paragraph  ten  of  his  article  my  critic  makes  the 
statement  that  the  use  of  barren  solution  is  unnecessary. 
The  manner  of  reducing  the  value  in  intermittent  or  con- 
tinuous decantation  is  one  of  pure  dilution.  If  the 
overflow  were  used  exclusively  it  would  take  twice  or 
three  times  as  many  thickeners,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  the  dilution  would  be  carried  on  with  solution  con- 
taining from  10c.  to  $1  per  ton.  In  other  words,  to  save 
some  200  tons  of  "unnecessary"  barren  solution  we 
would  have  to  lock-up  continually  several  hundred  tons 
of  low-grade  solution.  The  barren  solution  used  on  the 
sand-vats  was  not.  accredited  to  the  C.  C.  D.  process. 

I  would  like  to  ask  my  friend  what  the  grinding- 
circuit  has  to  do  with  the  extraction  of  metals  from  the 
treated  pulp.     If  the  heads  are  doubled,  the  dissolved 


value  in  the  treated  pulp  will  be  doubled,  if  the  grinding- 
eireuit  is  not  dying  of  ennui.  Therefore  the  dilution  in 
the  thickeners  will  have  to  be  doubled  or  else  the  dis- 
solved metals  in  the  tailing  will  be  doubled. 

A  rather  bo^d  statement  is  made  when  Mr.  O'Brien 
says  that  "neither  crushing  nor  re-grinding  takes  place 
in  the  last  four  feet  of  a  tube-mill."  A  tube-mill  will 
grind  its  entire  length.  Of  course,  the  grinding  toward 
the  discharge-end  will  not  be  nearly  as  great  as  it  is  near 
the  feed-end.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  as  the  ore  be- 
comes more  comminuted  on  its  way  to  the  discharge  a 
sludge  is  formed  along  the  central  axis  that  serves  to 
cushion  the  blows  of  the  pebbles.  This  is  why  it  has 
been  found  that  a  16-ft.  tube-mill  grinds  more  per  horse- 
power than  a  20-ft.  mill,  with  a  smaller  pebble  consump- 
tion. This  sludge  could  be  eliminated  by  making  the 
last  four  feet  of  a  20-ft.  tube  a  cone,  and  in  this  manner 
getting  the  grinding  capacity  of  a  16-ft.  tube  with  the 
rapid  discharge  of  a  Hardinge  mill. 

In  closing  permit  me  to  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to 
the  statement  that  "any  American  machinery  is  as  good 
as  Krupp  machinery. "  I  object  to  the  word  "any." 
The  lust  American  machinery  is  as  good  as  the  best  of 
any  land,  but  the  American  manufacturer  should  not 
think  that  Latin-American  orders  are  opportunities  to 
dump  defective  or  inferior  goods.  They  should  bear  in 
mind  that  representatives  of  foreign  houses  are  in  the 
countries,  and  ready  to  guarantee  prompt  and  safe  de- 
livery of  first-class  goods  at  reasonable  prices.  Imagine 
our  waiting  for  months  for  tube-mill  lining  from  an 
American  firm  and  then  receiving  lining  from  which 
must  be  cut  an  inch  from  each  segment  before  it  can  be 
fitted.  Imagine  waiting  a  couple  of  months  for  a  gaso- 
line engine  and  receiving  it  with  the  cooling  hopper 
broken,  due  to  defective  packing,  and  the  induction-coil 
and  batteries  removed  from  their  box.  In  the  last  case 
it  was  necessary  to  send  to  the  States  for  an  induction 
coil.  The  trouble  seems  to  be  that  the  American  manu- 
facturer has  all  the  market  he  needs  at  home.  Not  until 
the  domestic  market  becomes  over-supplied,  and  the 
American  manufacturer  is  forced  to  build-up  a  foreign 
trade  or  go  bankrupt  will  he  put  the  energy  and  brains 
into  his  foreign  trade  that  the  Europeans  have  put  into 
theirs.  In  the  meantime  the  American  metallurgist  in 
foreign  lands  will  be  forced  into  the  apparently  un- 
patriotic necessity  of  putting  foreign-made  machinery 
in  American-owned  mines  and  mills. 

A.  B.  Peckham. 
Quartz,  California,  August  8. 


Gold  and  silver  received  at  the  San  Francisco  mint 
during  August  are  reported  as  365,087.75  oz.  and  190,- 
727.17  oz..  respectively.  Bars  of  fine  gold,  valued  at 
$4,191,916.21,  were  sold.  Coinage  amounted  to  $620,000 
in  half  eagles  and  $27,000  in  nickels;  also  1*17.000  in 
one  and  five  centavo  pieces  for  the  Philippines.  The 
vaults  contain  coin,  bullion,  etc.,  valued  at  $378,767,- 
597.52. 


September  It;    1916 


MINING    «nd    N.rnlilw     I'M  SS 


n  ; 


AixnosphtrlC    ID  £cu:Jirp  coition    ui    CyanMy 


By       O. 


CUTiigir      and      Barry      Morgan 


[ntboocotion.    Tl  cyanide  ( nrring  dur- 

ing the  treatment  of  gold  and  silver  ores  by  the  cyanide 

■  niiiv  I laaaifled  as  Follows: 

Chemical  boa 

1.  Reactions  with  various  constituents  of  the  ore.  in- 
eluding  those  introduced  daring  its  preparation  for 
treatment 

2.  Atmospheria  decomposition  through  contact  with 
the  air,  including  hydrolysis. 

:;.  Impurities  in  the  water  used. 
4.  Reactions  occurring  during  precipitation. 
5    I  ertain   equipment  of  the  plant  with   which  the 
solutions  may  come  in  contact. 
Mechanical  Losses: 

1.  Admixture  of  solution  with  residues. 

2.  Leakage  of  tanks  or  other  containers. 

3.  Excess  solution  sent  to  waste. 

The  relative  importance  of  these  various  sources  of 
loss  varies  considerably,  depending  upon  the  character 
of  the  ore  treated,  the  plant,  and  the  manner  in  which  it 
is  operated. 

Atmospheric  decomposition  of  dilute  solutions  has  not 
been  generally  recognized  as  an  important  source  of 
cyanide  loss;1  therefore,  practically  nothing  is  known 
regarding  its  magnitude  or  the  reactions  involved.  One 
of  ns  (Clcvenger)  in  1909.  while  investigating  the  treat- 
ment of  a  certain  Central  American  silver-gold  ore,  had 
his  attention  called  to  the  possibility  of  the  importance 
of  such  losses  through  observing  that  the  cyanide  con^ 
sumption  per  ton  of  ore  was  greater  when  the  mill  was 
treating  a  small  tonnage  than  when  treating  its  maxi- 
mum tonnage,  the  extraction  of  gold  and  silver  in  both 
cases  being  approximately  the  same.  In  seeking  for  the 
cause  of  this  greater  consumption,  the  most  reasonable 
explanation  appeared  to  be  that,  inasmuch  as  the  ton- 
nage of  solution  in  circulation  and  in  stock  in  each  ease 
remained  the  same,  in  treating  the  smaller  tonnage  of  ore 
a  relatively  greater  surface  of  solution  was  exposed  to 
the  air.  The  total  atmospheric  decomposition  being  the 
same  in  both  cases,  when  distributed  over  fewer  tons  of 
ore  would  cause  a  higher  consumption  of  cyanide  per  ton 
of  ore  treated. 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  loss  of  cyanide  to  be  expected 
from  this  cause  under  the  climatic  conditions  obtaining 
at  this  plant,  a  series  of  experiments  was  made  in  which 
solutions  in  glass  beakers  were  left  standing  exposed  to 
the  air  of  the  mill-office.  These  were  titrated  at  regular 
intervals  by  the   ordinary   Liebig   method   without   an 

'The  South  African  investigations  had  not  been  made  at  the 
time  this  was  written.    See  M.  &  S.  P.,  January  8,  1918. 


indicator.  In  each  case  distilled  water  was  added  t"  the 
beakers  before  making  the  titration  u,  compensate  tor 
any  decrease  in  volume  caused  bj  evaporation. 

In  series  No.  l.  the  solutions  were  made  of  as  nearly 
tie-  same  strength  as  possible  from  chemically  pure 
potassium  cyanide,  commercial  potassium  cyanide,  chem- 
ically pure  sodium  cyanide,  and  commercial  sodium. 
These  solutions  were  allowed  to  remain  in  open  lipless 
beakers  for  a  total  period  of  216  hours.  Titrations  were 
made  at  intervals  of  from  one  to  two  days.  Table  I 
Bhows  the  decrease  in  the  cyanide  strength  I'm-  the  vari- 
ous intervals. 

TABLE   I 

, Strength  of  Solution N 

Hours                  KCN  C.P.  KCN  Com.  NaCN  C.P.       NaCN  Com. 

«    0.217  0.223  0.201  0  222 

48    0.116  0.150  0.138  0.151 

72    0.083  11.121',  0.119  0.128 

96  0.027  fi.iis:,  ii.ii>,:;  0.087 

144  0.010  0.015  0.029  ii.in;i 

216  trace  trace  trace  trace 

After  216  hours  the  cyanide  had  entirely  disappeared 
from  all  the  solutions. 

A  similar  series  of  tests  was  made  with  various  makes 
of  chemically  pure  cyanide,  commercial  cyanide  with 
lead  acetate,  as  well  as  'milling'  solution  and  'barren' 
solution  taken  from  the  storage-tanks.  Cyanide  was 
determined  by  titration  as  before.  The  results  of  this 
series  of  tests  are  shown  in  Table  II. 

TABLE  II 

, Strength   of  Solution . 

KCN  NaCN  KCN  KCN 

C.P.  C.P.          KCN  C.P.  Com.      Milling  Barren 

Merck  Kahlbaum  Com.  E.  &  A.  Pb.  Act.       Sol.           Sol. 

Hours-     %  %                 %                %  %  %                ■', 

0     ...0.090  0.095          0.092  0.054  0.091          0.093          0.070 

24     ...0.072  0.076          0.072  0.039  0.009          0.109?        0.056 

48     ...0.037  0.042          0.033  0.016  0.027          0.080          0.046 

72     ...0.014  0.017          0.011  0.003  0.005          0.029          0.039 

96     ...0.003  0.003          0.002  0.001  0.001          0.014          0.023 

These  results  confirm  those  previously  obtained,  with 
the  exception  that  the  milling  and  barren  solutions  from 
the  mill  show  considerably  less  decomposition  than  the 
solutions  made  up  from  fresh  cyanide  to  which  no  pro- 
tective alkalinity  had  been  added. 

This  points  strongly  to  the  fact  that  the  double  cya- 
nides, particularly  in  the  presence  of  protective  alkalin- 
ity, are  not  as  readily  decomposed  as  the  simple  cyanides 
under  the  same  conditions.  This  also  helps  to  explain 
why  it  is  that  actual  mill-results  frequently  show  less 
cyanide  consumption  than  is  indicated  by  small-scale 
tests  made  with  fresh  solution. 

In  order  to  determine  whether  the  decomposition  was 
due  to  the  air  or  to  light,  another  series  of  tests  was 
made  employing  a  solution  made  from  commercial  cya- 
nide. One-third  of  this  was  placed  in  an  open  beaker, 
one-third  in  a  stoppered  bottle  that  was  protected  from 
the  light,  and  one-third  in  a  stoppered  bottle  that  was 


414 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  1!)16 


exposed  to  the  light.     Titrations  were  made  upon  these 
.solutions  at  the  internals  noted.     The  results  of  this 
are  given  in  Table  III: 

TABLE   III 

Stoppered     Stoppered  Bottle 

Open    Beaker  Bottle  In    the   Dark 

Hours                               KCN.  K'W  KCN, 

0. I  0.096  0.096 

U     0.064  o.n:iJ  0.096 

0.041  0.095 

0.094  0.094 

96     0  0.094 

120     0.097  0.094 

n;v     0.003  0.096 

0.096  0.095 

In  the  time  generally  required  for  cyanide  treatment. 
light  has  practieally  no  effect  upon  the  decomposition  of 
solutions  of  the  concentration  ordinarily  used  in  mill 
practice. 

At  the  time  that  these  tests  were  made  it  was  thought 
that  the  rapid  decomposition  indicated  was  due  to  the 
peculiar  climatic  conditions  obtaining  in  Central  Amer- 
ica and  that  the  decomposition  would  not  be  nearly  so 
great  in  a  temperate  climate. 

Some  time  ago  Allan  J.  Clark-  called  the  attention  of 
one  of  us  ill.  II.  ( '.  to  a  similar  test  made  by  him  at  the 
Homestake  mine  that  showed  substantially  the  same  cya- 
nide decomposition.  He  exposed  500  cc.  of  KCN  and 
Nal  'X  solution,  to  which  had  been  added  0.05  grams  of 
lime,  to  the  air  in  shallow  evaporating  dishes.  Titra- 
tions were  made  daily  : 

TABLE   IV 

Strength  of  Solution 
NaCN   'in 
terme  KCN),  KCN, 

Hours 

0      0.26  0.20 

Ul       "  -1  0.169 

|v      0.095 

7J      0.058  0  020 

Tin-  observations  of  Clark,  together  with  those  pre- 
viously made  by  Clevenger,  has  led  us  to  investigate  the 
subject  more  fully. 

The  following  statement  regarding  the  decomposition 
of  cyanide  by  air  are  to  be  found  in  current  technology. 

Thorp:l  states  that  "dilute  solutions  of  potassium  or 
sodium  cyanide  decompose  very  slowly  in  contact  with 
the  atmosphere,  the  loss  being  almost  wholly  due  to  ab- 
sorption of  carbon-dioxide.  Alkali  cyanides  yield  am- 
monia and  a  formate  when  boiled  with  water." 

Watt*  states  that  "aqueous  solutions  of  potassium 
cyanide  decompose  in  air.  slowly  at  ordinary  temper- 
atures, rapidly  at  100°  C.  giving  potassium  formate  and 
ammonia." 

Thorp3  states  that  the  aqueous  solution  of  potassium 
cyanide  decomposes  on   standing  or  when   warmed  ac- 
cording to  the  following  equation: 
Ki  X  —  211,0  =  NH,  -f  IICO..K    (potassium   formate). 

Allen"  states  that  potassium  cyanide  decomposes 
slowly  in  water,  forming  potassium  carbonate,  potassium 
formate,  and  ammonia. 

Julian  &  Smart7  state  that  "even  water  decomposes 
single    cyanides   by    hydrolytic    action"  •  •  *  but   "a 

^Personal  communication   (1912). 

ionary  of  Applied  Chemistry.'    Vol.  2,  p.  198. 
'Watt's  'Dictionary  of  Chemistry.'    Vol.  2,  p.  346.. 
'Industrial  Chemistry.'    Thorp.    P.  296. 
"'Commercial  Organic  Analysis.'    Allen.    Vol.  7.  p.  473. 


weak  acid,  such  as  carbonic  acid,  has  a  stronger  action 
by  thousands  of  times"  •  •  •  "Carbonic  acid  is  ab- 
sorb, d  by  cyanide  solutions  from  the  atmosphere  and,  in 
absence  of  excess  of  free  alkali.  IICX  is  evolved.  In  mod- 
erately still  air%a  square  yard  of  surface  absorbs  1000 
cc.  of  CO,  per  hour  and  in  a  strong  wind  or  by  con- 
stantly stirring  it  absorbs  1200  to  1300  cc.  per  hour. 
The  rate  of  absorption  is  hardly  affected  by  the  amount 
of  alkali  present  within  working  limits  but  the  tension  of 
the  CO,  has  a  marked  influence.  The  figures  given  refer 
to  cases  where  the  top  of  the  tanks  is  several  feet  above 
ground  level.  But  when  the  top  of  the  tanks  is  on  the 
level  or  below  the  level  of  the  surrounding  ground,  the 
rate  of  absorption  may  be  three  or  four  times  as  fast. 
The  presence  of  soluble  and  insoluble  carbonates  facili- 
tates decomposition  of  cyanides." 

In  order  to  study  the  reactions  taking  place  during  the 
atmospheric  decomposition  of  weak  solutions  of  the  alka- 
line cyanides,  it  became  necessary  to  determine  cyanide, 
cyanate,  hydrate,  carbonate,  ammonia,  and  formate.  The 
following  methods  for  these  determinations  were  used. 

Cyanide.  (1)  Liebig  method.8  A  25  cc.  sample  of 
solution,  to  which  two  drops  of  KI  had  been  aded.  was 
titrated  with  standard  AgNO,  solution  to  the  first  faint 
yellow  opalescence.  Titration  of  the  solution  without  the 
addition  of  an  indicater  was  used  when  zinc  was  present. 

(2)  Victor  method."  An  excess  of  standard  AgN03 
solution  (generally  10  cc),  together  with  10  cc.  of  1 : 1 
IIXl  1  .  was  added  to  a  10  cc.  sample  of  the  solution  con- 
tained in  a  100  cc.  volumetric  flask.  After  diluting  to 
tin'  Kill  CO.  mark  and  filtering,  the  excess  of  silver  nitrate 
in  50  cc.  of  filtrate  was  determined  after  the  addition  of 
5  '  '  of  HNO,  and  5  cc.  ferric  alum  indicator  by  titration 
with  standard  potassium  sulpbocyanate  solution  (Vol- 
bard  method). 

Allen"'  states  that,  unless  the  directions  for  perform- 
ing this  method  are  closely  followed,  unsatisfactory  re- 
sults may  be  obtained  on  account  of  the  appreciable  solu- 
bility of  AgCN  in  dilute  HN03.  Our  experience  with 
this  method  is  that,  even  when  ever}7  precaution  is  taken, 
the  results  are  generally  slightly  lower  than  those  by 
the  Liebig  method. 

Cyanate.  Paterno  and  Pannin's  method11  for  cya- 
nate, hydrate,  and  carbonate  is  rather  uncertain  when 
applied  to  dilute  solutions,  on  account  of  the  behavior 
of  silver  cyanate. 

HertingV-  method  for  cyanate  involves  the  conver- 
sion of  the  cyanate  into  an  ammonia  salt,  followed  by 
distillation  with  caustic  soda.  The  NH,,  in  the  case  of 
considerable  amount  of  cyanate,  may  be  collected  in 
standard  acid  and  determined  by  titration,  while  with 
small  amounts  of  cyanate  the  NH.,  is  collected  in  dis- 
tilled water  and  determined  by  Nessler  reagent.     This 

''Cyaniding  Gold  and  Silver  Ores.'  By  H.  Forbes  Julian  and 
Edgar  Smart.    P.  109. 

^'Chemistry  of  Cyanide  Solutions.'    J.  E.  Clennell.    P.  8. 

oZeit.  fur  Anal.  Chem.    40  (3)  462. 

'"'Commercial  Organic  Analysis.'    Vol.  VII,  p.  4S7. 

"Gazetta  Chimim  Itnhana.    34  (2)  152. 

nZeit.  fur  Angew.  Vhem.    24,  585. 


September  16,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


n; 


method  was  checked  aa  follows;  One  tenth  gram  of  Kahl 
banm'a  C  P,  potaaaiam  oyanate  waa  diaaolved  in  SO  oc, 
distilled  water     10  ec  of  1:1  BNl '   mi  added  to  l"  eo. 

hi'  this  sui  ut  urn  anil  cvn  |  in  mi  i'il  in  dryness.  After  taking 
up  with  distilled  water,  an  excess  of  NaOH  solution  was 
added  and  the  mixture  distilled  Tin1  Ml  was  oolleoted 
in  distilled  water  and  determined  calorimetriaally  by 
i-  reagent  The  potassium  oyanate  oaloulated  from 
tin'  Nil  found  corresponded  u>  \n<';  of  tin-  cyanate  thai 
had  been  added  by  weight.  In  view  of  the  instability  of 
tin'  cyanatea,  this  resull  is  probably  very  dose  to  the 
actual  oyanate  content  This  method  is  open  t<>  the  ob- 
ji'i-tiun  that  it  iilsn  indicates  any  ammonia  salts  present 

Bettel"  gives  a  method  for  determining  Nil.,,  involv- 
ing ili'-  precipitation  of  cyanogen  compounds,  by  a 
slight  excess  i>t'  AgNO„  precipitation  of  the  excess 
AgNl '  by  a  few  drops  of  IK'l  and  then  distillation  of  the 
tiltiTeil  solution  with  an  excess  of  NaOH.  The  distillate 
is  collected  in  distilled  water  and  Nil,  estimated  calori- 
metrically  by  Messier  reagent. 

As  there  is  no  satisfactory  method  for  the  determina- 
tion of  oyanate  in  cyanide  solutions  in  the  presence  of 
Nil  .  after  considerable  investigation  based  upon  the 
work  of  Herting  and  Bettel.  we  developed  the  following 
method  for  the  determination  of  nitrogen  in  dilute  cya- 
nide solutions  in  other  forms  than  cyanide. 

Nitrogen  in  Other  Forms  Than*  Cyanide.  10  cc.  of 
standard  AgN<  (,  and  in  ee.  of  1 : 1  HNO,  were  placed  in 
a  100  CC.  volumetric  flask  and  10  cc.  of  the  cyanide  solu- 
tion to  be  analyzed  added.  The  flask  was  filled  with  dis- 
tilled water  to  the  100  cc.  mark  and,  after  shaking,  filter- 
ed. The  excess  silver  in  50  cc.  of  the  filtrate  was  pre- 
cipitated with  Nat'l  and,  after  dilution  to  100  cc,  50  cc. 
was  distilled  with  an  excess  of  NaOH.  The  NH3  in  the 
distillate  was  determined  colorimetrically  with  Nessler 
reagent. 

Two  drops  of  phenol-phthalein  were  added  to  the  sam- 
ples after  determining  eyanide  by  the  Liebig  method  and 
the  alkalinity  determined  by  titrating  with  standard  ox- 
alic acid  solution.  The  above  method  of  titration  in- 
dicates one-half  of  the  mono-carbonates  present,  as  well 
as  the  alkaline  hydrates.  When  soluble  carbonates  were 
present,  they  were  first  precipitated  by  the  addition  of 
Ba(N03).,.  filtration  being  unnecessary. 

Carbonates.  The  following  method  for  carbonates  is 
a  slight  modification  of  that  given  by  Clennell.14 

Ten  cubic  centimetres  of  a  saturated  solution  of 
Ba(N03),  were  added  to  a  25  cc.  sample  of  the  solution; 
after  filtering  and  washing  the  precipitate,  the  moist 
filter-paper  was  placed  in  an  Erlenmeyer  flask,  10  cc.  of 
n/10  HN03  added,  and  the  filter-paper  macerated;  then 
titrated  with  n/10  NaOH,  using  two  drops  of  methyl 
orange  as  an  indicator.  This  method  gives  the  carbonate, 
together  with  one-half  of  the  bi-carbonate.  It  was 
checked  upon  a  weighed  quantity  of  dried  C.P.  potas- 

13'Technical  Analysis  of  Cyanide  Working  Solutions.'  By 
W.  Bettel.  Proceedings  of  the  Chemical  and  Metallurgical 
Society  of  South  Africa.    Vol.  1,  p.  168. 

^'Chemistry  of  Cyanide  Solutions.'    By  J.  E.  Clennell.    P.  67. 


siuin  carbonate  and  found  to  give  the  theoretical  per- 
centage "T  carbonate. 

Formates  ujd  Acbi  pi  Considerable  difficulty  is 
encountered  in  determining  formates  quantitatively  in 

the  presence  of  the  other  d< mposition   products  of 

cyanide.  However,  there  are  a  number  of  qualitative 
irsis  thai  are  satisfactory.  With  cyanide  solutions  of 
the  concentration  and  at  tin-  temperatures  employed  in 
these  tests,  ii  was  impossible  to  deteel  either  formates  or 
acetates. 

Decomposition  Tests  in  Open  Beakers.  Atmos- 
pheric d imposition  was  investigated  by  exposing  the 

various  solutions  to  the  air.  Each  solution  was  placed 
in  an  open  glass  beaker  5  J  in.  diam.  and  si  in.  high; 
this  filled  the  beaker  to  a  depth  of  6J  in.,  as  shown  in 
Kig.  1.     The  beaker  was  placed  in  a   room  having  '_' 1 


\  ">.  - ; 

-Ti 

"T"  1 

1       1 
1       I 

l 

!    ! 

1       I 

1      1 

>    1 

6 

IfflPP 

m  -- 

j  i 

Mil 

-3HI 

j 

.1        <v 

\ 

TW\ 

~'i 

1 

i                                      L 

1          1 

zuBgy    i 

s2 

h 

i 

Fig.  1. 


DETAIL   OF   BEAKERS    USED   FOB   CONTAINING    CYANIDE    SOLU- 
TIONS  UNDERGOING   ATMOSPHERIC    DECOMPOSITION. 


ventilation  and  entirely  free  from  laboratory  fumes.  In 
each  case,  before  removing  the  samples  for  analysis,  the 
solution  from  the  beaker  was  transferred  to  a  graduated 
glass  cylinder  and  the  exact  amount  of  distilled  water 
added  to  compensate  for  evaporation. 

Series  A.  2000  cc.  each  of  0.1%  and  0.2%  solutions 
were  prepared  by  weight  from  Merck's  C.P.  potassium 
cyanide.    No  alkali  was  added. 


Temperature 

KCN  by 

Max.                 Min. 

Liebig 

Titration 

•F.                   °F. 

Days 

0.2%   Sol. 

0.1%   Sol 

0 

0.196 

0.098 

75                     58 

2 

0.175 

0.075 

73                      62 

7 

0.125 

0.067 

72                     61 

9 

0.093 

0.047 

76                     66 

11 

0.060 

0.032 

78                     58 

14 

0.033 

0.013 

78                     59 

16 

0.023 

trace 

80                     54 

18 

0.010 

21 

trace 

416 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  1916 


It  will  be  noted  that  a  steady  loss  of  cyanide  is  shown, 
but  at  not  so  rapid  a  rate  as  indicated  hy  Tables  I,  II, 
and  III.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  these 
tests  were  made  in  larger  beakers  and  possibly  to  a  less 
extent  to  the  difference  is  climatic  conditions  between 
Central  America  and  California. 

Series  B.    2000  cc.  each  of  0.10%  and  0.40%  cyanide 

soluti  m   were   prepared   by   weight   from  Merck's   C.P. 

potassium  cyanide  and  distilled  water.     No  alkali  was 

added.    Both  cyanide  and  carbonate  were  determined  at 

■itervals  noted. 


Temp. 
Mill. 


65 
64 

64 
66 
70 
70 

Til 
70 


61 
59 
58 
56 
60 
62 
61 


Days 
0 
2 

4 


10 

12 
14 
16 
18 
20 


K'W. 

".1 

0.042 
0.030 
0.029 
0.020 
0.015 


Sol 
K,COj. 

0.0 
0.023 

0.096 
0.116 
0.0827 


0.2%   Sol. 
KCN,    K.CO,, 

0.032 

0.088 
0.116 
0.130 
0.149 
0.176 
0.197 
0.210 


0.168 
0.1  Ifi 

0.110 
0.089 

0.057 
0.047 
0.031 
0.021 


II.  I', 

KCN, 

0.038 
0.316 

0.266 
0.240 
0.204 
0.186 
0.168 
0.135 
0.108 


Sol. 
K,CO* 

% 
0.0 
0.042 
0  076 
0.116 
0.137 
0.178 
0.197 
0.223 
0.271 
0.295 


Cyanide  was  determined  in  this  series  by  the  Victor 
method.  The  results  of  Series  B  are  shown  graphically 
in  Fig.  2. 

Series  C.  Pour  portions  of  2000  cc.  each  were  pre- 
pared of  0.1%  solution,  employing  Merck's  C.  P.  potas- 
sium cyanide.  The  alkalinity  was  adjusted  by  varying 
the  proportion  of  distilled  water  and  lime-water  used. 
One  portion  contained  80  points1"  of  alkalinity,  one  40 
points,  one  20  points,  and  one  10  points.  Cyanide,  pro- 
tective alkalinity,  and  nitrogen  in  other  forms  than 
cyanide  were  determined  at  the  intervals  noted. 

The  results  of  Series  C  are  shown  graphically  in  Fig. 
3.     This  shows  the  effect  of  the  alkali  lime  in  lowering 

i^One  hundred  points  of  alkalinity  correspond  to  a  saturated 
solution  of  lime  in  water  at  ordinary  temperatures;  that  is, 
0.13%. 


the  rate  of  decomposition  of  the  cyanide.  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  nitrogen  in  other  forms  than  cyanide  remains 
practically  constant. 

Series  D.  This  series  was  the  same  as  Series  C,  except 
that  the  solutions  contained  0.20%  cyanide: 

The  results  of  Series  D  are  shown  graphically  in  Fig. 
i.  This  series  confirms  the  results  of  Series  C  upon  a 
solution  of  double  the  cyanide  strength. 

Series  B.  Two  portions  of  2000  cc.  each  of  0.2% 
solution  were  prepared,  employing  Merck's  C.  P.  potas- 
sium cyanide.  To  one  portion  sufficient  KOII  was  added 
to  give  30  points  of  protective  alkalinity;  further  addi- 
tions were  made  every  two  days  in  order  to  maintain  the 
alkalinity.  To  the  other  portion,  4  grams  of  C.  P. 
K  t.'O  was  added  at  the  beginning,  but  no  later  additions 
of  K„C03  were  made. 

KOH  added  every  day  to 
maintain  alkalinity 

Protec 
tive  alkalin- 
Pro-       ity  after 
tective      adding 
alkali         BaNOj 
30  30 

22  1 

48  0 

56  2 

66  58  0.180  82  2 

Note.    Cyanide  was  determined  by  the  Liebig  method. 

The  results  of  Series  E,  together  with  the  curve  for 
the  decomposition  of  a  0.2%  cyanide  solution  without 
alkalinity  from  Series  B  and  the  curve  for  the  decompo- 
sition of  a  0.2%  cyanide  solution  having  an  initial  alka- 
linity of  20  points  of  lime  from  Series  D  are  shown 
graphically  in  Fig.  5. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  constant  addition  of  an  alka- 
line hydroxide  makes  for  the  lowest  decomposition  of 
cyanide. 

Series  F.  In  order  to  study  the  gaseous  products  of 
the  atmospheric  decomposition  of  cyanide  solutions,  the 


Temperature 
Max.         Min. 
Days     °F.  °F. 


59 
60 


KCN, 

•• 
0.196 
0.194 
0.190 
0.186 
0.180 


4  gm. 

K:COs 

added  at  start 

Pro- 

KCN, 

tective 

% 

alkali 

0.196 

24 

0.170 

28 

0.154 

lost 

0.132 

34 

0.116 

42 

ALKALINITY  OF  THE  LIME 

, 80  Points ,       , 40  Points ,       , 20  Points ,  , 10  Points , 

Nitrogen                                       Nitrogen  Nitrogen  Nitrogen 

in  other                                         in  other  in  other  in  other 

Pro-         forms                           Pro-            forms                              Pro-  forms  Pro-         forms 

Temperature                           tective       than                        tective         than                             tective       than  tective       than 

Max.        Mln.            KCN.        Alkali      Cvanide,    KCN.      Alkali      Cyanide.        KCN,         Alkali    Cyanide.  KCN.          Alkali    Cyanide. 

Hays        °F.            °F.                 %                                      %                  %                                                              %  %  %                                   % 

0                                            0.09S             SO             0.06            0.098             40               0.04            0.098             20  0.04  0.098             10             0.04 

3           70             65             0.096             64             0.06            0.095             26               0.04            0.093              10  0.04  0.092                2«           0.04 

.6           69             66             0.095              13             0.08            0.093             11               0.04            0.087               0  0.04  0.078               3»           0.06 

9           68             59             0.094              31              0.10            0.0S7               4               0.04            0.073                1*  0.04  0.058              .4*           0.04 

IS           68             60             0.093              25             0.0S            0.077                0               O.'H            0.052                8«  0.04  0.040                6*           0.04 

15           66             64             0.091              17             0.08            0.055                3«             0.04            0.034                7*  0.04  0.024             11*           0.04 

19  66             58             0.088                6             0.06            0.035               7*             0.04            0.017                9*  0.04  0.013             11*           0.04 

•After   addition   of   barium   nitrate,    no   protective  alkalinity  was  shown. 

, Alkalinity  80  points  (lime)  ,  , Alkalinity  40  points  (lime)  , 

Nitrogen  Nitrogen 

Temperature                   KCN                  KCN                                    other  than           KCN  KCN  other  than 

Max.            Min.            (Liebig)           (Victor)      Protective        cyanide           (Liebig)  (Victor)  Protective       cyanide 

Days               °F,               'F.                                              %           alkalinity              '.  ':  alkalinity             % 

0    0.196                   n.19.7                   SO                     0.04                   0.196  0.195  40                     0.04 

3     70                   65                   0  194                   0  1S7                   68                     0.190  0.187  28                     0.06 

6     69                   56                   0.187                   0.183                   44                     0.06                   0.183  0.1S2  14                     0.08 

9    66                   59                   0.184                   0.178                   37                     0.08                   0.176  0.167  4                     0.08 

12    68                   60                   0.182                   0.167                   25                     0.08                   0.153  0.147  2"                   0.06 

15    66                   64                   0.178                   0.163                   10                     0.08                   0.126  0.117  8»                   0.08 

20    66                   56                   0.145                   0.130                     5                     0.08                   0.075  0.065  16*                   0.08 

, ■ —  Alkalinity  20  points   (lime)  ,  , Alkalinity  10  points   (lime)  , 

Nitrogen  Nitrogen 

Temperature                   KCN                   KCN                                    other  than           KCN  KCN  other  than 

Max.            Mln.            (Liebig)           (Victor)     Protective        cyanide           (Liebig)  (Victor)  Protective       cyanide 

Days              °F.                °F.                                                           alkalinity               '.  '  alkalinity 

0    0.196                   ii.iur.                   20                     0.06                   0.196  0.195  10                     0.04 

70                   65                   0.1S7                   0.172                   10                     0.04                   0.178  0.167  3                     0.04 

6     69                   36                   "  17o                   0.157                     5                     0.04                   0.152  0.197?  2                     0.06 

9     66                   59                   0.146                   0.1S7                     0                     0.08                   0.127  0.123  0                     0.06 

12     68                   60                                               0.108                     0                     0.06                   0.101  ii.iv.i2  2»                   0.04 

16       66                   64                   0.093                   0.086                   16                     0.08                   0.076  0.067  18*                   

20    66                   56                   0.055                   0.050                   18                     0.08                   0.044  0.045  25*                   0.06 

•After  addition  of  barium  nitrate,  no  protective  alkalinity  shown. 


September  16,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     IMU.SS 


117 


apparatus  shown  in  Pig.  6  was 
s.-i  1 1 1 >  .1  is  an  ordinary  labora- 
tory filter-pump;  is  a  large  glass 
bottle  nearly  Oiled  with  (rater, 
which,  through  the  medinm  of 
mi  adjustable  glaaa  tube  com- 
municating with  the  outside  air, 
-  .i  pressure  regulator;  C 
is  a  Junker's  gas  meter  tor 
measuring  the  volume  of  air 
used :  /'  and  /■■'  are  I '  tubes  con 
taining  l"'  COH  solution;  F 
is  a  IJ-tube  containing  concen- 
trated H,S< ', :  6  is  a  glass  bottle 
containing  cyanide  solution  over 
which  the  air  is  passed  (detailed 
drawing  of  tliis  bottle  is  shown 
in  Fig.  7  :  //  is  a  O-tube  con- 
taining 1"'.  KOH  or  distilled 
water,  depending  upon  the  test  . 
/  is  a  U-tube,  not  shown,  con- 
taining I11'.  KOH,  only  nsed 
when  the  • !( '..  was  to  be  removed 
from  the  air  before  passing  over 
the  cyanide  solution:  ./  and  A' 
are  wash-bottles  containing  con- 
centrated sulphuric  acid. 

In  tests  No.  1  and  3  of  Series  F  no  alkali  was  added 
to  the  solution,  nor  no  provision  made  for  the  removal 
of  I II  • ,  from  the  air.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  cyanide  lost  from  the  solution  is  re- 
covered  by  absorption  in  an  alkaline  hydroxide  solution. 
This  indicates  that  the  major  portion  of  the  decomposi- 

o.coo 


\\  o  to 


X 


T/me  :  Days 


Fig.  2.    curves  SHOWING  loss  of  KCN  and  gain  in  K.C03  through  atmospheric  decomposi- 
tion of  0.10%,  0.20%,  AND  0.40%  KCN  solutions  containing  no  protective  alkalinity. 


Fig. 


T/me  :  Days 
CURVES    SHOWING    THE    INFLUENCE    OF    VARIOUS     DEGREES     OF    PROTECTIVE     ALKALINITY 


UPON    THE    ATMOSPHERIC    DECOMPOSITION    OF    A    0.10%    KCN    SOLUTION 


tion  involves  the  formation  of  HCN.  Additional  light 
is  thrown  upon  the  reactions  taking  place  through  the 
finding  of  NH3  in  the  gaseous  products  of  decomposition. 
In  test  No.  4,  CO,  was  removed  from  the  air  by  pass- 
ing it  through  a  solution  of  KOH,  but  no  alkali  was 
added  to  the  solution.  In  this  test  there  was  some  car- 
bonate of  ammonia  formed,  but  the 
decomposition  of  cyanide  was  much 
less  than  in  the  absence  of  alkali 
when  CO,  was  not  removed  from 
the  air.  In  test  No.  2,  in  which  the 
CO,  was  removed  from  the  air  and 
alkali  added  to  the  solution,  the 
cyanide  decomposition  is  still  less 
than  in  test  No.  4.  In  test  No.  5, 
the  CO,  was  not  removed  from  tlie 
air,  but  the  solution  contained  a 
comparatively  high  alkalinity  due 
to  lime. 

'  In  test  No.  6  both  lime  and  zinc 
were  present,  so  that  this  solution 
was  similar  to  a  mill  solution. 
These  two  tests,  while  not  for  so 
long  a  period  as  the  other  tests, 
indicate  the  retardation  in  atmos- 
pheric decomposition  possible  if 
there  be  sufficient  protective  alka- 
linity present  in  the  solution. 

The  Chemistry  op  Atmospher- 
ic Decomposition.  The  chief  pro- 
ducts of  atmospheric  decomposi- 
tion of  weak  cyanide  solutions  are : 


41S 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


(1)  Alkaline  carbonate,  which  remains  in  the  solution 
as  soluble  sodium  or  potassium  carbonate,  depending 
upon  which  alkaline  cyanide  is  used,  in  the  absence  of 
calcium  hydroxide  (lime);  in  the  presence  of  calcium 
hydroxide,  the  carbonate  is  precipitate/3  from  solution 
as  rapidly  as  formed  as  insoluble  calcium  carbonate. 

(2)  Hydrocyanic  acid,  which  mostly  passes  off  into  the 
air  at  a  gas  unless  there  is  an  excess  of  alkaline  hydrox- 
ide present. 

(3)  Ammonia,  which  also  mostly  passes  off  into  the 
air  as  a  gas. 

Potassium  cyanide"1  in  aqueous  solution  hydrolyses17 
;is  shown  by  the  below  equation: 

KCN  +  II  OH  fcj  HCN  +  KOH 

In  this  reaction,  which  is  a  balanced  one,  ILO  may  be 
considered  a  weak  acid,  which,  like  any  other  acid, 
liberates  a  certain  amount  of  acid  (HCN  in  the  form  of 
ga.s  in  this  easel   from  the  KCN  dissolved  in  it. 

Hydrolysis  proceeds  until  equilibrium  is  established 
for  the  particular  concentration  of  cyanide  in  solu- 
tion. Moir1"  has  published  a  table  showing  the  hy- 
drolysis of  pure  NaCN  at  a  summer  temperature  (in 
South  Africa)  ;  results  arc  stated  to  be  10  to  15','  lower 
in  the  winter.  It  will  be  noted  from  these  figures  that 
the  hydrolysis  becomes  greater  as  the  solution  becomes 
more  dilute. 

Removal  of  KOH  from  the  right  of  the  equation 
causes  the  reaction  to  proceed  in  that  direction  until 
equilibrium  is  established.  Consequently  the  addition 
of  sufficient  acid  to  the  solution  to  combine  with  the 
KOH  as  rapidly  as  formed  causes  the  hydrolysis  to 
proceed  until  all  the  KCN  has  been  converted  into  HCN. 

Y  =  total  cyanide  as  KCN. 

X  =  portion  hydrolized  to  HCN.  but  calculated  as 
KCN. 

Z  =  portion  hydrolized  to  NaOH.  calculated  as  NaOH. 

"'Throughout  this  discussion,  for  the  sake  of  convenience, 
potassium  cyanide  is  used  as  implying  either  sodium  or  potas- 
sium cyanide. 

'"The  mechanism  of  the  hydrolysis  of  KCN  according  to  the 
ionic   theory   is  as  follows:     "In   aqueous  solution    potassium 

cyanide  is  ionized  in  the  ordinary  manner  into  K  and  CN  ions, 

but  water  itself  is  ionized  to  a  certain  extent  (H-Ot^H  +  OH) 

and,  as  hydrogen  cyanide  is  a  very  feeble  acid  and.  therefore, 

ionized  to  only  a  very  slight  extent  in  aqueous  solution,  there 

+ 
is  a  tendency  for  the  H  ions  of  the  water  to  combine  with  the 

CN  ions  from   the  cyanide,  yielding  undissociated  HCN,  the 

result  is  that  the  equilibrium   (H.Ofc;H  +  OH)    is  destroyed 
and  more  molecules  of  water  are  ionized,  but  this  results  in 

+  - 

further   combination   between   H   and   CN   ions   and,   by    this 

-  + 

means,  an  excess  of  OH  over  H  ions  is  produced  and  thus  the 

alkaline  reaction.     The  changes  continue  until  ultimately  an 

-     +    +       — 
equilibrium   is  established  between   the  KCN.  CN,   K.  H.  OH, 

HCN,   and   H-0   present." — 'Dictionary   of  Applied   Chemistry,' 

Thorpe,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  74. 

is'Loss  of  Cyanide  and  Value  of  Protective  Alkali.'    By  James 

Moir.    Jour.  Chem.  Met.  &  Min.  Soc.  of  S.  A.,  Vol.  16,  p.  9. 


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MINING    «nd    Sirnl.lic     PRESS 


119 


\VS^*P>^^*^^#^*|*4^  ^B  **"^ 


^7g  :  A7K3 

FlO.  4.  CURVES  SHOWING  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  VARIOUS  DEGREES  OF 
PROTECTIVE  ALKALINITY  IPON  THE  ATMOSPHERIC  DECOMPOSI- 
TION   OF    A    0.20%   KCN    SOLUTION. 


FlG.  6.  GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  APPARATUS  FOB  SUBJECTING  A 
CYANIDE  SOLUTION  TO  ATMOSPHERIC  DECOMPOSITION  AND  COL- 
LECTING THE   GASEOUS   PRODUCTS   OF   DECOMPOSITION. 


77me  :  Days 


Fig.  5.  curves  showing  the  effect  upon  atmospheric  decom- 
position OF  THE  ADDITION  OF  VARIOUS  ALKALIES  TO  A  0.20% 
CYANIDE   SOLUTION. 


Fig.  7.  detail  of  bottle  used  fob 
containing  cyanide  solution  un- 
debgoing  atmosphebic  decompo- 
SITION. 


420 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


T 

X 

%  of  whole 

Z 

ital  KCN 

1.00 

0.0077 

0.8 

0.0047 

0 

0.50 

.".  1 

1.1 

0.0033 

0.7 

0.30 

1.1 

0.20 

1.7 

0.0021 

1.1 

0.10 

2.4 

0.0015 

1.5 

0.0  5 

0.0017 

3.4 

0.00105 

8.1 

0.02 

o.ooii 

5.4 

0.0007 

0.01 

0.0008 

7.7 

0.0005 

4.7 

0.005 

5 

11.0 

0.00O33 

C.7 

0.001 

0.00024 

24.0 

0.00015 

s  well  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  the  degree  of  hydrolysis  by  direct  titration 
of  the  KOI1  formed  with  a  standard  acid.  Cyanide  solu- 
tions invariably  show  an  alkaline  reaction  with  indi- 
cators such  as  phenol-phthalein,  methyl  orange,  etc.,  on 
account  of  the  alkaline  hydroxide  present  by  reason  of 
hydrolysis.  Upon  the  addition  of  standard  acid,  the 
alkaline  hydroxide  is  neutralized  and  the  equilihrium 
which  previously  existed  is  destroyed,  so  that  more  salt 
is  hydrolized  to  restore  the  equilibrium.  This  continues 
until  the  point  of  neutrality  is  reached,  when  all  the 
cyanide  is  decomposed. 

Even  a  comparatively  weak  acid  like  HXO.,  will  react 
with  the  caustic  alkali  added  to  cyanide  solutions  or 
formed  through  their  hydrolysis.  This  is  precisely  the 
effect  which  the  COs  in  the  air'"  has  upon  a  mill  solu- 
tion with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  Therefore,  in  the 
case  of  a  mill-solution  that  contains  no  protective  alkalin- 
ity, the  IICN  thai  may  be  lost  through  normal  hydrolysis 
of  the  cyanide  may  he  comparatively  small  hut,  if  suffi- 
cient air  is  brought  into  contact  with  such  a  solution,  a 
large  proportion  of  the  cyanide  may  be  lost  through 
progressive  hydrolysis.  It  should  be  made  clear  in  this 
connection  that,  while  the  ordinary  titration  as  practised 
for  determining  the  protective  alkalinity  of  mill-solu- 
tions indicates  one-half  of  the  alkaline  carbonates  present 
in  the  .solution,  the  carbonate  thus  indicated  is  not  ef- 
fective as  a  protection  against  atmospheric  decomposi- 
tion. Upon  exposure  to  the  air  of  a  cyanide  solution 
containing  alkaline  hydroxide,  the  protective  alkalinity 
as  determined  by  Clennell's  method  decreases  until  a 
point  is  reached  where  practically  no  protective  alka- 
linity is  indicated.  There  is  then  a  gradual  increase  in 
the  protective  alkalinity  until  all  the  cyanide  has  dis- 
appeared from  solution.  This  is  shown  in  Fig.  3  and  4. 
where  calcium  hydroxide  (lime)  was  the  protective  alkali 
used.  So  long  as  any  protective  alkalinity  remained. 
CaC03  was  precipitated,  hence  carbonate  was  not  in- 
dicated by  the  Clennell  titration,  all  the  solution  sam- 
ples having  been  filtered  before  titration.  The  low 
point  in  the  curves,  therefore,  indicates  where  all  the 
alkaline  hydroxide  [Ca(OH)2]  has  disappeared  from 
solution.  The  rise  in  the  curves  from  this  point  is  due 
to  accumulation  of  soluble  K2C03.  Herein  lies  a  danger 
(at  first  sight  not  apparent)  in  plants  operating  with  a 
very  low  alkalinity,  since  all  the>  lime  in  solution  may 
have  disappeared  before  the  end  of  treatment  and  the 
protective  alkalinity  indicated  may  be  entirely  due  to 
soluble  alkaline  carbonate,  which  does  not  afford  protec- 

loNormal  atr  contains  0.03%  CO-. — 'Dictionary  of  Applied 
Chemistry,'  Thorp. 


tion  against  the  C02  of  the  air — the  most  potent  agent  in 
atmospheric  decomposition.  In  such  cases  carbonates 
should  be  removed  from  solution  by  Ba(N03)2  before 
making  the  titration  for  protective  alkalinity.  This  is 
not  necessary  m  solutions  containing  lime,  since  CaC03 
is  as  insoluble  in  cyanide  mill  solutions  as  BaC03. 

Referring  again  to  the  equation  for  the  hydrolysis  of 
KCN  solution  previously  given,  if  KOH  be  added  to  the 
right  of  the  equation  the  reaction  proceeds  to  the  left 
and  hydrolysis  is  checked.  Therefore,  the  greater  the 
concentration  of  caustic  alkali  the  less  the  hydrolysis 
This  is  well  shown  by  results  published  by  Moir."  While 
a  high  protective  alkalinity  may  be  desirable  from  the 
standpoint  of  atmospheric  decomposition,  yet  there  are 
other  considerations  in  cyanide  practice  that  cannot  be 
ignored.  Lime  is  the  most  economical  and.  commonly, 
the  most  satisfactory  alkali  to  use  in  cyanidation.  but. 
on  account  of  the  low  solubility  of  Ca(0H)2,  the  amount 
of  lime  that  can  be  used  effectively  is  limited.  Further- 
more, within  the  limits  of  the  solubility  of  lime,  a  high 
alkalinity  may  cause  an  undue  consumption  of  zinc,  with 
its  train  of  attendant  evils.  A  comparatively  low  alka- 
linity gives  the  best  extraction  with  many  ores,  so  that, 
on  the  whole,  the  degree  of  alkalinity  must  be  a  matter 
of  compromise. 

Amount  of 
HCNlost  by 
Strength  of  cyanide         Observed  alkalinity  hydrolysis  calcu- 
as  KCX                                  :.s  NaOH,  "J  lated  as  KCX,  '', 
0.20                                           0.03  0.00023 
0.02  0.00033 
O.ol  0.00060 
0.005  0.00102 
0.0112  0.00177 
0.15                                           0.03  0.00017 
0.0!  0.00025 
o.ol  0.00046 
0.005  0.00080 
0.00144 
0  10                                           0.03  0.00012 
0.02  0.00017 
0.01  0.00032 
o. nor.  0.00056 
0  002  0.00104 
0.05                                           0.03  0.00006 
0.02  0.00009 
0.01  0.00016 
ii  on-  0.00030 
0.002  0.00060 
0  02                                           o  "■'■  0.000024 
0.02  0.000036 
o.ol  0.000072 
0.00014  4 
2  0.000352 

Roughly  speaking,  the  addition  of  alkali  equal  to  fo 
of  the  cyanide  causes  the  recovery  of  90%  of  the  lost 
cyanide. 

Carbon  dioxide  may  react  directly  with  KCN  accord- 
ing to  the  equation : 

2KCN  +CO„  +  H20  =  K2C03  +  2HCN 

Whether  this  reaction  plays  a  prominent  part  during 
atmospheric  decomposition  we  are  unable  to  say,  since 
the  final  products  of  the  reaction  are  the  same  as  those 
resulting  when  the  intermediate  step  of  hydrolysis  takes 
place.  However,  it  seems  probable  that  this  reaction 
plays  a  minor  part  when  very  small  amounts  of  CO,  are 
involved,  as  in  air. 

Nitrogen  in  other  forms  than  cyanide  is  indicated  in 
all  the  solutions  from  series  C,  D,  and  E.    Ammonia  is 

2°'Loss  of  Cyanide  and  Value  of  Protective  Alkalinity.'  By 
James  Moir.  .Tour.  Chem.  Met.  &  Min.  Soc.  of  S.  A.,  Vol.  16, 
p.  10. 


16,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRKSS 


r_'i 


null. 'lit.-, I    in    ll>,  ID    in 

iir<|  in  i-i  nun  -.•linn  with  the  U«ts  recorded  under 
.1  well  known  fool  thai  nascent  oxygen 
forms  Ki  NO  when  broaghl  in  contact  with  KCN,  ^.  t'or 
example,  daring  the  electrolysis"  of  ■  cyanide  solution 
when  the  oxygen  evolved  al  the  anode  combines  with  the 
K't'N  to  form  KCNO,  Our  results  indicate  that  the 
oxygen  of  the  air  reacts  slowly  with  KCN,  giving  first 
KCNO  according  to  the  equation: 

•_>K«  \      ii  0  +  0  =  KCNO      KOB   •   HCN 
or2K<  \      0       2KCNO 
Masson  and  U                ite  thai  KCNO  decomposes  in 
aqueous  solution  a "ding  to  th uiation  ; 

4KCNO      6B  0      2K  CO         Ml,   ,CO,+ 
CO  Ml 

Hamilton'  states  that  KCNO  decomposes  in  cyanide 
mill  solutions  according  to  the  equations: 

KCNO +  2HsO  =  KHCO, +  NH, 

In  the  presence  of  KOII 

KHCO   +  KOB       KJ'03  +  H20 

In  the  presence  of  Ca(OB 

KHCO  +Ca(OH),  =  CaCO, +  K0H  +  H.0 

Tli illations  advanced  by  Hamilton  harmonize  with 

the  fimling  of  NH3  in  the  gaseous  products  of  decora- 
position.  The  nitrogen  in  other  forms  than  alkaline 
cyanide  found  in  the  solutions  after  decompositions  is 
due  to  undeeomposed  KCNO,  an  NH3  salt  in  solution  or 
CO  MI,  ,  (urea). 

South  African  Investigation.  When  the  European 
war  threatened  to  interfere  with  the  furnishing  of  an 
adequate  supply  of  chemicals  for  the  Rand,  the  Chamber 
of  Mines  made  an  appropriation  for  the  study  of  cyanide 
losses.  Experiments  were  made  by  C.  A.  Meiklejohn 
under  the  direction  of  a  committee  composed  of  "W.  A. 
Caldeeott.  K.  G.  Graham,  E.  H.  Johnson,  and  H.  A. 
White.  An  account  of  this  investigation  was  published 
by  H.  A.  White"  in  September  1915. 

In  the  same  journal,  H.  M.  Leslie-5  published  an  ac- 
count of  his  experiments.  These  two  investigations  cover 
a  portion  of  the  work  done  by  us.  Although  our  experi- 
mental work  had  been  completed  and  this  paper  written, 
with  the  exception  of  the  experiments  recorded  under 
series  F.  before  the  South  African  investigations  were 
begun,  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  the  problem  was  at- 
tacked in  the  same  general  way,  namely,  by  exposure  of 
the  solution  in  open  containers  to  the  air.  The  delay  in 
presenting  our  results  was  occasioned  by  the  exigencies 
of  other  work. 

:i'The  Electrolysis  o£  Aqueous  Solutions  of  the  Simple  Alka- 
line Cyanides.'  By  G.  H.  Clevenger  and  M.  L.  Hall.  Trans. 
Amer.  Eleetrochem.  Soc,  Vol.  24,  pp.  271-289. 

z*Zeit.  fur  Physick.  Chem.    Vol.  70,  p.  290. 

=3Proc.  Chem.  &  Met.  Soc.  of  S.  A.,  Vol.  4,  p.  357. 

:<'Cyanide  Consumption  on  the  Witwatersrand.'  H.  A. 
White.  Jour.  Met.  Chem.  &  Min.  Soc.  of  S.  A.,  Vol.  16,  pp. 
24-36. 

20'The  Prevention  of  Hydrolysis  in  Cyanide  Solutions.'  H. 
M.  Leslie.    Ibid.,  pp.  36-47. 


The  portion  of  White's  paper  dealing  with  atmoa 
pheric  decomposition  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 
The  Brsl  experiments  wen  conducted  in  uniform  glass 
jars  holding  about  800  oo.,  placed  on  a  board  above  the 
sump.  This  gave  a  surface  exposure  of  si  s.p  ft,  per  ion 
of  solution  as  compared  with  6  sip  ft.  in  a  sump  6  ft, 
.hep.  No  correction  was  made  Tor  evaporation,  which 
would  tend  to  cause  the  decomposition  to  appear  less 
than  it  really  was.    The  following  conclusions  are  given 

as  a  result  of  these  tests: 

(1)  Loose'  or  incomplete  covering  is  practically  use 
less  in  preventing  loss  of  alkali  or  cyanide. 

(2)  With  weak  solution  no  loss  of  HCN  as  total  cya 

aide   and   but    little   loss  as   free  cyanide  occurs   while 
available  protective  alkali  is  present. 

(3)  With  strongest  solutions  the  loss  of  HCN,  both  as 

free  cyanide  and  total  cyanide,  becomes  serious  when 
available  protective  alkali  is  below  0.01%  NaOII. 

(4)  Comparing  results  published  by  Williams  (Jour. 
Met,  Chem.,  &  Min.  S.  of  S.  A.,  Vol.  4,  p.  501),  it  is 
evident  that  the  presence  of  zinc  enormously  decreases 
the  loss  of  HCN  by  hydrolysis,  etc. 

(5)  The  recrudescence  of  alkaline  strength  observed 
in  experiment  XXI  was  independently  checked  and  can 
possibly  be  accounted  for  by  change  of  KCN  to  K,C03. 

Further  experiments  were  run  under  varying  condi- 
tions in  both  open  and  closed  vessels.  The  following  con- 
clusions are  drawn  from  these  tests: 

(1)  The  loss  is  incomparably  greater  in  pure  syn- 
thetic solutions,  even  with  added  alkali,  than  is  the  case 
with  ordinary  working  solutions. 

(2)  Tables  E,  F,  and  M  illustrate  the  very  heavy  loss 
shown  in  the  presence  of  little  or  no  protective  alkali 
when  determined  with  the  addition  of  ferrocyanide. 
(This  suggests  that  it  is  safer  to  omit  the  addition  of 
ferrocyanide  in  working  tests). 

(3)  In  table  G,  the  increased  temperature  effect  is 
strikingly  apparent,  but  alkali  protection  is  low. 

(4)  Tables  H,  I,  J,  and  K  show  the  much  improved 
results  obtainable  when  the  alkali  strength  (without 
ferrocyanide)  is  not  allowed  to  get  below  0.030%  NaOH. 
The  results  shown  in  table  C,  where  working  conditions 
were  attempted,  more  nearly  indicate  that  decomposi- 
tion is  small  as  long  as  real  protective  alkali  is  present. 

(5)  In  table  L,  the  attempt  was  made  to  keep  the 
alkaline  strength  up  by  daily  additions  of  lime,  but  of 
course  the  drop  during  the  24  hours  exposure  could  not 
be  avoided. 

If  reference  be  made  to  Dr.  Moir's  valuable  note 
(Jour,  of  Met.  Chem.,  &  Min.  S.  of  S.  A.,  Vol.  17,  p.  9), 
it  will  be  clear  that  the  addition  of  alkali  is  of  consider- 
able benefit  in  reducing  hydrolysis,  which,  however,  is 
of  secondary  importance  compared  with  the  protection 
it  gives  against  decomposition  by  atmospheric  carbon 
dioxide,  which  is  the  principal  source  of  the  loss  of  HCN 
gas. 

Leslie  carried  on  exposure  tests  in  both  open  and 
closed  vessels  from  which  he  draws  the  following  con- 
clusions : 


422 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


(li  Thai  simple  cyanide  solutions  decompose  by  the 
hydrolysis  of  the  solution. 

(2)  That  the  percentage  loss  by  this  reaction  is  greater 
in  a  given  time,  the  weaker  the  solution. 

(3)  That  increased  temperature  accelerates  this  de- 
composition. 

(4)  That  the  alkali  formed  as  a  product  of  the  hydro- 
lytic  action  has  little  or  no  protective  action  on  the  re- 
maining cyanide,  so  that  hydrolysis  goes  on  until  all  the 
cyanide  is  destroyed. 

(5)  That  the  protection  afforded  by  the  addition  of 
an  excess  of  caustic  alkali  is  by  no  means  complete,  and 
that  the  protection  is  only  of  a  very  temporary  nature. 

A  small  demonstration  plant  was  used  to  ascertain  this 
loss.  This  was  capable  of  treating  one  ton  of  sand  or 
600  lb.  slime  at  a  time,  and  was  so  arranged  that  the 
whole  cycle  of  the  cyanide  process  could  be  carried  out. 
Tests  were  made  with  both  the  open  and  closed  systems. 
Cyanide  consumption  was  found  to  be  larger  than  in 
large-scale  practice  on  the  same  ore.  This  is  explained 
by  small  scale  operation  and  the  lack  of  protective  paint 
on  iron  tanks. 

The  calculated  saving  at  the  Village  Deep  mill,  if  a 
closed  system  were  used,  is  stated  to  be  50-60%  of  the 
cyanide  used.  Farther  tests  made  in  small  Brown  agita- 
tors showed  that  with  excessive  air  agitation,  cyanide 
consumption  was  increased.  Large-scale  trials  with 
working  scale  Brown  agitators  at  the  Modder  Ii  mine 
showed  only  a  trace  of  cyanide  saved.  This  was  at- 
tributed to  the  high  alkalinity  of  the  cyanide  solutions 
used,  due  to  the  use  of  zinc  dust  precipitation.  The 
protective  alkalinity  was  0.1)254' ",  . 

Taking  up  first  White's  paper:  The  effectiveness  of 
loose  or  incomplete  covering  was  not  investigated  by  us, 
but  the  conclusion  that  loose  or  incomplete  covering  is 
not  effective  is  what  would  be  expected,  since  such  cover- 
ing would  not  prevent  the  circulation  of  the  air  and 
might  in  certain  cases  even  promote  it. 

Our  results  regarding  the  effectiveness  of  protective 
alkalinity  (alkaline  hydroxides  i  and  zinc  are  in  a  gen- 
eral way  in  accord  with  conclusions  2,  3,  and  4;  namely, 
that  with  sufficient  protective  alkalinity  and  a  reasonable 
period  of  treatment  the  loss  from  atmospheric  decom- 
position is  not  serious.  The  exact  behavior  of  zinc  is 
not  clear,  but  the  fact  that  mill  solutions  in  general  give 
lower  cyanide  consumption  than  fresh  solutions  in  a 
general  way  confirms  the  conclusion  reached  under  (4). 

The  "recrudescence"20  of  the  alkaline  strength  re- 
ferred to  under  (5)  and  said  to  be  possibly  accounted 
for  by  the  change  of  KCN  to  K„C03,  we  have  definitely 
proved  to  be  due  to  the  accumulation  of  K,C03  in  the 
solution.  This  is  well  shown  by  our  tests  recorded  under 
series  C  and  D. 

While  doubtless  it  is  true  tliat  the  atmospheric  de- 
composition of  pure  synthetic  solutions  is  greater  even 
when  alkaline  hydroxides  are  added,  than  with  working 

?«The  breaking  out  again  after  temporary  abatement  or  sup- 
pression. Usually  said  of  something  regarded  as  bad.  A  poor 
word  to  use  in  this  connection,  as  the  meaning  is  rather  veiled. 


solutions,  we  cannot  agree  that  it  would  be  so  great  as 
the  statement  under  (6)  would  indicate. 

Under  (7)  it  is  suggested  that  it  is  safer  to  omit  the 
addition  of  I'erroe.vaiiide  previous  to  the  determination  of 
protective  alkjli.  This  suggestion  is  made  on  account  of 
the  fact  that  the  ferrocyanide  precipitates  zinc  with  an 
accompanying  increase  in  the  alkalinity  of  the  solution. 
The  alkalinity  thus  indicated  is  not  available  for  the 
protection  of  the  cyanide. 

Although  the  tests  referred  to  under  (8)  are  incon- 
clusive and  no  special  investigation  was  made  of  this 
point  by  ourselves,  we  are  convinced  that  higher  temper- 
ature causes  increased  decomposition  of  cyanide. 

We  are  entirely  in  agreement  with  the  statement  under 
(9)  that  atmospheric  decomposition  is  small  so  long  as 
there  is  real  protective  alkalinity  present. 

The  statement  under  (10)  that  hydrolysis  is  of  second- 
ary importance  compared  with  the  direct  decomposition 
of  cyanide  by  atmospheric  carbon  dioxide  is  not  justified, 
since  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  between  this  reaction 
and  the  one  involving  the  intermediate  step  of  hydrolysis. 
as  the  final  products  of  the  two  reactions  arc  the  same. 
The  important  point  to  be  borne  in  mind  is  that  the  C02 
of  the  air  removes  the  alkaline  hydroxide  as  rapidly  as 
formed  by  hydrolysis.  Hydrolysis  would  stop  as  soon  as 
equilibrium  was  established,  provided  that  the  alkaline 
hydroxide  were  not  converted  into  carbonate.  The  rate 
of  decomposition  is  therefore  largely  governed  by  the 
rate  at  which  alkaline  hydroxide  is  converted  into  car- 
bonate. The  other  reactions,  as  our  work  shows,  involv- 
ing the  decomposition  of  cyanide  by  the  oxygen  of  the 
air.  are  of  minor  importance. 

Taking  up  Leslie's  paper: 

Conclusion  (1)  may  he  passed  as  a  general  statement 
more  or  less  in  accord  with  our  results. 

Under  ( 2  ! ,  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  while  it  is  true 
that  the  degree  of  hydrolysis  is  greater  with  a  dilute 
solution,  yet  in  the  presence  of  protective  alkalinity  it 
does  not  work  out  this  way  in  practice,  for  the  reason,  as 
previously  pointed  out.  that  the  rate  of  decomposition 
is  largely  dependent  upon  the  removal  of  protective  alka- 
linity by  the  CO,  of  the  air.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  in 
mill-work  that  with  sufficient  protective  alkalinity  a  weak 
solution  shows  less  decomposition  than  a  stronger  solu- 
tion, and  for  this  reason  as  weak  a  solution  as  compatible 
with  proper  extraction  should  be  used. 

The  conclusion  under  (3),  that  increased  temperature 
accelerates  decomposition  is  in  accord  with  the  conclu- 
sion of  White  and  ourselves. 

The  statement  under  (4)  that  the  alkali  formed  as  a 
product  of  hydrolytie  action  has  little  or  no  protective 
action  on  the  remaining  cyanide  is  not  true,  only  to  the 
extent  that  the  alkaline  hydroxide  is  converted  into  car- 
bonate. There  is  no  distinction  whatever  between  the 
alkaline  hydroxide  formed  as  a  result  of  hydrolysis  and 
that  added ;  both  are  effective  until  rendered  inert  by  the 
conversion  into  carbonate  by  C02  of  the  air.  or  for  that 
matter,  through  various  other  reactions  taking  place  dur- 
ing treatment  which  may  convert  it  into  inert  salts. 


mber  16,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRKSS 


The  statement  under  •*>  thai  the  protection  afforded 
by  the  addition  oi  an  axeeaa  of  oaoatic  alkali  is  by  no 
means  complete,  and  that  the  protection  is  onlj  of  B 
purely  v  mpornry  nature  would  only  be  true  when  there 
verj  low  alkalinity  at  the  beginning  and  this  is 
allowed  ti>  fall  to  the  vanishing  point  or  t"  the  point 
where  protective  alkalinity  again  becomes  apparent 
through  the  presence  of  carbonates.  The  results  of  the 
Kale  trials  with  working  scale  Brown  agitators  al 
the  Uodder  B,  in  which  only  a  trace  of  cyanide  was 
saved,  proves  the  contention  of  White  and  ourselves  thai 
sufficient  alkaline  hydroxide  is  quite  effective  in  prevent- 
ing undue  atmospheric  decomposition.  The  alkalinity 
of  these  solutions  0.02549  would  nol  be  considered 
high  in  American  practd 0.139  is  a  saturated  solu- 
tion of  lime  in  water  at  ordinary  temperatun 

K  Mill  Practice.  The  operator  will  naturally  raise 
the  following  questions:  (1)  Is  atmospheric  il imposi- 
tion of  cyanide  a  serious  factor  in  operating  a  cyanide 
l>lant  '.'  2  What  can  he  done  to  recover  cyanide  lost 
through  atmospheric  decomposition,  and  will  it  pay  to 
recover  itl  3)  What  can  be  done  to  prevent  atmos- 
pheric decomposition  I 

These  three  questions  which  seem  to  cover  the  case 
fully  can  now  be  satisfactorily  answered  in  the  light  of 
the  South  African  investigations  and  our  own  investiga- 
tion. 

1  Atmospheric  decomposition  may  become  a  serious 
factor  with  cyanide  solutions  containing  very  little  or  no 
protective  alkalinity,  hut  when  a  reasonable  protective 
alkalinity,  due  to  alkaline  hydroxides,  is  maintained 
throughout  a  reasonable  period  of  treatment,  the  loss  is 
not  serious.  When  a  long  period  is  required,  higher 
losses  can  be  expected,  therefore  the  aim  should  be  to 
keep  down  the  period  of  treatment  to  the  lowest  point 
compatible  with  a  satisfactory  extraction. 

(2)  The  cyanide  lost  through  reactions  with  oxygen 
cannot  under  any  circumstance  be  economically  recov- 
ered since  the  nitrogen  is  in  the  form  of  CNO  (cyanate), 
XIL\( 
NH,/ 

decomposition  due  to  oxygen  under  ordinary  conditions 
of  mill  operation  is  small. 

The  cyanide  lost  through  the  reaction  with  CO,  is  in 
the  form  of  HCN,  which  largely  passes  off  with  the  air 
at  the  top  of  the  treatment  tank.  This  can  be  recov- 
ered by  using  closed  tanks  and  passing  all  the  air  through 
scrubbing-towers  containing  lime-water  or  caustic  soda 
solution,  preferably  the  latter.  In  our  opinion  this 
would  possibly  only  be  profitable  in  the  case  of  cyanide 
solutions  containing  little  or  no  alkaline  hydroxide. 

Another  alternative  would  be  to  pass  the  air  used  in 
agitation,  or  necessary  in  treatment,  through  a  serub- 
bing-tower  containing  lime  water  or  caustic  soda,  which 
would  remove  the  CO,  before  introducing  it  into  the 
treatment  tank.  In  this  case  it  would  be  necessary  to 
cover  the  tanks  in  order  to  exclude  outside  air. 

Still  another  possibility  would  be  to  connect  the  agita- 
tion tanks  in  such  a  way  that  the  air  introduced  into  the 


)CO  (urea),  and  NH,  (ammonia).    Fortunately  the 


Oral    tank   would   pass  through   the   whole   sories.     A 

higher  alkalinity  could  be  maintained  in  the  lower si 

tanks  of  the  series  or  the  air  could  be  discharged  into  a 
sump  .solution  having  a  high  alkalinity,  a  system 
similar  to  the  above  »as  employed  with  the  montejua 
use, I   for  agitation   in  some  of  the  earlier  filter-press 

plants  operate,!    in    Australia,    tin-   air    passing    from    "lie 

closed  monteju  to  the  next,    in  tl ue  case  with  which 

We  are    familiar,   there   was  a   gain    in   cyanide   strength 

toward  the  fool  of  the  system.  There  are  certain  me- 
chanical difficulties  in  applying  this  idea  to  agitation- 
tanks,  since  the  pressure  at  the  head  would  be  consid- 
erable. One  way  of  overcoming  this,  would  be  to  draw 
air  from  tank  to  tank  by  special  compressors,  Increased 
pressures  in  the  treatment-tanks  would  perhaps  not  be 
without  its  advantage,  since  there  is  evidence  leading  to 
the  belief  that  with  certain  ores,  at  least,  there  would 
result  a  considerable  acceleration  in  extraction. 

(3)  It  will  be  obvious  that  the  most  effective  method 
of  preventing  atmospheric  decomposition  is  to  maintain 
a  sufficiently  high  concentration  of  alkaline  hydroxides 
in  the  solution.  In  this  connection  we  wish  again  to  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  method  for  the  determina- 
tion of  protective  alkali,  as  ordinarily  practised,  records 
one-half  of  the  alkaline  carbonate  present  and  this  is  not 
effective  for  the  protection  of  cyanide  against  atmos- 
pheric decomposition.  When  lime  is  not  present  in 
solution,  carbonates  should  be  removed  before  testing  for 
protective  alkalinity.  Since  the  recovery  of  the  cyanide 
requires  the  use  of  alkaline  hydroxides,  the  most  simple 
procedure  is  to  add  these  directly  to  the  solution,  except 
possibly  in  those  cases  where  a  very  low  protective 
alkalinity  is  essential  to  the  best  extraction.  In  any 
event,  the  matter  of  alkalinity  should  not  be  over-done, 
since  an  excessively  high  alkalinity,  while  favorable  to 
atmospheric  decomposition,  causes  an  undue  consump- 
tion of  zinc  with  its  train  of  attendant  evils.  Like  many 
other  factors  in  cyanidation,  the  alkalinity  should  be  a 
compromise  to  give  the  best  all  around  results. 

In  conclusion  we  hope  that  some  operator  where  the 
conditions  seem  to  be  favorable  will  make  mill-tests  upon 
the  recovery  of  cyanide  lost  through  atmospheric  decom- 
position, and  will  publish  his  results  for  the  benefit  of 
others. 

The  leading  ports  of  the  world  are  given  by  the 
American  Exporter  in  the  following  order:  New  York, 
London,  Hamburg,  Antwerp,  Liverpool,  Marseilles, 
Havre,  Bremen,  Calcutta,  Bombay,  Buenos  Aires.  The 
foreign  trade  of  New  York  during  1915  was  $2,125,000,- 
000 ;  that  of  London  $1,928,000,000.  Hamburg's  foreign 
trade  in  normal  times  is  about  that  given  above  for 
London. 


Radium  production  in  Bohemia,  Austria,  was  27.07 
grains  in  1915,  valued  at  $209,365.  Compared  with  the 
1914  yield  there  was  a  gain  of  13.57  grains.  Uraninite 
prepared  for  smelting  amounted  to  25,720  lb.,  worth 
$471.50  per  pound. 


424 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


Agreement  Between 

the   Inspirati  m  i  -  Am.n  <s  ui\  iln 


Separation  and 


Agreement  made  ami  entered  into  this  —  day  of 
February  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifteen  by  and 
between  Minerals  Separation,  Limited,  whose  regis- 
tered  office  is  situated  at  Ii2  London  Wall,  London.  Eng- 
land (hereinafter  railed  the  Licensors,  which  designa- 
tion shall  include  its  successors  and  assigns  where  the 
context  sii  requires  and  admits  i  of  the  one  part  and 
Inspiration  Consolidated  Copper  Company,  a  corpora- 
tion organized  and  existing  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
nf  Maine-  and  having  an  office  at  42  Broadway,  New 
York,  X.  V.  (hereinafter  separately  called  Inspiration) 
and  Anaconda  Copper  Minim;  Company,  a  corporation 
organized  and  existing  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Montana  and  having  an  office  at  42  Broadway.  New 
York,  X.  Y.  (hereinafter  separately  called  Anaconda) 
of  the  other  part. 

WHEREAS  a  license  agreement  hearing  date  April  in, 
1913,  has  been  entered  into  by  and  between  the  Licensors 
ami  Inspiration  and  a  license  agreement  hearing  even 
date  herewith  has  heen  entered  iido  hy  Anaconda. 

And  WHEREAS  Inspiration  and  Anaeomla  are  desirous 
of  entering  into  a  special  agreement  for  a  rate  of  royalty 
hased  upon  total  daily  tonnages  ami  are  desirous  of  in- 
eluding  certain  additional  companies  hereinafter  named 
for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  total  daily  tonnage  of 
material  treated, 

And  Whereas  it  has  heen  agreed  that  Inspiration  and 
Anaeomla  shall  pay  to  the  Licensors  as  a  consideration 
for  this  agreement  a  guaranteed  minimum  royalty  of 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  ($.'300,000)  in  the  man- 
ner hereinafter  set  forth. 

Now  This  Indentuke  Witnessetii  that  in  considera- 
tion of  the  premises  and  the  sum  of  one  dollar  by  each 
of  the  parties  hereto  to  the  other  in  hand  paid  (the 
receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged)  and  of  the 
royalties  hereby  reserved  and  of  the  covenants  herein- 
after contained,  it  is  hereby  agreed  as  follows: 

I.  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  in  place  of  the  royalties 
provided  in  clause  "I"  of  each  of  the  said  license  agree- 
ments, shall  during  the  continuance  of  this  agreement, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  and  determining  the 
royalty  to  be  paid,  have  and  are  hereby  given  the  right 
of  aggregating  the  total  tonnage  of  copper  ores  treated 
by  all  flotation  processes  by  all  of  the  companies  herein 
designated  who  shall  have  taken  out  Licenses  pursuant 
to  clause  II  thereof.  Upon  the  basis  of  the  aggregate 
tonnage  so  produced,  it  is  agreed  that  the  royalties  to  be 
paid  shall  be  as  follows  : 

At  the  rate  of  12  cents  for  each  short  ton  (2000  pounds 
dry  weight)  of  ore  treated  when  such  tonnage  does  not 
exceed  4000  tons  per  day. 

At  the  rate  of  10  cents  for  each  such  ton  of  ore  treated 
when  such  tonnage  is  more  than  4000  tons  and  does  not 


exceed  6000  tons  per  day. 

At  the  rate  of  9  cents  for  each  such  ton  of  ore  treated 
when  such  tonnage  is  more  than  6000  tons  but  does  not 
exceed  10.000  tons  per  day. 

Xo  charge  shall  he  made  nor  any  royalty  paid  for  each 
such  ton  of  ore  treated  over  and  above  10.000  tons  and 
up  to  and  including  15.000  of  such  tons  per  day. 

At  the  rate  of  8  cents  per  ton  for  each  such  ton  of  ore 
treated  over  and  above  lo.oOO  tons  and  up  to  and  in- 
cluding 30,000  of  such  tons  per  day. 

At  the  rate  of  4  cents  for  each  such  ton  of  ore  treated 
over  and  above  30,000  of  such  tons  per  day. 

Such  rate  to  be  computed  upon  the  total  tonnage  of 
material  treated  each  day  hy  Inspiration.  Anaconda,  and 
such  others  of  the  Companies  hereinafter  named  as  shall 
have  had  their  daily  tonnage  brought  within  this  agree- 
ment, by  notification  from  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  to 
the  Licensors  and  shall  have  entered  into  license  agree- 
ments with  the  Licensors  as  hereinafter  provided. 

For  the  purpose  of  arriving  at  the  daily  tonnage  treat- 
ed the  total  tons  of  material  treated  during  each  quarter 
shall  he  computed  and  divided  by  the  number  of  days 
in  each  quarter  except  Sundays,  and  the  result  of  such 
division  shall  he  deemed  to  be  the  daily  tonnage  treated, 
the  material  treated  by  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  and 
the  other  Companies  named  by  all  flotation  processes  to 
be  included  in  such  computation.  Provided  that  such 
royalties  shall  be  payable  quarterly  commencing  on  the 
first  quarter  day  following  the  day  and  year  first  above 
written  until  the  sum  of  $300,000  shall  have  been  paid, 
the  payment  of  such  sum  being  guaranteed  by  Inspira- 
tion and  Anaconda  jointly  and  severally,  and  such  sum 
to  be  paid  in  any  event  regardless  of  the  determination 
of  the  suit  of  the  licensors  and  another  against  James  M. 
Hyde  which  has  been  brought  on  a  writ  of  certiorari  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  regardless 
of  the  quantity  of  material  treated;  and  further  pro- 
vided that  if  the  total  amount  paid  as  royalties  here- 
under shall  not  have  aggregated  the  sum  of  $300,000 
when  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  shall  have 
passed  finally  upon  the  said  case  against  said  Hyde,  In- 
spiration and  Anaconda  guarantee  that  they  will  within 
five  days  after  having  been  notified  of  such  decision  by 
the  Licensors  pay  the  deficit,  if  any.  between  the  total 
amount,  of  royalties  which  shall  have  been  paid  to  It  and 
the  sum  of  $300,000 ;  it  being  understood,  however,  that 
in  the  event  of  a  deficit  so  occurring  and  Inspiration 
and  Anaconda  making  the  foregoing  payment,  that  such 
payment  shall  be  credited  back  as  royalties  upon  the 
material  if  any,  thereafter  treated  under  this  Agree- 
ment. If.  prior  to  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  in  said  case  the  total  amount  of  royal- 
ties which  shall  have  been  paid  under  this  agreement 


uiber  16,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


■hall  have  aggregated  the  sum  of  $300,000,  ii  is  under 

si I  and  agreed  thai  if  the  Lioenseea  continue  to  treat 

material  uiiil.T  this  Agreement  royalties  shall  be  paid  as 
provided  in  tin-  present  olauae  of  iliis  Agreement 

The  Lioenaora  hereby  oonaenl  that  for  the  pnrpoas  of 
treating  material  by  flotation  processes,  for  which  roy 
nlty  has  been  agreed  to  l»-  paid  hereunder,  the  Inspira- 
tion and  Anaconda  may  install  at  their  own  expense 
and  use  any  apparatus  they  may  ol 

II.  Dpon  notification  t"  the  Licensors  from  Inspira- 
tion and  Anaconda,  the  Licensors  »ill  enter  Into  separate 
license  agreements  with  any  or  all  of  the  following 
named  additional  companies,  such  license  agreements  to 
be  in  the  same  form  as  the  license  agreement  above 
referred  to  between  the  Licensors  and  Anaconda  and  al 
the  same  rate  of  royalty  as  is  specified  therein,  said  ad- 
ditional companies  lieing  as  follows: 

Me  Cananea  Copper  Company  of  Minnesota, 
Calumet  and  Arizona  Mining  Co.  of  Arizona, 
Arizona  Copper  Company  Limited  of  Greal  Britain. 
Consolidated  Copper  Mines  Company. 
Bach  of  such  additional  companies  and  Inspiration  shall 
within  fifteen   (15)   days  after  each  quarter  day  deliver 
its  quarterly  report  of  tonnages  treated  in  duplicate  to 
Anaeonda  and  the  Licensors,  and  thereupon  the  royalties 
on  total  tonnages  shall  he  paid  to  the  Licensors  iiy  Ana- 

ula   as  ahove   provided   with   a   statement   of   the  total 

tonnages  treated. 

III.  On  or  before  February  1,  1915,  Inspiration  shall 
pay  to  the  Licensors  all  royalties  due  or  which  may  be 
due  up  to  and  including  December  31,  1914,  under  its 
existing  license  agreement  above  referred  to  at  the  rate 
of  royalty  specified  therein,  such  royalty  to  be  computed 
upon  all  material  theretofore  treated  by  flotation  proc- 
esses, and  thereafter  during  the  continuance  of  this 
agreement  the  payment  of  royalty  by  Inspiration  and 
during  the  continuance  of  this  agreement  the  payment  of 
royalty  by  Anaconda  shall  be  at  the  rate  based  upon 
daily  tonnages  and  in  the  manner  above  particularly 
stated  in  Clause  I  of  this  agreement,  except  in  so  far  as 
it  is  modified  by  Clause  V  of  this  agreement. 

IV.  This  agreement  shall  continue  until  the  determina- 
tion in  or  dismissal  from  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  of  the  aforesaid  suit  of  the  Licensors  and 
another  against  James  M.  Hyde  and  until  such  time 
thereafter  as  may  be  taken  by  Inspiration  and  Anaeonda 
for  the  exercise  of  the  option  hereinafter  granted,  and 
should  such  option  be  exercised  favorably  to  the  continu- 
ation of  the  Licenses  above  referred  to,  shall  be  further 
continued  as  hereinafter  set  forth. 

V.  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  shall  eacb  have  the 
option  for  the  period  of  sixty  (60)  days  after  the  deter- 
mination or  dismissal  from  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
aforesaid  suit  to  elect  by  notice  in  writing  to  the  Licens- 
ors whether  to  continue  the  said  license  agreements  or 
to  terminate  the  same.  Should  they  elect  to  continue  the 
same  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  jointly  and  severally 
undertake  and  guarantee  that  royalties  at  the  rates  speci- 
fied in  Clause  I  of  this  agreement  shall  be  paid  upon  at 


twenty-five    million    (25,000,000      tons   of    material 

i  I  from  and  after  the  day  and  year  first  ahove  writ- 
ten and  on  or  before  November  6,  1923,  and  all  of  the 
license  agreements  above  referred  to  thai]  be  continued 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  thereof,  royaltiea  to  be 
paid  after  payment  of  royalties  under  said  guaranb 

a  minimum  of  25  001 0  tons  ,,f  material  treated  either 

at  the  special  rate  specified  in  clause  I  of  this  agreement, 

or    at    the    rates    of    royalty    Specified    in    said    separate 

liens,'  agreements  at  the  option  of  Inspiration  .and  Ana- 
conda, with  the  privilege  to  Inspiration  and  Anaconda 
to  aggregate  the  total  tonnages  under  all  or  so  many  as 

they  may  desire  of  said   license  agreements  in   tl ODD 

piilation  and  payment  of  such  royalties.  Should  In- 
spiration and  Anaconda  elect  as  above  provided  to 
terminate    the    said    license    agreements,    this   agreement 

and  each   and  every  of  the  said  license  agi mcnls  shall 

be  thereby  terminated,  without  prejudice,  however,  to 
the  recovery  by  the  Licensors  of  any  money  then  already 

due  or  any  right  of  action  by  reason  thei E,  and  with 

full  freedom  to  Inspiration  and  Anaconda  and  the  addi- 
tional licensees  above  named  to  contest  the  validity  of 
the  letters  patent  of  the  Licensors  or  the  extent  of  the 
monopoly  thereby  granted  and  full  freedom  to  the 
Licensors  to  enforce  their  letters  patent  against  Inspira- 
tion, Anaconda  and  the  above  named  additional  com- 
panies, provided,  however,  that  under  such  circumstances 
no  patent  claims  for  apparatus  will  be  sued  upon  by  the 
Licensors  in  'so  far  as  applicable  to  any  apparatus  in- 
stalled while  operating  under  said  licenses. 

VI.  If  at  any  time  during  the  continuance  of  this 
agreement  after  the  exercise  of  the  option  stated  in 
Clause  V  of  this  agreement,  by  force  majeure ;  strikes, 
general  financial  disturbances  or  unavoidable  causes, 
Inspiration  or  Anaeonda,  shall  find  it  necessary  to  tem- 
porarily stop  or  reduce  its  mining  output  so  that  a  total 
average  daily  tonnage  of  15,000  tons  or  more  under  this 
agreement  is  temporarily  reduced  below  a  daily  average 
of  15,000  tons  throughout  a  quarter,  then  for  such  period 
of  forced  reduced  tonnage  of  material  treated,  royalty 
shall  be  paid  at  the  rate  of  six  cents  (6c.)  per  ton  in 
place  of  the  higher  rate  provided  for  such  lower  tonnage 
in  Clause  I  of  this  agreement,  provided,  however,  that 
all  tonnages  treated  and  paid  for  under  such  special 
circumstances  shall  be  excluded  from  and  shall  be  addi- 
tional to  the  guaranteed  tonnage  of  25,000,000  tons  set 
forth  in  Clause  V  of  this  agreement. 

VII.  This  agreement  shall  be  construed  in  all  respects 
and  take  effect  as  an  agreement  made  in  the  State  of 
New  York  and  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  New  York. 

VIII.  This  agreement  shall  be  assignable  by  Inspira- 
tion or  Anaeonda  only  as  an  entirety  and  only  to  its 
successor  in  its  present  business,  and  shall  inure  to  and 
bind  such  successor  or  successors. 

Signed  Sealed  and  Delivered  by  the  parties  hereto 
the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

Minerals  Separation  Limited, 

By  S.  Gregory,  Attorney. 


426 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


Basic-Lined  Copper  Con- 
verters 


•Probably  the  first  attempt  to  use  a  converter  lined 
with  basic  materia]  was  that  by  the  late  Charles   P. 

Shelby  at  ( lananea  in  1907.  He  gave  up  the  trial  as  im- 
practicable. Some  months  later,  Messrs.  Pierce  and 
Sin  ih  proved  the  basic  lining  a  success  at  Baltimore  and 
Qarfield.  From  this  time  onward  its  use  spread  con- 
siderably,  especially  in  the  South-west.  Magnesite 
brick  is  used  in  the  basic-lined  converter. 

Operating  data  of  basic-lined  converters  in  the  South- 
west arc  shown  in  the  following  table: 


Manufacture  of  Electro- 
Chemical  Products 

The  chief  products  made  by  the  aid  of  the  electric 
current  arc  aluminum,  phosphorus,  silicon,  sodium, 
graphite,  chlorine,  oxygen,  hydrogen ;  ferro-alloys,  cop- 
per, titanium,  vanadium,  and  other  alloys;  calcium  car- 
bide carborundum,  and  other  abrasives;  caustic  soda, 
caustic  potash,  sodium,  peroxide,  chloride  of  lime  or 
bleaching  powder,  carbon  bisulphide  and  muriatic  acid. 
According  to  a  report  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Census,  the  value  of  electro-chemical  products  has  in- 
creased from  $18,450,000  in  1909  to  $29,600,000  in  1914. 


W'KRATINU    DATA    OF    BASIC-LINED    t'OXVEltTERS    IN    THE    SOLTH-WEST. 


Mia-'  pressure  in  pounds 

lit  p.-f  minute  per  converter 
L.r  per  ton  bullion  produced 
;  pei  t   'i  iron  and  sulphur  oxidised 
i  :nit   inf.,  aeeoui 
jr  oxidised 

.■liur  ,,\i.lii''.|  f.,-r   -,  ui'l 

per  month  . 

Pun.  h'  r-  used  per  iliell  pet  shill 
Tons  bullion  pi  r  puncber  per  month 
Tone  iron  slagged  per  punrher  pit  month. .  .  . 
Average,  time  nl  blow,  noun  and  minutes. 

i  mi  tn  blow  one  Ion  bullion,  minutes  . 
Average  tone  bullion  pet  blow 
Average  weight  ol  matte  pei  chargOi  toi 
charged  per  ton  ol  matte 

Toni  iron  slagged  per  ion  of  available  silica 

Sin-  n(  converters  


NumhiT  ol  tuyeres 

Site  uf  tuyeres,  inches. 

Thieknes*  of  brick  used  on  tuyere  line,  inchea. 

.  tlysis: 

0 

F.il 

■    ,1 

AhOi 

Average  matte  ai 

Cu  

Fe 

B  


13 

5.445 

1  52.4  c.i 

•",.  145 
.,1    fj 

2 
221 

4-00 
-■ 
8.5 
21  9 
0.23 

12  ft 

28 

I'. 
24 

19.6 
68.2 
0.8 
3  4 

37.7 
32  5 
27.4 


13  _• 

7.691 

17S.II1 

142,224 

54   1 

1.1,111 

2 

.mi 

l :.  t 

4-11 

10.8 
26  'I 
0   20 
2.44 
12  ft 


21    7 

.,?  g 


43  37 

29   2 

2:1  ;, 


11            1 .'        12  4  12-15 

1  283       6,054  7.250 

228.116    271. 577  137.582 

139  112,950 


57. 


2 
522 


.1    ,,•. 
II 

1.1  :i 
25  '' 
0.155 

12  fi 


0.6 

: 

.',1   2 
.'l    S 


71,  B 

50.3 

1  1.17 

1.903 

-' 

J 

lit 

471. 

igg 

11-11 

•i    _,,| 

M 

IS 

v  22 

12   7 

33  » 

40  5 

1)  201 

0    17 

2.45 

3.85 

2  ft. 

12  ft 

24 

21 

11. 

II 

30 

17    1 

15.6 

7"   7 

..7    .1 

.1  a 

0  4 

3  0 

2  9 

.'-.   .'J 

34.7 

30.9 

.11    11 

25  3 

24   9 

74   0 

2.868 

2 

22 

251 

S-OO 
1" 

2:.  :i 

1 

O  25 
1.75 

10  by  26  It 


23.8 
66.2 


1  ;  7 
28  n 

25    1 


10-14 

14 

8,181 

118.328 

118,328 

119,475 

81.0 

50.6 

1.991 

2,576 

2 

1 

255 

K17 

171 

1 50 

8-30 

7    12 

28 

28 

is  0 

IS  1, 

50.0 

51.2 

u   ,:i. 

0.21 

1    mi 

2  :n, 

12  fl     Ol     Falls 

12  (1 

10 by 26 fl    I'-s 

21  Li    Fulls. 

o*% 

35  I'.-s 

-- 

I1,  111     Falls. 

I1: 

18 

24 

25  7 

29  2- 

60.0 

62.1 

1.6 

12   a 

31   0 

27    4 

28  B 

25.6 

15.7? 

113 

4.0:1:! 
2I5.'.)75 
240.937 

69.8 

768 

1    5 
129 
.117 
4-51 
51 
5  8 
111   7 
0.286 
2.03 

7  ft.  by  10  ft.  8  in. 


22.2 

(11 
0.9 

2  i, 

35.21 
30   1 

25.0 


13 

4.117 

370,566 

1 23,583 

59  0 

1.440 

240 

10-00 
90 

1,    7 
26.6 
0.283 
_•  SO 

I  ft   by  7  l|    Sin, 
12 
P. 
15 


25.0 
■111  0 
25.0 


1  Ariaona  Copper  Co.,  Clifton.  Aril 

2  Old  Dominion  Copper  Mining  ex  8n 

3  I  ni'Tiiational  Smelting  Co..  Inspiration.  Am 
4.  Calumet  A  Ariaona  Minim:  Co  .  Douglas.  Aria. 

r  Queen  Mining  Co.,  Douglas.  Aril. 

luble. 


B    Consolidated  Kaunas  City  Smelting  A  Ri-fining.  Co.,  Hayden  Plant,  Aria. 

7.  Consolidated  Kansas  '  Sly  Smelting  A  Refining  Co..  El  Paso  Plant,  Texas. 

8.  Cananea  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  Cananea,  Sonora,  Mex. 

9.  Detroit  Copper  Minis  ■  i.  Ant. 

10.  Consolidated  Arizona  Smelling  Co.,  Humboldt,  Ariz. 


The  most  successful  run  in  any  converter  is  that  at 
the  "Id  Dominion  smelter  at  Globe,  particulars  of  which 
are  as  under,  according  to  L.  O.  Howard: 

Began  operation   June  27.  1913 

Removed  for  initial  patching December  7,  1915 

Blowing,    hours    13,734 

Number  ot  blows  made 3,288 

Time  of  blow,  hours 4.18 

Number  of  taps  of  matte 9,316 

Matte  charged,  tons  S5.578 

Weight  of  matte  per  charge,  tons 26 

Copper-content  of  matte,  per  cent 43.37 

Bullion   produced,  tons    35.431 

Time  to  blow  one  ton  copper,  minutes 23.2 

Copper  per  blow,  tons  10.80 

Blast  pressure,  pounds   13.2 

Air  used  to  blow  one  ton  copper,  cubic  feet 17S.411 

Air  used  per  minute,  cubic  feet 7.691 

Air  used  per  ton  of  iron  slagged,  cubic  feet 242.502 

Ore  fed.  tons   17,097 

Ore  fed  per  ton  of  matte  blown,  tons 0.200 

Magnesite  nsed  for  repairs  None 

•Abstract  from  paper  prepared  for  Arizona  meeting  of 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


This  does  not  include  iron  and  steel  made  in  the  electric 
furnace,  which  also  falls  under  this  class.  The  extent  to 
which  we  are  dependent  on  electro-chemical  products 
is  little  realized.  The  manufacture  of  these  products 
has  been  steadily  increasing,  but  today  the  supply  is  far 
short  of  the  demand,  due,  in  manjr  instances,  to  the  in- 
ability to  obtain  permission  from  the  Government  to  use 
more  power  at  Niagara  Falls,  the  great  electro-chemical 
centre.  Of  36  establishments  reporting  in  1914  manu- 
facturing these  products,  18  were  in  New  York,  1  in 
Michigan,  3  in  California,  2  each  in  Pennsylvania  and 
West  Virginia,  and  one  each  in  several  other  States. 
Most  of  the  plants  in  the  State  of  New  York  are  at  or 
near  Niagara.  The  30th  semi-annual  convention  of  the 
American  Electrochemical  Society,  whose  membership 
includes  the  foremost  electro-chemists  of  the  World,  will 
lie  held  at  New  York.  September  27  to  30,  at  the  time  of 
the  Exposition  of  Chemical  Industries. 

In   1885  the  United  States  produced   283  lb.   of  alu- 
minum: in  1915  a  total  of  99,806,000  pounds. 


16,   1916 


MINING    and    Surnhhc     PRESS 


07 


Flotation   Tribulations 


By      Jickioi 


P  •  a  r  c  • 


1< lit )i> >  Spring!  lies  within  a  heavily  mineralized  dis 
trin  covering  the  better  part  of  two  counties,  Clear 
Creek  and  Gilpin,  in  Colorado.  Gold,  silver,  lead,  eop- 
ino,  molybdennm,  tungsten,  and  uranium  in  mosl 
of  their  manifold  mineralogical  forma,  occur  in  com- 
mercial  quantities.  In  the  ores  they  occur  individually 
ami  collectively,  offering  an  excellent  field  for  metal- 
lurgical research.  Within  easy  reach  of  Denver  with  its 
milling  machinery  and  of  Golden,  the  seat  of  the  Colorado 

School  of  Mines,  this  district  is  utilized  as  a  testing  yard 

for  p  ad  machinery,  falling  intermediate  be- 

tween the  laboratory  and  the  modern  plant.  Thus  it  has 
become  a  museum  of  the  world's  metallurgical  processes. 
one  can  find  here  almost  anything  from  a  long-torn  to 

an  electrolytic  refinery. 

Flotation,  the  most  recent  process  to  he  placed  on  exhi- 
bition, had  been  in  operation  in  a  couple  of  local  plants 
a  few  months  before  any  decision  had  been  made  to  in- 
stall a  machine  at  the  Argo  mill.  Much  laboratory  work 
had  been  done  on  flotation,  but  as  concentration  and 
cyanidation  had  been  running  smoothly  the  desire  to 
change  was  not  burning.  However,  tests  showed  that  it 
might  be  useful  on  certain  low-grade  silver  ores  not 
particularly  well  adapted  to  cyanidation.  With  this 
end  in  view  a  machine  was  installed. 

Having  dedicated  the  better  part  of  my  life  to  cya- 
nidation. and  having  contributed  largely  to  the  adapta- 
tion of  cyanidation  to  these  ores,  I  entered  upon  flota- 
tion with  many  misgivings,  and  these  few  notes  may  be 
taken  as  a  confession  of  a  cyanider — not  that  of  a  flota- 
tion expert. 

The  preliminary  tests  were  made  in  a  home-made 
single-cell  machine.  Especial  attention  was  given  to  an 
ore  assaying  0.12  to  0.40  oz.  gold,  8  to  20  oz.  silver,  and 
a  strong  trace  each  of  copper,  lead,  and  zinc.  On  ac- 
count of  its  relatively  high  silver-value  this  ore  is  not 
particularly  amenable  to  cyanidation.  Although  the 
gold  in  these  ores  yields  readily  to  cyanidation  the  silver 
is  backward.  60%  being  the  average  extraction.  These 
tests  were  carried  out  with  a  view-  to  establishing  the  best 
conditions  as  to  speed  of  impellers,  consistence  of  pulp, 
combination  of  oils,  temperature,  and  fineness  of  ore. 
No  critical  condition  was  established  in  any  of  these 
lines,  a  satisfactory  extraction,  85  to  90%,  resulting  from 
within  wide  limits  of  each.  Other  gold  ores  yielded  a 
good  extraction  by  flotation,  but  not  sufficiently  to  en- 
thuse one  as  to  its  preference  to  cyanidation. 

A  flotation  machine  of  100  tons  capacity  was  installed 
to  handle  silver  ores  only,  giving  us  two  distinct  flow- 
sheets within  the  mill.  The  flotation  system  comprised 
stamping  to  16-mesh,  classifying  in  Dorr  machines,  con- 
centrating on  Card  tables,  re-grinding  in  a  tube-mill,  re- 


ooncentrating  on  slime  tables,  and  thickening  the  '.un- 
billed sli and   re-ground  sand   for  flotation,     With 

this  arrangement  we  expected  to  gel  55  to  65$  extrac- 
tion "ii  the  tables,  and  50  to  60$  on  the  flotation  ma- 
chine, or  a  mill  extracti f  T.">  to  85%,  which,  consider- 
ing the  laboratory  extraction  of  85  to  90%,  was  a  con- 
servative estimate. 

in  the  lirst  three  weeks  of  operation  the  extraction  on 

the  primary  tallies  was  50%,  but.  contrary  to  expecta- 
tion, the  extraction  in  the  flotation  machine  was  nothing. 
Before  table  concentration  this  ore  carried  a  trace  each 
of  galena,  chalcopyrite.  and  blende,  with  sufficient 
pyrite  to  give  a  concentration  ratio  of  4: 1.  The  exceed- 
ingly small  amount  of  flotation-concentrate  was  com- 
posed of  galena,  chalcopyrite,  and  blende,  with  an  abun- 
dance of  silica  but  very  little  pyrite.  The  amount  of 
this  product  was  not  sufficient  to  make  an  appreciable 
difference  in  the  assays  of  feed  and  discharge.  I  may 
add  that  the  assays  covering  this  test  averaged  a  shade 
higher  for  the  discharge  than  for  the  feed.  This  was 
disconcerting,  to  put  it  mildly.  Three  wrecks  is  not  a 
long  time  in  which  to  perfect  a  process,  but  it's  a  mighty 
long  time  to  watch  half  the  value  of  the  ore  going  into 
the  creek. 

During  this  time  we  gave  particular  attention  to  oils. 
According  to  information  gathered  from  reports,  and 
from  personal  conversation  with  flotation  metallurgists 
and  salesmen,  it  seemed  that  the  oil  was  the  most  im- 
portant consideration  in  flotation.  It  is  generally  be- 
lieved that  different  ores  require  different  oils.  Adjoin- 
ing properties  on  the  same  ore  deposit  seem  unable  to  use 
the  same  combination  of  oils.  In  this  respect  the  out- 
look for  flotation  here  was  painful  to  consider,  since  this 
is  a  custom-mill  fed  by  a  multitude  of  mines  in  a  district 
producing  a  great  variety  of  ores.  During  the  three 
weeks  we  made  exhaustive  tests,  covering  a  wide  range  of 
oils,  trying  one  after  another,  individually  and  in  com- 
binations. Operators  seem  to  have  favorite  places  in 
the  system  for  feeding  oils,  some  favoring  the  batteries, 
others  the  tube-mill,  and  so  on,  down  to  the  last  cell  in 
the  machine.  We  covered  everything  from  the  coarse 
crusher  to  the  tail-race.  Special  mixers  or  emulsifiers 
are  in  common  use,  and  we  installed  one.  It  seemed  to 
make  little  difference  what  oil,  how  much,  or  where  fed ; 
the  froth  was  always  the  same — abundant  and  barren. 
At  times  it  was  excellent  to  the  view,  according  to  one 
metallurgist,  "a  most  beautiful  froth,"  three  to  six 
inches  deep,  bluish  black,  and  covering  the  entire  froth- 
cell.  At  other  times  it  was  over-abundant,  rolling  over 
both  ends,  back  and  front  of  the  machine,  developing  so 
rapidly  that  it  required  the  best  efforts  of  two  men  to 
sluice  it  to  the  creek.    We  ran  it  in  this  manner  for  24 


428 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


hours — not  that  we  wanted  the  froth,  but  to  ascertain  the 
ratio  of  extraction  to  quantity  of  froth.  Although  the 
total  amount  of  material  floated  was  appreciable,  there 

was  no  differe -  in  assays  of  heading  and  tailing,  clearly 

indicating  non-selective  action. 

We  used  oils  furnished  by  several  companies,  includ- 
ing crude  wood-oils.  pine. tar  oils,  tar,  wood-creosote, 
crude  and  refined  turpentine,  asphalt,  coal-tar,  gasoline, 
coal-oil,  gas-oil.  crude  oil,  and  coal-tar  creosote. 

Regular  examination  of  the  tailing  showed  pyrite  in 
great  plenty,  every  particle  of  which  was  thoroughly 
oiled,  and  easily  floated  from  the  gangue  by  simple 
panning.  Was  there  some  condition  in  the  machine  to 
disengage  these  oiled  particles  from  the  froth?  Or,  were 
they  ever  attached  to  the  froth?  Or  to  the  bubbles  pre- 
ceding the  froth.'  The  machine  was  built  with  an  in- 
tricate Bel  of  baffles  following  the  agitation,  through  the 
tortuous  course  of  which  the  bubbles  might  have  dropped 
their  burden.  We  simplified  the  baffles,  trying  a  dozen 
different  kinds,  one  alter  another,  terminating  a  heart- 
breaking task  with  no  baffles  at  all.  The  machine  worked 
as  well  without  as  with  baffles;  so  why  baffles? 

The  mineral  particles  were  well  oiled,  but  lacked  the 
balloon  arrangement  necessary  to  conduct  them  to  the 
surface.  Perhaps  the  agitators  were  not  fast  enough  to 
churn  the  air  into  the  oil.  Most  people  emphasize  the 
importance  of  peripheral  speed,  some  giving  1500  ft.  per 
minute  as  the  best,  exf  raction  and  power  considered.  We 
were  operating  at  this  speed,  but  increased  it  by  stages 
to  2100  ft.  The  motor  would  not  carry  this  load  for  more 
than  a  few  hours  at  a  time:  besides,  the  results  were  no 
better  than  at  1500.  We  decreased  the  speed  to  1200, 
and.  finding  it  more  economical  in  power  and  just  as 
efficient  in  exf  raction.  lel'l  it  at  that.  Later  on  it  was 
reduced  to  1100.  Turning  our  attention  to  ore-fineness 
we  found  a  wide  range  of  recommendations,  some  oper- 
ators recommending -40,  some  -  60,  others -100,  and 
yet  others  close  to  -  200,  nearly  all  contending  that  the 
finer  the  ore  the  better  was  (he  flotation.  My  own  labor- 
atory experiments  on  this  particular  ore  gave  good  ex- 
tractions on  a  12-mesb  product.  We  tried  everything 
from  a  16-mesh  product  direct  from  the  stamps  to  a 
product  95%  of  which  would  pass  a  200-mesh  screen. 
While  there  were  no  encouraging  signs  within  this 
range,  the  advantage,  though  small,  lay  with  the  coarser 
product. 

During  these  tests  (from  January  to  March  this  year) 
the  temperature  hovered  around  zero,  at  times  reaching 
12  to  15°  below.  Mill-water  was  close  to  the  freezing- 
point,  and  great  care  bad  to  be  exercised  to  prevent  pipes 
and  launders  freezing.  Although  many  consider  higher 
temperatures,  say  70'  P.,  essential  to  good  work,  we  were 
unable  to  attain  this  economically,  for  lack  of  facilities 
for  returning  the  mill-water.  Nevertheless,  to  satisfy 
ourselves  on  this  point,  we  turned  the  full  capacity  of  a 
boiler  into  the  feed,  thereby  raising  the  temperature  to 
60°  F.  After  six  hours  at  this  temperature  the  differ- 
i  n -I  in  effect  was  in  no  way  sufficiently  marked  to  justify 
heating. 


Next  we  turned  our  attention  to  consistence,  the  gen- 
eral report  favoring  6  : 1  for  very  fine  pulp  down  to  3 : 1 
for  sand.  We  covered  a  range  from  20 : 1  to  2J :  1,  com- 
ing to  the  conclusion  we  were  nosing  the  wrong  scent. 

It  might  be^i.ssumed  that  inexperience  in.  or  prejudice 
against,  the  process,  to  the  one  or  the  other  of  which  most 
failures  are  due,  was  at  the  bottom  of  our  troubles. 
While  I  have  spent  most  of  my  life  at  cyanidation.  and 
greatly  value  the  process,  and  perhaps  have  a  soft  spot 
in  my  heart  for  it,  the  fear  of  failure  in  any  undertak- 
ing greatly  exceeds  any  prejudices  I  may  have  against 
it.  Also,  it  may  be  said,  we  had  the  personal  services  of 
several  distinguished  flotation  metallurgists,  no  one  of 
whom  was  able  to  suggest  any  change  leading  to  decided 
'improvement. 

It  was  the  firm  conviction  of  one  engineer  that  the 
machine  was  over-loaded.  Although  it  was  carrying  $ 
its  rated  load,  I  reduced  the  feed  to  1/40  its  rated  capac- 
ity, not  that  we  could  expect  to  operate  on  that  basis, 
but  to  get  a  clue  if  possible  to  the  trouble.  There  was  no 
improvement. 

At  last  we  did  what  at  first  we  would  have  done  with 
any  other  process:  we  investigated  the  theories.  But 
with  flotation,  where  everybody  has  gratifying  success 
and  nobody  has  a  gratifying  theory,  it  seemed  unreason- 
able that  we  alone  should  need  a  theory.  Theories  of 
flotation  are  now  running  the  gauntlet  of  thoughtful 
criticism  so  essential  to  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  "Fit- 
test "  in  this  instance  is  not  amiss,  for  almost  all  theories 
are  limited  to  certain  facts,  and  that  theory  survives  or 
is  accepted  which  is  fittest,  that  is,  which  fits  the  great- 
est number  or  widest  range  of  facts.  The  ionic  theory 
of  chemical  reactions  superseded  the  affinity  theory  by 
virtue  of  its  being  more  inclusive.  No  sooner  is  a  flota- 
tion theory  advanced  than  there  arises  a  brilliant  array 
of  facts  tending  to  disprove  it,  or,  in  other  words,  to 
limiting  its  fitness,  so  that  in  the  present  state  of  the 
subject  it  ill  becomes  us  dogmatically  to  assert  that  any 
one  is  the  correct  theory,  exclusive  of  all  others. 

The  early  efforts  to  establish  a  theory  involving  ad- 
hesion, which  is  only  a  begging  of  the  question,  and  one 
involving  the  angle  of  contact  or  angular  hysteresis. 
have  given  way  to  those  of  more  apparent  merit  involv- 
ing occluded  gases,  electro-statics,  and  interfacial  ten- 
sion. Whether  an}'  one  of  these,  or  any  combination  of 
them,  survives  is  problematical. 

Regarding  the  application  of  the  theory  of  angular 
hysteresis,  we  assumed  that  the  pyrite  was  not  making 
the  desired  angle  of  contact,  and.  knowing  of  no  way  to 
cause  it  to  do  so,  we  dismissed  the  subject. 

Theory  of  Occluded  Gas.  The  theory  of  occluded 
gas  so  ably  advanced  by  Durell  appealed  to  me  in  its 
tangibility.  All  substances  occlude  gases,  the  tenacity 
of  retention  being  more  pronounced  in  some  than  in 
others,  but  in  all  eases  capable  of  expulsion  by  osmotic 
pressure,  increased  temperature,  or  vacuum.  Only  by 
virtue  of  this  occluded  gas  can  a  bubble  of  gas  be  at- 
tached to  the  substance.  The  sulphides  of  metals,  iron, 
lead.  zinc,  etc.,  constituting  the  economic  portion  of  the 


September  16,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     PRESS 


420 


on  ire  mora  tenacious  in  the  retention  of  the  occluded 
gas  than   silica,   lime,    feldspar,   etc,  eonatitating   the 

portion  of  tl '•.    Therefore  by  ragalating  the 

osmotic  preaanre,  temperature,  or  vacuum  the  ooolnded 

of  the  gangue-material  can  be  expelled  entirely,  al 

ime  time  leaving  sufficient  gas  in  the  sulphide  to 

act  aa  a  Ducleus  in  the  formation  of  adhesive  gas  bubbles, 

thereby  giving  us  'selective'  flotation,    silica  was oing 

over  with  the  froth  in  preference  to  sulphides.  The  evi- 
dent procedure  was  to  expel  the  gaa  from  the  silica, 
taking  care  not  to  expel  it  from  the  sulphides. 

w  ■  ha>l  already  tried  beat  with  do  success;  we  were 
not  prepared  for  trying  vacuum;  so  we  tried  osmotic 
pressure.    To  increase  the  osmotic  pressure,  we  increased 


OIL-FEEDER   AT   AUGO    MILL;    ONE-THIRD    ACTUAL   SIZE.       SPEED   OK 
LARGE   PULLEY   35   R.P.M. 

the  number  of  ions  by  the  addition  of  some  easily  dis- 
sociated solute,  say,  sulphuric  acid.  Acid  has  the  ad- 
vantage over  salts  in  its  power  to  reduce  the  surface  ten- 
sion, or  the  'surten,'*  permitting  the  formation  of  bub- 
bles. Starting  with  a  very  small  amount  of  acid  we  in- 
creased it  gradually  to  20  lb.  per  ton.  The  more  we 
added  the  more  disheartened  we  became. 

Interfaciajl  Tension.  Roughly  stated,  water  and  oil 
lit'  insoluble)  in  contact  maintain  their  individual  faces, 
the  oil  facing  the  water,  the  water  facing  the  oil.  This 
is  the  interface  of  the  two.  Now,  introducing  a  solid, 
say,  a  small  particle  of  ore,  it  is  found  to  have  three 
tendencies:  it  tends  to  enter  the  water  only;  it  tends  to 
enter  the  oil  only;  it  tends  to  enter  both  oil  and  water. 
If  the  tendency  to  enter  both  water  and  oil  is  sufficiently 
marked  for  each  liquid,  it  remains  between  the  two,  or 
on  the  interface,  a  phenomenon  on  which  is  based  the 
theory  of  interfacial  tension.  This  was  wonderfully  ex- 
emplified in  our  machine,  the  only  drawback  being  that 
it  was  the  silica  that  displayed  a  preference  for  the  in- 
terface. 

Electro-static  Theory.  Gas  and  oil  films  are  nega- 
tively charged  irrespective  of  the  electrolyte  in  which 
they  are  formed.     Silica,  and  perhaps  silicious  gangue, 

-    »M.  &  S.  P.,  July  29,  1916. 


gatively  charged  in  the  presence  of  the  hydrogen 

ion.  reversing  its  polarity  in  the  pit  set of  tic-  hydroxy] 

ion.     Sulphides  are  perhaps  positively    charged,     The 

mutual  attracti I  oppositely-charged  bodies  together 

with  the  mutual  repulsion  or  Bimilarl]  charged  bodies 
operate  in  | , r, „ i ii,.,.  selective  flotation. 

On  tliis  assumption  we  examined  the  electrolyte:  mill- 
watt  r  plus  the  soluble  constituents  of  the  ore.    It  carried 

copper  and  some  iron  and,  among  other  things,  a  weal; 
trt Of  acid.      It   would  seem   logical   to  acidity   it    more 

strongly  to  ensure  a  negatively-charged  silica,  Hut  in 
acidifying  to  increase  the  osmotic  pressure  we  observed 
that  it  improved  neither  Hie  osmotic  nor  electro-static 
effect.  Evidently  the  pyrite  particles  wen-  not  electrified, 

or  else  were  unsuitably  charged.  We  indu I  electrifica- 
tion, or  tried  to.  By  the  hit  or  miss  met  hod  we  attempted 
to  get  an  electrolyte  that  would  make  a  more  desirable 
distribution  of  the  electric  charges.  We  tried  a  long  list 
of  salts,  acids,  and  bases,  organic  and  inorganic.  Noth- 
ing especially  noteworthy  resulted  from  these  experi- 
ments. 

By  this  time  we  had  been  operating  or  experimenting 
nearly  three  months,  all  the  time  at  high  tension.  I  had 
exhausted  myself  of  ideas,  likewise  the  entire  mill-crew, 
and  every  visitor  to  the  mill.  I  pressed  everybody  for 
suggestions,  talked  bubbles  all  day  and  dreamed  bubbles 
all  night.  It  certainly  seemed  that  we  had  left  nothing 
undone  that  should  have  been  done.  I  must  admit  that 
the  extraction  had  been  improving  gradually.  The  froth 
was  making  a  better  selection  of  material,  but  was  still 
high  in  silica,  voluminous  and  difficult  to  handle.  •  Our 
endeavor  was  to  produce  less  froth  with  more  mineral, 
intensive  as  well  as  selective  flotation.  Exhausted  of 
ideas,  we  drifted  along  a  few  days,  when  to  our  great 
surprise  and  for  no  apparent  reason  whatever,  the  froth 
so  long  sought  appeared.  The  voluminous  tough  and 
silicious  froth  had  given  way  to  a  thin  heavily-laden 
froth  with  the  greenish-yellow  cast  of  the  pyrite.  Simul- 
taneous with  it  the  extraction  went  up  and  the  silica 
down. 

When  the  extraction  increased  to  92%,  which  exceeded 
our  expectations,  we  felt  more  kindly  toward  flotation, 
even  to  the  extent  of  trying  it  on  ores  that  were  being 
cyanided.  For  seven  days  we  ran  flotation  and  cyanida- 
tion  side  by  side  on  the  same  ore  with  an  extraction  of 
96.2%  for  cyanidation  and  96.5%  for  flotation.  This 
was  a  surprise  from  which  we  have  not  yet  fully  re- 
covered. 

Suspending  cyanidation,  we  applied  flotation  to  all 
the  different  ores  we  could  muster  to  the  mill.  The  re- 
sults were  so  gratifying,  cost  and  extraction  considered, 
that  cyanidation  was  abandoned. 

For  the  four  months  ending  July  31,  the  extraction 
by  months  has  been  95.01,  95.06,  95.5,  and  95.6%.  Ex- 
traction by  metals:  gold,  97.35%;  silver,  82.2%;  copper, 
93.4% ;  lead,  the  few  assays  would  indicate  about  95%. ; 
zinc,  no  assays.  The  extraction  of  the  silver,  though 
considerably  higher  than  in  cyanidation,  is  still  unsatis- 
factorily low.    This  is  contrary  to  the  impression  so  gen- 


430 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


eral  thai  because  a  mineral  floats  off  the  table  it  is  amen- 
able to  flotation.  Silver  floats  off  the  table  to  a  greater 
extent  than  copper,  yet  the  flotation  machine  removes  a 
greater  percentage  of  the  copper  than  of  the  silver. 
Figures  From  four  months  operation  show  a  recovery  on 
tables,  copper  64.3%,  silver  63.9;  on  the  flotation  ma- 
chine, copper  81.1%,  silver  50.7%.  This  extraction  by 
concentration  and  flotation  compares  favorably  with  the 
best  cyanide  practice  under  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions, and  when  viewed  in  the  light  of  the  wide  range  of 
ores  treated  it  is  surprising.  I  am  including  a  table 
made  from  assays  of  lots  sampled,  giving  a  general  idea 
of  the  range  covered. 

I   have  had  a  keen   desire  to  know  what  was  at  the 


ence,  speed,  baffle,  though  regularly  we  use  no  baffles, 
none  of  which  interfered  with  the  extraction,  that  is, 
noticeably  so.  The  problem  of  going  backward  we  found 
as  difficult  as  previously  it  was  to  go  forward,  though 
beset  with  much  less  worry. 

I  believe  that  oil,  temperature,  speed,  etc.,  each  has  its 
own  influence  on  the  extraction,  but  within  wide  limits 
can  be  measured  in  fractions  of  1%.  I  believe  our  great- 
est trouble  was  due  to  accumulated  slime — colloidal  slime 
if  you  like.  Tests  not  yet  complete  seem  to  show  that  not 
the  absolute  amount  of  slime,  but  the  proportion  of  slime, 
is  the  disturbing  element. 

At  present  the  salient  features  of  the  process  are: 
Ore:  Pyritic,  containing  gold  and  silver,  with  small 


No.  Oz. 

1  0.14 

■1  0.18 

3  2.50 

4  1.72 

5  0.74 

6  0.40 

7  0.62 

8  2.06 

9  1.96 

10  1.05 


Silver. 

Copper, 

Lead, 

Concentration 

Oz. 

% 

% 

Gangue 

ratio 

about 

Remarks 

1.84 

2.0  ± 

quartz 

10 

:    1 

11.60 

trace 

trace 

feldspar 

4 

:    1 

7.50 

2.0 

1.5 

quartz 

3 

:    1 

Gray  copper 

6.88 

3.0 

feldspar 

2 

:    1 

0.58 

quartz 

40 

:    1 

Free  milling 

12.20 

1.4 

feldspar 

12 

:    1 

20  years  on  dump 

4.40 

talc 

10 

:   1 

40%  saved  on  tables 

0.40 

none 

none 

quartz 

2 

:   1 

1.30 

1.0 

0.5 

feldspar 

5 

:   1 

Mostly  free  milling 

20.50 

1.9 

8.0 

quartz 

3 

:   1 

Chalcopyrite 

bottom  of  our  three  months'  troubles,  and  to  this  end 

have  carried  On  the  operation  under  different  conditions 
as  to  oil,  temperature,  consistence,  etc.  In  practice  we 
are  using  crude  w 1-ereosote.  l-">r<.  and  a  Wyoming  gas- 
oil.  85%,  this  being  one  of  the  best  two  combinations 
found  in  the  laboratory  tests.  We  ran  10  days  on  wood- 
tar  oil  and  gas-oil:  10  days  on  crude  turpentine  mixed 
with  coal-tar  creosote;  2  days  on  pine-tar  and  creosote 
with  gas-oil:  2  days  on  pine-oil  with  gas-oil;  and  3  days 
on  wood-creosote  with  coal-oil,  in  all  eases  getting  the 
same  high  extraction.  During  our  early  efforts  to  find 
the  right  combination  of  oils  we  would  make  a  mixture 
of  this,  that,  and  the  other  oil,  try  it  for  12,  15,  or  24 
hours  as  indications  suggested,  and  that  not  used  in  the 
trial  was  thrown  into  a  slop-barrel.  In  this  way  we 
accumulated  a  barrel  or  so  containing  every  conceivable 
oil  on  which  we  could  lay  hold,  organic  and  mineral, 
with  some  organic  acids,  such  as  oleic.  Running  short  of 
other  oils  one  day,  we  had  recourse  to  this  slop,  which 
proved  as  efficient,  entirely  so,  as  any  other  oil  used. 

As  to  temperature,  one  day  during  a  particularly  cold 
snap,  we  had  occasion  to  stop  the  machine  for  a  short 
time,  during  which  ice  of  considerable  thickness  formed 
over  the  entire  machine.  When  we  started  again  it  was 
necessary  to  break  the  ice  to  remove  the  froth,  yet  the 
froth  was  never  more  heavily  laden  with  mineral  than  at 
that  time. 

To  test  the  influence  of  consistence,  we  allowed  the 
entire  mill-flow,  battery-water,  table-wash,  and  all  to  run 
through  the  machine  for  three  days.  The  oil  consump- 
tion might  have  been  heavier,  but  the  extraction  was  not 
impaired. 

Many  Other  changes  were   made   involving  submerg- 


amounts  each  of  copper,  lead,  and  zinc,  concentrating 
anywhere  from  50  :  1  to  2 :  1. 

Oil:  Wood-creosote  15%,  Wyoming  gas-oil  85%. 
Much  trouble  was  experienced  in  feeding  the  oil,  due  to 
the  separation  of  tar,  closing  the  openings  of  the  vessels. 
To  obviate  this  I  devised  a  feeder  with  a  rotating  cylin- 
der with  impressed  cups.  One  can  be  made  easily  by 
filling  the  central  part  of  a  plug-valve  with  metal  and 
fixing  with  shaft  as  shown  in  sketch.  This  has  been 
working  quite  satisfactorily. 

Consistence :  4  or  6 : 1. 

Temperature :  That  of  the  mill. 

Screen  test:  minus  60.  The  grinding  is  more  for  the 
purpose  of  liberating  the  sulphides  from  the  gangue 
than  for  preparing  the  liberated  sulphides  for  flotation. 
The  machine  will  handle  a  surprisingly  eoarse  product 
if  it  follows  good  table  concentration. 

Speed :  1100  r.p.m. 

Xo  acids  or  other  reagents  are  used. 

The  froth  is  small  in  volume,  about  4  in.  thick,  cover- 
ing but  one-third  of  the  froth-cell.  It  is  removed  by 
revolving  scrapers  made  of  20-mesh  battery-screen.  The 
screen-openings  are  small  enough  to  prevent  the  froth 
passing  back,  but  large  enough  to  pass  the  slime,  thus  re- 
ducing the  silica  in  the  concentrate. 


Electrical  transmission  in  mine  machine-shops  is 
becoming  more  general  on  account  of  its  flexibility, 
cleanliness,  freedom  from  noise,  efficiency,  and  economy. 
Most  machines  are  fitted  with  individual  motors,  but 
care  must  lie  exercised  in  doing  this,  or  the  motor  losses 
may  become  too  heavy.  Tt  is  often  more  economical  to 
motor  groups  of  machines  on  one  shaft. 


September  16,  1916 


MIXING    and    Sc.cnl.f.c     PRKSS 


IM 


Miniiricj  Decisions 


£  u 


Revle  mts 


Mimk^    I.iin      WATCBUAN    Noi    Kmimiii  To 
A  person  employed  M  ii  w.ili  Inn, in  ami   1"  coll- 

dm  -i  mining  companj  is  not  entitled  t<>  ■  lies  tor  his 

under  the  laws  of  Oklahoma. 

Hunt    r.    BUrllng    i  Oklahoma  i .    157    Pacific    Til.      May    8, 
1916. 


Conn  v  wi  i  in  Oo-ovi  «  ■    Fraud 
a  deed  from  a  pari  owner  of  mining  property  to  bis  eo  owner 

with   whom   he  wai  on  unfriendly  terms,  is  not   subject   to  re- 

clsion  merely  because  the  grantee  concealed  from  the  grantor 

results  of  development  work  that  Increased  the  speculative 
value  of  the  property,  but  disclosed  no  new  or  different  con- 
ditions from  those  already  known  to  the  grantor. 

Richardson  P.  Heney  ( Arizona  I.  l'.T  Pacific,  980.    June  2, 
1916. 


On.  ami  11  is  Lease — Held  Mere  Option 

An  oil  and  gas  lease  providing  royalties  or  rentals  in  lieu 
thereof  was  held  to  be  a  mere  option  where  the  lessee  never 
went  into  possession  of  the  land  and  void  if  no  rights  were 
exercised  thereunder  within  a  period  of  two  years.  A  formal 
release  by  the  lessee  as  a  condition  precedent  to  relief  from 
liability  for  rentals  was  held  unnecessary. 

Morton    i\    Drosten    (Missouri).    1S5    South-western,    733. 
May  2,  1916. 

Gas  Lease — Rentals  in  Lieu  ok  Dulling 

A  gas  lease  by  its  terms  required  the  lessees  either  to  drill 
wells  and  pay  royalties  on  their  output,  or  in  lieu  thereof  to 
pay  stipulated  rentals.  The  lessees  paid  the  rentals  but  failed 
to  drill  any  wells.  The  territory  having  been  proved  through 
neighboring  wells,  the  lessors  brought  suit  for  damages  in  the 
amount  of  loss  in  royalties  resulting  from  the  lessees'  failure 
to  drill  and  the  consequent  draining  of  the  land  through  ad- 
jacent wells.  Held,  no  recovery  could  be  had.  The  covenant 
for  rentals  operated  in  satisfaction  of  all  claims  for  royalties, 
the  lessors  having  accepted  the  rentals  tendered  thereunder. 
The  lessors'  remedy  for  the  lessees'  failure  to  drill  would  have 
been  to  terminate  the  lease  by  forfeiture  after  due  notice  to 
commence  work.  Not  having  availed  of  that  remedy,  he  can- 
not sue  for  damages. 

Carper  v.  United  Fuel  Gas  Co.  (West  Virginia),  S9  South- 
eastern, 12.    May  16,  1916. 


Boundaries — Meander  Rule  Applicable  to  Mining  Claims 

The  plat  and  field-notes  on  which  a  survey  for  a  mineral 
patent  was  based  are  admissible  in  evidence  to  explain  the 
descriptions  in  the  patent.  A  meander  line  is  a  line  run  in 
the  survey  of  particular  portions  of  the  public  domain  bor- 
dering on  a  stream  or  other  body  of  water,  not  as  a  boundary 
of  the  tract  surveyed,  but  for  the  purpose  of  defining  the 
sinuosities  of  the  bank  of  a  shore  of  the  water,  and  as  a  means 
of  ascertaining  the  quantity  of  land  within  the  surveyed  area 
subject  to  sale.  The  shore  or  bank  itself  is  the  real  boundary. 
This  rule  of  meander  lines  is  now  held  to  apply  to  mining 
claims  and  the  courses  and  distances  shown  in  the  patent  of 
certain  lode  claims  on  the  shore  of  Gastineau  channel  in 
Alaska  were  disregarded  as  fixing  boundaries  in  favor  of  the 
actual  line  of  ordinary  high  tide  at  date  of  survey.  Land  to 
the  seaward  of  this  line  which  has  been  filled  in  by  artificial 
methods  is  not  open  to  mineral  location. 

Alaska  United  Gold  Mining  Co.  et  al.  v.  Cincinnati-Alaska 
Mining  Co.  et  al.  (Land  Department)  Decision  of  Sec- 
retary of  Interior,  April  18,  1916.     (Not  yet  reported.) 


Miinn ucs  m  Flotation.    By  Tl lore  J   Hoover, 

Third    edition.      P.    810.      III..    Indi  Iftltlnj)    tfofl 

London,  1916,     r>  the  Mining  utd  Scientihi    Press. 

Price,  $8.76. 

in  his  preface  to  tins  Imprint,  which  is  80  pi  i  than 

the  pre  author  states  that  "the  advance  In  the 

use  of  dotation  processes  lm 

shierahie  part  of  this  advance  baa  been  dne  m  the  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge  •  •  •  by  the  circulation  <>i  the  Hrsl 
and  second  editions."  The  text  of  the  second  edition  h 
re-published  Intact,  even  leaving,  on  page  ISO,  thi  erroneous 
remarks  concerning  the  notation  of  bornlte  and  chalceclte 
ores;  likewise  the  measure  of  surface  tension  per  "square" 
centimetre.  The  additional  matter  covers  the  period  1914- 
1916.  In  this,  excessive  attention  seems  to  be  given  to  the 
Everson  patent.  Brief  mention  is  made  of  the  status  of  pend- 
ing litigation.  The  theories  propounded  on  the  electro-statics 
of  flotation  are  deemed  unsatisfactory,  while  a  great  deal  of 
what  has  been  written  about  viscosity  is  termed  "nonsense." 
Discussing  surface-films  and  contact-angles  as  investigated  by 
G.  D.  Van  Arsdale,  Mr.  Hoover  states  that  H.  L.  Sulman  and 
H.  F.  K.  Picard  have  for  years  studied  this  problem,  and  have 
voluminous  notes  ready  for  publication.  These,  however,  are 
in  the  archives  of  the  Minerals  Separation  company,  who  are 
acting  as  "censors."  About  this  Mr.  Hoover  writes  forcibly, 
advising  the  patent-owning  company  to  be  frank  with  its  prob- 
able customers.  Tabulated  results  are  given  of  the  Horwood 
and  Lyster  selective  processes  as  used  at  Broken  Hill.  The 
Callow  process,  so  extensively  used  in  America,  is  given  4 
pages,  the  M.  S.  30  pages,  all  others  55  pages.  An  incomplete 
list  is  given  of  users  of  flotation  systems.  Out  of  an  average 
of  one  patent  per  week  during  two  years,  Mr.  Hoover  says 
that  "one  gropes  hungrily  through  this  huge  mass  for  a  really 
new  idea."  He  gives  a  list  of  the  later  patents.  Certain  gold 
ores  in  this  country  are  now  being  treated  by  flotation  on  a 
large  scale,  yet  the  matter  is  dismissed  in  a  few  lines.  The 
notes  on  oils  and  soluble  frothing  agents  have  been  presented 
better  in  recent  technical  journals.  Twenty-two  pages  are 
added  to  the  previous  54  pages  of  bibliography,  making  the 
references  fairly  complete.  In  short,  this  is  a  reprint,  with- 
out revision,  of  the  previous  edition,  together  with  60  pages  of 
additional  matter.  M.  W.  von  B. 


Steam  Power.  By  C.  F.  Hirshfeld  and  T.  C.  Ulbricht.  Third 
edition.  P.  420.  111.,  index.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  New  York, 
1916.    For  sale  by  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $2. 

While  essentially  an  elementary  work  on  the  steam  engine 
and  accessories,  for  colleges  and  technical  schools,  power-plant 
engineers  will  find  it  of  value  on  many  points.  The  matter  is 
up  to  date,  including  as  it  does  notes  on  the  latest  boilers, 
stokers,  and  turbines.  The  physical  conceptions  and  units, 
and  discussion  on  steam  are  well  given.  Various  types  of  en- 
gines are  described.  Combustion  is  explained  in  a  practical 
manner,  also  recovery  of  waste  heat.  The  illustrations  have 
been  well  selected.  Altogether,  the  book  will  be  found  worth 
the  price. 

Boletin  del  Petroleo.  Organo  de  la  Secretaria  de  Fomento. 
Office,  2  A  Calle  de  Tacula  No.  7,  Mexico  City.  A.  G.  Perez, 
administrator.  Price  PIS  per  annum,  or  P10  per  half-year. 
Issued  twice  a  month.  This  is  an  official  publication  dealing 
with  the  oil  industry  of  Mexico.  The  August  number  consists 
of  112  pages,  with  illustrations  and  statistical  matter.  Those 
interested  in  the  work  in  the  Tampico  and  Tuxpan  districts 
will  find  some  useful  notes. 


432 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


1,184,240.  Oi:k  COKCENTBATOB  imi  Classifies.  Frederick  X. 
Huliliell.  San  Francisco.  Cal.,  assignor  to  David  R.  Carrier,  San 
Francisco,  Cal.    Filed  Sept.  8.  1914.    Serial  No.  860,802. 


"^I 


A  classifier  and  concentrator  comprising  a  shaking  pan 
having  a  sloping  bottom  and  side-walls  forming  a  stratifying 
compartment  and  a  plurality  of  collecting  and  discharging 
compartments  beyond  the  stratifying  compartment,  the  com- 
partments being  separated  by  transverse  partitions,  said  par- 
titions having  ports  at  their  lower  ends,  the  vertical  dimen- 
sions of  said  ports  decreasing  progressively  away  from  the 
stratifying  compartment,  separate  discharge  conduits  con- 
nected to  the  collecting  compartments  at  progressively  lower 
levels,  and  receiving  means  connected  to  each  discharge  means 
adapted  to  maintain  a  hydrostatic  head  in  the  conduits  cor- 
responding substantially  to  the  hydrostatic  head  in  the  pan. 


1,184,006.  Method  op  Purifyinu  Gas.  Carlton  F.  Moore.  Salt 
Lake  City.  Utah,  assignor  to  United  States  Smelting.  Refining 
&  Mining  Company,  a  Corporation  of  Maine.  Filed  December 
17.  1913.     Serial  No.  S07.226. 


J*    4?  a.  * 


1.  The  method  of  purifying  the  dust  laden  gases  from  ore 
treating  and  other  furnaces  which  consists  in  passing  the 
gases  successively  through  a  series  of  filtering  fabrics,  the 
final  fabric  of  which  is  impregnated  with  dust  preparatory  to 
filtering  use.  and  periodically  removing  the  accumulation  of 
dust  from  those  fabrics  only  which  precede  the  final  fabric. 

2.  The  method  of  purifying  gases  from  ore  treating  the 
other  furnaces  to  obtain  an  impurity  free  gas,  comprising  con- 
tinuously passing  the  gases  successively  through  a  series  of 
moveable  filtering  walls  which  become  periodically  impreg- 
nated and  clogged  with  dust  for  removing  the  bulk  of  the  dust 
and  finally  passing  the  gases  through  a  quiescent  dust  im- 
pregnated filtering  means  for  removing  the  last  portion  of  dust. 


1.193.734.  Recovery  of  Nickii  from  Irs  Ores.  Henry  Liv- 
ingstone Sulman  and  Hugh  Fitzalis  Kirkpatrick  Picard,  Lon- 
don. England,  assignors  to  The  Madagascar  Minerals  Syndicate, 
Limited.   London.  England.     Filed  Feb.   18,  1914.     Serial   No. 

1.  The  herein  described  process  comprising  precipitating 
nickel  from  a  solution  of  nickel  and  other  sulfates  obtained 
by  treating  nickel  silicate  ores  containing  magnesium  with 
sulfuric  acid,  crystallizing  out  a  quantity  of  magnesium 
sulfate  from  the  super-natant  liquor,  converting  the  mag- 
nesium sulfate  into  magnesium  chlorid  and  a  soluble  sulfid. 


dissolving  the  magnesium  chlorid  and  the  sulfid  products  in 
water,  and  adding  the  solution  thus  obtained  to  a  fresh  quan- 
tity of  the  solution  of  mixed  sulfates,  for  the  purpose  de- 
scribed. 


1.191,848.  Rabble-Arm.  Harry  H.  Stout,  New  York,  N.  Y., 
assignor  to  General  Chemical  Company,  New  York.  N.  Y.,  a 
Corporation  of  New  York.  Filed  Dec.  4,  1913.  Serial  No. 
804,559. 


1.  In  combination,  a  double-walled  shaft,  a  rabble  arm  com- 
prising external  and  internal  pipes,  the  internal  pipe  being  of 
a  diameter  greater  than  the  radius  of  the  external  pipe  and 
being  located  in  and  supported  substantially  along  its  entire 
length  by  the  external  pipe,  the  inner  end  of  the  internal  pipe 
being  connected  with  the  inner  wall  of  the  double-walled  shaft 
by  a  telescopic  joint  and  the  delivery  end  of  the  internal  pipe 
being  located  adjacent  to  the  outer  end  of  the  external  pipe, 
and  a  stop  to  prevent  outward  movement  of  the  internal  pipe  as 
a  whole. 


1,195,236.  Apparatus  for  Recovering  Quicksilver  From  Its 
Ore.  William  H.  Landers.  New  Almaden.  Cal.,  assignor  of 
one-half  interest  to  Pacific  Foundry  Company,  San  Francisco, 
Cal.,  a  Corporation  of  California.  Filed  Mar.  29,  1916.  Serial 
No.  87,618. 


1.  An  apparatus  of  the  character  described,  comprising  a 
roasting  furnace;  a  dust-settler  with  which  the  gas  outlet  from 
said  furnace  communicates:  a  condenser  with  which  the  dust- 
settler  communicates;  a  stack  to  which  the  uncondensed 
gases  from  the  condenser  are  delivered;  means  for  subjecting 
the  condenser  to  a  cooling  medium;  and  means  for  conducting 
the  said  medium  with  its  absorbed  heat,  after  it  leaves  the 
condenser,  into  the  stack,  to  increase  the  draft  through  the 
apparatus. 


1.194.669.  Concentrating  Radium  Ore.  Herman  Schlundt. 
Columbia.  Mo.    Filed  Feb.  21,  1916.    Serial  No.  79,758. 

1.  The  method  of  producing  radium  concentrates  from  carno- 
tite  ores  and  other  suitable  radium  containing  material, 
which  comprises  treating  the  material  with  a  suitable  solvent 
to  dissolve  the  radium,  together  with  barium,  as  sulfates, 
diluting  the  resulting  solution  and  thereby  precipitating  the 
radium-barium  sulfates  in  a  finely  divided  condition  in  ad- 
mixture  with    the    undissolved   material,   and   separating   the 


1916 


MINING    and    Scimi.l.c    PRESS 


divided   ru.llum  Imrlimi   loUktM   b)    a   differential   k.-.Ii 
lion. 


1.194  .imiin     LouIk   David   Chevalier   and 

uque,   Iowa      I'll.'.!   D«o    .'7.  1916 
Barlal  v- 


l.  In  mi  apparatus  of  the  character  described,  an  oscillatory 
rectlCQlated  table,  means  for  forcing  air  upwardly  through  its 
reticulations  and  other  means  for  creating  opposed  horizontal 
air  currents  over  the  upper  surface  thereof  independent  of 
those  passing  through  the  reticulations. 

■:.  In  an  apparatus  of  the  character  described,  an  oscillatory 
table  adapted  to  receive  ore  concentrates,  separated  means 
for  forcing  air  currents  vertically  through  said  concentrates 
and  also  in  opposed  horizontal  currents,  independent  of  those 
which  pass  vetically  through  the  concentrates,  across  its  upper 
surface,  and  an  inclosure  for  said  table  provided  with  an  air 
delivery  port. 


1,196,424.  Kcrn.uk.  Utley  Wedge,  Ardmore,  Pa.,  assignor 
to  The  Furnace  Patent  Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  a  Corpora- 
tion of  Pennsylvania.  Filed  Jan.  20,  1910.  Serial  No.  539,134. 
Renewed  Jan.  20,  1916.    Serial  No.  73,210. 


1.  A  roasting  or  like  furnace  having  primary  and  secondary 
heating  members,  means  for  preventing  flow  of  gas  from  one 
heating  member  to  the  other,  means  for  effecting  the  discharge 
of  gas  from  each  member  independently  of  the  other  and  a 
mechanical  conveyor  for  delivering  a  regulated  supply  of  re- 
agent to  the  material  under  treatment  in  the  secondary  heat- 
ing member  of  the  furnace. 

2.  A  roasting  or  like  furnace  having  a  plurality  of  super- 
posed hearths,  one  of  the  hearths  in  the  upper  portion  of  the 
furnace  being  chambered,  means  for  admitting  air  to  said 
chamber,  and  means  for  conveying  the  air  heated  in  its  passage 
through  said  chamber  to  a  treating  chamber  in  the  lower  por- 
tion of  the  furnace. 


application  Barl  i.   i:m     This  ap- 

pUcatli ID 

I.  The  herein  deacrlbed  method  i  n  ilnc 

i  calcining  the  ore,  i»» 

lug  it  witii  pulverlaed  coke  In  quantity <■  than  luOclenl  for 

the  reduction letalllc  oxidi  in  the  ore  and  with  a  carbona 

ceous  binding  material,  forming  said  mixture  Into  brlqueta 
under  pressure,  beating  said  briquets  to  a  temperatun 

ciently  high  to  destructively  distil  and  coke  the  carbonac a 

binding  material,  but  uol  blgb  bi  rolatlluse  the  line 

content  of  the  on',  to  form  a  briquet  capable  "f  withstanding 
without  disintegration  slno-dlatlUation  temperatures;  and  sub- 
sequently subjecting  the  brlqueta  to  the  usual  sine  distillation 
process  to  recover  the  zinc 


1,193,953. 
F.  Wagner, 
36,918. 


Hyiiuuik    Com  i  mihi. .a  ob  Classiwib.     Prank 

Iicuvrr.   Colo.      Kiu-il   .lime   29,    1916.     Serial   No. 


1.  An  hydraulic  plant  concentrator  or  classifier  comprising 
a  number  of  tanks  disposed  one  above  another  and  in  com- 
munication with  each  other,  each  tank  except  the  lowermost 
being  open  at  the  top  for  overflow  purposes,  hoods  fitted  over 
the  top  of  the  same  and  forming  troughs  for  catching  the  over- 
flow therefrom,  the  top  of  each,  hood  being  provided  with  an 
opening,  means  for  connecting  the  lower  extremity  of  the 
tank  next  above  with  said  opening,  an  outlet  connected  with 
each  hood,  and  a  valve  located  in  each  outlet  except  the  upper- 
most for  regulating  the  discharge  and  for  controlling  the  flow 
of  water  to  the  tank  directly  above. 


1,183,172.  Process  of  Roasting  Zinc-Blende.  Charles  A.  H. 
de  Saulles,  New  York,  N.  Y.  Filed  Oct.  17,  1914.  Serial  No. 
867,047. 

The  method  of  treating  zinc  blende  for  recovering  metallic 
zinc,  which  comprises  roasting  the  blende,  adding  carbon  to 
the  roasting  charge  at  the  latter  end  of  the  roasting  operation 
and  regulating  the  air  admission  so  as  to  produce  a  tempera- 
ture not  exceeding  1000°C.  and  thereby  obtaining  a  reduction 
and  dissociation  of  the  sulfates  present  without  volatilizing 
any  of  the  metals,  and  finally  treating  the  resultant  roast  in  a 
.suitable  furnace  to  reduce  the  zinc  to  a  metallic  state. 


1,193, 6S0.     Recovery  or  Zinc.    Charles  H.  Fulton,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,   assignor   to   David   B.   Jones,   Chicago,   111.     Substitute 


1,195,655.  Treatment  of  Alunite  and  the  Like.  Howard 
F.  Chappell,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  assignor  to  Mineral  Products 
Corporation,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  a  Corporation  of  Maine.  Filed 
Sept.  23,  1913.    Serial  No.  791,288. 

1.  The  process  of  treating  alum,  alum-stone,  alum-rock  and 
alunite,  which  comprises  submitting  the  same,  in  a  reducing 
atmosphere,  to  a  temperature  sufficient  to  convert  substantially 
all  of  the  potassium  compounds  contained  therein  into  potas- 
sium sulfate,  and  substantially  all  of  the  aluminum  compounds 
into  insoluble  aluminum  oxid  and  thereupon  lixiviating  out 
the  potassium  sulfate;   substantially  as  described. 


■m 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


Ii^¥3^ 


D^J     MIMUM^ 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  b>j  our  own  camespon 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 

Effect    of    Possible    Railroad    Strike. — Wages. — Tuolumne. 

East  Bi'ttk,  Butte  &  Superior.   Dams-Daly.  ANACONDA. 

Preparations  have  been  made  to  operate  all  the  mines  as  long 
as  possible  in  case  any  threatened  railroad  strike  eventuates. 
The  Anaconda  company  transports  its  ore  28  miles  by  rail. 
With  this  company  it  is  a  question  of  bin  capacity.  Electric 
power  generated  by  water  is  used,  so  that  a  shortage  of  coal 
would  not  affect  operations  seriously.  At  the  present  rate  of 
production  the  bins  would  all  be  full  in  4S  hours.  At  the 
North  Butte  conditions  are  similar,  save  that  hoisting  with 
steam  is  done  at  one  shaft  and  a  supply  of  coal  will  have  to  be 
stored.  The  East  Butte  is  dependent  on  the  railroads  for  coal, 
and  for  limestone  that  is  used  for  flux.  There  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  getting  ore  to  the  smelter,  as  it  is  only  a  few 
hundred  feet  from  the  shaft.  The  Elm  Orlu  mine  of  the 
Clark  interests  ships  ore  by  rail  to  its  concentrator,  and  could 
only  work  until  the  mine  ore-bins  became  full.  Steam  power 
is  used  at  the  mine,  and  a  shortage  of  coal  would  also  cause 
a  shut-down.  At  the  Butte  &  Superior  steam  power  is  used 
only  for  hoisting.  All  the  coal  bins  are  kept  full,  and  a  large 
supply  has  been  stored  along  the  railroad  track.  The  com- 
pany sends  its  zinc  concentrates  to  smelters  in  Kansas  and 
Oklahoma.  After  the  railroad  cars  on  hand  are  loaded  and  the 
concentrate  bins  are  full,  the  mill  products  will  be  stored  as 
long  as  possible.  In  spite  of  all  precautions  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  stop  hoisting  ore  at  most  of  the  mines  two  days  after 
any  strike  became  effective,  and  within  ten  days  all  the  mines 
here  would  be  closed.  Development  and  repair  work  could  be 
done  at  those  mines  that  are  equipped  with  electric  hoisting 
apparatus,  or  where  a  supply  of  coal  is  on  hand,  but  no  provi- 
sion can  be  made  to  store  ore  after  it  is  hoisted. 

The  pay-roll  of  the  mining  companies  in  Butte  for  August 
amounted  to  nearly  $2,500,000.  Wages  are  paid  on  a  sliding- 
scale,  depending  on  the  price  of  copper.  When  the  average 
price  for  a  month  is  above  25c.  per  pound  the  miners  receive 
$4.50  per  day,  and  the  office  employees  who  get  less  than  $300 
per  month  are  granted  an  increase  of  10rJr  of  their  salaries. 

The  Tuolumne  company  has  an  option  on  the  Butte  Main 
Range  property  and  has  finished  enlarging  and  re-timbering 
the  shaft  from  the  surface  to  the  700-ft.  level.  A  narrow  vein 
of  high-grade  copper  ore  has  been  opened.  Shipments  will  be 
made  to  the  Anaconda  smelter,  and  until  a  railroad  spur  is 
built  to  the  mine  it  will  be  necessary  to  haul  the  ore  about 
one  mile  with  teams  or  motor-trucks. 

Developments  in  the  lower  levels  of  the  East  Butte  are 
encouraging.  The  output  has  been  steadily  increased  since 
the  first  of  the  year  and  the  company  has  been  earning  a 
profit  of  $200,000  per  month.  By  January,  1917,  there  will  be- 
a  surplus  of  $2,000,000,  and  it  is  rumored  that  dividends  will 
be  started  at  the  rate  of  $2  per  annum. 

About  2000  tons  of  ore  daily  is  being  hoisted  through  the  old 
shaft  of  the  Butte  &  Superior.  One  of  the  new  shafts  is 
handling  men  and  timber  to  the  1500-ft.  level.  A  new  steel 
head-frame  135  ft.  high  has  been  erected  at  this  shaft  and  a 
large  electric  hoist  is  being  put  in  place.  Ore  will  be  hoisted 
through  this  shaft  in  7-ton  skips  by  about  January  1.  New 
crushing  equipment  is  being  installed  at  this  shaft,  and  when 
it  is  finished  an  accident  in  one  shaft  will  not  affect  the  pro- 
duction of  zinc  ore.  A  new  dry,  or  change-house,  made  of 
galvanized  iron,  has  been  erected  near  the  new  shaft. 


Favorable  developments  at  the  Davis-Daly  are  attracting 
attention.  The  company  is  hoisting  all  the  ore  that  the  present 
equipment  will  handle,  and  the  new  hoist  that  is  being  in- 
stalled will  soon  be  ready.  Davis-Daly  owns  the  mineral 
rights  to  much  of  the  ground  on  which  the  city  of  Butte  is 
built.  Recently  a  great  many  frame  buildings  were  torn  down 
to  make  room  for  more  permanent  structures,  and  excavation 
for  the  basements  of  these  buildings  have  disclosed  the  apex 
of  several  veins,  some  of  which  warrant  prospecting  at  depth. 

The  Anaconda  company  publishes  a  monthly  magazine, 
called  The  Anode,  that  has  for  its  object  the  fostering  of  a 
spirit  of  'safety-first.'  It  is  a  difficult  task  to  make  a  publica- 
tion of  this  kind  interesting,  but  with  its  articles,  cartoons, 
and  pictures  the  paper  fulfills  all  requirements.  The  cartoons 
and  pictures  illustrate  safe  and  unsafe  methods  of  performing 
the  various  duties  of  miners.  A  prize  is  awarded  each  month 
for  the  best  article  submitted,  and  as  a  rule  there  are  several 
good  ones.  Interest  in  the  various  first-aid  teams  is  kept  up 
by  accounts  of  their  performances  and  records  of  their  con- 
tests. A  prize  of  $750  is  awarded  each  year  to  the  foreman 
who  has  the  least  number  of  accidents  occurring  to  men  under 
his  charge.  The  publication  shows  in  chart  form  how  each 
foreman  and  his  assistants  are  running.  Diagrams  give  data 
on  the  accidents  at  all  the  reduction  works  that  the  company 
controls.  The  Anode  fulfills  a  two-fold  purpose;  by  avoiding 
accidents  the  miners  are  saved  suffering  and  perhaps  death, 
and  the  company  saves  money  as  nearly  all  of  its  employees 
come  under  the  workmen's  compensation  act. 

JOI'LI.X,  MISSOURI 

Zinc-Lead  Ore  Situation. — Surplus  Stock  of  Concentrate. — 
Development  in  Oklahoma. — New  Mills. — Conveyor  for 
Tailing. 

Weak  ore  markets  that  put  a  decided  check  on  the  steadily 
increasing  development  of  this  district  caused  many  mines 
to  be  closed  and  created  a  disturbing  surplus  of  ore  stocks 
held  in  local  bins,  is  the  disappointing  record  of  the  month  of 
August.  It  may  be  said,  also,  that  immediate  prospects  are 
not  very  encouraging.  The  average  basis  price  for  blende 
during  the  month  was  $58.75.  This  is  presumably  about  $2 
above  the  average  settlement  price,  and  when  it  is  considered 
that  the  cost  of  wages,  powder,  and  general  mine  supplies  is 
much  greater  than  formerly,  and  that  many  thin-ground  mines 
have  been  opened,  it  is  evident  that  many  must  be  operating 
at  a  loss.  or.  at  least,  merely  breaking  even  and  continuing  to 
operate  only  with  the  idea  of  keeping  intact  their  working 
organizations,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  advantage  of  better 
prices  if  they  should  come. 

The  biggest  problem  for  local  producers  just  now  is  the 
great  surplus  of  zinc  concentrate.  This  was  variously  esti- 
mated on  the  first  of  September  at  between  IS, 000  and  24.000 
tons,  the  larger  part  of  which  is  held  in  the  Oklahoma  portion 
of  the  region.  This  surplus  has  nearly  all  accumulated  in  the 
past  seven  weeks  also,  and  comes  not  so  much  from  increased 
production  as  from  decreased  buying.  For  several  weeks  some 
of  the  smelting  companies  have  been  out  of  the  market  alto- 
gether, while  others  have  been  purchasing  only  a  small  pro- 
portion of  their  ordinary  demands.  The  menace  of  the  sur- 
plus, which  is  greater  than  any  previous  one  recorded  in  the 
region,  became  so  oppressive  that  a  meeting  of  mine  operators 


iuIht  16,  1916 


MINING    and   Simula-    I'Klxs 


tiled  tn  Um  latter  pun  or  tin  month  to  dmI  al  Webb 
city  ami  *tir  whether  i  gi  semi  shutdown  should  i*-  at- 
tempted.   The  meeting  m  well  attended,  than  being  repra 

•entutlv.-s   from   most   ol   ltu»  centres,   bat    II    was   the   . 

opinion  di.it  ii"  united  suspension  ibould  be  tried,  but  that 

in.lm.lii.il    mine-owners    who    could    il"    so    without    t,,., 
loes  should  close  for  the  best  Interests  of  the  district    sin.. 
thin  meeting  ■  number  of  the  Inner  mines  have  stopped  work. 

I'miuestlonably  the  lightest  production  for  many  years  wouhl 
now  be  recorded  In  this  district,  due  to  voluntary  shut-downs, 
were  It  not  for  the  wonderful  development  In  the  Oklahoma 
disirlr'  it  this  work  was  begun  early  In  the  spring, 

when  prices  and  proapei  tionally  good,  and  there 

is  no  disposition  to  criticise  the  mine  owners  who  are  now 
adding  so  material];  to  the  regional  output,  but  it  is  a  fact 
that  it  comes  at  an  unfortunate  time.  The  greater  part  of 
this  large  output  conies  from  Etcher  and  Immediate  vicinity. 
The  Bagle-Plcher  Lead  Co.  has  four  mills  producing  large 
quantities  of  concentrate.  The  Netta,  the  latest  of  this  com- 
pany's mills  to  start,  has  n  capacity  of  1200  tous  of  ore  In  20 
hours,    and    the    four    plants    arc    now    yielding    concentrate 

around  300  tons  per  week. Just  south  of  the  Picher  mines 

Is  a  new  centre  called  Century,  which  is  the  home  of  what  is 
commonly  conceded  to  be  the  most  remarkable  zinc  mine  yet 
opened  in  this  Held.  It  is  owned  principally  by  investors  from 
Canada,  and  Is  known  as  the  Montreal  mine.  A  recovery  of 
better  than  T.v.  blende  was  made  from  the  first  1000  tons  of 
ore  mined,  with  only  hand  jigs  for  cleaning.  Some  300  tons 
of  free  ore.  with  fragments  ranging  in  size  from  that  of  a  base- 
ball to  as  large  as  a  bucket,  were  taken  out  within  two  weeks 
after  the  orebody  was  cut  In  the  first  shaft. A  short  dis- 
tance from  this  remarkable  mine  the  Lucky  Kid  company's 
new   mill   has  just   been  placed   in  operation,  and   is  making 

from   15   to   20   tons  of  concentrate   daily. Near  it   is  the 

I'nderwriters  Land  Co..  which  has  just  started  a  new  mill,  and 

is  making  as  high  as  24  tons  of  concentrate  per  day. The 

Admiralty  Zinc  Co.,  also  in  this  new  centre,  has  two  mills  at 

work,  and  will  have  a  third  going  in  a  short  time. Across 

Tar  creek,  at  Cardin.  the  Blue  Goose  and  Beaver  mines  con- 
tinue their  remarkable  production.  These  mines  are  owned 
by  the  Commerce  Mining  &  Royalty  Co.,  which  has  been  hold- 
ing for  higher  prices.  At  last  reports  there  was  2500  tons  of 
surplus  in  the  bins  at  the  Blue  Goose  and  1500  at  the  Beaver. 

It  is  a  safe  estimate  that  the  production  of  the  Oklahoma 

section  of  the  region  has  increased  by  one-fourth,  and  probably 
by  one-half,  in  the  past  two  months.  So  rich  are  so  many  of 
the  properties  that  active  drilling  continues  at  a  high  rate, 
and  more  splendid  prospects  are  being  reported  almost  daily, 
despite  the  slump  in  general  market  conditions. 

Continued  dry  weather  has  helped  to  keep  production  down. 
Half  a  dozen  of  the  larger  sheet-ground  mines  of  West  Joplin, 
with  more  than  that  number  in  the  Prosperity  section  of 
Webb  City-Carterville.  have  been  unable  to  operate  for  several 
weeks  owing  to  a  lack  of  water  for  wet  concentration.  Among 
these  plants  are  included  the  four  properties  of  the  A.  W.  C. 
Co.  at  Joplin.  and  the  Tom  Coyne  and  Lincoln  Zinc  Mining  & 
Smelting  Co.'s  plants  at  Prosperity. 

The  most  important  new  plant  outside  of  the  Oklahoma 
field  is  that  of  the  Coahuila  Mining  Co.,  at  Duenweg,  Missouri. 
This  company  has  built  No.  3  mill  just  south  of  the  No.  1, 
which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  district.  Since  it  was 
started  in  the  last  week  of  August  it  has  been  treating  1800 
tons  of  ore  per  day,  and  making  more  than  a  carload  of  con- 
centrate. The  plant  is  equipped  with  skips  for  hoisting,  as  is 
the  No.  1  mill,  and  there  are  five  150-hp.  boilers. 

The  A.  R.  G.  company  has  completed  a  new  350-ton  concen- 
trating plant  east  of  the  Coahuila  tract  at  Duenweg,  but  as 
yet  has  not  been  able  to  start  it  on  account  of  lack  of  water. 

The  St.  Regis  company,  which  has  just  completed  a  new 

300-ton  mill  at  Chitwood,  is  experiencing  the  same  difficulty, 
and  is  sinking  its  mill  shaft  in  an  effort  to  remedy  the  trouble. 


Tin-  st.   Ui-kIh  No    i   mill  a)    Duenweg  i«  operating  si   full 

capacity    and  making   ISO  ton-.  ,,i   con,,  nt  i  ad-   Weelcl]     —The 

n.  0.  &  D,  compan)  baa  started  n»  No.  2  mill  in  the  Oi 
bottoms  north  ol  Webb  city.    The  mill  has  been  built  tor  :i7.r. 
capacity  per  shin,  hut  in  such  a  waj  ihat  this  quantity 
can  be  doubled  later  on.    Tin-  locally  noted  Cramer  mill  at 
Cave  Springs  baa  been  sold  ami  will  i»-  moved  to  ■  property 

near   Miami.         The    W.-si    Virginia  company   has   re-built    the 
Old  Pulsion  plant  at  Galena  and  started  working  II  once  more. 

For  the  first  time  in  tins  district  a  belbeonveyc 
Installed  and  worked  Ai  the  old  Mabbltsfoot  property,  west 
of  Joplin.  the  Blatchley  Mining  Co.  has  been  treating  tailing 
and  has  not  been  able  to  get  enough  to  keep  Its  new  mill  busy. 
A  steam  shovel  was  considered,  bul  finally  It  decided  on  a  belt- 
conveyor.  It  Is  a  16-in.  belt,  and  carries  its  load  130  ft.,  and 
is  able  to  deliver  the  tailing  al  the  rate  of  500  tons  in  10 
hours.  An  ordinary  drag-scraper  or  skip,  steam  operated,  is 
used  to  bring  the  tailing  to  the  hopper  under  which  the  belt 
is  loaded. 

Although  market  conditions  are  not  at  all  encouraging  just 
now,  few  of  the  operators  are  really  seriously  discouraged. 
Profits  during  the  winter  and  spring  were  greater  than  ever 
before,  and  a  return  to  good  conditions  in  the  near  future  is 
generally  expected. 

TORONTO,    ONTARIO 

Fokkst  Fires. — Labor  at  Cobalt. — Power  fob  Kiukland  Lake. 

Nickel  Controversy  and  Politics. 

Additional  forest  fires  have  been  raging  in  Northern  On- 
tario, resulting  in  further  loss  of  life  and  property.  The 
mining  districts  generally  escaped,  but  the  Casey-Cobalt  plant 
was  destroyed. 

Serious  disputes  over  wages  and  labor  conditions  at  Cobalt, 
which  have  prevailed  for  some  time,  resulted  in  an  appeal  to 
the  Canadian  Department  of  Labor,  which  was  asked  to  ap- 
point a  board  of  conciliation.  This  was  found  to  be  imprac- 
ticable, owing  to  a  want  of  organization  among  the  mine- 
owners,  which  would  have  necessitated  the  appointment  of  a 
separate  board  for  each  mine  involved.  As  an  alternative,  the 
Department  has  constituted  a  royal  commission  to  enquire 
into  a  report  on  the  questions  at  issue,  consisting  of  Judge 
Coatsworth  of  Toronto,  A.  F.  Corkill  of  Copper  Cliff,  and 
Joseph  Gibbons  of  Toronto. 

Development  at  Kirkland  Lake  is  considerably  hindered  un- 
til electric  power  can  be  supplied  by  the  Northern  Ontario 
Light  &  Power  Co.  from  Cobalt.  This  will  not  be  before  No- 
vember. Production  continues  by  steam  power  at  the  Tough 
Oakes,  whose  July  gold  yield  was  $88,000  from  3700  tons.  An 
ore-shoot  120  ft.  long,  of  good  grade,  has  been  opened  on  a  vein 
recently  cut  on  the  200-ft.  level. 

The  nickel  question  still  occupies  a  large  share  of  public  at- 
tention. The  result  of  a  by-election  in  south-west  Toronto, 
decided  on  August  21,  is  regarded  as  significant.  After  a  hot 
campaign,  in  which  the  action  of  the  Canadian  and  Ontario 
governments  in  permitting  the  export  of  nickel  ore  to  be  re- 
fined in  the  United  States  was  made  the  leading  issue,  the 
Liberal  candidate  who  opposed  the  Government  mainly  on  thjs 
ground,  was  returned  by  a  majority  of  663,  in  a  constituency 
which  at  the  previous  election  went  Conservative  by  a  majority 
of  3763  votes.  Public  opinion  has  been  greatly  stirred  up  by 
the  Deutschland  affair,  and  the  general  belief  is  that  her  nickel 
cargo  was  the  product  of  Canadian  mines. 

The  Ontario  government  has  given  the  British  Canadian 
Nickel  Co.  a  lease  of  water-power  rights  on  the  Wahnapitae 
river  for  the  purpose  of  developing  electricity.  The  company, 
which  owns  a  nickel  mine  at  Copper  Cliff,  proposes  to  spend 
several  million  dollars  in  establishing  a  nickel  refinery,  using 
the  electric  smelting  process. 

A  150-ton  mill  is  contemplated  for  the  West  Dome  mine, 
where  development  has  been  very  satisfactory. 


436 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16,  1916 


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PII^SI 


The  newt  nf  the  week  as  told  In/  <>»r  tpecial  corrapondtnlx  <nfl  compiltdfrtm  Me  local  prets. 


ALASKA 

Fairbanks.  On  August  25  the  Government  held  a  land  sale 
at  Nenana.  Fairbanks  people  purchased  most  of  the  lots. 
There  were  133  lots  sold,  realizing  $100,600.  Nenana  will  be 
an  important  station  on  the  new  railway. 

.Iinkai.  After  returning  to  Boston  from  a  recent  trip  to 
the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  property,  the  president.  Charles  Hay- 
den,  said,  "summing  the  whole  situation  up,  it  is  fair  to  say 
that  the  results  up  to  date  have  been  somewhat  disappointing 
but  viewing  it  in  the  light  of  the  more  perfect  information 
we  now  have,  the  financing,  development,  and  equipment  of 
the  property  on  its  present  showing  and  the  present  extent 
is  fully  justified  from  every  view-point,  and  the  same  people 
who  have  been  responsible  for  these  things  would  do  the  same 
thing  if  they  saw  the  property  as  they  see  it  today,  instead  of 
as  they  saw  it  in  the  beginning." 

The  August  output  of  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  Co.  was 
169,000  tons  averaging  $1.38  per  ton.  This  compares  with 
150,403  tons  of  $1.24  ore  in  July,  and  164.800  tons  of  $1.06  in 
June.  Another  locomotive  is  operating  on  No.  7  level.  A 
larger  proportion  of  ore  has  been  available  from  No.  5  and 
6  levels. 

ARKANSAS 

The  mixture  of  carbonate  and  sulphide  of  zinc  ores  in  the 
northern  field  has  proved  a  nuisance,  and  treatment  is  difficult. 
A  new  process  of  separation,  devised  by  J.  R.  Wilson  of 
Marion.  Kentucky,  is  now  being  tried. 

ARIZONA 

Oatman.  The  Tom  Reed  company  is  to  deepen  its  main 
winze  from  1400  to  1700  ft.  The  large  ore-shoot  at  the  former 
depth  is  being  stoped.    The  gold  yield  for  August  was  $65,000. 


a 


MW    BBIDOE   iivkr    COLORADO    RIVKR    NKAR    NEEDLES,    OX    THE    RiiAli 
TO   OATMAN. 

At  a  depth  of  5S  ft.  below  the  200-ft.  level  of  the  Gold  Key,  a 
lode  has  been  cut  for  14  ft.  averaging  $33  per  ton.  This  mine 
is  west  of  the  Lexington,  in  the  central  part  of  the  district. 

The  Nellie  is  being  equipped  with  a  compressor,  engine, 
pump,  and  hoist. 

Miami.  During  August  the  Inspiration  treated  approxi- 
mately 490,000  tons  of  ore.  yielding  over  11,000,000  lb.  of  cop- 
per.     Development   was    increased.     Good    progress   is   being 


made  on  No.  6  level  haulage  drift,  being  driven  toward  the 
Joe  Bush  orebody. 

The  Miami  Copper  Co.  has  issued  a  statement  covering  the 
first  half  of  1916.  Development  covered  18,938  ft.  In  the 
Captain  orebody  the  shrinkage-stope  method  has  been  most 
satisfactory.  On  the  main  orebody  slicing  has  been  started 
below  the  420-ft.  level  block,  ore  being  hoisted  from  the  570- 
ft.  level.  This  method  is  also  a  success.  The  mill  treated 
859,485  tons  of  ore  averaging  2.086%  copper,  with  71.44' ;  re- 
covery. The  32.213  tons  of  concentrate  assayed  41.8%  metal. 
The  gross  copper  output  was  26,931,915  lb.  In  the  plant  three 
Chilean  mills  are  to  be  replaced  by  two  Hardinge  ball-mills. 
With  finer  grinding  and  other  improvements  the  monthly  yield 
should  be  increased  to  5,000,000  lb.  Three  Nordberg-Carels 
Freres  Diesel  engines  of  1250-hp.  each  bave  been  ordered.  The 
cost  of  producing  copper  was  S. 9526c.  per  lb.  The  profit  was 
$3,499,740.  of  which  $2,054,564  was  paid  in  dividends. 

Moeenci.  It  is  stated  that  I.  W.  W.  agitators  have  made 
themselves  a  nuisance  here  recently  by  making  foreign  labor- 
ers commit  acts  of  near  violence. 

CALIFORNIA 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  California  Metal  Producers'  Asso- 
ciation, assisted  by  the  State  Industrial  Accident  Commission 
and  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  the  second  annual  California 
field  meet  for  miners  was  held  at  Sacramento  on  September  6. 
There  were  entered  9  first-aid  teams  and  3  mine-rescue  teams, 
as  follows:  Argonaut  Mining  Co.,  Jackson,  1;  Balaklala  Con- 
solidated Copper  Co.,  Coram.  1;  Empire  Mines  Co..  Grass  Val- 
ley, 1;  Kennedy  Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  Martell,  1;  Mammoth 
Copper  Mining  Co..  Kennett  (mine),  1:  Mammoth  Copper  Min- 
ing Co.,  Kennett  (smelter).  1;  North  Star  Mines  Co..  Grass 
Valley,  2;  North  Star  Mines  Co.,  Nevada  City,  1;  and  Plymouth 
Consolidated  Gold  Mines  Co..  Plymouth,  1  team.  Also  Empire 
Mines  Co..  1;  Mammoth  Copper  Mining  Co.,  1;  and  North  Star 
Mines  Co..  1  team. 

In  the  first-aid  contests  there  were  three  full-team,  one  one- 
man,  and  one  two-man  events.  Positions  in  the  first  event 
were,  1  Kennedy,  2  Empire,  3  Argonaut,  and  4  Mammoth. 
Prizes  were  gold  medals,  trophy  cup  and  cap  lamps,  cap 
lamps,  and  books  on  first  aid,  respectively.  In  the  one-man 
event  the  Mammoth  captured  $10  cash  and  bronze  badges. 

The  problem  for  the  mine-rescue  men  was  as  follows:  A  100- 
ft.  tunnel,  half  open  so  that  spectators  could  see  the  actions, 
the  remainder  closed,  was  filled  with  smoke  and  sulphur  fume. 
The  teams  entered  the  deadly  mixture,  rescued  a  miner, 
emerged  with  him,  and  then  gave  him  artificial  respiration, 
etc.  The  positions  were  1  Empire,  2  Mammoth,  and  3  North 
Star.  The  prizes  were  gold  medals,  cup,  and  $25  cash;  $25 
cash,  and  first-aid  materials  and  bronze  badges,  respectively. 

The  contest  director  was  Edwin  Higgins,  chief  inspector  of 
the  Accident  Commission.  Prizes  were  awarded  by  the  State 
mineralogist,  F.  McN.  Hamilton. 

Alleghany.  Two  new  5-stamp  mills,  one  at  old  Tightner 
dump  and  the  other  at  the  Morning  Glory  mine,  the  latter 
financed  by  A.  A.  Codd  of  Nevada,  have  started  crushing. 

Carryili.e.  On  September  4  the  Pacific  Gold  Dredging  Co. 
launched  a  new  boat  on  Coffee  creek,  65  miles  from  Redding. 
The  buckets  are  of  9-cu.  ft.  capacity. 

Goldstone.  At  Seeber  Well,  three  miles  away,  a  mill  to  treat 
Goldstone  ore  will  be  erected,  a  contract  having  been  let  for 
the  first  unit  by  M.  Ballinger  of  Los  Angeles. 


oln  r   16,    1916 


MINING    ami    Scirnlih<     1*10  SS 


i  17 


QltM    Vum  ..mil    iniii...    In    Hi.-    Rough    and 

■  i.  haii  txnm  purchased  bj  K  G  Qlllette  for  .« 
klaehlner)  and  lumbtr  win  i..-  purchased     k  r   1 1.  Qolyer  li 
In  ch.i 

j».  K-..N      Til.-  concrete  lalllni  dam  for  1 1 . ■  n  com- 

pany l»  finished.     It   Is  r.no  ft.   long,   I"  ft.  high,  an. I   his   IS 
constructed  on  tin-  nutwood  plan,  somewhat  similar 

to  that  of  the  Kennedy  comp.im 

i       So   i hut    the   sum!   an. I   gravel    In    the    South 

Yuba  river  near  Humbug  canyon  maj  be  washed,  EL  \v  Kaj 
mi. I  t,  a  BUIol  are  to  ohange  the  rourse  of  the  riv.-r  by 
earrylng  the  water  in  Bomi 

Oaovim.  At  Its  ThennalttO  property  the  American  Gold 
DredKlng  Co..   late  Oro.   Is  to   OOnStniCl    a    new    dredge,      The 

eompany's  other  boats  are  some  distance  from  this  area. 
(Special  Correspondence.)     Progress  at  the  Old  Bnreka  has 

been  retarded  daring  the  past  week  on  account  of  raves  in  the 
shaft,  and  the  work  of  unwuterlng  and  re-tlmberlng  has 
I  a  point  only  a  short  distance  below  the  600-ft  level. 
Little  difficulty  of  this  nature  was  encountered  in  the  first  500 
ft.  most  of  the  timbers  being  found  intact;  but  notwith- 
standing the  care  now  necessary  to  catch-up  the  loose  ground. 
the  management  reels  confident  of  reaching  the  2000-ft.  level 
early  In  1917.  The  modern  steel  head-frame  will  have  to  be 
erected  to  continue  exploration  at  depth,  and  grading  Is  now 
being  done  for  the  concrete  foundations  of  the  new  hoisting 
plant. 

Amador  county  miners  have  evidently  re-considered  their 
threat  to  walk  out  on  the  9th.  as  work  at  all  the  mines  along 
the  Lode  continues  as  usual,  and  union  officials  state  that  they 
have  no  intention  of  declaring  a  strike. 

With  the  exception  of  pumping  operations,  no  work  is  in 
progress  at  the  Rose  or  Poundstone  mine  a  mile  east  of  Sutter 
Creek.  It  Is  understood  that  negotiations  are  pending  for  a 
sale. 

Sutter  Creek,  September  10. 

COLORADO 

Breckenridge.  A  recent  transaction  resulted  in  transfer- 
ring 4S  gold-bearing  claims,  including  the  Jumbo  Extension, 
Double  Extension.  Mascot.  Arab,  Excelsior,  and  Dashwarren 
mines  to  Samuel  Klaus  of  Boston.  A  20-stamp  mill  was  also 
part  of  the  deal.  To  develop  this  ground  the  Pioneer  Consoli- 
dated Mines  Co.  has  been  organized.  The  properties  have 
been  idle  for  several  years.    New  machinery  has  been  ordered. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Roosevelt  tunnel,  which  is 
being  driven  for  the  drainage  of  the  Cripple  Creek  district. 
has  now  reached  a  point  about  1290  ft.  east  of  the  Elkton  main 
shaft.  It  Is  a  little  over  4  miles  long  to  this  point  and  1800  ft. 
below  the  surface.  The  adit  is  about  9  ft.  wide  by  8  ft.  high 
in  the  clear,  with  a  ditch  at  one  side  4  ft.  wide  by  2  ft.  deep 
in  the  centre.  During  August  the  progress  in  driving  was 
437  lineal  feet.  The  best  previous  record  was  400  ft.,  in  Janu- 
ary 1909.  During  August  only  27  days  of  3  shifts  each  were 
worked,  S  men  on  each  shift.  The  rock  is  a  very  hard  volcanic 
breccia,  with,  occasional  dykes  of  phonolite  and  basalt,  also 
very  hard.  It  usually  requires  at  least  30  holes  to  break  a 
round,  and  5  to  7  ft.  per  round  is  broken.  Water  is  coming 
out  of  every  fissure  and  crevice  in  the  rock,  and  the  total  flow 
at  the  portal  is  nbw  10,350  gal.  per  minute.  The  men  all  have 
to  wear  heavy  rubber  clothing  and  boots.  Little  timbering  is 
required.  The  rock  is  hauled  from  face  by  mules,  and  hoisted 
out  of  the  Elkton  shaft.  The  drills  used  are  the  Ingersoll- 
Leyner  model  No.  18  with  2-1-in.  bits  for  starters.  Two  drills 
on  a  horizontal  bar  are  used  each  shift.  The  wedge-cut  system 
of  holes  is  drilled.  It  is  intended  to  drive  the  tunnel  about 
6400  ft.  farther  to  connect  with  the  Golden  Cycle  shaft.  The 
tunnel  is  now  rapidly  draining  the  entire  district.  Charles  F. 
Fuller,  a  man  of  extensive  and  successful  experience  in  tun- 
neling, is  superintendent  of  the  work,  and  he  has  selected  a 


•  I  skilled  workmen,    I    it   0 ryman  in  sngl r  In 

charge. 

Cripple  Creek,  Septembt  i 

QnaorrowM      Hanson  &   w.iin  at   the  Capital 

mine,  have  opened  ore  assaying  1190.4  m   gold  par  ton.    This 

shoot  Is  297  ft  above  the  main  adit-level,  I  at  s  depth  ..i 

1200 

Lnimiii.     This  town   has  now   a    population   of    B I 

1 1,000  In  the  whole  district  an  Int  i 

At  tin-  Western  Zinc  Oxide  plant,  when,  carbonate  ore  is 
treated,  four  now  furnaces  are  In  operation,  making  twelve 
The  plant's  capacity  is  now  60  tons  daily.  Min.-s  sending  low- 
grade  ore  to  the  works  are  the  Tip  Top,  Baby,  La  Plata.  Itobert 
E.  Lee,  Little  Silver,  Yak  tunnel,  and  others.  The  weekly  out- 
put Is  50  tons  of  oxide  containing  up  to  80%  zinc.  This  will 
soon  be  75  tons. 

Ore  assaying  165  oz.  gold  per  ton  has  been  found  by  Mock 
and   Hartman   in  the  Twin  Lakes  district. 

Tku.i  unit:.  Shipments  of  ore  and  concentrate  during  Au- 
gust totaled  129  carloads,  mostly  the  latter  product.  This 
was  a  good  month.  Contributors  were  the  Tomboy,  Smuggler- 
Union,  and  Liberty  Bell. 

Ida  no 

Adair.  Shipments  from  the  Richmond  mine,  near  here,  sus- 
pended last  December,  have  been  resumed,  and  two  four-horse 
teams  now  are  hauling  ore  to  the  railway  at  Saltese,  Montana, 
5*  miles  away.  Only  the  ore  extracted  in  development  is  being 
forwarded,  and  two  grades  are  being  mined;  the  second  class, 
averaging  between  5  and  6%  copper  and  $10  per  ton  in  gold, 
being  sent  to  the  Washoe  smelter  at  Butte,  and  the  high  grade, 
running  20%  copper,  is  going  to  the  smelter  at  Greenwood, 
B.  C.  From  15  to  20  men  have  been  employed  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year.  A  fair  tonnage  of  ore  is  blocked  out. 
Charles  Heidenrich  is  manager. 

Arco.  Owing  to  disappointing  developments  the  Wilbert 
Mining  Co.,  operating  40  miles  away  in  the  Dome  district,  has 
suspended  milling.     Exploration  is  to  continue. 

Gem.  According  to  rumors  circulating  both  at  Spokane  and 
in  the  Coeur  d'Alene,  the  Tamarack  &  Custer  Mining  Co.  has 
purchased  the  Frisco  mill,  near  Gem,  from  the  Federal  com- 
pany, and  will  take  possession  at  once.  No  authoritative  con- 
firmation of  the  report  is  obtainable  from  either  the  Federal 
or  the  Tamarack  &  Custer  managements,  but  the  belief  pre- 
vails generally  that  the  deal,  pending  for  several  weeks,  has 
been  closed.  To  connect  the  Tamarack  &  Custer  workings 
with  the  Frisco  mill  a  threeimile  aerial  tram,  traversing  the 
divide  between  Nine-Mile  and  Canyon  creeks,  will  have  to  be 
installed.  It  is  said  that  plans  for  the  carrier  already  are 
prepared,  and  that  construction  can  begin  as  soon  as  material 
is  assembled. 

Gilmore.  The  Pittsburg-Idaho  company  is  again  paying  ljc. 
quarterly  per  share.  This  is  equal  to  $40,000.  The  monthly 
output  of  ore  and  concentrate  is  2500  tons.  A  power-plant  is 
to  be  erected. 

Golden.  Portland,  Oregon,  people,  headed  by  A.  McRae, 
have  bonded  the  Buckhorn  mine  in  the  Ten  Mile  district  for 
$100,000.  An  examination  revealed  50,000  tons  of  $15  ore.  De- 
velopment is  done  by  four  adits.    The  mill  is  to  be  re-modeled. 

Murray.  The  placer  areas  adjacent  to  Murray  are  to  be  re- 
worked, after  being  idle  for  25  years,  by  the  Coeur  dAlene 
Placer  Mining  Co.,  which  owns  2800  acres  on  Prichard  creek. 
A  dredge  may  be  built  next  spring.  'J.  S.  Wyatt  is  in  charge. 
Drilling  is  now  under  way. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  At  M.  L.  Smith's  farm  near  Galena  a  drill  is  to 
prospect  to  a  depth  of  1000  ft.  If  ore  is  found  there  it  will  be 
the  deepest  in  the  zinc-lead  region. 

Ore  prices  were  $5  per  ton  weaker  last  week.     The  output 


I:  is 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


Sr|.t.M,llHT    16.    1916 


of  the  region  was  5663  tons  of  blende.  211  tons  of  calamine, 
and  1180  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $58,  $41.  and  $64  per  ton.  re- 
spectively.   The  total  value  was  $415,100. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  Work  has  been  started  at  the  Butte-Duluth  mine, 
In  charge  of  H.  A.  Frank. 

Mabysville.  During  August  the  Barnes-King  properties 
yielded  gold  worth  $33,000  from  3511  tons  of  ore.  The  Riblet 
aeiial  tram,  about  three  miles  long,  of  350  tons  daily  capacity, 
is  working  well.  This  carries  loaded  buckets  up  a  steep  in- 
cline a  mile  in  length,  and  then  down  the  remainder  of  the 
distance  to  the  Piegan-Gloster  mill. 

Philipsburo.  Work  has  been  resumed  at  the  Swastika 
copper  mine,  which  was  closed  two  years  ago. 

NEVADA 

Ely.  The  Coppermines  company's  Giroux  mill  at  Kimberly 
is  to  be  re-modeled,  a  contract  having  been  let  for  this  work. 
The  Callow  flotation  system  will  be  used  in  the  500-ton  plant. 
Milling  may  start  in  three  months.  The  Morris  shaft  is  to  be 
unwatered  and  sunk  250  ft.    G.  N.  P.  Dougall  is  superintendent. 

GoLiuiKin.  The  Klondyke-Portland  Mines  Co.  is  to  resume 
work  at  its  property  midway  between  Goldfleld  and  Tonopah. 
Two  carloads  of  silver-gold  ore  are  ready  for  shipment. 

Las  Vboas.  To  handle  ore  from  Goodsprings  and  other  dis- 
tricts, J.  B.  Jensen  is  to  build  a  sampler  at  Jean  or  Las  Vegas. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Pending  installation  of  addi- 
tional equipment  to  settle  and  filter  the  concentrate,  the  use 
of  flotation  has  been  temporarily  discontinued  at  the  Gold- 
field  Consolidated  mill.  Changes  in  the  ore  must  also  be  con- 
sidered. Until  more  equipment  is  installed  the  company  will 
revert  to  the  cyanide  process.  It  is  believed  that  the  company 
will  be  able  to  resume  the  use  of  flotation  within  60  to  90  days. 
The  process  is  entirely  satisfactory  on  these  gold-copper  ores. 

The  west  cross-cut  from  the  1750-ft.  level  of  the  Atlanta  has 
entered  the  Consolidated  lode,  and  is  advancing  in  quartz 
assaying  low  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper.  The  work  is  being 
done  in  hopes  of  intersecting  a  shoot  of  $30  to  $70  ore  opened 
several  months  ago  on  the  1500-ft.  level  of  the  Grizzly  Bear 
mine. 

The  Cuprite  district  reports  considerable  activity.  At  a 
depth  of  300  ft.  in  the  Rea  copper  mine  a  cross-cut  is  being 
driven  to  intersect  the  large  vein  disclosed  at  200  ft.  The 
mine  is  operated   under  option  by   W.  -A.  Clark  of  Montana. 

The  Cuprite  Sulphur  Co.  is  .shipping  high-grade  sulphur, 

and  has  contracted  to  produce  a  minimum  of  200  tons  monthly. 
A.  W.  L.  Dunn  is  manager. 

Goldfleld,  September  9. 

National.  The  National  Mines  Co.  is  to  sink  its  shaft.  500 
ft.  below  No.  5  adit.  This  will  result  in  opening  the  orebodies 
at  depth  and  enable  work  to  be  done  more  economically. 

NEW   MEXICO 

Maodalena.  The  plant  of  the  Ozark  Smelting  &  Mining  Co. 
on  the  Graphic  mine  was  recently  destroyed  by  fire.  Re- 
building will  commence  as  soon  as  possible.  Treatment  was 
described  by  Philip  Argall  in  this  journal  of  January  22.  1916. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  clean-up  by  the  Mogollon 
Mines  Co.  for  last  half  of  August  produced  J  of  a  ton  of  gold 
and  silver  bullion  and  4*  tons  of  high-grade  concentrate  from 
the  treatment  of  approximately  2400  tons  of  ore.  The  new 
shaft  is  880  ft.  deep,  and  has  encountered  andesite  on  both 
walls.  Work  on  the  company  flume  to  convey  tailing  to  stor- 
age-dams on  Mineral  creek,  about  4  miles  below,  is  being 
pushed  and  with  prompt  lumber  deliveries  will  be  completed 
this  fall. 

The  tailing-disposal  system  adopted  by  the  Socorro  Mining 
&  Milling  Co.,  consisting  of  an  elevator  by  which  the  mill  dis- 


charge will  be  conveyed  to  an  adjoining  flat,  has  been  delayed 
by  the  equipment  having  gone  astray  in  transit. 

The  Oaks  Company  is  continuing  to  find  good  milling  ore 
from  development  both  in  Clifton  and  Eberle  mines,  and  is 
making  regular  shipments  to  local  custom  works. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  through  Henry  G.  Ferguson, 
Is  about  to  conrplete  data  for  a  geological  folio  of  the  district. 
A  detail  survey  was  made  a  few  months  ago.  and  Mr.  Fergu- 
son is  now  working  on  the  geology  of  the  properties.  When 
completed  this  data  will  be  of  great  value  to  the  district. 

Mogollon,  September  5. 

OKLAHOMA 

Baxter.  Five  miles  west  of  this  place,  which  is  on  the 
Kansas-Oklahoma  line,  the  Blue  Mound  Mining  Co.  has  put 
down  33  drill-holes,  23  of  which  in  a  space  500  by  600  ft.,  cut 
ore  containing  from  10  to  35%  zinc-blende.  The  holes  are  from 
204  to  280  ft.  deep.  Four  shafts  are  to  be  sunk.  The  United 
Iron  Works  is  to  build  a  400-ton  mill,  etc.,  costing  $50,000.  The 
Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co.'s  property  adjoins. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  West  Texas  Sulphur  Co., 
which  is  composed  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  men,  is  pre- 
paring to  exploit  extensively  the  large  sulphur  deposit  in  the 
Toyah  district  that  it  acquired  some  time  ago.  The  company's 
holdings  embrace  600  acres,  and  a  number  of  test  holes  show 
that  sulphur  occurs  from  the  surface  outcrop  to  a  depth  of 
about  75  ft.  The  product  is  high  grade  and  can  be  easily 
mined,  it  is  claimed.  The  Michigan  Sulphur  &  Oil  Co.,  which 
owns  a  large  sulphur  deposit  in  Culberson  county,  in  the  same 
section  as  that  of  the  West  Texas  company,  recently  installed 
the  first  unit  of  a  large  sulphur  reduction  plant,  and  it  is  now 
producing  and  shipping  considerable  quantities  of  the  product. 
A  party  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  men,  headed  by  F.  H.  Edington, 
recently  visited  this  section  and  made  an  inspection  of  the 
different  sulphur  deposits  with  the  view  of  becoming  finan- 
cially interested  in  the  industry. 

Toyah,  August  25. 

UTAH 

There  are  114  mining  districts  in  this  State,  according  to 
the  U.  S.  Surveyor  General's  report  for  the  past  fiscal  year.  In 
these  there  are  37  mineral  surveyors.  During  the  period  there 
were  31  mineral  surveys  embracing  151  locations.  The  de- 
mand for  surveys  of  claims  has  increased  greatly  in  the  past 
18  months.    The  cost  per  location  was  $1S.40. 

To  relieve  the  congestion  of  ore  at  Utah  smelters  the  A.  S. 
&  R.  Co.  is  to  double  its  plant  at  Garfield,  making  S00  tons' 
capacity  per  day  of  copper  ore.  To  take  care  of  lead-silver  ore 
the  Murray  smelter  will  be  enlarged,  and  a  450-ft.  stack  built. 

Eureka.  V.  Carlson  and  H.  Backman,  lessees  on  the  1400- 
ft.  level  of  the  Gemini  mine,  are  shipping  ore  containing  from 
500  to  7000  oz.  silver,  20  to  30%  lead,  and  7  to  10%  copper. 

Garfield.  The  new  sulphuric  acid  plant  at  the  A.  S.  &  R. 
smelter  is  making  good  progress  and  should  be  completed  by 
November. 

Park  City.  The  Big  Four  Exploration  Co.,  treating  tailing 
on  Atkinson  flat,  will  soon  be  working  800  tons  daily.  The 
zinc  product  has  been  sold  up  to  the  end  of  this  year. 

On  October  2  the  Judge  Mining  &  Smelting  Company 
pays  25c.  per  share,  equal  to  $120,000.  This  makes  $310,000 
for  the  year.  Good  progress  is  reported  from  the  new  smelter 
that  is  to  treat  40  tons  of  40%  zinc  ore  daily. 

Salt  Lake  City.  Another  ore-sampling  plant  is  to  be  erected 
here.  Mining  interests  that  produce  from  12,000  to  15,000 
tons  of  ore  per  month  are  behind  the  project.  The  plant,  of 
the  Vezin  type,  will  handle  750  tons  daily,  costing  $75,000. 

The  Ohio  Copper  company's  property  has  been  leased  to 
the  General  Exploration  Company. 


ruber  16,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


n  ABBINQTOh 

•  n  mlDM   In  BtSTaDJ  nnil  six   In   rVn>    >  <><■  lit  \    arc  now 

nhippinK  ore  to  Um  Trail  amaHer  la  British  Colombia,    The 

DM    Trail,    il   mile*    (nun    I  lavenport.    Il  u   now    prodn. 
though  yenm  rko  It  yielded  I7S0.000.     The  Last  Chance,  at  Re- 
public ts  to  be  opened  to  a  depth  of  BOO  ft..  Mid   will  be  an 
addition  to  the  shipping  Hat. 

Th«  t'niu ■ntiiilly  and  Ruby  inlnliiK  districts  are  in  the  BOrth 
central  part  of  WUhlngtOll,  about  (0  miles  south  of  the 
t'anaiiian  border.  The  ore  depoeiu  ware  discovered  in  ism;. 
but  production  has  been  small  owing  to  lack  of  transportation 


Personal 


I  UK    OIMIIM  I  1.V    AMI    ItlUY    DISTRICTS    AUK    SHOWN    l!Y    THE 
BLACK    SQUARE. 

facilities,  difficulty  in  treating  complex  ores,  and  the  decline 
In  the  price  of  silver.  The  most  valuable  ore  deposits  in  these 
districts  consist  of  quartz  vein  which  occur  in  schists  near 
the  areas  of  granite  or  at  the  contact  of  schist  and  granite. 
The  ore  minerals,  pyrite,  zinc-blende,  chalcopyrite,  and  gray 
copper,  carry  silver  and  a  little  gold.  A  report  on  these  dis- 
tricts, by  Edward  L.  Jones,  Jr.,  just  published  by  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey  as  Bulletin  640-B,  contains  a  study  of  the 
geology  and  mineralogy  of  the  region  and  detailed  descrip- 
tions of  the  individual  mines  and  prospects. 

CANADA 
Bkitish  Columbia 

During  the  last  week  of  August  the  Trail  smelter  received 
15,134  tons  of  ore  from  all  parts,  compared  with  11,487  tons  in 
the  previous  week. 

According  to  F.  M.  Sylvester  of  the  Granby  Consolidated, 
the  company  is  always  on  the  lookout  for  promising  new 
properties.  In  the  past  year  about  100  prospects  were  ex- 
amined. Of  the  newer  properties  two  now  are  on  a  substantial 
producing  basis.  The  Midas  mine  at  Valdez,  Alaska,  is  ship- 
ping to  the  smelter  at  Anyox  between  3000  and  4000  tons  of 
ore  monthly;  the  Mamie  mine,  on  Prince  of  Wales  island,  be- 
tween 4000  and  5000  tons.  A  number  of  others  are  producing 
on  a  smaller  scale.  This  is  moved  through  a  subsidiary  com- 
pany owning  and  operating  a  fleet  of  steamers.  The  Grand 
Forks  plant  blew-in  its  seventh  furnace  on  September  7.  As 
the  Crow's  Nest  Pass  Coal  Co.  seems  to  have  overcome  its 
labor  troubles  and  to  be  in  a  position  to  keep  up  a  supply  of 
coke,  the  eighth  furnace  should  soon  be  in  blast. 

Ontario 

Cobalt.  Silver  production  of  the  Kerr  Lake  mine  in  the  first 
half  of  191G  was  1,260,000  ounces. 

To  treat  500  tons  of  old  and  100  tons  of  new  tailing  daily, 
the  Buffalo  Mines  Co.'s  new  flotation  plant  has  been  completed 
and  started. 


vark  nmt  flflJulMMnfl.      / 


il.  ii.  Winn  la  hen. 
John  m   Nicoi  is  in  Plumaa  county. 
.n.iin  T.  Towers  is  at  BarkervlUe,  B.C. 
c   W.  l'i  aoiOTon  is  expected  nt  New  York. 
QeOBQI    WatkTN   Kins  is  in  the  interior  of  Alaska. 
I.    11.   Tyiiuui.   has   returned   to   Toronto   from    British   Co- 
lumbia. 

O.  H.  Rkimioi.t  Is  touring  in  Arizona  and  will  attend  tin- 
Institute  meeting. 

M.  M.  VALERIUS  and  V.  II.  McNutt  are  in  New  York  on  a 
two  weeks'  business  trip. 

W.  S.  (iiiiTiim  is  superintending  operations  at  the  Hudson 
Bay  mine  near  Salmo.  B.  C. 

W.  Yoikn  Williams  of  Spokane  has  been  examining  mines 
In  the  Ainsworth  district,  B.  C. 

Cuari.es  Butters  has  gone  to  Chicago;  from  there  he  will 
proceed  to  New  York  and  London. 

E.  H.  Watson  has  returned  to  the  Lena  district  in  Siberia, 
to  take  charge  for  the  Olikma  &  Vitim  Gold  Company. 

C.  W.  Boise  of  New  York  has  gone  to  the  Belgian  Congo, 
where  his  address  is  care  Forminiere,  Tshikapa,  Kasai. 

W.  J.  Lakeland  has  resigned  his  position  with  the  Burma 
Mines  and  has  joined  the  Indian  Army  Reserve  of  Officers. 

W.  L.  Honnold  has  gone  to  New  York  to  serve  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  representing  the  Commission  for  Relief  in 
Belgium. 

William  Tbuban  has  returned  to  Georgetown,  California, 
from  London,  having  served  for  a  year  with  the  Ministry  of 
Munitions. 

George  B.  Holdeber,  recently  manager  for  the  Furlough  De- 
velopment Co.  in  Arizona,  is  now  with  the  General  Chemical 
Co.,  New  York. 

Paul  W.  Avery  is  visiting  the  principal  copper  mines  of 
Arizona;  he  will  attend  the  Institute  meeting  and  then  return 
to  El  Oro,  Mexico. 

George  A.  Guess,  professor  of  metallurgy  in  the  University 
of  Toronto,  has  been  engaged  to  start  the  smelter  of  the  Ver- 
mont Copper  Co.,  at  South  Trafford,  Vermont. 


Brooke  Mooee,  chief  chemist  of  the  Mountain  Copper  Co.. 
died  suddenly  at  Martinez.  California,  on  September  11.  He 
was  3S  years  old,  and  had  been  with  the  company  for  17  years. 

Frank  McMillan  Stanton  died  on  September  12.  The  son 
of  John  Stanton,  he  had  long  been  associated  honorably  with 
the  Lake  Superior  copper  industry,  notably  the  Atlantic  mine 
and  the  Copper  Range  group  of  companies. 

When  the  American  Chemical  Society  meets  in  New  York 
on  September  25  to  30,  it  is  expected  that  with  those  attending 
the  American  Electrochemical  Society's  meeting  and  the  Ex- 
position of  Chemical  Industries  there  will  be  over  2000  chem- 
ists present.  The  Technical  Association  of  the  Pulp  and  Paper 
Industry  will  also  hold  sessions  during  the  same  week.  The 
presidential  address  will  be  given  by  Charles  H.  Herty  of  the 
Society.  There  will  be  a  symposium  on  colloids,  industrial 
conferences,  and  many  discussions.  Chemical  papers  will 
cover  agriculture  and  food,  biology,  fertilizer,  organic,  indus- 
trial, pharmaceutical,  physical  and  inorganic,  and  water, 
sewage,  and  sanitation  subjects. 


440 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  1916 


THE    MWl'Ali    MARKET 


METAL  PRICES 

San   Ki  :ui<  i*.  o.  September  12. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 12 

Electrolytic  copper,   cents   per   pound 28.75 

Pig  lead,   cents   per  pound 6.75 —  8.00 


Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce. 

Quicksilver:  per  flask  of  75  lb 

Spelter,   cents  per   pound *. 

Tin.  cents  per  pound   

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound   


185 — 89 

$75 

12 

41 

20 


ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  September  12. 

Antimony:  50%  product,  per  unit   (1-;   or  20  lb.) 11.00 

Chrome:  469S  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — LS.OO 
Manganese:   50%   product,    f.o.b.  cars  California,   ton.  12.00 

Magneslte:  crude,  per  ton  7.00 

Tungsten:  60%  WO*  per  unit 14.00 

New  York,  September  6. 
Antimony:    The    market    is    unchanged    at    $1.10    to    $1 .2 
unit,  and  very  dull. 

Tungsten:  Over  450  tons  has  changed  hands  in  the  past  few 
days  at  around  $20  per  unit.  For  ore  of  special  quality  $22.5(1 
v..is  i, aid  for  Immediate  delivery.  Contracts  have  been  made 
for  October  and  November  delivery,  and  the  general  aspect  of 
tin-  market  Is  better. 

EASTERN    METAL    MARKET 
(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
September    12. — Copper   is   Arm   and   active;    lead    Is   quiet,    but 
an  advance  is  expected;  spelter  is  firm  on  export  enquiry. 
SILVER 
Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,   in   cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  sliver. 


Date. 

Sept.     6 68.25        Aug. 

7    67.87 

8 68.25 

9 68.37 

10  Sunday 

11 68.00        Sept. 

"      12 67.87 

Monthly  averages 


Average  week   ending 


1 63.71 

8 65.31 

15 66.48 

22 66.08 

29 66.41 

5 

12 68.10 


11114. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.62 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 

1916. 

48.85 

56.76 

4S.45 

56.74 

50.61 

7,7. S9 

50.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.86 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

NOV 4  9.1 1' 

Dec 19.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 


The  tun.-  nf  the  silver  market  is  good,  yielding  a  point  or 
two  on  occasion,  probably  profit  taking  or  lack  of  rivalry  for 
supplies.  Three  weeks  ago  metal  was  sold  on  China  account 
for  India,  thus  checking  the  Indian  demand  In  London  and  les- 
sening competition  with  coinage  orders.  Movements  of  silver  in 
England  for  the  7  months  ended  July  31  are  as  under: 

1916  1915  1914 

Imports    52.399,433  53.995,003  55,640,985 

is      30,150.667  40,167.99  1  65.S7 

Tin-  imports  are  remarkably  even,  but  exports  indicate  the 
small  quantity  sent  to  India  and  the  large  amount  retained  in 
England   for  coinage. 

Exports  of  silver  from  San  Francisco  during  August  totaled 
(1,947,000.  On  September  9  metal  worth  $751,000  was  shipped 
to  the  Orient. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  In  New  York.  In  cents  per  pound. 

Average  week  ending 


Date. 


28.00 

28.00 

28.00 

28.12 

10   Sunday 

U 28.12 

12 28.12 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 


1914. 
.14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May     13.97 

June   13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.84 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 


spiratlon.     11,450,000;     KenneCOtt,     10,200.000;    Bradcn.    2.616.000; 
Old     Di  600,000;     Miami.     1.698.795;     and     East     Butte, 

1,849,180  pounds. 

Old  Dominion  Is  paying  $3  per  share  on  September  29. 
The  A.   S.  &   R.  Co.  Is  to  enlarge  its  Baltimore  refiner'. 

by   120.000.000  lb.  of  copper  per  month,   making  the  total 
annual  output  1.080.000.000  pounds. 

LEAD 

Lead  Is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound.  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Sept     6. 


Aug.      1 25.75 

8 25.58 

••      15 26.75 

■•       28 27.62 

LJ9 28.00 

Sept.     5 28.00 

■•      12 28.06 


1"  Sunday 

11 

12 


6.75 
6.75 
6.75 
6.76 


Average  week  ending 
Aug.     1 


Bent 


16. 

22. 

29. 

:.. 
12. 


6.20 
5.98 
5.95 
6.32 
6.75 
6.67 
6.73 


Monthly  averages 


1914.        1915.        1916.  1914.        1915.        1916. 

Jan 4.11  3.73  5.95    ,    July    3.80  5.69  6.40 

Feb 4.02  3.83  6.23        Aug 3.86  4.67  6.28 

Mch 3.94  4.04  7.26        Sept 3.82  4.62         

Apr 3.86  4.21  7.70        Oct 3.60  4.62         

May     3.90  4.24  7.38        Nov 3.68  5.15         

June    3.90  5.75  6.88        Dec 3.80  5.34  

On    October    1    the    Consolidated    Mining    &    Smelting    Co. 

Can  "i.i    paya   - '.     .   equal  to  $210.S67. The  Hecla  Mining 

of  Idaho  pays  15c.  per  share,  or  $150,000,  on  September  20. 

ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  Y 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 

i  >  1 1 . 


of 
Co. 


Sepl 


Hi   Sunday 

11 

12 


8.75 
8.75 
S.76 
8.87 


9.00 

9.12 

Monthly  averages 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.      1 10.12 

S 8.69 

"       15 8.54 

"       22 9.43 

29 9.37 

5 8  87 

12 8.87 


Sept. 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 

May    4.91 

June    4.84 


1914. 

.    6.14 

5.22 

5.12 

4.98 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.86 


July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


1914. 
4.75 

4.75 
5.16 
4.75 


1915. 
20.54 
11.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 


its  and  imports  of  spelter  during  the  fiscal  year  ended 
June  30.  1916.  were  as  follows,  in  pounds: 

1916                            1915  1914 

Exports    281,598.282               267,041,819  1.516.250 

Imports    25S.777.101                 11.251,853  21.437.555 


Total     540.375,383  278.293.672  25.954.805 

American   Zinc.   Lead   &   Smelting   Co.'s   profits    for   7   months 
were  $4,592,000. 

QUICKSILVER 
The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San   Francisco.  Cali- 
fornia  being   the    largest   producer.     The  price   Is   fixed   in    the 
open    market,    according    to    quantity.     Prices,    in    dollars    per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Da 
Aug. 

te. 
15 

74.00 
72.00 

Aug. 
Sent 

avera* 

July 

Sept 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

29 

12 
'es 

1914. 
37.50 
80.00 
76.25 
53.00 
.55.00 

1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 

77.00 
TT.iHi 
.75.00 

1914. 
..39.25 

1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 

Monthly 

1916. 

222.00 

296.00 

219.00 

141.60 

90.00 

74.70 

1916. 
81.20 

Feb. 

..39.00 

74.50 

Mch. 

..39.00 

Apr. 
May 
June 

39.00 
..38.60 

.53.10 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

Slav     33.29 

June    30.72 


1915. 
34.40 
37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39.28 
40.26 


1916. 
41.76 
42.60 
50.50 
5 1 .4  9 
49.10 
42.07 


1914. 

Julv    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 

1916. 

37.38 

38.37 

34.37 

38.  S8 

33.12 

33.00 

39.50 

38.71 

August    yields    are    as    follows:    Anaconda.    28,800.000    lb.;    In- 


Tin  is  steady  at  38.25  cents. 

During  the  quarter  ended  June  30  the  Vulcan  Detlnning  Co. 
made  a  loss  of  $8566.  Sales  totaled  $184,981.  In  six  months  the 
profit  was  $11,982.     The  surplus  Is  $412,331. 


•nl..  r   16,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


111 


Eastern   Metal  Market 


New  fork,  s.-i  | 

The   entire   nietiil    murket    was   adversely    affected    by    the 
threatened  railroad  strike.    During  the  uncertainty  consul 
had  no  inclination  to  buy.    Tin-  quietness  mt  continued  by 
the  Labor  Day  holiday. 

Copper  continue!  In  a  strong  poeltlon,  the  Bcarclty  ol  Bpol 
being  so  treat  that  premiums  are  again  near.  The  Allied 
gorernm<  certain  to  buy  millions  of  pounds  for  1917 

dellrery,  bnl  so  far  price  luis  been  the  obstacle  to  business  In 
that  direction. 

The  larger  producers  of  zinc  are  well  filled  with  orders,  and 
the  recent  fluctuations  of  prices  lias  been  due  to  second-hand 
Ltlons.     Until  the  strike  scare  a  good  business  was  done. 
Prices  are  lower. 

Many  consumers  of  lead  are  short,  and  have  been  obliged 
to  buy  at  advanced  prices.  With  all  producers  well  sold  up, 
outsiders  have  obtained  some  fancy  profits. 

Consumers  are  showing  little  interest  in  tin.  Their  temper 
Is  not  good  for  the  reason  that  they  are  now  taking  deliveries 
of  metal  for  which  they  paid  more  than  prices  now  ruling. 

Antimony  is  dull  and  easy. 

Aluminum  Is  strong  at  60  to  62  cents. 

The  total  of  pig-iron  production  In  August  was  3,203,713  tons 
or  103,346  tons  per  day,  against  3,224,513  tons  in  July  or 
104,017  tons  per  day.  A  slight  increase  in  active  furnaces 
was  counteracted  by  heat  and  humidity.  September  is  ex- 
pected to  show  a  gain.  The  buying  of  steel  keeps  up  on  a 
huge  scale,  many  of  the  mills  being  well  sold  into  next  year. 
Foundry  pig-iron  has  been  more  active;  Its  prices,  while  firm, 
show  no  advance.  August  shipments  of  iron  ore  from  Lake 
Superior  established  a  new  record,  amounting  to  9,S50,000  tons. 
It  is  probable  that  the  season's  shipments  will  exceed  62,000,- 
000  tons.  August  was  a  good  month  with  metal-working  ma- 
chinery. 

COPPER 

Fear  that  the  threatened  railroad  strike  might  come  and  the 
holiday  this  week  made  the  market  quiet  in  the  past  few  days, 
but  it  is,  nevertheless,  strong  at  2Sc.  for  spot  or  September 
metal,  27.75c.  for  October,  27.50c.  for  November  and  December, 
and  26.50c.  for  first  quarter  of  next  year.  Spot  is  so  scarce 
that  it  is  highly  probable  that  up  to  28.50c.  might  have  been 
paid  for  immediate  shipment.  The  quotations  given  for  near- 
by delivery  are  those  of  outside  sellers,  the  producers  being 
well  sold  up  for  the  next  few  months.  Up  to  the  time  of  the 
scare  over  possible  strike  the  market  was  fairly  active.  It  is 
unquestioned  that  Great  Britain  and  her  Allies  must  have 
large  quantities  of  copper  for  delivery  next  year,  but  they 
are  unwilling  to  meet  present  prices.  It  is  reported  that  they 
have  offered  25  to  25.50c.  It  is  understood  that  the  British 
government  will  buy  250,000  tons.  For  such  an  enormous 
quantity  it  is  natural,  of  course,  that  a  price  would  be  fixed 
considerably  lower  than  domestic  consumers  of  moderate-sized 
quantities  would  be  asked  to  pay.  For  small  lots  out  of  store, 
jobbers  are  today  getting  29  to  31c.  The  London  market  was 
quoted  yesterday  at  £130,  against  £129  a  week  previous.  Au- 
gust exports  totaled  32,160  tons,  a  good  showing.  Statistics 
cabled  to  the  New  York  Metal  Exchange,  September  5,  show 
that  stocks  in  Great  Britain  and  France  increased  1692  tons 
in  the  last  half  of  August,  the  total  supply  in  those  countries 
on  the  31st  being  7514  tons.  In  the  last  two  weeks  of  the 
month  the  quantity  afloat  for  Europe  decreased  1200  tons. 
The  total  visible  supply  on  September  1  was  11,514  tons,  4000 
tons  of  which  was  afloat  from  Australia  and  Chile.  Lake  cop- 
per is  nominally  quoted  at  about  the  same  levels  as  electro- 
lytic. The  demands  for  brass  and  copper  products  show  no 
diminution. 


ZINC 

n>,.  market  was  bard  hit  by  the  threatened  railroad  strike, 
and  has  not  recovered.  Despite  n  Blight  show  of  Interest  on  the 
part  of  domestic  consumers  yesterday,  the  market  is  dull  and 
prices  are  easy.  Prompt  can  be  easily  obtained  at  8.75c,  \.  w 
York,  and  8.50c,  St.  Louis,  and  these  flguures  probably  could 
be  shaded.  October  delivery  can  be  had  at  8.26c,  St.  Louis. 
November  at  s.l2*c,  and  December  at  8c.  The  larger  pro- 
ducers assert  that  they  are  well  filled  with  orders  for  the  re 
mainder  of  the  year,  and  the  recent  ups  and  downs  of  the 
market  are  attributed  to  manipulation  by  second-hands.  In 
August,  domestic  galvanizers  took  large  quantities  of  the  metal 
and  that  activity  was  followed  by  good  export  buying.  On  the 
31st  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  New  York  Metal  Exchange 
adopted  a  new  ruling  as  to  what  constitutes  a  good  delivery  of 
zinc  on  contracts  for  prime  Western.     It  follows: 

"Prime  Western  shall  be  virgin  spelter,  resulting  from  the 
distillation  of  zinciferous  material,  and  shall  not  contain  on 
the  average  In  excess  of  2%  lead  and  0.08%  iron.  In  case  of 
dispute,  one  slab  out  of  every  ton  shall  constitute  a  proper 
sample.    Re-melted  spelter  shall  not  be  a  good  delivery." 

The  reason  for  the  change  is  that  for  some  time  90%  of  the 
prime  Western  spelter  produced  has  run  over  li%  lead,  the 
maximum  of  lead  under  the  rule  which  was  displaced.  When 
Joplin  ores  alone  were  used  the  product  did  not  exceed  \\% 
lead,  and  the  rule  was  easy  of  adherence.  Lately  it  has  been 
obsolete.  Exports  in  August  reached  the  excellent  total  of 
11,352  tons.  The  London  quotation  yesterday  for  spot  was 
£49,  against  £58  a  week  previous.  Sheet  zinc,  carload  lots,  is 
unchanged  at  15c,  f.o.b.  mill. 

LEAD 

Like  all  the  metals,  lead  suffered  from  the  recent  disturbed 
railroad  conditions.  Fundamentally  it  is  strong.  Both  the 
leading  interest  and  independent  producers  are  well  sold 
ahead,  but  at  the  same  time  there  are  important  consumers 
whose  requirements  are  not  covered.  Yesterday,  the  5th,  the 
outside  market  jumped  to  6.75c,  New  York,  and  6.60c,  St. 
Louis,  following  the  appearance  in  the  market  of  consumers 
who  were  forced  to  buy.  Good  sales  were  made  at  that  price, 
and  at  6.65c,  Chicago,  and  more  could  have  been  done  if  the 
metal  had  been  offered.  The  leading  interest  continues  to 
quote  6.50c,  New  York,  and  6.42ic,  St.  Louis,  but  when  it  sells 
it  deals  only  with  customers  and  then  only  in  limited  quanti- 
ties, according  to  report.  The  situation  has  given  outside 
sellers  a  chance  to  pick  up  some  premiums  for  spot  deliveries. 
August  exports  were  only  830  tons.  The  spot  quotation  at 
London  yesterday  was  £31,  unchanged  from  a  week  previous. 

TIN 
The  business  of  the  week,  and  it  was  not  a  great  deal,  was 
in  futures,  of  which  250  tons  was  taken  August  31.  The  mar- 
ket is  easier  at  38.87Jc.  (September  5)  for  spot  Straits.  Banca 
continues  to  be  offered  for  spot  delivery,  and  has  been  sold  at 
1  to  lJc  under  spot  Straits.  The  trade  was  disappointed  by 
the  August  statistics,  in  that  they  showed  deliveries  into  con- 
sumption in  that  month  to  be  4335  tons,  whereas  it  had  been 
expected  that  they  would  be  much  larger.  They  were,  how- 
ever, above  normal.  Deliveries  for  eight  months  of  this  year 
total  40,388  tons,  which  is  8130  tons  in  excess  of  the  same 
period  in  1915.  Of  the  arrivals  in  August,  535  tons  came  by 
way  of  Pacific  ports.  The  U.  S.  Commerce  Reports  (August  2) 
state  that  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  is  obtaining  good  results  at  its 
tin  smelting  and  refining  plant  at  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey. 
Early  in  August  about  10  tons  per  day  was  produced,  and  it 
was  hoped  to  increase  the  amount  to  15  tons,  the  largest  pos- 
sible output  with  the  present  equipment. 


442 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  16.  11)16 


Recent  Publications 


Flora  of  the  Fox  Hills   Sandstone,   South   Dakota.     By 
F.  H.  Knowlton.     Professional  paper  98-H.     P.  9.     Illustrated. 


Industrial  Notes 

Jii/ormation  supplied  by  the  manafacturen. 


Geological  Criteria  fob  Determining  the  Structural  Posi- 
tion of  Sedimentary  Beds.  By  G.  H.  Cox  and  C.  L.  Dake. 
May  Bulletin  of  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy,  University 
of  Missouri.     P.  59.     Illustrated.     Rolla. 

Boletin  del  Mimstebio  DE  Fomento.  Primer  Trimestre  de 
1916.  P.  566  and  index.  Republica  Peru.  One.  Cip.  de  La 
Opinion  National,  Calle  del  Correo  No.  194,  Lima. 

Contains  sections  on  mines,  agriculture,  and  other  industries 
of  Peru. 


Physical  Conditions  and  Age  Indicated  by  the  Flora  of 
the  An  m  Blcif  Formation.  By  T.  W.  Berry.  Professional 
paper  98-E.  P.  19.  Illustrated.  Also  Physical  Conditions 
Indicated  by  the  Floba  of  the  Calvert  Formation.  No.  98-F. 
P.  13.    Illustrated. 

Anni :al  Repobt  of  the  Minister  of  Mines  of  British  Columbia 
for  1915.  P.  473.  111.,  maps,  charts,  index.  Government 
Printer,  Victoria,  B.  C,  1916. 

As  usual  this  annual  publication  contains  a  great  deal  of 
interesting  matter  on  mineral  production. 

Report  and  topographic  and  structural  maps  covering 
Raleigh  county  and  parts  of  Mercer  and  Summers  counties  of 
West  Virginia.  P.  778.  111.,  maps,  index.  By  Charles  E. 
Krebs  and  D.  D.  Teets,  Jr.  West  Virginia  Geological  Survey, 
Morgantown,  1916. 

This  is  a  well-prepared  work,  dealing  with  an  area  contain- 
ing extensive  areas  of  coal. 

U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916: 

Colorado  River  and  Its  Utilization.  By  E.  C.  La  Rue. 
Water-supply  paper  395.    P.  231.    111.,  maps,  charts,  index. 

The  proposed  use  of  the  Colorado  river  for  water  and  power 
for  Oatman  and  other  districts  of  Arizona  should  make  this 
useful  publication  of  value. 

Cement   in    1915.     By   Ernest   F.   Burchard.     P.   24.     Chart. 

Platinum  ami  Allied  Metals  in  1915.  By  James  M.  Hill. 
P.  19. 

Pottery  in  1915.    By  Jefferson  Middleton.    P.  11. 

Silver,  Coppeb.  Lead,  and  Zinc  in  the  Central  States  in 
1915.    Mines  report.    By  J.  P.  Dunlop  and  B.  S.  Butler.    P.  93. 

Bibliography  of  Nobth  American  Geology  fob  1915.  By 
John  M.  Nickles.    Bulletin  645.    P.  144.     Index. 

Antimony  Deposits  of  Alaska.  By  Alfred  H.  Brooks. 
Bulletin  649.    P.  67.    111.,  maps,  index. 

Reconnaissance  of  the  Conconully  and  Ruby  Mining  Dis- 
tricts or  Washington.  By  Edward  L.  Jones,  Jr.  Bulletin 
640-B.    P.  16.    Maps. 

The  Alaskan  Mining  Industry  in  1915.  By  Alfred  H. 
Brooks.     Bulletin  642-A.     P.  71.    Maps. 

Minebal  Resources  of  the  Upper  Chitina  Valley,  Alaska. 
By  Fred  H.  Mofflt.    Bulletin  642-C    P.  S.    Map. 

Mining  on  Prince  William  Sound,  Alaska.  By  Bertrand 
L.  Johnson.     Bulletin  642-D.     P.  9. 

Gold  Mining  in  the  Willow  Creek  District,  Alaska.  By 
Stephen  R.  Capps.    Bulletin  642-F.    P.  6. 

The  Tubnagain-Knik  Region,  Alaska.  By  Stephen  R. 
Capps.    Bulletin  642-E.    P.  48.    Maps. 

Preliminary  Report  on  the  Tolovana  District.  Alaska. 
By  Alfred  H.  Brooks.     Bulletin  642-G.    P.  9.    Map. 

Mechanics  of  the  Panama  Canal  Slides.  By  George  F. 
Becker.    Professional  paper  98-N.    P.  9.    Illustrated. 


A  leaflet  publ^hed  by  the  E.  I.  du  Pont  de  Nemours  &  Co. 
of  San  Francisco  gives  prices  of  explosives  in  the  Western 
States. 

The  Brennan  Wahl  Co.  of  Chicago  announces  that  it  is  pre- 
pared to  act  as  consulting  chemical,  mechanical,  and  structural 
engineers,  and  as  agents  for  machinery  and  allied  products. 

An  Improved  Centrifugal  Pump 

Development  of  the  steam  turbine  and  high  efficiency  multi- 
stage centrifugal  pump  has  progressed  together,  but  so  far  it 
has  not  been  entirely  practicable  to  reconcile  the  speeds  of 
the  two  machines  so  that  each  would  work  at  its  best  efficiency. 
Heretofore  it  was  necessary  to  reduce  the  speed  of  the  turbine 
and  sacrifice  much  of  its  efficiency  or  else  speed  up  the  pump 
with  similar  results.  To  overcome  this  difficulty  the  Cameron 
Steam  Pump  Works  of  New  York  has  designed  and  built  a 
multi-stage  centrifugal  known  as  the  'B-T'  type. 

The   accompanying   electro    shows  a   completely   assembled 


*-9  ^^fcgfc^ifc^X  f  ^^^^^-  . ,». 


centrifugal  pump  and  steam  turbine. 

pump  and  engine.  The  speed  feature  is  a  virtue  of  the  im- 
peller design.  With  the  ordinary  impeller  the  diameter  can- 
not be  reduced  sufficiently  to  get  high  speed  without  sacri- 
ficing vane  length,  and  consequently  efficiency  for  a  certain 
vane  length  is  necessary  in  order  that  the  impeller  may  per- 
form its  function  without  excessive  loss.  Small  external 
diameter  and  adequate  vane  length  are  obtained  in  this  pump, 
by  bringing  the  vanes  well  down  into  the  impeller  hub,  at  the 
same  time  so  turning  them  that  the  incoming  water  is  guided 
smoothly,  and  with  little  loss  into  the  outer  portion  of  the 
vanes  where  the  velocity  is  generated  that  is  finally  converted 
into  useful  pressure  by  means  of  the  external  diffusion  vane. 
Additional  advantages  in  the  small  impeller  are  light  weight 
and  low  fibre  stresses  in  the  material.  Each  impeller  is  cast 
solid  in  one  piece  and  is  of  the  enclosed  type.  The  casing  is 
divided  along  the  horizontal  centre  line.  Both  the  suction 
and  discharge  connections  are  in  the  lower  half  of  the  casing. 
The  upper  half  is  readily  removable,  giving  full  access  to  the 
revolving  element.  There  are  suitable  openings  for  draining 
the  pump  and  for  displacing  the  air  when  starting.  Inlet  and 
outlet  nozzles  can  be  arranged  either  on  the  same  or  opposite 
sides,  an  important  advantage  where  pumps  are  installed  in 
limited  space.  The  shaft  is  made  of  high-grade  forged  steel, 
and  wherever  it  comes  in  contact  with  the  fluid  being  pumped 
it  is  thoroughly  protected  by  bronze  sleeves.  To  take  care  of 
thrust,  which  manifests  itself  in  all  multi-stage  pumps,  this 
pump  is  equipped  with  a  simple  internal  hydraulic  balancing- 
device. 


1 

"'o 

I 

IB 

i 

ii 

i 

and 
Scientific 


Edlt*d  by 
T.  A.RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  SEPTEMBER  2i,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  13 


DRIFTING— STOPING— SINKING— GLORY-HOLE  MINING 

The  Leyner-Ingersoll  Water  Drill,  the  Stopehamer  and  the  Jackhamer  will 
do  for  you  what  they  are  doing  for  the  Nevada-Packard  Mining  Co.  and 
hundreds  of  other  mines.     Let  us  help  you  solve  your  rock-drilling  problem. 

SEND  FOR  BULLETINS  4120,  4036  <">d  4221 


NEW     YORK 


&*LL^ 


INGERSOLL-RAND       COMPANY, 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  2::.  1916 


Oliver 

Continuous 

7t  l-£er 

Company 

501  Mar.k£t   St. 
San  Francisco, Cal. 


MORE    TELEGRAMS 

MORE     FILTERS 

BY    EXPRESS 

On  August  29,  order 
for  the  first  filter  for 
the  Aetna  Chemical 
Company  was  placed 
by  wire  with  instruc- 
tions to  ship  by  ex- 
press. 

CThat  Inight  the  filter 
was  on;  its  [way.  Spe- 
cial parts  >'had  to  be 
made. 


0    bi-»?cse    ncp    a";    ; 
CLmn  ocbtirik"s  filth*  cc 

603  BAREET   ST   SABrPASCISM 
PLEASE   SHIP  AT  CBCX  BY  EXPPE6S    TK)   riLTERB  CCBPLETE   »1TH    WHIK   WW 
BABE   6I2E   LAST  CPDER   SAME  8HIFPIB3   DIPECTICKS    IF    SCT    IK    STCCK    TOU    AT 
CSCI  PEST   SHIrPlSO   DATE   POSSIBLE  OB   THIS   SIZE    F1LTES   A!".    U.TBUUT1 
POBSIBILITT  0»   lAROB*  PIL7EPB   B1TH  6UE   ABB  »EI  1KT      WIRE   ABSTO 
H  L  HOLLWBEM 

AFTBA   EEPL09I7EB   CO.         104     9A 


One  month  later,  an- 
other telegraphic  order 
was  received,  this  time 
for  Two  Filters.  "Ship 
at  once  by  express," 
were    the   instructions. 

Five  days  later  these  two 
filters  wen'  hurrying  across 
the  continent.     Every   pari 

had  tn  be  made  up. 


Bin   Frariclooo.    Cal. , 
H.L.    PollenberB, 

A#*.r,«  Explosive*  Co., 

130  Broodaay,  No*   York  City. 

BotL;   filter*  axprceaod    today 


Cbg.aocit  O.C.F.   Co. 
11. 30  A.M.   -  4  oord* 


CLITEfi  cc:;-:""i  ■  z  fi;-.^  ■:. . 


These  repeat  orders  mean  that  the 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER 

has  again  demonstrated  its 'money-earning  ability 


The' 'repetition  of  instructions  to  ship  by  ex- 
press, confirms  the  assertion  thai  two  weeks 
<ink-k.'r  delivery  i>-  worth  much  more  to  the 
Aetna  Chemical  Company  than  the  high  cost 
■  >f  expreste. 


For  filtering,  o^watering,  washing,  or  any 
other  purpose  requiring  the  use  of  a  alter,  the 
Oliver  is  tin-  thing.  By  writing  uow  telling 
ii-  of  your  conditions,   your   Oliver  can  be 

ready  when  you  want  it. 


No  royalties  to  pay  on  any  work  of  an  Oliver 


HlllnKIM    si  m 
T.  A  RtCKARD  Edaoi 

m  \»   ...  m  km  u  rrz  >  ..  .r^— 

H.C.  TH1ELE  I        '  "•"* 


RSI  (III  J  ^111  n   INMI 
Puklahnl  .1  4J0  Mitkrt  JL,  Su  h'nicim.  by  •*■•■  Drwry  PubUiiw  Co. 

1 1 IAKLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Buiaai  M.uar. 


SPEI  Ml    OONTMWTOM 
W    ii    Bhookiay 
Leonard  B.  Austlo 
tanl, 

.  .ill). 

i     i.miw i  Oarrlion. 

CharlM  .hinin. 

!■'   ii.  Probi 

i  ■    w    i 

Hon V    win. hell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  lave  lh<  ignorant 


l»»u.-l  tarda* 


San  Francisco,  Skptember  23,  1916 


f3  per  Year — 10  Cent     i  •  i  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

NOTC8    443 

A    Wahid    MiUni    444 

Cnrrnnza's  effort  to  shut  out  Americans.  The  Presi- 
dent's attitude.  No  restoration  of  order  likely  until 
the  agrarian  problem  has  been  solved  equitably. 

Eliiou  and  Flotation  445 

Comment  on  the  article  by  Mr.  Stanley  Elmore.  How 
the  function  of  air  in  flotation  was  overlooked.  The 
legal  tangle  and  the  personal  element  behind  it. 

DISCUSSloX 
Mm  Dot  '.M  l  . 

By  Charles  D.  Demond  447 

Correct  spelling  of  the  name  of  the  inventor  of  the 
well-known  furnace. 

MACHINERY    IN    MINING. 

By  P.  B.  McDonald 447 

Then  and  now;  explosives,  time  wasted  underground, 
speed  of  rock-drilling,  ventilation,  labor-saving  devices, 
wages,  and  sociological  conditions  in  1860  and  1916. 

ARTICLES 

Lime  from  Molluscs  448 

Sea-shells  supplied  a  cyanide-plant  with  lime. 

The  Invention,  Development,  and  Introduction  of  the  Flota- 
tion Process. 

By  A.  Stanley  Elmore 449 

An  authoritative  account  of  the  early  work  in  flota- 
tion by  one  of  the  Elmore  brothers.  Early  patents. 
The  Frank  Elmore  patent  of  1S98.  Metallurgical  re- 
search in  London.  Flotation  theories.  The  fight  be- 
tween the  Ore  Concentration  Syndicate  and  Minerals 
Separation,  Limited. 

Mineral    Industry   of    Japan    455 

Final  figures  for  1915  indicate  a  gain  of  $11,000,000 
above  the  output  in  the  previous  year. 

Amortization  and  Depreciation. 

By  Robert  S.  Lewis  456 

What  is  the  correct  sum  to  put  aside  for  return  of 
capital  invested  in  mining  stocks,  and  how  much 
should  be  written  off  each  year  to  cover  depreciation 
of  property  and  machinery?  Calculations  and  methods 
discussed. 


Page. 

ci  n  1 1  vi m\   Losses  in   Assaying  469 

Those  who  assay  stiver  ore  and  bullion  will  find  this 
concise  summary  of  value.    The  subject  le  Important 

Notes  on  FLOTATION. 

By    Rudolf   Gahl    460 

Problems  that  arose  during  experiments  at  the  In- 
spiration copper  mine,  Arizona.  Coal-tar  as  a  flotation 
agent.  Value  of  cresylic  acid.  Influence  of  iron  on 
flotation,  the  iron  coming  from  grinding  machines. 
Recovery  of  oxide  copper.     Oil  consumption  and  cost. 

Iron  as  a  Barometer  ok  INDUSTRY   462 

Consumption  of  pig-iron  is  usually  taken  as  an  indica- 
tion of  a  country's  general  trade  activity,  but  the  ab- 
normal War  demand  would  seem  to  negative  this  argu- 
ment.   The  Iron  Age  discusses  the  position. 

Sinking  THROUGH  Sand. 

By  Edward  A.   Sayre    463 

Sand  is  one  of  the  worst  materials  that  the  mining 
engineer  has  to  contend  with  in  sinking.  Many  shafts 
have  been  'lost'  by  improperly  keeping  back  sand  and 
water.    Two  methods  are  given  in  this  paper. 

Dredging  in  Montana. 

By  Hennen  Jennings   465 

Most  people  forget  that  in  Montana  one  of  the  largest 
dredging  companies  in  the  country  is  operating,  dig- 
ging high-grade  gravel  at  low  cost  at  the  rate  of 
3,600,000  cubic  yards  per  year.  Complete  details  of 
four  powerful  boats. 

A  New  Flotation  Oil  467 

Possible  value  of  sage-brush  oil.  Position  of  investiga- 
tions into  using  this  desert  product. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    468 

Review  of   Mining    469 

Special     correspondence     from     Leadville,     Colorado; 

Butte,    Montana;     Johannesburg,    Transvaal;     Platte- 

ville,  Wisconsin;   Sutter  Creek,  California. 

The  Mining  Summary   472 

Personal 476 

The    Metal    Market    477 

Eastern  Metal  Market   ' 47S 

Book    Reviews    479 

Recent   Patents    480 

Industrial    Notes     480 

The  Venturi  Waste-Detector;   Commercial  Paragraph. 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-offlce  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago.  300  Fisher  Bdg. ;  New  York,  1760 
Woolworth   Bdg.;   London,  724   Salisbury  House,    E.C. 

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and  Mexico.  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  countries  in  postal  union, 
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12 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(i 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


In  This  Age  of  Specialization 


No  one  branch  of  engineering  has  pro- 
gressed more  in  the  last  ten  years  than 


The  Design  and  Construction  of  Gold  Dredges 


The  recovery  of  placer  gold,  tin  and 
platinum  is  a  field  in  itself,  and  the 
success  or  failure  of  any  placer-mining 
enterprise  hinges  directly  upon  the 
skill,  experience  and  ability  of  the  en- 
gineers entrusted  with  the  design  and 
construction  of  the  apparatus.  The 
Neill  Jig  has  increased  the  saving  25% 
under  certain  conditions  where  gold 
saving  was  difficult. 


More  than  One  Hundred  Gold  Dredges 


in  operation  in  every  placer  mining 
field  in  the  world  is  the  best  guarantee 
of  efficiency.  Gravel  having  a  content 
of  less  than  five  cents  per  cubic  yard, 
has  been  worked  at  a  profit.  This  we 
think  is  a  world's  record  for  cheap 
mining. 

Agents    for    Bucynu    Placer    Dredge 

Machinery  in  the  Western  States, 

British    Columbia  and   Alaska 

We  solicit  your  inquiries. 
Our  help  and  advice  are  at  your  disposal. 


UNION  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY 


H.  G.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JONHSON 

San  Francisco 


Svptrmber  83,  1918 


MINING    and    Scientific     I'KI  SS 


li: 


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L 

\ [ILLION [-SHARE  days  an  b iming  frequent  on 

■"■■•  i lir  New  York  Btoek-ezohange.  Optimism  is  ram- 
pant Hut  we  never  think  of  Wall  Street  without  re- 
gretting the  Dumber  of  dynamic  men  that  devote  great 
ability  il1"'  unusual  energy  to  the  game  of  the  tieker  and 
the  tape  instead  of  being  engaged  in  creative  work. 

/~"M>L1>  imports,  amounting  to  $782,000,000  since  the 
^-*  beginning  of  1915,  have  not  the  economic  signifi- 
eanee  of  normal  times,  hut  it  is  certain  that  the  accumu- 
lation will  do  much  to  fortify  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank 
and  place  the  country  on  a  sound  basis,  as  against  the 
period  of  disarrangement  inevitable  at  the  close  of  the 
War.  

A  MORTIZATION  of  the  capital  used  in  mining  is  a 
■*"*•  subject  of  direct  practical  interest,  especially  in 
these  days  when  the  amount  of  capital  so  used  runs  into 
huge  sums  of  money.  We  publish  an  incisive  article  by 
Mr.  Robert  8.  Lewis.  Associate  Professor  of  Mining  in 
the  University  of  1'tah.  We  shall  be  glad  to  see  the  sub- 
ject discussed  in  our  columns. 

TWO  nominations  have  been  made  for  the  presidency 
-*■  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers: 
Mr.  Sidney  J.  Jennings  of  New  York  and  Mr.  Philip  N. 
Moure  of  St.  Louis.  Both  are  so  well  worthy  of  the 
honor  that  it  seems  a  pity  not  to  arrange  for  one  of  these 
gentlemen  succeeding  the  other.  Unless  this  is  done  the 
voting  may  be  prompted  by  sectional  sentiment,  the 
Western  men  rallying  to  Mr.  Moore  while  the  Eastern 
cast  their  ballots  for  Mr.  Jennings.  Something  should 
be  done  to  prevent  needless  competition. 

CENOR  Luis  Cabrera  and  his  two  associates  on  the 
k-'  International  Commission  are  discussing  Mexican 
affairs  with  Mr.  Franklin  K.  Lane  and  the  other  two 
American  commissioners,  but  the  Mexican  delegates  are 
not  wasting  the  time  between  these  debates;  they  are 
making  the  most  of  a  favorable  opportunity  to  raise 
money,  in  the  form  of  a  loan.  It  is  not  clear  to  us  how 
any  banker  is  justified  in  lending  money  to  the  Mexican 
government  under  Mr.  Wilson's  doctrine  that  the  United 
States  is  not  called  upon  to  protect  the  financial  interests 
of  its  nationals  abroad,  particularly  in  Mexico.  The 
money  invested  by  Americans  in  the  mines  and  other 
industries  of  Mexico  went  there  on  a  guarantee  of  pro- 
tection and  fair  treatment  from  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment, and  on  the  understanding  that  the  American  gov- 
ernment would  insist  on  such  protection  and  just  treat- 
ment. But  the  administration  at  Washington  has 
washed  its  hands  of  the  bold  bad  men  that  go  to  Mexico 


to  engage  in  legitimate  q alation  and  honorable  in- 
dustry, B0  how  ran  any  hanker  feel  safe  in  loaning 
money  t 


'FLOTATION  royalties  were  discussed  m  our  last  issue. 
*-  In  the  July  statement  id'  development,  production, 
and  costs  at  the  Goldfield  Consolidated  we  note  the  fol- 
lowing: flotation  royalty,  5  cents  per  ton  of  total  ore,  and 
filter  royalty  3  cents.  Previously  this  company  was  pay- 
ing 5  cents  per  ton  as  filter  royalty.  The  introduction 
of  flotation  evidently  has  reduced  the  quantity  of  pulp 
filtered.  As  mentioned  on  page  438  of  the  September 
16  issue,  flotation  at  the  Goldfield  Consolidated  has  been 
suspended  for  two  or  three  months  pending  installation 
of  additional  apparatus,  cyanidation  being  resumed 
meanwhile.  Treatment  charges,  excluding  royalty, 
amount  to  $2.11   per  ton. 


i"\N  another  page  we  give  an  abstract  of  a  useful  paper 
^-*  prepared  by  Mr.  Hennen  Jennings,  assisted  by  Mr. 
Charles  Janin,  on  dredging  in  Montana.  The  informa- 
tion deals  principally  with  the  Conrey  Placer  Mining 
Company,  which  operates  four  large  dredges  at  Ruby. 
In  our  issue  of  December  25,  1915,  Mr.  Jennings  gave 
us  a  few  notes  on  results  obtained,  but  this  is  the  first 
time  that  such  detailed  data  have  been  made  public. 
Alder  Gulch  and  Ruby  were  the  birthplace  of  many  im- 
portant improvements  in  dredges,  such  as  are  typified  in 
the  big  machine  now  at  work  there.  Mr.  Jennings  con- 
cludes his  paper  as  follows:  "Outside  the  practical  eco- 
nomic considerations  involved,  it  appears  that  the  de- 
velopment and  working  of  a  great  gold-dredge  has  a  very 
far-reaching  and  ethical  meaning.  The  No.  4  Conrey 
dredge  may  be  taken  as  an  example.  This  was  the  prod- 
uct of  no  one  locality,  the  child  of  no  one  brain,  but 
rather  the  result  of  persistent  and  progressive  effort  in 
all  dredging-fields  and  machine-shops,  extending  over 
nearly  20  years,  and  behind  these  efforts  were  the  scien- 
tific and  inventive  discoveries  of  the  age.  Its  record 
month's  work  of  400,000  yards,  or  600,000  tons,  to  a 
depth  of  54  feet,  must  be  considered  in  connection  with 
the  statement  that  the  total  number  of  men  at  work  on 
this  dredge  was  only  10  in  all.  Yet,  with  the  mighty 
steel  and  electrical  tools  at  their  command  and  the  force 
chained  to  service  from  water- falls  26  miles  distant,  these 
men  on  the  firing-line  and  supported  by  the  machine- 
shop  reserves  could  each  be  accredited  with  having  raised 
2000  tons  of  gravel,  some  of  it  from  a  depth  of  54  feet 
below  water  to  40  feet  above ;  then  sorting  the  gold-bear- 
ing gravel  from  the  barren,  spreading  it  out  on  gold- 
saving  tables,  extracting  the  gold,  and  then  elevating  and 


444 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23.  1916 


stacking  the  waste  in  such  a  way  that  future  operations 
were  in  no  way  impeded,  and  all  for  an  operating  cost 
of  about  three  cents  per  ton,  and  this  in  eight  hours. 
How  many  men  with  mere  muscular  energy  at  their  com- 
mand and  primitive  appliances  would  it  have  taken  to 
do  this  work?  To  the  writer  it  would  appear  that  the 
miner,  mechanic,  metallurgist,  chemist,  engineer,  and 
sciei  tist  have  increased  the  laborer's  power  in  this  in- 
stance a  thousand-fold  and  created  for  him  work  neces- 
sarily abandoned  under  old  conditions."  These  are  just 
observations,  and  they  are  stated  by  no  mere  novice,  but 
by  a  man  of  world-wide  experience.  Yes.  the  art  of 
mining,  also  that  of  metallurgy,  depends  upon  the  co- 
operative effort  of  the  many  workers  rather  than  the 
single  effort  of  the  individual  genius.  It  is  the  aim  of  a 
professional  paper  such  as  this  to  co-ordinate  the  work 
of  the  many  and  bring  them  in  mental  touch. 


A  Walled   Mexico 


Carranza  is  trying  to  build  a  wall  of  exclusion  around 
Mexico.  With  every  new  decree  the  hopelessness  of  re- 
establishing normal  relations  with  the  devastated  re- 
public grows  deeper.  Capital  and  an  army  of  peaceful 
workers  have  been  eagerly  waiting  to  resume  the  task  of 
reconstruction,  but  the  protection  of  our  own  Govern- 
ment is  withheld,  while  new  barriers  are  daily  erected 
by  Mexico.  Carranza  has  found  encouragement  in  his 
follies  from  the  incomprehensible  attitude  of  President 
Wilson.  When  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  United  States 
utters  platitudes  befitting  a  high-school  debater,  affirming 
that  he  believes  in  the  right  of  the  Mexicans  to  do  as 
they  please  with  their  own  country,  and  that  Mexico  is 
justified  in  concluding,  from  the  way  in  which  some  of 
our  fellow-citizens  have  tried  to  exploit  her  privileges, 
that  we  wish  to  possess  her,  and  adds  that  he  will  not 
serve  the  ambitions  of  these  gentlemen,  hut  will  "try  to 
serve  all  America  by  trying  to  serve  Mexico  herself." 
Carranza  has  warrant  for  thinking  that  the  rights  of 
our  people  may  be  ignored  with  impunity. 

It  was  a  quibble  to  assert  that  a  country  may  do  as  it 
likes.  Japan  was  able  to  live  according  to  its  own  lights 
while  its  ports  continued  closed  against  the  world,  but 
President  Wilson  might  have  reflected  that  no  other 
than  the  United  States  of  America  took  the  initiative  in 
denying  Japan's  right  to  voluntary  exclusion  as  a  her- 
mit kingdom.  When  Commodore  Perry  in  1853  forced 
open  Japan 's  doors,  the  United  States  gave  peculiar  em- 
phasis to  the  necessity  for  commercial  intercourse  as  a 
fundamental  principle  henceforth  to  be  recognized  with- 
in the  family  of  nations.  Intercourse  is  regulated  by 
formal  conventions,  and  as  soon  as  a  nation  enters  into 
a  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  it  has  limited  its  self- 
centred  independence  by  a  new  set  of  mutual  rights  and 
obligations. 

It  is  the  duty  of  our  Chief  Executive  to  sustain  the 
rights  thus  acquired  in  Mexico.  No  decree  of  a  de  facto 
government  can  impair  them  legally.  Our  treaties  give 
us  the  most-favored  nation  privileges,  which  place  our 


nationals,  in  nearly  all  respects  except  political  status, 
on  an  even  footing  with  the  citizens  of  Mexico,  subject 
to  the  municipal  law  of  the  land.  Only  a  constitutional 
government  can  alter  these,  and  Mexico  is  today  without 
such  a  government.  In  recognizing  Carranza.  the  Presi- 
dent merely  became  a  party  to  the  carrying  out  of 
treaty  engagements  subject  to  previous  constitutional 
enactments,  as  ml  interim  administrator  of  the  affairs 
of  Mexico.  Nevertheless,  the  innocent  investor  is  aban- 
doned because  a  few  have  wrongfully  used  their  in- 
fluence and  financial  strength,  so  the  future  investor, 
though  reading  in  the  solemn  treaties  ratified  by  his 
country's  Senate  what  rights  he  possesses  in  Mexico, 
finds  that  the  penalty  for  daring  to  go  abroad  and  invest 
his  labor  and  bis  money  is  expatriation. 

In  time,  if  Mexico  finally  should  settle  down  to  orderly 
government,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  rational  treatment 
of  foreigners  will  be  accorded  by  statutes  in  conformity 
with  her  treaties;  but  the  outlook  for  internal  peace  be- 
comes daily  less  promising.  The  future  is  still  more 
darkly  over-shadowed  by  one  of  Carranza's  latest  de- 
crees. Behind  the  revolutionary  bombast  of  ambitious 
leaders,  and  underneath  the  ravening  fury  of  loot-mad- 
dened mobs,  lies  a  reasonable  and  comprehensible  revo- 
lutionary purpose.  This  is  the  profound  intent  of  the 
defrauded  poor  to  regain  their  lands.  The  pitiful  story 
of  systematic  robbery  by  legalized  injustice,  whereby 
the  lower  classes  were  stripped  of  their  inheritance  and 
made  little  better  than  serfs  on  the  land  that  had  once 
been  theirs,  may  be  read  elsewhere.  The  indictment 
against  the  land-grabbers,  and  the  demand  for  restitu- 
tion, can  be  found  clearly  and  succinctly  stated  in  just 
one  Mexican  document,  and  that  is  the  Plan  de  Ayala 
formulated  by  the  bandit  Zapata.  Every  other  leader 
of  prominence  has  declared  for  the  same  reform,  and  by 
doing  so  has  been  able  to  gather  supporters  to  his  stand- 
ard, but  these  are  like  the  factitious  planks  in  the  plat- 
forms of  our  political  parties  compared  with  the  in- 
genuous presentment  and  demand  appearing  in  the  proc- 
lamation of  Zapata.  Here  is  found  the  spirit  of  the 
Mexican  revolution,  the  revelation  of  public  wrong  and 
the  vision  of  justice  that  the  spurious  reformers  have 
proclaimed  only  in  feeble  and  halting  phrase.  It  mat- 
ters little  what  we  may  think  of  a  demand  for  nearly 
universal  confiscation  of  real  property  and  its  re-dis- 
tribution among  the  poor.  The  practical  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  such  a  proceeding,  the  inevitable  hardship 
and  unfairness  that  would  be  wrought  in  the  name  of 
justice,  the  impossibility  of  carrying  out  equitably  so 
radical  a  reform,  these  are  matters  for  the  Mexicans, 
not  for  us.  The  thing  that  we  should  recognize,  how- 
ever, is  that  agrarian  reform  is  the  popular  motive  of 
the  Mexican  revolutions,  and  that  revolutions  will  not 
cease  until  the  grinding  injustice  of  the  brutal  old  land- 
lordism has  been  atoned  in  some  quite  effectual  manner 
and  rendered  impossible  of  recurrence.  Such  semblance 
of  peace  and  of  constitutional  government  in  Mexico  as 
may  come  while  this  question  remains  unsettled  will  be 
evanescent.    Stability  of  government  is  not  to  be  antici- 


1916 


MINING    and    Scirnhlu     I'KI  S.S 


It  . 


i  until  a  genuine  agrarian  reform  hai  been  plaoed 
on  »  workable 

Carranaa  is,  ol  ooarw,  the  owner  of  great  estates.  Be 
acquired  them  in  the  conventional  manner  of  the  old 
land-thievea  The  people  have  never  oeaaed  to  whisper 
tliut  he  i  iponaed  the  oanae  of  the  revolution  in  order  to 
avoid  confiscation  of  tins  property.  Now  '-"in 
nouneemenl  of  a  plan  that  strongly  confirms  the  sus- 
pioion.  The  moral  ground  is  artfullv  shifted.  The 
guilt  for  whioh  confiscation  shall  applv  is  crime  againsl 
the  governmenl  of  Mexico.  The  manner  in  whioh  land- 
titles  were  obtained  doea  no1  enter  into  the  question, 
culpability  are  recognized,  with  graded  pun- 
ishment Those  who  took  Up  the  great  cause  of  libera- 
tion and  reform  have  naturally  washed  out  eonsiderable 
original  sin.  Carranaa  is  proposing  to  do  by  this  decree 
precisely  what  Zapata  long  ago  prophesied  that  he 
would. 

To  count  on  Mexico  as  a  field  for  enterprise  until  the 
real  problem  of  the  masses  is  faced  and  dealt  with  prac- 
tically by  some  capable  leader  is  to  ignore  the  verities 
of  the  situation.  Carranza  is  a  erafty  demagogue  of  the 
old  cientifico  class,  Zapata  an  illiterate  peon  possess..! 
of  an  idea  too  big  for  his  mastery.  Villa  too  easy  a  prey 
to  vanity  when  flushed  with  successes  to  measure  up  to 
the  dignity  of  great  responsibility.  The  day  of  regen- 
eration lor  .Mexico  has  not  yet  dawned,  despite  the 
clamor  of  some  false  prophets;  neither  is  the  day  near 
when  Americans  may  return  to  develop  the  mineral  and 
agricultural  resources  of  Mexico  with  assurance  that 
their  rights  will  be  sustained  in  keeping  with  the  troth 
plighted  between  Uncle  Sam  and  Guadalupe  in  their  now 
long-flouted  treaties. 


lEIimQirs 


-ATl.rl 


-fiD-xa-iios 


On  another  page  we  publish  an  intensely  human  docu- 
ment, nothing  less  than  a  personal  statement  by  Mr.  A. 
Stanley  Elmore,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his  brother, 
Francis  Edward  Elmore,  covering  their  invention  of 
the  original  bulk-oil  flotation  process  and  the  later  de- 
velopments of  this  metallurgical  method,  with  special 
reference  to  the  unpleasantness  between  them  and  the 
gentlemen  now  identified  with  the  Minerals  Separation 
company.  We  had  written  to  Mr.  Elmore  asking  him  for 
sundry  items  in  the  chronology  of  the  early  flotation 
work,  but  instead  of  a  dry  record  he  sent  an  appeal  ad- 
dressed, through  our  columns,  to  the  profession  at  large, 
more  particularly  those,  and  they  are  many,  interested 
in  the  quarrel  between  the  two  groups  of  men  so  long 
engaged  in  a  contest  over  the  rights  to  the  basic  patents 
and  the  profit  that  flows  from  them. 

Those  that  have  read  the  recent  book,  'The  Flotation 
Process,'  will  be  able  to  follow  Mr.  Elmore's  statement 
intelligently,  even  sympathetically,  for  the  editor  and 
compiler  of  that  volume  is  numbered  among  the  many 
that  think  the  Elmore  brothers  were  given  the  short  end 
of  the  stick  in  the  pull  between  the  opposing  interests. 
Much   of  what  Mr.   Elmore  says  is  already  known  in 


London,  where  tie'  flotation  vendetta  is  better  undent I 

than  tin-  technology  of  the  process,  bat  it  will  convey  a 

good  dial  ui'  fresh  information  t ir  readers  mi  tins  side 

of  the  Atlantic.  We  have  refrained  from  editing  the 
statement,  preferring  to  give  it  exactly  as  it  came  to  oa; 
otherwise  we  mighl  have  deleted  tie'  Herodotus  story, 

Whioh   is  a) ryphal.      The  emphasis  on    the  dryness  of 

the  ore  treated  by  Baynes  and  ESvenon  is  to  the  point. 

As  our  readers  are  aware,  W6  take  no  stock  in  the  Kver- 
son  myth,  which  was  over-worked  by  the  opponents  of 
.Minerals  Separation,  no  less  than  by  those  of  tin-  Klmore 
brothers.  The  argument  that  George  Holism,  avoided 
"the  use  of  an  excess  of  water"  is  new,  but  it  is  not  un- 
reasonable, because  he  depended  upon  the  direct  agency 
of  an  excess  of  oil,  as  much  as  three  tons  of  oil  to  one  of 
ore.  Mr.  Stanley  Elmore  recites  the  way  in  which  his 
brother  first  became  interested  in  the  subject,  but  he  does 
not  explain  that  the  plant  in  which  his  first  experiments 
were  made  was  the  one,  at  the  (ilasdir  mine,  in  which 
Robson  had  made  his  ineffective  attempt.  We  ask  him  to 
clear  this  part  of  the  history ;  for  we  have  been  informed 
on  good  authority  that  Mr.  Frank  Elmore  found  the 
remains  of  Robson 's  experimentation,  in  the  form  of  oil, 
pulp,  and  apparatus,  at  the  Glasdir  mine  when  he  him- 
self first  arrived  there.  In  the  statement  by  his  brother 
we  are  told  that  an  observation  of  the  effect  of  lubricat- 
ing oil.  dropping  on  a  launder,  in  concentrating  particles 
of  ehalcopyrite,  suggested  the  use  of  oil  as  a  flotation 
agent.  Possibly  this,  and  the  other  observations  men- 
tioned, led  to  experiments  with  Robson 's  apparatus.  If 
there  was  no  connection  between  Robson 's  abortive  effort 
and  Elmore's  valuable  invention,  it  should  be  made 
known.  Mr.  Stanley  Elmore  does  not  give  the  name  of 
the  mine.  The  fact  of  such  a  connection  between  El- 
more and  Robson  would  be  interesting  and  it  would  not 
detract  from  Elmore's  credit  as  an  inventor,  for  Robson 
failed  in  devising  a  workable  method,  while  Elmore  suc- 
ceeded, thanks  mainly  to  his  unquestioned  skill  as  an 
engineer. 

Next  we  come  to  the  beginnings  of  the  Elmore  syndi- 
cate. It  is  obvious  that  the  start  was  auspicious,  in  that 
it  was  made  with  the  financial  backing  of  Wernher,  Beit 
&  Co.  and  with  the  benefit  of  the  engineering  experience 
of  such  men  as  Messrs.  Walter  McDermott  and  Hennen 
Jennings.  Mr.  Frank  Elmore  had  recognized  the  use  of 
a  thin  pulp,  that  is,  the  presence  of  plenty  of  water,  so 
that  the  oil  might  have  "a  free  choice  between  the  wet 
mineral  particles  and  the  wet  rocky  particles";  but,  in 
his  first  invention  he  missed  the  third  essential,  one  as 
important  as  the  water  and  possibly  more  important  than 
the  oil — namely,  air.  Reference  is  made  to  Mr.  C.  M. 
Rolker's  paper  on  the  Elmore  bulk-oil  process  as  eon- 
ducted  at  the  Glasdir  mine,  a  paper  read  before  the  In- 
stitution of  Mining  and  Metallurgy  in  London  on  April 
25,  1900.  To  those  familiar  with  the  recent  development 
of  the  flotation  process  it  is  intensely  interesting  to  note 
that  at  that  meeting  several  references  were  made  to  the 
fact  that  while  the  difference  of  specific  gravity  between 
the  oil  and  the  water  gave  a  flotative  margin  of  10%,  yet 


446 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS    . 


September  23,  1916 


the  oil  was  loaded  to  as  much  as  28%,  and  even  then 
"the  oil  had  an  ample  amount  of  buoyancy  to  allow  of 
it  readily  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water."  I  quote 
Mr.  McDermott.  On  that  occasion  Mr.  Frank  Elmore 
quoted  the  manager,  the  late  John  Bevan,  as  saying  that 
the  flotative  efficiency  of  the  oil  was  25%,  against  the 
theoretical  load  of  10%,  and  he,  Mr.  Elmore,  remarked 
that  "it  seemed  rather  strange  that  there  should  be  such 
a  difference  between  theory  and  practice."  Of  course, 
we  see  now  that  all  of  them  failed,  at  that  time,  to  detect 
the  part  played  by  the  air,  which  was  entrained  with  the 
ore  and  water  while  they  were  being  mixed  in  a  re- 
volving drum.  Mr.  Rolker  said:  "The  viscosity  of  the 
oil  is  the  all-important  point."  Mr.  McDermott  said 
that  "there  was  no  doubt  that  the  success  or  failure  of 
the  process  depended  largely  on  the  amount  of  oil  lost 
in  the  operation."  Nobody,  neither  Mr.  H.  L.  Sulman 
nor  Mr.  H.  F.  K.  Picard,  who  also  took  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion, made  the  slightest  reference  to  the  agency  of  the 
air  in  promoting  the  flotation  of  the  chalcopyrite.  As 
far  as  we  know,  the  first  public  recognition  of  this  basic 
fact  was  a  statement  by  Mr.  McDermott,  in  the  Engi- 
neering &  Miming  Journal  of  February  14,  1903,  when 
the  present  writer  was  editor  of  that  journal,  acknowl- 
edging that  "the  agitation  with  the  pulp  results  in  the 
oil  taking  up  a  very  appreciable  quantity  of  air."  It 
remains  to  add  that  on  January  3,  1903,  Mr.  Stanley 
Elmore  took  out  a  patent  to  exclude  air  from  the  ap- 
paratus, by  means  of  a  ring  or  surface  of  oil,  the  idea 
being  to  prevent  the  oxidation  of  the  minerals,  but  the 
result  was  to  banish  a  prime  agent  in  the  separation 
between  the  sulphide  particles  and  the  gangue.  We 
hasten  to  say  that  the  Elmores  were  the  first  to  take 
practical  cognizance  of  this  error,  for  their  vacuum-oil 
patents  of  1904  are  based  on  the  use  of  air  naturally  dis- 
solved in  water,  and  from  these  patents  the  growing  rec- 
ognition of  the  part  played  by  air  was  emphasized  pro- 
gressively until  today  the  process  is  essentially  one  per- 
formed by  a  maximum  of  bubbles  generated  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  minimum  of  oil  as  against  the  original  Elmore 
operation  in  which  a  maximum  of  oil  was  aided  surrepti- 
tiously by  a  minimum  of  air.  Returning  to  Mr.  Stanley 
Elmore's  statement,  we  agree  with  him  that  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  demonstration  plant  in  London,  in  1901, 
and  the  access  thereto  granted  to  metallurgists,  together 
with  the  lavish  publication  of  information  concerning 
the  process,  did  do  a  great  deal  to  stimulate  interest  and 
curiosity,  contributing  thus  to  the  later  developments 
whereby  the  process  was  turned  inside-out  and  made  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  mining  industry.  For  instance, 
these  publications  served  to  attract  the  attention  of 
Aleide  Froment,  in  Italy,  and  caused  him  to  make  ex- 
periments destined  to  play  a  decisive  part  in  the  develop- 
ment of  flotation.  What  Mr.  Elmore  says  about  the  ex- 
periments in  agitation,  including  the  use  of  the  Gabbett 
mixer  and  centrifugal  pump,  as  early  as  1902,  is  inter- 
esting, for  this  led,  we  presume,  to  the  recognition  of  the 
assistance  given  by  air  and  thus  to  the  vacuum  patent  of 
1904.     It  is  claimed  that  from  that  date  "minute  pro- 


portions of  oil  with  violent  agitation  were  in  constant 
use,  producing  a  'froth'  in  industrial  plants  on  a  large 
scale."  We  do  not  doubt  that  'froth'  was  formed  under 
such  conditions.  What  is  a  "minute  proportion"  of 
oil  ?  Of  course,  to  anybody  that  has  used  a  ton  or  more 
of  oil  per  ton  of  ore,  anything  like  10  pounds  per  ton 
seems  minute ;  and  in  later  plants  the  oil  employed  with 
the  vacuum  process  has  been  reduced  to  less  than  3 
pounds  per  ton  of  ore. 

This  brings  us  to  the  episode  that  did  so  much  to  em- 
bitter the  relations  between  the  flotation  groups  in  Lon- 
don. Mr.  Elmore  tells  the  story  of  the  option  granted 
to  Messrs.  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballot  in  1901  and  the 
access  given  thereby  to  the  Elmore  plant  and  operations, 
whereby  Messrs.  Sulman  and  Picard  were  enabled,  in 
1902,  to  become  familiar  with  every  detail  of  the  process 
as  then  conducted.  To  what  extent,  if  any,  Messrs.  Sul- 
man, Picard,  and  Ballot  took  advantage  of  this  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  the  Elmore  methods  and  how  much  they 
were  aided  thereby  in  devising  the  method  patented  by 
them  in  1905,  it  is  not  for  us  to  say,  seeing  that  the  mat- 
ter was  ventilated  in  a  court  of  law,  but  it  is  obvious  that 
Mr.  Elmore  expresses  a  keen  sense  of  betrayal.  We 
know  that  both  of  the  Elmores  resigned  from  the  Insti- 
tution of  Mining  &  Metallurgy  when  Mr.  Sulman  was 
nominated  to  the  presidency  of  that  professional  society 
in  1911,  but  this  incident  indicates  the  bitterness  rather 
than  the  merits  of  the  quarrel ;  it  is  a  fact,  however,  that 
the  option  episode  has  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  acerbity 
shown  in  the  litigation  ever  since.  The  decision  of  the 
German  patent-office,  in  1909,  is  recorded  in  the  books 
on  flotation,  but  some  of  our  readers  may  have  over- 
looked it.  But  the  more  important  note  is  that  concern- 
ing the  first  litigation  over  the  Froment  patent,  pur- 
chased in  1902  by  Minerals  Separation,  the  company  or- 
ganized in  1903  by  Messrs.  Hay,  Webster,  Ballot,  Sul- 
man, and  Picard  to  buy  the  Cattermole  coagulation  pat- 
ents. In  1914  the  Elmore  people,  on  final  appeal,  lost 
their  suit  for  infringement  against  Minerals  Separation, 
but  this  suit  referred  solely  to  the  old  bulk-oil  process 
and  igrjored  the  improved  vacuum  or  air  method.  There- 
fore the  decision  was  of  no  moment  to  the  American 
users  of  the  process.  The  main  contest  over  the  patents 
is  now  in  progress  in  the  United  States,  as  our  readers 
are  aware,  by  means  of  the  suits  brought  by  Minerals 
Separation  against  James  M.  Hyde  and  the  Miami  Cop- 
per Company,  respectively.  Here  we  leave  Mr.  Elmore 's 
appeal.  It  will  be  read  with  keen  interest,  and  we  hope 
it  may  be  followed  by  the  information  for  which  we  have 
asked  on  one  or  two  obscure  points.  Meanwhile,  the 
profession  at  large  will,  we  believe,  join  with  us  in  recog- 
nizing the  great  service  done  to  the  industry  by  the  El- 
more brothers  in  their  early  development  of  the  flotation 
process  and  in  their  later  invention  of  the  vacuum 
method  whereby  the  agency  of  air  became  recognized, 
increasing  the  efficiency  of  a  process  that  has  revolution- 
ized low-grade  base-metal  mining  and  bids  fair  to  play 
an  increasingly  useful  part  in  the  concentration  of  the 
precious  metals. 


September  88,  1918 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


447 


DISCUSSION 

Our  readen  an  hwiud  to  uat  Iftit  department  Jbr  !'■■  hnieal  and  other  mutton  perton* 

iwj  to  mining  ami  metallurgy.      The  fclitor  welcome*  sxprctsiom  of  vieiot  contrary  to  hil  own,  /"lur- 
ing Hull  cartful  criticitm  it  mure  valuable  Uian  carnal  compliment. 


MacDougall 


The  Editor: 

sir  Beferring  to  your  note  in  the  issue  of  September 
!t.  in  regard  to  the  proper  spelling  of  the  name  'Mac- 
Dougall': The  earliest  reference  thai  1  find  in  our 
library  is  in  t li«-  second  edition  1*91  of  Vol.  1  of 
Lunge's  'Sulphuric  Arid  and  Alkali.'  where  it  is  spelled 
MacDougalL  Reference  is  therein  made  to  British  pat- 
ent No.  3985,  dated  1883,  in  which  the  inventor's  name 
would,  of  course,  be  found  as  he  himself  spelled  it. 

Charles  D.  Demoxd. 

Anaconda,  September  11. 


Machinery  in  Mining 

The  Editor: 

Sir — The  changed  conditions  affecting  the  cost  of  min- 
ing in  California  as  compared  with  practice  in  1869, 
given  in  your  article  on  'Re-opening  of  Old  Mines  Along 
the  Mother  Lode,'  in  the  issue  of  August  12,  should  be  of 
interest  to  those  living  in  other  mining  regions.  I  was 
surprised  to  know  that  nitroglycerine  explosive  was  used 
in  Californian  gold  mining  as  early  as  1869.  Its  first 
use  in  America  was,  I  believe,  in  1867*  at  the  Hoosac 
tunnel  in  the  Berkshire  hills  of  Massachusetts.  Hand- 
drilling  and  blasting  with  gun-powder  had  been  respon- 
sible for  the  comparatively  slow  work  done  in  tunneling 
and  mining.  I  had  an  idea  that  the  low  cost  of  mining 
today  compared  with  the  cost  in  1869  was  due  princi- 
pally to  two  influences:  first  to  the  introduction  of  im- 
proved machinery  and  high  explosives,  and  secondly  to 
the  consequent  speeding-up  of  the  workmen  as  the  un- 
conscious result  of  handling  fast-operating  machinery  in 
an  age  and  country  famous  for  their  'hustle.' 

The  point  of  view  of  the  workmen  is  important.  H. 
Poster  Bain,  in  commenting  on  underground  conditions 
in  the  gold  mines  of  the  Rand,  speaks  of  the  stopping  of 
all  rock-drills  in  a  stope  when  a  visitor  enters,  a  cus- 
tomary matter  of  courtesy. t  He  adds  "there  is  not  the 
drive  to  the  work  to  which  an  American  is  accustomed." 
In  very  few  large  American  mines  today  are  the  rock- 
drills  stopped  when  a  visitor  enters  a  stope.  The  spirit 
of  the  times  here  is  opposed  to  such  waste.  I  presume 
that  in  1869  looser  ways  prevailed.  I  know  that  old  Lake 
Superior  miners  relate  how,  20  or  30  years  ago,  they  cus- 
tomarily smoked  and  talked  an  hour  underground  before 
proceeding  to  work.     In  one  large  Michigan  mine  for 

*M.  &  S.  P.,  Oct.  10,  1914. 
IM.  &  S.  P.,  Aug.  26,  1916. 


years  the  miners  slept  on  night-shift  after  the  midnight 
'lunch.'  Today  the  "drive  of  the  work"  in  American 
mines  to  which  Mr.  Bain  refers,  is  a  decided  change  over 
the  easy-going  methods  of  the  '60  and  '70s.  This  should 
accrue  to  the  advantage  of  a  company  re-opening  a  mine 
such  as  the  Old  Eureka. 

Scarcely  anyone  will  deny  the  tremendous  speeding  of 
underground   work  by   the  modern   fast   rock-drill,  the 
steam  or  electric  pump,  and  the  improved  high  explo- 
sives.    J.  N.  Wright,  a  former  superintendent  at  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla  mines,  writing  in  1895,  said:  "I  have 
alluded  to  the  great  cheapening  of  the  cost  of  produc- 
tion that  has  enabled  the  Michigan  copper  companies  to 
maintain  a  profit  in  spite  of  reduction  in  the  price  of 
metal.     The  two  agencies  that  operated  to  bring  about 
this  result  were  power-drills  and  high  explosives.     The 
great  expense  of  a  Michigan  copper  mine  is  the  actual 
breaking  of  the  rock,  this  being  about  double  all  other 
costs.    For  years  engineers  had  endeavored  to  perfect  a 
machine-drill.     About  1870,  the  Burleigh  rock-drill  was 
tried  at  several  of  the  copper  mines,  but,  owing  to  its 
great  weight  and  size,  could  be  used  in  but  few  places, 
and  the  saving  effected  over  hand-drilling  was  small.    A 
few  years  later,  drills  of  much  lighter  weight  and  of 
stronger  construction  were  perfected  and  were  soon  in- 
troduced into  all  the  mines.     In  1879,  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla  eoAany,  after  a  careful  trial  of  the  new  drills, 
decided  to  introduce  them  throughout  the  mine  as  rap- 
idly as  they  could  be  obtained,  and  an  air-compressing 
plant  was  erected  to  supply  motive  power.     High  ex- 
plosives (the  nitro-glycerine  powders)   were  also  intro- 
duced at  the  same  time.    Previous  to  this  all  drilling  had 
been   done  by  hand,   and   only  black   powder   used   in 
blasting."    From  the  above  it  is  evident  that  the  Michi- 
gan copper  mines,  largely  owned  in  Massachusetts  where 
the  experiments  with  rock-drills  and  nitro-glycerine  were 
initiated,  tried  the  Burleigh  rock-drill  in  1870  and  found 
it  unsuccessful.    Nitro-glycerine  explosive  seems  to  have 
been    adopted    at    the    Michigan   mines   in    1879.     Mr. 
Wright   continues:    "The   result  was   that  in   sinking, 
drifting,  and  stoping,  the  price  per  foot  and  per  fathom, 
respectively,  was  reduced  one-half,  and  a  saving  of  at 
least  $200,000  effected.     A  few  years  later  this  saving 
over  hand-labor  amounted  to  $500,000  per  annum,  and 
at  present  (1895)  with  largely  increased  production,  I 
am  confident  that  $2,000,000  would  not  misrepresent  the 
annual  saving  by  underground  machinery  at  the  Calu- 
met &  Hecla  mine  alone.     This  is  the  direct  saving,  but 
it  only  partly  expresses  the  net  result,  for  the  indirect 
advantage  is  great.     Not  only  were  prices  reduced  one- 


448 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS. 


September  23,  1916 


half,  but  as  the  same  force  of  men  were  enabled  to  do 
double  duty,  the  company  was  soon  able  to  double  the 
amount  of  output  upon  which  its  profit  was  based. 
Trouble  from  smoke  and  foul  air  was  also  greatly  dimin- 
ished. We  have  heard  much  in  recent  years  of  wages  re- 
duced and  men  thrown  out  of  employment  by  the  intro- 
duction of  labor-saving  machinery.  But  such  has  not 
been  the  case  in  the  Copper  Country.  To  operate  the 
machinery,  which  had  replaced  the  old  hammer-and-hand 
drill,  greater  skill  was  needed.  Brighter  men  found  em- 
ployment, and  the  wits  of  the  older  and  duller  men  were 
sharpened.  Their  ambition  was  stimulated,  and  they 
were  able  to  do,  and  did  do,  better  work  than  before. 
Their  wages  were  increased  instead  of  diminished,  and 
the  company,  profiting  by  the  increased  output,  not  only 
retained  all  their  men,  but  gradually  added  to  their 
number." 

It  would  seem  that  Mr.  Wright,  writing  20  years  ago, 
described  an  industrial  revolution  much  the  same  as 
took  place  in  the  Copper  Country  during  the  last  five 
years  when  the  one-man  drill  and  'efficiency'  ideas  were 
introduced.  James  MacNaughton  stated  recently  that 
"the  use  of  the  one-man  drill  and  Carr  bit  at  the  Calu- 
met &  Hecla  mines  has  resulted  in  an  increased  output 
per  miner  equivalent  to  his  total  production  of  a  few 
years  ago." 

That  labor-saving  machines  economize  work  is  un- 
questioned, but  that  a  further  advantage  ensues  from 
providing  more  work  is  not  so  well  understood.  Putting 
a  mechanical  drill-sharpener  in  a  mine's  blacksmith-shop 
immediately  effects  reduction  in  the  cost  of  sharpening 
the  drills.  But,  as  pointed  out  by  the  Compressed  Air 
Magazine,  the  consequent  ease  and  quickness  with  which 
drills  can  be  sharpened  leads  to  more  frequent  sharpen- 
ing of  them ;  that  is,  when  a  bit  becomes  worn,  the  miner 
does  not  waste  time  trying  to  work  with  a  dull  tool,  but 
changes  to  a  sharp  bit;  he  knows  that  dull  bits  can  be 
sharpened  easily  and  cheaply.  This  procedure  is  typical. 
The  speeding  of  one  link  in  a  chain  of  connected  opera- 
tions is  likely  to  spur  others,  and  one  improvement  leads 
to  another.  The  principle  that  the  saving  of  work 
makes  more  work  sounds  paradoxical,  but  is  quite  as  true 
as  the  axiom  that  "money  makes  money,  and  the  money 
that  money  makes  makes  more  money." 

Referring  again  to  your  article  'Re-opening  of  Old 
Mines  Along  the  Mother  Lode,'  surprise  might  be  ex- 
pressed that  miners'  wages  in  California  today  are 
nearly  the  same  as  in  1869.  We  are  accustomed  to  think 
that  the  wages  of  all  workmen  in  the  United  States  have 
risen  steadily  since  a  generation  ago,  partly  on  account 
of  the  increased  cost  of  living.  This  is  exactly  the  reason 
why  wages  on  the  Mother  Lode  have  not  increased,  be- 
cause the  cost  of  living  there  is  lower  than  in  1869.  In 
those  early  days  the  high  freight-rates  and  the  lack  of 
agriculture  in  California  made  for  high  prices  in  most  of 
the  necessities  of  life.  Today  a  miner  in  California  can, 
and  does,  support  a  family  in  comparative  plenty  on  the 
wages  that  in  1869  only  sufficed  to  keep  a  single  man  in 
good  health  and  spirits  according  to  the  generous  stand- 


ards of  those  bluff  times.    The  cost  of  living  in  California 

has  increased  recently  by  reason  of  the  widening  demand 

for  luxuries,  but  a  miner  on  the  Mother  Lode  lives  most 

comfortably  in  the  snug  mining  towns,  reinforcing  his 

wage  by  the  produce  from  his  garden  and  by  the  modern 

facilities  for  economizing  in  the  home. 

„    .   .        .  .  , .  P.  B.  McDonald. 

Berkeley,  August  15. 

'Mmm  5"rom  Molluscs 

The  interruption  of  the  usual  supply  of  lime,  at  a 
Mexican  mill  recently,  made  it  necessary  to  find  a  local 
supply  until  importations  could  be  resumed.  Fortu- 
nately the  mine  was  not  far  from  the  sea-beach,  where 
there  were  large  mounds  of  oyster  and  clam  shells.  The 
natives  for  a  long  time  had  produced  lime  by  burning  the 
shells  in  heaps.  Small-scale  tests  indicated  that  lime 
could  be  produced  economically  in  this  way.  It  was 
found  that  the  clam-shell  was  higher  in  lime  content  and 
more  easily  burnt  than  that  of  the  oyster. 

A  small  vertical  brick  furnace  was  first  tried  but  dis- 
carded. The  flames  would  not  pass  through  a  column  of 
shells  more  than  a  foot  or  two  in  height.  When  heated 
the  shells  began  to  disintegrate,  closing  the  air-passages 
and  damping  the  fire.  As  fire-wood  was  cheap  and  plen- 
tiful, burning  in  heaps  was  tried.  A  few  logs  or  pieces 
of  old  timber  were  first  laid  down,  about  a  foot  apart, 
covering  a  space  10  by  20  ft.  On  these  was  spread  a 
layer  of  fire-wood  making  a  floor  for  the  shells,  which 
were  piled  to  the  thickness  of  six  or  eight  inches.  An- 
other layer  of  fire-wood  was  followed  by  a  layer  of  shells 
until  the  heap  was  about  four  feet  high.  A  few  logs 
were  placed  upright  in  order  to  leave  vents  in  the  mass 
after  they  had  burned.  About  three  cords  of  fire-wood 
was  needed  to  burn  ten  tons  of  shell.  The  wood  was 
ignited  from  the  centre  of  the  heap,  where  oiled  waste 
had  previously  been  placed.  In  24  hours  the  wood  was 
consumed,  leaving  a  hot  glowing  mass,  which  was  al- 
lowed a  day  to  cool. 

The  firewood  was  dry  and  burned  to  a  white  ash,  leav- 
ing little  charcoal,  which  would  have  been  objectionable 
in  the  cyanide  solutions.  Lime  yielding  39%  CaO  was 
obtained  using  this  method.  Two  pounds  of  the  shell- 
lime  was  approximately  equal  in  strength  to  one  pound 
of  good  rock  lime.  There  was  a  loss  in  weight  in  burning 
of  about  25%,  so  that  10  tons  of  shells  produced  about 
7|  tons  of  lime.  Some  of  this  lime  was  used  for  mortar 
and  found  satisfactory. 

The  zinc-lead  deposits  of  Broken  Hill,  Rhodesia,  are 
the  only  important  ones  known  in  South  Africa.  The 
metals  occur  as  carbonates,  and  owing  to  their  intimate 
mixture,  coupled  with  the  long  distance  from  market, 
the  deposits  so  far  are  unprofitable. 

Iron-ore  shipments  from  the  Lake  Superior  districts 
up  to  September  1  totaled  39,215,864  tons.  This  is  over 
7,000,000  tons  in  excess  of  the  same  period  of  1913,  a 
record  year. 


September  S3,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


149 


The    Invention,   Development,   imd    Introduction 
of   the   Flotation   Pirosess 


By 


Stanley      Elmore 


For  some  considerable  time  past  1  have  I a  urged  by 

friends  to  prepare  for  publication  some  notes  on  the 
history  of  the  flotation  process;  Beveral  reasons  have 
red  causing  me  to  hesitate.  First  I  very  much 
dislike  anything  whicB  might  look  like  "blowing  my  own 
trumpet;"  second,  I  believed  that  the  facts  were  pretty 
generally  known  to  that  considerable  circle  of  personal 

friends  I  am  glad  to  have  among  engii is  and  metal- 

lnrgists  who  have  studied  this  matter  and  who  know  to 
whom  the  credit  for  the  first  invention  of  the  flotation 
process  is  due. 

Notwithstanding  the  sympathetic  dedication  to  my 
brother  and  myself  of  Mr.  T.  A.  Rickard's  interesting 
book  'The  Flotation  Process,'  I  feel  the  necessity  of 
such  an  authoritative  statement  as  I  am  asked  to  make, 
if  the  real  history  of  this  matter  is  not  to  become  buried 
under  a  mass  of  prejudiced  statements  and  legal  subtle- 
ties advanced  by  various  people  whose  only  desire  is  the 
present  support  of  a  particular  position  in  an  involved 
law-suit. 

Moreover,  there  appears  to  be  so  much  misconception 
among  others  in  connection  with  a  few  simple  matters 
that  I  will  endeavor  as  briefly  as  possible  to  set  down  the 
actual  facts. 

It  would  seem  that  the  varied  assortment  of  travelers 
which  have  passed  along  the  highway  of  flotation  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  animated  by  the  same  intentions 
and  desires.  Some  have  trodden  the  road  carefully, 
noting  and  correctly  interpreting  the  inscriptions  on  the 
sign-posts.  Others  have  read  and  failed  to  understand 
these  inscriptions,  while  others  again  have  accepted 
money-payment  for  attempts  to  obliterate  and  alter  the 
original  wording,  in  the  hope  of  confounding  the  non- 
technical legal  gentlemen  who  were  expected  to  traverse 
the  road  after  them. 

The  first  sign-post  on  the  road  was  erected  by  Hero- 
dotus about  the  year  450  B.C.  Although  the  inscrip- 
tion is  so  old  it  is  quite  distinct  and  tells  of  a  band  of 
virgins,  who,  by  daubing  feathers  with  pitch  and  subse- 
quently drawing  them  through  the  mud  of  a  certain 
lake  on  an  island  called  Cyraunis  where  they  were  in  the 
habit  of  bathing,  recovered  gold-dust  in  this  way. 

There  is  no  record  of  these  chaste  maidens  having  been 
greatly  enriched  by  the  working  of  this  simple  metal- 
lurgical process,  but  notwithstanding  this  lack  of  evi- 
dence of  'utility'  a  certain  learned  counsel  had  the 
temerity  to  suggest  that  this  "prior  publication"  in- 
validated the  Elmore  patents,  which  were  filed  several 
thousands  of  years  later ! 

After  a  tramp  of  some  two  thousand  years  or  more 


we  arrive  at  the  sign-post  erected  by  Haynes  in  the  year 
1860.  This  gentlemen  wrote  a  clear  unambiguous  in- 
scription telling  the  reader  to  grind  dry  on  with  an 
"agent"  consisting  of  guttapercha,  resin,  India  rubber. 
tar,  oleaginous  matter,  in  a  'pug'  (or  mortar)  mill;  the 
other  things  he  told  one  to  do  need  not  be  quoted  be- 
cause they  are  not  so  clear,  and  it  is  sufficient  for  the 
development  of  my  argument  that  the  beginning  of  the 
process  he  suggests  was  to  grind  dry  ore  with  a  mixture 
of  guttapercha,  etc.,  etc. 

It  would  be  an  insult  to  the  intelligence  of  a  present- 
day  metallurgist  of  independent  judgment  to  discuss 
this  sign-post  as  an  anticipation  of  the  flotation  process, 
so  we  may  pass  on  to  the  Carrie  Everson  inscription, 
dated  1885,  which  again  instructs  the  reader  to  incor- 
porate his  dry  ore  with  mixtures  of  oils,  etc.,  etc.,  till 
such  time  as  the  mass  becomes  of  a  putty-like  consistence. 

Not  a  practical  detail  of  how  to  carry  out  the  opera- 
tion is  given ;  it  is  in  substance  the  same  as  Haynes, 
and  they  are  both  of  about  the  same  practical  utility 
as  the  efforts  of  the  virgins  to  obtain  the  grains  of  gold 
from  the  mud  of  the  lake — who  knows,  perhaps  this 
gold  defiled  by  contact  with  pitch  was  the  "filthy  lucre" 
of  the  scriptures! 

It  is  a  comparatively  short  step  from  Carrie  Everson 
to  Robson  &  Crowder,  who  put  up  their  sign-post  in 
1894.  They  described  a  process  for  mixing  with  ground 
ore  containing  from  25  to  30%  of  moisture  certain  mix- 
tures of  fats,  etc.,  and  subsequently  from  the  mass  so 
formed  elutriating  the  fine  particles  of  mineral  by  means 
of  a  stream  of  kerosene-oil  forced  through  it  by  a  pump. 
Their  directions  for  carrying  out  the  process  include 
specific  instructions  to  avoid  the  use  of  an  excess  of 
water. 

I  have  summarized  these  various  suggestions — they 
were  nothing  more — in  a  few  words  because  the  original 
documents  are  all  available  and  the  great  majority  of 
engineers  have  doubtless  read  them.  I  have  emphasized 
what  to  my  mind  is  the  cardinal  point  in  connection  with 
them,  namely,  they  all  were  designed  to  operate  by 
mixing  the  oil  with  dry  or  practically  dry  ore. 

The  successive  suggestions  so  far  mentioned  added 
nothing  whatever  to  the  stock  of  public  knowledge. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  modern  flotation  process  is 
the  result  of  a  gradual  building  up  of  experience  and 
information,  but  I  cannot  accept  that  statement  as  apply- 
ing to  the  period  I  am  now  dealing  with.  It  is  perfectly 
clear  to  me  that  neither  Robson,  Everson,  or  Haynes  had 
the  least  idea  of  the  cause  of  their  own  failure  or  of 
that  of  their  predecessors. 


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September  23,  1916 


Not  one  of  these  people  ever  described  a  process  work- 
able on  a  practical  scale,  neither  did  any  one  of  them 
describe  a  practical  form  of  apparatus  for  performing 
the  proposed  operation. 

Notwithstanding  the  ransacking  of  ancient  records, 
the  raking  over  of  the  dust-heap  of  past  failures,  not 
one  particle  of  reliable  evidence  has  ever  been  produced 
that  any  of  these  suggestions  did  or  could  arrive  at  the 
stage  of  practical  operation  on  a  commercial  scale.  Nor 
has  even  the  boldest  of  the  attackers  had  the  courage  to 
try  and  demonstrate  the  working  of  any  of  these  ideas 
in  a  large  plant — for  the  very  sufficient  reason  that  they 
know  it  is  impossible.  Not  one  of  these  hopelessly  im- 
practicable schemes  has  ever  emerged  from  the  oblivion 
into  which  they  fell  and  which  they  are  so  well  calcu- 
lated to  adorn. 

Failure  is  inherent  in  them,  as  every  engineer  knows, 
and  it  remained  for  Frank  Elmore  to  discover  the  solu- 
tion of  the  difficulty. 

My  appeal  for  an  unbiased  reading  of  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  suggestions  set  out  above  is  addressed  to  en- 
gineers and  metallurgists  whose  judgment  will  not  be 
warped  by  their  commercial  interests  and  associations. 
I  do  not  hope  to  obtain  a  fair  hearing  from  those  dis- 
honest 'experts'  whose  veracity  and  conscience  are  elastic 
in  proportion  to  the  importance  of  the  fee  they  get. 
Neither  do  I  expect  any  admissions  of  value  to  this  dis- 
cussion from  witnesses  who  will  swear  to  particular  facts 
in  one  Court  and  with  equal  solemnity  swear  to  the  exact 
opposite  in  another  Court,  justifying  themselves  on  the 
ground  of  "change  of  opinion  in  the  interval." 

This  little  digression  brings  us  along  the  highway  to 
the  sign  set  up  by  Frank  Elmore  in  1898. 

Perhaps  a  few  words  which  I  think  have  not  previously 
been  published  may  be  set  down  here  as  of  interest  as 
showing  why  and  how  Frank  Elmore  came  to  invent  the 
flotation  process. 

At  the  time  I  speak  of  he  was  an  engineer  of  known 
reputation  having  had  a  first-class  scientific  training  in 
mechanical,  electrical,  and  metallurgical  engineering  and 
wide  experience  of  works  construction  and  management, 
and  was  then  in  control  of  large  metallurgical  works  in 
this  country  producing  copper  tubes  and  sheets  by  means 
of  the  Elmore  electro-depositing  process.  He  was  recog- 
nized as  possessing  that  rare  combination  of  an  imagina- 
tive or  inventive  mind  coupled  with  sound  practical 
ability  to  design  plant  for  applying  on  a  commercial 
scale  the  product  of  his  imagination. 

At  this  time  William  Elmore  (his  father)  made  a  con- 
siderable investment  with  friends  in  a  low-grade  aurif- 
erous copper  mine  in  this  country.  In  due  time  an  im- 
portant plant  consisting  of  the  usual  jigs,  shaking- 
tables,  etc.,  was  erected  and  proved  after  the  expenditure 
of  much  time  and  money  to  yield  so  low  an  extraction 
as  to  result  in  financial  loss. 

My  brother  and  I  were  asked  to  investigate  and  see  if 
the  extraction  could  be  improved.  On  the  occasion  of 
one  of  our  visits  to  this  mill  it  was  observed  that  at  the 
angle  where  one  of  the  launders  carrying  the  water- 
borne  pulp  deflected  the  stream,   some  splashing  took 


place,  and  it  so  happened  also  that  oil  had  dripped  onto 
the  outside  of  the  launder  at  this  point  from  a  shaft- 
bearing  immediately  overhead ;  a  strong  sun  was  shining 
upon  it  and  a  glittering  reflection  attracted  the  eye. 
On  examination  it  was  noted  with  interest  that  adhering 
to  the  oil  was  a  coating  of  what  appeared  to  be  quite 
clean  copper-pyrite  and  it  was  remarked  that  no  rock 
seemed  to  adhere  to  the  oily  surface.  A  little  later  a 
piece  of  ordinary  2-inch  iron  steam-pipe,  which  was  in 
such  a  position  that  the  discharge  from  one  of  the  slime- 
launders  splashed  against  it,  was  found  by  us  to  have  a 
clear  picture  of  a  man's  hand  printed  on  it  in  bright 
copper-pyrite.  It  had  been  carried  in  a  greasy  hand 
and  the  whole  of  that  part  of  the  surface  which  had  re- 
ceived a  very  thin  coating  of  grease  by  contact  with  the 
hand  subsequently  became  coated  with  pyrite. 

It  was  these  two  accidental  observations  which  led  to 
the  invention  of  the  flotation  process.  These  were  the 
source  of  Frank  Elmore's  inspiration — at  that  time  he 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  virgins  of  Herodotus,  nor  of 
Haynes,  Everson,  or  Robson  &  Crowder. 

The  fact  was  before  us  that  finely-divided  wet  copper- 
pyrite  would  adhere  to  a  greasy  surface,  whereas  finely- 
divided  wet  rock  would  not.  A  means  of  separation  was 
here  indicated,  experiments  were  immediately  under- 
taken— on  a  small  scale  at  first — gradually  increasing  in 
importance  as  encouragement  was  obtained. 

The  result  of  this  work  was  the  filing  of  Frank 
Elmore's  patent  of  1898.  The  process  there  described 
was  applied  on  a  practical  scale  at  the  mine  referred  to 
— one  full-size  working  unit  was  first  installed  and  others 
later. 

Trials  were  being  carried  out  on  other  ores  and  it 
gradually  became  known  that  we  were  working  on  a  new 
method  of  concentration. 

Up  to  this  stage  of  development  (a  practical  working 
equipment  operated  day  and  night  by  ordinary  mill- 
labor)  the  whole  of  the  funds — a  large  sum — had  been 
provided  out  of  our  own  pockets,  as  we  were  not  desirous 
of  inviting  outside  financial  aid  on  something  so  start- 
lingly  new  until  we  were  convinced  by  practical  results 
that  we  were  justified  in  doing  so.  However,  we  were 
asked  by  my  old  friends  Walter  McDermott  and  Hennen 
Jennings,  who  had  heard  a  little  of  what  we  had  in  hand, 
to  let  them  see  the  process  in  operation.  As  a  result  of 
their  personal  inspection  of  the  working-plant  we  were 
invited  to  allow  them  to  make  a  thorough  investigation 
by  C.  M.  Rolker  both  of  the  mine  and  the  process,  and 
subject  to  his  favorable  report  to  join  us  in  future  de- 
velopment. In  the  end  the  mine  was  turned  down  at  the 
price  asked  but  McDermott,  Jennings,  and  Wernher 
Beit  &  Co.  became  financially  interested  in  the  process. 

This  then  is  a  short  account  of  the  legitimate  birth 
of  what  has  turned  out  to  be  an  epoch-making  invention 
which  has  conferred  a  benefit  of  millions  of  pounds  on 
the  mining  and  metallurgical  industries  all  over  the 
world. 

The  inventors  having  thus  associated  themselves  with 
men  of  high  repute  both  from  the  technical,  financial, 
and   commercial   side,   naturally   enough   congratulated 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


I.'.  I 


themselves  and  were  modest  enough  to  believe  that  stabil- 
ity would  be  added  i<>  the  business,  progress  be  more 
rapid,  and  any  tendency  t"  'swelled  head'  or  demands 
for  excessive  royalties  by  enthusiastic  inventors  be  kept 
better  in  check  than  it  would  if  they  liml  gone  on  entirely 
l>y  themael 

Now  lei  us  Bee  how  this  invention  s<>  well  conceived, 
h  excellently  supported,  and  with  such   bright  pros- 
remunerated  the  inventors  and  capitalists  for  the 
investment  of  their  energies,  enterprise,  and  money. 

First  let  us  understand  what  Prank  Elmore  had  in 
fact  invented,  let  us  see  in  what  main  outstanding  way 
what  he  clid  differed  from  those-  who  are  now  said  by  a 
certain  class  of  'experts'  to  have-  anticipated  him. 

He  accomplished  by  what,  it  is  uo  exaggeration  to  say, 
was  a  stroke  of  genius: 

(a)  A  continuous-working  process 
b    The  treatment  of  the  ordinary  product  of  the  al- 
most, universally  employed  wet-crushing  plants. 

A  practical  form  of  apparatus  mechanically  per- 
fect  and  capable  of  successful  operation  by  ordinary  un- 
skilled lalior. 

Not  one  of  these  things  had  been  accomplished  by  any 

of  his  pred issors  who  had  made  suggestions  for  the 

treatment  of  ores  with  oil. 

It  is  easy  to  see  why  Frank  Elmore  was  able  to  achieve 
so  much  in  so  short  a  space  of  time — to  materialize  all 
that  is  conveyed  in  the  three  simple  statements  (a), 
(b),  and  (e)  above — to  command  commercial  success 
where  only  failure,  complete  and  unequivocal,  had  pre- 
ceded his  work. 

It  is  quite  obvious  to  those  who  bring  an  unprejudiced 
mind  to  the  investigation  that  Frank  Elmore  was  the 
first  to  appreciate  the  real  fundamentals  required  as  a 
basis  upon  which  to  build. 

It  fell  to  his  lot  to  make  the  great  discovery — simple 
in  itself — that  the  essential  (dement  of  success  was  the 
introduction  of  the  oil  to  the  ore  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  quantity  of  water ;  in  other  words,  to  give  to  the 
oil  a  free  choice  as  between  the  wet  mineral  particles  and 
the  wet  rocky  particles.  This  fact,  of  cardinal  impor- 
tance, had  never  been  recognized,  appreciated,  or  under- 
stood before — had  never  been  hinted  at  in  any  of  the 
earlier  adumbrations.  In  sober  fact  Frank  Elmore  did 
exactly  the  reverse  of  what  had  been  attempted  before — 
he  did  what  he  was  warned  not  to  do ;  he  succeeded 
where  those  issuing  the  warning  failed.  Yet  there  are 
still  to  be  found  those  who  will  for  fees  paid  say  that 
what  he  did  was  the  same  as  what  had  been  attempted  by 
the  earlier  workers  who  had  specifically  rejected  the  very 
thing  which  gave  Frank  Elmore  complete  success. 

The  following  few  lines  from  one  of  the  claims  in 
Frank  Elmore's  first  patent  is  ample  justification  for 
what  I  have  said  on  this  point : 

He  describes  his  process  as  "mixing  the  pulverized 
ore  first  with  water  in  considerable  quantity,  then  add- 
ing to  the  mixture  an  oil  of  the  kind  described,  which 
adheres  to  the  metallic  constituents  but  not  to  the  wet 
rocky  constituents." 

I  say  that  in  those  words  is  to  be  found  the  whole  sub- 


stance of   the  Bciei art.   and    practice  of   the    flotation 

pi ess  ;is  know  ii  today. 

Hie   tor  the  liist   ti one  is  told   in  plain   words  the 

three   essential   elements   lor  success    (  1  i    pulverized   ore 

.'    .1  large  quantity  of  water  (3)  the  addition  of  oil  of  a 
hind  which  will  adhert  In  tht  wei  metallic  particles  hut 

mil  in  /In  iri  i  rocky  particles. 

Everyone  knows  that  prior  to  Prank  Elmore's  patent 
tic  oil  was  to  In-  mixed  or  ground  together  with  the  dry 
or  substantially  dry  ore.    The  oil  was  thus  effectually 

forced  into  contact  with  both  the  metallic  and  the  rocky 
panicles — no  free  choice  was  given  to  the  oil— no  oppor- 
tunity to  select  its  natural  partner  was  afforded — and 
failure  resulted. 

Everyone   equally   knows    thai    subsequent   to    Frank 

Elmore's  patent  every  flotation   plant  which    has   I n 

erected  depends  for  its  success  upon  the  use  of  a  large 
quantity  of  water  and  an  oil  which  will  adhere  to  the 
metallic  particles  but  not  to  the  rocky  particles.  In 
every  one  of  the  plants  without  exception  the  oil  is  given 
a  free  choice  in  a  perfectly  mobile  mixture  of  pulverized 
ore  suspended  in  a  large  quantity  of  water.  This  com- 
plete invention  cannot  be  better  described  than  in  the 
words  of  the  claim  of  Frank  Elmore's  German  patent 
quoted  hereafter. 

Having  made  this  important  far-reaching  discovery, 
which  may  be  described  as  "the  selective  action  of  oil  in 
the  presence  of  a  large  quantity  of  water,"  and  which 
James  Swinburne  has  described  as  "the  work  of  a  genius 
or  a  madman,"  it  was  not  difficult  for  anyone  with 
Frank  Elmore's  mechanical  ability  to  design  suitable 
apparatus  in  which  to  carry  on  the  process  as  a  con- 
tinuous operation. 

In  a  paper  describing  the  Elmore  process  that  C.  M. 
Rolker  read  before  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metal- 
lurgy in  April  1900,  be  said:  "The  mechanical  con- 
trivances brought  into  action  by  the  inventor  are  ex- 
cellently adapted  to  the  work  demanded,  and  bespeak 
very  careful  thought,  as  well  as  patient,  systematic,  and 
highly  intelligent  work.  Seemingly  insuperable  me- 
chanical difficulties  in  the  initial  stage  have  been  very 
ingeniously  overcome,  and  the  process  has  arrived  at  a 
practical  working  stage." 

Now  while  the  industrial  plant  at  the  mine  before- 
mentioned  continued  to  work  successfully  and  give  in- 
creased confidence  as  to  the  future  of  the  process  as  a 
result  of  the  trials  on  bulk  parcels  of  ore  from  other 
mines,  Wernher,  Beit  &  Co.,  Mr.  McDermott,  and  the 
brothers  Elmore  formed  a  private  syndicate  in  which 
they  were  the  sole  shareholders  for  the  purpose  of  car- 
rying on  the  development  and  introduction  of  the 
process.  That  syndicate  hung  out  its  sign  early  in  the 
year  1901  at  a  demonstration  works  in  London  which 
was  equipped  with  a  complete  crushing-mill  and  a  full- 
size  working  unit  of  Elmore  plant  having  a  capacity  of 
25  to  30  tons  of  ore  per  day,  to  which  was  shortly  added 
another  unit,  bringing  up  the  capacity  to,  say,  50  to  60 
tons  per  day.  This  works  was  maintained  with  a  large 
staff  and  was  open  to  all  interested  to  see  the  process  in 
practical    operation.     The    visitors'    book   contains    the 


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September  23,  1916 


names  of  most  of  the  engineers  and  metallurgists  of  note 
resident  in  this  country  or  visiting  from  abroad.  It  was 
situated  in  the  east  end  of  London  and  was  so  popular 
as  a  place  of  pilgrimage  for  professional  men  that  it  be- 
came known  as  the  "metallurgical  Mecca." 

A  conservative  estimate  compiled  from  the  works  rec- 
ords shows  that  during  the  period  1901-1915  some  4500 
to  5000  samples  of  ore  from  different  mines  in  various 
parts  of,  the  world  were  tested  on  a  small  scale  and  about 
150  bulk  parcels  of  ore  varying  from  5  to  100  tons  each 
were  treated  under  working  conditions  in  a  full-size 
commercial  unit  of  Elmore  plant. 

It  was  in  the  year  1901  that  the  syndicate  first  issued 
literature  describing  the  process  and  calling  attention 
to  its  possibilities.  About  50  different  pamphlets  in 
seven  different  languages  were  published  and  widely 
distributed — to  the  extent  of  about  125,000  copies.  It  is 
probably  true  to  say  that  in  practically  every  mining 
country  in  the  world  the  technical  press  contained  ar- 
ticles describing  the  process  and  indicating  possible 
lines  of  application. 

The  process  was  investigated  both  at  the  demonstra- 
tion works  in  London  and  in  the  working-plant  at  the 
mine  on  behalf  of  intending  users  by  a  number  of  well- 
known  independent  engineers.  The  result  of  this  propa- 
ganda was  that  up  to  the  year  1904  about  30  units  of 
plant  had  been  supplied  to  ten  different  mining  com- 
panies. The  aggregate  capacity  of  these  30  units  was, 
say,  300,000  tons  of  crude  ore  per  annum.  They  were 
applied  to  ores  containing  copper,  pyrite,  gold  with  iron 
pyrite,  copper-gold-silver,  telluride  of  gold,  and  silver- 
lead  ore. 

I  have  elaborated  this  part  of  my  narrative  because 
the  period  I  am  now  dealing  with  is  the  turning-point 
in  the  history  of  this  now  great  industry.  I  am  desirous 
of  emphasizing  that  prior  to  Frank  Elmore  in  1898 
nothing  practical  or  commercial  had  been  accomplished, 
that  by  his  fortunate  discovery  of  the  selective  action  of 
oil  in  the  presence  of  a  large  quantity  of  water  success 
was  immediately  achieved.  This  is  proved  as  shown 
above  by  the  investigation  of  independent  engineers  and 
by  the  large  commercial  installations  made.  Moreover,  it 
is  accentuated  in  a  remarkable  way  by  the  fact  that 
every  flotation  plant  in  operation  at  the  present  time  is 
characterized  by  the  use  of  a  large  quantity  of  water 
with  the  crushed  ore. 

It  will  be  noted  that  I  have  put  this  period  of  active 
development  between  the  date  of  Frank  Elmore's  first 
patent  and  the  year  1904.  I  have  done  this  purposely 
because  I  wish  to  deal  with  his  inventions  of  later  date 
and  their  development  separately;  but  for  the  purpose 
of  keeping  the  record  in  order  I  wish  to  turn  back  on  our 
high-road  of  flotation  to  the  year  1901,  when  my  own 
minor  contribution  was  made  in  the  form  of  the  dis- 
covery that  a  slight  acidulation  of  the  mobile  mixture  of 
ore,  water,  and  oil  greatly  enhanced  in  some  cases  the 
selective  action  of  the  oil.  I  wish  to  state  here  also  that 
during  the  progress  of  the  development  of  the  Frank 
Elmore  invention,  most  exhaustive  trials  were  made 
■with  various  kinds  of  oil  and  mixtures  of  oils,  vegetal, 


animal,  and  mineral,  of  all  degrees  of  viscosity  from 
solid  or  semi-solid  waxes  to  the  lighter  spirits  such  as 
turpentine,  benzol,  etc.,  etc.  Nor  were  the  investigations 
confined  to  'oils'  alone;  experiments  were  made  with 
many  substances  which  for  the  purposes  of  this  process 
acted  in  a  similar  manner  to  oils. 

The  effect  of  various  degrees  of  temperature  was 
studied  and  much  attention  was  given  to  the  question 
of  the  degree  of  agitation  as  affecting  the  results  obtain- 
able on  different  kinds  of  ores.  Many  forms  of  mixers 
were  designed  and  employed,  giving  degrees  of  agita- 
tion or  mixing  from  the  most  violent  turbulence  down 
to  a  mere  gentle  stirring.  It  is  worthy  of  note  here  that 
in  the  London  testing  works  in  the  year  1902  a  Gabbett 
mixer  (a  vortex-mixer  giving  a  violent  agitation  with 
the  incorporation  of  large  quantities  of  air)  was  em- 
ployed at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  McDermott  in  an  elab- 
orate series  of  tests  carried  out  on  telluride  of  gold  ore 
from  the  Lake  View  mine  in  Western  Australia.  At  the 
end  of  1902  a  working-plant  was  sent  to  that  mine  in 
which  the  ore,  water,  and  oil  passed  through  high-speed 
centrifugal  pumps  used  with  the  object  of  securing  the 
most  violent  agitation  of  the  oil  with  the  particles  of 
mineral  and  rock  freely  suspended  in  the  large  quantity 
of  water  employed. 

At  these  London  testing  works  and  in  the  various  mine 
installations  observation  was  constantly  made  of  the  va- 
rious forms  of  'float'  which  were  obtained.  It  was  noted 
for  instance,  that  varying  proportions  of  the  mineral 
would  be  buoyed  up  or  floated  to  the  surface  or  main- 
tained on  the  more  or  less  quiescent  surface  of  the  water 
by  (1)  a  large  excess  of  oil,  (2)  a  mixture  of  oil  and  air, 
(3)  individual  oil-coated  particles  floating  by  'surface 
tension,'  (4)  a  froth  of  oil-coated  mineral  particles  and 
air,  (5)  individual  oil-coated  particles  or  aggregations 
of  oil-coated  particles  attached  to  separate  air-bells. 

Sometimes  all  of  these  phenomena  could  be  seen  in 
different  parts  of  the  same  apparatus.  It  was  also  re- 
marked that  with  certain  proportions  of  some  kinds  of 
oil  some  minerals  would  form  aggregations  which  would 
sink.  But  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  all  such  phe- 
nomena were  ancillary,  subsequent  to  and  dependent 
upon  the  differentiation  of  the  mineral  and  rock  particles 
resulting  from  the  previous  selective  action  of  the  oil 
emplo37ed. 

Various  proportions  of  oil  were  tried — the  investiga- 
tions were  even  carried  so  far  as  to  prompt  trials  with 
ground  cork,  chopped  straw,  and  similar  buoyant  ma- 
terials which  had  been  previously  coated  with  oil  or 
grease.  It  was  found  that  by  mixing  such  materials  with 
a  mobile  mixture  of  ore  and  water  quite  a  good  extrac- 
tion could  be  obtained  in  some  cases — each  little  ship 
floating  with  its  cargo  of  mineral,  or  being  grouped  to- 
gether with  air-bubbles  making  a  froth. 

It  is  probably  true  to  say  that  up  to  1904  all  com- 
mercial working-plants  had  been  operated  with  a  large 
quantity  of  oil.  That  is,  instead  of  buoying  up  the  pre- 
viously greased  mineral  particles  by  means  of  air-bub- 
bles in  the  form  of  a  froth,  as  he  did  in  his  later  patents, 
Frank  Elmore  up  to,  say,  1904  preferred  to  employ  an 


September  23,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


excess  of  oil  with  which  was  incorporated  a  large  quan- 
tity of  air  for  this  pnrp. 

In  the  interests  of  historical  accuracy  1  cannot  too 
strongly  insist  upon  the  basic  fact  thai  the  flotation 
proeeec  atially  of  two  steps:  Mist,  the  dif- 

ferentiation of  the  two  srts  .if  particles  by  causing  one 
sel  to  be  wet  with  oil  and  the  other  set  to  be  wet  with 
water  in  the  presence  of  a  large  quantity  of  water,  bo 
thai  the  oil  has  the  best  possible  opportunity  of  exer- 
msing  its  free  choice;  Becond,  the  subsequent  separation 
of  the  differentiated  particles. 

h  in  perfectly  obvious  that  the  first  step — the  differen- 
tiation— is  the  all-important  one  because  the  second  Btep, 
the  separation,  cannot  be  made  commercially  unless  a 
praetieal  way  of  securing  the  requisite  differentiation 
has  first  been  devised  and  applied. 

It  is  with  probably  a  better,  fuller,  and  more  intimate 
knowledge  of  all  the  Facts  and  people  connected  with  this 
business  than  anyone  else  possesses  that  I  unhesitatingly 
claim  for  Frank  Elmore  the  discovery  and  invention  of 
this  essentia]  principle  and  process — the  principle  and 

pr s.s  which  has  been  incorporated  into  every  flotation 

plant  which  has  up  to  the  present  time  been  worked  on  a 
praetieal  scale. 

I  wish  it  to  be  understood  here  that  I  am  not  saying 
that  ingenuity,  and  even  invention,  may  not  have  been 
and  may  not  still  be  exercised  in  improving  methods  of 
separation  of  the  differentiated  particles,  but  I  do  say 
that  whatever  the  method  of  separation  employed,  be  it 
'froth.'  'surface  tension,'  'greased  cork,'  or  what  not.  the 
pith  and  marrow  of  Frank  Elmore's  basic  invention  has 
first  been  employed  tc  render  that  separation  practicable. 

Precisely  the  same  argument  applies  to  my  'acidula- 
tion'  patent  of  1901 — it  was  a  mere  addition  to  or  im- 
provement upon  Frank  Elmore's  basic  invention  of  1898, 
it  was  a  way  of  enhancing  the  selective  action  of  oil  in  a 
mobile  mixture;  of  increasing  the  power  of  differentia- 
tion of  the  oil  in  the  presence  of  a  large  quantity  of 
water.  Exactly  the  same  thing  may  be  said  of  my  patent 
of  1901  for  the  use  of  a  greased  belt  for  collecting  the 
greased  mineral  particles  and  separating  them  from  the 
non-greased  rock  particles.  Neither  of  these  inventions 
could  be  put  into  practice  except  in  conjunction  with, 
or  as  an  addition  to,  the  fundamental  process  of  selec- 
tively greasing  the  mineral  particles. 

At  this  point  it  may  be  useful  to  note  that  my  'greased 
belt'  patent  of  1901  is  the  first  publication  showing  an 
apparatus  in  which  small  quantities  of  oil  must  be  used 
— it  is  not  capable  of  practical  use  with  large  quantities 
of  oil ;  and  while  on  this  point  I  would  like,  in  empha- 
sizing the  date,  to  quote  a  few  words  from  Frank  El- 
more's patent — vacuum  process — of  1904. 

After  referring  to  processes  for  separating  ores  by 
means  of  tar  or  oil,  soap  or  the  like,  or  with  an  alkali, 
an  acid,  air,  or  gas,  he  goes  on  to  say:  "By  the  present 
invention  all  such  processes  are  improved,  more  particu- 
larly in  the  respect  that  a  smaller  proportion  of  the 
added  substance,  such  as  oil  or  acid,  may  be  used,  by  con- 
ducting them  wholly  or  in  part  under  a  reduced  pressure. 


B*or  instance,  a  vacuum  or  partial  vacuum  may  be  main- 
tained in  the  separating  vessel  or  chamber." 

I  have  dealt  rather  Fully  with  these  questions  of  de- 
gree of  agitation,  quantity  of  oil.  and  condition  of  float, 

and  quoted  dates  and  references  because  for  sonic  con- 
siderable time  past,  in  absence  of  definite  public  state- 
ments to  the  contrary,  increasing  claims  to  priority  have 
been  and  are  being  made  without  any  proper  justifica- 
tion. I  would  like  to  record  in  unequivocal  terms  thai 
prior  to  the  tiling  of  Frank  Elmore's  vacuum  patent  of 
L904,  lie  and  I.  an. I  those  associated  with  us.  Were  fully 
aware  of  the  advantages  and  drawbacks  connected  with 
the  use  of  a  more  or  less  violent  agitation  and  of  the 
effects  of  small  and  large  proportions  of  oil. 

I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  supposed  that  I  am  claiming 
that  my  'greased  belt'  patent  of  1901  ever  came  into 
general  use  or  that  small  proportions  of  oil  were  com- 
mon at  that  date,  but  I  do  wish  to  be  on  record  definitely 
and  emphatically  that  from  the  date  of  Frank  Elmore's 
vacuum  patent  (August  1904)  minute  proportions  of  oil 
with  violent  agitation  were  in  constant  use  producing  a 
'froth'  in  industrial  plants  on  a  large  scale. 

It  may  be  well  to  set  down  the  fact  that  these  vacuum 
plants  have  never  been  employed  with  a  large  propor- 
tion of  oil.  As  is  well  known,  in  such  plants  the  flota- 
tion of  the  greased  mineral  particles  is  secured  by  the 
attachment  of  bubbles  of  air  or  gas.  In  every  one  of 
the,  say,  150  units  of  vacuum  plant  supplied  (of  an  ag- 
gregate capacity  of  about  2,250,000  tons  of  ore  per 
annum)  the  flotation  of  the  concentrate  results  from  the 
use  of  a  violent  agitation,  a  minute  proportion  of  oil, 
and  the  production  of  a  froth. 

It  will  be  understood  that  I  make  these  statements  in 
refutation  of  many  claims  made  in  connection  with  the 
patent  dated  April  12,  1905,  applied  for  by  Sulman, 
Picard.  and  Ballot — eight  months  after  the  date  of  ap- 
plication of  Frank  Elmore's  vacuum  patent. 

As  everything  which  followed  the  Frank  Elmore  pat- 
ent of  1904  seems  to  me  to  be  in  the  nature  of  ordinary 
development'  of  working  details,  I  do  not  at  present  pur- 
pose to  follow  the  technical  side  of  the  matter  further, 
believing  that  what  I  have  already  set  out  is  sufficient 
to  enable  unbiased  investigators  to  properly  and  fairly 
apportion  the  credit  in  this  matter. 

These  notes — incomplete  and  abridged  as  they  are — - 
are  already  longer  than  I  had  intended,  hut  as  there  are 
several  points  of  interest  that  have  been  misunderstood 
in  connection  with  the  seemingly  interminable  litigation, 
I  venture  to  draw  still  further  on  the  patience  of  my 
reader. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  year  1901,  Messrs.  Hay,  "Web- 
ster, and  Ballot  entered  into  an  agreement  with  the 
Ore  Concentration  Syndicate  Limited  (owners  of  the 
Elmore  patents)  under  which  those  gentlemen  in  con- 
sideration of  certain  payments  secured  an  option  on  the 
Elmore  patents  and  all  improvements  for  Australia. 
The  option  was  for  six  months,  with  right  to  them,  on 
making  further  payments,  to  a  further  six  months. 
Messrs.  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballot  were  to  be  entitled 


4.34 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS. 


September  23,  1916 


during  the  option  period  to  send  parcels  of  ore  for  test- 
ing to  the  Ore  Concentration  Syndicate  works  and  they 
and  their  workmen,  experts,  and  agents,  were  to  have 
free  access  to  and  liberty  to  remain  on  the  Syndicate's 
works  for  supervising  the  tests.  The  Syndicate,  when 
required,  was  to  give  to  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballott  all  the 
information  in  its  power  respecting  any  tests  made ;  and 
to  furnish  information  as  to  the  plant,  the  oil,  and  other 
things  necessary  for  the  treatment,  and  were  to  supply 
copies  of  reports  made  by  its  experts  on  its  inventions 
in  any  part  of  the  world,  etc.,  etc. 

One  of  the  considerations  to  the  Ore  Concentration 
Syndicate  under  this  agreement  was  contained  in  Clause 
7,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract:  "Prom  and 
after  date  hereof"  Messrs.  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballot 
"and  their  assigns  *  *  *  shall  from  time  to  time,  after 
making  or  becoming  entitled  to  any  improvement  in  or 
addition  to  the  said  invention  or  process  or  any  dis- 
covery useful  for  separating  metallic  from  the  rocky 
constituents  of  ores  by  the  use  of  oil  forthwith  give 
notice  thereof  in  writing  to"  the  Elmore  Syndicate, 
"and  shall  upon  demand  *  *  *  communicate  and  ex- 
plain *  *  *  such  improvement,  addition,  or  discovery, 
and  the"  Elmore  Syndicate  "shall  be  entitled  to  every 
such  improvement,  addition,  or  discovery  whether  the 
same  shall  be  patented  or  not." 

Under  this  agreement  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballot  ex- 
ercised their  rights  of  option  during  a  period  of  11 
months.  Ballot  or  his  consulting  metallurgists,  Sulman 
&  Picard,  attended  at  the  works  on  almost  every  work- 
ing day  during  that  period.  As  they  were  treated  with 
the  greatest  frankness  they  became  fully  acquainted 
with  every  detail  of  the  process,  plant,  and  working. 

The  option  was  not  exercised. 

Ballot's  name  was  subsequently  joined  with  that  of 
Sulman  &  Picard  on  the  patent  of  1905  and  he  and 
Webster,  with  some  friends,  formed  a  syndicate,  the 
original  of  the  present  Minerals  Separation  Limited, 
which  acquired  the  Cattermole,  Froment,  and  Sulman. 
Picard,  and  Ballot  patents. 

Legal  action  was  started  by  the  Ore  Concentration 
Compairy  (owners  of  the  Elmore  patents)  in  1905  to 
enforce  the  provisions  of  Clause  7  of  the  agreement 
quoted  above.  The  Ore  Concentration  Company  lost  in 
the  first  Court ;  they  appealed  asking  for  a  new  trial 
which  was  granted.  After  the  hearing  of  the  new  trial 
had  proceeded  for  several  days  the  judge,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  raised  the  question  as.  to  what  the  position 
would  be  if  Ballot  had  "made  or  become  entitled  to  the 
improvements  in  or  additions  to  the  said  invention,"  not 
on  his  own  behalf  but  on  behalf  of  the  Syndicate  of 
which  he  was  a  member. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  judge  was  Mr.  Justice 
(now  Lord)  Parker,  doubtless  the  "Law"  thus  hinted 
at  was  very  good;  but  the  common-sense  view  of  the 
matter  may  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  common-sense 
people. 

At  any  rate,  on  this  hint  the  parties  to  the  suit  con- 
sulted and  the  action  was  "settled  by  consent  and  by 
way  of  compromise  and  settlement,  of  all  claims  arising 


in  respect  of  agreement  of  October  8th,  1901,  both  past 
and  future,  all  proceedings  stayed,  each  party  paying  his 
own  costs." 

There  was  not  in  this  suit  any  question  of  validity  of 
Elmore  patents,  and  presumably  because  of  that  fact 
the  proceedings  have  not  received  the  attention  they  de- 
serve. The  case  is  quoted  simply  to  draw  attention  to 
some  interesting  evidence  given  and  as  showing  how  ex- 
tremely difficult  it  is  for  an  inventor  to  protect  himself. 

The  clause  was  drawn  by  one  of  the  best  legal  firms 
in  this  country,  and  I  believe  the  real  meaning  and  in- 
tention of  it  is  perfectly  clear  to  the  ordinary  business 
man.  Yet  it  took  five  judges,  three  courts,  twelve  learned 
counsel,  and  four  firms  of  solicitors  a  period  of  two 
years  to  bring  about  the  settlement  above  stated. 

What  a  splendid  justification  for  Moliere's  lines: 

"There,  take,"  says  Justice,  "take  ye  each  a  shell; 
We  thrive  at  the  Law  Courts  on  fools  like  you. 
'Twas  a  fat  oyster!  live  in  peace — adieu." 

Another  protracted  law-suit  was  commenced  by  the 
Ore  Concentration  Co.  in  Germany  in  the  year  1906.  It 
took  the  form  of  an  opposition  to  the  grant  of  a  German 
patent  applied  for  by  Messrs.  Sulman,  Picard,  and 
Ballot.  The  application  was  for  a  patent  in  substance 
the  same  as  the  main  Minerals  Separation  patent  in 
England. 

The  fight  lasted  for  about  three  years;  after  hearing 
evidence  and  seeing  experiments  made,  the  German 
Patent-Office  decided  in  July  1909  that  the  application 
of  Minerals  Separation  disclosed  no  new  feature  to  dif- 
ferentiate it  from  Elmore's  earlier  patent  and  conse- 
quently refused  the  grant  of  a  patent,  to  Minerals  Sep- 
aration. 

I  believe  this  suit  is  little  known  and  attention  is 
called  to  it  in  view  of  the  importance  of  the  decision 
arrived  at  by  the  German  Patent-Office  and  because  of 
the  completeness  of  the  historical  record  set  out  in  the 
documents. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  claim  in  Elmore's 
German  patent: 

"Process  for  the  separation  of  the  metallic  from  the 
mineral  constituents  of  pulverized  ore  by  mixing  the 
latter  with  water  and  oil,  characterized  by  the  addition 
to  the  pulverized  ore  of  water  in  at  least  such  quantity 
that  the  mixture  becomes  very  mobile,  and  the  pulver- 
ized ore  is  freely  suspended  in  the  water." 

Then,  in  the  year  1907,  Minerals  Separation  entered 
action  against  the  Ore  Concentration  Company  alleging 
infringement  of  Froment 's  patent  (which  had  been 
bought  by  them  for  a  trifling  sum),  dated  1902.  The 
defence  was  anticipation  by  Stanley  Elmore's  acidula- 
tiou  patent  of  1901  and  prior  public  use  by  the  Ore  Con- 
centration Company.  The  result  was  that  in  1909  the 
Minerals  Separation  company  gave  notice  that  they 
wholly  discontinued  the  action  and  paid  the  costs  of  the 
Ore  Concentration  Company. 

In  view  of  the  decision  of  the  German  Patent-Office, 
establishing  priority  of  the  Elmore  patents  in  which 
small  quantities  of  oil  and  violent  agitation  are  used 
over  the  application  of  Sulman,  Picard,  and  Ballot,  an 


1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PKtSS 


action  was  commenced  in  German}  in  1910,  by  the  Ore 
i  ompanj     1905    Ltd.  against  the  Metall- 

l  claiming  iluit  concentrates  produced  in  Aus 
iralia  by  methods  diaolosed  in  Elmore's  German  patents 
ami  imported  into  the  German  Empire  constituted  an 
infringement  of  Elmore's  rights  under  German  law. 

Tins  action   has  not   yet   been   prosecuted   to  a  con- 

clusii  i)   because  of  the  difficulty   Brst   experiei d  of 

establishing  the  necessary  exact  legal  chain  of  evidence 

•  •"in ting  any  particular  sample  of  concentrate  Found 

in  Germany  with  its  production  by  the  Elmore  pr « 

in  another  country. 

similar  actions  will  doubtless  be  started  in  connec- 
tion  with   the  importation  of  infringing  entrates 

inii>  other  countries. 

To  attempt  anything  like  a  comprehensive  review  of 
all  the  subsequent  litigation  the  owners  of  the  Elmore 
patents  have  been  forced  to  commence  in  an  endeavor  to 
maintain  the  rights  to  which  by  general  consent  of  a 
large  number  of  independent  authorities  they  are  justly 

entitled,  would  upy  more  of  my  time  and  more  of 

ymir  space  than  either  of  »s  mighl  be  inclined  to  give. 

I  would  only  like  to  say  that  throughout  the  whole  of 
tliis  weary  litigation  extending  over  years  in  England. 
Australia,  and  Germany,  the  validity,  novelty,  and 
utility  of  the  Elmore  patents  have  invariably  been  main- 
tained, but  by  the  incredulity  and  failure  to  grasp  the 
importance  of  the  Elmore  invention  by  the  mining  in- 
dustry in  the  early  days  have  we  as  inventors  and  our 
Sympathetic  financial  supporters  been  deprived  of  that 
monetary   reward   which  should  have  been   the  result  of 

the  su sst'ul  development  of  a  revolutionary  metal- 
lurgical pr ss. 

As  it  is.  the  world  has  been  enriched  by  millions,  the 
inventors  have  devoted  18  years  of  their  lives  to  the  de- 
velopment and  introduction  of  this  process,  and  they 
and  their  friends  have  expended  some  £200,000  in  cash, 
without  reasonable  recompense  of  any  kind.  This  record 
in  a  particular  instance  is  distinctly  discouraging  to  in- 
ventors and  to  those  who  are  tempted  to  finance  new 
inventions. 

My  own  experience  prompts  me  to  say  that  till  ade- 
quate reforms  are  introduced  in  the  procedure  by  which 
patents  are  .tested  in  the  courts,  till  these  courts  are 
assisted  by  competent  and  independent  skilled  referees 
in  matters  of  a  scientific  and  technical  character,  in  lieu 
of  the  present  practice  of  calling  a  number  of  expert 
witnesses  on  each  side  whose  evidence  is  generally  con- 
flicting and  irreconcilable,  it  is  an  inhuman  cruelty  to 
foster  in  students  a  desire  to  cultivate  any  powers  of  in- 
ventions they  may  possess. 

The  above  is  my  present  contribution  to  the  history  of 
this  invention.  Some  day  I  may  find  leisure  to  elaborate 
it  into  a  real  history  worthy  of  the  subject. 

Exports  of  tungsten  ore  from  Japan  in  1915  were  as 
follows :  United  States,  85  tons ;  France,  214 ;  United 
Kingdom,  110 ;  total,  409  tons.  The  estimated  shipments 
for  this  year  up  to  July  20  were  480  tons,  most  of  this 
amount  being  sent  to  the  United  States. 


Mineral   Industry   of  Japan 

An  interesting  survey  of  the  mineral  industry  during 

the  past  year  as  intluen I   by  the   War  is  given   by  Mr. 

[sobe,  director  of  the  Mining  Bureau  in  the  Japanese 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce,  lb-  sa.\s 
that  the  total  value  of  the  mineral  output  during  the 

year  amounted   to    1.75,950,000  yen    (I    yen  =  50   cents   . 

exclusive  uf  the  production  at   the  Govern at    Iron 

Works.  This  is  a  gain  "i  20,920,000  yen  over  the  preced- 
ing year.    Tic  total  value  of  metals  produced  amounted 

to  35,730,000  yen.  or  '>!',  above  the  previous  year's 
figure.  Non-metallic  minerals  on  the  other  hand  fell  oil' 
by  15.280.000  yen  mainly  because  coal  was  very  in- 
active. 

(iold  and  silver  showed  an  increase  by  lb  and  5%, 
respectively,  because  of  more  active  work  at  some  mines. 
Copper  was  hard  hit  at  first,  but  in  March,  191."),  trade 
was  resumed  owing  to  the  demand  by  munition  makers. 
Though  the  increase  in  production  amounted  to  7' ,  .  the 
increase  in  the  total  value  is  more  than  37$  . 

Antimony  showed  an  extraordinary  boom  in  prices 
owing  to  the  ever-increasing  demand  from  munition 
makers.  The  volume  of  the  output  increased  by  200%, 
while  the  value  gained  8750%.  Zinc  went  through  the 
same  vicissitudes  as  antimony,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
year  the  output  showed  an  increase  of  206%  and  the 
value,  805%.  The  completion  of  the  plants  of  the 
Osaka  Zinc  Industry  Co.  and  the  Miike  Zinc  Refining 
Works  during  the  year  was  largely  responsible  for  this 
increase  in  the  output.  Coal  was  hard  hit  by  the  War, 
and  restriction  of  production  was  made  by  Kyushu 
mines.  The  output  decreased  by  8%  and  the  value  19%. 
Petroleum  witnessed  an  increase  of  11%  in  the  output 
owing  to  a  renewed  gusher  at  Kurokawa.  Akita,  but  the 
market  presented  no  encouraging  signs.  Toward  the 
end  of  the  year  there  was  some  activity  noticed,  but  the 
gain  in  value  was  only  5%.  Sulphur  decreased  by  3% 
in  the  output  and  5%  in  value,  though  toward  the  close 
of  the  year  the  market  displayed  a  sudden  activity, 
because  all  through  the  early  period  of  the  year  pro- 
duction was  heavily  cut  down  at  Hokkaido  owing  to  the 
dullness  of  the  market.  — Far  Eastern  Revit  W. 

Some  Chilean  nitrate  statistics  are  as  follows,  accord- 
ing to  a  Consular  Report,  dated  July  26 : 

Quintals        Quintals  Quintals 

1913-14            1914-15  1915-16 

Production    62,322,617       34,091,243  57,715,614 

Exports    58,751,291       32,070,714  55,285,S14 

To  Europe  and  Egypt 44,534,131       16,939,650  29,017,777 

To  United   States 12,290,782       13,437,418  23,484.842 

East    coast    11,222,657       12,295,221  20,390,839 

West  coast    1,068,125         1,142,197  3,094,003 

Periods  are  for  the  years  ended  June  30.  A  quintal 
weighs  101.4  lb.  Ordinary  95%  nitrate  is  selling  for 
$1.77  per  quintal,  or  $35.40  per  ton. 

Approximately  one-half  of  the  gold  and  silver  con- 
tained in  the  ores  of  the  Nevada  Consolidated  at  Ely  is 
recovered  with  the  copper. 


454 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS. 


September  23,  1916 


during  the  option  period  to  send  parcels  of  ore  for  test- 
ing to  the  Ore  Concentration  Syndicate  works  and  they 
and  their  workmen,  experts,  and  agents,  were  to  have 
free  access  to  and  liberty  to  remain  on  the  Syndicate's 
works  for  supervising  the  tests.  The  Syndicate,  when 
required,  was  to  give  to  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballott  all  the 
information  in  its  power  respecting  any  tests  made ;  and 
to  furnish  information  as  to  the  plant,  the  oil,  and  other 
things  necessary  for  the  treatment,  and  were  to  supply 
copies  of  reports  made  by  its  experts  on  its  inventions 
in  any  part  of  the  world,  etc.,  etc. 

One  of  the  considerations  to  the  Ore  Concentration 
Syndicate  under  this  agreement  was  contained  in  Clause 
7,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract :  ' '  From  and 
after  date  hereof"  Messrs.  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballot 
"and  their  assigns  *  *  *  shall  from  time  to  time,  after 
making  or  becoming  entitled  to  any  improvement  in  or 
addition  to  the  said  invention  or  process  or  any  dis- 
covery useful  for  separating  metallic  from  the  rocky 
constituents  of  ores  by  the  use  of  oil  forthwith  give 
notice  thereof  in  writing  to"  the  Elmore  Syndicate, 
"and  shall  upon  demand  *  *  *  communicate  and  ex- 
plain *  *  *  such  improvement,  addition,  or  discovery, 
and  the"  Elmore  Syndicate  "shall  be  entitled  to  every 
such  improvement,  addition,  or  discovery  whether  the 
same  shall  be  patented  or  not." 

Under  this  agreement  Hay,  Webster,  and  Ballot  ex- 
ercised their  rights  of  option  during  a  period  of  11 
months.  Ballot  or  his  consulting  metallurgists,  Sulman 
&  Pieard,  attended  at  the  works  on  almost  every  work- 
ing day  during  that  period.  As  they  were  treated  with 
the  greatest  frankness  they  became  fully  acquainted 
with  every  detail  of  the  process,  plant,  and  working. 

The  option  was  not  exercised. 

Ballot's  name  was  subsequently  joined  with  that  of 
Sulman  &  Pieard  on  the  patent  of  1905  and  he  and 
Webster,  with  some  friends,  formed  a  syndicate,  the 
original  of  the  present  Minerals  Separation  Limited, 
which  acquired  the  Cattermole,  F'roment,  and  Sulman, 
Pieard,  and  Ballot  patents. 

Legal  action  was  started  by  the  Ore  Concentration 
Company  (owners  of  the  Elmore  patents)  in  1905  to 
enforce  the  provisions  of  Clause  7  of  the  agreement 
quoted  above.  The  Ore  Concentration  Company  lost  in 
the  first  Court ;  they  appealed  asking  for  a  new  trial 
which  was  granted.  After  the  hearing  of  the  new  trial 
had  proceeded  for  several  days  the  judge,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  raised  the  question  as  .to  what  the  position 
would  be  if  Ballot  had  "made  or  become  entitled  to  the 
improvements  in  or  additions  to  the  said  invention,"  not 
on  his  own  behalf  but  on  behalf  of  the  Syndicate  of 
which  he  was  a  member. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  judge  was  Mr.  Justice 
(now  Lord)  Parker,  doubtless  the  "Law"  thus  hinted 
at  was  very  good;  but  the  common-sense  view  of  the 
matter  may  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  common-sense 
people. 

At  any  rate,  on  this  hint  the  parties  to  the  suit  con- 
sulted and  the  action  was  "settled  by  consent  and  by 
way  of  compromise  and  settlement  of  all  claims  arising 


in  respect  of  agreement  of  October  8th,  1901,  both  past 
and  future,  all  proceedings  stayed,  each  party  paying  his 
own  costs." 

There  was  not  in  this  suit  any  question  of  validity  of 
Elmore  patents,  and  presumably  because  of  that  fact 
the  proceedings  have  not  received  the  attention  they  de- 
serve. The  case  is  quoted  simply  to  draw  attention  to 
some  interesting  evidence  given  and  as  showing  how  ex- 
tremely difficult  it  is  for  an  inventor  to  protect  himself. 

The  clause  was  drawn  by  one  of  the  best  legal  firms 
in  this  country,  and  I  believe  the  real  meaning  and  in- 
tention of  it  is  perfectly  clear  to  the  ordinary  business 
man.  Yet  it.  took  five  judges,  three  courts,  twelve  learned 
counsel,  and  four  firms  of  solicitors  a  period  of  two 
years  to  bring  about  the  settlement  above  stated. 

What  a  splendid  justification  for  Moliere's  lines: 

"There,  take,"  says  Justice,  "take  ye  each  a  shell; 
We  thrive  at  the  Law  Courts  on  fools  like  you. 
'Twas  a  fat  oyster!  live  in  peace — adieu." 

Another  protracted  law-suit  was  commenced  by  the 
Ore  Concentration  Co.  in  Germany  in  the  year  1906.  It 
took  the  form  of  an  opposition  to  the  grant  of  a  German 
patent  applied  for  by  Messrs.  Sulman,  Pieard,  and 
Ballot.  The  application  was  for  a  patent  in  substance 
the  same  as  the  main  Minerals  Separation  patent  in 
England. 

The  fight  lasted  for  about  three  years;  after  hearing 
evidence  and  seeing  experiments  made,  the  German 
Patent-Office  decided  in  July  1909  that  the  application 
of  Minerals  Separation  disclosed  no  new  feature  to  dif- 
ferentiate it  from  Elmore's  earlier  patent  and  conse- 
quently refused  the  grant  of  a  patent  to  Minerals  Sep- 
aration. 

I  believe  this  suit  is  little  known  and  attention  is 
called  to  it  in  view  of  the  importance  of  the  decision 
arrived  at  by  the  German  Patent-Office  and  because  of 
the  completeness  of  the  historical  record  set  out  in  the 
documents. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  claim  in  Elmore's 
German  patent: 

"Process  for  the  separation  of  the  metallic  from  the 
mineral  constituents  of  pulverized  ore  by  mixing  the 
latter  with  water  and  oil,  characterized  by  the  addition 
to  the  pulverized  ore  of  water  in  at  least  such  quantity 
that  the  mixture  becomes  very  mobile,  and  the  pulver- 
ized ore  is  freely  suspended  in  the  water." 

Then,  in  the  year  1907,  Minerals  Separation  entered 
action  against  the  Ore  Concentration  Company  alleging 
infringement  of  Froment's  patent  (which  had  been 
bought  by  them  for  a  trifling  sum),  dated  1902.  The 
defence  was  anticipation  by  Stanley  Elmore's  aeidula- 
tion  patent  of  1901  and  prior  public  use  by  the  Ore  Con- 
centration Company.  The  result  was  that  in  1909  the 
Minerals  Separation  company  gave  notice  that  they 
wholly  discontinued  the  action  and  paid  the  costs  of  the 
Ore  Concentration  Company. 

In  view  of  the  decision  of  the  German  Patent-Office, 
establishing  priority  of  the  Elmore  patents  in  which 
small  quantities  of  oil  and  violent  agitation  are  used 
over  the  application  of  Sulman,  Pieard,  and  Ballot,  an 


September  23,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


action  whs  commenced  in  Germany  in  1910,  by  the  Ore 
titration  Company  (1906)  Ltd.  against  the  Metall- 
i  I'lahning  thai  concentrates  produced  in  Aus 
India  by  methods  disclosed  in  Elmore's  German  patents 
and  imported  into  the  German  Empire  constituted  an 
infringement  <>f  Elmore's  rights  under  German  law, 

This  action  has  not  yet  been  prosecuted  to  a  con- 
clusion   l aus,-  of   the   difficulty    firs!    experienced   of 

establishing  the  necessary  exact  legal  chain  of  evidence 
connecting  any  particular  Bample  of  concentrate  found 
in  Germany  with  its  production  by  the  Elmore  process 
in  another  country. 

similar  ;n-t ions  will  doubtless  be  started  in  connec- 
tion with  the  importation  of  infringing  concentrates 
into  other  countries. 

To  attempt  anything  like  a  comprehensive  review  of 
all  the  subsequent  litigation  the  owners  of  the  Elmore 

patents  have  been  for 1  to  commence  in  an  endeavor  to 

maintain  the  rights  to  which  by  general  consent  of  a 
large  number  of  independent  authorities  they  are  justly 
entitled,  would  occupy  mure  of  my  time  and  more  of 
your  space  than  either  of  ns  might  be  inclined  to  give. 

1  would  only  like  to  say  that  throughout  the  whole  of 
this  weary  litigation  extending  over  years  in  England. 
Australia,  and  Germany,  the  validity,  novelty,  and 
Utility  of  the  Elmore  patents  have  invariably  been  main- 
tained, but  by  the  incredulity  and  failure  to  grasp  the 
importance  of  the  Elmore  invention  by  the  mining  in- 
dustry in  the  early  days  have  we  as  inventors  and  our 
Sympathetic  financial  supporters  been  deprived  of  that 
monetary  reward  which  should  have  been  the  result  of 
the  successful  development  of  a  revolutionary  metal- 
lurgical process. 

As  it  is.  the  world  has  been  enriched  by  millions,  the 
inventors  have-  devoted  18  years  of  their  lives  to  the  de- 
velopment and  introduction  of  this  process,  and  they 
and  their  friends  have  expended  some  £200,000  in  cash, 

without  reasonable  i ompense  of  any  kind.    This  record 

in  a  particular  instance  is  distinctly  discouraging  to  in- 
ventors and  to  those  who  are  tempted  to  finance  new 
inventions. 

My  own  experience  prompts  me  to  say  that  till  ade- 
quate reforms  are  introduced  in  the  procedure  by  which 
patents  are  Jested  in  the  courts,  till  these  courts  are 
assisted  by  competent  and  independent  skilled  referees 
in  mat  bis  of  a  scientific  and  technical  character,  in  lieu 
of  the  present  practice  of  calling  a  number  of  expert 
witnesses  on  each  side  whose  evidence  is  generally  con- 
flicting and  irreconcilable,  it  is  an  inhuman  cruelty  to 
foster  in  students  a  desire  to  cultivate  any  powers  of  in- 
ventions they  may  possess. 

The  above  is  my  present  contribution  to  the  history  of 
this  invention.  Some  day  I  may  find  leisure  to  elaborate 
Ltjnto  a  real  history  worthy  of  the  subject. 

Exports  of  tungsten  ore  from  Japan  in  1915  were  as 
follows:  United  States,  85  tons;  France,  214;  United 
Kingdom,  110 ;  total,  409  tons.  The  estimated  shipments 
for  this  year  up  to  July  20  were  480  tons,  most  of  this 
amount  being  sent  to  the  United  States. 


Mineral  Industry  of  Japan 

An  interesting  survey  of  the  mineral  industry  during 

the  past  year  as  influenced  by  the  War  is  given  by  .Mr. 
Isobc.  director  nf  tin-  Mining  Bureau  in  the  Japanese 
Department  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce.     He  says 

that    the    total    value   of   the    mineral    output    during   the 

year  amounted  to  175,950,000  yen   (l  yen  =  50  cents), 

exclusive  of  the   production   at    the   Government    I  run 

Works.     This  is  a  gain  of  20,920,000  yen  over  the  pr d- 

ing  year.  The  total  value  of  metals  produced  amounted 
to  35,730,000  yen.  or  .")"' ,    above  the  previous  year's 

figure.  Non-metallic  minerals  on  the  other  hand  fell  off 
by  lfi.280,000  yen  mainly  because  coal  was  very  in- 
active 

Hold  and  silver  showed  an  increase  by  16  and  5%, 
respectively,  because  of  more  active  work  at  some  mines. 

Copper  was  hard  bit  at  first,  but  in  .March.  1915.  trade 
was  resumed  owing  to  the  demand  by  munition  makers. 
Though  the  increase  in  production  amounted  to  7%,  the 
increase  in  the  total  value  is  more  than  117%. 

Antimony  showed  an  extraordinary  boom  in  prices 
owing  to  the  ever-increasing  demand  from  munition 
makers.  The  volume  of  the  output  increased  by  200','. 
while  the  value  gained  8750%.  Zinc  went  through  the 
same  vicissitudes  as  antimony,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
year  the  output  showed  an  increase  of  206%  and  the 
value,  805%.  The  completion  of  the  plants  of  the 
Osaka  Zinc  Industry  Co.  and  the  Miike  Zinc  Refining 
Works  during  the  year  was  largely  responsible  for  this 
increase  in  the  output.  Coal  was  hard  hit  by  the  War, 
and  restriction  of  production  was  made  by  Kyushu 
mines.  The  output  decreased  by  8%.  and  the  value  19%. 
Petroleum  witnessed  an  increase  of  11%  in  the  output 
owing  to  a  renewed  gusher  at  Kurokawa,  Akita,  but  the 
market  presented  no  encouraging  signs.  Toward  the 
end  of  the  year  there  was  some  activity  noticed,  but  the 
gain  in  value  was  only  5%.  Sulphur  decreased  by  3% 
in  the  output  and  5%  in  value,  though  toward  the  close 
of  the  year  the  market  displayed  a  sudden  activity, 
because  all  through  the  early  period  of  the  year  pro- 
duction was  heavily  cut  down  at  Hokkaido  owing  to  the 
dullness  of  the  market.  — Far  Eastern  Review. 

Some  Chilean  nitrate  statistics  are  as  follows,  accord- 
ing to  a  Consular  Report,  dated  July  26 : 

Quintals        Quintals  Quintals 
1913-14            1914-15  1915-16 

Production    62,322,617       34,091,243  57,715,614 

Exports    58,751,291       32,070,714  55,285,814 

To  Europe  and  Egypt 44,534,131       16,939,650  29,017,777 

To  United   States 12,290,782       13,437,418  23,484,842 

East    coast    11,222,657       12,295,221  20,390,839 

West  coast    1,068,125         1,142,197         3,094,003 

Periods  are  for  the  years  ended  June  30.  A  quintal 
weighs  101.4  lb.  Ordinary  95%  nitrate  is  selling  for 
$1.77  per  quintal,  or  $35.40  per  ton. 

Approximately  one-half  of  the  gold  and  silver  con- 
tained in  the  ores  of  the  Nevada  Consolidated  at  Ely  is 
recovered  with  the  copper. 


456 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS. 


September  23,  1916 


Ji3oa©i?£itat£ii©2a   fiaadl   P^jps^csasiifesi 


;«isr!      3 , 


Sa  ®  W  i  8 


In  this  age  of  efficiency,  little  cause  should  remain  for 
criticizing  the  reports  of  mining  companies.  Neverthe- 
less, there  is  a  noticeable  lack  of  completeness  in  the 
figures  of  operating  cost  given  by  many  of  them.  Allow- 
ances for  amortization  of  capital  and  depreciation  of 
plant  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  yet  without  them 
the  true  cost  of  mining  and  milling  cannot  be  deter- 
mined. 

If  a  certain  sum  be  invested  in  an  enterprise  that  pays 
dividends  for  a  number  of  years  and  then  suddenly 
fails,  the  investor's  gain  or  loss,  as  commonly  computed, 
would  be  equal  to  the  dividends  paid  less  the  sum  in- 
vested. Assuming  that  the  dividends  exceeded  the  in- 
vestment, they  doubtless  would  have  been  considered 
wholly  as  income  and  not  as  composed  partly  of  income 
and  partly  of  a  return  of  capital,  which  is  their  true 
nature. 

When  provision  is  made  for  the  return  of  the  sum 
invested,  the  process  of  redemption  is  called  amortiza- 
tion of  capital.  Skinner1  applies  the  term  'amortization' 
to  the  extinction  of  an  interest-bearing  debt,  such  as  a 
bond  issue,  by  equal  annual  payments  or  installments, 
but  the  question  of  interest  complicates  the  case  and 
need  not  be  considered  unless  it  is  required.  It  is  ob- 
vious that  the  life  of  the  investment  must  be  either 
known  or  estimated.  This  element  of  time  is  important 
and  later  will  be  considered  at  greater  length. 

Since  a  mine  is  a  wasting  asset — one  that  is  of  value 
only  while  being  consumed — and  is  therefore  of  limited 
life,  sound  finance  requires  that  the  price  paid  should  be 
returned  to  the  purchasers  at  the  expiration  of  the  life 
of  the  mine,  and  that  the  profits  from  operation,  in  excess 
of  this  sum,  should  yield  a  satisfactory  rate  of  interest. 
It  is  plain  that  both  amortization  and  interest  must  come 
from  profits,  which  are  returns  from  the  enterprise  over 
and  above  the  cost  of  operation,  as  this  term  is  usually 
considered. 

Hoover2  states  that  it  would  seldom  be  possible  to  plan 
a  definite  policy  of  amortization,  because  the  duration  of 
the  life  of  most  mines  is  unknown,  that  mining  com- 
panies never  establish  sinking-funds  for  the  amortization 
of  capital,  and  that  should  such  a  procedure  be  followed 
stockholders  would  prefer  to  do  their  own  re-investing. 
However,  several  companies  are  now  virtually  amortiz- 
ing their  capital.  Having  recognized  that  their  mines 
are  approaching  exhaustion  they  seek  to  prolong  the  life 
of  the  enterprise  by  purchasing  other  property.  This 
practice  is  being  adopted  in  the  United  States  after 
having  been  applied  successfully  by  English  companies. 
Despite  the  great  number  of  investors  in  mining  shares, 

i'The  Mathematics  of  Investment,'  E.  B.  Skinner,  p.  114. 
^'Principles  of  Mining,'  H.  C.  Hoover,  p.  44. 


it  will  be  found  that  few  understand  the  real  nature  of 
the  income  derived  from  their  holdings  and  provide  for 
amortization  of  investment ;  consequently  a  stopping  of 
dividends  means  an  impairment  of  their  capital. 

Two  methods  of  calculating  amortization  have  been 
used.    The  first  creates  a  sinking-fund  which  will  amount 
to  the  investment  at  the  termination  of  its  life. 
Let  C  =  the  capital  invested, 

r  =  the  rate  of  interest  that  can  be  obtained  on 

sinking-fund, 
n  =  the  life  in  years, 

S  =  the  annual  payment  to  fund  for  amortizing 
capital. 

Example :  If  $250,000  is  paid  for  a  mine  having  an 
estimated  life  of  15  years,  and  4%  interest  can  be  ob- 
tained on  the  sinking-fund,  the  annual  payment  neces- 
sary to  amortize  $250,000  in  15  years  is 

r       0.04       -i 
250,000  I  (i.04)i5  — ll  =12,500  m  round  numbers. 

The  second  method  meets  the  requirement  that  inter- 
est on  the  sum  invested  is  demanded  during  the  period 
of  amortization.  Part  of  each  annual  payment  goes  to 
pay  interest  and  the  remainder  is  used  to  reduce  the 
principal.  Since  interest  for  the  year  is  computed  on 
the  reduced  principal,  this  interest  charge  grows  less 
each  year  and  the  reduction  of  principal  becomes  more 
and  more  rapid. 

Using  the  same  notation  as  above,  except  that  r  is  now 
the  rate  of  interest  demanded  on  the  investment, 

C  r  1      1   orS  =  250,000    [,  _        '     1 

L     u+jrJ  L      (i.o4)  «j 

For  a  more  detailed  example  of  this  method  see  '  The 
Cost  of  Mining,'  by  J.  R.  Finlay,  page  45. 

Skinner3  defines  depreciation  as  "the  loss  in  value  of 
physical  property,  due  to  use,  which  cannot  be  made 
good  by  current  repairs."  Fish4  views  depreciation  in 
the  light  of  the  equation : 

First  Cost  -  Depreciation  =  Salvage  Value 

The  first  conception  is  of  interest  to  the  manager  of 
the  plant,  since  the  charge  for  depreciation  is  a  charge 
against  operation,  while  the  valuing  engineer  is  con- 
cerned with  the  second  conception,  as  it  enables  him  to 
put  a  price  on  the  property  should  an  appraisal  be  re- 
quired. 

Depreciation  results  from  a  number  of  causes,  which 

s'The  Mathematical  Theory  of  Investment,'  by  E.  B.  Skinner, 
p.  149. 
^'Engineering  Economics,'  by  J.  C.  L.  Fish,  p.  4S. 


S=t 


September  '-'!.  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


4T.7 


maj  be  classified  under  two  heads;  physical  decay  and 
Functional  decay.  The  tirst  may  be  predicted  with  a 
fair  degree  of  accuracy,  hut  it  is  a  more  difficult  problem 
to  forecast  functional  decay,  meaning  either  inadequacy 
or  obsoleecenoe,  Inadequacy  indicates  that  a  machine  is 
not  capable  of  fully  performing  the  function  which  it 
w;is  intended,  generally  by  reason  of  expansion  of  the 
enterprise.  Obsolescence  brings  a  decrease  in  value 
tiy  reason  of  the  invention  of  a  better  machine  or 
the  discovery  of  a  process  not  requiring  the  use  of  that 
particular  machine.  For  this  reason  a  new  machine  may 
suddenly  become  worthless  though  it  is  in  perfect  physi- 
cal condition. 

When  depreciation  is  applied  to  the  separate  depart- 
ments or  units  of  a  plant  it  is  called  'unit- depreciation,' 
while  total  or  composite  depreciation  is  applied  to  the 
entire  plant,  and  is  always  the  sum  of  the  unit  deprecia- 
tions. Thus  it  is  plain  that  •unit'  depreciation  may 
reach  100%  of  the  original  value,  but  'composite'  de- 
preciation  increases  to  a  certain  point,  say  15  or  20%, 
beyond  which  it  does  not  go  owing  to  the  renewal  of  the 
units  of  the  plant.  While  operating  efficiency  is  ulti- 
mately dependent  upon  depreciation,  a  superficial  con- 
sideration would  show  little  relation  between  them.  Thus 
ordinary  repairs  might  maintain  a  coneentrating-table 
at  100%  operating  efficiency  for  several  years,  until  sud- 
denly, like  the  'One-hoss  Shay,'  the  table  went  to  pieces 
and  had  to  be  replaced  by  a  new  one.  If  proper  pro- 
vision for  depreciation  had  been  made,  the  sum  accumu- 
lated should  pay  for  the  new  machine.  It  is  short- 
sighted policy  to  refuse  to  recognize  depreciation  because 
present  operating  efficiency  is  high.  Depreciation  on 
mining  property  should  be  calculated  on  the  basis  of 
future  replacement  rather  than  on  future  sale. 

When  worked-out  a  mine  has  no  value,  but  the  plant 
on  the  surface — such  as  hoist,  offices,  mill  or  smelter — 
has  a  scrap  or  salvage  value  that  is  dependent  upon  con- 
dition. Where  machinery  has  been  in  use  for  ten  years 
or  more,  many  engineers  consider  that  it  has  no  salvage 
value.  The  hard  pace  at  which  it  has  been  driven,  the 
long  distance  it  would  have  to  be  transported  to  a  new 
plant,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  unlikely  to  be  the  most  suit- 
able machinery  to  use  tend  to  extinguish  its  money-value. 
Second-hand  mining  machinery  generally  proves  to  be 
the  most  expensive  that  could  be  bought. 

After  a  new  plant  has  been  brought  into  a  condition  of 
steady  operation,  current  repairs  reach  an  approxi- 
mately uniform  figure.  There  should  be  no  great  dif- 
ference from  year  to  year,  though  repairs  tend  to  in- 
crease as  the  plant  becomes  older.  However,  the  replace- 
ment of  a  large  amount  of  equipment  or  the  making  of 
changes  involving  heavy  expense  would  place  too  great 
a  burden  on  the  revenue  for  that  year  if  written-off  in 
one  sum.  It  is  the  purpose  of  depreciation  to  distribute 
this  expense  over  a  number  of  years  and  thus  maintain 
a  fairly  uniform  charge  against  operation.  The  only 
expense  properly  chargeable  to  capital  account  is  that 
which  results  in  increased  capacity  and  earning  power. 
The  replacing  of  several  machines  by  one  capable  of 


doing  tin'  same  work,  the  elevating  of  grinding  apparatus 
in  order  i"  obtain  the  proper  slope  for  launders,  in  short, 
all  expense  necessary  to  keep  the  plant  up  to  date  and  in 
proper  operating  condition  should  I"-  charged  to  depre- 
ciation, and  not  to  capital. 

Except  in  rare  cases,  it  is  not  possible  to  predict  the 
life  of  a  mine.  Even  where  reserves  have  been  blocked 
out  sufficient  to  last  for  15  or  20  years,  as  in  the  large 
copper  mines,  later  developments  may  greatly  extend 
this  period.  For  this  reason  calculations  on  amortization 
and  depreciation  are  largely  tentative  and  may  require 
subsequent  modification,  but  such  charges  should  be  made 
if  the  real  operating  expense  is  to  be  ascertained.  The 
elements  entering  into  a  particular  case  require  careful 
study  in  order  to  make  the  estimate  as  reliable  as  pos- 
sible.   Changes  may  then  be  made  when  necessary. 

The  life  of  machines  under  given  conditions  may  often 
be  estimated  quite  accurately.  The  mortality-tables  of 
life-insurance  companies  prove  that  reliance  may  be 
placed  on  the  law  of  averages,  though  individuals  show  a 
wide  divergence  from  the  average.  Having  this  in  mind, 
the  Railroad  Commission  of  the  State  of  Washington  has 
constructed  a  mortality-table  of  structures  that  has  been 
useful  to  them  in  their  work  of  valuation.  If  mine  and 
mill  superintendents  would  keep  detailed  records  of  the 
machinery  under  their  charge  and  publish  the  figures, 
depreciation  would  soon  be  recognized  as  a  legitimate 
and  necessary  account  instead  of  being  accorded  the 
erratic  attention  it  now  receives. 

The  importance  of  an  account  for  depreciation  is  well 
illustrated  in  the  paper  by  P.  W.  Henry5  where  he  states 
"that  a  proper  depreciation  charge  may  he  equal  to  or 
greater  than  the  direct  cost  per  barrel,  will  doubtless 
surprise  many  investors  in  oil  properties  who  consider 
only  immediate  expense  and  immediate  profit  without 
regard  to  the  safety  of  the  principal  invested."  In  cer- 
tain eases  a  fair  depreciation  charge  would  be  4%  on  the 
cost  of  oil-lands,  7%  on  the  cost  of  field-equipment,  and 
10%  on  the  cost  of  individual  wells  and  appurtenances. 
Under  the  Income  Tax  Regulations  of  1913,  a  deprecia- 
tion charge  for  depletion  of  ore  reserves  may  he  made, 
not  to  exceed  5%  of  the  gross  value  of  the  year's  output 
at  the  mine.  In  addition,  an  allowance  for  depreciation 
of  plant  is  permitted. 

Actual  depreciation  does  not  follow  any  fixed  law,  but 
estimates  made  after  a  careful  study  of  conditions  are 
sufficiently  accurate  for  practical  purposes.  Unit  de- 
preciation must  first  be  found,  and  then  the  total  or  com- 
posite depreciation  for  the  entire  plant  can  be  calculated. 
Since  depreciation  is  based  upon  cost,  only  one  kind, 
either  physical  or  functional,  should  be  used  for  a  given 
unit,  and  this  should  be  the  greater  of  the  two.  The 
other  is  ineffective.  Evidently  total  or  composite  depre- 
ciation would  be  made  up  from  a  number  of  unit  depre- 
ciations, some  of  them  physical  and  some  functional,  for 
all  units  would  not  depreciate  in  the  same  manner. 


^'Depreciation   as  Applied  to  Oil  Properties,'   read  at  New 
York  meeting  of  A.  I.  M.  E.,  February  1915. 


458 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1916 


The  most  common  methods  of  determining  theoretical 
depreciation  are  given  below. 

Straight-Line  Method  :  This  is  the  simplest  of  all 
methods,  and  has  been  much  used  because  of  the  ease 
with  which  it  can  be  understood  and  applied.  It  is  based 
upon  the  assumption  that  the  annual  charge  for  depre- 
ciation is  the  quotient  that  results  from  dividing  the  cost 
by  the  life  in  years. 
Let  Vc  =  the  cost, 

Vs  —  the  salvage-value, 
n  =  the  life  in  years, 
Z)  =  the  annual  depreciation  charge, 

Then  D=  r°~'"s 

Assuming  that  a  Chilean  mill  costs  $2000  and  has  a 
life  of  10  years,  the  annual  depreciation  charge  is  2000 
-5- 10,  or  $200.  The  annual  charges  are  equal  and  no  in- 
terest charges  are  involved,  neither  are  logarithms  re- 
quired for  the  solution.  However,  as  it  is  based  on  a 
fixed  procedure,  it  does  not  show  how  the  depreciation 
actually  occurs  nor  does  it  consider  various  factors  that 
may  exert  at  any  time  a  marked  effect  on  the  charge  for 
depreciation.  Then,  too,  unless  a  separate  depreciation 
account  is  kept  for  each  machine  in  question,  constant 
reference  to  the  original  cost  is  required,  since  the  yearly 
record  of  depreciation  does  not  require  that  this  figure 
be  stated. 

Reducing  Balance  Method:  This  is  another  method 
that  is  not  complicated  by  interest  calculations.     Using 

the  same  notation  as  above,  the  formula  is  D  =  1  -  "-./!? 

D  in  this  case  is  to  be  taken  as  the  percentage  by  which 
the  balance  must  be  reduced  each  year.  Since  the 
problem  is  indeterminate  when  the  salvage  value  is  zero, 
a  nominal  figure  such  as  $1  should  be  used.     Thus  for 

io  ry 

V2000 
=  $1064.80  for  the  first  year. 

It  is  evident  that  this  formula  gives  a  diminishing  an- 
nual charge  for  depreciation,  which  is  claimed  to  be 
in  accord  with  economic  facts.  Since  the  yearly  repairs 
usually  increase  as  the  machine  grows  older,  the  annual 
charge  for  repairs  plus  depreciation  against  operation 
becomes  nearly  constant.  However,  this  method  involves 
a  complicated  mathematical  calculation  and  the  rate  ob- 
tained gives  little  indication  of  the  period  required  to 
write-off  the  investment.  Furthermore  the  high  charge 
during  the  early  years  of  operation  may  be  serious  for  a 
new  plant,  when  profits  are  often  meagre.  Though  the 
high  rate  obtained  must  be  far  in  excess  of  the  actual 
rate  of  depreciation,  it  is  claimed  that  this  rapid  writing- 
off  removes*  the  possibility  of  a  failure  to  establish  an 
adequate  reserve,  but  there  is  danger  of  creating  a  secret 
reserve  from  this  under-valuation  of  assets. 

Sinking-Fund  Method:  This  method  has  been  ad- 
vocated by  many  writers.  As  the  name  indicates,  equal 
annual  installments  are  set  aside  at  compound  interest 
until  the  accumulated  sum  is  equal  to  the  depreciation. 
The  longer  the  term  during  which  the  fund  is  accumu- 


the  above  example  D  =  1  -  WJj-  =  0.5324  =  53.24% 

\2000 


lating,  the  larger  become  the  contributions  earned  from 
interest.  Thus  it  would  seem  that  the  cost  of  creating 
such  a  fund  would  grow  less  with  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  years  required.  As  the  contributions  to  the 
fund  are  necessarily  taken  from  the  business,  the  busi- 
ness must  not  be  very  prosperous  if  money  can  earn  more 
when  placed  in  a  sinking-fund  than  if  used  in  the 
business. 


The  formula  is  D  =  Vc  J"  ."1 


where  D  is  the  annual  contribution  to  the  sinking-fund 
and  r  the  rate  that  is  paid  on  the  fund.  Returning  to 
the  example  given  above  and  assuming  4%  on  interest, 

D  =  2000  [      °-'^_1]  =  $166.66  +.     This  is  the  same 

as  the  first  formula  given  under  amortization. 

Annuity  Method  :  In  the  methods  thus  far  discussed, 
the  question  of  interest  on  the  investment  has  not  been 
considered.  In  the  annuity  method  a  constant  sum  is 
set  aside  each  year.  This  sum  when  deducted  each  year 
from  the  remainder  of  the  investment  plus  interest  will 
write  off  the  investment  and  also  return  interest  on  the 
investment  during  the  period  in  question.    D  =  ( Vc  rn  - 

Vs)  ,  l~ir  In  this  case  r  =  rate  plus  1.  Since  Vs  =  O, 
Z)  =  2000  (1  +  0.04)10  [^feri]  =$246.66+. 

Since  the  interest  is  calculated  each  year  on  the  re- 
duced value,  it  follows  that  as  the  interest  charge  de- 
creases the  allowance  for  depreciation  necessarily  in- 
creases, since  the  sum  of  the  two  equals  the  yearly  pay- 
ment. The  need  for  allowing  for  interest  is  more  ap- 
parent than  real.  In  any  properly-conducted  business, 
part  of  the  net  profit  represents  interest  on  the  invest- 
ment, and  to  require  interest  when  the  depreciation  ac- 
count is  created  and  maintained  from  profits  is  to  dupli- 
cate the  charge  for  interest. 

The  results  of  calculating  depreciation  by  the  above 
methods  have  been  plotted  in  the  accompanying  chart. 


a- 

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ETHOD 

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AGE      IN    YEARS 


The  curves  show  the  total  depreciation  fund  as  it  ac- 
cumulates from  year  to  year.  Two  other  methods  should 
be  mentioned  in  passing:  the  equal  annual  payment 
method  proposed  by  the  special  committee  on  valuation 
of  the  American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  and  the 
unit-cost  method.  Both  are  more  complicated  than  the 
methods  given  above.  They  are  fully  explained  in 
Salier's  'Principles  of  Depreciation/  to  which  work  I 
wish  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific     PRESS 


159 


Cupellation  Losses  in  Assaying 

•Tins  subject    has  occupied   the   attention   of   many 

specially  where  silver  ore  and  bullion  are  being 

Tin-  results  tabulated  and  summarized  in  the 

">4  pages  of  this  publication  are  those  of  II.  T.  Mann  and 

i     V   Clayton,  assisted  by  J,  A.  Taggaxl  ami  A.  F.  Carte. 

Tlif  investigation  was  a  thorough  one. 

Temperature,  material  in  cupel,  impurities,  and  other 
factors  affect  tin-  loss  of  precious  metals.  In  their  ex- 
periments, the  authors  weighed  a  certain  amount  of 
silver  foil  ami  wrapped  it  in  lead  foil,  tin'  latter  being 
weighed  to  the  nearesl  half  gram.  A  muffle  in  a  gasoline 
furnace  was  used  for  cupelling.    Bach  test  consisted  of 


Tin'  charge  for  each  cupel  whs  20  gin.  lead  ami  20  mg. 

silver.  Tin'  cupels  used  were  of  boneaah,  hair  cement 
iiml  half  boneaah,  cement  base  with  boneaah  top,  cement, 
Morganite,  Braunite,  ami  three  patent  cupels. 

The  effect  of  the  amount  of  moisture  ami  the  hard- 
ness of  cupels  on  the  silver  inss  was  next  investigated. 
Five  sets  hi'  cupels  were  made  from  boneaah  containing 
.">.  8,  12,  17.  ami  ii'_'\  el'  moisture,  respectively.  One 
lot  was  made  very  Boft,  the  next  soft,  followed  by  ordi- 
nary, hard,  and  \<-ry  hard.  CupellationB  made  in  these 
showed  that  the  amount  of  moisture  and  their  hardness 

had  little  effect  on  the  loss  ol'  silver.  The  very  soft 
Cupels  finished  a  little  ahead  of  the  hard  ones. 

Other  lests  proved  that   the  surface  condition  of  the 


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Percentage      Silver     L  osscs. 
OTJBVBS  SHOWING  LOSSES  OF  silver  DURING   CUPELLATION,   USING   DIFFERENT   MATERIALS. 


five  rows  of  six  buttons  in  each  across  the  muffle,  the 
first  row  three  inches  from  the  front,  this  row  only 
acting  as  a  shield  for  the  others.  The  cupels  were  heated 
to  925  or  950°  C.  before  placing  in  the  buttons.  Until 
all  the  buttons  were  molten  the  muffle  door  was  kept 
closed.  Then  it  was  opened,  and  the  temperature  of  the 
cupellations  lowered  by  reducing  the  muffle  temperature, 
also  by  'coolers'  put  in  the  muffle.  'Feathers'  of  litharge 
formed  around  the  cupel.  This  heat,  was  held  until  a 
minute  before  the  'blick,'  when  the  coolers  were  with- 
drawn and  the  furnace  temperature  raised  so  that  the 
cupellations  finished  at  between  850  and  900° C. 

Of  the  boneash  used  in  the  cupels  21.7%  passed 
through  a  260-mesh  screen,  while  14.2%  remained  on  65, 
22.5%  on  100,  9.3%  on  150,  and  16.2%  on  200-mesh. 

'Abstract  from  Bulletin  of  the  School  of  Mines,  University 
of  Missouri,  at  Rolla. 


cupel  has  little   or  no  effect  on  silver  losses:  that  is, 
whether  the  surface  was  well  glared  or  rough. 

It  was  thought  that  the  size  of  the  boneash  may  affect 
the  losses,  but  many  cupellations  showed  that,  provided 
the  boneash  passes  60-mesh,  the  size  of  the  particles 
makes  practically  no  difference.  The  time  of  cupellation 
with  different  sizes  of  ash  was  almost  the  same. 

The  final  experiments  were  made  to  determine  whether 
any  losses  were  due  to  the  chemical  composition  of  assay 
slags.  The  conclusion  arrived  at  was  that  under  ordi- 
nary conditions  of  assaying  the  chemical  composition  of 
the  resulting  slag  has  very  little  effect  on  the  silver  re- 
covery, provided  the  four  requirements  of  a  good  fusion  * 
are  fulfilled,  namely :  complete  decomposition  of  the  ore, 
formation  of  a  fluid  slag,  furnishing  the  proper  amount 
of  collector  (lead)  at  the  proper  time,  and  keeping  out 
of  the  lead  button  undesirable  impurities. 


460 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1916 


M©tts   on   Flotation 


By      %bi3i>1! 


laiaS* 


Coal-Tab  as  Flotation  Agent 

It  was  to  be  expected,  when  the  flotation  process  was 
installed  in  our  test-plant,  that  there  would  be  ups  and 
downs  in  the  recovery  because  the  process  was  rather 
new,  especially  in  its  application  to  chalcocite  ores.  For 
the  month  of  June  1914,  the  recovery  obtained  in  the 
test-mill  showed  a  sudden  drop,  and  the  serious  problem 
confronted  us  of  establishing  the  cause  and  finding  a 
remedy.  Some  of  the  flotation  experts  suggested  that  it 
might  be  due  to  the  fact  that  a  new  shipment  of  cresylic 
acid  might  not  fill  the  specifications  of  being  98%  pure. 
We  did  not  feel  competent  to  say  whether  the  impurities 
actually  amounted  to  more  than  2%.  "We  were,  however, 
inclined  to  think  that  perhaps  cresylic  acid,  which  is 
one  of  the  products  resulting  from  fractional  distillation 
of  coal-tar,  might  not  represent  the  fraction  most  suit- 
able for  the  flotation  of  our  ores.  Having  no  coal-tar 
available,  we  proceeded  to  make  some  by  distilling  a 
sample  of  ordinary  New  Mexico  soft  coal  and  separating 
the  tar  thus  formed  into  the  fractions  distilling  off  at 
different  temperatures. 

Our  facilities  for  testing  oils  were  limited.  The  Min- 
erals Separation  representative  did  not  believe  in  small- 
scale  tests,  and  for  this  reason  did  not  recommend  ex- 
periments with  small  testing-machines.  Nevertheless,  it 
seemed  desirable  to  have  something  with  which  to  carry 
out  small-scale  laboratory  experiments.  Dr.  L.  D. 
Ricketts,  who  was  aware  of  our  troubles  and  realized 
the  importance  of  such  tests,  was  kind  enough  to  send  us 
a  little  electrically-operated  emulsifying  machine,  which 
served  admirably  for  qualitative  tests.  We  also  built  a 
testing-machine  based  on  the  principle  of  the  standard 
Minerals  Separation  machine,  with  the  difference,  how- 
ever, that  instead  of  sending  the  pulp  from  one  agitating- 
compartment  to  a  spitzkasten  and  then  into  another 
agitating-compartment  and  spitzkasten,  we  made  the 
pulp  return  from  the  first  spitzkasten  to  the  original 
agitator,  forcing  it  to  revolve  in  a  closed  circuit.  Lately, 
a  machine  based  on  the  same  principle  has  been  put  on 
the  market  and  is  sold  by  the  Denver  Fire  Clay  Co. 
Thus,  we  had  a  chance  to  try  the  different  fractions  of 
our  home-made  coal-tar. 

The  chemist  who  conducted  these  tests  (Mueller)  hit 
on  the  idea  that  it  might  be  well,  in  addition  to  trying 
the  different  fractions,  also  to  test  the  coal-tar  as  a 
whole.  The  results  were  surprising,  since  they  showed 
that  by  the  addition  of  crude  coal-tar  we  could  effect  a 

•Excerpts  from  paper  entitled  'History  of  the  Flotation 
Process  at  Inspiration,'  to  be  presented  at  the  Arizona  meet- 
ing of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  (Septem- 
ber 1916). 


greater  recovery  than  we  were  able  to  obtain  by  the  use 
of  highly  refined  cresylic  acid.  From  this  point  dates 
our  experience  that  it  is  better  to  use  coal-tar  than  sol- 
uble flotation  agents  like  cresylic  acid  to  save  coarse 
mineral.  Cresylic  acid  is  an  extraordinarily  good  agent 
for  producing  froth,  but  the  froth  does  not  seem  to  have 
as  much  carrying  power  for  coarse  mineral  as  that  pro- 
duced by  coal-tar.  Not  all  coal-tars  are  equally  good  for 
this  purpose.  Tests  in  laboratory  machines  easily  show 
the  difference  between  coal-tars  of  different  origin. 

It  is  difficult  to  utilize  coal-tar  in  plants  using  flota- 
tion supplementary  to  gravity  concentration,  on  account 
of  the  fact  that  it  is  not  easy  to  effect  a  good  amalgama- 
tion of  tar  with  the  pulp  in  agitating-tanks,  and  even  in 
mechanical  flotation-machines.  The  use  of  coal-tar  lends 
itself  very  well  indeed  to  the  system  of  feeding  tar  into 
the  grinding  machines,  a  system  that,  as  mentioned 
above,  had  been  worked  out  in  our  small  test-mill  and 
patented  by  G.  A.  Chapman. 

The  company  is  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  M.  Callow  for 
proving  the  merits  of  coal-tar  creosote  as  a  flotation  agent 
by  using  it  in  his  demonstration  plant  at  Inspiration. 
After  we  had  established  the  value  of  coal-tar  by  labora- 
tory tests,  and  while  efforts  were  being  made  to  obtain  it 
commercially,  he  applied  creosote  successfully.  We  have 
continued  to  use  it  for  a  long  time,  mostly  in  combina- 
tion with  coal-tar,  and  have  only  recently  dropped  it,  as 
we  find  crude  coal-tar  cheaper  and  better. 

Influence  of  Iron  on  Flotation 

While  these  tests  were  in  progress,  we  made  another 
useful  discovery.  In  our  tests  on  the  most  economical 
way  of  reducing  the  ore  to  the  fineness  necessary  for 
flotation,  we  had,  among  other  machines,  a  ball-mill  in 
competition  with  pebble-mills.  In  the  ball-mill,  steel 
balls  performed  the  duty  that  in  pebble-mills  was  done 
by  flint  pebbles. 

For  a  while,  the  ball-mill  discharge  was  treated  on 
one  flotation  machine,  while  the  pebble-mill  discharge 
was  treated  on  a  group  of  others.  While  this  flow-sheet 
was  being  followed,  we  thought  we  noted  that  a  flotation 
machine  treating  the  ball-mill  product  showed  the  in- 
fluence of  the  primary  slime  to  a  less  extent  than  the 
flotation  machine  treating  the  pebble-mill  product.  In 
a  discussion  with  Dr.  Ricketts  and  Mr.  Mills,  the  ques- 
tion was  raised  as  to  whether  the  iron  introduced  in  the 
pulp  by  the  attrition  of  the  balls  might  not  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  fact.  The  question  was  accordingly 
made  the  subject  of  some  laboratory  experiments.  The 
results  of  a  series  of  such  experiments  are  represented 
in  Table  I  herewith,  and  proved  conclusively  that  the 
iron  had  a  beneficial  influence  on  flotation  in  counter- 


September  28,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


461 


Mting  the   harmful  effect   of  the   primary   slimr.      This 
rj  »a»  one  of  the  inducements  for  installing  ball- 
mills  in   the   big  concentrator  plant,   while  originally 
pebble-mills  had  been  considered  for  this  purpose. 

Tabu  i 


Gram* 

Per 
Cent 
Copper 

Gretna 
Copper 

Concentrate* 

Re- 
covery 
Per 
Cent. 

Teal  No 

Grama 

!      Per 
Cent. 
Cu 

Grama 
Cu 

Remarka 

F2I 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

45 

23.66 

10  65 

70  7 

Added  10  g.  iron  filings. 

m 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

47 

29  52 

11  52 

76.4 

Added  10  g.  iron  filinge. 

F27 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

43 

27.10 

11.65 

77.5 

Added    2  g.  iron  filinge. 

F28 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

47 

26  90 

12.64 

84.0 

Added    2  g.  iron  filings. 

F4S 

750 

2  01 

15.07 

31 

23.84 

12.16 

80.7 

Added  10  g.  iron  filings. 

F46 

730 

2  01 

15.07 

48 

25  60 

12.29 

81.5 

Added  10  g.  iron  filings. 
Blank  with  no  solids  added. 

F47 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

27 

8.80 

2.38 

15.8 

F48 

750 

2  01 

15.07 

28 

8.34 

2  34 

15.5 

Blank  with  no  solids  added. 

F49 

750 

2.01. 

15.07 

82 

20.14 

12.49 

83.0 

Added  10  g.  miscellaneous  iron 
filings  from  shops. 

FSO 

750 

2.01 

15  07 

63 

20.10 

12  66 

84.0 

Added  10  g.  miscellaneous  iron 
filings  from  shops. 

Fit 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

60 

18.82 

11.29 

75.0 

Same  as  F49  and  F50  by  different 
observer. 

F52 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

62 

19.54 

12  11 

80.5 

Same  as  F49  and  F50  by  different 
observer. 

FS3 

750 

2  01 

15  07 

29 

6.16 

1.79 

11.9 

Blank  with  no  solids  added. 

FS4 

750 

2  01 

15.07 

30 

7.96 

2.39 

15.9 

Blank  with  no  solids  added. 

F55 

750 

2  01 

15.07 

59 

21.08 

12.44 

82.7 

Added  10  g.  iron  filings. 

F56 

750 

2.01 

15.07 

56 

25.80 

14.45 

96.0 

Added  10  g.  iron  filings. 

F64 

750 

2.01 

15  07 

65 

19  52 

12.69 

81.9 

Ground  in  mill  with  steel  balls 
instead  of  pebbles. 

L27 

750 

1.10 

12  75 

37 

28.42 

10  51 

81  7 

Blank  on  good  flotation  ore. 

1.-'-- 

750 

1.10 

12  75 

34 

28.46 

9.85 

78.3 

Blank  on  good  flotation  ore. 

L29 

750 

1    10 

12  75 

76 

5  66 

4.30 

33.4 

Identical  conditions  as  L27  and 
L28  but  added  10  g.  zinc  filings. 

L30 

750 

1    10 

12.75 

83 

5.06 

4.20 

32  9 

Identical  conditions  as  1.27  and 
L28  but  added  10  e.  zinc  fi';nes 

We  have  not  yet  reached  a  point  where  we  can  safely 
give  the  reason  for  the  action  of  the  iron  introduced  into 
the  pulp.  It  is  sure,  from  the  experiments,  that  the 
same  results  as  by  grinding  with  balls  could  be  obtained 
by  introducing  the  iron  in  finely  divided  form,  say  in  the 

form  of  filings,  into  a  pebble-mill  pulp.     

We  supposed  for  a  while  that  the  metal- 
lic iron  might  react  on  the  impurities 
■contained  in  solution  in  the  mill-water 
and  introduced  therein  with  the  pri- 
mary slime.  We  find,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  that  our  ore  contains  little  in  the 
nature  of  soluble  salts,  and  that  what- 
ever it  does  contain  is  mainly  confined 
to  the  primary  slime.  For  this  reason, 
in  laboratory  tests  we  have  tried  re- 
peatedly to  substitute  pure  water  for 
the  water  contained  in  the  pulp.  In 
every  case,  we  have  noted  some  improve- 
ments in  results.  We  have  also  found 
that  when  we  separate  the  water  from 
the  refractory  pulp,  treat  it  with  iron 
filings,  and  add  it  to  the  original  pulp 
again,  we  get  a  certain  improvement  in 
the  recovery,  but  we  have  not  been  able 
to  get  an  improvement  equally  as  good  as  that  obtained 
by  direct  introduction  of  finely-divided  iron.  For  this 
reason,  we  have  often  thought  that  the  effect  of  iron  is 
physical  rather  than  chemical.  The  iron  exists  in  the 
pulp,  at  least  partly,  in  the  metallic  form,  as  can  be 


proved  by  the  use  of  the  magnet.    If  necessary,  the  effect 
nf  the  in>n  could  he  increased  by  removing  the  iron  con- 
tained in  the  tailing  by  means  of  electromagnet 
returning  it  to  the  mills  or  the  flotation  machines, 

1  have  been  told  by  several  people  that 

they  have  tested  the  influence  of  finely- 
divided  iron  on  their  ore  and  have  ob- 
tained no  improvement.  This  shows, 
evidently,  that  metallic  iron  is  not  a 
universal  re [y  for  all  flotation  trou- 
bles, but  as  far  as  our  primary  slime  is 
eoneerned,  our  experience  leaves  no 
doubt  about  its  usefulness,  and  I  be- 
lieve the  figures  of  Table  I  are  positive 
enough  to  bear  out  my  statement. 

The  Recovery  obtainable  by  the  ap- 
plication of  our  milling  process  is  de- 
termined entirely  by  the  composition  of 
the  ore,  that  is,  by  the  ratio  of  sulphide 
to  oxide  copper.  Our  average  sulphide 
copper  extraction  has  been  90.39%  for 
the  months  of  March,  April,  and  May, 
1916,  the  last  months  for  which  figures 
were  available.  Some  recovery  of  the 
oxide-copper  minerals,  especially  car- 
bonates, is  made  in  the  flotation  process 
as  well  as  in  the  gravity-concentration 
process.  The  proportion  of  such  min- 
eral recovery  is  low,  probably  around 
25%.  For  this  reason,  the  recovery  on 
ore  containing  a  high  amount  of  oxide,  such  as  surface 
ore,  is  correspondingly  lower.  We  have  worked  in  the 
laboratory  with  the  object  in  view  of  increasing  the 
oxide  recovery;  for  instance,  by  adding  certain  chemicals 
to  the  pulp,  but  we  have  not  yet  applied  this  method  to 

Table  II 


Flotation  Feed 

General    Tails 

Mesh 

1 
Per    Cent.    1       Copper 
.     Weight             Contents 

Per    Cent. 
Weight 

Sulphide  Cop- 
per Contents 

Oxide  Copper 
Contents 

Total  Copper 
Contents 

Cum'. 

Indiv. 

Per 
Cent. 

Grams 

Cum. 

Indiv. 

Per 
Cent. 

Grams 

Per 
Cent. 

Grams 

Per 
Cent. 

Grams 

+  65 

9.5 

9.5 

0.45 

0.042 

9.5 

9.5 

0.18 

0.017 

0.12 

0.011 

0.30 

0.028 

+  100 

21.2 

11.7' 

0.86 

0.101 

21.2 

11.7 

0.19 

0.023 

0.14 

0.016 

0.33 

0.039 

+  150 

33.5 

12.3 

1.91 

0.235 

33.5 

12.3 

0.11 

0.014 

0.19 

0.023 

0.30 

0.037 

+200 

39.2 

5.7 

2.69 

0.154 

39.2 

5.7 

0.14 

0.008 

0.19 

0.011 

0.34 

0.190 

-200 

■60.8  \   1.85 

1.125 

60.8 

0.06 

0.036 

0.47 

0.286 

0.53 

0.322 

Totals 

|100.0 

1.657 

100. 0 

0.098 

0.347 

0.445 

Assay  direct 

1.62 

0.101 

0.318 

0.419 

Oxide 

0.36  i 

1 

an  operating  scale,  nor  have  we  decided  on  using  one  of 
the  other  methods  applicable  for  this  purpose,  such  as 
leaching. 

The    table    shown    above    gives    an    average    screen- 
analyses  of  the  feed  and  the  general  tailings  of  the  In- 


462 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1916 


spiration  concentrator  for  the  months  of  March,  April, 
and  May.  A  segregation  is  made  in  the  copper  assay  be- 
tween sulphide  and  oxide  copper,  because,  considering 
the  present  stage  of  the  art,  we  feel  satisfied  with  our 
work  whenever  the  sulphide  copper  content  of  the  mill- 
tailing  is  low.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  tabulations,  a 
better  recovery  is  made  on  the  -200  material  than  on  the 
coarser  constituents  of  the  ore,  which  proves  the  point 
that  for  ores  of  this  character  sliming  is  no  longer  to  be 
feared.  There  was  little  variation  in  the  copper-oxide 
content  of  the  tailing  from  the  material  of  different  sizes 
coarser  than  -  200  mesh. 

Oil  Consumption 

Experience  has  shown  that  we  consume  up  to  1|  lb. 
per  ton  of  ore.  At  present,  the  oil  mixture  contains 
around  95%  crude  coal-tar  and  a  little  less  than  5%  of 
oil  derived  from  the  dry  distillation  of  wood. 

The  different  tars  that  we  have  tested  during  the  oper- 
ation of  our  mill  have  shown  greatly  varying  qualities 
as  far  as  their  flotation  value  is  concerned.  The  first 
tar  that  we  used  was  home-made  from  domestic  coal,  and 
happened  to  be  a  serviceable  flotation  agent.  Since 
that  time,  we  have  tested  tars  from  several  States.  We 
have  obtained  satisfactory  tar-products  from  New 
Mexico,  Colorado,  Missouri,  and  Illinois.  These  States 
furnish  at  present  as  much  as  we  need  for  our  consump- 
tion. For  awhile,  it  seemed  possible  that  we  might  have 
to  import  from  a  long  distance  the  large  quantities  of 
tar  that  we  require.  During  that  period  we  tried  to  find 
substitutes,  and  looked  especially  toward  the  utilization 
of  fuel-oil  for  this  purpose,  but  we  have  not  been  able 
to  get  as  good  results  with  any  kind  of  fuel-oil  as  with 
crude  coal-tar. 

Our  experience  is  that  we  can  get  along  with  coal-tar 
alone.  It  is  beneficial,  however,  to  add  wood-distilla- 
tion products  in  small  quantities,  for  instance,  those 
containing  pine-oil.  While  coal-tar  makes  a  strong  and 
heavy  froth,  such  as  appears  to  be  required  to  keep  coarse 
mineral  particles  in  suspension,  the  wood-distillation 
products  have  the  characteristic  of  producing  a  multi- 
tude of  bubbles,  such  as  seem  necessary  to  furnish  the 
large  surface  required  to  save  the  finest  mineral  par- 
ticles. Because  the  finer  ore  particles  expose  a  large 
surface,  it  is  evidently  necessary  to  produce  a  corre- 
spondingly large  surface  of  froth  in  order  to  save  them 
by  flotation. 

Operating  Cost 

The  number  of  men  necessary  for  the  operation  of 
large  flotation  machines  is  remarkably  small.  At  the 
Inspiration  plant,  one  operator  supervises  four  sections 
of  flotation  machines.  Two  Mexican  helpers  assist  him 
in  washing  the  bottoms,  thus  insuring  a  free  passage  of 
air  through  the  porous  medium.  At  the  prevailing  high 
prices  of  American  and  Mexican  labor,  this  means  an 
expense  of  somewhat  more  than  1.5c.  per  ton  of  ore 
treated.  The  total  expenses  representing  flotation  proper 
were  as  follows  for  the  months  of  March,  April,  and 
May,  1916 : 


Cents  per  ton 

Labor    1.62 

Oils    1.65 

Other  supplies 0.35 

Power    2.14 

Total   5.76 

'The  subsequent  table  treatment  of  flotation  tailings,  the 
filter  treatment  of  the  concentrates  and  other  operations 
connected  with  the  process  of  concentration,  belong  more 
or  less  to  flotation  treatment,  and  their  expense  should 
also  be  considered  when  the  cost  of  the  flotation  process 
is  to  be  established.  The  total  milling  cost,  exclusive  of 
crushing  and  grinding,  has  been  for  the  past  few  months 
in  the  neighborhood  of  20  cents.  When  the  cost  of 
crushing  and  grinding  is  included,  the  cost  is  about 
40c.  per  ton  of  ore.  Eoyalties  for  the  use  of  the  flotation 
process  are  not  included  in  any  of  these  cost  figures. 

Eaf©a&  &s  a  TBm?©mM®s  ©% 

There  is  such  a  disposition  in  some  quarters  to  regard 
the  activity  of  the  iron  and  steel  industry  as  being  based 
chiefly  on  the  War  demand  for  steel,  it  might  be  inferred 
that  iron  is  not  at  this  time  the  barometer  of  general 
trade ;  but  the  statement  can  be  defended  that  iron  and 
steel  activity  is  at  this  juncture  as  close  a  reflection  of 
general  trade  activity  as  has  been  the  case  at  various 
times  in  the  past.  The  production  of  steel  ingots  is  at 
a  rate  considerably  more  than  40,000,000  tons  per  year, 
against  only  30,000,000  tons  in  1912  and  1913,  hitherto 
the  best  years,  and  the  War  demand  for  steel  does  not 
account  for  all  of  the  excess  tonnage.  Another  and  very 
important  factor  must  be  considered.  There  have  been 
times  when  such  general  business  activity  as  existed  ran 
largely  to  new  construction  work,  a  line  in  which  steel 
is  particularly  prominent.  At  such  times  the  steel  in- 
dustry was  more  active  than  were  many  others,  and  if 
taken  as  a  barometer  it  rather  exaggerated  the  degree  of 
general  prosperity.  At  the  present  time  the  divergence 
is  in  the  other  direction.  The  employment  of  steel  for 
strictly  new  construction  is  relatively  small,  and  the 
consumption  of  steel  for  various  miscellaneous  uses,  more 
directly  and  closely  associated  with  the  activities  of  the 
people,  is  relatively  large.  The  function  of  the 
barometer,  however,  is  not  to  tell  of  an  existing  condi- 
tion, but  to  furnish  means  for  a  forecast,  and  it  may  be 
inquired  what  light  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  steel  mar- 
ket throws  upon  the  question,  how  long  the  War  is  to 
last  and  how  long  business  activity  is  to  last.  If  one  is 
to  judge  by  the  attitude  of  buyers  of  steel  he  may  be 
confused,  for  some  buyers  are  taking  a  decidedly  con- 
servative, if  not  pessimistic,  view  of  the  future  of  their 
particular  lines,  if  high  prices  for  steel  are  to  continue 
indefinitely.  Others  are  buying  with  confidence.  If  we 
are  to  judge  by  the  attitude  of  steel  producers  there  is 
no  occasion  to  be  confused.  The  steel  producers  are  en- 
gaged in  new  construction,  and  prosecuting  it  when 
costs  are  extremely  high. — The  Iron  Age. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


ii, ; 


Sinking  Through  Sand 


By 


llwud     A.     Bay  r • 


*.\  oommoii  method  of  sinking  through  difficult  ground 
employa  ■  steel  shoe  poshed  ahead  of  the  shaft-timbers; 
another  is  the  drop-shall  method.  These  two  methods 
were  used  al  the  Eagle  No.  3  mine.  Dea  Moines,  Iowa, 
ami  the  following  data  show  the  relative  cost  of  the  two 
methods  under  the  same  conditions.  The  material  to  be 
|>enetrate,l  was  7't  ft  of  drill  am!  sand,  including  sev- 
eral elay  streaks. 

Stkel-Sboe   Method.    The   method   of  sinking  the 

main  shaft  by  the  steel-shoe  method  was  to  agitate  the 
sand  and  force  the  shoe  through  il  by  means  of  jack- 
serews.  Two  methods  were  used  to  agitate  the  sand. 
First,  while  the  men  could  reach  the  bottom  of  the  shoe, 

they  stirred  the  sand  with  spades.  Later  the  pumping 
system  was  used.  The  discharge  of  the  No.  6  Cameron 
pump  eould.  when  desired,  he  sent  through  five  '{-in. 
pipes,  and  the  five  jets  of  water  could  he  played  upon 
the  sand  at  the  bottom  of  the  shoe.  It  was  found  that 
these  jets  would  agitate  t lie  sand  sufficiently  to  permit 
the  jack-screws  to  push  the  shoe  down,  except  when  the 
sand  was  at  too  high  a  level  inside  tlte  shoe,  in  which 
case  sand  would  have  to  be  excavated  before  the  jet 
process  could  be  resumed.  In  using  this  process  the  men 
would  stir  the  sand  with  the  jets  for  about  10  min.,  and 
then  tighten  the  jack-screws.  When  sufficient  space  was 
obtained  between  the  timbers  in  the  shoe  and  the  curb- 
ing above,  the  two  jaek-screws  of  one  side  were  removed, 
and  timber  put  in  place  on  top  of  the  timbers  in  the 
shoe,  and  then  the  other  jack-screws. were  moved.  An 
advance  of  18  in.  per  day  was  exceptional,  more  often  it 
was  less  than  a  foot. 

Necessarily  some  sand  had  to  be  excavated.  This 
tended  to  cave  the  dirt  around  the  shaft,  which  in  turn 
caused  an  excessive  down  pressure  and  broke  the  curb- 
ing. An  attempt  was  made  to  overcome  this  by  support- 
ing the  curb  with  I-beams  and  cables  from  the  surface. 
Ten  12-in.  beams  were  supported  on  cribs  at  the  surface, 
and  ten  8-in.  beams  were  swung  under  the  angle  below 
the  ties,  being  connected  by  twenty  J-in.  steel  cables. 
When  the  sinking  was  resumed,  the  curbing  continued  to 
break,  the  I-beams  bent,  and  two  cables  were  broken. 
Since  it  appeared  impossible  to  hold  the  curb,  it  was 
decided  to  timber  the  shaft  solid  from  the  8-ft.  level 
(where  the  most  uniform  break  occurred)  to  the  bottom 
of  the  shoe,  and  then  drop  this  portion  of  the  shaft 
through  the  remaining  5  ft.  of  sand. 

To  do  this,  the  ties  were  driven  back  into  the  wall  and 
solid  timbering  put  in  between  the  shoe  and  the  upper 
curbing  of  the  shaft.  The  entire  shaft  curbing  from 
the  8-ft.  level  down  was  then  tied  together  with  2  by 
6-in.  stringers.  At  the  8-ft.  level  planks  were  spiked  to 
the  lower  curb,  the  upper  ends  projecting  above  the 
break  preventing  the  loose  material  from  falling.     The 

'Abstract  of  paper  prepared  for  the  Arizona  meeting  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


jet  system,  using  occasional  excavation  of  sand,  was  re 

sin I,  and  the  Shoe,  with  50  ft.  Of  curbing,  was  lowered. 

In  landing  the  shaft  on  solid  rock,  seven  houlders  1   to 

2  ft.  in  diameter  were  encountered,  six  of  these  were 
under  the  cutting-edge  of  the  shoe,  and  were  removed 

only  after  being  broken  by  chisel  and  sledge. 

While   lowering  the  shafl    through    t In-   lasl    .">    ft.,   the 

tipper  timbers  buckled  18  in.  out  of  line.  This  necessi- 
tated re-timbering  from  the  sand  to  the  surface,  an  ex- 
pensive undertaking  because  the  old  timbers  bad  to  be 
•  ■ill   out  and  replaced  in  sections. 

( )n  completic f  the  re-timbering,  sinking  through  the 

shale  was  commenced.  Three  shifts  were  used  making 
a  daily  advance  of  5  ft.  The  only  problem  in  the  shale 
was  the  elimination  of  the  water,  most  of  which  stopped 


STEEL-SHOE    METHOD    USING    JACK-KCEEWS. 

when  the  solid  rock  was  reached.  This  water  was  taken 
care  of  by  placing  a  water-ring  at  the  85-ft.  level  with  a 
pump  to  elevate  the  water  to  the  surface. 

Drop-Shaft  Method.  The  air-shaft  was  located  350 
ft.  from  the  main  shaft,  and  conditions  were  similar  ex- 
cept that  the  surface  at  this  point  was  10  ft.  lower,  mak- 
ing the  distance  to  be  traversed  to  rock  634.  ft.  The 
equipment  was  the  same  used  at  the  main  shaft.  The 
air-shaft  followed  a  drill-hole  tapped  by  an  entry  from 
the  main  shaft,  so  that  most  of  the  water  was  drained 
through  this  hole  and  then  pumped  to  surface.  The  steel 
shoe  was  similar  to  the  one  in  the  main  shaft,  except 
that  it  was  10  ft.  high  instead  of  5  ft.  The  timbering  for 
the  first  30  ft.  above  the  shoe  consisted  of  4  by  6  members 
laid  flat,  tied  together  by  f-in.  lag-screws  10  in.  long, 
spaced  2  ft.  apart.  The  shaft  was  divided  into  three 
equal  compartments  by  4  by  6  buntons.  The  middle  com- 
partment was  left  free  and  was  used  for  hoisting. 

An  excavation  10  ft.  deep  was  made,  the  shoe  assembled 
and  lined  with  timbers.     Sinking  was  continued  until 


464 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1916 


the  shoe  was  hung  up  by  the  friction  on  the  sides.  Then 
a  platform  was  built  every  5  ft.  in  the  end  compartments. 
These  5-ft.  chambers  were  filled  with  sand  to  give  addi- 
tional weight,  and  sinking  continued.  The  ground  sur- 
rounding the  shoe  gradually  broke  in  an  oval  shape. 
At  one  place  it  was  necessary  to  fire  a  small  charge  of 
powder  in  order  to  loosen  the  ground  sufficiently  at  one 
end  of  the  shaft.  As  the  shoe  was  sunk,  timbers  were 
added  at  the  top  of  the  curbing.  This  method  of  build- 
ing the  curb  at  the  top  is  better  that  that  of  adding  at 
the  bottom  since  the  timbers  are  placed  more  expedi- 
tiously. 

One  difficulty  experienced  was  to  keep  the  bottom  of 
the  shoe  level.  When  one  side  got  lower  than  the  other 
it  kicked  the  opposite  side  outward.  To  right  it,  the 
lower  side  was  blocked  until  the  higher  side  caught  up. 
This  greatly  reduced  the  trouble. 

The  progress  through  the  drift  material,  until  the 
sand  was  reached,  was  slower  than  at  the  main  shaft. 


-1 


J    „      -  o 


DEOP-SHATT    METHOD. 


The  drop-shaft  went  faster,  however,  after  reaching  the 
sand.  In  fact,  the  difficulty  at  that  time  was  to  keep  the 
bottom  of  the  shaft  from  moving  faster  than  the  top. 
When  within  10  in.  of  the  bottom  of  the  sand,  the  shaft 
broke  apart  20  ft.  from  the  shoe.  This  was  due  to  the 
movement  of  the  shoe  being  faster  than  that  of  the  top 
of  the  shaft,  and  to  the  insufficient  strength  of  the  straps 
connecting  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  curb.  At  this  point 
(20  ft.  above  the  shoe)  the  curb  separated  from  6  to  8 
in.,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  shaft  kicked  over  9  in.  A 
temporary  platform  of  8  by  8  timber  was  put  in  the  end 
compartments  and  time  given  for  the  upper  part  to 
settle  before  starting  again.  Sinking  was  then  continued 
and  the  shoe  landed  on  the  solid  without  further  diffi- 
culty, aside  from  hitting  two  small  boulders  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sand. 

As  the  excavation  was  larger  than  necessary  for  an 
air-shaft,  it  was  decided  to  cement  the  shaft  for  a  dis- 
tance of  28  ft.  from  the  bottom  of  the  shoe,  in  order  to 
stop  the  water.  A  wall  of  cement  4  to  8  in.  thick  was 
accordingly  constructed.  After  the  cement  was  given 
time  to  set  thoroughly,  the  excavation  was  again  started 
in  the  shale  and  continued  without  difficulty  to  the  coal. 
Sinking  through  the  shale  in  the  air-shaft  cost  slightly 


more  than  in  the  main  shaft  because  work  in  the  mine 
prevented  careful  supervision  being  given. 

One  difficulty,  encountered  in  drop-shaft  sinking,  was 
in  keeping  the  position  of  the  shaft  vertical.  At  one 
time  this  shaft  was  2  ft.  out  of  plumb.  By  regulating 
the  movement  at  the  bottom  of  the  shoe,  the  shaft  partly 
righted  itself,  until  at  the  finish  in  a  total  depth  of  63J 
ft.  to  the  shale  the  bottom  of  the  shaft  was  16  in.  to  the 
south  and  10  in.  to  the  east  of  the  top.  Part  of  this 
variation  was  remedied  in  the  cementing. 

A  much  larger  amount  of  sand  was  removed  in  sink- 
ing the  air-shaft  by  the  drop-shaft  method  than  in  sink- 
ing the  main  shaft.  This  could  be  done  without  danger 
of  a  cavity  forming,  because  the  surface  dirt  followed 
the  air-shaft  down.  When  sinking  through  the  sand  was 
completed,  the  surface  directly  surrounding  the  air-shaft 
had  caved  to  a  depth  of  15  to  16  ft.  and  for  a  distance  of 
20  ft.  in  all  directions.  In  fact,  all  the  shale  that  was 
removed  through  the  remaining  92  ft.  to  the  coal  did  not 
fill  this  space  at  the  surface. 

A  comparison  of  the  two  shafts  is  shown  below.  The 
main  shaft  was  sunk  92  ft.  by  the  steel-shoe  method,  the 
air-shaft  was  sunk  82  ft.  by  the  drop-shaft  method. 

Labor:                                                             Main  shaft  Air-shaft 

Through   drift  material    $917  $7S9 

Through  sand   1,942  542 

Through  shale 1,065  1,213 

$3,924  $2,544 

Superintendence   600  435 

Re-timbering    1,343  

Cementing    208 

Total  labor  cost $5,867  $3,187 

Materials: 

Curbing    $1,879  $1,195 

Supplies    900  643 

Power,  light,  water,  insurance,  etc. .. .  1,249  650 

Total  curbing,  etc.,  cost $4,027  $2,4S7 

Total  costs  of  shafts $9,894  $5,674 

Conclusion.  There  was  no  question  of  the  superiority 
of  the  drop-shaft  method.  It  made  a  net  saving  of  $4300 
in  the  total  cost  of  the  air-shaft  compared  with  the  main 
shaft.  A  saving  of  $2700  was  effected  in  labor,  while  in 
the  cost  of  materials,  power,  etc.,  the  saving  was  $1600. 
A  saving  in  time  also  ensued,  30  days  being  required  to 
traverse  the  sand  with  the  main  shaft,  while  the  air- 
shaft  was  dropped  through  in  17  days.  The  drop-shaft 
method  seems  to  be  the  safest,  most  economical,  and  most 
successful  that  can  be  adopted  for  sinking  through  soft 
material  that  lies  within  100  ft.  of  the  surface.  At 
greater  depths  a  variation  of  the  method  can  be  used  by 
first  sinking  a  larger  shaft  close  to  the  soft  material,  and 
then  telescoping  a  drop-shaft  within  it. 


Smelting  operations  at  the  Mt.  Morgan  mine,  Queens- 
land, Australia,  are  improving.  One  furnace  had  a  con- 
tinuous campaign  of  54  weeks.  The  matte  gravity  sys- 
tem is  giving  satisfaction.  It  required  52.46  tons  of  ore 
to  yield  1  tun  of  blister  copper. 


L916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


(65 


Dredging   in   Montana 


By      H • n n « n      Jennings 


The  history  and  developmenl  of  gold  dredging  in  tliis 
Stat.-  is  described  in  Bulletin  121  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
.Mines  by  Mr.  Jennings,  who  is  consulting  engineer  to 
th.'  Conrey  Placer  Mining  Co.  Mention  was  made  of 
this  company's  work  by  him  in  an  interview  published 
in  the  Phess  of  December  25,  1915.  Some  of  the  early 
dredging  applianees  used  in  New  Zealand  and  Cali- 
fornia are  summarized  in  the  introduction,  the  first 
dredge  having  been  built  on  the  Clutha  river  in  New 
Zealand  in  1865.  The  earliest  bucket-dredge  in  the 
United  States  was  erected  near  Bannack,  Montana.  The 
Alder  Gulch  and  the  Ruby  districts  have  produced  many 
millions  in  gold. 

In  1898  the  Conrey  Placer  Mining  Co.  was  formed,  to 


places:  first  16  tables,  85.32%  ;  last  8  tables,  2.6%  ;  tail- 
sluices,  8.94%;  undercurrent,  0.55%;  and  well,  2.59%. 
The  bullion  from  the  four  boats  varies  from  822  to  873 
fine. 

Many  improvements  in  dredging  have  been  started  in 
the  Ruby  district,  including  the  mooring-head  or  aerial- 
spud,  large  buckets,  one-piece  manganese  buckets,  man- 
ganese baffle-plates  in  the  revolving-screen,  2200-volt 
motors,  and  the  direct  gear-connected  motors  for  the 
bucket-drive.  The  technical  operations  of  the  Conrey 
commenced  in  the  earliest  days  of  gold-dredging  in  this 
country.  The  company  tested  steam  against  electric 
dredges,  and  the  sluice-dredge  against  the  stacker  type. 

Costs  in  1915  totaled  5.99c.  per  yard,  there  being 


KufinoM  pTntn  wITh  V-lnol  perforation!,  uo. 
t^-ln.-h  OTOMtrndtng  t%t-t«n miln  injloi 


arfiQ°/i< 


TLre,  ll'  J'  In  JU. 


B'.IK*tocf»Utihn. 
o*  lurobUr 


Dedptitg.  .Much, 
45*pound  cbtnucll 

It  diW.  2-Twldii 


lOO-horMpownt  motor, 
it  on  nncU  °t1^ 
Lnaha)  on!  foot 


SECTIONS   OF   WASHING-SCBEEN,   NO.   4   CONREY   DREDGE. 


exploit  a  gravel  deposit  at  Ruby,  1J  miles  from  Alder, 
and  80  miles  from  Butte.  Since  1899  the  company  has 
dug  over  37,000,000  cu.  yd.,  yielding  16c.  per  yard. 
This  represents  80%  of  the  dredging  done  in  Montana. 
Seven  boats  were  operated,  but  at  present  there  are 
four,  details  of  which  are  given  in  the  table  appended. 

No.  4  dredge  was  designed  to  dig  large  quantities  of 
ground  of  low  value  to  a  depth  of  55  ft.  below  water- 
level.  Its  best  record  month  was  in  May  1915,  when 
411,000  cu.  yd.  was  dredged  in  82%  running  time,  at  a 
depth  of  54  ft.,  and  at  a  cost  of  2.66e.  per  yard.  The 
buckets  hold  16  cu.  ft.,  and  weigh  5200  lb.  each.  The 
digging  motor  is  of  550  hp.,  while  the  total  motor  rating 
is  1285  hp.  Pumps  are  of  16  and  14-in.  size,  and  raise 
12,000  gal.  water  per  minute.  The  accompanying  sketch 
shows  the  washing-screen,  which  is  50  ft.  long  and  8J  ft. 
in  diameter.  It  weighs  110  tons,  and  is  probably  the 
heaviest  trommel  used  in  gold-dredging.  The  spuds 
"weigh  44  tons  each. 

The  four  dredges  cost  $955,000.  In  all,  there  are  85 
men  employed,  36  actually  on  the  boats. 

The  gold  recovered  on  No.  4  is  saved  in  the  following 


3,632,677  cu.  yd.  dredged.  Items  were  as  follows :  labor, 
1.13 ;  fuel,  0.06  ;  power,  1.15 ;  supplies,  0.08 ;  upkeep  of 
chain,  0.98;  repairs,  1.65;  indirect  charges,  0.94;  a  total 
of  5.99  cents. 

The  gravel  at  Alder  Gulch  and  Ruby  is  not  so  hard 
and  compact  as  that  at  Oroville  and  Natoma  in  Cali- 
fornia, but  is  more  difficult  than  that  of  the  Yuba  river, 
though  not  so  deep.  Large  boulders  are  found  embedded 
in  clay.  The  bedrock  is  favorable.  The  winter  tem- 
perature of  25  to  30°F.  below  zero  is  a  great  handicap, 
but  this  has  been  successfully  overcome.  Wages  per  8- 
hr.  shifts  are  higher  than  in  California. 

Outside  of  the  Grasshopper  and  Alder  Gulch  dis- 
tricts little  gold  dredging  has  been  done  in  Montana. 
Attempts  made  in  other  places  met  with  little  success. 
A  5-cu.  ft.  boat  on  Gold  creek  worked  part  of  two  sea- 
sons in  1905.  About  19  miles  from  Helena  the  Magpie 
company  operated  in  1910.  In  the  same  year  the  Kansas 
City  Commercial  Co.  started  a  7J-ft.  boat  10  miles  from 
Iron  Mountain ;  it  has  run  intermittently  since.  Three 
other  dredges  were  built  by  various  concerns,  but  only 
worked  a  few  weeks. 


466 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS. 


September  23,  1916 


CONSTRUCTION  DETAILS  OF  THE  CONREY  PLACER   MINING  CO.'S   FOUR  DREDGES  AT  RUBT,   MONTANA 


Power   used    

Date    built     

Type * 

Anchorage     

Average  monthly  yardage.... 
Hull  dimensions: 

Draft     

Length     

Width     

Depth    

Pontoon   dimensions: 

Length    

Width     

Depth    

Stacker  dimensions: 

Length    

Width  of  belt    

Motor  drive 

Tailing   height    

Dimensions  ot  steel  spuds: 

Length    

Width     

Thickness    

Weight     

Number    

Dimensions  of  wooden  spuds: 

Length    

Width     

Thickness    

Number    

Horse-power: 

Bucket-chain    

Trommel    

Pumps    

Winches     

Miscellaneous     

Total  horse-power   

Ladder  data: 

Length    

Type    •  •• 

Depth  digging  below  water 
Dimensions  of  tumblers: 
Upper    tumbler — 

Distance    above    deck 

Weight     

Number    of    sides 

Shaft  diameter    

Lower   tumbler — 

Weight     

Number   of   sides 

Shaft  diameter    

Bucket-chain   data: 

Type    

Drive     

Weight     

Capacity  of  buckets   

Number   in   chain 

Weight     "s 

Pitch     .•••■• 

Buckets  dumped  per  minute 

Type    

Material   

Hood   and   base.   No.    pieces. 
Links — 

Weight     

Pitch     

Number  in  chain    

Material     

Type    

Pins — 

Diameter    

Weight     

Material     

Type    

Pin   bushings — 

Type    

Material     

Trommel  data: 

Length    

Diameter     

Type    

Drive     

Plates  — 

Thickness    

Material     

Perforations     

Dimensions  of  tables: 

Grade    

Number    

Width     

Length    

Riffles    (angles)     

Perforated    plates    

Pump  data: 

Number    

Size  and  kind   

Make     

Gallons    per    minute 

Main   winch    data: 

Length    


No.   1 


Electricity 

1908 

Single-lift  table 

stacker 

Spud 

96,270 

5  ft. 

96  ft. 

44  ft. 

9  ft. 

None 
None 
None 

90  ft. 
34  in. 

Upper  end  30  ft. 

48  ft. 

3  ft. 

2  ft. 
26.500  lb. 

1 

48   ft. 

3  ft. 
2  ft. 
1 

100 

30 

160 

.     20 

70 


69   ft. 

Lattice-girder 

30   ft. 


25  ft.   9   in. 

8,970  lb. 
6 

16  in. 

5,800   lb. 

6  to  round 

13%   in. 

Close-connected 


Belt 

169,000  lb. 

7%   cu.   ft. 

60 

2,594   lb. 

32%    in. 

16 

3-web 

(s) 


None 
None 
None 
None 
None 

4%    in. 

168  lb. 

Steel 

Single  lug. 

Full  circle 
Manganese 

3  5  ft. 

51  to  72  in. 

Stepped  cylinder 

Belt 

%  in. 

%  to  %  in. 

12%% 

20 
30   in. 
18   ft. 
1%   in. 

4 

3-in.  water 

8-in.  water 

12-in.  water 

6-in.  sand 

Morris 
6,700 


No.   2 


Electricity 

1908 

Single-lift  table 

stacker 

Spud 

62,709 

5   ft.   6  in. 
102  ft. 
44   ft. 
9  ft. 

None 
None 
None 

85  ft. 
34   in. 

Upper  end  30  ft. 

54  ft. 
3  ft. 

2  ft. 
29,000  lb. 

1 

.     54  ft. 

3  ft. 
2  ft. 
1 

100 

•       30 

160 

20 

70 


80   ft. 

Lattice-girder 

3  5   ft. 


29   ft.   3   in. 
!,970   lb. 


5.800  lb. 

6  to  round 

13%  in. 

Close-connected 


Belt 

225,000  lb. 

7%  cu.  ft. 

80 

2,594   lb. 

32%    in. 

15 

2 -web 

(=) 

(3) 

None 
None 
None 
None 
None 

5  In. 

184   lb. 

(') 

Single  lug. 

Full  circle 
Manganese 

35  ft. 

51  to  72  in. 

Stepped   cylinder 

Belt 

%    in. 

%  to  %  in. 

12%% 

20 
30   in. 
18   ft. 
1V4    in. 


3-in.  water 

8-in.  water 

12-in.  water 

6-in.   sand 

Morris 
6.700 


Electricity 

Electricity 

1906 

1911 

Single-lift  table 

Single-lift  table 

stacker 

stacker 

Lines 

Spud 

82,415 

300,000 

6  ft. 

9   ft. 

130   ft. 

150   ft. 

48  ft. 

58  ft. 

7  ft.  11  in. 

13  ft. 

50   ft. 

None 

40   ft. 

None 

3   ft.   11   in. 

None 

None 

130  ft. 

None 

4  ft. 

None  . 

Upper  end  55  ft. 

None 

80   ft. 

None 

4%   ft. 

None 

3   ft. 

None 

88,000   lb. 

None 

2 

None 

None 

None 

None 

None 

None 

None 

None 

150 

550 

10 

100 

175 

285 

115 

250 

10 

50 

460 

1,235 

100%   ft.1 

116  ft. 

Lattice-girder 

Plate-girder 

45  ft. 

55  ft. 

31  ft. 

35  ft.  6  in. 

8,970   lb. 

16,000  to  25,300   lb. 

6 

6 

16  in. 

25   in. 

5,800   lb. 

18,000  to  19,800  lb. 

6  to  round 

6  to  round 

13%    in. 

15%    in. 

Open-link,  later 

Close-connected 

changed   to   close- 

connected 

Gear 

Gear 

297,000  lb. 

357.500  to  415,300  lb 

13  cu.  ft.  open,  9  %  closed 

16  to  17   cu.   ft. 

43  open,  80  closed 

80 

2.900   lb. 

4.468  to  5.191   lb. 

32%    in. 

40   in. 

15 

18  to  22 

2-web 

2-web 

(2) 

(=) 

(») 

1 

1,250   lb. 

None 

32%   in. 

None 

43 

None 

Steel 

None 

3-web 

None 

5  In. 

7  to  8  in. 

184  lb. 

520  to  495   lb. 

(') 

(=) 

(«) 

Single  lug. 

Full  circle 

Full  circle 

Manganese 

Manganese 

18  ft. 

48   ft.   6   in. 

61   in. 

98   in. 

Straight  cylinder 

Straight  cylinder 

Belt 

(B) 

%   in. 

1   in. 

(!) 

(') 

4%   by  6  in. 

%  to   %  in. 

12% 

12%% 

10 

24 

30  in. 

30   in. 

12  ft. 

11  to  29%  ft. 

1%  in. 

1%    in. 

%-in.  hole 
5 

3 

3-in.  water 

Two  10-in.  water 

4-in.   water 

12-in.  water 

14-in.  water 

14-in.  water 

16-in.  water 

Morris- Worthington 

Worthington 

12,500 

12,000 

11  ft.  10  in. 

29   ft.   10   in. 

Changed  to  116  feet. 

'Steel;  later  changed  to  manganese. 

3Steel  buckets  in  two  pieces;  manganese  in  one. 


*Lock   pin;   later  changed   to   single   lug. 
"Gear;  later  changed  to  belt. 


L916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


167 


U  I. Ilh      

Diameter  of  drums   . . 
Number    of    drums 
Tall   sluices: 

:■ 
Number 

Length    

Width        

Kilties     (unities  i 
I'lHlereurrenta: 

l<      

Number     

l.eiiKlli     

Wldlh      

Rlffl 

Material     

Size     

Perforated    plates: 

Width  <>f  slots    

Well  Miive-all: 

]•■     

Number     

Length    

Width     

Upper  Hume: 

u  i  ••    

Rltllcs: 

Material     

Size     

Length      

Width     

Lower  flume: 

!-•      

Rillles: 

Material     

Size    

Length    

Width  

Total   gold-savins  area 

'Holes  instead  of  slots. 


No.    1 


I    fl.    11    In. 

10    in. 


10  ft. 
IS    111. 

I '.  11,. 

-\" 

Nolle 
Non.. 
Noil,- 

Non,' 
None 


1 
7*    «. 
18  In. 

None 

None 
None 
None 
None 

None 

None 
None 
None 
None 

231    sq. 


No.    S 


ft.    11    li 

IS  In. 

8 

40    ft. 

48   In. 
1*4   In. 

Nolle 
Noll.- 

None 

Nolle 

None 
None 


v. 

1 

7VJ    ft. 

18  In. 

None 

None 
None 
None 
None 

None 

None 
None 
None 
None 
1.231  sq. 


fi.   1   in. 

10   in 


Non.. 

Non  e 

Nolle 

None 

Nolle 

1091 
! 

54  ri. 
13   In. 

\v 

l  by  l  %  In. 

1/16  In. 

8% 

l 

26  r./6  ft. 

18  in. 

6% 

Angles 

2    by    2'i    in. 

2S    fl.    10    in. 

62   In. 


Angles 
2  by  2V4  In. 

135   ft. 

G6  in. 
1.261    sq.   ft. 


7    fl 
14   In. 


■fll 


17  to  41    ft. 
114    In. 

12(4% 


7*    ft. 
34   In. 

Angles 

i  ■,    In. 

%   in.« 

8% 

l 

18 '4    ft. 

IS   In. 

None 

Non.* 
None 
None 
None 

None 

None 
None 
None 
None 
3.000    sq.    ft. 


A  New  Flotation  Oil 


As  mentioned  in  the  Press  of  August  12,  sage-brush 
will  probably  supply  oil  for  flotation  purposes.  For  the 
Arizona  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers,  Maxwell  Adams  of  Reno  prepared  a  short 
paper  on  the  subject. 

During  1915,  a  study  of  the  essential  oil  in  desert 
plants  was  begun  in  the  chemical  laboratory  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Nevada.  None  of  the  oils  so  far  studied  pos- 
sesses properties  of  special  interest  to  engineers,  except 
the  oil  of  sage,  Artemesia  tridentate,  which  has  excep- 
tional power  as  a  flotation  agent.  This  plant,  known  as 
common  sage-brush,  also  called  black  sage,  is  widely  dis- 
tributed over  the  semi-arid  West. 

The  method  of  extracting  the  oil  in  the  experiments 
was  simple.  The  leaves,  twigs,  and  small  branches,  are 
placed  in  an  air-tight  drum,  having  a  capacity  of  27  cu. 
ft.  Steam  is  admitted  through  a  number  of  small  open- 
ings at  the  bottom  of  the  retort,  and  the  pressure  main- 
tained at  20  to  25  lb.  per  sq.  in.  for  three  hours.  The 
escape  of  steam  from  the  retort  is  regulated  by  allowing 
it  to  pass  through  a  stop-cock  into  a  condenser.  The 
water  in  the  receiver  is  drawn-off  from  time  to  time  and 
the  oil,  which  is  insoluble  and  floats  upon  the  water,  is 
thus  collected.  At  the  end  of  two  hours  most  of  the  oil 
has  been  driven  out,  though  traces  continue  to  come  over 
for  a  much  longer  time.  By  raising  the  pressure,  the 
time  required  could  probably  be  shortened  and  the  yield 
increased,  but  the  lack  of  laboratory  equipment  pre- 
vented the  carrying  out  of  this  experiment. 

The  stock-wood,  bark,  and  branches  contain  no  oil,  the 
distribution  of  oil  being  limited  to  the  leaves  and  young 
shoots.  There  is  a  seasonal  variation  in  the  amount  of 
oil  contained.    Samples  collected  on  different  dates  gave 


the  following  amount  of  oil:  May  1,  0.42%;  May  27, 
0.6;  June  30,  0.72;  August  1,  0.9;  and  September  10, 
0.1%.  The  increase  appears  fairly  constant  from  early 
spring,  when  the  leaves  first  appear,  until  light  frosts 
occur  in  the  autumn.  When  the  plant  is  air-dried  there 
is  some  loss  of  oil,  as  the  following  will  show :  Two  100-lb. 
samples  were  collected  at  the  same  time;  one  was  dis- 
tilled when  green,  the  other  was  air-dried  for  10  days  be- 
fore distillation.  The  green  sample  yielded  275  grams, 
and  the  dried  sample  248  grams  of  oil,  showing  a  loss  of 
about  10%. 

The  laboratory  can  give  little  data  useful  in  forming 
an  estimate  of  the  commercial  cost  of  production.  A  man 
working  for  six  hours,  using  a  pair  of  common  pruning- 
shears,  collected  twigs  which  yielded  one  pound  of  oil. 
Since  only  a  small  quantity  of  the  oil  is  lost  if  the  brush 
is  dried,  the  most  economical  method  of  production 
would  perhaps  be  to  collect  it  in  large  quantities,  by 
using  a  tractor-engine  and  a  drag,  in  some  such  way  as 
land  is  cleared  for  farming.  When  the  brush  is  dry,  the 
leaves  and  young  shoots  are  easily  shaken  from  the  limbs. 
Thus  the  amount  of  material  to  be  distilled  would  be 
greatly  diminished,  and  the  oil  obtained  at  a  cost  and  in 
sufficient  quantity  to  make  it  available  as  a  flotation  oil, 
if  not  alone,  possibly  as  an  ingredient,  to  increase  the 
flotative  power  of  other  oils. 

The  crude  oil  is  dark  in  color.  When  re-distilled  with 
steam  it  is  water-white  at  first,  changing  gradually  to  a 
straw-yellow  color  on  standing.  It  has  the  following 
physical  properties.  Density  at  15  °C,  0.9206;  refrac- 
tive index  at  20°C,  1.4732;  rotation  at  20°C„  -4.69. 

The  chemical  properties  of  the  oil  are  as  yet  unde- 
termined. The  important  question  for  the  engineer  is: 
Can  the  oil  be  produced  in  quantity  and  at  a  cost  that 
will  make  it  available  for  ore  flotation  ? 


468 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS, 


September  23,  1916 


©D5&©<S2a$5?si&] 


Headers  of  the  MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  invited  to  ask  questions  and 
aire  information  dealing  with  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  prac- 
tice of  mining,  muling,  and  smelting. 


Cupro-descloizite  is  the  vanadate  of  lead,  zinc,  and 
copper.  It  is  a  rare  mineral  found  at  Camp  Signal  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  California. 


A  ton  of  Atlantic  Ocean  water,  evaporated,  yields  81 
lb.  of  salt ;  while  equal  quantities  from  the  Pacific  Ocean 
and  Great  Salt' Lake,  Utah,  gives  79  and  175  lb.,  re- 
spectively. 

The  latent  heat  of  fusion  of  gold  is  163  calories.  In 
the  case  of  most  metals  the  latent  heat  of  fusion  is  about 
one-third  the  heat  required  to  raise  the  metal  from  abso- 
lute zero,  -  273°  C,  to  its  melting-point. 


princess  called  No-ni-shee,  'the  maid  who  put  the  salt  in 
Great  Salt  Lake '  by  her  weeping.  As  is  well  known,  the 
Emma,  an  old  copper  mine  in  the  Cottonwoods  is  being 
re-opened,  and  not  far  away  are  the  great  copper  mines 
of  Bingham  Canyon. 

Not  more  than  30%  of  the  timber  in  the  forests  of 
the  United  States  is  ever  utilized  as  lumber,  according 
to  figures  recently  compiled  by  the  office  of  Industrial 
Investigations  of  the  Forest  Service.  Seventy  per  cent, 
chiefly  in  tops,  limbs,  stumps,  bark,  saw-dust,  slabs,  and 
small  and  defective  trees,  is  for  the  most  part  wasted. 
Of  the  wood  in  the  individual  tree,  33.5%  is  made  into 
lumber,  and  of  the  logs  that  reach  the  mill  40.3%  is 
worked  up  into  lumber.  How  this  waste  occurs  is  well 
illustrated  in  the  saw-kerf  or  saw-dust,  which  averages 
13%  of  the  log.  This  means  that  for  every  seven  one- 
inch  boards  sawed  from  a  log,  one  board  is  wasted  in 
saw-dust. 


Gold  in  ore  of  south-eastern  Alaska,  principally  in 
the  Juneau  district,  averaged  $1.79  per  ton  in  1915,  and 
silver  1.5  cents,  against  $2.43  and  0.8  cents  in  1914,  re- 
spectively.   Nearly  3,000,000  tons  was  treated. 

Burning  powdered  coal  is  the  best  method  by  which 
to  obtain  perfect  combination  of  the  air  and  coal,  and 
by  which  the  highest  degree  of  perfection  in  combustion 
may  be  obtained.  The  greatest  precision  is  required  in 
its  control  in  order  to  produce  satisfactory  results. 


Glassware  for  chemical  purposes,  equal  to  the  fa- 
mous Jena,  Germany,  product,  is  now  being  made  in  the 
United  States,  according  to  Allen  Rogers,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Chemical  Society.  The  domestic  glass  is  to  be  ex- 
hibited at  the  Second  National  Exposition  of  Chemical 
Industries  at  New  York  on  September  25.  Many  other 
American  products  will  be  on  view,  also  moving  pictures 
showing  certain  industries. 

Fires  have  been  common  in  the  United  Verde  copper 
mine  for  22  years.  The  soft  and  highly  pyritic  (mostly 
chalcopyrite)  nature  of  the  ore  is  responsible  for  most 
of  these  outbreaks.  The  Plenum  system  of  fighting  the 
fires  has  been  successful  since  1905.  Briefly,  this  con- 
sists of  forcing  air  under  pressure,  2  to  5  lb.  per  sq. 
in.,  into  the  fire  area.  The  air  pressure  varies  with  the 
gas  pressure,  and  must  be  sufficient  to  keep  back  the  gas 
and  to  cool  the  ground,  so  that  work  can  be  done. 


Copper  relics  of  a  pre-historic  age  have  been  dis- 
covered in  a  mine  of  the  Cottonwood  district  near  Salt 
Lake  City.  Besides  copper,  iron,  and  flint  tools,  a  marble 
tablet  decorated  with  crude  drawings  and  hieroglyphics 
apparently  of  Indian  origin  has  been  found.  Native 
copper  ore  exists  in  the  rocks  near-by,  suggesting  the 
source  of  the  copper  in  the  tools.  The  exact  location  has 
been  kept  secret.  Many  interpretations  have  been  de- 
vised to  account  for  the  drawings  and  hieroglyphics  on 
the  marble  tablet ;  one  story  concerns  a  black-eyed  Indian 


Gun-cotton  was  discovered  by  Schonbein  at  nearly 
the  same  period  that  nitro-glycerine  was  discovered  by 
Sobrero.  Trials  were  made  in  1846  by  the  French  war 
department  to  utilize  gun-cotton,  but  though  chemists 
like  Pelouze  worked  for  years,  an  unfavorable  report 
was  made,  as  too  many  spontaneous  explosions  ensued. 
Later  in  Austria,  a  careful  investigation  after  improve- 
ments by  Baron  von  Lenk  indicated  the  practicability 
of  using  gun-cotton  for  fire-arms  as  well  as  blasting. 
Schonbein 's  discovery  indicated  that  when  cotton- wool 
is  steeped  in  a  mixture  of  strong  sulphuric  and  nitric 
acids,  a  transformation  into  gun-cotton  takes  place  al- 
most without  change  in  appearance.  Gun-cotton  is  not 
so  powerful  nor  so  cheap  as  nitro-glycerine  and  is  there- 
fore not  so  much  used  in  mining,  but  has  the  advantage 
of  not  freezing.  Blasting  gelatine,  an  important  modern 
explosive,  is  made  by  dissolving  gun-cotton  in  nitro- 
glycerine. 

Dynamite  of  the  variety  known  as  '  straight  dynamite ' 
and  of  the  strength  known  as  40%  contains  40%  of 
nitro-glycerine,  44%  of  sodium  nitrate  (which  is  the 
principal  ingredient  of  black  powder),  15%  of  wood 
pulp,  and  1%  of  calcium  or  magnesium  carbonate.  A 
typical  60%  dynamite  contains  60%  nitro-glycerine, 
23%  of  sodium  nitrate,  16%  of  wood  pulp,  and  1%  of 
calcium  or  magnesium  carbonate.  Low-freezing  dyna- 
mite or  the  ammonia  dynamites  are  not  so  powerful 
in  action  as  straight  dynamite.  A  low-freezing  dyna- 
mite of  50%  strength  contains  only  38%  of  nitro- 
glycerine, the  other  12%  being  a  nitro-substitution  com- 
pound. Ammonia  dynamite  absorbs  water  readily, 
which  is  a  disadvantage.  A  50%  ammonia  dynamite 
contains  only  27%  of  nitro-glycerine,  with  25%  of  am- 
monium nitrate,  and  36%  of  sodium  nitrate.  A  gelatine 
dynamite  of  50%  strength  contains  42%  of  nitro- 
glycerine, 1.5%  of  nitro-cellulose,  and  45%  of  sodium 
nitrate.  The  gelatine  formed  by  the  addition  of  nitro- 
cellulose to  nitro-glycerine  is  impervious  to  water,  and 
this  explosive  is  adapted  for  wet  blasting. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


46!) 


REVIEW    OF    MINING 

At  teen  at  the  world't  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  corrapvndentt. 


LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 

Anuiiikk  Drvinm.i.  Siiikmk. — Another  Dredoe  to  be  Bvii.t. — 

ALLEGHENY,    PBOBRCBBIYK,    ami    Garih  TT    IMPROVEMENTS. 

Drainage  of  the  entire  Leadville  district  to  a  considerable 
depth  is  now  practically  assured.  The  Down  Town  section  has 
been  unwatered  through  the  Penrose  shaft  to  a  depth  of  978 
ft.;  Fryer  hill  and  the  Big  Evans  basin  have  been  drained 
through  the  Harvard  shaft  to  a  depth  of  800  ft.,  and  sinking 
of  the  shaft  is  about  to  be  started:  the  Mikado  shaft  on  Iron 
hill  is  being  prepared  for  unwatering  that  immense  area  to  a 
depth  of  1100  ft.;  and  another  large  unwatering  enterprise 
has  been  launched  for  draining  part  of  California  gulch  and 
Bock  bill  through  the  La  Plata. 

Still  another  drainage  project  is  being  perfected  to  operate 
through  the  Wolftone  shaft,  where  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.  and 
Western  Mining  Co.  recently  completed  unwatering  to  the 
1000-ft.  level,  and  through  the  Greenback  shaft  adjoining. 
Layne-Bowler  electrical  deep-well  pumps  have  been  installed 
in  both  properties  under  the  direction  of  W.  E.  Jones  of  Los 
Angeles.  The  pumps  in  both  shafts  will  be  lowered  together 
early  in  the  week,  and  pumping  will  be  continued  until  the 
water-level  has  been  forced  below  the  Wolftone  shaft-bottom, 
at  a  depth  of  1320  ft.  The  sinking-pumps  will  be  connected 
with  large  station-plants  of  steam  machinery  that  are  in- 
stalled at  1000  ft.  in  the  Wolftone  and  at  900  ft.  in  the  Green- 
back. These  relief  pumps  will  throw  the  water  to  the  surface. 
The  two  plants  will  pump  2500  gal.  per  minute.  The  Wolftone- 
Greenback  scheme  is  regarded  as  being  the  most  important 
pumping  project  that  has  yet  been  undertaken  in  the  dis- 
trict, because  it  will  open  to  mining  a  more  extensive  area  of 
rich  territory  and  at  greater  depth  than  any  previous  un- 
watering has  done.  Together  with  the  Mikado,  which  is  ex- 
pected to  be  pumping  within  the  next  there  months,  the  Green- 
back and  Wolftone  will  form  the  strongest  combination  in  the 
district.  When  these  enterprises  are  completed,  the  district 
will  be  drained  from  Rock  hill  on  the  south  to  Prospect 
mountain  on  the  north,  and  from  the  Down  Town  section  on 
the  west  to  Adelaide  park  on  the  east,  a  territory  about  16 
miles  square. 

The  second  dredging  company  to  enter  the  Leadville  dis- 
trict is  now  being  formed  by  John  R.  Champion,  former 
superintendent  of  the  Yak  Mining,  Milling  &  Tunnel  Co.,  who 
has  secured  control  of  a  large  tract  of  placer  ground  in  the 
mouth  of  Iowa  gulch.  For  several  weeks  he  has  been  pros- 
pecting this  area  with  shafts  from  10  to  15  ft.  deep,  yielding 
from  45c.  to  $1.50  per  cu.  yd.  so  far.  These  results  are  re- 
garded as  ample  justification  for  the  installation  of  a  dredge. 
At  present  the  water  problem  is  delaying  progress,  as  it  will 
be  difficult  to  secure  enough  to  float  the  boat,  especially  when 
it  begins  to  advance  up  the  gulch.  This  obstacle  will,  however, 
be  overcome  as  the  gold-content  is  too  high  to  be  discarded. 
Operations  may  not  be  undertaken  until  next  spring,  but  not 
later. 

-  A  long  term  lease  has  been  secured  by  W.  E.  Bowden  on 
the  Allegheny  mine  on  Yankee  hill,  in  the  centre  of  one  of 
the  richest,  and  at  present,  most  active  sections  of  the  dis- 
trict. The  property  is  surrounded  by  the  Mikado,  Robert 
Emmet,  McCormick,  and  El  Paso,  and  directly  in  line  with 
the  great  ore-shoots  that  have  been  developed  through  these 
and  other  near-by  properties.  At  present  work  at  the  Alle- 
gheny is  confined  to  re-timbering  the  shaft,  which  is  700  ft. 


deep.  A  steam  plant  has  been  installed  at  the  shaft,  but  as 
soon  as  the  re-timbering  is  finished,  a  modern  electric  plant 
will  be  put  in.  The  sinking  of  the  shaft  several  hundred  feet 
will  follow,  as  it  is  proposed  to  cut  the  Ponsardln  ore-shoot, 
which  dips  under  the  Allegheny  to  the  north-east. 

In  charge  of  Warren  F.  Page,  the  old  Progressive  mine  on 
Fryer  hill  has  been  re-opened  and  the  shaft  is  being  re- 
timbered.  A  new  electric  surface  plant  has  been  installed, 
and  work  is  being  done  as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  Progressive 
was  one  of  the  bonanzas  of  the  early  days,  when  Fryer  hill 
was  the  scene  of  the  greatest  excitement  in  the  history  of  the 
district.  At  that  time  the  mine  was  a  consistent  producer 
of  high-grade  silver  ore.  Ten  years  ago  it  was  operated  by 
lessees,  who  also  extracted  some  similar  grade  ore,  but  the 
closing  of  other  mines  adjoining,  which  were  then  pumping, 


■■■■■ 

■ 

6 

■A/ 

GREENBACK  SHAFT  AT  LEFT,  WOLFTONE  AT   RlfiHT;    NEW  DRAINAGE 
SCHEME   AT  LEADVILLE. 

drowned  the  high-grade  stopes.  Since  then  no  work  has  been 
done,  and  undoubtedly  it  would  still  be  idle  but  for  the 
draining  of  Fryer  hill  through  the  Harvard  shaft,  an  under- 
taking just  completed  by  the  United  States  Smelting,  Refining 
&  Exploration  Company.  An  extensive  campaign  of  develop- 
ment has  been  planned  by  Mr.  Page  for  the  re-opening  of  the 
rich  stopes  supposed  to  be  uncovered  in  the  bottom  levels. 

The  manager  of  the  Garbutt  mine,  John  Cortellini,  is  now 
completing  plans  for  the  construction  of  a  250-ton  mill  for  con- 
centrating the  gold-bearing  ore  that  is  being  extracted  from 
the  Garbutt  and  Ibex  No.  3  shaft  adjoining,  and  which  is  under 
lease  to  Cortellini  and  his  partners.  The  orebody,  which  is  an 
immense  porphyry  cap,  is  the  largest  now  open  in  the  dis- 
trict. The  daily  output  is  250  tons,  and  it  is  stated  that  the 
ore  will  average  $20  per  ton.  Production  is  now  shipped 
directly  to  smelters,  and  is  subjected  to  a  heavy  treatment 
charge  that  would  be  saved  if  the  ore  were  concentrated  be- 
fore shipping.  It  is  estimated  that  the  plant  proposed  for  the 
Garbutt  will  cost  between  $60,000  and  $70,000.  At  the  present 
rate  of  production,  this  amount  would  be  realized  on  reduced 
costs  in  one  month.  A  small  but  continuous  fissure  of  rich 
gold-copper  ore  has  been  opened  recently  in  the  Garbutt,  and 
is  now  being  developed  through  10  levels.  The  vein  averages  3 
ft.  in  width,  from  which  50  tons  per  day  is  being  extracted. 


470 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS. 


September  23,  1916 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 
Butte  &  Bacobn  Affairs. — Slag  Treatment. 

The  re-organization  of  the  Butte  &  Bacorn  has  put  the 
property  under  the  control  of  the  newly  formed  Great  Butte 
Copper  Co.  The  failure  of  the  Butte  &  Bacorn's  fiscal  agents 
in  1907  left  the  company  $14,000  in  debt.  This,  with  the  cost 
of  maintaining  the  property,  of  perfecting  title  to  unpatented 
claims,  of  taxes  and  litigation,  has  resulted  in  a  debt  of  $50,000 
and  interest.  The  indebtedness  is  secured  by  a  mortgage 
that  has  been  overdue  since  1912.  Foreclosure  proceedings 
were  commenced  some  time  ago,'  and  a  re-organization  of  the 
company  would  have  been  effected  through  the  courts  if  the 
shareholders  had  not  been  successful  in  their  efforts  to  re- 
organize it.  The  new  company  has  a  capital  of  $1,000,000. 
The  shares  have  a  par  value  of  $1 ;  200,000  of  them  are  in  the 
treasury.  All  of  the  property  of  the  Butte  &  Bacorn  was  sold 
to  the  new  company  for  400,000  shares,  or  one-half  of  the  stock 
which  is  to  be  issued.  This  gave  holders  one  share  of  new 
stock  for  each  10  shares  of  Butte  &  Bacorn  stock.  The  re- 
maining 400,000  shares  were  sold  at  66c.  per  share,  and  the 
fund  so  realized  amounts  to  $264,000.  The  plan  had  the  same 
effect  as  though  each  holder  had  given  up  half  of  his  stock  to 
be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  enterprise.  Out  of  this  fund 
the  old  company's  debts  will  be  paid.  The  Calumet  shaft  has 
been  bought  back  for  $19,000.  It  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  1000 
ft.  just  outside  of  the  company's  line,  but  on  ground  which  was 
held  under  option  at  that  time.  For  this  $19,000  the  company 
will  get  only  the  shaft  and  such  surface  as  is  necessary,  but  it 
will  hold  an  option  on  the  mineral  rights  of  the  three  adjoin- 
ing claims  on  the  same  terms  that  the  Butte  &  Bacorn  had  in 
1907.  The  company  will  have  $180,000  available  for  continuing 
development.  The  shaft  will  be  pumped  out  and  repaired,  and 
some  driving  and  cross-cutting  done  on  the  1000-ft.  level. 
Sinking  of  the  shaft  to  the  1500-ft.  level  will  be  started,  and  the 
company  has  enough  money  to  drive  5000  ft.  of  drifts  and 
cross-cuts  at  that  depth.  Several  large  veins  outcrop  on  the 
company's  ground,  and  good  copper  ore  has  been  shipped  from 
one  of  them.  The  property  is  one  mile  north  of  the  Butte  & 
Superior.  It  is  presumed  that  the  veins  have  been  leached  of 
most  of  their  mineral-content  from  the  surface  to  the  700-ft. 
level;  below  that  level  either  copper  or  zinc  may  be  found. 
The  copper-bearing  veins  of  the  Butte  district  contain  iron 
oxide  at  the  surface,  while  the  outcrops  of  the  silver-zinc  veins 
consist  mainly  of  quartz,  stained  with  manganese  oxide.  The 
surface  conditions  indicate  that  the  veins  will  be  copper  bear- 
ing at  depth,  and  as  the  management  is  capable  and  efficient 
the  Great  Butte  Copper  Co.'s  chances  of  becoming  a  copper 
producer  are  considered  good. 

The  high  price  of  copper  makes  it  possible  to  ship  some  of 
the  slag  dumps  accumulated  at  the  old  smelters  near  Butte. 
The  slag  that  contains  the  most  metal  is  usually  in  the  lower 
parts  of  the  dumps.  This  is  the  slag  that  was  made  when  the 
smelters  were  first  blown-in,  and  after  covered  to  a  depth  of 
20  ft.  with  slag  that  is  too  low  in  copper  to  be  profitably 
worked.  The  lower  stratum  is  being  mined  and  the  over- 
burden held  in  place  by  timbering.  The  tailing  dumps  from 
the  old  concentrators  have  been  worked  for  years.  The  acid 
mine-water  is  used  to  leach  them  and  the  copper  precipitated 
on  scrap  iron.  In  some  cases  tailing  was  covered  with  slag, 
and  in  places  where  the  slag  is  not  too  deep  it  is  being  re- 
moved and  the  tailing  that  seems  to  be  worth  more  than  the 
average  is  shipped  to  a  smelter.  The  slag  is  useful  as  an 
ingredient  in  concrete,  and  about  100  tons  per  day  is  used  for 
that  purpose.  Granulated  slag  from  the  Anaconda  smelter 
has  been  tried  as  ballast,  but  it  does  not  pack  well  and  is  not 
generally  considered  satisfactory  for  that  purpose. 

Two  electric  motors,  a  tube-mill,  Deister  tables,  and  other 
machinery  have  arrived  at  the  Ophir  mill  for  the  Butte- 
Detroit  company.  A  flotation  plant  may  be  erected  to  treat 
the  zinc-silver  ore.    The  shaft  is  completed  to  980  feet. 


JOHANNESBURG,  TRANSVAAL 

Cinderella  Consolidated  Affairs. — Fab  East  Rand. — Sunday 
Work  at  the  Mines. 

The  optimism  of  the  mining  financier  is  an  asset  to  the 
Rand.  The  chairman  of  the  Cinderella  Consolidated  assures 
the  shareholders  that  fresh  funds  to  re-start  the  mine  will  be 
found,  and  there  is  little  doubt  he  will  manage  it.  Already 
£1,250,000  has  been  spent  on  the  mine.  The  net  result  being 
that  after  a  lengthy  but  hand-to-mouth  existence  as  a  producer, 
the  mine  was  closed-down,  because  it  failed  to  pay  operating 
costs,  let  alone  debenture  interest  and  redemption.  However, 
George  Denny  has  made  a  report  on  the  mine,  and  share- 
holders— poor  beggars — have  been  regaled  with  crumbs  from 
the  rich  man's  table,  the  said  crumbs  being  assorted  fragments 
from  what  is  believed  to  be  a  very  bulky  document.  According 
to  the  chairman,  Mr.  Denny  reports  most  favorably  on  the 
future  prospects  of  the  mine.  The  reasons  given  for  the 
former  failure  being: 

(1)  Insufficient  working  capital  to  develop  the  mine 
properly. 

(2)  Mistakes  in  mining,  the  management  leaving  the  most 
profitable  portion  of  the  orebody  in  the  foot  or  hanging  wall, 
I  forget  which. 

-  Mr.  Denny  may  be  quite  right  and  bad  mining  may  be  the 
real  reason  for  the  mine  not  paying.  Have  the  shareholders 
any  right  to  grumble  at  the  past  management?  Certainly  not 
says  the  cheerful  chairman;  he  assures  them  that  the  mine 
was  most  capably  and  carefully  managed,  but  it  required  a 
special  genius  to  find  the  hidden  treasure.  This  having  now 
been  found  all  will  be  well.  After  reading  Mr.  Denny's 
report,  according  to  the  cheerful  chairman,  mining  on  the 
Cinderella  Con.  will  be  made  quite  easy  and  under  the  same 
three  Cs  management  as  in  the  past  the  right  and  not  the 
wrong  orebody  will  now  be  worked. 

A  lot  yet  remains  to  be  done  on  some  of  the  mines,  especially 
the  'deep-levels'  of  the  Far  East  Rand,  to  make  them  reason- 
ably healthy.  A  man  I  know  well  was  out  of  a  billet  and 
secured  a  shift-boss's  job  on  one  of  the  most  highly  boomed 
and  advertised  mines  in  that  district.  The  pay  was  £40  per 
month,  free  house,  water,  lights,  coal,  etc.  He  stayed  just 
three  days  and  left  of  his  own  accord,  saying  that  he  would 
not  stay  if  they  gave  him  £60  and  fed  him.  Smoke  and  dust 
simply  awful,  phthisis  in  six  months,  is  his  verdict,  and  he  is 
by  no  means  a  particular  person,  and  is  an  old  hand  at  mining. 
He  is  now  working  for  less  money  on  an  outcrop  mine,  where 
proper  attention  is  paid  to  health.  On  the  deeper  'deeps'  this 
sort  of  thing  seems  common. 

I  am  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  State  Mining  Engineer's 
report  on  the  Far  East  Rand.  The  Government  has  not  yet 
accepted  any  tenders,  and  report  says  that  the  American 
syndicate  did  little  or  no  business.  A  great  many  amiable 
people  are  insisting  that  all  the  wonderful  millions  guessed 
at  by  the  Government  engineer  must  be  kept,  in  the  country 
and  none  of  it  wasted  in  paying  dividends  to  oversea  share- 
holders. The  only  way,  according  to  these  enthusiasts,  is  for 
the  Government  to  develop  and  mine  the  areas,  and  keep  all 
the  profits  for  the  good  of  South  Africa.  It  is  a  great  pity 
that  the  Government  is  frightened  to  take  a  bold  line  and  let 
the  leases  to  responsible  people  and  get  the  work  going.  Of 
course,  they,  the  members  of  the  Government,  are  suffering 
from  a  failing  common  to  some  of  their  ancestors  "of  asking 
too  much  and  giving  too  little,"  and  they  are  a  bit  spoiled  by 
the  wonderful  terms  they  got  for  leasing  the  Modder  areas. 
But  the  personal  element  entered  very  largely  into  the  last 
deal.  Everybody  supposed  to  be  interested  had  been  consulted 
and  it  was  arranged  that  the  Mines  Selection  Company 
should  be  the  only  tenderer,  but  the  Corner  House  and  their 
associates  had  forgotten  to  consult  Barnato  Bros.,  who  at  the 
last  moment  put  in  a  more  favorable  offer,  and  obtained  the 
lease.     This  sort  of  thing  is  not  likely  to  be  repeated.     The 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


471 


least  speculative  areas  are  probably  iirakpan  It',  and  Birring! 
IS  and  the  bit  of  Geduld  adjoining  tho  Geduld  mines  and 
Sprints  IS.  Outside  of  this  area  the  ground  Ib  rerj 
latlve,  and  It  is  absurd  of  the  Government  to  bang  op  the 
exploration  and  development  of  the  district  by  being  so  greedy. 
It  would  bf  a  great  deal  more  to  the  advantage  of  South 
Africa  If  they  gave  fairly  generous  terms  to  the  enterprising 
firms  that  having  done  well  In  the  past  are  prepared  again  to 
take  chances,  but  In  return  for  really  good  terms  It  should 
be  a  tine  qua  non  that  every  possible  precaution  should  be 
Insisted  to  lessen  the  dust  and  smoke  which  in  most  of  the 
is  a  crying  scandal. 
Your  correspondent's  remarks  on  Sunday  labor  in  your 
number  of  June  24  seemed  like  very  ancient  history  to  us 
over  here,  the  ridiculous  idea  that  mining  should  be  kept 
going  every  day  of  the  week  has  long  ago  been  abandoned,  and 
it  seemed  funny  to  read  that  such  ideas  should  persist  on 
your  side.  For  our  local  conditions,  however,  we  have  not  to 
thank  any  particular  virtue  of  our  own  or  any  excess  of 
brain-power,  but  simply  that  long  ago  the  Government  made 
strict  regulations,  and  any  manager  who  broke  them  would 
soon  lose  his  ticket  and  his  job.  The  only  way  Mr.  Brown 
will  get  the  matter  reformed  is.  I  think,  by  the  strong  hand 
of  the  law,  although  I  admire  his  faith  in  human  nature  in 
thinking  it  possible  without  compulsion  to  knock  sense  into 
shareholders  and  directors.  Experience  has  taught  us  here 
that  eight  hours  underground  and  no  Sunday  work,  also  com- 
pulsory holidays  away  from  the  mines,  are  really  aids  to 
economic  working,  but  we  should  never  have  had  a  chance  to 
learn  this  if  the  law  had  not  compelled  us  to  do  so. 

PLATTEVILLE,  WISCONSIN 
Situation   hi  the  Zinc   Region   During   August. 

During  August  operating  companies  struggled  against  low«r 
offerings  for  zinc  ore  and  high  costs  of  supplies  and  labor,  but 
maintained  working  schedules  without  interruption  at  ail 
points  in  the  field,  production  and  shipments  comparing 
favorably  with  periods  of  higher  prices. 

The  month  opened  with  60%  zinc  concentrate  and  premium 
grades  on  a  basis  of  $60  per  ton.  This  price  was  shaded  to 
$50  per  ton  on  second  and  medium-grade  ore.  Products  assay- 
ing 40  to  50%  zinc-content,  offered  by  independent  companies, 
were  in  fair  demand  part  of  the  month,  and  some  found  its 
way  into  the  bins  of  the  zinc-ore  refineries  offering  a  market. 
Most  of  the  ore  that  tended  to  help  continue  nearly  normal 
production  came  from  the  groups  of  mines  operating  in  com- 
bination with  zinc-ore  refineries  or  the  smelter  companies.  A 
careful  estimate  of  surplus  on  August  26  showed  over  5000 
tons.  This  is  held  entirely  by  small  independents  who  can  ill 
afford  under  present  conditions  to  hold  such  a  dead  invest- 
ment. No  talk  of  a  shut-down  has  been  heard  anywhere  in  the 
field,  and  new  companies  just  completing  and  equipping  mines 
are  going  ahead  undismayed  at  the  rather  discouraging  con- 
ditions that  confront  them.  Leading  mine  managers  declared 
that  it  is  less  profitable  mining  and  selling  ore  on  present 
offerings  than  it  was  two  years  ago,  when  jack  sold  at  $40 
per  ton,  60%  basis.  Prices  for  mining  supplies  have  increased 
from  30  to  40%,  and  labor  is  high,  machine-men  being  paid 
from  $3.50  to  $4  per  shift;  miners  $3;  mill-men,  $25  per  week; 
muckers,  16c.  per  ton;  trammers,  $2.75  per  shift;  engineers, 
$100  to  $125  per  month;  underground  bosses,  $100  per  month; 
and  cartage  25c.  per  ton-mile.  At  the  same  time  the  managers 
consider  that  it  is  impossible  to  lower  wages,  as  men  of  all 
classes  are  in  great  demand  throughout  the  region.  It  is 
predicted  that  a  change  for  the  better  must  come  soon,  other- 
wise many  zinc  mines  will  be  compelled  to  suspend  opera- 
tions. There  does  not  appear  any  combination  of  circum- 
stances that  invite  a  change,  and  while  the  field  is  making  the 
best  showing  in  its  history,  there  is  a  feeling  of  suppressed 
discouragement.     Many   concerns   that  have   earned   enviable 


reputations  u  dividend-payers  with   lower  markets  have  de- 
clared no  distribution  of  profits  for  several   months, 

The  marketing  of  pyrlle  was  nominal.  Production  is  bound 
to  continue  without  abatement,  as  this  Is  Impossible  In  tho 
Wisconsin  field,  where  nearly  all  of  this  Is  secured  as  by- 
product at  the  zinc-ore  refineries.  Such  sales  as  were  made 
came  from  one  or  two  refineries  that  have  been  discreet  enough 
to  secure  contract  arrangements.  One  of  the  largest  refineries 
here  submitted  a  statement  near  the  end  of  the  month  that 
there  is  held  in  the  field  at  all  plants  more  than  15,000  tons 
of  Iron  pyrlte.  all  fine  secured  from  separation  of  zinc  ore. 

Shippers  of  carbonate  of  zinc  ore  experienced  another  dull 
month,  prices  apparently  being  good  but  the  demand  Indiffer- 
ent.   The  Hard  Fibre  Co.  of  Delaware  entered  as  a  new  buyer. 

Deliveries  of  ore  during  August,  up  to  and  Including  the 
26th,  were  as  follows: 

Districts  Zinc  Lead  Pyrlte 

pounds  pounds  pounds 

Benton    18,662,000  564,600  90,000 

Galena   5,808,000  

Mifflin     4,144,000  

Cuba     3,928,000  60,000         2,160.600 

Linden     3,504,000  77,970  160,000 

Hazel  Green   2,940,000  

Shullsburg    2,352,000  30,000  

Platteville     2,216,000  

Highland 850,000  

Montfort    342,000  

Mineral  Point   238,000  728,000 

Potosi     70,000  


Total    45,054,000 


732,570 


3,138,600 


The  gross  yield  of  crude  ore  from  all  mines  for  the  field 
exceeded  17,500  tons;  several  mines  that  had  accumulated 
large  stocks  of  concentrate  unloaded  this  surplus,  which  at 
the  beginning  of  the  month  stood  at  nearly  10,000  tons.  Net 
deliveries  out  of  the  field,  nearly  all  high-grade  refinery 
product,  totaled  9500  tons. 

SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Central  Eureka  Mine. — Argonaut  Mill. 

Delay  in  the  arrival  of  power  drills  is  given  as  the  reason 
for  deferring  the  proposed  sinking  of  the  Central  Eureka 
shaft.  The  sump  has  been  cleaned-out,  and  the  shaft-timbers 
put  in  good  shape  for  sinking  for  one  or  more  new  levels 
below  200  ft.  The  orebody  now  yielding  good  ore  on  the 
present  lowest  level  gives  indication  of  persistence,  and  a 
comparatively  short  cross-cut  from  the  shaft  should  reach  this 
ore  after  the  shaft  is  deepened.  Twenty  stamps  of  the  Central 
Eureka  40  are  in  operation.  V.  S.  Walsh  of  San  Francisco,  the 
president  of  the  company,  has  been  in  Sutter  Creek  during  the 
week,  conferring  with  superintendent  Fred  Jost. 

It  is  now  expected  that  the  beginning  of  the  year  will  see 
crushing  started  at  the  new  Argonaut  mill  at  Jackson.  The 
batteries  are  now  being  erected,  the  idea  being  to  complete  the 
installation  of  the  extra  20  stamps  with  which  this  mill  is  to 
be  equipped,  before  beginning  the  removal  of  the  present  40 
to  their  new  place,  and  by  moving  20  at  a  time,  there  need 
be  no  cessation  in  the  operation  of  at  least  40  stamps  while 
the  change  is  being  made,  a  portion  of  the  ore  going  to  supply 
batteries  at  each  mill  while  the  change  is  in  progress.  Cars 
on  a  steep  inclined  track  will  be  used  to  convey  the  ore  from 
the  bins  at  the  shaft  to  those  at  the  new  mill  800  ft.  west, 
and  this  will  be  so  arranged  that  one  employee  stationed  near 
the  shaft  can  regulate  the  cars  going  to  the  mill  and  return- 
ing, as  well  as  the  division  of  ore  for  the  different  batteries. 
A  number  of  improvements  will  be  incorporated  in  this  mill. 
Flooring  has  yet  to  be  laid  and  concentrating  machinery  has 
not  yet  been  installed,  it  being  deemed  expedient  to  do  this 
after  everything  else  is  complete. 


472 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS  . 


September  23,  1916 


ili'H!l!::i.i.iM:J.|!IM      :l.!  !l  ■  I.  i.l : 


iiiiiiiiiiiinnin in ;;,■ ■: 


The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA  Canfield.  Some  useful  maps  are  included.    Progress  at  the  gold 

and  copper  mines  of  the  Juneau,  Wrangell,  Ketchikan,  Prince 

Mining    developments    and    water-power    investigations    in      of  Wales,   and  other  islands  is  detailed.     The  value  of  the 

south-eastern  Alaska  are  described  in  Bulletin  642-B  of  the      mineral  output  in  1915  was  $5,435,586  of  gold,  $3.02,431  of  cop- 

U.  S.  Geological  Survey  by  Theodore  Chapin  and  George  H.      per,    and   $352,554   of   silver,   marble,   lead,   and   other.     The 


MAP  OF   THE   NORTHERN   PAST  OF   THE   JUNEAU  GOLD  BELT. 


September  88,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


it.; 


Juneau  district  produced  nmst  of  the  gold,  which  amounted 
to  8S.S58.3SS  from  1,989,780  tons  of  ore.  compared  with 
14467491  from  1.712.530  tons  In  1914.  The  Knsaan  peninsula 
was  the  centre  of  copper  mining  in  the  south-east.  From 
50,406  tons  of  ore  the  yield  was  1,788,181  lb.  of  copper,  also 
833.000  of  gold  and  silver.  The  streams  of  the  Territory  are 
Important  factors  In  Its  growth. 

In  Bulletin  642  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  is  a  report  on 
progress  of  investigations  during  1915  into  the  mineral  re- 
sources of  the  Territory,  by  Alfred  H.  Brooks  and  others.  As 
we  have  abstracted  freely  from  advance  chapters  there  is  no 
need  to  give  this  useful  publication  further  mention. 

n  mii  During  the  first  10  days  of  September  the  Alaska 
Cold  Mines  reports  that  the  average  grade  was  $1.51  per  ton, 
an  Increase  of  9c.  per  ton  over  August.  There  was  treated  in 
the  period  5U.150  tons,  equal  to  5000  tons  dally,  also  an  in- 
crease. 

ARIZONA 

Bisbee.  On  the  20th  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers  met  at  Blsbee.  E.  C.  Harder  discussed  the  manga- 
nese situation.  He  said  that  the  situation  in  the  United  States 
at  the  present  time  regarding  the  supply  of  manganese  ores 
and  alloys  of  manganese  Is  one  of  great  seriousness,  and  is 
likely  to  become  Increasingly  so  while  the  War  continues. 
The  dependence  of  America  on  foreign  countries  for  this  sup- 
ply is  being  forcibly  indicated.  Other  papers  dealt  with  the 
exhaustion  of  oil  and  gas  in  the  United  States,  geology  of  the 
Warren  district,  co-operative  effort  in  mining,  and  gold  and 
silver  deposits  in  North  and  South  America. 

Douglas.  The  first  of  the  technical  sessions  of  the  conven- 
tion of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  which 
is  meeting  in  Arizona  this  week,  were  held  on  September  19 
on  the  general  subjects  of  smelting  and  leaching.  Before  the 
opening  of  these  sessions  the  several  hundred  attending 
members,  who  are  traveling  through  the  State  by  special 
train,  visited  the  reduction  works  of  the  Copper  Queen  Con- 
solidated and  of  Calumet  &  Arizona  Co.  A.  G.  McGregor,  of 
Warren,  in  an  address  on  the  'New  Copper  Smelting  Plants 
in  Arizona,'  told  the  engineers  that  in  Arizona  during  the  past 
five  years  there  has  been  more  activity  in  copper-smelting 
plant  construction  than  in  the  same  length  of  time  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  Mr.  McGregor  said  that  in  this  period 
five  new  copper-smelters  had  been  constructed  and  put  in 
operation.  The  monthly  output  from  these  plants,  he  said, 
averages  from  5,000,000  to  1S,000,000  lb.  He  then  described 
new  problems  that  had  been  met  successfully  and  new  features 
in  plant  design  and  equipment  which  had  been  developed. 
At  the  evening  session  on  leaching,  Frederick  Laist  and 
Harold  W.  Aldrich  described  the  2000-ton  leaching  plant  at 
Anaconda,  Montana.  A  paper  on  'Possibilities  in  the  Wet 
Treatment  of  Copper  Concentrates'  was  read  by  Lawrence 
Addicks,  and  'Leaching  Tests  at  New  Cornelia'  were  dis- 
cussed by  H.  W.  Morse  and  H.  A.  Tobbelmann.  In  the  course 
of  the  day's  proceedings  John  C.  Greenway  welcomed  the 
members  to  Arizona  and  L.  D.  Ricketts,  president  of  the 
Institute,  responded  for  the  delegates.  The  party  left  for 
Bisbee  where  the  next  day's  sessions  were  held.  Mining  and 
geology  were  the  subjects  to  be  taken  up  in  the  technical  dis- 
cussions. 

Globe.  On  the  21st  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  En- 
gineers met  at  Globe  and  mainly  discussed  flotation.  The  Old 
Dominion  mine  and  works  were  inspected. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Gold  Dust  mill  has  started 
on  custom  ore,  treating  that  from  the  Gold  Dust,  Gold  Key, 
Big  Jim,  and  Lexington  mines.  For  a  month  the  work  will 
be  largely  experimental,  trying  the  process  of  superintendent 
Brush.  A  centrifugal  separator,  using  mercury,  is  part  of  the 
apparatus.  The  ore  is  reduced  to  minus  100-mesh  before  going 
to  this  machine. 

The  Big  Jim  mine  has  been  the  subject  of  rumors,  and  an 


attempted  bear  raid  on  shares.  The  mine  was  then  examined, 
resulting  In  shares  rising  to  over  $1.  Work  continues  at  GOO 
ft.  The  general  average  of  the  mine  ore  Is  claimed  to  be  820 
per  ton. 

'I'll.-  Tom  Heed  output  Is  now  at  the  rate  of  $125,000  per 
month. 

Oatman,  September  11. 

ARKANSAS 

Ykllville.  According  to  J.  H.  Hand,  August  shipments  of 
zinc  ore  amounted  to  79  carloads.  Stocks  are  estimated  at 
1500  tons.    The  Rush  district  supplied  34  cars. 

CALIFORNIA 

The  wage  situation  along  the  Mother  Lode  is  as  follows: 

On  September  14  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  employees 
by  Grass  Valley  companies: 

"We  have  learned  that  some  of  our  employees  believe  that 
they  are  entitled  to  larger  compensation  and  are  circulating  a 
petition  for  higher  wages,  stating  therein  among  other  things, 
that  they  are  not  in  favor  of  strikes,  etc..  but  believe  in  pre- 
senting their  matters  to  their  employer  by  petition.  While  it 
is  true  that  wages  of  copper  miners  have  been  increased  on 
account  of  the  high  prices  of  copper,  the  same  conditions  do 
not  prevail  in  gold  mines  where  the  production  brings  the  same 
price  and  where  the  cost  of  supplies  has  increased.  We  will, 
however,  commencing  October  1,  1916,  pay  the  miners  $3.25, 
and  shovelers  and  car-men  $2.75  per  day.  The  bonus  system 
will  be  continued  as  heretofore  until  further  notice.  We 
thank  you  for  your  co-operation  and  goodwill  of  the  past,  which 
we  hope  will  continue. 

Empire  Mines  Brunswick  Mines 

North  Star  Mines  Sultana  Mines 

Golben   Center  Mines     Union  Hill  Mines 
Allison  Ranch  Mines      Polab  Star  Mo.  Co." 

The  1000  men  employed  in  this  district  will  receive  about 
$50,000  extra  yearly.    The  increase  is  25c.  per  day. 

On  September  15  the  following  letter  was  mailed  from  Jack- 
son to  mine  operators  and  owners  in  Amador  county: 

"Pursuant  to  action  taken  by  Local  No.  135,  Mine,  Mill  and 
Smelter-workers  Union,  of  United  Federation  of  Miners,  we 
invite  you  to  meet  with  this  Union  to  discuss  the  matter  of 
establishing  a  uniform  wage  scale  for  Amador  county.  The 
Union  will  meet  you  individually  or  collectively,  preferring  the 
latter.  If  any  Operator  or  Owner  does  not  communicate  with 
us  respecting  this  matter  before  Monday,  September  18,  1916, 
it  will  be  taken  for  granted  that  such  operators  or  owners  re- 
fuse to  meet  with  us.  Trusting  this  meeting  will  be  agreed 
upon  and  a  friendly  understanding  had,  we  remain  most  re- 
spectfully, Local  No.  135,  Mother  Lode  Mine,  Mill  and  Smelter- 
workers'  Union.  By  James  Giambsuno,  secretary." 

An  answer  was  requested  by  Monday,  the  18th.  The  Key- 
stone, Little  Amador,  and  Old  Eureka  companies,  which  are 
paying  25c.  daily  more  than  the  others  are  not  included.  The 
wage  paid  by  the  former  is  $3.50  for  miners  and  $3  for  car- 
men and  muckers. 

On  the  15th  representatives  from  nearly  all  mines  in  Amador 
county  conferred  on  the  question  at  Jackson. 

(Telegraphic  Correspondence.) — Strike  on  today;  every 
mine  in  Amador  county  is  idle,  except  for  pumping. 

Sutter  Creek,  September  19. 

The  State  Industrial  Accident  Commission  reports  that  dur- 
ing 1915  there  were  533  fatalities:  1264  permanent  injuries, 
and  65,741  minor  accidents  in  all  industries.  Total  pay- 
ments amounted  to  $2,002,706,  up  to  June  30,  1916,  divided  into 
compensation  $1,150,504,  and  medical  payments  $852,203. 
There  were  13,254  injuries  out  of  the  67,538  that  lasted  15  days 
and  over.  The  death  list  is  a  decrease  of  158  compared  with 
the  previous  year. 

Angels.     Local  and  San  Francisco  men  have  organized  the 


474 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRES6 


September  23,  1916 


Angels  Deep  Mining  Co.  to  develop  the  Pioneer  mine,  near  the 
Gold  Cliff  and  Lindsay  mines.  The  shaft  is  100  ft.  deep,  and 
equipment  is  sufficient  for  500  ft.     J.  C.  Benson  is  in  charge. 

Foebestown.  Ore  treatment  problems  seem  to  have  been 
solved  here  by  extensive  tests  made  with  flotation  systems, 
according  to  M.  J.  Cooney. 

Grass  Valley.  The  Union  Hill  Mining  Co.  held  a  meeting 
at  San  Francisco  last  week.  F.  W.  McNear  is  president.  H. 
E.  Fluke  of  Pasadena,  one  of  the  largest  shareholders,  was 
re-elected  a  director.  W.  H.  Hamilton  was  elected  to  the 
directorate  in  place  of  G.  S.  Johnson.  E.  L.  Oliver  is  treasurer, 
and  Errol  MacBoyle  general  manager.  Sufficient  tungsten 
ore  was  extracted  to  pay  operating  charges,  and  there  is  10 
tons  of  it  on  hand.  The  main  shaft  is  to  be  sunk  400  ft. 
deeper,  and  electric  pumps  are  contemplated  to  reduce  costs. 

The  Empire  Mines  Co.  is  surveying  an  electric  tramway  one 
mile  in  length  to  connect  its  Empire  and  Pennsylvania  mines. 
A  35-lb.  rail  is  to  be  used,  also  a  6-ton  electric  loco  capable  of 
hauling  30  tons  of  ore.  The  present  60-stamp  mill  and  cyanide 
plant  is  to  be  increased  to  100  head  and  extra  treatment  capac- 
ity. The  two  mines  are  to  be  connected,  necessitating  sinking 
the  Pennsylvania  from  2600  ft.  to  4600  ft.  The  present  output 
is  415  tons  of  ore  daily. 

Plymouth.  The  Plymouth  Consolidated  reports  as  follows 
for  August: 

Ore  milled,  tons  10,600 

Total    value    $57,585 

Working   expenses    25,280 

Development   charges    9,838 

Surplus 22,467 

Other   expenditure    7,319 

San  Bernardino.  A  decision  in  the  lawsuit  over  the  Searles 
Lake  potash  deposit  in  San  Bernardino  county  was  given  by 
the  Superior  Court  of  this  county  on  September  14.  The  de- 
cision is  in  favor  of  the  defendants,  the  American  Trona  Cor- 
poration and  others,  in  an  action  to  quiet  title  brought  by  R. 
Waymire  and  E.  Thompson,  respectively,  the  claim-jumpers. 
It  is  unlikely  that  there  will  be  an  appeal. 

COLORADO 

Cripple  Creek.  An  examination  of  the  Cresson  mine  by 
Louis  S.  Noble  shows  reserves  on  August  1  to  be  201,388  tons 
of  ore  averaging  $31.10  per  ton.  The  net  profit  in  this  is 
estimated  at  $4,130,318,  or  $20.51  per  ton.  August  shipments 
were  at  the  rate  of  6300  tons  per  month.  The  1203  stope 
yielded  $33.33  per  ton. 

During  August  there  was  11,000  tons  of  $5  ore  moved  from 
the  old  Economic  dump  on  Squaw  mountain.  The  Economic 
Dump  Leasing  Co.  controls  the  material. 

Lessees  of  the  United  Gold  company  shipped  a  total  of  1700 
tons  of  $20  ore  to  the  Golden  Cycle  mill  in  August.  The 
mines  are  the  Trail,  Trachyte,  W.  P.  H,  Damon,  and  Viola. 

Lake  City.  To  treat  old  stope-fllling  and  ore  dumps  the 
Colorado-Utah  Mines  Operating  Co.,  owned  by  Salt  Lake  City 
people,  is  to  install  fine-grinding  machinery.  The  present 
mill  is  treating  40  tons  daily.  The  treatment  includes  table 
concentration  and  flotation,  yielding  copper-lead-silver-gold 
concentrate.    G.  E.  Edwards  is  manager. 

Rico.  The  Rico  Wellington  company  is  out  of  debt  and  has 
$6000  cash  on  hand,  also  27  cars  of  4  to  16%  copper  ore  in 
transit  to  smelters.  Profits  in  future  should  be  from  $15,000 
to  $20,000  monthly. 

Silverton.  August  was  a  record  month  for  shipments,  the 
total  being  1496  tons  of  crude  ore  and  5S30  tons  of  concentrate. 

IDAHO 

Hailey.  Early  in  October  the  new  300-ton  mill  at  the  North 
Star-Triumph,  operated  by  the  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting 
Co.,  will  be  ready  for  work.    The  mine  is  opening  well. 

Mullan.     In  an  extension  of  No.  6  tunnel  of  the  Morning 


mine  the  Federal  company  has  opened  a  new  orebody,  20  ft. 
wide,  carrying  high  zinc-content  as  a  sulphide.  This  shoot 
was  unexpected. 

Murray.  The  O.-W.  R.  &  N.  Co.  has  awarded  a  contract  for 
construction  of  its  new  Beaver  Creek  branch  to  Twohy  Broth- 
ers, railway  construction  contractors  of  Spokane  and  Portland, 
Oregon,  according  to  announcement  made  in  Spokane  by 
Robert  Twohy.  Work  will  begin  as  soon  as  crews  can  be 
recruited  and  machinery  assembled.  The  contract  price  is 
said  to  be  approximately  $200,000,  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
10-mile  line  will  be  completed  and  ready  to  operate  in  the 
next  six  months.  The  new  road  will  connect  with  the  Murray 
branch  of  the  O.-W.  R.  &  N.  at  Idora  spur,  and  will  provide 
transportation  facilities  for  the  Consolidated  Interstate- 
Callahan,  Ray-Jefferson,  Idora,  Tuscumbia,  Virginia,  Sunset, 
Toughnut,  Friend,  and  several  other  properties  in  the  district. 

Pine  Creek  District.  In  the  Denver  mine  adit  the  ore-shoot 
has  been  opened  for  140  ft.  The  last  sample  across  54  in. 
assayed  31%  lead,  20%  zinc,  and  19  oz.  silver  per  ton.  A  com- 
pressor is  being  installed.    W.  A.  Beaudry  is  in  charge. 

KANSAS 

Pittsburg.  There  are  over  600  smelter-men  out  of  work  in 
this  centre.  The  American,  Bruce,  and  Lanyon  smelters  are 
closed,  while  six  of  the  eight  furnaces  of  the  Pittsburg  com- 
pany are  down.  The  Joplin  Ore  and  the  new  smelter  at 
Weir  are  the  only  ones  in  full  operation,  and  the  former  is 
also  to  suspend  work. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  Ore  shipped  to  mills  during  August  was  as 
under,  in  tons: 

Franklin    23,400      Tamarack    33,525 

Centennial    13,100      Mohawk     54,000 

Allouez    41,100      Wolverine    28,500 

Mass    32,700      Ahmeek    106,300 

Superior    16,900      Osceola     119,250 

Hancock    18,500      Calumet  &  Hecla 275,600 

LaSalle    10,900      Copper  Range    111,300 

Isle  Royale   77,700 

These  figures  represent  a  normal  output  for  most  of  the  mines. 
Centennial  is  extracting  more  than  usual.  Allouez  should 
make  an  increase  in  September.  During  the  first  half  of  the 
year  White  Pine  has  treated  600  tons  of  ore  daily,  its  mill 
capacity  being  800  to  1000  tons. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Last  week  there  was  a  noticeable  falling-off  in 
zinc  and  lead  concentrate  sales.  The  'turn-in'  was  3238  tons 
of  blende,  70  tons  of  calamine,  and  862  tons  of  lead,  averaging 
$51,  $40,  and  $65  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value  was 
$235,059,  and  for  30  weeks,  $23,881,158. 

At  the  D.  C.  &  E.  mine,  near  Webb  City,  a  Layne  &  Bowler 
vertical  centrifugal  pump,  an  innovation  for  this  region,  is 
to  be  installed.    Its  capacity  is  1700  gal.  per  minute. 

MONTANA 

In  Bulletin  121  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  the  history 
and  development  of  gold  dredging  in  Montana  is  discussed  by 
Hennen  Jennings.  A  chapter  on  placer-mining  methods  and 
operating  costs,  by  Charles  Janin,  is  included.  These  were 
papers  read  at  the  second  Pan-American  Scientific  Congress 
held  at  Washington,  D.  C,  December  27,  1915,  to  January  8, 
1916.  The  publication  covers  63  pages,  and  has  30  illustrations. 
Montana  is  next  to  California  in  amount  of  gold  recovered  by 
dredging.  The  first  successful  bucket-lift  dredge  in  the  United 
States  was  erected  on  Grasshopper  creek,  Beaverhead  county, 
Montana,  near  Bannack.  Work  done  in  Alder  gulch  and  the 
Ruby  district,  in  Madison  county,  is  described,  especially  that 
of  the  Conrey  Placer  Mining  Co.  at  the  latter  centre.    Its  first 


September  88,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


475 


operations   were    In    1899,    since    then    37,000.000    cu.    yd.    of 
M  yard,  bus  been  dog.    This  Is  80%  of 
the  total  ynrdage  dredged  in  the  State.    Four  boata  are  now  at 
work.     These    are   electrically    driven.     They    handle 

15.    and    300.000    cu.    yd.    ouch.    respectively,    per 


MAP   OK    MONTANA. 

month.  No.  4.  in  May  1915,  moved  411,000  cu.  yd.  In  82% 
running  time.  Eighty-five  men  are  employed  to  operate  these 
four  boats  including  office,  etc.  In  1915  the  cost  per  yard  was 
5.99c.  on  an  excavation  of  3,632,677  yards.  Little  success 
has  been  reported  from  attempts  to  dredge  outside  of  these 
districts  of  Montana. 

NEVADA 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Eureka  district,  one  of  the 
oldest  in  Nevada,  again  reports  considerable  activity.  The 
Eureka  Mining  Bureau  has  been  formed  to  assist  operators  and 
investors.  The  California  mine  is  being  vigorously  worked  by 
lessees,  and  shipments  of  $40  to  $50  ore  are  made.  New  shoots 
have  been  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rhyolite,  an  unusual 
occurrence  in  this  district.  Similar  conditions  prevail  at  the 
Mortiner. 

A  new  shaft  is  being  sunk  at  the  Connolly  and  mine  build- 
ings are  under  construction.  Several  lessees  are  shipping 
good-grade  ore.  The  property  is  worked  by  New  York  capital- 
ists.   H.  G.  Catlin  is  manager. 

Other  active  properties  are  the  Huebner,  Marne,  Bull- 
whacker,  Barton,  and  Cyanide.  Developments  are  particularly 
brisk  on  Prospect  mountain  and  in  California  gulch. 

Eureka.  September  16. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  fair  potash  deposit  has  been 
discovered  by  Henry  Osborn  and  associates  in  Big  Wash 
canyon  in  the  south-western  part  of  White  Pine  county.  Nu- 
merous tests  return  4%  potash.  A  bond  has  been  taken  on 
the  deposit  by  San  Diego  people,  and  work  started.  An  abun- 
dance of  water  is  available. 

Shipments  of  gold-silver-lead  ore  are  being  made  from  the 
Elliott  property  at  Lyon  Springs,  near  Kimberly.  The  mine 
produced  rich  ore  years  ago,  but  has  not  been  active  for  a 
considerable  period.  It  recently  passed  into  the  hands  of 
W.  S.  Elliott,  formerly  of  Goldfield. 

Tungsten  mining  at  Bonita  continues  active.  The  Bonita 
group  is  producing  scheelite  and  the  mill  is  working  steadily. 
John  B.  Tilford  is  managing-owner.  Some  ore  is  going  to  the 
mill  from  the  Richardson  and  Poppish  mines.  Prospecting 
is  active. 

Ely,  September  8. 

Battle  Mountain.  We  have  received  information  from 
Breitung  &  Co.  Limited  of  New  York  that  it  has  purchased 
the  Plumas  Goodwin  group  of  claims  in  the  Galena  district, 
12  miles  south-west  of  Battle  Mountain.  The  property  is  to 
be  further  developed. 

Goldfield.  Final  figures  of  the  Goldfield  Consolidated  for 
July  are  as  follows:  26,700  tons  of  ore  gave  a  profit  of  $30,016. 
Net  costs  amounted  to  $5.63  per  ton.     Development  covered 


2117  ft.  at  a  cost  of  $4.97  per  foot.  In  the  Combination  mine 
the  north  and  south  drifts  at  ISO  ft.  depth  yielded  52  tons  of 
and  ni  ions  of  IS6.I6  or.-,  reepectrrely.  On  the  333-ft. 
level  of  the  Laguna-Red  Top,  sill  4061)  produced  82  tons  assay- 
ing $10.34  gold  and  2.46%  copper. 

Goodspbisus.  On  September  15  the  Yellow  Pine  company 
distributed  10c.  per  share,  equal  to  $100,000.  This  makes 
$700,000  for  the  current  year. 

Manhattan.  Development  In  the  White  Caps  mine  con- 
tinues to  be  satisfactory,  especially  at  300  ft.  A  new  vein  in 
limestone,  parallel  to  and  20  ft.  from  another,  Is  14  ft.  wide, 
assaying  $21  per  ton.  It  is  more  oxidized  than  any  other  ore 
at  this  depth.  A  10-drill  compressor  Is  to  replace  the  present 
one  of  4-drill  capacity.    Milling  machinery  has  been  ordered. 

Dexter  lessees  are  sending  ore  to  the  War  Eagle  mill. 
Wittenberg  &  Mushett  have  resumed  work  at  the  Big  Pine 
mine  and  mill.  The  new  ore-shoot  contains  200,000  tons.  In- 
stead of  screening  the  ore  as  before,  the  crusher  product  Is 
sent  direct  to  a  combination  mill  designed  by  the  owners, 
which  reduces  300  tons  daily,  using  65  hp.  With  Tonopah 
people  W.  &  M.  have  bonded  the  Wall  claims  near  the  Man- 
hattan  Summit.     Prospects  are  good. The  Train  &  Chase 

lease  on  the  Mustang  is  producing  $100  ore.  The  shaft  is  down 
225  ft.  on  the  incline,  showing  Improvement. 

In  the  past  six  months  the  Big  Four  lessees  had  four  lots 
of  ore  treated,  yielding  $40,  $49,  $52,  and  $125  per  ton,  re- 
spectively. 

New  ore-shoots  have  been  opened  on  all  levels  below  250  ft. 
in  the  Union  Amalgamated.    The  ore  milled  improves  steadily. 

The  Commercial  company,  and  lessees  Nelson  &  McFarland, 
Ray  &  Kryder,  and  on  the  Seyler-Humphrey  report  good  results. 

Rochester.  In  the  Four  J  workings  of  the  Rochester  Mines 
Co.  a  4-ft.  vein  of  $35  ore  has  been  cut,  200  ft.  west  of  any 
other  vein  in  the  mine.  The  company  is  constructing  a  2-mile 
aerial  tram  from  the  mine  to  the  mill,  thus  dispensing  with 
the  ground  tramway.  Machinery  to  bring  the  mill's  capacity  to 
200  tons  is  now  arriving. 

Seven  Troughs.  After  unwatering  its  1700-ft.  level  the 
Coalition  company  has  resumed  mining.  No  great  damage  was 
done  by  the  water. 

Tonopah.    Ten  mines  last  week  produced  a  total  of  9247  tons 

of   ore    valued    at    $192,326. During   August   the    Tonopah 

Mining  Co.'s  yield  was  8098  tons  averaging  $15.50  per  ton. 
The  profit  was  $59,570. The  Extension  company  has  re- 
sumed sinking  its  Victor  shaft  to  1S00  ft.  depth. The  Tono- 
pah Western  Consolidated  Mining  Co.  has  been  incorporated 
by  Butte  and  Boston  capital  to  develop  700  acres  between  the 
Tonopah  Bonanza  and  Great  Western  properties.  R.  H.  Gross 
of  Boston  is  president.    Important  results  are  expected. 

NEW    MEXICO 

Mogollon.  The  Socorro  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  shipped  ap- 
proximately 70,000  oz.  of  bullion  from  operations  in  August, 
and  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co.'s  output  for  the  period  was  over 
50,000  oz.,  a  total  of  more  than  3}  tons  of  gold  and  silver  for 
the  month,  in  addition  to  several  tons  of  high-grade  concen- 
trate. From  a  portion  of  this  district,  3  miles  wide  by  5  miles 
long,  more  gold  and  silver  is  being  regularly  produced  than  in 
all  the  remainder  of  New  Mexico  combined. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Hill  City.  The  new  mill  of  the  Hill  City  Tungsten  Produc- 
tion Co.  is  now  receiving  custom  ore.  The  plant  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  150  tons  of  ore  daily.  It  is  part  of  the  old  Harney 
Peak  tin  mill.  The  process  is  as  follows:  storage-bin,  jaw- 
crusher,  30  by  14-in.  rolls,  screens,  Vezin  sampler,  elevator, 
storage-bin,  pneumatic  jig  to  remove  mica  (a  nuisance  in  the 
Black  Hills),  screens,  trommels,  jigs,  Wilfley  tables,  Deister- 
Overstrom  slime-tables,  and  flotation  and  canvas  plant  for 
final  treatment. 


476 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1915 


An  interesting  feature  of  the  district  is  development  of  the 
Cowboy  mine,  which  is  estimated  to  contain  600  tons  of  1.6% 
tin  ore. 

UTAH 

Alta.  At  a  depth  of  289  ft.  the  diamond-drill  has  passed 
through  brecciated  limestone  in  the  Emma  mine.  Another 
hole  has  been  started  50  ft.  south.  The  geological  results 
are  watched  with  interest. 

As  ties  and  rails  for  the  Salt  Lake  and  Alta  railway  have 
been  delivered  at  Wasatch  it  is  expected  that  the  new  line 
will  be  complete  within  a  month. 

The  Wasatch  Mines  Co.  has  finished  the  open-cut  for  the 
portal  of  the  4000-ft.  adit  to  be  driven,  and  machine-drills 
are  now  pushing  ahead  in  solid  ground. 

Tintic.  August  profits  of  the  Iron  Blossom  were  $15,000,  in 
spite  of  small  shipments  on  account  of  the  smelter  embargo. 

The  Grand  Central  company  is  to  use  electric  motors  for 
hoisting  and  air-compressing.  C.  E.  Loose  controls  this 
property. 

A  recent  carload  of  ore  from  the  Gemini  realized  over 
$13,000.  The  assays  of  two  lots  returned  0.04  oz.  gold,  628.63 
oz.  silver,  2.33%  copper,  and  9.6%  lead;  and  18  oz.  gold,  5730.7 
oz.  silver,  6.15%  copper,  and  15.8%  lead. 

WASHINGTON 

Spokane.  Transactions  on  the  Stock  Exchange  are  as  fol- 
lows, dealings  being  done  in  Idaho,  Washington,  and  British 
Columbian  shares:  January,  922,397;  February,  780,823; 
March,  1,651,794;  April,  1,708,191;  May,  1,310,220;  June, 
867,836;  July  266,135;  and  August  809,800  shares. 

Valley.  At  the  Spokane  Belle  silver  mine,  32  miles  north 
of  Spokane,  E.  H.  Belden  has  opened  a  deposit  containing  20% 
of  tungsten.    The  formation  is  granite  and  schist. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Sllverton.  In  the  Alpha  adit  of  the  Standard  company  the 
face  now  shows  9  ft.  of  galena  that  assays  75%  lead  and  200  oz. 
silver  per  ton,  also  some  grey  copper.  The  extent  of  the 
shoot  is  not  yet  known.  The  July  profit  was  $56,609.  Sales  of 
lead  amounted  to  $47,775,  and  of  zinc  $63,890.  Dividend  No. 
44  absorbed  $50,000.  The  balance  on  August  1  was  $296,381. 
Ontabio 

Cobalt.  During  August  the  Nipissing  company  produced 
silver  worth  $203,89S,  from  the  treatment  of  152  tons  of  high 
and  7254  tons  of  low-grade  ores.  The  refinery  shipped  306,051 
oz.  of  bullion.  At  a  depth  of  425  and  520  ft.  in  No.  81  shaft 
the  Cobalt  Lake  fault  was  encountered.  It  is  12  in.  wide, 
containing  calcite,  and  from  4  to  6  oz.  silver  per  ton. 

Porcupine.  Following  is  the  Dome  record  for  the  current 
year; 

Tons  Gold  Value 

yield  per  ton 

January    31,600  $176,990  $5.58 

February    32,040  163,500  5.10 

March   34,300  173,381  5.05 

April     37,300  189,000  4.75 

May    39,400  189,600  4.88 

June    36,700  179,000  4.80 

July    38,150  181,000  4.74 

August    40,010  180,000  4.49 

Costs  were  $2.56  per  ton  during  August. 

In  the  four  weeks  ended  August  11  the  Hollinger  mill 
treated  43,387  tons  of  ore  averaging  $9.61  per  ton.  The  profit 
was  $220,357. 

The  Porcupine-Crown  company  is  sinking  to  900  ft.  At  S50 
ft.  the  main  vein  is  richer  than  above. 

A  150-ton  mill  is  contemplated  for  the  West  Dome  mine, 
where  development  has  been  very  satisfactory. 


Personal 


Note:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     Th  is  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


R.  A.  F.  Penbose  is  at  Denver.  ' 

Geobge  F.  Obeb  has  returned  from  Hongkong  to  Seattle. 

G.  Chester  Masteb  is  manager  of  the  La  Blanca  mine  at 
Pachuca,  Mexico. 

C.  Q.  Payne,  of  New  York,  was  here  this  week,  on  his  return 
from  Oatman,  Arizona. 

Hennen  Jennings  is  visiting  the  Mariposa  grant,  near 
Coulterville,  California. 

H.  Foster  Bain  is  going  to  China  in  October  and  is  expected; 
here  on  his  way  thither. 

R.  S.  Buedette  will  be  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  until  Mexican; 
conditions  are  more  settled. 

E.  T.  McCabthy  left  London  on  September  4,  going  to  the- 
Spassky  and  Atbasar  mines,  in  Siberia. 

Ren:6  E.  Rickard,  assayer  with  the  Seoul  Mining  Co.,  in 
Korea,  is  on  his  way  to  enlist  in  England. 

Fbancis  Chubch  Lincoln,  Director  of  the  Mackay  School  of 
Mines,  has  returned  to  Reno,  Nevada,  from  Bolivia. 

C.  M.  Campbell,  superintendent  of  mines  at  Phoenix,  B.  C.r 
for  the  Granby  Consolidated,  is  at  Winnipeg,  on  a  holiday. 

Wilson  W.  Hughes,  formerly  at  Guanajuato,  is  superintend- 
ent for  the  Monitor  Belmont  Mining  Co.,  at  Belmont,  Nevada. 

T.  W.  Gruetter  has  returned  from  Marysville,  where  the 
Tuba  company  is  experimenting  with  his  platinum-recovery 
process. 

Charles  F.  Williams,  formerly  mining  engineer  with  the- 
Cananea  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  Cananea,  Mexico,  is  now  at 
Reno,  Nevada. 

Frederick  G.  Fabish,  manager  of  the  Lluvia  de  Oro  Gold 
Mining  Co.,  is  on  his  way  to  Lluvia,  Chihuahua,  by  way  of 
Nogales  and  San  Bias. 

H.  C.  Woolmeb  retires  from  the  management  of  the  Spassky 
and  Atbasar  copper  mines,  in  Siberia,  at  the  end  of  the  current 
year,  becoming  managing  director. 

P.  O.  Wels  is  at  La  Fundicion,  Peru,  where  he  has  erected 
a  concentrator  for  the  Cerro  de  Pasco  Mining  Co.,  to  test  its. 
ores  by  gravity  methods  and  flotation. 

Lyon  Smith,  metallurgist  with  the  Snyder  Electric  Furnace 
Co.  of  Chicago,  has  resigned  to  become  assistant  superintendent 
for  the  River  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  at  Florence,  Colorado. 

H.  R.  Hanley,  formerly  general' manager  6f  the  Bully  Hill 
mine,  has  been  appointed  superintendent  of  the  zinc  plant 
now  under  construction  at  Kennett  for  the  Mammoth  Copper 
Company. 

Herman  Fleck,  for  many  years  head  of  the  chemistry  de- 
partment at  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines,  has  resigned  to 
engage  in  private  business,  being  associated  with  the  Chemical 
Products  Company  of  Denver,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the 
founders. 


[Several  inquiries  .have  been  received  asking  for  a  pamphlet 
edition  of  Mr.  F.  H.  Probert's  articles  on  the  'Surficial  Indica- 
tions of  Copper.'  We  are  glad  to  say  that  such  pamphlets  are 
now  obtainable  at  this  office  for  the  nominal  price  of  50  cents. 
— Editor.] 

Anton  Huth,  the  president  of  the  South  Keystone  M.  Co.  of 
Amador  City,  died  at  his  home  at  Spanaway,  Washington, 
recently.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany,  aged  63  years,  and  was 
identified  with  a  number  of  large  business  enterprises  in 
Tacoma,  in  addition  to  his  Mother  Lode  interests. 


September  83,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


477 


THE    METAL    MARKET 


metai.  ran  i> 

San  Francisco.  September  19. 

Antimony,  centfl   p.-r   pound    11 

Electrolytic  copper,  rents   per  pound 28 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.25 


Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce. 

Quicksilver:  per  Mask  of  75  lb 

Spelter,   cents   per   pound 

Tin.  cents  per  pound    

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    


185—89 

$75 
12 
41 
20 


ulti:   PRICES 


San  Francisco.  September  19. 
Antimony:  50*^  product,  per  unit   (1%  or  20  lb.)....  $1.00 

Chrome:  45r'r  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  13. 00 — 15.00 
Manganese:   50Vr  product,   f.o.b.  cars  California,  ton.  12.00 

Magneslte:  crude,  per  ton  7.00 

Tungsten:    60^   WO*   per   unit 15.00 

New  York.  September  13. 

Antimony:  This  ore  is  lirmer.  but  only  small  business  has 
been  done  at  prices  ranging  from  $1  to  $1.10,  immediate  de- 
livery. 

Tungsten:  Business  has  been  quieter.  Small  quantities  are 
available  around  $17  per  unit,  but  most  of  the  holders  want  $20. 
In  the  recent  export  buying,  probably  800  tons  was  taken  for 
prompt  shipment.  Other  negotiations  are  pending,  but  show  a 
tendency  to  close  very  slowly. 

EASTERN   METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
September  19. — Copper  is  active,  prompt  metal  is  scarce;  lead 
Is   quiet,    independents   are   bullish;    spelter    is    quieter,    though 
firm  abroad. 

SILVER 
Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  In  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Sept.  13 68.00 

"       14 68.25 

IS 68.00 

••       16 68.25 

17   Sunday 

•       18 68.75 

"       19 68.62 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.      8 65.31 

"      15 66.48 

"      22 66.08 

"      29 66.41 

Sept.     5 67.67 

"      12 68.10 

"      19 68.31 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May     58.21 

June   56.43 


1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
61.88 
65.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 


The  above  quotations  indicate  a  market  with  a  firm  under- 
tone, the  fluctuations  probably  being  due  to  demand  and  specu- 
lation. 

Writing  on  August  24,  Samuel  Montagu  &  Co.  of  London  said: 
"The  amount  of  disposable  silver  has  been  so  small,  and  the 
prospect  of  larger  supplies  coming  out  at  an  advance  in  price 
so  slight,  that  buyers  for  coinage — a  demand  as  implacable  as 
ever — have  not  found  it  worth  while  to  compete  for  what  was 
offering.  This  policy  was  the  more  justifiable  owing  to  the 
large  amounts  obtained  from  China  recently,  when  sales  were 
made  freely  from  that  quarter.  During  the  week  the  China 
exchanges  had  a  hardening  tendency,  and  further  sales  seem 
unlikely  at  present.  The  hindrance  to  Mexican  mining,  which 
may  be  prolonged,  will  have  the  effect  of  further  reducing  the 
annual  output,  and  a  strong  statistical  position  will  be  created. 
Demand  promises  to  be  more  urgent  than  ever,  especially 
should  China  be  compelled  to  replace,  or  even  more  than  re- 
place, the  heavy  sales  of  the  last  year  or  so,  while  the  quantity 
of  supplies  will  be  decidedly  less." 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Sept.  13 28.12 

"      14 28.25 

"      15 28.25 

"      16 28.37 

17  Sunday 

"      18 28.37 

"      19 28.37 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.      8 25.58 

"      15 26.75 

"      22 27.62 

"      29 28.00 

Sept.     5 28.00 

"      12 28.06 

"      19 28.29 


1914. 

Jan 11.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   13.60 


13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.76 
August     litmus     were 


Monthly  averages 
1915.        1916. 

24.30       July 

26.62 

26.66 

28.03 

29.02 

27.47 


1914. 
.13.26 

Aug.    12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 


Arizona  Copper,  4.800.000  111.;  Greene 
Cananea.  6.000.000;  Chile  Copper,  3,020.000;  Shattuck-Arlzona. 
1,699,675;  Utah  Copper,  20,000.000;  Mohawk,  1,049,460;  Wolverine, 
517,851  pounds. 

Shattuck-Arizona  pays  75c.  and  75c.  on  October  20;  Superior 
Copper  pays  $1  on  October  10;  also  Ahmeek  $4  on  the  same  date. 
LEAD 
Lead  is  quoted  In  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Sept.  13 6.75 


14. 

15 

16 

17  Sunday 

18 

19 


6.75 
6.75 
6.85 

6.85 
6.85 


Average  week  ending 


Aug.  8. 
"  15. 
"  22. 
29. 
5. 
12. 
19. 


Sept. 


6.98 
6.95 
6.32 
6.75 
6.67 
6.73 
6.80 


Monthly  averages 


1914.        1915.        1916.  1914.        1915.        1916. 

Jan 4.11  3.73  5.95        July    3.80  5.59  6.40 

Feb 4.02  3.83  6.23        Aug 3.86  4.67  6.28 

Mch 3.94  4.04  7.26        Sept 3.82  4.62         

Apr 3.86  4.21  7.70        Oct 3.60  4.62         

May     3.90  4.24  7.38        Nov 3.68  5.15         

June   3.90         6.75         6.88       Dec 3.80         5.34         

Net  earnings  of  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  for  the  first  half  of  1916 
were  $11,145,693,  against  $5,019,981  in  this  period  of  1915.  Pre- 
ferred shareholders  received  $2,999,490,  and  common  $1,503,240, 
the  latter  a  gain  of  $503,210.  The  surplus  on  July  1  was  $6,642,- 
959,  an  increase  of  over  $5,600,000. 
ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Average  week  ending 

Sept.  13. 

9.25 
9.37 

"      22. 

.    8.69 

■'      14 

.    8.54 

"      15 

.    9.43 

"      16 

.  .    9.60 

"      29. 

.    9.37 

"      17 

Sunday 

Sept.     5. 

.    8.87 

"      18 

.  .    9.50 

"      12. 

.    8.87 

"      19 

.  ,    9.62 
Monthly 

"      19. 
averages 

.    9.46 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

..    5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July    ... 

.    4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

Feb.    . . . 

.  .    5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug.    .  . . 

.    4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

Mch.    .  .  . 

..    5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept 

.    5.16 

14.14 

9.78 

18.62 

.    4.75 

14.05 

..    4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov.    .  . . 

.    5.01 

17.20 

..    4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec.    . . . 

.    5.40 

16.75 

On  September  15  the  Interstate-Callahan  company  declared  a 
quarterly  dividend  of  $1.50  per  share,  equal  to  $697,485.  This 
makes  $2,092,455  for  1916,  and  $4,649,900  since  April  1  of  last 
Vear-  QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date.  I    Sept.     5. 

Aug.   22 72.00  "      12. 

■'      29 77.00    I        "      19. 

Monthly  averages 


.77.00 
.75.00 
.75.00 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June    38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 63.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 


Spanish   quicksilver  in  London  is  quoted  at  $85.20  per 
an  Increase  on  recent  quotations  of  $76. 
TIN 
Prices  in  New  York,  In  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

Jan.    . . 

..  .37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

July    . 

.  ..31.60 

37.38 

38.37 

Feb.    . 

...39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Aug.    .  . 

...50.20 

34.37 

38.88 

Mch.    .  . 

.  ..38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

Sept.  . . 

.  ..33.10 

33.12 

Apr.    .  . 

..  .36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct.     .  . 

...30.40 

33.00 

May    .  . 

...33.29 

39.28 

49.10 

...33.51 

39.50 

June   .  . 

.  ..30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

Dec.    . . 

...33.60 

38.71 

.  . .  . 

Tin  is  steady  at  38.50  cents. 


478 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  23,  1916 


KSiSJli'S, 


M(Btml   Mustek 


New  York,  September  13. 

The  market  in  general  presents  a  better  aspect. 

Copper  is  active  both  on  domestic  and  foreign  account,  and 
prices  are  stronger.  Near-by  metal  is  scarce,  some  of  the  pro- 
ducers having  little  or  none  to  offer  until  November. 

A  great  deal  of  zinc  has  changed  hands,  brass  mills  and 
export  agents  having  been  good  buyers. 

Independents  have  been  taking  premiums  for  prompt  de- 
liveries of  lead,  and  it  is  anticipated  that  the  leading  interest 
will  advance  its  quotations. 

Tin  has  been  dull  and  uninteresting. 

The  antimony  market  has  continued  to  sag,  and  some  pro- 
ducers are  unwilling  to  sell  at  quoted  levels. 

Aluminum  is  stronger. 

The  iron  and  steel  market  continues  to  gather  strength.  A 
most  serious  problem  for  all  concerned  is  that  of  deliveries. 
Small  boiler-makers  who  do  not  buy  far  ahead  are  in  distress 
for  want  of  material,  and  some  say  they  may  close  their  shops. 
Eastern  Pennsylvanian  mills  have  inquiries  for  at  least  75,000 
tons  of  plates  from  consumers  who  fear  that  the  Government 
naval  program  will  absorb  1917  capacity  to  an  extent  which 
will  leave  them  in  the  lurch.  Prompt-delivery  plates  command 
4c,  Pittsburg.  New  steel  capacity  in  operation  since  Janu- 
ary 1,  or  to  be  in  operation  by  the  end  of  the  year,  represents 
an  additional  tonnage  of  about  3,200,000  tons  of  steel  ingots, 
yet  it  has  made  but  little  impression  on  the  situation.  The 
foundry  pig-iron  market  is  more  active,  but  prices  show  little 
change.    The  metal-working  machine  industry  is  about  normal. 

COPPER 

With  producers  asserting  themselves  to  be  well  sold-up  on 
near-by  metal,  some  saying  they  have  none  to  offer,  that  is,  any 
quantity  of  consequence,  this  side  of  November,  the  making  of 
prices  for  near-by  deliveries  has  been  practically  left  in  the 
hands  of  re-sellers,  and  it  begins  to  look  as  if  the  Iatter's 
stocks  were  becoming  small.  Near-by  metal  is  unquestionably 
scarce.  September  and  prompt  copper  is  held  at  2S  to  28.25c. 
by  re-sellers,  while  first-hands  quote  28c.  for  November,  27.75c. 
for  December,  and  27c.  for  first  quarter.  Domestic  consumers 
have  been  active  in  purchasing  fourth-quarter  metal,  and  there 
are  in  existence  many  inquiries  calling  for  that  position.  The 
market  has  been  strengthened  by  the  placing  of  new  orders  for 
brass  rods  and  other  munitions'  materials,  while  the  Allied 
governments  are  negotiating  for  a  large  quantity  of  copper, 
stated  to  be  125,000  tons.  The  contemplated  order  has  been 
under  consideration  for  some  days,  price  apparently  standing 
in  the  way  of  its  consummation.  It  is  reported  that  Great 
Britain  is  willing  to  pay  26c.  Late  last  week  Russian  interests 
placed  an  order  for  5000  tons.  The  foreign  business  is  mostly 
for  1917.  For  some  October  metal  for  shipment  to  Russia, 
28.50c.  was  paid.  The  brass  and  copper  mills  are  busier  than 
they  have  been  at  any  time  in  recent  months.  Two  or  three 
are  out  of  the  market  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.  For  rods, 
one  interest  asks  39c,  although  up  to  the  present  time  others 
have  asked  34c.  Many  of  the  rod  mills  are  using  brass  turn- 
ings, which  are  suitable  providing  they  do  not  contain  over 
3%  of  lead.  France,  through  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co.  has  been  an 
eager  buyer  of  these  turnings.  Brass  wire  is  difficult  to  pro- 
cure. It  is  quoted  at  38  to  39c.  per  lb.  The  London  copper 
market  is  stronger.  Spot  electrolytic,  the  base  of  quotations, 
was  cabled  yesterday  at  £132  against  £130  a  week  previous. 
Exports  from  September  1  to  13  totaled  10,472  tons. 

ZINC 

The  market  has  been  active  in  the  past  few  days,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  metal  has  changed  hands.    Foreign  interests  have 


bought  heavily,  while  the  domestic  brass  mills  have  placed 
orders  to  cover  new  War  orders.  Prompt  zinc  was  quoted 
yesterday  at  9.25c,  New  York,  and  9c,  St.  Louis.  For  last 
quarter  about  9.12ic  New  York,  and  8.87$e.  were  asked,  and 
paid.  Near-by  metal  is  scarce,  not  so  much  because  of  any 
actual  shortage,  but  because  of  the  disposition  of  producers  to 
hold  rather  tightly  to  what  they  have.  There  is  a  feeling  on 
their  part  that  higher  prices  are  logical  to  expect.  A  strength- 
ening influence  on  the  market  is  a  prospective  demand  from 
Canada  to  fill  a  large  munitions'  order.  It  is  said  that  the 
order  will  require  50,000  tons  of  prime  Western,  but  the  busi- 
ness has  yet  to  be  placed.  Strength  also  has  been  imparted  to 
this  market  by  an  advance  at  London,  where  the  spot  quotation 
yesterday  was  £52,  against  £49  a  week  previous.  A  London 
authority  says  that  a  fair  business  has  been  done  in  Great 
Britain  at  "very  full"  prices  for  early  delivery,  and  that  the 
Allied  countries  have  bought  for  early  shipment;  also  that  the 
European  markets  will  be  chiefly  influenced  in  the  near 
future  by  sailings  from  America,  which,  at  present  are  most  un- 
satisfactory. Exports  to  the  13th  totaled  4015  tons,  showing 
that  heavy  shipments  are  being  maintained.  Sheet  zinc  is 
unchanged  at  15c,  f.o.b.  mill,  carload  lots,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 
Briefly  the  situation  is  that  the  leading  interest  is  not  sell- 
ing except  to  regular  customers,  and  then  only  in  restricted 
quantities,  while  independent  producers  are  getting  premiums. 
The  principal  producer's  nominal  quotations  are  6.50c,  New 
York,  and  6.55  to  6.60c,  St.  Louis,  a  circumstance  which  has 
led  to  the  prediction  that  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  would  announce 
an  advance  at  an  early  date.  Most  of  the  buying  has  been  for 
prompt  and  early  deliveries.  On  the  surface  the  market  ap- 
peared  quiet,  but  it  gradually  became  known  that  a  good  busi- 
ness was  being  done,  some  of  it  with  foreign  consumers.  In 
the  case  of  a  special  transaction,  6.S7JC,  Philadelphia,  was 
paid.  At  London  supplies  are  reported  to  be  not  over-plentiful. 
The  London  quotation  for  spot  yesterday  was  £30,  or  £1  less 
than  a  week  previous. 

TIN 

The  market  has  been  dull  almost  continuously  since  the 
last  report,  but  prices  have  remained  fairly  firm,  despite  weak- 
ening influences.  One  of  these  is  the  continued  offering  of 
Banca  tin  at  prices  considerably  below  those  for  Straits.  Banca 
has  been  offered  as  low  as  36.50c.  Straits  (spot)  was  quoted 
yesterday  at  38.25c,  but  consumers  were  not  interested.  Most 
of  them  are  supplied  with  metal  for  which  not  a  few  paid 
prices  considerably  above  those  ruling  today.  Arrivals  this 
month,  up  to  the  13th,  total  865  tons;  there  is  afloat  3980  tons. 

ANTIMONY 
The  market  continues  to  sag,  and  offerings  are  reported  as 
low  as  lie,  duty  paid.  The  dullness  is  most  acute,  and  one 
large  Chinese  producer  will  not  take  business  at  present  levels. 
Needle  antimony  is  very  scarce,  and  holders  are  quoting  up  to 
16c  per  lb.  with  the  probability  that  they  will  get  this  price 
unless  supplies  are  augmented  by  new  arrivals. 

ALUMINUM 
The   quotation   for   virgin   aluminum,   98   to   99%   pure,   is 
strong  at  60  to  62  cents. 

In  the  half-yearly  bepobt  of  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  the  presi- 
dent, Daniel  Guggenheim,  states  that  the  profit  ($11,145,694) 
makes  an  abnormal  comparison  with  earnings  $5,019,982  in 
the  first  half  of  1916.  Last  year  prices  were  depressed;  this 
year  the  War  produced  a  reverse  effect.  Costs  have  advanced 
considerably. 


September  88,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


479 


Book  Reviews 


Hiiw  ro  Biild-I'i'  Fi  i;\  vc  >  RrriUUUOT.  By  Jos.  W.  Hays. 
P.  156.  111.,  Index.  Jos.  \V.  HajB,  publisher,  Rogers  Park, 
Chicago.  1916.    Price,  %1. 

This  work  Is  In  Its  10th  edition,  revised  and  enlarged,  and  Is 
described  as  a  hand-book  of  fuel  efficiency.  This  is  an  im- 
portant topic,  frequently  discussed  in  technical  papers,  and  the 
subject  of  numbers  of  text-books.  The  author  apologizes  for 
the  frequent  use  of  the  personal  pronoun,  but  says  that  the 
whole  book  Is  the  result  of  his  own  experience.  The  author 
speaks  straight  out  on  boiler  firing,  and  engineers  should  find 
something  of  value  In  the  book.  Some  of  the  sketches  are  out 
of  the  ordinary. 

The  Physico-Chemical  Properties  of  Steel.  By  C.  A.  Ed- 
wards, professor  of  metallurgy,  Manchester  University.  P. 
226.  III.  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  London,  and  J.  B.  Lip- 
pincott  Co.,  Philadelphia,  1916.  For  sale  by  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press.     Price,  $3.50. 

This  is  a  well-written  book,  thorough,  and  comprehensive. 
Much  information  has  been  sifted  into  readable  form.  The 
chemical  and  structural  constitution  of  steels  is  described, 
likewise  the  internal  changes  that  occur  when  steels  are 
heated  and  cooled  under  varying  conditions,  and  the  trans- 
formations of  the  iron-carbon  system.  High-speed  tool-steels 
and  the  various  alloy  steels  are  discussed,  also  the  theories  of 
hardening  steels,  and  the  effects  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus. 

Moleswortu  Pocket  Book  of  Engineering  Formulae.  27th 
edition.  P.  S65.  111.,  index.  Spon  &  Chamberlain,  New  York. 
For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $1.50. 

This  standard  English  pocket-book  has  been  thoroughly  re- 
vised for  the  latest  edition  and  an  electrical  supplement  has 
been  added.  To  those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  source 
and  character  of  the  book,  we  might  say  that  if  we  took  Traut- 
wine,  and  added  a  dash  of  both  Kent  and  Foster  and  boiled 
down  the  mixture,  eliminating  much  of  the  text  and  leaving 
little  besides  the  tables  and  formulae,  the  final  result  would 
be  similar  to  the  present  volume.  Part  of  the  contents  is, 
naturally,  more  applicable  to  English  than  to  American  prac- 
tice, but  most  of  is  is  equally  useful  in  both  countries. 

Tacheometer  Surveying.  By  M.  E.  Yorke  Eliot.  P.  145. 
111.,  index.  Spon  &  Chamberlain,  New  York.  For  sale  by 
Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $2. 

The  American  engineer  is  so  used  to  considering  a  transit 
as  incomplete  without  a  vertical  arc,  level  on  the  telescope, 
and  stadia  hairs,  that  it  might  be  well  to  explain  that  a  transit 
without  these  attachments  is  called  a  tacheometer  in  England. 
The  book  is  devoted  to  a  thorough  explanation  of  the  elemen- 
tary principles  of  stadia  surveying,  which  the  author  states 
is  not  sufficiently  treated  in  the  standard  English  treatises  on 
surveying.  However,  the  material  contained  in  the  present 
volume  is  similar  to  that  contained  in  several  American  books. 
In  fact,  the  book  is  of  slight  interest  to  American  engineers 
except  as  indicating  that  English  practice  is  far  behind  Ameri- 
can in  some  branches  of  surveying. 

Practical  Safety  Methods  and  Devices.  Manufacturing  and 
engineering.  By  George  Alvin  Cowee.  P.  434.  111.,  index.  D. 
Van  Nostrand  Cq.,  New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  the  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press.   Price,  ?3. 

If  all  the  safety-first  publications  issued  regularly  by  large 
corporations  and  the  new  books  on  the  subject  are  studied 
by   employees  and  the   public,   valuable   results   must   follow. 


Statistics  are  proving  this  so,  but  more  lessons  are  needed. 
In  the  preface  the  author  states  that  Industrial  accidents  in 
the  United  States  cost  35,000  lives  and  1500,000,000  yearly. 
Also  350,000  Injuries;  while  the  minor  accidents  exceed  2,000.- 
000.  In  the  volume  under  review,  accompanied  by  well-chosen 
pictures,  the  chapters  deal  with  safety  committees,  buildings 
and  fire,  boilers,  engines,  elevators,  electricity,  shafting,  belts 
and  ropes,  grinding  tools.  Iron  furnaces,  handling  materials, 
construction,  railroads,  mining,  and  explosives.  Hand  in  hand 
with  safety  goes  sanitation,  welfare  work,  and  first-aid,  which 
are  here  well  discussed.  A  useful  book  for  mining  and  indus- 
trial companies'  safety  departments. 

Elements  of  Mining.  By  George  J.  Young.  P.  628.  111., 
index.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  New  York.  For  sale  by  the 
Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  J5. 

The  author  has  fulfilled  his  promise  when  he  says,  "the 
objective  of  'Elements  of  Mining'  is  to  give  the  reader  a  com- 
prehensive view  of  the  mining  problem."  Although  the  book 
does  not  contain  a  great  deal  that  is  new  and  original,  it  does 
present  a  vast  amount  of  valuable  information  not  usuually 
found  within  the  covers  of  a  single  volume.  It  is  more  a  com- 
pilation of  known  and  useful  facts  than  a  treatise  on  the  prob- 
lems of  mining. 

Simple  problems  of  geology  and  different  types  of  orebodies 
are  discussed  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  useful  to  the  prospector 
as  well  as  to  the  engineer.  Considerable  space  has  been  de- 
voted to  the  subject  of  boring  and  drilling.  Machines  used 
in  diamond  drilling,  prospecting  for  oil  and  metal  minins 
are  discussed  and  illustrated.  Separate  chapters  have  been 
written  on  Rock  Breaking,  Transportation,  Hoisting,  Mine 
Drainage,  Ventilation,  Timbering,  Different  Types  of  Mining, 
Developments,  Stoping,  Organization,  Costs,  Accounting,  Ac- 
cidents and  Miners'  Diseases,  and  Examination  of  Mineral 
Deposits. 

A  better  book  could  not  be  found  by  anyone  desiring  an 
encyclopedia  of  useful  and  practical  information  such  as  is 
needed  in  solving  the  problems  encountered  every  day  in 
mining  operations. 

Economic  Geology.  By  Heinrich  Ries.  Fourth  edition.  P. 
856.  111.,  index.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc.,  New  York.  Eor 
sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $4. 

While  the  arrangement  and  method  of  treatment  remain  the 
same  in  this  edition,  considerable  revision  and  additions  have 
been  made  to  the  book.  Many  new  illustrations  have  been 
added.  The  statistical  data  have  been  revised  and  brought  up 
to  date,  as  well  as  the  complete  bibliography  to  be  found  at  the 
end  of  each  chapter.  The  book  is  divided  into  two  parts,  one 
dealing  with  non-metallic  minerals  and  the  other  with  ore 
deposits.  Considerable  space  has  been  given  to  the  discussion 
of  coal,  with  brief  mention  of  the  new  fields  in  Alaska  and 
Canada.  The  two  opposing  theories  of  the  origin  of  petroleum 
— organic  or  inorganic — are  fully  discussed.  Separate  chapters 
are  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  cement,  clays,  lime,  build- 
ing-stones, salines,  fertilizers,  abrasives,  asbestos,  graphite, 
underground  waters,  and  the  minor  minerals.  The  different 
types  of  ore  deposits,  the  theories  of  their  formation,  and  their 
classifications,  are  thoroughly  and  clearly  discussed.  Of  par- 
ticular interest  is  the  section  dealing  with  veins,  the  altera- 
tons,  chemical  reactions  and  secondary  enrichments  taking 
place  in  them.  Typical  and  well-known  deposits  of  the  metals 
are  cited. and  described  to  furnish  examples  of  the  theories  of 
ore  deposition.  The  chapters  on  the  ore  deposits  of  iron,  cop- 
per, lead-zinc,  silver-lead,  gold,  and  silver  have  been  consider- 
ably enlarged  to  include  modern  practice  and  recent  discov- 
eries. The  more  important  minor  metals  as  tungsten,  mercury, 
nickel,  cobalt,  antimony,  aluminum,  and  manganese  have  been 
given  considerable  attention.  The  book  especially  recommends 
itself  as  a  valuable  reference  work,  clearly  and  concisely 
written,  with  an  unusually  complete  bibliography. 


480 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRES$ 


September  23,  1916 


im^mmt  Pa&saaSi 


1,182,320.  Method  of  Tkeatino  Flue  Products.  Francis  C. 
Ryan,  Hammond,  Ind.,  assignor  o£  one-half  to  United  States 
Metals  Refining  Company,  Chrome,  N.  J.,  a  Corporation  of  New 
Jersey.    Filed  Feb.  24,  1914.    Serial  No.  820,650. 


1.  The  method  of  treating  flue  products,  or  other  finely  di- 
vided mineral  bearing  materials  consisting  in  roasting  *he  ma- 
terials with  excess  of  sulfuric  acid,  boiling  the  roast  in  an 
acid  solution,  separating  the  solution,  precipitating  basic  salts 
by  the  addition  of  sufficient  quantity  of  a  neutralizing  agent 
to  leave  the  solution  slightly  acid,  and  separating  the  so'ution 
from  the  precipitate  for  further  treatment  to  recover  the 
metallic  values  therein. 


1,192,806.    Ore-Classifier.    William  Henry  Weigand,  Trojan, 
S.  D.    Filed  June  19,  1914.    Serial  No.  846,080. 


1.  In  a  classifier,  a  concave  vessel  having  a  raised  central 
outlet,  a  nozzle  in  said  outlet,  a  plurality  of  annular,  upwardly- 
expanding  frustocone-shaped  members  removably  associated 
with  each  other  and  with  said  nozzle  and  forming  therewith  a 
funnel,  the  level  and  size  of  which  funnel  in  the  vessel  may  be 
varied  by  means  of  said  removable  frustocone-shaped  members, 
and  a  stirring  mechanism  associated  with  the  vessel  and 
adapted  to  direct  the  mass  within  the  vessel  from  the  central 
outlet  toward  the  periphery  of  the  vessel. 

1,184,585.  Pkocess  of  Treating  Ores.  Edward  Harrison 
Snyder,  Pioche,  Nev.    Filed  Mar.  31,  1915.    Serial  No.  18,355. 

1.  A  process  of  treating  oxidized  ores  containing  lead,  zinc 
and  other  metals,  which  comprises  leaching  the  oxidized  ore 
with  a  hot  liquid  containing  an  alkali  sulfate,  and  containing 
sulfuric  acid  in  amount  sufficient  to  dissolve  a  part  only  of 
the  zinc  contained  in  said  ore,  separating  the  resulting  liquid 
from  the  ore,  and  rendering  the  same  slightly  alkaline  to  pre- 
cipitate zinc  hydroxid,  treating  the  digested  ore  with  a  strong 
solution  of  caustic  alkali  to  extract  a  further  amount  of  zinc 
from  the  ore,  and  adding  to  the  liquor  thereby  produced,  an 
acid  in  amount  at  least  nearly  equivalent  to  the  alkali  present 
in  said  solution,  to  precipitate  lead  therefrom. 

1,195,698.  Process  of  Concentrating  Carnotite  Sandstone. 
Herbert  N.  McCoy,  Chicago,  111.    Filed  Feb.  12,  1916. 

1.  A  process  of  concentrating  carnotite  sands,  which  con- 
sists in  subjecting  the  grains  thereof  to  a  process  of  attrition, 
and  separating  the  value-bearing  slime  from  the  denuded 
grains,  in  water. 


Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 


The  Ventiul  Waste-Detector 


A  useful  piece  of  apparatus  for  the  detection  of  leakage  and 
waste  from  the  distribution  mains  and  services  of  a  water 
system,  towns  or  mines,  has  recently  been  perfected  by  the 
Venturi  Department  of  the  Builders  Iron  Foundry,  Providence, 
Rhode  Island.  It  consists  of  two  Venturi-meter  tubes,  having 
different  but  over-lapping  ranges  in  measuring  capacity,  to- 
gether with  a  mercury  manometer,  the  whole  being  mounted  on 
a  frame.  The  smaller  meter-tube  is  on  a  by-pass  line  above  the 
larger  tube.  The  manometer  is  of  the  barometric  type.  The 
inlet  pressure-chamber  of  each  meter-tube  is  connected  by 
small  piping  to  the  mercury-well  at  the  base  of  the  instrument 
and  the  pressure  from  the  throats  of  the  meter-tubes  communi- 
cates in  a  similar  manner  with  the  interior  of  the  vertical 
glass-tube.  The  mercury  is  thus  caused  to  rise  and  fall  in  the 
glass-tube  in  proportion  to  the  difference  between  the  inlet 
and  throat  pressures.  The  corresponding  rates  of  flow  in 
gallons  per  minute,  or  other  units,  may  be  observed  on  the 
fixed  scale,  the  graduated  portion  of  which  is  22  in.  long. 

When  a  leakage  test  is  conducted,  the  section  is  isolated 
from  the  general  system  by  closing  the  main  shut-off  valves. 
A  hydrant  on  the  isolated  main  pipe  is  then  connected  by  a 
hose  line  to  the  outlet  end  of  the  waste-detector.  The  inlet  end 
is  similarly  connected  to  another  hydrant  entirely  outside 
the  district,  the  supply  from  which,  therefore,  must  pass 
through  the  detector  into  the  isolated  main.  This  work  can 
be  done  to  the  best  advantage  during  the  late  hours  of  the 
night,  when  the  use  of  water  for  domestic  and  other  purposes 
is  a  minimum  and  when  there  is  the  least  likelihood  of  drafts 
that  may  interfere  with  observations.  Water  is  passed  through 
the  larger  meter-tube  first,  and  if  the  flow  is  so  small  that  it 
fails  to  give  satisfactory  observations  on  the  manometer,  it 
can  be  diverted  through  the  smaller  meter-tube. 

All  possible  intermediate  gates  are  then  closed  successively 
and  the  changes  in  the  manometer  readings  noted.  Thus 
sensitive  observations  may  be  secured  upon  the  amount  of 
flow  and  especially  upon  the  changes  in  the  rate  of  flow  into 
the  isolated  district  as  the  various  parts  of  the  system  are 
successively  isolated.  In  this  way  the  points  where  leakage  or 
waste  occurs  may  readily  be  determined. 

The  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co.  sends  us  the  following 
drilling  results: 

Some  interesting  tests  of  'Hummer'  drills  were  made  re- 
cently in  the  igneous  mica  rock  which  is  being  excavated  at 
the  corner  of  East  149th  street  and  Eagle  avenue  in  the 
Bronx,  New  York.  The  first  test  was  made  with  a  type 
A66  little  Hummer,  using  |-in.  hexagonal  hollow  steel,  collared 
drill,  with  the  following  result:  20-in.  hole,  in  2  minutes  7 
seconds;  using  lj-in.  starter;  16-in.  hole,  in  1*  minutes, 
second  drill,  lit  in.;  total,  36-in.  hole  in  3  minutes  37  seconds. 
The  second  test  was  made  with  a  type  C66  big  Hummer, 
using  lj-in.  hexagon  hollow  steel,  collarless  drill,  with  the 
following  result: 

Length      Kind     Depth  Time 

of  drill     of  bit    drilled        occupied 
inches      inches    inches        min.  sec. 

Starter    30  *2i  24  2       10 

Second    54  ,2  26  2       15 

Third    62  tlf  .34  3       10 

Fourth    120  11£  36  4 

Total     120  11       35 

*Rose.     tCross. 


II 

to 

Tf^ 

o 

fi 

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m 

fl 

J 

i 

i 

[ 

ii 

and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  SEPTEMBER  30,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  14 


A  LLUVIAL  MINING  in  the  North  is  coming  to  a  close 
X  V,  for  this  season,  although  some  of  the  dredges  can  work  for 
several  months  longer.  Placer  digging  has  prospered,  especially 
in  the  Tolovana  and  Valdez  Creek  districts.  The  gold  output  of 
the  Klondike  has  decreased  from  last  season.  Dredging  at  Nome 
continues,  with  promise  of  expansion.  Our  news  columns  record 
current  progress. 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


J 


OIL    FLOTATION 


has  revolutionized  the  concentra- 
tion of  sulphide  ores  and  at  the 
same  time  produced  a  concentrate 
impregnated  with  a  mixture  of  oil 
and  water,  that  is  frothy  and  diffi- 
cult to  handle. 


Excess   Moisture 


in  concentrate  of  any  kind, 
whether  it  is  the  resultant  of  oil 
flotation  or  ordinary  wet  concen- 
tration means 


EXCESS     COST 


There  is  no  excuse,  nowadays,  for 
paying  freight  on  useless  water. 

De-water    your    concentrate    with 
the 


Oliver  Continuous  Filter 


It  is  an  investment.  One  company 
situated  on  the  railroad  has  stated 
that  the  ENTIRE  COST  of  their 
OLIVER  FILTER  INSTALLA- 
TION was  returned  in  three  months 
by  the  saving  in  freight  alone.     If 


you  haul  your  concentrate  the  saving 
will  be  much  greater.  Tens  of  thou- 
sands of  tons  of  concentrate  are  be- 
ing de-watered  daily  by  the  Oliver. 
We  can  give  you  the  name  of  users 
in  your  neighborhood. 


Write  us,  stating  your  conditions 


Olivet*] 

Continuous  \ 

Tilte r 

Company '! 

501  MAR.KXT    St.     I 

San  Francisco.Cal.  j 


No  Royalties 
to  pay  on  any 
work    of    an 

OLIVER 


■in  iiiiii 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


Senn  Pan  Motion  Concentrators 


■  kT 

j 

.■^*t. 

HANDLE   3   TO   6  TIMES  AS   MUCH 

AS   ANY  OLD    FASHIONED   VANNER   AND    MAKE   EQUAL  RECOVERIES 

Here  are  the  actual  figures  of  the  latest  tests,  handling  difficult  concentrating  ore 
crushed  through  35  mesh  : 


SENN 


Old    Fashioned 
Vanner 


Tons  per24hrs 28.3  4.7 

Number  required  for  1000  tons 40.  213. 

Recovery  %    68.77  66.74 

%  Increase  in  Saving 3.4 

Value  of  Concentrates 10.95  8.03 

%  Greater  in  Value 36.4 

total  Water  per  ton  ore,  gals 635.  1945. 

Excess  Required,  gals,  per  1000  tons 1,310,000 

THEY  HANDLE  AS  GREAT  LOADS  as  ™E  best,  most 

FASHIONABLE,  "FLAT  TOP  TABLES"  AND  MAKE    FAR   GREATER    RECOVERIES 

Here  are  the  actual  figures,  each  handling  the  same — 28  mesh  material : 


Tons  per  24  hrs 20.59 

Number  required  for  1000  tons 50. 

Recovery  % 83.5 

%  Increase  in  Saving 34.7 

Value  in  Concentrates 9.22 

%  Less  in  Value 

Total  Water  per  ton  ore,  gals 711. 

Excess  required,  gals,  per  1000  tons 610,000 

SENN    CONCENTRATOR    COMPANY 


Moit  Fashionable 
Flat  Top  Table 

15.76 

64. 

62.0 

9.48 
2.7 
1321. 


615  FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK  BLDG., 


J.  E.  Robertson,  El  Paso,  Texas 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL.,  U.  S.  A. 

Stimpson  Equipment  Co.,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  I 


September  30,  1916 


CARD   CONCENTRATORS 

IN  A  BOULDER  COUNTY 
TUNGSTEN  MILL 


(fl  These  tables  were  installed  to  replace  riffled  tables 
which  could  not  equal  the  work  done  by  our  machines. 

0  ([  This  is  one  of  dozens  of  similar  cases  where  the 
:  ^channeled  top  on  the  Card  Table  has  proved  superior. 

<I  May  we  send  you  a  Card  Catalogue  ? 

Hendrie  &  Bolthoff  Mfg.  &  Supply  Co. 

DENVER,  COLO. 


J»       J* 

BDTTOJUAL  SI  III. 
T.  A.  RICHARD  E<fil<» 

H.G.TH1ELE  ,  a- ■  tdta. 


KSTAKI-ISIIfilJ   I.1UI 
PubliAcd  .1  420  M.ilfi  Si..  Sin  FnndKo.  by  die  Dewey  Pukllihin 
CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Buinca  M.iuae. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  September  30,  1916 


SPECIAL    CONTRIBUTORS 

\V.     II.    SI, m)<  If. 

Leonard  8.  Austin. 

Courtenay  De  Kali- 
P*.   I.>"  i  ison. 

Charles  Janln, 
J&mei  i'*.  Kemp. 
i'.   II.  Prober! 
C.   W.   Purlng-ton. 
Horace  v.  Wlnehell. 


$3  per  Year — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Noras 481 

Coppkb  Quotations   482 

How  we  arrtve  at  the  average  price  quoted  by  us  week- 
ly, with  remarks  on  a  recent  letter  published  by  .Mr. 
Walter  Douglas. 

A  Successful  Engineer  483 

An  appreciation  of  the  life  and  work  of  Mr.  J.  Parke 
('banning,  with  special  reference  to  the  interview 
published  on  another  page  of  this  issue. 

Si  00E8T1O1I8   TO  Authors    484 

Commendation  of  a  bulletin  published  by  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  being  the  advice  tendered  to  the 
members  of  the  staff  by  Mr.  George  M.  Wood,  the 
editor  of  the  Survey's  publications. 

DISCUSSION 

PRoapccmro:  A  Suggestion, 

By  Harold  French    4S5 

Instances,  one  in  Alaska  and  two  in  Arizona,  where 
employees  of  mining  companies  have  developed  ad- 
jacent mines  from  their  study  of  the  properties  in 
which  they  were  working.  Companies  should  employ 
skilled  miner-prospectors  on  a  wage  and  bonus  system. 
as  is  done  in  Australia. 

Blasting  Practice  at  Chuquicamata. 

By  E.  E.  Barker  486 

Corrected  costs  of  churn-drilling,  tunnel-driving,  and 
blasting  at  a  Chilean  mine  where  10,000  tons  daily  is 
extracted.    Notes  on  firing  by  electricity. 

ARTICLES 
J.  Parkk  Channing,  and  COPPEE  Minim;. 

An  Interview.    By  T.  A.  Rickard  487 

Covering  the  period  from  1S83  when  at  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, to  1916,  when  Mr.  Channing  has  become  a 
mining  engineer  of  national  repute.  Criticism  of 
early  work  at  the  Calumet  &  Hecla.  Mining  in  Mich- 
igan. Early  history  of  the  Nevada  Consolidated,  Ten- 
nessee Copper,  and  Miami  Copper  companies.  Min- 
ing engineers  and  their  connection  with  a  company's 
policy;  what  is  prudent.  Fume  and  acid  manufacture 
at   Copperhill,   Tennessee.      Mining   as   a   profession. 


Page. 
Scientific   investigation   a    prelude   to   intelligent   ore 
extraction  and  treatment. 

Fin  uk  Development  of  the  Flotation  Process. 

Ill/   Rudolf  Gah I   495 

Important  features  requiring  careful  study.  Troubles 
with  porous  bottoms  of  pneumatic  cells.  Solid  bottoms 
are  not  a  success.  Grade  of  concentrate  and  its  effect 
on  recovery.  Flotation  of  oxidized  copper  ores,  the 
carbonates  and  silicates.    Theories  and  oils. 

Repokts  on  Mimng  Districts — General  Suggestions  ....  499 
Procedure  in  writing  reports  should  be  on  a  regular 
system,  commencing  with  an  outline  of  results,  fol- 
lowed by  describing  the  situation,  geology,  and  ore  de- 
posits. Definitions  of  certain  terms  in  common  use 
by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  are  given,  including 
'ore'  as  defined  by  this  journal.  Veins,  faults,  ore- 
shoots,  contact  deposits,  metasomatism,  enrichment, 
tunnels,  adits,  mines,  and  prospects  are  briefly  de- 
scribed. 

Cobalt,  Ontario:  Products,  Supplies  Used,  and  Power..  503 
Labor  troubles  are  affecting  operations  at  this  great 
silver-producing  centre,  and  to  give  the  commission 
of  enquiry  into  conditions  prevailing  an  idea  of  the 
importance  of  the  district  this  summarized  memor- 
andum was  prepared  by  local  people. 

Gold  OUTPUT  OF  the  Rand  for  Half- Year 504 

The  profit  was  2  cents  per  ton  more  on  14,171,862  tons 
than  during  1915. 

Acetylene  v.  Candles. 

By  Warren  G.  Lenliart   504 

Notes  by  a  practical  underground  man  at  Butte. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    505 

Review    of   Mining    506 

Special  correspondence  from  Butte,  Montana ;  Toronto, 

Ontario;  Sutter  Creek,  California. 

The  Mining  SUMMARY    50S 

Personal    511 

The  Metal  Market   512 

Eastern    Metal    Market    513 

Metal-Price  Fluctuations  During  the  War   514 

Prices  for  Old  Metals   514 


Established    May    24,    1860,    as    The    Scientific    Press;    name 
changed  October  20  of   the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Petlusola.  _  


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York,  1760 
Woolworth   Bdg.;   London.  724   Salisbury  House.    E.C. 

Price.  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription:  United  States 
and  Mexico,  $3;  Canada,  |4;  other  countries  in  postal  union, 
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12 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


Use  either   electrode  at  will,  all   ad- 
justments are  automatically  made 
by  G-E  Arc  Welding  Outfit 


Carbon  electrode 
used  for  cutting  or 
heavy  current  weldin 


Metal  electrode 

builds  up  or  fills 

cavities  when  welding 


■*&*"' 


P 


Welding  Seams  on  Locomotive  Firebox 


Cuts  Repair  Cost  —  Saves  Time 

If  chippers  are  busy  elsewhere  don't  wait — let  the  G-E  are  welder  do  its 
own  chipping.  Don't  even  take  time  to  remove  a  flat  wheel — the  G-E  arc 
welder  will  build  it  up  while  in  place.  You  can  control  heat  and  building 
of  metal,  thus  preventing  distortion,  uneven  crystallization  and  cavities. 

The  G-E  arc  welder  is  used  all  over  the  world.  It  has  made  good  in 
China;  it  is  making  emergency  repairs  for  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  rapid 
transit  rolling  stock  of  New  York  City  is  kept  in  shape  by  its  help. 

Our  nearest   local   office   will    be    pleased    to   give  you   additional    information. 

General  Electric  Company 

General  Office :  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

District  Offices  in 

Boston,  Mass.       New  York,  N.  Y.       Philadelphia.  Penna.       Atlanta,  Ga. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio.        Chicago,  111.        Denver,  Colo.        San  Francisco,  Cal. 

St.  Louis,  Mo.       Sales  Offices  in  All  Large  Cities.  6120 


:#|iQ|^5 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


481 


iEi  ID  2  "dJ  D  Hi  1  M,  1 

T.    A.    RICXARD.     Editor 


YfTHII.K  gold  is  depreciating,  in  terms  of  supplies. 
the  labor-unions  in  gold-mining  districts  arc  agi- 
t.itiiiu'  for  a  farther  increase  of  wages,  mainly  because 
tl opper  miners  are  being  better  paid. 

Tl/f  At'HINKUY  for  use  iu  the  Siberian  and  Ural  gold- 
•L'i  mining  districts  will  be  admitted  free  of  Russian 
customs  duties  for  the  next    ten  years,  according  to  a 

i> Q<   decree  issued  by  tbe  Minister  of  Commerce  at 

Petrograd. 

"PRESIDENTIAL  years  are  usually  considered  to 
■*-  mark  a  period  of  low-pressure  business  activity,  but 
this  year  the  approach  of  the  election  synchronizes  with 
optimistic  expansion.  This  is  due,  in  part,  to  the  recog- 
nition of  the  fact  that  no  alarm  is  felt  over  the  selection 
to  be  made  in  November. 

/^kl'R  contemporary  at  ftew  York,  through  the  Mc- 
^-'  Graw-Hill  Publishing  Co.,  has  issued  a  book  called 
'The  Flotation  Process,'  ignoring  the  fact  that  this  title 
had  been  used  for  a  book  copyrighted  by  another  pub- 
lisher. Apart  from  the  legal  question,  we  desire  to 
record  a  protest  against  this  breach  of  good  custom ;  the 
title  of  a  previous  publication  should  be  respected,  to 
avoid  confusion  and  prevent  imposition. 


17  NGINEERS  and  other  representatives  of  capital 
■'--'  sent  to  Bolivia  to  look  for  new  mining  business  re- 
port that  it  is  difficult  to  make  a  deal  on  the  basis  of 
developed  ore,  most  of  the  likely-looking  prospects  hav- 
ing no  reserves  of  ore  or  not  enough  to  warrant  purchase 
for  the  large  sums  in  cash  asked  by  their  sanguine  owners. 
Good  opportunities  exist  for  those  willing  to  take  hold 
of  prospects  and  bring  them  to  the  next  stage  of  de- 
velopment. 

ANACONDA'S  electrolytic  zinc  refinery  at  Great 
■**-  Falls  is  making  good  progress,  the  second  section, 
out  of  five,  having  been  set  to  work  this  week.  It  is  ex- 
pected that  the  entire  plant  will  be  in  operation  early  in 
November,  producing  2500  tons  of  spelter  per  month. 
The  first  section,  using  144  cells  or  'tanks,'  is  yielding 
daily  from  20  to  25  tons  of  cathodes,  which  are  sent  to 
Anaconda  to  be  melted,  the  furnaces  required  for  this 
purpose  at  Great  Falls  not  having  been  completed.  An- 
other electrolytic  zinc  plant,  that  at  Trail,  across  the  line 
in  British  Columbia,  is  now  producing  25  tons  of  spelter 
per  day  and  is  increasing  this  output  as  the  stages  of 
construction  are  slowly  completed  to  a  capacity  of  100 
tons  daily.  The  electro-chemical  process  is  the  same  at 
Great  Falls  as  at  Trail,  and  in  each  the  product  is  a 
metal  of  great  purity,  which  is  destined  to  command  the 


market    for  high-grade  spelter.     In  both   localities  also 
the  cheapness  of  production  is  conditioned  on  the  low 

price  of  electrical   energy,  the  power-plants  being  con- 
trolled by  the  smelting  companies  themselves. 


A  MONG  the  curiosities  of  the  War  is  the  refusal  of 
■**■  the  Australian  miners  at  Kalgoorlie  to  work  with 
Slavs  holding  provisional  certificates  of  naturalization 
issued  by  the  Russian  consul.  Patriotism  is  expressed 
in  a  variety  of  ways,  but  we  question  whether  this  is 
one  of  them.  The  essential  patriots  have  already  gone 
to  the  front  from  Australia,  so  that  these  sensitive  souls 
consist  largely  of  'slackers'  or  those  unfit  for  military 
service.  The  truth  is,  this  action  at  Kalgoorlie  is  a  pro- 
test of  the  local  labor-union  against  the  employment  of 
foreign  labor  and  an  effort  to  eject  such  labor  from  the 
West  Australian  goldfields.  We  are  glad  to  add  that 
the  strike  was  short-lived. 

DIAMONDS  and  other  precious  stones  to  the  value 
of  $35,433,811  were  imported  into  the  United  States 
during  the  first  eight  months  of  the  current  year,  this 
amount  being  $9,000,000  in  excess  of  importations  dur- 
ing the  whole  of  last  year.  The  wholesale  value  of  these 
gems  is  about  $50,000,000  and  their  retail  value  about 
twice  as  much.  As  Commerce  and  Finance  says,  "there 
is  no  particular  point  to  these  figures  except  that  they 
emphasize  our  extravagance."  Our  contemporary  esti- 
mates American  contributions  to  the  various  European 
relief  funds  at  5  cents  per  capita  and  the  spending  on 
jewelry  this  year  at  $2.50  per  capita,  and  on  candy 
about  $2  per  capita.  The  comparison  is  not  pleasant, 
but  it  is  true  that  America  gave  to  Belgium  more  than 
money :  executive  ability  of  the  highest  order. 


STATEMENTS  are  current  that  in  Germany  zinc  is 
^  being  substituted  for  copper  as  an  electric  con- 
ductor, more  particularly  in  buss-bars.  The  conduc- 
tivity of  zinc  at  the  ordinary  temperature  is  about  one- 
third  that  of  copper  and  its  melting-point  is  lower,  but 
the  chief  objection  is  the  tendency  of  zinc  to  re-crystal- 
lize under  stress  when  used  for  overhead  transmission  of 
electricity.  It  has  been  suggested  that  a  core  of  iron 
wire  with  outer  strands  of  zinc  be  used ;  a  steel  core  with 
aluminum  strands  has  been  employed  in  this  country. 
The  Germans  are  also  using  steel  conductors,  but  this  is 
not  new;  galvanized  iron  (more  accurately,  steel)  wire 
has  been  used  for  some  time  in  this  country ;  when  using 
thin  wire  for  transmitting  low  voltages,  the  greater  ten- 
sile strength  of  steel  gives  it  an  advantage ;  but  for  high 
voltages  the  relatively  greater  thickness,  and  weight,  of 


482 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS* 


September  30,  1916 


the  steel  wire  renders  it  objectionable.  The  skin  effect 
and  corona  hinder  the  use  of  iron  and  steel  wire,  par- 
ticularly on  high  voltages.  The  choice  of  wire  for  a  new 
line  of  electric  transmission  is  determined  nowadays 
only  after  consulting  graphic  diagrams  showing  the 
ratios  of  cost,  quantity,  and  efficiency  of  the  various 
metals  usable. 

/^OPPER  received  another  impulse  from  the  big  deal 
^-*  made  at  New  York  last  week,  it  being  announced 
that  200,000  long  tons  of  the  metal  was  sold,  at  a  little 
under  27  cents  per  pound,  through  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co., 
to  the  British  government.  This  purchase  involves  the 
sum  of  $120,000,000  and  represents  about  one-quarter 
of  the  annual  production  of  copper  in  the  United  States. 
Domestic  consumption  also  is  active,  the  brass  and  wire 
mills  having  come  into  the  market  with  large  orders. 
The  good  fortune  of  the  mining  companies  is  checked 
only  by  the  capacity  of  the  refineries,  which  is  being 
taxed  to  the  limit.  The  erection  of  new  plants  for  the  pur- 
pose cannot  be  accomplished  rapidly.  At  the  beginning 
of  this  year  the  total  refinery  capacity  was  about  85,000 
tons  of  metal  per  month  and  in  September  it  had  in- 
creased to  90,000  tons,  and  plant  for  10,000  tons  more 
per  month  is  under  way,  but  the  monthly  production  is 
now  75,000  tons  of  American  copper,  to  which  must  be 
added  about  14,000  tons  of  imported  crude  copper, 
chiefly  from  South  America  and  Mexico,  that  comes  to 
this  country  to  be  refined. 

T^AXATION  of  mines  under  the  British  flag  has  be- 
-*-  come  so  burdensome  owing  to  the  "War  that  a  meet- 
ing of  representatives  of  the  industry  was  held  in  Lon- 
don on  August  8  to  discuss  the  question,  under  the  chair- 
manship of  Mr.  J.  H.  Cordner-James.  Special  objection 
is  taken  to  levying  the  Excess  Profits  Tax  on  gold  mines, 
which  suffer  from  the  rise  in  prices  occasioned  by  the 
War,  and  the  output  of  which,  so  necessary  at  this  time, 
would  become  restricted  if  penalized  bj'  the  proposed 
tax.  The  meeting  had  been  convened  by  the  Institution 
of  Mining  and  Metallurgy,  of  which  Mr.  Cordner-James 
is  one  of  the  vice-presidents.  He  made  a  clear  statement 
of  the  case  and  referred  to  the  joint  request  made  by  the 
three  mining  and  metal  societies  to  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment, asking  for  the  establishment  of  a  Department  of 
Mines  and  Minerals.  This  would  be  a  great  step  for- 
ward in  co-ordinating  information  and,  more  particu- 
larly, in  recognizing  the  part  played  by  mining  in  the 
economies  of  the  Empire.  Not  much  could  be  done  at 
this  first  meeting,  but  a  committee  was  selected  from 
among  the  leaders  of  the  non-ferrous  metal-mining  busi- 
ness centred  in  London.  We  give  the  names  because 
they  were  selected  by  a  special  committee  of  the  Institu- 
tion and  indicate  'Who's  Who'  in  the  financial  world  in- 
terested in  gold,  silver,  lead,  tin,  and  copper  mining  at 
the  British  metropolis.  The  committee  consists  of  Lord 
Harris,  Sir  Lionel  Phillips,  Sir  Alfred  Mond,  Sir  Trev- 
redyn  R.  Wynne,  Messrs.  F.  W.  Baker,  Edmund  Davis, 
F.  A.  Govett,  F.  H.  Hamilton,  Henry  C.  Taylor,  Leslie 
Urquhart,  Oliver  Wethered,  and  Robert  Williams. 


Copper  Quotations 

We  have  received  a  couple  of  letters  asking  us  to  ex- 
plain why  our  average  quotation  for  copper  in  July 
was  25.66  cents  per  pound  while  that  of  our  contem- 
porary at  New  York  was  23.86  cents.  A  similar  query 
was  addressed  to  the  editor  of  the  Engineering  &  Min- 
ing Journal,  and  his  reply  was  that  he  quoted  "always 
the  major  market,  i.  e.,  the  sale  of  the  bulk  of  the  copper. 
If  somebody  else  did  not  have  such  comprehensive  data 
as  we  have  every  week,  and  consequently  gave  undue 
weight  to  the  relatively  small  sales  of  copper  for  prompt 
delivery,  he  would  get  a  higher  average  than  we  would 
on  the  bulk  of  business."  Our  own  reply  has  been  de- 
layed by  the  absence  of  the  present  writer  in  British 
Columbia.    We  reply  now. 

The  prices  reported  to  us  by  our  New  York  corre- 
spondent, who  is  not  connected  directly  or  indirectly 
with  any  dealers,  brokers,  or  producers  of  copper,  are 
intended  to  be  a  guide  to  the  consumer,  not  to  establish 
a  basis  for  contracts,  whether  for  ore  or  labor,  legitimate 
as  this  may  be.  As  to  that  we  must  postpone  discussion 
until  next  week.  We  give  the  average  of  prices  prevail- 
ing for  prompt  or  near-by  metal,  thereby  fixing  a  defi- 
nite and  tangible  base.  When  prompt  or  near-by  metal 
becomes  so  scarce  that  excessive  premiums  are  asked, 
the  delivery  quoted  has  been  advanced  to  include  a  more 
marketable  position.  The  determination  of  this  is 
largely  a  matter  of  good  judgment,  just  as  all  market- 
reporting  involves  sensing  a  situation.  In  other  trades 
the  usual  basis  of  quotations  is  the  price  of  material  for 
prompt  or  early  delivery.  The  matter  becomes  compli- 
cated when  future  months  and  quarters  are  considered ; 
these  are  treated  in  the  text  of  the  market  report,  which 
we  publish  weekly  with  the  quotations.  The  editor  of 
our  contemporary  says  that  he  quotes  "always  the  major 
market,"  meaning  the  sale  of  the  bulk  of  copper.  His 
returns  from  the  producers  and  selling  agencies  must 
be  very  complete  indeed  if  he  can  determine  what  con- 
stitutes the  bulk  of  sales  and  their  deliveries  and  prices. 
The  sellers  must  bare  their  very  souls.  And  their  unan- 
imity !  Usually  in  market-reporting,  where  you  find  one 
man  like  an  open-faced  watch,  you  find  ten  of  the  hunt- 
ing-case variety.  It  is  true  that  the  bulk  of  copper  is 
sold  under  contracts  specifying  deliveries  several 
months  away,  but  it  is  true  also  that  some  choice  busi- 
ness is  done  in  comparatively  near  deliveries,  and  at 
high  prices.  Further,  spot  metal  does  not  usually  con- 
sist of  'seconds'  or  re-melted  copper.  The  producers 
ordinarily  can  furnish  some  'spot,'  there  are  also  dealers 
that  buy  to  hold  for  higher  prices — speculators  they 
may  be  termed — also  manufacturers  that  have  over- 
bought and  are  tempted  to  sell  on  an  advance.  All  these 
are  factors  at  times.  As  already  stated,  a  quotation  for 
prompt  delivery  is  something  definite,  in  contrast  to  an 
average  price  for  unspecified  future  deliveries  at  a  time 
when  sales  might  be  made  for  delivery  in  October,  No- 
vember, December,  the  last  quarter,  first  half,  and  so 
forth.     Of  what  use  can  such  quotations  be  to  a  con- 


September  .'in,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


483 


Burner,  and  if  they  an  not  for  the  consumer,  why  not 

sot 

A  letter  from  .Mr.  Walter  Douglas  has  been  featured 

in  the  Arizona  press,  and  a  copy  of  it  lias  been  sent  to  its. 
II''  explains  why  his  company  and  others  have  adopted 
the  Journal  figures  in  their  aliding-scale  agreement  with 
the  miners.  He  says  thai  the  quotations  of  the  Journal 
are  "as  aoourate  as  it  is  humanly  possible  to  compute 
them,"  ami  he  compares  them  with  those  received  for 
copper  sold  by  Phelps,  Dodge  i:  Co.    His  evidence  is 

invincing.  In  1915  the  Journal  average  was  1 7.27. 
while  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  received  16.05  cents  per 
pound.  A  discrepancy  of  1.22  cents  suggests  inaccuracy 
somewhere.    Referring  to  the  Journal's  July  average  of 

5,  he  says  that  "the  producing  companies  have  been 
receiving,  during  that  month,  a  considerably  higher  price 
for  the  copper  which  they  delivered."  Did  they  receive 
the  25.66  quoted  by  us?  Certainly  duly  was  a  dull 
period,  hut  we  do  not  believe  that  the  bulk  of  sales  went 
on  the  .Juitriuil  average  for  the  month,  especially  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  producers  were  declared  to  lie  well 
sold  ahead  and  in  a  position  where  they  could  afford  to 
lean  back  while  re-sellers  made  their  sacrifices.  It  is  in 
periods  of  dullness  that  second-hands  become  uneasy 
and  endeavor  to  force  sales  by  offering  commissions. 
Later  in  the  month  the  re-sale  metal  was  pretty  well  ab- 
sorbed, and  small  producers  were  suspected  of  using  the 
dialers  to  get  business,  thereby  saving  their  own  face. 
Ostensibly  they  were  holding  the  umbrella.  All  this 
was  duly  recorded  in  our  market  reports.  Mr.  Douglas 
acknowledges  that  there  was  little  doing  that  month. 
We  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  our  quotation  re- 
fiected  conditions  accurately. 

A  Successful  Engineer 

On  another  page  we  publish  an  interview  with  Mr.  J. 
Parke  Channing.  This,  like  similar  autobiographical 
records,  conveys  several  lessons,  more  particularly  to  the 
younger  members  of  the  profession.  To  those  experi- 
enced in  mining  the  interview  does  not  need  to  be  recom- 
mended, for  Mr.  C'hanning's  reputation  is  such  that  any- 
thing he  says  is  sure  to  provoke  keen  interest,  especially 
when  he  has  been  driven  by  the  editor  into  a  reminiscent 
mood.  The  story  of  this  engineer's  life  is  an  endorse- 
ment of  a  special  training.  Mr.  Channing  is  a  repre- 
sentative product  of  the  Columbia  School  of  Mines. 
Having  known  a  number  of  the  men  in  his  class  at  Co- 
lumbia and  in  the  classes  immediately  preceding  or  fol- 
lowing that  of  '83,  we  have  concluded  that  the  'early 
eighties'  was  a  good  time  for  the  incubation  of  talent  at 
our  premier  mining  school.  In  analyzing  the  causes 
contributing  to  the  professional  success  of  the  Columbia 
men  at  that  time,  more  especially,  we  have  decided  that 
it  was  due  to  two  factors;  first,  they  came  from  the  older 
mercantile  communities  of  New  England,  from  New 
York  or  Boston,  from  among  families  endowed  with  keen 
wits  and. business  acumen.  In  later  years  the  Columbia 
Mines  students  have  been  recruited  from  all  over  the  con- 
tinent,  but   thirty  years   ago   the   attendance  was  pre- 


dominantly from  the  Eastern  seaboard,     We  are  re 

certain  about  the  second  factor:  an  excellent  schooling  in 
mathematics.  "Do  ye  ken  Van  Am""  Undoubtedly  the 
thorough  mathematical  teaching  given  to  two  genera- 
tions of  graduates  by  .1.  n.  Van  Amringe  played  a 
notable  part  in  giving  the  Tnited  States  a  number  of 
highly  efficient  men.  in  every  walk  of  life,  particularly 
engineering.  For  instance,  in  the  latest  victim  to  our  in- 
terviewing campaign,  we  detect  the  ability  to  employ 
mental  arithmetic,  skill  in  selecting  salient  figures  anil 
making  correct  inferences  therefrom,  and  above  all.  that 
constructive  imagination  whereby  the  engineer  can  fore- 
see his  work  before  he  starts  to  do  it.  Mr.  Channing  is 
an  assiduous  collector  of  information  on  technical  sub- 
jects, and  he  is  a  willing  exchanger.  He  has  the  co- 
operative trait,  which  blcsseth  him  that  giveth  no  less 
than  him  that  reeeiveth.  We  have  been  told  by  sonic 
friends  of  his,  with  whom  he  pioneered  the  first  auto 
mobile  into  the  Nevada  desert,  that  he  has  the  quality  of 
persistence  and  indubitable  skill  as  a  mechanician.  On 
that  memorable  occasion — 12  years  ago — he  exhibited 
the  marks  of  a  'good  sport,'  under  trying  conditions. 
We  know  that  he  has  the  sense  of  humor,  without  which 
life  would  be  a  Nevada  desert,  for  he  tells  Cornish  stories 
with  a  verisimilitude  that  would  deceive  anybody  not 
born  at  Camborne  or  Redruth.  But  he  learned  more 
than  this  from  his  Cornish  friends  in  the  copper  and  iron 
regions.  He  imbibed  some  of  their  inherited  sense  of 
mining  when  in  his  younger  days  be  consorted  with  such 
worthies  as  John  Daniell  and  Joseph  Sellwood ;  and  yet 
he  escaped  the  reactionary  conservatism  of  the  Cousin 
Jack,  as  is  indicated  by  his  effort  to  get  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla  staff  out  of  a  weary  rut.  That  was  a  striking 
episode  in  his  career.  We  sympathize  heartily.  His 
criticism,  then  and  now,  was  thoroughly  sound.  It  is  de- 
lightful to  see  the  young  man  whom  those  Bourbons  of 
mining  denounced,  because  he  tried  to  introduce  pro- 
gressive methods,  able  now,  by  reason  of  success  and 
reputation,  to  pay  them  his  compliments.  It  appeals  to 
our  sense  of  justice.  Since  the  date  of  our  interview,  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla  deal  for  the  purchase  of  the  Tamarack 
has  been  declared  off.  Next  we  come  to  copper  mining  in 
Utah,  Nevada,  and  Arizona.  Each  of  these  episodes 
proves  the  value  of  cumulative  observation  and  experi- 
ence. Acquaintance  with  copper  deposits  at  Butte  and 
Clifton  permitted  Mr.  Channing  to  come  to  a  quick  de- 
cision as  to  the  value  of  the  Highland  Boy  mine.  In  the 
Tennessee  undertaking,  he  drew  upon  his  Lake  Superior 
experience  of  mining  and  his  Montana  experience  of 
smelting  so  as  to  incubate  a  highly  profitable  enterprise. 
Again,  the  Nevada  Consolidated  story  shows  how  the 
three  days  spent  at  Clifton,  with  its  hint  as  to  how  a  dis- 
seminated copper  deposit  could  be  exploited  to  advan- 
tage, paved  the  way  for  another  success.  Incidentally, 
it  makes  a  mining  engineer  feel  old  to  recall  the  days 
when  a  2  or  3%  copper  orebody  made  capitalists  sneeze. 
Only  a  dozen  years  have  passed,  but  a  great  change  has 
come  over  the  face  of  the  copper  industry.  Finally,  we 
have  the  Miami  story.  That  suggests  that  if  you  throw 
your  bread  on  the  waters  it  may  return  to  you  buttered 


484 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


after  many  days.  In  short,  a  small  incident  may  be 
fruitful  of  big  results.  Above  everything,  it  proves  the 
usefulness  of  a  knowledge  of  men:  of  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  as  many  of  the  personnel  of  mining  as 
possible.  Thus  the  chance  meeting  with  Mr.  Alsdorf  in 
1885  gave  Mr.  Charming  the  opportunity  11  years  later 
to  develop  and  exploit  the  Miami  mine.  He  made  fine 
use  of  it.  The  Miami  business  likewise  illustrates  the 
successful  working  of  an  exploration  company,  and  the 
manner  in  which,  under  proper  guidance,  such  specula- 
tive ventures  can  be  made  highly  remunerative.  The 
reader  will  find  that  the  interview  closes  with  interest- 
ing replies  to  some  of  our  leading  questions.  The  Ameri- 
can mining  engineer  nowadays  does,  we  believe,  spend 
more  time  underground  than  he  used  to  do  twenty  or 
thirty  years  ago.  We  agree  with  Mr.  Channing  that  it 
is  there — in  the  finding  and  breaking  of  ore — that  the 
best  scope  for  economical  betterment  is  to  be  found.  Yet, 
we  query  whether  metallurgical  ingenuity  has  been  ex- 
hausted. The  revolution  made  by  the  flotation  process 
is  too  recent  for  the  belief  that  we  have  reached  the  limit 
of  perfection  in  that  art.  As  to  the  finding  of  ore,  all 
we  know  is  small  indeed  when  compared  with  the  knowl- 
edge we  lack  on  this  vital  subject.  There  is  also  the 
basic  problem  of  human  efficiency  and  the  adjustment  of 
the  human  relation  between  employer  and  employee.  In 
this  department  Mr.  Channing  takes  a  keen  interest.  He 
has  contributed,  in  many  ways,  to  the  campaign  for  'wel- 
fare.' In  matters  appertaining  to  his  profession,  he  has 
proved  public-spirited.  For  instance,  he  was  a  founder 
of  the  Mining  &  Metallurgical  Society  of  America,  an  or- 
ganization that,  like  the  Progressive  party,  was  destined 
to  discipline  the  older  institutes  rather  than  lead  its 
members  to  see  a  higher  light.  Mr.  Channing  has  taken 
part  in  the  effort  to  reform  the  mining  law.  In  short,  he 
has  shown  how  a  mining  engineer  can  be  a  highly  spe- 
cialized instrument  of  industry  and  also  a  good  citizen. 
He  has  justified  his  education. 

Suggestions  to  Authors 

In  this  issue  we  publish  a  lengthy  excerpt  from  a 
bulletin  just  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  in 
which  the  official  editor  of  the  Survey's  publications, 
Mr.  George  M.  Wood,  has  embodied  much  excellent  ad- 
vice to  the  members  of  the  staff  on  the  writing  of  geo- 
logical reports.  We  have  selected  that  part  of  the  bulle- 
tin which  seems  most  immediately  interesting  and  use- 
ful to  our  own  readers.  That  it  will  prove  useful  we 
have  no  doubt ;  advice  of  this  kind  is  badly  needed  among 
mining  geologists  and  others ;  therefore  we  take  particu- 
lar pleasure  in  giving  publicity  to  Mr.  Wood's  brochure. 
We  recommend  our  engineering  friends  to  write  to  the 
Director  of  the  Survey  and  obtain  a  copy  of  this  pub- 
lication. It  contains  a  great  many  valuable  hints  and 
much  pertinent  suggestion.  Numbering  ourselves  among 
those  anxious  to  improve  the  expression  of  technical 
information  in  writing,  we  are  glad  to  find  so  little  with 
which  to  express  disagreement  from  the  editor  of  the 


Survey.  Only  in  one  detail  do  we  differ:  he  seems  to 
have  scant  appreciation  of  the  function  of  the  hyphen. 
An  editor  that  approves  'clay  slate,'  'basalt  tuff,'  'field 
notes, '  '  rewriting, '  '  surface  water, '  '  building  stone, '  and 
'oil  lands'  must  have  no  more  use  for  a  hyphen  as  a 
mark  of  connection  than  a  patriotic  American  in  a  polit- 
ical campaign.  Mr.  Wood  explains  the  scheme  adopted 
by  the  Survey  for  the  employment  of  hyphens  in  petro- 
graphic  names,  but  it  does  not  commend  itself,  and  his 
ignoring  of  the  hyphen  where  it  is  clearly  demanded 
warrants  the  belief  that  he  misunderstands  the  use  of  it. 
But  in  that  respect  he  is  not  singular.  The  discriminat- 
ing use  of  the  hyphen  would  do  a  great  deal  to  improve 
the  clearness  of  technical  writing,  in  which  the  com- 
pounding of  words  is  so  frequent  by  reason  of  the  effort 
to  be  concise.  However,  that  is  a  minor  matter.  The  ad- 
vice quoted  in  four  pages  of  this  issue  represents  only 
9i  pages  out  of  a  pamphlet  having  120  pages.  We  have 
reproduced  the  advice  originally  prepared  by  S.  F. 
Emmons,  with  later  revisions  by  Mr.  F.  L.  Ransome, 
himself  a  geological  writer  of  recognized  literary  dis- 
tinction. 'Suggestions  as  to  Expression'  is  the  heading 
of  another  chapter  in  which  general  counsel  of  the  most 
practical  kind  is  offered  to  those  desiring  to  learn  how  to 
improve  their  writing.  Then  come  hints  on  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  composition,  illustrated  by  quota- 
tions showing  common  blunders  in  construction.  Words 
and  phrases  that  are  habitually  misused  are  passed  in 
review.  We  note  with  pleasure  that  the  unintelligent 
use  of  'value'  is  condemned  and  'ore'  is  defined  as  "min- 
eral or  rock  from  which  one  or  more  metals  may  be 
profitably  extracted."  It  is  a  notable  step  forward  when 
the  official  geologist  accepts  this  definition,  for  it  was  the 
idea  of  a  mineral  deposit  without  reference  to  its  eco- 
nomic value  that  formerly  caused  so  much  confusion. 
A  vein  of  quartz  containing  a  trace  of  gold  may  be  an 
interesting  geologic  structure,  and  the  sinking  of  a  shaft 
or  the  driving  of  a  cross-cut  into  it  may  afford  informa- 
tion of  scientific  value,  but  'ore'  it  is  not,  because  it 
cannot  be  exploited  to  advantage.  This  fact  is  recog- 
nized in  the  definition  accepted  by  the  Survey.  Gram- 
matical errors  and  problems  are  discussed  in  an  enlight- 
ening manner;  the  author  gives  a  summary  of  the 
features  of  a  good  manuscript ;  then  typographic  style, 
proof-reading  and  correcting,  with  directions  for  the 
typewriter,  occupy  the  closing  pages.  There  is  no  geo- 
logic information  in  this  bulletin,  nevertheless  it  con- 
stitutes one  of  the  most  valuable  contributions  of  the 
Survey  to  the  science  of  geology.  Much  current  knowl- 
edge on  the  subject  is  either  lost  in  turbid  expression  or 
discounted  by  inept  writing.  Sundry  publications  of  the 
Survey  itself,  in  former  years  more  particularly,  give 
point  to  such  reflections.  It  would  be  ungenerous  not  to 
recognize  that  during  the  last  two  decades  the  style  of 
the  Survey's  reports  has  improved  to  a  level  far  above 
the  average  of  the  technical  writing  appearing  in  pro- 
fessional transactions  and  we  do  not  doubt  that  the 
sincerity  of  purpose  exhibited  by  the  editor  of  the  Sur- 
vey in  this  publication  has  been  a  factor  in  promoting 
that  result,  of  which  the  public  has  been  the  beneficiary. 


September  80,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


485 


DISCUSSION 

thir  rrtul.rr  ,irr  trotted  to  ui>f  ihi.<  department  for  the  ditcurrion  of  technical  and  other  matten  pertain* 

mg  it  mtrdng  and  metaUurgg.      Tin  Editor  iont  of  views  contrary  to  hit  mm,  beUev 

imj  that  lyirtftd  ariticiem  it  mure  valuable  Hum  eaeual  compliment. 


Prospecting:   A   Suggestion 

The  Editor: 

sir — To  the  gentlemen  who  have  discussed  my  sug- 
gestions on  syndicated  prospecting,  which  appeared  in 

your  issue  of  .July  22,  1  freely  admit  that  my  ideas  are 
open  to  criticism  from  the  prospector.  Frankly,  I  took 
the   viewpoint   of   the    investor   who   finances   the   pros- 

I tor,   the  engineer,  and   all   the  contingent   expenses. 

If  my  estimate  that  $5000  would  he  sufficient  to  employ 
a  party  of  from  three  to  ten  men  as  they  were  needed  on 
a  three  months*  prospecting  trip  seems  too  low,  I  can 
only  say  to  those  who  differ  from  me  that  I  would  not 
undertake  the  business  on  such  a  bedrock  hasis  unless  I 
were  otherwise  disengaged.  Nevertheless,  from  my  own 
experience,  I  believe  that  the  scale  of  compensation  in- 
dicated would  be  a  sufficient  inducement  for  many  men 
of  the  right  kind,  who  would  be  glad  to  prospect  on  a 
daily  wage  with  the  assurance  of  a  bonus  of  a  thousand 
dollars  in  the  event  of  a  discovery. 

In  this  hypothetical  prospecting  trip,  financed  by  a 
small  syndicate  of  investors  who  pooled  their  funds  in 
sending  a  party  of  experienced  men  into  one  of  the  still 
open  mineralized  districts  of  the  public  domain,  I  as- 
sumed that  the  chances  are  in  favor  of  their  co-ordinated 
efforts  resulting  in  the  finding  of  an  orebody  that  would 
make  a  dividend-paying  mine.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
discounted  the  loss  by  dividing  it  among  20  investors. 

Let  me  quote  two  instances  from  experience.  In  the 
summer  of  1900,  after  a  couple  of  years'  prospecting 
and  other  technical  work  in  Alaska,  I  found  myself  'out 
of  a  job'  at  Nome.  Applying  for  work  to  the  Wild 
Goose  Mining  &  Trading  Co.,  I  was  told  that  if  I  cared 
to  'mush'  across  country  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles  I 
could  have  the  privilege  of  working  10  hours  per  day 
shoveling  into  sluice-boxes  on  Ophir  creek  for  "five  and 
board."  I  'mushed.'  A  few  weeks  later,  at  the  end  of 
a  long  shift,  I  suggested  to  the  superintendent  that  he 
send  me  with  a  helper  into  the  hills  prospecting,  at  the 
same  wages  as  before.  He  agreed,  and  let  me  sink  a  few 
holes  on  a  neighboring  bench.  From  the  third  to  the 
eighth  hole,  ranging  from  10  to  18  ft.  in  depth,  I  found 
'pay'  in  an  old  channel,  with  the  result  that  sluicing 
operations  in  the  stream-bed  ceased  for  the  time  and 
the  entire  'gang'  was  put  to  work  running  cross-cuts 
into  this  old  channel  and  wheelbarrowing  the  richer 
gravel  therein  down  to  the  sluice-boxes.  While  I  flat- 
tered myself  that  I  had  made  a  rich  strike,  the  super- 
intendent took  the  natural  view  that  I  was  entitled  to 


no  more  than  my  daily  wage,  and  at  thai  time  I  was 
glad  to  work  on  that  hasis.  Since  then,  the  Lane  inter- 
ests for  whom  1  worked  have  increased  their  dcan-ups 
materially  by  employing  'grubstakeless'  prospectors  to 
work  similarly  under  the  direction  of  their  superin- 
tendents. 

There  would  be  a  wider  Held  today  for  experienced 
prospectors  if  mining  companies  would  retain  more  of 
the  prospector  type  of  men.  Undoubtedly  there  are 
rich  deposits  near  many  operating  mines  lying  unde- 
veloped because  such  exploratory  work  is  not  conducted 
as  a  'side-line'  by  the  management.  A  striking  instance 
of  such  lack  of  perspective  is  given  below,  not  in  the 
spirit  of  criticism,  but  as  a  simple  statement  of  fact. 

Mr.  John  B.  Platts,  of  Oatman,  one  of  the  contribu- 
tors to  this  admittedly  hypothetical  symposium,  will  ap- 
preciate the  following  brief  history  of  the  Tom  Reed 
mine  in  the  Oatman  district  and  the  development  of  the 
orebodies  adjacent  to  it.  For  a  full  decade  the  man- 
agements of  the  Tom  Reed  and  Gold  Road  properties, 
two  miles  apart,  were  content  to  confine  their  explora- 
tory work  to  the  opening  up  of  new  orebodies  within 
the  limits  of  their  respective  boundaries.  On  the  pay- 
roll of  the  Tom  Reed  company  were  two  efficient  miners, 
George  W.  Long  and  J.  L.  Mclver.  From  their  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  vein  in  this  mine  they  became 
convinced  that  the  continuance  of  the  ore-shoot  would 
be  found  on  adjoining  property.  Imbued  with  faith  in 
their  theory,  they  severed  their  connection  with  the 
company  and  sank  a  shaft  on  their  near-by  claims.  In 
the  summer  of  1914,  they  won  their  reward  at  a  depth 
of  463  ft.  when  they  struck  the  continuation  of  the  Tom 
Reed  vein  and  opened  up  the  bonanza  orebodies  of  the 
United  Eastern  mine.  All  honor  to  such  men  of  initia- 
tive !  The  success  of  such  prospectors  has  made  the 
West  what  it  is  today.  Yet,  there  may  be  a  possible 
difference  of  opinion  on  the  part  of  their  former  em- 
ployers. It  is  almost  needless  to  state  that  in  the  light 
of  their  discoveries,  the  stockholders  and  managers  of 
the  Tom  Reed  property  must  realize  that  the  company 
could  have  been  the  beneficiary  of  such  a  development 
on  the  extension  of  its  vein  had  it  employed  Messrs. 
Long  and  Mclver  to  prospect  contiguous  territory  on 
the  basis  of  a  daily  wage.  It  may  be  said  that  under 
the  wage  system  men  of  this  type  would  lack  incentive 
that  leads  them  to  explore.  But  I  suggest  that  the 
miner  working  underground  is  actuated  by  much  the 
same  spirit  as  the  free  prospector.  Every  man  who  is 
worth  his  three  or  four  dollars  per  day  underground  is 


486 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRE36 


September  30,  1916 


normally  anxious  to  make  a  good  showing,  and  many 
a  wise  manager  gives  such  zealous  miners  more  or  less 
free  rein  to  'follow  the  ore'  as  their  judgment  dictates. 
When  such  men  make  a  'strike'  they  should  be  rewarded 
with  a  bonus  in  cash  or  stock  that  will  inspire  others  to 
follow  their  example. 

The  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  these  instances  are 
obviously  that  the  mining  corporations  may  well  afford 
to  employ  skilled  miner-prospectors  to  explore  other 
claims  or  properties  on  the  basis  of  a  fair  wage  and  an 
equitable  bonus  in  the  event  of  their  making  a  real  dis- 
covery. That  such  procedure  is  becoming  more  prac- 
tical is  being  demonstrated  by  the  results  of  exploration 
companies,  organized  in  some  instances  as  subsidiaries 
of  operating  mining  companies  and  in  other  cases 
financed  by  officials  of  the  parent  enterprise.  The  de- 
velopment of  some  of  the  rich  deposits  adjacent  to  the 
United  Verde  at  Jerome  was  initiated  by  far-sighted 
salaried  employees  of  the  older  corporation.  There  is  a 
wide  field  still  open  for  the  exploration  syndicate  to 
systematize  prospecting  according  to  modern  conditions 
of  co-ordination  and  efficiency.  Although  the  'good  old 
days'  of  the  prospector  have  gone  beyond  recall,  there 
is  still  a  great  deal  of  work  for  him  to  do  if  he  keeps 
abreast  of  the  times,  even  though  his  status  of  partner- 
ship with  a  'grub-staker'  is  being  changed  to  that  of  a 
skilled  employee  of  a  company  engaged  in  thorough  and 
systematic  methods  of  searching  for  hidden  mineral 
wealth. 

Harold  French. 
San  Francisco,  September  18. 

Blasting   Practice   at   Chuqui- 
camata 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  the  article  on  this  subject,  published  in  your 
issue  of  July  8,  1916,  I  find  several  errors  that  might 
lead  one  astray  in  planning  blasting  operations  of  this 
kind  for  the  first  time,  using  the  method  described. 

The  cost  of  churn-drilling  per  foot  is  given  as  $9.80, 
which  is  $2  more  than  the  drilling  of  our  1200-ft.  holes 
has  cost,  and  the  cost  of  driving  is  given  at  $5  per  foot. 
The  actual  costs  are  $3.60  maximum  down  to  $2.50 
minimum  for  blast-hole  drilling.  The  tunnel-driving 
costs  $10  per  foot,  in  place  of  $5,  the  price  to  the  con- 
tractor alone  being  $5  per  foot.  The  tunnel-blasting 
is  very  much  cheaper  per  cubic  yard  of  material  blasted, 
for  the  reason  that  less  footage  has  to  be  driven  between 
charges  and  because  the  expense  of  springing  operations 
in  the  case  of  the  well-drilling  is  dispensed  with.  ' 

The  factor  of  463  lb.  for  a  linear  metre  of  line  of 
least  resistance  is  not  a  fixed  quantity,  but  varies  from 
this  as  a  minimum  to  600  lb.,  depending  upon  the  ma- 
terial to  be  blasted.  The  factor  of  2.64  for  60% 
strength  dynamite  compared  with  black  powder  should 
read  2.25.  The  black  powder  referred  to  is  manufac- 
tured in  the  country  and  compares  in  blasting  strength 
to  40%  dynamite  in  the  proportion  of  1 :  1J  by  weight. 


This  ratio  has  been  proved  by  repeated  trials.  The  60% 
being  H  the  strength  of  the  40%,  would  give  the  factor 
2.25. 

The  plan  of  the  wiring  (Fig.  1,  3,  and  4)  is  in  error, 
the  caps  here  shown  connecting  in  multiple.  The  article 
describes  the  caps  as  being  connected  in  series,  but  the 
plan  does  not  conform. 

Further  along  the  article  states:  "From  careful  ex- 
periments it  was  found  that  for  a  series  of  20  caps,  a 
current  carrying  0.75  amperes  under  110  volts  should 
be  used  for  a  successful  'fire'."  This  is  an  error,  for 
the  reason  that  experiments  pointed  out  that  by  step- 
ping up  from  one-fourth  of  an  ampere  the  0.75  of  an 
ampere  was  the  least  current  that  would  explode  the  20 
caps  in  series.  From  these  and  other  experiments,  and 
from  experience  in  blasting,  it  was  determined  never  to 
use  less  than  a  safety  factor  of  4,  which  would  be  three 
amperes. 

In  plan  No.  1  it  will  be  seen  readily  that  should  the 
charges  loaded  be  blasted  the  collar  of  the  shaft  indi- 
cated would  be  lost  in  the  slope  resulting  from  the  blast, 
with  the  bank  height  indicated,  namely,  from  24  to  30 
metres.  An  entrance,  therefore,  to  the  second  drift 
could  not  be  effected.  The  spacing  of  15  metres  has 
since  been  increased  to  30  with  banks  whose  heights  are 
at  least  If  times  this  distance. 

As  soon  as  the  experimental  stage  of  this  method  has 
passed  and  further  blasting  demonstrates  the  most 
efficient  spacing,  charges,  etc.,  a  paper  covering  the  de- 
tails of  the  work  will  be  submitted  for  publication  in 
the  'Transactions.' 

The  method  is  unique  in  that  the  usual  method  of 
tunnel-blasting,  namely,  the  'T'  or  'gopher'  method,  is 
reversed,  the  entrance  being  placed  well  back  of  the 
working-face  and  the  tunnels  driven  from  cross-cuts  to 
the  face,  so  that  access  to  the  second  tunnel  is  not  de- 
layed and  steam-shovel  work  may  be  continuous. 

Mr.  Pope  Yeatman  suggested,  soon  after  operations 
began  at  Chuquicamata,  that  a  method  of  tunnel-blast- 
ing would  probably  be  more  economical  if  the  details 
could  be  worked  out,  and  that  we  ought  to  experiment 
with  this  end  in  view.  The  results  obtained  to  date  are 
far  better  than  was  even  anticipated,  and  I  wish  to 
thank  Mr.  H.  E.  Treichler  and  Mr.  James  S.  "Wroth  for 
their  co-operation  with  me  in  bringing  this  method  to 
its  present  development ;  also  Mr.  Burr  Wheeler  and 
Mr.  Arthur  Boynton  of  the  electrical  staff,  for  their  as- 
sistance in  conducting  the  many  electrical  experiments 
leading  to  the  determination  of  the  proper  current,  ar- 
rangement of  wiring,  etc. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  a  work  of  this  kind  should  be 
presented  to  the  profession  before  the  method  was  com- 
pletely developed  and  before  complete  data  were  avail- 
able. E.  E.  Barker. 

Superintendent  of  Mines  for  the 
Chile  Exploration  Company. 
Chuquicamata,  Chile,  August  16. 

Machinery  exports  in  July  were  worth  $18,971,052. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


1-7 


J,   Psi:r_ki    dlianminc),   anil    Cu-tjp&i   Mining 


An      Interview.       By      T. 


Klckard 


Mr.  Chanmng,  you  on  </  Columbia  man.  are  you  i 
Yea,  of  the  class  of  '88  of  the  School  of  Mini's. 
/  was  present  win  n  you  received  the  honorary  degrei  of 
Master  of  8cienci    <it    the   semi-centennial  of  tin 
ool  of  Mines  in  1  !>14.     You  an  «/  New  Yorker? 
Yes,  I  was  born  in  New  fork  City,  in  1863,  and  gradu- 
ated from  Colombia  when  I  was  20. 
What  woe  your  first  jobt 
My  first  juli  was  with  Allan  Stirling,  the  inventor  of 


for  the  firm.  The  principal  work  was  thai  of  keeping  the 
accounts,  taking  orders,  collecting  bills,  and  very  fre- 
quently, helping  in  the  foundry.  We  used  to  cast  the 
heavy  shoes  thai  were  a led  for  the  steam-stamps;  these 

weighed  about  KMH)  Hi.  apiece,  and  were  made  with  a 
good  ileal  lit'  manganese  and  east  with  a  very  high 
'header.'  The  peculiar  iron  from  which  these  shoes  were 
made  contracted  a  great  deal  in  the  process  of  cooling, 
and  the  loss  by  contraetiim  was  supplied  l>y  the  melted 
iron  from  this  header.     In  order  to  keep  the  header  flow- 


TIIK  SCHOOL  OF  .MIXES  BUILDING,  COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY.     THIS  BUILDING   WAS  THE  UIFT  OK  ADOLI'H   LEWISOHN. 


the  Stirling  water-tube  boiler,  who  was  at  that  time 
manager  of  the  mines  of  the  Hudson  River  Ore  &  Iron 
Co.  at  Linlithgo,  a  few  miles  below  Hudson,  in  New  York 
State.  My  work  was  that  of  chemist  and  surveyor,  for 
which  I  got  the  munificent  sum  of  $1.50  per  day. 
Did  you  remain  long  at  these  iron  mines? 

No.  I  remained  there  about  three  months,  and  then, 
through  Professor  H.  S.  Munroe  of  Columbia,  I  secured 
a  "position  at  Houghton,  Michigan,  as  draftsman  and 
book-keeper  for  the  firm  of  S.  E.  Cleaves  &  Son,  manu- 
facturers of  mining  machinery. 

This  experience  as  draftsman,  I  expect,  you  found  useful 
in  your  later  career? 

Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  didn't  do  very  much  drafting 


ing,  it  was  necessary  to  pump  it  up  and  down  with  an 
iron  rod.  This  required  the  services  of  nearly  every  one 
connected  with  the  institution,  including  myself.  Very 
frequently  in  the  evening  of  the  casting-day,  I  would 
stand  for  over  one-half  or  three-quarters  of  an  hour  with 
two  iron  rods  in  hand,  pumping  the  headers  of  these 
shoes. 
This  gave  you  some  useful  experience? 

Certainly,  I  obtained  a  good  deal  of  practical  experi- 
ence regarding  shop-work  and  mining  machinery.  After 
about  a  year  with  the  firm  I  was  taken  on  as  an  assistant 
to  Frank  Klepetko,  at  that  time  mining  engineer  to  the 
Tamarack  and  Osceola  mines  of  the  Clark-Bigelow  syn- 
dicate.    The  manager  or  agent,  as  he  was  known,  was 


488 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


Cap'.  John  Daniell,  one  of  the  old-time  worthies,  really 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  progressive  men  that 
has  ever  operated  in  the  Copper  Country.  At  the  time 
of  my  employment  with  Mr.  Klepetko,  the  Tamarack  was 
engaged  in  sinking  its  first  shaft,  and  I  remember  that 
the  Calumet  lode  was  struck  one  Saturday  night;  on 
Sunday  morning  I  went  to  the  office  and  Capt.  Daniell 
told  me  that  the  night  before  bne  of  the  drill-holes  had 
encountered  conglomerate  and  he  had  with  him  the 
sludge  from  this  drill-hole.  He  proceeded  to  van  it  on  a 
shovel,  and  thus  produced  the  first  copper  of  the  Tam- 
arack mine.  I  carefully  saved  the  copper  from  this  first 
vanning,  and  for  a  great  number  of  years  had  it  as  one 
of  my  choicest  possessions,  but  I  regret  to  say  that  in  the 
turmoil  of  moving  from  place  to  place  it  has  disappeared. 
In  what  year  was  that? 

That  must  have  been  in  1885.  By  the  way,  there  was 
one  little  piece  of  work  I  did  before  going  with  Klepetko, 
and  that  was  in  the  autumn  of  1884  when  I  acted  as 
assistant  in  the  Copper  Country  for  A.  P.  Swineford, 
Commissioner  of  Mineral  Statistics ;  I  wrote  for  him  that 
portion  of  his  report  covering  the  copper  properties. 
This,  in  itself,  gave  me  access  to  all  of  the  mines  of  the 
district. 

The  Tamarack  workings  became  the  deepest  metal  mine- 
workings  in  the  world,  did  they  not? 
.  They  did,  but  at  the  time  No.  1  Tamarack  shaft  was 
sunk,  cutting  the  lode  at  2270  ft.,  this  then  deep  level 
was  considered  a  tremendous  achievement.  The  No.  5 
shaft  eventually  reached  a  depth  of  5268  ft.  vertical. 
Is  it  likely  that  the  Tamarack  mine  will  be  re-opened, 
having  regard  to  the  favorable  copper  market? 

The  Tamarack  is  now  owned  by  the  Calumet  &  Heela 
Mining  Co.,  but  it  is  so  deep  that  under  ordinary  condi- 
tions, with  the  low  price  of  copper,  it  hardly  pays  to 
operate.  I  have  no  doubt  now,  with  copper  selling  at  28 
cents*,  that  conglomerate  is  being  mined  from  it.  Pro- 
vision is  also  being  made  to  treat  the  large  accumulation 
of  tailing. 
By  what  process? 

Re-grinding,   water-concentration,   and   the  new   am- 
monia leaching  process,  which  has  been  developed  by  C. 
H.  Benedict.    This  same  process  is  also  being  applied  to 
the  tailing  from  the  old  Calumet  &  Heela  mine  itself. 
Has  flotation  been  used  at  Calumet? 

No.  Some  experiments  have  been  made  upon  it,  but 
native  copper  doesn't  lend  itself  easily  to  the  process, 
although  there  is  a  possibility  that  it  may  be  adopted 
for  the  White  Pine  mine  on  ore  from  the  Nonesuch  lode, 
in  which  native  copper  is  found  in  a  very  finely  divided 
form. 

Do  you  recall  any  interesting  incidents  of  your  work 
with  Mr.  Klepetko? 

During  my  stay  at  the  Osceola,  we  concluded  to  move 
the  stamp-mill  from  Portage  lake,  where  the  tailing  was 

"The  date  of  the  interview  is  indicated  by  this  quotation  tor 
copper. 


filling  the  channel,  to  Torch  lake.  For  that  purpose  it 
was  necessary  to  construct  a  railroad  from  the  mine  to 
the  mill,  and  to  build  a  new  mill.  This  was  done  during 
the  summer;  the  mine  was  shut-down,  and  the  Cornish 
miners  put  at  work,  much  to  their  disgust,  at  grading 
the  railroad.  As  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  shovel 
dirt  into  wheelbarrows,  I  remember  hearing  one  of  them 
say:  "I'd  as  soon  take  a  snake  by  the  tail  as  the  'an dies 
of  a  wheelbarrow."  In  the  rock-cuts  it  was  interesting 
to  hear  them  joke  about  taking  a  "1-ft.  stope  off  the 
bottom,"  and  such  similar  underground  phrases.  I  have 
no  doubt,  however,  that  late  in  the  autumn  when  the  rail- 
road was  finished,  and  the  new  mill  in  operation,  the 
miners  returned  to  their  work  underground  with  at  least 
five  years  added  to  their  lives.  They  went  to  work  on 
the  railroad  thin  and  white,  and  came  back  increased  in 
weight  and  well  browned. 
When  did  you  leave  Calumet? 

In  the  autumn  of  1885  I  was  asked  by  John  Duncan, 
the  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Calumet  &  Heela, 
who,  together  with  John  Senter  and  several  old-timers, 
were  interested  in  a  concession  in  Honduras,  to  visit 
that  country  and  report  upon  their  properties,  and,  in- 
cidentally, build  a  steam-boat  for  them  on  the  Ulua 
river,  so  as  to  hold  their  concession.  In  October  of  that 
year  I  sailed  from  New  Orleans  on  the  City  of  Dallas 
with  all  the  materials  for  a  stern-wheeler  steam-boat, 
which  was  to  draw  2\  ft.  of  water,  and  a  crew  of  boat- 
builders.  We  arrived  at  Puerto  Cortez,  and  after  start- 
ing the  men  at  work  on  the  boat,  I  made  my  first  trip 
into  the  interior.  The  narrow-gauge  railroad  was  run- 
ning from  Puerto  Cortez  to  San  Pedro,  and  from  there 
the  trip  was  made  on  mule-back.  The  results  of  my  in- 
vestigation of  the  placer  deposit  were  disappointing ;  the 
quartz  veins  were  so  far  from  transportation  that  it  was 
impossible  at  that  time  to  exploit  them  profitably;  the 
mahogany  concessions  proved  to  be  mythical  forests ;  and 
the  amount  of  freight  on  the  river  was  not  sufficient  to 
keep  the  boat  in  commission.  I  returned  in  May  1886  to 
Calumet,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  com- 
pany they  told  me  the  only  fault  they  had  to  find  with 
me  was  that  they  had  not  sent  me  down  about  a  year 
earlier. 
What  did  you  do  then? 

The  new  Gogebic  range  was  then  opening  up,  and  these 
same  people  were  interested  in  options  in  that  district. 
They  sent  me  over  to  take  charge  of  them,  and  I  landed  in 
Bessemer,  Michigan,  in  May  1886,  when  that  town  was 
just  being  carved  out  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  streets 
were  axle-deep  in  mud.  Some  of  the  prospecting  was 
unsuccessful,  but  I  succeeded  in  striking  the  first  ore 
upon  what  was  later  known  as  the  Mikado  mine.  On  the 
Gogebic  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  meet  and  become  asso- 
ciated with  another  Cornishman,  who  was  as  good  a 
friend  and  advisor  to  me  as  was  John  Daniell ;  this  man 
was  Joseph  Sellwood,  at  that  time  manager  of  the  Colby 
mine.  I  think  that  Joseph  Sellwood  was  probably  as 
progressive  in  the  Iron  Country  as  John  Daniell  had 
been  in  the  Copper  Country,  and  I  have  always  felt  that 


mber  30,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


189 


my  wear  wis  very  much  influenced  by  the  good  prac- 
tical ailviii-  1  got  from  these  two  Cornishmen. 
/  am  glad  to  hear  you  toy  that.    It  does  seem  to  r»<  Mai 
tin   combination  »f  ilii   hereditary  minimi  sagacity 
of  tin  Corniskman  added  to  tin  technical  education 
that  Columbia  gives  ought  to  fit  a  man  fur  doing  tin 
work  of  mining.    What  nextt 
In  l^ST  Michigan  passed  her  first  mine-inspection  law, 
which  provided  tor  county  mine-inspectors,  and  1  was 
chosen  for  the  position  in  Gogebic  county.    '  'ook  back 
now  and  consider  thai  I  must  have  had  a  great  deal  of 
assurance  to  accept  a  position  of  snob  responsibility,  con- 
sidering my  limited  experience.    However,  I  got  as  many 
of  the  English  publications  as  I  could  on  mine  accidents 
and  their  prevention,  and  the  reports  of  Her  Majesty's 
inspectors,  and   1  believe  that  for  the  three  years  that  I 


bag  mining  themselves  or  having  their  suns  educated  in 
mining.  Technically-educated  mining  engineers  in  the 
Lake  Superior  region  were  then  few  am!  far  betwei 

unite  a   letter  to  the  Marquetti    Minimi  Journal  on  this 

subject  ami  this  was  seen  by  -l.  A  Hubbell,  then  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  legislature.  lie  spoke  to  in,'  nil  the 
matter  ami  proceeded  to  gel  the  first  appropriation  of 
$50,000  for  what  is  now  the  Michigan  College  of  Mines  at 
Houghton. 
What  was  your  next  appointmentt 

Tn  March   1890   I   resigned  as  Mine   Ins] tor  and   was 

made  superintendent  of  the  East  New  York  iron  mine  at 
Ishpeming.  At  that  time,  and  also  for  the  last  year  that 
I  was  on  the  Gogehic  range,  I  did  considerable  under- 
ground work  for  Messrs.  R.  I).  Irving  and  ' '.  R.  Van 
Ilise.  who  wrote  the  now  famous  Penokec-Gogebic  mono- 


.        1 

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THE  STEAM-STAMP  AS  USED  TO  CRL'SH    XATIVE-COPPER  ORE  AT  THE  CALUMET  &    HECLA. 


filled  the  position,  I  did  it  with  benefit  to  both  the  miners 
and  the  operators. 

Tour  work  as  an  inspector  must  have  given  you  a  good 
opportunity  to  gain  insight  into  the  character  of 
those  operating  mines,  both  above  and  underground. 
It  did ;  not  only  in  my  own  district  but  in  that  of  the 
other  districts,  for  we  mine  inspectors  exchanged  visits. 
I  think  that  probably  more  than  anything  else  my  posi- 
tion gave  me  an  opportunity  to  learn  the  point  of  view  of 
the  laborer  himself,  so  that  in  later  years,  when  I  was  put 
in  positions  of  responsibility,  I  felt  that  I  could  look 
upon  the  question  from  both  sides. 

You  became  interested  in  mining  education,  did  you  not? 
During  my  term  as  Commissioner  of  Mineral  Statistics 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  talking  with  a  great  many  of  the 
miners,  and  numbers  of  them  expressed  to  me  the  wish 
that  they  might  have  some  opportunity  of  either  study- 


graph,  which  was  the  first  American  work  actually  de- 
scribing the  formation  of  an  ore  deposit.  In  1893  I  took 
charge  of  a  series  of  explorations  for  iron  ore  in  northern 
Michigan ;  these  were  conducted  by  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railway  Co.  Most  of  this  was  in  new 
districts,  and  while  the  commercial  results  amounted  to 
nothing,  a  great  deal  of  pioneer  work  was  done  which,  in 
later  years,  has  been  of  inestimable  value  to  that  portion 
of  the  State. 
When  did  you  go  to  the  Calumet  &  Hecla? 

In  the  autumn  of  1894  I  accepted  the  position  of  assist- 
ant to  S.  B.  Whiting,  who  was  then  the  general  manager 
for  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  Mining  Co.  I  took  this  position 
with  considerable  misgiving,  as  it  was  notorious  that  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla  mine  was  an  Augean  stable,  and  the 
task  of  cleaning  it  was  Herculean.  I  was  young  and 
impulsive  and  tried  to  do  too  much  in  too  short  a  time ; 


490 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30.  1916 


the  consequence  was  that  about  the  middle  of  the  next 
year  I  was  summarily  dismissed,  and  I  thought  that  my 
career  was  at  an  end.  On  the  way  toward  Chicago  I 
stopped  at  Iron  Mountain  and  spent  a  day  with  my  old 
friend,  James  MacNaughton;  he  was  then  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Chapin  iron  mine.  Mr.  MacNaughton 
was  born  at  Calumet  and  knew  the  Calumet  &  Hecla 
mine  well.  He  encouraged  me;  told  me  not  to  despair; 
he  knew  that  I  was  right ;  that  it  was  not  my  fault  that 
I  had  been  discharged.  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Mac- 
Naughton himself  was  made  manager  of  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla,  when  the  situation,  on  account  of  high  cost  and 
inefficient  work,  had  become  most  precarious.  With  a 
riper  experience  than  mine,  because  of  his  successful 
management  of  the  large  Chapin  mine,  with  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  people  at  Calumet,  with  the  further  ad- 
vantage of  being  a  native-born  son,  he  made  the  Calumet 
&  Hecla  what  it  is  today.  I  remember  his  writing  me  a 
letter  after  he  had  been  there  six  months,  in  which  he 
said:  "Channing,  yesterday  I  gave  the  tree  a  gentle 
push  and  500  rotten  apples  fell  off ;  what  will  happen  to 
it  when  I  give  it  a  real  shake,  you  can  imagine."  By 
this  he  meant  that  500  unnecessary  employees  had  been 
let  out.  I  am  probably  violating  no  confidence  by  saying 
that  at  the  time  I  went  to  Calumet  the  cost  per  ton  of 
'rock'  treated  was  about  $3.80;  at  the  time  Mr.  Mac- 
Naughton had  taken  hold,  it  reached  $4.50,  and  under 
his  regime  the  cost,  in  a  few  years,  was  reduced  to  $2.25. 
I  remember  that  when  I  went  to  Calumet  I  found  them 
laboriously  dumping  timber  into  the  skips,  sending  them 
down  to  the  various  levels,  and  then  pulling  them  out, 
one  at  a  time.  I  designed  a  timber-car,  something  like  a 
flat  car,  which  could  be  hitched  to  the  rear  of  the  skip. 
It  had  stakes  on  the  sides  and  carried  about  100  pieces  of 
timber.  It  was  no  trick  to  hitch  one  of  these  onto  the 
skip,  lower  it  to  the  level,  and  dump  off  the  timber,  but 
the  old  crowd  at  the  mine  decided  that  inventions  of  this 
kind  were  not  to  be  desired  and  so  my  skips  were  rele- 
gated to  the  boneyard.  After  MacNaughton  took  over 
the  property,  he  saw  these  cars  one  day  and  asked  what 
they  were,  and  was  told  they  were  the  "Channing 
timber-cars."  He  said  they  looked  good  to  him,  put 
them  on,  and  they  have  been  in  use  ever  since.  This 
simply  shows  the  old-time  reactionary  spirit  against 
which  Mr.  MacNaughton  and  myself  had  to  fight. 
Were  you  not,  Mr.  Channing,  later  employed  by  the 
Calumet  &  Hecla  company  to  do  some  special  work? 
Yes.  In  1910  the  Calumet  &  Hecla,  which  had  ac- 
quired interests  in  11  other  Lake  Superior  copper  prop- 
erties proposed  a  consolidation  of  the  12.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  have  some  independent  engineer  make  a  report 
as  to  the  relative  value  of  the  properties  for  this  con- 
solidation, and  so,  17  years  after  I  had  been  dismissed 
from  the  employ  of  the  company,  I  was  selected  to  do  this 
work  for  them.  Unfortunately,  there  was  sufficient  op- 
position to  the  consolidation  to  prevent  its  becoming  an 
accomplished  fact,  but  I,  on  my  part,  felt  that  the  com- 
pany had  more  than  redeemed  any  reflection  which  it 
might  have  cast  upon  me  in  1893. 


So  that  was  your  first  real  set-bach.    What  followed? 

As  I  said,  I  left  Calumet  heart-broken,  returned  to 
New  York,  and  found  nothing  to  do.  I  had  some  money, 
and  so  instead  of  moping  in  an  office,  I  spent  my  time  in 
traveling  through  the  various  mining  districts,  seeing 
what  I  could  see,  making  notes,  and  occasionally  getting 
the  job  of  a  mine-examination.  During  the  summer  of 
1895  I  helped  Professor  Peele  of  Columbia  with  his  sum- 
mer school  of  mining  in  Gilpin  county,  Colorado,  at 
which  time  I  had  the  pleasure  of  first  forming  your  ac- 
quaintance, Mr.  Editor,  and  also,  incidentally,  of  meet- 
ing F.  C.  Alsdorf,  who  afterward  brought  to  me  the  un- 
developed property  which  is  now  the  Miami  mine.  In 
the  summer  of  1896  I  helped  Professor  Peele  again  with 
his  mining  school,  this  time  at  Butte.  There  I  again 
met  Mr.  Klepetko,  who  was  manager  of  the  Boston  & 
Montana.  He  had  just  finished  and  was  operating  the 
then  new  reduction  works  at  Great  Falls.  I  became  his 
assistant,  and  my  thanks  are  due  to  him  for  whatever 
knowledge  of  practical  metallurgy  I  have  acquired.  I 
remained  with  him  for  nearly  a  year  and  in  '97  returned 
to  New  York,  and  did  my  first  consulting  work  for  the 
old  firm  of  Lewisohn  Bros. 

And  you  have  been  connected  with  them  ever  since,  I 
'  believe? 
Yes,  for  19  years  now.  One  of  the  first  examinations 
I  made  for  them  was  in  Arizona,  in  1897,  when,  as  a 
matter  of  curiosity,  I  visited  the  CMfton-Morenci  dis- 
trict, where  I  saw  the  first  'porphyry  copper'  mining  in 
the  United  States.  James  Colquhoun  was  then  in 
charge  of  the  Arizona  Copper  Co.  and  was  sending  down 
the  incline  to  his  concentrator  ore  that  looked  more  like 
burned  lime,  with  occasional  specks  and  veins  of  black  in 
it,  this  being  the  chalcocite.  The  three  days  that  I  spent 
in  this  locality  impressed  upon  me  the  fact  that  huge 
masses  of  such  low-grade  material  (and  in  those  days 
we  called  3%  ore  'low-grade')  could  be  made  of  com- 
mercial value.  It  was  either  on  this  trip  or  the  succeed- 
ing one  that  Lewisohn  Bros,  had  me  examine  the  High- 
land Boy  mine,  at  Bingham.  It  was  owned  by  the  Utah 
Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  and  had  been  floated  in  London 
by  Samuel  Newhouse  at  7s.  per  share.  The  mine  had 
been  started  as  a  gold  mine,  using  the  cyanide  process, 
but  the  large  amount  of  copper  in  the  ore  seriously  inter- 
fered with  cyanidation.  In  driving  one  of  the  lower 
adits  to  develop  the  mine,  which  at  that  time  showed 
only  oxidized  ore,  they  encountered  a  large  body  of  sul- 
phide copper  ore.  Shipments  were  running  as  high  as 
18%  copper,  with  large  values  in  gold  and  silver.  At 
the  time  of  my  visit  quite  an  area  of  ground  was  opened 
up  on  No.  5  adit,  the  average  of  my  samples  being  some- 
thing over  7%  copper.  At  the  time  the  idea  of  secondary 
enrichment  was  vaguely  known,  and  while  I  recognized 
that  undoubtedly  some  of  this  copper  was  secondary,  yet 
I  could  see  that  enough  of  it  was  primary  to  warrant  me 
in  assuming  reasonable  persistence  in  depth.  Lewisohn 
Bros,  had  an  option  on  a  large  block  of  shares  that  had 
not  long  to  run,  and  my  first  examination  of  the  mine 


September  80,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRF..SS 


191 


simply  occupied  some  two  i>r  three  1 rs.     I  i •  >< >k  do 

samples,  bat  immediately  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City  and 
sent  them  a  message  in  code  tlmt  it  was  the  best  copper 
mine  I  had  seen  for  a  long  time,  and  for  them  to  I"'  care 
l'nl  nnder  no  conditions  to  lei  their  option  lapse.     I  then 


MAP  OF  PART  OF  TENNESSEE. 

returned  to  the  mine  the  next  day,  and  took  my  leisure 
in  sampling  and  making  my  formal  report. 

Apparently,  Mr.  Chaining,  you  believe  that  a  correct 
itnpn  ssioJt  of  th(  character  of  a  copper  mine  can  be 
obtain*  il  In/  a  mi  re  visit? 

In  a  great  many  cases  a  man  of  experience  will  be  able 
to  pass  a  quick  judgment  on 
a  copper  mine  without  the 
necessity  of  laborious  sam- 
pling and  assaying.  The 
Lewisohn  Bros,  took  up  their 
option,  furnished  the  money 
for  the  building  of  a  smelter. 
which  was  done  under  the  su- 
pervision of  Frank  Klepetko. 
The  mine  became  a  large  pro- 
ducer, and  I  am  sorry  to  say 
thai  the  stock  was  sky-rock- 
eted from  7s.  to  £14,  a  price, 
however,  never  warranted  by 
the  condition  of  the  mine.  It 
was  acquired  subsequently 
by  A.  C.  Burrage,  under  cir- 
cumstances that  were  graph- 
ically, though  not  altogether 
truthfully,       exploited       by 

Thomas  W.  Lawson  in  his  articles  on  'Frenzied  Finance.' 
When  did  you  go  to  Tennessee? 

In  1898  an  English  corporation,  the  Ducktown  Cop- 
per, Sulphur  &  Iron  Co.  was  operating  the  Mary  mine 
at  Ducktown,  Tennessee.  P.  de  P.  Bicketts  acted  as 
their  consulting  engineer,  and  called  their  attention  to 
the  fact  that  there  were  several  other  mines  in  the  dis- 
trict that  it  was  desirable  for  them  to  add  to  their  hold- 
ings. They  stated  that  they  had  quite  sufficient  holdings, 
so  Dr.  Ricketts  took  up  these  options  and  submitted  them 
to  Lewisohn  Bros.  He  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
ore  would  run  3%  in  copper.     I  was  delegated  by  the 


Lewisohn  Bros,  to  drill  the  properties,  and  during  the 
summer  of  1898  this  work  was  done,  with  Louis  D,  Hon 
toon  in  direct  charge  of  the  drilling.    The  reaull  showed 

that  the  ore  did  ool  run  ::■ , .  bnl  only  a  trifle  over  2j\' , 
and  as  the  price  of  copper  was  low,  the  Lewisohn  Bros, 
abandoned  the  operation. 
Hut  that,  I  believe,  did  not  end  Hi*  episode? 

No;  in  the  latter  part  of  the  next  year  the  late  I nan] 

Lewisohn,  who  certainly  was  a  man  of  greal  sairacity, 
saw  thai  the  turn  had  come,  thai  the  price  of  cupper  was 

to  advance,  and  aftei nsuiting  wit! as  to  the  pos- 

aibl st  of  treatment,  took  over  the  properties  al  Duck- 

town  and  organized  the  Tennessee  Copper  Co..  taking  in 
the  Polk  County  mine,  the  Burra-Burra  mine,  and  the 
London  mine.  The  shaft  on  the  Polk  County  mine  was 
deepened,  and  two  new  shafts  were  started  upon  t  lu- 
other  two.  A  railroad  was  built,  a  roast-yard  graded, 
and  a  smelter  erected  on  the  Oeoee  river  at  what  is  now 
known  as  Copperhill  station  on  the  Louisville  &  Nash- 
ville railroad.  Predictions  were  made  that  it  would  he 
impossible  to  mine  and  treat  this  ore  at  a  profit,  but  I 
felt  that  by  combining  Lake  Superior  methods  of  min- 
ing with  Montana  methods  of  smelting,  copper  could  be 
produced  at  10  cents  per  pound.  The  smelter  was 
started  in  August  1901,  my  predictions  of  costs  were  ful- 
filled, and  the  property  has  been  a  producer  ever  since. 
You  became  president  of  the  company,  did  you  not? 


ONE  OF  THE  CALUMET  &   IIECLA   SHAFTS, 


On  the  death  of  Leonard  Lewisohn  I  became  president 
of  the  company  and  remained  so  for  five  years. 
Do  you  think  it  is  judicious  for  the  mining  engineer  of 
an  enterprise  to  be  also  president  of  it?    In  other 
words,  to  what  extent  do  you  think  it  is  prudent  for 
an  engineer  to  be  intimately  concerned  in  the  formu- 
lation of  a  company's  policy? 
I  think  that  the  engineer,  if  he  has  business  ability, 
should  be  put  in  direct  charge  of  the  operations  of  the 
property,  and  should  be  responsible  for  its  outcome.     It 
is  seldom,  however,  that  we  can  find  "the  admirable 
Crichton"  who  is  a  mining  engineer,  a  business-man,  an 


492 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


executive,  and  a  financial  genius,  but  if  he  is  a  good  min- 
ing engineer,   a   good   executive,   and   a   good   business 
manager,  then,  if  he  is  associated  with  good  financiers, 
I  know  of  no  better  combination. 
What  were  your  methods  of  smelting  at  Copperhillf 

I  was  seriously  tempted  to  begin  with  pyrite  smelting. 
First,  I  consulted  my  good  friend,  Klepetko ;  he  com- 
municated with  Robert  Sticht;  they  both  advised  me 
that  on  a  new  property  it  was  not  desirable  to  make  too 
many  innovations,  so  we  fortunately  started  with  a 
method  of  smelting  heap-roasted  ore  in  blast-furnaces. 
After  we  had  been  running  about  a  couple  of  years,  W. 
H.  Freeland,  then  manager  of  the  Ducktown  Copper, 
Sulphur  &  Iron  Co.,  and  now  a  resident  of  San  Rafael, 
in  your  State,  began  the  experiment  of  treating  his  ore 
pyritically.  He  froze  furnace  after  furnace,  tried  hot 
blast  and  cold  blast,  and  finally,  after  a  year's  patient 
experimenting,  succeeded  in  smelting  the  ore  success- 
fully by  the  heat  of  its  own  combustion,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  barren  quartz  and  a  very  small  amount  of  coke. 
He  soon  changed  from  roasted-ore  smelting  to  pyrite 
smelting.  I  was  glad  to  profit  by  his  experience  and  fol- 
low in  his  wake.  We  altered  the  Tennessee  plant  so  as 
to  perform  pyrite-smelting  without  making  any  changes 
whatever  in  the  furnace. 
Was  that  when  t]ie  smoke  troubles  beganf 

Yes,  the  farmers  of  Georgia  began  to  protest,  the 
boundary  of  that  State  being  only  about  1000  ft.  away, 
and  the  prevailing  wind  being  from  the  north,  it  blew 
the  smoke  from  the  smelter  in  Tennessee  across  the 
boundary  into  Georgia.  I  had  always  felt,  even  from 
the  very  beginning,  that  there  were  possibilities  of  utiliz- 
ing the  sulphur  of  the  Ducktown  ores,  so  we  started  ex- 
perimenting by  closing  up  the  top  of  the  furnace,  pre- 
venting the  entrance  of  'false  air'  as  it  is  called,  and 
started  making  sulphur  di-oxide  determinations  of  the 
gases.  Much  to  our  surprise,  they  ran  6%  and  upward. 
The  question  then  arose,  should  we  use  the  'chamber' 
process  or  the  newer  'contact'  process.  "We  got  into  com- 
munication with  the  Badischer  Anilin  und  Soda  Fabrik, 
in  Germany,  who  sent  over  a  corps  of  engineers  and 
chemists  to  investigate  our  conditions.  They  were  very 
frank  in  their  report,  and  told  us  that  our  gas  was  so 
rich  that  it  was  unnecessary  for  us  to  consider  their 
contact  process,  and  that  we  would  be  perfectly  safe  in 
using  the  old-fashioned  chamber  process.  On  the 
strength  of  my  recommendations  the  directors  of  our 
company  authorized  an  expenditure  of  $1,000,000  for 
the  building  of  a  sulphuric-acid  plant.  I  called  into  con- 
sultation the  late  F.  J.  Falding,  and  between  the  two  of 
us  the  plant  was  started  and  put  into  operation.  ■  We 
soon  started  making  60°  B.  acid,  but,  of  course,  in  a  new 
process  of  this  kind,  ran  against  innumerable  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  eliminating  flue-dust,  and  in  getting  the 
proper  nitration.  We  succeeded,  however,  in  getting  the 
plant  up  to  a  capacity  of  300  tons  of  acid  per  day. 
To  whom  did  you  sell  the  acid? 

To  fertilizer  manufacturers  in  Georgia  and  neighbor- 


ing regions.  A  little  later  we  made  a  contract  with  a 
new  concern  known  as  the  International  Agricultural 
Co.  for  all  of  our  product.  •  Later  still  the  Lewisohn  Bros, 
sold  out,  the  enterprise  passing  into  other  hands.  This 
was  in  1908.  Utley  Wedge  then  took  up  the  work  where 
I  left  it.  He  has  made  many  improvements,  and  is  at 
present  producing  concentrated  acid  and  has  also 
doubled  the  size  of  the  plant.  The  plant  that  I  built  has 
now  been  keyed  up  to  a  production  of  600  tons  of  acid 
per  day,  and  presumably  in  a  year,  the  Tennessee  Copper 
Co.  will  be  producing  1200  tons  of  60°  acid-  per  day  from 
fume  that  ten  years  ago  was  not  only  a  waste,  but  a 
nuisance. 

Of  course,  the  War  has  created  an  abnormal  demand  for 

acid? 
It  has,   and,  of  course,  it  takes  time  to  build   acid 
plants,  which  is  the  reason  that  the  Tennessee  Copper 
Co.  has  such  a  good  market  for  its  concentrated  acid 
today. 
When  you  left  the  Tennessee  Copper  Co.,  Mr.  Channing, 

if  I  remember  correctly,  you  formed  the  General 

Development  Co. 
That's  not  exactly  right.  We  formed  the  General 
Development  Co.  in  1906,  some  three  years  before  I  gave 
up  the  active  management  of  the  Tennessee  Copper  Co. 
The  General  Development  Co.  was  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  developing  prospects  and  taking  hold  of 
partly  developed  mines,  with  a  capitalization  of  $2,500,- 
000,  later  increased  to  $3,000,000,  of  which  only  $1,000,- 
000  was  paid  in  cash.  Up  to  date  it  has  paid  about  $1,- 
800,000  in  cash  dividends  and  has  assets  of  a  value  of 
practically  $5,000,000.  What  led  to  the  formation  of  this 
company  was  that  in  1904  Messrs.  Requa,  Bradley,  and 
MeKeuzie  had  developed  a  very  promising  copper  pros- 
pect near  Ely,  Nevada,  this  being  one  of  the  first  so- 
called  porphyry  deposits,  that  is,  a  low-grade  mass  of 
silieious  rock  in  which  chalcocite  is  sparingly  dissem- 
inated. In  the  winter  of  1904  they  were  ready  to  raise 
the  necessary  money  to  develop  and  equip  the  property, 
build  a  railroad,  and  erect  reduction  works.  The  raising 
of  this  money  was  entrusted  to  a  large  banking-house  in 
New  York  whose  senior  partner  assured  them  that  he 
would  have  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  necessary  funds 
in  France.  He  went  to  Paris,  with  most  excellent  de- 
tailed reports  by  Requa,  Bradley,  and  MacKenzie,  but 
when  he  confronted  the  French  engineers  with  the  propo- 
sition of  making  money  from  a  deposit  that  ran  2J% 
copper,  they  laughed  at  him,  and  refused  to  consider  it. 
It  simply  showed  that  they  were  not  up-to-date,  for  they 
did  not  realize  what  could  be  done.  So,  in  the  summer 
of  1905,  I  was  asked  by  the  firm  of  S.  D.  Loring  &  Co., 
of  Boston,  to  make  an  examination  and  report  upon  the 
property  of  the  Nevada  Consolidated  Copper  Co.  It 
was  here  that  my  three  days  spent  at  Clifton,  Arizona, 
in  1897  were  of  incalculable  value  to  me,  for  I  saw  that 
with  Lake  Superior  methods  of  mining  and  Arizona  Cop- 
per Company  methods  of  concentrating,  plus  the  smelt- 
ing practice  of  the  Boston-Montana  and  the  Utah  Con- 


iiber  30,   1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


193 


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m 

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~~~~; 

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A.                ^*" 

THE    MIAMI    MINE   AND   MILL   IX    ARIZONA. 


solidatcil.  the  property  would  be  a  successful  venture. 
On  the  strength  of  my  report,  Messrs.  Hayden,  Stone  & 
Co.  and  other  people  took  stock,  I  believe,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  $4  per  share.  A  block  of  these  shares  was 
offered  to  Adolph  Lewisohn,  who  declined  to  take  them. 
Later  on.  seeing  the  shares  advance,  he  approached  me 
and  suggested  the  organization  of  the  General  Develop- 
ment Co..  with  myself  as  consulting  engineer. 
Win  ii  iliil  you  find  tin  Miami? 

After  the  General  Development  Co.  was  started,  we 
spent  considerable  money  at  Butte  and  other  places 
without  result,  but  in  December  of  1906,  when  visiting 
Globe,  I  ran  across  my  friend.  F.  C.  Alsdorf,  whom  I  had 
met  in  Gilpin  county,  Colorado,  in  1895.  He  called  my 
attention  to  some  ground  six  miles  west  of  Globe,  which. 


in  his  experience  of  the  Clifton  district,  he  thought 
might  be  underlain  by  a  copper  deposit.  I  went  over  the 
ground  with  him,  and  looking  at  it  in  the  light  of  my 
Clifton  experience,  and  of  experience  with  the  Nevada 
Consolidated  at  Ely,  I  agreed  with  him.  The  General 
Development  Co.  took  over  the  property  and  began  de- 
velopment work  in  January  1907,  and  in  May  struck  ore, 
at  the  No.  2  Red  Rock  shaft,  at  a  depth  of  220  feet. 
What  was  the  ore? 

The  copper  was  in  the  form  of  chalcocite,  disseminated 
through  schist,  and  ran  about  3%  copper.  Although 
the  Miami  and  Ray  mines  are  both  in  schist,  still  the 
term  'porphyry'  has  become  so  well  established  that  the 
name  is  used  notwithstanding  that  in  some  cases  the  ore 
is  in  real  porphyry,  and  in  some  cases  in  schist.     The 


; 

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■---*— 

' 

THE   TENNESSEE   COPPER   SMELTER,    AT   COPPERII1LL,    TENNESSEE. 


494 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30.  1916 


Miami  Copper  Co.  was  floated  in  the  spring  of  1908  at 
$5  per  share,  the  company  being  organized  for  600,000 
shares.  Of  these  300,000  were  issued  for  the  property 
to  the  General  Development  Co.  and  the  first  200,000 
were  sold  at  $5  per  share  to  provide  initial  working 
capital.  Later,  as  the  mine  developed  and  the  ore  re- 
serves increased,  the  remaining  100,000  shares  were  sold 
at  $10  per  share.  Afterward  the  capital  was  increased ; 
and  150,000  shares  were  issued  at  about  $17  per  share ; 
it  consists  now  of  approximately  750,000  shares  issued, 
and  the  total  initial  cash  invested  in  development  and 
equipment  amounts  to  $4,500,000,  so  that  the  original 
purchase  price  becomes  relatively  insignificant  -as  com- 
pared with  the  cost  of  development  and  equipment. 
So  the  price  of  the  property  teas  small  compared  ivith  the 
cost  of  making  it  a  mine? 
No,  that  is  not  exactly  right.  If  you  consider  the  bare 
cost  of  this  undeveloped  property  to  the  General  De- 
velopment Co.,  then  Yes.  The  General  Development  Co. 
took  the  risk  of  prospecting  and  had  lost  money  in  pre- 
vious ventures  leading  up  to  this  one,  but  it  sold  the 
developed  Miami  property  to  the  Miami  Copper  Co.  for, 
at  that  time,  a  consideration  that  was  $1,500,000,  namely, 
300,000  shares  at  $5  per  share. 
This  venture  has  proved  a  complete  success? 

It  has.    The  Miami  Copper  Co.  is  now  producing  over 
4,500,000  lb.  of  copper  per  month  at  a  cost  of  under  9 
cents  per  pound,  and  it  is  estimated  that  it  has  ample 
ore  resources  to  maintain  this  output  for  many  years. 
Mr.  Channing,  I  believe  your  company  is  a  defendant 
in  a  case  brought  by  the  Minerals  Separations  for 
infringement  of  patent  rights  governing  the  oil-flo- 
tation process. 
Yes,  this  is  a  fact.    The  case  was  tried  in  the  spring  of 
1915  in  the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  at  Wilmington,  Delaware. 
No  decision  has  as  yet  been  rendered. 
I  take  it  that  you  are  impressed  with  the  great  usefulness 
of  the  flotation  process? 
Yes,  I  am,  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  matter  is  in 
Court,  I  do  not  care  to  discuss  it. 

You  consider  mining  engineering  a  good  profession  for 
the  American  boy? 
I  do,  but  I  doubt  whether  the  possible  prizes  are  as 
great  as  they  were  at  the  time  that  I  graduated.  Still, 
the  tendency  at  present  is  to  demand  more  and  more 
that  technical  graduates  be  employed  at  the  mines,  even 
in  such  subordinate  position  as  shift-bosses,  so  that  there 
always  is  an  opportunity  for  a  capable  man  to  start  at 
the  bottom  and  work  his  way  up.  I  have  tried,  year  after 
year,  to  impress  upon  the  graduates  of  mining  schools 
that  they  must  not  think  that  when  they  get  their  degree 
they  are  finished  engineers.  They  must  realize,  that  they 
have  only  the  ground-work  for  learning  the  business  of 
mining  and  that  it  is  as  necessary  to  work  in  the  mine  or 
reduction  works  to  learn  the  business  of  mining  as  it  is 
to  work  in  a  grocery  store  to  learn  the  grocery  business, 
or  in  a  bank  to  learn  banking. 


Then  I  shall  ask  you  whether  you  agree  with  me  in  con- 
sidering that  the  American  mining  engineer  as  a 
rule  does  not  get  enough  underground  experience ; 
in  other  words,  that  he  shines  most  at  surface,  and 
appears  to  have  a  dislike  of  ivork  underground? 
No,  I  would  not  say  so.    I  think  the  younger  graduates 
who  are  coming  out  are  just  as  ready  to  go  underground 
as  they  are  to  go  into  the  mill  or  smelter,  and  there  have 
been  such  refinements  in  milling  and  smelting  that  the 
great  economies  of  the  last  ten  years  and  probably  for 
many  years  to  come  are  going  to  be  in  mining  methods ; 
there's  where  the  great  improvement  is  to  be  achieved. 
What  prospects  can  you  see  for  the  acquirement  of  ad- 
ditional skill  in  the  finding  of  ore,  which  is,  after  all, 
the  first  step  in  mining? 
The  easily  recognizable  metal  deposits  of  the  United 
States  probably  have  all  been   discovered.     There  un- 
doubtedly remain  a  great  many,  not  only  of  copper,  but 
of  other  metals,  in  which  a  careful  study  of  the  surface 
conditions  is  required  in  order  to  lead  to  correct  infer- 
ences.    Take,  for  example,  the  question  of  oil.     I  was 
impressed,  some  four  years  ago,  on  my  visit  to  Russia,  to 
find  that  there  was  little  'wild-catting'  or  venturesome 
prospecting  in  Russia,  such  as  there  is  in  the  United 
States.    If  there  was  any  supposition  that  a  certain  dis- 
trict contained  oil,  possibly  a  year  or  six  months  was 
spent  by  trained  geologists  in  thoroughly  studying  the 
geology,  in  putting  down  short  drill-holes  to  determine 
the  formation,  to  establish  the  dome  or  the  anticline,  and 
not  until  all  this  work  had  been  done  carefully  was  the 
first  deep  drill-hole  started.     The  result  has  been  that 
in  Russia  there  are  probably  fewer  dry  holes  than  in  the 
United  States. 

In  other  words,  careful  scientific  investigation  is  recog- 
nized now  as  a  first  step  in  intelligent  mining? 
It  is.  The  days  of  the  rich  deposit  that  anyone  could 
exploit  are  over,  and  we  are  reduced  to  the  necessity  of 
extracting  our  metals  from  material  that  in  the  past  was 
passed  over  as  waste  rock.  To  make  material  of  this 
kind  pay  one  must  have  a  large  deposit  and  careful 
geological  work  must  be  done  in  connection  with  its 
development.  The  method  of  mining  and  the  method  of 
treatment  to  be  adopted  must  be  the  subjects  of  careful 
study  and  experimentation,  and  after  the  work  is  under 
way  one  cannot  let  well  enough  alone  but  must  be  ever  on 
the  alert  to  improve  extraction  and  reduce  costs. 


Finely  powdered  aluminum  forms  a  part  of  two  of 
the  most  destructive  explosives  known,  one  of  which, 
ammonal,  is  a  mixture  of  five  to  eight  parts  of  am- 
monium nitrate  with  one  part  of  aluminum  powder  and 
is  vised  to  charge  shells.  It  is  one  of  the  few  explosives 
which  presumably  can  never  be  used  as  a  propellant,  as 
its  action  is  so  sudden  and  the  force  so  tremendous  that 
no  gun  would  be  able  to  stand  it. 

Gold  output  of  the  Rand  in  August  was  781,000  oz. 
fine,  an  increase  of  20,000  oz.  over  that  in  July. 


1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


Futuys    Dsysloprnzni     ui    -ills    ^loinxj. om    IF^uceii 


By      Rudolf       Gahl 


•Tin'  flotation  process  is  in  its  infancy.  For  this 
reason  t  In-  [aspiration  concentrator  must  be  necessarily 
in  the  tirst  stages  of  its  development  In  what  direction 
future  changes  may  take  place,  is  perhaps  indicated  by 
rbioh  have  been  made  [tartly  on  a  laboratory  scale 
and  partly  on  a  somewhat  larger  scale,  but  which  have 
not  yi't  been  incorporated  into  OUT  regular  milling  proc- 
ess. Of  these  latest  developments.  I  will  try  to  give  an 
Outline  in  the  following: 

The  Porous  Bottom  is.  as  one  may  imagine,  the  most 
essentia]  part  of  a  pneumatic-flotation   machine.     Our 

experience  with  the  porous  bottoms  of  the  different  con- 
structions brought  out  clearly  the  principal  difficulty 

attached  to  them,  which  is.  that  the  pores  have  a  tend- 
ency tu  contract  gradually  and  thereby  to  retard  the 
passage  of  air  through  them.  This  tendency  was  more 
pronounced  in  the  solid  porous  bottoms  employed  in  the 
Flinn-Towne  flotation  machine  than  it  was,  for  instance, 
in  those  of  the  Callow  type,  although  the  latter  also  show 
a  tendency  in  this  direction.  Our  first  supposition  was 
that  the  choking  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  air  entering 
below  the  blankets  carried  particles  of  dust,  which  would 
settle  in  the  fine  pores  and  reduce  their  area.  Indeed,  a 
canvas  blanket  will,  after  a  certain  length  of  service  as  a 
porous  medium,  always  show  some  ring-shaped  spots  of 
dark  color  opposite  the  air-inlets,  clearly  indicating  that 
a  deposition  of  dust  particles  on  the  blanket  actually  does 
take  place.  To  make  sure  of  this  point  we  cut  out  round 
disks  from  a  Callow  blanket  that  had  been  used  for  some 
time,  and  investigated  their  porosity  by  using  them  as 
porous  bottoms  in  a  glass  tube  standing  in  a  vertical 
position.  Air  under  pressure  could  be  applied  to  an  air- 
chamber  fixed  underneath  these  disks,  and  the  air 
passing  through  the  porous  blankets  could  be  measured 
by  a  gas-meter.  The  quantity  of  air  discharged  through 
the  porous  medium  offers  a  measure  of  the  porosity  of 
the  blanket,  and  for  this  reason,  the  velocity  or  speed 
with  which  the  counter  of  the  gas-meter  revolves,  gives 
an  indication  of  the  porosity  of  the  porous  disks  being 
tested.  To  our  surprise,  we  found  that  the  darkest  points 
of  the  blanket  were  not  those  of  lowest  porosity.  On 
the  contrary,  the  points  farthest  away  from  the  air-inlet 
showed  the  greatest  tendency  to  choke.  An  explanation 
of  this  paradoxical  behavior  seems  to  be  offered  by  the 
fact  that  an  air  blanket  is  kept  in  a  state  of  more  or  less 
agitation  near  the  air-inlet  (in  the  Callow  machine  this 
happens  to  be  a  point  remote  from  the  places  where  it  is 
held  rigid)    while   farthest   away   from  this  point  the 

'Abstract  from  'History  of  the  Flotation  Process  at  In- 
spiration,' a  paper  presented  at  the  Arizona  (September  1916) 
meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


blanket  assumes  a  state  of  comparative  rest.  Incrusta- 
tions, due  perhaps  to  the  presence  of  soluble  salts  in  the 
water  in  conjunction  with  fine  slime,  always  form  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  in  the  top  layer  of  the  blanket 
Evidently,  the  agitation  counteracts  the  formation  of 
tin-  incrustation,  while  there  is  no  such  influence  in  the 
portions  that  are  essentially  at  rest.  For  this  reason, 
we  concluded  that  a  solid  porous  material  is  nol  suitable 
as  a  diaphragm  in  a  flotation  machine  of  the  pneumatic 
type,  if  a  bottom  of  long  life  is  required.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  experience  of  everybody  who  experimented  with 
solid  bottoms  seems  to  have' pointed  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. Mr.  Cole  for  a  while  tried  carborundum  tubes  in 
his  machine.  We  tried  carborundum  stones  in  the  flota- 
tion machine  of  the  Inspiration  type  and  abandoned 
them,  and  I  believe  that  even  Messrs.  Flinn  and  Towne 
have,  in  the  meantime,  given  up  the  solid  bottom  of  their 
original  design. 

A  necessary  condition  for  a  serviceable  flotation-bot- 
tom appears,  therefore,  that  the  porous  medium  be  of  a 
flexible  nature.  The  4-ply  canvas  stitched  every  half- 
inch  or  so,  which  Mr.  Callow's  first  cells  contained  and 
which  we  have  used  for  considerable  time  in  the  Inspira- 
tion machines,  seems  to  answer  this  purpose  fairly  well. 
"We  find,  however,  that  to  keep  it  in  good  working  con- 
dition and  prevent  incrustations  from  forming  on  the 
top,  we  have  to  clean  it  frequently.  This  is  done  by 
dipping  an  iron  pipe  connected  with  a  water-hose  into 
the  compartments  and  sweeping  the  canvas  bottom  with 
the  jet  of  water  discharging  from  the  lower  end  of  the 
pipe.  The  canvas  blankets  seem  to  last  for  about  6 
months  at  the  most.  As  they  are  inexpensive,  the  re- 
placing of  a  bottom  after  that  time  is  not  a  serious  item 
in  the  operating  costs.  The  giving  out  of  the  canvas  is 
due  to  the  wear  caused  by  the  frequent  cleaning.  The 
top  layer  wears  out  first,  the  holes  created  by  the  stitch- 
ing forming  nuclei  for  the  formation  of  larger  holes.  By 
the  time  the  top  layer  has  a  number  of  holes  the  canvas 
blanket  is  generally  discarded.  In  the  interest  of  greater 
economy,  we  intend  giving  up  inter-stitching  the  layers 
of  canvas.  "We  are  trying  to  decide  whether  it  is  better 
to  use  single  sheets  of  thicker  fabric  or  to  use  canvas 
similar  to  the  kind  that  we  have  been  using  and  to  put 
several  layers  on  top  of  one  another  without  inter-stitch- 
ing them.  The  latter  has  the  advantage  of  requiring  the 
discarding  of  only  one  layer,  when  it  becomes  defective. 

There  will  always  be  some  tendency  to  form  incrusta- 
tions so  long  as  canvas  is  used  for  flotation  mediums. 
Their  formation  will  be  entirely  prevented  only  by  sub- 
stituting an  altogether  different  material.  "We  have 
made  experiments  in  this  direction.     One  of  my  former 


496 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


assistants,  R.  H.  Haskel,  deserves  credit  for  suggesting 
them.  For  instance,  we  substituted  for  the  canvas 
blankets,  thin  rubber  sheets  perforated  with  a  multitude 
of  needle-holes  and  obtained  an  excellent  froth.  The  ob- 
jection to  their  use  is  that  their  life  is  limited.  When 
sheets  of  rubber  of  an  increased  thickness  are  used,  the 
needle-holes  require  too  much  pressure  to  form  openings 
of  sufficient  size  for  the  passage  of  air,  and  to  make  a 
thick  rubber  sheet  suitable  for  this  purpose,  slits  several 
millimetres  long  have  to  be  substituted  for  needle-holes. 
We  have  had  one  or  two  rubber  bottoms  of  this  design 
in  operation,  but,  just  at  present  we  are  not  ready  to 
substitute  them  for  canvas  blankets.  We  also  tried  a 
blanket  made  from  a  material  that  goes  under  the  name 
of  sponge-rubber  and  can  be  produced  with  rather  fine 
texture.  We  have  not  been  able,  however,  to  obtain 
lastingly  good  results  from  the  use  of  this  medium. 
Furthermore,  we  tried  a  woven  fabric  containing  rubber 
threads  in  one  direction  and  threads  of  cotton  or  the  like 
in  the  other  direction  and  a  rubberized  canvas  made  by 
the  Goodrich  Rubber  Co.  We  are  not  prepared  to  use 
any  of  these  materials  on  an  operating  scale. 

The  advantage  of  rubber  should  be,  in  the  first  place, 
that  on  account  of  its  smoothness  it  would  have  less 
tendency  than  canvas  to  permit  the  formation  of  in- 
crustations. Besides,  an  elastic  medium  should  have  the 
additional  advantage  of  avoiding  the  danger  of  catching 
small  sand  or  slime  particles  in  the  pores  of  the  medium, 
as  an  expansion  of  the  medium  (which  may  be  effected, 
for  instance,  by  increasing  the  pressure)  would  widen 
the  pores  and  remove  such  particles.  We  think  that  our 
experimental  work  in  this  direction -is  encouraging. 

The  Recovery  that  it  is  possible  to  effect  in  a  flotation 
plant  depends  largely  on  the  grade  of  concentrate  de- 
sired. With  a  low  grade  of  concentrate,  a  low  tailing 
can  be  made,  but  when  a  high  grade  of  concentrate  is 
stipulated,  increased  tailing-losses  cannot  be  avoided. 
A  question  that  suggests  itself  in  this  connection,  and 
which  we  have  tried  to  answer  by  laboratory  experi- 
ments is,  "How  can  we  raise  the  grade  of  our  concen- 
trate— that  is,  reduce  the  percentage  of  insoluble  matter 
contained — without  entailing  additional  copper  losses?" 
We  know  from  laboratory  experiments  that  this  can  be 
done  by  expensive  methods — for  instance,  by  heating  the 
solutions — but  such  a  procedure  would  be  undesirable 
from  an  economical  standpoint.  Experience  has  shown 
us  that  concentrate  produced  in#the  first  compartments 
of  the  cleaner-cells  is  always  freer  from  insoluble  matter 
than  the  concentrate  produced  in  the  last  compartments. 
The  problem  then  resolves  itself  into  finding  a  suitable 
cleaning  process  for  the  concentrate  from  the  last  com- 
partments of  the  cleaning-cells.  By  treating  this  low- 
grade  concentrate  hot,  with  the  addition  of  caustic  soda, 
we  have  been  able  to  separate  it  into  a  high-grade  con- 
centrate and  a  fairly  low  tailing.  This  method  necessi- 
tates only  the  expense  of  heating  a  small  fraction  of  the 
pulp  and  may  be  a  commercial  possibility. 

Carbonates.  Another  subject  on  which  we  have  spent 
considerable  time  in  our  laboratory  is  the  problem  of  re- 


covering copper  carbonates  by  flotation.  When  we 
started  our  flotation  plant,  we  discovered,  to  our  aston- 
ishment, that  the  machines  not  only  saved  a  high  per- 
centage of  copper  sulphide  but  that  they  also  recovered 
some  of  the  carbonates.  Ever  since  that  time,  we  have 
tried  to  find  means  of  improving  the  carbonate  recovery. 

In  the  first  place,  we  studied  all  of  the  oils  that  seemed 
to  have  a  tendency  to  cause  the  flotation  of  such  minerals. 
Later  on,  we  tried  other  means  in  addition  to  the  varia- 
tions of  the  oils.  One  way  in  which  copper  carbonates 
and  similar  minerals  might  be  recovered  was  outlined  by 
Alfred  Schwartz  in  his  U.  S.  patent  No.  807,501.  The 
process  consists  in  first  artificially  producing  a  sulphide 
coating  on  such  oxidized  minerals  by  the  introduction 
into  the  pulp  of  soluble  sulphides,  and  then  adding  suit- 
able 'oils'  and  effecting  the  flotation.  If  it  were  possible 
to  thus  chemically  produce  coatings  of  sulphide  identical 
with  the  surface  of  the  minerals  formed  by  nature,  this 
process  would  work  well,  as  evidently  the  nature  of  the 
surface  is  the  only  characteristic  that  determines  whether 
a  mineral  will  float  or  not. 

Minerals  Separation  owns  a  number  of  patents  cover- 
ing this  subject.  Their  English  patent  No.  26,019,  issued 
to  Sulman  &  Picard,  describes  the  flotation  of  oxide 
copper  minerals  by  similar  means. 

I  am  not  aware  that  equivalent  patents  have  been 
issued  in  the  United  States.  The  English  patent  in 
question  is  of  a  later  date  than  the  Schwartz  patent 
above  mentioned.  The  representatives  of  Minerals  Sepa- 
ration have  experimented  with  this  system,  while  demon- 
strating their  machine  to  the  Inspiration  company.  As 
far  as  I  know,  they  have  not  proved  its  practicability. 
In  the  course  of  their  experiments,  they  tried  the  applica- 
tion of  sodium  sulphide  and  sodium  poly  sulphide  for  this 
purpose.  The  latter  was  produced  by  treating  sulphur 
with  hot  caustic  soda.  At  the  time  these  experiments 
were  made,  I  was  not  familiar  with  the  chemical  action 
taking  place,  which,  as  much  as  I  know  now,  actually  re- 
sults in  the  formation  of  polysulphide  mixed  with  thio- 
sulphates  and  other  oxygen-sulphur  compounds.  The 
failure  of  their  experiments,  I  ascribed  to  the  fact  that 
perhaps  a  polysulphide  which  they  were  anxious  to  make 
was  not  actually  produced.  I  proceeded  to  make  sodium 
polysulphide  by  the  treatment  of  sodium  sulphide  solu- 
tion with  sulphur  powder.  When  we  applied  this  re- 
agent to  some  of  our  carbonate  ores  in  laboratory  flota- 
tion experiments,  we  noted  that  a  good  recovery  was  ob- 
tained. The  composition  of  the  compound  was  varied  in 
order  to  find  just  what  composition  gives  the  best  results 
in  the  flotation  of  carbonates.  Our  experience  seems  to 
indicate  that  sodium  sulphide  alone  encourages  the  flota- 
tion of  carbonates,  but  that  sodium  polysulphide,  or 
sodium  sulphide  containing  more  sulphur  than  would 
correspond  to  the  chemical  formula  Na2S  gives  better 
results.  The  addition  of  caustic  soda  to  the  sodium  poly- 
sulphide was  found  beneficial. 

The  question  then  arose  as  to  why  we  succeeded  in 
effecting  the  flotation  of  oxidized  copper  when  the  ex- 
periments of  the  members  of  the  Minerals  Separation 


September   10,  [916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


497 


staff  failed.  Testa  along  theaa  lines  brought  out  th«- 
fact  that  the  Minerals  Separation  oomponnd  when  ap- 
plied to  <>iir  carbonate  ores  also  worked  sin asfully, 

hut  that  it  did  not  on  our  regular  milling  ore.  Oar  own 
oomponnd  when  added  to  mir  mill-ore  mixture  increased 
the  recovery  of  the  carbonates,  but  evidently  interfered 
with  the  sulphide  extraction,  and  for  this  reason  seemed 
to  be  of  as  little  oaa  aa  the  compound  of  the  Minerals 
iiion  Company,  When  applying  reagents  of  this 
character  to  tailings  resulting  from  ordinary  flotation 
treatment,  with  a  view  to  effecting  a  sufficient  sulphide 
extraction  by  the  regular  flotation  process,  and  using  the 
compound  in  question  only  for  the  purpose  of  increas- 
ing the  carbonate  extraction,  we  have  found  so  far  that 
the  inereast'  in  copper-carbonate  recovery  over  the  one 
obtained  without  the  addition  of  such  chemical  com- 
pounds is  not  worth  the  additional  expense. 

But  this  is  only  a  consequence  of  the  fact  that  carbon- 
!*t  in  very  small  amounts  only  in  our  mill-ore  and 
are  partly  saved  by  the  ordinary  flotation  process. 

There  is  no  real  difficulty  about  saving  carbonates  by 
the  method  mentioned  if  they  exist  in  quantities  that 
make  it  worth  while  to  save  them.  That  copper  car- 
bonates can  be  recovered  may  easily  be  demonstrated 
by  t  resting  a  deslimed  feed  in  a  series-flotation  machine. 
If  at  the  point  of  the  machine,  where  the  sulphide  re- 
covery is  nearly  finished,  sodium  sulphide  is  added,  the 
decidedly  green  color  of  the  concentrates  in  the  follow- 
ing compartments  leaves  no  doubt  on  this  point.  The 
desliming  of  feed  seems  to  assist  the  carbonate  recovery. 

It  would  he  well  to  establish  why  sodium  sulphide  and 
polysulphide  tend  to  increase  the  recovery  of  copper  car- 
bonates. A  coating  that  might  be  expected  to  form  can- 
not he  detected.  The  concentrate  resulting  from  the 
treatment  of  pure  carbonate  ore  is  decidedly  green;  be- 
sides, when  an  alkaline  condition  of  the  pulp  is  used 
there  is  very  little,  if  any,  tendency  for  any  sulphide 
coating  to  form,  and  the  alkaline  state  of  the  pulp  is  (as 
explained  above)  exactly  the  condition  under  which  the 
best  carbonate  extraction  results.  Another  fact  that 
seems  to  contradict  the  explanation  of  these  results  by 
the  assumption  of  a  sulphide  coating  is,  that  when  we 
proceeded  exactly  as  suggested  by  Schwartz — namely, 
when  the  application  of  soluble  sulphide  was  followed 
by  the  addition  of  flotation  agents  and  by  the  actual 
flotation — we  seemed  to  obtain  poorer  results  than  when 
the  procedure  was  reversed  by  applying  the  oil  first  and 
following  with  the  application  of  some  soluble  sulphide, 
although  the  latter  method  would  certainly  seem  less 
favorable  to  the  formation  of  a  sulphide  coating,  and  per- 
haps for  this  reason  has  not  been  suggested  by  Schwartz. 

Another  theory  that  has  been  mentioned  as  an  ex- 
planation of  this  phenomenon  is  that  colloidal  sulphur  is 
formed  by  the  solution  of  sodium  polysulphide  in  water, 
which,  as  is  known,  is  a  good  flotation  agent.  For  in- 
stance, it  is  pointed  out  in  the  U.  S.  patent  No.  1,140,865 
taken  out  by  R.  F.  Bacon  of  the  Mellon  Institute  in  Pitts- 
burg, that  by  setting  free  colloidal  sulphur,  say,  by  the 
reaction  of  a  soluble  sulphide  with  sulphur  dioxide,  good 


flotation  results  may  i.e  obtained  as  far  as  sulphides  are 

ooncerned,    To  make  the  pri bs  available  for  tic  flota 

tion  of  carbonates  and  other  oxidized  copper  minerals, 
he  suggests  that  a  Bulphidi sting  he  first  formed  on  the 

minerals,  thai  is.  to  follow  Schwartz's  idea.  Whether  the 
colloidal   sulphur  by   itself   has  a   beneficial   influence  on 

the  recovery  of  the  carbonate  (as  has  I n  suggested  in 

explanation  of  our  observations)  seems  rather  doubtful 
when  it  is  considered  that  we  have  obtained  good  results 
in  alkaline  solutions  in  which  colloidal  sulphur  does  not 
seem  to  separate  out  from  polysulphide  containing  only  a 
limited  amount  of  sulphur  such  as  was  used  in  our  tests. 
The  full  theoretical  explanation  of  these  facts  must 
therefore  be  left  to  future  investigations. 

Silicates.  In  our  experiments  with  the  object  of  sav- 
ing the  oxidized  copper  minerals,  we  soon  found  that  we 
could  save  some  of  these  minerals,  while  others  were  en- 
tirely refractory  to  the  method  above  mentioned.  To 
establish  which  minerals  could  be  saved  and  which  not, 
we  attempted  an  analytical  separation  into  carbonates 
and  silicates.  The  chemical  methods  which  we  tried  for 
the  purpose  of  distinguishing  between  the  two  proved 
unreliable,  however,  and  we  had  to  resort  to  the  separa- 
tion by  specific  gravity  (panning).  The  carbonates  of 
copper  (malachite  and  azurite)  are  heavier  than  gangue, 
and  the  silicate  (chrysocolla)  is  lighter.  The  separation 
is  rather  difficult,  owing  to  the  small  difference  in  specific 
gravity,  and  the  results  are  therefore  far  from  being 
altogether  reliable,  but  they  seem  accurate  enough  to 
indicate  that  the  method  of  saving  carbonate  copper 
above  referred  to  is  of  value  only  for  the  recovery  of 
carbonates  and  does  not  apply  to  silicates.  This  fact 
seems  to  be  another  corroboration  of  the  assumption 
made  above,  that  carbonates  of  copper  do  not  float  simply 
because  of  the  formation  of  a  thin  surface  coating  of 
copper  sulphide.  It  can  easily  be  verified  in  the  labora- 
tory that  silicates  can  be  coated  with  copper  sulphide 
fully  as  easily  as  copper  carbonates.  For  this  reason, 
if  the  filming  theory  is  right,  it  should  be  possible  to 
float  silicates  just  as  well  as  carbonates.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  they  can  be  floated  by  transformation  into 
sulphides,  only  this  transformation  must  not  be  con- 
fined to  the  surface,  but  must  go  deeper.  Our  experi- 
ence is,  that  to  effect  a  good  recovery,  it  is  necessary  to 
acidify  the  pulp  so  strongly  that  practically  all  the 
silicate  of  copper  is  dissolved  and  by  the  action  of  hy- 
drogen sulphide  or  other  soluble  sulphides  is  trans- 
formed into  the  state  of  chemically-precipitated  copper 
sulphide.  In  this  form  there  is  no  difficulty  about  the 
recovery  of  the  copper  by  flotation,  but  this  procedure 
is  not  entirely  without  objection. 

In  case  hydrogen  sulphide  gas  is  used,  the  acid  com- 
bined with  copper  is  regenerated.  This  tends  toward  a 
low  acid  consumption  and  a  good  copper  extraction,  on 
account  of  the  fact  that  the  treatment  winds  up  with  a 
small  percentage  of  copper  in  solution  and  free  acid 
present,  both  of  which  are  desirable  in  the  light  of  the 
law  of  chemical  mass  action.  But  hydrogen  sulphide  is 
not  a  desirable  reagent.     The  fact  that  it  is  a  gas  and 


498 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


not  a  liquid  introduces  complications  in  the  apparatus 
which  are  accentuated  by  the  fact  that  it  is  poisonous 
and  obnoxious  otherwise. 

Other  soluble  sulphides  used  in  place  of  hydrogen  sul- 
phide will  neutralize  some  sulphuric  acid  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  acid  consumption  will  be  higher  and  the 
copper  extraction  lower  than  in  case  of  hydrogen  sul- 
phide gas. 

As  far  as  acid  consumption  is  concerned,  it  is  pointed 
out  that  the  free  acid  lost  with  the  pulp  may  be  settled  in 
ponds  and  re-used.  However,  the  re-use  of  acid  diluted 
to  such  an  extent  is  a  more  serious  problem  than  is  gen- 
erally realized. 

The  treatment  of  concentrates  that  are  colloidal,  to 
a  much  greater  extent  than  ores  which  mill-men  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  calling  'colloidal,'  offers  additional 
problems,  which,  however,  may  prove  not  to  be  as  serious 
as  they  look. 

Everything  considered,  I  cannot  see  that  the  flotation 
treatment  of  oxidized  copper  ores  after  previously  leach- 
ing them  offers  better  prospects  than  straight  leaching 
by  decantation  and  precipitation  by  other  methods. 

General  Theory.  It  seems  to  me  that  an  explanation 
of  the  qualities  of  the  flotation-oils  is  not  as  difficult  as 
it  might  appear.  The  problem  only  seems  so  complicated 
because  the  flotation  qualities  of  an  oil  or  an  oil  mixture 
have  not  been  separated  into  their  components.  In  fact, 
it  requires  a  combination  of  qualities  to  make  a  success- 
ful flotation-oil.  In  the  first  place,  the  flotation-oil  has 
to  coat  the  mineral  particles.  That  there  is  a  tendency 
for  the  formation  of  such  a  coating  can  easily  be  seeu 
from  simple  experiments.  For  instance,  if  samples  of 
copper  sulphide  (chalcocite),  copper  carbonate  (mala- 
chite) and  gangue  (silica)  of  the  same  screen  size  are 
spread  out  on  watch-glasses  and  then  moistened  with  a 
drop  of  coal-tar  creosote,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  drop 
of  creosote  soon  disappears  through  absorption  by  the 
copper  sulphide,  while  it  takes  a  much  longer  time  for  it 
to  be  absorbed  by  the  copper  carbonate  and  a  still  longer 
time  with  the  gangue.  On  the  other  hand,  when  a  drop 
of  water  is  placed  on  the  same  minerals,  it  will  disappear 
on  the  gangue  first,  later  on  the  carbonate,  and  finally 
on  the  copper  sulphide.  This  evidently  proves  that  in  a 
mixture  of  water  and  oil,  the  oil  will  attach  itself  with 
preference  to  the  sulphide  particles  while  the  water  will 
have  the  greater  tendency  to  wet  the  gangue. 

The  second  quality  of  a  flotation-oil  is  that  is  has  to 
form  a  stable  froth.  In  such  a  case,  the  stability  may  be 
secured  by  more  firmly  cementing  together  the  mineral, 
air,  and  oil.  To  accomplish  this,  oils  are  used  which  have 
a  tendency  to  float  finely-divided  gangue  particles.  The 
action  is  characteristic  of  the  heavier  pine  distillates  like 
pine-tar  and  the  lighter  ones  like  turpentine  if  they  are 
crude,  unrefined  products ;  in  other  words,  when  they 
contain  some  of  the  heavier  distillates.  I  am  not  quite 
sure,  however,  whether  the  beneficial  influence  of  oils  of 
this  group  is  not  perhaps  rather  due  to  the  fact  that  they 
remove  colloidal  material  from  the  pulp  and  thereby  im- 
prove its  tendency  to  float  minerals. 


A  third  quality  demanded  of  a  successful  oil-mixture 
is  that  it  must  be  able  to  produce  a  sufficient  volume  of 
froth.  This  property  is  exemplified  best  by  oils  of  the 
soluble  type — cresol,  pine-oil,  and  alcohols.  It  can  be 
proved  easily  that  when  oils  of  this  type  are  used,  al- 
though they  may  be  considered  insoluble,  the  water  ac- 
quires the  frothing  qualities  of  the  oil.  It  may  be 
demonstrated  by  shaking  an  oil  of  this  character,  with 
water  and  permitting  the  oil  to  separate  out  again.  It 
will  be  found  that  the  water  has  acquired  frothing  quali- 
ties by  undergoing  this  treatment.  It  is  even  likely  that 
the  soluble  portion  of  the  oils  belonging  to  this  group  is 
the  only  one  that  is  active  in  this  manner.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  oils  of  group  1  and  group  3  may  be 
studied,  for  instance  in  a  flotation  machine  of  our  type. 
It  will  be  noted  that  the  heavier  mineral  runs  over  the 
concentrate  discharge  largely  in  the  first  compartments 
forming  a  heavy  dark  froth  and  the  heavy  insoluble  por- 
tions of  the  flotation  oil-mixtures  apparently  go  with  it. 
Toward  the  tailing  end  of  the  flotation  machines,  most 
of  this  dark  material  has  disappeared  and  the  froth  is 
lighter  and  of  a  more  watery  nature.  The  pulp,  how- 
ever, has  not  lost  the  quality  of  forming  froth  even  after 
it  gets  to  the  last  compartment  of  the  flotation  machines. 
This  permits  the  conclusion  that  the  frothing  character- 
istics follow  the  tailing-pulp.  The  water  settled  in  tanks 
and  tailing-ponds  has  decided  frothing  qualities.  Such 
water  behaves  in  a  similar  way  to  certain  alcoholic  solu- 
tions with  which  we  are  used  to  associate  this  character- 
istic, for  instance,  beer  or  champagne.  The  experience  of 
mills  using  the  flotation  process,  that  when  the  tailing- 
water  is  reclaimed  the  quantity  of  frothing-oil  may  be 
considerably  reduced,  further  supports  the  assumption 
that  the  formation  of  froth  is  caused  by  water-soluble 
substances. 

Bauxite  is  the  chief  source  of  metallic  aluminum. 
The  great  bulk  of  bauxite  used  comes  from  Arkansas, 
which  in  recent  years  has  produced  about  80%  of  all 
the  bauxite  mined  in  the  United  States  and  in  1915 
produced  more  than  90%.  Experiments  have  been 
made  to  produce  metallic  aluminum  from  alumina  pro- 
duced in  making  potassium  sulphate  from  alunite.  A 
process  has  been  patented  for  extracting  aluminum  from 
kaolin  or  aluminum  silicates  in  general.  The  clay  is 
fused  with  sodium  sulphate  in  the  presence  of  sulphuric 
acid  or  with  its  equivalent  of  acid  sodium  sulphate,  in 
such  proportion  as  to  form  aluminum  sulphate  and  free 
silica.  The  fusion  product  after  cooling  is  dissolved  in 
water,  filtered,  and  treated  with  sodium  fluoride.  The 
aluminum  fluoride  which  separates  is  fused  with  com- 
mon salt  and  is  eleetrolyzed. 

As  a  result  of  the  War  there  has  been  a  rapid  de- 
velopment of  the  manufacture  of  potassium  chlorate  in 
Japan.  An  over-supply  of  the  product  has  now  affected 
the  market.  There  are  about  three  factories,  and  the 
total  output  is  placed  at  7000  bbl.  per  month,  which  will 
be  increased  to  10,000  bbl.  when  extensions  now  pro- 
jected are  completed. 


September  80,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


199 


Reports  on  Mining  Districts— General  Suggestions 


•Qboloo'j  in  Its  Economic  Brabing.  The  writer 
should  bear  in  mind  that  an  economic  report  may  be 
used  by  readers  who  are  not  geologists  and  should  there- 
fore avoid  aa  far  as  possible  technical  words  with  which 

they  are  not  likely  to  be  familiar.  If  the  use  of  such 
words  is  unavoidable  it  may  be  desirable  to  explain 
their  meaning  briefly. 

Stress  should  be  laid  on  those  geologic  facts  that  are 
of  direct  economic  interest.  Material  that  is  chiefly  of 
scientific  or  theoretic  value  and  that  has  no  direct  bear- 
ing  on  the  economic  problems  discussed  may  bpst  be  re- 
scrv.d  for  separate  publication'.  If  it  seems  desirable, 
for  the  benefil  of  specialists,  to  include  such  material  in 
an  economic  report,  it  may.  by  paragraphing  in  smaller 
type,  be  kept  distinct  from  the  main  text,  so  that  it  can 
readily  be  skipped  by  those  who  would  not  understand  it. 

Order  of  Treatment.  The  order  of  treatment  should 
follow  the  principle  of  first  giving  the  reader  a  general 
idea  of  the  subject  under  consideration  before  proceed- 
ing to  detailed  description — the  reverse  of  the  process 
by  which  the  author  usually  arrives  at  his  results.  This 
suggestion  applies  not  only  to  the  whole  report  but  also 
to  the  treatment  of  individual  topics.  Thus,  before  de- 
scribing the  geology  of  the  ore  deposits  of  a  district,  he 
might  give  a  brief  characterization  like  this:  "It  is  an 
area  of  granite  intruded  by  andesite,  which  is  in  turn 
cut  by  phonolite  dikes,"  or  "The  deposits  are  narrow, 
vertical  veins  cutting  granite,  andesite,  and  phonolite 
and  conforming  in  general  direction  with  the  phonolite 
dikes. ' '  In  this  way  the  reader  starts  with  a  general  idea 
of  the  subject  and  is  able  to  see  the  bearing  of  the  facts 
observed  and  presented  by  the  author. 

Subject  Order 

General  Order.  The  general  order  treatment  here 
recommended  is  applicable  to  a  complete  report  on  a 
mining  district,  and  a  paper  of  different  scope  may  well 
follow  a  similar  general  order  so  far  as  it  can  be  applied 
to  the  facts  presented.  The  titles  of  the  headings  may 
be  modified  according  to  the  varying  conditions  in  dif- 
ferent regions  and  the  taste  of  the  author,  but  he  should 
have  some  definite  plan  in  mind  before  he  begins  to 
write.    The  general  heads  may  comprise  the  following : 


Preface. 

Outline  of  the  report. 

Introduction. 


Geography. 
Geology. 
Ore  deposits. 


Preface.  The  preface  should  be  written  and  signed 
by  the  geologist  in  charge  of  the  administrative  unit  to 
which  the  author  belongs.  It  should  indicate  the  char- 
acter and  purpose  of  the  investigation  and  call  atten- 

*Prepared  originally  in  1906  by  S.  F.  Emmons;  revised  in 
June  1913  and  April  1916  by  F.  L.  Ransome.  From  'Sugges- 
tions to  Authors  of  Papers  for  Publication  by  the  United 
States  Geological  Survey,'  by  George  McLane  Wood,  Editor. 


tion  to  important  features  or  results  set  forth  in  the 
report  and  to  their  bearing  on  regional  or  other  broad 
problems. 

OUTLINE  of  the  Report.  The  author  should  write  a 
brief  but  carefully  prepared  abstract  of  the  report,  with 
a  view  not  only  of  giving  the  reader  a  preliminary  sur- 
vey of  the  work  but  of  affording  an  authoritative  out- 
line for  the  press. 

Introduction.  The  introduction  may  comprise  a 
statement  of  the  conditions  under  which  the  work  was 
done,  acknowledgment  of  favors,  a  summary  of  previous 
work  in  the  same  field,  and  a  bibliography,  if  the  litera- 
ture on  the  district  discussed  is  sufficient  to  warrant  it. 
Bibliographies  are  more  useful  if  the  title  of  each  paper 
is  followed  by  a  brief  abstract  of  its  contents. 

Geography.  The  section  on  geography  should  de- 
scribe location,  routes  of  approach,  topography,  climate, 
vegetation,  and  other  geographic  features.  Relief  and 
drainage  should  be  described  as  present  features  of  the 
landscape,  hut  their  genesis  and  evolution  should  be  dis- 
cussed under  'Geology.' 

Geology.  The  discussion  of  the  geology  should  pre- 
sent general  geologic  information  with  regard  to  the 
region,  in  the  following  order:  (a)  The  character  and 
composition  of  different  rock  formations,  in  order  of 
age,  commencing  with  the  oldest  and  distinguishing 
sedimentary  from  igneous;  (6)  the  distribution  and 
structural  relations  of  the  formations;  (c)  metamor- 
phism;  (d)  the  development  of  topographic  features 
with  special  reference  to  lithology  and  geologic  structure. 

Ore  Deposits.  The  description  of  the  ore  deposits  as 
a  whole  and  the  discussion  of  their  genesis  should  form 
the  principal  part  of  the  report.  In  this  part  the  sub- 
divisions suggested  below  may  be  enlarged  or  condensed 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  deposits,  but  the  general 
order  of  subjects  should  be  preserved. 

(a)  History  of  mining  development.  The  author  may 
relate  the  successive  steps  in  the  local  progress  of  the 
mining  art  and  state  the  present  conditions.  In  some 
reports  that  are  essentially  economic  this  history  may 
follow  the  'Introduction.' 

(6)  Production.  Annual  and  total  output  of  mineral 
products,  with  sources  of  information. 

(c)  General  character  of  deposits.  Fissure  veins,  re- 
placement deposits,  contact  deposits,  etc. 

(d)  Mineralogy.  Enumeration  and  brief  description 
of  gangue  minerals,  of  original  metallic  minerals,  in 
order  of  value  of  metal  or  other  distinctive  feature,  and 
of  secondary  minerals  or  products  of  alteration,  in  the 
same  order;  also  paragenesis  or  succession  of  minerals 
and  its  bearing  on  genesis. 

(e)  The  deposits.  Distribution  and  geologic  features, 
structural  relations,  primary  deposition,  underground 


500 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


water,  secondary  deposition  and  alteration  of  ore  and 
country  rock,  distribution  of  ore  in  the  deposits,  age  of 
original  and  secondary  deposits,  value  of  ores  and  its 
dependence  on  geologic  conditions. 

(/)  Genesis  of  the  deposits.  The  author  should  re- 
capitulate the  essential  facts  brought  out  in  his  descrip- 
tions, show  their  bearing  on  the  problem  of  origin,  and 
deduce  such  theoretical  conclusions  as  they  may  warrant. 

(g)  Practical  applications.  The  author  may  point 
out  how  his  work  may  aid  the  miners  in  developing  their 
orebodies  or  in  finding  new  ones  and  may  forecast,  if 
possible,  the  economic  future  of  the  district. 

(h)  The  mines.  In  the  detailed  descriptions  of  the 
individual  mines  or  groups  of  mines  the  general  order  of 
treatment  indicated  above  should  be  followed.  It  is  well 
to  select  one  or  more  of  the  principal  or  characteristic 
mines  as  types  to  be  described  in  considerable  detail. 

Definitions 

The  following  definitions  of  certain  terms  in  common 
use  are  sanctioned  by  the  practice  of  the  Survey,  and  it 
is  desirable  to  adhere  to  them  in  Survey  reports,  as  a 
lack  of  uniformity  in  the  use  of  such  terms  is  likely  to 
cause  misunderstanding. 

Materials 

Ore.  Ore  is  a  mineral  or  rock  from  which  one  or  more 
metals  may  be  profitably  extracted.  Material/  that  can- 
not be  profitably  worked  today  may  become  of  economic 
value  a  year  or  so  hence  without  any  change  in  character. 
Consequently,  in  using  the  term  'ore'  it  is  necessary  to 
take  into  account  the  effect  of  changing  economic  con- 
ditions and  of  probable  improvements  in  metallurgic 
processes.  According  to  the  definition  given  above  it  is 
tautologie  to  use  the  term  'pay  ore.' 

Gangue.  The  term  'gangue'  is  properly  applied  only 
to  the  earthy  or  non-metallic  minerals  that  are  of  com- 
mon occurrence  in  ore  deposits,  such  as  quartz,  barite, 
chlorite,  fluorite,  calcite,  and  dolomite.  The  practice  of 
describing  as  gangue  any  metallic  minerals  that  may 
happen  to  be  of  no  economic  value  is  not  desirable,  even 
if  they  are  called  metallic  gangue,  for  it  permits  no  uni- 
form distinction  between  ore  and  gangue. 

In  describing  the  minerals  occurring  in  an  ore  deposit 
it  is  well  to  distinguish  the  exogenous  gangue  minerals — 
those  that  have  been  brought  in  from  some  outside 
source — from  the  endogenous  gangue  minerals — those 
that  are  the  product  of  alteration  of  the  wall  rock  or 
country  rock. 

Vein  Material.  As  a  collective  term  to  describe  the 
aggregate  materials  which  make  up  the  orebody,  the 
phrase  'vein  material'  or  'vein  stuff'  may  be  used.  'Vein 
stone'  is  a  less  desirable  phrase,  for  the  reason  that 
'stone'  is  used  by  some  mining  men  as  a  technical  term 
for  ore,  whereas  others  make  'vein  stone'  synonymous 
with  'gangue.' 

Gouge.  Gouge  is  a  soft,  clayey  material  that  occurs 
in  some  places  as  a  selvage  between  a  vein  and  the  coun- 
try rock  and  is  usually  formed  by  the  trituration  of  the 


country  rock  by  motion  subsequent  to  the  formation  of 
the  vein.  The  term  should  not  be  loosely  used  for  any 
soft,  crushed  material. 

Country  Rock.  'Country'  is  the  miner's  term  for 
the  rock  which  encloses  an  ore  deposit.  The  term  '  coun- 
try rock'  has  been  criticized  as  tautologie;  nevertheless, 
it  is  sanctioned  by  very  wide  usage,  and  its  use  is  con- 
sidered advisable  where  the  single  word  'country'  might 
lead  to  confusion  in  the  mind  of  the  non-technical 
reader. 

Forms 

Vein,  Lode,  Vein  System.  The  material  filling  a 
fissure,  when  not  injected  as  molten  matter  to  form  a 
dike,  is  termed  a  vein.  Most  veins  are  of  nearly  tabular 
form.  An  ore-bearing  vein  is  a  single  body  of  metal- 
liferous minerals  occupying  or  following  a  fissure,  both 
walls  of  which  generally  are  well  defined.  Where  sev- 
eral veins  are  so  closely  spaced  that  the  ground  between 
them  becomes  in  places  ore  bearing  and  in  its  whole 
width  constitutes  an  orebody,  the  assemblage  is  called 
a  lode,  although  in  legal  phraseology  lode  or  lead  is  in 
a  broad  sense  synonymous  with  vein.  The  term  'vein 
system'  may  be  used  for  a  larger  group  of  veins  and 
may  include  several  lodes.  The  fractures  of  the  earth's 
crust  that  admit  of  ore  deposition  are  so  multiform  that 
it  is  not  possible  to  give  stricter  definitions.  Usage  may 
differ  somewhat  in  different  districts,  but  the  general 
order  from  simpler  to  more  complicated  deposits  will  be 
vein,  lode,  vein  system. 

Shear  Zone.  The  term  'shear  zone'  denotes  a  sec- 
tion of  the  earth's  crust  within  which  the  rocks  have 
been  closely  laminated  by  yielding  to  a  shearing  stress. 
It  is  a  structural  feature  along  which  ore  may  be  de- 
posited, but  is  not  itself  a  form  of  deposit. 

Sheeted  Zone.  "Where  the  country  rock  is  traversed 
by  approximately  parallel  fissures  separated  by  thin 
sheets  of  rock  it  is  said  to  be  'sheeted,'  and  the  zone 
affected  may  be  called  a  'sheeted  zone.'  In  a  sheeted 
zone  the  fissures  are  generally  more  widely  spaced  and 
there  is  less  crushing  than  in  a  shear  zone. 

Fault.  A  fault,  in  its  simplest  form,  is  a  fracture  in 
the  rock  of  the  earth's  crust  accompanied  by  a  displace- 
ment of  one  side  with  respect  to  the  other  in  a  direction 
parallel  with  the  fracture.  A  fault  is  not  a  form  of  ore- 
body,  but,  like  shear  zones  and  sheeted  zones,  it  may  in- 
fluence ore  deposition  or  determine  the  shape  of  a  de- 
posit. There  has  been  much  diversity  in  the  nomen- 
clature of  faults,  and  authors  are  advised  to  follow  the 
terminology  recommended  by  a  committee  of  the  Geo- 
logical Society  of  America,1 

Bedded  Deposit,  Bed  Deposit.  In  contrast  with 
veins,  which  cut  across  the  bedding  of  the  inclosing 
rocks,  some  deposits  conform  with  the  stratification. 
Such  deposits  are  frequently  called  bedded  deposits,  but 
this  name  suggests  that  they  were  laid  down  as  members 

iReid.  H.  F.,  and  others.  Report  of  the  Committee  on  the 
Nomenclature  of  Faults.  Geol.  Soc.  American  Bull..  Vol.  24, 
pp.  163-186,  1913. 


September  80,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


.-,n| 


of  the  stratigraphic  aeries  in  which  the}  ooour    that  is. 
that  they  arc  ayngenetic  depoaita     The  term  'bed  de- 
:  broader  application;  it  will  cover  such  da- 
•nay  have  been  subsequently  introdaced  be- 
tween the  beds — thai   is.  epigenetic  depoaita. 

i  Vhn.  The  term  'gash  vein'  baa  been  employed 
tn  describe  a  vein  that  tills  joints  or  fiaanrea  in  limestone 
in  the  lead  depoaita  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  region.  A 
gash  vein  dues  not  ••xt-'tnl  beyond  a  single  bed  or  similar 
rink  mass. 

Trie  Ykin.  Whitney*  naed  the  expression  true  or 
Qssure  veins'  in  his  tabular  classification  of  ore  deposits 
to  distinguish  from  gash  veins  those  veins  which,  accord- 
ing to  him,  "may  be  presumed  to  extend  for  an  indefi- 
nite distance  downward."  Although  in  his  text  he  uses 
the  term  'true  vein.'  the  expression  he  employs  in  his 
widely  quoted  table  has  probably  given  currency  among 
miners  to  the  term  'fissure  vein'  or  even  'true  fissure 
vein.'  'True  vein'  was  the  term  in  use  before  Whitney's 
table  was  published,  and  by  the  earlier  writers  on  ore 
deposition  it  was  employed  to  indicate  an  orebody  that 
filled  a  fissure;  hence  the  term  'fissure  vein'  is  in  a  strict 
sense  pleonastic  and  should  not  be  used  in  classification. 

Stbuctore  of  Vein  Material.  The  following  forms 
of  structure  may  be  recognized  in  the  material  filling  a 
fissure: 

1.  Banded  structure,  in  which  the  vein  shows  in  cross- 
section  a  banding  nearly  parallel  to  the  wall.  This  may 
be  subdivided,  according  to  origin,  into — 

(a)  Banded  structure  by  filling,  in  which  the  filling  is 
evidently  a  series  of  layers  of  vein  material  deposited 
successively  on  the  walls  of  an  open  space.  If  the  layers 
are  symmetrically  arranged  on  both  sides  of  a  medial 
plane,  with  crystals  pointing  inward,  comb  structure  is 
produced.  In  the  middle  part  of  the  vein  there  may  be 
cavities  or  vugs  lined  with  crystals. 

(6)  Banded  structure  by  subsequent  movement,  or 
ribbon  structure,  produced  by  a  simple  sheeting  of  the 
vein  material  after  original  deposition.  Such  movement 
may  result  in  a  reopening  along  the  new  plane  of  move- 
ment and  the  deposition  of  new  material  in  the 
opening. 

(c)  Banded  structure  by  replacement,  produced 
where  the  original  fissure  consisted  of  a  number  of  paral- 
lel openings  separated  by  thin  bands  of  country  rock 
and  where,  during  or  subsequent  to  the  filling  of  these 
openings,  the  intervening  bands  of  country  rock  have 
been  more  or  less  extensively  replaced  by  vein  material. 

2.  Breccia  structure,  in  which  the  friction  breccia  or 
dragged-in  fragments  of  country  rock  constitute  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  vein  filling  and  the  ore  has  been 
deposited  in  the  spaces  between  the  fragments,  perhaps 
in"  more  or  less  concentric  shells  or  layers  around  them. 
Breccia  structure  may  occur  in  any  vein,  hence  it  is  not 
desirable  to  use  'brecciated  vein'  as  a  term  of  classifi- 
cation. 

^Whitney,  J.  D.  'The  Metallic  Wealth  of  the  United  States 
Described  and  Compared  with  that  of  other  Countries,'  pp.  34, 
49,  1854. 


Linked  Veins.  Depoaita  that  till  approximately  par- 
allel and  over-lapping  fissures,  arranged  in  steplike 
form  and  connected  or  linked  by  small,  irregular 

stringers,  arc  called  linked  veins.    As  the  deposit   pinches 

out  on  one  fissure  it  is  taken  up  on  one  of  the  over- 
lapping fissures. 

Stringed  Lode  a  stringer  lode  is  made  up  of  irregu- 
larly branching  and  anastomosing  stringers  or  veinleta, 
In  must  stringer  lodea  the  rock  between  the  veinleta  is 
sn  much  metallized  or  is  so  inseparable  from  the  string- 
ers that  the  whole  is  worked  as  a  single  orebody. 

Chimney,  Stock.  The  term  'chimney'  is  applied  to 
orebodies  that  have  not  the  tabular  form  of  a  vein,  but 
are  rudely  circular  or  elliptical  in  outline  horizontally 
and  have  a  very  considerable  vertical  extent.  A  similar 
body  of  still  greater  irregularity  of  outline  is  called  a 
stock. 

Stockwork.  A  stoekwork  is  an  orebody  of  stocklike 
form  made  up  of  innumerable  branching  and  anas- 
tomosing stringers. 

Ore-Shoot,  Pay-Shoot.  An  ore-shoot  or  pay-shoot 
is  that  part  of  a  metalliferous  deposit  which  is  rich 
enough  to  exploit.  Its  outlines  are  not  generally  well 
defined.  The  ore-shoot  may  be  considered  as  having 
three  axes,  at  right  angles  to  one  another.  The  inclina- 
tion of  the  longest  axis  to  a  horizontal  plane  is  called 
the  plunge  and  is  measured  in  a  vertical  plane  erected 
along  the  axis.  The  angle  made  by  this  axis  with  a  hori- 
zontal line,  measured  in  the  plane  of  the  vein,  is  called 
the  pitch.  In  an  ore-shoot  that  is  part  of  a  vein  the  dip 
of  the  vein  and  the  plunge  of  the  ore-shoot  coincide 
when  the  pitch  is  90°. 

The  true  dimensions  of  an  ore-shoot  would  be  shown 
by  giving  the  length  of  its  longest  axis  and  the  area  of 
one  or  more  cross-sections  normal  to  that  axis.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  its  true  form  can  rarely  be  deter- 
mined until  all  the  ore  has  been  mined,  it  is  common 
practice  to  speak  of  its  length  and  width  or  thickness  as 
those  of  a  horizontal  section  of  the  body  on  a  given  level 
of  the  mine.  These  are  evidently  not  true  dimensions 
unless  the  longest  axis  of  the  body  is  vertical.  It  is  ad- 
visable to  follow  the  usage  adopted  by  Lindgren  and 
Ransome  in  their  Cripple  Creek  report  and  call  the 
longest  axis  'pitch  length'  and  the  horizontal  dimen- 
sion along  the  level  'stope  length.' 

Contact  Deposits.  The  term  'contact  deposits' 
should  be  restricted  to  deposits  which  have  been  formed 
by  igneous  metamorphism  and  which  carry  the  mineral 
characteristic  of  such  action.  Such  use  eliminates  from 
this  category  many  forms  of  deposit  that  have  been  so 
termed  simply  because  they  happen  to  occur  between 
rocks  of  two  different  kinds.  Contact  deposits,  as  thus 
defined,  occur  mostly  in  limestone  at  or  near  its  contact 
with  an  intrusive  'igneous  rock.  They  are  very  irregu- 
lar in  form.  Mineralogically  they  differ  from  other 
deposits  by  the  contemporaneous  formation  of  oxides 
and  sulphides,  principally  of  iron,  and  by  the  association 
of  these  oxides  and  sulphides  with  silicate  minerals. 


502 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


Segregated  Vein.  The  term  'segregated  vein'  has 
sometimes  been  used  to  define  materials  that  have  been 
concentrated  in  a  sedimentary  bed.  As  a  general  rule, 
however,  the  name  of  a  process  should  not  be  used  as 
the  definition  of  a  type  of  deposit,  and  'segregation'  is 
more  appropriately  applied  to  the  gathering  together  of 
material  in  a  molten  magma.  In  either  sense  reference 
to  a  deposit  as  'segregated'  does  not  sufficiently  char- 
acterize it  as  a  type. 

Impregnation.  The  term  'impregnation'  has  been 
used  by  different  writers  in  many  and  conflicting  senses. 
It  properly  signifies  the  introduction  of  mineral  sub- 
stances in  a  finely  disseminated  condition  into  rocks, 
either  as  a  filling  of  open  spaces  or  as  a  replacement  of 
certain  minerals.  To  describe  ore  occurring  in  small, 
irregular,  disconnected  particles  throughout  the  mass  of 
rock,  'disseminated  deposits'  is  a  preferable  term,  for  it 
has  no  genetic  signification. 

Processes 

Metasomatism.  Metasomatism  may  be  defined  as  the 
process  by  which,  through  chemical  interchange,  a  min- 
eral or  an  aggregate  of  minerals  undergoes  partial  or 
complete  change  in  chemical  constitution.  The  term 
'metasomatism'  is  of  wider  application  than  'pseudo- 
morphism,' for  the  process  it  designates  does  not  neces- 
sarily involve  the  preservation  of  the  crystalline  form  of 
the  original  mineral.  It  may  or  may  not  be  accom- 
panied by  a  change  in  volume. 

Replacement.  As  a  general  term  synonymous  with 
'metasomatism,'  'replacement'  is  preferable  to  'substi- 
tution,' which  is  a  chemical  term  strictly  defined  as  "the 
replacing  of  one  or  more  elements  or  radicles  in  a  com- 
pound by  other  elements  or  compounds,"  a  restricted 
usage  to  which  'replacement'  is  not  confined.  Replace- 
ment may  be  either  partial  or  complete,  according  as 
only  a  part  or  the  whole  of  one  rock  or  mineral  has  been 
replaced  by  another. 

Alteration.  The  term  'alteration'  applies  to  the  par- 
tial change  of  substance  in  a  rock  or  mineral  which  does 
not  necessarily  involve  its  replacement  by  another.  The 
process  is  purely  chemical. 

Decomposition.  The  temi  'decomposition'  signifies 
the  decay  of  a  rock  or  mineral  into  secondary  products, 
usually  accompanied  by  disintegration,  so  that  it  in- 
volves a  physical  as  well  as  a  chemical  change  and  is 
most  commonly  effected  by  weathering. 

"Weathering.  The  term  'weathering'  should  be  con- 
fined to  changes  in  cohesion  and  composition  of  rocks 
near  the  surface  by  the  decomposing  and  oxidizing 
action  of  surface  waters,  by  variations  in  temperature, 
and  by  other  atmospheric  and  surface  agencies.  The 
tendency  of  such  changes  is  to  destroy  the  rock  as  a 
geologic  unit. 

Enrichment.  In  many  sulphide  deposits  the  valu- 
able metals  have  been  concentrated  by  solutions  that 
have  descended  from  the  zone  of  oxidation.  As  com- 
monly used,  the  expression  'secondary  enrichment,'  al- 
though having  some  justification  as  an  elliptic  phrase,  is 


tautologic  in  form  and  should  be  avoided.  The  idea 
which  this  term  is  intended  to  convey  may  be  expressed 
by  'enrichment,'  'secondary  segregation,'  'downward 
enrichment,'  or  'supergene  enrichment,'  according  to 
choice  or  circumstances. 

Mining  Terms 

In  describing  a  mine  it  is  well  to  state  concisely  the 
extent  and  character  of  the  mine  openings,  for  which 
the  terms  in  general  use,  given  in  the  following  para- 
graphs, should  be  employed.  If  a  local  term,  not  in  gen- 
eral use,  is  employed  its  meaning  should  be  stated. 

Shaft,  Incline,  Slope,  Winze,  Raise,  Chute,  Stope. 
The  term  'shaft,'  if  not  qualified,  means  a  vertical 
opening  starting  at  the  surface.  A  shaft  that  follows  the 
inclination  of  a  vein  or  bed  that  is  not  vertical  is  called 
an  inclined  shaft,  or  simply  an  incline.  In  coal  mines 
such  an  incline  is  commonly  termed  a  slope.  Passages 
within  a  mine  driven  upward  from  a  horizontal  gallery 
are  called  raises  or  upraises;  those  driven  downward 
are  called  winzes.  Inclined  raises  or  winzes  are  often 
termed  inclines.  If  used  for  sending  ore  down  from  a 
higher  to  a  lower  part  of  the  mine  such  passages  are 
termed  chutes,  ore  chutes,  or  mill  holes.  A  stope  is  an 
opening  made  in  extracting  ore. 

Tunnel,  Adit,  Drift,  Cross-cut,  Level.  Properly  de- 
fined, a  tunnel  is  an  underground  gallery  open  to  the  air 
at  both  ends,  an  adit  is  open  at  only  one  end,  and  drifts 
and  cross-cuts  are  horizontal  galleries  that  do  not  reach 
the  surface.  In  the  United  States,  however,  the  term 
'tunnel'  has  come  into  use  among  miners  in  a  sense 
more  or  less  synonymous  with  'adit'  and  in  this  sense 
it  is  recognized  by  the  mining  law ;  hence  it  cannot  be 
confined  to  its  original  meaning. 

The  following  distinctions  are  made  by  miners  and 
may  well  be  observed  in  writing:  A  drift  follows  the 
general  strike  of  an  orebody,  vein,  or  rock  structure.  A 
crosscut,  as  its  name  implies,  crosses  the  trend  of  the  ore 
or  rock  structure.  Stations  are  roomlike  enlargements 
of  drifts  or  cross-cuts  where  they  connect  with  a  shaft. 
All  the  drifts  and  cross-cuts  that  connect  on  approxi- 
mately the  same  horizontal  plane  with  a  station  or  with 
an  adit  constitute  a  level.  If  the  level  opens  to  the 
surface  through  an  adit  it  is  termed  an  adit  level. 

Dip,  Pitch.  Dip  is  the  angular  divergence  of  a  bed 
or  of  a  tabular  deposit,  such  as  a  vein,  from  a  horizontal 
plane.  The  term  'pitch,'  originally  used  to  signify  the 
inclination  of  the  axis  of  a  fold  from  a  horizontal  line, 
has  come  into  use  among  miners  to  express  the  inclina- 
tion of  the  longest  axis  of  an  orebody  or  pay  shoot 
within  the  plane  of  the  vein.  It  should  not  be  con- 
founded with  dip. 

Mine,  Prospect.  It  may  be  difficult  to  decide  whether 
a  certain  property  shall  be  called  a  mine  or  a  prospect, 
and  no  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down  for  universal 
application.  In  general,  shafts  that  are  less  than  100 
feet  in  depth,  with  less  than  100  feet  of  drifting,  and 
that  have  not  produced  ore  in  commercial  quantity 
should  be  termed  prospects. 


Si  pt(  mh  r  80,    1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


503 


Cobalt,  Ontario 

Products,  Supplies,  and  Power 

The  Dominion  Royal  Commission  recently  investigated 
conditions  at  Cobalt,  and  according  t"  The  Northern 
Miner  the  following  notes  are  pan  of  a  memorandum 
presented  to  the  tribunal: 

Silver  was  discovered  at  Cobalt  in  1903,  bul  it  was 
uol  until  the  following  year  thai  shipments  commenced. 
The  valuable  metals  contained  in  the  ores  are  silver. 
cobalt,  nickel,  and  arsenic.  In  must  cases  only  the  silver 
is  paid  for  by  the  smelters,  the  other  metals  being  saved 
by  them  as  by-products  enabling  them  to  give  better 
rates  on  the  silver.  Tn  the  early  years  of  Cobalt  all  ore 
BhipmentS  had  to  go  out  of  the  country  for  treatment, 
most  of  it  tO  the  Dinted  States.  Canadian  smelters  were 
soon  started  to  treat  high-grade  ore.  The  latest  devel- 
opment has  been  the  operation  of  the  So-called  high- 
grade  mills  at  Cobalt,  which  produce  silver  bullion  by  a 
combination  amalgamation-cyanide  process.  An  exam- 
ination of  the  figures  for  the  calendar  years  1914  and 
1915  shows  that  the  percentage  of  silver  bullion  pro- 
duced from  Cobalt  ores  was  in  round  numbers: 

1914  1915 

%  % 

Cobalt  mills,  amalgamation  and  cyanidation 44  39 

Southern   Ontario   smelters    39  45 

United  States  smelters  17  16 

Total    100  100 

The  quantity  still  going  to  the  United  States  consists 
of  some  high-grade  ore  along  with  all  the  low-grade 
material,  both  ore  and  concentrates  shipped,  as  the 
Canadian  smelters  arc  not  equipped  to  reduce  this.  In 
the  high-grade  mills  at  Cobalt  the  silver  only  is  recov- 
ered, the  cobalt,  nickel  and  arsenic  being  left  in  the 
residue  for  future  treatment  or  sold  for  the  cobalt-con- 
tent. The  Dcloro  and  Coniagas  smelters  are  equipped 
witli  complete  refineries  so  that  besides  producing  silver 
bullion  they  also  produce  and  market  arsenic,  cobalt,  and 
nickel.  The  cobalt  and  nickel  .have  been  produced  mostly 
as  oxides,  lint  as  there  has  recently  been  a  market  for  the 
metals  they  are  now  also  produced  in  that  form. 

The  gross  value  of  the  silver  ore  shipments  for  1915  to 
the  mining  companies  was  $11,703,966  ;  deduct  dividends 
paid  in  1915  $4,523,414,  and  the  cost  will  be  $7,180,552. 

On  the  assumption  that  cash  surpluses  remained  the 
same  at  the  end  of  the  year  as  at  the  beginning,  it  thus 
costs  $7,000,000  to  operate  the  mines  of  Cobalt  for  one 
year.  Of  this  amount  it  may  be  assumed  that  40%  was 
paid  for  supplies,  or  $2,800,000.  Some  of  the  supplies 
used  are  given  herewith  showing  quantity,  value,  and 
origin : 

Cobalt  and  Porcupine  combined  use  $574,000  of  cya- 
nide per  annum.  Of  this  $400,000  comes  from  the  Cassel 
Cyanide  Co.  of  Glasgow,  and  the  remainder  has  been 
supplied  by  a  German  firm  in  the  United  States.  From 
now  on  it  is  probable  that  all  will  be  supplied  by  the 
Cassel  company. 


Cobalt  and  Porcupine  use  $40.0(10  of  pebbles  per 
annum;  all  imported  from   Europe,  mostly  from  fiance. 

Newfoundland    had    part    of   this   market    but    lost  it 
through  shipments  of  pom-  materiaL 

Cobalt   ami   Porcupine  use  200  tons  of  zinc,  valued  at 

$60,000.     This  mostly  comes  l'r lapan  at   present.  Imt 

soon  it  will  be  supplied  from  the  United  States. 

Cobalt  uses  900  tons  of  powder  per  annum,  valued  at 
$450,000.  while  Porcupine  takes  an  additional  1650  Ions, 
and    other   smaller   centres   80    Ions    more.      All    this    is 

manufactured  in  Canada. 

Cobalt  uses  3.700.000  ft.  of  fuse  per  annum,  valued  at 


MAP    SHOWING    PRINCIPAL    MINING    DISTRICTS    OF    ONTARIO. 

$17,000,  Porcupine  takes  7,000,000  ft.  Of  this  56%  is 
British  and  44%  of  United  States  manufacture.  No 
fuse  is  made  in  Canada. 

Cobalt  uses  740,000  detonators  valued  at  $22,200. 
They  are  now  manufactured  at  Brownsburg,  Canada. 

Drill-steel  for  Cobalt  and  Porcupine  costs  $80,000. 
Formerly  this  was  supplied  equally  by  England  and 
United  States,  but  now  England  cannot  supply  it. 

Lubricating  oils,  etc.,  $40,000  per  annum  for  Cobalt 
and  Porcupine.  All  are  American  oils,  but  30%  is  re- 
fined in  Canada. 

Power  developments  in  the  vicinity  of  Cobalt  are  as 
follows : 

Hydraulic  air-compressor  plant  at  Ragged  Chutes  on 
the  Montreal  river  has  a  capacity  of  about  5000  hp.  of 
compressed  air.  The  air  is  transmitted  in  pipes  approxi- 
mately 9  miles  to  the  mines  in  the  district.  The  main 
distributing  system  consists  of  20-in.  steel  pipes  with 
secondary  and  service  lines  of  from  12  in.  to  pipes  of 
smaller  diameter. 

Hydro-electric  plant  No.  1  is  at  Hound  Chutes  on  the 
Montreal  river  6  miles  south  of  Cobalt,  with  a  capacity 
of  4500  hp.  Equipment  consists  of  four  750-kw.  gener- 
ators, operating  under  a  nominal  head  of  33  ft.  Power 
is  generated  at  11,000  volts,  and  transmitted  over  pole- 
lines  to  Cobalt  and  vicinity. 

Hydro-electric  plant  No.  2  is  at  Fountain  Falls  4 
miles  below  Hound  Chutes.    Two  1500-hp.  vertical  I.  P. 


504 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


Morris  turbines  direct-connected  to  two  1250-kw.,  11,000- 
volt  generators,  operating  under  a  nominal  head  of  30 
ft.,  running  in  parallel  with  Hound  Chutes  and  Mata- 
bitchouan  generating  stations. 

Hydro-electric  plant  No.  3  on  the  Matabitchouan  river, 
is  25  miles  south-east  of  Cobalt.  Equipment  consists  of 
four  1875-kw.  generating  units,  operating  under  a  nom- 
inal head  of  312  ft.  with  a  total  capacity  of  10,000  hp., 
at  44,000  volts.  The  transmission-lines  consist  of  two 
circuits  on  separate  poles  extending  from  the  power- 
house to  South  Lorrain  and  Cobalt,  also  operating  in 
parallel  with  Hound  Chutes  and  Fountain  Falls  plants. 

The  capacity  and  average  power  demand  of  various 
plants  are  as  follows : 

Present 
Capacity  demand 

Station  horse-power    horse-power 

Matabitchouan    10,000  9,000 

Hound    Chutes    4,500  4,000 

Fountain  Falls   3,300  shut-down 

Ragged  Chutes  (air)    5,500  full  load 

The  territory  served  embraces  the  Cobalt  mining  dis- 
trict where  the  company  sells  the  bulk  of  its  power  at 
$50  per  hp.-year.  The  present  demand  for  power  is  in- 
creasing owing  to  the  higher  price  of  silver,  which  has 
resulted  in  the  opening  of  smaller  mines  and  a  more 
vigorous  development  on  the  part  of  the  older  mines. 
Also  as  a  result  of  the  improved  methods  the  mines  are 
enabled  to  treat  their  dumps  and  lower-grade  ores.  In 
order  to  find  a  market  for  the  surplus  power  which  is 
anticipated  in  consequence  of  mine  exhaustion,  there  is 
now  being  constructed  a  transmission-line  65  miles  north 
to  the  Kirkland  Lake  gold-field.  As  soon  as  completed 
this  may  give  an  additional  2000  or  3000-hp.  load.  This 
line  will  be  designed  to  ultimately  transit  5000  hp.  The 
principal  undeveloped  water  power  now  available  is 
near  the  head  of  Lake  Timiskaming  on  the  Des  Quinze 
or  Ottawa  river,  25  miles  north-east  of  Cobalt.  There 
have  been  several  estimates  made  of  the  power,  nominally 
amounting  to  about  150,000  hp.  At  the  present  time 
there  is  no  market  for  such  a  development,  although  it  is 
understood  that  a  large  pulp  company  contemplates 
getting  power  from  this  source. 

Gold  Output  of  the  Rand  for 
Half-Year 

The  total  output  to  June  30,  ,1916,  was  as  follows : 

Waste  sorted  out,  per  cent  9.17 

Ore   treated,   tons    14,171,862 

Yield  per  ton $6.48 

Working  cost  per  ton  4.3S 

Total  profit    (£5,771,855)    $27,850,000 

Compared  with  the  whole  of  1915,  when  28,314,579 
tons  averaged  $6.30  per  ton,  costs  $4.18,  with  total  profit 
of  $57,600,000,  the  current  year  shows  an  increased  yield 
on  a  trifle  less  tonnage,  with  20c.  extra  cost,  and  nearly 
the  same  profit,  2c.  per  ton  more. 

Unfilled  orders  on  the  U.  S.  Steel  Corporation's 
books  total  9,660,357  tons. 


Acetylene  v.  Candles 


By 


'titeii    6.    Leahart 


With  the  use  of  acetylene,  which  tends  to  make  the 
working-man  safer  and  more  efficient,  there  comes  much 
criticism  against  the  new  and  untried  article,  without 
first  weighing  its  merits.  The  acetylene,  or  carbide 
lamp,  when  it  comes  to  efficiency,  is  undoubtedly  far 
superior  to  the  candle.  It  gives  a  light  more  like  the 
sun  than  any  other  medium.  It  is  safer,  cheaper,  and 
allows  both  hands  to  do  the  work  where  formerly  one 
hand  had  to  be  employed  holding  the  candle.  It  holds-up 
its  light  in  a  draft  in  raise  or  drift.  Taking  safety  as  a 
basis  for  estimating  its  merits,  it  equals,  if  not  surpasses, 
the  candle.  The  latter  at  its  best  is  a  feeble  light,  and 
vitiates  the  atmosphere  by  taking-up  the  contained  oxy- 
gen. Air  in  mines  does  not  contain  enough  oxygen  as  it 
is,  and  by  using  a  light  that  takes  less  than  before,  the 
men  breathing  such  an  atmosphere  are  benefited.  The  gas 
evolved  through  leakage  is  nil,  and  it  would  take  20% 
by  volume  to  make  the  air  polluted  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  make  a  man  unconscious.  The  residue  left  in  the 
bottom  of  the  lamp  is  a  disinfectant,  being  calcium  oxide 
or  lime,  and  is  a  good  purgative  when  properly  used. 
As  superintendents  and  shift-bosses  have  good  lights 
with  which  to  inspect  the  miners'  work,  why  not  give 
the  latter  the  same  light  to  do  their  work. 

This  was  written  by  an  employee  of  the  Anaconda 
company's  Belmont  mine,  and  the  editor  of  The  Anode 
added  the  following :  Several  hundreds  of  carbide  lamps 
have  been  purchased  for  use  in  the  company's  mines,  and 
it  is  expected  that  eventually  they  will  entirely  replace 
the  use  of  candles.  "We  are  glad  to  publish  these  com- 
ments on  the  respective  merits  of  carbide  lamps  and 
candles,  and  hope  that  they  will  remove  any  prejudices 
that  may  exist.  The  Bureau  of  Safety  does  not,  how- 
ever, recommend  the  use  of  spent  carbide  as  a  purgative. 
— The  Anode. 

Perhaps  the  most  marked  feature  in  the  history  of 
power  production  has  been  the  replacing  of  recipro- 
cating machinery  by  that  of  rotary  type.  The  steam 
turbine  has  invaded  and  captured  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  fields  of  usefulness  of  the  reciprocating  steam  en- 
gine. The  centrifugal  water-pump  has  replaced  the 
reciprocating  pump ;  rotary  condenser  auxiliaries  are 
rapidly  superseding  reciprocating  plant,  and  rotary  air 
blowers  and  compressors  have  entered  into  successful 
contest  with  reciprocating  compressors.  The  principal 
factors  which  have  decided  the  issue  in  favor  of  the 
rotary  plant  are :  small  space,  excellent  balance,  and  low 
first  cost  and  maintenance.  In  the  case  of  the  steam 
turbine  there  is  the  important  additional  advantage  of 
using  steam  which  otherwise  would  be  wasted. — Com- 
pressed Air  Magazine. 

Iron-ore  imports  during  June  were  134,154  tons. 
Ore  is  imported  from  Canada,  Cuba,  Spain,  and  Sweden. 
Exports  in  June  were  203,558  tons. 


September  80,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


505 


Concentrates 

ttrndm  of  the  Ml  SI  St!  <u»l  tkimmtyk  /"A'ESS"  ore  inn'l*l  to  oak  quettttM  and 

girt  infi>rmnl»>n  dealing  with  technical  ami  other  moltert  pertaining  to  the  pnw. 

tice  a/ mining,  milling,  and  melting. 


Pown  consumed  by  tin-  Conrey  dredges  iii  Montana 
varies  from  L.3G  to  1.89  kw.-hr.  per  cubic  yard  of  ground 
dug.  

I  Doubling  the  diameter  of  a  pipe  increases  its  capacity 
four  times.  Friction  increases  a.s  the  square  of  the  ve- 
locity. 

Flotation  of  Mount  Morgan  gold-copper  ore  costs 
84c.  per  ton  of  ore  treated.  Ten  cents  of  this  is  for 
eucalyptus  oil  and  residuum. 


The  heaviest  substance  known  is  osmium,  which  has 
marly  twice  the  weight  of  lead.  The  specific  gravity  of 
gold  is  about  1!)J.  while  that  of  osmium  is  nearly  22£. 

Oxygen  in  the  oxy-acetylene  jet  ceases  to  cut  when 
16%  of  nitrogen  is  present.  The  cutting  efficiency  is 
directly  proportionate  to  the  percentage  of  nitrogen 
under  16%. 

The  'standard  candle'  is  made  of  spermaceti,  and 
burns  120  grains  of  spermaceti  per  hour.  It  serves  as  a 
standard  for  calibrating  the  intensity  of  electric  and 
other  lights. 

Gasoline  hoists  are  frequently  used  underground  in 
confined  spaces,  and  miners  would  be  wise  to  be  careful, 
as  fatal  explosions  have  occurred  when  a  dangerous 
mixture  of  gas  and  air  is  formed  in  such  places. 


Op  17,500  tons  op  copper  produced  in  the  United 
States  during  1874,  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  produced 
87%.  This  was  before  the  producing  days  of  the  great 
copper  mines  of  the  West,  which  began  about  1883. 


Danger  in  handling  calcium  carbide  in  a  mine  is  re- 
mote if  reasonable  care  is  observed  with  its  use.  The 
smallest  proportion  of  acetylene  capable  of  propagating 
flame  in  a  mixture  of  acetylene  and  air  is  2.53%  ;  the 
largest  proportion,  73%. 

Black  powder  is  still  extensively  used  for  blasting 
and  mining  purposes,  but  has  lost  its  importance  as  a 
propellant  in  modern  firearms,  although  still  retained 
for  blasting  and  other  special  purposes  supplemental  to 
the  more  important  smokeless  powder. 

-  All  rocks  contain  some  water ;  but  some,  such  as  the 
granites,  contain  only  an  inappreciable  amount.  Sand- 
stone, on  the  other  hand,  has  an  absorptive  capacity  of 
a  gallon  or  more  of  water  per  cubic  foot  of  rock,  and  is 
the  best  water-bearer  of  the  solid  rocks. 

Air-drill  hose  is  often  affected  unfavorably  by  miners 


pouring  oil  in  the  hose  itself  before  connecting  to  the 
drill-machines,  This  saves  them  the  labor  of  unscrewing 
the  oil-plugs  of  the  drill  and  replacing  them.  The  oil 
may  be  good  for  the  drill  but  surely  is  bad  for  the  hose. 

Desert  counties  of  California  furnish  the  larger  va- 
riety of  minerals  due  to  the  climatic  conditions  thai 
have  prevailed  there.  Not  only  are  the  minerals  found 
typical  of  mountainous  regions,  but  in  addition,  they  are 

typical  of  the  dry  plains  and  former  marshes  and  lakes. 
such  as  the  borates,  sulphates,  carbonates,  nitrates,  and 
chlorides. 


Last  ykar  the  Argonaut  mine,  the  chief  producer  on 
the  Mother  Lode,  California,  produced  gold  worth 
$775,928,  from  which  a  profit  of  $447,317  was  earned. 
The  ore  yielded  $9,268  in  bullion,  $1,671  in  concentrate, 
and  13.9c.  in  slime,  so  that  the  total  yield  was  $11,078. 
Therefore  the  cost  was  $4,538  per  ton.  Construction 
expense  was  35.5c.  per  ton. 

Selective  flotation  at  the  lead  section  of  the  Broken 
Hill  South  slime  plant  is  giving  satisfactory  results,  one 
week's  run  at  the  end  of  July  showing  the  following: 
The  feed  averaged  10.5%  lead,  7.4  oz.  silver,  and  12.3% 
zinc.  This  yielded  concentrate  assaying  61.8%  lead, 
45.4  oz.  silver,  and  10.6%  zinc.  The  recovery  was  88% 
lead,  90.9%  silver,  and  12.9%  zinc. 


Cause  of  the  collapse  of  the  bridge  over  the  St.  Law- 
rence river  in  Quebec  on  September  11  is  ascribed  to  the 
failure  of  a  east-steel  shoe  upon  which  rested  the  south 
up-stream  corner  of  the  span  being  lifted  into  place. 
This  shoe  carried  1300  tons,  one-quarter  of  the  total 
weight  of  the  span,  and  was  part  of  one  of  the  four  lift- 
ing girders,  one  being  at  each  corner  of  the  span,  and 
hanging  from  the  ends  of  the  cantilever  sections  of  the 
bridge  from  each  shore.  The  shoe  should  have  been  a 
forging.    The  whole  span  was  of  nickel-steel. 

Wages  and  hours  at  Broken  Hill,  Australia,  were 
adjusted  by  the  Federal  Arbitration  Court  in  June  as 
follows :  an  increase  of  42  cents  per  day  as  compared 
with  the  rates  under  the  previous  agreement  between 
the  mine-owners  and  employees ;  overtime  was  increased 
from  time  and  a  quarter  to  time  and  a  half  and  to 
double  time,  for  ordinary  days  and  Sundays  and  holi- 
days, respectively;  Sundays  and  holidays  where  con- 
tinuous process  is  worked  get  a  raise  from  time  and  a 
quarter  to  time  and  a  half;  underground  men  were 
allotted  a  44-hour  week,  to  be  paid  the  same  as  if  the 
former  48  hours  were  worked.  Surface  employees  get 
a  16.6%  increase,  underground  men  24.3%,  and  all  em- 
ployees 21.9%.  The  Broken  Hill  South  company,  which 
employs  400  on  the  surface  and  875  in  the  mine,  will 
have  its  expenses  increased  by  a  total  of  $221,000  per 
year.  Nearly  all  work  in  this  mine  is  done  on  contract. 
During  the  half-year  ended  June  30,  1916,  miners  av- 
eraged $4.12,  and  trammers  $3.42  per  8-hour  shift. 


506 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS' 


September  30,  1916 


mi¥I3EW    ©IF 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 


Compensation  in  Montana. — New  Hoist  at  Butte  &  Superior. 
— North  Butte's  New  Mining  and  Treatment  Tests. — 
Electrolytic  Zinc. 

The  report  of  the  State  Industrial  Accident  Board  shows 
that  during  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  there  were  136  fatali- 
ties, 3  permanent  total,  S9  permanent  part,  and  6576  tempor- 
ary disabilities.  Of  the  last  mentioned  1431  received  com- 
pensation and  5145  returned  to  work  within  two  weeks,  and 
were  therefore  only  entitled  to  medical  and  hospital  attend- 
ance.   It  has  been  said  that 

"It  is  safe  to  say  that  under  the  old  liability  system  not  over 
10%  of  the  victims  of  these  accidents  would  have  had  any 
standing  in  court;  and  if  that  number  were  able  to  reach  a 
hearing  before  a  judicial  tribunal  not  more  than  one-fourth 
"would  secure  a  verdict,  which  would  reduce  the  number  re- 
covering anything  to  a  possible  45.  Computed  on  the  ratio 
of  average  verdicts  that  have  been  secured  in  the  industrial 
field  in  Montana  on  account  of  personal  injuries,  this  would 
indicate  a  recovery  of  less  than  $60,000,  against  the  $388,506 
that  has  been  paid  out  under  the  compensation  system.  Yet 
it  is  doubtful  if  the  cost  to  the  employers  in  paying  out  this 
enormous  sum  for  compensation  has  exceeded  the  cost  that 
would  have  incurred  under  the  old  system,  with  its  heavy 
court  cost  and  expensive  army  of  high-priced  attorneys." 

The  figures  show  that  the  cost  of  liability  is  between  $1000 
and  $1100  per  day.  This  is  regarded  as  exceedingly  low,  and 
is  attributed  to  the  fact  that  the  employers  and  employees  are 
engaged  in  active  rivalry  to  surpass  in  the  safety-first  propa- 
ganda. Cash  prizes  are  offered  to  foremen  and  superintendents 
at  mines,  mills,  smelters,  and  industrial  plants,  for  the  best 
records  covering  accident  prevention.  Aside  from  the  humani- 
tarian, features  involved,  accidents  now  cost  a  certain  amount 
of  money  and  represent  a  fixed  factor  of  expense.  The  man 
in  charge  of  operation,  as  well  as  the  men  under  him,  is  now 
held  to  a  strict  accounting  for  results  in  that  line,  as  was 
formerly  the  case  covering  the  amount  of  ground  broken  or  the 
number  of  tons  of  ore  extracted.  There  are  1518  employers 
actively  operating  under  the  act,  which  is  about  98%  of  the 
employers  engaged  in  hazardous  industries  who  employ  five 
men  or  more.  The  report  shows  that  there  are  about  60,000 
workmen  who  come  under  the  act,  that  1795  were  injured  suffi- 
ciently to  draw  compensation,  and  49  of  the  men  killed  had 
no  beneficiaries,  consequently  no  claims  for  compensation  were 
filed. 

The  Butte  &  Superior's  new  hoist  is  designed  to  haul  ore 
from  a  depth  of  3000  ft.  The  lSOO-ft*  level  is  the  lowest  now 
being  worked,  so  the  hoist  will  fulfill  all  requirements  for  some 
years  to  come.  The  drums  will  be  9  ft.  in  diam.  by  7}  ft. 
face,  and  will  wind  the  rope  in  two  layers.  The  rope  speed 
will  be  2250  ft.  per  minute,  and  the  maximum  rope  pull  41,000 
lb.  The  hoist  will  be  driven  with  a  1000-hp.  direct-current 
motor,  receiving  its  energy  from  a  fly-wheel  motor-generator 
set.  The  drums  are  so  constructed  that  after  reaching  the 
3000-ft.  point  new  drum-shells  can  be  fitted,  converting  the 
drums  into  12-ft.  diam.  by  10  ft.  face,  after  which  they  will 
wind  5000  ft.  of  rope  in  two  layers  with  a  maximum  rope  pull 
of  52,000  lb.  and  speed  of  3000  ft.  per  minute.  When  the 
change  is  made,  and  the  12-ft.  drums  are  in  use,  a  second 
1800-hp.  motor  will  be  installed  on  the  other  end  of  the  drum- 
shaft,  and  the  fly-wheel  set  will  be  doubled.     Control  of  the 


hoists  will  be  the  Westinghouse  standard  type  for  limiting  the 
acceleration  and  retardation.  It  will  be  operated  by  cams 
directly  driven  through  gearing  from  each  drum.  A  Welch 
safety-stop  will  also  be  fitted  on,  and  it  will  take  control  when 
the  electrical  equipment  fails  and  when  no  power  is  in  use, 

North  Butte  will  develop  part  of  its  holdings  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  district  by  a  2000-ft.  adit  that  will  soon  be  started 
on  the  Northwestern  claim  in  Park  canyon.  The  company 
owns  700  acres  in  this  section.  Part  of  it  adjoins  the  Butte- 
Duluth,  now  being  operated  by  the  Prank  interests  of  Salt 
Lake  City.  A  large  quantity  of  copper-carbonate  ore  is  ex- 
posed at  the  surface  on  this  property,  but  there  has  been  no 
extensive  development  at  depth.  The  Bertha  claim  of  the 
North  Butte  adjoins  the  Bullwhacker,  where  silicate  and 
oxide  ores  are  being  mined  from  open-cuts  and  where  a  vein 
carrying  sulphide  ore  was  recently  cut  at  a  depth  of  100  ft.  At 
another  place  the  company's  holdings  touch  the  boundary  line 
of  the  Butte  Main  Range,  which  is  mining  a  narrow  vein  of 
9%  copper  ore  on  its  500-ft.  level.  A  compressor  is  being  in- 
stalled at  the  mouth  of  the  new  adit,  and  plans  are  being 
made  to  insure  an  average  advance  of  400  ft.  per  month.  The 
adit  will  penetrate  the  foot-hills  of  the  continental  divide,  and 
will  cut  the  veins  at  a  depth  of  500  ft.  This  work  is  of  a  pre- 
liminary nature,  and  the  information  disclosed  as  to  the  situa- 
tion, dip,  and  strike  of  the  veins  will  be  useful  in  determining 
the  site  for  a  shaft  through  which  the  property  will  be  ex- 
plored at  depth.  Conditions  are  favorable  for  the  development 
of  a  large  tonnage  of  silicate  and  oxide  ores  near  the  surface. 
At  the  present  price  of  copper  these  ores  could  be  shipped 
direct  to  a  smelter.  It  is  also  probable  that  a  method  of  con- 
centrating will  be  devised.  At  present  experiments  are  being 
made  in  coating  the  copper  minerals  with  a  film  of  sulphide, 
and  then  treating  them  by  flotation.  It  is  claimed  that  the 
tests  have  given  good  results,  and  that  the  silicates  are  success- 
fully floated  in  the  laboratory.  The  new  development  is  two 
miles  east  of  the  Speculator  and  Granite  Mountain  shafts 
through  which  the  whole  of  the  present  production  is  being 
hoisted. 

Anaconda's  new  zinc  plant  at  Great  Falls  made  its  first 
electrolytic  zinc  on  September  11.  Some  of  the  aluminum 
cathodes  were  raised  and  stripped  of  their  thin  coating  of  zinc 
a  few  hours  after  the  solution  had  been  turned  into  the  electro- 
lytic tanks.  The  thin  zinc  sheet  was  quickly  cut  up  into 
souvenirs.  The  plant  has  a  capacity  of  5,000,000  lb.  of  refined 
zinc  per  month,  and  all  the  units  are  expected  to  be  in  opera- 
tion by  November  1.  The  ore  is  mined  at  Butte,  concentrated 
at  Anaconda,  and  leached  at  Great  Falls.  The  concentrates  are 
roasted  to  change  the  zinc  sulphide  to  a  sulphate.  The  cal- 
cines are  treated  with  sulphuric  acid  in  20  tanks,  each  10  ft. 
diam.  and  20  ft.  deep.  Compressed  air  is  used  for  agitating, 
and  the  pulp  then  flows  to  Dorr  thickeners.  There  are  six  of 
these  50  ft.  diam.  and  15  ft.  deep.  The  overflow,  after  being 
filtered,  goes  to  the  electrolytic  tanks,  while  the  solution  is 
taken  from  the  thickened  pulp  by  12  Oliver  filters.  There  are 
720  electrolytic  tanks  11  ft.  long,  3  ft.  wide,  and  5  ft.  deep. 
Each  tank  contains  28  lead  anodes  and  27  aluminum  cathodes. 
After  the  zinc  is  precipitated,  the  solution  is  pumped  back  to 
the  leaching  tanks.  The  electric  power  comes  from  the  Big 
Falls  and  Rainbow  hydro-electric  plants  situated  a  short  dis- 
tance down  the  river  from  Great  Falls.  The  current  is 
changed  from  alternating  to  direct  by  five  rotary-converters. 
It  is  expected  that  some  ore  will  be  shipped  from  the  Douglas 
property  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  of  Idaho  to  this  plant. 


September  80,  1916 


MINING    and    ScienUnc    PRESS 


507 


TORONTO,   ONTARIO 

('••II.U.l     l.ABOR     iNWMlt:  WlnV  —  FLOTATION.  —  Nu  Kl  I.     Kiunhiy. 

The  Royal  Commission  appointed  to  Investigate  the  labor 
difficulties  at  Cobalt  has  been  In  session  and  will  shortly 
reiiort.  It  appears  that  the  principal  difference  was  concerning 
the  bonus  of  25c.  per  day,  which  the  miners  were  to  receive 
during  months  when  the  price  of  silver  averaged  over  TOc. 
per  oz.  They  received  this  for  one  month,  but  when  the  price 
dropped  the  bonus  ceased.  The  men  object  to  their  pay  being 
regulated  by  the  price  of  the  product.  Owing  to  enlistments 
and  the  high  wages  offered  to  laborers  in  munition  factories 
there  Is  a  marked  shortage  of  labor  In  all  the  mining  centres, 
which,  while  It  has  not  so  far  seriously  affected  normal  pro- 
duction, tends  to  prevent  the  expansion  of  the  mining  in- 
dustry. 

The  large  flotation  annex  at  the  Coniagas  has  been  started. 
It  has  a  capacity  of  600  tons  per  day,  and  will  treat  100  tons 
from  the  mine  and  500  tons  of  tailing  from  the  dump.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  accumulations  of  tailings  for  the  last 
seven  years  amount  to  300,000  tons,  containing  1,000,000  oz. 
of  silver. 

The  shaft  being  put  down  jointly  by  the  Ophir  and  Peoples 
companies  has  reached  a  depth  of  415  ft.,  just  below  the  con- 
tact, where  a  station  will  be  cut  and  exploration  commenced  by 

cross-cutting. The    Calumet    &   Montana   Consolidated   has 

blocked  out  a  large  tonnage  on  two  levels,  a  considerable  pro- 
portion of  which  is  high  grade. 

It  is  apparently  Anally  settled  that  the  nickel  refineries  to 
be  established  by  the  International  Nickel  Co.  and  the  British 
Canadian  Co.  will  be  in  southern  Ontario,  somewhere  near 
Lake  Erie  or  Lake  Ontario.  Representatives  of  both  com- 
panies have  examined  a  large  number  of  proposed  sites,  but  are 
understood  to  have  decided  against  construction  in  the  north- 
ern mining  districts  on  account  of  the  severity  of  the  climate 
during  the  winter.  Favorable  terms  were  offered  by  the  city 
of  Ottawa,  but  this,  although  considerably  south  of  the  mining 
centres,  was  regarded  as  too  far  north. 

The  International  Nickel  Co.  of  New  York  announces 
that  arrangements  have  been  made  for  the  construction  of 
Its  new  refinery  to  be  built  at  Port  Colborne,  Ontario.  The 
work  will  be  carried  out  by  The  Foundation  Company,  Lim- 
ited, of  Montreal  and  New  York. 


SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Notes  on  the  Strike  Situation. — Central  Eureka  in  August. 
— Shaft  Work  at  the  Plymouth  and  Bunker  Hill. — 
Hardenberg  Mine. 

The  following  was  written  on  September  19: 

Later  developments  in  the  strike  situation  are  that  the 
miners  held  a  mass  meeting  on  the  19th  at  Italian  Society 
park,  between  Sutter  Creek  and  Jackson,  gathering  from  all 
parts  of  the  mining  region  in  Amador  county.  Afterwards  sev- 
eral hundred  men  paraded  the  streets,  first  at  Jackson  and 
then  here,  carrying  flags  and  chanting  Italian  and  Slavonian 
songs.  The  Sheriff  had  appointed  and  had  Bworn  in  a  number 
of  deputies.  The  South  Eureka  company  has  had  several  of  its 
trusted  employees  provided  with  badges,  not  that  violence  is 
threatened  but  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  Contrary  to  first  report, 
the  three  mines  that  have  been  paying  their  men  the  $3.50 
and  $3  demanded,  are  still  running,  namely,  the  Old  Eureka, 
Keystone,  and  Original  Amador.  The  other  mines  have  simply 
retained  their  engineers,  pump-men,  and  shaft-men,  but  the 
mine-owners'  threat  is  to  shut-down  everything  if  the  men 
persist  in  their  demands  for  a  25-cent  increase,  and  to  have 
their  time  begin  and  end  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft.  As  it  is 
now,  in  the  more  thoroughly  developed  mines,  men  claim  that 
they  lose  from  15  to  90  minutes  per  day  in  getting  to  and  from 
the  working  faces  to  the  shaft-collar,  partly  due  to   the  dis- 


tance to  be  traveled  In  reaching  the  shaft  and  partly  In  wait- 
ing their  turn  on  the  skip. 

The  Kennedy,  Argonaut,  Hunker  Hill,  and  Plymouth  mines 
are  the  only  dividend-payers  along  the  Lode  In  this  county: 
others  are  said  to  be  barely  keeping  even,  such  as  the  Key- 
stone, South  Eureka,  and  Fremont;  while  the  Treasure  and 
Central  Eureka  are  working  on  assessments,  so  there  may  ho 
some  Justice  in  the  mine-owners'  claim  that  they  cannot  meet 
the  men's  demands  at  the  present  time.  Little  work  Is  being 
done  at  the  Original  Amador.  At  the  Old  Eureka  work  is  con- 
fined to  unwatering  and  re-timbering  the  shaft  and  making 
surface  improvements,  so  there  are  probably  not  over  100  men 
now  engaged  In  actual  mining,  and  there  are  said  to  be  1200 
men  out  on  this  strike. 

The  Central  Eureka  company,  whose  mine  Is  at  Sutter  Creek, 
has  Just  issued  the  following  report  covering  operations  dur- 
ing August.  The  2646  tons  of  ore  crushed  yielded  an  average 
of  $3.38  per  ton.  Earnings  included  $4889  from  289  oz.  of 
bullion,  $4040  from  56  tons  of  concentrate,  and  $134  from 
sundries,  a  total  of  $9063.  Expenses  included  mining,  pump- 
ing, and  shaft  repairs,  $917S;  milling,  $1063;  tailing-dam, 
$518;  sundries,  $1943;  and  indemnity  insurance,  $405,  a  total 
of  $13,367.  During  the  month  223  ft.  of  driving  and  raising 
was  done,  and  a  good  deal  of  work  in  the  shaft  preparatory  to 
sinking.  There  remained  in  the  treasury  on  September  1 
$8596  from  the  last  assessment  levied,  and  when  the  shaft  is 
put  down  for  one  or  two  new  levels  below  3200  ft.,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  property  can  be  profitably  operated. 
Fred  Jost  is  superintendent. 

Shaft  repairs  are  in  progress  at  the  Plymouth  Consolidated, 
as  well  as  installation  of  the  new  electric  hoist,  which  will  be 
ready  for  operation  by  October  1.  While  similar  to  the  ma- 
chinery at  the  South  Eureka  mine,  this  hoist  is  much  larger 
and  is  equipped  with  the  latest  improvements.  The  drum  is 
9  ft.  diam.,  and  the  plant  has  a  hoisting  capacity  of  1000  ft. 
per  minute.  By  means  of  coarse  crushing  and  re-grinding  in 
Hardinge  mills  the  30  stamps  reduced  over  340  tons  per  day 
during  August. 

Reinforced  concrete  has  been  used  at  the  Bunker  Hill  mine 
near  Amador  City  to  wall  the  shaft  to  a  point  225  ft.  below 
the  collar,  a  new  departure  in  Mother  Lode  practice.  Square 
timbers,  14  by  14  in.,  and  larger,  are  commonly  used,  the 
initial  expense  of  concrete  work  being  in  most  instances  pro- 
hibitive here.  However,  as  the  shaft-sets,  especially  those  near 
the  surface,  have  to  be  frequently  renewed,  this  will  prove  a 
saving  in  the  end,  particularly  where  the  ground  is  loose  and 
inclined  to  collapse.  Only  a  few  years  ago  a  cave-in  closed  the 
upper  portion  of  the  Bunker  Hill  shaft  and  the  men  escaped 
through  an  adit  or  drainage-tunnel.  Concrete  ore-bins  are  also 
being  constructed  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft  so  as  to  do  away 
with  the  frequent  re-building  of  the  wooden  structures.  Good 
progress  is  being  made  with  the  installation  of  concentrators 
and  rolls  at  the  mill.  The  Bunker  Hill  mine  is  listed  among 
Amador  County's  dividend  payers,  not  having  missed  a  single 
monthly  dividend  of  2^c.  or  more  for  nearly  nine  years.  E. 
Hampton  is  superintendent  and  R.  Christiansen  foreman. 
Nearly  all  the  men  were  laid  off  at  the  Bunker  Hill  mine  prior 
to  the  strike,  so  that  the  shaft  and  surface  improvements 
could  be  made  without  interruption. 

W.  J.  Loring,  who  secured  money  to  finance  the  Plymouth 
Consolidated,  and  who  is  interested  in  other  properties  along 
the  Lode,  has  recently  secured  a  three-months'  option  on  the 
Hardenberg  mine  on  the  Mokelumne  river  in  this  county,  3} 
miles  south  of  Jackson.  The  Hardenberg  has  a  20-stamp 
mill,  a  three-compartment  shaft  over  1000  ft.  deep,  and  is 
considered  a  valuable  property.  It  extends  2300  ft.  on  the 
Lode,  and  has  yielded  good  ore  from  a  6-ft.  vein.  Mrs.  Kate 
N.  Wells  of  San  Francisco  is  one  of  the  principal  owners. 

Up  to  going  to  press  on  the  26th  there  were  no  new  develop- 
ments in  the  strike  situation.  As  reported  on  another  page, 
the  Plymouth  mine  is  again  in  operation.  There  has  been  a 
little  gun-play  at  Sutter  Creek,  but  nothing  serious. 


508 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS  ' 


September  30,  1916 


The  news  of  the  week  ca  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


iiiiniiiuiii I iiiieii 


"iV.tr. '» :J. i: ;mS 


ARIZONA 

Jeeome.  Extensive  work  is  contemplated  for  the  Green 
Monster  property.  Two  shafts  are  to  be  sunk  150  ft.  on  promis- 
ing outcrops.  The  old  Gorge  adit  on  the  Cliff  claim  has  been 
put  in  order  for  800  ft.,  and  is  to  be  extended  150  ft.  to  the 
contact.  The  Revenue  adit  is  also  being  driven,  with  two 
cross-cuts.  Camp  buildings  are  being  erected.  A  6000-ft.  pipe- 
line has  been  laid.  Electric  machinery  is  arriving.  Over  30 
men  are  employed. 

In   the   September  Bulletin   of   the  A.   I.   M.   E.,   mine-fire 


Oatman.  The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  in  charge  of  L.  F. 
Biggs,  is  doing  preliminary  work  for  examination  of  this  dis- 
trict. 

On  the  400-ft.  level  of  Aztec  shaft,  600  ft.  east  of  the  Big 
Jim  end-line,  the  Tom  Reed  company  has  cut  18  ft.  of  good  ore. 
Shares  rose  from  $1.59  to  $2.10. 

The  Golconda  has  let  a  contract  for  sinking  its  shaft  425  ft. 
The  formation  in  this  mine  is  andesite. 

Tucson.  The  Arizona  State  Bureau  of  Mines  has  received 
many  requests  from  the  East  from  people  desiring  to  purchase 
or  lease  talc  and  soapstone  properties  with- 
in this  State.  Although  there  are  undoubt- 
edly deposits  of  this  mineral  in  Arizona, 
there  are  no  records  of  any.  To  be  com- 
mercial, a  deposit  of  talc  must  be  close  to  a 
railroad,  although  talc  in  extra  pure  form, 
such  as  may  be  worked  for  crayons,  pencils, 
etc.,  brings  as  high  as  $100  per  ton.  Soap- 
stone  is  usually  quarried,  and  while  it  does 
not  bring  high  prices,  it  is  easily  mined 
and  handled.  The  Bureau  would  be  pleased 
to  learn  of  deposits  of  this  character. 

ARKANSAS 

Yellville.  The  Batty  zinc  mine,  8  miles 
north,  has  been  sold  to  Senator  Killiam  and 
others  of  Locust  Grove,  Oklahoma,  for 
$20,000.  New  Jersey  people  held  the  prop- 
erty for  some  years,  but  did  little  work 
on  it. 

CALIFORNIA 

The  sequence  of  events  during  the  strike 
along  the  Mother  Lode  since  Tuesday,  the 
19th,  is  as  follows: 

The  Mine,  Mill,  and  Smelter  Workers- 
Union  issued  the  following  statement: 

"To  the  Workingmen  of  Amador  County: 
The  25-eent  increase  in  the  daily  wages 
asked  by  the  miners  has  been  refused  by 
the  mine  operators,  and  all  workers  are  re- 
quested to  stay  at  home  until  the  increase 
asked  is  granted.  This  is  signed  by  the 
strike  committee.  All  members  of  the 
Miners'    Union    are    requested    to   meet    in 

VERTICAL  SECTION  OF  UNITED  VEBDE  MINE  AT  JEROME,  SHOWING  SYSTEM  OF  VENTILATION.    front     0f     tfrg     MOOSe     hall     in     JaCkSOn     at     1 

o'clock,    Wednesday    afternoon,    for    a    dis- 


methods  employed  by  the  United  Verde  Copper  Co.  are  de- 
scribed by  Robert  E.  Tally.  The  Plenum  system  is  used,  in 
which  air  of  greater  pressure  than  the  gas  from  fires  is 
forced  into  the  fire-area. 

Miami.  The  Inspiration  is  treating  between  16,000  and 
17,000  tons  of  ore  daily.  On  No.  6  level  a  loco-repair  shop  is 
being  constructed.  The  reinforced  concrete  construction  at 
shaft-stations  and  skip-pockets  is  a  decided  success  in  this 
mine. 

Morenci.  During  the  half-year  ended  June  30,  1916,  the 
Shannon  Copper  Co.  made  a  profit  of  $434,220.  On  account  of 
labor  troubles  only  five  months  were  productive.  The  copper 
output  was  4,368,000  lb.,  at  a  cost  of  17.2c.  per  lb.  The  price 
received  was  27.363c.  Current  assets  over  liabilities  amount  to 
$991,406. 


cussion  of  matters  pertaining  to  the  situation." 

This  affected  about  1500  men,  800  of  whom  are  unionists. 
About  400  men  employed  at  the  Old  Eureka,  Keystone,  and 
Original  Amador  are  working,  as  these  companies  raised 
wages  some  time  ago. 

The  strikers  are  quiet  and  orderly. 

For  the  first  time  in  30  years  the  Kennedy  mine  whistle 
failed  to  blow  on  the  19th.  James  Giambruni,  secretary  of  the 
Union  in  Amador  county,  cautioned  the  men  not  to  use  vio- 
lence, and  that  they  were  willing  to  arbitrate  the  wage  ques- 
tion. 

Pumping  is  being  done  where  necessary. 

A  parade  of  strikers  was  held  at  Amador  City  on  the  21st, 
starting  at  Jackson  and  passing  through  Sutter  Creek.  Many 
banners  were  carried.     It  was  expected  that  Western  Federa- 


September  80,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


509 


lion  of  Miner*  officials  would  arrive  on  (he  following  day.  ami 
on  Sunday  a  big  meeting  would  be  held. 

At    the    Plymouth    mine,    where    all    men    are    non-unionists, 

work  has  been  resumed  at  the  request  o(  a  majority  of  the  em- 
ployee*   The  foree  Includes  US  men. 

QBASS  Vu.ny  Three  feet  of  good  ore  has  been  opened  at 
the  bottom.  1000  ft.,  of  the  Golden  Center  shaft.  At  this  com- 
pany's Allison  Ranch  mine  the  ejector  has  lowered  the  water 
70  feet. 

Kknnett.  Material  Is  arriving  for  the  Mammoth  company's 
electrolytic  zinc  plant  to  be  erected  above  the  copper  smelter. 
Excavating  is  also  under  way. 

Pi  \.  ran  LB.  The  main  shaft  at  the  Pyramid  mine  has  been 
re-timbered  to  a  depth  of  500  ft.  It  Is  being  sunk  another 
200  ft.      Fifteen  men  are  working  in  charge  of  Charles  Evans. 

For  the  first  time  in  22  years  the  Badger  Hill  deep-gravel 
mine  is  being  worked.    An  adit  650  ft.  long  will  be  driven. 

Scales.  The  concrete  debris  dam  being  constructed  on  Slate 
creek.  Sierra  county,  is  expected  to  be  completed  in  about  four 
weeks.  The  first  50  ft.  of  height  will  restrain  4,000,000  cu.  ft. 
of  gravel.  Los  Angeles  people  are  supplying  the  money.  Karl 
Brehme  is  in  charge. 

TAYI0I8T1LUL  During  the  half-year  ended  June  30,  1916, 
the  Engels  Copper  Co.'s  gross  earnings  were  $475,579,  and 
profit  $226,225. 

COLORADO 

Leawille.  Adjoining  the  Harvard  on  north  Fryer  hill,  the 
Progressive  mine  Is  being  re-opened  in  charge  of  W.  F.  Page. 
Old  workings  at  a  depth  of  280  ft.  are  being  cleaned  out.  The 
shaft  is  375  ft.  deep.  Water  and  litigation  resulted  in  the 
mine  being  closed  years  ago.  By  the  drainage  operations  of 
the  U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.  the  Progressive  is  now  dry.  Diamond- 
drilling  is  to  be  done. 

At  the  Harvard  shaft-bottom  the  U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.  is  cut- 
ting out  a  large  shaft-station.  One  Byron  Jackson  and  two 
Krogh  pumps  are  to  be  installed,  each  of  500-gal.  capacity. 
Sinking  will  then  proceed  for  300  feet. 

On  October  1  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.  takes  over  the  property 
purchased  from  the  Small  Hopes-Boreel  company.  Zinc-lead 
ore  is  soon  to  be  regularly  shipped  over  a  new  spur-line  that 
the  D.  &  R.  G.  will  construct. 

Hartman  &  Mock,  who  recently  discovered  rich  gold  ore  on 
Red  mountain,  in  the  Twin  Lake  district,  have  brought  in  a 
ton  that  will  average  150  oz.  per  ton.  Since  this  strike  many 
claims  have  been  staked  around  the  original  one. 

Silverton.  On  Bear  creek,  5  miles  west  of  this  place,  Bliss 
&  Ahearn  have  obtained  a  lease  on  the  Coughlin  gold-silver 
mine.  A  tram  is  to  be  built  to  carry  the  ore  to  rail,  thence  to 
a  mill  at  Silverton.  A  mill  is  needed  in  the  Bear  Creek  dis- 
trict, where  are  said  to  be  several  good  properties. 

IDAHO 

Dividends  paid  by  companies  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  totaled 
$1,409,135  in  September,  as  follows:  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan. 
$163,500;  Caledonia,  $78,150;  Federal  M.  &  S.,  $120,000;  Hecla, 
$150,000;  Hercules,  $200,000;  and  Interstate-Callahan,  $697,485. 
This  makes  $2,674,961  for  the  third  quarter,  and  $7,557,807  for 
9  months. 

Bubke.  The  Hecla  company  is  employing  300  men,  and  is 
mining  750  tons  daily.  A  mill  is  leased  at  Wallace,  but  this 
arrangement  is  inconvenient  and  uneconomical,  although 
justified  by  present  conditions.  The  company's  mill  at  Gem 
may  be  enlarged  from  450  to  650  tons,  as  recommended  by  the 
president,  James  F.  McCarthy.     The  cash  surplus  is  $400,000. 

Elk  City.  At  the  Comstock  at  Dixie  a  two-compartment 
shaft  is  to  be  sunk  to  a  depth  of  500  ft.  A  power-plant  is  to 
be  erected  later  on.     T.  H.  Minear  and  C.   E.   Shepperd  are 

owners   of  the  mine. Work  continues  satisfactory   at   the 

Mineral  Zone,  Black  Pine,  Grangeville,  Gold  Drop,  and  Black 


Diamond.    The  last  named  Is  sinking  to  l'111"  tt,  and  employs 

45  men. 

Kkllooo.  During  the  second  quarter  of  1916  the  Caledonia 
company's  profit  was  $287,988,     Dividends  absorbed  $284,480. 

Shipments  were  4 1 1 7 ;i  tons  of  ore  and  concentrate  having  a 
gross  value  of  $435,346,  made  up  as  follows:  lead,  2.574,680 
lb.,  $188,146;  silver,  294,242  oz.,  $200,578;  and  copper.  167,238 
lb.,  $46,622.  Smelter  deductions  for  freight  and  treatment 
totaled  $110,927,  making  the  net  smelter  returns  $324,419. 
The  operating  cost  was  $36,486.  of  which  $29,726  was  for 
mining,  $5852  for  milling,  and  $907  for  shipping.  Develop- 
ment was  continued  on  the  Keating  tunnel  level.  So  far  this 
has  been  unsuccessful,  finding  neither  the  ore  nor!  the  vein. 
It  is  proposed  to  continue  the  search  so  long  as  there  is  a 
possible  chance  of  success.    There  are  2  years'  reserves  opened. 

Loon  Cbeek.  The  new  50-ton  mill  of  the  Lost  Packer  cop- 
per mine  is  giving  good  results.  The  process  Is  simple.  In- 
cluding a  jaw-crusher,  ball-mill,  thickeners,  and  flotation  ma- 
chines. S.  M.  Morris  was  in  charge  of  construction.  The  ore 
averages  4%  copper  and  $8  to  $10  gold  and  silver  per  ton. 
The  plant  may  be  doubled.  Concentrate  is  hauled  by  motor- 
trucks, formerly  by  hundreds  of  horses,  to  rail,  thence  to  Utah 
smelters.  The  local  smelter  is  not  used  now.  Hydro-electric 
power  is  available. 

Mullan.  In  a  raise  above  the  lower  adit,  in  a  distance  of 
4000  ft.,  the  Silverado  mine  reports  the  opening  of  6  ft.  of 
gray  copper  ore  assaying  50  oz.  silver  per  ton.  This  is  at  a 
vertical  depth  of  1400  ft.  A  100-ton  mill  is  expected  to  be 
complete  in  about  two  weeks. 

Pine  Cbeek.  The  option  on  the  Douglas  zinc  mine  in  the 
Pine  Creek  district,  held  by  the  Anaconda  company,  has  been 
extended  for  six  months,  according  to  official  announcement  at 
Butte.  Development  of  the  property  under  the  Anaconda  com- 
pany's management  is  proving  satisfactory. 

MICHIGAN 

The  Copper  Countby 

Houghton.  It  is  expected  that  the  Ahmeek,  Allouez,  Calu- 
met &  Hecla.  Copper  Range,  Hancock,  Isle  Royale,  Lake,  Mass, 
Osceola,  and  South  Lake  mines  will  produce  more  ore  and 
metal  during  September. 

At  the  White  Pine  Extension  the  shaft  is  down  200  ft.  To 
test  the  ore  by  flotation  a  small  plant  is  being  erected. 

Calumet  &  Hecla  reports  as  follows  for  August  and  for  8 
months,  in  pounds: 

Ahmeek   2,173,439  15,375,731 

Allouez    870,758  6,753,289 

Calumet  &  Hecla 6,603.418  50,933,908 

Centennial    207,486  1,667,445 

Isle  Royale  1,199,162  8,215,502 

La   Salle    109.032  835,220 

Osceola   1.625.49S  13,235,178 

Superior    192,463  2,133,948 

Tamarack    513,441  4.436.518 

White   Pine    426,152  2,894,565 

The  district's  September  output  will  be  a  good  increase. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  The  largest  shaft  In  the  district,  that  of  the  Empire 
Zinc  Co.  at  Galena,  is  down  90  ft.  The  opening  is  6  by  15  ft. 
in  the  clear,  and  is  to  be  sunk  to  280  ft.  Two  by  four-inch 
cribbing  was  used  in  the  upper  part,  but  8  by  8-in.  timber  is 
now  used. 

Owing  to  better  prices  for  ore  last  week  there  were  larger 
'turn-ins'  of  zinc  and  lead  concentrates.  The  Oronogo  Mutual 
company  made  a  record  of  488  tons.  The  output  of  the  region 
was  6554  tons  of  blende,  138  tons  of  calamine,  and  1102  tons  of 
lead,  averaging  $59,  $39,  and  $69  per  ton,  respectively.  The 
total  value  was  $471,902. 


510 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


September  30,  1916 


MONTANA 

Anaconda.  The  second  of  two  cars  of  zinc  carbonate  ore 
from  the  old  Blue-Eyed  Nellie  mine,  6  miles  west  of  this 
centre,  returned  38.85%  zinc  at  the  Bartlesville  Zinc  Co.,  Okla- 
homa. This  is  probably  the  first  ore  of  this  character  shipped 
from  Montana.  In  the  late  80's  this  mine  yielded  a  good  deal 
of  lead-silver  ore.    The  ore  occurs  in  limestone. 

Butte.  The  Butte  &  Great  Falls  company  has  purchased 
the  Snowdrift  and  Rio  Tinto  claims.  This  makes  a  property 
of  186  acres.  Diamond-drilling  is  under  way  on  the  500-ft. 
level.  The  shaft  is  next  to  be  sunk  to  1000  ft.  In  a  700-ft. 
cross-cut  at  500  ft.  depth  are  several  promising  zinc-lead-gold- 
silver  veins.    R.  M.  Green  is  manager. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  Butte  district  the  North  Butte 
company  is  to  drive  a  2000-ft.  adit  to  cut  a  number  of  veins  at 
a  depth  of  500  ft.  The  company  owns  700  acres  in  this  sec- 
tion. 

On  the  100-ft.  level  of  the  Bullwhacker  a  vein  of  sulphide 
ore  assaying  from  4.04  to  21.24%  copper  has  been  cut.  Some 
of  the  drillings  assayed  3.5  oz.  silver,  the  first  time  that  any 
ore  in  this  mine  contained  the  precious  metal. 

Elkhorn.  'Mining  in  Jefferson  County'  is  the  title  of  a  leaf- 
let compiled  by  C.  H.  Vorck  and  published  by  the  Jefferson 
County  Mining  Bureau.  The  centre  of  the  area  is  about  25 
miles  south  of  Helena.  The  districts  are  Amazon,  Boulder, 
Cataract,  Colorado,  Elkhorn,  Lump  Gulch,  Mitchell,  Montana 
City,  and  Jefferson  City.  Capital  and  development  are  neces- 
sary for  these  districts.  Elkhorn  is  the  centre  of  a  promising 
group  of  claims.  The  formation  in  granite,  and  the  ore  de- 
posits are  found  in  this  and  at  its  contact  with  limestone,  also 
in  limestone  and  andesite.  The  old  Elkhorn  mine  has  been  a 
large  silver-gold  producer.  It  has  large  tailing  dumps  requir- 
ing treatment.  Other  mines  yield  copper  and  lead  ore  with 
the  precious  metals.  The  Golden  Curry,  Moreau,  Montana  & 
Dolcoath,  Elkhorn  Bulwer,  Elkhorn  Queen,  Tacoma,  and  others 
are  being  actively  developed,  some  shipping  ore. 

Helena.  Fifty-one  miles  from  this  place  and  eight  from 
Flesher  the  O.  &  M.  Mines  Co.  is  completing  a  150-ton  mill. 
Ore  reserves  are  43,000  tons,  assaying  60c.  gold,  12  oz.  silver, 
15%  lead,  19%  zinc,  and  1.5%  copper.  Development  has  been 
under  way  for  a  year.  Forty  men  are  employed  in  charge  of 
H.  Johns. 

From  October  1915  to  September  1916,  inclusive,  the  Scratch 
Gravel  company's  smelter  receipts  totaled  $119,947  net  from 
2847  tons  of  ore.  The  main  shaft  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  500 
ft.  Drifts  on  this  level  have  opened  7  ft.  of  lode-matter  which 
contains  12  to  30  in.  of  good  ore.  On  the  250-ft.  level  there  is 
16  in.  of  $65  to  $161  ore,  and  a  stope  assays  over  $65  per  ton. 

Iron  Mountain.  The  Intermountain  company,  operating 
the  old  Amador  mine,  pays  a  half-cent  per  share,  equal  to 
$8000,  on  October  20.    This  is  an  initial  declaration. 

NEVADA 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Nevada  Consolidated  is 
working  full  time,  extracting  12,000  tons  of  ore  daily,  of  which 
from  1800  to  2000  tons  is  from  the  Ruth  mine's  underground 
operations.  The  system  of  glory-holing  a  level  underground 
by  itself,  one  block  at  a  time,  appears  to  be  working  satis- 
factorily. This  saves  a  great  deal  of  timbering.  Owing  to  the 
ground  being  of  a  swelling  nature  many  of  the  main  haulage- 
drifts  had  to  be  re-timbered  as  many  as  a  half-dozen  times. 
One  drill  is  prospecting  the  ground  near  Keystone  acquired 
some  time  ago  for  dumping  purposes,  to  ascertain  whether 
there  is  any  ore  underground  or  not;  two  drills  are  prospect- 
ing in  the  bottom  of  the  pits;  also  more  drilling  is  being 
done  continuously  around  the  Ruth  mine.  It  is  understood 
that  these  results  are  satisfactory  in  proving  the  existence  of 
more  ore.  At  the  smelter  the  roasting  capacity  is  being  en- 
larged. Work  is  progressing  on  additions  to  the  crushing 
plant. 


There  are  45  men  employed  at  the  old  Giroux,  cleaning-up 
the  Morris  underground,  also  on  the  Coppermines  proper, 
near  the  Star  Pointer  shaft.  It  is  announced  by  the  local 
management  that  the  Salt  Lake  Engineering  Co.  has  closed  a 
contract  to  overhaul  the  old  Pilot  Knob  Hill  mill  of  the  Giroux, 
to  treat  1000  tons  per  day.  They  expect  to  be  able  to  start 
with  the  first  500-ton  unit  within  three  months.  Several  mill- 
men  and  carpenters  are  at  work.  The  Callow  system  of  flota- 
tion will  be  used.  The  public  has  been  misled  so  many  times 
with  the  Giroux  that  it  will  have  to  be  shown,  and  by  a  new 
management. 

The  old  Ward  mine,  18  miles  south  of  Ely,  which  has  a  past 
production  of  about  $5,000,000,  now  supposed  to  have  500,000 
tons  of  low-grade  silver-lead  ore  blocked  out,  is  being  re- 
opened by  Denver  people,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Johns. 

The  U.  S.  Tungsten  Co.  has  leased  most  of  its  ground  in 
blocks  on  a  sliding-scale  for  the  ore.  Most  of  the  tungsten 
properties,  except  Shepherds  at  Tungstonia,  are  closed  down 
owing  to  low  prices  of  the  mineral. 

Ely,  Nevada. 

Goldfield.  During  August  the  Jumbo  Extension  shipped 
2444  tons  of  ore,  averaging  $29.46  per  ton.  The  net  profit  was 
$23,000.    Daily  production  is  100  tons,  6  days  per  week. 

Goodsprings.  August  shipments  totaled  107  cars,  containing 
4815  tons.  Of  this,  70  cars  were  from  the  Yellow  Pine,  6  from 
the  Anchor,  4  from  the  Boss,  and  the  remainder  in  1  and  2 
carload  lots.  The  Boss  mine  has  opened  high-grade  copper 
carbonate  ore  in  a  lower  adit. 

In  Devils  canyon  the  Christmas  company  is  to  re-erect  a  mill 
purchased  from  the  Addison  mine.  A  road  had  to  be  con- 
structed through  difficult  country. 

Hornsilver.  It  is  likely  that  a  100-ton  custom  mill  will  be 
erected  for  this  district.  For  this  purpose  the  Orleans  Mining 
&  Milling  Co.  has  been  formed  with  J.  W.  Dunfee  as  presi- 
dent, and  E.  C.  Edwards  of  Goldfield  as  secretary. 

Rochester.  At  the  Nenzel  Crown  Point  mine  the  cross-cut 
was  driven  415  ft.  in  30  days.  It  is  in  a  total  of  1100  ft.  Five 
well-defined  veins  of  good  value  were  cut,  one  being  85  ft.  wide. 
The  cross-cut  will  be  extended  to  open  the  zero  vein,  which 
will  also  improve  ventilation. 

UTAH 

Alta.  No.  4  drill  in  the  Old  Emma  has  passed  through 
21*  ft.  of  ore  assaying  116.7  oz.  silver  and  8.5%  lead,  at  a 
depth  of  210  ft.  C.  S.  Herzig  is  directing  exploration,  with 
J.  J.  Beeson  as  geologist  in  charge,  the  latter  having  said  that 
the  ore  shows  galena  and  pyrite  disseminated  through  a  com- 
pact mass  of  quartz,  with  here  and  there  small  cavities  lined 
with  well-formed  crystals  of  quartz  and  galena.  Argentite, 
the  sulphide  of  silver,  apparently  is  also  present.  This  is 
further  evidenced  by  the  high  silver-content  in  the  first  part 
of  the  core  which  was  assayed.  The  unoxidized  nature  of  the 
ore,  the  apparent  absence  of  secondary  minerals,  and  the  large 
amount  of  quartz  in  the  gangue,  leads  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  high-grade  ore  encountered  will  perist  to  depth.  The  char- 
acter of  the  quartz  as  shown  in  the  core  indicates  that  the  min- 
eralization has  been  effected  by  deep-seated  solutions  coming 
up  through  fissures  in  the  rocks  and  replacing  the  limestone. 
It  could  not  possibly  have  come  from'  waters  infiltrating  from 
the  surface.  In  hole  No.  2,  80  ft  away,  the  half-inch  of  galena 
is  evidently  connected  with  the  body  cut  in  hole  No.  4.  as  was 
intimated  at  the  time  hole  No.  2  was  put  down.  The  im- 
portance of  this  strike  cannot  be  over-estimated.  The  actual 
visualizing  of  this  ore  is  the  only  remaining  proof  that  was 
needed  in  the  chain  of  facts  which  have  been  gathered. 

No.  6  drill-hole  has  since  cut  5  ft.  of  better  ore  than  that 
passed  through  by  No.  4.    The  ore  contained  more  galena. 

It  is  proposed  to  consolidate  the  Old  Emma  Mines  Co.  and 
the  Emma  Copper  Mining  Co. 

Park  Crrr.  The  Silver  King  Coalition  Mines  Co.  distributed 
15c.  per  share  on  October  1,  equal  to  $187,500. 


September  BO,  1916 


MINING    .,„.!   Scientific    PRESS 


r.ll 


Tnrno.  The  Eagle  A  Blue  Bell  ihaft  is  down  lsTti  ft  Pro- 
duction Is  restricted  by  the  smelters  to  50  tons  of  ore  dully. 

WASHINGTON 

Nimrm-oRT.  Two  more  furnaces  have  been  blown-ln  at  tin- 
smelter.  Treatment  problems  are  no  longer  a  trouble,  and  the 
soke  supply  from  British  Columbia  Is  more  regular. 

Ku-i m.ic.  According  to  S.  H.  Richardson  of  the  Knob  Hill 
mine  the  slllcious  ore  of  this  district  Is  in  great  demand  at 
the  Trail  and  Grand  Forks  smelters,  British  Columbia.  Green- 
wood and  Northport  also  require  some  of  the  ore. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia 
Hlvldends  paid   in   September  totaled   $413,877,  as   follows: 
Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting,  $210,688;   Hedley  Gold,  $60.- 
000;    Standard.  $50,000;   and  Crow's  Nest  Coal,  $93,189.     For 


Personal 


Holt:     The  Editor  inx-iU*  mrml>rr*  af  the  pntfr**hm  to  tend  particular*  of  their 
Work  and  KJIpoMMmb.       Thil  information  in  (ritererfino  to  our  reader*. 


Mb 

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L^.      -  - 

. 

IN    THE    HEDLEY    DISTRICT    OK    BRITISH    COLUMBIA. 

the   third   quarter   the    total    is   $855,738,   and    for   9   months 
$2,520,591. 

Hedley.     On  September  2  the  Hedley  .Gold  Mining  Co.  will 
pay  its  quarterly  dividend  of  8%,  also  an  extra  of  2%. 
Ontario 

Cobalt.  During  August  the  Kerr  Lake  company  produced 
244,020  oz.  of  silver,  an  Increase  of  33,020  oz.  over  that  of  July. 

Porcupine.  The  Hollinger  is  employing  1200  men.  Founda- 
tions for  the  new  mill  are  nearly  finished.  This  will  consist 
of  100  stamps,  10  tube-mills,  etc.  The  new  central  shaft  plant 
will  be  ready  next  March.  The  consolidated  properties  are 
being  connected  at  the  425-ft.  level. 

On  the  400-ft.  level  of  the  Mclntyre  the  Jupiter  vein  has 
been  cut.  The  mill  is  treating  400  tons  daily.  An  aerial  tram 
is  to  be  constructed  across  the  lake  to  haul  75  tons  of  ore  per 
hour. 

MEXICO 

In  the  president's  half-yearly  report  of  the  American  Smelt- 
ing &  Refining  Co.  he  states  that  the  company  has  again  to 
record  the  entire  lack  of  earnings  from  its  very  valuable 
properties  in  Mexico. 

The  American  Mining  Congress  will  hold  its  19th  annual 
meeting  at  the  Hotel  La  Salle,  Chicago,  during  the  week  of 
November  13.  A  large  attendance  is  expected,  and  interesting 
exhibits  are  to  be  shown.  Papers  are  to  be  read  by  well-known 
mining  men.    J.  F.  Callbreath  is  secretary. 

The  Michiqan  College  of  Mines  at  Houghton  has  issued  its 
year-book  of  113  pages  for  1915-'16,  with  announcement  of 
courses  for  1916-'17.  The  fall  term  begins  on  October  2.  A 
good  map  of  the  copper  country  is  included. 


R.  A.  Kinzie  is  on  his  way  to  Arizona. 

Bdwih  BJ.  (mask  and  son  are  in  southern  Nevada. 

Robert  Thomson,  .Jr.,  has  returned  from  Slam  to  Scotland, 
to  enlist. 

W.  W.  Mein  lias  been  visiting  the  Mother  Lode  district, 
California. 

Howard  D.  Smith  has  returned  from  a  visit  to  New  York 
and  London. 

Edward  H.  Cook  is  returning  to  the  Topia  district  in 
Durango,  Mexico. 

Victor  C.  Alderson  and  John  M.  Baker  called  at  this 
office  during  the  week. 

W.  H.  Staves  has  been  at  Silver  Plume,  Colorado,  but  is 
now  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

T.  M.  Skinner  is  assistant  manager  for  the  Potash  Products 
Co.  at  Alliance,  Nebraska. 

J.  O.  Clifford  was  in  San  Francisco  on  his  way  from  Salt 
Lake  City  to  Miami,  Arizona. 

W.  D.  Abel  is  superintendent  for  the  Three  R  Mining  & 
Milling  company  at  Patagonia,  Arizona. 

W.  D.  Manchester  is  superintendent  of  the  crushing  depart- 
ment of  the  Chile  Copper  Co.,  at  Chuquicamata. 

Frederick  R.  Burnham  is  at  the  Pasadena  hospital,  where 
he  has  undergone  the  operation  for  appendicitis. 

H.  C.  Harrison  is  now  operating  the  Three  R  mine  at  Pata- 
gonia, Arizona,  having  left  Mexico  for  the  present. 

Fred  Hfxlman  has  been  appointed  consulting  engineer  to 
Guggenheim  Brothers,  successors  to  M.  Guggenheim's  Sons. 

W.  A.  Clark,  Jr.,  William  Burgess,  and  H.  V.  Winchell 
are  visiting  the  Deming  mining  district  in  Owyhee  county, 
Idaho. 

Guy  C  Wabfel  has  been  appointed  Assistant  Professor  of 
Mining  Engineering  at  the  State  College  of  Mines  of  Wash- 
ington. 

Arthur  K.  Adams  has  left  for  Chile,  where  he  will  act  as 
geologist  for  the  Andes  Copper  Co.,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Ana- 
conda company. 

Edwin  S.  Berry,  who  has  joined  Pope  Yeatman  in  consulting 
practice,  sailed  for  Peru  on  September  16  to  examine  mines 
in  that  country. 

George  R.  Allen,  manager  of  the  Chosen  Minerals  Co., 
Seoul,  Korea,  is  returning  at  an  early  date.  He  was  recently 
at  Atolia,  California. 

Robert  E.  Cranston  has  been  appointed  consulting  engineer 
to  the  Mining  Associates,  Ltd.,  operating  the  Rawley  mine, 
near  Salida,  Colorado. 

S.  M.  Morse  has  been  appointed  general  superintendent  of 
the  Superstition  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  eight  miles  north- 
east of  Price,  Arizona. 

O.  J.  Fisk  and  R.  J.  Goodwin  are  engaged  in  a  series  of 
chloridizing  roasting  and  leaching  experiments  on  the  copper- 
platinum  ores  of  the  Boss  mine,  at  Goodsprings,  Nevada. 

John  V.  Beekman,  for  many  years  connected  with  the 
Lidgerwood  Manufacturing  Co.,  died  at  Plainfield,  N.  J.,  on 
September  11  at  the  age  of  74.  About  1870  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  rotary  engines,  pumps,  etc.  His  company  was 
absorbed  by  the  Lidgerwood  company  in  1873,  Mr.  Beekman 
assuming  charge  of  the  works  of  that  company,  and  was  the 
inventor  of  many  improvements  in  hoisting-engine  design. 
For  many  years  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers. 


512 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS. 


September  30,  1916 


THE    METAL    MAIESSET 


.1 


METAL   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  September  26. 

Antimony,   cents   per_  pound 12 

Electrolytic   copper,   cents  per  pound 29 

Pig  lead,   cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.25 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce $90 — 95 

Quicksilver:  per  flask  of  75  lb $73 

Spelter,   cents  per  pound 12 

Tin,  cents  per  pound   41 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound   20 

ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  September  26. 

Antimony:   50%  product,  per  unit   (1%  or  20  lb.) $1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  13. 00 — 15.00 
Manganese:   50%  (less  than  35%  metal  not  bought).  14.00 

Magnesite:  crude,   per  ton 8.00 

Tungsten:  60%  WOa,   per  unit 13.00 

■  Mica  bulletin  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  for  1915  is  issued. 
Sheet  mica  averaged  68c.  per  lb.,  against  50c.  in  1914  and  21c.  in 
1913.     Sizes  must  be  3,  6,  9,  14,  24,  and  36  in.  square. 

Bismuth  in  New  York  is  quoted  at  $5.50  per  pound. 
New  York,  September  20. 

Antimony:  There  is  no  change,  with  the  market  at  $1  to  $1.10 
per  unit  for  prompt  delivery. 

Tungsten :  Foreign  business  has  been  quiet  this  month  be- 
cause of  cable  delays.  Foreign  inquiries  are  still  under  nego- 
tiation, but  domestic  consumers  are  out  of  the  market.  The 
present  quotation  is  about  $17  per  unit. 

EASTERN   METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 

September  26. — Copper  is  active,  spot  metal  is  not  quoted,  and 
first  quarter  is  27.50c;  lead  is  also  active,  with  good  export 
demand;  spelter  is  dull  under  reaction. 

SILVER. 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 


per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 

Sept.  20 

"      21 

68.62 
68.87 

69.25 

onthly 
1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 

Aver 
'•      22 

"      12. 

"      19 

"      26 

averages 

July 
Aug.   . . . 
Sept.  . . . 

age  week  ending 
66.08 

"      23. 
"      24 
"      25. 
"      26. 

Sunday 

1914. 
..57.58 

M 
1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 

1914. 
54.90 
54.35 
53.75 
51.12 
49.12 
.49.27 

1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
65.34 

67.67 

1916. 
63.06 

Feb.    . . . 

..57.53 

66.07 

Mch.    . . . 

..58.01 

May    . . . 

58.21 
.  .56.43 

Dec.    . . . 

The  silver  market  is  strong  with  steady  advances.  London 
reports  that  fresh  supplies  are  by  no  means  plentiful,  and  the 
stock  is  only  7,000,000  oz.,  75%  of  a  month  ago.  China  has  not 
ceased  releasing  portions  of  its  largely  depleted  silver  currency 
holding.  One  of  the  Indian  native  states  purchased  $480,000  of 
silver  for  coinage.  The  holding  of  silver  coin  in  the  Indian 
treasuries  continues  to  shrink. 

Silver  worth  $894,000  (1,300,000  oz.)  was  shipped  from  San 
Francisco  to  the  Orient  on  September  23. 

Last  week  the  Calumet  &  Helca  shipped  silver  worth  $35,000 
from  its  copper  refinery  at  Hubbell,  Michigan. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Sept.  20 28.37 

••      21 28.37 

"      22 28.25 

"       23 28.25 

"      24   Sunday 

"      25 28.50 

"      26 28.75 

Monthly 


Jan. 


1914. 
.14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.76 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.   15 26.75 

"      22 27.62 

"      29 28.00 

Sept.     5 28.00 

"      12 28.06 

"      19 28.29 

"      26 28.41 

averages 

1914.        1915.        1916. 

July    13.26        19.09        25.66 

Aug 12.34        17.27        27.03 

Sept 12.02        17.69 

Oct 11.10        17.90 

Nov 11.75        18.88 

Dec 12.75        20.67 


On  September  29,  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  paid  $2.50  per  share 
and  an  extra  of  $5.50.  Granby  Consolidated  is  paying  $2  per 
share. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Da 
Sept 

te. 

20 
21 

24 

25 

,    7.00 
7.00 

j 
Aug. 

Sept. 

averaj 

July 
Aug. 
Sept 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 

Lver 

22 

29 

5. 

1? 

ige  week  endin 

g 

.    5.95 

6.32 

" 

" 

Sunday 

7.00 

.    6.73 

" 

19 
26 
res 

1914. 
3.80 
3.86 
3.82 
3.60 
,    3.68 
.    3.80 

1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 

6.80 

Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 

1914. 

4.11 

4.02 

.  ,    3.94 

.  ,    3.86 

3.90 

..    3.90 

1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 

Monthly 
1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.88 
6.88 

1916. 
6.40 
6.28 

ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Average  week  ending 

Sept.  20. 

9.75 

"      29. 

.    8.54 

"      21. 

.    9.43 

"      23 

.    9.37 

"      23. 

Sept.     5. 

.    8.87 

"   .  24 

Sunday 

"      12. 

.    8.87 

"      25. 

9.25 
.  .    9.00 

"      26. 

.    9.46 

"      26 

.    9.35 

Monthly 

averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

..   5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July    . . . 

.    4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

9.05 

19.99 

.    4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

Mch.    .  . . 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept.  . . . 

.    5.16 

14.14 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct.     . . . 

.    4.75 

14.05 

17.03 

16.01 

.    5.01 

17.20 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec.    . . . 

.    5.40 

16.76 

Zinc  ore  at  Joplin  is  $5  per  ton  higher,  the  range  for  60% 
metal-content  being  from  $50  to  $65  per  ton.  Butte  &  Superior 
concentrate,   53%,  was  worth  $49.45  per  ton  in  August. 

New  Jersey  Zinc  shares  are  now  quoted  at  $315,  giving  the 
company  a  valuation  of  $110,250,000.  Earnings  are  at  the  rate 
of  $96  per  annum. 

"When  the  American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting  Co.  and  Granby 
Mining  &  Smelting  Co.  merger  is  complete,  the  former  will  have 
22,404  retorts,  with  an  annual  capacity  of  78,414  tons  of  spelter, 
and  will  rank  as  the  third  largest  individual  factor  in  the  in- 
dustry in  the  United  States. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  Is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  In  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 

Date.  1    Sept.  12 75.00 

Aug.   29 77.00  "      19 75.00 

Sept.     5 77.00    I        "      26 73.00 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1916. 

1916. 

...39.25 

51.90 

222.00 

July    .  . 

...37.50 

95.00 

81.20 

Feb.    . . 

...39.00 

60.00 

295.00 

Aug.    . 

...80.00 

93.75 

74.50 

78.00 

219.00 

Sept.  . 

...76.25 

91.00 

...38.90 

77.50 

141.60 

Oct.     . . 

...53.00 

92.90 

May    . . 

...39.00 

75.00 

90.00 

...55.00 

101.60 

...38.60 

90.00 

74.70 

Dec.     .  . 

...53.10 

123.00 

Last  week  200  flasks  were  shipped  to  Japan  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

TIN 
Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 


1915. 
34.40 
37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39.28 
40.26 


1916. 
41.76 
42.60 
50.50 
51.49 
49.10 
42.07 


1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 


ANTIMONY 

The  market  is  dull  and  easy,  with  re-sellers  offering  Oriental 
grades  at  11  to  11.50c,  duty  paid. 

ALUMINUM 

In  the  past  week  quotations  strengthened  somewhat,  and  up 
to  64c.  was  asked  for  No.  1  virgin  metal,  98  to  99%  pure,  but 
the  price  has  since  steadied  around  61  to  63  cents. 


September  30,  1916 


MINING    and    Scientific    PRESS 


S13 


Eastern   Metal 


aateft 


New  York,  September  20. 

Great  quantities  of  copper  have  been  purchased  in  the  past 
few  days,  and  the  market  is  stronger.  Near-by  metal  is  scarce 
so  tar  as  the  producers  are  concerned,  some  having  but  little 
metal  not  under  contract  for  the  remainder  of  the  year. 
Near-by  is  quoted  at  28.50  to  29c,  and  December  at  27.75  to  28c. 
The  enormous  order  of  the  Allies  for  1917  has  not  been 
placed,  but  brass  rod  and  disc  requirements  amounting  to 
40,000  tons  have  been  covered.  The  large  sales  are  quietly 
negotiated,  and  the  prices  obtained  undoubtedly  below  what 
•even  large  domestic  consumers  would  have  to  pay. 

Zinc  has  continued  active,  and  is  a  little  higher. 

The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  has  twice  advanced  its  quotations  for 
lead,  now  asking  7c,  New  York.  Independents  quote  7c  or 
higher. 

Tin  has  been  quiet,  but  the  market  expects  a  buying  move- 
ment to  develop  soon. 

Antimony  is  dull  and  easy. 

Aluminum  shows  greater  strength. 

A  leading  feature  of  the  steel  trade  is  the  overwhelming 
demand  for  plates,  for  which  4  to  4.50c,  Pittsburg  is  now 
obtained.  Middle  Western  consumers  are  begging  the  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  mills  for  material.  The  demand  for  structural 
steel  is  not  so  urgent  as  that  for  other  products.  Independent 
■structural  shops  took  orders  in  August  equal  to  64%  of  their 
■capacity.  Generally,  the  tendency  is  toward  higher  prices  as 
deliveries  become  more  difficult.  It  is  seen  that  Europe  will 
take  all  the  material  that  America  can  supply.  Thousands  of 
freight-cars  are  needed  by  foreign  and  domestic  railroads. 
The  plate  mills  are  confronted  with  inquiries  for  at  least 
300,000  tons,  deliveries  to  run  through  1917.  Three  ships  to 
"be  completed  in  the  first  quarter  of  1918 — about  18  months 
away — have  been  placed  with  Pacific  Coast  yards. 

COPPER 

So  far  as  can  be  learned  the  requirements  of  Great  Britain 
and  her  Allies  for  their,  first  half  of  1917  requirements,  re- 
ported to  be  125,000  tons,  have  not  been  satisfied,  although 
negotiations  are  actively  under  way.  In  the  past  week,  how- 
ever, orders  for  at  least  40,000  tons  of  brass  rods  and  discs 
have  been  placed  with  brass  mills,  and  the  latter  have  either 
"bought  or  obtained  options  on  the  copper  and  spelter  required 
to  fill  the  orders.  Last  week's  business  in  copper  is  esti- 
mated at  close  to  75,000,000  lb.  Near-by  metal  is  scarce,  in 
fact,  there  is  not  much  to  be  had  for  the  remainder  of  the  year. 
One  producer  of  electrolytic  stated  that  he  has  none  to  offer 
this  year,  and  wants  27.50c  for  the  first  half  of  1917.  The 
•exact  level  of  prices  is  difficult  to  gauge  for  the  reason  that  the 
near-by  market  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  second-hands,  and  a 
-wide  range  of  quotations  prevails.  Sales,  to  a  large  extent,  are 
a  matter  of  quiet  negotiation,  and  sometimes  details  do  not 
leak  out.  December  is  quoted  at  27.75  to  28c  and  near-by  at 
28.50  to  29c  Producers  of  Lake  are  sold-up  to  the  end  of  the 
year,  and  its  market  is  purely  nominal,  at  approximately  the 
same  levels  as  exist  for  electrolytic.  The  London  electrolytic 
market  yesterday  was  stronger  at  £135  10s.  against  £132  a 
week  previous.  Exports  from  September  1  to  20  totaled  16,310 
tons.  Stocks  In  France  and  Great  Britain  on  the  15th  totaled 
7118  tons,  against  7514  tons,  a  decrease  of  396  tons. 

The  general  situation  in  copper  looks  strong  for  months  to 
•come. 

Exports  in  eight  months  totaled  215,199  tons,  compared  with 
171,786  tons  in  the  period  of  last  year.  France  took  almost 
half,  and  England  a  quarter  of  this  quantity. 

ZINC 
The  market  has  continued  active,  although  business   has 


been  lighter  than  it  was  last  week.  It  cannot  be  expected 
that  a  heavy  movement  will  last  indefinitely.  The  brass  mills, 
which  have  booked  the  large  orders  for  rods  and  discs,  were 
active  in  covering  their  needs  for  these  products.  There  has 
been  a  good  demand  for  extra  choice  zinc,  and  for  prime  West- 
ern. The  quotation  for  prompt  prime  Western  at  New  York 
yesterday  was  9.75c,  and  at  St.  Louis  9.50c  Fourth  quarter 
was  held  around  9.37ic,  St.  Louis,  and  first  quarter  at  9c 
Not  only  did  the  galvanizers  take  considerable  quantities  of 
prime  Western,  but  that  grade  was  taken  also  by  brass  mills 
which  have  come  to  using  ordinary  spelter  for  purposes  for 
which  "special"  was  formerly  considered  essential.  It  is 
conceded  that  the  finished  product  is  not  as  good  as  where 
brass-mill  special  is  used,  but  it  passes  muster  for  various 
purposes.  The  trade  is  surprised  that  the  recent  buying  did 
not  send  zinc  up  more  sharply,  and  to  higher  levels  than  have 
been  reached,  and  in  explanation  it  is  said  that  the  smaller  , 
producers  checked  the  advance  by  passing  out  their  metal 
for  disposal  by  dealers  and  brokers.  Such  activity  as  prevailed 
in  recent  days  would  have  sent  prices  soaring  a  few  months 
ago.  Another  influence,  tending  to  keep  the  market  down,  is 
the  quiet  manner  in  which  much  of  the  buying  has  been  done, 
thereby  eliminating  unnecessary  competition.  Makers  of  the 
higher  grades  of  metal  are  well  sold-up  for  the  balance  of  the 
year.  Exports  of  the  month  have  been  heavy,  up  to  the  20th, 
totaling  6723  tons.  The  spot  quotation  at  London  yesterday 
was  £56,  against  $52  a  week  previous.  The  quotation  for  sheet 
zinc  is  unchanged  at  15c,  f.o.b.  mill,  carload  lots,  8%  off  for 
cash. 

LEAD 

Buying  of  prompt  and  near-by  metal  has  been  active,  and 
the  excellent  volume  of  orders  which  independent  producers 
have  been  booking,  many  of  them  at  premium  prices,  is  the 
evident  cause  of  two  advances,  each  of  Jc.  by  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co. 
On  September  14  the  company  advanced  its  New  York  quota- 
tion from  6.50  to  6.75c,  and  on  the  19th  it  made  a  further  ad- 
vance to  7c  Until  the  latter  price  was  announced,  indepen- 
dents had  been  easily  obtaining  premiums  of  }c  or  more  over 
the  quotation  of  the  leading  interest.  Some  of  them  are  today 
asking  7.10c,  New  York.  The  St.  Louis  quotation  of  the 
A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  is  now  6.92}c  The  independents  are  asking 
6.85c  Up  to  the  time  the  leading  interest  advanced  from 
6.75c,  a  heavy  and  widely  distributed  business  was  done. 
The  big  producer  at  the  time  was  selling  only  to  regular 
customers,  and  for  October  delivery,  but  only  at  its  average 
price  for  that  month.  Outsiders  made  sales  for  October  at 
6.70c,  New  York.  No  surprise  was  expressed  at  the  action  of 
the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  the  only  wonder  being  that  the  advances  did 
not  come  sooner.  Near-by  metal  is  scarce.  Exports  of  lead 
have  continued  light,  amounting  so  far  this  month  to  only 
771  tons.  The  London  spot  market  was  quoted  yesterday  at 
£30  15s.,  or  15s.  higher  than  a  week  ago. 

TIN 

The  main  feature  in  tin,  which  has  been  quiet  in  the  past 
week,  is  that  events  are  apparently  shaping  themselves  for  a 
good  movement.  It  is  some  time  since  consumers  have  been 
in  the  market  to  any  considerable  extent,  their  contracts  are 
nearly  liquidated  and  their  supplies  must  be  getting  low. 
Therefore  sellers  are  looking  for  a  movement  in  the  near 
future.  On  one  or  two  days  in  the  week  moderate  interest 
was  shown,  but  at  no  time  was  buying  noteworthy.  The  spot 
quotation  for  Straits  yesterday  was  38.50c  The  supply  of 
Banca  has  been  pretty  well  cleaned-up.  Arrivals  of  the  month 
up  to  yesterday  totaled  1590  tons,  and  there  was  afloat  3590 
tons. 


514 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS  September  30,  1916 

Metal -Price  Fluctuations  During  the  War 


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this  chart,  originally  PUBUspED  ix  The  Daily  Metal  Reporter,  new  york,  shows  the  movements  of  metal  quotations  from 

JULY   1914   TO   SEPTEMBER  1916,  INCLUSIVE. 


Prices  of  Old  Metals 

Nominal  quotations  in  New  York  are  as  follows,  in  cents 
per  lb.: 

Heavy  and  crucible  copper   23.00 

Copper  turnings    18.00 

Heavy  brass   13.00 


Heavy    lead     5.75 

Zinc     6.75 

Cast  aluminum    32.00- 

Tin  pipe  34.50' 

No.  1   pewter   23.00 

Electrolytic  scrap   6.50' 

Solder  joints    8.25. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  OCTOBER  7,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  15 


. :  .   :, .  : .  . !. :  1 1 1 1 1 :, , .  i  1 1  i ; , :-   1 1 1  i .  I !  i  I ' :  ■  i ! ,  ■ ,  I  ■ , ' ' 1 1 : :  I ■ ! I-  i: '  i  I !! ':  I : ■ !  i  'I  N 1 1 


GOLD 

MEDAI 


UVTATIONAL"  Tubular  and  Allied 
i  1  Products  were  awarded  the 
GRAND  PRIZE  at  the  Panama-Pacific 
International  Exposition,  San  Francisco, 
Cal.,  1915.  Only  one  GRAND  PRIZE 
was  awarded  to  each  class  of  products 
exhibited.  While  there  were  several 
Medals  of  Honor,  Gold,  Silver  or 
Bronze  given  to  each  class  of  materials, 
there  was  only  one  GRAND  PRIZE 
and  that  was  awarded  to 
"NATIONAL"  Tubular  and 
Allied  Products  as  "repre- 
senting the  highest  develop- 
opment  of  the  art." 

Write  today  for  a  copy  of 
"NATIONAL"  Bulletin 
No.  1 1  —  History,  Charac- 
teristics and  The  Advantages 
of  "NATIONAL"  Pipe. 

NATIONAL  TUBE  COMPANY 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


g©MTnflW@iMfJ 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Til't&v 

Company 

501  Mar.kxt   St. 
San  Francisco.Cal. 


When  you  are  in  the  market 
for  a  filter 

inform  yourself  regarding  the  following  points: 

1.  Will  the  filter  operate  successfully  on  your  pulp? 

The  Oliver  has  been  proved  successful  over  the  widest  range 
of  conditions.  Flotation  concentrate,  table  concentrate,  cya- 
nide pulp,  sugar,  bicarbonate  of  soda,  and  quantities  of  ap- 
plications in  the  chemical  industry  liave  all  been  successfully 
handled  in  the  Oliver. 

2.  Is  it  mechanically  strong  and  properly  designed 

to  give  long  service  without  shut-down  for  repair? 

Oliver  filters  are  noted  for  their  long,  continuous  service. 
The  initial  Oliver  installation,  that  at  the  North  Star  Mines, 
Grass  Valley,  was  put  into  use  in  1908  and  is  still  in  daily 
service. 

3.  What  is  the  verdict  of  those  who  have  and  are  using  it  ? 

More  than  three  hundred  separate  mining  companies  have 
installed  the  Oliver  in  preference  to  any  other  device.  The 
Anaconda-  installations  include  44  filters,  the  Inspiration  6, 
and  hundreds  of  others  aggregating  a  capacity  of  more  than 
20,000  tons  of  pulp  daily. 

You  need  not  do  any  experimenting. 

Your  obviously  safe  course  is  to  take  advantage  of  the  ex- 
perience of  others.     Adopt  the 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER 


No  Royalties 
to  pay  on  any 
of  the  work 
of  an  Oliver. 


Our  engineering  depart- 
ment has  specialized  for 
years  on  filtration.  Their 
experience  is  at  your  dis- 
posal without  obligation. 
Ask  for  our  help  in  solv- 
K    ing  your  problem. 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 

T.  A.  RICKARD         -         -        Edito 
M.W.  vonBERNEWlTZl^.   ^ 
H.G.TH1ELE  > 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  trie  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manaser 


Bitiimiiiiiiiii!'" 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  October  7,  1916 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaslo  Caetani. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin, 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Winchell. 


?3  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL  Page. 

Notes     515 

Concreting  a   Shaft    .- 516 

Comment  on  the  article  describing  the  concreting  of 
the  Sacramento  shaft,  at  Bisbee.  The  advantages  of 
this  form  of  shaft-construction. 

The  Wilmington  Decision  517 

Outline  of  Judge  Bradford's  opinion  in  the  case  of 
Minerals  Separation  v.  Miami  Copper  Company.  Brief 
comment. 

The  Fab  East  Rand   518 

The  undeveloped  portion  of  the  great  Rand  goldfleld, 
in  the  Transvaal,  and  how  the  Government  of  South 
Africa  is  inviting  the  exploitation  of  this  area  by 
capitalists.    A  criticism  of  the  financial  basis. 

Seables  Lake  -Potash   : . . .   519 

Comment  on  the  recent  legal  decision  whereby  the 
California  Trona  Corporation  is  in  a  fair  way  to  ac- 
quire clear  title. 

DISCUSSION 

Basic  Lining. 

By  Effie  I.  Baggaley   519 

Who  was  the  first  metallurgist  to  use  the  basic-lined 
converter?  A  recent  article  wrongly  credited  C.  F. 
Shelby,  but  the  credit  should  have  been  given  to 
Ralph  Baggaley,  as  his  widow  insists. 

A  Patent-Office  Joke. 

By    Oxygen    519 

Facetious  remarks  regarding  a  chemical  equation 
passed  by  the  Patent-Office. 

Tax  on  Mine-Products  in  British  Columbia. 

By  G.  W.  Smith  ana  W.  F.  Robertson  520 

Special  taxes  on  account  of  the  War  are  not  so  oner- 
ous  as  thought.     A   mining   company   is  allowed   to 
make  7%  profit  and  an  individual  10%,  clear  of  taxa- 
tion. 
Field-Signaling. 

By  A  Civilian  Naval  Volunteer  520 

Suggestion  that  United  States  naval  signals  be  used 
in  surveying  mineral  land. 

ARTICLES 
Concreting  the  Sacbamento  Shaft  at  Bisbee. 

By  O.  S 521 

In  Arizona,  especially  at  Bisbee,  concreting  of  shafts 


Page. 
is  frequently  done.  In  this  case  it  was  necessary  to 
re-timber,  or  secure  by  some  means,  a  main  hoisting- 
shaft.  Whatever  was  to  be  done  must  not  interfere 
with  hauling  ore  during  14  hours  each  day.  Con- 
creting was  decided  on.  Some  useful  details  are 
given  on  crushing  rock,  forms,  aligning  guides,  mix- 
ing concrete,  and  running  the  mixture  to  the  required 
points  through  a  pipe. 

The  Sepabation  of  Galena  Fbom  Blende  by  the  Hobwood 
Peocess  of  Flotation. 

By  Allan  D.  Rain  529 

Notes  on  a  successful  selective-flotation  system  at 
Broken  Hill,  Australia.  Mixed  lead-zinc  sulphides 
are  separated  by  roasting  them  at  certain  tempera- 
tures, whereby  the  lead  sulphide  is  totally  or  super- 
ficially oxidized  without  affecting  the  zinc-blende. 

Flotation  Concenteation  of  Carbonate  Ores. 

By  Joseph  T.   Terry,  Jr , 531 

Description  of  a  process,  by  the  inventor,  whereby 
oxidized  ores  can  be  treated  successfully  by  flotation. 
Carbonates  are  'sulphide  filmed,'  and  in  floating  the 
minerals  the  pneumatic  cell  is  the  most  satisfactory. 

Mining  Method  at  Inspibation. 

By  George  R.  Lehman  532 

The  system  is  one  of  the  so-called  caving  methods, 
in  which  the  ore  caves  and  crushes  itself,  reducing 
blasting  and  handling.  Haulage-drifts  are  driven,  in- 
clined raises  put  up,  then  under-cutting  is  started. 
Haulage  is  done  by  compressed-air  locomotives. 

The  Institute  Meeting. 

By  Charles  F.   Willis    534 

Happenings  during  the  recent  meeting  of  the  A.  I. 
M.  E.  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

DEPARTMENTS 
Review   of   Mining 537 

Special  correspondence  from  Sutter  Creek,  California; 

Amador   City,    California;    Joplin,    Missouri;    Mexico 

City,  Mexico;  Toronto,  Ontario. 

The  Mining   Summaby    539 

Personal    542 

The  Metal  Maeket   543 

Eastern  Metal  Maeket   544 

Recent    Publications    545 

Recent   Patents    545 

Company  Reports    546 

Blackwater    Mines;    Zinc    Corporation;    Waihi    Gold 

Mining  Company. 
Industrial  Notes    546 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
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20 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 


(OHPAIIT 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(OHPAIIT 


TO  MINERS 

of 

PLACER  GOLD 


Investigate  the  Union  Drill.  It  is  easy  to  operate ;  it 
is  readily  portable  and  can  be  knocked  down  for  mule- 
back  transportation  and  easily  re-assembled.  It  is 
made  in  two  types,  A  and  B,  the  latter  with  steel  frame 
and  design  for  somewhat  heavier  work  than  A.  The 
illustration  below  shows  the  Type  B  drill  ready  for 
operation.  Bulletin  15  gives  much  interesting  data 
of  value  to  prospectors  and  placer  miners  in  general. 
"Write  for  it. 


Union 

Construction 

Company 

H.  G.  PEAKE     W.  W.  JOHNSON 

604  Mission  St. 
San  Francisco 


This  is  one  of  many  gold  dredges  designed  and 
constructed  by  this  company.  It  was  built  for 
C.  J.  Berry  and  has  a  3f-foot  bucket  line,  and 
digs  from  1700  to  2400  cubic  yards  per  day  of 
24  hours.  "We  contract  for  the  design  and  con- 
struction of  gold  dredges  for  any  capacity,  to  be 
erected  anywhere.  This  dredge  is  operated  on 
wood  fuel,  using  only  3-^  cords  per  day  of  24 
hours. 


The  Neill  jig  is  being  used  with  great  success  on 
dredging  and  sluicing  operations  for  the  saving 
of  fine  and  rusty  gold.  If  you  are  operating  a 
placer  mine,  it  is  worth  money  to  you.    "Write  us. 


October  7.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


515 


;!il!:<IIIMll!l!lll!»!lll  illi  !!!i!||||lllillllll 


T„    A.    RICKARB,     IiH©r 


'"PHE  American  Mining  Congress  will  hold  its  19th  an- 
■*■  nual  session  at  Chicago  on  November  13  and  follow- 
ing days.    An  interesting  convention  is  assured. 

"|%/I"ONEY  is  being  made  on  paper  at  a  terrific  rate  just 
*■**-  now  on  "Wall  Street,  but  some  of  it  will  be  like  Car- 
ranza  currency  when  the  day  comes  for  cashing. 

i~iN  another  page  we  publish  an  account  of  the  Insti- 
^-'  tute  meeting  in  Arizona.  It  appears  that  the  visit- 
ing members  saw  a  great  deal  and  heard  a  great  deal 
that  was  deeply  interesting. 

"INTERNATIONAL  Paper  shares  continue  to  soar,  re- 
■*•  fleeting  thereby  the  artificial  rise  in  the  cost  of  a 
product  used  by  all  of  us  and  squandered  by  most  of 
us,  particularly  the  daily  newspapers.  If  the  high  cost 
should  lead  to  a  diminished  production  of  piffle,  espe- 
cially for  Sunday  consumption,  the  public  would  be 
benefited. 

CTOCK  SPECULATION  on  "Wall  Street  is  becoming 
*^  reckless,  suggesting  a  fever  of  gambling  that  can 
only  do  great  harm  to  the  public.  The  decrease  in  the 
grain  harvests,  the  labor  unrest,  the  Mexican  position, 
and  the  possibilities  of  complications  with  belligerents 
should  deter  the  continued  expansion  in  quotations.  We 
are  not  out  of  the  woods  yet. 


/"^OPPER  and  the  big  dealings  in  that  metal  are  dis- 
^~*  cussed  by  our  New  York  correspondent  in  his  review 
of  the  market.  He  suggests  that  this  big  purchase  of  cop- 
per will  be  followed  shortly  by  proportional  buying  of 
zinc,  to  make  brass.  Our  own  further  remarks  on  the 
subject  of  copper  quotations  are  held  over  until  next 
week,  owing  to  the  exigencies  of  space. 

/"OFFICIALS  of  the  American  Smelting  &  Refining 
^-*  Company  are  informed  that  bandits  have  burned  the 
buildings  and  store-house  at  the  Sierra  Mojada  mines, 
in  Chihuahua.  The  American  staff  of  the  Real  del 
Monte  mines,  owned  by  the  United  States  Mining,  Smelt- 
ing &  Refining  Company,  is  returning  to  Pachuca,  in 
Hidalgo.  The  reader  can  take  his  choice  as  to  which 
incident  best  reflects  conditions  in  Mexico. 


DY  Carranza's  decree  of  September  12  any  mine  in 
■'-'  Mexico  that  shuts  down  for  two  months  consecu- 
tively or  for  three  months  in  the  aggregate  per  annum 
is  to  be  confiscated  to  the  Government,  which  also  de- 
cides how  many  men  are  to  he  employed  in  order  to  com-  ■ 
ply  with  this  ruling.    However,  such  a  pin-prick  will  not 


add  greatly  to  the  injuries  being  done  to  mine-owners 
in  Mexico.  They  are  counting  on  a  change  of  policy  at 
"Washington  in  March  next.  In  our  news  columns  we 
give  further  particulars  concerning  this  latest  decree  of 
the  de  facto  government. 

/CLASSIFICATION  does  not  affect  the  thing  classi- 
^*  fled,  but  it  does  affect  the  mental  attitude  and  un- 
derstanding of  the  classifier.  For  the  sake  of  clear 
thinking  correct  categories  are  important,  as  Aristotle 
demonstrated  some  milleniums  ago.  The  mental  atti- 
tude of  the  American  people  toward  the  Mexican  muddle 
will  also  be  materially  improved,  with  a  hopeful  proba- 
bility of  assisting  thereby  to  a  solution  of  some  part  of 
the  problem,  by  adopting  true  definitions.  The  other 
day  when  Villista  forces  attacked  Chihuahua  it  was  re- 
ported as  a  "bandit  victory";  when  a  "Villista  general 
meets  with  an  unwelcome  reception  at  Cusihuiriachic 
the  "bandits  are  routed."  The  word  'bandit'  in  the 
English  language  signifies  a  group  of  common  highway- 
men, out  for  plunder,  and  possessed  of  no  patriotic  aims. 
We  as  a  nation  shall  gain  a  better  perspective,  and  shall 
the  sooner  apply  sane  policies  to  the  end  of  pacifying 
unhappy  Mexico  and  of  letting  unfortunate  American 
investors  return  to  their  work  in  the  battle-torn  republic 
if  we  cease  to  apply  approbrious  epithets  indiscrimi- 
nately to  men  who  are  fighting  with  a  purpose,  and 
recognize  the  fact  that  Carranza  is  dealing  with  sporadic 
revolution,  likely  to  crystallize  at  any  moment  under 
some  leader  into  formidable  organized  rebellion. 


"C1  CONOMIES  effected  in  the  production  of  copper  are 
■*-'  due  not  only  to  the  rapid  advance  in  metallurgy 
during  the  last  few  years  but  also  to  the  improved 
methods  of  mining.  In  this  issue  we  publish  an  article 
by  Mr.  George  R.  Lehman  describing  the  practice  of  the 
Inspiration  Consolidated  Copper  Company.  As  applied 
in  the  Inspiration  mine  it  is  a  modificaton  of  the  system 
used  by  the  Ohio  Copper  Company  in  Utah,  described  by 
Mr.  F.  Sommer  Schmidt  in  our  issue  of  March  6,  1915. 
This  method  of  mining  is  highly  efficient  and  economical 
when  applied  to  a  large  orebody  of  uniform  grade  cov- 
ered by  a  cap  that  when  under-cut  caves  readily  but  does 
not  break  into  small  stuff.  Among  the  advantages  are 
the  small  amount  of  timber  required,  economy  in  the  use 
of  powder,  less  shoveling,  less  danger  of  falls,  and  greater 
productivity  in  development  work,  which  is  done  in  the 
ore.  A  great  deal  of  preparatory  work  is  necessary  be- 
fore caving  can  be  started,  but  in  the  interval  it  is  pos- 
sible to  draw  some  ore.  A  disadvantage  is  the  unavoid- 
able mixture  of  ore  with  waste  from  the  cap,  reducing 


516 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS. 


October  7,  1916 


the  grade.  What  dilution  is  economic  and  what  ore  is 
likely  to  be  lost  must  be  determined  by  experiment. 
Care  is  necessary  to  avoid  an  excessive  amount  of  waste, 
especially  when  drawing  the  last  of  the  ore  from  a  caved 
level.  "While  the  method  is  essentially  the  same  in  Utah 
and  Arizona,  a  few  changes  have  been  made  at  the  In- 
spiration mine.  Less  cross-cutting  and  driving  is  done 
on  the  caving-level,  as  the  blocks  are  25  by  150  feet  in- 
stead of  20  by  50  feet.  The  drilling  and  placing  of  the 
holes  has  not  been  changed  but  the  rounds  are  blasted 
singly,  retreating  from  the  edges  of  the  block.  As  prac- 
tised in  Utah,  the  whole  block  of  the  caving-level  is  shot- 
down  bjr  simultaneously  firing  all  the  rounds.  The  dis- 
tance between  caving-levels  has  been  reduced  from  60  to 
35  feet.  The  success  of  the  method  is  indicated  by  the 
cost,  which  is  now  60  cents  per  ton  and  will  be  less  when 
working  the  next  under-cut. 


Concreting  a  Shaft 

The  main  shaft  is  to  the  mine  what  the  trunk  line  is  to 
the  railroad.  Safety  is  the  first  consideration,  uninter- 
rupted traffic  the  second.  As  a  means  to  these  ends  the 
Copper  Queen  Consolidated  Mining  Company  decided  to 
concrete  its  Sacramento  shaft.  To  do  this  without  in- 
terrupting traffic  was  no  small  problem.  The  shaft  was 
in  constant  use;  the  space  between  guides  was  so  small 
as  to  be  impossible  of  utilization  for  working-platforms. 
The  fifth  compartment  of  the  shaft  therefore  was  utilized 
as  a  passage-way  for  the  concrete  pipe-line,  the  concrete 
mixture  being  spouted  by  gravity  into  the  forms  through 
a  4-inch  pipe  in  10-ft.  lengths  in  order  that  replacements 
for  wear  might  readily  be  made  in  short,  rather  than 
standard-length,  sections.  Compressed  air  as  a  carrier 
for  the  concrete  was  employed,  the  air  under  pressure 
performing  the  double  function  of  carrying  the  concrete 
to  the  forms  and  depositing  it  therein  under  such  pres- 
sure as  to  compact  the  mass  even  better  than  could  be 
done  by  hand-tamping.  This  method  was  used  in  San 
Francisco  for  both  the  Stockton  Street  and  the  Mile  Rock 
tunnels,  the  concrete  being  so  dense  as  to  show  the  grain 
of  the  wood  used  for  forms.  At  Bisbee  the  self-support- 
ing steel  forms  were  designed  so  as  to  be  collapsible.  The 
guides  were  left  in  place,  the  jar  and  vibration  of  the 
skips  in  passing  having  the  effect  of  helping  to  shake  the 
concrete  into  place  in  the  forms,  compacting  the  mass. 
Even  the  beams  to  which  the  guides  were  finally  attached 
were  of  reinforced  concrete.  The  total  cost  of  the  work 
was  $80,623  ;  this  includes  all  preliminary  work  as  well  as 
the  actual  concreting.  The  result  is  a  fire-proof,  practic- 
ally water-proof,  permanent  main  artery  of  traffic  from 
mine  to  surface,  through  which  ore,  waste,  and  men  may 
pass  without  interruption  as  long  as  the  mine  continues 
to  be  productive.  To  the  owner  of  a  prospect,  a  con- 
creted shaft  would  be  an  expense  wholly  unjustifiable. 
To  the  owner  of  a  real  mine,  anything  else  is  extravagant. 
When  the  character  and  volume  of  the  ore  deposit  are 
such  that  the  mine  manager  can  see  his  way  clear 
toward  production  for  a  term  of  years  sufficiently  long 


to  take  into  consideration  the  last  as  well  as  the  first  cost, 
the  expense  per  ton  of  output  per  year  for  concrete  as 
compared  with  wood  should  show  clearly  in  favor  of  the 
former,  leaving  out  of  consideration  the  security  from 
fire-risk.  The  Copper  Queen  Company  is  a  pioneer  in 
this  type  of  shaft  construction,  although  concrete  has 
been  used  in  shafts  elsewhere  in  Arizona.  The  Bunker 
Hill  Mining  Company,  in  California,  is  about  to  under- 
take a  similar  work.  Undoubtedly  the  article  on  the 
Sacramento  shaft  will  stimulate  other  companies  to  do 
the  same.  We  join  with  our  readers  in  thanking  the 
distinguished  engineer  that  veils  his  identity  under  the 
initials  'G.  S.'  for  placing  on  record  his  experience  and 
that  of  his  staff  in  this  important  engineering  work. 

The  Wilmington  Decision 

On  Saturday  last  Judge  Bradford,  of  the  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Court,  at  Wilmington,  Delaware,  filed  his  opinion 
in  the  case  of  Minerals  Separation  against  the  Miami 
Copper  Company.  The  decision  sustains  the  plaintiff, 
declaring  infringement  of  claims  No.  1  and  No.  12  of 
the  first  patent  and  all  of  the  second  patent,  but  it  de- 
clares invalid  claim  No.  9  of  the  first  patent  and  all  of 
the  third  patent.  This  opinion  is  based  on  the  patent- 
ability of  a  reduction  in  the  quantity  of  oil  to  less  than 
1%  of  the  weight  of  the  ore  treated.  At  an  early  date 
we  shall  publish  the  full  text  of  the  decision.  Mean- 
while it  may  be  explained  that  the  first  patent  in  suit  is 
No.  835,120  issued  on  November  6,  1906,  to  Sulman, 
Picard,  and  Ballot.  The  corresponding  British  applica- 
tion for  patent  was  filed  on  April  12,  1905.  Claims  1 
and  12  are  as  follows: 

"1.  The  herein-described  process  of  concentrating  ores 
which  consists  in  mixing  the  powdered  ore  with  water, 
adding  a  small  proportion  of  an  oily  liquid  having  a 
preferential  affinity  for  metalliferous  matter  (amount- 
ing to  a  fraction  of  1%  on  the  ore),  agitating  the  mix- 
ture until  the  oil-coated  mineral  matter  forms  into  a 
froth,  and  separating  the  froth  from  the  remainder  by 
flotation." 

"12.  The  process  of  concentrating  powdered  ore  which 
consists  in  separating  the  minerals  from  gangue  by 
coating  the  minerals  with  oil  in  water  containing  a  frac- 
tion of  1%  of  oil  on  the  ore,  agitating  the  mixture  to 
cause  the  oil-coated  mineral  to  form  a  froth,  and  sep- 
arating the  froth  from  the  remainder  of  the  mixture. ' ' 

Claim  9  is  the  broadest  in  the  patent,  it  reads: 

"The  process  of  concentrating  powdered  ores  which 
consists  in  separating  the  mineral  from  the  gangue  by 
coating  the  mineral  with  oil  in  water  containing  a  small 
quantity  of  oil,  agitating  the  mixture  to  form  a  froth, 
and  separating  the  froth." 

In  this  claim  the  proportion  of  o^l  is  not  specified;  it 
is  mentioned  as  "a  small  quantity."  The  second  patent 
is  No.  962,678  issued  on  June  28,  1910,  to  Sulman,  Green- 
way,  and  Higgins.  This  patent  is  the  one  for  a  process 
in  which  a  soluble  frothing  agent  is  employed.  The  third 
patent  is  No.  1,099,699  issued  on  June  9,  1914,  to  Min- 


October  7,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


517 


erals  Separation  as  assignee  from  II.  II.  Greenway.  This 
patent  refers  to  copper  ores  and  claims  the  use  of  an 
aromatic  hydroxy  compound,  such  as  phenol  or  cresol,  in 
a  neutral  solution. 

The  main  feature  of  Judge  Bradford's  opinion  is  the 
patentability  of  a  reduction  of  oil  to  less  than  1%.  The 
pioneers  of  the  flotation  process  used  as  much  as  3  tons 
of  oil  to  1  ton  of  ore,  their  method  being  based  on  the 
relative  specific  gravity  of  oil  and  water,  and  the  affinity 
of  sulphide  minerals  for  oil;  the  Minerals  Separation 
people  claim  to  have  reduced  the  proportion  of  oil  "close 
down  in  the  neighborhood  of  0.1%,"  as  their  brief  states. 
This  is  equal  to  two  pounds  of  oil  per  ton  of  ore.  Others 
operating  on  their  own  initiative  since  then  have  con- 
ducted the  process  most  successfully  with  two-fifths  of 
a  pound  or  one-fifth  of  0.1%  per  ton  of  ore.  But  the  re- 
duction in  the  quantity  of  oil  is  not  the  main  distinction 
between  the  oldest  and  the  newest  phases  of  flotation,  the 
latter  use  the  oil  not  to  buoy  the  mineral  directly  but  to 
modify  the  surface  tension  of  the  water  in  the  presence 
of  plenty  of  air  so  as  to  produce  a  froth  that  persists 
long  enough  to  float  the  mineral  through  the  pulp  and 
away  from  the  gangue.  Judge  Bradford,  in  effect,  en- 
dorses the  opinion  given  by  Judge  Bourquin  in  the  Hyde 
case  when  it  was  tried  before  the  District  Court  of  Mon- 
tana and  he  disagrees  with  the  reversal  pronounced  in 
that  case  by  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  at  San  Fran- 
cisco on  May  4,  1914.  Undoubtedly  the  "Wilmington  de- 
cision will  be  referred  to  a  court  of  greater  dignity,  as 
happened  in  the  Hyde  case,  which  is  now  before  the 
court  of  last  resort.  The  present  decision  is  immensely 
interesting,  but  it  is  not  decisive. 


TM<&  Wsri  Hai'J  JEas&tffl 

This  is  an  economic,  not  a  political,  designation.  It 
refers  to  the  eastern  end  of  the  great  goldfield  of  the 
Witwatersrand,  to  an  area  of  240  square  miles,  of  which 
200  is  underlain  at  a  depth  not  exceeding  5000  feet  by 
those  beds  of  gold-bearing  conglomerate  from  which 
nearly  $190,000,000  per  annum  is  being  extracted.  Of 
the  200  square  miles,  150  remain  open  to  exploration. 
This  represents  a  great  economic  asset,  which  the  South 
African  government  would  like  to  see  productive.  Of 
the  annual  revenue  of  the  Union,  one-half  comes  from 
the  mines  of  the  Rand.  These  are  becoming  exhausted 
at  a  rate  threatening  to  throw  the  burden  of  taxation 
upon  the  other  industries  of  the  country,  notably  the 
agricultural,  in  which  the  Boer  population  is  chiefly  en- 
gaged. It  is  estimated  that  by  1929  fully  half  of  the 
mines  now  productive  will  have  depleted  their  supplies 
of  ore;  in  30  years  the  output  will  have  fallen  from 
$190,000,000  to  $40,000,000  per  annum.  Hence  the  de- 
sire to  promote  the  development  and  exploitation  of  the 
best  remaining  portion  of  the  gold-bearing  area. 

The  prospects  are  attractive.  Up  to  the  end  of  last 
year  11  companies  had  set  to  work  in  this  eastern  area, 
with  results  that  speak  for  themselves:  $215,000,000 
worth  of  gold  has  been  produced  from  26,681,884  tons, 


and  $55,700,000  has  been  paid  in  dividends.  The  yield 
has  averaged  $8  per  ton  and  the  dividends  slightly  more 
than  $2  per  ton.  The  dip  of  the  'banket'  in  these  mines 
ranges  from  70  to  12° ;  in  the  unexplored  area  it  is  esti- 
mated that  it  will  average  7°.  The  maximum  depth  of 
the  workings  is  4000  feet. 

In  1908  the  Government  adopted  a  plan  for  leasing 
blocks  of  ground  and  in  1909  it  invited  applications  for 
the  right  to  mine  on  two  areas,  covering  1912  and  2037 
acres  respectively.  Each  application  had  to  be  accom- 
panied by  a  guarantee  of  £35,000.  It  was  estimated  that 
£350,000  would  be  required  in  each  case  for  shaft-sinking 
and  preliminary  development  and  a  further  sum  of 
£350,000  for  bringing  the  enterprise  to  fruition.  With- 
in two  months  after  acceptance  of  the  application,  a 
limited  liability  company  had  to  be  registered  in  the 
Transvaal  with  a  cash  capital  of  at  least  £350,000.  No 
shares  were  allowed  to  vendors  or  promoters,  nor  any 
underwriting  commissions.  The  Government  was  to  re- 
ceive a  proportion  of  the  net  produce,  that  is,  of  the 
profit  after  deduction  for  amortization  of  capital,  on  a 
sliding  scale.  Only  one  company,  Barnato  Bros.,  made 
application  for  both  blocks.  Later  the  Government 
offered  sundry  other  blocks  on  successive  occasions,  but 
without  tenders  from  the  capitalists,  who  had  come  to  a 
tacit  agreement  that  the  terms  were  not  sufficiently  at- 
tractive.    Thus  no  business  has  been  done  since  1910. 

A  report  was  issued  by  the  Government  Mining  En- 
gineer, Mr.  R.  N.  Kotze,  early  this  year,  reviewing  the 
facts  and  suggesting  amendments  in  the  method  of  pro- 
cedure, the  principal  change  being  to  leave  the  initiative 
to  the  capitalist.  A  modification  of  the  scheme  of  pay- 
ments to  the  Government  is  also  suggested.  In  addition 
to  the  ordinary  profits  tax,  which  is  10%,  and  the  minor 
fees  required  by  the  existing  law,  the  lessee  will  pay  a 
further  share  out  of  his  profit  on  a  sliding  scale.  It  is 
aimed  to  not  penalize  efficiency  by  exacting  an  increased 
share  of  the  profit  when  this  increase  is  due  mainly  to  im- 
proved management,  while  allowing  the  Government  to 
participate  in  the  benefit  accruing  from  a  betterment  in 
the  grade  of  the  ore.  Mr.  Kotze  has  suggested  a  modified 
formula,  but  his  constants  only  cover  particular  condi- 
tions and  it  remains  for  him  to  devise,  or  for  others  to 
suggest,  a  scheme  that  will  prevent  an  embargo  on  effi- 
ciency. This  will  be  done,  without  doubt,  for  the  Gov- 
ernment Engineer  has  shown  himself  not  only  thor- 
oughly capable  but  also  fair-minded.  Naturally,  the 
Government  wishes  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  tonnage 
or  any  other  arbitrary  unit,  the  intention  being  to  de- 
termine the  profit  made  by  the  mine  without  the  need 
for  supervision;  therefore  the  only  factors  considered 
are  the  gold  placed  in  the  bank  and  the  cost  as  deter- 
mined by  an  auditor,  both  items  appearing  in  the  com- 
pany's published  accounts. 

More  room  for  disagreement  arises  in  the  scheme  of 
finance.  The  Government  allows  the  operator  to  credit 
himself  with  6%  interest  during  the  non-productive 
period  preceding  the  commencement  of  milling  and  then 
allows  15%  on  the  total  accrued  capital,  together  with 
3%   at  compound  interest  for  amortization,  before  ex- 


518 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS* 


October  7,  1916 


acting  its  own  toll  on  the  profit  of  the  operations.  We 
question  the  soundness  of  this  reasoning.  Surely  the 
money  that  is  risked  is  deserving  of  at  least  as  high  a  re- 
turn before  production  commences  as  afterward ;  nay,  is 
not  the  ratio  of  risk  reversed,  and  should  not  the  return 
be  15%  at  least  before  the  productive  period  and  more 
like  6%  subsequently  ?  When  a  mine  of  this  character  has 
been  proved,  when  the  ore  is  blocked  out,  the  cost  ascer- 
tained, and  the  future  assured,  then  a  return  of  6%  plus 
4%  for  amortization  of  the  prineippl  should  suffice,  but 
until  the  undertakine  is  on  a  firm  b*""*.  while  it  is  still  an 
essentially  hazardous  venture,  ix  snould  return  a  high 
interest,  from  20  to  25%,  to  the  operators.  Then  it  is  a 
'speculation';  later  it  becomes  an  'investment.'  To  this 
Mr.  Kotze  and  many  of  the  Band  engineers  may  demur, 
for  they  like  to  regard  a  Rand  mining  venture  as  hors 
concours,  as  something  far  less  risky  than  the  ordinary 
gold  mine,  as  an  'investment'  from  the  start.  The  story 
of  the  Witwatersrand  flouts  such  unreasonable  opti- 
mism ;  many  of  the  sure  things  have  proved  disappoint- 
ing ;  the  mines  have  not  been  uniformly  profitable.  We 
repeat,  the  low  rate  of  interest  allowed  during  the  in- 
cubation of  the  undertaking  and  the  high  rate  conceded 
when  the  mine  is  firmly  established  on  a  fruitful  basis 
is  illogical. 

Another  factor  regarding  which  a  difference  of  opinion 
is  permissible  is  the  proportion  of  productive  ground  in 
the  unexplored  area.  Mr.  Kotze  takes  60%  as  an  av- 
erage, the  ground  so  far  having  been  15  to  85%  profit- 
ably productive.  Having  regard  to  the  fact  that  the 
most  likely  portion  has  been  selected  already,  as  far  as 
can  be  judged  by  the  evidence  available,  it  seems  to  the 
observer  at  a  distance  that  60%  is  optimistic,  and  the 
assumption  of  it  may  retard  good  business,  namely,  the 
kind  of  business  that  proves  beneficial  to  both  parties  in 
a  given  transaction. 


In  the  news  columns  of  a  recent  issue  mention  was 
made  of  the  decision  in  the  first  stage  of  the  litigation 
over  the  saline  deposits  of  Searles  lake  in  southern  Cali- 
fornia. The  matter  is  one  of  importance  because  this 
deposit  is  likely  to  become  an  important  source  of  potash 
and  the  effort  to  exploit  it  has  been  under  way  for  sev- 
eral years  by  a  corporation  financed  by  the  Consolidated 
Gold  Fields  of  South  Africa,  a*  British  company  that 
has  played  a  big  part  in  the  development  of  the  Trans- 
vaal and  Rhodesia.  The  story  of  Searles  lake  and  its 
mineral  encrustations  is  worth  reviewing.  In  January 
1908  this  lake-bed  in  San  Bernardino  county  was  located 
as  a  soda  deposit  by  C.  E.  Dolbear,  acting  for  himself 
and  seven .  others,  most  of  whom  were  resident  in  New 
York  and  New  Jersey.  These  locators  sold  out  shortly 
afterward  to  the  California  Trona  Company,  which  bor- 
rowed money  from  the  Foreign  Mines  Development 
Company,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields 
of  South  Africa,  a  London  corporation.  The  loan  was 
secured  by  a  mortgage  that  was  foreclosed  in  1909,  the 


final  decree  being  granted  in  1913.  Control  of  the 
shares  of  the  California  Trona  Company  was  acquired 
in  1911  by  Mr.  Guy  Wilkinson,  managing  director  for 
the  Foreign  Mines  Development  Company,  so  that  title 
was  vested  in  an  American.  Attempts  to  jump  the  loca- 
tions were  made  in  the  spring  of  1910  by  Henry  E.  Lee. 
He  sent  a  young  engineer  named  Davidson,  who  died  on 
the  ground ;  and  the  survivors  of  his  party  assigned  the 
locations  they  had  made  to  the  Trona  company.  In  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Lee  sent  another  party, 
this  time  armed,  for  the  .same  purpose,  of  locating 
claims,  on  the  assumption  that  the  original  Dolbear 
locations  were  invalidated  by  the  so-called  Yard  de- 
cision, in  which  case  the  Government  had  disallowed  the 
placer  claims  staked  by  locators  that  had  not  shown 
good  faith  by  supplying  funds  or  appearing  in  person 
on  the  ground.  Within  a  week  after  Lee's  locations 
were  made,  one  of  his  associates  attempted  to  sell  the 
locations  to  the  Foreign  Mines  company  and  suggested 
that  if  they  bought  them  the  company  could  freeze  out 
the  real  owners  of  the  property — the  California  Trona 
Company — and  obtain  possession  of  the  property.  At 
that  time — 1910 — the  Foreign  Mines  company  held  only 
10%  of  the  Trona  company's  stock;  the  control  not 
being  acquired  until  1911,  as  already  stated.  But  this 
indirect  attempt  to  force  the  position  failed;  the  man- 
ager of  the  Foreign  Mines  company  rejected  the  pro- 
posal indignantly.  For  several  years  thereafter  the  Lee 
locators  made  a  pretense  of  doing  assessment  work,  com- 
ing in  conflict  with  the  representative  of  the  U.  S.  Court, 
which  then  had  possession  of  the  property  on  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  receiver  in  December  1909.  This  episode 
was  known  at  the  time  as  the  'Trona  war,'  and  enabled 
the  daily  press  to  publish  a  lot  of  piffle.  Only  one  shot 
was  fired,  and  that  in  error.  The  quarrel  did  not  come 
to  trial  then,  the  contestants  expecting  to  be  bought  out ; 
in  fact,  it  has  been  testified  that  $180,000  was  offered  by 
the  Foreign  Mines  people,  but  it  was  refused,  fortu- 
nately for  them.  Suit  was  finally  started  when  the 
Trona  company  applied  for  patent  in  1912,  but  the  at- 
tempt to  adverse  was  dismissed.  Then  a  suit  to  quiet 
title  was  brought  in  the  Superior  Court  of  San  Ber- 
nardino county  and  it  is  this  suit  that  was  decided  on 
September  14  in  favor  of  the  defendants,  the  California 
Trona  Company  and  others.  The  decision  is  sweeping 
and  amounts  to  an  affirmation  of  title,  subject  to  the 
decree  of  the  Patent  Office,  which  still  has  to  pass  on 
the  validity  of  the  locations. 

Potash  had  been  discovered  originally  by  Mr.  Whit- 
man Symmes  in  1898,  but  there  being  no  market  for 
that  salt,  the  existence  of  it  in  the  Searles  Lake  deposit 
was  ignored  until  1912,  when  the  fact  was  established 
and  given  publicity  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The 
War,  of  course,  has  enhanced  the  value  of  the  potash  by 
stopping  importation  of  the  products  formerly  exported 
from  Germany  by  the  Kali  syndicate.  A  plant  to  ex- 
tract potash  from  the  Searles  Lake  salts  has  been  built 
at  San  Pedro,  near  Los  Angeles,  and  we  are  informed 
that  potassium  chloride  is  being  produced  in  a  small 
way,  with  expectations  of  increasing  the  output  shortly. 


October  7.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


519 


■■'■ ,.   :       /,;■:    '. '   i,  ..;■.  .    ;:.  ' 


3D  2  w>  ©  hi  ©  ©  a 

Our  readers  are  invited  to  use  this  department  for  the  discussion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  mining  aid  metallurgy.      The  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  own,  believ~ 
hig  that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


13  si^ils   ■L.am&s&'fj 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  am  surprised  that  you  would  allow  your  paper 
to  print  such  an  incorrect  statement  as  that  on  page 
426  of  your  issue  of  September  16 : 

' '  Probably  the  first  attempt  to  use  a  converter  .lined 
with  basic  material  was  that  by  the  late  Charles  P. 
Shelly  at  Cananea  in  1907.  He  gave  up  the  trial  as  im- 
practicable. Some  months  later,  Messrs.  Smith  and 
Pierce  proved  the  basic  lining  a  success  at  Baltimore  and 
Garfield." 

If  you  will  look  at  a  copy  of  the  Mining  Journal  for 
March  24,  1906,  you  will  see  a  description  and  report  of 
the  operation  of  the  basic-lined  converter,  lined  with 
magnesite  brick,  from  August  18,  1905,  to  February  21, 
1906.  Mr.  Baggaley  was  the  first  man  to  successfully 
smelt  ores  direct  in  a  bath  of  molten  matte  in  a  basic- 
lined  converter.  He  had  no  water-concentrator.  He 
convinced  the  Guggenheims  of  this  only  when  he  told 
them  to  go  to  the  books  of  the  Nichols  Chemical  Co.  and 
look  at  their  books  showing  the  shipments  for  eight 
months  from  a  plant  that  had  no  water-concentrator. 
Smith  and  Pierce  tried  out  the  process  at  the  Baltimore 
converter  and  then  sent  a  lawyer  from  Baltimore  to  offer 
$5000  for  two  of  Mr.  Baggaley 's  patents,  then  owned  by 
the  East  Butte.  The  ignorant  officers  of  the  old  Pitts- 
mont  company  here  telegraphed  to  Col.  Paine  for  advice. 
He  consulted  by  telephone  with  the  Nicholas  Chemical 
Co.  and  they  told  him  to  ask  $25,000.  Col.  Paine  asked 
$20,000  and  the  lawyer  paid  it.  Smith  and  Pierce  in 
that  first  year  collected  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  on 
the  infringement  of  those  two  patents.  Sixteen  others 
were  being  infringed  at  that  time,  but  were  all  being 
ignored  and  unprotected  by  the  company  to  which  Mr. 
Baggaley  assigned  them.  He  bought  the  Pittsburgh  & 
Montana  property  in  the  flats  .of  Butte,  because  he  said 
there  was  pay-ore  there  if  you  went  deep  enough  for  it. 
The  mining  world  and  the  Government  geologists  said 
he  was  wrong.  Look  at  the  reports  of  the  East  Butte 
today  and  see  who  was  right.  And  they  are  only  at  the 
top  of  their  rich  ore  now.  Mr.  Baggaley  was  not  ignor- 
ant, like  your  writer,  of  all  previous  trials  of  smelting 
in  this  way,  but  wrote  a  complete  history  of  it,  and  its 
failures,  and  why  each  man  failed.  Copper  was  being 
produced  in  Butte  in  1906  at  from  7.57  cents  to  9.69 
cents.  Mr.  Baggaley  produced  it  from  lean  ores  from 
4.84  cents  to  5.71  cents.  This  was  in  1905  and  1906,  and 
your  paper  dared  to  print  that  the  first  successful  trial 


was  in  1907.    You  should  be  more  familiar  with  the  his- 
tory of  copper  smelting. 

Epfie  I.  Baggaley. 
Pittsburg,  September  22. 

[Mrs.  Baggaley  will  find,  by  reference  to  the  offend- 
ing article,  that  the  statement  to  which  she  objects  was 
contained  in  an  article  published  by  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers  and  abstracted  by  one  of 
our  staff  for  publication  in  our  paper.  The  blunder, 
however  inexcusable  in  the  first  instance,  should  never 
have  been  made  in  our  pages,  for  Ralph  Baggaley  was 
well  known  to  the  present  writer  and  so  was  his  work 
in  connection  with  the  introduction  of  the  basic  lining. 
In  regard  to  the  Pittsburgh  &  Montana  property,  the 
last  report  made  by  the  present  writer,  in  1902,  before 
he  ceased  to  practice  as  a  mining  engineer,  on  becoming 
editor  of  the  paper  at  New  York,  was  a  report  on  the 
ground  to  which  Mrs.  Baggaley  refers.  He  advised 
Mr.  Baggaley  against  the  venture,  telling  him  that  "the 
ante  was  too  big  for  the  game, ' '  that  is,  the  preliminary 
expenditure,  in  exploration,  development,  and  equip- 
ment was  not  justified  by  the  evidence  of  richness.  It 
would  be  a  pleasure  to  the  present  writer  to  learn,  now 
or  at  any  future  time,  that  this  part  of  the  Butte  dis- 
trict had  proved  the  scene  of  profitable  mining.— 
Editor.] 

The  Editor : 

Sir — My  susceptibilities  were  greatly  agitated  by  a 
recent  patent  (No.  1,185,902)  that  filtered  into  a  (Royal 
S.)  Handy  beaker  on  June  6,  1916,  and  to  which  my 
attention  was  recently  directed  in  your  columns.  Evi- 
dently an  Idaho  school-boy  lost  his  elementary  chem- 
istry, for  the  chemical  tutor  in  Washington  passed,  with 
a  mark  100,  the  following  chemical  equation : 
PbS  +  03  =  PbO  +  S02 

I  object.  It  is  I,  Oxygen  (02),  and  not  my  alter  ego, 
Ozone  (03)  that  attaches  itself  to  PbS.  I  do  not  love 
galena,  but  when  driven  to  the  attack  by  heat  of  chemical 
emotion,  I  cling  to  her  with  a  powerful  embrace,  and 
when  I  do  my  dusky  bride  turns  pale.  My  alter  ego 
is  never  known  above  300  °C.  as  his  soul  then  becomes 
mine. 

SO,  +  SiO,  +  O  =  S03  +  Si02 

What  a  shock !  S02  is  an  old  affinity  of  mine,  but  she 
is  coy  and  insists  on  proper  nuptials.    Oft  I  ask  her,  but 


520 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS  ( 


October  7,  1916 


never  may  I  wed  her  except  in  the  presence  of  a  duly 
ordained  clergyman.  My  relative,  Nitric  Oxide,  and  old 
father  Platinum  Black  are  our  favorites.  There  are 
others.  Silica  is  also  a  relative  of  mine,  but  alas!  he  is 
an  insoluble  enigma. 

PbO+S03  =  PbS04 
Hurrah  for  my  children !    Bight  you  are ! 

PeS  +  03  =  PeO  +  S02 
Once  more  unto  the  breach,  dear  alter  ego.     Show 
yourself  brave  and  stick  to  your  trenches  in  spite  of  the 
heat  of  the  attack.     Glory  be  to  you  for  your  discovery 
of  native  PeS  in  quantity.    My  find  is  usually  PeS,. 
2PeO  +  0  =  Fe304 
Shades  of  Dalton  and  Lavoisier !    What  have  we  here  ? 
The  sign  of  inequality? 

When  two  makes  three 

And  three  makes  four, 
Take  some  of  me 
And  faint  no  more. 

Oxygen. 
Denver,  September  19. 


Tax  on  Mine  Products 

Bs-MiSa  ©©HtsaaaMa 

[The  following  exchange  of  letters  is  self-explanatory. 
— Pditor.] 

Mr.  Wm.  Fleet  Robertson, 
Provincial  Mineralogist, 
Victoria,  B.  C. 
Dear  Sir: 

We  have  heard  that  your  Government  is  levying  taxes 
upon  net  proceeds  of  mines  as  a  War  measure.  Can  you 
give  me  any  information  regarding  this  matter?  I  know 
that  the  fact  that  such  taxes  have  been  levied,  or  are  in 
prospect,  is  causing  American  mining  men  to  hesitate  in 
making  any  investments  in  British  Columba. 


Yours  very  truly, 


G.  W.  Smith. 


Butte,  August  26. 


G.  W.  Smith,  Esq., 

Butte,  Montana. 
Dear  Sir: 

Replying  to  yours  of  the  26th  fast.,  there  has  been  a 
lot  of  talk  on  your  side  of  the  line  regarding  the  so- 
called  War  tax,  and  I  have  had  to  answer  innumerable 
inquiries. 

The  Act — assented  to  May  18,  1916 — is  known  as  'The 
Business  Profits  War  Tax  Act,  1916,'  and  is  being  ad- 
ministered in  the  Western  Provinces  by  Mr.  A.  G.  Mc- 
Candless,  211  Winch  Bdg.,  Vancouver,  from  whom  you 
can  obtain  copies  of  the  Act  and  any  official  information 
desired.  Briefly,  the  following  is  the  substance  of  the 
Act:  A  company  is  allowed  to  make  7%  profit  and  an  in- 
dividual 10% — clear  of  taxation.  Prom  the  gross  profit 
deductions  are  allowed  for  working  expenses,  deprecia- 


tion, exhaustion  of  ore  reserves  in  a  mine,  etc.,  etc.  In 
other  words,  profits  are  absolute  dividends.  For  profits 
over  amounts  stated  the  tax  is  25%  of  such  excess.  For 
example,  a  company  making  a  clear  profit  of  11%  (7% 
plus  4%)  pays  a  tax  of  1%.  The  Act  is  a  War  measure, 
and  is  for  the  duration  of  the  War  and  a  short  time 
afterward. 

I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  there  is  nothing  so 
very  dreadful  in  all  this,  and  if  any  company  is  not  pre- 
pared to  pay  this  amount  out  of  profits  made  from 
Canadian  mines  or  business — to  assist  in  this  War — 
then  most  heartily  we  do  not  want  them  or  their  money 
in  this  country. 

I  am,  yours  very  truly, 

W.  F.  Robertson, 
Provincial  Mineralogist. 

Victoria,  B.  C,  August  29. 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  have  noticed  with  interest  the  article  in  your 
issue  of  September  16,  with  reference  to  field-signals, 
and  believe  your  correspondent  would  be  interested  in 
the  more  complete  and  well  established  system  of  sema- 
phore signals  used  regularly  in  the  United  States  Navy 
for  communicating  from  ship  to  ship. 

The  system  that  your  correspondent  proposes  has  the 
disadvantage,  in  signaling  letters  after  J  in  the  alpha- 
bet, that  two  symbols  must  be  used  instead  of  one.  In 
the  semaphore  alphabet,  which  is  formed  by  different 
positions  of  the  hands  and  arms,  this  is  not  necessary. 
The  semaphore  system  is  completely  worked  out  with  a 
series  of  secondary  meanings  for  the  different  letters. 
For  example,  K  equals  '  No '  or  negative ;  P  equals  affirm- 
ative or  'Yes';  L  equals  preparatory;  0  is  a  question  or 
interrogatory,  and  so  forth. 

No  doubt,  many  engineers  and  miners  are  acquainted 
with  this  code,  which  has  been  in  general  use  for  a  long 
time.  Many  of  the  Navy  signals  are  given  in  the  form 
of  a  three-letter  code  and  something  of  this  sort  could 
be  worked  up  for  field  use  by  surveyors  and  engineers. 
The  hand-signals  can  be  seen  at  a  considerable  distance, 
and  if  long  signals  are  to  be  given  at  great  distances,  a 
pair  of  flags  about  15  inches  square  on  18-in.  sticks  will 
be  found  a  great  assistance.  Those  used  in  the  Navy  are 
half  red  and  half  yellow,  divided  diagonally  across  the 
field.  This  system  is  much  more  rapid  than  the  ordinary 
Morse  wig-wag,  as  but  one  position  of  the  hands  is  re- 
quired to  form  a  complete  letter. 

A  Civilian  Naval  Volunteer. 
Chicago,  September  20. 

Dredging  at  Pato,  Colombia,  the  Oroville  company 
saved  gold  worth  $24,372  from  85,942  cu.  yd.  of  gravel 
in  18  days  during  August. 

Gold  output  of  the  Mysore  mine,  the  largest  in  India, 
amounted  to  $343,000  from  26,642  tons  of  ore  in  August. 


October  7.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


521 


Lioji^aliin^j 


#h<a 


Jace^asiiKgaaS®   ^teiift   alt 


Baglbvgs 


ly      <E.      §, 


Introduction.  It  became  necessary  in  1915  to  re- 
timber,  or  otherwise  secure,  a  part  of  the  Sacramento 
shaft,  the  main  hoisting-shaft  of  the  Copper  Queen 
Consolidated  Mining  Co.  Re-timbering  would  cost  less, 
but  a  concrete  lining  would  eliminate  fire-risk  and  cut 
repairs  to  a  minimum. 

Either  operation,  re-timbering  or  lining  with  concrete, 
was  complicated  by  the  necessity  of  hoisting  nearly  all 
the  ore  mined  in  the  Copper  Queen  mine  through  this 
shaft.  It  was  estimated  that  the  required  production 
could  be  made  by  hoisting  14  hours  per  day,  leaving  10 
hours  for  work  in  the  shaft. 

A  general  plan  and  comparative  estimates  of  cost 
were  prepared,  and  in  March  1915,  twenty-five  feet  of 
shaft  was  concreted  to  test  the  method  and  estimate  of 
cost.  Certain  experiments  were  made  at  the  time  to  se- 
cure information  on  a  few  details  of  operation. 

After  it  was  decided  to  concrete  the  shaft,  a  quarry 
for  crushed  rock  and  sand  was  opened,  storage-bins  at 
the  shaft  were  built  and  forms  were  constructed.  The 
first  5-ft.  section  of  concrete  was  poured  on  October  17, 
1915,  and  the  collar  set  on  July  30,  1916.  Since  then,  a 
ladder-way  and  a  new  set  of  guides  for  the  skip-com- 
partments have  been  put  in,  with  regard  to  convenience 
rather  than  speed,  and  the  work  was  finally  completed 
on  September  3,  1916. 

General  Plan.  A  crushing-plant  at  the  quarry  pro- 
duced both  coarse  rock  and  the  fine  material  used  as 
sand. 

There  is  no  railroad-track  above  the  Sacramento  shaft. 
The  sand  and  rock  were  brought  to  the  shaft  by  railroad, 
and  there  elevated  to  storage-bins.  It  was  trammed  to 
the  concrete-mixer  through  an  adit-level  71  ft.  below  the 
shaft-collar.  The  mixer  was  placed  below  the  adit-level, 
in  a  set  adjoining  the  fifth  or  pipe-compartment  of  the 
shaft.  After  mixing,  the  concrete  was  dropped  into  a 
hopper  and  through  a  4-in.  pipe  in  the  fifth  compart- 
ment to  the  forms  below. 

The  lining  was  made  at  three  different  points  alter- 
nately to  give  time  for  the  concrete  to  set  properly  be- 
fore the  forms  were  stripped.  This  was  to  permit  single 
sets  of  forms  to  be  used,  as  was  found  most  convenient. 

The  skips  and  cages  were  fitted  with  top  decks  to 
work  from,  and  additional  temporary  bonnets  were 
clamped  to  the  ropes  above  for  safety.  "When  the  tim- 
bers were  removed,  they  were  dropped  into  the  skips  or 
lashed  on  the  cages,  and  taken  to  the  surface  when  con- 
venient. This  was  believed  to  be  safe  with  the  powerful 
hoisting-engines  operating  them,  and  avoided  the  use  of 
working-stages,  which  would  have  taken  too  much  time 
to  put  in  and  remove. 

Quarry  and  Crushing  Plant.     In  crushing,  a  con- 


siderable quantity  of  sandy  material  is  produced,  which 
is  customarily  used  to  replace  a  part  of  the  necessary 
sand.  It  was  believed  that  by  separating  with  a  coarser 
screen  and  installing  a  set  of  rolls,  sufficient  sand  could 
be  crushed  more  cheaply  than  it  could  be  obtained  other- 
wise. Samples  of  rock  crushed  through  J-inch  screen 
gave  satisfactory  results  under  test.  Since  it  was  neces- 
sary to  open  a  quarry  and  provide  a  crusher,  screen,  and 
bins,  only  the  addition  of  an  elevator  and  rolls  were 
needed  to  produce  sand  as  well.  A  10  by  20-in.  jaw- 
crusher  and  a  set  of  15  by  26-in.  rolls  were  obtained  from 
the  smelter,  and  a  small  plant  with  elevator  and  trommel 
erected. 

Power  was  furnished  by  a  50-hp.  induction  motor. 

The  coarse  material  having  to  pass  the  4-in.  pipe,  was 
reduced  to  a  lf-in.  ring.  Material  passing  a  if-in.  ring 
was  sent  to  the  rolls.  This  did  not  provide  sufficient 
fine,  so  holes  were  increased  in  number  and  reamed  out 
to  1  inch.  A  third  product  was  made  passing  a  1^-in. 
ring.  Since  another  elevator  would  have  been  required 
to  return  the  oversize  to  the  rolls,  the  fine  was  used  as  it 
came.  This  product  contained  a  good  many  coarse 
pieces.  It  was  not  convenient  to  re-screen  and  send  the 
oversize  to  the  middling-bin,  so  a  greater  quantity  of 
fine  was  used  to  give  sufficient  sand.  The  only  difficulty 
was  when  mixing  small  batches,  as,  for  instance,  for  the 
concrete  beams.  Then  there  was  apt  to  be  segregation, 
and  the  mixture  was  uneven.  For  this  purpose,  it  was 
screened  and  the  oversize  thrown  into  the  middling.  In 
batches  of  ordinary  size  for  the  shaft,  no  difficulty  was 
encountered. 

The  quarry  was  started  where  rock  comes  to  the  sur- 
face, and  a  good  working-face  was  soon  obtained.  Drill- 
ing was  done  by  jack-hammer,  one  machine  breaking  all 
the  rock  required.  Only  clean  rock  was  sent  to  the 
crusher,  earthy  material  being  left  on  the  floor  of  the 
quarry.  A  track,  41 -in.  gauge,  of  16-lb.  rails  was  laid 
from  the  crushing-plant  to  the  quarry,  and  branched  to 
control  the  whole  face.  The  rock-cars  were  built  broad 
and  low,  for  convenience  in  loading.  They  were  dumped 
by  raising  the  tail  end  by  a  compressed-air  cylinder. 

The  rock  from  the  car  dropped  five  feet  to  the  crusher, 
where  there  was  only  storage  for  a  carload  or  so.  The 
crushed  rock  dropped  into  the  boot  of  a  bucket-elevator, 
which  raised  it  and  dumped  it  into  a  revolving  trommel. 
The  fine  material  from  the  first  section  dropped  directly 
to  the  rolls  below,  and  from  them  into  the  fine-bin.  The 
second  section  delivered  the  middling  product  into  the 
second  bin,  and  the  third  section  the  coarse  aggregate 
into  the  third  bin.  The  oversize  was  returned  by  a  chute 
to  the  crusher  and  continued  the  circuit. 

Transportation.     The  concrete  material  was  loaded 


522 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


from  the  bins  into  Rodgers  ballast  cars  and  switched  to 
the  Sacramento  shaft. 

Storage  Bins  The  railroad  track  at  the  Sacramento 
shaft  is  too  low  to  dump  the  cars  into  storage-bins  from, 
which  it  could  be  delivered  by  gravity  to  the  mixer.  A 
spur  was  therefore  laid  over  a  shallow  hopper-bottom 
bin,  holding  a  carload  of  rock  or  sand.  A  belt-conveyor 
under  the  receiving-bin  carried  it  to  the  foot  of  an  ele- 
vator, which  lifted  it  to  the  top  of  the  storage-bins  and 
delivered  it  into  one  of  the  three  compartments.  The 
bins  were  constructed  almost  entirely  of  mine-timbers, 
framed  for  ordinary  purposes  and  bolted  together. 
When  it  is  taken  down,  the  timber  will  have  its  original 
value  for  use  in  the  mine.  • 

The  chutes  from  the  storage-bins  form  measuring- 
pockets  for  a  batch  of  concrete.  The  proportions  were 
determined  by  customary  methods  of  experiment. 

Opposite  the  bins,  a  small  house  was  built  beside  the 
railroad  track  for  cement  storage,  and  sufficient  cement 
for  a  section  was  taken  on  trucks  to  the  mixer-station 
immediately  before  use. 

The  Mixer  was  a  half-yard  Ransome  machine,  and 
was  set  just  below  the  adit-level,  in  an  excavation  made 
for  the  purpose  facing  the  fifth  compartment  of  the 
shaft,  with  the  loading-hopper  flush  with  the  floor. 
After  mixing,  the  concrete  was  discharged  into  a  hopper 
that  formed  the  whole  bottom  of  the  fifth  compartment, 
and  connected  with  the  4-in.  pipe.  The  sides  of  the  hop- 
per were  built  at  40°  from  the  horizontal,  which  facili- 
tated feeding  better  than  a  steeper  angle. 

The  water  was  measured  in  a  tub  with  a  quick-dis- 
charge valve. 

Concrete  Pipe-Line.  It  was  impossible  to  put  the 
concrete  line  in  any  one  of  the  central  compartments, 
since  they  were  in  constant  use ;  therefore  it  was  placed 
in  the  fifth  compartment  of  the  shaft.  It  was  inserted 
at  once  to  the  bottom  of  the  shaft,  and  shortened  as  the 
shaft  was  finished,  from  the  bottom  upward.  The  line 
was  made  of  4-in.  standard  pipe,  threaded  deep  enough 
to  let  the  end  come  clear  through  the  flange,  and  all 
lengths  were  faced  in  a  lathe  after  flanging,  to  an  exact 
length  of  10  ft.  The  flush  joints  left  no  irregularities 
on  the  inside  surface  to  start  erosion,  and  by  making  all 
pipe  lengths  10  ft.,  any  piece  could  be  replaced  without 
trouble.  At  the  upper  points  of  work,  a  length  of  pipe 
was  taken  out  to  attach  the  elbow,  and  if  necessary,  a 
5-ft.  length  was  slipped  in,  to  deliver  the  concrete  at  the 
proper  point  above  the  form. 

The  shaft  was  so  long  that  concrete  could  not  be 
spouted  to  the  forms  at  the  opposite  end  without  great 
difficulty  in  handling  the  spouts.  An  elbow  was  there- 
fore attached  to  the  lower  end  of  the  column,  and  the 
concrete  shot  to  the  form  by  compressed  air  delivered  at 
the  back  of  the  elbow.  In  turning  90°,  the  elbow  ex- 
panded from  four  to  six  inches  in  diameter,  so  that  there 
would  be  little  chance  of  clogging.  Short  pieces  of  6-in. 
pipe  of  proper  length  were  attached  to  the  elbow  to  carry 
the  concrete  to  the  other  end  of  the  shaft.  At  the  end 
of  the  short  pipes,  a  45°  malleable  elbow  was  attached, 


loose  on  its  threads,  and  a  short  piece  of  8-in.  galvan- 
ized iron  pipe  was  slipped  loosely  over  it  and  the  short 
nipple  in  the  elbow.  By  turning  the  elbow  on  its  threads, 
and  using  the  loose  fit  between  the  6  and  8-in.  pipe  for 
further  change  in  angle,  it  was  possible  to  deliver  the 
concrete  wherever  desired. 

It  was  planned  to  begin  concreting  in  the  fifth  com- 
partment, which  contains  the  concrete  column,  and  build 
out  to  the  far  end,  but  this  was  changed  afterward,  and 
work  begun  in  the  skip-compartments,  in  order  that  they 
might  be  freed  more  quickly  for  hoisting  ore,  which 
often  began  before  the  other  part  of  the  shaft  was  fin- 
ished. 

It  was  at  first  thought  necessary  to  discharge  the  con- 
crete in  an  open  bucket  below  the  straight  pipe,  as  at  the 
Old  Dominion  and  Junction  shafts,  and  let  it  overflow 
into  a  short  length  of  pipe  down  to  the  compressed-air 
elbow  close  above  the  forms,  for  fear  of  clogging  at  the 
elbow  and  building  up  in  the  vertical  pipe,  but  it  was 
not  needed,  and  eliminated  a  great  obstacle  to  rapid 
work.  The  first  few  rounds  of  the  trial  section  were 
poured  with  the  bucket,  but  in  the  last,  the  elbow  was 
attached  to  the  column  direct.  The  first  elbows  were 
cast  of  manganese-steel,  but  wore  rapidly.  Later,  when 
others  of  plain  cast-iron  were  used,  forged  patches,  which 
lasted  a  long  time,  were  bolted  over  the  hole  when  form- 
ed, which  was  always  straight  under  the  vertical  pipe. 
In  all,  six  elbows  were  used.  The  column  lasted  well. 
The  sections  removed  at  the  lower  end  were  used  to  re- 
place others  above,  that  were  worn  out.  Sixty-seven 
10-ft.  lengths  of  new  pipe  were  required  in  addition  to 
the  original  equipment.  Much  of  the  column  is  in  fair 
condition  still. 

Forms.  The  shaft  has  five  compartments;  two  for 
skips,  two  for  cages,  and  one  for  air-columns,  power- 
cables,  and  ladders.  The  skip-compartments  are  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  and  from  the  cage-compartments 
by  solid  walls  of  concrete  10-in.  thick,  pierced  by  win- 
dows for  access  to  them  and  for  ventilation.  These 
are  placed  in  every  alternate  5-ft.  section,  and  are  closely 
planked  between  the  adjoining  cage  and  skip  compart- 
ments, but  are  left  open  between  the  skip-compartments, 
to  permit  air  to  pass  the  skips  on  its  way  to  the  ventilat- 
ing fan  on  the  1600-ft.  level. 

The  forms  were  the  most  original  and  important 
factor  of  the  operation. 

It  was  essential  that  they  should  be  self-supporting, 
outside  of  the  space  required  for  cage  or  skip,  and  it 
must  be  possible  to  take  them  down  and  re-set  them 
quickly.  So  much  time  would  have  been  required  to  re- 
move and  re-set  the  guides  that  it  was  .desired  to  leave 
them  in  place.  These  requirements  led  through  several 
stages  to  the  final  design  shown  in  the  photograph  and 
drawings. 

The  new  shaft  is  six  inches  wider  than  the  old,  to 
allow  the  forms  to  be  set  back  far  enough  under  the  wall- 
plates  to  provide  for  the  thickness  of  the  forms  and 
bracing. 

It  was  necessary  to  use  the  shaft  so  quickly  after  the 


October  7.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


523 


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524 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS. 


October  7,  1916 


concrete  was  poured  that  it  was  thought  best  to  cast 
reinforced  concrete  beams  to  which  the  guides  could  be 
attached.  These  were  built  into  the  partitions  of  the 
skip-compartments,  but  between  the  other  compartments 
they  stood  open  across  the  shaft,  with  their  ends  only 
imbedded  in  the  concrete  walls,  and  formed  the  whole 
support  of  the  guides.  They  were  held  so  strongly  by 
the  heavy  mass  of  unset  concrete  that  the  jar  from  pass- 
ing skips  only  settled  them  more  firmly  into  place,  and 
the  initial  'set'  of  the  concrete  was  not  broken. 

The  forms  in  the  skip-compartments  are  in  two  halves, 
each  made  of  a  large  side-plate  and  two  hinged  wing- 
plates  that  extend  to  the  guides.  They  are  tied  to  each 
other  by  iron  straps  passing  behind  the  guides,  to  which 
they  are  fastened  by  counter-sunk  screws;  and  to  pre- 
vent their  shifting,  nails  are  driven  through  holes  in  the 
straps  into  the  guides  after  they  are  lined  up.  Forms 
in  adjoining  compartments  are  tied  together  by  bolts 
passing  through  pipes  cast  in  the  partition-walls,  which 
serve  to  space  the  wing-plates  properly. 

The  cage-compartment  forms  are  somewhat  different. 
Similar  side-plates  are  used,  but  there  are  no  wing- 
plates,  and  they  are  braced  apart  by  angle-irons  spiked 
to  the  guides,  which  reach  across  the  shaft  in  the  10-in. 
space  below  the  reinforced  coner"ete  dividers.  There  are 
no  concrete  partitions,  and  the  side-plates  in  adjoining 
compartments  are  connected  by  narrow  hinged  plates 
which  block-off  the  concrete,  but  permit  it  to  project 
2J  in.  in  vertical  columns  under  the  reinforced  concrete 
dividers,  as  additional  supports  for  them. 

The  end  form  is  composed  of  three  large  plates  at- 
tached by  hinges.  The  side-plates  have  projections  to 
core  out  slots  in  the  walls,  in  which  planks  or  timbers 
may  be  set  to  support  platforms  and  ladders,  pipes  or 
power  cables.  The  end-plate  was  built  in  two  parts, 
afterward  riveted  together,  to  get  it  behind  the  pipes  and 
cables  already  in  the  shaft. 


THE    MIXER   PLANT. 


The  forms  are  5  ft.  9  in.  high,  and  overlap  the  5-ft. 
section  of  concrete  by  9  in.  Bolts,  or  bent  iron  rods 
threaded,  project  through  properly  spaced  holes  in  the 
forms  7f  in.  below  the  top,  and  are  imbedded  in  the  con- 
crete when  it  is  poured.  "When  the  forms  are  stripped 
and  raised,  the  short  ends  projecting  from  the  concrete 
fit  into  corresponding  holes  5  ft.  lower  in  the  plates  and 
If  in.  above  the  bottom.  Thus,  when  raised,  they  are 
supported  and  held  firmly  at  the  bottom,  where  the 
greatest  pressure  from  the  concrete  exists.  The  upper 
part  is  brought  into  alignment  by  attachment  to  the 
guides.  They  are  therefore  self-aligning,  and  require  no 
tedious  adjustment  to  plumb-lines  swinging  in  the  shaft. 

It  will  be  noted  that  all  hinges  are  made  with  tapered 
pins  that  may  be  driven  entirely  out,  thus  disconnect- 
ing the  plates,  and  that  the  hinges  which  are  situated 
in  the  beveled  corners  are  made  so  that  in  the  skip- 
compartments  the  narrow  wing-plates,  in  revolving,  turn 
directly  away  from  the  face  of  concrete,  and  cannot 
bind.  The  side-plates  then  have  ample  end-clearance, 
and  can  be  moved  straight  out  also  without  possibility  of 
binding. 

The  form  in  each  compartment  could  be  stripped  and 
raised  independently  of  the  others.  They  were  only  tied 
together  after  being  put  in  place  and  aligned  by  attach- 
ment to  the  guides. 

The  forms  were  made  of  heavy  plate  with  accurately 
fitting  hinges,  and  being  very  stiff,  and  firmly  held  at 
the  bottom  by  the  bolts  cast  in  the  walls,  resist  the 
pressure  of  the  concrete  without  twisting  or  throwing 
too  heavy  a  strain  on  the  guides.  They  were  made  with 
great  accuracy,  all  holes  being  drilled  to  template.  The 
hinges  were  malleableized  cast-iron,  and  were  machined 
to  standard  by  the  use  of  jigs  and  templates,  and  the 
taper-hinge  pins  were  turned  in  a  lathe.  This  unusual 
care  was  taken  so  that  parts  could  be  replaced  without 
special  fitting. 


October  7,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


525 


With  the  exception  of  part  of  one  set,  which  stood  in 
the  shaft  from  March  until  October,  no  new  forms  were 
needed,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  forms  in  the  skip- 
eoiupartmeuts,  which  are  more  or  less  battered  by  spill- 
age from  the  skips,  they  are  still  serviceable. 

Chute-mouths  were  passed  by  blocking  off  the  concrete 
from  the  sections  to  be  left  open. 

At  the  stations,  partition-walls  were  cast  in  between 
the  cage-compartments  and  between  the  cage  and  pipe 


ELBOW  AND  DISCHARGE-PIPE. 

compartments.  The  edges  of  these  walls  facing  the  sta- 
tions were  formed  of  reinforced  concrete  pillars  5  in. 
wider  than  the  partitions  and  10  in.  deep. 

Concrete  Dividers  and  Guide  Attachments.  The 
reinforced  cast  beams  for  dividers  were  10  by  10-in.  sec- 
tions and  6  ft.  2  in.  long.  They  were  cast  in  steel  forms 
near  the  collar  of  the  shaft. 
The  concrete  was  mixed  in  a 
4-cu.  ft.  power-mixer.  After 
standing  for  a  few  days  on 
the  casting-plates,  they  were 
lifted  by  a  small  hand-der- 
rick and  stored  in  piles  for 
three  to  four  weeks,  to  season 
before  use. 

The  guides  were  bolted  to 
cast-steel  brackets,  which 
were  fastened  to  the  concrete 
beams  by  bolts  passing 
through  them,  and  can  be  re- 
placed if  damaged.  Guide-bolts  can  also  be  changed 
easily,  and  there  is  sufficient  height  in  the  slot  to  allow 
for  errors  in  boring  guides  or  variations  in  the  height  of 
the  beam.  No  attempt  was  made  to  have  the  ends  of 
the  guides  meet  on  the  brackets.  Splice-plates  were 
strapped  on  the  back  to  hold  temporarily  until  they 
could  be  permanently  secured.  Bent  eover-plates  were 
placed  over  the  brackets  to  make  pockets  in  the  concrete, 
so  that  guide-bolts  or  the  brackets  themselves  could  be 
replaced. 

Method  of  Work.    Before  concreting  was  begun,  the 
guides  were  aligned  carefully,  since  entire  dependence 


was  placed  upon  them  to  keep  the  shaft  straight.  Then, 
four  to  six  sets  of  special  hangers  were  inserted  at  each 
point  of  work  to  hold  the  timbers  securely  above  the 
break  between  timbers  and  concrete.  These  were  made 
of  J-in.  square  bars,  with  a  turnbuckle  in  the  middle. 
The  ends  were  bent,  and  reaching  around  the  wall-plates, 
clamped  them  together.  This  was  much  more  rapid  than 
if  customary  hangers  were  used. 

Each  cage  or  skip  was  equipped  with  a  complete  outfit 
of  tools,  etc.  These  consisted  of  two  pairs  of 
half-ton  chain-blocks  for  each  compartment, 
axes,  saws,  wrenches,  tamping-bars,  grease  for 
the  forms,  rope-lashing,  etc. 

The  shaft  was  divided  into  three  nearly 
equal  sections,  and  the  starting-points  were 
selected  where  the  ground  broke  large,  with  a 
smaller  section  below.  After  hardening,  the 
concrete  would  therefore  wedge  itself  against 
the  ground  and  support  itself.  In  each  ease,  it 
was  necessary  to  make  special  timber-supports 
for  the  wet  concrete,  which  made  the  first  sec- 
tions rather  slow. 

In  beginning,  each  form  was  set  with  the  top 
about  two  feet  below  the  bottom  of  a  set  of  tim- 
ber.    This  was  to  leave  only  a  short  space  of 
ground  unprotected  in  the  interval  before  the 
next  section  was  poured.    Owing  to  changes  in 
form-setting  when  working  past  levels,  this  did 
not  always  remain  the  same,  but  it  was  found  later 
that  considerable  space  could  be  left  without  danger. 
When  set  as  originally  planned,  the  guides  were  un- 
supported for  only  a  very  short  distance,  and  the  attach- 
ment to  the  concrete  beams  was  so  close  to  the  set  above 
that  there  was  no  unusual  strain  on  the  guides,  and  little 


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FORMS    SET   UP,    SHOWING   CONCRETE   DIVIDERS   AND   ANCHOR-BOLTS. 


jar  on  the  green  concrete. 

The  operation  soon  fell  into  a  routine,  which  was  not 
altered  except  in  speed.  Work  began  at  7 :  00  a.m.  The 
skips  and  cages  were  then  loaded  with  tools  and  cur- 
rent supplies,  including  a  set  of  reinforced  concrete 
beams.  Upon  reaching  the  point  to  be  concreted,  the 
hangers  were  taken  out,  the  guides  disconnected  from 
the  dividers,  the  wall-plates  cut  in  three  pieces  and 
dropped  away  from  the  set  above,  after  which  the  whole 
set  of  timbers  came  apart  easily  and  was  dropped  into 
the  skips  or  piled  on  the  cages  and  lashed  securely. 
The  shaft  was  then  cleared  of  loose  rock  and  the  'muck' 


526 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


dropped  into  the  skips  or  stored  on  the  cages;  fine  ma- 
terial went  down  the  shaft.  In  some  cases,  the  ground 
was  not  sound,  and  lacing  was  needed  to  hold  it  tem- 
porarily in  place.  This  was  usually  cast  into  the  con- 
crete and  left.  It  had  to  be  held  such  a  short  time  that 
loose  ground  was  easily  handled,  although  not  so  rapidly. 

As  soon  as  the  timbers  were  removed  and  the  faces 
cleaned,  chain-blocks  were  hung  above  and  the  concrete 
dividers  slung  between  the  guides  close  under  the  timber 
dividers,  and  lashed  to  them  with  ropes.  Each  set  of 
blocks  was  then  hung  over  one  of  the  large  side-plates 
of  the  forms,  the  slack  taken  up,  all  bolts  in  the  forms 
removed  and  the  forms  themselves  loosened.  They  were 
then  hoisted  5  ft.,  slipped  over  the  upper  bolts  project- 
ing from  the  concrete  and  fastened  loosely.  The  tie- 
plates  behind  the  guides  were  then  attached  and  spiked, 
to  centre  the  two  halves  of  the  form.  The  spacing-bolts 
between  adjoining  forms  were  put  in  and  the  forms  con- 
nected from  end  to  end  of  the  shaft.  If  there  appeared 
to  be  a  slight  tendency  to  get  out  of  square  or  line,  they 
were  wedged  into  position  from  a  convenient  point  of 
ground,  and  all  bolts  were  tightened.  Other  wedges 
were  put  in  against  the  ground,  and  between  guides  and 
skips  or  cages,  to  take  up  the  pressure  of  the  fresh  con- 
crete, which  might  spring  them  out  of  line. 

The  surface  of  the  forms  against  the  concrete  were 
then  painted  with  a  light  grease  to  prevent  their  stick- 
ing, and  they  were  ready  for  the  pour. 

When  the  forms  were  first  put  down,  it  was  found  that 
the  bottom  part  of  the  form,  which  overlapped  the  con- 
crete when  raised  to  a  new  position,  could  not  be  put  in 
without  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  A  form  taken  away 
from  a  face  of  concrete  cannot  be  replaced  in  its  original 
position,  and  the  slight  irregularity  between  the  bottom 
and  top  of  the  form  exaggerated  the  difficulty.  By 
riveting  a  ^-in.  plate  10  in.  high  around  the  top,  a  suffi- 
cient recess  was  cast  to  give  plenty  of  clearance,  and 
made  changes  rapid. 

During  the  month  of  June,  it  took  about  81  minutes  to 
take  out  the  timbers,  and  47-J  minutes  to  raise  the  forms 
and  connect  them  ready  for  concreting. 

The  elbow  was  then  attached  to  the  concrete  column, 
the  6-in.  pipe  laid  across  the  shaft  to  the  skip-compart- 
ments, and  concrete  pouring  began  from  that  end.  The 
first  one  or  two  batches  of  concrete  were  made  richer  and 
wetter  than  the  rest.  As  the  concrete  rose  nearly  to  the 
top  of  the  forms,  the  reinforced  concrete  beams  were 
dropped  in  place  and  attached  to,  the  guides  by  means  of 
the  brackets.  This  lined  them  up  with  the  guides,  and 
the  concrete  was  then  tamped  around  them  closely  and 
brought  up  flush  with  the  top  of  the  forms. 

The  average  thickness  of  the  side-walls  was  about  15 
in.  The  thin  section  and  all  partition  walls  were  rein- 
forced, and  reinforcing  bars  were  laid  across  the  ends  of 
the  concrete  dividers  to  tie  them  into  the  side-walls. 

As  soon  as  the  skip-compartments  were  finished,  the 
opening  between  the  skip  and  cage  compartments  was 
planked  up  temporarily,  and  if  it  was  a  set  having  a 
window,  the  permanent  planks  were  put  in  also.  The 
hangers  removed  from  the  set  taken  out  were  inserted 


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October  7.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


527 


above  ami  the  skip-compartments  were  ready  for  hoist- 
ing ore.  The  other  compartments  were  finished  later, 
and  the  pipe  connected  for  the  next  section. 

A  convenient  time  was  used  for  going  to  the  top  for 
'lunch,'  after  the  forms  were  set,  for  instance,  or  in 
some  cases,  after  the  round  was  finished.  The  timbers 
were  then  taken  from  the  cages  and  skips.    "When  com- 


CAGES   EQUIPPED   FOE   WORK.      THE    PUMP   ATTACHED   TO   THE    CABLE. 


ing  up  after  finishing  a  round,  the  boxes  containing 
bolts,  tools,  etc.,  were  at  once  overhauled  to  see  that  the 
equipment  was  complete  for  the  next  section. 

The  70-ft.  section  above  the  adit-level  was  concreted 
by  discharging  the  concrete  into  a  car  on  the  nearest 
cage,  and  hoisting  it  to  the  collar.  From  there,  it  was 
spouted  down  to  the  forms. . 

It  was  at  first  expected  that  the  concrete  would  stand 
about  64  hours  before  the  forms  were  stripped,  but  when 
greater  speed  was  made,  a  number  of  forms  were  strip- 
ped in  less  time,  and  during  the  latter  part  of  the  time, 
a  few  forms  stood  only  about  20  hours  after  pouring. 


The  mixture  was  rather  rich,  however,  and  the  concrete 
was  not  injured. 

The  men  employed  in  the  shaft  were  12  in  number;  2 
in  each  compartment,  one  pipe-man  and  one  foreman. 
Since  every  set  was,  in  its  essentials,  like  every  other,  and 
each  pair  worked  in  the  same  compartment  continually, 
they  became  extremely  expert  in  the  work,  and  in  co- 
operating to  make  progress. 
Some  work  a  little  out  of 
the  routine  had  to  be  done  in 
changing  concrete-pipe,  com- 
pressed-air connections,  or 
the  pipes  and  cables  in  the 
shaft.  This  was  done  when- 
ever convenient,  ordinarily 
during  the  latter  part  of  the 
shift.  An  electrician  was 
usually  in  attendance. 

Concrete  Mixing.  The 
mixing,  which  includes  bring- 
ing the  cement  and  aggregate 
from  storage  to  mixer,  occu- 
pied a  crew  of  eight  men. 
One  man  measured  rock  and 
sand  into  the  hoppers;  four 
men  trammed  it  to  the  mixer ; 
one  man  assisted  in  dumping 
the  cars  and  measured  the 
cement  into  the  hopper;  an- 
other tripped  the  materials 
into  the  mixer  and  measured 
the  water,  and  a  foreman  fed 
the  mixed  concrete  into  the 
hopper  and  4-in.  pipe.  This 
required  considerable  care. 
Mixing  began  when  a  red 
signal  lamp  was  lighted  from 
below,  and  stopped  when  it 
was  turned  off.  After  the 
section  was  poured,  the  con- 
crete mixer  and  pipe  were 
washed  out  with  water,  so 
that  they  might  be  clear  for 
the'  next  day.  When  not 
mixing  concrete,  the  men  cast 
reinforced  dividers,  removed 
timbers,  and  cut  it  to  lengths 
for  use  underground.  Others 
unloaded  cars  of  sand  or  rock  and  elevated  it  to  the  bins, 
trammed  cement  to  the  mixing  station,  or  assisted  in 
operating  the  ore-conveyors. 

Progress.  It  was  originally  estimated  that  the  maxi- 
mum time  for  putting  in  a  section  would  be  ten  hours. 
This  time  dropped  at  once  to  eight,  and  as  the  men  be- 
came more  accustomed  to  the  work,  it  was  still  further 
reduced,  until  it  became  a  question  of  how  to  use  the 
rest  of  the  shift  to  advantage.  Additional  production 
was  desired,  and  hoisting  usually  began  as  soon  as  the 
skip-compartments  were  free.  The  men  from  the  skip- 
compartments  loaded  the  skips,  operated  the  belt-con- 


528 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


veyors,  etc.  The  time  occupied  in  doing  effective  work 
outside  the  shaft  was  charged  to  that  work  and  not  to 
the  shaft.  Those  men  not  occupied  in  loading  skips  or 
operating  the  conveyor-plant,  made  what  preparations 
were  possible  for  the  next  round.  Before  long,  the  time 
was  shortened  so  much  that  it  was  possible  occasionally 
to  concrete  two  sections  in  eight  hours.  This  first  oc- 
curred on  November  14.  Later,  two  sections  in  eight 
hours  was  frequent,  and  in  June,  260  ft.  of  shaft  was 
lined  in  30  days,  and  64,545  tons  of  ore  hoisted  in  the 
same  time.  On  July  3,  three  rounds  were  put  in. 
Pbogeess  Table 
Days 

1915  worked 

October    11 

November    22 

December    12 

1916 

January    19 

February    29 

March   31 

April    30 

May    30 

June    30 

July    27 

An  accurate  log  was  kept  of  all  shaft-work  beginning 
on  November  6,  1915,  and  covering  1540  ft.  of  shaft. 
During  this  period,  the  average  time  required  to  com- 
plete a  cycle  of  operations  in  putting  in  a  5-ft.  section 
was  6  hours  14  minutes.  In  June  1916,  it  only  took  4 
hours  31  minutes  for  the  average  set. 

November  6 
to  July  30,         June, 
•  minutes         minutes 

Loading  tools  and  cleaning  shaft 30  19.2 

Removing  timbers    98  80.9 

Raising  and  setting  forms   84  47.4 

Connecting  concrete  pipe   28  27.3 

Mixing  and  pouring  concrete 78  60.0 

Unloading  cages  and  cleaning  tools 17  14.8 

Miscellaneous  delays   9  3.4 

Lunch    30  17.3 


Number 

Dry  tonnage 

of  feet 

hoisted 

55 

27,844 

135 

63,491 

90 

74,313 

110 

67,000 

150 

66,166 

165 

75,190 

200 

63,820 

250 

69,247 

260 

64,545 

205 

62,722 

374 


270.8 


Cost  of  Concreting  Sacramento  Shaft 

Cost 
Total       per  foot 
Miscellaneous  preparatory  expense :  cost        of  shaft 

Making  platforms,  etc.,  for  cages 

and   skips    $    252.79 

Changing    power-cables,    electric 

lights,   etc 293.00 

Supply-house  at  shaft 120.05 

Miscellaneous    527.68 

$1,193.52     $0.72554 

Aligning  guides  557.55      0.33S93 

Routine  labor  in  shaft: 

Removing  timbers    $5,063.08 

Raising  and  setting  forms 4,998.21 

Pouring  concrete  ($0,686  per  yd.)  4,303.65 
Repairing  and  changing  concrete 

columns  and  other  pipe-work.  2,318.22 
Protection     and     changing     of 

power-cables    1,655.43 


Cost 
Total       per  foot 
Miscellaneous  supplies:  cost        of  shaft 

Reinforcing  bars   $1,150.25 

Guide-brackets    and   covers 3,024.77 

Bolts    718.02 

Angles    for    partition-walls 461.91 

Distance-plates    482.24 

Miscellaneous    3,512.57 

$9,349.76     $5,684 

New  guides,  ladders,  etc.: 

Labor    $1,527.91 

Timber    675.90 

2,203.81       1.339 

Hoisting  engineers   1,861.15      1.131 

Supervision    3,372.10      2.050 

Accident  compensation   88.53      0.053 

Total    $83,424.80  $50,712 

Credit   for   timber   delivered   to   mine   de- 
partment       2,801.62       1.703 

Net  cost    $80,623.18  $49,009 

Cost  of  opening  quarry  and  equipment  of 
crushing  plant  5,666.18 

Concrete 

Cost  per 
Yards  of  Cost  per  yard  of 
Yards  of    concrete  yard  of  concrete 
Rock  and  sand             material    in  place  material  in  place 
Quarrying  and  crushing.  7,S0O          6,195  $0.S97S  $1.1304 
Transportation  and  eleva- 
tion at  storage-bins 7,800           6,195  0.1729  0.2177 

Cost   of   storage-bins 7,800           6,195  0.2713  0.3416 


18,338.59     11.1481 

Concrete    42,796.47     26.016 

Concrete  dividers    3,663.32      2.227 


7,800  6,195         $1.3420         $1.6S9S 

Sand  and  rock  bought  for 
experimental   section.. .      93  75  1.641  2.035 

7,893           6,270         $1,346  $1.6939 

Cement    21,559.98  3.4386 

$5.1325 

Mixing    3,363.69  0.5594 

Concrete  column,  elbows,  air-lines,  etc.     2,435.79  0.3S85 

Forms    4,672.66  0.7452 

Cost  per  yard  of  concrete  delivered  at 

forms*    $6.8256 

*There  was  no  absolute  method  of  measuring  the  concrete 
in  place.  It  was  estimated  by  casting  several  batches  com- 
posed of  the  regular  mixture  of  rock,  sand  and  cement,  into  a 
box,  and  measuring  the  contents  of  the  mass  after  it  was  set. 
The  mixer-charge  was  estimated  to  make  11  cu.  ft.  of  concrete 
in  place. 

Reinforced  Concrete  Dividers 

Per  cu.  yd. 
Total  cost  concrete 

Labor  of  mixing   $1,168.54  $5.02 

Rock  and  sand   393.73  1.69 

Cement    962.82  4.13 

Reinforcing    727.13  3.12 

Pipes  for  bolt  holes 185.55  0.80 

Forms    90.00  0.39 

Miscellaneous    supplies 135.55  0.58 

$3,663.32  $15.72 

The  costs  include  all  items  chargeable  to  this  work. 
As  the  cages  and  skips  made  only  two  trips  per  round, 
no  charge  was  made  for  power.    One  engineer  only  was 


October  7.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


529 


charged  to  the  work,  since  it  is  necessary  to  have  one 
hoisting-engineer  continually  at  his  post. 

Estimates  were  made  on  a  scale  that  would  have  paid 
the  shaftmen  $4.50  per  shift.  The  work  was  done,  how- 
ever, on  a  much  higher  scale,  the  average  rates  prevail- 
ing being  given  herewith : 

Shaftmen    $5.47 

Pipemen    6.22 

Electricians   5.22 

Mexicans  at  quarry    2.40 

Mexicans  mixing  concrete,  etc 2.00 

Men  Associated  with  the  Concreting  of  Sacramento  Shaft 
George  Mieyr  (master  mechanic),  in  charge  of  all  operations. 


C.  S.  Heisler,  in  charge  of  quarry  and  mixing  plant. 

F.  M.  Heidelberg,  draftsman,  designer  of  forms. 

Joe  Lutz,  in  charge  of  work  in  shaft. 

B.  W.  Pernell,  shaft  and  pipe  man. 

William  Gunn,  in  charge  of  electrical  work. 

Carl  Carlson,  Alex  Jacobson,  Dan  Murphy,  Charles  Mieyr, 
Pat  Smith,  Sam  Granquist,  W.  B.  Hughes,  George  Kelly,  W.  R. 
Drew,  John  Johnson,  shaftmen. 

Frank  Craig,  in  charge  of  mixing  crew. 

There  were  no  changes  in  the  personnel  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  work,  and  it  was  an  excellent  example  of 
what  can  be  accomplished  with  team-work  and  good- 
will. 


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JOHasa      D, 


•The  Horwood  process  bears  the  name  of  its  origin- 
ator, E.  J.  Horwood,  assistant  general  manager  for  the 
Broken  Hill  Proprietary  Company,  at  Broken  Hill,  Aus- 
tralia. Briefly,  the  principle  of  the  process  as  applied 
to  mixed  lead-zinc  sulphide  ores  is  that  advantage  is 
taken  of  the  different  oxidizing  temperatures  of  galena 
and  blende,  the  galena  oxidizing  to  lead  sulphate  much 
quicker,  that  is,  at  a  much  lower  temperature  than  the 
blende  oxidizes  to  zinc  sulphate  (given,  of  course,  the 
ore  of  a  fineness  that  is  necessary  for  separation  of  the 
lead  and  zinc  particles).  Such  being  the  ease,  by  judi- 
cious roasting  of  a  mixture  of  these  two  minerals  the 
lead  sulphide  can  be  totally  or  superficially  oxidized  to 
its  sulphate  under  control  temperature  without  affecting 
the  zinc  sulphide.  By  a  subsequent  flotation  operation, 
the  blende  may  be  recovered  in  the  ordinary  way  and 
the  lead  sulphate  or  the  sulphide  coated  with  a  film  of 
the  sulphate  that,  not  being  amenable  to  flotation,  re- 
mains as  a  residue.  It  may  be  better,  before  dealing 
with  the  process  on  a  commercial  scale,  to  give  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  method  of  making  laboratory  tests. 

Preparation  op  the  Ore.  On  all  ores  treated  to  date, 
it  has  been  found  that  the  material  must  be  screened 
through  an  80-mesh  sieve.  Generally  speaking,  this 
ought  to  be  considered  the  maximum  of  coarseness,  and 
for  close  recoveries  of  either  zinc  or  lead,  the  finer  the 
material  the  better  for  the  process. 

Sulphatization.  The  success  of  the  process  depends 
on  the  manner  in  which  this  is  done,  the  object  being  to 
preferentially  sulphatize  the  galena,  leaving  the  blende 
unchanged.  By  keeping  the  ore  at  a  low  temperature 
for  the  first  portion  of  the  roast,  and  then  raising  the 
heat  toward  the  latter  portion  (provided  the  material  is 
kept  freely  stirred  the  whole  time)  no  difficulty  will  be 
experienced  in  the  laboratory,  in  changing  the  galena 
and  leaving  the  blende  unaltered.  It  is  obvious  that  at 
no  time  during  the  roast  must  the  temperature  be  raised 

•Abstract  from  Teniente  Topics,  published  by  the  Braden 
Copper  Co.,  Chile. 


'.  a  3  si 


sufficiently  high  to  oxidize  the  blende.  Should  this  hap- 
pen, however,  the  final  object  of  the  process  will  not  be 
defeated,  but  the  resultant  zinc  loss  (due  to  the  solution 
of  any  oxidized  compounds  in  the  acid  used  for  subse- 
quent flotation)  would  be  increased.  The  increased 
quantity  of  zinc  thus  lost  is  directly  proportional  to  the 
amount  of  oxidized  or  sulphatized  zinc  produced  during 
the  roast. 

Generally  speaking,  the  temperature  to  be  maintained 
during  the  roast  should  increase  from  400  °C.  at  the  start 
to  about  500° C.  at  the  end.  Some  ores  require  a  longer 
roast  than  others,  the  time  being  dependent  on  the  na- 
ture of  the  sulphides  present,  and  the  degree  of  com- 
minution of  the  ore.  It  is  not  necessary  to  completely 
sulphatize  the  whole  of  the  galena  in  order  to  separate 
it  from  the  blende.  The  degree  to  which  sulphatization 
should  be  carried  is  to  some  extent  dependent  on  the  size 
of  the  ore  particles.  In  order  to  deaden  the  galena  to 
flotation  it  is  sufficient  to  convert  the  surface  of  the 
particles  into  sulphate,  the  core  of  such  particles  remain- 
ing unchanged.  The  only  method  of  ascertaining  defi- 
nitely when  the  sulphatization  has  been  carried  suffi- 
ciently far  is  to  take  portions  of  the  roasted  ore  and 
make  laboratory  tests  on  them,  carefully  weighing  and 
assaying  the  products  so  obtained. 

If  laboratory  tests  are  made  prior  to  sulphatization  on 
a  large  scale,  and  the  lead  sulphate  determined  in  the 
sulphatized  material,  this  will  afford  a  simple  and  rapid 
method  of  determining  when,  in  actual  practice,  the 
roast  has  been  carried  sufficiently  far.  Then,  for  ex- 
ample, assuming  that  in  the  laboratory  the  lead  sulphide 
had  been  sulphatized  to  the  extent  of  78%,  and  that 
such  material  gives  the  desired  results,  all  that  is  neces- 
sary in  roasting  a  bulk  lot  of  ore  is  to  withdraw  a  sample 
every  quarter  of  an  hour  from  the  furnace  and  deter- 
mine its  lead  sulphate  contents,  this  determination  not 
taking  more  than  a  few  minutes.  For  instance,  a  sample 
of  zinc-lead  slime  sulphatized  in  the  laboratory  over  a 
gas-burner  for  about  two  and  a  half  hours  was  found  to 


530 


MINING  and 


contain  73%  lead  as  sulphate;  the  subsequent  separation 
made  on  this  material  yielded  approximately  an  86% 
zinc  recovery  and  an  81%  lead  recovery  in  zinc  and  lead 
concentrates  respectively.  A  small  amount  of  zinc  is 
lost  invariably  in  the  subsequent  flotation,  by  reason  of 
the  formation  of  soluble  zinc  compounds  during  the 
roast;  but  if  the  roast  has  been  carried  out  in  the  cor- 
rect manner,  the  quantity  of  zinc  so  lost  should  not 
amount  to  more  than  at  most  2  to  3%  of  the  total  zinc 
in  the  ore. 

Flotation.  Fifty  grams  of  the  sulphatized  ore  is 
weighed  and  placed  in  a  500-cc.  cylinder,  provided  with 
a  stopper.  Boiling  water  is  admitted  to  the  250-ce.  mark, 
then  3  cc.  of  95%  sulphuric  acid  (Sp.  Gr.  1.8376)  and 
the  mass  is  agitated  for  a  short  time.  After  this,  either 
0.1  cc.  or  0.2  cc.  of  oleic  acid  is  added,  and  the  whole  is 
then  thoroughly  shaken  by  hand.  The  agitation  is  con- 
tinued until  the  sulphides  become  thoroughly  oiled  and 
float  to  a  large  extent.  The  contents  are  then  trans- 
ferred to  a  16-oz.  beaker  and  the  bulk  increased  with 
boiling  water  that  has  been  used  to  rinse  the  cylinder. 
The  beaker  is  then  placed  on  a  sand-bath  and  flotation  is 
produced  by  heating  the  bottom  of  the  beaker.  A  little 
calcite  is  added  prior  to  the  application  of  the  heat,  to 
prevent  the  material  from  lying  dead  on  the  bottom  and 
to  assist  the  flotation.  During  flotation  the  mass  in  the 
beaker  is  stirred  gently  with  a  glass  rod  in  order  to 
hinder  the  formation  of  too  large  clots,  which  include 
floured  lead  sulphate.  The  concentrate  is  removed  with 
a  spoon  from  the  top  of  the  liquor,  the  skimming  being 
continued  until  no  more  blende  floats.  The  lead  remains 
in  the  residue  as  sulphate. 

The  concentrate  resulting  from  the  above  first  separa- 
tion is  usually  dirty ;  it  requires  to  be  re-agitated  in  a 
1%  sulphuric  acid  solution  (without  the  addition  of  any 
further  oil)  and  re-floated  in  a  manner  similar  to  the 
first  separation.  The  float  concentrate  resulting  from 
this  re-agitation  is  transferred  to  a  tin-can,  dried,  the 
oil  burned  off,  and  the  residue  weighed.  The  residue 
resulting  from  the  two  separations  are  bulked,  trans- 
ferred to  a  tin-can,  dried,  and  weighed. 

Method  of  Treatment  by  ZrNC  Corporation.  After 
a  number  of  successful  laboratory  demonstrations,  trials 
more  closely  approaching  commercial  treatment  were 
made  on  large  parcels,  with  encouraging  results.  Al- 
most the  first  to  become  interested  in  this  process,  be- 
sides the  originator,  E.  J.  Horwood,  was  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Zinc  Corporation,  which  had  as  a  by-product 
a  small  proportion  (roughly  5  to  6%  of  total  concen- 
trate produced)  of  a  mixed  lead  and  zinc  slime,  for 
which  it  could  neither  secure  sale  nor  devise  any  means 
of  successful  separation.  This  process  was  tried  as  a 
probable  solution  of  their  metallurgical  difficulties,  and 
one  by  which  they  could  separate  into  salable  products 
this  mixed  lead-zinc  slime-concentrate.  This  they  were 
stacking  with  a  view  to  some  successful  treatment  later. 
The  mixed  slime  concentrate  assayed  approximately 
35%  zinc,  16.5%  lead,  and  25  oz.  silver  per  ton. 

A  glance  at  a  representative  buyer's  formula  will  ex- 


Scientific  PRESS  October  7,  1916 

plain  why  this  product  was  unsalable  as  a  zinc  concen- 
trate. 

Buyer's  price  on  board  cars: 

(Zn-8)(P-5%)  +  (Pb- 8.5)  (30c.)  +  (Ag-5oz.) 
(P'/2)  -R,  where 
Zn  =  %  of  zinc. 
Pb  =  %  of  lead. 
Ag  =  qz.   silver  per  ton. 
P  =  average  price  of  zinc  over  six  months  follow- 
ing delivery. 
P'=  average   price   of   silver  over   six   months  fol- 
lowing delivery. 
B  is  the  smelting  charge,  which  is  $24  when  the  price 
of  spelter  is  $84,  and  increases  72c.  per  ton  for  each 
$4.80  increase  in  the  average  price  and  decreases  72c. 
per  ton  for  each  $4.80  decrease  in  that  average  price. 
A  penalty  of  30e.  per  unit  is  imposed  for  every  unit 
of  lead  over  8%,  but  the  penalty  is  never  to  exceed  pay- 
ment for  the  silver. 

The  steel  industry  is  expanding.  New  construction 
which  will  be  completed  during  the  calendar  year  will 
add  to  the  yearly  capacity  of  the  Steel  Corporation 
1,100,000  tons,  and  1,500,000  tons  to  the  capacity  of  in- 
dependent plants.  Projects  for  construction  in  1917  in- 
dicate further  increases  in  annual  capacity  of  1,900,000 
and  700,000  tons,  respectively,  for  the  Corporation  and 
the  independents.  Thus,  in  1916  and  1917  the  capacity 
of  the  industry,  apparently  about  40,000,000  tons  per 
year  at  present,  will  be  increased  about  15%.  The  last 
period  of  new  construction  of  steel  plants  ended  in  1913. 
To  supply  raw  material  for  keeping  existing  steel  plants 
in  operation  at  their  present  rate,  60  million  tons  of 
iron  ore  must  be  brought  eastward  from  the  mines  about 
Lake  Superior.  The  movement  of  such  an  amount  of  ore 
in  the  nine  months  during  which  navigation  is  open  on 
the  Great  Lakes  requires  utilization  of  the  ore-carrying 
fleet  to  its  utmost  capacity. 

Coke  ovens  of  the  sort  that  save  by-products  such  as 
the  coal  tar  which  is  the  raw  material  of  dyes,  pharma- 
ceutical preparations,  and  explosives,  were  little  used  in 
the  United  States  before  the  European  war  made  them 
important  and  profitable.  Statistics  gathered  in  another 
connection  by  the  Bureau  of  Mines  indicate  that  at  the 
end  of  1915  there  were  thirty-eight  active  plants  of  by- 
product ovens  and  that  these  plants  are  so  extensive  that 
they  employed  two-thirds  as  many  men — 13,000 — as  the 
old-fashioned  bee-hive  ovens.  The  by-product  coking 
plants  already  built  in  1916,  or  definitely  planned,  will 
add  about  two  thousand  ovens.  Two  plants,  of  204  ovens 
apiece,  completed  in  August,  will  make  about  140,000 
tons  of  coke  per  month. 

Steel  workers  are  now  receiving  the  highest  wages 
known.  Iron  puddlers  receive  $8.80  per  ton.  and  as  a 
day's  'turn'  is  2|  tons,  a  puddler  is  making  at  the  rate 
of  $22  per  day.  Hot  weather  prevents  more  than  4  days 
a  week  being  worked,  according  to  The  Iron  Age. 


October  7,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


531 


Flotation   Concentration  of  Carbonate  Ores 


By      J©sepS»      T.      Terry,    Jar, 


As  a  pioneer  in,  and  a  contributor  to,  the  successful 
concentration  of  carbonate  ores  by  the  flotation  process 
these  notes  may  be  of  interest  to  the  mining  and  metal- 
lurgical fraternity. 

My  friend  0.  C.  Ralston  of  the  Utah  State  University 
has  written  lucidly  on  this  subject  and  therefore  there  is 
no  need  to  reiterate  the  information  disclosed  in  his  ex- 
cellent article,  which  was  given  publicity  in  a  recent 
issue  of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  but  rather 
enlarge  upon  it. 

Sulphide  filming  of  copper  and  lead  carbonates  is 
commercially  accomplished  by  the  use  of  soluble  sul- 
phides, such  as  the  sulphides  of  soda,  or  calcium  and 
hydrogen  sulphide  gas.  The  sulph-hydrates  of  soda,  cal- 
cium, and  ammonium  are  exceedingly  effective  in  causing 
true  sulphide  filming  of  the  carbonates,  but  unless  used 
in  very  small  amount  or  removed  by  washing  the  pulp, 
seriously  interfere  or  prevent  the  flotation  of  the  filmed 
mineral. 

Hydrogen-sulphide  gas  is  the  most  satisfactory  re- 
agent and  can  be  cheaply  produced  without  the  use  of 
acids  by  the  destructive  distillation  of  numerous  organic 
substances  mixed  with  sulphur.  This  method  of  produc- 
tion offers  a  cheap  and  effective  reagent  for  precipitating 
copper  from  acid-leaching  solutions. 

Sulphide  filming  of  the  carbonate  minerals  is  best. ac- 
complished by  introducing  the  gas  into  the  ore-pulp 
crushed  to  -80  mesh,  with  a  density  of  about  20%  solid, 
kept  in  motion  or  agitation  in  an  enclosed  agitator,  or 
other  suitable  apparatus,  and  subsequently  subjecting  to 
flotation  under  the  same  conditions  as  a  natural  sul- 
phide-pulp. 

In  attempting  the  flotation  of  ores  containing  both 
natural  sulphides  and  sulphide-filmed  carbonates,  fail- 
ure to  float  the  natural  sulphides  is  due  to  what  may  be 
termed  the  'wetting'  action  of  the  soluble  sulphide  re- 
agents on  the  natural  sulphides.  I  discovered  that  this 
can  be  readily  avoided  or  overcome  so  that  both  sulphide- 
filmed  carbonates  and  natural  sulphides  are  floated 
simultaneously. 

The  sulphide  film  on  lead  carbonate  is  exceedingly 
firm  and  may  be  accomplished  by  introducing  the  sul- 
phide-filming reagent  into  a  ball-mill  in  which  the  ore 
is  ground. 

The  film  on  copper  carbonate  is  not  firm  and  readily 
scoured,  hence  the  necessity  of  sulphide-filming  after  the 
ore  has  been  reduced  to  a  pulp. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  the  pneumatic  or  Callow 
cell  is  the  more  satisfactory  in  which  to  accomplish  the 
flotation  of  copper  earbonate.  When  the  impeller  type 
of  cell,  such  as  the  Minerals  Separation  apparatus,  is 
used  in  concentrating  copper  carbonate,  successive  film- 


ing treatments  becomes  necessary  to  secure  a  high  re- 
covery, except  in  the  case  of  slime,  but  my  experiments 
indicate  that  the  grade  of  concentrate  produced  is  con- 
siderably higher  than  from  the  pneumatic  apparatus. 

In  concentrating  sulphide-filmed  lead  carbonate  the 
impeller  type  of  flotation-cell  yields  excellent  results, 
and  the  scouring  action  is  less  apparent.  When  copper 
carbonate  ore  is  reduced  to  a  colloidal  slime  before  sul- 
phide-filming and  flotation  in  the  impeller  type  of  cell, 
the  scouring  action  due  to  the  violent  agitation  is  not 
manifested,  and  a  high-grade  concentrate  with  excellent 
recovery  is  possible  without  repeated  sulphide-filming 
treatments.  I  am  not  prepared  to  state  the  physical  and 
mathematical  law  governing  this  condition,  but  foresee 
an  interesting  problem  in  the  realm  of  physics  and  col- 
loidal chemistry  for  those  qualified  to  solve  it. 

It  must  not  be  construed  that  all  copper  carbonate 
ores  are  susceptible  to  concentration  by  flotation.  I  have 
encountered  several  instances  where  the  mineral  was  so 
intimately  associated  or  combined  with  the  gangue  that 
neither  a  satisfactory  recovery  nor  a  good  grade  of  con- 
centrate was  attainable.  However,  there  is  a  vast  ton- 
nage of  copper  carbonate  ores  in  the  Western  states  that 
is  amenable  to  the  sulphide-filming  flotation  process. 

Copper  and  lead  carbonates  in  combination  with  iron 
oxide  do  not  yield  a  high-grade  concentrate,  as  much  of 
the  iron  oxide  is  filmed  and  floated. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  oxide  of  tin  (cassiterite) 
is  particularly  susceptible  to  sulphide-filming  and  flota- 
tion, yielding  both  a  clean  concentrate  and  a  high  re- 
covery. This  is  due  to  the  crystalline  nature  of  the 
mineral. 

Gasoline  extracted  from  natural  gas  during  1915 
amounted  to  65,364,665  gal.,  valued  at  $5,150,823.  There 
were  414  plants  operated,  California  having  20,  Illinois 
16,  Ohio  50,  Oklahoma  63,  Pennsylvania  139,  and  West 
Virginia  114.  The  average  recovery  of  'gas'  per  1000 
cu.  ft.  of  natural  gas  was  2.57  gal.  The  1915  output  was 
a  gain  of  53%.  There  was  also  an  increase  of  7%  in  the 
number  of  plants. 

Natural  gas  production  of  the  United  States  in  1915 
amounted  to  628,578,842,000  cu.  ft.,  sold  for  16.12c.  per 
ft.  Domestic  consumers  paid  28.32c,  and  industrial 
concerns  9.7c.  per  1000  cu.  ft.  The  output  is  6%  greater 
than  in  1914.  West  Virginia  produced  244,004,159,000 
ft.,  Pennsylvania  113,691,690,000  ft.,  Oklahoma  87,516,- 
753,000  ft.,  and  California  21,891,035,000  feet. 

The  Mt.  Boppt  mine,  the  largest  gold  producer  in 
New  South  Wales,  Australia,  treated  6336  tons  of  ore  in 
August,  yielding  $40,000. 


532 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


m§    WM®th,©<£L   at    Haagptaton 


This  method  of  raising  and  sub-level  drifting  is  con- 
tinued until  the  height  is  reached  where  the  first  under- 
cut is  to  be  made,  and  the  drifts  are  driven  as  before  to 
connect  with  the  raises. 

The  first  under-cut  sub-level  will  be  started  below  the 
top  of  the  ore,  at  the  height  at  which  it  is  intended  to 
cave.  When  the  preliminary  development  is  finished, 
the  sub-level  drifts  on  the  first  under-cutting  level  are 
50  ft.  apart,  as  they  are  on  the  'sub'  just  below,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  1.  On  all  the  'subs'  below,  the  drifts  are 
100  ft.  apart.  All  the  drifts  on  each  'sub'  are  also  con- 
nected with  inclined  raises  every  25  ft.  Cross-drifts, 
connecting  all  the  drifts  on  each  '  sub, '  are  also  driven  at 
intervals  of  about  150  feet. 


By      ©e©arg)© 

•The  Inspiration  company's  method  of  mining  is  one 
of  the  so-called  caving-systems,  whereby  the  ore  is  caused 
to  cave  and  crush  itself  thus  reducing  to  a  minimum 
the  blasting  and  handling.  It  is  a  modification  of  the 
method  introduced  by  Felix  McDonald  at  the  Ohio  Cop- 
per C'o.'s  mines  in  Utah,  and.  was  put  into  operation  at 
the  Inspiration  under  his  supervision.  The  method  con- 
sists, essentially,  of  under-cutting  the  ore  (taking  out  a 
horizontal  slice),  allowing  the  ore  above  to  cave  and 
crush,  and  drawing  off  the  crushed  material  through 
small  inclined  raises  driven  under  the  caved  ore,  into 
main  inclined  raises  that  lead  down  to  the  haulage-drift 
chutes. 

Preliminary  Work.    By  referring  to  the  accompany- 
ing illustration  a  good  understanding 
of  the  method  will  be  obtained. 

After  shafts  have  been  sunk,  the 
haulage-drifts  are  driven  under  the 
ore  of  the  section  or  sections  to  be 
mined  at  intervals  of  100  ft.  as  shown 
in  Fig.  1.  These  drifts  are  of  large 
size,  being  9  ft.  wide  at  the  base  of  the 
rails,  7J  ft.  wide  at  the  cap,  and  7i  ft. 
high  above  the  rail-base.  Where  tim- 
bered, the  above  refer  to  inside-timber 
dimensions. 

After  the  haulage-drifts  are  com- 
pleted, or  during  their  driving,  'pony' 
sets  are  erected  every  25  ft.  along  the 

drifts.     The  pony  set  is  about   5   ft.  section  through  raises  a-a  plan  sub  sfc 

high,    placed    on   top    of    the    regular  Fig.  1.  preliminary  development  driving  inclined  raises  from  haulage-level  drifts. 
drift-set  and  is  the  place  from  which 


Capping 


H=50  Ft. 


-A 

^^==| 1 % 


Lov.   G  ra ! 
Haulage  Level 


« 100- x 

section  Through  raises  a-A 


the  car-loaders  operate  the  chute-gates  discharging  into 
the  haulage-cars. 

Inclined  raises  are  then  started  from  the  pony  sets  at 
an  inclination  of  from  50  to  54°,  depending  on  whether 
the  sub-levels  are  to  be  30  or  35  ft.  vertically  apart,  in  a 
plane  at  right  angles  to  the  haulage-drifts.  When  these 
raises  are  up  from  10  to  15  ft.,  chutes  are  built  at  the 
pony  sets  and  ore-gates  of  steel  are  installed. 

The  raises  are  then  advanced  until  the  first  sub-level 
is  reached.  Sub-drifts  are  then  started  from  the  first 
raises  to  reach  the  required  level,  and  are  driven  parallel 
with  the  haulage-drifts.  These  drifts  break  into  the 
other  raises  every  25  ft.  as  they  advance.  The  raises  are 
again  advanced  to  the  next  sub-level  Where  drifting  is 
to  start.  The  drifts  as  they  advance  connect  with  the 
raises.  All  of  these  development-raises  are  about  4  ft. 
diam.,  and  the  sub-drifts  6  by  7  feet. 

•Excerpt  from  paper  presented  at  Arizona  meeting  of  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  (September  1916). 


The  next  work,  before  under-cutting  is  commenced, 
is  to  drive  on  the  level  to  be  undercut  other  sub-drifts, 
between  and  parallel  with  those  already  driven,  making 
the  drifts  on  this  'sub'  25  ft.  centre  to  centre.  These 
drifts,  as  they  advance,  meet  branch  raises  of  the  main 
inclined  raises  at  12i  or  25-ft.  intervals  as  desired. 
These  small  branch  raises  are  called  'finger  raises,' 
many  of  which  are  put  up  just  before  or  ahead  of  the 
undercutting  operations. 

Undercutting  the  ore  is  accomplished  by  starting  at 
a  cross-drift,  on  the  boundary  of  the  section  to  be  mined, 
and  in  retreating  from  that  cross-drift,  drilling  deep 
holes,  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  drifts,  into  the 
pillars  between  them,  and  blasting  out  the  ground. 
Three  holes  are  drilled  in  each  side  at  different  angles  in 
the  same  vertical  plane,  with  one  hole  in  the  back  of  the 
drifts,  thus  making  seven  holes  to  the  ground.  For  this 
work  a  water-hammer  one-man  drill  with  large  steel  is 
used.    The  holes  are  from  8  to  10  ft.  deep.    Usually  the 


October  7.  1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


533 


rounds  are  blasted  one  at  a  time,  the  under-cutting  re- 
ceding from  the  caved  "round. 

Ore  from  the  under-cut  is  drawn  through  the  finger 
raises,  in  each  of  which  has  been  built  an  ordinary 
board  chute  to  control  the  drawing.  The  finger-raise 
chutes  are  placed  about  4  or  5  ft.  below  the  sub-level  so 
that  they  will  not  be  blasted  in  shooting  the  under- 
cutting holes. 

While  in  some  ground,  the  ore  begins  to  cave  as  soon 
as  under-cut,  in  hard  ground  it.  does  not  start  until  the 
under-cutting  has  receded  a  considerable  distance. 

Ore  Drawing.  After  the  ore  caves  it  is  drawn  as 
desired.  Large  boulders  that  will  not  pass  the  raise- 
chutes  are  blasted.  In  drawing  the  ore,  the  'chute- 
tappers'  work  in  pairs.  One  'tapper'  goes  up  a  raise, 
from  the  'grizzly  sub,'  which  is  the  first  'sub'  below  the 
under-cutting  level,  opens  a  chute-gate  and  draws  the 


For  hoisting  ore,  two  main  shafts  101  ft.  apart  are 
used.  Both  shafts  have  three  compartments,  of  which 
two  in  each  shaft  are  skip-ways.  The  third  compart- 
ment in  one  shaft  contains  the  ladderway,  pipes,  and 
electric  conduits,  while  in  the  other  shaft  the  third  com- 
partment contains  an  Otis  double-deck  elevator  for  hoist- 
ing and  lowering  men.  The  shafts,  underground  bins, 
and  stations  are  all  lined  with  reinforced  concrete. 

Only  two  levels  are  used  for  hauling  ore,  the  4th  and 
6th.  The  vertical  distance  between  levels  is  130  ft.  An 
idea  of  the  arrangement  of  the  mine  is  obtained  from 
Fig.  2.  On  the  6th  level  the  shafts  are  connected  by  two 
drifts,  one  for  each  shaft.  In  each  drift  there  is  a  tipple 
over  the  bin  at  the  shaft.  The  arrangement  of  the  drifts, 
bins,  tipples,  and  stations  is  symmetrical  with  a  centre 
line  between  the  two  shafts  so  that  the  tipples  are  oper- 
ated by  one  man  from  a  central  point. 


Capping 
(Intact] 

Ore 

Unmet) 

---! V %r -V— -.^^^^^^^  INSPIRATION  CONS.  COPPER  CO. 

Z\  /  _^~-~ — '\^  '  MIAMI.  ARIZ. 

Sorth  South  Section  ot  Orcbody  Showing 
Proposed  Application  ol  Ohio  Caving  System 

Vl'o  =    50 
_  _/T?_Msln_ 8halt3 

V^"    Development  Eoiscs  B    BquIukc  Drill 

X?,,  Drawing  Boisc6  A      Sublove!  Development  Drilt 

-V'   Drill  Boles  io  Drilt  Beady  toi  Blasting         0  •  Blasting  Drilt  (Driven  Sabscoocnt  to    fl) 

Fig.  2.    arrangement  of  mine  levels  and  baises  utilized  in  inspiration  caving  system. 


ore,  while  the  other  tapper  works  the  ore  through  the 
grizzly  on  the  'sub'  below. 

All  grizzlies  have  about  1-ft.  openings  and  are  made 
of  timber  or  steel  rails.  They  are  placed  over  all  raises 
on  the  'grizzly  sub'  and  are  set  at  right  angles  to  the 
drift.  Pieces  of  ore  too  large  to  pass  are  broken  with  an 
8-lb.  hammer  by  the  tapper  tending  the  grizzly. 

After  passing  the  grizzlies,  the  ore  falls  into  the  main 
raises  and  down  to  the  haulage-drift  chutes  where  it  is 
loaded  into  5-ton  cars  and  hauled  in  trains,  of  15  to  20 
cars,  to  the  shaft-bins. 

The  second  under-cut  can  be  started  at  one,  or  any 
number  of  sub-levels  below  the  first  under-cut,  according 
to  the  height  of  ore  that  it  is  desired  to  cave.  It  could 
begin  at  the  bottom  of  the  ore  if  desired.  In  fact,  the 
first  under-cut  could  start  at  the  bottom  of  the  ore  if  it 
were  known  that  the  orebody  to  be  mined  could  be  caved 
throughout  its  total  height. 

Haulage  and  Hoisting.  At  the  Inspiration  mine  the 
ore-trains  are  hauled  by  compressed-air  locomotives. 
Arrived  at  the  shaft  the  cars  are  emptied  into  the  shaft- 
bins  by  barrel-shaped  tipples,  five  cars  at  a  time.  From 
the  shaft-bins  the  ore  is  loaded  automatically  into  12^-ton 
skips  and  hoisted  by  electrically-driven  automatic  hoists 
to  the  steel  bins  on  the  surface. 


On  the  4th  level  one  double-track  drift  passes  between 
the  two  shafts  and  is  connected  to  the  shaft-stations  by  a 
small  cross-drift.  The  ore  is  emptied  by  one  tipple,  on 
this  level,  into  a  small  bin,  which  is  connected  with  the 
6th-level  bins  by  a  concrete-lined  inclined  raise.  This 
arrangement  makes  necessary  only  one  loading-level  for 
the  skips. 

The  Inspiration  Consolidated  Copper  Co.  commenced 
underground  development  on  a  large  scale  toward  the 
latter  part  of  1913  but  did  not  start  regular  mining 
operations  until  August  1915.  The  tonnage  mined  grad- 
ually increased  as  the  concentrator  was  able  to  handle  it 
until  at  present  (June  1916)  an  average  tonnage  of 
16,700  tons  is  being  mined  daily. 

The  cost  of  mining  is  now  60c.  per  ton,  including  20c. 
for  development  and  all  fixed  charges. 

The  percentage  of  ore  and  copper  extraction  obtained 
by  this  method  cannot  be  determined  positively  until 
some  section  has  been  entirely  mined  from  top  to  bottom 
of  the  ore.  Based  on  results  in  six  sections  of  the  mine 
from  the  first  under-cut  to  the  capping  estimated  to  con- 
tain 1,886,450  tons,  and  which  has  been  almost  com- 
pletely drawn  to  capping,  the  ore  extraction  is  102.44% 
and  the  recovery  of  copper  86.52%.  The  second  under- 
cut is  expected  to  increase  the  copper  recovery. 


534 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


ana 


TMm  Hm^Mmtm   liiiUSig 


By      Slailss 


■saaas 


For  the  first  time  in  45  years  the  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers  has  honored  Arizona  by  conducting 
its  annual  meeting  within  its  borders.  It  was  a  belated 
recognition  of  the  growing  importance  of  Arizona  as  a 
mining  region.  The  New  York  delegation  numbered  35, 
others  joining  the  party  at  Albany  and  points  in  the 
Middle  West.  At  Chicago  they  were  entertained  by  the 
local  section,  many  of  whom  joined  the  party.  Attached 
to  the  train  was  the  private  ear  of  Ben.  B.  Thayer,  past- 
president  of  the  Institute. 

On  the  way  to  El  Paso  the  engineers  were  given  an 
opportunity  to  study  the  geological  conditions  and  min- 
eral resources  of  the  country  through  which  they  were 
passing  and  its  environs  by  the  use  of  a  geological  map 
presented  individually  to  the  members  by  Carl  Scholz. 
At  Kansas  City,  the  party  was  joined  by  the  Missouri 
delegation,  which  included  Philip  N.  Moore,  presidential 
candidate,  and  D.  A.  Buehler,  State  Geologist  of  Mis- 
souri. 

El  Paso  was  reached  the  next  afternoon.  The  visitors 
found  a  fleet  of  automobiles  awaiting  them  for  a  passing 
inspection  of  the  many  local  points  of  interest.  They 
visited  first  the  mobolization  camps  of  some  90,000 
troops  stationed  outside  the  city,  and  the  border  patrol. 
Some  of  the  party  went  to  Juarez,  Mexico,  where  a  bull- 
fight was  witnessed.  Toward  the  end  of  the  day  the 
party  was  taken  through  the  great  smelter  of  the  Ameri- 
can Smelting  &  Penning  Co.,  Karl  Eilers  conducting 
them  and  explaining  the  metallurgical  methods.  Keen 
interest  was  shown  in  the  basic  converter  and  the  casting 
system  in  use  at  this  plant.  At  7  o'clock  a  Mexican  din- 
ner was  offered  by  the  El  Paso  members  of  the  Institute, 
during  which  a  Mexican  orchestra  provided  music.  Fol- 
lowing the  dinner,  L.  D.  Ricketts  proposed  a  rising  vote 
of  thanks  to  the  hosts,  this  being  acknowledged  gra- 
ciously by  Mr.  William  W.  Kose.  The  party  entrained 
at  11  o'clock  for  Santa  Rita  and  Hurley. 

It  is  reported  that  three  engines  and  all  the  '  dinkies ' 
in  the  State  were  necessary  to  push  the  heavy  train  to 
the  Santa  Rita  mines.  The  result  was  duly  accom- 
plished, and  when  the  Chino  Copper  Co.  's  men  had  suffi- 
ciently recovered  from  their  astonishment  at  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  long  steel  snake,  an  explosive  serenade 
nearly  convinced  the  delegates  that  Villa  had  preceded 
them.  The  early  morning  was  spent  in  inspecting  the 
big  open-cuts,  the  interest  of  the  engineers  being  espe- 
cially caught  by  the  crushers  and  steam-shovel  methods. 
Following  this  visit,  automobiles  carried  the  party  to 
the  mills  of  the  Empire  Zinc  company,  which  demon- 
strated new  magnetic  processes  that  many  of  the  visitors 
had  not  seen  before.  A  ten-mile  automobile  run  through 
a  part  of  the  valley  now  opened  by  prospectors  com- 


pleted the  morning  program.  Returning  to  Santa  Rita 
the  engineers  found  a  barbecue  awaiting  them. 

Upon  arrival  at  Hurley,  the  visitors,  in  small  groups, 
spent  two  hours  in  a  study  of  the  methods  of  the  Chino 
mill.  To  many  members  this  was  the  first  introduction 
to  the  flotation  process,  the  magnetic  separator,  and  the 
Garfield  tables.  All  Hurley  was  ready  for  the  delegates, 
and  refreshments  and  entertainments  were  provided  un- 
til 11  o'clock,  when  the  train  left  for  Douglas.  It  was 
generally  agreed  that  the  day  in  New  Mexico  had  been 
a  revelation  of  Western  hospitality. 

At  Douglas,  under  the  guidance  of  Messrs.  G.  H. 
Dowell,  A.  V.  Dye,  Forest  Rutherford,  and  a  corps  of 
assistants  composed  of  the  heads  of  departments,  the 
visitors  were  shown  over  the  big  smelter  of  the  Copper 
Queen  Consolidated.  As  they  started  on  their  tour  they 
were  given  booklets  describing  the  plant  in  detail.  From 
the  power-house,  through  the  converter-building,  to  the 
reverberatory-building,  the  roasters  and  the  storing- 
yard,  where  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  copper  in 
bars  is  stacked,  the  excursion  was  led. 

Promptly  at  10 :  45  the  delegates  boarded  the  train 
for  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  smelter,  where  another  tour 
awaited  them.  Through  the  mill  and  sampling  plant, 
with  their  wonderful  conveyor-belt  system,  to  the  ore- 
beds,  where  charges  are  automatically  mixed,  then  to 
the  acid-plant,  which  will  have  an  ultimate  capacity  of 
200  tons  of  sulphuric  acid  daily,  the  crowd  streamed. 
Here  they  watched  the  lead-burners  lining  one  of  the 
mammoth  tanks  with  sheet-lead,  while  above  them  the 
structural-steel  men  were  riveting  and  higher  still  a 
force  was  building  the  roof.  Then  the  main  smelter- 
building,  with  its  reverberatory  furnaces,  blast-furnaces, 
converters,  and  finally  the  molding  department,  were 
visited. 

Luncheon  was  served  near  the  main  building.  To  say 
that  it  was  enjoyed  is  putting  mildly  the  feelings  of 
those  who  had  taken  the  long  walks  necessitated  by  a 
full  view  of  the  plants.  The  artillery  band  played  a 
concert  for  an  hour,  when  the  excursionists  took  the 
train  to  Douglas  to  attend  the  first  serious  session.  This 
was  held  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  which  had  been 
decorated  for  the  occasion.  Dr.  Ricketts,  president  of 
the  Institute,  announced  that  he  would  temporarily  re- 
linquish the  chair  to  Walter  Douglas,  who  acted  as 
chairman. 

The  chair  called  on  John  C.  Greenway,  general  man- 
ager for  the  Calumet  &  Arizona  Mining  Co.  to  make  the 
address  of  welcome.  This  Capt.  Greenway  did  in  a 
graceful  manner  in  behalf  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  In- 
stitute and  the  people  of  the  State.  After  devoting  a 
short  time  to  the  pleasant  task  of  making  them  welcome, 


October  7,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


535 


the  speaker  told  the  members  of  the  Institute  in  some 
detail  the  program  for  the  remainder  of  the  week.  Mr. 
Douglas  called  on  Dr.  Rieketts  to  respond,  but  the  latter 
saying  that  he  was  a  host  like  the  rest  of  the  Arizonians. 
asked  Mr.  Thayer,  of  New  York,  to  reply.  In  doing  this, 
Mr.  Thayer  paid  a  beautiful  tribute  to  James  Douglas, 
who,  he  said,  had  done  more  for  copper  mining  than  any 
other  individual.  He  also  offered  the  suggestion  that  the 
people  of  Arizona  should  honor  the  man  whose  handi- 
work is  to  be  seen  in  practically  every  smelter  or  con- 
centration plant  in  the  State  by  naming  a  lively  town 
after  L.  D.  Rieketts.  This  suggestion  was  received  with 
much  applause. 

The  schedule  of  arrangements  for  the  remainder  of 
the  trip  was  then  read  by  the  Secretary,  Bradley 
Stoughton.  Mr.  Douglas  requested  that  after  each  paper 
on  the  afternoon  program  had  been  read,  the  interesting 
points  brought  out  should  be  discussed  for  five-minute 
periods  by  as  mauy  of  the  delegates  as  felt  inclined  to 
do  so. 

A.  C.  McGregor,  designer  of  the  C.  &  A.  plant  and  the 
Arizona  Copper  Co.'s  plant  at  Clifton,  read  an  inter- 
esting treatise  on  '  Features  of  the  New  Copper  Smelting 
Plants  in  Arizona. '  Dr.  Rieketts  led  the  discussion,  say- 
ing that  the  advance  in  smelting  lies  in  the  prevention 
of  loss.  He  then  discussed  the  loss  of  0.7%  copper  at 
the  International  smelter  at  Miami.  E.  P.  Mathewson, 
superintendent  of  the  Anaconda  smelter,  commended 
the  local  smelters  for  their  cleanliness  of  operation  and 
congratulated  the  designers  of  Arizona  plants.  A  paper 
by  P.  N.  Plynn,  superintendent  of  the  Arizona  Copper 
Co.'s  smelter,  was  then  read.  The  absence  of  L.  0. 
Howard  necessitated  the  reading  of  his  paper,  'The 
Basic-Lined  Converter  in  the  Southwest,'  by  the  Secre- 
tary, Mr.  Stoughton.  This  precipitated  a  great  discus- 
sion. Mr.  Douglas  told  of  one  converter-lining  in  the 
Old  Dominion  smelter  that  had  produced  more  than 
70,000,000  pounds  of  copper  before  it  had  to  be  replaced. 
Mr.  Mathewson  discussed  the  comparative  merits  of  the 
Smith-Pierce  and  Great  Falls  types  of  converters  at 
some  length.  Kuno  Doerr,  general  manager  for  the  A. 
S.  &  R.  at  El  Paso,  made  a  brief  talk  along  the  same 
lines. 

'Determination  of  Dust-Losses  at  the  Copper  Queen 
Reduction  'Works'  was  the  title  of  a  paper  read  by  J. 
Moore  Samuel.  Dealing  as  it  did  with  the  recovery  of 
metal  that  formerly  had  passed  out  of  the  stack  as 
smoke,  the  paper  brought  about  a  discussion  of  a  vital 
subject.  Mr.  Douglas  discussed  it  briefly,  being  followed 
by  Mr.  Mathewson,  who  said  that  the  methods  employed 
by  the  Anaconda  smelter  to  abstract  the  value  from 
fume  were  somewhat  similar  to  those  of  the  Copper 
Queen,  and  compared  such  extraction  with  methods  of 
treating  flotation-concentrate.  The  recovery  from  fume 
at  Anaconda  had  materially  reduced  the  damage  done 
to  farms  in  the  surrounding  district,  he  said,  and  the 
company  had  been  upheld  in  this  contention  by  the 
courts,  which  had  found  that  the  resultant  loss  to  farm- 
ers was  negligible.  He  then  called  attention  to  the  im- 
portance of  choosing  a  good  site  for  a  smelting  plant,  as 


a  poor  one  would  result  in  almost  certain  damage  to  the 
surrounding  country,  while  a  good  site  would  save  much 
unpleasantness.  Sidney  J.  Jennings,  Vice-President  of 
the  Institute,  discussed  the  same  topic  and  suggested 
that  considerable  loss  is  made  at  the  smelting  plants  in 
the  South-west  by  reason  of  the  high  winds,  which  carry 
the  dust  away.  Mr.  McGregor  said  that  the  C.  &  A. 
probably  suffered  loss  from  its  ore-beds  owing  to  the 
high  winds,  and  with  that  fact  in  view,  the  ore-beds  had 
been  housed.    Mr.  Douglas  pointed  out  the  fact  that  at 


SOUTH-WESTEBN    NEW    MEXICO    AND   PAKT   OF    ARIZONA,    WHEKE    THE 
ENGINEEBS   VISITED. 

the  local  smelters  ores  averaging  6%  are  treated,  while 
the  Miami  concentrate  averages  from  30  to  40%.  Dr. 
Rieketts  agreed  that  in  all  smelters  means  should  be 
taken  to  prevent  ore  dropping  through  the  air.  It 
should  all  be  housed,  and  a  hose  could  be  used  to  wet  it, 
so  as  to  prevent  dust.  The  men  need  not  go  in  the 
houses  while  the  ore-beds  were  being  filled.  He  expressed 
the  belief  that  such  precautionary  measures  would  pay. 
He  also  discussed  the  Cottrell  system,  which  he  had 
found  to  reduce  the  loss  in  fume  to  almost  nothing. 

Following  the  adjournment  of  the  afternoon  session, 
many  of  the  delegates  took  motor-cars  over  the  district, 
visiting  the  camps  of  the  regulars  and  militia-men  in 
this  vicinity,  also  crossing  to  Agua  Prieta. 

The  night  session  opened  with  a  large  crowd  in  at- 
tendance, many  mining  men  not  on  the  excursion  taking 
this  opportunity  to  hear  the  papers  and  discussions. 
H.  W.  Morse  was  the  presiding  officer.  The  first  paper 
read  was  that  of  the  chairman  and  H.  A.  Tobelman,  on 
leaching  tests  at  New  Cornelia.     Mr.   Morse  read  the 


536 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


paper  and  then  with  the  aid  of  stereoptieon  views, 
showed  several  of  the  methods  of  leaching  that  had  been 
tested  at  Cornelia  and  found  successful.  For  a  time  he 
was  bombarded  with  questions  from  all  sides.  'The 
2000-ton  Leaching  Plant  at  Anaconda'  was  the  title  of 
a  paper  by  Frederick  Laist  and  H.  W.  Aldrich ;  this 
was  read  by  Mr.  Mathewson,  and  discussed  in  some  de- 
tail by  him.  F.  N.  Flynn  and  others  asked  a  number  of 
questions  regarding  technical  points.  Secretary  Stough- 
ton  read  the  treatise  on  'Possibilities  in  the  "Wet  Treat- 
ment of  Copper  Concentrates,'  prepared  by  Lawrence 
Addicks  of  New  York.  Mr.  Morse  and  several  others 
discussed  this  phase  of  leaching.  A.  G.  McGregor,  in  .an 
address  on  the  'New  Copper  Smelting  Plants  in  Ari- 
zona, '  told  the  engineers  that  in  Arizona  during  the  past 
five  years  there  had  been  more  activity  in  copper-smelt- 
ing plant-construction  than  in  the  same  length  of  time  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  Mr.  McGregor  said  that  in  this 
period  five  new  smelting  plants  had  been  constructed 
and  put  into  operation ;  the  monthly  output  from  these 
plants  averaged  from  5,000,000  to  18,000,000  pounds. 
He  then  described  new  problems  that  had  been  solved 
successfully,  and  new  features  in  plant  design  and  equip- 
ment that  had  been  developed.  Following  adjournment, 
many  of  the  delegates  went  to  the  Country  Club  to  at- 
tend a  reception  and  dance  given  in  their  honor ;  this 
was  largely  attended  by  Army  people  and  residents  of 
the  district. 

At  Bisbee  the  following  day  the  visitors  were  met  by 
a  brass-band  and  50  automobiles,  which  carried  them 
around  the  district.  Many  went  underground  through 
the  mines,  while  others  remained  on  the  surface.  The 
Bisbee  sessions  were  full  of  good  things. 

The  State  of  Missouri  and  not  the  eastern  coast-line 
should  be  the  site  of  the  proposed  Government  muni- 
tions plant,  according  to  H.  A.  Buehler,  State  Geologist 
of  Missouri,  who  spoke  at  the  Bisbee  session.  Mr.  Bueh- 
ler supported  his  contention  by  a  summary  of  the  min- 
eral resources  of  Missouri. 

A  further  handicapping  of  the  chemical  industries 
and  the  paint  and  dye  manufacturing  interests  of  the 
country,  due  to  a  lack  of  manganese  ores,  was  predicted 
in  a  paper  by  E.  C.  Harder  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Sur- 
vey. Mr.  Harder  explained  that  even  at  the  beginning 
of  the  European  war  there  had  been  a  great  decrease  in 
imports  of  both  ores  and  alloys  of  manganese,  and  that 
since  1914  the  price  had  risen  from  $37  to  $100  per  ton, 
with  ferro-manganese  still  higher.  He  said:  "The  situ- 
ation in  the  United  States  at  the  present  time  regarding 
the  supply  of  manganese  ores  and  alloys  of  manganese 
is  one  of  great  seriousness  and  is  likely  to  become  in- 
creasingly so  while  the  War  continues.  The  dependence 
of  the  country  upon  foreign  countries  for  this  supply  is 
being  forcibly  indicated." 

Other  papers  attracting  attention  were  'The  Geology 
of  the  Warren  Mining  District,'  by  T.  S.  Bonillas,  J.  B. 
Tenney,  and  Leon  Feuchere ;  '  Co-operative  Effort  in 
Mining,'  by  Joseph  P.  Hodgson:  and  'Gold  and  Silver 
Deposits  in  North  and  South  America,'  by  Waldemar 


Lindgren.  In  this  paper  Dr.  Lindgren  stated  that  the 
South  American  mineral  resources  in  precious  metals 
are  less  than  those  of  our  continent  and  that  even  prog- 
ress and  enterprise  will  be  unable  to  raise  its  production 
to  approach  the  figures  attained  by  North  America. 

At  the  close  of  this  session  the  visitors  were  banqueted 
at  the  Country  Club,  after  which  they  proceeded  to 
Globe,  arriving  on  Thursday  morning,  the  21st.  During 
the  morning  the  party  visited  the  mines  and  reduction 
works  of  the  Old  Dominion  Copper  Mining  &  Smelting 
Co.,  and  were  greatly  impressed.  The  afternoon  and 
evening  were  reserved  for  the  discussions  of  subjects 
relative  to  mining  in  the  Globe  district.  It  was  at  these 
meetings  that  the  engineers  discussed  the  means  for  de- 
veloping the  flotation  process. 

Chief  among  these  conclusions  was  the  prediction  that 
the  flotation  process  is  now  in  its  infancy  and  that  with 
the  discovery  of  new  flotative  agents  further  develop- 
ment is  assured.  The  afternoon  meeting  was  marked 
by  the  first  public  presentation  of  a  report  of  experi- 
ments on  several  miscellaneous  wood-oils.  A  statement 
concerning  these  oils  was  presented  in  a  paper  by  Glenn 
L.  Allen,  of  the  Shattuck  Arizona  Copper  Co.,  and  O.  C. 
Ralston,  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Rudolf  Gahl,  of  the  Inspiration  Consolidated  Copper 
Co.,  rendered  the  afternoon  meeting  memorable  by  his 
account  of  the  history  of  the  flotation  process  at  Inspira- 
tion. Dr.  Gahl  told  of  the  exhaustive  research  and  ex- 
periment of  his  company  in  an  effort  to  develop  the 
flotation  process,  and  pointed  out  that  the  vast  expendi- 
tures demanded  for  this  experimentation  had  been  made 
to  pay  for  themselves  by  the  results  achieved. 

Mining  and  smelting  constituted  the  general  subject 
of  the  evening  session.  This  evoked  an  interesting  dis- 
cussion on  the  methods  of  fighting  mine-fires,  with  espe- 
cial reference  to  the  plenum  system.  At.  the  close  of 
the  evening  an  illustrated  description  of  the  Cottrell 
process  was  given  by  G.  A.  Schmidt. 

Globe  saw  the  ending  of  the  full  meeting.  While  the 
greater  number  went  by  automobile  the  following  day 
across  the  Apache  trail  and  by  the  Roosevelt  dam,  others 
went  directly  to  their  homes  and  offices.  The  trip  over 
the  historic  Apache  trail  was  both  pleasant  and  instruc- 
tive. Excellent  opportunity  was  offered  for  geological 
observation,  while  those  whose  interests  were  chiefly  me- 
chanical, found  much  of  interest  in  the  Roosevelt  dam 
and  the  power-houses  which  furnish  the  power  for  Globe 
and  Miami.  At  Phoenix  more  of  the  party  left,  bound 
particularly  for  properties  in  which  they  were  inter- 
ested, and  which  were  out  of  the  line  of  travel.  A  num- 
ber left  for  a  side  trip  to  the  Ray  Consolidated  Copper 
Co.,  at  Ray  and  the  mill  and  smelter  at  Winkleman. 

Metal  exports  from  the  Malay  States,  south-eastern 
Asia,  during  the  first  half  of  1916  were  as  follows:  gold, 
8074  oz. ;  tin,  26,000  tons ;  and  wolfram,  186  tons. 

Railroad-material  exports  in  the  year  ended  June  30 
totaled  $74,729,000,  over  double  those  in  the  previous 
period. 


October  7.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


537 


. : j;  :/  !i:i::n Mil1::!!  :r ;n:; 


Ml        «    il 


I&H^IIIIW    OIF    MEESTE3BKSI 

As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


JOPLIN,  MISSOURI 
Reduction  in  Surplus  Ore  and  Price  of  Powder. 
Renewed  activity  in  the  ore-market  has  resulted  in  the  dis- 
posal of  a  large  part  of  the  surplus  concentrates  which  have 
acted  as  a  depressing  factor  during  fully  six  months.  There 
is  more  optimism  felt  than  for  weeks.  The  previous  week 
started  the  ball  rolling,  and  the  momentum  gained  by  the 
first  of  this  week  was  such  that  a  heavy  tonnage  of  low  and 
medium-grade  zinc-blende  was  purchased,  the  price  ranging 
from  $5  to  $10  per  ton  above  the  levels  that  have  prevailed 
for  three  months.  This  buying  movement  coming  at  the  same 
time  as  the  attempt  of  ore  producers  to  curtail  the  output 
voluntarily,  and  the  probability  of  a  coal  strike  which  would 
force  the  closing  down  of  many  mines  for  lack  of  power,  has 
created  a  much  better  feeling,  and  has  brought  hope  that  the 
disturbing  element  of  concentrate  stocks  might  be  wiped  out 
before  the  beginning  of  winter.  There  is  a  possibility  of 
reduction  in  the  cost  of  dynamite.  For  some  mines  the  cost 
of  powder  has  been  prohibitive,  and  as  old  contracts  expired, 
forcing  these  companies  to  buy  in  the  open  market.  Properties 
in  the  sheet-ground  and  low-grade  disseminated  district  thus 
have  been  forced  to  suspend  operations.  Sixty  days  ago  a 
large  number  of  these  old  contracts  expired,  and  that  time 
marked  the  cessation  of  activities  of  a  considerable  number  of 
the  heaviest  consumers  of  dynamite  in  the  region.  The 
powder  companies  have  reduced  the  cost  of  powder  $2  per 
100  lb.,  and  also  lowered  the  price  of  caps  slightly.  While 
this  reduction  averted  the  closing  of  some  of  the  mines,  it 
was  not  a  sufficient  cut  to  make  any  material  difference  to 
the  majority.  An  announcement  this  week  in  a  semi-official 
way,  by  N.  P.  Rood  of  the  Hercules  Powder  Co.,  states  that 
there  would  be  another  reduction  in  the  price  of  powder,  one 
of  the  largest  factors  in  the  cost  of  mining,  probably  before 
the  first  of  the  new  year.  The  decreased  price  of  powder, 
with  the  lower  price  being  received  for  zinc-blende,  brings 
back  into  the  production  list  a  large  number  of  sheet-ground 
producers  who  have  been  forced  to  close.  This  change  in  the 
price  of  powder  would  give  relief  to  the  distressful  labor  con- 
ditions, as  so  many  mines  are  closed  resulting  in  many  miners 
being  out  of  employment  or  working  half-time.  Some  of  the 
miners  have  left  the  field,  and  in  this  way  relieved  the  situa- 
tion to  a  limited  extent. 


MEXICO  CITY,  MEXICO 

New  Decree  Affecting  Mining  Operations. 

After  the  usual  preamble  that  occupied  more  space  than 
the  decree  itself,  the  following  appeared  in  a  Carranzista  news- 
paper published  at  San  Luis,  San  Luis  Potosi,  about  September 
14: 

Article  1.  All  grantees  of  mining  concessions  must  work 
there-upon,  under  penalty  of  their  forfeiture  if  such  work  be 
suspended  for  more  than  two  months  continuously,  or  for 
more  than  three  months  interruptedly,  during  each  year. 

Article  2.  Any  grantee  having  a  good  excuse  for  not  work- 
ing may  solicit  of  the  Secretary  of  Fomento  the  correspond- 
ing permission.  This  can  be  granted  only  in  case  the  reasons 
submitted  be  well  founded  and  proven,  and  for  a  period  not  to 
exceed  three  months,  unless  at  the  expiration  of  this  period 
there  still  exists  a  cause  rendering  absolutely  impossible  any 
operation;  in  which  event,  such  further  time  as  may  be 
deemed  strictly  necessary  can  be  given. 


Article  3.  The  Secretary  of  Fomento,  duly  considering  the 
cases  presented  by  the  owners  of  mining  concessions,  shall 
designate  for  each  of  the  new  concessions,  as  well  as  for  each 
of  the  old  ones  not  yet  exploited,  the  number  of  laborers  which, 
as  a  minimum,  must  be  employed  thereon,  taking  into  account 
the  number  of  claims  of  each  concession. 

Article  4.  The  mine-owners  who  may  have  had,  or  may 
have,  their  properties  under  exploitation,  must  employ  the 
same  number  of  men  that  have  been  or  were  employed  at  the 
time  operations  were  suspended,  the  Secretary  of  Fomento 
reserving  the  right,  in  view  of  the  allegations  submitted  by  the 
mine-owners,  to  change  this  number  according  to  the  neces- 
sities of  the  case. 

Article  5.  Whenever  the  Secretary  of  Fomento  declares  for- 
feited  any   mining   concession,    he    shall    immediately    bring 


Map^V  Mexico 


said  declaration  to  the  notice  of  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda,  in 
order  that  the  latter  decide  whether  the  annulled  concession 
shall  thence-forward  be  open  to  public  denouncement,  or  be 
worked  and  operated  under  the  auspices  of  the  Nation,  in 
which  latter  event,  he  shall  appoint  a  person  for  its  manage- 
ment in  the  continuation  of  the  corresponding  work. 

Article  6.  This  law  shall  take  effect  from  the  date  of  its 
publication. 

National  Palace,  Mexico,  September  14,  1916. 
(Signed)  V.  Carranza. 

SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Strike  Situation. — Old  Eureka,  Hardenberg,  and  Rose  Mines. 

The  following  notes  were  written  on  October  1: 
The  strike  situation  remains  apparently  unchanged.  Ben 
Goggin,  general  organizer  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners, 
has  issued  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  the  Union  is  not  de- 
manding recognition  of  its  organization,  and  states  that  the 
men  are  willing  to  return  to  work  when  they  receive  an  in- 
crease of  25c.  per  day,  with  the  assurance  that  Union  men  will 
not  be  discriminated  against,  because  of  their  membership  or 
participation  in  the  strike.  Nothing  is  being  said  about  the 
reported  demand  for  shorter  hours,  or  to  have  the  employee's 
time  begin  and  end  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft,  instead  of  at 
the  working  face  in  the  mines.  The  Union  claims  that  the 
mine-owners  have  never  been  asked  to  recognize  the  organiza- 
tion, and  that  if  the  25c.  increase  be  allowed  on  the  above 


538 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


understanding,  an  agreement  will  be  signed  by  whicb  members 
will  refrain  from  making  further  demands  for  a  period  of  two 
or  three  years,  or  such  further  time  as  may  be  agreed  on. 
Business-men  in  this  region  are  feeling  the  effects  of  the  strike, 
and  it  is  estimated  that  since  the  men  went  out  on  September 
19,  they  hare  lost  over  $40,000  in  wages.  The  mines  and 
plants  remain  uninjured,  with  the  exception  that  pumping  ex- 
pense and  repair  work  is  kept  up  without  the  revenue  from 
gold  won.  The  owners  claim  that  their  properties  are  well 
prepared  for  this  situation,  and  that  by  means  of  proper 
attention  to  underground  conditions  the  mines  will  be  in  as 
good  condition  six  months  from  now  for  the  resumption  of 
work  as  they  are  today.  They  claim  that  1200  of  the  1500 
miners  of  Amador  county  are  quite  willing  to  return  to  work 
on  the  old  basis,  but  apparently  the  owners  wish  to  avoid 
disturbances  and  annoyances  likely  to  result  if  the  strikers 
are  replaced  with  other  men,  so  no  move  has  yet  been  made 
toward  that  end.  The  only  mill  at  work  in  the  county  is  that 
of  the  Plymouth  Consolidated. 

The  Old  Eureka  shaft  has  been  unwatered  to  a  depth  of  700 
ft.,  and  thoroughly  repaired  from  the  surface  to  that  point. 
Tracks  are  now  being  laid  from  the  new  modern  saw-mill  to 
the  collar  of  the  shaft  for  the  convenient  handling  of  sup- 
plies. Grading  for  the  new  steel  hoist  is  progressing  well,  al- 
though the  present  low  wooden  structure  will  doubtless  remain 
in  use  for  some  time.  A  new  double-drum  hoist  has  been 
ordered. 

The  machinery  at  the  Hardenberg  mine  on  the  Mokelumne 


ing  has  occurred  so  far.  In  the  south  end  of  the  district  all 
of  the  mines  are  closed,  except  the  Amador  Consolidated,  (Old 
Eureka),  although  a  few  men  are  employed  on  repairs  at 
practically  every  mine.  I  am  informed  that  a  few  hundred 
men,  probably  as  many  as  400,  have  left  the  district  since  the 
strike  was  called.  This  will  certainly  have  the  effect  of  leav- 
ing the  mines  short-handed  when  they  are  ready  to  resume. 
It  is  claimed  by  the  Western  Federation  officers  that  none  of 
the  Union  men  have  left  the  district,  but  well-informed  people 
claim  that  this  is  not  true.  They  say  that  a  large  number  of 
Union  as  well  as  non-union  men  have  taken  their  departure. 
So  far  there  have  been  few  acts  of  violence,  and  the  offenders 
have  been  taken  in  hand  by  the  Sheriff,  who  shows  strong 
determination  to  do  his  duty  without  fear  or  favor.  He  has 
appointed  a  number  of  extra  deputies,  including  some  from 
the  ranks  of  the  Union  and  expresses  himself  as  determined 
to  prevent  violation  of  the  law,  whether  by  miners  or  mine 
operators.  Naturally  there  is  in  this  respect,  a  feeling  of  con- 
fidence that  there  will  be  no  serious  violence. 

TORONTO,    ONTARIO 

SUMMARY    OF    MINERAL    OUTPUT    TOE    HALF-YEAR. 

Returns  of  production  for  the  first  six  months  of  1916,  made 
to  the  Ontario  Bureau  of  Mines  by  the  metalliferous  mines 
and  works  of  the  Province,  are  summarized  In  the  following 
table,  which  also  gives  comparative  quantities  and  values  for 
the  corresponding  period  of  1915: 


Quantity 


Value 


Product 

Gold,    ounces    

Silver,    ounces    

Copper,  pounds   

Cobalt    (metallic) .   pounds    

Nickel    (metallic),  pounds    

Molybdenite    (concentrates),   pounds 
Cobalt  and  nickel  oxides,  pounds 

Copper  in  matte,  tons   

Nickel  in  matte,  tons  

Iron   ore,   tons    

Pig-iron,   tons    


1915 
.      173,021 
.  11,101,909 


141,500 

8,523 

15,182 

134,077 

225,940 


1916 

235,060 

10,267,743 

77,795 

121,817 
13,933 
12,631 

401,408 
11,426 
20,651 
80,698 

295,349 


1915 

$3,570,072 

5,188,763 


56,812 

1,704,600 

7,591,000 

288,296 

2,856,040 


1916 

$4,822,740 

6,188,269 

14,368 

103,677 

5,899 

13,075 

204,638 

2,285,096 

10,325,766 

243,268 

4,424,496 


river,  3*  miles  south  of  Jackson,  was  re-started  during  the 
week.  A  new  cable  is  now  being  installed,  and  the  work  of 
unwatering  and  repairing  the  shaft  at  this  old  producer  will 
soon  be  under  way.  The  property  has  been  taken  over  by  the 
W.  J.  Loring  Co.  The  men  interested  in  the  Hardenberg 
mine  are  Americans,  and  the  present  deal  is  said  to  include 
other  valuable  mining  ground  in  that  vicinity.  The  Harden- 
berg is  equipped  with  a  20-stamp  mill,  electrically-driven  hoist, 
and  a  well-timbered,  double-compartment  shaft. 

San  Francisco  people  have  been  here  inspecting  the  Rose 
mine,  which  is  about  a  mile  east  of  Sutter  Creek.  This  prop- 
erty is  owned  by  L.  R.  Poundstone  of  Colusa  county,  and  has 
been  worked  irregularly  during  the  past  40  years.  Recently 
the  mine  was  equipped  with  a  20-stamp  mill,  compressor,  small 
hoist,  and  has  been  opened  by  two  shafts,  which  the  owner  has 
kept  unwatered  since  the  cessation  of  operations  some  months 
ago. 


AMADOR  CITY,  CALIFORNIA 
The  Strike  Situation  From  Another  Correspondent. 

There  is  no  change  in  the  strike  situation,  except  that  the 
Keystone  mill,  which  was  running  a  week  ago,  is  now  closed 
down.  It  is  understood,  however,  that  this  is  in  accordance 
with  a  pre-determined  plan  which  contemplates  closing  the 
mine  for  about  60  days  for  the  purpose  of  re-timbering  300  ft. 
of  the  shaft.  At  Plymouth  all  is  quiet  and  a  full  complement 
employed.  There  are  rumors  of  possible  attempts  from  the 
outside  at  interference  with  operations  at  Plymouth,  but  noth- 


Production  for  the  period  ended  June  30,  1916,  shows  a 
material  increase  in  value  of  all  metals  over  that  for  the  first 
six  months  of  1915,  with  the  single  exception  of  iron  ore. 

Gold.  If  the  present  rate  of  production  is  maintained, 
Ontario  should  reach  the  $10,000,000  mark  for  1916,  compared 
with  $8,500,000  in  1915.  Of  the  total  yield,  Porcupine  con- 
tributed all.  with  the  exception  of  $545,434  produced  by  the 
Croesus  in  Munro  township,  the  Rognon  near  Dryden,  the 
Tough-Oakes  at  Kirkland  Lake,  and  the  Canadian  Explora- 
tion Co.  at  Long  lake  near  Sudbury.  The  Hollinger  Consoli- 
dated and  Dome  Mines  are  the  largest  producers  at  Porcupine. 
Before  the  year  ends  Boston  Creek  will  probably  be  contribut- 
ing to  Ontario's  gold  yield.  Development  is  proceeding  on 
some  of  the  more  promising  claims  at  Kowkash  (situated  east 
of  Lake  Nipigon)   on  the  National  Transcontinental  railway. 

Silver.  Since  the  beginning  of  1916  the  price  of  silver  has 
advanced  considerably,  the  average  being  62Jc.  per  ounce — 
low  56*  and  high  77Jc.  As  a  result  production  has  been  stimu- 
lated, and  the  value,  compared  with  1915,  shows  a  consider- 
able increase.  Although  the  quantity  sold  was  less  than  for 
the  corresponding  six  months  of  last  year,  the  total  output 
was  greater,  over  1,000,000  oz.  remaining  to  be  marketed. 
Undoubtedly  the  life  of  Cobalt  will  be  prolonged  as  a  result  of 
introducing  flotation  treatment  for  low-grade  dumps  and 
slime.  The  Nipissing  still  leads  in  output  with  a  value  of 
$1,766,561.  The  Mining  Corporation  of  Canada — Cobalt  Lake 
and  Townsite  City — is  the  next  largest  producer,  followed  by 
Kerr  Lake,  Coniagas,  and  McKinley-Darragh-Savage. 


October  7,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


539 


di^i^l 


MHESEBff©    llll^lf 


The  neirs  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA 

Cordova.  For  the  sum  of  $30,000  the  Kennecott  Copper  Cor- 
poration has  purchased  the  Wilson-Littles  property  on  La- 
touche  island.  A  considerable  amount  of  development  has 
been  done,  and  the  mine  is  well  equipped. 

Valdez.  A  preliminary  report  has  been  made  by  Pierre 
Bouery,  manager  of  the  Valdez  Creek  Placer  Mines.  A  few 
days'  sluicing  in  an  old  channel  yielded  gold  worth  $20,000. 
As  the  power-plant  was  threatened  by  water  it  was  removed. 
This  gives  plenty  of  dumping  ground.  The  ditch  has  now  a 
capacity  of  3500  miner's  inches  of  water.  The  face  of  -the 
present  gravel  pit  yields  high  by  panning. 

ARIZONA 

Chloride.  The  population  of  this  centre  is  now  1200,  and  is 
increasing  steadily. 

Globe.  With  a  capital  of  $5,000,000,  the  Greater  Ajo  Copper 
Co.  has  been  organized  by  Globe  men.  The  property  to  be 
developed  is  in  Yuma  county,  100  miles  from  the  Mexican 
border.  A.  B.  Saling  and  others  of  Miami  located  100  claims 
last  April.  The  new  centre  is  called  Copperton.  A.  Reid  is 
secretary  and  L.  M.  Greenstein  engineer.  It  is  said  that  the 
deposit  could  be  worked  by  steam-shovels. 

Miami.  To  develop  62  claims  adjoining  the  Inspiration, 
Miami,   and   Inspiration   Needles  properties,   the  Miami   Con- 


LATEST    PBOPEKTY    MAP    OF    MIAMI,    ARIZONA. 

solidated  Mines  Co.  has  been  organized  with  a  capital  of 
$2,500,000.  John  S.  Cook  and  others  are  behind  the  project. 
Two  drilling  experts  have  been  engaged  to  prospect  the 
ground. 

CALIFORNIA 

Oil  production  of  the  State  in  August  totaled  294,457  bbl. 
daily,  an  increase  of  1000  bbl.  over  July.  Shipments  from  the 
fields  amounted  to  9,458,850  bbl.,  the  largest  for  any  month. 
Stocks  declined  1,415,669  bbl.  to  49,718,180  bbl.  In  the  10  fields 
there  were  74  new  rigs,  250  wells  drilling,  51  wells  completed, 
2  wells  abandoned,  and  7071  wells  producing.  Crude-oil  prices 
at  the  well,  14  to  18°  gravity,  were  63c.  per  bbl.,  and  for  25  to 
26°,  72c.  per  barrel. 


Alleghany.  Development  at  the  Plumbago  gold  mine  is  re- 
ported to  be  encouraging,  keeping  the  mill  working  steadily. 

Ten  stamps  at  the  Tightner  are  crushing  ore   from   the 

mine,  and  five  are  crushing  dump  material. The  Rainbow 

Extension  has  been  bonded. 

Cerro  Gordo.  The  Cerro  Gordo  Mines  Co.  of  Inyo  county 
has  declared  a  dividend  of  2Jc.  per  share.  When  L.  D.  Gordon 
of  San  Francisco  assumed  control  a  year  ago,  and  during  three 
months  of  a  lease  he  had  previously  obtained,  just  prior  to 
operations  on  company  account,  he  directed  extraction  of  all 
available  zinc  ore.  Since  that  time  the  company  has  paid-ofl 
an  indebtedness  of  $40,000,  created  a  treasury  reserve  of 
$50,000,  paid  its  $25,000  on  the  outstanding  1,000,000  shares, 
and  paid  for  improvements  costing  $15,000.  The  latter  in- 
cluded a  complete  electric  system  to  operate  hoist  and  com- 
pressor, a  warehouse  at  Keeler,  and  the  covering  of  three 
tramway  terminals.  The  gross  revenue  repesented  in  these 
items  is  about  $130,000.  The  production  of  zinc  and  silver 
continues  at  the  usual  rate,  and  the  management  believes  that 
the  dividend  rate  may  easily  be  maintained.  Daily  shipments 
are  50  tons  by  way  of  Mina  and  40  tons  through  Owenyo. 
Last  week  high-grade  lead  ore  was  cut  on  the  400-ft.  level,  this 
shoot  being  the  one  opened  at  200  feet. 

Copperopolis.  Near  this  place  the  American  Asbestos  & 
Mfg.  Co.  of  San  Francisco  is  developing  a  large  deposit  of 
asbestos.    The  mineral  is  said  to  have  a  long  fibre. 

Construction  of  additions  to  the  Calaveras  Copper  Co.'s  mill 
is  making  good  progress. 

Grass  Valley.  The  Prudential  mine  has  been  sold  by  G.  W. 
Root  to  F.  M.  Shideler  of  San  Francisco,  F.  L.  Rodgers  of  Con- 
necticut, and  others.  An  old  shaft  is  down  750  ft.,  and  a  new 
one  is  down  a  good  depth.  It  is  probable  that  the  Norambagua 
mine  will  be  acquired  also. 

Hart.  A  controlling  interest  in  a  new  company  to  take 
over  the  Ore  Belle  Mines  Co.  has  been  secured  by  John  Hays 
Hammond  and  others  of  New  York.  Two  veins  are  being  de- 
veloped from  a  shaft  850  ft.  deep. 

Idria.  The  Panoche  Valley  Railroad  Co.,  recently  incor- 
porated at  Los  Angeles,  is  issuing  bonds  to  pay  for  a  railway 
52  miles  long  from  south  Dos  Palos  in  Merced  county  to  the 
Ashurst  ranch  in  San  Benito  county.  This  line  would  pass 
close  to  the  New  Idria  quicksilver  mines,  which  are  now  40 
miles  from  any  road,  in  mountainous  country. 

Jackson.  At  the  Kennedy  tailing-dam  an  additional  25  ft. 
is  being  added  by  the  firm  that  recently  constructed  the  Argo- 
naut dam. 

Minersvelle.  Land  on  Stuart's  fork  in  Trinity  county  be- 
longing to  J.  C.  Van  Matre  has  been  bonded  to  C.  Mitchell  and 
J.  Bauer  of  Alaska.  Drilling  is  to  be  done  on  the  670  acres, 
followed  by  dredging,  if  the  land  is  valuable  enough. 

Oroviixe.  Karl  Brehme  and  a  number  of  Los  Angeles  capi- 
talists who  are  interested  in  the  construction  of  the  Slate 
Creek  impounding  dam  have  made  application  to  the  Cali- 
fornia Debris  Commission  to  hydraulic  ground  owned  by  the 
company  near  St.  Louis,  on  the  Oroville-La  Porte  road.  The 
Commission  will  no  doubt  grant  the  permit  provided  the  dam 
is  built  to  meet  certain  requirements. 

Placerville.  The  chrome  deposits  of  Hill  &  Hobler  at  Negro 
hill  have  been  sold  to  the  Noble  Electric  Steel  Co.  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  ore  is  hauled  to  Folsom  by  truck.  The  daily  out- 
put is  to  be  25  tons. 


540 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS, 


October  7,  1916 


COLORADO 

Bbeckenridge.  A  syndicate  headed  by  Bulkeley  Wells  of 
Telluride,  and  Leadville  people,  has  taken  over  the  Puzzle 
mine,  an  old  producer.  "When  new  machinery  is  installed  the 
shaft  is  to  be  sunk.  The  Puzzle  Leasing  Co.  has  been  de- 
veloping the  Gold  Dust  mine  for  two  years,  and  will  continue 
its  interest  with  the  new  owners. 

CEn-PLE  Cheek.  The  Vindicator  Consolidated  hopes  to  be 
treating  ore  by  flotation  in  its  new  plant  by  November.  This 
will  deal  with  350  to  500  tons  daily,  later  on  to  be  considerably 
increased.  The  mine  contains  large  reserves  of  $5  to  $8  ore 
suitable  for  this  process.  On  No.  16  level  the  orebody  is  said 
to  be  50  ft.  wide,  averaging  $30  per  ton. 

Fifteen  sets  of  lessees  are  extracting  rich  ore  from  the  El 
Paso  Consolidated.  The  company  has  three  machine-drills  on 
exploration  work. 

Denver.  At  Utah  Junction,  near  Denver,  the  Ferro  Alloy 
company  is  erecting  two  furnaces  to  reduce  tungsten  concen- 
trate from  the  Rare  Metals  company's  mill  at  Rollinsville, 
near  Boulder,  and  make  ferro-tungsten  for  the  market. 

Leadville.  Pumping,  to  unwater  the  Carbonate  Hill  and 
Graham  Park  districts  through  the  Wolftone  and  Greenback 
shafts,  was  started  on  September  27.  Layne-Bowler  pumps 
are  working  in  both  shafts.  Water-level  is  at  1000  ft.,  and 
pumping  will  continue  to  a  depth  of  1120  ft.  in  the  Wolftone 
and  1350  in  the  Greenback. 

At  the  Penrose  pumping  shaft  the  sinking  pumps  are  being 
transferred  to  a  station  at  the  bottom  of  the  shaft.  The  water- 
columns  and  cables  are  being  assembled  in  one  compartment, 
leaving  two  for  hoisting.  Preliminary  work  underground  is 
almost  complete. 

Re-timbering  of  the  Mikado. shaft  is  finished  to  a  depth  of 
nearly  900  ft.    Hoist  foundations  are  being  laid. 

IDAHO 

Boise.  The  State  inspector,  Robert  N.  Bell,  is  authority  for 
the  statement  that  the  richest  discovery  of  gold  quartz  in  the 
history  of  the  State  was  made  recently  in  an  abandoned  mine 
at  Atlanta,  SO  miles  from  Boise.  The  new  shoot,  2  to  10  in. 
wide,  has  been  opened  for  280  ft.  The  ore  is  at  a  depth  of 
1000  feet. 

Burke.  During  the  half-year  ended  June  30,  1916,  the 
Hecla  Mining  Co.  made  a  net  profit  of  $766,887.  This  is 
$205,135  more  than  the  profit  in  the  whole  of  1915.  Smelter 
receipts  totaled  $1,079,211.     Dividends  absorbed  $650,000. 

Muixan.  During  the  quarter  ended  June  31,  1916,  the  Fed- 
eral Mining  Co.  shipped  3S.972  tons  of  ore,  returning  $624,029 
net.  The  profit  was  $26S,2S7,  a  decrease  of  $28,000  compared 
with  the  previous  period. 

On  October  5  the  Caledonia  company  paid  3c.  per  share, 
equal  to  $78,150.  This  makes  $755,450  for  the  year  and  $1,638,- 
181  to  date.    Net  earnings  in  August  were  $100,000. 

In  the  Copper  King  mine,  near  Mullan,  a  diamond-drill  has 
penetrated  17  ft.  of  ore  containing  from  5  to  10%  lead  and 
some  copper.  Drilling  is  being  done  1400  ft.  below  the  outcrop, 
and  the  bore  was  in  4S0  ft.  before  cutting  the  shoot. 

MISSOURI 

Jophn.  Owing  to  a  rise  of  $4  per  ton  for  calamine  last  week, 
shipments  showed  a  gain  of  500  tons.  The  output  of  the 
Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region  was  6535  tons  of  blende,  642 
tons  of  calamine,  and  750  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $56,  $43,  and 
$70  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value  was  $457,433.  The 
output  for  38  weeks— $24,800,493 — is  nearly  that  of  the  whole 
of  1915. 

Lebanon.  In  the  central  part  of  this  State  a  new  district 
is  being  developed,  yielding  an  ore  high  in  zinc-blende  and 
lead,  also  high-grade  baryte.  A  'Mother  lode'  is  said  to  have 
been  traced  for  many  miles.  Farmers  have  known  of  the  de- 
posits for  years,  but  they  never  worked  them  to  any  extent. 


The  Saginaw  Mining  &  Leasing  Co.,  after  nearly  two  years' 
pumping,  has  drained  a  750-acre  tract  near  Saginaw.  This 
cost  a  large  sum  of  money.  Between  25  and  30  years  ago  the 
area  was  mined  successfully,  and  has  been  popular  with  small 
companies.  Work  is  carried  on  at  a  shallow  depth,  around 
55  feet. 

The  Sutton,  Steele  &  Steele  company  of  Denver  is  trying  to 
introduce  its  dry  system  of  concentration  into  the  Joplin  dis- 
trict. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  The  Anaconda  company  has  received  400  tons  of 
high-grade  zinc  ore  from  its  Douglas  mine  in  the  Pine  Creek 
district  of  Idaho.     This  is  to  be  concentrated,  the  product  to 

be  treated  at  Great  Falls. On  the  800-ft.  level  of  its  Emma 

mine  at  Butte  the  Anaconda  has  cut  15  ft.  of  zinc  ore.    Regu- 
lar shipments  are  made  to  the  Washoe  works. 

Owing  to  shaft  troubles  the  Butte  &  Superior  August  return 
was  only  31,733  tons  of  ore  yielding  7502  tons  of  zinc  con- 
centrate. 

At  the  Butte-Duluth  it  is  expected  that  the  mill  will  be  in 
operation  within  two  weeks,  treating  100  tons  daily,  in  charge 
of  George  Deshler.  Leaching  wih  sulphuric  acid  will  be  the 
first  process  tried.    Acid  is  difficult  to  secure  at  present. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Rothfuss-Dickmann  com- 
pany has  received  its  transformer  and  is  ready  for  power.  The 
10-stamp  mill  will  be  crushing  in  a  short  time.  The  owners 
have  a  large  body  of  ore  blocked-out  in  the  Montana  and  Dal- 
eoast  mines,  and  a  good  quantity  is  on  the  dump  for  treat- 
ment. 

It  is  reported  that  the  old  Elkhorn  mine  and  the  three  large 
dumps  of  tailing,  250,000  tons,  worth  from  $2.50  to  $5,  have 
been  sold  to  the  Walker  interests  of  Salt  Lake  City,  who  will 
commence  operation  early  in  1917. 

The  Elkhorn  Bulwer  mines  are  being  overhauled.  Driving 
proceeds  at  200  ft.  and  ore  has  been  struck.  This  mine  pro- 
duced $10,000  worth  of  copper  ore  in  four  months  from  a  winze 
125  ft.  deep,  operated  by  a  windlass.  There  is  also  a  shaft 
200  ft.  from  which  a  drift  is  being  driven  60  ft.  to  a  winze, 
that  produced  10  to  15%  copper  ore.  It  was  mined  without 
the  use  of  powder. 

Workings  of  the  Calumet  mine  have  been  overhauled  and 
quarters  erected  for  the  men.  This  mine  shows  large  bodies 
of  lead  and  silver  ore. 

The  Elkhorn  Queen  has  been  leased  by  a  new  party;  it  is 
an  old  producer  of  silver,  lead,  and  gold. 

The  Golden  Moss,  a  good  gold  and  copper  mine  has  been 
leased  by  C.  R.  Vorck,  and  development  is  being  done.  The 
gold  ore  is  suitable  for  milling;  the  copper  ore  is  of  good  grade. 

Elkhorn,  September  23. 

Helena.  From  December  20,  1914,  to  August  15,  1916,  the 
Franklin  mine  in  the  Scratch  Gravel  district  produced  ore 
worth  $342,517.    The  net  profit  was  $216,779. 

Radeesburg.  The  Black  Friday  Gold  Mining  Co.  has  ar- 
ranged for  Breitung  &  Co.  of  New  York  to  operate  its  property. 

NEVADA 

According  to  Frank  Manson  of  the  Western  Ore  Purchasing 
Co.,  prospecting  and  development  in  this  State  has  never  been 
so  extensive.  There  have  been  no  startling  discoveries,  but 
the  large  output  of  ores  and  metals  proves  that  preliminary 
work  is  bearing  fruit. 

Goldfield.  An  option  has  been  secured  on  the  Kanrohat 
mine,  6  miles  north-east  of  Round  Mountain,  by  the  Jumbo 
Extension  company.  The  main  adit  is  to  be  extended  150  ft. 
beyond  its  present  length  of  564  ft.  A  new  50-ton  mill  is 
ready  for  ore  treatment. 

The  Diamondfield  Black  Butte  company  is  to  explore  at 
depth  with  a  core-drill  having  a  capacity  of  2000  feet. 

Final  figures  of  the  Goldfield  Consolidated's  August  return 
show  that  17,300  tons  of  ore  yieded  a  profit  of  $1S,211.    Total 


October  7,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


541 


costs  were  $7.43  per  ton.  Milling  rose  to  $2.6S  per  ton,  and 
while  the  filter  royalty  was  lc,  flotation  royalty  increased  to 
7c.  per  ton.  Development  cost  $S.39  per  foot  over  1664  feet 
covered. 

Manhattan.  Installation  of  a  compressor  at  the  Bath  shaft 
of  the  Union  Amalgamated  has  been  finished,  and  the  incline 
shaft  is  to  be  deepened  120  ft.  Development  at  a  depth  of  500 
ft.  is  reported  as  splendid.  The  mill  is  to  resume  treating 
mine  ore  this  week.  The  Big  Four  and  Seyler-Humphrey 
mines  are  sending  ore  to  this  plant. 

Round  Mountain.  The  Round  Mountain  company  states 
that  while  the  season's  supply  of  water  available  for  hydrau- 
licking  placer  ground  has  been  exhausted  for  some  time,  the 
management,  by  adopting  new  methods,  has  prolonged  the 
earning  period  considerably  by  the  introduction  of  several 
devices  commonly  used  in  building  operations.  Since  the 
water  cannot  be  brought  to  the  gold-bearing  ground,  the  gravel 
is  hauled  by  teams  and  sledges,  carried  over  a  bridge,  and 
dumped  into  the  sluice-boxes.  This  part  method  of  treatment 
has  yielded  the  highest  gold-content  for  the  year.  It  was 
commenced  early  in  August,  and  the  total  for  that  month  was 
2150  yd.,  with  a  gross  value  of  $2.08  per  yard.  Another  small 
clean-up,  made  on  September  12,  yielded  871  yd.  with  a  gross 
value  of  $2.50  per  yard.  This  process  will  be  continued  as 
long  as  practicable,  and  will  add  several  thousand  dollars  to 
the  gross  earnings  for  the  season. 

Tonopah.  During  August  the  Belmont  produced  2232  oz.  of 
gold  and  199,445  oz.  of  silver,  from  12,364  tons  of  ore.  The 
profit  was  $92,636.  Diamond-drilling  has  been  started  in  the 
East  End  mine,  which  the  company  is  working  under  an  agree- 
ment. 

On  October  21  the  Tonopah  Mining  Co.  pays  15c.  per  share. 

The  Jim  Butler  company's  profit  in  August  was  $24,296  from 
4532  tons. 

The  Extension  treated  9247  tons  at  a  profit  of  $64,506.  The 
yield  was  1649  oz.  gold  and  168.S78  oz.  silver. 

NEW    MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — High-grade  ore  was  discovered 
last  week  at  the  face  of  No.  3  adit  in  the  Eureka  claim.  The 
owner,  D.  E.  Bearup,  has  already  shipped  a  considerable  ton- 
nage from  upper  workings  and  this  new  shoot  adds  to  the 
reserves.  First-grade  ore  is  being  sacked  for  consignment  to 
the  El  Paso  smelter,  while  the  second  class  will  be  treated  at 
local  custom  works. 

At  the  Pacific  mine  a  large  number  of  carpenters  are  rushing 
work  on  the  loading-station  and  terminal  for  the  aerial  tram 
to  the  plant  of  Socorro  company,  at  which  latter  point  the 
terminal  is  practically  completed.  Mine  development  is  being 
hurried,  and  the  property  will  be  in  shape  for  supplying  the 
tram  with  a  regular  tonnage  for  a  long  period. 

The  Eberle  mine  has  been  explored  with  a  total  of  600  ft.  of 
sinking  and  raising  and  1450  ft.  of  driving.  Both  the  Queen 
and  Deep  Down  veins  run  the  length  of  the  property,  the 
former  with  a  width  of  4  to  18  ft.  The  Oaks  Company's  opera- 
tions have  been  confined  largely  to  the  latter  vein,  and  a  good 
tonnage  of  mill  ore  is  opened.  Ore  was  shipped  by  this  com- 
pany during  the  development  period,  with  a  value  exceeding 
$2000  per  ton.    No  stoping  has  been  done. 

The  Mogollon  company's  output  for  first  half  of  September 
was  1300  lb.  of  silver-gold  bullion  and  3  tons  of  high-grade 
concentrate,  from  treatment  of  2025  tons  of  ore.  A  station 
at  900  ft.  in  the  new  shaft  is  being  cut,  and  will  be  finished 
this  week,  when  sinking  will  be  continued. 

A  1%  dividend  was  paid  on  September  1  by  the  Socorro 
Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  the  fifth  of  similar  amount  this  year. 

Mogollon,  September  19. 

TEXAS 
(Special  Correspondence.) — An  investigation  into  the  coal 
and  lignite  resources  of  Texas  has  just  been  made  under  the 


direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Economic  Geology  and  Technology 
of  the  University  of  Texas,  and  this  data,  in  conjunction  with 
that  obtained  in  similar  research  by  the  State  Mining  Board, 
affords  some  interesting  information.  It  is  stated  that  there 
are,  generally  speaking,  three  coalfields  in  the  State.  They 
are  known  as  the  Pennsylvania  in  the  north-central  part,  the 
cretaceous  in  Maverick  county,  adjacent  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
the  territory  in  Webb  county,  also  bordering  the  Rio  Grande. 
It  is  estimated  that  there  are  approximately  8200  sq.  miles  of 
known  bituminous  fields  of  which  5300  sq.  miles  are  possibly 
productive.  The  total  area,  as  shown  by  outcrops  and  actual 
development  is  about  60,000  sq.  miles.  Up  to  this  time  approxi- 
mately 11,000,000  tons  of  lignite  has  been  mined  here.  In  the 
north  Texas  field  the  largest  daily  production  of  one  company 
is  800  tons  of  coal.  The  estimated  cost  of  placing  coal  on  the 
surface  is  around  $2  per  ton. 
Austin,  September  17. 

UTAH 

American  Fobk.  Probably  no  other  district  in  Utah  is  hav- 
ing the  development  done  by  tunneling  that  is  now  going  on  in 
American  Fork  canyon,  says  the  American  Fork  Citizen.  The 
excessive  snow-fall  makes  this  system  of  exploration  most 
efficient,  besides  having  the  advantage  of  cross-cutting  the 
different  formations  and  making  it  more  economical  to  extract 
the  ore  when  it  is  opened.  The  mountains  are  so  precipitous 
that  generally  tunneling  is  a  quicker  method  than  sinking.  At 
present  the  following  properties  are  driving  adits:  Bay  State, 
South  Park,  Miller  Hill,  Whirlwind,  Dutchman,  Texan,  Smug- 
gler, Utah  Centennial,  Mineral  Flat,  Red  Cloud,  Copper  Glance, 
Atlantic,  Pacific  Extension,  American  Fork  Queen,  and  Nash 
in  the  main  canyon;  the  Belorophan,  Miller  Hill  Extension,  and 
Yankee  in  the  Mary  Ellen  gulch;  the  Earl  Eagle  and  Trinna- 
man  in  the  Major  Evans  gulch;  the  Gold  Hill,  Mercer,  North. 
Star,  Mary  Elizabeth,  Ella  May,  and  Wasatch  King  in  Silver 
Lake;  and  the  Deer  Creek  Copper,  Stewart,  Silver  Flat,  and 
Alpine-Empire  in  the  Deer  Creek  section.  Besides  these  there 
are  a  number  of  others  doing  assessment  work  with  adits,  and 
several  that  are  sinking  shafts  or  taking  out  ore  from  the 
tunnel-level  through  winzes,  drifts,  and  raises. 

The  Utah  Power  &  Light  Co.  is  to  extend  its  transmission- 
lines  to  the  Fissures  Exploration  Co.'s  Pacific  mine,  and  to 
the  mill  under  construction  on  Dutchman  flat  in  American 
Fork  canyon. 

Foetuna.  Some  rich  gold  ore  is  being  opened  in  the  Paymal 
and  Frazer  mines,  while  encouraging  results  are  reported  from 
the  Fortuna  Independence,  Fortuna  Gold,  Gold  Queen,  and 
others. 

Park  City.  The  Daly  Mining  Co.  is  considering  the  erection 
of  a  150-ton  mill  to  treat  lead-zinc  ore  and  a  large  quantity  of 
filling  in  old  stopes.  A  hydro-electric  plant  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Ontario  drainage-tunnel  is  also  proposed.  E.  A.  Wall  is 
president  of  the  company. 

Tintic.  At  the  Iron  Blossom  the  winze  on  the  rich  copper 
shoot  is  being  sunk  from  the  1200  to  the  1300-ft.  level. 

The  Eagle  &  Blue  Bell  company  is  to  sink  from  1876  ft.  to 
water-level,  another  200  ft.  or  so. 

A  contract  is  to  be  let  by  the  Tintic  Standard  for  sinking  its 
new  shaft  a  depth  of  1000  ft.  Ore  is  being  shipped,  and  new 
machinery  is  ordered. 

WASHINGTON 

Republic  A  Consular  Report  gives  the  following  note: 
"Recognizing  the  increasing  importance  of  the  valley  min- 
ing district  in  Stevens  county,  the  Consolidated  Mining  & 
Smelting  Co.  of  Canada  has  authorized  a  reduced  treatment 
charge  on  ores  that  go  to  its  smelter  at  Trail,  British  Colum- 
bia, and  the  Great  Northern  Railroad  has  also  announced  a 
reduction  in  the  freight-rate,  both  schedules  to  become  ef- 
fective about  October  1.  The  reduction  rate  will  be  $1.50  per 
ton  on  ore  that  assays  between  $25  and  $50  per  ton,  and  the 


542 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  7,  1916 


freight  will  be  $2.45,  or  a  total  freight  and  treatment  charge 
of  $3.95  per  ton.  If  ore  exceeds  $50  per  ton,  a  proportionate 
additional  charge  will  be  made  both  on  freight  and  treatment." 
Nobthport.  The  Electric  Point  lead  mine  is  now  shipping 
100  tons  daily.  Seventy  men  are  employed.  The  carbonate 
ore  averages  25%,  and  the  sulphide  70%  lead.  To  September 
21  there  had  been  delivered  at  Trail  2633  tons. 

CANADA 
British  Columbia 

According  to  Lome  A.  Campbell,  retiring  minister  of  mines 
for  the  Province,  the  mineral  output  in  1916  will  be  between 
.$45,000,000  and  $50,000,000,  which  is  $15,000,000  more  than  the 
record  in  1912.  This  is  largely  due  to  increased  prices  of 
metals.  Facilities  for  production  have  been  increased  greatly, 
and  plants  extended.  A  lot  of  new  capital  was  invested  and 
more  is  seeking  an  outlet.  Labor  has  been  scarce,  resulting 
in  labor-saving  machinery  being  installed. 

Slocan.  According  to  Sidney  Norman  of  Spokane  condi- 
tions in  the  Slocan  region  are  better  than  ever,  although  labor 
is  lacking  and  treatment  facilities  are  wanted  for  the  zinc 
ores. 

Trail.  With  a  capital  of  $1,000,000  the  Coast  Copper  Co. 
has  been  organized  with  headquarters  at  this  place  to  purchase 
and  option  claims  and  equipment  of  M.  W.  Bacon  and  W.  B. 
Cullen  of  Spokane  in  the  Quatsino  district  of  Vancouver 
Island.  It  is  said  that  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting 
Co.  controls  the  Coast  Copper  Co.  Recent  development  has 
proved  extensive  orebodies.  The  property  is  several  miles 
from  June  landing  on  Quatsino  sound,  necessitating  construc- 
tion of  a  railway  through  mountainous  country. 

Tbamville.  Butte  and  Spokane  capital  is  largely  interested 
in  this  district.  This  town  is  reached  by  wagon-road  10  miles 
long  from  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad,  rising  in  elevation  from 
746  to  4000  ft.  The  principal  properties  are  the  Rocher  de 
Boule,  Highland  Boy,  Great  Ohio,  Amargosa,  and  Red  Rose. 
The  first  is  the  largest  producer,  and  is  shipping  chalcopyrite 
ore  regularly.  A  lower  adit,  2700  ft.  long,  is  being  driven.  D. 
J.  Williams  of  Butte  is  manager.  Litigation  is  hindering  de- 
velopment at  the  Highland  Boy.  Prospects  in  the  other  mines 
are  reported  to  be  rather  encouraging. 

Ontario 

Cobalt.  The  Beaver  Consolidated  reports  as  follows  for  the 
quarter  ended  August  31:  Bullion  in  storage,  in  ore,  and 
bagged  at  mine  totals  313,906  oz.,  against  294, 4S3  oz.  on  May 
31.  Cash  amounts  to  $43,021,  compared  with  $92,4S4.  Two 
shoots  of  high-grade  ore  were  found  at  400  and  460  ft.  in  the 
mine.  The  lower  contact  has  been  reached,  and  exploration 
continues  on  the  1600-ft.  level.  Tests  with  flotation  are  not 
definite  yet.  A  property  is  being  explored  in  the  Kirkland 
Lake  district. 

KOREA 

The  August  clean-up  of  the  Oriental  Consolidated  was  worth 

$131,735. The     Seoul    company    treated    16,725  tons     for 

$143,319. 

■     • 

Copper  exports  in  eight  months  were  as  follows: 

1916  1915 

United   Kingdom    51,738  57,015 

France    105,393  •  62,592 

Holland    1,912  798 

Italy   31,143  27,916 

Denmark    1,904  1,550 

Norway  and   Sweden    8,101  11.5S6 

Russia    12,283  8,651 

China  and  Japan   71  81 

Sundries    2,654  1,597 

Total     215,199  171,786 


IPdE^KLSlH 


Hote:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     This  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


D.  C.  Jackling  has  gone  to  New  York. 
Coubtenay  De  Kalb  is  on  his  way  to  New  York. 
J.  H.  Schissler,  formerly  at  Guanajuato,  is  here. 

H.  E.  Crawford  was  here  from  Los  Angeles  last  week. 

E.  T.  Dumble,  of  Houston,  Texas,  is  at  the  Plaza  hotel. 

W.  W.  Mein  and  W.  Kabri-Davis  visited  Grass  Valley  this 
week. 

F.  Lynwood  Garrison  is  due  to  arrive  at  Philadelphia  from 
Brazil. 

F.  E.  Mabcy  has  opened  offices  in  the  Atlas  building,  Salt 
Lake  City. 

Hallet  R.  Robbins  has  been  at  Copperopolis,  in  Calaveras 
county,  California. 

F.  L.  Sizer  has  been  examining  mines  at  Atlanta,  Idaho, 
and  is  now  in  the  Wood  River  district. 

J.  F.  Manning  and  Edwin  W.  Mills,  both  registering  from 
Korea,  attended  the  Institute  meeting. 

Hennen  Jennings,  who  has  spent  three  months  in  Alaska 
and  California,  has  returned  to  Washington. 

Harry  B.  Barling  has  returned  to  New  York  after  a  pro- 
fessional trip  to  several  of  the  Western  states. 

Wtllabd  S.  Mobse  has  gone  to  Chuquicamata,  presumably 
to  act  as  resident  manager  for  the  Chile  Copper  Company. 

J.  H.  Howard,  manager  of  the  Amparo  mines,  and  Frank 
W.  Oldfield,  manager  of  the  Cinco  Minas,  are  returning  to 
Jalisco,  Mexico. 

J.  Volney  Lewis  has  just  returned  to  the  East  from  a  trip 
started  on  May  1  through  the  western  mining  states,  British 
Columbia,  and  Alaska. 

Charles  E.  Prior,  recently  at  Hedley,  B.  C,  is  on  his  way 
to  Pachuca,  Mexico,  having  accepted  an  appointment  as  sur- 
veyor at  the  La  Blanca  mine. 

Edward  H.  Benjamin,  W.  Karri-Davis,  and  Hennen  Jen- 
nings have  been  visiting  the  Mother  Lode  mines,  motoring 
from  Amador  county  to  Mariposa. 

Among  the  Montana  members  present  at  the  Institute  meet- 
ing were  W.  E.  Gaby,  C.  W.  Goodale,  E.  C.  Hickman,  C.  R. 
Kuzell,  E.  C.  Potter,  R.  H.  Sales,  V.  O.  Stbobel,  H.  S.  Ware. 

Edmund  L.  Hiatt,  for  the  past  six  years  chief  engineer  to 
the  Ray  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  has  resigned  to  become  as- 
sistant treasurer  and  mine  manager  for  the  Arizona  Ray 
Copper  Company. 

Kenneth  Guitebman  (Columbia  '10),  son  of  the  late  Frank- 
lin Guiterman,  has  been  appointed  secretary  to  Eugene 
Braden,  vice-president  and  local  manager  for  the  American 
Smelting  &  Refining  Company. 

At  the  annual  election  of  the  New  York  section  of  the  Min- 
ing and  Metallurgical  Society,  held  on  September  21,  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  W.  R.  Ingalls,  chairman;  W.  Y. 
Westervhlt,  vice-chairman;  and  D.  M.  Liddell,  secretary. 

E.  P.  Mathewson  has  resigned  as  manager  of  the  reduction 
works  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Co.  at  Anaconda  to 
accept  the  position  of  general  manager  for  the  British  Ameri- 
ca Nickel  Corporation  at  Sudbury,  Ontario,  with  headquarters 
at  Toronto. 

Among  the  Colorado  men  attending  the  Institute  meeting  in 
Arizona  were  the  following:  A.  L.  Blomfield,  D.  W.  Brunton. 
Chas.  A.  Chase,  Siegfried  Fischer,  Justin  H.  Haynes,  V.  G. 
Hills,  E.  H.  Laws,  P.  M.  McHugh,  John  C  Taylor,  A.  J. 
Weoning. 


October  7,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


543 


:.    l!,..l,;..,;;.|l":,i/!r.ii(„:;i:!.il 


\TiklL    M&M'^M'T 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  3. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 12 

Electrolytic   copper,   cents   per  pound 29.25 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.25 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce $90 — 95 

Quicksilver:   per  flask  of  75   lb $75 

Spelter,    cents   per   pound 12 

Tin,   cents  per  pound    41 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    20 

Antimonial-lead  production  of  the  United  States  in  1915  was 
23.224  tons,  valued  at  $3,665,736.  The  antimony-content  was 
15.9%.  and  lead-content  84.1%. 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  3. 

Antimony:  50%  product,  per  unit  (1%  or  20  lb.) $1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  13. 00 — 15.00 
Manganese:   50%  (less  than  35%  metal  not  bought).  14.00 

Magnesite:  crude,   per  ton 8.00 

Tungsten:   60%  WO,   per   unit 15.00 — 20.00 

At  Boulder.  Colorado,  tungsten  is  being  bought  for  $20  per 
unit. 

New  York,  September  27. 

Antimony:  The  quotation  is  unchanged  at  $1  to  $1.10  per 
unit  for  ordinary  ore. 

Tungsten:  Inquiries  are  more  numerous  from  both  domestic 
and  foreign  sources,  but  most  of  the  buying  is  for  export. 
Agents  of  the  Allies  are  reported  to  be  endeavoring  to  buy 
direct  in  the  South  American  market,  and  business  has  been 
done  in  Argentina  for  export  to  France.  Business  with  England 
is  reported  to  be  at  a  standstill,  for  the  reason  that  the  Min- 
ister of  Munitions  has  fixed  the  price  of  ferro-tungsten  at 
around  5s.  6d.  ($1.32)  per  lb.,  and  of  tungsten  powder  at  6s.  3d. 
($1.50)  per  lb.,  prices  at  which  the  American  makers  cannot 
do  business.  France,  Italy,  and  Russia  are  paying  a  higher 
price  for  both  materials.  The  quotation  is  unchanged  at  $17 
per  unit. 

EASTERN  METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  Tork.) 
October   3. — Copper   is   strong,    though   quieter;    lead   is   firm; 
spelter  is  closely  held  but  fairly  active. 
SILVER 
Below  are  given  the  average  New  Tork  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Sept.   27 69.25 

"•      28 69.12 

"      29 69.25 

"      30 69.12 

Oct.       1  Sunday 

2 69.12 

3 68.87 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.   22 66.08 

■■       29 66.41 

Sept.     5 67.67 

12 ,68.10 


Oct. 


19 
26. 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug.    : 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


.68.31 
.68.95 
.69.12 

1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 


There  is  little  to  say  regarding  the  silver  market,  the  above 
quotations  indicating  steadiness.  Purchases  for  India  have 
been  a  feature  in  a  market  with  restricted  supplies.  China  ex- 
changes showed  signs  of  hardening,  and  exports  from  London 
tend  to  decrease.  The  present  price  is  considered  a  reasonable 
one. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  Tork,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Sept.  27. 


28.75 
28.62 
28.50 
28.50 


"      30 

Oct.       1   Sunday 

2 28.50 

3 28.50 


Aug. 
Sept. 


Oct. 


Average  week  ending 

22 27.62 

29 28.00 

5 28.00 

12 28.06 

19 28.29 

26 28.41 

3 28.56 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   13.60 


1915. 
13.60 

14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 


Copper  dividends  paid  during  September  by  15  producers 
totaled  nearly  $24,000,000.  Utah  Copper  led  with  $4,873,470, 
followed  by  Kennecott  with  $4,166,367;  Phelps-Dodge,  $3,600,- 
000;  Calumet  &  Hecla,  $2,000,000;  Nevada  Con.,  $1,999,457;  Chlno, 
$1,957,455;  Calumet  &  Arizona,  $1,234,824;  Ray  Con.,  $1,182,847; 
Copper  Range,  $962,968;  and  Old  Dominion,  $880,059.  Nearly 
12,000,000  shares  will  receive  $1.99  each. 

Champion  Copper  has  declared  $6.40  per  share,  making  $43.40 
for  the  year.  Miami  pays  $1.50  per  share  on  November  15. 
Osceola  pays  $5  on  October  31,  North  Butte  75c.  on  the  23rd,  and 
Anaconda  $2  on  November  27.  The  last  amounts  to  $4,662,500. 
Inspiration  pays  $2  on  October  30. 

August  outputs  were  as  follows:  Chino,  6,326,116  lb.,  Nevada 
Con.,  7,688,014;  Ray  Con.,  6,597,032;  and  Utah  Copper,  20,315,440 
pounds. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  Tork  delivery. 


Da 

Sept 

te. 

27 

2S 

29 

30 

1 

2 

3 

7.00 
7.10 

Average  week  endir 

Aug.  22 

■•      29 

"      12 

"      19 

"      26 

Oct.       3 

averages 

1914.        1915. 
July                 3.80          5.59 
Aug.                 3.86          4.67 

Sept.  . 3.82          4.62 

Oct.                  3.60          4.62 
Nov.                 3.68          5.15 
Dec 3.80          5.34 

lg 

6.32 

Oct. 

Sunday 

7.10 

7.10 
.  .    7.10 

6.73 
6.80 
7.00 

1914. 
. .   4.11 

1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 

Monthly 
1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 

1916. 

Feb. 

.  .    4.02 

Mch. 

.  .    3.94 

Apr. 
May 
June 

..    3.86 

3.90 
..    3.90 

On  October  4  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  company  distributed 
dividend  No.  237,  of  $81,750. 

The  U.   S.   Geological   Survey  has  issued  its   pamphlet  report 
on  lead  in  1915. 

ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  Tork 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Sept.  27 
"  28 
"  29 
"      30 

Oct.       1 


Sunday 


9.00 
9.25 
9.37 
9.37 

9.37 
9.50 


Aug. 
Sept. 


Average  week  ending 


22. 

29. 

5. 

12. 

19. 

"      26. 

Oct.       3. 


9.43 
9.37 
8.87 
8.87 
9.46 
9.35 
9.31 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 


1914. 

.  5.14 

.  5.22 

Mch 5.12 

Apr 4.98 

May    4.91 

June    4.84 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.18 


New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.  will  pay  an  extra  dividend  of  10%  on 
October  10.     This  makes  62%  for  the  year,  equal  to  $21,700,000. 

Zinc  concentrate,  60%  metal,  averaged  $55.62  per  ton  at  Jop- 
lin  during  September. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date.  I    Sept.  19. 

Sept.     5 77.00  "26. 

"      12 75.00    I    Oct.       3. 

Monthly  averages 

1915.        1916. 

51.90      222.00 

60.00      295.00 

78.00      219.00 

77.50      141.60 

75.00        90.00 

90.00        74.70 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb .39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug.    80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


TIN 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 

Tin  is  steady  at  39.50  cents. 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.1? 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


.75.00 
.73.00 
.75.00 

1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 


544 


MINING   and  Scientific 


PRESS% 


October  7,  1916 


mm 


New  York,  September  27. 

All  ordinary  features  in  copper  were  eclipsed  by  the  closing 
last  week  of  a  contract  whereby  the  Allies  agreed  to  take 
200,000  gross  tons,  or  448,000,000  lb.,  of  electrolytic  copper,  de- 
livery to  be  over  the  first  half  of  1917,  at  a  price  somewhere 
between  26  and  27c.  The  quantity  represents  about  one-third 
of  the  United  States  production  of  the  period.  It  is  generally 
considered  that  the  ultimate  effect  of  this  enormous  purchase 
will  be  to  steady  the  metal,  inasmuch  as  it  will  take  the 
Allies  out  of  the  market  for  months  to  come,  and  leave  it  to 
domestic  influences.  The  copper  that  the  neutral  powers  of 
Europe  will  buy  will  not  count  for  much. 

Zinc  is  quieter  and  lower,  but  ultimately  it  is  thought  that 
the  Allies  will  buy  extensively. 

Lead  has  steadied  around  7c,  New  York,  the  quotation  of 
both  the  leading  interest  and  the  independents. 

The  inactivity  in  tin  has  disappointed  sellers. 

Antimony  continues  lifeless,  with  prompt  metal  at  lie,  duty 
paid. 

Aluminum  is  quoted  at  62  to  63c.  per  pound. 

COPPER 

Late  last  week  protracted  negotiations  were  closed,  and  on 
Saturday,  September  23,  it  was  announced  that  Great  Britain 
and  her  Allies  had  placed  a  contract  with  the  leading  Ameri- 
can copper  producers  whereby  the  latter  are  to  supply  the 
Entente  powers  with  200,000  gross  tons,  or  448,000,000  lb.  of 
electrolytic  copper,  delivery  to  be  distributed  over  the  first 
six  months  of  1917.  Reports  differ  as  to  the  price.  In  many 
directions  it  is  persistently  asserted  that  26.50  to  26.75c,  sea- 
board, is  to  be  paid,  but  the  reported  total  amount  involved — 
$120,000,000 — indicates  that  the  average  price  will  be  about 
26c.  With  certainty  it  can  be  said  that  the  consideration 
actually  was  between  26  and  27c  per  lb.  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co., 
fiscal  and  purchasing  agent  for  Great  Britain,  acted  for  the 
Allies,  while  the  producers'  interests  are  understood  to  have 
been  looked  after  by  John  D.  Ryan,  of  the  Anaconda  Copper 
Mining  Co.,  and  Joseph  Clendenin,  of  the  American  Smelting 
&  Refining  Company. 

According  to  the  terms  of  the  contract  the  Allied  govern- 
ments will  take  about  one-third  of  the  copper  produced  in  the 
first  half  of  1917.  Evenly  distributed,  exports  on  the  contract 
will  approximate  33,000  tons  per  month.  To  this  quantity 
must  be  added  that  to  be  taken  by  the  neutral  powers,  so  that 
it  is  safe  to  predict  that  monthly  exports  in  the  first  half  of 
next  year  will  break  all  records.  The  monthly  exports  av- 
eraged 22,559  tons  in  1915,  30,019  tons  in  1914,  and  31,901  tons 
in  1913  (the  record  year).  In  the  first  six  months  of  1916 
exports  totaled  147,943  tons,  of  which  the  Allies  took  136,635 
tons,  and  in  the  same  period  of  1915  exports  were  136,527  tons, 
of  which  these  Powers  received  123,373  tons. 

Members  of  the  trade  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  big  con- 
tract will  exercise  a  healthy  influence  on  the  market.  They 
believe  the  elimination  of  the  Allies  from  the  situation  for 
many  months  to  come  will  steady  the  market,  render  it  quiet, 
but  strong,  and  make  it  possible  for  the  domestic  consumer 
to  buy  into  the  future  without  risk  of  serious  loss.  Should 
there  develop  an  exceedingly  heavy  demand  from  industrial 
consumers  the  market  might  advance,  but  at  present  prices, 
further  large  buying  for  the  arts  of  peace  is  not  considered 
to  be  likely.  Even  at  present  prices  there  is  a  tendency  to 
find  substitutes  for  the  metal.  The  combined  buying  of  war 
contractors  and  industrial  consumers  has  been  heavy  in  the 
last  week,  the  impending  contract  with  the  Allies  having 
caused  a  rush  to  cover  first  quarter,  and  first-half  require- 
ments, although  less  activity   followed  the  announcement   of 


the  big  deal.  Considerable  variation  in  quotations  continues. 
Those  for  electrolytic  yesterday  (September  26)  were  about 
as  follows:  Prompt,  29c;  October,  28.75  to  29c;  last  quarter, 
28;  and  first  quarter,  27.25  to  27.75c  Lake  is  unobtainable 
for  early  delivery,  the  December  position  being  quoted  at  28c 
The  London  quotation  for  electrolytic  yesterday  was  £138, 
against  £135  10s.  a  week  previous.  The  Allies  now  have  con- 
trol of  the  foreign  market.  Exports  from  September  1  to  27 
totaled  21,851  tons. 

ZINC 

Business  tapered  off  in  the  early  part  of  last  week,  and  has 
since  been  spotty,  with  quotations  on  the  downward  trend. 
Early  last  week  a  few  hundred  tons  were  taken  by  Canadian 
buyers,  but  there  is  little  else  to  report.  Prompt  was  quoted 
yesterday  at  9c,  New  York,  and  8.75c,  St.  Louis,  with  last 
quarter  ranging  from  S.50  to  8.62ic,  St.  Louis.  The  trade  is 
firm  in  the  belief  that  the  Allies  will  sooner  or  later  come 
into  the  market  for  a  large  quantity  in  conjunction  with  the 
copper  to  be  delivered  over  the  first  half  of  1917.  It  is  recog- 
nized that  weeks  or  months  may  elapse  before  this  business 
comes.  Exports  are  heavy,  those  of  September,  up  to  and 
including  the  26th,  amounted  to  10,591.  The  total  exports  in 
1913,  the  last  year  preceding  the  War,  in  plates,  sheets,  pigs 
or  bars,  amounted  to  but  77S3  tons.  This  quantity  jumped  to 
64,802  tons  in  1914,  and  98,073  in  the  first  10  months  of  1915. 
The  spot  quotation  at  London  yesterday  was  £52,  against  £56 
a  week  previous.  Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at  15c  per  lb., 
carload  lots,  f.o.b.  mill,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

Whereas  a  few  days  ago  independent  producers  were  asking 
premiums  of  5  to  15  points  for  prompt  lead,  they  are  now 
offering  freely  at  7c,  New  York,  the  quotation  of  the  A.  S. 
&  R.  Co.  The  leading  producer  asks  6.92Jc,  St.  Louis,  and 
independents  quote  6.85c.  Canadian  purchasers  last  week  took 
round  lots  of  prompt  and  early  delivery  metal,  and  are  still 
in  the  market,  and  this  activity  provides  about  the  only  fea- 
ture of  note  at  present.  On  the  rise  of  the  market  consumers 
bought  extensively,  but  stopped  when  independents  endeavored 
to  get  over  7c.  Meanwhile  the  market  is  quiet  and  steady.  It 
is  noted  that  consumption  and  production  are  fairly  evenly 
balanced,  and  only  a  moderate  demand  will  serve  to  impart 
strength  to  the  market.  Exports  are  proceeding  at  a  good 
rate,  amounting  this  month,  up  to  yesterday,  to  4416  tons. 
The  London  quotation  for  spot  yesterday  was  £31  10s.,  against 
£30  15s.  a  week  previous. 

TIN 

The  heavy  buying  for  which  tin-brokers  have  been  looking 
has  not  materialized,  and  they  do  not  hesitate  in  saying  that 
they  are  disappointed.  On  one  or  two  days  activity  has  been 
fair,  as  on  September  21,  when  100  tons  changed  hands,  and 
the  following  day,  when  300  tons  was  taken.  The  interest 
was  almost  entirely  in  future  positions,  some  as  far  ahead  as 
June,  nearby  metal  being  neglected.  Banca  has  sold  to  a  lim- 
ited extent  every  day.  Two  reasons  are  vouchsafed  for  the 
inactivity  of  large  consumers:  one  is  that  the  tin-plate  price 
for  next  year  has  not  been  fixed,  and  manufacturers  ar.e  await- 
ing its  adjustment;  while  another  is  that  consumers  accumu- 
lated reserve  stocks  a  few  months  ago  when  the  future  ap- 
peared uncertain,  and  they  are  now  using  this  metal.  When 
buying  does  start,  it  would  not  be  surprising  to  see  a  run- 
away market.  The  spot  price  for  Straits  tin  yesterday  was 
3S.621c  On  September  26  there  was  afloat  2960  tons,  and  up 
to  yesterday  2750  tons  had  arrived. 


October 


1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


545 


U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  Washington,  D.  C,  1916: 

Surface  Water-supply  of  the  United  States,  1913.  Part 
XII.  North  Pacific  Drainage  Basins;  B,  Snake  River  Basin. 
P.  290.  Index. 

Molybdenite  and  Nickel  Ore  in  San  Diego  County,  Cal. 
Papers  hy  F.  C.  Calkins.     Bulletin  640-D.     P.  10.     Illustrated. 

Tin  Ore  in  Northern  Lander  County,  Nevada.  By  Adolph 
Knopf.     Bulletin  640-G.    P.  14.     Map. 

An  Anticlinal  Fold  Near  Billings,  Noble  County,  Okla- 
homa.   By  A.  E.  Fath.    Bulletin  641-E.    P.  IS.    Map. 

Oh.  and  Gas  Geology  of  the  Foraker  Quadrangle,  Osage 
County,  Oklahoma.  By  K.  C  Heald.  Bulletin  641-B.  P.  31. 
Maps. 

Structure  of  the  Vicksburg-Jackson  Area,  Mississippi. 
With  special  reference  to  oil  and  gas.  By  Oliver  B.  Hopkins. 
Bulletin  641-D.    P.  28.    Maps. 

Mineral  Resources  of  Alaska.  Report  on  progress  of  in- 
vestigations in  1915.  P.  279.  111.,  maps,  index.  Many  ab- 
stracts have  already  been  made  from  this  useful  publication. 

Lower  Eocene  Floras  of  South-Eastern  North  America. 
By  E.  W.  Berry.  Professional  paper  91.  P.  481.  111.,  and  117 
plates,  index. 

A  Reconnaissance  of  the  Archean  Complex  of  the  Gran- 
ite Gorge.  Grand  Canyon,  Arizona.  By  L.  F.  Noble  and  J. 
Fred  Hunter.    Professional  paper  9S-I.    P.  19.     Illustrated. 

North  American  Upper  Cretaceous  Corals  of  the  Genus 
Micrabacia.  By  L.  W.  Stephenson.  Professional  paper  9S-J. 
P.  17.    Illustrated. 

Some  Paleozoic  Sections  in  Arizona  and  Their  Correla- 
tion. By  F.  L.  Ransome.  Professional  paper  98-K.  P.  34. 
111.,  maps. 

The  Catahoula  Sandstone  and  Its  Flora.  Papers  by  G.  C. 
Matson  and  E.  W.  Berry.  Professional  paper  98-M.  P.  43. 
Illustrated. 

Mechanics  of  the  Panama-Canal  Slides.  By  George  F. 
Becker.    Professional  paper  98-N.     P.  9.     Illustrated. 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington,  D.  O,  1916: 

Black  Damp  in  Mines.  By  G.  A.  Burrell,  I.  W.  Robertson, 
and  G.  G.  Oberfell.    Bulletin  105.    P.  88.    Index. 

Methods  of  Sampling  Delivered  Coal.  Specifications  for 
the  purchase  of  coal  for  the  Government.  By  George  S.  Pope. 
Bulletin  116.    P.  64.     III.,  chart,  index. 

History  and  Development  of  Gold  Dredging  in  Montana. 
By  Hennen  Jennings.  With  a  chapter  on  'Placer-Mining 
Methods  and  Operating  Costs,'  by  Charles  Janin.  Bulletin 
121.  P.  63.  111.,  plans,  index.  An  abstract  of  this  appeared 
in  the  Press  of  September  23. 

Construction  and  Operation  of  a  Single-Tube  Cracking 
Furnace  for  Making  Gasoline.  By  C.  P.  Bowie.  Technical 
paper  161,  petroleum  technology  35.    P.  16.    111.,  plans. 


Magnetic  Properties  of  Cobalt  and  of  FenCO.  By  Herbert 
T.  Kalmus  and  K.  B.  Blake.  P.  18.  111.,  charts.  Department 
of  Mines,  Ottawa.  Canada,  1916.  This  is  part  5  of  researches 
into  cobalt  and  cobalt  alloys,  conducted  at  Queen's  University, 
Kingston,  Ontario. 


Cupellation  Losses  in  Assaying.  By  H.  T.  Mann  and  C.  Y. 
Clayton.  P.  60.  Charts.  Bulletin  of  School  of  Mines,  Uni- 
versity of  Missouri,  Rolla,  1916.  An  abstract  of  this  useful 
data  appeared  in  the  Press  of  September  23. 

Coal  Resources  of  the  Clintwood  and  Bucu  Quadrangles, 
Virginia.  By  Henry  Hinds.  Bulletin  No.  XII.  P.  206.  111., 
maps,  charts,  index.  University  of  Virginia,  Charlottesville, 
1916. 


^iBD&M,  iPaftsaaiis 


1,191,564.  Rock  and  Ore  Breaker.  Thomas  W.  Capen,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  assignor,  by  mesne  assignments,  to  Allis- 
Chalmers  Manufacturing  Company,  a  Corporation  of  Delaware. 
Filed  June  27,  1910.     Serial  No.  56S.990. 


1. .In  a  rock  and  ore  breaker,  an  annular  body,  means  for 
supporting  said  body  to  rotate  on  an  axis  at  an  angle  to  its 
axis  of  annularity,  a  head  within  said  annular  body  forming 
with  said  body  coacting  breaking  elements,  means  for  rotating 
said  body  on  said  axis  at  an  angle  to  its  axis  of  annularity, 
and  means  for  moving  one  of  said  breaking  elements  relative 
to  the  other  to  cause  their  breaking  surfaces  to  approach 
and  recede  fronj  each  other. 


1,193,190.     Concentrator.     Clinton   B.    Ripley,   Joplin,   Mo. 
Filed  Nov.  10,  1915.     Serial  No.  60,702. 


1M  t  tR  f^Jfrj$rm 


1.  In  a  concentrator,  a  longitudinally  reciprocatory  table- 
deck,  stationary  bearing  sockets  arranged  near  the  ends  of 
the  table-deck,  bearing  studs  connected  with  the  ends  of  the 
table-deck  and  mounted  to  reciprocate  within  the  bearing 
sockets,  yielding  means  connected  with  the  table-deck  and 
serving  to  wholly  support  the  same  and  hold  the  bearing  studs 
up  in  slidable  contact  with  the  bearing  sockets,  and  means  to 
reciprocate  the  table-deck. 


1,193,109.  Furnace-Binding.  James  A.  Bow  and  Peter  Thill, 
Great  Falls,  Mont.,  and  Archer  E.  Wheeler,  London,  England. 
Filed  Dec.  17,  1914.    Serial  No.  877,707. 


1.  In  combination  with  a  furnace  having  an  arched  roof 
and  supporting  walls  therefor,  a  series  of  buckstays  distributed 
at  intervals  around  the  walls  and  terminating  at  the  top  of 
the  walls,  a  fixed  support,  and  flexible  means  carried  by  said 
support  for  maintaining  the  upper  portions  of  the  buckstays 
in  permanent  engagement  with  said  walls. 


In  the  week  ended  September  19,  640  patents  were  gazetted. 


"46 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


October  7.  1916 


©Dsap&aa^  Si&pm-lm 


Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 


BLACKWATER  MINES 

This  is  the  most  important  gold  mine  in  the  South  Island  of 
New  Zealand.  According  to  the  general  manager,  V.  Hartog, 
development  amounted  to  5000  £t.  at  a  cost  of  $12.07  per  foot. 
Ore  reserves  are  estimated  at  91,251  tons,  averaging  $11.23  per 
ton  over  a  stoping  width  of  31.86  in.  Mining  cost  $3.32  per  ton, 
including  38c.  for  hoisting  and  8c.  for  pumping. 

The  mill  treated  54,643  tons  of  ore,  yielding  $S.60  per  ton 
by  amalgamation,  $1  by  cyanidation,  and  56c.  from  concen- 
trate, a  total  of  $10.16  per  ton.  The  recovery  totaled  89.08%. 
The  total  value  was  £115,611  ($557,000).  Costs  were  as 
follows:  ore  transport,  2c;  rock-breaker,  2c;  stamping,  26c; 
tube-milling,  6c;  concentration,  4c;  cyaniding,  2Sc. ;  a  total, 
with  sundries,  of  69c  per  ton. 

The  year's  profit  was  £62,048  ($298,000),  of  which  $120,000 
was  distributed  in  dividends.    The  credit  balance  is  $77,000. 

ZINC  CORPORATION 

This  company  operates  the  South  Blocks  mine  at  Broken 
Hill,  Australia,  and  buys  and  treats  by  flotation  old  tailing 
from  the  other  mines.  The  zinc  flotation  plant  was  not 
operated  on  account  of  the  War  interfering  with  sale  of  con- 
centrate. 

Mine  development  consisted  of  4032  ft.,  including  154S  ft. 
of  diamond  drilling.  The  main  shaft  is  1433  ft.  deep.  Re- 
serves are  estimated  at  1,504,211  tons,  averaging  14.8%  lead, 
2.5  oz.  silver,  and  9.2%  zinc,  an  increase  of  318,341  tons. 

In  247  days  the  lead  concentrating  plant  treated  154,628 
tons  of  ore  of  almost  the  above  average,  yielding  31.307  tons 
of  concentrate,  61.1%  lead,  9.1  oz.  silver,  and  7.4%  zinc. 

The  year's  profit  was  $675,000.  Dividends  were  paid  on 
common  and  preferred  shares.  The  sum  of  $480,000  was  spent 
in  buying  shares  of  the  Broken  Hill  Associated  Smelters 
Proprietary. 

WAIHI  GOLD  MINING  CO. 

The  superintendent,  E.  G.  Banks,  of  this,  the  largest  gold 
and  silver  producer  in  New  Zealand,  in  the  North  Island, 
reports  as  follows  for  the  past  year: 

The  principal  work  in  the  mine  was  in  opening  No.  11  level. 
on  which  5577  ft.  of  development  was  done.  This  opened 
considerable  quantities  of  ore.  No.  4  shaft  was  sunk  171  ft. 
to  the  1470-ft.  level.  Total  exploration  amounted  to  17.6S1 
ft.  Ore  reserves  increased  29.043  tons  to  673,896  tons.  The 
Cornish  pumps  (Hathorn-Davey)  lifted  85,915,450  gal.,  and 
the  electric  pumps  317,024,241  gal.  of  water.  A  turbine  pump 
was  installed  on  the  1300-ft.  level.  Seventy  drills,  mostly  of 
the  stoping-hammer  type,  are  in  use. 

In  the  200-stamp  mill,  6  miles  by  rail  from  the  mine,  an 
average  of  113.131  stamps  and  7.025  tube-mills  (total  11) 
reduced  192,333  tons  of  ore,  averaging  $7.76  gold  and  2  oz. 
12  dwt.  silver  per  ton.  The  residue  contained  56c  gold  and 
9  dwt.  of  silver.    The  recovery  value  was  91.2%. 

Concentrate  assayed  9  oz.  19  dwt.  15  gr.  gold  and  40  oz. 
2  dwt.  7  gr.  of  silver  per  ton.  The  extraction  from  this  was 
97.7%.  There  was  melted  67,069  lb.  of  zinc-gold  slime,  yield- 
ing 531,490  oz.  of  dore  bullion.  The  refinery  produced  gold 
999.5  and  silver  996.0  fine. 

The  year's  revenue  totaled  £363,679  ($1,750,000).  Costs 
totaled  $5.20  per  ton,  including  office,  taxes,  fees,  etc.,  etc. 
Dividends  (4  of  24c  each),  totaled  $480,000.  Investments  at 
cost  amount  to  $1,S20,000. 

The  hydro-electric  plant,  50  miles  away,  costing  $941,000. 
generated  12,597,640  units.  It  operates  on  the  Waikato  river, 
and  the  transmission-lines  cross  plains  and  a  rugged  range 
over  2000  ft.  high  on  steel  towers. 


In  Bulletins  100,  101,  and  102  of  the  Stow  Manufacturing 
Co.,  Binghampton,  N.  Y.,  are  described  electric  motors,  port- 
able electric  tools,  and  the  Stow  flexible  shaft  with  its  many 
applications,  respectively.  To  mine  mechanics  these  publica- 
tions are  of  interest. 

In  Bulletin  No.  125  the  Joshua  Hendy  Iron  Works  of  San 
Francisco  talks  about  Matteson  mine-cars  made  by  this  firm. 
Important  features  of  design  are  pointed  out  in  red.  The 
compound  hinge  allows  the  body  of  the  car  to  be  tipped  to  an 
angle  of  10°,  allowing  for  dumping  on  either  side.  Hyatt 
roller-bearings  are  fitted  on  the  axles.  Specifications  are 
given  for  several  types  of  cars. 

The  General  Engineering  Co.  of  Salt  Lake  City  has  been 
employed  by  the  Consolidated  Coppermines  Co.  to  re-construct 
the  Giroux  concentrator  at  Kimberly,  Nevada,  to  treat  500 
tons  per  day  of  Coppermines'  ore.  The  treatment  in  the  re- 
constructed plant  will  be  by  Callow  flotation,  followed  by 
table  concentration.  Work  started  on  September  S,  and  is  in 
the  direct  charge  of  Walker  J.  Boudwln,  one  of  the  firm's 
engineers.    About  60  men  are  now  employed  at  the  mill. 

As  a  guide  for  mill-men,  rather  than  for  metallurgists,  the 
General  Naval  Stores  Co.  of  New  York  has  issued  a  booklet 
which  outlines  the  frothing  and  foaming  properties  of  various 
kinds  of  oils,  with  suggestions  for  combining  them  to  success- 
fully treat  a  given  ore.  The  publication  really  summarizes  the 
company's  observations  on  oils  as  applied  to  flotation.  Details 
are  given  on  the  properties  of  G.  N.  S.  flotation  oils,  and  oil- 
mixtures.  Interesting  notes  are  presented  on  frothing  agents, 
including  pine-oils,  coal-tar  creosotes,  coal-tar,  and  sludge-acid. 
Flotation  oils  may  be  divided  into  two  general  classes,  namely, 
frothing  agents  and   oiling  or  collecting  agents. 

Aerial  tramways  recently  supplied  by  A.  Leschen  &  Sons 
Rope  Co.  of  St.  Louis  were  as  follows:  Queen  of  the  West 
Mines  Co.,  Cornucopia,  Oregon.  A  gravity  two-bucket  tram 
3200  ft.  long,  the  line  having  a  fall  in  this  distance  of  1456  ft. 
This  tramway  will  have  a  capacity  of  6  tons  of  ore  per  hour, 
and  replaces  a  single-line  tram  of  another  manufacture. — Cot- 
tonwood Coal  Co..  Lehigh.  Montana.  A  two-bucket  tram  for  the 
disposal  of  waste.  This  line  has  a  length  of  S00  ft.,  and 
carries  at  the  rate  of  20  tons  per  hour.  The  tram  has  ltj-in. 
diam.  special-steel  track-ropes,  and  a  §-in.  diam.  traction-rope. 
The  carriers  are  of  24-cu.  ft.  capacity.  The  material  is  dumped 
by  means  of  an  aerial  trip  at  any  point  along  the  line. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  average  person  thinks  of  pipe 
merely  as  "a  piece  of  steel  with  a  hole  in  it."  The  National 
Tube  Co.  of  Pittsburg  states  that  the  widely  ramifying  use  of 
tubular  products  is  one  of  the  romances  of  this  country.  Some 
of  the  uses  of  pipe  are  as  follows:  agricultural  implements, 
automobiles,  bedstead  and  hospital  furniture,  architectural 
iron  work,  grill  work,  building  columns,  refrigerating  ma- 
chinery, dry-kiln  apparatus,  elevator  cars,  fence  posts,  orna- 
mental fences,  flag-poles,  gymnasium  apparatus,  wheel-barrows, 
work  benches,  ornamental  gates,  elevator  grain-spouts,  in- 
valid chairs,  irrigation  systems,  safety  ladders,  loom  cylinders, 
warship  masts,  lighting  and  high-tension  poles,  playground 
apparatus,  electric-wiring  conduits,  railway-signal  apparatus, 
speaking  tubes,  lunch-counter  stools,  sprinkler  systems,  signal- 
towers,  and  at  many  places  around  mines  and  mills.  There  has 
been  a  decided  change  in  material,  as  50  years  ago  nearly  all 
of  the  screw-joint  pipe  was  wrought  iron.  In  1905  the  wrought 
iron  and  steel  pipe  amounted  to  452,797  and  93S.19S  tons, 
respectively;  in  1915  this  was  262,198  and  2.037,266  tons,  show- 
ing the  great  increase  in  steel  for  pipe.  The  company  is 
erecting  a  nt'W  500,000-ton  per  year  plant  at  Gary,  Indiana. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  OCTOBER  14,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  16 


.1 


DORR  THICKENER   IN  OPERATION;   PART  OF  THE  ARIZONA  COPPER  COMPANY'S  PLANT 


FLOTATION  is  much  to  the  front  at  the  present  moment, 
owing  to  a  number  of  interesting  papers  read  before  the 
recent  meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers  and  the  decision  in  the  Minerals  Separation  V. 
Miami  Copper  Company  suit.  In  this  issue  we  publish  the 
text  of  the  court's  opinion  in  this  important  suit  and  we  give 
also  a  valuable  article,  on  flotation  practice,  by  Mr.  David  Cole. 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  14,  1916 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Company/ 

501  MAR.K.E.T    St. 

San  Francisco, Cal 


Two  Thousand  Dollars 

s====  PER  DAY  =^= 

Is  the  earning  capacity  placed  by  the  Aetna  Explosives  Company 
on  the  Oliver  Filters  ordered  for  express  shipment  according 
to  our  advertisement  of  September  twenty-third. 

HERE  IS  THE  SEQUEL  TO  THE  STORY: 


Of  the  two  filters  ordered,  one  was  ship- 
ped by  Express  and  the  other  by 

Express.  The  first  Express  Com- 
pany made  delivery  in  seven  days,  the 
other  made  delivery  in  seventeen  days. 
By  reason  of  the  alleged  inexcusable  de- 


lay in  the  latter  case,  the  Aetna  Ex- 
plosives Company  consider  that  they  have 
been  damaged  to  the  extent  of  $10,000, 
or  $1000  per  day,  and  have  brought  suit 
against  the  express  company  for  this 
amount. 


These  two  small  Oliver  Filters  were  ordered  to  re- 
place no  less  than  twenty  pressure-filters,  which  re- 
quired the  constant  attention  of  twenty  men  for  their 
operation,  and  cost  $4000  each,  a  total  of  $S0,000. 
Compare  these  figures: 


Two  Oliver  Continuous  Filters . 
Costing  $2000 


Twenty  Pressure  Filters 
Costing  $80,000 


It  is  not  surprising  that  the  Olivers  are  deemed 
worth  $1000  per  day  to  the  Company,  when  the  first 
cost,  the  operating  cost  of  sixty  men  per  day  and 
the  reduction  of  losses  from  25%  to  less  than  4'/  are 
considered. 

The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter 

is  worth  as  much  to  you  as  to  anyone  else. 
We  will  be  glad  to  show  you  why.    Write  us  about  them. 


No  Royalties 
to  pay  on  any 
of  the  work 
of  an  Oliver. 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  R1CKARD 
M.  W.  voo  BERNEWiTZ  \  .    . 


H  G.THIELE 


r 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manage, 

iiiiiinii! ■■■■■■in ilium ■ i i n mi i i i milium i mill 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 

SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaslo  Caetanl. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert.         K 
C.  W.  Purlngton. 
Horace  V.  Winchell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  October  14,  1916 


?3  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL 


Notes 


Page. 

. .   547 


Flotation   in   the   South- West    549 

Comment  on  sundry  data  given  in  papers  read  before 
the  recent  meeting  of  the  Institute,  together  with 
other  information. 

Those  Coppeb  Quotations    ■ 550 

Reference  to  the  discrepancy  in  the  average  price  of 
copper  as  given  by  various  authorities,  with  a  sug- 
gestion for  adjusting  the  difficulty. 


ARTICLES 


Life  on  an  Early  Geological  Survey. 

By  H.  Foster  Bain 564 

An  amusing  chapter  of  incidents  on  the  Kentucky 
survey,  among  whose  staff  were  several  well-known 
men.  Stress  is  laid  on  the  importance  of  the  camp- 
cook.  In  their  spare  time  the  geologists'  explora- 
tions led  to  difficulties.  A  note  following  this  sketch 
gives  the  mineral  output  of  Kentucky.  A  curious  com- 
bination is  galena  and  fluorspar. 


Re-Timbering  a  Four-Compartment  Shaft. 
By  H.  G.  Thiele   


567 


The  solution  of  a  difficult  problem  of  shaft-repair  in 
heavy  ground.  The  method  is  elastic  and  application 
is  not  limited  to  special  conditions. 


The  Wilmington  Decision  on  Flotation. 

Text  of  Opinion   by  Judge  Bradford  in  the   V.  S. 
District  Court   551 

First  part  of  the  decision,  to  be  followed  next  week 
by  the  remainder,  in  the  suit  of  Minerals  Separation 
v.  Miami  Copper  Co.  for  infringement  of  patents  No. 
835,120,  962,678,  and  1,099,699.  As  discussed  editori- 
ally last  week,  infringement  of  the  first  patent  is  in 
claims  1,  9,  and  12  which  relate  to  frothing  crushed 
ore  in  aid  of  a  specific  minute  proportion  of  oil.  The 
principal  question  in  the  suit  is  whether  patentable 
invention  was  involved  in  the  discovery  that  the 
minute  proportion  of  0.1%  of  oil  to  the  ore  was  suffi- 
cient for  commercially  successful  results.  The  Catter- 
mole  process,  the  Everson  patent,  work  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  California,  and  Froment  patents  are 
analyzed. 

Flotation  in  the  Clifton-Morenci  District,  Arizona. 

By  David  Cole   556 

The  Arizona  Copper  Co.'s  ore  is  another  that  has 
benefited  by  the  addition  of  a  flotation  process.  Ex- 
periments are  detailed.  Use  of  the  tube-grate  cell 
and  C-B  machine  are  described.  Screen  analyses  are 
given  of  all  products.    Excellent  drawings  are  given. 


Gold  Mining  in  War  Time   569 

Owing  to  their  distance  from  the  source  of  many  im- 
portant supplies,  labor  unrest,  and  increasing  taxes, 
mining  companies  in  Western  Australia  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  make  much  profit  on  low-grade  ore. 


DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    570 

Review   of  Mining    571 

Special    correspondence    from    Redding,    California; 

Sutter  Creek,  California;   Toronto,  Ontario. 

The  Mining  Summary   573 

Personal 577 

The  Metal  Market  578 

Eastern  Metal  Market   579 

Book   Reviews    580 

'Methods   in   Metallurgical   Analysis,'   by   Charles   H. 

White;   'Examples  in  Alternating  Currents,'  by  F.  E. 

Austin;  'Centrifugal  Pumps  and  Suction  Dredges,'  by 

E.    W.    Sargeant;    'Practical    Hydraulics,'    by    James 

Park. 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

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12 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRES£ 


October  14,  1916 


REMOTE  AUTOMATIC  CONTROL 
IN  A  MINE 


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Seattle,  Wash. 

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Springfield,  Mass. 

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Toledo,  Ohio 

Washington,  D.  C. 

Youngstown,  Ohio 

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Detroit,  Mich. 

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October  14.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


547 


!!  I  .:.  . 


T.    A.    RICKARD,     3E«flift©ff 


i^ARRANZA  has  abolished  the  vice-presidency  of 
^  Mexico  by  decree,  yet  he  remains  First  Chief  of  the 
Constitutionalist  Party.  The  lack  of  a  sense  of  humor 
is  at  the  back  of  many  calamities  that  befall  mankind. 

HPHE  passing  of  resolutions  demanding  the  develop- 
■*-  ment  of  our  foreign  trade  is  a  sign  of  the  times,  but 
the  learning  of  Spanish,  Russian,  and  French  would  be 
a  more  effective  means  to  that  end.  In  linguistic  pre- 
paredness we  are  a  provincial  people. 


TT  is  reported  that  the  management  of  the  Granby 
■*■  Consolidated  and  other  American  mining  companies 
operating  in  Canada  are  satisfied  that  no  drastic  action 
will  be  token  by  the  Dominion  authorities  in  the  matter 
of  taxation.  We  published  letters  on  the  subject  in  our 
last  issue. 


OPEAKING  of  apex  suits,  the  judge  in  the  Phoenix 
**-*  Reef  case  in  London,  to  which  we  referred  recently, 
has  become  so  wearied  by  the  interminable  wrangle  that 
when  the  defendant's  counsel  said  something  about  "the 
strike  of  the  reefs,"  he  interjected:  "Strike!  That  is 
what  I  shall  do  if  this  case  does  not  soon  finish." 


/~|NE  of  the  notable  episodes  of  the  recent  Institute 
^-'  meeting  in  Arizona  was  the  luncheon  given  by  the 
Calumet  &  Arizona  Copper  Company.  This  was  served 
on  tables  arranged  under  the  dust-chamber  adjoining  the 
blast-furnaces.  The  cleanliness  of  the  extemporized 
luncheon-room  was  typical  of  the  whole  smelter-plant. 


MINING  engineers  all  over  the  world  will  be  sorry  to 
hear  of  the  death  of  Bedford  McNeill.  To  some  of 
them  he  will  be  known  only  as  the  compiler  of  a  useful 
code-book,  but  to  many  he  was  endeared  as  a  kind  and 
helpful  friend,  a  good  citizen,  and  an  upright  engineer. 
In  London,  where  he  lived,  he  will  be  missed  as  a  sa- 
gacious co-operator  in  every  kind  of  useful  professional 
organization.  He  leaves  an  honorable  name  and  a  sweet 
memory. 

A  PPE ALS  for  subscriptions  for  the .  memorial  to 
-^"*-  Joseph  A.  Holmes  are  being  made  by  a  committee 
that  includes  representatives  of  all  the  principal  scien- 
tific and  engineering  societies.  Twenty-two  national 
societies  are  taking  part  in  the  organization,  called  the 
'Joseph  A.  Holmes  Safety  Association,'  of  which  Mr. 
Van  H.  Manning  is  president.  One  of  the  vice-presidents 
is  Mr.  Samuel  Gompers,  representing  the  American 
Federation  of  Labor,  and  one  of  the  members  of  the  ex- 


ecutive committee  is  Mr.  Hennen  Jennings,  representing 
the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  The  in- 
tention is  to  award  annually  one  or  more  medals,  with 
honorariums,  for  the  encouragement  of  those  originating 
or  developing  safety  devices  or  methods.  The  profession 
is  invited  to  subscribe,  sending  their  subscriptions  to  the 
honorary  secretary,  Mr.  David  T.  Day,  at  Washington. 


/^"  OPPER  production  during  the  first  half  of  next  year 
^  is  anticipated  to  reach  a  total  of  600,000  tons  or  as 
much  as  the  refinery  capacity  in  the  United  States.  The 
recent  sale  of  200,000  long  tons  to  Great  Britain  is 
equivalent  to  one-third  of  the  output  of  metal  to  be 
made  in  this  country  during  the  first  half  of  1917,  this 
deal  calling  for  deliveries  beginning  in  January  next  in 
monthly  installments  of  75  million  pounds. 


TF  the  news  printed  concerning  conditions  in  Mexico 
•*•  were  reliable,  the  public  would  be  well  informed,  but 
it  is  not.  For  example,  the  New  York  World  publishes 
a  long  story  by  a  special  correspondent  and  we  might 
accept  it  as  a  fairly  accurate  picture,  but  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Examiner  re-prints  it  with  a  hasty  endorsement 
and  at  once  we  doubt  the  truth  of  it.  Mr.  Hearst's  paper 
is  so  prone  to  verbal  inexactitudes  that  its  statements 
have  become  uninteresting. 

llyfR.  WARBURG  suggests  that  it  is  ridiculous  for  a 
■*■*-'-  country  owning  over  two  and  a  half  billions  of  gold 
not  to  mobolize  a  larger  free  gold  reserve  than  two  or 
three  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  Is  it  not  equally 
ridiculous  for  a  country  having  such  natural  gold  re- 
sources in  its  mines  and  prospects  not  to  stimulate  the 
output  of  metal  from  them?  The  fact  that  60%  of  the 
world 's  output  of  gold  is  produced  under  the  British  flag 
is  peculiarly  fortunate  for  Great  Britain  at  this  time. 
We  produce  only  20%  of  the  world's  output,  but  we 
ought  to  be  producing  a  great  deal  more.  National  in- 
terest demands  that  mining  of  gold  be  encouraged  in 
every  way  possible. 


REFERRING  to  the  unexplored  mining  area  in  the 
Far  East  Rand  and  the  desire  of  the  South  African 
government  to  interest  capital  in  the  exploitation  of  this 
promising  tract,  we  note  that  the  Union  Government  is 
calling  for  tenders  of  lease  on  two  areas  covering  1812 
and  651  claims,  equivalent  to  2718  and  976  acres,  re- 
spectively. In  the  first  lease  $4,000,000  is  required  for 
shaft-sinking  and  $3,500,000  more  for  bringing  the 
property  to  a  productive  stage ;  in  the  second  lease  a  sum 
of  $1,500,000  is  required  for  shaft-sinking  and   other 


548 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  14,  1916 


preliminary  development,  and  a  further  sum  of  equal 
amount  to  bring  the  property  to  production.  On  this 
occasion  an  underwriting  commission  of  5%  is  allowed, 
but  no  vendor's  or  promoter's  shares  are  to  be  created. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Government  has  some  intimation 
that  tenders  will  be  forthcoming,  otherwise  the  adver- 
tisement would  not  have  been  made.  Meanwhile  the 
Labor  party  wants  the  Government  to  mine  the  unde- 
veloped territory  on  national  account,  and  the  big 
financial  groups  in  London  or  Johannesburg  insist  that 
the  terms  granted  heretofore  by  the  Government  are  not 
sufficiently  attractive.  Will  the  American  syndicate 
bite?    "We  believe  not. 

/""\N  another  page  we  give  the  first  part  of  the  opinion 
^-^  handed  down  by  Judge  Bradford  in  the  suit  of 
Minerals  Separation  v.  Miami  Copper  Company,  tried 
last  year  before  the  U.  S.  District  Court  of  Delaware, 
at  Wilmington.  The  decision  is  belated,  for  the  trial 
ended  in  May  1915,  so  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  Court 
has  taken  great  pains  to  understand  the  technical  issues 
raised  in  the  course  of  the  trial.  The  opinion  is  ex- 
pressed in  language  that  must  command  intellectual 
respect,  the  wording  is  clear  and  well  chosen.  We  shall 
reproduce  the  essential  portions  of  the  text,  omitting 
sundry  paragraphs  of  an  explanatory  character  aimed  to 
help  a  reader  not  versed  in  the  technology  of  concen- 
tration processes  in  general,  or  of  flotation  in  particular. 
Owing  to  the  exigencies  of  space  we  shall  also  omit  a 
long  description  of  the  process  appearing  in  patent  No. 
835,120,  the  references  to  the  Fryer  Hill  publication,  a 
lengthy  excerpt  from  the  Cattermole  patent  No.  777,273, 
another  from  the  Kirby  patent  No.  809,959,  and  a  sum- 
mary of  the  British  litigation  over  the  Elmore  bulk-oil 
process,  which  plays  no  part  in  the  present  flotation 
litigation.  The  first  part  of  Judge  Bradford's  opinion 
covers  the  main  issue ;  the  second  part,  which  deals  with 
subordinate,  but  important,  questions,  will  appear  in  our 
next  issue,  together  with  our  own  comment  on  the  deci- 
sion as  a  whole. 

'"PEN  years  ago  distillation  was  practically  the  sole 
-*-  method  used  in  the  extraction  of  zinc  from  its  ores 
and  concentrates.  Development  of  hydro-metallurgic 
processes  has  advanced  since  then  at  so  swift  a  pace  as  to 
offer  a  formidable  challenge  to  the  supremacy  of  the  ex- 
pensive furnace  method.  The  Brunner-Mond  works  in 
England  are  well  known,  where  calcium-chloride  waste 
from  alkali  manufacture  constitutes  a  source  of  active 
chlorine  for  dissolving  the  zinc  as  chloride  from  roasted 
ores,  the  metal  being  electrolytically  deposited  from 
this  solution,  yielding  spelter  more  than  99.5%  pure. 
Electrolytic  zinc  from  sulphate  solutions  has  been  pro- 
duced for  many  years  in  Germany  and  Russia,  but  the 
details  of  the  industrial  electrolysis  have  not  been  ac- 
cessible, having  been  guarded  in  the  medieval  fashion  as 
a  trade  secret.  At  Trail,  British  Columbia,  the  Con- 
solidated Mining  &  Smelting  Company  of  Canada  is  now 
producing  zinc  from  complex  ores  by  a  method  depend- 
ing  on   these    general    reactions,    without    concealment 


under  a  cloak  of  mystery.  This  will  be  the  subject  of  an 
article  in  one  of  our  forthcoming  issues.  Meanwhile  we 
note  a  reference  to  the  Isherwood  process  in  the  Finan- 
cial Times,  London.  This  process  has  much  in  common 
with  the  one  employed  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Hamilton  at  Trail, 
depending  primarily  upon  the  fact  that  zinc  oxide  is 
readily  soluble  in  solutions  of  zinc  sulphate  under  pres- 
sures ranging  from  three  to  fourteen  atmospheres.  Thus 
the  roasted  ore,  treated  with  weak  sulphuric  acid,  dis- 
solves some  zinc  as  sulphate,  which  in  turn  becomes  the 
solvent  for  the  remaining  zinc  oxide  in  the  calcine,  and 
is  furthermore  accommodating  enough  to  discriminate 
against  iron,  which  latter  under  the  conditions  of  tem- 
perature and  pressure  maintained  is  scarcely  touched. 
In  the  plant  at  Trail  the  reactions  are  obtained  at 
normal  pressure,  and  the  solutions  seldom  contain  in 
excess  of  0.008%  iron.  An  exceptionally  pure  spelter  is 
the  natural  result. 


CTRIKES  for  higher  wages  in  gold-mining  districts 
*-^  are  prompted  mainly  by  sympathy  with  copper- 
mining  regions,  where  the  scale  of  wages  is  based,  in 
large  measure,  on  the  price  of  copper.  This,  of  course, 
works  a  hardship  on  the  operators  of  gold  mines;  they 
are  paying  more  for  their  supplies,  from  chemicals  to 
machinery,  than  before  the  War,  and  are  gaining  no 
advantage  from  the  big  trade  in  munitions.  Indeed, 
gold  has  depreciated  in  value  as  measured  by  the  sup- 
plies, implements,  or  food  that  it  will  buy.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  general  cost  of  living  has  advanced  38% 
during  the  past  twelve  months,  so  that  the  miner's  wages 
do  not  go  as  far  as  they  did  in  the  purchase  of  neces- 
saries. Evidently  the  employer  and  the  employee  on  a 
gold  mine  are  both  suffering  injury  from  the  War  and 
they  should  know  enough  concerning  the  basic  facts  to 
be  considerate  of  one  another.  The  strike  at  the  Mother 
Lode  mines  of  California  is  'petering  out,'  we  are  in- 
formed, and  we  are  aware  of  no  reason  why  it  should 
not.  Some  of  the  mining  companies  raised  wages  volun- 
tarily last  year  and  showed  a  fair  spirit  in  the  matter; 
it  is  a  pity  to  make  trouble  through  demands  that  are 
not  just  nor  likely  to  be  justified. 

A  NNOUNCEMENT  is  made  that  Mr.  Fred.  Hellmann 
■£*■  has  been  appointed  consulting  mining  engineer 
to  the  Guggenheim  Brothers.  The  news  is  interesting, 
for  Mr.  Hellmann  has  many  friends  in  the  West  that 
recognize  the  ability  he  has  exhibited  both  in  South 
Africa  and  Chile ;  but  the  announcement  is  also  note- 
worthy by  reason  of  the  new  style  of  the  Guggenheim 
family  firm :  Guggenheim  Brothers  succeeding  M.  Gug- 
genheim's Sons.  When  Meyer  Guggenheim  had  created 
a  big  mining  and  smelting  business  he  passed  it  to  his 
sons,  of  whom  there  were  seven,  and  now  there  are  six, 
Isaac,  Daniel,  Murry,  Solomon,  Simon,  and  William. 
The  youngest  is  not  in  the  organization ;  in  fact,  he  is 
conducting  a  bitter  lawsuit  over  the  division  of  profit 
in  the  Chuquicamata  deal.  Benjamin  Guggenheim  went 
down  on  the  Titanic.    Meyer  Guggenheim,  the  founder 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


549 


of  the  liauti  finance  of  American  raining  and  metal- 
lurgy, landed  at  Philadelphia  as  a  poor  immigrant  from 
Switzerland  in  18-47  and  died  in  1905.  He  was  a  man 
intensely  acquisitive  of  information,  shrewd,  and  hard- 
working. Beginning  life  as  a  dealer  in  lace,  he  lent 
money  on  a  note  that  brought  him  eventually  into  the 
control  of  the  A.  Y.  and  Minnie  mine  at  Leadville. 
Then  he  joined  the  enterprising  '  Ed. '  Holden  in  building 
the  Philadelphia  smelter  at  Pueblo  and  thus  got  a  foot 
in  the  smelting  business.  By  that  time  his  lace  business 
had  enriched  him  so  that  he  was  able  to  transfer  this 
smelting  venture  to  his  sons  under  the  style  of  M.  Gug- 
genheim's Sons,  not  Meyer  Guggenheim  &  Sons.  How 
the  smelter  in  Colorado  became  the  first  unit  of  an  im- 
mense business  we  all  know.  Two  of  his  grandsons  are 
now  in  the  organization,  namely,  Harry  the  son  of 
Daniel,  and  Edmund  the  son  of  Murry,  these  younger 
men  being  in  the  employ  of  the  Chile  and  Braden  copper 
companies.  The  inheritance  left  by  the  founder  has  been 
developed  and  expanded  by  his  sons  until  it  has  become 
synonymous  with  skillful  and  successful  operations  on 
the  biggest  scale  known  to  the  modern  world. 

3PE©3aM©sa  asu  tDaa  !>©mtIh=W<ig,£ 


In  this  issue  we  publish  an  article  by  Mr.  David  Cole 
on  flotation  practice  in  the  Clifton-Morenci  district  and 
in  preceding  issues  we  have  given  our  readers  lengthy 
excerpts  from  the  paper  by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gahl  on  the  his- 
tory of  the  flotation  process  at  the  Inspiration  mine. 
These  were  the  outstanding  papers  on  the  subject  as  dis- 
cussed at  the  recent  meeting  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers,  more  especially  at  the  session  held 
at  Globe.  The  metallurgical  success  achieved  by  the 
flotation  process  at  Inspiration  is  romantic  in  its  com- 
pleteness. While  a  mill  was  being  designed  to  treat  the 
ore  from  a  new  and  promising  mine,  the  Minerals  Sep- 
aration company,  then  little  known  in  Arizona,  re- 
quested an  opportunity  to  demonstrate  the  frothing 
process.  On  the  request  being  granted,  a  50-ton  flota- 
tion unit  was  erected  by  the  side  of  the  existing  test-mill. 
That  was  in  1913.  Three  years  later  the  Inspiration  is 
treating  16,500  tons  daily  by  flotation  and  all  of  the 
machinery  in  the  original  mill-building,  except  three 
electric  cranes,  has  been  scrapped.  Dr.  Gahl  gives  the 
total  cost  of  milling  at  40  cents  per  ton,  of  which  one- 
half  represents  crushing  and  grinding  of  the  ore.  The 
expense  of  flotation  treatment  alone — labor,  oil  sup- 
plies, and  power — amounts  to  only  5.76  cents  per  ton. 
Royalty  is  not  included  in  any  of  these  figures,  it  ranges 
from  7  to  12  cents  per  ton,  according  to  the  tonnage. 
The  recovery  on  the  sulphide  copper  minerals  is  about 
92%,  but  the  average  is  reduced  to  74%  by  the  presence 
of  some  oxidized  ore,  on  which  the  recovery  is  only  20%. 
In  short,  the  metallurgical  treatment  is  not  yet  per- 
fected. It  is  noteworthy  that  a  better  recovery  is  made 
on  pulp  of  minus  200-mesh  than  on  the  coarser  product ; 
this  is  nothing  new  in  gold-milling,  but  it  serves  to  em- 
phasize the  fact  that  the  sliming  of  copper  ore  is  not  a 


detriment,  and  thus  marks  the  great  divergence  of  prac- 
tice between  flotation  and  the  old  wet-concentration 
methods.  As  to  machines,  the  Inspiration  staff  tested  a 
number  of  them,  finally  evolving  one  of  their  own  design 
that  did  better  work  than  any  other.  It  was  modeled  on 
its  predecessors,  the  Callow,  Flinn-Towne,  Cole-Bergman, 
and  Hebbard  apparatus.  In  its  final  form  it  approaches 
the  ideal  of  a  launder  with  a  porous  bottom.  It  is  made 
of  steel ;  all  pipe-connections  are  from  above  and  there- 
fore readily  visible ;  an  air-tight  joint  is  established 
where  the  pipe  passes  through  the  porous  medium  into 
the  air-chamber.  The  consumption  of  air  is  11.8  cubic 
feet  per  minute  per  square  foot  of  porous  surface.  Va- 
rious substitutes  for  canvas  were  tried:  for  example, 
sheets  of  rubber  and  rubberized  canvas,  and  the  results 
were  encouraging,  but  not  conclusive.  As  regards  flota- 
tion agents,  the  hocus-pocus  of  special  mixtures  of  oils 
was  early  disproved  by  experiment,  to  the  discomfiture 
of  the  'experts.'  A  man  that  claims  to  be  an  'expert' 
in  a  process  as  yet  so  little  understood  as  flotation  de- 
serves an  iron  cross.  After  using  cresylic  acid  98% 
pure  and  grumbling  at  even  a  2%  shortcoming,  it  was 
suggested  by  the  frankly  non-expert  metallurgist  that 
cresylic  acid  might  not  represent  the  particular  fraction 
from  coal-distillation  that  -was  most  useful  in  a  flotation- 
cell.  So  tar  was  distilled  from  a  sample  of  ordinary 
soft  coal,  from  New  Mexico,  and  this  home-made  coal- 
tar  proved  an  excellent  flotative  agent.  Cresylic  acid 
produces  a  froth  with  less  carrying  power,  apart  from 
its  expense.  Even  coal-tar  creosote  was  rejected  finally 
in  favor  of  crude  coal-tar,  which  is  the  cheapest  and 
best  flotation  agent,  for  Inspiration  ore,  if  added  to  the 
ore  while  in  the  grinding  machines,  so  as  to  ensure 
thorough  emulsification  with  the  pulp.  Incidentally,  we 
may  mention  that  the  Inspiration  ore  is  a  schist  con- 
taining 1.17%  copper  in  the  form  of  chalcocite,  and  a 
little  chalcopyrite,  with  0.39%  more  copper  as  a  carbon- 
ate or  silicate.  In  August  the  mill-feed  averaged  1.56% 
copper  and  the  concentrate  30.22%,  while  the  tailing 
contained  0.417%,  of  which  0.325  was  oxidized  mineral. 
The  weight  of  flotation  agent  (coal-tar)  averaged  1.31 
pounds  per  ton  of  ore  milled. 

Coming  to  Mr.  Cole's  paper,  which  we  reproduce  in 
full,  it  will  be  noted  that  he  furnishes  details  of  the 
C-B  machine  devised  by  himself  and  Mr.  Julius  Berg- 
man. It  was  designed  to  overcome  a  defect  noted  in  the 
operation  of  the  Flinn-Towne  machine,  the  distinctive 
feature  of  which  is  a  round  disc  of  carborundum,  serv- 
ing as  a  porous  diaphragm  at  the  bottom  of  a  cylindrical 
vessel.  The  sand  had  a  tendency  to  lie  upon  the  car- 
borundum and  impede  the  passage  of  the  air,  so  Messrs. 
Cole  and  Bergman  substituted  a  set  of  perforated  tubes 
covered  with  a  porous  fabric,  such  as  canvas  or  flannel. 
This  invention  followed  upon  the  successful  application 
of  a  tube-grate  air-filter  in  the  drag-belt  trough,  as  Mr. 
Cole  explains  in  detail.  Thankr  heaven !  the  devising  of 
new  machines  for  flotation  is  not  under  the  embargo  of 
the  Patent-Office.  Most  of  them,  are  modifications  of 
older  devices  and  none  of  them  seems  to  be  essential  to 


550 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRE& 


October  14,  1916 


the  successful  operation  of  the  process.  Froth  can  be 
made  in  many  ways.  At  Chino,  the  Janney  machine  is 
paramount.  There  the  notion  of  strenuous  stirring  is 
in  the  ascendant.  '  Emulsiflcation '  is  the  pass- word. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  pneumatic  treatment 
has  been  introduced  into  the  spitzkasten  part  of  the 
Janney  machine.  This  is  said  to  save  power.  But  the 
latest  feature  of  the  Chino  Copper  Company's  opera- 
tions at  Hurley  is  the  new  process  for  treating  oxidized 
ore.  An  experimental  plant  of  two  tons  capacity  is  try- 
ing a  combination  of  leaching  and  flotation.  The  ore, 
which  contains  both  oxide  and  sulphide  copper  minerals, 
is  ground  to  80-mesh  in  a  tube-mill  and  then  fed  to  a 
table  that  removes  the  coarser  grains  of  sulphide.  The 
reject  from  this  table  goes  to  a  tank  in  which  it  is  leached 
with  a  weak  solution  (3  pounds  of  acid  per  pound  of 
oxidized  copper)  of  sulphuric  acid.  It  is  stated  that  the 
'digestion'  of  the  copper  oxide  is  rapid.  The  'digested' 
pulp  is  fed  then  into  a  cylinder  filled  with  iron-turnings 
and  rotated,  so  as  to  prevent  the  settlement  of  sand  and 
hasten  the  precipitation  of  the  copper  on  the  iron,  which 
is  thus  kept  bright  and  clean.  In  passing  through  this 
cylinder  the  copper  is  precipitated  completely  and  the 
acid  is  neutralized  at  an  expense  of  two  pounds  of  iron 
per  pound  of  oxidized  copper.  The  neutralized  copper 
and  the  sulphide  are  then  alike  in  a  fine  state  of  division 
and  readily  amenable  to  recovery  in  a  flotation-cell. 
Credit  for  this  new  departure  is  due,  we  understand,  to 
Dr.  H.  W.  Morse.  Evidently  the  South-West,  which  is 
now  the  greatest  copper-mining  region  in  the  world,  is 
destined  to  contribute  its  share  to  the  new  metallurgy. 
More  records  of  progress  will  be  forthcoming ;  so  we  ven- 
ture to  suggest  to  writers  on  the  subject  that  they  should 
start  their  accounts  of  milling  methods  or  metallurgical 
experiments  with  a  plain  description  of  the  ore  in  ques- 
tion. To  those  living  in  Arizona  or  New  Mexico  the 
character  of  the  ore  at  Miami  or  Chino  is  known,  but  to 
those  living  in  distant  localities  and  reading  the  papers 
of  our  technical  friends  in  the  South- West  it  is  a  great 
boon  to  be  told  exactly  what  is  the  chemical  composition 
and  petrographic  character  of  the  ore,  for  purposes  of 
comparison. 

Those  Copper  Quotations 

Reverting  to  this  interesting  subject,  we  note  that  Mr. 
Walter  Douglas,  in  a  letter  widely  published,  mentioned 
that  rumors  had  reached  him  that  "the  large  copper- 
producing  interests  have  financial  control  of  the  En- 
gineering and  Mining  Journal  and  that  it  is  naturally 
to  their  interest  that  the  copper  quotations  therein 
should  be  under,  rather  than  over,  the  market,  on  ac- 
count of  the  bearing  which  it  has  on  the  sliding  wage- 
scale.  Did  this  condition  obtain,  which  it  does  not,  the 
copper  producer  or  seller  would  be  injuring  himself 
through  the  publication  of  such  a  quotation,  as  whereas 
a  portion  of  the  high  price  of  copper  goes  to  labor,  a 
greater  proportion  goes  to  the  producer,  and  it  is  obvious 
that  the  producer  will  obtain  as  much  as  he  possibly  can 
for  his  output  and  not  give  the  purchaser  and  consumer 


the  impression  that  the  price  of  copper  is  lower  than 
that  which  he  is  asking  for  it."  As  to  the  sinister  sug- 
gestion mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Douglas's 
statement,  we  believe  it  to  be  as  baseless  as  he  believes 
it  to  be.  The  Journal  used  to  be  independent  of  any 
smelting  or  mining  company,  and  we  have  not  the  least 
reason  to  believe  that  it  has  divagated  from  that  attitude 
of  detachment.  However,  we  do  believe  in  the  unconscious 
influence  of  propinquity  and  consider  it  not  unfair  to 
infer  that  a  paper  published  at  New  York  will  reflect 
the  ideas  current  in  an  environment  of  metal-sellers. 
The  argument  offered  by  Mr.  Douglas  is  one  that  we 
cannot  follow.  Do  the  producers  sell  their  copper  on 
the  Journal  figures?  Of  course  not,  they  bargain  with 
the  buyers  and  brokers.  The  smelting  companies  buy 
ore  from  the  smaller  producers  on  the  basis  of  the  Jour- 
nal figures,  but  the  smelters  sell  on  the  best  figure  they 
can  get  through  their  own  selling  agencies.  How  a  low 
quotation  reducing  the  wages  paid  to  the  miners  would 
injure  the  copper-producing  company,  in  the  manner 
suggested  by  Mr.  Douglas,  we  do  not  understand.  Ap- 
parently Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  does  not  sell  on  the  Jour- 
nal figures  if  the  average  price  received  by  that  com- 
pany in  1915  was  16.05  cents  as  against  a  Journal  av- 
erage of  17.27  cents.  On  the  contrary,  we  see  no  reason 
why  the  smelting  companies  should  not  have  settled  for 
wages  to  the  miners  and  bought  ore  from  the  mine- 
owners  on  the  Journal's  July  average  of  23.86  cents 
while  selling  its  own  copper  at  New  York  on  the  average 
reported  by  us  as  having  been  25.66  cents.  We  are  at  a 
loss  to  understand  why  a  labor-union  or  a  mining  com- 
pany should  agree  to  base  its  scale  of  wages  or  its  settle- 
ments for  ore  upon  the  guess  of  a  single  trade  paper, 
when  the  suggestion  of  this  arbitrament  comes  from  the 
buyer  of  the  labor  and  of  the  ore. 

It  is  about  time  to  discover  some  better  method  of 
adjustment  between  buyer  and  seller.  Why  not  base 
the  wage-scale  and  the  ore-settlement  alike  on  the  price 
that  the  mining  or  smelting  company  gets  for  its  copper  1 
Why  depend  on  the  guess  of  any  trade  paper  when  the 
essential  fact  can  be  ascertained  by  reference  to  an 
authentic  record,  namely,  the  books  of  the  copper  pro- 
ducer or  the  smelter,  as  the  case  may  be  ?  What  does  it 
matter  to  the  manager  of  the  Little  Bullion  mine  what 
other  people  are  getting  for  their  copper  ?  He  settles  with 
the  smelter  on  the  basis  of  the  price  that  the  smelter  is 
supposed  to  get  for  the  copper  that  it  buys  from  him. 
What  does  it  matter  to  the  copper  miner  at  Bisbee  what 
the  Anaconda  company  gets  for  its  copper?  He  is  only 
concerned  with  the  price  obtained  by  the  particular 
company  that  employs  him.  It  may  be  objected  that  an 
interval  must  elapse  between  the  purchase  of  custom  ore 
or  of  miner's  labor  and  the  marketing  of  the  copper  sold 
by  the  one  or  mined  by  the  other,  but  that  is  easily  ad- 
justed: pay  a  nominal  price  on  settlement,  and  adjust 
the  balance  at  the  end  of  a  specific  period.  The  price  at 
which  copper  is  sold  by  a  given  individual  or  company 
can  be  ascertained  definitely ;  the  average  price  at  which 
a  variable  number  of  producers  sell  varying  quantities 
of  copper  cannot  be  determined  by  anybody. 


October  14.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


551 


The  Wilmington  Decision  on  Flotation— I 


Text  of  Opinion  by  Judge 


The  bill  in  this  suit  was  brought  by  the  Minerals  Sep- 
aration, Limited,  a  corporation  of  Great  Britain,  against 
the  Miami  Copper  Company,  a  corporation  of  Delaware, 
charging  infringement  of  three  United  States  process 
patents  relating  to  ore  concentration,  owned  by  the 
plaintiff,  namely,  No.  835,120,  of  November  6,  1906,  to 
H.  L.  Sulman,  H.  F.  Kirkpatrick-Picard,  and  J.  Ballot, 
No.  962,678,  of  June  28,  1910,  to  H.  L.  Sulman,  H.  H. 
Greenway,  and  A.  H.  Higgins,  and  No.  1,099,699,  of 
June  9,  1914,  to  H.  H.  Greenway,  assignor  to  the 
plaintiff. 

Under  the  processes  shown  in  the  three  patents  a 
signal  advance  has  been  made  in  the  art  of  ore  concen- 
tration in  point  of  simplicity,  economy  and  efficiency, 
and  in  their  practice  large  commercial  success  has  been 
realized.  *  *  *  Without  pausing  at  this  point  to  con- 
sider other  processes  of  ore  concentration  disclosed  in 
the  prior  art,  hereinafter  discussed,  an  important  and, 
indeed,  vital  difference  between  water  or  gravity  con- 
centration under  such  processes  as  those  above  referred 
to,  on  the  one  hand,  and  concentration  under  the  proc- 
esses of  the  patents  in  suit,  is  that  while  in  the  former 
the  metallic  particles  after  being  separated  from  the 
gangue  in  the  ore  pulp  sank  to  the  bottom,  in  the  latter 
the  metallic  particles  coated  with  an  extremely  thin  film 
of  oil,  become  attached  to  air-bubbles  in  the  ore  pulp, 
and  the  bubbles  with  the  attached  metallic  particles  rise 
to  the  surface,  forming  a  mineral  froth  of  such  coher- 
ency and  permanency  as  to  afford  full  opportunity  for 
its  removal  from  the  surface  for  further  treatment  of 
the  metallic  particles.  The  ore  pulp  in  the  process  of 
each  and  every  of  the  three  patents  in  suit  consists  of  a 
mixture  of  water  and  crushed  or  pulverized  mineral  ore, 
together  with  one  or  more  other  ingredients.  In  each 
the  agitation  of  the  pulp  coupled  with  the  introduction  of 
air  into  it  develops  and  distributes  throughout  the  mix- 
ture small  bubbles  of  air  which  attach  themselves  to  the 
metallic  particles,  to  the  exclusion  of  gangue,  and  rise 
with  them  and  form  a  metallic  air  froth  on  the  surface, 
readily  removable  therefrom,  the  gangue  particles  sink- 
ing to  the  bottom  and  being  disposed  of  as  refuse. 

The  charge  of  infringement  of  patent  No.  835,120  is 
restricted  to  claims  1,  9,  and  12,  as  follows: 

"1.  The  herein-described  process  of  concentrating 
ores  which  consists  in  mixing  the  powdered  ore  with 
water,  adding  a  small  proportion  of  an  oily  liquid  hav- 
ing a  preferential  affinity  for  metalliferous  matter, 
(amounting  to  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  on  the  ore), 
agitating  the  mixture  until  the  oil-coated  mineral  mat- 
ter forms  into  a  froth,  and  separating  the  froth  from 
the  remainder  by  flotation." 


1QL  Su  ©SsiMc-i  <Q<cmn 


"9.  The  process  of  concentrating  powdered  ores  which 
consists  in  separating  the  mineral  from  the  gangue  by 
coating  the  mineral  with  oil  in  water  containing  a  small 
quantity  of  oil,  agitating  the  mixture  to  form  a  froth, 
and  separating  the  froth." 

"12.  The  process  of  concentrating  powdered  ore 
which  consists  in  separating  the  minerals  from  gangue 
by  coating  the  minerals  with  oil  in  water  containing  a 
fraction  of  one  per  cent  of  oil  on  the  ore,  agitating  the 
mixture  to  cause  the  oil-coated  mineral  to  form  a  froth, 
and  separating  the  froth  from  the  remainder  of  the 
mixture." 

The  first  patent  in  suit  is  for  what  is  known  as  an  air 
flotation  process,  in  which,  owing  to  the  use  of  a  frothing 
agent  in  conjunction  with  such  agitation  of  the  ore  pulp 
as  will  distribute  the  metallic  particles  of  the  ore 
throughout  the  mixture  and  produce  bubbles  of  air  and 
bring  them  in  contact  in  the  mixture  with  the  metallic 
particles  so  distributed,  the  bubbles  will  become  attached 
to  such  metallic  particles,  carrying  them  separate  from 
the  particles  of  gangue  up  through  the  surface  of  the 
mixture  where  they  can  readily  be  collected  by  skim- 
ming, overflow,  or  the  use  of  other  well  known  devices. 
In  this  process  the  frothing  agent  consists  of  an  oil  or 
other  immiscible  substance  or  material  of  an  oily  nature, 
and  the  bubbles  and  metallic  particles  become  attached 
to  each  other  through  affinity  between  the  bubbles  and 
the  metallic  particles  enhanced  by  the  coating  of  the 
latter  with  an  extremely  thin  film  of  oil.  The  old 
water  processes  of  ore  concentration  were  in  some  fea- 
tures gravely  objectionable.  Under  those  processes  it 
was  desirable  to  avoid  very  fine  grinding  of  the  ore 
as  being  calculated  to  cause  the  fine  particles  con- 
taining metal  constituting  the  slimes  to  escape  with 
gangue  particles  and  be  lost,  such  fine  metallic  particles, 
as  before  stated,  not  sinking  so  readily  and  quickly  as 
those  which  were  larger.  In  those  processes  there  were 
two  things  to  be  avoided ;  first,  the  crushing  or  grinding 
of  the  ore  to  such  a  degree  of  fineness  as  to  lead  to  the 
loss  of  metallic  particles  through  their  escape  with 
gangue  particles,  and  secondly,  too  coarse  a  crushing  or 
grinding  whereby  particles  of  ore  containing  both  metal 
and  gangue  might,  with  the  gangue  preponderating, 
too  readily  be  carried  to  the  surface  and  lost  with  the 
other  gangue  particles.  The  defendant  admits  in  its 
brief  that  the  air  bubbles  collect  the  metallic  particles, 
and  the  oil  or  other  modifying  agent  in  the  mixture 
gives  permanency  to  the  mineral  froth ;  that  the  attrac- 
tion of  the  air  bubbles  for  the  metallic  sulphide  particles 
leads  to  the  separation  of  those  particles  from  the 
gangue ;  that  in  the  absence  of  oil  or  other  modifying 
agent  in  the  pulp,  facilitating  the  formation  of  air  or 


552 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  14,  1916 


other  gas  bubbles,  no  process  of  ore  concentration  em- 
ploying such  bubbles  is  possible ;  that  air  flotation  may 
be  brought  about  (1)  by  introduction  of  air  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mixture  or  sub-aeration;  (2)  by  beating  air 
into  the  mixture  or  supra-aeration ;  (3)  by  generation  of 
gas  or  liberation  of  air  in  the  mixture.  But  there  is  an 
accentuated  difference  of  opinion  between  the  parties  on 
the  point  of  preferential  affinity  of  oil  for  metallic  par- 
ticles as  compared  with  gangue.  The  defendant  in  its 
brief  states  that  "in  ore  flotation  processes  the  oil  or 
other  modifying  agent  does  not  have  any  more  attraction 
for  the  metallic  particles  than  for  the  gangue."  This 
position,  however,  is  in  conflict  with  evidence  on  the 
part  of  the  defendant,  with  the  evidence  on  the  part  of 
the  plaintiff,  with  the  documents  of  the  art,  and  with 
the  result  of  the  physical  demonstrations  made  by  both 
parties  in  open  court. 

One  of  the  principal  questions  in  the  case  is  whether 
patentable  invention  was  involved  in  the  discovery  that 
the  minute  proportion  of  0.1%  of  oil  to  the  ore  was 
sufficient  for  commercially  successful  operations  in  ore 
concentration.  On  this  question  I  had  some  doubt 
during  the  presentation  of  the  case.  But  that  doubt  has 
since  been  removed.  Sulman,  Picard,  and  Ballot  had 
for  more  than  two  years  prior  to  March,  1905,  been  in- 
terested in  conducting  ore  concentration  under  what 
was  known  as  the  'Cattermole  process,'  and  had  been 
seeking  to  improve  the  same  in  such  manner  as  to  render 
it  more  efficient  and  less  expensive.  There  were  a  num- 
ber of  patents  relating  to  this  process,  using  the  term  in 
a  general  sense,  among  which  were  No.  763,259  of  June 
21,  1904,  No.  763,260  of  June  21,  1904,  and  No.  777,273 
of  December  13,  1904,  all  to  A.  B.  Cattermole.  In  the 
process  of  each  of  these  patents  metalliferous  granules 
are  formed  and  separated  from  the  gangue  and  fall  to 
the  bottom,  while  the  gangue  is  carried  up  and  away. 
******* 

Shortly  before  March,  1905,  Sulman,  Picard,  and 
Ballot  instructed  A.  Howard  Higgins,  one  of  the  plain- 
tiff's experts,  to  investigate  by  experiments,  certain 
points  in  their  bearing  upon  the  Cattermole  process  of 
granulation.     They  were  as  follows: 

"(1)   Influence  of  acidity  on  granulation, 
"(2)   Influence  of  temperature  on  granulation, 
"(3)   Influence    of    speed    of    Gabbett    agitation    on 
granulation, 

"  (4)   Influence  of  ratio  of  ore  to  liquor  on  granulation, 
"(5)   Influence  of  metallic  salts  on  granulation, 
"  ( 6 )   Influence  of  the  size  of  particles  and  of  the  in- 
fluence of  slimes  on  granulation, 

"  (7)  Influence  of  the  amount  of  oil  on  granulation." 
And  the  above  points  were  to  be  determined  on  "  (a) 
oleic  acid,  (6)  residuum  oils."  In  consequence  of  his 
investigations  Higgins  made  a  report  March  16,  1905, 
on  granulation  as  affected  by  the  percentage  of  oil  used, 
in  which  he  said : 

"The  effect  of  diminishing  the  percentage  of  oleic  acid 
is  to  alter  the  type  of  oiling ;  the  higher  percentages  pro- 


ducing granules,  and  the  lower  ones  froth.  6%  of  the 
oleic  acid  on  the  mineral  is  sufficient  to  form  good 
granules  without  much  froth.  This  froth  consists  of  in- 
sufficiently oiled  mineral  mixed  with  large  quantities  of 
air.  As  this  percentage  of  oleic  acid  is  decreased,  the 
time  for  clean  up  of  the  sands  is  increased  and  more 
froth  is  formed.  0.62%  oleic  acid  on  the  mineral  is  in- 
sufficient to  form  any  granules  and  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  mineral  comes  to  the  surface,  on  stopping  the  cone, 
as  froth.  0.2%  acts  in  the  same  manner,  leaving  the 
coarse  sands  with  rather  more  mineral  in  them.  (This 
is  0.1%  on  Broken  Hill  ore.)  In  all  cases  the  oil  has 
been  measured  in  cubic  centimetres  and  the  percentage 
calculated  as  though  they  weighed  grams,  but  as  the 
specific  gravity  of  the  oleic  acid  is  less  than  unity  this 
is  not  the  case,  and  all  percentages  will  be  lower  than 
those  actually  given." 

There  was,  I  think,  patentable  invention  in  the  dis- 
covery thus  made  in  March,  1905.  Prior  to  that  time 
there  had  been  no  suggestion  in  the  art  that  the  pro- 
portion of  0.1%  of  oil  to  ore  or  of  any  other  fraction  of 
1%  of  oil  to  ore  would  or  might  result  in  successful  con- 
centration. Further,  the  result  reached  was  an  utter 
surprise.  Experiments  were  conducted  with  reference 
to  the  Cattermole  process,  and  all  of  the  Cattermole  pat- 
ents required  the  formation  and  sinking  of  granules 
containing  the  metallic  particles,  and  not  their  flotation. 
The  teaching  of  that  process  was  that  the  metallic  par- 
ticles should  go  to  the  bottom  and  that  of  the  process 
of  the  first  patent  in  suit  that  they  should  go  to  the  top. 
But  while  the  ascertainment  that  such  a  minute  propor- 
tion of  oil  would  effect  a  successful  concentration  of  ore 
through  a  flotation  process  was  a  discovery,  it  was  never- 
theless of  such  a  character,  viewed  with  respect  to  the 
circumstances  under  which  it  was  made,  as  to  involve 
invention  and  confer  patentability.  The  statutes  pro- 
vide for  patenting  new  and  useful  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries, but  a  bare  discovery  unaccompanied  by  the 
exercise  of  any  invention  in  reaching  it  or  utilizing  or 
reducing  it  to  practice  would  not  justify  or  support  a 
monopoly  in  the  discovery.  In  the  present  case,  how- 
ever, the  facts  disclose  not  a  bare  discovery,  but  a  dis- 
covery coupled  with  invention  in  usefully  applying  it. 
In  such  cases  patents  properly  may  be  granted.  The 
defendant  lays  much  stress  upon  the  proposition  that  the 
reduction  of  the  amount  of  oil  in  the  process  for  the 
concentration  of  ore  did  not  and  could  not  involve  pat- 
entable invention,  but  only  an  ascertainment  of  the 
proper  degree  in  which  oil  should  be  used,  which  was 
readil}'  discoverable  by  any  one  competent  to  conduct  or 
superintend  a  process  of  ore  concentration ;  and  further, 
that  motives  of  economy  would  naturally  have  sug- 
gested a  reduction  in  the  quantity  of  oil  to  the  extent 
of  its  excess  over  what  was  necessary  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  purposes  of  the  process.  But  if  such  a  re- 
duction was  obvious,  why  is  it  that  it  was  never  made 
prior  to  the  discovery  in  question?  The  fact  that 
economy  required  the  use  of  the  least  quantity  of  oil 
sufficient  for  the  conduct  of  the  process  affords  cogent 
evidence   that   the   feasibility   of   effecting  a   reduction 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


553 


was  not  obvious,  but  properly  the  subject  of  patentable 
invention.  No  one  today  understands  how  the  use  of 
only  0.1%  of  oil  operates  to  secure  the  mineral  froth  of 
the  first  patent  in  suit.  This  is  testified  to  by  experts 
and  is  admitted  on  both  sides.  If  the  principle  of  opera- 
tion of  tiie  discovery  is  insolvable  to  the  human  mind 
today  it  could  not  have  been  predicted  or  anticipated  by 
the  human  mind  in  March,  1905.  The  fact  that  the 
underlying  principle  of  the  process  was  not  understood 
by   no   means   negatives   patentability.      *     *     *     *     * 

This  case  is  unlike  those  in  which  the  discovery  of  the 
use  of  an  element  in  a  process  in  the  degree  insuring  the 
best  results  is  a  matter  within  the  competency  of  those 
skilled  in  the  art,  but,  on  the  contrary,  is  one  where 
clearly  there  was  patentable  invention  or  discovery  in 
ascertaining  the  degree.  The  experiments  made  with 
respect  to  the  Cattermole  process  were  initiated  with  a 
view  to  its  improvement  and  the  securing  of  granulation 
of  a  higher  efficiency.  The  prosecution  of  the  experi- 
ments relating  to  a  sinking  and  not  a  flotation  process 
would  naturally  tend  to  divert  the  mind  from  the  con- 
templation of  any  process  of  the  latter  character.  Per- 
tinent to  this  point  is  the  following  testimony  of  Mr. 
Higgins : 

"I  do  not  remember  anything  being  said  about  the 
quantity  of  oil,  except  the  quantity  used  was  always 
adjusted  to  give  granulation. 

"44Q.  In  adjusting  the  oil  to  give  the  best  granula- 
tion, I  presume  you  experimented  with  different  quan- 
tities of  oil? 

"A.  Yes,  there  may  have  been  different  quantities, 
but  whenever  the  granulation  became  imperfect  by 
reason  of  the  drop  in  the  quantity  of  oil,  the  oil  was 
naturally  increased." 

I  pereeive  no  escape  from  the  conclusion  that  the  dis- 
covery was  patentable.  To  decrease  the  amount  of  oil 
used  in  an  old  process,  so  long  as  the  characteristic  mode 
of  operation  and  result  of  such  process  are  preserved, 
even  though  in  less  degree,  does  not  as  a  general  rule  in- 
volve invention.  But  when  the  old  mode  of  operation  and 
its  result  through  a  decrease  in  the  amount  of  oil  disap- 
pear and  a  new  and  different  result  is  disclosed  the 
change  ceases  to  be  one  of  mere  degree,  and  may  sup- 
port a  patent  monopoly  in  favor  of  one  whose  inventive 
genius  or  research  has  discovered  the  process.  The  pat- 
entability of  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit  re- 
sides in  the  use  of  only  the  minute  quantity  of  oil  con- 
templated by  the  patent.  The  reduction  of  the  oil  to  this 
quantity  effected  a  change,  not  merely  in  degree,  but  in 
the  "type  of  oiling,"  leading  to  results  which  cannot  be 
accounted  for  on  the  assumption  that  a  mere  change  in 
degree  as  distinguished  from  patentable  discovery  was 
involved. 

The  defendant  contends  that  a  substantial  increase  in 
the  amount  of  oil  used  will  not  affect  the  nature  or 
efficiency  of  the  process  of  separation,  but  will  only  add 
to  the  cost  by  carrying  it  on  with  an  unnecessary  amount 
of  oil.  But  this  position  is  in  conflict  with  the  decided 
weight  of  the  evidence  and  with  the  showing  of  the  ex- 
periments conducted   by   Higgins  at   and   immediately 


prior  to  the  time  of  the  discovery.  It  is  satisfactorily 
proven  that  the  process  of  the  Hist  patent  in  suit,  de- 
pending upon  the  selective  affinity  of  the  air-bubbles  in 
the  mixture  for  oil-coated  metallic  particles,  that  affinity 
is  strongest  when  the  film  of  oil  surrounding  the  metal- 
lic particles  is  so  thin  as  to  be  imperceptible  to  the  senses, 
and  that  with  any  substantial  increase  in  the  quantity 
of  oil  on  the  metallic  particles  the  character  of  the  pro- 
cess is  changed  and  its  efficiency  diminished  for  some 
reason  as  yet  unrevealed. 

A  great  advance  in  the  art  of  ore  concentration  has 
resulted  from  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit  in 
the  efficient  recovery  of  slimes.  With  the  use  of  that 
process  ore  may  be  so  finely  ground  as  to  insure  the 
thorough  separation  of  the  metallic  particles  and  gangue, 
and  great  savings  effected.  The  profit  so  saved  in  a 
single  year  from  the  output  of  the  principal  porphyry 
copper  mines,  including  the  defendant's,  has  been  esti- 
mated by  one  of  the  expert  witnesses  as  more  than 
$17,000,000.  In  Moore  Filter  Co.  v.  Tonopah-Belmont 
Development  Co.,  201  Fed.  532,  540,  the  circuit  court  of 
appeals  for  the  third  circuit,  in  dealing  with  an  ore  con- 
centration case,  said: 

"When,  therefore,  Moore  disclosed  a  process  by  which 
such  recovery  was  made  enormously  profitable,  and  by 
which  he  turned  a  dump  heap,  which,  under  all  known 
processes,  machines,  and  laboratory  methods,  was  worth- 
less, into  profitable  ore,  we  are  constrained  to  give  little 
weight  to  the  suggestion  that  his  process  was  either  an- 
ticipated, a  mere  advance  incident  to  the  art,  or  involved 
no  invention." 

The  defendant  sets  up  as  part  of  the  prior  art  to 
negative  invention  United  States  patent  No.' 689,070  of 
December  17,  1901,  to  A.  S.  Elmore.  This  patent  was 
for  an  "Improvement  in  separating  mineral  substances 
by  the  selective  action  of  oil,"  and  contains  but  one 
claim  as  follows: 

' '  The  process  for  separating  metallic  and  rocky  con- 
stituents of  ore  which  consists  in  mixing  pulverized  ore 
with  water  and  mixing  the  ore  and  water  with  oil  in  the 
presence  of  an  acid,  allowing  the  mixture  to  rest  whereby 
the  oil  having  the  metallic  substances  entrapped  in  it 
floats  at  the  top  of  the  mixture,  and  separating  the 
metallic  constituents  from  the  oil,  substantially  as  de- 
scribed. ' ' 

In  the  description  it  is  stated : 

"The  selective  action  of  oil  has  been  utilized  for  sep- 
arating metallic  substances  from  earthy  or  rocky  con- 
stituents of  ores.  This  has  generally  been  done  by  pul- 
verizing the  ore  and  suspending  it  in  a  considerable 
quantity  of  water,  so  as  to  make  a  freely-flowing  pulp, 
then  mingling  with  it  oil,  preferably  heavy  oil,  such  as 
is  obtained  from  petroleum  after  some  of  the  lighter  oils 
have  been  distilled  from  it.  When  the  mixture  rests, 
the  oil,  with  most  of  the  metallic  substances  entrapped 
in  it,  floats  at  the  top  and  is  separated  from  the  rocky 
or  earthy  matters,  which  are  run  off  with  the  water  as 
tailings.  The  oil  is  afterward  separated  from  the  metal- 
lic substances,  usually  by  centrifugal  action." 

The  patent  nowhere  states  the  amount  of  oil  which  is 


554 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS. 


October  14,  1916 


to  be  used  or  the  ratio  between  the  weight  of  the  oil  and 
the  weight  of  the  ore  or  its  metallic  content.  It,  how- 
ever, clearly  appears  from  the  evidence  that  the  process 
was  what  has  been  termed  a  "bulk  oil  process,"  employ- 
ing from  one  to  two  and  a  half  or  three  tons  of  oil  to 
each  ton  of  the  pulverized  ore  to  be  treated.  By  reason 
of  the  large  amount  of  oil  used  and  the  loss  of  a  consid- 
erable proportion  of  it  in  operation  the  process  was  ex- 
pensive and  unsatisfactory.  There  was  but  a  small  re- 
covery from  the  slimes,  probably  for  the  reason  that  the 
extremely  minute  metallic  particles  contained  in  them 
did  not  yield  to  centrifugal  action  employed  in  the  sep- 
aration as  readily  as  the  larger  particles. 

The  defendant  also  relies  upon  the  patent  No.  348,157 
of  August  24,  1886,  to  Carrie  J.  Everson,  for  an  "Im- 
provement in  processes  for  concentrating  ores,"  as  part 
of  the  prior  art.  The  patent  specifies  two  methods  of 
conducting  the  process.  It  is  admitted  that  the  first 
method  requires  oil  amounting  to  5%  on  the  weight  of 
the  ore.  With  respect  to  the  second  method  it  is  stated 
in  the  patent  description : 

"I  have  found  three  fluid  drams  of  oil  abundant  for 
properly  moistening  two  ounces  of  heavy  ore,  or  in  the 
ratio  of  about  a  barrel  of  oil  to  the  ton  of  ore,  the 
amount  being,  of  course,  variable  with  the  relative  bulki- 
ness  of  the  ore." 

Dr.  Liebmann  testifies  that  the  oil  used  in  the  process 
was  16.5%  of  the  weight  of  the  ore,  and  Dr.  Sadtler  says 
that  the  amount  of  oil  so  used  was  from  16%  to  17%  of 
the  weight  of  the  ore.  The  Everson  process  has  never 
been  used  commercially  and  Dr.  Liebmann  states  that  it 
could  not  be  so  used;  that  "it  is  not  a  process  for  large 
scale  operations";  but  that  there  was  a  possibility  of  its 
application  to  gold  and  silver  in  small  quantities.  Dr. 
Sadtler  expresses  no  opinion  upon  the  applicability  of 
the  Everson  process  to  the  concentration  of  ore  on  a  com- 
mercial scale,  and  states,  in  substance,  that  he  had  never 
practiced  the  Everson  process  in  either  of  the  methods 
disclosed  in  the  description  of  the  patent.  The  defend- 
ant argues  that  in  the  Everson  process  the  concentrate 
"could  not  possibly  float  by  the  bulk  oil  flotation  prin- 
ciple, for  the  simple  reason  that  the  amount  of  oil  was 
insufficient  for  that  purpose ' ' ;  that  with  the  use  of  only 
17%  of  oil  no  bulk  oil  flotation  is  possible ;  and  that  the 
process  "could  not  have  resulted  in  surface  tension  flota- 
tion, skin  flotation,  or  film  flotation,  so-called,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  the  conditions  for  that  form  of  flota- 
tion were  absolutely  wanting."  But  this  contention 
fails,  I  think,  to  negative  patentable  invention  in  the 
process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.  I  am  not  satisfied  by 
any  experiment  or  demonstration  made  in  the  case  that 
the  process  described  in  the  Everson  patent  would 
produce  the  economical  and  efficient  concentration  se- 
cured by  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.  Cer- 
tainly, were  there  nothing  else,  a  reduction  in  the  quan- 
tity of  oil  from  17%  or  even  5%  to  a  fraction  of  1%  on 
the  weight  of  the  ore,  under  circumstances  similar  to 
those  attending  the  discovery  of  the  sufficiency  of  that 


minute  proportion  for  successful  metallurgical  opera- 
tions would  be  sufficient  to  confer  patentability. 
******* 
Much  stress  is  laid  by  the  defendant  upon  an  article 
in  the  California  Journal  of  Technology  of  November, 
1903.  This  article  was  prepared  by  three  young  men, 
students  in  the  class  of  1903  in  the  mining  department 
of  the  University  of  California,  and  is  entitled  'Ex- 
periments on  the  Elmore  process  of  ore  concentration.' 
This  article  is  suggestive,  but  cannot,  I  think,  be  justly 
treated  as  negativing  the  exercise  of  invention  with 
respect  to  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.  The 
experiments  were  laboratory  tests  and  did  not  disclose 
or  suggest  the  idea  that  such  a  minute  quantity  of  oil 
as  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent,  or  any  fraction  of  one  per 
cent,  on  the  weight  of  the  ore  could  be  efficiently  and 
successfully  employed  in  ore  concentration.  There  were 
a  number  of  tests  with  respect  to  the  concentration  of 
molybdenite  ore  with  percentages  of  oil  to  ore  running 
from  2.1%  to  more  than  100%,  with  the  result  that  the 
highest  extraction  of  molybdenite  sulphide  was  obtained 
by  the  use  of  8.9%  of  oil;  the  extraction  in  that  case 
being  75%  as  against  an  extraction  of  43.5%  obtained 
by  the  use  of  2.1%  of  oil.  The  teaching  of  these  tests  was 
that  2.1%  of  oil,  was  less  efficient  than  the  use  of  8.9%, 
and  the  article  as  a  whole,  far  from  suggesting  the  possi- 
bility of  the  use  of  only  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  of  oil 
points  to  an  opposite  conclusion. 

The  defendant  contends  there  is  nothing  new  in  the 
employment  of  only  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  of  oil 
relative  to  the  weight  of  the  ore  in  the  process  of  the 
first  patent  in  suit,  for  the  reason  that,  as  alleged,  an 
equally  small  proportion  of  oil  was  used  in  the  process 
of  the  Cattermole  Patent  No.  777,273,  mentioned  in  the 
first  patent  in  suit.  The  Cattermole  patent  mentions 
from  four  to  six  per  cent  in  weight  of  oil  to  the  weight 
of  the  metalliferous  mineral  present  in  the  ore,  and  con- 
sequently, under  the  Cattermole  process  the  amount  of 
oil  to  be  used  depends  upon  the  weight  of  the  metallifer- 
ous mineral,  and  not  upon  the  weight  of  the  entire  ore, 
and  there  is  evidence  to  the  effect  that  the  larger  part  of 
the  copper  ores  mined  and  concentrated  in  this  country 
contain  about  two  per  cent  of  copper.  Hence  the  argu- 
ment is  made  by  the  defendant  that  the  weight  of  oil 
employed  in  the  Cattermole  process  is  only  from  0.8  to 
0.12%  of  the  weight  of  the  copper  contained  in  the  ore, 
and  that  any  proportion  of  oil  less  than  one  per  cent  of 
the  weight  of  the  ore  comes  within  the  quantity  men- 
tioned in  the  first  patent  in  suit,  namely,  "a  fraction  of 
one  per  cent  on  the  ore."  This  contention  ignores  the 
following  statement  in  the  description  of  the  Cattermole 
patent  now  considered: 

"In  certain  cases,  as  where  but  little  mineral  is  pres- 
ent' in  the  ore,  to  increase  the  nucleating  or  granulating 
factor  pulverized  mineral  matter  obtained  in  a  previous 
operation  or  other  matter  having  an  affinity  for  oil  from 
a  different  source  may  be  introduced  into  the  ore,  or  a 
portion   of  already  granulated  and   separated  mineral 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


555 


matter    may    be    returned   to    maintain    the   necessary 
amount  of  mineral  in  the  ore  under  treatment." 

It  is  evident  that   the  weight  of  "pulverized  mineral 
matter"  introduced  to  "maintain  the  necessary  amount 
of  mineral  in  the  ore  under  treatment"  is,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  determining  the  necessary  amount  of  oil,  to  be 
added  to  "the  weight  of  metalliferous  mineral  matter 
present  in  the  ore."    Such  must  be  the  meaning  of  the 
patent  or  it  is  insensible.    And  this  accords  with  the  re- 
quirement in  the  seventh  claim  of  "adding  particles  of 
material  having  an  affinity  for  oil  to  assist  in  the  forma- 
tion of  granules  of  oil-coated  particles. ' '    The  defendant 
has  made  no  demonstration,  as  might  have  been  done,  of 
the  amount  of  oil  required  by  the  Cattermole  process  in 
its  application  to  lean  copper  ores,  but  indulges  in  specu- 
lation and  conjecture  on  that  point.    The  defendant  con- 
tends that  in  the  Cattermole  process  of  the  above  patent 
there  were  necessarily  two  degrees  of  agitation  of  the 
mixture ;  the  first  being  violent  and  the  second  gentle. 
On  the  assumption  that  two  degrees  of  agitation  were 
required  in  the  Cattermole  process;  first,  violent  agita- 
tion of  the  mixture  in  order  to  bring  the  oil  into  intimate 
contact  with  the  mineral  particles;  and,  secondly,  the 
subjection  of  the  mixture  to  a  slower  or  rolling  form  of 
agitation  to  cause  the  agglomeration  of  the  oiled  metal- 
liferous particles  and  the  formation  of  granules,  it  by  no 
means  follows  that  with  the  omission  of  the  second  step 
the  mineral  froth  of  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit 
would  have  been  formed,  had  there  been  in  the  mixture 
oil  in  excess  of  the  proportions  contemplated  by  that 
patent.    And  if  it  be  further  assumed  that  the  mixture 
containing  oil  and  other  elements  in  Cattermole  propor- 
tions can  first  be  violently  agitated  so  as  to  produce  a 
froth  and  then  slowly  agitated  so  as  to  produce  granules, 
and  again  violently  agitated  so  as  to  destroy  the  granules 
and  restore  the  froth,  and  so  on  by  alternation,  and  that, 
the  mixture  remaining  the  same,  the  production  of  froth 
on  the  one  hand,  or  granules  on  the  other,  is  simply  a 
matter  of  manipulation,  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the 
froth  so  formed  with  Cattermole  proportions  of  oil  would 
be  the  froth  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.    Dr.  Liebmann, 
for  the  purpose  of  distinguishing  between  the  Cattermole 
process  and  that  of  the  first  patent  in  suit,  during  the 
trial    conducted    two    experiments,    identical    in    their 
nature,  save  that  in  one  a  larger  amount  of  oil  was  used 
than  in  the  other.     In  the  former  case  granules  were 
formed  which  sank;  and  in  the  latter  a  mineral  froth 
was  formed,  the  agitation  and  other  factors  being  the 
same.     3.6%  of  oil  and  0.1%  of  oil  were  respectively 
used  in  the  two  experiments.     Both  were  performed  in 
the  same  apparatus  with  similar  materials  and  manipu- 
lation.   These  experiments  served  to  show  that  the  varia- 
tion in  the  amount  of  oil  used,  other  things  being  equal, 
may  result  in  the  formation  of  the  mineral  froth  of  the 
first  patent  in  suit,  or  in  the  formation  and  sinking  of  the 
granules  of  the  Cattermole  process.     In  this  connection 
it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  Cattermole  patent  in  its 
descriptive  portion  states: 

""With  certain  ores  it  may  be  preferable  to  use  in 
some  stages  of  the  process  a  rolling  form  of  agitation, 


as  in  cylinders  or  barrels,  to  obtain  good  granulation  of 
the  mineral." 

The  description  of  the  patent  nowhere  specifies  that 
its  process  is  necessarily  dependent  upon  two  degrees  of 
agitation,  one  violent  and  the  other  slow  or  rolling,  and 
in  none  of  the  seven  claims  of  the  patent,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  fifth,  in  such  a  requirement  mentioned  or 
suggested.  In  that  claim  only  is  there  a  provision  for 
"further  agitating  the  mass  to  increase  the. size  of  the 
granules,"  and  even  in  that  claim  there  is  no  suggestion 
of  a  difference  in  degree  between  such  further  agitation 
and  the  agitation  which  has  preceded  it.  For  the  fore- 
going reasons  I  think  that  the  contention  of  the  defend- 
ant that  the  quantity  or  proportion  of  oil  used  in  the 
Cattermole  process  was  not  materially  in  excess  of  that 
used  in  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit,  and  that, 
not  a  difference  in  the  quantity  of  oil,  but  a  resort  to 
two  degrees  of  agitation  was  essential  to  the  formation 
of  Cattermole  granules,  cannot  be  sustained. 

The  defendant  also  relies  upon  two  patents  granted 
to  Alcide  Froment ;  one  of  them  being  British  patent  to 
Henry  Harris  Lake,  communicated  by  Alcide  Froment, 
No.  12,778  of  1902,  and  the  other  an  Italian  patent  to 
Froment,  No.  63,723,  the  specification  of  which  is  dated 
May  20,  1902.  The  Froment  Italian  patent  was  in  the 
French  language,  and  there  is  an  English  translation  in 
evidence.  The  process  covered  by  this  patent  was  en- 
titled "A  process  for  enriching  sulphide  and  copper 
ores,  lead  ore  and  blende  by  gases  combined  with  fatty 
bodies."  The  inventor  stated  as  phenomena  which  had 
been  studied  by  him  and  served  as  the  basis  of  the  pat- 
ented process  the  following : 

"1.  When  the  natural  sulphides  reduced  to  fine  pow- 
der are  moistened  by  a  fatty  substance,  they  have  a 
tendency  to  unite  in  spherules  and  to  float  upon  the 
surface  of  water. 

"2.  This  tendency  is  simply  retarded  by  the  specific 
weight,  and  opposed  by  the  gangue  which  imprisons  the 
moistened  sulphides  in  its  pulverulent  mass. 

"3.  If  a  gas  of  any  kind  is  generated  in  this  mass,  the 
bubbles  of  this  gas  become  covered  with  an  envelope  of 
sulphide  and  thus  rise  readily  to  the  surface  of  the 
liquid  where  they  form  a  kind  of  metallic  magma. 

"4.  The    formation    of    these    metallic    spherules    is 
singularly  active,  if  the  gas  is  in  a  nascent  state. ' ' 
(To  he  Continued) 

Operating  revenue  of  United  States  steam  railways 
during  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  totaled  $3,396,808,- 
234,  an  increase  of  $508,359,921.  Operation  cost  $2,220,- 
004,233.  These  roads  cover  approximately  230,000  miles, 
or  90%  of  the  steam  mileage  in  the  country. 


Tin-plate  exports  of  the  United  States  exceed  any 
previous  records,  and  in  the  first  half  of  1916  totaled 
122,839  tons,  or  20,473  tons  per  month.  In  the  year 
ended  June  30,  1915,  the  rate  was  only  6667  tons,  and  in 
the  previous  year  3939  tons  per  month. 

Ferro-manganese  is  quoted  at  $170  per  ton. 


556 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS* 


October  14,  1916 


]FEMsria@2ii   M   thm 


Clifton  -Morenci   District, 
Arizona 


By      Banlil      Cole 


*At  the  time  flotation  appeared  upon  the  metallurgi- 
cal horizon  of  Arizona,  the  writer,  under  the  direction 
of  Dr.  L.  D.  Ricketts,  was  engaged  in  re-modeling  and  en- 
larging the  No.  6  concentration  plant  of  the  Arizona 
Copper  Co.  at  Morenci,  and  the  work  had  been  in 
progress  nearly  a  year  before  the  Inspiration  experi- 
ments with  flotation  disclosed  the  revolution  in  concen- 
tration that  was  impending. 

The  simplified  flow-sheet  for  the  Morenci  plant  had 
been  based  upon  the  removal  of  the  freed  metal  in  a 
minimum  number  of  stages  by  treatment  upon  tables 
equipped  with  Butchart  riffles,  the  latter  being  adapted 
to  accomplish  both  classification  of  feed  and  removal  of 
the  metal  at  one  operation. 

The  scheme  of  treatment  for  the  slime  was  based  upon 
the  fact  that  after  copper  sulphides,  such  as  chalcocite 
and  chalcopyrite,  are  reduced  to  a  certain  state  of  com- 
minution they  are  definitely  beyond  the  reach  of  sep- 
aration upon  any  of  the  concentrating  devices  then 
known. 

By  using  drag-belt  classifiers  (which  served  as  con- 
veyors as  well  as  separators),  the  overflow  would  be  of 
the  usual  'slime'  class.  Experiment  had  shown  that 
when  these  drag-belt  overflows  were  properly  diluted 
(that  is,  to  about  5  to  7%  solid  in  the  feed  under  treat- 
ment) the  fine  sand,  and  especially  the  fine  but  still 
granular  sulphide  particles,  would,  if  given  a  short  dis- 
tance to  fall,  settle  quickly  in  prime  condition  to  yield 
an  excellent  recovery  on  vanners;  further,  the  fine  non- 
separable  final  overflow  might  be  discharged  direct  to 
tailing,  thus  conserving  space. 

For  reasons  that  are  obvious,  this  kind  of  feed  prep- 
aration for  the  slime  could  not  be  accomplished  success- 
fully in  any  form  of  pointed  box  or  spitzkasten,  there- 
fore a  further  elaboration  of  the  drag-belt  idea  was 
worked  out  as  the  best  method  for  accomplishing  the 
separation.  This  machine  was  known  as  a  colloid  sep- 
arator and  is  shown  in  Pig.  1  and  2.  It  works  on  the 
premise  that  nearly  all  of  what  may  be  called  ponderable 
material  in  the  thinned  pulp,  falling  but  two  inches,  will 
lodge  upon  the  belts  and  be  removed,  while  the  floecu- 
lent  slime  will  remain  in  suspension  and  go  away  with 
the  overflow.  In  this  way  a  feed  is  prepared  for  the 
vanners  containing  a  maximum  amount  of  the  very  fine 
but  granular  sulphides  and  a  minimum  of  colloidal  ma- 
terial;  at  the  same  time  the  drag-belt  overflow  contains 
a  minimum  of  sulphide  particles  and  a  maximum  of 
flocculent  slime.     This  final  overflow  was  found  to   be 

'Abstract  of  paper  read  before  the  Arizona  meeting  of  the 
American   Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  in  September  1916. 


approximately  two-thirds  of  the  total  tonnage  handled 
by  the  belts,  so  that  treatment  upon  vanners  was  devoid 
of  beneficial  results.  The  copper  escaping  in  this  over- 
flow was  in  the  form  of  fine  chalcocite,  bornite  with  a 
little  pyrite  and  chalcopyrite,  together  with  oxidized, 
and  water-soluble,  copper  salts.  Taken  together,  these 
gave  the  overflow  a  copper  tenor  of  from  1  to  1.3%, 
thereby  accounting  for  the  larger  part  of  the  tailing- 
loss.  However,  this  overflow,  with  its  ultra-fine  and 
otherwise  handicapped  copper-bearing  material,  was 
practically  beyond  the  reach  of  any  concentrating  ma- 
chine at  that  time  known,  and  could  therefore  go  to 
tailing.  A  Dorr  thickener  130  ft.  diam.,  the  first  one  of 
such  large  size,  was  devised  to  recover  the  water  from 
this  overflow  before  it  was  allowed  to  go  to  waste.  See 
cover  of  this  issue. 

By  this  plan,  the  treatable  portion  of  the  slime  could 
be  handled  by  the  complement  of  vanners  already  in- 
stalled in  the  mill.  This  arrangement,  in  conjunction 
with  the  saving  in  floor-space,  resulting  from  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Butchart  riffle,  made  it  easily  possible  to 
double  the  capacity  of  the  plant  under  practically  the 
original  roof.  While  it  did  not  promise  to  recover  a 
larger  percentage  than  usual  of  the  truly  slimed  copper, 
it  did  promise  to  give  the  best  possible  results  in  one- 
half  the  space. 

By  the  time  this  flow-sheet  had  been  put  into  prac- 
tical operation,  the  Inspiration  experiments  were  at- 
tracting wide-spread  attention  and  flotation  was  begin- 
ning to  be  taken  seriously  as  a  process  for  the  concen- 
tration of  copper  ores.  It  was,  however,  still  regarded 
as  an  auxiliary  process  and  was  thought  to  be  inappli- 
cable to  ores  carrying  an  excess  of  talc  or  clay,  like  the 
C'lifton-Morenci  ores.  Some  experiments  with  the  El- 
more process  on  these  ores  in  former  years  had  been  un- 
successful and  laboratory  work  that  we  did  later  on  a 
small  scale  seemed  to  corroborate  this  view.  Space  was 
reserved,  however,  in  the  mill-building  for  the  installa- 
tion of  flotation  equipment  in  case  further  development 
should  prove  it  desirable. 

Meanwhile,  the  Inspiration  company  had  built  the 
600-ton  'pilot'  mill,  in  which  the  new  process  was 
rapidly  graduating  from  an  auxiliary  into  the  main 
method  of  separation,  in  the  manner  so  fully  described 
by  Dr.  Rudolf  Gahl.1  Starting  with  semi-mysterious 
compounds,  the  Inspiration  staff  soon  found  that  simple 
flotation  reagents  were  equally  efficacious.    Through  the 

I'History  of  the  Flotation  Process  at  Inspiration.'  Another 
paper  read  at  the  same  meeting  of  the  Institute.  'We  pub- 
lished extracts  in  our  issues  of  September  23  and  30.  1916. 


October  14,   L916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


557 


FIG.   1.      DRAG-BELT  SEPARATORS   IN   MILL   OF  ARIZONA  COPPER  CO. 


kindness  of  Mr.  Charles  E.  Mills,  the  manager,  I  secured 
a  drum  of  cresylie  acid  and  some  pine-oil  with  which  to 
try  a  few  experiments  at  Morenei. 

The  tailing  from  the  No.  6  concentrator  was  at  that 
time  discharged  into  Morenei  canyon  and  cascaded  for 
about  one  mile  before  being  taken  into  a  flume  to  be  car- 
ried to  the  impounding  dams.  The  creek-bed  was  rough 
and  steep,  inducing  great  agitation  of  the  pulp  and  re- 
sulting in  the  production  of  large  amounts  of  white 
froth,  which  floated  down  the  stream.     This  froth  car- 


ried no  concentrations  of  copper  minerals,  but  I  thought 
it  might  be  possible  to  change  its  character  and  produce 
a  mineral  froth  by  the  use  of  flotation  reagents  intro- 
duced where  the  tailing  left  the  mill,  and  thus  possibly 
secure  from  the  natural  situation  some  benefit  at  little 
cost. 

A  small  can  of  the  cresylie  acid  was  arranged  to  drip 
into  the  tailing-launder  at  a  point  where  the  tailing 
made  its  first  plunge  into  the  creek-bed.  The  results 
were   instantaneous.    Black   froth    began   to    collect   in 


Fig.  2.    another  view  of  drag-belt  separators. 


558 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS   ' 


October  14,  1916 


eddies  and  float  down-stream  for  a  few  yards  to  a  second 
plunge  where  we  were  greatly  surprised  to  find  that  it 
became  white  again  on  account  of  the  instant  dropping 
of  the  metallic  load.  Feeding  the  reagent  into  the 
stream  immediately  above  the  second  plunge  would  not 
cause  a  mineral-froth  to  rise  as  in  the  first  plunge,  and 
the  failure  was  finally  debited  to  a  town  sewer  which 
was  discharging  under  the  surface  into  the  creek  be- 
tween the  two  pools;  the  sewage  effectively  killed  the 
metal-carrying  capacity  of  the  froth. 

Cresylic  acid  was  then  added  to  the  feed  of  a  re-grind- 
ing Hardinge  mill,  which  was  discharging  into  a  long 
drag-belt  classifier.    The  results  were  again  most  encour- 


bends.  The  pipes  were  drilled  full  of  small  holes  and 
were  wrapped  with  cotton  blanket  tied  with  spirally 
wound  wire.  This  tube-grate  air-filter  was  put  into  the 
drag-belt  trough  as  deeply  as  possible,  without  touch- 
ing the  belt.  Coarse  sand  could  pass  through  between 
the  grates  and  be  removed  by  the  belt  underneath.  The 
pipes  were  supplied  with  compressed  air  for  the  purpose 
of  creating  additional  froth,  and  it  was  found  that  the 
product,  without  further  treatment,  assayed  40%  cop- 
per, 1.14%  of  which  was  oxidized,  and  that  it  carried 
but  20.4%  insoluble. 

Plans  for  a  small  frothing-machine  of  the  mechanical- 
agitation  type  were  made  immediately,  and  on  July  20 


Fig.  4.    simple  tube-grate  cell. 


aging ;  black  mineral-froth  began  immediately  to  appear 
and  to  collect  in  large  volume  upon  the  relatively  still 
water  in  the  drag-belt  trough.  This  rough  froth-con- 
centrate was  found  to  assay  over  45%  copper;  the 
product  contained  35%  insoluble,  mostly  in  the  form  of 
coarse  sand,  mechanically  suspended  in  the  froth  and 
easily  separated  by  screening.  It  was  found  that  1%  of 
the  copper  in  the  froth-concentrate  was  in  oxidized 
form ;  22%  of  the  concentrate  was  too  coarse  to  pass  a 
100-mesh  screen,  and  this  portion  carried  only  0.87% 
copper,  while  the  minus  100-mesh  material  carried  46% 
copper,  1.32%  of  which  was  oxidized,  and  but  16%  of 
insoluble.  The  high  grade  of  the  froth  concentrate  was 
astonishing,  showing  that  chalcocite  and  bornite  pre- 
dominated in  it. 

A  few  days  later  I  made  a  bank  of  tube-grates,  con- 
sisting of  six  parallel  1-in.  pipes  made  up  with  return 


the  apparatus  was  tried  with  the  colloid  separator-fine  as 
feed,  with  the  following  remarkable  result:  Feed,  2.23% 
copper,  of  which  0.62%  was  oxidized;  the  concentrate 
assayed  20.4%  copper,  of  which  1.18%  was  oxidized; 
the  tailing  carried  0.52%  copper,  of  which  0.38%  was 
oxidized,  leaving  only  0.14%  sulphide  copper  as  the  re- 
jection of  the  machine.  This  was  an  extraction  of  more 
than  79%  of  the  total  copper,  and  more  than  92%  of 
the  available  (sulphide)  copper.  This  showed  clearly 
that  much  could  be  expected  in  the  application  of  the 
new  process  to  Morenci  ores. 

The  Cananea  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  in  Sonora, 
Mexico,  had  been  experimenting  with  the  use  of  some 
Flinn-Towne  pneumatic  flotation  units  in  its  concentrat- 
ing department.  The  plant  had  been  shut-down  on  ac- 
count of  revolutionary  troubles,  and  arrangements  were 
made  by  Dr.  Ricketts  for  the  removal  of  one  of  these 


October  14.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


559 


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units  to  the  No.  G  concentrator 
at  Morenei.  The  apparatus 
was  installed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Flinn-Towrie  people 
in  the  space  reserved  for  flota- 
tion and  was  operated  for  sev- 
eral weeks  with  gratifying  re- 
sults as  to  recovery.  These  ex- 
periments demonstrated  clearly 
that  the  flotation  process  would 
be  suited  to  the  saving  of  slimed 
copper  sulphide  in  the  Morenei 
ores.  But  the  Plinn-Towne 
units  were  not  of  size  suitable 
for  use  in  the  equipment  of  a 
large  plant,  or  for  the  handling 
of  large  tonnages,  except  by 
using  a  great  number  of  them. 
It  was  thought  that  their  ca- 
pacity could  not  be  enlarged  to 
advantage  because  of  the  diffi- 
culty with  the  air-emitting  me- 
dium used,  which  was  in  circu- 
lar-disc form  with  central  dis- 
charge. These  discs  could  not 
be  made  larger  in  diameter 
without  increasing  the  difficulty 
coming  from  'blinding'  of  the 
air-emitting  surfaces  through 
the  lodging  of  coarse  particles 
upon  them,  and  from  the  forma- 
tion of  vortices  by  the  larger 
volume  discharged  through  the 
single  opening  in  the  centre,  en- 
training froth  with  the  reject. 

The  tube-grate  idea  previous- 
ly tried  in  the  drag-belt  tank 
seemed  to  be  a  better  way  to 
admit  air,  because  nothing 
could  lodge  upon  the  air-emit- 
ting elements  to  blind  them,  and 
constriction  of  the  passage  for 
the  pulp  and  water  would  be 
avoided.  This  tube-grate  idea 
therefore  formed  a  basis  on 
which  to  design  units  of  large 
capacity  for  practical  milling 
and  especially  to  obviate  the 
difficulty  of  limited  space  in  the 
No.  6  concentrator.  Accord- 
ingly, a  tube-grate  cell  was  in- 
stalled in  January  1915.  This 
simple  cell  is  shown  in  Fig.  4. 
It  was  used  for  some  time  to 
demonstrate  the  tube-grate  idea 
and  served  as  a  'cleaner'  in  the 
subsequent  work  done  with  a 
full-size  machine. 

The  demonstration  of  the  new 


560 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS  I 


October  14,  1916 


tube-grate  cell  was  such  a  success  that  a  three-stage  ma- 
chine, to  have  a  capacity  of  400  tons  per  day,  called  the 
C-B  machine,  was  designed  and  made.  Another  one  of 
the  same  kind  and  size  was  made  concurrently  for  the 
Inspiration  company,  and  both  of  them  were  started  in 
operation  early  in  March.  The  Inspiration  machine, 
which  is  illustrated  in  Dr.  Gahl's  paper,  gave  good 
results,  proving  the  design  to  be  substantially  correct. 
The  Morenci  machine  was  working  in  corrosive  water, 
which  formed  a  rust  on  the  steel  tubes  and  gradually 
closed  the  openings.  The  air-supply  was  found  to  be 
contaminated  with  grease  and  oil  from  the  blower-bear- 


sulphide  copper  present  in  the  feed,  with  an  average 
for  the  period  of  65%. 

The  blower  was  an  old  one  borrowed  from  the  mining 
department,  where  it  had  been  used  for  ventilation.  It 
was  designed  for  not  more  than  34-lb.  pressure,  and  the 
developing  of  6-lb.  pressure  deflected  the  shafts  and 
caused  the  impellers  to  rub  upon  the  sides  of  the  ma- 
chine, which  had  to  be  water-jacketed  to  keep  down  the 
heat  developed.  It  was  much  larger  than  necessary,  and 
a  great  excess  of  air  was  blown  off  from  open  valves. 
Therefore,  no  record  of  the  amount  of  air  used  or  power 
required  could  be  made. 

In  spite  of  these  minor  difficul- 
ties it  was  proved:    That   flota- 
tion   could   be    applied   to   these 
ores  with  great  advantage;  that 
the    copper    in    the    mill-tailing 
could  be   reduced  to  0.50%    (of 
which  0.25  to  0.30%  was  oxidized 
and    beyond    the   reach    even    of 
flotation)  ;  that  this  result  could  be  improved  by  finer 
grinding  in  the  Hardinge  mills;  that  the  same  simple 
reagents  used  elsewhere  would  apply.     Further,  a  new 
type  of  pneumatic  flotation  machine,  well  adapted  to 


Fig.  5.    longitudinal  section  of  c-b  flotation  machine, 
three  cells  in  series. 

ings,  muddy  water  entrained  in  the  air,  etc.,  which  closed 
the  pores  of  the  filter  from  the  inside.  Some  delay  was 
experienced  in  overcoming  these  difficulties. 

The  C-B  machine  at  Morenci  made  large  volumes  of 
rich  froth  and  had  become  immediately  profitable  by 
reason  of  its  being  able  to  handle  a  large  tonnage  and 
save  copper  that  would  be  otherwise  beyond  the  reach 
of  concentration.  It  was  therefore  kept  in  operation, 
even  though  working  under  the  handicap  of  partly 
clogged  tubes,  blower  troubles,  etc.  The  daily  tonnage 
handled  during  the  month  of  April  1915  was  from  125 
to  390  tons  per  day,  with  an  average  of  209 :  the  re- 
covery made  by  the  machine  was  from  35  to  79%  of  the 


the  conditions  at  No.  6  concentrator,  had  been  suc- 
cessfully developed  and  its  performance  demonstrated 
on  a  full-sized  unit.  The  new  machine  would  not  be 
in  any  way  embarrassed  by  the  oversize  coming  from 
Hardinge  mills.  All  of  the  drag-belt  overflow  being 
handled  by  the  colloid  separator  could  go  to  a  few 
of  these  new  machines  where  all  of  the  rich  slimed 
sulphide  copper  would  be  taken  out.  Or  the  whole 
tonnage  of  re-ground  material  produced  in  the  Har- 
dinge mills  could  go  directly  to  the  new  frother  in 
which  the  slimed  copper  sulphides  would  be  removed. 
The  thoroughly  frothed  sand  could  then  be  treated  on 
tables  and  vanners  for  the  removal  of  the  sulphide 
particles  too  coarse  to  be  separated  by  flotation.  Since 
there  would  then  be  no  embarrassing  losses  in  the 
slime  part  of  the  feed,  these  machines  would  work 
efficiently,  and  a  maximum  recovery  would  ensue. 

After  it  became  evident  that  flotation  would  apply  to 
Morenci  ores  and  before  the  value  of  the  tube-grate  idea 
was  fully  demonstrated,  it  was  decided  to  install  and 
experiment   with   a  standard   Callow   flotation   unit   of 


October  14,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


561 


200-ton  capacity,  consisting  of  four  rougher  cells  and 
our  cleaner.  This  equipment  was  not  received  until 
after  the  full-sized  C-B  unit  of  400-ton  daily  capacity 
had  been  installed. 

The  Callow  equipment  was  started  on  May  24,  1915, 
and  competitive  operation  proceeded  for  about  three 
months.  The  recoveries  proved  to  be  much  alike,  al- 
though the  feed  was  not  identical.  The  Callow  appar- 
atus is  not  adapted  to  handle  coarse  particles  of  feed  or 
oversize,  and  had  to  be  protected  by  a  screen  or  spitz- 
kasten.  It  will  handle  about  one-half  the  normal  ton- 
nage of  the  C-B  machine,  occupying  the  same  floor- 
spaee.  A  summary  of  *the  results  obtained  for  the 
months  of  May,  June,  and  July  1915,  also  details  show- 
ing the  work  for  the  month  of  July,  are  given  in  Tables 
1  and  2.  The  performance  is  shown  to  be  substantially 
parallel  as  to  quality  of  work  done,  but  quite  different 
as  to  quantity  handled. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  consumption  of  air  and 
power  was  not  determined  in  the  C-B  installation  be- 
cause there  was  no' way  to  take  correct  measurements. 
But  the  experience  at  Inspiration,  where  the  C-B  and 
Callow  systems  were  also  being  operated  in  parallel, 
showed  that  the  same  amounts  of  air  and  power  were 
used  by  each  system. 

Experience  suggested  wider  launders  for  froth,  larger 
'cleaner'  capacity,  and  simplified  tube-grate  construc- 
tion of  the  C-B  unit.     These  ideas  are  incorporated  in 


chine,  in  case  this  should  be  of  advantage.  An  air- 
pressure  of  5  lb.  is  required.  The  air-emitting  surface 
in  the  C-B  machine  is  more  than  twice  the  complete 
cross-sectional  area  of  the  frothing  compartments,  and 


Fig.  S. 


ARRANGEMENT    AT    MILL    OF    CANANEA    CONSOLIDATED    COPPER    CO.,    CANANEA,    MEXICO,    USING 
THE  C-B   3-STAGE   FLOTATION    MACHINE. 


the  new  design  shown  in  Fig.  5,  6,  and  7,  in  which  it 
will  be  noted  that  the  machine  is  merely  a  stationary 
wooden  box  suitably  arranged  to  receive  air-emitting 
tubes  that  are  dropped  from  the  top  and  rest  upon 
ledges  at  the  proper  level  in  the  pulp.  These  air-emit- 
ting elements  are  connected  to  the  air-supply  by  the 
use  of  rubber  hose.  They  can  be  taken  out  or  put  in 
without  cutting  off  the  feed  or  shutting  down  the  ma- 


PmmftL  Section  Thru  8-E 

Fig.  7.    front  elevation  of  c-b  flotation  machine. 

even  if  a  ridge  of  sand 
should  lodge  upon  the 
extreme  top  of  the  tubes 
and  partly  cut  off  the 
air-supply,  the  remain- 
ing unobstructed  area 
would  still  be  larger  than 
the  whole  cross-section. 

Fig.  8  shows  the  im- 
proved form  with  clean- 
ers as  arranged  in  the 
mill  at  Cananea,  and  is 
typical  of  the  arrange- 
ment adopted  for  the 
later  models.  There  are 
eight  units,  operated  under  conditions  varying  greatly 
as  to  quality  of  ores,  there  being  a  wide  range  of  iron 
and  copper  sulphide  conditions  and  all  conditions  of 
oxidation  in  the  ore  handled.  The  operation  of  the 
Cananea  machines  has  been  repeatedly  interrupted  by 
the  internal  strife  in  Mexico  and  no  deductions  of  value 
are  at  present  available. 

Fig.  9  shows  an  application  of  the  tube-grate  idea  to 


562 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS* 


October  14,  1916 


a  spitzkasten  type  of  frother.  One  of  these  machines 
was  made  and  installed  in  No.  6  concentrator  at  Morenci, 
but  was  taken  out  before  it  was  tried.  It  seems  to  em- 
body advantages  of  much  promise  in  a  frothing-first 
flow-sheet  and  will  soon  have  a  trial  to  determine  its 
value  in  the  simplified  concentration  of  ore  that  is  amen- 
able to  flotation. 

Table  2.  Compabative  Results  Obtained  in  Opebation  of  C-B 
Callow  Flotation  Machines  at  Concentbatob  No.  6,  Aei- 
zona  Coppeb  Company. 

May  1915 

C-B,  Callow, 

Flotation  tailing:                                                       %  % 

Total  copper 0.72  0.81 

Oxidized  copper    0.38  0.30 

Sulphide  copper   0.34  0.51 

Flotation  concentrate: 

Total  copper 38.19  24.82 

Insoluble    25.00  27.00 

Vanner  tailing: 

Total   copper   0.53  0.46 

Oxidized  copper *  0.18 

Sulphide    *  0.2S 

Vanner  concentrate: 

Total   copper   8.52  8.89 

Insoluble    *  30.60 

June  1915 

Flotation  tailing: 

Total  copper    0.71  0.69 

Oxidized  copper    0.30  0.28 

Sulphide    copper    0.41  0.41 

Flotation  concentrate: 

Total    copper    35.24  25.41 

Insoluble   23.80  26.00 

Vanner  tailing: 

Total   copper   0.41  0.42 

Oxidized   copper   0.23  0.22 

Sulphide  copper   0.18  0.20 

Vanner  concentrate: 

Total  copper    9.35  9.51 

Insoluble    *  * 

July  1915 

Flotation  tailing: 

Total  copper 0.61  0.66 

Oxidized  copper   0.24  0.23 

Sulphide    copper    0.37  0.43 

Flotation  concentrate: 

Total  copper   27.84  24. SO 

Insoluble    18.80  24.60 

Vanner  tailing: 

Total   copper   0.41  0.37 

Oxidized   copper   0.25  0.15 

Sulphide  copper   0.16  0.22 

Vanner  concentrate: 

Total   copper   7.96  6.40 

Insolubles    : .      *  * 

Table  tailing: 

Total  copper    0.41  0.45 

Oxidized   copper   0.24  0.25 

Sulphide  copper   0.17  0.20 

Table  concentrate: 

Total   copper   8.96  7.84 

Insoluble   43.60  * 

C-B  Callow 

Daily  tonnage  rate,  average  for  the  month  of 

July,  1915 479  139 

♦No  assay. 

"Without  protection  against  blinding  of  the  air-emit- 


ting media  by  sand  or  oversize,  the  C-B  machine  han- 
dled considerably  more  than  three  times  the  tonnage 
handled  by  the  Callow  in  July,  and  did  this  without 
detriment  to  the  metallurgical  work. 


In  the  world's  history,  the  industrial  epoch  on 
which  we  are  now  well  entered,  has  raised  the  most  com- 
plex questions  as  to  social  and  political  relationships 
the  human  race  has  so  far  had  to  face.  Unfortunately 
there  are  kaisers  in  industry  just  as  there  have  proved  to 
be  in  politics.  The  inevitable  result  in  both  cases  has 
been  war — in  the  one  case  .for  social  and  industrial 
freedom,  and  in  the  other  for  political  freedom.  Only 
enlightenment  can  create  the  co-operative,  constructive 
spirit.  But  the  enlightenment  must  be  such  as  discrim- 
inates the  large  from  the  small,  the  principle  from  the 
detail,  wisdom  from  mere  knowledge.  When,  at  last,  we 
acquire  wisdom  as  well  as  knowledge,  we  shall  see  that 
our  industries  exist  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  people  and 
not  of  the  capitalist  mainly ;  we  shall  see  that  the  individ- 
ual welfare  can  best  be  taken  care  of  by  caring  for  all ; 
we  shall  see  that  capitalist  and  workmen  are  as  inter- 
related as  the  parts  of  the  human  body;  that  neither  is 
servant  of  the  other,  but  that  each  is  both  servant  and 
master ;  that  we  cannot  injure  the  one  without  injuring 
the  other ;  that  we  have  here  one  of  the  highest  problems 
the  human  mind  has  set  itself  to  solve;  that  the  best 
combined  wisdom  of  all  will  be  required  to  work  out  the 
best  progressive  solution  of  this  greatest  of  industrial 
problems;  that  no  solution  of  a  problem  of  this  nature 
will  be  final  except  in  principle ;  that  this  is  only  one  of 
those  adjustments  of  human  relations  which  must  be  con- 
tinuous with  the  evolution  of  human  society.  When  men 
have  arrived  at  this  broader  view,  they  will  become 
reasonable,  just  in  proportion  to  the  breadth  of  their 
view.  We  are  safe  in  saying  that  centuries  may  be  re- 
quired in  working  out  the  solution  to  the  industrial 
problem,  since  this  is  merely  a  problem  in  social  evolu- 
tion. Social  evolution  is  merely  the  continuous  adjust- 
ment of  social  relations  to  meet  changing  conditions. 
As  long  as  these  change,  we  must  have  the  problem  with 
us.  It  is  easy  to  adjust  the  parts  of  a  machine.  But 
when  each  part  is  itself  infinitely  complex — is  in  fact  a 
human  being,  whose  adjustment  in  industrial  relations 
must  be  self-adjustment — it  is  self-evident  that  any  real 
mitigation  of  industrial  ills  must  be  founded  on  the 
gradual  growth  of  intelligence  and  ethical  feeling. — C. 
V.  Corless  in  September  Bulletin  of  Canadian  Mining 
Institute. 

Gold  received  at  the  San  Francisco  Mint  during  Sep- 
tember totaled  484,827  oz.,  including  10,273  oz.  of  Aus- 
tralian gold  and  245,702  oz.  in  sovereigns  (£  or  $4.80 
each).  The  value  was  $10,022,263.  Silver  received 
amounted  to  146,023  oz.,  worth  $97,825.  Coinage  con- 
sisted of  116,000  half  eagles,  2,100,000  dimes,  2,100,000 
nickels,  anad  1,700,000  cents,  of  a  total  value  of  $912,- 
000.  Coin,  bullion,  etc.,  on  hand  at  the  end  of  the  month 
totaled  $377,090,352.63. 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


563 


~v*-        & 


564 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS. 


October  14,  1916 


Life   On  An   Early   Geological   Survey 


By     H , 


FosSes 


Yielding  to  the  hypnotic  influence  of  some  fascinating 
sketches,  I  gave  in  1910,*  some  account  of  early  days  up- 
on the  Kentucky  Geological  Survey.  I  have  never  since 
wondered  at  Dickens  having  chosen  to  write  of  Oliver 
Twist.  Indeed,  at  times,  I  have  been  disposed  to  believe 
that  the  people  who  boldly  demand  'more'  constitute  a 
majority.  My  situation  has  become  almost  as  desperate 
as  that  of  the  Colorado  mine-promoter  who  once  allowed 
one  of  his  'tunnel'  companies  to  pay  a  dividend.  He 
later  confided  to  a  fellow  promoter  that  it  was  the  most 
serious  mistake  he  ever  made,  as  it  created  a  truly  in- 
satiable demand  for  more  dividends  and  finally  drove 
him  out  of  business.  Hoping  that  the  results  in  this 
case  may  not  be  equally  serious,  I  have  made  a  further 
draft  upon  the  supply  of  pictures  that  form  the  excuse 
for  the  existence  of  my  text. 

These  sketches,  it  may  be  recalled,  are  reproductions 
of  silhouettes,  cut  at  the  time  by  John  R.  Proctor,  who, 
as  a  young  man  was  a  member  of  the  party  whose  activi- 
ties he  has  so  cleverly  depicted.  They  are  published 
through  the  courtesy  of  Philip  N.  Moore,  who,  despite 
the  many  incidents  of  a  busy  professional  career,  finds 
place  in  his  memory  for  the  days  when  with  A.  R.  Cran- 
dall,  C.  J.  Norwood,  Robert  Peter,  John  Hussey,  F.  G. 
Sanborne,  Lucien  Carr,  W.  B.  Page,  W.  W.  Beckman, 
W.  T.  Page,  and  other  young  enthusiasts,  all  under  the 
inspiration  and  direction  of  'Uncle  Nat'  Shaler,  he  was 
helping  to  determine  the  material  foundations  of  the 
present  prosperous  State  of  Kentucky. 

The  Survey  was  organized  in  1873,  and  continuing  in 
full  activity  till  1891,  it  contributed  an  enormous  im- 
pulse to  that  industrial  development  of  eastern  Kentucky, 
in  particular,  that  has  marked  the  last  quarter-century. 
Incidentally,  the  life  on  the  Survey,  the  associations  then 
built  up,  and  the  solid  knowledge  acquired  in  the  course 
of  the  work,  contributed  also  to  the  making  of  a  number 
of  useful  careers  in  our  profession.  Even  those  who 
were  members  of  the  staff  but  a  short  time  look  back 
with  pleasure  and  gratitude  to  their  Survey  days.  It  is 
a  bit  difficult  for  the  historian,  gazing  at  the  massive 
structure  and  considerable  atmospheric  displacement 
of  so  vigorous  a  man  as  J.  H.  De  Friese  for  example,  to 
realize  that  any  member  of  the  former  corps  was  once 
considered  to  be  "thin  and  puny-like"  and  in  grave 
danger  of  an  early  demise  unless  a  course  of  hardy  out- 
door life  could  be  attained.  Be  that  as  it  may,  De  Friese, 
the  prosperous  director  of  Borax  Consolidated  and 
trusted  counsellor  of  London  corporations,  was,  by  re- 
port, saved  to  usefulness  by  the  Kentucky  Survey.  As 
one  gazes  at  certain  other  former  members  of  the  staff, 

*M.  &  S.  P.,  October  1,  1912. 


he  inevitably  wonders  what  they  might  have  been  except 
for  those  long  days  of  tramping  up  valleys  and  over- 
mountains  and  the  nights  of  solid  sleep  that  follow  sucb- 
days. 

Any  account  of  a  geological  survey  party  should  prop- 
erly begin  with  its  most  important  member ;  and  I  leave 
it  to  any  ex-survey  man  if,  not  the  leader  of  the  party, 
but  the  cook  does  not  occupy  that  role.  Many  a  bitter 
scientific  controversy  has  waged  through  the  long  years 
because  the  camp-cook  failed  at  a  critical  time  to  keep 
the  geologist  well  fed  and  in  good  condition,  and  so  up- 


EXHIBIT    A.       THE    SURVEY    PARTY  S    COOK. 

to  making  accurate  observations.  I  am  more  than  half- 
persuaded  that  the  numerous  proverbs  enjoining  care 
on  the  man  who  would  choose  him  a  wife,  grew  out  of 
the  primitive  condition  where  wife  and  cook  were  at  best 
variant  names  for  .the  same  person.  In  the  City,  one 
can  if  need  be,  go  to  his  club ;  or,  if  temporary  difficulties 
as  to  the  budget  superimpose  themselves  on  others  do- 
mestic, there  are  the  ever  present  Childs  of  A.  B.  C. 
restaurants,  depending  on  which  country  you  are  in,  to 
succor  one.  In  camp  in  the  mountains,  one  is  dependent 
on  his  own  resources  and  the  tender  mercies  of  a  hired 
cook  who  probably,  with  a  total  disregard  of  distances 
involved,  from  time  to  time  threatens  to  "quit  and  go 
home,"  unless  his  every  wish  be  respected.  Here  is  a 
secret  worthy  of  consideration  perhaps  by  those  who 
frame  courses  in  mining  schools — a  knowledge  of  cook- 
ing is  the  one  sure  road  to  independence.  An  engineer 
who  can  look  the  cook  straight  in  the  eye,  conscious 


October  14,  L916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


565 


meanwhile  of  His  own  skill  in  flapping  pancakes  and 
getting  the  bacon  and  coffee  just  right,  and  can  tell  that 
cook:  "Very  well,  whenever  you  like,  but  you  had  bet- 
ter think  it  over  till  morning" — that  engineer,  I  say,  is 
truly  independent.  He  will  have,  and  will  deserve,  a 
■comfortable  camp.  It  is,  however,  a  risk,  because,  you 
■see,  the  cook  may  take  you  at  your  word. 

The  cook  for  the  survey  party  of  which  I  write  was 


It  was  the  business  of  these  early  geological  surveys 
to  make  complete  studies  of  the  natural  history  of  the 
regions  under  survey.  It  was  in  the  days  before  the  in- 
tense specialization  of  the  present,  when  a  geologist, 
wandering  off  the  edge  of  the  well  made  topographic 
map  furnished  by  the  engineer,  falls  headlong  into  an 


EXHIBIT    B.       BOTANICAL    EXPLORATION. 


EXHIBIT   C.       EXPLORING    CAVES. 


'Sam  Tutt — fat,  lazy  and  good  natured  as  becomes  a  camp 
•cook.  I  present  his  picture  as  Exhibit  A.  Sam  was  a 
native,  and  knew  as  a  true  Kentuckian  how  corn-bread 
should  be  made  and  bacon  'br'iled.'  He  even,  in  proper 
season,  concocted  wonderful  pastry  stuffed  with  the 
large  ripe  blackberries  which  make  travel  through  Mid- 
dle Western  states  a  delight  in  summer.  Those  who 
have  attempted  pies  in  camp,  need  no  higher  testimony 
to  his  skill  and  will  know  at  once  why  the  Shaler  survey 
of  Kentucky  was  famous  for  the  friendships  formed 
within  its  staff. 


abyss  and  must  cry  aloud  for  help  to  be  set  again  upon 
his  feet.  In  those  primitive  days  the  geologist  had  in- 
terest at  least  in  botany,  in  entomology,  and  in  kindred 
sciences.  He  could  himself  distinguish  between  a  beech 
tree  and  a  telegraph  pole,  and  welcomed  the  help  of  the 
botanist  who  traveled  with  him  and  studied  timber  while 
he  traced  the  coal  beds.  So  the  various  scientists  trav- 
eled the  woods  and  hills  together  at  times  even  hand 
in  hand,  or  as  nearly  that  as  circumstances  permitted,  as 
depicted  in  Exhibit  B. 

Kentucky  is  a  land  of  caves,  and  in  both  eastern  and 


566 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRES6 


October  14,  1916 


western  parts  there  are  miles  of  caverns,  some,  as  the 
Mammoth,  in  which  untraced  rivers  tempt  one  to  ex- 
plore, others  small  and  unimportant.  One  can  never  tell 
the  size  of  a  cave  from  looking  at  its  mouth,  and  at  the 
time  of  which  I  write,  most  of  the  secrets  of  the  caves 
were  yet  unknown,  the  survey  staff  entered  and  explored 
such  as  they  came  across.  Perhaps  it  is  more  correct  to 
say  some  members  did  so,  since  in  Exhibit  C,  Hussey 
the  botanist  and  Norwood  the  geologist,  seem  to  have 
chosen  the  wiser  part,  while  Carr  the  archeologist  strug- 
gles to  regain  his  place  upon  the  upper  surface  of  the 
earth  where  men  play  at  making  history.  One  might 
question  the  result  were  it  not  that  'Uncle  Jimmy' 
Kemp — whose  accuracy  and  veracity  the  boldest  would 
not  call  in  question — has  at  various  meeting  of  the  In- 
stitute and  Geological  Society  presented  most  convincing 
lantern  slides  of  himself  engaged  in  even  more  strenuous 
feats  of  climbing. 

Every  campaign  finally  closes,  and  every  week  of  toil 
has  its  Saturday  night,  even  in  camp.  These  scenes 
depict  conditions  long  before  the  days  when  the  enam- 
eled tub  so  enthused  the  country  guest  that  he  "could 
hardly  wait  for  Saturday  night  to  come, ' '  but,  as  shown 
in  Exhibit  D,  the  differences  between  ancient  and  mod- 


has   ever   been    a   favorite    with    painters — 'After   the 
Bath'.    While  not  done  entirely  in  the  modern  French 


/ 


t  / 


"'.St.--}' '\ 


EXHIBIT   E.       'AFTEB  THE  BATH.' 

style,  the  sketch  is  still,  I  think,  sufficiently  realistic. 
It  being  well  understood  that  beyond  what  Trilby  imor- 
talized  as  'the  altogether'  there  is  nothing  more  to  re- 
veal, this  will  I  hope,  excuse  me  from 
making  further  research  into  the  his- 
tory and  doings  of  the  Second  Geo- 
logical Survey  of  Kentucky. 


EXHIBIT   D.       SATCBDAY    NIGHT. 

era  times  are  but  differences  in  method  and  instruments. 
The  essentials,  plenty  of  cold  water  and  a  willing  or  at 
least  acquiescent  subject,  being  present,  the  result  is  the 
same.  Even  in  recent  years  and  at  high  altitudes  in 
Colorado  I  have  known  ambitious  graduates  of  'Tech' 
to  rig  a  hollowed  half  log  so  as  to  deliver  spring  water 
where  it  would  do  the  most  good. 

The  last  scene,  Exhibit  E,  illustrates  a  subject  that 


Mineral  production  of  Kentucky 
in  1914  was  valued  at  $26,668,474, 
slightly  under  that  for  1913.  The 
products  include  the  following: 

Clay    products,   tons 66,229 

Coal,  tons 20,382,763 

Coke,  tons   443,959 

Fluorspar,   tons    19,077 

Mineral  waters,  gallons   437,334 

Natural    gas,   value    $490,875 

Petroleum,   barrels    502,441 

Sand  and  gravel,  tons  1,563,49S 

At  about  $1  per  ton  coal  forms  the 
largest  item  in  the  list.  The  lead  and 
zinc  output  is  increasing,  that  in  1915 
being  251  tons  and  764  tons  respec- 
tively, worth  a  total  of  $213,006.  The 
deposits  are  found  in  both  central  and 
western  Kentucky.  The  presence  of 
zinc-blende  was  recognized  in  1854- '57 
during  the  first  geological  survey  of  the 
State  by  D.  D.  Owen  and  S.  S.  Lyon. 
In  1915  there  was  370  tons  of  lead  con- 
centrate sold,  and  2172  tons  of  zinc  carbonate,  the  latter 
an  increase  of  1528  tons.  At  the  Larue  mine,  near 
Marion  in  Crittendon  county,  low-grade  sphalerite  con- 
centrate was  recovered  from  dump  ore.  An  experi- 
mental flotation  plant  was  erected.  In  western  Ken- 
tucky galena  is  associated  with  fluorspar,  this  being  a 
continuation  of  the  southern  Illinois  lead  and  zinc  region. 
At  present  lead  is  a  by-product  of  the  fluorspar. 


October  14.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


567 


Re -Timbering   a  Four- Compartment  Shaft 


By      £! .       a.      'iSilels 


Increasing  pressure,  due  to  heavy  and  swelling  ground, 
was  found  to  be  gradually  closing  the  Capote  No.  2  shaft 
of  the  Cananea  Copper  Co.  In  some  places  the  timbers 
had  been  cut  out  to  the  limit  of  safety  in  order  to  permit 
the  passage  of  the  skips.  Besides  interfering  with  rapid 
hoisting,  there  was  always  danger  of  a  serious  accident. 

The  new  Capote  No.  15  shaft  was  not  ready  for  use, 
therefore,  in  order  that  production  from  the  Capote  mine 
might  not  be  curtailed,  it  became  necessary  to  re-timber 
No.  2  shaft  with  as  little  interruption  as  possible.  This 
was  done  by  dividing  the  work  into  two  operations. 
Several  months  were  required  for  the  preliminary  prep- 
arations while  only  a  few  days  were  necessary  for  the 
actual  removal  of  the  old  timbers  and  their  replacement. 

The  shaft  was  first  plumbed  to  the  600-ft.  level  by 
letting  down  three  plumb-lines  from  the   collar-set  at 


iS-\ 


O 


l\  3 


£l& 


l/„l 


FlG.    1.      PLAN   OF   SHAFT    SHOWING  POSITION   OF   PLUMB   LINES. 

surface,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1.  The  distance  of  the  timbers 
from  the  plumb-lines  was  measured  at  intervals  of  every 
third  set.  These  results  when  plotted  gave  a  graphic 
record  of  the  condition  of  the  shaft.  In  one  place  it  was 
found  to  be  as  much  as  11  inches  out  of  plumb.  It  was 
then  decided  to  re-timber  the  three  compartments  used 
for  hoisting  men  and  ore,  and  to  leave  intact  the  fourth 
compartment,  which  contained  the  pipes  and  wiring. 

The  preliminary  preparation  for  re-timbering  con- 
sisted in  tearing  out  the  old  sheeting  and  inserting  new 
lagging  18  inches  back  from  the  shaft-timbers,  as  shown 


£ 


pfo/cl    I        pa       Tpwpa- 


=Q 


3^    Men      E 


1  §  I         Ore         E  '     3         Ore 


S    Pipe 


m^|    \s;io^,pio\.\Bil,ci,-%^       I  I 


TJ 


Fig.  2.    plan  of  shaft  showing  pony-sets. 


in  Fig.  2.    This  was  done  only  in  the  three  compartments 
that  had  to  be  re-timbered. 

The  work  was  done  by  a  crew  of  eight  men  who  went 


to  work  after  the  night-shift  had  left  the  mine  and  hoist- 
ing had  been  discontinued.  In  this  way  they  were  en- 
abled to  work  from  2  until  6.30  a.m.  On  entering  the 
shaft  they  first  built  a  temporary  platform  in  the  shaft, 
at  the  station  below  the  point  where  they  intended  to 
work.  This  served  to  catch  the  rock  and  timber  removed 
in  setting  back  the  lagging.  Two  men  at  work  on  the 
level  below  were  able  to  remove  the  material  dislodged 
and  dump  it  into  old  stopes  behind  the  shaft.  In  most 
cases  it  was  necessary  to  chop  out  the  old  sheeting  be- 
fore it  could  be  removed.  Where  the  rock  was  hard  it 
was  necessary  to  drill  and  shoot  short  holes  in  order  to 
loosen  the  ground.  However,  in  most  places  it  was  soft 
and  broken,  so  as  to  permit  removal  with  a  pick.  In  this 
way  the  shaft  was  enlarged  about  18  inches,  for  the 
height  of  one  set,  around  three  compartments.     Two 


Fig.  3.     section  of  shaft  before  removing  set  c. 

transverse  timbers,  Fig.  3  (A  and  A'),  5  by  10,  were  first 
set  in  place  and  blocked  loosely  against  the  wall-plates. 
After  the  lagging  had  been  set  in  place,  wedges  were 
driven  between  the  blocks  and  wall-plates  opposite  the 
posts.  The  same  operation  was  done  at  the  end  of  the 
last  compartment  except  that  the  blocking  was  against 
the  end  plates.  "When  complete  the  result  was  a  short 
pony-set  extending  around  three  compartments.  As  the 
timbers  were  not  to  be  removed  in  the  pipe-compartment, 


568 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS, 


October  14,  1916 


5  by  10  sprags  were  wedged  between  the  wall-plates  of 
every  set  a  few  inches  back  from  the  dividers.  Short 
posts  were  wedged  between  the  wall-plates  opposite  these 
sprags.  Fig.  2  gives  the  plan  of  a  set  after  the  lagging 
had  been  set  back.  This  operation  should  be  conducted 
from  the  top  of  the  shaft  downward  in  order  to  prevent 
'runs'  of  loose  material  into  the  shaft.  All  platforms 
and  obstructions  had  to  be  removed  from  the  shaft  at 
the  end  of  each  shift,  leaving  it  free  for  hoisting.  Care 
and  judgment  were  necessary  so  that  the  work  might 
be  left  in  condition  to  prevent  all  danger  of  loosening 
during  the  hoisting  on  the  day-shift.  Progress  depended 
on  the  nature  of  the  ground  surrounding  the  shaft. 

Several  months  were  necessary  to  prepare  the  first  300 
ft.  of  the  shaft  as  just  described.  In  the  meantime  the 
new  timbers  had  been  framed,  each  set  and  piece  being 
numbered  so  as  to  facilitate  handling  in  the  shaft. 

As  work  in  the  mine  was  usually  suspended  on  the 
first  and  fifteenth  of  every  month  for  pay-day,  one  of 
these  intervals  was  chosen  to  begin  the  work  of  removing 
the  old  timbers  and  replacing  them.  Accordingly  the 
first  set  above  the  brow-set  of  the  400-ft.  station  was 
chosen  as  the  starting-point.  In  this  operation  the  work 
must  proceed  from  the  bottom  upward.  It  was  first 
necessary  to  build  a  platform  of  planks  in  the  shaft,  level 
with  the  floor  of  the  400-ft.  station.  This  was  needed 
to  prevent  the  material  removed  from  falling  into  the 
sump.  Temporary  platforms  were  also  built  in  the  shaft 
above  the  300-ft.  station  as  a  protection  to  the  men  work- 
ing beneath  that  point.  It  was  possible  to  lower  one  cage 
to  the  300-ft.  level.  All  the  new  timber  had  previously 
been  lowered  to  that  level,  each  set  being  piled  sepa- 
rately. 

Referring  to  Fig.  3,  B  was  the  brow-set  and  C  the  first 
set  to  be  removed.  The  vertical  stringers  V  and  V  had 
been  blocked  in  place  in  the  middle  of  each  set  and  at 
the  end,  as  seen  in  Fig.  2,  to  hold  back  the  transverse 
timbers  A  and  A'.  It  was  necessary  first  to  remove  the 
guides,  which  was  done  by  withdrawing  the  lag-screws 
to  the  nearest  joint  below  set  B.  The  guides,  and  all 
other  timbers  subsequently  removed,  were  lowered  to 
the  platform  at  the  station  below  the  point  of  removal 
and  stored  on  that  level. 

In  order  to  remove  set  C  it  was  necessary  to  block  up 
set  D  so  that  the  shaft  might  not  be  loosened  and  break 
away  above  that  point.  In  each  compartment  a  10  by 
12  timber  (See  Fig.  4)  was  thrown  across  the  shaft  on  top 
of  the  wall-plates  of  set  B.  On  this  was  raised  stulls  S 
and  S'  supporting  another  10  by  12  timber,  which  re- 
ceived the  wall-plates  of  set  D.  The  stulls  had  to  be  set 
in  the  compartment  in  order  not  to  interfere  with  plac- 
ing the  new  wall-plates.  The  first  set  C  was  now  ready 
to  be  removed.  It  was  necessary  to  chop  out  the  blocks 
before  they  became  loosened  sufficiently.  In  most  cases 
it  was  easier  to  cut  through  the  dividers  than  to  attempt 
to  loosen  the  blocks.  Next,  the  posts  supporting  the  set 
were  sawed  and  chopped  off  in  order  to  drop  the  set. 
The  wall-plates  were  sawed  a  few  inches  from  the  divid- 
ers in   the  pump-compartment.     As   each   timber  was 


loosened  it  was  lowered  to  the  station  below  and  not 
dropped  as  that  would  have  damaged  the  temporary 
platform.  All  was  now  in  readiness  for  placing  the  first 
new  set. 

The  wall-plates  to  facilitate  handling  had  been  framed 
in  two  sections,  one  length  of  which  was  equal  to  the 


Fig.  4.     section  showing  set  c  removed. 

width  of  two  compartments  and  the  other  to  the  width 
of  the  remaining  compartment.  All  the  joints  and 
splices  had  been  drilled  for  wooden  pegs.  The  posts 
were  lowered  and  set  in  their  places  on  the  old  set  (B), 
each  having  been  cut  to  such  a  length  as  to  bring  the 
first  set  level.  Next  the  wall-plates  were  lowered  and 
put  in  place,  after  which  the  end  plates  and  lastly  the 
dividers.  The  set  was  assembled  ready  to  be  blocked. 
Plumb-lines  were  now  dropped  from  above  and  the  first 
set  blocked  to  correspond  to  the  collar  set. 

Before  removing  the  next  set  D,  it  was  necessary  to 
support  the  set  above,  which  was  done  by  laying  a 
stringer  on  wall-plates  of  new  set  C  and  raising  the  stulls 
with  stringer  under  the  wall-plates  of  the  set  above 
D.  Before  removing  the  stulls  supporting  set  D,  short 
posts  were  placed  on  new  set  C  to  receive  weight  of  set 
D,  while  the  transfer  was  being  made.  New  vertical 
stringers  corresponding  to  V  and  V  had  to  be  inserted, 
reaching  from  new  set  C"  to  set  above  D.  The  short 
posts  supporting  set  D  could  then  be  removed  and  a  few 
blows  would  usually  cause  the  set  to  fall  apart.  A  new 
set  was  then  assembled  in  place  and  blocked  the  same  as 
the  set  below. 

Replacing  the  station  sets  was  a  little  more  difficult 
although  carried  out  by  the  same  method  as  used  in  re- 
placing the  ordinary  sets.  Bearers  were  introduced  at 
intervals  of  about  100  ft.  and  usually  a  short  distance 


October  14,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


569 


below  the  stations.  Ou  completing  the  work  the  vertical 
stringers  V  and  V  were  all  removed,  as  the  transverse 
timbers  A  and  A'  had  been  securely  blocked  against  the 
new  sets.  The  sets  were  all  framed  from  10  by  10 
Oregon  pine  of  the  best  grade.  The  lagging  was  heavier 
than  is  usual. 

A  crew  of  18  Mexicans,  supervised  by  two  Americans, 
worked  on  each  shift.  It  was  possible  to  remove  and 
replace  an  average  of  two  sets  on  each  shift.  The  follow- 
ing distribution  of  the  working  crew  was  made :  8  timber- 
men  working  in  the  shaft;  3  men  on  station  for  remov- 
ing timber  and  loose  material ;  3  for  handling  and  lower- 
ing the  new  timber ;  1  engineer  for  small  air-hoist  and  3 


roustabouts  for  odd  jobs  such  as  bringing  in  sharp  tools, 
drinking-water,  and  wedges.  With  an  American  crew 
two-thirds  of  the  number  could  probably  have  done  the 
work.  A  suggestion  for  avoiding  delay,  although  it  may 
seem  obvious  and  insignificant,  is  the  need  of  a  suffi- 
cient supply  of  sharp  tools  always  on  hand.  In  the 
beginning  more  delays  were  caused  by  dull  tools  than 
from  any  other  cause.  Extreme  care  was  necessary  at 
all  times  in  order  to  prevent  accidents.  Fortunately  the 
work  was  finished  without  a  single  accident  of  any  kind. 
The  work  was  done  under  the  direct  supervision  of  R. 
Z.  Hodges  as  foreman  and  Thomas  Stanton  as  super- 
intendent. 


Gold  Mining  in  War  Time 

In  the  last  issue  to  hand  of  the  'Monthly  Journal'  of 
the  Chamber  of  Mines  of  Western  Australia,  an  inter- 
esting editorial  has  the  above  title.  It  has  never  been 
possible  to  carry  on  operations  in  the  western  State 
under  as  advantageous  conditions  as  in  the  other  States. 
The  mines  of  the  West  are  far  inland,  in  an  almost 
waterless  and  desert  country,  with  little  facility  for  the 
local  production  of  foodstuffs.  Gold  to  a  depth  of  200 
to  300  ft.  is  oxidized,  amenable  to  simple  treatment ;  but 
the  sulpho-telluride  ore  at  depth  requires  special  and 
costly  methods.  The  standard  of  wages  has  always  been 
high,  rendered  necessary  by  the  high  cost  of  transport, 
living,  and  other  conditions.  With  depth  the  grade  of 
ore  has  decreased  from  $14.40  per  ton  in  1893  to  well 
under  $9.60  at  present,  while  the  profit  in  1903  was  $4.44 
and  today  $1.44  per  ton.  Large  tonnages  have  to  be 
treated  now  to  make  a  decent  return  on  the  capital. 

The  War  has  intensified  all  of  these  factors,  added  to 
which  was  the  difficulty  in  securing  such  supplies  as 
zinc  sheets,  explosives,  lead  acetate,  quicksilver,  cyanide, 
and  special  parts  of  machinery,  none  of  which  were  made 
in  Australia.  The  Chamber  of  Mines  took  prompt  steps 
to  secure  supplies,  and  these  are  now  arriving  regularly. 
The  great  benefit  of  the  Chamber's  organization  has  been 
proved,  for  if  the  companies  had  acted  individually 
many  would  have  been  forced  to  suspend  work.  The 
following  shows  increases  in  some  of  the  mine  supplies: 
Per  cent  increase  since  the  War 

Manila   rope    25.0      Cement    52.7 

Shoes  and  dies   20.4      Explosives    (gelignite) . .   25.0 

Fuse    8.0      Welsh  coke   36.9 

Clay    assay    crucibles. . .   36.1      Lead  acetate  97.7 

Retorts    14.1      Borax   glass    3S.3 

Litharge    15.5      Quicksilver    114.4 

Bicarbonate  of  soda 13.4      Zinc  shavings  85.2 

Galvanized  iron 64.0      Cupel   material    ^.   13.1 

Steel  plates  42.6      Bar  iron    48.0 

General   hardware    ...20  to  25 

Oils  have  advanced  from  3  to  4  cents  per  gallon.  In 
June,  1914,  one  mine  at  Kalgoorlie  had  stores  costing 
$14,900 ;  a  year  later  these  cost  $17,800.  Since  the  latter 
date  there  have  been  further  advances  in  prices. 

Many  of  the  best  men  employed  at  the  mines  have  gone 
to  Europe,  resulting  in  a  shortage  of  labor.    The  Unions 


acted  foolishly  regarding  certain  unnaturalized  foreign- 
ers at  the  mines,  which  re-acted  against  the  labor  supply. 
Increases  in  wages  are  being  demanded.  The  general 
result  of  the  labor  attitude  was  to  reduce  the  output  of 
nine  large  mines  at  Kalgoorlie  by  5300  tons  and  $32,000 
gold  weekly.  The  monthly  output  of  this  district  is 
nearly  $1,100,000  from  132,000  tons  of  ore.  The  total 
to  date  is  over  $300,000,000. 

Additional  taxation  is  another  grave  disability.  Min- 
ing raised  Western  Australia  from  poverty,  obscurity, 
and  stagnation  to  prosperity,  prominence,  and  progress. 
The  State  and  Federal  governments  are  making  undue 
levies  on  the  mining  industry,  which  is  willing  to  bear  its 
fair  share.  Impositions  consist  of  the  State  income  and 
State  profit,  and  Federal  income  and  Federal  land  taxes. 
In  addition  to  these  the  Commonwealth  government  has 
a  bill  to  levy  a  war-profits  tax.  This  requires  50%  on 
all  profits  that  exceeded  by  more  than  $960  the  normal 
standard  of  profits  made  by  any  business  prior  to  the 
War,  calculating  an  average  of  three  years  preceding 
August,  1914. 

Western  Australia  has  produced  gold  worth  $577,000,- 
000,  of  which  $124,000,000  has  been  paid  in  dividends. 


The  cost  op  operation  has  been  much  higher  during 
the  past  six  months.  Wages  have  been  advanced,  and 
an  eight-hour  day  introduced  at  all  points.  The  cost  of 
materials  has  been  advanced  50%  and,  in  more  than 
one  instance,  over  100%.  On  this  account  the  profits 
per  ton  of  ore  smelted,  or  bullion  refined,  has  been  se- 
riously reduced,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  toll  received 
from  the  mines  and  smelters  has  been  fixed  on  long-time 
contracts,  made  when  present  costs  were  not  believed 
possible.  The  present  favorable  showing  as  to  profits  is 
due,  partly,  to  a  large  and  abnormal  increase  in  business, 
but,  to  a  great  extent,  to  the  production  of  A.  S.  &  R.  Co. 
mines  and  to  new  lines  (tin)  of  business  in  which  the 
company  has  interested  itself,  and  which,  it  is  hoped,  will 
be  increasingly  profitable.  A  few  years  since,  the  busi- 
ness of  the  company  was  almost  entirely  the  smelting  of 
lead  and  silver  ores,  and  the  refining  of  the  resulting 
bullion.  This  portion  of  the  company's  business  has 
been  far  less  profitable  per  ton  of  materials  handled  than 
during  the  same  period  of  last  year. — Abstract  from 
half-yearly  report  of  A.  S.  &  R.  Co. 


570 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS, 


October  14,  1916 


€J©5ffi©gsa®?afc!§ 


Renders  of  the  MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  minted  to  ask  questions  and    | 
give  information  dealing  with  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  prac-    | 
tice  oj  mining,  milling,  and  smelting. 


A  scabp  sample  is  one  that  is  taken  over  the  full  width 
of  a  vein  by  cutting  a  groove  across  the  face  of  it. 

Sulphate  op  alumina  is  used  for  clarifying  water. 
Present  quotations  are.  from  $120  to  $185  per  ton. 

Using  a  fuse  with  its  detonator  to  bind  together  sticks 
of  powder  into  a  bundle  is  a  very  dangerous  practice, 
although  not  uncommon. 

Carbonic-acid  gas  pockets  are  encountered  in  magne- 
site  mines,  and  have  been  known  to  result  in  suspension 
of  work  in  that  ground  until  cleared  by  other  openings. 

Oil  consumption  in  calcining  refractory  magnesite 
ore  in  Sonoma  county,  California,  is  one  barrel  per  ton 
of  calcined  product ;  or  one  barrel  for  two  tons  of  crude 
ore,  as  practically  half  of  the  ore  is  carbonic  acid  gas. 


Making  wire  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  metal  arts. 
The  first  wires  were  rolled  from  thin  strips  of  metal. 
Wires  of  gold  and  silver  have  been  recovered  from  the 
graves  of  the  ancients  in  Asia,  Africa,  and  in  South 
America. 


Well-equipped  machine-shops  are  of  importance  to 
large  dredging  companies,  most  of  which  in  the  United 
States  are  so  equipped.  The  Conrey  company  at  Ruby, 
Montana,  spent  $50,000  on  its  shop,  where  24-ton  parts 
are  repaired. 

Portland  cement  for  underground  work  is  used  in 
increasing  quantities.  It  has  been  utilized  recently  to 
close  water -channels  in  wet  ground,  by  forcing  cement 
into  the  rock  in  advance  of  the  drills  by  means  of  a 
powerful  pump. 

Spare  parts  for  repairs  must  be  always  ready  to  in- 
stall on  dredges.  Most  of  these  are  heavy  and  expen- 
sive. The  Conrey  company,  at  Ruby,  Montana,  finds  it 
necessary  to  keep  on  hand  at  least  $60,000  of  material 
for  its  large  boats. 

"""      """" 

Cement  produces  a  peculiar  skin  eruption,  resembling 

the  itch.  It  is  caused  by  the  alkaline  content  of  the  con- 
crete acting  on  the  skin,  especially  where  already  soft- 
ened by  water.  Covering  the  skin  with  fat  or  grease  and 
careful  washing  will  largely  prevent  the  inconvenience. 

Platinum  will  not  amalgamate  with  quicksilver  alone, 
but  will  if  sodium  is  added.  In  ordinary  quicksilver 
amalgamation,  the  flakes  of  platinum  float  on  the  surface 
and  can  be  removed.  If  sodium  is  used  the  platinum 
may  be  separated  from  gold  by  agitating  the  amalgam 
with  water  until  the  sodium  is  used  up  to  form  sodium 


hydroxide,  when  the  platinum  will  come  out  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  amalgam,  provided,  of  course,  that  it  is  suffi- 
ciently liquid. 

Liquified  chlorine  gas,  obtained  by  great  compres- 
sion, or  by  intense  refrigeration,  has  become  an  impor- 
tant article,  which  can  be  transported  in  strong  steel 
cylinders.  Its  main  use  is  in  the  manufacture  of  tin 
chloride  by  the  Goldschmidt  process  for  reclaiming  tin 
scrap. 

Nickel  in  considerable  quantity,  probably  between 
700  and  1000  tons,  is  produced  as  a  by-product  in  the 
electrolytic  refining  of  copper  in  United  States.  Most 
of  the  metal  is  produced  in  the  pure  state  by  electrolytic 
processes  although  a  great  deal  is  marketed  as  nickel 
salts  for  use  in  plating. 

Constant  attention  should  be  given  to  mine-ladders. 
Frequent  inspections  should  be  made  to  see  that  the 
fastenings  are  secure  and  that  there  are  no  loose  or 
broken  rungs.  Care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  pieces 
of  broken  rock  do  not  become  lodged  behind  the  rungs 
where  they  may  be  loosened  and  fall  on  the  men  using 
the  ladder-way. 

Lack  of  proper  illumination  causes  from  10  to  25% 
of  all  industrial  accidents.  The  approach  of  winter 
makes  it  necessary  to  overhaul  surface-lighting  appar- 
atus at  mines  and  mills,  which,  during  the  summer 
months,  is  not  used  as  much.  A  well-lighted  corner 
prevents  accidents,  and  is  more  comfortable  for  em- 
ployees to  work  in. 

Foremen  at  the  Ford  motor  factory,  Detroit,  are  not 
allowed  to  discharge  men.  According  to  D.  S.  S.  Mar- 
quis, head  of  the  educational  department,  taking  this 
right  away  from  foremen  is  the  greatest  thing  they  ever 
did  at  the  works.  From  June,  1915,  to  August,  1916, 
there  were  hired  21,663  men.  Of  these,  5680  left,  and 
only  5  were  discharged. 

A  hoisting  rope  in  use  is  continually  subjected,  not 
only  to  the  wear  of  the  drums,  sheaves,  or  rollers,  but 
also  to  a  constant  wear  and  friction  on  the  inside,  due  to 
the  wires  in  the  strands  moving  slightly  when  the  rope 
is  bent.  To  be  of  value  the  lubricant  should  not  only 
penetrate  to  the  centre  of  the  rope,  but  should  also 
thoroughly  coat  the  inside  wires. 


Molten  copper  is  transferred  from  converters  to  cast- 
ing machines  in  cast-steel  ladles  lined  with  fines  screened 
from  ores  regularly  used  as  converter  fluxes  at  the  Ari- 
zona Copper  Co.  's  smelter.  Bars  are  cast  in  molds  made 
of  converter  copper.  A  1^-in.  cast-iron  splash-plate 
covers  half  of  the  bottom  area,  and  an  average  of  73  tons 
of  bullion  is  cast  per  mold.  Bars  weigh  240  lb.  each, 
and  35  minutes  is  required  for  casting  a  charge  weigh- 
ing seven  tons.  Considerable  chipping  of  bullion  bars 
is  necessary  to  remove  edges  and  fine  shot  due  to  blowing 
to  gas  finish  of  99.60%  copper. 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


571 


MHWSHW    ©IF 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


REDDING,    CALIFORNIA 

Notes  on  Shasta  and  Trinity  Counties'  Activities. 

After  a  series  of  experiments  extending  over  eight  years, 
the  Bully  Hill  Copper  Co.  has  devised  an  electrolytic  process 
for  recovery  of  zinc  from  the  complex  copper-zinc  ores  of  the 
Shasta  copper-belt.  The  unit  in  commission  at  Winthrop  has 
demonstrated  the  commercial  value  of  the  process,  which  will 
be  utilized  in  the  large  plant  that  the  Mammoth  Copper  Co. 
is  constructing  near  Kennett.  Metallurgists  from  Broken  Hill, 
Australia,  are  at  Winthrop  studying  the  system  for  probable 
application  on  the  zinc  concentrate  of  that  centre.  Experi- 
ments indicate  the  process  will  extract  zinc  and  other  metals 
from  the  fine  dust  deposited  in  the  bag-house  of  the  Mammoth 
smelter. 

The  Mammoth  smelter  is  reducing  approximately  1200  tons 
of  material  daily,  of  which  900  tons  is  ore,  including  300  tons 
smelted  for  the  Balaklala  company.  The  Mammoth  ore  aver- 
ages 3  to  5%  copper,  about  4%  zinc,  and  $1.50  to  $2  gold  and 
silver  per  ton.  Considerable  high-grade  zinc  has  been  opened 
recently  in  the  Mammoth  mine.  Driving  of  the  Mammoth  and 
Friday-Lowden  tunnels  is  making  good  progress.  The  tram 
to  the  smelter  from  the  Stowell  mine  has  been  completed. 
Arrangements  have  been  made  for  building  a  new  boarding- 
house  and  other  structures. 

Redding.  The  accompanying  photograph  shows  a  new  Union 
Iron  Works  dredge  constructed  on  Clear  creek,  5  miles  from 


NEW  DREDGE   NEAR   REDDING,    CALIFORNIA. 

Bedding,  for  D.  Gardella  of  Oroville.  The  buckets  are  of  74- 
cu.  ft.  capacity,  and  are  of  manganese-steel.  The  boat  is  ar- 
ranged to  dig  35  ft.  below  water  and  has  a  capacity  of  125,000 
cu.  yd.  per  month. 

The  Michigan  copper  claims,  near  the  Bully  Hill  mine,  are 
being  operated  under  bond  by  M.  E.  Dittmar  of  Redding,  and 
San  Francisco  associates.  L.  C.  Monahan  Is  in  charge.  A 
good  quantity  of  shipping  ore  has  been  extracted,  and  promis- 
ing ground  is  under  development.  The  Michigan  has  been 
idle  several  years,  but  at  one  time  produced  much  ore  of  good 
grade.  Some  work  is  going  on  at  the  Arps,  Shasta  Belmont, 
and  other  properties  in  this  district.  The  ores  contain  con- 
siderable zinc,  and  the  Bully  Hill  electrolytic  process  is  ex- 
pected to  revolutionize  mining  throughout  the  east-side  field. 

The  Minnesota  copper  mine,  between  Iron  Mountain  and 
Keswick,  has  been  re-opened  by  Denver  people  after  several 
years'  idleness.     George  F.  Graves  has  been  placed  in  charge. 


As  soon  as  the  old  workings  are  repaired  vigorous  develop- 
ment is  to  be  done.  Much  ore  is  believed  to  exist  in  old  work- 
ings. 

The  first  payment  on  the  Bell  Cow  gold  mine,  on  Arbuckle 
mountain,  has  been  made  by  T.  F.  Ames,  Mrs.  Frank  A.  Greene, 
James  Dong,  and  Frank  A.  Greene.  The  new  owners  started 
work  about  two  years  ago,  and  have  opened  a  strong  vein  of 
medium-grade,  free-milling  quartz.  Mill  tests  have  proved 
satisfactory.  The  mine  is  near  the  road  between  Redding  and 
Harrison  Gulch. 

Gold-dredging  in  Trinity  county  is  steadily  gathering  im- 
portance. The  new  boat  of  the  Pacific  Dredging  Co.  is  rapidly 
nearing  completion  at  Carrville,  and  is  scheduled  to  go  into 
commission  within  40  days.  It  is  equipped  with  buckets  of 
9.5-cu.  ft.  capacity,  and  will  operate  in  Morrison  gulch.  The 
company  continues  to  prospect  large  areas  with  drills,  and  has 
proved  a  broad  acreage  outside  of  the  main  holdings.  Near 
Junction  City  the  Valdor  Dredging  Co.  is  completing  a  large 
dredge.  The  dredge  of  the  Trinity  Mining  Co.  is  working 
steadily  near  Dewiston.  A  number  of  dredging  projects  are 
receiving  consideration  in  other  sections  of  the  county. 

The  Hess  gold  mine  in  the  Hess  district,  a  few  miles  from 
Alturas,  has  been  equipped  with  a  small  mill  that  is  said  to 
be  making  an  excellent  recovery.  Development  has  attained 
a  depth  of  200  ft.,  and  near  this  point  the  main  vein  is  about 
18  ft.  wide,  with  the  quartz  averaging  $10  per  ton.  Work 
has  been  started  to  open  the  vein  at  a  deeper  point. 


SUTTER    GREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Labor. — Old  Eureka,  Bunker  Hill,  and  Kennedy. 

A  meeting  of  the  striking  miners  was  held  here  on  Friday 
evening,  the  6th,  when  one  of  the  walking  delegates  of  the 
Union  used  all  his  powers  to  convince  the  men  that  success 
awaited  them  if  they  would  continue  to  hold  together  and 
that  the  mine-owners  could  not  long  withstand  their  demands; 
but  it  appeared  that  his  remarks  did  not  find  favor  among  the 
men  present,  as  Union  men  and  others  began  leaving  the  hall 
long  before  he  concluded  his  remarks,  and  when  he  had 
finished  only  three  men  remained  in  the  hall.  It  is  stated  on 
good  authority  that  the  South  Eureka  men  will  return  to  work 
on  the  old  basis  on  Tuesday  morning,  the  10th. 

The  shaft  at  the  Old  Eureka  has  been  unwateVed  and  re- 
paired to  a  depth  of  750  ft.  Ah  extra  crew  started  on  October 
8  at  construction  work.  The  new  steel  head-frame  is  now  to 
be  erected,  as  the  work  of  laying  foundations  and  grading  for 
same  has  been  completed.  The  new  double-drum  hoist  and 
other  modern  equipment  will  be  the  means  of  much  better 
headway  being  made  in  the  shaft-work  from  now  on.  An  en- 
couraging discovery  was  made  during  the  week  when  men 
engaged  in  cleaning-out  a  drift  on  the  500-ft.  level  uncovered 
a  vein  of  good-looking  ore.  The  vein  pitches  south  toward 
the  Central  Eureka  ground,  and  where  opened  is  about  5  ft. 
wide.  This  would  appear  to  prove  the  truth  of  rumors  afloat 
concerning  the  good  ore  left  in  the  mine  when  early-day 
methods  made  it  unprofitable  to  extract  ore  _  that  now  pays 
dividends. 

At  the  Bunker  Hill  mine  near  Amador  City,  17  men  are 
working  in  the  shaft  completing  repairs,  and  a  number  of 
others  are  engaged  in  erecting  concrete  ore-bins  and  making 
other  improvements  of  a  permanent  nature  at  the  collar  of 


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October  14,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


573 


IE    MHKJH 


§ 


The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA 

Juneau.  In  its  issue  of  Sept.  25,  The  Alaska  Daily  Empire 
includes  an  additional  40  pages  comprising  its  'Development' 
number.  The  matter  is  of  considerable  interest.  Special 
articles  include  'Mining  and  its  Bearing  on  the  Future  of 
Alaska,'  by  B.  L.  Thane;  the  'Alaska  Juneau  Gold  Mine,'  by 
P.  R.  Bradley;  'Mining  Development  in  Alaska,'  by  William 
Maloney;  'Development  at  Treadwell';  and  'Water  Power  of 
Alaska,'  by  C.  L.  Andrews,  followed  by  interesting  notes  on 
the  great  fishing  industry,  furs,  agriculture,  scenery,  the  de- 
velopment of  Juneau,  Skagway,  Douglas,  transportation,  the 
proposed  Gastineau  Channel  bridge,  and  education. 

August  returns  from  the  mines  on  Douglas  island  were  as 
under: 

Alaska         Alaska         Alaska 
Treadwell    Mexican         United 
Broken  ore  in  stopes,  decrease  or 

increase,  tons   -  9.S42         -  5,411        +  10,056 

Stamps    dropping    120  150  300 

Time  worked,  days 20.31  30.67  30.61 

Ore  crushed,  tons  13,160  24,696  29,889 

Gold  from  all  sources $30,538        $78,196        $103,900 

Yield  per  ton   2.32  3.16  2.10 

Operating   profit    13,772  32,997  14,618 

Construction  charges  4,606  17,585  14,485 

Other  income   3,730  11,281  3,730 

The  Treadwell  company  reports  that  on  July  27  surface  evi- 
dences of  a  hanging-wall  subsidence  near  the  Treadwell- 
United-700  Ft.  Claim  boundary-line  began  to  be  manifest,  and 
therefore  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  discontinue  the  heavy 
drawing  on  reserves  of  caved  and  broken  ore  in  order  to  pro- 
tect the  future  of  the  Treadwell,  700,  and  Mexican  mines.  The 
drawing  of  this  ore  had  been  particularly  heavy  in  the  Tread- 
well mine  for  the  reason  that  the  development  done  on  the 
1950,  2100,  and  2300-ft.  levels  has  so  far  found  very  low-grade 
ore,  verging  on  the  limit  of  being  profitable  or  not.  This  pro- 
tective action  has  necessitated  the  shutting-down  of  the  240 
mill  and  half  of  the  300  mill,  on  August  1.  The  time  run  by 
the  240  mill  in  August  was  10  hours  and  34  minutes,  to  clean- 
up the  ore  that  was  left  in  the  bins  after  tramming  of  ore  to 
the  mill  had  ceased.  The  power  used  for  the  time  run  was 
electricity.  On  August  1,  operation  of  the  300  mill  was  re- 
duced to  150  stamps,  the  time  run  being  30  days,  16  hours,  3 
minutes,  of  which  water  was  used  for  power  16  days,  7  hours, 
31  minutes,  and  electricity  14  days,  8  hours,  32  minutes. 

During  September  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  Co.  treated  135,760 
tons  of  $1.30  ore.   Heavy  storms  interfered  with  haulage  of  ore. 

Knik.  The  Talkeetna  Mining  Co.,  of  Seattle,  is  building  a 
mill  on  its  mine  near  Knik.  The  company  ordered  by  wire 
from  the  Denver  Quartz  Mill  &  Crusher  Co.  a  quartz  mill  and 
feeder.  This  is  the  third  shipment  of  Denver  quartz  mills  to 
leave  Denver  for  Knik  during  the  past  12  months. 

Nome.  New  York  people  have  formed  the  Alaska  Mines  Cor- 
poration to  acquire  the  ground  and  dredges  of  the  Nome  Con- 
solidated. 

Wbangell.  The  Bon  Alaska  Mining  Co.  has  been  financed, 
and  grading  for  a  10-mile  railway,  from  the  mouth  of  Mill 
creek,  which  empties  into  the  sea  10  miles  from  Wrangell,  to 
Groundhog  basin,  is  to  be  started.  The  mine  has  a  good  deal 
of  gold,  silver,  lead,  and  zinc  ore  developed,  and  next  spring 
shipments  of  600  tons  daily  are  contemplated. 


ARIZONA 

In  Bulletin  29  of  the  University  of  Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines, 
Allen  T.  Bird  describes  the  resources  of  Santa  Cruz  county  in 
27  pages.  The  earliest  mining  known  on  the  Pacific  Slope  of 
the  United  States  was  done  in  this  region,  which  has  wit- 
nessed events  of  historic  interest.  The  greatest  length  of 
the  county  is  50  miles,  and  width  30  miles.  Two  branches  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  pass  through.  Wagon-roads  are  being 
improved.  The  mountain  ranges  vary  from  5000  to  9000  ft.  in 
height,  the  highest  peak  being  9432  ft.  The  principal  mining 
districts  are  the  Nogales,  Patagonia,  Palmetto,  Harshaw,  Red 
Rock,    Wrightson,    Tyndall,    Greaterville,    San    Cayetano,    Pa- 


FOUNDATIONS  FOE  TWELVE  48-IN.  SYMONS  FINE  DISC-CBUSHEES,  TO 
CBUSH  5000  TONS  OF  3£-IN.  OEE  TO  J-IN.  MESH  IN  16  HOUBS, 
AT  THE  COENELIA  COPPEB  MINE,  AJO. 

jarito,  and  Oro  Blanco.  Igneous  and  sedimentary  rocks  occur 
in  great  variety.  The  veins  carry  gold,  silver,  lead,  copper, 
zinc,  tungsten,  and  molybdenum.  Early  development  resulted 
in  production  of  lead  and  silver;  copper  increased  with  depth. 
In  the  Patagonia  mountains  there  are  large  deposits  of  copper- 
hearing  porphyry,  one  being  at  Red  Hill  at  the  north  end. 
The  Duquesne  Mining  &  Reduction  Co.  at  Duquesne,  3  miles 
north  of  the  Mexican  border,  is  treating  zinc-copper  ore  by 
flotation.  In  the  Patagonia  district  are  40  promising  groups 
of  mines,  some  producing.  In  the  Palmetto  district  are  the 
Three  R  mines,  which  have  yielded  a  lot  of  high-grade  copper 
ore.    In  the  other  districts  are  many  mines  with  good  futures. 

Chloeide.  According  to  Frank  Steffee,  who  recently  com- 
pleted a  mill  for  the  Butte  &  Arizona  company  on  Stockton 
hill,  he  has  completed  arrangements  for  construction  of  a  500- 
ton  mill  at  Chloride.  This  plant  will  act  as  a  custom  mill, 
treating  old  dumps  and  current  ore  from  the  mines. 

Globe.  Bight  to  ten  per  cent  copper  ore  has  been  opened  on 
No.  16  level  west  in  the  Old  Dominion.    The  ore  is  oxidized. 

Miami.  Erection  of  steel  for  the  additional  two  units  at 
the  Inspiration  mill  is  finished  by  the  Kansas  City  Structural 
Steel  Co.  The  residue  is  filling  the  dam  across  Webster  gulch 
so  that  before  long  another  lot  of  launders  must  be  erected. 

The  following  statement  has  been  issued  by  the  Miami  Cop- 
per Co.  regarding  the  suit  of  Minerals  Separation  for  infringe- 
ment of  patents  in  the  flotation  process,  which  suit  was  de- 
cided against  the  Miami:    "The  bulk  of  our  recovery  of  copper 


574 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS  ' 


October  14,  1916 


is  by  table  concentration.  The  decision  only  affects  a  com- 
paratively small  additional  saving  that  is  made  by  flotation, 
and  our  counsel  are  confident  this  decision  will  be  reversed  in 
higher  courts." 

ARKANSAS 

Fort  Smith.  The  Arkansas  Zinc  Co.  has  decided  to  add 
another  block  of  retorts,  800,  to  its  present  three  blocks  of 
2400  retorts. 

Murray.  Great  things  are  expected  of  this  zinc  district  in 
Newton  county.  Ore  is  found  at  the  surface,  and  is  easily 
mined. 

CALIFORNIA 

The  State  Water  Commission  has  been  asked  for  permission 
by  L.  G.  Sinnard  and  C.  E.  van  Barneveld  to  appropriate  for 
hydraulicking  100  cu.  ft.  of  water  per  second  from  Slate  creek, 
a  tributary  to  North  Yuba  river  in  Plumas  county.  The  pro- 
posed ditch  will  be  over  IS  miles  long,  connecting  with  the 
Neocene  Placer  Mining  Co.'s  Cleveland  ditch.  The  water  will 
be  returned  to  the  river. 

Redding.  The  Potosi  gold  mine,  6  miles  west,  after  being 
idle  since  1S71,  is  being  re-opened  in  charge  of  A.  S.  Howe. 
The  property  belongs  to  the  estate  of  the  late  Senator  J.  P. 
Jones  of  Nevada. 

San  Diego.  In  view  of  the  interest  in  metals  entering  into 
war  supplies,  two  concise  reports,  written  by  F.  C.  Calkins  of 
the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  on  molybdenite  and  nickel  ore  in 
San  Diego  county,  are  timely.  Mr.  Calkins  describes  clearly 
the  modes  of  occurrence  of  the  ores  and  gives  helpful  sug- 
gestions for  further  development  work  and  prospecting.  The 
molybdenum  prospect  is  in  a  dike  of  fine-grained  (aplite)  con- 
taining an  average  of  much  less  than  1%  of  the  mineral 
molybdenite  (molybdenum  sulphide).  Only  one  prospect  has 
been  located  so  far,  but  the  surrounding  country  is  favorable 
for  the  discovery  of  others.  The  nickel  deposit  is  an  irregular 
body  in  a  dark  igneous  rock  (gabbro)  and  is  shown  by  Mr. 
Calkins  to  have  an  origin  similar  to  that  attributed  by  most 
geologists  to  the  famous  deposits  at  Sudbury,  Ontario.  The 
nickel  occurs  in  an  iron-nickel  sulphide  (probably  polydymite) 
and  assays  of  more  than  4%  of  nickel  have  been  obtained. 
Copper  is  also  present  in  quantities  ranging  from  a  trace  to 
2.4%,  and  conditions  are  favorable  for  the  presence  of  plati- 
num. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Development  at  the  Addis  & 
Harris  mine  near  Soulsbyville  is  progressing  satisfactorily. 
A    hoist    and    compressor    are    being    installed.      Sinking    is 

under  way  on  a  4-ft.  vein  of  good  ore. The  Red  Jacket  mine 

in  the  Big  Oak  Flat  district  is  under  lease  and  bond.     The 

property  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  Montgomery. J.  L.  Whitney, 

general  manager  of  the  Atlas  mine  near  Tuttletown,  has 
bonded  the  Boitano  mine  at  Groveland.  Extensive  develop- 
ment will  soon  be  started. E.  H.  McMahon,  county  assessor, 

has  opened  a  promising  asbestos  mine  near  Rawhide.  Samples 
brought  to  Sonora  show  exceptionally  long  fibers  which  will 

make    a    first-class    commercial    product. At    the    Harvard 

mine  near  Jamestown,  60  stamps  are*  crushing  continuously. 

Sonora,  October  1. 

COLORADO 

Cripple  Creek.  Gold  output  o£  the  district  in  September 
was  as  follows: 

Average  Gross 

Plant                                              Tons         value  value 

Golden   Cycle    37,000        $1S.00  $666,000 

Portland    12,464           21.35  •  266,106 

Portland   17.700             2.97  52,569 

Smelters     4,300           55.00  236,500 

Isabella    1,200             2.40  2.SS0 

Worcester-Rubie     1,000             2.45  2,450 

Total    73,664         $16.65      $1,226,505 


This  is  21,000  tons  less  than  in  August,  due  to  the  temporary 
shut-down  of  the  Portland-Independence,  Rex  Caley,  and  Reed 
mills,  which  treat  low-grade  ore. 

.  The  Vindicator  Consolidated  will  pay  the  regular  quarterly 
dividend  of  3%  and  an  extra  of  2%  on  October  25. 

Da  Plata.  The  upper  and  lower  districts  are  busy  extracting 
ore  and  preparing  for  the  winter.  Some  mines  have  shipped 
rich  gold  and  silver  ore. 

Leadville.  Miners  here  have  asked  for  an  increase  of  wages 
from  $3.75  to  $4.25  per  day.  A  conference  is  to  be  held  with 
the  mine  managers. 

Ouray.  The  recent  development  in  the  Governor  mine  in 
the  Mt.  SnefHes  district  is  producing  better  ore  than  expected, 
and  the  lessees  have  recovered  138  oz.  of  gold  from  4000  lb.  of 
ore. 

IDAHO 

Burke.  At  its  Gem  mill  and  at  the  Federal  mill  the  Hecla 
company  is  treating  450  and  300  tons  daily,  respectively.  Ad- 
ditions to  the  former  plant  will  increase  the  capacity  by  200 
tons. 

Gilmore.  The  Pittsburg-Idaho  Mining  Co.  is  receiving  bids 
for  a  new  electric  power-plant,  also  hoist,  compressor,  pumps, 
etc.  An  oil-engine  is  to  drive  the  generator.  A.  S.  Ross  is 
president.  Ore  shipments  in  September  returned  $57,S67  at  a 
smelter  in  Utah. 

Kellogg.  Grading  for  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  smelter  is 
finished  and  concrete  foundations  are  being  poured. 

Pine  Creek  District.  The  Constitution  Mining  Co.  is  to 
spend  $20,000  in  new  plant,  to  be  ready  by  January  1.  A  con- 
tract for  a  100-ton  mill  has  been  let. 

Unusual  activity  prevails  among  the  mines  of  the  Pine  Creek 
district,  an  incentive  to  development  having  been  given  by  the 
belief  that  the  railway  lines  will  be  extended  to  provide  trans- 
portation for  the  region. 

Wallace.  In  the  suit  of  the  Alameda  Mining  Co.  v.  the 
Success  Mining  Co.  before  a  referee,  testimony  in  the  account- 
ing case  closed  on  October  3.  There  is  a  wide  difference  of 
opinion  regarding  the  value  of  the  ore  alleged  to  have  been 
wrongfully  mined,  varying  from  $16S  to  $147,761. 

MICHIGAN 

The  Copper  Country 

Houghton.  Six  of  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  subsidiaries  are  now 
paying  dividends,  the  C.  &  H.  receiving  $2,226,908  so  far  this 
year  as  follows:  Ahmeek,  $1,225,600;  Allouez,  $287,000;  Cen- 
tennial, $41,500;  Isle  Royale,  $9S,730;  Osceola,  $524,000;  and 
Superior,  $50,078.  In  all  of  1915  the  Ahmeek  paid  $563,776,  the 
Allouez  $41,000,  and  the  Osceola  $262,000;  and  in  1914  the 
Ahmeek  paid  $147,072,  and  the  Osceola  $9S,250.  The  C.  &  H. 
and  properties  under  its  control  are  employing  12,000  men, 
4000  of  whom  are  with  the  C.  &  H.,  which  treated  250,000  tons 
of  ore  during  September. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  The  Boston  News  Bureau  gives  the  following  in- 
formation: The  Atlantic  Mines  Co.,  which  three  years  ago 
took  over  La  France  Copper  Co.  property,  has  been  dissolved, 
and  all  the  property  save  the  cash  on  hand  will  be  offered  for 
sale  at  public  auction  in  Butte  on  November  1,  following  which 
a  dividend  in  liquidation  will  be  distributed.  The  Anaconda 
company  has  offered  a  price  for  the  property  which  will  return 
Atlantic  shareholders  the  $250,000  cash  originally  in  the  com- 
pany's treasury  when  operations  started,  and  a  sum  equal  to 
the  par  value  of  the  stock — $10  together  with  8%  interest  per 
annum,  a  total  of  about  $12.50  per  share.  La  France  mine  was 
worked  about  20  years  ago  for  silver  without  success,  and  was 
closed  for  several  years.  Recent  work  has  demonstrated  that 
the  principal  value,  if  any,  which  may  be  found  in  the  ores,  is 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


575 


in  the  zinc-content.  Heretofore  it  has  been  impossible  to  treat 
these  ores,  but  the  electrolytic  process  has  solved  the  problem. 

The  North  Butte  company  proposes  to  do  3500  ft.  of  develop- 
ment each  month.  The  Granite  Mountain  shaft  is  down  3300 
ft.,  the  deepest  at  Butte. 

The  Ballaklava  is  shipping  100  tons  of  3%  ore  daily.  A  shoot 
was  cut  last  week  at  2600  ft.,  30  in.  wide  and  containing  6% 
copper. 

At  1000  ft.  the  Butte  &  Zenith  has  commenced  cross-cutting 
south  and  north. 

On  the  1600-ft.  level  of  the  Butte  &  London  a  manganese- 
quartz  lode.-  assaying  10  oz.  silver  per  ton,  has  been  cut.  It  is 
35  ft.  wide. 

The  total  pay-roll  at  Butte  for  September  was  $2,1S9,000. 

Helena.  To  treat  low-grade  ore  from  the  Helena  district 
the  New  York  &  Montana  Testing  &  Engineering  Co.  is  to 
spend  $30,000  on  a  custom  plant.    C.  E.  Fryberger  is  in  charge. 

Svperior.  The  Intermountain  Copper  company  will  pay  its 
second  dividend,  of  1c.  per  share,  on  November  20.  The  new 
100-ton  mill  is  working  well.  The  product  is  sent  to  the  B.  C. 
smelter  at  Greenwood. 

Troy.  The  new  300-ton  mill,  1500-hp.,  hydro-electric  plant, 
and  5*-mile  railway,  being  constructed  near  here  by  the  Snow- 
storm company,  are  nearly  complete.  The  mine  contains  400,- 
000  tons  of  ore  assaying  7%  lead,  8%  zinc,  and  3  oz.  silver  per 
ton.  A  recovery  of  S5  to  90%  of  the  first  two  metals  is  ex- 
pected, and  40%  of  the  zinc.  Slime  is  to  be  treated  by  flotation. 
The  Banner  &  Bangle  vein  has  been  developed  by  6  adits  for 
2500  ft.,  with  a  vertical  depth  of  1100  ft.  Production  is  ex- 
pected to  start  early  in  November. 

NEVADA 

Goldfield.  The  Silver  Pick  shaft  is  down  930  ft.,  in  the 
shale.  The  mineralized  quartz  passed  through  was  30  ft.  thick. 
No.  2  drill-hole,  sunk  from  the  500-ft.  level,  reached  a  depth 
of  1400  ft.  It  cut  three  gold-copper  veins  which  will  be  opened 
by  subsequent  development. 

At  a  depth  of  1017  ft.  in  the  Jumbo  Extension,  near  the 
boundary  of  the  Velvet  claim  and  the  Jumbo  Junior,  a  new 
ore-channel  has  been  opened  in  the  shale.  While  of  low  grade 
this  formation  is  encouraging. 

Three  rich  shoots  have  been  opened  at  300  ft.  in  the  Great 
Bend. 

Tonopah.  The  Miners'  Union  is  to  ask  the  Mine  Operators' 
Association  for  an  increase  of  50c.  per  day  while  silver  is  at 
the  present  price. 

Yeringtox.  During  the  quarter  ended  June  30  the  Nevada- 
Douglas  company's  revenue  was  $105,936  from  ore  and  $88,936 
from  assessments.  In  the  half-year  the  profit  was  $11,044. 
During  the  past  60  days  the  mill  has  treated  75  tons  daily, 
recovering  S5%  of  the  copper.  Six  towers,  40-ft.  diam.  and  20 
ft.  high,  holding  750  tons  each,  are  being  erected  to  leach  ii-in. 
oxidized  ore.    Sulphuric  acid  is  to  be  used. 

The  Mason  Valley  Mines  Co.  has  issued  a  report,  in  which  it 
is  stated  that  the  directors  will  try  and  raise  $1,000,000  by 
selling  200,000  shares  at  $5  each. 

In  Bulletin  648  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  James  M.  Hill 
describes  some  mining  districts  in  eastern  Nevada,  the  ac- 
companying map  showing  their  situation.  This  publication 
covers  214  pages.  Striking  features  of  the  region  are  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  mountain  ridges  along  northward-trending 
axes  and  the  wide,  flat,  barren  valleys  between  them.  Eastern 
Nevada  is  somewhat  better  watered  than  the  western  and 
southern  parts,  and  along  the  east  base  of  the  higher  ranges 
are  many  cattle  and  hay  ranches.  Sedimentary  rocks  have 
been  faulted  along  a  series  of  north-trending  breaks  of  great 
magnitude.  The  sedimentaries  are  in  many  places  intruded 
by  stocks  and  dikes  of  igneous  rock,  mostly  approximately 
quartz-monzonites  or  granite-porphyries  in  their  mineral  com- 
position.    Generally,  the  ore  deposits  are  localized  about  the 


centres  of  intrusion.  Nearly  all  the  ore  deposits  occur  in  sedi- 
mentary rocks,  or  in  granular  igneous  rocks  that  have  in- 
truded them.  The  more  important  deposits  can  be  divided  into 
replacement  deposits,  contact-metamorphic  deposits,  and  veins. 
Minerals  in  the  ores  total  41.     The  paper  details  deposits  and 


MINING  DISTRICTS 
CLARK  COUNTY 

1.  Gold  Butte 

ELKO  COUNTY 

2.  Delker 

3.  Dolly  Varden  (Miipah) 

4.  Ferber 

5.  Ferguson  Spring 

6.  Kinsley 

7.  Luray 

8.  Mud  Springs 

9.  Ruby  Valley  (Smith  Creekl 

10.  Spnicc  Mountain 

11.  Teeoma         i 

12.  Valley  View  (Hankinsl 

13.  Warn  Creek 

14.  White  Hone 

LANDER  COUNTY 

15.  Ravenswood 

LTNCOLN  COUNTY 

16.  Atlanta  (Silver  Park) 

17.  Bristol  (Jack  Rabbit) 

18.  Patterson 

NYE  COUNTY 
19-  Troy  (Irwin  Canyon) 

20.  Willow  Creek 

WHITE  PINE  COUNTY 

21.  Aurum 
(Schellbotrrne 

Siege! 
Muncy  Creek) 

22.  Bald  Mountain 

23.  Cherry  Creek  lEgan  Canyon) 

24.  Duck  Creek 

25.  Granite  (Steptoe)     ' 

26.  Hunter 

27.  Kem 
(Antelope 

Regan 
Glenco) 

28.  Taylor 

29.  Ward 


Mining  district 
tNumber  rqtrs  to  i '-• 


PART   OF   NEVADA,    SHOWING   DISTRICTS    DESCRIBED. 


mines  in  the  Gold  Butte  district  of  Clark  county,  those  in  Elko, 
Lander,  and  Lincoln  counties,  the  Bristol  district  of  Lincoln 
county,  some  areas  in  Nye  county,  also  in  White  Pine  county. 

NEW   MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A 'committee  of  Arizona  farmers 
has  recently  visited  the  mills  to  report  progress  on  tailing- 
disposal  systems  being  arranged.  It  is  understood  that  they 
approved  of  the  precautions  the  companies  are  taking  at  no 
little  expense  to  avoid  running  mill  residue  into  streams.  The 
Socorro  company  is  storing  its  tailing  on  its  own  property, 
while  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co.  is  building  a  5-mile  flume  to 
convey  the  waste  to  a  suitable  site. 

The  annual  consumption  of  sawed  timber  in  this  district  is 
500,000  board  feet,  also  about  40,000  lineal  feet  of  round  tim- 
ber underground.  Most  of  this  has  been  furnished  by  one  saw- 
mill on  Willow  mountain,  now  operated  by  Kelly  &  Hunter. 
A  plant  on  Mineral  creek  was  recently  completed,  with  a 
board-flume  7  miles  in  length  to  convey  the  lumber  to  the 
divide  just  above  Mogollon,  whence  the  company  has  an  easy 
descent  for  most  of  its  timber.  The  water,  after  leaving  the 
flume,  will  be  piped  to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  it  is  ex- 
pected to  thus  develop  250  hp.,  sale  of  which  has  already  been 
contracted.  It  is  hoped  to  have  the  power-plant  in  commission 
in  the  spring. 

Two  other  available  power-sites  are  being  considered,  either 
one  of  which  is  susceptible  to  development  on  a  scale  suffi- 
ciently   large    to   meet   the    growing    consumption.      Cheaper 


576 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS   | 


October  14,  1916 


power  has  long  been  recognized  as  the  prime  factor  in  arriving 
at  a  solution  of  lower  cost  of  operation,  and  the  long  life  of 
the  mines  warrants  a  strong  appeal  to  capital  for  the  instal- 
lation. 

September  has  been  another  excellent  month  for  local  oper- 
ators. The  Socorro  Mining  &  Milling  Co.'s  properties  produced 
3300  lb.  of  gold  and  silver  bullion  and  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co.. 
operating  the  Last  Chance  mine,  shipped  2700  lb.  for  the  same 
period,  a  total  of  3  tons  of  precious  metal  in  30  days.  In  addi- 
tion, each  company  shipped  to  the  smelter  at  El  Paso  high- 
grade  concentrate  in  value  about  equal  to  the  bullion  product, 
the  latter  going  direct  to  mint. 

The  development  companies  also  met  with  encouragement, 
particularly  the  Oaks  company  in  the  continued  improvement 
of  the  orebody  recently  opened  on  the  Queen  vein  of  the 
Clifton,  from  which  regular  shipments  were  maintained  to 
custom  mill  by  burro.  Another  young  mine,  the  Eureka,  con- 
tinues to  sack  high-grade  ore  for  shipment  to  smelter.  Results 
at  a  number  of  claims  by  prospector-owners  were  also  good. 

E.  L.  Perkins,  superintendent  of  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co.,  is 
conducting  a  series  of  flotation  experiments  on  local  ores; 
results  so  far  justify  the  belief  that  a  greatly  simplified  treat- 
ment with  a  substantial  reduction  in  costs  may  be  evolved. 
The  Mogollon  district  has  a  recorded  production  of  upwards 
of  $15,000,000,  largely  from  an  average  grade  of  $12  ore.  This 
activity  has  extended  over  a  period  of  many  years,  and  with 
comparatively  high  costs,  necessitating  more  or  less  selective 
mining  methods.  The  camp  has  an  immense  tonnage  of  lower- 
grade  ores  in  reserve.  With  the  reduced  costs  of  operation 
that  will  follow  hydro-electric  installations  and  the  eventual 
adaptation  of  oil  flotation  treatment,  these  ores  should  yield 
as  much  profit  as  the  higher  grades  have  in  the  past. 

Mogollon,  October  3. 

OKLAHOMA 

Centukt.  The  Montreal  Mining  Co.  is  to  erect  a  200-ton 
mill  to  supplement  the  hand-jigs  at  work.  This  is  a  rich  mine, 
controlled  by  Canadians,  and  its  first  100  tons  of  ore  yielded  a 
product  containing  75%  zinc-blende,  by  hand-jigging. 

UTAH 

Alta.  No.  6  diamond-drill  hole  in  the  Old  Emma  has  cut  the 
lead-silver  orebody  25  ft.  north-east  of  No.  5  hole.  The  ore  is 
in  brecciated  limestone.  Preparations  are  under  way  to  open 
the  shoots  discovered. 

Bingham.  To  extend  the  Montana-Bingham  Consolidated 
adit  900  ft.  the  Utah  Karns  Tunneling  Machine  Co.  is  to  use 
the  Karns  machine,  already  at  work  there.  According  to  J.  P. 
Karns  the  apparatus  will  advance  15  ft.  daily,  drilling  one 
shift  and  clearing  away  waste  on  two  shifts.  The  rock  at  the 
present  face,  4000  ft.  in,  is  a  quartzite.  The  adit  is  7  by  7  ft. 
in  the  clear.  The  Karns  machine  drills'  a  hole  12  in.  diam. 
to  a  depth  of  15  ft,  and  ordinary  machine-drills  are  employed 
to  drill  eight  additional  holes  to  the  same  depth,  three  across 
the  top  of  the  face  above  the  large  hole,  one  on  each  side  of  it 
and  three  at  the  bottom  of  the  breast.  To  break  the  ground 
the  ordinary  machine-drill  holes  are  loaded  with  powder.  The 
fuses  are  then  cut  and  lighted  so  that  the  small  hole  immedi- 
ately above  the  large  hole  drilled  by  the  Karns  machine  is 
blasted  first  and  the  others  afterwards.  No  powder  is  placed 
in  the  large  hole.  It  has  taken  nine  years  of  work  to  perfect 
the  present  machine,  which  is  only  one  of  a  number  that  have 
been  built.  It  is  driven  by  a  5i-in.  piston  Ingersoll-Rand  air- 
drill,  has  an  83-in.  stroke,  and  uses  220  cu.  ft.  of  air  per 
minute  under  a  pressure  of  100  lb.  The  face  of  the  drill  is 
built  in  such  a  manner  that  the  principle  of  the  stone-cutter's 
moil  or  gad  is  utilized.  In  reality  the  drill  chips  the  rock 
away.  The  face  of  the  drill  consists  of  27  moils  set  in  a  circle 
with  two  reamers  that  keep  the  hole  i  in.  larger  than  the 
diameter  of  the  cutting  face.  The  drill  strikes  between  250 
and  300  blows  per  minute. 


Paek  City.  The  Big  Four  Exploration  Co.,  treating  750  tons 
of  tailing  daily,  is  recovering  a  carload  of  lead-iron  and  zinc 
concentrates  from  this. 

The  Judge  Smelting  &  Mining  Co.  hopes  to  have  its  new 
reduction  plant  complete  early  in  January.  The  main  build- 
ings are  roofed  ready  for  machinery. 

Salt  Lake  City.  The  Utah  Copper  Co.  has  filed  an  applica- 
tion with  the  State  Engineer  for  permission  to  construct  a 
canal  7  miles  long  to  connect  its  mills  with  the  canal  that 
carries  waste  water  from  the  Jordan  river.  A  pumping  sta- 
tion will  also  be  erected.  According  to  D.  C.  Jackling  the  com- 
pany is  earning  $1,000,000  per  week,  including  dividends  from 
the  Nevada  Consolidated.  The  present  output  is  at  the  rate  of 
240,000,000  lb.  of  copper  per  annum. 

Tintic.  The  district's  output  in  September  was  37,500  tons 
of  ore  and  concentrate  valued  at  $930,000.  The  Dragon  shipped 
8000  tons;  Chief  Con.,  6000;  Iron  Blossom,  4300;  Centennial, 
3700;  Grand  Central,  2700;  Eagle  &  Blue  Bell,  1300;  Mammoth, 
2300;  and  Gemini,  2400  tons. 

The  last  10  carloads  of  ore  from  1100  ft.  depth  in  the  Tintic 
Standard  averaged  $1744  each,  or  $35  per  ton.  The  shoot  is 
considered  a  remarkable  one. 

In  1915  Utah  mines  paid  $10,025,000  in  dividends;  in  the 
current  year,  for  9  months,  the  total  was  $16,909,405,  as  under: 

Per  Amount  Total 

share  in  1916  to  date 

Cardiff    $0.50  $250,000  $375,000 

Centennial  Eureka   1.00  100,000  4,000,000 

Chief    Con 0.15  132,000  283,000 

Eagle  &  Blue  Bell 0.05  45,000  492,000 

Eureka  Hill 1.00  10,000  2.000,000 

Gemini    10.00  50,000  2,405,000 

Horn    Silver    0.05  10,000  5,652.000 

Iron  Blossom    0.25  250,000  2,750,000 

Judge  S.  &  M.  Co 0.75  315,000  1,470.000 

Lakeview    0.10  50,000  124,000 

May  Day   . .' 0.05  40,000  284,000 

Mammoth     0.15  60,000  2,3SO,000 

Pacific    0.01  7,500  7,500 

Silver  King  Con 0.30  191,250  1,133,620 

Silver  King  Coalition 0.45  562,500  14,520,500 

South  Hecla    0.15  39,525  39,525 

Utah    Apex    0.37  195,000  321,000 

Utah   Con .- 1.50  450,000  10,760,000 

Utah    Copper    8.50  13,809,000  46,476,000 

Utah  Metal    0.50  342,630  1,243,000 

Total    $16,909,405       $96,716,145 

CANADA 

Beitish  Columbia 

The  monthly  pay-roll  of  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting 
Co.  of  Canada  is  approximately  $300,000,  according  to  A.  B. 
Mackenzie,  secretary  of  the  Associated  Boards  of  Trade  of  East- 
ern British  Columbia,  who  was  recently  at  Spokane.  The  pay- 
roll of  the  smelter  at  Trail  is  $167,000  per  month,  and  $90,000 
is  paid  to  the  employees  at  the  company's  mines  at  Rossland, 
the  War  Eagle,  Centre  Star,  and  Le  Roi,  the  remainder  dis- 
tributed among  the  workmen  in  other  properties  in  British 
Columbia  and  northern  Washington.  Although  working  only 
six  days  a  week,  the  Rossland  mines  are  shipping  over  25,000 
tons  of  ore  per  month  to  the  Trail  smelter.  Sunday  closing  of 
the  properties  has  become  an  established  custom  in  the  dis- 
trict, and  is  the  result  of  the  miners  having  become  permanent 
residents,  instead  of  migratory  laborers. 

Owing  to  a  shortage  of  labor  at  Fernie  and  Coleman  there 
is  a  coke  famine,  and  the  British  Columbia  Copper  Co.  cannot 
blow-in  another  blast-furnace.  Up  to  September  the  Green- 
wood smelter  prduced  3,455,578  lb.  copper,  8555  oz.  gold,  and 
33,096  oz.  silver. 


October  14,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


577 


Ontario 

Cobalt.  The  Royal  Commission  appointed  to  investigate 
labor  conditions  here  has  made  its  report,  consisting  of  one 
by  the  majority,  E.  Coatsworth  and  E.  T.  Corkhill;  and  one  by 
the  minority,  Joseph  Gibbons,  for  the  employees.  There  were 
79  witnesses  examined  on  behalf  of  employees,  and  8  witnesses 
for  the  mining  companies.  There  were  only  two  grievances, 
namely,  (1)  a  demand  for  more  wages,  and  (2)  that  employers 
recognize  and  confer  with  a  committee  appointed  by  the  men. 
Otherwise  the  men  were  satisfied  with  conditions.  In  March 
of  this  year  the  Union  commenced  to  talk  of  higher  wages,  and 
in  May  an  increase  of  25c.  was  given  to  2800  men,  also  a 
bonus  of  25c.  daily  when  silver  was  70c.  or  over  per  ounce. 
The  men  wanted  all  employees  to  be  paid  the  increase  of  25c. 
It  was  claimed  that  the  cost  of  living  had  advanced  20  to  30%, 
but  the  companies  admitted  only  10%.  Owing  to  the  rise  in 
cost  of  supplies  the  managers  contended  that  a  rise  in  wages 
was  not  justified.  The  reason  why  the  managers  would  not 
confer  with  the  Union  committee  was  because  they  thought 
that  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners  was  behind  the  men. 
The  Commission  considered  that  as  the  committee  consisted 
only  of  local  men  it  would  have  been  better  had  the  managers 
met  the  men.  Reviewing  all  the  evidence,  the  majority  on  the 
Commission  cannot  recommend  an  increase  in  wages  at  pres- 
ent. Thejr  realize  what  the  managers  have  already  done,  and 
suggest  that  the  bonus  of  25c.  be  based  on  silver  at  65c.  per  oz. 
instead  of  70c. '  The  minority  on  the  Commission  considers  that 
all  employees  should  have  received  an  increase  of  50c.  per 
day;  also  that  as  far  as  the  bonus  was  concerned  wages  should 
not  be  dependent  on  the  fluctuating  price  of  any  product, 
especially  when  that  product  has  no  bearing  on  the  cost  of 
living. 

During  the  year  ended  August  31,  1916,  the  Kerr  Lake  Min- 
ing Co.  produced  2,433,793  oz.  of  silver  at  a  cost  of  25.25c.  per 
oz.  The  profit  was  $813,702,  against  $550,775  in  1915i  and 
dividends  paid  amounted  to  $672,000.  The  surplus  was  $141,- 
072,  compared  with  a  deficit  of  $69,225.  Development  covered 
4056  ft.  Ore  reserves  contain  3,827,080  oz.  of  silver,  a  decrease 
of  345,320  oz. 

Porcupine.  At  the  Dome  Lake  mine  the  shaft  is  down  456  ft. 
with  sinking  in  progress  to  500  ft.  A  stope  above  300  ft.  is 
from  10  to  15  ft.  wide,  averaging  $30  per  ton.  The  new  200-ton 
mill  is  expected  to  be  in  operation  by  October  15. 

MEXICO 

Men  representing  the  more  important  mining  interests  of 
Mexico  are  at  Atlantic  City  to  appear  before  the  American- 
Mexican  Commission  in  support  of  the  contention  that  condi- 
tions in  Mexico  are  such  as  to  make  practically  impossible  the 
resumption  of  mining  operations.  The  mining  committee 
represented  50  companies,  and  was  composed  of  influential 
men.  In  the  first  half  of  1912  Mexico  yielded  33,000,000  oz. 
silver,  243,000  oz.  gold,  74,000  tons  copper,  46,000  tons  zinc, 
and  48,000  tons  lead.  In  the  first  half  of  1916  the  yield  was 
6,000,000  oz.  silver,  38,000  oz.  gold,  23,000  tons  copper,  11,000 
tons  zinc,  and  3000  tons  of  lead.  Export  taxes  on  the  precious 
metals  are  four  times  heavier  than  in  1912,  while  the  base 
metals  now  have  a  heavy  tax,  against  none  formerly.  For- 
feitures of  property  have  been  forced. 

Cusihuiriachic.  Villa  men  have  secured  possession  of  valu- 
able American  mining  property  here,  including  the  San  Juan, 
Cusi-Mexicana,  and  Cusi  Consolidated. 

Pachuca.  The  United  States  Smelting,  Refining  &  Mining 
Co.  reports  as  follows:  Earnings  for  eight  months  (August 
partly  estimated)  after  providing  for  all  interest  charges  on 
notes,  and  making  usual  reserves  for  depreciation  and  explora- 
tion, are  $6,418,538.  The  Mexican  properties  have  contributed 
less  than  15%  of  the  total  earnings.  Conditions  in  Mexico 
have '  improved.  The  company's  American  staff,  which  was 
withdrawn    in    June,    is   now    returning. 


IP©irs®2aaS 


Note:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     This  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


Howard  D.  Smith  is  at  Butte. 

Duncan  MacVichie  was  in  San  Francisco  last  week. 

Ben.  S.  Revett  has  returned  to  San  Francisco  from  Colorado. 

J.  Power  Hutchins  has  arrived  in  London  from  Petrograd. 

Walter  Strache  has  returned  to  New  York  from  Green- 
land. 

John  G.  Kibchen,  of  Tonopah,  was  in  San  Francisco  last 
week. 

DArcy  Weatherbe  has  gone  to  Canada,  returning  from 
Russia. 

Thos.  B.  Stearns,  of  Denver,  was  in  San  Francisco  last 
Monday. 

Richakd  A.  Parker  has  returned  to  Denver  from  Ludlow, 
California. 

Blamet  Stevens  is  at  New  York;  he  expects  to  return  to 
Mexico  shortly. 

S.  E.  Bretherton  is  in  Colorado;  he  expects  to  return  to 
San  Francisco  about  October  24. 

Morton  Webber  has  been  examining  the  American  Girl 
group  of  mines  at  Ogilby,  California. 

H.  C.  Bellinger  is  in  Chile  as  assistant  consulting  engineer 
with  the  Chile  Exploration  Co.,  Chuquicamata. 

Arthur  W.  Jenks  has  been  appointed  smelter  manager  for 
the  Burma  Mines  Corporation  at  Namtu  in  Burma. 

George  H.  Utter,  mine-owner  in  the  Steeple  Rock  district, 
Grant  county,  New  Mexico,  is  visiting  in  California. 

Arthur  B.  Foote  underwent  the  operation  for  appendicitis 
a  few  days  ago  at  Grass  Valley.  He  is  convalescing  satis- 
factorily. 

F.  R.  Van  Campen,  who  resigned  last  spring  from  the  man- 
agership of  the  Latouche  copper  mine,  in  Alaska,  is  in  San 
Francisco. 

Vernon  F.  Marsters  is  returning  to  the  United  States  from 
San  Juancito,  Honduras,  for  a  few  months'  vacation  at  Rush- 
ville,-  Indiana. 

H.  J.  Standee,  flotation  engineer  for  the  Yaryan  Resin  & 
Turpentine  Co.,  is  at  Salt  Lake  City,  on  his  return  from 
Alaska  and  British  Columbia. 

Max  J.  Welch  has  returned  to  Los  Angeles  from  Peru, 
where  he  has  superintended  the  construction  of  an  experi- 
mental concentrator  for  the  Cerro  de  Pasco  company. 

Jay  P.  Graves  of  Spokane,  identified  with  the  management 
of  the  Granby  Consolidated  company  since  its  inception,  has 
retired  from  the  directorate.  Henry  Bruere  of  New  York 
succeeds  him. 

Burt  B.  Brewster,  for  two  years  Alaskan  manager  for  the 
Sullivan  Machinery  Co.,  has  been  transferred  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  succeeding  H.  E.  Moon.  Mr.  Brewster  will  be  succeeded 
in  Alaska  by  Walter  F.  O'Brien. 

James  L.  Bruce,  general  manager  of  the  Butte  &  Superior 
Mining  Co.,  is  inspecting  mines  and  smelters  of  the  American 
Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting  Co.,  in  Tennessee,  Missouri,  Wisconsin,, 
and  Illinois,  in  connection  with  the  proposed  merger  of  these 
companies. 


A.  C.  Hall,  for  16  years  with  the  Guggenheims,  died  last 
month  at  Caldera,  Chile. 

J.  J.  Bristol  died  at  Reno,  Nevada,  on  August  30,  of  min- 
er's phthisis  contracted  during  underground  work  at  several 
large  mines  of  the  Rand.  Mr.  Bristol  was  a  graduate  of  the 
University  of  Nevada,  and  since  1900  had  been  in  the  Trans- 
vaal, on  the  Gold  Coast  of  Africa,  and  in  Alaska. 


578 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  14,  1916 


1IH^,IL 


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METAL  PRICE  S 

San  Francisco,  October  10. 

Antimony,   cents   per  pound 9.50 

Electrolytic   copper,   cents    per   pound 29.25 

Pig  lead,   cents   per   pound 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce $90 — 95 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb 78 

Spelter,    cents   per   pound 12 

Tin,   cents  per  pound 42 

Zinc-dust,  cents   per   pound    20 

ORE   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  10. 
Chrome;  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesite:   crude,  per   ton    8.00 

Manganese:   50%    (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 14.00  and  up 

Tungsten:   60%  W03,  per  unit 17.00 

The  Renfrew  mill   in  northern  Ontario   is  paying  as   follows 
for   molybdenum   ore: 
Per  cent  of  MoS-  Price  per  unit 

3 $13.00 

5 ' 14.00 

10 16.00 

15 17-00 

20 18.00 

80,  per  pound 1.00 

Penalties  are  imposed  for  bismuth  and  copper. 
A  10%   increase  on   tungsten  has   been   announced  at   Boulder, 
Colorado,  affecting  ore  containing  from  2  to  10%  WOj. 
New  York,  October  4. 
Antimony:   For  50%   ore,   immediate  delivery,    $1.10  has  been 
paid  in  the  past  week. 

Molybdenite:  It  is  reported  that  ferro-alloy  makers  are  using 
more  of  this  mineral,  with  the  result  that  inquiries  are  be- 
coming more  numerous.  Heretofore,  there  were  only  one  or 
two  buyers.  Sales  have  been  made  recently  at  prices  ranging 
from  $1.50  to  $1.75  per  lb.  of  MoS2  contained. 

Tungsten:  Several  hundred  tons  of  concentrates  have  been 
purchased  in  the  past  week,  for  1917  delivery,  at  about  $17  per 
unit  for  60%  product.  In  addition,  at  least  200  tons  of  ferro- 
tungsten  has  been  sold  for  foreign  delivery,  principally  to 
England.  For  the  bulk  of  this,  $2.60,  New  York,  per  pound  of 
contained  tungsten  was  paid,  although  20  tons  brought  $2.75. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Great  Britain  purchased  one  lot 
from  a  company  whose  name  appears  on  the  supplementary 
blacklist.  This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  British  au- 
thorities have  blacklisted  most  of  the  makers  and  dealers  in 
tungsten  and  the  ferro-alloys. 

EASTERN   METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
October    10. — Copper    is    quieter    though    strong;    lead    is   quiet 
and  steady;  spelter  is  easier  following  excited  buying. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 
Oct.       4 6S.37 

5 67.50 

6 6S.25 

7 68.25 

"        S  Sunday 

9 67.12 

"       10 67.50 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.   29 66.41 

Sept.     5 67.67 

■'      12 68.10 

"      19 68.31 

"       26 6S.95 

Oct.        3 69.12 

"       10 67.83 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Meh 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 

1916. 

48.85 

56.76 

48.45 

56.74 

50.61 

57. S9 

50.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 

1916. 

47.52 

63.06 

47.11 

66.07 

48.77 

68.51 

49.40 

51.88 

55.34 

Silver  prices  have  been  erratic  during  the  past  week,  and 
lack  of  news  from  London  prevents  any  expression  as  to  the 
cause,  though  speculation  by  the  Indian  Bazaars  may  be  re- 
sponsible. 

Exports  of  silver  from  San  Francisco  during  September 
totaled  $1,739,130,  equal  to  2,550,000  oz.  The  amount  of  metal 
going  direct  to  the  Orient  from  this  port  is  increasing  consider- 
ably, resulting  in  small  offerings  of  American  silver  in  London. 


COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 


4 28.50 

5 28.62 

6 28.75 

7 28.75 

8   Sunday 

9 28.50 

10 28.50 


Average  week  ending 

Aug.   29 28.00 

Sept.     5 28.00 

"      12 28.06 

"      19 28.29 

"      26 28.41 

Oct.       3 28.56 

"      10 28.60 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.4  6 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 


Inspiration  produced  11,850,000  lb.  in  September;  Miami,  4,381,- 
367  lb.;  Anaconda,  29,400,000  lb.:  and  Shannon,  774,000  lb.  The 
Butte  district  produced  31,000,000  lb.  and  Michigan  25,000,000 
pounds. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 

Average  week  ending 

Oct. 

4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 

Sunday 

7.05 
7.05 
7.05 
7.05 

.  .    7.05 

Aug.  29. 
Sept.     5. 

"      12. 

"       19. 

"      26. 

6.75 
6.67 
6.73 
6.80 
7.00 

» 

7.05 
Monthly 

averages 

.    7.05 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

Jan. 

..    4.11 

3.73 

5.95 

July    ... 

.    3.80 

5.59 

6.40 

Feb. 

..    4.02 

3.83 

6.23 

Aug.    . . . 

.    3.86 

4.67 

6.28 

Mch. 

..    3.94 

4.04 

7.26 

Sept 

.    3.82 

4.62 

6.86 

Apr. 

..    3.86 

4.21 

7.70 

Oct.     . . . 

.    3.60 

4.62 

May 

.  .    3.90 

4.24 

7.38 

Nov.    .  .  . 

.    3.68 

5.15 

June 

..    3.90 

5.75 

6.88 

Dec.    . . . 

.    3.80 

5.34 

On    October    20    the    Hecla    company    of    Idaho    pays    15c.    per 
share,  or  $150,000.     This  makes  $1,250,000  for  the  current  year. 

ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Date. 


Oct. 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


4 

9.70 

10.17 

S   Sunday 

10 

10.00 

Aug. 
Sept. 


29. 
5. 
12. 
"      19. 
"      26. 
Oct.       3. 
"      10. 
Monthly  averages 


Average  week  ending 


9.37 
8.87 
8.87 
9.46 
9.35 
9.31 
9.98 


914. 

1915. 

1916. 

5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July 

5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug. 

5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept. 

4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct. 

4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov. 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec. 

1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.18 


QUICKSILVER 


The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

"Week  ending 

Date.  I    Sept.  26 73.00 

Sept.  12 75.00    [    Oct.       3 75.00 

"      19 75.00    I        "      10 78.00 

Monthly  averages 
1915.        1916. 
51.90      222.00 
60.00     295.00 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June    38.60 


78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


219.00 

141.60 

90.00 

74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug.    SO. 00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 

1916. 

95.00 

81.20 

93.75 

74.50 

91.00 

75.00 

92.90 

101.50 

123.00 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 

Tin  is  unsteady  at  43  cents. 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.13 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 


October  14,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


579 


Uastoraa    M<gfW 


New  York,  October  4. 

Copper  is  quieter,  but  strong. 

Zinc  has  advanced,  although  buying  has  been  comparatively 
light.  Its  strength  is  based  on  expectations  that  the  Allies 
will  enter  the  market  for  large  quantities. 

Lead  is  steady,  but  quieter. 

A  big  movement  in  tin  is  looked  for,  and  already  there  are 
indications  that  the  tin-plate  mills  are  considering  their  re- 
quirements. 

Antimony  is  dull  and  weaker. 

Aluminum  is  strong. 

Tungsten  ore  has  been  active. 

For  molybdenite  there  is  a  widening  market. 

A  purchase  of  200,000  tons  of  Brazilian  manganese  ore,  is 
reported.  The  ore  is  for  delivery  over  1917,  and  contains 
about  4S%.  The  terms  of  the  sale  specify  delivery  at  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  the  buyer  to  furnish  vessels  from  that  point.  At  the 
present  freight  rate  of  $12  per  ton,  the  cost  would  approxi- 
mate 75c.  per  unit  f.o.b.  cars,  Baltimore.  Figuring  current 
freight-rates,  the  transaction  would  represent  an  investment 
of  $6,500,000.  It  indicates  that  large  interests  do  not  expect 
the  War  to  end  next  year,  or  that  any  relief  is  to  be  expected 
in  the  matter  of  forcing  the  Dardenelles,  or  obtaining  man- 
ganese ore  in  large  quantities  from  India  next  year. 

The  most  pleasing  feature  of  the  iron  and  steel  markets 
this  past  week  is  the  greater  activity  in  pig  iron  of  all  grades. 
With  the  activity  came  price  advances.  So  far,  foundry  iron 
in  particular  has  lagged  far  behind  other  products.  Con- 
stantly increasing  export  demand  is  in  large  part  responsible 
for  the  greater  activity,  although  domestic  smelters  are  show- 
ing more  confidence  also.  Standard  low-phosphorous  pig  iron, 
much  used  for  wire,  projectiles,  and  the  finer  grades  of  steel, 
is  quoted  at  $36  to  $37  per  ton,  delivered,  and  $40  is  pre- 
dicted in  the  near  future.  Basic  iron,  for  open-hearth  con- 
sumption, has  also  been  in  heavy  demand.  The  production  of 
pig  iron  in  September  was  3,202,366  tons  or  106,745  tons  per 
•day,  against  3,203,713  tons  in  August  or  103,346  tons  per  day. 
October  opens  with  328  furnaces  in  blast. 

The  railroads  are  placing  orders  for  cars,  the  demand  for 
plates  is  greater  than  ever,  and  a  steel  famine  is  freely  pre- 
dicted. August  exports  of  iron  and  steel  totaled  59S.192  tons 
against  the  previous  high  record  of  540,000  tons  in  May 
There  is  every  indication  that  tin-plate  prices,  which  have 
not  been  fixed  for  1917,  will  be  higher. 

The  scarcity  of  labor  is  a  common  cry. 

Steel  plates  are  quoted  at  4c,  Pittsburg,  structural  shapes 
at  2.75c,  and  bars  at  2.75c,  premiums  being  exacted  wherever 
prompt  deliveries  are  wanted. 

COPPER 

As  might  well  be  expected  comparative  quiet  has  followed 
the  recent  big  buying,  but  with  first-hands  in  an  unpre- 
cedented position  as  to  the  next  three-quarters  of  a  year, 
their  quotations  are  firmly  held.  For  electrolytic,  October 
delivery,  up  to  29c.  is  asked,  for  November  28. 50c,  for  Decem- 
ber 2Sc,  for  January  27.50c,  and  for  first  quarter  27.25c 
Lake  producers  are  reported  to  be  sold-up  for  the  remainder 
of  the  year.  A  re-sale  lot  offered  at  29.50c.  failed  to  induce 
any  action  this  week.  For  January  delivery  the  Lake  pro- 
ducers are  asking  27.50c,  and  for  first  quarter  27.25c  To  a 
great  extent,  sales  are  today  a  matter  of  extended  negotiations. 
Companies  who  have  been  asked  to  quote  have  replied  that 
they  had  nothing  to  sell  for  certain  positions,  but  when  they 
"have  been  approached  with  a  specific  proposition  they  found 
the  metal  and  sales  have  resulted.  With  second-hands  prices 
■are  a  little  easier,  sales  of  electrolytic  for  near-by  delivery 


having  been  reported  at  28.75c.  The  electrolytic  quotation  at 
London  yesterday  was  £140  against  £138  a  week  previous.  The 
September  exports  reached  the  excellent  total  of  29,803  tons. 
Stocks  in  Great  Britain  and  France  on  October  1  amounted  to 
5796  tons  against  711S  tons  on  September  15.  Including  the 
copper  afloat  from  Chile  and  Australia,  the  total  European 
supply  on  October  1  totaled  10,371  tons,  against  11,668  tons 
two  weeks  previous.  The  brass  and  copper  mills  continue  as 
busy  as  ever  and  are  carefully  picking  what  they  want  from 
new  business  offered  them. 

ZINC 

Only  spasmodic  buying,  moderate  in  the  aggregate,  has 
taken  place  in  the  past  week,  but  prices  have  nevertheless 
advanced,  with  the  result  that  spot  is  held  around  9.70c,  New 
York,  and  9.50c,  St.  Louis.  Last  quarter  is  held  at  9.25  to 
9.374c,  St.  Louis,  and  first  quarter  at  9  to  9.12ic,  St.  Louis. 
The  producers  are  strong  in  their  belief  that  the  Allies  will 
sooner  or  later  come  into  the  market  for  large  quantities  as  a 
concomitant  of  their  recent  large  purchase  of  copper.  The 
London  market  is  strong  at  £52  per  ton  for  spot,  the  quotation 
of  a  week  ago.  Exports  are  extremely  large,  those  of  Sep- 
tember amounting  to  14,309  tons,  while  in  the  first  three  days 
of  this  month  they  totaled  1721  tons,  1231  tons  of  which  was 
shipped  to  Archangel,  'Russia.  Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at 
15c,  f.o.b.  mill,  carload  lots,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  leading  interest  continued  to  quote  7c,  New  York,  and 
6.92Jc.  St.  Louis.  The  New  York  quotations  of  the  independent 
producers  and  sellers  have  varied  from  7  to  7.12Jc  Yester- 
day they  asked  7.05c,  New  York.  Some  of  them  are  so  well 
sold-up  that  they  are  practically  out  of  the  market  on  near-by 
deliveries.  A  large  amount  of  lead  has  been  sold  in  recent 
days,  and  it  is  therefore  natural  that  the  market  should  be- 
come quieter.  Bullish  talk  is  heard  as  to  the  future,  although 
conservative  members  of  the  trade  believe  that  a  firm  steady 
market  is  to  be  expected  rather  than  one  of  sky-rocket  tenden- 
cies. The  fact  is  that  consumers  have  pretty  well  covered 
their  requirements  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.  At  the 
same  time  it  is  to  be  recognized  that  consumption  and  pro- 
duction are  running  about  even,  and  if  a  good  foreign  demand 
should  develop  it  will  send  prices  upward.  Exports  con- 
tinue on  an  excellent  scale,  those  of  September  amounting  to 
8857  tons.  The  London  quotation  for  spot  yesterday  was  5s. 
higher  than  a  week  ago,  at  £31  15s. 

TIN 

The  feeling  is  widespread  that  a  good  movement  in  tin  is 
impending.  It  is  believed  that  buying  on  September  29  was 
a  forerunner  of  the  expected  business,  as  on  that  day  large 
tin-plate  makers  took  about  400  tons.  More  interest  is  being 
shown  in  future  positions,  and  prices  are  advancing.  Spot 
Straits  was  quoted  yesterday  at  39.25c,  New  York.  The  Sep- 
tember statistics  show  that  deliveries  into  consumption  in 
that  month  totaled  5025  tons,  of  which.  675  tons  came  via 
Pacific  ports.  Deliveries  since  January  total  44,413  tons, 
against  36,905  tons  in  the  same  period  of  1915.  In  stock  and 
landing  on  October  1,  was  4769  tons.  The  quantity  afloat,  on 
the  3rd,  was  2145  tons. 

ANTIMONY 

No  interest  is  shown,  and  prices  are  sagging.  Oriental 
grades  can  be  had  from  dealers  at  10.25  to  10.50c,  duty  paid. 

ALUMINUM 
The  market  is  firm  at  62  to  63c  per  lb.  for  No.  1  virgin 
metal,  98  to  99%  pure. 


560 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS. 


October  14.  1916 


Methods  in  Metallurgical  Analysis.  By  Charles  H.  White. 
P.  366.  111.,  index.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co..  New  York,  1915. 
For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.     Price.  $2.50. 

Many  books  treat  of  the  subject  of  assaying,  and  myriads 
deal  with  the  varied  phases  of  metallurgical  analysis,  but  the 
one  handy  volume  that  presents  the  best  methods  of  the  chem- 
ical analysis  of  all  mining  and  metallurgical  products  is  the 
above,  by  one.  who  for  many  years  has  taught  that  subject  in 
Harvard  University.  The  book  is  compact  and  can  be  slipped 
into  the  pocket.  It  has  a  substantial  binding.  The  first 
chapters  deal  with  laboratory  equipment  and  manipulation — 
most  useful  to  the  beginner  or  for  the  engineer  who  is  forced 
to  brush-up.'  The  scope  of  the  book  may  best  be  realized  by  a 
glance  at  the  main  headings:  Equipment  of  the  laboratory: 
Sampling:  Operation  of  analysis:  Analyses  of  iron  ores,  iron 
and  steel,  ores  of  copper  and  the  minor  metals,  slag,  mattes, 
bullion,  alloys:  Fire-assaying:  Analyses  of  the  cyanide-mill; 
Analyses  of  fluxes,  fuels,  clay,  boiler-water:  The  determination 
of  rare  metals:  and  Tables.  The  book  is  not  only  compre- 
hensive, but  it  is  critical.  Every  method  of  analysis  described 
has  stood  the  test  of  the  mill  and  the  smelter.  It  tells  what 
happens  and  why  it  happens,  and  all  pit-falls  are  plainly 
marked.— Walter  S.  Weeks. 


Examples  in  Alternating  CrRRENTs.  Vol.  I.  By  F.  E. 
Austin.  Second  Edition.  P.  223.  111.,  index.  F.  E.  Austin. 
Hanover,  N.  H.  For  sale  by  Mining  anp  Scientific  Press. 
Price,  $2.40. 

This  book  is  a  reprint  of  the  first  edition,  to  which  has  been 
added  considerable  new  material  in  the  form  of  cuts  and  sub- 
ject matter.  The  aim  of  the  author  has  been  to  bring  together 
the  theory  and  practice  in  alternating  currents  by  presenting 
problems  and  showing  how  they  are  solved  by  the  application 
of  mathematical  formulae.  The  first  40  pages  are  devoted 
to  definitions  of  fundamental  units,  signs  employed  in  the 
formulae,  trigonometrical  functions,  and  calculus.  Then  fol- 
low the  problems:  the  statement,  the  data,  formulae  which 
apply,  and  lastly  the  solution  are  presented  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  easily  follow  each  step.  The  appendix  contains  a 
number  of  tables  giving  the  values  of  variable  quantities  used 
in  electrical  engineering  practice,  so  arranged  as  to  include  a 
wide  range  of  values  and  to  render  evaluation  convenient  and 
rapid.  To  the  student  the  book  is  valuable  in  that  it  trains 
and  guides  him  in  understanding  the  solution  of  electrical 
problems,  while  to  the  engineer  its  chief  value  is  in  the  care- 
fully tabulated  arrangement  of  mathematical  and  electrical 
data. 

Centrifugal  PuMrs  and  Suction  Dredgers.  By  E.  W. 
Sargeant.  P.  1SS.  111.,  plans,  index.  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.. 
London.  1916:  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co..  Philadelphia.  For  sale  by 
the  MINING  anp  Scientific  Press.     Price.  $3.25. 

Centrifugal  pumps — belt,  motor,  oil-engine,  or  turbine  driven 
— from  1  to  54-in.  discharge,  are  now  used  in  large  numbers  on 
dredges,  for  unwatering  mines,  elevating  coarse  and  fine  pulp 
in  mills,  fire  purposes,  sewage,  and  irrigation.  Their  popu- 
larity increases  as  they  are  better  understood,  and  as  improve- 
ments in  efficiency  are  made.  Although  this  book  deals  with 
English  practice  the  information  is  useful  to  Americans,  as 
the  former  have  made  good  centrifugals  for  many  years.  In 
the  United  States  the  metallurgist  and  irrigation  engineer 
have  studied  the  centrifugal  considerably,  resulting  in  long- 
wearing  liners  and  great  capacity,  respectively.  For  high 
lifts  the  multi-stage  pump  is  a  great  success,  the  subject  being 
covered  in  two  chapters.    Design  of  the  pump-disc  and  casing 


are  all-important,  this  being  thoroughly  discussed,  including 
pattern  making,  molding,  and  machining.  For  priming  a  cen- 
trifugal several  methods  are  given,  also  testing  its  capacity 
and  efficiency.  Pipe  arrangements  and  valves  are  considered. 
As  the  rotary  air-pump  is  closely  related  to  the  centrifugal 
it  is  briefly  described.  These  are  used  at  mines  for  various 
purposes.  While  the  pump  type  of  gold  dredge  is  not  worked 
much  in  America,  it  is  a  success  in  Australia,  lifting  large 
quantities  of  coarse  gravel  with  ease  up  to  15-in.  suction;  but 
in  harbors  and  rivers  the  suction  dredge  is  operated  every- 
where, using  centrifugal  pumps.  Here  the  engineer  will  find 
practical  notes.  Calculations  and  plans  complete  a  work  on 
an  important  machine. 

Practical  Hydraulics.  By  James  Park.  P.  2S4.  III.,  charts, 
plans,  index.  Charles  Griffin  &  Co.,  London.  1916:  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott Co..  Philadelphia.  For  sale  by  Mining  anp  Scientific 
Press.    Price.  $4. 

The  author  of  this  work,  who  is  professor  in  the  University 
of  Otago,  at  Dumedin,  New  Zealand,  writes  on  many  subjects, 
including  assaying,  cyaniding,  surveying,  and  geology.  In  the 
South  Island  of  New  Zealand  the  author  has  many  opportun- 
ities to  study  hydraulics,  this  being  a  region  containing  rivers, 
large  ditches,  hydraulicking.  and  dredging.  The  volume  is 
termed  a  text-book  for  use  in  mining  schools,  technical 
colleges,  and  for  hydraulic  engineers.  A  good  deal  of  the  data 
has  been  drawn  from  American  sources,  and  this,  together  with 
Australasian  and  foreign  practice,  makes  a  good  mixture. 
Eight  chapters  cover  principles,  definition  of  terms,  and  the 
flow  of  water  through  orifices,  open  channels,  over  weirs,  and 
in  rivers:  also  friction  in  and  discharge  of  pipes.  Construc- 
tion of  dams,  ditches,  flumes,  and  pipes  is  of  great  importance, 
as  these  are  subjected  to  varying  pressures,  sometimes  sud- 
denly abnormal,  so  examples  of  well-designed  structures  are 
described  and  shown  by  working  plans.  Costs  are  included. 
The  last  chapter  covers  the  subject  of  water-power  and  water 
prime-movers.  These  include  the  latest  type  Pelton  wheel  and 
turbines.  While  American  engineers  are  well  versed  in  hy- 
draulics, they  should  find  something  of  value  in  this  new  book. 

Labor  troubles  harrass  the  metal-working  trades  in  many 
parts  of  the  country.  Not  only  is  there  an  inadequate  supply, 
but  in  some  cities  housing  facilities  are  not  sufficient,  and  the 
high  rents  that  are  asked  are  driving  mechanics  to  other 
places,  this  being  notably  true  in  Detroit.  Pittsburg  is  be- 
ginning to  suffer  from  a  shortage  of  freight-cars,  which  al- 
ready has  cut  down  shipments.  The  export  buying  of  steel 
continues  on  an  enormous  scale  and  premium  prices  are  paid 
without  murmur  on  foreign  account.  Manufacturers  of  steel 
plates,  particularly  ship-plates,  are  submerged  with  orders. 
Most  of  the  mills  will  not  consider  under  4c.  Pittsburg  base, 
for  any  delivery  of  tank-plates. 

By  means  of  a  process  recently  invented  by  Phillip  Mc- 
Kenna  of  the  Vanadium  Alloys  Steel  Co..  which  is  operating 
at  Boulder.  Colorado,  under  the  name  of  the  Vasco  Mining 
&  Milling  Co..  it  is  producing  ferro-tungsten  which  the  company 
claims  has  never  as  yet  been  equalled  in  the  high  percentage 
of  tungsten-content,  and  low  percentage  of  impurities.  The 
Vanadium  Alloys  company  is  now  guaranteeing  its  ferro- 
tungsten  to  contain  from  TO  to  SOr'r  tungsten  and  not  over  0.5% 
carbon,  or  0.05<^-  sulphur.  The  Vasco  company  has  already 
shipped  34  tons  of  50r'<-  concentrate  to  the  Vanadium  Alloys 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania. 

A  Consular  Report  from  Valparaiso,  dated  September  10, 
states  that  according  to  newspaper  reports  the  Chile  Explora- 
tion Co.  has  purchased  the  copper  mining  properties  of  the 
Compania  Minera  de  Calama  for  the  sum  of  7.100.000  Chilean 
pesos  (paper),  equal  to  9  pence  exchange  to  about  $1,280,000 
United  States  currency. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  OCTOBER  21,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  17 


Another  Marathon  Victory 

The  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  of  New  York,  in  their  Official  Bulletin  of  August 
1916,  publish  a  most  complete  and  exhaustive  report  of  grinding  mill  tests  made  by  the  Detroit 
Copper  Mining  Company,  from  which  the  following  excerpts  are  taken.  The  results  are  start- 
ling and  merit  your  consideration. 


"A  Comparative  Test  of  the  Marathon,  Chilean  and Pebble  Mills" 

By  F.  C.  Blickensderfer,  Moreno,  Arizona,  Metallurgist  Detroit  Copper  Mining  Company 

"The  Marathon  Mill  *  *  *  was  given  a  thorough  tryout  with  such  remarkable  results 
that  the  data  have  been  assembled  and  submitted  in  the  interest  of  the  milling  pro- 
fession." 

"These  experiments  were  carried  on  for  several  months,  so  that  results  obtained  are 
not  spasmodic  but  represent  average  results  of  routine  work." 

"TABLES" 

The  operating  expense  of  the  other  machines  is  greater  than  the  Marathon  by  the  fol- 
lowing percentages: 

Pebble  Mill,  operating  expense,  72.56  per  cent  greater  than  Marathon 

Chilean,  "  "         15.00     " 

"*  *  *  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  Marathon  Mill  costs  are  the  least." 

"Table  of  Relative  Capacities" 

Type  of  Mill  Kilowatts  Horse  Power  ^we^d'ay0'*' 

Marathon   No.   1 13.880  18.60  12.758 

Marathon  No.   2 16.791  22.50  19.555 

Pebble    Mill 42.208  56.56  4.313 

Chilean    27.388  36.70  6.485 

"*  *  *  In  each  case  the  power  factor  is  strongly  in  favor  of  the  Marathon  Mill." 

Table  Showing  Total  Combined  Efficiency 

Marathon  No.  2  excels  Marathon  No.  1        by     33.54  per  cent 

"       Pebble  Mill    "    134.80     "       " 

"      Chilean  "      61.58     " 

"For  the  material  treated  and  under  the  conditions  of  this  test,  the  MARATHON  MILL  is 
far  superior  to  the  Pebble  Mill  and  Chilean  mills  in  GRINDING  EFFICIENCY." 


Remember,  this  is  an  unbiased  report  by  independent  engineers.  If  you  are  interested  in  mill- 
ing problems  you  owe  it  to  yourself  to  obtain  a  copy  of  this  most  thorough  test  conducted  under 
the  supervision  of  some  of  the  World's  most  competent  metallurgists. 

Send  for  a  reprint  copy  of  this  report,  and  picture  of  the  latest  Marathon  Mill,  together  with 
details  as  to  its  construction  and  operation. 

JOHNSON  ENGINEERING  WORKS 

Pacific  Coast  Manager:  First  National  Bank  Building 

H.  L.  VAN  WINKLE  _,.  . .    _      . 

160  Beale  Street,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  UllCagO,   U.  O.  A. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


MORE  PROOF 

A  Story  of  Efficiency  in  Three  Chapters 

Chapter  I 

In  August  1915  an  order  was  placed  by  TAKATA  &  CO. 
with  the  OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER  COMPANY  for 
two  specially-constructed  filters  for  shipment  to  Japan. 
These  filters  were  ALL  LEAD  FITTED  for  handling 
SULPHURIC  ACID  in  treatment  of  ROASTED  ZINC  ORES. 

A  year  elapses ;  then  comes 
Chapter  II 

In  July  1916  TAKATA  &  CO.  placed  an  order  for  TWO 
MORE  OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTERS,  duplicates  of 
the  first. 

Four  months  elapse;  then  comes 
Chapter  III 

October  tenth  this  telegram  was  received: 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Co.         New  York>  0ct  10' 1916- 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Enter  our  order  DUPLICATE  EQUIPMENT  eleven  nine  hun- 
dred six  your  telegram  October  six,  order  sheet  follows. 
[Signed]  TAKATA  &  CO. 

The  Oliver  library  is  full  of  similar  stories  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  of  mining  and  by  the  greatest  contemporary  authorities,  in- 
cluding Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Company,  Arizona  Copper 
Company,  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting  Company  of  Canada, 
and  many  others. 

There  is  an  Oliver  for  every  purpose. 
Ask  us  about  them. 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Ttlter 

Company 

501  MAR.KXT    St. 

San  Francisco.Cal. 


Our 

engineering 

staff 

is  at  your 

service 


No  Royalties 

to  pay  on 

any  of  the 

work  of 

an  Oliver 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


Editot 


M.W.  .onBERNEwTrZ].^.,^, 
H.G.  THIELE  > 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manwjei 


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Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelasio  Caetani. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.   Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  October  21,  1916 


♦  3  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL                                    Page. 
Notes    581 

A  Matter  of  Principle 582 

The  censoring  of  a  paper  written  by  a  member  of  the 
A.  I.  M.  E.,  in  the  proceedings  of  the  International 
Engineering  Congress,  by  a  resolution  of  the  directors  - 
of  the  A.  I.  M.  E„  acting  on  the  demand  of  the  Anthra- 
cite Section  of  that  Institute.  An  interference  with 
the  liberty  of  the  mining  engineer. 

The  Decadence  of  the  Rand   5S3 

The  trend  of  events  in  the  Transvaal.  The  domina- 
tion of  the  financial  groups  or  'big  houses,'  and  the 
consequent  check  upon  initiative  both  in  the  metal- 
lurgical and  mining  departments.  The  incursion  of 
outside  capital  and  the  introduction  of  new  ideas  is 
advocated. 

DISCUSSION 

Lena  Goldfield. 

By  W.  E.  Thorne 585 

Correction  of  a  note  concerning  washing  apparatus 
and  cost  at  this  Siberian  placer  mine. 

A  Matter  of  Principle. 

By  L.  J.  Bohl  585 

Criticizing  the  action  of  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the 
A.  I.  M.  E.  in  suppressing  figures  cited  by  W.  H. 
Shockley  in  a  paper  written  for  the  International 
Engineering  Congress  in  1915. 

Prospecting. 

By   Prospector    586 

A  profitable  scheme  for  miners. 

Gold  Mining  in  South  Africa. 

By  W.  Karri  Davies    587 

Possibilities  of  the  Far  East  Rand,  which  requires  a 
large  amount  of  money,  though  involving  relatively 
little  speculative  risk. 
The  McDougall  Furnace. 

By   Thomas   T.  Read    588 

The  correct  way  to  spell  the  furnace  inventor's  name. 
Elmore  and  Flotation. 

By  George  E.  Collins   588 

Mr.  Collins  considers  that  A.  Stanley  Elmore's  claim 
that  his  brother's  first  patent  was  the  actual  begin- 
ning of  oil-flotation  is  unwarranted.  The  Everson 
patent  is  cited. 


Page. 
ARTICLES 

The  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  as  Censor — 
A  Protest. 

By  W.  H.  Shockley    589 

This  matter  is  covered  editorially  and  in  the  'Dis- 
cussion' department  of  this  issue.  Briefly,  Mr.  Shock- 
ley  wrote  a  paper  for  the  International  Engineering 
Congress  on  'The  Economic  and  Social  Influence  of 
Mining,'  in  which  the  wages  of  anthracite  coal-miners 
were  discussed.  The  figures  were  official,  but  were 
declared  incorrect  by  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the 
A.  I.  M.  E.  In  the  meantime  wages  had  been  raised. 
The  directors  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  however,  supported 
the  Anthracite  Section  and  demanded  that  Mr.  Shock- 
ley's  remarks  be  deleted  or  that  his  paper  be  omitted 
from  the  proceedings  of  the  Congress. 

The  Wilmington  Decision  on  Flotation — II. 

Text  of   Opinion   oy  Judge  Bradford  in  the  U.   S. 

District    Court    591 

Remainder  of  the  decision  in  the  Minerals  Separation 
v.  Miami  Copper  Co.  suit. 

Necessities  of  the  Chilean  Mining  Industry  597 

Chile  is  known  generally  on  account  of  its  copper  and 
nitrate  production,  but  there  are  coal  and  petroleum 
deposits.  The  Chilean  Congress  of  Mining  and  Metal- 
lurgy, in  April  last,  presented  42  recommendations  to 
the  Government  for  the  benefit  of  the  industry. 

The  Stoddard  Mill — A  Copper  Concentrator. 

By  C.  B.  Clyne    59S 

To  treat  100  tons  daily  of  chalcopyrite  ore,  an  Ari- 
zonan  company  erected  a  mill  on  similar  lines  to  that 
at  the  Inspiration.     The  process  is  extremely  simple. 

Block  Method  of  Top-Slicing  at  Miami. 

By  E.  G.  Deane   601 

Another  interesting  paper  dealing  with  Miami  meth- 
ods.   Long  slices  were  superseded  by  short  ones. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Recent   Patents    603 

Review  of  Mining 605 

The  Mining  Summary   609 

Personal    613 

Society   Notes    -. 613 

The  Metal  Market   614 

Eastern    Metal   Market    615 

Recent    Publications    616 

Industrial  Notes    616 


Established    May    24,    1860,    as    The    Scientific    Press;    name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


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14 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS, 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(OHM 


October  21,  1916 

UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 


TO  MINERS 

of 

PLACER  GOLD 


Investigate  the  Union  Drill.  It  is  easy  to  operate ;  it 
is  readily  portable  and  can  be  knocked  down  for  mule- 
back  transportation  and  easily  re-assembled.  It  is 
made  in  two  types,  A  and  B,  the  latter  with  steel  frame 
and  design  for  somewhat  heavier  work  than  A.  The 
illustration  below  shows  the  Type  B  drill  ready  for 
operation.  Bulletin  15  gives  much  interesting  data 
of  value  to  prospectors  and  placer  miners  in  general. 
Write  for  it. 


Union 

Construction 

Company 

H.  G.  PEAKE     W.W.JOHNSON 

604  Mission  St. 
San  Francisco 


This  is  one  of  many  gold  dredges  designed  and 
constructed  by  this  company.  It  was  built  for 
C.  J.  Berry  and  has  a  3J-foot  bucket  line,  and 
digs  from  1700  to  2400  cubic  yards  per  day  of 
24  hours.  We  contract  for  the  design  and  con- 
struction of  gold  dredges  for  any  capacity,  to  be 
erected  anywhere.  This  dredge  is  operated  on 
wood  fuel,  using  only  3^  cords  per  day  of  24 
hours. 

Ill 


The  Neill  jig  is  being  used  with  great  success  on 
dredging  and  sluicing  operations  for  the  saving 
of  fine  and  rusty  gold.  If  you  are  operating  a 
placer  mine,  it  is  worth  money  to  you.    Write  us. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


581 


..  :T. IIMI II!'  II 


£IDH^®  ^.2  J^.IL 


t.  &.  so©  us. 


,fl£©sr 


OCIENTIFIC  evidence  that  the  addition  of  copper  to 
*^  steel  and  iron  increases  their  resistance  to  corrosion 
is  a  fact  that  may  prove  important  to  the  mining  indus- 
try.   We  publish  a  note  on  the  subject. 

/"^ALUMET  &  Hecla  is  said  to  be  experimenting  suc- 
^-<  cessfully  with  flotation,  to  supplement  the  Benedict 
leaching  process.  No  mill-man  can  afford  to  neglect  the 
possibilities  of  flotation.  Every  mill  ought  to  contain  a 
small  machine  for  making  flotation  tests. 

I"  ABOR  is  scarce  everywhere,  but  the  shortage  would 
-*-J  disappear  if  every  able-bodied  idle  man  would  go  to 
work.  While  thousands  dispute  over  the  length  of  the 
•working-day,  other  thousands  decide  for  themselves  that 
no  work  is  best.  In  an  organized  community,  the  shirker 
should  find  it  as  unpleasant  during  peace  as  during  war. 


TV7HETHEB  a  U-boat  or  a  peace  rumor  does  more  to 
™  put  the  soft  pedal  on  a  bull  campaign  on  Wall 
Street,  we  do  not  know;  but  the  incidence  of  either 
should  remind  the  sagacious  man  that  we  live  in  the 
midst  of  uncontrollable  factors  likely  to  upset  the  calcu- 
lations of  the  most  far-seeing.  Many  seismic  events  will 
happen  before  we  make  a  return  to  normal  times. 


"TVEMONETIZATION  of  gold  by  Great  Britain,  in  the 
J-"^  event  of  the  War  lasting  for  another  year,  is  being 
•discussed.  The  sinister  suggestion  has  grown  from  a  re- 
mark in  The  Statist  that  Great  Britain  may  be  compelled 
to  suspend  specie  payment  if  her  financial  resources  are 
stretched  too  far.  The  suggestion  is  one  that  we  do  not 
take  seriously,  but  those  at  a  loss  for  a  topic  of  conversa- 
tion may  offer  guesses  as  to  the  world-wide  consequences 
•of  such  a  step. 

\\7~E  note  that  the  Minerals  Separation  company  has 
**  insisted  successfully  on  the  Miami  Copper  Com- 
pany filing  a  bond  for  $250,000  and  making  monthly 
reports  of  the  particulars  of  its  flotation  operations  and 
the  value  of  the  concentrate  recovered.  This  accounting 
is  to  be  made  to  the  Court  at  Wilmington,  Delaware. 
Meanwhile  the  Miami  company  has  filed  its  appeal -to 
the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  at  Philadelphia.  It 
is  announced  that  the  argument  of  the  Hyde  case  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  will  begin  in  a 
few  days. 

OINCE  we  published  the  'personal'  regarding  Mr. 
*^  E.  P.  Mathewson's  resignation  and  new  appoint- 
ment,  in  our  issue  of  the  7th  instant,  the  paragraph 


about  his  new  work  with  the  British-America  Nickel 
Corporation  has  appeared  in  many  papers,  but  usually 
with  an  extra  'n'  after  the  word  America.  We  note 
that  the  Anaconda  Standard  expresses,  in  feeling  terms, 
the  regret  of  the  people  of  Montana  at  Mr.  Mathewson  's 
departure  from  Anaconda.  We  can  understand  that. 
At  an  early  date  we  shall  publish  an  interview  obtained 
with  Mr.  Mathewson  while  he  was  here  recently. 


(.(. 


TTIGHEST  on  record"  is  a  cheerful  phrase  when  it 
-*--*-  refers  to  stocks  or  prices  of  metals,  but  it  is 
chilling  when  it  describes  the  cost  of  living.  According 
to  The  Annalist  index-number  of  the  average  price  of  a 
number  of  representative  commodities,  the  cost  of  living 
is  now  186.84  as  compared  with  139.72  a  year  ago.  This 
is  a  rise  of  33.7%.  Since  the  War  began  the  cost  of  food 
has  risen  59%  in  England  and  107%  in  Germany.  In 
20  years  the  cost  of  living  in  the  United  States  has 
doubled.  Perhaps  a  more  significant  fact  is  the  doubling 
of  the  price  of  the  machine-made  pie  that  has  replaced 
the  wholesome  comestible  of  the  New  England  house- 
wife.   Peace  hath  her  perils  no  less  than  War. 


rPHE  success  or  failure  of  any  mining  method  depends 
-*-  upon  the  recognition  of  its  advantages  and  limita- 
tions, and  applying  it  where  the  conditions  are  suitable. 
No  system  is  so  elastic  as  to  be  applicable  in  all  cases. 
The  first  step  is  to  choose  the  system  fitted  to  the  given 
set  of  conditions,  for  on  this  choice  may  rest  the  fate  of 
the  entire  undertaking.  On' another  page  we  publish  an 
article,  by  Mr.  E.  G.  Deane,  describing  the  block  method 
of  top-slicing  as  used  by  the  Miami  Copper  Company. 
Like  the  sub-level  caving-system,  described  in  our  issue 
of  October  7,  it  is  adapted  to  large  orebodies  of  uniform 
grade.  It  has  one  advantage  not  possessed  by  the  sub- 
level  caving-system  in  that  it  permits  removal  and  stor- 
age of  the  waste  by  sorting  in  the  stopes.  Almost  com- 
plete extraction  is  possible,  as  the  waste  of  the  cap  does 
not  mix  with  the  ore.  A  small  amount  of  preparatory 
work  is  necessary  and  is  productive,  being  done  in  the 
ore.  When  properly  carried  out  there  is  practically  no 
danger  of  falls,  the  timber  usually  giving  ample  warning 
when  about  to  take  excessive  weight.  It  is  possible  to 
shoot-down  a  portion  of  the  stope  and  so  relieve  the  pres- 
sure without  the  necessity  of  abandoning  it.  The  method 
is  wasteful  of  timber,  as  nearly  all  of  it  is  lost,  but  since 
its  use  is  temporary  a  cheap  inferior  grade  can  be  util- 
ized. There  is  considerable  handling  of  timber,  which 
must  be  hoisted  to  the  stopes  from  the  haulage-levels. 
Good  ventilation  is  essential,  otherwise  the  temperature 


582 


MINING  and  Scientific 


PRESS, 


October  21,  1916 


due  to  the  decaying  timber  in  the  mat  overhead  reduces 
the  efficiency  of  the  miners  and  also  increases  the  danger 
of  fires.  Unless  the  raises  are  near  together  in  the  stopes 
there  is  much  handling  of  the  ore.  A  chute  interval  of 
50-ft.  centres  seems  to  be  too  large,  necessitating  a  great 
deal  of  work  by  the  sbovelers  in  loading  and  wheeling 
the  ore  to  the  chutes.  The  complete  extraction  of  the 
ore  possible  by  this  method  equalizes  the  higher  cost 
due  to  loss  of  timber  and  the  increased  amount  of  han- 
dling that  is  necessary.  A  production  of  10  tons  per 
man-shift  at  an  estimated  cost  of  only  88  cents  per  ton 
speaks  for  itself. 

TV/TEXICAN  affairs  are  discussed  by  our  Special  Cor- 
-"-*-  respondent  under  the  heading  of  'Review  of  Min- 
ing.' Those  interested  in  the  subject  will  find  both  in- 
formation and  comment  of  a  timely  kind.  An  abstract 
of  recent  decrees  issued  by  the  Carranzista  government 
will  be  useful  for  reference.  The  tripling  of  the  export 
tax  on  metals  is  noteworthy.  The  new  taxation  of  min- 
eral land  is  not  unreasonable.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
renouncement  of  diplomatic  protection  is  ominous;  the 
decree  is  unnecessary  if  Carranza  intends  to  treat  the 
foreigner  fairly.  Our  correspondent  discusses  this  point 
lucidly.  'Mexico  for  the  Mexicans'  is  a  slogan  to  which 
none  of  us  could  object  if  our  nationals  had  not  been  in- 
vited by  successive  Mexican  governments  to  give  a  hand 
in  developing  the  industrial  resources  of  the  country  and 
if  our  nationals  in  so  doing  had  not  been  guaranteed  pro- 
tection. That  is  a  point  entirely  disregarded  both  at 
Mexico  City  and  at  Watchington — as  Mrs.  O'Shaugh- 
nessy  spells  the  seat  of  administration.  Among  his  other 
pronouncements,  Sefior  Carranza  has  interdicted  bull- 
fighting. This  is  commendable,  but  the  slaughter  of  bulls 
might  be  ignored  just  now  in  face  of  the  assassination 
of  human  beings  to  which  the  warring  factions  are  com- 
mitted. Despite  the  unsettled  political  conditions  the 
American  managers  of  mines  are  returning  to  Mexico 
with  a  view  to  resuming  operations.  The  optimism  of 
the  mining  engineer  is  unconquerable.  On  the  whole, 
the  news  concerning  conditions  in  Mexico  has  been  en- 
couraging recently,  so  that  resumption  of  mining  is 
recorded  at  many  points,  notably  Paehuca,  El  Oro, 
Guadalajara,  and  along  the  West  Coast.  Meanwhile  the 
Joint  Commission  continues  in  session  at  Atlantic  City 
and  is  likely  to  remain  in  active  conversation  until  after 
the  presidential  election. 


'TVISCUSSION  this  week  is  enriched  by  letters  from 
-*-^  widely  separated  sources.  Mr.  W.  E.  Thorne,  a 
Californian  engineer,  writes  from  Siberia  to  correct 
sundry  details  in  a  recent  description  of  alluvial-mining 
methods  on  the  Lena  goldfield.  Mr.  L.  J.  Hohl  draws 
the  pen  in  defence  of  Mr.  Shoekley.  When  Mr.  Hohl 
wrote  his  letter  he  was  quite  unaware  of  the  action  being 
taken  by  the  local  section  of  the  Institute,  although  sub- 
sequently he  attended  the  meeting  at  which  that  action 
was  ratified.  His  letter  is  amusing  in  showing  how  in- 
i  "    tive  was  the  censoring  of  Mr.  Shoekley 's  paper,  for 


the  statements  to  which  objection  was  taken  are  to  be 
found  in  figures  or  by  inference  in  the  paper  as  it  now 
appears  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Engineering  Con- 
gress. The  quotation  of  George  F.  Baer's  celebrated 
saying  was  bound  to  be  made  by  somebody  during  the 
discussion  of  this  episode  and  we  are  glad  that  Mr.  Hohl 
should  have  taken  pains  to  quote  it  accurately.  The 
letter  from  a  prospector  will  commend  itself  as  the 
record  of  a  bit  of  personal  experience.  Major  Karri 
Davies  will  be  known  to  any  reader  familiar  with  the 
history  of  South  Africa.  We  welcome  his  comment  on 
our  recent  editorial  and  acknowledge  the  slip  made  in 
our  statement  of  the  ratio  of  productive  to  unproductive 
ground  in  the  Far  East  Rand.  The  suggestion  for  a 
method  of  adjusting  the  deduction  of  the  Government's 
share  of  profit  without  penalizing  efficiency  is  well 
worthy  of  consideration.  Our  friend  Sir.  Thomas  T. 
Read  has  settled  the  spelling  of  McDougall,  as  applied 
to  the  furnace  of  that  name.  'McDougall'  it  shall  be 
henceforth.  The  letter  from  Mr.  George  E.  Collins  sup- 
ports the  Everson  tradition  and  includes  an  interesting 
suggestion.  The  real  point  is  that  Everson,  whether  the 
lady  or  her  husband  does  not  matter,  obtained  a  patent 
for  a  process  that  was  never  worked  successfully  and 
was,  we  believe,  unworkable.  The  Elmore  brothers  de- 
vised a  process  that  was  used  in  a  mill  and  served  as  the 
beginning  for  a  revolution  in  metallurgy. 

On  another  page  we  publish  a  protest  made  by  Mr. 
William  H.  Shoekley  against  the  censoring  of  a  paper 
presented  by  him  to  the  International  Engineering  Con- 
gress last  year.  He  protests,  not  so  much  against  the 
censoring  of  his  paper  by  the  publication  committee  of 
the  Congress,  but  against  the  interference  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engi- 
neers, acting  upon  the  peremptory  demand  of  the  An- 
thracite Section  of  the  Institute.  We  refer  the  readers 
to  the  facts  as  stated  by  Mr.  Shoekley.  His  statement 
is  plain  and  reasonable.  For  those  that  do  not  know 
him  personally  we  may  say  that  he  is  a  mining  engineer 
of  wide  experience  and  ripe  knowledge;  he  has  shown 
good  temper  and  no  small  amount  of  courtesy  through- 
out the  episode;  in  every  respect  he  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  the  profession  and  entitled  to  the  considera- 
tion that  any  one  of  us  has  the  right  to  demand.  In  the 
first  instance,  he  was  requested  to  prepare  a  paper  on 
the  economics  and  sociology  of  mining;  the  request  was 
made  by  Mr.  H.  Foster  Bain,  at  that  time  a  member  of 
the  management  committee  of  the  Congress.  Mr.  H.  C. 
Hoover  had  been  expected  to  write  a  paper  on  this  par- 
ticular subject,  and  when  he  was  unable  to  do  so,  owing 
to  his  great  work  in  Belgium,  the  task  was  delegated  to 
Mr.  Shoekley,  who,  in  agreeing  to  write  the  paper  in- 
formed Mr.  Bain  how  he  expected  to  treat  the  subject. 
Mr.  Bain  knew  Mr.  Shoekley  well  and  was  aware  of  his 
radical   ideas.     Nevertheless  Mr.   Bain   officially  urged 


October  21.  li)l<j 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


583 


Mr.  Shoekley  to  prepare  the  paper.  Il<'  did  so.  The 
paper  was  passed  by  the  editors  and  accepted  by  the 
publication  committee  of  the  Congress;  it  was  printed 
and  circulated  by  the  Congress.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
Congress  in  September  1!U5,  Mr.  Shoekley  read  an  ab- 
stract of  bis  paper  and  on  that  occasion  one  or  two  of 
the  anthracite  engineers  objected  to  some  of  his  state- 
ments. The  discussion  was  cut  short  by  lack  of  time. 
Subsequently  Messrs.  Edwin  Ludlow  and  R.  V.  Morris, 
of  the  Anthracite  Section  at  Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsyl- 
vania, called  upon  Mr.  Shoekley  to  withdraw  some  of  the 
statements  in  his  paper.  He  demurred  to  doing  so,  sug- 
gesting that  they  contribute  to  the  discussion  and  pre- 
sent their  own  view  of  the  question  in  dispute.  After 
some  correspondence  between  the  parties  to  the  contro- 
versy, Mr.  Shoekley  made  sundry  changes,  which  did  not 
suit  the  anthracite  engineers.  Finally  on  June  11  a  tele- 
gram, quoted  in  full  in  Mr.  Shoekley 's  protest,  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  Chairman  of  the  Congress  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, insisting  that  all  reference  to  the  anthracite  region 
"be  expunged  from  the  paper  b}'  order  of  the  directors 
of  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers. ' '  When  this  imperious  dispatch  was 
received  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Congress  he  called  a 
meeting  of  representative  mining  engineers  and  officials 
of  the  Congress.  Those  present  at  the  meeting  resolved 
unanimously  that  the  tone  of  the  telegram  was  most 
objectionable  and  that  the  Chairman  of  the  Congress, 
then  at  Brooklyn,  be  advised  to  publish  Mr.  Shoekley 's 
paper  as  already  amended.  On  June  23  the  directors  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  voted  that 
unless  Mr.  Shoekley 's  paper  was  changed  to  meet  the 
views  of  the  Anthracite  Section,  it  should  not  be  pub- 
lished. A  copy  of  this  resolution  was  sent  to  the  Chair- 
man of  the  Engineering  Congress.  He,  meanwhile,  had 
ignored  the  expression  of  opinion  voiced  by  the  com- 
mittee called  by  the  Secretary  on  June  12  and  was  now 
inclined  to  waive  his  rights.  The  offices  of  the  Congress 
were  being  maintained  pending  the  settlement  of  the  dis- 
pute, causing  expense  and  worry,  whereupon  Mr.  Shock- 
ley  cut  the  matter  short  by  agreeing  to  omit  the  remarks 
to  which  objection  had  been  made  by  the  Anthracite 
Section,  replacing  them  by  an  explanatory  note.  When 
the  facts  of  the  case  became  known,  the  matter  was 
brought  before  the  San  Francisco  Section  of  the  Insti- 
tute, a  feeling  of  resentment  against  the  injustice  done 
to  Mr.  Shoekley  was  freely  expressed,  and  on  October  10 
a  resolution  was  carried  unanimously  stating  inter  alia 
that  "the  action  of  the  directors  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers  in  censoring  the  publication  of 
Mr.  Shoekley 's  paper  is  unwarrantable."  That  is  the 
story  to  date.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  one.  Mr.  Shoekley 
expressed  no  opinion  of  his  own  concerning  the  condi- 
tions prevailing  in  the  anthracite  region,  he  said  only 
that  if  the  wages  were  so  much  and  the  cost  of  living  so 
much,  then  it  was  probable  that  a  number  of  heads  of 
families  were  inadequately  paid.  He  quoted  figures 
from  the  U.  S.  Immigration  Commission  and  from  a  re- 
port of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.    If  the  gentlemen  at 


Wilkes-Barre  did  not  like  it,  they  were  at  liberty  to 
refute  Mr.  Shoekley  in  the  usual  way,  by  contributing 
their  opinions  to  the  discussion  of  his  paper.  They  had 
no  right  to  demand  the  deletion  of  the  paragraphs  that 
did  not  please  them  and  they  were  not  warranted,  we 
submit,  in  calling  upon  the  directors  of  the  Institute  to 
take  drastic  action.  As  for  the  directors,  their  action  is 
indefensible.  By  what  right  did  they  dictate  to  the 
Engineering  Congress  what  it  should  or  should  not  pub- 
lish? It  is  true  the  Institute  was  one  of  the  five  tech- 
nical societies  that  contributed  to  the  underwriting  of 
the  Congress,  but  did  that  give  them  the  privilege  of 
editor  or  censor?  As  for  the  Congress  management,  it 
acted  weakly  and  ingloriously  in  surrendering  its  re- 
sponsibility to  the  clamor  of  a  coterie  of  excellent  gen- 
tlemen representing  the  one  great  natural  monopoly  in 
the  United  States.  What  a  bungle  they,  and  the  others 
supporting  them,  made  of  their  censoring  is  shown  ad- 
mirably in  the  letter  from  Mr.  L.  J.  Hohl,  appearing 
under  'Discussion.'  Similarly  in  a  discussion  of  the 
Panama  Canal  before  the  Congress  sundry  thoughtful 
criticisms  were  presented  in  discussion  by  Mr.  C.  E. 
Grunsky,  a  veteran  engineer  and  member  of  a  Govern- 
ment Canal  Commission,  and  because  his  remarks  did 
not  suit  the  powers  that  be,  he  was  asked  to  withdraw 
them,  and  on  his  failure  to  do  so,  the  Committee  of  Man- 
agement passed  a  resolution  withdrawing  all  the  dis- 
cussion from  publication,  although  it  had  been  an- 
nounced officially,  in  notices  to  the  engineering  profes- 
sion, that  "written  discussions  would  be  welcomed  in 
any  language.".  Some  people  appear  to  be  mighty  par- 
ticular about  the  language !  We  do  not  believe  in  the 
suppression  of  honest  criticism;  we  believe  that  sup- 
pression prevents  the  creation  of  a  healthy  public 
opinion;  in  the  end  it  hurts  those  criticized  much  more 
than  a  frank  ventilation  of  conflicting  ideas.  But  the 
most  objectionable  feature  of  the  episode  is  the  action  of 
the  directors  of  the  Institute  in  issuing  a  ukase  against 
one  of  its  own  members  and  against  inferences  expressed 
by  him  not  in  the  transactions  of  the  Institute  but  in  the 
proceedings  of  another  organization.  This  is  an  inter- 
ference with  the  liberty  of  the  professional  man  and  it  is 
not  to  be  tolerated. 


Tae  Decadence  of  the  Rand. 


The  mining  industry  of  the  Rand  is  a  subject  interest- 
ing to  the  American  mining  engineer  for  many  reasons, 
to  which  a  new  one  has  been  added  by  the  possibility  of 
American  capital  participating  as  a  separate  unit  in  the 
exploitation  of  this,  the  greatest  goldfield  in  the  world. 
Our  readers  are  aware  that  an  American  syndicate, 
headed  by  the  Messrs.  Lewisohn,  sent  an  expeditionary 
force  of  engineers  to  Johannesburg  in  the  early  part  of 
this  year  to  investigate  the  chance  of  profitable  business, 
more  particularly  in  that  part  of  the  goldfield  called  the 
Far  East  Rand.  Whether  anything  is  to  come  from  this 
incursion  of  American  enterprise  we  do  not  know,  but 
the  fact  that  it  has  been  made  affords  an  excuse  for  com- 


584 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


meriting  on  Rand  affairs  from  the  American  point  of 
view.  We  shall  be  frank,  believing  that  in  frankness 
lies  the  best  possibility  of  being  useful. 

The  business  of  the  Rand,  that  is,  the  flotation,  financ- 
ing, and  management  of  the  gold  mines,  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  so-called  groups,  financial  organizations  founded 
in  the  early  days  by  individual  operators  of  great  initi- 
ative and  resourcefulness.  These  'big  houses,'  as  they 
are  also  called,  appear  to  work  under  a  tacit  agreement 
not  to  trespass  upon  each  other's  preserves;  no  group 
has  wrested  the  control  or  management  of  mines  from 
another  group ;  even  in  the  case  of  a  fiasco  like  that  of 
the  East  Rand  Proprietary  there  were  no  signs  of  an 
attempt  to  take  advantage  of  the  weakness  of  the  old 
directorate.  It  is  true  the  Central  Mining  people  ob- 
tained the  direction  of  affairs  in  place  of  the  Farrars, 
but  the  Central  Mining  had  a  large  block  of  stock  in  the 
company  and  protected  the  late  Sir  George  Parrar  so  as 
to  save  his  face  and  leave  him  in  his  position  of  chairman. 
Sir  Joseph  Robinson  has  played  a  lone  hand  and  cannot 
be  included  in  the  pact,  but  he  also  has  not  attempted 
to  wrest  control  from  any  other  group,  nor  they  from  him. 
At  the  time  of  the  tenders  for  the  Government  Areas  the 
Barnatos  were  not  included  in  the  general  group  agree- 
ment as  to  the  Par  Bast  Rand  exploitation,  so  that  their 
solitary  action  in  tendering  was  likewise  no  infraction 
of  the  general  understanding  to  which  we  have  referred. 
Such  an  understanding  may  simplify  life  for  those  in 
control  but  it  is  not  calculated  to  promote  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  industry.  Signs  are  not  wanting  that  a  com- 
placent disposition  over  past  performances  is  tending  to 
technical  stagnation.  The  infusion  of  fresh  blood  might 
restore  the  spirit  of  youthfulness  to  an  industry  prema- 
turely venerable.  The  personnel  of  the  companies  has 
lost  distinction,  it  is  composed  mainly  of  men  of  local 
origin  and  training,  the  result  of  continuous  promotion 
from  the  ranks,  diminishing  the  chance  of  such  diversi- 
fied experience  as  is  essential  to  any  successful  departure 
from  the  beaten  track.  The  introduction  of  new  meth- 
ods, aimed  to  lower  the  cost  of  exploitation,  would  be 
more  likely  if  advantage  were  taken  of  the  recent  knowl- 
edge obtained  in  low-grade  copper  mining  in  Arizona 
and  in  the  large-scale  working  of  such  gold  deposits  as 
those  of  Juneau,  where  new  records  for  low  cost  have 
been  made  during  the  last  two  or  three  years.  "We 
recognize  the  growth  of  a  feeling  of  national  solidarity 
or  exclusiveness,  according  to  the  point  of  view,  en- 
gendered by  the  War  and  the  consequent  desire  to  have 
the  resources  of  the  British  empire  developed  by  British 
capital,  but  an  American  may  be  permitted  to  smile  at  the 
attitude  of  the  naturalized  German-Jew  element,  which 
is  more  British  than  the  British  in  the  expressed  wish  to 
exclude  aliens.  The  Germans  in  the  Transvaal  need  to 
make  no  apology,  they  have  played  an  honorable  part 
in  the  development  of  the  Rand  and  their  retirement 
during  the  Great  Unpleasantness  has  left  the  non- 
national  German-Jew  to  pose  as  an  imperialist  of  24-carat 
purity.  A  number  of  these  have  been  promoted  to 
authority  \mder  the  group  system,  establishing  a  bureau- 


cracy that  has  stifled  the  initiative  and  character  essen- 
tial to  any  great  accomplishment.  The  big  men  that 
made  the  Rand — Alfred  Beit,  Julius  Wernher,  J.  B. 
Taylor,  Cecil  Rhodes,  George  Parrar,  Hermann  Eck- 
stein, and  the  like — have  been  succeeded  by  men  who 
were  mostly  clerks  in  their  service,  without  technical 
education  or  knowledge  of  mining  outside  the  Rand. 
The  groups  are  no  longer  the  real  owners  of  the  mines 
but  controllers  by  virtue  of  proxies,  with  the  result  that 
the  share-dealing  part  of  the  business  has  been  magnified 
at  the  expense  of  the  exploratory  and  development 
phases  of  the  operations.  The  coterie  of  office-holders 
now  controlling  the  industry  from  London  lacks  the 
authority  to  delegate  initiative  to  their  representatives 
at  Johannesburg,  and  this  in  turn  detracts  from  the  use- 
fulness of  the  engineer  and  of  the  manager  at  the  mine. 
A  miasma  of  indirection  afflicts  the  entire  system.  One 
result  is  to  side-step  the  problem  of  native  labor.  The 
observant  visitor  agrees  with  the  enlightened  Boer  that 
the  best  results  are  not  being  obtained  from  the  Kaffir, 
because  his  capacity  is  restricted  arbitrarily  by  an  arti- 
ficial barrier.  For  example,  the  native  is  not  permitted 
to  use  an  explosive,  to  serve  as  station  or  skip-tender. 
or  to  handle  a  winch  in  whioh  men  are  raised  and  low- 
ered. In  other  mining  districts  such  tasks  are  performed 
safely  by  Koreans,  Mexican  Indians,  and  negroes  of 
every  shade.  The  white-labor  union  is  allowed  to  dom- 
inate the  economic  conditions;  the  native  is  not  per- 
mitted to  advance  according  to  the  proof  of  his  intel- 
ligence nor  is  he  accorded  full  scope  for  the  ability  de- 
veloped by  training.  The  white  man  plays  the  part  of 
an  expensive  supervisor.  The  economic  waste  is  unde- 
niable. Pay  in  proportion  to  efficiency  would  promote 
skill  and  the  raising  of  wages  would  increase  the  wants  of 
the  native  so  as  to  prompt  him  to  remain  at  work.  These 
are  observations  established  by  experience  in  every  part 
of  the  world  where  the  indigenous  population  has  been 
harnessed  to  industry.  Just  now  there  is  an  abundant 
supply  of  native  labor  on  the  Rand  and  it  is  being  used 
lavishly  under  a  diminished  white  supervision.  In  this 
and  other  matters  the  mines  suffer  from  politics.  Sev- 
eral of  the  leading  operators  are  prominent  in  parlia- 
mentary affairs,  in  opposition  to  a  violent  Labor  party, 
creating  bitter  antagonisms  not  at  all  good  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  South  African  Union.  The  Chamber  of 
Mines  itself  is  semi-political  and  the  newspapers  are 
under  control  of  the  groups,  the  general  result  being 
prejudicial  to  the  maintenance  of  a  healthy  state  of 
public  opinion  or  of  an  atmosphere  in  which  useful 
criticism  can  live.  The  Rand  needs  new  capital,  which 
the  pi-esent  groups  are  not  competent  to  furnish ;  it  needs 
new  ideas  in  technology,  which  those  bred  in  the  locality 
are  unlikely  to  conceive.  By  aid  of  one  and  the  other  it 
should  be  possible  to  accomplish  a  good  deal;  for  in- 
stance, reduce  the  cost  to  10  shillings  per  ton  and  there- 
by extend  the  resources  of  the  goldfield  not  only  by  find- 
ing new  ore  but  by  widening  the  margin  of  profit  to  be 
gained  from  the  ore  already  proved;  in  other  words, 
give  a  new  lease  of  life  to  the  Rand. 


October  21,  l!)l(i 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


585 


nnmiiii'i'ihijiiiiiiii  iin^'rn 


ID  s  ©  €  w  w>  ©  s©  m 

Out  readers  are  invited  to  use  this  department  for  the  discussion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  mining  and  metallurgy.      The  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  ownt  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


livgaaa  <S©M12fi©M 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  your  concentrates  of  April  15,  1916,  the  state- 
ment appears  that  "trommels  and  kulibinas  washing- 
machines  at  the  Lena  gravel  mine,  Siberia,  have  been  re- 
placed by  the  long  sluices  of  the  Alaska  type,  resulting 
in  less  loss  of  gold  and  lower  cost,  56  to  35  cents  per 
cubic  yard." 

This  is  incorrect.  The  long  sluices  were  tried  with 
parallel  T-rail  riffles,  but  most  of  them  have  been  dis- 
carded, because  they  were  losing  more  gold  than  the  other 
type  of  riffle.  The  parallel  is  o.k.  for  suitable  material 
and  capacity,  but  for  such  material  as  we  have  here  they 
are  not  suitable.  The  gravel  is  subangular,  with  some 
clay,  therefore  the  Hungarian  type  of  riffle  is  better  with 
frequent  drops  of  a  few  inches  in  the  sluice. 

The  reduced  cost  per  cubic  yard  is  from  the  winter- 
washing  plants;  a  good  part  of  the  gravel  goes  direct  to 
the  sluice  from  the  mine,  and  is  not  thrown  on  the  win- 
ter dump  to  be  re-handled,  as  was  the  former  practice. 
These  winter-washing  plants  were  recommended  by  Leon 
Perret,  general  manager  in  1913- '14,  a  Russian  mining 
engineer ;  they  were  installed  by  R.  E.  Smith,  an 
American. 

W.  E.  Thoene. 

Bodaibo,  Siberia,  August  4. 

Jk  littis  ©2  Pffasaeapllc! 

The  Editor: 

Sir — A  few  days  ago  I  received  my  copy  of  'Transac- 
tions of  the  International  Engineering  Congress  1915 — 
Mining  Engineering'  and  found  on  page  17  ('The  Eco- 
nomic and  Social  Influence  of  Mining  with  Special  Refer- 
ence to  the  United  States,'  by  William  H.  Shockley)  the 
following  foot-note  by  the  author. 

"The  writing  of  this  paper  was  completed  in  June 
1915,  and  when  presented  at  the  meeting  of  the  Inter- 
national Engineering  Congress  in  September  1915,  it 
contained  statistics,  drawn  chiefly  from  Vol.  16  of  the 
Immigration  Commission  Reports,  which  seemed  to  show 
that  the  pay  of  the  anthracite  miners  in  Pennsylvania 
was  less  than  the  amount  required  for  physically  effi- 
cient living.  These  statistics  were  claimed  to  be  errone- 
ous by  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers,  and  the  Section  asked  that  they  be 
omitted.  The  same  request  was  also  made  by  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 

' '  In  view  of  the  fact  that  since  the  paper  was'  written 


the  wages  of  the  anthracite  miners  have  been  materially 
increased  and  their  hours  of  labor  reduced  to  eight, 
daily,  and  therefore  their  living  conditions  have  been 
improved,  and,  furthermore,  in  order  to  avoid  contro- 
versy in  the  transactions  of  this  Congress,  the  author  has 
consented  to  omit  these  statistics  and  his  remarks,  in- 
dicated by  asterisks  on  this  and  subsequent  pages,  relat- 
ing to  the  anthracite  miners'  wages.  This  step  is  taken 
by  the  author  in  deference  to  the  request  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Management  of  the  Congress  and  without  prej- 
udice to  his  own  views  in  the  matter. ' ' 

During  the  great  strike  in  the  anthracite  region  in 
1902  George  F.  Baer,  the  head  of  the  coal  trust  was 
quoted  as  stating:  "The  rights  and  interests  of  the 
laboring  man  will  be  protected  and  cared  for,  not  by 
labor  and  agitation,  but  by  the  Christian  men  to  whom 
God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  has  given  control  of  the  prop- 
erty interests  of  the  country."  Mr.  Baer,  I  understand, 
is  dead,  but  evidently  "his  soul  goes  marching  on." 

The  censor  however  has  not  done  very  efficient  work. 
While  he  has  eliminated  from  the  report  the  statement 
of  average  yearly  earnings  of  the  miners  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, he  has  permitted  those  data  for  the  State  of 
Indiana  to  remain:  these  show  that  the  average  annual 
earnings  vary  from  $499.61  to  $737.27,  leaving  the  read- 
er to  infer  that  the  wages  for  Pennsylvania  must  have 
been  much  lower.  He  has  further  permitted  a  state- 
ment showing  the  cost  of  living  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  to  be 
$780  per  annum.  This  latter  statement  is  on  page  20 
and  immediately  following  it  we  find  the  ominous  line  of 
asterisks. 

And  finally  on  pages  42  and  43,  we  find  the  following 
statement : 

"According  to  the  mine  operators'  statement,  these 
miners  (Southern  Colorado)  are  making  the  highest 
wages  of  any  coal  miners  in  the  United  States:  the 
annual  wages  for  all  miners  in  the  Victor  American 
Fuel  Co.  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1913,  were 
$1100.75 ;  for  the  same  period  the  miners  of  the  Colo- 
rado Fuel  &  Iron  Co.  made  $999.36 ;  the  average  being 
more  than  twice  that  of  the  anthracite  miners  of  Pennsyl- 
vania." 

Thus  we  surmise,  that  the  annual  wages  of  the  anthra- 
cite miner  must  be  considerably  less  than  $500  per 
annum,  and  admitting  that  they  have  been  increased,  it 
is  not  to  be  presumed  that  the  increase  has  reached  the 
sum  of  $780  per  annum,  the  cost  of  living. 

But  the  point  I  wish  to  make  is  one  of  principle.  Even 
assuming  that  the  statistics  cited  by  the  author  were 
wrong  and  misleading,  the  suppression  of  them  is  un- 


586 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


warranted  and  the  plea  that  controversy  might  ensue 
evades  the  issue. 

Controversy  is  much  more  likely  to  ensue  from  sup- 
pressed data,  which  leave  the  door  open  to  all  kind  of 
surmises;  moreover  if  the  figures  were  erroneous,  as 
claimed,  the  author  of  the  paper  would  certainly  not 
have  offered  any  objections  to  the  publication  in  a  foot- 
note of  the  figures  claimed  to  be  correct,  showing,  as  he 
has  done,  the  source  of  information. 

As  the  matter  stands,  Mr.  Shockley's  foot-note  reads 
very  much  like  the  famous  recantation  of  Galileo  and  its 
closing  paragraph  recalls  his  "E  pur  si  muove." 

San  Francisco,  October  9. 

[This  subject  is  discussed  in  our  editorial  columns. — 
Editor.] 

Prospecting 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Under  'Prospecting,'  Mr.  Sharpless  says  he 
would  like  to  read  an  experience  or  two ;  so  I  donate  one. 
Some  15  years  ago,  I  was  30  years  old,  single,  worth  $5 
per  day  around  a  mine,  had  worked  as  assayer,  shift- 
boss,  foreman,  etc.,  knew  ore  when  I  saw  it,  and  fairly 
honest  and  reliable.  This  I  mention  rather  to  impress 
the  fact  that  there  are  many  such.  I  was  tired  of  work- 
ing for  wages  sis  months  or  so,  then  a  new  suit  of  clothes 
and  a  bright  red  interval,  and  then  another  grind.  I 
figured  that  by  putting  in  a  year  or  two  prospecting,  I 
would  do  better ;  so  made  the  following  offer  to  some 
business  men,  friends  of  mine : 

I  would  contract  to  prospect  for  six  months  to  two 
years ;  to  supply  my  own  outfit  and  pay  all  expenses ;  to 
receive  one-half  of  any  discovery  and  one-half  wages, 
or  $2.50  daily;  or  one-fourth  interest  and  three-fourths  * 
wages.  I  figured  that  this  was  perfectly  fair ;  and  if  we 
had  no  luck,  at  least  I  would  have  a  few  dollars  at  the 
end  of  the  period  to  turn  around  with.  My  friends  . 
turned  this  down  cold,  saying  that  they  could  get  plenty 
of  men  willing  to  go  prospecting  for  $10  to  $15  a  month 
and  one-half  of  any  find.  I  looked  around  the  town  and 
saw  that  they  were  right,  there  were  plenty  of  hobos  who 
were  only  too  glad  of  a  month's  hand-out  all  in  a  bunch. 
The  more  I  studied  the  question,  the  more  I  was  con- 
vinced that  there  was  something  wrong.  I,  of  course, 
knew  that  "my  offer  was  perfectly  fair ;  but  I  also  knew 
that  those  friends  of  mine  were  good  business  men ;  so  I 
decided  to  go  after  the  question,  differently.  I  picked 
out  a  known  mineralized  section  and  camped  right  there 
for  wages  at  $5  per  day;  of  a  Sunday  I  would  look 
around,  would  listen  to  the  prospectors,  spend  a  few 
dollars  for  assays  and  so  on.  At  last  I  got  hold  of  a 
promising-looking  property ;  no  partners  whatever. 
Every  month  so  much  wages  would  go  to  development; 
and  this  was  much  more  fun  than  looking  forward  to  the 
new  suit  of  clothes. 

I  got  married  and  began  to  find  that  $5  per  day  was 
a  whole  lot  more  money  that  I  had  ever  imagined.  I 
leased  the  mine,  as  we  had  struck  ore;  and  now  it  is 


bringing  me  in  a  little  money ;  with  the  good  chance  of 
making  a  valuable  property.  I  will  mention  that  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  things,  I  became  acquainted  with  sev- 
eral mining  engineers  and  geologists,  who  looked  over 
my  property  and  gave  me  some  valuable  advice,  charging 
me  absolutely  nothing.  They  did  this  purely  for  friend- 
ship 's  sake ;  and  I  am  certain  that  any  of  them  will  do 
this  for  a  prospector  if  his  mine  is  not  too  far  out  of  their 
road,  and  weather  permitting. 

Now,  suppose  that  a  man  wishing  to  invest  money 
prospecting,  in  place  of  looking  up  and  grubstaking 
someone,  should  proceed  in  the  following  manner:  Pick 
out  a  district  which  he  favors ;  look  up  the  engineers  who 
have  practised  there ;  ask  one  of  them  if  he  has  not  seen 
some  promising  prospects  or  prospectors  in  that  locality ; 
or  perhaps  a  mine  too  small  for  a  large  company,  but 
still  a  good  little  mine.  What  will  this  engineer  charge 
for  this  valuable  information  or  will  he  answer  at  all  ? 

I  venture  the  guess  that  he  will  give  a  rough  outline 
of  the  camp  freely,  charging  nothing;  an  exchange  of 
cards  perhaps;  for  the  rest — the  human  equation. 

Prospector. 

Nacozari,  September  21. 


Gold  Mining  in  South  Africa 

The  Editor: 

Sir — "When  a  mining  district  has  produced  over  two 
and  a  quarter  billions  worth  of  gold,  paid  enormous  divi- 
dends, and  is  today  producing  over  fifteen  million  dol- 
lar's per  month,  it  is  surely  worthy  of  careful  considera- 
tion on  the  part  of  Americans.  More  especially  when  it 
is  known  that  this  amount  has  been  produced  from  40 
square  miles  of  conglomerate  and  that  there  is  still  five 
times  as  much  of  the  same  formation  of  gold-bearing 
rock  to  be  explored  and  developed. 

Having  lived  in  South  Africa  for  twenty  years,  and 
still  owning  interests  there,  you  will  understand  the 
pleasure  your  editorial  on  'The  Far  East  Rand'  (in  your 
issue  of  October  7)  has  given  me,  and  no  doubt  many 
others.  A  long  acquaintance  with  the  Government 
Mining  Engineer  enables  me  to  cordially  endorse  your 
remark  that  "he  is  thoroughly  capable  and  fair- 
minded."  He  is  also  the  last  man  to  place  an  embargo 
on  efficiency. 

Mr.  Kotze  in  his  recent  report  on  the  Far  East 
Rand  is  aiming  to  make  a  provision  whereby  any  com- 
pany working  this  Government-owned  ground  will  re- 
ceive the  full  benefit  they  are  entitled  to  by  their  skill 
and  ability  in  reducing  the  working  and  developing 
costs  of  normal  times. 

The  only  way  which  suggests  itself  to  me  for  this  being 
done  is  for  Mr.  Kotze  to  arrive  at  a  standard  working 
cost  per  ton  milled  and  a  standard  development  cost 
based  on  today's,  or  normal  time,  prices.  With  the  data 
he  has  at  his  disposal,  together  with  the  consistent  con- 
ditions of  mining  he  has  to  deal  with  in  this  case,  this 
should  not  be  so  difficult.  When  these  figures  are  fixed, 
it  should  not  be  hard   (as  far  as  working  and  develop- 


October  21,  ltuti 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


587 


raont  ousts  arc  concerned)  to  determine  the  Govern- 
ment 's  proportion  of  profit,  based  on  these  standard 
costs,  although  it  might  involve  a  tonnage  calculation, 
which  should  not  offer  an  insurmountable  difficulty.  By 
this  method,  the  Government  would  get  the  advantage 
of  the  full  value  of  the  ore  and  the  company  the  full 
advantage  of  any  reduction  in  working  costs  below  to- 
day's, or  normal  times,  which  they  would  be  entitled  to 
from  any  improved  method  of  working  they  might  in- 
troduce. An  additional  indirect  advantage  to  the  coun- 
try, which  is  more  far-reaching  than  the  exaction  of  a 
high  royalty,  would  be  the  reduction  of  working  costs, 
thereby  permitting  much  lower-grade  ore  to  be  mined 
throughout  South  Africa. 

If  working  costs  today  could  be  brought  down  to  $2.50, 
instead  of  $4.50  per  ton,  South  Africa  would  benefit,  be- 
cause more  people  would  be  employed  in  the  mining  in- 
dustry ;  the  revenue  from  the  Government-owned  rail- 
ways, as  well  as  from  the  customs,  would  be  increased. 
The  needs  of  a  larger  population  will  stimulate  agricul- 
tural development.  So  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that 
Mr.  Kotze  and  the  Government  will  do  everything  in 
their  power  with  this  object  in  view  and  will  favor  re- 
warding and  not  penalizing  efficient  management,  recog- 
nizing that  by  adopting  this  policy  the  Government  will 
assist  in  bringing  about  the  working  of  larger  areas  that 
are  today  unprofitable. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  not  conversant  with 
South  African  mining  law,  it  might  be  as  well  to  state 
that  in  the  Transvaal  a  mine  is  worked  out  when  all 
the  ore  within  and  under  the  four  sides  of  a  property  is 
exhausted ;  it  does  not  mean  that  the  lode  has  come  to  an 
end.  All  that  has  happened  is  that  the  same  lode  is 
being  worked,  only  by  a  different  owner,  on  the  adjoin- 
ing property.  The  apex  law  does  not  apply  in  the 
Transvaal,  although  it  does  in  Khodesia. 

On  the  scheme  of  finance,  I  agree  wdth  you ;  the  pres- 
ent proposal  seems  a  little  like  placing  the  cart  before 
the  horse.  Certainly,  the  big  risk  is  taken  when  your 
fortune-hunting  shaft  starts  on  the  long  expensive 
journey  in  search  of  the  deep-level  lode  of  the  Far  Bast 
Rand.  If  when  the  shaft  meets  the  fickle  Jade  she  is 
found  to  be  good  and  attractive,  there  is  little  risk,  and 
one  can  expect  that  all  will  go  well  and  prosper  for  ever 
after. 

Your  statement -that  Mr.  Kotze  takes  60%  as  being  the 
productive  area  should  read  40%  productive,  and  60% 
unproductive,  as  an  average,  the  ground  so  far  having 
been  15  to  85%  profitably  productive,  but  he  points  out 
that  in  some  cases  this  will  prove  too  optimistic  or  too 
drastic,  whichever  the  case  may  be. 

The  exploitation  of  the  claims  in  the  Far  Bast  Rand, 
favorably  situated,  although  requiring  a  large  amount 
of  money,  involves  little  speculative  risk,  especially 
true  when  the  areas  are  sufficiently  large  and  com- 
pact. As  in  all  mines,  there  are  rich  and  lean  areas.  In 
the  case  of  the  Far  Bast  Rand,  the  success  attained  by 
the  mines  that  have  produced  $215,000,000,  up  to  the 
end  of  1915,  from  26,682,000  tons  of  ore  milled,  ensures 


confidence  and  establishes  this  part  of  the  Rand  as  safe 
and  sound  for  the  investment  of  capital  in  mining  ven- 
tures. 

"W.  Karri  Davies. 
San  Franeisco,  October  10. 

Th<B  M©lD&"n  spill  Fisamiie® 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  your  issue  of  September  9,  you  are  good 
enough  to  include  me  in  a  list  of  authorities  on  the 
spelling  of  Arthur  McDougalPs  name.  Regretfully  I 
must  deny  the  soft  impeachment.  The  authority  for  the 
spelling  used  in  my  'Recent  Copper  Smelting'  was  the 
proof-reader,  who  injected  a  ray  of  decision  into  the  fog 
of  uncertainty  by  asserting  that  the  matter  had  been 
carefully  gone  into  by  someone  some  years  before  and 
thus  decided.  You  have,  by  the  way,  overlooked  a  fourth 
variant,  M'Dougall,  used  in  the  Encyclopaedia  Britan- 
nica. 

Now  that  you  have  re-opened  the  question,  I  have 
been  interested  to  secure  more  definite  authority  and 
have  consulted  the  records  of  the  British  Patent-Office. 
I  find  that  on  January  25,  1868,  patent  No.  270  was 
issued  to  Arthur  McDougall,  of  the  firm  of  McDougall 
Bros,  of  Manchester  and  London,  for  his  "apparatus 
for  burning,  calcining,  or  roasting  sulphur,  ores,  or 
other  materials."  British  patent  specifications  do  not 
give  a  facsimile  of  the  signature,  as  those  in  this  country 
do,  but  it  is  probably  safe  to  assume  that  the  spelling 
there  given  is  correct. 

The  application  and  its  accompanying  drawings  show 
a  furnace,  6  ft.  in  diameter,  essentially  identical  with 
the  present  form,  with  the  exception  that  only  one  hearth 
was  used,  heated  from  beneath  by  a  fire-box.  McDougall 
specifies  that  if  one  hearth  is  not  enough,  others  may  be 
superimposed  on  the  first.  No  mention  is  made  of  any 
provision  for  cooling  the  cast-iron  rabble-arms,  and  this 
defect  led  to  its  failure  in  practice.  In  the  1879  edition 
of  Lunge's  'Sulphuric  Acid  and  Alkali,'  the  author  says 
that  the  McDougall  furnace  is  theoretically  the  most 
perfect  for  burning  pyrite  'smalls,'  but  that  it  was  un- 
successful because  of  the  difficulty  in  replacing  the 
rabble-arms  and  because  it  made  so  much  dust  as  se- 
riously to  contaminate  the  acid  in  the  chambers.  Appar- 
ently it  never  came  into  favor  in  Europe,  and  not  until 
J.  B.  F.  Herreshoff  designed  a  furnace  in  which  the 
rabble-arms  were  separable  from  the  central  shaft  was 
it  successful  in  America  for  burning  pyrite.  Small  fur- 
naces, 10  ft.  10  in.  diameter,  only  roasting  five  or  six 
tons  per  day,  were  used  for  roasting  copper  ore  in  the 
Heinze  smelter  at  Butte.  In  1898  Frank  Klepetko  built  a 
16-ft.  Herreshoff  furnace  at  Great  Falls.  This  was  a  40- 
ton  furnace,  with  an  air-cooled  central  shaft  and  solid 
arms,  and  the  increased  size  and  rate  of  driving  natu- 
rally made  it  run  so  hot  that  the  rabble-arms  became 
warped  and  distorted.  Both  air  and  water-cooling  of 
the  arms  was  considered,  but  Mr.  Klepetko 's  judgment 
was  that  the  latter  was  preferable,  so  this  furnace  was 


588 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


shut-down  and  re-built  into  the  Klepetko-Evans  furnace, 
with  water-cooled  central  shaft  and  rabble-arms.  More 
recently  Utley  Wedge  has  perfected  the  use  of  an  air- 
cooled  shaft  and  rabble-arms.  These  three  types  are 
really  only  modifications  of  McDougall's  idea,  and  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  his  patent  claims  cover  "a  self- 
acting  rake  or  stirrer  arranged,  combined,  and  operating 
substantially  as  hereinbefore  described,"  and  also  "the 
general  combination  and  arrangement  *  *  *  as  de- 
scribed and  illustrated."  Presumably  he  never  made 
any  money  out  of  his  patent,  and  it  would  seem,  in  view 
of  the  general  use  of  his  type  of  furnace  for  roasting 
copper  ore  and  pyrite,  that  the  least  we  can  do  for  him 
is  to  spell  his  name  correctly. 

If  you  are  in  the  mood  for  straightening  out  the  Macs, 
you  might  also  come  to  the  rescue  of  Mr.  Macquisten, 
whose  tube  concentrator  is  frequently  referred  to  as  the 
MacQuiston  tube,  or  some  other  variant  of  his  name. 


Thomas  T.  Read. 


New  York,  September  21. 


Elmore  and  Flotation 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  have  read  with  much  interest  Mr.  A.  Stanley 
Elmore's  article  in  your  issue  of  September  24. 

I  should  be  the  last  to  depreciate  the  share  which  the 
Messrs.  Elmore  have  had  in  the  development  of  the  art 
of  flotation.  Few  will  deny  that  their  contribution  has 
been  greater  than  that  of  any  other  individuals;  and 
that  it  has  received  inadequate  recognition,  both  morally 
and  financially. 

Inventors  are  prone  to  think  that  their  particular  ad- 
dition to  the  world's  stock  of  knowledge  was  the  real 
starting-point  of  all  progress.  But  when  Mr.  Elmore 
claims  his  brother's  first  patent  (doubtless  an  independ- 
ent invention,  although  so  much  later  than  Everson's), 
involving  the  incorporation  of  oil  into  an  ordinary  mill- 
pulp,  to  have  been  the  actual  beginning  of  oil-flotation, 
he  makes  a  claim  that,  in  my  opinion,  is  unwarranted. 
It  is  perfectly  true  that  the  first  Everson  patent  pro- 
vided first  for  mixing  dry  ore  with  acid,  oil,  and  a  small 
quantity  of  water,  and  subsequently  washing  the  oiled 
pulp  in  a  large  quantity.  Dr.  Everson,  the  inventor, 
was  a  physician,  and  naturally  used  the  physician's  way 
of  mixing,  by  first  using  sufficient  water  to  make  into  a 
paste,  and  adding  the  bulk  of  the  water  subsequently. 
This  however  is  a  mere  matter  of,  manipulation :  which 
might  have  been,  and  probably  was,  modified  when  the 
inventor  came  to  Colorado  and  saw  that  in  actual  mills 
the  ore  and  water  came  to  hand  ready-mixed  for  use. 
Dr.  Everson's  final  method  of  manipulation  on  a  labor- 
atory scale,  according  to  the  recollection  of  persons  still 
living,  seems  to  have  involved  the  use  of  a  large  glass  jar 
fitted  with  an  egg-beater  for  agitation  of  the  ore,  oil,  and 
water,  and  also  with  a  glass  tube  for  introduction  of  air. 

Here  we  have  the  germ :  to  my  mind  all  later  develop- 
ments were  such  as  would,  in  actual  operation,  naturally 
follow  from  it.     They  are,  to  quote  from  Mr.  Elmore, 


"in  the  nature  of  ordinary  development  of  working  de- 
tails." For  all  that,  they  have  made  all  the  difference 
between  success  and  failure. 

George  E.  Collins. 
Denver,  October  2. 

TM<&  M@ssfi©asa  <g®Kaaifflflssl©aa 


In  a  memorandum  submitted  to  American  members  of 
the  American-Mexican  Commission  by  the  conference  of 
American-Mexican  mining  and  smelting  interests,  of 
which  William  Loeb,  Jr.,  of  American  Smelting  &  Re- 
fining Co.  was  chairman,  it  was  stated  that  45  companies 
concerned  have  sustained  a  loss  in  depreciation  of  prop- 
erty in  Mexico  and  actual  wastage  of  more  than  $7,246,- 
031  in  the  years  of  idleness.  Upward  of  $16,088,363  has 
been  lost  in  wages  alone  to  the  Mexican  people.  The  min- 
ing and  smelting  industry  conducted  by  Americans  in 
Mexico  is  practically  at  a  standstill.  This  is  shown  by 
number  of  employees,  pay-rolls,  and  metal  production 
for  first  half  of  this  year  compared  with  the  year  1912, 
taken  as  the  last  normal  year.  The  45  companies'  cash 
investment  in  properties  is  $125,000,722,  with  plants  in 
14  states : 

First  half 
of  1916  Year  1912 

Aggregate  pay-rolls  (U.  S.  currency) .  .$3,671,302        $18,726,090 

Number  of  Mexicans  employed 6,000  62,216 

Copper  matte  or  bullion,  tons 23,156  74,984 

Zinc  ore,  tons    11,183  46,765 

Lead  bullion,  tons   2,928  70,939 

Silver,   ounces    6,200,339  31,892,735 

Gold,  ounces 39,895  252,843 

The  burden  of  new  taxes  is  shown  by  the  following 
comparison  between  taxation  on  basis  of  rates  and  laws 
promulgated  under  the  constitution  and  in  force  in  1912, 
and  actual  and  estimated  effect  of  rates  promulgated  by 
the  de  facto  Government,  based  on  production  occurring 
in  1912,  for  the  45  companies: 

Constitutional        Arbitrary 
law,  1912       decree,  1916 

Pertenencia    $96,629  $569,738 

Export  and  all  other  taxes 1,629,971  7,096,052 

Total     $1,726,600  $7,665,790 

Under  existing  tax  decrees,  companies  mining  and 
treating  large  tonnages  of  low-grade  ores,  which  consti- 
tute the  most  extensive  mining  operations  in  Mexico,  will 
be  unable  to  resume  operations,  since  export  taxes  on  the 
metal,  which  in  the  new  rates  are  shown  as  10%  and 
5%,  often  work  out  as  high  as  50%.  This  is  so  because 
no  allowance  is  made  for  cost  of  transportation,  treat- 
ment, and  marketing. — Boston  News  Bureau. 

Chrome  ore  production  of  New  Caledonia,  near  Aus- 
tralia, was  19,216  metric  tons  in  the  first  quarter  of  1916. 
This  sells  for  $9  per  ton  in  London,  50%  Cr,03  content. 

Platinum  has  been  discovered  in  the  Sierra  la  Ronda, 
southern  Spain,  and  the  average  of  50  drill-holes  was  3 
grams  per  cubic  metre,  or  31  grains  per  cubic  yard. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


589 


The   American  Institute  of  Mining   Engineers 

as   Censor— A  Protest 


On  page  17  of  the  volume  on  mining  in  the  trans- 
actions of  the  International  Engineering  Congress  and 
in  my  article  on  'The  Economic  and  Social  Influence  of 
Mining'  will  be  found  the  following  note : 

"The  writing  of  this  paper  was  completed  in  June 
1915,  and  when  it  was  presented  at  the  meeting  of  the 
International  Engineering  Congress,  in  September  .1915, 
it  contained  statistics,  drawn  chiefly  from  volume  16  of 
the  Immigration  Commission  reports,  which  seemed  to 
show  that  the  pay  of  the  anthracite  miners  in  Pennsyl- 
vania was  less  than  the  amount  required  for  physically 
efficient  living.  These  statistics  were  claimed  to  be  er- 
roneous by  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers  and  the  Section  asked  that 
they  be  omitted.  The  same  request  was  also  made  by  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 

"In  view  of  the  fact  that  since  the  paper  was  written 
the  wages  of  the  anthracite  miners  have  been  materially 
increased  and  their  hours  of  labor  reduced  to  eight, 
daily,  and,  furthermore  in  order  to  avoid  controversy  in 
the  transactions  of  this  Congress,  the  author  has  con- 
sented to  omit  these  statistics  and  his  remarks,  indicated 
by  asterisks  on  this  and  subsequent  pages,  relating  to 
the  anthracite  miners'  wages.  This  step  is  taken  by  the 
author  in  deference  to  the  request  of  the  Committee  of 
Management  of  the  Congress  and  without  prejudice  to 
his  own  views  in  the  matter. ' ' 

Herewith  are  the  remarks  that  were  omitted : 

"Pennsylvania  Anthracite  Region 

Average 
yearly- 
earnings 

16  heads  of  families,  native  born (23)         $732.00 

416  heads  of  families,  foreign  born (23)  447.00 

432  average  of  both  of  the  above (23)  457.00 

99.6%  of  the  969  employees  18  years  and  over 

earn  less  than   1,000.00 

43,201  contract  miners   (99)  728.84 

33,292  miners,  laborers  (99)  495.92 

48,024  other  inside  men  (99)  541.23 

29,554  outside  workmen   (99)  526. 8S 

16,238  breaker   employees    (99)  35S.17 

(23)    Immigration  Commission  Report,  Vol.  16. 
(99)  Anthracite.    Scott  Nearing,  page  101. 

"In  the  table  of  the  wages  of  the  miners  on  page  19  it 
will  be  noted  that  the  general  average  of  432  heads  of 
families  in  the  anthracite  region  is  given  as  $457;  this 
figure  is  from  the  report  of  the  Immigration  Commission 
(23)  ;  the  data  for  that  report  were  probably  collected  in 
1908-1909;  since  then  there  has  been  a  10%  advance  in 
wages  (in  1912),  and  hence  this  average  of  $457  should 
now  be  $503.  The  other  statistics  relating  to  the  anthra- 
cite region  are  from  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of  In- 


Shocklty 

ternal  Affairs  for  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  for  1912 
(99)  ;  the  average  of  the  whole  170,309  mentioned  by 
him  is  $560.02,  which  is  not  vitally  different  from  the 
average  of  $503  already  given.  Judging  from  the  state- 
ments of  many  investigators  of  the  cost  of  living,  it 
should  require  from  $700  to  $780  to  support  a  family 
properly  in  the  anthracite  region.  Hence,  it  seems  prob- 
able that  a  number  of  the  432  heads  of  families  whose 
annual  earnings  average  but  $503  cannot  support  their 
families  properly — that  is,  their  wages  are  inadequate. 

' '  The  statement  in  regard  to  wages  made  by  the  Immi- 
gration Commission  and  the  inference  from  the  rate  of 
wages  and  the  probable  cost  of  living  that  the  pay  of  the 
anthracite  miner  is  inadequate  are  denied  by  the  an- 
thracite mine  operators,  who  state  (100)*  "It  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  as  an  average  there  is  not  a  more  phy- 
sically fit  community  in  the  United  States  than  that 
composed  of  the  anthracite  miners.  The  anthracite  op- 
erators further  state  that  the  average  wages  are  now 
(1915)  much  higher  than  those  given  by  the  Immigra- 
tion Commission;  they  point  out  that  the  Anthracite 
Strike  Commission  found  that  the  wages  of  the  contract 
miners  of  the  Lehigh  Coal  &  Navigation  Company  were 
$738.84  and  that  all  the  underground  employees  of  the 
same  company  earned  $519.20 ;  this  was  in  1901 ;  since 
that  date  advances  in  wages  have  been  made,  and  allow- 
ing for  these  advances  and  assuming  that  the  same  num- 
ber of  days  have  been  worked,  the  wages  of  the  contract 
miners  would  now  be  $894  and  the  wages  of  the  under- 
ground employees  $628.  Unfortunately,  the  anthracite 
operators  make  no  statement  as  to  the  nationality  of  the 
employees  or  as  to  their  marital  condition,  therefore  no 
direct  comparison  can  be  made  between  the  figures  of  the 
operators  and  those  of  the  Immigration  Commission. 

"But,  whatever  conclusion  the  student  may  come  to  as 
regards  the  sufficiency  of  the  pay  of  the  anthracite  coal- 
miner,  there  is  no  doubt  that  many  of  our  workmen  are 
poorly  paid ;  this  inadequate  pay  of  the  workmen  exists 
in  many  industries  and  is  said  to  be  largely  due  to  the 
lower  standard  of  living  of  the  'new  immigrants'." 

As  stated  in  the  note  above  quoted,  these  remarks  were 
omitted  in  deference  to  the  request  of  the  Committee  of 
Management  of  the  International  Engineering  Congress, 
this  request  having  been  prompted  by  the  following 
resolution  of  the  directors  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers,  passed  at  New  York  on  June  23,  1916. 

"Voted  that  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  if  the 
paper  of  W.  H.  Shockley  to  the  International  Engineer- 

*(100)  Letter  from  E.  W.  Parker,  Director  Anthracite  Bu- 
reau of  Information,  to  R.  V.  Norris,  Chairman  of  Anthracite 
Section,  A.  I.  M.  E.,  Oct.  13,  1915. 


590 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


ing  Congress  which  has  been  objected  to  cannot  be 
changed  to  meet  the  views  of  the  Pennsylvania  Anthra- 
cite Section,  it  should  not  be  published." 

In  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Institute,  on  Febru- 
ary 24,  1916,  I  pointed  out  that  my  statements  were 
statistics  from  the  official  reports  of  the  United  States 
government  and  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  that 
I  merely  drew  the  obvious  inference  that  if  the  proper 
cost  of  living  is  $780  yearly  and  the  annual  wages  of  the 
heads  of  families  average  but  $503,  or  even  $600,  there 
must  be  a  good  many  heads  of  families  who  do  not  have 
enough  to  live  properly. 

I  also  stated  in  this  letter :  "  It  is  my  earnest  desire  to 
give  a  truthful  account  of  the  opinions  on  both  sides  of 
this  disputed  question  and  I  am  quite  willing  to  include 
in  my  paper  any  further  remarks  that  the  Anthracite 
Section  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  may  wish  to  make  with  regard 
to  wages  and  living  conditions,  and  I  am  willing  to  ac- 
cept any  reasonable  modifications  of  my  own  remarks. 
My  own  opinion  is  that  in  denying  me  the  privilege  of 
quoting  official  reports  you  lay  yourself  open  to  the  re- 
proach of  taking  a  partisan  view  of  a  disputed  question 
and  of  violating  the  ancient  legal  maxim :  Audiatur  et 
altera  pars.  (Let  the  other  side  be  heard.)  And  it  does 
not  seem  to  me  that  it  is  the  proper  function  of  a  tech- 
nical society  to  suppress  evidence,  as,  according  to  my 
view,  you  will  suppress  it,  if  you  deny  me  the  right  to 
quote  these  governmental  statistics." 

After  fully  considering  all  the  issues  involved  and 
after  consultation  with  a  number  of  engineers  and  eco- 
nomists, I  am  still  of  the  opinion  that  there  was  no  valid 
reason  for  the  action  of  the  Institute  in  requesting  the 
International  Engineering  Congress  to  modify  my  paper 
to  suit  the  dictum  of  the  Anthracite  Section.  I  still  feel 
that  I  was  justified  in  publishing  these  statistics  and  re- 
marks, and  this  opinion  was  supported  in  a  meeting  held 
at  the  International  Engineering  Congress  headquarters 
in  San  Francisco  on  June  12,  1916,  at  which  were  pres- 
ent R.  E.  Cranston,  William  S.  Noyes,  T.  A.  Riekard, 
and  Frank  H.  Probert,  members  of  the  Institute,  and 
J.  S.  Hess,  E.  J.  Dupuy,  and  W.  A.  Cattell,  officials  of 
the  Congress.  This  meeting  was  called  to  consider  the 
following  telegram : 

"Wilkesbarre,  Pa..  June  11,  1916.  W.  F.  Durand, 
Chairman  International  Congress,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 
Your  letters  and  Mr.  Shockley's  revision  have  been  con- 
sidered by  the  Board  of  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the 
Institute.  The  Board  insists  that  Mr.  Shockley's  rights 
do  not  include  the  right  to  misrepresent  conditions  in 
the  anthracite  region  of  which  he  knows  nothing.  They 
unanimously  resent  his  statements.  Are  prepared  to  re- 
fute them  and  still  insist  that  all  reference  to  the  an- 
thracite region  be  expunged  from  the  paper  by  order  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  anthracite  section  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  Signed, 
Paul  Sterling,  Secretary." 

After  the  meeting  a  telegram  was  sent  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Congress  to  the  chairman,  W.  F.  Durand, 
then  at  Brooklyn,  as  follows: 

"After  careful  consideration  all  present  fully  agreed 


Congress  Committee  justified  in  publishing  Shockley's 
paper  as  amended." 

However,  Mr.  Durand,  on  his  return  from  New  York, 
did  not  consider  it  advisable  to  oppose  the  resolution  of 
the  directors  of  the  Institute  as  quoted  above,  and  after 
discussion  I  consented  to  omit  the  remarks  and  statistics 
in  question  and  to  replace  them  by  the  note  appearing 
at  the  beginning  of  this  communication.  I  distinctly  re- 
served the  right  to  deal  with  the  controversy  elsewhere 
as  I  saw  fit. 

On  thinking  the  matter  over,  the  action  of  the  Institute 
in  seeking  to  suppress  these  well-known  statistics  seems 
to  me  not  only  futile  but  stupid,  and  this  for  the  reason 
that  when  the  Institute  passed  the  resolution  on  June  23 
similar  statistics  had  been  published  and  read  by  all  of 
those  interested  in  the  question.  Such  statistics  were 
scattered  broadcast  in  the  book  'Anthracite,'  written  by 
Scott  Nearing,  which  book  was  circulated  as  a  brief  by 
the  anthracite  miners  before  their  conference  with  the 
anthracite  operators  and  the  matter  was  well  summar- 
ized by  J.  P.  White,  president  of  the  United  Mine  Work- 
ers, in  his  statement  to  the  press,  issued  on  February  21, 
1916,  wherein  he  stated : 

' '  The  annual  earnings  of  miners,  laborers,  other  inside 
men  and  outside  workmen  average  not  more  than  $600  a 
year.  The  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor  and  Statistics 
1  estimates  that  a  man  cannot  support  his  family  in  de- 
cency for  less  than  $750." 

As  is  well  known,  the  conference  between  the  miners 
and  the  anthracite  operators  was  held  in  New  York  from 
February  21  to  April  30,  1916,  resulting  in  increased 
wages  and  lessened  hours  of  work ;  this  agreement  is  to 
last  for  four  years.  Anything  published  now  will  have 
no  influence  on  any  contract  that  may  be  made  at  the 
expiration  of  the  present  agreement.  Hence,  there  can 
be  no  possible  harm  in  my  publishing  the  statistics  here. 
And  it  seems  to  me  that  I  owe  it  to  my  fellow-members 
of  the  Institute  and  to  the  general  public  to  give  the  de- 
tails of  this  controversy  in  order  to  find  out  whether  this 
censorship  of  the  Institute  is  for  the  best  interests  of  all 
concerned,  that  is,  the  anthracite  operators,  miners,  the 
engineers,  and  last,  but  most  important,  the  general  pub- 
lic. In  other  words,  is  it  best  that  the  directors  of  a 
technical  society  shall  act  as  censors  as  regards  state- 
ments relating  to  labor  questions,  or  should  the  various 
technical  societies,  in  this  case  the  Institute,  stand  for 
free  speech  and  open  discussion  ?  I  hold  that  the  action 
of  the  Institute  in  censoring  Government  statistics  is 
contrary  to  public  policy  and,  in  this  particular  case, 
most  ill  judged.  It  also  seems  to  me  that  the  publication 
in  my  article  of  these  Government  statistics  offered  the 
Anthracite  Section  a  very  favorable  opportunity  to  cor- 
rect any  false  statements  and  that  they  should  have  wel- 
comed the  publication  instead  of  attempting  to  sup- 
press it. 

Production  of  wolframite,  the  tungstate  of  mangan- 
ese and  iron,  in  Argentina  is  of  growing  importance. 
The  mineral  is  found  almost  exclusively  in  veins  of 
quartz  with  mica. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING  and   Scientific   PRESS 


51)1 


The  Wilmington  Decision  on  Flo 


-m 


Text  of  Opinion  by  Judge  Bradford!  to  ■&©  tu,  s.  msfrrlvi  Cu<n&£ 


The  weight  of  the  evidence  is  that  the  quantity  of  oil 
to  ore  necessary  for  the  conduct  of  the  process  specified 
in  the  Froment  patent  would  be  from  12%  to  15%  of  the 
weight  of  the  ore,  and  this  seems  to  accord  with  the  state- 
ments in  the  patent  that  a  "kind  of  metallic  magma"  is 
formed  and  that  "the  metallic   spherules  pressed  one 
against   the   other,   will  become   grouped   in   a   magma 
clearly  separated  from  the  remainder  of  the   liquid." 
These  statements,  I  think,  are  inconsistent  with  any  idea 
that  under  the  Froment  process  the  metallic  particles 
were  coated  with  oil  of  the  extreme  thinness  characteriz- 
ing the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit ;  the  thickness 
of  the  film  in  that  process,  according  to  scientific  evi- 
dence, being  only  one  one  hundred  thousandths  part  of 
an  inch  and  imperceptible  to  the  senses,  as  compared 
with  a  thickness  of  from  sixteen  to  thirty-two  one  hun- 
dred thousandths  of  an  inch  in  the  Cattermole  process 
and  from  eighty-five  to  two  hundred  and  forty  one  hun- 
dred thousandths  of  an  inch  in  the  Froment  process. 
The  British  Froment  patent  is  in  substance  the  same  as 
the  Italian  patent  and  in  neither  of  them  does  it  appear 
that  there  was  present  in  the  Froment  process  the  very 
minute  quantity  of  oil  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.     The 
Froment  British  patent  was  assigned  to  Ballot,  one  of 
the  patentees  in  the  first  patent  in  suit,  November  17, 
1903,  for  the  benefit  of  the  plaintiff  when  organized,  and 
in  the  assignment  Froment  covenanted  that  he  would 
forthwith  forward  or  hand  to  the  purchaser  the  "plans 
and  diagrams  of  the  plant  relating  to  the  said  invention 
with  a  full  description  of  the  working  of  the  process." 
Pursuant  to  this   covenant  there  were  transmitted   to 
Ballot  plans  and  diagrams  and  a  paper,  in  evidence, 
containing  a  "description  and  instructions  for  the  con- 
centration of  ores"  under  the  Froment  process.     It  is 
dated  December  29,  1903.     The  instructions  recommend 
the  use  of  oil  in  proportions  varying  from  1%  to  3^%. 
according  to  the  different  percentages  of  metal  in  the  ore. 
Notwithstanding  the  low  percentage  of  oil  mentioned  in 
the  Froment  description,  I  have  reached  the  conclusion 
that  it  contained  no  disclosure  of  the  process  of  the  first 
patent  in  suit.     The  evidence  on  the  subject  of  the  Fro- 
ment description  is  voluminous  and  conflicting,  but  there 
are  facts  and  circumstances  which  have  satisfied  me  that 
the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit  was  not  discover- 
able from  that  description  by  men  skilled  in  the  art  of 
ore  concentration.     Dr.  Liebmann  states  that  the  Fro- 
ment process  as  disclosed  in  the  patents  as  well  as  the 
Froment  process  as  disclosed  in  the  description  are  "in- 
capable of  being  carried  out  successfully."     There  is 
uncontradicted  evidence  that  Sulman,  Picard  and  Ballot, 
after  the  assignment  of  the  Froment  British  patent  and 
the  receipt  of  the  Froment  description  and  instructions, 


made  persistent  efforts  to  operate  the  Froment  process 
successfully,  but  only  met  with  failure,  and  that  the 
model  apparatus  sent  by  Froment  to  Ballot  was  treated 
as  worthless  and  discarded  or  "scrapped."  Sulman, 
Picard  and  Ballot  were  scientific  men  of  large  experience 
in  the  art  of  ore  concentration,  and  had  the  Froment 
patents  or  description  disclosed  or  suggested  the  proc- 
ess of  the  first  patent  in  suit,  it  is  to  be  assumed  that 
they  would  have  utilized  it  instead  of  prolonging  their 
attempt  until  March,  1905,  to  perfect  granulation  under 
the  Cattermole  process.  The  fact  that  they  did  not 
utilize  it  affords  the  strongest  evidence  that  the  Froment 
description  did  not  suggest  a  process  in  which  the  minute 
quantity  of  oil  required  by  the  first  patent  in  suit  could 
be  successfully  used  in  ore  concentration. 

The  defendant  relies  on  patent  No.  793,808,  of  July  4, 
1905,  to  Sulman  and  Picard,  for  'Improvements  in  or 
relating  to  ore  concentration. '    The  patent  states : 

"The  present  invention  relates  to  the  concentration 
of  ores  by  separation  of  the  metalliferous  constituents 
and  graphite,  carbon,  sulfur,  and  the  like  from  the  gan- 
gue  by  means  of  oils,  grease,  tar,  or  any  similar  sub- 
stance which  has  a  preferential  affinity  for  metalliferous 
matter  over  gangue.  According  to  this  invention  we 
utilize  the  power  which  is  possessed  by  films  or  bubbles 
of  air  or  other  gas  of  attaching  themselves  to  solid  par- 
ticles moistened  by  oil  or  the  like." 

Two  methods  of  carrying  out  the  invention  are  stated. 
The  first  is  as  follows : 

"According  to  one  method  of  carrying  out  our  inven- 
tion suitably-crushed  ore  is  suspended  in  water.  To  this 
suspension  a  proportion  of  oil,  grease,  or  tar  (herein- 
after referred  to  as  'oil')  is  added  and  duly  mixed  with 
the  mass  by  any  suitable  means  in  quantity  insufficient 
to  raise  the  oiled  mineral  by  virtue  of  the  flotation  power 
of  the  oil  alone.  A  suitable  gas  is  now  generated  in  or 
introduced  into  the  mixture,  such  as  air,  carbonic-acid 
gas,  sulfuretted  hydrogen,  or  the  like.  For  example, 
bicarbonates  or  carbonates,  either  soluble  or  insoluble  in 
water  (preferably  the  latter)  or  easily-decomposable  sul- 
fids  and  the  like  may  be  used  with  acid  solution.  In 
such  cases,  if  desired,  the  addition  of  acid  may  be  made 
to  the  mixture  after  the  addition  of  the  gas-producing  re- 
agent. In  the  case  of  solutions  containing  free  alkali  the 
addition  of  acid  sufficient  to  neutralize  this  must  be  made 
before  the  gas  is  produced.  If  desirable,  gaseous  bubbles 
may  be  produced  by  electrolytic  methods  or  by  means  of 
various  other  known  reactions. ' ' 

The  second  method  is  stated  as  follows : 
"According  to  another  method  of  carrying  out  this 
invention  the  oil  is  not  added  alone ;  but  the  pulp  is  sub- 
mitted to  the  action  of  a  current  of  air  or  other  gas  bub- 


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MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


bles,  the  air  or  other  gas  being  first  suitably  charged 
either  with  the  vapor  of  a  volatile  oil,  such  as  petroleum 
of  low  boiling-point,  or  with  the  spray  of  any  other  suit- 
able volatile  or  non-volatile  or  fixed  oil  or  the  like.  The 
oil  may  be  sprayed  or  reduced  to  a  state  of  such  fine 
division  that  minute  globules  of  the  same  can  remain 
temporarily  suspended  in  an  air  or  other  gas  current  by 
the  use  of  any  suitable  spraying  or  atomizing  device  and 
the  air-current  introduced  into  the  ore-pulp,  preferably 
at  the  bottom,  by  means  of  a  pipe  or  pipes  provided  with 
suitable  perforations  or  by  other  suitable  contrivance. 
The  minute  oil  globules  or  the  condensed  vapors  or 
volatile  oils  attach  themselves  to  the  metalliferous  par- 
ticles in  preference  to  the  gangue." 

The  patent  then  states : 

"The  oiled  metalliferous  particles  resulting  from 
either  of  the  processes  above  described  have  the  power  of 
attaching  to  themselves  with  a  greater  comparative 
strength  than  the  gangue  particles  the  films  or  bubbles 
of  gas  which  exist  in  the  mass  and  are  thus  raised  to  the 
surface  of  the  liquor  by  gaseous  flotation.  They  can  then 
be  removed  by  skimming  or  other  suitable  means.  The 
gangue  particles  unwetted  by  oil  or  grease  are  not  floated 
up  with  the  oiled  mineral  particles,  and  thus  in  the  main 
remain  at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  containing  the  mix- 
ture. The  oil  can  then  be  removed  from  the  oiled  mineral 
by  any  suitable  known  means." 

There  are  certain  features  in  this  process  as  described 
similar  to  features  in  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in 
suit.  The  amount  of  oil  coating  the  metallic  particles 
being  insufficient  to  raise  them  through  the  flotation 
power  of  the  oil  alone,  gaseous  bubbles,  whether  gener- 
ated in  the  mixture,  or  introduced  into  it  through  the 
perforated  spiral  coil,  attaching  themselves  to  the  oiled 
metallic  particles,  rise  to  the  surface  with  those  particles, 
so  as  to  be  removed  by  skimming  or  other  suitable  means, 
the  gangue  particles  remaining  in  the  main  at  the  bottom 
of  the  vessel  containing  the  mixture.  This  process  pat- 
ent, issued  to  Sulman  and  Pieard  upon  an  application 
filed  October  5,  1903.  affords  cogent  circumstantial  evi- 
dence of  the  patentability  of  the  process  of  the  first 
patent  in  suit.  I  have  been  unable  to  read  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  patent  immediately  under  consideration  with- 
out reaching  three  conclusions;  first,  that  Sulman  and 
Pieard  had  conceived  an  idea,  though  imperfect,  of  an 
air  flotation  of  the  metallic  particles;  secondly,  that  they 
had  no  conception  whatever  of  the  possibility  of  conduct- 
ing such  a  process  witli  the  minute  quantity  of  oil  speci- 
fied in  the  first  patent  in  suit ;  and  thirdly,  that  they  con- 
templated the  use  of  a  very  7iiueh  larger  proportion  of 
oil.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  both  patentees  in  No.  793,- 
808  were  two  of  the  three  patentees  of  the  process  of  the 
first  patent  in  suit,  it  is  so  improbable  as  to  amount  to  a 
moral  impossibility  that  for  nearly  a  year  and  a  half 
after  the  filing  of  the  application  for  patent  No.  793,808 
they  should  have  devoted  their  attention  and  efforts  to 
the  solution  of  the  problem  of  the  proper  quantity  or  pro- 
portion of  oil  to  be  used  in  securing  improved  granula- 
tion in  the  Cattermole  process,  and  have  been  astonished 


at  the  making  of  the  discovery  in  March,  1905,  if  they 
had  recognized  or  believed  that  an  economical  and  effi- 
cient process  of  ore  concentration  could  be  carried  on  by 
the  use  of  oil  amounting  to  only  a  fraction  of  one  per 
cent.  Any  further  discussion  of  patent  No.  793,808,  I 
think,  is  unnecessary. 

I  have  found  nothing  in  the  prior  art  to  anticipate  the 
process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit  or  to  negative  inven- 
tion. Objection  has  been  made  that  the  disclosures  of 
the  patent  are  not  sufficient,  in  that  the  application  of 
the  process  to  different  ores  necessitates  some  difference 
in  treatment  involving  a  variation  in  temperature,  or  in 
the  amount  of  aeid  or  of  oil,  and  the  patent  omits  to 
specify  the  degree  or  amount  of  such  variation  with 
respect  to  the  treatment  of  the  different  ores.  But  to 
require  of  an  inventor  such  a  specification  would  be  to 
demand  an  impossibility.  The  patent  recognizes  that 
different  ores  may  require  a  different  treatment.  The 
description  states : 

"The  proportion  of  mineral  which  floats  in  the  form 
of  froth  varies  considerably  with  different  ores  and  with 
different  oily  substances,  and  before  utilizing  the  facts 
above  mentioned  in  the  concentration  of  any  particular 
ore  a  simple  preliminary  test  is  necessary  to  determine 
which  oily  substance  yields  the  proportion  of  froth  or 
scum  desired.  *  *  *  The  minimum  amount,  of  oleic  aeid 
which  can  be  used  to  effect  the  flotation  of  the  mineral 
in  the  form  of  froth  may  be  under  0.1  per  cent  of  the 
ore;  but  this  proportion  has  been  found  suitable  and 
economical." 

And  claims  1  and  12  mention  oil  amounting  to  "a  frac- 
tion of  one  per  cent."  A  close  or  exact  adjustment  of 
quantities  and  proportions  of  oil  in  the  treatment  of 
different  ores  within  the  limits  prescribed  in  the  patent 
is  a  matter  calling,  not  for  the  exercise  of  inventive 
genius,  but  for  the  skill  of  the  metallurgical  engineer 
conducting  or  superintending  the  operation.  In  Mowry 
v.  Whitney,  14  Wall.  620,  the  court  said : 

"The  specification,  then,  is  to  be  addressed  to  those 
skilled  in  the  art,  and  is  to  be  comprehensible  by  them. 
It  may  be  sufficient,  though  the  unskilled  may  not  be 
able  to  gather  from  it  how  to  use  the  invention.  And  it 
is  evident  that  the  definiteness  of  the  specification  must 
vary  with  the  nature  of  its  subject.  Addressed  as  it  is 
to  those  skilled  in  the  art,  it  may  leave  something  to 
their  skill  in  applying  the  invention,  but  it  should  not 
mislead  them." 

Some  embarrassment  in  the  treatment  of  this  ease  has 
been  caused  by  the  use  of  different  adjectives  and  de- 
scriptive phraseology  as  applied  to  the  same  thing.  If  a 
patent  for  a  process  of  ore  concentration,  or  any  other 
process,  clearly  sets  forth  the  ingredients  and  the  prac- 
tical steps  to  be  observed  in  conducting  it  the  misuse  of 
terms  as  applied  to  the  operation  of  natural  laws  in- 
volved in  the  process  is  immaterial.  In  the  administra- 
tion of  justice  it  is  the  aim  of  courts  to  deal  with  sub- 
stance and  not  to  be  influenced  by  mere  form  not  calcu- 
lated to  mislead  as  to  substance ;  and  where  a  material 
and  substantial  thing  is  plainly  identified  in  the  patent 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


593 


claims  and  description  a  mistaken  misnomer  is  harmless 
and  negligible.  Inventors  are  not  required  to  under- 
stand the  natural  laws  under  which  new  and  useful 
results  are  obtained  from  ingredients,  elements,  appa- 
ratus and  manipulation  requisite  for  the  conduct  of  the 
process.  There  are  occult  laws,  unknown  and  inexplic- 
able, to  which  tangible  results  must  be  attributed.  In 
the  nature  of  things  an  inventor,  so  long  as  he  clearly 
sets  forth  the  practical  means  and  steps  for  securing 
those  results,  does  all  that  the  law  requires  or  can  reason- 
ably be  expected  of  him.  So,  it  is  unimportant  that  to 
the  same  thing  one  name  may  be  applied  by  one  person 
and  a  different  name  by  another,  the  identity  clearly  ap- 
pearing. The  truth  of  this  statement  has  been  strikingly 
exemplified  in  this  case  in  the  language  of  patents  and 
other  publications,  judicial  decisions,  the  oral  testimony 
and  the  arguments  of  counsel. 

During  the  trial  a  large  number  of  experiments  were 
made  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  ore  concentration 
processes  described  in  patents  and  other  printed  publica- 
tions of  the  prior  art.  Such  experiments  are  illuminat- 
ing and  helpful,  or  deceptive  and  misleading,  according 
to  the  conditions  under  which  they  are  performed.  As 
a  general  rule,  in  such  experiments  processes  of  the 
prior  art  should  be  illustrated  by  means  of  apparatus  of 
the  prior  art  in  which  such  processes  were  conducted  at 
or  about  the  time  of  invention  and  under  the  conditions 
then  understood  and  observed.  To  construct  apparatus 
long  after,  and  in  view  of  subsequently  acquired  knowl- 
edge, in  order  to  show  a  prior  process  tends  to  produce 
embarrassment  and  confusion  touching  the  nature  and 
operation  of  the  process  inquired  into.  In  Naylor  v. 
Alsop  Process  Co.,  168  Fed.  911,  the  circuit  court  of  ap- 
peals for  the  eighth  circuit  said : 

"An  expert,  however,  cannot  take  a  process  patent 
which  has  never  been  applied  industrially  and  work  the 
process  in  his  laboratory  and  discover  therefrom  some- 
thing which  is  not  disclosed  on  the  face  of  the  patent,  and 
then  transfer  that  experience  back  to  the  time  of  the 
patent,  and  make  it  a  part  of  the  prior  art  for  the  pur- 
pose of  defeating  a  meritorious  invention. ' ' 

In  Schmertz  Wire  Glass  Co.  v.  "Western  Glass  Co., 
178  Fed.  977,  the  court  said : 

"By  using  twentieth  century  magnifying  glasses,  a 
nineteenth  century  method  has  been  found  efficient, 
which  never  was  so  before,  and  the  immensely  important 
point  of  view  of  an  advanced  art  is  thus  unfairly  used  to 
discover  an  original  conception  never  acted  on  or  made 
anything  of,  and  which  never  had  any  practical  or  bene- 
ficial existence." 

The  material  question  for  the  court  is  not  whether  any 
given  apparatus  is  capable,  under  manipulation  em- 
ployed in  view  of  existing  knowledge,  of  carrying  on  the 
prior  process  inquired  into,  but  whether  the  process  was 
carried  on  as  a  part  of  the  prior  art,  and,  in  case  of  an 
ore  concentration  process,  by  way  of  illustration,  under 
what  conditions  as  to  ingredients,  strength  and  extent  of 
agitation  and  other  essential  factors;  and  only  so  far  as 
those  conditions  are  reproduced  and  faithfully  observed 


in  demonstrations  in  court,  due  allowance  being  made 
for  the  difference  in  the  requirements  of  mill  operations, 
is  the  experiment  entitled  to  probative  force.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  conduct  of  the  process  in  the  mill  and 
the  necessarily  interrupted  or  broken  character  of  the 
process  as  disclosed  in  experiments  in  court  and  labora- 
tory tests  in  subsequently  constructed  apparatus  must 
be  borne  in  mind  in  determining  the  weight  to  be  given 
to  such  experiments  or  tests. 

On  the  whole  I  am  satisfied  that  the  first  patent  in  suit 
must  be  sustained  as  to  claims  1  and  12,  but  not  as  to 
claim  9.  The  two  former  are  definite,  specifying  and 
limiting  the  amount  of  oil  to  be  used ;  claim  1  mentioning 
"a  small  proportion  *  *  *  amounting  to  a  fraction  of 
one  per  cent  on  the  ore, ' '  and  claim  12  "  a  fraction  of  one 
per  cent  of  oil  on  the  ore."  Claim  9  mentions  "a  small 
quantity  of  oil."  This  is  so  indefinite  as  to  render  the 
claim  void,  unless  on  consideration  of  the  patent  as  a 
whole  the  claim  can  by  construction  be  limited  to  the 
use  of  oil  amounting  to  only  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent. 
The  patentability  of  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in 
suit  resides  in  the  use  of  oil  in  the  extremely  minute  pro- 
portion disclosed  in  the  descriptive  portion  of  the  patent 
to  effect  separation  of  froth  with  its  metallic  particles 
from  the  remainder  of  the  mixture  by  flotation.  The 
amount  there  disclosed  is  not  in  excess  of  "  a  fraction  of 
one  per  cent  on  the  ore"  and  may  be  only  one-tenth  of 
one  per  cent  on  the  ore,  or  even  less.  If,  then,  by  con- 
struction claim  9  should  be  so  limited  as  to  be  restricted 
to  the  use  of  oil  amounting  to  only  a  fraction  of  one  per 
cent  on  the  ore,  that  claim  is  in  substance,  though  not 
in  exact  phraseology,  the  same  as  claim  1  for  the  reason 
that  in  any  event  from  the  nature  of  the  invention  it 
would  be  necessary  to  read  "by  flotation"  into  claim  9, 
if  in  other  respects  valid.  But  a  limitation  by  construc- 
tion producing  such  a  result  is  inadmissible.  It  is  sug- 
gested by  one  of  the  plaintiff's  counsel  in  his  considera- 
tion of  claim  9,  that  one  for  the  purpose  of  securing  im- 
munity from  the  consequences  of  infringement  might 
use  an  oil  useful  in  the  process,  and  add  to  it  an  oil  not 
useful  as  applied  to  his  particular  ore,  and,  on  being 
sued  for  infringement  contend,  "I  am  using  1.1%  of  oil. 
I  do  not  infringe.  I  am  using  more  than  a  fraction  of 
1%  of  oil."  But  the  existence  of  this  possibility  does 
not,  I  think,  warrant  such  a  construction  of  claim  9  as  is 
urged ;  for  the  disclosure  of  the  patent  does  not  extend  to 
the  use  of  1.1%  of  oil,  but  is  limited  to  a  fraction  of  1%. 
If  it  be  assumed,  however,  that  the  claims  in  suit  con- 
template and  require  the  use  of  efficient,  as  distinguished 
from  inefficient,  oil,  and  if  in  the  case  suggested  an  in- 
operative oil  should  be  used  by  way  of  addition  to  the  effi- 
cient oil  so  contemplated  and  required  it  might  be  a 
question,  upon  which,  however,  no  opinion  is  here  ex- 
pressed, whether  the  addition  of  the  inoperative  oil  to 
the  efficient  oil  could  be  treated  as  an  increment  to  the 
amount  of  oil  so  contemplated  and  required,  operating  as 
a  shield  to  protect  the  wrongdoer.  But  this  question 
would  arise  in  a  suit  based  upon  claim  1  or  12,  as  well  as 
in  a  suit  based  upon  claim  9,  were  it  proper  by  construe- 


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MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


tion,  in  order  to  save  it,  to  limit  "a  small  quantity  of 
oil"  to  a  quantity  of  oil  amounting  only  to  a  fraction  of 
one  per  cent  on  the  ore,  and  therefore  fails  to  require  or 
justify  the  suggested  limitation  of  claim  9,  without  which 
it  must  fall. 

On  the  question  of  infringement  of  the  first  patent  in 
suit  I  have  no  doubt.  It  was  practically  admitted  by 
counsel  for  the  defendant  in  opening  the  defense  that  it 
had  infringed  the  three  patents  in  suit  by  its  operations 
at  Miami  within  four  months  next  before  the  filing  of  the 
bill;  he  stating  "in  the  first  installation  which  was  made 
at  Miami,  we  make  no  serious  contention  that  it  did  not 
represent  the  operations  set  forth  in  the  three  patents  in 
suit."  It  appears  that  the  infringing  operations  were 
carried  on  in  apparatus  built  in  imitation  of  the  plain- 
tiff's standard  machine.  But  the  defendant  denies  that 
it  infringed  by  its  concentration  of  ore  in  its  pneumatic 
flotation  plant  through  its  practice  of  the  process  of  pat- 
ent No.  793,808  of  July  4,  1905,  to  Sulman  and  Picard, 
hereinbefore  discussed,  as  modified  by  the  use  of  what 
is  known  as  the  Callow  cell.  Counsel  for  the  defendant, 
however,  stated  with  respect  to  the  process  of  the  patents 
in  suit  and  the  process  as  carried  on  by  the  defendant 
under  the  Sulman  and  Picard  patent,  with  the  appa- 
ratus of  the  Callow  cell : 

"The  broad  principles  are  the  same  in  both.  In  both 
we  have  the  pulp,  consisting  of  ore  held  in  suspension  in 
water.  In  both  the  water  is  modified  to  lower  its  sur- 
face tension.  In  both  the  buoyancy  comes  from  air- 
bubbles." 

The  defendant  in  its  operations  also  used  the  minute 
proportion  of  oil  mentioned  in  the  first  patent  in  suit. 
It  does  not  use  acid  in  its  process:  but  this  fact  is  im- 
material so  far  as  the  question  of  infringement  is  con- 
cerned for  the  reason  that  it  appears  both  from  the  claims 
and  the  description  of  that  patent  that  the  use  of  acid  is 
optional,  the  description  stating  that  ' '  the  water  in  which 
the  oiling  is  effected  is  preferably  slightly  acidified."  and 
claims  1  and  12,  as  well  as  claim  9,  unlike  a  majority  of 
them,  not  requiring  acid.  The  defendant's  counsel  also 
stated  that  the  difference  between  its  process  and  that  of 
the  complainant  "comes  after  the  air-bubbles  have  at- 
tached themselves  to  the  mineral  particles."  I  do  not 
think  there  is  any  such  difference  between  the  processes 
as  to  negative  infringement.  It  was  in  substance  ad- 
mitted on  the  part  of  the  defendant  that  if  the  first 
patent  in  suit  is  a  pioneer  patent  and  properly  drawn 
the  operations  carried  on  at  Miami  were  an  infringement. 
Whether  that  patent  is  technically  a  pioneer  patent  or 
not,  it  certainly  was  highly  meritorious  and,  I  think, 
partook  of  the  nature  of  a  pioneer  patent  so  far  as  the 
very  successful  use  of  oil  amounting  to  only  a  fraction  of 
one  per  cent  is  concerned.  Its  claims  merit  much  liber- 
ality of  construction  and  when  so  construed  embrace  the 
operations  of  the  defendant  at  Miami.  The  purpose  of 
each  process  is  the  concentration  of  the  ore  through  the 
separation  of  the  metallic  particles  from  the  gangue. 
In  the  plaintiff's  process  the  separation  is  effected 
through  the  rising  of  air-bubbles  to  which  are  attached 


the  metallic  particles,  through  the  mixture  to  the  top, 
and  the  formation  of  a  froth  or  scum  on  the  surface, 
which  can  by  simple  means  be  removed  with  the  con- 
tained metallic  particles.  In  the  defendant's  process 
the  separation  is  effected  through  the  rising  of  air-bub- 
bles to  which  are  attached  the  metallic  particles  through 
the  mixture  of  the  top  and  the  floating  away  into  a 
launder  of  either  the  original  bubbles  to  which  the  metal- 
lic particles  were  first  attached  or  succeeding  and  on- 
coming bubbles  which  have  caught  and  bouyed  up  to  the 
surface  the  metallic  particles  escaping  from  bursting 
bubbles.  By  the  use  of  a  launder  a  recovery  of  the  metal- 
lic particles  is  readily  effected.  The  defendant  con- 
tends that  since  its  abandonment  of  its  original  infring- 
ing process  at  Miami  above  referred  to,  it  has  not  and 
does  not  infringe  the  first  patent  in  suit,  for  the  reason 
that  it  does  not  in  its  process  produce  the  coherent  and 
permanent  froth  of  the  process  of  that  patent.  It  ap- 
pears from  the  evidence,  it  is  true,  that  the  bubble  froth 
in  the  defendant's  process  is  not  as  coherent  and  per- 
manent as  the  froth  of  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in 
suit ;  but  both  are  mineral  froths,  and  that  of  the  defend- 
ant is  sufficiently  permanent  to  effect  through  air  flota- 
tion an  efficient  separation  of  the  metallic  particles  from 
the  rest  of  the  mixture.  Air-bubbles,  however  pro- 
duced, in  water  not  modified  or  contaminated — pure 
water — on  reaching  the  surface  will  immediately  col- 
lapse, and  the  formation  of  bubble  or  air  froth  is  im- 
possible; but  air-bubbles  in  modified  water  will  not  in- 
stantly disappear  on  gaining  the  surface.  The  degree  of 
their  permanency  after  reaching  the  top  largely  depends 
on  the  degree  of  modification  of  the  water. 

There  has  been  much  expert  evidence  relating  to  the 
subject  of  surface  tension  to  the  effect  that  in  the  case  of 
pure  water  it  is  so  great  as  to  cause  the  instant  collapse 
of  bubbles  of  air  rising  to  the  surfae;  but  that  through 
modification  of  the  water,  the  tension  is  so  reduced  in 
force  as  to  permit  the  continued  existence  for  a  greater 
or  less  period  of  bubbles  of  air  reaching  the  surface.  The 
water  in  the  ore  pulp  of  the  defendant's  process  is  strong- 
ly modified  and  of  necessity  the  bubbles  on  reaching  the 
surface  do  not  and  cannot  instantly  disappear;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  in  accordance  with  the  operation  of  natural 
laws  about  which  there  is  no  conflict,  persist  and  continue 
on  the  surface  as  a  bubble  or  air  froth.  But  whatever 
may  be  the  true  explanation  of  the  phenomenon  of  the 
continuance  and  disappearance  of  escaping  bubbles,  the 
fact  remains  that  the  defendant's  process  discloses  a 
froth  consisting  of  bubbles  which  have  passed  through 
modified  water  to  the  surface  of  the  mixture,  and  float 
thereon,  and  with  their  freight  of  metallic  particles  flow 
over  the  edge  of  the  containing  vessel  into  a  launder,  thus 
effectively  separating  the  valuable  mineral  from  the  gan- 
gue particles.  Coherency  and  permanency  in  a  froth  ad- 
mit of  degrees,  and  such  a  degree  as  insures  by  air  flota- 
tion an  efficient  and  final  separation  between  the  metal 
and  the  gangue.  whatever  may  be  the  duration  of  the 
froth,  comes  within  the  process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit. 

The  defendant  further  insists  that  its  process  lacks 


October  21,  HUG 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


595 


violent  agitation  which  it  claims  is  an  essential  of  the 
process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.  Each  of  the  twelve 
claims  of  the  patent  mentions  as  an  element  of  the  proc- 
ess "agitating  the  mixture,"  but  not  one  of  them  men- 
tions violent  agitation.  It  is,  however,  urged  that  as  the 
descriptive  portion  of  a  patent  for  a  process  must  eon- 
tain  a  full  and  fair  disclosure  of  the  patented  invention 
the  claims  must  be  read  in  the  light  of  the  description, 
and  as  violent  agitation  is  included  in  the  description 
the  claims  with  respect  to  agitation  must  be  limited  to 
violent  agitation.  But  the  description  nowhere  mentions 
"violent  agitation"  or  uses  any  equivalent  expression. 
It  mentions  "vigorous  agitation,"  and  states  that  in  the 
case  of  the  application  of  the  patented  process  to  an  ore 
containing  "ferruginous  blende,  galena,  and  gangue  con- 
sisting of  quartz,  rhodonite,  and  garnet,"  the  mixture  is 
"briskly  agitated."  It  also  describes  as  a  part  of  the  ap- 
paratus for  carrying  on  the  process  a  "rotatable  stirrer." 
But  I  do  not  find  in  the  description  any  specification  of 
any  rate  of  speed  for  the  rotatable  stirrer,  or  of  any 
standard  for  the  determination  of  what  constitutes  a 
"vigorous  agitation"  of  the  mixture,  or  a  specification  of 
any  test  for  ascertaining  whether  the  mixture  is  "briskly 
agitated."  All  these  matters  were  left  to  the  judgment 
and  skill  of  the  metallurgical  engineer  conducting  or 
superintending  the  operation  of  the  process,  involving 
empirical  investigation  to  reach  the  best  results.  The 
strength  of  agitation  referred  to  in  the  description  clear- 
ly admits  of  different  degrees,  varying  from  one  another 
in  the  application  of  the  process  to  different  ores  and 
under  changing  conditions.  There  is  no  room  for  doubt 
that  agitation  of  the  mixture  in  the  process  of  the  de- 
fendant is  sufficiently  vigorous  or  brisk  to  insure  efficient 
ore  concentration  by  an  air  flotation  process  such  as  is 
accomplished  by  the  complainant  by  agitation  under  the 
process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.  This  being  true  the 
use  of  mere  adjectives  in  the  descriptive  portion  of  the 
patent  with  respect  to  agitation  is  unimportant.  In 
order  that  the  bubbles  in  the  pulp  mixture  may  come  in 
contact  with  the  metallic  particles  there  must  be  such 
movement  between  them  as  cannot  be  wholly  accounted 
for  by  selectivity  as  between  them,  and  their  movement 
so  far  as  not  accounted  for  by  selectivity  is  the  result  of 
agitation ;  and  whether  such  agitation  results  from  the 
stirring  or  beating  of  the  mixture  or  the  forcing  or  ad- 
mission of  air  into  it  is  immaterial;  for  what  this  court 
is  dealing  with  is  not  an  apparatus  patent  but  a  process 
patent. 

Patent  No.  1,104,755,  of  July  21,  1914,  to  John  M. 
Callow,  covers  apparatus  relating  to  ore  concentration. 
The  evidence  shows  that  the  defendant  in  its  concentra- 
tion of  ore  in  its  pneumatic  flotation  plant  employs  the 
process  of  patent  No.  793,808,  of  July  4,  1905,  to  Sulman 
and  Picard,  hereinbefore  discussed,  as  modified  by  the 
use  of  certain  apparatus  substantially  the  same  as  a 
portion  of  the  apparatus,  the  operation  of  which  is  de- 
scribed in  the  above-mentioned  Callow  patent,  as  follows : 

' '  From  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  understood  that  I  em- 
ploy no  mechanical  propellers  for  producing  the  neces- 


sary agitation  and  beating  into  the  froth  of  large  vol- 
umes of  air,  but  that  I  depend  upon  the  compressed  air 
admitted  through  a  porous  body  which  has  the  function 
of  splitting  up  the  air  into  innumerable  fine  streams  and 
distributing  these  fine  streams  over  and  into  substanti- 
ally the  entire  surface  of  the  pulp,  whereby  immediately 
upon  the  introduction  of  the  air,  a  more  or  less  violent 
agitation  or  ebullition  takes  place  and  a  froth  begins  to 
generate  and  to  finally  rise  and  form  on  the  surface  of 
the  pulp." 

The  character  of  the  agitation  above  described  is  also 
clearly  recognized  in  the  claims  of  the  Callow  patent. 

The  combination  of  claim  1  of  the  first  patent  in  suit 
contains  the  following  elements:  (1)  Mixing  powdered 
ore  with  water;  (2)  adding  a  small  proportion  of  an 
oily  liquid  having  a  preferential  affinity  for  metallifer- 
ous matter  (amounting  to  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  on 
the  ore)  ;  (3)  agitating  the  mixture  until  the  oil-coated 
mineral  matter  forms  into  a  froth;  and  (4)  separating 
the  froth  from  the  remainder  by  flotation.  The  elements 
in  the  combination  of  claim  12  are  (1)  separating  the 
mineral  from  gangue  by  coating  the  mineral  with  oil  in 
water  containing  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  of  oil  on  the 
ore.;  (2)  agitating  the  mixture  to  cause  the  oil-coated 
mineral  to  form  a  froth;  and  (3)  separating  the  froth 
from  the  remainder  of  the  mixture.  The  elements  enter- 
ing into  the  defendant's  infringing  process  are  the  same 
as  those  of  claims  1  and  12  of  the  first  patent  in  suit. 
There  is  no  escape,  I  think,  from  the  conclusion,  not  only 
that  the  defendant  infringed  the  first  patent  in  suit  by 
carrying  on  the  process  of  ore  concentration  in  its  first 
installation  at  Miami  in  apparatus  in  imitation  of  the 
plaintiff's  standard  machine,  but  also  has  infringed  and 
is  infringing  the  same  patent  by  carrying  on  the  process 
of  ore  concentration  in  its  pneumatic  flotation  plant  at 
the  same  place. 

The  second  patent  in  suit,  No.  962,678,  of  June  28, 
1910,  to  Sulman,  Greenway  and  Higgins,  is  for  'Improve- 
ments in  ore  concentration. '  The  patentees  state  that  the 
object  of  the  invention  is  "to  separate  certain  constitu- 
ents of  an  ore  such  as  metallic  sulfids  from  other  con- 
stituents such  as  gangue  when  the  ore  is  suspended  in  a 
liquid  such  as  water."  This  patent  is  distinguishable 
from  the  first  patent  in  suit ;  the  object  of  the  invention 
of  that  patent  being,  as  stated,  "to  separate  metallifer- 
ous matter,  graphite,  and  the  like  from  gangue  by  means 
of  oils,  fatty  acids,  or  other  substances  which  have  a 
preferential  affinity  for  metalliferous  matter  over 
gangue."  It  appears  from  the  patent  as  a  whole  that 
"other  substances  which  have  a  preferential  affinity  for 
metalliferous  matter  over  gangue"  are  restricted  to 
those  of  an  oily  nature.  Such  substances  as  mentioned 
in  the  various  claims  of  the  patent  are  "an  oily  liquid," 
"an  oily  substance,"  "oleic  acid,"  "oleic  soap  solution" 
and  "oil."  No  other  frothing  agent  than  the  above  sub- 
stances enters  into  the  process  of  the  patent.  The  essence 
of  the  invention  of  the  first  patent  in  suit  was  the  re- 
striction of  the  "oily  substance"  to  "a  fraction  of  one 
per  cent  on  the  ore. ' '    In  the  process  of  the  second  pat- 


596 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


ent  in  suit  no  oil,  fatty  acid,  or  oily  substance  is  intro- 
duced into  the  mixture.  The  description  contains  the 
following  statement : 

"According  to  this  invention  the  crushed  ore  is  mixed 
with  water  containing  in  solution  a  small  percentage  of 
a  mineral-frothing  agent,  (that  is  of  one  or  more  organic 
substances  which  enable  metallic  sulfids  to  float  under 
conditions  hereinafter  specified)  and  containing  also  a 
small  percentage  of  a  suitable  acid  such  as  sulfuric  acid, 
and  the  mixture  is  thoroughly  agitated;  a  gas  is  liber- 
ated in,  generated  in,  or  effectively  introduced  into  the 
mixture  and  the  ore  particles  come  in  contact  with  the 
gas  and  the  result  is  that  metallic  sulfid  particles  float 
to  the  surface  in  the  form  of  a  froth  or  scum,  and  can 
thereafter  be  separated  by  any  well-known  means. 
Among  the  organic  substances  which  in  solution  we  have 
found  suitable  for  use  as  mineral-frothing  agents  with 
certain  ores  are  amyl  acetate  and  other  esters;  phenol 
and  its  homologues ;  benzoic,  valerianic  and  lactic  acids ; 
acetones  and  other  ketones  such  as  camphor.  In  some 
cases  a  mixture  of  two  such  mineral-frothing  agents  gives 
a  better  result  than  a  single  agent.  *  *  *  The  present 
process  differs  from  the  two  before  mentioned  types  and 
from  other  known  concentration  processes  by  the  intro- 
duction into  the  acidified  ore  pulp  of  a  small  quantity 
of  a  mineral-frothing  agent,  that  is,  an  organic  com- 
pound in  solution  of  the  kind  above  referred  to  and  by 
the  fact  that  the  metalliferous  particles  are  brought  to 
the  surface  in  the  form  of  a  froth  or  scum  not  by 
mechanical  means  but  by  the  attachment  of  air  or  other 
gas  bubbles  thereto.  In  the  frothing  process  hitherto 
known  the  substances  used  to  secure  the  formation  of  a 
mineral-bearing  froth  has  been  oil  or  an  oily  liquid  im- 
miscible with  water.  According  to  this  invention  the 
mineral-frothing  agent  consists  of  an  organic  compound 
contained  in  solution  in  the  acidified  water. ' ' 

******* 

It  will  be  observed  that  no  one  of  the  claims  of  the 
second  patent  in  suit  requires  as  an  element  an  oily  sub- 
stance or  liquid,  as  is  essential  in  the  process  of  the  first 
patent  in  suit,  and  all  of  the  claims  relied  on  require  the 
introduction  into  the  mixture  of  "a  small  quantity"  of 
a  "mineral  frothing  agent"  or  an  "organic  mineral 
frothing  agent."  The  amount  of  the  mineral  frothing 
agent  employed  in  the  process  is  not  confined  to  a  frac- 
tion of  one  per  cent  on  the  ore,  but  must  be  a  small  quan- 
tity, evidently  to  be  determined  by_  the  metallurgical  en- 
gineer conducting  or  superintending  the  operation  ac- 
cording to  the  requirements  of  the  different  ores.  The 
novelty  of  this  invention  is  to  be  found,  not  in  any  re- 
striction of  the  amount  of  the  mineral  frothing  agent  to 
any  stated  proportion,  for  there  is  none,  but  in  the  fact 
that  a  mineral  frothing  agent  as  the  means  of  separating 
the  metallic  particles  from  the  gangue  is  substituted  for 
the  oil,  fatty  acid  or  other  oily  substance  essential  to  the 
process  of  the  first  patent  in  suit.  Such  substitution 
has  produced  successful  results,  and,  I  think,  involved 
invention.  Frothing  agents  had  theretofore  been  used 
in  ore  concentration,  but  not  in  the  absence  of  an  oily 


ingredient.  Even  were  the  grounds  on  which  the  valid- 
ity of  the  patent  can  be  sustained  less  clear,  it  should 
have  the  benefit  of  the  presumption  of  validity  arising 
from  the  grant  of  letters.  That  the  defendant  has  in- 
fringed the  claims  in  suit  of  the  second  patent  is  estab- 
lished by  the  evidence. 

The  third  patent  in  suit,  No.  1,099,699,  of  June  9,  1914, 
to  H.  H.  Greenway,  assignor  to  plaintiff,  is  for  '  Improve- 
ments in  the  concentration  of  ores. '    It  states : 

"This  invention  relates  to  the  concentration  of  ores 
and  has  been  applied  in  practice  to  the  concentration  of 
copper  ores  the  object  being  to  separate  certain  con- 
stituents of  the  ore  such  as  copper  sulfids  (for  example 
in  the  form  of  copper  pyrites)  or  metallic  copper  (nat- 
ural or  reduced)  from  other  constituents  such  as  gangue 
when  the  ore  is  suspended  in  a  liquid  such  as  water.  The 
present  process  is  a  modification  of  the  invention  de- 
scribed in  U.  S.  patent  to  H.  L.  Sulman,  A.  H.  Higgins 
and  myself,  No.  962,678,  granted  June  28,  1910.  The 
process  therein  described  is  applicable  generally  to  the 
recovery  of  metallic  sulfids  and  like  floatable  metallifer- 
ous matter  and  in  the  case  of  lead  and  zinc  sulfids  to 
which  the  process  has  been  largely  applied  it  is  neces- 
sary for  efficient  working  that  the  pulp  should  be  slightly 
acidified,  and  in  most  cases  in  practice  the  pulp  is  heated. 
It  is  now  found  that  with  copper  ore  such  as  an  ore  con- 
taining copper  pyrites  effective  separation  is  obtained 
in  the  cold  without  the  use  of  acid  by  employing  as 
mineral  frothing  agents,  aromatic  hydroxy  compounds 
such  as  phenol,  cresol,  or  mixtures  containing  the  same. 
The  process  of  concentrating  ores  containing  copper  sul- 
fid or  metallic  copper  according  to  this  invention  con- 
sists in  mixing  the  powdered  ore  with  water  containing 
in  solution  a  minute  quantity  of  aromatic  hydroxy  com- 
pound such  as  phenol  or  cresol  but  without  mineral  acid 
and  in  the  cold,  agitating  the  mixture  to  fomi  a  froth 
and  separating  the  froth." 

The  first  twelve  claims  of  the  patent  are  in  suit,  but  it 
is  unnecessary  to  set  them  forth  in  full.  I  do  not  find 
any  element  of  patentability  in  the  process  of  this  patent. 
It  is  stated  in  the  description  that  the  process  can  be 
carried  on  "without  mineral  acid  and  in  the  cold,"  and 
"is  carried  out  in  the  cold  and  no  acid  is  added  to  the 
pulp."  Under  the  second  patent  in  suit  the  use  of  heat 
is  optional,  and  no  patentability  can  be  attributed  to  the 
process  of  the  third  patent  in  suit  on  the  ground  that  the 
process  is  carried  on  in  the  cold  or  without  heat;  for 
patentability  can  never  result  from  the  mere  omission 
to  do  something,  the  doing  or  not  doing  of  which  is  op- 
tional. There  is  a  question  on  which  a  difference  of 
opinion  has  been  expressed,  whether  in  the  process  of  the 
second  patent  in  suit  the  use  of  acid  is  also  optional.  The 
description  in  the  patent  considered  alone  requires  the 
use  of  acid ;  but  while  five  of  the  nine  claims  mention 
"acidified  water,"  the  remaining  four  do  not  refer  to 
acid.  It  is  not  altogether  clear  to  me  under  these  circum- 
stances whether  the  use  of  acid  is  not  optional.  But  how- 
ever that  may  be,  I  think  that,  in  view  of  the  process  of 
the  prior  art  an  omission  to  use  acid  in  the  process  of  the 
third  patent  in  suit  cannot  confer  patentability  upon  it. 


October  31,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


597 


Necessities  of  the  Chilean 
Mining  Industry 

•The  practical  results  of  the  Chilean  Congress  of 
Mining  and  Metallurgy,  held  at  Santiago  on  April  25, 
1916,  have  been  shown  in  the  list  of  conclusions  and  rec- 
ommendations presented  to  the  Ministry  of  Industry 
and  Public  Works.    Briefly  these  are  as  follows ; 

1.  The  establishment  of  a  Federal  department  or  bu- 
reau of  mines  with  a  self-contained  organization,  respon- 
sible only  to  the  Ministry  of  Industry. 

2.  The  prompt  solution  of  problems  connected  with 
the  proposed  national  mercantile  marine  laws. 

3.  The  systematic  survey  of  the  coal  and  petroleum 
deposits  of  the  Republic. 

■4.  The  institution  of  a  permanent  geological  survey. 

5.  The  making  of  a  topographical  map  of  the  country 
and  securing  of  data  on  meteorological  conditions. 

6.  Reform  of  the  mining  code  in  accordance  with  ideas 
expressed  by  the  National  Mining  Society. 

7.  The  making  of  laws  with  respect  to  deposits  of  pe- 
troleum and  the  appropriation  by  the  government  of 
sufficient  funds  for  a  complete  survey  of  petroleum 
lands. 

8.  A  continuation  of  the  survey  of  available  water- 
powers. 

9.  A  standardization  of  the  railroad  gauges  for  all 
future  private  or  branch  railways. 

10.  The  construction  of  the  branch  railways  most 
needed  for  taking  out  ore  and  the  removal  of  the  difficul- 
ties for  such  work  in  certain  zones. 

11.  A  re-organization  of  the  Longitudinal  railroad  in 
the  interests  of  more  economical  operation. 

12.  The  making  of  railway  tariffs  that  will  be  in  pro- 
portion or  relation  to  the  mineral  contents  of  the  ore  car- 
ried ;  the  acquiring  of  facilities  for  the  better  and 
quicker  loading  of  cars  at  the  various  stations. 

13.  The  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  various  districts 
to  spend  the  money  received  in  mining  taxes  upon  roads 
in  the  mining  regions. 

14.  The  construction  of  first-class  roads  from  the  rail- 
road to  those  mining  centres  that  are  of  sufficient  im- 
portance. 

15.  The  execution  of  needed  port  works,  particularly 
at  Antofagasta  and  Lehu. 

16.  The  repairing  or  re-construction  of  wharves  and 
docks  that  are  in  bad  condition. 

17.  The  organization  of  a  nitrate  association  under 
Federal  control  for  the  promulgation  of  laws  for  the 
common  good. 

18.  The  study  of  the  supply  of  water  in  the  nitrate 
fields,  and  the  application  of  methods  of  irrigation. 

19.  The  permanent  organization  of  nitrate  credits  on 
a  plan  similar  to  that  formulated  in  August  1914,  with 
such  modifications  as  experience  has  required. 

20.  The  dictation  of  Governmental  measures  for  the 
sale  of  nitrate  in  foreign  countries,  so  that  the  interests 

*Abstract  from  Teniente  Topics,  published  by  Braden  Cop- 
per Co.,  Chile. 


of  the  producers  shall  agree  with  those  of  the  Govern- 
ment. 

21.  The  securing  of  means  whereby  the  large  consum- 
ers of  coal  may  take  part  in  the  exploitation  of  coal  de- 
posits. 

22.  The  re-organization  of  mining  schools,  and  sep- 
aration of  the  various  schools  into  proper  classes. 

23.  The  reform  of  the  patent  laws,  whereby  inventors 
are  better  protected  as  to  title  and  against  infringement ; 
the  division  of  the  terms  of  patents;  the  provision  for 
the  appropriation  of  patents  for  the  common  good. 

24.  The  reduction,  or  doing  away  with  entirely,  of  cus- 
toms on  all  imported  mining  necessities,  particularly 
coal  and  oil,  as  long  as  they  are  not  produced  in  suffi- 
cient quantities  in  the  country. 

25.  The  prompt  approval  of  workmen's  compensation 
laws. 

In  addition  to  the  general  recommendations,  a  num- 
ber of  special  ones  were  made.     They  are : 

1.  The  creation  of  an  industrial  laboratory  for  the 
analyses  of  and  chemical  experimentation  on  a  small 
working  scale  with  the  various  products  of  the  nitrate 
fields,  particularly  with  caliche. 

2.  The  institution  of  courses  applying  to  the  nitrate 
industry  in  the  higher  schools  of  the  Republic. 

3.  The  fixing  of  an  annual  subsidy  for  propaganda 
on  the  use  of  nitrate. 

4.  The  giving  of  premiums  to  associations  of  nitrate 
producers  which  develop  new  markets  or  increase  the 
consumption  in  the  present  ones. 

5.  The  giving  of  premiums  to  inventors  who  find  new 
uses  for  nitrate  and  its  by-products,  especially  iodine. 

6.  The  offering  of  guarantees  to  those  plants  which 
install  new  and  more  economical  systems  of  extraction. 

7.  The  giving  of  premiums  to  inventors  who  devise 
more  economical  methods  of  producing  nitrate. 

8.  The  giving  of  a  prize  of  ¥\L0,000  to  the  author  of 
the  best  work  (book)  on  the  technique  and  practice  of 
nitrate  production ;  this  work  to  be  used  as  a  text  in  in- 
dustrial schools  of  the  Republic. 

9.  The  giving  of  a  subsidy  for  each  ton  of  iron  pro- 
duced in  the  country  from  its  ores. 

10.  The  offering  of  guarantees  to  metallurgical  plants, 
producing  copper  ingots. 

11.  The  offering  of  subsidies  for  the  construction  of 
necessary  private  railroads. 

12.  The  offering  of  sudsidies  to  plants  making  metal- 
lurgical coke  from  Chilean  coals. 

13.  The  re-establishment  of  a  subsidy  to  plants  mak- 
ing sulphuric  acid  for  commercial  use. 

14.  The  study  and  construction  of  hydro-electric 
plants  in  the  nitrate  fields. 

15.  The  publication  of  data  explaining  mining  and 
nitrate  privileges. 

16.  The  absolute  prohibition  of  the  use  of  alcoholic 
beverages  and  of  gambling  in  the  mining  and  nitrate 
regions. 

17.  The  general  knowledge  on  mining  and  nitrate 
production  should  be  increased. 


598 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


■STfei®  ^©MamM  mm— & 


$s   (&©m©MM&£m&m 


B  y 


Slysi* 


A  100-ton  copper  concentrator  sounds  small  these 
days,  but  there  is  no  more  significant  bit  of  evidence  of 
the  advance  in  the  metallurgy  of  copper  than  the  fact 
that  such  a  plant  is  an  economic  possibility.  The  large 
increase  in  extraction  by  the  new  methods,  the  greatly 
decreased  cost  of  the  milling-plant,  and  the  lower  oper- 
ating cost  are  facts  hardly  appreciated  as  yet  by  the 
smaller  mine-owners. 

One  of  the  first  of  these  companies  to  take  advantage 
of  the  recent  developments  is  the  Stoddard  Milling  Com- 
pany, of  Stoddard,  Arizona,  a  company  formed  by  the 
Stoddard  Mines  Company  and  its  neighbor,  the  Copper 
Queen  Gold  Mining  Company,  to  provide  reduction 
works  for  a  quantity  of  low-grade  ore  that  had  been 
opened  up  in  both  mines.  These  properties  are  situated 
in  Yavapai  county,  Arizona,  six  miles  from  the  railroad 
at  Mayer.  The  ore  is  chalcopyrite  of  medium  hardness 
occurring  as  stringers  and  enriched  masses  in  the  Yava- 
pai schist. 

Tests  on  samples  of  the  ores  indicated  a  ready  re- 
covery of  the  sulphides  by  flotation,  and  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  H.  Kenyon  Burch  a  flow-sheet  similar  to 
the  Inspiration  treatment  was  adopted.  The  simplicity 
of  this  flow-sheet  is  apparent,  the  only  complication 
being  introduced  by  the  need  of  handling  the  ore  from 
the  two  properties  in  alternate  periods  of  several  days 
each,  and  keeping  the  concentrates  separate.  This  made 
it  necessary  that  the  concentrate-thickening  and  dewater- 
ing  division  be  in  duplicate  to  allow  the  clean-up  of  a 
run  on  ore  to  continue  for  some  hours  after  the  other  ore 
had  started  through  the  upper  part  of  the  mill. 

The  site  selected  was  on  a  ridge  midway  between  the 
two  mines  and  about  1100  ft.  from  each.  Flat-bottom 
crude-ore  bins  of  400-tons  capacity  were  erected  at  a 
point  convenient  to  both  tramways,  a  partition  separat- 
ing the  two  ore-supplies.  On  top  a  grizzly  made  of  rails, 
spaced  10  inches  apart,  places  a  limit  on  the  size  of  ore 
dumped  into  the  bin.  The  two  tramways  are  at  eleva- 
tions differing  by  12  ft.  and  are  carried  out  over  the 
centre  of  the  bin  on  a  wooden  trestle. 

Ore  is  drawn  from  the  bin  through  rack-and-pinion 
gates  into  chutes  that  load  a  belt-cenveyor.  Arc-gates  in 
the  chutes  are  operated  intermittently  by  the  attendant. 
The  belt  is  24-in.  wide  and  travels  50  ft.  per  minute. 
This  slow  speed  is  desirable  on  account  of  the  large 
chunks  of  ore  to  be  carried,  and  it  also  makes  it  possible 
to  remove  pieces  of  wood,  or  to  sort  high-grade  and 
waste. 

The  conveyor  discharges  into  a  20  by  10-in.  Colorado 
Iron  Works  Blake  crusher  set  li  in.,  which  in  turn  dis- 
charges on  an  18-in.  belt-conveyor  delivering  the  crushed 
ore  to  the  fine-ore  bin.  This  arrangement  was  chosen, 
instead  of  the  simpler  one  of  using  but  one  conveyor  and 


placing  the  crusher  on  the  bin,  to  secure  a  solid  founda- 
tion for  the  crusher.  It  necessitated  the  digging  of  a 
deep  pit  for  the  tail-end  of  conveyor  No.  2,  but  was  well 
justified  by  the  smooth  running  of  the  crusher.  An- 
other advantage,  of  no  small  importance,  is  that  the  drip 
of  lubricating  oil  and  grease  from  the  crusher  could  not 

Ore-bin,  400  tons 


24-in.  conveyor 


20  by  10  Blake  crusher 


18-in,  conveyor 


Fine-ore  bin,  100  tons 


18-in.  belt-feeder 


1 


6  by  4 J-ft.  .ball-mill 


6  by  22-ft.  duplex  Dorr  classifier 


22-box  rougher  cell 


6-box  cleaner  cell 

J 


3  double-deck  sand-tables. 


'30  by  8-£t.  Dorr  thickener 


5-ft.  Oliver  filter 


Tailing 


Concentrate-bin 

FLOW-SHEET  OF  THE   STODDARD   MILL. 

get  into  the  bin  and  mix  with  the  ore  to  cause  trouble 
later  in  the  flotation  department. 

Power  for  the  crusher-plant  is  furnished  by  a  25-hp. 
motor  driving  a  counter-shaft  from  which  the  crusher 
and  conveyor  No.  2  are  driven.  Conveyor  No.  1  is  driven 
by  a  chain-drive  from  the  tail-shaft  of  conveyor  No.  2. 
The  fine-ore  bin  has  a  sloping  bottom  and  holds  100  tons. 
A  belt-feeder  is  used  to  draw  the  ore  from  the  bin  and 
the  rate  of  speed  is  controlled  by  the  spacing  of  the 


October  21,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


599 


TRAMWAY  TRESTLE 


LOWER  END  OF  MILL 


adjustable  skirt-boards.  This 
discharges  into  the  feeder  of 
a  No.  6-U  Marey  ball-mill.  A 
6  by  22-ft.  Dorr  duplex  clas- 
sifier is  arranged  in  closed 
circuit  with  the  mill,  the 
slime-overflow  going  direct  to 
the  flotation  department.  The 
flotation  oils  are  added  to  the 
oversize  from  the  classifier,  a 
feeder  consisting  of  several 
flat-faced  pulleys  with  ad- 
justable scrapers  being  used 
for  this  purpose. 

A  100-hp.  motor  is  belted 
direct  to  the  pinion-shaft  of 
the  ball-mill.  A  counter-shaft 
driven  by  a  pulley  on  the  ex- 
tended pinion-shaft  provides 
power  for  the  classifier,  belt- 
feeder,  and  also  drives  the 
'table'  counter-shaft  on  a 
lower  floor. 

The  flotation  equipment 
consists  of  a  16-box  rougher- 
cell  and  a  6-box  cleaner-cell 
of  the  Inspiration  type. 
Briefly,  these  cells  consist  of 
a  long  steel  tank  having 
transverse  partitions  that  di- 
vide them  into  the  required 
number  of  boxes.  Each  par- 
tition has  an  adjustable  gate 
at  the  bottom  to  permit  and 
control  the  continuous  flow 
of  pulp  through  the  cell.  On 
one  side  adjustable  overflow- 
lips  regulate  the  height  of 
discharge  into  the  concen- 
trate-launder. A  removable 
air-distributer  consisting  of  a 
cast-iron  frame  and  grid 
holding  a  filter  fabric  is 
placed  in  the  bottom  of  each 
box  and  connected  to  the  air- 
header  by  a  pipe  running  up 
through  the  centre  of  the 
box. 

The  rougher-concentrate  is 
elevated  by  a  diaphragm- 
pump  to  the  feed-box  of  the 
cleaner-cell  and  a  second 
diaphragm-pump  returns  the 
tailing  from  the  cleaner  to 
the  rougher.  These  simple 
little  pumps  were  installed  as 
an  experiment,  but  they  per- 
formed in  such  a  satisfactory 
manner  that  they  were  re- 
tained.    The  tailing  from  the 


DORR  THICKENER 


FLOTATION  CELLS 


600 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


rougher  is  sent  to  three  Deister  Machine  Co. 's  double- 
deck  sand-tables,  without  any  attempt  to  classify,  the 
fineness  of  the  pulp  making  it  unnecessary  and  imprac- 
ticable. 

Two  Dorr  thickeners  in  8  by  30-ft.  redwood  tanks  are 
used  to  thicken  the  concentrate,  one  being  reserved  for 
each  of  the  two  mines.  The  tanks  were  spread  apart  to 
permit  a  blower  and  pump-room  being  placed  between 
them.  A  No.  2  Root  blower,  furnishing  air  for  the  flo- 
tation cells  and  the  filters,  is  placed  here,  also  the 
■vacuum-pump  for  the  filters. 

A  25-hp.  motor  drives  a  counter-shaft  carried  on  con- 
crete piers,  from  which  power  is  taken  for  the  blower, 
vacuum-pump,  filter  counter-shaft,  thickener  counter- 
shaft, and  the  centrifugal  pump  used  in  connection  with 
the  dry-vacuum  system. 

Two  Oliver  5-ft.  filters  are  placed  in  a  room  below  this 
level.  Bach  of  these  discharges  its  cake  into  a  deep  wide 
chute  having  two  rack-and-pinion  gates  at  the  end. 
These  chutes  will  hold  about  17  tons  each,  and  are  in 
effect  storage-bins.  The  lower  end  is  high  enough  above 
the  roadway  to  load  directly  into  motor-trucks,  which 
are  used  to  haul  concentrate  to  the  railroad. 

Sand  and  gravel  for  concrete  was  hauled  in  wagons 
from  the  river  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant,  and 
stored  in  piles  at  the  foot  of  the  grade.  From  here  it 
was  later  distributed  by  burros  as  required.  All  other 
building  material  and  equipment  was  brought  from 
Mayer  over  an  old  wagon-road. 

Timber  was  used  entirely  in  the  construction  of  the 
bins,  tramway-trestle,  and  building,  most  of  it  being 
second-hand  lumber  from  the  San  Francisco  exposition. 
In  order  to  minimize  the  fire-risk  a  number  of  plugs, 
each  with  its  hose  and  reel,  were  placed  at  suitable  points 
outside  the  mill. 

All  machinery  is  set  on  concrete  foundations  and  pro- 
vided with  ample  runways  and  operating  platforms.  In 
all  cases  the  convenience  and  safety  of  the  operators  were 
regarded  as  being  of  the  greatest  importance. 

"Water  for  the  mill  is  obtained  from  a  well  in  the  bed 
of  the  Agua  Fria  river,  3000  ft.  distant,  and  is  pumped 
by  an  Aldrich  triplex  pump  to  a  50,000-gal.  mill-supply 
tank. 

Electric  power  is  obtained  from  the  Arizona  Power 
Co.,  a  transformer  station  near  the  mill  reducing  the 
voltage  to  440.  With  the  incentive  of  a  high  price  for 
copper,  the  construction  work  was  rushed  at  top  speed, 
and  the  mill  was  built  in  three  months,  being  put  in 
operation  on  August  15,  1916. 

Arrangements  have  just  been  completed  at  New  York 
whereby  the  resources  of  the  Engineering  Foundation, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  four  principal  national  en- 
gineering societies,  are  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Na- 
tional Research  Council,  which  was  appointed  by  the 
National  Academy  of  Science  at  the  request  of  President 
Wilson.  The  object  of  the  council  is  to  co-ordinate  the 
scientific  research  work  of  the  country  in  order  to  secure 
efficiency  in  the  solution  of  the  problems  of  war  and 
peace.     The  council  was  without  funds  until  the  Engi- 


neering Foundation,  established  to  further  scientific  and 
engineering  research,  offered  to'  place  its  resources  at 
the  council's  disposal,  including  the  services  of  its  secre- 
tary, Dr.  Cary  T.  Hutchinson,  to  act  as  secretary  of  the 
council.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  plans  for  immediate 
activities  have  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  an  executive 
committee. 

Mine  -  Pumping 

Mine-pumping  is  divided  into  two  general  classes, 
sinking  and  station-pumping.  Station-pumping  offers 
about  the  same  problems  as  any  pressure-pumping  for 
efficient  operation,  having  practically  clear  water.  Oc- 
casionally there  is  the  added  difficulty  of  bad  water,  par- 
ticularly in  mines  containing  acidic  water,  where  special 
equipment,  brass-lined,  must  be  provided  for  durability. 
The  same  is  true  of  sulphurous  waters  in  the  oilfields, 
which  will  corrode  and  pit  iron  parts  much  like  salt 
water,  in  a  short  time. 

In  mine-sinking,  however,  the  greatest  difficulties  arise 
and  each  shaft  is  an  individual  problem.  There  must  be 
taken  into  account  the  angle  of  incline,  if  any ;  the 
amount  of  the  in-flow  of  water ;  the  sharpness  of  the  grit 
due  to  blasting ;  the  kind  of  power  available ;  the  desira- 
bility of  a  pump  that  will  "hold  suction"  well,  for  keep- 
ing the  water  completely  down,  and  finally,  the  ultimate 
reliability  of  the  plant  to  keep  the  shaft  from  being 
flooded.  Then  if  more  economical  operation  can  be  se- 
cured, a  double  advantage  has  been  gained. 

The  steam-pump  has  been  the  sinking-pump  most  com- 
monly used,  so  that  its  operation  and  construction  are 
well  understood  by  mine-mechanics.  It  can  be  used  un- 
der most  favorable  circumstances,  and  is  reliable.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  has  many  limitations  and  disadvan- 
tages. It  must  be  operated  by  either  steam  or  com- 
pressed air;  it  has  to  start  the  column  of  water  in  the 
discharge  at  each  pump-stroke,  involving  a  heavy  loss  of 
power ;  and  it  exhausts  the  steam  at  full  boiler-pressure, 
another  loss. 

Pumps  of  the  centrifugal  and  rotary  types  are  some- 
times used,  but  their  limitations  are  so  great  as  to  offset 
their  advantages  and  render  them  less  efficient  and  less 
dependable  for  practical  sinking  purposes.  They  hold 
suction  poorly  and  are  not  flexible,  requiring  practically 
a  fixed  speed  at  all  times  and  different  speeds  at  different 
pressures,  also  increased  speed  to  offset  wear. 

The  continuous-acting  plunger-pump  is  flexible,  and 
can  be  run  economically  at  any  speed  between  say  25 
to  100  ft.  of  piston-speed  per  minute,  and  changed  as 
the  shaft  is  deepened,  as  required.  It  can  be  started 
from  the  top  of  the  ground  without  descending  into  the 
shaft,  and  will  work  equally  well  when  submerged  and 
can  be  re-packed  in  about  five  minutes,  making  such  a 
type  of  sinker  a  most  desirable  one  for  mine-managers. — 
Mining  and  Oil  Bulletin. 

Manganese  imports  from  India  during  the  second 
quarter  of  1916  amounted  to  12,326  tons. 


October  21.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


601 


••3' 


QSi 


'k 


Ma-Ihod.   ©if   ^DV-^ii^sii}   aft   Mtaoriji 


By     23  .     i 

•A  method  of  top-slicing  has  been  devised  at  the 
Miami  Copper  Co.'s  mine  at  Miami,  Arizona,  that  differs 
radically  in  some  ways  from  the  customary  methods. 

The  area  of  the  orebody  in  which  top-slicing  is  used 
is  about  800  ft.  square.  The  ore,  while  for  the  most  part 
soft,  is,  nevertheless,  considerably  harder  than  the  cap- 
ping. The  latter  is  silicious,  seldom  containing  any  clay 
or  other  binding  material,  and  breaks  into  fine  particles 
so  it  runs  like  sand  if  given  the  oppor- 
tunity. Because  of  these  facts,  and 
because  the  ore  is  above  the  average 
grade  of  the  mine,  it  has  been  mined 
by  top-slicing. 

Haulage-levels  are  opened  150  ft. 
apart,  vertically,  with  two  sub-levels 
between  at  50-ft.  intervals,  to  facilitate 
the  building  of  chutes.  These  sub- 
levels  are  used  during  slicing  for  dis- 
tributing air  in  the  ventilation  system. 
On  the  haulage-level  the  drifts  are 
spaced  on  50-ft.  centres,  and  raises 
along  these  drifts  are  also  spaced  on 
50-ft.  centres,  except  the  incline  raises 
as  hereafter  noted.  The  raises  are  crib- 
bed where  necessary.  Where  the  wear 
wall  be  excessive,  i-in.  iron  plates  are 
spiked  to  the  top  of  every  third  set  of 
cribbing. 

When  top-splicing  was  first  used,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  carry  a  slicing- 
face  from  fifty  to  several  hundred  feet 
long.  Timber  and  other  supplies  were 
brought  in  through  long  drifts  from 
an  auxiliary  shaft.  Great  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  keeping  these  drifts 
open,  the  side  pressure  breaking  the 
posts  and  the  top  weight  breaking  both 
caps  and  posts.  Furthermore,  the  men 
could  not  work  efficiently  while  these  drifts  were  being 
repaired.  The  slicing-faces  advanced  irregularly,  and 
in  many  ways  the  results  were  not  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired. It  was  then  decided  to  divide  the  slicing-area 
into  blocks  200  ft.  square  and  this  was  later  changed  to 
250  ft.  square. 

At  the  centre  of  each  block  a  two-compartment  raise 
is  put  up  as  a  supply-raise,  the  compartment  being  2 
ft.  6  in.  and  4  ft.  by  4  ft.  4  in.,  the  smaller  used  as  a  man- 
way.  Station  sets  of  12  by  12  timber  with  9  or  10-ft. 
posts  are  put  in  and  an  Ingersoll  stretcher-bar  air-hoist 
is  mounted  above  the  larger  raise-compartment  to  use  in 

*Excerpt  from  paper  presented  at  Arizona  meeting  of  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  (September  1916). 


,     ID  e  a  si  e 

hoisting  the  timber  and  steel.  Pour  bulkheads,  built 
solidly  of  blocks  of  square  timber,  are  inserted  as  shown 
in  Pig.  1.  Two  of  these  are  7  by  11  ft.  in  size,  and  the 
other  two  7  by  7  ft. 

Two  drifts,  usually  untimbered  at  first,  are  run  out 
100  ft.  on  the  long  axis  of  the  supply-raise.  At  the  end 
of  each  of  these  and  at  right  angles  to  them,  two  drifts 
are  driven  125  ft.  to  the  limits  of  the  block.    When  these 


Fig  1.  to  4.    plan  showing  progressive  steps  in  block  method  of  top-slicing. 


limits  are  reached,  slices  are  started  toward  the  corners. 
These  slices  are  timbered  either  with  single  sets  consist- 
ing of  two  8-ft.  posts  and  a  12-ft.  cap,  or  with  a  double 
set  consisting  of  three  8-ft.  posts  and  two  7-ft.  caps, 
depending  upon  the  ground.  The  ore  is  taken  to  the 
floor  above. 

As  soon  as  the  first  slices  have  advanced  a  few  feet, 
second  and  third  slices  are  started,  and  also  first  slices 
toward  the  centres  of  the  block  limits.  Every  man  who 
can  work  to  advantage  is  used  and  the  ore  mined  with 
the  greatest  possible  speed. 

Where  there  is  a  sufficient  mat  of  old  timbers  in  the 
back  to  obviate  the  danger  of  the  capping  running  into 
the  ore  there  is  no  permanent  floor  laid,  the  planks  used 


602                                                                MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS                                         October  21,  1916 

in  shoveling  and  wheeling  the  ore  being  taken  up  later.  Openings  are  maintained  from  the  sub-level  to  raises 
Where  there  is  no  mat  or  it  is  not  sufficient,  a  floor  of  through  which  it  is  desired  to  force  air. 
2-in.  plank  spiked  to  2  by  10  sills  is  laid.  Formerly  5  As  a  result  of  the  change  to  the  block  method  of  die- 
by  10  and  4  by  8  siUs  were  used,  but  it  was  found  that  ing,  and  to  using  forced  ventilation,  the  production  per 
after  being  subjected  to  the  pressure  and  heat  of  a  com-  shoveler-shift  has  been  raised  from  9  to  20  tons,  the 
pleted  stope,  a  5  by  10  or  4  by  8  sill  seemed  to  have  no  production  per  man-shift  from  5  to  10  tons, 
more  strength  than  a  2  by  10.  While   the   details   of   this   method  have   been   fully 

As  soon  as  the  timbers  in  the  slices  show  signs  of  tak-  worked  out  and  a  large  tonnage  of  ore  has  already  been 

ing  weight,  bulkheads  are  built  of  old  timbers,  obtained  extracted  by  its  use,  the  work  to  date  has  to  a  large  ex- 

either  from  the  mat  in  the  back,  or  from  repair-work  in  tent  been  preparatory  to  systematic  work  for  lower  lifts, 

other  parts  of  the  mine.    As  soon  as  possible,  the  posts  It  is  not  possible  to  give  representative  costs,  but  the 

are  drilled  and  the  slices  shot-down.  following  is  an  estimate  of  what  is  expected: 

By  the  time  slicing  has  started,  four  drifts  have  been     preliminarr  development   $0,035 

run  to  the  centres  of  the  sides  of  the  blocks  as  shown  in      Haulage  development  0  025 

Fig.  2  and  slicing  is  also  done  from  these.     Working  as      Other  development  (raises,  etc.)   0.0S0 

intensively  as  possible,  all  ore  except  the  four  central  

pillars  is  quickly  mined-out  as  shown  in  the  series  of      M    Totalt  deveI°Pment  $0,140 

.,,             .            ™                            „       .  Stope  costs: 

illustrations.    When  the  last  of  this  ore  is  being  taken,  Miners,  at  $3  75                                                    $0  080 

cross-cuts  are  driven  to  incline-raises,  put  up  to  about     Muckers,  at  $3.75   0^160 

the  centre  of  the  four  central  pillars,  as  shown  in  Fig.  3,      Drills  0.030 

and  slicing  continues,  working  from  the  outside  of  the      Explosives    0.040 

remaining  ore  to  the  supply-raise  bulkheads  first  built     _™  ermg'    a  °T  °-070 

rr  Timbering,   supplies    0 130 

as  shown  in  Fig.  1,  thus  completing  the  stope.     By  this      General—  bosses,  nippers,  etc 0.040 

time,  these  bulkheads,  which  are  10  ft.  high  when  put  

in,  have  squeezed  to  from  4  to  6  ft.  in  height.     Upon  Total  stoping  $0,550 

completion,  the  stope  is  shot-down  and  another  may  then     Haula;Se   0.055 

be  started  below,  though  it  is  best  to  let  the  ground  settle      „ . 

.  .  ,  Pumping    0.005 

for  a  few  weeks.  General  underground  0.025 

At  first  thought  the  criticism  suggests  itself  that  this      Ventilation    0.015 

mining  method  increases  the  weight  overhead  as  the     Engineering  and  sampling  0.016 

block  approaches  completion.    But  experience  has  shown     Underground  lighting  0.004 

,,     ,  ,       .,  .  .   f.    ■     .  ,         ,       ,,  Mine   surface    0.030 

that,  as  a  rule,  the  maximum  weight  is  taken  by  the  

timbers  at  about  the  time  the  outside  pillars  are  com-  Total    $0.S80 

pleted,  and  as  mining  progresses  a  larger  proportion  of  __.  ..__™_™. 
the  weight  is  taken  by  the  bulkheads  in  the  outside  Ozokerite  is  a  mineral  wax  consisting  of  a  mixture  of 
slices.  At  no  time  does  the  weight  on  the  remaining  ore  hydrocarbons,  the  definite  composition  of  which  is  not 
and  the  slices  still  necessarily  open  get  beyond  control,  known.  In  color  it  varies  from  black  or  dark  brown  to 
These  central  pillars  constitute  our  cheapest  ore,  not  ugnt  yellow,  but  some  specimens  have  a  greenish  color, 
only  because  of  the  pillar  raises  but  because  the  ground  j_t  varies  from  a  soft  plastic  mass  to  the  hardness  of 
has  been  fractured  by  the  weight,  and  'lifters'  are  the  gypsum.  The  melting-point  ranges  from  58  to  80°  C.  It 
only  holes  necessary  to  break  the  face.  is  valuable  for  its  refiaed  product  ceresin  which  is  odor- 
All  drilling  is  done  with  plugger-machines,  using  a  ieSs.  Ozokerite  is  soluble  in  ether,  petroleum,  benzine, 
water-spray  attached  to  a  5-gal.  can.  No  ears  are  used  in  turpentine,  and  carbon-bisulphide.  Alkalies  and  the 
the  slices,  all  ore  being  shoveled  directly  into  the  chutes  strongest  acids  have  no  effect  upon  it,  which  makes  it 
or  wheeled  in  barrows.  Round  timber  is  used  almost  valuable  for  lining  vats  in  which  acids  are  held  or  used 
exclusively  in  the  stopes,  because  of  its  superior  in  treatments.  In  addition  to  resisting  the  acids  it  is 
strength.  unequaled  for  water-proofing.  The  list  of  its  uses  is  a 
Ten  feet  has  been  taken  as  the.  standard  height  of  a  long  one,  but  its  most  important  use  is  probably  in  the 
slice.  If  a  greater  height  is  taken  the  ore  breaks  from  manufacture  of  electrical  articles.  Being  an  excellent 
the  top  of  the  slicing-faee  faster  than  it  can  be  removed  non-conductor  it  finds  wide  use  for  the  insulation  of 
and  the  bottom  blasted,  thus  shortly  caving  the  slice,  electric  wires  and  in  the  manufacture  of  insulators. 
It  is  possible  that  later,  when  a  good  mat  has  been  form-  It  occurs  as  lenses  or  fillings  of  small  fissures  varying 
ed,  sub-level  caving  may  be  used,  but  so  far,  where  from  the  thickness  of  a  mere  film  to  veins  several  feet  in 
tried,  it  has  not  been  successful.  width.  Extraction  from  the  gangue  is  simple,  requiring 
The  ventilation  of  these  slice-blocks  is  important  be-  a  small  amount  of  heat  to  melt  the  wax  which  can  then 
cause,  without  it,  the  heat  coming  out  of  the  mat  is  ex-  be  easily  removed.  Until  recent  years  the  chief  supply 
cessive  and  prevents  efficient  work.  It  is  accomplished  came  from  Austria,  but  since  the  War,  interest  has  been 
by  connecting  one  of  the  sub-levels  below  the  slicing-  stimulated  in  the  deposits  of  this  country  which  are 
floor  with  the  discharge  end  of  a   60,000-cu.   ft.   fan.  being  profitably  exploited. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


603 


^issnEra    ipj^: 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiniiii mi iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 


1,1S2,668.  Process  for  Treating  Rock  Containing  Alkali 
Metals.  Frederic  Ludwig  Firebaugh,  Berkeley,  Cal.  Filed 
April  30,  1915.     Serial  No.  24.SS2. 


Quarry 

Ac.d 
Plant 

V 

ump 

1 

C        Leaching  Tanks 

1 

h 

Evoporat  iont°«y™ 
solution         0 

1 

^^  Waste 

ELvaporole  todensityof 
tfl  at  Ihe  femperatufeol 
ioo'C  and  then  cool  to  »"C 

] 

\S 

to 

F 

Cool  lo  »'C 

a 

/ 

1 

1.  The  process  of  treating  rock  containing  sodium  and  potas- 
sium which  consists  in  leaching  the  rock  with  sulfuric  acid, 
evaporating  the  resulting  solution  to  dryness,  continuing  to 
heat  the  evaporated  mass  to  decompose  the  non-alkali  sulfates, 
adding  water  to  the  so-heated  mass  to  dissolve  the  sodium 
and  potassium  sulfates,  then  concentrating  the  so-formed  so- 
lution of  sodium  and  potassium  sulfates  by  evaporation,  then 
cooling  the  concentrated  solution  to  separate  by  crystallization 
the  maximum  amount  of  potassium  sulfate  from  the  sodium 
sulfate,  then  adding  to  the  remaining  solution  more  water  and 
cooling  the  same,  so  that  the  sodium  sulfate  can  be  separated 
by  crystallization  without  crystallizing  the  potassium  sulfate 
present. 


1,194,438.  Process  for  Separating  Metals.  Royal  H.  Stev- 
ens, Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  assignor  to  United  States  Smelting, 
Refining  &  Mining  Company,  Portland,  Me.,  a  Corporation  of 
Maine.    Filed  Nov.  20,  1912.    Serial  No.  732,402. 


bath  at  a  different  voltage  to  deposit  a  cadmium  residue  there- 
from, fluxing  and  melting  said  residue  to  separate  tellurium, 
casting  the  bullion  resulting  from  the  reduced  residue,  elec- 
trolyzing  the  bullion  in  a  cadmium  electrolyte  to  separate 
pure  cadmium,  separating  and  melting  the  cadmium  sludge 
resulting  from  the  bullion  electrolysis,  and  casting  into  plates, 
re-electrolyzing  the  cadmium  sludge  plates  in  a  cadmium  elec- 
trolyte to  abstract  pure  cadmium,  separating  and  melting  the 
bismuth  residue  from  the  cadmium  bullion  electrolysis,  and 
casting  into  plates,  electrolyzing  the  bismuth  residue  plates 
in  a  bismuth  electrolyte  to  separate  pure  bismuth  from  a  cop- 
per, lead  and  cadmium  residue. 


1P£3 


1.  The  process  of  separating  metals  from  ores  and  like  ma- 
terial containing  cadmium,  bismuth,  copper,  lead,  tellurium, 
arsenic  and  similar  metals  consisting  in  oxidizing  the  ore  and 
dissolving  in  sulfuric  acid,  electrolyzing  the  resultng  sulfates 
at  a  low  voltage  to  separate  bismuth  and  copper  therefrom, 
electrolyzing  the  solution  remaining  from  the  first  electrolytic 


1,185,129.  Concentrator.  Charles  F.  Paige,  Oakland,  Cal., 
assignor  of  one-third  to  Adolph  W.  Jones  and  one-sixth  to 
Harry  B.  De  Mooy,  Oakland,  Cal.  Filed  July  8,  1915.  Serial 
No.  3S.701. 


1.  In  a  concentrator,  a  table,  a  flow  surface  formed  on  the 
table  over  which  the  pulp  is  adapted  to  travel,  means  for 
shaking  the  table  to  cause  the  pulp  to  travel  in  a  certain  di- 
rection, a  cover  section  having  a  plurality  of  discharge  open- 
ings formed  therein  inclosing  the  flow  surface  of  the  table, 
and  a  skimming  plate  secured  to  the  cover  section  adjacent 
to  each  discharge  opening  to  carry  the  light  material  up 
through  the  opening  and  up  over  the  top  of  the  cover. 


1,195,453.  Ore-Concentrator.  William  Fagergren,  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  and  William  D.  Green,  Butte,  Mont.,  assignors, 
by  mesne  assignments,  to  Metals  Recovery  Company,  a  Cor- 
poration of  Maine.    Filed  Aug.  12,  1913.     Serial  No.  784,336. 


1.  In  an  ore  concentrator,  the  combination  of  a  tank,  a 
receptacle  located  within  said  tank  and  provided  with  a  wall 
having  a  continuous  edge  from  which  ore  materials  may  be 
discharged,  means  for  introducing  within  said  tank  and  within 
said  vessel  ore  pulp  or  the  like,  means  for  admitting  air  into 
said  receptacle,  a  dasher  located  within  said  receptacle  for  the 
purpose  of  agitating  said  ore  pulp  and  said  air,  a  plurality  of 
baffle  floors  located  at  different  successive  levels  within  said 
tank  and  provided  with  openings,  and  means  for  discharging 
gangue  and  water  overflowing  from  said  receptacle  within  said 
tank  and  means  for  discharging  concentrates  from  the  top  of 
said  tank. 


1,197,589.     Process  of  Treating  Ores.     Raymond  F.  Bacon, 
Pittsburg,    Pa.,    assignor,    by    mesne    assignments,    to    Metals 


604 


MINING  and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


Recovery  Company,  a  Corporation  of  Maine.     Filed  June  2S, 
1915.    Serial  No.  36,698. 

1.  The  method  of  effecting  the  separation  of  non-sulfld  ores 
from  associated  gangue,  which  comprises  subjecting  the  mix- 
ture, in  a  finely  divided  condition,  to  the  action  of  hydrogen 
sulfid  in  the  presence  of  sulfur  dioxid  and  thereby  converting 
the  metal  values  into  sulfids  and  forming  colloidal  sulfur 
within  the  mixture,  and  subjecting  the  resulting  mixture  to  a 
flotation  treatment;  substantially  as  described. 


1,195,616.  Method  of  Extracting  Metals  From  Their  Ores. 
Henry  B.  Slater,  Riverside,  Cal.  Filed  Sept.  2,  1913.  Serial 
No.  787,598. 


1.  The  method  of  extracting  copper  from  its  ores  which  con- 
sists in  subjecting  the  ore  to  the  action  of  a  solution  contain- 
ing alkali  metal  chlorid,  and  a  metallic  chlorid  capable  of 
reduction  to  a  lower  chlorid,  together  with  hypochlorous  acid, 
then  precipitating  the  copper  from  the  solution,  and  then  sub- 
jecting the  solution  to  the  action  of  free  chlorin  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  metallic  hydroxid  to  regenerate  the  solution  con- 
taining hypochlorous  acid  together  with  a  metallic  chlorid 
capable  of  reduction  to  a  lower  chlorid  for  use  in  a  cyclic 
manner. 

1,196,047.  Process  of  and  Apparatus  for  Sizing  or  Clas- 
sifying Comminuted  Material.  Henry  M.  Sutton,  Walter  L. 
Steele,  and  Edwin  G.  Steele,  Dallas,  Tex.  Filed  Feb.  5,  1914. 
Serial  No.  816,754. 


1.  The  process  of  sizing  material,  consisting  in  transporting 
material  composed  of  grains  of  varying  sizes  on  a  series  of 
successive  supports,  inclined  transversely  to  the  direction  of 
transporting  movement,  and  subjecting  said  material  to  gravi- 
tative  impulses  adapted  to  deviate  the  components  of  said 
material  from  the  direction  of  transport  in  proportion  to  their 
respective  sizes,  progressively  varying  said  gravitative  im- 
pulses upon  the  successive  supporting  surface,  and  separately 
collecting  the  separated  sizes  of  material  from  the  last  support- 
ing surface. 

1,198,011.  Method  of  Extracting  Precious  Metals  From 
Their   Ores.     Thomas   B.   Crowe,   Victor,   Colo.,   assignor    to 


The  Portland  Gold  Mining  Company,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo., 
a  Corporation  of  Wyoming.  Filed  Mar.  2,  1915.  Serial  No. 
11,603. 


1.  A  method  of  extracting  precious  metals  from  their  ores, 
which  consists  in  placing  finely  ground  ore  in  a  cyanid  solu- 
tion, blowing  into  the  mixture  under  pressure  a  constantly 
renewed  supply  of  fresh  atmospheric  air,  while  maintaining 
the  mixture  under  a  pressure  greater  than  atmospheric 
pressure. 

2.  A  method  of  extracting  precious  metals  from  their  ores, 
which  consists  in  placing  finely  ground  ore  in  a  cyanid  solu- 
tion, blowing  a  constantly  renewed  supply  of  fresh  atmo- 
spheric air  into  a  mixture,  and  restricting  the  escape  of  said 
air,  so  that  the  mixture  is  maintained  under  pressure  greater 
than  the  atmosphere. 


1,194,949.     Filter.     Charles  D.  Burchenal,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Filed  Mar.  10,  1916.    Serial  No.  83,280. 


1.  A  filter,  comprising  alternating  cells  and  plates  and  filter- 
ing mediums  between  them,  the  cells  and  plates  being  pro- 
vided with  a  longitudinal  supply  passage  opening  into  all 
the  cells,  and  the  cells  and  plates  being  provided  at  opposite 
sides  with  longitudinal  outlet  passages,  each  plate  being  con- 
nected at  one  face  with  the  outlet  passage  on  one  side  of  the 
filter  and  each  plate  having  its  other  face  connected  with  the 
outlet  passage  on  the  other  side  of  the  filter. 

1,198,086.  Process  of  Extracting  Precious  Metals  From 
Their  Ores.  Albert  E.  Vandercook,  Alameda,  Cal.,  assignor 
of  one-half  to  Leslie  B.  McMurtry,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  Filed 
Oct.  24,  1914.     Serial  No.  868,459. 


1.  The  process  of  recovering  precious  metals  from  a  mixture 
of  sulfid  ore  and  metallic  particles  with  a  sodium  or  potassium 
cyanid  solution,  which  consists  in  agitating  the  mixture  in  the 
presence  of  mercury  whereby  a  double  cyanid  of  mercury  and 
sodium  or  potassium  is  formed  which  removes  the  alkali  from 
the  solution. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


605 


ffllM<«m»ronnMIMIIMIIIMHMWMIHHII 


Jliiilliiai: DIIIUIM'! ■!  '.:«llllllllllllllllllllll 


amiiii inns!!; 


lE^WIHW    ©IF    MmSfSM© 

As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondent. 


MEXICO  CITY,  MEXICO 
Abstracts   op  Recent   Decrees   and  Comments   Thereon. 

During  the  summer  two  important  decrees  for  the  mining 
industry  were  promulgated  by  Carranza.  The  first  was  drafted 
on  May  1,  but  part  did  not  go  into  effect  until  July  1;  it  con- 
cerns taxation.  The  second  decree  began  to  operate  on  August 
15,  and  affects  the  property  rights  of  foreigners.  A  con- 
densed translation  of  the  first  or  taxation  decree  reads  as  fol- 
lows: 

Permanent  Articles.  Article  1.  There  still  remain  subject 
to  the  Stamp  Tax  all  metals  for  export,  whether  originally 
produced  at  home  or  abroad.  This  tax  will  be  levied  as  fol- 
lows: 

A.  On  metals  that  are  exported  in  the  form  of  mineral  or 
earth,  cyanides  or  sulphides,  smelting  residue,  or  in  any  other 
form  in  which  they  are  mixed  with  non-metallic  substances, 
as  follows:  Gold  and  silver,  at  rate  of  10%  ad  valorem,  other 
metals  at  rate  of  5%  ad  valorem.  The  Secretary  of  the  Haci- 
enda (Treasury)  will  fix  each  month  the  values  of  the  metals 
for  taxation  from  the  quotations  in  foreign  markets. 

B.  On  metals  that  are  reduced  to  pure  metals  or  alloys  at 
home  the  above  rate  will  be  lessened  by  20%,  whatever  the 
assay  of  the  product. 

Article  2.  There  will  be  no  Stamp  Tax  levied  on  the  follow- 
ing: 

A.  Refined  gold,  which  is  brought  to  the  mints  for  coinage, 
and  which  is  presented  at  the  Federal  offices  in  exchange  for 
silver  money  at  the  rate  of  75  centigrams  of  pure  gold  for  one 
peso,  (¥=1). 

B.  Current  gold  or  silver  coins,  whether  native  or  foreign. 

C.  Silver  that  is  exported  in  products  not  exceeding  a  con- 
tent of  250  grams  per  ton.  Such  products  may  be  in  the  form 
of  lumps,  earths,  or  powders;  and  may  be  in  their  natural 
state,  or  as  concentrates,  sulphides,  cyanides,  or  smelting 
residues. 

D.  Silver  and  gold  imported  in  any  of  the  forms  of  the  last 
paragraph,  or  partly  refined,  which  may  be  exported  within 
the  four  following  months  in  cakes,  ingots,  or  bars,  after  hav- 
ing been  subjected  to  metallurgical  treatment  in  Mexican 
works. 

E.  Gold  and  silver  which  is  used  in  national  industries. 

F.  Samples  of  natural  minerals  that  are  exported  according 
to  administrative  regulations. 

G.  Ores  of  copper  with  less  than  3%  copper;  ores  of  lead 
with  less  than  10%  lead;  and  ores  of  zinc  with  less  than  15% 
zinc. 

Article  3.  Assay-fees  will  only  be  charged  for  assays  made 
at  the  request  of  those  interested,  by  legal  rule,  or  by  ad- 
ministrative order;  smelting  fees  only  when  a  lack  of  homo- 
geneity of  the  bars  or  pieces  requires  smelting  for  a  proper 
valuation;  and  refining  and  parting-fees  only  when  such  opera- 
tions are  performed  in  Government  offices  at  the  request  of  the 
interested  parties.  The  fees  just  mentioned  will  be  fixed  ac- 
cording to  the  cost  of  the  operations,  and  from  a  schedule 
issued  by  the  Department  of  Hacienda. 

Article  4.  Metallurgical  enterprises  will  still  be  subject  to 
the  common  Treasury  regulations  in  all  their  operations. 

Article  5.  The  special  stamps  that  existing  laws  require  for 
the  titles  of  mining  property  will  be  at  the  rate  of  M.0  Mexican 


gold  for  each  pertenencia  (1  pertenencia  =  2.47  acres)  titled, 
irrespective  of  the  kind  of  mineral  denounced. 

Article  6.  The  annual  tax-rates  for  mineral  land  will  be: 

For  gold  and  silver  lands:  for  1  to  10  pertenencias  at  the 
rate  of  P6  each;  11  to  50.  1*12 ;  51  to  100,  MS;  and  101  or  more, 
f*24  each. 

For  other  mineral  lands:  for  1  to  50  pertenencias,  P6;  51  to 
200,  M2 ;  201  to  500,  PIS ;  501  or  more,  f*24  each. 

Article  7.  The  graduation  of  the  rates  will  apply  when  the 
pertenencias  belong  to  one  owner  and  lie  in  the  same  mining 
district. 

Article  8.  The  States  will  not  assess  mining  at  more  than 
2%  of  the  gross  mineral  output,  and  will  except  ores  of  iron 
and  quicksilver. 

Article  9.  There  will  be  no  import  tax  on  the  following  sub- 
stances, when  they  are  imported  for  treating  ores:  zinc, 
whether  in  bars,  filings,  grains,  shavings,  or  small  sheets; 
sulphur,  alkaline  cyanides,  sodium  hyposulphite,  and  nitrates 
of  potash  or  soda. 

Article  10.  All  sums  due  the  Exchequer  under  this  decree 
must  be  paid  in  national  gold  coin. 

Temporary  Articles.  Article  1.  This  decree  will  begin  to 
apply  at  once,  excepting  the  rates  fixed  in  Article  6,  which 
start  only  on  July  1,  1916. 

Article  2.  Hereby  are  annulled  the  decrees  of  March  25, 
1905;  of  March  1,  1915;  the  articles  No.  2,  4,  10,  11,  and  12  of 
the  decree  of  March  27,  1907;  and  any  remaining  rulings  that 
may  be  opposed  to  this  decree. 

Article  3.  Any  owners  who  owe  taxes  on  mineral  perten- 
encias will  settle  them  as  follows  in  gold: 

A.  Debts  previous  to  March  1,  1915,  will  be  settled  at  the 
then  prevailing  rates  plus  200%  of  penalty. 

B.  Debts  covering  the  four  months  from  March  1  to  June 
30  of  1915  will  be  settled  at  the  rate  of  P6  per  pertenencia 
annually  for  the  first  25  and  at  the  rate  of  f*3  each  for  the  ex- 
cess above  25  pertenencias,  all  plus  100%  of  penalty. 

C.  Debts  covering  the  four  months  from  July  1,  1915,  to 
October  30,  1915,  will  be  settled  at  the  rate  of  ?6  annually 
per  pertenencia,  whatever  the  number,  plus  50%  of  penalty. 

D.  Debts  covering  the  four  months  from  November  1,  1915, 
to  February  29,  1916,  will  be  settled  at  the  rate  of  P8  annually 
per  pertenencia,  plus  25%  of  penalty. 

E.  Debts  covering  the  four  months  from  March  1  to  June 
30,  1916,  will  be  settled  at  the  rates  of  the  decree  of  March  1, 
1915,  with  no  penalty. 

Article  4.  Hereby  is  granted  a  non-extensible  period,  end- 
ing June  30,  1916,  in  order  to  pay  the  annual  taxes  due  until 
February  29,  1916;  a  failure  to  pay  will  mean  caducidad  (an- 
nulment of  title). 

Article  5.  For  once  only  and  solely  for  the  debts  due  until 
February  29,  1916,  there  is  allowed  the  option  of  payment 
either  in  gold  or  in  its  equivalent  in  credit  money  at  the  rate 
fixed  by  the  Monetary  Commission. 

Article  6.  Any  debtors  who,  previous  to  March  1,  1915,  may 
have  paid  any  sums  beyond  those  prescribed  in  these  transitory 
articles,  may  have  such  excesses  credited  on  subsequent  pay- 
ments. 

Article  7.  The  tax  of  5%  on  base  metals,  mentioned  in  A  of 
Article  I,  will  apply  to  copper  when  its  New  York  cash  price 


606 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


is  less  than  25c.  per  pound.  When  its  price  is  between  25  and 
30c.  the  tax  will  be  6%,  and  when  beyond  30c,  7%. 

Abticle  S.  The  gold  and  silver  products  which,  without  leav- 
ing the  country,  may  have  satisfied  the  Stamp  Tax  of  the 
decree  of  March  1,  1915,  will  pay  when  they  are  exported  the 
quantity  still  lacking  to  cover  the  rates  fixed  by  this  decree. 

Constitution  and  Reforms.  Given  in  the  National  Palace, 
Mexico  City,  May  1,  1916,  by  V.  Carranza,  First  Chief  of  the 
Constitutionalist  Army,  to  Luis  Cabrera,  Secretary  of  State 
and  of  the  Hacienda. 

The  second,  or  foreigners'  decree  reads  as  follows: 

Preamble.  Considering  that  our  basic  laws  give  to  strangers 
the  same  rights  as  Mexicans,  it  is  natural  and  lawful  that 
the  former  also  assume  the  same  obligations,  for  the  liber- 
ality of  our  democratic  institutions  should  not  reach  the  ex- 
treme of  giving  to  foreigners,  owning  property  here,  a  better 
judicial  position  than  Mexicans,  as  has  hitherto  sadly  been  the 
case.  This  would  happen  if  foreigners,  besides  enjoying  the 
rights  granted  by  Mexican  laws,  should  be  allowed  to  plead  and 
make  complaints  to  their  respective  home  governments.  The 
First  Chief  of  the  Republic  has  therefore  used  his  extraordi- 
nary powers  in  order  to  establish  the  following  decree  through- 
out Mexico: 

Article  1.  Any  foreigner  who  wishes  to  acquire  in  Mexico 
public  lands,  mining  claims,  Federal  waters,  or  permits  for  the 
exploration  or  exploitation  of  natural  resources,  such,  as 
forests,  petroleum,  fisheries,  etc.,  must  present  a  written  re- 
nouncement to  the  Secretary  of  Foreign  Relations.  This  docu- 
ment must  make  a  formal  and  final  declaration  that,  as  an 
owner  or  concessionaire,  and  for  all  the  effects  and  relations  of 
the  property  to  be  acquired,  the  foreigner  must  renounce  all 
his  rights  as  such  to  ask  protection  from  or  complain  to  his 
home  government.  Foreign  companies  are  also  incompetent 
to  acquire  rights  over  the  class  of  property  mentioned  in  this 
circular,  until  they  submit  to  Mexican  laws  and  make  the 
above  renouncement. 

Article  2.  It  will  be  an  indispensable  pre-requisite  before 
the  Secretary  of  Fomento  can  accept  any  denouncement  or 
petition  about  this  class  of  property,  however  trivial,  that  the 
foreigner  present  at  the  beginning  a  certificate  from  the  Secre- 
tary of  Foreign  Relations  showing  that  he  has  made  the 
above  renouncement.  Lacking  this  certificate  the  petition  will 
be  rejected  and  will  have  no  legal  force  no  matter  how  much 
it  may  be  agitated. 

In  all  titles  and  permits  delivered  by  the  Department  of 
Fomento  and  in  all  contracts  or  public  documents  before  a 
notary  concerning  this  class  of  property,  a  clause  certifying 
the  above  renouncement  must  be  inserted  or  the  writing  will 
be  legally  void. 

Article  3.  In  all  applications  already  made  by  foreigners, 
which  are  now  in  transmission  before  the  Department  of 
Fomento  or  its  branches,  concerning  this  class  of  property,  the 
transmission  will  be  suspended  immediately  and  will  not  be 
resumed  until  the  presentation  of  the  above  certificate  of  re- 
nouncement. If  this  last  is  not  presented  within  the  space  of 
four  months  from  the  date  of  this  decree,,  the  petition  will  be 
deemed  abandoned,  and  the  attendant  applications  will  be 
filed  without  allowing  the  interested  party  any  right  of  fur- 
ther appeal. 

Constitution  and  Reforms.  Mexico  City,  August  15,  1916. 
The  sub-secretary  of  the  Department  of  Fomento,  Pastor 
Rouaix. 

These  decrees,  compared  with  those  described  in  my  letters 
of  June  10  and  July  15,  seem  sane  and  mild.  They  really 
include  three  important  new  items,  namely,  the  export  and 
output  of  taxes  on  metals,  a  tax  on  mineral  claims,  and  a  re- 
nouncement of  diplomatic  protection.  Under  Diaz  the  export 
tax  was  levied  at  3i%,  but  only  on  the  precious  metals,  while 
the  output  tax  on  all  metals  was  at  rate  of  1*%  for  the  State 


plus  ij%  for  the  Federation.  The  new  rates  thus  mean  nearly 
a  tripling  of  the  old  schedule,  though  this  is  not  due  all  to 
Carranza,  as  Huerta  in  1914  raised  the  tax  on  gold  to  10%. 
These  bullion  taxes,  of  course,  affect  only  the  few  mines  in 
operation,  and  all  but  the  poorest  of  these  can  probably  afford 
to  pay  them,  owing  to  the  high  price  of  all  metals  except  gold. 
Under  Huerta  the  great  gold  mines  at  El  Oro  were  able  to  sup- 
port the  10%  bullion  tax,  and  can  therefore  do  so  now,  pro- 
vided they  can  get  adequate  protection  from  bandits,  and 
regular  railroad  service.  However,  a  tax  on  the  gross  output 
is  not  a  fair  tax — only  a  tax  on  net  profits  can  be  that — and 
the  more  the  rate  is  advanced  the  more  onerous  becomes  the 
burden  on  low-grade  mines. 

A  mistaken  view  seems  to  prevail  in  the  United  States  re- 
garding the  new  taxation  of  mineral  land,  which  policy  is  in- 
deed one  of  the  few  genuine  reforms  inaugurated  by  the  Car- 
ranza party.  The  Diaz  rates  of  P6  (Mex.)  per  pertenencia  up 
to  25,  were  grossly  inadequate  as  a  defense  against  forestall- 
ing, as  they  were  equivalent  to  only  $1.20  U.  S.  and  60c.  per 
acre  respectively.  The  ancient  Mexican  policy  of  requiring 
continuous  work,  as  the  requisite  to  holding  mines,  was  finally 
abandoned  in  1892,  and  replaced  by  a  land  tax  which  was  so 
trivial  as  to  put  the  'land  hogs'  into  clover. 

By  1910  there  was  perhaps  not  a  district  in  Mexico  where  a 
prospector  could  find  any  ground  unoccupied  that  had  mineral 
possibilities.  It  was  common  then  for  great  companies  or 
rich  individuals  to  hold  1000  to  5000  acres  of  mineral  land  in 
one  district  while  seldom  working  5%  of  their  holdings. 
Wherever  Carranza  can  protect  the  operator  properly,  the  new 
rates  are  none  too  high  to  discourage  forestalling — that  curse 
of  the  United  States  mining  industry  also.  Where  the  pre- 
vailing anarchy  makes  production  impossible,  there  and  there 
only  has  the  land-holder  just  cause  for  complaint  at  the  new 
policy  of  taxation. 

The  decree  of  renouncement  may  he  looked  at  from  two 
view-points:  The  preamble  is  certainly  plausible  in  claiming 
that  Mexicans  should  enjoy  the  same  right  to  the  use  of  their 
own  natural  resources  as  do  foreigners.  However,  the  right  of 
diplomatic  intervention  could  hardly  mean  more  than  secur- 
ing justice  for  the  foreigner  according  to  Mexican  law  and  in 
view  of  the  rotten  condition  of  the  Mexican  courts  for  genera- 
tions, a  foreigner  can  hardly  be  blamed  for  wishing  all  the 
guarantees  possible.  Whatever  Carranza's  object  in  requiring 
renouncement,  whether  it  be  merely  a  sop  to  placate  his  anti- 
foreign  following  or  a  step  toward  complete  exclusion  of 
foreign  enterprises,  it  seems  certainly  an  inopportune  time  to 
issue  such  a  decree.  If  Carranza  really  means  to  comply  with 
his  treaty  obligations  and  to  treat  foreigners  fairly,  the  decree 
seems  entirely  unnecessary.  It  is  likely  that  Carranza  will 
find  his  decree  a  boomerang  that  will  merely  strike  another 
blow  at  the  decrepit  structure  of  'Constitutionalism,'  for  which 
his  party  claims  to  stand  sponsor,  and  which  was  nearly 
wrecked  by  the  dreadful  financial  decrees  of  last  June. 

The  fact  that  the  decree  of  August  15  was  followed  within  a 
month  by  the  decree  of  September  15*  offers  little  hope  to 
foreigners  as  to  the  benevolence  of  the  only  protector  they 
will  have  remaining  after  a  renouncement  of  their  own  diplo- 
mats. The  provisions  of  the  September  decree  leave  a  mine- 
owner  at  the  mercy  of  the  bureaucrats  of  the  Department  of 
Fomento:  these  may  prescribe  as  they  choose  concerning  the 
minimum  number  of  men  to  be  worked  "continuously"  on  his 
property.  Even  when  bandits  and  lack  of  transport  render 
any  operations  impossible,  the  mine-owner  will  still  forfeit 
his  mine  automatically  unless  he  has  the  luck  to  get  from  the 
bureaucrats  a  permit  to  excuse  his  inactivity.  In  view  of  the 
anarchy  now  raging  throughout  Mexico,  this  decree  will  give 
Carranza  authority  to  confiscate  90%  of  foreign-owned  mines 
before  Christmas,  should  he  chose  to  do  so,  even  supposing  the 

*M.  &  S.  P.,  Oct.  7,  1916,  p.  537. 


October  21,  1!>1<; 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


607 


decree  is  carried  out  with  all  due  respect  to  legitimate  Inter- 
ests, yet  the  gross  ignorance  of  the  Fomento  bureaucrats  re- 
garding practical  mining  would  render  it  an  unmitigated 
nuisance  to  all  operators  and  a  ruinous  burden  to  not  a  few. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  mention  the  program 
of  the  anti-foreign  party  so  charmingly  portrayed  by  Lie. 
Andres  Molino  Enriquez  in  his  'Problemas  Nacionales.'  As 
this  book  was  published  during  the  regime  of  the  capital- 
hunting  Diaz,  it  could  not  detail  the  scheme  as  it  affected  the 
property  of  foreigners,  but  merely  gave  what  it  proposed 
regarding  their  persons.  First,  all  immigration  of  laborers 
was  to  be  forbidden;  next,  foreign  factory-foremen  would  be 
admitted  only  for  a  long  enough  stay  to  instruct  Mexican 
successors  in  their  duties;  and  finally,  no  foreign  doctor,  engi- 
neer, or  other  intellectual  could  practise  his  profession  in 
Mexico  until  he  had  taken  out  citizenship  papers. 

Enriquez'  frankly-expressed  plan  is  to  make  Mexico  a 
close  preserve  for  the  benefit  of  the  existing  Spanish-Indian 
mestizos,  the  pure  Indians  to  be  assimilated  by  inter-marriage. 
His  original  following  consisted  of  middle-class  youths  in- 
spired by  an  insane  jealousy  and  prejudice  against  their 
foreign  rivals  for  employment,  not  realizing  that  their  own 
irresponsibility,  dishonesty,  and  medieval  education  made 
them  unworthy  of  anything  but  inferior  positions  with  foreign 
companies.  In  fact,  nearly  all  big  business,  such  as  manu- 
facturing, mining,  and  wholesaling,  has  always  been  in  foreign 
hands  owing  to  the  inefficiency  of  the  native  middle-class. 
During  the  revolution  the  anti-foreign  faction  has,  for  the 
first  time,  been  allowed  to  extend  its  propaganda  freely  among 
the  town-artisans  and  the  armies,  until  finally  a  complete 
control  of  the  Carranza  government  apparently  has  been 
achieved. 

The  fact  that  so  many  Carranza  generals  and  politicians 
have  made  revolution  a  business  and  risen  from  poverty  to 
affluence  since  1912  is  of  sinister  import  to  foreigners,  for  such 
keen  appetite  for  loot  will  never  be  finally  appeased  until  it 
has  fed  freely  on  the  two  billions  of  foreign-owned  property. 
But  the  same  fact  militates  against  the  plans  of  the  Magon 
anarchistic  propaganda,  explained  in  Regeneration  of  Los 
Angeles  (see  my  letter  of  January  29),  which  proposes  to  take 
over  all  property  in  Mexico,  whether  native  or  foreign,  and 
administer  the  country  as  a  communistic  state  for  the  benefit 
the  peons.  The  suppression  of  the  Magon  propaganda,  as  ex- 
emplified by  the  orators  of  the  I.  W.  W.  of  Mexico  City  last 
February,  showed  the  difference  in  ideals  between  the  Car- 
ranza ring  and  Magon.  Evidently  only  those  "practical"  from 
long  experience  in  Carranzista  interventions  will  take  charge 
of  all  the  foreign  property  to  be  confiscated  in  the  future  as 
they  have  done  of  the  reactionary  property  in  the  past,  and 
idealistic  dreamers  of  the.  Magon  type  will  be  given  nothing 
for  their  peon  followers  except  some  decree  forbidding  immi- 
gration. 


MAZATLAN,  MEXICO 

Conditions  in  the  West  Coast  Districts. 

Train  service  has  been  resumed  between  Mazatlan  and 
Nogales  on  an  irregular  schedule.  The  trip  now  requires  four 
days  where  formerly  it  was  made  in  a  day  and  a  half.  Trains 
run  only  during  the  day-time  owing  to  the  bad  condition  of 
the  road-bed,  which  makes  night-travel  exceedingly  dangerous. 
Nearly  all  of  the  work  expended  on  the  railroad  during  the 
last  four  years  by  the  various  'istas'  has  heen  in  destruction 
rather  than  construction.  Heavy  rains  of  the  past  few  months 
have  washed  away  a  number  of  the  flimsy  wooden  bridges 
that  had  replaced  the  substantial  concrete  and  steel  structures 
long  since  made  useless  by  the  different  factions  in  their 
military  movements. 

Most  of  the  Americans  who  ahandoned  their  properties  last 
June  have  returned  and  are  working  their  mines.     The  prin- 


cipal mines  at  work  in  this  district  are  the  Potrero  Mining  Co., 
at  Potrero,  the  Guadalupe  de  los  Reyes,  the  mines  at  San 
Dimas,  Durango,  and  the  Minas  del  Tajo,  at  Rosario.  The 
famous  old  Panuco  mine,  which  has  been  worked  by  the  Car- 
ranzista government  for  the  past  two  years,  was  flooded  by  the 
recent  rains  and  has  been  abandoned.  It  is  said  that  the  de 
facto  Government  is  willing  to  return  the  mine  to  the  owners 
if  they  renounce  their  claims  to  indemnity.  Also  that  the 
Government  is  willing  to  release  the  San  Jose  de  Gracia  mines 


WEST-CENTBAL    MEXICO. 

to  the  former  owners  on  the  terms  that  they  pay  30%  of  the 
gross  output.  It  is  impossible  to  work  under  such  conditions 
with  the  guarantees  that  the  present  Government  can  furnish. 

The  issues  of  infalsiftcable  bills  that  were  to  replace  all  the 
previous  paper-issues  have  fallen  into  ill  repute  and  are  now 
exchanged  at  the  rate  of  thirty  to  forty  for  one  American 
dollar.  It  is  surprising  the  large  amount  of  American  money 
that  is  in  circulation.  All  transactions  of  any  magnitude  are 
done  with  the  American  dollar.  Even  the  poorest  peon  calcu- 
lates his  values  in  terms  of  American  money  dividing  the 
paper  peso  by  30  or  40  according  to  the  prevailing  rate  of  ex- 
change. There  are  rumors  from  Mexico  City  of  a  silver  coin- 
age to  take  place  in  the  near  future  for  the  government  evi- 
dently realizes  after  this  last  failure  of  the  infalsificables  that 
the  people  are  tired  of  paper  and  want  a  medium  of  exchange 
of  more  purchasing  power.  Meanwhile  Carranza  continues  to 
issue  decrees,  no  longer  one  at  a  time  but  in  series,  while  the 
politicians  and  military  leaders  rob  the  people  and  prey  upon 
the  mining  industry. 

Fear  of  starvation,  due  to  the  scarcity  of  corn  this  summer, 
caused  a  great  amount  of  the  cereal  to  be  planted.  There  are 
prospects  of  a  good  harvest. 


608 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  21,  1.916 


SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Strike  Situation  and  Clash  at  the  South  Eureka. 

The  following  notes  were  written  on  October  15: 
The  expected  re-opening  of  the  South  Eureka  and  Central 
Eureka  mines  here  on  the  10th  was  prevented  by  striking 
miners  gathering,  nearly  300  strong,  on  the  road  leading  to  the 
mines  and  ordering  the  men  not  to  work.  The  Sheriff  and  a 
number  of  deputies  were  unable  to  disperse  the  crowd,  and 
when  W.  G.  Snyder,  the  district  attorney,  appeared  on  the 
scene,  and  had  the  president  of  the  Union  explain  to  the  strik- 
ers that  it  was  unlawful  for  them  to  gather  there  for  the 
purpose  of  obstructing  the  road  and  that  if  they  did  not  dis- 
perse they  were  liable  to  arrest,  the  warning  was  received 
with  derisive  smiles  from  the  men.  Sheriff  Lucot,  on  his 
return  to  Jackson,  notified  the  Governor's  office  of  his  in- 
ability to  handle  the  situation,  with  the  result  that  the  State 
labor  commissioner,  John  P.  McLaughlin,  and  J.  J.  Kelly,  one 
of  his  special  agents,  are  now  here,  endeavoring  to  bring 
about  an  amicable  adjustment  of  the  difficulties  existing. 
Union  pickets  have  continued  to  warn  miners,  engine-men,  and 
pump-men  from  working,  15  or  20  men  waiting  along  the  road 
up  Sutter  hill  at  times  when  the  men  ready  to  return  to  work 
would  be  going  on  shift.  On  Wednesday  night  about  7  o'clock 
a  number  of  men  obstructed  the  road  when  James  Kerfoot, 
one  of  the  Central  Eureka  engine-men,  drove  toward  the  mine 
in  his  car,  and  one  of  the  men,  Obron  Mijovich,  was  run  over, 
sustaining  injuries  from  which  he  died  the  following  morning. 
Kerfoot  proceeded  to  the  mine.  Fearing  violence  to  Kerfoot, 
the  Sheriff  organized  a  posse,  including  a  number  of  armed 
men  from  Sutter  Creek,  Jackson,  and  Amador  City,  possibly 
a  hundred  in  all,  and  marched  up  the  hill  to  the  mine.  The 
men,  some  of  whom  were  said  to  have  theatened  to  avenge 
the  death  of  their  comrade,  had  all  disappeared  by  the  time 
the  citizens  under  the  Sheriff  reached  the  mine;  they  then 
accompanied  the  Sheriff,  with  Kerfoot,  to  Jackson.  At  the 
inquest  on  Mijovich's  body  next  day,  the  witnesses  examined 
were  unable  to  name  the  man  driving  the  car,  although  one 
identified  him  as  a  Central  Eureka  engineer,  so  the  verdict  of 
the  Coroner's  jury  was  as  follows:  "Obron  Mijovich's  death 
was  due  to  injuries  sustained  by  being  struck  by  an  automobile 
on  the  public  highway  at  the  hands  of  an  unknown  party  or 
parties."  Great  excitement  prevailed  during  the  night  and 
day  following  the  accident,  and  the  deceased  miner  was  yester- 
day given  the  largest  funeral  ever  witnessed  in  Amador 
county.  About  700  Union  miners  joined  the  procession,  which 
lends  color  to  the  Union's  claim  that  their  membership  has 
greatly  increased  since  the  strike  was  declared  on  the  19th 
of  last  month.  When  the  engine-men  and  pump-men  were 
not  permitted  to  keep  the  mines  unwatered,  the  South  Eureka 
company  theatened  to  demand  reimbursement  from  the  County 
for  damage  resulting  from  a  lack  of  protection.  About  a 
dozen  men  from  outside  points  have  been  provided  for  at  the 
South  Eureka  mine,  bedding  and  provisions  for  their  use  hav- 
ing been  placed  on  the  ground,  but  it  is  understood  these  men 
are  acting  as  guards  and  not  as  pump-men  or  engineers.  The 
Union  has  signified  its  willingness  to*  have  the  engine-men 
and  pump-men  return  to  work,  provided  they  are  only  required 
to  keep  the  mines  unwatered,  and  it  is  understood  that  most 
of  the  mine-owners  have  agreed  to  this  arrangement,  and 
desisted  from  the  extensive  repairing  that  has  been  in  progress 
since  the  strike  began;  but  the  Sutter  Creek  operators  have 
not  yet  met  the  demands  of  the  Union  in  this  regard  and 
work  is  at  a  standstill,  including  pumping,  at  the  South  and 
Central  Eureka.  John  Martin  and  H.  Malloch  of  the  South 
Eureka  mine,  and  V.  S.  Walsh  of  the  Central  Eureka,  have 
been  here  during  the  week,  and  they  held  a  meeting  yesterday 
with  other  operators,  but  without  definite  result,  and  con- 
jecture is  rife  as  to  what  the  next  move  will  be. 
Up  to  October  IS  there  was  nothing  new  to  report. 


PLATTEVILLE,  WISCONSIN 
Zinc-Obe  Conditions   During   September. — Ore   Stocks. — New 
Plants. — Lead,  Pyrite,  and  Carbonate  Conditions. — Peo- 

DUCTION. 

During  September  there  were  new  records  in  the  zinc-lead 
region,  in  spite  of  conditions  that  tended  to  retard  both  devel- 
opment and  operation.  Prices  for  zinc  ore  were  at  a  standstill 
all  the  month,  the  standard  60%  product  and  premium  grades 
holding  steadily  at  $56  per  ton,  with  the  range  down  to  $50 
for  concentrate  as  low  as  50%  zinc-content.  Many  prominent 
operators  personally  interviewed  earnestly  declared  that  the 
high  cost  of  supplies  and  labor,  both  skilled  and  unskilled, 
made  these  prices  no  more  profitable  than  the  $40  standard, 
when  other  conditions  were  normal.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
month  fair  gains  in  the  price  of  spelter  and  a  sturdier  tone 
in  the  market  served  to  influence  ore  prices,  and  the  range 
was  raised  to  $58  per  ton  for  60%  base,  and  the  range  down  to 
$50  was  increased  to  include  ores  containing  no  less  than  54% 
metal.  The  discrimination  against  producers  of  low-grade  ore 
for  the  past  three  months  was  thus  further  emphasized,  as  it 
brought  ore  of  this  character  into  still  greater  disrepute. 
The  result  was  evident  before  the  month  was  over,  several 
producers  of  long  standing  suspending  operations,  giving  as 
the  reason  the  low  prices  for  ore;  but  to  be  more  exact,  be- 
cause there  was  absolutely  no  demand  for  low-grade  ore  from 
independent  operating  mines  to  zinc-ore  refineries  well  sup- 
plied with  ore  from  mines  operated  in  combination  with 
separating  plants. 

A  large  reserve  of  zinc  concentrate  was  on  hand  in  the  field 
at  the  close  of  the  month,  the  Highland,  Linden,  Mifflin,  and 
Platteville  districts  between  them  holding  6000  tons.  In  the 
other  districts  and  south  of  Platteville,  most  of  the  large 
mines  are  owned  by  foreign  corporations,  who  divert  their  out- 
put to  refineries  operated  in  connection  with  them,  and  it  is 
here  that  little  ore  is  carried  over  at  the  end  of  a  month.  But 
there  are  also  many  independent  companies  in  this  part  of  the 
field,  which  accounted  for  another  1500  tons. 

Ideal  weather  conditions,  copious  rains  at  intervals  filling 
mill  reservoirs,  a  return  to  the  mines  of  many  farmers  who 
have  garnered  their  crops  and  who  work  in  the  mines  during 
the  winter,  good  roads,  and  steady  prices  contributed  to  an 
exceptionally  heavy  production  of  ore  in  September,  and  ship- 
ments of  high-grade  ore  out  of  the  field  to  smelters  were 
higher  than  for  any  single  month  yet  reported. 

Decided  gains  were  recorded  in  the  price  of  lead  ore,  offer- 
ings at  the  beginning  being  as  low  as  $60  to  $65  per  ton  for 
80%  base,  but  the  price  mounted  higher  from  day  to  day  and 
closed  the  month  in  advance  of  $75  per  ton.  It  was  thought 
that  this  price  would  bring  out  most  of  the  ore  held,  but  it 
failed  to  do  anything  of  the  kind;  and  producers  of  lead  ore, 
usually  a  keen  crowd,  held  onto  their  ore  in  hopes  of  even 
better  prices.  It  was  conservatively  estimated  that  1500  tons 
of  lead  concentrate  was  on  hand  at  the  end  of  September. 

Shipments  of  iron  pyrite  increased  considerably,  although 
no  increases  in  offerings  were  admitted.  The  reserve  had 
grown  to  such  proportions  at  all  the  zinc-ore  refineries  that 
holders  of  pyrite  were  glad  to  get  some  of  it  out  of  the  way, 
prices  concerning  them  little.  There  is  still  held  in  reserve 
over  15,000  tons,  and  no  great  amount  will  be  worked-off  at  an 
early  date. 

Producers  of  carbonate  of  zinc  ore  received  no  attention 
from  buyers. 

Deliveries  of  ore  during  September  were  as  follows:  30,685 
tons  of  zinc,  438  tons  of  lead,  and  4276  tons  of  pyrite.  These 
are  the  highest  figures  ever  attained  in  this  field  for  deliveries 
of  zinc  products.  The  actual  production  of  crude  concentrates 
was  also  the  highest,  being  over  25,000  tons;  while  shipments 
of  high-grade  ore  direct  to  smelter  broke  all  records  with  a 
total  of  15,000  tons. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


609 


TM1E 


The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press 


ALASKA 
The  report  of  the  Alaskan  Engineering  Commission,  with 
maps,  charts,  and  profiles,  covering  the  period  from  March  12, 
1914,  to  December  31,  1915,  has  been  issued.     One  part  con- 


50 


=fc 


Scale  In  Miles. 

K>0  150 


-  Denotes  Constructed  Railway . 
"  Located  Railway  Line. 
'  Reconnaissance  »     » 


LEGEND. 
uz&3    Denotes  Placer  Gold 
2<  "         Quartz  - 

r    ^l       "       Copper. 


SOUTH-CENTRAL  ALASKA    SHOWING   RELATION   OF   RAILWAYS   TO    MINERAL  DEPOSITS. 


sold  at  a  foreclosure  sale  at  New  York  on  October  18.  The 
purchasers  will  then  have  a  clear  title  to  the  property.  It 
was  thought  that  the  United  States  Smelting,  Refining  &  Min- 
ing Co.,  which  has  spent  a  great  deal  of  money  on  the  mine, 
would  be  the  buyer. 

Commenting  on  the  present  situ- 
ation of  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  Co., 
the  Boston  News  Bureau  says  that 
it  seems  to  be  the  settled  convic- 
tion of  those  closest  to  the  manage- 
ment, that  for  several  months  at 
least  nothing  need  be  expected  in 
the  way  of  operating  returns  better 
than  those  now  being  reported. 
During  the  first  10  days  of  Septem- 
ber the  average  assay-value  of  the 
ore  was  $1.51  per  ton,  but  for  the 
entire  month  the  average  dropped 
to  $1.30  per  ton,  indicating  rather 
poor  results  for  the  last  20  days. 
There  is  a  large  accumulation  of 
low-grade  ore  broken  in  the  upper- 
level  stopes,  and  this  material  must 
be  removed  and  milled — as  there 
is  a  small  profit  in  the  operation — 
before  opportunity  is  given  for 
opening  stopes  in  the  lower  levels 
in  a  manner  which  it  is  believed 
will  yield  a  larger  return  per  ton 
of  ore  treated.  Officials  of  the  com- 
pany are  convinced  that  the  orig- 
inal scheme  of  opening  the  stopes 
was  a  mistake,  in  that  it  resulted 
in  an  excessive  caving  of  the  hang- 
ing-wall material,  which  was  low 
in  grade;  but  as  there  is  over  2,000,- 
000  tons  of  this  low-grade  ore  al- 
ready broken  in  the  upper  levels, 
some  time  must  elapse  before  any 
new  scheme  of  mining  can  be  put 
into  effect.  The  new  plan  of  ore 
extraction  will  probably  involve  an 
additional  cost  of  5c.  per  ton.  All 
construction  work  at  the  property 
has  been  completed.  Present  indi- 
cations, however,  are  that  the  mine 
will  never  be  able  to  treat  the  ex- 
pected tonnage  of  ore  that  will 
yield  $1.75  per  ton,  so  that  early 
estimates  as  to  prospective  profits 
must  be  revised  downward. 


'  Denotes  CoahBearing  Area. 
"      Petroleum  Seepage. 


sists  of  210  pages  of  profusely  illustrated  data,  describing  the 
route  of  the  line  now  under  construction.  There  are  in  a 
separate  pocket  IS  large  maps.  A  great  deal  of  interesting 
matter  deals  with  railroad  construction  and  difficulties  en- 
countered. Resources  and  towns  of  the  country  tributary  to 
the  line  are  detailed.  Alaskan  residents  should  secure  a  copy 
of  this  report. 

Juneau.     Shares  of  the  Ebner  Gold  Mining  Co.  were  to  be 


ARIZONA 

Celestite  and  strontianite,  the  strontium  sulphate  and  stron- 
tium carbonate  respectively,  are  discussed  by  F.  L.  Culin,  Jr., 
in  Bulletin  35  of  the  Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines.  Strontium 
salts  are  used  at  beet  sugar  refineries,  fireworks,  and  in  medi- 
cine. The  metal  belongs  to  the  same  group  as  calcium  and 
barium.  The  minerals  are  found  in  limestone  and  gypsum. 
The  demand  is  small  and  fluctuating,  and  high-grade  ore  re- 
ceives only  $2.50  to  $4  per  ton.    In  Arizona,  15  miles  south  of 


610 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS- 


October  21,  1916 


Gila  Bend,  in  Maricopa  county,  celestite  occurs  in  sedimentary 
series  associated  with,  gypsum,  sandstone,  and  conglomerates. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Desert  Power  &  Water  Co. 
is  now  within  12  miles  of  Chloride  with  its  high-tension  line. 
Work  is  under  way  from  both  ends.    Two  hundred  houses  are 

wired. The   Schenectady   is   putting  in   a   compressor   and 

drills. Rich  copper  ore  has  been  found  in  the  Weaver  dis- 
trict by  George  W.  Lynch;  also  on  adjoining  claims  by  W.  C. 

Richings  and  C.  E.  Southworth. The  Keystone  found  rich 

ore  on  the  300-ft.  level.  There  is  nearly  8  ft.  of  shipping  ore 
on  that  level. The  Hidden  Treasure  has  just  finished  in- 
stalling a  compressor  and  drills.  It  has  300  ft.  more  to  drive 
through  granite  to  cut  the  large  vein  at  a  depth  of  500  ft.  W. 
B.  Twitchell  of  Ray  is  one  of  the  principal  owners. Con- 
centrates at  the  Arizona  Butte  assay  12  oz.  silver,  66%  lead, 

and  $45  gold  per  ton.    The  new  mill  is  working  perfectly. 

Senator  Guggenheim  is  about  to  take  over  the  Golden  Ham- 
mer, which  has  a  splendid  showing.  The  adit  opened  the  vein 
for  400  ft. Burros  are  being  used  to  pack  an  initial  ship- 
ment of  250  tons  from  the  Black  Jack  to  the  railroad  here. 

Ore  exceeds  $100  per  ton. The  Guggenheims  have  completed 

sampling  the  Payroll,  and  it  is  understood  that  the  deal  is 

about  closed. The  Georgia  Mining  Co.  has  started  sinking, 

and  is  down  100  ft.    Driving  will  commence  at  300  ft. Molly 

Gibson-Chloride  is  being  unwatered  and  the  shaft  repaired; 
likewise  the  Hercules  and  Distaff. 

Chloride,  October  10. 

Clifton.  In  Economic  Geology  for  August-September,  Louis 
E.  Reber,  Jr.,  discusses  mineralization  in  the  Clifton-Morenci 
district.  The  paper  covers  45  pages,  and  is  well  illustrated, 
especially  with  micro-photographs.  Most  of  the  ore-minerals 
occur  in  disseminated  particles  or  veinlets  in  porphyry,  though 
usually  associated  with  some  larger  veins;  and  the  orebodies 
owe  their  commercial  value  to  chalcocitization  by  the  process 
of  secondary  enrichment.  The  country  rocks  are  pre-Cambrian 
granite,  Paleozoic  and  Cretaceous  sediments,  and  the  younger 
intrusives. 

Rat.  Reserves  of  the  Ray  Hercules  mine  are  now  estimated 
as  10,000,000  tons  of  24%  copper  ore.  At  a  depth  of  675  ft. 
native  copper  has  been  seen  in  good  quantities.  The  shaft  is 
being  deepened  at  the  rate  of  5  ft.  daily.  Three  churn-drills 
are  prospecting.  A  2000-ton  mill  has  been  ordered  instead  of 
1000  tons'  capacity  as  formerly  contemplated. 

ARKANSAS 

Yei.lville.  The  output  of  zinc  ore  during  September  was 
regular,  and  totaled  80  carloads. 

CALIFORNIA 

There  have  been  550  new  oil-wells  started  in  California 
since  the  first  of  this  year,  according  to  reports  made  by  oper- 
ators to  the  State  Mining  Bureau.  The  report  for  the  week 
ended  October  7  shows  eleven  new  wells,  about  equally  dis- 
tributed between  the  San  Joaquin  and  Southern  fields.  Eight- 
een wells  were  reported  ready  to  test  for  water  shut-off,  3  to 
deepen  or  re-drill,  and  4  abandonments.  The  first  annual 
report  of  State  oil  and  gas  supervisor,  R.  P.  McLaughlin, 
covering  the  past  fiscal  year,  has  been  compiled  for  the  State 
Printer  and  will  shortly  be  ready  for  distribution.  It  will  con- 
tain a  financial  statement  and  summary  of  the  work  done  by 
the  Department,  together  with  a  detailed  list  of  all  wells 
passed  on.  The  report  explains  general  methods  that  must 
be  followed  by  oil  operators  in  order  to  protect  their  lands 
and  extract  the  maximum  amount  of  oil,  special  mention 
being  made  of  the  concerns  at  present  following  such  methods. 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  has  issued  C.  G.  Tale's  'Mines 
Report'  of  40  pages  on  the  gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  and  zinc 
output  of  California  during  1915.  From  60S  mines,  from 
which    3,002.779    tons    of   ore   was    extracted,    the    yield    was 


$22,442,296  gold,  1,678,756  oz.  silver,  40,751,625  lb.  copper,  4,579,- 
245  lb.  lead,  and  13,094,032  lb.  of  zinc.  The  total  value  was 
$32,263,844.  All  totals  were  considerable  gains,  while  the 
value  was  $6,553,199  more. 

Alleghany.  There  are  now  50  stamps  crushing  ore  on 
Kanaka  creek,  the  10  head  at  the  El  Dorado  being  the  newest. 

Forbestown.  An  Italian  syndicate  is  reported  to  have 
bought  12  claims  lying  north-west  of  the  old  Gold  Bank  mine. 
An  adit  is  to  be  driven  from  the  south  fork  of  the  Feather 

river  to  explore  the  ground. At  the  Southern  Cross  mine, 

owned  by  Rosenthal   of  San  Francisco,  a  flotation  test-plant 

is  at  work. The  Carlisle  mine  is  being  drained  in  charge  of 

Mr.  Miller. Activity  is  in  progress  at  the  Campbell,  Denver, 

and  Forbestown  Consolidated  mines. 

Georgetown.  The  Georgia  Slide  mine  is  to  be  further  de- 
veloped, and  it  is  proposed  to  erect  a  plant  to  treat  a  large 
quantity  of  hydraulic  tailing  in  Canyon  creek. 

It  is  said  that  the  company  working  the  Georgia  Slide 
mine  is  unwatering  the  Beebe  mine,  situated  within  the  town 
boundary. 

Jackson.  The  strike  will  result  in  a  reduction  of  gold  out- 
put from  Amador  county,  even  compared  with  1914,  if  it  lasts 
much  longer.  In  1915,  22  mines  produced  gold  worth  $3,903,- 
969  from  819,550  tons  of  ore,  an  average  of  $4.76  per  ton.  This 
was  a  gain  of  1SS.705  tons  and  $812,123  compared  with  1914. 

Kennett.  The  three-mile  aerial  tram  from  the  Stowell  mine 
to  the  terminal  of  the  Balaklala  mine  has  been  completed  by 
the  Mammoth  Copper  Co.  Ore  can  now  be  sent  from  the 
Stowell  to  Coram  over  the  tram,  then  to  the  smelter  at  Ken- 
nett by  rail. 

Nevada  City.  When  the  Alaska  mine  opens  next  spring 
W.  S.  Schuyler  proposes  to  drive  an  adit  one  mile  long,  start- 
ing on  Oregon  creek.  This  work  will  be  cheaper  than  drain- 
ing and  opening  the  mine  by  a  shaft. 

Ogilby.  The  American  Girl  mine,  controlled  by  wealthy 
Pasadena  people,  including  Dr.  R.  Schiffmann,  is  said  to  con- 
tain large  low-grade  orebodies,  and  is  extensively  developed  to 
a  depth  of  700  ft.  A  modern  150-ton  mill,  after  considerable 
re-modeling,  was  successfully  operating  when  the  mine  was 
flooded  by  a  cloud-burst  which  ripped  the  timbers  out  of  the 
shaft  and  filled  most  of  the  workings  with  stope-flllings. 
Shares  of  the  company  had  already  been  issued  at  par,  and 
no  less  than  nine  assessments  of  10%  were  then  levied  in 
order  to  again  put  the  mine  in  shape  and  continue  develop- 
ment. An  expensive  arrangement  was  also  constructed  to  pre- 
vent a  similar  occurrence  damaging  the  property.  The  share- 
holders do  not  number  more  than  twenty,  and  this  method  of 
practically  doubling  the  capitalization  was  met  without  re- 
quiring outside  aid.  Owing,  however,  to  the  mine  developing 
into  a  large  low-grade  property  requiring  extensive  further 
development,  no  doubt  it  was  considered  advisable  to  sell  to 
Eastern  capital  or  to  undertake  some  drastic  scheme  of  re- 
financing. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  option  of  W.  J.  Loring  and 
associates  on  the  Hardenberg  mine,  situated  near  the  Moke- 
lumne  river,  3*  miles  south  of  Jackson,  dated  from  September 
1,  but  work  has  been  delayed  on  account  of  the  strike  in 
Amador  county.  The  property  consists  of  41  acres,  and  covers 
the  lode  for  a  distance  of  2120  ft.  along  its  strike.  The  new 
vertical  shaft  is  on  a  'saddle'  between  two  hills,  about  1000 
ft.  above  sea-level.  The  mill  is  on  the  hill-side  below  the 
shaft-collar.  It  is  said  that  this  was  one  of  the  first  quartz- 
gold  mines  to  be  operated  in  California.  The  old  mill  had 
stamps  with  wood  stems.  In  1893  a  shaft  was  sunk  600  ft. 
About  that  year  C.  D.  Lane  and  Alvinza  Hayward  took  an  op- 
tion on  the  mine.  From  April  1S94  to  1895  there  was  treated 
2100  tons  of  $4.19  ore.  F.  G.  Martin,  manager  of  the  Utica 
Mining  Co.  at  Angels  was  then  in  charge,  and  attributes  the 
suspension  of  work  to  the  disinclination  of  Hayward  to  spend 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


611 


more  money  on  the  property,  being  then  heavily  involved 
elsewhere.  From  1S95  to  April  1911  the  mine  was  idle,  when 
the  Hardenberg  Mining  Co.  took  it  over.  The  new  vertical 
shaft  was  sunk  and  gold  was  extracted  until  1914.  The  vein 
occurs  at  or  near  a  contact  between  the  amphibolite  schist  on 
the  east,  and  the  Mariposa  slates  on  the  west.  The  shoot  is 
from  2  to  12  ft.  wide  of  white  quartz,  a  little  quartz  and  slate 
being  on  the  foot-wall.  Between  February  1,  1913,  and  1914 
records  show  that  26.47S  tons  yielded  $57,029  by  amalgamation 
and  $S941  by  concentration.  The  Hardenberg  company  made 
no  profit,  but  opened  a  shoot  that  assayed  $6.10  per  ton.  Phys- 
ical conditions  were  not  suitable  for  economic  mining  and  the 
ore  was  not  mined  clean.  Machinery  installed  is  worth  over 
$15,000,  and  permanent  improvements  cost  over  $30,000.  With- 
out the  risk  of  losing  much  money  the  property  is  worth  re- 
opening. James  F.  Parks,  superintendent  of  the  Plymouth 
Consolidated,  is  in  charge.  Thus  another  chapter  is  being 
added  to  the  re-opening  of  old  mines  along  the  Mother  Lode. 

Plymouth,  October  6. 

Pobtola.  The  Walker  company  is  to  erect  a  hydro-electric 
plant,  utilizing  water  from  tributaries  of  the  Feather  river. 
The  head  will  be  514  ft.,  developing  1165  h.p.  The  company  is 
employing  125  men  at  its  mine  and  mill. 

COLORADO 

According  to  the  State  mining  commissioner,  Fred  Carroll, 
350   new   mining  companies   have   been   incorporated   in   this 


MAP    OF   COLOEADO. 

State  since  the  beginning  of  the  year.  The  1916  mineral  out- 
put will  exceed  that  of  1915  by  25%. 

Bbeckenkidge.  On  October  1  the  Wellington  Mines  Co.  paid 
No.  12  dividend,  equal  to  $200,000,  making  $600,000  for  the 
year.  Both  mills  are  working  full  time,  producing  2500  tons  of 
concentrate  in  September. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  new  flotation  plant  of  the 
Vindicator  Consolidated  is  expected  to  be  in  full  operation  at 
an  early  date.    The  daily  capacity  will  be  500  tons. 

During  September  the  Roosevelt  drainage-tunnel  was  ad- 
vanced 456  ft.  The  flow  from  the  portal  is  9650  gal.  per 
minute.  The  heading  is  now  in  the  Comstock  lode,  about  1751 
ft.  north-east  from  the  Elkton  main  shaft. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  United  Gold 
Mines  Co.  the  following  officers  were  elected:  president,  A.  E. 
Carlton;  vice-president,  H.  McGarry;  secretary-treasurer,  Ray 
Wilson,  and  superintendent,  S.  J.  Russell. 

It  is  reported  that  exploration  in  the  Cresson  mine  has 
opened  the  downward  extension  of  the  rich  vug  that  yielded 
over  $1,000,000  about  two  years  ago.    A  special  meeting  of  the 


shareholders  of  the  Cresson  Consolidated  has  been  called  for 
November  7. 

Cripple  Creek,  October  9. 

Salida.  The  Standard  Chemical  Co.  is  to  put  on  250  miners 
to  resume  extraction  of  carnotite  or  radium-bearing  ore  in 
Paradox  valley. 

IDAHO 

Burke.  The  Sherman  Development  Co.  has  snlarged  and 
straightened  its  ISOO-ft.  adit  to  allow  of  a  horse  being  em- 
ployed to  haul  cars.    The  adit  is  now  being  extended. 

Enaville.  The  150-ton  mill  of  the  Empire  Copper  Mining 
Co.  on  the  little  north  fork  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  river  is  to 
be  doubled  in  capacity,  according  to  A.  J.  Devlia,  vice-presi- 
dent. Power  is  supplied  by  the  Washington  Water  Power  Co. 
A  22-drill  compressor  was  recently  installed,  also  a  filter-press 
to  reduce  moisture  in  concentrate  to  10%.  The  concentrate 
goes  to  Trail,  B.  C,  at  a  cost  of  $8.50  per  ton  for  freight  and 
treatment.  Sixty  men  are  employed.  Three  adits  have  opened 
long  ore-shoots,  the  copper-content  being  from  3  to  5%. 

Wallace.  Negotiations  are  pending  for  the  purchase  of  the 
holdings  of  the  Portland  Mining  Co.,  consisting  of  the  Sitting 
Bull,  Silver  Tip,  Mule  Deer,  and  Red  Dragon  claims  in  the 
Beaver  Creek  district,  by  the  Sunshine  Mining  Co.,  which 
also  is  endeavoring  to  secure  the  Parrot  claim.  The  Sunshine 
company  is  controlled  by  the  Day  brothers. 

ILLINOIS 

Rosiclaee.  Labor  troubles  at  the  Rosiclare  Lead  and  Fluor- 
spar Mining  companies'  properties  are  holding-up  85%  of  the 
fluorspar  production  of  the  United  States.  Some  violence  is 
reported,  and  the  Governor  has  investigated. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  Copper  production  for  this  year  will  be  fully 
280,000,000  lb.  If  labor  were  sufficient  the  total  would  be 
20,000,000  lb.  more. 

Savings  deposits  in  this  region  are  the  largest  in  its  history 
and  six  times  those  of  three  years  ago,  totaling  $19,000,000. 

Early  next  month  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  will  use  flotation  in 
a  small  way  as  part  of  its  treatment. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Zinc  ore  prices  were  steady  but  featureless  during 
the  past  week,  the  range  being  from  $45  to  $65  per  ton  for 
60%  metal-content.  There  was  a  shortage  of  electric  power 
for  all  work.  The  Oklahoma  districts  continue  to  turn-in  large 
quantities  of  concentrates.  The  region  output  was  6984  tons 
of  blende,  841  tons  of  calamine,  and  762  tons  of  lead,  averag- 
ing $56,  $42,  and  $74  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value 
was  $478,641. 

A  250-ton  mill  is  to  be  built  for  the  Eaglewood  Mining  Co. 
near  Belville. 

The  new  400-ton  mill  of  the  A.  R.  G.  Mining  Co.  north  of 
Duenweg  started  work  last  week. 

NEVADA 

In  Bulletin  640-F  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Henry  G. 
Ferguson  describes  the  Golden  Arrow,  Clifford,  and  Ellendale 
districts  of  Nye  county.  The  Clifford  district  is  35  miles  east 
of  Tonopah,  on  the  road  to  Ely.  Neither  area  has  produced 
much  ore;  Ellendale  is  abandoned.  The  formations  belong 
to  the  class  of  shallow-vein  deposits  in  which  the  mineraliza- 
tion followed  closely  the  extrusion  of  lavas.  The  gold-silver 
ores  are  in  close  association  with  andesite. 

Mina.  Thirty  miles  from  this  place  the  Olympia  Mines 
Co.  is  operating  the  Royal  George  gold  mine.  Reserves  of  $30 
ore  are  estimated  at  $1,500,000.    A  50-ton  mill  is  being  erected. 

Tonopah.     Last  week  10   mines   produced  a  total   of   8602 


612 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


tons  of  ore  valued  at  $170,776.  The  Belmont  contributed  2945 
tons;  Tonopah  Mining,  900;  Extension,  2380;  Jim  Butler, 
100;  West  End,  695;  Rescue,  219;  Midway,  77;  Halifax,  158; 
North  Star,  66;  Montana,  36;  and  miscellaneous,  26  tons. 
Silver  shipments  were  $132,370  by  the  Belmont,  $50,640  by  the 
West  End,  and  $79,300  by  the  Extension.  The  West  End  pays 
5c.  per  share  on  October  24;  this  equals  $89,546. 

NEW    MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — At  the  Pacific  mine  a  34-ft.  vein 
has  been  cut  on  the  600-ft.  level.  The  head-frame  and  loading- 
bins  for  the  wire-rope  tramway  are  about  completed. 

The  Socorro  M.  &  M.  Co.  has  eliminated  concentrating 
tables  in  its  mill  and  will  turn  all  of  its  product  into  bullion. 
The  change  has  effected  an  increased  recovery.  The  plant 
treats  230  tons  of  ore  daily. 

The  new  3-compartment  shaft  of  Mogollon  Mines  Co.  has 
reached  a  depth  of  950  ft.  Ore-pockets  and  sump  are  being 
cut,  and  development  will  be  started  from  both  the  800  and 
900-ft.  levels.  This  mine  has  been  producing  steadily  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  from  a  block  of  ground  2000  ft.  long  by 
700  ft.  high  has  yielded  upwards  of  $6,000,000  in  gold  and 
silver.  This  new  development  will  open  virgin  ground,  and 
undoubtedly  will  add  large  reserves  to  the  property. 

The  Oaks  company  has  been  packing  ore  to  custom  mill  all 
the  week  from  development  on  the  Clifton  and  Eberle  mines. 

Mogollon,  October  10. 

OREGON 

The  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  has  issued  C.  G.  Tale's  'Mines 
Report'  of  11  pages  on  the  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  lead  output 
of  Oregon  during  1915.  A  total  of  95  mines,  from  which  155,- 
791  tons  of  ore  was  extracted,  was  $1,861,796  gold,  117,947  oz. 
silver,  451,172  lb.  copper,  and  62,957  lb.  lead.  The  total  value 
was  $2,003,509.  There  was  a  decrease  of  10  producers,  but  all 
metals  save  silver  increased,  the  value  being  $327,356  more 
than  in  1914. 

Sumptee.  Mining  operations  will  be  resumed  at  the  Cougar 
mine  in  the  next  30  days,  according  to  C.  C.  Robbins,  secre- 
tary-treasurer of  the  United  Gold  Mining  Co.  of  Spokane, 
which  recently  purchased  the  property  from  the  former  own- 
ers. The  old  mill  is  being  re-modeled.  A  2^-miIe  pipe-line  is 
being  laid  to  provide  water  for  power  and  milling  purposes.- 
As  soon  as  these  betterments  are  completed  production  will 
begin.  The  former  operators  of  the  property  did  not  make  a 
success  because  the  concentrating  system  employed  was  not 
suited  to  the  peculiar  character  of  the  ore.  Exhaustive  tests 
of  different  systems  have  been  made,  and  a  satisfactory  re- 
covery is  possible  by  finer  grinding  before  cyanidation.  The 
former  management  used  cyanide,  but  did  not  reduce  the  ore 
sufficiently  to  get  the  desired  results.  The  plant  has  a  capacity 
of  125  tons,  provided  by  two  5  by  8-ft.  tube-mills  and  five  20-ft. 
cyanide  tanks.  About  $150,000  had  been  expended  on  devel- 
opment and  improvement  up  to  the  time  the  new  company 
bought  the  property.  About  5000  ft.  of  work  had  been  done  on 
the  vein,  blocking-out  100,000  tons  of  ore  worth  over  $1,000,- 
000.  The  engineer  who  supplied  these  figures  took  176  sam- 
ples, and  in  assaying  and  calculating  the  total  value  he 
eliminated  all  values  above  $20  per  ton.  It  has  been  esti- 
mated that  34,000  tons  above  the  first  and  second  levels  has  an 
average  of  $14  per  ton.  The  calculated  cost  of  stoping  and 
milling  is  $3.  The  shoot  is  continuous  for  1100  ft.,  and  has  a 
back  of  390  ft.  at  its  interior  extremity.  Another  $1,000,000 
will  be  added  to  the  resources  by  driving  an  adit  100  ft.  below 
the  upper  block  if  the  ore  continues.  This  adit  is  now  in 
500  feet. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — It  is  reported  here  that  Pachuca 
in  Mexico  has  been  taken  by  the  reactionists.  Communica- 
tion with  Mexico  City  was  cut.    The  mines  will  have  to  close 


shortly  on  account  of  shortage  of  cyanide.  At  El  Oro  all  the 
mills  were  at  work  save  that  of  the  El  Oro  company.  No 
mines  are  being  operated  in  the  Zacatecas  or  Guanajuato  dis- 
tricts. The  general  opinion  in  Mexico  City  is  that  the  Con- 
stitutionalist government  will  be  finally  overcome  by  the  many 
revolutionary  forces  forming  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Various  pestilences  are  killing  three  or  four  times  as  many 
people  as  bullets. 
Laredo,  October  1. 

UTAH 

Alta.  It  is  reported  that  the  mining  companies  of  the  Big 
Cottonwood  district  are  considering  the  improvement  of  roads 
between  their  mines  and  Park  City  for  handling  of  ore  to  the 
latter  instead  of  down  the  canyon.  Early  in  November  the 
new  Alta-Cottonwood  railway  is  expected  to  be  finished. 

Three  shifts  are  driving  the  Alta  Tunnel  &  Transportation 
Co.'s  adit,  which  is  now  in  over  2000  ft.,  two  shifts  drilling 
and  the  third  cleaning  out.  A  suction-fan  at  the  portal  im- 
proves ventilation  considerably. 

Bingham.  The  Utah  Consolidated  company  is  paying  quart- 
erly dividends  of  75c.  per  share,  and  will  close  the  current  year 
with  $3,000,000  cash  and  quick  assets.  In  1910  it  was  reported 
that  the  mine  was  nearly  worked  out,  but  in  the  five  years 
following  the  ouput  from  l,OS0,264  tons  of  ore  was  39,799,987 
lb.  copper,  63,620,2S0  lb.  lead,  1,424,512  oz.  silver,  and  79,859  oz. 
gold.    Dividends  totaled  $8.50  per  share. 

Gold  Hill.  The  Western  Pacific  is  to  construct  a  41-mile 
railway  into  Deep  Creek,  from  Wendover  to  this  place  in 
Tooele  county,  where  the  Western  Utah  Copper  Co.  is  working. 

Park  Citt.  Thirteen  mines  in  this  district  shipped  a  total 
of  6443  tons  of  ore  and  concentrate  during  September. 

Salt  Lake  City.  The  Utah  Copper  Co.  expects  to  have  its 
leaching  plant  at  work  within  two  months.  Good  progress  is 
being  made  at  the  acid  plant  and  improvements  in  the  mills. 

WASHINGTON 

Hunters.  The  Chloride  Hill  Mining  Co.,  capitalized  at 
1,000,000  $1  shares,  has  been  organized  by  Spokane  men  to 
take  over  and  develop  the  old  Santiago  silver  mine,  on  the 
Columbia  river,  two  miles  from  this  place  in  Stevens  county. 
E.  G.  Ross  is  president  and  R.  B.  McClary  secretary-treasurer. 
The  property  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  county,  and  was 
fairly  well  developed  by  former  owners.  Because  of  lack  of 
transportation  facilities,  the  high  cost  of  freight  and  treat- 
ment charges,  and  the  low  price  of  silver,  the  property  was 
abandoned  several  years  ago,  except  that  enough  work  was 
done  each  year  to  cover  assessment  requirements.  Dumps 
contain'  10,000  tons  of  ore.  The  lode  contains  a  high-grade 
shoot. 

Northport.  As  deep  development  of  the  Great  Western  and 
Last  Chance  mines  near  here  have  been  a  disappointment,  the 
Norman  Mines  Co.  is  to  suspend  work.  About  $25,000  of  zinc 
carbonate  ore  was  shipped  to  Eastern  smelters,  but  the  shoot 
showed  no  persistence  with  depth. 

Republic.  During  the  quarter  ended  September  30-  the 
Knob  Hill  Mining  Co.  received  $17,708  from  42  cars  of  ore  sent 
to  Trail,  B.  C.  It  cost  $10,569  to  mine  and  treat  this  ore. 
There  was  $5194  paid  on  the  Alpine  claim,  which  has  good 
promise.    The  cash  balance  is  $6713. 

WYOMING 

Cody.  A  cave  of  high-quality  sulphur  has  been  broken  into 
at  the  Midwest  Sulphur  Co.'s  mine.  The  walls  are  lined  with 
42  to  4S  in.  of  sulphur  of  99%  purity.  Present  profits  are 
$2000  monthly.  An  initial  dividend  of  1%  was  paid  on 
October  1.  At  present  prices  the  ore  in  the  quarry  is  worth 
$750,000,  and  that  in  new  ground  $1,000,000.  The  net  value  is 
$454,000.    The  production  cost  is  $13  per  ton  of  sulphur. 


October  21,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


613 


CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Grand  Forks.  During  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  the 
Granby  Consolidated  Mining,  Smelting  &  Power  Co.  produced 
■I2.19S.0S3  lb.  copper,  44.84S  oz.  gold,  and  4S7.S45  oz.  silver, 
against  26,638,912  lb.,  31,388  oz.  and  377.S81  oz.,  respectively. 
The  tonnage  reduced  last  year  was  1,897,251  tons,  against 
1.098,020  tons  in  the  previous  year.  The  Anyox  plant  re- 
duced S22.919  tons.  The  matte  is  sent  to  Grand  Forks  for 
conversion  into  blister  copper.  Reserves  total  9,947,000  tons  of 
2  to  2J%,  3,718,000  tons  of  1  to  1*%,  and  9,491,000  tons  of  less 
than  1%  copper-content,  a  total  of  23,156,000  tons.  Develop- 
ment at  Phoenix  did  not  replace  the  ore  mined  by  721,409 
tons;  at  Anyox  there  was  an  increase  of  1S2.S33  tons  over  that 
extracted.  Costs  were  reduced  from  10.09  to  8.54c.  per  lb. 
Sales  of  metals  amounted  to  $9,299,337,  more  than  double  that 
in  1914-'15.  The  profit  was  $3,S19,295,  nearly  four  times  larger. 
Dividends  were  $S99,911.  The  surplus  is  $2,919,3S4,  compared 
with  $929,168. 

Silverton.  From  settlements  of  silver-lead  and  zinc  con- 
centrates in  September  the  Standard  company  made  a  profit 
of  $53,399.  The  revenue  was  $SS,S63.  The  balance  on  August 
31  was  $287,662. 

Ymir.  For  the  sum  of  $75,000  the  Canadian  Pacific  claims 
of  Edward  Peters  and  others  are  to  be  sold  to  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Victoria  and  New  York  partners.  Four  veins  contain  good 
value  in  gold  and  silver. 

Ontario 

One  of  the  largest  known  deposits  of  barite  is  that  of  the 
Premier  Langmuir  Mining  Co.  of  Toronto,  J.  A.  Mcintosh 
president.  The  mine  is  on  Night  Hawk  lake,  reached  by  water 
from  Connaught  station.  Fifty  thousand  tons  is  the  estimated 
quantity.    Native  silver  is  found  with  the  barite. 

Porcupine.  During  September  the  Dome  mill  treated  38,300 
tons  of  $4.6S  ore.  Costs  were  76c.  for  mining,  60c.  for  devel- 
opment, 10c.  for  crushing,  82c.  for  treatment,  and  31c.  for 
general  expenses. 

KOREA 

During  August  the  Oriental  Consolidated  treated  25,210  tons 
of  ore  for  bullion  worth  $128,751.  Generally  everything  is 
working  well. 

The  Seoul  Mining  Co.,  operating  the  Suan  concession  in 
Whang  Hai  province,  reports  a  total  recovery  of  $128,065  in 
September. 


!p£irg©mH 


Note:    The  Editor  iinitrs  mcmbrrs  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  ami  appointments.     This  iufonnation  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


At  the  monthly  meeting  of  the  San  Francisco  Section  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  held  on  October  10, 
the  following  resolution  was  passed  unanimously: 

Resolved:  That  it  is  the  sense  of  the  San  Francisco  Section 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  that  Paper 
No.  150,  by  Wm.  H.  Shockley,  entitled :  'The  Economic  and 
Social  Influence  of  Mining  with  Special  Reference  to  the 
United  States,'  as  finally  revised  by  him,  gives  evidence  of 
wide  reading  and  careful  study,  is  manifestly  temperate  in 
tone,  and  his  findings  are  chiefly  based  upon  authoritative 
publications  which  are  cited,  and  should  have  been  accepted 
as  a  contribution  to  the  Transactions  of  the  International 
Engineering  Congress,  with  the  full  consent  and  approval  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  as  part  of  that 
Congress,  and  that  the  action  of  the  directors  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  in  censoring  the  publication 
of  that  paper  is  unwarrantable,  in  that  the  part  of  Mr. 
Shockley's  paper  apparently  offensive  to  the  Anthracite  Sec- 
tion of  our  Institute  is  but  a  citation  from  official  documents, 
authorized  by  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Government 
of  the  United  States,  the  conclusion  therefrom  being  his  own, 
and  frankly  so  stated. 


F.  F.  Bostwick  is  at  New  York. 

John  W.  Finch  has  gone  to  China. 

O.  B.  Perry  is  here  on  his  return  from  the  Yukon. 

John  Seward  has  been  examining  mines  in  Ontario. 

H.  D.  Griffiths  has  returned  to  London  from  Burma. 

S.  M.  Soupcoff  has  returned  to  Pittsburg  from  Alaska. 

John  F.  Cowan,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  is  at  Tucson,  Arizona. 

Deane  P.  Mitchell  is  expected  here  shortly,  from  London. 

R.  W.  Atwater  has  been  on  a  visit  to  the  Coeur  d'Alene, 
Idaho. 

Robert  B.  Brinsmade  has  returned  from  St.  Louis  to  Puebla, 
Mexico. 

J.  B.  Tyrrell  has  been  inspecting  the  Rice  Lake  goldfield, 
in  Manitoba. 

W.  C.  Seagraves  has  resigned  as  manager  of  the  Kennecott 
mine,  Alaska. 

H.  H.  Knox  has  gone  from  New  York  to  London,  on  his 
way  to  Siberia. 

J.  Volney  Lewis  has  returned  from  Alaska  to  New  Bruns- 
wick, New  Jersey. 

H.  Foster  Bain  sails  by  the  Empress  of  Japan  from  Van- 
couver on  November  2. 

A.  E.  Drucker  has  moved  his  office  from  London  to  1502 
Pacific  street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

E.  CoppEfi  Thurston  has  left  London  and  will  reside  in 
California,  probably  at  Berkeley. 

V.  A.  Hast  has  been  appointed  manager  of  the  Walker 
copper  mine  at  Portola,  California. 

J.  J.  MacDonald  is  making  a  two  months'  professional  trip 
to  Chicago,  New  York,  and  the  East. 

K.  C.  Li  has  been  appointed  president  of  the  Hunan  lead 
smelting  works  by  the  Hunan  Mining  Board. 

B.  L.  Thane,  manager  for  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  Co.,  has 
been  in  San  Francisco,  on  his  way  to  New  York. 

Willakd  S.  Morse  is  at  Chuquicamata,  Chile,  where  his  ad- 
dress is  care  Chile  Exploration  Co.,  via  Antofagasta. 

C.  O.  Lindberg  of  Los  Angeles  has  been  examining  zinc 
mines  in  the  Kootenay  district  of  British  Columbia. 

Edwin  E.  Chase  and  son  have  started  for  the  Granby  dis- 
trict, British  Columbia,  where  they  will  be  until  November  1. 

D'Arcy  Weatherbe  is  at  Toronto,  having  traveled  through 
Trans-Caucasia,  Persia,  the  Altai,  and  Korea.  He  will  proceed 
to  London  early  in  November. 

Frederick  Bradshaw,  manager  for  the  Tonopah.  Belmont 
Development  Co.,  has  been  to  the  Surf  Inlet  mine,  on  an  island 
off  the  coast  of  British  Columbia. 

W.  A.  Carlyle  is  a  director  for  the  British-America  Nickel 
Corporation.  He  went  to  Butte  recently  to  engage  E.  P. 
Mathewson  as  general  manager. 

J.  H.  Garry  and  R.  J.  King,  of  the  Tonopah  Belmont  Devel- 
opment Co.,  were  recently  at  Prince  Rupert,  British  Columbia, 
on  their  way  to  Surf  Inlet  on  Princess  Royal  island. 

Edwin  Higgins  has  resigned  from  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines  and  California  Industrial  Accident  Commission  to  open 
an  office  in  San  Francisco  as  safety  and  efficiency  engineer. 

V.  E.  Lednicky  has  been  appointed  chief  geologist  of  the 
Philippine  Bureau  of  Science.  Mr.  Lednicky  is  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Kansas  and  during  the  past  two  years  has 
been  connected  with  the  Bureau  of  Science  as  mining  engineer. 


The  Western  Branch  of  the  Canadian  Mining  Institute  has 
been  definitely  arranged  to  meet  at  Trail,  B.  C,  on  Thursday, 
October  26.    E.  Jacobs  is  secretary  at  Victoria. 


614 


MINING  and  Scientific 


PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  17. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 11.50 

Electrolytic   copper,    cents    per   pound 29.25 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound :  .  7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce $90 — 94 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb 78 

Spelter,   cents  per   pound 12 

Tin,  cents  per  pound 42 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound   20 

Quicksilver  bulletin  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  is  to  hand. 
In  19  pages  the  1915  history  of  the  metal  is  discussed. 


ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  17. 

Antimony:  50%  metal,  per  unit $1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesite:  crude,  per  ton    8.00 

Manganese:  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired)  ...  .14.00  and  up 
Tungsten:  60%  WO,  per  unit 17.00 

New  York,  October  11. 

Antimony:  The  demand  is  light  and  only  small  quantities 
have  moved,  these  bringing  $1.10  to  $1.25  per  unit,  according 
to  quality. 

Molybdenite:  For  this  mineral  there  is  a  good  export  demand, 
but  it  is  difficult  to  obtain.  Small  quantities  have  been  taken 
at  $1.50  to  $1.75  per  lb.  for  MoS„  contained. 

Tungsten:  Several  hundred  tons  have  changed  hands  at  $17 
per  unit.  Buyers  are  showing  more  confidence,  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  the  bottom  of  the  market  has  been  touched.  One 
contract  has  been  made  to  cover  all  of  1917,  the  price  being  $17. 
Other  contracts  on  the  same  basis  are  being  negotiated. 


EASTERN  METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
October  17. — Copper  is  dull  though  steady,  quotations  are  for 
prompt  metal;  lead  is  dull  and  unchanged;  spelter  is  quiet  and 
easy. 


SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Oct.     11 67.87 

"  12  Holiday 

"      13 67.87 

"      14 68.00 

"  15  Sunday 

"      16 68.25 

"      17 67.75 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.     5 67.67 

"      12 68.10 

"      19 68.31 

"      26 68.95 

Oct.       3 69.12 

"      10 67.83 

"      17 67.95 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 

Feb. 


1914. 
.57.58 
.57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 


The  past  week's  movements  do  not  indicate  weakness.  The 
tone  is  much  better  than  would  appear  from  the  reactions,  which 
are  small  and  of  short  duration.  China  exchanges  are  firm  and 
favorable  to  the  metal,  while  Indian  business  promises  well. 
American  supplies  to  London  remain  small. 

On  account  of  the  coming  holiday  season  it  is  expected  that 
the  United  States  Mint  will  buy  silver,  as  the  banks  always 
require  much  small  coin  30  days  before. 

Silver  valued  at  $136,000  was  sent  from  San  Francisco  to  the 
Orient  on  October  10. 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Oct.     11 


28.50 

12 28.50 

13 28.50 

14 28.50 

15  Sunday 

16 28.50 

17 28.50 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.     5 28.00 

"      12 28.06 

"      19 28.29 

"      26 28.41 

Oct.       3 28.56 

"      10 28.60 

"      17 28.50 


1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

July    . . 

...13.26 

19.09 

25.66 

14.38 

26.62 

Aug.    .  . 

...12.34 

17.27 

27.03 

14.80 

26.65 

Sept  .  . 

..  .12.02 

17.69 

28.28 

16.64 

28.02 

Oct.     .  . 

..  .11.10 

s17.90 

18.71 

29.02 

.  ..11.75 

18.88 

19.75 

27.47 

Dec.    . . 

.  ..12.75 

20.67 

Monthly  averages 

1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 

Braden   produced   2,970,000   lb. 
4,180.000;  Chile  Copper,  4,038,000; 

United  Verde  Extension  is  producing  3,000,000   lb.  per  month 
from  8000  to  8500  tons  of  ore. 

Shannon  is  paying  two  dividends  of  25c.  each  on  November  15. 

United  Verde  on  September  30  paid  75c.  per  share;  this  is  the 
fifteenth  consecutive   dividend   of  similar  amount. 

United  States  Smelting,  Refining  &  Mining  Co.  pays,  on  Octo- 
ber 14,  $1  per  share  on  common  and  87 %c.  on  preferred  stocks. 


in  September;  Arizona  Copper, 
Greene-Cananea,  4,900,000. 


LEAD 


Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound.  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Oct.     11. 


12 

13 

14 

15  Sunday 

16 

17 


7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 

7.00 
7.00 


Sept. 


Average  week  ending 


5. 
12. 
19. 
26. 

3. 
10. 
17. 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

.  3.94 

.  3.86 

.  3.90 

.  3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


191B. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 


July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 

Nov 3.68 

Dec 3.80 


1914. 
3.80 
3.86 
3.82 
3.60 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


6.67 
6.73 
.  6.80 
.  7.00 
.  7.08 
.  7.05 
.    7.00 

1916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Oct.     11. 


12 

13 

14 

15   Sunday 

16 

17 


9.75 
9.87 
9.87 
9.87 


Sept. 


Average  week  ending 


9.75 

9.75 

Monthly  averages 


8.87 
8.87 
9.46 
9.35 
9.31 
9.98 
9.81 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


1914. 
5.14 
5.22 
5.12 
4.98 
4.91 


June   4.84 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


1914. 

July    4.75 

Aug 4.75 

Sept 5.16 

Oct 4.75 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.18 


American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting  pays  $1.50  per  share  to  pre- 
ferred holders  on  November  1.  Absorption  of  the  Granby  com- 
pany is  about  completed. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 

Date.  I    Oct.       3 75.00 

Sept.  19 75.00  "      10 78.00 

'•      26 73.00    I        "      17 78.00 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

.  ..39.25 

51.90 

222.00 

July    .  . 

...37.50 

95.00 

81.20 

Feb.    . 

.  ..39.00 

60.00 

295.00 

Aug.    . 

.  ..80.00 

93.75 

74.50 

Mch.    . 

.  ..39.00 

78.00 

219.00 

Sept.  .  . 

.  ..76.25 

91.00 

75.00 

Apr.    . 

.  .  .38.90 

77.50 

141.60 

Oct.     . . 

.  ..53.00 

92.90 

May    . 

.  ..39.00 

75.00 

90.00 

.  ..55.00 

101.50 

June   . 

38.60 

90.00 

74.70 

Dec.    . 

53.10 

123.00 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 

Tin  is  quiet  at  41  cents. 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 60.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov.    33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 

1916. 

37.38 

38.37 

34.37 

38.88 

33.12 

36.66 

33.00 

39.50 

38.71 

October  21,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


615 


Eastern   Metal   Market 


New  York,  October  11. 

Copper  is  quiet,  but  strong. 

Zinc  was  feverishly  active  on  the  5th,  but  the  excitement 
lasted  only  one  day,  practically.  The  spot  price  went  up  to  10c. 
St.  Louis,  but  has  since  declined  Jc 

Lead  continues  steady  in  a  quiet  market. 

Tin  is  higher  because  of  the  German  submarine  activity.  It 
it  now  quoted  at  over  42c. 

Antimony  has  a  better  tone. 

Aluminum  is  stronger  because  of  the  scarcity  of  virgin  metal. 

In  iron  and  steel  but  little  change  is  to  be  quoted.  One 
feature  that  stands  out  is  the  generally  accepted  belief  that 
prosperity  is  here  to  stay  a  long  time,  a  belief  that  some 
interests  are  willing  to  substantiate  by  contracting  for  ma- 
terial into  191S.  Railroads,  for  instance,  have  closed  for 
100,000  tons  of  rails  for  first-quarter  delivery  in  1918.  The 
railroads  continue  to  buy  cars,  evidently  having  determined 
that  lower  prices  are  not  to  be  expected  for  months  to  come. 
The  heavy  buying  of  steel-making  iron  is  subsiding,  con- 
sumers having  covered  their  needs,  but  foundry  iron  is  gain- 
ing in  strength.  For  months  it  has  been  a  laggard.  The 
activity  of  a  German  submarine  off  the  New  England  coast 
has  sent-up  marine-insurance  rates,  also  freight-rates,  and 
some  shipments  have  been  held-up.  Munition  shipments, 
however,  are  going  forward  without  interruption.  A  shortage 
of  cars  is  hampering  the  movement  of  Lake  Superior  iron  ore 
from  Lake  Erie  docks;  also  interfering  with  shipments  of 
ctike,  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  refusing  to  ship  coke  in  box- 
cars. The  base  price  of  tin-plate  has  been  fixed  at  $6  per  box 
for  the  first  half  of  next  year. 

COPPER 

The  market  is  quieter,  but  its  strength  is  not  impaired, 
and  hardly  likely  to  be  in  view  of  the  well-booked  condition 
of  the  producers.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  are  independent,  as 
they  can  afford  to  be.  Near-by  metal  does  not  appear  to  be  of 
great  interest  to  consumers,  but  there  is  a  fair  amount  of 
inquiry  for  next  year,  particularly  the  first  quarter.  As  to 
the  quotation  for  this  position,  there  is  some  difference  of 
opinion,  but  it  is  certain  that  it  can  be  obtained  at  from  27  to 
27.50c.  Late  last  week,  a  manufacturer  was  offered  first- 
quarter  copper  at  27c,  but  at  the  moment  could  not  make  up 
his  mind  to  buy.  The  following  day  he  offered  to  pay  the 
price  mentioned,  but  was  told  that  27.25c.  was  the  price. 
Second-quarter  Lake  has  sold  at  27.12Jc.  Spot  electrolytic  is 
quoted  at  29c,  November  at  28.50c,  and  December  at  28c. 
Lake  is  nominally  the  same.  A  dealer  parted  with  a  round 
lot  of  spot  electrolytic  at  28.50c  Activities  of  the  German 
submarine  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  has  had  no  pronounced 
effect  on  the  market.  Incidentally,  in  the  past  few  weeks 
about  4,600,000  lb.  of  copper  has  been  lost  through  the  sinking 
of  vessels,  out  of  which  some  of  the  financial  papers  have 
tried  to  make  capital.  Exports  to  the  10th  totaled  7125  tons. 
The  London  quotation  yesterday  for  spot  electrolytic  was 
£142,  compared  with  £140  a  week  previous.  Exports  of  brass 
In  bars,  plates,  etc,  in  the  first  seven  months  of  this  year 
totaled  51,372  tons,  against  18,089  tons  in  the  same  period  of 
1915.  The  brass  mills  are  further  than  ever  behind  in  deliver- 
ies. Where  they  can  and  choose  to  quote  on  deliveries  inside 
of  two  or  three  months  they  expect  premiums. 
ZINC 

Thursday  of  last  week  was  a  wild  day  in  the  spelter 
market,  and  prices  went  up  with  a  rush  to  10c,  St.  Louis,  even 
to  10.12JC,  while  in  New  York,  from  10.17  to  10.374c  was 
asked.  Buyers  paid  10c,  St.  Louis,  for  prompt  and  October, 
and   9.75  to  10c   for  November  and  December.     Heavy   pur- 


chases were  made  by  those  who  ordinarily  are  sellers,  for  what 
reason  is  not  apparent,  until  they  were  short  of  metal  where- 
with to  make  deliveries.  On  Friday  there  was  less  doing,  and 
by  Monday  of  this  week,  sellers  were  looking  for  business  and 
the  quotations  had  declined  several  points.  Yesterday  prime 
Western  was  quoted  at  9.75c,  New  York,  and  9.50c,  St.  Louis, 
November  at  9.37Jc  St.  Louis,  and  December,  at  9.25c  Sellers 
say  that  the  market  has  been  quieted  by  the  activity  of  the 
German  submarine,  but  just  why  this  is  so  is  not  explained. 
If  brass  or  zinc  is  sent  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  it  means  that 
just  so  much  more  will  have  to  be  supplied.  The  sinking  of 
six  ships  by  the  German  submarine  has  hot  checked  the  ex- 
portation of  munitions  from  this  port.  The  demand  for  brass- 
mill  special  is  not  heavy,  nor  was  it  so  during  the  flurry 
referred  to.  The  mills  are  covered,  and  in  addition,  are  using 
large  quantities  of  high-grade  scrap.  Exports  from  the  1st 
to  the  10th  totaled  3032  tons.  The  spot  price  at  London 
yesterday  was  £56,  against  £52  a  week  previous.  There  has 
been  no  change  in  the  price  of  sheet  zinc,  and  for  carload 
lots  15c,  f.o.b.  mill  is  quoted,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  continues  to  quote  7c,  New  York,  and 
6.924c,  St.  Louis,  while  the  independents  ask  7  to  7.124c, 
New  York,  and  6.85  to  6.90c,  St.  Louis,  but  it  is  safe  to  assert 
that  but  little  business  is  being  done  above  7.05c,  and  most 
of  it  is  at  7c,  New  York,  unless  spot  shipment  is  wanted,  when 
a  premium  is  asked.  The  market  has  been  quiet,  but  steady, 
throughout  the  week,  and  features  of  interest  are  lacking. 
Exports  in  10  days  totaled  1882  tons.  The  London  quotation 
yesterday  was  £30  15s.,  against  £31  15s.  a  week  previous. 
TIN 

The  market  was  stirred  to  great  activity  on  Monday,  the 
9th,  by  the  news  that  a  German  submarine  had  sunk  ships 
off  the  New  England  coast.  Great  uncertainty  prevailed  for 
a  time  as  to  the  price  of  spot,  but  at  last  it  was  fairly  well 
established  at  42.75c,  although  there  were  not  many  sellers 
at  that  figure.  Consumers  showed  great  interest  in  futures, 
and  probably  500  tons  was  taken,  40.75  to  41c,  being  paid  for 
November  and  December  deliveries.  Incidentally,  Banca  was 
active  and  sold  around  41.60c  Late  last  week  a  good  business 
was  quietly  done,  and  several  hundred  tons  of  Straits  changed 
hands  at  around  39.75c.  At  that  time  Banca  was  sold  for 
delivery  from  the  Far  East  at  38.75c  The  latter  buying  was 
regarded  as  interesting,  as  indicating  a  resumption  of  ship- 
ments from  the  East.  For  a  time  they  had  been  halted.  In 
this  market  there  has  been  a  surfeit  of  spot  Banca,  and  it  was 
thought  that  some  of  the  holders  would  lose  money.  There  is 
now  afloat,  en  route  to  this  country,  2245  tons  of  tin,  while 
the  arrivals  of  the  month  total  1015  tons. 
ANTIMONY 

A  good  business  has  been  done  in  metal  in  bond,  the  prices 
ranging  from  9.50  to  9.75c,  but  re-sellers  offer  the  metal  at 
11.50c,  duty  paid. 

ALUMINUM 

Virgin  metal  is  scarce,  and  prices  have  advanced  to  63  and 
65c  Re-melted  material,  98  to  99%  pure,  guaranteed,  is 
strong  at  61  to  62c,  while  No.  12  re-melt  alloy  is  offering  at  47c 
Sheet  aluminum  is  held  at  80  to  85c  for  prompt  deliveries. 
The  producers'  contract  price  for  1917  is  unchanged  at  35c. 
for  ingots,  but  they  are  understood  to  be  out  of  the  market. 
In  the  first  8  months  of  1916  exports  of  aluminum  and  manu- 
factures thereof  totaled  $4,867,743,  against  $2,994,072  for  the 
entire  year  of  1915.  The  British  Government  has  been  a  heavy 
buyer. 


616 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  21,  1916 


)si 3  £32^    [^'lib^Q^H Oil 


U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916: 

Safe  Practice  at  Blast-Fubnaoes.  A  manual  for  foreman 
and  men.  By  F.  H.  Willcox.  Technical  Paper  136.  P.  73.  111., 
Index. 

Underground  Wastes  in  Oil  and  Gas-Fields  and  Methods 
of  Prevention.  By  William  F.  McMurray  and  James  0.  Lewis. 
Technical  Paper  130,  petroleum  technology  30.  P.  27.  Illus- 
trated. 

QBE-Sampling  Conditions  on  the  West.  By  T.  W.  Wood- 
hridge.    Technical  Paper  86.     P.  96.     111.,  index. 

This  is  a  useful  work,  and  an  abstract  is  to  be  made  for 
the  Pbess. 

Health  Consebvation  at  Steel  Mills.  By  J.  A.  Watkins. 
Technical  Paper  102.    P.  34. 

Both  employers  and  employees  are  advised  to  secure  this 
paper  that  speaks  straight  out  on  safety-first  and  health. 

Rescue  and  Recovery  Operations  in  Mines  After  Fibes  and 
Explosions.  By  James  W.  Paul  and  H.  M.  Wolflin.  Page  109. 
Index. 

This  pamphlet  is  the  result  of  serious  studies  covering  a 
period  of  considerable  time  on  what  the  Bureau  believes  to  be 
the  best  method  in  rescue  and  recovery  operations  in  both  coal 
and  metal  mines  after  fires  and  explosions.  It  outlines  a 
method  of  procedure  for  the  operators  and  miners  to  follow 
in  such  emergencies,  and  explains  just  what  part  the  Bureau 
is  expected  to  take  in  such  work.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that 
this  paper  should  be  in  the  hands  of  operators  and  every  mine 
superintendent  in  the  country. 

A  Method  fob  Measuring  the  Viscosity  of  Blast-Furnace 
Slag  at  Hioii  Temperatures.  By  A.  L.  Feild.  Technical 
Paper  157.    P.  27.    Illustrated. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines  has  been  conducting  for  the  past  year 
an  investigation  of  the  physical  and  chemical  properties  of 
blast-furnace  slags  at  high  temperatures,  the  work  being  a 
part  of  the  research  program  of  the  metallurgical  division. 
The  present  publication  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  reports  on 
commercially  important  slag  problems.  Besides  being  of 
timely  interest  to  metallurgist  and  blast-furnace  men,  on  ac- 
count of  the  increasing  demand  on  their  part  for  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  viscosity  and  desulphurizing  properties  of  slags, 
this  publication  represents  pioneer  work  in  the  field  of  high- 
temperature  physico-chemical  measurements.  In  attacking  the 
problem  Mr.  Feild  developed  a  high-temperature  torsion  vis- 
cosimeter  which  can  be  operated  at  temperatures  as  high  as 
1600°  C,  and  which  yields  results  expressed  in  terms  of  specific 
viscosity. 

U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Washington,  D.  C,  1906: 

The  Golden  Arrow,  Clifford,  and  Ei.lendale  Districts,  Nye 
County.  Nevada.  By  H.  G.  Ferguson.  Bulletin  640-F.  P.  11. 
Illustrated. 

Notes  on  Some  Mining  Districts  in  Eastern  Nevada.  By 
James  M.  Hill.  Bulletin  648.     P.  214.     111.,  maps,  index. 

Both  of  these  publications  have  been  abstracted  for  the 
'Mining  Summary'  of  the  Press. 

Experiments  from  the  Flotation  Laboratory.  By  C.  Y. 
Clayton  and  others.  P.  40.  Illustrated.  Bulletin  School  of 
Mines  and  Metallurgy,  University  of  Missouri,  Rolla,  1916. 

Discusses  laboratory  flotation  machines,  oils,  test  on  Joplin 
zinc  sludge,  flotation  values  of  oils,  effect  of  frothing  and  non- 
frothing  oil,  screen  analysis  of  concentrate,  companies  which 
supply  flotation  oils,  and  an  attempt  to  float  copper  carbonate. 


inc.  and  Precipitation,  in  the  United  States,  and  Appliances 
Used  in  Connection  Therewith.  Metallurgical  report  No.  1. 
By  J.  D.  Connor.  P.  56.  Illustrated.  Department  of  Mines. 
Adelaide,  South  Australia,  1916. 

Details  and  summary  of  plants  visited  during  1915.  Al- 
though only  two  were  at  work,  the  author  has  collected  a 
large  amount  of  general  data. 


Plane  Surveying  and  Exercises  in  Surveying.  Combined 
edition.  By  John  C.  Tracy.  P.  1004.  Illustrated.  For  sale  by 
the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price  $3. 

Resources  of  Santa  Cruz  County.  By  Allen  T.  Bird.  P.  27. 
Bulletin  29,  county  resource  series  No.  1.  University  of  Ari- 
zona, Bureau  of  Mines,  Tucson,  1916. 

I 


Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 


Notes  on  the  Recovery  or  Copper  from  its  Ores  by  Leach- 


P.  H.  Reardon  has  severed  his  connection  with  the  General 
Machinery  &  Supply  Co.  of  San  Francisco,  having  disposed  of 
his  interest  to  his  associates.  Joseph  A.  Buckley  succeeds 
him  as  president.  A.  L.  Green  is  vice-president,  and  H.  F. 
Jurs  is  manager. 

Charles  A.  Baechtold  has  arranged  with  the  Lidgerwood 
Manufacturing  Co.  of  New  York  to  establish  a  regular  branch 
office  at  the  Hibernian  building.  Los  Angeles.  From  this  office 
he  will  take  care  of  business  from  the  southern  half  of  Cali- 
fornia, Arizona,  and  Nevada. 

A  leaflet  issued  by  the  Empire  Concentrator  Co.  of  Denver 
briefly  describes  its  machine,  which  is  in  successful  operation 
in  the  Idaho  Springs  district  of  Colorado.  Advantages  claimed 
are  large  capacity — 35  to  50  tons  per  24  hours  on  30-mesh 
feed — clean  separation,  small  floor-space,  simplicity,  and  low 
cost,  water,  and  power  consumption. 

A  12-page  booklet  of  the  Lee  Electric  Radiator  Co.  of  Chi- 
cago describes  and  illustrates  its  radiator.  It  is  claimed  that 
this  type  of  heater  has  been  in  successful  use  for  several  years 
in  offices,  homes,  and  automobiles.  The  cost  of  operation  is 
low.  Compared  with  hot-water  and  steam  systems  the  electric 
radiator  has  temperature  values  greater  than  the  first  and 
nearly  equal  to  the  second  system. 

Robert  C.  Clifford,  for  the  past  four  years  district  sales  man- 
ager for  the  United  States  Cast  Iron  Pipe  &  Foundry  Co.  in 
charge  of  its  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  offices,  is  now  asso- 
ciated with  the  Walter  A.  Zelnicker  Supply  Co.  in  St.  Louis, 
in  charge  of  its  rail  department.  Bulletin  207  of  this  concern, 
of  40  pages,  covers  its  business  in  rails,  locomotives,  cars,  ma- 
chinery, steel  piling,"  and  tanks  of  all  types. 

A  new  company  has  been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
over  and  operating  the  Peter  McFarlane  &  Sons  Iron  Works 
of  Denver.  The  leading  spirits  in  the  new  company  are  Henry 
Eggers,  president,  and  F.  McFarlane,  secretary  and  treasurer. 
Mr.  Eggers  is  well  known  to  the  mining  fraternity  by  reason 
of  his  connection  as  department  manager  with  the  Mine  and 
Smelter  Supply  Co.  of  Denver  for  many  years.  He  has  re- 
signed his  position  with  the  latter  company  and  will  give  all 
his  time  and  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  new  company,  to 
be  known  as  the  McFarlane-Eggers  Machinery  Co.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  company  will  be  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  min- 
ing and  milling  machinery,  including  the  development  of  a 
number  of  specialties.  The  launching  of  this  new  enterprise 
under  such,  favorable  circumstances  as  the  present  prosperous 
condition  of  the  metal-mining  industry,  combined  with  the 
experience  and  knowledge  of  the  executive  heads  of  the  com- 
pany augur  well  for  its  becoming  an  influential  factor  in 
Middle-West  manufacturing  affairs. 


or    and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  OCTOBER  28,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  18 


illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllDI 


PROSPECTING    IN    THE    MALAY    STATES 


PROSPECTING,  and  the  prospector,  is  a  subject  of  perennial  interest. 
The  miner  ignores  political  boundaries  and  penetrates  into  every  corner 
of  the  earth  in  search  of  the  valuable  metals.  On  the  trail  that  he  blazes 
comes  the  trader.  In  his  footsteps  follows  the  organized  way  of  living  we  call 
civilization.  It  behooves  the  community,  and  the  government  at  the  head  of 
a  community,  to  encourage  the  gold-seeker,  the  copper-finder,  and  the  other 
pioneers  of  industry,  so  that  new  mineral  resources  may  be  developed  and  new 
centres  of  human  activity  created.  We  have  published  a  number  of  letters  on 
the  decadence  of  prospecting,  and  in  this  issue  we  continue  the  discussion. 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


g©'WTDWnyr©yss 

nun 


! 


9 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Til-te  tr 

Company/ 

501  Market   St. 
San  Franc  i  sco,  Cal. 


AUSTRALIA 

confirms  the  judgment  of  American  metallurgists 


In  Metallurgical  Report  No.  1,  pre- 
pared by  J.  D.  Connor,  B.  Sc,  F.  S.  A. 
S.M.,  issued  under  the  authority  of  The 
Honorable  E.  P.  Blundell,  M.  P.,  Min- 
ister of  Mines,  is  the  following : 


"The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter 

This  machine  is  not  new,  but,  so  far  as 
the  writer  could  gather,  it  seems  to  be  in  a 
fair  way  to  be  QUITE  THE  MOST  AP- 
PROVED appliance  in  the  market  for  han- 
dling FLOTATION  CONCENTRATES,  Etc." 

"*  *  *  Its  action  is  automatic  and  continu- 
ous, and  it  certainly  seems  to  be  regarded 
as  the  BEST  MACHINE  FOR  DEWATER- 
ING  in  use  at  the  present  time  in  the  United 
States." 


Think  of  it,  ' '  Quite  the  most  approved  appliance  in 
the  market  for  handling  Flotation  Concentrates," 
and  "The  best  machine  for  dewatering  *  *  *  in  the 
United  States." 

This  is  not  news  to  Oliver  users ;  this  has  been  their 
experience. 

You,  who  are  contemplating  the  construction  of  a  new  plant,  or  desire  to 
improve  results  obtained  from  an  old  one,  write  us. 


IT  WILL  PAY  YOU 


No  royalties  to 
pay  on  any  of 
the  work  of  an 

OLIVER 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 

T.  A.  RICKARD         -         -         Ediloi 

M.  W.  von  BERNEW1TZ  (.  .    .,  P  ... 
H.G.THIELE  }  As. .  Ecbto„ 


ESTABLISHED  I860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manasei 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaalo  Caetanl. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb, 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin. 
James  F.  Kemp, 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Winchell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  October  28,  1916 


J3  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Notes    617 

Prospecting  and  Pbospectobs    61S 

Comment  on  recent  letters  from  correspondents  on 
the  decadence  of  the  prospector  and  his  relation  to 
the  mining  engineer.    M.  &  S.  P.,  Octoher  28,  1916. 

The  Wilmington  Decision  619 

Criticism  of  the  decision  delivered  in  the  case  of  Min- 
erals Separation  v.  Miami  Copper  Co.  by  the  XT.  S. 
District  Court  in  Delaware.  Review  of  recent  litiga- 
tion and  an  expression  of  the  editor's  opinion  regard- 
ing the  discovery  of  froth-flotation.  M.  &  S.  P.,  Octo- 
ber 28,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 

Prospects  and  Prospectors. 

By  L.  I.  Rowland 621 

Attitude  of  prospectors  and  engineers  toward  pros- 
pects and  one  another.  Sale  of  prospects  and  how 
they  develop  into  mines.    M.  &  S.  P.,  October  28,  1916. 

Electrolytic  Precipitation. 

By  E.  C.  Morse 622 

Description  of  the  Garvin  process  as  used  in  Idaho 
and  Mexico.    M.  &  S.  P.,  October  28,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Pipe-Capacity. 

By  R.  D.  Perkins  624 

On  the  meaning  of  the  word  'capacity'  as  applied  to 
pipes.    M.  &  S.  P.,  October  28,  1916. 

ARTICLES 

Graphic  Method  for  Correcting  Steel  Tapes. 

By  Walter  Scott  Weeks 625 

Correct  tapes  are  essential  in'" surveying.  Errors  in 
measurements  are  due  to  stretching,  shortening,  tem- 
perature, and  poor  manipulation  of  tapes.  Formulae 
and  a  correction-chart  are  given.  M.  &  S.  P.,  October 
28,  1916. 

Flotation  at  the  Florence-Goldfield  Mill. 

By  H.  B.   Clapp 628 

An  old  producer  at  Goldfleld  revived  by  the  flotation 
process.  Low-grade  gold-copper  ore  is  treated.  Jones- 
Belmont  and  Janney  flotation  machines  in  use.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  October  28,  1916.     Illustrated. 

Nickel-Steel    628 

Percentage  of  nickel  in  steel  and  cost  of  the  mixture. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  October  28,  1916. 


Page. 

The  Naltagua  Smelter. 

By  Mark  R.  Lamo 629 

Fifteen  tons  of  copper  daily  is  produced  at  this 
Chilean  plant,  where  a  Pierce  &  Smith  basic  converter 
is  in  use.    M.  &  S.  P.,  October  28,  1916. 

The  Wet  Treatment  of  Copper  Concentrate. 

By  Lawrence  Addicks 630 

Concentrate  from  the  Moctezuma  mill  in  Sonora,  and 
that  of  the  Burro  Mountain  in  New  Mexico,  roasted, 
leached  with  sulphuric  acid,  chloridizing  the  residue 
and  leaching  by  the  Longmaid-Henderson  process, 
recovering  copper,  gold,  and  silver  by  cementation, 
or  electrolysis,  or  a  combination  of  both.  M.  &  S.  P., 
October  28,  1916.    Illustrated. 

World's  Record  in  Shaft-Sinking 632 

In  limestone  a  three-compartment  shaft  near  Tintic, 
Utah,  was  sunk  261  feet  in  31  days.  M.  &  S.  P., 
October  28,  1916. 

Flotation.     A   Discussion  Before  the  American   Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers  at  Globe,  Arizona,  on 

September  21,  1916 633 

Those  taking  part  were  C.  E.  Mills,  David  Cole,  Ru- 
dolf Gahl,  Frederick  Laist,  Francis  S.  Schimerka, 
R.  S.  Handy,  E.  P.  Mathewson,  L.  D.  Ricketts,  Nor- 
man Carmichael,  W.  B.  Kramer,  C.  W.  Merrill,  O.  C. 
Ralston,  and  B.  B.  Gottsberger.  M.  &  S.  P.,  October 
28,  1916. 

Concentration  at  Miami   639 

In  six  months  of  1916  the  mill  treated  859,485  tons 
of  ore,  equal  to  4722  tons  daily.  The  copper-content 
averaged  1.77%  as  sulphide  and  0.32%  as  oxide.  Con- 
centrate assayed  41.74%  copper.  Flotation  feed  con- 
tains 1.05%  metal,  of  which  0.5%  is  oxidized.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  October  28,  1916. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    640 

Review  of  Mining 641 

Special    correspondence    from     Leadville,     Colorado; 

Joplin,  Missouri;   Changsha,  China;   Juneau,  Alaska; 

Sutter  Creek,  California. 

The  Mining  Summary   645 

Personal   649 

The  Metal  Market 650 

Eastern  Metal  Market 651 

Industrial  Notes 652 

The  new  Little  Tugger  hoist. 


Established    May    24,    1860,    as    The    Scientific    Press;    name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York,  1760 
Woolworth  Bdg.;  London,  724  Salisbury  House,  E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription,  payable  in 
advance;  United  States  and  Mexico,  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  coun- 
tries in  postal  union,  21s.  or  ?5  per  annum. 

■ 


12 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS. 


October  28,  1916 


Use  either   electrode  at  will,  all   ad- 

justments  are  automatically  made 

by  G-E  Arc  Welding  Outfit 


Carbon  electrode 

used  for  cutting  or 

heavy  current  welding 


Metal  electrode 

builds  up  or  fills 

cavities  when  welding 


Welding  Seams  on  Locomotive  Firebox 


Cuts  Repair  Cost — Saves  Time 

If  chippers  are  busy  elsewhere  don't  wait — let  the  G-E  arc  welder  do 
its  own  chipping.  Don't  even  take  time  to  remove  a  flat  wheel — the  G-E 
arc  welder  will  build  it  up  while  in  place.  You  can  control  heat  and  build- 
ing of  metal,  thus  preventing  distortion,  uneven  crystallization  and  cavities. 

The  G-E  arc  welder  is  used  all  over  the  world.  It  has  made  good  in 
China ;  it  is  making  emergency  repairs  for  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  rapid 
transit  rolling  stock  of  New  York  City  is  kept  in  shape  by  its  help. 

Our  nearest    local   office   will   be   pleased    to   give  you    additional    information. 

General  Electric  Company 

General  Office :  Schenectady,  N,  Y. 

District  Offices  in 

Boston.  Mass.       New  York,  N.  Y.        Philadelphia.  Penna.       Atlanta,  Ga. 

Cincinnati.  Ohio.        Chicago.  111.        Denver.  Colo.        San  Francisco,  Cal 

St.  Louis,  Mo.       Sales  Offices  in  All  Large  Citiea.  Gl'20 


<% 


trtiilm* 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


617 


it; 


SI 


ig©  HT 


E  Jsk  Ea 


■2".  &.  wm<gm.&m.W)9    gaas©!? 


'T'UNGSTEN  is  in  fair  demand  and  the  market  is  firm 
•*•  at  $17.50  to  $20  per  unit.  The  Allies  have  been 
placing  orders  in  New  York.  The  outlook  is  good  for 
those  mine  operators  that  did  not  set  their  expectation 
of  prices  too  high. 

A  CCORDING  to  the  front  page  of  the  year-book  issued 
-^-  by  the  American  Institute,  that  organization  is  in 
the  control  of  15  "ditectors. "  Assuming  that  this  is 
a  misprint  for  'detectors,'  we  are  better  able  to  under- 
stand the  Shockley  episode. 

"1%/TINING  engineers  wishing  to  render  patriotic  service 
-1-"-*-  by  joining  the  National  Engineer  Reserve  can  ob- 
tain particulars  of  the  qualifications  for  a  commission  "by 
writing  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  "War  Department, 
Washington,  D.  C.  A  number  of  Californians  have 
volunteered  for  this  service. 

f~~*  OPPER  production  was  at  its  maximum  last  May, 
^  when  the  total  output  of  domestic  refineries  was 
190  million  pounds;  just  now  it  is  at  the  rate  of  about 
165  million  pounds  per  month.  Hot  weather,  labor 
troubles,  and  the  inability  to  secure  delivery  of  needed 
equipment  caused  production  to  decline  to  150  million 
pounds  per  month  during  mid-summer. 

TJETTER  means  than  strikes  ought  to  be  found  for 
*-*  distributing  prosperity  among  the  laboring  men,  as 
also  a  better  method  should  be  discovered  for  sharing  the 
evil  of  bad  times.  Arbitration  is  the  obvious  corrective 
for  so  much  clumsy  friction,  but  that  assumes  the  inter- 
play of  intelligence  and  goodwill.  In  the  end  it  is  the 
cheapest  as  it  is  the  fairest  method  for  adjusting  differ- 
ences. 


T\EMANDS  for  a  7-hour  day  are  foreshadowed  by  Mr. 
-*-'  John  P.  White,  president  of  the  United  Mine  Work- 
ers. Of  course,  the  workers  have  a  'right'  to  ask  for  as 
much  as  they  can  get  and  a  little  more,  for  that  is  what 
most  of  us  do,  but  the  insistence  on  the  8-hour  interval 
as  a  normal  shift  becomes  cynical  in  face  of  the  further 
demand  by  organized  labor.  Are  capital  and  labor  to 
be  at  war  always ;  if  so,  why  pretend  to  placate  ? 


i^  OPPER  dividends  are  most  satisfactory  and  share- 
^-*  holders  have  reason  to  feel  happy.  The  recent  con- 
tract for  the  sale  of  448  million  pounds  of  metal  to  Great 
Britain  and  her  allies  means  a  profit  of  $70,000,000  to 
shareholders  during  the  first  half  of  1917.  But  it  is. 
foolish  to  talk,  as  brokers'  circulars  are  doing,  of  copper 


mining  as  an  '  investment '  at  a  time  when  so  many  essen- 
tial factors  are  uncertain.  It  is  a  reasonable  and  most 
attractive  'speculation,'  but  it  is  no  game  for  widows 
and  orphans. 

f\N  another  page  we  publish  a  useful  article  describing 
^-^  a  method  for  correcting  the  measurements  made 
with  a  steel  tape  in  mines.  This  article  is  written  by 
Mr.  Walter  S.  Weeks,  Associate  Professor  of  Mining  in 
the  College  of  Mines,  University  of  California.  Sur- 
veyors will  be  glad  to  have  the  use  of  the  chart  prepared 
by  Professor  Weeks;  it  affords  a  method  for  correcting, 
in  one  operation,  all  of  the  errors  incidental  to  the 
stretch,  sag,  temperature,  and  initial  error  in  a  tape  of 
any  length  up  to  200  feet,  and  at  any  angle  with  the 
horizontal. 


TAN  HAY  suggests  that  "War  will  have  at  least  one 
•■•  humanizing  effect.  He  refers  to  the  comradeship  in 
the  trenches,  whereby  the  officer  type  of  man  learns  to 
respect  the  courage,  devotion,  and  intelligence  of  the 
men  temporarily  under  his  command,  while  the  men 
correspondingly  learn  to  appreciate  the  fact  that  their 
social  superior  is  no  mere  child  of  fortune  but  a  brave 
leader,  quite  willing  to  sacrifice  himself  in  behalf  of  the 
national  cause  and  anxious  at  all  times  to  consider  the 
welfare  of  those  in  his  charge.  This  may  not  describe 
all  the  officers  or  all  the  men,  but  the  suggestion  of  a 
real  social  solidarity  and  a  mutual  good  understanding 
is  unquestionable.  It  will  have  both  political  and  eco- 
nomic consequences  pleasant  to  contemplate. 

HPHE  Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines  issues  a  circular  on  the 
sale  of  ore  and  quotes  the  Mojave  Daily  Miner  in 
a  protest  against  "the  extortion  practised  by  the  smelter 
concerns. ' '  The  further  remark  is  made :  ' '  There  is  a 
question  whether  any  newspapers  or  magazines  in  the 
entire  United  States  are  prepared  to  take  a  stand  in  this 
matter  and  show  up  the  robbery  to  which  the  shippers 
are  subjected."  This  is  incorrect;  there  are  many  news- 
papers and  magazines  that  will  give  space  to  a  discus- 
sion of  the  subject  if  presented  in  good  faith  and  ac- 
companied by  a  reasonable  statement  of  facts.  This 
paper  is  prepared  to  publish  such  a  statement,  as  the 
Mojave  Daily  Miner  and  the  Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines 
ought  to  know.  No  good  comes  from  calling  people 
names  or  making  vague  assertions.  For  instance,  the 
circular  asserts  that  on  a  10%  copper  ore  the  shipper  re- 
ceives only  $17.40  from  the  Arizona  smelters.  "We  would 
like  to  see  a  copy  of  the  settlement  between  the  shipper 
and  the   smelter,  with  an  explanation  of  the   circum- 


618 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRE^S 


October  28,  1916 


stances.  The  smelting  business  is  not  conducted  by 
Sunday-school  teachers,  of  course,  and  advantage  is 
taken  of  the  little  fellow  in  the  ore  business  as  in  other 
affairs  of  life,  but  wrongs  are  not  redressed  by  unsup- 
ported charges.  We  invite  the  Bureau  of  Mines  to  make 
good. 

STATISTICAL  prosperity  is  a  new  term  applied  to 
•^  existing  conditions  in  the  United  States.  The  infer- 
ence is  made  that  our  prosperity  is  largely  fictitious 
owing  to  a  one-sided  foreign  trade,  the  persistent  influx 
of  gold,  and  the  increasing  cost  of  living.  Neither  a 
nation  nor  an  individual  can  continue  to  sell  continu- 
ously without  buying  from  or  lending  to  its  customers. 
Hence  the  ingenious  suggestion,  made  in  the  New  York 
Tribune,  that  this  country  should  refuse  to  receive  fur- 
ther importations  of  gold.  This  can  be  bracketed  with 
the  unauthorized  suggestion,  made  recently  in  the  Lon- 
don Statist,  that  Great  Britain  may  have  to  suspend 
specie  payments.  Evidently  the  abnormality  of  con- 
ditions is  stimulating  radical  notions  and  reckless 
remedies. 


YV/E  publish  a  report  of  the  discussion  on  flotation  at 
*  *  Globe,  on  the  occasion  of  the  recent  meeting  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  The  many  to 
whom  the  subject  is  of  interest  will  find  it  well  worth 
while  to  read  what  Messrs.  David  Cole,  Rudolf  Gahl, 
Frederick  Laist,  E.  P.  Mathewson,  L.  D.  Ricketts,  and 
0.  C.  Ralston  said  on  that  occasion.  Apparently  mill- 
men  are  still  slow  to  appreciate  the  full  scope  of  flota- 
tion; they  cling  to  gravity  methods  of  concentration 
even  for  the  finer  stuff  that  is  peculiarly  amenable  to 
flotation.  The  part  to  be  played  by  the  new  process  in 
the  flow-sheet  of  a  modern  mill  is  still  a  matter  for  de- 
bate. As  our  readers  will  see,  the  discussion  closed  with 
a  number  of  questions.  That  was  fitting.  Frank  re- 
plies to  many  basic  queries  are  still  lacking.  To  formu- 
late questions  that  recognize  the  essential  factors  is  the 
best  way  to  move  forward  to  the  solution  of  any  tech- 
nical problem. 

I*  ABOR  is  profiting  from  the  expansive  metal  market 
and  the  wages  of  miners  throughout  the  West  have 
been  raised,  but  what  of  the  technical  man  on  the  staff  of 
the  mining  company?  Is  he  sharing  the  prosperity  of 
his  employer?  Yes,  in  some  instances;  in  others  he 
finds  it  to  his  advantage  to  leave  the  office  or  laboratory 
and  go  to  work  on  day's  pay  in  the  mine  or  mill.  At 
Miami  the  pay-roll  of  1000  men  now  calls  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  $146,000  monthly,  so  that  the  average  pay 
is  $146  per  month.  Miners  are  getting  from  $3.50  to 
$5.15  per  shift.  And  yet  the  cost  of  producing  the  cop- 
per has  not  risen,  this  satisfactory  result  being  due  to 
the  larger  tonnage  mined  and  milled,  together  with  the 
improvements  made  in  the  mining  and  metallurgical 
processes  to  which  the  ore  is  subjected.  One  of  the  re- 
markable features  of  recent  work  in  Arizona  is  the  in- 
creased capacity  obtained  in  mills  without  making  ex- 
pensive changes  or  costly  additions  to  the  plant;  thus 


the  Miami  mill  with  its  former  rating  of  2000  tons  daily 
is  now  treating  5000  tons  and  shortly  will  be  doing  even 
more.  For  that  the  technical  man  is  to  be  credited ;  the 
laborer  either  on  or  below  the  surface  is  working  no 
harder  for  his  increased  pay ;  it  is  brain  not  muscle  that 
enables  wages  to  be  increased  without  invading  the 
profit  of  the  mine-owner.  At  Miami  the  members  of  the 
staff  receive  a  bonus  of  20%  on  their  salary.  They  have 
earned  it.    We  hope  other  companies  will  take  the  hint. 

Prospecting    and    Prospectors 

The  passing  of  the  old-time  prospector  has  been  be- 
moaned by  several  contributors  to  our  'Discussion'  de- 
partment. Many  engineers  appear  to  regard  the  pros- 
pector as  a  romantic  humbug,  while  at  least  as  many  look 
upon  the  mining  engineer  as  a  pedantic  prig.  In  this 
issue  Mr.  L.  I.  Rowland  calmly  states  that  "the  average 
engineer  falls  short  of  the  standard"  by  which  the  pros- 
pector measures  him,  especially  if  he  be  a  graduate  from 
a  mining  college.  This  is  a  fair  retort  to  the  technical 
men  that  complain  of  the  time  they  waste  in  looking  at 
the  holes  in  the  ground  that  the  prospector  calls  mines. 
The  ideal  prospector  is  as  rare,  and  no  rarer,  than  the 
ideal  engineer.  The  prospector  to  whom  Nature  is  an 
open  book  is  as  uncommon  as  the  engineer  to  whom  the 
earth 's  crust  is  transparent ;  yet  it  is  manifest  that  while 
much  has  been  done  to  train  the  engineer,  nothing  has 
been  done  to  educate  the  prospector,  unless  we  regard 
the  issuance  of  official  bulletins  by  the  Government  bu- 
reaus as  an  educational  propaganda  for  the  unlettered. 
Behind  all  the  discussion  lurks  the  fundamental  guess, 
how  to  find  a  mineral  deposit  and  how  to  make  money 
out  of  it.  No  more  pertinent  problem  can  be  attacked 
in  our  pages.  Two  years  ago  we  had  a  symposium  on  the 
subject,  a  number  of  experienced  engineers  recorded 
their  ideas,  and  the  trend  of  opinion  was  duly  sum- 
marized in  these  columns.  However,  the  question  is 
iterative  and  we  are  aware  that  since  then  we  have  added 
several  thousand  new  readers  to  our  clientele.  Upon  a 
number  of  points  most  of  us  will  agree:  (1)  that  the 
cream  of  the  mineral  deposits  has  been  skimmed,  (2) 
that  the  prospector  has  fewer  chances  of  making  a  rich 
discovery  at  grass-roots,  (3)  that  there  is  plenty  of 
money  for  exploratory  work,  even  if  the  old-fashioned 
grub-staking  is  less  common,  (4)  that  Government  pat- 
ronage of  the  prospector  would  breed  graft  and  idleness, 
rather  than  effective  search  for  mineral,  and  (5)  that 
much  of  the  public  domain  is  sequestered  by  means  of 
idle  locations,  that  is,  by  the  legal  holding  of  ground 
without  any  real  prospecting  being  done.  Other  factors 
concerning  which  we  may  be  less  in  accord  are  (1)  that 
the  untechnieal  prospector  has  had  his  day  and  that  the 
search  for  ore  must  be  done  henceforth  largely  by 
younger  men  with  a  scientific  training,  (2)  that  it  would 
be  well  to  combine  the  unscientific  instinct  of  the  old 
type  with  the  scientific  knowledge  of  the  new  school, 
(3)  that  the  mining  law  should  be  modified  so  as  to 
afford  better  protection  to  the  genuine  discoverer,   (4) 


October  28.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


619 


that  the  publication  of  accurate  information  concerning 
the  occurrence  and  characteristics  of  mineral  deposits  is 
the  proper  function  of  the  State  and  Government.  (5) 
that  the  building  of  roads  and  trails  is  the  most  immed- 
iate service  that  the  State  or  Government  can  do  for  the 
further  expansion  of  the  mineral  industry,  and  (6)  that 
depreciation  of  the  prospector  or  sneering  at  the  young 
■explorer  is  no  good  to  anyhody. 


The  Wilmington  Decision 

In  the  two  preceding  issues  of  this  paper  we  have 
given  our  readers  the  text  of  the  opinion  submitted  by 
Judge  Bradford  in  the  suit  of  Minerals  Separation,  Lim- 
ited, v.  Miami  Copper  Company.  This  decision  of  the 
U.  S.  District  Court  of  Delaware  in  the  second  big  flota- 
tion case  has  been  made  known  on  the  eve  of  the  revision 
•of  the  first,  or  Hyde,  case,  taken  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  on  a  writ  of  certiorari  from 
the  U.  S.  Court  of  Appeals  in  San  Francisco.  While  the 
issues  involved  are  not  exactly  the  same,  the  main  point, 
namely,  the  validity  of  Minerals  Separation's  basic 
American  patent,  No.  835,120,  is  common  to  both  litiga- 
tions. It  will  be  recalled  that  in  the  first  trial  of  the 
Hyde  ease,  before  the  U.  S.  District  Court  at  Butte,  Judge 
JBourquin  rendered  a  decision  upholding  the  validity  of 
patent  835,120,  more  particularly  as  against  the  de- 
fendant's claim  that  it  had  been  anticipated  by  Fro- 
anent's  British  patent.  "The  decision  appears  to  have 
'been  largely  influenced,"  so  said  the  Court  of  Appeals, 
"by  the  consideration  that  the  appellee's  patent  had 
-gone  into  extensive  and  successful  use"  in  foreign  coun- 
tries ;  but  at  that  time,  despite  the  expenditure  of  $60,187 
by  Minerals  Separation  in  the  United  States,  not  a  single 
plant  using  their  process  had  been  installed  in  this 
■country.  The  Court  of  Appeals,  in  reversing  the  lower 
•court  in  Montana,  found  that  "each  step  in  their  [M.  S.] 
process  was  fully  described  in  more  than  one  of  the  pat- 
ents of  the  prior  art,  with  the  single  exception  of  the 
reduced  quantity  of  oil  which  they  use."  This  reduc- 
tion was  ' '  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  art, ' '  but  it  was 
only  a  logical  effort  at  economy  and  could  not  ' '  be  made 
"by  itself,  or  in  combination,  the  subject  of  a  patent." 
The  Court  affirmed  that  Minerals  Separation  could  not 
take  from  others  "the  right  to  use  oil  economically"  and 
'it  refused  to  give  the  owners  of  patent  835,120  "a  mon- 
opoly of  that  which  others  had  discovered. ' '  So  said  the 
U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  in  San  Francisco.  Now 
"we  have  another  District  Court  upholding  the  Minerals 
Separation  patent  in  a  second  litigation  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  first  litigation  is  to  be  reviewed  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Obviously,  it 
would  have  "been  well  if  both  eases  could  have  been  taken 
under  final  advisement  at  the  same  time.  As  it  is,  an 
-.appeal  from  Judge  Bradford's  decision  has  been  made 
already  and  will  be  heard  before  the  Court  of  Appeals 
at  Philadelphia,  but  no  conclusion  is  likely  to  be  reached 
'before  the  Supreme  Court  finishes  the  Hyde  case. 

The  Wilmington  decision  is  that  the  diminution  of  oil 


to  less  than  1%  of  the  weight  of  the  ore  is  patentable. 
The  discovery  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  A.  II.  Hig- 
gins,  in  March  1905,  acting  under  the  supposed  direc- 
tion of  Messrs.  Sulman,  Picard,  and  Ballot  is  recognized 
by  the  Court  as  a  genuine  consequence  of  experimental 
work  on  the  Cattermole  patent.  Thus  patent  835,120  is 
pronounced  the  legitimate  offspring  of  patent  777,274; 
in  other  words,  a  process  for  floating  sulphide  minerals 
was  evolved  logically  from  a  process  devised  to  sink 
them.  Before  that  time,  1905,  the  proportion  of  oil  used 
in  flotation  processes  had  been  much  greater;  it  had  de- 
creased in  six  years  from  a  ton,  or  even  more,  of  oil  per 
ton  of  ore  in  Elmore's  first  bulk-oil  process  to  three 
pounds  in  the  Elmore  vacuum  process.  The  Court 
ignores  this  rapid  diminution  in  the  quantity  of  oil  and 
finds  that  below  1%  (or  20  pounds  per  ton)  a  new  metal- 
lurgical principle  comes  into  play.  Judge  Bradford  sus- 
tains claims  1  and  12  of  patent  835,120,  specifying  the 
use  of  less  than  1%  of  oil,  but  declares  invalid  claim  9, 
which  calls  for  "a  small  quantity"  of  oil.  In  short,  he 
plants  his  decision  squarely  upon  the  ground  that  there 
is  a  difference  in  result  growing  out  of  the  use  of  less 
than  1%  of  oil  as  distinct  from  more  than  1%_  of  oil. 
The  Judge  does  not  state  what  this  difference  is ;  appar- 
ently he  is  unable  to  explain  the  difference;  although 
both  parties  to  the  suit  acknowledged  that  the  presence 
of  some  oil  or  other  modifying  agent  is  necessary  to 
cause  the  bubbles  to  persist  long  enough  to  serve  as  a 
carrier  of  mineral.  Moreover,  Judge  Bradford  disre- 
gards the  evidence  brought  forward  by  the  defendant  to 
establish  the  identity  of  result  when  more  than  and  less 
than  1%  of  oil  is  used.  We  refer,  of  course,  to  the  famous 
bubble-holder  experiments,  the  importance  of  which 
was  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  they  were  introduced 
first  by  the  plaintiff,  not  by  means  of  experiments  con- 
ducted before  the  eyes  of  the  Court,  but  through  a  cine- 
matographic exhibition.  In  these  pictures  a  bubble  of 
air,  held  in  an  inverted  cup  at  the  end  of  a  glass  rod, 
was  shown  in  the  act  of  being  moved  from  place  to  place 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  water  contained  in  a  vessel 
at  the  bottom  of  which  rested  various  particles  of  min- 
eral. The  proposition  was  advanced  by  the  plaintiff 
that  particles  of  mineral  oiled  with  amounts  of  oil  such 
as  would  be  attached  to  them  when  the  proportion  of  oil 
was  over  1%  of  the  ore  would  not  adhere  to  the  air- 
bubble  and  therefore  could  not  be  floated  by  the  bubbles 
in  the  form  of  a  froth.  This  was  coupled  with  the  con- 
verse proposition  that  when  the  proportion  of  oil  used 
was  less  than  1%,  the  mineral  particles  would  adhere  to 
the  bubble  and  could  be  raised  to  the  surface  of  the 
pulp.  The  plaintiff's  expert  made  an  estimate  of  the 
amount  of  oil  that  would  adhere  to  the  mineral  particles 
when  more  than  1%  was  used  and  also  when  less  was 
used.  Proceeding  on  this  basis,  he  applied  oil  in  varying 
amounts  to  metal  discs  and  mineral  particles  in  order  to 
show  that  the  particles  carrying  larger  amounts  of  oil 
would  not  adhere  to  the  air-bubbles,  but  that  those  par- 
ticles more  minutely  oiled  would  adhere  to  the  bubble ; 
also  that  the  particles  not  oiled  at  all  would  likewise  ad- 


620 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


here.  The  experts  for  the  defendant  proved  that  the  par- 
ticjes  used  in  these  experiments  were  several  thousand 
times  heavier  than  any  mineral  floated  in  a  working  proc- 
ess of  froth-concentration.  The  experiments  were  re- 
peated before  the  Court  by  the  defendant's  experts,  who 
showed  that  the  mineral  particles  adhered  to  the  air- 
bubble  regardless  of  the  amount  of  oil  on  them.  Par- 
ticles of  mineral  were  oiled  by  submerging  them  in  oil 
and  lifting  them  out  coated  with  the  maximum  amount  of 
oil  that  would  adhere  to  them.  These  particles  were  then 
dropped  into  a  vessel  of  water  and  the  air-bubble  applied 
to  them,  with  the  result  that  they  instantly  adhered  to 
the  air-bubble  and  were  raised  with  the  bubble  when  the 
bubble-holder  was  lifted.  In  short,  these  experiments 
either  proved  nothing  or  they  proved  that  there  was  no 
particular  virtue  in  the  arbitrary  limitation  of  the  pro- 
portion of  oil  at  1%.  In  order  to  elucidate  the  technol- 
ogy of  the  process  a  large  number  of  flotation  operations 
were  performed  in  Court.  In  these  experiments  various 
amounts  of  oil  were  used  to  demonstrate  that  the  propor- 
tion of  oil  was  not  the  decisive  factor.  In  several  in- 
stances the  highest  grade  of  concentrate  and  the  best  re- 
covery were  obtained  when  using  oil  up  to  25%  of  the 
ore  by  weight.  After  each  experiment  the  heading,  tail- 
ing, and  concentrate  were  assayed  separately  and  the 
results  put  in  evidence.  All  of  this  seems  not  to  have  im- 
pressed the  Judge ;  he  makes  no  reference  to  the  bubble- 
holder  experiments  or  to  the  flotation  tests,  although  it 
is  well  known  that  the  plaintiff  was  very  proud  of  his 
moving-picture  exhibit.  In  actual  practice,  it  is  known 
that  the  changing  of  the  quantity  of  oil  and  of  the  kind 
of  oil  does  have  instantaneous  effects,  varying  with  the 
kind  of  ore  that  is  being  treated,  but  to  us  the  whole 
argument  is  stultified  by  the  fact  that  flotation  has  been 
performed  on  a  working-scale  while  using  an  amount  of 
oil  ranging  from  tons  to  nothing,  from  the  old  Elmore 
process  to  that  of  Wood.  It  is  the  air  that  is  the  prime 
agent ;  the  bubbles,  not  the  oil.  Bubbles  can  be  made 
without  oil ;  they  can  be  made  by  using  any  one  out  of  a 
thousand  forms  of  hydro-carbon  that  will  modify  the  sur- 
face tension  of  water  and  promote  selective  floatability 
as  between  valuable  mineral  and  valueless  gangue.  The 
weeds  of  the  desert  are  as  effective  for  that  purpose  as 
the  oleic  acid  that  perplexed  Lord  Haldane  in  the  Brit- 
ish court  of  last  resort.  Judge  Bradford  does  not  dwell 
on  the  fact  that  in  any  industrial  operation  the  first 
requisite  is  to  economize  and  that  economy  will  neces- 
sarily lead  to  the  use  of  the  Smallest  possible  proportion 
of  any  reagent  as  soon  as  the  operation  is  conducted  on  a 
scale  large  enough  to  make  cost  an  item  of  importance. 
Another  feature  of  the  "Wilmington  decision  is  the  va- 
lidity assigned  to  patent  962,678,  covering  the  use  of  a 
soluble  'mineral-frothing'  agent — an  idiotic  term,  for  it 
indicates  an  agent  that  makes  a  mineral  froth,  but  it  is 
intended  to  mean  a  substance  that  will  make  a  froth 
eapable  of  floating  minute  particles  of  mineral.  This 
method,  or  phase  of  the  flotation  process,  does  not  in- 
volve the  use  of  'oil,'  but  it  does  include  the  use  of  acid. 
Judge   Bradford   recognizes   that   frothing   agents   had 


been  used  previously  in  ore  concentration,  "but  not  in 
the  absence  of  an  oily  ingredient."  Immediately  after 
saying  this  he  makes  the  significant  remark :  ' '  Even  were 
the  grounds  on  which  the  validity  of  the  patent  can  be 
sustained  less  clear,  it  should  have  the  benefit  of  the 
presumption  of  validity  arising  from  the  grant  of  let- 
ters." We  submit  that  such  presumption  is  not  custom- 
ary because  patents  are  granted  notoriously  on  a  show- 
ing so  inadequate  to  prove  invention  that  the  validity  of 
a  patent  has  to  be  decided  not  by  the  Patent-Office  but 
by  the  Courts  of  Law.  No  specific  proportion  of  the 
frothing  agent  is  mentioned  in  patent  962,678,  there- 
fore somebody  ought  forthwith  to  patent  the  use  of,  say, 
0.1%  or  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent  of  a  soluble  frothing 
agent  and  proceed  to  invalidate  patent  No.  962,678, 
which  otherwise  will  be  a  further  hindrance  to  the  free 
operation  of  the  flotation  process.  We  expect  to  see  oil 
discarded  in  the  near  future  in  favor  of  some  cheaper 
modifying  agent,  and  we  would  like  to  see  this  great 
metallurgical  process  freed  from  litigation,  embargo,  and 
imposition.  For  such  freedom  we  look  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  not  because  we  wish  to  deny  to  Minerals  Separa- 
tion any  revenue  that  may  rightly  belong  to  that  pro- 
prietary but  because  we  believe  that  to  Frank  Elmore 
and  Alcide  Froment  the  miner  owes  the  greatest  process 
of  concentration  as  yet  devised  by  man.  We  have  read 
the  testimony  given  in  the  various  trials  and  other  rec- 
ords covering  the  obscure  story  of  the  flotation  process 
from  its  lame  beginning  to  its  triumphant  demonstra- 
tion. From  a  reading  of  this  evidence  we  conclude  that 
Alcide  Froment  became  interested  in  the  subject  through 
seeing  the  Elmore  bulk-oil  method  at  the  Traversella 
mine,  in  Italy,  and  that  his  subsequent  modification,  in- 
troducing "gas  of  any  kind"  into  an  oiled  pulp,  was  the 
link  between  the  bulk-oil  and  the  frothing  process,  not 
the  miserable  granulation  method  of  Cattermole,  that 
wretched  failure  from  which  the  Minerals  Separation 
people  claim  to  have  found  their  way  to  successful  froth- 
flotation.  The  elaborate  story  of  the  directions  given  to 
Mr.  Higgins,  by  which  he  rang  the  changes  on  varying 
proportions  of  oil,  acid,  water,  temperature,  and  so  forth, 
has  never  impressed  us  as  a  convincing  explanation  of 
the  jump  from  the  sinking  granules  of  Cattermole  to 
the  floating  froth  of  835,120.  That  Minerals  Separation 
should  have  been  the  proprietors  of  Cattermole 's  Ameri- 
can patent  and  that  their  purchase  of  Froment 's  British 
patent  gave  them  no  rights  in  America  is  a  coincidence 
that  it  requires  no  psychologist  to  appreciate.  More- 
over, after  Froment,  but  before  Sulman,  Picard,  and 
Ballot's  chief  patent,  came  Elmore's  vacuum  patent,  in 
which  the  use  of  air,  with  oil,  was  introduced.  This 
patent  and  No.  835,120  have  never  yet  locked  horns. 
The  litigation  between  Elmore  and  Minerals  Separation 
has  been  based  on  the  old  bulk-oil  process,  not  the  later 
air  method.  The  American  rights  to  Elmore's  vacuum- 
oil  process  were  acquired  last  year  by  a  syndicate  asso- 
ciated with  the  Miami,  Ray,  and  other  big  copper  com- 
panies. That  issue  remains  to  be  tried.  We  see  no  end 
to  the  litigation. 


October  28,  1!>16 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


82] 


:':.       : 


X)  2  g  (g  W  &  S  2 

O:,,-  readers  ore  invited  M  use  (Aia  departm  ntfor  tin-  discussion  of  technical  and  other  mutters  pertain- 
ing t»  mining  and  metallurgy.      Tlie  Editor  wt  homes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  own,  believ- 
ing  tliat  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


Prospects  and  Prospectors 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Having  read  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  the 
articles  relative  to  'Speculation  in  Mines,'  'Prospecting,' 
'Financing  Mining  Operations,'  etc.,  printed  in  the 
Mining  and  Scientific  Press  during  the  past  several 
months,  and  appreciating  the  fact  that  such  discussion 
can  only  result  in  a  beneficial  influence  if  continued  in  a 
frank  and  courteous  manner,  I  offer  some  ideas  and  con- 
clusions resulting  from  my  experience.  Before  pro- 
ceeding further,  I  wish  to  state  that  I  have  no  "chronic 
prejudice"  toward  either  the  prospector,  the  engineer, 
or  the  investor,  for  a  narrow-minded  attitude  of  one 
toward  the  other  is  to  be  deplored.  There  are  intelligent 
prospectors  as  well  as  intelligent  engineers  and  investors. 

The  present-day  attitude  of  the  prospector  toward  the 
engineer  and  investor  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
engineer  examining  prospects  does  not,  or  will  not,  ad- 
vise his  employer  to  assume  any  of  the  risk  of  exploiting 
the  prospect,  but  does  not  hesitate  to  intimate  to  the 
owner  of  the  prospect  that  he  is  expected  to  do  so. 
Again,  the  engineer  may  spend  a  day,  a  week,  or  longer, 
examining  a  prospect  and  then  try  to  tell  the  owner 
things  that  he  already  knows  are  not  true,  from  his  own 
experience  in  carrying  on  the  development  of  his  own 
prospect  extending  over  a  period  of  one  to  ten  years. 

The  average  engineer  falls  short  of  the  standard  the 
prospector  is  justified  in  expecting  of  him,  especially 
if  he  is  a  graduate  of  a  mining  college.  His  inability  to 
say  what  will  occur  in  future  development,  and  in  many 
instances  to  see  or  grasp  the  indications  present  in  pros- 
pect-work or  on  the  surface  (usually  clear  to  the  pros- 
pector's practised  eye,  especially  if  he  has  spent  much 
time  in  the  locality)  causes  the  prospector  to  wonder 
how  the  engineer  has  profited  from  his  technical  learn- 
ing. It  does  not  take  much  of  an  engineer  to  tell  what 
has  happened  or  whether  the  mine  is  worth  the  price 
asked  after  it  has  been  developed  with  shafts,  tunnels, 
drifts,  cross-cuts,  raises,  etc.,  of  sufficient  depth  and  ex- 
tent to  prove  the  mine.  Engineers  should  realize  and 
appreciate  these  matters. 

How  many  engineers  examining  prospects  today  for 
investors  could  or  would  have  expended  the  same  work, 
time,  or  money;  or  who  have  the  actual  ability  even  to 
have  found  many  of  the  orebodies  they  are  judging  ?  A 
'trace'  means  nothing  to  many  engineers,  yet  practically 
every  orebody  throws  a  trace  by  which  it  may  be  found, 
and  in  many  cases  it  is  all  the  prospector  has  to  guide 


him  in  his  discovery  of  what  may  or  may  not  be  a  valu- 
able mine. 

The  prospector  can  judge  from  panning  the  surface 
dirt  whether  the  'trace,'  if  there  is  one,  is  worth  follow- 
ing, whether  it  is  likely  to  have  come  from  a  vein,  a 
pocket,  or  a  talc  or  clay  seam,  and  the  length  of  ore- 
shoot  on  the  surface ;  in  many  instances  he  can  also  tell 
what  the  walls  will  probably  be  and  the  strike  of  the 
vein,  the  character  of  the  ore,  about  how  far  it  is  to  what- 
ever is  "throwing  the  trace."  In  addition,  his  observa- 
tion is  much  keener  than  the  engineer's,  the  slightest 
change  of  formation  as  indicated  on  the  surface  or  un- 
derground does  not  escape  his  observation.  This,  of 
course,  is  only  natural  as  he  is  constantly  watching. 
This  ability  should  also  be  realized  and  appreciated  by 
the  engineer,  as  it  is  from  these  hints  that  mines  are 
discovered. 

Regarding  the  sale  of  prospects,  I  do  not  agree  with 
some  of  your  correspondents  that  "an  engineer  cannot 
be  too  cautious."  I  do,  however,  think  an  engineer 
should  exercise  sound  judgment,  backed  by  experience, 
and  protect  his  employers  in  every  way  that  is  fair  and 
legitimate.  There  should  be  just  as  much  responsibility, 
however,  in  turning  down  a  prospect  as  there  is  in  rec- 
ommending one,  but  such  is  not  the  case;  an  engineer 
may  fail  to  fulfill  his  duty  to  his  employer  and  the  min- 
ing industry  by  turning  down  a  prospect,  with  little  fear 
of  reprimand,  as  he  is  only  held  accountable  for  those 
he  recommends. 

Nine  out  of  ten  prospects  are  turned  down  in  the  en- 
gineer's mind  before  he  leaves  the  office  (I  also  have 
been  guilty  of  such  an  indiscretion),  so  that  the  gossip 
of  the  local  'knockers'  club'  may  fit  well  with  the  en- 
gineer's prejudiced  opinion.  Anybody  can  turn  down 
a  prospect ;  it  takes  nerve  to  recommend  one. 

While  it  is  contended  by  some  of  your  correspondents 
that  probably  less  than  1%  of  the  prospects  prove  to  be 
mines,  I  have  not  found  such  to  be  the  case ;  nor  do  I 
believe  such  is  the  case  provided  'boom  camps'  are  elim- 
inated (as  they  should  be  in  such  a  summary)  and  only 
intelligent  and  legitimate  prospecting  taken  into  con- 
sideration. No  intelligent  prospector  would  waste  the 
trouble,  time,  and  development  necessary  to  make  a 
prospect  worthy  of  examination  unless  it  is,  to  say  the 
least,  encouraging. 

Some  prospectors,  engineers,  and  investors  should  be 
digging  potatoes  or  raising  a  garden  rather  than  trying 
to  enter  the  mining  business,  or,  in  other  words,  they 
are  not  what  they  claim  to  be.     A  man  engaged  in  the 


622 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


operation  of  prospects  or  mines  may  be  a  prospector, 
engineer,  and  investor  combined,  but  all  three  are  neces- 
sary in  the  exploitation  of  mineral  deposits. 

L.  I.  Rowland. 
Orleans,  Cal.,  August  25. 

HEi£-jT@lfia©  ^ssapa3ir£a©Ka 

The  Editor : 

Sir — In  view  of  the  present  high  price  of  zinc,  the 
prominence  that  you  have  given  the  recent  articles  on 
electrolytic  precipitation  by  Mr.  G.  H.  Clevenger,  and 
more  recently  by  Mr.  P.  H.  Crawford,  who  gives  such 


Positive  Wire 

j  Negative  Wire. 


^!^/^>li^v!^;^y>^/^/^v^v^i^i/^i^v^/^V^/>^i¥'/^9>^^i^V^/.^i^V^/>>^ .  '.-".■ 


Fio.  1.    Early  (1905)  type  of  machine  used  in  testing-plants,  showing  electrolyzed 
plate,  D;    original   ratchet-shaped   cathode  roller,  G;  and  sheet  anodes  F. 

interesting  experiences  and  valuable  details  as  to  work- 
ing results  at  the  Minas  Prietas  works,  is  most  timely. 
If  by  any  electrolytic  process  of  precipitation  a  cost  as 
low  as  12  cents  per  ton  can  be  reached,  it  should  be  of 
interest  to  all  cyanide  men,  for  with  the  present  price  of 
zinc  it  could  not  be  expected  under  average  conditions 
to  reduce  the  cost  of  precipitation  below  20  cents  per  ton. 
I  have  had  some  experience  with  electrolytic  precipita- 
tion. Ten  years  ago  I  was  employed  as  chief  metallurgist 
for  the  Garvin  Cyanide  Extraction  Co.,  which  at  that 
time  was  exploiting  an  electro-cyanide  and  amalgama- 
tion process,  with  large  ore-testing  and  demonstrating 
plants  at  Los  Angeles  and  Portland.  The  company  was 
wrecked  during  the  panic  of  1907 ;  it  never  got  its 
process  firmly  established  in  a  commercial  way.  An  ac- 
count of  the  process  cannot  be  equal  in  interest  to  the 
articles  dealing  with  the  Butters  process,  but  the  Garvin 
scheme  of  electrolytic  precipitation  of  cloudy  or  partly 


muddy  solutions  had  considerable  merit,  so  that  some  of 
the  results  achieved  may  be  helpful  to  those  at  present 
interested  in  electrolytic  precipitation. 

The  process  was  the  invention  of  E.  J.  Garvin,  a  prac- 
tical cyanide  man  and  amalgamator,  who  had  had  the 
advantage  of  a  wide  experience  in  electro-plating  in 
some  of  the  best  establishments  in  the  country  and  at  one 
time  had  been  foreman  in  the  plating  department  of  the 
International  Cash  Register  Co.  Such  prominent  men 
as  C.  M.  Fassett,  S.  W.  Traylor,  F.  W.  Braun,  the  Pryor 
Bros.,  and  the  Crocker-Wheeler  people  joined  in  the 
effort  to  introduce  the  method. 

His  first  experiments  were  conducted  at  the  Jumbo 
mill,  in  the  Buffalo  Hump  dis- 
trict   of   central   Idaho.     Later 
he  set  up  a  testing-machine  at 
the     Montana     assay-office,     at 
Portland,     and     eventually    he 
had    two    large    testing-plants; 
he    took    out    patents    in    the 
United  States,  Canada,  Mexico, 
Australia,    and    in    the    South 
African  States,  and  got  a  num- 
ber of  small  plants  built  and  in 
operation   in   the   course   of  2\ 
years.     Two  large  plants,  one  of 
100  tons  and  the  other  of  300 
tons  daily  capacity,  were  turned 
out   of  his   factory.     The   first 
was  shipped  to  the  Sunny  Side 
mine  in  the  Thunder  Mountain 
district  of  Idaho,  and  the  other 
to  the  Palmer  Mountain  Tunnel 
at     Loomis,     "Washington,     but 
neither  was  ever  set  up.     The 
point  aimed  at  by  him  was  to 
treat  sand  and  slime  in  cyanide 
solutions  by  agitation,   without 
classifier  separation,  and  to  send 
the   solutions  without   filtering, 
after  incomplete  settling,   to   a 
preeipitating-cell,  which  consisted  of  a  revolving  cathode 
that  turned  in  a  mercury  bath,  and  had  iron  anodes 
above  it.     The  effort  was  to  keep  the  lighter  solutions 
overflowing  through  the  cells,  throughout  the  treatment 
by  agitation.    Say  one-third  of  the  solution,  the  thinner 
parts,  would  go  by  way  of  the  cells  to  the  pump  to  be 
returned  to  the  tank,  after  diluting  the  thickened  pulp 
that  came  to  the  centrifugal  pump  from  the  eone-bot- 
toraed  agitating-tank. 

The  type  of  machine  used  in  the  testing-plants  and  the 
first  ones  installed  in  the  Minerva  mill  at  Atlanta,  in 
Idaho,  the  Chieftain  mill  in  southern  Oregon,  and  the 
machine  treating  black  sand  concentrate  on  the  Snake 
river  opposite  Lewiston,  Idaho,  are  illustrated  by  Fig. 
1.  A  is  the  precipitating-cell.  B  is  a  hopper-bottomed 
settler  to  permit  a  settling  of  the  heaviest  particles, 
which  overflowed  from  the  agitating-tank  C  and  had  a 
bottom  outlet,  leading  to  the  centrifugal  pump.     G  is 


October  28.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


623 


tin-  revolving  cathode,  a  drum  covered  with  sheet-copper 
revolving  ill  a  bath  of  mercury  about  \\  inches  deep, 
connected  with  the  negative  pole  of  the  dynamo.  The 
earliest  style  of  cathode  roller  was  ratchet  shaped,  with 
strips  of  copper  fastened  to  it  with  screws.  F  is  the 
earliest  type  of  anode,  which  consisted  simply  of  sheets 
of  iron  connected  with  the  positive  pole  of  the  gener- 
ator and  suspended  above  the  cathode.     D  is  a  shaking 


'Pulp  and  Solution. 
Fig.  2.    A  later  Garvin  flow-sheet.    A  is  the  agitator;  B  is  the  settling  and  clari- 
fying cone;  C  is  6  electrolytic  cells  in  series  in  a  cement  box  or  tray;  D  is  the 
sump;  E  is  the  battery-solution  tank;  F  is  the  agitation-pump;   G  is  the  solu- 
tion-pump.    This  was  built  in  1907. 

copper  plate  arranged  in  steps,  the  flat  part  of  the  steps 
being  connected  with  the  negative  wiring  as  a  cathode, 
while  the  drop  between  steps  had  iron  strips  connected 
with  the  positive  pole  as  an  anode.  The  pulp  and  solu- 
tion flowed  over  this  in  the  process  of  agitation.  This 
arrangement  was  all  right  on  the  black-sand  machine  on 
the  Snake  river,  but  generally  there  was  such  a  scouring 
that  it  was  eventually  abandoned.  No  particular  bene- 
fit was  obtained  by  the  electric  connections  on  the  amal- 
gamating device.  E  is  the  centrifugal  pump  that  agi- 
tated the  charge,  by  pumping  the  material  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  cone-tank,  mixed  with  the  thin  barren  solution 
from  the  precipitating-cells  which  was  pumped  back  into 
the  top  of  the  tank  and  thus  kept  in  circulation.  The  aim 
was  to  keep  agitation  and  precipitation  going  on  at  the 
same  time,  so  that  when  extraction  was  complete,  pre- 
cipitation was  also  finished;  then  the  charge  would  be 
allowed  to  settle,  the  solution  and  one  wash-water  would 
be  decanted  and  then  the  pulp  was  discharged  through 
the  bottom. 

This  arrangement  worked  very  well  in  the  small  ma- 
chines in  the  test-plants,  but  in  practice  on  a  working 
scale  various  objections  developed.  The  ends  of  the 
anodes  would  corrode  and  their  renewal  meant  a  con- 
siderable waste  of  iron,  so  the  design  was  changed  to 
that  shown  in  Fig.  3.  A  on  Fig.  3  was  the  final  form  of 
anode  used  by  the  Garvin  people.  They  also  had  trouble 
from  mud  collecting  in  the  boxes  and  sticking  to  the 


rollers  when  the  machine  was  shut-down,  the  electrolytic 
cells  being  out  of  use  during  the  time  employed  in  filling 
and  discharging  the  tank;  it  was  also  found  impractic- 
able to  keep  up  continuous  agitation  and  carry  on  pre- 
cipitation at  one  operation  in  the  arrangement  shown  in 
Fig.  1. 

After  various  experiments  the  arrangement  shown  in 
Fig.  2  was  evolved,  which  was  very  satisfactory  and 
quite  a  metallurgical  success. 
It  was  substantially  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  Garvin  plant 
as  installed  in  the  St.  Paul  mill 
in  Sonora,  Mexico.  This  was 
one  of  the  most  efficient  silver- 
cyanide  plants  of  its.  size  and 
time.  There  were  three  agi- 
tators A,  one  settling-cone  B, 
six  precipitating-cells  D,  two 
battery-solution  tanks  E,  and 
three  sand-agitating  pumps  F. 
0  is  the  solution-pump.  Of 
course,  their  agitator  was  too 
expensive  in  pump-wear  and 
power-consumption  to  compete 
with  such  modern  devices  as 
the  Pachuca  or  Trent  or  Dorr 
machines  of  the  present  day. 
Their  precipitating  device  is 
the  only  thing  of  any  interest 
now. 

If  such  a  machine  were 
operated  along  with  a  modern 
Trent  displacing-machine,  a  Vandercook  filter,  or  a 
Dorr  continuous  decanting  process,  it  would  no  doubt  be 
a  great  success.  Fig.  3  illustrates  their  best  form  of 
precipitating-cell.  A  is  the  anode,  which  also  acts  as  a 
baffle,  forcing  the  solution  between  anodes  A,  and  D  the 


Fig.  3.  The  last  and  best  type  of  Garvin  cell  arrangement  in 
a  shallow  cement  vat.  A  is  the  anode;  B  is  the  buss-bar 
transmitting  positive  current  from  generator;  C  is  a  cup 
of  mercury  by  which  positive  wire  from  anode  is  con- 
nected; D  is  cathode  roller  revolving  20  r.p.m.;  E  is  a 
brass  wheel  revolving  in  the  mercury  cup  F  and  connect- 
ing (by  negative  wire  H)  the  cathode  with  the  generator; 
(?  is  a  mercury  bath;  J  is  cement  bottom;  K  is  soh.tion 
inlet;!/  is  solution  outlet. 


624 


MINING   and 


October  28,  1916 


cathode.  The  anodes  employed  in  all  the  working-plants 
were  of  iron,  though  some  experimental  work  was  done 
with  peroxidized  lead  anodes  at  the  testing-plants  and  it 
was  expected  to  adopt  them  in  the  larger  plants  shortly. 
B  is  a  buss-bar  connecting  the  anodes  with  the  positive 
pole  of  the  generator.  C  is  a  cup  of  mercury  on  the  buss- 
bar,  in  which  wires  connected  with  the  anodes  are  in- 
serted, making  a  quick  and  positive  connection.  D  is 
the  cathoded  roller  with  a  surface  of  sheet-copper,  re- 
volving in  a  mercury  bath,  G  presenting  a  fresh  clean 
surface  to  the  precipitating  field  at  each  revolution.  E 
is  a  brass  wheel  on  the  roller-shaft,  which  revolves  in  the 
mercury-cup  F,  connected  with  the  negative  wire  H.  J 
is  the  box  in  which  the  cell  operates.  They  were  about 
5  ft.  long  and  large  enough  for  a  roller  18  in.  diam. 
Those  built  of  portland  cement,  after  the  manner  of 
laundry-trays,  gave  best  results.  K  is  the  solution  inlet, 
L  the  solution  outlet,  and  M  the  hydrogen  escape.  Pre- 
cipitation took  place  as  readily  when  the  solution  was 
muddy  as  when  it  was  clear,  so  long  as  it  did  not  choke 
the  box.  With  rich  solutions  amalgam  accumulated  on 
the  roller  in  ridges:  with  lean  solutions  it  washed  off  into 
the  mercury  bath  as  fast  as  formed. 

When  any  considerable  quantity  of  sulphide  concen- 
trate accumulated  in  the  preeipitating-cell,  it  tended  to 
sicken  the  quicksilver,  so  it  was  better  to  partly  clarify 
the  solutions  before  the  concentrate  entered  the  field. 
Ten  volts  and  one  ampere  per  square  foot  of  anode  sur- 
face proved  to  be  the  most  satisfactory  current  to  use. 
The  assay  results  are  not  now  at  hand,  but  I  remember 
distinctly  that  with  the  six  standard  cells  in  series,  there 
was  no  trouble  in  precipitating  75  tons  daily  of  $3  solu- 
tion, so  that  the  tailing  would  assay  below  20  cents. 

The  clean-up  was  an  easy  matter.  The  current  was 
shut-off.  The  solution  was  replaced  with  water,  which 
was  heated  to  boiling  with  live  steam,  while  the  roller 
was  set  in  motion,  and  most  of  the  amalgam  would  come 
off  into  the  mercury-bath.  The  mercury  would  be  drawn 
out  and  allowed  to  stand  a  few  hours;  then  it  was 
squeezed  through  a  chamois  skin ;  the  drum  was  scraped 
with  a  rubber,  the  amalgam  retorted,  and  the  sponge 
melted  into  bricks.  Low-voltage  generators  built  by  the 
Crocker- Wheeler  Co.  were  used. 

When  we  were  working  the  Garvin  precipitating 
process,  we  were  learning  all  we  could  of  the  results  ob- 
tained by  other  electrolytic  processes.  It  was  observed 
that  we  were  doing  the  work  with  not  over  one-tenth  of 
the  metal  electrode  surface  as  employed  by  either  the 
Siemens  &  Halske  or  Butters  processes.  It  was  at  first 
thought  that  the  difference  was  due  to  the  new  mercury 
coating  deposited  on  the  revolving  cathode  at  each  revo- 
lution, making  a  fresh  bright  surface,  but  it  seems  more 
probable  that  the  mere  revolving  of  the  drum  presented 
the  same  surface  many  times  to  the  solution  and  was  thus 
equivalent  to  many  times  larger  cathode  surface ;  and  it 
is  pretty  generally  agreed  that  the  rate  of  precipitation 
is  largely  dependent  on  the  number  of  times  the  eleetro- 
lyzed  solution  is  washed  past  the  cathode  independent  of 
the  anode,  the  only  function  of  which  is  to  transmit  the 


Scientific  PRESS 

current.  The  Garvin  revolving  drum  moved  in  an  op- 
posite direction  to  the  flow  of  the  solution,  making  con- 
ditions for  rapid  deposition  still  more  favorable. 

When  these  experiments  were  commenced  in  1904  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  increase  the  cyanide  strength 
of  solution  to  3  pounds  KCN  per  ton  before  sending  it 
to  the  zinc-boxes  in  order  to  accomplish  a  satisfactory 
precipitation,  even  though  a  1-lb.  solution  was  suffi- 
cient to  extract  the  precious  metals.  No  one  was  mak- 
ing much  of  a  success  then  in  treating  slime.  The  arm- 
agitator  was  the  best  thing  that  had  then  appeared. 
Under  such  conditions,  such  a  method  as  has  been  de- 
scribed would  be  attractive  in  many  places.  But  after 
the  situation  had  cleared,  following  the  1907  panic,  when 
the  directors  of  the  company  sought  to  revive  it,  it  did 
not  appear  to  me  a  desirable  thing  to  invest  money  in, 
for  the  Pachuca,  the  Dorr,  and  the  Trent  agitators  were 
firmly  established.  The  Moore  filter,  the  Merrill  press, 
and  the  Butters  plants  were  a  success  on  slime-treatment, 
and  the  zinc-lead  couple  had  overcome  most  of  the  pre- 
cipitation troubles.  Most  of  the  relatively  small  oper- 
ators with  whom  I  was  associated  had  little  interest  in  a 
process  that  could  only  offer  precipitation  at  an  equal 
cost,  particularly  as  it  called  for  a  large  initial  outlay 
in  copper,  mercury,  and  electrical  equipment  which 
would  require  skilled  operatives  on  each  shift.  With  the 
cost  of  zinc  precipitation  doubled,  all  this  is  changed.  I 
believe,  though,  that  anyone  interested  in  electrolytic 
precipitation  who  does  not  recognize  the  importance  of 
a  moving  cathode  is  overlooking  a  good  bet. 

Dolomi,  Alaska,  September  23.  E-  C-  MoBSE- 


IPSpa^SspasStj 


The  Editor: 

Sir — In  'Concentrates'  in  your  issue  of  September 
30,  you  stated  ' '  doubling  the  diameter  of  a  pipe  increases 
its  capacity  four  times." 

The  accuracy  of  this  statement  is  governed  by  what  the 
Editor  wishes  us  to  understand  by  'capacity.'  As  an 
admirer  of  the  editor's  advocacy  of  precision  in  ex- 
pression I  assume  that  'capacity'  as  used  is  intended  to 
be  the  capacity  of  a  pipe  to  carry  or  discharge  water, 
and  not  its  capacity  as  a  container  or  reservoir.  It  re- 
quires only  a  little  reflection  to  understand  that  one 
4-inch  pipe  will  carry  more  water  than  four  2-inch  pipes, 
because  although  the  area  of  one  4-inch  pipe  is  exactly 
equal  to  that  of  four  2-inch  pipes,  the  amount  of  metal 
in  contact  with  the  water  in  the  four  2-ineh  pipes  is  ex- 
actly double  that  of  the  one  4-inch  pipe.  The  circumfer- 
ence of  four  2-inch  pipes  is  25.1328  inches  and  of  one 
4-ineh  pipe  12.5664  inches.  This  reduces  the  friction  in 
the  4-inch  pipe. 

As  a  general  statement  the  carrying  capacity  of  pipes, 
other  conditions  being  equal,  varies  as  the  2|  power  of 
the  diameter;  therefore,  doubling  the  diameter  of  your 
pipe  increases  its  capacity  5.657  times  instead  of  four 

times-  R.  D.  Perkins. 

Los  Angeles,  October  11. 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


625 


A   Graphic   Method   for   Correcting  Steel  Tapes 


B  .'/ 


'  &  1  i  3  v 


I'COtt 


'  <s  <e  Us  s 


*The  errors  that  occur  in  measurements  with  a  steel 
tape  are  due  to  four  causes: 

(1)  Stretching  due  to  tension,  induced  by  pull. 

(2)  Shortening,  due  to  the  sag  of  the  tape. 

(3)  Variation  in  temperature  from  a  standard  at 
which  the  tape  is  correct  in  length  when  no  pull  is  ex- 
erted. 

(4)  Poor  manipulation. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  develop  a  method  by 
which  the  work  of  calculation  of  the  errors  of  the  first 
three  types  may  he  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

The  Problem.  The  tape  is  often  used  horizontally, 
and  the  distance  measured  in  multiples  of  100  feet. 
Rather  more  complicated  taping  is  done  in  mine-work. 
The  measurements  are  taken  from  the  head  of  the  instru- 
ment along  the  line  of  sight  to  some  definite  point.  The 
tape  in  use  may  be  of  any  length  and  it  may  be  at  any 
angle  with  the  horizontal.  These  facts  prescribe  that 
the  system  of  correction,  if  it  is  to  be  comprehensive, 
must  embrace  the  conditions  of  any  length  of  tape  and 
any  angle  of  inclination. 

It  is  the  custom  to  hold  the  portion  of  the  tape  that  is 
at  the  sighted  point  at  the  nearest  foot-mark  and  to  read 
the  fractions  of  a  foot  at  the  instrument.  The  spring- 
balance  that  measures  the  tension  must  be  attached  to 
the  ring  on  the  tape  at  the  instrument.  This  fact  de- 
mands that  the  tension  shall  be  measured  at  either  the 
lower  or  the  upper  end  of  an  inclined  tape,  for  sometimes 
the  shots  will  be  inclined  downward  and  sometimes  up- 
ward. The  tape  must  be  standardized  at  some  particu- 
lar pull  and  temperature,  and  this  standardization  must 
be  taken  into  consideration. 

In  order  that  the  field-work  may  not  be  complicated, 
the  requirement  should  be  made  that  on  any  particular 
tape  only  one  pull  shall  be  exerted  under  all  conditions. 

The  problem  may  be  stated  in  another  way : 

A  tape  is  sent  to  the  Bureau  of  Standards  and  stand- 
ardized. The  tape  is  used  in  the  field  with  a  certain  com- 
puted pull  and  the  temperature  is  noted. 

A  chart  is  to  be  constructed  from  which  can  be  taken 
in  one  operation  the  combined  errors  in  the  measured 
distance  due  to  any  cause  whatsoever. 

Pull.  The  pull  to  be  exerted  on  the  tape  shall  be 
2000  times  the  weight  of  the  tape  per  foot.  This  pull 
will  hereafter  be  designated  as  the  'working  pull.' 

Limit  op  Accuracy.  The  method  of  making  the  cor- 
rection will  now  be  developed,  and  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  correction  will  be  given  with  an  error  not  greater 
than  0.01  ft.  The  corrections  will  apply  to  any  length 
of  steel  tape  up  to  200  ft.     The  corrections  are  com- 

*This  article  will  also  appear  in  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia publications  in  engineering. 


puted  for  steel  having  a  density  of  0.283  lb.  per  cubic 
inch,  a  modulus  of  elasticity  of  29,000,000  lb.  per  square 
inch,  and  a  coefficient  of  linear  expansion  of  0.0000065 
per  degree  Fahrenheit. 

Stretch.  The  formula  for  the  stretch  of  a  horizontal 
tape  is 

SB 
P  =  pull  in  pounds 
L  =  length  of  the  tape  in  feet 

S  =  area  of  cross-section  of  tape  in  square  inches 
E  =  modulus  of   elasticity  =  29,000,000 
e  =  elongation  in  feet 

Let  W  =  weight  of  1  foot  of  tape. 

Let  w  =  weight  per  cubic  inch  of  tape  metal  =  0.283 
lb. 

If  the  working  pull  is  substituted  in  the  formula  it 
becomes 

2000  WL 
SE 
W  =  12  X  S  X  0.283 
._  2000  X  12  X  S  X  0.2S3  X  L 


:  0.000234  L 


SXE 
e  =  0.000234L 

This  is  the  stretch  when  the  working  pull  is  exerted 
on  a  horizontal  tape.  It  is  now  necessary  to  investigate 
the  effect  of  the  weight  of  the  tape  on  the  stretch  when 
the  tape  is  inclined. 

Obviously  the  weight  of  the  tape  will  exert  its  maxi- 
mum effect  when  200  ft.  are  in  use  and  the  tape  is  hang- 
ing vertically.    The  stretch  then  due  to  the  weight  is 

2SE 
where  T  is  the  weight  of  the  tape  in  use. 

Substitute  for  T  the  value  L  X  S  X  0.283  X  12 : 

e  _  g  X  0.283  X  L"-  X  12  _  0  00234  ft    when  L  _  200 
2  X  SxE 

The  effect  of  the  weight  of  the  tape  will  always  be  less 
than  this  because  the  tape  will  be  inclined  at  a  less  angle. 
Hence  we  may  say  that  as  far  as  the  stretch  correction 
is  concerned  the  pull  may  be  measured  at  either  the 
upper  or  the  lower  end  of  the  tape. 

The  straight  line  may  now  be  drawn  that  represents 
the  equation 

e  =  0.000234  L  (see  chart) 

The  ordinates  show  the  error  caused  by  stretch  for  all 
lengths  and  inclinations  of  the  tape. 

Sag.  Professor  E.  V.  Huntington  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity has  developed  a  method  for  computing  the  length 
of  the  chord  of  the  catenary  curve  assumed  by  a  tape 
that  is  supported  at  the  ends.*  The  formula  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  table  are  herewith  printed. 

*L.  S.  Marks,  'Mechanical  Engineers'  Handbook,'  p.  150. 


626 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


Nomenclature  : 
9  =  inclination  of  tape 
TF  =  weight  of  tape  per  unit  of  length 
L  =  length  of  tape  in  use 
P  =  tension  at  upper  end 

k  =  correction  factor  given  by  table  corresponding  to  any- 
given  values  of  9  and  n 
WL 
P 
Length  of  chord  =  L  —  kL 

Portion  of  Table  foh  Determining  Values  of  k 


«  = 


e/rt 

0.06 

0.07 

0.08 

0.09 

0.10 

0.11 

0.12 

0° 

0.000150 

0.000204 

0.000266 

0.000337 

0.000417 

0.000505 

0.000601 

10° 

147 

200 

262 

333 

412 

500 

596 

20° 

135 

1S5 

242 

307 

3S1 

463 

554 

30° 

116 

158 

208 

265 

329 

401 

480 

40° 

91 

125 

165 

210 

261 

318 

382 

50° 

65 

90 

118 

150 

186 

226 

272 

<0° 

39 

54 

71 

91 

114 

139 

167 

•70° 

19 

26 

34 

43 

53 

65 

78 

S0° 

5 

6 

8 

10 

13 

16 

20 

so° 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

If  we  substitute  for  P  the  value  of  the  working  pull, 
the  sag  formula  becomes  simplified: 

n_  WL  WL  L 

P      ~  2000  W  ~  2000 

Different  values  of  L  may  now  be  substituted  and  the 
correction  kL  plotted  for  different  inclinations  of  the 
tape.  The  ordinates  of  the  curves  show  the  error  caused 
by  sag  for  various  lengths  and  inclinations  of  the  tape. 

When  the  working  pull  is  exerted  at  the  upper  end  of 
an  inclined  tape 

2000 
when  i\  represents  the  value  of  n  under  this  condition. 
When  the  working  pull  is  exerted  at  the  lower  end 
with  a  length  of  tape  L  in  use  and  angle  of  inclination 
G,  the  pull  at  the  upper  end  will  be  W  (2000  +  L  sin 
0),  and 

».= k 

2000  +  L  sin  9 
where  n,  similarly  represents  the  value  of  n  under  this 
condition. 

The  greater  the  difference  in  n  in  these  two  cases  the 
greater  will  be  the  difference  in  the  length  of  the  chords 
with  a  constant  angle  of  inclination,  as  is  exhibited  in 
the  preceding  table. 

Change 

to  the  form  

2000  2000 


and 


2000  +  L  sin  G 


to  the  form 


2000 
L 


sin  8 


Hence 


1 

2000 

L 


2000 


+  sin  6 


L  varies  from  0  to  200  and  sin  0  from  0  to  1.  Hence 
for  a  given  0  the  two  fractions  in  the  right-hand  mem- 
ber have  a  maximum  difference  when  L  is  a  maximum, 
namely,  200  in  value. 

Therefore,  with  a  length  of  tape  200  ft.  assumed,  if 
the  difference  in  the  chord-lengths  is  calculated  it  is 
found  as  the  angle  of  inclination  is  varied  that  at  0°  the 
difference  is  zero,  because  the  pull  at  both  ends  is  the 


same.  With  increasing  angle  the  difference  gradually 
rises  to  0.006  ft,  and  then  declines  again  and  becomes 
zero  at  90°,  because  at  that  point  there  is  no  sag.  Thus 
within  the  limit  of  error,  which  has  been  established,  it 
makes  no  difference  whether  the  pull  is  measured  at  the 
upper  or  the  lower  end. 

There  still  remains  to  consider  the  standardization  of 
the  tape  and  the  variation  in  length  due  to  changes  of 
temperature. 

Standardization.  The  tape  will  be  standardized  sup- 
ported throughout  its  entire  length  at  a  temperature  T 
and  a  pull  P.  The  length  of  the  tape  will  then  be  cal- 
culated with  no  pull  and  under  the  above  conditions  of 
support  and  temperature.  The  temperature  at  which  the 
tape  is  exactly  correct  in  length  with  no  pull  and  entirely 
supported  will  next  be  computed.  This  temperature  is 
called  the  standard  temperature  for  the  tape.  An  ex- 
ample will  illustrate  the  method  of  computing  the  stand- 
ard temperature. 

A  200-ft.  tape  is  standardized  at  a  pull  of  10  lb.  and 
60°  F.  and  found  to  measure  200.06  feet. 

First— What  will  be  the  length  at  60°  F.  with  no  pull? 

Let  W  =  weight  of  the  tape  per  foot.  When  the  work- 
ing pull  is  exerted  the  pull  =  2000  W.  The  stretch  is 
directly  proportional  to  the  pull.  Hence  when  a  10-lb. 
pull  is  exerted  the  stretch  is 

„„nAT_    X  stretch  with  working  pull 

The  stretch  with  working  pull  may  be  taken  directly 
from  the  chart  and  for  this  case  is  seen  to  be  0.047. 

If  the  tape  weighs  0.01  lb.  per  foot,  the  elongation  due 
to  10-lb.  pull  is 

—  X  0.047  =  0.024 
20 

Hence  with  no  pull  the  length  would  be  200.036. 

Second — At  what  temperature  would  the  tape  measure 
200  ft.  exactly? 

The  coefficient  of  expansion  for  steel  is  about  0.0000065 
for  1°F.  Two  hundred  feet  will  shorten  0.0013  ft.  with 
a  drop  in  temperature  of  1°  F. 

To  shorten  the  tape  0.036  ft.  the  temperature  must 
be  lowered 


0.036 


=  28° 


0.0013 

60  —  28  =  32° 

Thirty-two  degrees  is  then  the  temperature  at  which 
the  tape  is  correct  in  length  with  no  pull  and  entirely 
supported. 

For  this  particular  tape  32°  F.  is  the  standard  temper- 
ature and  is  represented  on  the  chart  as  0°. 

Temperature  Vaeiation.  The  variations  in  the 
length  of  the  tape  due  to  variations  in  the  temperature 
from  the  standard  temperature  are  plotted  with  the 
stretch  line  as  the  datum.  The  temperature  lines  are 
marked  with  the  number  of  degrees  by  which  they  differ 
from  the  standard  temperature.  If  the  standard  tem- 
perature be  subtracted  algebraically  from  the  temper- 
ature at  which  the  tape  is  used  the  variation  in  temper- 
ature will  be  given.  The  variation  in  length  =  length 
in   use  X  0.O000065  X  variation   in   temperature.      The 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


627 


mm 


difference  between  the  ordinate 
of  a  temperature  line  and  the 
ordinate  of  the  stretch  line  for  a 
given  length  of  tape  gives  the 
variation  in  length  due  to  tem- 
perature. 

Method  of  Using  the  Chart. 
An  example  will  now  illustrate 
the  method  of  using  the  chart. 

A  tape  whose  standard  tem- 
perature is  32°  F.  is  used  when 
the  temperature  is  62°  F.,  the 
angle  of  inclination  is  60°,  and 
the  length  in  use  is  160  feet. 

The  temperature  is  30°  higher 
than  the  standard.  Place  one 
point  of  a  pair  of  dividers  on  the 
intersection  of  the  temperature 
line  marked  +  30  and  the  ver- 
tical '  feet '  line  marked  160.  Place 
the  other  end  of  the  dividers  on 
the  intersection  of  the  sag  curve 
marked  60°  and  the  vertical 
'feet'  line  marked  160.  Transfer 
this  distance  to  the  vertical  scale 
at  the  left  where  the  correction  is 
read.    It  is  seen  to  be  0.057. 

If  the  temperature  line  is  above 
the  sag  line,  the  correction  must 
be  added.  If  the  sag  line  is  above 
the  temperature  line,  the  correc- 
tion must  be  subtracted.  This  re- 
sults from  the  fact  that  when  the 
tape  is  too  long  the  recorded  dis- 
tance is  too  small  and  when  the 
tape  is  too  short  the  recorded  dis- 
tance is  too  large. 

In  the  present  instance,  0.057 
must  be  added. 

Summary  op  Method.  Com- 
pute the  temperature  at  which 
the  tape  is  correct  in  length  with 
no  pull  and  entirely  supported. 
This  is  the  standard  temperature. 
Use  the  tape  with  a  pull  which 
equals  2000  times  its  weight  per 
foot.  Subtract  algebraically  the 
standard  temperature  from  the 
temperature  at  which  the  tape  is 
used  to  obtain  the  "variation 
from  standard  temperature." 
Place  one  point  of  a  pair  of  di- 
viders on  the  intersection  of  the 
temperature  line  and  the  length 
line  and  the  other  point  on  the 
intersection  of  the  sag  line  and 
the  length  line,  and  transfer  this 
distance  to  the  scale  at  the  left 
where  the  correction  is  read  in 
feet. 


628 


MINING   and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


©©MHa-aM    Will 

ny     23.     3.     SSapp* 

The  Florence  mine  at  Goldfield,  Nevada,  was  equipped 
in  1909  with  a  40-stanip  mill  and  cyanide-plant,  which 
was  burned  in  1912.  Since  then  the  mine  has  been  oper- 
ated for  a  small  tonnage  of  shipping  ore,  during  the  ex- 
traction of  which  a  considerable  qiiantity  of  low-grade 
gold-copper  ore  was  developed.  Flotation  has  made  its 
local  treatment  profitable,  and  a  mill  to  treat  the  ore  is 
giving  satisfactory  results  from  the  following  scheme 
of  treatment : 

No..  4  gyratory-crusher 


Bucket-elevator 


The  Jones-Belmont  machine,  which  works  ahead  of  the 
six  Janney  machines,  is  a  new  type  on  the  market,  hav- 
ing been  designed  and  patented  by  A.  H.  Jones  of  the 
Tonopah  Belmont  Development  Co.  This  standard-sized 
cell  was  installed  in  the  Florence  flotation  plant  at  the 
request  of  Mr.  Jones,  in  order  that  full  data  might  be 
obtained  under  regular  working  conditions  in  compar- 
ison with  the  standard  Janney  apparatus.  The  Jones- 
Belmont  has  been  taking  the  whole  mill-feed  of  from  150 
to  180  tons,  and  has  made  a  higher-grade  concentrate, 
with  a  lower  silica-content,  than  the  shipping  concen- 
trate taken  from  the  two  Janney  machines,  which  clean 
the  rougher  concentrate  from  the  six  Janney  machines 
that  make  a  rougher  concentrate.  The  new  machine  not 
only  requires  less  power,  but  also  less  labor,  and  less 
oil  per  ton  of  ore  to  make  a  better  extraction.  The  com- 
pany is  considering  installing  this  type  of  machine  in 
the  flotation  end  of  the  mill. 


Bin  for  crushed  ore  (1-iu.  size) 


jMsSs®!  < 


Belt-£eeder 


6  by  4J-ft.  ball-mill 


12-mesh  trommel-screen 


r 

Oversize 


Undersize 


Bucket-elevator 

-^ * 


Undersize 


Dorr  duplex  classifier 


Oversize 


1  Jones-Belmont  flotation  machine  3  by  14-it.  ball  tube-mill 

1  * - 


6  Janney  flotation  machines 


I ' } 

Concentrate  Tailing 

I  I 

2  Janney  cleaners  Don"  thickener 


Dorr  thickener 


f 


± 


1 


liitiini   water  Discharge 


Return  water 


—1 

Concentrate 

1 


r 


Oliver  filter 
4> 


"1 


Concentrate  to  smelter 


Return  water 


The  average  extraction  is  90%   on  a  comparatively 
low-grade  ore  containing  gold,  silver,  and  copper. 

♦Mill  manager. 


The  span  of  the  Quebec  bridge  that  was  lost  during 
September  contained  5200  tons  of  nickel-steel.  The  loss 
is  estimated  at  $600,000.  This  material  is  a  decided 
specialty  when  compared  with  ordinary  carbon-steel. 
In  fixing  a  price  for  nickel-steel  the  rule  is  to  add  $12.50 
per  ton  for  each  1%  of  nickel  added.  This  must  be  open- 
hearth.  The  standard  specifications  of  the  American 
Society  for  Testing  Materials  for  structural  nickel-steel 
and  rivet  nickel-steel  say  that  the  nickel  shall  not  be 
under  3.25%.  Steel  firms  usually  like  to  get  about  $12 
for  fabricating  and  $12  for  erection,  but  the  charges  for 
this  work  are  governed  to  a  great  extent  by  competition, 
etc.  Erecting  in  an  out-of-the-way  place  would  com- 
mand a  higher  figure.  The  fabrication  and  erecting 
costs,  of  course,  are  added  to  the  mill  price  of  the  steel. 
Freight  must  be  calculated  also.  Structural  steel  today, 
that  is,  shapes,  is  around  2.75c.  per  lb.,  Pittsburg.  Plates 
are  quoted  at  4c,  and  bars  at  2.75c.  Prompt  deliveries 
command  premiums.  The  material  which  went  into  the 
Quebec  bridge  was  bought  at  lower  prices  than  prevail 
today.  The  Memphis  bridge  over  the  Mississippi  was 
constructed  of  Mayari  steel,  a  natural  nickel-chrome 
steel. 


The  chemical  difference  between  sodium  and  potas- 
sium nitrate  is  in  the  character  of  the  basic  metal.  As 
indicated  in  the  names  of  these  compounds,  the  metal  in 
the  one  is  sodium  and  in  the  other,  potassium.  Sodium 
nitrate,  or  Chile  saltpeter,  is  imported  into  this  country 
in  large  quantity  from  Chile.  The  potassium  or  potash 
nitrate  has  come  chiefly  from  Germany,  which  controls 
the  world's  potash  supply.  It  is  practically  impossible 
to  obtain  potash  salts  of  any  kind  at  the  present  time 
and  quotations  on  potassium  nitrate  (niter)  have  not 
been  published  for  a  long  time.  Owing  to  the  great  de- 
mand for  Chile  saltpeter  the  price  of  this  commodity  has 
greatly  increased  and  it  is  now  bringing  approximately 
$3  per  100  pounds. 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


629 


THE   SMELTEB. 


THE  OLD  CONVERTERS   AND  THE   NEW. 


The   Naltagua 


mmx 


By 


taste       jl  . 


Experiments  were  made  some  time  ago  at  Gatico  to 
determine  the  possibility  of  converting  matte  in  small 
acid  converters,  by  lining  them  with  basic  brick.  George 
W.  Waters  made  a  success  of  this,  and  it  tempted  others 
to  make  the  trial.  The  manager  at  Naltagua  decided  that 
it  was  economy  to  use  the  basic  converter  designed  by 
Pierce  &  Smith,  but  meantime  he  experimented  with 
their  smaller  acid  converters  provided  with  basic  brick 
lining.  In  this  plant,  the  acid  lining  had  given  much 
trouble,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  finding  lining 
material  at  all  suitable.  The  results  attained  with  the 
acid  converters  with  basic  lining,  although  not  as  satis- 
factory as  those  obtained  with  the  converter  designed 
specially  for  the  process,  were  an  improvement  over 
former  practice,  and  these  furnaces  are  still  being  oper- 
ated basic,  until  the  installation  of  the  Pierce  &  Smith 
converter  is  completed. 

The  smelter  makes  about  15  tons  of  copper  per  day, 
and  at  the  present  high  price  of  that  metal,  is  making 
handsome  profits.  The  sudden  rise  in  the  price  of  coke 
decided  the  management  to  install  reverberatory  fur- 
naces to  burn  pulverized  coal,  since  the  Chilean  coal  is 
of  a  good  quality  and  there  is  no  great  demand  for  slack. 
These  furnaces  have  been  on  order  some  weeks  and  are 
beginning  to  arrive.  Foundations  are  being  prepared 
and  it  is  expected  that  they  will  be  blown-in  within  six 
months.  This  period  seems  long,  compared  with  the 
time  required  for  such  installations  elsewhere,  but  Chile 
is  a  long  way  from  the  machinery  factory,  and  labor  is 
none  too  abundant  and  is  unskilled  in  such  work. 

The  new  plant  is  complete  in  every  detail ;  it  includes  a 
drier,  pulverizer,  and  ball-mill  for  reducing  the  coal  to 
150-mesh  and  finer.  The  ore  also  must  be  dried,  and  will 
be  crushed  to  a  fineness  depending  on  the  relative  price 
of  coal  and  coke;  in  other  words,  with  cheap  coke,  it 


will  pay  best  to  send  as  much  as  possible  of  the  ore  to 
the  blast-furnace,  whereas  when  coal  is  relatively  cheaper 
than  coke,  the  crushing  will  be  finer,  and  a  larger  pro- 
portion of  ore  sent  to  the  reverberatories. 

It  is  expected  to  obtain  a  smelting  ratio  of  seven  of  ore 
to  one  of  coal.  The  pulverized  coal  will  not  be  stored  in 
large  quantities,  in  order  to  avoid  the  danger  of  spon- 
taneous combustion  in  the  bins.  Both  the  coal  and  the 
ore  will  be  dried  to  under  2%  moisture,  in  order  to  re- 
duce fuel  consumption  in  the  reverberatory  furnaces. 

The  plant  is  so  arranged  that  the  matte  from  the 
water-jacketed  furnaces  will  be  laundered  direct  from 
the  fore-hearths  to  the  converters,  while  the  matte  from 
the  reverberatories  will  be  hauled  by  an  electric  loco- 
motive to  within  reach  of  the  converter-crane  and  thus 
charged  into  the  converters.  It  is  planned  to  take  the 
slag  away  intermittently  in  cars,  but  when  water  is 
plentiful,  this  slag  will  probably  be  granulated.  For- 
merly, and  until  the  available  space  was  all  filled  up,  it 
was  the  practice  to  granulate  the  slag  from  the  water- 
jacket  furnaces,  but  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  resort 
to  cars,  mules,  and  boys. 

When  the  new  furnaces  are  in  operation,  smelting  with 
the  cheapest  fuel  available  and  with  cheap  power  from 
waste  gases,  using  the  Pierce  &  Smith  converter,  this 
plant  will  be  completely  up-to-date  and  will  smelt  at  as 
low  a  figure  as  any  plant  in  South  America. 


The  largest  steel  chimney  in  the  world  is  that  at  the 
United  Verde  Copper  Co.'s  smelter  at  Clarkdale,  Ari- 
zona. The  stack  is  400  ft.  1  in.  high,  30  ft.  9|  in.  diam., 
and  is  lined  with  4  in.  of  brick  throughout. 


Tungsten  oee  is  being  mined  near  the  Miramichi  river 
in  New  Brunswick.    A  20-ton  mill  is  at  work. 


630 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  28,  19.16 


The  Wet  Iteatment  of  Copper    Concentrate 


By      So  a  w  a?  e  la  <e  e      £.  <dl  <fl  1  ®  Bs  s 


*A  complete  wet  process!  consists  of  roasting  and 
leaching  the  calcine  in  dilute  sulphuric  acid  produced 
from  the  roaster-gases,  roasting  the  residue  with  salt, 
and  leaching  with  dilute  tower-liquors  (the  well-known 
Longmaid-Henderson  process)  and  recovering  the  cop- 
per, silver,  and  gold  by  cementation  or  electrolysis  or  a 
combination  of  both.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  the 
residue  from  the  first  leaching,  carrying  about  20%  of 
the  copper  and  all  of  the  silver  and  gold, 
can  be  smelted  if  preferable.  In  con- 
sidering the  application  of  the  scheme 
to  individual  cases,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  freight  plays  a  large  part  in 
any  reduction  process  wherein  smelting 
is  not  conducted  at  the  mouth  of  the 
mine,  and  that  it  is  not  practicable  today 
to  build  small  smelting-plants  for  indi- 
vidual operations. 

The  experiments  may  be  grouped  un- 
der four  main  heads :  roasting,  leaching, 
chloridizing  residue,  and  recovery  of 
copper  solutions.  The  products  of  two 
concentrators  were  used:  the  Nacozari 
concentrate  was  the  product  of  a  large 
modern  mill  not  using  flotation,  the  cop- 
per mineral  being  largely  chalcopyrite ; 
and  the  Tyrone  concentrate,  the  product 
of  an  experimental  mill,  including  flota- 
tion, the  copper  mineral  being  chiefly 
Typical  analyses  would  be  as  follows : 

Nacozari 

Copper,  per  cent    14.0 

Silver,  ounces  per  ton 4.0 

Gold,   ounces   per   ton    0.01 

Iron,  per  cent   31.0 

Sulphur,    per    cent    34.0 

Silica,   per  cent    13.0 

Alumina,   per   cent    3.0 

Lime 0.6 

The  Nacozari  concentrate  carries  considerable  coarse 
jig-product  while  the  Tyrone  material  comes  from  an 
ore  where  the  copper  is  finely  disseminated  and  the 
quantity  of  100-mesh  is  quite  marked.  The  presence  of 
the  flotation-concentrate  in  the  Tyrone  material  brings 
up  the  copper  content  of  the  fine. 

Roasting.  The  object  in  roasting  is  to  make  as  much 
of  the  copper  and  as  little  of  the  iron  as  possible  soluble 
in  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  The  work  is  similar  to  roasting 
fine  pyrite  in  sulphuric  acid  manufacture,  except  that 
this  solubility  ratio  rather  than  the  complete  utilization 

'Abstract   of   paper   presented   at   the  Arizona  meeting   of 
American   Institute   of  Mining  Engineers    (September  1916). 
tPatent  applied  for. 


of  sulphur  is  the  controlling  factor.  Small-scale  work 
is  not  satisfactory  as  a  guide  to  possible  results  because 
it  is  practically  impossible  to  prevent  over-heating  due 
to  rapid  oxidation  of  sulphur  in  a  laboratory  experi- 
ment. 

An  18-ft.,  water-cooled,  six-hearth  McDougall  fur- 
nace was  used,  the  speed  of  rotation  being  gradually 
cut  down  until  'dead  roasting'  conditions  were  obtained. 


Per  Cent  Sulphur  in  Calcines 
34      32       30       28       26       24       22       20       18        16       14       12       19 

3        6        4 

!         0 

SO 
80 

j 

a 
.2 

7 

1 

H  50 
8  40 

la 

0. 

N 

«*»' 

*°° 

5 

Jx 

20 

H 

\ 

oloWs 

+C° 

PS^j. 

^ 

<< 

0 

h 

cittF-; 

Fig.  1. 


NACOZARI   CONCENTRATE   ROASTED   IN   18-FT.    SIX-HEARTH   FURNACE   AND 
LEACHED    IN    4%    SULPHURIC    ACID   IN    LABORATORY. 


chalcocite. 


Tyrone 

14.0 

0.5 

Trace 

28.0 

30.0 


Greater  tonnages  could  doubtless  have  been  obtained  in  a 
seven-hearth  furnace. 

Many  samples  were  taken  from  various  hearths  and 
the  acid-soluble  copper  and  iron  determined  by  leach- 
ing with  4%  sulphuric  acid  in  the  laboratory.  It  is 
evident  that  the  chalqocite  can  be  oxidized  much  more 
readily  than  the  chalcopyrite,  although  size  of  particles 
has  something  to  do  with  this.  An  investigation  of  the 
solubilities  of  the  various  sizes  of  particle  was  carried 
out  by  screening  some  of  the  calcine,  as  shown  in  Fig.  3. 
As  would  be  expected,  the  finer  particles  are  the  more 
thoroughly  oxidized;  the  jig-product  in  the  Nacozari 
concentrate  is  one  reason  for  the  poorer  results  obtained 
in  the  treatment  of  this  material. 

In  general,  these  large-scale  experiments  indicate  the 
possibility  of  reasonably  obtaining  the  results  desired — 
high  copper  and  low  iron  solubility — but  it  is  obvious 
that  the  residue  after  leaching  will  contain  sufficient 
copper  to  require  re-treatment,  aside  from  the  fact  that 
any  silver  and  gold  will  remain  in  this  residue. 

Leaching.  As  shown  in  the  paper  presented  last 
year,  such  satisfactory  results  in  the  extraction  of  cop- 
per from  tailing  were  obtained  by  dumping  the  hot 
calcine  from  the  furnace  into  a  leaching-trough,  the  few 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


631 


seconds  agitation  thus  obtained  extracting  almost  as 
much  copper  as  prolonged  treatment  in  other  apparatus, 
that  the  same  idea  was  tried  out  with  the  concentrate 
calcine.  It  was  not  possible,  for  various  reasons,  to 
handle  the  output  of  the  furnace  directly,  so  the  calcine 
was  stored  and  then  fed  to  a  bucket-elevator  which  in 
turn  delivered  into  a  V-trough  in  which  the  leaching- 
liquor  wTas  flowing.  The  results  were  here  disappointing, 
as  although  there  was  instant  extraction  of  perhaps  half 
of  the  soluble  copper,  a  prolongation  of  the  trough  to 


30 
1IKI 


28       20       24        22 


Per  Cent  Sulphur  in  Calcines 
20        IS        10       14        12       10 


e 

X 

W  60 


,h 

J 

/ 

* 

A?" 
f0 

t 

7 

\ 

ridS 

»s» 

ttoa. 

\ 

'. 

- 

Fig.  2.  Tyrone  concentrate  boasted  in  18-ft.  six-hearth 
mcdougall  fubnace  and  leached  in  i%  sulphuric  acid 
in  laboratory. 

give  60  see.  travel  did  not  greatly  increase  this  amount. 
It  was  definitely  shown  in  the  laboratory  as  well  that 
prolonged  agitation  was  necessary  to  extract  all  of  the 
soluble  copper.  The  leaching-trough  delivered  into  an 
acid-proof  drag  consisting  of  an  endless  belt  with  angle 
rakes,  of  the  type  commonly  used  in  concentrators  for 
dewatering.  This  acted  more  or  less  as  a  classifier,  the 
very  fine  residue  being  carried  over  with  the  liquor, 
from  which  it  was  subsequently  separated  by  settling. 
As  this  still  gave  insufficient  agitation  to  the  sand,  a 
Parral  agitating-vat  was  tried,  but  it  was  found  that 
the  material  was  too  heavy  to  yield  readily  to  any  sort 
of  air-lift  agitation.  A  Dorr  classifier  was  then  added  to 
the  apparatus  and  this  did  better.  It  was  found,  how- 
ever, that  it  was  necessary  to  pass  the  residue  six  or 
seven  times  through  the  leaching  process  in  order  to  ob- 
tain an  extraction  equal  to  that  shown  by  laboratory  tests 
on  the  calcine. 

The  large-scale  leaching  tests  were  confined  to  the 
Tyrone  material,  a  lot  of  30  tons  of  calcine  from  some  of 
the  roasting  tests  being  used.  The  first  runs  on  a  lot  of 
17  tons  of  not  quite  'dead-roasted'  material  containing 
4%  sulphur  gave  results  that  were  satisfactory  except 
in  that  too  much  iron  was  dissolved,  causing  a  needless 
consumption  of  acid  and  embarrassing  any  electrolytic 
scheme  of  recovery.  Later,  better-roasted  material  was 
available  and  a  careful  record  kept  of  the  metal  balance 
and  acid  consumption. 

These  figures  check  reasonably  close  except  in  the  case 
of  iron;  hut  it  must  be  remembered  that  various  iron 
parts  in  the  apparatus  used  were  attacked  by  the  liquor, 


which   would  artificially  increase  the  iron  taken  into 
solution. 

E.XTBACTION    BY    HEADING   V.    TAILING 

Weight,  ,—Copper-^       ,— Iron— ,  Alumina 


% 

5.60 

7.02 

16.00 


Lb. 

46S 

393 

75 

0.07 


Alumina 


% 

0.47 

0.45 

31.90 


Lb. 
246 
395 
149 

0.14 


Lb.        %  Lb.  %  Lb. 

Heading   8360     15.48  1292  31.00  2590 

Tailing    5600       3.50  196  43.52  2440 

Extraction    84.70  1096  5.80  150 

Extraction   per  lb. 

of  Cu 1.00      0.14 

Extraction  by  Analysis  of  Liquors 

Weight,  t— Copper— ,  ,— Iron— , 

Lb.        %        Lb.  %        Lb. 

Heading   51,538       0.46      238  0.20      140 

Tailing    86,910       1.46     1271  0.76       657 

Extraction    80.00    1033  21.30       553 

Extraction  per  lb. 

of  Cu 1.00  ....      0.53 

The  acid  consumption  was  2495  lb.  of  100%  sulphuric 
acid  for  the  run.  This  is  equivalent  to  2.28  lb.  of  acid 
per  pound  of  copper  extracted.  Laboratory  tests  on  the 
same  calcine  indicated  a  consumption  of  2.0  lb.  The 
leaching  was  done  at  about  125°  F.  with  5.6%  free  acid 
in  the  liquor  entering  the  trough.  The  residue  was  pass- 
ed through  the  leaching  process  five  times. 

In  general,  when  a  15%  copper  calcine  is  fed  to  the 
trough,  the  residue  at  the  end  of  the  trough  will  con- 
tain about  8%  Cu,  the  extraction  representing  the  in- 
stanteously  soluble  copper.  This  residue  can  be  brought 
down  to  about  3.5%  Cu  by  suitable  agitating  means, 
with  a  consumption  of  a  little  over  2  lb.  of  acid  per 
pound  of  copper,  and  with  the  extraction  of  but  little 

Mesh  4- 

100   120   140   160   180  200  220  240 


RELATIVE    SOLUBILITIES    OF    VARIOUS    SIZED    FABTICLES    P7 
CALCINE. 

iron.    The  final  residue  weighs  about  60%  of  the  original 
concentrate  before  roasting. 

Chloridizing  Residue.  No  large-scale  work  was  done 
on  the  chloridizing  of  the  residue  from  the  first  leaching. 
The  analysis  of  this  residue,  however,  differs  from  that 
of  pyrite  cinder,  so  long  successfully  treated  by  this 
process,  only  in  the  amount  of  silica  present.  Various 
small-scale  experiments  were  tried  and  50  lb.  or  so  was 
sent  for  test  to  a  plant  where  the  Longmaid-Henderson 


632 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRES^ 


October  28,  1916 


process  was  in  operation.    Both  sets  of  experiments  were 
entirely  satisfactory. 

A  small  lot  of  the  leached  residue  was  prepared  for 
test.  This  contained  5.6%  Cu,  1.9  oz.  Ag,  and  2.5%  S» 
Raw  concentrate  for  adjusting  the  sulphur-copper  ratio 
was  used,  containing  14.4%  Cu,  0.55  oz.  Ag,  and  34%  S. 
Fig.  4  shows  the  extractions  with  varying  percentages 


•100 

90 

80 

70 
c 

%  00 

a 

cd 

I  50 

J  40 
u 

1        I 

Per  Cent  Salt  Added  to  Roast 
2        3         4         5         6        7         8 

)       10       11       12 

X" 

>< 

' 

&? 

•gf. 

CojJ. 

a 

*$ 

■<s» 

£> 

$ 

S^ 

f* 

& 

20 

0 

Fig.   4.     chloeidizing  leached  concentbate  calcine. 

Roasted  1J  hr.  at  975°  F.  with  addition  of  salt  and  10%  raw 
concentrates. 

Calcines:  5.6%  copper,  1.9  oz.  silver,  and  2.5%  sulphur. 

Raw  concentrates:  14.4%  copper,  0.55  oz.  silver,  and  34% 
sulphur. 

Liquor:  5%  Na.SO„  5%  NaCl,  5%  FeCl„  and  0.5%  HC1  + 
H2S0,. 

of  common  salt  added  to  the  'mix'  after  roasting  in  an 
electric  muffle  furnace  1J  hr.  at  975°  F.  and  leaching  in 
a  liquor  carrying  5%  Na,S04,  5%  NaCl,  5%  FeCl2,  and 

Per  Cent  Raw  Concentrates  Added  before. Roast  . 
2        4  6         8        10       12       14       16       18       20        22      24 


Fig.  5.    effect  of  sltlphob-coppeb  batio  upon  extraction. 
7i%  salt  added  to  boasting  'mix.' 

0.5%  HC1  +  H2S04.  Fig.  5  shows  the  effect  of  varying 
the  sulphur  ratio.  The  results  show  an  extraction  of 
98%  of  the  copper  and  79%  of  the  silver.  The  report  on 
the  lot  of  residue  sent  away  fully  confirmed  these  results. 


Recovery  op  Copper  From  Solutions.  The  liquor 
from  the  chloridizing  plant  would  doubtless  be  reduced 
to  argentiferous  copper-cement  by  iron.  But  20%  of  the 
original  copper  is  involved.  The  sulphate  liquor  from 
the  first  leach  could  be  precipitated  on  iron  if  desired, 
or  with  certain  limitations  would  be  suitable  for  electro- 
lytic deposition  of  the  copper  and  regeneration  of  the 
acid.  The  concentrate  carries  from  1  to  2  lb.  of  sulphur 
per  pound  of  copper,  equivalent  to  from  3  to  6  lb.  of 
100%  sulphuric  acid,  less  process  losses,  if  the  roaster 
gas  is  oxidized  to  sulphuric  acid.  Since  the  leaching 
calls  for  but  a  little  over  2  lb.  of  acid  per  pound  of 
copper,  plus  tailing  losses,  it  would  seem  possible,  there- 
fore, to  figure  on  a  simple  cementation  plant,  consider- 
ing electrolysis  as  a  competitor  on  a  basis  of  relative 
profit  and  not  of  necessity. 


W©2»S 


Record  in 


ShmUfc 


The  record  was  made  in  the  month  of  August  at  the 
Chief  Consolidated  Mining  Co.  's  shaft  at  Homansville, 
Tintic  district,  Utah. 

In  31  days  the  shaft  was  sunk  a  total  distance  of  261 
feet. 

The  shaft  consists  of  three  compartments.  The  two 
hoisting  compartments  being  4  ft.  2  in.  square  inside 
measurements,  and  the  third,  or  man-way,  compartment 
4  ft.  2  in.  by  3  ft.  2  in.  Timber  used  consisted  of  8  by 
8  in.  for  the  sets  and  2  by  12  lagging  for  the  outside 
lining.    The  sets  were  spaced  6  ft.  apart. 

The  rock  was  limestone  lying  in  flat  beds,  some  of 
which  were  quite  hard  and  some  soft. 

The  shaft  was  operated  in  three  shifts  of  four  machine- 
men  each  and  a  topman  and  engineer  on  each  shift.  On 
day-shift  two  timbermen  did  the  timbering. 

The  Sullivan  and  Denver  rock-drill  sinking-machines 
were  used.  Two  five-foot  rounds  of  about  22  holes  each 
were  drilled  per  day. 

The  timber-men  worked  on  what  was  termed  a  'sus- 
pended bulkhead  and  shooting  set, '  consisting  of  a  set  of 
8  by  8  in.  timbers,  the  same  size  as  the  shaft  sets,  with 
J  in.  sheet-iron  plates  bolted  on  the  bottom  of  the  two 
outside  compartments.  This  device  was  suspended  on 
both  ends  by  means  of  one-ton  chain-blocks  hung  from 
two  sets  above,  allowing  the  bulkhead  to  be  lowered  a 
sufficient  distance  from  the  bottom  set  to  allow  a  new  set 
of  timbers  to  be  put  in  place,  without  stopping  the  work 
of  the  machine-men  and  shovelers  below.  This  arrange- 
ment added  greatly  to  the  safety  and  speed  of  sinking. 

Hoisting  was  done  through  the  centre  compartment 
only,  by  means  of  two  15J-cu.  ft.  buckets  used  alternately 
and  dumped  automatically  on  top  into  a  car  by  means  of 
a  chain  hung  from  the  head-frame.  This  chain  was 
hooked  into  a  ring  on  the  bottom  of  the  bucket,  holding 
the  bottom  stationary  and  allowing  it  to  tip  on  an  in- 
cline-door and  chute,  thereby  discharging  its  contents. 

Walter  Fitch,  Jr.,  was  manager;  J.  D.  Matheson, 
superintendent;  and  J.  H.  Santo,  foreman. 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


G:s:J 


IfaD^ion 


A   Discussion   Before  ths  iL^  __■.:■-.'■'    iiijiiiuiy    0-j  Mining   lEkijj...'. j-j    .u    cii'j,u^ 


The  Chairman  (C.  E.  Mills)  :  Gentlemen,  the  subject 
of  this  afternoon's  session  will  be  'Flotation.'  The  first 
item  on  the  program  will  be  an  abstract  of  Mr.  Cole's 
paper,  '  The  Advent  of  Flotation  in  the  Clif ton-Morenci 
District,  Arizona.'* 

David  Cole:  There  is  much  kaolinized  material  in 
Morenci  ores  and  a  great  deal  of  colloidal  matter  is  de- 
veloped in  milling  them.  The  Elmore  process  had  been 
tried  by  the  Detroit  Copper  Mining  Co.  some  years  be- 
fore and  had  been  defeated,  it  was  reported,  by  the  slime. 
This  delayed  the  serious  consideration  of  the  flotation 
process  in  the  district.  After  it  was  found  that  flotation 
would  apply  at  Morenci,  there  were  difficulties  to  over- 
come on  account  of  the  restriction  of  space  in  the  mill- 
building,  known  as  concentrator  No.  6,  of  the  Arizona 
Copper  Company. 

Morenci  ores  are  heavy  in  sulphide  minerals  and  have 
relatively  low  ratios  of  concentration — from  7  to  9  into 
1.  It  is  therefore  economical  to  remove  a  large  portion 
of  the  copper  sulphides  in  primary  roughing  operations. 
After  the  removal  of  the  easily  separated  coarser  sul- 
phide minerals,  there  remains  a  matrix  similar  to  the 
disseminated  'porphyry'  ores,  requiring  fine  grinding  to 
release  the  remaining  sulphides.  The  grade  of  the  ma- 
terial that  reaches  the  re-grinding  departments  in 
Morenci  practice  is  similar  to  that  of  the  mill-feed  of 
the  'porphyries,'  and  the  process  required  below  the 
roughing-out  stage  is  substantially  the  same  as  that  re- 
quired in  the  large  plants  handling  finely  disseminated 
copper  ores. 

The  re-grinding  equipment  adopted  at  the  No.  6  con- 
centrator of  the  Arizona  Copper  Co.  consisted  of  twelve 
8  by  3-ft.  Hardinge  mills.  These  used  pebbles  for  both 
lining  and  grinding  media,  and  occupied  all  the  space 
available.  The  capacity  of  these  mills  for  finished  work 
was  therefore  the  limiting  feature  as  far  as  plant-ca- 
pacity was  concerned,  and  if  the  re-ground  product  was 
to  be  so  limited  in  size  by  the  degree  of  grinding  re- 
quired by  the  flotation  machines  then  available,  namely, 
to  pass  a  48-mesh  screen,  the  capacity  of  the  plant 
would  be  greatly  reduced. 

Therefore,  when  flotation  was  found  to  be  amenable, 
it  became  desirable  to  develop  a  flotation  machine  that 
would  not  be  clogged  or  embarrassed  by  the  accumula- 
tion of  oversize ;  that  would  afford  a  standard  and  com- 
pletely effective  treatment  to  the  sizes  in  the  re-ground 
product  coming  within  the  range  of  flotation ;  and  a  ma- 
chine that  would  not  be  embarrassed  by  sizes  too  coarse 
for  recovery  in  the  froth.  It  was  at  once  realized  that 
on  account  of  the  complete  removal  of  the  slimed  sul- 

*M.  &  S.  P.,  October  14,  1916. 


phides  in  the  frothing  operation,  the  pulp  so  treated 
would  have  been  classified  in  a  most  desirable  way  to 
make  the  recovery  of  the  remaining  free  sulphides  re.la 
tively  easy  and  complete. 

In  order  to  do  this  in  the  limited  space  afforded,  the 
C-B  flotation  machine,  described  in  my  paper,  was  de-" 
signed,  constructed,  and  operated  with  the  results  given. 
Mr.  Julius  Bergman,  working  with  me  as  mechanical 
engineer,  assisted  greatly  in  the  detail  work  and  develop- 
ment of  the  machine,  and  it  was  therefore  christened  the 
Cole-Bergman  Frothing  Classifier. 

The  spitzkasten  type  of  machine,  which  is  also  illus- 
trated and  briefly  described,  has  not  as  yet  had  a  trial, 
but  I  have  much  confidence  in  its  usefulness  in  certain 
situations.  It  differs  from  the  C-B  or  stepped  type,  as 
those  who  have  read  the  paper  will  note,  by  including  in 
the  flotation  treatment  or  frothing  operation  the  usual 
features  of  spitzkasten  sizing. 

With  this  piece  of  apparatus  the  ore  will  be  taken 
direct  from  the  ball-mill  where  it  has  been  ground  in  the 
presence  of  the  frothing  reagents,  and  we  hope  and  ex- 
pect to  get  a  good  froth-concentrate  over  the  top  as 
usual,  together  with  a  coarse  classification  of  the  sand  in 
the  hopper  of  the  spitzkasten  nearest  the  intake  of  feed, 
and  successively  finer  sand  (within  reasonable  limits,  of 
course)  in  the  hopper  following  toward  the  discharge. 
The  overflow  rejected  from  the  first  of  these  machines 
will  contain  nothing  too  large  for  flotation ;  it  can  be  re- 
treated and  discharged  to  tailing,  while  the  sand  drawn 
from  the  hopper  will  be  in  good  condition  to  make  feed 
for  the  tables,  which  will  readily  remove  the  sulphide 
particles  too  large  either  to  go  over  with  the  primary 
froth  or  to  remain  in  suspension  long  enough  to  escape 
with  the  overflow,  and  thus  receive  another  frothing 
treatment.  The  sand  from  the  first  frother  after  the 
table  treatment  can  be  returned  to  the  grinding-mill  for 
further  reduction  and  complete  re-treatment,  or  be  dis- 
charged as  waste,  thus  making  a  simple  'frothing  first' 
flow-sheet. 

I  receive  a  good  many  inquiries  from  people  who  have 
heard  of  the  C-B  scheme  of  treatment,  asking  for 
laboratory  sizes  of  the  apparatus  on  which  to  test  their 
ores,  thus  implying  that  there  must  be  something  about 
this  method  of  treatment  that  will  result  in  higher  re- 
covery than  by  the  use  of  other  types  of  apparatus.  I 
can  see  no  advantage  in  using  small  or  laboratory  sizes 
of  the  pneumatic  types  of  flotation  machines  and  have 
not  made  any  attempt  to  provide  a  bench-size  machine, 
.  and  would  not  recommend  it. 

In  testing  ores  by  flotation  in  a  laboratory  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  a  good  mixer  as  well  as  a  good  frother,  and 


634 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  191'6 


when  the  two  can  be  combined  as  in  the  mechanical  or 
impeller  type  (all  of  which  seem  to  be  a  modification  of 
the  Hoover  idea)  this  is  the  logical  machine  to  use  in 
the  bench-work  stage  of  the  investigation.  If  good  re- 
sults are  obtained  with  the  impeller  type  in  the  labora- 
tory, it  is  practically  certain  that  better  results  can  be 
obtained  in  the  full-size  unit  in  the  mill,  either  with  the 
impeller  type  or  the  less  expensive  pneumatic  type,  one 
of  which  I  have  attempted  to  describe  in  my  paper. 

Rudolf  Gahl.  Since  I  wrote  the  paper  on  flotationf 
that  is  in  your  hands,  important  developments  have 
taken  place,  and  for  this  reason  I  shall  try  to  bring  it 
nearer  to  date  by  a  few  remarks. 

You  will  have  noticed  that  atjthe  Inspiration  concen- 
trator, flotation  is  not  entirely  relied  upon  for  the  re- 
covery of  the  coarser  mineral  particles,  but  that  the 
flotation  tailing  is  split  on  drag-belts  into  a  sand  and  into 
a  slime,  the  sand  product  being  re-treated  on  tables.  We 
have  found  that  if  we  wanted  to,  we  could  leave  out 
these  tables  and  substitute  flotation  machines,  as  flota- 
tion machines  will  effect  fully  as  good,  if  not  a  better, 
recovery  on  such  desKmed  material  as  tables,  but  a  treat- 
ment of  this  kind  would  be  more  expensive  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  oils  are  required  costing  more  than  the  oils 
that  we  are  using  now  in  our  main  flotation  plant.  For 
this  reason,  we  are  not  considering  making  such  a 
change.  We  have  decided,  however,  to  install  flotation 
machines  for  the  treatment  of  our  table-middling,  as  on 
the  middling  product,  which  is  of  a  somewhat  higher 
grade  than  our  present  table-feed,  a  more  expensive 
treatment  seems  justified. 

I  would  also  like  to  add  a  few  remarks  regarding  the 
treatment  of  oxidized  copper  ore :  Although  our  ex- 
perience shows  that  hydrogen  sulphide  and  other  solu- 
ble sulphides  will  facilitate  a  good  recovery  of  the  cop- 
per carbonates  in  certain  ores,  we  have  not  been  able  to 
prove  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  adopt  such  a  treat- 
ment for  the  ore  mixture  that  is  sent  to  our  concentrator 
now,  and  have,  therefore,  looked  toward  leaching  for  re- 
covering- the  oxidized  copper  now  being  lost. 

It  may  interest  you  to  hear  that  we  figure  on  using 
limestone  for  the  precipitation  of  the  copper  that  will 
go  into  solutions.  Small-scale  experiments  in  this  direc- 
tion showed  encouraging  results.  If  the  limestone  pre- 
cipitation will  do  what  it  seems  to  promise,  it  may  de- 
velop into  a  novel  feature  of  copper  metallurgy. 

Frederick  Laist  :  The  relative  merits  of  the  impeller 
and  pneumatic  types  of  flotation,  machines  have  been  the 
subject  of  much  discussion  and  the  selection  of  type  is 
doubtless  dependent  largely  on  local  conditions  and  on 
the  characteristics  of  the  ore  undergoing  treatment.  We 
have  always  been  of  the  opinion  at  Anaconda  that  when- 
ever a  neutral  or  alkaline  treatment  was  used  and  the 
oils  could  be  added  to  the  pulp  going  to  the  ball-mills, 
the  pneumatic  type  had  an  advantage  both  as  regards 
power-consumption  and  installation  cost.  When,  how- 
ever, the  treatment  required  the  use  of  acid,  as  is  the 
case  on  some  copper  ores  and  most  zinc  ores,  the  pneu-* 

tM.  &  S.  P.,  September  23  and  30,  1916. 


matic  machine  loses  much  of  its  advantage.  Obviously, 
the  acid  cannot  be  introduced  into  the  ball-mill  and  it 
is  generally  necessary  to  add  it  ahead  of,  or  at  the  same 
time  as,  the  oil. 

Thus  it  becomes  necessary  to  insert  an  agitator  be- 
tween the  ball-mill  and  the  flotation-machine,  the  pneu- 
matic treatment  alone  not  being  sufficiently  vigorous. 
The  early  pneumatic-machine  installations  contained 
Pachuca  tanks  for  this  purpose.  These,  however,  did 
not  prove  effective,  for  the  reason  that  an  emulsifieation 
of  the  oil  is  required  and  not  merely  agitation.  It  there- 
fore becomes  necessary  to  use  an  impeller  or  some  form 
of  mechanical  emulsifier,  and  the  power  required  to 
operate  this  machine  must  be  added  to  the  power  con- 
sumed by  the  flotation-machines  proper. 

In  Montana  we  find  that  our  power  consumption  for 
emulsifying  and  flotation  is  about  0.24  hp.  per  ton  as 
compared  with  0.15  hp.  for  flotation  alone  at  Inspira- 
tion. The  capacity  of  an  impeller  machine  is  materially 
greater  when  the  emulsifieation  of  the  oil  in  the  pulp  is 
done  in  the  ball-mill.  In  this  connection  an  interesting 
suggestion  was  recently  made  by  Dr.  Cottrell.  He  sug- 
gests making  an  emulsion  of  oil  and  water  in  a  special 
emulsifier,  such  as  made  by  the  De  Laval  people,  con- 
sisting of  two  discs  running  almost  in  contact.  The  oil 
and  water  is  fed  at  the  centre  and  is  thrown  out  at  the 
circumference.  Thus  the  work  of  spreading  the  oil 
through  the  pulp  might  be  done  more  efficiently  than  is 
now  the  ease. 

For  some  time  it  seemed  to  us  that  the  main  point  to 
be  considered  in  choosing  between  the  two  types  of  ma- 
chines was  power  and  that  this  depended  largely  upon 
whether  acid,  neutral,  or  alkaline  treatment  were  se- 
lected. Of  late,  however,  it  has  seemed  to  us  that  the 
impeller  type  of  machine  has  another  advantage,  which, 
I  recall  quite  distinctly,  was  cited  as  a  disadvantage 
when  the  first  Callow  machines  were  brought  out.  I 
refer  to  the  toughness  of  the  froth.  Most  of  you  doubt- 
less recollect  that  one  of  the  advantages  of  the  pneumatic 
machines  was  supposed  to  be  that  the  froth  breaks  down 
quite  readily,  thus  rendering  the  mineral  content  of  the 
froth  easier  of  collection.  It  is  becoming  more  evident 
to  us,  however,  that  this  apparent  advantage  is  actually 
the  reverse,  for  the  reason  that  the  coarser  mineral 
grains  tend  to  fall  back  before  they  can  be  skimmed  off 
and  thus  are  lost  or  must  be  recovered  by  tabling.  We 
are  beginning  to  believe  that  the  tougher  froth  is  a  dis- 
tinct advantage  of  the  impeller  machine  and  our  belief 
has  been  considerably  strengthened  lately  by  tests  made 
on  a  disseminated  copper  ore  from  South  America.  It 
was  impossible  to  make  as  lean  a  tailing  on  the  pneu- 
matic machine  as  on  the  impeller  machines,  owing  to 
falling  back  of  the  coarser  mineral  grains. 

Francis  S.  Schimerka:  Regarding  the  proposed 
scheme  of  Dr.  Oahl's  for  precipitating  the  copper  solu- 
tion, I  desire  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  sul- 
phate of  lime  precipitated  from  the  solutions  would  lead 
to  the  necessity  for  smelting  in  the  blast-furnace.  Natu- 
rally,  from  the  sulphate  of  lime,  sulphides  would  be 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


635 


formed.  Now,  I  thought  that  Dr.  Qahl  by  thickening 
the  pulp  would  assist  the  leaching. 

Rudolf  Qahl:  I  believe  fully  everything  that  Mr. 
Laist  says,  except  his  conclusions.  His  remarks  regard- 
ing the  relative  hardness  of  the  froth  produced  by  the 
different  types  of  flotation  machines  suggests  that  it 
might  be  worth  while  trying  to  modify  the  froth  by  re- 
ducing the  air  supply,  and  perhaps  also  by  reducing  the 
froth  in  the  flotation  mixture.  I  feel  sure  that  the  char- 
acter of  the  froth  can  be  modified  to  some  extent,  al- 
though I  doubt  very  much  if  it  ever  would  approximate 
the  froth  in  the  standard  type  of  machine.  Regarding 
Mr.  Scliimerka's  remarks,  I  would  like  to  say  that  I 
know  little  about  smelting,  and  have  not  considered  the 
smelting  problem  carefully.  All  I  know  is  that  Mr. 
Wallace,  who  used  to  be  smelter  superintendent  of  the 
International,  assured  me  that  he  could  smelt  that  stuff, 
and  could  pay  for  the  lime  also.  Regarding  the  other 
point  Mr.  Schimerka  brought  out,  about  adding  the  acid 
to  a  thickened  pulp,  my  impression  is  this,  that  a  still 
larger  part  of  the  water-supply  would  be  contaminated 
because  we  have  to  figure  mainly  on  leaching  very  fine 
slime  containing  oxidized  copper;  and  it  is  the  experi- 
ence of  every  mill-man  that  to  settle  this  slime  to  any 
consistence  it  must  exceed  3 : 1,  that  is,  three  parts  of 
water  to  one  part  of  solid.  That  would  mean,  if  he  added 
the  acid  to  the  thickened  pulp,  we  would  spoil  three  tons 
of  water  to  each  ton  of  leached  ore. 

David  Cole:  Mr.  Chairman,  I  understand  that  Dr. 
Ricketts  'turned  down'  Dr.  Morse  when  advocating 
leaching  processes  for  low-grade  tailing  by  methods  that 
involved  first  getting  the  copper  into  solution  and  then 
separating  the  solution  from  the  pulp  in  a  clarified  con- 
dition, which  is  difficult  and  involves  much  washing  with 
clear  water,  etc.,  resulting  in  thin  solutions,  the  latter 
entailing  'miseries'  in  effecting  precipitation  and  re- 
covery of  the  metal.  On  the  other  hand,  Dr.  Ricketts 
approves  the  present  process  which  Dr.  Morse  is  using 
at  Chino,  in  which  the  oxidized  copper  is  first  taken  into 
solution  by  the  use  of  about  three  pounds  of  sulphuric 
acid  per  pound  of  copper  digested;  this  copper  is  then 
precipitated  upon  the  iron  in  an  agitated  mass,  which 
results  in  metallizing  the  copper  at  the  expense  of  about 
two  pounds  of  iron  per  pound  of  copper  precipitated. 
The  metallized  copper  is  then  in  a  fine  state  of  division 
in  the  pulp,  and  the  remaining  copper  sulphides  that 
were  not  attacked  by  the  acid  are  also  in  the  pulp  in  a 
fine  state,  and  the  whole  is  subjected  to  flotation  treat- 
ment for  the  removal  of  both  the  sulphide  and  metal- 
lized contents,  thus  doing  away  with  the  necessity  for 
removing  the  solution  in  a  clarified  condition  from  the 
pulp  under  treatment,  avoiding  the  washing  of  the  pulp 
for  complete  removal  of  solutions  pregnant  with  copper, 
and  avoiding  most  of  the  'miseries'  previously  un- 
avoidable. 

Miami  has  been  experimenting  for  some  time  along 
the  same  line  and  has  achieved  success  on  a  laboratory 
scale.  Flotation  has  been  used  successfully  in  the  sep- 
aration  of  ultra-fine   native   copper  in   Michigan,   and 


there  seems  to  be  much  promise  in  this  new  scheme  of 
treatment  for  the  recovery  of  copper  in  low-grade  ores 
when  in  a  mixed  condition  of  oxide  and  sulphide. 

I  have  read  with  very  great  interest  Dr.  Gahl's  pains- 
taking paper  giving  us  the  details  of  development  of 
flotation  at  Inspiration.  Prior  to  the  use  of  flotation  in 
concentration  it  had  long  been  recognized  that  the  'un- 
avoidable' loss  of  sulphide  was  in  the  slime  inevitably 
produced  in  the  grinding  operations  required  to  free  the 
minerals.  The  classification  of  the  feed  prior  to  the  final 
stage  of  treatment  had  long  been  in  fashion,  it  assisted 
the  sand-treatment  machines  and  resulted  in  lowering 
the  tailings  made  by  them,  but  at  the  expense  of  the 
slime-treatment  department;  and  while  little  was  ever 
expected  of  the  latter,  the  wisdom  of  complicating  the 
process  by  hydraulic  subdivisions  was  being  seriously 
questioned.  Indeed,  at  the  time  that  gravity-method 
flow-sheets  were  being  developed  for  Inspiration  ore, 
there  was  a  minor  revolution  impending  through  the  im- ' 
provement  in  table-practice  and  the  elimination  of  the 
hydraulic  classifier.  This  return  to  simplicity  gave  no 
promise  of  higher  extraction,  but  it  did  promise  a  less 
complicated  mill,  smaller  in  size  per  unit  of  capacity,  less 
costly  to  build  and  less  expensive  to  operate,  and  that 
would  do  as  well.  Wholesale  concentration  in  relatively 
small  space  would  get  as  good  results  as  piecemeal  con- 
centration had  been  getting  in  the  multiple  operations 
and  spread-out  plants  of  the  disseminated  copper  mines. 

The  one  great  drawback  was  the  slime.  The  desid- 
erata of  the  engineer  and  manufacturer  were  to  provide  a 
grinder  that  would  on  one  hand  produce  a  minimum  of 
slime,  and  improved  devices  on  the  other  hand  to  re- 
cover as  much  as  possible  out  of  what  was  unavoidably 
made.  The  technical  press  reflected  this  state  of  things 
in  the  advertisements  of  the  period.  There  was  much 
revamping  of  old  ideas  with  some  refinement,  but 
nothing  new.  Tube-mill  grinders  were  taboo  for  con- 
centration, because  they  had  a  bad  reputation  as  slime- 
makers.  Automatic  canvas  plants  were  being  exploited 
and  very  ingenious  multiple-deck  table-devices  were 
being  offered  as  the  "remedy" — the  only  one  in  sight. 

Looking  backward  no  farther  than  1912,  when  the  In- 
spiration was  devising  its  milling  methods,  we  now  see 
that  we  were  without  effective  resources  in  combating 
real  slime.  Mr.  Callow's  investigations^  apparently  had 
demonstrated  that  some  departure  from  the  usual 
gravity  practice  would  he  advantageous  and  that  a  high 
recovery  for  that  method  would  be  possible  on  the 
granular  material.  There  was  nothing  new  to  apply  to 
the  slime  itself,  and  we  now  see  that  the  departures  were 
really  of  minor  importance,  fitting  the  time.  This  was 
the  situation  when  the  Inspiration  company  was  en- 
deavoring to  evolve  a  scheme  of  milling. 

After  reviewing  from  every  angle  the  results  of  ex- 
periments on  the  ore  and  other  information  available,  a 
modified  flow-sheet  was  finally  crystallized  by  Mr.  Burch 
and  adopted  by  the  management.  Mill-plans  were  drawn 
for  what  was  to  be  a  most  highly  developed  7000-ton  per 

%M.  &  S.  P.,  May  29,  1915. 


636 


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day  gravity-process  plant,  and  work  was  immediately 
started  to  carry  out  these  plans.  The  mill-site  was  se- 
lected, and  much  active  work  had  been  done  before  flota- 
tion (by  this  time  being  hastily  tried  in  the  old  experi- 
mental plant)  had  so  far  won  its  battle  that  results 
could  be  viewed  as  hopeful. 

The  apparent  promise  of  flotation,  however,  was  ex- 
tremely attractive,  because  the  process  would  be  simple 
and  would  solve  the  all-important  slime  problem.  The 
process  would  have  a  greatly  reduced  number  of  stages ! 
The  plant  would  be  much  smaller  per  unit  of  capacity ! 
The  cost  of  construction  per  unit  of  capacity  would  prob- 
ably be  very  much  less!  The  use  of  water  would  be 
minimized.  Grinding  would  have  to  be  carried  farther 
than  usual,  and  would  be  the  main  item  of  milling  cost, 
but  this  was  not  a  very  great  handicap  because  sliming 
did  not  matter!  What  system  of  grinding  would  be 
best  to  use  and  which  the  best  machine?  Would  it  be 
possible  to  parallel  the  small  test-mill  results  on  a  full 
tonnage,  and  finally  would  it  not  be  too  hazardous  to 
accept  so  revolutionary  a  process  with  so  many  untried 
features  ? 

The  mine  would  produce  about  600  tons  daily  of 
freshly  broken  ore  directly  from  the  headings.  This 
happened  to  be  the  rated  capacity  of  the  full-sized  Min- 
erals Separation  unit  that  the  flotation  people  were  urg- 
ing as  a  means  of  improving  their  extraction.  If  this 
ore  from  the  headings  were  put  in  stock-pile  in  the  usual 
way,  pending  the  completion  of  the  plant,  the  ore  would 
oxidize  to  some  extent  and  besides  would  involve  re- 
claiming expense  later  on.  Why  not  mill  it  as  fast  as 
produced,  in  an  experimental  mill,  wherein  not  only 
flotation  problems,  but  grinding  problems,  power  con- 
sumption, use  of  water,  preparation  of  sticky  concen- 
trates, and  other  vital  questions  could  be  definitely 
threshed  out  under  what  would  be  regular  commercial 
conditions  on  full-sized  machines?  Thus  these  'pilot' 
operations  labor  would  be  used  economically,  and  pro- 
duction would  almost,  if  not  quite,  pay  all  of  the  current 
expenses,  except  the  mining  cost. 

This  program  was  adopted.  That  the  decision  to 
carry  it  out  was  a  wise  one  is  shown  in  Dr.  Gahl's  and 
Mr.  Burch's  admirable  papers,  and  that  it  paid  its  way 
is  shown  by  Mr.  Mills's  annual  report  for  1915,  in  which 
he  says:  "Contrary  to  the  usual  experience,  this  test- 
mill  paid  the  cost  of  its  construction,  its  operation  ex- 
pense, the  present  average  mining  cost  on  ores  treated, 
and  something  besides,  and  has  been  written  off  the 
books." 

Thousands  of  dollars  were  spent  by  the  company,  by 
inventors,  and  by  manufacturers  in  demonstrations.  Ex- 
pense was  subordinated.  Heavy  shipments  by  express 
were  made  when  necessary  to  hasten  the  work,  and  much 
more  than  flotation  was  developed. 

Four  different  types  of  Symons  crushers  and  pulver- 
izers were  tried.  Three  of  these  were  marked  and  in- 
teresting departures  from  ordinary  practice.  The  com- 
pany had  purchased  the  Hardinge  patent-rights  for  Ari- 
zona and  four  forms  of  this  mill  were  installed  to  de- 


termine the  best  form  to  use,  and  these  were  kept  busy 
during  nearly  the  whole  campaign.  A  long  parallel 
tube-mill  was  installed  and  run  in  competition  with  the 
Hardinge  mills.  A  high  speed  Huntington  type  grinder 
was  at  one  time  a  prime  favorite.  Hammer-pulverizers 
of  two  different  makes  were  centres  of  interest  for  brief 
periods.  Various  linings  and  grades  of  flint  were  tried 
in  the  pebble-mills.  Steel  balls  in  place  of  pebbles  were 
advocated  and  a  carload  purchased. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  testing  period  the  Marcy  type 
of  ball-mill,  especially  designed  for  using  iron  balls 
larger  than  usual,  and  adapted  to  crush  from  breaker 
size  to  48-mesh  in  closed  circuit  in  one  operation,  was 
installed  and  perfected.  This  grinder  proved  capable 
of  a  greater  range  of  reduction  than  had  previously  been 
thought  possible,  taking  feed  as  coarse  as  3-inch  cubes. 
It  is  a  ball-mill  pure  and  simple,  having  large  capacity 
in  small  space.  It  makes  use  of  a  perforated  diaphragm 
to  keep  the  balls  and  charge  inside  of  the  mill  until  the 
latter  will  pass  a  TVin.  opening,  and  it  has  the  equiva- 
lent of  a  peripheral  discharge.  An  overflow-classifier 
determines  the  finished  size  and  the  oversize  is  continu- 
ally returned  to  the  grinding-chamber.  This  mill  uses 
little  water  in  the  grinding-chamber,  so  that  its  charge 
of  ore  is  mortar-like  in  consistence.  It  was  quite  suc- 
cessful. There  was  nothing  in  the  Hardinge  equipment 
to  parallel  it  because  the  Hardinge  mills  were  built  for 
pebble-mills  and  did  not  have  feed-scoops  or  openings 
adapted  to  handle  as  coarse  a  feed,  and  the  linings 
would  not  stand  up  under  a  ball  load.  Would  the  Har- 
dinge machines  when  built  as  a  ball-mill  with  the  re- 
quired strength,  with  the  same  type  of  lining,  same  size 
of  feed  and  discharge  openings,  do  as  well?  To  wait 
for  a  mill  to  be  made  over  or  a  new  one  manufactured 
would  take  too  long,  so  the  Marcy  type  was  adopted,  and 
contrary  to  what  I  think  is  the  popular  impression,  the 
conical  type  ball-mill  did  receive  a  trial  at  the  Inspira- 
tion. 

Electric  recording  instruments  were  installed  in  the 
test-plant  so  that  accurate  power-records  could  be  con- 
tinually made  while  the  various  machines  were  being 
operated. 

Several  varieties  of  drag  and  rake  classifiers  and  two 
types  of  vacuum-filters  were  installed  and  records  made. 
The  efficacy  of  high  reduction  herringbone  gears  for 
driving  ball  and  tube-mills  became  a  matter  of  interest 
on  account  of  the  troubles  that  developed  in  them,  and 
the  reasons  for  these  troubles,  which  would  make  a  paper 
by  itself. 

This  testing  work  grew  into  a  process  of  elimination  ; 
the  scrap-pile  grew  steadily;  much  of  it  is  yet  to  be 
seen  at  a  point  below  the  present  concentrator.  Some 
blasted  hopes  may  be  buried  there,  but  it  does  not  follow 
that  all  of  the  machines  or  materials  that  were  returned 
to  the  sponsor  or  that  found  their  way  to  the  'bone-yard' 
were  entirely  unfit.  It  was  necessary  to  choose  and  to 
discard,  and  that  there  is  no  acrimony  in  connection  with 
the  matter  speaks  well  for  the  justice  and  judgment  that 
prevailed.    Doubtless  some  discarded  things  might  have 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


637 


answered  as  well,  but  it  would  be  hazardous  indeed  to 
say  that  anything  vital  on  the  score  of  cost  or  recovery 
failed  to  receive  recognition  in  the  final  selection.  One 
of  my  mental  offspring  was  among  the  fallen.  It  held 
out  for  a  long  time  and  I  greatly  appreciate  the  favor- 
able mention  which  Dr.  Gahl  has  made  of  it. 

Referring  to  the  flow-sheet  finally  adopted,  I  note  that 
hydraulic  classification  had  no  place  in  the  600-ton  ex- 
periments that  Dr.  Gahl  has  described,  and  I  note  that 
he  has  not  referred  to  the  reason  for  retaining  this  rem- 
nant of  the  old  system  of  concentration  in  the  flow-sheet. 
You  will  observe  that  three  tons  of  water  per  ton  of  ore  is 
required  in  the  flotation  operation  and  that  three  tons 
more  is  added  in  the  subsequent  table-treatment.  This, 
of  course,  includes  the  hydraulic  classification,  and  I 
presume  that  something  more  than  one-half  of  the  last 
three  tons  is  added  in  the  classifiers  themselves;  and 
since  the  water  is  clarified  and  returned,  the  addition  of 
unnecessary  water  would  entail  expense  for  clarification 
and  pumping. 

In  my  work  in  the  concentration  of  ores  I  have  not 
been  able  to  become  enthusiastic  over  hydraulic  classi- 
fiers, and  since  flotation  has  come  to  the  rescue  of  the 
slimed  sulphide  I  find  myself  less  enthusiastic  than  ever 
over  their  use.  When  I  was  a  lad  in  the  Black  Hills  I 
used  to  watch  a  mountain  spring  in  which  polished 
micaceous  particles  glistening  in  the  sunlight  would  be 
caught  in  the  current  rising  from  an  orifice  in  the  bottom 
of  the  sand-funnel  and  be  flirted  to  the  surface,  sail 
across  the  crater  and  fall  upon  the  conical  sides,  to  be 
methodically  returned  over  the  same  route  again.  It 
was  interesting  to  watch  the  disturbance  caused  by  drop- 
ping a  handful  of  foreign  sand  and  silt  into  the  funnel 
and  have  it  'classified'  and  washed  clean,  a  new  form  of 
crater  finally  being  established  with  the  changes  of 
average  sizes  retained.  My  first  contact  with  hydraulic 
sizing  in  concentration  was  studied  from  that  founda- 
tion. The  spring  took  its  time  to  do  a  good  job !  It 
worked  the  charge  over  repeatedly !  All  the  silt  went 
out  quickly  and  the  fine  gradually  went  overboard  with 
a  rapidly  decreasing  ratio,  until  the  crater  would  settle 
down  again  to  its  regular  work  of  turning  the  mobile 
contents  over  and  over  in  a  new  condition  of  equilibrium. 
But  I  soon  learned  that  the  beauty  was  all  taken  out  of 
the  process  in  its  commercial  application. 

The  process  witnessed  in  the  action  of  the  spring  was 
balanced,  precise,  and  definite,  and  quite  at  variance  with 
what  we  witness  in  watching  through  glass  the  opera- 
tions going  on  in  a  teeter-chamber  of  the  metallurgical 
hydraulic  classifier,  which  seems  to  me  to  be  of  little 
value  except  in  its  office  of  washing  out  the  slime  that 
used  to  be  the  main  source  of  the  loss  in  treating  un- 
classified material  upon  concentrating  tables. 

Following  the  thorough  'combing  out'  of  the  slimed 
sulphide  as  effected  by  the  splendid  flotation  treatment 
that  the  pulp  has  previously  received,  I  question  the 
value  of  the  subsequent  classification  by  hydraulic  means. 
I  note  that  the  flotation  tailing  is  split  into  slime  and 
sand  at  the  drag-belts,  that  there  is  very  little  slime  left 


in  the  sand  portion,  and  that  what  little  there  is  (on 
account  of  the  previous  frothing)  is  completely  devoid  of 
anything  the  tables  can  save,  as  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  the  main  slime  overflow  of  the  drag-belt  separators 
is  discharged  to  tailing  without  further  treatment.  It 
seems  to  me  that  it  ought  to  be  possible  to  eliminate  the 
classifiers,  and  I  would  like  to  ask  Dr.  Gahl  if  there  has 
been  any  trial  to  determine  what  happens  when  the  pre- 
viously frothed  sand-feed  is  put  upon  the  tables  for  final 
treatment  without  hydraulic-sizing  separation. 

R.  S.  Handy  :  I  would  like  to  ask  if  anyone  has  de- 
termined the  relative  economic  efficiency  of  flotation  as 
compared  with  gravity  treatment  on  granular  material. 

E.  P.  Mathewson:  It  is  the  practice  in  Montana  to 
take  everything  that  is  possible  by  means  of  tables  or 
other  water  concentration  machine ;  and  at  the  Anaconda 
plant  we  take  out  a  concentrate  of  lj-inch,  and  keep  on 
taking  out  finer  and  finer  material  by  water  concentra- 
tion until  we  get  to  the  tables.  What  is  left  from  the. 
tables  and  not  saved  is  then  ground  up  and  put  through 
the  flotation.  We  find  by  our  experiments  that  it  is  bet- 
ter to  keep  the  slime  separated  from  the  feed,  and  we 
give  them  a  little  special  treatment  as  regards  sand. 

David  Cole  :  I  consider  it  unnecessary  to  first  remove 
the  slime,  for  the  reason  that  after  the  slime  has  been 
subjected  to  flotation  treatment  there  is  nothing  in  it 
that  a  table  treatment  can  save,  no  sulphides  in  a  suffi- 
ciently fine  state  of  division  to  be  transported  by  the 
slime,  because  the  previous  frothing  operation  has  re- 
moved it  all,  and  when  the  slime  is  'denatured'  in  this 
manner  it  is  no  longer  harmful  upon  the  table,  and  does 
not  interfere  with  the  working  of  the  sand  upon  the 
table.  The  table  will  do  exactly  the  same  work  upon  the 
sand  that  it  would  do  if  the  slime  were  not  going  across 
and  off,  in  the  rear  of  the  sand,  with  the  excess  water.  If 
no  previous  division  or  washing-out  of  slime  is  practised 
we  have  gained  to  the  extent  of  the  trouble  and  cost  that 
would  be  entailed  in  making  the  division.  That  is  the 
way  I  view  the  matter. 

L.  D.  Ricketts  :  I  think  it  has  been  brought  out  that 
the  ratio  of  concentration  has  something  to  do  with  the 
process  of  ore  treatment.  In  other  words,  at  Anaconda, 
where  they  have  a  low  percentage  of  gravity  concentra- 
tion, flotation  is  applied  only  to  the  final  cleaning  up 
process.  At  Inspiration,  flotation  is  the  primary  process, 
and  gravity  concentration  is  put  in  as  a  safety  to  prevent 
loss  of  coarse  material,  the  reason  being  that  in  one  case 
you  have  a  low  ratio  of  concentration  and  in  the  other  a 
high  ratio  of  concentration.  When  you  come  to  ores 
with  a  moderate  ratio  of  concentration,  I  think  the  bal- 
ance would  be  in  favor  of  getting  as  much  gravity  con- 
centration as  possible.  So,  I  would  say,  in  a  great  many 
of  our  plants  with  a  great  many  of  our  ores,  even  where 
the  ratio  of  concentration  is  only  ten  or  twelve  to  one, 
it  is  profitable  to  have  gravity  concentration  first,  fol- 
lowed by  flotation. 

David  Cole  :  I  have  noted  Mr.  Mathewson 's  remarks 
concerning  the  Anaconda  practice.  Apparently  he  is 
under  the  impression  that  they  really  are  desliming  the 


638 


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October  28,  1916 


feed  before  treatment  on  tables.  The  Anaconda  flow-sheet 
shows  such  a  separation  and  the  Anaconda  type  of  con- 
ical desliiner  is  installed  with  that  end  in  view,  but  like 
Mr.  Mills's  admission  as  to  Inspiration's  poor  classifica- 
tion practice,  Anaconda  doesn't  do  good  classification. 
The  feed  to  the  tables  is  not  deslimed  as  it  was  intended 
it  should  be,  the  reason  being  that  there  are  not  enough 
of  the  Anaconda  classifiers  to  do  the  work  put  upon 
them,  and  since  the  only  office  of  these  classifiers  is  to 
prepare  feed  for  the  Butchart  riffle  treatment,  and  since 
these  tables  have  no  office  but  to  impoverish  the  ore 
treated  by  them,  the  complete  separation  of  the  slime 
from  the  feed  is  of  little  consequence,  for  all  reject  from 
the  tables  is  taken  at  once  to  the  re-grinding  mills  where 
the  cleaning-up  work  is  most  thoroughly  accomplished 
by  the  flotation  process.  If  the  tables  were  making  a 
reject  to  tailing,  the  Anaconda  classifiers  would  have  to 
do  their  full  duty  in  desliming  the  feed  to  them,  be- 
cause the  slime  going  across  the  Butchart  tables  would 
result  in  serious  losses,  but  since  it  is  immaterial  whether 
the  primarily  made  slime  reaches  flotation  treatment 
over  the  top  of  the  classifiers  or  through  the  spigot,  the 
classifier's  inefficiency  and  the  results  as  to  the  reject 
from  the  tables  are  tolerable  and  there  does  not  seem  to 
be  any  reason  to  change.  Obviously,  it  does  not  matter 
at  Anaconda  where  the  copper  is  taken  out  so  long  as  a 
minimum  amount  of  it  is  allowed  to  get  away  with  the 
final  tailing,  and  it  is  also  obvious  that  with  Anaconda's 
present  practice,  wherein  the  ore  is  reduced  by  their 
splendid  treatment  scheme  from  a  60-lb.  copper  content 
to  less  than  a  3-lb.  copper  tailing  on  a  ratio  of  practically 
three  into  one,  the  chance  for  improvement  in  practice 
through  modification  or  more  perfect  slime  classification 
is  extremely  remote. 

B.  P.  Mathewson:  I  would  like  to  make  a  correc- 
tion in  one  statement  I  made  that  there  has  been  no 
change  made  in  our  oil  mixture  at  Anaconda.  This 
change  has  been  made:  We  found  that  the  amount  of 
wood-creosote  in  treating  the  sand-tailing  was  extremely 
small,  and  we  tried  some  experiments  on  a  large  scale, 
dropping  it  out  and  using  simply  the  sludge  acid  and 
sulphuric  acid.  We  found  that  this  gave  practically  as 
good  results  as  wood-creosote.  We  use  wood-creosote  in 
treating  slime.    We  find  it  necessary  in  that  operation. 

David  Cole  :    What  is  sludge  acid  ? 

Mr.  Mathewson  :  Sludge  acid  is  refuse  from  the  re- 
fining of  oil.  It  contains  sulphuric  acid  and  some  greasy 
material  from  petroleum. 

David  Cole  :  I  believe  that  you  are  making  sulphuric 
acid  very  cheaply  at  Anaconda.  Since  sludge  acid  con- 
sists of  coal-oil  and  sulphuric  acid,  I  have  wondered  if 
you  could  not  compound  it  at  Anaconda  more  cheaply 
than  yoti  can  buy  it. 

E.  P.  Mathewson:  We  have  made  sludge  acid  at 
Anaconda,  but  it  is  more  expensive  than  we  can  buy  it 
outside.  We  got  good  results  with  the  acid  we  manu- 
factured. 

Norman  Carmichael  :  One  point  which  has  not  been 
touched  on  in  this  discussion  today.     In  going  through 


the  Old  Dominion  concentrator  before  luncheon,  I  no- 
ticed that  they  were  using  what  appeared  to  be  caustic 
soda.  I  think  if  there  is  anyone  here  who  can  give  us 
any  explanation  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  caustic  soda, 
it  would  be  interesting. 

W.  B.  Kramer  :  We  find,  as  Dr.  Gahl  finds,  that  the 
moment  we  use  acid  in  flotation,  our  flotation  suffers 
considerably.  In  fact,  it  almost  ceases  altogether.  It  is 
improved  by  the  use  of  caustic  soda.  Caustic  soda  is  ex- 
pensive, and  we  are  using  about  one  pound  to  a  ton. 
Soda  has  the  effect  of  flattening  the  froth  considerably, 
allowing  us  to  cut  down  the  water  in  the  launders  to  less 
than  half,  which  allows  us  to  handle  the  concentrate  in 
the  Dorr  thickener  very  well.  Without  the  use  of 
caustic  soda,  we  may  lose  four  or  five  tons  of  concentrate 
per  day.  It  goes  out  and  is  recovered  later  in  the 
secondary  tanks. 

C.  W.  Merrill:  I  understand  that  the  purpose  of 
using  caustic  soda  is  threefold ;  to  cut  down  the  water, 
increase  the  extraction,  and  clean  the  concentrate. 

David  Cole  :  Mr.  Chairman,  when  we  were  at  Chino 
a  few  days  ago,  we  saw  flotation-machines  treating 
vanner-concentrate  by  aid  of  alkali  and  resin  as  the  flota- 
tion agent.  Mr.  Balston  looked  at  this,  and  I  would  like 
to  have  him  tell  us  what  we  saw. 

O.  C.  Balston  :  That  was  a  solution  of  sodium  resin- 
ate.  The  resin  has  a  good  effect  on  the  froth,  making  it 
particularly  stable.  They  were  working  under  condi- 
tions where  the  froth  wanted  to  die,  and  the  addition  of 
the  resin  was  the  proper  thing  to  bring  up  its  strength 
and  allow  it  to  rise  until  it  passed  over  the  discharge- 
board.  I  think  there  was  no  significance  in  the  alkali. 
In  that  case  the  alkali  was  not  added  for  a  particular 
purpose,  but  simply  as  a  solvent  for  the  resin. 

The  Chairman:  I  understand  that  Mr.  Balston 
wishes  to  get  some  questions  answered  by  the  members 
of  the  Institute,  and  I  will  ask  him  to  kindly  present 
those  questions. 

0.  C.  Balston:  The  first  one  is  this:  What  is  the 
effect  of  dilution  of  pulp  with  water  on  the  flotation  of 
the  minerals  contained?  The  reason  for  asking  that 
question  is  obvious.    I  think  Dr.  Gahl  might  help  us. 

Budolf  Gabl:  I  would  say  offhand  that  the  effect 
of  dilution  is  to  make  a  cleaner  concentrate,  and  make  it 
more  difficult  to  produce  concentrate,  because  I  think 
you  would  find  that  it  would  take  more  to  produce  the 
same  amount  of  concentrate  from  a  dilute  part  than 
from  a  stronger  part. 

0.  C.  Balston  :  Might  I  supplement  by  asking  you 
what  determines  the  amount  of  oil  necessary  for  flota- 
tion? Is  it  the  amount  of  water  you  are  using,  or  is  it 
the  amount  of  mineral  in  the  ore?  If  you  had  an  ore 
consisting  of  50%  mineral,  could  you  use  more  oil  then 
if  it  contained  5%?  What  amount  of  oil  must  be  used 
in  flotation  ? 

Budolf  Gahl:  What  is  flotation?  I  don't  feel  like 
answering  Mr.  Balston. 

0.  0.  Balston:  The  Superior  ore.  containing  30% 
of  mineral,  as  compared  with  the  Inspiration  ore  with 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


639 


5  or  10%  of  mineral,  uses  probably  less  oil,  if  any- 
thing. So,  the  proposition  would  be  that  the  amount  of 
mineral  in  the  ore  is  not  determinative  of  the  amount  of 
oil  necessary.  It  must  be  the  amount  of  water  that 
determines  the  amount  of  oil. 

David  Cole:  I  think  the  kind  of  oil  has  a  lot  to  do 
with  the  amount  used. 

O.  C.  Ralston  :  That  is  a  question  not  of  theory  but 
of  experience.  For  instance,  the  pine-oils  are  being  used 
in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  district  at  less  than  £  pound  to  the 
ton.  while  at  Anaconda  they  use  several  pounds  of  oil 
per  ton.  At  Anaconda  they  use  a  considerably  less  ex- 
pensive oil. 

David  Cole  :  Speaking  of  the  small  amounts  of  oil, 
we  carried  out  some  experiments  the  other  day  at  El 
Paso,  and  on  a  density  of  7 : 1,  approximately,  on  an  ore 
that  contained  6%  lead,  9%  zinc,  and  1.3%  copper,  with 
the  use  of  T%  pound  of  cresylie  acid  per  ton,  we  were 
able  to  take  out  a  large  percentage  of  the  lead.  Then, 
by  the  addition  of  -fa  pound  of  No.  350  pine-oil  per  ton, 
we  were  able  to  take  out  the  remaining  zine.  The  pro- 
duets  assayed  as  follows : 

Cop- 
Weight  Gold  Silver  Lead  per-  Iron  Zinc 
%        oz.        oz.       %       %      %      % 
Lead  concentrate     . . .   12.86     0.11     12.85     35.7     7.32     7.7    13.0 
Zinc  concentrate   ....   25.08     0.025     2.67       4.4     1.30     3.9     23.6 
Tailing     59.68     0.005     0.45       0.3      tr       3.0       1.9 

This  was  done  in  a  single  operation  without  the  use 
of  a  'cleaner'  on  the  concentrate.  There  was  very  little 
oil  used — a  total  of  i  pound  per  ton  of  ore.  If  we  had 
used  a  larger  amount  of  oil,  we  would  not  have  been 
able  to  get  the  separation.  We  put  in  just  enough 
cresylie  acid  primarily  to  get  that  result. 

The  Chairman  :  I  think  Mr.  Gottsberger  might  con- 
tribute something.  The  fact  is  that  the  Miami  Com- 
pany and  the  Inspiration  Company  are  treating  similar 
ores,  except  we,  at  the  Chino,  have  not  as  much  copper 
as  they  have.  We  use  quite  a  little  more  oil  in  notation 
than  Mr.  Gottsberger  does;  and  I  think,  perhaps,  they 
have  got  more  water  in  the  pulp.  Is  that  about  the  con- 
dition, Mr.  Gottsberger  ? 

B.  B.  Gottsberger:  Our  oil-mixture  is  much  thinner 
because  we  are  using  less  coal-tar.  I  think  we  have 
found  that  with  a  thick  mixture  composed  very  largely 
of  coal-tar  it  is  really  necessary  to  add  the  oil  in  the 
grinding-mill.  We  do  find,  however,  that  it  is  not  essen- 
tial to  add  these  oils  in  the  grinding-mill  in  order  to  get 
good  flotation  work.  At  present  the  mixture  is  obtained 
in  a  bucket-elevator. 

The  Chairman:  Can  you  give  us  another  question, 
Mr.  Ralston? 

O.  C.  Ralston  :  Are  ores  that  contain  much  fine  ma- 
terial harder  to  treat  successfully  than  granular  ores? 
As  far  as  I  know,  they  usually  are. 

Rudolf  Gahl  :    That  is  my  impression  also. 

O.  C.  Ralston:  There  is  another  question  in  my 
mind.  Is  it  possible  to  treat  colloidal  material?  Would 
it  be  possible  to  deflocculate  and  separate  the  granular 
material  ? 


F.  S.  Sciiimerka:  Has  it  ever  been  noticed  by  the 
flotation  experts  present  whether  it  makes  a  difference  as 
to  what  density  the  pulp  is  when  the  oil  is  added  in  the 
grinder  or  mixing  machine — whether  a  pound  of  oil  goes 
farther  at  a  high  density? 

CojneesafcraftaQBa  aft  Mami 

Mill  Statistics,  January  to  June,  1916 

Dry  tons  milled  859,485 

Tons  per  day    4,722 

% 

Copper  in  feed,  total    2.09 

' oxidized    0.32 

'      sulphide    1.77 

"        "    concentrate    41.74 

Insolubles  in  concentrate 22.10 

Copper  in  tailing,  total  0.56 

oxidized    0.30 

sulphide    • 0.26 

"        recovered    74.06 

Material  in  tailing,  -  48  mesh 12.53 

Power,  kw.-hr.  per  ton  milled  12.97 

Total  men  per  day  208.76 

Tons  per  man  per  day   22.62 

Fresh  water  per  ton  of  ore,  gal 321 

Mill  Power-Consumption,  June  1916 

Kw.-hr.  per 
ton 

Crushing  and  grinding   7.86 

Concentration   1.84 

Reclaimed  water  1.30 

Miscellaneous    0.36 

Total    11.36 

Water  Used,  June  1916 

Gal.  per  min.     Gal.  per  ton 

Total  flow  in  mill   5471  1428 

Fresh  water  1273  332 

Reclaimed  water 4198  1096 

Water  reclaimed   ■. 76.8% 

Ratio,  solid  to  water,  total 1:5.95 

Flotation  Mill 

% 

Copper  in  the  feed  1.05   (oxidized  0.5%) 

Average  copper  in  the  tailing 0.60 

Average  oxidized  copper  in  the  tailing. .   0.45 
Aerating  and  elevating,  kw.-hr.  per  ton. .   2.05 

Mixing  is  done  by  launders  and  elevator. 

The  oil  is  not  mixed  in  the  grinding-mills. 

Fifty-hp.  motors  on  blowers,  45  hp.  used;  8  Callow 
roughers  and  2  Callow  cleaners  per  section. 

Capacity,  75  tons  per  rougher  cell. 
Experimental  Plant 

6  ft.  by  22  in.  Hardinge  mill. 

2-in.  steel  balls  with  20  each  of  4-in.  balls. 

One  6-ft.  Dorr  classifier,  returning  oversize. 

Crushing  from  screen  analyses  to  1%  on  48-mesh  at 
rate  of  115  tons  per  24  hours. 

Power  used,  including  coarse  crushing,  8.56  kw.-hr. 

Density  of  overflow  from  classifier,  1 :  2. 

Circulating  load  500  tons  sand  returned,  making  600 
tons  total  load. 

85%  of  concentrate  made  in  plant  will  pass  200-mesh. 


640 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


Renders  of  the  MIXING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  invited  to  ask  Questions  and 
give  information  dealing  with  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  prac- 
tice of  mining,  milling,  and  smelting. 


Aero  is  not  used  in  flotation  of  Mount  Morgan  gold- 
copper  ore. 

Since  gold-dredging  operations  commenced  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1898  until  the  end  of  1915,  the  total  output  of 
gold  from  that  source  has  been  $79,104,231. 

Op  the  placer  gold  produced  in  California  in  1915, 
the  dredges  produced  90.5%,  the  hydraulic  mines  5.0%, 
the  drift  mines  3.1%,  and  the  surface  or  sluicing  mines 
1.4%. 

Timber-  lasts  longer  and  requires  less  replacement  in 
a  down-cast  than  in  an  up-cast  shaft.  In  the  latter  the 
hot  gaseous  air  from  the  mine  tends  to  accelerate  the 
decay  of  the  timbers. 

Cadmium  is  not  desired  in  zinc  used  in  alloys  as  it 
makes  them  hard  and  brittle.  For  galvanizing  wire 
spelter  must  be  pure  or  the  coating  cracks  and  peels  off 
under  sharp  bending  in  making  splices. 


Oils  used  in  flotation  at  the  Suan  mill,  Korea,  consist 
of  eucalyptus,  0.23  lb.  per  ton ;  pine-tar,  0.014  lb. ;  coal- 
tar,  0.115  lb. ;  No.  2  red  oil,  0.173  lb. ;  and  kerosene,  0.025 
lb.    Lime  consumption  was  2.8  lb.  per  ton. 

Exchange  between  New  York  and  London  is  quoted 
at  about  $4.75,  that  being  the  value  of  the  English  bank- 
note. But  the  '  sovereign, '  which  is  the  standard  British 
gold  coin  of  the  value  of  £1,  remains  at  $4.8665,  the 
price  fixed  by  the  United  States  government  as  measured 
in  dollars. 

Cost  op  power  is  usually  given  in  cents  per  ton.  This 
affords  no  basis  of  comparison.  It  should  be  stated  in 
horsepower-years  or  kilowatt-hours.  The  actual  cost  of 
power  as  sold  to  the  consumer  is  also  a  useful  bit  of  sup- 
plementary information,  when  making  any  comparison 
of  cost  at  mines  or  mills  in  widely-separated  localities. 

Mount  Morgan  ore  consists  of  a  mixture  of  iron 
pyrite,  copper  pyrite,  and  gold  in  a  quartzose  gangue. 
The  smelting  ore  contains  up  tp  50%  silica,  the  con- 
centrating ore  73%.  The  latter  approximates  6%  cop- 
per pyrite,  16%  iron  pyrite,  and  78%  quartz-calcite. 
The  gold  is  free  but  in  a  very  fine  state  of  sub-division. 

Oils  used  in  flotation,  especially  in  the  treatment  of 
copper  ores,  should  be  tested  against  a  standard  oil 
under  standard  conditions,  and  they  should  be  purchased 
on  results  of  testing  and  of  fractional  distillation,  ac- 
cording to  W.  Shellshear  in  the  June  Bulletin  of  the 
Australasian  I.  M.  E.  Turpentine,  which  is  not  able 
to  be  distinguished  from  the  first  distillate  of  eucalyptus, 


is  too  often  used  in  large  quantity  as  a  diluent  of  euca- 
lyptus. 

The  three  most  important  properties  in  rock  used 
for  constructing  roads  are  hardness,  or  the  resistance 
which  the  rock  offers  to  the  displacement  of  its  surface 
particles  by  abrasion ;  toughness,  or  the  resistance  which 
it  offers  to  fracture  under  impact;  and  binding  power, 
or  the  ability  which  the  dust  from  the  rock  possesses,  or 
develops  by  contact  with  water,  of  binding  the  large 
rock  fragments  together. 

Diamonds  are  valuable  not  only  for  personal  adorn- 
ment but  find  many  varied  uses  in  the  arts  and  manu- 
factures. Some  of  the  more  common  uses  are  in  glass- 
cutting,  drilling  and  sawing  blocks  of  hard  stone,  truing 
emery  wheels,  drilling  in  hard  steel,  and  drawing  wire 
for  electric  lamps.  They  are  also  employed  in  mining 
operations  the  principal  of  which  is  in  deep  borings.  For 
this  latter  purpose  amorphous  diamonds,  known  as 
Brazilian  carbons,  are  the  most  suitable. 

Concentrate  produced  at  the  Suan  mine,  Korea,  in 
July,  from  4350  tons  of  ore  assaying  $9.85  gold  and 
0.91%  copper,  was  as  follows: 


Class  Tons 

Regular    35.58 

Canvas    1.33 

Black    15.94 

Flotation  . . .   83.93 


Total 


.136.78 


Gross 

Gold 

Copper 

Bismuth 

value 

per  ton 

% 

% 

per  ton 

$91.38 

20.28 

2.25 

$194 

140.65 

9.44 

2.86 

212 

196.71 

22.12 

2.79 

312 

28.07 

28.08 

2.06 

156 

$65.28 


25.17 


2.20 


$184 


Blasting  boulders  is  successfully  done  by  block-hol- 
ing, snake-holing,  and  mud-capping.  In  the  first  method 
a  1^-in.  hole  is  drilled  half  through  the  rock,  charged 
and  exploded.  In  snake-holing  a  hole  is  punched  down 
with  a  bar  directly  under  but  along  side  of  the  boulder. 
The  hole  must  be  deep  enough  to  allow  of  the  charge 
being  placed  under  the  heaviest  part  of  the  rock.  Mud- 
capping  is  simple.  Dynamite  is  laid  on  top  of  the  rock, 
well  covered  with  plastic  mud  only,  5  or  6  in.  thick,  and 
exploded.  This  system  is  not  efficient  if  a  boulder  ex- 
tends into  the  ground. 

Sonstadt  solution  is  prepared  by  taking  a  saturated 
solution  of  potassium  iodide  in  water,  and  adding  mer- 
curic iodide  until  the  required  specific  gravity  of  solu- 
tion is  obtained.  At  Mount  Morgan  this  is  used  to 
determine  whether  gold  occurs  in  quartz  or  pyrite.  A 
minus  80  and  plus  120-mesh  sand  was  added  to  the 
Sonstadt  solution  and  stirred  well.  To  prevent  its  solid- 
ifying the  solution  was  kept  warm.  The  quartz  floated 
on  top  of  the  solution,  was  skimmed  off,  filtered,  and 
dried.  The  original  sand  assayed  $5.13  gold  and  0.74% 
copper,  the  quartz  product  $3.91  and  0.05%  and  the 
mineral  product  $9.79  and  1.85%.  This  proved  that 
a  certain  amount  of  the  gold  is  associated  with  the 
quartz. 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


641 


. 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 
Fubtheb  Drainage  Notes. — Probable  Labor  Trouble. 

Drainage  of  the  greater  part  of  the  productive  area  of  the 
Leadville  district  is  the  one  great  factor  holding  promise  of 
increased  activity  in  the  future.  Within  the  year  the  United 
States  Smelting,  Refining  &  Exploration  Co.  has  erected  a 
costly  modern  plant  and  buildings  at  the  Harvard  and  drained 
the  Fryer  Hill  basin  to  a  depth  of  700  ft. ;  ex-governor  Jesse  F. 
McDonald  has  organized  the  Down  Town  Mines  Co.,  installed 
expensive  pumping  machinery  at  the  Penrose,  and  unwatered 
the  Down  Town  basin  to  a  depth  of  900  ft.;  the  Empire  Zinc 
Co.  and  the  Western  Mining  Co.  have  installed  new  pumping 
equipment  at  the  Wolftone  and  Greenback  properties  at  con- 
siderable cost,  and  are  now  draining  the  big  Pyrenees  basin 
to  a  depth  of  1350  ft.;  and  George  O.  Argall,  manager  of  the 
Iron  Silver  Mining  Co.,  is  now  re-timbering  the  Mikado  shaft 
on  Iron  hill  and  installing  modern  pumping  and  hoisting 
machinery,  preparatory  to  assisting  in  the  draining  of  the 
Pyrenees  basin  and  surrounding  territory;  while  W.  E.  Bow- 
den  is  re-fitting  the  La  Plata  shaft  in  California  gulch  for  the 
purpose  of  draining  the  Rock  Hill  basin  to  considerable  depth. 

It  is  conservatively  estimated  that  the  combined  cost  of 
these  pumping  projects  will  total  $1,500,000.  Without  these 
enterprises  Leadville  would  hold  little  promise  of  unusual 
activity  in  the  immediate  future.  The  greater  part  of  the  terri- 
tory has  been  fairly  thoroughly  developed  above  water-level 
throughout  that  part  that  has  for  years  been  known  as  the 
Leadville  district,  and  any  developments  of  importance  would 
necessarily  have  to  occur  in  new  ground.  However,  with  these 
huge  draining  projects  in  operation,  the  possibilities  of  the 
future  are  unlimited.  On  Fryer  hill,  where  all  of  the  past  ex- 
ploration has  been  confined  to  the  first  contact,  there  is  an 
expansive  field  for  work  at  greater  depth.  The  U.  S.  S.  R.  & 
E.  Co.,  under  the  name  of  the  Leadville  Unit,  as  the  Harvard 
enterprise  is  known,  is  now  ready  to  begin  sinking  this  shaft 
an  additional  300  ft.  into  the  second  contract.  In  the  early 
days  Fryer  hill  and  its  very  rich  orebodies  found  at  the  sur- 
face were  famous,  but  contrary  to  expectation  later  develop- 
ments have  been  confined  to  the  upper  formations  instead  of 
going  deeper.  The  Harvard  will  cut  the  parting  quartzite 
within  the  300  ft.  of  proposed  sinking,  and  it  is  thought  that 
the  formations  underlying  will  be  found  fully  as  rich  as  those 
that  were  mined  above.  This  enterprise  is  considered  to  be 
the  one  holding  unusual  opportunities  for  great  success. 

The  Down  Town  Mines  Co.  has  undertaken  and  completed 
the  heaviest  pumping  project  in  the  district  through  the  Pen- 
rose shaft.  The  entire  basin  is  now  drained  to  the  bottom  of 
the  Penrose  shaft,  900  ft.,  and  development  of  the  territory 
has  been  undertaken  through  the  Penrose  and  Hibschle  shafts. 
Past  operations  in  this  extensive  territory  uncovered  immense 
bodies  of  iron  and  manganese  ores,  with  occasional  rich  shoots 
of  silver  and  lead  ores.  No  development  has  been  done 
throughout  the  Down  Town  section  since  carbonate  of  zinc  was 
found  in  the  Penrose  dump,  showing  conclusively  that  this 
ore  exists  in  the  property.  Zinc  is  undoubtedly  the  incentive 
for  the  unwatering  of  the  Down  Town  basin,  and  the  high 
spelter  market  tends  to  make  the  enterprise  more  promising. 
It  is  stated  that  the  largest  zinc  lode  in  the  district  will  be 
found  in  the  Penrose,  extending  from  the  Bon  Air  to  the  south. 
Should  this  be  found  correct,  and  the  market  continues  strong, 


the  Down  Town  company  will  be  second  to  none  in  importance 
to  the  future  of  the  district. 

The  parting  quartzite  has  yet  to  be  pierced  in  the  Down 
Town  section  as  in  Fryer  hill.  Numerous  faults  have  made 
several  hundred  feet  difference  in  the  depth  of  quartzite,  it 
being  much  deeper  in  the  Down  Town  area.  Whether  or  not 
the  work  in  the  Penrose  will  be  continued  to  great  depth  re- 
mains to  be  seen,  but  there  apparently  is  a  vast  territory  in 
this  ground  waiting  to  be  opened.  From  the  Penrose,  north- 
west through  the  city  and  into  the  flats,  little  work  has  been 
done.  A  drill-hole  was  put  down  near  the  city  limits  several 
■  years  ago,  but  was  abandoned  owing  to  trouble  which  arose 


*  Wolf-hme 
Ayjibschle    V, — J'%<*,,,.,,,,,OT,4MW\   'ivTusam 
ICoromdo-  /fenyse  "Sfer-,-""""-  ..■«■■       "         "•-  ,     .    .„ 

XEADV,LLES     ^;ATE    *    ._ 


LEADVILLE    DISTRICT,     SHOWING    POSITIONS     OF    PUMPING     SCHEMES. 

over  titles  to  the  ground,  leaving  no  information  as  to  what 
was  discovered. 

The  undertaking  of  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.  and  Western  Min- 
ing companies  for  the  draining  of  the  Pyrenees  basin  through 
the  Wolftone  and  Greenback  properties  is  an  important  one, 
because  the  area  affected  has  long  been  one  of  the  heaviest 
productive  centres  of  the  district.  Several  properties  in  this 
territory  have  been  successfully  developed  at  a  depth  of  1200 
ft.  The  recent  purchase  of  the  holdings  of  the  Small  Hopes- 
Boreel  Mining  Co.,  adjoining  the  Wolftone  and  Greenback,  by 
the  Empire  Zinc,  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons  for  draining  this 
area.  The  largest  and  most  valuable  body  of  lead-zinc  ore 
that  has  yet  been  opened  here  has  been  uncovered  in  the 
Robert  Emmet,  one  of  the  mines  in  the  group.  This  ore-shoot 
persists  below  water-level,  and  is  to  be  extensively  developed 
following  the  unwatering.  The  Wolftone  and  Greenback  also 
hold  possibilities  for  deeper  development.  It  is  reported  that 
before  the  present  drainage  scheme  is  completed,  the  Wolftone 
shaft  will  be  sunk  several  hundred  feet.  Large  deposits  of 
copper  ore  at  great  depth  are  looked  upon  as  a  certainty  in 
this  ground.  Most  of  the  ore  that  has  been  mined  has  carried 
a  high  copper-content. 


642 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


The  Mikado  scheme,  under  the  management  of  George 
Argall,  is  probably  the  largest  here.  The  preparations  that 
have  been  made  at  the  Mikado  shaft  mark  it  as  one  requiring 
the  expenditure  of  much  capital,  justifying  large  returns.  The 
ground  to  be  developed  has  produced  heavily  in  the  past,  and 
in  on  the  trend  of  the  large  ore-shoots  developed  in  the  Green- 
back, R.  A.  M.,  and  adjoining  properties.  The  success  of  the 
undertaking  is  already  considered  assured,  although  now  only 
in  the  first  stage  of  preparation. 

The  La  Plata  project  is  far  from  the  other  drainage  com- 
panies, but  in  a  locality  that  promises  unusual  results.  Car- 
bonate of  zinc  is  again  the  incentive  here. 

The  result  of  the  entrance  of  these  five  draining  enterprises 
into  the  district  is  a  revived  Leadville.  They  have  already 
given  employment  to  several  hundred  men,  and  it  is  conserva- 
tiely  estimated  that  another  thousand  will  be  put  to  work  fol- 
lowing the  completion  of  pumping.  This  means  a  bigger  pro- 
duction, a  bigger  pay-roll,  and  better  business  and  living  con- 
ditions. The  city  has  undergone  a  remarkable  change  during 
the  summer.  Carpenters  and  painters  have  had  a  busy  season 
repairing  all  the  old  vacant  houses  that  have  come  into  de- 
mand. Real-estate  men  state  that  there  is  not  an  empty  house 
in  the  city  that  is  habitable,  while  a  year  ago  there  were 
scores  to  be  had  at  low  rents.  Leadville  is  now  looking  for- 
ward to  the  best  years  in  its  remarkable  history. 

The  labor  question  is  again  assuming  a  threatening  aspect, 
due  to  the  activity  of  the  miners'  union.  Letters  have  been 
sent  to  the  operators  asking  that  they  recognize  the  union,  and 
a  campaign  has  been  started  to  organize  the  miners.  A  new 
scale  of  wages  is  to  be  demanded,  it  is  reported,  calling  for 
$3.75  to  $4.25  for  8  hours'  work.  It  is  generally  considered 
that  this  is  an  inopportune  time  for  demanding  higher  wages, 
because  several  large  and  important  companies  have  just 
entered  the  district  and  are  still  engaged  in  draining  and  de- 
veloping their  holdings  at  their  own  expense,  no  ore  being  pro- 
duced at  this  time.  Furthermore,  these  companies  have  spent 
$1,500,000.  A  demand  for  higher  wages  would,  it  is  believed, 
cause  these  enterprises  to  shut-down.  The  labor  question  in 
Leadville  always  has  been  and  always  will  be  a  problem.  In 
many  mining  districts  where  one  metal  is  mined,  as  in  the 
copper  centres  of  Arizona  and  Montana,  it  is  possible  to  insti- 
tute a  schedule  of  wages  subject  to  the  market  price  of  the 
metal  produced,  an  easy  and  most  satisfactory  manner  of 
handling  the  question.  In  Leadville,  however,  its  production 
of  many  metals  widely  differing  in  value  make  it  impossible 
to  institute  a  schedule,  and  makes  it  very  difficult  for  the 
operators  to  arrive  at  a  wage-schedule  satisfactory  to  all.  The 
average  value  per  ton  of  the  ore  mined  in  the  Leadville  dis- 
trict is  $27.50,  but  the  production  from  several  of  the  mines 
nets  less  than  25c.  per  ton,  while  from  others  it  will  net  $100. 
A  raise  in  wages  as  is  now  to  be  asked  by  the  union  would 
shut-down  the  low-grade  properties  and  put  several  hundred 
men  out  of  work.  Efforts  are  being  made  to  adjust  the  situa- 
tion before  definite  steps  are  taken  by  the  union. 

In  the  issue  of  November  4  another  letter  from  Leadville 
will  deal  with  the  labor  situation  in  detail. 

JOPLIN,  MISSPURI 

Treatment  of  Tailing  From  Shoet  Cbeek. 

An  approach  to  Western  methods  is  a  form  of  dredging  just 
started  by  C.  J.  Rhodes  of  Joplin,  on  the  sand  and  gravel  bars 
of  Short  creek,  west  of  Galena,  Kansas.  The  lower  reaches  of 
this  stream,  just  before  it  enters  Spring  river,  contain  long 
and  wide  deposits  of  sand  and  gravel  that  are  the  debris 
resulting  from  25  years'  mining  operations  extending  from 
Central  City,  Missouri,  through  Galena,  and  North  Empire, 
Kansas.  A  sampling  of  these  accumulations  developed  the 
fact  that  they  contained  zinc  amounting  to  from  2  to  20%.  Mr. 
Rhodes  conceived  the  idea  of  building  a  barge  and  using  a 
sand-pump  driven  by  Diesel  engines  as  a  method  of  handling 


the  debris  and  getting  it  to  a  mill  upon  the  bank  of  the  stream. 
A  plant  to  treat  the  material  is  now  being  constructed  with  a 
capacity  of  100  tons  per  day.  It  will  be  on  the  order  of  a  sludge 
or  tailing-mill,  similar  to  the  regular  type  of  construction 
with  the  exception  of  a  crushing  plant.  The  table-room  will 
start  with  eight  sludge  or  sand-tables,  and  part  of  the  larger 
sizes  will  be  run  over  sand-jigs.  As  this  method  is  an  innova- 
tion in  this  region  it  is  being  watched  with  considerable  inter- 
est, as  there  are  other  streams  in  the  district  that  may  give 
equally  good  results  if  this  operation  proves  successful. 

CHANGSHA,  CHINA 
Reception  Given  to  American  Mining  Engineers. 

A  dinner  was  given  by  the  Hunan  Mining  Association  in 
honor  of  Messrs.  F.  Searls,  G.  O.  Scarfe,  mining  experts,  the 
American  Consul  Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  McRae  of  Anderen,  Meyer 
&  Co.,  and  several  other  American  residents  in  Hunan.  The 
dinner  party  was  held  in  Mr.  Wong-Cheng-Tsai's  residence, 
which  was  beautifully  decorated  for  the  occasion. 

The  first  toast,  "Chinese-American  Friendship"  was  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  Cheng-Ping-Hwun,  director  of  the  Hunan  Min- 
ing Board,  and  was  well  responded  by  Mr.  Searls,  who  gave 
some  very  valuable  suggestions  regarding  the  necessary  steps 
which  should  be  taken  in  order  to  develop  the  mineral  re- 
sources of  Hunan,  the  richest  province  in  China.  Mr.  Searls 
remarked  that  America  was  only  discovered  in  1492,  and  in 
less  than  500  years  she  had  become  the  greatest  mining 
country  and  the  wealthiest  nation  in  the  world.  It  would 
not  take  China  very  long  to  develop  her  industries  in  the 
same  way  if  she  determined  to  do  so.  In  conclusion,  Mr. 
Searls  wished  that  the  two  countries  could  have  more  inter- 
course and  do  more  to  develop  their  trade.  He  also  thanked 
the  hosts  for  their  kind  hospitality  and  wished  them  every 
success  in  their  mining  enterprise.  The  speech  was  inter- 
preted by  Mr.  C.  C.  Lu,  chief  of  Technical  Department  of  the 
Hunan  Mining  Board.  Then  Mr.  K.  C.  Li,  mining  engineer  of 
the  Board,  proposed  "Our  Guests,"  thanking  them  for  their 
valuable  assistance  and  all  kinds  of  beneficial  works  done  for 
Hunan  and  for  China  at  large.  Mr.  Johnson,  the  American 
Consul,  responded  in  a  humorous  way.  He  wished  that 
China  would  have  more  of  her  industrial  magnates  on  the 
political  stage  with  a  definite  program  of  industrial  develop- 
ment, which  was  the  only  way  for  China  to  gain  prosperity. 

JUNEAU,  ALASKA 
General  Conditions. — Ketchikan,  Juneau,  White  Pass,  Cop- 
per River,  and  La  Touche  Districts. — Railroad  and  Coal. 

Alaska,  in  common  with  other  mining  regions,  is  enjoying 
the  prosperity  caused  by  the  prevailing  high  prices  of  metals. 
The  year  1916  will  record  a  production  greater  than  in  any 
previous  period.  This  is  due  largely  to  the  wonderful  copper 
production  of  the  Kennecott  mines,  also  to  the  increased 
activity  of  the  low-grade  gold  deposits  near  Juneau. 

Much  development  has  been  done  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Ketchikan.  This  district  can  be  credited  with  a  consider- 
able production  of  copper,  in  fact,  at  present  12  mines  are 
shipping  both  to  the  Granby  smelter  at  Anyox,  British  Colum- 
bia, and  to  the  Tacoma  smelter  at  Tacoma,  Washington.  The 
combined  output  amounts  to  approximately  10,000  tons  per 
month,  the  principal  shippers  being  the  Granby  Consolidated 
company,  operating  the  Mamie,  30  miles  north-west  of  Ketch- 
ikan; the  Mt.  Andrews  property,  controlled  by  New  York  inter- 
ests; the  Rush  &  Brown  property;  the  Alaska  Industrial  Co., 
whose  property  is  on  Prince  of  Wales  island;  and  the  Good- 
low  Bay  mine,  owned  and  operated  by  J.  E.  Chilberg,  a 
Seattle  banker.  The  principal  ore  of  this  district  is  chalco- 
pyrite,  associated  with  magnetite.  Some  of  the  companies  are 
shipping  ore  that  is  mined  from  contact  metamorphie  deposits, 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


643 


which  carry  bornite,  epidote,  and  garnet.  The  average  ore 
shipped  varies  in  copper  content  from  4  to  20%,  and  contains 
small  amounts  of  gold  and  silver.  The  freight-charge  to  the 
smelters  is  reasonable,  while  the  smelter-charge  amounts  to 
about  $5  per  ton.  This  district  has  been  examined  by  several 
engineers  representing  the  larger  exploration  companies,  but 
so  far  no  properties  have  changed  hands. 

Near  Juneau  the  principal  operating  companies  are  the 
Alaska  Treadwell  group,  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines,  the  Alaska 
Juneau,  and  the  Ebner.  The  Alaska  Gold  or  Gastineau  mine 
is  milling  130,000  tons  per  month  averaging  $1.30  per  ton,  the 
extraction  by  concentration  being  80%.  This  property,  like 
others,  has  been  affected  by  the  increased  cost  of  mining- 
supplies,  and  the  desertion  of  efficient  miners  to  the  more 
prosperous  copper  districts.  The  efficiency  of  the  machine- 
drillers  has  decreased  25%  since  the  War  commenced;  conse- 
quently the  cost  of  breaking  ore  per  ton  has  increased  3c,  from 
14  to  17c.  per  ton.  At  the  present  time  most  of  the  ore  sent 
to  the  mill  comes  from  the  east  side  of  the  mine,  where  the 


tons  daily.  As  the  mine-development  to  the  east  progresses 
the  mill  will  be  gradually  speeded-up.  Owing  to  the  contour 
of  the  ground  and  the  lay  of  the  orebody  on  the  west  end,  the 
ore  must  be  taken  from  certain  places  first,  in  order  that  the 
mine's  producing  capacity  be  not  impaired.  This  work  is  now 
progressing  rapidly  and  large  bodies  of  ore  of  a  higher  value 
are  being  opened  for  stoping  purposes,  and  within  a  short  time 
the  mill  will  be  operating  at  capacity,  as  the  company  will  be 
able  to  take  the  ore  from  the  east  end  and  mix  it  with  the 
west-end  ore,  bringing  the  average  to  the  correct  grade." 

Work  on  the  Alaska  Juneau  mill  is  proceeding.  At  present 
almost  all  the  concrete  and  structural-steel  work  has  been  fin- 
ished, and  the  mine  is  being  put  in  order.  This  company  is 
getting  the  benefit  of  the  pioneer  work  done  by  the  Alaska 
Gold  and  should  be  in  full  operation  by  the  early  part  of  the 
coming  year. 

Much  activity  in  mining  is  to  be  noted  in  the  territory 
served  by  the  White  Pass  &  Yukon  railroad.  At  Cari-Cross 
the  Big  Thing  mine  is  being  re-opened,  and  along  Taku  Arm 


CHICHAGOF,    ALASKA. 


gold-content  is  lower  than  at  the  western  end,  but  levels  are 
being  driven  and  raises  put  through  preparatory  to  working 
this  part  of  the  property.  When  intermediate  levels  are  driven 
in  the  gabbro  along  the  foot-wall,  preparatory  to  stoping,  the 
slate  breaks  away  (sloughs-off)  bringing  part  of  the  hanging 
with  it,  so  that  the  gold-content  is  lowered  by  the  waste.  The 
management  is  trying  to  stop  this  by  working  in  narrower 
stopes  on  the  east  side,  where  the  ore  is  richer,  mixing  the  out- 
put with  the  lower-grade  supply  from  the  west  end  of  the 
mine.  The  company  at  present  is  employing  800  men  and 
eventually,  when  the  mine  is  thoroughly  developed,  will  be 
able,  by  merely  adding  another  pair  of  72-in.  rolls,  to  supply 
12,000  tons  per  day  to  the  mills.  The  operating  cost  is  65c. 
per  ton.  This  property  possesses  enormous  reserves  of  low- 
grade  ore;  these  are  measured  by  an  adit  13,000  ft.  long  and  a 
shaft  1700  ft.  to  the  surface,  and  a  width  of  ore  85  to  200  ft.  A 
statement  recently  issued  by  B.  L.  Thane  aptly  applies  to  the 
present  status  of  this  property  and  is  as  follows: 

"Since  the  beginning  of  the  operation  of  the  big  mill,  the 
average  cost  of  mining  and  milling  the  ore  has  been  under 
75c.  per  ton,  which  was  the  original  estimate  made  by  the 
engineers.  Eminent  men  of  the  mining  profession  freely  pre- 
dicted that  the  cost  could  not  be  reduced  to  75c.  as  estimated. 
For  the  past  few  months  the  cost  has  been  65c.  and  under.  The 
mill  is  at  present  being  operated  at  a  6000-ton  daily  capacity, 
which  was  the  original  daily  estimate,  but  its  actual  capacity  is 
more  than  double  that  amount  or  between  12,000  and  15,000 


the  Venus  and  Engineer  mines  are  being  operated.  These 
properties  are  shipping  to  the  Granby  smelter.  The  Engineer 
mine  was  recently  examined  by  representatives  of  the  Tonopah 
Belmont  Development  Co.  At  White  Horse,  the  northern 
terminus  of  the  White  Pass  &  Yukon  railroad,  the  Pueblo  and 
Grafter  mines  are  shipping  4000  to  5000  tons  of  ore  per  month. 
The  Pueblo  ore  consists  of  hematite  containing  3  to  4%  cop- 
per, used  principally  as  a  flux  at  the  Granby  smelter;  the 
Grafter  ore  is  of  a  silicious  character  with  chalcopyrite.  In 
the  Atlin  district  the  placers  commenced  operations  in  the 
early  part  of  May,  but  were  hampered  by  a  lack  of  water  later 
in  the  season.  The  operations  on  Spruce,  Discovery,  and 
McKee  creeks  in  this  district  will  produce  $400,000  this  season. 
The  gold  is  valued  at  $16.50  per  ounce;  500  men  are  employed 
during  the  season. 

Along  the  Copper  River  &  North-Western  railroad,  196  miles 
north  of  Cordova,  is  the  famous  Kennecott  mine.  This  mine 
is  producing  about  10,500,000  lb.  of  copper  per  month  at  a  cost 
of  5c.  per  pound.  The  ore  is  found  along  the  contact  of 
limestone  and  greenstone,  in  large  lenses  lying  in  the  limestone 
about  30  ft.  from  the  contact.  The  main  workings  are  known 
as  the  Bonanza,  Jumbo,  and  Erie,  the  deepest  shaft  being  the 
Jumbo,  with  a  depth  of  750  ft.  Between  the  600  and  450-ft. 
levels  on  the  Jumbo  there  is  a  lens  of  ore  450  ft.  long  and  150 
ft.  high,  averaging  50  ft.  in  width.  This  is  first-class  ore, 
and  the  company  is  mining  it  as  fast  as  possible  in  order  to 
make  the  most  of  the  high  price  of  copper.    The  mine  employs 


(It) 


MINING  and 


October  28,  1916 


350  men,  and  shipped  8500  tons  of  ore  during  the  month  of 
August,  averaging  above  G0%  copper.  There  is  20,000  tons  of 
ore,  sacked  and  concentrated,  at  Cordova,  the  Pacific  Coast 
terminus  of  the  railroad,  ready  to  be  shipped  to  the  smelter  at 
Tacoma. 

I'ne  Ueatson  mine,  belonging  to  this  same  company,  is  operat- 
ing a  low-grade  chalcopyrlte  deposit  on  La  Touche  island. 
The  mill  is  being  Increased  to  treat  1000  tons  per  day  by  the 
flotation  process,  the  concentrate  being  sent  to  Tacoma.  The 
BJllamar  mine  is  shipping  4000  tons  per  month  to  the  Tacoma 
smelter.  Roy  Middlecamp  Is  manager  and  the  mine  employs 
a  force  of  200  or  more.  The  ore  is  well  oxidized  and  carries 
a  high,  gold-content  besides  about  4%  copper  per  ton.  A  con- 
liact  has  been  let  recently  for  diamond-drilling  intended  to 
intersect  the  vein  below  the  GOO-ft.  level.  The  production  of 
the  copper  mines  lying  between  Cordova  and  La  Touche  has 
been  seriously  hampered  by  the  lack  of  steamship-transporta- 
tion facilities,  but  this  condition  will  be  improved  by  the 
recent  addition  of  several  new  boats  by  the  Pacific  Alaska 
Navigation  Company. 

On  the  Government  railroad  the  Alaska  Engineering  Com- 
mission is  employing  a  total  of  800  men  on  the  Seward  divi- 
sion, 2500  on  the  Anchorage  division,  and  500  out  of  Fairbanks. 
The  old  Alaska  Northern  line  is  being  repaired,  and  new 
bridges  are  replacing  the  old  bridges  at  Placer  and  Portage 
rivers.  This  railroad  will  be  rehabilitated  completely  as  far  as 
Kern  creek,  71.6  miles  north  of  Seward,  by  October  30.  The 
work  Is  in  charge  of  R.  J.  Weir,  formerly  with  the  Southern 
Pacific.  From  Anchorage  the  road  is  completed  as  far  as 
Matanuska  Junction,  and  thence  about  15  miles  to  Moose 
Creek,  toward  Chickaloon,  in  the  centre  of  the  Matanuska 
coal-fields.  The  spring  of  next  year  will  see  the  completion  of 
this  branch  road  to  Chickaloon.  At  present,  under  the  system 
of  leasing  introduced  by  the  Interior  department,  one  coal 
lease  is  operated  by  Richard  Doherty  at  Moose  Creek.  This 
property  is  supplying  the  railroad  with  3000  tons  of  coal.  The 
restrictive  conditions  imposed  by  these  leases  are  such  that  ex- 
perienced operators  are  not  attracted.  The  Willow  Creek  dis- 
trict, 30  miles  north  of  Knik,  was  extremely  handicapped  by 
the  lateness  of  the  spring.  At  present  the  Gold  Bullion,  Inde- 
pendence, Mabel,  and  Jap  properties  are  being  operated.  The 
total  production  for  this  district  is  estimated  at  $500,000,  and 
the  principal  portion  of  it  should  be  credited  to  the  Gold 
Bullion.  The  small  veins  occur  in  granite,  and  the  ore  in 
small  shoots  at  frequent  intervals.  Mining  operations  can  be 
continued  in  this  district  for  only  six  months  of  the  year 
owing  to  the  hard  winters  and  lack  of  water  for  milling  pur- 
poses. Several  prospecting  parties  entered  the  Broad  Pass 
district,  but  no  discoveries  of  any  consequence  were  reported. 

SUTTER    CREEK,    CALIFORNIA 

Stkike  Situation. — Central  Eureka  Loss. — Old  Eureka. 

About  200  men  awaited  the  arrival  of  each  train  at  Martell 
yesterday,  the  21st,  the  striking  miners  having  heard  rumors 
that  a  number  of  miners  were  to  arrive  here  to  take  the  places 
of  the  strikers;  but  apparently  the  report  was  not  well 
grounded,  as  the  expected  strike-breakers  did  not  put  in  their 
appearance.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  stop  merchants, 
bakers,  and  butchers  from  delivering  supplies  to  the  South 
Eureka  property,  where  the  company  has  employed  a  dozen 
or  more  men  from  the  outside  to  work  as  guards.  These  men 
are  camped  on  the  company's  ground.  At  the  present  time, 
the  Kennedy  company  has  114  men  on  its  pay-roll  and  the 
Argonaut  100.  At  the  other  mines,  south  of  Plymouth,  only 
sufficient  men  are  at  work  to  keep  the  mines  open  and  make 
necessary  repairs.  J.  B.  Dale,  organizer  for  the  State  Fed- 
eration of  Labor,  has  spent  several  days  in  the  county,  en- 
deavoring to  get  the  matters  settled  by  arbitration,  but  the 
mine-owners  insist  that  they   have  nothing  to  arbitrate,  and 


Scientific   PRESS 

are  ready  and  willing  to  resume  operations  on  the  old  basis, 
when  a  sufficient  number  of  the  men  express  a  willingness  to 
return  to  work.  The  mine  operators  have  appealed  to  the 
U.  S.  District  Court  to  prevent  interference  with  their  opera- 
tions by  striking  miners,  and  Judge  E.  S.  Farrington  issued 
an  order  today,  restraining  the  strikers  from  committing 
violence  pending  a  hearing  of  the  application  for  an  injunc- 
tion. The  companies  claim  that  their  property  is  valued  at 
more  than  $1,000,000,  and  unless  their  employees  can  pass 
freely  to  and  from  the  mines  irreparable  damage  will  result 
from  cave-ins  and  flooding.  Over  a  month  has  elapsed  since 
the  strike  began,  and  in  that  time  500  miners  have  left  the 
county  to  seek  work  in  other  localities. 

During  September,  or  that  portion  of  the  month  prior  to  the 
miners'  strike,  the  Central  Eureka  company  reports  1676  tons 
of  ore  crushed,  yielding  204  oz.  of  bullion  valued  at  $3422; 
concentrate  yielded  $2660  for  the  22  days'  run,  and  sundry 
collections  brought  the  total  receipts  up  to  $6138.  With  the 
exception  of  three  days'  milling  after  mine  operations  ceased 
on  the  19th  of  last  month,  only  pump-men  and  engineers  have 
been  working  during  the  strike.  The  total  expenditure  for 
mining,  pumping,  and  shaft  repairs  for  the  whole  month  was 
$4976;  milling,  $1043;  development,  $1658;  tailing  dam,  $387; 
indemnity  insurance  and  sundries,  $841,  making  a  total  cost 
of  $8905,  or  a  net  loss  on  the  month's  operations  of  $2767. 

The  Old  Eureka  company  is  preparing  to  install  a  9000-gal. 
tank  or  reservoir  at  the  500-ft.  station,  to  be  supplied  by  large 
pumps  at  600  ft.  and  levels  below.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
lower  pumps  will  have  sufficient  capacity  to  fill  this  reservoir 
in  18  minutes.  A  centrifugal  pump  at  the  surface  will  raise 
the  water  from  the  500-ft.  level.  Twenty-five  men  are  em- 
ployed at  present  in  the  shaft,  and  30  on  surface  construc- 
tion and  Installation  of  the  large  hoist. 

The  new  double-drum  hoist  for  the  Old  Eureka  mine  arrived 
during  the  week  and  is  now  in  course  of  installation,  the 
foundations  for  same,  as  well  as  for  the  new  steel  head-frame, 
shortly  to  be  erected,  having  been  ready  for  over  a  week.  The 
new  hoist  is  a  powerful  one,  capable  of  raising  15,600  lb.,  and 
being  efficient  for  a  depth  of  3000  ft,  nearly  1000  ft.  below  the 
present  shaft-bottom.  The  water  has  been  removed  to  a  point 
just  above  the  800-ft.  level,  and  the  shaft-men  have  for  some 
distance  found  evidence  in  the  way  of  charred  timbers  of  the 
fire  that  caused  the  closing  down  of  the  mine  over  30  years 
ago.  The  work  at  the  last  operating  of  the  mine  did  not  ex- 
tend below  800  ft.,  although  the  earlier  working  of  the  mine 
had  yielded  well  when  the  shaft  was  open  to  2100  ft.  It  is  ex- 
pected that  the  condition  of  the  shaft  below  the  800-ft.  sta- 
tion will  be  much  worse  than  that  passed  through  above,  as 
that  portion  also  is  said  to  have  been  burned  out  a  number  of 
years  prior  to  the  last  operations.  Caves  in  the  shaft  will 
doubtless  be  encountered  and  more  difficulty  be  met  with  in 
re-timbering,  but  by  means  of  the  adequate  machinery  now 
being  installed  the  owners  appear  hopeful  of  getting  the  en- 
tire shaft  unwatered  and  repaired  early  in  the  coming  year. 
Three  crews  of  shaft-men,  as  well  as  a  large  force  of  mechanics 
and  carpenters,  are  working  steadily  in  re-opening  this  old 
property,  which  has  a  record  of  yielding  no  less  than  $10,000,- 
000  during  former  operations,  when  mining  and  milling  meth- 
ods were  crude  and  operating  costs  excessive.  The  superin- 
tendent, T.  Walter  Beam,  has  recently  engaged  George  Pet- 
tingill  as  foreman. 

The  elevated  track  on  which  cars  will  carry  the  ore  from 
the  Argonaut  shaft  to  the  new  mill  in  course  of  construction 
to  the  west  of  the  present  plant,  is  now  being  erected.  The 
mill  is  S00  ft.  from  the  ore-bin  at  the  mine,  and  two  tracks  up 
this  steep  incline  will  be  used,  the  descending  car  helping  to 
balance  the  ascending  one,  one  man  on  a  shift  being  sufficient 
to  handle  the  car  system,  including  loading  and  dumping. 
Machinery  is  being  installed  in  the  mill,  which  will  be  equip- 
ped with  60  stamps,  or  20  heavy  new  stamps  in  addition  to  the 
40  used  until  recently  in  the  old  mill. 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


645 


!  .!    Ill  M ■■.II- Ill 


THE    MINING    SUMMARY 

The  news  of  the  week  <is  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


"■':■■       '   !    :    . 

ALASKA 

Fairbanks.  On  September  17  the  new  Lane  mill  of  20-ton 
capacity  started  work  on  the  Thomas  gold-quartz  mine  at  the 
head  of  Eva  creek.  This  property  has  been  thoroughly  devel- 
oped.    On  the  road  to  it  are  several  promising  mines. 

Valdez.  After  several  weeks'  shut-down  for  development 
of  the  mine  the  Granite  mill  resumed  crushing  recently. 
High-grade  ore  was  opened  on  one  level,  and  good  grade  on  two 
others. 

ARIZONA 

(Special  Correspondence.) — For  the  nine  months  ended  June 
30.  1916,  S73  cars  of  ore  was  shipped  from  Chloride.  There 
are  now  40  properties  here  in  active  operation  and  several 
others  soon  to  be  started. 

The  oldest  and  most  historic  property  at  Chloride,  the 
Silver  Hill  mine,  is  again  being  operated.  H.  M.  Henning,  the 
present  owner,  arrived  here  last  week  and  at  once  started  men 
cleaning-out  the  old  600-ft.  adit.  This  cut  the  vein  when  work 
was  stopped  years  ago,  since  then  It  has  not  been  worked. 
Bad  management  was  the  direct  cause  of  the  failures  in  the 
past.  It  was  on  this  property,  a  long  time  ago,  that  three 
miners  were  murdered  by  Indians  while  working  in  a  shaft. 
The  Indians  stood  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft  and  stoned  the 
helpless  miners  to  death. 

The  Towne  mine  has  been  shut-down  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  the  new  head-frame,  hoist,  and  compressor,  which  should 
be  on  the  ground  this  week.  A  new  shaft  is  to  be  sunk,  as  the 
old  one  is  in  an  unworkable  condition.  This  mine  was  re- 
cently unwatered  and  sampled,  with  the  result  that  the 
owners  are  highly  pleased  and  purpose  to  prosecute  work 
vigorously. 

The  Desert  Power  &  Water  Co.  expects  to  have  its  high- 
tension  line  into  Chloride  within  three  weeks.  Many  mines 
will  install  electric  hoists. 

It  is  said  that  the  new  shoot  in  the  Keystone  surpasses  any 
heretofore  made  in  this  district.  On  the  300-ft.  level  8  ft.  of 
ore  assays  226  oz.  of  silver  and  1.4  oz.  gold. 

A  new  three-compartment  shaft  has  been  started  between 
the  Keystone  and  Silver  Keystone  properties,  so  that  both 
may  use  the  same  shaft  in  drawing  ore  for  the  new  mill  that 
is  being  constructed. 

On  the  Black  Jack  property  a  new  adit  has  been  started 
which  will  cut  the  ore  at  a  depth  of  450  ft.  A  contract  has 
been  let  for  the  construction  of  a  road  from  the  mouth  of 
Alum  Wash  to  the  property.  The  ore  will  then  be  hauled  with 
trucks.  Sixty  burros  are  now  employed  in  packing  the  initial 
shipment  of  250  tons. 

The  Copper  Age  has  begun  excavating  for  a  reservoir.  This 
work  is  preliminary  to  the  beginning  of  mill  construction 
under  the  direction  of  G.  W.  Peer.  The  mill  will  be  in  opera- 
tion by  February  1. 

Julius  Kruschnitt,  south-western  representative  of  the  Gug- 
genheims,  left  on  October  10  for  El  Paso,  taking  with  him  the 
samples  from  the  Brunswick,  Golden  Hammer,  and  the  Holmes 
properties  at  Hackberry. 

The  Tennessee  Extension  has  men  at  work.  It  is  a  close 
neighbor  of  the  Tennessee,  Payroll,  and  Minnesota-Connor. 
A  contract  has  been  let  for  an  extension  of  the  present  adit. 

Chloride,  October  16. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Shareholders  from  Kansas  City 


J 


and  Omaha  will  arrive  at  Gila  Bend  this  week  for  an  in- 
spection of  the  Rowley  Copper  Mines  Co.'s  property.  The  work 
is  being  done  under  the  supervision  of  C.  T.  Jobes,  chief 
engineer.  L.  C.  Harden  of  Phoenix  is  the  foreman.  A  ship- 
ment of  silver-lead  ore  made  from  the  new  No.  3  shaft  to 
the  El  Paso  smelter  last  week,  returned  lead  and  silver 
amounting  to  $93.96  per  ton.  Work  at  the  Rowley  is  being 
confined  to  driving  along  the  high  lead-silver  vein  and  to 
deepening  the  vertical  and  the  No.  3  shafts.  Twenty-five  men 
are  employed.  • 

Gila  Bend,  October  15. 

Jerome.  Within  a  few  months  the  United  Verde  Copper  Co. 
will  commence  mining  low-grade  surface  ore  around  the  old 


MINES   OF   MOHAVE    COUNTY,    ARIZONA. 

smelter  at  Jerome  by  means  of  steam-shovels,  and  sending  it  to 
the  works  at  Clarkdale.  Excavation  is  to  proceed  to  the  fire 
that  has  been  burning  for  14  years  in  the  Hampton  stope.  The 
fire  can  then  be  attacked  from  above.  When  No.  5  shaft  of 
the  mine  is  concreted,  and  the  large  electric  hoist  installed, 
ore  production  will  be  augmented.  The  smelter  is  soon  to 
reduce  2500  tons  daily.  A  second  reverberatory  furnace  is  in 
commission,  also  three  blast-furnaces. 

N.  Bertrand  of  Bisbee  has  a  contract  to  diamond-drill  the 
Verde  Hercules  ground  to  a  depth  of  1500  or  2000  ft.  This 
mine  was  formerly  the  Harryhausen. 

Hatden.  It  is  reported  that  the  Ray  Consolidated  Copper 
Co.  is  preparing  plans  for  a  6000-ton  plant  to  treat  its  tailing. 
The  works  will  be  on  the  banks  of  the  Gila  river,  and  will 
cost  $500,000. 


646 


MINING  and 


Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


Miami.  An  employees'  grievance  committee  has  been  ap- 
pointed at  the  Inspiration,  with  the  sanction  of  the  company, 
to  discuss  with  the  management  any  disputes  that  may  re- 
quire ventilation. 

Needles.  Reports  state  that  the  Colorado  river  is  running 
wild,  making  transportation  between  Oatman  and  Needles  a 
difficulty.  Several  automobiles  were  caught  between  the  river 
and  water  that  leaves  the  main  channel  when  the  river  is  high. 
Cars  are  going  by  way  of  Topock.  Floods  at  this  season  are 
unusual.  When  the  water  recedes  several  miles  of  road  must 
be  re-built. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — On  account  of  certain  deroga- 
tory reports  circulated  a  few  weeks  ago  in  a  campaign  to  bear 
shares  of  the  Big  Jim  mine,  the  management  secretly  put  up 
a  raise  a  height  of  150  ft.  from  the  400-ft.  level.  At  that  point 
a  cross-cut  was  driven  from  wall  to  wall,  and  both  raise  and 
cross-cut  are  in  ore  throughout,  averaging  $20  and  over  per 
ton.  There^  having  been  no  opening  in  the  ore  above  400  ft. 
nor  below  485  ft.,  the  bears  alleged  only  ore  between  the  levels 
could  be  taken  into  account  in  estimating  reserves. 

The  Gold  Dust  has  opened  its  ore-shoot  for  a  vertical  depth 
of  476  ft.  from  the  surface.  As  exposed,  the  ore  averages  from 
1  to  2  oz.  per  ton  in  gold.  Seven  hundred  feet  north-west  of 
the  shaft,  surface  assays  of  that  value  were  found  several 
years  ago;  with  that  as  an  object  the  drift  was  driven  recently. 
From  thence  the  winze  was  sunk  76  ft.  and  is  in  2-oz.  ore  at 
the  bottom. 

The  Boundary  cone  has  opened  a  second  large  shoot  of  mill- 
ing ore  560  ft.  east  of  the  shaft  on  the  550-ft.  level.  One 
passed  through  on  the  same  level,  with  low-grade  ore  between, 
is  being  driven  325  ft.  east  on  the  750-ft.  level,  and  in  both 
faces  assays  run  from  $40  to  $60  per  ton.  Converging  in  the 
Lexington-Arizona  ground  eastward  and  passing  through  the 
Paramount  on  the  west,  these  two  veins  are  of  the  highest 
significance  to  the  district. 

For  two  weeks  the  Pioneer  has  been  cross-cutting  from  the 
north  drift  westerly  on  the  200-ft.  level,  at  a  point  200  ft.  from 
the  end-line  of  the  Arizona-Tom  Reed.  Being  under  the  one 
management  the  object  is  to  develop  both  properties.  In  this 
area  a  vein  at  one  point  averages  $25  per  ton. 

The  Nellie  has  made  a  rich  surface  discovery,  25  ft.  from 
the  boundary  of  the  Black  Range  and  115  ft.  from  the  spot 
where  the  latter  made  its  recent  strike.  The  manager,  H.  E. 
Woods,  started  a  shaft  and  at  2  ft.  he  opened  5  ft.  of  ore  assay- 
ing $2.48,  $6.61,  $8.68,  and  $19.64.  Pannings  average  about 
$15,  which  is  a  fine  surface  showing  for  Oatman. 

Oatman,  October  15. 

Oatman.  The  Los  Angeles  Mining  Bureau  states  that  the 
most  important  developments  of  the  week  ended  October  14 
relate  to  Big  Jim  and  Tom  Reed  mines.  The  Tom  Reed  has 
developed  ore  in  its  Pasadena  claim  a  little  over  a  mile  north- 
west of  its  main  workings,  and  ore  has  been  encountered  at 
400  ft.  depth  in  its  Bald  Eagle  claim,  which  extends  the  known 
length  of  the  Aztec-Black  Eagle  vein  more  than  2000  ft.  It  is 
estimated  by  Oatman  mining  men  that  the  Aztec-Black  Eagle 
vein  promises  to  develop  into  a  greater  mine  than  the  original 
workings  of  the  Tom  Reed  in  its  Ben>  Harrison  claim. 

It  is  semi-officially  announced  by  the  Big  Jim  company  that 
the  raise  from  the  extreme  end  of  the  east  drift  on  the  400- 
ft.  level  has  resulted  in  highly  important  developments.  The 
raise  was  carried  to  a  point  160  ft.  above  the  400-ft.  level,  and 
at  this  point  broke  into  extensive  lateral  work  done  on  the 
vein  by  the  Tom  Reed  company,  which  had  been  doing  ex- 
ploratory work  with  reference  to  its  Grey  Eagle  claim,  adjoin- 
ing the  Big  Jim  on  the  south.  On  this  level,  which  corresponds 
to  the  240-ft.  point  in  the  Big  Jim  shaft,  a  drift  had  been  put 
in  on  the  vein  for  240  ft.,  and  a  raise  in  the  vein  for  70  ft 
This  work  was  done  recently  by  the  Tom  Reed  company, 
which,  some  time  ago,  did  extensive  searching  in  and  ad- 
jacent to  its  Grey  Eagle  claim,  adjoining  the  Big  Jim  on  the 


south.  The  Grey  Eagle  shaft  was  put  down  about  300  ft.  ver- 
tically. At  about  200  ft.  a  cross-cut  was  driven  to  the  north, 
not  only  to  the  Grey  Eagle-Big  Jim  side-lines,  but  into  Big 
Jim  ground  some  40  to  50  ft.,  and  into  the  Big  Jim  vein.  At 
this  point  the  upward  extension  of  the  Big  Jim  vein  was  in- 
clining somewhat  sharply  to  the  south,  or  towards  the  Tom 
Reed  ground.  It  certainly  looked  as  though  the  Big  Jim  vein 
passed  through  the  side-line  and  apexed  on  Tom  Reed  ground. 
Along  the  line  between  the  two  properties  is  a  strong  intrusive 
dike  that  at  places  outcrops  boldly  at  the  surface.  The  raise 
put  up  by  the  Tom  Reed  showed  that  when  the  Big  Jim  vein 
reached  the  vicinity  of  this  strong  dike,  it  folded  and  bent 
back  toward  the  north,  and  at  the  point  where  the  vein  came 
closest  to  the  Tom  Reed  ground,  it  is  some  30  to  50  ft.  within 
the  Big  Jim  side-lines.  From  this  point,  going  toward  the 
surface,  the  angle  of  the  vein  is  toward  the  north,  thus  in- 
dicating that  its  apex  is  some  considerable  distance  within 
Big  Jim  ground.  It  is  significant  that  the  lower  part  of  the 
Grey  Eagle  shaft  below  this  level  was  filled  with  refuse  matter 
from  operations  on  that  level.  A  considerable  tonnage  of  Big 
Jim  ore  is  on  the  Grey  Eagle  dump,  and  the  Grey  Eagle  work 
and  shaft  now  afford  a  second  outlet  and  an  air  passage  for 
the  Big  Jim  workings.  Had  the  Tom  Reed  not  done  this 
work,  it  would  have  been  necessary  for  the  Big  Jim  to  make  a 
second  outlet  at  its  own  expense.  The  second  outlet  and 
driving  operations  on  the  vein  done  by  the  Tom  Reed  company 
for  them  saved  the  Big  Jim  company  approximately  $25,000 
to  $30,000.  It  is  notable  that  the  240  ft.  of  driving  on  this 
vein  by  the  Tom  Reed  company  extends  a  known  lateral  length 
on  this  vein  240  ft.  beyond  the  extreme  western  point  at  which 
development  in  the  vein  had  been  done  by  the  Big  Jim  com- 
pany. The  Big  Jim  is  now  doing  work  in  this  drift,  and 
superintendent  Keating  states  that  it  shows  a  large  body  of 
ore  which  he  anticipates  will  average  in  value  as  well  as,  or 
better  than,  the  ore  on  the  400-ft.  level.  With  this  new  de- 
velopment, the  Big  Jim  ore-shoot  has  been  opened  on  various 
levels  from  the  extreme  eastern  point  to  the  extreme  western 
point,  a  distance  of  700  ft.,  and  shows  an  orebody  of  a  known 
height  of  245  ft.,  and  which  seems  to  average  well  above  25  ft. 
in  width.  It  is  stated  that  the  last  45  ft.  of  new  openings  in 
the  west  drift  on  the  485-ft.  level  average  in  excess  of  $40  per 
ton.  These  developments  are  highly  significant  and  still  fur- 
ther bear  out  the  opinion  of  mining  engineers  who  have  ex- 
pressed the  belief  that  Big  Jim  is  developing  into  a  mine 
which,  foot  for  foot,  of  development  closely  parallels  the  Tom 
Reed  and  United  Eastern. 

Important  developments  are  expected  during  the  next  few 
days  on  the  Iowa,  Picture  Rock,  and  Nellie  properties.  All  of 
these  companies  are  just  breaking  into  their  main  vein  sys- 
tems, and  indications  are  highly  favorable.  It  now  appears  as 
though  Oatman  is  due  for  important  developments  in  a  num- 
ber of  properties  at  approximately  the  same  time. 

CALIFORNIA 

Bishop.  The  Tungsten  Mines  Co.  shipped  concentrate  worth 
$20,000  last  week.  The  mill  is  working  full  time. Opera- 
tions at  the  Standard  tungsten  mine  are  progressing  steadily. 

Grass  Valley.  The  North  Star  company  has  distributed 
No.  3  dividend  for  the  current  year,  amounting  to  $50,000. 
The  total  is  $4,937,000.  Good  progress  is  being  made  with 
plant  alterations. 

Natoma.  No.  7  dredge  of  the  Natomas  company  has  been 
righted  and  is  again  at  work.  Some  time  ago  the  boat  cap- 
sized; to  put  it  in  commission  cost  $150,000.  Re-dredging 
tailing  at  Oroville  is  reported  to  be  most  satisfactory. 

Redding.  A  250-hp.  Diesel  engine  is  expected  any  day  at 
the  Midas  gold  mine  in  Harrison  Gulch.  The  mine  is  then 
to  be  unwatered  to  the  1300-ft.  level,  where  a  fire  occurred  in 
1913.  J.  H.  Sharpe  is  president  of  the  Victor  Mining  &  Power 
Co.,  the  owner. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Confidence  mine,  for  many 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


647 


years  one  of  the  most  consistent  producers  of  Tuolumne 
county,  Is  to  be  re-opened  by  the  Confidence  Gold  Mines  Cor- 
poration, which  filed  articles  of  incorporation  here  this  week. 
A  decade  has  passed  since  the  suspension  of  operations,  pre- 
vious to  which  the  mine  regularly  employed  40  men.  Its 
total  yield  is  upwards  of  $5,000,000.  In  addition  to  an  850-ft. 
incline  shaft,  from  which  drifts  of  varying  lengths  were  driven, 
there  is  a  winze  from  the  bottom  level  that  is  250  ft.  deep. 
The  capital  of  the  new  concern  consists  of  1000  preferred  and 
5000  common  shares  of  the  value  of  $100  each.  The  officers 
and  directors  are  W.  A.  Stratta  and  E.  S.  Bolen,  of  Richmond, 
Va.,  and  Warren  B.  Hunting,  of  New  York. 

After  several  weeks  of  continuous  pumping  the  Columbus 
mine,  near  Tuolumne,  has  been  unwatered,  and  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible  development  will  be  resumed.  The  Columbus 
is  one  of  the  oldest  properties  on  the  east  mining  belt,  and  in 
its  early  period  of  activity  yielded  considerable  gold.  The 
company  which  now  has  the  property  is  reputed  to  be  strong 
financially.  It  is  the  general  belief  that  extensive  exploration 
work  will  follow. 

A  body  of  rich  ore,  3  to  4  ft.  wide,  has  been  uncovered  in 
the  Gem  mine,  operated  for  the  past  four  years  by  J.  F. 
Wulzen.  The  strike  was  made  in  a  winze  sunk  near  the  face 
of  an  adit  driven  many  years  ago,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  most  important  made  on  the  east  belt  for  a  long  time. 
Much  of  the  quartz  is  speckled  with  gold. 

The  Buckeye  mine  has  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  New  York 
company  and  will  shortly  be  re-opened  and  operated.  Half 
the  wages  that  were  due  miners  when  the  property  closed  some 
time  ago  were  paid  recently,  and  the  remainder  is  promised 
within  60  days. 

Rich  ore  has  been  uncovered  in  the  Bacigalupi  claim,  north- 
east of  Tuolumne.  The  operators,  encouraged  by  the  find, 
have  announced  their  intention  to  develop  the  property  to  a 
much  greater  depth. 

A  few  mines  which  suspended  operations  recently  on  ac- 
count of  a  scarcity  of  water,  have  been  able  to  resume  work  as 
a  result  of  the  copious  rains  of  the  past  several  days. 

Sonora,  October  12. 

COLORADO 

Geoegetown.  Lessees  at  the  Capital  mine  are  to  ship  to 
the  mill  or  smelter  to  try  the  gold  ore  from  the  rich  shoot  in 
No.  15  rise.  A  trial  run  at  the  mill  resulted  in  the  tailing 
containing  200  oz.  per  ton.  All  the  other  lessees  are  busy, 
getting  encouraging  returns. 

Dumps  at  the  Ocean  Wave  and  Equator  have  been  measured, 
and  contain  360,000  tons  of  $7  to  $10  ore.  There  are  42  men 
employed  at  the  mine. 

IDAHO 

Hailey.  There  is  more  activity  in  the  Wood  River  district 
than  for  many  years,  the  entrance  into  the  field  of  extensive 
Eastern  capital  having  given  mining  a  much-needed  impetus. 
The  $40,000  option  on  the  Smoky  Bullion  group  of  gold-silver- 
lead  claims,  35  miles  west  of  Hailey,  held  by  the  United  Mines 
Co.  of  Spokane,  is  to  be  exercised  soon,  according  to  E.  A. 
Worswick  of  Lovelock,  Nevada,  owner  of  the  properties. 

Nine-Mile.  The  Interstate-Callahan  company  is  mining  up 
to  15,000  tons  of  ore  monthly,  yielding  6500  tons  of  zinc  and 
lead  concentrates.  The  Minerals  Separation  company  is  to 
install  additional  flotation  apparatus  to  cost  $50,000.  Im- 
pounded tailing  is  to  be  treated.  This  will  make  800  tons 
more  concentrate.  There  are  400  men  employed,  receiving 
$85,000  per  month.  No  plans  have  been  prepared  for  the  much- 
discussed  mill  at  Enaville.  The  next  quarterly  dividend  is 
expected  to  be  at  the  rate  of  $1.50  per  share. 

Wallace.  According  to  H.  C.  McAllister,  there  are  perhaps 
100  properties  in  the  Coeur  dAlene  region,  of  which  the  public 
hears  little,  that  are  in  the  same  stage  of  development  today 
as  some  of  the  great  producers  were  10  to  20  years  ago.    The 


exposures  in  a  large  number  encourage  belief  that  not  a  few 
will  ultimately  take  the  place  of  large  present  producers. 


MAP    OF    IDAHO. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.    Copper  production  of  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  and 
its  subsidiaries  during  September  was  as  follows,  in  pounds: 
Mines  September  9  months 

Ahmeek    2,309,955  17,685,686 

Allouez     896,184  7,649,473 

Calumet  &  Hecla 6,257,447  57,191,355 

Centennial    160,800  1,828,245 

Isle  Royale  1,010,723  9,226,225 

La   Salle    119,269  954,489 

Osceola    1,700,522  14,935,700 

Superior 220,582  2,354,530 

Tamarack    512,666  4,949,184 

White    Pine    385,577  3,280,142 

The  Hancock  company  is  gradually  getting  straightened 
financially.  During  October  there  will  be  over  24,000  tons  of 
ore  treated  at  two  mills.  The  mine  is  opening  well,  and  400 
men  are  employed. 

At  the  White  Pine  Extension  development  consists  of  driv- 
ing north  and  south  at  200  ft.,  where  the  average  copper-con- 
tent is  30  lb.  per  ton. 

Another  exploration  company  is  to  start  in  Ontonagon 
county  at  the  Waukulla  property,  in  charge  of  H.  Hillegass. 

Allouez  is  producing  at  the  rate  of  12,000,000  lb.  per  year. 

MISSOURI 
Joplin.     The  zinc-ore  market  was  stronger  last  week,  the 
range  of  prices  being  from  $62.50  to  $70  per  ton  for  60%  metal- 


648 


MINING   and  Scientific  PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


content.  Lead  ore  was  strong,  and  calamine  steady.  The 
Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region  produced  6478  tons  of 
blende,  720  tons  of  calamine,  and  884  tons  of  lead,  averaging 
$64,  $39,  and  $80  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value  was 
$516,654,  and  for  41  weeks  $26,276,951. 

The  Norfolk  Zinc  Corporation,  a  new  company  headed  by 
J.  M.  Short,  is  to  erect  a  400-ton  mill  costing  $40,000,  north 
of  the  well-known  A.  W.  C.  mine.  Thirty  drill-holes  averaged 
3%  blende  at  a  depth  of  175  feet. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  For  its  issue  of  October  15  The  Butte  Miner  pub- 
lishes 112  pages,  most  of  which  are  styled  as  the  'Greater 
Montana  Edition.'  Interesting  reading  covers  mining,  power, 
and  other  industries.  Photographs  show  leading  men  of  the 
past  and  present,  mines,  and  plants.  A  panorama  illustrates 
the  eastern  section,  now  attracting  attention.  The  smaller 
properties  of  the  district  are  discussed  briefly.  Buildings  and 
homes  are  shown.  Transportation  systems  are  described. 
Historical  incidents  of  the  State,  as  far  back  as  July  4,  1865, 
at  Virginia  City,  are  told.  The  Governor  describes  Montana 
as  an  "empire  of  opportunity."  Lumber  and  farming  is  not 
omitted  from  this  readable  issue. 

September  at  the  Butte  &  Superior  was  a  normal  month, 
all  shafts  and  machinery  being  in  good  order.  The  mill 
treated  50,150  tons  of  ore  assaying  15.56%  zinc.  The  13,650 
tons  of  concentrate  contained  53.1%  metal.  The  recovery  was 
93.46%. 

The  north  vein  in  the  North  Butte  promises  to  be  of  im- 
portance, as  two  cross-cuts  have  opened  ore  assaying  10% 
copper  and  30  oz.  silver  per  ton. 

Additions  to  the  Butte-Detroit  mill  are  complete.  A  flota- 
tion plant  similar  to  that  at  the  Butte  &  Superior  has  been 
ordered. 

The  Timber  Butte  mill  of  the  Elm  Orlu  Mining  Co.  is  to  be 
enlarged  by  1000  tons  daily,  making  a  future  capacity  of 
2500  tons. 

At  a  depth  of  1600  ft.  in  the  Butte  &  London  property  the 
first  10  ft.  of  the  new  lode  assays  10  oz.  silver  and  1%  copper. 
A  heavy  flow  of  water  has  delayed  cross-cutting.  It  is  thought 
that  the  shoot  is  an  extension  of  the  Colusa  vein  of  the  Ana- 
conda. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Contracts  have  been  let  by  the 
Three  Forks  Portland  Cement  Co.  for  the  erection  of  a  24-room 
hotel,  store,  offices,  and  other  buildings  at  their  new  town  of 
Hanover,  7  miles  from  Lewistown.  The  company  town  will 
have  its  own  water-works,  sewer  system,  lights,  etc.,  and  is 
expected  to  soon  have  a  population  of  300,  as  about  100  men 
will  be  employed  at  the  plant.  The  new  cement  plant  will 
cost  $600,000  and  will  have  a  capacity  of  1200  bbl.  daily.  The 
works  will  be  known  as  plant  B  of  the  Three  Forks  Portland 
Cement  Co.,  plant  A  being  at  Trident.  Plans  for  the  machin- 
ery and  plant  are  being  completed  at  the  general  offices.  The 
limestone  for  the  cement  will  come  from  the  South  Moccasin 
mountains  by  a  14,000-ft.  tram  that  is  estimated  to  cost  $100,- 
000.  It  is  expected  that  the  new  plant  will  be  in  operation 
some  time  next  year.  The  gypsum  mill  near  Lewistown,  also 
owned  by  the  Three  Forks  company,  is  shipping  100  tons 
daily  of  exceptionally  good  product. 

The  United  States  Gypsum  Co.  announces  that  it  will 
build  a  gypsum  mill,  as  soon  as  possible,  10  miles  east  of 
Lewistown  near  Heath,  a  station  on  a  branch  of  the  C.  M.  &  S. 
P.  A  spur-track  will  be  built  at  once.  About  25  men  are 
employed  in  opening  a  mine  on  a  lease  of  300  acres  there. 
The  gypsum  is  of  high  grade,  and  occurs  in  a  bed  14  ft. 
thick,  of  which  8  ft.  is  easily  workable.  The  amount  of 
gypsum  in  reserve  is  estimated  at  7,000,000  tons. 

Mining  is  quieter  in  the  North  Moccasins  than  six  months 
ago.  The  orebody  in  the  Barnes-King  property  has  proved  to 
be  narrow  and  of  lower  grade  in  depth.  The  ore  from  the 
upper  levels,  however,  has  continued  of  the  usual  grade.    The 


Fergus  County  mines  have  in  past  years  been  rather  free  of 
fatal  accidents,  but  six  fatalities  have  occurred  this  summer 
at  the  Kendall  mines  at  various  times  from  falls  of  rock. 
Two  were  killed  at  different  times  in  the  open-cut  of  the 
Kendall  mine;  the  others  in  the  Barnes-King.  The  North 
Moccasin,  Piegan-Gloster,  and  Shannon  mines  of  the  company 
in  September  produced  a  total  of  $60,600  from  6749  tons  of 
gold  ore.    This  is  nearly  double  that  of. August. 

Sutter  brothers  and  Noble  have  shipped  a  second  car  of  5 
tons  of  copper  ore  to  the  smelter  at  Anaconda,  from  their 
claims  on  Armell's  creek  in  the  Judith  mountains.  The  ore 
will  average  nearly  15%  copper.  The  shaft  from  which  most 
of  the  copper  has  been  taken  so  far  is  about  30  ft.  deep,  and 
still  in  ore.  The  ore-shoot  appears  to  be  of  the  contact 
rnetamorphic  type,  and  is  12  ft.  wide.  An  old  prospect  tunnel 
below  the  shaft,  said  to  be  200  ft.  long,  is  being  cleaned-out 
and  will  be  extended  in  an  attempt  to  cut  the  shoot  in  depth. 
If  this  proves  successful  it  would  prove  the  existence  of  sev- 
eral thousand  tons  of  ore,  and  permit  the  mining  of  it  more 
economically.  A  few  tons  of  lead  ore  was  mined  and  concen- 
trated by  hand  from  these  claims  30  years  ago.  Recently 
both  zinc  and  manganese  ore  has  been  found. 

Lewistown,  October  10. 

Supeeiob.  Monthly  profit  of  the  Intermountain  Mining  Co. 
is  now  $17,000.  Crude  copper  ore  and  concentrate  are  shipped. 
Mine  developments  are  good,  and  dividends  are  now  regular. 

NEVADA 

Goldfield.  Two  encouraging  developments  are  reported 
from  the  Jumbo  Extension  mine,  one  at  a  depth  of  770  ft.,  the 
other  at  1017  ft.,  the  deepest  level. 

Mina.  The  Drew  &  Farnham  quicksilver  mine,  14  miles 
east  of  this  place,  has  been  bonded  to  F.  M.  Manson  of  the 
Utah  Ore  Sampling  Co.,  and  others.  A  wide  vein  of  high- 
grade  cinnabar  is  said  to  be  opened.  A  small  furnace  is 
treating  about  one  ton  daily,  yielding  two  flasks  of  mercury. 

The  Silver  Dyke  tungsten  mines  in  Mineral  county  will  be 
.closed  down  on  November  15  owing  to  the  impossibility  of 
producing  at  a  profit  under  present  market  conditions. 

Tonopah.  Two  transactions  were  recorded  last  week:  (1) 
the  Belmont  acquired  control  of  the  Panama-Pacific  ground 
on  the  east,  and  (2)  the  Extension  bought  the  Sully  property 
on  its  north  boundary. 

Yeeington.  At  the  Walker  River  Copper  Co.'s  Empire  Ne- 
vada property  a  20-ton  leaching  plant  is  soon  to  be  erected. 
G.  H.  Cogswell  is  supervising  construction. 

UTAH 

Milfobd.  As  a  considerable  quantity  of  low-grade  lead- 
silver  ore  has  been  opened  in  the  Antelope  Star  mine,  20  miles 
north-east  of  this  place  in  Beaver  county,  a  mill  is  proposed 
for  next  spring.  High-grade  shipping  ore  is  being  mined  for 
the  smelter. 

From  the  Creole  mine  in  the  Lincoln  district,  where  work 
was  started  with  $200  cash  outlay,  lessees  have  shipped  4100 
tons  of  ore  yielding  $41,304.  The  company  now  has  charge, 
with  J.  M.  Reynolds  as  manager. 

Tintic.  The  eastern  belt  is  more  active  than  ever  before, 
employing  more  men,  and  shipping  lead-silver  ore. 

WASHINGTON 

(Special  Correspondence). — The  largest  quantity  of  ore  ever 
shipped  out  of  this  district  in  a  week  was  dispatched  last  week, 
the  total  from  four  properties  being  1350  tons.  The  Lone  Pine 
sent  700;  Knob  Hill,  300;  Hope,  100;  and  Rathfon  Reduction 
Works,  250  tons.  The  Last  Chance  mine,  owned  by  the  Lone 
Pine  Surprise  company,  is  to  be  opened  by  a  500-ft.  shaft, 
already  started.  An  I.-R.  compressor,  S5-hp.  boiler,  and  35-hp. 
Vulcan  hoist  are  being  installed. 

Republic,  October  14. 


October  28.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


649 


CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Trail,     A  year  ago  there  were  900  employed  at  the  Consoli- 
dated M.  &  S.  Co.'s  smelter;  today  there  are  1600,  according  to 
H.  Wright  of  Nelson  and  Trail.     Ore  sent  from  both  sides  of 
the  international  boundary  are  increasing  all  the  time. 
Ontario 

Cobalt.  During  September  the  Nipissing  produced  silver 
worth  $236. S73  from  175  tons  of  high  and  6602  tons  of  low- 
grade  ores.  The  two  mills  yielded  $132,753  and  $104,120,  re- 
spectively. The  refinery  shipped  566,703  oz.  of  bullion,  some 
of  it  from  custom  ore.  Development  was  generally  satisfac- 
tory. 

In  the  quarter  ended  September  30  the  Teniiskaming  Mining 
Co.  did- 1054  ft.  of  development.  The  main  shaft  has  reached 
a  depth  of  1325  ft.  There  is  approximately  300  ft.  farther  to 
sink  before  the  lower  contact  between  the  diabase  and  kee- 
watin  formations  is  encountered,  when  lateral  development 
will  be  commenced.  On  the  upper  levels  of  the  property  work 
is  progressing  favorably.  In  storage,  at  smelters,  and  at  the 
mine  there  is  a  total  of  707,287  oz.  of  silver.  Cash  amounts 
to  $25,074.    On  November  22  there  will  be  $75,000  distributed. 

Most  people  consider  veins  at  Cobalt  in  inches,  but  in  the 
Kerr  Lake  mine  one  vein  is  20  ft.,  another  30  ft.,  while  where 
No.  10,  15,  and  8  veins  junction  the  width  is  100  feet. 

MEXICO 
Nuevo  Leon 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  alleged  existence  of  an 
American  zinc-trust  in  Mexico  is  to  be  investigated  by  a 
special  commission,  representing  the  de  facto  Government, 
to  he  appointed  by  Carranza,  according  to  advices  received 
here  from  Mexico  City.  It  is  stated  that  Carranza's  attention 
was  called  to  the  combination  which  is  said  to  have  been 
entered  into  between  the  American  Metals  Co..,  Compania 
Minera  y  Compradora  de  Metales  Mexicana,  S.  A.,  Empire 
Zinc  Co.,  Compania  Minera  de  Penoles,  S.  A.,  Compania  Min- 
erales  y  Metales,  and  Granby  Mining  Co.  to  control  the  price 
of  zinc  ore  in  Mexico,  as  alleged  in  the  petition  which  the 
San  Roberto  Mining  Co.  recently  filed  in  the  district  court  at 
El  Paso  for  $1,900,000  damages  against  these  companies.  The 
complaints  set  forth  that  the  defendant  companies  have  se- 
cured control  of  the  markets  in  Mexico  and  the  United  States 
for  zinc  ores  "with  unlawful  intent  to  monopolize  the  zinc 
business."  Men  who  are  close  to  Carranza  say  that  he  has 
been  waiting  an  opportunity  for  some  time  to  commence  pro- 
ceedings with  the  view  to  ridding  Mexico  of  the  mining,  smelt- 
ing, and  other  alleged  trusts  that  he  claims  are  operating 
here.  While  there  are  no  specific  laws  prohibiting  combina- 
tions of  interests  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  prices  or  restrain- 
ing trade  in  this  country,  a  way  will  be  found,  it  is  stated,  for 
meeting  the  situation.  It  is  claimed  that  not  only  the  Roberto 
Mining  Co.,  but  many  other  zinc  operators  in  Mexico,  as  well 
as  miners  of  other  metals  here,  have  been  forced  to  accept 
exceedingly  low  prices  for  their  ores  by  the  combines  that 
control  the  markets.  The  Compania  Minera  y  Compradora  de 
Metales  Mexicana,  Compania  Minera  de  Penoles,  and  Compania 
Minerales  y  Metales  each  operate  large  mines  in  Mexico.  The 
mines  of  the  Compania  Minera  de  Penoles  at  Mapima,  in  the 
State  of  Durango,  are  among  the  heaviest  producers  in  the 
country.  All  of  these  properties  have  been  kept  in  operation 
with  but  slight  interruption  all  through  the  revolutionary 
troubles. 

Monterrey,  October  13. 


IPe^cDsasiE 


Hole:    The  Editor  invites  memhtrs  of  the  profession  to  send  particular!!  of  their 
work  ami  appointment*.     This  informal  ion  is  inli n^liiin  to  our  readers. 


The  College  of  Engineering  at  the  University  of  Illinois, 
Urbana,  reports  that  the  number  of  students  registered  is 
1143,  out  of  a  total  of  5214  at  the  whole  institution. 

The  University  of  California  has  6400  students  on  the 
register. 


F.  L.  Sizek  is  in  the  Coeur  dAlene. 

Jesse  Scobie  is  on  his  way  to  Bluefields,  Nicaragua. 

George  A.  Tweedy  was  here  last  week  from  Los  Angeles. 

Pope  Yeatman  has  returned  from  Cripple  Creek  to  New 
York. 

E.  L.  Newhouse  visited  the  Butte-Duluth  property  at  Butte 
recently. 

Edward  L.  Dufourcq  has  moved  his  office  in  New  York  to 
18  Broadway. 

Corey  C.  Brayton  will  be  in  Utah  and  Idaho  during  the 
next  two  weeks. 

Ralph  Nichols  has  been  in  the  Genesee  district,  in  Plumas 
county,  California. 

W.  G.  Miller  and  T.  F.  Sutherland  have  returned  to 
Toronto  from  New  Caledonia. 

Arthur  Jarman  is  sailing  from  Auckland,  New  Zealand,  on 
November  3,  proceeding  to  London. 

Forbes  Rickard  passed  through  San  Francisco  from  Love- 
lock, Nevada,  to  Arizona,  on  October  24. 

J.  D.  Helm,  formerly  at  Mexico  City,  has  been  examining 
copper  mines  in  Plumas  county,  California. 

W.  Burling  Tucker,  of  the  California  State  Mining  Bureau, 
has  moved  from  San  Francisco  to  Los  Angeles. 

C.  H.  Macnutt  has  obtained  a  commission  with  the  Royal 
Canadian  Engineers  and  expects  to  go  overseas  shortly. 

A.  P.  Allen  has  resigned  from  the  service  of  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla,  and  is  now  with  the  Highland  Mining  Co.  at  Ashcroft, 
B.  C. 

E.  H.  Hamilton  has  been  appointed  metallurgical  manager 
for  the  Trail  smelter  of  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting 
Co.  of  Canada. 

Robert  McGarraugh,  formerly  mine  superintendent  of  the 
Aguacate  mines  in  Costa  Rica,  has  been  promoted  to  general 
superintendent. 

Perstfor  G.  Spilsbury,  general  manager  of  the  Aguacate 
mines  in  Costa  Rica,  has  moved  to  New  York,  with  offices  at 
55  Liberty  street. 

J.  L.  McAllen  has  resigned  as  superintendent  of  the  Gold 
Bullion  mine  at  Knik,  Alaska,  and  will  engage  in  private 
practice  at  Portland,  Oregon. 

Charles  W.  Newton,  manager  for  the  Consolidated  Inter- 
state-Callahan  Mining  Co.  at  Wallace,  Idaho,  was  in  southern 
Idaho  during  the  past  week. 

W.  Frank  Grace,  manager  of  the  Waihi  Grand  Junction 
mine,  New  Zealand,  has  been  seriously  ill.  He  has  gone  to 
Sydney,  Australia,  to  recuperate. 

F.  W.  Sperr,  professor  of  mining  in  the  Michigan  School  of 
Mines  at  Houghton,  is  at  Detroit  attending  the  fifth  annual 
meeting  of  the  National  Safety  Council. 

Will  L.  Clark  has  resigned  as  manager  of  the  United  Verde 
Copper  Co.  at  Jerome,  Arizona.  Robert  E.  Tally,  for  eight 
years  superintendent  of  mines  for  the  company,  is  Mr.  Clark's 
successor  with  the  title  of  assistant-general  manager. 

W.  C.  Madge  arrived  at  Spokane  on  October  17  from  the 
Ridder  mining  concession,  Siberia.  He  will  be  in  America 
for  about  a  month,  after  which  he  returns  to  London  to  the 
headquarters  of  the  company,  the  Irtysh  Corporation,  Limited. 

F.  N.  Flynn,  for  the  past  seven  years  connected  with  the 
Arizona  Copper  Co.  at  Clifton,  on  October  31  resigned  his 
position  as  superintendent  of  the  smelting  department.  Roger 
H.  Hatchett,  who  has  been  Mr.  Flynn's  assistant  for  six 
years  past,  has  been  appointed  acting  superintendent  of  the 
department.  Mr.  Flynn  sails  early  in  November  from  New 
York  to  Chuquicamata,  Chile,  where  he  will  enter  the  employ 
of  the  Chile  Exploration  Company. 


650 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


October  28,  1916 


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METAL    PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  24. 

Antimony,    cents   per   pound 14.00 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents   per  pound 29.25 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce $90 — 94 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb $80 

Spelter,   cents  per  pound 12 

Tin,  cents  per  pound 42 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    20 

ore:  prices 

San  Francisco,  October  24. 

Antimony:  50%  metal,  per  unit $1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 13. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesite:   crude,  per  ton    8.00 

Manganese:  50%   (under  35%  metal  not  desired)  ...  .14.00  and  up 

Tungsten:   60%  WOj,  per  unit 17.00 — 20.00 

New  York,  October  18. 

Antimony:  Quotations  are  unchanged  at  $1.10  to  $1.25  per 
unit,  but  nothing  is  stirring  in  the  absence  of  arrivals. 

Molybdenite:  The  supply  of  ore  is  small  and  uncertain.  The 
quotation  is  unchanged  at  $1.50  to  $1.75  per  lb.  for  molybdenum 
sulphide. 

Tungsten:  The  market  continues  active,  with  Europe  the 
principal  buyer.  All  told,  several  hundred  tons  have  changed 
hands.  High-class  material  is  quoted  at  $17  per  unit,  but  in- 
ferior ore  has  been  sold  at  $14.50  to  $15.  The  market  for  ferro- 
tungsten  is  active,  export  inquiries  in  particular  being  numer- 
ous.    It  is  quoted  at  $2.70  per  lb.  of  contained  tungsten. 


EASTERN    METAL,    MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
October  24. — Near-by  copper  is  scarce,  and  futures  are  fairly 
active:  lead  is  quiet,  though  strong;  for  spelter  galvanizers  are 
active,  but  sellers  are  reserved. 


SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 


per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 

Oct.  IS 67.75 

■'  19 67.75 

"  20 67.87 

"  21 67.87 

"  22   Sunday 

"  23 67.62 

"  24 67.37 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.  12 68.10 

"      19 68.31 

"      26 68.95 

Oct.       3 69.12 

"      10 67.83 

"      17 67.95 

"      24 67.70 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June   56.43 


1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug.    54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 


"While  the  past  week's  prices  show  a  backwardation,  the  tone 
is  good.  Samuel  Montagu  &  Co.  "writes  from  London  that  it  is 
a  singular  fact  since  the  middle  of  July,  when  silver  may  be 
said  to  have  recovered  from  the  shock  that  it  received  last 
May,  when  it  was  announced  that  tbe  Allies  had  wisely  de- 
cided not  to  make  their  purchases  any  longer  in  competition 
with  each  other,  the  price  has  never  receded  from  a  new  high 
figure  when  that  has  once  been  established. 

On  the  21st  silver  worth  $133,693  was  sent  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  Calcutta.  Stocks  at  Shanghai  are  under  25,000,000  oz. 
in  bars,  a  reduction  of  over  5,000,000  oz.  Most  of  this  went  to 
India. 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Oct.  IS 28.50 

"  19 28.50 

"  20 28.50 

'•  21 28.25 

"  22  Sunday 

"  23 28.25 

"  24 28.25 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.  12 28.06 

"      19 28.29 

"      26 28.41 

Oct.       3 28.56 

"      10 28.60 

"      17 28.50 

"      24 28.37 


Monthly  averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

...14.21 

13.60 

24.30 

July    . . . 

..13.26 

19.09 

25.66 

Feb.    . 

...14.46 

14.38 

26.62 

Aug.    .  .  . 

..12.34 

17.27 

27.03 

Mch.    . . 

...14.11 

14.80 

26.65 

Sept.  .  .  . 

.12.02 

17.69 

28.28 

.  ..14.19 

16.64 

28.02 

Oct.     . . . 

..11.10 

17.90 

...13.97 

18.71 

29.02 

..11.75 

18.88 

...13.60 

19.75 

27.47 

Dec.    . . . 

..12.75 

20.67 

Refinery  production  of  the  country  during  September  totaled 
160,000,000  lb.  This  is  a  slight  recovery,  but  30,000,000  lb.  below 
the  May  yield.  It  is  estimated  that  the  year  will  produce 
2,100,000,000  lb.,  an  increase  of  28%. 

Kennecott  in  September  produced  8,000,000  lb.,  a  decrease  of 
2,200,000  lb.;  Old  Dominion,  3,011,000  lb.;  Granby,  3,440,035 
pounds. 

Apart  from  the  claim  by  Russia  of  $1,140,000  against  the 
Tennessee  Copper  Co.,  and  other  claims  in  dispute,  the  company 
owes  banks  and  others  $1,500,000.  Since  January  1,  1915,  over 
$2,500,000  has  been  spent  on  new  plant.  A  new  stock  issue  is 
being  made  to  pay  off  this  debt. 


Lead  i 

Date. 
Oct.     18 

s  quoted 

Sunday 

1914. 
4.11 
4.02 
3.94 
3.86 
3.90 
..    3.90 

LEAD 

in  cents  per  pound,  New  * 

Aver 

7.00       Sept.  12. 

7.00            "      19. 

7.00            "      26. 

7.00        Oct.       3. 

"      10 

7.00            "      17. 

7.00            "      24. 

Monthly  averages 

1915.        1916. 
3.73          5.95        July 
3.83          6.23       Aug. 
4.04          7.26        Sept 
4.21          7.70       Oct. 
4.24          7.38    |    Nov. 
5.75          6.88    I    Dec.     .  .  . 

fork  delivery? 

age  week  ending 
fi  73 

"      19 

.    6.80 

"      20 

.    7.00 

"      21. 

.    7.08 

"      22 
"      23 
"      24 

Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr.    .  . . 
May 

1914.        1915. 
3.80          5.59 
3.86          4.67 
3.82          4.62 
3.60          4.62 
3.68          5.15 
.    3.80          5.34 

7.05 
7.00 
7.00 

1916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  "Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 
Oct.     18. 


9.62 
9.55 
9.67 
9.67 


19 
20 

21 ,...    9.67       Oct. 

22  Sunday 

23 10.00 

24 10.17 

Monthly  averages 
1915.        1916, 


Average  week  ending 
Sept.  12 


8.S7 
9.46 
9.35 
9.31 
9.98 
9.81 
9.78 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June    4.84 


1914. 
.  5.14 
.  5.22 
.  5.12 
.  4.98 
4.91 


6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


1914. 
4.75 


July 

Aug 4.75 

Sept 5.16 

Oct 4.75 

Nov 5.01 

Dec 5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.18 


QUICKSILVER 


The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco.  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

"Week  ending 

Date.  |    Oct.     10 78.00 

Sept.  26 73.00  "      17 78.00 

Oct.       3 75.00    |        "      24 80.00 

Monthly  averages 
1915.       1916. 
51.90     222.00 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb.    39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


295.00 

219.00 

141.60 

90.00 

74.70 


1914. 

July    37.60 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June   30.72 


1915. 
34.40 
37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39.28 
40.26 


1916. 
41.76 
42.60 
50.50 
51.49 
49.10 
42.07 


1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 


Tin  is  firm  at  41  cents. 


October  28,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


651 


lEJasftam    Ma3ali   Maata 


New  York,  October  IS. 

Quiet  has  been  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  market,  a 
condition  that  some  members  of  the  trade  attribute  to  the 
recent  raids  by  a  German  submarine  off  the  New  England 
coast,  but  which  probably  is  quite  as  much  due  to  the  fact 
that  heavy  buying  cannot  go  on  forever.  Consumers  are  cov- 
ered, some  of  them  well  into  next  year,  therefore  they  stop 
buying. 

Copper  continues  dull,  though  strong,     i 

Zinc  has  declined  a  few  points,  but  producers  are  satisfied 
with  the  manner  in  which  it  has  resisted  any  radical  decline. 

Lead  is  quiet  and  steady,  with  all  interests  quoting  near  the 
same  level. 

Tin  is  easier  because  of  selling  by  small  holders  who  thought 
it  best  to  take  their  profits. 

Antimony  has  been  more  active  on  Canadian  account,  and 
its  quotation  is  higher. 

Aluminum  is  easier  following  a  cessation  of  export  buying. 

The  steel  mills  continue  overwhelmed  with  the  demand  for 
ship  plates,  many  thousand  tons  of  which  are  wanted  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  For  these  plates,  4  to  4.50c,  Pittsburg,  is  asked, 
whereas  ordinary  tank-steel  can  be  had  at  3.50  to  4c,  Pitts- 
burg. Marine-boiler  steel  is  quoted  up  to  8  and  10c  per  lb., 
Pittsburg.  Structural  shapes  are  quoted  at  2.85c,  Pittsburg, 
but  3.50  is  asked  for  ship  shapes.  Steel  bars  are  around  2.70 
to  2.75c,  Pittsburg.  How  the  high  cost  of  structural  shapes 
and  other  building  materials  is  halting  new  construction  is 
evidenced  by  the  September  report  of  the  Bridge  Builders  and 
Structural  Society  (made  up  of  independent  fabricators), 
which  shows  that  the  business  taken  by  its  members  in  that 
month  amounted  to  only  52J%  of  capacity,  against  64%  of  ca- 
pacity in  August.  Despite  this  interesting  statement,  there  is 
ample  opportunity  to  dispose  of  every  pound  of  steel  the  coun- 
try can  produce.  An  unprecedented  quantity  never  gets  to 
the  finished  stage.  Pig  Iron  continues  to  gather  strength,  not 
only  because  of  demand  but  because  of  increased  cost  of  pro- 
duction. Coke  is  scarce  and  high  because  of  insufficient  cost 
of  production.  Coke  is  scarce  and  high  because  of  insufficient 
labor  in  the  coke-making  districts  and  a  shortage  of  freight- 
cars  wherewith  to  transport  the  product.  As  a  result,  blast- 
furnace managers  have  been  compelled  to  enter  the  open  mar- 
ket for  spot  coke  and  some  have  paid  $5  per  net  ton  at  oven. 

Makers  of  machine-tools  continue  to  advance  prices,  although 
the  full  tide  of  war  business  has  passed,  and  their  dealings  are 
now  principally  with  domestic  industrial  buyers.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  point  to  any  commodity  that  is  not  higher  in  price. 

COPPER 

Prices  are  steady,  but  the  market  is  dull,  and  features  of 
interest  are  wanting.  Large  consumers  have  covered  their 
requirements  for  the  remainder  of  the  year,  and  many  have 
done  so  for  the  first  quarter  of  1917.  Consumption  is  going 
forward  on  an  enormous  scale  in  brass  and  copper-rolling 
mills,  munition  plants,  and  wherever  copper  is  used.  Hot- 
rolled  sheet  copper  is  quoted  at  37.50c  per  lb.,  delivery  at 
mill's  convenience;  cold  rolled  at  38.50c  Copper  rods  are 
quoted  at  43c,  and  copper  wire  at  32.50  to  33c,  according  to 
delivery.  Brass  sheets  range  from  42  to  46c,  and  wire  and 
light  rods  from  45  to  48c  Electrolytic  copper  is  quoted  at 
28.50  to  29c  for  nearby  delivery.  November  and  December  at 
28  to  28.25c,  and  first  quarter  at  27.25  to  27.50c  Lake,  for 
near-by  delivery,  is  a  shade  under  electrolytic.  But  little 
copper  is  held  by  second  hands,  and  it  is  predicted  that  they 
will  endeavor  to  depress  the  market  in  order  to  acquire  the 
metal  advantageously.  The  producers  are  so  well  sold-up, 
however,  that  prices  are  likely  to  remain  steady  for  some  time. 


As  heretofore  said,  the  elimination  of  the  Allies  from  the 
market  for  many  months  will  have  a  steadying  influence. 
The  London  market  is  unchanged  at  £143  (for  electrolytic), 
compared  with  £142  a  week  previous.  Exports  this  month,  up 
to  and  including  October  17,  total  11,052  tons.  Stocks  in  Great 
Britain  and  France,  on  the  15th  totaled  5620  tons,  against 
5796  tons  on  September  30.  Including  the  stocks  from  Chile 
and  Australia,  the  total  European  supply,  on  October  15,  was 
10,670  tons,  against  10,371  tons  at  the  end  of  September. 

ZINC 
In  a  quiet  way  a  fair  but  not  large  business  in  spelter  has 
been  done.  Prices  are  a  little  lower,  although  they  have  re- 
sisted the  tendency  to  decline  in  a  manner  considered  satis- 
factory by  sellers.  Prices  quoted  yesterday  for  October  and 
November  were  about  9.62J  to  9.75c,  New  York,  and  9.50  to 
9.62Jc,  St.  Louis.  There  is  some  show  of  interest  on  the  part 
of  the  brass  mills,  but  they  have  yet  to  take  hold  in  a  way 
that  will  mean  business — and  higher  prices.  The  export  de- 
mand is  not  heavy.  Producers  say  consumption  is  nearly 
keeping  pace  with  production.  One  of  the  puzzling  features 
is  that  the  galvanizers  are  known  to  be  operating  far  below 
capacity,  some  estimates  placing  the  rate  of  operation  at  about 
35%.  There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  consumption  of 
spelter,  and  the  real  question  is — where  is  it  going?  Exports, 
of  course,  continue  heavy,  amounting  this  month,  to  date  to 
4645  tons.  The  London  quotation  yesterday  was  £53,  against 
£56  a  week  previous.  The  quotation  for  sheet  zinc  in  car- 
load lots,  is  unchanged  at  15c,  f.o.b.  mill,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  dull  but  steady  market  has  remained  unbroken,  and 
neither  independents  nor  the  leading  interest  have  made  any 
change  in  their  quotations.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  quotes  7c,  New 
York,  and  6.92Jc,  St.  Louis,  while  the  outsiders  ask  7c,  New 
York,  and  6.85c,  St.  Louis.  Reports  were  current  yesterday 
of  a  betterment  in  demand,  but  if  it  existed  it  could  not  be 
easily  found.  The  general  observation  is  that  consumers  are 
content  merely  to  watch  the  market,  while  producers  show 
no  anxiety  to  sell.  The  London  quotation  yesterday  was  £30 
10s.,  against  £30  15s.  a  week  previous.  Exports  to  the  17th 
totaled  2412  tons.  Government  statistics  recently  issued  show 
the  total  production  of  lead  in  the  United  States  in  1915  to 
have  been  550,055  tons,  the  largest  on  record,  comparing  with 
542,122  tons  in  1914,  and  462,460  tons  in  1913.  Last  year's 
production  consisted  of  388,594  tons  of  desilverized  and  161,461 
tons  of  soft  lead. 

TIN 

A  desire  on  the  part  of  small  holders  to  take  profits  has 
made  prompt  tin  easier.  The  easiness  was  helped  along  by 
the  arrival  of  steamers  with  considerable  stock,  one  boat,  the 
City  of  Naples,  from  Singapore,  bringing  450  tons.  On  one  or 
two  days  fair  sales  were  made,  but  for  the  most  part  the  week 
has  been  a  quiet  one.  Most  of  the  buying  involved  futures, 
and  included  Banca.  tin  for  November  shipment  from  Batavia. 
The  differential  between  Straits  and  Banca  is  not  as  wide  as 
usual.  Spot  Straits  was  quoted  yesterday  (the  17th)  at  40.75c, 
whereas  spot  Banca  could  be  had  at  40.50c.  Most  of  the  Banca 
is  firmly  held  by  London  houses,  despite  its  Dutch  origin. 
The  arrivals  this  month  total  1630  tons,  and  there  was  afloat 
yesterday  1900  tons. 

ANTIMONY 

Canadian  interests  are  reported  to  have  taken  several  hun- 
dred tons  of  Oriental  brands,  in  bond,  last  week,  with  the  re- 
sult that  considerable  strength  was  imparted  to  the  market. 
Current  quotations  range  from  13  to  13.50c,  duty  paid. 


652 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


October  28.  1916 


iMig  SD<g<gM®oa§ 


.mm 

Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 


Severance  of  Minerals — Subjacent  Support 

Where  a  land-owner  conveys  the  surface  of  land  reserving 
to  himself  the  right  to  mine  and  extract  the  coal  and  other 
minerals  underneath,  the  grantee  of  the  surface  is  entitled  to 
subjacent  support  of  his  land  and  the  owner  of  the  mineral 
rights  must  leave  enough  pillars  to  furnish  such  support. 

Stonegap   Colliery  Co.   v.  Hamilton    (West  Virginia),   89 
Southeastern,  305.    June  8,  1916. 

On.  Lease — Lessor's  Election  of  Remedies 

Under  the  terms  of  an  oil  lease  the  lessee  was  required  to 
drill  a  well  or  pay  $50  per  month  rental  in  lieu  thereof.  On 
his  failure  to  do  either  the  lessee  might  elect  to  either  for- 
feit the  lease  or  sue  for  rentals  thereunder  as  they  became  due. 
Until  a  forfeiture  was  formally  declared  or  a  release  made 
after  notification  by  the  lessee,  the  lessor  was  at  liberty  to 
pursue  his  action  for  rentals  accrued  but  not  paid. 

Clemenger   v,   Flesher    (Texas),    185    South-western,    304. 
March  18,  1916. 


On.  and  Gas  Lease — Lessor's  Remedies 

Where  an  oil  and  gas  lease  provided  that  the  lessee  there- 
under should  complete  a  well  within  six  months  from  the  date 
thereof,  or  pay  the  lessor  rental  at  the  rate  of  $20  per  month, 
the  provision  is  for  the  benefit  of  the  lessor  only,  and  he  alone 
may  elect  whether  to  cancel  and  terminate  the  lease  or  to 
stand  on  its  terms  and  sue  for  rentals  due  up  to  the  time  the 
premises  are  re-conveyed  or  until  the  term  expires.- 

McKee  v.  Grimm   (Oklahoma),  157  Pacific,  308.     May  16, 
1916. 


Petroleum  Withdrawals — Subsequent  Entry 

Petroleum  lands  that  had  been  withdrawn  from  entry  by 
order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  prior  to  an  actual 
discovery  of  oil  thereon  are  the  exclusive  property  of  the 
Government.  Oil  companies  who  entered  thereon,  and  dis- 
covered and  extracted  oil  subsequent  to  such  withdrawal 
order,  under  leases  from  persons  who  had  made  paper  loca- 
tions prior  to  the  date  of  said  order  were  held  to  be  tres- 
passers, were  perpetually  enjoined  from  further  operation, 
and  were  required  to  account  to  the  Government  for  the  value 
of  oil  already  extracted,  less  the  cost  without  profit  of  ex- 
tracting the  same. 

United  States  v.  Midway  Northern  Oil  Co.    (California), 
232  Federal,  619.    May  1,  1916. 

Extra-Lateral  Rights — Proof  of  Apex 

When  the  apex  within  a  claim  is  terminated  by  a  fault,  such 
a  termination  limits  the  boundaries  of  the  extra-lateral  plane 
unless  the  apex  recurs  on  the  other  side  of  the  fissure  and 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  claim.  Where  the  determination 
of  the  apex  issue  rested  upon  expe"rt  testimony  as  to  the 
classification  of  the  mineral  found  in  the  apex  as  quartzite 
or  limestone  and  such  determination  could  only  be  had 
through  microscopic  examination,  the  Court  will  not  substi- 
tute its  own  judgment  based  on  a  personal  examination  of  the 
ground  in  dispute  for  the  testimony  of  experts  even  though  the 
latter  be  in  conflict.  The  limestone  zone  lying  between  a 
hanging  and  a  foot-wall  of  quartzite  was  held  to  be  a  broad 
vein  or  lode  apexing  in  defendant's  claims,  and  having  a 
well-defined  continuity  to  and  including  the  orebodies  in 
dispute. 

Wall   v.  United  States  Mining  Co.    (Utah),   232   Federal, 
619.    May  1,  1916. 


.®l  liNM®  Tjaggiga-  WqIs-1 


For  the  use  of  those  who  prefer  manila  rope  to  wire  rope 
for  light  hoisting  and  hauling,  the  Ingersoll-Rand  Company 
of  New  York  has  devised  a  new  model  'Little  Tugger'  hoist 
which  is  designated  No.  11. 

The  square  piston,  reversible  driving  engine,  automatic 
lubrication,  enclosed  gearing,  drum-release  clutch,  and  worm- 


the  new  little  tugger  hoist. 

operated  hand-brake  are  essentially  the  same  as  in  the  No.  1 
model,  which  was  described  on  page  624  of  the  Press  of  Octo- 
ber 17,  1914.  The  main  differences  are  in  the  diameter  and 
length  of  the  drum,  the  width  of  the  flanges  and,  necessarily, 
the  main  frame  and  overall  dimensions.  The  new  No.  11  has 
a  hoisting  drum  7  in.  diam.  by  17  in.  long,  with  5-in.  flanges. 
This  accommodates  300  ft.  of  |-in.  manila  rope.  The  maximum 
capacity  of  this  hoist  is  conservatively  rated  at  600  lb.  The 
weight  of  the  hoist  itself  is  358  lb.  It  is  21}  in.  long.  31$  in. 
wide,  and  23  in.  high.  Like  the  No.  1,  the  No.  11  machine  is 
designed  for  operation  both  by  compressed  air  and  steam. 
The  standard  clamp  fits  a  4}  in.  diam.  column  or  pipe,  but  by 
removing  the  clamp  the  hoist  can  be  readily  bolted  directly 
to  any  convenient  support,  timber,  or  flooring. 

Although  designed  primarily  for  underground  work,  it  is 
recommended  by  the  manufacturer  for  general  hoisting,  haul- 
ing, and  handling  in  mines,  tunnels,  quarries,  and  industrial 
plants. 


P.  H.  Reardon  desires  to  announce  that  he  has  disposed  of 
his  entire  interest  in  General  Machinery  &  Supply  Co.  and 
that,  pending  the  occupancy  of  permanent  quarters,  he  has 
opened  temporary  offices  in  the  Hooker  &  Lent  Bdg.,  503  Mar- 
ket St.,  San  Francisco,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  the 
business  of  compressed  air  and  general  machinery,  special- 
izing on  prompt  and  efficient  service  for  everything  pertain- 
ing to  mine  equipment  and  supplies.  Correspondence  is  so- 
licited. On  and  after  November  15  the  firm  will  be  established 
in  its  permanent  office  at  57  First  street,  San  Francisco. 

The  General  Electric  Co.  is  now  manufacturing  a  new  type 
time-limit  overload  relay  of  single-pole  design.  It  is  said  to 
be  particularly  applicable  to  those  systems  where  extreme  ac- 
curacy in  mining  is  required  for  tripping  two  or  more  air  or 
oil  circuit-breakers  selectively. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  NOVEMBER  4,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  19 


FOR   MORE 


^1  Like  Oliver  Twist,  the  public  is  asking  for  more — more — "NATIONAL"  PIPE. 

fl  A  nation  of  users  calling  for  more  means  that  a  greater  supply  MUST  be  created.     Hence,  the  new  mill. 

fl  Certain  facts  should  be  noted  in  connection  with  this  new  plant : 

1  The  fact  that  the  demand  for '  NATIONAL"  Pipe  has  been  such  as  to  necessitate  a  new  plant  of  this  kind  is  the  consumers' 

verdict  as  to  the  quality  of  "NATIONAL"  Pipe — a  consumer  doesn't  demand  a  product  which  hasn't  proved  satisfactory  in  service. 

q  Send  for  "NATIONAL"  Bulletin  No.  1 1— History,  Characteristics  and  The  Advantages  of  "NATIONAL" 

Pipe.     It's  free,  but  you  must  ask  for  it. 

NATIONAL    TUBE     COMPANY 

General   Sales   Offices  :  I  rick   Building,    PITTSBURGH,    PA. 

District  Sales  Offices  in  the  Larger  Cities 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


Oliver 

Continuous ] 

Tiller  | 
Company 

501  Marjcet  St. 
San  Francisco,  Cal 


DE  WATERING 
CONCENTRATE 

is  just  as  important  in  small  mills  as  in  the 
largest  reduction  works. 

Superfluous  moisture  in  concentrate  means  additional 
cost  for  hauling  to  the  railroad,  additional  cost  for  freight, 
and  a  penalty  by  the  smelter. 

For  Example: 

The  Stoddard  Mill,  described  in  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  of  October  21,  by  C.  B.  Clyne, 
is  designed  for  a  capacity  of  100  tons  per  day  of 
copper  ore. 

The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter 

has  a  prominent  place  in  the  flow-sheet,  of  course. 

As  to  the  results  obtained,  read  the  following  extract  from 
the  Stoddard  Milling  Company's  letter  of  Sept.  11,  1916: 

"We  wish  to  state  that  the  wonderful  operation  of  our 
two  Oliver  filters  entitles  them  to  much  consideration, 
as  they  are  most  instrumental  in  the  success  we  are  hav- 
ing with  our  plant." 

[Signed]        Stoddard  Milling  Company. 
Stoddard,  Arizona. 

Their  success  will  be  yours.  Write  us,  and  we  will  tell  you  how. 


No  royalties  to 
pay  on  any  of 
the  work  of  an 

OLIVER 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  RICKARD         -         -         Edilor 


ESTABLISHED  I860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Mananej 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelasio  Caetani. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janln. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  November  4,  1916 


13  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL 


Page. 
. .   653 


Notes   

Labor  Trouble  in   Korea   654 

A  note  on  the  attempt  of  Japanese  contractors  to 
compel  French  and  American  mining  companies  to 
employ  contract-labor.  Recent  disturbances.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  November  4,  1916. 

State  Mining 654 

The  idea  that  the  Government  should  exploit  the  east- 
ern portion  of  the  Rand  goldfield.  M.  &  S.  P.,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1916. 

The  Greatest   Gold  Mine 654 

A  review  of  the  leading  gold  mines  of  the  world  indi- 
cates that  the  most  productive  is  the  New  Modder- 
fontein  in  the  Transvaal.  The  history  of  three  other 
great  mines,  the  Robinson,  "Waihi,  and  Homestake,  is 
discussed.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  4,  1916.    Illustrated. 

ARTICLES 

A  Joukney  to  British  Columbia. 

By  T.  A.  Richard 657 

Another  "journey  of  observation."  Although  the  west- 
ern province  of  Canada,  especially  near  the  inter- 
national border,  has  some  famous  mining  districts, 
which  are  to  be  described  in  other  articles,  the  whole 
region  is  full  of  interest.  This  article  on  British 
Columbia  gives  a  number  of  impressions  and  affords 
notes  on  places  worth  visiting,  with  some  technical 
information  on  the  side.  M.  &  S.  P.,  November  4, 
1916.    Illustrated. 

Potash-Bearing  Minerals  op  California. 

By  Herbert  Lang    665 

The   sources   of    potash    in   this    State   are    feldspar, 
alunite,  leucite,  seaweed,  and  the  brine  of  dry  lakes.     ■ 
Field-tests  are  given,  also  prices  and  useful  informa- 
tion.   M.  &  S.  P.,  November  4,  1916. 

Treatment  of  Molybdenite   667 

Brief  description  of  a  new  plant  operating  in  Ontario. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  November  4,  1916. 

Mark  Twain  as  a  Metallurgist. 

By  G.  H.  Clevenger   667 

What  the  famous  author  missed  by  not  distilling  sage- 


Page, 
brush  in  Nevada  and  applying  flotation  to  Comstock 
ore.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  4,  1916. 

Measuring  With  Steel  Tape  in  Mine  Surveying. 

By  Walter  Scott  Weeks  668 

This  article,  with  that  on  the  correction  of  steel  tapes 
in  the  last  issue,  will  be  found  of  practical  value  to 
surveyors,  especially  on  plumb-bobs.  M.  &  S.  P.,  No- 
vember 4,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Dredging   in   Australia    670 

Yardage,  gold  yield,  and  costs  during  1915.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  4,  1916. 

Mining  in  the  Jerome  District,  Arizona. 

By  Charles  F.  Willis   671 

For  years  the  only  mine  of  importance  was  the  United 
Verde;  now  there  are  many  others,  of  which  the  Ex- 
tension is  a  rich  producer,  and  the  rest  are  in  the 
promotion,  prospecting,  and  development  stages. 
Wild-catting  not  to  get  a  foothold.  M.  &  S.  P.,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Mining  in  Cuba  672 

Iron  and  copper  deposits  of  importance  being  devel- 
oped and  producing.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  4,  1916. 

Mining  in  Colorado. 

By  George  J.  Bancroft    673 

Brief  review  of  conditions  throughout  the  State.  Good 
developments  in  two  widely  separated  districts.  First- 
aid  work  recognized  as  profitable  to  companies. 
Capital  for  Wyoming  oil  properties.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  4,  1916.    Illustrated. 

DEPARTMENTS 
Review  of  Mining   674 

Special    correspondence    from     Leadville,    Colorado; 

Lordsburg,   New   Mexico;    Deadwood,   South   Dakota; 

Sutter  Creek,  California. 

The  Mining   Summary    677 

Personal    681 

The  Metal  Makket  ' : .   682 

Eastern  Metal  Market   683 

Company  Report    684 

Oriental  Consolidated  Mining  Company. 
Book   Reviews    684 

'Handbook  of  Rock  Excavation  Methods  and  Cost,'  by 

Halbert  P.  Gillette;  'The  Mineral  Industry,'  edited  by 

G.  A.  Roush. 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.     Cable   address:   Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg. ;  New  York,  1760 
Woolworth  Bdg. ;  London,  724  Salisbury  House,  E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription,  payable  in 
advance;  United  States  and  Mexico,  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  coun- 
tries in  postal  union,  21s.  or  $5  per  annum. 


18 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

mm 


TO  MINERS 

of 

PLACER  GOLD 


Investigate  the  Union  Drill.  It  is  easy  to  operate ;  it 
is  readily  portable  and  can  be  knocked  down  for  mule- 
back  transportation  and  easily  re-assembled.  It  is 
made  in  two  types,  A  and  B,  the  latter  with  steel  frame 
and  design  for  somewhat  heavier  work  than  A.  The 
illustration  below  shows  the  Type  B  drill  ready  for 
operation.  Bulletin  15  gives  much  interesting  data 
of  value  to  prospectors  and  placer  miners  in  general. 
Write  for  it. 


November  4,  1916 

UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


Union 

Construction 

Company 

H.  G.  PEAKE     W.  W.  JOHNSON 

604  Mission  St. 
San  Francisco 


This  is  one  of  many  gold  dredges  designed  and 
constructed  by  this  company.  It  was  built  for 
C.  J.  Berry  and  has  a  3J-foot  bucket  line,  and 
digs  from  1700  to  2400  cubic  yards  per  day  of 
24  hours.  "We  contract  for  the  design  and  con- 
struction of  gold  dredges  for  any  capacity,  to  be 
erected  anywhere.  This  dredge  is  operated  on 
wood  fuel,  using  only  3^  cords  per  day  of  24 
hours. 


The  Neill  jig  is  being  used  with  great  success  on 
dredging  and  sluicing  operations  for  the  saving 
of  fine  and  rusty  gold.  If  you  are  operating  a 
placer  mine,  it  is  worth  money  to  you.    "Write  us. 


November  4.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


653 


3g©H^©IES&E 


r    '    1 


jl,  m,i^\E.j\iim>v    3^  di  a -a  ©  3E- 


TPORTY-ONE  pesos  are  needed  to  buy  one  American 
•*•  dollar.  This  matter  of  exchange  is  paralyzing  busi- 
ness in  Mexico.  Meanwhile  Carranzistas,  Legalistas, 
Zapatistas,  and  Villistas  are  exhausting  the  life  of  the 
country  without  any  promise  of  a  combination  of  parties 
to  restore  order. 


T7  QUANIMITY  marks  the  public  temper  on  the  eve 
-^  of  the  Presidential  election.  It  is  not  believed  that 
the  result  will  affect  the  general  prosperity,  which  is 
today  influenced  mainly  by  events  outside  the  United 
States.  The  one  thing  to  cause  violent  perturbation 
would  be  the  cessation  of  hostilities  in  Europe.  When 
that  comes  we  shall  see  a  sharp  break  in  the  price  of 
metals  and  a  rise  in  the  price  of  cotton.  What  the  fur- 
ther effects  will  be  nobody  knows;  the  prophets  were 
stultified  by  their  predictions  at  the  beginning  of  the 
War. 


T^IRECTORS  of  Stratton's  Independence,  Ltd.,  the 
■'--'  English  company  that  formerly  owned  the  famous 
mine  discovered  by  W.  S.  Stratton  at  Cripple  Creek, 
were  given  four  months  in  which  to  find  a  new  property 
"in  one  of  the  Allied  countries,  preferably  Russia."  We 
learn  that  the  search  for  a  fresh  venture  has  ended  in  an 
arrangement  to  participate  in  a  new  enterprise  known 
as  the  Altai  Concessions.  The  Altai  is  a  mineral  region 
that  is  sure  to  attract  increasing  attention.  We  pub- 
lished an  article  on  this  part  of  Siberia  by  Mr.  H.  W. 
Turner  in  our  issue  of  June  26  last  year. 


/~iN  another  page  we  give  reasons  for  labeling  the  New 
'-'  Modderfontein  the  greatest  gold  mine  in  the  world. 
Since  that  editorial  was  written  we  have  received  the 
company's  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1916. 
This  confirms  all  that  we  have  said  and  therefore  calls 
for  no  corrections.  The  profit  earned  in  the  last  fiscal 
year  was  £766,200,  as  compared  with  £692,100  in  the 
previous  year.  This  gain  was  due  largely  to  an  improve- 
ment in  the  yield  to  40s.l0d.  or  $9.90  per  ton.  New  ore 
'developed'  during  the  year  amounted  to  1,764,000  tons 
averaging  11  dwt.  per  ton,  and  the  reserve  was  increased 
to  8,013,400  tons,  averaging  8.4  dwt.  per  ton.  Delay  in 
the  delivery  of  machinery  will  prevent  the  completion  of 
the  new  plant  until  the  end  of  next  year. 


T  OSSES  and  gains  due  to  the  War  are  difficult  to  ap- 
-*-J  praise.  One  source  of  loss  is  not  appreciated:  the 
decline  of  immigration.  We  are  losing  a  million  immi- 
grants per  annum  owing  to  the  War  in  Europe,  where 


30,000,000  people  have  been  under  arms  for  two  years. 
Each  immigrant  into  the  United  States  is  estimated  to 
increase  the  national  wealth  by  an  amount  ranging  from 
$500  to  $1000  annually,  so  that  the  check  to  immigration 
is  costing  us  about  $750,000,000  per  annum.  Nobody 
knows  what  will  happen  when  the  War  ends:  whether 
emigration  from  Europe  will  be  resumed  in  its  former 
volume  or  not.  The  general  surmise  is  that  England, 
Germany,  and  France  will  retain  their  people  but  that 
Poland,  Hungary,  and  the  Balkan  countries  will  emit  a 
large  flood  of  unfortunates  across  the  Atlantic.  In  any 
event,  a  great  shock  to  the  labor  market  is  inevitable 
when  hostilities  cease,  and  with  it  will  come  a  re-opening 
of  the  entire  labor  problem. 


\\7~E  have  received  a  circular  letter  signed  by  a  group 
*  *  of  distinguished  members  of  the  engineering  pro- 
fession asking  us  "to  call  attention  to  the  importance  of 
electing  a  Republican  administration  in  November." 
That  we  cannot  do,  because  this  is  a  non-partisan  paper. 
The  interest  of  our  readers  in  Mexican  mining  affairs, 
however,  is  so  large  that  we  feel  justified  in  quoting  the 
statement  made  by  Mr.  Hughes:  "An  American  in 
Mexico  is  subject  to  Mexican  law,  but  he  is  an  American 
still  and  is  entitled  to  the  protection  of  his  own  govern- 
ment in  his  lawful  business.  For  one,  I  shall  never  con- 
sent to  a  policy  which  leaves  Americans  helpless  against 
the  lawlessness  of  any  country  in  which  they  have  a 
right  to  do  business. ' '  We  were  glad  to  read  this  state- 
ment of  policy  by  the  Republican  candidate  and  we 
hope  the  time  may  come  when  it  will  cease  to  be  a 
political  issue. 


"DAPER  has  risen  so  much  in  price  that  the  newspapers 
■*•  have  been  compelled  to  reduce  their  bulk.  Recently 
the  New  York  Times,  truly  a  splendid  newspaper,  an- 
nounced that  it  had  to  omit  24  columns  of  advertise- 
ments. The  crisis  in  the  paper  market  may  prove  a  not 
unmixed  evil  if  it  leads  to  an  abatement  in  the  lavish 
printing  of  silly  supplements  and  society  flapdoodle. 
Even  the  technical  press,  which  is  relatively  far  less 
voluminous,  might  learn  a  lesson.  The  average  reader, 
especially  among  the  younger  men,  does  not  realize  how 
much  his  technical  paper  has  increased  in  size  during 
the  last  20  years.  Some  of  that  increase  represents  a 
gain  of  information,  but  a  part  of  it,  as  in  the  daily 
newspaper,  is  only  padding.  In  this  matter  the  public 
taste  has  been  spoiled ;  bigness  is  mistaken  for  worth,  a 
mere  mass  of  printed  matter  is  confused  with  value  re- 
ceived in  the  form  of  intelligent  comment,  interesting 


654 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


descriptive  matter,  or  current  news.  One  result  has  beeD 
the  submergence  of  the  technical  man  under  a  flood  of 
half-baked  indigestible  print,  against  which  he  hardly 
knows  how  to  protest.  Engineers  talk  a  lot  about 
efficiency,  but  they  fail  to  realize  how  inefficient  the  tech- 
nical literature  of  the  day  has  become.  Perhaps  the 
paper  famine  will  serve  as  a  salutary  discipline. 


TT'RENCH  and  American  mining  companies  in  Korea 


r 


are  having  trouble  over  the  labor  question.     The 


Japanese  are  claiming  the  right  to  supply  the  necessary 
labor ;  in  other  words,  to  sell  labor  under  a  contract  that 
prevents  the  European  management  from  dismissing  its 
employees  at  will.  At  the  Narupi  mine,  on  the  French 
concession,  this  labor  contract  was  opposed  until  re- 
cently, when  the  manager  was  forced  to  accede  to  the 
demands  of  the  Japanese,  at  the  point  of  a  gun.  At  the 
Tul  Mi  Chung  mine,  of  the  Seoul  Mining  Company,  a 
serious  crisis  was  reached  during  the  first  week  of  Octo- 
ber. A  number  of  low-class  Japanese  had  been  trying 
to  persuade  the  management  to  allow  them  to  supply 
labor  under  contract.  After  sundry  interviews,  these 
Japanese  threatened  the  manager,  Mr.  W.  T.  Hall,  and 
later  swore  to  kill  him  and  the  company's  interpreter,  a 
Japanese,  and  also  Mr.  A.  R.  Weigall,  the  consulting  en- 
gineer. Fortunately  a  number  of  Japanese  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  company  proved  loyal  and  the  other  members 
of  the  American  community,  being  forwarned,  were  able 
to  arm  themselves  so  as  to  prevent  attack.  On  the  same 
day  an  attack  was  made  on  the  bullion  escort  from  the 
Oriental  Consolidated,  and  Mr.  Welhaven,  a  brother  of 
Mr.  Alf.  Welhaven,  the  general  manager,  was  killed, 
while  Messrs.  Williams  and  Barstow  were  wounded. 
The  company  policeman  and  the  driver  of  the  buckboard 
were  also  killed,  but  the  bandits  did  not  get  the  bullion. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  Japanese  government  will  realize  its 
responsibility  and  put  an  end  to  this  continued  threat 
against  the  Korean  mining  companies  that  are  operating 
legally  under  its  benevolent  sanction. 

TESTIFYING  before  a  Government  commission  at 
Johannesburg,  Mr.  R.  N.  Kotze,  until  recently  the 
Government  Mining  Engineer,  states  that  the  chief 
drawback  to  the  State  undertaking  mining  operations 
was  the  possibility  of  financial  loss,  as  it  could  not  be 
presumed  that  all  the  areas  in  the  East  Rand  would 
prove  profitable.  The  State  would  be  nnable  to  make  as 
large  a  profit  as  an  individual  or  company,  nor  would  it 
be  able  to  command  the  highest  technical  talent  on  the 
usual  Governmental  salaries.  Political  interference 
would  be  another  objection;  also  the  probability  of  dis- 
putes with  employees.  Finally,  he  suggested  that  the 
absence  of  the  share-market  as  an  element  in  State  ex- 
ploitation of  the  gold  mines  would  enormously  restrict 
enterprise.  Much  sagacity  is  to  be  detected  in  this  testi- 
mony. Of  course,  the  share-market  always  affords  an 
avenue  of  escape  for  the  incubator  of  an  unfortunate 
mining  enterprise,  giving  him  a  chance  to  pass  his  'in- 
vestment' to  simple-minded  persons  not  awake  to  the 


realities  of  the  'game.'  If  everybody  went  into  mining 
like  a  State  acting  under  the  advice  of  Mr.  Kotze,  there 
would  be  less  money  wasted  on  worthless  projects  and 
less  inflation  of  shares  when  a  rich  mine  was  uncovered. 
As  it  is,  between  the  essential  risks  of  a  speculation,  such 
as  a  mine  always  is,  and  the  probability  of  buying  at  an 
inflated  valuation,  the  average  member  of  the  public  is 
likely  to  get  off  on  the  wrong  foot.  If  the  'big  houses,' 
or  financial  corporations  controlling  mines,  such  as 
those  of  the  Rand,  were  to  keep  their  shareholders,  and 
through  them  the  public,  faithfully  informed  concern- 
ing the  true  conditions  governing  the  profitable  pro- 
ductivity of  their  operations,  in  other  words,  if  directors 
would  act  like  trustees,  then  the  chances  of  making 
money  out  of  mining  would  be  increased  for  the  share- 
holders or  the  public  and  decreased  for  the  clever — or 
'slim'  as  they  call  them  in  South  Africa — financiers. 
On  the  other  hand,  "the  possibility  of  financial  loss" 
would  deter  the  State  from  making  many  a  reasonable 
venture.  That  possibility  of  loss  is  inherent  in  mining, 
because  mining  is  essentially  venturesome.  We  do  not 
expect  to  remove  that  essential  quality,  for  it  is  one  that 
pertains  to  a  business  that  is  as  risky  as  it  may  be  profit- 
able. On  the  Rand,  unfortunately,  the  risk  is  too  much 
one  way.  A  mine  may  do  less  than  is  expected  of  it,  but 
it  is  unlikely  to  do  more.  That  is  the  drawback  to  the 
'sure  thing'  in  mining.  In  ordinary  vein  mining,  with 
possibilities  in  depth  and  the  probability  of  discovering 
new  orebodies,  or  even  a  big  bonanza,  in  the  course  of  in- 
telligent exploratory  work,  there  is  the  chance  of  a  pleas- 
ant surprise.  On  the  whole,  it  is  not  good  business  to 
buy  ore  in  reserve ;  the  best  fun  in  mining  is  in  the  sport 
of  finding  ore  and  in  the  opportunity  to  strike  it  so  rich 
that  tables  of  amortization  assume  an  academic  aspect. 
The  State  is  too  old  and  too  timid  to  enjoy  that  game ;  it 
is  the  privilege  of  the  true  adventurer,  of  him  that  is 
willing  to  put  all  to  the  touch  and  penetrate  into  the 
unknown. 

The  Greatest  Gold  Mine 

Nine  years  ago,  in  May  1907,  when  passing  in  review 
the  leading  gold-producing  mines  of  the  world,  we  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  three  best  mines  were  the 
Robinson,  the  Waihi,  and  the  Homestake.  The  Robinson 
was  at  that  time  the  premier  property  on  the  Rand  gold- 
field;  it  had  4,500,000  tons  of  $14  ore  assured  and  was 
being  operated  at  a  cost  of  $4.90  per  ton.  The  stoping 
width  was  6 J  feet  and  only  18%  of  waste  had  to  be  sorted 
out  of  the  mine  product.  Finally,  the  mine  was  earning 
$3,500,000  per  annum.  This,  it  will  be  granted,  was  a 
handsome  showing.  What  has  happened  since  then? 
In  1915  the  mill  treated  688,800  tons  of  6.72  dwt.  ore  at 
a  cost  of  $3.40,  after  sorting  out  only  3.7%.  The  yield 
in  gold  was  worth  $4,652,389  (£1  being  taken  at  $4.85) 
of  which  $2,378,692  was  labeled  profit.  The  dividend 
was  $1,915,750.  Nine  years  ago  the  mine  had  paid 
$25,497,362  on  a  capital  of  $13,750,000.  Since  then  it 
has  produced  5,280,460  tons  yielding  $55,069,060,   av- 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


655 


eraging  $10.43  per  ton.  Oil  this  a  nominal  profit  of 
$35,373,194  was  declared  and  $28,738,263  distributed  in 
dividends,  equal  to  24%  per  annum  during  the  nine 
years,  on  a  capital  of  £2,750,000  or  $13,337,500.  Evi- 
dently therefore  the  Robinson  has  fulfilled  expectations. 
From  the  beginning  of  1888  to  the  end  of  1915,  this 
mine  has  produced  £20,480,945,  equal  to  $99,332,584, 
from  7,966,775  tons  of  ore,  averaging  $12.50  per  ton,  at  a 
cost  of  $4.43  per  ton.  The  dividends  aggregate  405|%, 
or  $54,235,625,  in  27  years,  or  15%  per  annum  on  the 
550,000  shares  of  £5  each.  Incidentally,  the  aggregate 
'profit'  is  just  about  $10,000,000  less  than  the  total  of 
dividends.  During  the  first  year,  1888,  the  ore  averaged 
3  oz.  gold  per  ton  ;  just  before  the  Boer  War,  in  1899,  the 
average  was  17  dwt. ;  and  in  1912,  when  the  richest  layer 
of  banket,  the  Leader,  was  approaching  exhaustion,  the 
average  fell  to  10$  dwt.  per  ton.  In  the  27  years  the  cost 
decreased  from  $14.45  to  $3.40.  Now  there  remains 
565,100  tons  of  about  10  dwt.  ore  in  the  Leader  and 
South  Reef,  besides  400,000  tons  of  4.4  dwt.  stuff  in  the 


JOHANN  ES  BURG 


TurFfonlai  n 


lis  2- 


Main  Reef.  This  includes  packs,  pillars,  and  remnants 
of  ground.  Thus  the  mine  has  enough  ore  to  extend  its 
life  into  the  middle  of  1917,  by  which  time  it  will  have 
produced  over  $100,000,000  in  gold.  Then  it  will  be 
definitely  finished,  for  the  property  has  been  completely 
'developed,'  that  is,  all  the  area  vertically  under  the 
claims  has  been  explored  and  will  be  exhausted.  By 
the  laws  of  the  Transvaal  there  is  no  extra-lateral  right 
to  mine  on  the  dip  beyond  the  side-line,  the  lode  in  the 
Robinson  having  been  already  mined  on  its  dip  by  the 
Robinson  Deep,  which  as  a  'deep  level'  has  proved  a 
worthy  second  to  its  corresponding  'outcrop'  property. 
So  the  Robinson  has  made  good ;  it  does  honor  to  its  suc- 
cessive managers,  the  late  Capt.  Thomas  Mein,  his  son 
Mr.  William  W.  Mein,  and  the  present  manager,  Mr. 
Palmer  Carter. 

Discussing  the  relative  merits  of  the  Robinson  and  the 
Waihi  in  1907,  we  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  resources 
of  the  Robinson  were  known  accurately,  because  not  only 
was  it  well  explored  and  sampled,  but  the  workings  of 
the  mine  below  it  on  the  dip  had  tested  the  deepest 
ground  that  it  had  the  right  to  work.  The  Robinson  had 
no  possibilities  in  depth,  but  it  also  lacked  the  chances 
of  sudden  impoverishment.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Waihi,  with  reserves  only  a  quarter  those  of  the  Robin- 
son, had  the  right  to  follow  the  lode  indefinitely  in  depth, 


owning  the  ground  ahead  of  it  on  the  dip,  so  that  it 
possessed  chances  of  further  discovery  in  depth — and 
the  risk  of  disappointment.  The  Robinson,  so  it  seemed 
to  the  present  writer  nine  years  ago,  was  "more  nearly 
an  investment,  while  the  Waihi" — we  said — "is  a  most 
attractive  speculation."  To  this  we  added:  "As  all 
experience  proves  that  persistence  in  depth  is  hazardous 
and  as  the  bottom  of  the  Robinson's  ore  measures  are 
known  and  those  of  the  Waihi  are  unknown,  the  choice 
is  between  the  assured  and  the  possible,  where  both  are 
sumptuous.  We  accept  the  responsibility  and  label  the 
Robinson  the  greatest  gold  mine  in  the  world."  The 
choice  between  the  two  great  mines  has  proved  correct. 
The  Waihi  did  have  bad  luck  in  depth,  and  this  bad  luck, 
being  accompanied  by  over-valuation  of  the  shares  and 
delay  in  making  known  the  fact  of  impoverishment  on 
the  lower  levels,  caused  a  fiasco  of  a  sensational  and  dis- 
astrous character.  The  quotation  on  500,000  shares  drop- 
ped from  $50  to  $14.50  within  twelve  months  and  is  now 
at  $8.50,  indicating  a  fall  of  $20,212,750  in  the  market 
valuation.  The  episode  reflects  discredit  on  the 
directors  in  London ;  for  either  they  were  ignor- 
ant concerning  facts  that  were  known  at  the 
mine  or  they  were"  aware  of  the  truth  and  failed 
to  advise  the  shareholders  with  reasonable 
promptitude.  The  Waihi  must  have  caused  a 
great  loss  of  money  to  the  public,  as  always  hap- 
pens when  rich  mines  are  wildly  over-valued. 
In  191.5  the  mine  produced  192,333  tons  yielding 
$1,689,230,  of  which  $753,724  was  profit  and 
$481,000  was  dividend,  this  being  at  the  rate  of 
20%,  so  that  on  its  original  capital  of  £500,000 
the  mine  is  still  doing  respectably.  But  the 
shareholders  who  bought  at  $50  per  share  will  hardly 
be  satisfied  with  a  2%  return  on  a  venture  now  known  to 
be  hazardous.  The  reserve  of  ore  is  estimated  at  806,- 
000  tons,  besides  673,900  tons  in  pillars  and  remnants. 
The  mine  is  now  1470  feet  deep. 

In  1907  we  stated  that  the  reserves  of  the  Homestake 
were  not  known,  but  they  were  supposed  to  be  "  sufficient 
for  at  least  twenty  years,  that  is,  over  30,000,000  tons." 
Dividends  of  $22,134,840  had  been  paid  up  to  then, 
which  was  30  years  after  the  company  started  to  work. 
The  workings  were  1400  feet  deep,  but  stoping  had  been 
extended  only  to  1000  feet.  The  low  grade  of  the  ore, 
$3.85  per  ton,  and  the  small  margin  of  profit  over  the 
cost,  which  was  $2.73,  was  a  factor  of  danger  and  caused 
us  to  prefer  the  Robinson  and  the  Waihi.  During  the 
nine  years  since  that  was  written,  the  margin  over  cost 
has  been  widened,  the  yield  last  year  having  been  $4.08 
and  the  cost  $2.65.  In  the  interval  the  mine  has  yielded 
$53,771,793  out  of  which  $14,046,840  has  been  paid  in 
dividends.  To  the  end  of  1915  the  Homestake  Mining 
Company,  which  was  incorporated  on  November  5,  1877, 
by  J.  B.  Haggin,  George  Hearst,  and  Lloyd  Tevis,  had 
produced  $140,610,382  in  gold,  from  which  $35,615,908 
had  been  distributed  in  dividends  to  the  shareholders. 
In  the  year  1915  the  output  was  1,573,822  tons,  averag- 
ing $4.08,  at  a  cost  of  $2.65  per  ton.    The  production  of 


656 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


ore  has  been  increased  10,000  tons  per  month  since  1907, 
so  that  the  gross  output  has  been  augmented  by  about 
$1,500,000  and  the  dividends  by  $1,000,000  per  annum. 
In  1914  Mr.  Richard  Blackstone  succeeded  the  late 
Thomas  J.  Grier  as  manager.  During  later  years  the 
technical  policy  appears  to  have  become  more  progressive. 
What  reserves  of  ore  the  mine  may  have  is  not  known.  It 
is  reputed  to  have  enough  for  30  years,  but  the  only 
official  information  available  is  the  statement  by  the 
manager  appearing  in  the  last  annual  report  informing 


the  shareholders  that  "the  measured  ore  reserves  are 
large  and  sufficient  to  supply  the  reduction  plants  for 
many  years."  About  2,000,000  tons  of  ore  is  said  to  be 
stored  underground.  In  default  of  the  essential  in- 
formation concerning  the  resources  of  the  property,  it 
cannot  be  appraised  nor  can  it  be  compared  with  other 
great  mines.  But  whatever  it  may  accomplish  in  the 
future,  the  Homestake  has  already  established  its  posi- 
tion as  the  most  persistently  profitable  low-grade  gold 
mine  ever  exploited  by  man. 

Since  1907  a  group  of  big  and  highly  productive  mines 
has  been  developed  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  Rand,  or 
AYitwatersrand,  to  give  the  goldfield  its  proper  name. 
In  that  locality  the  Main  Reef  Series,  as  the  gold-bearing 
beds  of  conglomerate  are  called,  has  a  dip  flatter  than  in 
the  Central  Rand,  where  are,  for  example,  the  Robinson. 
Simmer  &  Jack,  and  Village  Main  Reef,  mentioned  in 
this  or  in  a  preceding  article.     In  the  Far  East  Rand 


the  principal  gold-bearing  member  of  the  series  is  the 
Main  Reef  Leader,  an  extremely  persistent  bed  of  con- 
glomerate, which  in  the  Brakpan  mine  averages  6.7  dwt. 
gold  per  ton ;  in  the  New  Modderfontein,  8.2  ;  in  the  Mod- 
derfontein  B,  8.6 ;  in  the  Government  Areas,  6.5 ;  and 
in  the  Springs  mine,  10.5,  so  far  as  determined,  for  a 
stoping-width  of  about  5  feet.  In  this  part  of  the 
district  the  dip  of  the  strata  and  the  included  ore 
ranges  between  8°  and  22°.  The  New  Modderfontein 
and  Modderfontein  B  are  contiguous  outcrop  mines, 
with  the  Van  Ryn  Deep,  the  Modderfontein 
Deep,  and  Government  Areas  as  their  corresponding 
'deep-levels.'  The  New  Modderfontein  property  in- 
cludes 1265  claims,  or  1860  acres,  of  ore-bearing 
ground.  The  purchase  entailed  sums  aggregating 
$2,454,325,  a  part  of  the  consideration  being  an  an- 
nuity of  $83,950  for  20  years.  The  company  was 
organized  in  1888  and  started  milling  with  10  stamps 
four  years  later.  In  1896  a  new  60-stamp  mill  was 
built  and  by  1909  the  number  of  stamps  had  been 
increased  to  180,  assisted  by  seven  tube-mills.  A 
second  mill  is  now  being  erected,  so  as  to  bring  the 
crushing  capacity  to  90,000  tons  per  month.  During 
the  year  ended  June  30,  1915,  the  mine  produced 
738,300  tons,  of  which  17%  was  removed  as  waste, 
leaving  611,800  tons  for  the  mill,  where  184,208 
ounces  of  gold  was  extracted  by  amalgamation  and 
94,678  ounces  by  cyanidation,  the  total  gold  being 
worth  $5,616,324,  equivalent  to  $9.18  per  ton.  The 
working  cost  was  $3.82  per  ton,  so  that  the  profit 
was  $3,314,738,  from  which  dividends  amounting  to 
$2,121,875  were  paid,  equivalent  to  31i%  on  a 
capital  of  350,000  shares  of  £4  each.  The  develop- 
ment and  equipment  of  the  mine  has  involved  an  out- 
lay of  $6,937,921.  Henceforth  all  such  expenditures 
will  come  out  of  revenue  account.  The  ore  already 
proved  is  estimated  at  6.000,000  tons,  averaging  8.15 
dwt.  per  ton,  besides  1,000,000  tons  of  'partly  devel- 
oped' ore.  But  this  does  not  begin  to  measure  the  re- 
sources of  the  mine.  Possibilities  become  strong  prob- 
abilities in  the  light  of  evidence  obtainable  from  the 
workings  of  the  adjacent  property — the  Modderfontein  B 
— and  from  workings  deeper  on  the  dip  in  the  Modder- 
fontein Deep  and  Van  Ryn  Deep  mines.  In  June  last 
year  169  claims  out  of  the  1265  had  been  worked  out, 
yielding  31,940  tons  per  claim,  so  that  the  possibilities 
of  further  production  are  enormous.  Deducting  20% 
for  faulted  areas,  15%  for  sorting,  and  allowing  a  net 
stopiug-width  of  48  inches,  the  ground  remaining  should 
yield  19,000,000  tons.  Crushing  at  the  rate  of  a  million 
tons  per  annum,  the  life  of  the  mine  should  last  about  20 
years  and  it  should  produce  $125,000,000  more.  From 
June  1895  to  June  1915,  exactly  20  years,  the  New  Mod- 
derfontein has  produced  4.816,680  tons,  yielding  1.950,- 
553  ounces  of  gold,  worth  $39,745,076,  of  which  $17,860,- 
023  has  been  'net  profit'  and  $12,247,250  dividends.  The 
shares  are  quoted  at  $82.50.  This  is  today,  we  believe, 
the  greatest  gold  mine  in  the  world,  as  measured  in 
known  resources  and  assured  profits. 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


657 


A  Journey  to   British  Columbia 


By     V.     A. 

This  will  be  a  non-teehuical  article,  so  I  warn  my 
readers  that  they  may  find  nothing  of  immediate  use  to 
them,  but  if  they  eare  to  see  something  of  the  human 
side  of  a  beautiful  mining  region  they  can  sail  with  me 
on  the  steamship  Governor  from  San  Francisco  to  Vic- 
toria, the  capital  of  British  Columbia. 

The  approach  to  any  country  from  the  sea  is  more 
impressive  than  the  entry  overland.  Eailways  take  the 
traveler  through  intermediate  stretches  of  transition  and 
usually  bring  him  to  his  destination  through  the  bedrag- 
gled outskirts  of  big  cities,  but  to  the  voyager  by  sea  is 
given  all  the  charm  of  the  unexpected:  after  a  few  days 
of  monotony  on  the  trackless  waters  he  sees  a  new  land 
on  the  horizon ;  he  glides  into  a  beautiful  harbor — for  all 
harbors  are  lovely  to  the  seafarer;  he  enters  a  strange 
city  through  its  water-gate,  which  is  always  romantic; 
finally  he  lands  in  a  community  so  unlike  the  one  he  has 
left  that  it  seems  as  if  he  had  discovered  a  new  world. 
Such  are  the  ideas  that  would  be  uppermost  in  the  mind 
of  any  observant  man  or  woman  from  California  on 
arrival  at  Victoria.  The  distance  is  only  740  miles  and 
the  time  spent  on  the  voyage  is  only  50  hours,  yet  the 
change  of  scene,  of  climate,  of  people,  is  vivid.  On  land- 
ing one  hears  the  official  language  of  the  United  States 
spoken  with  strange  accents,  one  sees  the  British  police- 
man— the  'bobby' — at  the  street  corners,  and  the  martial 
Highlander  swings  past  in  his  kilt.  There  are  more 
horses  on  the  streets  than  in  San  Francisco,  there  are 
more  men  in  khaki,  and  in  the  stores  (or  'shops')  one 
receives  a  'Thank  you'  with  unexpected  frequency. 

The  harbor  reaches  to  the  heart  of  the  city.  There  the 
imposing  Parliament  buildings  and  the  handsome  hos- 
telry of  the  C.  P.  R.  (nobody  says  'Canadian  Pacific 
Railway')  are  surrounded  by  lawns  of  vivid  green,  for 
rain  is  almost  as  frequent  as  in  England,  and  to  one 
leaving  California  in  the  dry  months  the  season  seems 
much  behind.  The  population  of  Victoria  is  only  48,000 ; 
it  can  claim  no  importance  as  a  commercial  centre,  but 
it  is  a  delightful  place  of  residence,  and  of  homes,  with 
Government  House,  the  seat  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor, 
as  the  social  nucleus. 

It  was  a  sunny  day  when  we  (not  the  editorial  but 
the  domestic  'we,'  for  my  much  better  half  was  with  me) 
landed.  A  stroll  along  the  main  thoroughfare — Govern- 
ment street — suggested  business  depression,  in  part  the 
sequel  to  a  'busted'  real-estate  boom  but  in  large  measure 
due  to  the  preoccupation  of  war.  Returning,  the  view 
was  fine:  on  the  right  the  harbor  with  its  shipping,  on 
the  left  the  Empress  hotel,  in  front  the  ornate  pile  of  the 
Parliament  buildings,  and  beyond  them  the  snow-capped 
summits  of  the  Olympic  range,  on  the  United  States 
mainland,  across  the  strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca. 


Rtckard 

Anybody  interested  in  mining  goes,  on  arrival  at  Vic- 
toria, to  see  Mr.  William  Fleet  Robertson,  the  Provincial 
Mineralogist,  who  will  be  found  rich  with  information 
and  generous  in  the  giving  of  it.  The  position  he  holds 
is  more  important  than  that  of  State  Mineralogist  on  our 
side  of  the  line  because  it  is  non-political  and  is  therefore 
held  by  a  good  man  for  a  long  term  of  years.  Mr.  Robert- 
son's  predecessor  was  Mr.  William  A.  Carlyle,  (McGill, 
class  of  '87)  afterward  manager  at  Rio  Tinto,  later 
professor  of  metallurgy  in  the  Royal  School  of  Mines, 
London.  But  Mr.  Robertson  has  held  the  post  since 
1898,  so  that  he  has  his  own  background.  A  graduate 
of  McGill  University,  in  the  class  of  '80,  he  obtained  his 
first  professional  experience  with  the  Orford  Copper 
Company  and  then  served  as  superintendent  for  that 
great  Canadian,  James  Douglas,  at  the  Phoenixville 
copper  plant  in  Pennsylvania.  There  the  Hunt  &  Doug- 
las process,  a  metallurgical  landmark,  was  tried,  soon  to 
be  replaced  by  the  smelting  and  refining  of  Western 
matte,  for  the  early  leaching  processes  proved  too  ex- 
pensive, faring  ill  when  compared  with  the  electrolytic 
methods  evolved  in  these  later  days  of  cheap  electricity. 
In  1881  the  Orford  company  leased  the  Phoenixville 
plant  before  building  the  more  celebrated  smelter  -at 
Constable  Hook,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  good 
people  on  Staten  Island,  New  York.  Henry  M.  Howe, 
the  authority  on  ferrous  metallurgy,  was  manager  and 
Mr.  Robertson  was  superintendent.  It  was  in  1880  at 
Capelton,  in  Quebec,  that  Professor  Howe  got  his  idea 
for  the  "large  blast-furnace,"  as  it  was  then  called. 
The  Orford  people  had  leased  the  Capelton  plant  from 
an  old  Scottish  company,  which  had  erected  a  row  of 
copper  blast-furnaces,  4  by  4  ft.  inside.  In  the  course  of 
operations  a  copper  bottom  rich  in  gold  had  accumulated 
in  two  adjacent  furnaces.  By  the  terms  of  the  lease,  it 
was  not  permissible  to  tear  down  anything,  whereupon 
Howe  walled  the  space  between  these  two  furnaces,  mak- 
ing one  15  ft.  long.  •  The  ground  sloped  so  that  a  low 
tap-hole  could  be  used  in  the  new  wall.  This  enlarge- 
ment proved  so  successful  that  the  Orford  works  at 
Eustis  (a  mile  from  Capelton)  started  with  furnaces 
4  by  11  ft.  inside.  This  development  was  the  kind  of 
'accident'  that  befalls  a  resourceful  man;  it  was  the  fore- 
runner of  the  much  bigger  blast-furnaces,  also  composite, 
built  by  E.  P.  Mathewson  (McGill,  class  of  '85)  at  Ana- 
conda. Besides  these  metallurgical  reminiscences  Mr. 
Robertson  gave  me  an  outline  of  the  conditions  govern- 
ing the  mining  industry  of  the  Province.  The  past  year 
had  shown  a  gratifying  increase  in  the  production  of 
metals,  ascribed  not  so  much  to  fresh  discoveries  as  to  the 
expansion  of  established  enterprises.  A  further  increase 
in  the  output  was  assured,  he  said,  for  1916,  in  conse- 


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November  4,  1916 


quence  of  the  rush  to  obtain  the  benefit  of  high  prices 
for  metals. 

Ntxt  day,  in  the  afternoon,  we  sailed  on  the  Princess 
Charlotte  for  Vancouver,  a  voyage  of  80  miles  accom- 
plished in  4§  hours.  The  steamer  threads  her  way  among 
fir-clad  islands,  passing  through  the  narrows  of  Active 
pass,  before  crossing  the  broader  expanse  of  the  inland 
sea,  called  Gulf  of  Georgia,  that  separates  Vancouver 
island  from  the  mainland,  to  which  the  city  of  Van- 
couver is  the  Canadian  port  of  entry.  This  city  stands, 
not  on  the  estuary  of  the  Fraser  river,  as  might  be  in- 
ferred, but  on  an  inlet  or  'sound,'  resembling  those  of 
New  Zealand  or  a  Norwegian  fiord.  On  the  right — 
which  is  south — is  a  richly  wooded  peninsula ;  on  the  left 
is  the  dark  mass  of  the  Cascade  range,  half-veiled  in 
mist.  The  steamer  makes  for  the  Point  Atkinson  light- 
house and  then  turns  abruptly  to  the  right  into  Burrard 
inlet,  the  harbor  of  Vancouver,  which,  with  its  jagged 
sky-line  of  tall  buildings,  looks  like  a  miniature  New 
York  set  amid  primeval  woods  and  lordly  mountains. 
Here  also  the  traveler  rests  at  a  C.  P.  R.  hotel,  'The 
Vancouver,'  which  in  style  and  character  suits  its  sur- 
roundings just  as  'The  Empress'  appears  fitted  to  Vic- 
toria. The  architecture  and  interior  of  the  Vancouver 
hotel  suggest  that  it  was  built  to  please  a  committee  of 
real-estate  agents  during  a  boom ;  it  is  pretentious  in  pro- 
portion, florid  in  decoration,  and  bustling  in  business;  a 
swarm  of  Japanese  'boys'  give  it  an  Oriental  touch ;  you 
find  many  more  Americans,  drummers,  tourists,  capital- 
ists, and  engineers,  here  than  at  Victoria.  Two  years  ago 
Vancouver  had  a  population  of  125,000 ;  since  then  the 
boom  has  collapsed,  so  that  the  population  is  about  100,- 
000,  but  it  remains  a  busy  place,  and  a  great  port. 

After  a  day  of  reconnaissance  we  took  the  train  for 
that  important  smelting  centre,  Trail.  The  C.  P.  R. 
track  crosses  the  peninsula  from  Burrard  inlet,  on  the 
south  shore  of  which  Vancouver  is  situated,  to  the  west 
bank  of  the  Fraser  river,  which  here  flows  nearly  due 
south.  A  big.  but  turbulent,  stream  it  is.  Scenery  on  a 
big  scale  is  everywhere  to  be  enjoyed.  For  the  most 
part.  British  Columbia  is  a  mountain-land  richly  forest- 
ed, cleft  by  big  rivers  and  jewelled  with  long  lakes  that 
follow  lines  of  glacial  erosion.  Leaving  Vancouver  the 
railroad  passes  through  clearings,  bordering  the  river, 
on  which  fruit  and  grain  are  cultivated  profitably.  At 
Agassiz  is  a  large  experimental  farm,  which  furnishes 
much  practical  information  to  the  new  settlers.  In  a 
country  so  sparsely  populated  it  surprises  one  to  see 
another  railway  grade  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river. 
That  is  the  Canadian  Northern  railway,  built  by  those 
great  hypnotizers  Mackenzie  &  Mann,  contractors,  both 
of  whom  have  now  a  prefix,  for  both  have  been  knighted, 
the  one  being  Sir  William  and  the  other  Sir  Donald. 
They  floated  bonds  on  the  strength  of  the  anticipated 
wheat  haulage  from  the  grain-fields  of  Alberta  and 
Saskatchewan  to  Vancouver.  Incidentally  it  is  to  be 
remarked  that  the  pioneers  of  exploration  and  of  rail- 
way development  in  Canada  were  mostly  Scots.  The 
first  transcontinental  railway  owed  its  origin  mainly  to 
the  indomitable  pluck  and  foreseeing  initiative  of  Donald 


A.  Smith  (Lord  Strathcona)  and  George  Stephen  (Lord 
Mt.  Stephen).  The  Fraser  river  was  first  explored  by 
Simon  Fraser,  an  officer  of  the  North-West  Fur  Com- 
pany, in  1806.  He  thought  it  was  the  Columbia,  but 
later  he  followed  it  to  the  sea,  and  for  this  the  river  was 
named  after  him.  In  1857  the  finding  of  gold  on  the 
Fraser  started  the  first  big  rush  into  British  Columbia. 
In  1859  two  parties  from  Eastern  Canada  came  over- 
land by  way  of  the  Yellow  Head  pass.  The  lower 
reaches  of  the  Fraser  are  no  longer  important  as  placer 
diggings,  but  millions  of  dollars  were  won  from  Boston 
bar,  a  few  miles  below  Yale,  and  when  the  water  is  low 
the  patient  Mongol  is  yet  to  be  seen  gleaning  gold  from 
the  shelving  sand.  The  Fraser  yielded  its  richest  treas- 
ure nearer  its  source,  at  Barkerville,  in  the  Cariboo  dis- 
trict. In  the  early  days  stern-wheel  steamers  plied  as 
far  up-stream  as  Yale  and  the  road  to  the  upper  diggings 
crossed  the  Fraser  at  Spuzzam,  going  thence  to  Barker- 
ville. 

Night  drew  the  curtains  on  the  scenery.  We  awoke  at 
Revelstoke,  where  passengers  for  the  West  Kootenay 
country  take  another  train,  which  brings  them,  in  274, 
miles,  to  the  head  of  Arrow  lakes,  expansions  of  the 
Columbia  river,  a  linked  water-way  on  which  they  voyage 
for  130  miles  in  a  stern-wheel  steamer  for  the  whole 
of  a  long  day,  arriving  at  Robson  in  the  evening. 
This  lake-travel  is  a  marked  feature  of  transport  in 
British  Columbia;  it  is  pleasant  and  picturesque.  The 
last  time  I  had  made  the  same  journey  was  with  a 
client,  the  late  Ralph  Baggaley,  in  1901,  when  we  had  as 
fellow-passenger  a  solitary  soldier  returning  from  the 
Boer  war.  He  had  left  his  little  ranch  on  the  lake  and 
gone  13,000  miles  to  fight  for  his  country;  he  had  done 
his  duty,  and  returned  to  his  log-house  and  its  patch  of 
cultivation,  disembarking  from  the  steamer  on  a  lonely 
wharf,  where  no  one  came  to  greet  him,  no  one  gave  him 
a  hand.  To  me  he  seemed  truly  heroic,  a  noble  citizen, 
a  man  who  had  done  his  duty  quietly  and  thoroughly. 
This  time,  going  southward  from  Arrowhead,  we  had 
90  khaki-clad  soldiers  on  their  way  from  the  camp  at 
Vernon  to  their  homes,  during  a  brief  holiday  from 
training.  They  too  had  volunteered  for  service  on  a 
distant  battlefield.  A  sturdy  set  of  fellows  they  looked — 
vigorous  and  alert.  In  the  morning  paper  I  read  a 
speech  by  the  Premier  of  the  Province,  Mr.  W.  J. 
Bowser,  in  which  he  stated  that  one  out  of  every  13  in 
the  population — men,  women,  and  children — of  British 
Columbia  had  volunteered  for  service  with  the  Allies  in 
Europe.  During  the  days  spent  in  the  Province  I  ob- 
tained plenty  of  evidence  of  the  wonderful  loyalty  of 
the  people  to  their  home-land  and  to  a  cause  they  have 
truly  at  heart.  Of  the  surveyors  107  out  of  260  on  the 
register  have  gone  to  the-  front,  and  of  the  remainder  the 
majority  are  too  old  or  physically  unfit  to  go ;  at  the 
Blue  Bell  mine,  where  85  men  are  on  the  pay-roll,  no  less 
than  27  had  gone  to  the  front ;  at  the  Hedley  mine,  41  out 
of  150  had  volunteered ;  and  returning  from  Howe 
Sound  on  a  little  steamer  the  captain  told  me  that  23  out 
of  60  in  the  company's  employ  had  enlisted.  At  every 
mine  in  British  Columbia  each  employee,  from  manager 


November  4,  1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


659 


MAP  OF  SOUTHERN  BRITISH   COLUMBIA,   SHOWING  THE  BOUNDARY   REGION. 


to  roustabout,  voluntarily  contributes  one  day's  pay  or 
more  per  month  to  the  Patriotic  Fund,  which  is  intended 
for  the  benefit  of  the  dependents  of  the  soldiers.  Many 
of  the  technical  men  and  superintendents  are  Americans, 
but  they  also  'chip  in'  with  pleasure.  Incidentally, 
I  found  many  Americans  that  had  become  naturalized; 
it  seems  easier  for  an  American  to  become  a  Canadian 
than  to  become  a  Britisher;  but  that  is  not  surprising, 
for  the  Canadian  idea  readily  fuses  the  American  ideal 
with  the  British  tradition. 

At  Trail  we  remained  for  three  days,  appreciating 
diverse  metallurgical  operations,  while  enjoying  the^hos- 
pitality,  mental  and  physical,  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H. 
Hamilton.  Our  host  was  another  McGill  graduate  (class 
of  '84) .  This  Canadian  university  has  produced  a  num- 
ber of  notable  metallurgists:  Mathewson,  Carlyle,  and 
Robertson  have  been  mentioned.  The  Hamilton  brothers 
constitute  a  noteworthy  trio,  E.  H.  at  Trail,  A.  McL.  at 
Aguascalientes,  and  W.  J.  at  Cerro  de  Pasco.  Later  I 
shall  go  into  the  details  of  the  electrolytic  practice  at 
Trail.  This  smelter  was  built  originally  to  treat  the  out- 
put of  Rossland,  which  still  supplies  1000  tons  out  of  the 
1600  treated  daily.  The  plant  overlooks  the  Columbia 
river,  which  flows  southward  around  the  mountain  con- 
stituting the  Rossland  mining  district.  Only  six  miles 
away,  on  the  American  side  of  the  boundary  line,  is  the 
Northport  smelter,  now  operated  by  Harry  L.  Day  of 
Spokane,  the  owner  of  the  Hercules  and  other  silver- 
lead  mines  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene.  The  Trail  smelter  was 
built  by  that  splendid  adventurer,  F.  Augustus  Heinze, 
but  it  is  now  controlled  by  a  financial  group  identified 
with  the  C.  P.  R.  A  clever  staff  of  technical  men  is  in 
charge  and  good  work  is  being  done.  It  is  the  only  metal 
refinery  in  Canada,  and  is  playing  a  decisive  part  in  the 
development  of  the  Boundary  region — a  name  given  to 
that  part  of  British  Columbia  adjacent  to  the  inter- 
national line,  which  is  the  latitude  of  49°  north. 

Everybody  goes  to  Nelson,  the  principal  town  in  the 
Kootenay  region.  It  was  an  important  mining  centre  15 
years  ago  and  continues  to  be  the  chief  place  of  residence, 
being  the  terminus  or  division  point  of  the  C.  P.  R., 
Kettle  Valley,  and  Great  Northern  railways.  Situated 
on  the  mountain-side  above  the  west  arm  of  Lake  Koo- 
tenay, it  has  a  charming  site  and  a  lovely  outlook.  Here 
we  were  met  by  an  old  friend,  S.  S.  Fowler  (Columbia 
'84),  who  took  us  in  a  motor-launch  to  Riondel,  30  miles 


distant,  on  the  main  lake.  In  this  part  of  the  world 
everybody  uses  the  motor-launch,  it  is  the  gondola  of  the 
mountains.  We  arrived  at  dark,  having  enjoyed  the  long 
twilight  of  this  northern  latitude  and  watched  the  day 
fade  behind  the  dark  forest-clad  mountains.  Concern- 
ing the  Blue  Bell  mine  and  mill,  of  which  Mr.  Fowler  is 
manager,  I  shall  have  something  to  say  in  a  later  article. 
The  mine  is  situated  on  a  peninsula  from  the  summit  of 
which  the  traveler  gains  a  fine  view  of  the  lake,  up  and 
down.  Here  the  lake  is  2^  miles  wide ;  on  the  opposite 
side  are  the  mountains  that  separate  it  from  the  Sloean 
lakes,  which  fill  narrow  valleys  between  off -shoots  of  the 
Silkirk  range.  Riondel  looks  across  the  lake  to  Ains- 
worth,  where  are  several  silver-lead  mines.  The  picture 
is  framed  by  the  tall  columns  of  the  Douglas  fir,  a  species 
characteristic  of  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  Northwest. 
This  noble  tree  is  also  known  as  the  Oregon  pine;  it  is 
the  pseudotsuga  Douglasii  or  false  hemlock,  both  un- 
pleasant names.  But  it  is  a  handsome  tree  and  adds 
greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  British  Columbian  land- 
scape. 

Looking  across  the  lake  one  can  see  the  few  houses 
that  constitute  the  settlement  of  Ainsworth  and  the  lines 
of  clearing  that  indicate  the  course  of  various  tram- 
ways from  the  mines  on  the  mountain-side  to  the  shore 
below.  Dumps  dot  the  forested  slope.  Southward, 
toward  Balfour,  are  the  scattered  rock-piles  of  the  High- 
lander group,  now  idle ;  behind  them,  but  not  visible, 
lie  the  United  and  other  claims  now  being  developed  by 
A.  W.  McCune,  of  Salt  Lake,  who  is  driving  a  long  adit 
to  tap  the  expected  continuation  of  a  silver-lead  orebody. 
North  of  Ainsworth,  high  on  the  mountain,  is  the  No.  1 
mine,  belonging  to  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting 
Company  and  yielding  a  silver  ore,  poor  in  lead,  for  the 
smelter  at  Trail.  Near-by  is  the  Silver  Hoard,  owned  by 
Spokane  people.  These  two  mines  mark  replacements 
in  limestone,  while  the  United  is  a  fissure  crossing  the 
schist  and  limestone.  The  No.  1  has  a  tramway  to  the 
lake-shore.  Farther  north  is  the  Highland  connected  by 
tram  with  a  concentrating  mill  at  the  water-side,  where 
Cedar  creek  enters  the  lake.  This  also  belongs  to  the 
Consolidated  and  yields  a  silver-lead  ore.  Beyond  the 
Highland,  farther  north,  are  the  Florence  and  other 
properties  controlled  at  Spokane.  The  Florence  is 
building  a  concentrator  in  a  clearing  close  to  the  shore. 
There  is  talk  of  a  300-ton  plant,  using  flotation.     The 


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MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


Ainsworth  district  is  said  to  be  fairly  prosperous  and  is 
likely  to  become  more  productive,  the  current  develop- 
ment work  being  well  planned.  Reciting  the  various 
ownerships  one  is  reminded  of  the  large  part  played  by 
Spokane  operators  in  the  exploitation  of  the  Boundary 
and  Kootenay  mining  districts.  Most  of  these  energetic 
Americans  began  their  British  Columbian  experience  at 
Rossland,  where  several  of  them  made  much  money. 
Patsy  Clark,  John  A.  Finch,  A.  B.  Campbell,  Charles 
Sweeney,  and  John  R.  Cook  were  the  leaders,  for  most 
of  them  have  gone  over  the  last  range.  Mr.  Cook  and 
Col.  Payton  continue  the  tradition.  Such  names  as 
Yankee  Girl,  Mollie  Gibson,  New  Denver,  and  Silverton 
suggest  the  number  of  miners  from  Colorado  that  helped 
to  prospect  the  Kootenay  districts.  Indeed,  the  friendly 
co-operation  between  Canadians  and  Americans  is  a  part 
of  the  history  of  British  Columbian  mining. 

After  a  memorable  glimpse  of  home  life  in  this  lovely 
wilderness,  we  returned  in  the  motor-launch,  12  miles 
to  Balfour,  where  we  caught  the  steamer  plying  be- 
tween Kootenay  Landing  and  Nelson.  The  scenery  is 
well  remembered.  Terraced  lines  along  the  mountain- 
sides mark  the  escarpments  or  edges  of  bedded  rocks. 
Variation  of  foliage  is  due  largely  to  forest-fires  of  dif- 
ferent periods.  The  mountains  are  clad  in  foliage  to 
their  very  summits,  save  those  that  reach  perpetual 
snow.  The  dark  silhouette  of  the  ranges  provokes  the 
imagination  with  questions  of  the  beyond.  Along  the 
shore  of  the  lake  a  white  rim  is  made  by  high-water  wash- 
ing the  rock,  which  is  fringed  with  bleached  drift-wood. 
Inlets  are  bordered  with  sandy  beaches,  but  elsewhere 
the  cliff  plunges  at  a  high  angle  into  deep  water.  A 
great  stillness  broods  over  these  long  and  narrow  lakes; 
man's  trespass  is  relatively  inconsequent;  the  purring  of 
a  motor-boat  or  the  pulsating  splash  of  a  steamer  is  heard 
at  rare  intervals,  but  the  birds  are  few  and  the  smoke  of 
human  industry  does  not  stain  the  blue  of  a  tranquil  sky. 

Between  Nelson  and  Grand  Forks  one  receives  a  re- 
minder of  British  Columbia's  great  asset  in  water- 
power,  for  at  Bonnington  falls  the  Kootenay  river  leaps 
and  runs  in  joyous  strength.  Enormous  reserves  of 
power  for  developing  electric  energy  are  plainly  avail- 
able. The  traveler  also  hears  about  the  Doukabors,  the 
Russian  peasants  occupying  farms  along  the  big  river 
that  becomes  the  Columbia  and  along  the  Grand  Forks 
valley,  which  is  watered  by  the  Kettle,  another  tributary 
of  the  Columbia,  The  Doukabors  live  under  the  patri- 
archal system,  their  chief  being  Peter  Veregin,  a  man  of 
unusual  ability.  About  8000  of  these  Russians  have 
settled  in  British  Columbia,  on  a  suggestion  made  by  the 
son  of  Henry  George  to  the  son  of  Leo  Tolstoy.  The 
Doukabors  refused  to  serve  in  the  Russian  army,  being 
opposed  to  the  killing  of  any  living  thing,  even  fish. 
They  are  vegetarians,  and  at  first  would  not  employ 
horses  for  pulling  the  plough,  delegating  that  task  to 
their  women.  Now  they  use  horses,  but  the  women  and 
children  constitute  an  important  part  of  the  field-labor. 
They  are  hard  workers  and  intense  cultivators.  From 
the  train  one  can  see  the  stereotyped  dwellings  of  this 
community,  two  brick  houses  connected  at  the  rear  by  a 


longer  dwelling,  this  being  set  aside  for  the  unmarried 
while  the  wings  in  front  are  occupied  by  the  married 
folk.  At  Robson  the  Doukabors  have  built  a  handsome 
concrete  bridge  and  near-by  is  their  jam  factory,  the 
products  of  which  are  highly  extolled.  While  orderly, 
they  refuse  to  keep  vital  statistics  and  will  not  permit 
their  children  to  go  to  school.  The  Provincial  Govern- 
ment has  humored  them,  but  not  without  a  few  quarrels 
with  the  local  authorities.  If  employed  off  their  farms 
they  go  in  groups,  not  as  individuals,  and  payment  for 
their  work  is  made  to  the  ^patriarch.  How  desirable  they 
are  as  an  element  in  the  population  of  the  Province  is  a 
matter  of  dispute.  To  me  they  seemed  a  gain,  for  they 
are  quiet,  industrious,  and  productive.  Some  of  them 
have  broken  away  from  the  organization  and  have  start- 
ed farms  on  individual  account.  In  course  of  time  they 
will  learn  to  speak  English,  they  will  see  the  advantages 
of  sending  their  children  to  school,  intermarriages  will 
ensue,  and  a  few  decades  hence  the  manner  of  their  com- 
ing will  be  a  tradition.  Like  the  Boers  and  the  Mormons 
they  will  be  engulfed  in  the  tide  of  life  around  them. 

From  Nelson  we  returned  to  the  Coast  over  the  Kettle 
Valley  railroad,  a  line  that  runs  near  the  boundary  and 
serves  as  a  chord  to  the  arc  made  by  the  route  from  Van- 
couver to  Nelson  by  way  of  Revelstoke  and  the  Arrow 
lakes.  The  line  as  a  whole  had  only  just  been  opened 
to  passenger  traffic.  It  serves  the  Boundary  region, 
passing  through  such  mining  centres  as  Grand  Forks, 
Greenwood,  and  Princeton.  Leaving  Robson  the  railway 
runs  along  the  precipitous  mountain  slope  above  the 
lower  Arrow  lake  (or  Columbia  river)  and  then  turns 
westward  among  the  fir-woods  overlooking  Lake  Chris- 
tina. But  the  best  scenery  is  east  of  Penticton,  the  town 
at  the  south  end  of  Lake  Okanagan.  The  railroad  makes 
two  great  horse-shoe  curves  above  the  Kelowna  valley. 
Ke-lowna  means  'the  bear,'  the  valley  being  named  after 
an  old  settler  whose  grizzly  beard  caused  the  Indians  to 
liken  him  to  a  denizen  of  the  adjacent  woods. 

But  it  is  of  the  view  from  the  high-line  railroad  that 
I  wish  to  speak.  In  the  twilight  we  made  the  turn  that 
unwound  the  panoramic  film  of  wonderland.  The  fore- 
ground of  rocks  and  firs  descends  into  the  vague  vast- 
ness  of  a  far-spreading  valley,  varied  by  patches  of  cul- 
tivation, dimly  discernible  in  the  fading  light;  it  is  a 
continental  topography  in  miniature,  little  ranges  of 
hills  and  scattered  surfaces  of  water,  beginning  to  re- 
flect the  afterglow;  on  the  farther  edge  of  this  broad 
valley  there  is  a  series  of  linked  lakes  whose  ruffled 
silver  alternates  with  still  water  reflecting  the  dark 
slopes  of  the  onlooking  mountains — a  big  range  of  flat- 
topped  summits,  suggesting  remnants  of  a  great  plateau, 
sharply  silhouetted  against  a  saffron  sky.  No  sign  of 
man  appears  save  the  level  scar  of  the  railroad  grade  cut- 
ting the  forested  slope,  but  a  big  black  bird,  like  the 
spirit  of  evil,  crosses  the  sunset  and  vanishes  into  the 
woods.  Fainter  grows  the  light.  To  the  north  the  blue 
hills  of  Okanagan  fade  into  the  purple  distance,  the 
sound  of  a  waterfall  fulfills  the  sense,  and  the  twilight 
merges  into  a  starry  night. 

Soon  the  lights  of  Penticton  appeared,  the  train  ran 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


661 


THE   HARBOR   OF  VICTORIA   AS   SEEN   FROM   THE   EMPRESS    HOTEL. 


YALE,   B.   C.      THE  FRASER  RIVER  AND   THE  CANADIAN   PACIFIC   RAILROAD. 


662 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


down  to  the  water-side,  where  the  brilliantly  illuminated 
lake-steamer  was  waiting  to  discharge  and  to  receive 
passengers,  while  on  the  shore,  behind  an  avenue  of  hand- 
some trees,  the  lights  of  the  Incola  hotel  welcomed  the 
weary  traveler.  At  Penticton  Mr.  Gomer  P.  Jones,  man- 
ager of  the  Nickel  Plate  mine,  met  us  with  his  car,  in  • 
which  we  motored  to  Hedley.  The  road  was  in  excellent 
condition,  for  it  had  been  swept  clear  of  stones  in  honor 
of  the  Premier  (Mr.  "W.  J.  Bowser)  recently  on  a  pre- 
election tour  of  the  Province.  At  Olalla,  26  miles  from 
Penticton,  we  crossed  the  trail  of  a  punctured  boom. 
Ten  years  ago  this  locality  loomed  large  in  the  daily 
press,  the  Sunday  issues  of  the  World  and  Journal  in 
New  York  published  full-page  pictures  of  the  supposed 
mines,  also  of  an  imaginary  race-course,  smelter,  and 
town,  as  well  as  of  trains  running  on  an  imaginary  rail- 
road, all  of  which,  as  Mr.  James  W.  Gerard,  now  at 
Berlin,  would  say,  "originated  in  the  fertile  imagination 
of  the  boosters."  Yet  there  was  some  fire  to  this  smoke, 
for  the  Dolphin,  the  prospect  that  gave  some  color  to  the 
hoom,  is  now  shipping  copper  ore  to  the  smelter  at  Grand 
Porks  and  numerous  promising  showings  of  ore  are  said 
to  exist.  Near  Keremeos,  six  miles  south,  is  the  Horn 
Silver,  a  new  mining  enterprise  that  is  shipping  high- 
grade  silver  ore,  also  to  Grand  Forks,  where  is  the  smelter 
of  the  Granby  Consolidated  company.  From  Keremeos 
it  is  18  miles  to  Hedley,  up  the  valley  of  the  Similkameen. 
The  first  sign  of  industry  is  the  flume  and  power-house ; 
then  the  Striped  mountain,  so  named  by  Dawson,  in- 
troduces the  characteristic  geology  of  the  district — a 
series  of  limestone  beds  intercalated  by  sheets  of  eruptive 
rock. 

The  mine  is  3700  ft.  above  the  mill.  It  was  a  hot  day 
— August  26 — when  I  made  my  visit  to  the  upper  work- 
ings. In  the  No.  3  adit  the  ice  of  winter  lingered,  the 
door  of  the  'tunnel'  being  kept  closed  so  that  the  ice 
might  be  conserved  for  use  in  the  boarding-house.  The 
temperature  was  40°  F.  On  the  porch  of  the  store- 
house it  was  80°  and  at  the  mill  it  was  95°.  Descending 
by  the  tramway,  the  air  became  sensibly  hotter  and  dur- 
ing the  last  thousand  feet  of  descent  it  seemed  like  the 
approach  to  Tophet.  Concerning  the  geology  and  ore 
deposits  I  shall  write  separately.  From  the  upper  ter- 
minal of  the  tramway,  one  obtains  a  fine  view  of  the 
region,  the  Boundary  country,  as  it  is  called,  for  the 
international  line  is  only  30  miles  south.  Incidentally,  it 
may  be  remarked  that  if  the  line  had  been  drawn  one 
degree  farther  north,  that  is,  the  parallel  of  50°,  it  would 
have  excluded  several  rich  Canadian  mining  districts, 
while  if  it  had  been  placed  one  degree  southward  the  ex- 
tension would  have  included  little  valuable  mineral  terri- 
tory, save  Republic  and  a  few  prospects  in  the  Cascades. 
Where  we  stood,  at  the  head  of  the  tramway,  our  western 
horizon  was  bounded  by  the  Hope  mountains,  on  the 
near  side  of  the  Fraser  river.  South-west  the  white  sum- 
mit of  Mt.  Baker  stood  sentinel.  At  our  feet  the  wind- 
ing valley  of  the  Similkameen  river  lost  itself  in  the 
maze  of  the  Cascade  range,  westward,  for  its  source  is  in 
the  United  States,  while  the  chief  tributary,  the  Tul- 
ameen.  which  starts  in  the  Hope  mountains,  joins  it  at 


Princeton.     This  is  a  promising  mining  district  and  is 
attracting  attention  just  now. 

In  order  to  catch  the  train  at  Princeton,  we  had  to 
motor  thither  between  midnight  and  1 :  40  a.m.  To  kill 
time  Mr.  Jones  took  us  to  the  moving-picture  show. 
While  there  the  electric  lights  flickered  three  times,  this 
being  a  signal,  so  I  was  told,  that  something  was  wrong 
at  the  power-plant.  None  of  us  guessed  the  cause  of  it, 
but  when  we  emerged  from  the  'movie'  hall,  the  sky  was 
glorified  with  the  aurora  oorealis  or  northern  lights.  The 
spectral  streamers  thrown  to  the  zenith  looked  like  rib- 
bons of  luminous  gas  issuing  from  a  furnace  beyond  the 
dark  rim  of  the  northern  mountains.  The  last  time  I 
had  seen  a  good  display  of  this  magnetic  phenomenon 
was  at  Rat  Portage  (now  Kenora)  in  Manitoba  in  June 
1897 ;  while  farther  north,  in  the  Yukon  and  Alaska,  I 
was  not  so  fortunate.  The  idea  used  to  prevail  that  the 
aurora  was  caused  by  electrical  discharges  in  a  frosty 
atmosphere,  that  is,  one  containing  multitudinous  par- 
ticles of  ice,  but  recent  scientific  observation  gives  an- 
other and  more  satisfactory  theory:  "that  electrified 
particles,  shot  out  from  the  sun  with  great  velocity,  are 
drawn  to  the  earth's  magnetic  poles  along  the  lines  of 
force.  Striking  the  rarified  gases  of  the  upper  atmo- 
sphere, they  illuminate  them,  just  as  the  electric  dis- 
charge lights  up  a  vacuum-tube."*  The  lowest  height 
above  the  earth's  surface  at  which  the  aurora  has  been 
observed  is  25  miles,  at  which  level  the  electrons  from 
the  sun  would  penetrate  a  nitrogen  atmosphere,  while  at 
a  height  of  60  miles  the  atmosphere  consists  largely  of 
rarified  hydrogen.  When  sun-spots  are  numerous,  the 
discharge  of  electrons  is  most  violent  and  the  most  brilli- 
ant auroras  are  observed,  but  the  night-sky  is  always 
illuminated  in  some  degree  owing  to  the  penetration  of 
the  earth's  atmosphere  by  these  solar  emanations.  On 
the  evening  mentioned — August  26 — the  electricians 
were  perplexed  by  the  irregular  behavior  of  their  ap- 
paratus and  we  learned  next  day  that  telegraphic  com- 
munication was  interrupted  for  a  period  of  20  minutes 
while  the  earth  was  being  bombarded  by  solar  ions. 

Leaving  Vancouver  at  9 :  15  a.m.  on  August  28  by  the 
S.  S.  Bellena,  I  arrived  at  Britannia  Beach  at  12:30. 
The  distance  is  only  28  miles,  but  the  steamer  makes 
several  calls,  two  of  them  at  different  points  on  Bowen 
island,  a  holiday  resort,  where  camping  parties  depend 
upon  this  vessel  for  mail  and  supplies.  Bowen  island 
is  14  miles  from  Vancouver,  at  the  entrance  to  Howe 
sound,  near  the  head  of  which  is  Britannia  Beach. 

The  forest  fires  near  Bellingham,  in  Washington,  had 
blown  smoke  across  the  international  boundary  so  as  to 
make  a  murky  atmosphere,  through  which  the  Cascade 
range  loomed  with  magnified  impressiveness.  Emerging 
from  Burrard  inlet,  on  which  Vancouver  stands,  and 
going  around  the  Point  Atkinson  promontory  into  Howe 
sound,  the  traveler  sees  a  railroad  grade  on  which  no 
trains  are  running.    This  extends  from  North  Vancouver 

*Birkeland's  and  Stormer's  theory  as  stated  by  Ira  Remsen 
before  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  at  Washington,  on 
April  22,  1913. 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


663 


FARMS    IN    THE   ENVIRONS    OF   VICTORIA,    B.    C. 


JL           [A 

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jJBb^"*        JSHfe-* 

■'      #F      -."&'     "'     tfflBf  >               HE"            :?!-ap'^" 

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Mi    '" 

.      .J;.        i^SH      Si:j 

THE    QUARRY-GARDEN     OF    THE    CEMENT    WORKS,     VICTORIA. 


664 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


to  Horeshoe  bay,  9  miles,  and  will  connect  eventually 
with  the  Pacific  Great  Eastern  railroad  now  running  120 
miles  from  Squamish,  at  the  head  of  Howe  sound,  to 
Lillooet,  and  47  miles  farther  to  railhead  at  Clinton, 
traversing  a  mining  region  of  some  promise,  notably 
around  Pemberton.  The  line  is  planned  to  reach  Prince 
George,  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Pacific.  This  part  of  Brit- 
ish Columbia  is  the  scene  of  railroad  schemes  that  antici- 
pate a  traffic  of  continental  proportions ;  indeed,  much  of 
this  activity  is  founded  on  the  expectation  that  the 
grain  trade  of  the  prairie  provinces  east  of  the  Rocky 
mountainns  must  find  an  outlet  westward. 

Entering  Howe  sound,  the  bluster  outside  gives  place 
to  quiet  water  and  a'  summer  air.  Near  Anvil  island 
the  scenery  becomes  Norwegian  in  its  boldness.  Snow- 
capped peaks  overlook  the  inlet  and  steep  forested  slopes 
enclose  it.  As  the  little  vessel  ploughs  her  way  through 
waters  in  which  high  mountains  are  reflected  there  comes 
that  recurrent  feeling  that  we  are  adventurers  entering 
the  unknown,  voyagers  with  Vancouver  or  Wrangel  into 
a  new  world.  Headland  after  headland  projects  for- 
ward in  fine  perspective.  The  steamer  turns  a  point, 
runs  into  a  pretty  bay,  enclosed  by  cliffs  above  which 
the  forest  rises,  tier  on  tier,  up  to  the  snow.  This  is 
Porteau,  where  a  plant  for  exploiting  the  gravel  and 
rock  used  by  contractors  in  Vancouver  is  situated.  Five 
miles  more  and  the  houses  on  the  beach  at  Britannia 
emerge  from  the  haze,  along  a  wide  bay  indenting  the 
eastern  shore  at  a  point  six  miles  from  the  head  of  the 
sound.  First  the  red  roof  of  the  old  vanner-building  ap- 
pears, then  the  green  roof  of  the  big  department-store, 
and  finally  the  terraced  building  of  the  new  mill  and  the 
reddish  cutting  of  the  tramway,  with  the  ordered  array 
of  houses  constituting  the  settlement  tributary  to  this 
important  copper  mine.  Concerning  the  mine  and  mill, 
I  shall  have  a  good  deal  to  say  in  another  and  more 
technical  article.  I  spent  a  couple  of  deeply  interesting 
days  at  Britannia,  returning  late  in  the  evening  of 
August  29.  By  courtesy  of  an  introduction  to  the 
captain,  I  was  permitted  to  sit  in  the  pilot-house,  a 
position  from  which  the  charm  of  the  scenery  was 
intensified  by  detachment  from  the  other  passengers. 
It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  navigation.  The 
flare  of  the  Atkinson  light  was  seen  on  the  clouds  long 
before  the  direct  rays  were  visible  and  I  noticed  that 
when  within  the  glare  from  the  lighthouse  it  was  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  distinguish  the  lights  of  other  vessels. 
The  rule  of  the  road  at  sea  is  to  keep  to  the  right.  When 
approaching  another  vessel  it  is  the  custom  to  turn  to 
starboard  (right)  and  show  your  port  (left)  light,  which 
is  red.  The  Narrows,  at  the  entry  to  Vancouver  harbor, 
is  being  dredged,  so  that  there  is  little  room  to  spare. 
The  bewildering  effect  of  the  many  lights,  fixed  or  mov- 
ing, and  the  difficulty  of  distinguishing  those  that  were 
meant  to  guide  the  navigator,  gave  me  some  idea  of  the 
alertness  required  in  the  pilot-house.  Undoubtedly  the 
short  voyage  from  Vancouver  to  Britannia  is  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  the  technical  traveler  can  make :  the 
courtesy  of  Mr.  J.  W.  D.  Moodie  and  his  staff  made  it 
memorable  among  my  many  journeys  of  observation. 


Returning  to  Victoria,  on  the  way  home,  we  allowed 
ourselves  a  couple  of  days  of  rest.  Meanwhile  I  went  to 
the  office  of  the  Provincial  Mineralogist  for  further  in- 
formation concerning  some  of  the  districts  visited.  Then, 
by  courtesy  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson,  we  were  shown 
some  of  the  environs,  including  the  cement  works  and 
gardens  of  Mr.  R.  P.  Butchart,  on  Tod  inlet.  The  manu- 
facture of  cement  was  highly  profitable  a  few  years  ago, 
notably  during  1910  and  1911,  when  railroad  construc- 
tion was  active  on  the  mainland  and  the  building  boom 
was  at  its  height.  In  this  locality,  12  miles  north  of 
Victoria,  the  limestone  lies  under  clay  and  adjacent  to 
tidal  water.  The  plant  has  a  capacity  of  3000  barrels  per 
day,  the  'semi-wet'  process  being  employed.  After  the 
limestone  has  been  crushed  it  is  mixed  with  clay  in  the 
proper  proportions  and  31%  of  water  to  the  consistence 
of  a  rich  cream.  This  mixture  is  then  roasted  in  a  'kiln' 
with  finely  ground  coal  made  from  the  screening  known 
as  'washed  pea'  and  'washed  slack,'  the  consumption  of 
coal  being  in  the  proportion  of  50  tons  per  1000  barrels 
(a  barrel  weighing  350  pounds).  The  kiln  is  a  rotating 
iron  cylinder  170  ft.  long,  tapering  in  diameter  from  10 
to  9  ft.  Three  other  kilns  are  smaller,  from  125  to  150 
ft.  long,  and  with  a  minimum  diameter  of  7|  ft.  From 
this  the  'clinker'  emerges  in  particles  up  to  1  inch  in 
size,  to  which  3|%  gypsum  is  added  as  a  'retarder,'  that 
is,  to  prevent  the  cement  from  setting  too  quickly. 
Thence  after  passing  through  a  cooler  the  new  mixture 
goes  to  Sturtevant  ring-rolls,  by  which  it  is  pulverized, 
in  two  stages,  to  20-mesh  and  then  re-ground  in  10  tube- 
mills  (in  several  sizes,  6  by  22,  5  by  22,  and  6  by  18  ft.)  to 
a  dust  88%  of  which  will  pass  a  200-mesh  sieve.  In  the 
tube-mills  4,  5,  and  6-inch  chrome-steel  balls  are  used  for 
preliminary  reduction,  then  flint  pebbles,  then  steel 
slugs.  The  sacking  of  the  cement  is  done  by  tying  the 
neck  of  the  bag,  but  leaving  a  hole  at  one  of  the  bottom 
corners  with  a  flap  inside  so  that  it  closes  automatically 
when  the  bag  is  filled.    This  is  called  the  Bates  valve-bag. 

So  much  for  arid  technology.  This  manufacture  of 
cement  furnishes  a  financial  and  physical  background 
for  a  lovely  pleasanee.  Walking  with  an  eye  on  the 
chimneys  of  the  cement  works,  the  visitor  passes  through 
a  cleft  in  the  rock  and  suddenly  finds  himself  looking 
down  upon  a  sunken  garden,  the  conversion  of  an  aban- 
doned quarry,  the  bottom  of  which  has  been  leveled  into 
velvet  lawns  while  the  loose  stones  have  been  piled  into 
rockeries  over  which  flowering  plants  are  climbing  in 
glad  profusion.  Wild  duck — their  wings  clipped — swim 
on  a  little  lake.  Water  runs  amid  the  parterres  and  a 
waterfall  adds  sound  to  color.  The  masses  of  bloom 
gladden  the  rocky  ramparts  of  the  quarry  and  deepen 
the  mystery  of  the  untutored  wilderness  in  the  back- 
ground. 

Let  that  be  the  closing  chord.  In  large  measure  it 
typifies  British  Columbia :  the  homes,  the  fields,  and  the 
gardens  nestling  amid  the  rugged  mountains,  the  prim- 
eval forests,  and  the  wide  waterways  of  a  land  rich  in 
natural  resources  and  richer  still  in  a  people  that  has 
responded  to  the  call  of  an  old  tie  and  the  impulse  of  a 
great  devotion. 


November  -t,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


665 


Potash  -  Bearing 


©2   fei!Mumim 


By      WiBStoGHt     JLasig 


Introduction.  The  extreme  scarcity  and  enormous 
rise  in  price  of  potash  compounds  incident  upon  the 
War  and  the  shutting  oft'  of  German  importations  have 
made  the  development  of  a  domestic  supply  imperative. 
Every  State  in  the  Union  possesses  potential  potash, 
either  in  the  form  of  organic  or  inorganic  reserves,  but 
in  no  case  can  an  adequate  supply  be  obtained  imme- 
diately, and  a  prolonged  struggle  will  be  required  to 
overcome  the  evils  of  a  situation  brought  about  by  the 
preceding  years  of  free-trade  in  chemicals. 

It  goes  almost  without  saying  that  California,  so  rich 
in  varied  mineral  resources,  possesses  ample  supplies  of 
potash  and  in  varied  forms.  Among  vegetal  substances 
her  seaweeds  are  pre-eminent  in  their  potash  contents. 
In  the  Searles  lake-bed  she  possesses  perhaps  the  most 
extensive  deposit  of  the  kind  on  this  continent.  In  her 
widely  scattered  feldspar  formations  she  appears  to  have 
an  inexhaustible  reserve,  which,  when  suitable  methods 
of  extraction  are  developed  may  displace  all  other 
sources  of  supply. 

It  was  natural  that  when  the  dearth  of  potash  was 
realized  fully  that  men  should  turn  with  feverish  energy 
to  the  task  of  utilizing  the  material  most  immediately 
available,  and  to  which  the  simplest  methods  of  extrac- 
tion are  applicable.  Such  are  the  dry  lake-bed  salts,  and 
the  ash  of  the  kelp,  from  both  of  which  the  potash  salts 
may  be  dissolved  by  water.  The  easy  solubility  of  the 
chloride,  the  sulphate,  and  the  carbonate  of  potash  favors 
extraction  and  purification,  but  it  so  happens  that  corre- 
sponding salts  of  sodium,  of  equal  or  greater  solubility, 
accompany  the  potash  contained  both  in  the  lake-beds 
and  in  the  seaweed,  so  that  some  embarrassment  is  felt 
and  some  inconvenience  occasioned  by  their  presence. 
The  desert  salts  of  the  dry  lakes  contain,  especially  at 
Searles  lake,  at  least  four  sodium  compounds  that  inter- 
crystallize  with  the  potash,  which  exists  mainly  as  chlor- 
ide, and  prevent  its  easy  separation.  These  are  sodium 
chloride  (common  salt),  the  sulphate,  the  carbonate,  and 
the  borate — all  valuable  chemicals  in  their  place,  but  not 
so  valuable  when  in  the  wrong  place.  If  it  becomes 
necessary  to  transport,  crystallize  out,  and  throw  away  a 
ton  of  common  salt  and  half  a  ton  of  sulphate  of  soda  in 
order  to  obtain  a  hundred-weight  of  salable  chloride  of 
potassium,  the  operation  may  not  prove  lucrative. 

A  large  number  of  native  rocks  contain  potash,  but 
those  rich  enough  for  making  potash  are  not  above  three 
or  four  in  number.  At  the  head  of  these  stands  ortho- 
clase — potash  feldspar — a  usual  constituent  of  granite 
and  gneiss,  which  are  well  distributed  in  many  parts  of 
the  State.  Granite  and  gneiss  of  themselves  would  not 
serve  to  make  potash,  but  pegmatite,  a  related  rock,  in 
which  the  three  constituents,  mica,  feldspar,  and  quartz 


are  segregated  into  comparatively  coarse  particles,  is 
the  usual  source  of  feldspar,  which  is  separated  from  the 
other  two  by  cobbing.  The  mica,  should  it  prove  to  be 
muscovite,  the  light-colored  species,  also  contains  potash 
and  except  for  its  slightly  greater  content  of  iron,  is 
equally  promising  as  a  source  of  potash.  Both  are  nat- 
ural silicate  minerals,  composed  chiefly  of  silica,  alumina, 
and  potash,  along  with  various  subordinate  impurities, 
chiefly  soda,  lime,  magnesia,  and  iron.  Although  the 
theoretical  composition  of  orthoclase  shows  a  content  of 
16%  and  above  of  potash,  I  have  not  found  by  actual 
analysis  a  greater  proportion  than  14.2%  in  the  course 
of  fifty  or  more  determinations,  on  California  feldspar. 
I  think  that  the  average  cannot  be  far  from  the  percent- 
age stated  above,  namely  10%.  The  alumina  runs  in- 
variably from  18  to  19%,  the  silica  keeping  close  to  65%. 

The  average  potash  content  of  muscovite  is  about  10%, 
thus  sensibly  equaling  orthoclase  in  this  regard.  It  is 
less  abundant,  but  perhaps  more  widely  distributed. 
Viewed  as  a  source  of  potash,  mica  would  possess  an  ad- 
vantage over  orthoclase  as  containing  less  silica,  but  it 
contains  more  magnesia,  which  would  prove  objection- 
able as  interfering  with  crystallization. 

Potash  Feldspar  is  known  to  exist  in  many  localities 
in  California,  several  of  which  are  easily  accessible,  lying 
upon  or  near  important  transportation  lines.  One  of  the 
best  known  of  these  deposits  is  near  Chualar,  in  Mon- 
terey county,  from  which  several  shipments  to  the  potter- 
ies have  been  made.  The  crude  (unground)  rock  from 
this  source  commands  about  $7  per  short  ton  laid  down 
in  San  Francisco.  It  is  said  a  considerable  exposure  of 
good  rock  occurs  there.  Extensive  deposits  are  report- 
ed from  Kern  county,  but  at  some  distance  from  the 
railroad.  The  best-appearing  feldspar  as  yet  offered  on 
the  market  is  that  of  the  King  quarry,  in  Inyo  county, 
where  large  quantities  are  said  to  exist.  This  rock  is 
remarkably  white,  clean  and  well  crystallized,  and  should 
prove  well  adapted  to  the  making  of  potash.  It  can  be 
had  at  about  the  same  price  as  above-mentioned.  Prob- 
ably twenty  or  more  localities  have  been  reported  at  one 
time  or  another,  here  and  there  throughout  the  State ;  so 
there  seems  to  be  no  dearth  of  feldspar,  at  least. 

Assuming  a  price  of  $7  per  ton  at  the  factory,  and  an 
average  content-  of  10%,  or  200  lb.  per  ton,  it  appears 
that  the  raw  material  for  one  pound  of  K20  would  cost 
Si  cents.  While  KzO  is  not  a  salable  product,  of  course, 
KHO,  the  hydrate,  called  usually  caustic  potash,  is  sold 
in  large  quantities,  commanding  a  price  at  ordinary 
times  of  6  to  7c.  per  lb.,  but  selling  now  for  about  80c. 
Most  potash  salts  are  selling  now  for  from  ten  to  thirteen 
times  their  normal  price.  The  native  chloride  from 
Stassfurt,   that  brought  $32  per  ton  before  the  War, 


666 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


commands  now  $425  per  ton,  and  the  sulphate  is  almost 
as  dear.  These,  be  it  remarked,  are  impure  commercial 
salts,  containing  from  10  to  20%  impurities.  Refined 
potash  compounds  are  not  quoted  now  in  cents  per 
pound — the  quotations  are  in  dollars.  Nine-tenths  of 
the  potash  came  from  Germany,  and  under  the  stimulus 
of  free  trade  we  paid  the  Teutons  far  more  than  a  hun- 
dred million  dollars  for  it  in  ten  years,  getting  it  so 
cheaply  that  all  domestic  supplies  were  cut  off.  But  the 
loss  and  inconvenience  arising  from  the  interruption  of 
imports  during  the  past  two  years  has  more  than  offset 
the  gain  previously  made,  and  we  have  neither  potash 
nor  a  potash  industry.  I  venture  to  say  that  if  we  had 
had  a  protective  tariff  stiff  enough  to  have  kept  the  Ger- 
man product  out  we  could  have  saved  the  $100,000,000 
and  built  up  an  industry  that  would  have  protected  us 
from  the  consequences  of  foreign  wars.  It  is  a  great 
object-lesson  in  political  economy. 

Alunite.  Next  comes  the  mineral  alunite,  which  is 
found  in  the  arid  parts  of  the  West,  and  is  undergoing 
exploitation  for  the  same  piirpose.  Alunite  is  a  sulphate 
of  potash  and  alumina,  the  former  becoming  soluble  in 
water  after  heating.  Here  we  find  a  decided  difference, 
because  neither  mica  nor  feldspar  are  affected  in  the 
least  by  water,  nor  will  they  yield  to  even  the  strong 
acids.  Since  special  measures  are  not  necessary  for 
rendering  the  valuable  base  soluble  in  case  of  alunite, 
this  mineral  becomes  more  immediately  available  for 
potash  production  than  the  silicates,  and  is  leading  them 
in  exploitation.  However,  it  seems  to  occur  only  in  com- 
paratively inaccessible  situations,  whence  transportation 
becomes  a  ruling  factor.  We  have  to  consider  also  the 
important  fact  that  no  useful  by-products  can  be  ex- 
pected from  alunite,  whereas  feldspar  is  capable  of 
yielding  two  at  least  of  these — precipitated  silica  and 
alumina  sulphate,  which  may  go  far  toward  reimburs- 
ing the  total  cost  of  reduction.  Such  considerations 
must  be  had  if  we  would  found  the  manufacture  on  an 
enduring  basis. 

The  deposits  of  alunite  thus  far  reported  do  not  seem 
to  contain  potash  to  so  high  an  extent  as  ordinary  ortho- 
clase;  in  fact,  they  do  not  appear  to  average  over  6  or 
7%.  But  as  the  mode  of  extraction  does  not  contem- 
plate the  decomposition  of  the  whole  mass,  the  remain- 
ing matters  may  be  disregarded. 

Leucitb  rock,  another  source  of  potash,  is  a  complex 
lava,  in  which  the  potash  exists  in  no  less  than  three 
distinct  silicate  minerals,  namely,  .leucite,  feldspar,  and 
phlogopite  or  magnesia  mica.  The  leucite  and  the  mica 
are  soluble  in  sulphuric  acid,  but  the  feldspar  is  not ; 
and  acid  treatment  only  avails  to  extract  perhaps  two- 
thirds  of  the  total  potash.  Added  to  this,  the  accessory 
matters,  of  which  the  rock  contains  a  great  many,  com- 
plicate the  processes  of  separation.  Chemists  have  found 
some  20  constituents,  of  which  over  a  dozen  are  basic, 
there  being  iron  in  two  forms,  magnesia,  and  other 
troublesome  matters,  which  makes  the  problem  of  sep- 
aration one  of  great  complexity.  The  average  potash 
contents,  as  shown  by  the  few  analyses  at  hand,  does  not 


exceed  10  or  11%,  which  puts  leucite  rock  into  the  class 
with  potash  feldspar  and  potash  mica.  Perhaps  the  most 
serious  objection  to  this  rock,  called  occasionally  wyo- 
mingite,  is  that  it  is  found  only  in  Wyoming,  whence 
the  transport  of  its  products  would  be  subjected  to 
heavy  charges. 

Analysis  of  Potash  Minerals.  In  this  journal  of 
August  5,  1916,  W.  B.  Hicks  describes  some  useful  field- 
tests  for  potash  in  the  common  minerals,  to  be  performed 
with  a  minimum  of  apparatus.  Should  the  investigator 
be  possessed  of  more  facilities  and  skill,  he  may  con- 
tinue his  researches  farther.  The  estimation  of  the 
alkalies  in  complex  minerals  has  always  been  held  to  be 
beyond  the  resources  of  ordinary  chemical  manipulators, 
but  it  has  become  a  necessity  to  make  the  determinations 
rapidly  and  accurately.  I  shall  describe  my  method,  in 
which  there  is  nothing  especially  new.  As  a  rule  it  is 
not  requisite  to  determine  anything  except  the  alkalies, 
nor  would  we  desire  to  estimate  the  soda  were  it  pos- 
sible to  escape  doing  so ;  but  the  determination  of  one 
alkali  involves  that  of  the  other.  As  there  is  no  proper 
precipitant  for  potash  or  soda,  we  are  compelled  to  re- 
move all  the  other  bases  from  the  solution  before  it  be- 
comes feasible  to  isolate  and  weigh  the  alkalies.  I 
weigh  out  a  gram  of  the  finely  powdered  mineral,  having 
first  dried  it  at  the  boiling-point  of  water  to  eliminate 
moisture.  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  matter  of  pulverizing, 
since  the  success  of  such  operations  depends  upon  get- 
ting the  substance  into  the  finest  possible  condition  at 
first.  I  mix  the  substance  with  about  5  cc.  strong  hydro- 
fluoric acid  (about  35%)  in  a  lead  dish  of  good  size,  and 
place  on  the  water-bath.  After  the  violence  of  the  re- 
action has  ceased,  I  add  successive  small  amounts  of 
hydrochloric  acid  and  evaporate  to  dryness,  when  the 
residue,  consisting  of  chlorides  of  the  various  bases, 
along  with  a  small  amount  of  gelatinous  silica  resulting 
from  the  decomposition  of  the  silicon  fluoride  by  the 
water  brought  in  by  the  acid,  will  be  found  as  a  loose 
powder,  provided  that  sufficient  acid  was  used.  The 
dried  powder  I  then  transfer  to  a  porcelain  crucible  and 
heat  to  low  redness,  for  the  purpose  of  expelling  as 
much  as  possible  of  the  aluminum  chloride  which  would 
otherwise  afford  a  bulky  and  annoying  precipitate  at  a 
later  stage.  The  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  nitric  acid 
during  the  evaporation  has  served  to  oxidize  all  the  iron 
present  to  the  ferric  form,  ferric  chloride  being  some- 
what volatile  also.  After  taking  up  with  water  and 
boiling,  the  various  remaining  chlorides  are  dissolved, 
when,  without  stopping  to  filter  the  silica,  etc.,  I  im- 
mediately precipitate  the  iron,  lime,  alumina,  and  all 
other  bases  with  a  mixture  of  ammonium  hydroxide  and 
carbonate,  added  in  excess,  boil  and  filter,  thus  getting 
rid  of  everything  except  a  part  of  the  magnesia,  which 
is  somewhat  soluble  in  ammoniacal  compounds. 

Evaporating  the  filtrate  to  dryness,  igniting  the 
residue  to  drive  off  all  the  ammoniacal  compounds,  and 
again  dissolving  and  filtering,  gives  a  solution  contain- 
ing the  chlorides  of  the  alkalies  in  a  state  of  purity.  It 
is  often  necessary  to  repeat  the  evaporation  with  the 


November  4,  1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


667 


addition  of  a  little  ammonium  carbonate  to  get  rid  of 

final  traces  of  magnesia.  The  chlorides  are  dried, 
ignited,  and  weighed  together.  From  this  point  the 
processes  diverge  somewhat.  We  may  precipitate  potash 
next  as  ehloro-platinate  in  the  usual  manner,  but  this 
involves  the  use  of  a  weighed  filter,  since  the  salt  decom- 
poses on  ignition  and  at.  a  temperature  as  low  as  150°  C. 
Or,  we  may  estimate  the  chlorine  in  the  residue  by  pre- 
cipitation with  silver  nitrate,  calculating  back  to  the 
combined  weight ;  but  this  method,  while  rapid  and  easy, 
is  indirect,  and  few  operators  feel  like  relying  upon  it. 
Reduction  of  the  ehloro-platinate  by  means  of  oxalic 
acid  is  recommended  by  some ;  but  I  have  done  the  best 
by  cupelling  the  burnt  filter  with  the  ehloro-platinate 
with  silver-free  lead,  and  weighing  the  residue  of  metal- 
lic platinum.  If  the  operator  has  an  assay-furnace  at 
command,  I  should  say  that  this  is  the  best  and  most 
accurate  proceeding,  and  certainly  not  difficult.  Ex- 
perienced chemists  will  understand  why  the  customary 
method  of  decomposing  the  silicates  by  fusion  with 
alkaline  carbonates  are  inapplicable  here,  and  why 
hydrochloric  is  chosen  instead  of  sulphuric  in  the  pre- 
liminary decomposition..  The  object  is,  of  course,  to 
find  a  short  method  for  determining  the  potash  alone, 
although  the  discovery  of  the  amount  of  sodium  present 
is  useful. 


Tx<&®.ftm),®mt  of?  M®IljIM<ss&at<t 

At  Renfrew,  Ontario,  the  International  Molybdenum 
Co.  recently  started  a  new  treatment  plant  of  50-ton 
capacity  in  12  hours.  From  ore  containing  as  low  as 
under  1%  molybdenum  a  70  to  80%  concentrate  is  ob- 
tained. Grinding  is  not  done  below  60-mesh.  A  gyra- 
tory-crusher and  rolls  are  used  for  this.  The  crushed 
ore  is  fed  dry  to  a  drum  revolving  in  water  at  the  head 
of  the  flotation  machine.  A  large  quantity  of  the  sul- 
phides, including  most  of  the  molybdenite,  is  floated. 
The  stream  passes  down  a  gently-inclined  box  12  ft.  long. 
The  iron  sulphides  are  carried  along  with  the  molyb- 
denite until  they  strike  baffle-boards,  which  help  to  sink 
them.  The  baffles  are  vertically  placed  boards,  over  the 
edge  of  which  the  water  carries  the  molybdenite.  They 
interfere  little  with  this  mineral,  but  cause  sinking  of 
the  other  minerals.  At  Orillia  a  refinery  makes  molybdic 
acid,  ammonium  molybdate,  and  ferro-molybdenum. 

Near  San  Diego,  California,  a  50-ton  flotation  plant 
was  recently  started  by  Shinn  &  Shinn  of  Sacramento 
to  treat  a  low-grade  deposit  of  molybdenite.  At  present 
prices,  $1.50  to  $1.75  per  lb.  of  90%  product,  a  good 
profit  is  made  on  1%,  or  under,  ore. 

Bauxite,  the  oxide  of  alumina,  occurs  in  considerable 
quantities  in  British  Guiana,  in  South  America,  and 
Americans  have  secured  leases  on  some  of  the  deposits. 


Mark  Twain  as  a  Metallurgist 

By     G.    B.     Clevenger 

Mark  Twain  had  a  brief  but  highly  illuminating  ex- 
perience in  metallurgy,  to  which  he  devotes  some  space 
in  'Roughing  It.'  After  having  ascertained  how  long 
and  dismal  a  job  it  was  to  burrow  into  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  and  get  the  coveted  ore,  he  learned  that  this  was 
but  half  the  work,  and  that  to  get  the  silver  and  gold 
out  of  the  ore  was  the  other  half  of  a  dreary  and  labori- 
ous task.  In  the  course  of  a  vivid  description  of  a  pan- 
amalgamation  mill  of  the  period,  he  observes:  "One 
would  not  suppose  that  atoms  of  gold  and  silver  would 
float  on  top  of  six  inches  of  water,  but  they  did. ' ' 

Mark  stayed  in  the  mill  only  one  week,  when  he  told 
his  employer  that,  while  thoroughly  infatuated  with  the 
business,  he  felt  constrained  to  ask  for  an  increase  in 
salary.  Whereupon  the  superintendent  replied  that  he 
was  paying  him  $10  per  week,  and  that  he  thought  it  a 
good  round  sum :  ' '  How  much  did  he  want  ? ' '  Mark 
replied  that  he  wished  $400,000  per  month  and  board, 
which  was  about  all  he  could  reasonably  ask,  consider- 
ing the  hard  times.  Needless  to  say,  he  was  ordered  off 
the  premises,  but  later,  when  reflecting  upon  those  days 
and  the  exceeding  hardness  of  the  labor,  his  only  regret 
was  that  he  had  not  asked  for  $700,000. 

All  that  would  have  been  necessary  to  put  flotation  in 
operation  in  the  early  Comstock  mills  would  have  been 
to  go  to  the  adjoining  hills,  gather  the  sage-brush 
abundantly  growing  there,  subject  it  to  destructive  distil- 
lation, and  add  the  tar-oil  thus  produced  to  the  rapidly 
revolving  pans,  which  would  have  made  splendid  agi- 
tators. The  chemicals  generally  used — mercury,  blue- 
stone  (copper  sulphate),  and  salt  could,  of  course,  have 
been  omitted.  True  enough,  as  recorded  by  Dan  De 
Quille,  friend  of  Mark  Twain  and  co-editor  with  him  on 
the  Virginia  City  Enterprise,  in  his  humorous  volume 
entitled  'The  Big  Bonanza,'  pseudo-investigators  had 
gone  to  the  'hills'  and  gathered  the  sage-brush,  and  from 
it  steeped  a  tea,  which  had  been  added  to  the  pans,  but 
this  had  not  proved  efficacious,  for  not  only  the  essential 
oil  contained  in  the  sage  was  present,  but  also  the  extract 
of  the  tannin,  which  is  now  known  to  be  deadly  to  flota- 
tion. 

Had  Mark  Twain  but  realized  that  the  floating  atoms 
of  gold  and  silver  that  he  and  others  so  persistently 
tried  to  make  sink  were  but  the  manifestation  of  a 
phenomenon  that  was  later  to  revolutionize  metallurgy, 
he  might  have  remained  a  mill-man  for  the  paltry  $10 
per  week.  But  if  the  world  might  have  had  another 
famous  metallurgist,  we  would  not  have  had  Mark 
Twain ;  and  after  all,  who  would  trade  a  Mark  Twain 
for  a  prosaic  metallurgist? 


A  natural-draft  cooling-tower,  with  a  capacity  of 
7300  gal.  per  -minute  cooled  from  115  to-  85°3  was  re- 
cently erected  at  a  steel  plant  at  Anderson,  Indiana. 


Air-pressure  tanks  carrying  over  25  lb.  per  sq.  in.  are 
to  be  inspected  biennially  by  the  California  Industrial 
Accident  Commission.  There  was  one  fatal  accident  in 
1915,  6  permanent  and  343  temporary  injuries. 


668 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


By 


'alter 


In  a  previous  article*  I  developed  a  graphic  method 
for  correcting  in  one  operation  a  measurement  by  a 
steel  tape,  for  sag  stretch,  temperature,  and  initial  error 
in  the  tape.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  present  a 
few  suggestions  for  increasing  the  accuracy  of  the  field- 
work. 

In  mine-surveying  the  vertical  angles  are  measured 
from  the  head  of  the  instrument  to  some  definite  point 


Fig.  1. 

on  the  plumb-bob  string — a  bit  of  wax,  a  match,  or  a 
target.  The  target  I  use  is  a  small  brass  cross  that  can  be 
moved  up  and  down  the  string  and  clamped  in  any  posi- 
tion. The  construction  is  shown  in  Fig.  1.  At  the 
lower  end  of  the  cross  may  lie  seen  a  hook.  This  hook, 
with  a  small  ring  on  the  string  near  the  bob,  forms  a 
means  for  rapidly  shortening  the  plumb-bob  string  when 
the  station  is  in  the  back. 

On  the  end  of  the  plumb-bob  string  is  a  hook  for 
attaching  it  to  a  spad. 

If  the  station  is  in  the  floor  the  cross  is  moved  down 
so  that  the  distance  from  the  end  of  the  bob  to  the  cross 
is  the  desired  height  of  point. 

If  the  station  is  in  the  back,  the  cross  is  moved  up 
until  the  distance  from  the  centre  of  the  spad  to  the 
cross  is  the  desired  height.  The  ring  on  the  plumb-bob 
string  is  then  slipped  over  the  hook  on  the  cross  and  the 
plumb-boh  string  is  thus  shortened  in  a  moment.  The 
portion  of  the  string  above  the  cross  has  no  lopse  ends  to 
confuse  in  the  sighting  for  horizontal  angles.     Pig.  2 

*M.  &  S.  P.,  October  28,  1916. 


lemii 


Fig.  2. 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


669 


shows  the  plumb-bob  hanging  Erpm  a  back-station. 

Owing  to  the  Eaet  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  head 
chain-man  to  bold  the  tape  at  any  point  along  its  length, 
some  sort  of  a  grip  is  desirable.    For  holding  the  tape  I 


Fig.  3. 

devised  the  grip  shown  in  Fig.  3.  It  operates  on  the 
principle  of  the  eccentric.  It  is  cast  in  aluminum,  and 
will  grip  a  tape  of  any  thickness  or  width. 

If  the  station  is  in  the  back  it  is  necessary  only  to 


Fig.  4. 

grip  the  tape  and  hold  the  proper  foot-mark  at  the  cross. 

If  the  station  is  in  the  floor,  the  aid  of  this  particular 
grip  becomes  more  apparent. 

With  a  station  in  the  floor,  the  surveyor  must  keep  the 
point  of  the  bob  touching  the  tack,  and  he  must  hold  the 


proper  foot-mark  of  the  tape  at  the  cross.  This  is  easily 
accomplished  by  the  use  of  the  grip.  The  cross  is  slipped 
into  the  bracket  provided  for  it  on  the  front  end  of  the 
grip.  See  Fig.  4.  The  tape  is  placed  in  the  grip  with 
the  proper  foot-mark  directly  over  the  cross.  The  chain- 
man  can  now  give  his  whole  attention  to  keeping  the 
point  of  the  bob  over  and  touching  the  station-point. 
See  Fig.  5. 

The  tenths  and  hundredths  are  read  at  the  instrument. 
Tapes  can  be  obtained  with  an  extra  foot  on  the  zero 
end  graduated  backward  from  the  zero  point.     With 


Fig.  5. 

such  a  tape  the  tenths  and  hundredths  are  read  directly 
and,  added  to  the  reading  at  the  cross,  give  the  measured 
distance.  There  should  not  be  over  two  inches  of  blank 
tape  at  the  end,  because  a  longer  strip  throws  the  handle 
too  far  back  for  the  operator  to  hold  and  read  at  the  same 
time.    Fig.  6  shows  a  tape  of  this  description. 

In  order  that  the  tape-correction  chartf  may  be  used 
it  is  necessary  that  the  'working-pull,'  which  is  2000 
times  the  weight  of  one  foot  of  tape,  shall  be  exerted. 

The  spring-balance  best  adapted  to  this  work  is  bal- 
ance No.  633  of  the  Chatillon  Co.  It  has  a  range  of  from 
0  to  30  lb.  This  can  be  obtained  from  any  instrument 
company.  I  have  replaced  the  ring  on  the  end  by  a  bar 
and  placed  an  adjustable  stop  so  that  the  working-pull 


t'A  Graphic  Method  for  Correcting  Steel  Tapes.' 
October  28,  1916. 


M.  &  S.  P., 


670 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


Dredging    in 
Australia 


Fig.  6. 

may  be  exerted  without  looking  at  the  balance.  Fig.  6 
illustrates  the  device.  The  stop  is  merely  a  collar  that 
slips  over  the  balance.  It  is  held  in  place  by  a  set-screw. 
See  Fig.  7.  The  pin  opposite  the  set-screw  fits  into  the 
slot  in  the  balance.  This  pin  holds  the  slot  open  when 
the  set-screw  is  tightened. 

A  weight  equal  to  the  working-pull  should  be  hung  on 
the  balance  and  the  stop  put  in  place  without  regard  to 
the  numbering  on  the  balance. 

Of  course,  the  character  of  the  survey  must  determine 
the  degree  of  accuracy  to  be  sought,  but  in  any  event  the 
engineer  ought  to  know  what  degree  of  accuracy  he  is 
approaching.  The  spring-balance  arranged  as  in  Fig.  6 
is  just  as  convenient  as  an  ordinary  handle.  If  the 
working-pull  is  exerted  the  engineer 
may  be  sure  that  the  combined  errors 
due  to  sag  and  stretch  will  not  be 
greater  than  1  part  in  4000.  This 
statement  is  true  for  a  steel  tape 
measuring  200  ft.  or  less  and  holds  for 
all  angles  of  inclination.  If  greater 
accuracy  than  this  is  desired  the  tem- 
perature must  be  noted  and  the  cor- 
rections taken  from  the  chart. 
W.  "W.  Johnstone,  of  the  Bausch  &  Lomb  Optical  Co., 
154  Sutter  St.,  San  Francisco,  has  consented  to  make  a 
few  grips  and  crosses,  so  that  if  my  suggestions  should 
appeal  to  anybody  he  may  obtain  these  devices. 

My  thanks  are  due  S.  J.  Ogilvie  and  E.  W.  D  'Evelyn, 
students  in  the  University  of  California,  for  the  photo- 
graphs. 

The  metric  system  of  weights  and  measures  was  in 
September  made  law  at  Lima,  Peru.  There  has  been  a 
"lame  metric  system"  in  the  republic  for  some  years, 
but  now  the  law  must  be  followed. 

The  total  value  of  the  mineral  production  of  Brit- 
ish Columbia  up  to  the  end  of  1915  was  $516,270,253. 

Oil  production  of  Japan  during  1915  totaled  3,015,- 
327  bbl.,  an  increase  of  272.807  bbl.  over  that  in  1914. 


Fig.  7. 


During    1915    there    were 
operated    in    Victoria,    Aus- 
tralia, 42  dredges,  17  pump- 
hydraulic   plants,   and   9   jet 
elevators.     The  dredges  dug 
a  total  of  9,727,975  eu.  yd.  of 
gravel,    yielding    an    average 
of   6.4  cents  per  yard.    The 
average    depth    worked    was 
18.7  ft.,  the  deepest  being  39 
ft.     There  were  566  men  em- 
ployed.      Dividends     totaled 
$120,000  from  15  companies. 
The    buckets    varied    in    ca- 
pacity from   3   to   8   cu.    ft., 
and  discharged  from  10  to  20  times  per  minute    These 
companies    are    only    capitalized    at    from    $7500    to 
$140,000,  excluding  the  Briseis,  which  is  a  subsidiary 
of   a  large   concern  operating   in   Tasmania.     Its  four 
boats  treated  over  1,250,000  yards,  for  5600  oz.     The 
initial   cost   of   Victorian    dredges   is   low,   being   only 
$60,000  for  the  largest,  others  being  $17,000  to  $35,000. 
The  jet  elevators  moved  152,172  cu.  yd.,  yielding  14.4 
cents  per  yard.    They  employed  43  men.    The  initial  cost 
of  plant  is  under  $5000,  most  of  them  being  $500  to 
$2000.    As  the  operations  are  private  no  profits  were  re- 
ported. 

The  pump-hydraulie  sluice  system  moved  1,849,967 
eu.  yd.,  yielding  14.8  cents  per  yard.  Cocks'  Pioneer, 
the  largest,  declared  a  dividend  of  $24,000. 

Over  80  tons  of  black  tin  was  recovered  from  these 
operations.  From  1900  to  1915,  inclusive,  placer  min- 
ing in  the  State  has  yielded  8.4  cents  per  yard  from  231,- 
640,195  eu.  yd.  treated.  In  1915  the  total  gold  won  was 
just  under  50,000  oz.,  and  dividends  amounted  to  $145.- 
000. 

The  Sludge  Abatement  Board  regulates  mining  in 
Victoria  with  the  object  of  preventing  impure  water, 
sludge,  or  mining  debris  from  causing  injury  to  water- 
courses or  farming  land.  The  volume  of  suspended 
solids,  etc.,  carried  by  streams,  also  chemical  analyses 
of  mine  waters  are  given  in  the  Board's  annual  reports; 
also  notes  on  restraining  mill  and  dredge  tailing. 

Indications  of  petroleum  were  noted  in  South  Amer- 
ica as  far  back  as  1788,  when  Humboldt  described  the  oil 
seepages  and  mud  volcanoes  of  northern  Colombia,  but 
little  was  done  toward  oil  development  until  1896  when 
active  operations  began  in  Peru.  Even  at  the  present 
time  commercial  production  is  confined  to  Peru  and 
Argentina  and  the  combined  yield  of  the  two  countries 
in  1914  was  only  2,500,000  bbl.,  or  0.6%  of  the  world's 
production.  Practically  all  the  countries  of  South  Amer- 
ica afford  oil  indications  of  more  or  less  importance,  but 
principal  attention  is  now  being  given  to  Colombia, 
Venezuela,  Peru,  and  Argentina. 


November  4.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


07 1 


Mining  in  the  Jerome  District, 


By     Charles 


Willis 


The  Jerome  district  has  been  foremost  in  the  progress 
of  Arizona  during  the  past  mouth.  Old  mines  have 
revealed  new  orebodies;  new  mines  have  found  ore- 
bodies;  and  new  organizations  have  been  formed  with 
great  success.  The  Verde  or  Jerome  district  for  many 
years  has  been  a  wonderful  producer  of  wealth.  The 
rich  deposits  of  copper  ore  have  made  local  shares  ex- 
ceptionally popular  with  the  investing  and  speculating 
public.  The  United  Verde  Copper  Co.,  with  dividends 
aggregating  upwards  of  $38,000,000,  is  well  known  in  the 
mining  world.  Fortunes  were  spent  by  other  companies 
in  the  Verde  district  in  an  effort  to  open  other  fine  ore- 
bodies,  and  it  was  through  the  persistent  work  of  the 
United  Verde  Extension  Co.  that  the  secret  of  Jerome's 
rich  bodies  of  copper  ore  was  solved. 

A  few  years  ago  Extension  shares  were  quoted  in 
cents,  now  they  are  selling  at  dollars  each,  over  $40.  Its 
rise  has  been  a  great  surprise,  especially  on  the  Stock 
Exchanges.  The  Jerome  copper  belt  is  benefiting  there- 
from, and  issues  of  shares  by  new  companies  are  eagerly 
snapped  up. 

It  has  been  announced  that  steam-shovel  operations 
are  to  be  commenced  at  the  United  Verde  within  the  next 
six  months,  as  a  means  of  increasing  its  ore  supply.  The 
low-grade  surface  ore  around  the  old  smelter  at  Jerome  is 
to  be  so  excavated  and  transported  to  the  Clarkdale 
smelter  for  treatment.  There  are  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  tons  of  this  ore,  particularly  in  the  hill  just  north- 
west of  the  site  of  the  old  plant.  It  is  proposed  to  steam- 
shovel  right  down  to  the  fire  that  has  been  burning  for 
14  years  in  the  Hampton  stope.  The  fire  can  then  be  ex- 
tinguished from  above,  thus  ending  a  famous  mine  fire. 
Only  preliminary  work  is  now  being  done  preparatory  to 
starting  a  large  shovel  digging  surface  ores.  At  the 
request  of  the  United  Verde  management,  Louis  S.  Cates, 
manager  of  the  Ray  Consolidated,  paid  a  visit  to  Jerome 
last  week  and  looked  over  the  ground  that  is  to  be  moved 
by  this  method.  Mr.  Cates  is  an  authority  on  steam- 
shovel  operations,  having  had  much  experience  in  Utah 
and  other  States.  The  resignation  of  Will  L.  Clark, 
manager  of  the  United  Verde  Copper  Co.  since  1904,  is 
generally  regretted  here.  His  work  has  been  excellent, 
and  he  uplifted  the  tone  of  the  district. 

The  United  Verde  Extension  has  declared  No.  2  divi- 
dend, of  50c.  per  share.  A  large  surplus  is  being  accumu- 
lated for  future  needs.  The  monthly  output  from  8000 
tons  of  ore  is  around  3,000,000  lb.  of  copper. 

The  Green  Monster  has  been  another  attractive  com- 
pany. Shares  were  over-subscribed  six  times  before  put 
on  the  market.  From  this  mine  it  is  reported  that  an  ore- 
body  has  been  cut  averaging  17%  copper.  The  com- 
pany has  taken  over  the  Copper  Chief  group,  which 
adds  greatly  to  its  value,  as  the  latter  is  already  a  pro- 
ducer having  shipped  ore  for  several  months. 


The  Dundee  Arizona  is  attracting  considerable  atten- 
tion, its  shares  having  almost  doubled  in  market  value 
within  the  past  two  weeks.  Co-operative  mining  has 
been  started  in  the  district,  and  recently  a  deal  was 
consummated  with  the  Extension  for  a  joint  adit  that 
will  develop  both  properties.  The  large  shoot  in  the 
Extension  has  been  found  to  be  on  the  same  fault,  about 
1000  ft.  north-west  of  the  Dundee.  The  new  machinery 
for  Dundee  is  at  the  mine,  and  includes  a  60-hp.  hoist, 
a  12  by  10-in.  compressor,  and  a  3600-gal.  Cameron 
sinking-pump. 

The  Verde  Apex  and  the  Venture  Hill  have  completed 
a  joint  development  scheme  on  an  equal  expense  basis, 
with  a  view  to  opening  each  at  depth  and  exploiting 
the  orebody  recently  encountered  in  the  Venture  Hill 
adit.  The  Venture  Hill  has  proved  the  presence  of  high- 
grade  ore,  having  found  native  copper  in  the  schist. 
The  drift  in  which  the  metal  was  found  is  now  in  520 
feet. 

Another  company  that  is  exciting  much  favorable 
comment  is  the  Calumet  &  Jerome.  This  company  has 
recently  installed  a  285-hp.  Diesel  engine,  generator, 
exciter,  112-hp.  hoist,  and  a  compressor  with  a  capacity 
of  513  cu.  ft.  per  minute. 

Verde  Hercules  has  let  a  contract  for  diamond-drilling 
to  N.  Bertrand  of  Bisbee.  This  is  not  the  first  attempt 
at  diamond-drilling  as  a  method  of  prospecting  in  the 
Jerome  district.  It  is  said  here  that  a  Los  Angeles  com- 
pany had  a  drill  operating  on  the  Harryhausen  property 
some  eight  years  ago,  and  cut  a  rich  orebody  at  a  depth 
of  1000  ft.  The  story  is  that  at  that  time  the  company 
became  involved  in  legal  difficulties,  due  to  speculation 
in  Oklahoma  oilfields,  so  the  drill-hole  that  opened  the 
ore  was  covered  up.  This  story  is  believed  by  the  old- 
timers  of  Jerome.  The  Verde  Hercules  is  very  favor- 
ably situated,  being  only  a  mile  from  Jerome  and  on  the 
U.  V.  &  P.  railroad. 

The  settlement  of  the  legal  entanglements  of  the  Hull 
Copper  Co.  has  been  one  of  the  most  important  develop- 
ments in  the  district,  for  the  company  has  a  mine  of 
value.  The  new  directors  were  selected  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  shareholders  recently  held,  and  include 
Will  L.  Clark,  formerly  manager  of  the  United  Verde, 
B.  D.  Tally,  present  manager,  and  Thos.  Taylor,  smelter 
superintendent  for  the  same  company.  The  Clark  inter- 
ests purchased  a  controlling  share  in  the  company  a 
short  time  ago. 

Jerome  Superior  is  another  one  that  borders  on  the 
United  Verde,  Verde  Extension,  Arkansas  &  Arizona, 
Jerome  Daisy,  Jerome  Victor,  and  Verde  Hercules. 
This  property  was  recently  sold  to  George  Mitchell  of 
Los  Angeles  for  $185,000. 

Dave  Morgan,  superintendent  of  the  United  Verde 
Extension,  has  been  appointed  by  the  Verde  Combina- 
tion as  its  general  manager.  It  is  reported  that  George 
Kingdon,  general  manager  of  the  Greene  Cananea,  will 
take  charge  of  the  Extension.  The  Verde  Combination 
is  well  financed  for  an  extensive  campaign  of  develop- 
ment, having  $400,000  and  500,000  shares  in  the  treasury. 


672 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


The  Arkansas  &  Arizona  is  a  hive  of  activity.  Re- 
cently L.  D.  Ricketts,  John  C.  Greenway,  general  man- 
ager of  the  Calumet  &  Arizona,  Ira  Joralemon,  and 
Philip  D.  Wilson,  geologists  for  the  Calumet  &  Arizona, 
and  Will  C.  McKee,  chief  mechanical  engineer  for  the 
same  company,  visited  the  A  &  A  property.  Although 
the  object  of  their  visit  is  unknown,  there  has  been  more 
activity  at  the  A  &  A  since  that  time,  the  force  having 
been  materially  increased.  This  is  one  of  the  older  mines 
of  the  district,  having  been  worked  extensively  some 
years  ago. 

The  Jerome  Daisy  Copper  Co.,  which  has  been  in 
existence  only  two  weeks,  was  a  sensational  promotion. 
In  nine  days  from  the  time  of  offering  the  reorganiza- 
tion stock,  the  secretary,  A.  J.  Kisselburg,  was  returning 


% 

<s\3s\si         \    f    \\     \  V^(^ 

Verde  District 

5> 

Yavapai  County         i 
Arizona. 

<New?Zfa          / 

s< 

1  ^^w;       V^Zj-D~"£^ 

s  yfifr  Green  ^*^s 

'<Sf*  Monster      \ 

\          \Jemme  \^-~~iAy        ^"""^ 

'        ^p*"     Jtgudtorl 

~j          — "vA     ? 

*^           ~>f Jerome       . 

r\%C^ 

checks,  drafts,  and  money  orders,  owing  to  over-subscrip- 
tion. Practically  all  of  the  shares  were  sold  within 
Arizona. 

The  United  Verde  Consolidated  has  been  another  suc- 
cessful and  rapid  promotion.  This  company  proposes  to 
explore  by  diamond-drilling,  and  is  about  to  let  a  con- 
tract for  20,000  ft.  of  work,  with  two  drills. 

A  new  promotion  a  day  has  been  almost  the  rule  for 
the  Verde  district,  and  local  business  men  have  organized 
to  stop  wild-catting  before  it  starts.  The  idea  is  to  use 
some  sort  of  censorship  over  new  mining  schemes,  and 
news  of  the  district,  to  prevent,  if  possible,  the  public 
from  being  fleeced  by  promotors  who  are  attracted  mere- 
ly by  the  prosperity  of  the  district,  and  the  ease  with 
which  Verde  stocks  are  selling.  While  nothing  will  be 
done  to  discourage  legitimate  mining,  everything  possible 
will  be  done  by  this  civic  league  to  prevent  wild-cats. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  formulate  a  working  plan, 
consisting  of  Will  L.  Clark,  Dave  Morgan,  and  W.  S. 
Humbert,  managing  director  of  the  Green  Monster,  act- 
ing for  the  mining  interests,  and  R.  J.  Stevenson,  J.  C. 
Scott,  and  Charles  Du  Bois  acting  for  the  business  men. 

Judging  by  the  full-page  advertisements  in  Arizona 
papers,  urging  people  to  buy  shares  in  Jerome  and  other 
districts'  new  mines,  promoters  are  exceptionally  busy. 

Jerome  is  full  of  activity,  practically  all  of  the  com- 
panies operating  having  sufficient  money  in  their  treas- 
uries to  insure  complete  development.  For  many  years 
this  was  thought  to  be  a  one-mine  centre,  but  it  is  no 
longer  considered  in  that  light. 


MasaMg  3.23,  ©oajosr 

The  prevailing  high  price  of  the  base  metals  has  given 
a  great  impetus  to  the  mining  industry  of  Cuba.  In 
consequence,  a  large  number  of  concessions  has  been 
granted  by  the  Government ;  many  of  the  old  mines  have 
been  re-opened  and  much  development  work  has  been 
done ;  prospectors  have  uncovered  numerous  veins,  some 
of  which  give  promise  of  becoming  productive  mines. 

Particular  attention  has  been  directed  to  the  province 
of  Pinar  del  Rio,  in  the  extreme  western  part  of  the 
island.  In  1915,  no  less  than  95  concessions,  to  mine  in 
this  province,  were  granted  by  the  Government.  Of 
these,  three  were  for  the  exploitation  of  iron  deposits 
and  the  remainder  for  copper.  Most  of  the  mines  are  in 
the  development  stage,  except  the  Matahambre  mines  and 
those  of  Asiento  Viejo. 

The  Matahambre  mines  were  opened  in  April  1913 
and  have  been  under  continuous  development  since  that 
date,  producing  a  total  of  90,000  tons  of  ore.  At  present 
500  men  are  employed  in  mining  3000  tons  of  ore  per 
month.  The  ore,  ehalcopyrite,  is  sorted  at  the  mine  into 
two  grades;  that  containing  more  than  10%  copper  is 
shipped  to  the  United  States,  while  that  assaying  less 
than  10%  is  stored  for  future  treatment.  Average  ship- 
ping ore  contains  15%  copper  and  one  ounce  of  silver 
per  ton.  The  ore  is  hauled  by  wagon  11  miles  to  the 
coast,  where  it  is  loaded  on  steamers.  Negotiations  are 
pending  for  the  building  of  an  aerial  tramway,  7  miles 
long,  to  replace  the  haulage  of  ore  with  teams. 

The  Asiento  Viejo  mines  have  shipped  some  high-grade 
ore  but  are  handicapped  by  the  difficulty  of  transporting 
the  ore  to  the  coast.  Many  small  mines  are  being  de- 
veloped but  none  has  reached  the  stage  of  production. 
The  eastern  province  is  the  oldest  and  most  important 
mining  district  of  the  island.  Here  are  mines  of  iron, 
ferro-manganese,  and  copper.  At  Santiago  de  Cuba  is 
the  mine  of  the  Cuba  Copper  Co.,  formerly  the  El  Cobre. 
This  was  the  first  copper  mine  worked  by  white  men  in 
the  Western  hemisphere,  its  history  dating  back  to  1532, 
when  it  was  opened  by  the  Spaniards.  Operations  were 
intermittent  until  after  the  Spanish- American  war,  when 
it  was  acquired  by  American  capital. 

The  Jaragua  Iron  Co.  and  the  Spanish-American  Iron 
Co.  are  large  producers  of  iron  ore.  Some  ferro-man- 
ganese ore  has  been  mined  owing  to  its  rapid  increase  in 
value  in  the  United  States.  Practically  no  gold  nor 
silver  is  mined  on  the  island.  Prospecting  for  oil  has 
been  done  in  La  Habana  province  with  encouraging  re- 
sults. A  small  amount  of  crude  asphalt  has  been  mined 
and  exported.  This  industry  gives  promise  of  develop- 
ing to  considerable  importance.  The  mining  laws  have 
been  revised  and  made  more  favorable  to  the  operator. 
With  the  increase  of  transportation  facilities  and  the 
development  work  now  in  progress,  Cuba  should  increase 
greatly  in  importance  as  a  producer  of  metals  within  the 
next  few  years. 

♦Excerpt  from  'Boletin  de  Minas'  published  by  Secretaria  de 
Agricultura,  Comercio  y  Trabajo  de  Republica  de  Cuba. 


November  4,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


673 


Mining  in  Colorado 

By     George     J/.     Bancroft 

The  advancement  in  mining  in  Colorado  this  fall  has 
been  steady  and  along  well-worn  grooves.  Leadville  is 
hoisting  2500  tons  daily.  Cripple  Creek  is  producing 
over  a  million  dollars  per  month.  The  northern  counties 
are  keeping  up  production  and  bringing  in  new  or  long 
idle  districts.  The  San  Juan  is  doing  the  same.  The 
zinc  centres,  like  Rico  and  Redcliff,  are  establishing  a 
new  high-water  mark  of  production.  The  big  drainage 
projects,  such  as  the  four  Leadville  pumping  schemes 
and  the  Roosevelt  tunnel  at  Cripple  Creek,  are  reaping 
the  reward  of  diligent  industry,  and  ore  from  freshly- 
drained  ground  is  now  a  material  factor  in  the  daily 
production. 

There  have  been  few  new  strikes  on  the  surface  this 
season,  but  there  have  been  several  ore  discoveries  in 
old-time  producers  this  fall  that  are  important.  Among 
these  the  two  most  noteworthy  are  the  strike  at  the 
Columbus  in  the  La  Plata  mountains  and  the  strike  in 
the  Capital  Prize  at  Georgetown. 

The  La  Plata  mountains  are  in  the  south-west  corner 
of  the  State.  Georgetown  is  50  miles  west  of  Denver. 
Years  ago  [in  1896]  the  Columbus  was  developed  under 
the  direction  of  T.  A.  Rickard.  Financial  depression 
and  the  death  of  one  of  the  owners  caused  a  cessation  of 
activities  from  1898  till  the  spring  of  1916,  when  work 
was  resumed  on  a  cross-cut  tunnel.  Late  in  August  the 
vein  was  cut  and  was  found  to  be  45  ft.  wide,  the  entire 
width  being  ore  of  milling  grade.  The  water  in  the  old 
workings  immediately  began  to  drain  into  the  adit;  a 
raise  was  started,  but  progress  was  slow  on  account  of 
the  down-pour  of  water.  High-grade  ore  was  not  an- 
ticipated in  this  enterprise,  but  some  extremely  high- 
grade  streaks  have  been  encountered  in  the  raise.  This 
discovery  is  important  because  it  marks  a  new  producer 
of  substantial  proportions. 

The  Capital-Prize  strike  is  extremely  important,  for 
the  reason  that  it  has  inspired  the  theory  that  all  of  the 
silver-bearing  veins  of  that  locality  will  become  gold- 
bearing  in  depth.  The  strike  was  made  1700  ft.  below 
the  surface.  The  orebody  is  both  large  and  rich.  I 
hesitate  to  quote  figures  given  me  by  those  who  have 
seen  the  vein  or  figures  that  have  been  published  in  the 
local  press  because  they  seem  too  good  to  be  true,  but  it 
is  sufficient  for  this  review  to  state  that  this  shoot  of 
gold  ore  is  far  better  than  any  discovery  in  higher  levels 
in  the  same  locality.  Hence  the  theory  that  the  top  of 
the  gold  zone  is,  say,  1500  ft.  below  the  surface.  Whether 
this  theory  is  true  or  not  it  has  caused  renewed  activity 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Capital-Prize. 

One  of  the  praiseworthy  lines  of  advancement  that  has 
made  notable  progress  lately  is  that  having  to  do  with 
'First  Aid'  organizations.  To  Joseph  A.  Holmes,  the 
first  director  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  belongs  the  credit 
of  having  started  interest  in  first-aid  work.  He  showed 
the  miners  and  managers  that,  in  cases  of  accident,  im- 
mediate attention  is  necessary  and  that  it  is  not  safe  nor 


humane  to  rely  on  the  delayed  attendance  of  the  com- 
pany physician.  The  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Co.  at  once 
adopted  his  ideas  with  enthusiasm.  First-aid  crews 
were  organized  and  fully  equipped,  rescue-houses  were 
built  at  all  the  mines  of  the  company.  A  first-aid  crew 
consists  of  four  men  and  a  captain.  They  are  thor- 
oughly trained  in  all  sorts  of  rescue  and  first-aid  work. 
A  rescue-house  consists  of  a  small  dispensary  and  a  room 
so  equipped  that  an  operation  may  be  performed,  if 
necessary,  before  removing  the  patient  to  a  hospital. 
Draeger  oxygen-helmets  are  considered  very  important 
in  rescue-work  because  the  wearer  can  go  into  places 
where  there  is  smoke  or  gas.  The  helmets,  however,  are 
expensive,  and  many  mines  cannot  afford  them.  Follow- 
ing the  initiative  of  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Co.,  coal 


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mine  after  coal  mine  organized  first-aid  crews  and  pro- 
vided more  or  less  equipment,  until  now  85%  of  all  the 
coal  mines  in  the  State  have  first-aid  organizations. 

Following  the  lead  of  the  coal  mines  the  metal  mines 
are  organizing  first-aid  crews  and  providing  equipment. 
The  Smuggler  at  Aspen  has  a  full  outfit,  including  six 
Draeger  helmets  and  an  ex-Government  man  named 
Scofield  in  charge  of  the  work.  The  Yak  Tunnel  at 
Leadville  has  four  crews  and  a  rescue-house.  The  work 
is  in  charge  of  a  trained  officer,  A.  L.  Assig.  The  Smug- 
gler Union  at  Telluride,  the  Newhouse  Tunnel  at  Idaho 
Springs,  the  Vindicator  and  the  Portland  at  Cripple 
Creek  are  among  those  that  have  some  sort  of  a  first-aid 
organization.  John  Cortellini,  the  famous  lessee  at 
Leadville,  keeps  a  trained  nurse  named  Helen  Smith,  at 
Garbut  shaft.  Miss  Smith  told  me  that  her  principal 
occupation  was  dressing  cut  fingers.  "But,"  she  added, 
"since  I  have  been  tying  up  the  cut  fingers,  there  hasn't 
been  a  man  laid  off  on  account  of  an  infected  wound, 
while  before  I  came  there  were  lots  of  them." 

Colorado  is  fast  becoming  a  financial  centre  for  oil 
enterprises.  There  are  now  three  producing  oilfields  in 
"Wyoming;  the  Lost  Soldier  field  is  probably  a  fourth. 
All  of  these  fields  have  been  financed  largely  with  Colo- 
rado capital.  To  the  east  of  us  are  the  new  fields  of 
Kansas,  and  Colorado  men  are  heavily  interested  in 
them.  The  productive  wells  are  getting  closer  and 
closer  to  the  Colorado  line.  The  sulphur  deposits  of 
Wyoming  are  also  attracting  attention. 


674 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


■nullum ii'!.'. : 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 
Probable  Labor  Troubles. — Progress  of  Dbainage  Schemes. 

The  difficulty  that  has  arisen  between  the  local  Miners' 
Union,  which  is  a  branch  of  the  Western  Federation  of  Miners, 
and  the  operators  is  rapidly  assuming  a  serious  aspect.  The 
Union  has  demanded  a  wage  increase  to  $3.75  and  $4.25  per 
day  and  recognition  throughout  the  district.  The  present 
uniform  wage  is  $3.30,  but  a  number  of  companies  operating  in 
the  outlying  section  are  paying  from  $3.50  to  $4.  Mine-owners 
contend  that  the  time  is  most  inopportune  for  a  wage  increase, 
and  they  have  openly  and  flatly  stated  that  they  will  not  treat 
with  or  in  any  way  recognize  the  W.  F.  M.  It  is  reported  that 
the  men  will  strike  of  their  demands  are  not  granted,  but  the 
Union  leaders  deny  this  by  stating  that  they  do  not  want  to 
strike  under  any  conditions.  They  are  busy  organizing  the 
miners,  and  report  that  they  are  having  great  success,  claim- 
ing to  have  secured  700  members  within  the  past  three  weeks. 
This  active  campaign  is  looked  on  by  operators  and  business- 
men as  a  forerunner  to  a  strike,  should  the  majority  of  the 
miners  become  members.  The  situation  has  taken  on  such  a 
seriousness  that  the  Commercial  Club  has  assumed  an  active 
part  in  trying  to  bring  about  a  settlement  before  the  matter 
reaches  a  crisis.  The  State  Industrial  Commission  is  also 
expected  to  take  steps  toward  adjusting  the  situation  during 
the  week.  Notice  announcing  the  demands  and  intentions  of 
the  Union  was  filed  with  the  Commission  last  month,  and  it  is 
reported  that  the  30  days  provided  by  law  to  govern  the  action 
of  employees  and  employers  in  the  matter  of  strikes  and  lock- 
outs, have  nearly  expired.  After  that  time,  it  is  feared  the 
Union  will  call  a  strike  and  leave  the  matter  in  the  hands  of 
the  Commission. 

Just  at  this  time  a  strike  would  mean  great  depression  to  the 
mining  industry  of  the  district.  Within  the  year,  several 
large  companies  have  entered  the  district  and  have  invested 
large  sums  re-claiming  the  flooded  areas  for  development. 
Of  these,  two;  the  Down  Town  Mines  Co.,  operating  through 
the  Penrose,  and  the  Leadville  Unit,  operating  on  Fryer  hill 
through  the  Harvard  and  Jamie  Lee  shafts,  have  practically 
completed  the  draining  of  their  territory  at  heavy  cost,  and 
are  just  entering  the  prospecting  and  development  stage.  The 
Empire  Zinc  Co.  and  the  Western  Mining  Co.,  who  are  drain- 
ing the  Pyrenese  basin  through  the  Greenback  and  Wolftone 
shafts  are  still  pumping.  George  O.  Argall,  manager  of  the 
Iron  Silver  Mining  Co.,  who  has  organized  a  new  concern  for 
unwatering  the  Mikado  and  other  properties  on  Iron  hill,  is 
just  completing  re-timbering  of  the  Mikado  shaft,  and  the 
erection  of  new  surface  buildings  at  the  property.  Modern  ma- 
chinery for  hoisting  and  pumping  has  been  ordered.  None  of 
these  enterprises  has  realized  a  dollar  on  the  investment,  and 
it  is  reported  that  it  will  be  several  months  before  any  of  them 
will  be  on  a  self-supporting  basis.  In  case  a  strike  is  called, 
and  it  becomes  impossible  to  secure  men  without  increasing 
wages  and  recognizing  the  union,  it  is  stated  that  these  under- 
takings will  be  abandoned,  a  calamity,  the  greatness  of  which 
cannot  be  exaggerated. 

Aside  from  these  new  undertakings,  there  are  a  number  of 
companies  operating  in  the  district  that  are  shipping  such 
low-grade  ore  that  they  claim  an  increase  in  their  pay-roll 
would  force  them  to  shut-down.  Several  large  iron-manganese 
producers  consider  that  the  margin  on  their  ore  is  less  than 
50c.  per  ton,  and  in  some  cases  as  low  as  25c.    These  companies 


employ  several  hundred  men.  A  drop  in  the  price  of  their 
product  would  be  serious  also. 

The  large  companies  of  the  district  that  are  producing 
high-grade  zinc,  lead,  copper,  silver,  and  gold-bearing  ores 
could  afford  the  demanded  increase  in  wages,  and  probably 
would  consent  to  making  some  advances,  but  they  absolutely 
refuse  to  treat  with  members  of  the  W.  F.  M.  The  managers 
have  consulted  with  the  miners  in  their  employ,  and  have 
made  known  their  stand  in  the  matter,  stating  their  refusal  to 
recognize  the  Union  or  to  treat  with  professional  agitators 
who  have  been  imported  to  organize  the  miners,  and  their  will- 
ingness to  talk  things  over  with  their  men  if  on  their  own 
responsibility.  No  promises  of  higher  wages  have  been  made, 
but  it  is  believed  that  this  stand  on  the  part  of  the  operators 
will  tend  to  keep  the  substantial  miners  of  the  district — the 
old-timers — out  of  the  Union. 

A  large  number  of  the  miners  in  the  district  consists  of  a 
foreign  element  that  is  more  or  less  transient.  Many  of  these 
men  have  come  in  from  other  sections  where  they  belonged  to 
the  W.  F.  M.  and  have  affiliated  with  the  local  Union.  They 
are,  in  a  great  part,  believed  to  be  responsible  for  the  present 
unrest.  The  majority  of  the  members  of  the  local  Union  are 
foreigners,  and  are  the  most  enthusiastic  over  the  question 
.  of  striking.  At  present,  the  situation  is  veiled  in  uncertainty. 
No  one  outside  of  the  Union  knows  what  the  intentions  of  the 
miners  are,  and  the  reports  now  being  circulated  throughout 
the  district  often  prove  contradictory.  The  general  opinion 
is  that  the  final  decision  will  be  made  by  the  Union  on  October 
26.  In  the  meantime,  many  new  enterprises  that  were  about 
to  be  started  have  been  held,  those  in  charge  stating  that  they 
will  go  no  further  with  their  plans  until  the  labor  question 
has  been  settled.  Business  shows  a  marked  falling-off  and 
money  is  tight,  showing  that  the  people  are  preparing  against 
the  possibility  of  a  strike.  Politics  have  also  been  dragged 
into  the  matter,  and  it  is  reported  that  no  steps  will  be  taken 
until  after  the  elections.  Candidates  supposedly  in  sympathy 
with  the  Union  are  up  for  election  to  several  of  the  important 
County  offices. 

The  Down  Town  Mines  Co.  has  opened  a  large  body  of  iron- 
manganese  ore  in  the  drained  area  which  is  being  developed 
through  the  Penrose  shaft.  Re-timbering  in  the  shaft  is  now 
underway,  and  it  is  stated  that  as  soon  as  this  work  is  com- 
pleted, a  steady  extraction  of  ore  will  proceed.  The  pumps 
installed  at  the  bottom  and  intermediate  stations  continue  to 
handle  a  heavy  flow  of  water,  but  this  is  slowly  decreasing 
in  volume  as  the  ground  drains.  The  long  drift  connecting 
the  Penrose  with  the  Coronado  is  being  cleaned-out  and  re- 
timbered,  preparatory  to  carrying  on  extensive  developments 
in  that  territory.  It  is  reported  that  the  management  ex- 
pects to  uncover  the  important  orebodies  in  that  part. 

The  Wolftone  shaft  of  the  Western  Mining  Co.  has  been 
drained  to  the  bottom  at  a  depth  of  1120  ft.  Draining  of  the 
Greenback  shaft  adjoining  continues,  and  it  is  reported  that  it 
will  be  dry  within  the  next  two  weeks.  The  Greenback  is 
1350  ft.  deep.  The  water  is  now  below  the  1100-ft.  level,  and 
the  old  steam-pumping  plant  installed  there  is  being  cleaned- 
up  and  repaired  for  service.  As  soon  as  it  is  in  operating 
condition,  it  will  relieve  the  Layne-Bowler  sinking  pump  now 
working  in  the  shaft. 

The  Iron  Silver  Mining  Co.,  in  charge  of  George  O.  Argall, 
is  making  rapid  progress  in  overhauling  the  Mikado  shaft. 
The  shaft  has  been  fully  re-timbered  to  water-level,  just  below 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


675 


the  900-l't.  station.  A  new  station.  15  ft.  wide,  IS  ft.  high,  and 
60  ft.  long,  is  being  cut  at  this  point.  On  the  surface  im- 
provements to  buildings  are  going  on  rapidly.  The  new  black- 
smith and  machine-shop  have  been  erected  and  equipped. 
Foundations  for  a  new  hoist  and  compressor  are  being  put  in, 
the  machinery  being  expected  during  the  month.  The  hoist 
is  the  largest  that  has  ever  been  brought  into  Colorado. 

LORDS  BURG,  NEW  MEXICO 

General  Conditions. — Chino.  Burro  Mountain,  Bonnet,  Octo, 

and  Eighty-Five  Copper  Mines. — Other  Districts. 

During  the  recent  impetus  given  new  mining  enterprises 
throughout  the  South-west  the  State  of  New  Mexico  has  re- 
mained practically  immune.  There  have  been  no  booms  of 
bonanza  strikes  to  cause  a  rush.  Mining  in  New  Mexico  is 
progressing  along  substantial  and  encouraging  lines.    The  two 


had  been  encountered.  The  Bonney  is  one  of  the  promising 
mines  in  this  district.  The  copper  ore  is  the  highest  grade 
and  of  the  best  shipping  quality,  running  well  in  gold  and 
silver.    About  20  men  are  on  the  pay-roll. 

At  the  Lee's  Peak  mine  of  the  Octo  Mining  &  Milling  Co. 
Wright  brothers  of  Bisbee,  Arizona,  are  engaged  in  sinking  a 
500-ft.  shaft  under  contract.  At  a  depth  of  90  ft.  water  was 
struck,  for  which  pumping  machinery  is  now  on  the  way.  A 
new  steam  hoist  has  been  received  at  the  mine,  and  much  new 
equipment  is  being  purchased.  California  and  West  Virginia 
men  are  financing  the  Octo  company. 

The  Eighty-Five  Mining  Co.  is  producing  about  400  tons  of 
ore  daily,  and  has  completed  sinking  to  the  5th  level,  on  which 
extensive  development  is  being  done.  The  company  is  in- 
stalling the  second  unit  of  its  power-plant,  having  received 
another  500-hp.  Lyons-Atlas,  crude-oil  burning  Diesel-type 
engine.     Experiments  are  being  made   at  El   Paso  by  J.  W. 


HAULING  ORE  AT  THE  NIAGARA   TUNNEL  OF  THE  BURRO    MOUNTAIN        COPPER  CO. 


largest  metal-mining  companies  in  the  State,  Chino  and  Burro 
Mountain,  are  making  good  headway.  Few  new  companies  are 
entering  the  State,  but  old  ones  are  returning  to  activity, 
while  formerly  dormant  and  operating  companies  are  enlarg- 
ing their  outputs  or  developing  capacities. 

The  Chino  Copper  Co.  has  appropriated  $1,250,000  for  the 
enlargement  of  its  mill,  and  constant  changes  and  improve- 
ments are  being  made  at  the  Hurley  plant.  The  company  is 
keeping  its  cost  down  to  7.25c.  per  lb.  for  copper,  selling  it  for 
about  27c. 

Construction  is  paramount  at  Tyrone,  where  the  Burro 
Mountain  company  is  mining  and  milling  low-grade  copper  ore. 
The  company  store,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  State, 
is  nearing  completion.  The  offices  and  handsome  school 
building  are  indicative  of  big  things  to  come  at  Tyrone.  The 
1000-ton  capacity  mill  is  being  operated  and  ore  is  being 
hauled  by  way  of  the  Niagara  tunnel  from  the  mines  at 
Leopold  and  Tyrone. 

In  the  Lordsburg  district  Chicago  interests  have  taken  hold 
of  the  Bonney  mine,  and  preparations  are  being  made  for  ex- 
tensive operations  in  the  near  future.  The  indebtedness 
against  the  property  has  been  extended,  and  the  mine  is  sub- 
stantially financed.  During  the  past  month  the  No.  3  shaft 
was  unwatered,  revealing  high-grade  ore  on  the  4th  level, 
where  operations  were  suspended  some  time  ago  after  water 


Crowdus,  prior  to  making  a  decision  on  the  erection  of  an 
ore  treatment  plant  at  the  85  mine. 

Steeplerock  is  the  scene  of  several  new  enterprises  that  are 
opening  mines  near  the  Carlisle.  While  activity  is  compara- 
tively light,  the  centre  promises  to  open  on  a  large  scale 
after  the  first  of  the  new  year. 

The  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  continue  development  in  the  Organ 
district,  east  of  Las  Cruces.  G.  Fraser-Campbell  is  in  charge 
of  the  work. 

The  Pintado  Consolidated  Copper  Co.  at  Santa  Rosa,  Guada- 
lupe county,  is  erecting  a  50-ton  experimental  mill  to  try 
methods  of  treating  the  copper  ore,  including  leaching. 

The  McGee  company,   operating  a  lead  mine  at  Steins,  is 

buying  new  machinery  and  doing  considerable  work. The 

Volcano  mine  is  under  option  to  Cincinnati  interests. 

At  Kingston,  the  Virginia,  Sawpit,  Snow  Storm,  and  Lucky 
Strike  mines  are  all  being  worked  on  a  small  scale.  On  the 
Bullion  Hill  property  two  adits  are  being  driven. 

Shipments  of  manganese  ore  continue  from  the  mines  at 
Boston  hill,  adjoining  Silver  City.  The  ore  is  sent  to  Chicago, 
Illinois. 

The  old  Victorio  mines  at  Gage  are  being  opened  again  by 
El  Paso  capitalists.    Andrew  Bain  is  in  charge  of  the  work. 

The  Mogollon  silver-gold  district  of  Socorro  county  is  regu- 
larly covered  in  the  news  section  of  the  Press. 


676 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


DEADWOOD,  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Resumption   at   the   Puritan. — Tungsten   and  Cyaniding   at 

the    homestake. tbojan,    reliance,    heidelberg,    olio 

Hondo,  and  Custer  Peak  Mines. 

Work  has  been  resumed  at  the  Puritan  mine,  at  the  head 
of  west  Strawberry  gulch.  Operations  are  being  undertaken 
by  the  New  Puritan  Mining  Co.,  of  which  John  McGoffln  is 
general  manager  and  John  R.  Russell  secretary.  Both  are 
residents  of  Deadwood.  Finances  are  coming  from  eastern 
South  Dakota,  where  good  crops  and  prosperous  business  con- 
ditions have  been  the  rule  for  years  past.  The  shaft  has  been 
sunk  to  a  point  below  the  quartzite,  into  the  schists,  and  a 
cross-cut  is  being  driven  west  to  explore  a  mineralized  ter- 
ritory disclosed  in  stopes  above.  The  ore  contains  silver  and 
lead — the  latter  in  small  quantities — and  it  is  thought  will 
make  a  good  concentrate  by  flotation. 

Tungsten  production  continues  at  the  Homestake;  in  fact 
this  company  is  the  largest  Black  Hills  producer  of  the  black 
concentrate  at  present  operating.  The  ore  is  hauled  by  teams 
from  the  workings  on  north  Lead  hill  and  delivered  to  a 
crusher  near  the  Star  shaft.  After  crushing,  it  passes  to  a 
belt-conveyor,  from  which  the  high-grade  ore  is  hand-picked 
and  the  low-grade  fed  to  a  5-stamp  mill.  In  front  of  the  bat- 
tery is  a  short  amalgamating-plate  where  some  free  gold  is 
saved.  Concentration  is  accomplished  on  a  "Wilfley  sand-table 
and  two  Deister  sliming  tables.  About  20  tons  per  day  is 
treated.  It  is  stated  that  the  ore  contains  enough  gold  to  re- 
imburse the  company  for  all  expenditure  of  its  milling  and 
mining,  thus  leaving  the  tungsten  concentrate  as  clear  profit. 
A  high  saving  of  the  gold-content  is  effected,  as  the  tailing 
from  the  mill  goes  to  the  cyanide  department. 

Three  additional  tube-mills  are  to  be  installed  in  the  fine- 
grinding  plant  at  the  Homestake.  This  will  practically  double 
the  capacity  of  the  unit,  and  permit  of  the  grinding  of  all  of 
the  sand  originating  in  the  stamp-mills  at  Lead.  Fine  grind- 
ing has  paid  well  at  Homestake.  In  addition  to  the  extra 
saving  by  amalgamation — the  re-ground  product  passes  over 
amalgamating  plates — increased  extraction  has  been  noted  at 
cyanide  plant  No.  1,  where  the  sand  is  treated  by  leaching. 
The  company's  metallurgists  endeavor  to  feed  to  this  plant  a 
sand  product  just  as  fine  as  it  is  possible  to  leach  within 
reasonable  time.  The  slime  plant  has  long  been  noted  for  its 
high  efficiency,  so  fine  sand  and  slime  are  the  products  most 
sought  for  as  feed  for  the  cyanide  department. 

That  the  Trojan  Mining  Co.  is  going  whole-heartedly  into 
the  treatment  of  custom  ores  is  attested  by  the  facilities  being 
provided  for  their  reduction.  First  is  a  three-rail  railroad 
track  convenient  for  either  narrow  or  broad-gauge  ore-cars  of 
the  C.  &  N.  W.  or  C.  B.  &  Q.  On  this  track  will  be  a  scale  for 
weighing  the  carload  lots.  From  the  cars  the  ore  will  drop  to 
underground  pockets  and  thence  be  fed  to  a  crusher,  and  next 
to  a  mechanical  sampler;  then  will  drop  to  underground  bins 
— in  reality  old  stopes — of  several  thousand  tons'  capacity. 
This  equipment  will  cost  somewhere  between  $12,000  and 
$15,000.  This  expenditure  indicates  that  the  company's  officials 
have  confidence  in  the  district's  ability  to  continue  to  produce 
ores  amenable  to  cyanide  treatment. '  At  the  mill,  additional 
capacity  will  be  secured  by  what  will  be  almost  a  complete  re- 
habilitation of  the  slime  department.  This  will  include  a 
tube-mill,  classifier,  thickener,  agitators,  and  revolving-drum 
filter.    The  plant's  daily  duty  is  now  about  350  tons. 

F.  C.  Bowman,  general  manager  of  the  Reliance  up  to  the 
time  of  its  closing  in  the  middle  of  September,  has  gone  to 
the  Bismarck  mine,  adjoining  the  Wasp  No.  2,  and  hopes  to 
be  able  to  start  that  mill  within  a  few  months.  The  plant  is 
well  suited  to  the  ores,  is  conveniently  situated  to  the  mine, 
and  it  was  demonstrated  under  former  management  that  min- 
ing and  milling  could  be  conducted  for  a  little  under  $1.20 
per  ton.  Thus  a  75%  recovery  on  $2  ore,  when  200  tons  daily 
are  treated,  would  result  in  a  good  profit  being  earned. 


At  the  Heidelberg,  what  is  probably  the  most  important  de- 
velopment yet  recorded,  was  recently  made  when  the  west 
cross-cut  encountered  a  vein  assaying  as  high  as  $40  to  $50 
for  about  IS  in.,  and  with  wall  rocks  enriched  to  pay-ore  for 
5  or  6  ft.  on  each  side.  The  cross-cut  was  continued  through 
the  ore  and  drifts  driven  a  few  feet  in  each  direction.  Effort 
is  being  made  to  find  the  vein  on  the  surface.  Eastern  people 
have  been  given  an  option  on  51%  of  the  capital  shares  of  the 
corporation,  with  the  understanding  that  the  entire  amount 
of  money  will  be  spent  under  the  supervision  of  the  pur- 
chaser, in  further  development  of  the  property.  This  is  the 
ground  that  a  few  years  ago  was  taken  over  by  a  syndicate  of 
local  people,  encouraged  by  the  Deadwood  Business  club,  and 
on  which  something  over  $15,000  of  local  money  has  been 
spent.  Its  success  would  do  much  to  stimulate  local  interest 
in  mining  ventures. 

Sinking  is  now  under  way  at  the  Custer  Peak  copper  mine, 
where  at  a  depth  of  250  ft.  oxidized  material  was  found  in 
lateral  work.  The  management  intends  to  put  the  shaft  down 
to  the  zone  of  secondary  enrichment.  Surface  geology  and 
mine  developments  to  date  seemingly  indicate  that  a  copper 
mine  of  merit  will  be  uncovered.  The  company  owns  a  large 
area,  covering  the  vein  for  over  3  miles. 

Sinking  is  again  to  be  resumed  at  the  Oro  Hondo,  this  time 
with  the  3500-ft.  level  as  the  objective  point;  the  shaft  is  now 
2000  ft.  deep.  In  past  months  a  great  deal  of  diamond-drilling 
has  been  done.  The  additional  sinking  will  make  necessary 
the  purchase  of  a  large  hoist,  and  in  this  connection  it  is 
expected  that  the  top  of  the  shaft,  for  40  or  50  ft.,  will  be 
concreted,  and  a  new  and  higher  head-frame,  probably  of  steel, 
erected. 

SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

The  Strike  Situation  at  the  End  of  October. 

There  appears  to  be  little  change  in  the  strike  situation 
(October  29),  and  with  the  exception  of  guards,  pump-men, 
engineers,  and  a  few  shaft-men,  all  the  large  mines  of  the 
county,  except  the  three  who  met  the  men's  demands  prior  to 
the  strike,  are  idle.  The  Northern  Amador  County  Merchants 
Association  has  given  its  support  to  petitions  now  being  cir- 
culated, by  which  many  of  the  miners  are  expressing  their 
willingness  to  return  to  work  on  the  old  basis.  The  local 
Union  leaders  declare  that  men  returning  to  work  or  signing 
such  petitions  forfeit  their  Union  membership,  and  reports 
are  at  variance  as  to  whether  any  Union  men  are  signing  up. 
It  was  reported  that  15  men  returned  to  the  South  Eureka  on 
Friday  morning,  and  half  as  many  to  the  Central  Eureka,  but 
this  report  proved  untrue.  Now,  it  is  claimed  that  30  or  40 
men  will  resume  work  at  the  Bunker  Hill  mine  on  Monday 
morning,  and  that  more  are  ready  to  return  when  satisfied 
that  they  will  be  unmolested  by  the  strikers.  It  is  claimed 
that  so  many  men  have  left  the  county  since  the  strike  com- 
menced on  September  19,  that  all  the  mines  will  be  short- 
handed  even  if  a  satisfactory  settlement  is  arrived  at.  U.  S. 
Deputy-Marshal  Bohun  is  still  here,  and  is  said  to  have  served 
at  least  fifty  of  the  strikers  with  papers  from  the  U.  S.  District 
Court  restraining  them  from  committing  violence  pending  the 
hearing  to  be  had  in  San  Francisco  on  Monday,  the  30th,  when 
cause  must  be  shown  why  permanent  injunctions  may  not  be 
issued.  Some  of  the  strikers  have  attempted  to  elude  the 
Marshal  and  his  deputies  in  the  service  of  the  papers,  and 
others  signify  their  contempt  by  tearing  the  documents  to 
pieces  as  soon  as  served,  but  the  Marshal  appears  tireless  in 
his  efforts  to  accomplish  his  purpose  by  use  of  both  force  and 
strategy,  laying  for  the  men  at  unexpected  places  and  even 
using  'jiu  jitsu'  once  to  'coax'  a  man  to  gather  the  fragments 
of  the  paper  he  had  thrown  to  the  ground  and  tramped  upon. 
Denver  officials  of  the  Western  Federation  arrived  here  yes- 
terday. Everybody  is  getting  tired  of  the  whole  business  and 
wishes  that  the  strike  were  settled. 


November  4,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


677 


The  "fit's  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALABAMA 

In  Bulletin  640-1  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Edson  S. 
Bastin  describes  the  Gold  Log  mine  near  Talladega.  The 
property  had  been  worked  intermittently  for  70  years  previous 
to  the  present  owners  acquiring  it  in  June  of  1915.  E.  A. 
Thomas  is  manager  of  the  Gold  Log  Mining  Co.  The  vein 
has  been  explored  by  an  adit  250  ft.  long,  from  which  is  an 
incline  320  ft.  deep.  Stopes  average  6  ft.  in  width.  The  ore, 
in  schist,  consists  of  (1)  irregularly  interlocking  white  to 
light-gray  quartz,  white  to  pale-pink  calcite,  and  minor  quan- 
tities of  sulphides  and  free  gold;  and  (2)  schist  partly  re- 
placed by  some  or  all  of  these  minerals.  The  principal  sul- 
phide noted  is  chalcopyrite.  A  characteristic  of  the  deposit  is 
that  wide  shoots  pinch  out  or  decrease  greatly  within  short 
distances.  Water  power  drives  the  ten  750-lb.  stamps,  etc. 
Gold,  averaging  $4  per  ton,  is  saved  on  copper  plates  and 
blankets.  Concentration  is  not  attempted.  The  daily  capacity 
is  25  tons. 

ARIZONA 

Some  complaint  has  been  made  throughout  Arizona  mining 
districts  to  the  effect  that  the  smelters  refuse  to  receive  small 
ore  shipments  from  the  smaller  shippers,  says  the  Arizona 
State  Bureau  of  Mines.  There  is  a  congestion  of  ore  at  all 
the  smelting  plants  at  present,  which  is  the  cause  of  the  cur- 
tailment of  shipments.  However,  many  of  the  small  operators, 
whose  properties  are  under  development,  claim  the  smelters 
have  not  refused  to  treat  the  increased  tonnage  of  the  larger 
mines.  The  small  operator,  as  a  rule,  depends  on  the  sale  of 
ore  to  enable  him  to  advance  his  development,  and  when  the 
only  available  markets  are  closed  to  him,  he  is  severely  handi- 
capped. To  make  a  prospect  produce  sufficient  ore  to  pay  for 
its  development  is  a  method  that  enhances  the  mining  in- 
dustry, and  should  be  encouraged  and  not  retarded.  It  would 
seem  that  some  preference  should  be  given  those  small  pro- 
ducers whose  output  is  incidental  to  development,  and  the 
marketing  of  which  is  essential  to  continuance  of  operations. 
The  big  producer  is  relied  on  to  keep  the  smelter  in  operation, 
and  it  is  easy  to  understand  the  good  relations  between  the 
two;  at  the  same  time  the  growth  of  the  mining  industry  de- 
pends on  the  coming-in  of  new  producers,  many  of  which  have 
to  pass  through  a  difficult  period  of  early  development.  To 
encourage  the  small  ore  shippers  is  to  make  possible  the  open- 
ing of  new  mines. 

There  is  little  doubt  of  the  willingness  of  the  larger  mining 
companies  to  assist  the  small  ore  shippers  in  the  development 
of  their  properties,  hut  small  shipments  of  ore,  coming  irregu- 
larly, so  break  up  the  routine  of  the  smelter  operation  that 
naturally  the  smelters  prefer  large  and  regular  shipments. 
The  small  shipment  requires  as  much  clerical  work,  compu- 
tation, etc.,  to  handle  as  does  a  large  shipment,  but  nets  the 
same  margin.  The  fact  that  the  smelters  are  already  pro- 
ducing more  metal  than  the  refineries  can  handle  practically 
allows  them  to  choose,  to  some  extent,  their  ores,  but  the 
Bureau  has  never  yet  seen  the  time  when  the  smelters  could 
possibly  handle  the  ores  of  the  smaller  shippers,  that  they  did 
not  only  throw  open  their  doors,  but  came  out  and  invited 
them  to  ship. 

Bisbee.  The  Shattuck-Arizona  mine  is  producing  daily  550 
tons  of  copper  ore  and  50  tons  of  lead  ore.  General  conditions 
underground  are  good,  with  important  developments  on  the 
west  side.     The  output  in  September  was  1,566,446  lb.  of  cop- 


per, 26.92S  oz.  of  silver,  and  419  oz.  of  gold,  giving  a  profit  of 
$260,028. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Chloride  is  suffering  from  too 
much  lot-jumping,  the  inevitable  accompaniment  of  a  rush 
into  a  new  mining  camp.  Some  of  the  choicest  business 
property  in  town  is  being  taken  by  the  jumpers,  and  there 
seems  to  be  no  recourse  except  by  violence.  Gun-play  is  fairly 
frequent,  but  so  far  both  parties  to  the  dispute  have  refrained 
from  making  work  for  the  coroner.  It  is  feared  that  trouble 
will  result  unless  some  way  is  found  to  end  the  jumping.  The 
trouble  was  invited  by  the  high  prices  asked  for  town  property, 
and  the  questionable  title  to  much  of  it.  Lots  that  sold  for  a 
few  hundred  dollars  six  months  ago  or  less,  are  now  held  for 
several  thousand  dollars.  One  choice  corner  lot  is  being  held 
for  $8000. 

The  local  water  company  is  preparing  to  make  large  exten- 
sions and  improvements  to  take  care  of  its  rapidly-growing 
business.  A  new  reservoir  is  to  be  built  at  the  head  of  Ten- 
nessee avenue,  overlooking  the  business  section  of  the  town, 
giving  good  pressure  for  fighting  fires.  The  town  is  spreading 
in  a  southerly  direction,  and  the  water-mains  have  long  since 
ceased  to  reach  a  large  portion  of  the  newly-built  area,  which 
has  had  to  rely  for  its  water  supply  on  the  time  honored  water- 
wagon. 

The  power-line  being  constructed  is  within  five  miles  of 
Chloride  and  the  gap  is  being  reduced  at  the  rate  of  about 
half  a  mile  daily. 

The  Black  Jack  ore  is  now  passing  through  the  streets 
every  day  en  route  to  the  Needles  smelter.  An  army  of  burros 
is  engaged  in  packing  this  ore  from  the  mine  to  what  is  known 
as  Tramway  Landing,  where  it  is  loaded  on  wagons  that  haul 
it  to  the  railroad  here. 

Another  property  is  to  be  started  in  the  early  part  of  this 
week;  this  is  the  Emerson,  centrally  situated  and  of  consid- 
erable merit.  E.  M.  Binds  of  Los  Angeles  recently  reported 
favorably  on  it,  and  on  his  recommendation  capitalists  have 
taken  it  over. 

Chloride,  October  23. 

Globe.  Three  blast-furnaces  and  two  converters  are  work- 
ing at  the  Old  Dominion,  yielding  40  to  50  tons  of  copper  per 
day.  As  the  International  smelter  at  Miami  cannot  receive 
more  concentrate  at  present,  this  product  is  stored  at  the  mill. 
Several  alterations  are  being  made  in  the  concentrating  plant. 
A  Diesel  engine  is  to  be  erected  near  the  A  shaft.  The  daily 
output  of  ore  is  1000  tons,  one-third  being  smelted  direct.  The 
mine's  flow  of  water  is  now  under  6,000,000  gal.  daily,  a  de- 
crease due  to  the  Arizona  Commercial  doing  some  pumping. 
The  latter  company  has  received  a  new  pump  for  its  14th 
level,  and  another  one  is  on  its  way.  This  will  allow  for  sink- 
ing to  No.  16.  Monthly  profits  average  $47,000  from  420,000 
lb.  of  copper. 

Miami.  The  Porphyry  Copper  Co.  has  been  organized  by 
J.  D.  Coplen  and  others,  with  a  capital  of  1,500,000  $1  shares, 
to  develop  13  claims  west  of  the  Inspiration  Consolidated 
mine.     Some  work  has  already  opened  carbonate  ore. 

At  the  Miami  Consolidated,  adjoining  the  Live  Oak  mine  of 
the  Inspiration  Consolidated,  a  new  two-compartment  shaft  is 
being  sunk.  Ore  is  also  being  extracted.  The  Star  Drill  Ma- 
chine Co.  of  Akron,  Ohio,  is  sending  two  large  churn-drills 
for  prospecting. 

By  improvements  to  its  tailing  ponds  the  Inspiration  Con- 
solidated will  save  a  great  deal  of  water. 


678 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS. 


November  4,  1916 


ARKANSAS 

Everton.  Three  or  more  good  zinc  mines  have  been  opened 
in  this  district,  a  150-ton  mill  is  being  constructed  at  the 
Marguerite  mine,  and  a  good  future  is  expected  for  the  area. 
_  Kingdon  Springs.  Erection  records  in  mill  building  have 
been  common  of  late,  in  the  south-western  zinc  region,  but  the 
new  100-ton  plant  at  the  Beaty  mine,  owned  by  0.  W.  Killam 
of  Locust  Grove,  Oklahoma,  was  put  up  in  18  days.  The  ore  is 
high  grade. 

Rush.  At  the  Edith  mine  last  week  a  9-hour  shift  at  the 
mill  produced  31  tons  of  concentrate.  The  new  150-ton  mill  is 
working  well. 

CALIFORNIA 

Ceero  Gordo.  Development  of  the  rich  lead-silver  shoot  in 
the  Cerro  Gordo  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.'s  property  continues, 
while  zinc  ore  is  being  shipped  to  smelters. 


IN  THE  SHADOW  CREEK  DISTRICT  OF  MADERA  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA, 
60  MILES  FROM  BISHOP,  ALTITUDE  FROM  SOOO  TO  10,000  FEET. 
THE  WHITE  ROCK  IN  THIS  PICTURE  IS  THE  MINERAL-BEARING 
ZONE,  CONTAINING  COPPER,  LEAD,  AND  ZINC.  TUNGSTEN  (WOL- 
FRAMITE)   IS   FOUND    NEAR-BY. 

Grass  Valley.  Ten  more  stamps  have  been  ordered  for  the 
Golden  Center  mine  and  twenty  for  the  Allison  Ranch  mine, 
which  is  controlled  by  the  former  company.  Erection  of 
buildings  is  under  way. 

Heroult.  At  the  electric  smelter  the  Noble  Electric  Steel 
Co.  has  three  furnaces  in  operation,  making  ferro-manganese, 
ferro-chrome,  and  ferro-silicon.  The  company  receives  its 
raw  minerals  from  various  parts  of  the  State. 

Plymouth.  The  September  output  of  the  Plymouth  Con- 
solidated was  as  under: 

Ore  milled,  tons   6,900 

Value  of  gold  $44,621 

Working   expenses    25,351 

Development  charges  6,717 

Surplus     | 12,552 

Other   expenditure    8,628 

The  new  hoist  is  almost  in  place.  The  club-house,  which 
was  presented  to  the  town  by  the  company,  is  proving  of 
great  social  benefit  to  employees  and  others.  Dwellings  for 
the  men  have  been  built. 

St.  Louis.  For  violation  of  the  Caminetti  act,  which  guards 
against  depositing  tailing  from  hydraulic  operations  in  navi- 
gable streams,  J.  Conlan  of  St.  Louis  in  Sierra  county  was 
fined  $50  last  week  by  Federal  Judge  Dooling.  Tailing  from 
sluicing  went  into  Slate  creek,  then  to  the  Yuba  and  Sacra- 
mento rivers. 

Sonora.  A  cross-cut  from  a  winze  in  the  Omega  mine  has 
opened  free  gold  and  mineralized  ore  assaying  from  $40  to 


$60  per  ton.  A  wide  shoot  is  expected,  as  above  it  was  over 
24  ft.  across.  Lange  &  Hussey  are  lessees  from  Ayers  & 
Harter. 

COLORADO 

Boulder.  The  Colorado  Power  Co.  states  that  during  Sep- 
tember, Boulder  and  Gilpin  county  mines  consumed  660,000 
kw.-hr.  of  current,  compared  with  286,000  kw.-hr.  in  that 
month  of  1915.  Fully  66%  of  the  increase  is  from  the  Boulder 
mines.  The  tungsten  boom  was  mostly  responsible,  though 
gold  and  silver  mines  contributed. 

For  the  sum  of  $20,000,  E.  J.  Lavino  &  Co.  of  Philadelphia 
bought  four  tungsten  claims  from  R.  Kermack  and  H.  De  Vries. 
The  Tungsten  Metals  Co.  has  had  a  bond  and  lease  on  the 
property,  and  will  continue  to  operate,  and  may  eventually 
buy  the  ground  from  the  new  owners.  New  equipment  is  to 
be  ordered. 

Leadvtlle.  An  important  discovery  of  gold-silver-copper  ore 
is  reported  in  the  lower  adit  of  the  Fidelity  Gold  Mining  Co. 
on  Bull  hill,  in  the  Lackawanna  district.  The  gold-content  is 
10  oz.  per  ton.    A  mill  is  to  be  erected  in  the  spring. 

Owners  of  the  Tarsus  mine  on  Yankee  hill  have  opened  on 
the  650-ft.  level  a  shoot  assaying  89  oz.  silver,  14%  lead,  and 
20%  copper.    Prospects  for  persistence  are  considered  good. 

Pueblo.  In  its  24th  annual  report  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron 
Co.  states  that  the  gross  revenue  was  $25,626,606,  an  increase 
of  $9,048,566,  or  54%.  A  good  deal  of  mention  is  made  of 
sociological  relations  of  the  employees. 

IDAHO 

Adair.  Development  of  copper  properties  in  the  east  Coeur 
d'Alene  district  continues  unabated.  Results  at  the  Montana- 
Idaho  and  Richmond  mines  are  satisfactory. 

Burke.  The  new  east  lead-silver  vein  in  the  Hecla  mine 
has  been  opened  for  850  ft.  on  No.  3  level.  Above  this  a  raise 
is  up  600  ft.  in  ore.  The  grade  is  high,  with  only  traces  of 
zinc. 

Murray.  A  trial  of  the  re-modeled  mill  at  the  Golden  Chest 
gold-tungsten  mine  proved  satisfactory  last  week. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  Nearly  1600  new  men  have  been  engaged  by 
the  Calumet  &  Hecla  subsidiaries  during  the  past  summer, 
but  it  is  said  that  the  proportion  of  transient  men  is  greater 
than  before.     Some  Mexicans  have  been  employed. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Prices  for  zinc  and  lead  ores  remained  the  same 
last  week.  The  first  cold  spell  of  the  season  caught  some  pro- 
ducers unprepared,  reducing  the  output.  The  yield  of  the 
Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region  was  6125  tons  of  blende  and 
893  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $65  and  $85  per  ton  respectively. 
The  total  value  was  $479,732. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  During  the  third  quarter  of  1916  the  North  Butte 
company  produced  5,954,685  lb.  of  copper,  247,833  oz.  of  silver, 
and  4002  oz.  of  gold.    The  profit  was  $587,424. 

At  a  depth  of  1000  ft.  in  the.  Butte  &  Zenith  City  a  cross-cut 
has  passed  through  two  promising  veins. 

Great  Falls.  Two  of  the  five  units  at  the  Anaconda  com- 
pany's electrolytic  zinc  plant  are  yielding  60  tons  of  zinc 
daily,  10  tons  above  the  calculated  capacity.  A  bag-house,  with 
1440  bags,  costing  $100,000,  is  being  erected.  This  plant  will 
collect  lead  fume  from  reverberatories. 

Saltese.  At  the  beginning  of  next  year  the  Tarbox  com- 
pany will  commence  ore  shipments. 

Tboy.  According  to  Robert  Gregg,  interviewed  by  the  North- 
western Mining  News  Service,  a  brief  review  of  activities 
around  Troy  will  convince  anyone  that  it  is  one  of  the  coming 
important  mining  regions.     There  are  hundreds  of  men  em- 


November  4.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


679 


ployed  at  the  different  properties,  and  supplies  and  equipment 
are  being  sent  in  by  the  train-load.  The  attention  of  in- 
vestors also  is  being  attracted  to  the  district,  and  engineers 
are  scouring  the  country  for  miles  around  in  search  of  prom- 
ising holdings  that  are  for  sale. 

NEVADA 

Bristol.  A  number  of  Utah  people  are  operating  success- 
fully at  this  place,  which  is  14  miles  from  Pioche.  The  ore 
contains  lead,  silver,  and  copper,  and  is  oxidized  to  a  consid- 
erable depth.  J.  M.  Hill,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  re- 
cently visited  the  district. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Preparations  have  been  com- 
pleted for  the  building  of  a  sampling  plant  at  Jean,  with  a 
capacity  of  200  tons  per  10-hour  day.  It  will  be  particularly 
devoted  to  sampling  ore  from  Goodsprings  and  properties  to 
the  south  along  the  Salt  Lake  Route.  Utah  people  are  financ- 
ing the  enterprise. 

Operations  have  been  resumed  by  the  Dawn  Mining  Co., 
situated  on  the  eastern  slope  of  Potosi  mountain.  Some 
high-grade  zinc  ore  has  been  uncovered,  and  developments 
will  be  pressed  with  an  increased  number  of  men.  Albert 
Munzberock  is  superintendent. 

The  Boss  Mining  Co.  is  busy  preparing  plans  for  the  new 
mill.  The  testing  plant  is  operated  steadily  under  manage- 
ment of  M.  Goodwin,  and  is  making  a  satisfactory  recovery  of 
gold  and  platinum.  The  proposed  mill  will  have  a  daily  ca- 
pacity of  10  tons.  About  800  sacks  of  high-grade  platinum  ore 
is  available  for  treatment,  in  addition  to  the  regular  mine 
product. 

The  Potosi  is  shipping  approximately  1200  tons  of  lead  and 
zinc  ore  per  month,  a  considerable  proportion  of  this  being 
high  grade.  It  is  controlled  by  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.,  and  was 
inspected  last  week  by  the  company's  Western  manager,  C.  J. 
Brown. 

The  Searchlight  district  is  again  receiving  recognition  from 
capital.  At  the  Quartette  much  new  work  is  going  on,  and  it 
is  reported  that  the  New  York  owners  are  preparing  to  operate 
with  100  men.     G.  F.  Cohan  is  preparing  to  resume  at  the 

Duplex. The   shaft   of   the   Big   Casino   is   being   sunk   an 

additional  100  ft.  in  concentrating  ore  of  good  grade. Work 

is  to  be  resumed  at  once  by  the  Searchlight  Mining  &  Milling 

Co. Several  other  properties  north  and  east  of  the  camp 

are  decidedly  active. 

A  42-in.  vein  of  $75  gold-silver  ore  has  been  encountered  in 
the  Carnation  claim,  El  Dorado  canyon,  at  a  depth  of  20  ft. 
Gold  largely  predominates.  The  Eldorado  Empire,  Wall  Street, 
Eldorado  Nevada,  Cluff-Era,  Enterprise-Rand,  and  a  number 
of  other  claims  are  actively  worked.  A  new  camp,  known  as 
Nelson,  is  growing. 

Goodsprings,  October  24. 

Goodsprings.  A  dividend  of  2c.  per  share  will  be  paid  on 
November  10  by  the  Boss  company.  Two  shifts  are  working 
in  the  lower  adit  to  get  under  the  copper  ore  opened  above. 

Searchlight.  The  Searchlight  cyanide-plant  in  charge  of 
N.  H.  Barton,  is  working  to  capacity,  and  making  a  good  re- 
covery on  tailing  from  the  Quartette  stamp-mill. 

Tonopah.  During  the  third  week  of  October  the  district 
produced  9864  tons  of  ore  valued  at  $193,492.  Some  September 
yields  were  as  follows: 

Mine  Tons 

Belmont    11,904 

Extension    9,545 

Jim    Butler 3,552 

Tonopah    8,095 

The  yield  for  the  week  ended  October  28  was  9959  tons 
valued  at  $195,202.  Development  at  the  Belmont  continues 
entirely  satisfactory. From  950  to  1540  ft.  in  the  Exten- 
sion's Victor  mine  results  are  good. Improvement  is  re- 
ported from  the  Jim  Butler. For  the  quarter  ended  August 


ullion,  oz. 

Profit 

201,474 

$93,036 

171,179 

64,896 

37,107 

150,780 

62,770 

31,  the  Tonopah  Mining  Co.'s  profit  was  $122,713,  plus  $14,604 
from  the  Tonopah  Placers  Co.  The  dividend  amounted  to 
$150,000.    Cash  on  hand  is  $36,172. 

Viroinia  City.  The  Mexican  Gold  &  Silver  Mining  Co.  has 
issued  a  circular  in  which  it  is  stated  that  the  last  assess- 
ment levied  on  Mexican  shares  was  nearly  a  year  ago,  on 
December  22,  1915.  The  discovery  of  ore  in  the  Union  Con., 
and  the  milling  of  the  same  in  the  Mexican  mill,  has  netted 
the  company  a  substantial  profit,  enough,  in  fact,  to  enable  it 
to  pay  its  pumping  charges  and  explore  the  2500  and  2700-ft. 
levels  without  calling  on  shareholders  for  funds  during  1916. 
Exploration  of  the  2500-ft.  level  to  the  west  has  resulted  in  no 
discovery  of  importance.  At  2700  ft.  a  well-defined  formation 
has  been  exposed,  showing  every  indication  of  being  produc- 
tive in  depth.  The  pumps  to  lower  the  water  from  the  present 
level  (the  2700-ft.)  to  the  2900-ft.  are  now  installed,  and  will 
start  work  probably  about  November  1,  thus  clearing  the  five 
north-end  mines  of  the  Comstock  of  water  to  the  latter  depth. 
The  winze  in  the  Mexican  ground  between  the  2700  and  2900- 
ft.  levels  has  been  equipped  with  a  hoist,  and  as  the  water- 
level  is  lowered  exploration  will  be  immediately  commenced. 
It  is  firmly  believed  that  something  of  importance  will  be  dis- 
covered. Large  quantities  of  mill  supplies  have  been  pur- 
chased and  are  now  on  hand,  a  single  car  of  cyanide  having 
been  secured  during  the  past  week  at  a  cost  of  over  $9000.  In 
view  of  the  steady  increase  of  prices  due  to  the  War,  and  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  chemicals  at  all  at  critical  times,  this 
policy,  it  is  considered,  is  fully  justified,  and  will  result  in  an 
ultimate  saving  to  shareholders. 

NEW   MEXICO 

On  page  675  of  this  issue  will  be  found  a  general  review  of 
mining  in  this  State. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Work  has  been  resumed  at  the 
Gold  Dust  claims,  situated  in  the  south  part  of  the  district. 
The  property  has  had  1800  ft.  of  adits  driven,  encountering 


*K*r%~-»^jflB  ': 

i 

Pfr-ri' 

- 

1  ;>->,'•*" 

SCENE  AT  MOGOLLON,   NEW   MEXICO. 

two  orebodies.  These  are  to  be  explored  further  and  the  main 
adit  extended  to  the  centre  of  the  property. 

Mr.  Cockran,  of  A.  Leschen  &  Sons  Co.,  who  is  supplying 
material  for  an  aerial  wire-rope  tram  from  the  Pacific  mine  to 
the  plant  of  Socorro  Mining  &  Milling  Co.,  is  here,  superin- 
tending installation.  Rollers  and  rim  work  are  being  placed 
on  standards  and  terminals;  practically  all  the  woodwork  has 
been  completed.  The  tram  will  have  a  length  of  one  mile  and 
a  capacity  of  10  tons  per  hour. 

The  Oaks  Company  is  getting  in  supplies  and  other  ma- 
terial preparatory  to  starting  work  on  its  drainage  and  trans- 
portation tunnel  on  Mineral  creek.  When  completed  it  will 
be  the  largest  and  longest  opening  in  the  district,  and  will 
cut  the  principal  orebodies  at  depths  of  1400  to  1800  ft.,  and 
be  the  means  of  effecting  a  great  economy  in  future  operations. 


680 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  i,  1916 


It  is  planned  to  have  a  large  capacity  plant  at  the  portal,  and 
eventually  centralize  all  metallurgical  operations  o£  the  dis- 
trict at  this  point.  The  topography  of  the  site  is  well  adapted 
to  the  consummation  of  this  scheme. 

P.  L.  Ransome,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  spent  the 
week  in  camp  checking  geological  work  being  done.  An  ap- 
preciable territory  will  have  been  covered  when  the  area  is 
completed. 

Mogollon,  October  17. 

TENNESSEE 

In  the  October  'Resources  of  Tennessee,'  is  a  23-page  paper 
by  W.  C.  Phalen,  of  the  TJ.  S.  Geological  Survey,  on  the  con- 
servation of  phosphate  rock  in  this  State.  Tennessee  rock 
was  first  placed  on  the  market  in  1S94.  In  1914  Florida  pro- 
duced 78%,  South  Carolina  4%,  and  Tennessee  18%  of  the  phos- 
phate rock  used  in  the  United  States  and  exported.  The  brown 
rock  is  the  most  important  in  Tennessee,  occurring  in  Maury, 
Giles,  Hickman,  Lewis,  and  Sumner  counties.  The  largest  de- 
posits are  near  Mount  Pleasant  in  Maury  county.  They  are 
termed  'blanket'  and  'collar'  deposits.  Changes  in  methods  ot 
mining  and  preparation  will  leave  little  or  no  wasted  rock  in 
the  ground.  Clay,  chert,  and  limestone  must  be  removed  be- 
fore going  to  market.  Overburden  is  removed  by  drag-line 
excavators  and  hydraulicking.  Hand  mining  is  much  in 
vogue,  due  to  the  occurrence.  The  ore  contains  over  20% 
phosphoric  acid  and  up  to  70%  phosphate  of  lime. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Records  of  the  Collector  of 
Customs  for  the  El  Paso  district  show  that  there  was  a  large 
falling-off  in  imports  of  ores  and  metals  from  Mexico  through 
here  during  the  first  seven  months  of  the  current  year,  when 
compared  with  a  corresponding  period  of  last  year.  These  im- 
ports for  the  period  ended  July  31,  1916,  were  as  follows: 
January,  gold  ore  $2664,  gold  bullion  $17,827;  February,  ore 
$2122,  bullion  $40,705;  March,  ore  $10,631,  bullion  $532;  April, 
ore  $6S57,  bullion  $731;  May,  ore  $3280,  bullion  $34S;  June, 
ore  $2348,  bullion  $351;  July,  ore  $1029,  bullion  $4116;  making 
a  total  of  $2S,931  gold  ore  and  $64,601  of  gold  bullion.  During 
the  same  period  of  1915  there  was  imported  gold  ore  valued 
at  $69,950,  and  gold  bullion  worth  $1,188,305. 

January  silver  ore  imports  were  worth  $14,971,  and  silver 
bullion  $197,176;  February,  ore  $140,035,  bullion  $1291;  March, 
ore  $114,S37,  bullion  $20,300;  April,  ore  $45,607,  bullion  $3790; 
May,  ore  $29,041,  bullion  $21,127;  June,  ore  $8445,  bullion, 
$4222;  July,  ore  $11,486,  bullion  $38,047;  a  total  of  $361,423 
of  silver  ore,  and  $284,953  of  silver  bullion.  During  the  first 
seven  months  of  1915  the  silver  ore  imported  had  a  value  of 
$472,172  and  the  silver  bullion  $2,419,635. 

Imports  of  copper  ore  amounted  to  12,139  tons,  valued  at 
$117,811.  Last  year,  from  January  to  July,  inclusive,  imports 
of  the  same  product  were  4995  tons  worth  $86,395.  Copper 
matte  brought  over  this  year  was  683  tons,  valued  at  $12,021, 
while  last  year  798  tons  was  imported,  worth  $35,642.  This, 
the  greatest  movement  of  copper  ores,  took  place  in  March, 
April,  and  May. 

Imports  of  lead  ores  were  as  follows:  January,  508  tons, 
value  $1753;  February,  2242  tons,  $24,570;  March,  6470  tons, 
$36,512;  April,  5948  tons,  $54,618;  May,  3831  tons,  $19,843; 
June,  360  tons,  $4212;  July,  812  tons  $4021;  a, total  of  20,175 
tons,  valued  at  $145,529.  Last  year  from  January  to  July,  in- 
clusive, imports  of  lead  ores  were  26,395  tons  worth  $121,169. 

Following  is  the  record  of  zinc-ore  importations  by  months: 
January,  30  tons,  value  $972;  February,  977  tons,  $4490; 
March,  3644  tons,  $122,006;  April,  4349  tons,  $126,781;  May, 
2186  tons,  $55,878;  and  June,  5162  tons,  $110,766  (the  figures 
for  July  are  not  available) ;  total,  16,848  tons,  worth  $450,893. 
During  the  same  period  of  1915  imports  of  zinc  amounted  to 
12,699  tons,  valued  at  $482,218. 

El  Paso,  October  23. 


UTAH 

Alta.  Progress  in  the  Alta  Tunnel  &  Transportation  Co.'s 
tunnel  is  8  ft.  daily.  Drilling  in  the  limestone  is  a  little  easier 
lately.  Results  of  this  work  are  being  watched  with  interest 
by  the  whole  district. 

MmvALE.  The  new  plant  of  the  Midvale  Minerals  Co.  costing 
$100,000,  to  treat  between  300  and  400  tons  daily  of  lead-zinc 
tailing  at  the  old  U.  S.  smelter,  has  commenced  treatment. 
Oil  flotation  is  employed,  using  Janney  cells. 

Promontory.  At  the  United  Promontory  the  shaft  is  down 
128  ft.  Samples  of  ore  assayed  6%  copper,  9  oz.  silver,  and 
51%  lead. 

Eureka.  In  our  issue  of  October  14  we  gave  the  total  divi- 
dends of  the  Chief  Consolidated  Mining  Co.  at  $283,000;  this 
should  have  been  $483,368.  With  the  dividends  that  will  be 
paid  on  November  2,  of  $44,149,  the  total  will  then  be  $527,518. 

Salt  Lake  City.  Affairs  of  the  Ohio  Copper  Co.  are  still 
in  a  tangle,  resulting  in  much  discussion  as  to  its  future,  and 
proposed  re-organization.  On  October  6  the  International  & 
Intercontinental  Mining  &  Refining  Corporation  of  60  Wall 
Street,  New  York,  sent  a  circular  to  shareholders.  On  August 
30  the  property  was  sold  on  foreclosure  for  $750,000.  The  Cor- 
poration was  unsuccessful  in  its  application  to  postpone  the 
sale,  although  the  Ohio  company  was  in  a  position  to  pay  its 
debts  and  interest,  and  then  have  a  substantial  balance.  The 
day  following  the  sale  the  right  to  redeem  the  property  was 
sold  by  the  trustees  in  bankruptcy  for  $40,000.  Under  the 
State  laws  the  company  had  the  right  to  redeem  at  any  time 
within  six  months  after  the  date  of  sale.  The  Stockholders' 
Protective  Committee  was  being  formed  at  the  end  of  August 
and  a  re-organization  plan  was  in  preparation.  Confirmation 
of  sale  in  foreclosure  and  sale  of  the  equity  of  redemption  was 
adjourned  to  October  13,  at  which  time  the  Court  must  be  con- 
vinced that  the  stockholders  intend  to  protect  their  own  in- 
terests or  the  sale  will  doubtless  be  confirmed.  At  that  date 
there  would  be  the  one  chance  for  stockholders  to  save  their 
property.  On  September  30,  U.  S.  District  Judge  Manton 
granted  the  Corporation  leave  to  intervene  in  the  bankruptcy 
proceeding  for  protection  of  stockholders.  The  Judge  pointed 
out  that  although  the  property  sold  for  $750,000,  leaving  an 
apparent  deficiency  of  $700,000,  yet  that  deficiency  has  since 
been  reduced  to  $400,000  by  royalties  and  rentals  by  lease  of 
the  property.  He  also  commented  on  the  non-paid  stock,  a 
valuable  asset.  Holders  are  urged  to  deposit  their  stock  with 
the  Central  Trust  Co.  of  54  Wall  street,  New  York. 

WASHINGTON 

Republic.  Owing  to  the  ore  in  the  San  Poil  mine  yielding 
only  $6.75  per  ton,  against  $8  expected,  work  has  been  sus- 
pended by  the  lessee,  the  West  Hill  Mining -Co.  of  Spokane. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Silverton.  The  Standard  Silver-Lead  company  pays  2Ac.  per 
share  on  November  10.  The  new  orebody  in  the  Alpha  claim 
continues  to  open  well.  In  No.  5  adit,  3  ft.  of  clean  galena 
has  been  cut. 

Ontario 

Cobalt.  The  Mining  Corporation  of  Canada  is  operating  its 
high-grade  mill.  It  differs  radically  from  the  two  other  high- 
grade  plants  at  Cobalt,  in  that  amalgamation  plays  no  part 
in  the  treatment,  nor  is  the  ore  crushed  in  cyanide  solution. 
The  ore  is  first  slimed  in  tube-mill,  and  after  a  preliminary 
treatment  in  two  stages  is  dewatered  and  washed  on  an  Oliver 
filter,  then  given  cyanide  treatment,  and  again  filtered  and 
washed  on  a  second  Oliver  filter.  The  silver  is  precipitated 
from  the  solution  by  sodium  sulphide  instead  of  aluminum 
dust,  and  the  resulting  silver  sulphide  precipitated,  desul- 
phurized, pumped  to  filter-presses,   and  refined  in  reverbera- 


November  -I,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


i;si 


tory-furnacea  to  a   high-grade   bullion   ready   for  shipment   in 
bars  to  London. 

i.v\i;muir.  The  nickel  deposits  in  this  township  have  been 
optioned  to  the  International  Nickel  Co.,  which  will  prospect 
by  diamond-drilling. 

PORCUPINE.  During  the  quarter  ended  September  30,  the 
Mclntyre  Porcupine  Alines  Co.  made  a  profit  of  $136,084. 
There  was  35,810  tons  of  $9.0S  ore  treated  at  a  cost  of  $4.93 
per  ton.  Custom  ore  amounting  to  6S77  tons  gave  a  profit  of 
$2S,239,  which  is  included  above.  Development  covered  10G2 
ft.  and  1302  ft.  of  drilling.  At  1000  ft.  depth  the  west  drift 
on  the  boundary  vein  was  advanced  300  ft.  A  stope  above 
this  level  shows  8  to  30  ft.  of  $15  ore.  The  present  face  is  18 
ft.  wide.  Improvements  at  the  main  shaft  will  be  complete 
early  in  January.  Work  from  No.  4  and  5  shafts  was  satis- 
factory. 

KOREA 

The  Oriental  Consolidated  reports  the  following  returns  for 
August:  200  stamps  worked  29.9  days,  crushing  26,895  tons. 
The  gross  receipts  were  $132,660,  and  operating  costs  totaled 
$76,722,  and  improvements,  development,  etc.,  cost  $1440,  leav- 
ing a  net  profit  of  $54,49S. 

MEXICO 

Chihuahua 

(Special  Correspondence.) — At  the  Alvarado  Mining  &  Mill- 
ing Co.'s  plant  the  labor  is  Mexican  only.  There  are  only  two 
of  the  old  American  staff  of  the  company  at  Parral,  and  they 
are  operating  five  mines,  and  the  plant  of  400-ton  daily  ca- 
pacity is  working  full  time.  The  Mexican  organization,  how- 
ever, is  more  efficient  than  was  thought  possible  until  the  men 
were  tried.  All  the  staff  left  for  EI  Paso  in  January  last,  after 
the  Santa  Isabel  affair,  and  most  of  them  returned  in  May, 
resumed  operations  in  June,  only  to  have  to  leave  hurriedly 
again  at  the  latter  part  of  the  month  after  the  Carrizal  affair. 
As  the  company  did  not  desire  to  risk  again  the  lives  of  Its 
American  employees,  only  the  manager  and  another  returned 
in  July  to  resume  operations.  They  found  that  the  native  help, 
after  a  period  of  near  starvation,  was  willing  to  work,  and  the 
property  has  been  running  at  full  capacity  ever  since. 

Villa  has  been  active  again  in  the  vicinity  of  Chihuahua 
City,  and  there  have  been  many  rumors  of  his  approach  to 
attack  Parral.  It  is  hoped  that  he  will  confine  his  activities 
to  the  north  and  leave  us  in  peace  for  a  time  at  least.  Con- 
ditions are  had,  of  course,  and  the  entire  State  is  under  mar- 
tial law,  and  executions  are  frequent.  It  seems  that  there  is 
nothing  to  do  but  endure  it  until  there  is  an  end  to  the  Wilson 
administration  in  the  United  States;  that,  more  than  any  one 
thing,  is  considered  to  have  caused  these  conditions  to  last 
as  long  as  they  have,  with  no  hope  for  the  future. 

Parral,  October  10. 

The  new  mining  and  milling  laboratory  of  the  Haileybury 
School  of  Mines,  Ontario,  is  nearing  completion,  and  the  in- 
stitution is  now  getting  its  machinery  and  equipment.  The 
laboratory  will  comprise  a  complete  small-size  concentrator, 
cyanide  plant,  flotation  plant,  assay-office,  blacksmith,  machine, 
and  carpenter  shops,  and  will  contain  most  of  the  machines 
usually  used  in  this  work.  The  school  has  the  co-operation  of 
the  companies  in  the  Cobalt  district  and  mining-machinery 
manufacturers,  and  is  always  pleased  to  make  arrangements 
with  manufacturers  who  wish  to  have  their  machinery  repre- 
sented in  the  plant. 

The  College  of  Mines  and  Engineering  at  the  University  of 
Arizona  announces  short  courses  for  miners.  Tuition  is  free 
to  residents  of  the  State,  others  pay  $1  per  course.  Prospec- 
tors have  five  weeks,  starting  on  October  30,  field  geology  two 
weeks  from  December  4,  assaying  ten  days  from  January  3, 
metallurgists  three  weeks  from  January  15,  flotation  one  week 
from  February  5,  and  miners  6  weeks  from  February  12. 


iP^ijcxniLl 


Note:    The  Editor  invito  members  of  the  profeestm  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointment*.     Tit  is  information  is  ittii  retting  to  our  readers. 


Deane  P.  Mitchell  is  at  the  Palace. 

Walter  Straciie  sailed  for  Chile  on  October  21. 

Geo.  Watkin  Evans  has  returned  to  Seattle  from  Alaska. 

Pierre  Bouery  has  left  Alaska  to  give  his  services  to  France. 

Hallet  R.  Robbins  has  returned  from  California  to  Van- 
couver. 

William  DeL.  Beneoict  has  returned  to  New  York,  from 
California. 

Forbes  Rickard  has  gone  to  Lovelock,  Nevada,  on  his  return 
from  Arizona. 

Theodore  Hoover  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  Philadelphia, 
on  October  29. 

Philip  Argall  passed  through  San  Francisco  from  New 
Mexico  to  Denver. 

David  T.  Day,  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  was  in  San 
Francisco  this  week. 

Fred  B.  Ely  has  recently  visited  New  York  and  has  left 
for  Vancouver,  B.  C,  to  remain  indefinitely. 

H.  E.  West  has  returned  to  San  Francisco,  and  is  with  the 
firm  of  Hamilton,  Beauchamp  &  Woodworth. 

J.  H.  Rickard  Is  on  his  way  back  to  Cornwall,  from  San 
Francisco,  hy  way  of  Vancouver  and  New  York. 

Edward  B.  Durham  has  been  engaged  as  superintendent  of 
construction  for  the  Mammoth  Copper  Mining  Co.,  Kennett, 
California. 

J.  N.  Bulkley,  of  New  York,  has  been  appointed  consulting 
engineer  to  the  Kaolin  Products  Corporation,  and  will  design 
and  supervise  the  erection  of  Its  new  plant. 

H.  W.  Aldkich,  superintendent  of  the  leaching  plant  at 
Anaconda,  has  heen  promoted  to  superintendent  of  the  blast- 
furnace and  briquette  plants;  H.  J.  Maguire  succeeds  Mr. 
Aldrich. 

F.  K.  Brunton  has  resigned  from  the  staff  of  the  A.  S.  &  R. 
Co.  at  Garfield,  Utah,  to  accept  a  position  as  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Consolidated  Arizona  Smelting  Co.  at  Humboldt, 
Arizona. 

John  V.  N.  Dorr  has  been  awarded  the  John  Scott  medal  by 
the  City  of  Philadelphia,  acting  on  the  advice  of  the  Franklin 
Institute,  for  the  invention  of  his  classifier,  thickener,  and 
agitator. 

Edward  A.  Steinberg,  recent  foreman  of  the  United  Corn- 
stock  Pumping  Association,  who  was  injured  July  4  in  Vir- 
ginia City,  and  has  been  confined  to  the  hospital  in  Reno,  has 
been  removed  to  the  Saint  Francis  hospital,  in  San  Francisco, 
for  treatment  by  a  specialist. 


George  S.  Rice,  chief  mining  engineer,  and  H.  M.  Wolflin, 
mine-safety  engineer,  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  were  in 
San  Francisco  from  October  25  to  28,  for  the  purpose  of  arrang- 
ing for  a  successor  to  Edwin  Higgins,  who  has  resigned  as  the 
representative  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  in  the  California  co- 
operative work  and  as  chief  mine  inspector  of  the  Industrial 
Accident  Commission.  Mr.  Wolflin  was  first  assigned  to  this 
work  in  1914,  and  he  conducted  the  preliminary  investigation 
that  led  up  to  the  adoption  of  the  Mine  Safety  Rules  hy  the 
Industrial- Accident  Commission.  Conferences  were  held  with 
Will  J.  French,  commissioner,  and  Messrs.  Rice,  Wolflin,  and 
Higgins,  the  result  of  which  was  a  decision  temporarily  to 
assign  Mr.  Wolflin  to  succeed  Mr.  Higgins  until  such  time  as 
the  plans  discussed  can  be  gone  over  with  the  Director  of  the 
Bureau  and  a  permanent  assignment  made.  Mr.  Rice  left  for 
Los  Angeles  on  the  28th  and  will  return  to  Washington  about 
November  15  stopping  en  route  at  various  mining  centres 
where  the  Bureau  of  Mines  is  conducting  field  investigations. 


682 


MINING   and   Scientific 


PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  31. 

Antimony,   cents    per    pound 14.00 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents   per  pound 29.25 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.50 

$90—94 

$80 

12 

43 

20 


Monthly  averages 


Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce. 
Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb. 

Spelter,   cents  per   pound 

Tin.   cents  per  pound   

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound   .  . . 


ORE    PRICES 

San  Francisco,  October  31. 

Antimony:   50%   metal,  per  unit    $1.25 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton, 13. 00 — 16.00 

Magnesite:  crude,  .per  ton    8.00 

Manganese:  50%   (under  35%  metal  not  desired) ...  .14.00  and  up 

Tungsten:  60%  WOa,  per  unit 17.00 

At  Boulder,  Colorado,  the  tungsten  ore  market  is  active,  the 
price  being  steady  at  $17  per  unit  for  standard  grades. 

New  York,  October  25. 

Antimony:  Ore  of  good  quality  has  sold  at  $1.30  per  unit  in 
small  quantities. 

Tungsten:  European  consumers  continue  to  inquire,  but  the 
market  has  been  quieter  in  regard  to  actual  sales,  probably  not 
more  than  150  tons  having  been  taken  in  the  week.  The  nom- 
inal quotation  is  $17  per  unit, 

Molybdenite:  But  little  of  this  ore  is  available,  and  there  is 
keen  competition  for  what  there  is.  Quotations  are  higher  at 
$1.70  to  $1.80  per  lb.  for  molybdenum  sulphide. 

EASTERN  METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
October   31. — Copper   producers   are   firmer   and   fairly    active, 
near-by  metal  is  scarce:  lead  is  quiet  and  firm;  dealers  buying 
strengthens  spelter. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Oct.  25 67.37 

"  26 67.37 

"  27 67.37 

"  28 67.62 

"  29   Sunday 

"  30 67.75 

"  31 68.12 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.  19 68.31 

"      26 68.95 

Oct.       3 69.12 

"      10 67. S3 

"      17 67.95 

"      24 67.70 

"      31 67.60 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 

1916. 

48.85 

56.76 

48.45 

56.74 

50.61 

57.89 

60.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 


Steadiness  and  a  slight  rise  is  noticeable  during  the  week, 
backed  by  a  good  undertone.  The  effect  of  selling  from  China 
is  felt  at  times,  although  the  actual  amount  of  silver  that 
changes  hands  may  not  be  large,  for  there  is  always  a  possi- 
bility of  the  quantity  increasing.  The  mere  fact  of  China 
assisting  with  supplies  influences  other  selling:  speculators  are 
disposed  to  take  profits,  and  the  Indian  Bazaars,  whose  adverse 
views  as  to  the  future  of  silver  are  notorious,  at  once  feel  de- 
pressed. In  these  circumstances  a  certain  retrogression  in 
prices  (as  last  week)  is  a  natural  outcome. 

Silver  worth  $135,100  was  shipped  from  San  Francisco  to  the 
Orient  on  October  28. 

Silver  stored  by  the  Tonopah  Mining  Co.  is  worth  $431,011, 
calculating  at  50c.  per  ounce. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Oct.     25 28.50 

"      26 28.50 

"      27 28.50 

"      28 2S.50 

"  29  Sunday 

"       30 28.50 

"      31 28.50 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   13.60 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.  19 28.29 

"      26 28.41 

Oct.       3 28.56 

"      10 28.60 

"      17 28.50 

"      24 28.37 

"      31 28.50 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 
28.50 


Thirty-cent  copper  is  soon  to  be  reported,  according  to  some 
producers.  Prices  have  stiffened  of  late.  Smelting  and  refining 
companies  are  60,000,000  lb.  behind  with  deliveries  of  metal. 

Dividends  paid  by  11  copper  companies  during  October  totaled 
$5,772,184,  on  3,233,117  shares.  In  September,  16  companies  paid 
$24,000,000  on  12,000,000  shares.  Greene  Cananea  pays  $2  per 
share  on  November  27. 

The  American  Brass  Co.,  a  large  consumer  (400,000,000  lb. 
annually)  of  copper  is  paying  10%  for  the  last  quarter  of  1916. 
making  25%  for  the  year,  equal  to  $3,750,000  on  the  capital.  By 
the  end  of  this  year  the  surplus  will  probably  be  $100  per  share. 

LEAD 


Lead  is  quoted 

in  cents 

per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 

Date. 

Average  week  ending 

Oct. 

■'7, 

7.00 

Sept 

19 

.    6.80 

" 

26 

?,7 

7.00 
7.00 

Oct. 

?6 

.    7  00 

" 

3 

.    7.08 

" 

7.00 

" 

10 

.    7.05 

" 

29 

Sunday 

" 

17. 

.    7.00 

30 
31 

7.00 
7.00 

■■ 

31  . 

" 

Monthly 

averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

Jan. 

..    4.11 

3.73 

5.95 

July 

.    3.80 

5.59 

6.40 

Feb. 

.  .    4.02 

3.83 

6.23 

Aug. 

.    3.86 

4.67 

6.28 

Mch. 

..    3.94 

4.04 

7.26 

Sept 

.    3. 82 

4.62 

6.S6 

Apr. 

4.21 

7.70 

Oct. 

.    3.60 

4.62 

7.02 

May 

..    3.90 

4.24 

7.38 

Nov. 

.    3.68 

5.15 

June 

..    3.90 

5.75 

6.88 

Dec. 

.    3.80 

5.34 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Oct.     25 10.25 

"      26 10.25 

"      27 10.25 

"      28 10.25 

"  29  Sunday 

"      30 10.25 

"      31 10.37 


Average  week  ending 
Sept.  19 9.46 


26. 
3. 
10. 
17. 
24. 


9.35 
9.31 


9.81 
9.78 


31 10.27 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July 

5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug. 

5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept 

4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct. 

4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov. 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec. 

1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.18 
9.92 


Value  of  ore  production  of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma 
zinc-lead  region  for  42  weeks  is  now  $700,000  above  that  of  the 
whole  of  1915,  namely,  $26,038,650.  The  present  price  of  ore  is 
stronger  at  $70  per  ton  for  60%  metal-content. 
QUICKSILVER 
The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

"Week  ending 

Date.  I    Oct.     17 78.00 

Oct.       3 75.00  "       24 80.00 

"      10 78.00    I        "      31 80.00 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June    38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 


TIN 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

...37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

37.38 

38.37 

Feb.    . 

...39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Aug.    .  . 

.  ..50.20 

34.37 

38.S8 

Mch.    . 

...38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

Sept.  .  . 

.  ..33.10 

33.12 

36.66 

Apr.    . 

...36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

Oct.     .  . 

...30.40 

33.00 

...33.29 

39.28 

49.10 

Nov.    .  . 

.  ..33.51 

39.50 

June    . 

...30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

Dec.     .  . 

...33.60 

38.71 

Tin    is   firm   at   42   cents. 


November  4.   l'Mli 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


i;x;i 


lEJasS&ra    M^all   faM 


New  York,  October  25. 

The  feature  in  copper  is  a  persistent  and  general  rumor  that 
a  foreign  country,  presumably  Italy,  is  negotiating  for  a  large 
quantity.    Meanwhile  the  undertone  of  the  market  is  strong. 

Zinc  has  reached  and  passed  10c.  although  the  upward  move- 
ment now  appears  to  have  halted.  A  heavy  business  has  been 
done  in  the  past  few  days,  principally  with  the  galvanizers. 

Lead  is  stronger  in  the  West,  but  obtainable  at  Eastern 
points  at  7  cents. 

Tin  is  higher  despite  a  quiet  market. 

Antimony  is  dull  again. 

Iron  and  steel  prices  continue  to  advance.  In  a  broad  way 
it  may  be  said  that  prices  of  semi-finished  steel  are  $15  to  $20 
per  ton  higher  than  a  year  ago,  and  those  of  finished  materials, 
$20  to  $30  higher;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  higher  levels 
will  be  reached. 

The  pig-iron  market  has  been  highly  excited  this  past  week, 
and  quotations  have  jumped  from  $1  to  $3  per  ton.  The  coke 
market  is  even  more  agitated,  sales  of  prompt  foundry  and 
furnace  coke  having  been  made  at  $6  to  $7  per  ton,  with  nearly 
$S  asked.  The  car  shortage  has  interfered  with  deliveries  of 
contract  coke,  and  consumers  have  been  obliged  to  buy  spot 
fuel.  Thousands  of  tons  of  shell-steel  are  still  under  negotia- 
tion. 

The  metal-working  machinery  trade  is  near  a  normal  basis 
in  all  save  prices.  The  builders  and  dealers  in  machine-tools 
have  been  in  convention  in  New  York  this  week,  devoting 
much  discussion  to  post-bellum  possibilities  in  their  line.  The 
dealers  point  out  that  prices  must  be  lower  if  they  are  to  suc- 
cessfully combat  the  flood  of  second-hand  machines  that  the 
munitions'  makers  will  place  on  the  market,  and  compete  with 
the  new  and  cheaper  machines  which  the  War  brought  into 
being.  It  is  estimated  that  100  more  firms  are  now  making 
machine-tools  than  were  in  the  business  two  years  ago. 
ZINC 

Early  last  week  it  was  remarked  that  the  producers  had  set 
their  minds  on  obtaining  10c.  for  spelter,  and  in  the  face  of  a 
fairly  good  demand  they  appeared  unwilling  to  sell.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  the  fact  is  that  the  price  has  reached  and 
exceeded  10c,  also  that  in  the  past  four  or  five  days  an  ex- 
tremely large  tonnage  has  been  bought,  mostly  of  the  galvaniz- 
ing grades.  The  brass  mills  have  shown  little  interest.  Spot 
was  quoted  yesterday,  the  24th,  at  10.25c,  New  York,  and  10c, 
St.  Louis,  November  at  10.124c,  New  York,  and  first  quarter 
at  9.S74  to  10c  The  market  showed  an  advancing  tendency 
until  yesterday,  when  it  halted,  much  to  the  disappointment 
of  the  sellers.  The  London  spot  quotation  yesterday  was  £54, 
or  £1  higher  than  a  week  previous.  Exports  continue  on  an 
enormous  scale,  those  of  the  month  up  to  the  25th,  amounting 
to  7027  tons.  Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at  15c,  carload  lots, 
f.o.b.  mill,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

Considerable  business  has  been  done  in  what  the  trade  terms 
chemical  lead,  in  contra-distinction  to  desilverized  lead  in  the 
St.  Louis  district.  About  October  IS,  when  the  St.  Louis  quota- 
tion of  the  independents  was  6.85c,  large  quantities  of  chem- 
ical lead  were  taken  at  St.  Louis,  with  the  result  that  all 
grades  advanced  to  6.924c  in  that  territory  where  they  have 
since  remained.  In  the  East,  however,  good  brands  have  been 
obtainable  at  7c,  New  York,  the  quotation  to  which  the  A.  S. 
&  R.  Co.  has  adhered.  The  big  interest  has  been  quoting 
6.924c,  St.  Louis,  for  some  time.  In  New  York  dealers  have 
quoted  up  to  7.25c,  for  strictly  spot  metal.  It  is  reported, 
and  the  trade  is  puzzled  thereat,  that  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  has 
been  a  buyer  of  lead  of  late.     Last  week  a  good  export  busi- 


ness was  done,  largely  on  Canadian  account.  Exports  from 
the  1st  to  the  25th  totaled  2S71  tons.  The  London  quotation 
yesterday  stood  at  £30  10s. — unchanged  from  a  week  ago. 

COPPER 

Rumors  are  current  that  negotiations  are  under  way  which 
may  lead  to  a  large  sale  to  one  of  the  European  nations,  prob- 
ably Italy.  No  details  are  available  at  this  writing,  but  the 
rumor  is  so  generally  diffused  that  it  probably  has  a  basis  of 
fact.  It  has  given  the  market  a  better  undertone,  though 
prices  have  not  actually  advanced.  Spot  electrolytic  is  quoted 
from  28.75  to  29c,  November  at  28.50c,  December  at  28c, 
January  at  27.50c,  first  quarter  at  27.25c,  and  first  half  at 
27c.  The  producers  of  choice  Lake  are  said  to  be  sold-up 
until  next  March,  for  which  position  they  quote  27.374c 
Arsenical  copper  is  obtainable  for  near-by  delivery  at  28.50c. 
Practically  all  of  the  spot  metal  is  in  the  hands  of  second- 
hands.  The  general  aspect  of  the  market  is  one  of  quiet, 
verging  on  dullness,  and  not  much  change  is  expected  until 
the  political  situation  is  somewhat  cleared-up.  The  demand 
for  brass  and  copper  products  continues  extremely  heavy. 
Large  inquiries  for  copper  shell  rings  are  in  the  market,  but 
none  of  the  makers  can  take  on  any  more  of  this  kind  of  work. 
If  they  could  they  could  easily  get  orders  for  millions  of 
rings.  The  London  market  is  stronger  at  £144  for  spot  electro- 
lytic, against  £143  a  week  ago.  Exports  from  October  1  to  25 
totaled  21,681  tons.  For  the  first  nine  months  of  the  year  they 
were  245,002  tons,  compared  with  186,663  tons  in  the  same 
period  of  1915.  In  this  period  the  exports  were  apportioned 
as  follows  in  long  tons,  by  Secretary  Mayer  of  the  New  York 
Metal  Exchange: 

1916  1915 

United  Kingdom  57,454  60,458 

France    118,121  68,915 

Holland    2,086  947 

Italy    35,405  31,415 

Denmark 2,704  1,711 

Norway  and  Sweden  8,101  12,134 

Russia    18,030  9,171 

China   and   Japan    71  108 

Sundries    3,030  1,804 

Total     245,002  186,663 

Total  exports  in  1915  amounted  to  276,344  tons. 

TIN 

At  no  time  since  the  last  report  has  there  been  any  great 
activity  in  the  market,  although  in  the  last  half  of  last  week 
buying  was  steady,  if  moderate  in  total  volume.  The  quota- 
tion yesterday  for  spot  Straits  was  41.25c,  with  spot  Banca 
at  40.874,  to  41c  Banca  has  been  surprisingly  steady,  and 
has  held  close  to  the  quotation  for  Straits.  Permits  to  ship 
from  England  are  again  more  difficult  to  secure,  and  this  has 
had  a  stiffening  effect  on  the  market  here.  Arrivals  this 
month  total  only  2005  tons,  and  it  is  felt  that  the  monthly 
statistics  will  show  a  substantial  reduction  in  stocks.  The 
quantity  afloat  is  2025  tons.  In  August  imports  of  tin  at 
Pacific  ports  totaled  313,902  lb.,  valued  at  $124,329  in  the  San 
Francisco  district,  and  941,321  lb.  valued  at  $378,373  in  the 
Washington  district. 

ANTIMONY 

Again  the  market  can  only  be  reported  as  dull,  with  Oriental 
grades  at  13  to  13.50c,  duty  paid.  Considerable  business  was 
done  on  Canadian  account  a  few  days  ago  in  metal  required 
for  shrapnel  bullets.  Needle  antimony  is  quoted  at  11  to 
11.50  cents. 


684 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  4,  1916 


©©sapiinaj  IR-ap©^ 


B©©M  Wimrmwg 


ORIENTAL  CONSOLIDATED  MINING  CO. 

As  usual,  the  36-page  report  of  this  American  company 
operating  in  Korea,  contains  much  of  interest.  The  follow- 
ing notes  are  from  the  remarks  of  the  general  manager,  Alf 
Welhaven: 

From  309,730  tons  of  ore  treated,  total  receipts  were  $1,636,- 
300,  equal  to  $5.28  per  ton.  All  costs  amounted  to  $2.91  per 
ton.  After  paying  for  development  and  construction  the 
profit  was  $677,820.  Three  dividends  of  50c.  each  absorbed 
$644,080. 

The  following  table  gives  some  details  of  the  mines: 

Development,    Production,     Average     Reserves, 

Name  feet  tons  value  tons 

Tabowie     13,000  126,766  $6.73  560,000 

Taracol     12,798  104,097  4.64  210,000 

Chintui    4,321  25,968  4.15  20,000 

Tongkol     981  7,472  7.56  7,000 

Charabowie    2,636  43,723  8.17  45,000 

Candlestick    2,878  1,704  7.64  

The  average  cost  of  mining  was  $1.79  per  ton,  including  de- 
velopment. Results  of  exploration  were  satisfactory  in  the 
Tabowie,  Taracol,  Tongkol,  and  Chintui  mines.  The  future 
of  the  Charabowie  and  Candlestick  is  not  bright.  On  outside 
.properties  a  total  of  3740  ft.  of  prospecting  was  done,  with 
poor  results. 

Some  mill  details  are  as  under: 

Ore  Con- 

Duty,        crushed  centrate, 

Name  Stamps     tons .  tons  Bullion  tons 

Tabowie     80  4.59  126,766         $370,434         13,856 

Taracol    80  4.97  137,537  294,309         12,428' 

Maibong    40  3.12  43,723  273,645  2,264 

Candlestick    .  .1»  3.39  1,704  9,368  1,704 

Cyanide  plants  gave  the  following: 
Concentrate 

treated,  Recovery, 

Name  tons  Value  % 

Taracol    26,284  $686,023  85.6 

Candlestick    1,704  3,648  64.6 

Maibong    2,264  51,136  94.2 

The  total  extraction  in  bullion  and  concentrate  was  90.2%. 
Milling  expenses  were  47c.  per  ton,  a  decrease  of  lc.  Re- 
covery at  the  Taracol  cyanide  plant  was  1.7%  higher  and  cost 
4c.  lower;  at  the  Maibong  tube-mill  plant  the  recovery  gained 
20.3%  and  the  cost  was  lowered  $1.79  per  ton.  Some  slag 
bullion  was  included,  so  the  94.2%  may  not  be  maintained. 
Concentrate  treatment  cost  $1.99  per  ton  of  concentrate,  or 
19c.  per  ton  of  ore.  The  assay-office  made  41,198  determina- 
tions at  a  cost  of  13.16c.  each. 

The  report  contains  notes  on  construction,  cordwood  rail- 
ways, forestry,  hydro-electric  power  developed  (430  hp.),  rain- 
fall (76.1  in.)  machine-shops,  transportation,  bullion  expense, 
geological  examination,  medical,  free,  bath-house  for  native 
employees,  and  bonus  of  $10,000  for  white  employees. 

The  output  to  date  is  $25,743,213  from  4,144,997  tons  of  ore, 
and  dividends  totaling  $7,069,860,  or  $16.50  per  share. 

The  crest  of  a  single  anticlinal  fold  of  a  vein  is  held  to  be  a 
sufficient  apex  to  sustain  an  extra-lateral  right  thereon.  A 
terminal  edge  on  the  vein  held  not  to  be  necessary  in  order 
to  constitute  an  apex. 

Jim  Butler  Tonopah  Mining  Co.  v.  West  End  Consolidated 
Mining  Co.  (Nevada),  158  Pacific,  876.    July  3,  1916. 
Note:     This   decision  was  discussed  fully  in  our  issue  of 
July   22,   1916,   and   has  since   been   taken   on   appeal   to   the 
United  States  Supreme  Court. 


Handbook  of  Rock  Excavation  Methods  and  Cost.  By 
Halbert  P.  Gillette.  P.  825.  111.,  index.  Clark  Book  Co.,  Inc., 
New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 
Price,  $5. 

The  author  of  this  volume  needs  no  introduction  to  the  en- 
gineering profession,  for  his  books  on  'Cost  Data'  and  'Cost 
Keeping  and  Management  Engineering'  have  long  been  stand- 
ard works.  This  is  the  first  of  three  books  which  are  intended 
to  cover  the  subjects  of  rock  excavation,  earth  excavation,  and 
tunnels  and  shafts.  In  the  book  under  consideration  there  is 
much  descriptive  matter  of  the  machines  and  devices  em- 
ployed, especially  the  different  types  of  drills,  steel,  and  bits. 
The  subject  has  been  divided  under  the  general  head  of  ma- 
chinery, drilling  operations,  explosives,  blasting  methods,  load- 
ing and  transporting  the  broken  rock.  The  application  of 
methods  and  the  cost  are  given  with  concrete  examples  of 
each  type  of  work  in  mines,  quarries,  railroad  cuts,  canals, 
trenches,  and  sub-aqueous  excavations.  Considerable  space  has 
been  given  to  the  discussion  of  steam,  compressed-air,  and 
other  power-plants,  considering  the  cost  of  installation  and 
relative  efficiency  of  each  type.  There  is  described  such  a  wide 
range  of  conditions  of  work  that  the  engineer  can  scarcely 
fail  to  find  in  this  book  data  on  operations  closely  analogous 
to  his  own  individual  problem.  The  diversity  of  subjects 
treated  makes  it  valuable  to  all  branches  of  the  engineering 
profession.  The  flexible  leather  binding  and  pocket  size  adds 
convenience  to  its  usefulness. 

The  Mineral  Industry,  During  1915.  Edited  by  G.  A. 
Roush.  Vol.  XXIV.  P.  941.  111.,  index.  McGraw-Hill  Book 
Co.,  New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press.    Price,  $10. 

While  appearing  a  little  later  than  usual,  and  considering 
that  the  War  has  interfered  with  the  collection  of  foreign  data, 
those  who  make  use  of  this  annual  compilation  on  the  statis- 
tics, technology,  and  trade  of  the  world's  mineral  industry 
will  find  that  it  is  as  valuable  as  ever.  Forty-eight  specialists 
covered  55  metals  and  minerals.  Since  the  conflict  in  Europe 
started  and  the  normal  condition  of  the  world's  mineral  busi- 
ness was  greatly  curtailed,  American  prospectors,  engineers, 
metallurgists,  and  ore  dealers  have  had  a  busy  time  on  account 
of  the  shortage  of  many  products,  discoveries  of  important 
minerals,  finding  new  markets,  devising  treatment,  selling  at 
high  prices,  and  settling  down  to  new  conditions.  Queries  on 
all  subjects  have  been  sent,  in  great  numbers,  to  the  trade, 
technical  journals,  and  others,  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  re- 
ceiving up  to  1000  a  week.  The  changes  in  conditions  in  each 
important  commercial  mineral  or  metal  are  recorded  in  the 
work  under  review.  The  War  created  an  enormous  demand  for 
base  metals,  for  export,  apart  from  better  domestic  demand;  on 
the  other  hand,  it  prevented  the  importation  of  many  vital  min- 
erals that  enter  into  manufacture  of  special  materials.  Alumi- 
num, antimony,  chromium,  copper,  iron  and  steel,  lead,  man- 
ganese, nickel,  oils,  phosphates,  potash,  sulphuric  acid,  tin, 
tungsten,  vanadium,  zinc,  and  others  are  discussed  from  the 
trade's  point  of  view  and  improvements  in  metallurgical  prac- 
tice. Abstracts  are  given  of  the  important  articles  appearing 
in  the  technical  press;  in  fact,  there  is  so  much  information 
that  it  is  impossible  to  attempt  to  go  into  detail.  Progress  in 
ore  dressing  is  a  valuable  summary.  A  new  chapter,  and  one 
demanded  by  its  great  importance,  is  that  of  35  pages  on  con- 
centration by  flotation.  The  previous  chapter  on  ore  dressing 
also  contains  a  good  deal  on  flotation  but  the  two  writers  do 
not  overlap  to  any  extent.  We  note  on  page  776  and  828  simi- 
lar cuts  of  the  Anaconda  mill,  also  a  few  typographical  errors 
on  other  pages,  though  not  serious.  Eighty-one  pages  of  statis- 
tics complete  a  useful  and  well-prepared  book  of  reference. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.A.RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  NOVEMBER  II,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  20 


UNLOADING  MACHINERY  FROM  THE  GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY  BARGE  AT  THE  BRITANNIA  WHARF 

TO  HAVE  A  MINE  near  open  water  is  always  pleasant.  Usually  it 
means  a  good  climate  and  cheap  transport.  In  British  Columbia  the 
coast  is  indented  by  long  sounds  or  fiords  that  allow  vessels  to  penetrate 
into  the  heart  of  the  mountains.  In  this  issue  we  publish  a  descriptive 
article  on  the  Britannia  mine,  which  is  one  of  the  big  copper  properties  of  the 
world  and  is  also  interesting  on  account  of  the  method  of  ore-treatment.  This 
includes  the  use  of  the  flotation  process.  We  shall  be  publishing  a  series  of 
articles,  by  the  Editor,  on  the  mines  and  smelters  of  British  Columbia. 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRES% 


November  11,  1916 


What  Is 

YOUR 

Problem  ? 

'm  Tililll       I  IMF  llFnilGx      ^re  y°u  try^n§  t0  recover  precious  or  base  metals  from  their  ore? 
}/*     Does  the  process  you  expect  to  use  involve  cyanidation,  flotation, 
g©MTH&W©4f!     leaching,  or  wet  concentration  ? 

rTO      Will  your  solutions  be  corrosive,  requiring  acid-proof  filters? 


U    I 


jvji      If  so,  you  should  know  that 


Oliver 

Continuous  j 

Company) 

501  MAR.K.ET    St. 

San  Franc  i  sco,  Cal. 


The  Oliver  Continuous  Filter 


has  proved  its  superiority  in  every  metal  mining  district  in  the 
world — 

By  reducing  cyanide  loss  and  eliminating  soluble 

loss  in  gold  and  silver — 

By  discharging  a  tailing  dry  enough  to  stack, 
saving  water — 

By  drying  flotation  concentrate  sufficiently  to  be 
loaded  directly  into  cars,  saving  freight  and 
smelter  penalties — 

By  a  dry  discharge  of  chemical  precipitates  and 
making  a  separation  of  wash-water  from  mother 
liquor. 

Our  engineers  do  not  guess.  They  investigate  your  conditions  thor- 
oughly, then,  in  the  light  of  a  clear  understanding,  recommend 
the  type  of  Oliver  to  suit  your  problem. 

We  can  tell  you  how  to  use  an  Oliver  to  your  advantage.     Write  us. 


No  royalties  to 
pay  on  any  of 
the  work  of  an 

OLIVER 


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EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  R1CKARD 


Editor 


M-W.-onBERNEWlTZl^.,^, 
W.  H.  STORMS  ' 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Bminea  Mana8et 


■niliilliuillimiiiiiiiioiiiii  I  mm  I  ■rniiiniiiniiiiiimiiiiiiiniiiii 
Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


>m i 'Ill;; ,M;  Mr::;:. M;:;!l 

SPEC/AL   CONTRIBUTORS 

W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaslo  Caetant. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Puvlngton. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


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$3  per  Year — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL 


Page. 
. .  6S5 
. .   686 


Notes   

Base  Metals  After  the  War  

What  is  to  follow  the  assurance  of  peace?  Outline  of 
changes  in  price  and  discussion  of  the  effect  of  a 
cessation  of  hostilities  on  the  market  for  tin,  lead, 
zinc,  and  copper.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

The  Mining  Law  687 

Proposed  changes  and  the  danger  of  them.  The  need 
for  a  thorough  revision  of  the  land  law,  and  a  classi- 
fication of  lands,  before  any  satisfactory  new'  mining 
regulations  can  be  prepared.  The  propaganda  of  the 
Mining  &  Metallurgical  Society  of  America  and  the 
various  bills  before  Congress.  M.  &  S.  P.,  November 
11,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 

A  Traveler's  Library. 

By  Joseph  "Ralph 689 

Some  facetious  remarks  concerning  suitable  books  to 
take  on  exploration  work;  the  absurdity  of  loading 
oneself  with  a  lot  of  heavy  books.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  11,  1916. 

On  Ore  Deposits. 

By  Fred.  B.  Ely  689 

It  is  not  safe  to  generalize  on  a  similarity  of  ore 
deposits,  although  such  theories  advance  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  science.  A  State  Geologist  is  suggested 
for  Arizona  to  supplement  work  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
.Survey.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines. 

By  Charles  F.  Willis 691 

Disagreement  with  an  editorial  note  on  selling  copper 
ore,  published  in  this  journal  of  October  28.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

Hardtnge  Mill  at  Inspiration 691 

Concerning  the  trial  of  the  Hardinge  machine  as  a 
ball-mill.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

ARTICLES 

Revision  of  the  Mining  Law. 

By  Falcon  Joslin 692 

Copy  of  letter  sent  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Mines  at  Washington,  D.  C,  in  which  the  writer 
is  against  any  revision  of  the  law,  which  he  says  is 
liberal  and  good,  in  spite  of  some  defects.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  11,  1916. 


The  Britannia  Mine  and  Mill.  Page. 

By  T.  A.  Riclcard 693 

This  property,  on  Howe  sound  in  British  Columbia, 
is  the  biggest  copper  mine  in  Canada,  also  in  the 
British  Empire.  A  brief  history  is  given,  followed  by 
description  of  the  situation,  ore  treatment  (including 
flotation),  flow-sheet  of  the  mill,  aerial  tram,  and  the 
underground  workings.  M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 
Illustrated. 

Metals  Through  the  Sault  St.  Marie  Canals 700 

The  total  in  six  months  of  the  1916  season  was  68,- 
455,497  tons,  compared  with  48,383,603  tons  in  1915. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

The  Extra-Lateral  Right — Shall  it  be  Abolished? 

By  William  E.  Colby  •. 701 

Notes  on  Spanish  laws,  also  early  regulations  in 
Australia,  Rhodesia,  and  British  Columbia.  The 
author  is  a  San  Francisco  lawyer  of  high  standing. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

The  Prospector's  Field-Work. 

By  Herbert  Lang    ' 705 

Much  time  is  wasted  in  prospecting,  the  same  ground 
being  covered  by  prospectors  and  engineers.  Small 
areas  should  now  be  examined.  Prospecting  should  be 
aided  by  counties,  States,  or  the  Government.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

Mill  and  Cyanide  Costs  at  Grass  Valley  and  Nevada 
City,  California,  in  1915. 

By  R.  E.  Tremoureux  and  F.  A.  Vestal 706  . 

A  comparative  cost-sheet  was  arranged  covering  re- 
sults at  five  plants.  Cost  of  supplies  is  also  given. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916. 

! 

Ore-Sampling  Conditions  in  the  West. 

•  By  T.  R.  Woodbridge  ' .707 

"  Abstract  of  a  92-page  bulletin  from  the  U.  S.  Bureau 
of  Mines,  discussing  sampling  operations  in  48 
plants.     M.  &  S.  P.,  November  11,  1916.     Illustrated. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    710 

Review  'or  Mining    . . ; 711 

Special  correspondence  from  Deadwood,  South  Da- 
kota; Toronto,  Ontario;   Sutter  Creek,  California. 

The  Mining  Summary   714 

Personal    717 

The  Metal  Market  , 718 

Eastern  Metal  Market    719 

Mining  Decisions    720 

Book  Reviews  720 


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MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


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Light   portions   show   welded    tube    ends   in    locomotive 


BENEATH  the  C  &  0  locomotive  illustrated  above,  which  has  welded 
seams  and  flue  sheets,  is  shown  a  partly  completed  locomotive 
flue  sheet.  The  light  portions  show  flue  ends  which  have  been 
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This  welder  does  its  own  chipping,  so  work  can  go  on  when  your  chip- 
pers  are  busy  elsewhere.  The  control  of  heat  and  building  of  metal  possi- 
ble with  this  welder  prevents  distortion,  uneven  crystallization  and  cavities, 
A  G-E  welder  will  repair  worn  or  broken  parts  while  they  are  in  place. 
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MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


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"DLATINUM  has  risen  to  $100  per  ounce  for  soft  metal, 
-*•  the  rise  caused  by  the  JWar  being  accentuated  by 
holiday  requirements.  This  also  is  a  factor  in  improving 
the  demand  for  silver. 


/^  OST  of  living  continues  to  increase  and  is  now  close 
^  to  the  200-mark,  as  against  140  a  year  ago.  National 
prosperity  is  being  heavily  discounted.  The  rise  in  the 
price  of  flour  and  potatoes  is  more  real  to  most  people 
than  the  soaring  of  stock  quotations. 


"C1  IGHTY  per  cent  of  the  copper  to  be  produced  in  the 
-*-J  United  States  during  the  first  half  of  1917  is  said 
to  be  sold  in  advance.  This  would  indicate  that  900 
million  pounds  of  copper  has  been  placed  for  delivery 
during  the  first  six  months  of  the  coming  year,  the  re- 
finery yield  being  estimated  at  185  million  pounds  per 
month.  At  26  cents  this  half-yearly  output  of  copper 
would  be  worth  $235,000,000.  Even  that  does  not  cover 
all  the  business  in  the  metal  for  forward  delivery,  some 
consumers  looking  even  farther  ahead. 


TVTILLS  and  machinery  are  capable  of  expanding  in 
-*-'-*-  capacity  to  a  remarkable  degree.  At  the  Utah  Cop- 
per a  plant  formerly  rated  at  a  capacity  of  20,000  to 
22,000  tons  is  treating  36,000  tons  daily.  The  stimulus 
of  high  prices  has  increased  the  output  of  men  and  ma- 
chinery everywhere.  The  Utah  Copper  mine  is  credited 
now  with  an  earning  of  $1,000,000  per  week,  including 
its  51%  interest  in  the  Nevada  Consolidated.  Speaking, 
in  millions,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Anaconda 
has  now  attained  a  smelter  capacity  of  1,000,000  pounds 
of  copper  daily.  There,  as  elsewhere,  the  hurry  to  make 
the  most  of  the  favorable  market  is  tending  continually 
to  increase  the  cost  of  production.  When  the  War  ends, 
there  will  be  a  big  readjustment  in  technical  methods  in 
the  effort  to  return  to  a  lower  basis  of  cost. 


i"-1  OOD  news  comes  from  the  Mother  Lode  region.  The 
*^  strike  is  over.  It  appears  that  the  action  of  the 
Federal  Court  and  the  importation  of  men  from  the  out- 
side proved  decisive,  but  the  basic  reason  for  the  collapse 
of  tbe  strike  was  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  there 
was  no  real  reason  for  it,  none  except  the  usual  attempt 
of  the  Western  Federation  to  incite  trouble.  We  note 
that  the  dividend-paying  condition  of  two  large  proper- 
ties was  held  an  excuse  for  demanding  higher  wages. 
The  men  do  not  know  how  much  money  has  to  be  put 
into  a  mine  before  it  becomes  profitable,  nor  do  they 
know  how  much  is  spent  long  after  dividends  have  been 


suspended.  The  failure  to  publish  statistical  informa- 
tion on  these  matters  furnishes  the  labor  agitator  with 
the  chance  to  tell  yarns  and  to  lay  stress  on  the  tem- 
porary richness  of  a  mine.  While  the  operators  on  the 
Mother  Lode  have  made  money,  they  have  made  no  such 
clean-ups  as  those  engaged  in  copper  mining;  many  of 
them  have  taken  the  dividends  from  one  mine  to  pros- 
pect or  re-open  another  property  in  the  same  district. 
Just  now  gold  is  in  a  depreciated  condition  as  measured 
in  supplies  and  machinery;  this  is  no  time  to  harrass 
the  owners  and  operators  of  gold  mines. 


TV7E  note  a  change  in  the  editorial  control  of  our 
*"  London  contemporary  The  Mining  Magazine,  the 
October  issue  appearing  under  the  flag  of  Mr.  Edward 
Walker,  formerly  assistant-editor.  He  succeeds  Mr.  H. 
Foster  Bain,  whose  short  tenure  of  the  editorship  is 
ended  by  the  acceptance  of  an  appointment  in  China, 
whither  he  is  now  sailing.  We  congratulate  Mr.  Walker 
and  the  readers  of  the  magazine.  Mr.  Walker  has  fully 
deserved  his  promotion,  for  he  is  responsible  for  much  of 
the  careful  work  that  enabled  our  contemporary  to 
achieve  a  rapid  success  when  it  was  started  seven  years 
ago.  We  do  not  even  demur  to  the  remarks  made  by 
The  Financial  Times  that  "in  these  unprecedented  times 
it  is  particularly  appropriate  and  satisfactory  that  the 
editorship  of  such  an  important  publication  should 
revert  to  English  hands  and  also  that  a  well-known  and 
highly  respected  London  mining  journalist  of  purely 
British  antecedents  should  have  become  associated  with 
the  management."  The  concluding  clause  in  this  quota- 
tion refers  to  the  transfer  of  Mr.  Edgar  Riekard's  in- 
terest in  the  Magazine  to  Mr.  W.  F.  White,  who  has 
been  honorably  identified  with  The  Mining  News,  a 
small  but  clean  commentator  on  mining  affairs  in  Lon- 
don.   We  wish  the  new  management  every  success. 


Ti/TEXICAN  affairs  proceed  in  the  usual  way.  Now 
-"•■■  that  the  presidential  election  is  over,  we  may  ex- 
pect to  hear  from  the  Joint  Convention,  which  has  been 
holding  lengthy  conversations  in  the  salubrious  air  of 
Atlantic  City.  We  do  not  expect  any  practical  result 
from  these  debates.  The  Mexican  position  cannot  be 
remedied  by  talk.  Meanwhile  Villa,  or  the  substantial 
ghost  of  that  villain,  has  been  making  the  de  facto  Gov- 
ernment of  Mexico  look  foolish,  if  it  needed  his  depre- 
dations to  do  so.  By  the  capture  of  Santa  Rosalia  and 
Parral,  and  by  his  incursion  upon  the  city  of  Chihua- 
hua, he  has  shown  what  a  weak  hold  Carranza  has  on 
the  northern  region.  Trustworthy  news  is  hard  to  get, 
much  of  it  having  been  manufactured  recently  in  order 


686                                                                        MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  November  11,  1916 

to  influence  our  presidential  election.    So  far  as  we  can  cease.    But  while  we  may  all  agree  that  the  first  assur- 

learn,  the  Carranza  government  is  making  no  real  prog-  ance  of  peace  will  upset  the  metal  markets,  as  the  dec- 

ress  in  pacifying  the  country  or  in  restoring  the  sem-  larations  of  war  did  in  1914,  we  have  yet  to  consider 

blance  of  order.     Despite   the  political  chaos  our  op-  what  will  happen  when  the  shock  is  over  and  the  so- 

erators   and   engineers    are   returning   to   their   mines,  called  civilized  world  faces  a  hew  set  of  conditions.    To 

hoping  against  hope  that  somehow  they  will  be  enabled  that  we  now  come.     The  Allies  have  been  accumulating 

to  work  their  properties  even  though  their  own  Govern-  stocks  of  metal,   and  they   are  likely  to   continue  the 

ment  refuses  to  protect  them.  process  of  accumulation,  largely  by  purchase  from  us. 

i  They  realize  the  possibility  that  this  source  of  supply 

rpHIS  week  discussion  begins  with  a  sensible  letter  may  be  cut  off  either  by  the  United  States  becoming  a 

-*-  from  Mr.  Joseph  Ralph,  a  widely-traveled  engineer,  belligerent,  by  an  interruption  to  trans- Atlantic  trans- 
who  lays  stress  on  the  fact  that  the  nomadic  professional  port,  or  by  the  placing  of  an  embargo  on  American  ex- 
man  cannot  take  a  big  load  of  books  with  him  and  must  portation.  Should  the  War  cease  soon  these  stocks  would 
perforce  restrict  his  literary  baggage  to  a  few  essential  menace  the  market.  The  Central  powers  are  believed  to 
handbooks.  Mr.  Fred.  B.  Ely,  a  mining  engineer  that  be  short  of  some  metals,  notably  copper,  but  large  pur- 
knows  the  economic  value  of  geology,  discourses  on  geo-  chases  of  that  metal  are  reported  to  have  been  made  on 
logic  theories  and  the  danger  of  generalizations,  giving  German  account  for  delivery  after  the  War.  We  may 
specific  examples  of  conditions  modifying  the  distribu-  expect  a  sudden  halt  in  the  European  demand  unless 
tion  of  ore  in  the  rocks.  Mr.  Charles  F.  Willis,  in  his  the  cessation  of  hostilities  is  treated  merely  as  an  in- 
capacity as  Director  of  the  Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines,  terval  preparatory  to  a  resumption  of  the  conflict  and 
takes  objection  to  sundry  remarks  of  ours,  for  which  we  the  replenishment  of  munition  supplies.  Turning  to  the 
do  not  apologize,  but  we  are  glad  to  give  him  the  chance  specific  metals,  it  will  be  well  to  compare  prices  today 
to  explain  his  position.  Finally  we  insert  a  note  on  the  with  those  just  before  the  War,  and  with  the  average 
use  of  the  Hardinge  ball-mill  at  Miami.  of  the  30  years  before  that. 

hm ..  Average  of  30  years                     November  1, 

,— .                   __      .      _            _  _ .                ._             _-._  before  the  War     1912-1913            1916 

UBiigiS   M®tialls   JkSttdi?   th.®   Wss     coPPer  14.06         16.00        2S.50 

-—  Lead    4.25  4.44  7.00 

Discussion  concerning  things  that  will  happen  ' '  after      Zinc   5.36  6.45  10.27 

the  War"  is  a  pleasant  pastime  if  for  no  other  reason     Tin 27-63  45-37  41-00 

than  that  it  permits  us  for  a  while  to  imagine  the  world  Tin  has  suffered  from  the  War,  for  it  is  an  essentially 
normal  again.  Whether  the  wish  be  only  father  to  the  peace  metal ;  ocean  transport  has  been  so  costly  as  to  in- 
thought  or  whether  the  signs  multiply  that  there  is  to  be  terfere  with  shipments,  production  is  not  increasing, 
an  end  shortly  to  "the  pentecost  of  calamity"  we  cannot  stocks  are  low,  and  the  end  of  the  War  will  see  a  rise 
affirm,  but  we  shall  talk  with  our  readers  on  a  matter  due  to  the  need  of  the  metal  in  Europe,  as  well  as  the 
of  commercial  import,  namely,  the  effect  of  peace  on  the  increasing  consumption  in  this  country.  The  United 
price  of  the  base  metals.  In  doing  so  we  accept  the  aid  States  produces  no  tin  worthy  of  statistical  mention, 
of  an  excellent  address  on  the  subject  delivered  by  Mr.  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  England  may  place  an  ex- 
Charles  S.  Trench  before  the  recent  annual  convention  port  duty  on  the  tin  produced  in  her  dominions.  Lead 
of  the  National  Hardware  Association.  Mr.  Trench  has  doubled  in  price  since  October  1914,  this  increase 
acknowledges  that  no  confident  prediction  is  possible  so  stimulating  our  domestic  production.  The  use  of  it  in 
long  as  there  is  uncertainty  concerning  the  duration  of  munitions  has  played  an  important  part.  The  protec- 
the  War  and  the  nature  of  the  ultimate  decision,  but  he  tive  tariff  on  this  metal  will  not  help  the  miner,  as  we 
argues  that  we  can  assume  that  when  the  change  to  peace  are  producing  considerably  more  than  we  consume, 
does  come  the  United  States  will  face  it  with  an  over-  Therefore  a  decline  is  certain,  because  export  trade  will 
flowing  pocket-book,  that  the  recent  advance  in  the  price  diminish. 

of  the  metals  has  not  been  the  result  of  speculation,  that  Zinc  has  had  a  good  time  during  the  War,  rising  from 
we  have  accumulated  no  surplus  stocks,  and  that  while  4J  to  27  cents  per  pound  during  the  first  year  of  hos- 
tile War  lasts  both  our  domestis  consumption  and  the  tilities.  The  high  price  reflected  the  insufficiency  of 
demand  for  metals  from  Europe  will  continue.  The  supplies,  caused  largely  by  the  cessation  of  production 
chief  danger  is  that  peace  will  find  us  with  a  production  in  Australia,  due  to  the  loss  of  smelting  facilities  when 
in  excess  both  of  our  own  requirements  and  those  of  Eu-  the  Belgian  refineries  were  closed  and  the  German  plants 
rope.  Any  abnormal  level  of  prices  is  sure  to  undergo  became  inaccessible.  The  price  of  10  cents  today  repre- 
unpleasant  adjustment,  as  has  been  already  foreseen  as  sents  not  so  much  the  scarcity  of  metal  as  the  increased 
regards  antimony  and  spelter,  both  of  which  have  cost  of  production,  which  is  probably  about  7  cents, 
dropped  far  from  the  speculative  price  of  a  few  months  owing  to  higher  wages  and  the  greater  expenditure  for 
ago,  the  first  falling  from  45  cents  per  pound  to  9  and  the  materials.  Before  the  War,  Europe  smelted  twice  as 
second  from  27  cents  per  pound  to  9£.  It  is  generally  much  spelter  as  the  United  States,  and  three-quarters  of 
recognized  that  any  metal  that  is  boomed  to  the  last  lap  the  European  output  came  from  Belgium  and  Germany, 
will  be  in  danger  of  a  violent  collapse  when  hostilities  Great  Britain   contributed  only  55,000  tons,   although 


November  11,  191(5 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


687 


thai  country  consumed  200,000  tons  per  annum,  this 
being  also  the  amount  produced  in  Australia.  During 
the  current  year  the  British  government  has  awakened 
to  the  logic  of  the  position  and  has  taken  steps  to  stimu- 
late domestic  smelting,  so  that  plants  capable  of  pro- 
ducing 100,000  tons  per  annum  are  now  assured.  For- 
merly our  exports  of  spelter  were  negligible,  being  bal- 
anced by  small  imports  of  zinc  ores  from  Mexico  and 
elsewhere;  therefore  we  had  no  say  in  the  world's  mar- 
ket for  spelter,  which  was  completely  under  the  control 
of  the  German  cartel.  Since  the  War  the  domestic  de- 
mand has  been  enormous,  to  make  brass  for  binding 
shells  and  for  other  warlike  purposes.  The  number  of 
retorts  in  blast  has  been  nearly  doubled  since  the  end  of 
1914,  representing  an  increase  of  production  equal  to 
350,000  tons  of  spelter  per  annum,  as  against  an  actual 
output  of  346,676  tons  in  1913.  Besides  this  there  is  the 
production  of  electrolytic  zinc,  which  is  destined  to 
prove  an  important  factor  in  regulating  the  price.  At 
the  end  of  this  year  there  will  exist  the  plant  for  pro- 
ducing 900,000  tons  of  spelter  per  annum.  The  produc- 
tion in  the  first  half  of  1916  was  267,696  tons  from  do- 
mestic ores  and  50,000  tons  from  imported  ores,  mostly 
Australian.  Exportation  will  not  cease  when  the  "War 
ends,  but  there  is  bound  to  be  a  severe  decline,  besides  a 
heavy  shrinkage  of  consumption  by  the  brass  trade  in  this 
country.  A  complete  re-organization  of  the  spelter  busi- 
ness is  inevitable.  The  high  cost  will  compel  many  re- 
tort-plants to  close-down  as  soon  as  the  price  of  the  metal 
responds  to  the  slackened  demand.  Many  of  the  exist- 
ing smelters  can  go  out  of  business  cheerfully,  having 
paid  for  themselves  several  times  over,  and  the  survivors 
among  the  retort-smelters  will  have  to  face  the  compe- 
tition of  the  higher-grade  electrolytic  zinc,  which  will 
dominate  the  market.  There  lies  the  hope  of  the  indus- 
try, for  if  electrolytic  zinc  of  99.98  purity  can  be  made 
for  4  cents  or  thereabouts  there  will  be  a  chance  for  the 
galvanized  trade  to  expand  and  for  the  miner  to  make 
money  out  of  zinc  even  after  the  War. 

Copper  is  the  most  important  of  the  base  metals'  and 
the  one  playing  the  greatest  part  in  the  economics  of 
war.  The  outlook  for  this  metal  is  cheerful.  Evidently 
the  British  and  French  governments  believe  that  copper 
will  be  in  great  demand  for  some  time  to  come,  otherwise 
they  would  not  have  contracted  for  448,000,000  pounds 
at  26  cents  for  delivery  in  1917.  Normal  consumption 
in  the  world  increases  7%  per  annum:  that  in  itself  is  a 
potent  factor.  It  is  true  our  domestic  production  prom- 
ises to  be  900,000  tons  this  year,  as  against  600,000  tons 
in  1913,  and  within-  a  few  months  we  shall  have  a  re- 
finery capacity  of  1,200,000  tons  per  annum,  but  even 
before  the  War  our  consumption  was  as  high  as  400,000 
tons,  and  under  prosperous  conditions  we  could  now  con- 
sume fully  500,000.  Our  export  for  several  years  before 
the  War  averaged  350,000  tons  annually,  of  which  100,- 
000  went  to  Germany.  In  1913  the  preparation  for  war 
caused  Germany  to  import  153,500  tons  from  us.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  in  that  country  all  the  stocks  of 
copper  have  been  used  and  that  the  Central  powers  will 


he  bare  of  the  metal  when  peace  supervenes,  despite  the 
saving  and  re-using  of  the  reject  from  munitions.  All 
the  copper  utensils,  roofing,  and  wire  that  have  been 
melted  will  not  be  replaced  at  once,  of  course,  bill  there 
should  be  a  heavy  demand  for  our  copper  from  that  part 
of  Europe.  A  decline,  of  course,  there  will  be,  and  the 
first  effect  will  be  to  curtail  production  automatically,  the 
copper  of  many  mines  being  won  at  a  cost  that  will  prove 
in  excess  of  the  market  price.  If  the  average  cost  of 
American  production  was  10  cents  per  pound  before  the 
War,  it  is  now  probably  about  12  cents.  Even  the  big 
low-grade  properties  are  being  worked  extravagantly 
in  order  to  make  the  most  of  the  extraordinary  market ; 
in  a  sense  they  are  being  'gutted'  to  make  the  most  of  an 
unexampled  opportunity ;  so  that  when  this  orgy  of  pro- 
duction is  over  there  will  come  the  day  of  reckoning. 
Much  cream  will  have  been  gathered  and  much  blue  milk 
will  remain.  But  the  reduction  in  price  will  be  less 
violent  than  in  the  case  of  zinc  or  lead,  because  of  the 
industrial  demand  for  re-constructive  work  in  Europe, 
including  the  ship-building  that  must  follow  the  gen- 
eral resumption  of  peaceful  traffic  overseas.  The  drop 
in  copper  will  not  hurt  the  mining  of  the  metal  so  much 
as  it  will  deflate  the  baloon  of  speculation  that  is  now 
being  blown  so  assiduously  by  the  forced  production  of 
the  mines  and  the  cheerful  optimism  of  the  brokers. 
There  lies  a  real  danger,  as  great  as  that  of  peace.  And 
what  a  pitiable  thing  it  is  that  Peace  should  be  regarded 
as  a  menace  to  the  welfare  of  any  of  us.  Let  us  look 
forward  to  the  day  when  our  prosperity  will  not  be  built 
on  the  misery  of  others  and  the  degradation  of  the 
human  ideal. 

The  Mining  Law 

We  note  that  the  revision  of  the  mining  law  is  one  of 
the  many  subjects  to  be  discussed  before  the  American 
Mining  Congress  at  Chicago  next  week.  On  another 
page  we  publish  part  of  a  careful  article  on  the  mining 
regulations  of  various  countries  by  Mr.  William  E. 
Colby,  a  distinguished  Californian  lawyer  deeply  versed 
in  the  complexities  of  the  subject.  It  is  a  subject  that 
will  continue  to  vex  us  until  either  the  present  law  is 
changed  radically  or  we  agree  to  let  it  alone  for  fear  of 
worse.  So  far  the  attempts  to  introduce  remedial  legisla- 
tion before  Congress  have  met  with  disapproval  even 
from  those  that  insist  on  the  necessity  for  sundry 
changes.  For  instance,  the  chairman  at  a  recent  meet- 
ing of  the  New  York  section  of  the  Mining  and  Metal- 
lurgical Society  of  America,  a  technical  organization 
that,  despite  its  pretentiousness,  has  done  real  service  to 
the  mining  public  by  a  propaganda  for  the  revision 
of  the  law,  was  constrained  to  say  that  Mr.  Foster's 
bill  "makes  the  situation,  if  possible,  worse  than  under 
the  present  laws,  and  is  not  worth  discussing."  So  bad 
are  considered  the  various  bills  now  before  Congress  for 
amending  the  mining  law  that  Mr.  W.  B.  Ingalls,  aided 
by  other  members  of  the  Society  mentioned,  has  drafted 
a  number  of  provisions  meant  to  express  the  purpose 


688 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


and  desire  of  a  group  of  mining  engineers  that  has 
worked  hard  for  several  years  to  bring  about  some  sort 
of  reform.  It  is  important  to  note  that  the  idea  of 
legislating  for  the  appointment  of  a  commission  to  revise 
the  whole  mining  code  has  been  abandoned  by  these  gen- 
tlemen, who,  after  many  consultations,  have  concluded 
that  while  one  or  two  radical  alterations  are  required  it 
is  best  to  change  the  existing  regulations  as  little  as  pos- 
sible, in  order  to  retain  the  language  of  a  law  that  has 
been  tested  and  interpreted  in  a  multitude  of  court  de- 
cisions. This,  it  will  be  noted,  is  also  the  view  urged  by 
Mr.  Falcon  Joslin,  an  Alaskan  engineer  for  whom  we 
have  much  respect,  in  a  letter  published  on  another  page, 
although  he  goes  farther  and  opposes  any  tinkering 
whatever  with  the  regulations  now  in  force.  Such  of 
our  readers  as  have  taken  the  trouble  to  read  the  various 
articles  on  the  subject  and  to  attend  conventions  or  other 
meetings  at  which  the  mining  law  has  been  discussed 
will  realize  that  while  there  is  a  preponderance  of 
opinion  in  favor  of  making  changes,  more  particularly 
the  abrogation  of  the  extra~lateral  right,  nevertheless 
when  it  comes  to  devising  a  new  law  the  enthusiasm  of 
reform  is  dissipated  in  a  dust-storm  of  inchoate  ideas 
and  half-baked  proposals.  For  example,  the  protracted 
discussion  before  the  New  York  section  of  the  Mining 
and  Metallurgical  Society  as  printed  in  its  bulletins 
gives  a  fair  measure  of  the  divergence  of  opinion  even 
among  a  group  of  men  having  much  in  common,  but  if 
the  suggestions  made  by  these  engineers  were  to  be  pre- 
sented to  a  similar  group  of  prospectors  and  small 
operators,  people  vitally  affected  by  the  law,  the  New 
York  proposals  would  be  met  with  howls  of  disapproval. 
For  instance,  the  substitution  of  a  cash  payment  in  lieu 
of  the  $100  worth  of  assessment  work  or  the  permission 
to  locate  claims  without  restriction  of  number  or  the 
locating  of  them  along  north-south  lines  would  evoke 
lively  objection ;  so  would  the  idea  of  making  it  a  mis- 
demeanor for  anybody  to  re-locate  a  claim.  Behind 
these  simpler,  but  important,  matters  there  looms  a  num- 
ber of  bigger  problems:  the  classification  of  the  public 
lands  into  mineral  and  non-mineral,  the  right  to  mine 
on  private  land,  the  distinction  between  surface  rights 
and  mining  rights,  and  the  existence  of  State  laws  con- 
flicting with  any  Congressional  legislation.  If  the  kill- 
ing of  the  extra-lateral  right  goes  with  the  abolition  of 
the  demand  for  a  discovery  of  ore,  is  the  locator  to  be 
allowed  only  a  possessory  title  without  discovery  or  is 
he  to  be  granted  a  title  in  fee  before  he  proves  the  ex- 
istence of  ore  within  his  claim?  If  the  latter  proviso 
is  to  become  a  part  of  the  new  law,  then  again  the  West- 
ern miner  will  be  up  in  arms  against  a  reform  so  preju- 
dicial to  the  prospector  or  locator  without  much  money. 
The  problem  bristles  with  trouble.  Such  a  bill  as  Sena- 
tor Smoot's.  supported  as  it  appears  to  be  by  many  of 
the  mining  engineers,  because  .it  is  simple  and  drastic, 
without  any  effort  to  revise  the  whole  system  of  land  laws, 
would  make  confusion  worse  confounded.  Nor  have  we 
much  confidence  in  the  provisions  for  a  new  mineral-land 
law  as.outlined  by  the  gentlemen  in  New  York,  because, 


whether  we  engineers  like  it  or  not,  the  formulation  of 
laws  must  be  done,  in  the  last  resort,  by  lawyers ;  at  least, 
the  codification  of  the  geologists  and  engineers  must  be 
revised  severely  by  men  specially  trained  in  such  work 
before  we  can  phrase  a  bill  that  will  stand  the  test  of  the 
courts.  Moreover,  applaud  as  we  may  the  public  spirit 
of  our  reformer  friends  and  sympathize  as  we  do  with 
their  earnest  desire  to  clear  the  complexities  arising  from 
the  existing  law,  we  do  not  believe  that  the  changes  sug- 
gested by  them,  in  consultation  with  the  big  operators 
and  financiers  directly  engaged  in  mining,  will  escape 
the  sharp  criticism  and  probably  stalwart  opposition  of 
the  men  at  the  other  end  of  the  mining  business,  namely, 
the  prospector,  the  day's  pay  miner,  and  the  local  op- 
erator, all  of  whom  look  for  protection  against  the  power 
of  great  wealth.  If  any  change  is  to  be  made  in  the 
mining  law  it  will  have  to  be  in  a  spirit  similar  to  that 
prompting  and  underlying  the  first  codifications  of  1866 
and  1872.  Most  engineers  are  accustomed  to  looking  up- 
on the  existing  law,  associated  with  the  name  of  Senator 
Stewart  of  Nevada,  as  the  work  of  a  few  unscientific  men, 
if  not  the  production  of  a  group  of  provincial  lawyers. 
On  the  contrary,  it  embodies  the  experience  of  the  min- 
ing communities  in  the  "West,  primarily  in  California, 
and  was  based  on  the  earlier  mining  traditions  of  Derby- 
shire and  Cornwall,  of  the  Hartz  and  Joachimsthal.  It 
was  a  sublimate  of  human  experience  first  in  Europe 
and  then  in  the  new  mining  districts  of  Western 
America.  The  language  of  the  existing  law  contains  the 
words  and  the  phrases  taken  from  the  miners'  rules  and 
regulations  as  adopted  in  scores  of  localities  and  modi- 
fied during  the  period  when  the  mining  industry  was  in 
its  vigorous  infancy.  The  law  has  proved  incomplete 
and  inadequate  because  the  wonderful  variety  of  form 
assumed  by  ore  deposits  was  not  foreseen  forty  years  ago, 
but  it  has  been  subjected  to  the  hot  fire  of  litigation  so 
often  and  for  so  long  that  much  of  its  refractory  ele- 
ments have  been  removed  and  it  is  today  a  workable 
body  of  regulations  that  is  so  well  understood  and  so 
well  supplemented  by  the  decisions  of  the  courts  that 
the  average  man  knows  what  to  do  in  order  to  protect 
himself  in  his  work  of  exploiting  mineral.  It  appears  to 
us  therefore  that  the  only  alternative  to  the  retention 
of  the  existing  law  is  a  total  revision  of  the  land  laws  of 
the  United  States.  That  is  a  task  involving  years  of  in- 
vestigation by  a  commission  of  men  specially  qualified 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  law  and  of  mining.  Any  radical 
changes  made  now  without  exhaustive  enquiry  will  en- 
tail hardship  and  confusion  for  a  time,  and  we  doubt  if 
they  are  worth  the  price,  believing  that  nothing  short  of 
fundamental  revision  will  be  satistactory  in  the  long 
run.  We  hope  that  our  friends  in  New  York  will  revert 
to  their  former  idea  of  urging  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mission of  five  members,  to  include  at  least  one  lawyer 
and  one  representative  of  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, besides  others  having  experience  in  mining  and  in 
the  acquisition  of  mineral  lands,  such  a  commission  to 
be  selected  and  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States. 


November  11.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


liS'l 


PS 


I  .1  /Kllil'i'llllJHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIII 


Our  read-  w  art  moiled  to  use  this  department  for  the  discussion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  mining  awl  mdidlurgij.       The  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  oivn,  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


A  Traveler's  Library 

The  Editor: 

Sir — If  the  engineer  is  'traveling'  on  a  fee  with  in- 
structions to  report  the  prospects  for  exploiting  a  min- 
ing property  profitably,  I  would  say  that  his  sole  library 
should  consist  of  about  17  blank  note-books  and  a  gross 
of  lead  pencils.  On  the  other  hand,  if  he  has  inveigled 
someone  into  paying  him  money  to  take  a  post-graduate 
course  in  economic  geology,  then  why  stop  at  the  index 
to  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers?  Why  not  load  the  whole  series  on  a  pack- 
mule,  and  then  utilize  Dana,  Lindgren,  Spurr,  Stretch, 
Pirsson,  Kemp,  Miller,  Gunther,  Kraus  &  Hunt,  and  a 
few  others,  to  balance  the  load. 

Books  are  media  for  conserving  and  distributing 
knowledge.  They  constitute  the  basis  of  education  and 
are  a  'loose-leaf  system  for  mental  refreshment.  But, 
after  all,  knowledge  is  based  upon  the  principles  postu- 
lated by  Locke,  to  wit,  perception  and  reflection.  If  an 
engineer  has  had  the  'nerve'  to  pocket  a  fat  fee  to  report 
upon  a  set  of  conditions  coming  within  his  supposed 
sphere,  and  relies  on  tabloid  doses  from  his  favorite 
author  for  inspiration  in  writing  his  'report,'  then  he 
has  missed  his  vocation.  He  should  specialize  as  a  par- 
son or  preacher,  for  example,  for  I  have  been  informed 
that  passable  sermons  can  be  purchased  'ready-made'  to 
cover  any  conceivable  topic. 

Brother  Spurr  is  good,  for  example.  He  is  so  good 
that  I  bought  several  copies  to  present  to  my  attorneys, 
so  that  they  could  get  the  rudiments  of  physical  and 
economic  geology  into  their  heads  instead  of  taking  their 
ideas  on  the  installment  plan  and  'second-hand'  from 
myself.  This  procedure  saved  me  much  trouble  and  at 
the  same  time  insured  to  them  a  clarified  instead  of  a 
muddled  transmission  of  ideas.  Furthermore,  every  en- 
gineer should  have  the  standard  works  at  hand  for  his 
'brain-food,'  because  the  whole  of  life's  experience  is 
but  a  tuition  process.  Any  book  can  do  no  more  than 
enable  the  student  to  think;  and  when  Mr.  Engineer 
goes  into  the  field  for  a  patron  he  has  no  time  for  any- 
thing else  but  to  observe,  correlate,  estimate,  and  deduce, 
that  is,  to  observe  and  think.  The  only  book  which 
might  help  him  at  that  time  has  not  yet  been  written; 
in  fact  the  title  has  not  been  chosen,  but  it  deals  with 
'How  to  Make  Notes.'  Hence  the  note-book  and  the  pen- 
cil suggestion  in  my  opening  paragraph. 

Knowledge  is  a  synthesis,  and  its  rightful  application 
is  an  art.  Its  various  elements  cannot  be  aligned  by 
manipulation  of  a  slide-rule,  neither  can  the  processes 


of  wisdom  be  resolved  into  a  system  of  tables.  They 
are  not  transmissible  or  hereditary.  Ability,  or  capacity, 
consists  in  being  able  to  apply  this  psychological  syn- 
thesis to  new  conditions  and  to  formulate  explanations 
for  fresh  phenomena.  And  seeing  that  all  of  our  stand- 
ard textbooks  have  spent  their  value  when  they  have 
enabled  us  to  think  along  some  particular  line,  they  are 
as  much  out  of  place  to  an  engineer  in  the  field  as  a 
'cribbed'  sermon  would  be  to  an  evangelist.  Of  course 
this  does  not  apply  to  a  collation  of  formulas,  because 
the  place  for  formulae  is  between  covers,  as  I  hold  to 
the  theory  that  the  only  things  with  which  to  burden  the 
memory  are  the  multiplication  table  and  "Thirty  days 
has  September,"  etc.  I  am  particularly  dogmatic  upon 
this  last  point,  as  my  own  faculty  in  this  respect  is 
atrociously  defective. 

If  an  engineer  goes  into  the  field  with  any  particular 
author  or  book  fresh  upon  his  mind,  he  is  disqualified 
from  rightly  cognizing  and  estimating  conditions,  be- 
cause he  is  likely  to  be  looking  for  a  condition  to  fit  a 
theory  instead  of  being  technically  receptive. 


Joseph  Ralph. 


Salt  Lake  City,  October  26. 


The  Editor: 

Sir — To  generalize  on  the  theories  of  ore  deposition 
will  no  doubt  advance  our  knowledge  of  the  science  and 
lead  to  valuable  economic  results.  However,  it  is  also 
productive  of  much  harm.  Indulgence  in  glittering  gen- 
eralities is  too  often  a  habit  of  the  charlatan  who  wishes 
to  impress  the  layman  with  his  general  and  inexhaust- 
ible fund  of  knowledge.  There  is  a  peculiar  fascination 
to  people  at  a  distance  in  phrases  such  as  the  following: 
' '  The  prospect  is  situated  in  the  great  schist  belt  of  Ari- 
zona which  extends  from  Jerome  to  Ray  and  in  which  are 
found  some  of  the  greatest  producing  copper  mines  of 
the  world. ' '  Such  statements  are  not  by  any  means  un- 
common especially  in  these  boom  times,  and  the  circula- 
tion of  them  hurts  the  mining  profession. 

It  would  seem  as  though  all  that  was  necessary  for 
one  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  advising  the  expendi- 
ture of  money  on  mining  projects  is  to  have  a  natural 
facility  for  assimilating  scientific  expressions  and  the 
cultivation  of  this  faculty  by  scattered  reading  of  geo- 
logical literature. 

The  cart-before-the-horse  method  in  ajay  branch  -of 
science  does  not  promote  progress.     If  we  could  have  a 


690 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


general  house-cleaning  in  mining  phraseology  and  get 
rid  of  some  expressions  like :  ' '  One  man  can  see  as  far 
as  another  in  the  ground;"  "No  man  can  see  beyond  the 
end  of  his  pick;"  "A  man  is  no  good  until  he  has  had 
M-years  of  experience;"  "Yellow-legged  experts,"  etc., 
there  would  be  a  real  chance  for  placing  the  mining 
profession  on  a  dignified  basis.  Any  number  of  aca- 
demic degrees  will  not  put  an  engineer  beyond  the  reach 
of  criticism  but  a  proper  mental  attitude  and  feeling  of 
respect  among  the  men  in  the  different  branches  of  min- 
ing will  do  a  great  deal  for  the  profession. 

It  appears  that  we  are  drifting  away  from  the  main 
argument.  Your  attention  was  called  to  glittering  gen- 
eralities as  applied  to  geological  theories.  This  also 
might  be  called  the  cart-before-the-horse  method,  which 
requires  no  laborious  study  of  surface  geology  and 
underground  conditions.  All  that  is  necessary  is  to 
allow  the  mind  to  "summon  up  the  remembrance  of 
things  past"  and  build  up  a  beautiful  theory  (with  the 
aid  of  U.  S.  G.  S.  reports),  then  with  a  few  alterations 
here  and  there  (after  a  trip  to  the  prospect)  fit  the 
theory  to  the  ground.  It  makes  excellent  reading  and  if 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  right  people  is  sure  to  gain 
financial  support. 

To  generalize  in  any  science  is  to  employ  legitimate 
and  correct  methods  for  advancing  that  particular 
science.  Also  it  is  certainly  proper  to  use  a  goodly  sup- 
ply of  imagination.  As  Professor  Daly  says,  "Geology 
is  an  exact  science  in  the  sense  that  a  countless  number 
of  its  observations  are  quantitative,  with  limits  of  error 
so  small  as  to  permit  absolutely  rigorous  deductions." 
And  again,  "What  Geology  needs  today  is  a  frank  recog- 
nition that  imaginative  thought  is  not  dangerous  to 
science  but  is  the  life  blood  of  science."*  Obviously  we 
must  first  stand  on  the  solid  ground  of  facts  in  so  far  as 
they  can  be  observed  and  then  build  our  theories  from 
these  facts.  In  addition  to  this  the  mining  geologist 
must  continually  adjust  his  theories  to  harmonize  with 
economic  conditions. 

It  is  indeed  a  pleasure  to  read  articles  such  as  Pro- 
bert's  'Surficial  Indications  of  Copper,'  appearing  re- 
cently in  the  pages  of  your  paper.  This  kind  of  general- 
ization is  bound  to  advance  the  science  of  mining  geol- 
ogy. Considering  the  amount  of  high-class  scientific 
literature  available  it  is  regrettable  that  more  of  this 
work  is  not  done.  Consider  Arizona  as  an  illustration. 
Almost  every  mining  district  is  described  by  a  competent 
person,  still  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  correlate  the  mass 
of  data.  Some  of  the  publications  are  out  of  print  or 
else  are  difficult  to  obtain  and  only  a  few  libraries  con- 
tain a  complete  list.  Therefore,  only  a  few  men  have  the 
time  and  means  to  dig  up  this  information  and  put  it  in 
compact  form.  Two  of  the  most  useful  books  we  have 
are  Lindgren's  'Mineral  Deposits'  and  Weed's  'Copper 
Mines  of  the  World,'  but  these  books  cover  too  wide  a 
field  to  be  entirely  satisfactory. 

It  is  interesting  to  speculate  on  the  value  of  certain 

"'Igneous  Rocks  and  Their  Origin.' 


general  deductions  that  would  naturally  arise  from  such 
a  correlation  of  material,  for  instance,  in  Arizona.  It 
could  probably  be  shown  that  there  are  well  defined  and 
definite  mineralogical  provinces  each  one  of  which  has 
characteristics  peculiar  to  itself  and  related  to  rock 
associations  of  definite  geological  age  and  kind.  It  is 
evident  that  a  study  of  any  one  mine  in  each  mineralog- 
ical province  would  give  a  basis  upon  which  to  determine 
the  relative  value  of  a  given  prospect.  This  would  be 
a  scientific  basis  upon  which  to  generalize,  besides  being 
a  valuable  contribution  to  our  general  knowledge  of  min- 
eral deposits. 

It  is  not  safe  to  generalize  on  the  similarity  of  .types. 
For  example,  the  Paleozoic  sediments  are  represented  in 
widely  separated  areas  in  Arizona,  but  in  almost  each 
locality  there  are  fundamental  differences  in  structure 
and  rock  association.  Therefore,  the  fact  that  a  copper 
deposit  occurs  in  Devonian  and  Carboniferous  limestone 
near  to,  or  associated  with,  acid  intrusives  is  of  no  value 
as  a  general  statement  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  so 
often  used  as  a  favorable  feature  in  exploiting  prospects. 
To  illustrate:  The  Bisbee  deposits  occur  in  Paleozoic 
limestone  cut  by  intrusions  of  granitic  porphyry.  The 
copper  deposits  occur  in  the  limestone  and  appear  as  ir- 
regular or  rudely  tabular  masses,  sometimes  following 
the  stratification.  They  are  almost  entirely  oxidized, 
even  down  to  depths  of  1400  ft.  below  the  surface.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  total  copper  produced  comes 
from  the  enriched  chalcocitic  ores.  Another  prominent 
feature  of  these  deposits  is  the  close  relation  to  struc- 
tural conditions,  such  as  the  northwest-southeast  Div- 
idend fault,  a  small  stock  of  granite-porphyry  intruded 
on  the  line  of  the  fault,  an  open  synclinal  structure  in 
the  down-faulted  Paleozoic  beds,  which  is  such  that  they 
dip  in  part  toward  the  porphyry  stock  and  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  fault-plane  form  a  trough  pitching  south- 
east. These  deposits  are  classed  as  contact-metamorphic 
replacements  in  limestone.  It  is  well  known  that  this 
type  of  deposit  occurs  in  a  number  of  localities  in  Ari- 
zona. However,  it  is  apparent  that  as  a  guide  to  pros- 
pecting or  in  fact  as  a  basis  for  speculating  on  a  particu- 
lar district,  even  though  there  is  evidence  of  mineraliza- 
tion in  limestone  in  the  vicinity  of  acid  intrusions,  the 
analogy  is  of  little  value.  It  is  only  by  carrying  the 
comparison  down  to  minute  details  that  we  can  make 
any  really  scientific  deductions. 

At  Duquesne,  also  in  Arizona,  the  ore  occurs  as  a  re- 
placement in  limestone  mainly  in  or  near  the  meta- 
morphic  zone  along  the  limestone  and  quartz-monzonite 
contact.  However,  in  contrast  to  Bisbee:  (1)  There  is 
very  little  oxidation.  (2)  The  ore  as  mined  consists  al- 
most entirely  of  primary  complex  sulphides.  (3)  Thus 
far  the  profitable  ore  has  not  been  found  to  extend  to  any 
great  depth.  The  ore  on  the  500-ft.  level  of  the  Bonanza 
mine  being  low-grade  and  the  bodies  irregular  and  small. 
(4)  The  metallization  is  not  related  to  any  strong  or 
persistent  faulting.  There  is  however,  a  marked  joint- 
ing and  fissuring,  which  possibly  has  a  direct  bearing  on 
the  ore-occurrence. 


November  11,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


691 


At  Twin  Unites,  smith  of  Tucson,  large  bodies  of 
primary  ore  occur  below  a  garnetized  bed  containing 
but  little  copper.  The  ore  consists  of  actinolite,  magne- 
tite, pyrite,  and  chalcopyrite.  It  is  a  replacement  de- 
posit in  Paleozoic  limestone  at  or  near  the  contact  of 
granite-porphyry. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  the  three  localities  cited, 
there  are  copper  deposits  occurring  in  Paleozoic  lime- 
stone associated  with  acid  intrusions,  but  in  each  case 
there  are  fundamental  differences  that  must  prevent 
any  generalization  of  practical  value.  However,  each 
district  should  be  considered  as  a  distinct  mineralogical 
province  and  the  boundaries  for  each  district  definitely 
ascertained  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible  from  geological 
studies.  When  this  has  been  done  any  group  of  people 
wishing  to  spend  money  on  a  prospect  in  any  one  of 
these  districts  would  have  scientific  data  of  inestimable 
value. 

This  line  of  study  applied  to  the  State  as  a  whole 
would  permit  of  a  number  of  valuable  deductions,  which 
would  doubtless  show  similarities  in  certain  localities. 
With  such  information  it  would  be  logical  and  scientific 
to  form  generalizations  that  would  help  in  prospecting 
a  new  or  partly  developed  property.  It  is  surprising 
that  Arizona  has  not  a  competent  State  Geologist  to  carry 
on  this  work,  supplementing  the  special  studies  of  in- 
dividual mining  districts  by  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey. 

Fred.  B.  Ely. 

Superior,  Arizona,  October  28. 


ter,  and  a  copy  of  onr  Bulletin  No.  36.    I  sincerely  hope 
that  you  will  make  an  effort  to  set  us  right. 

Charles  F.  Willis, 
Tucson,  October  30.  Director. 

[The  press-letter  came  under  the  heading  of  'Arizona 
State  Bureau  of  Mines.'  In  this  circular  the  quotation 
marks  were  used  confusingly,  being  attached,  within  the 
quotation,  to  the  word  "independent"  at  the  beginning 
of  the  second  paragraph.  The  press-letter  contained  38 
lines  from  the  Mohave  Daily  Miner  and  only  7  of  the 
Director's  own  comment,  in  the  course  of  which  he  ex- 
pressed no  criticism  or  disagreement  with  the  long  quo- 
tation preceding.  We  inferred,  as  any  other  careful 
reader  of  the  press-letter  would  have  done,  that  the 
Director  of  the  Bureau  endorsed  the  Mohave  paper;  if 
he  did  not,  he  should  have  said  so ;  to  quote  another  man 
at  length  without  criticism  is  usually  deemed  a  mark  of 
approval. — Editor.] 


Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  note  on  your  first  editorial  page  a  very  com- 
plete 'bawling  out'  for  the  Arizona  State  Bureau  of 
Mines,  and  would  suggest  that  your  reader  of  press- 
letters  read  them  a  little  more  carefully.  On  the  press- 
letter  to  which  you  refer,  you  quote  us,  and  we  quoted 
the  Mohave  Daily  Miner.  If  you  will  notice  where  the 
quotation  marks  stop,  you  will  note  that  only  the  last 
paragraph  of  the  press-letter  came  from  the  Arizona 
State  Bureau  of  Mines. 

You  will  also  note  in  the  last  paragraph,  the  only  one 
which  we  wrote,  that  we  have  issued  a  booklet  on  the 
subject  of  the  selling  of  copper,  which  booklet  takes  pre- 
cisely the  opposite  view  from  that  of  the  Mohave  Daily 
Miner.    I  am  sending  you  a  copy  of  the  booklet. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of  our  work 
is  to  secure  co-operation  and  good  feeling  between  the 
large  and  small  operators  in  the  State,  and  between  the 
laboring  man  and  the  mine  operators,  and  your  editorial, 
which  will  be  read  by  many  of  the  operators  and  mis- 
interpreted by  them  as  you  misinterpreted  us,  will  do 
us  much  harm.  We  quoted  the  Daily  Miner  in  order  to 
get  the  people  of  the  State  to  send  for  our  bulletin,  which 
goes  into  much  more  detail  than  a  press-letter  could.  I 
wish  to  assure  you  that  we  do  not  in  any  way  agree  with 
the  Daily  Miner. 

I  am  sending  you  an  additional  copy  of  the  press-let- 


Hardinge  Mill  at  Inspiration 

We  have  received  the  following  telegram  from  Mr. 
H.  W.  Hardinge: 

On  page  636  your  report  regarding  trial  of  Hardinge  ball- 
mill  at  Inspiration  reverses  the  statement  made  and  should 
read  the  Hardinge  mill  did  not  receive  a  trial  as  a  ball-mill. 
The  report  as  published  by  you  is  an  injustice  to  the  Inspira- 
tion management  the  metallurgical  fraternity  and  my  com- 
pany and  places  an  authenticated  misstatement  in  the  hands 
of  our  competitors.  The  only  competitive  Hardinge  ball-mills 
for  the  Inspiration  company  are  now  en  route  for  Miami.  The 
circumstances  justify  your  correcting  the  mistake  far  as 
possible. 

This  refers  to  a  statement  made  by  Mr.  David  Cole, 
in  a  discussion  on  flotation  in  the  course  of  which  he 
discussed  the  experiments  made  with  various  grinding 
machines.  He  states  that  only  the  Hardinge  pebble-mill 
was  tested  and  the  inference  is  clear  that  the  Hardinge 
ball-mill  did  not  undergo  trial  at  the  time  to  which  he 
refers,  although  we  understand  that  since  then  the  work 
done  in  the  Miami  mill  has  indicated  that  the  Hardinge 
ball-mill  is  most  effective,  hence  the  sending  of  similar 
machines  now  to  the  Inspiration.  On  comparing  Mr. 
Cole 's  final  statement  with  what  he  had  previously  said, 
it  is  clear  that  a  typographical  error  was  made  in  the 
stenographic  record  of  his  remarks  and  that  this  error 
was  inadvertently  repeated  by  us.  The  statement  should 
read :  ' '  Contrary  to  what  I  think  is  the  popular  im- 
pression, the  conical  type  of  ball-mill  did  not  receive  a 
trial  at  the  Inspiration."  In  the  same  report  of  the 
Institute  meeting,  Dr.  Gahl's  reference  to  Mr.  Laist's  re- 
marks should  have  read — so  he  informs  us:  "I  believe 
fully  everything  that  Mr.  Laist  says,  except  his  compli- 
ments," not  "conclusions."  These  gentlemen  were  on 
the  most  friendly  terms,  and  not  sparring,  as  the  report 
might  suggest.  We  obtained  a  revised  version  of  his  re- 
marks from  Dr.  Gahl,  but  this  detail  was  not  corrected. 

An  eight-hour  law  for  all  employees  has  been  passed 
in   Ecuador.   South  America. 


692 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


lfiiswS§S©si  ©2  ft&a®  MasaMgi    ILa 


By  courtesy  of  Mr.  Falcon  Joslin  we  are  enabled  to 
publish  a  copy  of  his  letter  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Mines. 

Fairbanks,  October  9, 1916. 

Hon.  M.  D.  Foster,  Chairman  Committee  on  Mines, 
House  Representatives,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Sir :  I  have  your  circular  letter  of  March  25  en- 
closing copy  of  H.  R.  12,275  relating  to  the  revision  of 
the  metal-mining  laws.    I  note  that  you  invite  criticism. 

I  am  very  firmly  against  any  revision  of  the  mining 
laws.  I  know  there  are  many  excellent  men  who  advo- 
cate a  revision  and  some  of  them  are  my  friends,  but  I 
cannot  agree  with  them.    I  think  they  are  mistaken. 

The  existing  law  is  the  growth  of  years.  It  began  with 
a  skeleton  law  passed  in  1866.  It  was  extensively  amend- 
ed in  1872.  In  the  forty  years  and  more  since  then  it  has 
been  interpreted  by  the  courts  in  thousands  of  decisions 
and  amended  many  times  by  Congress  and  by  the  local 
legislatures.  Defects  revealed  by  time  or  by  the  deci- 
sions have  been  dealt  with  as  they  appeared.  In  this 
respect  the  growth  of  the  mining  law  has  not  been  differ- 
ent from  the  growth  of  our  constitution,  our  banking 
laws,  or  indeed  any  of  our  laws.  All  laws  are  the  result 
of  such  growth.  They  are  never  made  perfect  and  com- 
plete. Perfect  mining  laws  are  only  an  ideal  which  can 
never  be  attained.  Many  of  those  who  now  so  eagerly 
advocate  revision  are  thinking  of  perfection  and  forget 
the  difficulties  of  its  attainment. 

Our  mining  law  has  some  defects  hut  not  nearly  as 
many  as  some  would  claim.  It  is  a  liberal  law  and  one  of 
the  best  in  the  world. 

It  is  familiar  to  the  prospectors  and  mining  people 
and  nearly  all  its  provisions  have  had  judicial  interpre- 
tation. It  is  therefore  definite  and  certain;  if  subjected 
to  any  changes,  they  will  have  to  go  through  a  long  proc- 
ess of  litigation  before  it  will  be  as  definite  as  the  law 
now  is.  I  say  ' '  any  change, ' '  for  practically  every  word 
and  phrase  must  be  tested  by  lawsuits  sooner  or  later. 
It  will  take  forty  years  of  litigation  to  produce  the  cer- 
tainty under  the  new  revision  that  we  have  now.  This 
would  be  so  even  if  the  revision  were  drawn  by  experts 
and  passed  as  drawn.  But  our  law-making  machinery  is 
more  imperfect  than  the  law.  Congress  is  sure  to  turn 
out  a  botched  up  measure  at  best  as  full  of  defects  as  the 
present  law.  A  Commission  of  experts  might  prepare  an 
excellent  Bill,  but  I  venture  to  say.  its  authors  would  not 
recognize  it  by  the  time  it  got  through  the  first  com- 
mittee. By  the  time  it  left  the  Conference  Committee  it 
would  be  a  conglomerate  of  farm-land  law,  conservation, 
labor-unionism,  politics,  and  demagoguery  that  would 
drive  the  mining  population  to  despair.  Then  would 
follow  the  long  period  of  litigation  and  amendment.  In 
my  humble  judgment  we  had  better  bear  the  ills  we  have. 

In  Alaska  we  have  had  some  sad  experience  with  revi- 
sions. There  was  a  good  coal-land  law,  but  the  restless 
uplifters  thought  we  could  get  a  much  better  one.    The 


people  in  Alaska  did  not  request  it.  They  proposed  to 
force  it  on  us  whether  we  liked  it  or  not.  And  they  did. 
The  result  is  that  our  old  law  is  repealed  and  we  have  an 
abortion  of  a  coal-land  leasing  law  wholly  unworkable. 
We  need  coal  up  here.  It  is  a  cold  country,  but  we  can't 
get  it,  though  we  have  been  trying  for  twenty  years. 

The  same  thing  with  reference  to  the  oil  law.  The 
placer  law  was  not  exactly  designed  for  the  development 
of  the  oilfields  but  it  worked.  I  think  it  worked  well. 
But  up  here  they  propose  to  revise  it.  In  order  to  make 
sure  it  should  be  revised,  they  abrograted  the  existing 
law  without  substituting  any  other.  So  we  have  no  oil- 
land  law  in  Alaska  at  all.  The  revisers  are  busy  and 
have  been  for  six  or  seven  years  revising  the  oil  laws; 
during  all  this  time  we  have  had  no  oil  law  at  all.  When 
their  revised  oil  law  is  passed,  if  it  ever  is,  it  will  prob- 
ably be  as  unworkable  as  the  coal  law.  They  say  it  is 
progressive  legislation.  We  think  it  is  medieval,  for  it 
proposes  to  return  to  the  feudal  system  of  the  dark  ages ; 
The  Government,  the  landlord,  and  the  citizens  as  ten- 
ants. We  have  had  too  much  experience  of  revision  to 
favor  any  more  of  it.  With  the  prevailing  sentiment  in 
favor  of  conservation  and  restriction  any  new  law  would 
probably  be  far  less  liberal  than  the  existing  law.  The 
draft  you  send  proves  this. 

It  contains  restriction  after  restriction.  It  even 
threatens  the  poor  devil  of  a  prospector  with  criminal 
prosecution  if  he  locates  a  claim  without  pure  inten- 
tions. See  Sec.  2346j.  The  number  of  claims  a  man  may 
locate  or  even  hold  is  limited  to  five  quartz  claims  or  one 
placer  claim.  The  present  law  permits  a  man  to  locate 
or  hold  as  many  claims  as  he  wants  as  long  as  he  does  the 
amount  of  work  on  each  required  by  law.  This  is  sensi- 
ble and  right.  There  might  be  more  labor  required  to 
hold  a  claim,  but  there  is  no  sense  whatever  in  otherwise 
limiting  the  number  one  may  locate  or  hold.  I  will  not 
attempt  to  discuss  other  details  of  the  Bill.  I  am  against 
the  whole  project  of  a  general  revision.  There  is  one 
feature  of  the  Bill  however  which  I  favor.  That  is  the 
provision  for  the  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  Land- 
Office  to  the  Courts  in  matters  arising  between  the  Gov- 
ernment and  the  citizen. 

The  Land  Department  has  committed  some  of  the  most 
highhanded  and  tyrannous  doings  in  the  administration 
of  our  coal  and  oil  lands.  The  acts  were  oppressive  and 
illegal,  but  by  the  present  law  a  citizen  has  no  redress 
even  from  the  most  shameful  and  flagrant  conduct  of  the 
executive  departments.  If  there  had  been  the  right  of 
appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  executive  departments 
to  the  courts  our  coal  lands  would  not  have  been  tied  up 
for  twenty  years  as  they  have  been.  In  this  amazing  re- 
vision of  the  coal-land  law  for  Alaska  it  is  expressly 
and  cunningly  provided  that  a  citizen  wronged  by  the 
decisions  of  the  Land  Department  shall  not  have  the 
right  of  appeal  to  the  courts.  The  revisers  were  afraid  to 
have  their  doings  reviewed  by  the  courts  and  we  Amer- 
ican citizens  must  submit  to  that  outrage.  I  certainly 
would  favor  these  sections  if  they  could  be  passed  as  a 
separate  Act.  Falcon  Joslin. 


November  ll.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


693 


THE   STEAMER     AMUR     LOADING   CONCENTRATE  AT  THE   BRITANNIA  WHARF. 


GTr3' 


Th®   MzMmmmm   MJMd   asatsl 


T.      &.. 


During  August  I  availed  myself  of  an  opportunity  to 
visit  the  biggest  copper  mine  in  the  British  empire :  the 
Britannia,  on  Howe  sound,  near  Vancouver,  British 
Columbia. 

This  is  not  a  fresh  discovery,  nor  is  it  a  new  enterprise. 
Like  many  other  successful  undertakings  it  was  built  on 
the  stepping-stones  of  earlier  failures.  The  first  finding 
of  copper  in  the  district  was  reported  in  1888,  but  no 
work  was  done  until  ten  years  later  when  Oliver  Furry 
stumbled  upon  the  same  outcrop,  a  bluff  of  copper-bear- 
ing schist  on  the  Jane  claim,  which  he  located.  Several 
other  claims  were  staked  and  a  number  of  samples,  aver- 
aging 7%  copper,  were  taken.*  Furry  interested  F. 
Turner,  of  Vancouver,  and  Leo  Boseowitz,  of  Victoria, 
in  the  prospect.  A  trail  was  made  and  a  camp  was 
established ;  an  adit  also  was  started  and  driven  for  150 
ft.,  but,  failing  to  cut  ore,  it  was  discontinued.  Work 
was  stopped.  In  February  1900,  nearly  two  years  later, 
Joseph  Adams  inspected  the  prospect  and  reported  en- 
thusiastically to  H.  C.  "Walters.  The  latter  had  just 
made  some  money  out  of  a  deal  involving  the  Snowshoe 
mine,  near  Libby,  Montana,  and  came  at  once  to  Van- 
couver, going  thence  to  the  Britannia,  where  he  joined 
Adams  in  making  a  further  investigation.  The  result 
was  the  organization  of  the  Britannia  Syndicate,  which 
purchased  seven-tenths  of  the  Turner  and  Boseowitz  hold- 
Tor  data  concerning  the  history  of  the  mine  I  am  indebted 
largely  to  'The  Copper  Handbook,'  by  the  late  Horace  J. 
Stevens,  and  to  an  excellent  article  by  E.  A.  Haggen  in  the 
Mining,  Engineering  and  Electrical  Record  of  August  1915. 


ings  for  $35,000.  H.  L.  Van  Wyck  became  superintend- 
ent. Another  large  outcrop  was  discovered  on  the  Fair- 
view  claim  and  some  development  work  was  done. 

The  syndicate  put  the  property  on  the  market.  In 
1901  an  examination  was  made  by  W.  Yolen  Williams, 
consulting  engineer  to  the  Granby  Consolidated,  but  no 
business  resulted.  Walters  went  to  London  and  aroused 
the  interest  of  a  capitalist  named  Valentine,  who  took 
a  bond  on  the  property  for  $750,000  and  made  two  pay- 
ments of  $5000  per  month  before  he  had  the  mine  ex- 
amined by  J.  D.  Kendall,  who  reported  favorably.  Then 
Valentine  died  and  his  executors  relinquished  the  bond. 
Mr.  Kendall's  report,  dated  April  11,  1901,  speaks  of  the 
'ore-zone'  as  "over  100  ft.  wide  in  one  part  and  more 
than  2000  ft.  in  length."  He  estimated  the  ore  'in  sight' 
— a  term  now  taboo — at  850,000  tons  assaying  0.083  oz. 
in  gold  and  0.19  oz.  silver  per  ton,  with  2.16%  copper. 
He  suggested  the  use  of  the  Elmore  bulk-oil  process, 
believing  that  this  would  save  11.6%  more  than  ordi- 
nary concentration  by  water.  He  estimated  the  cost  of 
mining  at  95  cents  and  that  of  milling  at  50  cents  per 
ton.  Later  knowledge  indicates  that  Mr.  Kendall's  esti- 
mate of  the  average  contents  of  the  ore  was  correct; 
his  forecast  of  cost  is  confirmed;  and  his  suggestion  to 
use  the  flotation  process  has  been  put  into  effect,  al- 
though at  the  date  of  his  report  the  radical  changes  to 
be  made  in  Elmore's  process  were  too  far  in  the  future 
to  he  anticipated  by  him,  or  anybody  else.  Mr.  Kendall 
may  well  be  proud  of  the  report  he  made  on  the  Britan- 
nia mine  15  years  ago.    That  the  report  failed  to  stimu- 


G94 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


late  the  exploitation  of  the  deposit  was  due  to  the  al- 
manac :  in  1901  the  economic  value  of  2%  copper  ore 
was  not  understood. 

Another  start  was  made  at  the  end  of  1901,  when 
George  H.  Robinson,  an  engineer  of  high  rank,  associated 
with  important  mining  operations  in  Montana  and  Utah, 
bought  the  controlling  interest  in  the  Britannia  Syndi- 
cate, on  a  report  by  James  W.  Neill,  at  a  price  of  $400,- 
000.  Evidently  the  syndicate  made  a  reasonable  profit. 
Later  Robinson  bought  the  three-tenths  held  by  Turner 
and  Boscowitz  for  $53,000.  He  organized  a  new  com- 
pany called  the  Britannia  Copper  Syndicate,  with  the 
late  Edgar  E.  Dewdney  as  president  and  himself  as  man- 
aging director.  Another  director  was  H.  C.  Bellinger. 
The  capitalization  was  $937,500  and  the  new  stock  was 
underwritten  by  Henry  Stern,  who  had  the  financial  aid 
of  Grant  B.  Schley,  of  the  firm  of  Moore  &  Schley,  in  the 
flotation  of  the  issue. 

Robinson  started  to  develop  and  equip  the  mine  sys- 
tematically. An  aerial  tramway  was  erected,  a  concen- 
trating mill  was  built,  and  new  adits  were  started.  The 
ore  and  concentrate  were  shipped  to  a  smelter  at  Crofton, 
on  the  opposite  coast  of  Vancouver  island,  60  miles  west. 
This  plant  included  two  blast-furnaces  and  one  con- 
verter-stand, producing  blister  copper  that  was  sent  to 
Chrome,  New  Jersey,  for  electrolytic  refining.  A  briquet- 
ting  plant  was  used  to  prepare  the  copper  concentrate 
for  blast-furnace  treatment.  This  smelter  had  been  oper- 
ated by  the  Southwestern  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.,  a 
local  enterprise  operating  a  copper  mine  on  Mt.  Sicker. 
In  1905  the  Britannia  Smelting  Co.,  with  a  capital  of 
$625,000,  acquired  this  metallurgical  plant  together  with 
the  Mt.  Andrew  mine  on  Prince  of  Wales  island.  But 
the  Crofton  smelter  was  not  a  success:  it  was  closed- 
down  in  1910,  and  has  been  dismantled,  the  useful  por- 
tions of  the  equipment  being  transferred  to  the  Britan- 
nia mine.  When  Robinson  died,  in  1905,  he  was  succeed- 
ed, as  manager,  by  M.  T.  Adams. 

In  1908  the  Britannia  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.  was 
organized  with  a  capital  of  $2,500,000,  absorbing  both 
the  Copper  Syndicate  and  the  Smelting  Company  of  the 
same  name.  At  this  time  Mr.  Schley  came  into  personal 
control  of  the  enterprise  and  R.  H.  Leach  was  appointed 
manager  with  H.  C.  Bellinger  as  consulting  engineer. 
But  Horace  J.  Stevens  said  truly  and  gently  in  1909, 
"the  Britannia  to  date  has  proven  somewhat  disappoint- 
ing." This  qualified  statement  was  correct  at  that  time; 
it  was  not  until  nearly  five  years  later  that  the  mine, 
then  14  years  of  age,  began  to  give  signs  of  real  vitality. 
In  1912  Mr.  Schley  placed  J.  W.  D.  Moodie  in  charge 
and  under  his  management  the  enterprise  has  been  de- 
veloped to  fruition.  The  method  of  milling  has  been 
changed,  a  new  mill  has  been  built,  also  an  incline-tram- 
way capable  of  transporting  a  large  tonnage  of  ore, 
vigorous  exploration  has  uncovered  ever-increasing  ore- 
reserves,  and  the  property  has  been  enlarged  from  1500 
acres  to  20.000  acres.  However,  the  resources  of  a  mine 
are  not  measured  in  acreage ;  the  comparison  simply 
serves  to  indicate  that  exploratory  work  has  proved  the 
extension  of  the  ore-bearing  belt  for  miles  and  furnished 


the  basis  for  large-scale  operations  of  a  most  successful 
and  systematic  kind,  under  the  direction  of  two  men,  a 
sagacious  financier  and  a  capable  engineer. 

In  an  earlier  article  I  have  described  the  short  voyage 
from  Vancouver  to  Britannia  Beach,  as  the  settlement  on 
the  shore  of  Howe  sound  is  called.  The  distance  by 
water  is  30  miles;  overland  from  North  Vancouver  it 
is  about  22  miles ;  eventually  the  coast  railway,  now  ter- 
minating at  Horse-Shoe  bay,  just  around  the  corner  into 
Howe  sound,  will  be  extended  to  Britannia  Beach,  but 
the  present  method  of  transport  by  water  is  convenient 
and  cheap. 

On  landing  the  visitor  finds  a  clean  and  well  organized 
settlement.  The  population  on  the  beach,  near  the  mill, 
is  1000 ;  on  the  hill,  near  the  mine,  it  is  800  more.  The 
pay-roll  shows  1225  employees,  of  20  different  national- 
ities. The  company  maintains  a  four-story,  60  by  132 
ft.,  department  store  in  which  an  abundant  variety  of 
supplies  is  displayed.  Construction  work  is  still  in 
progress  and  will  continue  for  many  years,  as  the  mine 
and  mill  grow  in  size.  Three  mill-buildings  are  to  be 
seen ;  first,  the  old  zinc-coneentrating  plant,  built  in  1908, 
which  was  never  operated;  second,  the  concentrator,  re- 
modeled in  1912,  enlarging  its  capacity  from  500  tons  to 
850  tons  daily,  using  both  water  and  oil  concentration ; 
third,  the  new  mill  of  2500-tons  capacity,  begun  in  1913, 
employing  the  old  and  new  processes  in  sequel. 

Let  us  visit  this  new  mill,  which  is  built  on  a  side-hill 
site,  in  six  floors,  having  a  total  height  of  191  ft.,  or  216 
'ft.  to  the  top  of  the  receiving-bins.  Of  the  four  units 
into  which  this  plant  is  divided,  three  were  in  gear  on 
August  27,  treating  1700  tons  daily.  The  mill-crew 
numbers  83  men,  of  whom  25  are  Japanese.  The  build- 
ing is  airy,  light,  and  spacious.  The  floor-space  is  ample, 
facilitating  alterations.  The  walls  are  white-washed. 
The  frame  and  housing  are  made  of  wood,  on  concrete 
foundations  resting  in  solid  rock.  Each  section  of  the 
mill  has  two  angle-bottom  ore-bins  each  of  500  tons 
capacity,  so  that  the  two  sections  already  built  have  a 
storage  capacity  of  2000  tons.  In  addition,  a  stock-pile 
is  maintained  on  the  side-hill  giving  25,000  tons  more  in 
reserve.  This  is  fed  by  the  aerial  tramway,  built  origi- 
nally for  the  old  mill,  and  passing  to  one  side  of  the  new 
mill,  so  as  to  permit  the  accumulation  of  ore  on  a  rocky 
platform  cut  into  the  ground  just  above  the  bins.  The 
stock-pile  is  drawn  onto  a  belt-conveyor  that  delivers 
into  the  mill-bins.  In  front  of  these  passes  a  chain- 
bucket  sampler.  Three  12  by  24-in.  plunger  feeders 
deliver  the  ore  (broken  at  the  mine  to  34-in.  ring)  to 
three  4  by  8-ft.  trommels  having  l|-in.  round  holes.  My 
description  will  now  concern  itself  with  one  unit  of  the 
mill,  the  other  being  an  exact  duplicate.  The  undersize 
from  the  trommel  goes  direct  to  the  coarse  rolls,  the  over- 
size to  two  picking-belts. 

Here  the  ore  can  be  examined.  It  consists  of  copper 
pyrite  in  chloritic  schist.    The  ore  picked  from  the  belt 

fA  composite  analysis  of  the  mill-feed  in  September  showed 
2.74%  copper,  7.95%  iron,  1.5%  zinc,  6%  sulphur,  and  71.25% 
silica,  besides  a  trace  of  gold  and  25  cents  worth  of  silver  per 
ton. 


November  11,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


605 


contains  from  10  to  18%  copper  and  represents  about 
one-tenth  of  the  entire  mill  output,  which  averages  15 
to  16%  as  shipped,  ore  and  concentrate,  to  the  smelter 
at  Tacoma.  The  ore  is  of  medium  hardness  and  breaks 
readily,  loosening  the  chalcopyrite ;  it  is  of  simple  type ; 
with  the  chalcopyrite  there  is  twice  as  much  iron  pyrite, 
besides  a  little  zinc-blende  and  galena.  Associated  with 
these  sulphides  is  quartz. f  The  proportion  of  picked 
ore  varies  in  accordance  with  the  smelter  requirement  of 
silicious  material. 

Two  men  work  at  each  picking-belt ;  they  remove  the 


MAP   SHOWING  POSITION  OF  THE  BRITANNIA.  MINE. 

pieces  of  high-grade  ore  to  one  side  and  also  select  hard 
pieces  of  country-rock  for  use  as  grinders  in  the  tube- 
mills.  A  chute  for  waste  is  available,  but  it  is  not  in 
use  now.  The  picking-belt  delivers  to  three  10  by  20-in. 
Blake  jaw-crushers,  which  reduce  the  ore  to  2-in.  size 
before  passing  it  to  two  16  by  48-in.  extra-heavy  spring- 
rolls.  The  product  from  these  goes  to  three  15  by  40-in. 
Anaconda  type  of  spring-rolls.  The  first  set  of  rolls  re- 
duces from  2  to  i  inch,  and  the  next  to  J-in.  size.  These 
deliver  to  five  trommels,  3  by  6  ft.,  having  J-in.  holes, 
the  oversize  passing  to  two  10-in.  bucket-elevators  that 
return  this  product  to  the  second  set  of  rolls,  while  the 
undersize  from  the  trommels  is  delivered  to  five  3  by 
6-ft.  trommels  with  1.5  mm.  screen.  The  oversize  from 
these  is  passed  to  two  14-in.  bucket-elevators,  which  feed 
two  Hancock  jigs,  while  the  undersize  from  the  last 
trommels  goes  to  five  tables  of  the  Overstrom  type  with 
plain  riffles  lengthwise.    The  concentrate  from  the  tables, 


after  passing  through  the  sampler,  goes  direct  to  the  bins, 
where  it  is  allowed  to  drain  before  being  shipped.  The 
middling  from  the  tables  goes  to  a  7  by  10-in.  bucket- 
elevator  for  re-treatment  by  one  of  the  tables.  The  tail- 
ing from  these  runs  to  a  two-compartment  dewatering 
tank,  the  overflow  from  which  is  delivered  to  the  final 
slime-tanks.  The  sediment  from  the  dewatering  tank  is 
used  as  part  of  the  feed  to  the  tube-mills. 

The  tailing  from  the  jigs  is  fed  to  the  'fine'  rolls;  the 
middling  goes  in  close  circuit  back  to  the  jigs ;  while  the 
concentrate  is  transferred  to  the  shipment-bins. 

The  oversize  and  undersize  of  the  first  set  of  trommels 
unite  at  the  '  coarse '  rolls. 

The  jig-tailing  goes  to  the  four  'fine'  rolls,  as  already 
stated;  these  rolls  are  36  by  15  in.,  style  A,  Allis-Chalm- 
ers,  crushing  from  \  inch  to  2  mm.  and  delivering  to 
eight  tube-mills  or  '  granulators, '  each  7  by  12  ft.  and 
direct-driven  by  a  100-hp.  slip-ring  motor.  These  tube- 
mills  are  given  a  retarded  discharge  by  means  of  a  back- 
worm.  The  lining  is  made  of  rail-sections  (5  in.  long) 
set  on  end  in  neat  cement,  with  short  pieces  of  worn-out 
drill-steel  in  the  interstices.  This  affords  excellent  ser- 
vice ;  it  is  called  the  'Britannia'  lining  and  deserves  to  be 
well-known.  The  secret  of  the  success  of  this  lining  is 
that  the  neat  cement  is  placed  on  the  smooth  clean  sur- 
face of  the  tube-mill,  and  in  this  cement  are  imbedded 
the  ends  of  the  rails,  grouting  them  with  more  neat 
cement  as  the  tube  is  turned  gradually  until  a  half- 
circuit  has  been  made,  by  which  time  (three  to  five  days) 
the  cement  has  set  so  firmly  that  the  rails  do  not  fall  out. 
The  grinding-stones,  selected  from  the  picking-belts,  as 
we  have  seen,  are  delivered  through  chutes  in  the  bed- 
rock under  the  mill  and  taken  by  a  belt-conveyor  to  a  bin 
on  the  tube-mill  floor,  where  they  are  fed  into  a  bucket 
hung  on  a  rail  and  pushed  by  hand.  These  grinding- 
stones,  or  'pebbles,'  are  fed  by  hand  into  the  discharge 
end  of  the  tube.  At  the  feed  end  there  is  a  three-spout 
feeder.  The  discharge  from  the  tube-mills  goes  to  the 
boot  of  a  72-ft.  elevator  with  16-in.  buckets  that  deliver 
to  three  hydraulic  classifiers,  the  overflow  from  which 
passes  to  the  flotation  machines  while  the  oversize  is  re- 
turned to  the  tube-mills. 

The  various  products  of  the  mill  are  divided  thus : 

Proportion      Copper  content 
%  % 

Picked   ore    : 10  10  to  18 

Jig  concentrate   25  16  to  17 

Table  concentrate  25  14  to  15  . 

Flotation  concentrate    40  14  to  15 

The  flotation  plant  consists  of  two  Minerals  Separation 
machines  of  the  blade-impeller  type,  each  divided  into 
14  cells,  operated  by  a  250-hp.  Pelton  wheel.  In  this 
mill  the  impeller  or  agitator  makes  180  r.p.m. ;  in  the  old 
mill,  215  r.p.m.  The  oil  is  introduced  as  a  continuous 
thin  stream  into  the  feed-launder.  The  quantity  used 
is  42  gal.  per  1000  tons  of  ore,  a  British  gallon  weighing 
9-J  lb.,  so  the  consumption  is  equal  to  f  pound  per  ton 
of  ore.  The  oil  now  being  used  is  pine-oil,  the  variety 
known  as  No.  350  made  by  the  Pensacola  Tar  &  Turpen- 
tine Co.  in  Florida.     Recent  experiments  with  fir-oil,  a 


696 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


product  from  the  distillation  of  Douglas  fir,  by  use  of  the 
Cottrell  process,  has  been  tried  successfully.  No  acid  is 
used.  Out  of  the  14  cells,  four  are  used  for  making  a 
concentrate  and  the  other  ten  for  re-treating  or  cleaning. 
In  the  lower  ten  cells  the  froth  is  drab  in  color,  dense  in 
texture,  and  well  pitted  with  the  breaking  bubbles. 
When  discharging  over  the  edge  by  impulsion  of  the 
scrapers  it  shows  blotches  of  foam,  the  lighter  tint  of 
which  is  due  to  the  silicious  gangue.  In  the  upper  cells 
the  froth  is  more  uniform  in  texture,  it  shows  dark 
greenish-gray  where  the  scraper  sends  it  over  the  edge. 
A  revolving  scraper  moves  the  froth  forward  in  the  re- 
treatment  or  'cleaning'  cells.  A  trowel-scraper  extends 
over  the  entire  surface  of  the  outer  frothing-cell. 

The  aromatic  smell  of  the  pine-oil  is  strong  in  the  mill, 
but  this  smell  is  not  detectable  when  rubbing  the  concen- 
trate between  the  fingers  nor  does  the  concentrate  show 
any  oily  streak.  The  tailing  discharge,  on  the  beach, 
gives  forth  a  strong  smell  of  pine-oil,  suggesting  that 
some  of  it  is  dissolved  by  the  water. 

On  the  day  of  my  visit  the  flotation  record  showed : 

Copper  % 

Feed    1.90 

Concentrate     14.0 

Tailing    0.12 

The  concentrate  contained  26.8%  iron  and  20.8% 
silica.  This  concentrate  goes  directly  to  a  drag-elevator 
that  delivers  it  to  the  shipment-bins.  The  moisture  in  the 
concentrate  is  fully  20%  and  is  reduced  by  draining  to 
8%  before  being  loaded  on  board  ship.  The  smelter  at 
Tacoma  draws  the  line  at  10%  moisture.  Two  50  by 
14-ft.  Dorr  thickeners  are  being  erected  to  take  the  over- 
flow from  the  slime-tanks,  the  sediment  to  be  returned 
for  treatment  in  the  flotation  machines,  while  the  over- 
flow empties  into  the  tailing-launder. 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  poorer  the  feed  the 
better  the  recovery,  so  that  a  point  is  reached  where  the 
flotation  machine  loses  in  relative  efficiency;  hence  the 
picking-belts,  the  jigs,  and  tables.  There  is  also  the 
question  of  royalty,  into  which  I  shall  not  go,  although 
local  gossip  is  alive  with  interesting  stories. 

Between  the  shipment-bins  there  are  tanks  that  re- 
ceive the  overflow  from  the  concentrate,  the  sediment  ac- 
cumulated from  this  overflow  going  to  the  flotation  ma- 
chines, while  the  rest  of  the  overflow  passes  to  the  Dorr 
thickeners. 

By  way  of  comment  it  may  be  suggested  that  the 
chloritic  character  of  the  schist  serves, to  explain  the  ease 
with  which  the  chalcopyrite  is  detached  and  concen- 
trated. The  only  chemical  or  nostrum  used  is  the  oil. 
No  acid  is  needed ;  it  may  be  that  the  slight  oxidation  of 
the  pyrite  is  accelerated  by  friction  during  the  crushing 
of  the  ore  sufficiently  to  produce  enough  sulphate  to 
furnish  acidity  automatically.  The  proportion  of  iron 
to  silica  in  the  concentrate  makes  a  self-fluxing  mixture 
and  suggests  that  the  degree  of  concentration  is  deter- 
mined, or  might  well  be  determined,  by  friendly  con- 
sultation with  the  smelter  management.  The  smelter 
allows  a  minimum  payment  of  25c.  per  ton  on  the  gold 


and  $20  per  ounce  on  all  above  0.03  oz.  per  ton.  For  sil- 
ver 95%  of  the  market  price  on  the  day  of  arrival  at 
Tacoma  is  paid.  The  concentrate  averages  0.0225  oz. 
gold,  1.65  oz.  silver,  and  15%  copper.  The  recovery  on 
August  28,  as  indicated,  was  94% ;  it  is  said  to  average 
95%,  while  the  extraction  over  all,  after  smelting  of  the 
concentrate,  is  93%  of  the  copper  in  the  ore  as  recovered 
from  the  mine.  This  is  splendid  work,  of  course.  The 
cost  of  hydro-electric  power  is  $10  per  hp.-year,  allowing 
10%  for  depreciation  of  plant.  The  cost  of  milling  is 
56  cents,  but  this  it  is  expected  to  reduce  to  30  cents 
when  the  plant  is  completed.  The  cost  of  transport  to 
the  smelter  is  66c.  per  ton  dry.  For  the  removal  of  the 
mill-products,  a  tunnel  has  been  driven  through  the  rock 
beneath  both  mills.    This  is  ingenious  and  convenient. 

The  magnetic  zinc-concentrating  mill,  with  its  Mc- 
Dougall  roaster,  stands  between  the  manager's  house 
and  the  old  vanner  building.  This  plant  was  never 
started,  having  been  recognized  as  useless,  and  is  now 
being  dismantled.  One  part,  the  old  Jane  workings,  of 
the  mine  contained  zinky  ore  with  enough  gold  and  silver 
to  prompt  the  attempt  to  separate  the  zinc  and  precious 
metals  from  the  copper. 

On  the  day  following  my  visit  to  the  mill  I  was  taken 
by  C.  P.  Browning  (Columbia,  class  of  '13),  the  general 
superintendent,  to  the  mine  on  the  mountain,  which 
rises  to  a  height  of  4300  ft.  above  the  water. 

While  waiting  for  the  car  at  the  mill-terminal  of  the 
incline-tramway  I  had  a  look  over  the  settlement  out- 
spread on  the  beach  below;  the  little  houses  with  their 
red  or  green  roofs;  the  big  department  store  and  office- 
buildings,  and  beyond  them  the  wharf  projecting  iuto 
the  calm  waters  of  the  inlet,  its  rim  marked  by  the  white 
line  of  high  water,  where  the  rock  is  bared  and  bleached ; 
the  boats  and  their  reflections ;  the  successive  headlands ; 
the  high  cliffs  and  wooded  hills  culminating  far  away  in 
the  snowfields  of  Mt.  Sir  Roderick,  named  after  one  of 
the  worthies  of  geology,  Sir  Roderick  Murchison.  Across 
the  sound  a  paper-mill  had  the  look  of  a  chateau  and 
recalled  memories  of  the  Dauphine  that  were  broken  by 
the  dumping  of  20  tons  of  ore,  the  noise  of  which  rever- 
berates among  the  hills. 

Sitting  in  front  of  an  open-front  skip,  which  weighed 
13  tons  when  empty,  we  ascended  the  incline.  The  grade 
is  undulating ;  it  averages  30%,  with  a  maximum  of  33% 
and  a  minimum  of  12%.  The  road-bed,  5500  ft.  long,  is 
18  ft.  wide  and  is  laid  with  two  standard-gauge  (4  ft. 
8f  in.)  tracks  of  56-lb.  rail,  passing  through  several 
cuts,  as  much  as  55  ft.  deep.  The  absence  of  trestles, 
except  at  the  terminals,  gives  the  tramway  a  solidity  that 
is  enhanced  by  the  method  of  anchorage.  The  top  of  each 
rail  is  anchored  to  the  tie  by  two  5-in.  slots  cut  in  the 
bottom  of  the  rail,  to  receive  the  spikes  holding  the  rail  to 
the  ties.  These  are  securely  imbedded,  thus  enabling 
each  length  of  rail  to  expand  and  contract  independently 
of  the  track  as  a  whole.  To  further  this  result,  special 
attention  was  given  to  the  tightening  of  the  fish-plates 
and  the  spacing  between  rail-ends,  with  proper  regard 
for  the  temperature  at  the  time  of  laying.    At  intervals 


November  11.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 
ORE-BINS 


697 


CHAIN-BUCKET   SAMPLER 

T 

PLUNGER-FEEDERS 


TROMMELS  (U-in.  holes) 


FLOW-SHEET 


OF   THE 


BRITANNIA   MILL 


Oversize1 


PICKING-BELTS 


BLAKE   JAW-CRUSHERS 

t 


Undersize 


EXTRA-HEAVY    ROLLS  (16  l)y  48  in.) 


ANACONDA  TYPE  ROLLS  (15  by  40  in 


TROMMELS  U-in.  holes) 
■ i _ 


Undersize 


I 


TROMMELS  (1.5  ram   holes) 
-« i 


vorsii 

T 


r 


Undersize 


1 


BUCKET-ELEVATORS 

i — 


-t 


OVERSTROM    TABLES 
1 '         ^       '      I 


Middling 

i 


Concentrate 


Tailing 


"EWATERING-T 
-« * »- 


BUCKET-ELEVATOR  SHIPMENT-BINS    IDEWATERING-TANK 


{ 

BT- 


BUCKET-ELEVATORS 


HANCOCK    JIGS 
>     t  , 


Overflow 


f 


Sediment 


SLIME-TANK 


„r^ — — 1 * — I 

Middling  Concentrate  Tailing 

-J  |  , 

SHIPMENT-BINS         PINE-ROLLS  (36  by  15  in.) 
— \ , 


A 


r 

Overflow  tailing 


DORR    THICKENERS 


Sediment 


TUBE-MILLS 


BUCKET-ELEVATOR 


HYDRAULIC    CLASSIFIERS 

.      ■        f       ■     I 


Underflow 


ROUGHER-CELLS 

c         t     , 


Concentrate 


CLEANER-CELLS 


Tailing 


1 

Tailing 


SHIPMENT-BINS 


Overflow 


Dry  concentrate 


TANKS 


Overflow 


Sediment 

t_ 


698 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


of  1000  ft.  firm  anchorages  were  made  in  solid  rock 
under  the  road-bed ;  to  these  were  attached  turn-buckles 
connected  to  the  base  of  the  four  fails,  so  that,  in  the 
event  of  the  track  being  pushed  down-hill,  the  creep 
would  be  arrested  by  these  extraordinarily  strong  an- 
chorages. The  wisdom  of  this  precaution  has  been 
proved,  no  downward  movement  of  the  track  having 
taken  place. 

Prom  the  car  we  could  see  the  water-line  descending 
the  mountain.  This  consists  of  7800  ft.  of  36-inch  wood- 
stave  pipe  reduced  to  30  and  28  inches  successively,  then 
3700  ft.  of  28  and  26-in.  steel  pipe,  delivering  to  two 
20-in.  pipes,  3150  ft.  long,  reducing  to  18  inches.  Thus 
the  total  length  is  14,650  ft.  The  cost  of  flanges  under  a 
head  of  over  1000  ft.  would  be  excessive  if  a  single  line 
of  pipe  were  used  with  thread  and  couple ;  therefore  the 
double  pipe.  The  wooden  stave  is  used  up  to  a  head  of 
500  feet. 

The  cable  of  the  tramway  is  1A  inches  of  plough-steel. 
The  skip  has  a  false  bottom  of  wood  two  inches  thick  en- 
closed in  ^-inch  steel  plate.  The  wooden  filler  acts  as 
a  cushion.  Each  side  of  the  skip  consists  of  two  steel 
plates.  The  loading-bins  at  the  upper  terminal  have  a 
capacity  of  3000  tons.  The  engineer  in  charge  of  the 
lowering-engine  is  placed  in  an  upper  chamber  above 
the  concrete  arch  covering  the  machinery,  so  that  while 
he  cannot  see  the  mechanism  he  has  an  uninterrupted 
view  of  the  incline.  The  loading-bins  of  this  tramway- 
terminal  are  fed  by  an  electric  train  running  on  a  track 
of  3-ft.  gauge  laid  with  45-lb.  rail  and  3J  miles  long. 
The  maximum  gradient  is  3%  and  the  difference  of  ele- 
vation between  the  terminal  points  is  500  ft.  A  15-ton 
electric  locomotive  pulls  4  cars,  each  of  20-ton  capacity. 
These  are  U-shaped;  the  whole  bottom  is  on  end-rollers 
so  that  the  car  tips  sideways.  A  tight  bottom  is  neces- 
sary to  prevent  leakage  of  the  fine,  which  is  the  richest 
portion  of  the  ore. 

The  joint  tramway  and  railroad  terminal  is  level  with 
Adit  27,  so-called  because  it  is  2700  ft.  below  the  summit 
of  the  mountain.  This  will  become  eventually  the  base 
entry  of  the  mine.  Behind  the  mill  is  the  entry  of  Adit 
41,  similarly  4100  ft.  below  datum.  This  adit  will  be- 
come the  base  exit  for  ore,  it  is  only  1400  ft.  long  as  yet, 
but  it  will  be  extended  three  miles  to  the  ore-belt  and  at  a 
mile  from  daylight  it  will  connect  by  a  raise,  or  shaft, 
with  the  upper  adits,  called  31,  27,  and  the  present  main 
entry,  called  The  Tunnel,  which  is  1900  ft.  above  41  and 
2100  ft.  above  sea-level.    The  sizes  of  these  new  adits  are 

41    9  by  13  ft. 

31     S    "      8  " 

27     9    "    13  " 

We  went  to  Adit  27.  a  short  distance  south  vof  the  in- 
cline-terminal. This  level  was  900  ft.  long  and  is  ex- 
pected to  tap  ore  at  a  distance  of  10,000  ft.,  but  it  will 
get  under  the  old  Daisy  workings  at  a  distance  of  only 
2000  ft.  from  daylight.  The  cost  of  the  work  is  $13 
per  foot,  the  contractor  paying  for  supplies  and  laying 
a  temporary  track.  The  ground  breaks  well,  but  is  hard 
enough  to  stand  without  timbering.    Two  Ingersoll-Rand 


drills,  43}  B,  with  34,-in.  cylinder,  are  used  on  a  12-ft. 
bar,  which  is  steadied  by  a  right-angle  bar  against  the 
face. 

The  electric  train  took  us  up  the  mountain,  along  two 
sharp  curves  and  one  switch-back,  past  the  powder- 
magazine,  to  the  Tunnel  Camp,  as  the  upper  settlement 
is  called.  Here  is  to  be  seen  some  of  the  wreckage  left 
from  the  big  snow-slide  that  killed  55  persons,  including 
some  women  and  children,  in  March  1915.  On  this 
gruesome  subject  I  shall  not  linger,  remarking  only  that 
it  distressed  Mr.  Schley  and  the  management  exceed- 
ingly, and  that  everything  was  done  generously  that 
could  be  done  for  the  victims  and  their  dependents. 
The  settlement  stands  in  a  clearing  made  in  a  dense 
forest  of  young  pine,  overlooked  by  high  peaks.  The 
Tunnel,  or  present  haulage-adit,  is  2100  ft.  above  sea- 
level,  9  by  13  ft.  in  cross-section,  and  4336  ft.  long. 
Eventually  it  will  be  extended  through  the  mountain, 
right  across  the  Fairview  ore-belt,  and  will  then  become 
truly  a  'tunnel.'  Alongside  the  track  I  noted  the  12-in. 
air-pipe  and  the  high-tension  transmission  line,  carry- 
ing 6600  volts.  At  4100  ft.  this  adit  connects  with  the 
main  ore-chute,  8  by  12  ft.,  extending  for  1272  ft.  be- 
tween levels.  We  watched  the  loading  of  four  cars,  of 
20  tons  each,  in  four  minutes.  Ordinary  arc-gates,  39 
in.  wide,  are  used.  There  are  two  gates,  so  that  one  can 
be  in  service  when  the  other  happens  to  be  blocked.  A 
vertical  board  levels  the  load  in  the  car  and  prevents  con- 
tact with  the  trolley-wire.  The  ore  is  broken  by  a  gyra- 
tory crusher  in  a  chamber  400  ft.  above  the  adit  and  the 
chute  is  fed  800  ft.  higher  above  the  crusher,  so  that  a 
storage  capacity  of  2000  tons  of  crushed  ore  is  obtained, 
besides  4000  tons  uncrushed  ore  between  the  1800  and 
1000-ft.  levels.  Above  the  top  of  this  chute,  on  the  1000- 
ft.  level,  there  is  4000  tons  more  ore  stored  in  similar 
raises. 

On  the  1800-ft.  level,  400  ft.  above  the  haulage-adit,  is 
the  gyratory  crusher,  where  the  ore  is  by-passed  from  the 
main  chute  over  a  grizzly  made  of  wedge-shaped  manga- 
nese-steel bars  34,  in.  apart.  The  ore  passing  through  the 
grizzly  joins  the  crashed  product  and  falls  back  into  the 
chute. 

Ascending  on  the  cage  of  the  interior  shaft,  10  by  20 
ft.,  we  reached  the  1600-ft.  level,  which  is  600  ft.  above 
the  haulage-adit.  This  shaft  was  made  by  raising  1275 
ft.  from  top  to  bottom,  75  ft.  being  required  for  head- 
room above  the  hoist.  There  I  saw  the  ore  being  dumped 
into  the  chute  and  also  had  my  first  look  at  ore  in 
place.  This  level  will  be  connected  with  an  adit  advanc- 
ing from  Furry  creek,  which  parallels  Britannia  creek 
in  the  next  valley  southward.  On  the  1200-ft.  level  I 
saw  a  cross-cut  that  was  intersecting  the  Third  vein,  and 
then  rising  to  the  1000-ft.  level  I  saw  the  hoisting- 
engine  and  the  top  of  the  big  chute.  The  seven  side- 
dumping  cars  emptied  themselves  automatically  as  they 
passed  the  opening,  the  wheels  on  one  side  running  over 
a  dumping-bar  so  as  to  tilt  the  car.  These  cars  are 
modeled  on  the  design  originated  at  the  Phoenix  mines 
of  the  Granby  Consolidated.     Listening  to  the  ore  as  it 


November  11.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


699 


...  ^te*w_F*2dir.;; 


BRITANNIA  BEACH.       THE  LAEGE  BUILDING   IS  THE  COMPANY'S   DEPARTMENT    STORE.       ACROSS   THE   WATER   IS    SEEN    THE   OTHER   SHORE   OF 

HOWE   SOUND. 


THE  BRITANNIA   MILLS.       THE  NEW  ONE,  ON   THE  LEFT.  IS  SHOWN   IN     COURSE  OF   CONSTRUCTION. 


700 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS» 


November  11,  1916 


fell  down  the  chute  there  came  the  suggestion  that  the 
drop  must  shatter  the  ore  to  pieces  so  that  half  of  it 
passes  through  the  grizzly  above  the  crusher. 

From  the  top  of  the  chute  it  is  only  1300  ft.  to  day- 
light, so  we  made  our  exit  and  saw  the  old  camp  and  more 
traces  of  the  big  snow-slide.  At  the  portal  is  the  outcrop 
called  the  Bluff,  which  has  been  photographed  often  to 
suggest  the  bigness  of  the  lode-channel,  here  fully  300  ft. 
wide  of  1.8%  copper.  On  the  west  side  of  the  ravine  is 
a  glory-hole  on  the  Jane  claim  and  the  entrance  of  an 
adit  1000  ft.  long,  all  part  of  the  work  done  originally 
under  Robinson's  direction.  But  none  of  this  early 
development  sufficed  to  expose  the  real  dimensions  of  the 
ore-belt.  It  is  not  a  single  vein  nor  even  a  series  of  them 
but  a  big  width  of  schist  enriched  by  seams  of  chalco- 
pyrite.  As  yet  11  veins  have  been  labeled  in  a  belt  800 
ft.  wide;  the  average  stoping-width  of  each  vein  is  put 
at  30  ft.  and  the  maximum  at  80  ft. ;  but  such  measure- 
ments are  only  suggestive,  the  actual  width  of  ground  to 
be  stoped  is  yet  to  be  determined  by  further  operations. 
In  length  the  separate  orebodies  have  been  proved  for 
1000  ft.,  and  in  depth  for  1600  feet. 

The  chalcopyrite  is  confined  mainly  to  fissured  chan- 
nels in  a  silicified  sericitic  schist,  adjacent  to  a  diorite- 
porphyry.  Near  the  ore  the  schist  is  spotted  with  chlor- 
ite. Any  rock  broken  in  the  course  of  exploratory  work 
is  sent  to  the  mill  if  it  contains  i%  copper.  At  the  ex- 
isting price  (28c.)  of  copper  such  material  can  be  treated 
as  'ore.'  The  run-of-mine  contains  about  2-J%  copper. 
These  facts  I  drew  out  of  Mr.  Browning  as  he  and  I,  in 
the  congenial  company  of  W.  A.  Wylie,  the  mine  super- 
intendent, sat  on  some  timbers  and  munched  our  sand- 
wiches. 

Questioning  them  regarding  drills,  I  ascertained  that 
the  Waugh  14A  is  used  for  stoping;  for  driving  and 
cross-cutting,  the  Dreadnaught,  a  valveless  hammer-ma- 
chine of  the  water-Leyner  type;  for  block-holing  and 
light  sinking,  the  Rand  jack-hammer  and  the  Denver 
clipper;  for  glory-holing,  the  Rand  43J  and  Dread- 
uaughts  equipped  with  handles.  By  discarding  the  shell 
the  weight  of  the  last  is  reduced  from  145  to  90  lb.  Four 
Leyner  No.  5  drill-sharpeners  are  in  use  and  three 
Sullivan  sharpeners.  The  mine  will  be  worked  by 
shrinkage-stoping  and  'glory-holing,'  or  big  open-cuts. 

While  smoking  the  pipe  of  peace  I  enjoyed  an  occa- 
sional glance  at  the  steep  sides  of  Britannia  mountain, 
heavily  timbered  fortunately,  .otherwise  snow-slides 
would  be  frequent,  and  across  the  ravine  the  fir  forest  at 
the  foot  of  the  red  rampart  of  Goat  Mtn.,  on  which  the 
Rocky  Mountain  goat,  or  mazama  montana,  disports 
himself  freely. 

Re-entering  the  mine  at  the  1000-ft.  level,  we  ascended 
in  the  skip  to  the  500-ft.  level,  where  I  saw  the  Denver 
Engineering  75-hp.  electrically-driven  hoist.  Mr.  "Wylie 
said  that  it  had  been  in  use  four  years  and  had  never 
given  airy  trouble.  In  a  chamber,  18  by  36  ft.,  near-by, 
I  found  a  No.  5  Leyner  drill-sharpener  and  a  Sullivan 
sharpener,  with  a  repair  equipment,  including  a  10-hp. 
motor,  drill-press,  grinder,  and  pipe-threading  machine. 


Thence  we  walked  to  the  other  portal  of  the  level, 
truly  a  'tunnel,'  which  is  1500  ft.  long,  to  the  Furry 
Creek  side  of  the  mountain.  The  southern  portal,  called 
the  Barbara,  gave  us  a  new  outlook.  A  thick  forest  of 
hemlock,  yellow  cedar,  and  larch  veiled  the  view,  but 
between  the  tall  stems  I  caught  glimpses  of  snowy  peaks, 
dark  mountains,  and  the  misty  abyss  of  a  deep  canyon 
from  the  bottom  of  which  came  the  roar  of  a  torrent, 
like  a  stamp-mill.  Eastward  the  sky-line  showed  a  gap 
in  the  Seymour  divide,  on  the  far  side  of  which  is  the 
watershed  of  Seymour  creek,  flowing  to  North  Vancouver. 
To  that  sky-line,  fully  five  miles  distant,  the  copper- 
bearing  territory  is  said  to  extend.  Turning  round  and 
examining  the  rock  of  the  portal  I  could  see  the  fresh 
face  of  Fairview  schist,  streaked  with  pyrite  and  chalco- 
pyrite, but  not  rich  enough  to  be  'ore.'  The  500-ft. 
tunnel  is  in  ore  for  1000  out  of  its  1500  ft. ;  it  intersects 
all  the  'veins'  from  the  Second  to  the  Tenth,  but  it  is  not 
at  right-angles  to  the  ore-belt,  so  that  the  real  width  of 
ore  traversed  is  800  ft.  The  cross-cuts  run  due  mag- 
netic north  and  south;  the  'veins'  run  S  80°  E  and  dip 
70°  south  with  general  uniformity. 

On  the  500-ft.  tunnel  horse-traction  is  employed.  It  is 
planned  to  replace  this  method  with  a  storage-battery 
locomotive,  also  on  the  600,  850,  1000,  1200,  and  1600-ft. 
levels ;  in  fact,  wherever  the  present  electric  railway  does 
not  serve  as  a  means  of  transport.  A  3-ton  Westing- 
house  locomotive  with  'exide'  (litharge)  cells  will  pull 
6  cars  of  2  tons  each.  In  breaking  2000  tons  of  ore  daily, 
2000  bits  are  blunted  and  1|  tons  of  powder  is  consumed. 

In  the  mine  a  reserve  of  700,000  tons  of  ore  broken  by 
shrinkage  is  maintained.  As  for  the  total  reserves,  the 
mine  is  too  young  and  undeveloped  for  a  precise  esti- 
mate, but  17,000,000  tons  is  said  to  be  reasonably  assured 
already.  The  total  cost  of  producing  copper  is  7.3  cents 
per  pound. 

St.  Marie  Canals 

During  the  six  months  ending  with  September  the 
American  and  Canadian  canals,  between  lakes  Superior 
and  Huron  and  Michigan,  reported  as  follows : 

1916  1915 

Vessels    18,845  14,907 

Registered  net  tonnage   51,701,240  38,578,998 

East-bound: 

Copper,    tons    83,669  95,373 

Iron    ore,    tons    47,370,350  33,761,752 

Pig  iron,  tons 29,896  6,914 

West-bound : 

Coal :   Hard,  tons    1,609,481  1,448,734 

Soft,    tons    11,030,178  8,106,063 

Manufactured  iron,  tons   116,441  134,137 

Iron  ore,  tons   2S,927            

Salt,   barrels    572,489  481,170 

Total    freight,    including    other 

materials    68,455,497  48,383,603 

Of  the  totals,  the  American  canal  handled  55,229,198 
tons  in  1916  and  44,888,436  tons  in  1915. 


November  11,  191(5 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


701 


TllB 


PJr 


-i^ut,- 


ITiBii'Slll    jiliijiri- 


-i£>ki 


13  iba   ^bylAsthMd? 


By      William      E. 


C  o  1  lb  y 


There  is  no  feature  of  the  American  mining  law  that 
has  provoked  more  spirited  diseussion  and  against  which 
a  greater  amount  of  criticism  has  been  aimed  than  the 
extra-lateral  right,  or  'law  of  apex,'  or  dip  right,  as  it  is 
variously  termed.  It  has  become  quite  popular  to  pre- 
sent the  arraignment  of  charges  that  can  legitimately 
be  made  against  the  practical  operation  of  this  right 
and  there  is  scarcely  a  meeting  of  importance  connected 
with  the  mining  industry  where  some  one  does  not  add  to 
this  volume  of  condemnation.  In  all  this  discussion,  it 
is  rare  to  find  a  word  of  commendation ;  not  only  are  the 
advantages  which  flow  from  the  exercise  of  this  right 
ignored,  but  in  the  general  demand  for  its  abolition  we 
find  very  little  well  considered  thought  given  to  the 
serious  results  of  such  action  and  few  suggestions  as  to 
what  steps  should  be  taken  to  minimize  the  grave  conse- 
quences that  are  bound  to  follow  such  a  radical  and  far- 
reaching  change  in  our  mining  law.  We  are  too  prone  to 
assume  that  legislation  is  a  panacea  for  all  defects  in 
existing  laws  and  not  enough  attention  is  paid  to  the 
evils  which  inevitably  flow  from  'half-baked'  remedial 
statutes.  Judging  from  the  published  remarks  of  many 
who  have  criticized  the  extra-lateral  right,  the  opinion 
seems  to  be  quite  prevalent  that  all  that  is  necessary  to 
be  done  to  cure  the  ills  that  are  inherent  in  the  'law  of 
apex'  is  for  Congress  to  pass  a  statute  abolishing  it.1 

Comparative  Treatment.  In  a  discussion  of  this 
character  it  is  interesting  to  know  whether  other  systems 
of  mining  law  have  similar  features  and  what  has  been 
the  result  of  their  operation.  It  has  been  erroneously 
assumed  by  many  that  the  extra-lateral  right  is  a  unique 
burden  suffered  by  the  United  States  alone.  An  exam- 
ination of  the  laws  of  other  countries  shows  that  this  is 
not  a  fact.  Naturally  we  cannot  expect  to  find  in  other 
countries  an  extra-lateral  law  identical  in  all  respects 
with  our  own.  It  is  the  fundamental  principle  under- 
lying this  law  that  is  vital,2  namely,  the  right  to  mine 
on  and  pursue  a  vein  in  depth  beneath  surface  ground 
that  is  not  owned  or  controlled  by  the  mine  operator.  In 
other  words,  the  right  to  follow  the  vein  in  depth  is 
independent  of  and  is  not  measured  by  surface  owner- 
ship, hence  it  is  termed  the  right  of  extra-lateral  pursuit. 
It  is  usually  described  as  being  opposed  in  principle  to 
the  common-law  idea  of  ownership  of  land,  where  the 
owner  of  the  surface  is  entitled  to  everything  situated 

iThere  are  several  bills  to  amend  our  mining  laws  pending 
before  the  present  Congress.  One  of  these  would  abolish  the 
extra-lateral  right  without  any  provisions  to  relieve  the  seri- 
ous consequences  of  such  action.  This  discussion  is  prompted 
by  this  proposed  revision. 

2"The  application  of  the  term  'extra-lateral'  to  this  right  is 
of  comparatively  recent  origin  and  the  right  existed  long 
prior  to  this  designation."    'Lindley  on  Mines,'  3d  Ed.  p.  568. 


vertically  beneath.  As  Judge  Lindley  has  pointed  out 
in  his  treatise  on  the  law  of  mines,3  the  common  law 
recognized  the  right  of  severance  and  frequently  the  sur- 
face-owner conveyed  to  another  the  right  to  mine  a  vein 
or  mineral-bearing  strata  that  penetrated  or  lay  beneath 
his  surface.  However,  the  extra-lateral  right  as  we 
ordinarily  conceive  of  it  has  an  element  that  did  not 
exist  in  the  common  law.  In  the  exercise  of  the  extra- 
lateral  right  the  vein  may  be  pursued  indefinitely  in 
depth  beneath  the  surface  of  adjoining  owners  who  have 
nothing  to  say  about  the  exercise  of  this  right  under- 
neath their  ground  and  are  powerless  to  prevent  it.  The 
right  has  been  created  by  statute  or  custom  before  their 
surface-ownership  attached  and  the  vein  has  been  re- 
served and  carved  out  of  their  estate.  It  is  the  statutory 
or  customary  origin  of  the  right,  giving  it  an  indefinite 
sweep  in  depth  and  the  fact  that  it  is  not  at  all  depend- 
ent upon  conveyance  from  private  owners  of  overlying 
surface  nor  for  its  measurement  upon  the  vertical  bound- 
aries of  such  surface-ownership  that  distinguishes  the 
extra-lateral  right  from  the  common-law  severance  of 
minerals  from  the  surface. 

"We  have  no  definite  information  as  to  whether  an 
extra-lateral  right  was  exercised  in  ancient  times.  The 
existing  record  of  these  ancient  mining  laws  is  meagre 
and  a  great  part  of  the  mining  was  carried  on  as  a 
sovereign  venture  so  that  the  question  of  extra-lateral 
pursuit  would  seldom  arise.4  It  is  only  when  there  are 
adjoining  private  ownerships  that  a  situation  is  created 
where  the  question  becomes  important. 

Under  the  democratic  control  of  Athens  the  silver- 
lead  mines  of  Mt.  Laurion  were  leased  in  small  adjoining 
areas  to  individuals.  One  might  expect  to  find  the  extra- 
lateral  right  a  feature  of  the  ancient  Greek  mining  law 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  these  were  flat-lying  contact 
deposits  occupying  horizontal  beds  and  hence  unsuited 
to  the  exercise  of  any  dip-right.5 

Spain  and  Spanish  America  (Peru  and  Mexico). 
The  fabulous  wealth  of  the  mines  worked  under  Spanish 
rule,  particularly  in  her  possessions  in  the  New  World, 
stimulates  our  interest  in  her  mining  laws. 

While  we  would  naturally  expect  Spanish  laws  to  re- 
flect the  influence  of  the  civil  law,  we  find  little  impress 
on  her  mining  code  from  this  source.  In  making  an 
analytical  study  of  the  Spanish  mining  laws  one  is  struck 
by  the  similarity  of  many  of  the  provisions  to  those  of 
the  early  Germanic  mining  codes,  especially  the  right  of 

s'Lindley  on  Mines,'  3d  Ed.  p.  568. 

■iThose  interested  in  the  subject  of  ancient  mining  laws 
will  find  an  excellent  note  at  pp.  82-86  of  Hoover's  transla- 
tion of  Agricola,  'De  Re  Metallica.' 

sSee  'Hoover's  Agricola,'  p.  83,  foot-note. 


702 


MINING   and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


free  mining,  that  is,  the  right  of  the  individual  to  go 
upon  crown  lands  or  even  lands  belonging  to  others  and 
upon  making  a  discovery  of  mineral  becoming  entitled 
as  a  matter  of  right  to  the  possession  of  a  mining  claim 
including  the  discovery.  But  the  similarity  is  accounted 
for  when  we  learn  that  in  framing  the  mining  ordinances 
of  Spain  "recourse  was  had  to  the  laws  of  Germany."6 
Article  5  of  the  Spanish  mining  ordinances  of  1559, 
mentioned  by  Gamboa,  as  the  "old  ordinances,"  pro- 
vides that, 

"Whereas,  by  not  designating  the  limit  and  space 
which  the  mines  that  shall  thus  be  discovered  are  to 
have,  there  may  result  great  confusion,  differences 
and  lawsuits;  and  the  first  discoverer  may  pretend 
that  his  mine  and  the  right  which  by  discovery  may 
belong  to  him,  cover  and  include  the  whole  extent 
and  continuation  of  the  metallic  vein,  and  that  in 
the  whole  of  such  extent  and  continuation  no  per- 
son can  interfere  to  prospect,  search  or  work,  from 
which  may  result  great  embarrassment  and  impedi- 
ment to  the  discovery,  and  working  and  development 
of  said  mines," 

therefore,  the  article  provides,  the  mine  or  pertenencia 
to  which  a  discoverer  is  entitled  shall  have  definite  sur- 
face boundaries,  namely,  100  varas  long  and  50  varas 
wide.7 

This  provision  would  seem  to  have  eliminated  the  ex- 
ercise of  any  extra-lateral  right  and  this  is  further 
borne,  out  by  Article  29,  which  provided  that  if  mines 
are  staked  out  on  the  sides  of  another  mine  whose  bound- 
aries are  already  defined,  because  it  appears  that  the 
vein  inclines  from  the  latter  and  may  enter  these  side- 
claims,  the  Court  shall  protect  these  side-claimants  and 
shall  not  permit  the  person  who  owns  the  mine  from 
which  the  ore  inclines,  to  follow  the  vein  into  these  ad- 
joining claims. 

However,  Article  30  also  provided  that  if  the  bound- 
aries of  the  mine  from  which  the  ore  inclines  are  not  al- 
ready defined  by  the  official  survey  and  staking  or  if  the 
ground  into  which  the  ore  dips  is  not  already  claimed, 
then  in  either  case  the  owner  of  the  mine  "shall  be  at 
liberty  to  continue  to  follow  the  said  ore  although  he 
may  go  outside  of  his  pertenencia:"  This  latter  pro- 
vision clearly  recognizes  a  limited  exercise  of  the  extra- 
lateral  pursuit. 

.Ordinance  XXX  of  the  Spanish  Mining  Code  of  1584, 
referred  to  by  Gamboa  as  the  "new  ordinances,"  pro- 
vided that  if  the  ore  in  any  mine  shall  be  continuous 
with  the  ore  of  any  other  mine  "and  the  two  mines  shall 
become  one,  in  the  depth ;  the  miner  who  shall  have  first 
sunk  and  made  his  way  into  the  other  mine,"  shall  be 
entitled  to  the  ore  until  the  owner  of  the  adjoining  mine 
compels  him  to  establish  his  boundaries.  If  it  is  found 
that  he  is  outside  of  his  true  boundaries  he  must  with- 
draw, but  he  is  still  entitled  to  the  ore  he  has  mined 

«Comentarios  a  las  Ordenanzas  de'Minas,  Gamboa   (1759), 
p.  6;  see  also  Heathfield's  translation  (1830),  p.  S. 
^Mining  Laws  of  Spain  &  Mexico,  Halleck  (1859),  p.  13. 


from  the  other's  pertenencia,  "inasmuch  as  he  has  ac- 
quired a  right  to  it  by  the  care  and  diligence  used  in 
working  with  more  activity  than  his  neighbor."  The 
ordinance  also  provided  that  if  a  person  took  a  per- 
tenencia contiguous  to  the  mine  of  another  and  there 
is  no  vein  disclosed  therein  or  if  there  is  one  and  it  con- 
tains no  ore,  but  the  claimant  works  "merely  with  the 
intention  of  profiting  by  the  ore  of  his  neighbor  when 
he  shall  get  within  his  boundaries"  he  acquires  no 
rights  "even  though  his  neighbor's  ore  should  take  its 
course  within  his  pertenencia ;  and  our  mining  judges 
and  justices  shall  determine  it  so,  and  shall  not  allow  or 
permit  such  mines,  not  being  upon  a  vein  or  ore,  to  be 
worked."8  It  is  quite  evident  that  the  foregoing  pro- 
visions create  and  protect  a  modified  form  of  extra- 
lateral  pursuit. 

Gamboa  comments  that  "Of  all  the  ordinances  con- 
tained in  the  new  code,  or  the  old  law,  there  are  none 
more  difficult,  or  which  have  been  more  frequently  the 
subject  of  litigation  in  the  courts  than  this."  He  states 
that  when  the  vein  extends  outside  the  pertenencias  of 
adjoining  owners  into  unclaimed  ground,  each  owner  is 
entitled  to  work  freely  through  the  virgin  ground  upon 
the  dip  of  the  vein  be3rond  his  own  limits  and  whenever 
.  the  workings  of  rival  claimants  in  this  common  ground 
meet  a  guarda-raya  or  boundary  monument  should  be 
established  beyond  which  neither  could  pass.  Cases  of 
this  character  gave  rise  to  extensive  litigation  and  a 
famous  contest  arose  in  the  mining  district  of  Guan- 
ajuato where  Count  de  San  Pedro  del  Alamo  insisted 
that  the  dip  of  the  vein  that  apexed  in  his  Santa  Anita 
mine 

"was  infinite  in  extent,"  that  "the  vein  was  his 
property,  as  far  as  it  extended  upon  the  underlay 
as  being  one  and  the  same  vein ;  and  that  as,  when 
the  vein,  being  what  is  called  a  deep  vein,  proceeds 
perpendicularly  downward,  the  miner  may  work  on 
to  the  antipodes,  or  to  the  infernal  regions,  as  Amaya 
says;  so,  if  the  vein  be  inclined,  its  whole  extent 
upon  the  underlay  is  granted  to  the  miner. ' ' 

The  miners  of  this  district  had  previously  contended 
that  the  surface  limits  alone  were  to  be  within  prescribed 
boundaries  but  insisted  that  the  miner  might  work  to  an 
unlimited  extent  underground,  whereupon  in  1739  an 
order  was  issued  that  the  property  of  the  vein  is  not 
granted  to  an  indefinite  extent  on  the  dip  and  that  the 
underground  limits  of  the  mine  must  correspond  verti- 
cally with  the  surface  boundaries.  The  only  exception  is 
that  already  noted  which  permits  a  miner  to  follow  a 
vein  into  unclaimed  ground. 

The  early  Spanish  mining  laws  applicable  to  Peru 
provided  that  "if  the  principal  vein  of  a  mine  should 
take  its  course  without  another's  limits,  it  may  be  fol- 
lowed up  without  any  impediment."  If  a  vein  divided 
before  taking  its  course  within  the  boundaries  of  a 
neighboring  mine,  the  owner  was  required  to  select  one 
of  the  branches  as  his  principal  vein  which  he  could  fol- 

sHeathfield's  'Gamboa,'  pp.  14-15. 


November  11.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


703 


low  into  his  neighbor's  ground.  Gamboa  antes  that  these 
regulations  conform  to  the  practice  in  the  mines  of 
Germany. 

The  ordinance  of  1783  materially  changed  the  Spanish 
mining  law."  Article  I  of  Title  VIII  states  that  uni- 
formity of  size  of  surface  claims  cannot  be  observed 
underground  and  at  the  same  time  equality  between 
claimants  preserved,  for  the  inclination  of  the  vein  with 
the  plane  of  the  horizon  makes  the  amount  of  vein- 
material  included  within  the  pertenencia  greater  or 
smaller  and  it  may  well  happen  that  when  a  miner  after 
great  expense  and  labor  reaches  the  boundaries  of  his 
claim  where  the  vein  begins  to  be  rich,  an  adjoining 
owner,  who  has  placed  himself  at  that  point  with  more 
cunning  than  labor,  may  compel  him  to  stop  working  fur- 
ther "so  that  from  this  arises  one  of  the  greatest  and 
most  frequent  causes  of  litigation  and  dissension  among 
miners."10  As  a  result,  the  new  code  provided  that  each 
miner  is  entitled  to  200  Castillean  varas,  which  are 
called  de  medir  (long  or  running  measure)  along  the 
thread,  direction,  or  course  of  the  vein  taken  on  a  level. 
To  square  the  claim  a  rectangle  was  formed  by  taking  100 
varas  on  each  or  either  side  of  the  vein,  if  the  vein  were 
vertical,  and  this  width  increased  as  the  dip  of  the  vein 
might  flatten  till  the  claim  attained  a  maximum  width 
of  200  varas  for  veins  dipping  at  an  angle  of  45°  or  less. 
The  ordinances  voiced  the  opinion  that  by  the  time  the 
vertical  boundaries  of  the  claim  were  reached  the  vein 
will  have  been  considerably  exhausted. 

Article  14  referring  to  the  permission  granted  under 
the  former  law  of  1584  to  enter  another  mine  and  con- 
tinue following  the  vein  until  the  owner  of  the  other 
mine  can  extend  his  workings  so  as  to  stop  the  adverse 
entry,  states  that  it  is  "the  most  fruitful  cause  of  the 
bitterest  law-suits,  dissensions,  and  disturbances  among 
miners"  and  the  adverse  entry  occurs  more  often 
through  fraud  or  accident  rather  than  as  the  result  of 
merit  or  industry.  Therefore,  entering  the  pertenencia 
of  another  is  prohibited. 

Article  15  provides  for  an  exception,  however,  and  if  a 
miner  pursuing  his  working  fairly  and  following  his  vein 
reaches  the  pertenencia  of  another  or  discovers  there  a 
vein  undiscovered  by  the  adjoining  owner,  he  shall  be 
obliged  to  give  such  adjoining  owner  immediate  notice 
and  thereafter  share  equally  with  him  all  that  he  may 
extract  from  the  adjoining  pertenencia  and  for  failure 
to  give  such  notice  of  invasion  of  the  other's  territory 
he  lost  all  right  to  the  ore  taken  out  and  also  paid  double 
its  value  as  a  penalty.  The  other  owner  could  stop  this 
invasion  at  any  point  that  his  own  workings  encountered 
the  invader's. 

Article  16  continued  the  right  to  follow  the  vein. into 

"These  ordinances  are  set  forth  in  full  in  Halleck's  'Mining 
Laws  of  Spain  and  Mexico,'  pp.  189-315. 

i»In  the  light  of  recent  criticism  of  the  extra-lateral  right, 
it  is  amusing  to  note  that  this  ordinance  attributes  excessive 
litigation  to  the  inflexible  vertical  boundary  system.  Dissatis- 
faction with  existing  conditions  and  enthusiastic  conviction 
that  a  change  will  result  in  complete  relief,  is  a  common 
characteristic  which  is  not  confined  to  the  present  day. 


unclaimed  adjoining  territory  but  compelled  the  de- 
nouncing of  a  new  adjoining  pertenencia  covering  the 
vein. 

Article  17  confirmed  each  owner  to  that  portion  of  the 
vein  included  within  his  boundaries  and  specifically 
denied  the  right  either  to  the  discoverer  of  the  vein  or 
to  the  owner  of  the  apex  to  ' '  claim  it  in  its  whole  extent, 
or  wherever  it  may  happen  to  be." 

This  was  the  mining  law  in  force  in  Mexico  from  1783 
up  to  the  time  of  discovery  of  gold  in  California.  Ray- 
mond11 makes  the  comment  that 

"this  law  is  remarkable  for  an  attempt  to  reconcile 

the  two  systems  of  square  and  inclined  locations  by 

an  elaborate  graduation  of  the  size  and  shape  of  the 

surface  claim  according  to  the  dip  of  the  vein. ' ' 

He  points  out  the  impossibility  of  administering  such 

a  law  in  accordance  with  the  facts,  for  an  opening  10 

yards  deep  was  required  to  determine  the  dip  of  the 

vein,  which  was  then  erroneously  assumed  to  follow  a 

uniform  course  and  dip.12 

The  ordinances  of  1783  have  long  since  been  super- 
seded by  mining  codes  which  have  abolished  the  gradu- 
ated forms  of  claims. 

Australia.  The  local  court  regulations  of  Maldon  of 
March  6,  1857,  provided  that  the  width  of  a  claim  should 
be  100  feet  on  each  side  of  the  line  of  the  'reef  with  the 
dips  and  angles  of  all  'reefs'  within  the  boundary  and 
the  right  to  follow  them  to  whatever  distance  they  might 
dip.13 

In  New  South  Wales  the  mining  regulations  of  August 
5,  1858,  provided  that : 

"Miners  occupying  any  portion  of  a  quartz  reef  or 
vein  shall  be  entitled  to  follow  and  work  it  in  any 

direction  that  such  reef  or  vein  may  take 

Provided that  when  any  reef,  vein,  or  bed  of 

quartz  shall  lie  nearly  horizontal,  or  at  a  less  angle 

with  the  horizon  than  20°, 14  the  holder  of  any  claim 

shall  be  only  entitled  to  follow  such  reef,  vein,  or  bed 

of  quartz  in  the  direction  of  the  dip,  for  a  distance 

not  exceeding  50  yards  from  the  point  where  they 

commence  to  sink  in  search  of  any  such  reef,  vein,  or 

bed  of  quartz. '  '15 

These  extra-lateral  provisions  were  probably  patterned 

after  the  miners'  customs  of  California,  since  Calif ornian 

miners  are  known  to  have  taken  a  leading  part  in  this 

early  mining  in  Australia.     The  use  of  the  terms  'dips 

and  angles'  is  similar  to  language  employed  here  by  the 

early  miners.    "Where  the  vein  was  inclined,  the  limits  of 

"Mineral  Resources'  (1869),  p.  196. 

i2ZM<2.,  p.  198. 
is'Law  of  Gold  Mining  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand,'  Arm- 
strong (1901). 

"If  this  provision  was  not  suggested  by  the  Germanic 
extra-lateral  law,  it  is  at  least  the  strongest  kind  of  circum- 
stantial evidence,  for  in  most  of  the  mining  districts  of 
Germany  veins  that  dipped  at  an  angle  of  less  than  20°  were 
termed  flbtze  and  no  extra-lateral  right  could  he  acquired  to 
such  deposits. 

isSee,  'Mining  Laws  of  Australia  and  New  Zealand,'  Veatch 
(1910). 


704 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


a  claim  were  determined  by  establishing  a  base-line 
passed  through  the  'peg'  or  discovery-point  on  the  apex 
of  the  vein  and  "another  point  visible  and  as  distant  as 
possible  on  the  known  line  of  the  reef"  or  in  ease  the 
position  of  the  reef  (vein)  was  not  sufficiently  known,  an 
arbitrary  point  was  selected  and  from  this  base-line  right- 
angled  lines  were  extended  out  in  the  direction  of  the 
dip  of  the  vein.  This  method  of  defining  boundaries 
within  which  the  miner  could  work  is  almost  identical 
with  the  plan  that  was  later  adopted  on  the  Comstock 
lode  for  the  settlement  of  disputes  over  boundaries. 

In  1862  the  regulations  were  altered  so  that  a  claim 
had  a  width  of  100  yards  and  the  owner  was  entitled  to 
all  veins  found  therein,  instead  of  one  vein  only  as 
under  the  former  act,  and  eould  follow  any  vein  into 
unoccupied  ground.10  In  1866  the  system  of  vertical 
boundaries  was  adopted  because  the  extra-lateral  system 
was  "found  to  lead  to  disputes." 

In  Western  Australia  under  existing  law,  individual 
leases  are  granted  of  areas  necessary  to  work  the  vein  to 
a  depth  of  3000  ft.  and  if  the  mineral  is  gold  the  length 
along  the  outcrop  of  the  vein  shall  not  exceed  66  chains, 
and  if  mineral  other  than  gold  the  distance  along  the 
outcrop  shall  not  exceed  90  chains.  This  right  to  mine 
in  depth  is  virtually  equivalent  to  the  exercise  of  an 
extra-lateral  privilege. 

Rhodesia.  All  property  in  minerals  and  mining  rights 
in  Rhodesia  has  been  granted  by  the  Crown  to  the 
British  South  Africa  Company.  The  system  of  mining 
law  in  force  there  was  adopted  in  1903  and  is  largely 
copied  from  the  American  law.17  A  'reef  claim'  is  a 
parallelogram  150  ft.  long  on  the  course  of  the  vein  with 
a  width  of  600  ft.  at  right  angles  to  the  length.  A 
'block'  is  a  group  of  not  to  exceed  10  contiguous  claims, 
thus  forming  a  parallelogram  1500  by  600  ft.,  the  exact 
size  of  a  lode-claim  under  American  law.  The  'extra- 
lateral  right'  is  defined  in  the  ordinance  to  be  "the  right 
of  following  a  reef  on  its  dip  in  any  block  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  vertical  block."  The  "course  of  a  reef"  is 
defined  to  be  a  line  on  the  surface  marking  the  inter- 
section of  the  centre  of  the  reef  with  such  surface.  If 
the  reef  were  'blind,'  that  is,  situated  below  the  surface, 
the  points  where  it  approached  closest  to  the  surface 
were  projected  vertically  upward.  This  is  the  'course  of 
the  apex'  or  'lode  line'  of  the  American  law. 

The  miner  had  the  "extra-lateral  right  of  pursuit  of 
such  portions  of  his  discovery  reef  on  its  dip  outside  the 
limits  of  his  vertical  block  as  are  comprised  between 
vertical  planes  indefinitely  extended  and  passing  through 
the  end-lines  of  his  block."18 

British  Columbia.  The  various  provinces  of  Canada 
have  adopted  the  vertical  boundary  system  of  mining 
law  but  British  Columbia  in  1891  passed  a  Mineral  Act, 
Section  31  of  which  provided  that : 

"Here  we  have  a  provision  similar  to  those  contained  in  the 
Spanish  mining  codes  already  noted. 

"'Mining  Law  of  the  British  Empire,'  Altord  (1906),  p.  197. 

isThe  striking  similarity  ot  this  law  to  the  American  mining 
law  is  evident. 


"The  lawful  holders  of  mineral  claims  shall  have 
the  exclusive  right  of  possession  of  all  the  surface  in- 
cluded within  the  lines  of  their  locations,  and  of  all 
veins,  lodes  and  ledges  throughout  their  entire  depth, 
the  top  or  apex  of  which  lies  inside  of  such  surface 
lines  extended  downward  vertically,  although  such 
veins,  lodes  or  ledges  may  so  far  depart  from  a 
perpendicular  in  their  course,  downward  as  to  extend 
outside  the  vertical  side  lines  of  such  surface  loca- 
tions," etc.19 

The  section  also  provided  that  if  a  location  were  laid 
crosswise  of  a  vein  instead  of  along  its  course  the  locator 
secured  only  so  much  of  the  vein  or  lode  as  it  crossed  and 
the  side  lines  became  the  end  lines  for  the  purpose  of 
defining  extra-lateral  rights.  A  location  was  deemed  to 
be  laid  crosswise  when  the  angle  made  by  the  centre  line 
of  the  location  and  the  general  course  of  the  vein  was 
greater  than  45  degrees. 

This  section  of  the  Act  was  repealed  by  Section  2  of  the 
Amendment  Act  of  1892  which  provided  that  "The 
owner  of  a  mineral  claim  shall  be  entitled  to  all  minerals 
which  may  lie  within  his  claim,  but  he  shall  not  be  en- 
titled to  mine  outside  the  boundary  lines  of  his  claim 
continued  vertically  downward."  Sub-section  B  pre- 
serves rights  of  locations  under  the  former  acts. 

As  a  result  of  this  brief  period  during  which  the  extra- 
lateral  right  was  sanctioned,  rights  to  a  number  of  such 
mining  claims  became  vested.  The  British  Columbia  re- 
ports indicate  that  several  cases  have  arisen  where  these 
rights  are  involved. 

Sufficient  examples  have  been  presented  to  indicate 
that  there  has  been  a  powerful  tendency  at  work  based  on 
fundamental  reason  and  natural  law  to  segregate  the 
mineral-bearing  vein  from  the  surface,  and  to  grant  the 
vein  to  the  miner.  .  Instead  of  confining  him  to  inflexible 
surface  boundaries  extended  downward  vertically,  the 
tendency  has  been  to  make  these  boundaries  more  elastic 
so  that  he  could,  in  the  interest  of  economy  and  justice, 
follow  down  on  his  vein,  which  is  the  principal  thing 
sought,  and  which  has  no  logical  relation  to  the  overlying 
surface.  The  surface  ownership  was  usually  segregated 
from  the  underlying  mineral  and  vested  in  another  who 
might  be  devoting  it  to  agricultural  or  other  pursuits. 
This  severance  is  in  line  with  the  highest  economic  use 
of  natural  resources  and  embodies  the  modern  conception 
of  conservation.  The  surface  was  frequently  used  for 
convenience  in  markng  out  a  perimeter  merely  to  place 
a  limit  on  underground  workings,  but  the  perimeter 
eould  be  varied  or  extended  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  deposit,  and  as  underground  development  might 
indicate  was  most  equitable  and  economic.  Frontage 
claims  also  accomplished  the  same  object. 

The  pure  type  of  extra-lateral  right  has  unquestion- 
ably given  rise  to  a  vast  amount  of  litigation,  and  this 
fact  has  resulted  in  its  abolition  in  most  countries  where 
it  formerly  existed. 

"This  is  identical  in  language  with  the  Act  of  1S72,  p.  2322, 
U.  S.  Rev.  Stat.,  from  which  it  was  unquestionably  taken. 


November  11,  1016 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


705 


'Jftia   'iPm®p<&&t<&jfJg   y^ii-W^'li 


By      Eterlbeirt     Iiing 


It  appeal's  likely  that  the  question  of  what  shall  be 
done  for  or  to  our  mining  prospectors  will  have  to  be 
settled  by  the  prospectors  themselves.  It  is  generally 
conceded  that  the  day  of  discovery  is  past,  the  pros- 
pector must  settle  down  to  the  more  prosaic  life  of  grub- 
bing within  restricted  areas.  Life  generally  is  getting 
prosaic,  so  he  need  not  complain.  The  feverish  charging 
about  from  one  country  to  another,  from  Cape  Nome  to 
Cape  Horn,  and  making  startling  discoveries  on  a  diet 
of  'sow-belly'  and  'self- rising'  is  out  of  date.  Prob- 
ably the  prospector  himself  will  realize  that  he  must 
harmonize  himself  with  the  sobered  spirit  of  the  age  and 
bring  his  exertions  into  conformity  with  it.  One  of  the 
principal  demands  today  is  for  thoroughness  and  accu- 
racy, in  which  respects  the  average  prospector  has  much 
to  learn.  Necessity  will  compel  him  to  do  his  work  more 
thoroughly,  covering  with  more  pains  a  much  more  re- 
stricted area,  and  recording  with  more  care  what  lie 
may  see.  While  his  chances  of  making  sometime  a  great 
discovery  are,  as  generally  conceded,  becoming  more 
slim  each  year,  there  is  compensation  in  the  largely  in- 
creased opportunities  of  making  small  finds,  in  conse- 
quence of  so  many  of  the  minor  minerals  coming  into 
use. 

What  is  required  now  is  the  careful  investigation  of 
comparatively  small  areas,  and  the  recognition  of  all 
mineral  occurrences  of  probable  value.  This  must  ulti- 
mately be  done  either  by  the  Government  geologist,  the 
professional  engineer,  or  by  the  volunteer  prospector — 
or  more  likely,  by  the  combined  energies  of  all  of  them. 
Think  of  the  sad  waste  of  energy  involved  in  desultory 
traveling  over  vast  areas,  travels  that  are  repeated  time 
and  again  by  other  prospectors,  and  engineers  also,  in 
misdirected  attempts  to  find  a  mine.  Hundreds  of  men 
follow  in  each  others'  footsteps  without  having  received 
a  single  idea  from  their  predecessors,  and  without  leav- 
ing a  shred  of  information  to  their  successors.  Nor  is 
this  waste  of  effort  confined  to  prospectors:  engineer 
after  engineer,  'expert'  after  'expert',  follows  in  the 
never-ending  quest,  without  any  useful  result  to  the 
public  and  with  little  gain  to  themselves.  In  this  con- 
nection the  important  question  is  how  to  make  the  ob- 
servations and  findings  of  the  more  intelligent  of  the 
travelers  of  avail  to  the  general  public  interested  in  these 
matters. 

It  seems  to  me  that  proper  prospecting  should  he 
looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  public  concern,  to  be  fostered 
by  the  counties,  States,  and  the  Government.  Your 
correspondents  have  made  various  suggestions,  looking 
mainly  to  the  private  employment  of  this  class  of  men, 
regardless  of  the  patent  fact  that  the  revealment  of  min- 
eral deposits  is  really  a  matter  of  public  concern.     The 


Government  is  beginning  to  realize  this  fact,  and  the 
various  States  do  something  in  this  direction;  but  the 
State  and  National  authorities  thus  far  have  merely  laid 
the  foundation  for  a  thorough  study  of  mineral  deposits. 
Now,  there  is  a  vast  mass  of  unpublished  knowledge 
about  particular  areas  and  particular  deposits  that  ought 
to  be  made  accessible,  to  the  end  that  the  willing  in- 
vestor may  know  where  to  go  without  the  wasteful  and 
generally  ineffectual  process  of  sending  a  special  repre- 
sentative here  and  there,  to  run  down  vague  rumors  and 
sift  the  reports  of  interested  and  too  often  unreliable 
parties.  I  can  think  of  no  better  way  than  for  commun- 
ities to  club  together  and  hire  qualified  men  to  critically 
examine  the  lands  about  them  and  record  carefully  their 
findings,  which,  if  the  work  is  well  done,  will  become  a 
part  of  the  stock  of  scientific  and  practical  information 
upon  which  the  mining  industry  will  thrive.  The  geol- 
ogy of  the  country  has  been  fairly  well  sketched,  and  a 
mass  of  miscellaneous  facts  collected  in  various  ways  by 
professional  and  other  persons,  and  now  if  to  this 
groundwork  can  be  added  in  elaborate  detail  the  de- 
scriptions of  individual  deposits  the  work  will  be  in  a 
measure  finished. 

The  prospector  may  find  his  billet  in  this,  but  in  order 
to  perform  such  work  properly  he  will  have  to  fit  himself 
in  a  different  manner.  He  will  need  instruction.  He 
will  have  to  make  himself  conversant  with  mineral  ap- 
pearances. He  should  know  somewhat  of  mineralogy, 
almost  a  sealed  book  to  the  wanderers  of  the  past.  The 
ability  to  test  and  determine  minerals  should  be  a  part 
of  his  education,  and  involve  some  knowledge  of  chem- 
istry. Without  necessarily  being  a  professional  chem- 
ist, he  should  at  least  have  some  knowledge  of  assaying 
also.  These  things  are  not  difficult  to  learn,  and  it  has 
always  been  a  matter  of  surprise  that  prospectors  here- 
tofore have  been  so  regardless  of  the  advantages  of 
knowing  how  to  make  the  simple  tests  indispensable  to 
the  proper  performance  of  their  tasks.  A  blow-pipe  out- 
fit, sufficient  for  such  needs,  may  be  carried  in  a  suit- 
case, and  if  in  addition  to  this  more  apparatus  is  thought 
to  be  essential,  the  whole  weight  and  cost  of  materials 
would  be  no  great  matter.  I  would  not  minimize  the  « 
trouble  of  learning  the  proper  use  of  analytical  or  other 
scientific  appliances,  but  I  have  never  thought  of  assay- 
ing or  blow-pipe  work  as  anything  but  simple.  People 
who,  like  miners  and  prospectors,  constantly  work  in  or 
upon  minerals,  surely  ought  to  be  able  to  tell  them  apart ; 
but  how  often  do  you  meet  one  competent  to  employ  the 
commonest  test  to  indicate  the  composition  of  a  mineral? 
With  every  opportunity  and  inducement  to  become 
skilled  in  geology  and  mineralogy  they  continue  in  a 
state  of  comparative  ignorance  that  would  discredit  a 


706 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


schoolboy.  Some  men  will  work  ten  years  in  the  mines 
and  still  be  unable  to  tell  you  the  difference  between 
quartz  and  calcite,  they  will  still  divide  all  rocks  into 
granite,  lime,  and  porphyry,  call  all  blue  minerals  'bro- 
mides,' and  prate  about  'true  fissures'  as  long  as  anyone 
will  listen  to  them.  I  do  not,  however,  hope  to  improve 
this  state  of  affairs  radically,  for  it  would  be  as  hard  to 
get  an  old-time  prospector  or  miner  to  learn  anything 
out  of  books  as  it  would  be  to  get  a  young  mining  grad- 
uate to  cease  calling  himself  an  engineer.  I  have  often, 
but  with  what  result  I  know  not,  advised  young  gradu- 
ates to  set  up  in  some  recognized  mineral  locality,  and 
while  working  as  the  local  assayer  and  surveyor  make  a 
close  examination  of  all  the  mineral  resources  in  the 
neighborhood — an  examination  that  in  the  nature  of 
things  might  take  several  years;  but  the  time  would  not 
be  lost  even  if  no  profitable  discoveries  rewarded  the 
seeker. 

My  solution,  then,  of  the  question  of  what  to  do  with 
the  prospector  would  be  to  convert  him  into  an  examiner 
of  mines,  or,  more  strictly  speaking,  into  an  investigator 
of  mineral  deposits,  and  keep  him  at  work  in  one  spot.  I 
would  make  his  work  available  to  the  multitude  by  com- 
pelling him  to  keep  accurate  notes  on  what  he  did,  and 


I  would  have  *hese  notes  published  at  the  public  ex- 
pense and  kept  for  the  use  of  the  mining  industry.  I 
would  have  the  data  regarding  every  mineral  deposit  in 
this  State  put  into  proper  form  for  reference.  It  should 
be  the  habit  of  every  qualified  person,  when  he  visits  a 
mine  or  a  prospect,  to  fill  out  a  blank  with  the  bottom 
facts  concerning  that  mine,  and  to  file  the  notes  with  a 
public  official.  Furthermore,  I  would  see  to  it  that  every 
visitor  to  a  mine,  such  for  example,  as  our  peripatetic 
experts,  contribute  his  share  to  the  sum  of  information. 
Taken  as  a  whole,  I  do  not  regard  the  ordinary  mining 
report  as  of  much  value,  but  he  would  be  but  a  poor 
observer  who  did  not  find  out  at  least  a  few  useful  facts 
in  his  peregrinations.  By  such  means  I  should  hope 
that  in  time  the  presumed  necessity  for  both  prospector 
and  expert  would  have  largely  disappeared,  and  the 
mining  industry  have  been  placed  upon  a  more  secure 
foundation. 


Nitrate  production  of  Chile  during  August  was 
5,396,981  quintals  of  101.4  lb.  each,  of  which  4,338,013 
was  exported.  In  this  month  of  1915  the  total  output 
was  3,443,409  quintals.  The  present  rate  is  equal  to 
the  normal  quantity  as  in  1913. 


Cyaniding    Costs    at    G 

uatfl   Wlmm&m   €afcj5   CMStarM^   ai 


rass  Valley 

a    1W1B 


Sy     JR.     gj.     T  a  <s  asm  ©  ia  it  « s  s     aid     W.     Ji.     festal 

A  comparative  cost-sheet  has  been  worked  out  by  us  Assaying  and  Refining 

on  the  following  mills  and  cyanide  plants:  Labor   ....  0.013        0.022        0.021        0.017        0.018          0.018 

Supplies    ..   0.019         0.013         0.012         0.022         0.022  0.018 

Ore      Stamp-    ^Stamps-,  Power   ....   0.153        0.153        0.153     ,    0.153        0.153          0.153 

crushed,    duty,  Weight,  

Mill                  tons        tons        No.     Lb.            Company  Totals    .   0.693        0.818        0.797        0.S54        0.817          0.787 

North  Star  ...  51,830        3.8          40     1050      North  Star  Mines  . 

c  ntral             58  030       3  9         40    1050           Power-costs  were  not  obtainable  tor  the  different  mills 

Champion   ....3S.S50       4.07  20-40    1050           and  plants,  so  an  average  cost  was  taken. 

_                         „.  „-n   f    3.8          40     1050*   )           .       Mi  Cyanide  Labor — Cost  Pee  Ton 

Empire    84,8o0  •      .  „  en     i^n*    f  Lmpne  Mines 

I       8           °u     «°«     )  North      Cham-      Penn-       Av- 

Pennsylvania  .29,500         4.0           20     1050  Empire    CeQtral       star         pion       gylvanla  erages 

♦Changed  during  the  year.  Foreman    .  .   0.014         0.028         0.031         0.039         0.020         0.026 

Milling  Cyaniders    .    0.097         0.105         0.0S1         0.101         0.129         0.103 

North                        Cham-        Penn-          Av-  Sundry    ....    0.001         0.002         0.004         0.00S         0.002         0.003 

Empire        Star     Central       pion      sylvania     erages  

Tons     ....S4.850       51,830       58,030       38,850       29,500     *263,060  Total     ...0.112         0.135         0.116         0.148         0.151         0.132 

Labor    ....   0.158        0.237        0.210        0.247        0.215          0.204  Cyanide  Supplies— Cost  Pes  Ton 
Supplies   ..   0.070         0.127         0.111         0.079         0.074           0.092 

In  figuring  the  costs  per  ton,  the  following  prices  per 

Total  tonnage  treated.  ,             °        ,               . ,     „  _                 „  „       ,.         „  Q„ 

CYixiniNG  pound  were  used:  cyanide  22. oc,  zinc  7.3c,  lime  0.8c. 

Labor   ....  0.112        0.U6        0.135       0.14S       0.151         0.132  A11  P™es  are  f-°-b-  mine-    Sundries  include  all  supplies 

Supplies   ..0.16S       0.150       0.155       0.1SS       0.1S4         0.170  used,  except  cyanide,  zinc,  and  lime. 

Empire                 Central  North  Star         Champion        Pennsylvania         Average 

Pounds    Cents    Pounds  Cents  Pounds    Cents  Pounds  Cents     Pounds  Cents     Pounds  Cents 

Cyanide     0.47         10.6         0.43         9.7  0.42         9.4         0.57         11.7         0.46         10.4         0.47         10.3 

Zinc    0.20           1.5         0.19         1.4  0.20         1.0         0.27           2.0         0.20           1.5         0.21           1.6 

Lime                                           3.90           3.1         3.80         3.0  3.60         2.9         3.50           2.S         5.10           4.1         3.98           3.3 

Sundries    1.6          ...         1.4  •••         1-2           ■••           2.3          ...        J^A          ...        ^LS 

Total    16.S                     15.5  15.0                   '     1S.S                        1S.4                        17.0 


November  11.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


707 


Ore -Sampling   Conditions  in  the  West 


By      T. 


'Si  . 


'  O  o  <&  to  a*  il  c 


•An  accurate  knowledge  of  the  constituents  of  an  ore 
is  indispensable  to  the  success  of  all  mining  enterprises, 
especially  when  the  ore  is  sold  to  a  custom  plant  of  any 
kind.  A  large  part  of  ore  sampling  is  not  done  on  a 
scientific  basis.  In  most  sampling-plants  there  is  a  lack 
of  uniformity  of  methods.  The  Bureau  of  Mines  has  in- 
vestigated the  subject  with  a  view  to  increasing  efficiency 
in  the  operations.  In  California,  Colorado,  Montana, 
Nevada,  Utah,  and  "Washington,  48  plants  were  visited, 
sampling  ores  of  gold,  silver,  lead,  copper,  and  zinc. 

Ore  in  place  in  a  mine  is  rarely  of  uniform  metal-con- 
tent, and  the  process  of  extraction  generally  aggravates 
this  condition,  as  the  more  heavily  mineralized  parts 
usually  break-up  more  readily,  so  that  the  finer  particles 
contain  more  of  the  valuable  constituents  than  the 
coarser  ones.  With  every  crushing  during  sampling  this 
difference  persists  to  a  varying  degree,  even  after  the 
final  lot  has  passed  120-mesh.  In  considering  the  relia- 
bility of  any  sampling  method  the  tendency  of  the  ore  to 
segregate  should  not  be  forgotten.  In  a  large  proportion 
of  systems  used  in  the  "Western  States  the  theory  of  sam- 
pling has  been  given  proper  consideration,  and  many 
plants  are  operating  on  correct  principles. 

"Where  the  more  valuable  ores  are  sampled  it  is  often 
customary  to  divide  the  sample  at  certain  points  in  the 
process,  and  make  duplicate,  triplicate,  and  even  quad- 
ruplicate samples,  each  of  which  receives  an  entirely 
independent  but  similar  treatment  during  the  later 
process,  and  is  assayed  separately.  This  checks  errors 
and  gives  an  average  for  settlement  with  sellers  of  ore. 

Ore  is  generally  weighed  on  platform-scales,  varying 
in  capacity  from  60  to  100  tons.  Weighing  has  improved 
considerably  during  the  past  10  years.  Scales  are  fre- 
quently tested  by  the  Western  Weighing  Association. 
Weighing  is  generally  carefully  done,  but  undue  haste 
was  noticed  in  some  instances.  The  weighing  of  a  slowly- 
moving  train  of  cars  coupled  together  is  not  now  in 
vogue,  the  Association  stopping  the  practice.  If  horses 
are  straining  at  a  loaded  wagon  being  weighed,  several 
hundred  pounds  may  be  added  to  the  net  weight. 

Low-grade  and  uniform  ores  that  will  not  stand  the 
cost  of  a  more  exact  method  may  be  sampled  by  the 
'grab'  system,  whereby  small  quantities  of  ore  are  taken 
at  random  by  hand  or  a  shovel  from  the  pile  or  car. 
Careful  men  obtain  fairly  accurate  results  in  this  man- 
ner. Pipe  sampling  can  be  used  for  fine  material  only. 
Neither  of  these  methods  were  found  to  be  in  general  use, 
and  are  rarely  suitable  for  ores. 

Coning  and  quartering  is  practised  exclusively  in  two 
of  the  plants,  and  in  combination  with  other  sampling 

*Abstract  from  Technical  Paper  86  of  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 


methods  in  twenty-six  others.  Advantages  claimed  are 
that  an  expensive  equipment  is  not  required,  the  method 
can  be  used  where  mechanical  apparatus  is  not  procur- 
able, it  is  applicable  to  all  kinds  and  conditions  of  ore, 
it  may  be  used  for  high-grade  lots  without  loss,  and  as 
the  ore  is  in  sight  of  the  seller  all  the  time  the  system 
often  pleases  him.     Fig.  1  shows  a  plant  that  includes 

Railroad  cars  on  trestle. 
Hoppers,  500-ton  capacity. 
Crusher,  to  H-inch. 
Elevator  No.'l. 
Small  hopper. 
Grizzly-shaker. 


Size.<- 


-»Oversize. 
Rolls  No.  1. 
Impact-screen,  |-inch  mesh. 


Size.< 

Elevator  No.  2. 
Sampler  No.  1,  Vezin._ 


Sample,  20  per  cent,  20,000'  pounds.<- 

Barretmixer. 

Sampler  No.  2,  Vezin. 


-»  Oversize. 
Returns  to  elevator 
No.  1. 
-►Discard. 


Sample,  20  per  cent,  4,000  pounds.< — - 
Rolls  No.  2,  12  by  20  inches,  to  1-inch. 
Sampler  No.  3,  Vezin. 


-►Discard. 


Sample,  20  per  cent,  800  pounds.<- 

Wheelbarrow. 

Rolls,  12  by  20  inches,  to  |-inch. 


-►Discard. 


Small  lot.<- 


Riffle.<- 


->Large  lot. 
Coned  and  quartered  once. 

Sampler >Diseard. 


Sample,  8  to  10  pounds. <- 
Electric  dryer. 
Grinder,  disk-type. 
Flat  riffle. 


I 


-►Discard. 
Reserve  sample. 


Sample,  exactly  20  ounces.' 
Hand  .sieve,  120-mesh. 

I 
Size.< 

Mechanical  divider. 

All  pulp  put  in  four  sacks. 


-►Discard. 


-►Oversize. 
Bucking  board. 

Mechanically  operated  hammer. 
Returns  to  hand  sieve. 


FlG.  1.     SAMPLING-PLANT  THAT  INCLUDES  CONING   AND   QUARTERING. 

coning  and  quartering.  There  are  numerous  disad- 
vantages as  it  is  expensive,  time  is  lost,  and  salting  is 
possible. 

In  coning  operations,  or  forming  a  cone  on  a  floor,  a 
rough  separation  of  fine  and  coarse  particles  takes  place, 
even  when  the  ore  is  finely  crushed.  Uniform  mixing  of 
various  sizes  is  impossible.  During  flattening  of  the  cone 
for  subsequent  quartering,  care  is  necessary  not  to  ag- 
gravate the  segregation  of  particles.  By  the  'bench' 
system,  in  which  a  number  of  cones  are  spread  out  each 


708 


MINING  and 


November  11,  1916 


time  above  one  another,  segregation  is  lessened,  but  the 
trouble  is  still  evident. 

None  of  the  plants  examined  used  the  fractional  shov- 
eling method  of  sampling  exclusively,  but  all  of  them 
using  coning  and  quartering  and  six  part-mechanical 
plants  use  shoveling  at  some  point  in  their  operations. 
By  fractional  shoveling  is  meant  every  second  or  tenth 
shovelful  of  a  lot  of  ore  is  thrown  into  a  special  re- 
ceptacle for  sampling.  It  is  a  convenient  method,  but  is 
no  more  reliable  than  coning,  and  also  men  shoveling  at 
high  speed  are  not  likely  to  be  accurate  in  counting. 

Many  advantages  are  claimed  for  mechanical  sam- 
pling systems.  Save  for  cleaning  the  machines  and  un- 
loading ore,  no  hand  labor  is  necessary.  The  operation  is 
continuous  and  fast.  With  proper  precautions  the  sus- 
ceptibility to  error  and  manipulation  in  hand  methods  is 
eliminated.  All  custom  sampling-plants  employ  the  me- 
chanical system.  One  plant  can  compare  its  system  with 
others  to  which  ore  is  forwarded.  A  well-conducted 
custom  plant  studies  comparative  returns  from  different 
smelters  and  mills,  and  frequently  makes  shipment  of 
'split  lots'  of  the  same  ore  to  two  or  more  reduction 
works.  Re-sampling  of  several  consecutive  portions  of 
the  same  lot  of  ore  is  a  practice,  the  lots  being  sent  to  as 
many  different  smelters  for  comparison  of  results.  The 
custom  plant  does  not  buy  all  the  ore  it  samples,  but 
usually  does  a  large  proportion  of  its  business  in  what  is 
termed  'sampled-in-transit'  ore,  the  sample  obtained  to 
act  as  a  check  on  the  assay  given  by  the  purchasing-plant. 
Many  objections  are  made  to  mechanical  sampling,  as 
the  initial  cost  and  renewals  are  heavy,  dust  may  salt 
samples,  machines  are  difficult  to  clean  thoroughly,  and 
improperly  constructed  spouts  or  other  apparatus  might 
prevent  good  sampling. 

Devices  for  mechanical  sampling  operate  on  either  of 
two  distinct  principles  that  separate  them  naturally  into 
two  classes — stationary  devices  which  continuously  di- 
vert certain  fixed  sections  of  the  stream  of  ore  for  the 
sample,  and  moving  devices  which  are  so  operated  that 
during  several  fixed  periods  per  minute,  they  divert  the 
whole  of  the  moving  stream  of  ore  for  the  sample.  These 
devices  are  commonly  and  more  graphically  described 
as  those  taking  part  of  the  stream  all  the  time,  and  those 
taking  all  of  the  stream  part  of  the  time.  The  first  class 
of  the  mechanical  samplers  now  in  use  is  represented  by 
the  whistle-pipe  and  the  bank  or  combination  riffle.  In 
the  former  the  ore  is  fed  into  a  vertical  iron  pipe  with 
five  notched  openings  cut  half-way  through  it,  each  at  an 
angle  of  90°  from  the  one  immediately  above.  Above 
each  notch  is  a  cast-iron  liner,  which  diverts  half  of  the 
ore  each  time  to  a  reject  bin.  The  sample  represents  ^j 
of  the  original  feed.  The  device  is  a  good  one,  but  the 
ore  cannot  be  re-crushed  until  it  has  passed  through  and 
is  then  -fa  of  the  original  bulk.  The  bank  or  combination 
riffle  consists  of  five  riffles  set  in  one  frame,  the  top  riffle 
being  placed  over  two  lower  ones,  which  are  in  turn  fol- 
lowed by  two  more  set  below  them.  The  ore  is  fed  from  a 
chute  or  hopper  to  the  first  riffle  a  h,  where  the  stream  is 
divided  into  a  number  of  smaller  streams,  of  which  every 


Scientific   PRESS 

other  one  falls  on  one  side  and  the  rest  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  riffle.  From  the  spouts  on  both  sides  of  the 
first  riffle  the  streams  of  ore  impinge  on  inclined  iron 
aprons,  k-  and  k,  by  which  they  are  diverted  to  the  two 
riffles  cd  and  ef,  smaller  than  db,  and  so  on,  as  shown  in 

Fig.  2.  This  is  a  reliable 
machine,  but  its  construc- 
tion is  not  simple,  and  at- 
tention is  necessary. 

The  second  type  of  me- 
chanical-sampling devices 
is  represented  by  the  va- 
rious time  samplers  that 
have  either  a  rotating  or 
an  oscillating  motion. 
These  samplers  are  so  con- 
structed and  operated  that, 
during  1/20  to  £  of  the 
time  of  a  single  rotation 
or  oscillation,  the  entire 
stream  of  ore  is  diverted 
for  the  sample,  and  during 
the  remainder  of  the  pe- 
riod the  entire  stream  of 


Sample 

FIG.   2.       WHISTLE-PIPE  AND  BANK  OB  COMBINATION  TYPES  OF 
SAMPLING- APPABATOS. 

ore  falls  into  the  reject  receptacle.  This  type  has  some 
special  advantages  in  addition  to  those  already  ascribed 
to  mechanical  samplers.  The  more  common  examples  in 
use  at  the  plants  visited  are  the  Snyder,  Vezin,  Chas. 
Snyder,  the  Brunton  vibrating,  and  the  Brunton  oscil- 
lating machines. 

The  Vezin  is  used  at  25  of  the  plants,  and  is  used  in 
combination  with  almost  every  present  method  of  sam- 
pling. Details  of  construction  have  been  changed  at 
manj-  plants,  but  the  principle  remains  the  same,  and  in 
its  simplest  form  is  as  in  Fig.  3.  The  sides  of  the  sam- 
ple-spout should  be  vertical,  the  top  edges  should  be 
inclined  at  an  angle  of  approximately  58°  to  the  hori- 
zontal, and  should  deliver  the  ore  in  a  sheet  parallel  to 
the  edges  of  the  spout  as  they  pass  beneath  it,  and  that 
the  sampler  should  be  so  rotated  that  the  speed  of  the 
sample-spout  should  approximately  equal  the  horizontal 
speed  of  the  ore  when  it  reaches  the  spout. 

In  Fig.  4  are  shown  the  Brunton  vibrating  and  oscil- 
lating samplers.  They  are  used  at  two  and  six  plants, 
respectively.  The  illustrations  are  self-explanatory.  In 
the   oscillating   machine   as   many   as   72   samples   per 


November  11,  191(5 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


709 


minute  may  be  taken.   Care  must  be  taken  in  the  design 
of  this  apparatus. 

Synchronism  takes  place  in  mechanical  samplers,  and 
when  two  or  more  machines  are  operated  as  a  train  or  in 
series  there  is  necessarily  a  constantly  recurring  cycle 
of  their  relative  positions.     For  instance,  if  two  hori- 


\>Samp/e 


Fig.  3.    A  vezin  sampling-machine. 

zontally  rotating  machines  are  so  placed  that  one  is 
directly  beneath  the  other,  and  are  given  the  same  speed 
of  rotation,  the  sample  spouts  will  always  keep  the  same 
angular  distance  apart.  If  the  machines  are  given  dif- 
ferent speeds,  the  sample  spout  of  one  will  catch  up  with 


Fig.  4.  bbunton  vibrating  and  oscillating  sampling-machines. 

and  pass  that  of  the  other  with  a  regularity  like  that 
with  which  the  minute  hand  passes  the  hour  hand  of  a 
watch.  Mills  have  been  entirely  re-constructed  to  avoid 
this  condition.  An  elevator  or  Chas.  Snyder  sampler 
lessens  the  trouble,  but  the  better  system  is  to  interpose 
between  the  samplers  a  hopper,  a  revolving  barrel,  or  a 
shaking  tray.  Eight  plants  use  the  barrel-mixer,  19  the 
tray,  and  6  both  systems. 

The  final  work  of  sampling  includes  the  drying,  grind- 
ing, and  sacking  of  the  sample  after  it  has  reached  the 
bucking-room.  Fig.  5  shows  a  large  sampling-plant,  the 
latter  part  of  which  explains  reduction  of  samples  to  the 
final  lot  for  assay.  Much  care  is  needed  in  the  various 
operations  of  drying,  grinding,  screening,  treatment  of 


metallies,  fineness,  weighing,  suit in^r.  and  comparison  of 
assays. 

The  paper  concludes  with  flow-sheets  of  55  sampling 
systems  at  the  48  plants  investigated.    The  general  form 


For  lorg 0  Iota,  500,000  pounds  or  more. 

Grizzly. 

Crusher  No.  1,  24  by  3(1  inches,  lo5.J-iiicli. 

Inclined  conveyor  belt. 

Sampler  No.  1,  Vezin. 

Sample,  10  per  cent,  50,000  pounds.* >Discard. 

Slinking  tray. 

Crusher  No.  2,  15  by  24  incites,  to  2-inch. 

Angled  spout. 

Sampler  No.  2,  Vezin. 

Sample,  20  per  cent,  10,000  pounds.* >Discard. 

Inclined  conveyor  belt. 

Covered  steel  hopper. 

Long  shaking  tray. 

Rolls  No.  1,  111  by  42  inches,  between  1  and  1 J  inches. 

Chute. 

Inclined  conveyor  belt. 

Hopper. 

Sampler  No.  3,  Vezin.: 

Sample,  10  per  cent,  1,000  pounds.* >l)iscard. 

Long  chute. 

Conveyor  belt. 

Hopper. 

Shaking  tray. 

Rolls  No.  2,  12  by  20  inches,  between  J  and  3-inch. 

Chute. 

Inclined  conveyor  belt. 

Hopper. 

Sampler  No.  4,  Vezin. : 

Sample,  20  per  cent,  200  pounds.* >Discard. 

Long  ehutc. 

Conveyor  belt. 

Rolls  No.  3,  12  by  20  inches,  set  close. 

Hopper. 

Compound  riffles,  on  track.    Omitted  as  desired. 

Sample,  about  125  pounds.* >Discard. 

Jut  m  canvas  sacks. 

Taken  to  bucking  room. 

Bucking  room. 

Hand  sieve,  8-mesh,  product  drops  on  floor. 

Size.* >Oversize. 

Rolls,  10  by  20  inches. 
Product  drops  on  floor. 

Shoveled  over  to  mix.*— 


Flat  riffle  No.  1,  placed  over  shallow  pan. 

Sample,  about  8  pounds.* ^Discard. 

Small  flat  riffle,  No.  2 

Sample,  about  2  pounds.* >Discard. 

Steam  drier. 

Grinder  No.  1,  disk  type. 

Sieve,  100,  120,  150,  and  150  mesh. 

Size.* >Overaize. 

Rolling  cloth.  First  residue  to  grinder  No.  1 . 

Flat  riffle  No.  3,  on  shallow  pan.  Final  residue  to  bucking  board 

ToasinanysacksoEpulpiisdesircd.balancediscarded.  Returned  to  sieve. 

Fig.  5.    flow-sheet  of  a  lakge  sampling-plant. 


of  the  flow-sheets  is  a  modification  of  that  used  by  D.  W. 
Brunton  in  bis  'Modern  Practice  in  Ore  Sampling.'* 


The  idea  seems  prevalent  among  men  operating  small 
properties  in  Arizona  that  the  smelters  and  custom  mills 
have,  in  many  cases,  given  false  returns  on  ores  that  are 
sent  in  for  smelting  and  treatment.  With  a  view  to 
ascertain  the  facts  of  the  case,  the  Arizona  State  Bureau 
of  Mines  has  conducted  an  investigation  and  has  found 
that  it  would  be  quite  impracticable  for  any  smelter  or 
mill  to  so  falsify  its  method  of  sampling  as  to  give  low 
returns  and  still  give  the  shipper  one-half  of  the  sample 
to  allow  check-assays  to  be  made.  Bulletin  No.  26  of  the 
Bureau,  entitled  'Mill  and  Smelter  Sampling,'  by  H.  J. 
Stander,  was  written  with  the  idea  of  showing  the  small 
shipper  how  to  sample,  so  that  he  may  sample  his  ores 
before  shipment  to  ascertain  the  correct  value,  thereby 
having  a  check  on  the  smelters. 

*Trans.  A.  I.  M.  E.,  Vol.  40,  1909. 


710 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


Readers  of  the  MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  invited  to  ask  Questions  and 
give  information  dealing  with  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  prac- 
tice of  mining,  milling,  and  smelting. 


The  melting-point  of  copper  is  1100°  C.  (2012  F.)  ; 
that  of  aluminum,  655°  C.  (1211  F.) 


Barttes  is  used  principally  as  a  pigment  in  mixed 
paints  and  in  the  manufacture  of  lithopone,  a  white 
pigment. 

Black  damp  is  denned  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 
as  an  accumulation  of  carbon  dioxide  and  nitrogen  in 
excess  of  the  percentage  found  in  pure  atmospheric  air. 


Potash  is  being  recovered  as  a  by-product  in  cement 
manufacture.  Waste  dust,  which  contains  considerable 
potash,  is  precipitated  by  the  Cottrell  electrical  process. 


The  lace-holes  in  a  belt  reduce  its  strength  by  at 
least  25%.  Care  must  be  taken  not  to  make  a  bulky 
splice  which  prevents  the  belt  from  passing  smoothly 
over  the  pulleys. 

Block-holing  in  breaking  boulders  is  more  efficient 
than  mud-capping  which  is  so  commonly  used.  The 
former  requires  less  explosive  than  the  latter  but  re- 
quires more  time. 

Cement  guns  have  been  used  to  close  crevices  on  the 
surface  where  water  enters  mines  during  the  rainy 
periods.  Work  must  be  done  when  crevices  are  dry  as 
the  gun  will  not  operate  against  flowing  water. 


'Safe  practice  at  blast-furnaces,'  a  manual  for 
foremen  and  men,  by  F.  H.  Willcox,  is  the  title  of  Tech- 
nical Paper  136  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.  A 
valuable  lot  of  practical  suggestions  and  warnings  are 
given. 

There  are  numerous  sections  of  land  in  the  Western 
States,  owned  by  the  railroads,  where  these  sections  are 
sometimes  many  miles  outside  of  the  zone  of  20  to  40 
miles  lying  on  either  side  of  the  railroads,  and  in  which 
the  railroad  companies  own  all  the  odd-numbered  sec- 
tions by  grant  from  the  Government.  These  outside  sec- 
tions are  lieu  lands  selected  by.  the  railways  in  place  of 
those  sections  within  the  zone  of  the  grants,  which,  for 
one  reason  or  another,  were  expected  from  the  original 
grant,  and  to  which  the  railroads  were  unable  to  obtain 
title. 

Zinc-dust  production  of  the  United  States  in  1913 
was  846,000  lb.,  while  imports  were  4,382,470  lb.  Since 
the  War  started,  European  supplies  have  been  cut  off, 
and  at  Salt  Lake  City,  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  which 
is  experimenting  on  the  treatment  of  low-grade  complex 
zinc-lead    ores    and    products,    has    been    determining 


whether  the  zinc  in  such  ores  could  be  produced  as  dust 
from  solutions  of  zinc.  H.  J.  Morgan  and  O.  C.  Ralston, 
in  a  paper  prepared  for  the  American  Electrochemical 
Society,  concluded  that  by  depositing  a  sponge  metal 
from  solutions  by  electrolysis  it  is  possible  to  get  a  zinc 
product  that  on  drying  crumbles  into  zinc-dust.  The 
sponge  is  obtained  from  zinc-sulphate  solutions,  also 
chloride  solutions. 

The  first  dredge-boat  for  gold  built  in  the  West  was 
on  the  Feather  river,  near  Oroville,  in  the  summer  of 
1878.  It  was  not  a  paying  investment  nor  a  mechanical 
success.  The  boat  was  60  ft.  long  and  about  30  ft.  wide. 
The  gravel  was  elevated  by  creating  a  vacuum  in  a  stand- 
pipe  connected  with  a  tube  the  lower  end  of  which  was 
in  contact  with  the  bottom  of  the  river.  This  was  done 
by  injecting  a  jet  of  steam  into  the  stand-pipe  and  then 
a  stream  of  cold  water  to  condense  the  steam.  The  tube 
was  raised  by  mechanical  means  and  the  gravel  dropped 
into  a  sluice-box  for  washing.  The  bottom  of  the  river 
was  so  uneven  that  the  suction  was  not  great  enough 
to  remove  the  gold  from  the  crevices. 

Tests  recently  were  made  to  determine  the  relative  re- 
sistance of  iron,  steel,  and  a  number  of  alloys,  to  atmo- 
spheric corrosion.  Taken  as  a  whole  the  results  indicate 
that  copper-bearing  steels  are  superior  to  any  of  the 
other  materials  tested.  It  was  found  that  pure  iron,  in- 
cluding charcoal  iron,  is  more  resistant  than  the  ordinary 
steel  but  that  the  addition  of  0.25%  of  copper  to  the 
steel  causes  a  remarkable  increase  in  its  ability  to  resist 
atmospheric  corrosion.  The  addition  of  copper  to  pure 
iron  also  results  in  an  increased  resistance  but  not  to 
the  same  extent  as  the  addition  of  a  similar  amount  to 
steel.  It  is  believed  that  the  copper  exerts  a  greater 
influence  in  the  steel  than  in  iron,  due  to  the  combined 
presence  of  copper  and  manganese  since  the  chief  differ- 
ence in  iron  and  steel  is  in  the  manganese  content.  The 
exact  function  of  this  combination  in  the  alloy  is  as  yet 
not  clearly  understood. 

In  locating  mining  claims  the  locator  should  en- 
deavor to  ascertain  if  possible  the  direction  of  strike  of 
the  vein  or  orebody  and  lay  out  the  claim  in  the  direction 
of  this  strike.  Failure  to  give  proper  attention  to  this 
important  matter  may  eventually  prove  to  be  expensive, 
for  the  exercise  of  the  extra-lateral  right  is  directly 
affected  by  the  relation  of  the  strike  of  the  orebody  to 
the  side  lines  of  the  mining  claim.  In  the  case  of  a  vein 
the  direction  of  strike  is  generally  apparent,  but  where 
the  orebody  is  irregular  in  form  it  is  often  puzzling  to 
determine  the  strike  before  considerable  development 
work  has  been  done.  Often,  where  orebodies  are  large 
and  irregular  in  form,  giving  little  evidence  of  strike  in 
any  direction  the  formation  in  which  the  ore  deposit 
occurs  may  be  observed  to  have  a  strike,  due  to  schis- 
tosity,  or  sheeting,  or  the  strike  may  be  determined  by 
the  differentiation  of  the  strata.  When  this  strike  of 
the  rocks  can  be  ascertained  it  will  usually  be  found  that 
the  orebody  conforms  approximately  to  it. 


November  11,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


711 


!.  i'  ::■  n 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


DEADWOOD,  SOUTH  DAKOTA 
Tbhgsteh  Deposits  Described. — Golden  West  and  Slavonian 
Mines. — Homestake's  New  Hospital. — The  Black  Hills 
Si  mmer  Season. 

As  has  been  pointed  out  in  these  letters,  the  principal 
tungsten  ores  of  the  Black  Hills  contain  the  mineral  wol- 
framite; some  scheelite  has  been  found.  In  the  Bear  Gulch 
district  scheelite  is  almost  invariably  found,  in  small  quanti- 
ties, in  the  placers.  It  is  hardly  rich  enough  to  save  except  as 
a  by-product  of  gold  mining.  Wolframite,  though,  is  found  in 
three  distinct  geological  formations.  It  occurs  in  quartz  veins 
in  the  schists,  notably  in  Pennington  and  Custer  counties;  in 
pegmatite  dikes  in  those  counties,  and  in  and  adjacent  to  the 
Cambrian  quartzite  in  some  portions  of  Lawrence  county.  In 
the  past  few  moDths  the  available  supply  of  wolframite  ores 
has  been  materially  increased  by  new  discoveries.  One  of  the 
most  important  of  these  finds  is  that  of  W.  L.  Faust  and  asso- 
ciates. Their  property,  in  Harney  canyon,  south  of  Hill  City, 
shows  an  immense  pegmatite  dike  that  gives  promise  of  devel- 
oping into  a  large  supply  of  tungsten  ore.  Some  rich  speci- 
mens have  been  found,  but  the  average  grade  of  the  ore,  when 
mined  in  large  quantities,  would  probably  not  be  above  2%. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  Deadwood  a  number  of  tungsten  dis- 
coveries have  been  made.  This  ore  occurs  in  intimate  asso- 
ciation with  the  Cambrian  quartzite.  At  times  it  is  found  in 
the  quartzite,  and  at  other  times  immediately  above  it.  Both 
classes  of  deposits  are  undoubtedly  replacements  of  some  of 
the  limy  or  dolomitic  ingredients  of  the  quartzite  and  adjoin- 
ing beds,  by  the  tungsten  mineral.  Two  miles  south  of  Dead- 
wood,  near  the  bead  of  Two  Bit  gulch,  some  of  the  finest  ore 
yet  found  in  the  Black  Hills  has  been  taken  out.  Here  the 
crystals  of  wolframite  are  unusually  well  developed.  They 
often  attain  a  length  of  li  to  2  in.,  and  their  structure — radiat- 
ing groups  of  prisms — add  attractiveness  and  make  them  valu- 
able as  specimens  for  collectors.  Almost  within  the  city 
limits  of  Deadwood,  north-west  of  the  business  section,  quartz- 
ite ores  have  been  found  that  with  a  fair  price  for  tungsten 
would  make  profitable  milling  schemes.  During  the  past  sum- 
mer systematic  prospecting  has  revealed  a  far  greater  extent 
of  wolframite  ore  than  was,  prior  to  that  time,  believed  to 
exist.  High-grade,  which  could  be  profitably  shipped  any  great 
distance,  is  not  plentiful,  and  additional  custom  mills  seem  to 
be  needed.  But  before  they  can  be  built  contracts  must  be 
arranged  so  that  a  market  can  be  assured  for  their  product. 
Black  Hills'  miners  would  welcome  and  support  a  mill,  con- 
veniently situated,  which  would  buy  ore  on  a  basis  of  around 
$20  per  unit. 

After  cross-cutting  170  ft.  of  vein-matter  and  20  ft.  of  a 
slate  horse,  the  Golden  West  management  has  decided  to  drift 
south  on  the  vein  for  100  or  150  ft.  and  cross-cut  again.  The 
disclosure  mentioned  was  made  in  the  adit,  work  on  which 
was  started  last  spring.  At  a  point  nearly  400  ft.  from  the 
portal  the  foot-wall  of  the  vein  was  encountered.  Further 
work  in  a  westerly  direction  revealed  the  ore-formation  de- 
scribed, but  as  yet  the  hanging  wall  has  not  been  found.  The 
south  work  will  be  in  the  direction  of,  and  eventually  immedi- 
ately beneath,  the  open-cut  from  which  several  thousand  tons 
of  ore  has  been  milled. 

L.  P.  Dove  and  others  (the  former  last  winter  was  instructor 
in  chemistry  and  assaying  at  the  Lead  public  school )  have  had 


a  successful  summer's  run  on  ore  from  the  Slavonian  ground, 
near  Elk  mountain.  They  have  been  operating  the  Deadwood 
Standard  mill,  which  is  conveniently  situated  within  a  few 
hundred  feet  of  their  workings;  but  will  probably  suspend  mill- 
ing during  the  winter,  and  devote  their  energies  to  mine 
development.  The  ores  that  have  been  treated  occur  in  one  of 
the  upper  members  of  the  horizontally-bedded  Carboniferous 
limestone.  This  stratum  is  about  50  ft.  thick,  and  is  rather 
irregularly  mineralized.  Where  exposed  by  erosion  on  the 
sides  of  gulches  it  often  shows  faces  of  ore  20  ft.  thick,  but 
when  followed  into  the  hill  it  gradually  pinches  until  it  is  no 
longer  profitable.     The  present  operators  have  been  confining 


Middlo  Creek 

B  U 


THE   BLACK   HILLS   REGION  OF  SOUTH   DAKOTA. 

their  efforts  largely  to  outcrop  ore.  It  is  more  abundant, 
easier  to  secure,  and  gives  a  satisfactory  extraction  in  the 
mill. 

The  Homestake  company  has  outgrown  its  hospital,  a  build- 
ing constructed  years  ago,  and  has  decided  to  erect  a  new  and 
thoroughly  modern  structure  on  the  Jentges  corner,  at  Lead. 
The  new  hospital,  equipped,  will  cost  $100,000.  Dr.  F.  B. 
Clough,  assistant  surgeon,  and  A.  J.  Blackstone,  of  the  engi- 
neering department,  are  now  in  the  East  making  notes  on  the 
arrangement  and  equipment  of  modern  hospitals.  The  Home- 
stake  hospital  and  medical  service  is  maintained  by  the  com- 
pany, and  is  free  to  all  of  its  employees  and  their  families. 
The  new  building  will  make  this  uniformly  excellent  service 
even  better  than  it  has  been  in  the  past.  Work  will  begin  this 
winter  or  early  next  spring,  as  the  plans  will  be  prepared  as 
soon  as  the  investigators  return. 

Taken  as  a  whole  the  Black  Hills  has  experienced  a  pros- 
perous summer,  insofar  as  the  mining  industry  is  concerned. 
There  has  been  more  than  the  usual  amount  of  development. 


712 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


TORONTO,    ONTARIO 

Munition    Business    and    Steel. — Zinc    at    Cape    Bbeton. — 
Porcupine. — Nickel  and  Politics. 

Recent  statements  to  the  effect  that  no  more  orders  for  War 
munitions  were  likely  to  be  given  to  Canadian  manufacturers 
by  the  British  government  have  been  shown  to  be  entirely  un- 
founded, as  an  official  announcement  by  the  Imperial  Muni- 
tions Board  at  Ottawa  states  that  it  has  received  instructions 
to  place  additional  contracts  to  the  value  of  $60,000,000.  The 
total  value  of  the  munition  orders  placed  in  Canada  since  the 
beginning  of  the  "War  is  $550,000,000,  of  which  contracts 
amounting  to  $185,000,000  were  awarded  during  the  present 
year.  The  Imperial  Munitions  Board  states  that  during  July 
and  August  operations  were  delayed  owing  to  the  difficulty  of 
procuring  steel  and  forgings,  but  that  conditions  have  since 
improved  and  the  output  of  shells  is  increasing  in  number 
each  week.  The  quantity  of  shrapnel  shells  now  produced 
complete  has  reached  nearly  250,000  per  week.  The  difficulty 
in  securing  deliveries  of  the  new  equipment  necessary  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  larger  size  shells  caused  slow  deliveries, 
but  most  of  the  plants  requiring  these  installations  are  now 
in  operation.  No  further  trouble  as  to  raw  material  is  antici- 
pated, as  arrangements  have  been  made  to  secure  all  the  steel 
required.  The  policy  of  the  Board  will  be  to  confine  new 
business  to  the  plants  already  equipped  and  in  operation. 
The  steel  industry  is  very  active.  Thomas  Cantley,  president 
of  the  Nova  Scotia  Steel  &  Coal  Co.,  states  that  the  company 
is  now  turning  out  steel  billets  at  the  rate  of  15,000  tons  per 
month,  or  more  than  double  the  output  of  a  year  ago.  He 
estimates  the  total  output  for  Canada  for  1916  at  1,500,000 
tons,  compared  with  975,000  tons  in  1915,  and  1,350,000  tons  in 
1913,  which  was  the  record  year. 

An  extensive  and  rich  zinc-copper  deposit  at  Cape  Breton, 
30  miles  north-west  of  North  Sydney,  Nova  Scotia,  is  being 
opened  owing  to  the  great  demand  for  metals  for  the  War. 
It  has  recently  been  secured  by  Toronto  capitalists,  whose 
representative,  H.  H.  Sutherland,  is  now  in  Nova  Scotia  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  development  on  an  extensive  scale. 
The  surface  indications  are  stated  to  be  splendid.  The  main 
vein,  60  ft.  wide,  has  been  followed  for  two  miles,  and  a  second 
vein  15  ft.  wide  has  also  been  traced  for  some  distance.  Assays 
of  ore  from  the  main  vein  are  stated  to  return  34%  zinc,  2i  to 
44%  copper,  10%  lead,  and  small  gold  and  silver  contents.  The 
owners  have  been  offered  contracts  for  large  quantities  of  zinc, 
lead,  and  copper,  and  are  anxious  to  be  in  position  to  make 
shipments  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  regular  four-weekly  statement  of  the  Hollinger  Con- 
solidated for  the  period  ending  September  S,  shows  a  gross 
profit  of  $221,543,  from  the  treatment  of  50,177  tons  of  ore 
averaging  $8.59  per  ton.  The  working  cost  was  $3.62  per  ton. 
The  profit  was  $18,457  below  dividend  requirements,  bringing 
the  total  deficit  up  to  $241,033;  but  at  the  accelerated  rate  of 
progress  recently  shown  it  is  anticipated  that  this  will  be 
wiped  out  before  long.  No.  12  shaft,  which  is  being  sunk  a 
short  distance  east  of  the  centre  of  the  Acme  north  claim, 
has  cut  an  orebody  at  350  ft.,  which  is  supposed  to  be  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  important  vein  cut  at  the  Mclntyre  on  the 

700-ft.  level. During  September  the  Dome  mines  produced 

bullion  to  the  value  of  $179,500  from  the  treatment  of  38,300 
tons  of  ore,  averaging  $4.68  per  ton. 

Owing  to  the  shortage  of  labor  and  material  "it  has  been 
found  impossible  to  lay  the  foundations  for  the  new  mill  of 
the  West  Dome  before  spring.  In  the  meantime  the  blocking 
out  of  ore  will  be  actively  continued.  Some  of  this  contains 
$12  per  ton,  the  average  being  $7,  as  extracted  from  the  300-ft. 
level,  No.  1  and  2  veins. 

A  contract  has  been  let  for  several  thousand  feet  of  diamond- 
drilling  on  the  Thomas  Hannah  claims. 

The  La  Rose,  which  is  operating  the  Maidens-Macdonald 
under  option,  has  two  shafts  down  112  and  115  ft.  on  a  strong 


high-grade  vein,  showing  free  gold.  Machinery  is  being 
brought  in  from  the  old  University  mine  at  Cobalt.  The  same 
company  has  taken  an  option  on  the  Hurd  claims,  Kirkland 
Lake. 

The  Davidson  is  sinking  a  new  shaft  on  a  vein  recently 
found  on  its  south  lot,  the  ore  extracted  showing  high  gold- 
content. 

The  Cobalt  labor  situation  was  summarized  in  the  Pbess 
of  October  14,  so  there  is  no  need  to  cover  the  same  subject 
again. 

The  nickel  question  is  being  kept  well  to  the  front  as  a 
political  issue  in  the  speeches  of  leading  politicians,  and 
public  interest  in  it  has  been  revived  by  the  attendance  of 
Lord  Robert  Cecil  of  the  British  government,  who  referred 
to  the  Deutschland  episode  as  showing  the  need  for  greater 
precautions.  The  contention  of  the  Hon.  J.  Howard  Ferguson, 
Ontario  Minister  of  Mines,  that  the  nickel  undoubtedly  car- 
ried by  the  merchant  submarine  was  not  the  product  of  Ontario 
mines,  is  not  generally  regarded  as  convincing. 

SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

End  of  the  Strike. — Two  Weeks'  Progress  at  the  Old 
Eureka. — South  Keystone,  St.  Juneau,  and  Amador  Star 
Operations. 

The  strike  of  Amador  County  miners  is  at  an  end  and  the 
men  are  returning  to  work.  The  evident  intention  of  the 
Federal  Court  to  prevent  the  Union's  interference  with  the 
work,  the  importation  of  strike-breakers,  and  the  desire  of 
many  of  the  men  to  return  to  work,  are  the  reasons  given  for 
disorganization  among  the  strikers.  Without  waiting  for 
action  by  the  Union,  30  men  returned  to  work  at  the  Bunker 
Hill  mine  on  October  30.  A  mass  meeting  was  called  for 
Thursday  forenoon  at  Italian  Society  park,  at  which  only  150 
of  the  expected  550  men  were  present.  Then  it  was  decided  to 
hold  meetings  at  Sutter  Creek  and  Jackson  on  the  evening  of 
November  2,  where  the  members  of  each  Union  voted  on  the 
question,  "Are  you  willing  to  return  to  work  under  the  con- 
ditions submitted  by  the  mine  operators?"  The  following 
results  were  made  known  at  10  o'clock  Thursday  night.  The 
Jackson  Union's  vote  stood  29  in  favor  of  returning  to  work 
and  48  against,  which  was  offset  by  Sutter  Creek  Union  men 
voting  48  in  favor  and  14  against  returning  to  work,  the 
affirmative  winning  in  the  two  meetings  by  15  votes.  The 
reason  for  the  difference  in  the  stands  taken  by  the  majority 
in  the  respective  Unions  is  that  the  Kennedy  and  Argonaut 
are  known  to  be  yielding  large  dividends,  so  that  the  Jackson 
miners  felt  they  were  entitled  to  more  consideration  than  the 
Sutter  Creek  miners  cared  to  demand  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
Sutter  Creek's  principal  mines  are  not  now  very  profitable. 
In  fact,  the  Central  Eureka  has  been  on  an  assessment  basis 
for  many  months  and  has  just  levied  a  3-cent  assessment  to 
raise  funds  for  sinking,  and  the  South  Eureka  is  said  to  be 
barely  making  expenses  at  the  present  time.  The  Kennedy 
mine  opened  on  the  3rd  with  60  men  underground,  and  the 
Argonaut  started  with  30  miners,  a  small  number  compared 
with  their  usual  crews  of  300  and  200  respectively.  More 
men  are  steadily  applying  for  work,  and  it  is  understood  that 
only  those  who  took  very  active  parts  in  the  strike  are  being 
refused  employment.  The  South  Eureka  arranged  for  the  im- 
portation of  strike-breakers.  Richard  Carlisle  of  the  Mer- 
chants &  Manufacturers  Protective  Association  of  San  Fran- 
cisco brought  in  23  miners  on  the  1st,  10  more  arrived  on  the 
2nd,  and  a  similar  number  on  the  3rd.  James  J.  Black,  one 
of  the  23  who  first  arrived  was  found  dead  in  bed  Thursday 
morning  at  the  Summit  hotel  near  the  South  Eureka,  but 
investigation  by  the  Corner's  jury  proved  that  he  was  a  victim 
of  myocarditis,  doubtless  brought  about  by  over-exertion  and 
change  of  altitude. 

The  Central  Eureka  usually  employs  about  100  men,  and 
when  the  shaft  is  put  down  for  one  or  two  new  levels  below 


November  11,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


713 


3200  ft.,  the  force  will  probably  be  Increased.  At  present,  that 
company  is  offering  machine-men.  $3.25  per  day:  jigger-men, 
$3;  timber-men,  $3.25;  skip-tenders,  $3.25;  machine-helpers, 
$L'.7.">:  carmen  and  muckers.  $2.75,  being  the  same  schedule 
applying  since  the  voluntary  raise  of  25c.  was  made  several 
months  before  the  strike  occurred. 

At  the  Bunker  Hill  and  Keystone  mines  in  Amador  City, 
the  owners  have  made  use  of  the  cessation  of  the  usual  mining 
and  milling  operations  to  make  extensive  repairs  to  their 
surface  plants,  as  well  as  in  the  shafts:  the  Argonaut  com- 
pany has  gone  ahead  with  its  mill  and  tramway  system  during 
the  strike;  and  the  Kennedy  has  installed  new  boilers  and  en- 
larged its  tailing  dam.  so  the  time  has  not  been  lost. 

Despite  encountering  numerous  caves  in  the  shaft,  and  the 
necessity  of  straightening  out  a  bend  near  the  SOO-ft.  level, 
there  has  been  fair  progress  made  during  the  week  in  unwater- 
ing  and  re-timbering  the  Old  Eureka  shaft,  the  water  now 
being  down  to  a  point  about  S50  ft.  from  the  surface.  The 
pumping  system  is  working  well,  and  by  removing  the  bump 
or  bend  caused  by  too  closely  following  the  vein  when  this 
shaft  was  sunk,  considerable  inconvenience  and  expensive  up- 
keep will  be  avoided  in  future  operations.  About  half  of  the 
crew  of  50  men  is  engaged  in  surface  construction  and  prepa- 
rations for  the  installation  of  the  large  hoist  and  steel  head- 
frame.  It  is  understood  that  H.  L.  Gooding,  the  head  mechanic 
at  this  property,  has  resigned  to  accept  a  position  in  Colo- 
rado. 

The  old  Eureka  shaft  has  been  unwatered  and  re-timbered 
to  a  depth  of  830  ft.,  and  far  less  difficulty  is  being  experienced 
in  clearing  the  shaft  below  the  SOO-ft.  than  was  anticipated. 
The  new  9000-gal.  tank  at  the  500-ft.  station  has  been  com- 
pleted, including  the  concrete  work  on  that  large  reservoir. 
The  pumps  so  far  connected  up  are  throwing  a  good  stream, 
and  good  speed  can  now  be  made  in  re-opening  this  old  pro- 
ducer. On  the  surface,  the  work  of  installing  the  heavy 
hoisting  machinery  is  proceeding  steadily.  Men  are  now 
putting  in  the  foundation  forms  for  the  hoist  and  working  on 
the  steel  head-frame,  which  will  soon  replace  the  low  wooden 
structure  now  in  use.    About  50  men  are  steadily  employed. 

The  fine  new  electric  hoist  at  the  Plymouth  mine  has  been 
in  operation  for  a  little  over  a  week  and  is  giving  excellent 
satisfaction.    This  is  the  largest  hoist  in  Amador  county. 

There  appears  to  be  some  prospect  of  the  early  resumption 
of  work  at  the  old  St.  Juneau  mine  near  Jackson.  A.  Cam- 
inetti,  Jr.,  has  been  on  the  ground  during  the  week  with  James 
Ferrari  estimating  cost  of  machinery  and  supplies  necessary 
for  its  re-opening;  and  it  is  also  reported  that  T.  M.  Woode 
and  J.  S.  Rear,  Vancouver  mining  men,  who  are  interested  in 
Calaveras  County  mines,  are  considering  the  purchase  of  this 
old  mine.  The  St.  Juneau  is  a  pocket  mine,  one  of  which  a 
number  of  years  ago  is  said  to  have  yielded  $75,000.  This 
property,  four  miles  south  of  Jackson,  is  on  the  'black  metal' 
belt  to  the  west  of  the  Mother  Lode,  and  samples  recently  taken 
show  the  slate  in  the  formation  to  be  full  of  gold-bearing  sul- 
phide.   There  is  an  adit  1000  ft.  long  in  the  ground. 

Surveyors  have  been  at  work  recently  on  the  old  Mitchell 
mine  near  Middle  Bar,  and  it  is  also  reported  that  the  Mam- 
moth tunnel,  or  Neville's  mine  will  shortly  be  re-opened  by  a 
son  of  the  elder  Neville's  former  partner,  Senator  Jones. 

As  many  men  as  can  be  worked  to  advantage  are  now  en- 
gaged in  unwatering  and  re-timbering  the  Hardenburg  shaft 
near  the  Mokelumne  river.  This  property  was  recently  taken 
over  by  W.  J.  Loring  and  others. 

During  the  week,  the  sale  of  the  briquetting  plant  of  the 
Lignite  Fuel  Co.  of  lone  to  C.  A.  Johnson  has  been  concluded, 
for  $19,500.  Borings  and  shafts  show  that  nearly  all  of  the 
valley  between  lone  and  Carbondale  is  underlain  by  lignite 
strata,  and  with  new  capital  for  more  extensive  development, 
success  seems  certain  for  this  industry. 

Shaft-sinking  and  development  are  progressing  most  satis- 
factorily  at   the   Amador   Star,   better   known   as   the  Rhetta 


mine,  four  miles  north  of  Plymouth,  where  Baylies  C.  Clark 
of  Sutter  Creek  has  a  small  crew  employed.  This  mine  was 
formerly  worked  by  an  adit,  and  when  the  new  owners  decided 
to  sink  a  shart  200  ft.  south  of  the  adit,  they  had  to  sink  only 
227  ft.  to  strike  a  body  of  ore  4  ft.  wide,  which  assays  well. 
Driving  is  now  in  progress  on  this  ore.  The  mine  is  elec- 
trically equipped  and  well  situated  for  economical  mining. 

Work  was  commenced  during  the  past  week  at  the  South 
Keystone  property,  near  Amador  City,  and  preparations  are 
well  under  way  for  installing  the  machinery  purchased  on 
October  19  from  W.  J.  McGee,  assistant  U.  S.  treasurer.  Mc- 
Gee  has  sold  to  the  new  company  the  hoisting  plant  used  a 
number  of  years  ago  at  the  Amador  Queen  property,  two  miles 
south  of  Jackson,  and  men  are  now  engaged  in  preparing  the 
engine,  compressor,  etc.,  for  removal,  while  others  are  getting 
foundations  ready  for  same  at  the  North  Star  shaft  of  the 
South  Keystone  Consolidation.  The  group  includes  the  Mc- 
Intyre,  South  Keystone,  North  Star,  and  Boyson  claims,  and 
lies  near  what  is  known  as  the  "Amador  Trail"  between  Sut- 
ter Creek  and  Amador  City.  Through  the  strenuous  efforts  of 
John  A.  Mclntire,  of  Sacramento,  negotiations  were  practically 
closed  on  this  mining  project  last  May,  but  unexpected  delays 
occurred.  Anton  Huth,  the  Tacoma  capitalist,  with  other 
Washington  men  was  heavily  interested  in  the  project.  Since 
his  death  in  September,  his  interest  has  been  taken  over  by 
his  son,  and  a  corporation  was  formed,  capitalized  at  $1,000,- 
000,  in  shares  of  $1  each,  with  the  following  officers  and  di- 
rectors: W.  Virges,  president;  C.  H.  Colpe,  vice-president; 
Frank  F.  Wood,  Secretary  and  treasurer;  John  A.  Mclntire, 
director;  and  Carlton  Huth,  director.  Colpe  will  act  as  gen- 
eral manager  for  the  company,  and  he  has  employed  J.  Gal- 
lagher of  Calaveras  county  as  foreman.  With  the  exception 
of  John  A.  Mclntire,  all  the  directors  are  Tacoma  men,  al- 
though Wood  has  resided  in  San  Francisco  for  the  past  two 
years.  Mclntire  was  the  owner  of  the  Mclntire  claim  and 
also  interested  heavily  in  the  South  Keystone,  and  his  faith 
in  the  property  is  shown  by  his  retaining  a  substantial  in- 
terest in  the  company  as  now  incorporated.  The  first  work 
contemplated  is  the  unwatering  and  re-timbering  of  the  North 
Star  shaft,  which  has  a  depth  of  1000  ft.  From  the  600-ft.  level 
of  this  shaft,  drifts  will  be  driven  to  tap  the  orebodies  in  the 
South  Keystone  and  adjoining  claims.  Indications  are  excel- 
lent for  the  development  of  large  reserves  of  high-grade  ore 
in  this  property  in  return  for  a  comparatively  small  amount 
of  work.  Having  as  neighbors  such  well  known  old  producers 
as  the  Keystone  and  the  South  Spring  Hill  mines,  and  having 
indications  favorable  for  fully  as  good  results  as  have  been 
obtained  at  the  other  great  mines  of  the  county,  this  stretch 
of  mining  ground  is  locally  held  in  high  esteem  and  consider- 
able interest  is  manifested  in  this  new  venture. 

A  heavy  truck  has  been  in  use  all  the  week  hauling  the  ma- 
chinery and  entire  surface  equipment  from  the  Amador  Queen 
mine,  south  of  Jackson,  to  the  South  Keystone  mine,  now 
about  to  be  opened  near  Amador  City.  The  hoist  and  other 
machinery  will  be  put  into  service  at  once  at  the  North  Star 
shaft,  from  which  the  consolidated  claims  are  to  be  developed. 
C.  H.  Colpe,  the  manager,  is  here  assisting  the  foreman,  J. 
Gallagher,  who  has  a  small  force  at  work  installing  machinery. 
A  drift  will  be  run  north  from  the  North  Star  shaft  into  the 
South  Keystone. 

Proceedings  of  the  Mine  Inspectors'  Institute  of  America 
covers  115  pages.  The  annual  meeting  was  held  at  Joplin, 
Missouri,  on  June  13-15,  1916.  Thomas  Graham  of  Victoria, 
B.  C,  is  president;  the  secretary  is  J.  W.  Paul  of  Pittsburg, 
Pa.  Papers  were  read  on  gaseous  coal  mines,  the  lead-zinc 
mines  of  Joplin,  mine  inspection  and  safety  first  in  California, 
permissible  explosives,  mine  inspection  in  British  Columbia, 
efficiency  in  mine  inspection,  and  underground  haulage.  The 
next  meeting  is  to  be  held  at  Indianapolis  in  July  1917. 


714 


l 
MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


iJltlJIIllSIIII!' !! 


■sum  MHSfsir©  §1111111 

The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


-.Cain: lie.'!' ':.:. J  K'Hiimu::  :n;;i> ;il i ■ 


ALASKA 

According  to  W.  C.  Edes,  chairman  of  the  Alaskan  Engineer- 
ing Commission,  59  miles  of  track  has  been  laid  from  Anchor- 
age. With  the  71  miles  of  the  old  Alaska  Northern  railway 
that  is  now  in  operation  to  Kern  creek,  there  has  been  com- 
pleted 130  miles  of  the  470  that  will  connect  Seward  and  Fair- 
banks. The  track  so  far  laid  from  Anchorage  consists  of  6 
miles  south  toward  Seward,  3S  miles  of  main  line  northward 
to  Fairbanks,  and  15  miles  on  the  Matanuska  branch  into  the 
Matanuska  coalfields.  The  right-of-way  has  been  cleared  from 
Potter  creek  on  Turnagain  arm  to  Kings  river  in  the  Mata- 
nuska coalfield,  a  distance  of  77  miles  and  on  the  main  line 
from  Matanuska  to  the  Little  Susitna  river.  Rails  will  be  laid 
this  fall  as  far  as  Kings  river  on  the  Matanuska  branch,  a  dis- 
tance of  62  miles  from  Anchorage,  and  to  Wassilla  on  the  main 
line,  approximately  15  miles  from  Matanuska.  On  the  main 
line  in  the  Susitna  valley,  between  Montana  creek  and  Indian 
river,  a  distance  of  55  miles,  the  right-of-way  is  70%  cleared 
and  a  number  of  grading  contracts  have  been  let.  Grading  of 
the  right-of-way  will  proceed  in  this  section  from  Talkeetna 
to  Willow  creek,  and  north  to  Broad  pass.  At  Willow  creek  it 
will  connect  with  the  work  under  the  Matanuska  district,  and 
at  Broad  pass  with  the  work  from  the  Nenana  division.  Rails 
will  be  laid  in  the  near  future  as  far  as  Potter  creek,  which  is 
15  miles  south-east  of  Anchorage  on  Turnagain  arm,  and  from 
which  point  the  rock  work  on  Turnagain  arm  will  be  attacked 
during  the  winter.  For  the  week  ended  September  9,  3568  men 
were  employed  on  the  Anchorage  division,  which  includes 
Commission  employees,  station-men,  and  laborers,  the  August 
pay-roll  being  $258,320. 

ARIZONA 

The  State  Bureau  of  Mines  has  issued  Bulletin  37  on  copper, 
by  P.  E.  Joseph.  In  the  14  pages  are  given  the  consumption  of 
the  metal,  ores,  production  of  the  United  .States,  notes  on  the 
principal  districts  of  Arizona,  methods  of  extraction,  and 
prices. 

Oatman.  According  to  H.  E.  Davis,  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Mining  Bureau,  who  has  just  been  to  Oatman,  the  district 
generally  looks  better  than  ever.  A  number  of  insufficiently 
financed  concerns  have  suspended  work,  but  those  now  op- 
erating are  performing  their  work  with  an  earnestness  and 
determination  which  promises  much  for  the  future,  and  sev- 
eral other  concerns  that  have  just  been  re-financed  with  strong 
capital  behind  them  are  making  preparations  to  resume  early 
in  November.  The  lode  formation  in  which  the  Tom  Reed, 
United  Eastern,  and  Big  Jim  companies  are  working  is  full 
of  great  possibilities.  The  United  Eastern  200-ton  mill  is  S0% 
complete.  The  Gold  Dust  will  soon  have  the  old  Orion  mill  at 
work,  treating  25  tons  daily  by  the  Zimmer  centrifugal-amal- 
gamation process.  Some  interesting  developments  are  chron- 
icled from  the  Oatman  United,  Nellie,  Black  Range,  Iowa, 
Ivanhoe,  and  Times  mines. 

The  Oatman  Chamber  of  Mines  has  been  organized  to  aid 
the  district.    Paul  Geary  was  elected  chairman. 

Parker.  The  Parker  Syndicate,  consisting  of  Oatman  peo- 
ple, which  has  an  option  on  claims  S  miles  north  of  this  place, 
is  erecting  a  drill  to  prospect  for  porphyry-copper  deposits. 
Shaft-sinking  is  also  under  way. 

Prescott.  The  Golden  Belt  Mining  Co.,  which  has  property 
21  miles  from  Turkey  station  on  the  Bradshaw  Mountain  rail- 


road, is  to  order  a  mill  and  cyanide  plant.  The  mine  contains 
75,000  tons  of  ore.    R.  S.  Edgar  is  president. 

In  the  Loma  Prieta  mine  the  outlook  is  good,  and  new  ma- 
chinery is  being  erected.    T.  G.  Norris  is  president. 

ARKANSAS 
St.  Joe.    Mining  of  zinc  carbonate  is  more  active  here  than 
ever  before.    A  concentrating  plant  is  to  be  erected. 

CALIFORNIA 

Amador  City.  On  October  30  the  Bunker  Hill  mine  resumed 
work  with  60  men.    The  strikers  did  not  interfere. 

Angels.  To  develop  a  property  in  this  district,  Denver  peo- 
ple have  formed  the  Estella  Gold  Mining  Co.,  with  D.  F. 
Mackey  as  manager. 

Jackson.  Work  has  been  resumed  at  the  Kennedy  mine 
with  80  men,  which  normally  employs  over  300;  and  35  at  the 
Argonaut,  which  employs  over  200. 

Oroville.    Increased  activity  is  reported  in  Morris  ravine. 

Placerville.  The  properties  of  the  Baring  interests  have 
been  purchased  by  the  Placerville  Gold  Mining  Co.,  headed  by 
J.  W.  Northup  of  San  Francisco.  R.  Chester  Turner,  of  the 
Brunswick  mine  at  Grass  Valley,  is  to  direct  exploration.  The 
Pacific  mine,  operated  for  40  years  by  English  capital,  until 
the  War  started,  is  to  be  unwatered.  Extensive  work  is  to  be 
done. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  great  deal  of  activity  is  evi- 
dent at  the  Dutch-App  properties  at  Quartz.  Several  new 
buildings  are  being  erected  and  the  mill  is  being  enlarged.  At 
present  20  stamps  and  two  Hardinge  mills  are  crushing  good 

ore. At  the   McAlpine,  near  Big  Oak  Flat,  much  work  is 

being  done.    This  mine  recently  cut  four  feet  of  $90  ore.    R. 

Whitcomb   is   manager. The   Harvard  mine   at  Jamestown 

was  closed-down  during  the  week,  throwing  over  100  men  out 
of  employment.  It  is  said  that  the  increased  cost  of  produc- 
tion was  the  cause  for  the  shut-down. 

Sonora,  October  28 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  body  of  high-grade  ore,  24  to 
30  ft.  wide,  was  opened  by  a  cross-cut  from  the  bottom  of  the 
30-ft.  winze  in  level  No.  1  at  the  Omega  mine  a  few  days  ago. 
It  is  yet  impossible  to  state  accurately  what  the  ore  will  yield, 
but  several  assays  made  range  from  forty  to  several  hundred 
dollars  per.  ton.  The  length  of  the  rich  shoot  will  probably 
not  be  known  for  several  days.  The  Omega  is  owned  by  Ayers 
and  Harter,  but  is  being  operated  under  a  bond  executed  four 
months  ago  to  Lange  and  Hussey,  said  to  represent  a  wealthy 
mining  company  operating  extensively  in  this  and  other  West- 
ern states.     Mr.  Ayers  is  superintendent. 

A  shaft  has  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  130  ft.  at  the  Handover 
mine,  from  the  bottom  of  which  a  drift  is  being  driven  toward 
a  shoot  of  ore  that  gave  good  returns  near  the  surface. 

An  inspection  of  the  Dreisam  mine,  at  Arastraville,  is  to  be 
made  shortly  for  prospective  purchasers. 

The  Ocean  Star  and  Mohawk  quartz  claims,  situated  near 
Arastraville,  have  been  bonded  to  the  Cinco  Mining  Co.  The 
price  to  be  paid  for  the  properties  is  $20,000,  $2000  in  two  years 
and  the  balance  four  years  later.  During  the  first  two  years 
at  least  75  shifts  must  be  worked  every  three  months  and 
thereafter  300  shifts  each  quarter. 

The  McAlpine,  situated  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the 
county,  is  again  being  operated  with  20  men. 

Sonora,  November  1. 


November  11,  L916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


715 


SojjOBA,  To  work  the  old  Confidence  mine  the  Confidence 
Gold  Mines  Corporation  has  heen  formed  with  a  capital  of 
$600,000.     Past  development  is  to  a  depth,  of  1110  feet. 

Yoo  Birr.  Dredging  is  to  be  started  by  Los  Angeles  people 
at  the  Greenhorn  at  an  early  date. 

COLORADO 

On  January  3,  4,  and  5  the  Colorado  Metal  Mining  Associa- 
tion will  hold  its  annual  meeting  at  Denver.  The  proposed 
repeal  of  the  present  law  for  taxation  of  producing  mines,  pro- 
posed regulation  of  smelters  by  the  Public  Utilities  Commis- 
sion, tariff  laws,  and  proposed  new  Federal  mining  law  are 
subjects  to  be  discussed.  The  tungsten  miners  are  also  pre- 
paring for  the  meeting. 

Eoulder.  To  treat  independent  miners'  ore  the  Degge-Clark 
company  has  erected  a  mill  5i  miles  from  this  centre.  Low- 
grade  tungsten  ore  is  purchased. 

Breckenridge.  Profits  of  the  Tonopah  Placers  Co.  in  the 
quarter  ended  August  31  amounted  to  $54,7S0,  against  $39,454 
in  the  previous  period. 

Cripple  Creek.  Two  carloads  of  ore  from  the  Cresson  mine 
sent  to  the  Golden  Cycle  mill  yielded  $200,000  net.  This  ore 
was  from  No.  15  level,  where  a  large  shoot  has  been  opened 
for  150  ft.  in  height.  Numerous  vugs  were  found,  some  con- 
taining rich  specimens  of  calaverite. 

The  first  shipment  of  flotation  concentrate  from  the  Vindi- 
cator Consolidated's  new  mill  has  been  made. 

The  Mary  McKinney  company  paid  lc.  per  share  last  week. 
The  shaft  is  now  1360  ft.  deep.  Prospects  generally  are  good, 
although  No.  11  level  was  disappointing.  From  January  1  to 
September   30,   1916,   the   revenue   totaled   $193, S59,   of   which 


$11S.">24  »';is  from  company  and  $71,256  from  lessees'  ore.    The 
profit  was  $10,333.    The  cash  balance  is  $98,535. 

I.i\p\iui\  Three  first-aid  teams  from  the  Yak  Mining, 
Milling  &  Tunnel  Co.  competed  for  prizes  on  October  29.  One 
team  gave  an  exhibition  of  mine-rescue  work  on  Labor  Day, 
but  the  last  results  show  great  improvement.  L.  P.  Shephard, 
safety  engineer  at  the  Arkansas  Valley  smelter,  has  returned 
from  the  fifth  annual  Safety  Congress  at  Detroit,  and  considers 
that  the  safety-first  movement  is  of  far-reaching  importance. 

MONTANA 

In  the  November  issue  of  the  General  Electric  Review  most 
of  the  130  pages  are  taken  up  by  articles  on  electric  traction, 
more  especially  with  development  in  Montana.  The  use  of 
hydro-electric  power  in  that  State  is  increasing  rapidly,  and 
besides  being  consumed  by  railways  for  ore  transport  and 
other  purposes,  the  mining  industry  calls  for  large  demands 
on  the  supply.  The  accompanying  map  shows  the  points  of 
water-power  development  and  consumption  of  electricity, 

In  the  last  number  of  the  Montana  Society  of  Engineers' 
quarterly  journal,  the  present  status  of  oil  and  gas  prospect- 
ing in  that  State  is  discussed  by  D.  C.  Bard  and  Chester  Steele. 
At  present  there  are  12  drill-holes  under  way  in  various  parts 
of  the  State.  So  far  there  is  only  one  commercial  oilfield,  that 
near  Elk  Basin.  Its  capacity  is  10,000  bbl.  daily.  Possibilities 
of  finding  more  oil  are  considered  good,  judging  by  geological 
conditions.  Gas  has  heen  found  at  three  places,  that  at  Havre 
being  the  best.  The  development  of  oil  and  gas  for  Montana 
industries  is  of  immense  importance. 

Butte.  With  three  shifts  the  Butte-Duluth  plant  is  in  op- 
eration after  a  year's  idleness.    During  the  testing  period  the 


MAP  OF  MONTANA,    SHOWING  POWER-PLANTS,    TRANSMISSION-LINES,     RAILROADS,    AND    MINING   CENTRES    SUPPLIED   BY   ELECTRIC   POWER. 


716 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


rate  of  treatment  is  to  be  100  tons  daily.    Resumption  of  work 
has  stimulated  the  eastern  part  of  the  district. 

According  to  H.  N.  Knowlton,  of  the  Forest  Products  Engi- 
neering Department  of  the  U.  S.  Forest  Service,  Butte  mines 
are  using  50%  more  timber  than  in  1914.  The  ratio  of  increase 
would  not  register  the  difference  in  mining  operations  ac- 
curately, as  1914  was  a  slack  year  for  the  mining  industry  of 
this  centre,  due  to  labor  disturbances  and  other  conditions, 
while  1916  is  the  most  prosperous  year  in  the  history  of  Butte. 
The  information  is  obtained  mainly  from  the  Anaconda,  Butte 
&  Superior,  Elm  Orlu,  North  Butte,  East  Butte,  Davis-Daly, 
and  a  few  smaller  properties. 

IDAHO 

Hailey.  The  Wilbert  Gold  Mining  Co.,  operating  in  the 
Wood  River  district,  distributes  $10,000  in  dividends  on  No- 
vember 15.  This  makes  $50,000  in  about  a  year.  The  surplus 
is  $43,000.  Thirty  men  are  employed  underground  and  in  the 
mill. 

Kellogg.  During  September  the  Caledonia  company's  profit 
was  $100,000.  On  November  5  the  regular  monthly  distribution 
of  3c.  per  share,  equal  to  $78,150,  was  paid.  This  makes  a  total 
of  $833,600  for  the  current  year. 

Mullan.  At  the  American  Commander  claims  the  adit  being 
driven  has  passed  through  several  promising  lead  stringers. 

Nine-Mile.  At  the  Rex  mine  the  Riblet  aerial  tram  will  be 
ready  for  carrying  ore  next  week.  Two  crushers  and  a  sorting- 
belt  are  being  installed.  Ore  reserves  are  estimated  at  12  to 
18  months'  supply  for  the  200-ton  plant. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  At  No.  1  re-grinding  plant  of  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla,  Chilean  mills  are  to  be  replaced  by  Hardinge  conical 
mills,  one  of  the  latter  for  two  of  the  former. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  All  grades  of  zinc  ore  were  stronger  last  week,  the 
range  being  from  $67  to  $75.50  per  ton.  The  output  of  the 
region  was  9120  tons  of  blende,  2088  tons  of  calamine,  and 
1328  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $68,  $40,  and  $S5  per  ton  respec- 
tively.   The  total  value  was  $833,643. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Southwest  Missouri  Mine  Safety 
and  Sanitation  Association,  Walter  Gregg  gave  a  talk  on  effi- 
ciency in  burning  fuel,  and  on  boiler  arrangement. 

The  Continental  Zinc  Co.'s  tract,  operated  by  Frank  Bryan, 
is  producing  8  tons  of  first-class  coal  daily.  The  seam  being 
mined  is  4  ft.  thick. 

NEVADA 

Goldfield.  Final  figures  of  the  Goldfield  Consolidated  for 
September  show  that  25,800  tons  of  ore  gave  a  net  realization 
of  $16,072.  Costs  totaled  $5.83  per  ton,  including  4c.  for  filter 
and  5c.  for  flotation  royalties.  Development  covered  2255  ft., 
at  a  charge  of  $6.83  per  foot. 

Good-grade  ore  has  now  been  opened  for  a  long  distance  in 
the  Jumbo  Junior,  at  a  depth  of  880  ft.,  which  is  regarded  as 
of  importance  to  this  district.  The  Extension,  Kewanas,  Spear- 
head, and  Merger  may  benefit  by  the  discovery. 

Pioche.  The  new  300-ton  tailing-treatment  plant  at  Bullion- 
ville  is  a  success,  making  a  profit  of  $5  per  ton.  The  recovery 
of  lead  is  94%,  gold  36%,  and  silver  30%.  Weeds  in  the  dump 
are  troublesome,  but  when  removed  the  precious-metal  ex- 
traction will  be  doubled. 

Rochestee.  The  A.  Leschen  &  Sons  Rope  Co.  of  St.  Louis  is 
to  construct  a  two-mile  aerial  tram  to  connect  the  Rochester 
Mines  Co.'s  mine  and  mill.  The  cost  will  be  $35,000,  the  work 
to  be  completed  in  60  days.  The  cost  of  hauling  ore  will  be 
between  6  and  9c.  per  ton,  against  50c.  at  present  by  a  steam 
tramway. 

(Special   Correspondence.) — The  Buckskin   National   Co.   is 


driving  an  adit  to  intersect  the  upper  vein,  which  is  285  ft. 
west  of  the  vein  on  which  most  of  the  work  has  been  done, 
and  prospects  well  near  surface.  The  main  orebody  has  been 
opened  to  a  depth  of  400  ft.,  and  developed  by  1300  ft.  of 
laterals.    Forrest  Bell  is  superintendent. 

The  Hatch  lease  on  Buckskin  National  ground  is  milling 
ore  of  good  grade.  The  winze  from  the  300-ft.  level  has  gained 
a  depth  of  25  ft.,  and  at  this  point  a  cross-cut  has  cut  the  vein. 
Approximately  40  in.  is  worth  $50  per  ton.  A  2000-ft.  adit 
has  been  started  to  cut  the  vein-system  at  a  depth  of  650  feet. 

Wallace,  a  new  camp  about  10  miles  south-west  of  Winne- 
mucca,  is  claiming  attention.  On  the  Wallace  &  Kantenwein 
group  two  distinct  veins  have  been  uncovered,  both  containing 
gold  and  silver.  A  shaft  is  down  20  ft.  on  a  6-in.  shoot  of  $200 
ore.  Leases  have  been  secured  by  Harmann  &  Truitt,  Abel 
&  Loinaz,  E.  D.  Rogers,  and  several  others.  The  place  is  five 
miles  from  Rose  Creek  station  on  the  Southern  Pacific. 

Construction  of  the  new  aerial  tram  of  the  Rochester  Mines 
Co.,  at  Rochester,  is  proceeding.  It  will  be  over  two  miles 
long,  and  has  a  capacity  of  500  tons  per  day.  Improvements 
to  the  mill  are  going  forward,  and  a  Monarch  furnace  has  been- 
installed  in  the  refining  department.  Inclement  weather  has 
somewhat  hampered  recent  surface  work.  Underground  op- 
erations are  satisfactory,  according  to  the  report  of  the  super- 
intendent. 

The  west  cross-cut  from  the  107-ft.  level  of  the  Nenzel 
Crown  Point  is  out  over  800  ft.  and  has  cut  eight  shoots.  A 
5000-ft.  three-inch  pipe-line  is  being  constructed  from  South 
American  canyon  to  furnish  plenty  of  water.  A  late  snow- 
storm delayed  work  several  days. 

Winnemucca,  October  24. 

NEW    MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Socorro  M.  &  M.  Co.  shipped 
1800  lb.  of  gold-silver  bullion  from  operations  covering  the 
first  half  of  October. 

Timbering  of  the  new  shaft  below  the  500-ft.  level  has  been 
started  at  two  different  points  by  the  Mogollon  Mines  Co. 
During  the  week  9S0  tons  of  ore  was  treated,  and  1500  lb.  gold- 
silver  bullion  smelted  for  the  first  half  of  the  month. 

The  Oaks  Company  milled  another  lot  of  ore  during  the 
week,  taken  from  development  work  on  the  Clifton  mine. 

A  representative  of  the  State  Engineer's  office  has  visited 
Mogollon.  securing  data  and  inspecting  proposed  hydro-electric 
sites.  As  all  these  power  installations  are  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  State,  this  move  is  thought  to  augur  favorably  for 
an  early  realization  of  adequate  and  cheaper  power  for  the 
district. 

Mogollon,  October  24. 

OREGON 

Sumptek.  The  Taber  Fraction  and  Rastus  mining  ciaims, 
comprising  three  acres  of  ground,  have  been  sold  to  James  A. 
Howard  and  associates  of  Baker,  by  the  Taber  Fraction  Mines 
Co.  for  $60,000,  according  to  information  received  by  A.  G. 
Hanauer  of  Spokane,  who  owned  70%  of  the  shares.  The 
Taber  company's  holdings  are  regarded  as  the  richest  for  their 
size  in  Oregon,  and  in  the  15  years  they  were  operated  before 
litigation  caused  suspension,  about  S  years  ago,  they  were 
credited  with  earnings  of  $250,000.  Work  was  resumed  a  few 
days  ago  through  the  workings  of  the  E.  &  E.  mine,  adjoining, 
at  a  depth  of  800  ft.  vertical  in  Taber  ground. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  large  deposit  of  celestite 
(strontium  sulphate)  three  miles  from  Austin  may  be  de- 
veloped in  the  near  future.  It  is  owned  by  Judge  R.  C.  Walker 
of  this  city.    He  proposes  to  install  machinery. 

Austin,  October  30. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Texas  Graphite  Co.  has 
under  consideration  the  enlargement  of  its  mill,  situated  near 
here.    It  has  enough  graphite  developed  to  keep  a  mill  of  much 


November  11,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


717 


larger  capacity  than  the  present  one  in  constant  operation. 
Dan  McKaiiand.  manager,  returned  to  the  property  recently 
from  California. 

Burnet,  Octoher  30. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  mineral  exhibit  at  the  re- 
cent International  Soil  Products  Exposition  held  here  at- 
tracted much  attention  on  the  part  of  visitors.  Collections  of 
ore  from  many  of  the  mines  of  the  South-west  and  Mexico 
were  on  exhibition.  One  of  the  features  of  the  mining  depart- 
ment was  a  modern  assay-office  that  was  in  actual  operation 
by  students  of  the  Texas  State  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy. 
The  equipment  of  the  assay-office  was  of  the  most  modern 
type,  and  was  brought  direct  from  the  laboratories  of  the 
School.  A  large  collection  of  ore  samples,  including  many 
rare  minerals,  was  also  included  in  the  School  exhibit.  F.  H. 
Seamon,  head  of  the  chemistry  department  of  the  School,  and 
H.  D.  Pallister  of  the  geological  department  were  in  charge  of 
the  exhibit.  Included  in  the  mineral  display  that  was  made 
by  Grant  county,  New  Mexico,  in  charge  of  M.  W.  Porterfield 
of  Silver  City,  were  ore  and  water  buckets  of  buffalo  hides, 
used  by  the  Spaniards  in  operating  mines  near  Silver  City  in 
17S5.  These  ancient  relics  were  discovered  in  the  deepest 
workings  of  the  mines  of  the  Chino  Copper  Co.  at  Santa  Rita. 
The  buckets  were  used  by  the  Spaniards  when  they  worked 
the  mines  131  years  ago.  The  buckets  are  not  of  rawhide,  as 
rawhide  is  known  today.  They  are  shrunken  and  of  a  greenish 
color  from  the  copper  ore.  The  hair  is  still  on  the  hide. 
There  was  also  shown  in  this  exhibit  a  framework  of  timbers 
that  was  placed  in  the  mine  by  the  Spaniards  and  which  is 
still  in  perfect  condition.  The  timbers  are  less  than  four  feet 
high,  as  the  shafts  driven  by  the  Spaniards  were  only  high 
enough  to  permit  a  man  to  crawl  through  them. 

El  Paso,  October  30. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Fire  that  considerably  damaged 
the  lower  workings  and  mine  equipment  of  the  Chisos  Mining 
Co.  has  delayed  operations  of  this  quicksilver  property  some- 
what. Orders  were  immediately  placed  for  new  plant,  which 
is  expected  to  be  installed  in  a  short  time.  The  furnace  of  the 
company  was  not  damaged. 

Terlingua,  October  30. 

UTAH 

Park  City.  Ten  mines  and  lessees  produced  a  total  of  6311 
tons  of  shipping  ore  and  concentrate  during  October.  The 
value  was  $252,000.    In  September  the  quantity  was  8345  tons. 

Tintic.  Thirty-two  companies  and  lessees  produced  39,400 
tons  of  ore  and  concentrate  during  October,  valued  at  $975,000. 
This  was  one  of  the  heaviest  months  in  the  current  year. 

WASHINGTON 

Spokane.  The  activities  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Mining 
Co.  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  district  of  Idaho,  where  it  has  a  large 
zinc  mine,  have  revived  rumors  that  the  company  contemplates 
establishing  electrolytic-zinc  reduction  works  in  or  near  Spo- 
kane, and  it  is  said  that  representatives  have  been  investi- 
gating the  old  smelter  site  three  miles  down  the  Spokane  river 
with  a  view  to  purchase.  Cornelius  Kelly  of  Anaconda,  vice- 
president  of  the  company,  with  members  of  the  metallurgical 
staff,  were  here  several  weeks  ago  investigating  conditions, 
and  they  were  here  again  recently  checking  their  original  pre- 
liminary survey  of  the  situation. 

The  Loon  Lake  Copper  Co.,  which  owns  and  operates  the 
Loon  Lake  property,  40  miles  north  of  Spokane,  in  Stevens 
county,  has  authorized  the  expenditure  of  $15,000  for  further 
development,  according  to  Frank  G.  Crane,  secretary-treasurer, 
who  states  that  the  work  will  begin  immediately.  The  mine 
is  to  be  opened  to  300  ft.  greater  depth,  and  levels  will  be 
opened  each  100  ft.  A  50-hp.  boiler  and  engine,  to  operate 
the  hoist  and  pumps,  now  are  being  installed  together  with  a 
compressor  and  ventilating  system.  The  lowest  returns  from 
shipments  to  the  smelter  were  11%,  and  the  highest  13.75% 
copper. 


ifote:    The  Kititor  invites  member*,  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     This  infeinnation  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


Howard  D.  Smith  is  in  New  York. 

E.  M.  Rogers  is  here  from  New  York. 
L.  D.  Ricketts  was  here  last  Saturday. 

A.  C.  Beatty  is  expected  shortly  in  San  Francisco. 

F.  F.  Bostwick,  of  the  Seoul  Mining  Co.,  is  in  New  York. 

F.  L.  Sizer,  after  a  brief  visit  to  San  Francisco,  has  returned 
to  Butte. 

L.  O.  Howard  is  now  in  charge  of  the  International  smelter 
at  Miami. 

E.  C.  Bloomfield  has  obtained  a  commission  in  the  Canadian 
Engineers. 

N.  M.  Muir  is  superintendent  of  the  Hanford  mines  at 
Jarbidge,  Nevada. 

John  Bendel  has  been  placed  in  charge  of  the  power-plant 
at  the  Alaska  Juneau. 

Arthur  K.  Adams  has  gone  to  Chile  as  geologist  to  the 
Andes  Copper  Company. 

H.  L.  Christensen  has  been  given  general  charge  of  mill- 
work  at  the  Alaska  Juneau. 

H.  H.  Colley  has  been  promoted  to  be  superintendent  of  the 
Old  Dominion  mill  and  smelter,  at  Globe. 

W.  J.  Lakeland  has  resigned  his  position  with  the  Burma 
Mines  to  join  the  Indian  Army  Reserve  of  Officers. 

Henry  V.  Snell  has  been  appointed  superintendent  and 
general  manager  for  the  Miami  Consolidated  Mines  Co. 

P.  H.  Crawford  left  San  Francisco  for  Nicaragua  on  No- 
vember 4  to  become  superintendent  of  the  Grecia  mine. 

W.  W.  Wishon  has  been  appointed  consulting  engineer  for 
the  Big  Casino  Mining  Co.,  operating  near  Searchlight,  Nevada. 

Charles  Bruff,  of  the  firm  of  Bradley,  Bruff  &  Labarthe, 
has  left  Juneau  for  Arizona,  to  assume  charge  of  the  construc- 
tion of  a  large  mill. 

W.  E.  Mitchell  has  gone  from  Anaconda  to  Great  Falls  to 
take  charge  of  the  Anaconda  company's  residue-treatment 
plant  in  the  zinc  department. 

W.  D.  Thornton  succeeds  Thomas  F.  Cole  as  president  of 
the  Greene-Cananea  Copper  Co.  It  is  understood  that  Mr.  Cole 
is  retiring  gradually  from  active  participation  in  mining 
affairs. 


Thomas  Rickard  died  on  November  2  at  Wimbledon,  Lon- 
don, at  the  age  of  85.  He  was  the  son  of  Capt.  James  Rickard, 
who  came  to  California  for  John  Taylor  &  Sons  in  1S50  to 
examine  the  Mariposa  grant.  As  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Rickard  Bros,  he  will  be  remembered  by  the  older 
generation.  A  Cornishman  by  birth,  a  keen  observer,  a  re- 
markable linguist,  and  an  engineer  of  world-wide  experience 
he  played  a  leading  part  in  the  profession  thirty  years  ago. 
Before  practising  as  consulting  engineer  he  was  manager  of 
important  mining  enterprises  in  Italy,  Spain,  Russia,  and 
South  Africa.  The  older  engineers  will  recall  his  fine  presence 
and  courteous  manner,  as  well  as  his  wide  fund  of  information. 
To  them  the  news  of  his  death  will  come  like  a  regretful  echo 
from  days  now  far  in  the  background  of  events.  He  was  the 
last  and  the  eldest  of  five  brothers — William  Henry,  Richard, 
Reuben,  and  Alfred — all  of  whom  played  a  notable  part  in 
mining,  in  our  West  as  well  as  in  other  regions.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  three  sons,  T.  A.,  Forbes,  and  Herbert,  and  by  three 
daughters,  one  of  them  the  wife  of  F.  W.  Baker. 

David  H.  Birdsall,  who  for  many  years  represented  the 
Giant  Powder  Co.  as  salesman  in  the  Pacific  Coast  States,  died 
at  his  home  in  San  Rafael,  California,  November  3,  at  the  age 
of  84.  He  was  known  to  nearly  every  miner  in  the  country, 
and  his  many  friends  cannot  fail  to  feel  regret  at  knowledge  of 
his  death. 


718 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


MH^J^IL    M^IiM^T 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  7. 

Antimony,   cents   per   pound 14.00 

Electrolytic   copper,   cents    per   pound 29.25 

Pig  lead,   cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:   soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce 100 — 106 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb $80 

Spelter,   cents  per  pound 12 

Tin,   cents   per  pound    43 

Zinc-dust,  cents   per  pound    20 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  7. 

Antimony:   50%   metal,  per  unit    $1.25 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  15.00 

Magnesite,   crude,   per   ton    8.00 

Manganese,   50%    (under  35%   metal   not   desired)....  16.00 

Tungsten,  60%  W03.   per  unit 17.00 

New  York,  November  1. 

Antimony:  For  high-class  ore  $1.50  per  unit  has  been  paid, 
but  only  small  quantities  are  available. 

Molybdenite:  Dealers  report  that  the  demand  is  steadily  in- 
creasing, a  part  of  it  coming  from  new  buyers.  Contracts  have 
been  closed  for  all  of  1917.  Ferro-molybdenum  has  sold  in  the 
week  at  $4  per  lb.  of  molybdenum  contained.  The  ore  is  nomi- 
nally quoted  at  $1.70  to  $1.80  per  lb.  for  90%  molybdenum-con- 
tent. 

Tungsten:  A  good  business  is  reported  for  October.  Prices 
range  for  $16  to  $17  per  unit,  according  to  quality.  For  some 
material  $15.50  has  been  taken.  On  the  other  hand,  some  in- 
terests ask  $1S,  but  no  business  has  been  done  at  this  figure. 
Practically  all  the  tungsten  ore  due  here  on  future  shipments 
has  been  sold.     The  foreign  demand  continues  good. 

EASTERN  METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
7. — Copper  is  active,   tending  to  become  stronger; 
spelter    is   gathering   strength,    the   demand   being 


November 
lead  is  firm; 
steady. 


COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Nov.      1 28.50 

2 28.62 

3 28.75 

4 28.87 

5   Sunday 

6 29.00 

7 29.00 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.  26 28.41 

Oct.       3 28.56 

"      10 28.60 

*'      17 28.50 

"       24 28.37 

"      31 28.50 

Nov.       7 2S.79 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 
28.50 


A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  is  paying  ly2%  to  common  holders  on  December 
15;  on  December  1  preferred  holders  get  1%%.  These  are  quar- 
terly dividends.  United  Verde  pays  $1.50  per  share.  Septem- 
ber yields  were  as  follows:  Cliino.  7,397,204  lb.;  Nevada  Con., 
8,361,080;  Ray,  6,250,937;  and  Utah  Copper,  20,462,256  pounds. 
SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Average  week  ending 

Sept.  26 68.95 

Oct.       3 69.12 

'•      10 67.83 

"      17 67.95 

"      24 67.70 

31 67.60 

7 6S.52 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 

<i 

•  1 

Sunday 

Holiday 
1914. 

1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 

Monthly 
1916. 

Feb. 

.  .57.53 

Mch. 

.  .58.01 

57.89 

Apr. 
May 
June 

.  .58.52 

64.37 

58.21 
..56.43 

74.27 
65.04 

Nov. 
averages 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 


The  market  has  been  steady  with  an  upward  movement  at  the 
end   of   the  week.     Writing  at   the  middle   of  October,   Samuel 


Montagu  &  Co.  of  London  says  that  the  movements  have  been 
somewhat  remarkable  considering  the  even  tenor  of  the  China 
exchanges,  and  the  absence  of  pressure  to  sell  from  that  quar- 
ter. The  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  uneasiness  that  seems  to 
haunt  the  Indian  Bazaars  whenever  an  advance  in  price  meets 
a  temporary  check.  Indian  operators  are  prone  to  rush  into  the 
market  as  sellers,  apparently  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  though 
the  coinage  demand  is  as  sound  as  ever,  buyers  are  not  willing 
to  climb  to  pick  when  ripe  fruit  is  falling  of  its  own  weight 
into  the  basket.  So  long  as  supplies  come  forward  in  a  steady 
flow  and  not  spasmodically,  the  market  is  able  to  absorb  con- 
siderably more  than  the  production  and  at  a  good  level  of 
prices. 

On  November  4  there  was  shipped  from  San  Francisco  to  the 
Orient  517  bars  of  silver  valued  at  $900  each.  Shipments  from 
London  to  October  11  totaled  £2,220,000,  against  £3, 400, 250  in 
this  period  of  1915. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 


Nov. 


7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 

7.00 
7.00 


Average  week  ending 
Sept.  26 7.00 


Nov. 


3. 

10. 
17. 
24. 
31. 


7.08 
7.05 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 


Jan. 
Feb. 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

Mch 3.94 

Apr 3.86 

May    3.90 

June    3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


Monthly  averages 
1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 


6.88 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.86 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


1916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 


The  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  company  paid  two   dividends  of 
$81,750  each  on  November  4.  The  total  is  now  $18,326,250. 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


1 10.62 

2 10.62 

3 10.62 

4 10.75 

5  Sunday 

6 10.75 

7 10.75 


Average  week  ending 

Sept.  26 9.35 

Oct.       3 9.31 

"      10 9.98 

"      17 9.81 

"      24 9.7S 

"      31 10.27 

Nov.      7 10.6S 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July    . . 

.  ..    4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug.    .  . 

.  ..    4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept.  .  . 

.  .  .    5.16 

14.14 

9.18 

4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct.     .  . 

. ..    4.75 

14.05 

9.92 

4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov.    .  . 

...    5.01 

17.20 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec.    .  . 

...    5.40 

16.75 

Zinc  ore,  basis  of  60%  metal-content,  averaged  $66.56  per  ton 
at  Joplin  during  October.  An  advance  of  $5  per  ton  is  reported 
for  the  current  week,  the  range  being  $75  to  $80. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 

Date.  I    Oct.     24 S0.00 

Oct.     10 78.00  "      31 S0.0O 

"      17 78.00    I    Nov.      7 80.00 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June    38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

60.00 

295.00 

78.00 

219.00 

77.50 

141.60 

75.00 

90.00 

90.00 

74.70 

1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug S0.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 3S.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June   30.72 

Tin  is  firm  at  42.25  cents. 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50,20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.60 
38.71 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 


1916. 
38.37 


36.66 
41.10 


November  11.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


719 


lEJas-isam    Msttali   Mairik&ti 


New  York.  November  1. 

Domestic  buyers  of  copper  have  been  active  in  the  past 
week,  and  the  market  is  extremely  strong. 

Zinc  is  higher,  with  producers  looking  for  a  still  stronger 
and  sustained  market.    Dealers  are  buying  at  the  present  level. 

Lead  is  fairly  steady,  but  dull. 

Large  consumers  of  tin  have  been  active  buyers. 

Antimony  is  dull  again. 

Aluminum  is  a  little  easier. 

Excited  efforts  on  the  part  of  consumers  of  pig  iron  to  cover 
their  future  requirements,  together  with  the  high  price  of 
coke,  has  caused  the  iron  market  to  advance  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  Southern  No.  2  iron  is  held  at  $17.  Birmingham. 
Virginia  No.  2X  is  quoted  at  $20,  furnace,  but  the  leading 
producers  are  out  of  the  market.  No.  2  Northern  foundry  is 
held  at  $23  at  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  furnaces,  $24  at  Chicago, 
and  $25  at  Buffalo.  Steel-making  irons  are  correspondingly 
high. 

The  steel  mills  continue  to  turn  away  export  business. 
Prices  announced  by  the  Carnegie  Steel  Co.  and  the  Illinois 
Steel  Co.  are  3.25c,  Pittsburg,  for  plates;  2.80c,  Pittsburg  for 
shapes  and  2.70c,  Pittsburg  for  bars,  deliveries  at  the  con- 
venience of  the  mills.  Eastern  Pennsylvanian  mills  quote 
higher,  asking  at  least  4c,  Pittsburg,  for  plates,  and  2.S5c, 
Pittsburg,  for  structural  shapes  and  bars.  From  all  directions 
come  complaints  of  the  car  shortage;  meanwhile  fuel  costs  are 
advancing.  Prompt  foundry  coke  is  quoted  up  to  $8.50  per  net 
ton  at  oven;  prompt  furnace,  up  to  $7.50.  Next  year's  price 
for  iron  ore  is  expected  to  be  $1  per  ton  higher. 
COPPER 

New  England  brass-mill  interests  did  some  heavy  buying  of 
electrolytic  on  October  30  and  31,  estimates  placing  the  amount 
taken  at  25,000,000  lb.  The  report  referred  to  a  week  ago,  to 
the  effect  that  European  interests  were  in  the  market  for  a 
large  tonnage — said  to  be  1,000,000  lb. — is  still  existent,  but  no 
sale  has  been  closed.  Near-by  metal  is  scarce,  and  none  too 
much  first  quarter  is  available.  It  is  predicted  that  if  the 
demand  continues,  the  end  of  the  year  will  see  first-quarter 
metal  entirely  absorbed.  The  brass  mills  have  been  buying  to 
cover  new  contracts  for  their  products,  the  demand  for  which 
seems  to  have  no  limit.  While  the  recent  buying  has  stiffened 
the  market  it  has  not  caused  any  considerable  advance  in 
actual  prices,  and  electrolytic  is  still  28.50  to  29c.  per  lb.  for 
reasonahly  prompt  delivery.  December  is  quoted  at  28.25  to 
2S.75c,  and  first  quarter  at  27.50  to  28c  Lake  copper  sold  this 
week  for  prompt  delivery  at  29c.  Near-by  Lake  is  exceedingly 
scarce.  Hot-rolled  sheet  copper  is  quoted  at  37.50c,  and  cold 
rolled  at  38.50c,  delivery  in  the  case  of  each  to  be  at  the  con- 
venience of  the  mill.  Copper  rods  are  43c  per  lb.  and  sheet 
brass  42  to  46c  These  prices  are  mentioned  merely  to  give  an 
idea  of  the  costs  which  manufacturers  using  such  products 
must  meet.  The  October  exports  totaled  29,180  tons.  The  spot 
quotation  for  electrolytic  at  London  yesterday  was  £142  10s. 
against  £144  a  week  previous. 

ZINC 

Quotations  are  on  the  upward  trend,  and  representatives  of 
the  producers  are  frank  in  saying  they  expect  to  see  them  go 
higher.  They  expect  high  prices  in  the  coming  winter,  and 
their  view  seems  to  be  shared  by  dealers,  for  the  latter  have 
in  recent  days  been  placing  contracts  for  future  deliveries. 
Not  only  have  the  dealers  been  purchasing,  but  the  brass  mills 
have  been  active  also,  and  under  the  combined  influence  of 
buying  and  a  seeming  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  some 
producers  to  part  with  metal,  prices  have  advanced.  The  spot 
quotation  yesterday  was  10.37*c,  St.  Louis,  and  10.624c,  New 


York.  A  slight  cold  snap  last  week  is  reported  to  have  inter- 
fered with  the  operation  of  gas-fired  furnaces  in  the  West,  and 
production  was  immediately  affected.  One  result  of  the 
incident  was  to  start  speculation  as  to  what  will  happen  to 
these  furnaces  when  real  cold  weather  sets  in.  November  de- 
livery was  quoted  yesterday  at  10.25c,  St.  Louis,  December  at 
10.12Jc,  and  first  quarter  at  10c  The  spot  quotation  at  London 
yesterday  was  £52  15s.,  against  £54  a  week  ago.  October  ex- 
ports totaled  12,180  tons.  This  is  a  great  showing,  but  not  a 
record-breaker.  Of  interest  to  consumers  of  zinc  is  the  follow- 
ing announcement  issued  by  L.  Vogelstein  &  Co.,  New  York: 

"In  view  of  the  car  shortage  condition  existing  throughout 
this  country  and  the  movement  on  the  part  of  the  various 
railroad  companies  to  increase  the  minimum  carload  lot  from 
50,000  to  60,000  lb.  for  spelter,  and  presumably  for  copper  and 
lead,  we  will  in  future  make  sales  in  30-ton  lots  instead  of  25 
as  heretofore.  However,  we  are  perfectly  willing  to  sell  you 
25-ton  lots  with  the  understanding  that  in  the  event  of  the 
railroads  charging  any  additional  freight  on  account  of  our 
shipping  less  than  the  minimum  of  60,000  lb.  you  will  assume 
this  extra  freight.  We  are  advising  you  of  this  change  at 
this  time  because  the  railroads  have  the  right  to  ask  the 
Interstate  Commerce  Commission  for  permission  to  publish 
the  new  minimum  carload  rate  upon  giving  five  days'  notice, 
and  it  lies  within  the  jurisdiction  of  that  Commission  to  grant 
such  request." 

The  base  price  of  sheet  zinc  has  been  advanced  to  16c  f.o.b. 
mills,  carload  lots,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 
Throughout  the  week  the  market  has  been  dull,  but  prices 
are  fairly  firm.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  continues  to  quote  7c, 
New  York,  and  6.92Jc,  St.  Louis.  Independents  in  the  past 
few  days  have  been  cutting  the  latter  price  in  the  West,  while 
at  Eastern  points  they  are  meeting  the  quotation  of  the  big 
producer.  Most  of  the  recent  business  has  been  in  the  West. 
The  situation  is  strong  for  the  reason  that  near-by  metal  is 
not  plentiful,  consumption  continuing  to  keep  pace  with  pro- 
duction. Japan  was  a  heavy  buyer  about  ten  days  ago.  The 
exports  are  large,  those  of  October  amounting  to  4535  tons. 
The  London  market  is  unchanged  at  £30  10s. 

TIN 
Tin-plate  mills,  having  fixed  their  1917  base  at  $5.75  to  $6 
per  box,  and  having  booked  heavy  contracts  for  next  year's 
delivery,  have  been  active  buyers  of  tin  in  the  past  week.  On 
two  or  three  days  400  or  more  tons  have  changed  hands,  mostly 
future  deliveries.  Despite  the  activity  and  the  fact  that 
licenses  to  ship  from  England  are  not  so  freely  granted  as  they 
were  a  few  months  ago,  the  price  has  remained  fairly  steady. 
Spot  Straits  was  quoted  yesterday  at  41.87Jc  Spot  Banca  was 
quoted  at  41.25c  As  will  be  noted,  the  difference  between 
Straits  and  Banca  is  much  less  than  usually  prevails.  The 
large  stock  of  spot  Banca  recently  on  the  market  has  been 
pretty  well  cleaned-up,  but  more  is  expected  to  arrive  this 
month.  Total  deliveries  into  consumption  in  October  totaled 
4556  tons,  of  which  556  tons  came  via  Pacific  ports.  October 
arrivals  totaled  but  2655  tons.  In  stocks  and  landing  at  the 
end  of  the  month  was  3419  tons.  The  quantity  now  afloat  is 
2025  tons — regarded  as  small. 

ANTIMONY 
The  market  is  extremely  dull,  and  spot  Chinese  and  Japanese 
can  easily  be  had  at  13  to  13.50c,  duty  paid. 
ALUMINUM 
For  No.  1  virgin  aluminum,  98  to  99%  pure  the  quotation  is 
64  to  65c  per  pound. 


720 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  11,  1916 


HM<gisioiu 


g 


Abandonment  of  a  Mineral  Lease 

Under  a  mining  lease  made  in  1862  operations  were  con- 
ducted until  1889  at  which  time  the  lessee  paid  up  royalties 
due  in  full,  dismantled  its  plant  and  ceased  operations  for  20 
years,  neglecting  however  to  give  notice  of  termination  in 
writing  as  required  by  the  lease.  The  lessors  offered  no  ob- 
jection and  thereafter  one  of  them  took  possession  of  the  land 
and  sold  stone  therefrom  to  a  railroad  company.  On  suit 
brought  by  executors  20  years  later  for  minimum  royalties  it 
was  held  that  acts  of  the  parties  constituted  an  abandonment 
and  no  recovery  could  be  had. 

Pursel  v.  Reading  Iron  Co.   (Pennsylvania),  232  Federal, 
801.    June  7,  1916. 

Desteuction  of  Oil-Well — Measure  of  Damage 

Where  a  party  under  contract  to  drill  a  prospect-hole  con- 
ducted operations  so  negligently  that  three  steel  under-reamers 
were  dropped  into  the  well,  and  permanently  destroyed  the 
possibility  of  drilling  it  farther,  in  a  suit  brought  against  such 
contractor  by  the  owner,  the  measure  of  damages  would  be  the 
amount  expended  by  the  owner  in  bringing  the  well  to  the 
point  where  such  destruction  occurred,  not  the  value  of  the 
well  from  the  standpoint  of  oil  produced  if  it  had  not  reached 
its  intended  depth.  If  the  injury  were  maliciously  done  the 
treble  damage  rule  might  be  applied. 

North  Healdton  Oil  &  Gas  Co.  v.  Skelley  (Oklahoma),  158 
Pacific,  1180.    June  13,  1916. 


Oil  and  Gas  Lease — Minimum  Rentals 

A  sale  of  oil  and  gas  underlying  land  with  the  right  to  re- 
move the  same  for  a  year  and  as  much  longer  as  oil  and  gas 
was  found  thereunder,  and  providing  for  minimum  rentals, 
was  held  to  be  a  lease  in  effect  if  not  in  form,  and  assignees 
of  the  original  lessee  would  be  under  obligation  to  pay  the 
minimum  rentals  to  the  lessor  during  a  period  of  one  year 
from  date  of  lease.  The  rule  would  have  been  different  had 
the  lease  been  construed  as  a  deed  and  the  rental  clause  as  a 
mere  covenant  running  with  the  land.  In  the  latter  event  the 
lessor  could  merely  have  executed  a  forfeiture,  and  would  have 
been  unable  to  recover  against  the  assignee  through  lack  of 
privity  of  contract  with  the  assignee. 

Pierce  Fordyce  Oil  Assn.  v.  Woodram  (Texas),  188  South- 
western, 245.     June  3,  1916. 

Severance  of  Minerals — Adverse  Possession 

The  possession  of  the  surface  of  land  by  one  who  has  by  his 
conveyance  of  the  mineral  interest  severed  the  latter  from  the 
surface  is  not  such  a  possession  of  the  underlying  severed 
mineral  interest  as  will  permit  the  surface  owner's  prescrip- 
tive title  to  inure  to  the  benefit  of  his  grantees.  A  true  owner 
not  in  possession  cannot  by  executing  and  recording  a  deed 
purporting  to  convey  the  minerals,  so  sever  them  as  to  inter- 
fere with  an  adverse  possession  already  begun  on  the  whole 
tract.  But  a  conveyance  and  surrender  of  possession  of  such 
minerals'  by  the  person  in  actual  possession  of  the  land  would 
sever  the  possessory  rights  to  the  surface  and  minerals,  and 
also  prescriptive  rights  arising  out  of  such  possession. 

Northcut  v.  Church    (Tennessee),  1SS   Southwestern,  220. 
August  9,  1916. 

Extra-lateral  Rights — Priorities — Measure  of  Damages 

Where  a  State  statute  provides  for  recordation  of  a  location 
notice,  but  does  not  expressly  specify  forfeiture  of  the  claim  as 


a  penalty  for  failure  to  record,  the  Federal  courts  will  not  de- 
clare a  forfeiture  in  favor  of  those  who  had  actual  knowledge 
of  the  unrecorded  location.  A  prior  locator,  who,  in  his  ap- 
plication for  patent  excludes  area  in  conflict  with  the  claim  of 
a  subsequent  locator,  there-by  creates  a  presumption  against 
himself  in  respect  to  his  right  to  the  excluded  area.  Evidence 
held  to  show  that  the  two  veins  in  conflict  crossed  on  the  dip 
but  did  not  unite.  Where  plaintiff  has  brought  suit  for  the 
"value  of  ores  wrongfully  taken,"  it  will  not  be  permitted  to 
claim  "damages  for  the  conversion  of  ores"  as  personal  prop- 
erty, simply  because  the  latter  form  of  relief  would  enable 
plaintiff  to  take  advantage  of  the  enormous  increase  in  the 
market  price  of  metals.  Value  in  situ  awarded  as  damages, 
costs  of  mining  and  marketing  being  subtracted  on  the  basis 
of  what  it  would  cost  plaintiff  to  mine  and  market.  Plaintiff's 
claim  for  value  not  saved  in  mill  tailing  disallowed,  it  appear- 
ing that  such  value  exists  solely  by  reason  of  the  rise  in 
metal  prices  since  the  trespass  was  committed. 

Clark-Montana  Realty  Co.  v.  Butte  &  Superior  Copper  Co. 
(Montana),  233  Federal,  547.    May  29,  1916. 


3B@®Ss  MmrMw^ 


Mining  World  Index  of  Current  Literature.  Vol.  IX.  By 
Geo.  E.  Sisley.  P.  207.  Index.  Mining  World  Co.,  Chicago. 
For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  ?2. 

This  volume  is  a  bibliography  of  the  world's  literature  on 
mining,  metallurgy,  and  kindred  subjects  that  has  appeared 
in  periodical  magazines,  government  publications  at  home  and 
abroad,  professional  papers,  and  new  books,  for  the  first  half 
of  the  year  1916.  A  brief  digest  is  given  of  all  articles,  giving 
a  general  idea  of  the  subject  treated  in  each  paper.  Subjects 
and  authors  have  been  alphabetically  indexed,  making  it  easy 
to  find  information  on  any  subject.  The  increasing  importance 
of  flotation  is  shown  by  the  space  devoted  to  that  subject. 
Much  care  and  considerable  work  has  been  expended  by  the 
author  to  facilitate  ready  reference  to  all  subjects  pertaining 
to  the  mining  profession. 


Analysis  of  Copper,  Its  Ores  and  Alloys.  By  George  L. 
Heath.  P.  292.  111.,  index.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  New  York, 
1916.    For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $3. 

In  this  treatise  the  author  has  gone  most  thoroughly  into 
his  subject  and  presents  a  book  which  cannot  fail  to  be  of 
interest  and  value  to  all  chemists  and  others  whose  work  in- 
cludes the  investigation  of  copper  ore,  the  products  of  copper 
furnaces  and  of  copper  refineries.  That  portion  of  the  book 
devoted  to  the  equipment  of  modern  metallurgical  laboratories, 
including  the  electrical  machinery  and  apparatus  employed,  is 
comprehensive  and  concise.  A  chapter  on  mine  sampling  in 
its  various  phases  is  excellent,  and  deals  with  the  various 
methods  employed,  in  which  the  author  properly  says  the 
method  adopted  must  be  determined  by  the  character  of  the 
ore.  The  part  devoted  to  reagents  and  standard  solutions  is 
important  and  though  not  unlike  similar  information  to  be 
found  in  other  works  on  the  subject  of  metallurgical  analysis, 
could  not  be  omitted  from  this  volume.  The  automatic  sam- 
pling of  ore  at  smelters  and  in  custom  sampling-works  is 
described  in  clear  language,  and  keeps  this  important  branch 
of  the  business  before  the  student  and  professional  worker  in 
convenient  and  compact  form.  Methods  for  the  determination 
of  the  usual,  as  well  as  the  unusual  accompaniments  of  copper 
ore,  will  be  found  to  cover  the  subject  quite  thoroughly,  and 
the  chapter  on  the  various  alloys  of  copper  is  indispensable. 

Although  there  is  already  a  rather  voluminous  literature  on 
the  metallurgy  of  copper  ore  and  products,  it  will  be  found 
that  this  newest  contribution  will  not  be  unwelcome  to  those 
engaged  in  any  branch  of  copper  mining  or  metallurgy. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  NOVEMBER  18,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  21 


THE  ALASKA  GASTINEAU   MINE,   FORMERLY  THE  PERSEVERANCE 
In  the  distance,  to  the  right,  is  the  Alaska  Juneau  Mine 


ALASKA  has  gained  fresh  prominence  by  the  develop- 
/-\  ment  of  big  low-grade  gold  mines  on  the  mainland 
near  Juneau  and  opposite  the  famous  Treadwell  group 
of  mines.  We  publish  frequent  news  concerning  these  impor- 
tant developments,  besides  critical  articles  on  the  technical 
operations,  which  are  of  peculiar  interest  because  they  are 
conditioned  on  an  extremely  small  margin  of  profit  and  the 
introduction  of  new  methods  of  mining  and  milling. 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS. 


November  18,  1916 


I 


ii 


m 


Oliver 

Continuous 

Company 

501  MAR.K.ET    St. 

San  Franc  i  sco,  Cal. 


Let  the  railroads  buy 
an  Oliver  Filter  for  you 

Sounds  strange  to  you !  Still  it  is  possible  to  make 
the  money  which  you  now  spend  on  railroad  or 
other  transportation  pay  for  your  Oliver  in  a  very 
few  months.     Listen ! 


One  user  writes:  "Our  Oliver 
Filter  installation  paid  for  it- 
self in  three  months  on 
freight  savings  alone."  This 
man  stopped  paying  excessive 
freight  and  handling  costs  on 
moisture  in  his  concentrate. 
You  can  do  the  same  thing. 

Assume  a  rate  of  $10  per  ton 
of  concentrate  from  mill  to 
smelter.  A  reduction  of  1% 
in  moisture  content  will  save 
10  cents  a  ton  on  freight  alone. 
Your  Oliver  cost  will  not  ex- 
ceed 5  cents  and  may  run  as 
low  as  3  cents.  In  addition, 
there  are  savings  on  handling 


in  the  plant,  elimination  of 
losses  in  transit  and  the  cost 
of  purchasing  sacks.  Olivers 
filter  as  low  as  8%  moisture 
content  automatically  and  at 
low  cost. 

If  You  Cyanide, 

here  also  is  a  use  in  which 
the  Oliver  Filter  will  pay  for 
itself  well  within  the  year  and 
afterwards  pay  profits,  for  it 
will  save  cyanide,  eliminate 
soluble  losses  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, cut  in  half  the  zinc  used 
for  precipitation,  save  floor 
space  and  increase  capacity. 


Why  not  get  details  ?  Tell  us  the  nature 
of   your    ore,   tonnage,   soluble    losses. 

NO  ROYALTIES  TO  PAY  ON  ANY  WORK  OF  AN  OLIVER 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


Editor 


M.  W.  von  BERNEW1TZ  \  .    .,  c  , , 
W.H.  STORMS  lA-iEdto. 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manajer 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaslo  Caetani. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janln. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


Science  lias  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  November  18,  1916 


$3  per  Year — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Notes    721 

The  Holmes  Memorial   722 

The  proposal  to  memorialize  Joseph  A.  Holmes.  Med- 
als for  bravery  and  lectures  on  safety  are  suggested. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  November  IS,  1916. 

Pan-Amebicanism — A  Myth 723 

The  idea  that  the  commercial  future  of  the  United 
States  lies  southward  is  refuted.  A  number  of  factors 
are  cited:  geographic,  racial,  political,  educational, 
and  legal.  Our  destiny  is  to  trade  with  Europe,  not 
with  South  America.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 

Elmore  and  Flotation. 

By  A.  Stanley  Elmore 725 

Reply  to  an  editorial  published  in  the  issue  of  Sep- 
tember 23.  Mr.  Elmore  contends  that  the  technology 
of  flotation  is  thoroughly  understood  in  London,  as 
well  as  the  litigation.  Many  new  developments  in  the 
process  are  considered  worthless.  Denial  that  Frank 
Elmore  used  the  apparatus  of  Robson  &  Crowder.  The 
importance  of  air  was  not  overlooked  in  early  experi- 
ments. Mr.  Elmore  thinks  that  the  main  point  of  con- 
tention has  yet  to  be  litigated.  M.  &  S.  P.,  November 
18,  1916. 

Local  Stories  About  Mines. 

By  Russell  T.  Mason 727 

The  importance  of  having  accurate  maps  made  of  un- 
derground workings,  and  not  relying  on  somebody's 
memory.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 

Porphyry  Copper. 

By  W.  N.  Thayer 728 

Correct  meaning  of  the  loosely-used  term  'porphyry.' 
Copper  nomenclature  should  be  revised.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  18,  1916. 

Amortization  of  Mine-Capital. 

By  Jos.  C.  Hopper 728 

Prolonging  the  life  of  a  company  by  setting  aside  a 
reserve-fund  with  which  to  purchase  another  mine 
when  the  original  ore  is  worked  out.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  18,  1916. 

ARTICLES 

Engineers  for  the  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

By  A.  H.  Baocock  729 

How  members  of  the  engineering  profession  can 
obtain  a  commission  in  the  newly  organized  Reserve 
Corps.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 


Page. 

The  Ore  Deposits  of  Mohave  County,  Arizona. 

By  Frank  C.  Schrader  733 

Oatman,  Chloride,  Cerbat,  and  other  districts  in  this 
part  of  Arizona  have  attracted  much  attention  of 
late,  some  of  the  older  ones  containing  old  mines  that 
can  be  worked  under  present  conditions,  while  many 
new  mines  give  great  promise.  The  geology  of  the 
region  is  described  and  illustrated.  Gold-bearing 
fissure-veins  are  of  two  types.  Suggestions  for  pros- 
pecting.   M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 

The  Importance  of  Efficient  Settling  of  Slime. 

By  Paul  W.  Avery 738 

Modern  pulp-filters  require  a  thick  slime  for  efficient 
work;  a  thin  pulp  delays  filtering,  therefore  good 
thickening  apparatus  is  essential.  Results  of  settling- 
tests  on  different  slime  tabulated  and  shown  by 
curves.  An  intermittent-discharging  thickener  v<as 
designed.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Concentration   of  Molybdenite 742 

The  reason  why  molybdenite  is  difficult  to  concen- 
trate.   M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 

Output  of  the  Disseminated-Coppeb  Mines 742 

Comparison  of  monthly  yields  in  1913  and  1916.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 

Two  Washington  Mining  Districts. 

By  Robert  B.  Brinsmade 743 

Most  of  the  news  from  the  north-western  State  deals 
with  Republic,  Chewelah,  Northport,  and  Conconully, 
but  this  article  describes  the  Metaline  and  Bald 
Mountain  districts,  in  diagonally  opposite  corners  of 
the  State.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Phosphate  Rock  Mining   745 

Reserves  shown  on  a  map  of  the  United  States,  and 

production  during  1915.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  18,  1916. 

Illustrated. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Recent  Patents   746 

Review  of  Mining  748 

Special  correspondence  from  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado; 

Flat  River,  Missouri;  Toronto,  Ontario;  Sutter  Creek, 

California;  Jarbidge,  Nevada. 

The  Mining  Summary   750 

Personal    754 

The  Metal  Market    755 

Eastern  Metal  Market 756 

Company  Reports    757 

Industrial   Notes    758 

Improved  Miner's  Lamp;  Commercial  Paragraphs. 


Established  May  24,  I860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press. 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


Branch  Offices — Chicago,  300  Fisher  Bdg.;  New  York,  1760 
Woolworth  Bdg.;  London,  724  Salisbury  House,  E.C. 

Price,  10  cents  per  copy.  Annual  subscription,  payable  in 
advance;  United  States  and  Mexico,  $3;  Canada,  $4;  other  coun- 
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12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPAMT 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


TO  MINERS 

of 

PLACER  GOLD 


Investigate  the  Union  Drill.  It  is  easy  to  operate ;  it 
is'  readily  portable  and  can  be  knocked  down  for  mule- 
baek  transportation  and  easily  re-assembled.  It  is 
made  in  two  types,  A  and  B,  the  latter  with  steel  frame 
and  design  for  somewhat  heavier  work  than  A.  The 
illustration  below  shows  the  Type  B  drill  ready  for 
operation.  Bulletin  15  gives  much  interesting  data 
of  value  to  prospectors  and  placer  miners  in  general. 
Write  for  it. 


Union 

Construction 

Company 

H.  G.  PEAKE     W.  W.  JOHNSON 

604  Mission  St. 
;an  Francisco 


This  is  one  of  many  gold  dredges  designed  and 
constructed  by  this  company.  It  was  built  for 
C.  J.  Berry  and  has  a  3£-foot  bucket  line,  and 
digs  from  1700  to  2400  cubic  yards  per  day  of 
24  hours.  We  contract  for  the  design  and  con- 
struction of  gold  dredges  for  any  capacity,  to  be 
erected  anywhere.  This  dredge  is  operated  on 
wood  fuel,  using  only  3^  cords  per  day  of  24 
hours. 


The  Neill  jig  is  being  used  with  great  success  on 
dredging  and  sluicing  operations  for  the  saving 
of  fine  and  rusty  gold.  If  you  are  operating  a 
placer  mine,  it  is  worth  money  to  you.    Write  us. 


November  18,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


721 


^»''i«— ■— ■— ■ ■■■HiiiwwiiiMwmaniimiBiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii nn'imniiir 

"!',    •&,    Si  S  eg  SS  A  Si  E)  „     IS  ffll  a  ti  ©  a? 


C^ELTER  is  said  to  be  sold  forward  as  far  as  the  sec- 
k-'  ond  half  of  next  year.  About  30%  of  the  probable 
output  for  the  first  half  of  1917  is  under  contract.  This 
compares  with  a  forward  selling  of  80%  of  the  copper 
production,  but  it  should  suffice  to  cheer  the  zinc  miner. 

/^VATMAN  has  organized  a  Bureau  of  Mines,  and  we 
^-*  wish  it  good  luck.  A  little  boosting  is  not  a  bad 
thing  and  the  co-operative  spirit  is  always  commendable. 
We  note  that  the  campaign  of  publicity  is  to  be  con- 
ducted "along  conservative  and  authentic  lines."  That 
is  wise.  We  expect  that  the  Bureau  will  serve  also  as  a 
source  of  useful  information  to  those  interested  in  this 
promising  mining  district. 


TJARVARD  offers  a  prize  of  $200  for  the  best  essay 
-"on  plumbing.  We  hope  that  this  signifies  the  be- 
lated recognition  of  the  fact  that  even  if  plumbing  be 
not  a  fine  art  it  is  an  essential  branch  of  modern  en- 
gineering. Modern  society  made  a  great  mistake  in 
ranking  the  dentist  below  the  physician,  and  it  is  paying 
for  its  snobbishness;  likewise  the  civilized  community 
makes  a  big  blunder  in  ranking  plumbing  as  less  scien- 
tific than  mosquito-baiting,  in  forgetfulness  of  the  fact 
that  sanitation,  like  charity,  should  begin  at  home. 

T?  MPLOYMBNT  of  Austrian  prisoners  is  helping  to 
-'-'  compensate  for  the  loss  of  native  labor  at  the 
Siberian  mines.  Thus  the  place  of  the  Russians  called 
to  the  front  is  being  taken  by  the  prisoners  that  they 
send  to  the  rear.  The  Germans  are  removed  farther  east 
and  north  than  the  mining  regions  that  we  have  in  mind, 
namely,  the  Altai,  Akmolinsk,  and  the  Ural.  The 
Austrians  are  paid  the  standard  local  wages  and  enjoy 
freedom  to  the  extent  of  not  being  under  military  re- 
straint. American  mining  engineers  report  that  the 
Russians  are  treating  their  prisoners,  both  Austrian  and 
German,  well.  It  is  likely  that  many  will  settle  in 
Siberia  after  the  War. 


NOW  that  the  election  is  over  we  shall  have  a  chance 
to  get  information  that,  except  for  the  usual  pro- 
portion of  inaccuracy,  is  not  vitiated  by  political  prej- 
udice. Of  late  we  have  been  told  on  the  one  hand  that 
our  prosperity  is  due  entirely  to  the  sale  of  munitions 
and  on  the  other  hand  that  it  is  entirely  independent  of 
the  conditions  created  by  the  War.  The  detached  ob- 
server is  aware  that  neither  statement  is  wholly  true, 
but  that  the  truth  inclines  to  the  former.  War  business 
was  the  spring  that  set  our  national  industries  going  at 


an  accelerated  speed;  every  part  of  the  country  has 
responded  to  this  stimulus  until  our  railroad  traffic  ex- 
ceeds the  supply  of  cars,  our  bank  clearings  exceed  in 
volume  anything  previously  recorded,  and  our  foreign 
trade  is  unprecedented.  The  only  cloud  on  the  horizon — 
apart  from  the  great  darkness  across  the  Atlantic,  of 
which  we  are  ever  sadly  conscious — is  the  mania  of 
speculation  that  has  begun  to  engage  public  attention. 
There  lies  a  grave  danger,  particularly  in  mining. 


A  MALGAMATING  plates  in  stamp-mills  absorb  gold, 
■**-  as  is  well  known.  The  copper  under  the  silvered 
surface  becomes  enriched  by  subtraction  of  the  gold  in 
the  amalgam  that  in  turn  arrests  The  gold  in  the  pulp 
that  passes  over  the  plates.  We  note  that  the  September 
reports  of  the  Alaska  Mexican  and  Alaska  Treadwell 
companies  give  the  net  yield  obtained  from  the  'sweat- 
ing' of  the  old  plates  in  these  two  mills  as  $26,035  and 
$42,289  respectively,  making  $68,324 — a  not  inconsider- 
able sum.  It  would  be  interesting  to  ascertain  the  time 
and  tonnage  involved  in  this  absorption.  At  the  Yellow 
Aster  mine,  Kern  county,  California,  when  about  650,000 
tons  of  ore  had  passed  over  the  mill-plates,  yielding  ap- 
proximately $6,500,000 — about  $10  per  ton — the  plates 
were  'sweated'  and  thoroughly  cleaned,  the  result  being 
a  recovery  of  nearly  $125,000  or  about  19  cents  per  ton 
of  ore. 

PROVIDENCE  appears  to  favor  the  United  States. 
Although  we  would  have  liked  to  see  Mr.  Hughes 
President,  chiefly  because  of  Mr.  Wilson's  lack  of  policy 
in  Mexican  affairs,  we  recognize  that  a  change  of  Chief 
Executive  during  a  time  of  crisis  is  dangerous  and  for 
that  reason  it  may  prove  best  that  the  President  was  re- 
elected. If  now  Mr.  Wilson  will  re-organize  the  Cabinet, 
replacing  one  or  two  notoriously  weak  heads  of  depart- 
ment, and  if  he  will  adopt  a  clear  policy  toward  Mexico, 
we  shall  feel  as  cheerful  as  the  high  cost  of  paper  and 
potatoes  will  permit.  Indeed,  the  report  comes  from 
Washington  that  he  intends  to  take  vigorous  action.  It 
is  said  that  the  President  has  undertaken  to  tackle  the 
Mexican  business  and  do  something  definite  to  restore 
order  in  that  distressful  country.  We  know  that  our 
clientele  will  be  devoutly  thankful  if  he  does  so.  To  the 
mining  profession  the  closing  of  Mexico  is  a  calamity. 


COPPER  production  threatens  to  be  much  over-done 
before  the  War  is  over  because  the  expansion  is 
based  on  temporary  requirements.  It  is  reported  that 
the  existing  plants  for  refining,  having  a  capacity  of  180 
million  pounds  monthly,  are  to  be  enlarged  to  a  capacity 


722 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


of  at  least  240  million  pounds,  with  still  further  addi- 
tions in  prospect.  That  indicates  a  production  of  1,500,- 
000  tons  of  refined  copper  by  the  end  of  1917  or  about 
30%  more  than  the  whole  world's  production  in  the 
year  preceding  the  War.  The  capacity  of  the  principal 
refineries  and  the  enlargements  said  to  be  planned  are 

outlined  as  follows:  „        , 

Tons  of  copper  per  annum 

Present  Prospective 

A.  S.  &  R 456,000  690,000 

Anaconda    330,000  360,000 

Nichols     210,000  240,000 

U.  S.  Smelting   102,000  120,000 


THIRST  PLACE  in  our  'Discussion'  department  this 
•*•  week  is  given  to  Mr.  A.  Stanley  Elmore's  reply  to 
the  comments  made  by  us  on  his  statement  appearing  in 
our  issue  of  September  23.  We  thank  Mr.  Elmore  for 
his  courteous  and  interesting  response.  As  to  the  rela- 
tive knowledge  of  flotation  obtaining  on  the  two  sides  of 
the  Atlantic,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  dispute.  The 
tonnage  now  being  treated  by  the  process  in  the  United 
States  ought  to  give,  if  it  has  not  already  given,  our 
engineers  an  intimate  and  up-to-date  acquaintance  with 
the  technology  of  flotation.  At  least  we  can  say  that 
more  has  been  published  on  the  technology  of  the  sub- 
ject in  this  country  during  the  last  two  years  than  was 
given  to  the  public  in  ten  years  previously  by  the  prac- 
titioners across  the  water.  We  would  like  to  know  more 
about  the  use — "years  ago" — of  coal-tar  and  similar  by- 
products instead  of  oil.  If  this  included  soluble  froth- 
ing agents,  as  is  likely,  it  is  an  important  fact.  Mr. 
Elmore  scores  a  point  in  proving  that  Robson  avoided  the 
use  of  an  excess  of  water.  In  regard  to  the  statement 
that  Mr.  Frank  Elmore  obtained  a  suggestion  from  the 
remains  of  Robson 's  experimental  material  at  the  Glas- 
dir  mine,  we  accept  Mr.  Stanley  Elmore's  denial,  but  he 
places  too  much  emphasis  on  the  Robson  &  Crowder 
"machine."  The  supposition  was  not  that  any  machine 
was  used,  but  only  test-tubes  and  other  simple  laboratory 
apparatus,  together  with  oil  and  pulp  left  behind,  in 
such  a  way  as  to  be  suggestive  of  the  kind  of  work  that 
had  been  done  by  Robson.  It  would  be  worth  while  for 
Mr.  Frank  Elmore  himself  to  publish  an  explicit  denial 
and  so  kill  the  story  conclusively.  As  to  the  air,  Mr. 
Elmore  ignores  the  discussion  on  Mr.  Rolker's  paper 
before  the  Institution  of  Mining  and  Metallurgy  in  1900. 
The  knowledge  of  the  important  part  played  by  air  came 
soon  afterward,  we  are  ready  to  believe,  but  it  was 
absent  at  the  time  when  Messrs.  Elmore,  Rolker,  Bevan, 
and  MeDermott  discussed  the  Glasdir  bulk-oil  opera- 
tions before  the  Institution.  Mr.  Elmore's  statement 
that  air  is  "not  essential  to  the  selective  action  of  oil 
in  a  large  quantity  of  water"  is  most  interesting  and 
we  direct  the  attention  of  other  investigators  to  this 
assertion.  The  hint  that  the  "main  contest"  is  to  arise 
over  issues  not  involved  in  the  Miami  suit  is  highly  im- 
portant. We  share  the  opinion  that  the  Elmore  vacuum 
patents  will  prove  an  obstacle  to  the  monopoly  of  flota- 
tion by  Minerals  Separation.  That  issue  has  yet  to  be 
tried. 


A  BANDONMENT  of  the  gold  standard  in  Europe,  or 
-^"*-  suspension  of  specie  payment,  has  been  made  the 
subject  of  a  questionaire  by  The  Annalist.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  out  of  92  prominent  economists  82 
voted  that  the  gold  standard  would  be  maintained  after 
the  War  and  only  7  voted  to  the  contrary.  Mr.  Adolf  C. 
Miller  of  the  Federal  Reserve  Board,  and  formerly  Pro- 
fessor of  Economics  in  the  University  of  California,  be- 
lieves that  the  gold  standard  will  survive,  despite  the 
fact  that  all  the  belligerent  countries  except  England 
have  long  since  suspended  specie  payment,  and  even  in 
England  it  is  not  patriotic  to  ask  for  gold  at  the  bank. 
Neither  England  nor  Germany  can  hope  to  recover  her 
foreign  trade  without  a  sound  system  of  banking  and 
finance.  The  German  mark  must  be  brought  back  to  a 
parity  with  gold  and  the  British  pound  sterling  must 
recover  its  high  prestige.  No  effort  therefore  will  be 
spared  to  build  up  the  gold  supplies  "so  as  to  bring  them 
more  nearly  into  equilibrium  with  their  credit  cur- 
rency," as  Mr.  Miller  says.  Meanwhile  the  world's 
entire  supply  of  gold  (not  including  jewelry  or  works 
of  art)  is  estimated  at  about  eight  billion  dollars,  or  as 
much  as  would  make  only  a  60-ft.  cube  of  metal.  On 
that  the  super-structure  of  the  world's  credit  is  imposed. 
Mr.  Theodore  H.  Price  estimates  that  the  United  States 
holds  2£  billions  of  the  gold  of  the  world,  or  nearly  as 
much  as  all  the  Allies,  among  whom  Great  Britain  holds 
about  one  billion  of  gold.  Germany  is  credited  with 
$600,000,000.  The  debts  of  the  belligerent  nations 
amount  to  66  billions,  of  which  44  are  debited  to  the 
Allies.  The  balance  of  trade  in  favor  of  the  United 
States  will  be  2|  billions  during  the  current  year,  and 
if  the  War  lasts  through  1917  and  the  balance  of  trade 
is  as  great  as  in  1916,  the  United  States  may  find  her- 
self in  possession  of  half  the  world's  gold  supply.  Mean- 
while Great  Britain  controls  two-thirds  of  the  world's 
gold  production  and  there  remains  the  possibility  of  so 
taxing  jewelry  and  works  of  art  as  to  bring  a  big  stock 
of  gold  into  the  melting-pot.  These  last  two  factors 
have  been  overlooked  in  recent  discussions.  The  world 
produces  about  $460,000,000  in  gold  annually,  of  which 
$300,000,000  is  produced  in  the  British  dominions.  The 
amount  of  gold  consumed  in  the  arts  has  been  variously 
estimated;  it  is  equal  to  about  one  half  that  used  for 
monetary  purposes.  The  moral  is  that  we  should  bestir 
ourselves  to  stimulate  gold  mining  in  this  country. 


The  Holmes  Memorial 


In  a  recent  issue  we  referred  to  an  association  formed 
at  Washington  to  perpetuate  the  memory  and  good  work 
of  Joseph  A.  Holmes.  During  the  past  week  Dr.  David 
T.  Day,  the  honorary  secretary  of  the  Association,  has 
been  in  San  Francisco  and  has  taken  steps  to  arouse  the 
interest  of  the  mining  profession  in  the  plan  to  me- 
morialize the  first  Director  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 
Our  readers  will  sympathize  with  any  effort  to  do  honor 
to  Holmes,  as  they  were  always  glad  to  support  him 
when  alive,  yet  we  venture  to  say  that  the  most  fitting 


November  18,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


72.'} 


memorial  to  him  is  the  complete  success  of  the  Bureau 
of  Mines,  which  he  organized  and  directed  in  its  begin- 
ning; and  if  that  be  not  enough,  there  is  also  the  fact 
that  among  those  now  prominent  in  asking  the  public  to 
honor  him  are  several  that  tried  to  prevent  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Bureau  and  the  subsequent  appointment 
of  Holmes  to  the  directorship.  We  say  this  in  no 
mean  spirit,  but  in  justice  to  the  memory  of  a  good 
citizen.  'Safety  first'  was  the  slogan  of  Holmes;  it  has 
given  an  impulse  to  a  great  variety  of  systematic  effort 
designed  to  decrease  the  risk  incurred  in  the  work  of 
mining.  It  is  proposed  now  to  do  something  further  in 
this  direction  in  order  to  honor  Holmes.  The  distribu- 
tion of  medals  has  been  suggested  as  a  method  for  recog- 
nizing the  observance  of  safety  principles.  Arrangements 
for  talks  on  the  subject  to  the  mine-workers  might  be  an- 
other effective  way  of  encouraging  interest  in  the  mat- 
ter. Unfortunately,  from  the  'safety'  point  of  view,  the 
miner  is  essentially  a  venturesome  man ;  his  choice  of  an 
occupation  indicates  the  willingness  to  take  chances — 
therefore  it  has  proved  difficult  to  eradicate  carelessness. 
Men  will  persist  in  entering  a  powder-magazine  while 
smoking  a  pipe;  they  will  insist  in  lowering  men  in  a 
cage  with  the  brake  only;  they  will  work  under  bad 
ground.  The  temperament  of  those  that  go  down  the 
mine  in  skips  and  follow  a  dangerous  occupation  amid 
the  darkness  underground  will  have  to  be  changed  be- 
fore we  make  them  murmur  to  themselves  'safety  first.' 
One  way  to  do  it  is  to  get  some  of  the  more  thoughtful 
among  them  to  give  talks  on  the  subject  to  their  fellows: 
a  kind  of  lecture  from  a  working-man  to  his  mates.  Some 
of  the  older  and  better  educated  might  be  selected  by  the 
Holmes  Association  and  paid  reasonably  for  their  work 
as  exponents  of  the  safety  idea.  "We  suggest  this  as  one 
method  of  honoring  the  founder  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines. 
The  local  branches  of  the  mining  engineering  societies 
will  be  asked  to  give  their  support. 

Wm.m = Jk!5ffl3s,a®m2aSgasi  —  A  M^Sfta 

In  the  latest  issue  of  The  Annalist,  Mr.  H.  J.  Daven- 
port, Professor  of  Economics  in  Cornell  University, 
argues  that  there  is  no  hope  for  the  appreciable  exten- 
sion of  American  trade  into  South  American  markets. 
This  opinion  runs  directly  counter  to  the  vigorous  prop- 
aganda of  the  National  City  Bank  of  New  York,  which 
has  been  doing  earnest  work  in  a  systematic  effort  to 
awaken  American  interest  in  South  American  trade. 
Professor  Davenport  asserts  that  any  ground  gained 
during  the  "War  cannot  be  held  permanently ;  the  reason 
why  formerly  we  have  not  sold  our  products  in  South 
America  being  exactly  the  reason  why  in  the  future  we 
shall  fail  to  do  so :  we  do  not  produce  the  things  that  the 
South  Americans  want  and  we  do  not  want  the  things 
they  produce.  On  the  other  hand,  the  South  Americans 
do  produce  what  Europe  wants  and  Europe  can  supply 
them  with  what  is  wanted  in  South  America.  The  things 
that  we  want  to  buy,  Europe,  not  South  America,  is 


willing  to  sell;  what  we  want  to  sell,  Europe,  not  South 
America,  is  able  to  buy.  The  exports  of  South  America, 
like  our  own  exports,  rightly  go  across  the  Atlantic  to 
Europe.  Therefore,  South  America  is  our  competitor, 
not  our  customer. 

So  little  in  the  way  of  enlightened  effort  has  been 
done  to  develop  those  new  avenues  of  trade  which  the 
United  States  must  find  if  she  is  to  hold  her  present 
status  as  a  creditor  country  that  we  are  loth  to  depre- 
ciate or  deprecate  the  work  done  by  the  National  City 
Bank  and  their  friends.  Yet  we  had  come  to  the  same 
conclusion  as  Professor  Davenport  before  we  had  read 
his  article.  In  trying  to  develop  trade  with  the  coun- 
tries of  South  America  we  are  'barking  up  the  wrong 
tree.'  We  have  been  led  by  the  lure  of  Pan- American- 
ism, which,  like  the  Monroe  doctrine,  is  a  devitalized 
formula.  The  term  'Pan-Americanism'  has  bemused  us; 
we  have  been  attracted  by  the  word  'American,'  just  as 
we  were  fascinated  by  the  word  'republic'  when  used  to 
designate  the  military  autocracies  to  the  south  of  us. 
We  have  been  hypnotized  by  a  fallacy  and  misled  by  a 
phonograph — Mr.  John  Barrett. 

A  few  days  ago  we  listened  to  a  paper  on  this  subject 
by  Mr.  Lincoln  Hutchinson,  Professor  of  Commerce  in 
the  Department  of  Economies  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia. It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  there  is  a  chair 
of  Commerce  in  our  State  university  and  that  the  geo- 
graphic phase  of  commercial  activity  is  being  elucidated 
for  the  benefit  of  our  young  men.  Professor  Hutchin- 
son has  returned  recently  from  a  journey  of  observation 
in  South  America  and  speaks  with  first-hand  knowledge. 
He  is  entirely  in  agreement  with  the  gentleman  at  Cor- 
nell, and  what  is  equally  important,  with  the  more 
thoughtful  and  frank  among  South  American  observers. 
Turning  to  simple  matters  of  geography,  Professor 
Hutchinson  suggests  that  most  of  our  people  are  un- 
aware of  the  fact  that  the  whole  of  South  America  is 
nearer  to  Europe  than  it  is  to  the  United  States.  Even 
with  the  advantage  of  the  Panama  Canal,  two-thirds  of 
the  area  and  two-thirds  of  the  people  of  South  America 
lie  nearer  to  Europe  than  to  us.  The  A.  B.  C.  countries 
— Argentina,  Brazil,  and  Chile — to  which  we  have 
turned  for  advice  on  the  Mexican  muddle,  are  among  the 
farthest  from  us  and  from  Mexico.  "We  hear  occasion- 
ally of  the  "vast  populations"  of  South  America,  but 
the  whole  area  has  only  70,000,000  inhabitants,  while 
Europe,  which  is  nearer,  has  six  times  the  number  of 
people,  and  the  eastern  part  of  Asia,  which  is  no  farther 
from  us,  has  a  population  nearly  ten  times  as  great  as 
the  whole  of  South  America.  Of  our  trade,  50%  of 
the  imports  comes  from  Europe  and  64%  of  the  ex- 
ports goes  thither,  in  normal  times.  With  England, 
Germany,  and  France  we  do  35%  of  our  import  trade 
and  48%  of  our  export  trade.  Only  12%  of  our 
foreign  purchases  come  from  South  America  and  only 
5%  of  our  exports  are  sent  thither.  The  sentimental 
notion  that  we  are  racially  akin  to  the  people  south 
of  us  is  a  pathetic  fallacy.  By  the  last  census  the 
population  of  the  United  States  was  shown  to  be  89% 


724 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


'white,'  or  of  European  origin.  In  so-called  Latin 
America  only  two  countries,  Argentina  and  Uruguay, 
show  any  similar  proportion.  In  Chile  the  whites  and 
Creoles  represent  30  to  40%  of  the  inhabitants.  In  all 
the  others  the  Indians,  negroes,  and  half-breeds  pre- 
dominate. Bolivia  has  only  13%  'white'  population; 
Brazil  and  Peru,  each  14% ;  Ecuador,  Colombia,  and 
Venezuela,  1  to  2%.  In  all  of  these  countries  the  'white' 
blood  has  been  drawn  from  Southern  Europe  and  not 
from  the  countries  that  gave  us  the  citizens  who  have 
played  the  chief  part  in  the  development  of  our  institu- 
tions and  the  exploration  of  our  resources.  In  no  South 
American  country  do  our  own  people  constitute  even  a 
significant  fraction  of  the  population.  In  every  one  of 
the  South  American  countries  the  prevailing  religion  is 
Roman  Catholic.  Whether  that  be  an  advantage  or  a 
disadvantage  does  not  arise  in  this  argument,  which  has 
been  started  to  prove  unlikeness  between  the  United 
States  and  South  America.  Nominally  the  Pan-Ameri- 
can countries  are  'republics.'  In  theory,  that  is  so;  in 
practice,  the  reins  of  government  are  in  the  hands  of  a 
dictator  or  of  a  coterie  of  politicians,  usually  sustained 
by  force  of  arms.  'Popular  government'  and  'demo- 
cratic principles'  are  empty  phrases  as  applied  to  South 
America,  and  every  intelligent  student  knows  it.  Their 
legal  system  is  based  on  the  Civil  Law ;  ours  is  based  on 
the  Common  Law ;  and  the  divergence  between  the  two 
is  not  easy  to  reconcile.  The  social  customs  of  the  two 
geographic  divisions  are  sufficiently  different  to  be  a  hin- 
drance to  a  mutual  good  understanding.  Concerning 
customs,  as  concerning  humor,  it  is  unwise  to  dispute. 
Whether  administrative  methods  are  more  corrupt  there 
than  here,  we  do  not  undertake  to  say,  but  we  emphasize 
the  fact  that  the  methods  differ  to  the  point  of  incom- 
patability.  As  to  education,  24%  of  the  population  of 
the  United  States  attends  school ;  the  highest  percentage 
of  schooling  in  South  America  is  11  in  Uruguay  and 
the  lowest  is  1J%  in  Venezuela.  In  Chile  the  percentage 
is  9 ;  in  Argentina,  7i ;  in  Brazil,  3 ;  in  Bolivia,  2  only. 

All  of  these  facts  are  recited  not  in  any  spirit  of 
antagonism  but  simply  to  bring  home  the  truth  that 
Pan- Americanism  is  a  figure  of  speech,  a  snare  and  a 
delusion  to  anybody  wishing  to  see  things  straight.  The 
United  States  has,  we  believe,  so  many  ties,  geographic, 
racial,  political,  legal,  social,  educational,  and  commer- 
cial with  Europe,  particularly  Western  Europe — espe- 
cially with  England  and  Germany — that  this  attempt  to 
steer  us  from  our  natural  course  should  be  opposed 
frankly  and  vigorously.  As  Professor  Hutchinson  has 
said:  "We  are  turning  from  our  real  associates  in  the 
international  world ;  those  that  have  done  things  in  the 
cause  of  free  and  enlightened  institutions;  we  are  as- 
suming naively  that  somehow  we  of  America,  North  and 
South,  are  better  than  those  of  Europe ;  we  are  playing 
at  international  politics  with  the  kindergarten  people  to 
the  south  of  us  like  a  Peter  Pan  among  the  nations  who 
has  declined  to  grow  up ;  we  have  even  thought  so  little 
of  the  sanctity  of  our  political  ideals  as  to  ask  six  of 
these  countries  to  help  us  make  up  our  minds  as  to  what 


our  duty  is  in  an  important  international  question  in 
which  they  have  no  interest  whatever  and  in  which  Eu- 
rope has  interests  second  only  to  our  own."  To  this  we 
may  append  an  expression  of  opinion  by  a  distinguished 
Brazilian,  Dr.  Oliveira  Lima.  Writing  in  the  Revista 
do  Brazil  recently,  he  said:  " Pan- Americanism,  to  us, 
seems  mockery,  and  impossible  of  realization.  There  is 
no  racial,  linguistic,  traditional,  or  religious  community 
between  Anglo-Saxon  America  and  Latin  America.  The 
geographic  situation  has  no  significance  when  one  con- 
siders the  distances  separating  North  America  from 
South  America.  *  *  *  True,  we  have  some  interests  and 
sentiments  in  common,  which,  properly  agitated  and 
played  upon,  may  bring  excellent  results.  'Pan-Ameri- 
canism' continues  to  represent  the  ideal  of  a  single 
union,  and,  like  other  'isms,  is  continually  exhibited  for 
the  'grand  effect'  on  the  people,  but  its  actual  influence 
is  somewhat  less  than  that  of  a  substantial,  solid,  silver 
dollar."  We  are  misled  by  'isms  into  giving  aid  to 
'istas,  in  Mexico. 

Commerce  finds  the  cheapest  market  as  surely  as  water 
runs  down-hill.  Our  trade  before  the  War  was  mainly 
with  Europe ;  and  with  Europe  we  shall  have  to  trade, 
if  we  desire  to  trade  profitably,  when  the  War  is  over. 
Instead  of  harboring  illusions  concerning  the  possibili- 
ties of  developing  a  big  business  in  South  America,  we 
ought  to  send  a  commission  of  experts  to  Europe  to 
ascertain  the  kinds  of  commodities  that  will  be  in  great- 
est demand  when  peace  is  restored,  and  we  ought  also  to 
give  thought  to  creating  a  shipping  that  will  carry  our 
products  overseas,  instead  of  depending  for  transport 
upon  foreign  ships.  During  the  last  two  years  several 
economists  and  statesmen  have  adverted  to  tne  fact  that 
American  trade  floats  on  British  bottoms  no  less  than 
the  Monroe  doctrine  floats  on  the  British  navy,  and  has 
done  so  ever  since  Canning  suggested  that  policy  to  Mon- 
roe in  1823,  as  a  defensive  measure  against  the  Holy 
Alliance.  With  the  War  has  come  a  great  increase  of 
financial  responsibility  and  luckily  we  had  the  Federal 
Reserve  system  of  banks  to  meet  the  contingency,  but 
with  Peace  will  come  fresh  duties,  national  and  inter- 
national. Is  the  United  States  to  be  another  Korea,  a 
hermit  kingdom,  that  avoids  dealings  abroad  and  re- 
fuses to  protect  its  citizens  when  they  go  away  from 
home  in  quest  of  business  or  speculation?  If  we  are  to 
play  a  manly  part  in  the  comity  of  nations  we  shall 
want  a  shipping  of  our  own  to  bear  our  products  over- 
seas and  a  navy  adequate  to  guard  our  mercantile  marine 
as  well  as  our  shores  in  the  days  of  larger  international 
life  that  loom  ahead.  To  get  the  right  aspect,  let  us  rid 
ourselves  of  the  hypnotic  influence  of  mere  names;  let 
us  aim  to  deal  with  people  that  have  something  to  ex- 
change, realizing  that  business  is  not  built  on  shibboleths 
but  on  mutual  necessities  and  the  goodwill  that  follows 
the  adjustment  of  them.  Let  us  face  east,  not  south, 
for  there  are  the  countries  of  our  earliest  origin  and  the 
markets  by  which  our  trade  has  been  developed ;  there 
lies  the  past  of  our  history  and  the  future  of  our  com- 
merce. 


November  18,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


725 


IDS 


ION 


Our  readers  are  invited  to  me  this  department  for  the  discussion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  mining  and  metallurgy.       Tilt  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  own,  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


Elmore  and  Flotation 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  have  just  received  a  copy  of  your  issue  of  Sep- 
tember 23,  and  have  read  with  great  interest  the  editorial 
article  on  my  notes  which  you  have  favored  me  by  pub- 
lishing. 

I  am  under  obligation  to  you  for  your  sympathetic 
appreciation  of  the  work  of  my  brother  and  myself,  and 
in  so  far  as  your  comments  are  a  criticism  or  express 
doubts,  I  recognize  their  friendly  tone,  the  independent 
fair-mindedness,  and  the  desire  to  get  at  the  truth  which 
prompted  them.  I  also  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity 
of  thanking  the  large  number  of  engineers  who  have 
written  me ;  all  expressing  gratifying  concurrence  in  the 
views  expressed  in  my  notes,  and  conveying  their  con- 
gratulations on  the  clear  statement  of  the  case  pre- 
sented. 

As,  in  addition  to  answering  the  specific  questions 
you  put  to  me,  I  wish  to  make  a  few  observations  on 
some  of  your  editorial  comments,  perhaps  it  will  be  more 
convenient  if  I  take  them  seriatim. 

You  say  "the  flotation  vendetta  is  better  understood 
in  London  than  the  technology  of  the  process."  You 
are  probably  right  as  to  the  first  part  of  this  statement, 
but  I  cannot  accept  the  latter  part  of  it.  I  do  not,  of 
course,  deny — it  would  be  ridiculous  to  do  so — the  great 
application  of  the  flotation  process  in  the  United  States 
(although  rather  late  in  the  day),  the  large  amount  of 
excellent  scientific  and  practical  work  which  has  already 
been  accomplished  by  American  engineers,  and  the 
great  experience  they  have  gained.  But  I  do  say  that 
had  the  work  of  English  engineers  having  special  ex- 
perience in  this  branch  of  metallurgy  been  more  fully 
drawn  upon,  the  industry  in  America  might  have  been 
saved  a  vast  amount  of  time  and  money.  This  I  am  con- 
vinced of,  as  a  result  of  the  perusal  of  patent  specifica- 
tions filed  and  literature  published  of  recent  years,  and 
of  personal  contact  with  a  number  of  American  en- 
gineers. 

Almost  every  day  I  read  or  hear  of  some  supposed 
new  invention  or  development  in  connection  with  flota- 
tion which  is  announced  with  all  the  pomp  and  circum- 
stance of  a  great  discovery,  but  which,  in  fact,  is  "old  as 
the  hills"  and  quite  often  found  to  be  described  in  some 
of  our  earlier  patents  or  documents;  to  have  been  thor- 
oughly tried  in  our  testing  works;  proved  useless  for 
practical  purposes  and  abandoned,  or  on  the  other  hand 
considered  part  of  our  original  invention  and  given  to 
the  world  without  rushing  off  to  the  Patent-Office  to 


seek  further  protection.  Two  instances  come  to  mind  as 
I  write :  first,  I  am  told  that  someone  has  discovered  that 
coal-tar  can  be  used  in  place  of  oil  and  that  this  dis- 
covery constitutes  a  great  advance.  Years  ago  we  used,' 
for  the  same  purpose,  coal-tar,  wood-tar,  tar  from  blast- 
furnaces, and  tar  from  the  scrubbers  of  suction-gas  en- 
gines. This  information  was  spread  broadcast  from  our 
testing  works  and  was  published  (without  being 
claimed)  in  some  of  our  earlier  patent  specifications.1 
Second,  there  is  the  case  of  the  supposed  recent  discovery' 
that  gold  ores  can  be  successfully  treated  by  the  flotation" 
process.  In  the  year  1902  a  working  Elmore  plant  was 
erected  on  a  gold  mine  in  Australia;  subsequent  to  that' 
date  Wernher,  Beit  &  Co.,  by  their  engineers,  made  a1 
careful  investigation  on  a  working  scale  of  the  Elmore 
process  to  ascertain  its  applicability  to  the  gold  ores 'of 
the  Rand ;  furthermore,  working  plants'  were  erected  on' 
five  different  gold  mines  in  varibus  parts  of  the  world.' 
In  some  cases  the  process  was  used  in  conjunction  with' 
cyanidation. 

I  now  turn  to  the  story  of  the  virgins,  quoted  from 
Herodotus  194  in  Melpomene  IV.  If  this  is,  as  you  say,' 
apocryphal  it  only  emphasizes  my  protest  against  its' 
being  introduced,  as  it  was  in  fact,  to  the  attention  of 
the  Courts. 

I  see  that  you  regard  as  new  my  "argument"  that'' 
Robson  &  Crowder  "avoided'  the  use  of  an  excess  of 
water."  As  I  attach  much  importance  to  this,  may  I 
say  that  it  is  not  simply  an  "  argument ' '  but  a  fact 
stated  in  their  own  specifications  as  the  following  extract 
from  British  patent  No.  427  of  1894  (lines  15  to  19,  page 
4)  granted  to  Robson  &  Crowder  proves : 

"*  *  *  according  to  this  invention  we  effect  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  metallic  matter  by  the  mixture  of  oils  alone,' 
using  such  mixture  to  wash  out  the  metallic  matter  and 
avoiding  as  far  as  possible  the  presence  of  water  in  ex- 
cess of  the  quantity  hereinbefore  mentioned,  as  we  find 
an  excess  of  water  prevents  the  successful  carrying  out 
of  the  invention." 

To  find  out  what  "the  quantity  hereinbefore  men- 
tioned" is,  one  must  refer  back  to  line  43  on  page  2  of 
the  specification,  which  says: 

"Thus  the  said  substances,"  (crushed  ore,  tailings, 
etc.)  in  a  moist  state,  that  is  to  say,  containing  25  to 
30%  of  water"  are  to  be  mixed  with  the  mixture  of  oils 
so  that  the  metallic  matter  shall  be  removed  from  the 
"mud  or  mass." 

That  is  clear  enough,  and  further  confirmation  id 
found  in  Robson  &  Crowder's  British  patent  No.  2538  of 
1895,  wherein  they  state  that  it  has  been  discovered  sinse- 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


the  date  of  their  patent  of  the  year  before,  that  in  some 
cases  the  moistening  with  water  is  fatal  to  good  work 
and  (at  line  21  of  page  2)  : 

"It  is  necessary  to  first  moisten  the  metalliferous  sub- 
stances with  a  liquid  other  than  water,  as,  owing  to  some 
peculiar  nature  of  the  said  substances  (crushed  ore, 
etc.),  the  water,  if  added  first,  prevents  the  fatty  oil 
or  matter  from  acting  in  the  desired  manner. ' ' 

All  through  these  two  specifications  it  is  impressed  on 
the  reader  that  the  condition  of  the  material  operated 
upon  must  be  "moist  or  plastic,"  "moist  or  pasty,"  "in 
a  plastic  condition,"  "a  plastic  mass,"  and  that  very 
little,  if  any,  water  is  to  be  used. 

I  say  that  that  is  the  absolute  antithesis  of  what  Frank 
Elmore  did,  or  what  he  taught,  and  of  what  everyone 
since  the  publication  of  his  work  has  done. 

Frank  Elmore's  discovery  was  the  "freely  flowing 
pulp,"  the  "perfectly  mobile  medium,"  into  which  to 
introduce  the  oil;  the  "crushed  ore  freely  suspended  in  a 
large  quantity  of  water";  the  "oiling  in  diffuse  suspen- 
sion of  the  metallic  as  distinguished  from  the  rocky  par- 
ticles," and  all  this  was  clearly  stated  in  the  claims  of 
his  British  and  German  patents  quoted  in  my  previous 
communication. 

Now  to  turn  to  your  statement  that  I  have  not  ex- 
plained "that  the  plant  in  which  his  (Frank  Elmore's) 
first  experiments  were  made  was  the  one  at  the  Glasdir 
mine  in  which  Robson  had  made  his  ineffective  attempt. ' ' 
You  ask  me  to  "clear  this  part  of  the  history"  because 
you  "have  been  informed  on  good  authority  that  Mr. 
Frank  Elmore  found  the  remains  of  Robson 's  experi- 
mentation in  the  form  of  oil,  pulp,  and  apparatus,  at  the 
Glasdir  mine,  when  he  himself  first  arrived  there."  On 
the  assumption  that  your  "authority"  is  as  accurate  as 
he  is  "good,"  you  hint  at  the  natural  suggestion  that 
these  circumstances  led  Frank  Elmore  to  experiment 
with  Robson 's  apparatus.  I  have  repeated  what  you 
have  said  so  that  there  may  be  no  misunderstanding  as 
to  what  I  am  replying  to,  and  so  that  the  question  and 
answer  may  be  before  the  reader  at  the  same  time. 

My  reply  to  the  above  is  that  there  is  not  a  word  of 
truth  in  it,  not  a  shadow  of  justification  for  any  one  of 
the  suggestions  or  innuendoes  or  whatever  they  may  be. 
It  is  absolutely  untrue  to  say  that  Frank  Elmore  ever 
experimented  with  the  small  Robson  &  Crowder  machine 
which  at  one  time  was  at  the  Glasdir  mine  (the  mine  re- 
ferred to  in  my  previous  article)  ;  it  is  untrue  to  say  that 
that  machine  was  at  the  mine  when  Frank  Elmore  first 
arrived  there,  or  that  there  was  any  of  the  pulp,  oil,  or 
apparatus  of  Robson  and  Crowder  there.  When  Frank 
Elmore  first  arrived  on  the  mine  not  a  vestige  of  any  of 
these  things  was  present.  Even  the  tumbledown  shed  in 
which  the  Robson  &  Crowder  experiments  had  been  made 
had  disappeared  and  had  long  previously  been  replaced 
by  a  large  mill  containing  jigs,  shaking  tables,  crushing 
and  classifying  machinery  upon  the  tailings  from  which 
Frank  Elmore  first  experimented  in  new  apparatus 
constructed  entirely  by  ourselves  and  at  our  own  cost. 

I  am  speaking  from  memory,  but  am  sure  I  am  within 


the  mark  when  I  say  that  it  was  at  least  12  months  (and 
I  have  practically  no  hesitation  in  saying  two  years) 
after  the  erection  of  this  jig-mill,  and  the  consequent 
disappearance  of  the  Robson  &  Crowder  apparatus,  that 
Frank  Elmore  first  came  on  the  property  to  experiment. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  Frank  Elmore  has  not  at  any  time 
even  seen  a  Robson  &  Crowder  machine. 

Many  insidious  statements,  with  as  little  foundation 
of  truth  as  the  above,  have  from  time  to  time  been  as- 
siduously circulated  in  the  hope  that  they  would  get  in 
their  deadly  work  before  I  had  a  chance  of  "nailing  them 
to  the  counter,"  and  I  thank  you  for  having  drawn  my 
attention  to  this  one,  which  is  new  to  me. 

You  may  be  interested  to  know  that  I  have,  somewhere 
among  my  papers,  a  letter  from  Crowder  in  which  he 
congratulates  us  upon  the  success  we  have  made  where 
he  and  Robson  had  only  encountered  failure;  and  in 
which  he  compliments  us  on  having  discovered  the  one 
thing  essential  to  success  which  had  always  eluded  them. 

I  now  come  to  your  statement  that  "in  his  (Frank 
Elmore's)  first  invention  he  missed  the  third  essential, 
one  as  important  as  the  water  and  possibly  more  impor- 
tant than  the  oil — namely,  air."  Permit  me  to  say  you 
have  quite  overlooked  the  reference  in  my  article  to  the 
important  part  played  by  air,  as  you  will  see  on  refer- 
ence to  the  second  paragraph  of  the  second  column  on 
page  452  in  your  issue  of  September  23.  We  were  quite 
cognizant  of  the  fact  that  it  was  the  air  entrapped  in  the 
bulk  of  oil  which  rendered  it  capable  of  carrying  more 
than  its  theoretical  load  of  concentrates,  even  in  the 
"bulk-oil"  modification  of  our  process. 

In  Frank  Elmore's  first  patent  specification  the  fact 
that  the  oil  is  impregnated  with  air-bubbles  is  stated  in 
specific  terms.  I  could  multiply  instances  showing 
where  in  the  very  early  days  recognition  of  the  effect  of 
air  or  gas  was  quite  obvious,  but  perhaps  one  more  refer- 
ence will  be  sufficient;  it  is  to  be  found  in  a  report  ad- 
dressed to  John  Ballot  by  Sulman  &  Pieard,  who  at  the 
time  (May  1902)  were  engaged  at  the  Elmore  works 
supervising  tests  on  gold  ore  from  the  Lake  View  mine. 
In  that  report  the  fact  that  the  oil  is  "honeycombed  by 
air"  is  noted.  But  long  before  that  date,  from  the  date 
of  the  earlier  trials  of  the  Elmore  plant  at  the  Glasdir 
mine,  air  was  deliberately  introduced  for  the  purpose  of 
buoying  up  individual  greased  particles  of  mineral  and 
groups  of  greased  particles,  forming  nothing  more  nor 
less  that  a  'froth.'  This  early  knowledge  of  the  effect  of 
air  was  applied  in  two  different  ways,  was  in  constant 
use,  and  was  inspected  in  operation  by  a  large  number 
of  engineers  who  visited  the  plant  from  time  to  time. 

In  the  working  of  the  Elmore  plant  it  was  found  that 
depending  upon  the  kind  and  quantity  of  oil  used  and 
upon  other  conditions  there  was  a  greater  or  smaller 
quantity  of  greased  mineral  particles  which  had  not  been 
collected  in  the  bulk  of  the  oil  used,  some  of  which  were 
floating,  some  sunken,  and  others  in  an  indeterminate 
state — suspended  in  the  tailing-water. 

With  the  object  of  recovering  these  greased  particles, 
the  tailing-pulp  was  caused  to  travel  down  long  launders 


November   18,    l!U(j 


MINING   and  Scientific    PRESS 


727 


and  over  a  Pan-shaped  distributer  discharging  into  a 
spitzkasten,  which  resulted  in  the  mixing  of  air  with  the 
pulp  and  caused  the  greased  particles  to  float.  The 
spitzkasten  was  titted  with  a  skimming  device  which  re- 
moved tlie  floating  'scum'  or  'froth,'  or  whatever  you 
like  to  call  it.  from  the  water-surface  of  the  spitzkasten. 
This  gave  sueh  satisfactory  results  that  it  was  thought 
advisable  to  try  to  carry  the  flotation  effect  of  air  still 
further.  So,  to  obtain  the  admixture  of  a  greater  quan- 
tity of  air  and  secure  a  more  certain  contact  of  air  with 
the  greased  mineral,  the  outlet  from  the  spitzkasen  above 
referred  to  was  run  into  another  spitzkasten  where  the 
pulp  was  violently  agitated  by  fine  jets  of  compressed 
air  blown  into  the  bottom  of  the  pointed  tank  and  the 
floating  froth  of  greased  mineral  and  air  removed  from 
the  surface. 

While  I  trust  this  statement  will  remove  any  doubt 
existing  in  your  mind  on  this  subject,  I  would  like  to 
point  out  as  a  matter  that  may  interest  other  investi- 
gators that  the  presence  of  air  is  not  essential  to  the 
operation  of  the  selective  action  of  oil  in  a  large  quan- 
tity of  water.  Mineral  may  be  selectively  coated  with 
oil  in  the  entire  absence  of  air  and  this  fact  may  give 
food  for  thought  to  some  of  those  gentlemen  who  are 
rather  hasty  in  rushing  into  print  with  theories. 

With  regard  to  the  statement  by  Walter  MeDermott  in 
his  article  in  the  Engineering  &  Mining  Journal  of 
February  14,  1903,  that  "the  agitation  with  the  pulp 
results  in  the  oil  taking  up  an  appreciable  quantity  of 
air,"  I  would  say,  with  his  approval,  that  he  was  not 
claiming  then  to  make  any  new  statement ;  he  was  merely 
stating  what  he  knew  as  a  result  of  his  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  regular  working  of  the  Elmore  process; 
knowledge  common  to  the  large  number  of  engineers 
who,  prior  to  that  date,  had  had  opportunities  of  study- 
ing the  plant  in  operation. 

As  I  have  shown  above,  we  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  action  of  air  in  these  processes  right  away  back  to 
the  earliest  days. 

As  I  have  already  written  more  than  I  had  intended, 
I  do  not  propose  to  go  into  the  question  of  how  much  or 
how  little  Froment's  work  aided  in  the  development  of 
the  industry.  Much  of  an  illuminating  character  could 
be  written  on  this  point,  hut  in  the  meantime  I  will  con- 
tent myself  by  repeating  that  although  Froment  's  patent 
was  set  up  as  anticipation  of  Elmore's  vacuum  patent, 
this  case  was  not  proceeded  with,  and  a  clear  defence  is 
furnished  by  Stanley  Elmore's  "acidulation  patent" 
and  by  prior  public  user,  as  explained  in  my  article. 

As  to  that  "keen  sense  of  betrayal"  which  you  think 
my  previous  article  shows,  and  as  to  the  resignation  of 
my  brother  and  myself  from  the  Institution  of  Mining 
and  Metallurgy,  I  would  prefer  to  say  nothing  at  all,  as 
to  do  so  would  be  to  invite  discussion  along  purely  per- 
sonal and  sentimental  lines,  leading  to  no  useful  end. 

It  remains  to  be  seen  if  you  are  correct  in  your  state- 
ment that  "the  main  contest  over  the  patents  is  now  in 
progress  in  the  United  States,  as  our  readers  are  aware, 
by  means  of  the  suits  brought  by  Minerals  Separation 


against  Ja s  M.  Hyde  and  the  .Miami  Copp'er  company 

respectively."     Personally  I  do  not  think  you  are  right. 
for  I  believe  the  "main  contest"  lias  yet  to  be  started. 

A.  Stanley  Elmore. 
Loudon,  October  21. 

Local  Stories  About  Mines 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  recall  a  condition  at  a  well-known  Western 
mine  a  few  years  ago  that  not  only  emphasizes  the  im- 
portance of  accurate  maps  and  records  of  mine-openings 
but  tends  to  prove  that  "men  willingly  believe  what 
they  wish." 

The  mine  was  equipped  with  a  drainage  adit  at  the 
1200-ft.  level,  and  levels  at  1400,  1500,  and  1600  ft.  The 
last  connected,  through  a  short  raise,  with  a  drift  of  an 
adjoining  mine  that  served,  at  one  time,  as  a  means  of 
drainage  below  the  tunnel;  but  because  differences 
arose  between  the  respective  managements,  a  concrete 
bulkhead  prevented  proper  drainage.  Except  during 
the  summer  thaws  when  the  1500-ft.  level  was  also 
flooded,  the  water-level  in  the  shaft  stood  between  the 
1500  end  1600-ft.  levels,  the  head  being  sufficient,  appar- 
ently, to  force  the  water  through  the  fissure  into  the 
neighboring  mine.  This  condition  had  existed  about 
ten  years. 

The  pressing  need  was  for  more  ore.  The  only  map 
of  the  flooded  workings  was  an  inaccurate  tracing.  Per- 
sistent reports  were  heard  from  offices  of  the  company, 
and  others,  of  high-grade  ore  on  the  1600-ft.  level  that, 
it  was  said,  was  similar  to  ore  being  mined  from  the 
same  vein  above  the  1200-ft.  level.  It  was  stated  that 
shortly  after  ore  was  discovered  on  the  1600-ft.  level, 
water  broke  into  the  drift  in  such  volume  that  the  min- 
ers had  time  only  to  save  themselves,  and  that  tools, 
machines,  cars,  etc.,  were  abandoned.  The  water  story 
was  plausible.  It  was  said  that  the  local  post-master, 
an  old-time  miner,  was  driving  the  drift  when  ore  was 
disclosed ;  he  was  visited  and  questioned ;  he  seemed  re- 
liable and  to  remember  details  clearly,  the  position  of 
the  ore,  its  appearance  and  approximate  thickness,  the 
inrush  of  water  and  two  cars  of  first-class  ore  left  on  the 
station.  The  mill-superintendent,  a  resident  of  over 
thirty  years,  and  a  man  of  unquestioned  veracity,  stated 
he  did  not  see  the  ore,  but  its  existence  and  the  miners' 
hasty  exit  were  well-known  facts.  The  various  reports 
agreed  fairly  well. 

It  was  determined  to  unwater  the  shaft,  which,  con- 
sidering means  at  hand,  seemed  difficult;  however,  it 
was  accomplished  in  due  time  and  when  the  water-level 
finally  stood  below  the  1600,  the  superintendent,  eager 
to  see  the  ore,  waded  with  hip-boots  through  two  or  three 
feet  of  accumulated  slime  for  several  hundred  feet  to  the 
breast,  only  to  be  disappointed.  It  was  a  fairy-tale. 
After  cleaning  out  the  'muck,'  not  only  was  there  no  ore, 
but  no  tool,  no  piece  of  a  machine,  no  car  could  he  found 
on  the  level. 

Later,  a  prominent  man,  at  one  time  manager  of  the 


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MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


mine,  told  the  company's  president  that  the  ore  was  in 
a  cross-cut  south  of  the  shaft,  or  on  the  side  opposite  to 
the  main  vein,  and  35  ft.  below  the  1600  station.  This 
was  given  little  credence  because  knowledge  of  the 
geology  indicated  this  cross-cut  to  be  in  foot-wall  qUartz- 
ite  and  to  cut  no  veins  of  size.  Nevertheless  the  50  ft.  of 
sump  was  cleared  of  years  of  accumulated  debris,  only 
to  find  the  cross-cut  barren. 

The  mill-superintendent  was  incredulous  and  had  to 
be  taken  underground  to  be  'shown.' 

Russell  T.  Mason. 
Los  Angeles,  October  6. 

The  Editor: 

Sir — The  interest  of  many  mining  engineers,  geolo- 
gists, and  others  is  now  centred  in  copper.  This  fact 
induces  me  to  suggest  that  the  present  is  an  opportune 
time  to  correct  an  error  in  our  copper  nomenclature.  I 
refer  to  the  use  of  the  word  'porphyry'  as  applied  to 
certain  deposits  of  disseminated  copper  ore  occurring 
usually  in  masses  of  igneous  rock. 

The  word  'porphyry'  has  a  particular  place  in  our 
scientific  language.  It  has  been  used  in  a  definite  sense 
for  many  years  to  designate  the  texture  of  certain 
igneous  rocks  in  which  megascopic  crystals  or  grains  of 
one  mineral  occur  scattered  through  a  groundmass  of 
the  same  or  other  minerals.  The  appearance  of  such  ores 
being  similar  to  that  of  true  porphyritic  rock  many 
writers  adopted  the  expedient  of  using  the  term  to  define 
the  ores.  In  the  beginning  it  was  used  apologetically 
and  with  quotation  marks.  Later  the  quotation  marks 
were  dropped  and  the  ores  referred  to  as  the  "so-called 
porphyry  coppers." 

If  these  ores  were  always  mentioned  as  being  of  por- 
phyritic texture  there  would  be  less  objection  to  the  use 
of  the  adopted  term,  but  since  other  types  of  copper  ore 
are  found  in  many  districts  associated  with  porphyritic 
rocks  a  certain  amount  of  confusion  frequently  results. 
I  have  been  particularly  impressed  with  the  necessity  of 
having  a  better  definitive  for  these  ores  since  reading  the 
paper  on  the  geology  of  the  Warren  mining  district 
presented  by  Messrs.  Bonillas,  Tenney,  and  Feuchere  at 
the  recent  meeting  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  and  published  in 
the  September  bulletin  of  the  Institute.  The  authors  of 
this  splendid  paper  discuss  several  types  of  ore  that 
occur  in  the  district,  among  them  those  which  are  found 
in  a  porphyritic  igneous  rock  and  to  which  they  refer  as 
"porphyry  ores;"  also  those  which  are  found  dissem- 
inated in  limestone  and  which  they  call  ores  of  "por- 
phyritic texture."  A  careful  distinction  between  noun 
and  adjective  and  a  judicious  use  of  quotation  marks  has 
enabled  them  to  convey  definite  ideas.  In  a  less  care- 
fully written  paper  confusion  of  ideas  would  certainly 
have  resulted.  Readers  of  mining  literature  will  recall 
many  recent  instances  of  confusion  and  ambiguity. 

In  view  of  these  facts  I  would  like  to  submit  the  fol- 
lowing questions  to  those  who  may  be  interested :  "Would 
it  not  be  well  to  adopt  another  adjective  to  designate  this 


particular  type  of  disseminated  ore?  Would  not  the 
word  'interstitial'  meet  the  requirements  of  the  case? 
In  my  opinion  this  word  is  equally  as  descriptive  of  the 
physical  characteristics  of  the  ore  as  'porphyry,'  and  less 
objectionable. 


W.  N.  Thayer. 


Cincinnati,  October  26. 


Amortization  of  Mine-Capital 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Referring  to  the  article  on  'Amortization  and 
Depreciation'  by  Robert  S.  Lewis,  in  your  issue  of  Sep- 
tember 23.  There  is  no  doubt  that  it  would  be  difficult, 
if  not  impossible,  for  a  gold-mining  company  to  plan  a 
definite  policy  for  the  amortization  of  its  capital.  And 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  average  stockholder  would  prefer 
to  do  his  own  re-investing.  If  a  company  is  formed  to 
conduct  a  mining  business  and  I  acquire  stock  in  that 
enterprise,  as  a  mining  venture,  I  question  the  right  of 
my  directors  to  re-invest  my  profits  for  me.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  creation  of  a  sinking-fund  (out  of  profits)  to 
provide  for  the  purchase  of  other  mining  property,  when 
a  sufficient  sum  has  been  accumulated  and  a  desirable 
property  found,  is  a  different  matter  from  putting  the 
profits  into  other  enterprises  with  the  intention  of  making 
a  permanent  investment.  It  is  not  a  great  stretch  of  the 
executive's  prerogative  from  directing  the  method  of 
exploitation  of  the  parent  property  to  acquiring  other 
properties  of  the  same  nature. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  recall  that  an  English  com- 
pany, formerly  operating  in  California,  successfully  car- 
ried out  this  plan.  As  far  back  as  forty  years  ago  the 
Sierra  Buttes  Gold  Mining  Co.  created  a  reserve-fund 
that  was  allowed  to  accumulate  until  such  time  as  the 
directorate  thought  there  was  a  favorable  opportunity  to 
put  it  into  a  new  mining  enterprise.  Eventually,  when 
the  original  properties  were  almost  worked-out,  the  man- 
agement bought  a  new  mine  with  the  funds  saved  for 
that  purpose.  Fortunately  the  new  property  thus  ac- 
quired afforded  an  excellent  use  for  the  stockholders' 
money.  Through  it  the  directors  were  enabled  to  con- 
tinue dividends  for  a  number  of  years,  and  the  life  of  the 
company  was  thereby  prolonged  in  the  business  for  which 
it  was  chartered. 

„      _  XT         ,      „  Jos.  C.  Hopper. 

San  Francisco,  November  2. 

Sheet  mica  finds  its  greatest  use  in  the  electrical  in- 
dustry, when  an  insulating,  non-inflammable  material  is 
necessary.  It  is  used  in  sheets  and  as  washers  and  discs 
in  dynamo-electric  machinery,  electric-light  sockets, 
spark-plugs,  insulators,  in  rheostats,  fuse-boxes  and  tele- 
phones. Flexible  cloth  and  tape,  covered  with  miea, 
find  varied  uses  in  electrical  apparatus.  It  is  necessary 
where  an  insulating  medium  is  needed  and  where  glass 
would  be  broken. 


Ore  mined  in  British  Columbia  in  1915  was  2,690,110 
tons,  showing  an  increase  from  that  of  the  previous  year 
of  514,139  tons. 


November  18,  1!H6 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


72!» 


Engineers   for  the  Officers'   Reserve   Corps 


By     A .     H. 

The  great  struggle  in  Europe  emphasizes  the  lack  of 
officers  available  for  the  augmented  English  Army,  and 
therefore  conveys  a  solemn  warning  to  the  American 
people :  the  English  Army  and  the  United  States  Army 
being  based  on  much  the  same  organization,  namely,  a 
skeleton  in  peace  times,  to  be  increased  as  may  be  re- 
quired in  war  time. 

"The  almost  studied  indifference  of  the  American 
people  toward  reasonable  preparation  for  the  contin- 
gency of  war  makes  more  urgent  the  duty  of  all  officers 
or  those  who  hope  to  become  officers,  to  do  all  in  their 
power  in  advance  to  prepare  themselves  and  those  com- 
mitted to  their  care  for  the  immense  responsibilities  that 
will  rest  upon  them  when  the  storm  bursts  upon  the 
nation. 

"The  trend  of  history  shows  in  general  a  progressive 
decrease  in  the  length  of  wars  due  to  the  enormous  mass- 
ing of  men  now  possible,  and  the  increasing  power  of  de- 
struction of  modern  weapons.  The  decision,  in  short,  is 
sooner  reached.  This  being  the  case  there  is  more  than 
ever  before  a  need  for  adequate  preparation  in  advance 
of  the  outbreak  of  war.  The  unprepared  people  or  gov- 
ernment who  now-a-days  find  themselves  on  the  brink  of 
hostilities  with  a  nation  that  is  trained  for  the  struggle, 
must  expect  inevitably  to  pay  a  severe  national  penalty. 

"The  preparation  of  a  nation  for  war  is  of  two  kinds: 
one  of  material  things,  the  construction  of  forts,  arsenals, 
fabrication  of  weapons,  munitions,  etc.,  the  other  the 
training  of  its  people.  And  the  second  is  more  important 
than  the  first,  though  in  the  United  States  the  estimate 
of  their  relative  importance  is  reversed.  The  people  of 
the  United  States  are. willing  to  vote  immense  sums  for 
preparations  that  concern  material,  but  they  grudge  time 
or  thought  devoted  to  the  war  training  of  the  fighting 
unit — the  man."* 

On  the  third  of  June,  1916,  Congress  passed  an  Act 
"for  making  further  and  more  effectual  provisions  for 
the  National  Defense."  Regulations  prescribed  by  the 
President  to  carry  this  into  effect  have  been  published 
by  the  War  Department,  General  Orders  No.  32,  from 
which  the  following  is  largely  abstracted.  The  Officers' 
Reserve  Corps  has  been  created  for  the  purpose  of  se- 
curing a  reserve  of  trained  men  available  for  service  as 
temporary  officers  in  the  Regular  Army.  A  member  of 
this  Officers'  Reserve  Corps  will  not  ordinarily  be  sub- 
ject to  call  for  service  in  time  of  peace.  It  is  expected, 
however,  that  reserve  officers  will  be  ordered  to  duty 
with  the  troops  or  at  field  exercises  or  for  instruction 
for  periods  not  to  exceed  15  days  in  any  one  calendar 
year,  and  while  so  serving  they  will  receive  the  pay  and 
allowances  of  their  respective  grades  in  the  Regular 
Army. 

"'Technique  of  Modern  Tactics,'  Bond  &  McDonough. 


Bibcock 

The  act  authorizes  the  President  "to  appoint  and  com- 
mission as  Reserve  Officers  in  the  various  sections  of  the 
Officers'  Reserve  Corps,  in  all  grades  up  to  and  including 
that  of  Major,  such  citizens  as,  upon  examination  pre- 
scribed by  the  President,  shall  be  found  physically, 
mentally,  and  morally  qualified  to  hold  such  commis- 
sions. ' '  The  age-limits  fixed  for  appointment  and  re-ap- 
pointment are,  for  a  Second  Lieutenant,  32  years;  a 
First  Lieutenant,  36  years ;  a  Captain,  40  years ;  a  Major, 
45  years.  These  age-limits  shall  not  apply  to  the  ap- 
pointment or  re-appointment  of  officers  in  the  Quarter- 
master, Engineer,  Ordnance,  Signal,  Judge  Advocate, 
and  Medical  sections  of  the  Reserve  Corps. 

Commissions  will  be  issued  for  periods  of  five  years; 
and  when  an  officer  of  the  Reserve  Corps  shall  reach  the 
age-limit  fixed  for  appointment  or  re-appointment  in 
the  grade  in  which  he  is  commissioned,  he  shall  be  hon- 
orably discharged  from  the  service  of  the  United  States 
(unless  re-commissioned  in  a  higher  grade). 

In  time  of  actual  or  threatened  hostilities,  the  Presi- 
dent may  order  officers  of  the  Reserve  Corps  to  tem- 
porary duty  with  the  Regular  Army,  in  grades  thereof 
which  cannot  for  the  time  being  be  filled  by  promotion ; 
or  as  officers  in  volunteer  or  other  organizations  that  may 
be  authorized  by  law ;  or  in  such  other  duty  as  the  Presi- 
dent may  prescribe ;  for  example,  the  recruit,  rendezvous, 
and  supply  depots.  "While  on  such  service  the  reserve 
officers,  by  virtue  of  their  commissions  as  such,  will  ex- 
ercise command  appropriate  to  their  grade  and  rank  in 
the  organizations  to  which  they  may  be  assigned,  and 
shall  be  entitled  to  the  pay  and  allowances  of  the  cor- 
responding grades  in  the  Regular  Army,  with  such  in- 
creases of  pay  as  are  allowed  by  law  for  officers  of  the 
Regular  Army;  and  they  may  be  promoted,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  rank,  to  vacancies  in  volunteer  organiza- 
tions or  to  temporary  vacancies  in  the  Regular  Army 
thereafter  occurring  in  the  organization  in  which  they 
shall  be  so  serving,  but  they  shall  not  he  entitled  to  re- 
tirement or  to  retired  pay  and  shall  be  entitled  to  pension 
only  for  disability  incurred  in  the  line  of  duty  and  while 
in  active  service. 

The  Sections  of  the  Officers'  Reserve  Corps  shall  be 
designated  as  follows: 
"1.     Infantry  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

2.  Cavalry  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

3.  Field  Artillery  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

4.  Coast  Artillery  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

5.  Medical    (to  include  the  reserve  officers  of  the 

Medical  Corps,  Dental  Corps,  and  Veterinary 
Corps)  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

6.  Adjutant  General's  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

7.  Judge     Advocate     General's     Officers'     Reserve 

Corps. 


730 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


8.  Inspector  General's  Officers  Reserve  Corps. 

9.  Quartermaster  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

10.  Engineer  Officers  Reserve  Corps. . 

11.  Ordnance  Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

12.  Signal  Officers' Reserve  Corps." 

Every  applicant  will  be  subjected  to  a  rigid  physical 
examination  and  he  will  be  rejected  for  any  cause  of  dis- 
qualification that  in  the  future  might  impair  his  effi- 
ciency as  an  officer;  but  defects  of  vision  resulting  from 
errors  of  refraction,  which  are  not  excessive  and  which 
may  be  corrected  by  glasses,  do  not  disqualify  unless 
they  are  due  to  organic  disease.  It.  general  the  examina- 
tion as  to  physical  qualifications  fill  conform  to  the 
standard  required  for  recruits  in  tie  United  States 
Army.  Before  making  the  exanimatior  the  applicant 
will  be  required  to  submit,  for  the  examination  of  the 
Board,  a  certificate  as  to  his  physical  condition,  which,  in 
case  no  disqualification  exists,  will  be  a  simple  signed 
statement  from  the  applicant  that  to  the  best  of  his 
knowledge  and  belief  he  is  not  affected  with  any  form  of 
disease  or  disability  that  will  interfere  with  his  proper 
performance  of  the  duties  under  the  commission  for 
which  he  is  applying. 

No  applicant  will  be  examined  who  is  an  officer  of  the 
Regular  Army  on  the  active  list,  or  of  the  National 
Guard,  or  who  is  not  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  The 
lower  age-limit  below  which  examinations  will  not  be 
made  is,  for  the  Second  Lieutenant,  21  years. 

The  examinations  in  all  subjects  will  be  oral  or  prac- 
tical, or  both ;  but  in  certain  cases  applicant  is  authorized 
to  call  for  a  written  examination,  if  he  so  desires.  Em- 
phasis is  laid  upon  the  fact  that  the  examination  shall 
be  specially  directed  to  ascertain  the  practical  capacity 
of  the  applicant,  and  the  record  of  his  previous  service 
and  training  shall  be  considered  a  part  of  the  examina- 
tion. 

Engineers,  as  such,  are  interested  more  particularly  in 
the  Coast  Artillery,  Quartermaster,  Engineer,  Ordnance, 
and  Signal  Corps.  As  a  guide  to  the  preparation  re- 
quired, examinations  in  the  Coast  Artillery  Corps  will 
refer  to  Army  Regulations  and  important  General  Or- 
ders, Drill  Regulations,  Field  Service  Regulations,  Ex- 
plosives, Electricity.  For  the  higher  grades  of  the  serv- 
ice this  examination  will  include,  in  addition  to  the  fore- 
going, elementary  and  applied  mechanics,  care  and  op- 
eration of  steam-boilers,  steam-engines,  and  internal- 
combustion  engines;  the  theory,  care,  and  operation  of 
dynamos,  storage-batteries,  telephones,  and  searchlights ; 
from  which  it  would  appear  that  both  mechanical  and 
electrical  engineers  should  be  largely  interested  in  the 
Coast  Artillery  work. 

For  the  Engineer  Corps  the  applicants  will  be  divided 
into  two  classes: 

"(a)  For   duty   with    combatant   engineer   troops,    or 
other  duties  in  the  service  of  the  front ;  or 

(6)  For  special  service  on  the  lines  of  communication 
or  other  points  in  rear,  including  engineer  work 
with  sea-coast  defenses  as  hereinafter  indi- 
cated." 


Ordinarily,  officers  appointed  under  (6)  will  not  be 
assigned  to  combatant  duties,  but  they  will  be  subject 
to  such  assignment  whenever  needed.  The  reasons  for 
this  provision  will  appear  later,  when  the  responsibilities 
of  the  engineer  officers  under  the  two  classes  are  con- 
sidered. 

Under  (a),  Service  of  the  Front,  an  applicant  for  a 
commission  as  First  or  Second  Lieutenant  must  be  an 
engineer  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  or  in 
some  business  immediately  connected  with  or  concerned 
in  engineering  matters.  He  must  either  hold  or  have 
qualified  for  the  grade  of  Junior  Engineer — civil,  elec- 
trical, or  mechanical — or  of  some  higher  grade  in  the 
Civil  Service,  or  he  must  be  a  graduate  from  an  approved 
engineering  college  or  have  been  in  the  active  practice  of 
engineering  for  at  least  two  years. 

An  applicant  for  a  commission  as  Captain,  in  addition 
to  the  requirements  for  Lieutenant,  must  either  hold  or 
be  eligible  for  the  grade  of  Assistant  Engineer  in  the 
Engineering  Department  at  Large,  or  a  corresponding 
engineer  grade  in  the  Civil  Service  or  another  Depart- 
ment of  Government  Service,  or  have  held  a  commission 
in  the  Corps  of  Engineers  of  the  Regular  Army;  or  he 
shall  be  a  professional  engineer  not  less  than  28  years 
of  age,  who  shall  have  been  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  for  at  least  eight  years  and  have  had  respon- 
sible charge  of  work,  as  principal  or  assistant,  for  at 
least  two  years;  he  must  have  knowledge  of  the  princi- 
ples of  Military  Organization  and  Operations,  in  In- 
fantry Drill  and  Field  Service  Regulations,  and  of  the 
general  principles  of  Field  Fortifications  as  illustrated 
in  the  Engineer  Field  Manual. 

For  Major,  in  addition  to  the  requirements  for  Cap- 
tain, he  must  have  held  a  commission  in  the  Corps  of  En- 
gineers of  the  Regular  Army,  not  more  than  two  grades 
below  that  for  which  he  desires  to  be  listed;  or  he  shall 
be  a  professional  engineer  not  less  than  35  years  of  age, 
who  shall  have  been  in  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession for  15  years,  who  shall  have  had  responsible 
charge  of  work  for  at  least  five  years  and  he  shall  be 
qualified  to  design  as  well  as  to  direct  engineering  work. 
Furthermore,  he  must  have  knowledge  of  the  duties  of 
engineer  officers  and  troops  in  war,  as  illustrated  in  the 
Engineer  Field  Manual,  and  in  certain  other  publica- 
tions mentioned  in  the  Act.  Under  class  (6),  Special 
Services,  he  must  be  qualified  for  at  least  one  of  the 
duties  assigned  to  the  Corps  of  Engineers  by  the  fol- 
lowing extracts  from  Army  Regulations: 

"The  duties  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers  comprise  re- 
connoitering  and  surveying  for  military  purposes,  in- 
cluding the  laying  out  of  camps;  selection  of  sites  and 
formation  of  plans  and  estimates  for  military  defenses; 
construction  and  repair  of  fortifications  and  their  acces- 
sories; *  *  *  the  installation  of  electric  power-plants 
and  electric  power-cable  connected  with  seacoast  bat- 
teries ;  *  *  *  construction  and  repair  of  military  roads, 
railroads,  and  bridges ;  military  demolitions ;  *  *  *  In 
time  of  war  within  the  theatre  of  operations  it  has  charge 
of  the  location,  design,  and  construction  of  wharves, 
piers,  landings,  store-houses,  hospitals,  and  other  struc- 


November  L8.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


Tiil 


tures  of  general  interest,  and  of  the  construction,  main- 
tenance, and  repair  of  roads,  ferries,  bridges,  and  inci- 
dental structures,  and  of  the  construction,  maintenance, 
and  operation  of  railroads  under  military  control,  in- 
cluding the  construction  and  operation  of  armored 
trains." 

"No  oral  or  professional  examinations  will  be  re- 
quired, but  recommendations  of  boards  will  be  required 
in  lieu  of  such  examinations.  Candidates  will  submit 
evidence  of  their  actual  employment  in  corresponding  or 
higher  positions  in  civil  life  and  references  to  persons 
under  whom  they  have  been  or  are  employed.  The 
boards  will  communicate  with  such  persons  and  with  any 
others  that  they  deem  fit,  and  upon  all  the  evidence  sub- 
mitted or  otherwise  obtained  will  base  their  recommenda- 
tions and  recommend  the  appropriate  grades  for  which 
they  deem  the  successful  candidates  qualified. 

"Military  experience  or  training  in  the  Kegular 
Army,  Volunteers,  or  National  Guard,  or  at  training 
camps  or  educational  institutions  will  be  noted  and  re- 
ported by  the  board  and  considered  in  making  the  recom- 
mendations. 

"Reserve  officers  from  the  following  civilian  occupa- 
tions will  be  required  for  the  special  services  of  the 
Corps  of  Engineers: 

Bridge  engineers. 

Constructing  engineers  (earth  and  concrete). 

Constructing  engineers  (wharves,  piers,  and  build- 
ings) . 

Electrical  engineers  (for  small  plants  and  power- 
lines)  . 

Highway  engineers. 

Mining  engineers  (skilled  in  tunneling  and  use  of  ex- 
plosives) . 

Railroad  engineers  (construction  and  maintenance). 

Railroad  operating  officials. 

Sanitary  engineers. 

Topographical  engineers." 

Engineers  of  telephone  and  telegraph  companies  will 
be  directly  interested  in  the  Signal  Corps,  examinations 
for  which,  in  the  lower  grades,  will  include  the  same  ad- 
ministration subjects  as  for  the  Infantry  officers;  also 
regulations  and  laws  pertaining  especially  to  the  Signal 
Corps.  They  will  be  examined  both  orally  and  prac- 
tically in  theoretical  and  practical  knowledge  of  modern 
methods  of  visual  signaling,  including  the  ability  to 
transmit  and  to  receive  messages  by  flag,  lantern,  and 
heliograph. 

Telegraphy  and  telephony  include  theoretical  and 
applied  knowledge  of  electricity  and  telegraphy,  cover- 
ing installation  and  repair  of  telephones,  testing  for 
faults,  maintenance  and  operation  of  permanent  tele- 
graph, telephone-lines,  and  of  field-lines;  skill  in  trans- 
mission and  receipt  of  messages  on  telegraph-lines ;  oral 
and  practical  examinations  concerning  dynamos  and 
batteries,  also  radio-telegraphy.  They  will  be  required 
to  have  some  knowledge  of  map-reading  and  field- 
sketching. 

For  Majors  the  examination  will  be  the  same  as  the 
foregoing,  but  in  addition  they  will  be  required  to  show 


knowledge  as  lo  material,  cost,  time,  etc.,  and  method  of 
constructing  a  permanent  telegraph-line  in  such  portion 
of  the  United  States  as  may  be  designated;  knowledge 
of  a  scheme  for  assembling,  organizing,  and  transporting 
a  mobile  telegraph-train  for  building  light  semi-per- 
manent lines  for  telegraph  or  telephone  communication 
under  conditions  to  be  designated  by  the  Examining 
Board.  They  will  be  required  to  have  a  knowledge  of 
engines,  boilers,  internal-combustion  engines,  and  auto- 
mobile traction. 

For  the  special  services  in  the  Aviation  Section,  Re- 
serve officers  selected  from  civilians  engaged  in  the  fol- 
lowing occupations  will  be  needed:  Aviators,  aeroplane 
designers,  motor  designers,  experts  in  aero-photography 
and  radio-communications,  aeronautical  engineers  and 
balloonists. 

Probably  the  section  of  the  Reserve  Corps  of  most 
general  interest  will  be  the  Quartermaster  Corps,  to' 
qualify  for  which  an  applicant  will  be  examined  for 
duties  that  require  either  a  knowledge  of  administrative 
and  clerical  detail,  or  for  special  services  of  a  business 
or  professional  nature  requiring  no  special  military 
knowledge.  The  first  class  will  receive  a  mental  exami- 
nation to  test  their  fitness  for  the  peculiar  services  re- 
quired ;  the  second  class  will  not  be  subject  to  mental 
examination,  and,  as  has  been  stated  previously,  neither 
class  is  subject  to  age  limits,  but  both  are  subject  to 
physical  examination. 

In  the  first  class  the  scope  of  the  examination  will 
cover  general  duties  as  exemplified  in  the  United  States 
Army  Transport  regulations  and  circulars  of  the  Quar- 
termaster General's  Office  relating  to  supplies,  payment 
and  services,  subsistence,  and  pay  manuals.  The  appli- 
cant will  be  furnished  blanks  and  will  be  required  to 
exemplify  their  use  in  the  preparation  of  contracts, 
bonds,  returns,  accounts  current,  etc.  Military  Law; 
oral  examination  will  cover  the  ground  of  Manual  of 
Court's  Martial,  the  Law  of  War,  Civil  Functions  and 
Regulations  of  the  Military,  and  General  Instructions 
for  the  Government  of  the  Armies  of  the  United  States 
in  the  Field;  also  on  the  Cavalry  Horse,  Draft  Horses 
and  Mules — their  inspection  and  purchase,  care,  feeding 
and  watering;  also  the  construction,  lighting,  and  ven- 
tilation of  stables ;  the  different  kinds  and  relative  value 
of  forage,  its  inspection,  proper  care  and  causes  of  de- 
terioration ;  also  on  transportation  by  land  (rail,  wagon, 
and  pack)  and  by  water;  the  care  of  animals  on  cars 
and  transports;  construction  and  repair  of  roads,  rail- 
roads, and  bridges. 

For  those  whose  duties  are  not  administrative  there 
will  be  required  merely  a  knowledge  of  and  experience 
in  one  of  the  trades  or  lines  of  business,  as  follows : 

"Railroad — 

(ft)   Traffic  manager,  commercial. 
(6)   Accounting  department,  railroad. 

(c)  Operating  department,  railroad. 

(d)  Mechanical  department,  railroad. 

(e)  Other  capacity,  not  named  above,  railroad. 
' 'Navigation  companies  and  merchant  vessels — 

(a)  As  manager. 


732 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


(6)   As  port  captain. 

(c)  As  superintending  engineer. 

(d)  As  chief  steward. 

(e)  As  marine  superintendent. 

(/)  As  inspector  of  construction  and  repairs. 

{g)  As  estimator  on  marine  repairs. 

(h)  As  superintendent  of  docks,  warehouses,  etc. 

"Auto-truck  transfer  companies. 

"Auto-truck  freight  companies. 

"Warehouse  and  terminal  companies. 

"Animal  industry — 

(a)  Purchasing  horses  and  mules. 

(6)   Shipping  horses  and  mules. 

(c)  Breeding  and  raising  horses  and  mules. 

"Wholesale  feed  and  grain  business. 

"Wagon,  machine,  or  other  factories. 

"Harness  factory. 

"Auto-truck  repair-shops  or  factories. 

"Automobile  repair-shops  or  factories. 

' '  Ship  construction  or  repair  firms. 

"Wholesale  grocery  business. 

"Wholesale  clothing  business. 

"Wholesale  shoe  business. 

' '  Clothing  manufactory. 

"Shoe  manufactory. 

"Hat  manufactory. 

"Auto-truck  manufactory. 

"Packing-houses  or  factories. 

' '  Shop  management  and  its  nature. 

' '  Official  of  large  restaurant  or  hotel  company. 

"President,  secretary,  or  manager  of  any  large  busi- 
ness, whatever  its  nature. 

' '  Official  of  any  department  of  a  large  business. 

"Building  company. 

"Construction  company. 

"Civil  engineering. 

"Mechanical  engineering. 

' '  Sanitary  engineering. 

"Electrical  engineering. 

' '  Structural  engineering. 

"Banks  or  banking  firms  or  corporations. 

"Financial  or  cashier  departments  of  railroads  or 
other  transportation  companies,  corporations,  or  other 
large  business  concerns. 

"Any  other  industries  or  business  not  mentioned 
above  that  may  make  the  applicant  a  desirable  officer  of 
the  Quartermaster  Corps  in  time  of  war. ' ' 

The  Examining  Board  will  carafully  consider  the 
documentary  evidence  furnished  by  the  applicant,  and 
it  may  acquire  additional  information  by  personal  ques- 
tions as  to  his  business  experience  and  other  pertinent 
matters.  The  Board  may  call  also  for  additional  docu- 
mentary or  oral  evidence  bearing  on  the  suitability  of 
the  applicant  for  his  commission. 

Railroad  officials  and  engineers  are  particularly  in- 
terested in  the  distinction  between  the  Engineer  Corps 
and  the  Quartermaster  Corps  as  applied  to  railroading. 
In  time  of  war  (actual  or  threatened),  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment undoubtedly  will  take  charge  at  once  of  all 


railroads  in  or  near  the  threatened  territory,  whieh  will 
be  divided  into  two  sections,  namely,  the  theatre  of  op- 
erations and  the  lines  of  communication,  which,  in  gen- 
eral, is  the  connecting  link  between  the  field  of  action 
and  the  base,  and  through  which  must  pass  all  of  the 
men,  materials  and  supplies  required  for  use  in  prose- 
cuting the  campaign. 

A  railroad  involved  in  the  theatre  of  operations  is 
managed  and  operated  by  the  Engineer  Corps;  a  rail- 
road outside  the  theatre  of  operations,  but  involved  in 
the  line  of  communications,  is  operated  by  the  Quarter- 
master Corps.  Any  railroad  so  involved  must  expect  in 
such  times  to  have  on  its  staff,  officers  responsible  to  the 
War  Department  in  either  one  of  the  corps  mentioned, 
to  represent  the  Department  in  its  operation.  If  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  railroad  officials  qualify  for  duty  and 
are  commissioned  in  the  Officers'  Reserve  Corps  in 
either  of  the  sections  named,  the  only  change  in  its  per- 
sonnel that  it  may  expect  will  be  to  see  certain  of  its 
officers  in  army  uniform  instead  of  in  civilian  clothes; 
and  conversely,  a  railroad  in  which  there  is  insufficient 
representation  in  the  Officers'  Reserve  Corps  may  expect 
to  find  army  officers  detailed  to  take  charge. 

When  the  close  inter-dependence  between  all  public 
utilities  is  considered,  transmission  companies  and  com- 
munication companies  may  expect  to  have  similar  situa- 
tions confront  them.  It  would  appear,  therefore,  pru- 
dent, as  a  part  of  the  general  preparedness  movement, 
that  all  public  utility  companies  should  encourage  their 
officers  to  apply  and  to  qualify  for  commissions  in  the 
Reserve  Corps,  and  thereby  insure  to  the  companies  a 
minimum  of  disturbance  in  administration  in  case  of 
hostilities. 

Engineers  now  have  offered  to  them  their  opportunity 
to  give  their  services  to  their  country  most  effectively, 
when  she  will  have  most  need  of  them,  with  the  assur- 
ance that  they  will  be  given  responsibility  and  rank  com- 
mensurate with  their  experience  and  ability.  Some  hard 
digging  is  involved  for  those  who  have  not  had  military 
training  or  who  have  forgotten  much  of  their  early  ex- 
periences. The  Army  officers  who  have  in  hand  the  in- 
struction of  reserve  officers  do  not  expect  us  to  be  experi- 
enced; they  expect  to  give  us  experience.  All  they  ask 
of  us  is  to  be  willing  to  learn  and  to  give  up  some  of  our 
spare  time  to  this  end.  In  return  we  are  assured  of 
preferred  opportunity  to  obtain  a  commission  in  the 
Regular  Army,  when  the  Army  needs  us,  with  rank  and 
corresponding  pay  while  on  duty,  appropriate  to  our 
abilities  and  responsibilities. 

Furthermore,  these  same  officers  have  given  assurance 
that  the  preliminary  examinations  are  not  to  be  designed 
to  keep  men  out  of  the  service,  but  to  help  them  to  get  in 
most  effectively,  that  is,  where  they  fit  best.  Once  en- 
tered, it  is  up  to  the  individual  to  go  ahead  or  to  stand 
still. 

The  question  may  be  asked,  why  do  it  at  all?  The 
answer  is:  if  there  is  real  trouble  there  will  be  enough 
to  go  around — which  means  that  every  man  will  have 
"to  do  his  bit." 


November  18,  1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


T.y.\ 


The   Ore   Deposits  of  Mohave  County,  Arizona 


By      Frank 

Introduction.  "This  region,  commonly  known  as  the 
Mohave  district  and  Kingman  district,  lies  in  western 
Arizona  in  the  southern  part  of  Mohave  county,  and 
borders  California  and  Nevada  on  the  west.  Kingman, 
the  principal  town,  is  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  area 
on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railway. 

This  region  is  composed  of  naked  mountains  and  broad 
detritus-filled  valleys,  the  southern  extension  of 
the  characteristic  topography  of  the  Great  Basin. 
In  altitude  it  varies  from  500  ft.  in  the  south-west 
to  8300  ft.  on  Hualapai  Peak  south-east  of  King- 
man. 

The  mountains  trend  north-northwest.  They 
rise  about  3000  ft.  above  the  valleys,  are  generally 
rugged,  and  were  formed  mainly  by  erosion. 
They  are  composed  in  the  main  of  a  complex  of 
pre-Cambrian  granitoid  rocks  that  underlies  the 
area  as  a  whole.  Like  the  valleys,  they  average 
about  10  miles  in  width. 

Geology.  'The  rock  groups  beginning  with 
the  oldest  are  the  pre-Cambrian  complex,  Paleo- 
zoic sediments,  pre-Tertiary  _  intrusives,  Tertiary 
voleanics,  and  Tertiary  ( ?)  and  Quaternary  sedi- 
ments. The  first  and  third  of  the  divisions  named 
are  the  most  important. 

The  pre-Cambrian  complex  consists  of  gray 
gneissoid  granites.  Coarse  gold-bearing  detrital 
formations,  or  'wash,'  locally  2000  ft.  thick, 
partly  fill  the  inter-montane  valleys. 

Locally  intruding  the  pre-Cambrian  rocks  are 
pre-Tertiary  igneous  masses  and  dikes  thought  to 
be  of  late  Jurassic  or  early  Cretaceous  age.  They 
occur  chiefly  in  the  Cerbat  mountains  and  are 
connected  with  the  genesis  of  the  deposits.  The 
most  important  are  granite-porphyry,  a  light  gray 
medium-grained  rock,  and  lamprophyric  rocks, 
the  latter  occurring  mainly  as  dark,  comple- 
mentary narrow  dikes  accompanying  the  acidic 
intrusives. 

The  Tertiary  voleanics  consist  mainly  of  an- 
desites,  trachytes,  rhyolites,  and  latites,  lying  in 
broad  superimposed  sheets,  flows  and  beds  locally  aggre- 
gating 3000  ft.  thick.  They  are  best  developed  in  the 
Black  mountains,  particularly  in  the  southern  part. 
They  contain  most  of  the  mineral  deposits  of  the  range 
and  played  an  important  part  in  their  genesis. 

The  beginning  of  mining  in  the  Mohave  area  dates 
from  the  finding  of  ore  at  the  Moss  mine,  four  miles 

'Abstract  from  paper  to  be  presented  at  the  New  York  meet- 
ing (February  1917)  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers. 

iA  fuller  description  of  the  rocks  appears  in  Bulletin  No. 
397,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  (1909). 


Scbrader 

north-west  of  Gold  Road  in  the  early  'sixties.  From  1904 
to  1914  the  production  was  nearly  $16,000,000,  of  which 
$11,500,000  was  gold,  nearly  all  derived  from  the  Tom 
Reed  and  Gold  Road  mines.  Besides  gold  and  silver, 
zinc,  lead,  copper,  tungsten,  molybdenum,  and  bismuth 
are  produced. 
The  Tom  Reed-Gold  Road  district  lies  about  25  miles 


Bulletin  397.  U.  S.  Geological  Svrtnj 

MAP  OF  ARIZONA  MINING  DISTRICTS. 

south-west  of  Kingman,  mainly  on  the  west  slope  of  the 
range;  it  comprises  what  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Gold  Road  and  Vivian  districts,  the  area  being  approxi- 
mately co-extensive  with  the  southern  part  of  the  San 
Francisco  district  of  early  days.  The  principal  centres 
of  activity  are  Oatman,  the  settlement  of  the  Tom  Reed 
and  neighboring  mines,  and  Gold  Road,  two  miles  north 
of  Oatman. 

Mineral  was  first  discovered  in  the  early  'sixties  at  the 
Moss  mine,  four  miles  north-west  of  Gold  Road.  This 
mine  soon  produced  $240,000  in  gold  from  rich  surface 
ore.     Production  has  continued  since  the  discovery  of 


731 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


the  Gold  Road  mine  in  1902.  Recently  discoveries  in  the 
Tom  Reed  mine  and  vicinity  have  been  attracting  atten- 
tion, with  the  result  that  the  value  of  the  plants  and  ma- 
chinery at  the  various  mines  is  said  to  aggregate  nearly 
$2,000,000.  Some  50  odd  plants  are  in  operation.  Most 
of  them  have  been  installed  since  the  first  of  the  year 
1915,  during  which  time  nearly  200  companies  have  been 
organized  to  operate  in  the  district,  of  which  150  are 
fully  equipped  and  most  of  the  others  are  receiving  ma- 
chinery. Thirty  or  more  properties  hitherto  dormant 
have  become  active,  and  the  population,  which  is  gath- 
ered from  all  the  mining  camps  in  the  West,  has  in- 
creased from  600  to  more  than  7000,  and  is  increasing. 

The  approved  i  method  of  prospecting  is  to  sink  to 
depths  of  300  to  500  ft.  and  then  cross-cut  and  drift. 
Practically  no  surface  work  is  done.  Usually  also  much 
lateral  development  must  be  done  before  pay-ore  in  large 
quantity  is  found  and  the  mine  proved.  The  automobile, 
a  prominent  feature  in  the  present  activity,  has  taken 
the  place  of  the  burro  in  prospecting. 

The  cost  of  mining  and  milling  is  about  $6  per  ton,  of 
which  $1.25  is  for  power.  The  larger  mines  use  electric 
power  supplied  by  the  oil-burning  plant  at  Kingman. 
At  the  Gold  Road  mine,  treating  200  tons  of  ore  daily, 
the  best  record  obtained  for  mining  and  milling  is 
slightly  less  than  $3  per  ton.  At  the  Tom  Reed  mine, 
however,  where  20  stamps  are  used,  the  cost  is  about  $6. 
There  is  said  to  be  no  profit  in  treating  $5  ore  on  a  small 
scale.  Both  the  Gold  Road  and  Tom  Reed  mines  treat 
their  ore  by  the  cyanide  process,  and  have  installed  the 
counter-current  decantation  system. 

From  what  has  been  said  of  the  Tyro  and  Gold  Road 
veins,  and  from  the  large  number  of  other  widely  dis- 
tributed profitable  orebodies  being  found  at  depth,  and 
the  cost  of  mining  and  milling,  this  is  not  a  locality  for 
the  small  operator  but  seems  rather  to  offer  encouraging 
possibilities  for  capital  to  engage  in  deep  mining. 

Geology.  Tertiary  volcanic  rocks  prevail,  particu- 
larly in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  district.  They  prac- 
tically constitute  the  range,  dip  gently  eastward  toward 
its  axis,  and  are  in  places  covered  by  younger  rhyolite, 
andesite,  and  basalt.  In  the  southern  part  the  green 
chloritic  andesite  is  dominant,  while  on  the  west  occur 
local  areas  of  the  pre-Cambrian  gneiss,  younger  granite- 
porphyry  and  micro-pegmatite,  greenstone  agglomerate, 
and  overlying  sheets  of  supposed  Tertiary  conglomerate, 
younger  gravel  and  lava  flows.  Locally  intervening  be- 
tween the  pre-Cambrian  and  the  overlying  volcanics  are 
occasional  patches  of  tilted  and  metamorphosed  Paleo- 
zoic limestone  and  shale  belonging  to  the  Grand  Canyon 
section.  These  sedimentary  rocks  are  not  as  yet  known 
to  have  any  bearing  on  the  deposits  or  on  mining  other 
than  to  indicate  to  the  miner  the  lower  limit  of  the  vol- 
canics. 

Recent  mine  developments  show  that  the  geology  of  the 
ore-bearing  volcanics  is  more  complicated  and  seemingly 
of  more  importance  than  was  at  first  supposed. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Vivian,  and  from  there  toward  Oat- 
man,  occurs  the  older  or  basal  andesite,  which  is  light- 


gray,  calcitic,  300  ft.  thick,  and  rests  mainly  on  the  pre- 
Cambrian  complex  and  Paleozoic  sediments.  The  older 
andesite,  however,  is  not  known  to  be  of  wide  extent  in 
the  district,  a  fact  overlooked  by  Bancroft  and  others. 
It  is  absent  from  Secret  Pass  where  the  next  higher  rock, 
the  green  chloritic  andesite,  rests  directly  upon  the  pre- 
Cambrian  granite,  and  from  the  Hardy  mountains,  where 
the  green  chloritic  andesite  similarly  rests  upon  the 
Mesozoic  granite-porphyry  or  micro-pegmatite.2  It  is  not 
known  to  be  present  at  the  Gold  Road  mine,  and  accord- 
ing to  Sperr3  the  rock  underlying  the  green  chloritic 
andesite  in  the  deep  workings  of  the  Tom  Reed  mine  does 
not  correspond  with  the  older  andesite  described  at 
Vivian.  The  older  andesite  is  succeeded  uneomformably 
by  another  series  of  flows,  the  green  chloritic  andesite, 
which  contains  an  important  part  of  the  mineral  deposits 
in  the  Tom  Reed-Gold  Road  district.  The  flows  aggre- 
gate a  known  thickness  of  800  ft.  The  rock  consists 
mainly  of  a  greenish  fine-grained  groundmass  containing 
abundant  whitish  feldspar  phenocrysts.  It  is  chloritic 
and  calcitic.  It  is  intruded  by  black  latite  and  younger 
lavas. 

The  intrusive  nature  of  the  green  chloritic  andesite 
and  association  of  ore  deposits  with  its  intrusive  phases 
in  various  parts  of  the  district  are  also  abundantly  corro- 
given  off  from  the  main  mass,  extend  1  mile  or  more  west- 
ward into  the  older  andesite.  A  black  fresh-looking 
specimen  of  it  from  the  Leland  mine  proved  to  be  latite ; 
it  contains  chlorite  in  abundance  throughout.4 

The  intrusive  nature  of  the  green  chloritic  andesite 
and  association  of  ore  deposits  with  its  intrusive  phases 
in  various  parts  of  the  district  are  also  abundantly  cor- 
roborated by  the  later  work  of  Sperr,  Probert,  Bancroft, 
and  other  engineers.  Probert5  believes  it  to  be  both  in- 
trusive and  extrusive,  that  dikes  and  sills  of  it  occur  in 
the  older  andesite,  and  that  mineralization  is  dependent 
upon  this  association. 

Bancroft"  writes  that  in  the  vicinity  of  the  various 
mines  which  he  examined  he  found  evidence  of  the  in- 
trusive nature  of  this  formation,  and  that  the  orebodies 
are  largely  formed  within  the  intrusive. 

More  recently,  according  to  Smith,7  the  bottom  as  well 
as  the  collar  of  the  Tom  Reed  shaft  at  1075  ft.  in  depth 
was  in  the  green  chloritic  andesite,  which  in  the  bottom 
of  the  shaft  was  ore-bearing,  and  he  suggests  that  the 
rock  may  here  be  intrusive.  The  supposition  of  the  rock 
being  here  intrusive,  probably  as  a  neck,  would  help  to 
account  for  the  unusual  thickness  of  the  formation  at 
this  point,  which  seems  to  be  local,  since  elsewhere  in  the 

sBulletin  No.  397,  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.,  p.  35,  and  Fig.  2  (1909). 

3J.  D.  Sperr:  'The  Tom  Reed-Gold  Road  Mining  District, 
Arizona,'  Eng.  and  Min.  Jour.,  vol.  101,  No.  1,  pp.  1-5  (Jan. 
1,  1916). 

^Bulletin  No.  397,  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.,  pp.  36-37  (1909). 

sFrank  H.  Probert:  'Oatman,  Arizona — A  Prohibition  Camp,' 
M.  &  S.  P.,  vol.  112,  No.  1,  pp.  17-20  (Jan.  1,  1916). 

oHowland  Bancroft:  'Geology  of  Gold  Road  District,'  M.  & 
S.  P.,  vol.  3,  No.  1,  p.  21  (July  3,  1915). 

'Howard  D.  Smith:  'The  Oatman  District,  Arizona,'  M.  & 
S.  P.,  vol.  3,  No.  5,  pp.  172-175  (July  31,  1915). 


November  is,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


735 


Fig.  2.    generalized  section  across  black  mountains,     u.  s.  geological  survey. 
1,  Sands  and  gravels;   2,  undifferentiated  volcanic  rocks;  3,  green  chloritic  andesite;   4,  gneissoid  granite;    5,  basalt; 
6.  rhyolite;   7.  young  andesite;  S,  rhyolite  tuffs;   9,  andesite  and  andesite  tuffs;   10,  granite  porphyry  and  micro-pegmatite; 
11,  conglomerate. 


GEOLOGIC    RECONNAISSANCE    MAP    OF    THE  MOHAVE  COUNTY   MINING    REGION',  ARIZONA 


Tom  Reed  mine  and  in  the  neighboring  United  Eastern, 
Pioneer,  and  other  properties  the  workings,  according  to 
Schader,8  passed  through  the  green  chloritic  andesite 
and  into  the  older  underlying  andesite  at  shallower 
depths  and  have  workable  ore  in  the  lower  rock. 

Therefore,  according  to  the  observations  of  six  or  more 
investigators,  the  green  chloritic  andesite  includes  rocks 
that  vary  considerably  from  the  normal  andesite,  rocks 

sCarl  F.  Schader:  Personal  letter,  Feh.  6,  1915. 


with  which  the  ore  deposits  in  general  seems  to  be  associ- 
ated and  which  are  known  to  be  intrusive  into  the  older 
andesite.  The  most  important  of  these  rocks  seems  to  be 
the  dark  latite  at  the  Leland  mine  and  elsewhere.  It 
seems  to  intrude  not  only  the  older  andesite  but  also  the 
green  chloritic  andesite  as  sheets,  necks,  and  dikes,  and 
to  be  intimately  connected  genetically  with  the  ore  de- 


i J.   D.  Sperr:   'Conversational  Geology  at  Oatman,'  Bng. 
Win.  Jour.,  vol.  101,  No.  26,  p.  1119  (June  24,  1916). 


& 


736 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


posits.  More  recently,  Speir9  regards  all  the  commercial 
ore  as  occurring  in  the  andesites  intimately  associated 
with  latites.  The  intrusive  nature  of  the  rocks  associ- 
ated with  the  ore  deposits  obviously  favors  continuity 
of  the  deposits  in  depth. 

The  deposition  of  the  green  chloritic  andesite  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  period  of  great  Assuring  and  faulting  ac- 
companied and  followed  by  eruption  of  the  next  higher 
group,  the  undifferentiated  volcanic  rocks  2000  ft.  thick, 
containing  the  Gold  Road  and  other  important  veins,  and 
by  intrusions  of  younger  rocks,  especially  latite  and 
rhyolite  in  the  form  of  dikes,  necks,  and  rounded  plug  or 
stocklike  masses,  and  the  making  of  many  of  the  larger 
fissure  veins.  The  undifferentiated  volcanics  are  suc- 
ceeded by  a  series  of  younger  light-colored  tuffaceous 
rhyolites  locally  1000  ft.  thick,  known  as  the  'water 
rock,'  succeeded  by  dark  reddish  andesite,  which  in  turn 
is  followed  by  black  olivine-basalt,  the  youngest  of  the 
effusive  rocks,  which  remains  as  a  cap  over  a  large  part 
of  the  Black  Mesa  mountains. 

The  Ore  Deposits,  which  are  numerous,  are  chiefly 
gold-bearing  fissure-veins.  They  vary  from  5  to  70  ft.  in 
width  and  from  a  few  hundred  feet  to  several  miles  in 
length.  In  general  they  are  strong  and  persistent.  They 
strike  north-west  with  steep  dip  north-east.  They  are 
almost  devoid  of  metallic  sulphides,  the  gold  being  free. 
They  occur  chiefly  in  the  lower  part  of  the  undifferenti- 
ated volcanic  series,  the  green  chloritic  andesite,  the 
granite-porphyry,  and  micro-pegmatite,  other  underly- 
ing rocks,  and  also  along  contacts  where  latite  and  rhyo- 
lite are  the  intrusives.  Some  of  the  deposits  are  rich, 
but  the  large  bodies  of  low-grade  ore  constitute  the  main 
resource.  Ore  having  a  metallic  content  of  $10  or  less  is 
considered  low-grade. 

The  older  andesite,  from  the  ill  behavior  and  feather- 
ing out  of  certain  vein  deposits  on  entering  it  from  the 
green  chloritic  andesite,  was  originally  regarded  by  me 
as  unfavorable  for  mineral  or  essentially  barren,  par- 
ticularly in  the  Vivian  district.  Owing  to  its  tufaceous 
brecciated  and  fragmental  nature  it  is  almost  devoid  of 
lava-cooling  shrinkage-cracks  and  fissures,  which  else- 
where form  favorable  repositories  for  ore.  According  to 
Palmer10  ' '  the  occurrence  of  any  ore-shoots  in  the  earlier 
(older)  andesite  is  yet  to  be  demonstrated."  E.  W. 
Brooks  also  limits  the  area  of  commercial  mineralization 
in  this  part  of  the  district  to  the  green  chloritic  or 
'younger  andesite.'  Later  developments,  however,  in 
the  Oatman  and  Vivian  camps,  diselose  workable  ore  de- 
posits in  the  older  andesite  also.  My  belief  that  major 
veins  probably  occur  in  and  below  this  formation  is  shown 
by  the  following  statement :  ' '  The  veins  cut  through  the 
great  mass  of  Tertiary  volcanic  rocks  which  characterize 
the  range  and  undoubtedly  continue  in  depth  into  the 
underlying  pre-Cambrian  granitic  rocks."11 

According  to  Palmer,12  "there  is  no  doubt  that  the 

loLeroy  A.  Palmer:  'The  Oatman  District,  Arizona,'  M.  & 
S.  P.,  vol.  113,  No.  6,  p.  195  (Aug.  5,  1916). 

"Bulletin  No.  397,  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur.,  p.  48  (1909). 

i=Leroy  A.  Palmer:  Op.  cit.,  M.  &  S.  P.,  vol.  113,  No.  6,  p. 
195  (Aug.  5,  1916). 


veins  extend  into  the  pre-Cambrian  and  some  ore  of. 
value  has  been  found  therein. ' ' 

Since  the  deposits  are  confined  to  the  vein-filling  and 
do  not  as  a  rule  form  metasomatic  replacements  in  the 
wall-rock,  as  at  Cripple  Creek,  the  selective  preference 
which  any  bounding  wall-rock,  by  reason  of  its  more 
favorable  physical  or  chemical  properties  for  replace- 
ment, may  exert  in  favor  of  ore  deposition  seems  to  be 
practically  nil.  Accordingly,  there  is  no  apparent 
reason,  other  conditions  being  equal,  why  the  deposits 
should  not  be  equally  developed  in  any  one  of  several 
formations  through  which  the  fissure-vein  with  like 
strength  may  extend. 

The  deposits  consist  of  two  types:  those  in  which  the 
gangue  is  chiefly  quartz  and  adularia,  and  those  in 
which  it  is  chiefly  caleite.  The  source  of  the  quartz  and 
adularia  is  referred  to  the  silicious  magmas  and  that  of 
the  caleite  to  basic  or  andesitie  magmas  with  possible 
contributions  derived  from  underlying  limestones.  The 
former  carry  the  best  ore,  occur  mostly  in  the  undif- 
ferentiated volcanic  rocks  and  in  granite-porphyry  and 
have  a  general  north-west  south-east  trend.  The  latter 
seem  to  occur  mainly  in  the  green  chloritic  andesite  and 
trend  more  nearly  north-south.  Among  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  former  type  are  the  Gold  Road  and  Tom 
Reed  veins;  among  the  latter,  the  Pasadena,  Mossback, 
and  Meals.  In  some  cases  the  veins  are  associated  with 
boldly  cropping  silicified  dikes  of  which  the  deposits  in 
certain  instances  may  be  a  part  replacement. 

According  to  Platts,13  the  most  productive  veins,  such 
as  those  in  the  Tom  Reed,  United  Eastern,  and  Big  Jim 
mines,  are  in  a  complicated  series  of  fissures,  part  of 
which  strike  about  N  45°  "W,  and  others  N  60°  "W,  pro- 
ducing with  each  other  a  conjugated  system  with  numer- 
ous intersections  near  which  many  large  orebodies  are 
found. 

Surficially,  the  veins  seem  to  fall  mostly  into  four 
main  belts,14  which,  named  in  order  from  north  to  south, 
are  the  Gold  Road,  Tom  Reed,  Vivian,  and  Black  Range. 
The  Tom  Reed  belt  is  the  best  developed  and  contains 
the  most  interesting  discoveries. 

There  seem  also  to  be  two  or  more  horizons  or  vertical 
'ore-zones.'  The  largest  and  richest  orebodies  seem  in 
general  to  lie  in  a  zone  of  enriched  oxides  between  the 
300-ft.  and  500-ft.  levels.  Below  this  zone  the  ore  de- 
creases in  value,  but  continues  to  be  of  workable  grade 
beyond  the  deepest  point  yet  penetrated.  The  richness 
of  this  zone  as  suggested  by  Smith15  is  probably  due  to 
secondary  enrichment,  by  contributions  leached  from 
shallower  depths,  in  support  of  which  the  presence  of 
vugs  and  manganese  oxide  in  the  upper  part  of  the  veins 
is  cited.  This  view  is  also  corroborated  by  the  tendency 
of  the  zone  to  parallel  the  contour  of  the  surface.  For 
instance,  its  occurrence  at  about  the  same  distance  from 
the  surface  in  the  Gold  Road  mine  as  at  Oatman,  though 

13 J.  B.  Platts:  'Geology  of  Oatman,'  M.  &  S.  P.,  vol.  112,  No. 
23,  p.  S14  (June  3,  1916). 

"Leroy  A.  Palmer:  'The  Oatman  District,  Arizona,'  Eng.  A 
Min.  Jour.,  vol.  101,  No.  21,  p.  895  (May  20,  1916). 

isOp.  cit.,  p.  173. 


November  18,  1!>16 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


737 


at  correspondingly  greater  elevations  and  higher  geologic 
horizons.  The  gold  was  probably  precipitated  in  large 
part  along  with  the  manganese  oxide. 

If  the  thickness  of  600  or  800  ft.  assigned  to  the  green 
chloritic  andesite  be  correct,  this  Oatman  ore-zone,  or, 
more  generally  speaking,  the  triangular  area  of  sev- 
eral square  miles  comprised  between  the  Tom  Reed, 
Pioneer,  and  Pasa'dena  mines,  should  lie  mainly  in  this 
formation.  There  seems  to  be  also  present,  notably  at 
Oatman  and  vicinity,  a  shallow  or  surface  zone  of  leached 
oxides  to  which  pay-ore  found  at  or  near  the  surface  is 
generally  confined.  It  extends  to  depths  of  about  150  ft., 
between  which  and  the  zone  of  enriched  oxides,  or  300-ft. 
level,  lies  a  150-ft.  intermediate  zone  of  leached  or  rela- 
tively barren  ground,  although  the  valuable  ore-shoots, 
according  to  Sperr,10  almost  without  exception  come  at 
least  within  100  ft.  of  the  surface. 

These  two  zones  have  probably  suffered  about  the 
same  amount  of  leaching,  the  upper  zone  certainly  not 
less  than  the  intermediate  or  barren  zone.  The  upper 
zone  appears  to  owe  its  greater  ore-content  to  the  more 
silicious,  and  consequently  resistant,  character  of  the 
ore,  which  accordingly  better  withstands  the  process  of 
leaching. 

As  against  the  view  of  enrichment  by  leaching  and  re- 
deposition  in  the  main  zone  of  Platts17  who  holds  that 
the  ore  is  essentially  a  primary  deposit  formed  by  hot 
ascending  solutions,  that  from  the  nature  of  the  gangue 
it  is  evident  that  acid  solutions  could  not  exist,  and  that, 
except  for  the  oxidation  of  the  pyrite,  there  is  no  evi- 
dence of  the  action  of  surface-water  on  the  ore. 

It  seems  quite  possible,  as  suggested  by  one  writer, 
that  the  ground-water  table  in  the  district  may  be  in 
part  dependent  upon  the  neighboring  Colorado  river. 
If  this  view  be  correct,  physiographic  study  will  prob- 
ably  be  able  to  correlate  certain  horizon  features  of  the 
vertical  section  such  as  leaching,  with  relatively  pro- 
longed pauses  in  the  historical  down-cutting  of  the  river. 
It  does  not,  however,  seem  safe  to  assume  that  the  water- 
table  at  Oatman  coincides  with  the  level  of  the  Colorado 
river,  which  is  2000  ft.  lower  than  Oatman,  and  that 
therefore  the  ores,  if  they  persist  downward,  will  con- 
tinue to  be  oxidized  and  of  the  same  milling  character 
to  that  depth  as  advocated  by  Palmer.18  Owing  to  the 
greater  elevation  of  the  gathering  zone  on  the  east,  which 
probably  extends  to  the  Hualapai  mountains,  or  longitude 
of  Kingman,  the  ground-water  table  is  not  a  level  sur- 
face, but  gradually  rises  from  the  Colorado  river,  east- 
ward, and  at  Oatman  it  probably  stands  several  hundred 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  river. 

The  ore  occurs  chiefly  as  a  series  of  tabular  or  lenticu- 
lar ore-shoots  pitching  variously  within  the  vein,  with 
which  they  exhibit  some  degree  of  parallelism.  The 
shoots  vary  from  1  ft.  wide  to  the  width  of  the  vein. 
They  usually  carry  gold  for  their  full   width.     They 

i6 J.  D.  Sperr:  'Conversational  Geology  at  Oatman,  Ariz.,' 
Eng.  &  Min.  Jour.,  vol.  101,  No.  26,  p.  1119  (June  24,  1916). 

" J.  B.  Platts:   Op.  cit. 

isL.  A.  Palmer: Op.  cit.,  M.  &  S.  P.,  vol.  113,  No.  6,  p.  196 
(Aug.  5,  1916). 


range  up  to  nearly  1000  ft.  in  length  and  depth,  unci 
there  is  a  general  similarity  or  repetition  of  the  shoots 
in  the  same  vein.  They  seem  to  have  been  formed  by 
thermo-aqueous  processes  that  followed  igneous  activity. 
In  general,  the  quartz  and  values  favor  the  hanging  wall, 
which  is  generally  the  better  defined,  and  contains 
stringers  branching  off  obliquely  from  the  vein,  while 
the  spar  or  calcite  favors  the  foot-wall.  The  gold  is 
mostly  associated  with  the  quartz-adularia  gangue  and 
not  rarely  where  sulphides  have  existed,  it,  according  to 
Platts,10  occurs  in  hematite  (which  is  pseudomorphic 
after  pyrite)  in  the  quartz. 

According  to  Palmer,20  the  first  indications  of  the  vein 
encountered  in  sinking  are  small  stringers  of  quartz  and 
calcite  scattered  through  the  andesite,  usually  accom- 
panied by  slight  pyritization  in  the  vein-wall  andesite 
which  yields  a  little  free  gold  in  the  pan,  while  in  the 
ore-shoots  the  vein  matter  shows  pronounced  hematite 
and  manganese  stains.  It  is  said  that  the  problem  in 
development  is  not  so  much  the  finding  of  veins  as  the 
discovery  of  ore-shoots  in  the  veins,  that  nothing  suffi- 
ciently tangible  has  yet  been  found  to  use  as  the  basis 
for  a  theory  to  guide  the  operator  in  the  search  for  ore. 

Though  no  rigid  rule  can  be  laid  down  to  guide  the 
operator  in  search  for  ore,  nevertheless,  from  the  ap- 
parently well-established  facts  that  the  metallic  values 
have  been  largely  imported  by  the  replacement  quartz- 
adularia  solutions  and  that  more  gold  is  found  where  the 
replacement  of  calcite  is  most  nearly  complete,  in  formu- 
lating plans  of  exploration  much  benefit  in  most  cases 
should  be  derived  from  a  correlative  study  of  the  criteria 
indicating  the  probable  courses  followed  by  these  solu- 
tions, namely,  quartzose  vein  croppings,  silicified  wall- 
rock,  the  quartz  pseudomorphic  structures,  etc.,  which 
have  been  described.  It  was  the  quartz  adularia  or 
silicious  waxy-appearing  character  of  the  deposits  seen 
in  the  Tom  Reed  mine  and  the  recognition  of  their 
marked  similarity  to  the  then-producing  deposits  of  the 
Gold  Road  mine  that  apparently  led  to  the  resumption 
of  operations  in  the  Tom  Reed  mine. 

The  mine  of  the  Vermont  Copper  Company  at  South 
Strafford,  Vermont,  is  one  of  the  oldest  mines  in  the 
United  States,  having  been  first  opened  in  1793.  The 
ore  was  mined  to  make  copper  sulphate  and  over  1300 
men  were  employed  at  one  time.  More  recently  it  has 
been  operated  intermittently  as  a  copper  mine,  but  owing 
to  difficulties  in  smelting  at  each  attempt,  the  mine  was 
shut-down.  The  ore  is  pyrrhotite,  carrying  2  to  2.75% 
copper  as  chalcopyrite.  Some  experiments  were  made 
last  spring  in  treating  this  ore  by  pyrite  smelting,  and 
these  experiments  were  successful.  The  mine  is  now 
under  development  to  increase  the  tonnage  available  be- 
fore further  improvements  are  made. 


Tailing  is  treated  in  Cornwall  for  its  tin-content,  and 
during  August,  10,876  tons  yielded  37.3  tons  of  black 
tin,  containing  70%  metal. 


is  J.  B.  Platts:   Op.  cit. 
2°L.  A.  Palmer:   Op.  cit., 


p.  896. 


738 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRES£ 


November  18,   1916 


The   Importance   of   Efficient   Settling   of 


By     Paul     W.     Avery 


In  many  cyanide  plants  where  fine  grinding  is  prac- 
tised, the  thickening  of  the  slime  to  a  1: 1  or  a  1:  1A 
ratio  (solid  :  liquid)  is  often  a  serious  problem.  I  say 
'serious'  because  a  thick  pulp  for  the  filters  is  impera- 
tive in  order  to  secure  quick  filling  and  a  good  uniform 
cake.  It  is  also  serious  from  the  standpoint  of  dissolved 
inHal,  cyanide,  and  water  losses. 

Tin'  filter-press  in  many  slime  plants  is  the  determin- 
ing factor  of  the  daily  tonnage  to  be  treated,  and  every 
condition  that  tends  toward  shortening  the  press-cycle 
with  good  results  metallurgically,  is  most  desirable. 

Thin  pulp-feed  decreases  filter-press  capacity,  some- 
limi's  In  ;iii  alarming  degree.  In  one  instance  observed 
by  me,  30  minutes  was  required  to  charge  with  a  thin 
pulp  and  only  10  minutes  with  a  thick  one.  Sometimes 
thin  pulps  are  the  result  of  carelessness  on  the  part  of 
the  mill-man,  he  deeming  it  an  unnecessary  detail  to 
take  specific  gravities  at  regular  intervals.  It  is  quite  a 
simple  thing  to  make  this  only  a  matter  of  routine.  In 
Mexico  and  in  Central  America  I  have  trained  peones, 
who  could  hardly  read  or  write,  to  take  specific  gravities 
with  accuracy.  We  were  able  thereby  to  control  the 
work  of  tin'  thickening  devices  to  a  notable  degree. 

To  me  the  securing  of  a  thick  pulp  for  press-feed  is 
the  most  important  thing  in  shortening  the  cycle.  Just 
how  to  secure  a  thick  pulp  is  a  puzzle  when  one  finds  by 
experiment  and  actual  mill-runs  that  the  economic  limit 
of  slime-settling  is  around  If  or  2:1  (S  :  L)  on  con- 
tinuous discharge  from  the  Dorr  thickeners. 

Manufacturers  of  filters  usually  insist  that  the  feed 
must  be  1 : 1  or  better  to  get  the  requisite  capacity  out 
of  their  press.  Often  upon  starting  a  new  plant,  to  the 
chagrin  of  all  concerned,  the  press  falls  down  on  its 
rated  capacity  by  25%  or  more.  Blame  is  placed  im- 
mediately by  the  mine  management  on  the  manufac- 
turer of  the  filter,  who,  to  vindicate  his  claims,  sends  a 


representative  to  straighten  out  the  difficulty  if  possible. 
Nine  times  out  of  ten  he  finds  that  the  changes  neces- 
sary are  not  in  his  department,  but  in  the  thickening 
end  of  the  plant,  where  perhaps  he  discovers  the  specific 
gravity  of  the  press-feed  to  be  around  1.25  or  1.30,  re- 
quiring three  times  as  long  to  charge  the  press  as  with  a 
feed  of  1.45. 

This  factor  is  most  important,  and  is  often  disre- 
garded by  mill-men.  One  small  plant,  which  I  investi- 
gated recently,  raised  its  tonnage  nearly  100%  by  close 
observance  of  this  important  detail.  In  order  to  find 
the  economic  limit  of  settling  of  a  slime,  I  think  the 
method  described  by  M.  D.  H.  Forbes  in  the  Engineering 
&  Mining  Journal  of  February  24,  1912,  is  a  good  one 
to  follow.  In  the  March  Bulletin  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers,  H.  S.  Coe  and  G.  H  Clev- 
enger  have  a  splendid  paper  on  the  latest  research  in 
this  department  of  cyanidation. 

I  shall  give  a  brief  outline  of  how  we  determined  the 
economic  limit  of  settling  on  the  several  slimes  we  have 
at  this  property  and  the  changes  we  are  making  in  the 
hope  of  overcoming  the  conditions  previously  outlined. 

Seven  different  slimes  were  treated  in  the  series  of 
settling  tests,  the  results  of  which  are  plotted  in  the 
large  curves  on  the  left-hand  side.  These  slimes  have 
the  following  names:  San  Carlos  Sulphide,  Oxide  Slime 
Dump,  Sand  Dump,  Descubridora,  San  Rafael  Hanging- 
Wall  Fills,  West  Vein  Sulphide  Fills,  Main  San  Rafael 
(virgin  ore).  The  ordinates  are  represented  by  per- 
centages, namely,  the  volume  of  the  clear  water  in  centi- 
metres divided  by  the  volume  of  the  pulp  in  centimetres, 
the  abscissa?  being  represented  by  dilution  of  the  pulp 
or  grams  of  solids  per  litre. 

The  following  (Table  I)  is  a  tabulation  of  the  tests 
on  one  slime  from  which  the  corresponding  curve  on  the 
diagram  was  plotted.     It  will  be  observed  that  tests 


TABLE 

I 

Dilution 

Settlino  Tests— 

■Sand   Dump 

Km.  jier 

litre  of 

Depth  clear  liquid, 

in  mm 

,  at  end  of 

Tie 

%  at  end  of — 

> 

' 

.. 

pulp 

5  min. 

10  min. 

15  min.        20  min. 

5  min. 

10  min. 

15  min. 

20  min. 

Remarks 

97 

4» 

7 

10 

15 

1.06 

1.85 

2.65 

3.90 

H.0  only 

97 

230 

334 

338 

343 

61.10 

88.70 

89.70 

90.60 

16S  gm.  CaO 

186 

0* 

12 

16 

0.00 

3.19 

4.25 

H,0  only 

186 

131 

246 

280 

292 

34.80 

65.40 

74.20 

77.40 

168  gm.  CaO 

48.5 

12 

20 

23 

28 

3.1S 

5.30 

6.10 

7.43 

H„0  only 

48.5 

350 

355 

355 

356 

92.80 

94.40 

94.40 

94.45 

196  gm.  CaO 

420 

23* 

44. 

68 

85 

6.11 

11.70 

1S.00 

22.50 

H.0  only 

420 

37 

69 

98 

125 

9.80 

1S.30 

25.90 

33.20 

84  gm.  CaO 

•Murky. 

In  each  case  the  tube  was 

vertical,  it  had  a  diameter  of  6  cm.,  and  the  depth  of  the  pull 

was  37.7  cm. 

Screen  tests: 

+  150 

=   0.55% 

+  200 

=  15.40 

—  200 

=  84.05 

November  18,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


739 


TABLE    II 


Dilution 

Settling  Tbsts — West  Vein  Sulphide 

Depth 

gm.  per 

of  pulp 

litre  of 

,— Depth  clear  liquid,  in  mm 

„  at  end  of-^ 

-      p     % 

at  end  of 

^ 

t 

cm. 

pulp 

5  min. 

10  min. 

15  min. 

20  min. 

5  min. 

10  min. 

15  min. 

20  min. 

Remarks 

37.7 

97 

160 

287 

322 

330 

42.5 

76.2 

85.5 

87.5 

H,0  only 

37.7 

97 

240 

275 

296 

301 

63.6 

73.0 

78.5 

79.9 

Trace  CaO 

37.7 

97 

200 

254 

269 

277 

53.1 

67.4 

71.4 

73.5 

196  gm.  CaO  per 

ton 

37.7 

1S6 

82 

150 

217 

259 

21.7 

39.8 

57.6 

68.6 

H.O  only 

37.7 

186 

77 

127 

165 

193 

20.4 

33.7 

43.7 

51.1 

Trace  CaO 

37.7 

186 

75 

126 

170 

210 

19.8 

33.4 

45.0 

55.7 

84  gm.  CaO 

34.2 

48.5 

282 

316 

318 

320 

82.5 

92.5 

93.0 

93.5 

H20  only 

34.2 

48.5 

247 

281 

285 

289 

72.5 

82.3 

83.5 

84.5 

448  gm.  CaO 

34.2 

48.5 

270 

282 

288 

292 

79.0 

32.5 

84.3 

85.5 

Trace  CaO 

37.7 

420 

9 

16 

22 

32 

2.39 

4.24 

5.84 

8.49 

H.O  only 

37.7 

420 

12 

19 

2S 

36 

3.1S 

5.05 

7.44 

9.56 

Trace  CaO 

37.7 

420 

13 

22 

30 

37 

3.44 

5.83 

7.96 

9.80 

56  gm.  CaO 

37.7 

390 

14* 

26 

47 

55 

3.72 

6.90 

12.45 

14.60 

H.O  only 

37.7 

390 

14 

25 

39 

52 

3.72 

6.63 

10.30 

13.80 

Trace  CaO 

37.7 

390 

7 

16 

27 

37 

1.85 

4.24 

7.15 

9.84 

924  gm.  CaO 

•Murky.    In  each  case  the  tube  was  verl 

;ical  and  had  a  diameter  of  6 

cm. 

Screen 

tests: 

+  150=   0.50% 

+  200  =  14.90 

— ; 

>00  =  S4.60 

TABLE  III 

Dilution 

Settling  Tests- 

-Mixed  Slime* 

Depth 

gm.  per 

of  pulp 

litre  of 

, — Depth  clear  liquid, 

in  mm.. 

at  end  of^ 

-   11"  %  at 

end  of  — 

V 

t 

cm. 

pulp 

5  min. 

10  min. 

15  min. 

20  min. 

5  min. 

10  min. 

15  min. 

20  min. 

Remarks 

37.7 

97 

186 

315 

327 

330 

49.3 

83.6 

86.9 

S7.5 

H.O  only 

37.7 

97 

277 

292 

299 

303 

73.4 

77.4 

79.4 

80.4 

Traces  CaO 

37.7 

97 

210 

25S 

288 

299 

55.S 

68.5 

76.4 

78.3 

1010  gm.  CaO 

37.7 

186 

121 

194 

255 

273 

32.1 

51.6 

67.6 

73.5 

H.O  only 

37.7 

1S6 

77 

128 

167 

199 

20.4 

34.0 

44.3 

52.9 

252  gm.  CaO 

37.7 

1S6 

50 

92 

131 

161 

13.2 

24.4 

34.8 

42.7 

1030  gm.  CaO 

34.2 

48.5 

316 

319 

319 

319 

92.5 

93.5 

93.5 

93.5 

H.O  only 

34.2 

4S.5 

290 

298 

300 

300 

84.9 

87.1 

87.S 

87.8 

448  gm.  CaO 

34.2 

48.5 

271 

291 

295 

296 

79.4 

85.0 

86.4 

86.6 

1320  gm.  CaO 

34.2 

420 

15 

29 

43 

58 

4.40 

8.49 

12.60 

17.00 

H.O  only 

34.2 

420 

16 

25 

38 

52 

4.70 

7.30 

11.10 

15.20 

140  gm.  CaO 

34.2 

420 

11 

21 

34 

42 

3.22 

6.15 

9.85 

12.30 

1000  gm.  CaO 

"Old  West  vein  =60% 

San  Carlos 

=    5 

Sand  dump 

=  10 

Slime  dump 

=  25 

In  each 

case  the  tube  was  vertical  and  had  a  diameter  of  6  cubic  centimetres. 

were  conducted  both  with  and  without  an  electrolyte, 
which  with  this  slime  produces  a  marked  effect  on  the 
rate  of  settling. 

I  give  another  tabulation  showing  that  the  addition  of 
lime  has  a  marked  retarding  effect  on  the  slime  settle- 
ment, that  is,  the  settling  in  pure  water  is  more  rapid 
than  with  the  electrolyte.  This  is  the  only  slime  here 
(at  El  Oro)  that  exhibits  this  freak  phenomenon.  (See 
Table  II.)  When  this  slime  is  mixed  with  other  slimes 
in  the  following  proportions,  the  presence  of  lime  has 
almost  the  same  retarding  effect  as  the  slime  alone. 
Slime  Mixtube 

%  % 

Old   West  vein-fill 60      Sand   dump    10 

San  Carlos  5      Slime    dump    25 

It  appears  from  the  above  that,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  use  of  excessive  alkalinity  is  a  serious  mistake. 


Even  with  slimes  that  settle  well  with  lime,  an  excess  of 
the  latter  increases  the  viscosity  of  the  solution,  which 
in  itself  retards  settling.  This  anyone  can  prove  to  his 
own  satisfaction. 

After  the  curves  had  been  plotted,  the  points  where 
they  cut  the  5%  efficiency  line  were  noted  and  these 
points  were  then  placed  in  the  settling  scale  (an  arbi- 
trary scale  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner)  to  fix  their 
settling  number.  For  example,  the  San  Carlos  curve 
cuts  the  5%  efficiency  line  close  to  400  gm.  per  litre, 
which  corresponds  to  a  settling  number  of  1.  This  num- 
ber placed  on  the  settling  cross-section  scale  immediately 
below  corresponds  to  one  square  foot  per  ton  of  dry 
slime.  In  this  manner  the  approximate  area  of  tankage 
was  computed  for  certain  mixtures  of  slimes  expected 
in  the  daily  routine  of  the  plant.  It  will  be  seen,  how- 
ever, in  studying  the  large  curves  that  the  majority 


740 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


Time    In  Minutes. 
CUBVE   II.       RELATION    OF   PULP-THICKENING   AND   FILLING-TIME. 


metric  tons.  An  increase  in  pressure  of  4  lb.,  or  a  total 
of  30  lb.,  raises  the  tonnage  per  cycle  to  19.2.  In  the 
case  of  the  1 :  2  pulp,  with  a  pressure  of  26  lb.,  the  press 
will  receive  15.15  tons,  with  conditions  the  same  and 
charging  at  30  lb.  the  press  will  receive  15.9  tons.  A 
change  in  our  flow-sheet  has  enabled  us  to  increase  our 
filling-pressure,  which  will  no  doubt  be  found  advan- 
tageous when  the  plant  is  running  again. 

In  order  to  approach  the  1:1  pulp  we  decided  upon 
intermittent  discharge  of  the  thickeners,  in  place  of  the 
continuous  system.  Intermittent  discharge  may  be  ac- 
complished in  several  ways  either  by  using  some  me- 
chanical device  for  opening  and  closing  the  discharge- 
valves  or  with  an  electric  mechanism  giving  an  overload- 
alarm  that  rings  when  the  rakes  are  ploughing  through 
a  heavy  charge  of  slime.  This  latter  may  be  made  auto- 
matic as  well  (Dorr  electric  automatic  device)  or  it  may 
be  operated  by  an  attendant,  who,  when  warned,  dis- 
charges the  tank  until  the  alarm  stops  ringing  or  an 
electric  light  goes  out.  The  following  is  a  sketch  of  the 
automatic  rig  for  opening  and  closing  the  discharge- 
valves  on  all  our  thickener-tanks. 

According  to  The  Mining  Magazine,  the  Anaconda  has 
also  designed  an  automatic  opening  and  closing  device 
for  intermittent  discharge ;  the  Dorr  Company  furnishes 
an  automatic  device  with  their  tanks  if  desired. 

Our  tests  show  that  in  order  to  obtain  a  1 : 1  pulp,  time 
must  be  allowed  for  the  upper  layers  or  zones  of  slime  to 


A    Worm-gear  on  Dorr  tank. 
B-B'   Arms  with   friction-clutches   clamped   to   central   shaft. 
One  opens  the  valve  and  the  other  closes  it. 
C    Spur-gear. 

D    Pulley  keyed  to  shaft  E.    This  pulley  makes  about  a  90° 
turn  in  one  direction  when  clutch  C  passes  over  and  a  90°  turn 
in  the  opposite  direction  when  clutch  B  passes  under. 
E    Horizontal  shaft.       F    Bevel-gears. 
Plug-cock  connected  to  vertical  shaft. 
Launder  carrying  thick  pulp. 
Discharge-pipe  connected  to  bottom  of  tank. 
Rakes.        K    Vertical  shaft. 
Note:   Arms  B  and   C  should  be  set  after  determining  ex- 
perimentally the  time  required  for  settling  and  the  time  for 
discharge  of  the  thickened  pulp  in  order  to  secure  the  desired 
specific  gravity  of  discharge. 


G 
H 
I 
J 


November  18,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


741 


Settling  Scale. 
J  Z. 


KX)r 

$5  - 


5%£fficiency  Line. 


0    25  SO 

I  Dilution  'of  Pulp-  Grams  of.  Solids  per  Litre. 

§         §  ^     5  5  ^  i 

Patios  of  Solids  to  Liquids  by  Weight. 

Settling  Cross  Section  -So.  ft  per  Ton  Dry  Slime  -Depth  4-6  ft  -N" 
40  30       ZO     IS         10  5    4     3  Z  I 


1 

6    S          4 

Lr 

Spftling 

7  A- 

Scale  -S . 
Z 

05 

100        ISO        ZOO       Z50       300      3S0      400 
Dilution-  Grams  Solids  per  Litre  of  Pulpa"D" 

Formula:  Required  Area  of  SettlingTanks-%  fTN,  where 

T=  Tons  dry  slime  per  24hours  to  be  settled  to  practical  limit 

S=Number  of  Slime  in  Settling  Scale. 

N-Number  on  Settling  Cross  Section  above  S. 

Dc  Number  on  Dilution  Scale,  below  S. 

a '^Dilution  (in  grams  per  litre)  of  pulp  to  be  thickened. 

f=Experimentally  determined  factor  for  liquid  used  for  slimes. 

above  4 in  Settling  Scald  f=  0.5 applied  in  weak  lime  or  cyanide 

solution  for  water,  f  = 
lOOt — 


120    137  150  06  ZOO     Z27       Z50  191  300  3Z4        350        380    400   4Z0         450   468  500 

i        |  Dilution  of  Pulp  — !  Grams  per  Litre.  fei  I       Si  I  fet  I  !  *>\ 

Ratios  o.' Solids  to  Liquids  by  Weight. 

CURVE  I.       SETTLING-RATIOS  OF  SLIMES  FROM  TABLES  I,  II,  AND   III. 


S34  550 


flatten  out  toward  the  zero  efficiency  line  at  a  dilution 
of  534  gm.  per  litre  or  a  solid  to  liquid  ratio  of  1 :  \\. 
This  we  found  to  be  the  case  in  actual  practice.  If  spe- 
cial care  was  taken  we  could  obtain  pulp  with  a  solid  to 
liquid  ratio  of  1 :  14,  but  averages  over  weeks  and  months 
showed  ratios  close  to  If :  1.  With  such  a  pulp-feed 
from  20  to  30  minutes  were  required  to  charge  the  Mer- 
rill presses.  After  considerable  work  with  a  small  filter- 
press  and  monteju  equipment  in  our  metallurgical  lab- 
oratory, we  found  by  thickening  the  pulp  to  1 : 1  it  was 
possible  to  charge  in  one-third  the  time  (see  Curve  II). 
In  this  set  of  curves  it  will  be  noted  that  three  degrees 


of  thickness  of  the  slime  were  tried,  namely,  1:1: 1  \, 
and  1:2  (S  :  L).  In  four  minutes  of  filling  time  a 
1:1  pulp  will  charge  (calculated  from  tests)  the  large 
filters  with  16.2  dry  metric  tons;  a  1 :  If  pulp,  with  13.8 
tons ;  and  a  1 :  2  pulp  with  12.2  tons.  The  gain  in  ton- 
nage per  cycle  with  the  1 : 1  pulp  over  the  1 :  2  pulp  is 
4.0  tons.  With  about  80  cycles  per  24  hours  the  total 
gain  will  be  320  tons. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  call  attention  to  the  tonnage 
effect  of  increased  pressure  in  filling  (see  Curve  II). 
After  10  minutes'  charging  with  1 :  \\  pulp  at  26-lb. 
pressure,  the  average  large  filter  will  receive  17.3  dry 


742 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


mingle  with  the  lowest,  thus  causing  compression  with  a 
removal  of  interstitial  fluid.  As  shown  clearly  by  Clev- 
enger  and  Coe,  the  degree  of  thickening  in  the  compres- 
sion zone  is  a  function  of  time.  This  law  was  proved 
here  in  actual  practice  on  a  pyritie  concentrate,  99%  of 
which  passed  a  200-mesh  screen.  About  15  tons  of  this 
concentrate  was  ground  daily  in  a  special  circuit  of  its 
own.  It  was  necessary,  on  account  of  limited  tank- 
capacity,  to  get  this  pulp  as  thick  as  possible.  Continu- 
ous discharge  gave  a  pulp  of  1 :  3  solid  to  liquid  ratio. 

By  closing  the  discharge-valve  and  allowing  the  tank 
to  settle  for  as  long  as  eight  hours  we  secured  a  pulp 
with  a  moisture  content  as  low  as  45%.  In  cases  like 
this  an  overload-alarm  would  be  the  correct  thing  to 
use.  The  spring  could  be  set  to  give  the  alarm  when 
the  rakes  had  picked  up  a  pulp  dry  enough  for  discharge. 


Concentration  of  Molyb- 


Treatment  of  molybdenite  is  not  an  easy  problem, 
according  to  Herman  Fleck  of  the  Colorado  School  of 
Mines.  Nearly  everything  has  been  tried  of  an  ore- 
dressing  nature  on  the  molybdenum  ores — no  two  of 
which  are  alike — and,  on  the  whole,  with  surprisingly  in- 
teresting results.  Molybdenite  is  different  from  most 
minerals.  It  is  heavy  like  a  metallic  sulphide  and  be- 
haves in  part  like  these,  and  then  it  is  flexible,  and  not 
brittle,  with  strong  basal  cleavage  and  a  tendency  to 
flake  like  graphite  or  mica.  Ordinary  methods  of  con- 
centration are  hardly  applicable.  Complex  ores,  there- 
fore, add  to  the  metallurgist's  troubles,  and  the  physical 
condition  of  the  molybdenite  is  another  consideration. 
This  is  as  follows:  (1)  coarse  flaky  pieces  or  particles; 
(2)  fine  flaky  particles  or  grains;  (3)  both  1  and  2;  and 
(4)  thin  flakes  or  filmy  coverings.  The  nature  of  the 
gangue  material  plays  an  important  part.  A  filmy 
molybdenite  deposited  in  seams  of  a  hard  quartz  is  an 
extreme  example  of  refractoriness.  A  coarse-grained 
granite  or  pegmatite,  carrying  coarse  mineral,  is  the 
other  extreme.  When  associated  minerals,  pyrite,  chalco- 
pyrite,  bismutite,  native  bismuth,  chalcocite,  their  ox- 
idation products,  or  mica  and  pyroxene,  or  perhaps  sev- 
eral of  these  are  present  in  either  of  the  cases  above,  the 
problem  becomes  complex.  However,  combinations  of 
heat,  newer  principles,  such  as  flotation,  magnetic  and 
electrostatic  separation,  have  done  much  to  recover  good 
concentrate  from  ore  that  was  looked  on  unfavorably  a 
few  years  ago.  Only  rarely  does  the  mineral  occur  so 
coarsely  divided  that  it  may  be  hand-picked. 


nit  of   the   Disseminated- 
Copper  Mines 


Reports  of  the  four  porphyry  copper  companies  for 
the  third  quarter  of  1916  will  soon  be  available,  from 
which  interesting  abstracts  will  be  obtained.  Mean- 
while a  comparison  of  the  yields  for  the  first  9  months 
of  1916  and  1913  is  worth  study.  These  are  as  follows, 
in  pounds: 

Chino 

1916  1913 

January    5,316,975  3,440,274 

February    4,617,220  4,018,789 

March     6,333,255  4,602,809 

April     4,496,270  4,046,813 

May     6,359,294  4,067,486 

June    7,243,618  3,876,533 

July 6,883,403  4,893,325 

August     '. 6,326,116  6,650,S67 

September     7,397,204  4,435,873 

Nevada  Consolidated 

January 6,157,862  5,169,708 

February    6,533,412  4,798,537 

March     6,565,559  5,555,320 

April     7,716,101  5,650,608 

May     7,723,148  5,933,275 

June    8,651,772  6,344,863 

July    S,537,231  5.403,919 

August     7,688,014  5,989,973 

September     8,360,180  4,441,671 

Ray  Consolidated 

January    4,263,440  3,869,006 

February     5,767,087  4,007,918 

March     6,379,581  4,422,872 

April     6.294,033  4,514,565 

May     6,278,611  4,405,217 

June    6,59S,594  4,392,612 

July    6,834,492  2,526,000 

August     6,597,032  4,401,566 

September    6,250,937  4,470,551 

Utah  Coffee 

January    11,999,910  7,560,521 

February    11,849,972  7,819,900 

March     12,714,651  8,504,040 

April     14,557,282  9,834,894 

May     15,950,215  10,312,695 

June    17,877,432  11,637,949 

July    20,302,228  9,849,043 

August    20,315,440  10,620,981 

September    20,462,256  11,817,428 

In  several  cases  the  monthly  outputs  in  1913  will  be 
found  equal  to  those  in  1916,  but  the  rate  of  production 
in  November  of  the  current  year  is  far  in  advance,  being 

practically  the  limit,  until  additional  plant  under  con- 
struction is  completed. 


Low  native  wages  on  the  Band  has  not  resulted  in 
notably  low-working  costs,  though  the  ratio  of  labor- 
cost  to  total  cost  is  somewhat  below  the  probable  average, 
according  to  H.  F.  Bain,  who  recently  studied  condi- 
tions in  that  region.  Native  efficiency  is  low,  requiring 
highly-paid  supervision.  One  white  man  is  paid  more 
than  8  to  10  Kaffirs. 


Paleontology  is  a  highly  specialized  branch  of  geol- 
ogy, and  many  economic  geologists  have  at  most  no  more 
than  a  superficial  knowledge  of  this  science.  When  accu- 
rate determinations  of  fossils  become  necessary  in  order 
to  fix  the  geological  age  of  certain  strata,  such  engineers 
and  geologists  usually  submit  the  fossils  they  may  have 
collected  for  this  purpose  to  experienced  paleontologists. 


November  18.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


74:! 


Two  Washington   Mining   Districts 


I  y      S  o  Is  «  <r  4 


3  v  i  ii  s  .ui  .i  a  t 


Introduction.  In  opposite  corners  of  the  State  of 
Washington  there  are  two  mining  camps  comparatively 
unknown  to  the  outside  world,  in  spite  of  considerable 

expenditures  for  development.  The  first,  in  tile  north- 
east corner,  is  that  of  Metaline  Falls;  the  second,  in  the 
south-west  corner,  is  that  of  Bald  Mountain. 

Metaline  Falls  is  a  town  of  2000  people  and  is  the 
terminus  of  the  Idaho  &  Washington  railway  at  a  point 
127  miles  north  of  Spokane,  and  at  an  elevation  of  2000 
ft.  above  sea.  The  town  lies  on  the  east  hank  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alene  river,  which  is  the  only  stream  of  the 
district  and  forms  the  central  feature  of  the  mountainous 
landscape.  The  country-rock  of  the  valley-bottom  and 
adjoining  cliffs  is  limestone,  which  rock,  with  some 
valley-clays,  furnishes  the  raw  material  to  the  1000-bbl. 
plant  of  the  Inland  Portland  company  at  Metaline  Falls. 
Of  the  metal  mines,  the  only  producer  is  the  Larsen,  but 
the  Oriole,  the  Shellenberg,  the  Orandview,  the  Morning, 
and  the  Riverside  are  partly  developed.  Of  these,  only 
the  first  two  lie  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  all  save 
the  Oriole  are  in  the  limestone  formation. 

The  Larsen  property  follows  some  low  hills  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river.  The  first  work  at  this  mine  was 
done  some  years  ago  by  prospectors  who  sank  a  45-ft. 
vertical  shaft  to  a  small  zinc  vein  and  then  followed  the 
vein  down  a  short  distance  by  an  incline.  When  the 
property  was  re-opened  last  year,  the  old  work  was  found 
to  have  been  done  on  a  branch  vein  and  the  recent  out- 
put has  been  obtained  from  an  open  pit  a  hundred  yards 
south.  The  open  work  has  excavated  the  ore  from  the 
surface  to  the  50-ft.  level,  where  the  vein  appears  to  be  a 
fissure,  15  ft.  wide,  striking  north  and  dipping  60°  west. 
The  vein  has  well-defined  limestone  walls,  with  a  filling 
of  quartz  and  calcite,  showing  a  dissemination  of  small 
crystals  of  sphalerite  of  the  resin-jack  variety.  Near 
the  surface  there  appears  white  smithsonite,  and  small 
bunches  of  galena  occur  at  intervals  in  the  vein  among 
the  crystals  of  zinc. 

The  open  pit  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  a  fault  and 
extends  50  yards  north.  The  broken  ore,  with  little  or 
no  sorting,  is  drawn  from  the  pit  to  the  mill  in  trains  of 
four  2500-lb.  cars,  by  a  Percheron  horse  over  a  tramway 
of  18-in.  gauge  and  a  quarter-mile  long.  To  develop  the 
vein  below  the  pit-floor,  the  tramway  has  been  extended 
north  along  the  hillside  to  a  new  inclined  shaft,  which  is 
being  sunk  on  the  vein  about  half-way  between  the  south 
fault  and  the  aforesaid  prospector's  shaft  to  the  north. 
The  new  shaft  has  two  compartments  and  is  operated  by 
an  electric  hoist.  In  fact,  all  the  power  for  mine  and 
mill  is  now  supplied  by  wire  from  the  hydro-electric 

"Consulting  engineer,  Puebla  City,  Mexico. 


plant  of  the  cement  works  al  Metaline  Falls,  the  current 
in  use  being  440  volts,  60  cycles,  and  3  phases.  For  rock- 
drilling,  hammer-drills  are  used,  fed  with  air  by  a  belt- 
driven  compressor. 

The  mill-building  is  a  wooden  structure  built  in  two 
parts  on  a  hillside.  The  upper  half  contains  the  sort- 
ing-house and  rests  on  a  gentle  slope  whence  there  is  a 
sharp  drop  for  50  ft,  down  a  cliff  to  the  washing-house 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  above  the  wagon-road.  In  the  sort- 
ing-house there  is  only  a  9  by  14-in.  Blake  jaw-crusher, 
which  discharges  onto  an  18-in.  rubber  sorting-belt  15  ft. 
long,  whence  the  ore  is  spouted  dry  to  the  washing-house. 
Here  the  ore  enters  a  Chalmers  &  Williams  ball-mill,  6 
ft,  long,  5  ft.  diam.,  running  at  29  r.p.m.,  the  discharge 


MAP  OF  THE  STATE  OF  WASHINGTON. 

being  lifted  by  a  rubber  bucket-elevator  and  divided  for 
screening  to  14-mesh  between  a  3  by  6-ft.  trommel  and  a 
Wood  revolving  conical  screen.  The  screen-oversize  re- 
turns to  the  ball-mill,  while  the  undersize  is  dewatered 
by  an  inclined  drag-conveyor  made  of  angle-iron  scrap- 
ers bolted  to  a  10-in.  rubber  belt.  This  last  discharges 
the  dewatered  pulp  into  a  rising-current  classifier.  Five 
classifier-spigots  each  feed  an  Overstrom  sand-table,  each 
of  which  produces  a  lead  heading,  a  zinc  middling,  and 
a  tailing  that  descends  to  the  settling-pond.  The  classi- 
fier-overflow runs  to  two  9-ft.  Callow  cones,  the  settling 
from  which  is  treated  on  11  Overstrom  slime-tables; 
these  last  yielding  the  same  lead  and  zinc  products  as  the 
sand-tables,  and  a  tailing  that  accompanies  the  overflow 
of  the  Callow  cones  to  the  settling-pond.  The  lead  bead- 
ing and  zinc  middling  of  the  Overstroms  are  both  ship- 
ping products  and  they  fall  to  wooden  bins  on  the  low- 
est level.  Here,  after  drainage,  they  are  shoveled  into 
steel  Koppel  self-dumping  boxes  mounted  on  four-wheel 
wagons,  which  are  hauled  by  horses  to  the  gasoline-motor 
ferry  at  the  town  of  Metaline.  and  transferred  to  the 


744 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


railroad  box-cars,  waiting  across  the  river  at  Metaline 
Falls,  to  be  taken  to  the  Missouri  smelters.  The  zinc 
concentrate  assays  50  to  54%  zinc;  this  leaves  a  good 
profit  at  present,  in  spite  of  the  high  freightage  of  about 
$12  per  ton.  The  lead  concentrate  is  only  10%  of  the 
shipment  and  is  thus  insignificant  in  quantity.  The  mill 
was  started  in  August  1915,  and  has  since  then  been 
handling  2500  to  2800  tons  per  month  of  crude  ore  assay- 
ing 8  to  14%  zinc.  It  is  planned  later  to  erect  a  flotation 
plant  to  re-treat  the  tailing  now  being  stored  in  the 
settling-pond. 

The  Oriole  mine  is  two  miles  north-west  of  Metaline, 
and  is  owned  by  the  Metaline  Oriole  company  of  Spo- 
kane. The  mine  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  a  gulch 
running  north  into  the  quartzite  hills  on  the  west  side  of 
the  limestone  valley  of  the  Pend  d 'Oreille  river.  An  adit 
has  followed  the  vein  eastward  for  880  ft.  and  midway  is 
connected  by  an  incline-shaft  with  the  surface.  The 
vein  is  a  fissure  1  to  6  ft.  wide,  it  dips  50°  north,  and  is 
filled  with  quartz  containing  galena,  sphalerite,  pyrite, 
and  chalcopyrite.  The  sorted  ore  runs  35%  each  of  zinc 
and  lead,  30  oz.  of  silver,  and  a  little  copper.  Such  a 
composition  means  a  hard  nut  for  the  smelter  and  neces- 
sitates some  sort  of  separation  at  the  mine  before  ship- 
ment. 

Shellenberg.  The  development  here  consists  of  a 
number  of  shallow  shafts  or  pits  on  the  top  of  a  300-ft. 
bluff  east  of  the  river  and  a  mile  north  of  Metaline  Falls. 
The  outcrops  opened  by  the  pits  show  quartz  pockets,  up 
to  30  ft.  long  and  20  ft.  wide,  with  a  sprinkling  of  galena 
nodules.  The  ore  on  the  dump  runs  from  20  to  60% 
lead,  but,  like  all  the  galena  of  this  district,  it  is  poor  in 
silver,  containing  only  2  or  3  oz.  per  ton. 

Grandvfew.  This  prospect  lies  on  the  bluff  north  of 
the  Shellenberg,  and  is  developed  by  two  adits  driven 
east  into  the  face  of  the  cliff  above  the  river.  The  first 
adit  discovers  nothing  in  its  50  ft.  of  length,  but  the 
other  adit  cuts  a  cross-fissure  at  75  ft.  from  its  mouth, 
and  by  a  stope  driven  upward,  farther  in,  reveals  a  clay- 
like filling  interspersed  with  large  boulders  of  quartz  and 
galena. 

Morning.  This  property  is  opened  by  a  400-ft.  ver- 
tical shaft  placed  100  ft.  above  the  river  and  three  miles 
north  of  Metaline  Falls.  Besides  two  adits  almost  a  mile 
of  underground  cross-cutting  and  driving  has  been  done 
from  the  shaft  at  the  80-ft.,  200-ft,  and  400-ft.  levels. 
This  work  has  been  done  with  a  view  to  exploring  in 
depth  the  outcrops  of  galena,  but  so  far  the  mine  has  not 
become  a  shipper.  Besides  the  hoisting-house,  office, 
and  bunk-house,  there  is  a  complete  equipment  of  ma- 
chinery. A  horizontal  return-tubular  boiler  of  80  hp. 
supplies  steam  for  the  second-motion  single-drum  hoist, 
which  handles  the  ore-bucket,  and  for  a  5-drill  straight- 
line  compressor,  which  supplies  air  for  drills  and  pumps. 
The  400-ft.  level  is  more  than  200  ft.  below  the  level  of 
the  river,  and  the  seepage  is  from  50  to  100  gallons  per 
minute,  according  to  the  season. 

Riverside.  This  ground  lies  four  miles  north  of  the 
Morning  mine  and  is  opened  by  an  adit  driven  into  a 


300-ft.  limestone  cliff  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  at  a 
point  about  half-way  to  the  top.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
adit  there  is  an  outcrop  of  iron  ore  showing  bunches  of 
galena,  but  this  was  soon  penetrated,  when  opened  a  few 
years  ago,  and  as  no  more  ore  could  be  discovered,  the 
mine  was  shut-down. 

The  Bald  Mountain  district  is  in  Skamania  county, 
near  the  north  bank  of  the  Columbia  river.  The  railroad 
station  is  Cape  Horn,  on  the  Great  Northern  system  and 
only  30  miles  north-east  of  Portland,  Oregon.  The  min- 
eral zone  lies  in  the  foothills  of  Mt.  St.  Helena,  a  prom- 
inent peak  in  the  western  Cascades.  Unlike  the  Metaline 
Falls  region,  this  district,  as  far  as  observed,  shows  only 
igneous  rock,  covered  by  a  cap  of  lava  of  the  basaltic 
type.  The  topography,  though  bold,  is  rounded  and  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  huge  firs  and  other  conifers, 
which  densely  covered  much  of  this  country  as  late  as 
20  years  ago,  but  which  has  recently  been  decimated  by 
forest-fires  and  the  woodman's  ax.  To  reach  the  mines 
one  must  climb  the  hills  north  of  Cape  Horn  for  a  dis- 
tance of  20  miles  horizontally  and  over  1500  ft.  vertic- 
ally. The  best  wagon-road  follows  the  gulch  of  the 
Washougal  river  and  occasionally  changes  from  one  bank 
to  the  other  over  plank-bridges  often  supported  by  single 
spans  of  huge  logs.  As  one  ascends  into  the  hills,  signs 
of  extensive  and  reckless  lumbering  appear  in  the  forest : 
not  only  have  the  bulk  of  the  trees  been  killed  by  fires, 
but  huge  sound  logs  everywhere  strew  the  ground  as 
they  were  left  to  rot  by  the  careless  cutters.  At  intervals 
appear  crib-dams  that  served  to  supply  the  artificial 
floods  necessary  for  floating  the  logs  down-stream  tn  the 
Columbia  river. 

The  mineral  zone  is  being  developed  by  three  com- 
panies :  the  Washougal  Copper  &  Gold  Development,  the 
Skamania,  and  the  "Washougal  Gold  &  Copper.  The 
mines  lie  within  the  space  of  a  league  and  the  workings 
delve  into  hills  of  brown  andesite  from  the  vantage- 
points  offered  by  narrow  gulches  with  high  steep  sides. 

Washougal  Copper  &  Gold  Development  Co.  This 
property  is  the  least  developed  of  all,  [despite  its  name. 
Editor]  having  only  a  400-ft.  adit,  but  the  large  expend- 
iture incurred  this  summer  for  the  repair  of  the  wagon- 
road  to  Cape  Horn  indicates  a  renewal  of  activity. 

Skamania.  This  ground  is  opened  by  a  1300-ft.  adit 
and  a  connecting  shaft  575  ft.  deep.  Shipments  have 
been  made  to  the  Tacoma  smelter,  and  some  recent  assays 
of  sorted  ore  gave  the  following  results: 

Lot  Copper       Silver        Gold 

Number  %  oz.  oz. 

1    18.2  15.2  0.02 

2    23.5  13.4  0.01 

3    15.8  8.7  0.01 

4    21.6  18.5  0.02 

5    19.4  15.6  0.18 

Washougal  Gold  &  Copper  Mining  Co.  This  is  the 
most  extensively  developed  mine  of  the  district  and  the 
only  one  having  a  mill.  Here  are  two  parallel  veins  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  narrow  gulch  of  Shirt  creek,  a 
branch  of  the  Washougal  river.  Each  vein  dips  about 
70°   into  the  hillside  and   follows  closely  the  westerly 


November  18,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


745 


course  of  the  gulch.  The  veins  are  strong  fissures  vary- 
ing in  width  from  one  to  six  feet  but  the  filling,  save  in 
the  shoots  or  chimneys,  is  only  barren  country-rock. 
These  chimneys  are  of  quartz,  they  vary  in  length  from 
20  to  40  ft.,  and  contain  chaleopyrite,  bornitc,  and  sphal- 
erite disseminated  in  bands  of  minute  dispersed  crystals. 
The  sorted  ore  resembles,  in  the  ratio  of  its  content,  the 
assays  given  for  the  Skamania  mine,  having  about  1  oz. 
of  silver  to  1%  of  copper,  but  each  unit  of  copper  is  here 
accompanied  by  1A  units  of  zinc. 

Each  vein  is  entered  by  a  main  adit  from  the  bottom  of 
the  gulch,  started  at  1700  elevation  or  some  400  ft.  below 
the  outcrop.  The  north,  or  Dixie,  vein  is  cut  by  a  400-ft. 
adit,  and  is  then  followed  to  the  west  for  1200  ft.  by  a 
drift.  At  the  north  end  of  the  adit  is  a  130-ft.  incline- 
shaft.  No  underground  communication  yet  exists  with 
an  upper  adit  and  drift  that  explore  the  vein  at  1850  ft. 
elevation.  The  south,  or  Copper  King,  vein  is  also  cut 
by  a  400-ft.  adit,  but  here  the  chimneys  are  more  fre- 
quent, so  that  the  drift  has  been  extended  west  for  over 
2000  ft.  along  the  vein.  Near  the  west  end  an  incline- 
shaft  has  followed  the  vein  down  for  130  ft.  and  opened 
up  the  best  ore  in  the  mine. 

This  property  is  fully  equipped  with  buildings  and 
machinery.  There  is  an  office,  a  cook-house,  and  several 
bunk-houses,  as  well  as  the  mill  and  repair-shops,  all 
placed  in  the  gulch  below  the  main  adits.  Power  for  the 
mine  is  furnished  by  a  36-in.  Pelton  wheel,  which  takes 
its  water,  under  365  ft.  head,  from  a  wooden  flume  head- 
ing in  Shirt  creek.  As  the  snow  falls  here  to  a  depth 
exceeding  10  ft.,  there  is  plenty  of  water  for  power  ex- 
cept during  the  summer,  when  steam-power  is  used. 
Drilling  is  done  by  hammer  and  piston  drills  supplied, 
like  the  mine-hoists  and  pumps,  by  an  Ingersoll-Rand 
belt-driven  compressor  of  No.  10  type  and  of  size  12  by 
12  by  7-J  by  12  in.  For  cutting  cordwood  for  the  three 
boilers,  aggregating  140  hp.,  and  ripping  boards  for  the 
buildings,  there  is  a  small  saw-mill  that  is  fed  by  logs 
hauled  directly  from  the  forest-clad  hillsides  by  a  steam- 
winch. 

The  concentrating  mill  is  yet  in  the  experimental 
stage,  the  product  being  low  in  copper,  and  the  tailing 
rich.  The  flotation  process  will  have  to  be  tried.  There 
are  now  installed  a  7  by  10-in.  Blake  jaw-crusher,  two 
Nissen  stamps,  a  Pierce  amalgamator,  a  cone-classifier,  a 
Wilfley  table,  and  a  Frue  vanner,  all  actuated  by  a  10  by 
14-in.  horizontal  steam-engine.  The  silver  of  the  ore 
will  not  amalgamate,  but  laboratory  tests  have  shown 
that  it  can  be  saved,  along  with  the  copper  and  zinc  min- 
erals, by  flotation. 


The  Mining  Bureau  of  the  Japanese  Department  of 
Agriculture  and  Commerce  has  decided  to  institute  re- 
searches for  mineral  deposits  throughout  that  country, 
and  will  ask  for  the  appropriation  of  88,000  yen  (1  yen 
=  50  cents)  to  be  included  in  the  budget  for  the  fiscal 
year  of  1917.  Of  the  amount,  32,000  yen  is  said  to  be 
appropriated  for  carrying  on  a  geological  survey  of 
principal  oilfields. 


Phosphate  Rock  Mining 

•Reserves  of  phosphate  in  the  United  States  an-  esti- 
mated as  follows,  in  long  tons: 

Eastern  States: 

Florida    227,000,000 

Tennessee    88,000,000 

South   Carolina    9,000,000 

Kentucky     1,000,000 

Arkansas    20,000,000 


345,000,000 
Western  States: 

Montana,  Idaho,  Utah,  and  Wyoming 5,367,082,000 


Total    5,712,082,000 

During    1915    there    was    marketed    1,835,667    tons, 
valued  at  $5,413,449.     This  was  a  decrease  of  33%  in 


MAP   SHOWING  PHOSPHATE   ROCK   DEPOSITS   OF  THE   UNITED    STATES. 

quantity  and  44%  in  value  compared  with  1914.  The 
War  was  responsible  for  this,  restricting  exports.  The 
total  quantity  mined  was  1,358,611  tons  in  Florida,  389,- 
759  tons  in  Tennessee,  83,460  tons  in  South  Carolina,  and 
only  3837  tons  from  Idaho,  Utah,  and  Wyoming. 

Exports  amounted  to  253,549  tons,  worth  $6.33  per 
ton,  a  decrease  of  710,565  tons.  From  1905  to  1915,  ex- 
ports of  phosphate  rock  were  40%  of  the  total  50,293,573 
tons  mined.  The  highest  grade  shipped  contains  77% 
calcium  phosphate,  with  3%  or  less  of  iron  oxide  and 
alumina. 

Simple  field  tests  for  phosphates  are  given  by  W.  B. 
Hicks.  The  best  method  is  to  moisten  the  fresh  rock 
surface  with  a  drop  of  nitric  acid,  and  then  place  a  small 
crystal  of  ammonium  molybdate  on  the  moist  spot.  A 
yellow  color  indicates  the  presence  of  small  quantities 
of  phosphates. 

Bark  should  always  be  removed  from  timbers  before 
placing  them  in  the  mine.  There  is  no  economy  in 
placing  timbers  in  any  mine,  wet  or  dry,  from  which  the 
bark  has  not  first  been  removed.  Insects  work  rapidly 
between  the  bark  and  the  wood  and  a  good-sized  timber 
is  soon  rendered  worthless  through  decay. 

*Abstraet  from  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  bulletin,  by  W.  C. 
Phalen. 


7-te 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18.  1916 


m 1 SI! II'IIIHKIMIJ 


5RH<S3!ir^      IPJ^FHin'S 


1,197,398.       Concektbating-Table.       Robert     H.     Richards, 
Boston.  Mass.    Filed  May  6,  1913.    Serial  No.  765,915. 


1.  The  combination  of  a  laterally  inclined,  longitudinally 
shaking  concentrating  table  adapted  to  deliver  the  concen- 
trated product  over  the  end  edge  thereof;  guiding  means  on 
the  discharge  end  of  said  table,  extending  substantially  the 
entire  depth  of  said  end  edge  to  guide  the  concentrated  product 
during  discharge,  and  a  divider  structure  for  receiving  ma- 
terial discharged  from  said  guiding  means  and  for  maintain- 
ing the  classification  thereof. 


1,198,519.  Method  of  Treating  Liquids  With  Gasks. 
Charles  S.  Bradley,  New  York,  N.  Y.  Filed  Dec.  18.  1913. 
Serial  No.  807,537. 


1.  The  method  of  producing  chemical  action  between  a  gas 
and  a  liquid,  which  comprises  introducing  into  the  liquid  a 
gas  which  is  chemically  active  with  respect  thereto,  to  produce 
a  foam,  and  discharging  only  the  foam  therefrom  as  the 
product, 

1,198,434.  Copper-Refining.  Ulysses  A.  Garred,  New  York. 
N.  Y.    Filed  Apr.  26,  1916.    Serial  No.  93,728. 


1.  In  the  refining  of  copper,  the  process  of  feeding  a  charge 
of  the  copper  through  a  cupola  furnace,  subjecting  the  same  to 
the  action  of  flaming  particles  and  a  proper  complement  of  air 
to  melt  and  flap  the  charge  on  the  hearth  of  the  furnace,  pass- 


ing the  flapped  molten  metal  over  solid  carbonaceous  material 
to  partially  pole  the  metal,  conducting  the  partially  poled 
metal  to  a  suitable  poling  furnace,  blowing  the  molten  metal 
in  said  furnace  with  air  to  effect  any  desired  oxidation,  and 
finally  blowing  the  charge  with  non-oxidizing  gas  charged  with 
finely  divided  carbon  particles  to  complete  the  poling. 

1,200,264.  Electrically-Operated  Hoist.  Fred  L.  Stone. 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  assignor  to  General  Electric  Company,  a 
Corporation  of  New  York.  Filed  Sept.  14,  1914.  Serial  No. 
S61.504. 


1.  The  combination  with  the  motor  of  an  electric  hoist,  of 
means  for  gradually  varying  the  speed  of  said  motor  between 
certain  points  in  the  travel  of  the  hoist,  comprising  a  con- 
troller, a  speed  responsive  device  actuating  the  same  to  various 
positions,  a  second  controller  actuated  by  the  hoist,  and  con- 
nections between  the  controllers  for  effecting  the  control  when 
the  controllers  are  not  in  corresponding  positions. 

1,198,404.  Dewatering  and  Screening  Apparatus.  James 
B.  Ballantine,  Silver  Plume,  Colo.,  assignor  of  one-half  to 
William  B.  Robeson,  Port  Huron,  Mich.  Filed  Oct.  5,  1915. 
Serial  No.  54,139. 


The  combination  of  a  crushing  means,  a  hydraulic  classifier 
receiving  from  the  crushing  means  and  adapted  to  subdivide 
the  material  into  a  series  of  classes,  a  draining  device  adapted 
to  receive  the  material  of  the  coarsest  grade  and  drain  the 


November  L8.  l!»l(i 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


747 


aame,  a  draining  and  screening  device  adapted  (o  receive  an 
intermediate  grade  from  the  classifier  and  to  drain  and  size 
the  material  of  said  grade,  and  means  for  returning  the  ma- 
teria] of  the  draining  device  and  oversize  material  from  the 
draining  and  screening  device  to  the  crushing  means. 

1,200,334.  Process  for  the  Production  of  Nitric  Acid  From 
Nitrous  Gases.  Antonius  Foss,  Christiania,  Norway,  assignor 
to  Norsk  Hydro-Elektrisk  Kvaelstowaktieselskab,  Christiania, 
Norway.    Filed  Feb.  23,  1915.     Serial  No.  10,071. 

1.  In  the  utilization  of  nitrous  gases,  the  process  which  com- 
prises absorbing  said  gases  in  alkali,  decomposing  the  resulting 
alkali  metal  nitrogen  compounds  by  suitable  decomposing 
agents  to  liberate  nitrous  acid  gas  in  a  more  concentrated  form, 
recovering  the  alkali  for  the  absorption  of  fresh  quantities  of 
gases,  and  recovering  and  returning  the  decomposing  agents 
into  the  cycle  of  operations. 


1,200,832.  Apparatus  for  Extracting  Mktai.s  From  Their 
Ores.  John  C.  Greenway.  Warren,  Ariz.  Filed  Mar.  81,  1916 
Serial  No.  1S.289. 


1,201,021.  Filtering-Belt.  John  M.  Callow,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  assignor  to  The  General  Engineering  Company,  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  a  Corporation  of  Utah.  Filed  Mar.  4,  1916. 
Serial  No.  82,186. 


1.  In  a  filtering  machine,  the  combination  with  an  endless 
traveling  filtering  belt  and  means  for  separating  thereon,  the 
liquid  from  the  solid  constituent  of  a  solution  to  be  filtered, 
of  pneumatic  devices  for  removing  the  caked  material  from  the 
surface  of  the  belt  by  exhaustion. 

1,201,053.  Ore-Concentrating  Apparatus.  Thomas  A.  Jan- 
ney,  Garfield,  Utah.     Filed  Apr.  23,  1914.     Serial  No.  833,973. 


■  1.  In  a  concentrating  apparatus,  an  agitation  vessel  and 
separating  box  communicating  with  each  other  through  upper 
and  lower  ports,  and  agitating  and  impelling  means  in  said 
vessel  for  agitating  an  ore  pulp  therein  and  adapted  to  move  all 
of  said  pulp  from  said  vessel  into  said  box  and  to  move  the 
pulp  in  a  circuit  through  one  of  said  ports  to  said  box  and 
back  through  the  other  port  of  said  vessel,  said  box  having 
an  overflow  lip  below  the  level  of  said  upper  port. 

1,200,534.  Process  of  Recovering  Copper  Froji  Solution. 
George  A.  Schroter,  Denver,  Colo.,  and  William  C.  Laughlin, 
Nogales,  Ariz.    Filed  Apr.  29,  1915.    Serial  No.  24,640. 

The  process  of  recovering  copper  from  solution  which  con- 
sists in  adding  calcium  hydroxid  In  solution  thereto,  filtering 
same,  roasting  or  calcining  the  precipitate  to  render  the  iron 
inert,  adding  sulfuric  acid  to  the  precipitate  and  filtering  the 
copper  solution. 


1.  An  apparatus  for  extracting  metal  from  its  ores  compris- 
ing a  series  of  leaching  tanks  adapted  to  contain  the  ore,  a 
circulating  pump  for  each  tank  having  its  inlet  and  outlet  con- 
nected to  said  tank  for  circulating  leaching  solution  in  each 
tank,  means  for  advancing  the  solution  from  each  tank  to  the 
succeeding  tank,  means  for  supplying  solution  to  the  first  tank 
of  the  series,  and  means  for  withdrawing  solution  from  the 
last  tank  of  the  series. 


1,192,065.     Cable-Grip.     Vilas  H.   Jackson,  Cleveland.   Ohio. 
Filed  Nov.  3,  1915.    Serial  No.  59,413. 

FIG.  1 

Grip  in  Position 


^-pig.  3 
Gx/p/vmPMre 

■SC/R/VICE 


FIG.  2 
Vertical 
cross  Section 


1.  A  cable-grip  including  a  plurality  of  gripping  jaws  each 
having  its  outer  face  inclined,  opposed  relatively  slidable 
elements  engaged  upon  the  inclined  faces  of  the  jaws,  operat- 
ing connections  between  said  elements,  and  means  connected 
to  said  operating  connections  to  actuate  the  same  and  simul- 
taneously shift  said  elements  upon  the  relatively  stationary 
jaws  to  force  the  jaws  into  gripping  engagement  upon  a 
cable  arranged  between  the  same. 

1,201,301.  Process  of  Making  Emulsion  and  Products 
Thereof.  Henry  Hicks  Hurt,  assignor  to  Robeson  Process 
Company,  New  York,  N.  Y.  Filed  Jan,  27,  1916.  Serial  No. 
74,687. 

1.  The  process  of  making  permanent  emulsions  of  oils  and 
sulfite  waste  liquor  preparations  which  comprises  thoroughly 
intermingling  such  a  preparation  and  such  an  oil  and  after  the 
mingling  is  complete  adding  a  small  amount  of  caustic  soda. 

2.  The  process  of  making  permanent  emulsions  of  drying 
oils  and  sulfite  waste  liquor  preparations  which  comprises 
thoroughly  intermingling  such  a  preparation  and  such  an  oil 
and  after  the  mingling  is  complete  adding  a  small  amount  of 
caustic  soda. 


748 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents, 

ill.Uilil.l.ir.lnr.ri:  |-:-l  II.IM.H  1 1!  1 1  . 1  1 1 ":  I .  I.  --: !.  I .  :i  !^:  I!i  l',i :  !l  l:ii" I!::IH il  I.  II.  1 1: I- i 11,1- M  i:,i  I.-.;  I !.  I NM  lill.ll:  ■ ': :  1 1; .1 !- 1 1  ■■■ ■ '!  I  il.lM'M. !l  I  I.M  l!l  I  'I I  !l  II!  I  III- I- 1  iV'l  II 1 1. 1 IL!  i ::  I  III  !■: 'IMIMILM 


CRIPPLE  CREEK,  COLORADO 

Gold  Yield. — Vindicator  Flotation  Plant. — Drainage-Tunnel. 

The  gold  output  from  the  Cripple  Creek  district  for  October 
is  reported  by  the  mills  and  smelters  as  follows: 

Average  Gross 

Tons          value  value 

Golden  Cycle,  Colorado  City 37,000          $18.00  $666,000 

Portland,  Colorado  Springs 10,978            20.16  221,316 

Portland,  Cripple  Creek 19,700              2.62  51,614 

Smelters — Denver  and  Pueblo..   4,500            55.00  247,500 

Isabella  mill  2,400              2.90  6,960 

Worcester-Rubie  mill   1,200              2.50  3,000 

Total    75,778  $15.79        $1,196,390 

The  350-ton  flotation  plant  of  the  Vindicator  Consolidated 
started  operating  a  week  ago.  If  the  results  are  as  satisfactory 
as  anticipated,  steps  will  immediately  be  taken  to  enlarge  the 
capacity. 

Work  in  the  Roosevelt  drainage-tunnel  has  been  temporarily 
suspended,  on  account  of  the  shut-down  of  the  Elkton  main 
shaft.  Re-timbering  of  the  shaft  down  to  the  200-ft.  level  is 
under  way,  and  as  soon  as  this  is  completed,  work  will  be 
resumed  in  the  heading  of  the  tunnel. 

FLAT  RIVER,  MISSOURI 

Conditions  in  the  Lead  District. — St.  Louis  Company  Buys 
Land. — New  Mill  of  Federal  Lead. — Doe  Run  Power- 
Plant. — Fredericktown  District. 

During  the  past  few  months  this  district  has  prospered 
under  the  high  price  of  lead.  For  a  time  the  market  showed  a 
tendency  to  decline,  but  about  the  middle  of  August  quotations 
became  strong  and  remained  so  since.  All  of  the  companies 
are  operating  to  full  capacity  of  the  smelters,  and  a  record 
output  of  lead  is  being  made.  There  are  no  indications  of  labor 
troubles,  the  men  being  satisfied  with  their  wages,  which  are 
higher  than  ever  before.  The  companies  are  investing  in 
properties  and  plants.  Drilling,  both  prospect  and  develop- 
ment, has  been  pushed  all  the  summer. 

The  St.  Louis  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  has  recently  bought 
the  Pim  tract,  just  south  of  Blvins,  consisting  of  620  acres;  the 
purchase  price  was  $165,000.  It  has  also  purchased  the  F.  W. 
Hill  tract  between  Bonne  Terre  and  Deadwood,  consisting  of 
less  than  a  quarter  section,  for  which  was  paid  $60,000. 

The  new  mill  of  the  Federal  Lead  Co.  at  Elvins  is  nearing 
completion,  the  machinery,  shafting,  and  launders  being  in 
place.  The  building  is  a  work  of  art  for  this  district,  being 
entirely  of  concrete  and  steel.  Its  operation  will  be  watched 
with  interest,  as  every  development  in  milling  in  this  dis- 
trict has  been  utilized  in  the  new  plant. 

The  new  power-plant  of  the  Doe  Run  Lead  Co.  at  Rivermines 
is  also  nearing  completion;  the  building  is  of  brick.  Steam 
turbines  are  used  for  producing  power. 

The  Boston-Elvins  company,  a  new  corporation  in  this  field, 
is  now  opening  a  mine  south  of  Elvins. 

The  Fredericktown  district  is  operating  on  a  scale  greater 
than  at  any  time  since  the  panic  of  1907.  The  Missouri  Cobalt 
Co.  has  taken  over  the  North  American  property,  and  is  re- 
modeling the  plant,  both  mining  and  milling.  The  metals  to 
V»e  treated  are  lead,  zinc,  copper,  nickel,  and  cobalt. 


TORONTO,    ONTARIO 


Porcupine,     Kirkland     Lake,     and     Cobalt     News. — Water- 
Power  Investigation. 

A  party  of  25  Canadian  and  American  capitalists,  mining 
engineers,  and  others,  including  Gordon  Crean,  president, 
and  E.  A.  Snowman,  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Davidson 
mine,  Porcupine,  left  Toronto  on  October  24  to  make  an  in- 
spection of  that  property  returning  on  the  29th.  The  visitors 
were  much  impressed  with  the  value  and  extent  of  the  free 
gold  exposed,  the  finest  of  which  is  seen  in  an  extension  of 
the  main  vein  400  ft.  north  of  the  shaft,  where  an  open-cut 
has  been  made  10  ft.  deep  and  25  ft.  wide,  which  yielded  some 
rich  ore.  The  main  shaft  is  down  315  ft,  and  the  cross-cut 
on  the  300-ft.  level  is  in  60  ft.  towards  the  vein.  Much  lateral 
development  has  been  done  on  the  100  and  200-ft.  levels,  and 
a  large  body  of  ore  has  been  developed. 

At  the  Dome  Lake  the  Hardinge  ball-mill  has  been  installed 
and  operations  will  shortly  be  resumed.  The  capacity  of  the 
enlarged  mill  is  200  tons  per  day.  Underground  development 
has  opened  some  good  ore-shoots  and  some  high-grade  ore 
has  been  broken  in  the  stopes  in  the  300  and  400-ft.  levels.  The 
shaft  will  be  sunk  to  700  feet. 

The  shaft  of  the  Porcupine  Crown  has  reached  a  depth  of 
900  ft.  on  the  main  vein,  at  which  level  the  ore  is  of  good 
grade.  Diamond-drilling  to  pick  up  parallel  veins  is  being 
carried  on  from  the  500-ft.  level. 

The  Inspiration,  a  recently  organized  company,  the  property 
of  which  adjoins  the  Hollinger  Consolidated,  is  about  to 
begin  diamond-drilling  with  the  object  of  finding  extensions 
of  the  Hollinger  veins.  H.  W.  Darling  has  been  appointed 
consulting  engineer. 

Another  important  discovery  has  been  made  on  the  Neway, 
a  new  vein  having  been  found  near  the  Plenaurum  and  strip- 
ped for  30  feet. 

At  the  McKane  property,  Kirkland  Lake,  the  vein  on  the 
300-ft.  level  is  proving  much  wider  than  at  first.  The  width 
is  now  given  at  45  ft.,  the  ore  assaying  $9.25  per  ton.  Ore 
reserves  are  valued  at  $500,000. 

The  Lake  Shore,  Kirkland  Lake,  has  installed  a  7-drill 
compressor  and  other  machinery,  and  will  operate  with  steam 
power  until  electricity  is  obtainable  from  Cobalt. 

The  Nipissing  has  increased  its  ore  reserves  by  1,000,000 
oz.,  by  opening  a  remarkably  wide  shoot  on  No.  490  vein. 
This  was  cut  on  the  level  driven  from  a  winze  at  a  depth  of 
435  ft.,  and  shows  8  in.  of  high-grade  ore.  It  is  stated  that 
there  are  indications  of  other  good  veins  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  The  Nipissing  management  has  closed  an  important 
contract  for  the  handling  of  its  by-products,  the  principal  of 
which  is  cobalt,  for  which  there  is  an  increased  demand  in 
the  manufacture  of  chrome-nickel  steel.  The  financial  state- 
ment as  of  October  2,  showed  cash  on  hand  and  bullion  to  the 
amount  of  $2,22S,440,  being  the  best  position  in  the  company's 
history. 

At  the  Crown  Reserve  a  new  vein  3  in.  wide  has  been  found 
on  the  250-ft.  level.  It  has  been  driven  on  for  35  ft.,  and  in 
places  yields  2000  oz.  per  ton. 

The  Beaver  has  cut  several  veins  on  the  1600-ft.  level  at 
the  lower  contact,  which  contains  cobalt,  nickel,  and  some 
silver. 

Sampling  of  the  Little  Nipissing  on  behalf  of  Detroit  and 
Toronto  interests  who  have  leased  the  property,   is  stated  to 


November  18,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


7-19 


have  given  satisfactory  results,  a  company  will  he  formed 
to  operate  the  property. 

Cross-cutting  from  the  lower  level  of  the  People's  has 
reached  the  large  vein  which  crosses  that  property  ami  the 
Ophir.     It  is  s  in.  wide  and  somewhat  mineralized. 

The  Calumet  &  Montana  Consolidated  has  cut  a  vein  in  the 
east  drift  at  the  60-ft.  level. 

The  Belle  Ellen  of  South  Lorrain  has  taken  its  place  in 
the  list  of  shipping  mines.  A  consignment  of  70.059  lb.  of 
ore  of  good  grade  was  recently  dispatched. 

Investigations  made  by  the  Canadian  Department  of  the 
Interior  indicate  the  great  possibilities  existing  for  water- 
power  development.  It  is  estimated  that  17,746,000  hp.  is 
available,  not  including  the  northern  territories  and  outlying 
portions  of  Quebec  and  the  Yukon.  The  power  so  far  devel- 
oped aggregates  1,712,193  hp.  of  which  Ontario  has  789,466, 
Quebec  520,000,  and  British  Columbia  265,345.  Eight  million 
horse-power  of  the  available  undeveloped  water  is  within  the 
range  of  present  markets,  and  will  be  in  use  within  the  next 
15  years,  according  to  official  estimates. 

In  the  first  half  of  the  current  year  the  production  of  nickel 
in  Ontario  was  42%  greater  than  for  the  corresponding  period 
of  last  year,  according  to  the  report  of  the  Ontario  Bureau  of 
Mines  issued  a  short  time  ago.  It  is  probable  that  the  output 
and  value  will  be  greater  also  during  the  last  half  of  the  year. 
Early  in  1916  the  smelting  and  refining  capacity  for  Ontario 
ore  will  be  larger,  as  additions  are  being  made  to  that  in  the 
United  States  and  England,  and  new  plants  are  in  course  of 
erection  In  Canada. 

JABBIDGE,  NEVADA 
Review  of  Ctjbkent  Development  Wokk. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  conditions  in  the  Jarbidge  dis- 
trict during  the  past  summer  have  been  good  and  develop- 
ments favorable.  In  the  early  spring,  the  Starlight,  a  pros- 
pect, through  the  efforts  of  N.  M.  Muir  and  R.  N.  Hill,  was 
optioned,  and  development  work  carried  on  by  W.  P.  Hammon 
of  San  Francisco,  under  the  direction  of  E.  A.  Haggott.  Later 
in  the  summer,  through  the  efforts  of  N.  M.  Muir  and  A.  P. 
Peery,  the  Flaxie  mine  and  the  Jarbidge  Gold  properties  were 
'  optioned,  and  are  now  under  development  by  the  Hanford  in- 
terests of  San  Francisco.  These  two  properties  adjoin  the 
Starlight  on  the  north.  The  Hammon  people  were  offered  an 
attractive  advance  on  their  holdings  on  the  Starlight  by  Han- 
ford, which  was  accepted,  and  the  development  of  the  three 
properties,  under  one  management,  has  been  proceeding  rap- 
idly. The  Hanford  syndicate  also  had  several  smaller  pros- 
pects in  the  district  under  consideration,  which  it  has  now 
dropped,  and  is  concentrating  all  of  the  work  on  the  Starlight- 
Flaxie-Jarbidge  Gold  group.  The  work  is  under  the  direction 
of  N.  M.  Muir,  formerly  of  San  Francisco.  Development  on  the 
Starlight  consists  of  three  adits;  two  of  these  adits,  No.  1  and 
2,  being  the  upper  ones  that  have  encountered  the  vein,  which 
has  been  opened  for  350  ft.  on  No.  2  and  for  150  ft.  on  No.  1 
adit.  Winzes  and  raises  from  these  two  levels  have  proved  a 
continuity  of  ore  vertically,  at  present  giving  a  depth,  of  250  ft. 
It  is  understood  that  this  ore  will  average  over  $15  per  ton. 
About  30  men  are.  employed  at  the  Starlight.  The  Flaxie  mine 
had  considerable  work  done  on  it  by  the  original  owners,  the 
Flaxie  Mines  Co.,  and  under  the  present  management  new  de- 
velopment has  been  vigorously  pushed  to  the  north,  through 
No.  1  adit.  It  is  understood  that  $12  ore  has  been  opened  in 
the  property,  and  prospects  are  encouraging.  There  are  10 
men  employed.  The  Jarbidge  Gold  is  in  a  good  situation,  ad- 
jacent to  the  Flaxie  and  Starlight  on  the  south  and  the  Long- 
Hike  on  the  north.  A  long  cross-cut  adit  is  being  driven  to 
cut  several  veins  that  are  supposed  to  exist  in  this  ground. 
Ten  men  are  employed.  With  the  Starlight  and  Flaxie  there 
are  50  men  being  employed  by  the  Hanford  interests,  in  a  very 
vigorous  compaign. 

The  Long  Hike  property  is  generally  understood  to  be   of 


large  possibilities.  The  mine  is  developed  by  four  adits,  all 
(if  which  have  cut  the  vein,  and  showing  a  shoot  some  800  ft. 
long.  A  considerable  amount  of  machinery  and  equipment  is 
being  installed  by  the  Long  Hike,  such  as  a  semi-Diesel  plant 
and  generator  for  a  central  electric  plant,  to  furnish  power  for 
electric  hoists  in  the  mine,  and  electric  exhaust  fans  and 
diamond-drills.  A  hoist  and  skip-way  is  being  installed  to  take 
material  from  the  creek  level  to  the  mine.  Some  75  men  are 
employed  under  the  direction  of  E.  A.  Austin.  The  Long  Hike 
interests  are  also  developing  the  O.  K.  property  on  Bourne 
gulch.  Thirty  men  are  at  work  there.  The  Long  Hike  people 
are  also  developing  the  Alpha,  adjacent  to  the  O.  K„  and  have 
been  milling  the  ore  from  the  O.  K„  that  has  been  taken  out 
in  development,  with  a  five-stamp  mill  on  the  Alpha.  It  is 
understood  that  the  extraction  has  been  fairly  satisfactory. 

The  I.  A.  Anderson  syndicate,  of  Spokane,  Washington,  has 
optioned  and  started  work  on  several  likely  prospects,  among 
them  the  Kiyi,  Swasteka,  and  National  groups.  J.  T.  Macauley 
is  superintendent  of  this  work. 

The  year  1916  has  shown  a  marked  revival  in  the  old-new 
camp  of  Jarbidge,  and  there  is  a  population  of  600  or  700 
people  in  the  district.  A  vigorous  development  campaign  is 
anticipated  for  the  winter,  and  larger  things  for  next  summer. 
Developments  have  been  interesting,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
all  of  the  veins  are  fissures  in  rhyolite,  it  being  one  of  the 
few  districts  where  there  has  been  such  a  marked  continuity 
of  veins  in  rhyolite.  The  underlying  geological  formations  are 
sedimentaries,  and  two  distinct  rhyolite  flows  cover  the  coun- 
try for  many  miles  in  extent.  The  vein  systems  carry  in  the 
second  or  younger  rhyolite.  Few  of  the  strong  ore-bearing 
veins  outcrop  on  the  surface,  the  only  indication  of  their 
whereabouts  being  pannings  in  the  surface  wash — the  two 
exceptions  to  this  being  the  large  quartz  outcrop  of  the 
Pick  and  Shovel  vein  and  the  Bourne  vein.  The  proving  of 
these  veins  in  depth  will  be  a  valuable  and  interesting  addi- 
tion to  geological  information  as  to  veins  in  rhyolite. 

SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Resumption  op  Mining  and  Milling. — Old  Eubeka. 

The  Mother  Lode  towns  recently  affected  by  the  strike  are 
gradually  getting  hack  to  normal  conditions.  Teams  and 
trucks  carrying  timber  and  supplies  to  the  mines  and  concen- 
trate from  the  mills  are  again  on  the  road.  The  Bunker  Hill 
mill  resumed  crushing  at  half  capacity  last  Wednesday,  and 
the  same  day  the  South  Eureka  mill  started  20  of  its  80 
stamps.  The  South  Eureka  had  80  men  on  its  pay-roll  the 
day  after  the  strike  was  declared  off,  about  half  of  whom  were 
strike-breakers  from  outside  districts.  The  force  is  being  in- 
creased daily,  and  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  company  is 
employing  its  usual  complement,  250  men.  The  Bunker  Hill 
men  were  the  first  to  return  to  work,  30  returning  before  the 
end  of  the  strike  and  60  being  at  work  during  the  week.  As 
an  official  of  that  company,  expressed  it,  "we  don't  know 
whether  our  men  were  on  strike  or  not,  for  we  laid  them  off 
a  day  or  two  before  so  as  to  do  repair  work  in  the  shaft,  and 
took  a  number  back  before  the  Union  allowed  its  members  to 
return."  As  the  men  apply  for  work,  in  most  instances  the 
companies  are  taking  them  back.  The  Treasure  mine  has  re- 
sumed in  full  force.  The  Argonaut  and  Kennedy  employees 
are  slower  in  accepting  their  old  jobs,  although  those  mines 
are  steadily  increasing  their  crews;  many  of  the  men  still 
feel  that  mines  paying  so  well  should  not  have  held  out 
against  the  Union's  demands. 

The  work  of  unwatering  the  Old  Eureka  mine  is  proceeding 
most  satisfactorily,  the  900-ft.  station  having  been  reached 
with  a  space  of  clear  shaft  below,  showing  that  the  timber- 
men  will  not  have  to  contend  with  caves  for  a  while,  as  they 
did  below  th.e  800-ft.  level.  About  55  men  are  employed,  the 
majority  of  whom  are  engaged  in  erecting  the  steel  head- 
frame  and  making  sundry  surface  improvements. 


-- 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


-:.    -•  :- 


IVlLlJOKF  S 


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VI-   :^S:J 


IfcnBoo/1/'  ■  r  d  tarrapomitat*  md  rompOed  fh/m  &e  beat  prat. 


ALASKA 

Ju>.\  Be     ^mber  yield-  nes  on  Douglas  island 

were  as  follows: 

*lasv  | 

I  riican 

3  of  broken  ore  in  mine,  de- 
crease or  increase,   tons -10,660 

3   dropping  129 

Days    17.37 

Ore  crashed,   tons . . . . 

Average  yield  ;e?  ton J1.33 

Gold  from  all  sources $1    '-." 

ting   expenses    12,361 

Profit    4.119 

Construction    3.1CS 

torn :    i 


Alaska 

Trea  dwell 

United 

-11439 

130 

I  ■'. 

29 .54 

n '  - 

- 

. 

El  v 

. 

s-:-:  s«i 

. 

;.  ---- 

w  m 

.    .- 

11  78« 

!:-:; 

11,281 

3.730 

--239 

Otter   income    3.730 

Value  of  copper  plates  26.033 

During  October  -  treated  ::;  MM  tons 

of  ore  assaying  $'   O    per    ton       I  Hie    ::rre^ 

are  as  nnder: 

Hon-.--.  Tons 

October    138,000 

September    135,7 

;:    169.000 

July    - IS    - 

'  :zr  1:4.: 

May  :~T  ::r 

April    ...  "_  ■  T  ; : 

. ....  162,79 

February  122  ;T- 

January    

Ktsm con       Tit    Jetobei    copper   output    of    the    Bonanza 

mine  *~as       .  — ;       ;:    ~~-  :-    5e..:e— ':e: 

and  an  average  of  over  10.000,000  for  the  previous  10  months. 


Recovery. 

r  :- 

1  : 

:  -  "-  -: 

L38 

1  24 

:"'    ':-. 

1     : 

--  :r 

■-  •! 

M 

-   n 

1    : 

i    _ 

.... 

13 



."Km.  h  map  or  past  or  cppeb  -  a 

sm 

Nome,    T.  tines  Corporation  has  ordered,  through 

the    Yuba   Construction  Company   of   Calif  c:  mgesi 

lis  contract  has  been  given  to  the 

-Wharton    Company   of   Highbridge.    Xew    Jersey,   con- 

rs  of  iron  and  steel  equipment.    It  is  to  be  made  of  man- 


ganese steel,  and  ingtaiuvi  on  the  new  dredge  which  will  dig 

Hue  be  ige  is  working  on  one  of  the  other 
properties  of  the  company  at  Nome. 

ARIZONA 

the  third  annual  mine-rescue  and  first-aid 
contest  was  held  at  Phoenix.  Competitors  were  the  Old 
Dominion,  Detroit.  Copper  Queen,  Calumet  ft  Arizona,  and 
Ray  Consolidated  teams.  The  prizes  are  $100.  $73.  and  $25 
cash  for  three  places  in  each  of  the  two  contests.  The  Soath- 
western  Mine  Safety  Association  is  in  charge  of  the  meeting. 

7    Moore,  secretary.    Bulletin  No.  38  of  the  State  Bureau  of 
titled   State  Safety  :."ews,' 

Cbxokibe.  The  electric  transmission-line  reached  this  place 
on  the  3th.    A  transformer-station  is  now  being  built. 

The  Elkhart  mine  has  been  taken  over  by  W.  L.  Leland  and 
San  Francisco  people.  A  shaft  is  to  be  sank  1999  ft-  and  the 
-::;  r— — :  ie.ei. 

There  has  been  a  large  influx  of  people  to  Chloride,  making 
accommodation  difficult  to  secure.  Many  buildings  are  being 
erected. 

Hatdc.it.  Considerable  development  is  under  way  at  the 
Gila   Canyon  Consolidated,  4  miles  north.     Returns  are  im- 

roring,  the  last  car  of  ore  averaging  653%  copper,  netting: 
$20.28  per  ton. 

Jebimx.  Accommodation  here  is  said  to  be  at  a  premium, 
owing  to  the  number  of  people  being  attracted  by  the  boom. 

The  United  Verde  Extension  company  states  that  eight 
raises  have  holed  through  to  the  1399-ft.  level  from  that  at 
1400  ft_  and  between  these  levels  there  is  799,999  tons  of  ore. 
The  average  is  169e  copper.  Over  399  ft-  of  drifts  have  been 
bites  at  1399  ft-  A  winze  below  1400  ft-  after  paSBtne  through 
re  and  46  ft.  of  low-grade  ore,  encountered  at 
160  ft-  one  of  the  bars  of  intrusive  waste  characteristic  of  the 
deposit.  Sinfcing  continues.  On  November  1  a  dividend  of 
30c  per  share  was  paid. 

I.  Just  orer  500,009  tons  of  ore  was  hoisted  by  the 
Inspiration  during  October,  one  day's  output  being  2X390  tons- 
Additional  motors  were  installed  in  the  crushing-plant. 
Owing  to  an  armature  burning-out  in  one  of  the  motors  of 
the  generator  set.  control  is  by  band,  instead  of  the  automatic 
arrangement.    This  trouble  has  since  been  remedied. 

Oatjiav.  It  is  rumored  that  the  Tom  Reed  company  is  to 
erect  a  500-ton  mill,  in  place  of  its  present  plant. 

ARKANSAS 

:  _     ...    =::  :i:::     ::    .:;    -:— .ie—    ;  -:~ 

of  the  State  in  October  was  90  carloads. 

Surra:.  Another  zinc  smelter,  of  2400  retorts,  casting 
$200,000.  is  to  be  erected  by  the  Athletic  Smelting  Co-  headed 
by  C.  T.  Orr  of  Webb  City.  Missouri.  The  United  Iron  Works 
Co.  of  Springfield.  Missouri,  is  to  construct  the  plant. 

ALIFORXLA 

Bm»m.  W.  B.  Sharps  of  Philadelphia  and  W.  W.  Wisfcon 
::  Searddigiri  Nevada  hare  bonded  the  Copper  King  group 
of  nine  claims  near  here,  of  G.  H-  Hamstadt,  for  Eastern  in~ 

:e:--=:i     i-i  izve  :::?  —  r"    1  =  =  :  =  ::-;   \-i~    lz   zii.-.-r  :::   -::- 
;r:i;:::: 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  large  gold  dredge  on 
creek  is  nearing  completion.    It  is  reported  that  another  boat 


\  vembei    18,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


7.-.1 


will  be  constructed  next  year  by  the  same  company  on  Graves 

ranch,  two  miles  south  of  Carrville. It  is  reported  that  the 

company  which  bought  out  the  Alta  Bert  Gold  Dredging  Co. 
at  Trinity  Center,  four  miles  south  of  Carrville.  will  construct 

a  large  boat  next  year. The  Nash  deep-gravel  mine  at  the 

head  of  Coffee  creek,  for  many  years  owned  by  an  English 
company,   was   recently  sold   for  $10,000  to  a   San   Francisco 

man. Atkins.  Kroll  &  Co.  of  San  Francisco  have  lately  taken 

a  bond  on  a  hydraulic  mine  owned  by  Williams  &  Carter,  situ- 
ated on  the  north  fork  of  Coffee  creek.  It  is  reported  that  the 
same  firm,  present  owners  of  the  Headlight  mine,  will  try  a 
new  process  in  the  spring.    The  mine  has  been  shut-down  for 

four  years. The  Strode  mine  has  been  under  bond  for  some 

time  for  $15,000.  Considerable  ore  was  milled  this  season.  A 
contract  has  been  let  for  a  750-ft.  adit.  The  same  concern 
that  has  the  Strode  mine  under  bond  has  a  bond  on  the  Schlom- 

berg  hydraulic  mine  on  the  north  fork  of  Coffee  creek. The 

Bonanza  King  mine  has  been  doing  a  great  deal  of  develop- 
ment during  the  past  two  years. The  Jubilee  mine  on  Coffee 

creek,  owned  by  McCormack.  Saetzer  Co.  of  Redding,  and 
under  bond  to  the  California  Extraction  Co.  of  San  Francisco, 
is  doing  a  large  amount  of  development.  The  vein  was  re- 
cently cut  in  a  lower  adit.  The  Porth  mine,  an  adjoining 
property  owned  by  the  same  company,  will  do  some  develop- 
ment this  winter. There  is  considerable  work  under  way 

up  in  Scott  mountain,  north  of  here,  just  over  the  Siskiyou 
line. 

Coffee.  Trinity  county.  November  4. 

I  Special  Correspondence.) — The  latest  discovery  of  impor- 
tance at  Goldstone.  the  new  district  30  miles  north  of  Barstow. 
in  San  Bernardino  county,  is  in  the  Gold  Ring  mine,  where 
high-grade  ore  is  reported  found  in  a  four-foot  vein.  The  22-ln. 
pay-streak  is  in  the  centre  of  the  vein,  with  a  rich  strip  four 
to  six  inches  wide  in  the  middle  of  it.  The  vein-material  is 
quartz  and  calcite  with  iron  oxide.  The  gold-bearing  forma- 
tions as  far  as  explored  are  old  sediments,  probably  Paleozoic, 
much  metamorphosed.  The  principal  rocks  are  limestone  and 
quartz-schist,  intruded  by  dikes  of  various  character.  These 
sediments  have  been  tilted  by  uplift  and  dip  from  20  to  70°, 
with  pronounced  fracturing  and  shearing.  By  faulting,  the 
underlying  granitic  rocks  have  been  brought  to  the  surface 
along  the  edge  of  the  district  and  these  now  form  some  of  the 
higher  hills  of  the  vicinity.  The  sediments  dip  toward  the 
granite  and  abut  against  it,  thus  indicating  at  least  one  fault 
of  large  displacement.  Tertiary  voleanies  are  found  capping 
many  of  the  outlying  hills  of  the  district.  All  of  the  gold- 
bearing  veins  thus  far  found  in  the  camp  occur  in  the  meta- 
morphic  area,  and  usually  at  the  contact  of  limestone  with 
some  other  rock. 

Goldstone.  November  9. 

Grass  Valley.  Three  miles  of  the  bed  of  Greenhorn  creek 
has  been  leased  by  W.  H.  Frickleton  to  L.  Girdetz,  who  will 
install  plant  to  recover  the  gold. 

Hammontox.  On  November  20  the  Yuba  Consolidated  will 
launch  No.  15  dredge,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world. 

Happy  Camp.  The  Williams  Brothers'  copper  claims  on  Buz- 
zard creek.  Siskiyou  county,  have  been  bonded  for  $50,000  to 
M.  Woods  of  the  Bank  of  Italy. 

Kenxett.  Large  quantities  of  material  are  arriving  for  the 
Mammoth  Copper  Co.'s  electrolytic-zinc  plant.  Construction 
is  making  good  progress. 

Poetola.  It  is  probable  that  a  railway  will  be  constructed 
from  this  place  into  the  Walker  district.  Either  the  Western 
Pacific  or  Feather  River  Lumber  companies  may  extend  their 
lines.  The  Walker  copper  mine  is  employing  150  men.  while 
the  mill  treats  100  tons  daily. 

Soxoka.  According  to  the  Onion  Democrat,  the  revival  of 
interest  in  mining  in  Tuolumne  county  has  been  largely  con- 
fined to  new  operations  on  the  Mother  Lode  for  the  past  two 
years,  practically  to  the  neglect  of  that  highly-mineralized  sec- 


tion known  as  the  east  belt,'  whose  veins  in  the  pas)  have  a 
producing  record  equal  to  some  of  the  large  mines  on  the 
Mother  Lode.  Miners  and  investors  are  now  turning  to  this 
inviting  field,  and  already  in  many  instances  limited  explora- 
tion work  has  demonstrated  that  while  the  early  miners  re- 
covered much  gold  from  the  quartz  claims,  many  of  them  were 
abandoned  before  really  opened,  and  none  of  them  were  ever 
worked  out.  In  a  number  of  these  claims  work  has  been  com- 
menced and  is  being  pushed  in  a  manner  that  makes  for 
success.  In  the  Columbus  mine,  operations  are  confined  to 
driving  the  shaft  down  to  the  500-ft.  point.  A  grade  of  ore 
uncovered  in  development  gives  a  value  of  $10  per  ton.  The 
Carlotta,  in  the  same  vicinity,  is  showing  some  good  ore.  Ad- 
joining are  the  North  Star  and  Laura  claims,  and  operations 
are  under  way  in  the  former.  The  Sonora  and  Duffield.  south 
of  the  Dreisam.  is  being  re-opened  for  examination.  This 
mine  has  a  small  vein,  but  it  is  rich  in  free  gold  and  yields 
about  2%  of  high-grade  sulphides.  The  Confidence  mine  is  to 
be  re-opened  by  a  strong  company,  and  other  properties  in  that 
vicinity  are  being  negotiated  for  under  bond  to  purchase. 
When  the  legal  entanglements  have  been  straightened  out  in 
the  United  Mines  Co.  group  of  five  claims  plans  for  operations 
on  a  gigantic  scale  will  be  put  in  execution.  The  Chapparel 
mine  and  the  Garfield  group  are  held  under  option,  and  other 
properties  here  and  there  along  the  east  belt  and  side-lines  are 
receiving  considerable  attention,  and  before  many  months  the 
music'  of  stamps  will  be  continuous  all  about  the  hills  within 
a  radius  of  half  a  dozen  miles  of  Tuolumne. 

COLORADO 

Telluride.  In  the  last  Quarterly  of  the  Colorado  School  of 
Mines,  W.  H.  Wright  details  experiments  on  Colorado  ores  by 
flotation.     A  complex  sulphide  ore  from  the  Smuggler-Union 


i?>N         _JbL~     \         HINSDALE 

y 

DCj/LORES/ 

SAN      'iJUAN 


PART  OF   COLORADO. 

mine  was  chosen  for  large  tests.  It  contained  0.36  oz.  gold. 
4.04  oz.  silver,  l.S7%  lead.  5.96%  iron,  1.56%  zinc,  a  trace  of 
copper,  and  7S.6%  of  insoluble  matter.  The  last  was  princi- 
pally quartz.  The  results  are  not  yet  complete,  but  so  far  are 
interesting.  An  extraction  on  one  lot  was  82.1%  gold,  84.4% 
silver,  S6.7%  lead,  62.8%  iron,  and  74.2%  zinc. 

In  an  article  published  in  the  Colorado  School  of  Mines 
Quarterly,  R.  W.  Shumway,  chief  engineer  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Fuel  Co.,  discusses  the  coal  industry  of  the  State.  He 
considers  that  it  is  one  of  the  largest  factors  in  the  business  of 
the  State,  as  its  scope  is  broad  and  its  field  of  operations 
covers  nearly  half  of  the  counties  of  the  State.  One  town, 
among  others,  Trinidad,  with  12,000  people,  depends  entirely 
on   coal.     The   output  in   1915   was   S,715,397   tons.     Colorado 


752 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


November  18,  1916 


produces  practically  all  the  grades  of  commercial  coal  used 
in  the  West.  There  are  large  areas  of  undeveloped  coal,  due 
to  lack  of  markets. 

Leadviixe.  Two  carloads  of  high-grade  iron-manganese  ore 
has  been  shipped  from  the  Penrose  shaft  of  the  Down  Town 
Mines  to  the  A.  S.  &  ft.  smelter  at  Denver.  This  is  the  first 
ore  production  since  the  property  was  drained.  A  steady  out- 
put is  contemplated.  The  pumps  are  lifting  2500  gal.  per 
minute. 

Silveetok.  The  Buffalo  Boy,  Ben  Franklin,  and  other  prop- 
erties in  this  district  have  been  examined  by  the  Goldfield  Con- 
solidated Exploration  Company. 

IDAHO 

Idaho's  33  counties  cover  an  area  of  S3,SSS  square  miles, 
divided  principally  between  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  and 
the  Columbia  plateau,  only  a  small  part,  in  the  south-east  cor- 
ner of  the  State,  lying  in  the  Great  Basin.  In  elevation  above 
sea-level  the  State  ranges  from  735  ft.  at  Lewiston,  to  12,078 
ft.  at  the  summit  of  Hyndman  peak.  It  is  drained  mainly  to 
the  Columbia  through  Snake  river  and  its  tributaries  and  has 
an  annual  rainfall  of  about  17  in.,  the  range  in  a  single  year 
at  different  places  being  from  6  to  38  in.  The  industries  of  the 
State  are  chiefly  agriculture,  stock-raising,  and  mining.  Hay, 
wheat,  oats,  and  potatoes  are  the  principal  crops.  A  large 
area  is  cultivated  by  irrigation.  The  mineral  production  in- 
cludes gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  and  zinc.  The  output  of  lead 
in  1913  was  valued  at  $13,986,366,  that  of  silver  at  $6,033,473. 
The  population  of  Idaho  in  1910  was  325,924.  These  are  notes 
from  the  Overland  Guidebook,  Bulletin  612,  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey. 

Cambridge.  Reports  from  the  Salmon  River  district  point 
to  a  busy  season  next  year.  The  old  "Warrens  camp  has  been 
more  active. 

Muixan.  Plans  for  the  resumption  of  active  operations  at 
the  Missoula  copper  mine  were  considered  at  the  annual  share- 
holders' meeting  at  Mullan  on  November  6.  The  property  is 
extensively  developed,  and  engineers'  reports  state  that  there 
are  thousands  of  tons  of  ore  available  for  extraction  that  will 
assay  1J  to  2*%  copper,  and  at  prevailing  prices  of  the  metal  it 
is  believed  that  ore  averaging  even  as  low  as  1%  can  be  mined 
and  shipped  profitably. 

Nine-Mile.  According  to  D.  F.  Hailey,  consulting  engineer 
for  the  Interstate-Callahan  company,  the  mine  never  was  in 
better  physical  condition,  and  the  outlook  for  further  profitable 
development  is  decidedly  promising.  Drifts  have  been  ex- 
tended 300  ft.  on  both  levels  above  No.  4,  the  main  haulage- 
level  and  are  still  in  ore.  The  addition  of  300  ft.  exposes  the 
body  for  1000  ft.  in  all,  whereas  the  engineers  had  calculated  on 
only  700  ft.  Conditions  suggest  that  the  shoot  may  prove  to 
be  as  long  as  on  the  lower  levels,  where  it  has  been  followed 
for  1300  ft.  It  is  7  to  15  ft.  wide,  and  18  ft.  wide  in  places  on 
the  upper  levels.  Ore  cut  recently  on  the  700-ft.  level,  where 
the  depth  is  1600  ft.,  has  been  driven  on  for  400  ft.  It  is  7  to 
30  ft.  wide,  and  its  average  quality  is  as  good  as  the  rest  of 
the  mine.  The  mill  feed  has  been  2S%  zinc  and  6%  lead  for 
the  last  IS  months.  On  the  500-ft.  level,  which  is  425  ft.  above 
No.  7,  there  have  been  installed  43  chutes,  and  ore  is  in  the 
face  of  the  drifts.  This  provides  a  continuous  stope  1300  ft. 
long  in  the  richest  ore  exposed  at  any  time.  Plans  and  the 
organization  have  been  completed  for  the  flotation  plant,  the 
construction  of  which  will  occupy  two  or  three  rfionths.  Im- 
pounded tailing  will  be  removed  from  the  dump  to  the  plant 
by  a  continuous  automatic  drag.  The  expense  of  handling  by 
this  method  is  S  to  10c.  per  ton  in  other  places.  The  tailing 
will  be  ground  in  a  tube-mill,  and  passed  on  to  the  flotation 
section.  There  is  250,000  tons  that  range  in  content  from  4 
to  7%,  and  4%  can  he  treated  at  a  profit.  "When  the  flotation 
plant  is  in  operation  a  recovery  of  from  93  to  95%  of  the  zinc 
Is  expected,  and  an  increase  in  the  saving  of  lead.     Operations 


have  been  started  on  the  Nipsic  mine,  where  are  expected  some 
developments  of  importance. 

Waednek.  The  Stewart  Mining  Co.  is  negotiating  for  prop- 
erties adjoining  the  Stewart  mine,  and  also  is  seeking  the 
right,  under  lease,  to  develop  and  extract  ore  beneath  the 
streets  and  alleys  of  Wardner  and  under  private  property  in 
the  town.  The  lease  is  to  run  for  25  years,  under  payment  of 
5%  of  the  gross  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  ore  removed.  The 
mayor,  B.  Flaig,  and  the  board  of  aldermen  have  signed  the 
lease  for  the  city,  and  practically  all  the  owners  of  private 
property  have  signed.  The  leases  are  made  in  the  name  of 
William  A.  Beaudry,  managing  director  of  the  Stewart  com- 
pany, and  his  activities  in  this  regard  have  caused  consider- 
able speculation. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  The  ore  market  was  strongest  last  week,  blende 
increasing  $4.50  per  ton  to  $80.  The  output  of  the  Missouri- 
Kansas-Oklahoma  region  was  6175  tons  of  blende,  250  tons  of 
calamine,  and  676  tons  of  lead,  averaging  $77,  $43,  and  $87  per 
ton,  respectively.    The  total  value  was  $515,321. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  For  the  sum  of  $673,717,  the  minimum  stipulated 
by  the  Court,  the  Anaconda  company  last  week  purchased  the 
Lexington  and  other  claims  in  the  Walkerville  district.  The 
properties  once  belonged  to  La  France  Copper  Co.,  a  Heinze 
concern,  and  later  to  the  Atlantic  Mines  Company. 

The  Anaconda  company's  October  pay-roll  amounted  to 
$1,672,264,  a  record.    The  wage  is  $4.50  per  shift. 

During  October  the  Butte  &  Superior  produced  15,600,000  lb. 
of  zinc  from  54,450  tons  of  ore. 

NEVADA 

Eureka.  The  recent  rich  discoveries  in  this  old  centre  keep 
up  their  value  in  gold,  silver,  and  lead. 

Tonopah.  During  the  week  ended  November  4,  eight  mines 
produced  10,176  tons  of  ore  valued  at  $199,108.     In  the  next 

week    the    output    was    9757     tons    worth    $191,566. The 

Tonopah  Mining  Co.  is  averaging  about  290  ft.  of  new  open- 
ings each  week,  distributed  in  its  three  mines. The  Victor 

shaft  of  the  Extension  is  1685  ft.  deep. Two  diamond  and 

one  churn-drill  are  prospecting  new  property  of  the  Belmont. 

A  raise  above  the  1025-ft.  level  of  the  Monarch  Pittsburg 

has  opened  4  ft.  of  $30  ore.  The  shoot  has  been  opened  for 
23  feet. 

NEW   MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — At  the  Pacific  mine  the  haulage- 
cable  for  the  aerial  tram  to  the  Socorro  company's  mill  was 
placed  during  the  week,  and  the  traction  cable  is  now  being  in- 
stalled. A  good  vein  has  been  encountered  in  north  drifts  from 
the  500  and  600-ft.  levels.  The  territory  south  of  the  shaft 
will  be  opened  later,  as  present  underground  activities  are  up 
to  the  limit  of  hoisting  equipment. 

The  new  shaft  at  the  Johnson  mine,  operated  by  the  Socorro 
M.  &  M.  Co.,  is  down  255  ft.,  still  in  a  milling  grade  of  ore. 

Ore  is  coming  in  on  the  south  drift  from  the  adit-level  of  the 
Clifton  mine,  on  which  the  Oaks  Company  is  conducting  de- 
velopment work. 

The  slime-carrying  flume  being  built  by  the  Mogollon  Mines 
Co.  has  been  completed  from  the  Last  Chance  mine  to  the 
Maud  S  property,  a  distance  of  about  one^mile,  and  is  now  in 
commission.  This  will  eventually  be  extended  about  4  miles 
farther  down  the  canyon  on  to  the  present  tailing  impounding 
dams. 

There  are  practically  no  idle  men  here,  and  from  different 
quarters  comes  the  report  of  a  scarcity  of  labor  of  all  classes 
to  a  greater  extent  than  has  been  noticed  for  some  time  past. 

Mogollon,  October  31. 


November  18,   1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


7.",:; 


OKLAHOMA 

luiniv  \v.  H.  Langford  and  associates  of  Kansas  City  and 
\V.  .1.  Scafe  of  Joplin  are  drilling  and  developing  five  tracts 
near  this  place,  aggregating  a  total  of  320  acres.  One  lot  that 
involves  a  good  portion  of  the  townsite  of  CardlQ  promises  to 
develop  into  one  of  the  best  properties  in  this  part  ol  the 
Oklahoma  field.  Twenty-four  drill  holes  already  were  down, 
all  showing  some  ore,  but  in  twelve  of  them  an  unusually  rich 
run  at  from  the  200-ft.  level  down  to  242  ft.,  and  also  from 
220  to  245  ft.  In  some  places  the  ore  runs  deeper  than  in 
other  parts  of  the  lease.  Five  or  six  drills  are  at  work  putting 
down  holes  as  fast  as  possible. 

UTAH 

American  Fork.  During  the  winter  IS  mines  will  be  op- 
erated. By  the  middle  of  November  the  Utah  Power  &  Light 
Co.  will  have  its  transmission-line  completed  into  the  district. 

Garfield.  Preliminary  work  for  the  construction  of  a  plant 
to  treat  the  tailing  from  its  mills  has  been  started  by  the  Utah 
Copper  Co.  The  dams  contain  50,000,000  tons  of  residue  con- 
taining about  10  lb.  of  copper  per  ton. 

Gold  Hill.  To  get  its  rich  tungsten  ore  to  market  the 
Seminole  Copper  Co.,  operating  in  the  Clifton  district  of  the 
Deep  Creek  region,  western  Tooele  county,  has  for  some  time 
been  shipping  by  parcel  post  at  a  cost  of  $26.50  per  ton.  The 
dumps  contain  10.000  tons  of  concentrating  ore. 

Park  City.  The  new  aerial  tram  at  the  Silver  King  Con- 
solidated, 10,200  ft.  long,  is  working  well,  delivering  ore  to 
the  sampler  and  mill. 

The  Broadwater  Mills  Co.,  which  is  treating  tailing  near 
Park  City,  is  to  re-model  its  plant. 

Good  progress  is  reported  on  construction  of  the  Judge  M.  & 
S.  Co.'s  electric  zinc  smelter. 

Tintic.  In  the  report  of  Walter  Fitch,  general  manager  of 
the  Chief  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  it  is  stated  that  during  the 
period  January  1  to  September  30,  development  covered  17,950 
it.  Ore  shipments  totaled  62,006  tons,  assaying  0.104  oz.  per 
ton  gold,  21.37  oz.  silver,  13.0S%  lead  (on  lead  ore),  1.95% 
copper  (on  copper  ore),  and  30.5%  zinc  (on  zinc  ore),  an 
average  value  of  $31. 3S  per  ton.  The  net  profit  was  $474,247. 
Development  was  extremely  satisfactory.  Dividends  totaled 
$132,331.    On  October  1  the  cash  balance  was  $446,970. 

WASHINGTON 

Republic.  The  Lone  Pine-Surprise  Mining  Co.  is  preparing 
to  begin  sinking  a  500-ft.  shaft  on  its  Last  Chance  claim  at 
Republic.  A  5-drill  compressor,  hoist,  and  a  100-hp.  boiler 
have  been  ordered. 

Spokane.  The  Coeur  d'Alene  Mine  Owners'  Association,  of 
which  Stanly  A.  Easton,  general  manager  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
&  Sullivan  Mining  Co.,  is  secretary,  will  install  a  compre- 
hensive display  of  the  minerals  of  the  northern  Idaho  region 
in  the  new  quarter  at  the  Spokane  hotel  of  the  Northwestern 
Mining  Men's  Association,  a  re-organization  of  the  Spokane 
Mining  Men's  club,  the  pioneer  society  in  the  Northwest  of 
men  interested  in  the  mining  industry. 

CANADA 
British  Columbia 

Silverton.  During  September  the  Standard  Silver-Lead 
•company  made  a  profit  of  $38,2S7.  The  monthly  dividend  of 
■$50,000  was  paid.  On  October  1  the  balance  was  $254,319. 
Revenue  from  lead  and  zinc  products,  etc.,  totaled  $60,476. 
Ore  production,  including  mining,  shipping,  marketing,  taxes, 
etc.,  amounted  to  $36,288.  In  July  the  profit  was  $56,608, 
$30,398  in  June,  and  $136,943  in  March. 

Trail.  For  the  10  months  of  1916  the  smelter  at  Trail  has 
received  415,143  tons  of  ore,  against  399,070  tons  in  this  period 
of  1915.  New  producers  in  the  Slocan  district  are  the  Revenue 
and  Sovereign;  and  the  Johnson  at  Merrett. 


IP^ts  yiuaE 


fi'ote:     T/ti  Kdilor  inritiy  mi  mliirn  of  tin   iim/tsninii  In  ."  ml  i»nt  inilar*  of  thttc 
wort  ami  appointment*.      Thin  informal  inn  in  inti  rinlino  to  our  reader*. 


H.  H.  Claudet  Is  in  Ontario. 

John  Ballot  is  at  Washington. 

G.  W.  Evans  has  returned  to  Seattle  from  Alaska. 

F.  Lynwood  Garrison  has  returned  to  Philadelphia  from 
Brazil. 

Theodore  J.  Hoover  has  arrived  at  Palo  Alto  from  New 
York. 

A.  W.  Allen,  recently  with  the  San  Juan  Mines,  in  Argen- 
tina, is  here. 

H.  J.  Sheafe  has  returned  to  San  Francisco  from  Dulzura. 
on  the  Mexican  border. 

Victor  C  Alderson*  was  in  San  Francisco  last  week,  on  his 
return  from  New  York. 

George  Crerar  passed  through  San  Francisco  on  his  way 
from  Spokane  to  Los  Angeles. 

Edgar  A.  Collins  is  in  San  Francisco,  the  Oceanic  quick- 
silver mine  having  been  shut-down. 

E.  Gybbon  Spilsbubt  has  gone  to  Cuba,  and  will  be  away 
from  New  York  for  about  three  weeks. 

William  C  Madge  is  in  San  Francisco  on  his  return  from 
Siberia.    He  will  proceed  to  London  shortly. 

M.  M.  Valerius  and  V.  H.  McNutt  of  Tulsa,  Oklahoma,  have 
returned  from  a  six  weeks'  business  trip  to  New  York. 

E.  V.  Daveler,  superintendent  of  the  metallurgical  de- 
partment of  the  Alaska  Gold  Mines  Co.,  is  at  the  Palace  hotel. 

H.  G.  Thiele  has  resigned  as  assistant  editor  of  the  Press 
and  has  gone  to  Glacier,  Washington,  to  superintend  erection 
of  a  cyanide-flotation  plant. 

Dorsey  A.  Lyon  has  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City  from  Wash- 
ington and  New  York,  where  he  has  been  studying  operations 
at  electro-metallurgical  plants. 

Paul  Kruger,  master  mechanic  at  the  Inspiration  mine, 
leaves  at  the  end  of  the  month  to  take  a  position  at  the 
property  of  the  Chile  Copper  Co.,  at  Chuquicamata,  Chile. 

Norman  L.  Warford,  until  November  1  in  charge  of  the 
powdered-coal  department  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  company, 
has  become  identified  with  the  Powdered  Coal  Engineering  & 
Equipment  Co.  of  Chicago. 

C.  E.  Mills,  general  manager  of  the  Inspiration  Consoli- 
dated Copper  Co.,  has  been  chosen  president  of  the  Cananea 
Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  succeeding  L.  D.  Ricketts,  who 
retires  from  the  office  to  devote  his  attention  in  a  general  and 
advisory  capacity  to  the  affairs  of  both  these  companies  in 
New  York,  where  he  has  maintained  an  office  for  the  past  two 
years. 

Edgar  Taylor  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Institution 
of  Mining  &  Metallurgy,  London,  in  place  of  Sir  Richard 
Redmayne,  who  felt  compelled  to  resign  owing  to  his  posi- 
tion in  the  service  of  the  British  Government  at  a  time  when 
the  Institution  was  engaged  in  questions  affecting  the  taxation 
of  mines.  Mr.  Taylor  was  President  for  two  terms  between 
1906  and  1910. 

The  sixth  annual  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Columbia 
section,  A.  I.  M.  E.,  will  be  held  at  the  Spokane  hotel,  Spokane. 
Wash.,  Nov.  25.  There  will  be  a  discussion  on  United  States 
mining  laws,  flotation,  land  classification,  State  and  national 
co-operation,  etc.  It  is  hoped  every  member  of  the  section 
will  be  present  and  prepared  to  discuss  any  of  the  above  sub- 
jects, or  any  other.  Bring  in  an  application.  Advise  the 
secretary  of  your  present  address.  The  nominating  committee 
desires  each  member  to  select  officers  of  his  own  choice  if  those 
named  are  not  acceptable  for  any  reason. 


754 


MINING   and  Scientific  PRESS, 


November  18,  1916 


^fii  Mm,T&Ma  sa&imisT 


:,t;u:,i,„ 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  14. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 12.50 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 32.50 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce 105 — 111 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb $80 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 13 

Tin,  cents  per  pound  43 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    20 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  14. 

Antimony:  50%  metal,  per  unit 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 

Magnesite,  crude,  per  ton  

Manganese,  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 

Tungsten,  60%  WOs.  per  unit 


11.25 
15.00 
8.00 
16.00 
17.00 

At  Boulder.  Colorado,  last  week,  14  tons  of  tungsten  concen- 
trate was  sold  for  over  $16  per  unit.  The  Primos  company  has 
advanced  prices  to  its  lessees. 

New  York,  November  8. 
Antimony:     Considerable   inquiry    is    reported,    and    $1.50    per 
unit  has  been  paid  for  small  quantities  of  high-grade  material. 
Molybdenite:  This  mineral  continues  difficult  to  obtain.     Quo- 
tations are  unchanged  at  $1.70  to  $1.80  per  lb.  of  MoS2. 

Tungsten:  For  small  lots  of  ore  $17  per  unit  has  been  paid 
for  prompt  delivery.     There  is  active  inquiry  for  ore  contracts. 

EASTERN  METAL  MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
November    14. — Prompt    copper    is    scarce,    there    is    an    active 
export  and  domestic  demand,   quotations   are  nominal   for   first 
quarter:   lead   is   dull;    spelter   is   fairly  active,   advance   in   ore 
strengthens. 

SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 

Nov.      8 71.62        Oct. 

9 71.87 

"      10 71.87 

"      11 71.25 

"      12  Sunday 

"      13 71.75        Nov. 

"      14 71.75 


in  cents 

Average  week  ending 

3 69.12 

10 67.83 

17 67.95 

24 67.70 

31 67.60 

7 68.52 

14 71.68 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May     58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 

1916. 

48.85 

56.76 

48.45 

56.74 

50.61 

57.89 

50.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct.      ..,..51.12 

Nov.    ...'..49.12 

t   Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 


The  past  week  has  witnessed  a  big  jump  in  silver,  with  the 
new  high  price  remaining  fairly  steady.  London  reports  that 
America  has  been  selling  freely:  India  has  been  showing  little 
interest;  and  China  exchange  has  been  steady.  Stocks  at 
Shanghai  remain  fairly  constant  at  24,000,000  oz.  in  bars  and 
16.500,000  in  Mexican  dollars. 

The  merchant-submarine  'Deutschland'  has  received  silver 
valued  at  $150,000,  say  210,000  oz.,  for  shipment  to  Germany. 

Silver-bullion  shipments  from  Tonopah  last  week  totaled 
$322,236. 

COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York. 
Date. 

Nov.      8 31.25 

9 30.00 

"      10 31.00 

"      11 32.00 

12  Sunday 

"      13 32.25 

"      14 32.25 


in  cents  per  pound. 
Average   week   ending 

3 28.56 

10 28.60 

17 28.50 

24 28.37 

31 28.50 

7 28.79 

14 31.46 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

.  ..14.21 

13.60 

24.30 

July  .  . 

...13.26 

19.09 

25.66 

Feb.  .  . 

.  ..14.46 

14.38 

26.62 

Aug.  .  . 

...12.34 

17.27 

27.03 

Mch.  .  . 

...14.11 

14. SO 

26.65 

Sept.  .  . 

.  .  .12.02 

17.69 

2S.2S 

...14.19 

16.64 

28.02 

Oct.  . . 

.  ..11.10 

17.90 

2S.50 

...13.97 

18.71 

29.02 

Nov.  .  . 

...11.75 

18.88 

.  ..13.60 

19.75 

27.47 

Dec.  .  . 

.  ..12.75 

20.67 

Exports   of  copper  during  8   months   of  this  year   total   522.- 
131,230  lb.,  compared  with  433,205,804  lb.  in  1915.     Brass  exports 


amounted   to   135,534,1S7    lb.,    compared   with   54,442,615    lb.      Im- 
ports of  copper  were  326,448,620  lb.,  against  196,281,944  pounds. 

Twenty-five  mines  in  North  and  South  America  produced  a 
total  of  1,484,159,718  lb.  of  copper  in  the  first  9  months  of  this 
year. 

Anaconda  produced  31,500,000  lb.  in  October:  Shannon.  757,000; 
East  Butte,  1,650,010;  Inspiration,  11,300,000;  Chile  Copper, 
4,542,000;  Kennecott,  7,300,000;  Shattuck,  1,663,671;  and  Arizona 
Copper,  4,900,000  pounds. 

Champion,  Michigan,  has  declared  $6.40  per  share,  making 
$49.80  for  the  year.  Anaconda  is  now  producing  copper  at  the 
rate  of  1,000,000  lb.  daily. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 


10 

11 

12  Sunday 

13 

14 


.00 
'.00 

.00 
'.00 


Average  week  ending 


Nov. 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

.  3.94 

.  3.86 

.  3.90 

.  3.90 


7.00 

7.00 

Monthly  averages 
1915.       1916. 

5.95 

6.23 

7.26 

7.70 

7.38 


7.0S 

7.00 

7.00 

7.0ft 

7.00 

14 

7.00- 

3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.86 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 


ZINC 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 

Date.  Average   week   ending 

Nov.      8 11.00       Oct.       3 9.31 

10 9.9S 

17 9.81 

24 9.78 

31 10.27 

»'.      7 10.68 

14 11.23 


11.00 

9 11.00 

10 11.25 

11 11.37 

12   Sunday 

13 11.37 

14 11.40 

Monthly 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June    4.84 

American    Zinc, 


1914. 
.  5.14 
.  5.22 
.  5.12 
.  4.98 
4.91 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 

Lead 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.1S 
9.92 


&  Smelting  Co.'s  profits  for  the  third 
quarter  of  1916  were  $1,713,000,  plus  $725,000  from  its  Granby 
properties. 

During  the  third  quarter  of  1916  the  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.'s 
net  profit  was  $8,189,511,  of  which  $6,650,000  was  paid  in  divi- 
dends. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date.  I    Oct.     31 

Oct.     17 78.00    I    Nov.      7 

'•      24 80.00    I        "      14 

Monthly  averages 

1915.        1916. 

51.90      222.00 

60.00      295.00 

78.00      219.00 

77.50      141.60 

75.00        90.00 

90.00        74.70 


.80.00 
.80.00 
.S0.00 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug.    80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


TIN 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 3S.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 


1915. 
34.40 
37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39. 2S 
40.26 


1916. 
41.76 
42.60 
50.50 
51.49 
49.10 
42.07 


1914.- 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 


1916. 
38.37 


36.66 
41.10 


Tin  is  strong  at  44  cents. 

As  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.'s  tin  smelter  at  Perth  Amboy.  designed 
to  produce  1000  tons  of  metal  monthly,  is  only  yielding  300  tons, 
the  capacity  is  to  be  doubled. 


November  18,  1910 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


755 


Eastern   Metal  Market 


New  York,  November  S. 

Copper  iirodueers  are  sold-up  well  into  next  year.  Millions 
of  pounds  have  been  purchased  at  advancing  prices  in  the 
past  10  days,  and  deliveries  in  the  remainder  of  this  year  can 
only  be  had  at  premium  prices.  Only  one  thing  could  impair 
the  future  of  the  metal — a  failure  to  consume  the  copper 
already  purchased,  and  this  is  unlikely,  considering  that  the 
brass  and  copper  mills  continue  to  be  offered  business  that 
they  cannot  handle. 

Though  it  has  quieted  down  considerably,  zinc  had  an  active 
period,  both  galvanizers  and  brass  mills  buying  freely.  Deal- 
ers have  sought  to  acquire  stocks  on  a  rising  market. 

Lead  has  been  quiet  in  every  direction,  but  prices  have  been 
■well  maintained. 

In  tin  the  week  has  been  quiet,  but  prices  are  a  little 
stronger. 

Antimony,  except  for  one  good  transaction,  has  continued 
dull.      Asiatic  grades  are  quoted  at  12.75  to  13.25c,  duty  paid. 

Aluminum  prices  are  a  trifle  easier  at  63  to  65  cents. 

The  pig-iron  trade  faces  a  run-away  market.  It  is  excited, 
and  even  at  higher  quotations  the  producers  are  reluctant  to 
sell,  feeling  that  still  higher  prices  will  yet  prevail.  Coke  is 
equally  excited,  prompt  foundry  coke  being  up  to  $9.50  per  net 
ton  at  oven.  Prompt  furnace  is  quoted  up  to  $7.75  per  ton. 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  No.  2X  foundry  iron  is  quoted  at  $25 
to  $27.50,  delivered.  Basic  "has  sold  at  $25  to  $25.50,  delivered. 
Standard  low-phosphorus  iron  is  quoted  in  the  Bast  at  $43  to 
?45  per  ton,  delivered.  Western  prices  are  commensurate. 
The  production  of  pig  iron  in  October  broke  all  records,  the 
month's  production  being  3,508,849  tons,  or  113,189  tons  per 
day,  against  3,202,366  tons  in  the  30  days  of  September,  or 
106,745  tons  per  day.  The  Octoher  output  represents  a  yearly 
output  of  41,700,000  tons.  The  pressure  on  the  steel  mills, 
for  plates,  shapes  -and  bars,  is  so  great  that  some  of  them  are 
Tefusing  to  quote  for  next  year,  except  to  cover  contracts 
-which  the  prospective  buyers  actually  have  in  hand.  Rail- 
road-car builders  are  eager  to  cover  their  requirements  at 
present  prices,  having  abandoned  hope  of  lower  quotations. 
In  the  past  three  weeks  the  railroads  have  placed  orders  for 
at  least  30,000  cars.  The  leading  producer  of  steel  and  its 
products  quotes  3.25c,  Pittsburg,  on  tank  plates,  2.80c,  Pitts- 
burg, on  structural  shapes,  and  2.70c,  Pittsburg,  on  bars;  but 
these  are  nominal  prices,  inasmuch  as  deliveries  made  on  them 
are  indefinite.  Specified  deliveries  aTe  commanding  4c.  or 
more  for  plates,  2:85  to  3c.  for  shapes  and  2.85c  (all  Pitts- 
"burg)  for  bars.  An  Eastern  mill  has  advanced  its  plate  price 
to  4.75c,  Pittsburg  base. 

COPPER 

The  aggregate  of  sales  in  the  past  few  days  is  large,  some 
•estimates  placing  the  amount  of  electrolytic  taken  by  con- 
sumers in  the  first  six  days  of  the  month  at  75,000,000  lb. 
Metal  for  delivery  over  the  remainder  of  this  year,  and  even 
in  the  first  quarter  of  next,  is  scarce,  and  it  is  more  than 
likely  that  extremely  high  premiums  will  be  asked  for  prompt 
from  this  time  on.  Most  of  the  buying  called  for  first-quarter 
■deliveries,  although  considerable  November  and  December 
was  wanted  also.  Large  as  recent  sales  have  been,  they  un- 
doubtedly would  have  been  larger  had  the  copper  been  avail- 
able for  the  desired  deliveries.  The  brass  mills  have  been 
large  purchasers.  In  a  few  cases  sales  have  been  made  over 
the  first  half,  and  in  one  instance  -a  sale  is  reported  for  de- 
livery throughout  the  coming  year.  Quotations  for  near-by 
deliveries  are  covering  a  -wider  spread  than  usual,  and  with 
actual  prices  mostly  a  matter  for  private  negotiation,  it  is 
difficult  to  closely  gauge  the  market.  Prompt  and  November 
Is  conservatively  held  alt  2?  to  29:50c.,  although  a  sale  of  spot 


metal  is  reported  at  31c.  For  shipment  throughout  1917  a 
large  block  was  sold  at  26.75c.  December  is  quoted  at  about 
29c,  January  at  28.50c,  February  at  28.25c,  and  March  at  28c. 
Getting  copper  nearer  than  March  is  a  difficult  matter.  Lake 
is  more  easy  to  obtain  than  electrolytic,  especially  arsenical 
brands.  A  large  quantity  of  the  latter  was  sold  last  week  for 
March  delivery  at  28c  Prime  Lake  is  priced  about  the  same, 
or  a  little  lower,  than  electrolytic.  On  Monday,  November  6, 
the  day  preceding  the  election,  the  market  was  active  here, 
and  excited  in  London,  the  latter  advancing  £1  10s.  to  £144. 
Foreign  stocks  showed  but  little  change  according  to  the  last 
fortnightly  statement.  Total  stocks  in  Great  Britain  and 
France,  October  31,  amounted  to  5458  tons,  against  5796  tons. 
September  30.  Total  stocks  in  those  countries,  combined  with 
those  afloat  from  Chile  and  Australia,  amounted  to  10,lf)8  tons, 
October  31,  against  10,371  tons  a  month  previous.  Imports 
of  copper  were  large  in  the  first  nine  months  of  this  year, 
amounting  to  156,000  tons,  against  137,500  tons  in  the  entire 
year  1915.  These  imports  include,  ores,  matte  and  regulus 
reduced  to  fine  copper.  Students  of  the  War  predict  that  it 
will  last  at  least  two  years  longer  and,  needless  to  say,  as 
long  as  it  lasts,  copper  will  be  scarce  and  prices  strong. 

ZINC 

In  keeping  with  the  movement  in  copper  zinc  has  been 
active,  although  the  demand  now  appears  to  be  easing  off. 
Producers  are  optimistic,  and  have  such  faith  in  the  future  of 
prices  that  they  are  not  willing  to  sell  freely.  Dealers,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  anxious  to  buy,  and  it  should  not  be  for- 
gotten that  they  make  their  living  to  a  considerable  extent  in 
accurately  forecasting  market  conditions.  Brass  mills  and 
galvanizers  both  were  active  last  week.  The  New  York  quota- 
tion, November  6,  yesterday,  election  day,  being  a  holiday, 
was  about  10.75c,  and  that  at  St.  Louis  10.50c.  December  is 
held  at  10.37ic.  and  upward,  St.  Louis,  and  first  quarter  at 
10.25c.  St.  Louis.  Exports  in  the  first  six  days  of  the  month 
totaled  2861  tons.  The  spot  quotation  at  London  on  the  6th 
was  £53  5s.,  against  £52  15s.  a  week  previous.  Sheet  zinc  is 
quoted  at  16c,  f.o.b.  mill,  carload  lots,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  market  has  been  quiet,  but  steady,  and  almost  entirely 
devoid  of  feature  in  the  past  week.  The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  con- 
tinues to  quote  7c,  New  York,  and  6.921c,  St.  Louis.  The 
independents  also  quote  7c,  New  York,  but  are  willing  to  make 
a  slight  concession  for  delivery  to  Eastern  points.  At  St. 
Louis  the  smaller  producers  ask  about  6.87Ac  The  exports 
of  six  days  of  this  month  total  678  tons.  The  London  quota- 
tion for  spot,  on  the  6th,  was  £30  10s.,  which  was  the  quota- 
tion of  a  week  previous. 

TIN 

In  this  metal  the  week  has  been  a  quiet  one,  but,  neverthe- 
less, an  advance  in  price  is  shown.  Spot  Straits  was  quoted  on 
November  6  at  42.75c,  and  spot  Banca  at  41.75c  On  the  3rd 
the  market  was  interested,  but  not  excited,  by  the  news  that 
the  steamer  Glenlogan,  with,  about  360  tons  of  tin  aboard  had 
been  sunk  in  the  Mediterranean  by  a  submarine.  Ordinarily 
such  news  makes  the  market  jump,  but  this  time  consumers 
were  mildly  Indifferent.  Perhaps  it  was  because  they  have 
been  fooled  so  many  times.  The  supply  of  spot  Banca  tin 
was  nearly  cleaned-up  lately,  but  more  Banca  will  be  available 
as  offerings  of  future  shipments  from  Batavia  are  now  being 
made.  Arrivals  this  month  total  205  tons,  and  there  is  afloat 
4377  tons.  In  September,  88,222  lb.  of  tin,  valued  at  $35,394, 
was  imported  at  San  Francisco,  and  1,445,234  lb.,  valued  at 
$552,485,  was  imported  in  the  Washington  district. 


756 


MINING  and 


©©MLpmsr^  IE(gp@3?fts 


ROUND  MOUNTAIN  MINING  CO. 

In  the  report  of  the  president,  L.  D.  Gordon,  and  superin- 
tendent, R.  H.  Ernest,  of  this  company  operating  a  mine,  mill, 
and  gravel  deposit  in  Nye  county,  Nevada,  the  placer  opera- 
tions are  discussed.  Results  this  season,  up  to  July  1,  were 
somewhat  disappointing,  both  in  yardage  and  value.  Water 
was  also  lacking.  Churn-drilling  and  blasting  ahead  of  the 
giants  is  being  done,  and  other  improvements  to  methods  ap- 
plied. From  July  13  to  September  3,  1915,  there  was  sluiced 
18,150  cu.  yd.  of  gravel,  yielding  $2,006  per  yard,  at  a  cost  of 
60.9c.  Irregular  work  from  November  1915  to  March  1,  1916, 
recovered  $1,746  per  yard  from  5272  yd.,  costing  $1,023  per 
yard.  Several  difficulties  tended  toward  this  latter  high  cost. 
From  March  1  to  July  1,  1916,  142,600  cu.  yd.  yielded  33.8c,  at 
a  cosf  of  19.5c.  per  yard.  The  gross  yield  for  these  four 
months  was  $48,177,  but  the  bed-rock  and  sluices  are  estimated 
to  contain  between  $20,000  and  $30,000,  making,  say,  50c.  per 
yard  for  the  lot. 

Original  estimates  of  the  value  of  the  placer  deposit,  $1  per 
yard,  were  based  on  previous  hydraulicking  and  sampling,  the 
former  work  yielding  $1.55  per  yard.  Topography  of  the 
ground,  a  ridge  under  the  gravel,  probably  has  caused  a  varia- 
tion in  the  gold-content,  and  this  condition  was  not  found  out 
in  time  to  cut  new  races  into  richer  ground.  Pan  tests  indi- 
cate an  improvement  to  the  north,  and  the  influence  of  the 
ridge  is  diminishing  as  the  new  cut  is  carried  easterly.  The 
remainder  of  the  season  should  yield  highly-profitable  ground. 

The  main  tailing-flume  is  to  be  extended  to  another  block 
of  ground,  and  line  it  with  steel  rails.  Wood  blocks  and 
boulders  delayed  work  during  the  season.  Costs  are  expected 
to  be  lowered  to  15c.  per  yard. 

GRANBY  CONSOLIDATED  MINING,   SMELTING  & 
POWER  CO. 

Operations  of  this  company  in  British  Columbia  show  ex- 
pansion in  each  annual  report,  that  for  the  year  ended  June 
30,  1916,  being  no  exception.  In  the  reports  of  the  managing 
director,  F.  M.  Sylvester;  superintendent  of  mines,  O.  B. 
Smith;  mine  superintendents,  C.  M.  Campbell  and  E.  E.  Camp- 
bell; superintendent  of  smelters,  W.  A.  Williams;  and  smelter 
superintendents  A.  J.  Bone  and  W.  B.  Bishop,  the  following 
details  are  given: 

At  Phoenix  the  Knob-Hill  Ironside  mine  produced  760,693 
tons  of  ore  averaging  0.9%  copper  from  the  Victoria  shaft,  and 
193,206  tons  from  No.  2  tunnel,  containing  1%  metal.  The 
cost  on  cars  was  83c.  and  $1.10  per  ton,  respectively.  Reserves 
total  3,530,996  tons  of  regular  grade,  compared  with  4,171,005 
tons  at  the  beginning  of  the  year.  The  Gold  Drop  mine  yielded 
142,400  tons  of  0.95%  ore,  at  a  cost  of  $1.32  per  ton.  This  mine 
was  considered  depleted,  but  diamond-drilling  has  found  100,- 
000  tons  additional  ore,  which  can  be  mined  for  $1.40  per  ton. 
Development  at  this  group  of  mines  totaled  14,608  ft.,  costing 
15.1c.  per  ton;  also  11,392  ft.  of  driiling.  The  average  cost 
was  94.1c.  per  ton  crushed  on  cars.  • 

At  Hidden  Creek  underground  work  totaled  2333  ft.,  also 
5873  ft.  of  drilling.  Reserves  in  the  four  orebodies  total 
1S,018,020  tons,  over  half  of  which  is  high-grade  material.  The 
mine  produced  725, S21  tons,  at  a  cost  of  99.6c.  per  ton  on  cars, 
including  all  charges.  The  haulage-system  is  being  improved. 
The  crusher  averaged  205.2  tons  per  hour  during  the  year,  that 
is,  3537  hours  of  operation,  or  say  9i  hours  daily.  The  new 
crushing-plant  was  completed  in  January.  Cold  weather 
affected  the  power-supply.  Hammer-drills  using  hollow  steel 
superseded  large  piston-drills,  to  advantage.  There  was  some 
unrest  among  employees,  but  this  was  settled. 

The  output   from   all  mines  was   1,889,373   tons,   averaging 


Scientific  PRESS  November  18,  1916 

28.13  lb.  copper,  and  63c.  in  gold  and  silver  per  ton.  The 
mines  contain  over  23,000,000  tons  of  ore  developed,  and  are 
equipped  and  ready  to  produce  4000  to  5000  tons  daily.  Of  2 
to  2J%  ore  there  is  9,947,000  tons,  of  1  to  1J%,  3,718,000  tons, 
and  less  than  1%,  9,491,000  tons. 

At  Grand  Forks,  7.27  furnaces  reduced  1,166,015  tons  of  ore, 
matte,  converter  slag,  and  flue-dust,  at  a  cost  of  $1,237  per 
ton,  an  increase  of  5c.  per  ton.  Coke  consumed  was  13.42%  of 
the  charge  of  ore.  Including  4,801,355  lb.  of  copper  in  Anyox 
matte,  the  output  was  15,989,730  lb.  Converting  cost  6c.  per 
ton.    Slag  contained  4.2  lb.  per  ton. 

An  average  of  3.2  furnaces  at  Anyox  reduced  S22.919  tons 
of  ore,  and  a  total  of  1,103,825  tons  of  all  materials.  Smelting 
and  converting  cost  $1,804  per  ton  of  ore.  Hidden  Creek  ore 
was  more  silicious  and  aluminous  than  before.  Double  smelt- 
ing was  tried  with  success.    There  were  278  men  employed. 

Summarizing,  the  year's  results  were  as  follows: 

Ore  treated  from  company's  mines,  tons 1,897,251 

Recovery,  pounds  of  copper 22.36 

Total  copper,  pounds    42,198,083 

Silver,  ounces   487,845 

Gold,   ounces    44,848 

Revenue     from     metals     sold     (copper     averaging 

22.04c.)     $10,482,709 

Cost,  cents  per  pound   12.98 

Profit    $3,819,295 

Dividends    899,911 

Surplus    '. $2,919,384 

Cash  and  metals  on  hand  amount  to  $2,927,317,  and  accounts 
payable  $281,997.  The  company  treated  31,954  tons  of  custom 
ore,  yielding  3,356,570  lb.  copper,  41,346  oz.  silver,  and  2100  oz. 
of  gold. 

LAKE  VIEW  AND  OROYA  EXPLORATION 

This  is  a  holding  company,  having  interests  in  mines 
throughout  the  world.  In  the  report  dated  October  13,  1916, 
it  is  stated  that  the  profit  was  £12,971,  plus  the  previous  bal- 
ance and  reserve  account  income,  making  £42,766.  Divi- 
dends amount  to  £36,095.  The  balance  is  £164.  The  technical 
committee,  consisting  of  J.  A.  Agnew,  J.  H.  Cordner-James, 
Theodore  J.  Hoover,  and  A.  F.  Kuehn,  made  the  following  re- 
marks on  some  of  the  properties. 

Burma  Corporation.  The  last  official  estimate  of  ore  re- 
serves at  the  beginning  of  July,  1916,  gave  3,240,000  tons  of  ore 
already  proved  and  probable  above  the  Tiger  tunnel,  with 
anticipated  extensions  down  to  this  opening  of  650,000  tons. 
Owing  to  a  concentration  of  effort  on  the  completion  of  the 
adit,  development  has  not  proceeded  as  rapidly  since  the  end 
of  the  last  half-year  as  previously;  nevertheless,  such  work 
as  has  been  carried  out  justifies  a  further  addition  of  160,- 
000  tons  to  the  reserves,  making  a  total  of  3,400,000  tons.  In 
addition  to  this  tonnage,  it  may  be  safely  estimated  that  there 
will  be  additions  down  to  the  Tiger  tunnel  of  a  further  600,- 
000  tons.  The  total  proved  and  probable  ore  and  anticipated 
additions  to  the  orebody  above  the  tunnel  is  therefore,  in 
round  figures,  4,000,000  tons,  averaging  25  oz.  silver,  27J% 
lead  and  22%  zinc.  The  Chinaman  orebody  has  been  devel- 
oped for  a  length  of  1200  ft.,  with  a  width  varying  up  to  140 
ft.  The  Tiger  tunnel  holed  through  to  the  internal  shaft 
workings  on  September  24,  thus  confirming  accurately  the 
estimate  made  by  the  Technical  Committee  of  the  Burma 
Corporation.  This  tunnel  has  taken  29  months  to  drive  7300 
ft.,  or  a  little  over  250  ft.  per  month,  which,  considering  the 
times,  was  excellent  progress.  The  burden  of  pumping  and 
hoisting  will  now  be  completely  dispensed  with,  and  develop- 
ment can  proceed  rapidly  on  the  lower  levels  of  the  mine. 
That  this  is  true  is  confirmed  in  the  last  published  telegraphic 
report  of  the  manager,  which  indicates  that  he  is  now  in 
good  grade  ore  on  the  Tiger  tunnel  level,  assaying  29  oz. 
silver,   34%   lead   and   18%  zinc.     An   interesting   event   will 


November  18,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


757 


now  be  in  prospect,  that  is.  extending  ol  the  Tiger  tunnel 
through  the  orebody,  thus  opening  the  Chinaman  orebody  at 
a  depth  of  some  700  ft.  below  the  surface.  This  tunnel  will 
also  ultimately  cut  the  vertical  shaft  workings  and  make 
available  not  only  the  high-grade  lead-silver  ore  in  that  sec- 
tion, but  also  30,000  tons  of  high-grade  copper  ore,  assaying 
upwards  of  15%  copper.  It  is  hoped  to  reach  this  position 
during  the  present  high  prices  of  copper.  There  are  three 
furnaces  in  operation  at  the  mine,  and  one  of  these  can  be 
readily  converted  to  reduce  copper  ore. 

Smelting  operations  have  been  carried  on  continuously, 
and  the  plant  is  now  working  at  the  rate  of  3000  tons  per 
month  of  ore  from  the  mine  and  500  tons  of  slag.  From  these 
the  yield  is  a  little  over  1200  tons  per  month  of  lead  and 
70,000  oz.  of  silver,  both  of  which  products  are  realizing 
good  prices. 

Design  of  the  new  lead-concentrating  mill  is  now  practically 
completed,  and  detailed  plans  and  specifications  are  being 
prepared  for  the  first  unit  of  333  tons  per  day.  Orders  will 
shortly  be  placed  for  the  machinery,  and  as  manufacturers 
are  able  to  promise  fairly  prompt  delivery  it  is  not  anticipated 
that  there  will  be  much  delay  in  installation.  This  unit  will 
be  followed  shortly  by  two  others  of  the  same  capacity,  bring- 
ing the  total  up  to  1000  tons  per  day.  The  Technical  Com- 
mittee has  estimated  the  profit  per  ton  at  $12  at  pre-war 
prices  of  metals. 

Zinc  Corporation.  Development  continued  throughout  the 
year,  the  main  shaft  having  reached  a  depth  of  1522  ft.  Ex- 
ploration on  No.  8  and  9  levels  continues  to  show  large  bodies 
of  good  milling  ore.  On  No.  10  the  orebody  has  been  proved  as 
satisfactory  by  diamond-drilling  and  cross-cutting.  Reserves 
show  a  considerable  increase  compared  with  the  previous  year. 

Operations  in  the  zinc  treatment  department  were  resumed 
at  the  beginning  of  the  year.  Unfortunately,  owing  to  a  strike, 
the  plant  was  closed  down  from  January  10  to  February  14, 
this  affecting  adversely  results  of  the  first  two  months  of 
1916.  However,  up  to  the  end  of  August,  28,863  tons  of  zisc 
concentrate  was  produced,  which  has  been  sold  at  remuner- 
ative prices.  The  lead  mill  has  continued  in  operation  at 
practically  full  capacity,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  two 
months  of  the  year,  when  the  mine  was  closed  down,  and  has 
produced  18,018  tons  of  lead  concentrate.  This  output  has 
been  sent  to  the  Broken  Hill  Associated  Smelters,  in  terms  of 
an  agreement  with  that  company,  and  at  the  high  price  of 
lead  now  prevailing  shows  a  handsome  profit.  This  company, 
at  the  prevailing  price  of  metals,  has  therefore  been  earning 
profits  at  the  rate  of  about  $96,000  per  month,  and  during 
July  and  August,  when  the  zinc  plant  was  running  full  time, 
the  profits  were  about  $145,000  per  month. 

Lake  View  and  Star.  During  the  six  months  to  August  31 
last  this  company  treated  96,898  tons,  which  yielded  bullion 
worth  £98,285,  while  the  working  expenses,  including  devel- 
opment, for  the  same  period  amounted  to  £100,749.  During 
the  year  ended  February  28  last,  dividends  aggregating  15% 
on  the  company's  capital  were  paid;  no  dividend  has  been 
distributed  for  the  current  year. 

The  estimate  of  ore  in  reserve  on  February  28  last  was 
353,527  tons  worth  $6.20,  compared  with  426,301  tons .  worth 
$6.40  at  the  close  of  the  previous  year.  The  figures  do  not 
include  any  ore  in  the  Chaffers  mine,  in  which,  according  to 
reports  made  before  the  mine  closed  down,  are  74,892  tons 
worth  $7.30  per  ton.  The  mine  has  been  adversely  affected 
by  war  conditions  in  combination  with  a  run  of  low-grade 
ore  in  the  stopes.  The  rise  in  the  cost  of  supplies,  shortage 
and  inefficiency  of  labor,  and  inability  to  obtain  bromo-cyan- 
ide,  which  had  hitherto  been  considered  essential  for  eco- 
nomic treatment  of  the  ore,  have  in  the  aggregate  added 
greatly  to  working  costs,  and  increased  the  loss  of  gold-  in  the 
residue.  To  meet  the  altered  conditions  a  scheme  of  treat- 
ment without  bromo-salts  was  evolved,  and  the  plant  adapted 
to  the  altered  circumstances;   but  the  new  method  of   treat- 


ment, although  promising,  does  not  so  far  give  as  good  a  com- 
mercial result  as  was  obtained  by  the  old  system. 

This  property  is  at  Kalgoorlie,  Western  Australia. 

Central  American  Mines.  Since  the  date  of  the  last  report 
issued  by  this  company  great  difficulties  have  arisen  in  con- 
nection with  development  in  the  bottom  of  the  mine.  The 
flooding  of  the  No.  2  level  and  shaft,  due  to  breaking  into  an 
accumulation  of  water  in  old  Spanish  workings  in  the  San 
Basilio  section,  proved  to  be  more  serious  than  the  first  ad- 
vices indicated;  further  difficulty  arose  later  through  the  cav- 
ing of  the  shaft  timbers  between  the  surface  and  No.  1  adit- 
level.  The  delays  consequent  on  these  happenings  have,  as 
may  be  realized,  caused  much  delay  in  opening  the  third  level. 
Further  difficulties,  directly  attributable  to  the  War,  have 
arisen,  and  their  accumulated  effect  is  such  as  to  make  it  im- 
possible to  continue  working  without  some  re-organization  of 
the  company's  position.  The  cost  of  almost  all  stores  has 
materially  increased,  wages  have  had  to  be  raised  to  all 
classes  of  workmen,  the  exchange  rates  both  in  Nicaragua  and 
America  have  disadvantageously  operated,  and  shipping  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  is  so  infrequent  and  irregular  as  to  derange 
repeatedly  the  company's  operations.  Under  these  circum- 
stances the  directors  have  under  consideration  the  matter  of 
suspending  treatment  operations,  and  continuing  the  devel- 
opment pending  some  immediate  decision  being  arrived  at  re- 
garding the  re-financing  of  the  company. 

During  the  year  ended  December  31,  1915,  there  was  27,849 
tons  of  ore  treated  for  a  yield  of  £47,194;  working  expenses 
amounted  to  £40,260,  showing  a  profit  on  revenue  account  of 
£6934;  of  the  latter,  shaft-sinking  absorbed  £1020,  mine  devel- 
opment £1545,  and  construction  and  equipment  £2024,  leaving 
a  net  profit  in  the  Republic  of  £2345. 

Babilonia  Gold  Mines.  The  work  carried  out  at  this  prop- 
erty has  been,  on  the  whole,  of  a  satisfactory  character.  The 
east  Crimea  shoot  has  been  opened  on  the  second  level,  the 
west  shoot  on  the  same  level  has  opened  well,  while  of  much 
importance  is  the  finding  of  a  practically  continuous  shoot  of 
ore  between  these  main  blocks,  in  the  hanging-wall  portion 
of  the  orebody  at  No.  2  level,  an  area  that  hitherto  had  been 
regarded  as  valueless.  The  latter  work  led  to  further  pros- 
pecting in  the  hanging  wall  of  the  No.  1  adit-level,  and — more 
recently — in  No.  2  adit,  in  each  case  with  success.  While  this 
ore  is  lower  in  grade  than  the  main  east  and  west  shoots  on 
the  Crimea  vein,  it  is  highly  profitable. 

The  plant  continues  to  give  excellent  results,  both  in  the 
matter  of  capacity  and  extraction.  For  the  year  ended 
December  31,  1915,  there  was  9586  tons  of  ore  and  5724  tons  of 
accumulated  slime  treated  for  a  return  of  £37,152.  The  ex- 
penditure under  the  heading  of  working  costs  was  £24,445. 
The  profit  above  working  expenditure  was  £12,707,  or  a  net 
profit  of  £5279,  after  allowing  for  the  cost  of  mine  develop- 
ment of  £7428.    This  mine  is  in  Nicaragua. 

CONSOLIDATED  INTERSTATE-CALLAHAN  MINING  CO. 

In  the  third  quarter  of  1916,  this  company,  operating  in  the 
Coeur  d'Alene,  Idaho,  shipped  3297  tons  of  crude  ore  averaging 
50.5%  zinc,  14,184  tons  of  concentrate  averaging  47.7%  zinc, 
388  tons  of  crude  ore  averaging  18.9%  lead,  and  1121  tons  of 
concentrate  averaging  19.4%  lead.  The  total  metal  in  the 
shipments  was  16,868,836  lb.  of  zinc  and  1,454,562  lb.  of  lead. 
The  combined  cost  of  mining  and  milling  was  $6,302  per  ton. 
The  mill  recovery  was  85.7%  of  the  metal-content,  an  increase 
of  4.71%.  The  net  value  of  shipments  was  $655,034,  against 
$997,182  for  the  preceding  three  months.  The  profit  was  $413.- 
695,  compared  with  $713,677.  $1.50  per  share  was  distributed, 
totaling  $697,485. 


The  advance  report  on  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  lead  in  South 
Dakota  and  Wyoming  has  been  issued  by  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey.  The  value  of  the  precious  metals  was  $7,507,636  and 
$15,018,  respectively. 


758 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  18.  1916 


Information  supplied  by  ttie  manufacturers. 


Imp?  m/®SL  Miasms  iLamp 

Two  improved  forms  of  the  General  Electric  miner's  lamp 
have  been  recently  approved  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 
Form  C  has  a  case  of  drawn  and  folded  sheet  steel,  while  the 
form  D  battery  container  consists  of  J-in.  aluminum  alloy 
casting,  91%  pure  aluminum.  Otherwise  the  lamps  are  ident- 
ical. 

The  cap  lamp  is  a  steel  shell  lined  with  fibre  insulation, 
and  contains  the  reflector  of  porcelain-enameled  steel  and 
phospher-bronze  spring  contacts  rigidly  mounted.  The  latter 
hold  the  Mazda  lamp  bulb  in  such  manner  that  it  is  shattered 
and   expelled    from    the   contacts   by   a   blow    that   otherwise 


IMPROVED    MIXER  S    LAMP. 


would  be  only  sufficient  to  crack  or  chip  the  glass  bulb  as 
usually  mounted.  This  prevents  the  heated  filament  coming 
in  contact  with  inflammable  gas.  Double-steel  hooks,  electric- 
ally welded  together  and  riveted  to  the  shell,  provide  means 
for  attaching  the  lamp  to  the  miner's  cap.  The  cap  lamp  is 
waterproof  and  weighs  four  ounces.  The  weight  on  the  cap  is 
from  six  to  eight  ounces,  depending  on  how  the  lamp  and 
cable  are  worn. 

The  lamp  is  a  one-half  candle-power  wire-drawn  Mazda  with 
a  guaranteed  life  of  300  hours.  It  has  two  contact  bases,  and 
a  single  filament  running  straight  through  the  bulb  together 
with  the  reflector  produces  a  well  diffused  illumination  at  an 
angle  of  130°.  A  43-in.  cable  connects  the  lamp  to  the  battery. 
This  is  ample  for  the  unrestricted  movement  of  the  miner.  It 
is  double  twisted  strand  copper,  rubber  coated,  individually 
laid  together  and  the  whole  rubber  coated.  The  weight  is  8 
ounces.  This  construction  gives  a  strong,  light,  flexible,  non- 
kinking  cable,  of  low  resistance.  Protection  at  each  end  is 
afforded  by  steel  spring  armor,  double  at  the  battery  and 
single  at  the  lamp.  The  cable  is  fastened  in  the  lamp  and 
battery  cover  entrance  bushings  by  rubber  packings  secured 
with  lock-nuts.  It  will  stand  a  heavy  strain  without  loosen- 
ing or  putting  undue  strain  on  the  terminals  of  the  conductor. 

Both  forms  have  approximate  outside  dimensions  of  thick- 
ness 2  in.,  height  6i  in.,  and  width  5  in.  Total  weights  are, 
form  C,  4  lb.  7  oz.,  and  form  D,  4  lb.  13  oz.  All  metal  parts  are 
finished  with  a  semi-transparent  acid-proof,  baking  varnish, 
which  gives  a  serviceable  and  pleasing  gray  finish. 

The  battery  is  an  iron-clad  exide  (iron-clad  positive  plate 
and  exide  negative).  It  is  guaranteed  to  give  service  for  not 
less  than  10}  hours  per  charge  throughout  a  period  of  two 
years.  The  plates  are  contained  in  a  medium  hard  rubber, 
non-spillable   case,   ribbed   vertically   for  strength  and   sealed 


with  a  special  vent  and  filling  plug.  The  cover  is  so  con- 
structed that  the  pressure  of  the  contacts  on  the  terminals 
strengthens  the  seal.  All  parts  of  the  entire  outfit  are  inter- 
changeable. No  gas  is  generated  on  discharge,  and  explosions 
are  therefore  impossible. 

The  outfit  will  operate  submerged  in  water;  it  is  safe,  dur- 
able, efficient,  and  easy  to  wear;  the  light  cannot  be  ex- 
tinguished except  by  intentional  disabling,  and  the  outfit  may 
be  sealed  so  that  tampering  will  be  rendered  visible. 

2  DSiaxiSTelal    SPassiflifapjas 

In  Bulletin  64  the  Chain  Belt  Co.  of  Milwaukee  illustrates 
its  chain-belt  traveling  water-screens,  which  are  giving  good 
results  at  large  power-plants. 

'Roebling  Wire  Rope'  No.  4  contains  notes  on  electric  cranes, 
rope,  tackle,  slings,  aerial  conveyors,  derrick,  and  increased 
efficiency  in  mine-rope  service. 

Denver  'Clipper'  drills  are  the  subject  of  Bulletin  C-3  of  the 
Denver  Rock  Drii.i.  Manufacturing  Co.  Models  50  and  55 
may  be  used  as  hand  drills  or  mounted  for  any  work  about  a 
mine  or  quarry. 

Among  the  interesting  mechanical  notes  in  'The  Excavating 
Engineer'  for  October  there  is  given  the  record  of  a  class  45, 
2J-yard  Atlantic  (Bucyrus)  steam-shovel  that  loaded  82,500 
cu.  yd.  of  sand  and  clay  in  24J  days  of  10  hours  each. 

Manganese-steel  sand  and  gravel-pumps,  and  wearing  parts 
for  pump-dredges  are  discussed  in  Bulletin  72  of  the  American 
Manganese  Steel  Co.  of  Chicago.  The  publication  shows 
centrifugal-pump  details,  all  parts  of  which  are  of  manganese 
steel. 

Railway  motor  gears  and  pinions  are  illustrated  and  dis- 
cussed in  Bulletin  44,419  of  the  General  Electric  Co.  These 
wheels  are  of  the  forged  or  solid  cast-steel  make.  Split  wheels 
are  reinforced  and  have  lock-nuts  on  the  bolts.  Useful  notes 
are  given  on  correct  and  incorrect  mesh  of  the  teeth. 

In  the  October  issue  of  'Leschen's  Hercules,'  St;  Louis,  some 
details  are  given  of  erecting  a  60,000-kw.  steam-power  plant 
near  Buffalo;  how  an  aerial  tram  5S4  ft.  long  across  a  river 
saved  a  two-mile  haul  in  Wyoming;  coal  mining  in  West  Vir- 
ginia ;  and  the  beet-sugar  industry  of  the  United  States.  In  all 
of  these  operations  wire  rope  is  used. 

The  Nordberg  Mfg.  Co.,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  announces  the 
appointment  of  H.  W.  Dow  as  sales  manager.  He  has  been 
associated  with  the  company  in  the  engineering  and  sales 
departments  for  12  years.  The  Nordberg  company  builds  steam 
and  electric  hoists,  Corliss  engines,  poppet-valve  engines, 
uniflow  engines,  air-compressors,  oil-engines,  and  Nordberg- 
Carels  Diesel  engines. 

Single  compressors,  steam  driven  with  balanced  steam  valve 
and  automatic  fly-wheel  governor,  are  described  in  Bulletin 
34-Z  of  the  Chicago  Pneumatic  Tool  Co.  Some  details  of  con- 
struction are  given,  with  a  section  showing  the  whole  engine. 

Bulletins  34-K  and  34-X  deal  with  fuel-oil  driven  com- 
pressors, and  giant  gas  engines.  Considerably  detailed  photo- 
graphs of  parts  are  shown. 

An  unusually  well-illustrated  bulletin  of  the  Allis- 
Chalmers  Manufacturing  Co.  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  deals 
with  pumping-engines.  The  new  type  made  is  the  horizontal, 
cross-compound,  crank  and  fly-wheel  pumping-engine,  the 
latest  step  in  the  evolution  of  high-duty  pumping-engines. 
Considerable  detail,  with  drawings,  is  given  on  this  machine; 
also  indicator  cards  of  tests.  In  Bulletin  No.  1810  this  firm 
illustrates  its  all-steel  jaw-crusher,  made  in  three  sizes,  name- 
ly, 36  by  24.  48  by  36,  and  60  by  4S.  A  picture  shows  a  double- 
drum  automatic  electric  hoist  for  rock-crushing  plants. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  NOVEMBER  25,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  22 


IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS,  ON  THE  CANADIAN   PACIFIC  RAILWAY 

IN  THIS  ISSUE  we  publish  an  editorial  article  on  British  Columbia, 
a  country  of  great  beauty  and  a  mining  region  of  varied  resourceful- 
ness. Much  money  has  been  invested  in  this  province  of  Canada  by 
American  operators,  most  of  whom  have  achieved  remarkable  success  in 
their  intelligent  enterprise.  It  is  a  country  that  ought  to  be  better  known 
to  our  people,  both  as  a  place  for  a  pleasant  holiday  and  as  affording  the 
opportunity  for  technical  initiative  of  a  productive  kind. 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


-    '-i^— 


Oliver  Continuous  Filter 


ONE  MAN^ 


is  all  that  is  necessary  to  operate  these  fourteen  12x12 
175-ton  OLIVER  FILTERS  installed  by  the  Anaconda 
Copper  Company. 

They  are  automatic.  There  is  no  waste  effort;  no 
uncertainty.  They  can  be  mechanically  set  to  de- 
liver the  cake  or  solution  desired.  There  is  no 
scraping  or  mucking  out.  The  cake,  after  dewater- 
ing,  is  delivered  continuously  to  a  belt  conveyor. 


*1  These  features  alone  go  a 
long  way  toward  paying  for 
an  OLIVER  installation  in  a 
few  months. 


1  No  method  could  be  more 
profitable  and  economical  than 
"WITH  OLIVER  FILTERS." 


Write  and  let  us  tell  you  what  an  OLIVER  can  do  for  you. 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER  COMPANY 

501    MARKET    STREET  SAN   FRANCISCO 

No  Royalties  to  Pay  on  Any  Work  of  an  OLIVER 


r.l!'  ,!'  „l'  .1    !!"  ill'  • Ill-Ill    II1"!!!:  ;l!    i!l:    :■,';;;',      :! 


EDITORIAL  STAFF-. 
T.  A.  R1CKARD 


Editor        B 


M.  W.  yon  BERNEWITZ  I   .    .   ,-  ,. 
W.H.  STORMS  jA-.EAio, 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manajer 


ll!lll[lfill!ll!lill!li:i!!l    :  '  i|  :||mi[|lf!!l|l|!!llll||! 

SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelasio  Caetani. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
V.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Jantn. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
l'\   H.   Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


■■iiiiiiyiiiii»ii»aam»»BBa«mMBiii»Biiiii[iniiiniiiiniiiE. ■niiMillliiii iiiioiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiii iiiiiiBiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyniiiaii iiiainnini iiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiinniii 


Science  lias  no  enemy  save  (he  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  November  25,  1916 


13  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Notes     759 

A  Matter  of  Principle 761 

Further  discussion  of  the  Shockley  episode,  ven- 
tilated in  our  issue  of  October  21.  Reply  to  Mr.  E.  W. 
Parker's  rejoinder.  The  right  of  the  Anthracite  Sec- 
tion to  stifle  discussion  and  the  action  of  the  Directors 
of  the  Institute  to  censor  Mr.  Shockley's  paper  be- 
fore the  Engineering  Congress.  M.  &  S.  P.,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1916. 

British  Columbia   762 

An  attractive  and  important  mining  region.  The 
trend  of  recent  development.  Good  opportunities  for 
American  engineers  and  American  capital.  M.  &  S. 
P.,  November  25,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 

A  Matter  of  Principle. 

By  E.  W.  Parker  763 

Mr.  Parker  re-opens  the  matter  of  conditions  in  the 
anthracite  region  of  Pennsylvania  as  referred  to  by 
Mr.  Shockley  and  criticises  the  reliability  of  official 
statistics.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  25,  1916. 

Gambling  in  Shares. 

By  Ira  B.  Joralemon   764 

A  warning  to  those  who  indiscriminately  speculate  in 
mining  shares,  basing  their  judgment  on  company 
reports.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  25,  1916. 

ARTICLES 
The  Blue  Bell  Mine,  Riondel,  B.  C. 

By  T.  A.  Bickard  765 

The  story  of  the  oldest  mine  in  the  Kootenay  region, 
with  details  concerning  the  feud  that  was  waged  over 
it  and  the  examination  made  by  George  Hearst.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  November  25,  1916.     Illustrated. 

Zinc  Production  at  Butte 767 

Results  obtained  by  the  Butte  &  Superior  Mining  Co. 
during  the  third  quarter  of  1916.  The  lower  price  of 
spelter  is  seen  in  the  lower  revenue.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  25,  1916. 

Copper  Output  in  September  Quarter  767 

Some  details  from  the  Chino,  Nevada  Con.,  Ray,  and 
Utah  Copper  properties,  which  produced  125,333,767 
lb.  of  metal  from  6,075,746  tons  of  ore.  M.  &  S.  P., 
November  25,  1916. 


New  Scheelite  Discovery.  Page. 

By  W.  H.  Storms  768 

Tungsten  found  in  a  new  locality  in  Kern  county. 
California.  Probable  extension  of  the  field.  Old  gold 
mines  in  the  district.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  25,  1916.  ■ 

Flotation  at  the  Calaveras  Copper — A  Simple  Flow-Sheet. 

By  Hallet  R.  Bobbins  71,19 

Successful  treatment  at  a  copper  mine  in  California. . 
Chalcopyrite  is  recovered  by  crushing  ore  in  a  ball- 
mill,  classifying,  and  floating  in  pneumatic  cells.  Con- 
centrate is  dried  on  a  revolving  filter.  The  copper 
extraction  is  96.4%.  at  a  cost  of  51.4c.  per  ton.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  November  25,  1916.     Illustrated. 

Strontium  Nitrate:     A  New  Industry. 

By  Donald  F.  Irvin 774 

Chemical  treatment  of  celestite,  one  of  the  rarer  min- 
erals to  yield  a  product  used  in  fireworks  and  railway 
or  marine  signals.  M.  &  S.  P.,  November  25,  1916. 
Illustrated. 

Smelting  at  Anyox  and  Grand  Forks.  B.  C 777 

Notes  on  certain  features  of  these  plants  that  reduced 
a  total  of  1,929,205  tons  of  copper  ore,  during  the  year 
ended  June  30,  1916.  The  ore  is  of  low  tenor,  and 
costs  were  reduced.    M.  &  S.  P.,  November  25,  1916. 

Flotation  in  the  Supreme  Court 77s 

Excerpts  from  the  argument  of  counsel  in  the  appeal 
of  Minerals  Separation  from  the  decision  of  the  Court 
in  San  Francisco  in  the  suit  against  J.  M.  Hyde.  M. 
&  S.  P.,  November  25,  1916. 

Electrolytic  Zinc-Dust. 

By  Harry  J.  Morgan  and  Oliver  C.  Ralston. 779 

To  augment  the  supply  of  zinc-dust  used  in  precipita- 
tion of  go)d  and  silver  from  cyanide  solutions,  the 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  at  Salt  Lake  City  investigated 
the  possibilities  of  manufacturing  this  product  from 
low-grade  and  complex  zinc  ores.  M.  &  S.  P.,  Novem- 
ber 25,  1916. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Review  of  Mining  781 

Special  correspondence  from  Platteville,  Wisconsin; 
Sutter  Creek,  California. 

The  Mining  Summary   782 

Personal   785 

The  Metal  Market 786 

Eastern  Metal  Market 787 

Industrial  Notes 788 


Established  May  24,  1860,  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
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ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


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12 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS, 


November  25,  1916 


WORK 

For  this  Equipment 

This  universal  direct  current 
motor  drive  for  either  constant  or 
variable  speed  requirements  will 
efficiently  operate  any  machine 
requiring  from  ^  to  200  h.  p.  Just 
mount  the  equipment  on  floor, 
wall,  ceiling  or  on  the  driven 
machine. 

If  flying  chips  are  present  partly 
enclosing  covers  may  be  applied 
to  motor  in  a  few  minutes.  For 
protection  from  dripping  water  or 
gas,  motor  can  be  ordered  en- 
closed and  ventilated. 

The  wonderfully  flexible  and 
efficient  control  used  for  this  equip- 
ment lets  you  drive  your  machines 
for  maximum  production.  You 
can  start  quickly  or  start  slowly, 
with  perfect  safety  to  the  motor, 
run  at  all  commercial  speed  ranges 
— and  stop  as  quickly  as  needed. 

This  equipment  is  wound  for 
all  commercial  voltages  and  can 
be  automatically  operated  from 
remote  points  by  any  type  of  mas- 
ter switch. 

Give  this  equipment  "Industry's 
Master  Workman" — a  chance  to 
prove  its  tireless  capacity  for  satis- 
factory service  in  your  factory. 


This  Trade  Mark 

the  Guarantee 
of  Excellence  on 
Goods  Electrical 

Address  Nearest  Office 

Atlanta,   Ga. 
Baltimore,   Md. 
Birmingham,  Ala. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Buffalo,  N.  T. 
Butte,  Mont. 
Charleston,   W.   Va. 
Charlotte,  N.  C. 
Chattanooga,    Tenn. 
Chicago,   111. 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Cleveland,   Ohio 
Columbus,  Ohio. 
Dayton,  Ohio 
Denver,   Colo. 
Des   Moines,    Iowa 
Duluth,  Minn. 
Elmira,  N.  T. 
Erie,  Pa. 

Fort  "Wayne,   Ind. 
Hartfora,  Conn. 
Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Jacksonville,  Fla. 
Joplin,  Mo. 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Knoxville,  Tenn. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
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Milwaukee.  Wis. 
Minneapolis.  Minn. 
Nashville,  Tenn. 
New  Haven,  Conn. 
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Niagara  Falls,  N.  T. 
Omaha,  Neb. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
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Providence.  R.  I. 
Richmond,  Va. 
Rochester.  N.  T, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Salt  Lake  City.  Utah 
San   Francisco,  Cal. 
Schenectady,  N.  Y. 
Seattle,  Wash. 
Spokane.  Wash. 
Springfield,  Mass. 
Svracuse,  N.  Y. 
Toledo,  Ohio. 
Washington,  D.  C. 
Youngstown,  Ohio 

For  Michigan  busi- 
ness refer  to  Gen- 
eral Electric  Com- 
pany of  Michigan, 
Detroit,  Mich. 

For  Texas,  Oklahoma 
and  Arizona  busi- 
ness refer  to 
Southwest  General 
Electric  Company 
(formerly  Hobson 
Electric  Co.), 
Dallas.  El  Paso, 
Houston  and  Okla- 
homa City. 

For  Canadian  busi- 
ness refer  to  Cana- 
dian General  Elec- 
tric Company,  Ltd., 
Toronto,  Ont. 

General  Foreign 
Sales  Offices,  Sche- 
nectady, N.  Y.;  30 
Church  St..  New 
York  City:  83  Can- 
non St.,  London,  E. 
C  England. 


General  Electric  Company 


General  Office:     Schenectady,  N.  Y. 


November 


miii 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


759 


*?.    A,    31  2  €  2S  &  m  1)  j     a  d  a  'i  '0  sr 


!J3Stl:!F  IIWIE .! III! 


i^  OPPER  at  33  cents  has  reached  the  highest  price 


since  1873.     A  'famine'  is  claimed  to  exist  at  New 


York.  Urgent  demand  is  reported  for  April  and  May 
delivery.  Most  of  the  producers  are  out  of  the  market 
until  July  of  next  year.  Spot  copper  has  disappeared 
as  an  item  of  trade. 


CTRONTIUM  NITRATE  is  a  chemical  product  that 
*-*  is  now  being  made  in  California,  as  described  on  an- 
other page  by  Mr.  Donald  F.  Irvin.  The  mineral  celes- 
tite,  the  sulphate  of  strontium,  is  one  of  the  ores  found 
in  the  southern  part  of  this  State,  and  the  manufacture 
of  the  nitrate  is  done  locally  at  Los  Angeles  and  Long 
Beach. 

T  TPON  another  page  we  give  some  notes  on  the  hearing 
*-^  of  the  Hyde  flotation  case  before  the  Supreme  Court. 
Nearly  three  days  were  given  to  the  arguments  and  it  is 
said  that  a  more  distinguished  group  of  counsel  has 
rarely  thronged  the  Capitol.  The  decision  may  be  de- 
layed by  the  technical  intricacy  of  the  subject,  but  it  is 
expected  before  the  close  of  the  year. 


/~VUR  French  contemporary  L'Echo  des  Mines  acknowl- 
"  edges  the  efficiency  exhibited  by  the  Austrians  in 
re-opening  the  Serbian  mines  after  the  tide  of  military 
invasion  had  passed.  Copper,  lead,  and  antimony  are 
being  produced  in  considerable  tonnage  at  various 
points,  such  as  Rudnik,  Cavoni  Breg,  Dorspotok,  and 
Majdanpeck.  The  work  is  being  done  under  military 
organization. 

1%/TISGIVINGS  over  our  phenomenal  prosperity  are 
■**■*■  multiplying;  and  it  is  a  good  sign.  Something  is 
needed  to  curb  the  debauch  of  speculation  that  is  now  in 
full  swing.  The  sagacious  captain  of  industry  will  de- 
precate the  assumption  that  present  conditions  can  per- 
sist and  he  will  prepare  for  the  shock  of  peace  that  will 
come  as  surely  as  the  crisis  that  followed  the  declaration 
of  war  nearly  2f  years  ago. 


HPHANKSGIVING  finds  the  people  of  the  United 
-*-  States  enjoying  a  peaceful  prosperity  that  is  all  the 
more  remarkable  by  force  of  contrast  with  the  conditions 
obtaining  in  Europe.  The  President's  proclamation  of 
November  30  "as  a  day  of  national  thanksgiving  and 
prayer"  not  only  urges  our  people  "to  resort  to  their 
places  of  worship  ...  to  render  thanks"  but  it  also 
suggests  that  they  should  ' '  think  in  deep  sympathy  of  the 
stricken  peoples  .  .  .  upon  whom  the  curse  and  terror 
of  war  have  so  pitilessly  fallen,"  and  it  recommends 


them  to  contribute  of  their  abundant  means  to  the  relief 
of  suffering.  That  was  a  worthy  touch  and  we  hope  it 
may  be  heeded. 

PLAGIARISM  of  the  unconscious  kind  is  not  deemed 
•*-  a  terrible  sin,  but  deliberate  plagiarism  finds  little 
excuse.  Recently  we  drew  attention  to  the  use  of  the 
title  'The  Flotation  Process'  by  a  New  York  publisher 
after  that  title  had  been  used  for  a  book  published  by  us. 
Now  a  mining  paper  at  Chicago  follows  the  example  of 
the  New  York  publisher  and  issues  a  third  book  on  the 
same  subject  under  the  same  name.  The  title  of  a  book 
cannot  be  copyrighted  by  law,  but  there  is  a  convention 
of  good  taste  that  usually  suffices  to  prevent  confusing, 
if  not  misleading,  employment  of  any  name  already  in 
use.  Some  people  have  a  lot  of  taste,  but  it  is  all  bad. 
"We  think  it  proper  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  profes- 
sion to  a  trespass  that  is  both  stupid  and  indecent,  and 
we  express  surprise  that  the  respective  authors,  Messrs. 
Herbert  A.  Megraw  and  H.  J.  Stander,  should  have  lent 
themselves  to  such  a  performance.  That  redoubtable 
Arizonan  hero,  Billy  the  Kid,  would  call  it  "plumb 
mean. ' ' 


T  T  is  six  years  since  the  beginning  of  the  Madero  revo- 
-*■  lution  and  yet  Mexico  is  no  nearer  the  political  re- 
form of  which  he  dreamed.  The  Joint  Commission,  hav- 
ing served  to  postpone  fresh  complications  until  after 
our  presidential  election,  is  about  to  be  dismissed,  with- 
out result.  Arrangements  for  patroling  the  border  are 
of  small  consequence  compared  with  the  ending  of  the 
bloody  anarchy  to  which  the  country  is  still  subject  or 
the  taking  of  some  measures  to  protect  the  lives  and 
property  of  our  citizens  operating  there  under  the  im- 
plied sanction  both  of  their  own  Government  and  that 
of  Mexico.  The  Carranza  government  is  now  insisting 
upon  a  return  to  the  1912  scale  of  wages  at  the  mines 
and  upon  payment  in  gold,  at  a  time  when  exchange 
stands  at  60 : 1.  Letters  from  Mexico  bear  a  stamp  of 
one  peso,  instead  of  the  5-centavo  stamp  that  formerly 
sufficed  for  postage.  Conditions  at  the  mines  are  pre- 
carious and  strikes  have  been  started  in  several  localities, 
notably  in  Jalisco. 

TpLOTATION  in  its  simplest  and  most  effective  ap- 
-*-  plication  is  illustrated  in  the  article  by  Mr.  Hallet 
R.  Robbins  describing  the  Union  mill  of  the  Calaveras 
Copper  Company.  The  simplicity  of  the  flow-sheet  will 
appeal  to  mill-men;  so  will  Mr.  Robbins'  admirably  clear 
description.  Chalcopyrite  in  schist  makes  an  ore  readily 
amenable  to  flotation,  as  we  have  seen  at  the  Britannia. 
The  excess  of  barren  pyrite  might  have  proved  an  ob- 


760 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS* 


November  25,  1916 


staele  to  concentration  by  froth,  as  it  was  to  ordinary 
wet.  gravity  methods,  but  fortunately  the  greater  hard- 
ness of  the  pyrite  (6  to  6£)  as  compared  with  the  chalco- 
pyrite  (3  to  3§)  causes  the  former  to  break  more  coarsely 
and  so  deters  the  flotation  of  it  in  favor  of  the  copper- 
bearing  sulphide.  Here  we  have  an  example  of  selective 
crushing  followed  by  preferential  flotation.  In  some 
respects  the  Calaveras  treatment  resembles  that  at 
Engels,  as  described  in  our  issue  of  July  31,  1915.  At 
Bngels,  magnetite  proved  a  deterrent  to  water  concentra- 
tion, diluting  the  percentage  of  copper  in  the  concen- 
trate, and  there  also  the  difference  between  the  hardness 
of  the  chalcopyrite  and  its  associated  sulphides  became 
an  aid  to  flotation.  This  process  requires  fine  grinding, 
which  is  in  most  cases  a  favorable  economic  factor  be- 
cause the  closer  comminution  of  sulphides  is  inevitably 
accessory  to  the  crushing  of  them.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  need  for  fine  grinding  precedent  to  flotation  may  pre- 
vent the  adoption  of  the  froth  process  as  against  eyanida- 
tion,  particularly  in  mills  treating  ores  valuable  chiefly 
for  their  gold  contents.  The  success  of  the  work  at  the 
Union  mill  is  imputed  by  Mr.  Robbins  to  the  adoption  of 
the  pneumatic  method  of  making  froth ;  he  gives  a  de- 
tailed drawing  showing  in  what  way  the  porous  bottom 
differs  from  the  conventional  type  and  he  describes  the 
manipulation  of  the  'air-pans.'  It  will  be  noted  that  the 
consumption  of  oil  is  low — less  than  i  pound  per  ton  of 
ore.  The  best  tribute  to  the  excellence  of  the  metallurg- 
ical treatment  is  the  poverty  of  the  tailing,  which  con- 
tains as  little  as  0.04%  copper.  Truly  it  is  a  result  that 
does  credit  to  all  concerned.  The  recovery  is  over  96%, 
this  splendid  figure  comparing  with  the  50%  recovered 
by  ordinary  water-concentration.  This  is  another  re- 
markable tribute  to  the  efficiency  of  the  flotation  process. 


rpAXATION  of  mines  is  threatening  to  injure  business 
*■  in  the  city  of  London.  For  many  years  the  British 
metropolis  was  the  mining  centre  of  the  world  but  it.  is 
becoming  recognized  that  the  heavy  taxation  incidental 
to  the  War  may  make  it  undesirable  to  register  mining 
companies  at  Somerset  House  or  to  direct  them  from  the 
north  bank  of  the  Thames.  An  equally  important  factor 
is  the  probable  discouragement  to  the  British  public, 
which  during  the  last  half-century  has  been  the  most 
consistent  and  courageous  supporter  of  mining  enter- 
prise. Unfortunately  the  economics  of  mining  are  not 
understood  by  the  tax-collector,  chiefly  because  he  has 
been  misled  by  his  victims  into  believing  that  a  mine  is 
an  'investment'  and  that  dividends  are  'income.'  An 
engineer  described  as  "a  mining  authority  of  world-wide 
reputation,"  writing  in  Mr.  F.  W.  Hirst's  new  paper, 
Common  Sense,  says:  "A  mine  with  ten  years  to  run, 
which  is  only  paying  10%,  is  paying  no  interest  at  all 
to  the  man  who  buys  its  shares  at  par. ' '  The  sense  is  as 
good  as  the  writing  is  slovenly.  A  mine  is  a  wasting 
asset  and  until  the  capital  spent  in  purchasing,  equip- 
ping, and  developing  it  has  been  redeemed,  no  part  of 
the  earnings  is  a  true  profit.  Flamboyant  financiers  long 
ago  started  to  give  the  name  of  'dividend'  to  a  frac- 


tional return  of  capital  because  by  doing  so  they  sug- 
gested a  highly  profitable  kind  of  business.  The  tax- 
collector  took  them  at  their  word  and  the  industry  of 
mining  became  burdened  with  an  unfair  impost.  Now 
the  income-tax  of  4s.  on  the  pound,  or  20%,  appears  an 
intolerable  hardship  to  the  shareholders.  Indeed  it  is — 
particularly  to  such  as  reside  not  in  Great  Britain  but  in 
a  non-belligerent  countiy.  The  foreign  shareholders  con- 
stitute an  important  element  in  the  mining  business  of 
London;  most  of  them  appreciate  the  convenience  of  a 
headquarters  in  London  and  the  efficient  clerical  service 
obtainable  there.  These  head  offices  are  a  source  of  great 
profit  to  the  City,  both  in  rent  and  in  salaries.  It  will 
be  a  serious  matter  to  a  number  of  worthy  people  if 
mining  companies  cease  to  be  incubated  and  nursed  in 
London.  The  5%  income-tax  was  no  great  burden  be- 
fore the  War,  but  when  it  is  quadrupled,  with  chances 
of  further  increase,  the  exaction  becomes  prohibitive. 
The  result  will  be  a  transfer  of  registry  wholesale  unless 
the  British  authorities  awaken  to  the  position.  Capital 
is  a  sensitive  plant. 

C PECULATION  in  stocks  of  mining  prospects  is  the 
^  subject  of  a  letter  appearing  on  another  page.  We 
are  glad  to  give  space  to  it,  for  not  only  is  Mr.  Ira  B. 
Joralemon  a  mining  geologist  well  known  to  us  by  repu- 
tation, but  we  appreciate  the  public  spirit  that  was  the 
motive  of  his  warning.  He  states  the  case  tersely:  "A 
100 : 1  shot  is  sometimes  a  good  gamble ;  but  a  100 : 1 
shot  for  a  20: 1  profit  is  obviously  poor  business."  Un- 
doubtedly the  spectacular  discovery  in  the  United  Verde 
Extension  and  the  crop  of  millionaires  that  if  sowed  in 
Arizona  has  had  a  pernicious  influence,  for  while  the 
story  of  such  a  mining  adventure  is  one  to  warm  the 
cockles  of  the  heart,  the  use  of  the  incident  as  a  sample 
of  experience  is  grossly  misleading.  We  accept  Mr. 
Joralemon 's  correction  of  a  reported  discovery  of  rich 
ore.  That  item  of  news  appeared  in  an  article  written 
by  the  Director  of  the  Arizona  Bureau  of  Mines;  which 
only  goes  to  show  how  difficult  it  is  to  obtain  accurate 
information.  On  the  other  hand,  the  gossip  of  the  plaza 
is  interesting  to  many,  even  as  unconfirmed  gossip ;  what 
is  needed  in  these  matters  is  the  drawing  of  a  distinct 
line  between  what  is  gossip  and  what  is  personal  knowl- 
edge. Both  are  interesting,  but  they  are  not  to  be  taken 
in  the  same  way.  The  exigencies  of  time  prevent  an 
editor  from  communicating  by  letter  with  the  manage- 
ments of  mining  companies,  to  confirm  or  correct  in- 
formation concerning  developments  underground.  We 
regret  to  say  that  the  managers  are  rarely  permitted  to 
give  such  information,  and  there  is  where  the  mischief 
begins.  If  the  mining  companies  authorized  their  man- 
agers and  superintendents  to  issue  correct  information 
concerning  the  finding — or  the  losing — of  ore  in  the 
mines,  there  would  be  less  opportunity,  not  for  specula- 
tion, but  for  deception.  We  are  always  grateful  to  any 
of  our  readers  that  transmit  news  of  current  mining  de- 
velopments and  we  hope  that  a  personal  invitation  to  do 
so  may  not  be  deemed  necessary. 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


761 


A  Matter  of  Principle 

Discussion  of  the  Shockley  episode  is  re-opeued  by  a 
letter  that  we  publish  from  Mr.  Edward  W.  Parker,  one 
of  the  members  of  the  Anthracite  Section  of  the  Institute 
that  took  it  upon  themselves  to  censor  his  paper  in  the 
transactions  of  the  Engineering  Congress,  as  related  in 
our  issue  of  October  21.  We  welcome  Mr.  Parker's  re- 
joinder as  furnishing  a  further  opportunity  to  make 
clear  the  facts  of  the  case.  He  suggests  that  it  is  "an 
unpleasant  incident  which  it  were  better  to  have  left 
buried."  We  disagree ;  when  a  wrong  is  done  to  a  mem- 
ber of  our  profession,  it  is  best  to  defend  him  and  to  see 
that  justice  is  done,  in  the  hope  of  preventing  a  repeti- 
tion. As  regards  the  San  Francisco  Section,  it  is  well 
to  state  that  the  committee  appointed  to  draft  the  reso- 
lution on  the  subject  consisted  of  Messrs.  D.  M.  Riordan, 
Frank  H.  Probert,  and  F.  H.  Harvey.  None  of_  these 
needs  any  introduction.  Mr.  Harvey  was  chosen  par- 
ticularly because  he  has  practised  as  an  engineer  in  the 
anthracite  region  and  is  familiar  with  the  conditions 
upon  which  Mr.  Shockley  had  animadverted.  Mr. 
Parker  is  in  error  in  stating  that  Mr.  Shockley  refused 
to  eorrect  any  statements  in  his  paper ;  on  the  contrary, 
lie  agreed  promptly  to  correct  any  statements  that  were 
shown  to  be  wrong,  and  in  his  revised  paper — before  the 
.censoring — he  did  make  sundry  corrections,  omitting 
■controversial  matter  that  did  not  have  the  support  of 
Government  reports.  No  proof  of  misquotation  by  Mr. 
Shockley  has  been  furnished  by  Mr.  Parker  or  his  asso- 
ciates in  the  employ  of  the  anthracite  companies.  It  is 
possible  that  errors  did  exist  in  a  paper  so  full  of  figures, 
and  we  do  not  doubt  Mr.  Shockley 's  entire  willingness 
to  correct  any  such  errors,  if  they  had  existed  and  if  they 
had  been  pointed  out.  Whether  the  report  of  the  Immi- 
gration Commission  is  correct  or  not,  it  is  an  official  re- 
port and  can  be  discredited  only  by  definite  statistics. 
Whether  Nearing's  book  is  a  good  or  a  bad  one  is  beside 
the  mark,  since  the  only  use  of  the  book  made  by  Mr. 
Shockley  was  to  quote  from  it  the  statistics  issued  by 
the  Secretary  of  Internal  Affairs  for  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Whether  Nearing  is  a  socialistic  villain,  or 
not,  does  not  arise  in  this  controversy ;  the  figures  to 
which  objection  was  made  were  those  of  an  official  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  We  might  as  well  refuse  to  con- 
sider Mr.  Parker's  figures  because  he  is  in  the  employ  of 
the  anthracite  trust.  He  writes  to  us  as  the  manager 
of  the  Anthracite  Bureau  of  Information.  Yes,  the 
editor  has  had  some  experience  of  statistics,  although  not 
as  much  as  Mr.  Parker ;  he  has  had  enough  to  know  that 
of  all  kinds  of  information  the  statistical  is  the  easiest 
twisted  to  suit  the  purpose  of  an  argument ;  he  knows 
enough  to  be  aware  that  the  statistics  compiled  for  the 
employers  in  a  labor  controversy  are  just  as  unreliable 
as  those  prepared  by  the  unions.  For  the  failure  to 
omit  the  statement  on  pages  42  and  43,  the  Anthracite 
Section  is  responsible;  they  did  not  ask  to  have  it 
omitted  and  Mr.  Shockley  informs  us  that  he  had  for- 
gotten it  was  in  the  paper  until  Mr.  Hohl  called  atten- 
tion to  it  in  our  issue  of  October  21.    Mr.  Shockley  did 


omit  all  the  statements  to  which  objection  was  taken   by 

the  Anthracite  group  in  their  letters  to  the  chairman  of 
the  Engineering  Congress.  Mr.  Parker's  confident  asser- 
tion, now  made,  that  "the  anthracite  miners  are  paid  as 
high  wages  as  the  workmen  in  any  employment  requiring 
equal  skill  and  application,  and  they  are  better  paid  than 
many"  is  probably  incorrect.  The  Colorado  operators 
state,  on  page  45  of  their  pamphlet:  "Colorado  coal 
miners  are,  and  have  been  for  many  years,  earning  bet- 
ter wages  than  miners  in  any  other  part  of  the  United 
States,"  and  on  page  5  of  the  same  pamphlet  are  the 
figures  quoted  by  Mr.  Parker  from  Mr.  Shockley 's  paper, 
showing  that  the  average  earnings  at  the  two  groups  of 
Colorado  mines  mentioned  were  $1100.75  and  $999.36. 
Mr.  Shockley  took  the  average  of  these  as  $1050 ;  and  as 
his  figure  for  the  average  earnings  of  the  anthracite 
miner  was  $503,  it  is  plain  how  he  arrived  at  his  con- 
clusion. Mr.  Parker's  estimate  of  the  earnings  of  the 
anthracite  miner  is  $628,  on  which  basis  the  Colorado 
miner  earns  two-thirds  more.  We  leave  it  to  Mr.  Parker 
to  reconcile  these  figures  with  his  over-confident  asser- 
tion regarding  an  equality  of  wages. 

But  this  dispute  over  statistics  is  a  herring  across  the 
trail.  The  San  Francisco  Section  passed  no  judgment 
whatever  upon  conditions  in  the  anthracite  region — to  do 
that  it  was  not  competent.  It  went  on  record  as  saying 
that  the  action  of  the  directors  of  the  Institute  in  censor- 
ing Mr.  Shockley 's  paper  was  unwarrantable,  and  as  yet 
we  have  seen  no  reason  for  questioning  the  justice  of 
that  decision.  If  the  San  Francisco  section  had  been 
called  upon  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  action  of  the 
Anthracite  Section,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  it  would 
have  condemned  the  impertinent  telegram  sent  to  the 
Engineering  Congress  and  the  top-lofty  attitude  assumed 
by  the  gentlemen  at  Wilkes-Barre.  Our  own  careful  in- 
quiry into  the  facts  justifies  the  statement  that  Mr. 
Shockley  has  shown  much  greater  sense  of  courtesy  than 
his  opponents  and  that  his  final  agreement  to  withdraw 
the  offending  paragraph — which  he  need  not  have  done — 
was  marked  by  a  consideration  for  the  Chairman  of  the 
Engineering  Congress  that  that  gentleman  should  ac- 
knowledge gratefully.  Mr.  Parker's  charge  of  animus 
and  carelessness  is  not  sustained  by  the  evidence  of  the 
paper.  A  jury  of  his  peers  in  San  Francisco  has  ab- 
solved Mr.  Shockley  from  any  such  indictment  by  the 
representative  of  the  anthracite  coal  companies.  We  find 
an  explanation  of  the  whole  controversy  in  the  hysterical 
hyper-sensitiveness  of  the  anthracite  operators.  We  re- 
call how  the  late  Joseph  A.  Holmes,  as  director  of  the 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  was  subjected  to  violent  abuse 
because  he  dared,  in  one  of  his  reports,  to  criticize  the 
wasteful  methods  in  vogue  at  the  anthracite  mines.  The 
constant  attitude  of  the  operators  is  a  watchful  waiting 
to  resent  criticism.  Mr.  Parker,  as  their  agent  of  pub- 
licity, questions  the  propriety  of  criticizing  the  condi- 
tions of  an  industry  with  which  the  critic  is  not  familiar. 
Mr.  Shockley  has  been  in  the  anthracite  region  and  so 
have  others  on  this  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  One  does 
not  need  to  live  at  Wilkes-Barre  to  understand  the  merits 
of  a  controversy,  the  chief  point  of  which  is  not  the  rela- 


762 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS* 


November  25,  1916 


tive  accuracy  of  statistical  data,  but  the  propriety  of  one 
section  of  the  Institute  censoring  a  paper  written  by  a 
member  of  another  section,  not  in  the  transactions  of  our 
Institute,  but  in  the  records  of  a  Congress  by  which  the 
supposedly  offending  paper  had  been  invited,  accepted, 
edited,  printed,  and  circulated. 

British  Columbia 

Just  north  of  the  international  line — a  line  on  which 
neither  fort  nor  soldier  stands  on  guard — there  is  a  min- 
eral region  of  great  interest  and  beauty.  The  big  river 
that  bears  a  name  expressing  the  poetic  impersonation 
of  the  United  States  has  given  its  name  also  to  a  Cana- 
dian province  that  ought  to  be  better  known  to  the  min- 
ing engineer,  for  it  is  as  rich  and  varied  in  its  resources 
as  it  is  picturesque  and  healthful  in  its  physiography. 
British  Columbia  has  an  area  of  382,000  square  miles, 
of  which  250,000  square  miles  is  mineralized.  Since  the 
population  is  only  400,000,  it  can  be  understood  that 
much  of  this  mountainous  country  has  not  been  explored 
or  'prospected'  with  any  sort  of  finality.  That  so  large 
an  undeveloped,  and  also  habitable,  area  should  exist  on 
this  continent  is  due  to  the  geographic  position  of  the 
region  and  the  lack,  until  recently,  of  the  railways  so 
essential  to  organized  industry.  During  the  last  five 
years  an  impetus  to  exploitation  has  been  given  by  the 
building  of  two  or  three  new  railways,  which,  although 
designed  primarily  to  convey  the  grain  of  the  plains  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  western  seaboard  of 
Canada,  have  also  afforded  the  facilities  required  for 
mining  on  a  large  scale.  In  consequence,  the  mining  in- 
dustry has  undergone  notable  expansion.  In  1915  the 
mineral  output  of  the  province  was  worth  $29,500,000, 
and  for  the  first  time  the  copper  production  exceeded  in 
value  that  of  the  coal.  The  metallic  production  was  the 
largest  in  the  history  of  the  Province,  making  a  total  of 
$20,762,000,  distributed  as  follows: 

Gold    $5,937,934 

Silver    1,588,991 

Lead    1,939,200 

Copper    9,835,500 

Zinc    1,460,524 

The  most  notable  advance  was  made  in  the  yield  of  cop- 
per, which  increased  26.46%.  At  the  present  time  Brit- 
ish Columbia  can  boast  two  copper  mines  of  the  first 
magnitude,  the  Hidden  Creek,  at  Anyox,  on  Observatory 
inlet,  and  the  Britannia,  on  Howe  sound.  The  first  of 
these  is  owned  by  the  Granby  Consolidated  Mining, 
Smelting  &  Power  Company,  which  has  been  working 
the  Phoenix  mines,  in  the  Boundary  district,  since  1901, 
and  is  now  compensating  for  the  approaching  exhaustion 
of  its  old  property  by  developing  new  and  larger  re- 
sources in  the  mine  on  the  coast,  acquired  in  1912.  The 
total  ore  reserves  now  available  there  are  estimated  at 
about  10,000,000  tons  averaging  2\%  copper  and  about 
4,000,000  tons  averaging  \\%  copper.  The  Britannia, 
owned  by  the  Britannia  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.  has  even 
larger  potentialities,  for  it  owns  an  enormous  tract  of 


copper-bearing  schist  in  which  it  is  estimated  that  about 
17,000,000  tons  of  2%  ore  is  reasonably  assured.  Gen- 
eralizing, it  may  be  said  that  the  main  interest  in  copper 
mining  has  shifted  from  the  interior  of  the  Province  to 
the  coast,  creating  enterprises  of  a  peculiarly  attractive 
kind,  owing  to  easy  accessibility.  Undoubtedly  further 
search  will  lead  to  the  uncovering  of  more  low-grade  but 
expansive  undertakings  in  the  mining  belt  adjoining 
salt  water.  From  Britannia  to  Anyox  the  distance  is  550 
miles  and  all'  of  it  is  well  worthy  of  careful  prospecting. 
The  lead  and  silver  productions  of  the  Province  are 
derived  mainly  from  the  Slocan  and  Fort  Steele  dis- 
tricts. In  the  latter  is  the  Sullivan  mine,  containing  one 
of  the  big  orebodies  of  the  world,  but  so  refractory,  ow- 
ing to  its  zinc  content,  that  until  recently  it  had  but 
scant  commercial  value.  This  has  been  remedied  by  the 
successful  introduction  of  the  electrolytic  zinc  process 
at  the"  Trail  smelter,  which,  like  the  Sullivan  mine,  is 
owned  by  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting  Company 
of  Canada.  The  old  silver-lead  mines  of  the  Slocan, 
especially  at  Ainsworth,  Sandon,  and  Silverton,  are 
undergoing  a  revival,  owing  to  the  stimulation  of  higher 
metal  prices.  The  War,  of  course,  has  given  an  impetus 
to  mining  all  over  the  Province,  because  the  intensive 
demand  for  metals  has  created  a  good  market.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  splendidly  patriotic  response  of  the 
people  of  British  Columbia  has  depleted  the  mining 
population  and  caused  a  scarcity  of  labor,  corrected  in 
part  by  immigration  from  the  United  States  and  Japan. 
As  regards  gold  mining,  the  yield  of  the  placer  mines  is 
relatively  small,  only  $770,000,  but  it  improved  in  1915, 
thanks  to  a  fairly  good  season  in  the  Atlin  and  Cariboo 
districts.  On  the  other  hand,  the  lode  mines  in  the 
Boundary  and  Rossland  districts  did  better  and  several 
new  finds,  notably  the  Surf  Inlet,  were  recorded  in  the 
Coast  district ;  but  a  large  part  of  the  gold  comes  as  a  by- 
product in  the  smelting  of  base-metal  ores,  particularly 
those  of  copper.  As  yet  no  extension  of  the  Juneau  belt 
has  been  traced  from  Alaska  southward  into  British 
Columbia,  but  it  will  be  strange  if  intelligent  exploration 
along  the  Coast  range  does  not  uncover  similar  lode- 
channels  containing  low-grade  but  extensive  orebodies. 
The  coast  is  indented  so  as  to  furnish  easy  access  by 
water  to  this  promising  belt  of  mineral  country  and  we 
expect  therefore  that  under  the  existing  stimulus  to  the 
search  for  metals  there  will  ensue  many  new  discoveries, 
both  of  gold  and  copper.  The  Provincial  Government  is 
friendly  to  foreign  capital,  using  that  word  in  its  tech- 
nical sense  and  meaning  American  money.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  most  of  the  successful  mining  being  done  in 
British  Columbia  is  financed  from  this  side  of  the  line. 
For  reasons  into  which  we  shall  enquire  on  another  occa- 
sion, it  is  a  fact  that  British  capital  is  now  no  longer  con- 
spicuous in  British  Columbia,  the  big  things,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Trail  smelter  and  its  associated  mines, 
being  controlled  by  Americans.  Nowhere  is  the  Amer- 
ican given  a  heartier  welcome.  To  the  capitalist  and  to 
the  engineer  from  this  country  British  Columbia  offers  a 
fine  field  of  enterprise ;  we  commend  it  to  their  attention. 


November  25.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


763 


h  ©  (g  w  §  ©  a  © 

Our  readers  are  invited  to  vat  this  department  for  (he  discussion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  mining  and  metallurgy.      The  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  own,  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


A  Matter  olf  Principle 

The  Editor: 

Sil — Two  articles  contained  in  your  issue  of  October 
21 — one  an  editorial,  the  other  a  letter  of  discussion — 
both  entitled  'A  Matter  of  Principle,'  and  the  protest 
by  Mr.  Shockley  at  the  action  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers,  revive 
an  unpleasant  incident  which  it  were  better  to  have  left 
buried.  This  is  also  true  of  the  act  of  the  San  Francisco 
Section  of  the  Institute,  which  passed  a  resolution  ap- 
parently entirely  on  ex  parte  evidence  and  on  a  matter 
with  which  it  was  not  in  any  way  familiar. 

At  the  time  that  Mr.  Shockley 's  paper  was  presented 
before  the  International  Engineering  Congress  both  Mr. 
Norris  and  Mr.  Ludlow,  who  were  the  only  anthracite 
men  present,  protested  against  certain  statements  con- 
tained therein  and  desired  to  have  them  corrected.  Mr. 
Shockley,  however,  treated  the  protests  of  these  gentle- 
men with  scant  courtesy,  refused  to  have  any  correction 
made  of  the  statements  contained  in  his  paper,  and 
evinced  a  decided  resentment  of  any  criticism  of  such 
statements.  As  they  could  not  get  him  to  correct  his 
statements,  their  only  recourse  was  to  protest  as  they  did 
to  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Institute  through  the 
Anthracite  Section. 

Some  of  the  statements  made  in  Mr.  Shockley 's  paper 
did  great  injustice  to  the  operators  in  the  anthracite 
region,  but  even  that  might  be  excused  if  many  of  the 
figures  used  had  not  been  misquoted  or  misapplied.  The 
fact  of  the  matter  is  that  the  paper  not  only  showed 
animus,  but  a  carelessness  in  the  use  of  figures  to  which  a 
stronger  term  might  be  applied.  I  know  this  because  it 
devolved  upon  me  to  try  to  verify  some  of  Mr.  Shockley 's 
statements. 

The  report  of  the  Immigration  Commission,  of  which 
he  made  much  use  and  from  which  he  erroneously  quot- 
ed, was  not  only  more  than  a  decade  old,  but  was  not 
compiled  from  any  reliable  official  data.  If  the  editor 
of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  had  had  as  much 
experience  with  statistical  work  as  the  writer  has  had, 
he  would  know  that  any  Congressional  Commission  usu- 
ally compiles  statistics  to  suit  its  purposes.  The  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press  may  take  my  assurance  of  the  fact 
that  the  report  of  the  Immigration  Commission  was  not 
made  up  of  any  reliable  data  collected  from  the  anthra- 
cite region. 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  comment  on  the  use  by  Mr. 
Shockley  of  information  (?)  contained  in  Nearing's 
bnnk  on  'Anthracite.'    Nearing  was  practically  engaged 


by  the  United  Mine  Workers  of  America  to  prepare  this 
book  in  advance  of  the  wage  conference  last  April,  and 
it  was  supposed  that  this  publication  would  have  great 
weight  in  fixing  public  opinion  favorable  to  the  cause  of 
the  United  Mine  Workers.  It  is  somewhat  trite  to  say 
that  any  act  or  thing  has  acted  as  a  boomerang,  but 
that  was  certainly  the  case  in  this  instance.  Nearing's 
book  was  so  palpably  inaccurate  and  irresponsible,  was 
shot  so  full  of  holes  by  the  reviews  made  of  it,  that  I  am 
informed  it  was  never  referred  to  in  the  wage  confer- 
ence. It  was  practically  disowned  by  its  own  father. 
Nearing  himself  is  now  recognized  as  a  radical  of  the 
most  pronounced  type  and  his  statements  should  not  be 
taken  seriously  by  thinking  people.  By  his  own  acts 
and  utterances  he  has  completely  vindicated  the  action  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  separating  him  from  that  institution. 

Both  of  these  men,  Mr.  Shockley  and  Dr.  Nearing, 
have  presumed  to  write  about  the  conditions  in  the 
anthracite  region,  neither  of  them  ever  having  been  in 
the  region  and  neither  having  been  informed  as  to  the 
reliability  of  the  information  upon  which  they  have  at- 
tempted to  draw  conclusions  and  to  influence  public 
opinion. 

In  spite  of  all  that  has  been  done,  however,  by  the 
anthracite  section  to  prevent  any  misleading  statements 
of  this  region  and  this  industry  in  the  Proceedings  of 
the  Congress,  I  note  that  Mr.  Shockley  has  been  able  to 
get  in  one  statement,  which  is  quoted  in  Mr.  Hohl's  let- 
ter, and  which  is,  you  may  take  it  from  me,  not  in  ac- 
cordance with  fact.  This  statement  occurs  on  pages  42 
and  43  of  the  report  of  the  Congress  and  is  as  follows : 

"According  to  the  mine  operators'  statement,  these 
miners  (Southern  Colorado)  are  making  the  highest 
wages  of  any  coal  miners  in  the  United  States:  the  an- 
nual wages  for  all  miners  in  the  Victor  American  Fuel 
Co.  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1913,  were  $1100.75 ;  for 
the  same  period  the  miners  of  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron 
Co.  made  $999.36 ;  the  average  being  more  than  twice 
that  of  the  anthracite  miners  of  Pennsylvania."  (Italics 
mine). 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  Mr.  Shockley 's  author- 
ity for  this  statement.  The  anthracite  miners  are  paid 
as  high  wages  as  the  workmen  in  any  employment  re- 
quiring equal  skill  and  application,  and  they  are  far 
better  paid  than  many. 

Aside  from  all  this,  however,  it  seems  to  the  writer 
that  the  action  of  the  San  Francisco  Section  and  of  the 
Mining  and  Scientific  Press  in  attempting  to  pass 


764 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS, 


November  25,  1916 


judgment  upon  a  matter  affecting  a  region  and  an  in- 
dustry with  which,  they  are  not  at  all  familiar,  is  not  in 
conformity  with  the  ethics  of  the  mining  engineering 
profession.  If  the  gold-mining  or  petroleum-producing 
industries  of  California  had  been  made  the  subject  of 
gross  injustice  in  a  paper  before  such  a  dignified  organ- 
ization as  the  International  Engineering  Congress  by  a 
member  from  the  Atlantic  Coast  who  was  not  familiar 
with  the  conditions,  and  if  the  San  Francisco  Section 
had  taken  steps  to  see  that  the  matter  was  corrected  be- 
fore its  publication  to  the  world,  or,  if  not  corrected, 
suppressed,  it  is  not  believed  that  the  anthracite,  the 
New  York,  or  any  other  eastern  section,  would  have 
entered  objection  thereto. 


B.  W.  Parker. 


Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.,  November  6. 


The  Editor: 

Sir — During  a  mining  boom  like  the  one  we  are  now 
enjoying  in  Arizona,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  technical 
journals  have  an  important  duty  which  is  being  over- 
looked. This  is  to  try  to  curb  excessive  speculation  in 
stocks  of  mining  prospects,  or  at  least  to  try  to  see  that 
the  gambling  is  done  at  odds  which  give  the  public  a 
fair  chance.  A  hundred  to  one  shot  is  sometimes  a  good 
gamble.  But  a  hundred  to  one  shot  for  a  twenty  to  one 
profit  is  obviously  poor  business.  This  is  the  sort  of 
gambling  which  is  now  being  done  by  those  who  buy 
stock  in  nearly  any  of  the  new  development  companies  in 
the  South-west. 

During  the  past  year  dozens  of  companies  have  been 
formed  or  resuscitated  to  develop  prospects  in  the 
Jerome  district  and  other  parts  of  Arizona.  Usually  the 
point  most  emphasized  in  advertising  these  companies 
is  the  fact  that  they  are  within  a  mile  or  two  of  great 
producing  mines.  With  possibly  one  or  two  exceptions, 
the  very  best  that  can  be  said  of  the  prospects  is  that 
they  are  worth  developing.  Hardly  one  of  them  has  a 
ton  of  ore  developed,  and  many  others  expose  only  re- 
cent rocks  which  have  no  bearing  whatsoever  on  any 
possible  mineralization  in  the  older  underlying  forma- 
tions. It  is  surely  reckless  to  value  such  prospects  at 
figures  much  greater  than  the  sum  which  must  be  spent 
in  developing  them.  This  should  in  no  case  greatly  ex- 
ceed half  or  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars.  But 
these  new  companies,  instead  of  having  a  stock  valua- 
tion of  half  a  million  dollars,  are  how  selling  at  figures 
which  give  them  a  value  of  from  two  to  ten  or  fifteen 
millions.  These  prospects  certainly  do  not  stand  more 
than  one  chance  in  ten  of  making  mines.  Assuming 
that  one  in  ten  will  make  a  mine  wortli  from  ten  to  fifty 
million  dollars,  those  who  buy  stocks  at  the  present 
prices  are  taking  a  one  in  ten  chance  for  a  profit  of  from 
two  to  five  for  one.    This  is  certainly  poor  gambling. 

It  is  true  that,  at  the  issue  prices,  many  of  the  new 
companies  did  not  have  a  capitalization  greatly  in  excess 
of  the  money  needed  to  develop  them.  It  is  the  specula- 
tion since  the  issuing  of  the  stock  which  has  caused  the 


inflation  and  which  will  cause  hundreds  of  people,  many 
of  whom  cannot  afford  to  throw  away  money,  to  lose  tens 
of  millions  of  dollars  within  the  next  two  or  three  years. 
The  result  will  surely  be  a  great  injury  to  the  good  name 
of  Arizona  and  of  the  mining  profession. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  technical  journals  can  help  a 
great  deal  by  trying  to  educate  the  public  to  distinguish 
between  a  legitimate  mining  gamble  and  a  gamble  at  out- 
rageous odds.  This  may  be  a  hopeless  task  when  the 
sight  of  the  easily  won  fortunes  in  Verde  Extension  and 
other  stocks  have  turned  the  heads  of  so  many  people. 
If  they  cannot  help  in  this  way,  the  journals  should 
certainly  be  most  careful  not  to  print  untrue  or  ex- 
aggerated stories  of  the  discovery  of  ore  by  these  new 
companies.  Such  stories  often  come  in  articles  which 
should  be  authoritative.  For  instance  in  your  issue  of 
November  4,  in  the  article  on  'Mining  in  the  Jerome 
District'  there  is  a  report  of  a  discovery  of  a  rich  ore- 
body  in  a  property  the  management  of  which  does  not 
claim  to  have  any  ore  whatever.  The  gossip  of  the  'plaza 
miners'  should  not  find  a  place  in  a  journal  with  a 
standard  as  high  as  that  you  set. 

The  managements  of  nearly  all  of  these  new  companies 
are  honest,  though  sometimes  lacking  in  experience. 
Most  of  them  are  trying  to  find  ore  and  not  to  swindle 
a  gullible  public.  I  wish  to  suggest  therefore  that  be- 
fore publishing  reports  of  the  discovery  of  ore  by  those 
development  companies  you  communicate  with  the  man- 
agers and  have  the  statements  verified.  I  feel  sure  that 
this  precaution  will  prevent  many  people  from  buying 
stock  at  exorbitant  prices,  and  will  greatly  help  the  min- 
ing industry. 


Ira  B.  Joralemon. 


Warren,  Arizona,  November  8. 


The  occurrence  of  tungsten  ores,  particularly 
seheelite,  in  contact-metamorphic  rocks  in  which  garnet 
is  a  prominent  constituent  is  known  in  numerous  places 
in  California,  Nevada,  and  elsewhere  and  is  thought 
by  many  to  be  something  quite  out  of  the  ordinary. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  case,  for  a  tungsten  mine  of 
this  description  was  successfully  operated  as  long  ago, 
at  least,  as  1898  in  Connecticut.  The  deposit  oc- 
curred at  contact  of  limestone  and  schist  in  a  zone  of 
contact  metamorphism.  The  minerals  were  chiefly  gar- 
net, epidote,  hornblende  and  quartz.  The  ore  averaged 
about  5%  tungstic  oxide  and  was  accompanied  by  a 
small  amount  of  pyrite.  The  milling  of  this  material 
was  entirely  unlike  anything  thus  far  attempted  in  the 
West.  The  rock  was  crushed  in  breakers,  passed  through 
rolls,  and  then  concentrated  on  what  were  known  as 
pneumatic  separators,  a  sort  of  dry  concentration  device. 
The  recovery  was  stated  to  have  been  satisfactory  and 
the  product  up  to  65%  tungstic  acid. 

The  deepest  drill-hole  in  the  world  is  said  to  be  one  in 
upper  Silesia  where  a  prospect  bore-hole  was  cut  by  a 
diamond-drill  to  a  depth  of  7347  ft.  This  hole  is  1.44  ft. 
in  diameter  at  the  surface,  diminishing  with  depth  to 
0.1 57  ft.  at  the  bottom. 


Ni.v.-inliiT  25.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


765 


VIEW   FROM  THE  OUTCROP  OF   THE  VEIN. 


fte    IBM®   W> 
mmMLf 


m   MM&, 


PART  OF  THE  OPEN-CUT. 

"While  visiting  the  Kootenay  region  recently,  I  was  a 
guest  of  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Fowler  at  Riondel,  and  from 
him*  obtained  a  number  of  notes  on  the  romantic  story 
of  the  Blue  Bell  mine,  now  owned  by  the  New  Canadian 
Metal  Co.,  a  French  organization,  for  which  Mr.  Fowler 
is  resident  manager. 

This  lead  deposit  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  ex- 
ploited in  the  Kootenay  region,  the  outcrop  being  visible 
from  the  lake,  so  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
Indians  and  Hudson's  Bay  trappers,  who  worked  the  ore 
to  obtain  lead  for  the  making  of  the  bullets  used  in  their 
muzzle-loading  rifles.  The  year  1825  is  given  as  the 
earliest  date  of  such  rudimentary  mining  and  metallurgy 
in  this  locality.  A  veteran  employee  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  has  testified  that  the  trappers  used  to  talk 
of  the  lead  they  obtained  here  and  complained  that  it 
was  so  hard  as  to  scour  their  gun-barrels.  The  presence 
of  arsenic  in  the  lead  may  have  been  the  cause.  The 
botanist  Douglas  is  said  to  have  visited  the  mine  in  1825. 
In  1883  the  principal  claims  were  located. 

The  mine  is  situated  on  a  peninsula  projecting  into 
the  east  side  of  Lake  Kootenay.  From  the  water  it  looks 
like  a  wooded  island  close  to  the  shore.  The  highest 
point  is  250  ft.  above  the  water. 

To  understand  the  story  of  the  Blue  Bell,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  recall  the  early  exploration  of  this  mineral 
region.    In  1865  gold  was  found  in  the  upper  watershed 

*He,  in  turn,  having  obtained  much  of  his  information  from 
A.  D.  Wheeler,  of  Ainsworth. 


<&  „         -il  1  <S  !SS  a  S  V 


of  the  Columbia  river.  The  scene  of  these  early  dis- 
coveries was  on  French,  McCulloch,  and  Carnes  creeks, 
which  are  tributary  to  the  Big  Bend  of  the  Columbia, 
namely,  that  part  of  its  course  north  of  Revelstoke,  about 
Lat.  52°10'  N.,  where  it  ceases  to  flow  north  and  makes  a 
big  curve  before  starting  southward  to  the  sea  at  Astoria, 
in  Oregon.  During  1866  there  was  a  rush  to  the  localities 
just  mentioned  and  a  good  deal  of  gold  was  won. 
Transport  by  row-boats  was  expensive,  so  the  Oregon 
Steam  Navigation  Company  sent  a  Capt.  White  to  Col- 
ville  (Washington)  to  superintend  the  building  of  a 
stern-wheel  steamer.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  '67.  In  the 
following  June  this  boat,  called  the  Forty-Niner,  made 
her  first  attempt  to  pass  through  the  canyon  above  Bevel- 
stoke,  failing  at  first  but  succeeding  when  the  water  had 
fallen.  For  several  years  White  ran  this  boat  success- 
fully between  Little  Dalles  (Washington)  and  the  Big 
Bend  country.  On  his  last  trip,  however,  being  ill  him- 
self and  anxious  to  obtain  medical  help,  he  tried  to  run 
the  steamer  down  the  rapids  of  the  Dalles  de  Mort 
canyon  (locally  known  as  Death  Rapids)  above  Revel- 
stoke, at  a  time  when  the  water  was  low.  The  steamer 
struck  a  rock  and  had  to  be  beached,  the  erew  going  to 
Colville  in  a  row-boat.  The  Forty-Niner  was  raised  by 
Capt.  A.  Pingstpn,  who  ran  her  while  any  business  was 
offered,  but  that  was  not  long,  because  the  Big  Bend 
placer  mines  petered  out  in  two  or  three  years  or  proved 
unworkable  because  of  boulders.  She  was  laid-up  above 
the   Little   Dalles   canyon,    25    miles   from    Colville,   or 


766 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


Marcus  as  it  is  now  known.  Later,  Capt.  Pingston  himself 
died  there  suddenly  in  consequence  of  an  accident,  but  he 
played  a  part  in  the  Blue  Bell  story  before  he  'went  over 
the  range.'  It  was  after  the  steamer  stopped  running 
that  Pingston  made  a  trip,  in  1871,  with  George  Hearst, 
of  California,  to  the  Kootenay.  It  is  related  that  in  1867 
some  prospectors  had  built  a  small  furnace  near  the  de- 
posit of  lead  ore  and  that  a  sample  of  the  bullion  served 
to  interest  Hearst,  afterward  a  famous  mine  operator 
and  United  States  Senator,  of  whom  it  may  be  said 
further  that  his  estate,  through  Mrs.  Hearst,  furnished 
the  money  for  the  erection  of  the  handsome  building  in 
which  is  housed  the  Mining  Department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  California.  Another  version  of  the  story  is 
that  Hearst  was  shown  a  sample,  not  of  bullion,  but  of 
high-grade  silver-lead  ore,  which  the  prospector,  Henry 
Doan,  had  obtained  in  Colorado.  The  Blue  Bell  ore  con- 
tains only  i  oz.  of  silver  per  unit  of  lead.  At  that  time 
Hearst  was  not  yet  a  capitalist,  but  was  acting  as  expert 
for  others.  He  came  from  San  Francisco  with  Capt. 
Pingston  by  way  of  Colville  and  the  Columbia  river. 
With  him  he  brought  an  assay  outfit  and  an  assayer 
named  Meyers,  as  well  as  the  prospector  who  had  in- 
duced Hearst  to  organize  the  expedition.  This  man, 
Doan,  suggested  to  Pingston  that  the  assay  outfit  might 
be  lost  while  making  a  portage,  but  the  captain  ignored 
the  sinister  suggestion.  On  arrival  at  the  mine,  Hearst 
soon  ascertained  that  he  had  been  brought  on  a  wild- 
goose  chase.  He  could  find  no  ore  resembling  the  sample 
shown  to  him  at  San  Francisco  by  Doan.  Disgusted,  he 
prepared  to  return,  refusing  to  take  Doan  on  his  boat ; 
he  would  have  marooned  him  if  Pingston  had  not  inter- 
vened. These  facts  were  related  by  Pingston  himself  to 
Mr.  "William  Fernie,  who  at  that  time  was  Government 
agent  in  the  Kootenay  district.  Another  version  of  the 
story  is  that  Doan  tried  to  get  the  Indians  in  the  party 
to  throw  the  assay  outfit  overboard,  telling  them  it  was 
hoodoo.  Doan  acknowledged  the  deception  after  samples 
from  the  mine  had  been  assayed  on  the  spot.  He  was 
compelled  to  surrender  what  was  left  of  the  $1000  paid 
to  him  on  a  $10,000  bond,  so  that  he  'got  away'  with  very 
little  money.  These  items  of  information  are  furnished 
by  Mr.  Ben  Burgunder  of  Colfax,  Washington. 

Now  we  come  to  another  chapter  in  the  story.  In  1878 
R.  E.  Sproule  located  all  the  available  ground  on  the 
peninsula,  which  covers  about  130  acres.  The  principal 
claim  was  called  the  Blue  Bell.  Sproule,  however,  was 
not  the  discoverer  nor  was  he  the  first  locator  on  the  lode, 
which  had  been  recorded  and  abandoned  several  times 
before  he  came  into  the  story.  In  those  days  the  law  re- 
quired that  the  locator  devote  one  day  in  every  three  to 
work  on  his  claim.  The  impossibility  of  one  man  'repre- 
senting' more  than  three  claims  is  obvious.  Whereupon 
Thomas  Hammill,  in  1882,  filed  counter-claims  on  some 
of  Sproule 's  locations.  At  that  time  Hammill  was 
scouting  for  John  C.  Ainsworth  and  his  son,  George  J. 
Ainsworth,  both  of  Portland.  They  were  railway  and 
steamboat  capitalists  and  also  owned  the  Kootenai,  the 
second  steamer  to  ply  between  Revelstoke  and  the  Amer- 


ican boundary  line.  The  Ainsworths  had  secured  a 
franchise  for  a  railroad  between  the  Columbia  river  and 
Lake  Kootenay,  the  line  that  now  runs  from  Robson  to 
Nelson.  To  gain  information  previous  to  selecting  land 
under  the  terms  of  their  grant  they  sent  Hammill  on  an 
exploring  trip,  accompanied  by  two  other  men. 

In  due  course  the  conflict  between  Sproule  and  Ham- 
mill came  before  the  magistrate  at  Fort  Steele.  The 
decision  went  against  Sproule,  but  he  was  permitted  to 
select  three  claims.  He  chose  the  Blue  Bell,  the  Gol- 
conda,  and  Silver  King.  Hammill  took  the  Comfort  and 
Kootenay  Chief.  The  costs  of  the  action,  about  $3000, 
were  taxed  against  Sproule  and  when  he  failed  to  pay 
the  sheriff,  the  latter  offered  one-third  of  the  Blue  Bell 
at  public  sale.  This  interest  was  bought  by  Hammill  on 
behalf  of  the  Ainsworths. 

Under  the  old  law  the  locator  was  required  to  re- 
record  his  claim  yearly,  on  pain  of  forfeiture.  In  the 
spring  of  '85  Sproule  recorded  the  Blue  Bell  in  his  own 
name,  ignoring  the  Ainsworth  interest  in  the  claim. 
Thereupon  Hammill  likewise  recorded  the  whole  claim 
in  the  name  of  the  Ainsworths,  ignoring  Sproule 's  in- 
terest. On  the  day  following  Hammill 's  recording, 
Sproule  threatened  to  kill  Hammill  if  he  set  foot  on  the 
claim ;  the  next  day  Hammill  was  found  mortally  wound- 
ed on  the  claim.  He  had  been  shot,  and  he  died  a  few 
minutes  after  being  found.  Sproule  had  escaped  in  a 
boat  an  hour  before  the  discovery  of  the  crime ;  he  was 
chased  by  the  constable  in  another  boat,  and,  being  about 
to  be  overtaken,  he  landed,  ascending  the  mountain  a  few 
miles  south  of  Procter,  which  is  12  miles  south-west  of 
Riondel.  Sproule  was  intercepted  near  the  international 
boundary  and  underwent  preliminary  trial  at  Galena 
Bay,  at  the  south  end  of  the  Blue  Bell  peninsula.  He 
was  found  guilty  and  hanged  at  New  Westminster. 
The  Ainsworths  pensioned  Hammill's  mother. 

In  the  late  autumn  of  1884  Dr.  Wilbur  A.  Hendryx 
had  visited  the  mine  and  entered  into  an  agreement  with 
Sproule  whereby  Hendryx,  his  brother,  and  some  parties 
in  Minnesota  and  Connecticut  became  co-owners  in  the 
Blue  Bell.  When  Sproule  was  executed  they  became  sole 
owners,  for  the  Ainsworths  had  forfeited  their  interest 
through  the  neglect  of  their  attorney  to  redeem  the 
$3000  tax-claim  levied  by  the  sheriff.  Hendryx  placed  a 
steam-launch,  the  Surprise,  on  the  lake  and  river;  he 
also  started  the  work  of  sinking  an  incline  on  the  Blue 
Bell  lode.  A  portion  of  that  incline  is  still  to  be  seen 
near  the  top  of  the  glory-hole.  In  the  year  following — 
1885 — he  drove  an  adit  from  the  east  side  and  cut  into  a 
large  orebody,  subsequently  mined  as  the  'vaulted 
chamber.'  This  showing  prompted  the  driving,  in  1892, 
of  the  lower  adit  from  the  lake-shore,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  John  R.  Parks  (Columbia  '80),  who  was  consult- 
ing engineer  to  Hendryx.  Hendryx  had  good  financial 
backing  and  became  prominent  in  Kootenay  mining 
affairs.  He  established  the  town  of  Pilot  Bay  and  built 
a  small  lead  smelter  there  in  1894.  But  the  conditions 
were  unfavorable  and  the  plant  was  shut-down  in  1895. 
Financial    embarrassments   ensued   and   the   Blue   Bell 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


767 


property  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Bank  of  Montreal, 
which,  in  the  summer  of  1905,  sold  it  to  the  Canadian 
Metal  Co.,  a  French  organization  headed  by  Edouard 
Riondel,  who  built  a  zinc-retort  smelter  at  Frank  (Al- 
berta), discarding  the  use  of  the  Pilot  Bay  concentrating 
plant  and  lead  smelter.  The  zinc  enterprise  failed,  run- 
ning the  company  into  debt,  so  that  it  was  on  the  verge  of 
complete  collapse.  In  the  summer  of  1896  Mr.  Fowler 
reported  on  the  whole  undertaking  and  became  manager 
immediately  thereafter.  The  present  concentrating  mill 
at  Riondel,  close  to  the  mine,  was  built  in  1907.  It  treats 
250  tons  per  day  and  is  of  the  conventional  type :  Blake 
crushers,  rolls,  jigs,  trommels,  Wilfley  and  Deister  tables. 
The  re-grinding  is  done  in  Huntington  mills.  These 
operations  yield  a  concentrate  in  the  ratio  of  10 : 1,  con- 
taining 48%  lead,  12  oz.  silver  per  ton,  and  3%  zinc, 
which  is  shipped  to  the  smelter  at  Trail.  The  freightage 
is  $1.35,  plus  20c.  per  ton  for  transfer  from  the  barges, 


in  which  t lie  concentrate  is  loaded,  into  the  railway-cars, 
at  Procter  in  winter,  if  the  arm  of  the  lake  happens  to  be 
frozen,  and  at  Nelson  in  summer.  The  smelting-rate  is 
satisfactory.  The  company  is  operating  at  a  profit,  in- 
creased recently  by  the  favorable  metal  market.  The 
mine  is  now  600  ft.  deep  on  an  incline  of  35°.  The  de- 
posit is  a  replacement  in  limestone,  the  irregular  masses 
of  ore  following  the  bedding,  with  tongues  projecting 
into  the  foot-wall  country.  This  consists  of  pre-Cam- 
brian  sediments  (underlying  the  Beltian  series  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alene)  into  which  intrude  granitic  dikes,  prob- 
ably connecting  with  the  Nelson  batholith  of  granite, 
which  is  of  post- Jurassic  age. 

Thus  the  story  ends  on  a  dry  technical  note ;  but  the 
earlier  paragraphs  will  have  served  to  prove  that  the 
biographies  of  mines,  as  of  man,  are  profitable  reading, 
in  so  far  as  they  convey  a  lesson  and  a  warning  to  those 
that  follow. 


^asii©  !Pi?®£l^i©4a©sa  aft  Buftft© 


The  third  report  of  the  Butte  &  Superior  Mining  Co. 
for  the  current  year  gives  the  following  data: 

Third  quarter     Second  quarter 

Ore  milled,   tons 136,130  161,270 

Zinc-content,  per  cent 15.5570  15.9709 

Silver-content,  ounces   6.6072  6.7041 

Zinc  concentrate,  tons 37,333  45,194 

Zinc  in  concentrate,  per  cent  . . .        52.92S  52.9956 

Zinc  in  concentrate,  pounds 39,519,432  47,901,445 

Silver  in  concentrate,  ounces...        21.500  21.S757 

Recovery,  per  cent  93.314  92.9S9 

Mining  costs  per  ton  $4.9437  $4.4971 

Milling  cost  per  ton  $2.1691  $1.7610 

The  decrease  in  quantity  of  ore  treated  during  the  last 
term  was  due  to  an  accident  in  the  shaft  in  August, 
thereby  causing  the  suspension  of  operations  for  11 
days.     The  increased  cost  in  mining  and  milling  is  due 


Overburden  moved,  yards 

Cost  of  mining,  cents  per  ton 

Ore  treated,  tons 

Average  per  day,  tons 

Copper-content,  per  cent 

Concentrate,  tons  

Copper-content,  per  cent   

Recovery,   per  cent   

Cost  of  milling,  cents  per  ton 

Total  copper,  pounds 

Cost,,  cents  per  pound 

Price  for  copper,  cents 

Total  income  

Dividends  paid   ■• 

Surplus  for  period  

to  the  smaller  tonnage  treated,  the  constantly  increasing 
cost  of  supplies,  and  the  larger  maintenance  costs  brought 
about  through  repairs  to  the  Black  Rock  shaft. 

The  average  price  used  in  estimating  returns  on  spelter 
for  the  quarter  is  8.3441  cents  per  pound.  The  directors 
voted  to  increase  the  regular  dividend  rate  from  75 
cents  per  share  per  quarter,  to  $1.25  per  share,  at  which 


rate  dividend  was  paid  on  September  30  together  with 
an  extra  of  $5  per  share. 

Financial  results  showed  the  following: 

Third  Second 

quarter  quarter 

Net  value  of  zinc  concentrate  at  mill $1,731,670  $2,S79,56S 

Net  value  of  lead  concentrate  at  mill,  etc.      190,099  246,341 

Miscellaneous  income   14,757  22,772 

Total  net  value $1,936,527  $3,148, 6S2 

Operating  cost,  etc 988,625  1,0S6,653 

Profits    $    947,901  $2,062,029 


j®mt®mfo@s£ 


Reports  of  several  copper  companies  for  the  third 
period  of  1916  are  to  hand,  and  include  the  following  in- 
formation : 


Chino 

Nevada  Con. 

Ray 

Utah  Copper 

961,617 

78.46 

1,5S5,063 

801,500 

1,020,546 

849,400 

3,404,300 

8,712 

11,093 

9,233 

37,000 

1.89 

1.68 

1.571 

1.4484 

62,531 

16.48 

54.99 

61.94 

20,606,723 

24,5S5,393 

19,061,727 

61,079,924 

8.17 

8.67 

10.34S 

6.322 

25.61 

23.883 

27.722 

25.364 

$3,445,292 

$3,901,197 

$3,299,400 

$12,049,460 

1,957,455 

1,999,457 

1,182,884 

4,873,470 

1,487,837 

1,901,740 

2,116,516 

7,175,990 

Increases  in  production  were  2,507,541  lb.  by  Chino, 
494,372  lb.  by  Nevada  Con.,  394,063  lb.  by  Ray,  and 
12,684,995  lb.  by  Utah  Copper.  Dividends  were  the 
same  in  the  last  two  quarters  by  Chino  and  Utah  Copper, 
increases  of  $499,505  and  $394,295  being  paid  by  Ne- 
vada Con.  and  Ray.  The  amount  of  copper  on  hand,  if 
any,  is  not  stated. 


768 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRES^ 


November  25,  1916 


Kfsw  i3siiB^lj.lB  BSscovery 


By      W.      15.      g4©saas 

A  new  tungsten  region  was  discovered  during  the  past 
summer  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Greenhorn  mountains, 
in  Kern  county,  California.  One  of  the  discoveries  is 
near  the  head  of  Cedar  Creek  canyon,  on  the  middle 
fork;  the  other  is  about  two  miles  south,  on  Slick  Rock 
creek,  near  the  road  between  Glenville  and  Kernville. 
The  region  is  mostly  granitic,  but  includes  several  elon- 
gated areas  of  much  altered  Paleozoic  sedimentary  rocks, 
principally  argillite,  quartzite,  and  limestone.  These 
areas  are  usually  several  hundred  feet  wide  and  2  to  3 
miles  long.  Along  the  borders  of  the  granite  and  the 
old  sediments  there  is  often  a  broad  zone  of  metamor- 
phism,  in  which  garnets,  epidote,  hornblende,  secondary 
silica,  and  some  other  minerals  are  abundant.  It  is  in 
these  zones  of  metamorphism  that  the  tungsten  mineral 
occurs,  in  the  form  of  scheelite.  Neither  wolframite 
nor  hiibnerite  were  observed  at  either  of  the  places  where 
prospecting  had  been  done.  Several  holes  had  been  sunk 
at  various  places  in  the  district  in  rocks  similar  to  those 
described  where  no  tungsten  was  discovered,  though  in 
some  of  these  holes  veins  of  solid  pyrite,  5  to  7  ft.  thick 
were  uncovered. 

Whether  these  zones  of  contaet-metamorphie  minerals 
represent  an  alteration  of  what  were  originally  masses  of 
limestone,  I  do  not  know,  not  having  had  the  time  or  op- 
portunity to  examine  thoroughly  the  localities  far  from 
the  prospect-holes  that  had  been  sunk  in  search  of  tung- 
sten. At  one  place  I  found  a  zone  of  metamorphism 
nearly  100  ft.  wide,  consisting  mostly  of  several  varieties 
of  garnet;  a  felsitic  dike  had  been  intruded  into  this 
mass  and  in  the  felsite  were  a  few  crystals  of  molyb- 
denite, but  no  scheelite  or  other  tungsten  mineral  was 
seen. 

In  the  prospect-holes  near  the  head  of  Cedar  Creek 
canyon,  scheelite  was  liberally  sprinkled  through  the 
garnetized  mass,  assays  ranging  from  a  trace  up  to  30% 
W03.  Many  of  the  crystals  of  scheelite  were  the  size  of 
large  peas,  but  no  solid  masses  of  the  mineral  were 
found.  The  zone  of  garnet  at  this  place  was  apparently 
at  least  25  ft.  wide,  but  so  little  work  had  been  done  and 
the  surface  outcrop  was  so  obscure  that  the  actual  width 
could  not  be  determined. 

At  the  other  locality,  on  Slick  Rock  creek,  the  scheelite 
was  also  associated  with  garnet,  together  with  horn- 
blende, black  tourmaline,  feldspar,  quartz,  a  little  pyrite 
and  chalcopyrite,  and  with  an  abundance  of  pyrrhotite. 
This  latter  mineral  is  an  unusual  accompaniment  of 
tungsten  minerals  as  far  as  I  have  observed  or  heard. 
This  hole,  I  was  told,  was  originally  sunk  in  prospecting 
for  tin,  years  ago,  but  no  tin  was  found.  The  ore,  like 
that  on  Cedar  Creek,  was  of  'good  grade,  running  from 
1  to  30%  W03,  but  the  amount  of  development  was 
negligible.  The  vein  was  apparently  but  three  feet 
wide,  with  a  wall  of  mica-schist  on  one  side  and  a  gran- 
itic rock  on  the  other.    It  stood  nearly  vertical,  striking 


northwest-southeast.  Two  zones  of  Assuring  crossed  the 
vein  at  a  right  angle,  each  forming  a  zone  of  crushed 
material  about  a  foot  wide.  These  fissures  were  10  ft. 
apart,  having  this  small  segment  of  good  ore  between 
them.  There  was  no  trace  of  scheelite  in  either  of  these 
cross-fissures,  nor  in  the  vein  itself  at  or  near  the  surface, 
where  the  sulphide  minerals  had  been  oxidized,  forming 
a  limonite  cap  or  gossan.  Evidently  the  sulphuric  acid, 
freed  by  the  oxidation  of  the  sulphide  minerals,  had  dis- 
solved the  scheelite,  .and  the  tungstic  acid  had  been  com- 
pletely removed  by  leaching.  However,  at  two  or  three 
feet  below  the  surface  the  scheelite  began  to  appear  in 
the  form  of  much  corroded  sandy  crystals,  which  at  a 
little  greater  depth  were  firm,  well  defined,  and  glassy. 
It  is  scarcely  likely  that  these  two  discoveries  are  the 
only  occurrences  of  tungsten  in  that  region.  Others 
doubtless  will  be  found  by  persistent  search.  The  dis- 
trict is  in  direct  line  with  the  tungsten  belt  known  to 
extend  from  the  vicinity  of  Raymond,  in  Madera  county, 
south-eastward  to  the  vicinity  of  Atolia,  in  Kern  county. 
Along  this  belt  tungsten  ores  are  known  to  occur  at  a 
number  of  places  between  the  limits  indicated,  though  it 
is  by  no  means  improbable  that  the  'belt'  will  be  found  to 
extend  in  both  directions  far  beyond  Raymond  at  one 
end,  and  Atolia  at  the  other. 

In  the  granite  areas  of  this  region  are  also  known  veins 
of  antimony  ore,  principally  stibnite  and  jamesonite, 
and  also  veins  of  gold  and  silver  ores.  Pegmatite,  dio- 
rite,  and  other  intrusions  are  numerous  in  some  places, 
penetrating  both  the  granite  and  metamorphic  rocks,  and 
the  geological  conditions  are  favorable  for  the  formation 
of  veins.  The  region  is  heavily  timbered,  water  is 
abundant,  and  good  automobile  roads  cross  the  moun- 
tains at  intervals  of  every  few  miles. 

In  the  early  days  of  mining  in  California  there  was 
an  important  gold  region  in  the  vicinity  of  Kern  River 
canyon,  and  many  gold  mines  were  then  developed  and 
worked  with  varying  success,  much  of  the  ore  being  high- 
grade.  A  revival  of  mining  in  this  region,  on  both  sides 
of  Greenhorn  mountain  is  not  at  all  improbable,  which 
will  be  stimulated  somewhat  by  the  prospecting  for  tung- 
sten ore,  which  is  likely  to  be  carried  on  vigorously  next 
summer.  Winter  work  is  entirely  feasible  in  a  camp 
fully  established  and  equipped,  but  surface  prospecting 
during  winter  is  handicapped  by  a  heavy  snowfall.  The 
altitude  of  the  tungsten  camp  is  about  6500  feet. 


Nickel  production  of  Canada,  which  means  Ontario, 
this  year  is  estimated  to  total  $23,000,000,  against  $20,- 
423,348  in  1915,  and  $13,655,381  in  1914.  Over  80%  of 
the  world's  output  comes  from  the  Dominion,  mostly 
from  the  Sudbury  district.  Three  large  companies  are 
operating,  namely,  the  International  Nickel  Co.,  the  Mond 
Nickel  Co.,  and  the  British-America  Nickel  Corporation, 
a  new  concern.  The  first  named  reduces  the  ore  to  matte 
at  Sudbury,  refining  in  New  Jersey;  the  second  makes 
matte  at  Coniston,  Ontario,  refining  at  Clydach,  Wales ; 
while  the  new  company  will  probably  reduce  the  ore  in 
Ontario. 


November  85,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


769 


COPPEROPOLIS,    LOOKING    NORTH. 


THE  CALAVERAS  COPPER  CO.  S   MILL. 


Flotation    at   the    Calaveras    < 


A  Simple 


By      Hsllet 

Introduction.  The  Union  mine  is  situated  in  the 
foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  in  the  extreme  southern 
part  of  Calaveras  county,  California.  The  town  of  Cop- 
peropolis,  with  a  present  population  of  ahout  600,  has 
grown  up  around  the  mine,  and  is  reached  by  road  from 
Angels  Camp,  12  miles;  Stockton,  42  miles;  or  Milton, 
17  miles.  The  mail  is  carried  by  automobile-stage  daily 
except  Sunday  over  the  last  route,  and  there  is  also 
regular  auto-stage  service  from  Stockton.  Surveys  have 
just  been  completed,  and  construction  is  about  to  be 
started,  on  an  extension  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad 
from  Milton  to  Copperopolis,  two  views  of  which  are 
shown  at  the  top  of  this  page. 

This  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  interesting  metal 
mines  in  California.  It  was  discovered  by  placer  miners 
in  1859,  and  soon  afterward  one  portion  of  the  lode  was 
acquired  by  Frederick  Ames  of  Boston,  and  another, 
called  the  Keystone  mine,  by  Oliver  Ames.  The  Union 
Copper  Mining  Co.,  organized  by  the  former,  subse- 
quently absorbed  the  Keystone  property,  as  well  as 
several  smaller  holdings  on  other  portions  of  the  lode. 
Operations  were  conducted  by  the  Union  Copper  Min- 
ing Co.  on  a  large  scale.  During  each  of  the  years,  1865 
and  1866,  about  23,000  tons  of  ore,  averaging  over  20% 
copper,  was  shipped  to  Swansea,  by  wagon  to  Stockton, 
by  river-boat  to  San  Francisco  bay,  and  finally  by  sail- 
ing-vessel around  the  Horn.  A  stone  blast-furnace  was 
erected  and  operated  on  second-class  ore  averaging  10% 
copper,  using  charcoal  as  fuel.  The  matte  was  shipped 
to  Swansea.  No  statistics  are  available  as  to  the  tonnage 
treated  in  this  smelter. 

The  fall  in  the  price  of  copper  following  the  Civil 
"War,  as  well  as  the  high  cost  of  transportation,  caused  • 
the  mine  to  be  closed-down  in  1867,  in  which  condition 
it  remained  until  1887,  when  there  was  a  renewal  of 
activity  at  the  property,  culminating  in  the  erection,  in 


JR.      Setolbims 

1891,  of  another  blast-furnace  smelting-plant,  which  ran 
about  two  years,  and  produced  150,000  tons  of  slag. 

Operations  were  again  suspended  in  1893,  the  mine 
remaining  idle  until  1905,  when  a  gravity-concentration 
mill  and  a  third  smelter  were  built.  The  mill  did  not 
run  longer  than  a  week  or  two  at  this  period,  but  the 
smelter  ran  about  two  years  on  first-class  ore.  Heap- 
roasting  was  practised,  the  calcine  being  smelted  in  a 
50  by  7  ft.  reverberatory  furnace,  producing  a  50% 
matte,  which  was  shipped  to  a  refinery  at  Chicago. 

The  panic  of  1907  caused  another  suspension  of  opera- 
tions, lasting  until  1909,  when  the  Calaveras  Copper  Co. 
was  organized  and  took  over  the  property  on  a  bond. 
The  smelter  was  re-built,  and  two  20-ft.  six-hearth  Mc- 
Dougall  roasters  were  erected.  The  plant  proved  un- 
workable after  two  weeks'  trial,  and  then  a  40  by  120-in. 
blast-furnace  was  built,  but  it  ran  for  two  weeks  only. 
Converting  equipment  was  purchased  and  delivered,  but 
never  installed.  The  mill  was  operated  intermittently 
at  this  time,  but  did  not  make  over  a  50%  saving. 

In  September  1914  a  capable  and  efficient  manager  in 
the  person  of  S.  M.  Levy,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  was  ap- 
pointed, under  whose  guidance,  with  the  assistance  of 
B.  C.  Trask,  mill  foreman,  D.  C.  Williams,  mine  fore- 
man, and  Frank  "W.  Royer,  consulting  engineer,  the 
property  has  been  firmly  placed  on  a  paying  basis,  and 
has  become  one  of  the  greatest  promise. 

The  Obebodt  is  a  replacement  in  amphibolite  schist; 
it  is  from  100  to  200  ft.  wide,  with  slate  hanging  wall 
and  serpentine  foot-wall.  The  valuable  minerals  are 
chalcopyrite,  containing  no  gold  or  silver,  and,  near  the 
surface,  red  and  black  oxides  of  copper.  The  lode  is  free 
from  serious  faulting,  it  strikes  north-west,  dips  61° 
north-east,  has  been  fully  developed  for  a  length  of  1500 
ft.  and  to  a  depth  of  800  ft.,  and  is  known  to  persist  over 
a  length  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile.     There  is  every 


770 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS, 


November  25,  1916 


indication  of  persistence  in  depth,  as  well  as  to  a  greater 
distance  along  the  strike. 

Tne  most  striking  peculiarity  of  the  ore  is  the  associa- 
tion of  a  large  amount  of  barren  pyrite  with  the  chalco- 
pyrite.  This  is  the  explanation  for  the  many  failures  to 
exploit  the  mine,  for  when  gravity  concentration  was 
attempted,  the  pyrite  was  saved,  while  the  chalcopyrite 
was  largely  slimed  and  lost. 

The  Mine  is  opened  by  two  working-shafts,  the  Union 
and  the  Discovery.  The  former  is  800  ft.  deep,  vertical 
to  the  5th  level,  and  on  an  incline  of  63°,  following  the 
lode,  from  there  to  the  bottom.  It  was  sunk  in  the 
'sixties,  and  is  equipped  with  a  wooden  head-frame,  35 
ft.  high,  and  with  a  double-drum  hoist  with  both  steam 
and  electric  drive. 

The  Discovery  shaft  is  in  the  lode,  on  the  hanging- 
wall  side,  and  is  now  400  ft.  deep,  measured  along  the 
61°  incline,  but  is  being  connected  with  the  9th  level 
by  raising.  It  is  equipped  with  an  excellent  steel  head- 
frame,  80  ft.  high,  erected  in  1902  at  a  cost  of  $10,000, 
and  good  for  four  compartments,  though  the  shaft  now 
has  but  three;  and  with  a  steam-driven  double-drum 
hoist,  good  for  1500  ft.,  and  with  a  1500-cu.  ft.  com- 
pressor driven  by  a  275-hp.  motor. 

The  stopes  are  15  to  30  ft.  wide ;  the  shrinkage  method 
is  followed,  at  a  cost  of  50  cents  per  ton.  The  total  cost 
of  mining,  including  timbering,  hoisting,  development, 
etc.,  with  the  present  daily  production  of  200  tons,  is 
$1.50  per  ton.  It  is  expected  that  this  will  be  reduced 
to  $1.25,  as  soon  as  the  production  is  increased  to  500 
tons  per  day,  which  is  the  maximum  output  expected  at 
present. 

The  force  employed  includes  2  shift-bosses  at  $4;  10 
machine-miners  at  $3.50;  4  timber-men  at  $3.50;  4 
timber-men's  helpers  at  $3.25;  and  22  shovelers  at  $2.75. 

Ingersoll-Rand  stopers  are  used  for  stoping  and  rais- 
ing; jack-hammers  for  sinking  and  block-holing;  and 
Denver  Dreadnought  water-drills  in  the  drifts. 

The  mine  is  considerably  wetter  in  winter  than  in  sum- 
mer. In  the  wet  season,  one  4J  by  7-in.  triplex  pump  is 
operated  24  hours  daily,  raising  all  the  water  made  by 
the  mine,  from  the  8th  level  to  the  surface.  In  the  sum- 
mer it  is  run  only  six  to  seven  hours  per  day. 

Flotation.  Experiments  began  in  December  1914; 
in  February  1915,  the  so-called  little  mill  was  started  on 
accumulated  tailing  from  the  old  gravity-mill,  contain- 
ing about  1.5%  copper.  The  equipment  consisted  of  one 
Huntington  mill,  grinding  through'  50-mesh ;  a  mechan- 
ical agitator;  a  pneumatic  flotation-cell,  making  a  final 
tailing  and  a  rough  concentrate ;  and  a  Wilfley  table, 
making  a  final  concentrate  and  a  middling  that  was  re- 
turned to  the  Huntington.  In  May  1915,  the  treatment 
of  accumulated  tailing  was  discontinued,  the  'little  mill' 
after  that  date  handling  25  tons  per  day  of  undersize 
from  the  1-in.  trommel  at  the  picking-plant.  The  over- 
size, after  the  first-class  ore  had  been  picked  out,  was 
treated  in  the  'big  mill,'  which  was  the  old  gravity-mill 
with  some  experimental  flotation  equipment,  handling 
60  tons  per  day,  with  much  the  same  flow-sheet  as  in 


the  little  mill,  so  that  further  description  is  not  neces- 
sary. 

The  results  of  this  operation  indicated  that  from  a 
mill-feed  assaying  3%  copper,  28%  iron,  20%  sulphur, 
20%  silica,  and  10%  alumina,  there  would  be  obtained  a 
concentrate  assaying  about  19%  copper,  30%  iron,  35% 
sulphur,  and  6%  insoluble,  with  a  ratio  of  concentration 
of  7 : 1,  and  a  recovery  of  90%. 

These  operations  also  indicated  that  the  most  efficient 
oil  was  Yaryan  steam  pine-oil,  and  that  mechanical 
agitation  of  the  pulp  before  flotation  was  necessary  for 
the  best  results. 

The  old  gravity-mill,  which  was  housed  in  a  well-built 
and  substantial  steel-frame  building,  was  then  further 
re-modeled,  and  in  March  1916  operations  began  accord- 
ing to  the  flow-sheet  shown  in  Fig.  1.  These  operations 
have  been  remarkably  successful. 

Present  Practice.  The  extreme  simplicity  of  the 
plant,  and  the  entire  absence  of  any  gravity  concentra- 
tion are  very  striking.  The  ball-mill  has  a  normal  capac- 
ity of  about  8  to  9  tons  per  hour.  The  reduction  in  one 
mill  from  3-in.  size  to  a  product  90%  of  which  passes 
80-mesh  would  not  be  economical  in  a  large  plant,  but 
in  a  small  one  the  simplicity  of  the  arrangement  is  com- 
mendable. The  mill  is  driven  through  a  counter-shaft, 
by  a  150-hp.  motor,  at  a  speed  of  23  r.p.m.  The  normal 
power  consumption  when  running  is  120  hp.  Forged 
steel  balls,  5  in.  diam.,  are  used,  the  consumption  being 
0.5  lb.  per  ton  of  ore  ground.  Of  the  total  product  40% 
is  finished  through  80-mesh,  the  remainder  being  re- 
turned by  the  classifier.  The  mill  has  given  reasonable 
satisfaction,  the  most  serious  difficulties  being  blinding 
of  the  difficultly-accessible  grating,  leakage  around  lin- 
ing-bolt holes  and  dropping-out  of  lining-bolts,  and  a 
peculiar  ailment,  not  as  yet  fully  diagnosed,  but  prob- 
ably due  in  part  to  the  wear  of  the  lining,  that  at  times 
has  caused  the  capacity  of  the  mill  to  drop  practically  to 
zero.  When  the  mill  was  opened  on  such  occasions  the 
ore  and  balls  were  found  in  quite  separate  masses.  In- 
creasing the  speed  from  21  r.p.m.,  as  recommended  by 
the  makers,  to  23  r.p.m.  proved  beneficial  in  minimizing 
this  trouble. 

Difficulty  has  also  been  encountered  in  the  buckling 
of  the  lining-segments,  which  are  the  full  length  of  the 
mill,  thicker  on  one  edge  than  on  the  other,  in  order  to 
form  steps  to  lift  the  balls  and  cause  them  to  cascade 
properly  through  the  charge  of  ore.  They  are  held  by 
three  bolts  in  a  line  along  the  centre  of  each  segment. 
The  edges  of  the  segments  draw  away  from  the  shell,  and 
the  lining  requires  to  be  discarded  and  renewed  when 
only  about  half  the  metal  has  been  worn  away.  Similar 
troubles  have  been  reported  at  other  plants,  and  it  is 
my  belief  that  they  may  be  overcome  by  the  use  of  lining 
in  full  annular  sections,  wedged  in  place,  with  no  bolt- 
holes  whatever  through  the  shell.  Such  sections  may  be 
secured  from  the  Lehigh  Car  Wheel  &  Axle  Co.,  and 
are  being  tried  by  the  Utah  Copper  company. 

The  oil  adopted  as  standard  in  the  present  operation, 
after  exhaustive  experiments,  is  the  No.  400  crude  wood- 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


771 


creosote  produced  by  the  Pensacola  Tar  &  Turpentine 

Co.  The  No.  350  crude  pine-oil  produced  by  the  same 
company  \v;is  recently  tried  on  a  24-hours  run,  with  a 
marked  increase  in  the  value  of  the  tailing,  and  a  de- 
crease in  the  grade  of  the  concentrate.  A  mixture  of 
equal  parts  of  No.  17  hardwood-creosote,  and  No.  20  coal- 
tar  creosote,  furnished  by  the  General  Naval  Stores  Co. 
has  given  the  best  results  of  any  oil  other  than  that 
regularly  used. 

The  oil  is  all  fed  into  the  ball-mill  feed-box  from  a 


CRl'StllNG  PLANT 

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Froth 

t 

22  by  10-ft.  DORR  THICKENER 
6 1— I—, 


i 


■I  PNEUMATIC  CELLS  IN  PARALLEL 


Spigot  (60%  solids) 

r- 


Overflow 


Froth 


MILL-TANK 


Cake  [13%  i 

T 

CONCENTRATE-BINS 


TAILING   TO  WASTE 


FIG.    1.       FLOW-SHEET. 


15-gal.  zerolene  can,  fitted  with  a  special  bronze  stop- 
cock. The  consumption  averages  0.3  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 
It  is  so  well  mixed  and  agitated  in  the  ball-mill  that 
neither  mechanical  nor  pneumatic  agitation  before  flota- 
tion is  found  of  any  benefit  whatever. 

The  return  of  the  filtrate  from  the  concentrate-filter, 
and  of  the  overflow  from  the  concentrate-thickener  has 
been  found  not  only  to  decrease  the  amount  of  oil  re- 
quired, but  also  to  effect  a  closer  saving  than  is  possible 
otherwise,  no  matter  how  much  oil  be  used. 

The  flotation-cells  are  made  locally  from  Oregon  fir, 
protected  with  P.  &  B.  paint,  at  a  cost  of  about  $100 
each,  complete.  They  are  of  the  type  for  which  J.  M. 
Callow  has  had  process  and  apparatus  patent  applica- 
tions pending  in  the  United  States  for  some  time.  The 
porous  bottom  differs  from  that  used  by  Mr.  Callow  in 
the  cells  he  has  built.  It  is  composed  of  eight  separate 
shallow  cast-iron  pans,  placed  side  by  side  along  the 
sloping  bottom  of  the  cell,  each  covered  with  a  multiple- 
ply  canvas,  fastened  around  the  edges  only.  Screens  or 
grids,  similar  to  those  used  by  Mr.  Callow  were  tried 
but  proved  both  unnecessary  and  objectionable. 

The  outside  length  of  each  pan  is  a  trifle  less  than  the 
inside  width  of  the  cell.    Two  f-in.  pipes  are  screwed  into 


Fig.  2.     coppeuopolis  aik-pans. 

the  bottom  of  each  pan,  and  pass  through  holes  bored  in 
the  wooden  floor  of  the  cell.  One  is  connected  by  means 
of  an  easily-removable  length  of  hose,  to  the  air-main 
manifold,  and  the  other  is  fitted  with  a  plug-cock,  nor- 


FlG.  3.     THE  MILL. 

mally  closed,  but  opened  periodically  to  blow  out  ac- 
cumulations of  water  in  the  pan. 

When  it  is  desired  to  remove  a  pan,  the  air-hose  is 
disconnected,  and  the  plug-eock  unscrewed,  when  the 
pan  may  easily  he  lifted  from  the  cell.    When  the  cell  is 


772 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


in  operation,  the  holes  through  which  the  air  and  water- 
blow-off  pipes  pass,  are  caulked  with  oakum.  This  form 
of  j.ir-pan  was  an  original  development  at  Copperopolis, 
but  resembles  that  developed  originally  at  McGill, 
Nevada,  and  used  in  the  pneumatic  flotation-cells  of  the 
Nevada  Consolidated  Copper  Co.  A  photograph  of  two 
of  the  Copperopolis  air-pans,  one  right-side  up  and  the 
other  bottom  up,  is  shown  in  Fig.  2. 

A  detail  drawing  of  the  flotation-cell  as  a  whole,  from 
which  one  may  be  built  by  any  competent  carpenter,  is 
shown  in  Pig.  4. 

Air  is  furnished  at  5£  lb.  pressure  by  a  Connersville 
blower.  The  consumption  is  about  80  cu.  ft.  free  air  per 
min.  per  cell.  Each  cell  is  emptied  once  per  day  and  the 
surface  of  the  canvas  is  washed  off  with  a  hose.  The 
canvas  lasts  several  weeks,  and  when  a  renewal  is  neces- 
sary, it  is  effected  quickly  by  removing  the  pan  in  the 
manner  described,  and  replacing  it  with  one  already 
freshly  clothed. 

The  air-supply  is  not  filtered,  but  I  believe  it  is  good 
practice  to  do  so  in  all  cases  where  porous  media  are  used 
in  flotation-cells.  During  the  past  two  years  I  have 
visited  nearly  every  flotation  plant  of  consequence  in  the 
West,  and  have  seen  no  pneumatic  cell  frothing  so 
smoothly  and  evenly  as  those  at  Copperopolis. 

Some  interesting  experiments  have  been  made  in  heat- 
ing the  thickened  concentrate  in  the  filter.  At  some 
plants  where  this  has  been  tried,  it  was  found  possible  to 
make  a  cake  of  double  or  treble  the  usual  thickness,  with 
no  increase  in  the  moisture  content.  This  is  probably 
due  to  the  heat  decreasing  the  viscosity  of  the  oil  in  the 
pores  of  the  filter-canvas. 

The  results  of  the  operation  of  the  plant  may  be  ap- 
preciated from  the  following  assays  of  composite  samples 
for  the  month  of  June  1916 : 

Copper, 
% 

Heading    2.15 

Concentrate    14.40 

Tailing    0.09 

Rough   concentrate 8.0 

Cleaner  tailing 2.0 

Ratio  of  concentration,  7:1. 

Saving  of  copper,  96.4%. 

Saving  of  iron,  30.2%. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  compare  these  results  with 
those  obtained  in  the  old  gravity-mill,  the  concentrate 
from  which  assayed  5.8%  copper,  35.5%  iron,  37.4% 
sulphur,  12.7%  silica,  and  6.5  %  alumina.  The  heading 
ran  2.4%  copper,  the  tailing  1.5%,  the  ratio  of  concen- 
tration was  6.6 : 1,  and  the  percentage  of  recovery  of  the 
copper  was  50. 

At  present  the  tailing  normally  assays  a  'trace,'  which 
means  not  over  0.04%  copper,  a  remarkable  record,  but 
I  believe  that  any  ordinary  chalcopyrite  ore  may  be 
treated  by  a  similar  method  with  similar  results.  I  have 
myself  made  a  mill-run  at  this  plant  with  an  ore  con- 
taining 1.38%  copper  as  chalcopyrite,  and  22%  iron, 
mostly  as  pyrrhotite.  The  grade  of  the  concentrate  was 
7.32%  copper,  the  tailing  0.07%,  the  ratio  of  concentra- 


Iron, 

Insoluble, 

% 

% 

20.4 

37.0 

29.5 

14.9 

18.0 

43.4 

tion  5.53:1,  and  the  recovery  95.9%.  I  have  in  mind 
two  plants  operating  under  license  from  Minerals  Sepa- 
ration, treating  simple  chalcopyrite  ores,  that  do  not  con- 
tain nearly  so  much  pyrite  as  the  Calaveras  ore  and 
therefore  should  be  much  easier  to  concentrate.  Each  of 
these  plants  uses  a  more  complicated  flow-sheet  than  the 
Copperopolis  plant,  and  is  proud  of  a  tailing  containing 
0.15%  copper.  This  is  eloquent  evidence  concerning 
benefits  accruing  to  licensees  of  Minerals  Separation 
from  the  superior  ( ?)  metallurgical  knowledge  placed 
at  their  disposal  by  that  syndicate. 

Operating  Costs.  These  are  shown  by  the  following 
figures  taken  at  random  from  the  company's  books, 
representing  actual  costs  for  the  week  ended  July  7, 
1916: 

Power,  184  hp.  per  day,  at  0.825c.  per  kw.-hr $191.25 

Operating  labor,  70  shifts,  at  $3.25 228.75 

Superintendence,  repair,  and  extra  labor 137.48 

Supplies  of  all  kinds  132.40 


$689.88 

On  a  normal  tonnage  of  192  per  day,  this  is  equivalent 
to  51.4c.  per  ton. 

Transportation.  Incoming  supplies  and  outgoing 
concentrate  are  hauled  between  Milton  and  Copperopolis 
by  wagon  with  trailers,  drawn  by  14  horses,  and  carry- 
ing about  12  tons  per  load,  at  a  contract  price  of  $3.25 
per  ton,  or  about  20c.  per  ton-mile.  The  road  is  very 
rough,  and  attempts  to  use  auto-trucks  have  resulted  in 
failure  thus  far.  During  the  rainy  season  the  condition 
of  the  road  is  so  bad  that  it  is  impossible  to  do  any  haul- 
ing; it  has  been  necessary  even  to  suspend  operations 
during  that  period.  Rail-freight  on  the  concentrate  is 
$1.25  per  ton  from  Milton  to  the  smelter  on  San  Fran- 
cisco bay,  and  $6.40  per  ton  to  Tacoma,  where  this 
product  is  now  shipped. 

Future  Operations.  There  has  just  been  installed  an 
8-ft.  by  30-in.  Hardinge  ball-mill  on  trial,  under  a  guar- 
antee by  its  manufacturer  that  it  will  grind  25%  more 
ore,  with  25%  less  power  than  the  7  by  6-ft.  Allis-Chalm- 
ers  mill.  It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  the  price 
of  the  Hardinge  mill  is  $1800  more  than  that  of  the 
Allis-Chalmers. 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  Calaveras  management  to 
make  careful  competitive  tests  of  the  two  mills  on  the 
same  ore,  and  under  identical  conditions.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  results  of  these  tests  may  be  presented  to  the 
readers  of  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  by  E.  C. 
Trask,  in  the  near  future,  if  the  Editor  will  risk  hurting 
the  feelings  of  one  of  his  advertisers,  and  it  is  believed 
that  the  figures  will  be  of  value  to  all  those  interested  in 
ball-mills. 

The  two  ball-mills  together,  whether  operated  in  series 
or  in  parallel,  are  expected  to  have  a  capacity  of  about 
500  tons  per  day,  and  10  additional  flotation-cells,  with 
the  necessary  blower,  are  being  installed  to  take  care  of 
the  increased  tonnage.  The  present  Oliver  filter  (8-ft. 
diam.  by  6-ft.  face)  is  to  be  supplemented  by  one  of  the 
same  face  but  11£  ft.  diameter.     This  is  expected  to 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


77H 


handle  50  tons  per  day  of  thickened  concentrate,  reduc- 
ing the  moisture  to  about  12%,  with  a  cake  half  an  inch 
thick. 

It  is  proposed  to  convey  the  concentrate  from  the 
thickener  to  the  filter  in  a  5-in.  pipe  through  the  centre 
of  which  there  will  be  a  1-in.  steam-pipe.  This  will 
avoid  diluting  the  thickened  concentrate-pulp  by  con- 
densed steam. 

It  is  estimated  that  no  more  labor  will  be  required  to 
operate  the  plant  when  treating  500  tons  than  at  present. 
Assuming  the  power  and  supply  costs  to  increase  propor- 


chalcopyrite  ore,  cost  $153,000,  and  has  never  made  so 
close  a  saving  as  the  Calaveras  plant,  and  cost  about  the 
same  to  operate  as  the  latter  with  its  present  small 
capacity  of  less  than  200  tons  per  day.  Of  course,  much 
less  was  known  about  flotation  when  the  National  mill 
was  built  than  today. 

Messrs.  Levy  and  Trask  are  modest  as  to  their  achieve- 
ments, but  rumors  of  the  excellent  results  they  have  ac- 
complished have  traveled  widely,  and  the  plant  has  been 
a  Mecca  for  metallurgists  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Each  visitor  has  departed  with  a  pleasant  impression  of 


-■-4'6ate  Valve, 


Fig.  4.     details  of  flotation-cell. 


tionally  with  the  tonnage,  an  average  weekly  cost  would 
be  approximately  as  follows : 

Power,  479  hp.  per  day,  at  0.825c.  per  kw.-hr $497 

Labor,  as  at  present  366 

Supplies    690 


the  courtesy  with  which  he  was  received  and  the  freedom 
with  which  all  desired  information  was  made  available. 


$1553 


This  is  equivalent  to  44.4c.  per  ton,  but  it  is  believed 
the  actual  cost  will  not  exceed  40c.  On  the  completion 
of  the  railroad,  the  capacity  of  the  plant  may  be  still 
further  increased  by  the  installation  of  a  third  ball-mill, 
for  which  room  is  yet  available  in  the  old  mill-building. 

The  total  capital  expenditure  for  converting  the  old 
gravity-mill  into  a  highly-efficient  flotation-mill  of  500 
tons  daily  capacity  will  be  less  than  $50,000.  A  new  mill 
built  according  to  this  flow-sheet  should  not  cost  much, 
if  any,  more,  as  the  figure  noted  includes  the  net  cost 
of  considerable  experimenting,  and  the  dismantling  of 
the  entire  equipment  of  the  old  mill,  amounting  to  as 
much  as  a  new  building  would  cost  under  ordinary 
circumstances. 

Without  wishing  to  draw  invidious  comparisons,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  the  National  mill  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene,  built  to  treat  500  tons  per  day  of  a  simple 


Copper  ores  occur  in  beds  of  sandstone,  both  red  and 
gray,  in  Utah,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexico.  Some  of  the 
deposits  are  of  considerable  magnitude  and  commercially 
valuable.  In  New  Mexico  several  of  these  unusual  ■cop- 
per deposits  have  been  worked  on  a  commercial  scale  and 
have  afforded,  in  the  aggregate,  a  large  amount  of  cop- 
per, though  usually  the  deposits  are  small  and  low-grade. 
The  copper  occurs  primarily  as  chalcocite  in  small  dis- 
seminated grains  which  oxidizes  to  malachite  and  azur- 
ite,  and  to  a  less  extent  to  cuprite.  The  deposits  of  New 
Mexico,  which  have  thus  far  proved  to  be  the  most  valu- 
able, occur  in  the  Red  Beds  (both  Triassic  and  Permian) 
and  usually  at  no  great  distance  from  underlying  crys- 
talline rocks — granite  and  schist  of  pre-Cambrian  age,  in 
which  copper  occurs.  These  copper-bearing  sandstones 
are  not  in  the  least  metamorphosed,  even  by  the  infiltra- 
tion of  secondary  silica,  and  they  are  not  intruded  by 
igneous  rocks  of  any  description.  Often  they  are  prac- 
tically undisturbed  by  folding,  nor  have  they  been 
crushed  or  altered  to  a  condition  unlike  that  of  the  other 
strata  with  which  they  are  associated. 


774 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


.5?®2&fttam   ^temfc^     A   Wmjv   3aa<fas' 


li  y      ID  ©  21  ii  1  l 

The  active  efforts  made  in  sundry  branches  of  the  min- 
eral industry,  such  as  tungsten,  potash,  and  the  metals 
used  in  the  ammunition  trade,  do  not  cover  the  entire 
field  of  opportunity  created  by  the  War.  There  are 
other  products,  hitherto  almost  unknown  to  the  public, 
that  have  increased  several  hundred  per  cent  in  price ; 
an  example  in  point  being  strontium  nitrate,  which  is 
produced  from  the  mineral  celestite,  strontium  sulphate, 
and  is  used  as  a  necessary  ingredient  in  pyrotechnics. 

The  valuable  property  of  this  chemical  is  the  intense 
red  color  it  produces  in  fireworks  or  signals.  A  large  part 
of  the  total  annual  production  is  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  railway  signal-fusees  and  marine  signals,  a  railway- 
signal  company  being  the  largest  single  consumer  in  the 
United  States. 

While  in  no  sense  an  explosive,  it  decomposes  quickly, 
and  is  subject  to  a  high  risk-rate  in  warehouse-charges. 

Prior  to  1914,  the  American  market  for  this  chemical 
was  dependent  mainly  upon  European  sources,  and 
prices  at  New  York  were  about  8  to  8.5  cents  per  pound. 
How  large  a  proportion  of  the  total  business  was  done 
at  that  price  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain. 

The  total  consumption  in  the  United  States  is  stated, 
on  good  authority,  to  have  averaged  above  5  tons  daily, 
and  since  the  commercial  complications  wrought  by  the 
War,  the  price,  f.o.b.  New  York,  has  mounted  rapidly, 
until  m  June  1916,  the  figure  quoted  in  trade  journals 
was  nominally  40  to  50c.  per  pound. 

This  figure,  in  common  with  those  for  other  high- 
priced  War  commodities,  is  not  'pegged;'  it  denotes 
hope  rather  than  accomplishment.  The  high  quotation 
represents  the  purchase  of  less  than  ton  lots  by  con- 
sumers in  a  small  way,  to  meet  their  immediate  needs, 
and  is  not  a  criterion  of  the  prices  that  govern  transac- 
tions on  a  larger  scale.  These  prices,  representing  the 
actual  return  to  the  manufacturer,  are  the  only  basis  for 
the  true  estimation  of  the  possible  profit. 

A  recent  investigation  of  the  manufacture  of  stron- 
tium nitrate  in  Southern  California  disclosed  two  new 
plants  using  local  raw  materials  on  a  small  scale. 

References  to  the  metallurgy  of  ^strontium,  as  made 
by  Thorpe,  Watt,  and  other  authorities,  concern  them- 
selves chiefly  with  the  production  of  strontium  hydrate, 
which  is  widely  used  as  a  clarifying  agent  in  the  beet- 
sugar  refineries  of  Europe.  Strontium  salts  are  made 
cheaply  in  Europe,  where  there  are  widely  distributed 
deposits  of  the  more  desirable  strontianite,  as  well  as 
celestite,  the  sulphate. 

Clarke's  'Data  of  Geochemistry'  mentions  the  occur- 
rence of  celestite  in  the  great  saline  deposit  of  Stassfurt, 
Germany ;  it  is  also  interesting  to  note  that  it  is  found  at 
Searles  lake.     Hence  the  small  local  enterprises  above- 


mentioned  were  based  upon  the  improvisations  herein 
described,  and  did  not  attempt  to  emulate  the  elaborate 
practice  of  the  large  and  long  established  European  re- 
duction-plants. 

It  is  evident  that  the  limited  possibilities  of  consump- 
tion, and  the  fact  that  the  increased  price  is  due  to 
transient  conditions,  does  not  induce  substantial  invest- 
ment. Amortization  rates  should  be  high,  as  a  measure 
of  prudence.  The  'reducing-balance'  method  of  calculat- 
ing depreciation,  as  described  by  R.  S.  Lewis  in  a  recent 
issue  of  the  Mining  and  Scientifc  Press,  is  hardly 
rapid  enough  to  provide  for  a  sufficient  writing-off  in 
this  case. 

Bulletin  540-T  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  enumer- 
ates various  deposits  of  celestite  in  the  Western  States, 
and  one  of  these  (at  Ajo,  Arizona,  near  the  New  Cornelia 
Copper  Co.'s  mine)  supplied  ore  for  one  of  the  nitrate 
plants  at  Long  Beach,  California.  The  other  plant,  at 
Los  Angeles,  obtains  its  ore  from  Southern  California, 
out  of  a  deposit  not  mentioned  in  the  Bulletin  quoted. 
This  deposit  is  in  Imperial  valley,  about  40  miles  by 
wagon-road  from  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway,  and 
therefore  involves  wagon  or  motor  haulage. 

Like  most  celestite  deposits,  this  orebody  was  the  re- 
sult of  precipitation,  and  is  underlain  by  gypsum;  in 
fact,  it  is  said  to  have  been  first  located  for  the  sake  of 
the  gypsum  itself.  Mining  methods  are  extremely  sim- 
ple, as  the  ore  is  removed  from  the  surface  without  more 
labor  than  picking  up  the  broken  fragments  with  which 
it  is  strewn.  The  ore  is  finely  crystalline,  generally 
white,  and  on  fresh  fractures  has  an  almost  pearly  lustre. 
Its  high  specific  gravity  considerably  reduces  the  volume 
of  material  handled,  per  ton  treated,  as  compared  with 
ordinary  ores  of  silicious  character. 

Methods  of  treatment  at  both  of  these  plants  are 
essentially  the  same,  as  the  Long  Beach  plant  derived 
its  methods  from  the  Los  Angeles  plant,  which  is  some 
months  older,  and  the  same  general  description  will 
suffice  for  both.  The  essential  steps  involved  are  the 
reduction  of  the  sulphate  to  the  sulphide ;  dissolving  of 
the  sulphide,  and  the  nitration  of  the  sulphide  solution, 
forming  strontium  nitrate  solution,  which  is  then  evap- 
orated. 

The  first  step  is  most  important,  and  likewise  most 
difficult;  the  factors  affecting  it  are  not  entirely  at  the 
ready  control  of  the  operator,  nor  are  unfavorable  ones 
quickly  recognized.  Reduction  is  performed  by  the 
action  of  finely  powdered  carbon  in  the  presence  of  heat. 

Apart  from  the  proper  choice  of  a  furnace,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  an  easily  regulated  fuel,  and  temperature- 
control  is  indispensable. 

Dissolving  of  the  sulphide,  the  second  step,  would  be 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


775 


simple,  it'  the  reduction  were  complete,  ;i.s  there  would 
then  be  a  completely  soluble  charge,  aud  no  residue  to 
wash.  As  it  is,  there  is  always  a  considerable  amount  of 
unaltered  eelestite  in  the  furnace  charge,  which  must 
be  separated  from  the  pregnant  solution,  obtained  by  the 
digestion  of  the  roasted  ore. 

The  result  of  dissolving  the  strontium  sulphide  in 
water  produces  not  only  a  sulphide,  or  sulph-hydrate 
solution,  but  also,  a  precipitate  of  hydrate  crystals,  which 
are  re-soluble  only  at  a  high  temperature.  While  this 
affords  a  convenient  way  to  remove  rapidly  a  part  of  the 
strontium  from  solution,  it  is  also  a  nuisance  in  that 
crystallization  occurs  upon  and  in  everything  prior  to 
arrival  at  the  proper  stage  for  removal,  and  much  care  is 
needed  to  prevent  the  crystals  from  mingling  with  the 
discharged  residue  and  clogging  the  pump-lines,  in  the 
further  course  of  the  process.  Jacketed  pipe-lines  and 
a  supply  of  live  steam  when  needed  will  avoid  much  of 
this  trouble. 

As  is  customary  in  leaching  processes,  the  end-washes 
of  one  cycle,  which  are  low  in  dissolved  material,  may 
be  used  to  make  up  the  first  decantation  on  the  next 
cycle,  and  the  water  needed  to  make  up  the  bulk  lost  by 
evaporation  is  added  as  the  last  decantation. 

In  the  end,  all  solutions  are  sent  to  the  nitrating-tank, 
and  the  washed  residue  from  the  furnace-charge,  after 
solution  is  effected ;  much  reduced  in  amount  and  with  a 
small  loss  in  dissolved  value  (which  is  chiefly  due  to  its 
small  bulk,  and  not  to  specially  good  technique)  is 
stacked. 

Filtration  in  the  accepted  sense,  including  washing  of 
the  cake,  is  not  practised ;  possibly,  because  of  the  small 
quantity  handled. 

Nitration  is  effected  by  direct  use  of  nitric  acid  and  is 
accompanied  by  a  steady  and  copious  evolution  of  H2S ; 
the  disposal  of  this  objectionable  and  harmful  gas  has 
been  the  subject  of  various  expedients,  which  have  suc- 
ceeded in  eliminating  the  bad  effect  upon  the  workmen 
and  decreasing  the  complaints  made  by  residents  in  the 
vicinity. 

The  lid  of  the  nitration-tank  was  provided  with  a 
water-seal,  after  the  manner  of  a  gasometer,  and  the  gas 
was  drawn  therefrom  by  a  suction-fan,  which  discharged 
it  through  a  pipe  outside  the  building.  At  the  point  of 
discharge,  is  a  small  pilot-light,  whose  function  is  to 
ignite  the  H2S  as  it  reaches  the  air,  burning  it  to  S02. 
The  latter  gas  causes  less  complaint  by  the  neighbors 
than  when  H2S  was  discharged. 

The  nitrate  solution  is  clarified  after  acid  treatment, 
removing  any  extraneous  material  and  any  free  sulphur 
that  may  have  separated  out  during  nitration,  and  then 
the  clear  solution  is  evaporated  in  open  vats.  No 
vacuum-pans  are  in  use ;  chiefly  because  of  the  small  size 
of  the  operations,  but  they  would  undoubtedly  be  much 
more  effective  than  the  open  pans  now  in  use,  as  regards 
economy  of  fuel  and  time.  The  reduction  in  temperature 
also  would  tend  to  prevent  overheating  of  the  nitrate, 
which  is  decomposed  at  a  comparatively  low  temperature. 
When  open  pans  are  in  use,  it  is  well  to  dry  over  a  steam- 


or  water-hath.  The  dried  salts  are  screened  and  packed 
in  wooden  barrels  for  shipment,  providing  against  injury 
from  moisture. 

Comminution  of  the  crude  ore  is  done  in  a  custom- 
milling  plant  at  Los  Angeles,  the  process  requiring  tube- 

Celestite  (finely  ground)  and  carbon 


REVOLVING  ORE-MIXER 
ROASTING-FURNACE 

^_ i 


"Waste  gases,  CO,  etc. 


Reduced  ore 


"Water 


DIGESTING-TANK 
' 1 ^ 


Decanted  solution 


CLARIFYING-TANK 
f 


Residue 


Solution 

J 

CENTRIFUGAL   PUMP 
-< 1 


Residue 


STORAGE-VAT 


Nitric    acid 


NITRATING-TANK 

-^ i v— 


"Waste  H.S  gas 


Nitrate  solution 


I 

Clear  solution 


CLARIFIER 


Sulphur  and  residue 


EVAPORATORS 

I ' * 1 

"Waste  steam  Dry  strontium  nitrate 

t 

Barrels  for  shipping 

FLOW-SHEET.      THE   WATER   AND    NITRIC    ACID   JOIN    THE   MAIN    LINE 
OF  FLOW  FROM  ASIDE. 

milling  without  use  of  water.  The  extraction,  obtain- 
able, as  in  most  metallurgical  operations,  is  affected  by 
the  scale  of  the  work  and  the  choice  of  equipment,  as 
well  as  the  general  process.  In  the  method  described,  on 
a  nominal  rating  of  1  ton  of  ore  treated  in  24  hours,  the 
net  extraction  may  reach  70%  of  the  possible.  In  this 
connection,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  chemical  re- 


776 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


actions  alter  the  weights  of  the  strontium  salts  derived 
from  the  original  unit  of  eelestite. 

Sr  (No3 )  2 :  SrSo4  =  211.0  :  183.6  =  1.14 

or  100%  extraction  of  strontium  nitrate,  represents  1.14 
times  the  weight  of  the  original  eelestite,  and  70%  ex- 
traction on  a  ton  of  eelestite  would  be :  2000  X  1-14  X 
0.70,  or  1596  lb.,  which  is  79.8%  of  2000  lb. 

Occasionally  higher  extractions  than  those  mentioned 
have  been  observed,  but  are  not  frequently  obtained  in 
the  routine  of  operation ;  without  doubt,  a  net  extraction 
of  75  or  80%  could  be  obtained  with  adequate  equip- 
ment. 

While  there  is  much  which,  to  the  casual  glance,  may 
seem  crude  and  ineffective  in  these  small  plants,  second 
thoughts  reveal  the  underlying  intent  to  achieve  a  profit 
in  the  least  possible  time,  while  incurring  the  least 
financial  risk. 

Unstable  market  conditions,  of  unknown  duration,  do 
not  justify  substantial  equipments  or  the  refinements  of 
processes  found  in  modern  concentrators  or  cyanide 
plants,  which  are  based  upon  large  and  persistent  ore- 
bodies. 

After  all,  since  mining  and  ore-reduction  is  a  com- 
mercial affair,  conducted  for  purposes  of  profit,  a  scheme 
of  treatment  that  involves  loss  in  residue,  and  which  is 
foreign  to  the  trained  metallurgist 's  conception  of  '  good 
practice,'  may  really  be  highly  economical  in  the  end. 
This  observation  is  trite,  but  always  worth  repetition, 
when  considering  the  number  of  costly  and  unprofitable 
reduction  plants,  the  failure  of  which  has  been  due 
largely  to  the  neglect  of  this  very  principle. 

The  calendar  has  confuted  so  many  amateur  and  pro- 
fessional forecasts  on  the  duration  of  the  War  that  any 
observations  on  this  subject  are  dangerous.  Yet  upon 
this  duration  depends  the  measure  of  prosperity  that  is 
possible  for  the  mineral  industries  that  have  been  speci- 
ally fostered  by  War  conditions.  It  is  a  reasonable 
belief  that  serious  competition  on  the  basis  of  ante- 
bellum prices  is  not  practicable  where  the  costs  due  to 
raw  materials,  labor,  and  freight  to  market  are  as  high 
as  they  are  for  the  Californian  strontium-nitrate  plants. 
The  largest  single  item  of  cost  is  that  of  acid,  and  a  sub- 
stitute for  that  reagent  would  mean  great  economy. 
This  would  appear  to  be  attainable  if  it  were  feasible  to 
use  crude  sodium  nitrate  in  a  decomposition  role.  A 
similar  plan  is  said  to  be  in  use  in  European  nitrate 
plants,  but  details  are  not  known.  Even  if  the  theoret- 
ical details  were  suitable  for  a  small  plant,  this  method 
would  not  be  commercially  feasible,  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  completely  and  economically  removing  the  high- 
ly objectionable  sodium  content,  which  affects  the  color 
of  the  flame  of  the  firework  or  signal. 

The  same  difficulty  prevents  a  successful  commercial 
application  of  the  use  of  soda-ash  in  the  reaction 

Soda-ash  +  eelestite  =  SrC03  +  Na2S04 

with  subsequent  nitration  of  the  carbonate  by  nitric  acid. 

This  method  is  attractive  in  its  apparent  simplicity, 

which  avoids  the  need  of  roasting,  and  is  mentioned  in 


Bulletin  540-T,  but  the  complete  removal  of  sodium  is 
attended  with  so  much  difficulty  and  expense,  that  it  can- 
not be  seriously  considered  in  a  small  plant.  Repeated 
and  careful  washes  with  distilled  water  fail  to  remove  the 
sodium  or  to  prevent  the  sodium-yellow  from  masking 
the  strontium-red  in  the  color  of  the  flame. 

Assuming  that  after  the  War,  prices  will  resume  their 
former  level,  which  is  of  course,  a  debatable  point,  it 
is  reasonable  to  foresee,  meanwhile,  possibly  a  year  of 
satisfactory  business  for  the  nitrate  plants.  Those  al- 
ready established,  with  an  assured  supply  of  satisfactory 
ore  and  well-designed  plants  should  by  that  time  have 
been  able  to  amortize  their  modest  capital  charges  and 
amass  a  reasonable  profit,  if  their  selling  agencies  have 
been  well  chosen ;  an  equally  important  condition. 

The  superintendent,  T.  W.  H.  Shanahan,  of  the  Mint 
at  San  Francisco  reports  the  following  business  during 
October : 

Bullion  received: 

Gold                                           Fine  ounces  Value 

Australian  gold    5,039.981  $      104,185.65 

Sovereigns    235,377.738  4,865,689.69 

Other  sources   284,546.083  5,882,088.63 

Total    524,963.802  $10,851,963.97 

Silver 

Coin   for   re-coinage 353,753.53  $489,032.00 

Fine   silver   301,674.90  205,264.71 

Other  sources   112,104.64  75,509.32 

Total    767,533.07  $769,806.03 

Fine  gold  bars  sold 50,505.966  $1,044,050.97 

Coinage  executed                        Pieces  Value 

Dimes   (new  design)    1,450,000  $145,000 

Dimes    (old   design)    3,720,000  372,000 

Nickels    3,200,000  160,000 

Cents    6,400,000  64,000 

Total    14,770,000  $741,000 

Coin,  bullion,  etc.,  on  hand  at  close  of  business  on 
October  30  was: 

Gold   certificates    $       180,000.00 

Gold    coin    30,071.265.00 

Silver  coin    62,013,757.80 

Minor  coin    53,752.67 

Checking  balance,  U.  S.  Treasurer 16,301,407.04 

Gold  certificate  bars  231,936,641.73 

Gold  bullion    84,457,479.01 

Silver   bullion    2,223,987.78 

Total    $427,248,291.03 

Iron  pyrite  in  zinc-sulphide  concentrate  is  a  nuisance, 
and  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  at  Salt  Lake  City  has 
devised  a  process  to  remove  the  interfering  mineral,  as 
follows:  The  method  consists  of  treating  the  mixed  sul- 
phides in  a  reducing  atmosphere  at  600°  C.  The  pyrite 
loses  one  atom  of  sulphur  under  these  conditions  and  is 
reduced  to  a  form  that  will  react  with  dilute  sulphuric 
acid,  while  the  zinc  sulphide  is  resistant  to  the  acid.  In 
this  way  the  iron  can  be  removed,  making  a  marketable 
zinc  product. 


November  25.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


777 


Smelting  at  Anyox  and  Grand 
Forks,  B.  C. 

In  the  annual  report  of  the  Granby  Consolidated  Min- 
ing, Smelting  &  Power  Co.  for  the  year  ended  June  30, 
1916,  the  superintendent  of  smelters,  W.  A.  Williams, 
gave  the  following  details  concerning  the  plants  that  re- 
duced  a  total  of  1,929,205  tons  of  ore: 

The  second  year  of  operation  at  the  Anyox  plant  shows 
a  decided  improvement  over  the  preceding  period. 

The  works  operated  1,167.43  furnace-days  out  of  a 
total  of  1414.  On  account  of  power-shortage  during  the 
winter  months  141  furnace-days  were  lost,  on  account 
of  ore-shortage  2  days,  smelter  strike  11  days,  mine  strike 
5  days,  making  a  total  of  159  furnace-days  lost  for 
reasons  not  attributable  to  smelter  troubles.  An  average 
of  3.2  furnaces  out  of  four  was  in  blast. 

On  the  lower  or  tapping-floor  a  great  many  problems, 
incidental  to  handling  a  large  tonnage  of  corrosive- 
molten  material,  have  been  solved,  which  has  all  tended 
toward  the  lengthening  of  campaigns.  The  molten  ma- 
terial dealt  with  aggregated  250,000  tons. 

The  charging-system  was  changed  this  year  to  Ana- 
conda type  charge-cars,  which  dump  the  ore  into  pockets, 
the  charge  being  pushed  into  furnaces  by  plows  operated 
by  compressed  air  when  needed.  This  has  been  a  de- 
cided improvement  over  the  old  method,  and  has  been 
the  chief  aid  in  extending  the  length  of  campaigns. 

No.  4  furnace,  which  has  a  shaft  depth  5  ft.  greater 
than  the  original  furnaces,  was  operated  104,  months.  It 
was  watched  carefully  to  see  if  the  increased  depth  was 
an  improvement.  There  seems  to  be  no  gain  in  the  grade 
of  matte,  increased  tonnage,  or  percentage  of  eoke  used ; 
however,  there  does  seem  to  be  some  gain  in  the  length 
of  campaign,  and  reduced  crust  formation  due  to  the 
increased  drop  of  charge.  For  this  reason,  if  another 
furnace  is  erected,  it  will  be  made  the  same  as  No.  4,  but 
there  is  not  sufficient  advantage  gained  by  the  increased 
depth  of  shaft  to  warrant  changing  the  old  furnaces  to 
conform  to  this  height. 

In  the  smelting  of  Hidden  Creek  ores  an  effort  was 
made  to  keep  to  the  proper  proportion  of  No.  1  and  2 
orebodies,  both  as  to  quantities  and  analyses.  As  re- 
gards tonnage,  there  was  smelted  approximately  equal 
parts  of  No.  1  and  2  ores,  but  these  were  a  little  low  in 
silica.  The  average  of  the  total  orebodies  will  be  some- 
what higher  in  silica  than  the  average  analysis  for  the 
year  1915- '16.  As  regards  copper-content,  the  ores  are 
about  the  average  of  the  whole  body. 

The  conclusion  was  arrived  at  that  true  pyritie  smelt- 
ing cannot  be  done  with  the  main  ores  as  was  done  at 
first,  that  is,  with  low  coke  and  no  fluxes.  This  can  be 
done  at  times,  but  not  frequently  enough  to  say  it  is  the 
practice.  The  proportion  of  free  SiO,  is  small,  most  of 
it  being  present  as  combined  silicates.  The  Al„Os  is  also 
high,  and  will  probably  exceed  in  the  total  orebodies  the 
average  for  this  year.  It  is  necessary  to  use  fairly  high 
coke  and  limestone  as  flux.  So  far,  the  ores  coming  to 
the  smelter  have  varied  greatly  in  the  silica-content  from 


lot  to  lot.  This  has  created  a  tendency  to  uneven  run- 
ning, and  necessitated  a  slightly  greater  quantity  of  coke 
and  flux  than  would  have  been  used  otherwise.  There  is 
no  remedy  for  this  condition  until  the  mine  is  opened 
more,  or  until  such  time  as  a  sorting-table  and  screening- 
plant  are  installed. 

It  has  not  yet  been  feasible  to  make  a  converter  grade 
of  matte  in  the  first  smelting  operation,  as  the  degree 
of  oxidation  is  low,  and  the  matte-fall  from  the  ore 
smelting  is  too  great  for  the  converters  to  handle.  There- 
fore, one  furnace  was  used  practically  throughout  the 
year  as  a  re-grading  furnace,  which  means  that  three 
furnaces  were  operated  smelting  green  ore,  while  the 
fourth  was  used  for  re-grading  matte.  The  better 
method  would  be  to  take  all  the  matte  straight  to  the 
converters,  irrespective  of  grade,  and  convert  direct. 
This  would  increase  the  tonnage  of  green  ore,  and  tend  to 
lower  costs  all  around,  and,  at  the  same  time,  help  re- 
coveries. The  reason  that  this  practice  is  not  being  fol- 
lowed at  present  is  lack  of  converter-capacity. 

The  quantity  of  ore  per  furnace-day  has  increased 
from  630  to  692  tons,  and  total  charge  from  846  to  929 
tons.  During  the  year,  88,853  tons  of  foreign  ore  was 
smelted,  which  means  that  one  blast-furnace  was  used 
35%  of  its  time  for  the  total  year  in  the  smelting  of  this 
ore  to  the  exclusion  of  Hidden  Creek  ores,  and  that 
higher  cost  of  mining  resulted,  due  to  a  lesser  tonnage 
shipped  from  the  company's  mines.  There  is  46,480  tons 
of  flue-dust  stored  awaiting  the  installation  of  a  sinter- 
ing-plant. 

No  changes  have  been  made  in  the  converting  depart- 
ment. The  converters  operated  steadily,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  five  winter  months,  during  which  time  they 
only  worked  57  out  of  152  days  on  account  of  lack  of 
power.  Additional  converter-capacity  is  needed  in  this 
department. 

The  cost  of  smelting  and  converting  was  $1,804  per 
ton  of  ore.  This  is  73c.  less  than  in  the  previous  year, 
but  it  is  higher  than  was  anticipated.  The  increase  in 
wages,  due  to  the  rise  in  price  of  copper  added  4.57c.  per 
ton  of  ore.  The  use  of  about  20,000  tons  of  barren  quartz 
in  the  re-grading  and  converting  of  matte  (used  on  ac- 
count of  the  scarcity  of  metal-bearing  quartz)  added 
68c.  per  ton  of  ore.  At  the  present  time  an  endeavor  to 
take  care  of  this  is  being  made  with  the  opening  of  the 
Maple  Bay  properties.  Lime  flux  added  15.2c.  to  the 
costs.  Ore  carrying  excess  lime  would  be  advantageous 
in  reducing  this  cost.  The  shipping  of  21,428  tons  of 
matte  to  the  Grand  Forks  plant  for  conversion  into 
blister-copper,  on  account  of  power  shortage,  added  2c. 
per  ton  of  ore.  Coke  was  a  few  cents  higher  on  account 
of  quality  and  handling  in  and  out  of  storage,  due  to 
the  irregularity  of  vessels'  schedules  caused  by  strikes 
of  longshoremen.  This  added  lc.  to" the  costs.  Owing 
to  the  War,  all  supplies  advanced  10%  over  normal 
prices.  This  meant  an  addition  of  4c,  making  a  total 
increase  of  33.5c,  the  greater  part  of  which  amount  will 
be  eliminated  in  time. 

During  the  past  year  there  was  considerable  new  work 


778 


MINING  and  Scientific 


PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


that  was  found  necessary  to  charge  to  operation,  such 
items  as  fire  protection  of  the  6-ft.  water-pipe  from  the 
dam  to  the  power-house,  the  railroad  trestles,  some  ag- 
glomerator  charges,  new  roof  for  main  smelter-buildings, 
ore-bin  extension,  and  charge-cars. 

It  is  reasonable  to  expect  a  reduction  in  costs  during 
the  coming  year.  Ore  costs  would  have  been  6c.  less  had 
the  profits  made  by  the  different  departments,  operating 
as  independent  concerns,  been  credited  back.  Another 
large  item  of  expense  which  shows  against  costs  for  the 
past  year  is  auxiliary  power  supplied  for  five  months 
during  the  winter.  The  new  steam-plant  now  under  con- 
struction will  take  care  of  this  heavy  expense,  and  allow 
of  operating  to  capacity  throughout  the  coming  winter. 
The  sintering-plant,  when  installed,  will  take  care  of 
the  flue-dust,  and  increase  the  recovery  of  copper. 

Operations  at  the  Grand  Forks  smelter  were  charac- 
terized chiefly  by  the  handling  of  nearly  500,000  tons  of 
material  that  was  low  in  copper,  about  1%,  and  highly 
silicious.     Up  to  the  present  time  this  material  has  not 


been  calculated  in  the  ore  reserves,  but  on  account  of  the 
high  price  of  copper  which  has  prevailed  during  the  past 
year  it  became  profitable  to  treat  it.  This  partly  ac- 
counts for  the  high  costs  of  that  period.  However,  for 
the  first  six  months  of  the  year  costs  were  the  lowest  in 
the  history  of  the  plant,  being  $1,233  for  smelting  and 
converting. 

Owing  to  the  high  price  of  copper,  the  increase  of 
wages  added  1.7c.  Coke  was  1.3c.  higher  per  ton  of  ore, 
due  to  the  silicious  nature  of  the  ore.  Anyox  matte 
added  0.7  cent.  The  slow  running  of  the  furnaces,  due 
to  high-silica  slags,  offsets  the  increase  of  this  year's 
costs  over  last  year. 

With  eight  furnaces  in  blast,  there  were  from  195  to 
200  men  on  the  pay-roll. 

There  was  no  new  construction  during  the  year,  but 
repairs  have  been  maintained,  and  the  plant  is  in  first- 
class  operating  condition. 

Credit  is  due  W.  B.  Bishop,  the  superintendent,  and 
the  staff  under  him,  for  the  good  work  done. 


swipsmfi® 


The  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  now  has  before  it  the  appeal 
of  Minerals  Separation  from  the  decision  of  the  U.  S. 
Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  in  San  Francisco  in  the  litiga- 
tion against  J.  M.  Hyde,  who  represents  the  Butte  & 
Superior  Mining  Company. 

The  complainant's  brief  states:  "The  distinctive  fea- 
ture of  the  invention  patented  is  the  employment  of  air 
bubbles  in  co-action  with  a  minute  and  critical  amount 
of  oil  in  a  mixture  of  ground  ore  and  water  so  as  to  pro- 
duce upon  the  surface  of  the  water  a  froth  containing 
substantially  all  of  the  metallic  particles  which  can  be 
easily  flowed  off  or  removed.  This  process  was  never 
used  before.  This  result  was  never  obtained  before.  The 
process  is  dependent  upon  the  use  of  oil  in  a  minute  and 
critical  amount  and  thorough  aeration.  If  more  oil  is 
used,  you  do  not  operate  the  process,  and  you  do  not  get 
the  result. 

"By  using  other  and  greater  quantities  of  oil  you 
operate  a  different  process  and  you  obtain  wholly  dif- 
ferent results.  That  the  critical  amount  of  oil  character- 
izing the  process  is  a  minute  amount  of  oil  (varying 
slightly  with  different  ores  and  different  oils)  is  merely 
a  fortuitous  circumstance.  Nevertheless  the  process  is 
dependent  upon  such  definite  minute  amount  of  oil. 
Obviously,* therefore,  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  use  of 
the  minute  amount  of  oil  characterizing  the  process  in 
suit  as  compared  with  prior  disclosures  suggesting  the 
use  of  greater  amounts  of  oil,  is  a  mere  improvement  in 
degree  suggested  by  the  desire  to  economize  in  the  use 
of  oil,  since  every  prior  disclosure  with  which  the  process 
may  be  compared  was  wholly  different  in  characteristics 
and  essential  mode  of  operation  and  principles  involved 
and  result  obtained.  The  process  of  the  patent  in  suit 
evokes  new  principles,  employs  a  new  mode  of  operation, 
and  produces  a  new  result,  not  heretofore  evoked,  em- 
ployed or  produced." 


In  argument  for  the  defendant  Hyde  it  was  pointed 
out  to  the  Court  that ' '  all  flotation  processes  fall  into  one 
of  three  distinct  classes:  (1)  The  Elinore  bulk  oil  or  oil 
buoyancy  flotation  process;  (2)  the  surface  tension  of 
film  or  skin  flotation  process;  and  (3)  the  gas-oil  flota- 
tion process.  The  process  *  *  *  (involved)  belongs  to 
the  third  class,  wherein  the  flotation  is  due  to  the  buoy- 
ancy of  bubbles  of  air  or  other  gas."  The  defendant's 
argument  states  that  "upon  the  subject  of  air  the  patent 
in  suit  contains  only  a  single  statement,  wherein  it  is 
asserted  that  the  froth  or  scum  derives  'its  power  of 
flotation  mainly  from  the  inclusion  of  air  bubbles  intro- 
duced into  the  mass  by  the  agitation.  *  *  * '  Surely,  no 
patentable  discovery  is  involved  in  the  observation  of  the 
obvious  fact  that  a  froth  or  foam  floats  by  reason  of  the 
air  in  the  bubbles  of  which  it  is  formed  and  in  any  event, 
patentable  novelty  cannot  be  predicated  upon  a  theory  as 
to  the  cause  of  an  old  effect  in  the  absence  of  some  new 
means  for  producing  that  effect." 

Relative  to  the  amount  of  oil  used  the  defendant's 
counsel  argued  that  "the  patent  in  suit  contains  no  sug- 
gestion that  the  process  can  be  practised  with  a  3.6% 
or  25%  of  oil  relative  to  the  ore.  The  patentees  knew 
that  such  a  statement  would  prevent  them  from  obtain- 
ing a  patent ;  therefore  in  order  to  make  it  appear  that 
the}'  had  discovered  something  new  they  made  the  state- 
ment to  the  effect  that  the  formation  of  a  froth  or  scum 
grew  out  of  and  depended  upon  the  use  of  a  smaller 
amount  of  oil  than  used  by  Cattermole." 

The  Hyde  counsel  concluded  their  argument  with  the 
submission  of  a  statement  "that  the  decree  of  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Appeals  should  be  affirmed  on  each  of  the  fol- 
lowing grounds :  That  the  patent  in  suit  is  anticipated 
and  invalid ;  that  all  of  the  claims  of  the  patent  of  which 
infringement  is  charged  *  *  *  are  anticipated  by  each 
of  the  following  processes,  Everson,  Froment,  Schwarz, 
Glogner,  and  Kirby ;  and  that  those  claims  which  do  not 
specify  the  use  of  acid  *  *  *  are  anticipated  by  the 
Haynes  British  patent." 


November  25.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


779 


Electrolytic   Zinc-Dust 


any      J.      Morgan       and      Olivet 


:  a  1 s ton 


•The  sudden  increase  in  the  price  of  zinc-dust  after  the 
beginning  of  the  European  war,  owing  to  the  cutting  off 
of  the  German  and  Belgian  supply,  led  to  some  experi- 
ments on  the  possibility  of  producing  the  dust  on  a  com- 
mercial scale  from  solutions  of  zinc,  and  the  substitution 
of  the  zinc  made  in  this  manner  for  the  zinc-dust  ordi- 
narily used  in  the  precipitation  of  gold  and  silver  in  the 
cyanide  process. 

As  the  Salt  Lake  City  station  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of 
Mines,  in  co-operation  with  the  Department  of  Metal- 
lurgical Research  of  the  University  of  Utah,  is  carrying 
on  investigations  that  have  for  their  object  the  treatment 
of  low-grade  and  complex  zinc  and  lead  ores  or  products, 
it  was  thought  well  to  determine  whether  the  zinc  con- 
tained in  such  ores  and  products  could  not  be  utilized  in 
the  manner  above  indicated,  and  so  supply  the  demand 
that  had  arisen  for  zinc-dust. 

The  United  States,  in  1913,  imported  4,382,470  lb.  of 
zinc-dust,  valued  at  $227,585.  Most  of  this  was  from 
either  Germany  or  Belgium.  The  domestic  production, 
in  comparison  with  the  imports,  was  very  small.  In  the 
years  1912  and  1913  the  domestic  production  was  492 
and  423  tons  respectively,  while  the  imports  were  2400 
and  2200  tons  respectively.  For  a  time  the  zinc-dust 
made  in  zinc  smelters  was  a  drug  on  the  market  and  when 
first  utilized  in  cyanidation  could  be  bought  for  a  lower 
price  per  pound  than  solid  zinc.  After  the  advantages 
of  the  use  of  zinc-dust  for  precipitation  were  realized, 
so  much  of  it  began  to  be  used  for  this  purpose  that  it 
brought  a  premium  of  about  3  cents  per  pound  over 
what  the  value  of  spelter  was  at  the  beginning  of  the 
War.  Since  that  time  its  price  has  averaged  about  30c. 
per  lb.,  without  much  fluctuation.  Some  American  zinc 
smelters  have  undertaken  to  supply  the  demand,  but 
their  product  has  never  been  equal  to  the  German  zinc- 
dust. 

Experiments  were  made  by  Morgan1  in  the  application 
of  a  jet  of  air  to  atomize  a  column  of  molten  zinc  for 
making  the  dust.  This  work  was  conducted  at  the 
Bureau  of  Mines  exhibit  at  the  San  Francisco  exposition, 
but  the  zinc-dust  was  not  satisfactory  for  cyanide  pre- 
cipitation. "While  it  was  fine  enough  to  pass  a  200-mesh 
screen,  it  was  only  25%  efficient  in  the  precipitation  of 

*A  paper  read  at  the  recent  meeting,  at  New  York,  of  the 
American  Electro-Chemical  Society.  By  permission  of  the 
Director,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.  Communicated  by  D.  A.  Lyon, 
Metallurgist  in  Charge  of  Salt  Lake  Station  of  Bureau  of 
Mines. 

iln  this  work  Morgan  was  assisted  by  R.  H.  Bradford,  Pro- 
fessor of  Metallurgy,  of  the  University  of  Utah,  and  under  the 
direction  of  G.  H.  Clevenger,  Professor  of  Metallurgy  at  Stan- 
ford University. 


silver  from  cyanide  solutions  and  a  microscopic  examina- 
tion showed  that  the  small  pellets  of  zinc  were  in  the 
shape  of  congealed  droplets,  which  present  a  minimum 
of  surface  for  reaction  with  the  silver  cyanide  solution. 
This  idea  has  been  further  carried  out  at  Anaconda  and 
we  are  informed  that  10  to  15  tons  of  atomized  zinc  is 
now  being  prepared  per  day,  in  preference  to  sponge 
zinc  made  by  electrolytic  deposition  from  sulphate  solu- 
tions. This  dust  is  being  used  for  purification  of  zinc- 
sulphate  solutions,  for  the  reason  that  the  more  finely 
divided  electrolytic  sponge  tended  to  clog  up  the 
Schriver  filter-presses  used  at  that  plant. 

To  us,  a  better  idea  seems  to  be  the  making  of  a  zinc 
sponge  by  electrolytic  methods,  the  sponge  to  be  of  such 
a  nature  that  it  would  crumble  to  dust  when  dried.  The 
variety  of  electrolytic  conditions  available,  with  the  dif- 
ferent electrolytes  that  can  be  used,  and  the  resulting 
great  differences  in  the  physical  properties  of  the  pre- 
cipitated metal,  gave  promise  of  the  possibility  of  a  zinc- 
dust  that  would  be  highly  efficient  and  rapid.  As  a  re- 
sult of  experimental  work,  it  is  believed  that  this  pos- 
sibility has  been  realized.  In  addition  to  its  use  for  pre- 
cipitating gold  and  silver  from  cyanide  solutions,  zinc- 
dust  can  also  be  used  in  sherardizing,  and  for  chemical 
purposes,  such  as  reduction  of  organic  compounds,  etc. 
Sherardizing  requires  a  considerable  proportion  of  rela- 
tively coarse  particles  of  zinc,  similar  to  the  atomized 
zinc  above  mentioned,  but  it  is  possible  that  the  manu- 
facture of  dyes  and  other  such  chemicals  in  the  United 
States  can  create  a  considerable  demand  for  electro- 
lytically  prepared  zinc-dust  of  high  purity  and  effi- 
ciency. The  following  work  was  done  with  a  view  to 
preparing  a  product  satisfactory  for  cyanide  practice 
and  does  not  consider  the  needs  of  the  sherardizing  in- 
dustry, or  of  the  chemical  industries. 

According  to  Sharwood,2  zinc-dust  for  use  in  cyanide 
precipitation  should  be  fine  enough  so  that  90%  of  it 
will  pass  200-mesh  and  it  must  he  high  in  metallic  zinc. 
A  considerable  amount  of  zinc  oxide  may  be  present 
without  seriously  affecting  the  efficiency  of  precipita- 
tion. The  following  method  of  testing  the  efficiency  of 
precipitation  by  zinc-dust  is  given  by  Sharwood:  After 
passing  the  dust  through  a  100-mesh  screen  to  break  up 
the  lumps,  303  mg.  is  weighed  out  and  added  to  250 
cc.  of  1%  silver-cyanide  solution  containing  0.15%  free 
cyanide.  The  solution  is  stirred  occasionally  for  two 
hours,  after  which  it  is  withdrawn  from  the  precipitated 
silver  by  filtration.  The  precipitated  silver  is  dissolved 
in   nitric    acid    and   titrated   with    ammonium   sulpho- 

zjour.  Chem.  Met.  Min.  Soc,  So.  Africa,  VII,  332  (1912). 


780 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


cyanate,  using  a  ferric  salt  as  an  indicator;  or  else  the 
precipitated  silver  is  scorified  and  cupelled  to  be 
weighed.  Each  milligram  of  silver  precipitated  repre- 
sents 0.1%  efficiency  of  precipitation.  This  test  is 
merely  an  empirical  one  of  general  acceptance,  admit- 
tedly near  enough  to  allow  of  intelligent  buying  of  zinc- 
dust.  It  is  stated  by  Herz3  that  the  efficiency  of  zinc- 
dust  should  be  over  40%  and  that  dust  with  less  than 
30%  efficiency  generally  gives  poor  results.  Dust  of 
over  50%  efficiency  is  hard  to  obtain.  The  average 
grade  of  zinc-dust  from  Europe  is  45%  efficient,  but  in 
this  work  we  have  been  able  to  get  dust  giving  an  effi- 
ciency of  74%. 

The  usual  endeavor  of  the  zinc  hydro-electro  metal- 
lurgist is  to  obtain  solid  reguline  deposits  of  zinc  rather 
than  the  sponge,  as  the  sponge  metal  can  rarely  be 
melted  into  spelter.  The  literature  on  electrolytic  zinc 
is  full  of  instances  where  work  was  stopped  on  account 
of  the  '  tendency '  of  the  zinc  to  be  deposited  in  a  spongy 
form.  However,  we  found  that,  in  duplicating  this  work 
and  following  the  conditions  as  given,  there  is  only 
a  tendency  and  that  the  average  result  of  such  condi- 
tions is  trees,  warts,  or  loose  crystalline  zinc.  We  found 
as  much  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  true  sponge  as  the  be- 
ginner usually  finds  in  getting  smooth  solid  deposits. 
Conditions  of  high-current  density  and  low-current 
density,  high  acidity  and  low  acidity,  or  basicity,  high 
temperature,  etc.,  were  tested  and  it  was  hard  to  get  all 
the  sponge  that  others  had  reported  as  being  so  easily 
obtained. 

We  have  been  informed  that  one  metallurgical  com- 
pany produced  several  thousand  pounds  of  zinc-dust  in 
its  electrolytic  zinc  plant  at  Welland,  Ontario,  by  allow- 
ing the  temperature  of  its  solutions  to  go  up  above  70° 
C.  and  that  it  was  used  by  one  of  the  local  firms  with 
indifferent  success.  The  electrolytic  plant  in  question 
is  operating  a  sulphate  solution  of  zinc  in  which  ore  is 
suspended  in  the  solution  while  the  cathodes  are  pro- 
tected by  bags.  Most  of  the  sponge  or  the  loose  crystals 
prepared  by  us  from  sulphate  solutions  did  not  possess 
a  high  precipitating  efficiency.  Spongy  zinc  was  formed 
when  solutions  of  zinc  sulphate  containing  dissolved  zinc 
oxide  were  used,  but  as  soon  as  the  solutions  became  acid, 
owing  to  the  formation  of  sulphuric  acid  at  the  anode, 
the  zinc  lost  most  of  its  spongy  characteristics.  An  excess 
of  zinc  oxide  suspended  in  an  open  cell  is  not  desirable, 
as  it  mixes  with  much  of  the  loqse  zinc  sponge  formed. 
Removal  of  the  solution  to  an  outside  vat,  for  treatment 
with  zinc  oxide,  is  not  desirable  on  account  of  the  slow, 
and  low  solubility  of  the  zinc  oxide  in  the  zinc-sulphate 
solutions. 

The  method  of  adding  impurities  to  the  solution  was 
tried  in  order  to  get  spongy  zinc.  Copper  and  arsenic 
were  found  to  be  most  efficient  for  this  purpose,  but  cop- 
per is  not  a  desirable  constituent  in  zinc-dust  on  account 
of  its  presence,  in  the  precipitate  of  the  precious  metals. 
Arsenic  is  also  undesirable  in  the  precipitate,  if  the  lat- 

sTrans.  Am.  Inst.  Min.  Eng.,  LII  (1915). 


ter  is  to  be  treated  with  sulphuric  acid  before  melting 
into  bullion,  owing  to  the  formation  of  poisonous  arsine. 
All  the  copper  was  found  to  be  deposited  quickly 
from  solution  with  the  sponge  zinc,  but  after  the  de- 
position of  the  copper,  the  zinc  deposits  began  to  be 
more  solid  and  crystalline.  A  continual  drip  of  copper 
sulphate  into  the  electrolytic  vat  is  hence  necessary. 
The  addition  of  iron  as  an  impurity  did  not  result  in 
producing  successful  sponge  zinc.  Furthermore,  the 
oxidation  and  reduction  of  iron  salts  at  the  electrodes 
lowers  the  current  efficiency. 

The  favorable  results  obtained  in  solutions  made 
slightly  basic  encouraged  the  use  of  basic  solutions  of 
zinc,  such  as  sodium  zincate.  The  zincates  allowed  a 
wider  latitude  in  the  precipitation  of  zinc  sponge  than 
any  other  solutions  tested.  Lead  anodes  tend  to  dissolve, 
and  zinc  anodes  dissolve  almost  quantitatively.  Iron 
anodes  are  practically  unaffected,  especially  those  made 
of  the  better  grades  of  iron.  After  doing  this  work  it 
was  discovered  that  practically  the  same  idea  had  been 
patented  by  Sherard  Cowper-Coles  in  British  patent  No. 
13,977  of  1907.  The  electrical  conditions  best  for  this 
work  are  not  mentioned  b}r  him,  but  we  find  that  a  wide 
range  of  voltages  is  allowable,  and  most  of  our  work  has 
been  done  at  a  current  density  of  about  300  amp.  per 
sq.  ft.  (3225  amp.  per  sq.  m.).  Cowper-Coles  mentions 
the  possibility  of  using  galvanized  "hard  zinc"  for 
anodes  when  making  sponge  zinc,  as  the  iron  is  not  dis- 
solved, while  the  zinc  is,  thus  lowering  the  operating 
voltage  and  replenishing  the  solution.  He  also  recom- 
mends the  use  of  a  rotating  vertical  disc  for  a  cathode,  a 
form  of  cathode  which  we  had  adopted  after  some  con- 
siderable test  work.  The  disc  can  be  made  of  iron  and 
the  upper  half  projects  out  of  the  electrolyte.  The 
sponge  is  scraped  off  the  disc  into  water  as  the  disc 
slowly  revolves.  Rapid  rotation  of  this  disc  is  not  allow- 
able, as  the  better  agitation  of  the  electrolyte  causes  the 
formation  of  adherent  zinc,  which  defeats  our  purpose. 
To  have  a  barely  perceptible  motion  of  the  disc  is  suffi- 
cient. We  had  anticipated  trouble  in  the  drying  of  the 
dust,  but  met  with  none,  as  we  found  it  could  be  heated 
to  250°  C.  on  the  hot  plate  in  the  open  air  without  igni- 
tion. The  washing  of  the  sponge  free  from  the  adhering 
solution  of  sodium  zincate  must  be  performed  with 
weaker  caustic,  as  the  zincate  hydrolyzes  in  water  solu- 
tion to  zinc  hydrate  and  sodium  hydrate.  A  water-wash 
can  follow  a  caustic  soda  wash.  The  dust  prepared  in 
this  manner  was  highly  efficient  (over  70%). 

Laegest  tin  smelters  in  the  world  are  in  the  Straits 
Settlements.  One,  that  of  the  Straits  Trading  Co.,  has 
a  capacity  of  36,000  tons  per  year;  the  other,  of  the 
Eastern  Smelting  Co.,  treats  17,000  tons.  The  Dutch 
Government  smelters  produce  15,000  tons.  Capacity  of 
English  plants  is  28,000  tons.  Germany  can  reduce 
11,200  tons,  and  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  at  Baltimore  in  its 
new  plant  is  smelting  3500  tons.  Australian  smelters 
make  3500  tons  per  annum.  These  figures  refer  to  metal- 
lic tin. 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


7s  1 


■■iHHHH 


awKimMCMffliiw  :;:it;!J!i  !i['iKn;ii"ifii'i:iiii;ii,:t!;[!;i!:;!i,;  :!!i!!::miiini!ii..! 


jrotuhw    d^j  Msssrairis 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  oim  eomsjuimknts. 


PLA  TTE  YILLE.   WISCONSIN 
Conditions  in  the  Zinc  Region  During  October. 

Returns  from  the  Wisconsin  zinc  region  for  October,  from 
the  1st  to  the  2Sth,  inclusive,  scarcely  reflect  the  healthy  con- 
ditions that  prevailed  during  the  period.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  month  the  markets  were  not  entirely  satisfactory  from 
the  miner's  point  of  view,  standard  and  premium  grades  of 
zinc  ore  holding  on  a  base  of  $60  per  ton,  with  the  range  down 
to  $50  on  second  and  medium-grade  ore.  Shrewd  buying  in- 
terests, knowing  that  prompt  metal  was  becoming  scarce  and 
that  better  prices  might  be  anticipated,  skillfully  secured  a 
large  proportion  of  the  output  by  entering  into  contract  ar- 
rangements for  ore  on  long  terms.  The  Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co. 
of  Joplin,  Missouri,  bought  heavily  of  high-grade  material 
before  advances  in  the  price  of  zinc  ore  had  really  set  in. 
These  advances  materialized  as  the  month  went  on,  standard 
and  premium  grades  commanding  a  base  price  of  $70,  with 
second  and  medium  grade  at  $65  per  ton  base.  At  these  figures 
buying  became  active,  and  high-grade  ore  was  cleaned-up  at 
all  points,  while  a  freer  movement  of  medium-grade  ore  set 
in  that  affected  the  low  grades,  much  of  which  had  lain  in 
bins  for  many  months.  The  reserve  in  the  field  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  month,  estimated  at  5000  tons,  has  been  reduced 
to  1500  tons,  and  this  would  be  eliminated  on  short  notice. 

An  acute  shortage  of  labor  developed  in  the  southern  dis- 
tricts of  the  field,  which  operators  found  it  difficult  to  meet. 
The  final  closing-down  of  four  consistent  producers,  throwing 
250  men  out  of  employment  failed  to  relieve  the  situation,  as 
ready  employment  was  offered  each  man  at  near-by  producers. 
Production  failed  to  come  up  to  expectations,  the  recovery  of 
crude  concentrate  for  the  month  aggregating  IS, 000, 000  lb.  It 
was  considered  that  better  offerings  would  stimulate  producers 
to  exert  themselves  to  meet  the  better  demand  and  better 
offerings,  but  in  this  view  many  were  disappointed.  It  was 
held  in  many  quarters  that  producers  keenly  scented  better 
market  conditions  through  the  winter  months,  and  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  an  increased  production  when  the  time 
was  ripe.  This  led  to  greatly  increased  labors  in  underground 
development,  additional  installation  of  buildings  and  ma- 
chinery while  the  weather  was  good,  and  the  rushing  of  work 
to  get  new  mines  with  new  surface  outfits  into  working  order. 
All  this  was  accomplished  during  the  month,  and  will  be  ap- 
preciated in  the  better  showing  in  output  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  this  year.  Facilities  for  handling  crude  concen- 
trate at  zinc-ore  refineries  were  somewhat  enhanced,  and  in 
addition  plans  were  laid  for  the  early  construction  of  a 
new  plant  at  Whitson  Junction,  a  connecting  point  on  the 
Northwestern  railway  well  removed  from  settlement,  as  senti- 
ment at  several  points  in  the  field  had  developed  against  re- 
fineries because  of  the  nuisance  from  fume.  In  the  Galena 
district  this  reached  a  critical  point,  the  city  authorities  serv- 
ing notice  on  one  of  the  large  companies  to  abate  the  nuisance 
or  close-up  the  plant. 

Lead  ore  was  in  good  demand  all  the  month  at  greatly  im- 
proved prices,  but  producers  showed  little  interest  in  the  mar- 
ket, and  shipments  were  light.  Offerings  toward  the  end  of 
the  month  were  in  excess  of  $85  per  ton,  but  the  bulk  of  the 
ore  was  held  closely  and  the  reserve  in  the  field  was  well  on 
toward  1000  tons. 

Shippers  of  pyrite  enjoyed  a  better  demand,  and  more  ton- 
nage was  disposed  of,  but  a  fairly  good  reserve  was  still  held 


at  the  close  of  the  month.  The  acid  department  of  the  New 
Jersey  Zinc  Co.'s  plant  at  Mineral  Point  showed  increased 
activity,  and  one  25-ton  tank-car  of  commercial  sulphuric  acid 
was  sent  out  daily. 

Producers  of  carbonate  of  zinc  ore  experienced  an  exceed- 
ingly poor  month.  Prices  for  this  ore  are  kindred  with  quota- 
tions usually  published  for  calamine  ores.  At  the  close  of 
October,  in  sympathy  with  the  higher  prices  for  blende,  price 
had  advanced  to  $45  per  ton,  40%  base;  but  Wisconsin  pro- 
ducers went  begging  for  a  market  until  well  along  toward  the 
close  of  the  month,  when  outside  buying  interests  stepped-in 
and  cleaned-up  several  hundred  tons,  with  the  immediate  pros- 
pect of  taking  all  such  ore  as  local  producers  had  to  offer. 
Such  shipments  as  were  made  came  from  the  mines  of  the 
New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.  in  the  northern  districts  of  the  field. 

Several  new  producers  commenced  at  eight  different  points 
in  the  field;  five  producers  shut-down  indefinitely.  There 
were  in  course  of  construction  new  plants  at  four  different 
points,  and  mine  development  was  noted  in  every  district  of 
the  field.  Drilling  operations  were  extensive,  especially  for 
the  larger  operators. 

Deliveries  of  ore  of  all  grades  for  October  were  as  follows: 
45,254,000  lb,  of  zinc,  766,000  lb.  of  lead,  and  6,408,000  lb.  of 
pyrite. 

The  Mineral  Point  Zinc  Co.  delivered  5,232,000  lb.  of  high- 
grade  refinery  product  to  smelter  at  DePue,  Illinois.  The  total 
shipments  of  high-grade  ore  out  of  the  field  from  refinery 
plants  to  smelter  direct  totaled  12,790,000  lb.  The  heaviest 
outside  buyer  for  the  month  was  the  Grasselli  Chemical  Co. 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  with  3S59  tons.  The  Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co. 
came  next  with  172S  tons. 


SUTTER    CREEK,    CALIFORNIA 
Labor  Situation. — Central  Eureka  to  Sink. 

Within  the  past  week,  a  large  number  of  Spaniards  have 
come  to  Jackson,  Sutter  Creek,  and  Amador  City,  most  of  whom 
are  finding  employment  in  the  mines  at  Jackson  and  the  South 
Eureka  property  here.  The  Fremont  company  is  also  adding 
some  of  these  men  to  its  pay-roll,  being  shorthanded  since  the 
strike.  Most  of  the  companies  have  their  mills  in  full  opera- 
tion, but  local  miners  resent  the  fact  that  the  Fremont,  South 
Eureka,  Kennedy,  and  Argonaut  companies  pay  less  than  the 
general  scale  of  wages  for  certain  work,  and  are  also  discrim- 
inating to  some  extent  against  the  leaders  in  the  recent  strike. 
This  doubtless  accounts  for  their  requiring  the  services  of  out- 
side men. 

Preparations  are  almost  completed  for  sinking  the  Central 
Eureka  shaft  far  enough  below  the  3200-ft.  station  to  allow  for 
two  new  levels.  At  present  this  is  the  lowest  point  worked  in 
the  mine,  although  the  shaft  sump  is  nearly  75  ft.  below  that 
station.  The  engine  heretofore  used  at  the  2SO0-ft.  winze  has 
been  installed  at  3100  ft.  in  the  shaft,  and  at  this  point  will  be 
dumped  all  the  rock  and  waste  from  shaft-sinking,  this  ma- 
terial to  be  used  for  filling  stopes,  instead  of  its  delaying  min- 
ing operations  by  being  hauled  through  the  shaft.  A  bulkhead 
will  be  put  in  the  shaft  for  the  protection  of  men  working 
below,  and  rapid  progress  can  be  made  when  sinking  is  started 
within  the  next  few  days.  It  is  expected  that  at  least  half  of 
the  40-stamp  mill  can  be  kept  working  steadily  while  sinking 
is  in  progress,  as  fair  grade  ore  is  being  mined  on  the  2800, 
3000,  and  3100-ft.  levels. 


782 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


November  25,  1916 


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The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA 

In  Bulletin  631  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  H.  M.  Eakin 
discusses  the  Yukon-Koyukuk  region,  in  88  pages.  The  area 
embraces  12,000  s<j.  miles  in  central  Alaska,  between  the  Yukon 
and  Koyukuk  rivers.  The  predominant  topography  is  rolling 
uplands.  Winters  are  long  and  cold.  Game  is  generally  abun- 
dant. Steamers  ply  on  the  rivers  during  the  open  season. 
Alluvial  gold  is  widely  distributed  in  the  region,  but  save 
those  of  the  Indian  river  the  deposits  have  so  far  shown  little 
economic  importance.    There  are  no  gold  lode  mines. 

ARIZONA 
Bisbee.     Three   companies — The   Louisiana-Arizona,    Bisbee 


DETROIT    COPPER    CO.'S    HILL    AND    SMELTER,    MORENCI,    ARIZONA. 

Copper,  and  another — are  to  start  exploration  of  the  copper- 
bearing  area  outside  of  the  Warren  district.  Sufficient  capital 
is  said  to  be  interested  in  these  schemes. 

Globe.  A  cross-cut  on  No.  14  level  of  the  Arizona  Commer- 
cial has  passed  through  50  ft.  of  ore,  15  ft.  of  which  is  high 
grade,  the  remainder  concentrating  ore.  On  No.  10  level  the 
hanging-wall  side  of  the  vein  is  a  sulphide  assaying  25%  cop- 
per.   Six  feet  of  silicious  concentrating  ore  contains  3.9%. 


Phoenix.  At  the  third  annual  meet,  held  on  the  14th,  the 
Old  Dominion  team  won  the  mine-rescue  contest,  with  Calu- 
met &  Arizona  second,  and  Detroit  third.  C.  &  A.  won  the 
first-aid  event,  followed  by  Old  Dominion  and  Ray  Consoli- 
dated, who  tied. 

Yucca.  In  the  Bulletin  of-  the  Chamber  of  Mines  and  Oil  of 
Los  Angeles,  F.  L.  Wilson  briefly  describes  the  tungsten  de- 
posit near  this  place,  which  is  32  miles  north-east  of  Topock 
in  Mohave  county,  and  16  miles  south-east  of  Needles.  Peg- 
matite dikes  cut  a  belt  of  schist,  limestone,  and  quartz.  Wol- 
framite is  the  principal  tungsten  mineral.  Copper  occurs  near- 
by. Molybdenite  is  found  in  the  Hualapai  range,  east  of  Yucca, 
in  quartz  veins  cutting  granite  and  schist. 

Sixty-five  tons  of  ore  containing  39.26%  copper  was  the  last 
shipment  from  the  Grand  Gulch  mine  in  Mohave  county  to 
Utah  smelters.  Salt  Lake  City  people  control  the  property, 
which  has  a  peculiar  orebody.  Dividends  this  year  total  4c. 
per  share,  equal  to  $10,000.  This  mine,  which  has  an  ore  de- 
posit of  circular  shape,  was  described  in  the  Press  of  July 
11,  1914. 

CALIFORNIA 

Downievllle.  The  Morning  Star  and  London  Tunnel  mines 
are  to  be  re-opened  by  Los  Angeles  people,  and  supplies  are 
now  being  sent  in. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Allison  Ranch  company  is 
about  to  construct  its  mill  and  cyanide-plant.  Excavation  is 
complete.  The  head-frame  is  almost  finished.  Excellent  head- 
way is  being  made  in  unwatering  the  mine.  The  Golden  Center 
company  will  start  shortly  excavating  for  its  new  cyanide- 
plant.  C.  A.  Brockington  is  in  charge  of  both  of  these  proper- 
ties, and  F.  A.  Vestal  is  consulting  metallurgist. 

The  Delhi  mine  has  been  unwatered  and  the  mill  is  being 
overhauled  for  early  resumption  of  milling.  R.  E.  Tremoureux 
is  in  charge. 

The  Indiana  Dredging  Co.  has  taken  a  lease  on  several  miles 
of  creek  at  Greenhorn  valley,  a  few  miles  from  this  town. 
They  are  sinking  shafts,  and  contemplate  constructing  a  large 
dredge.    D.  H.  Ferry  is  in  charge. 

A  new  5-stamp  mill  is  being  erected  at  the  Mariposa  mine, 
a  short  distance  from  Alleghany.  This  property  is  one  of  the 
promising  quartz  mines  in  the  district. 

The  North  Star  company  continues  improving  its  plant. 

Grass  Valley,  November  13. 

Grass  Valley.  The  Union  Hill,  Gold  Point,  and  South 
Idaho  mines  are  to  be  consolidated  by  the  company  that  re- 
cently purchased  the  first-named.  The  main  shaft  is  being 
sunk  from  800  to  1200  feet. 

La  Porte.  The  concrete  retaining  dam  on  Slate  creek,  con- 
structed to  permit  of  hydraulicking  at  St.  Louis  and  Howland 
Flat  in  Sierra  county,  is  practically  complete. 

Meadow  Lake  District.  This  region  is  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Nevada  county,  and  indications  point  to  a  busy  season 
next  year.  The  Old  Man  Mountain  and  other  claims  of  H.  D. 
Ramsey  have  been  sold  for  $101,000.  A  number  of  small  prop- 
erties have  been  actively  worked  with  favorable  results. 

Redding.  To  drill  for  oil  near  Buckeye,  the  Pacific  Oil  Co. 
has  been  organized  with  W.  Wolfe  of  San  Francisco  as  presi- 
dent. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Harvard  mine,  near  James- 
town, which  has  regularly  employed  100  or  more  men  for  a 
number   of  years   past,   has   suspended   operations.     Whether 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


783 


there  is  likely  to  be  an  early  resumption  of  activities  cannot 
be  stated  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  nor  has  anyone  with 
authority  announced  the  cause  of  the  shut-down. 

The  California  Gold  Mining  &  Development  Co.  has  secured 
an  option  on  the  Chaparral  mine,  southeast  of  Tuolumne, 
from  F.  A.  Wenzel,  of  Sonora.  It  is  understood  that  the  com- 
pany has  also  acquired  several  adjoining  properties.  A  Sul- 
livan air-compressor  and  machine-drill  will  be  purchased,  and 
it  is  expected  that  the  drift  will  be  driven  at  the  rate  of  10 
ft.  per  24  hours. 

Electric  power  and  water  have  been  brought  to  the  Red 
Jacket  mine,  at  Big  Oak  flat,  and  the  small  mill  on  the  prop- 
erty was  started  recently.  So  far  the  ore  crushed  has  given 
highly  satisfactory  returns. 

The  working  crew  at  the  Springfield  Tunnel  &  Development 
Co.'s  deep-gravel  property  was  recently  reduced  to  three  or 
four  men.  Active  work  underground  will,  it  is  said,  be  re- 
sumed before  long.  Meanwhile  prospecting  with  a  Keystone 
drill  will  be  done  to  ascertain  the  exact  course,  depth,  and 
richness  of  the  several  gravel-channels. 

The  Columbia  Basin  gravel  mine,  whose  shaft  is  200  ft. 
deep,  is  being  unwatered  preparatory  to  the  resumption  of 
operations. 

The  flotation  plant  being  installed  at  the  Dutch  mine  will 
be  given  its  initial  trial  within  a  few  days.  Extensive  de- 
velopment work  has  been  done  since  W.  J.  Loring  assumed 
management,  and  some  valuable  discoveries  have  been  made, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  opening  of  a  fine  orebody 
below  the  1800-ft.  or  bottom  level,  by  means  of  a  winze,  now 
130  ft.  deep. 

Harris  Bros.  &  Moore  have  started  sinking  a  shaft  on  the 
Ben  Soulsby  ranch,  near  Soulsbyville.  It  is  expected  that  at  a 
depth  of  40  ft.  the  vein,  which  gave  high  assays  in  other  shal- 
low workings,  will  be  encountered.  A  gasoline  engine  and 
centrifugal  pump  have  been  installed. 

A  contract  has  been  let  for  sinking  the  shaft  at  the  Garfield 
100  ft.  and  driving  a  drift  200  ft.  The  property  recently 
changed  hands. 

The  shaft  at  the  Columbus  mine,  north  of  Tuolumne,  has 
attained  a  depth  exceeding  300  ft.  Good  ore  shows  in  the 
shaft  almost  from  top  to  bottom,  and  the  management  is 
elated  over  the  results  of  development  thus  far.  Thirteen  men 
are  on  the  pay-roll. 

Sonora,  November  14. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — W.  J.  Loring  has  taken  an  op- 
tion on  the  Harvard  mines  on  the  Mother  Lode,  a  mile  west 
of  this  town,  the  papers  having  been  signed  on  the  16th. 
The  mine  has  been  idle  for  a  short  time  pending  a  preliminary 
investigation. 

Jamestown,  November  17. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — One  after  another  of  the  old 
mining  properties  of  Tuolumne  county  are  being  re-opened, 
and  the  prospects  for  greater  activity  in  mining  than  for  sev- 
eral years  is  promising. 

At  the  Red  Jacket  mine  in  the  Big  Oak  Flat  district  the 
mill  is  running  three  shifts  on  good  ore.  Electric  power  is 
being  used  to  run  the  mill  and  compressor.  This  mine  but 
recently  began  operations  and  the  outlook  is  bright. 

While  plowing  on  his  farm  near  Columbia,  William  Rhem 
unearthed  a  $100  nugget.  It  was  found  near  Springfield  flat, 
which  produced  many  millions  in  the  early  days. 

The  flotation  process  at  the  Dutch-App  group  of  mines  will 
soon  be  in  operation.  It  is  being  watched  with  much  interest 
by  many  mining  men  of  Tuolumne  county,  as  this  is  an  inno- 
vation in  gold-ore  treatment  here. 

The  old  Bonanza  mine,  in  the  centre  of  Sonora,  is  soon  to 
be  re-opened.  This  mine  has  produced  over  $2,000,000  in 
pocket  gold,  and  is  expected  to  soon  be  on  the  producing  list 
again.  It  has  been  bonded  to  J.  B.  Curtin  and  George  Weston 
of  Sonora. 

Sonora,  November  12. 


COLORADO 

Leadvii.i.k.  Pumping  commenced  at  the  Harvard  shaft  of 
the  tJ.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.  last  week,  and  unwaterlng  should  be 
finished  in  a  short  time. 

A  300-hp.  electric  hoist,  the  largest  in  the  State,  has  arrived 
at  the  Mikado  shaft.  The  pumping  equipment  has  not  been 
delivered  so  far. 

Tkllukidk.  During  the  year  ended  June  30.  1916,  the  Tom- 
boy Gold  Mines  Co.  made  a  profit  of  $370,000.  Two  dividends 
absorbed  $140,000.  After  paying  English  taxes  and  deprecia- 
tion the  balance  was  $95,000.  The  mill  treated  150.4S8  tons  of 
ore,  yielding  $1,074, 0S0.  The  average  cost  was  $4.92  per  ton. 
Reserves  in  the  Argentine  mine  are  175,000  tons;  in  the  Mon- 
tana 400,000  tons,  a  total  of  575,000  tons. 

IDAHO 

Aoaib.  According  to  H.  M.  Lancaster,  recently  superin- 
tendent, the  Richmond  mine  contains  over  $1,000,000  of  ore 
ready  for  extraction  in  the  two  upper  levels.  A  recent  car- 
load averaged  15.5%  copper. 

Hailey.  The  new  150-ton  mill  of  the  North  Star-Triumph 
claims  is  nearly  complete.  The  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting 
Co.  controls  the  property. 

Kellogg.  During  the  quarter  ended  September  30,  1916,  the 
Caledonia  Mining  Co.  made  a  profit  of  $296,390.  Development 
is  being  carried  on  in  the  Keating  tunnel-level  in  an  effort  to 
recover  the  faulted  orebody,  but  so  far  without  success.  The 
work  is  being  continued,  however,  and  the  area  in  which  it  is 
thought  that  the  lost  shoot  will  be  found  is  to  be  thoroughly 
explored.  The  metal  output  was  2,652,600  lb.  lead,  350,422  oz. 
silver,  and  220,681  lb.  copper.  Cash,  ore  on  hand,  and  in  tran- 
sit, etc.,  is  $375,366  net. 

Loon  Creek  Disteict.  The  Lost  Packer  copper  mine  in  Cus- 
ter county  has  been  closed  for  the  winter,  the  usual  procedure 
on  account  of  transportation  difficulties.  The  50-ton  mill, 
using  flotation,  recovered  90%  during  the  season.  P.  Sheahan 
is  manager. 

Mullan.  According  to  George  Huston,  geologist  of  this 
place,  three  questions  are  interesting  mining  people  in  the 
Coeur  d'Alene:  (1)  the  entrance  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Co. 
into  zinc-ore  buying,  (2)  how  lower  development  in  the  Inter- 
state-Callahan  mine  will  result,  and  (3)  the  status  of  the  Na- 
tional copper  mine,  near  Mullan. 

Pine  Creek  District.  The  Coeur  dAlene  Antimony  Mining 
Co.  has  increased  its  capital  from  500,000  to  1,500,000  shares, 
10c.  par  value.  Investigations  are  being  made  into  the  treat- 
ment of  ore,  and  the  production  of  metal  or  oxide.  The  mill 
can  treat  100  tons  of  ore  daily.  A  large  tonnage  of  ore  has 
been  developed. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Prices  for  zinc  ore  were  $10  per  ton  higher  last 
week,  the  range  for  60%  product  being  from  $75  to  $90.  The 
output  of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region  was  7664  tons 
of  blende,  832  tons  of  calamine,  and  612  tons  of  lead,  averaging 
$82.50,  $47.50,  and  $87  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value 
was  $718,068. 

The  deputy  State  mine  inspector,  J.  H.  Myers,  considers  that 
sanitary  and  protective  measures  are  being  increasingly  ob- 
served by  operators  in  the  Joplin  district. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  On  the  2500-ft.  of  the  Davis-Daly  mine  the  '2501' 
vein  has  been  opened  500  ft,  with  15  ft.  of  ore  still  in  the 
face.  For  450  ft.  the  average  over  a  width  of  12  ft.  was  5% 
copper,  also  1.6  oz.  silver  with  each  unit  of  copper. 

In  its  north-west  adit  the  North  Butte  company  has  cut  18 
in.  of  sulphide  ore  assaying  3.25%  copper  and  over  2  oz.  silver 
per  ton.    This  development  is  in  the  eastern  part  of  Butte. 

The  Butte-Detroit  company  is  to  treat  zinc  ore  for  the  Davis- 


784 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS, 


November  25.  1916 


Daly  company,  while  the  Anaconda  company  may  treat  the 
zinc  concentrate  at  Great  Falls. 

According  to  H.  X.  Knowlton,  of  the  U.  S.  Forest  Service. 
20%  of  the  total  cost  of  mining  is  for  timber  used. 

The  report  of  the  Barnes-King  Development  Co.,  which  op- 
erates in  Fergus  county,  shows  that  during  the  third  quarter 
of  191G  the  profit  was  $6457.  The  revenue  from  gold-bullion 
was  $107,887.  Total  income  was  $203,037,  which  included  bal- 
ance from  June  30,  power-plant  earnings,  royalty,  and  notes 
payable.  The  Shannon  mine  made  a  profit  of  $23,606,  the 
North  Moccasin  and  Piegan-Gloster  mines  losses  of  $7089  and 
$8684,  respectively.  Considerable  expenditure  was  made  in 
improvements  and  payments  for  properties.  In  October  S360 
tons  of  ore  yielded  $77,550. 

Clinton.  In  this  district  of  Missoula  county,  F.  G.  Bond 
has  discovered  rich  bismuth  ore.  The  vein  is  in  quartzite  and 
granite. 

NEVADA 

Goldfield.  The  Jumbo  Extension  company  is  to  prospect 
with  a  core-drill  through  the  shale  and  into  the  alaskite. 

Owing  to  the  copper-gold  ore  in  the  Florence  being  too  low 
grade,  treatment  has  been  suspended  and  the  mine  closed.  In 
treating  200  tons  daily  by  flotation  the  process  was  quite 
satisfactory. 

A  raise  above  the  SSO-ft.  level  of  the  Jumbo  Junior  is  in  good 
ore  near  the  Kewanas  boundary. 

Goodsprings.  Estimates  of  reserves  in  the  Bullion  mine 
give  at  least  12,000  tons  of  12%  lead  ore  for  the  125-ton  mill. 
There  is  also  a  good  deal  of  shipping  ore  opened. 

Las  Vegas.  Platinum  has  been  detected  in  the  Eldorado 
Enterprise  Gold  Mining  Co.'s   property   in   Eldorado   canyon. 

Rich   gold-silver   ore   has  been  opened   in   the   Carnation 

claim. A  stamp-mill  and  cyanide-plant  are  proposed  by- 
lessees  of  the  Lombard  claim. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — At  a  depth  of  20  ft.  rich  ore  has 
been  intersected  on  the  Lombard  claim  by  Charles  Herman, 
M.  Fisher,  and  James  German.  The  ore  assays  $1000  per  ton 
in  gold  and  silver,  and  was  discovered  near  the  Carnation 
claim,  the  scene  of  a  good  strike  two  weeks  ago. 

The  shaft  of  the  Cliff-Era  is  down  155  ft.,  and  is  being  sunk 
200  ft.  in  expectation  of  intersecting  a  large  vein  that  has  been 
traced  on  the  surface  for  4000  feet. 

Ore  of  good  grade  is  showing  in  the  shallow  workings  of 
the  Eldorado-Empire,  and  arrangements  have  been  made  to 
sink  the  shaft  to  considerable  depth.  A  compressor,  drills, 
and  other  machinery  have  been  purchased. 

Representatives  of  San  Francisco  capitalists  are  examining 
several  mines  in  the  Eldorado  Canyon  field,  and  a  number  of 
important  deals  are  stated  to  be  in  course  of  negotiation.  San 
Francisco  people  are  in  control  of  the  Enterprise  group,  and 
are  opening  good  ore. 

Searchlight,  November  12. 

NEW   MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Socorro  M.  &  M.  Co.  shipped 
23  bars  of  bullion  from  the  clean-up  for  the  last  half  of  Octo- 
ber, a  total  of  41  bars,  or  a  little  over  two  tons  for  the  month, 

from  the  treatment  of  7000  tons  of  ore. The  product  of  the 

Mogollon  Mines  Co.  for  second  half  of  the  month  was  13  bars, 
making  2S  bars  for  October,  from  4100  tons.  In  addition,  sev- 
eral tons  of  concentrate  was  shipped  to  smelter  at  El  Paso. 

The  Oaks  Company's  last  shipment  of  ore  to  custom  mill 
from  exploratory  work  in  the  Clifton  mine  gave  $14  per  ton. 
This  came  from  the  Queen  vein. 

At  the  Gold  Dust  properties,  on  which  work  was  lately  re- 
sumed, the  main  adit  is  under  process  of  re-timbering,  and 
raises  and  drifts  are  being  extended. 

Earl  C.  Cleaveland,  who  for  some  time  has  been  securing 
data  relative  to  hydro-electric  power  possibilities  in  this 
region,  has  just  returned  from  the  west  fork  of  the  Gila  river, 


where  he  and  others  have  run  surveys  and  taken  water  read- 
ings over  a  period  of  two  years.  So  far  the  average  flow  found, 
under  available  head,  if  sufficiently  developed,  will  take  care  of 
both  present  and  prospective  power  requirements  of  the  dis- 
trict. When  some  such  project  is  consummated  Mogollon  will 
be  able  to  treat  profitably  an  almost  unlimited  quantity  of 
low-grade  ore  that  otherwise  is  unavailable  under  present 
high-power  costs. 

Mogollon,  November  7. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  recent  resumption  of  copper 
mining  in  the  lower  part  of  the  'Panhandle'  region  of  Texas 
recalls  one  of  the  most  magnificently  equipped  and  spectacular 
expeditions  that  was  ever  sent  out  to  extract  metal  from  the 
earth,  having  for  its  object  mining  of  copper  in  the  same  area 
where  the  work  has  been  again  started  under  more  modern 
auspices.  In  1881,  the  Grand  Belt  Copper  Co.  was  organized 
by  G.  B.  McClellan,  a  general  during  the  Civil  War,  who  found 
copper  there  years  before.  The  New  York  capital  behind  the 
company  bought  250,000  acres  of  land,  supposed  to  embrace 
the  deposit.  Gainesville  was  then  the  nearest  railroad  point,  a 
75-mile  haul.  The  miners  were  mostly  cowboys.  Mining  op- 
erations were  more  like  digging  prairie-dog  holes  than  any- 
thing else.  Large  'nodules'  of  copper  were  gathered  at  times, 
two  carloads  being  shipped  East.  There  was  much  buying  of 
shares  on  the  strength  of  this  ore.  No  defined  vein  could  be 
found  during  six  years'  work.  A  10-ton  smelter  and  20-ton 
stamp-mill  were  erected.  It  was  not  then  possible  to  extract 
the  copper  from  the  clay.  Finally  the  company  collapsed. 
Thousands  of  ore-sacks  and  machinery  were  abandoned  to  be 
taken  by  farmers  and  others.  The  one  improvement,  in  Knox 
county,  was  a  good  flowing  artesian  well,  4000  ft.  deep,  and 
said  to  be  flowing  yet. 

Austin,  November  4. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Southwestern  Mining  Co. 
is  developing  a  lead-zinc,  silver  mine  near  here.  It  has  been 
making  regular  shipments  of  ore  to  the  smelter  for  some  time 
past.  In  the  300-ft.  level  a  large  body  of  ore  that  is  high  in 
lead  and  zinc  with  about  50  oz.  of  silver  per  ton  was  encoun- 
tered. 

Sierra  Blanca,  November  11. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  West  Texas  Sulphur  Co.  is 
preparing  to  exploit  two  large  sulphur  deposits  that  it  owns 
near  here.  It  will  install  retorts  for  the  treatment  of  the 
sulphur-bearing  material,  and  a  plant  for  refining  the  product. 

Toyah.  November  11. 

UTAH 

Alta.  Daily  shipments  from  this  district  are  from  100  to 
125  tons  of  first-class  ore,  mostly  from  the  South  Hecla  and 
Michigan-Utah.  Good  progress  is  being  made  with  the  new 
railway  from  Wasatch  to  Alta. 

At  the  Wasatch  Mines  property  the  open-cut,  which  goes 
before  the  proposed  new  tunnel,  is  1000  ft.  long.  On  account 
of  loose  gravel  the  tunnel  has  not  been  started  yet. 

Bingham.  The  Montana-Bingham  tunnel  is  in  4300  ft.,  the 
daily  advance  being  15  ft.  with  two  shifts.  The  face  is  in 
quartzite. 

The  Utah  Consolidated  will  pay  $1.50  per  share  on  Decem- 
ber 20,  a  total  of  $450,000,  and  $1,125,000  for  the  current  year. 

Drum.  This  old  district,  33  miles  west  of  Oasis  on  the  Salt 
Lake  Route,  is  busier  than  for  years.  The  ore  is  mainly 
copper-bearing. 

Price.  Twenty  miles  south-west  of  this  place  the  Copper 
Globe  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.  is  opening  a  large  deposit  of  ore 
that  is  to  be  mined  by  steam-shovel.  The  ore,  a  carbonate, 
occurs  in  sandstone  formation.  A  25-ton  smelter  is  to  be 
erected. 

Salt  Lake  City.     The  Edison  Mica  Mines  Co.  is  to  resume 


November  25,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


785 


work  at   its   gold   mine   a   little   south   of   Little   Cottonwood 
canyon. 

WASHINGTON 

Ciiicwi.i  ah.  On  December  15  the  United  Copper  Co.  pays  le- 
per share,  equal  to  $10,000.  This  is  the  first  distribution  for 
four  years.  The  mine  is  in  good  condition.  The  mill  is  re- 
covering 90%  of  the  copper  and  92%  of  the  silver. 

Clayton.  The  Silver  Bell  Mining  Co.,  capitalized  at  1,500,000 
shares  of  $1  each,  of  which  500,000  shares  are  to  be  held  in  the 
treasury,  has  been  organized  to  take  over  and  continue  de- 
velopment of  the  old  Spokane  Belle  mine,  four  miles  from 
here.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest  mineral  locations  in  the  north- 
west, and  contains  good  silver  ore.  E.  H.  Belden.  pioneer 
attorney,  is  president. 

CANADA 
British  Columbia. 

Three  Forks.  The  Rambler-Cariboo  Mining  Co.,  with  mines 
and  a  mill  at  Three  Forks,  has  sold  1000  tons  of  concentrate 
stored  at  the  property  to  the  United  States  Zinc  Co.  for  $23 
per  ton.  The  product  will  average  34%  zinc  and  28  oz.  silver 
per  ton.  Reports  from  the  smelter  have  also  been  received 
stating  that  $13,000  is  due  in  settlement  for  lead-silver  ore. 
Production  of  1000  tons  of  zinc  concentrate  monthly  is  pos- 
sible, in  addition  to  the  regular  lead-silver  output,  according 
to  A.  F.  McClaine,  Jr.,  son  of  the  president  of  the  company, 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  entire  zinc  output  will  be  taken 
by  the  United  States  Zinc  Co.,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
amount  for  experimental  purposes  at  the  Anaconda  Copper 
company's  new  electrolytic  reduction  works  at  Great  Falls, 
Montana.  Shipments  of  the  1000  tons  of  concentrate  sold  to 
the  United  States  company  will  be  made  to  its  plant  at 
Blende,  Colorado,  as  soon  as  cars  can  be  obtained. 
Ontario 

Cobalt.  During  October  the  Nipissing  mills  treated  ore 
yielding  $233,646.  The  refinery  shipped  565,404  oz.,  including 
custom  bullion.  Underground  developments  were  favorable. 
The  most  important  were  on  four  raises  on  vein  490  on  No.  5 
level.  Here  the  average  of  each  was  6  in.  of  ore  assaying  1000 
oz.  per  ton;  some  showed  10  in.  of  1800-oz.  ore.  At  shaft  81, 
425-ft.  level,  a  shoot  was  found  in  the  Cobalt  Lake  fault-vein, 
20  ft.  long,  12  in.  wide,  assaying  1200  oz.  per  ton. 

KOREA 

The  Seoul  Mining  Co.,  operating  the  Suan  concession  in 
Whanghai  province,  Chosen,  reports  a  total  recovery  of  $138,- 
250  for  October. 

MEXICO 

The  date  when  mines  in  the  Republic  shall  become  subject 
to  forfeiture  because  of  non-operation  has  been  extended  to 
January  14,  1917,  in  cases  where  conditions  have  prevented 
resumption  of  work.  November  15  was  the  date  set  for  the 
forfeiture  of  mines  which  had  been  idle  for  two  months  from 
September  14,  the  date  on  which  the  forfeiture  decree  went 
into  effect.  Luis  Cabrera,  chairman  of  the  Mexican-American 
Commission,  which  is  conferring  at  Atlantic  City  in  an  en- 
deavor to  settle  outstanding  differences  between  the  two  coun- 
tries, notified  the  American  commissioners  on  November  13 
that  General  Carranza  had  extended  the  time-limit  for  the 
resumption  of  work  in  the  Mexican  mines  for  60  days  from 
November  14.  He  added  that  Mexico  did  not  desire  to  con- 
fiscate property  by  trying  to  force  owners  to  work  it  under 
impossible  conditions,  and  intimated  that  the  time-limit  of  the 
decree  might  be  extended  again,  either  for  the  entire  country 
or  for  certain  districts,  should  conditions  warrant  at  the  ex- 
piration of  60  days. 


IPgffg'DIMlll 


Note:    The  Kdilor  invitee  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
vmrk  ami  apjxtinlmtnts.     Tli  is  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


Frank  Moss  is  here  from  Western  Australia. 

Clarence  J.  Peterson,  recently  at  Tonopah,  is  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

Arthur  Winslow  was  here,  from  Boston,  during  the  past 
week. 

E.  B.  Kimball  has  returned  to  San  Francisco  from  the 
Wyoming  oil-field. 

F.  G.  Cottrell  lectured  at  Salt  Lake  City  on  November  20. 
He  is  now  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Arthur  W.  Stevens  is  at  Quartz,  Tuolumne  county,  on  the 
staff  of  the  Dutch  Sweeney  mines. 

F.  M.  Field  of  Virginia  City,  Montana,  engineer  for  the 
Elling  estate,  has  returned  to  Los  Angeles. 

C.  T.  Hutchinson,  business  manager  for  the  M.  &  S.  P.,  is  at 
Denver,  on  his  return  from  New  York. 

C.  B.  Cltne  is  building  a  100-ton  copper  flotation  plant  for 
the  Weringer  Mines  Co.  at  Woody,  California. 

George  F.  Zoffman,  superintendent  of  the  Cinco  Minas 
mines,  in  Jalisco,  Mexico,  is  here  on  a  holiday. 

Arthur  Jarman  has  resigned  as  assistant  superintendent  of 
the  Grand  Junction  mine  at  Waihi,  New  Zealand. 

F.  R.  Weekes  has  been  in  British  Columbia  and  California, 
and  will  return  to  New  York  the  latter  part  of  the  month. 

C.  T.  Griswold,  of  the  Associated  Geological  Engineers,  is  in 
Wyoming,  and  Ernest  Marquardt,  of  the  same  organization, 
is  in  Kansas. 

C.  E.  Mills,  general  manager  of  the  Inspiration  Consoli- 
dated, has  been  appointed  managing  director  of  the  Cananea 
Consolidated  in  Sonora,  Mexico. 

P.  N.  Nissen,  the  designer  of  the  Nissen  stamp,  has  added 
to  his  reputation  by  inventing  a  military  hut,  which  has  been 
adopted  by  the  British  army  in  France. 

W.  Earl  Greenough,  for  five  years  manager  for  the  Marsh 
Mining  Co.,  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  region  of  Idaho,  has  resigned 
to  engage  in  consulting  practice.  He  has  opened  an  office  in 
the  Old  National  Bank  building  at  Spokane  and  will  be  assisted 
by  S.  B.  Davis,  formerly  at  Wallace,  Idaho. 

Arthur  M.  Grenfell,  formerly  chairman  of  the  Camp  Bird, 
the  Messina,  and  other  mining  companies,  who  became  involved 
in  an  unpleasant  and  serious  financial  collapse  just  before  the 
War,  has  distinguished  himself  in  battle,  having  been  promoted 
to  Major  and  awarded  the  D.S.O.  for  conspicuous  gallantry. 

According  to  a  Mexican  refugee  from  Parral,  Chihuahua, 
Mexico,  who  arrived  at  El  Paso,  Texas,  on  November  14,  the 
Americans  and  other  foreigners  left  Parral  two  days  before 
General  Luis  Herrera  evacuated  the  town.  The  Americans 
stated  that  before  they  left  a  party  of  foreigners  in  charge  of 
Leslie  Webb,  an  employee  of  the  Alvarado  Mining  &  Milling 
Co.,  was  going  to  the  town  of  Culiacan,  near  the  west  coast  of 
Mexico,  but  the  refugee  thinks  they  are  hiding  in  the  moun- 
tains west  of  Parral,  and  gave  out  the  story  that  they  were 
going  to  the  Pacific  Coast  to  deceive  the  Villa  bandits.  The 
refugee  said  he  knew  that  T.  G.  Hawkins,  Jr.,  Howard  Gray, 
A.  W.  Morris,  and  Bernard  MacDonald  had  left  Parral  safely. 
Other  Americans  known  to  have  been  in  Parral  and  believed 
by  him  to  have  left  at  the  same  time  were:  Dr.  A.  H.  Whatley 
and  son,  Dr.  T.  J.  Flannagan,  W.  E.  Cowell.  W.  C.  Palmer, 
and  Jacob  Meyer. 


The  San  Francisco  section  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  will  meet  at 
the  Engineers  Club  on  December  12  to  hear  a  paper  on  'The 
Origin  of  Petroleum  in  California,'  by  John  C.  Merriam. 


William  Rule,  managing  director  of  the  La  Blanca  y  Anexas 
Co.,  died  at  Mexico  City  oh  November  5  at  the  early  age  of  48. 
His  death  is  deeply  mourned  at  Pachuca,  where  he  had  man- 
aged the  mining  interests  of  his  distinguished  father,  Capt. 
Frank  Rule. 


786 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRES^ 


November  25,  1916 


I    ii    ^-7r\  J  *-l  diOtJi  <^2»  e 


i!:!iii!ij|[i;:;ii:iii:;iii!i:i!!! 


rami: 


,:::;.:.:: 


!i!iu::i!i.ii! 


,.....,, 


[umititiiHunnniiiifflnini 


METAL   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  21. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 12.50 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 34 

Pig-  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce 105 — 111 

Quicksilver,   per  flask  of  75   lb $80 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 13 

Tin,  cents  per  pound   45 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    20 

Platinum  in  London  is  $48  per  ounce,  less  than  half  the 
American  price. 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  21, 

Antimony:   50%  metal,  per  unit $1.25 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  15.00 

Magnesite,  crude,  per  ton  8.00 

Manganese,  50%   (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 16.00 

Tungsten,   60%  W03,  per  unit 15.00 

New  York,  November  15. 

Antimony:  Little  ore  is  to  be  obtained,  as  the  price  is  con- 
sidered too  low  to  induce  shipments  from  abroad.  The  quota- 
tion is  unchanged  at  $1.50  per  unit. 

Molybdenite:  Offerings  continue  small,  consequently  trading 
has  been  light.  The  business  done  has  been  on  the  basis  of 
$1.75  per  lb.  for  90%  MoS*. 

Tungsten:  Business  has  been  active,  several  hundred  tons 
having  changed  hands  for  domestic  consumption,  leaving  stocks 
low  both  at  Pittsburg  and  New  York.  Transactions  are  again 
recorded  at  $17  per  unit,  at  which  figure  contracts  to  cover  the 
early  part  of  1917  have  been  made.  Europe  wants  ore,  but 
seems  unwilling  to  pay  the  price.  It  is  declared  that  Great 
Britain  has  contracted  for  the  output  of  several  South  American 
mines  over  a  long  period.  Japan,  it  is  stated,  is  not  permitting 
a  free  exportation  of  tungsten. 


EASTERN   METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
November  21. — Copper  is  quieter  though  strong,  first  quarter 
being    32.50c;    lead    is    stronger,    independents    advancing;    the 
strong  demand  for  spelter  is  unsatisfied. 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York, 
Date. 

Nov.    15 32.50        Oct. 

"      16 32.50 

"      17 32.50 

"      18 33.00 

19   Sunday  Nov. 

"       20 33.25 

"       21 33.50 


in  cents  per  pound. 
Average  week  ending 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May     13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.3S 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


On  December  15  Copper  Range  pays  a  total  of  $3.50  per  share. 
Greene-Cananea  produced  6.030,000  lo>  in  October;  Wolverine 
504.499  lb.,  and  Granby  Consolidated  4,346.099  pounds. 


SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Nov.    15 71.75 

"      16 71.37 

"      17 71.37 

"      18 71.62 

19   Sunday 

"      20 72.12 

"      21 72.50 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.     10 67.83 

"      17 67.95 

"      24 67.70 

"      31 67.60 

Nov.      7 68.52 

■'      14 71.68 

"      21 71.79 

Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

57.58 

48.85 

56.76 

57.53 

48.45 

56.74 

5S.01 

50.61 

57. S9 

58.52 

50.25 

64.37 

58.21 

49.87 

74.27 

56.43 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug.    54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 


The  position  in  silver  appears  to  be  strong,  with  an  upward 
tendency.  Supplies  have  been  received  at  London  with  much 
regularity.  India  has  come  into  the  market,  also  China,  though 
exchanges  there  remain  steady,  probably  due  to  the  reduction 
in  metal  stock  at  Shanghai,  namely,  31,500,000  oz.  since  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year. 

Silver  valued  at  $630,000  was  shipped  from  San  Francisco  to 
the  Orient  on  November  11. 


LEAD 


Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


15 

16 

17 

IS 

19   Sunday 

20 

21 


7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 

7.05 
7.05 


10. 
17. 
24. 
31. 
7. 
14. 
21. 
Monthly  averages 


Average  "week  ending 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

.  3.94 

.  3.S6 

.  3.90 

.  3.90 


1915. 

1916. 

3.73 

5.95 

July 

3.83 

6.23 

Aug. 

4.04 

7,26 

Sept 

4.21 

7.70 

Oct. 

4.24 

7.38 

Nov. 

5.75 

6.88 

Dec. 

1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.86 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


7.05 
7.00 
.  7.00 
.  7.00 
.  7.00 
.  7.00 
.    7.02 

1916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Nov.    15 11.50 

"      16 11.75 

"      17 12.00 

"      18 12.00 

19  Sunday 

"      20 12.25 

"      21 12.25 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.     10 9.98 

"      17 9.81 

"       24 9.78 

"      31 10.27 

Nov.      7 10.68 

"      14 11.23 

"      21 11.96 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July 

5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug. 

5.12 

8.40 

1S.40 

Sept 

4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct. 

4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov. 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec. 

914. 

1915. 

1916. 

4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

5.16 

14.14 

9.18 

4.75 

14.05 

9.92 

5.01 

17.20 

5.40 

16.75 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date. 
Oct.    24 . 
"      31. 


I   Nov.      7. 

80.00  "      14. 

80.00    I        "      21. 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


TIN 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May     33.29 

June    30.72 

Tin  is  strong  at  45  cent. 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39. 2S 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

.    Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


.80.00 
.80.00 
.80.00 

1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 


1916. 
38.37 
3S.SS 
36.66 
41.10 


ANTIMONY 

The  market  has  been  dull  and  quiet  in  New  York,  with  quota- 
tions unchanged  at  12.75  to  13c,  duty  paid.  Jobbers  are  getting 
13  cents. 

ALUMINUM 

No.  1  virgin  aluminum,  98  to  99%  pure,  is  a  little  stronger  at 
64  to  66c.  per  lb.  For  100-lb.  lots,  jobbers  are  getting  75c.  per 
lb.    The  market  is  quiet. 


November  25,   1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


7.S7 


lEasiteo}    llIsM   Master 


New  York,  November  15. 

The  scarcity  of  copper  for  near-by  and  first-quarter  deliver- 
ies, and  the  consequent  startling  advance  in  prices  are  finally 
narrowing  activity.  Not  since  1S73  have  prices  been  at  their 
present  level — 33c.  for  spot  and  30  to  31c.  for  first  quarter,  hav- 
ing been  paid.  The  enormous  export  sales,  more  of  which  are 
reported  to  be  pending — all  calling  for  future  deliveries — have 
frightened  consumers  into  paying  almost  any  figure  for  metal 
they  need.  Brass  mills  and  electrical  companies  have  been  big 
buyers.    It  is  predicted  that  35c.  will  soon  be  quoted. 

A  moderate,  but  steady  business  has  been  done  in  zinc,  and 
prices  have  worked  upward.  No  impairment  of  its  strong  posi- 
tion is  looked  for  this  winter. 

Lead  has  continued  quiet  but  strong. 

In  tin  there  have  been  some  exceptionally  active  days  in 
which  brokers  sought  to  cover  their  contract  commitments. 
Great  Britain  is  more  strict  in  the  matter  of  issuing  licenses 
to  ship.    The  New  York  price  is  higher. 

Antimony  is  without  feature. 

Aluminum  is  lc.  higher. 

The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  has  put  an  embargo  on  west- 
bound shipments  originating  at  points  east  of  Pittsburg,  also 
Philadelphia  and  other  points.  The  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  Railroad  is  restricting  shipments  to  points  within  its 
territory,  and  in  each  case  the  iron  and  steel  and  metal-work- 
ing trades  are  sufferers. 

Foundry  pig  iron  is  quoted  at  $25  to  $26  per  ton,  furnace,  on 
the  Atlantic  seahoard.  For  Southern  iron  $20,  furnace,  is 
quoted. 

Iron  and  steel  pipe  have  been  sharply  advanced;  black  and 
galvanized  sheets  are  higher. 

Ship  plates  continue  in  enormous  demand,  and  for  forward 
delivery  4.50c,  Pittsburg,  has  been  paid.  For  prompt  plates, 
shipbuilders  have  paid  5.50c,  Pittsburg. 

Much  interest  attaches  to  the  1917  prices  to  be  announced 
for  Lake  Superior  iron  ore.  It  is  believed  that  non-Bessemer 
ore  will  be  $1  higher,  with  a  still  larger  advance  likely  for 
Bessemer. 

COPPER 

Sales  of  spot  copper  at  33c.  are  reported,  and  conservative 
members  of  the  trade  are  predicting  that  the  price  will  go  to 
35c  per  lb.  before  the  week  is  over.  Prevailing  prices  are  the 
highest  since  1S73.  The  enormous  export  buying,  together  with 
the  great  quantities  contracted  for  by  the  large  domestic  con- 
sumers, has  inspired  a  general  rush  to  cover  future  require- 
ments. As  for  those  who  are  in  immediate  need  of  the  metal 
they  seem  willing  to  pay  any  price.  The  situation  is  one  which 
many  term  dangerous.  Spot  metal  is  extremely  scarce,  also 
that  for  first-quarter  delivery,  and  there  is  none  too  much  for 
the  second  quarter.  Of  course,  one  willing  to  pay  the  price  can 
obtain  any  of  these  positions,  but  he  has  to  look  long  and  ardu- 
ously for  it.  At  the  prevailing  price  an  occasional  consumer 
is  willing  to  sell  hecause  of  the  attractive  profit  he  can  realize. 
Buying  has  been  heavy  for  weeks,  both  on  domestic  and  foreign 
account,  hut  it  was  greatly  stimulated  by  a  report  first  heard 
November  11  stating  that  the  French  government  was  negotiat- 
ing for  225,000,000  lb.  for  delivery  in  the  second  half  of  1917. 
On  November  6,  the  day  prior  to  election,  an  enormous  business 
was  done.  Since  then  the  number  of  buyers  has  narrowed, 
hut  there  still  are  interests  which  appear  eager  to  buy  any 
odd  lots  they  can  find.  The  market  is  somewhat  difficult  to 
quote  for  a  specific  delivery  for  the  reason  that  sales  are  for 
varied  positions.  February  electrolytic,  on  the  8th,  sold  at  30c 
On  the  next  day,  prompt  sold  at  31c,  first  quarter  at  30c,  and 
second  quarter  at  29.50c  On  the  10th,  late  November  sold  at 
31c.    On  the  13th  second  quarter  sold  at  30c.  early  in  the  day, 


and  30.50c.  at  the  close.  On  the  14th,  second  quarter  sold  at 
30.50c,  and  a  sale  of  spot  was  reported  at  33c,  December  at 
32c,  and  January  and  February  at  32.75c  It  is  a  market 
where  changes  occur  almost  hourly.  Lake  is  nominally  quoted 
at  the  same  levels  as  electrolytic.  The  London  market  for 
spot  is  higher,  the  quotation  yesterday  being  £152,  against 
£144  a  week  previous.  Exports  of  the  month  are  not  large, 
amounting  so  far  to  only  7202  tons.  Buying  in  the  week  just 
ended  is  estimated  at  upwards  of  250,000,000  lb„  including 
export  and  domestic  business,  not  a  small  part  of  which  was 
placed  on  the  eve  of  election  day,  in  fact,  some  of  the  producers 
declare  November  6  to  have  been  one  of  the  largest  days  in 
their  history.  Makers  of  sheet  copper  have  advanced  their  base 
to  40  cents. 

ZINC 
A  steady,  but  moderate  business  continues  to  be  done,  with 
the  brass  mills  the  largest  buyers,  although  exporters  also  are 
active.  The  galvanizers  have  been  doing  comparatively  little 
in  the  market  since  the  price  left  10.50c  Two  or  three  in- 
fluences are  giving  great  strength  to  zinc,  one  of  which  is  an 
advance  of  $10  in  the  price  of  ore  at  Joplin,  making  it  $90  per 
ton.  A  producer's  representative  figures  that  on  this  basis  it 
costs  about  10.50c,  St.  Louis,  to  make  spelter.  The  cold 
weather  has  continued  to  interfere  with  the  gas  supply  and 
consequently  production,  something  that  will  be  a  factor 
through  the  winter.  The  price  of  zinc  is  expected  to  hold 
firm,  barring  slight  ups  and  downs,  until  next  March.  Most 
of  the  business  so  far  booked  is  for  delivery  to  the  end  of  the 
first  quarter,  although  some  deliveries  in  the  second  quarter 
are  contracted  for.  Quotations  in  the  past  few  days  have 
worked  upward  steadily.  The  price  for  prompt  yesterday  was 
11.50c,  New  York,  and  11.25c,  St.  Louis;  for  December,  11.50c, 
St.  Louis,  and  for  first  quarter,  lie,  St.  Louis.  Exports  con- 
tinue on  a  large  scale,  those  of  the  month,  1st  to  15th,  totaling 
6996  tons.  The  London  market  for  spot  stood  yesterday  at  £56, 
against  £53  5s.  a  week  previous.  The  makers  of  sheet  zinc 
have  advanced  their  base  price  to  17c,  f.o.b.  mill,  carload  lots, 
8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

Not  much  can  be  said  about  lead.  The  market  continues 
firm  at  unchanged  prices.  Both  the  leading  interest  and  the 
independents  are  asking  7c,  New  York.  At  St.  Louis  the  A.  S. 
&  R.  Co.  adheres  to  6.92Jc,  but  outsiders  are  asking  6.90c 
Consumers  are  well  covered.  Much  of  the  strength  of  the  situ- 
ation is  due  to  the  narrow  margin  between  production  and 
consumption.  The  London  quotation  for  spot  is  unchanged  at 
£30  10s.  Exports  to  the  15th  totaled  1022  tons. 
TIN 

Great  Britain  is  chary  about  granting  licenses  to  ship,  and  it 
appears  that  certain  New  York  dealers  and  brokers  have  been 
caught  with  insufficient  tin  to  cover  their  contract  commit- 
ments. Several  of  these  have  been  in  the  market  in  the  past 
week  and  have  bought  large  quantities.  On  the  11th  and  13th 
these  interests  were  active  buyers,  and  on  the  latter  day 
brokers  and  consumers  bought  at  least  500  tons,  leaving  in- 
quiry for  several  hundred  tons  unsatisfied.  In  the  buying 
preference  was  given  to  tin  aboard  steamers  that  were  actually 
named,  inasmuch  as  this  metal  seemed  more  certain  to  arrive. 
On  the  14th,  probably  300  tons  was  dealt  in,  ordinarily  a  heavy 
day.  The  quotation  for  spot  tin  yesterday  was  44.12*c,  New 
York.  Prices  have  been  strengthened  not  only  by  the  buying, 
but  by  the  statistics  which  show  that  only  500  tons  has  arrived 
this  month.  Afloat  is  4202  tons.  The  leading  maker  of  tin- 
plate  has  withdrawn  its  price  of  $5.75  per  base  box  and  now 
asks  $6. 


788 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS. 


November  25,  1916 


aaa<tasto!lsa  M©2a 

Information  supplied  by  the  7nanufacturers. 


,-tq 
SD 


UquM    iiiis &s-ia-2i£  dusiixul  Jot  ILasgs  _M= 

The  extensive  use  of  electric-motor  drive  for  mine  haulage, 
hoists,  dredges,  and  similar  applications  brought  to  the  fore 
the  necessity  for  a  controller  for  large  wound-rotor  induction- 
motors  that  would  give  wide  and  accurate  speed  variation, 
positive  time-limit  acceleration,  and  allow  the  motor  to  run 
at  reduced  speeds  for  long  periods.  To  meet  these  conditions 
the  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Mfg.  Co.  of  East  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
designed  the  liquid  type  of  control  which  is  shown  in  the 
accompanying  illustration.  These  controllers  have  been  in 
successful  operation  in  various  applications  for  the  last  four 
years,  and  have  proved  equal  to  the  most  severe  treatments. 

A  liquid  controller  consists  essentially  of  a  primary  panel 
and  a  liquid  rheostat.  The  former  is  made  up  of  mechanically- 
interlocked  magnetic-contactors  for  starting,  stopping,  and 
reversing  the  motor,  oil  circuit-breakers  that  entirely  discon- 
nect the  motor  from  the  line  in  event  of  an  overload,  a  fused 
knife-switch  for  pump  motor,  and  a  low-voltage  relay  for  the 
protection  of  operator  and  apparatus  against  voltage  failure. 
The  secondary  control  consists  of  a  liquid  rheostat  complete 

-Counlermlgbl 

Tojptor  Secondary 

•Llectrodes 
Electrode  Tank 

Cooling  Coils 
Regulating  Valve 
Pump  Pump  Motor 


SECTION   OF  LIQUID   RHEOSTATIC   CONTROL. 

with  brass  or  wrought-iron  cooling-coils  for  varying  the  re- 
sistance in  the  motor  secondary,  a  pump  and  pump-motor 
switch  for  the  circulation  of  the  electrolyte,  and  a  master 
switch  for  the  control  of  the  equipment.  For  plugging  service 
a  single  lever  H  slot  device  and  two  overload  relays  are  used. 
The  two  overload  relays  are  mounted  on  the  primary  panel 
and  protect  the  motor  from  overloads  when  running,  but  are 
short-circuited  when  plugging  the  motor.  When  operating 
under  these  conditions  the  circuit-breaker  is  set  to  protect  the 
motor  against  exceptional  overloads  and  short  circuits  on  the 
motor,  but  too  high  to  trip  out  in  ordinary  plugging  service. 

In  the  type  of  control  shown,  the  depth  of  the  liquid,  in 
which  the  electrodes  are  immersed,  is  varied.  This  principle 
insures  smooth  acceleration  and  close-speed  regulation  of  the 
motor,  as  an  infinite  number  of  steps  can  be  obtained  by 
gradually  varying  the  depth  of  the  liquid.  It  eliminates 
objectionable  jerks  and  sudden  strains  in  both  the  cable  and 
equipment  when  starting  loads  of  large  inertia.  The  construc- 
tion and  operation  of  the  control  is  so  simple  that  even  an 
inexperienced  operator  can  obtain  good  results,  and  mainten- 
ance costs  are  low,  since  the  electrodes  are  practically  the 
only  parts  requiring  renewal  and  these  very  infrequently.  It 
is  of  especial  value  for  heavy-duty  reversing  service,  when 
starting  is  frequent  and  the  motor  is  run  at  reduced  speeds. 
It  is  furnished  for  any  primary  voltage  and  frequency  and  for 
either  two  or  three-phase. 

As  shown  by  the  diagram,  the  three  secondary  phases  of  the 
motor  are  connected  to  a  set  of  electrodes  suspended  in  the 


electrode  tank.  The  operating  level  is  attached  to  an  arm  just 
above  the  master  switch.  When  the  lever  is  in  the  off  position, 
the  electrolyte,  which  is  a  solution  of  sodium  carbonate  (sal 
soda),  is  at  its  lowest  level.  When  the  operating  lever  is 
moved  from  the  off  position  the  contactors  in  the  primary 
circuit  are  operated  by  the  master  switch  and  the  weir  raised. 
The  electrolyte,  which  is  circulated  continuously  by  the  pump, 
rises  as  the  weir  is  raised.  This  immerses  the  electrodes  more, 
decreases  the  resistance  in  the  rotor  circuit,  and  speeds  up  the 
motor.  By  adjusting  the  position  -of  the  weir  the  resistance 
in  the  rotor  circuit  is  changed  and  the  speed  of  the  motor 
regulated. 

A  regulating  valve  in  the  pump  discharge  or  intake  pipe 
prevents  the  liquid  from  rising  in  the  electrode  tank  at  a  rate 
greater  than  that  for  which  the  valve  is  adjusted.  So  the 
lever  may  be  moved  directly  to  the  full-on  position  while  the 
liquid  will  raise  at  the  rate  determined  by  the  valve  setting. 
The  weir,  however,  is  of  such  a  size  and  design  that  the  elec- 
trolyte will  flow  through  the  lower  compartment  speedily 
enough  to  take  care  of  plugging  when  that  is  practised. 

For  plugging  service  the  single  lever  H  slot  device  and  the 
two  overload  relays  afford  a  positive  protection  against  the 
wrong  operation  of  the  lever.  To  prevent  over-travel  in  hoist 
work,  either  single  or  double-pole  hatchway  limit  switches  can 
be  furnished.  When  the  hoists  are  used  for  lowering,  an  over- 
speed  device  is  desirable.  Cam-limit  switches  form  another 
means  of  protection,  safeguarding  against  accident  due  to 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  operator.  These  consist  of  a 
number  of  switches  operated  by  means  of  cams  mounted  on  a 
hexagonal  shaft  connected  to  the  driving  motor  or  the  driven 
mechanism  through  a  chain  and  sprocket,  or  by  a  worm  gear. 

The  Westinghouse  company  has  sent  us  a  little  booklet  en- 
titled 'The  Worker  and  the  Works.'  Photographs  show  ex- 
terior and  interior  views  of  the  East  Pittsburg  plant.  Over 
25,000  men  are  employed,  receiving  $2,000,000  a  month  as 
wages.  Sales  are  over  $4,000,000  monthly.  Safety-first  is  a  part 
of  the  welfare  work  for  employees,  which  includes  a  magazine, 
club,  night  school,  compensation  and  sickness  funds,  and 
pensions. 


tommereial 


The  A.  Leschex  &  Sons  Rope  Co.,  St.  Louis,  is  now  con- 
structing an  administration  building  costing  $100,000,  adjoin- 
ing its  rope  plant.  The  factory  buildings  of  this  company 
since  1903  have  occupied  a  33-acre  site  in  the  north-west  part 
of  St.  Louis,  while  the  offices  have  been  in  the  down-town  dis- 
trict.   The  new  arrangement  will  result  in  increased  efficiency. 

William  Cooper  Cuntz.  general  manager  and  director  of  the 
Goldsciimiut  Thermit  Co.,  of  New  York,  died  on  November  2, 
at  Auburndale,  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  on  a  visit  for  the 
benefit  of  his  health,  which  was  impaired  by  an  operation  for 
appendicitis  a  year  ago.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1S71 
of  an  old  New  England  family.  Mr.  Cuntz  was  a  member  of 
20  well-known  societies  and  clubs  in  the  East.  His  experience 
in  the  steel  industry  was  extensive.  He  leaves  a  wife  and  two 
children. 

A  splendidly-arranged  catalog,  9  by  12  in.,  has  just  been 
issued  by  the  Yuba  Construction  Co.  of  Marysville  and  San 
Francisco,  California.  The  frontispiece  is  a  photo  of  the  fac- 
tory, and  part  of  the  globe  showing  that  this  firm's  dredges 
are  working  in  Alaska,  California,  Idaho,  Montana,  Oregon, 
Colombia,  Siberia,  and  the  Philippines.  During  the  past  three 
years  Yuba  dredges  in  California  have  dug  100,000,000  cu.  yd. 
of  gravel  at  a  cost  of  4.6c.  per  yard.  The  factory  is  in  the 
centre  of  the  dredging  districts  of  this  State.  Special  steel 
wearing  parts  have  made  Yuba  dredges  last  a  long  time.  Good 
photos  show  part  of  the  shops,  details  of  dredge  parts,  con- 
struction progress  and  launching  of  Yuba  No.  15 — the  largest 
in  the  world — and  boats  in  operation  in  many  regions.  Notes 
are  given  on  the  Yuba  ball-tractor,  and  cost  of  dredging. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  DECEMBER  2,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  23 


fS!A\Tj;©i[]ii1^Lly  ,1 


^  A  typical  installation,  in  the  West,  of  "NATIONAL"  Matheson  Joint  Pipe  which  is 
designed  for  service  in  Mines  and  Mining;  Water  Works;  Irrigation  Systems;  Hydro- 
Electric  Plants ;  Compressed  Air,  Artificial  and  Natural  Gas  Transmission  Lines ; 
General  Engineering  Work  and,  in  fact,  wherever  a  lead  joint  is  suitable. 


1  Ask  lor  a  copy  ol  the  illustrated  booklet,  "NATIONAL"  MATHESON  JOINT  PIPE 
— tree  to  those  desiring  complete  intormation  on  this  type  of  "NATIONAL"  Pipe  service. 


NATIONAL  TUBE  COMPANY, 


General  Sales  Offices :     Frick  Building 
PITTSBURGH,  PA. 


District  Sales  Offices  in  the  Larger  Cities 


all 


III 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS* 


December  2.  1916 


Oliver  Continuous  Filter 


iniioul 

-■■■•■■  ^    ■••0-v.:.-?.:-:.---<'--,--'-..:  ■■■.•..■-■■■■•.•-■•■-^'■J:- ■■-■--■■■      -  _, 


How  the  Oliver  Filter 

Perfected  Flotation 

The  removal  of  the  excess  water  from  concentrate  was 
one  of  the  stiffest  problems  confronting  the  early 
experimenters  in  flotation  work. 

Then  came  the  introduction  of  the  Oliver  Continuous 
Filter  and  the  difficulty  vanished.  Now  all  successful 
flotation  plants  use  Olivers. 

OLIVERS  at  the  Anaconda  Copper  Mining  Company's  numerous 
plants  are  used  not  only  for  copper  concentrate,  but  for  dewatering 
zinc  concentrate,  stacking  tailing,  and  in  the  electrolytic  zinc  plant, 
where  special  acid-proof  filters  are  used  with  equal  success. 


PART  OF  THE  ANACONDA  COPPER  MINING  COMPANY'S  INSTALLATION  OF  44  OLIVER  FILTERS 

An  OLIVER  is  essential  to  you.     Write  and  we  will  tell  you  why. 

No  Royalties  to  Pay 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER  COMPANY 

501  MARKET  ST.  SAN  FRANCISCO 


1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


111 


uuMum 

EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  RICKARD 
M.  W.  von  BERNEWITZ 
W.  H.  STORMS 


iiiNil"  !! ir.:!'!?iu ID  !!|];;:ii;:,:i 


i   't  i'  i!   !':'  ■ ..I'.:   !'■  liiiiiL!;ii  'ii  i'  i.'.'ii 


ESTABL/SHED  1860 

Published  si  420  Marltel  St.,  S«n  Francico.  by  ihe  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manaser 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shookley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelasio  Caetani. 
Courtonay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janln. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  December  2,  1916 


$3  per  Year — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL 


Page. 

Notes   789 

Copper  'Investments'    791 

The  campaign  of  stock-selling  in  wild-cats  and  the 
attempt  to  persuade  the  public  that  copper  stocks,  at 
the  present  abnormal  price  ot  the  metal,  are  'invest- 
ments.'   M.  &  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines 791 

Comment  on  the  address  of  the  Director  of  the  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Mines  before  the  recent  convention  of  the 
American  Mining  Congress.  The  good  work  done  by 
the  Bureau;  its  scope  and  its  limitations.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  2,  1916. 

Mergers    792 

Talk  of  consolidating  various  groups  of  big  copper 
and  gold  mines.  The  mistaken  idea  that  consolida- 
tion without  limit  conduces  to  economy.  M.  &.  S.  P., 
December  2,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 
Electrolytic  Practice. 

By  S.  E.  Bretlierton    793 

Future  of  mines  containing  'complex'  ores,  especially 
zinc,  enhanced  by  new  treatment  methods.  Electro- 
lytic zinc  eventually  may  command  a  better  market 
than  other  brands.  Progress  in  metallurgy  of  zinc 
briefly  discussed.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 
Officers'  Reserve  Corps. 

By  William  Hague   795 

Testimony  of  an  engineer  that  recently  went  into  train- 
ing for  a  month.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 
Regarding  Foreign  Capital. 

By  T.  Nipper 795 

Onerous  restrictions  are  not  conducive  to  the  invest- 
ment of  capital  in  foreign  countries.  Development 
of  mines  by  foreign  capital  is  beneficial  to  the  country. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

ARTICLES 

Federal  Am  to  Mining  Efficiency. 

By  Van.  H.  Manning   796 

Agriculture  and  mining  are  basic  industries;  the 
United  States  depends  on  them  for  its  prosperity.  The 
Federal  Government  has  been  generous  to  the  former, 
and  is  now  giving  more  attention  to  the  latter,  which 
in  1915,  yielded  minerals  valued  at  $2,373,000,000.  M. 
&  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 


Page. 

Automatic  Electric  Hoist  at  the  Inspiration  Mine. 

By  H.  Kenyan  Burcli  and  M.  A.  Whiting  801 

This  great  copper  mine  produces  over  16,000  tons  of 
ore  daily,  necessitating  large  hoisting  machinery.  The 
depth  is  not  great — 630  ft. — but  the  quantity  is  large. 
This  hoist  is  the  subject  of  much  interest  on  account 
of  its  automatic  features,  no  actual  manipulation  be- 
ing necessary  when  once  hauling  has  started.  M.  & 
S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

Flotation  Oil  From  Sage-Brush  S06 

As  sources  of  flotation  oils  are  comparatively  scarce, 
the  distillation  of  sage-brush  is  being  investigated.  A 
good  oil  is  extracted  at  moderate  cost.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  2,  1916. 

The  Lead  Mines  of  Washington  County,  Missouri. 

By  Sydney  H.  Ball  807 

Notes  on  a  district  first  opened  in  1720,  where  crude 
methods  prevail  in  mining  the  'clay-workings'  or 
residual  deposits.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

Types  of  Asbestos    810 

The  three  types  are  cross-fibre,  slip-fibre,  and  mass- 
fibre,  which  are  briefly  described.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 2,  1916. 

Black  Sand  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 

By  Herbert  Lang  Sll 

This  article  ought  to  satisfy  the  many  enquirers  into 
.    the  occurrence  and  treatment  of  these  deposits.     The 
gold-content,  if  sufficient,   is  easy  to  extract.     M.   & 
S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

Flotation  and  Dividend  Payments  S13 

Minerals  Separation  tries  to  prevent  Butte  &  Superior 
from  paying  further  dividends  until  its  suit  is  de- 
cided, and  increase  the  present  bond  of  $75,000.  M. 
&  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

Mining  in  Nevada. 

By  Al  H.  Martin  814 

A  review  of  mining  activities  in  the  important  dis- 
tricts.   M.  &  S.  P.,  December  2,  1916. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Review  of  Mining  816 

The  Mining  News  Summary  820 

Personal    823 

The  Metal  Market 824 

Eastern   Metal   Market    825 

Industrial  Notes  826 

The  Motor-Truck  for  Mines. 


Established    May    24,    1860,    as    The    Scientific    Press;    name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 

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20 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 


December  2,  1916 

HUNION 

flf  ^CONSTRUCTION 

SJCOHPAHT 


TO  MINERS 

of 

PLACER  GOLD 


Investigate  the  Union  Drill.  It  is  easy  to  operate;  it 
is  readily  portable  and  can  be  knocked  down  for  mule- 
back  transportation  and  easily  re-assembled.  It  is 
made  in  two  types,  A  and  B,  the  latter  with  steel  frame 
and  design  for  somewhat  heavier  work  than  A.  The 
illustration  below  shows  the  Type  B  drill  ready  for 
operation.  Bulletin  15  gives  much  interesting  data 
of  value  to  prospectors  and  placer  miners  in  general. 
Write  for  it. 


Union 

Construction 

Company 

H.  G.  PEAK     W.  W.  JOHNSON 

604  Mission  St. 
San  Francisco 


This  is  one  of  many  gold  dredges  designed  and 
constructed  by  this  company.  It  was  built  for 
C.  J.  Berry  and  has  a  3J-foot  bucket  line,  and 
digs  from  1700  to  2400  cubic  yards  per  day  of 
24  hours.  We  contract  for  the  design  and  con- 
struction of  gold  dredges  for  any  capacity,  to  be 
erected  anywhere.  This  dredge  is  operated  on 
wood  fuel,  using  only  3^  cords  per  day  of  24 
hours. 


The  Neill  jig  is  being  used  with  great  success  on 
dredging  and  sluicing  operations  for  the  saving 
of  fine  and  rusty  gold.  If  you  are  operating  a 
placer  mine,  it  is  worth  money  to  you.    Write  us. 


December  2.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


789 


iSllMtiai  ii  !K»I!li;;illlIi|!!Illi!'!lfiJNIiiH!]; 


iiraiKiiriiiiiiiiiuiiiiiii  n;!,iii;!:iii!'iii':i  ji;;!i[di 


2  If  ©  I&  2  J\,  IL 

'SPo    J-\3     'di  1£  (J  US  A  !ri  IE)  j      IS  <fl  3  t  O  K 


/^VUR  New  York  letter  on  the  metal  market  will  be 
^-^  found  particularly  interesting  this  week,  especially 
■  in  its  references  to  copper. 

/"^ARRANZA'S  government  in  Mexico  has  shown  a 
^  better  disposition  lately  toward  American  mining 
interests.  The  export  tax  on  precious  metals  has  been 
reduced  and  the  threatened  forfeiture  of  idle  mines  has 
been  postponed. 


OEATTLE  has  been  selected  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
k-'  Interior  as  the  site  for  a  mining  experiment  station 
to  be  operated  under  the  direction  of  the  Federal  Bureau 
of  Mines.  Congress  provided  for  three  such  stations, 
one  of  which  was  to  be  in  the  North-west.  Tucson  is  to 
have  the  south-western  station  and  Fairbanks  will  get 
the  one  intended  for  Alaska. 


f~*  YANIDE  has  risen  recently  so  rapidly  that  the  quo- 
'-J  tation  now  is  70  cents  per  pound,  on  new  contracts ; 
while  on  old  contracts  the  price  is  a  little  less  than  half 
the  figure  mentioned.  The  chief  manufacturer  of  this 
important  chemical  dislikes  to  enlarge  his  plant,  believ- 
ing that  the  existing  market  conditions  cannot  persist 
for  long.  The  embargo  on  shipments  from  Europe  has 
curtailed  the  imports  of  cyanide,  so  that  the  American 
supply  is  wholly  inadequate. 

T  EAD  mining  in  Missouri  is  the  subject  of  an  article 
*-*  by  Mr.  Sydney  H.  Ball.  It  is  the  kind  of  article  that 
the  editor  is  glad  to  receive  and  to  publish,  for  it  is 
written  with  a  care  and  a  skill  that  render  even  a  dry 
technical  subject  easily  assimilable  by  the  enquiring 
reader.  The  ore  deposits  of  Washington  county,  Mis- 
souri, are  among  the  more  interesting  of  the  concentra- 
tions of  metal  that  furnish  scope  for  small-scale  opera- 
tions, and  the  economic  geology  of  them  has  a  scientific 
interest  quite  as  great  as  that  of  the  bigger  accretions  of 
ore  in  other  regions. 


FIRST  AID  to  the  injured  in  and  about  mines,  is 
one  of  the  most  important  of  the  many  humanitarian 
innovations  of  recent  years.  Friendly  contests  between 
rival  first-aid  teams  of  important  mines  have  come  to  be 
a  feature  at  official  gatherings  of  mining  engineers  and 
others  engaged  in  the  mining  industry.  These  contests 
have  a  direct  tendency  to  promote  efficiency  and  speed 
in  the  rendering  of  aid  to  the  injured,  and  are  a  decided 
relief  from  the  traditional  prize  rock-drilling  contests 
that  have  so  long  been  popular.    Whether  these  latter 


trials  of  skill  were  of  any  real  value  is  extremely  doubt- 
ful. Rarely,  if  ever,  was  the  man  who  won  the  prize  as 
the  champion  driller  on  county-fair  day  the  best  miner, 
nor  was  he  ever  known  to  so  far  forget  himself  as  to  give 
any  demonstration  of  his  skill  except  when  drilling  for 
a  prize. 

\  N  editor  discovers  that  he  has  critical  readers  as  soon 
-rl-  as  he  permits  a  blunder  to  appear.  In  a  recent  issue 
we  spoke  of  the  gold  in  the  world  available  for  monetary 
purposes  as  worth  eight,  billion  dollars  and  stated  that 
this  was  equivalent  to  the  amount  of  gold  in  a  cube  of 
60  feet.  This  is  incorrect.  Taking  the  density  of  gold 
at  19.32  and  a  cubic  foot  of  water  at  62.42  pounds,  we 
find  that  one  cubic  foot  of  pure  gold  weighs  1465.569 
pounds  Troy.  This,  at  $20.67  per  ounce,  equals  $363,- 
519.734.  Dividing  8,000,000,000  by  this  figure,  we  get 
22,007.058  cubic  feet,  or  a  solid  cube  of  pure  gold  meas- 
uring 28.023  feet  on  each  face. 


"T^ISCUSSION  this  week  starts  with  a  most  timely 
*-*  letter  on  'Electrolytic  Practice'  by  Mr.  S.  E.  Breth- 
erton,  a  metallurgist  of  much  experience.  He  gives  some 
useful  hints  to  the  Western  mine-owner  and  dwells  upon 
the  better  market  offered  to  the  purer  product  of  the 
electrolytic  refinery,  particularly  that  of  zinc.  On  this 
branch  of  the  subject  he  has  more  to  say,  reciting  some 
of  his  own  experience  at  the  Afterthought  mine  in  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  William  Hague,  managing  director  of  the 
North  Star  Mines,  testifies  to  the  usefulness  of  the  sum- 
mer training-camp  and  endorses  the  plea  made  by  Mr. 
A.  H.  Babcock  in  our  issue  of  the  18th  inst.  Mr.  T. 
Nipper  writes  from  board  ship,  but  in  his  remarks  he  is 
not  much  'at  sea.'  . 


rpALES  of  fabulous  deposits  of  native  copper  have 
■*-  been  brought  to  San  Francisco  by  Capt.  C.  T.  Peter- 
sen, of  the  Stefansson  expedition.  The  explorers  found 
the  Eskimo  sewing  their  clothes  with  needles  made  of 
copper.  This  was  on  Banks  island,  which  is  about  550 
miles  due  north  of  Great  Bear  lake.  This  story  recalls 
the  finding  of  native  copper  in  the  Coppermine  River 
country  by  Samuel  Hearne  in  1770,  by  others  since,  and 
finally  the  expedition  of  Mr.  George  M.  Douglas,  who,  in 
1911  and  1912,  penetrated  into  this  remote  region  and 
made  a  careful  investigation,  as  related  in  his  delightful 
book  'Lands  Forlorn.'  He  and  his  friend,  Dr.  August 
Sandberg,  a  Swedish  geologist,  found  copper  in  the 
amygdaloidal  portion  of  basaltic  flows  and  in  beds  of 
conglomerate,  resembling  those  of  the  Lake  Superior 
country.     No  rich  ore  was  discovered,  but  the  samples 


790 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


brought  home  suggested  possibilities  of  large-scale  ex- 
ploitation in  days  to  come.  Similar  copper  finds  have 
been  made  on  Bathurst  inlet,  on  the  west  side  of  Hud- 
son's bay,  500  miles  to  the  east.  Evidence  accumulates 
to  indicate  a  wide  distribution  of  copper  in  the  Arctic 
regions  of  this  continent,  and  we  do  not  doubt  that  some 
day  a  thorough  exploration  will  be  made  in  search  of 
orebodies  rich  enough  to  warrant  mining  on  a  large  scale. 
Among  those  that  are  making  millions  out  of  the  current 
inflation  of  copper  shares  there  should  be  two  or  three 
willing  to  find  the  money  required  to  equip  an  expedi- 
tion to  explore  the  territory  between  Hudson's  Bay,  the 
Coppermine  river,  and  Banks  island. 


f~^  OST  of  living  is  a  phrase  that  covers  a  multitude  of 
^-A  extravagance.  The  present  rise  is  due  largely  to  our 
way  of  living,  which  has  been  in  no  way  modified  by  the 
exigencies  of  an  industrial  crisis.  "Wilful  waste  makes 
woeful  want"  is  an  old  proverb,  that  applies  to  this 
country  today  when  the  rate  of  personal  expenditure 
knows  no  check  and  the  exhaustion  of  natural  resources 
to  take  advantage  of  abnormal  markets  is  being  hastened 
apace.  While  prices  of  staples  rise  there  is  yet  no  sign 
of  a  diminution  in  the  buying.  New  York  is  given  over 
to  an  orgy  of  dissipation  and  the  new  millionaires  are 
spending  money  like  drunken  sailors.  Half  the  world  is 
in  mourning  and  the  other  half  is  indulging  itself  in 
riotous  luxury.  Is  this  our  notion  of  'preparedness'  for 
the  crisis  that  must  come  after  the  War  as  surely  as  there 
was  one  when  the  War  began?  It  behooves  us  to  be 
serious  in  times  like  these. 

T4/IAJOR-GENERAL  GOETHALS,  Governor  of  the 
-*■"  Panama  Canal  Zone,  has  replied  to  sundry  criticisms 
and  predictions  unfavorable  to  the  great  work  for  which 
he  is  sponsor.  In  his  annual  report,  now  made  public  by 
the  War  Department,  he  complains  that  some  of  these 
criticisms  have  affected  the  commercial  rating  of  the 
Canal  and  tended  to  diminish  traffic.  This  traffic  is  small 
enough  to  need  some  apology,  for  the  average  of  a  ship 
per  day  each  way  is  far  below  all  reasonable  expectations. 
Only  91  vessels  engaged  in  the  American  coastwise  trade 
used  the  Canal  during  twelve  months.  General  Goethals 
asserts  that  there  is  much  ignorance  on  the  subject  of 
slides.  There  may  be,  but  criticism  of  the  Canal  engi- 
neering is  not  confined  to  those  that  are  ignorant.  For 
instance,  nobody  in  California  supposed  that  slides  affect 
the  entire  length  of  the  cut,  but  it  is  worthy  of  note  that 
the  portion  of  the  Canal  thus  affected  is  slightly  less  than 
one  mile.  However,  a  mile  of  ground,  if  it  starts  to  move, 
is  an  engineering  obstacle  of  the  first  rank.  General 
Goethals  has  no  patience  with  the  report  of  the  commis- 
sion sent  to  Panama  by  the  President  in  October  last 
year  and  he  protests  against  a  report  by  the  professor  of 
geology  in  Lehigh  University,  Mr.  Benjamin  Le  Roy 
Miller.  His  main  objection  is  based  on  the  fact  that 
Professor  Miller  spent  only  "three  or  four  hours"  in  his 
examination,  but  that  may  have  sufficed  to  give  him  the 
data  necessary  for  an  opinion.    The  objection  smacks  too 


much  of  the  criticism  of  adverse  reports  on  a  mine  be- 
cause a  competent  engineer  did  not  spend  as  much  time 
on  it  as  a  stupid  man  might  find  necessary  before  he 
could  formulate  an  opinion.  The  quotation  from  Profes- 
sor Miller's  report  is  much  like  the  description  given  by 
Dr.  John  C.  Branner,  for  whose  opinion  the  mining  pro- 
fession has  a  high  respect.  As  to  ex-Senator  Thomas 
Kearns  and  his  theory,  it  surprises  us  that  General 
Goethals  should  pay  so  much  attention  to  it,  unless  it  be 
that  the  theory  put  forward  by  the  ex-Senator  gives  the 
General  a  chance  to  ride  off  the  field  with  a  flourish.  We 
find  nothing  in  the  extracts  from  General  Goethals'  re- 
port, as  published  in  the  daily  press,  to  allay  our  anxiety 
concerning  the  safety  of  the  Canal  or  to  encourage  the 
expectation  that  the  slides  can  be  stopped  at  an  early 
date. 


OEVERAL  daily  newspapers  have  doubled  their  price 
^  and  a  number  of  magazines  have  been  compelled  to 
increase  their  rates  of  subscription  on  account  of  the 
higher  cost  of  paper.  Most  of  this  is  the  result,  not  of  a 
scarcity  of  wood-pulp,  bleach,  and  other  materials  used 
in  the  manufacture  of  paper,  but  of  a  cinch — in  plain 
words,  of  a  combination  between  the  manufacturers  to 
raise  prices,  on  the  excuse  that  they  expect  to  be  com- 
pelled to  pay  more  «for  their  crude  material.  The  alle- 
gation that  such  a  conspiracy  does  exist  has  been  made 
by  the  American  Newspaper  Publishers  Association,  and 
it  is  to  be  probed  by  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  on 
December  12.  The  declaration  of  huge  dividends  by  the 
paper  manufacturers  is  fairly  good  evidence  that  they 
are  not  suffering  from  any  shortage.  The  press  ought  to 
be  able  to  protect  itself  against  imposition.  We  feel 
confident  that  it  will  be  disclosed  that  the  paper  market, 
like  many  others,  is  being  manipulated  under  cover  of 
the  so-called  effects  of  war ;  like  the  man  who  raised  the 
price  of  eggs  and  imputed  the  blame  to  "the  War."  .On 
being  pressed  for  an  explanation,  he  stated  that  he  had 
to  send  the  shells  to  Europe!  "War  is  shell."  Many 
of  the  greedy  gentlemen  that  are  taking  advantage  of 
our  necessities  at  this  time  have  no  better  reason  for  their 
extortionate  demands. 


ORDERS  have  recently  been  received  at  the  local 
office  of  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Mines  to  the  effect 
that  the  San  Francisco  office,  in  the  Custom  House  build- 
ing, will  be  no  longer  a  distributing-point  for  the  publi- 
cations of  the  Bureau.  Only  such  publications  as  hap- 
pen to  be  on  hand  at  the  date  of  this  order  are  to  be  de- 
livered to  those  making  application  for  them.  Also  the 
chemical  laboratory  that  for  several  years  has  been  main- 
tained in  the  Appraiser's  Building,  in  San  Francisco, 
has  been  discontinued.  The  latter  may  possibly  be 
spared  without  working  a  hardship  on  any  one  in  par- 
ticular, as  chemical  analyses  and  experiments  can  per- 
haps be  made  to  better  advantage  at  one  of  the  larger 
and  more  fully  equipped  experiment-stations,  but  it 
seems  unfortunate  that  the  public  on  this  side  of  the 
continent   should   be   compelled   to   write   to   the   main 


December  2,  liilii 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


7!M 


office  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  a1  Washington  for  any 
of  its  publications  thai  may  be  wanted.  The  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey  maintains  an  office  in  the  Custom 
Bouse  building  and  we  see  no  reason  why  thai  dis- 
tributing agency  should  not  be  utilized  by  the  Bureau 
of  .Mines  as  well.  It  is  high  time  to  save  some  of  the 
public  money  thai  is  wasted  by  the  scattering  of  ad- 
ministrative energy.  Both  bureaus  are  in  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior.  We  hope  that  the  Secretary. 
Mr.  Franklin  K.  Lane,  will  be  made  aware  of  the  facts 
and  act  in  the  matter  with  his  usual  good  sense. 

In  our  last  issue  we  published  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ira  B. 
Joralemon  on  the  efforts  being  made  to  gull  the  public 
with  iridescent  copper  prospects.  Since  then  we  have 
received  a  good  example  of  the  sort  of  propaganda  used 
by  the  peddlers  of  shares  in  wild-eats.  In  the  Albu- 
querque Journal  we  find  a  prospeetus  that  offers  stock 
in  "a  company  in  the  right  location,  namely,  about 
three  miles  north  of  the  United  Verde  and  one  mile  west 
of  the  Santa  F'e  railway. ' '  The  second  fact  is  more  sig- 
nificant than  the  first;  three  miles  is  far  enough  from 
a  celebrated  mine  to  thin  out  the  orebodies  to  a  hilo, 
while  a  mile  from  a  railroad  is  what  is  usually  called  in 
a  prospectus  "facilities  for  transportation."  The  in- 
evitably "well-known  engineer,"  whose  name  we  forbear 
to  mention,  states  that  the  surface  of  the  property  shows 
"lime  and  chert  flows,"  suggesting  an  unusually  high 
temperature  at  the  time  of  eruption,  for  chert  contains 
a  good  deal  of  silica,  we  believe.  This  is  bad  enough, 
but  the  Albuquerque  type-setter  brecciates  the  text  of 
the  "well-known  engineer,"  so  that  he  is  made  to  state 
that  the  "underlying" — that's  a  good  word — formation 
is  "shist  and  diorits"  in  which  "quartz  and  calcide 
matrix"  are  on  the  rampage.  Indeed  it  is  the  delirious 
trimmings  of  geology  and  must  have  caused  a  rush  for 
the  " pre-organization  stock"  offered  at  10  cents  per 
share — going  fast — "buy  it  now,  before  it  is  too  late." 
As  a  final  argument  the  simple-minded  'investor'  is  told 
that  "it  is  on  the  same  fault  with  the  United  Verde  and 
the  United  Verde  Extension. ' '  Perhaps  it  is.  Mr.  J.  P. 
Morgan  lives  in  the  same  street  as  a  pea-nut  vendor;  it 
may  be  at  the  other  end ;  and  real-estate  values  fade  out 
at  that  end ;  but  still  it  is  in  the  same  street.  ' '  The  same 
fault,"  yes,  the  same  as  that  of  some  high-class  share- 
brokers  in  New  York  that  are  circularizing  suggestions 
about  copper  shares  as  an  'investment.'  Such  a  sug- 
gestion is  as  arrant  a  bit  of  humbug  as  that  of  the  dis- 
seminated wild-cats.  Nobody  who  buys  copper  shares 
when  the  metal  is  selling  at  33  cents  is  participating  in 
an  'investment.'  Buyers  of  such  shares  expect  to  sell 
soon  at  a  profit,  leaving  the  other  fellow  to  'hold  the  bag. ' 
Plainly,  it  is  a  gamble.  Even  if  a  mine  can  pay  reason- 
ably on  15-eent  copper,  a  sane  man  does  not.  buy  the 
shares  when  copper  is  more  than  twice  as  high,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  he   can  obtain  his  'investment'  at 


much  nearer  an  investment  price  when  the  lnaik'l 
breaks,  as  break  it  must  when  the  big  rush  for  copper  is 
abated.  On  the  whole,  the  wild-cat  incubator  has  more 
of  our  respect  than  the  experienced  financier  in  his 
marble-decked  offices  in  the  New  York  sky-scraper  that 
talks  to  the  public  in  dignified  phrases  at  this  time  con- 
cerning the  "investment  worth  of  copper  shares."  That 
is  bunco-steering  and  nothing  else. 


^iJlri®  s\aa?®a'£i  <d3  Mimes 


We  take  pleasure  in  publishing  the  larger  part  of  an 
address  delivered  before  the  American  Mining  Congress 
by  Mr.  Van.  H.  Manning,  the  Director  of  the  U.  S.  Bu- 
reau of  Mines,  on  the  subject  of  'Federal  Aid  to  Mining 
Efficiency.'  It  was  eminently  proper  that  Mr.  Manning 
should  avail  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  inform  the 
public  on  such  an  important  matter  and  that  he  should 
select  the  Congress  as  his  medium  of  transmittal.  This 
is  the  most  valuable  function  that  the  Mining  Con- 
gress can  perform;  it  is  a  convention  of  those  interested 
in  mining  as  a  national  industry;  at  its  annual  meeting 
all  the  various  elements  contributory  to  the  welfare, 
efficiency,  and  expansion  of  mining  are  represented, 
without  distinction  of  class  or  profession.  The  technical 
societies  serve  their  particular  purpose  and  chambers  of 
commerce  have  their  own  usefulness,  but  it  is  fit  and 
proper  that  once  a  year  the  representatives  of  the  mining 
public  should  assemble  to  make  known  the  wants,  legis- 
lative and  industrial,  of  the  great  business  to  which 
their  energies  are  devoted.  We  are  informed  that  the 
recent  meeting  at  Chicago  fulfilled  this  purpose  and 
that  the  proceedings  were  full  of  interest,  particularly 
to  those  engaged  in  coal  mining,  which,  naturally,  ab- 
sorbed the  larger  share  of  attention  at  this  particular 
meeting.  Mr.  Manning's  address  should  be  read  by 
every  good  citizen  engaged  in  mining.  The  comparison 
between  the  financial  aid  given  to  the  two  basic  indus- 
tries is  one  that  is  often  made  and  the  latest  figures  em- 
phasize the  curious  discrepancy  in  the  allotment  of  Fed- 
eral support.  Undoubtedly,  one  reason,  not  mentioned 
by  Mr.  Manning,  why  the  miner  obtains  less  help  than 
the  farmer  is  the  general  supposition  that  mining  is  more 
speculative  than  agriculture  and  that  those  engaged  in 
mining  make  money  more  freely  than  those  occupied  in 
tilling  the  soil.  The  mining  'game'  is  one  that  the  av- 
erage legislator  usually  regards  as  bringing  its  own  gains 
and  losses  through  methods  that  do  not  call  for  special 
endowment.  This  misconception  is  fostered  by  the 
spectacular  side  of  speculation  in  mining  shares.  Min- 
ers readily  turn  their  property  into  stock  companies 
whereas  farmers  rarely  seek  to  distribute  their  risk  in 
a  similar  way.  Nevertheless,  the  relation  of  the  mining 
industry  to  the  State  is  becoming  better  understood,  par- 
ticularly the  many  forms  of  mining  that  do  not  lend 
themselves  to  stock  speculation  and  represent  something 
akin  to  what  is  called  an  'investment.'  However,  even 
the  uncertainties  and  risks  incidental  to  most  forms  of 


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MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


metal  mining  should  not  debar  a  full  measure  of  Fed- 
eral aid  and  support,   for  similar  vagaries  of  fortune 
characterize  other  national  industries,  such  as  fishing, 
that  receive  adequate  assistance.    With  the  competition 
for  appropriations  between  the  various  branches  of  the 
Government  the  citizen  need  not  sympathize;  the  mere 
fact  that  one  department  gets  a  larger  helping  from  the 
pork-barrel  than  the  other  is  not  a  valid  grievance,  until 
it  is  proved  that  the  larger  appropriation  is  ill  spent. 
It  is  a  great  pity  that  financial  support  should  be  de- 
endent  upon  annual  lobbying  at  Washington.     Under 
ideal  conditions  it  should  be  as  unnecessary  as  it  is  un- 
desirable for  members  of  a  scientific  service  to  have  to 
curry  favor  with  legislators  in  order  to  obtain  the  votes 
of  money  required  for  the  proper  performance  of  their 
work.     Sometimes  one  is  tempted  to  wish  that  a  direct 
tax,  say,  of  only  \%,  could  be  levied  on  our  mineral  pro- 
duction for  the  maintenance  of  the  scientific  bureaus  and 
that  the  income  thus  obtained  could  be  divided  in  equal 
proportions,  so  as  to  end  the  annual  scramble.    One  mat- 
ter that  requires  attention  is  the  persistent  duplication 
of  work,  particularly  the  double  collection  of  statistical 
information  by  the  two  Federal  bureaus  and  by  the 
various  State  bureaus.     Another  is  the  lavish  printing 
and  distribution  of  stuff  that  has  little  value.     It  has 
become  too  easy  to  print  inconsequential  collections  of 
data  for  the  purpose  of  swelling  the  apparent  output  of 
a  bureau  and  for  the  personal  gratification  of  minor 
officials.    We  receive  a  good  deal  of  printed  matter  from 
Washington  that  goes  into  the  waste-paper  basket  with 
a  celerity  more  eloquent  than   any  criticism.     If  any 
commercial  publishing-house  were  to  distribute  its  out- 
put in  the  same  reckless  fashion,  it  would  soon  go  into 
liquidation.     Much  of  the  lavish  distribution  of  papers, 
circulars,    and   statistical   compilations   is   intended   to 
impress  the  uncritical  public  with  the  activity  of  the 
particular  bureau  or  service  from  which  it  emanates. 
The  consequence  of  most  importance  is  the  wasting  of 
good  money  that  is  needed  for  other  and  much  more  use- 
ful purposes.     These  suggestions  must  not  be  taken  as 
indicating  any  general  criticism  of  the  good  work  being 
done  by  the  Bureau  of  Mines.     Our  readers  are  well 
aware  of  the  successful  development  of  the  'safety'  cam- 
paign and  the  consequent  saving  of  human  life  in  the 
mines  of  the  country.     Investigations  into  the  hygiene 
of  mining  have  proved  highly  effective  in  promoting  the 
health  of  the  workers.     In  technology,  much  has  been 
done    to    stimulate    the  profitable  'exploitation    of    the 
secondary  minerals  and  a  number  of  technical  investi- 
gations have  been  brought  to  the  point  of  fruition,  yield- 
ing information  already  adopted  in  current  operations. 
From  this  assistance  the  mining  industry  will  benefit, 
but  we  confess  that  we  are  jealous  of  an  invasion  of  the 
field  of  engineering  practice  and  hope  that  keen  dis- 
crimination will  be  shown  in  the  selection  of  subjects 
for  experimentation  and  study,  so  that  individual' initia- 
tive wall  not  be  subjected  to  unfair  competition.     We 
would  like  to  see  the  development  of  a  policy  whereby 
the   individual  technician   could   get   assistance,   rather 


than  competition,  from  these  Federal  bureaus.  In  this 
and  kindred  matters  we  look  to  Mr.  Manning,  who  fol- 
lows so  worthily  in  the  footsteps  of  Holmes,  to  steer 
between  violent  extremes.  The  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 
has  won  public  support  and  will,  we  feel  assured,  con- 
tinue to  deserve  that  support. 

Mergers 

The  New  York  financial  press  contains  references  to 
'merger  rumors'  or  schemes  proposed  for  consolidating 
various  mining  companies,  chiefly  those  exploiting  cop- 
per.    The   Utah,   Braden,   Kennecott,   Chile,    Cerro   de 
Pasco,  Inspiration,  and  Nevada  Consolidated  are  among 
those  mentioned.     However  "nothing  definite  has  yet 
developed, ' '  we  are  told,  because  among  other  deterrents 
is  the  suggestion  that  the  Federal  government  might  con- 
sider such  a  consolidation  as  conflicting  with  the  anti- 
trust laws.    The  group  of  mines  mentioned  is  producing 
half  the  copper  of  the  United  States  or  half  of  what  was 
the    world's    production    before    the    War.      Another 
'merger,'  said  to  be  under  consideration,  is  a  consolida- 
tion of  the  Alaska  Gold  and  the  Alaska  Juneau.     For 
this  rumor  there  is  no  reason,  we  believe,  except  the  wish 
to  obscure  the  disappointment  of  the  promoters,  more 
particularly  the  brokers,  behind  the  Alaska  Gold  enter- 
prise.    It  is  extremely  unlikely  that  the  controllers  of 
the  Alaska  Juneau  will  entertain  the  idea.    A  little  con- 
solidation, like  Scotch  and  soda,  is  an  excellent  tonic,  but 
we  have  seen  the  idea  stultified  in  South  Africa  and  in 
other  regions  during  the  last  decade.     The  recent  ag- 
glomeration  called  the  Kennecott   Corporation  has  no 
excuse  except  the  facility  that  it  afforded  for  a  little 
financial  legerdemain.    Most  of  the  big  consolidations  on 
the  Band  served  to  disguise  the  union  of  poor  mines  or 
disappointing  properties  with  the  richer  producers,  there- 
by enabling  the  'big  houses'  to  rid  themselves  of  junk. 
Moreover,  the  confident  predictions  of  a  lower  working- 
cost,  to  follow  such  consolidations,  have  proved  falla- 
cious.   There  is  an  economic  limit  to  the  size  of  any  unit, 
whether  it  be  a  mine  or  a  mill.    There  is  also  a  limit  to 
human  capacity.     By  merging  mines  one  after  another 
and  creating  a  huge  complex  of  operations,  a  point  is 
reached  where  no  engineer,  however  competent,  can  ex- 
ercise anything  like  close  supervision.     His  duties  have 
to  be  deputized  to  extinction,  so  that  the  administration 
becomes  unwieldy  and  inefficient.    In  short,  super-mines 
are  easier  to  make  than  super-men.     To  join  the  Utah 
Copper  to  the  Chuquicamata  will  produce  no  economy; 
both  are  quite  big  enough  to  tax  the  executive  ability  and 
the  technical  supervision  of  any  man.     One  being  in 
Utah  and  the  other  in  Chile,  the  object  of  consolidation 
is  not  obvious  outside  a  stock-broker's  office.    If  the  idea 
is  to  give  a  broader  basis  to  the  operations  and  a  greater 
stability  to  the  output,  then  we  reply  that  the  consoli- 
dating of  all  the  copper  mines  in  the  world — unless  ac- 
companied by  an  arbitrary  monopoly  of  the  market — 
would  not  eradicate  the  one  factor  that  renders  copper 
mining  speculative,  namely,  the  price  of  copper. 


December  2,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


793 


HHMMBWMMHHI 


ggs 


Our  readers  are  invited  I"  ute  this  department  for  the  discussion  af  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing t"  mining  and  metallurgy.      The  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  own,  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


Electrolytic  Practice 

The  Editor: 

Sir — After  all  these  years  of  'watchful  waiting'  on 
the  part  of  the  owners  of  Western  mines  containing 
complex  ore,  called  by  the  smelter  men  'refractory'  ore, 
we  now  have  brighter  prospects  for  the  future.  'Com- 
plex ore'  is  an  ore  containing  metals  that  interfere  with 
the  recovery  of  other  metals  of  value,  more  particularly 
zinc  in  a  sulphide  ore  containing  gold,  silver,  and  either 
copper  or  lead,  and  sometimes  all  of  these  metals  in  the 
same  ore  in  addition  to  considerable  zinc.  If  the  pro- 
portion of  zinc  is  under  40%,  the  ore  cannot  be  classed 
as  a  zinc  ore,  and  if  it  could  the  zinc  smelter  does  not 
want  the  other  valuable  metals.  The  zinc  increases  the 
cost  of  recovering  the  other  metals,  no  matter  who  does 
the  smelting,  so  that  the  usual  penalty  charged  over  10% 
by  the  smelters,  50  cents  per  unit  above  10%  (a  unit  is 
1%)  added  to  the  charge  for  treatment  is  to  be  expected. 
Now,  if  the  penalty  on  an  ore  containing,  say,  20%  zinc 
equals  $5  added  to  the  value  of  400  pounds  of  zinc  lost 
(360  pounds  should  be  recovered  at  a  value  of  5  cents  per 
pound  at  least)  ;  the  owner  is  out  $23  per  ton  on 
account  of  poor  metallurgical  practice.  I  feel  confident 
that  we  are  now  about  to  experience  a  change  for  the 
better.  First,  the  large  mine-owners  who  are  strong 
enough  to  do  so  and  have  the  mining  property  to  justify, 
are  now  installing  expensive  leaehing-plants  to  recover 
and  market  all  five  metals  from  the  same  ore,  such  as 
gold,  silver,  copper,  zinc,  and  lead.  The  next  step  will 
be  for  these  same  reduction  plants  to  purchase  custom 
ore  and  pay  for  the  zinc  with  the  other  metals  and,  in- 
stead of  penalizing  it  when  over  10%,  pay  for  it.  If 
they  fail  to  do  so,  some  enterprising  capitalist  will  start 
an  independent  reduction  plant  to  purchase  complex 
zinc  ore,  the  same  as  the  lead  and  copper  custom  smelters 
are  now  doing  for  their  ore. 

There  is  one  view  of  the  situation  that  perhaps  most 
zinc-mine  owners,  who  have  no  reduction  plant  of  their 
own,  have  lost  sight  of,  that  is,  we  cannot  expect  the 
owners  of  a  mine  owning  their  own  complete  reduc- 
tion plant  to  purchase  custom  ore  while  the  prices  of 
metals  are  abnormally  high,  if  they  can  supply  their  re- 
duction plant  with  ore  from  their  own  property.  "When 
metal  prices  are  low  is  the  time  to  conserve  their  own 
ore-supply  and  purchase  ore  from  others  and  at  the  same 
time  avoid  the  risk  of  buying  on  a  high  market  and  sell- 
ing on  a  low  market.  It  requires  several  weeks  or  months 
to  treat  the  ore  and  get  the  metals  sold  in  the  East. 

I  started  to  write  an  article  of  encouragement  to  the 


Western  owner  of  complex  ore  but  so  far  I  have  written 
on  discouraging  lines.  Now  I  wish  to  show  how  the 
Western  mine-owner  of  the  so-called  complex  ores  (in 
the  past  practically  worthless  on  account  of  their  being 
so  difficult  to  treat)  is  going  to  have  the  advantage  over 
the  zinc  producers  in  the  Eastern  states:  The  inland 
zinc-producing  States  are  no  closer,  from  the  standpoint 
of  freight-cost,  to  the  New  York  market ;  in  fact,  not  as 
close  as  San  Francisco  is  with  cheap  water-transport, 
now  that  the  Panama  Canal  is  completed. 

The  West  Coast  states  have  much  more  available 
water-power  for  generating  the  cheap  electric  current 
necessary  for  the  production  of  electrolytic  zinc.  This 
electrolytic  zinc,  on  account  of  its  purity,  will  in  time,  I 
believe,  drive  most  of  the  retort  zinc  from  the  market, 
and  others  more  capable  of  judging  take  the  same  view 
of  the  situation.  Objection  will  be  made  to  this  state- 
ment on  the  claim  that  the  less  pure  retort  spelter  of  the 
East  answers  the  purpose  for  manufacturing  most  of  the 
alloys  into  which  zinc  enters,  but  the  manufacturers  of 
brass  and  of  paints  prefer  the  pure  article ;  in  the  one 
case  pure  spelter  and  in  the  other  pure  zinc  oxide,  so 
that  they  can  always  use  the  same  definite  proportion  of 
zinc  in  their  alloys  and  zinc  oxide  in  their  paints. 

The  much  despised  complex  zinc  ores  of  the  West  will 
also  have  the  advantage  over  the  Eastern  zinc  ore  in  hav- 
ing other  metals  to  share  the  burden  of  expense,  often 
enough  of  these  to  defray  all  the  expenses  of  mining, 
treatment,  and  marketing.  Before  closing  my  remarks 
on  the  future  advantages  that  the  Western  zinc-pro- 
ducers will  have  over  the  East,  I  must  add  a  little  boost 
for  the  Pacific  Coast  states,  especially  California,  by 
calling  attention  to  our  favorable  climate  the  year  round, 
without  such  extreme  heat  in  the  summer  or  such  ex- 
treme cold  in  the  winter  as  interferes  with  the  efficiency 
of  labor. 

I  think  it  unnecessary  to  call  attention  to  the  troubles 
the  Eastern  zinc-smelters  are  having  in  the  failure  of  the 
natural-gas  supply  for  fuel,  compelling  them  to  revert 
to  the  more  expensive  coal-fuel.  While  some  of  the  East- 
ern smelters  claim  to  pay  for  the  copper,  silver,  and  gold 
contained  in  a  zinc  ore  or  concentrate,  their  metallur- 
gical loss  is  so  great  that  after  paying  a  low  rate  for  the 
zinc,  they  offer  to  pay  only  for  a  little  more  than  half  of 
the  gold,  silver,  and  copper  contents.  If  they  pay  for 
any  of  these  last-named  metals,  an  additional  charge  is 
made  for  treatment.  It  is  not  right  to  condemn  these 
people  for  such  practices,  considering  the  antiquated 
methods  of  treatment  they  are  using  and  compelled  to 
continue  to  use  by  force  of  circumstances. 


794 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


The  Eastern  zinc-producer  has  had  one  great  ad- 
vantage over  the  "West  in  the  past,  before  modern  leach- 
ing methods  were  commercialized  to  treat  the  zinc  ore 
containing  other  valuable  metals :  throughout  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  states  the  ore.  although  low-grade,  is  com- 
paratively near  the  surface.  It  contains  either  lead  or 
zinc,  easily  separated  b3'  concentration  into  clean  high- 
grade  concentrate,  close  to  the  zinc  smelters  in  the  coal- 
fields, and  lower  freight-rates  to  New  York,  where  the 
spelter  is  sold. 

This  difference  in  freight-charges  has  been  equalized 
by  water-transport  through  the  Panama  Canal.  The 
new  leaching  processes  for  treating  zinc  ore  do  not  re- 
quire the  cheap  fuel,  necessary  as  a  reducing  agent,  used 
in  the  old  Belgian  retort  method,  and  for  power  purposes 
California  has  cheap  fuel-oil  in  addition  to  water- 
power. 

No  one  man  or  company  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of 
the  wonderful  advancement  in  zinc  metallurgy  made 
within  the  last  few  years.  Several  metallurgical  chem- 
ists have  experimented,  but  most  of  them  lacked  the 
financial  backing  necessary  to  prove  whether  their  ideas 
were  right  or  wrong.  Improved  methods  of  concen- 
tration, more  especially  flotation,  which  eliminates  the 
old  fear  of  making  too  much  slime  and  also  increases  the 
recovery  of  the  metals  from  the  ore  in  a  concentrate, 
has  assisted  the  beneficiation  of  all  metals.  This  high 
recovery  of  the  metals  in  a  concentrate,  at  a  very  low 
cost  per  ton  of  ore,  not  only  eliminates  most  of  the  min- 
erals that  interfere  with  either  retort-smelting  for  zinc  or 
the  leaching  process,  but  also  reduces  the  tonnage  neces- 
sary for  final  treatment  by  the  more  expensive  methods. 

The  idea  of  leaching  zinc  from  an  oxidized  ore  or  an 
ore  oxidized  by  roasting  appealed  to  most  of  us  from  the 
start,  but  we  soon  learned  the  danger  of  forming  in- 
soluble combinations  with,  the  zinc  if  the  roast  was  car- 
ried at  too  high  a  temperature.  When  roasting  zinc  ore 
the  temperature  must  be  higher  than  is  necessary  for  the 
roasting  of  either  copper  or  h'on  ore.  Then,  after  the 
zinc  was  in  solution,  the  most  serious  difficulties  were 
encountered,  that  is,  not  only  to  obtain  a  pure  zinc  but 
also  a  solid  zinc  cathode  suitable  for  melting  into  market- 
able bars.  The  problem  of  precipitating  a  solid  zine 
cathode  was  solved  if  an  absolutely  pure  zinc  precipitate 
could  be  obtained,  the  last  traces  of  iron  being  one  of  the 
most  difficult  impurities  to  eliminate.  The  experience  of 
P.  L.  Wilson  at  the  Afterthought  mine  when  experi- 
menting with  the  ammonia  carbon-dioxide  process  was 
the  same,  for  although  our  solvent  was  not  supposed  to 
dissolve  any  of  the  iron  with  the  zinc  and  copper,  traces 
would  nearly  always  finally  get  into  the  resultant  zine 
oxide,  just  enough  to  make  it  a  little  off-color.  My  own 
three  years'  experience  as  chemist  at  custom  lead-smelt- 
ers when  a  boy  made  me  appreciate  the  difficulty  of  pre- 
cipitating the  iron  from  an  alkaline  solution  unless  it 
had  been  previously  oxidized  from  the  ferrous  state  to 
the  ferric,  as  we  made  a  practice  of  doing  with  an  oxid- 
izing acid  or  salt  in  the  laboratory  before  precipitating 
the  iron  with  the  arsenic,  if  there  was  any  present.  But 
these  expensive  chemicals  could  not  be  used  on  a  com- 


mercial scale.  It  was  on  account  of  so  many  more  im- 
purities getting  into  the  solution  with  an  acid  solvent 
than  with  an  alkaline  solvent  that  I  favored  the  ammonia 
carbon-dioxide  process,  and  even  then  we  found  traces 
of  iron  would  finally  show  up  in  the  zinc  oxide. 

Frederick  Laist,  chief  metallurgical  chemist  with 
Frederick  F.  Frick  for  the  Anaconda  Copper  Co.,  found 
that  manganese  ore  answered  the  purpose  and  patented 
their  ideas  in  U.  S.  patents  No.  1,167,700  and  1,167,701, 
issued  on  January  11,  1916.  With  the  enterprising 
policy  and  strong  backing  of  such  people  as  the  Ana- 
conda company,  combined  with  their  own  abilit3r,  they 
finally  developed  their  present  zinc-leaching  plant  on  a 
large  scale. 

While  the  Anaconda  company  was  improving  its  proc- 
ess, the  Bully  Hill  Copper  Co.  was  developing  a  little 
different  acid-leaching  process  briefly  described  in  two 
U.  S.  patents  (No.  1,154,601  and  1,154,602)  issued  to 
Otto  Best  on  September  28,  1915.  The  idea  of  using 
manganese  di-oxide  to  oxidize  the  ferrous  iron  to  a  ferric 
iron  had  been  adopted  by  Alexander  T.  Elliott  of  Los 
Angeles  in  1908,  as  described  in  his  petition  to  the  Com- 
missioner of  Patents  on  September  5,  1908.  What  he 
claimed  was  that  ferric  salts  would  dissolve  copper  and 
zinc  from  an  oxidized  ore,  reducing  the  ferric  salts  to 
the  ferrous  state,  and  that  he  re-generated  ferrous  salts 
back  to  ferric  by  the  use  of  MnO,.  I  spent  a  few  days  at 
that  time  investigating  this  process,  but  was  not  satis- 
fied with  the  extraction  obtained  or  the  quality  of  any 
zinc  product  we  could  get  from  the  solution. 

Several  years  ago  I  was  requested  to  investigate  a 
process  in  Oakland  to  recover  the  zinc  with  all  valuable 
metals  from  the  Afterthought  ore.  I  was  told  by  the  old 
gentleman  who  had  the  process  that  he  used  no  acid  and 
that  his  chemicals  cost  nothing;  all  that  he  used  was 
water  after  a  long-time  roast.  He  would  neither  let  me 
have  any  of  the  residue  nor  explain  anything  that  he 
used.  As  he  made  a  mystery  of  the  process,  would  not 
let  me  have  any  of  the  residue,  and  stated  that  he  would 
not  patent  his  process,  I  lost  faith  in  the  scheme.  Had 
he  given  me  any  of  the  residue,  and  had  we  found  it  to 
contain  some  manganese,  I  doubt  if  even  then  I  should 
have  suspected  that  it  had  been  added  to  the  original  ore 
before  roasting.  It  was  only  recently  that  a  friend  of 
mine  who  had  to  investigate  some  of  the  work  Charles 
Best  had  been  doing  before  he  died,  learned  that  his 
secret  was  the  addition  of  manganese  ore  to  the  sulphides 
before  roasting,  which  helped  to  oxidize  the  sulphur, 
forming  a  complete  reaction  to  sulphates  of  zine  and 
copper,  so  that  after  roasting  the  addition  of  water 
would  leach  oiit  as  much  as  95%  of  the  zinc  and  copper 
from  such  ore  as  the  Bully  Hill  or  Afterthought  mines. 

San  Francisco.  October  25.  S-  B-  Brbthbrton. 

[We  thank  Mr.  Bretherton  for  his  interesting  con- 
tribution and  hope  that  other  metallurgists  will  feel 
prompted  to  discuss  the  subject.  This  phase  of  metal- 
lurgy is  of  the  greatest  importance  in  the  West  where 
electric  energy  can  be  generated  cheaply,  and  where 
coal  is  so  expensive. — Editor.] 


December  2,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


795 


Officers  Reserve  Corps 

The  Editor : 

Sir — I  have  read  the  article  on  'Engineers  for  the  Of- 
ficers Reserve  Corps,'  by  A.  H.  Babcock,  appearing  in 
your  issue  of  November  18.  Permit  me  to  add  a  mite  to 
the  exhortation  at  the  end  of  the  article.  As  one  of  ten  or 
twelve  thousand  who  put  in  a  month  at  Plattsburg  this 
summer,  I  have  a  better  conception  now  of  the  highly 
technical  training  required  of  an  army  officer ;  of  the  in- 
adequacy of  one  month's  training  to  make  a  'rookie' 
competent  to  fill  any  military  position;  and  of  the  fear- 
ful condition  that  would  result  if  this  nation  should 
become  involved  in  war  while  it  has  an  insufficient  sup- 
ply of  officers  and  relies  on  untrained  volunteers  to  make 
an  army.  Inheritance  of  the  rights  of  citizenship  in  this 
nation  obligates  all  of  us  to  service.  One's  feeling  of 
generosity  in  giving  a  month's  vacation  to  the  country, 
in  undergoing  training,  soon  changes,  after  contact  with 
Army  officers,  to  the  realization  that  an  overdue  debt  to 
the  nation  is  being  paid  in  part.  Therefore,  engineers 
who  can  possibly  spare  the  time,  should  at  least  allow  the 
Army  officers  to  'take  a  crack'  at  them,  so  that  if  they 
are  wanted  they  may  have  some  military  training  when 
called  upon.  The  two  weeks'  training — and  it  should  be 
four  weeks — demanded  each  year,  for  five  years,  of  of- 
ficers in  the  Reserve  Corps,  if  it  is  anything  like  Platts- 
burg, will  prove  a  most  interesting  and  a  valuable  ex- 
perience ;  the  benefit  of  the  physical  training  alone  being 
worth  all  the  trouble  involved.  A  regular  Army  officer 
makes  a  very  spry  citizen  out  of  even  a  fat  man.  Engi- 
neers should  "do  their  bit"  while  the  going  is  good. 

"William  Hague. 
Grass  Valley,  November  19. 

[This  testimony  to  the  value  of  the  summer  training- 
camp  is  timely ;  so  is  the  hint  of  the  duty  owed  by  the 
citizen  to  the  State,  especially  by  the  more  intelligent 
type  of  citizen,  such  as  the  engineer.  •  "We  hope  all  of  our 
readers  have  read  Mr.  Babcock 's  article,  and  that  having 
read  it  they  will  appreciate  the  propriety  and  privilege 
of  doing  their  share  of  service  to  their  country. — Editor.] 


M.<&^mMm%   IF©5F@il<gsa   (Sajpitiafi 

The  Editor: 

Sir — The  way  to  obtain  the  greatest  possible  utility 
from  foreign  capital  is  to  do  as  the  keen  legislators  in 
one  South  American  republic  are  planning  to  do.  Begin 
by  simplifying  the  regulations  regarding  the  location  of 
mines  and  their  purchase.  Allow  the  foreigner  or  the 
foreign  company  to  operate  under  favorable  conditions. 
In  this  way,  properties  that  are  of  absolutely  no  value  to 
the  present  owners,  on  account  of  the  money  required  to 
develop  them,  can  be  sold  to  foreigners,  who  will  invest 
money,  employ  labor,  buy  produce,  pay  freights  and 
duties,  and  ship  copper  and  iron  ore. 

"When  there  are  enough  large  companies  operating  and 
sufficient  jealousy  among  the  citizens  of  the  country,  it 
is  a  simple  matter  to  put  an  export  duty  on  all  shipments 


of  minerals  or  metals  exceeding  a  fixed  tonnage.  This 
tonnage  will  be  chosen  so  that  all  native  companies  escape 
the  tax  and  all  foreign  companies  pay  the  tax.  After 
the  foreigners  are  once  in,  they  cannot  get  out,  and  an 
income  running  into  the  millions  can  thus  be  obtained. 
Of  course  care  must  be  taken  not  to  take  all  the  profits, 
or  if  these  are  taken,  it  must  be  only  in  cases  where  the 
foreigner  has  hopes  of  increasing  his  profits  to  a  point 
where  they  will  exceed  the  tax. 

There  are  some  statesmen  that  think,  with  your  corre- 
spondent Mr.  M.  B.  Yung,  that  mines  should  not  be  sold 
to  foreigners.  This  is  the  condition  in  Paraguay — and 
look  at  the  result !  With  such  premises,  assume  that  all 
of  us  "Westerners  decided  that  too  many  Easterners  were 
making  money  in  our  "Western  mines,  and  therefore  de- 
cided that  no  one  from  east  of  the  Mississippi  might  own 
mines  in  our  "Western  States.  That  would  be  so  fine  that 
those  of  us  in  California  would  carry  the  plan  a  step 
further  and  decide  that  only  Californians  may  own 
mines  in  California.  This  would  work  so  well  that  San 
Diego  county  would  pass  a  law  allowing  only  natives  of 
San  Diego  to  own  mines  in  the  county.  This  would  help 
the  county  so  much  that  the  Julian  district  would  copy, 
and  only  Julianites  might  work  mines  in  Julian.  Now, 
as  the  people  in  Julian  are  in  exactly  the  same  position 
that  the  Chinese  and  the  South  Americans  are  (no 
money  to  work  their  mines)  it  should  be  quite  clear  how 
rapidly  the  mineral  industry  is  going  to  develop  in  China 
under  Mr.  Yung's  scheme. 

Mining  is  not  exactly  what  the  outsider  considers  it. 
The  expression  'mining  company'  is  not  exactly  synony- 
mous with  'good  business'  though  many  'statesmen'  seem 
to  think  it  is  (including  statesmen  in  the  United  States). 
No,  it  isn't  all  profit,  as  many  an  investor  has  learned, 
to  his  sorrow. 

Once  there  was  a  very  little  boy  who  had  heard  his 
father  and  mother  discussing  "putting  money  into  the 
mine"  and  the  money  they  would  take  out  of  it.  Upon 
his  first  visit  to  the  property,  he  had  no  hesitation  in 
going  down  the  narrow  twisted  workings,  always  seeming 
to  be  looking  for  something.  "When  they  came  to  the 
surface,  father  said,  "Well,  son,  what  do  you  think  of 
the  mine?" 

"I  didn't  think  a  mine  was  like  that!"  he  said,  hesi- 
tatingly. 

"What  did  you  think  it  was  like?" 

""Why,"  he  said,  after  some  study,  "I  thought  it  was 
a  great  big  machine  with  two  holes  in  it.  One  hole  to 
put  in  a  little  money  and  the  other  hole  to  take  out  a 
lot!" 

At  Sea,  November  5. 

The  zinc  output  of  New  South  "Wales  has  increased 
greatly  the  past  10  years.  The  British  government  has 
agreed  to  take  100,000  tons  annually  of  zinc  concentrate 
from  that  province  during  the  War  and  for  10  years 
thereafter,  and  also  to  take  45,000  tons  of  spelter  made  in 
Australia.  This  will  require  about  115,000  tons  more 
of  zinc  concentrate. 


796 


MINING   and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


^dsiriki    J^M   to    M&Maag 


■rea 


ffia 


c: 


IKtffiKgJ 


By      ¥ii 


M  a  m.  jh  i  Si  i 


Introduction.  *On  two  foundation  industries,  agri- 
culture and  mining,  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  this 
country  rest.  Agriculture  is  unquestionably  still  the 
greatest  of  our  industries,  but  mining  is  easily  second  in 
importance.  The  value  of  the  products  and  the  number 
of  men  employed  by  these  two  industries  are  sufficient 
evidence  of  this  fact. 

In  this  country  agriculture  received  aid  from  the  Fed- 
eral government  and  the  States  long  before  mining,  and 
today,  as  far  as  official  encouragement  is  concerned,  agri- 
culture is  the  best  organized  of  all  our  industries.  You 
will  find  agricultural  organizations  in  every  State  in  the 
Union;  in  addition,  there  are  several  great  national  or- 
ganizations, any  one  of  which  is  at  all  times  ready  to 
call  attention  to  the  needs  of  agriculture. 

Mining  is  becoming  better  organized  and  a  number  of 
organizations,  ziotably  the  American  Mining  Congress, 
are  now  working  in  its  behalf,  but  we  have  much  farther 
to  go  to  reach  the  stage  of  organization  attained  by  agri- 
culture. This  organization  of  agriculture  is  reflected 
by  the  activities  of  the  Federal  government.  With  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  back  of  this  industry  and 
several  thousand  skilled  men  looking  after  its  every  in- 
terest; with  Congress  for  many  years  educated  to  the 
needs  of  agriculture,  it  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter 
for  agriculture  to  get  what  it  wants  in  the  way  of  ap- 
propriations. 

I  have  had  some  comparative  statistics  prepared  con- 
cerning the  two  great  industries  and  some  of  the  con- 
clusions reached  are  almost  startling.  According  to 
these  statistics,  mining  is  not  receiving  from  the  Fed- 
eral government  anything  like  its  just  share  of  the  ap- 
propriations annually  made.  The  statistics  show  that  if 
mining  were  to  receive  the  same  consideration  as  agri- 
culture, comparing  the  relative  value  of  the  outputs  of 
the  two  industries,  mining  would  receive  nearly  four 
times  as  much  as  it  now  receives,  or  $8,018,560  instead 
of  $2,333,075.  Another  interesting  comparison  shows 
that  the  Federal  government  in  the  present  year  has 
donated  to  the  farmers  one  dollar  for  every  $295  worth 
of  products  of  the  farms.  It  has'donated  to  mining  one 
dollar  for  every  $1017  worth  of  products  from  the  mines. 

I  am  pleased  to  say,  however,  that  mining  is  beginning 
to  receive  more  recognition.  Last  year  Congress  passed 
a  law  providing  for  the  establishment  in  several  impor- 
tant mining  regions  of  the  United  States  of  ten  mining- 
experiment  stations  and  seven  mine-safety  stations  in 
addition  to  those  already  established,  but  providing  that 
not  more  than  three  of  the  mining-experiment  stations 

*An  address  delivered  by  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of 
Mines  before  the  American  Mining  Congress  at  Chicago  on 
November  15. 


and  the  same  number  of  safety  stations  shall  be  estab- 
lished in  one  year. 

Having  thus  called  attention  to  the  comparative  finan- 
cial aid  given  by  the  Federal  government  to  the  two  great 
industries,  I  shall  summarize  somewhat  briefly  the  work 
done  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  its  efforts  to 
aid  mining.  That  Department,  as  you  know,  includes 
the  two  Federal  bureaus,  the  Geological  Survey  and  the 
Bureau  of  Mines,  whose  activities  relate  almost  wholly 
to  the  mineral  industries. 

No  other  country  in  the  world  has  such  vast  and  varied 
mineral  resources  as  the  United  States.  In  1880  the 
value  of  the  mineral  products  of  this  country,  according 
to  the  Tenth  Census,  was  $364,000,000 ;  in  1900  the  value 
had  risen  to  $1,063,600,000;  in  1910  to  $1,991,200,000; 
and  in  1915,  according  to  the  advance  figures  of  the 
Geological  Survey,  to  $2,373,000,000.  From  1880  to 
1915  the  population  of  the  United  States  increased  about 
100%,  whereas  the  value  of  its  mineral  production  in- 
creased nearly  seven-fold. 

But  this  tremendous  increase  in  production  has  been 
accompanied  by  unparalleled  waste,  in  both  the  produc- 
tion and  utilization  of  our  mineral  wealth,  with  too  little 
regard  for  the  health  and  safety  of  the  men  whose  labor 
converted  the  natural  resources  into  the  commercial 
products.  A  people  of  restless  energy,  individualistic, 
eager  for  immediate  success,  and  having  little  regard  for 
the  lessons  of  the  past,  we  have  indulged  in  an  orgy  of 
hasty  exploitation,  with  the  result  that  already  we  are 
nearing  the  limit  of  maximum  production  of  some  min- 
erals, although  the.  original  supply,  if  wisely  mined  and 
utilized,  would  have  lasted  us  many  years  longer  and 
would  have  brought  us  ten  times  the  wealth.  To  eon- 
serve  our  remaining  supplies,  that  is,  to  extract,  prepare, 
and  utilize  the  minerals  and  ores  in  such  manner  as  will 
be  of  most  benefit  to  the  Nation,  is  not  a  simple  nor  an 
easy  task.  Our  mineral  resources  are  many  and  extend 
throughout  great  areas,  occur  under  widely  varying  geo- 
logical conditions,  and  are  subject  in  large  part  to  State 
laws  that  differ  greatly. 

Evidently  no  one  State  should  be  expected  to  bear  the 
cost  of  investigations  that  are  of  interest  to  all  the  States, 
and  for  each  State  to  undertake  such  investigation  would 
cause  much  duplication  of  effort  and  unnecessary  ex- 
pense. 

The  Bureau  op  Mines.  Investigations  of  the  causes 
of  mine  explosions  and  the  methods  of  preventing  such 
explosions  were  begun  by  the  Government  in  response 
to  a  general  demand  that  measures  be  taken  to  lessen  the 
loss  of  life  in  mining  operations.  When  it  established 
the  Bureau  of  Mines,  Congress  directed  the  Bureau  to 
investigate  not  only  mine  explosions,  but  also  mine  acci- 


December  2.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


7117 


dents  in  general,  and  the  conditions  that  affect  health 
and  .safety,  and  also  to  investigate  methods  of  milling, 
treating,  and  utilizing  mineral  substances  with  a  view 
to  economic  development  and  the  prevention  of  waste. 

For  purposes  of  administration,  the  investigations  con- 
ducted by  the  Bureau  are  grouped  in  five  divisions: 
mining,  fuels  and  mechanical  equipment,  mineral  tech- 
nology, metallurgy,  and  petroleum,  each  in  charge  of  a 
chief  engineer. 

Safety  Investigations.  The  early  activities  of  the 
Bureau  centred  about  investigations  to  determine  the 
causes  of  explosions  in  coal  mines,  the  methods  by  which 
such  explosions  could  be  prevented  or  checked,  and  the 
development  of  safer  and  more  healthful  conditions. 
Consequently,  the  most  notable  result  of  the  Bureau's 
efforts  during  the  past  six  years  has  been  the  arousing 
of  a  wider  interest  in  greater  safety  and  more  healthful 
conditions  in  mines  and  metallurgical  plants,  and  the 
gaining  of  the  co-operation  and  active  aid  of  all  possible 
agencies  in  the  progress  of  improvement. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines  makes  no  claim  to  having  been 
the  first  agency  to  call  attention  to  the  high  death-rate 
among  miners ;  nor  does  it  claim  it  was  the  first  to  urge 
the  need  of  safer  methods.  It  has  gladly  welcomed  the 
aid  of  all  agencies  that  have  sought  to  better  conditions, 
and  it  freely  concedes  the  credit  that  is  due  them  for 
what  they  have  done.  The  Bureau  does  claim,  however, 
that  its  work  has  served  to  stimulate  a  nation-wide  move- 
ment for  greater  safety  in  all  industries  and  that  the 
value  of  this  work  has  been  great  and  cannot  be  measured 
in  dollars. 

Among  the  results  of  this  increasing  safety  and  health 
are  the  saving  of  life  among  miners  who  received  first- 
aid  treatment;  the  enactment  of  State  laws  to  increase 
safety,  prevent  accidents,  and  lessen  waste ;  and  the  ten- 
dency to  demand  more  efficient  inspection  in  mining  and 
other  industrial  establishments. 

The  Bureau  has  been  responsible  for  a  revolutionary 
change  in  the  use  of  explosives  in  coal  mines.  It  pointed 
out  the  dangers  attending  the  use  of  black  powder  in 
mines  that  were  gaseous  or  filled  with  coal  dust,  and 
urged  the  substitution  of  what  it  termed  'permissible 
explosives,'  those  that  had  successfully  passed  severe 
tests.  In  the  year  1908  only  2,000,000  pounds  of  these 
permissible  explosives  was  used  in  the  coal  mines  of  the 
United  States.  In  1915  the  amount  of  permissible  ex- 
plosives sold  was  27,350,000  lb.,  or  nearly  14  times  as 
much  as  in  1908. 

By  calling  attention  to  the  possible  dangers  attending 
the  use  of  electricity  in  mines  the  Bureau  has  led  manu- 
facturers to  devise  safer  types  of  apparatus,  especially 
electrical  switches  and  motors,  that  can  be  used  in  gas- 
eous atmospheres  without  danger  of  causing  explosions 
by  sparks  or  flashes.  Also,  the  Bureau's  activities  have 
led  to  the  manufacture  of  approved  types  of  hand  and 
cap  lamps  for  miners,  by  which  mining  is  rendered  safer. 
Several  States  have  followed  recommendations  for  en- 
acting stricter  laws  regarding  electrical  equipment  in 
mines.    Recently  the  Bureau  has  been  investigating  gaso- 


linr  and  storage-battery  locomotives  for  mine  haulage. 

In  co-operation  with  the  Public  Health  Service  the 
Bureau  has  investigated  the  health  conditions  in  certain 
of  the  metal-mining  districts  where  miner's  consump- 
tion, caused  by  the  breathing  of  silicious  dust,  is  preva- 
lent and  where  the  death-rate  from  this  disease  was 
causing  alarm.  It  has  shown  the  operators  and  miners 
the  injurious  effects  of  breathing  this  dust  and  how,  by 
the  proper  treatment  of  the  rock-dust,  deaths  from  this 
cause  may  be  greatly  reduced,  if  not  entirely  stopped. 
The  Bureau  has  pointed  out  how  the  homes  of  miners 
can  be  made  more  comfortable  and  more  sanitary,  and 
has  already  witnessed  its  recommendations  adopted  by 
mining  companies  and  construction  concerns. 

Some  direct  results  of  the  safety  movement  and  the 
workmen's  compensation  laws  have  been  a  saving  of 
thousands  of  men  to  their  families,  a  tremendous  reduc- 
tion in  the  amount  of  suffering  through  lessened  injuries, 
and,  where  men  have  lost  their  lives  through  the  hazards 
of  industry,  an  adequate  compensation  to  sustain  the 
widow  and  the  orphans. 

The  Bureau  sends  out  to  the  men  in  the  mines  pam- 
phlets called  'miners'  circulars,'  which  tell  of  the  dan- 
gers in  the  mines  and  the  precautions  a  man  should  take 
to  avoid  injury  and  disease.  The  Bureau  is  issuing  a 
number  of  these  safety-papers  for  the  especial  benefit  of 
foreign-born  miners,  each  paper  being  printed  in  a  for- 
eign language  with  the  English  translation  on  the  facing 
page,  so  that  the  miner  is  enabled  to  learn  English  at 
the  same  time  that  he  learns  the  safety-lessons. 

Since  the  Government  began  its  educational  work  of 
demonstrating  the  use  of  rescue  apparatus  and  of  train- 
ing miners  in  methods  of  recovery  work  and  administer- 
ing first-aid  to  those  injured  by  accidents,  more  than 
40,000  miners  have  been  trained  by  the  crews  of  the 
Bureau's  stations  and  cars.  Moreover,  as  a  result  of 
this  educational  work  and  of  the  efforts  of  men  who  had 
received  training,  nearly  1000  men  have  been  rescued 
from  mines  after  explosions  or  other  disasters.  It  is 
estimated  that  at  more  than  1000  mines  there  are  now 
well-equipped  and  trained  rescue-crews.  Interest  in 
first-aid  methods  is  being  stimulated  by  contests  between 
teams  representing  different  mining  companies  and  by 
teams  representing  miners'  organizations  in  different 
States. 

The  additional  safety-stations  to  be  provided  under 
the  terms  of  the  act  approved  by  Congress  in  1915  will 
enable  training  to  be  given  in  districts  where  such 
training  and  proper  facilities  have  long  been  requested. 

The  Bureau's  engineers  have  been  highly  successful 
in  developing  devices  for  preventing  dust  explosions  in 
coal  mines.  Dusts  from  hundreds  of  mines  in  different 
coal-fields  have  been  studied  and  their  relative  inflam- 
mability has  been  determined.  In  addition,  suggested 
methods  of  rendering  coal-dust  harmless  have  been  tested 
at  the  experimental  coal  mine. 

Since  the  Bureau  was  created  it  has  kept  careful  sta- 
tistics of  the  number  of  men  killed  in  coal  mines,  metal 
mines,    and    quarries    throughout    the    country.     These 


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MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


statistics  now  cover  a  period  of  five  years  and  show  in 
the  first  year,  1911,  a  total  of  3539  killed  in  all  of  the 
coal  and  metal  mines  and  quarries  of  the  United  States, 
with  a  death-rate  of  3.52  for  every  1000  employed.  There 
has  been  a  steady  decrease  not  only  in  the  number  of 
men  killed  but  also  in  the  death-rate.  For  the  year  1915, 
there  were  2970  men  killed  with  a  death-rate  of  but  3.01 
for  each  1000  employed. 

The  greatest  progress  has  been  made  in  coal  mining. 
The  statistics  for  the  year  1915  show  these  important 
conclusions.  The  actual  number  of  men  killed  was  the 
lowest  in  the  last  eight  years.  The  death-rate  for  each 
1000  men  employed  was  the  lowest  in  the  last  16  years. 
The  number  of  tons  of  coal  produced  for  each  miner 
killed  was  the  largest  in  the  entire  history  of  coal  mining 
in  the  United  States. 

While  the  year  1915  was  the  safest  ever  known  in  coal 
mining  in  the  United  States,  the  figures  for  the  first 
eight  months  of  1916  indicate  that  the  1915  record  will 
be  eclipsed.  For  these  eight  months  of  this  year  there 
are  72  less  fatalities  than  for  the  same  months  of  1915,  a 
reduction  of  5%  from  the  record  of  that  year.  The 
United  States  today  mines  40%  of  the  world's  output  of 
coal,  or  as  much  as  Great  Britain  and  Germany  com- 
bined ;  and  its  coal  mines  employ  more  than  three-quar- 
ters of  a  million  men. 

Recognizing  the  need  of  reliable  figures  of  deaths  and 
injuries  in  the  mineral  industries,  as  a  basis  for  determin- 
ing the  hazards,  and  the  rules  and  regulations  needed  for 
safety,  the  Bureau  compiles  and  publishes  annually  acci- 
dent statistics  for  coke-ovens,  ore-dressing  plants,  and 
smelters,  as  well  as  quarries.  Under  a  co-operative  ar- 
rangement with  all  State  coal-mine  inspectors  it  pub- 
lishes a  monthly  report  of  coal-mine  fatalities,  showing 
their  number,  cause,  and  distribution  by  States.  Re- 
cently the  Bureau  published  a  compilation  of  all  coal- 
mine fatalities  (over  50,000)  reported  by  State  mine- 
inspectors  since  the  beginning  of  inspection  by  each 
State,  the  figures  covering  the  mining  of  more  than  89% 
of  all  the  coal  produced  in  the  United  States  since  1807. 
More  Efficient  Methods.  Investigations  of  the  prob- 
lems of  miscellaneous  mineral  technology  include  safety 
and  efficiency  in  the  preparation  and  use  of  the  minor 
metals,  rare  metals,  and  various  minerals  used  in  the 
arts.  In  these  investigations  especial  attention  has  been 
given  to  the  possibility  of  eliminating  some  of  the  great 
waste  that  takes  place  and,  incidentally,  to  increasing 
the  efficiency  of  manufacturing  prcfcesses  and  the  substi- 
tution of  domestic  for  imported  products.  These  investi- 
gations have  already  demonstrated  the  extent  and  variety 
of  the  losses  occasioned  by  methods  in  current  use. 

The  feldspar,  mica,  and  kaolin  resources  of  the  Appa- 
lachian region,  and  the  kaolin  resources  of  the  Coastal 
Plain  region  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  have  been 
studied  with  reference  to  the  needs  of  American  potters. 
The  results  show  that  American  feldspar  is  equal,  if  not 
superior,  to  that  obtainable  elsewhere,  that  many  of  the 
kaolin  deposits  of  the  southern  Appalachian  region  yield 
china-clay  that  is  remarkably  white  and  equal  in  quality 


to  any  imported,  and  that  by  a  simple  and  inexpensive 
treatment  under  careful  control,  the  immense  deposits 
of  kaolin  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Atlantic  Coastal 
plain  may  be  made  available  for  china  and  other  white 
ware. 

An  investigation  of  the  fuller's  earth  industry  of  the 
country  has  been  instrumental  in  bringing  about  a  great 
increase  in  the  production  and  utilization  of  domestic 
earth  during  the  last  few  years. 

In  co-operation  with  the  American  Institute  of  Metals 
and  the  chemical  department  of  Cornell  University,  the 
Bureau  of  Mines  has  studied  the  manufacture  of  brass 
and  other  non-ferrous  alloys,  with  especial  reference  to 
preventing  the  known  large  waste  of  metal  in  both  dross 
and  fume,  that  amount  to  at  least  $2,000,000  a  year. 
Methods  of  reducing  this  loss  have  been  pointed  out  and 
the  development  of  an  efficient  type  of  electric  furnace 
seems  assured. 

Probably  the  most  striking  of  the  mineral-technology 
investigations  has  been  that  dealing  with  radium. 
Through  the  co-operation  of  the  National  Radium  Insti- 
tute a  plant  was  built  at  Denver  for  producing  radium 
from  the  carnotite  of  Colorado.  This  plant  has  been  in 
successful  operation  for  nearly  three  years,  and  has  pro- 
duced six  grams  of  radium,  which  is  to  be  used  in  the 
treatment  of  cancer  and  malignant  tumors.  This  work 
has  shown  that  the  price  formerly  paid  for  carnotite  was 
entirely  out  of  proportion  to  the  value  of  the  mineral 
contained,  and  that  from  Government-owned  ore,  at 
least,  radium  can  be  supplied  to  the  hospitals  of  the 
Army,  Navy,  and  Public  Health  Service  at  a  cost  not  ex- 
ceeding $36,500  per  gram,  or  one-third  of  the  price  that 
had  been  asked  by  foreign  producers. 

Incident  to  this  work  methods  for  determining  radium, 
concentrating  the  low-grade  carnotite  ores,  and  extract- 
ing uranium  and  vanadium  from  carnotite  were  de- 
veloped. 

The  metallurgical  investigations  of  the  Bureau  have 
been  confined  chiefly  to  the  smelter-smoke  problem,  the 
treatment  of  low-grade  and  complex  ores,  and  to  the 
safety  and  health  of  employees  at  blast-furnaces  and 
steel  works. 

In  its  endeavor  to  find  ways  of  lessening  damage  to 
vegetation  and  to  animals  and  of  recovering  and  utilizing 
substances  being  wasted  in  smelter-smoke,  the  Bureau 
co-operated  with  the  Selby  and  the  Anaconda  smelter 
commissions.  The  report  of  the  Selby  commission,  pub- 
lished as  a  bulletin  by  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  has  received 
much  attention,  and  the  methods  of  procedure  described 
are  being  followed  in  other  metallurgical-smoke  investi- 
gations both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  The  Anaconda 
commission  is  continuing  its  investigations.  Each  com- 
mission has  been  entirely  independent  of  the  Bureau  of 
Mines,  hut  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  has  served  as  a 
member  of  each,  and  the  Bureau  has  co-operated  in  the 
investigations.  Especial  attention  has  been  given  the 
removal  of  sulphur  from  smelter-gases. 

Investigations  of  methods  of  treating  the  low-grade 
and  complex  ores  of  Utah  and  adjacent  States  are  show- 


December  2.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


799 


ing  what  new  methods  are  needed  or  how  old  methods 
should  he  improved  to  treat  millions  of  tons  of  ore  that 
lie  unworked  because  of  the  lack  of  efficient  and  profit- 
able methods  for  saving  the  contained  metals. 

Summarized,  the  principal  results  of  this  work  have 
been  the  development  of  a  brine-leaching  process  for  ex- 
tracting lead  from  low-grade  and  complex  ores;  the  de- 
velopment of  a  process  for  the  recovery  of  lead  and  zinc 
from  lead-zinc  sulphides;  the  application  of  flotation  to 
the  recovery  of  the  lead  in  carbonate  ores;  the  develop- 
ment of  a  process  for  the  recovery  of  zinc  from  low- 
grade,  complex  ores  of  that  metal ;  and  the  development 
of  a  process  for  the  production  of  zinc-dust  from  solu- 
tions of  zinc. 

The  investigations  of  fuels  and  mining  equipment  have 
thrown  light  on  the  process  of  combustion  in  furnaces 
and  gas  producers,  and  have  led  to  the  design  of  more 
efficient  boilers.  The  development  of  an  improved  type 
of  breathing-apparatus  for  use  by  rescue-men  in  mines 
after  explosions  or  fires,  and  the  demonstration  of  the 
precautions  that  should  attend  the  use  of  gasoline-loco- 
motives in  mines,  are  results  of  this  investigation. 

The  petroleum  investigations  have  shown  that  the 
enormous  wastes  of  natural  gas  and  petroleum  which 
have  attended  the  development  of  gas  and  oil-fields  have 
not  been  confined  to  the  gas  that  escaped  into  the  air,  to 
the  losses  by  fires,  and  to  the  evaporation  of  oil  in  reser- 
voirs or  tanks.  The  unseen  wastes  underground  through 
improper  methods  of  drilling  and  casing  wells,  by  which 
gas  has  dissipated  into  porous  beds  from  which  it  cannot 
be  recovered,  or  water  has  drowned  out  oil-fields  before 
more  than  a  small  proportion  of  the  oil  has  been  obtained 
have  annually  resulted  in  decreasing  our  national  wealth 
by  many  millions  of  dollars. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines  has  shown  how  these  wastes  in 
production  can  be  largely  eliminated  by  improved  meth- 
ods of  drilling,  especially  by  sealing  porous  beds  with 
fluid-mud  and  by  making  suitable  provision  for  the  con- 
trol of  high  gas-pressures.  Also,  the  Bureau  has  been 
instrumental  in  increasing  efficient  utilization  of  natural 
gas,  petroleum,  and  products,  through  its  studies  of  the 
recovery  of  gasoline  from  natural  gas,  and  the  attention 
it  gave  to  the  development  of  the  Bittman  'cracking' 
process  for  obtaining  gasoline,  benzene  and  toluene  from 
petroleum. 

Mining  Regulations.  In  the  endeavor  to  promote 
safety  and  efficiency  in  mining  by  aiding  State  legis- 
latures to  enact  more  effective  laws,  the  Bureau  of  Mines 
has  examined  all  Federal  and  State  statutes  relating  to 
mines  and  mineral  property,  and  all  decisions  of  courts 
of  last  resort  in  which  these  statutes  have  been  con- 
strued or  interpreted.  A  large  bulletin  recently  issued 
embraces  all  the  United  States  mining  statutes  and  is 
annotated  by  references  to  all  important  decisions.  Also, 
the  Bureau  is  publishing  at  regular  intervals  digests  of 
decisions  bearing  on  mining  that  have  been  handed  down 
by  State  and  United  States  courts  of  last  resort.  Still 
another  work  has  been  the  publishing  of  proposed  rules 
and  regulations  for  metal  mines.     A  proposed  code  of 


rules  to  govern  the  installation  of  electrical  equipment 
in  mines  is  now  in  course  of  publication. 

Training  of  Engineers.  My  statement  of  the  work 
the  Bureau  of  Mines  is  doing  for  safety  and  efficiency  in 
the  mineral  industries  would  be  incomplete  if  I  did  not 
call  attention  to  the  increasing  importance  of  the  Bureau 
as  a  training-school  for  engineers  and  chemists.  The 
services  of  the  expert  chemist  and  engineer  are  in  greater 
demand  today  than  ever  before.  This  fact  has  been 
brought  home  to  me  by  the  number  of  men  who  have 
recently  left  the  Bureau  to  engage  in  private  work  at 
salaries  far  larger  than  the  Government  now  pays.  It 
seems  to  me  that,  in  considering  Federal  aid  to  mining 
efficiency,  we  should  endeavor  to  realize  the  profound  in- 
fluence that  these  men  will  exert  in  making  our  industries 
safer  and  more  efficient. 

Federal  Appropriations.  For  the  present  fiscal  year 
the  appropriations  for  the  Bureau's  work  are  more  than 
100%  larger  than  for  the  fiscal  year  1911,  the  first  year 
of  the  Bureau's  existence.  Still  larger  appropriations 
were  virtually  promised  by  Congress  when  it  voted  early 
in  1915  to  establish  and  maintain  ten  new  mining  experi- 
ment stations  and  seven  new  mine-safety  stations. 

The  specific  purpose  of  the  appropriations  made  has 
been  largely  influenced  by  the  earlier  investigations  deal- 
ing with  mine  explosions.  Thus,  in  1911,  60%  of  the 
funds  appropriated  were  for  investigating  mine  acci- 
dents, 20%  for  testing  fuels,  13%  for  general  expenses, 
and  7%  for  inspecting  mines  in  the  Territories  and  mak- 
ing public  reports.  As  a  result,  most  of  the  investiga- 
tions made  hitherto  have  been  incidental  to  mine-safety 
work  and  related  to  coal  mining  rather  than  to  metal 
mining. 

The  appropriations  for  the  present  fiscal  year  provide 
$100,000  for  mining  investigations,  and  $70,000  for  in- 
vestigations of  petroleum  and  natural  gas.  These  funds 
will  enable  the  Bureau  to  extend  its  activities  in  fields 
that  previously  have  received  only  incidental  attention. 

Projected  Activities.  The  10  new  mining-experi- 
ment stations  are  to  be  administered  by  the  Bureau  of 
Mines  and  are  to  be  located  at  points  in  the  mining 
regions  where  work  can  be  done  to  best  advantage,  plans 
have  been  perfected  for  the  immediate  establishment  of 
the  first  three  of  these  stations — one  in  Alaska,  one  in  the 
Pacific  North-west,  and  one  in  the  South-west. 

Also  plans  have  been  prepared  for  developing  the  10 
stations  into  individual  centres  of  research,  each  attack- 
ing those  problems  of  most  interest  to  the  locality  in 
which  it  is  situated.- 

One  of  the  great  needs  of  the  mining  industry  is  the 
development  of  electro-metallurgical  processes  for  the 
reduction  of  the  base  metals.  In  certain  parts  of  the 
country,  as  the  Pacific  North-west,  vast  water-power  is 
available  and  electricity  can  be  generated  at  minimum 
cost.  There  a  satisfactory  electro-metallurgical  process 
would  make  commercially  profitable  the  working  of  mil- 
lions of  tons  of  mineral  deposits  that  cannot  now  be 
worked  at  a  profit.  • 

Of  the  projected  investigations  none  is  of  more  im- 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


portance  than  the  study  of  ventilation  in  metal  mines. 
Preliminary  work  and  the  data  obtained  in  related  in- 
vestigations have  shown  the  scope  and  character  of  in- 
vestigation needed  and  the  Bureau  hopes  to  be  able  to 
resume  the  work  in  the  coming  fiscal  year. 

A  study  of  subsidence,  earth-pressures,  and  roof-sup- 
ports in  mining  promises  results  of  great  importance  to 
mining  and  to  various  engineering  enterprises. 

In  tunneling  under  bodies  of  water  or  in  shaft-sinking 
through  water-bearing  ground  special  methods  are  re- 
quired. Many  cities  are  driving  tunnels  under  bodies  of 
water  for  transportation  purposes  or  for  water  supply, 
and  the  Bureau  has  been  asked  to  give  advice,  more 
especially  at  Milwaukee  and  Cleveland,  where  tunnel 
disasters  have  occurred.  If  the  funds  are  made  available 
the  Bureau  will  take  up  this  work,  and  also  study  meth- 
ods of  insuring  better  ventilation  in  tunnels. 

In  investigations  relating  to  the  iron  and  steel  industry 
the  Bureau  will  endeavor  to  develop  methods  of  produc- 
ing iron  and  steel  with  a  smaller  consumption  of  fuel,  to 
discover  and  make  available  materials  now  imported,  and 
to  develop  processes  for  recovering  useful  substances 
from  waste  products.  Among  these  proposed  studies  are : 
An  investigation  of  blast-furnace  coke ;  the  use  of  an  oxy- 
gen-enriched blast  at  furnaces ;  the  feasibility  of  recover- 
ing manganese  and  other  ferro-alloys  from  the  wastes 
of  the  metallurgical  industries;  determination  of  the 
amount  of  potash  and  phosphorous  salts  available  theo- 
retically in  the  fumes,  gases,  and  slags  of  the  industry, 
and  the  practicability  of  recovering  them  on  a  commer- 
cial scale. 

Mining  Teems.  In  any  proposal  recommended  as  a 
basis  for  mining  laws  that  seek  to  increase  safety  or  effi- 
ciency, it  is  essential  that  the  terms  used  shall  be  precise 
and  have  more  than  a  local  use,  or  that  the  terms  be  care- 
fully defined  in  the  act  itself.  The  confusion  and  un- 
certainty caused  by  using  terms  of  varying  significance 
without  defining  them  is  well  illustrated  in  the  legal 
decisions  construing  the  Federal  mining-land  law.  Rec- 
ognizing the  need  of  a  comprehensive  glossary  that  shall 
define  mining  terms  with  particular  reference  to  their 
usage  in  the  United  States,  the  Bureau  of  Mines  is  pre- 
paring a  glossary  that  will  contain  all  available  terms 
used  in  coal  and  metal  mining;  quarrying,  and  metal- 
lurgical practice;  geological  terms  as  related  to  mining; 
names  and  definitions  of  the  commoner  useful  minerals ; 
and  also  terms  used  in  the  oil  and  gas  industry.  The 
work  has  progressed  to  such  an  extent  that  about  10,000 
terms  have  been  arranged  alphabetically,  and  work  is 
being  conducted  to  verify  terms  selected  from  former 
glossaries  and  to  add  new  terms. 

After  the  War.  American  industries  have  met  and 
overcome  foreign  competition  in  the  markets  of  the  world 
by  reason  of  the  abundance  of  our  natural  resources,  the 
ingenuity  of  our  inventors,  and  the  use  of  improved  ma- 
chinery by  which  higher  wages  paid  here  are  compen- 
sated by  the  greater  value  of  the  output  per  man.  Today 
Europe  is  being  forced  to  increase  the  per  capita  output 
of  its  artisans,  to  '  hustle ',  to  use  labor-saving  machinery 


on  an  unprecedented  scale,  and  to  make  a  larger  use  of 
female  labor  in  many  occupations.  After  the  War  many 
of  the  millions  now  under  arms  or  engaged  in  making 
military  supplies  will  be  employed  in  the  industries  of 
peace,  much  of  the  labor-saving  machinery  will  not  be 
scrapped  but  will  be  used  in  making  products  that  will 
be  needed,  and  the  increased  efficiency  developed  through 
the  necessities  of  war  may  be  expected  to  persist  for  an 
indefinite  period. 

In  the  readjustments  that  will  follow  the  coming  of 
peace,  the  American  producer  will  have  to  consider  not 
only  the  mineral  industries  of  a  different  Europe,  but 
also  the  effect  of  these  differences  on  the  output  of  mines 
and  works  in  Canada,  Mexico,  South  America,  Asia,  and 
Africa.  Clearly  some  of  our  old  standards  of  trade  are 
liable  to  disappear ;  new  conditions  will  create  new  prob- 
lems. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  chief  needs  of  the  United 
States,  if  it  is  to  meet  these  new  conditions  successfully, 
are  a  wider  and  deeper  co-operation  among  our  in- 
dustries, an  elimination  of  factionalism  and  sectionalism, 
and  the  growth  of  a  desire  to  work  together  for  the  com- 
mon good. 

Inasmuch  as  no  plan  of  co-operation  can  be  most  ef- 
fective unless  based  on  willingness  and  desire  rather  than 
on  compulsion,  and  as  everybody  can  aid  in  some  way,  I 
ask  the  members  of  the  American  Mining  Congress  to  en- 
deavor in  their  undertakings  to  bring  about  the  substi- 
tution of  what  has  been  termed  ' '  co-operation  in  competi- 
tion" for  that  intense  and  selfish  competition  which  has 
led  to  ruthless  waste  of  our  natural  resources  and  shock- 
ing disregard  of  human  life.  The  Bureau  of  Mines  has 
sought  and  seeks  your  co-operation  in  all  its  efforts  to 
benefit  the  mineral  industries  and  the  men  who  labor  in 
them.  Nothing  has  given  me  greater  pleasure  than  the 
manner  in  which  the  American  Mining  Congress  and 
other  organizations,  as  well  as  mining  companies,  and 
miners,  engineers,  and  chemists  have  responded  to  that 
appeal,  and  I  gladly  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my 
gratification. 

But,  after  all,  the  work  for  greater  national  efficiency 
is  hardly  more  than  started ;  what  remains  to  be  done  is 
far  larger  than  what  has  been  accomplished,  and  for  this 
reason  I  hope  that  you  will  continue  to  aid  the  Bureau  in 
its  investigations,  offering  suggestions  or  making  criti- 
cisms as  you  see  fit,  and  adopting  such  of  its  recommenda- 
tions as  you  find  practicable.  Federal  aid  to  efficiency 
cannot  accomplish  what  it  should  iinless  you  feel  that 
the  Government  is  endeavoring  to  help  you,  and  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior  and  the  Bureau  of  Mines  cannot 
do  what  they  wish  to  do  unless  you  perceive  that  behind 
their  efforts  to  aid  efficiency  in  mining  is  the  desire  to 
advance  the  welfare  of  this  country  and  through  that  to 
contribute  to  the  betterment  of  all  mankind. 

The  United  States  leads  the  world  in  the  production 
of  tungsten  ores  and  alloys  of  tungsten.  Before  the  War, 
Great  Britain  controlled  the  tungsten  production  and 
Germany  the  manufacture  of  tungsten  alloys. 


December  -J.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


SOI 


Fig.  4.     main  shafts,  compressoe-house,  coaese-crushinq   plant,  and  storage-bins  of 
inspibation  consolidated  coppee  co. 


By 


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A.      WBaiiaaag 


*One  of  the  advantages  of  electric  drive  is  the  ease 
with  which  motors  can  be  controlled  automatically.  In 
many  cases  some  features  of  the  control  are  automatic — 
for  example,  the  rate  of  acceleration  may  be  limited 
automatically  or  the  equipment  may  be  stopped  auto- 
matically at  the  limit  of  travel — but  the  equipment  is 
ordinarily  started  and  stopped  by  hand.  In  other  cases 
the  motion  of  the  machinery  is  utilized  to  start,  control 
the  speed,  and  stop  the  motor  automatically,  independ- 
ently of  any  operator. 

A  considerable  number  of  the  large  mine-hoists  now 
in  use  have  automatic  features,  particularly  protective 
devices  against  over-winding,  and,  in  some  types  of 
electric  hoists,  devices  for  preventing  excessive  accelera- 
tion or  retardation.  The  large  automatic  hoists  dis- 
cussed in  this  paper,  however,  are  completely  automatic, 
that  is,  capable  of  making  their  trips  without  the  pres- 
ence of  an  operator  at  the  control-levers. 

According  to  circumstances,  various  advantages  may 
be  obtained  by  automatic  control,  chief  of  which  are  de- 
creased power  consumption,  increased  precision  and 
safety  of  operation,  and  decreased  cost  of  attendance. 
The  first  step  in  the  analysis  of  a  prospective  automatic 
mine-hoist  is  to  determine  whether  automatic  operation 
is  feasible  at  all.  If  men  are  to  be  hoisted,  or  skips 
changed  at  levels,  the  attention  of  an  operator  is  re- 

*  Abstract  from  General  Electric  Review,  a  paper  originally  • 
presented  at  the  September  meeting  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Mining  Engineers. 


quired;  but  under  some  conditions  it  may  be  entirely 
practicable  and  advantageous  to  build  the  equipment  so 
that,  while  provision  is  made  for  hoisting  men  or  chang- 
ing levels,  ore  can  be  hoisted  automatically  from  any 
one  level.  If,  however,  an  operator's  attention  is  re- 
quired every  few  minutes  for  changing  levels,  hauling 
men  or  drills,  or  for  other  work  requiring  hand-control, 
it  is  obvious  that  automatic  operation  between  times 
will  not  be  of  any  practical  benefit. 

For  a  slow  hoisting-speed  it  may  be  possible  for  the 
skip  or  cage  to  pass  through  the  dumping-point  at  full 
speed,  and  a  sufficiently  accurate  stop  may  possibly  be 
obtained  automatically  by  cutting-off  power  and  apply- 
ing the  brakes  at  full  speed.  In  this  case,  either  a  shunt- 
wound  direct-current  motor  or  an  induction-motor  may 
be  used.  A  number  of  slow-speed  automatic  hoists  are 
arranged  in  this  manner,  and  are  driven  by  induction- 
motors.  One  equipment  of  this  type  used  in  mining  is 
the  inclined  hoist  for  hoisting  concentrate  at  one  of  the 
mills  of  the  Arizona  Copper  Co.  This  hoist  has  a  rope- 
speed  of  approximately  275  ft.  per  minute. 

For  higher  rope-speeds,  at  least  over  400  ft.  per 
minute,  it  is  necessary  to  consider  carefully  the  speed- 
characteristics  obtainable  from  the  type  of  drive  pro- 
posed. For  these  higher  rope-speeds,  it  is  necessary  to 
slow-down  before  entering  the  dumping-horns.  Fur- 
thermore, the  speed  about  midway  in  the  dump  must 
usually  be  reduced  below  the  maximum  safe  speed  enter- 
ing the  dump.     A  reasonably  accurate  stop  is  always 


802 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


required ;  in  some  cases  a  total  variation  of  2  or  3  ft. 
might  not  prove  prohibitive,  but  in  other  eases  the  stop 
must  be  more  accurate.  For  reliable  operation,  it  is 
nearly  always  imperative  that  the  automatic-control 
system  shall  act  in  like  manner  irrespective  of  load,  that 
is,  that  the  rate  of  retardation  and  the  position  of  stop- 
ping be  nearly  the  same  whether  the  skip  comes  up 
loaded  or  empty. 

There  is  only  one  class  of  motive-power  that  is  in- 
herently suited  for  automatic  operation  at  high  rope- 
speeds,  namely,  the  direct-current  shunt-wound  motor 
with  voltage  control.  The  speed-torque  characteristics 
for  an  equipment  of  this  character  are  represented  in 
Pig.  1.     These  curves  are  typical  of  this  class  of  equip- 


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MINE-HOIST  WITH  GENEBATOB  FIELD-CONTEOL. 

ment,  although  the  exact  slope  of  the  curves  will  vary 
slightly  in  individual  cases.  Curve  1  shows  the  char- 
acteristic on  the  lowest,  and  curve  5  the  characteristic 
on  the  highest,  speed  position  of  the  controller  for  the 
case  selected.  The  intermediate  curves  represent  three 
controller  points  arbitrarily  selected  out  of  a  total  of 
30  or  more.  It  will  be  observed  that  these  curves  are 
nearly,  but  not  quite,  parallel.  That  is  to  say,  the  in- 
crease in  speed  in  passing  from  full  load  to  no  load  is 
approximately,  but  not  exactly,  the  same  for  the  various 
positions  of  the  controller.  The  deviation  from  parallel- 
ism is  due  to  the  effect  of  armature  reactions  in  the 
generator  and  hoist-motor,  and  may  be  somewhat  dif- 
ferent for  different  cases ;  but  its  effect  is  negligible. 

The  net  advantages  (for  the  purpose  of  automatic 
hoisting)  obtained  by  this  system  of  drive  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

As  the  hoist-controller  is  moved  back  toward  the  off- 
position  the  hoist  is  retarded.  In  case  the  net  rope-pull 
is  sufficient  and  the  stored  energy  of  the  moving  system 
is  not  too  great,  the  hoist-motor  simply  drops  back  in 


speed  to  correspond  to  the  reduced  generator  voltage 
obtained  on  the  intermediate  position  of  the  controller. 
If,  however,  the  net  rope-pull  is  low  (particularly  with 
empty  skips  in  balance),  and  if  the  stored  energy  of  the 
moving  system  is  high,  the  hoist-motor  will  invert,  mo- 
mentarily, and  will  act  as  a  generator,  returning  power 
to  the  motor-generator  set.  This  effect  is  represented 
in  Pig.  1  by  the  extension  of  the  curves  below  zero- 
torque.  In  this  manner,  if  the  controller  is  moved  to- 
ward the  off  position  more  rapidly  than  the  hoist  tends 
to  come  to  rest  under  the  influence  of  the  load,  the  hoist- 
motor  forcibly  retards  the  hoist.  If  the  controller  is 
moved  back  at  the  same  rate  in  both  cases,  the  hoist  will 
be  retarded  to  nearly  the  same  speed,  and  in  nearly  the 
same  time,  irrespective  of  load  in  the  skip. 

It  is  fairly  obvious  that  the  steam  hoist  is  unable  to 
approach  closely  the  speed  conditions  described.  The 
steam  hoist,  of  course,  is  capable  of  retarding  a  load  by 
working  against  the  steam  or  compression,  but  the  vital 
points  in  relation  to  automatic  hoisting  are:  (1)  for 
the  same  throttle  opening  and  cut-off,  the  speed  will 
vary  widely  with  variation  in  load;  and  (2)  if  the  throt- 
tle is  partly  closed  or  the  cut-off  advanced  to  a  point  at 
which  the  skip  will  enter  the  dump  at  a  suitable  reduced 
speed,  the  engine  will  exert  only  a  slight  retarding- 
torque  (if  any)  to  help  retard  from  full  speed  to  the  re- 
duced speed  at  which  the  engine  tends  to  continue. 
Most  of  the  retardation  must  therefore  come  from  the 
load,  which  is  variable  or  may  even  be  negative.  Fur- 
thermore, with  a  partly  closed  throttle  the  final  speed  at 
which  the  engine  tends  to  continue  will  vary  widely 
with  variation  in  load. 

The  induction-motor  hoist,  in  its  relation  to  automatic 
hoisting,  has  somewhat  the  same  characteristics  as  the 
steam  hoist.     Pig.  2  represents  the  speed-torque  char-' 


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Fig.  2.    typical  speed-toeque  cubves  foe  induction- 
motoe  dbiven  mine-hoist. 

acteristics  of  a  typical  mine-hoist  induction  motor.  In  a 
direct-current  hoist,  a  given  retardation  can  be  accom- 
plished in  a  certain  time  and  distance  by  the  same 
manipulation   of  the   control,   irrespective  of  the   load 


December  2.  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


803 


hoisted.  In  a  steam  or  air  hoist  or  an  induction- motor 
hoist,  a  like  retardation  of  different  loads  requires  dif- 
ferent manipulation  of  the  control. 

These  characteristics  indicate,  and  their  further  con- 
sideration confirms,  the  conclusion  that  high-speed  mine- 
hoists  that  are  to  be  operated  automatically  must  be,  in 
almost  all  cases,  driven  by  direct  current. 

When  the  arrangement  of  its  main  shafts  was  under 
consideration  by  the  Inspiration  Consolidated  Copper 
Co.,  a  concurrence  of  several  conditions  indicated  the 
possibility  of  effecting  a  saving  by  hoisting  the  ore  auto- 
matically. These  conditions  were  as  follows:  (1)  A 
direct-current  equipment  was  necessary  in  any  case,  as 
a  motor-generator  set  was  required  for  the  fly-wheel 
equalization  as  provided  in  the  power  contract  with  the 
U.  S.  Reclamation  Service.  [From  hydro-electric  power 
generated  at  the  Roosevelt  dam. — Editor.]  (2)  The  ore 
was  all  to  be  hoisted  from  one  level.  (3)  Drills,  timbers, 
supplies,  and  waste  were  to  be  hauled  through  a  drift 
opening.  (4)  Men  were  to  be  hauled  on  a  separate  hoist 
exclusively.  (5)  On  account  of  the  moderate  depth  and 
rope-speed  only  a  moderate  retardation  effort  would  be 
required. 

Two  three-compartment  shafts  have  been  sunk  for  two 
independent  balanced  hoists,  each  hoist  being  adequate 
in  an  emergency  to  keep  the  concentrating-plant  operat- 
ing at  practically  full  capacity.  The  third  compartment 
of  one  shaft  contains  a  double-deck  man-cage,  operating 
against  a  counter-balance  weight,  and  the  third  com- 
partment in  the  other  shaft  carries  this  counter-weight, 
together  with  air-pipes,  power-cables,  etc.  Skips  carry- 
ing 12^  tons  are  used,  and  the  ordinary  hoisting  schedule 
for  which  the  equipment  was  designed  called  for  an  out- 
put of  10,000  tons,  with  a  maximum  capacity  of  14,000 
tons,  in  14  hours.  The  hoists  are  at  one  end  of  the  com- 
pressor-house.   No.  2  hoist,  in  the  background  in  Fig.  3, 


Fig.  3.     main  hoists  at  the  inspiration. 

handles  the  skips  in  the  east  shaft,  which  is  nearest  the 
compressor-house.  No.  1  hoist,  in  the  foreground,  handles 
the  skips  in  the  west  shaft,  the  ropes  from  No.  1  passing 
above  No.  2  hoist  over  idler-sheaves  on  the  upper  deck  of 
the  east  head-frame,  thence  over  the  sheaves  on  the  west 
head-frame.  Fig.  4  shows  the  arrangement  of  shafts  and 
head-frames  in  relation  to  the  compressor-house. 

The  hoists  are  duplicates,  each  consisting  of  one  fixed 


and  one  clutched  drum,  each  10  ft.  diain.  by  65-in.  face, 
grooved  for  1000  ft.  of  lij-in.  rope  in  one  layer.  The 
brakes  and  clutches  are  air-operated  with  oil-cataracts 
and  floating-levers,  and  the  automatic-control  system 
was  so  designed  that  the  brake-engines  could  be  made 
practically  standard  (Fig.  5).    The  hoists  were  designed 


Fig.  5.    drums  and  brakes  of  one  main  hoist. 

and  built  by  the  Nordberg  Manufacturing  Co.  and  the 
electrical  equipment  by  the  General  Electric  Company. 

Each  hoist  is  driven  by  a  580-hp.,  575-volt,  264-r.p.m. 
shunt- wound  motor  through  a  flexible  coupling  and  Falk 
gears.  Power  is  supplied  to  the  hoists  by  a  750-r.p.m. 
fly-wheel  motor-generator  set,  consisting  of  one  850-hp., 
2300-volt,  25-cycle  induction-motor,  two  500-kw.,  575- 
volt  generators,  one  20-kw.,  125-volt  exciter,  and  a 
19,700-lb.  112-in.  diam.  steel-plate  fly-wheel.  Each  hoist- 
motor  is  connected  separately  to  one  of  the  generators 
and  controlled  by  varying  the  field  of  its  generator. 
The  fly-wheel  is  not  in  any  way  necessary  to  the  control 
or  automatic  operation  of  the  hoists.  Its  function  is  to 
eliminate  the  peak-loads  from  the  power-system.  The 
control  for  equalization  of  the  power  demand  follows 
along  standard  lines,  using  a  liquid  slip-regulator  for 
varying  the  speed  of  the  fly-wheel  set  by  varying  the 
resistance  in  the  secondary  circuit  of  the  induction  motor 
(Fig.  6). 

The  depth,  from  the  dump  to  the  chairs  under  the 
loading-pockets,  is  630  ft.  in  each  shaft;  from  the  collar 
to  the  chairs,  557  ft.  The  rope-speed  is  approximately 
750  ft.  per  minute. 

Before  beginning  automatic  operation  it  is  necessary, 
of  course,  that  each  hoist  be  properly  elutched-in  for  the 
loading-level,  with  one  skip  in  each  shaft  resting  on  the 
chairs  below  its  loading-chute.  It  is  not  important  which 
skips  are  on  the  chairs,  provided,  of  course,  that  the 
operator  obtains  a  '  release '  of  skips  in  both  shafts  before 
starting  the  automatic  operation.  He  then  introduces 
the  automatic  control  by  closing  two  small  control- 
switches  and  locking  in  two  levers,  all  on  the  operating- 
platform.  This  does  not,  of  itself,  start  the  automatic 
operation,  so  that  the  hoists  may  be  left  standing  in  this 
manner  indefinitely.  To  start  the  automatic  operation, 
a  master-controller  is  thrown  to  the  automatic  running 
position,  and  left  there  as  long  as  automatic  hoisting 


804 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


continues.  According  to  the  positions  in  which  the  skips 
have  been  resting,  one  hoist  or  the  other  will  start.  Say, 
for  example,  No.  1  hoist  starts,  hoisting  its  south  skip. 
The  closing  of  the  master-controller  just  mentioned  en- 
ergizes a  small  pilot-motor  that  moves  No.  1  hoist  con- 
troller gradually  to  the  full-speed  position  in  one  direc- 
tion.   As  No.  1  controller  starts  away  from  the  off  posi- 


Fig.  6. 


LIQUID   SLIP-BEGULATOB  FOB  BEGULATION  OF  INPUT   TO 
FLY-WHEEL    SET. 


tion,  it  simultaneously  energizes  No.  1  generator-field 
and  actuates  a  pilot  device  that  releases  the  brakes  on 
No.  1  hoist.  As  the!  controller  moves  farther  toward 
the  full-speed  position,  it  gradually  builds-up  the  gen- 
erator voltage,  thereby  accelerating  the  hoist  to  full 
speed. 

Toward  the  end  of  its  trip  the  travel  of  No.  1  hoist 
actuates  a  pilot-motor  that  moves  No.  2  hoist-controller 
gradually  to  the  full-speed  position  in  one  direction, 
thereby  accelerating  No.  2  hoist  in  a  similar  manner,  to 
hoist  its  north  skip.  Shortly  before  its  skip  enters  the 
dumping-horns,  the  travel  of  No.  1  hoist,  by  means  of 
cams,  one  of  which  is  geared  to  each  drum,  moves  No.  1 
controller  gradually  toward  the  off  position.  This  gradu- 
ally decreases  No.  1  generator  voltage,  thereby  retard- 
ing No.  1  hoist,  and  just  as  its  north  skip  is  about  to  land 
on  the  chairs,  No.  1  controller  comes  into  the  off  position. 
This  completes  the  retardation  and  automatically  applies 
the  brakes.  No.  1  hoist  stands  at  rest  while  No.  2  is 
hoisting  its  north  skip.  Toward  the  end  of  its  trip,  No. 
2  hoist  energizes  the  pilot-motor  for  No.  1  controller  so 
as  to  start  No.  1  hoist  in  the  opposite  direction,  that  is, 
to  hoist  its  north  skip.  No.  2  hoist  comes  to  rest  in  the 
manner  described  for  No.  1,  and  rests  while  No.  1  is 
hoisting  its  north  skip.  Toward  the  end  of  its  trip,  No. 
1  hoist  energizes  the  pilot-control  to  start  No.  2  in  the 
opposite  direction,  that  is,  to  hoist  its  south  skip.  The 
sequence  continues  in  this  manner  until  stopped  by  the 
operator,  as  described  later. 

A  loading  system  is  used  underground  by  which  the 
skips  are  automatically  loaded  with  a  pre-determined 
weight  of  ore  per  trip.  The  reduction  of  the  attendance 
required  at  the  foot  of  the  shaft  contributes  materially  to 
the  advantages  of  automatic  hoisting.  The  automatic 
loading-system  can  be  thrown  out  of  engagement  in 
either  shaft  so  that  the  hoists  may  be  operated  either 


automatically  or  by  hand,  for  purposes  of  inspection  or 
adjustment,  without  hoisting  any  ore. 

To  obtain  a  more  rapid  operation  of  the  hoists,  that  is, 
a  greater  number  of  trips  per  hour,  when  operating 
automatically  a  control-switch  may  be  thrown,  by  which 
each  hoist  will  be  started  earlier  in  the  trip  of  the  other 
hoist,  thus  over-lapping  to  a  greater  extent  the  trips  of 
the  two.  If  it  is  desired  to  run  the  hoists  automatically 
at  fewer  trips  per  hour  than  normal,  this  is  done  by  in- 
troducing resistance  permanently  in  each  generator 
field-circuit,  to  give  a  rope-speed  lower  than  normal. 

When  the  details  of  design  were  first  considered,  one 
of  the  chief  problems  was  the  arrangement  of  the  control 
so  that  the  transition  from  hand  to  automatic  operation, 
and  more  especially  the  transition  from  automatic  to 
hand  operation,  might  be  made  without  risk  or  delay, 
and  in  a  manner  easily  remembered  by  any  operator 
acquainted  with  the  equipment.  To  this  end  the  levers 
on  the  operating  platform  which  work  the  hoist-con- 
trollers and  brakes  for  hand  control  are  not  disconnected 
from  the  controllers  or  brake-engines  when  running 
automatically.  Consequently,  when  the  automatic  pilot- 
devices  are  cut  in,  and  the  hoists  are  operating  auto- 
matically, these  levers  move  back  and  forth,  as  if  the 
hoists  were  being  controlled  by  hand  by  invisible  oper- 
ators. When,  therefore,  the  transition  from  automatic 
to  hand  operation  is  made  during  a  trip,  the  brake  and 
controller-levers  of  both  hoists  are  in  the  correct  posi- 
tions and  properly  in  engagement  for  hand-control. 

The  automatic  operation  can  be  interrupted  at  any 
time  during  a  trip.  This  is  done  most  easily  by  throwing 
the  master-controller  for  automatic  operation  to  the  off 
position,  which  causes  any  trip  which  is  under  way  at  the 
time  to  be  completed  automatically,  dumping  in  the 
usual  manner,  but  prevents  the  next  trip  from  starting. 
If  the  hoists  are  then  left  standing,  and  not  operated 
by  hand,  all  that  is  necessary  to  start  automatic  hoisting 
again  is  to  throw  the  master-controller  to  the  automatic 
running-position  (Fig.  7). 

Before  the  construction  work  at  the  foot  of  the  shafts 
and  in  the  bins  in  the  tipple  had  been  completed  in 
detail,  it  was  necessary  occasionally  to  stop  an  automatic 
trip  without  letting  it  dump.  In  such  an  event,  or  when 
necessary  for  any  reason  to  transfer  to  hand-control 
before  completing  a  trip,  the  master-controller  for  auto- 
matic hoisting  is  thrown  to  the  off  position.  Without 
disconnecting  or  unhooking  any  other  parts  the  con- 
troller lever  of  the  hoist  which  is  running  may  then  be 
pulled  back  to  the  off  position  by  hand,  and  as  the  con- 
troller comes  into  the  off  position  the  brakes  will  set 
automatically.  It  is  now  possible  to  leave  the  pilot- 
control  of  the  brakes  connected  in  service,  so  that  the 
brakes  will  release  and  set  automatically,  as  the  con- 
troller is  moved  by  hand  from  or  to  the  off  position.  Or, 
if  necessary  on  account  of  the  character  of  hoisting  to 
be  done,  the  automatic  pilot-control  of  the  brakes  can  be 
cut  out,  in  which  case  brakes  and  controller  will  be  eon- 
trolled  separately  by  hand. 

Under  all   conditions    (except   when  making  adjust- 


December  2,  1!UG 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


805 


meats  in  the  manner  described  later),  the  earns  on  each 
hoist-controller  remain  connected  mechanically  to  the 
hoist-drums.  This  cam  mechanism  thus  serves  two  pur- 
poses: (1)  in  automatic  operation  it  provides  the  auto- 
matic slow-down  and  stop;  and  (2)  in  hand-operation, 
if  the  operator  does  not  begin  retardation  at  the  proper 
point,  this  mechanism  will  retard  the  hoist  in  practically 
the  same  manner  as  when  hoisting  automatically,  thus 
providing  protection  against  overwinding  when  operat- 
ing by  hand. 

The  protective  system  resembles  those  of  a  consider- 
able number  of  large  direct-current  mine  hoists,  of  the 


Fig.  7. 


DEPTH   INDICATORS    AND   AUTOMATIC-CONTROL 
SYSTEM  FOB  MAIN  HOISTS. 


same  general  type  (except  the  automatic  operation)  as 
the  Inspiration  hoists.  In  the  latter,  as  has  just  been 
noted,  the  automatic  control-system  provides  against 
over-winding  in  hand-operation.  An  additional  set  of 
emergency-limit  switches  is  used,  which  gives  similar 
protection  in  case  of  failure  of  the  automatic  control. 
During  hand-operation  there  are  effective,  therefore,  two 
complete  sets  of  protective  devices  against  over-winding. 
For  each  hoist  a  hand-operated  emergency-switch  is 
provided  on  the  operating-platform,  and  a  similar 
emergency-switch  is  located  at  the  foot  of  the  corre- 
sponding shaft,  by  means  of  which  either  or  both  hoists 
may  be  stopped  quickly  from  the  operating-platform,  or 
the  foot.  Without  appreciable  complication,  additional 
emergency-switches  may  be  installed  at  other  points,  if 
desired. 

The  operation  of  any  one  or  more  of  these  emergency 
devices  cuts-off  power  from  the  hoist  and  makes  an 
emergency  application  of  the  brakes.  An  emergency, 
which  affects  one  hoist  only,  acts  on  the  power  and  brakes 
of  that  hoist  only.  The  failure  of  excitation  or  alternat- 
ing-current power,  which  affects  both  hoists,  cuts-off 
power  and  makes  an  emergency  application  of  the  brakes 
simultaneously  on  both  hoists. 

When  unclutching  for  changing  levels,  and  when  tak- 
ing up  stretch  of  ropes,  the  adjustments  are  taken  care 
of  as  follows: 

On  the  Inspiration  hoists  it  has  been  the  custom, 
whenever  the  hoists  are  to  be  idle  a  whole  shift,  to  bring 
both  skips  to  the  collar  of  the  shaft,  in  order  to  save 


rusting  of  the  ropes.  This  is  done  by  onclutehing  just 
as  in  any  ordinary  hoist  with  one  fixed  and  one  clutched 
drum.  If  desirable  for  any  reason,  either  hoist  may  be 
run  by  hand-control  either  out  of  balance  or  clutched  in 
for  balance  to  operate  from  other  levels  than  the  regular 
loading-level.  When  clutching  or  unclutching,  the  ad- 
justments of  the  automatic  control-system  are  not 
touched. 

If  the  shafts  are  sunk  to  the  ultimate  depth  contem- 
plated, and  the  present  loading-stations  abandoned,  the 
control  can  be  re-adjusted  to  operate  automatically  from 
the  increased  depth.  Without  changing  the  adjustment 
of  the  control-equipment,  it  is  not  possible  to  operate 
automatically  from  levels  differing  considerably  from  the 
normal  level  for  which  adjustment  has  been  made,  but 
the  system  is  capable  of  modification  so  as  to  hoist  auto- 
matically in  balance  from  any  level  to  the  dump,  with- 
out re-adjustment,  all  the  adjustments  being  taken  care 
of  automatically  by  clutching-in  at  the  desired  level. 

Stretch  of  ropes  is  taken  up  in  a  simple  manner  which 
itself  is  semi-automatic  and  does  not  require  any  meas- 
urements. The  first  time  it  was  necessary,  the  stretch 
was  taken  up  on  both  ropes  of  one  hoist  in  about  15 
min.,  at  the  end  of  which  all  adjustments  were  in  shape 
for  hand  or  automatic  operation.  The  method  is  as 
follows : 

The  hoist  is  run  into  an  automatic  stop  with  the  skip 
on  the  clutched  side  resting  on  the  chairs.  (This  is 
effected  by  the  cam  which  is  geared  to  the  clutched 
drum) .  The  controller  and  cams  are  now  in  the  proper 
position  for  an  automatic  stop  on  this  side  but  the  rope 
on  this  side  has  unwound  farther  than  normal  by  an 
amount  equal  to  the  stretch  or  slack  which  it  is  intended 
to  take  up.  This  cam  is  now  uncoupled,  but  the  other 
cam  is  left  coupled.  The  hoist  is  now  moved  by  hand- 
control  just  far  enough  to  wind  up  the  estimated  amount 
of  slack,  and  the  cam  on  this  side  is  then  coupled  up  to 
the  clutched  drum.  This  operation  takes  up  the  slack  on 
the  clutched  side  and  transfers  it  to  the  fixed  side.  The 
hoist  is  now  run,  in  balance,  into  an  automatic  stop  on 
the  fixed-drum  side,  which  lands  the  skip  on  the  fixed- 
drum  side  on  the  chairs,  and  brings  the  skip  on  the 
clutched  side  into  the  dump.  The  cam  on  the  fixed  side 
is  now  uncoupled,  and  before  moving  the  hoist  to  take 
up  slack,  the  other  drum  is  unctutched,  so  as  to  leave  its 
skip  in  the  normal  position  in  the  dump.  The  fixed 
drum  is  then  moved  sufficiently  to  take  up  all  the  slack 
on  that  side,  that  is,  the  stretch  of  rope  on  that  side  plus 
the  slack  transferred  to  that  side  by  taking  up  the 
stretch  on  the  clutched-drum  side  just  previously.  The 
cam  is  then  coupled  up  to  the  fixed  drum  and  the  other 
drum  is  clutched-in,  which  completes  the  adjustment  of 
both  ropes  and  cams  and  leaves  the  hoist  ready  for 
operation.  It  is  necessary,  of  course,  not  only  to  take-up 
stretch  on  each  side,  but  also  to  clutch-in  at  the  proper 
level.  During  the  foregoing  procedure,  after  unclutch- 
ing one  drum  as  described,  the  same  movement  of  the 
other  drum  which  takes  up  the  slack  also  makes  the 
necessary  correction  for  level. 


806 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


The  east  shaft  was  ready  for  operation  before  the 
construction  work  had  been  completed  in  the  west  shaft. 
The  ropes  were  put  on  No.  2  hoist,  and  for  purposes  of 
test  and  for  a  thorough  try-out  of  the  system,  both  hoists 
were  operated  automatically,  No.  1  hoist  running  auto- 
matically as  if  in  actual  service,  but  without  any  ropes 
on  the  drums. 

Both  ropes  were  on  No.  2  hoist  and  both  skips  were 
hung  in  the  east  shaft  by  the  morning  of  July  25,  1915. 
During  one  shift  on  that  day,  after  marking  the  ropes 
and  the  drum-flanges,  the  automatic  control  and  depth 
indicators  were  coupled  to  the  drums,  the  shaft  and  tip- 
ple clearances  were  checked,  cams  adjusted  for  automatic 
retardation  and  stop,  and  18  skips  of  ore  hoisted  by 
hand-control,  using  the  cams  for  automatic  retardation 
but  not  using  complete  automatic  operation.  The  fol- 
lowing day,  between  8  a.m.  and  noon,  adjustments  for 
complete  automatic  operation  were  made,  and  44  loaded 
skips  were  hoisted  automatically.  The  adjustments 
were  refined  somewhat  at  a  later  date,  but  those  made 
during  the  first  45  minutes  of  automatic  operation 
worked  well. 

The  same  morning  in  which  the  equipment  first  oper- 
ated automatically,  the  accuracy  of  stop  was  observed 
for  12  consecutive  trips,  that  is,  six  trips  each  way.  The 
total  variation  between  maximum  and  minimum  was  4 
in.  of  rope-travel.  After  a  few  weeks  of  intermittent 
operation,  similar  observations  were  taken.  In  20  con- 
secutive trips  (10  each  way),  the  total  variation  between 
maximum  and  minimum  was  only  1.5  in.  of  rope-travel 
in  one  direction  and  1.25  in  the  other.  During  this  time 
the  ore  hung  back  in  the  loading-pockets  on  one  side,  so 
that  six  of  the  trips  included  in  the  above  figures  were 
made  empty.  It  is  significant  that  this  variation  of  1.5 
in.  is  only  1%  of  the  distance  traveled  per  second  at  full 
speed  of  the  hoist. 

To  operate  two  hand-controlled  hoists,  either  steam  or 
electric,  of  the  size  and  importance  of  these,  would  re- 
quire at  least  two  operators  per  shift ;  and  according  to 
practice  in  some  mining  districts,  an  oiler  would  be  em- 
ployed in  addition  to  the  two  engine-men.  For  the 
operation  of  these  two  automatic  hoists  there  is  required 
only  one  operator,  who  is  able  to  attend  to  the  oiling  and 
to  whatever  hand-operation  of  either  hoist  may  be  neces- 
sary on  his  shift. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  said  that  the  application  of 
automatic  mine-hoists  will  always  be  limited  by  the  fact 
that  operation  cannot  be  truly  automatic,  except  where 
the  conditions  of  hoisting  are  reasonably  uniform.  In 
other  words,  where  under  prevailing  conditions,  the  at- 
tendance of  an  operator  is  required  practically  continu- 
ously throughout  the  shift  in  order  to  change  levels, 
hoist  or  lower  loads  out  of  balance,  or  hoist  men,  it  is 
impossible  to  realize  any  practical  advantages  by  oper- 
ating automatically  during  the  short  periods  of  hoisting 
ore  regularly  from  any  one  level.  On  the  other  hand, 
entire  uniformity  is  not  necessary  in  order  to  make 
automatic  operation  practicable.  As  an  illustration, 
consider  the  ease  of  a  main  hoist  serving  a  few  levels,  and 


an  auxiliary  hoist  in  the  same  hoist-house  handling  all 
men,  timber,  supplies,  waste,  etc.,  for  all  the  levels 
served  by  the  main  hoist.  Conditions  of  operation  may 
possibly  be  sufficiently  favorable  so  that  if  the  main  hoist 
is  arranged  for  automatic  operation  (or  for  semi-auto- 
matic control  from  the  level-stations  by  the  skip-tender) , 
the  operator  for  the  auxiliary  hoist  will  be  able  to  take 
care  of  the  hand-operation  required  on  the  main  hoist. 
It  may  reasonably  be  anticipated  that  from  time  to  time 
various  mine-hoisting  problems  will  arise  in  which  the 
possibilities  offered  by  automatic  hoisting  should  by  no 
means  be  dismissed  without  investigation. 


The  clearing  of  land  of  its  sage-brush  is  ordinarily  ac- 
complished by  means  of  a  tractor  pulling  a  frame  made 
of  railroad  rails.  This  breaks  off  the  bushes  so  that  they 
can  be  collected  and  hauled  to  a  central  point.  With  the 
average  4-ft.  stand  of  brush  in  south-eastern  Nevada  the 
yield  per  acre  is  about  7  tons  of  brush.  The  cost  is  about 
$1  per  ton  for  cutting  and  collecting  the  brush  to  a  cen- 
tral point.  The  cost  of  destructive  distillation  of  hard 
wood  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  $8  per  cord  (4000  lb.)  of 
wood,  or  about  $4 — possibly  $5  per  ton  of  wood.  The 
sage-brush  is  more  bulky  than  the  wood,  and  it  is  best  to 
count  on  a  distillation  cost  of  $5  per  ton.  That  would 
make  the  total  cost  of  treatment  of  each  ton  of  sage- 
brush about  $6  with  a  yield  of  80  lb.  of  tar.  This  would 
mean  10  gal.  produced  at  a  cost  of  $6,  or  $0.60  per  gallon, 
or  7.5c.  per  pound.  This  is  high  but  is  comparable  with 
the  present  price  of  pine-oil,  of  which  sage-brush  oil 
seems  to  be  the  full  equivalent,  if  not  the  superior.  With 
most  ores,  less  than  0.5  lb.  of  sage-brush  oil  should  be 
needed  per  ton  of  ore. 

There  is  one  other  source  of  income  from  the  products 
of  the  sage-brush,  namely,  potash,  which  in  carefully 
burned  brush  ashes  amounts  to  15  to  20%  of  the  total 
weight.    Most  of  this  was  soluble  in  water. 

About  10,000  gal.  of  steam-distilled  pine-oil  is  being 
used  every  month  in  the  United  States  for  flotation  pur- 
poses and  more  would  be  used  if  the  price  were  lower. 
If  sage-brash  oil  could  be  produced  for  40c.  per  gal.  it  is 
probable  that  the  market  would  jump  to  at  least  1000 
gal.  per  day.  With  this  would  be  produced  3000  to  4000 
lb.  of  potash,  an  amount  which  is  much  less  than  1%  of 
the  total  consumption  in  the  United  States.  If  the  oil 
could  be  produced  for  25c.  per  gal.,  there  is  no  reason 
why  its  use  should  not  amount  to  10  times  the  consump- 
tion of  the  oil  at  a  40-cent  rate. 

At  the  mill  of  the  Babilonia  mine,  Nicaragua,  lime 
costs  from  $40  to  $50  gold  per  ton  delivered  at  the 
mine.  It  is  paid  for  according  to  its  content  of  avail- 
able CaO,  which  seldom  is  more  than  40%.  Costs 
are  high  owing  to  scarcity  of  labor  and  the  present  high 
price  of  supplies,  especially  zinc  and  cyanide.  The  ton- 
nage for  July  has  been  increased  from  1525  tons  to  1800 
tons  and  it  is  expected  to  remain  at  that  figure. 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


807 


The  Lead  Mines  of  Washington  County,  Missouri 


By      Sydney 


Ball 


In  this  day  of  large  tonnages  and  efficient  machinery 
it  is  interesting  to  visit  the  lead  region  of  Washington 
county,  Missouri,  where  mining  methods  of  a  century 
ago  prevail. 

This  is  not  only  one  of  the  oldest  mining  regions  in  the 
United  States,  for  Eenault  and  his  French  followers 
began  work  here  in  1720,  but  for  a  number  of  years  at 
least,  it  was  the  most  important  mining  district  in  the 
country.  Washington  county's  production  to  date  of 
lead  ore,  and  a  little  zinc  ore,  amounts  to  $6,800,000. 
This  production  has  varied  greatly  from  year  to  year,  in- 
creasing with  new  discoveries,  high  war-prices,  droughts, 
and  crop  failures. 

Washington  county  is  situated  in  south-east  Missouri 
from  five  to  thirty  miles  west  of  the  disseminated-lead 
belt.  Topographically,  the  region  is  a  plateau,  the  flat 
rocks  of  which  have  been  trenched  by  numerous  streams 
to  a  maximum  depth  of  500  ft.  Certain  distinct  hills 
are  composed  of  pre-Cambrian  granite  and  rhyolite. 

The  following  rocks,  named  from  youngest  to  oldest, 
and  all  of  Cambrian  age,  according  to  E.  R.  Buckley,* 
rest  upon  the  rhyolite  and  granite : 

Thickness 

Potosi  formation  400  ft.  or  more 

Doe  River  limestone  47    "      " 

Derby   formation    39    "      " 

Davis    shale    169    "      " 

Bonneterre    limestone    366    "      " 

Lamofte    sandstone    250    "      " 

Granite  or  rhyolite  basement 

All  of  these  formations  at  various  places  are  in  un- 
conformable contact  with  the  granite  and  rhyolite.  The 
sedimentary  rocks  are  flat  or  gently  flexed,  and  normal 
faults  of  considerable  displacement  are  common. 

Practically  all  of  the  Washington  County  lead  has 
come  from  the  Potosi  limestone,  although  a  little  has  been 
obtained  from  the  other  sedimentary  rocks.  The  main 
ore-horizon  of  the  Potosi  is  from  600  to  1000  ft.  above 
that  of  the  disseminated  lead  which  has  made  south-east 
Missouri  the  premier  lead  district  of  the  United  States. 
It  is  probable  that  no  particular  stratum  in  the  Potosi 
is  throughout  the  whole  county  especially  favorable  to 
mineralization.  Locally  certain  more  soluble  beds  are  so, 
but  the  orebodies  are  primarily  related  to  the  present 
surface  and  only  secondarily  to  the  more  soluble  beds  of 
limestone. 

The  map  shows  that  the  county  contains  a  vast  number 
of  small  lead  mines,  a  'digging'  producing  50  tons  of  ore 
being  considered  locally  of  importance.  Some  of  the 
larger  mines,  or  groups  of  mines,  have,  however,  pro- 
duced from  $1,000,000  to  $1,500,000.     The  mines  are 

*B.  R.  Buckley,  Mo.  Bur.  of  Mines  &  Geol.,  Vol.  IX,  pt.  II, 
190S,  p.  19. 


particularly  abundant  around  the  villages  of  Potosi, 
Palmer,  and  Richwoods,  the  Potosi  group  having  pro- 
duced perhaps  55%  of  the  total  output,  and  Palmer 
perhaps  35%.  The  accompanying  map  does  not  show, 
by  any  means,  all  of  the  diggings  in  the  district. 

The  orebodies  are  either  residual  or  lode,  the  former, 
of  course,  being  derived  from  the  latter.  The  lodes  can 
be  classified  into  crevice  deposits,  pipe-veins,  and  breccia- 
fillings.  The  crevice  deposit  is  a  vertical  tabular  body 
of  ore,  the  'gash-vein'  of  Whitney.  In  depth  these  ore- 
bodies  pinch,  as  the  joint  along  which  disintegration  had 
occurred  tightens.     In  instances  cross-veinlets  extend 


FRANKLIN    COUNTY 


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IRON    COUNTY 

MAP  OF  WASHINGTON  COUNTY,   MISSOURI. 

from  the  main  creviee  at  right  angles  following  a  sec- 
ondary joint.  East-west  and  north-south  crevices  are 
most  common.  These  deposits  are  occasionally  in  sets, 
the  ore  having  been  deposited  in  several  parallel  joints. 
The  pipe-veins  are  semi-cylindrical  orebodies  lying  in 
a  horizontal  plane.  They  are  from  three  to  eight  feet 
wide  and  average  six  inches  thick.  There  is  usually  one 
main  'pipe'  of  ore  that  fills  a  semi-cylindrical  hole  in  the 
limestone  caused  by  solution  of  a  favorable-limestone  bed 
along  a  joint.  Many  minor  pipes  lead  off  from  the  main 
one,  following  joints,  at,  or  nearly  at,  a  right  angle  to 


808 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


the  main  pipe.  Systems  of  pipe-veins  may  occur  at  sev- 
eral horizons  in  the  Potosi  formation,  one  above  the 
other.  Excellent  examples  are  the  Flint  Hill  and  Parole 
diggings,  and  a  map  of  the  latter  by  H.  A.  Wheeler,  of 
St.  Louis,  forms  plate  119,  in  Part  II,  of  Buckley's  re- 
port, previously  cited.  In  some  instances  pipe-veins 
have  been  followed  horizontally  to  points  150  ft.  below 
the  surface,  constituting  the  deepest  workings  in  the  dis- 
trict. The  orebodies  of  the  third  type  are  vertical 
tabular  masses  of  ore  cementing  either  fault  or  solution 
breccias. 

The  residual  deposits,  or  '  clay- workings, '  as  they  are 
known  in  the  district,  are  the  orebodies  just  described, 
from  which  the  enclosing  rocks  have  been  more  or  less 
completely  dissolved  by  surface  waters.  The  galena  of 
the  crevice  deposits  still  frequently  remains  in  a  vertical 
position.  Immediately  above  the  bedrock  there  is  a  con- 
siderable mechanical  concentration  of  lead  ore.  If  solu- 
lion  has  been  incomplete,  the  so-called  'tumbling  rock' 
I'ormation  of  the  native  miners  is  found,  in  which  the 
lead  ore  occurs  between,  although  usually  detached  from, 
boulders  of  flint  or  limestone.  In  the  early  days  some 
placer  galena  was  recovered  from  the  stream-beds. 

The  lead  deposits  are  particularly  common  on  hill- 
slopes,  from  which,  however,  they  may  extend  back 
underneath  the  plateau. 

The  original  sulphides  include  galena,  zinc-blende, 
pyrite,  and  marcasite ;  also  a  little  chalcopyrite.  Galena 
cubes  are  usually  rounded  through  solution  and  are 
partly  altered  to  cerrusite,  which  in  some  instances  is 
white  and  crystallized,  and  in  others  is  a  gray  powder, 
(n  many  mining  districts  the  value  of  zinc-carbonate  has 
long  remained  unrecognized,  but  James  T.  Hodges  states 
that  in  this  locality  cerrusite  was  for  many  years  thrown 
on  the  dump  and  that  only  in  the  'forties  were  the  dumps 
hand-picked  for  it.  Anglesite  is  probably  associated. 
The  galena  usually  occurs  as  small  cubes  disseminated 
in  'chalk-tiff,'  although  in  instances  it  is  found  in  'ball- 
tiff.'  In  the  old  days  lead  in  large  cubes  was  found  in 
some  cavities.  Zine-blende  alters  to  smithsonite,  and 
pyrite  or  marcasite  to  limonite,  and  rarely  to  hematite. 
( 'haleopyrite  alters  to  chalcocite  and  malachite.  Barite 
is  the  common  gangue-mineral,  and  this  occurs  either  as 
' ball-tiff,'  a  domical  aggregate  of  large  tabular  crystals, 
rr  as  'chalk-tiff,'  a  finely  crystalline  aggregate.  Gypsum 
(the  'isinglass'  of  the  miners)  appears  to  occur  only 
with  residual  lead,  and  doubtless  formed  comparatively 
recently  in  the  clay.  Calcite  ('glass  tiff ') ,  is  by  no  means 
uncommon  in  the  district,  but  usually  is  not  closely  asso- 
ciated with  ore.  A  substance  frequently  accompanying 
the  ore  is  the  'yellow  paint'  of  the  miners,  a  heavily  iron- 
stained,  rather  hard,  yellow  clay. 

The  sulphides  and  original  gangue-minerals  were  usu- 
ally deposited  in  cavities,  although  in  certain  of  the  rare 
fault-breccia  deposits  the  sulphides,  in  part,  replace 
limestone.  Smithsonite,  a  secondary  mineral,  also  re- 
places, to  a  certain  extent,  limestone  along  fractures. 
The  primary  minerals  are  usually  rather  well  crustifled, 
and  from  the  limestone,  chert,  or  crystalline-quartz  walls 


outward,  the  ordinary  order  is :  iron  pyrite,  or  marcasite, 
zinc-blende,  and  barite  with  galena.  The  reverse  se- 
quence, indicating  however  the  same  order  of  deposition, 
is  found  on  some  of  the  stalactites.  Sometimes,  next  the 
rock,  partly  formed  pyrite  or  marcasite  crystals  and 
aggregates  have  barite  between  them,  and  the  galena 
crystals  are  incomplete  and  enclose  barite.  Further,  in 
rare  instances,  a  pyrite  crystal  is  isolated  in  the  barite 
itself,  indicating  that  the  depositing  waters  were  not 
always  as  distinct  as  casual  observation  would  indicate. 
Certain  members  of  the  series  may  be  absent,  as  at 
Madden  Hill,  near  Palmer,  where  galena  is  plastered 
directly  on  chert.  Of  the  two  types  of  barite,  'ball-tiff' 
is  older  and  is  sometimes  covered  by  a  coating  of  'chalk- 
tiff,'  the  two  contacting  sharply.  Due  to  the  predomin- 
ance of  one  mineral  over  others,  some  prospects  are  lead 
mines,  others  zinc  prospects,  and  still  others,  barite 
producers. 

That  these  lead  orebodies,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  some  of  the  breccia  deposits,  were  deposited  by  de- 
scending meteoric  waters  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  at 
comparatively  shallow  depths  they  pinch  out.  Stal- 
actitic  masses  of  altered  iron  sulphide,  galena,  and  'chalk- 
tiff'  are  common  on  the  dumps,  and  old  miners  report 
that  all  were  found  pendant  from  the  roofs  of  openings. 
The  source  of  the  lead  is  unknown,  although  it  was 
originally  doubtless  disseminated  in  the  Potosi  or  some 
overlying  formation.  That  the  sulphides  and  barite  are 
much  younger  than  the  flint,  and  the  crystalline  quartz 
covering  it,  is  indicated  bj'  the  crustification  mentioned 
above,  and  also  by  the  fact  that  the  ore  occurs  in  fractures 
in  the  flint  and  quartz.  As  to  age,  the  orebodies  are  be- 
lieved to  be  geologically  young,  and  for  the  most  part, 
to  be  contemporaneous  with  the  present,  or  a  compara- 
tively recent,  topographic  cycle. 

The  miners  around  Palmer  are  Americans,  the  grand- 
sons or  great-grandsons  of  Kentucky  or  Tennessee  moun- 
taineers. Those  at  Old  Mines  north  of  Potosi  are  de- 
scendants of  French  miners,  some  of  whom  arrived  in 
Missouri  about  1720.  Among  the  older  men  French  is 
still  frequently  spoken.  For  at  least  three  generations 
both  Americans  and  French  have  been  miners,  and  the 
mining  methods  are  to  a  considerable  extent  those 
evolved  in  Missouri.  A  few,  however,  trained  in  mining, 
were  among  the  early  French  settlers.  Sixty  years  or  so 
ago  a  number  of  Cornishmen  emigrated  to  the  district, 
and  a  few  miners  have  drifted  in  from  other  regions. 
Prior  to  the  Civil  War  certain  'diggings'  were  worked 
by  negro  slaves,  some  being  continuously  employed  in 
mining,  others  being  sent  into  the  district  in  winter, 
after  the  crops  were  harvested.  At  the  present  time  the 
descendants  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  mountaineers, 
Cornish  miners,  French  adventurers,  and  former  negro 
slaves  work  amicably  in  the  same  diggings. 

The  wants  of  these  people  are  few,  and  the  standard 
of  living  not  high,  from  $1  to  $1.25  per  day  being  con- 
sidered a  fair  wage.  While  many  have  drifted  to  the 
large  mines  of  St.  Francois  county,  others  prefer  to  be 
their  own  masters,  and  will  inform  you  gravely  that  their 


December  2,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


809 


earnings  in  the  shallow  divings  average  better  than  the 
$9  or  $4  obtainable  in  the  disseminated-lead  mines.    Of 

nurse  some  lew.  when  in  bonanza,  for  a  time  do  well, 
>ut  as  an  average  their  earnings  are  much  less  than  $1 
per  day.  However,  the  pleasure  of  being  your  own 
master  has  distinct  advantages,  and  days  in  bonanza 
when  $5  or  $6  or  even  $10  were  made,  are  much  less 
easy  to  forget  and  more  pleasant  to  remember  than  days 
of  disappointment.  The  work-day  is  a  short  one,  and  it 
is  rarely  that  both  partners,  two  being  the  common  num- 
ber, arrive  at  the  shaft  before  9  o'clock,  and  at  least  one 
is  usually  gone  by  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  No  work 
is  done  on  Sunday,  and  on  Saturday  the  day  is  spent  at 
the  local  store  discussing  politics  and  the  latest  lead 
strike.  Many  reasons  are  sufficient  to  stop  work:  too 
much  wet  weather ;  too  dry  a  season ;  too  cold  weather ; 
or  too  good  a  chance  to  work  for  a  short  time  for  day's 
wages.  Perhaps  during  the  year  175  to  200  rather  short 
days'  work  is  the  average.  If  one  has  luck  it  is  the  cus- 
tom to  stop  work  until  the  money  is  eaten  up,  then  to 
run  an  account  at  the  village  store,  if  possible,  until  one 
again  gets  into  bonanza.  Possibly  if  longer  hours  were 
consistently  observed,  from  $1.50  to  $2  a  day  might  be 
made  by  the  more  skillful  miners. 

Mining  is  done  under  a  leasing  system,  the  payment 
being  variously  arranged.  In  many  instances  the  com- 
pany owning  the  land  demands  a  royalty  that  may  vary 
from  10  to  20%  of  the  lead  ore  mined,  and  15%  of  the 
zinc  ore ;  or  the  miners  are  required  to  sell  their  product 
to  the  owners  of  the  diggings  at  a  price  that  nets  on  its 
re-sale  a  handsome  profit  on  the  St.  Louis  lead  price.  In 
the  more  prosperous  days  of  the  diggings  a  company 
weigher  with  bar-scales  and  wagon,  went  daily  from  one 
'digging'  to  another,  weighing  the  day's  product  and 
giving  a  ticket  accepted  at  the  company  store  in  goods  or 
money.  The  lead  ore  was  hauled  to  one  of  the  small  fur- 
naces then  so  common  in  this  district.  At  the  present 
day  all  country  storekeepers  in  the  vicinity  buy  lead  and 
zinc  ore  at  a  price  considerably  higher  than  the  company 
pays,  and  either  take  out  the  royalty  to  he  later  paid  to 
the  property  owner,  or  pay  all  to  the  miner,  who  is  ex- 
pected to  settle  with  the  land-owner.  Rarely,  if  ever, 
does  the  owner  of  the  property  fail  to  receive  his  royalty. 
In  the  boom  days  the  discoverer  of  a  new  'digging'  was 
permitted  to  stake  off  a  claim  twice  the  size  of  that  al- 
lotted to  later  comers.  The  discoverer's  claim  might  be 
100  to  200  ft.  square.  The  size  of  the  plot  also  increased 
with  greater  depth  to  the  ore-horizon,  and  claims  in 
which  the  ore  occurred  in  rock  were  perhaps  five  times 
the  size  of  those  in  clay. 

In  prospecting,  the  well-known  'mineral  blossom' 
(flint  covered  by  transparent  quartz  crystals)  so  char- 
acteristic of  the  Potosi  limestone,  showed  the  old  miner 
he  was  on  the  lead-bearing  formation.  If  this  was  not 
present,  there  was  little  use  of  further  search.  He  then 
sized  up  the  topography,  choosing  some  hill-slope  that 
suited  his  idea  of  a  promising  mineral  district.  The 
streams  were  carefully  searched  for  galena  pebbles,  and 
if  found,  they  were  followed  up-stream  until  they  dis- 


appeared, at  which  point  the  hillside  was  trenched. 
'Chalk-tiff'  was  also  considered  a  good  indicator,  par 
ticularly  if  it  contained  cubic  cavities,  indicating  that 
once  galena  had  been  a  constituent  thereof,  as  were  yel- 
low clay  ('yellow  paint')  and  limonitie  iron  ore.  'Ball- 
tiff'  was  believed  to  indicate  a  pinching  out  of  the  de- 
posit, or  barren  country.  A  summary  of  the  conditions 
favored  by  the  old  miners  75  years  ago,  is  given  by  James 
T.  Hodge.f 

"Throughout  the  several  counties  which  are  occupied 
with  this  formation  (limestone),  the  miner  recognizes  a 
proximity  to  the  fissures  by  the  abundance  of  the  pe- 
culiar red  clay  of  the  hematite  iron  ore,  and  of  the 
hotryoidal  and  mammillary  masses  of  quartz  rock,  and 
the  exact  position  of  the  fissure  itself  is  often  indicated 
to  his  experienced  eye  by  a  slight  sinking  of  surface  and 
an  east  and  west  or  north  and  south  line  of  brushes  or 
plants  which  have  deep  sinking  roots  and  choose  a  situa- 
tion where  they  can  send  them  deep  down  into  the  clay. 
Still  these  guides  are  not  always  sure,  for  men  used  to 
the  business  often  spend  a  year  or  more  in  'prospecting,' 
that  is,  in  sinking  experimental  shafts  or  following  a 
fissure  in  hopes  of  its  yielding  a  rich  return  of  ore,  and 
all  without  success.  But  by  continuing  their  work,  if 
their  means  allow  of  it,  they  seldom  fail  of  finally  strik- 
ing a  '  lead, '  the  sale  or  working  of  which  repays  them  for 
all  of  their  labor. ' ' 

The  residual  or  'clay'  workings  are  mined  by  sinking 
round  pits  four  feet  in  diameter  to  bedrock,  where  the 
lead  ore  is  notably  concentrated.  At  the  ore-horizon  the 
clay  is  undercut,  and  the  ore  removed  to  a  safe  distance 
from  the  pit.  When  the  pit  becomes  dangerous,  another 
hole  is  begun,  perhaps  15  ft.  from  the  centre  of  the  first 
pit ;  the  process  is  continued  until  an  area  sometimes  40 
to  100  acres  is  riddled.  The  tools  used  are  a  short-handled 
shovel,  and  pick ;  when  the  hole  is  over  eight  feet  deep  a 
hand-windlass  and  bucket  are  added.  Horse-whims,  and 
even  small  steam-hoists,  have  been  introduced  on  a  few 
of  the  deeper  workings.  The  ladder  in  the  deeper  holes 
usually  consists  of  a  tree  on  which  a  few  stumps  of 
branches  have  been  left.  Pumps  are  practically  un- 
known, and  if  water  (usually  encountered  at  a  depth  of 
from  70  to  100  ft.)  interferes  with  mining,  work  is 
usually  stopped.  The  deeper  shafts  (the  deepest  around 
Palmer  being  about  150  ft.)  are  square,  about  four  feet 
in  the  clear,  and  in  instances  timbered  in  the  clay  with 
small  pine-lagging.  "Work  usually  stops  at  solid  rock 
and  even  in  it  the  amount  of  dynamite  used  is  small,  as 
the  partly  decomposed  limestone  usually  crumbles  to  a 
lime-sand  upon  being  struck.  It  was  but  35  years  ago 
that  black  powder  was  discarded,  and  rumor  has  it  that 
at  Flint  Hill,  some  70  years  ago,  the  good  old  Roman 
method  of  building  a  fire  on  the  rock  and  then  throwing 
cold  water  on  the  heated  stone  was  practised.  As  one 
of  the  miners  remarked:  "That  seems  like  a  right  hard 
way  to  mine,  don't  it?"  Prom  the  bottom  of  shafts, 
drifts  usually  4  by  4  ft.  in  the  clear  are  run.  Two  men 
will  sink  a  round  shaft  in  clay  10  to  12  ft.  per  day  to 

iAm.  Jour,  of  Sci.,  Vol.  43,  1st  series,  1843,  p.  57. 


810 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


depths  of  25  to  40  ft.  and  will  sink  and  crib  a  square 
shaft  5  to  6  ft.  per  day;  and  drive  8  to  10  ft.  per  day. 
In  the  rock  they  sink  from  1£  to  1  ft.  per  day.  The  cor- 
responding costs  per  foot  are  about  17  to  20c.,  24  to 
40c,  20  to  25c,  and  $2.50  to  $5.  No  figure  can  be  given 
of  the  cost  of  one  ton  of  mined  and  cobbed  galena,  but 
in  instances  it  is  as  low  as  $5  to  $15. 

The  ore  as  it  leaves  the  mines  is  a  mixture  of  galena 
and  barite.  The  coarser  ore  is  cobbed  by  a  half-pound 
hammer  with  a  horizontally  set  chisel-point,'  called  a 
'pickawee,'  a  corruption  of  pick-a-way.  A  light  sharp 
tap  with  this  usually  separates  the  two  minerals.  The 
finer  mixtures  are  thrown  on  the  fire  where  the  'ball-tiff' 
(barite)  breaks  down  into  sand  and  the  galena  cubes  are 
easily  picked  out.  The  'chalk-tiff'  needs  a  hotter  fire 
and  is  less  successfully  treated  in  this  manner. 

Most  of  the  dumps  have  by  now  been  'scraped'  many 
times;  that  is,  their  surface  has  been  carefully  raked 
over  to  find  any  galena  left  by  the  earlier  miners.  The 
dumps,  however,  keep  some  of  the  more  industrious  boys 
of  the  district  in  modest  spending  money. 

Washington  county  produces  about  one-half  the  barite 
of  the  United  States,  the  centre  of  activity  being  Potosi. 
It  has  been  stated  that  barite  is  the  common  gangue 
of  the  shallow  lead  deposits  and  it  also  occurs  in  deposits 
by  itself  with  little  or  no  lead.  Barite  is  rarely  followed 
into  the  hard  rocks,  as,  on  account  of  its  low  value,  it  is 
only  profitably  mined  in  residual  clay,  where,  against 
bedrock,  due  to  its  insoluble  nature,  its  concentration  is 
intensified.  It  is  mined,  as  is  the  residual  lead,  in  the 
shallow  diggings  already  described.  The  barite  with  the 
adhering  red  clay  is  spread  out  to  dry  and  is  then  placed 
in  a  sort  of  cradle — a  box  mounted  on  rockers,  the  bot- 
tom of  which  consists  of  an  iron  plate  with  half-inch 
holes  punched  in  it.  Violent  rocking  jars  off  the  clay, 
which  drops  through  the  holes  in  the  cradle.  The  buyers 
usually  pay  for  the  'tiff'  at  the  various  diggings  and 
haul  it  to  the  railroad.  As  the  price  obtained  is  low, 
barite  diggings  are  rarely  situated  more  than  six  miles 
from  the  railroad. 


Types  of  Asbestos 

"Three  types  of  asbestos  fibre  are  recognized — cross- 
fibre,  slip-fibre  and  mass-fibre.  Cross-fibre  (chrysotile) 
asbestos  occurs  in  veins  with  the  fibres  extending  trans- 
verse to  the  strike  of  the  vein.  Usually  the  fibres  are 
approximately  perpendicular  to  the  inclosing  walls,  fre- 
quently they  are  more  or  less  oblique  and  occasionally 
they  are  curved  or  abruptly  bent.  Slip-fibre  is  found 
along  fault  planes,  often  accompanied  by  slickensides, 
and  the  direction  of  the  parallel  fibres  records  the  direc- 
tion of  displacement.  The  amount  of  displacement  is 
usually  small.  Slip-fibre  asbestos  is  commonly  dis- 
tributed in  thin  layers  that  are  not  as  a  rule  continuous 
for  any  considerable  distance,  but  occasionally  it  is 
found  in  masses  a  foot  or  more  in  thickness.  All  grada- 
tions are  to  be  found  between  the  cross-fibre  and  slip- 
fibre  types.  Mass-fibre  asbestos  occurs  in  fibrous  bundles 
or  groups  varying  in  size  and  orientation.  The  fibres 
may  be  parallel  but  are  usually  divergent  and  often 
radiating.  In  the  type  occurrence  at  Sail  Mountain, 
Georgia,  mass-fibre  asbestos  makes  up  practically  the 
entire  rock  mass.  Anthophyllite  has  been  reported  as 
occurring  in  all  three  ways,  and  it  is  the  only  variety  of 
asbestos  known  to  occur  as  mass-fibre.  The  asbestiform 
varieties  of  tremolite  and  actinolite  are  practically 
limited  to  the  slip-fibre  type. 

Chrysotile  easily  withstands  temperatures  of  2000° 
to  3000°  F.,  while  with  some  varieties  a  temperature  of 
5000°  F.,  produces  no  visible  effect.  At  red  heat  it  gives 
up  water  and  becomes  brittle.  Anthophyllite  under  the 
same  conditions  remains  practically  unaltered.  Tremo- 
lite and  actinolite  fuse  at  somewhat  lower  temperatures, 
while  crocidolite  fuses  so  easily  that  it  is  useless  for  many 
purposes  where  asbestos  is  commonly  employed. 

Chrysotile  is  readily  attacked  by  relatively  weak  acids, 
being  decomposed  with  the  separation  of  silica;  the 
amphibole  varieties,  especially  tremolite  and  anthophyl- 
lite, are  very  resistant  even  when  subjected  to  the  action 
of  concentrated  acids. 


Diatomaceous  barth,  which  is  made  up  of  remains  of 
minute  aquatic  animals,  is  a  light  earthy  material  resem- 
bling chalk  or  clay.  The  hardness,  the  minute  size,  and 
the  angular  shape  of  its  grains  make  it  an  excellent  metal- 
polishing  agent,  and  heretofore  it  has  been  largely  used 
as  an  abrasive  in  the  form  of  polishing-powders  and 
seouring-soaps.  Of  late,  however,  zfCcording  to  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey,  the  uses  of  the  mineral  have  been  con- 
siderably extended.  It  is  used  by  sugar  refiners  for  fil- 
tering or  clarifying;  as  an  insulating  packing-material 
for  safes,  steam-pipes,  and  boilers;  and  as  a  fire-proof 
building-material.  In  the  United  States  it  is  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  records  for  talking-machines.  In  Eu- 
rope it  has  been  used  in  preparing  artificial  fertilizers 
and  in  the  manufacture  of  water-glass,  cements,  artificial 
stone,  paper,  sealing-wax,  fire-works,  papier-mache,  and 
other  articles.  A  total  of  4593  tons  of  diatomaceous  earth 
was  produced  and  sold  in  the  United  States  in  1915. 


Miners  operating  hydraulic  placer  mines,  and  those 
operating  in  open-cuts  commonly  break  up  boulders  and 
large  masses  of  rock  by  the  method  known  as  bulldozing, 
but  actual  experience  has  shown  that  it  is  far  less  ex- 
pensive in  most  cases  to  shatter  these  boulders  and  large 
rocks  by  block-holing  with  the  hammer-drill.  To  bull- 
doze effectively  a  big  rock  requires  from  4  to  10  sticks 
of  dynamite,  whereas  the  same  work  can  be  accomplished 
with  one  or  two  sticks  if  a  hole  or  two  be  first  drilled  in 
the  rock  with  a  hammer-drill.  At  the  mine  of  the  Placer 
Gold  Mines  Company,  near  Atlin,  B.  C,  the  cost  of 
breaking  up  boulders  in  1915  was  reduced  about  $1200 
over  the  cost  during  the  season  of  1914,  an  amount  almost 
equal  to  the  expense  of  a  Sullivan  compressor  and  two 
40-lb.  Sullivan  drills  installed  expressly  for  the  purpose 
of  block-holing  boulders. 

•Abstract  from  Trans.  A.  I.  M.  E.,  New  York  meeting,  Feb- 
ruary 1917. 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


811 


Black   Sand  of  the  Pacific  Coast 


My     Herbert    Laa; 


The  problem  of  the  black  sand  lias  been  with  us  for  a 
luiiiT  time  and  has  been  attacked  by  many  investigators, 
usually  with  poor  results.  The  work  done  has  been  main- 
ly of  a  desultory  nature,  due,  no  doubt,  to  the  scattered 
state  of  the  deposits,  which  are  not,  as  a  rule,  either  large 
enough  or  regular  enough  in  tenor  to  warrant  large-scale 
operations.  However,  conditions  now  are  such  as  to 
favor  further  examination  and  perhaps  development, 
among  these  conditions  being  the  unexampled  rise  in  the 
price  of  platinum,  a  metal  that  is  not  infrequently  found 
in  the  black  sand.  Possibly  some  of  our  idle  prospectors, 
whose  future  is  giving  their  friends  so  much  concern, 
may  find  it  to  their  interest  to  turn  their  steps  that  way, 
the  more  so  that  the  examination  of  this  class  of  mineral 
deposit  involves  comparatively  little  expense  or  trouble. 

At  the  outset  we  have  to  bear  in  mind  the  differences 
between  the  two  great  classes  of  such  deposits,  namely, 
the  beach  or  sea  sand,  and  the  river  or  stream  sand.  The 
latter  is  present  in  variable  quantity  in  all  placers.  The 
first  noticeable  difference  is  the  great  diversity  in  size  of 
grain — the  sea  sand  not  being  mixed  or  associated  with 
the  coarse  gravel  and  boulders  characteristic  of  stream 
placers.  On  the  other  hand  it  contains  much  finely  pul- 
verized material  scarcely  coarser  than  wheat-flour. 
While  black  sand,  properly  so-called,  is  distributed 
through  all  placers,  and  is  found  in  large  quantities  in 
some,  as  a  rule  it  occurs  only  in  small  patches  and  never 
in  amount  sufficient  to  necessitate  special  metallurgical 
arrangements  for  its  treatment.  The  old-fashioned 
methods  of  washing,  applicable  to  placer  work  in  general, 
have  been  found  equally  adapted  to  treat  the  compara- 
tively restricted  collections  of  black  sand.  Along  the 
beaches,  however,  the  black  sand  is  found  at  times  in 
such  great  quantity  as  to  justify  improved  methods  of 
treatment.  It  would  only  be  advisable  to  make  such  im- 
provements in  the  event  of  finding  large  deposits,  grow- 
ing larger  by  constant  addition  from  the  original  source. 

Beach  sand  is  generally  deposited  free  from  the  boul- 
ders with  which  it  must  have  been  at  one  time  associated, 
and  forms  a  comparatively  homogeneous  mass,  the  par- 
ticles of  which  do  not  vary  widely  in  size.  In  samples 
that  I  have  screened,  and  that  have  been  derived  from 
widely  separated  beaches,  the  size  of  grain  varies  from 
30  to  200-mesh,  although  the  dry  sand  yields  occasionally 
a  small  amount  of  even  finer  dust.  The  sand,  of  course, 
is  made  up  of  hard  particles  of  the  rocks  from  which  it 
was  derived  by  erosion,  and  we  find  in  it  quartz,  garnet, 
olivine,  zircon,  and  other  silicates,  together  with  mag- 
netite, chromite,  titaniferous  iron  and  hematite,  along 
with  a  very  little  gold,  and  once  in  a  while  a  little  plat- 
inum. One  ought  to  emphasize  the  scarcity  of  the  gold 
and  platinum,  because  the  impression  has  prevailed  for  a 


long  while  that  this  sand,  or  at  least  a  considerable  part 
of  it,  is  rich  in  gold,  but  which,  owing  to  some  fault  of 
Nature,  cannot  be  successfully  recovered.  Nothing  of  the 
sort  is  true;  for  while  there  are  occasionally  found  some 
isolated  areas  of  a  few  square  feet,  or  more  likely  a  few 
ounces  of  material  that  will  yield  a  respectable  assay, 
the  average  is  very  poor  indeed,  and  I  question  if  the 
beaches,  even  those  upon  which  work  has  been  long  car- 
ried on,  will  average  more  than  10,  or  at  most,  15  cents 
per  ton  in  gold.  Averages,  of  course,  are  what  we  are 
after  in  an  inquiry  like  this,  and  time  must  not  be  wasted 
in  chasing  sporadic  occurrences  of  rich  material  that  may 
be  reported. 

The  origin  of  the  beach  sand  has  been  much  discussed, 
some  observers  arguing  that  because  of  the  presence  of 
the  gold  it  must  have  had  a  different  origin  from  ordi- 
nary sand,  and  that  the  precious  metal  must  have  been 
brought  to  the  ocean  by  rivers  eroding  distant  aurifer- 
ous formations.  Others,  with  more  reason,  maintain 
that  they  were  formed  in  the  usual  manner,  by  the 
erosion  of  the  adjacent  country,  and  that  the  sand  is 
merely  the  more  resisting  portion  of  the  rocks.  The 
association  of  gold  proves  nothing  one  way  or  another, 
excepting  that  its  form,  which  is  peculiarly  thin  and 
flat,  militates  against  its  origin  in  ordinary  quartz  veins. 
It  doubtless  came,  like  the  other  constituents  of  the  sand, 
from  the  eroded  rocks  near-by.  Platinum  is  known  to 
originate  in  basic  rocks  containing  abundance  of  py- 
roxene and  peridotite,  and  accordingly  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing to  find  that  metal  most  abundant  along  shores 
abounding  in  serpentine,  a  derivative  of  those  rocks,  as 
along  the  coast  of  southern  Oregon  and  northern  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  casual  wayfarer  sees  nothing  in  these  beaches  that 
he  has  not  seen  in  those  of  other  sea-shores,  neither  as  to 
their  extent  or  their  character.  Even  on  closer  examina- 
tion they  appear  the  same.  One  notices  here  and  there 
small  areas  of  darker  sand,  indicating  a  concentration  of 
some  of  the  constituents  in  a  confined  space ;  but  this  is 
not  uncommon  on  any  beach.  Magnetic  iron,  which 
characterizes  certain  beaches,  is  found  everywhere  in 
natural  sand,  and  even  in  fine  soils  and  silts.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  the  magnetite,  with  some  other  associated  heavy 
minerals,  that  is  the  surest  indication  of  precious  metal 
in  beach  sand. 

Nature,  in  wearing  down  the  rocks  and  pulverizing 
them  into  sand,  performed,  as  has  been  frequently  re- 
marked, a  process  of  concentration  affording  a  source  of 
wealth,  somewhat  ambiguous,  some  will  say,  but  still  a 
source  of  wealth.  Her  method  has  been  likened  to  that 
employed  by  man  in  the  milling  and  dressing  of  metallic 
ores.    But  the  parallel  is  not  exact.    Nature,  indeed,  did 


812 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


the  crushing,  with  the  production  of  oversize,  sand,  and, 
doubtless  of  much  slime,  which  last  has  disappeared, 
having  been  spread  on  the  floor  of  the  ocean,  to  help  in 
building  new  continents.  She  laid  down  the  sand,  how- 
ever, where  it  remains  accessible  in  enormous  amount; 
but  forgot  to  size  it.  It  is  much  as  if  we  were  to  attempt 
concentration  without  putting  screens  into  our  mill.  We 
know  what  equal-falling  grains  are,  and  we  know  that  we 
may  have  a  small  grain  or  particle  of  gold,  a  larger  par- 
ticle of  magnetic  iron,  and  a  still  larger  particle  of  quartz 
that  will  fall  through  or  be  driven  about  by  currents  of 
water  and  land  together  every  time  they  are  moved. 
This  is  characteristic  of  sea-beach  sand  universally — 
it  is  composed  of  masses  of  equal-falling  grains  of  a  great 
many  minerals  varying  much  in  density,  but  all  moved 
by  the  waves  in  the  same  way.  While  the  waves  run  the 
grinding  continues,  grains  of  the  sand  are  worn  smaller ; 
are  sorted  and  removed,  and  new  associations  are  formed. 
In  some  way,  very  hard  to  understand,  the  grains  of 
black  sand  are  sometimes  brought  together  in  large  quan- 
tity, and  doubtless  the  white  ones  are  also;  but  no  one 
would  notice  that.  Why  this  happens  I  do  not  know, 
nor  have  I  even  seen  an  explanation.  We  cannot  imag- 
ine that  they  were  always  thus  together.  Whatever  be 
the  reason,  the  waves  sometimes  make  collections  of  dark 
grains,  segregating  them  by  themselves  for  a  time,  only 
to  disperse  the  collection  when  the  next  storm  comes. 
Along  the  bluffs  that  front  the  northern  coast  you  may 
see  as  many  as  twenty  layers  of  black  sand  interstratified 
with  as  many  white  or  gray.  But  these  layers  are  the 
edges  of  short  lenses,  which  thin  out  and  disappear 
within  a  few  feet,  to  be  succeeded  by  others.  Most  of  the 
black  layers  are  quite  thin — an  inch  or  two,  only,  in 
thickness.  We  find  the  same  condition  if  we  sink  pits  or 
bore-holes  in  the  beach  to  test  the  deposit.  We  may  cut 
a  hundred  different  layers  of  varying  quality  in  sinking 
50  ft.,  especially  as  regards  the  gold  content.  Variabil- 
ity in  composition  indicates  a  similar  variation  in  gold 
content;  whence  we  may  find  comparatively  rich  por- 
tions, carrying  perhaps  50  cents  worth  of  gold  per  ton, 
lying  within  a  few  feet  of  totally  barren  white  sand,  as 
one  would  infer  from  what  has  been  already  said,  is  more 
likely  than  not  to  be  the  poorest  of  all. 

Gold  is  found  as  a  rule  associated  with  the  denser  and 
darker  minerals  of  the  sand,  such  as  magnetite,  ilmenite, 
hematite,  and  chromite.  As  between  two  samples  of 
sand,  the  darker  will  almost  invariably  be  the  richer  in 
gold.  Furthermore,  in  a  given  sample,  there  is  a  pecul- 
iar relation  in  size  of  particles,  the  darker  and  heavier 
being  likewise  the  smaller.  This  peculiarity  arises  from 
Nature's  omission  to  screen  the  sand — a  vital  proceeding 
in  wet  concentration.  The  natural  and  obvious  thing  to 
do,  then,  is  to  perform  this  operation,  instead  of  attempt- 
ing to  extract  the  gold  from  the  mass  of  equal-falling 
particles  surrounding  it.  Screening  of  the  sand  is  ef- 
fective in  collecting  all  the  gold  particles,  and  the  whole 
or  the  major  part  of  the  dark  minerals,  in  a  much  dimin- 
ished bulk.  I  have  obtained  interesting  results  by 
screening  many  samples  of  such  sand,  varying  widely  in 


composition,  from  material  containing  but  few  dark  par- 
ticles, to  aggregates  made  up  almost  wholly  of  heavy 
minerals.  By  adapting  the  size  of  screen-mesh  to  that  of 
the  sand,  we  may  make  as  many  separations  as  we  like. 
A  typical  sand  may  contain  particles  ranging  from 
30-mesh  down  to  150  or  finer,  and  in  such  case  the  whole 
of  the  magnetite,  the  ilmenite,  etc.,  will  probably  pass 
the  80-screen,  and  the  most  of  it  the  100.  Hence  an  ordi- 
nary auriferous  sand,  containing,  say,  15%  of  heavj 
minerals,  may  easily  be  concentrated  so  that  those  min- 
erals along  with  the  gold  will  go  into  one-fifth  of  the 
original  bulk.  This  fact  is  of  great  importance  in  a 
rational  scheme  of  metallurgy.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
the  grains  staying  on  the  coarser  screens  are  exclusively 
white  or  gray,  consisting  of  quartz  and  the  light-colored 
silicates,  while,  as  finer  screens  are  employed  the  product 
passing  through  is  darker  and  darker.  The  gold,  being 
in  a  fine  state  of  subdivision,  stays  with  the  finer  sand, 
and  at  the  end  we  have  a  comparatively  small  quantity 
of  richer  material  to  treat.  This  simple  method  of  con- 
centration, which  after  all  only  supplements  Nature's 
operation,  would,  of  course,  be  effective  only  on  sand  con- 
taining a  comparatively  large  proportion  of  white 
grains;  for  if  the  deposit  consisted  of  magnetite  alone 
there  probably  would  be  no  concentration  by  the  screen- 
ing method,  since  the  particles  of  any  single  mineral 
collected  in  one  spot  are  apt  to  be  nearly  of  the  same  size. 
Some  experience  in  the  actual  washing  of  the  sand  is 
necessary  to  enable  one  to  appreciate  why  the  simple 
sluicing  of  the  natural  sand  is  such  an  ineffectual  opera- 
tion when  it  is  designed  to  catch  the  gold.  It  is  evident 
that  material  repeatedly  concentrated  by  Nature  and 
delivered  to  hand  in  assorted  and  equal-falling  grains 
cannot  be  separated  effectively  by  a  repetition  of  the 
process.  What-  Nature  has  done  on  a  great  scale  is  feebly 
imitated  by  man,  with  his  puerile  rockers,  long-toms, 
and  sluices,  but  to  little  purpose  indeed.  It  is  also 
evident  that  in  view  of  the  poverty  of  the  sand,  that  its 
treatment,  profitably,  must  be  on  a  far  greater  scale  than 
hitherto  known,  and  with  better  directed  and  more  com- 
prehensive processes. 

Although  the  impression  has  got  abroad  that  the  gold 
in  black,  and  especially  of  beach,  sand  is  difficult  to  treat 
metallurgically,  the  contrary  is  the  case  except  as  regards 
amalgamation.  A  great  deal  has  been  said,  which  it  is 
not  necessary  here  to  repeat,  about  the  existence  of  a 
"coating"  on  the  gold,  which  renders  it  "rebellious,"  or 
"refractory,"  or  something,  so  that  mercury,  and  per- 
haps chemicals  generally,  have  little  effect.  But  the  fact 
is,  the  gold  of  black  sand  is  perfectly  amenable  to  cya- 
nide and  to  chlorine,  and  furthermore,  the  ordinary  con- 
stituents accompanying  it  are  perfectly  inert  toward 
those  reagents.  .Should  sand  be  found  in  quantity  and 
of  a  quality  to  warrant  the  installation  of  a  plant,  using 
either  cyanidation  or  chlorination,  there  would  be  not 
the  slightest  difficulty  in  recovering  the  gold  profitably. 
Smelting  has  been  suggested  as  a  promising  means  of 
beneficiating  the  sand,  especially  of  the  heavier  kinds, 
doubtless  with  the  idea  in  mind  of  using  it  as  profitable 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


813 


flux,  to  take  the  place  of  basic  material.  But  this  sug- 
gestion must  have  originated  under  the  belief  that  the 
black  particles  are  exclusively  magnetite.  Were  it  main- 
ly so  there  is  no  question  that  it  would  serve  as  a  flux, 
and  in  case  the  gold  tenor  were  sufficient,  it  could  be 
employed  with  profit.  Analysis,  however,  shows  the 
presence  of  too  many  deleterious  minerals,  including  the 
most  of  those  above  named.  No  one  would  desire  to  add 
either  titaniferous  iron  or  chromite  to  his  smelting  mix- 
ture, for  reasons  known  to  every  metallurgist,  and  it 
goes  without  saying  that  silica  and  the  silicates  would 
prove,  though  for  a  different  reason,  an  undesirable  ad- 
dition to  the  furnace  burden. 

Proposals  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  to  em- 
ploy the  sand  as  an  ore  of  iron,  from  which  to  manu- 
facture that  metal,  and  especially  steel.  The  suggestion 
could  hardly  have  been  made  with  a  knowledge  of  their 
actual  composition,  however,  since  it  may  be  easily  un- 
derstood that  the  presence  of  chromite  and  ilmenite, 
would  effectually  bar  the  success  of  such  a  proceeding. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  use  a  magnet  to  discover  that  in 
almost  every  case  a  large  number  of  the  black  particles 
are  not  magnetite,  while  a  few  blowpipe  tests  will  reveal 
the  real  character  of  the  non-magnetic  portion.  Analyses 
of  many  samples  of  black  sand  may  be  found  in  'Mineral 
Resources  of  the  United  States'  for  1905.  The  data 
published  are  valuable,  but  like  much  that  is  printed  by 
the  Government  bureaus  are  ill  digested,  and  are  not 
brought  into  correlation  with  actual  mining. 

The  examination  of  beach-sand  deposits  is  generally 
confined  to  panning  occasional  samples  from  the  surface ; 
it  is  only  exceptionally  that  anyone  takes  the  trouble  to 
drill  the  deposit  systematically  after  the  manner  of  those 
who  investigate  dredging  ground.  One  deposit  of  200 
acres  of  sand  on  the  Oregon  coast  was  carefully  bored, 
however,  but  with  disappointing  results;  as  instead  of 
a  content  of  $4  per  yard,  as  was  alleged,  the  highest  assay 
was  but  60  cents  per  yard,  and  many  assays  showed  no 
trace  of  gold.  As  the  gold  is  entirely  free,  its  connection 
with  the  associated  minerals  being  wholly  physical,  the 
pan  or  batea  serves  perfectly  well  in  skilled  hands  for 
obtaining  an  adequate  idea  of  the  quality  of  the  material. 
Skill,  however,  is  necessary,  since  the  gold  has  a  strong 
tendency  to  float  off.  The  panner  finds  it  necessary  to 
wet  the  sand  carefully  in  his  implement  first,  and  then 
to  keep  the  pan  and  its  contents  covered  with  water  at 
all  stages  of  the  operation.  So  marked  is  the  tendency 
of  the  gold  to  float  when  dry  that  at  one  time  I  thought 
it  feasible  to  employ  this  tendency  as  an  aid  in  concen- 
tration. If  the  dried  material  is  thrown  upon  water,  the 
gold,  and  with  it  considerable  dust,  floats  and  can  be 
gathered  up  by  suitable  means,  forming  an  enriched 
product,  which  might  be  called  a  'concentrate.'  Whether 
this  principle  could  be  reduced  to  practice  remains  to  be 
seen.  If  by  this  means  or  by  screening,  or  by  a  combina- 
tion of  them,  there  could  be  secured  a  product  sufficiently 
rich  to  pay  for  eyaniding  there  would  be  a  chance  for 
establishing  an  important  industry.  Others  have  sug- 
gested the  use  of  magnetic  concentration  to  free  the  gold- 


bearing  material  from  at  least  one  of  its  constituents, 
preparatory  to  the  application  of  some  process  of  gold 
extraction ;  but  this  would  not  seem  to  promise  much  in 
view  of  the  general  composition  of  the  sand. 
I  conclude  therefore: 

1.  While  isolated  tracts  of  small  extent  are  compara- 
tively rich,  running  in  some  cases,  as  reported,  as  much 
as  two  or  three  dollars  per  ton,  most  of  the  deposits  carry 
but  a  few  cents  in  gold  per  ton. 

2.  The  sand  must  prove  valueless  for  steel-making, 
unless,  which  is  most  improbable,  masses  of  pure  or 
nearly  pure  magnetite  shall  be  found,  large  enough  to 
be  worked  commercially,  and  in  favorable  localities. 
The  fine-grained  condition  of  the  sand  would  be  an  ob- 
stacle to  its  industrial  utilization  for  this  purpose. 

3.  Although  a  few  miners  are  even  now  making  a  pre- 
carious living  by  washing  beach  sand  along  the  northern 
coast,  where  it  is  richest,  no  regular  and  important  in- 
dustry has  been,  or  will  be,  built  upon  the  crude  methods 
of  sluicing  there  practised. 

4.  A  rational  scheme  for  their  working  must  involve 
some  form  of  concentration,  to  be  followed  by  the  ap- 
plication of  some  process  more  effective  than  amalgama- 
tion. 


As  is  well  known,  the  Minerals  Separation  company 
has  a  suit  against  J.  M.  Hyde,  really  the  Butte  &  Super- 
ior Mining  Co.,  in  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 
This  is  an  appeal  from  a  lower  Court  in  the  case  of  al- 
leged infringement  of  M.  S.  flotation  patents,  and  a  deci- 
sion is  expected  at  an  early  date.  At  Butte,  last  week, 
Minerals  Separation  made  an  effort  to  prevent,  through 
injunction  proceedings  in  the  Federal  District  Court, 
before  Judge  Bourquin,  further  payment  of  dividends 
by  the  Butte  &  Superior  company  and  the  proposed 
consolidation  with  the  American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting 
Co.  It  is  probable  that  a  bond  of  sufficient  sum  to  in- 
sure Minerals  Separation  against  any  loss  in  case  it  wins 
its  present  suit  with  Butte  &  Superior  will  be  asked  by 
the  Court.  The  Butte  &  Superior  company  denied  the 
right  of  Minerals  Separation  to  ask  for  an  increased 
bond,  now  $75,000,  but  maintained  that  the  latter  com- 
pany was  not  entitled  to  any  bond  to  secure  possible 
judgment  in  view  of  present  status  of  the  ease. 

The  Judge  said  the  whole  question  seemed  to  revolve 
around  whether  or  not  a  bond  should  be  required  after 
the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  had  reversed  his  decision 
in  the  Hyde  case,  which  found  that  oil  flotation  is  an 
infringement  of  the  M.  S.  patent.  In  asking  an  increase 
in  the  bond,  Minerals  Separation  stated  that  since  the 
first  decision  in  the  case,  dividends  aggregating  $13,- 
098,288  have  been  distributed  to  stockholders  of  Butte 
&  Superior.  Official  reports  filed  in  Court  showed  that 
flotation  has  netted  Butte  &  Superior  over  $15,000,000. 
Butte  &  Superior  denied  that  it  was  to  dispose  of  its 
properties  to  American  Zinc. 


814 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


M    IM^wmto 


13y      &l 


ta  sft  Si 


Tonopah  has  settled  down  to  a  fairly  steady  output  ot  ap- 
proximately 10,000  tons  of  ore  per  week,  averaging  $19  per  ton. 
Of  this,  7200  tons  is  from  the  Belmont,  Extension,  and  Tono- 
pah Mining  properties,  the  remainder  from  the  Jim  Butler, 
West  End,  Halifax,  Rescue-Eula,  North  Star,  and  leases  on  the 
Montana,  MacNamara,  and  one  or  two  others.  The  Extension 
continues  to  yield  the  most  consistent  grade  of  ore.  Sinking 
of  the  Victor  shaft  of  the  Extension  has  advanced  to  a  depth 
of  1720  ft.,  fair  progress  being  made,  although  heavy  ground 
was  encountered  recently.  On  the  1540-ft.  level  stoping  is 
going  forward  on  the  Murray  and  North  Merger  veins,  and 
considerable  exploration  is  being  done  west  of  the  shaft.  On 
the  1350  and  1440-ft.  levels  the  Murray,  North  Merger,  and 
O.  K.  veins  continue  to  develop  splendidly.  At  1440  ft.  the 
Murray  has  widened  to  6  ft.,  being  the  same  width  as  at 
1350  ft.  On  this  level  the  Merger  vein  is  S  ft.  wide,  and  the 
O.  K.  is  yielding  good  ore  across  a  width  of  4  ft.  From  950  to 
1350  ft.  extensive  work  is  proceeding  on  wide  faces  of  milling 
ore.  As  soon  as  the  1850-ft.  point  is  reached  cross-cuts  will 
be  extended  to  cut  the  Murray  and  other  veins  to  the  west. 
The  Belmont  company  is  exploring  vigorously  with  diamond- 
drills  large  areas  about  a  mile  east  of  the  Belmont  mine.  This 
work  is  being  done  in  virgin  ground,  and  is  attracting  con- 
siderable interest.  Net  earnings  of  the  company  for  the  first 
nine  months  of  1916  amounted  to  $939,345,  May  being  the 
largest  month  with  $126,263.  Work  is  proceeding  on  all  levels 
from  600  to  1500  ft.  A  4-ft.  shoot  of  promising  ore  has  been 
opened  in  the  Monarch-Pittsburg,  and  a  66-ton  test  shipment 
made  to  the  West  End  mill.  The  discovery  was  made  in 
raise  1025  from  drift  No.  1003,  and  the  shoot  has  been  followed 
for  30  ft.  An  intermediate  west  drift  has  been  started  at  the 
point  of  discovery  to  prospect  the  formation  more  thoroughly. 

Although  reported  many  times  during  the  past  two  years 
there  is  a  strong  probability  that  the  Thompson  smelter  of  the 
Mason  Valley  Mines  Co.  will  be  blown-in  within  70  days. 
Repairs  to  the  plant  have  been  made,  and  work  resumed  on  a 
small  scale  in  the  mines.  It  is  announced  that  the  10-ton 
leaching-plant.  operated  several  months  as  an  experiment, 
has  proved  successful  and  will  be  enlarged.  Sulphuric  acid 
is  used  as  a  solvent,  and  the  process  is  stated  to  be  applicable 
to  either  carbonate  or  well-roasted  sulphide  ores.  Credit  for 
success  of  the  experiments  is  due  G.  A.  Bragg  and  E.  R. 
Weidlein.  It  is  understood  that  the  smelter  will  treat  ore  from 
the  Bluestone  mine,  near  Yerington,  and  several  small  pro- 
ducers in  the  vicinity  of  Luning,  Mina,  Reservation,  and  other 
centres,  where  considerable  gold,  silver,  lead,  and  copper  ore 
is  available.  Shipments  will  also  probably  be  received  from 
the  Gray  Eagle  copper  mine,  near  Happy  Camp,  California, 
recently  acquired  by  the  Mason  Valley  company.  The  mineral 
holdings  of  the  company  consist  of  150  acres  11  miles  west  of 
Mason,  together  with  the  1320-aere  smelter-site  and  320  acres 
of  agricultural  land.  The  ore  occurs  as  a  contact  deposit  in 
limestone  and  andesite,  and  has  been  opened  to  a  depth  of  550 
ft.  Surface  ore  consists  mainly  of  malachite,  but  at  a  depth 
of  100  ft.  massive  pyrite  containing  chalcopyrite  forms  the 
valuable  mineral.  The  main  orebody  averages  30  ft.  in  width, 
with  ore  of  medium  grade. 

At  Goldfield  the  exploration  of  promising  territory  in  the 
Silver  Pick  and  Jumbo  Junior  claims  considerable  interest. 
The  attempt  of  the  Florence-Goldfleld  company  to  treat  profit- 
ably its  oxidized  and  low-grade  gold-copper  sulphide  ores  with 
flotation  resulted  unfavorably,  and  the  mine  and  plant  have 


been  closed-down.  Sampling  of  the  orebodies  proved  un- 
reliable, because  of  constantly  varying  metal-content,  and 
in  many  instances  the  mill-feed  was  found  unprofitable,  al- 
though sampling  indicated  the  reverse.  The  company  is  under- 
stood to  be  contemplating  dewatering  the  1100-ft.  shaft, 
which  is  filled  with  water  to  the  650-ft.  point,  with  a  view  to 
exploration  of  promising  sulphide  deposits  in  the  deeper  levels. 
It  is  also  possible  that  this  work  may  be  undertaken  from  the 


MAP   OF   NEVADA. 

deep  levels  of  the  adjoining  Atlanta  mine.  Upper  workings 
may  be  leased.  As  the  company  has  no  facilities  for  treatment 
of  its  oxidized  ore,  this  material  will  be  saved  for  milling 
until  cyanide  equipment  can  be  secured.  A  large  station  has 
been  cut  just  above  the  1100-ft.  level  of  the  Silver  Pick  shaft, 
and  a  west  cross-cut  started  to  intersect  the  ore-shoots  found 
by  the  Calyx  drill.  While  sinking  a  sump,  quartz  assaying 
better  than  at  the  station  was  cut,  and  the  shaft  will  be  con- 
tinued until  the  alaskite  has  been  penetrated.  Seams  of  ore 
are  exposed,  and  the  excessive  faulting  of  the  formation  en- 
courages the  belief  that  profitable  ore-deposits  may  be  dis- 
covered in  the  alaskite.  The  Calyx  drill  is  boring  a  third  hole 
several  hundred  feet  west  of  the  main  workings.  The  new 
raise  from  the  SSO-ft.  workings  in  the  Jumbo  Junior  has  inter- 
sected fair  ore  near  the  Kewanas  line,  indicating  that  the  vein 
extends  into  Kewanas  ground.    The  winze  on  the  vein,  near  the 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


815 


Jumbo  Extension  line,  has  been  discontinued  temporarily,  and 
arrangements  made  to  prospect  the  deposit  from  the  deeper 
levels  of  the  Jumbo  Extension.  Driving  at  this  point  indicates 
that  the  work  has  been  on  top  of  the  deposit,  and  hopes  are 
held  for  the  uncovering  of  an  important  body  in  the  shale- 
latlte  contact.  The  work  is  going  on  a  short  distance  north- 
east of  the  Velvet  claim  of  the  Jumbo  Extension. 

The  C.  E.  Jury  Syndicate,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  is  preparing 
to  prospect  actively  the  West  Comstock  district,  near  Virginia 
City,  recently  taken  under  bond  for  a  reported  consideration 
of  $450,000.  The  chief  engineer,  Charles  Baycroft,  is  on  the 
ground  arranging  for  extensive  exploration  with  diamond- 
drills.  It  is  planned  to  prospect  thoroughly  the  orebodies  to  a 
depth  of  1500  ft.  The  district  contains  the  Bargo,  T.  &  E., 
Fluck  &  Mahoney,  and  other  promising  mines,  and  the  bond 
and  lease  is  for  two  years.  The  deal  was  made  by  W.  B. 
Thomas,  long  connected  with  mining  in  the  district,  formerly 
known  as  the  Jumbo  field. 

Manhattan  again  shows  a  disposition  to  become  an  important 
gold  producer.  Recent  work  in  the  White  Caps,  Big  Pine,  Big 
Four,  and  other  mines  has  been  encouraging,  particularly  in 
the  White  Caps.  At  this  property  deepening  of  the  310-ft. 
shaft  to  the  435-ft.  point  is  proceeding,  and  as  soon  as  the  ob- 
jective is  gained  a  series  of  drifts  will  be  extended  to  open  the 
shoots  disclosed  east  and  west  of  the  310-ft.  workings.  Founda- 
tions for  the  roasting-plant  are  being  installed,  and  the  mill 
will  be  moved  to  a  site  nearer  the  mine. 

Officials  of  the  Salt  Lake  Route  recently  inspected  the  line 
between  Jean  and  Goodsprings  with  a  view  to  widening  it 
between  these  two  points  by  means  of  a  third  rail,  and  exten- 
sion of  the  road  to  supply  the  mines  being  developed  west  of 
the  Columbia  Mountain  range.  Several  good  properties  have 
been  opened  in  this  region,  and  are  in  need  of  transportation 
facilities.  The  Akron  and  Bill  Nye  properties  have  been 
merged  into  the  Goodsprings  Bill  Nye  Mining  Co.,  and  ar- 
rangements made  for  an  enlarged  yield.  The  Bill  Nye  has  been 
shipping  zinc-lead  ore  for  several  months.  On  the  Akron,  ore 
giving  high  assays  in  silver  and  zinc  has  been  opened. 

As  has  been  mentioned  before,  Utah  people  are  to  erect  a 
sampling-plant  at  Jean  to  handle  Goodsprings  ore. 

Shipments  of  high-grade  copper  ore,  also  containing  plat- 
inum and  gold,  are  going  out  from  the  Boss  mine;  a  recent 
consignment  is  reported  to  have  been  one  of  the  richest  ever 
shipped.  Material  and  equipment  for  the  new  mill  are  arriv- 
ing, and  the  management  expects  to  have  the  plant  in  opera- 
tion about  the  middle  of  January.  High-grade  copper-gold- 
platinum  ore  is  being  shipped  from  the  Oro  Amigo,  where  a  de- 
posit assaying  10  to  45%  copper  was  recently  opened.  On  the 
Milford-Addison,  controlled  by  the  Goodsprings  Mining  Co.,  a 
4  ft.  deposit  of  practically  pure  sodium  chloride  was  discov- 
ered last  week.  Some  of  the  salt  will  be  used  in  the  new  chlor- 
ination  plant  of  the  Boss  company,  and  shipments  made  to 
Los  Angeles. 

The  new  camp  of  Wallace,  discovered  a  month  ago  by  Robert 
Wallace  at  a  point  12  miles  from  Winnemucca  in  the  Silver 
range,  is  attracting  some  attention.  The  Whitaker-Newlands 
lease  has  opened  a  12-in.  shoot  at  a  depth  of  35  ft.,  that  is  claim- 
ed to  assay  over  800  oz.  of  silver  per  ton.  On  the  surface  James 
Truitt  and  Floyd  Harman  have  opened  a  24-in.  vein  for  a 
length  of  200  ft.  The  ore  occurs  in  contacts  of  lime-diabase 
and  porphyry-diabase.  E.  D.  Rogers  of  Sulphur  has  leased 
several  blocks  of  promising  ground  and  is  building  a  good 
camp,  preliminary  to  extensive  work.  Ore  containing  free  gold 
and  some  silver  has  been  uncovered  by  Albright  &  Wallace, 
the  shoot  being  18  in.  wide.  A  number  of  new  leases  have  been 
taken  in  the  past  week,  and  prospecting  is  becoming  active. 

The  outlook  at  Rochester  is  more  favorable  than  for  many 
months,  largely  the  direct  result  of  a  more  friendly  spirit 
manifested  by  the  leading  operators.  For  over  a  year  some  of 
the  foremost  companies  have  been  antagonistic  toward  each 
other,  and  this  attitude  naturally  militated  against  develop- 


ment and  investment  of  new  capital  in  the  district.  Realizing 
this,  some  of  the  operators  recently  held  a  conference  and 
agreed  to  bury  their  differences.  Already  a  change  for  the 
better  is  apparent.  By  an  agreement  entered  Into  by  the 
Rochester  Merger  and  Nenzel  Crown  Point  companies  the 
former  is  enabled  to  work  its  Crown  Point  Extension  claim 
by  way  of  the  Nenzel  Crown  Point  laterals,  and  the  latter  com- 
pany is  developing  its  territory  through  the  Pitt  adit  of  the 
Merger.  The  Rochester  Mines  Co.  is  increasing  its  mill  and 
completing  a  tramway  from  mine  to  mill.  Excellent  ore  is 
showing  in  the  northern  end  of  the  Crown  Point  No.  1  claim, 
and  is  being  developed  by  way  of  the  Causten  adit.  The 
Nevada  Packard  has  declared  its  initial  dividend,  at  the  rate 
of  5c.  per  share,  and  is  credited  with  an  output  of  $1000  per 
day.  Good  ore  is  reported  by  the  Rochester  United  on  the 
south  end  of  the  Sunflower  claim,  leased  from  the  Rochester 
Merger  Co. 

Revival  of  the  old  centre  of  Eureka  ranks  among  the  most 
important  of  late  mining  developments  in  Nevada.  New 
capital  is  opening  the  properties,  many  of  which  have  lain  idle 
for  decades,  and  some  new  mines  are  in  the  making.  Gross- 
man &  Koplan  of  San  Francisco  have  purchased  a  two-thirds 
interest  in  the  Republic  from  Mrs.  May  M.  Des  Marias,  and 
have  started  work.  The  mine  is  on  the  west  slope  of  Prospect 
mountain,  and  has  yielded  some  rich  ore.  In  the  Summit,  at  a 
point  approximately  2000  ft.  south  of  the  Diamond  mine,  a 
shoot  of  gold-silver  ore  has  been  cut  near  the  surface.  Sam- 
ples assay  150  oz.  silver,  50%  lead,  and  $10  gold  per  ton. 
A  hoist  has  been  installed  on  the  shaft  of  the  California,  and 
sinking  is  proceeding  rapidly  on  ore  of  excellent  grade.  From 
the  upper  workings  three  carloads  of  ore  are  shipped  weekly. 
Hoisting  machinery  has  been  placed  in  position  at  the  Rescue, 
and  the  old  shaft  deepened.  Drifts  will  be  extended  to  seek 
the  veins  worked  on  the  main  levels.  Good  ore  is  coming  from 
the  Diamond,  Bullwhacker,  Marne,  and  other  claims.  Silver- 
lead  ore  assaying  $65  per  ton,  with  a  little  gold,  is  being 
opened  in  the  Silverado  property,  controlled  by  the  Summit 
Queen  Co.,  under  the  management  of  Clarence  Johnson.  The 
incline  shaft  of  the  Connolly  has  been  carried  to  a  depth  of 
400  ft.,  and  connections  made  with  the  new  shaft  being  sunk  on 
the  Catlin  group.  The  latter  has  two  compartments,  and  a 
manway  and  will  be  one  of  the  best  equipped  in  the  district. 

Eldorado  Canyon  continues  to  claim  attention,  with  a  de- 
termined effort  made  by  the  mine-owners  to  encourage  invest- 
ment of  outside  capital.  San  Francisco  people  are  displaying 
considerable  interest,  and  some  of  the  more  promising  groups 
are  now  controlled  by  residents  of  that  city.  On  the  Lombard 
claim,  adjoining  the  Carnation,  where  rich  ore  was  lately  en- 
countered, Charles  Herman,  M.  Fisher,  and  James  German 
have  opened  a  shoot  of  high-grade  gold-silver  ore.  Assays  are 
reported  to  range  from  $100  to  $1200  per  ton.  A  compressor 
and  other  machinery  have  been  installed  at  the  Eldorado 
Empire,  preparatory  to  more  extensive  work.  '  Good  ore  is 
showing.  The  owners  of  the  Enterprise  have  completed  an  in- 
spection of  the  property  with  the  intention  of  providing  addi- 
tional equipment.  The  shaft  of  the  Cliff-Era  is  being  rapidly 
completed  to  the  200-ft.  point,  despite  the  water.  From  the 
200-ft.  level  a  drift  will  be  driven  to  intersect  the  orebody  that 
has  been  traced  on  the  surface  for  4000  ft.  Isaac  Allcock  and 
Frank  Hoine  have  taken  a  lease  on  the  Lucky  Jim  and  started 
blocking-out  of  ore.  A  new  hoist  is  being  installed  at  the  Sky- 
lark group,  and  sinking  will  be  pressed  to  open  fair  ore  ex- 
posed near  surface.  Several  new  buildings  are  under  construc- 
tion, including  a  hotel.  Men  are  coming  in  from  all  parts, 
and  numerous  deals  are  reported  to  be  in  course  of  negotiation. 
The  activity  has  spread  to  the  neighboring  Searchlight  dis- 
trict, and  several  old  properties  at  that  point  are  about  to  be 
re-opened  and  vigorously  worked,  including  the  Duplex,  Big 
Casino,  and  Searchlight.  Operations  have  been  increased  at 
the  Quartette,  which  recently  passed  into  the  control  of  New 
York  capital. 


816 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


REVIEW    OF    MINING 

As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 

aim n n iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii miii  tii. i iniiiiiniH IIIIIIIIIIlll mi ■■ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiHiiHiiiiiniiHii u in iiiiiiiiiiininiiiiiiniiiniiiiii ■ idimiii nn-in  ih iiiiiitiiiui ngyin ui 

nniinml 

VICTORIA,  BRITISH  COLUMBIA 

Estimated  Metal  Production  for  1916. — Review  of  Prooress. 

Estimates  o£  the  probable  value  of  the  mineral  production 
of  British  Columbia,  published  recently,  give  a  total  of  be- 
tween $45,000,000  and  $50,000,000.  As  the  year  draws  to  a 
close  it  seems  as  if  there  is  a  possibility  of  the  lower  total 
being  reached,  but  little  likelihood  of  the  higher  one.  The 
provincial  mineralogist,  W.  F.  Robertson,  issued  the  following 
figures  as  to  copper  production  for  the  current  calendar  year: 
"estimated  as  probable.  90,000,000  lb.  of  copper,  value  $22,500,- 
000."  This  would  give  an  increase  over  the  value  of  the  1915 
output  of  $12,665,000.  The  total  value  of  all  lode  metals  other 
than  copper  produced  in  the  Province  last  year  was  $10,156,- 
000;  that  of  placer  gold  and  non-metalliferous  min- 
erals was  $9,456,000.  If  the  above  quoted  estimates 
for  copper  be  realized  and  there  is  a  50%  increase 
in  all  lode  metals  (which,  however,  seems  to  be  un- 
likely for  gold  and  lead),  then,  as  already  stated,  a 
total  value  of  $45,000,000  for  this  year  seems  pos- 
sible, but  hardly  otherwise;  as  it  does  not  seem 
probable  that  non-metalliferous  minerals  and  placer 
gold  will  together  considerably  exceed  their  total 
value  last  year.  Further,  the  opinion  may  here  be 
expressed  that  the  quoted  estimate  for  copper  is  an 
over-sanguine  one. 

Apart  from  great  expectations  relative  to  total 
value  of  production,  there  are  distinctly  encourag- 
ing features  in  the  mining  situation  in  the  Province, 
for  the  total  dividends  paid  by  mining  companies 
may  be  expected  to  be  as  much  for  1916  as  for  1915 
and  1914  combined.  During  last  year  the  total  was 
$1,586,820,  and  for  1914  $1,689,331,  a  total  of  $3,276,- 
151.  By  the  middle  of  November,  1916,  total  dis- 
bursements of  companies  will  be  in  excess  of 
$2,900,000,  and  there  will  be  the  customary  period- 
ical dividends  for  the  remaining  weeks  of  the  year 
to  a  total  of  nearly  $400,000,  so  that  it  is  reason- 
able to  expect  this  year's  dividends  to  reach  a  total  of 
$3,300,000. 

Another  evidence  of  progress  is  found  in  the  larger  number 
of  mining  properties  that  have  shipped  more  or  less  ore  this 
year.  For  instance,  there  are  a  dozen  mines  on  the  East 
Kootenay  list  of  shippers  to  Trail,  compared  with  four  in  the 
corresponding  period  of  1915  and  that  of  two  in  1914.  True, 
most  of  these  have  shipped  only  small  quantities  of  ore,  but  the 
fact  that  they  are  producing  at  all  after  years  of  inactivity  is 
regarded  with  some  satisfaction.  In  degree,  other  older  min- 
ing districts  are  also  giving  evidence  of  a  revival  of  interest 
in  mining. 

The  total  of  ore  receipts  at  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelt- 
ing Co.'s  works  at  Trail  for  the  10  expired  months  of  1916  is 
416,554  tons,  of  which  quantity  345,722  tons  was  from  mines 
operated  by  the  company,  and  70.S32  tons  was  of  custom  ores. 
By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  ore  mined  by  the  company  came 
from  its  mines  in  Rossland  district,  and  in  East  Kootenay,  the 
proportions  of  the  several  large  producers  having  been,  Centre 
Star  group,  Rossland,  150,935  tons;  Le  Roi,  Rossland,  104,271 
tons;  Sullivan,  Kimberley,  East  Kootenay,  76,846  tons.  When 
compared  with  1915  and  1914,  the  1916  total  to  November  1 
shows  a  marked  increase,  as  the  quantity  of  ore  received  dur- 


ing the  corresponding  period  of  1915  was  approximately  372,000 
tons,  and  in  1914  329,000  tons.  The  chief  increase  was  made 
by  the  Sullivan  mine,  which  shipped  40,700  tons  more  in  1916 
than  in  this  period  of  last  year.  Other  increases  included 
6500  tons  from  the  Boundary  district  (from  the  company's 
Emma  mine),  3700  tons  from  Ainsworth  mining  division  of 
West  Kootenay,  2800  tons  from  the  Slocan  divisions,  a  similar 
increase  from  United  States  mines,  1600  tons  from  Kamloops 
division  of  the  Yale  district,  and  several  minor  increases. 
Partly  off-setting  these  gains  was  a  decrease  of  about  12,000 
tons  from  Rossland  mines,  resulting  from  temporary  curtail- 
ment of  smelting  gold-copper  ore,  owing  to  shortage  of  coke  for 
the  blast-furnaces. 

The  Ainsworth  mining  division  of  West  Kootenay  maintains 


SLOCAN   STAB  MILL  AND  DUMP  AT   No.   10  ADIT,  NEAR  SANDON. 

its  number  of  ore-shippers  to  Trail,  but  two-thirds  of  the  num- 
ber have  only  sent  small  quantities.  Of  the  others,  the  Blue- 
bell is  in  the  lead  for  1916  with  total  to  the  end  of  October  of 
4069  tons,  chiefly  of  lead  concentrate;  next  comes  the  High- 
land with  2645  tons  of  silver-lead  ore,  and  then  the  No.  1  with 
2381  tons.  The  Utica  has  shipped  839  tons;  tenders  are  being 
invited  for  driving  a  deep-level  adit  at  this  mine,  to  open  the 
ore-shoots  at  about  350  ft.  greater  depth.  The  Florence  com- 
pany's total  is  834  tons;  a  considerable  output  from  this  prop- 
erty is  being  prepared,  the  erection  and  equipment  of  a  con- 
centrating mill  being  well  advanced.  The  Comfort,  which  ad- 
joins the  Bluebell  group,  has  shipped  435  tons  of  lead  ore  and 
is  expected  to  continue  making  an  output. 

In  the  Slocan  and  Slocan  City  divisions  many  properties  are 
being  worked,  including  a  number  that  had  been  idle  for  years; 
altogether,  26  are  on  the  Trail  list,  while  two  or  three  others 
ship  zinc  ore  to  the  United  States.  The  Standard  has  this 
year  shipped  56S2  tons  of  silver-lead  ore  and  concentrate  to 
Trail,  beside  a  comparatively  large  quantity  of  zinc  concen- 
trate to  the  United  States.  The  Rambler-Cariboo's  total  is 
1598  tons  of  silver-lead  concentrate;  its  zinc  concentrate  is 
now  being  shipped.  The  Galena  Farm  has  sent  1367  tons  of 
silver-lead  product  to  Trail,  and  much  zinc  concentrate  to  the 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


817 


United  States.  The  Slocan  Star  has  shipped  924  tons  of  silver- 
lead,  and  considerable  zinc  concentrate. 

To  provide  for  the  cost  of  remodeling  its  concentrating  mill. 
Increasing  its  power-supply,  and  constructing  an  aerial  tram, 
some  2300  ft.  from  mill  to  railway,  the  Slocan  Star  Mines  last 
May  raised  $70,000  by  the  sale  of  bonds,  and  later  obtained 
$10,000  more  to  complete  these  improvements.  The  hydro- 
electric installation  included  9320  ft.  of  wire-woven  wood-pipe, 
to  deliver  water  under  an  effective  head  of  4S0  ft.  to  a  51-in. 
Pelton  wheel  developing  400  hp.,  to  operate  a  15-drill  com- 
pressor, and  electric  generators  to  furnish  auxiliary  power. 
Air  for  mine  purposes  is  conveyed  2700  ft.  in  a  6-in.  steel  pipe. 
The  mill  building  has  been  enlarged  by  a  25-ft.  extension,  and 
a  40  by  40-ft.  new  structure  erected  to  house  a  flotation  tank. 
The  new  plant  includes  a  Dorr  thickener  and  Portland  filter, 
while  to  the  mill  equipment  has  been  added  four  Frue  vanners, 
five  Deister-Overstrom  tables,  centrifugal  pumps,  and  a  Har- 
dinge  6-ft.  conical  mill.  Additions  to  concentrating  plant  have 
increased  the  daily  capacity  from  70  to  about  170  tons.  Ore- 
shoots  are  opened  on  No.  6,  S,  9,  and  10  levels;  on  the  last  men- 
tioned the  shoot  averages  between  6  and  7  ft.  wide,  chiefly 
of  milling  ore  but  with  clean  galena  in  parts.  Prior  to  1906 
silver-lead  ore  to  a  gross  value  of  $1,291,728,  silver-lead  concen- 
trate $1,229,641,  and  zinc  concentrate  $154,061  (total  $2,675,- 
430)  were  shipped.  Then  followed  years  of  extra-lateral  right 
litigation  until,  several  years  ago,  conflicting  interests  were 
merged,  and  now  the  outlook  is  favorable  for  renewed  profit- 
able operation. Other  Slocan  mines  contributing  appre- 
ciably to  the  output  of  the  district  are  the  Hewitt,  Idaho- 
Alamo,  Lucky  Jim,  Lucky  Thought,  Noonday,  Ruth,  and 
Wonderful. 

In  the  Nelson  division,  the  Emerald  (lead),  Molly  Gibson 
(silver-lead),  Eureka  (copper),  Queen,  Granite-Poorman,  and 
Relief  (all  three  gold),  and  Hudson  Bay  (zinc)  are  the  chief 
producers.  Work  is  being  resumed  on  the  Silver  King  (silver- 
copper)  after  two  years  of  inactivity.  Rossland  mines  have 
shipped  269,287  tons  of  ore  to  Trail  in  10  months  of  1916.  In 
Boundary  district,  the  Granby  and  B.  C.  Copper  companies  con- 
tinue to  make  a  large  output  and  in  the  last  three  months  the 
Consolidated  company  has  shipped  to  Trail  68S9  tons  of  copper 
ore  from  its  Emma  mine.  In  the  Similkameen,  the  Hedley 
Gold  Mining  Co.  is  the  only  important  metalliferous  producer; 
the  Princeton  Colliery  has  lately  increased  its  output  of  coal. 
There  is  gradual  improvement  in  Yale  district;  the  Iron  Mask, 
Kamloops,  has  shipped  to  Trail  this  year  about  2700  tons  of 
copper-gold  ore.  Small  shipments  are  being  made  from  Nicola 
Valley  region;  the  Highland  Valley  company  has  commenced 
operating  a  concentrating  plant  in  Ashcroft  division.  In  the 
lower  Coast  district,  the  Britannia  company  is  making  a  con- 
siderable output  of  copper  ore.  In  the  upper  Coast  district, 
the  Tonopah-Belmont  company  is  erecting  a  gold-milling  plant 
on  Princess  Royal  island;  the  Granby  company  is  providing 
additional  power  supply  to  overcome  present  restrictions.  In 
the  Skeena  country  development  is  being  continued.  On  Van- 
couver island  the  coal  mines  are  making  a  larger  output  than 
that  of  last  year. 

BUTTE,  MONTANA 
Butte    &    Superior    Earnings. — Tuolumne    Progress. — Emma 
Zinc. — Butte-Detroit    Mill. — Anaconda    Zinc-Ore    Sched- 
ule.— Elm  Orlu. 

The  Butte  &  Superior  dividend  for  the  quarter  ended  Sep- 
tember 30  will  be  considerably  less  than  recent  distributions. 
The  net  operating  profit  was  $947,901,  equivalent  to  $3.27  per 
share.  The  profit  for  the  first  quarter  was  $3,554,940,  and  for 
the  next  period  $2,062,029.  The  grade  of  ore  was  about  the 
same  in  the  three  periods,  averaging  over  15%  zinc  and  6  oz. 
of  silver  per  ton.  There  was  a  decrease  in  the  tonnage  of 
ore  treated  during  the  third  quarter,  due  to  an  accident  in 
the  shaft  that  caused  a  suspension  of  operations  for  11  days. 


The  cost  of  mining  and  milling  was  $7.10  per  ton,  compared 
with  $6.26  for  the  second  quarter.  The  average  price  received 
for  spelter  was  S.3c.  per  pound.  Earnings  for  the  quarter  end- 
ing December  31  will  show  a  considerable  increase.  The  out- 
put will  be  greater,  and  spelter  is  realizing  a  much  better 
price.  After  disbursements  for  the  dividend  of  the  second 
quarter,  amounting  to  $6.25  per  share,  the  company  had  net 
quick  ass&s  of  approximately  $2,700,000.  The  company  now 
has  outstanding  290,197  shares,  as  17,500  were  recently  issued 
to  purchase  35,000  shares  of  American  Zinc,  Lead  &  Smelting 
Co.  The  consolidation  of  the  two  companies  has  been  much 
discussed,  and  it  would  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  Butte  & 
Superior,  as  it  would  provide  a  selling  agency  and  would 
result  in  a  much  more  satisfactory  settlement  for  the  silver- 
content  of  the  ore.  The  concentrate  shipped  to  the  zinc  smelter 
averages  over  21  oz.  of  silver  per  ton.  The  silver  remains  in 
the  retort-residue,  and  its  recovery  is  expensive.  If  the  com- 
panies are  consolidated  a  small  plant  will  no  doubt  be  erected 
to  treat  this  residue.  The  offer  of  one  share  of  Butte  &  Super- 
ior for  two  of  American  Zinc  as  a  basis  for  taking  over  the 
balance  of  the  stock  was  turned  down.  An  appraisal  of  the 
American  Zinc  plants  was  made  recently,  and  it  is  probable 
that  a  new  proposal  will  be  made  to  trade  two  shares  for  three. 
The  hoisting  equipment  for  the  new  shaft  is  slow  in  arriving, 
and  it  will  not  be  ready  to  hoist  ore  before  next  April.  Mean- 
while timber  and  supplies  will  be  hauled  through  this  shaft 
with  a  geared  electric  hoist. 

The  Tuolumne  has  re-timbered  the  shaft  on  the  Sinbad 
claim,  unwatered  the  mine  and  cleaned-up  the  500,  600,  and 
700-ft.  levels.  A  cross-cut  will  be  driven  on  the  700-ft.  level 
to  the  south  side-line  of  the  property,  a  distance  of  1200  ft. 
The  mine  is  now  in  a  position  to  make  regular  shipments 
from  ore  developed  in  the  upper  levels.  A  new  hoist  is  being 
installed  at  the  Colusa-Leonard  shaft,  and  a  new  head-frame 
will  he  erected.  About  60  tons  of  ore  per  day  is  being  hoisted 
through  the  Tuolumne  shaft;  this  will  soon  be  increased  to 
100  tons  per  day.  A  winze  has  been  sunk  on  the  vein  from  the 
2600  to  the  3000-ft.  level.  Exploration  will  he  done  at  the 
2800  and  3000  ft.,  and  if  results  are  encouraging  the  shaft  will 
be  deepened  to  facilitate  ore  extraction. 

The  Emma  mine  is  shipping  zinc  ore  to  the  Washoe  works. 
The  Emma  is  in  the  centre  of  the  residence  district  of  Butte, 
and  it  is  necessary  to  haul  the  ore  over  the  city  streets.  Six 
horse-teams  are  used  to  haul  the  ore,  and  it  is  not  likely  that 
they  will  be  replaced  by  auto-trucks,  as  these  have  a  hard  time 
getting  up  the  hills  when  they  are  covered  with  ice  and  snow. 
The  ore  is  concentrated  at  Anaconda  and  then  shipped  to  the 
electrolytic  plant  at  Great  Falls.  The  Emma  is  the  property 
of  the  Butte  Copper  Zinc  Co.,  and  is  being  operated  by  Ana- 
conda under  an  option  agreement.  Anaconda  has  taken  an 
option  on  'the  Bonanza,  Andy  Jackson,  and  Geneva  claims  in 
the  south-west  part  of  the  district.  Shaft-sinking  has  been 
started  on  the  Bonanza,  and  a  cross-cut  will  be  driven  on  the 
1000-ft.  level  to  explore  for  zinc  and  silver.  The  claim  adjoins 
the  Travona  and  Ancient  claims  of  W.  A.  Clark,  well-known 
silver  producers  in  the  early  days. 

The  Butte-Detroit  Co.  has  ordered  flotation  equipment  for  its 
150-ton  mill.  It  was  expected  that  this  plant  would  be  oper- 
ated as  a  custom  zinc  mill,  but  negotiations  are  under  way 
with  the  Davis-Daly  to  supply  zinc  ore  until  such  time  as  the 
Butte-Detroit  develops  enough  ore  in  the  Ophir  mine  to  keep 
the  mill  at  work.  Nothing  has  been  done  on  the  Ophir  for 
more  than  a  month,  apparently  because  of  lack  of  funds.  The 
shaft  is  1065  ft.  deep;  but  no  development  has  been  done  below 
the  500-ft.  level.  The  Ophir  is  well  situated;  it  made  a  good 
showing  as  a  silver  mine,  and  it  warrants  development  at 
depth.  Davis-Daly  has  several  drifts  in  ore,  from  6  to  10  ft. 
wide,  that  averages  30%  zinc  and  12  oz.  silver  per  ton.  Flota- 
tion tests  on  the  ore  indicate  that  a  53%  zinc  concentrate  can 
be  made  with  a  recovery  of  95%.  The  low  iron-content  makes 
the  ore  desirable  for  treatment  by  flotation. 


818 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


The  Anaconda  company  is  now  buying  zinc  ore  for  the  leach- 
ing plant  at  Great  Falls.  A  tentative  schedule  has  been  drawn 
up  for  ore  containing  not  less  than  10%  zinc.  The  company 
pays  for 

100%  of  the  zinc-content  at  ljc.  per  pound. 
80%  of  the  silver-content  at  market  price. 
80%  of  the  gold-content  at  market  price. 
70%  of  the  copper-content  at  6c.  less  than  market  price. 
The  treatment  charge  is  $1.50  per  ton.    The  schedule  is  based 
on  a  market  price  for  zinc  of  9c.  per  pound.    No  doubt  shippers 
will  be  paid  more  for  zinc  when  the  details  of  the  leaching 
process  are  worked  out.     The  treatment  charge  is  low,  and 
there  is  much  silrer-zinc  ore  at  Butte  that  can  be  mined  profit- 
ably under  this  schedule.     The  old  silver  mines  were  forced 
to  shut-down  when  they  opened  zinc  ore  because  of  the  penalty 
imposed  by  copper  and  lead  smelters.    Now  the  zinc  will  pay 
the  cost  of  mining  and  smelting,  and  the  money  derived  from 
the  silver-content  is  all  profit. 

The  Elm  Orlu  is  mining  500  tons  of  zinc-silver  ore  per  day. 
A  new  electric  hoist  has  been  installed,  and  the  shaft  has  been 
sunk  to  the  2200-ft.  level.  Skip-chutes  will  be  cut  on  several 
levels,  and  when  alterations  to  the  mill  are  completed  the  out- 
put will  be  doubled.  The  copper-bearing  slime  from  the  old 
Butte  Reduction  Works  is  being  put  through  the  flotation  de- 
partment, and  this  brings  the  mill-feed  up  to  800  tons  daily. 
The  Clark  interests  are  also  opening  the  Evelyn  mine  in  the 
Walkerville  district.  On  the  300-ft.  level  a  drift  is  being  driven 
on  a  narrow  vein  of  high-grade  zinc-silver  ore. 

LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 
Monthly    Output. — Labor    Situation. — Mikado    Shaft. — Em- 
pire Zinc  Co.'s  Mines. — Down  Town  Mines. — Julia  Mining 
Co.— U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.— Fbyeb  Hill.— Bbeece  Hill. 

The  monthly  output  of  the  district  continues  to  grow.  In 
October,  80,600  tons  of  ore  of  various  grades  and  metal-content 
was  sent  to  the  smelters.  The  entrance  of  the  Penrose,  Cloud 
City,  and  Tip  Top  into  the  list  of  producing  mines  has  ma- 
terially added  to  the  tonnage.  These  properties  will  increase 
their  output  steadily  and  several  others,  notably  the  Green- 
back, Mikado,  McCormick,  and  Hibschle  will  be  shipping  before 
many  weeks  have  passed. 

Although  mine-owners  feel  concerned  over  the  labor  situa- 
tion, it  is  generally  thought  that  no  trouble  will  be  forthcom- 
ing from  that  source  for  several  months  at  least.  The  Union 
authorities  have  taken  a  stand  against  strikes,  stating  that 
more  can  be  secured  for  the  betterment  of  their  cause  by  open 
and  above-board  arbitration  with  the  operators,  and  unless  the 
radical  element  gains  control  of  the  local  branch  there  appears 
to  be  little  cause  for  anxiety  for  the  time  being.  No  change  in 
the  situation  has  occurred.  The  managers  continue  to  stand 
pat  on  their  refusal  to  treat  with  the  "Western  Federation  of 
Miners.  The  State  Industrial  Commission  has  taken  no  steps 
in  the  matter.  The  Union  men  are  steadily  pushing  their 
organizing  campaign,  and  the  crisis  that  was  expected  im- 
mediately following  election  has  not  materialized.  The  strike 
that  was  supposedly  pending  last  month  has  ceased  to  be  the 
main  topic  of  conversation,  and  is  only  occasionally  referred  to 
as  a  possible  happening  of  the  future.  The  probability  of  a 
strike  being  called  at  some  future  date,  possibly  early  in  the 
spring,  is  now  holding  up  several  new  concerns  that  were  con- 
templating entering  the  district.  The  continued  effort  put 
forth  by  the  Unionists  to  increase  their  membership  is  dis- 
quieting to  the  operators  who  are,  now  actively  engaged  and 
who  plan  future  development.  For  this  reason,  the  labor 
agitation  has  been  extremely  detrimental  to  the  progress  of 
extensive  mining  here,  and  unless  a  definite  decision  is  reached 
soon  its  effects  will  continue  to  be  felt  for  some  time  to  come. 

George  O.  Argall,  manager  of  the  Iron  Silver  Mining  Co., 
is  completing  an  exhaustive  scheme  of  preparatory  work  at 


the  Mikado  shaft  on  Iron  hill,  where  he  contemplates  the  ex- 
tensive development  of  a  large  area  of  rich  territory.  The 
shaft  has  been  re-timbered  to  water-level,  a  depth  of  900  ft. 
New  surface  buildings  have  been  erected,  including  an  engine- 
house,  machine-shop,  blacksmith-shop,  and  office.  The  machine 
and  blacksmith-shops  have  been  thoroughly  equipped.  A 
300-hp.  Wellman-Seaver-Morgan  hoist  has  been  installed  in  the 
engine-room.  The  hoist  is  the  largest  in  Colorado.  Pumping 
machinery  is  expected  to  arrive  during  the  month;  unwater- 
ing  will  be  started  before  the  beginning  of  1917. 

The  Empire  Zinc  Co.  is  carrying  on  extensive  preparations 
at  its  newly  acquired  holdings,  the  Robert  Emmet  and  Mc- 
Cormick properties  on  Yankee  hill.  The  Emmet  shaft  is  being 
repaired  throughout  its  depth  of  900  ft.  All  the  important 
drifts  are  being  enlarged  and  re-timbered,  and  all  the  under- 
ground workings  are  being  put  in  order  for  a  large  tonnage 
from  the  immense  bodies  of  high-grade  lead,  zinc,  and  silver 
ores  that  have  been  uncovered.  The  main  shoot,  which  is  one 
of  the  largest  here,  continues  strong  in  the  deepest  workings 
of  the  Emmet,  and  it  is  planned  to  sink  the  shaft  early  in  the 
coming  year.  The  drainage  that  has  been  undertaken  through 
the  Wolftone  and  Greenback  shafts  at  the  instigation  of  the 
Empire  company  has  completely  drained  the  Emmet,  and  it 
will  be  possible  to  add  several  hundred  feet  of  depth  without 
encountering  water.  Surface  preparations  are  also  being  made 
for  efficient  handling  of  the  output,  which  will  not  reach  its 

maximum  next  year. Similar  work  is  being  undertaken  at 

the  McCormick  shaft  adjoining  the  Emmet.  The  old  drifts  are 
being  put  into  shape,  and  new  ones  are  being  driven  to  cut  the 
orebodies.  On  the  surface,  a  new  railroad  switch  is  under 
construction  to  the  property,  and  a  new  trestle  from  the  shaft 
to  the  siding  is  being  erected.  These  two  properties  are  ex- 
pected to  figure  greatly  in  the  output  of  the  district  during 
1917. 

Unwatering  of  the  Greenback  shaft,  which  is  being  done  by 
the  Empire  Zinc  Co.,  is  progressing  steadily.  New  auxiliary 
pumping  machinery  has  been  installed  on  the  1100-ft.  level. 
The  Layne-Bowler  sinking-pump  has  been  connected  with  the 
station  equipment,  and  is  now  lowering  the  water  in  the  shaft, 
which  is  1350  ft.  deep. 

The  Down  Town  Mines  Co.,  which  has  just  completed  un- 
watering the  large  Down  Town  basin,  is  now  extracting  ore 
steadily  through  the  Penrose  shaft.  One  of  the  largest  bodies 
of  iron-manganese  uncovered  in  the  district  has  been  discov- 
ered in  the  Penrose,  in  ground  lying  between  the  old  Coronado 
and  Midas  shafts.  The  output  is  2000  tons  per  month.  Aside 
from  mining  ore,  extensive  exploration  is  being  done  in  new 
territory  with  a  view  to  opening  bodies  of  carbonate  of  zinc 
which  are  believed  to  exist  throughout  this  section.  The 
pumps  continue  to  raise  2500  gal.  per  minute.  On  the  surface, 
the  lack  of  proper  dumping  room  has  necessitated  the  erection 
of  a  long  trestle  over  Orange  street  to  the  east  of  the  shaft 
several  hundred  feet.  The  new  construction  will  make  avail- 
able a  large  space  of  vacant  ground. 

The  manager  of  the  Julia  Mining  Co.,  Clarence  Jarbeau,  has 
just  completed  the  driving  of  a  connecting  drift  from  the 
Cloud  City  to  the  Home  Extension,  a  work  that  was  undertaken 
for  the  purpose  of  decreasing  the  cost  of  transporting  ore. 
For  several  months,  a  large  quantity  of  iron-manganese  has 
been  extracted  from  the  Home  Extension,  where  an  immense 
body  has  been  developed.  The  property  is  so  isolated  from 
railroad  service  that  the  ore  had  to  be  hauled  by  team  to  the 
nearest  siding.  The  Cloud  City,  on  the  other  hand,  is  close 
to  the  main  line  of  the  Colorado  Southern,  which  runs  through 
the  city  to  the  outlying  mines,  and  any  ore  hoisted  through 
the  shaft  can  be  loaded  into  the  cars.  The  two  shafts  are  less 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  apart,  and  the  orebody  lies  between 
them,  a  fact  which  has  made  the  driving  of  the  connecting 
drift  doubly  advantageous.  At  present  100  tons  daily  is 
being  extracted  through  the  Cloud  City,  and  a  steady  output  is 
still  being  hoisted  through  the  Home  Extension. 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


819 


The  Leadville  Unit  of  the  V.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.  is  now  drain- 
ing the  Jamie  Lee  shaft  on  Fryer  hill.  This  shaft  is  to  be 
sunk  300  ft.  as  soon  as  unwatering  is  completed.  The  man- 
ager, Howard  S.  Lee,  has  just  made  known  a  decision  of  the 
company  whereby  a  good  deal  of  the  ground  on  the  upper  levels 
of  the  Tip  Top  property  is  to  be  blocked  and  leased.  Opera- 
tions at  the  Leadville  Unit  are  being  followed  with  keen 
interest  by  local  mining  men,  as  the  developments  planned 
will  for  the  first  time  reach  the  formations  in  the  second  con- 
tact. 

In  charge  of  Warren  F.  Page  several  diamond-drill  holes  are 
being  put  into  Fryer  hill  from  the  lower  levels  of  the  Pro- 
gressive shaft.  This  and  surrounding  properties  have  been 
rich  in  silver-lead  ore,  which  was  found  in  pockets.  No  strong 
and  continuous  ore-shoot  has  been  uncovered,  and  the  drilling 
Is  being  done  in  an  effort  to  find  the  main  vein.  No  work  has 
been  done  in  this  area  for  a  number  of  years,  the  revival  being 
due  to  the  draining  of  the  entire  section  by  the  Leadville  Unit. 

The  Little  Jonny  and  other  properties  on  Breece  hill,  con- 
trolled by  the  Ibex  Mining  Co.,  are  rapidly  coming  to  the  front 
as  producers  of  low-grade  copper  ore.  These  rich  gold  mines 
of  the  90's  are  now  yielding  several  hundred  tons  of  6  to  8% 
copper  ore  to  the  district's  total,  and  it  is  stated  that  the  most 
recent  developments  in  the  Ibex  properties  indicate  a  large 
increase  in  the  copper  output.' 


LEWISTON,   MONTANA 
Development  in  Little  Belt  Mountains. — Cyaniding  Tailing. 

The  high  price  of  metals  has  stimulated  prospecting  and 
development  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Little  Belt  mountains 
during  the  past  summer,  after  many  years  of  quiet.  The 
principal  work  has  been  done  on  the  Yankee  Girl  mine  on 
Running  Wolf  creek,  from  which  several  carloads  of  lead- 
silver-zinc  ore  has  been  shipped  to  the  Anaconda's  new  electro- 
lytic zinc  plant  at  Great  Falls.  The  mine  was  located  in  1894, 
and  some  rich  ore  was  hauled  by  wagon  to  Great  Falls,  but  the 
lower  grade  could  not  pay  for  such  a  long  haul  and  little  was 
done  with  the  property  until  recently.  At  present  12  to  15 
men  are  employed  and  several  teams  are  engaged  in  hauling 
ore  to  Stanford,  the  railroad  shipping-point.  The  orebodies 
on  Running  Wolf  are  replacement  deposits  in  limestone  near 
the  contact  with  porphyry;  they  have  proved  to  be  small  and 
pockety  in  the  past,  but  an  extensive  orebody  is  now  thought 
to  have  been  discovered.  Work  is  being  done  on  adjoining 
claims,  and  even  if  the  shoots  prove  small  they  will  pay  to 
mipe  and  ship  at  present  prices.  Paris  Gibson  and  associates 
of  Great  Falls  have  applied  for  patents  on  30  claims  contain- 
ing high-grade  hematite,  assays  giving  over  50%  iron;  the 
claims  are  also  on  Running  Wolf  creek.  Several  mines  near 
Barker,  Monarch,  and  Neihart  are  producing  lead  and  zinc 
ores  regularly,  carrying  silver  and  gold.  The  zinc  ore  is 
shipped  to  Great  Falls. 

One  of  the  first  places  to  use  the  cyanide  process  in  the 
United  States  was  at  Giltedge,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Judith 
mountains,  in  the  early  'nineties;  the  process  was  not  well 
understood  at  that  time,  and  the  extraction  varied  from  90% 
down  to  practically  nothing.  As  a  result,  part  of  the  large 
tailing-pile  contains  nearly  as  much  gold  as  when  first  mined. 
Turnbull,  Caldwell,  and  Allen  are  re-working  part  of  this  ma- 
terial, said  to  average  $1.50  per  ton,  in  a  small  cyanide  plant. 
They  have  no  way  of  heating  solutions  in  vats,  however,  so 
during  cold  weather  operations  are  suspended. 

The  Spotted  Horse,  Maginness,  and  Cumberland  mines  at 
Maiden  are  being  regularly  operated  by  lessees.  Since  the 
discovery  of  the  orebody  in  the  Cumberland  last  spring  the 
lessees  have  produced  $75,000  in  gold,  largely  in  ore  shipped  to 
Anaconda.    A  recent  clean-up  of  the  cyanide  mill  gave  $7000. 

Kansas  people  are  to  drill  for  oil  and  gas  near  Winifred; 
the  area  is  favorable  for  their  occurrence. 


TORONTO,   ONTARIO 

Oil.     PBODUCTION. COPPEB     AT     POBT     ARTHUR.— NlCKEI.     PLANTS. 

Much  attention  is  being  given  to  the  active  and  successful 
development  of  the  Thamesville  oil-field  in  south-western 
Ontario  by  the  Vacuum  Gas  &  Oil  Co.,  which  controls  a  large 
acreage  and  has  undertaken  operations  on  an  extensive  scale. 
The  Thamesville  field,  which  is  50  miles  west  of  London,  is 
not  a  new  oil  area,  having  been  about  10  years  ago  the  scene 
of  operations  that  were  considerably  more  successful  in  ex- 
tracting money  from  the  pockets  of  over-credulous  investors 
than  oil  from  underground.  Such  actual  development  as  was 
then  undertaken  was  badly  mismanaged,  and  the  field  was 
soon  abandoned.  It  is  in  the  same  belt  as  Petrolia  where 
producing  oil-wells  have  been  in  operation  for  50  years,  and 
the  Bothwell  pool,  which  has  also  a  long  record  as  an  oil 
producer,  is  only  4*  miles  distant.  The  Vacuum  Gas  &  Oil 
Co.,  which  only  commenced  active  field  work  five  months  ago, 
has  already  seven  producing  wells,  the  most  important  of 
which,  the  No.  1  Featherstone,  produces  150  bbl.  each  24 
hours,  with  a  number  of  others  in  various  stages  of  develop- 
ment. Power  for  pumping  is  supplied  by  a  gas  engine  and 
plant  capable  of  operating  25  wells,  which  will  constitute  the 
first  unit.  The  company  having  secured  control  of  800  acres, 
is  planning  to  add  two  other  units,  making  a  total  of  100 
operating  wells.  In  addition  to  its  Thamesville  holdings  the 
company  has  2500  acres  in  the  Brooke  oil-pool,  and  the  Kent 
and  Essex  County  oil-fields,  and  extensive  gas  interests.  One 
largo  gas  flow  has  been  secured  in  the  Tillsonburg  area,  and 
other  gas-wells  are  being  put  down.  The  oil  from  the  Thames- 
ville well  is  shipped  to  the  Imperial  Oil  Co.'s  refinery  at 
Sarnia.  It  is  high  grade,  containing  24%  benzene  and  16% 
gasoline. 

Lately  there  has  been  a  noteworthy  revival  of  activity  in 
copper  mining  in  the  Port  Arthur  district.  The  Tip  Top  mine, 
82  miles  west  of  Port  Arthur  on  the  Canadian  Northern  Rail- 
way, shipped  340  tons  to  the  smelters  last  winter.  Returns  en- 
couraged more  energetic  development.  An  extension  of  the 
vein  was  discovered  1000  ft.  from  the  shaft,  and  another  vein 
was  found  26  ft.  wide,  of  which  15  ft.  was  high-grade  ore. 
This  mine  has  now  20,000  tons  on  the  dump  and  in  the 
stopes,  carrying  about  6%  copper  with  small  gold  and  silver- 
content.  A  spur-line  is  being  constructed  from  the  mine  to 
connect  it  with  the  Canadian  Northern,  and  when  this  is  com- 
pleted ore  will  be  shipped  to  the  smelters  at  the  rate  of  100 

tons   per   day. The   Mine   Centre   Copper   Co.   holds   under 

option  a  claim  3  miles  west  of  Mine  Centre  on  which  a  dis- 
covery was  made  by  Arthur  E.  Stone  last  May,  comprising  a 
vein  80  ft.  in  width  which  has  been  exposed  for  350  ft.  The 
ore  has  been  found  to  improve  in  value  with  depth.  Returns 
from  two  carloads  shipped  to  the  Trail  smelter  yielded  $1S75 
gross.     Sixty  tons  per  day  is  being  taken  out. 

The  plant  of  the  International  Nickel  Co.,  now  under  con- 
struction at  Port  Colborne,  Ontario,  will  be  on  a  somewhat 
more  extensive  scale  than  originally  contemplated,  the  com- 
pany having  set  aside  $5,000,000  for  increasing  its  Canadian 
equipment.  This,  however,  includes  the  enlargement  of  its 
smelter  capacity  and  an  increase  in  its  power.  The  company  is 
anxious  to  get  the  foundations  of  its  Port  Colborne  refinery 
completed  before  the  frost  sets  in,  and  if  this  is  accomplished 
expects  to  be  refining  nickel  within  12  months.  The  plant 
will  be  built  in  units,  so  that  it  can  be  quadrupled  if  necessary. 
The  British-America  Nickel  Corporation,  originally  in- 
corporated as  the  Canadian  Nickel  Corporation,  the  refinery  of 
which  will  probably  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Welland,  will 
have  its  smelter  near  the  Murray  mine  in  the  Sudbury  dis- 
trict, and  has  already  men  at  work  on  a  power-plant.  It  now 
controls  17,000  acres  of  Sudbury  nickel  lands,  and  has  obtained 
the  Canadian  right  to  a  Norwegian  process  known  as  the 
Hybinette,  by  which  it  is  claimed  that  nickel  99%  pure  can  be 
produced. 


820 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


.     . 


ARIZONA 

In  Bulletin  No.  41,  economic  series  No.  11,  entitled  'Miner- 
alogy of  Useful  Minerals  in  Arizona,'  the  State  Bureau  of 
Mines  has  compiled  a  useful  reference  of  70  pages.  The  pros- 
pector, miner,  and  others  will  find  in  it  material  of  value. 
Under  each  of  the  minerals  is  given  the  locality,  distinguish- 
ing features,  blow-pipe  tests,  occurrence,  and  uses. 

According  to  F.  M.  Manson,  manager  of  the  Utah  Ore  Sam- 
pling Co.,  who  recently  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City  after  an 
extended  trip  through  Arizona,  in  which  he  investigated  vir- 
tually all  the  mining  centres  of  that  State,  in  many  years  of 
experience  he  does  not  recall  a  more  stirring  or  impressive 
scene  of  activity  in  the  mining  field  than  at  Jerome.  Mr. 
Manson  said  that  the  only  comparison  he  could  make  would 
be  the  boom  which  was  experienced  in  Goldfield  about  12 
years  ago,  when  the  city  sprang  up  like  a  mushroom  and  for- 
tunes were  made  in  a  day.  He  added  that  the  areas  around 
Chloride  and  Kingman,  in  which  many  Utah  people  are  in- 
terested, were  little  less  active  and  that  apparently  everybody 
in  the  country  was  prosperous,  with  more  to  be  done  than  he 
could  do.  Speaking  specifically  of  conditions  at  Jerome,  Mr. 
Manson  called  attention  to  the  remarkable  career  of  the 
United  Verde  Extension  mine,  a  property  that  he  considers 
will  early  be  ranked  as  one  of  the  greatest  copper  mines  of  the 
world.  The  mine  is  now  yielding  6000  tons  per  month  of  cop- 
per ore  of  unusually  high  grade,  and  plans  for  the  early  erec- 
tion of  a  smelter  are  under  way. 

Globe.  To  try  to  lessen  the  large  flow  of  water  in  the  Old 
Dominion  mine  it  is  proposed  to  cement  off  Pinal  creek,  which 
is  of  considerable  width.  Engineers  from  New  York  have  in- 
vestigated the  probable  source  of  the  trouble. 

Miami.  The  Miami  Consolidated  has  commenced  shipping 
a  carload  of  ore  daily  to  the  Old  Dominion  smelter  at  Globe. 
Drilling  is  about  to  start  in  this  property,  also  at  the  Inspira- 
tion Needles. 

The  International  smelter  is  producing  350  tons  of  copper 
daily,  70%  of  which  is  from  the  Inspiration  Consolidated  and 
most  of  the  remainder  from  the  Miami  Copper  company. 

At  the  Miami  copper  mine  the  company  is  to  install  three 
five-cylinder,  two-cycle,  vertical  oil-engines  of  the  Nordberg- 
Carel-Diesel  make.  These  engines  are  being  put  in  at  a  cost 
of  between  $250,000  and  $300,000.  The  output  of  each  will  be 
720  kw.,  the  combined  output  of  the  three  being  2160  kw.  The 
output  of  the  present  plant  is  3000  kw.,  so  that  the  total  ca- 
pacity of  the  power-plant  when  the  new  addition  is  completed 
will  be  5160  kw.  The  engines  will  reach  Miami  some  time 
during  the  early  part  of  next  year,  but  the  installation  will 
probably  not  be  completed  until  next  fall.  The  management 
has  secured  options  on  two  ranches  below  lower  Miami,  and 
between  Globe  and  Miami.  The  intention  is  to  use  a  portion 
of  these  300  acres  for  tailing  dumps. 

The  Miami  Copper  Co.  has  filed  with  the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court 
its  first  statement,  ordered  in  connection  with  the  Minerals 
Separation  flotation  litigation.  The  figures  pertain  only  to 
that  product  treated  by  flotation  as  follows: 

Feed,  tons   102.69S 

Concentrate,   tons   1,370 

Copper  in  feed,  per  cent 1.119 

Copper  in  concentrate,  per  cent 40.9S7 

Copper  in  tailing,  per  cent 0.5S 

At  the  Inspiration  mill  a  concrete  thickener,  200  ft.  diam. 


and  10  ft.  deep,  is  being  constructed.  It  will  be  used  for  re- 
turn water  for  the  mill. 

Parker.  Ore  reserves  in  the  Arizona  Empire  copper  mine 
are  estimated  at  700,000  tons.  Some  of  this  contains  over  30% 
copper  and  high  value  in  precious  metals.  Road  construction 
cost  $10,000,  and  shipments  are  to  start  soon. 

Yucca.  T.  A.  Varden  of  Salt  Lake  City  has  purchased  the 
McCracken  group  of  lead-silver  properties  near  this  place. 
This  mine  has  been  a  good  producer  in  the  past. 

CALIFORNIA 

Bulletin  71,  'California  Mineral  Production  for  1915,'  with 
mining  law  appendix  and  county  maps,  has  just  been  issued 
by  the  State  Mining  Bureau.  The  publication  covers  193  pages, 
and  contains  carefully  compiled  information  and  statistics 
relating  to  mining  activity  throughout  the  State.  The  min- 
eral output  was  valued  at  $96,663,369,  for  49  different  sub- 
stances. This  is  an  increase  of  $3,34S,596  when  compared  with 
1914,  but  this  does  not  show  the  real  progress,  as  while  oil 
aecreased  $4,000,000,  and  structural  materials  over  $1,000,000, 
copper  increased  over  $3,000,000,  gold  $1,788,000,  tungsten 
$S24,892,  and  zinc  $1,597,002.  Each  mineral  is  discussed  by 
useful  remarks,  making  the  Bulletin  of  practical  value.  The 
maps  have  been  especially  drawn  for  this  Bulletin,  and  are 
strictly  up-to-date  as  regards  post-offices,  highways,  roads,  and 
railroads.  Copies  may  be  obtained  gratis,  by  applying  to  the 
State  Mining  Bureau,  Ferry  building,  San  Francisco;  or  to 
the  branch  office  of  the  Bureau,  No.  520  Union  League  build- 
ing, Los  Angeles,  for  those  in  the  latter  locality. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — E.  A.  Wiltsee  has  taken  a  bond 
on  60  acres  of  dredging  ground  belonging  to  J.  F.  Madera,  on 


NORTHERN  COUNTIES  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Coffee  creek.  It  is  reported  that  Mr.  Wiltsee  is  negotiating 
for  a  bond  on  the  Nash  deep-gravel  mine  for  dredging  pur- 
poses. It  is  situated  at  the  head  of  Coffee  creek,  and  ex- 
tends to  Salmon  river,  a  distance  of  seven  miles.  J.  L. 
Joseph  of  San  Francisco  is  the  owner. 
Coffee,  November  20. 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


821 


Alleuhany.  A  10-stamp  mill  is  to  replace  the  roller  mill  at 
the  Twenty-one  mine. 

Amahob  City.  Results  at  a  depth  of  S50  ft.  in  the  Original 
Amador  are  officially  reported  as  most  satisfactory,  the  ore 
being  of  better  grade  than  on  upper  levels.  Sinking  to  1500 
ft.  is  to  be  started  early  in  December.  The  mill  has  been  re- 
modeled. By  adding  an  S  ft.  by  22-in.  Hardinge  ball-mill,  and 
an  S  ft.  by  36-in.  pebble-mill,  these  and  20  stamps  are  crushing 
250  tons  daily,  a  gain  of  150  tons.  The  recovery  is  90%.  The 
tailing  dam  has  been  made  6  ft.  higher.  A.  A.  Busey  is  super- 
intendent. 

Colfax.  Reports  from  the  Iowa  Hill  district  state  that  a 
large  deposit  of  chrome  has  been  discovered. 

Happy  Camp.  A  mill  and  cyanide-plant  are  to  be  erected  at 
the  Bradley  mine  on  Independence  creek  in  Siskiyou  county. 
A  12-mile  road  is  being  constructed. 

Jamestown.  The  Sierra  Nevada  Exploration  Co.,  which  is 
operating  on  Turner's  flat,  three  miles  south-west  from  this 
place,  sinking  shafts  to  open  the  ancient  gravel-channel  run- 
ning along  and  under  Table  mountain,  is  building  an  electric 
power-line  to  connect  with  the  line  of  the  Sierra  &  San  Fran- 
cisco Power  Co.  near  Montezuma.  This  is  for  current  to  oper- 
ate the  large  Neilson  pump  and  electric  hoist  now  being  in- 
stalled. The  depth  to  bedrock  where  the  shaft  is  being  sunk 
is  about  90  feet. 

Nevada  City.  The  new  10-stamp  mill  at  the  Ocean  Star 
mine,  near  Washington,  was  destroyed  by  fire  last  week.  The 
property  is  operated  by  the  Columbia  Mines  company.  The 
plant  is  to  be  re-built.    E.  C.  Klinker  is  manager. 

Smabtsville.  The  old  Blue  Point  hydraulic  mine  is  to  be 
re-opened  by  Sidney  Wood  and  others.  A  water  supply  has 
been  secured,  and  gravel  can  be  prevented  from  going  into 
the  river. 

COLORADO 

Denvek.  The  entire  assets  of  the  United  States  Reduction  & 
Refining  Co.,  recently  sold  by  the  U.  S.  Court  to  The  Golden 
Cycle  Mining  Co.,  have  been  purchased  from  them  by  the 
Morse  Bros.  Machinery  &  Supply  Co.  of  Denver,  who  will  dis- 
mantle the  mills.  The  Standard  plant  at  Colorado  City  had  a 
daily  capacity  of  1000  tons  embodying  chlorination,  concentra- 
tion, and  cyanide-plant;  crushing  was  done  by  rolls  and  tube- 
mills.  Fifteen  hundred  horse-power  in  individual  induction- 
motors  drove  the  machinery.  The  chlorine  gas  used  in  the 
process  was  made  at  the  plant.  The  Union  mill  at  Florence 
was  a  700-ton  concentration  and  chlorination  plant,  crushing 
being  done  by  rolls.  Electricity  generated  at  the  plant  with 
steam  supplied  current  for  the  motors  used  there.  The  U.  S. 
Smelting  Co.  at  Canon  City  had  a  smelter  making  zinc-lead 
white  from  zinc-sulphide  ores.  The  plant  had  a  daily  capacity 
of  700  tons.  The  Bimetallic  plant  is  a  modern  cyanide-plant 
of  500-ton  capacity  for  treating  tailing  from  the  old  Bimetallic 
mill  destroyed  by  fire  several  years  ago.  The  dismantling  of 
these  plants  marks  the  passing  of  chlorination  treatment  of 
Cripple  Creek  ores,  and  is  the  answer  to  the  controversy  waged 
10  years  ago  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  two  processes. 
The  U.  S.  Reduction  &  Refining  Co.  had  a  capital  of  $6,000,000 
common,  $4,000,000  preferred,  and  a  bond  issue  of  $2,650,000. 
This  is  the  largest  purchase  of  milling  plants  ever  made  in 
the  West,  and  adds  quantities  of  nearly  every  kind  of  ma- 
chinery to  the  firm's  stock.  In  these  plants  there  is  15,000  tons 
of  machinery,  5000  tons  of  structural  steel  and  buildings,  2000 
tons  of  pipe,  300  tons  of  lead,  45  tons  of  copper  wire,  12,000,000 
ft.  of  lumber  and  10,000  squares  of  corrugated  iron.  Over 
1500  acres  of  land  with  water-rights  was  also  included. 

Stlvekton.  Ore  shipments  during  the  past  week  totaled  34 
carloads,  also  13  to  the  Silver  Lake  mill  for  treatment. 

The  Pride  of  the  West  and  Green  Mountain  mines'  mill  has 
been  overhauled  and  is  now  treating  100  tons  daily.  Motors 
and  flotation  apparatus  were  installed. 


Work  is  to  be  continued  through  the  winter  at  the  Champion 
mine  on  Sultan  mountain,  a  mile  from  Silverton. 

IDAHO 

Nine-Mile.  The  Alameda  Mining  Co.,  which  owns  and  is 
developing  the  Alameda  mine,  control  of  which  recently  was 
acquired  by  Spokane  men,  has  been  awarded  $56,070  by  the 
referee,  Lawrence  E.  Worstell — as  the  value  of  the  ore  alleged 
to  have  been  extracted  from  its  ground  by  the  Success  Mining 
Co. — who  heard  the  testimony  in  the  case  under  appointment 
by  Judge  Woods  of  the  district  court.  This  award  bears  in- 
terest at  the  rate  of  7%  per  annum  from  June  1,  1913,  which 
November  1,  1916,  amounted  to  approximately  $13,410,  making 
the  total  award  with  interest,  $69,450.  The  referee  found  that 
on  or  about  April  1,  1912,  the  Success  company  commenced  to 
extract  ore  from  Alameda  ground,  and  continued  to  do  so  up 
to  August  1,  1914.  The  trespass,  however,  according  to  the 
report  and  findings,  was  committed  under  an  excusable  mis- 
take, and  the  removal  of  such  ore  was  through  inadvertence  in 
the  honest  belief  that  it  was  the  property  of  the  Success  com- 
pany. The  total  amount  of  the  trespass  committed  on  the 
400-ft.  stope,  according  to  the  findings,  equals  25,695  cu.  ft., 
and  on  the  450-ft.  level  13,442  cu.  ft.,  while  the  foot-wall  area 
on  the  700-ft.  level  amounted  to  10,323  cu.  ft.  A  ton  of  ore  on 
the  400  and  450-ft.  stopes  was  found  to  be  equal  to  7.49  cu.  ft., 
which  assayed  20.45  oz.  silver,  20%  lead,  and  23.95%  zinc.  On 
the  700-ft.  level  it  took  8. 86  cu.  ft.  of  ore  for  a  ton,  and  its 
assay  value  was  7  oz.  silver,  7.5%  lead,  and  25.7%  zinc.  The 
referee  adopted  the  average  prices  of  metals  as  testified  to  by 
Rush  J.  White  as  a  basis  for  the  value  of  the  ore  extracted, 
which  were:  58.787c.  per  ounce  for  silver;  4.236c.  per  pound 
for  lead;  and  5.188c.  per  pound  for  zinc.  It  was  stipulated 
during  the  trial  that  the  mill  saving  was  56%  silver,  72.5% 
lead,  and  65%  zinc.  The  Success  contract  in  force  between 
April  1,  1912,  and  August  1,  1914,  was  used  by  the  referee  as  a 
basis  for  computing  the  freight  and  treatment  charges,  and 
that  the  reasonable  cost  of  mining  and  milling  the  ore  was 
$2.21  per  ton,  and  that  the  Success  company  was  entitled  to 
those  costs. 

The  Idaho  Supreme  Court  has  reversed  the  decision  of 
Judge  W.  W.  Woods  of  the  District  Court  of  Shoshone  county 
in  the  Alameda-Success  ore-trespass  case,  in  which  it  was 
alleged  that  the  Success  company  had  entered  Alameda  ground 
and  extracted  ore  valued  at  more  than  $56,000,  according  to 
the  findings  of  the  referee,  Lawrence  E.  Worstell.  The  Dis- 
trict Court  erred  in  not  making  a  direct  and  positive  finding  as 
to  whether  the  apex  of  the  Granite  vein  of  the  Success  com- 
pany is  within  exterior  boundaries  of  the  claim.  The  Superior 
Court  concluded  that  under  the  evidence  the  said  Granite  vein 
has  its  apex  within  the  boundaries  of  the  Granite  claim.  The 
case  will  now  go  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  Calumet  &  Hecla  reports  the  following  yield 
for  October,  in  pounds: 

Mine  October  10  months 

Ahmeek  1,976,977  19,662,663 

Allouez     984,136  8,633,609 

Calumet  &  Hecla   6,633,499  63,824,854 

Centennial    190,600  2,018,845 

Isle  Royale  1,035,580  10,261,805 

La  Salle    : 121,432  1,075,921 

Osceola    1,555,021  16,490,721 

Superior    221,162  2,575,692  , 

Tamarack   582,225  5,531,409 

White  Pine 374,466  3,654,60S 

The  Baltic,  Champion,  and  Trimountain  mines  of  the  Cop- 
per Range  company  are  maintaining  a  large  output  of  good  ore. 

The  C.  &  H.  has  21  furnaces  in  blast  at  Hubbell.  Another 
furnace  is  ready  to  go  into  commission  at  Dollar  Bay,  making 


822 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


seven  at  this  plant.  Good  progress  is  being  made  at  the  new 
foundry. 

To  increase  its  output  the  Osceola  company  wants  more  men. 

Daily  output  of  the  Ahmeek  is  over  3500  tons  of  ore,  also 
large  quantities  of  mass  copper. 

A  turbo-generator  is  to  be  installed  at  the  Mohawk,  to  be 
driven  by  exhaust  steam  from  the  stamps. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Cold  weather  is  already  curtailing  mining  and  mill- 
ing operations.  Pressure  of  natural  gas  is  low,  and  coal  may 
have  to  be  used  for  a  while. 

The  range  for  zinc  ore  last  week  was  between  $85  and  $95 
per  ton  for  60%  product,  a  gain  of  $5.  The  output  of  the  region 
was  5819  tons  of  blende,  676  tons  of  calamine,  and  1001  tons 
of  lead,  averaging  $86,  $48,  and  $85  per  ton,  respectively.  The 
total  value  was  $601,952.  Miami,  Oklahoma,  led  in  production, 
followed  by  Webb  City-Carterville.  The  A.  W.  C.  Mining  Co. 
of  West  Joplin  sold  1500  tons  of  blende  on  a  base  price  of 
$95  per  ton. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  Cold  weather  has  been  interfering  with  mining 
operations,  ore  freezing  in  bins  and  cars. 

A  shaft-house,  70-ft.  head-frame,  two  125-hp.  boilers,  hoist, 
air-compressor,  and  other  equipment  are  complete  at  the  Great 
Butte  Copper  Co.'s  mine,  two  miles  north  of  Meaderville.  The 
shaft  has  been  unwatered  and  repaired  to  a  depth  of  420  ft. ;  it 
is  1025  ft.  deep. 

The  new  Nordberg  hoist  for  the  Davis-Daly  has  reached  the 
mine.    Two  cables  have  also  arrived. 

From  its  2000  and  2200-ft.  levels  the  North  Butte  is  extract- 
ing 17%  zinc  ore.  Shipments  are  to  be  increased  to  300  tons 
daily.    The  Anaconda  company  buys  this  ore. 

To  pay  for  a  pump,  etc.,  the  Butte-Great  Falls  company  has 
made  an  assessment  of  5c.  a  share.  A  heavy  flow  of  water  has 
been  encountered. 

One  hundred  pounds  of  powder  set  off  at  the  Bullwhacker 
mine  last  week  broke  over  4000  tons  of  5$%  copper  ore. 

The  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  Montana  Section  of  the 
A.  I.  M.  E.  was  held  at  the  Silver  Bow  Club,  Butte,  on  Novem- 
ber 10.  This  was  a  postponement  of  the  regular  October  meet- 
ing in  order  that  the  members  might  enjoy  the  presence  of 
L.  D.  Ricketts,  president  of  the  Institute.  Mr.  Ricketts  spoke 
for  some  time  on  the  subject  of  committee  work  as  applied  to 
technical  research.  He  covered  the  progress  of  mining  and 
metallurgy,  including  possibilities  in  flotation.  B.  B.  Thayer 
gave  a  talk  on  his  recent  trip  to  South  America  with  Mr. 
Ricketts,  Reno  Sales,  and  others.  F.  G.  Cottrell  discussed  the 
work  of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines.  He  stated  it  to  be  the  fact 
that  at  Anaconda  the  weight  of  gaseous  products  going  to 
waste  through  the  stack  was  20  times  that  of  the  slag.  H.  S. 
Ware,  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Anaconda  smelter,  fol- 
lowed with  an  interesting  account  of  some  of  the  points  in 
connection  with  the  Institute  meeting  in  Arizona.  C.  W. 
Goodale  and  C.  R.  Kuzell  spoke  on  their  recent  trip  through 
Arizona.  F.  E.  Marcy  discussed  separation  of  tailing  at  small 
mines.  Reno  Sales  described  some  conditions  in  South  Africa. 
C.  L.  Berrien  of  the  Anaconda  compared  mining  systems,  while 
Frederick  Laist  mentioned  dust  losses. 

NEVADA 

Battle  Mountain.  The  old  Dean  gold  mine  has  been  re- 
opened with  J.  R.  Farrell  in  charge.    A  mill  is  to  be  built. 

Eureka.  The  Eureka  Mining  Bureau,  composed  of  local 
mining  and  business-men,  are  interested  in  securing  syndi- 
cates that  may  be  in  position  to  operate  meritorious  properties 
requiring  some  development.  The  Bureau  calls  attention  to 
the  following  groups  of  claims,  which  are  strongly  recom- 
mended by  local  operators  having  direct  knowledge  of  the  con- 
ditions:  (1)  Five  claims  developed  to  350-ft.  depth.    A  2300-ft. 


adit  has  explored  to  a  depth  of  1000  ft.  Reserves  blocked  out 
are  estimated  as  75,000  tons  of  gold-silver-copper  ore.  Some 
method  of  local  treatment  is  necessary.  This  property  can  be 
bonded  on  reasonable  terms  for  $75,000,  with  royalty  on  ship- 
ments of  15%,  first  payment  six  months  after  examination. 

(2)  Thirteen  claims  on  opposite  side  of  mountain  to  No.  1 
group.  Two  adits  driven,  one  in  2300  ft,  the  other  800  ft.,  and 
one  shaft  down  400  ft.  Thirty  shoots  are  exposed.  Shipments 
aggregate  $600,000.    The  price  is  the  same  as  for  No.  1  group. 

(3)  The  erection  of  a  custom  plant  is  urged  as  a  profitable  un- 
dertaking to  treat  the  gold-silver  ore.  At  least  50  tons  daily 
could  be  expected  at  first,  with  an  increase  when  the  plant 
started.  (4)  Electric  power  is  assured  if  present  plans  mature. 
A.  G.  Hillen  is  secretary. 

Goldfield.  A  large  station  has  been  cut  at  100  ft.  in  the 
Silver  Pick  Con.  The  shaft  is  in  quartz  of  good  quality,  in 
which  are  seams  and  masses  of  gold-copper  ore.  G.  F.  Dyer  is 
in  charge. 

The  Hornsilver  Milling,  Mining  &  Water  Co.  has  been  or- 
ganized to  treat  ore  at  Hornsilver. 

Rawhide.  Reports  indicate  that  in  a  small  though  steady 
way  this  old  place  is  being  actively  worked. 

Rochester.  At  a  depth  of  800  ft.,  from  winze  301,  the 
Rochester  Mines  Co.  is  driving  in  good  ore.  The  October  out- 
put was  about  $55,000.  Good  progress  is  being  made  in  en- 
larging the  mill. 

White  quartz  containing  ruby  silver  has  been  opened  in  the 
Nevada  Packard  mine.  The  daily  output  is  about  $1200  of 
silver. 

NEW  MEXICO 

The  aerial  tram  from  the  Pacific  mine  to  the  Socorro  M.  & 
M.  Co.'s  plant,  one  mile  distant,  has  been  completed,  tested, 
and  found  to  operate  perfectly.  The  adoption  and  placing  in 
commission  of  this  system  of  transporting  the  Pacific  ore 
marks  the  end  of  an  era  of  operation  during  which  11,162  tons 
of  ore  worth  $171,585  was  mined  in  a  crude  way,  and  shipped 
to  local  custom  mills  by  burro-train.  While  the  general  aver- 
age of  ore  mined  in  the  Mogollon  district  for  the  same  period 
has  been  around  $12  per  ton,  that  from  the  Pacific  had  an 
average  of  $15.37.  With  the  more  adequate  mining  facilities 
now  employed,  in  connection  with  modern  tramway  delivery  to 
mill,  the  property  may  be  expected  soon  to  eclipse  its  past 
record  and  take  rank  with  the  best  producers  here.  Opera- 
tions are  being  conducted  by  Socorro  M.  &  M.  Co.  under  agree- 
ment with  the  Oaks  company. 

Mogollon,  November  14. 

OREGON 

Sumpter.  It  is  said  that  the  old  smelter  here  may  be  again 
blown-in  by  the  new  owner,  J.  A.  Gyllenberg,  to  treat  ore 
from  eastern  Oregon. 

TEXAS 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Development  of  several  new 
cinnabar  claims  in  the  Terlingua  quicksilver  district  will  be 
started  soon,  according  to  advices  received  here.  It  is  stated 
that  a  syndicate  of  Houston  men,  headed  by  Morris  Wexler, 
has  acquired  several  sections  of  land  in  that  part  of  the  Big 
Bend  country  on  which  there  are  outcroppings  of  cinnabar.  It 
is  expected  that  within  a  short  time  all  of  the  mines  at  and 
near  Terlingua  that  had  lain  dormant  for  the  last  few  years 
will  again  be  actively  worked.  While  the  principal  output  of 
quicksilver  now  comes  from  the  furnaces  of  the  Chisos  Mining 
Co.,  of  which  Howard  E.  Perry,  of  Chicago,  is  president,  sev- 
eral other  companies  have  resumed  development  and  are  ex- 
tracting considerable  quantities  of  rich  ore.  The  principal 
mines  are  those  of  the  Chisos  company;  the  Mariposa  Mining 
Co.,  of  which  James  Normand  of  Marfa,  Texas,  is  president; 
the  Texas-Almaden  Mining  Co..  of  which  Henry  Hill  of  Clifton, 
Arizona,  is  president;   the  Study-Butte  Mining  Co.,  of  which 


December  2,  l!)16 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


823 


W.  B.  Hun-ham  is  manager;  and  the  Big  Bend  Mining  Com- 
pany. 

Outcrops  of  cinnabar  ore  have  been  discovered  east  ot  Ter- 
lingua  about  60  miles,  but  so  far  no  steps  have  been  taken  to- 
ward their  exploration.  The  quicksilver  belt  also  extends 
across  the  river  into  Mexico  from  Terlingua,  and  at  the  time 
the  revolutionary  period  in  that  country  commenced,  several 
promising  claims  of  cinnabar  ore  had  been  filed  and  were 
about  to  be  developed. 

Terlingua,  November  11. 

UTAH 

Alta.  In  the  Alta  Gladstone  mine  some  of  the  ore  contains 
from  1  to  S%  molybdenite.  Development  is  to  be  continued 
through  winter,  and  a  mill  may  be  erected  in  the  spring. 

The  Cardiff  Mining  Co.  paid  25c.  per  share  on  December  1, 
a  total  of  $125,000.  The  daily  ore  output  is  over  100  tons  aver- 
aging $35  per  ton. 

Gold  Hill.  Interest  in  the  Deep  Creek  district  is  rapidly 
increasing,  more  so  as  the  Western  Pacific  is  constructing  a 
railway  into  the  region.  Last  week  45  claims  in  the  Clifton 
section  were  sold  to  C.  L.  Glass  of  Pittsburg  for  $100,000.  The 
four  groups  contain  gold,  silver,  copper,  tungsten,  and  lead 
ores. 

WASHINGTON 

Daisy.  The  Silver  Mountain  Mining  Co.,  with  a  capital  of 
1,500,000  shares  at  $1  each,  has  been  organized  by  Spokane 
men  to  take  over  and  operate  the  holdings  of  the  Daisy  Min- 
ing &  Milling  Co.  and  the  "Wahkiagin  Mining  Co.  W.  E.  Seely'e 
of  Spokane,  is  president  and  general  manager,  and  Charles  H. 
Goodsell  of  Spokane,  deputy  United  States  mineral  surveyor,  is 
consulting  engineer.  The  ore  contains  silver  in  small  quanti- 
ties. A  mill  is  proposed.  A  good  deal  of  development  has  been 
done. 

CANADA 
British  Columbia 

Gowganda.  Good  progress  is  reported  in  development  of 
this  district.  Lack  of  transportation  hinders  shipments  of 
ore,  which  is  silver-bearing. 

Nelson.  The  Norman  Mines  Co.  of  Spokane,  has  taken  a 
lease  and  bond  on  the  Madison  property,  on  Reco  mountain. 
The  bond  is  for  three  years  at  $25,000,  in  installments. 
Andrew  G.  Larsen  of  Spokane  is  consulting  engineer  for  the 
company,  and  he  already  has  a  small  force  at  work  cleaning 
out  the  workings  preparatory  to  an  extensive  examination. 
The  ore  is  silver-bearing. 

Porcupine.  During  October  the  Dome  mine  yielded  $185,000 
from  40,200  tons  of  ore,  equal  to  $4.60  per  ton.  The  total  in 
nearly  three  years  is  $4,369,371  from  905,482  tons,  or  $4.76 
per  ton. 

Silvebton.  A  large  oil-engine  is  being  installed  by  the 
Standard  Silver-Lead  company  to  prevent  shut-downs  caused 
by  ice  in  the  winter. 

MEXICO 

A  Consular  Report  states  that  declared  exports  of  crude  oil 
and  petroleum  products  from  the  Tampico  district  to  the 
United  States  in  September,  reached  a  total  of  1,900,6S9  bbl.,  or 
some  214,000  bbl.  less  than  in  August.  Of  the  total,  1,329,337 
bbl.  was  shipped  from  Tampico  and  571,352  bbl.  from  Tuxpan. 
Shipments  to  points  other  than  the  United  States  are  reported 
as  126,435  bbl.  from  Tampico  and  420,497  bbl.  from  Tuxpan. 
Therefore  the  total  oil  movement  from  the  Tampico  fields 
during  September  reached  2,447,621  bbl.,  compared  with  the 
August  total  of  2,872,939  bbl.  As  usual,  only  crude  oil  was 
shipped  from  Tuxpan,  and  nearly  one-third  of  the  total  went 
to  Coatzacoalcos,  Mexico,  for  refining  purposes.  The  Tampico 
movement  included  81,572  bbl.  of  reduced  crude,  83,807  bbl.  of 
fuel  oil,  78,500  bbl.  of  distillate,  19,618  bbl.  of  gas  oil,  and 
1705  bbl.  of  kerosene. 


IPsrs  DaaaH 


Note:    Tin-  Editor  tnvtta  members  of  the  vmfaelm  to  soul  partietdartoj  their 
work  and  appointment*.     Tin*  tnformalUm  t»  interesting  to  our  readers. 


H.  YV.  Habdinge  is  at  Denver. 

E.  Gybbon  Spilsbuby  has  been  in  Cuba. 

C.  S.  Haley  has  gone  to  Volcano,  in  Amador  county. 
Howaud  D.  Smith  has  returned  here  from  New  York. 
R.  Gilman  Brown  has  returned  to  London  from  Siberia. 
A.  P.  Rogers  has  returned  to  New  York  from  Dutch  Guiana. 
W.    F.    Febrier    has    returned    to    Toronto    from    British 
Columbia. 

C.  R.  Corning  is  expected  at  New  York  on  his  return  from 
South  America. 

Chaeles  W.  Stimpson  and  E.  Shobes,  of  Salt  Lake  City, 
were  in  San  Francisco  last  week. 

F.  E.  Graham  Berry,  of  Seattle,  passed  through  San  Fran- 
cisco on  his  way  to  Sinaloa,  Mexico. 

Richard  A.  Parker  spent  a  few  hours  in  San  Francisco  on 
his  return  to  Denver,  from  Oregon. 

W.  A.  Carlyle  is  resident  director  in  Ontario  for  the 
British-America  Nickel  Corporation. 

Geo.  H.  Gabrey,  who  recently  returned  from  Alaska  and 
British  Columbia,  was  in  San  Francisco  this  week. 

Ben.  B.  Lawrence,  who  was  here  early  in  the  week,  has 
been  appointed  a  life  trustee  of  Columbia  University. 

Geobge  M.  Colvocoresses,  manager  for  the  Consolidated 
Arizona  Smelting  Co.,  was  in  San  Francisco  for  a  few  days. 

J.  H.  Collier  has  returned  to  San  Francisco  from  Cook's 
Inlet,  Alaska,  where  he  is  manager  of  the  Gold  Bullion  mine. 

Fbed.  J.  Bbule,  formerly  with  the  Anaconda  company,  has 
been  appointed  chief  engineer  for  the  British-America  Nickel 
Corporation. 

Chaeles  T.  Hutchinson,  business  manager  for  the  Mining 
&  Scientific  Press,  has  returned  from  New  York  and  Chicago, 
after  a  highly  successful  trip. 

Forest  B.  Caldwell,  formerly  at  the  Candelaria  mines,  has 
recovered  from  a  nervous  break-down,  due  to  Mexican  troubles, 
and  is  now  residing  at  Woodland,  California. 

James  F.  Kemp  has  improved  in  health,  but  the  trustees  of 
Columbia  University  have  granted  him  a  further  leave  of 
absence  for  one  year  so  that  his  recovery  may  be  completed. 

H.  H.  Nicholson  has  returned  to  San  Francisco  from  Miami, 
Arizona,  and  is  now  on  his  way  to  the  Plinco  mine,  Plumas 
county,  California,  after  which  he  will  return  to  Salt  Lake 
City. 


James  Douglas  has  presented  $100,000  to  the  United  Engi- 
neering Society,  the  income  to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the 
library.  The  Trustees  of  the  Society  have  perfected  plans 
for  the  development  and  the  extension  of  the  usefulness  of  this 
great  engineering  library,  and  are  endeavoring  to  secure  en- 
dowments aggregating  $1,000,000,  the  income  to  be  used  for 
the  library.  The  plans  of  the  Trustees  had  previously  been 
approved  by  Dr.  Douglas.  Now  that  the  library  of  the  Amer- 
ican Society  of  Civil  Engineers  has  been  added  to  that  of  the 
libraries  of  the  Institutes  of  mining,  mechanical,  and  electrical 
engineers  in  the  building  of  the  United  Engineering  Society 
at  29  West  39th  street,  New  York,  the  combined  library  forms 
the  greatest  engineering  collection  in  the  world.  It  is  the  pur- 
pose of  the  Trustees  to  extend  its  usefulness,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  the  splendid  endorsement  that  Dr.  Douglas  has  given  will 
stimulate  other  similar  endowments  until  the  necessary  million 
dollars  has  been  obtained. 


824 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  2,  1916 


METAL   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  2S. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound    14 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 35 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound .' 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce 105 — 111 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb $78 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 13 

Tin,  cents  per  pound  45 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    20 


ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  November  28. 

Antimony;  50%  metal,  per  unit   

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton. 

Magnesite,  crude,  per  ton   

Manganese,  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 

Tungsten,  60%  WOa,  per  unit 

New  York,  November  22. 

The  last  quotation  was 


$1.00 
15.00 
8.00 
16.00 
15.00 


fair, 


Antimony:    No   business  is   reported. 
$1.50  per  unit. 

Molybdenite:    Supplies    are    small    and    the    demand 
holders  asking  $1.85  per  pound. 

Tungsten:  Activity  has  continued,  and  since  the  last  report 
several  hundred  tons  has  changed  hand  at  $17  to  $17.50  per 
unit.  The  market  is  firm  at  the  latter  figure,  with  limited 
offerings. 


EASTERN   METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
November    28. — First-quarter    copper    is    33.50c,    near-by    is 
quiet;  lead  is  active  and  independents  are  advancing;  spelter  is 
fairly  active. 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Nov.    22 34.00 

"      23 34.00 

"      24 34.00 

"      25 34.00 

26   Sunday 

"      27 34.00 

"      28 34.00 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.     17 28.50 

"       24 28.37 

"      31 28.50 

Nov.      7 28.79 

"      14 31.46 

"      21 32.87 

"      28 34.00 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 


1914. 
.14.21 
.14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 
28.50 


in  October.    Officials  of  the  corn- 
studying    ore   treatment,    as    the 


Braden  produced  4,048,000  lb 
pany  are  at  Miami,  Arizona, 
plant  in  Chile  is  to  be  greatly  enlarged. 

Calumet  &  Hecla  pays  $25  per  share  on  December  $20;  this 
makes  $75  for  the  current  year.  Allouez  is  paying  $3  on  Janu- 
ary 3,  and  Calumet  &  Arizona  $3  on  December  20. 

Magma  Copper  Co.'s  profit  in  the  third  quarter  was  $314,425, 
from  2,153,364  lb.  of  metal,  nearly  the  same  as  in  the  June 
period. 


SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,   in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Nov.    22 72.87 

"      23 73.12 

"      24 73.12 

"      25 73.62 

26  Sunday 

"      27 74.00 

"      28 73.87 

Monthly 


Average  week  ending 

.     17 67.95 

24 67.70 

31 67.60 

r.      7 68.52 

14 71.68 

21 71.79 

28 73.43 


Jan. 


1914. 
.57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May     58.21 

June   56.43 


1915. 
48. S5 
4S.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


averages 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.  SS 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 


The   silver    market   exhibits    considerable    strength,    probably 
the  result  of  steady  buying. 


Tonopah  companies  have  raised  wages  50c.  per  shift  from 
December  1,  to  remain  so  as  long  as  silver  is  above  70c.  per 
ounce. 

During  the  week  silver  worth  $852,000  was  shipped  from  San 
Francisco  to  the  Orient.   Another  lot  "was  valued  at  over  $500,000. 


LEAD 


Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound, 

Date. 
Nov.   22 


Sunday 


7.15 

Oct.     17 

7.20 

"      24 

7.20 

"      31 

7.20 

Nov.      7 

"      14 

7.25 

"      21 

7.25 

"      28 

New  York  delivery. 
Average  week  ending 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June 


1914. 

.  4.11 

.  4.02 

.  3.94 

.  3.86 

.  3.90 

.  3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.S6 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.02 
7.21 


1915.        1916. 


5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 


On    December    15    the    Federal    Mining    &    Smelting    Co.    dis- 
tributes  $150,000. 


ZINC 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  "Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

i 

Wer 

age  wee 

k   end 

ng 

Nov. 

22 
23 
34 

12.50 

12.75 

.  .12.87 

Oct. 

17 
24 
31 

9.S1 

9.78 

.  .10.27 

•' 

25 

.  .13.00 

Nov. 

V 

..10.68 

" 

26 

Sunday 

" 

14 

..11.23 

" 

87 

..13.00 

" 

•M 

.  .11.96 

•  ■ 

28 

.  .13.12 

"      28 
averages 

..12.87 

Monthly 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

Jan. 

..    5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July 

.    4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

Feb. 

..    5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

14.17 

9.03 

Mch. 

..    5.12 

8.40 

IS. 40 

Sept 

.    5.16 

14.14 

9.18 

Apr. 

..    4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct. 

.    4.75 

14.05 

9.92 

May 

..    4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov. 

.    5.01 

17.20 

June 

4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec. 

5.40 

16.75 

aUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date. 

Oct.    31 80.00 

Nov.      7 80.00 


Nov. 


14 80.00 

21 80.00 

28 78.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916. 
S1.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

4S.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

t  45  cents. 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 
41.10 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June    30.72 

Tin  is  steady 

ANTIMONY 

The  market  in  general  has  been  quiet  in  New  York,  although 
a  little  flurry  of  demand  caused  quotations  to  advance  about  lc. 
Asiatic  grades  are  quoted  at  14  to  14.50c,  duty  paid. 

ALUMINUM 

The  quotation  for  No.  1  virgin  aluminum,  98  to  99%  pure,  is 
unchanged  at  64  to  66c,  in  a  quiet  market. 


December  2,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


825 


Eastern  Metal  Market 


New  York,  November  22. 

Copper  prices  have  touched  the  highest  point  in  many  years, 
in  (act,  probably  never  before  have  future  deliveries  been 
quoted  at  levels  equal  to  those  now  prevailing.  Last  week  the 
market  was  excited,  following  a  rush  to  cover  requirements 
over  the  remainder  of  the  year.  Great  quantities  have  been 
taken  for  the  first  and  second  quarters  of  1917. 

Zinc  is  active,  largely  because  of  buying  by  the  brass  mills. 
This  metal  also  is  selling  farther  than  usual  into  the  future, 
sales  having  been  made  to  October.  Quotations  are  higher. 
Sheet  zinc  is  higher. 

The  leading  lead  interest  is  practically  out  of  the  market 
so  far  as  quotations  go.  The  independents  are  asking  up  to 
7.25c,  New  York,  for  prompt.  Prior  to  the  advance  from  7c, 
and  thereafter,  a  good  business  was  done. 

The  tin  market  has  been  unusually  active,  many  hundred 
tons  having  changed  hands.  Quotations  are  higher,  but  the 
advance  has  been  moderate. 

Antimony  is  stronger  following  a  short  flurry  of  buying. 

Aluminum  is  unchanged. 

Definite  information  is  at  hand  regarding  iron  ore  prices  in 
1917.  Sales  have  been  made  at  Pittsburg  at  an  advance  o£ 
$1.30  per  ton  over  this  year's  price,  putting  old-range  Bes- 
semer at  $5.75  per  ton,  lower  Lake  port,  and  Mesabi  Bessemer 
at  $5.50.  The  non-Bessemer  prices  are  $5  for  old-range  and 
$4.85  for  Mesabi.  Bessemer  ores  have  been  in  unusually 
heavy  demand.  Various  increased  costs  make  it  clear  to  pig- 
iron  producers  that  it  will  cost  them  at  least  $5  more  per  ton 
to  make  pig  iron  next  year.  Pig  iron  has  continued  active, 
with  buyers  especially  desirous  of  covering  for  next  year. 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  No.  2  X  foundry  is  quoted  at  $26  to  $27, 
furnace. 

COPPER 

The  market  is  quiet,  but  strong.  November  and  December, 
both  Lake  and  electrolytic,  are  quoted  at  34c,  hut  these  posi- 
tions are  scarce,  and  none  too  much  is  available  for  first- 
quarter  delivery.  As  matters  stand,  fractions  of  a  cent  seem 
to  count  for  little  in  the  copper  market,  and  the  situation  is 
one  which  is  causing  some  uneasiness  in  the  trade.  No  de- 
velopment would  be  surprising.  Prices  may  go  higher,  or  the 
market  may  break  sharply  without  creating  wonderment. 
Last  week  the  market  was  a  runaway,  and  in  the  excitement 
that  accompanied  the  upward  movement  of  prices  a  large 
quantity  of  November  and  December  metal  was  sought, 
although  sales  were  restricted  by  the  limited  supply.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  week  33.50c,  was  paid  for  1916  delivery.  First 
quarter  brought  32.50.,  and  second  quarter  31.50c  These  prices 
apply  to  both  Lake  and  electrolytic,  the  unusual  differentials 
having  been  wiped  out.  Sales  for  delivery  in  the  first  and 
second  quarters  of  1917  in  the  week  ended  November  18  are 
estimated  at  close  to  100,000,000  lb.  There  is  still  unsatisfied 
demand.  On  the  15th,  second-quarter  electrolytic  was  sold  at 
prices  ranging  from  31  to  32c  On  the  20th,  December  alone, 
also  first  quarter,  was  offered  at  34c,  and  sales  of  second 
quarter  were  made  at  32.50c,  but  the  latter  is  now  easier 
around  31.50c  It  is  reported,  but  unconfirmed,  that  prompt 
Lake  has  sold  at  35c.  The  suggestion  has  been  made,  and  a 
good  portion  of  the  trade  is  considering  it  seriously,  that  cop- 
per bought  for  export  at  comparatively  low  prices  may  be 
thrown  on  the  market  if  present  market  levels  hold.  The 
great  British  purchase  was  made  at  25.50c,  according  to  re- 
cent information;  and  the  possibility  is  pointed  out  of  some 
of  this,  or  similar  metal,  being  sold  at  a  handsome  profit,  the 
sellers  then  replacing  what  they  had  sold.  The  suggestion  may 
be  an  outcrop  of  the  nervous  strain  under  which  the  sellers  of 


copper  are  laboring.  They  do  not  regard  present  levels  as 
healthy,  and  ever  recurrent  in  their  minds  is  the  thought  of 
what  will  happen  when  support  is  taken  away  from  the  mar- 
ket. The  base  price  of  sheet  copper  has  been  advanced  to  41c, 
mill.  The  mid-monthly  European  statistics  give  the  total 
supply  in  Great  Britain  and  France,  November  15,  at  4792  tons, 
against  5620  tons,  October  15.  Including  that  afloat  from 
Chile  and  Australia,  the  available  supply  for  those  countries, 
November  15,  was  9617  tons  against  10,670  tons,  October  15. 
The  London  market  is  gaining  strength,  the  quotation  for  spot 
electrolytic  yesterday  being  £163,  against  £152  a  week  pre- 
vious. Exports  this  month  are  not  heavy,  amounting  to  only 
13,210  tons  from  November  1  to  22;  but  this  does  not  take 
into  account  the  enormous  quantity  going  abroad  in  manu- 
factured form.  Reverting  again  to  the  domestic  market,  in- 
dications point  to  quieter  conditions  in  the  next  few  weeks. 

ZINC 

The  brass  mills  have  been  generous  buyers  in  the  past  few 
days,  and  business  has  not  been  checked  by  steadily  advancing 
prices.  Prime  Western  for  prompt  delivery  was  quoted  yes- 
terday around  12.50c,  New  York,  and  12.25c,  St.  Louis,  with 
December  delivery  at  about  the  same  level,  first  quarter  at  12c, 
St.  Louis,  and  second  quarter  at  11.50,  St.  Louis.  Consumers 
are  buying  farther  ahead  than  has  been  their  habit,  and  some 
good-sized  orders  are  booked  for  the  second  quarter,  with  some 
business  to  run  as  far  ahead  as  October.  The  premium  for 
brass-mill  special,  over  the  price  of  prime  Western  is  near  lie, 
this  including  delivery.  Buying  of  spelter  has  admittedly  not 
been  in  proportion  to  that  for  copper,  assuming  that  most  of 
the  copper  is  going  into  brass,  a  fact  which  has  not  yet  been 
explained.  Exports  continue  heavy,  those  of  the  month,  up  to 
the  22nd  totaling  10,587  tons.  The  spot  quotation  at  London 
yesterday  was  £56  10s.,  or  10s.  higher  than  a  week  previous. 
Sheet  zinc  has  been  advanced  lc,  to  19c,  f.o.b.,  mill,  carload 
lots,  S%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

A  good  demand  for  lead  developed  this  week,  following  a 
prolonged  period  of  quiet,  during  all  of  which,  however,  prices 
held  firm.  The  independents  began  to  stiffen  their  quotations 
late  last  week,  and  sales  of  prompt  metal  were  made  at  7.05 
to  7.10c,  New  York.  Last  Monday  (the  20th)  independents 
were  asking  7.10c,  New  York,  and  yesterday,  7.15c,  New  York. 
Up  to  that  time  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  was  quoting  7c,  New  York, 
and  6.92*c,  St.  Louis,  but  it  is  generally  understood  that  the 
company  was  not  selling  at  those  figures.  Yesterday  it  quoted 
7.15c,  New  York,  but  today  no  quotations  were  obtainable. 
The  outside  market  today  is  7.25c,  New  York,  but  business  is 
not  so  active  at  this  level.  The  spot  quotation  at  London  yes- 
terday was  £30  10s., — unchanged  when  compared  with  a  week 
previous. 

TIN 

In  the  past  10  days  a  heavy  business  has  been  done  in  tin, 
in  fact,  the  activity  was  exceptional.  On  various  days  sales 
aggregated  from  200  to  500  tons.  Prices  advanced  under  the 
demand,  but  only  to  a  moderate  extent,  the  spot  quotation  for 
Straits  yesterday  being  45.12JC.  A  peculiarity  of  the  market 
has  been  that  it  appeared  quiet  at  most  times,  even  when  nego- 
tiations for  large  quantities  were  under  way.  The  tin-plate 
mills  have  bought  heavily  for  their  1917  requirements.  The 
British  continue  reluctant  to  issue  licenses  to  ship,  and  the 
resultant  uncertainty  has  undoubtedly  made  consumers  see  the 
wisdom  of  covering  their  future  needs.  Up  to  yesterday  only 
1275  tons  had  arrived,  and  there  was  afloat  3852.  Most  of  the 
recent  activity  has  been  in  future  deliveries. 


826 


MINING  and 


Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 


The  Motor-Truck 


The  A.  A.  Haskins  Dolomite  Company  of  San  Francisco, 
which  owns  a  large  mine  of  dolomite,  containing  at  least 
3,000,000  tons,  is  using  a  motor-truck  and  a  5-ton  trailer  to 
haul  40  tons  of  dolomite  every  24  hours  from  the  mine  to  the 
nearest  railroad  siding,  a  distance  of  10J  miles.  Exhaustive 
experiments  made  by  this  company  prove  that  the  truck  and 
trailer  affords  a  practical  outfit  enabling  the  mine-owner  to 
transport  this  quantity  of  mineral  at  a  low  cost. 

Mills  making  steel  by  the  open-hearth  process  use  dolomite 
as  a  flux.  It  is  also  calcined  to  make  lime  and  plaster.  The 
gas,  a  by-product,  is  used  for  charging  soda  water  and  other 
carbonated  drinks.  The  residue  after  being  hydrated  makes 
a  durable  lime  for  making  plaster  ornaments  and  stucco  work; 
it  is  used  also  as  a  bleach  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 


Scientific  PRESS  December  2,  1916 

« 
and  trailer  is  $28.71,  while  with  horses  and  wagons  the  same 
tonnage  incurred  an  expense  of  $58.21,  resulting  in  a  net  daily 
saving  to  the  owners  of  $29.50.     The  truck  paid  for  itself  in 
the  first  seven  months  in  service. 

There  are  two  shifts  of  drivers  and  the  truck  uses  44  gal- 
lons of  gasoline  and  4  gallons  of  oil  to  haul  40  tons,  registering 
a  total  mileage  of  84  miles.  In  the  day  time  12  gallons  of 
gasoline  is  consumed  and  at  night  10  gallons  for  the  round 
trip.    The  summer  days  are  extremely  hot  and  the  nights  cool. 

The  items  of  cost  are  as  follows: 

44  gallons  gasoline  at  19c $  8.36 

4  gallons  lubricating  oil  at  40c 1.60 

2  drivers,  12  hours  each,  at  $5 10.00 

Investment  interest  "| 

Depreciation  „  __ 

„       .  i 8.75 

Repairs 

Employers'  liability  premium 


$28.71 

The  mine  is  in  San  Benito  county  and  the  truck  and  trailer 

are   loaded  direct  from   a  chute   into  which  the   dolomite   is 


MOTOR-TBUCK  AND   5-TON   TRAILER  HAULING  DOLOMITE. 


The  road  from  the  mine  to  the  railroad  is  one  of  the  worst 
for  hauling  to  be  found  in  any  part  of  the  country.  It  is  full 
of  chuck-holes  and  includes  8  miles  of  crooked  mountain  road 
covered  with  a  fine  dust  6  to  8  inches  deep.  There  are  steep 
sharp  turns  with  grades  from  8  to  10%  and  IS  miles  long. 

Before  purchasing  the  truck  and  trailer  the  company  ex- 
perimented with  mules  and  horses.  One  animal  could  deliver 
to  the  railroad  one  ton  of  dolomite  every  24  hours.  In  order 
to  deliver  a  minimum  amount  of  40  tons  to  fill  a  freight-car, 
it  was  necessary  to  use  five  teams  of  S  horses  each,  necessi- 
tating five  drivers  and  the  regular  stable  help.  The  cost  of 
this  method  was  prohibitive  and  was  soon  abandoned.  A 
rubber-tired  truck  was  then  purchased,  but  the  roads  were  so 
rough  that  the  trucks  could  not  operate  efficiently. 

The  company  was  at  a  loss  to  solve  the  problem  of  getting 
the  mineral  to  the  railroad  until  they  purchased  a  White 
'Goods  Roads'  truck  and  trailer.  Now  they  can  satisfactorily 
meet  the  market  demands,  the  new  equipment  being  able  to 
make  4  trips  in  24  hours  from  the  mine  to  the  railroad  and  de- 
liver 40  tons  of  material.  The  drivers  are  not  permitted  to 
drive  the  truck  over  5  miles  an  hour,  tonnage  and  dependa- 
bility being  more  essential  than  speed. 

The  cost  of  delivering  40  tons  of  dolomite  with  the  truck 


dropped.  Three  minutes  is  required  for  this  operation.  To 
reach  the  chute  there  is  a  grade  of  10%  with  12  inches  of  dust 
covering  the  road.  The  truck  pulls  the  trailer  up  this  grade 
and  a  sharp  turn  with  a  40%  curve  is  negotiated  in  order  to 
get  under  the  chute.  A  steep  drop  from  the  chute  necessitates 
low  gear-work  to  get  onto  the  road.  There  are  no  brakes  on 
the  trailer  and  thus  the  responsibility  of  holding  the  10-ton 
load  on  any  part  of  the  grades  between  the  mine  and  the  rail- 
road falls  on  the  truck.  A  short  distance  from  the  railroad 
the  road  leads  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  across  the  deep  sand 
and  gravel  bed  of  a  river,  which  is  always  dry  in  the  summer. 
The  road-bed  was  packed  with  straw  to  give  better  traction. 

'Pine  Flotation  Oils'  is  the  title  of  a  pamphlet  issued  by  the 
Pensacola  Tar  &  Turpentine  Co.  of  Florida.  A  flow-sheet  is 
given  of  the  destructive  distillation  plant,  including  a  con- 
crete retort,  used  by  this  firm.  This  shows  the  different  points 
at  which  the  various  grades  come  off.  The  dead  wood  of  the 
resinous  pine  is  used.  This  yields  1000  lb.  of  oil  per  cord, 
or  say  two  tons  of  wood.  The  retort  holds  11  steel  cars  of 
one-cord  capacity  each.  These  are  left  in  the  retort  during 
the  process,  and  afterward  are  withdrawn  containing  the  re- 
sulting charcoal.    A  list  of  oils  and  prices  is  also  given. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  DECEMBER  9,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  24 


BLAST-FURNACE  AT  PLAYA  BLANCA,  ANTOFAGASTA,  CHILE 

BIOGRAPHY  embodies  the  best  philosophy  of  life.  For  that  reason  the  record  of  a 
man's  experience  is  always  valuable.  In  this  issue  we  publish  an  interview  with  one  of 
the  foremost  metallurgists  of  the  world,  Mr.  Edward  P.  Mathewson,  until  recently  in  charge 
at  Anaconda.  The  accompanying  illustration  shows  one  of  the  smelters,  an  unroofed  plant  in 
Chile,  at  which  he  obtained  a  part  of  his  varied  training.  The  interview  will  be  found  deeply 
interesting  and  instructive  to  members  of  the  profession. 


'■IIIIIIM 


■■111 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS, 


December  9,  1916 


>MSSIi%s%&r-^ 


01iver  Gohtinii 


ONE  MAN^ 

and  these  fourteen  12x12  175-ton  Olivers 
installed  by  the  Anaconda  Copper  Com- 
pany reduced  their  filtering  cost  to 

3k  Cents  a  Ton 

No  filter  on  the  market  can  dewater  at  as 
low  cost  as  an  Oliver. 

Write  and  let  us  tell  you  what  an  OLIVER  can  do  for  you. 

OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER  COMPANY 

SOI    MARKET    STREET  SAN   FRANCISCO 

No  Royalties  to  Pay  on  Any  Work  of  an  OLIVER 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


Editor 


M.  W.  von  BERNEWITZ  I   .    ..  ,- ... 
W.H.  STORMS  JA.tEd.lo, 


ESTABLISHED  1860 

Published  at  420  Market  St.,  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manager 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 

W.   H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaslo  Caetanl. 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
F.  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Jania. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.  W.  Purington. 
Horace  V.  Winchell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


■■■■in mi '.in 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  December  9,  1916 


$3  per  Year — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL 


Notes 


Page. 
. .   827 


S2S 


Porphyry    

The  origin  and  meaning  of  this  term.  What  it  means 
to  the  miner  and  what  it  signifies  to  the  petrographer. 
The  so-called  porphyry  mines  are  misnamed,  because 
some  of  the  orebodies  are  in  schist.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 9,  1916. 

Free.  Trade  in  Knowledge  829 

An  appreciation  of  E.  P.  Mathewson's  career.  His 
achievements  and  his  influence.  How  a  man  can  be  a 
good  citizen  and  a  good  engineer.  Hints  to  young 
men.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 

Grinding  Mills  at  the  Inspiration. 

By  David  Cole  831 

Clearing  a  misunderstanding  regarding  the  testing  of 
grinding  mills.  Although  Marcy  mills  are  used  at  In- 
spiration, the  Hardinge  ball  machine  is  to  be  tried  in 
extensions  to  the  plant,  in  competition  with  the  other 
mills.  Notes  on  the  Hardinge  at  Miami,  the  Marathon 
at  the  Detroit  and  Burro  Mountain  mines,  and  the 
Symons  disc-crusher  at  the  New  Cornelia.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  9,  1916. 

Constructive  Aid  for  the  Prospector, 

By  H.  N.  Lawrie 832 

American  prospectors  are  finding  Canada  more  attrac- 
tive than  their  own  country,  the  reason  for  which 
should  be  investigated.  The  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 
could  aid  prospectors  by  practical  advice  and  lectures. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916. 

ARTICLES 

From  Precipitate  to  Bullion. 

By  R.  R.  Bryan 834 

Reduction  of  gold-zinc  sludge  to  bullion  has  been  the 
subject  of  much  investigation  and  discussion.  At  this 
stage  in  milling,  precious  metal  can  easily  be  lost  and 
the  bullion  debased.  Details  of  acid  treatment,  flux- 
ing, slag,  and  discussion  as  to  what  point  it  is  profit- 
able to  refine.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916.  Illus- 
trated. 


Page. 

Alloys  ok  Aluminum   S36 

These  are  with  copper,  nickel,  iron,  zinc,  magnesium, 
silicon,  tin,  chromium,  manganese,  tungsten,  and 
others.    M.  &  S.'  P.,  December  9,  1916. 

E.  P.  Mathewson,  an  All-Round  Metallurgist. 

An  Interview.    By  T.  A.  Richard 837 

The  technical  life  of  one  of  the  best-known  American 
metallurgists.  His.  advice  to  young  men  is  "always 
be  prepared  to  take  what  is  offered,  even  to  the  extent 
of  making  a  small  bluff,"  and  "young  professional  men 
should  write  for  the  technical  press,  it'  they  have  any- 
thing  to  write  about."  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916. 
Illustrated. 

Manufacture  of  Chromates  from  Chromite." 

By  Harold  French   845 

In  view  of  the  demand  for  chrome  ore,  this  descrip- 
tion of  the  manufacture  and  use  of  its  product  should 
be  timely.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916. 


Sampling  of  Mines 


846 


Method  adopted  in  sampling  a  California  mine,  reduc- 
ing the  samples,  and  assaying.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December 
9,  1916.     Illustrated. 

Flotation  Concentration  at  Anaconda. 

By  Frederick  Laist  and  A.  E.  Wiggin 847 

Notes  on  tests  made  during  1914,  covering  slime  and 
60-mesh  tailing.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    849 

Review  of  Mining  850 

Special     correspondence     from     Rochester,     Nevada; 

Butte,   Montana;    Sutter   Creek,   California;    Toronto, 

Ontario. 

The  Mining  Summary  853 

Persoxai.   858 

The  Metal  Market    859 

Eastern  Metal  Market S60 

Book  Reviews  861 

Mining   Decisions    861 

Industrial   Notes    862 

Pumping  Water  with  Compressed  Air.     New  Type  of 

Mechanical  Oil-Pump.     M.  &  S.  P.,  December  9,  1916. 

Illustrated. 


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12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


Central  Power  Plant,  Davi6  Coal  and  Coke  Company,  Thomas,   W.  Va. 

Greatly  Increased  Tonnage 
For  Less  Power 

By  using  one  power  plant  for  a  group  of 
mines  instead  of  a  power  plant  at  each  mine,  a 
greatly  increased  tonnage  has  been  obtained  by  a 
well  known  mining  syndicate. 

Much  less  fuel  per  ton  of  coal  extracted  is 
required  and  greater  continuity  of  power  assured 
than  before  centralization. 

Turbo-generators  and  motors  made  by  the 
General  Electric  Company  were  used  in  making 
the  above  change,  which  has  proven  so  profitable. 
Probably  centralization  of  power  plants  may  work 
economies  for  you. 


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December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


827 


^^>l^l'^ll^''■I^B^^lP^W■W^FI^I^!lt^^^>^^^lPf^IWB■:^|,, 


HB31'®IE2&£a 


A,    Si  1  G  IS  A  Si  Id  „     a  &  i  *  ©  a? 


"TVELIYERY.  not  sale,  of  metal  is  what  counts  in  the 
-*-^  present  abnormal  condition  of  the  market.  Our 
New  York  correspondent  discusses  the  point  in  this  issue. 

T^ROM  the  report  of -the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  of 
-*-  South  Africa,  which  holds  a  large  interest  in  the 
Yuba  Consolidated  Goldflelds,  we  note  that  the  latter 
company  extracted  $2,133,528  in  the  year  ending  Febru- 
ary 29,  1916.  This  yield  was  at  the  rate  of  12.02  cents 
per  cubic  yard.  The  cost  was  4.27  cents,  so  that  the 
profit  was  7.75c,  per  cubic  yard.  For  the  five  months 
ended  on  July  31,  the  yield  was  12.87,  the  cost  3.7,  and 
the  profit  9.17  cents  per  cubic  yard.  This  is  handsome 
dredging. 

A  N  employer,  a  senior  engineer,  or  the  chief  in  a  de- 
-^*-  partment  ought  to  be  willing  to  aid  a  younger  and 
less-known  man  without  exacting  the  honor  of  joint 
authorship.  We  see  articles  published  occasionally  by 
two  authors,  of  whom  we  suspect  that  the  younger  has 
done  all  the  work,  while  the  senior  has  dotted  the  i  's  and 
crossed  the  t's,  given  a  little  advice,  and  then  arrogated 
the  privilege  of  halving  the  credit  for  the  investigation 
and  its  presentment.  Older  and  better-known  men 
should  be  more  generous  in  giving  the  younger  fellows  a 
ehance  to  distinguish  themselves  without  any  discount. 


TTOW  the  export  trade  in  spelter  has  grown  is  indi- 
-*■-*-  cated  by  official  figures.  During  the  nine  months 
ended  on  September  30  the  total  value  of  shipments  was 
$42,000,000,  as  compared  with  $21,000,000  in  the  equiva- 
lent period  of  1915,  and  $3,000,000  two  years  ago.  Of 
the  275,000,000  pounds  included  in  the  shipments  this 
year,  194  million  pounds  came  from  domestic  ores  and 
61  millions  from  foreign  ores  smelted  in  this  country. 
The  imports  of  zinc  in  ore  and  concentrate  amounted  to 
245  million  pounds,  as  against  73  and  11  millions  re- 
spectively in  the  first  nine  months  of  the  two  preceding 
years. 

QTEALING  a  red-hot  stove  has  been  considered  the 
^  last  word  of  larcenous  audacity;  the  theft  of  gold 
from  a  hot  retort  is  not  unknown;  but  these  per- 
formances are  eclipsed  by  the  story  told  of  the  removal 
of  half  a  mile  of  copper  wire  from,  a  high-power  trans- 
mission line  through  which  an  electric  current  of  high 
voltage  was  passing  while  the  wire  was  being  cut.  This 
can  be  done,  and  is  often  done,  by  the  use  of  the  'hot- 
wire '  cutter,  a  shears  fixed  to  the  end  of  an  8-f  t.  wooden 
pole  and  operated  by  a  wire  attached  to  a  wooden  lever. 
If  copper  continues  to  rise,  we  may  expect  to  hear  of 


many  thefts  like  those  that  used  to  worry  the  power 
companies  in  Mexico. 

/^OST  of  producing  copper  is  rising,  of  course.  The 
^  management  of  mines,  like  domestic  economy,  suf- 
fers in  days  of  excessive  prosperity.  Wages,  supplies, 
and  machinery  have  risen  from  30  to  200%.  Of  the 
total  cost  of  mining,  60%  is  on  the  pay-roll,  and  that  has 
risen  fully  one-third.  It  is  acknowledged  that  the  cost 
of  producing  the  metal  has  increased  25  to  30%  at  the 
disseminated-copper  mines.  Similarly  the  cost  of  pro- 
ducing zinc  at  the  Butte  &  Superior  has  risen  from  4.86 
to  over  7  cents  per  pound,  an  increase  of  44%.  It  will 
be  unpleasant  and  difficult  to  revert  to  the  cheaper 
methods  of  exploitation  when  the  metal  markets  relapse. 


CTOCKS  of  supplies  on  the  Rand,  as  at  other  mines  in 
^  other  parts  of  the  world,  have  been  enlarged  on  ac- 
count of  the  uncertainty  of  shipping.  Thus  the  value 
of  stores  and  material  held  by  the  mines  of  the  Wit- 
watersrand  on  July  31,  1916,  was  £2,600,000,  as  com- 
pared with  £700,000  on  July  31,  1914— an  increase  of 
£1,900,000,  or  about  $9,500,000.  However,  the  working 
cost  has  risen  only  16  cents  per  ton,  to  $4.45  per  ton, 
but  this,  of  course,  does  not  include  taxation  and  other 
expenses  omitted  in  accordance  with  the  pernicious  cus- 
tom obtaining  among  South  African  mining  companies. 
The  War  has  caused  many  of  the  white  employees  to 
serve  elsewhere,  but  the  supply  of  native  labor  has  im- 
proved. Another  notable  consequence  of  the  War  is  a 
loss  of  12  cents  per  ounce  in  the  realizable  value  of  the 
gold,  this  being  due  to  the  extra  cost  of  freight  and 
insurance. 


OUPPOSED  indefinite  persistence  of  ore  in  depth  suits 
^  the  promoter  and  has  been  used  by  him  many  times 
to  enhance  the  valuation  of  mines.  When  the  Shamva 
orebody  was  uncovered  in  Rhodesia  the  promoters  of  the 
company  formed  to  exploit  it  were  never  careful  to  limit 
their  expectations,  so  that  the  mine  was  much  over- 
valued and  large  blocks  of  shares  were  sold  to  an  un- 
sophisticated public.  Some  people  think  that  that  is  why 
mines  and  public  were  created.  We  think  otherwise. 
The  basic  purpose  of  mining  is  to  make  money  out  of 
mines,  not  out  of  human  gullibility.  Now,  when  the  mis- 
chief has  been  done,  the  directors  give  their  shareholders 
a  report  by  Mr.  G.  S.  Corstorphine  in  which  that  dis- 
tinguished South  African  geologist  states  that  "the 
limits  as  shown  by  the  present  workings  give  practically 
its  [the  orebody 's]  entire  mass."  He  states  that  the  so- 
called  fault,  which  suggested  the  hope  of  finding  another 


828 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS . 


December  9,  1916 


part  of  the  orebody  beyond  the  dislocation,  is  only  a 
fracture  that  demarcates  the  ore.  Several  years  ago  the 
evidence  indicated  the  gradual  constriction  of  the  ore- 
body  and  the  probable  diminution  of  ore  in  depth,  but 
those  in  control  pooh-poohed  the  inference.  They  have 
to  acknowledge  it  now,  after  the  public  has  been  victim- 
ized by  the  earlier  optimistic  reports. 


TVTHILE  the  Mexican  Constitutional  Congress  was 
"  convening  at  Queretaro  and  Senor  Carranza  was 
presenting  his  Magna  Carta  to  the  delegates,  Pancho 
Villa  was  pursuing  Trevino's  army  out  of  Chihuahua. 
The  de  facto  Government  of  Mexico  has  been  stultified 
by  its  inability  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  Chihuahua  when 
attacked  by  two  or  three  thousand  men.  The  capture  of 
the  principal  town  in  the  North  proves  the  smallness  of 
Carranza 's  military  resources  and  exposes  his  inability 
to  overcome  organized  revolt.  Washington  placed  its 
money  on  the  wrong  horse.  The  Mexican  position  is  sum- 
marized succinctly  by  that  humorous  philosopher  Life: 
"Next  most  welcome  to  having  General  Carranza 's  gov- 
ernment agree  with  ours,  with  suitable  results,  would  be 
to  have  it  disagree,  with  appropriate  consequences. 
What  we  don't  want  is  to  have  Mexican  matters  muddle 
along  any  further  the  way  they  have  been  going."  In 
short,  watchful  waiting  is  wearisome. 


"DEFORM  of  the  mining  law  was  made  the  subject  of 
-*-*-  a  questionnaire,  or  referendum,  to  members  of  the 
Mining  and  Metallurgical  Society  of  America  and  also 
to  14  other  organizations.  Of  the  latter,  only  one,  the 
California  Metal  Producers  Association,  sent  the  answers 
of  individual  members,  while  two — the  Northwest  Mining 
Association  and  the  Nevada  Mine  Operators  Association 
— voted  as  units.  The  expression  of  opinion  was  strongly 
in  favor  of  an  abandonment  of  'discovery'  as  a  pre- 
liminary to  location,  and  the  extra-lateral  right  was  con- 
demned almost  unanimously,  but  a  number  of  other  re- 
forms, such  as  the  limitation  in  the  number  of  claims 
allowed  to  a  locator  and  the  substitution  of  money  pay- 
ment in  lieu  of  assessment  work,  found  no  general  sup- 
port. We  cannot  see  that  the  referendum  is  anything 
more  than  a  parlor  game  among  a  number  of  pleasant 
people,  most  of  whose  opinions  might  be  anticipated  by  a 
detached  spectator.  A  society  with  a  membership  of 
250,  of  whom  only  123  took  part  in  the  referendum,  is 
not  in  a  position  to  reform  the  mining  laws  of  the  United 
States — laws  that  affect  so  many  people  whom  they  do 
not  represent.  In  short,  our  friends  take  themselves  too 
seriously.  The  profession  contains  at  least  2500  men  fit 
to  be  members  in  a  professional  society  such  as  the  Min- 
ing and  Metallurgical;  at  present  the  active  part  of  the 
society  consists  of  a  dozen  clever  and  interesting  gentle- 
men living  in  New  York.  They  are  exponents  of  the  best 
thought  and  the  highest  ideals  of  our  profession,  but  they 
have  no  mandate  to  speak  for  the  mining  profession  of 
the  United  States,  much  less  the  mining  population  of 
the  country.  In  scanning  the  replies  to  this  referendum 
we  find  one  that  would,  we  think,  find  wide  support 


among  thoughtful  men:  "My  belief  is  that  the  old  law 
has  already  done  practically  all  the  damage  that  it  will 
ever  do,  and  what  damage  might  follow  from  leaving  the 
law  as  it  is  would  not  be  a  circumstance  to  the  confusion 
that  would  arise  from  enacting  a  new  law." 

OTATE  mining  may  be  an  academic  subject  in  this 
^  country  as  yet,  but  it  is  one  that  is  on  the  horizon,  for 
State  ownership  of  other  kinds  of  industry  has  been  sug- 
gested from  time  to  time.  In  South  Africa  the  subject 
is  a  burning  question,  on  which  opinions  are  being 
elicited  by  a  commission  appointed  by  the  Government. 
We  note  that  one  of  the  witnesses  recently  catechized  by 
the  South  African  State  Mining  Commission  is  Sir 
George  Albu,  a  mine  operator  and  financier  of  recognized 
ability  and  sagacity.  He  was  frankly  against  the  idea  of 
the  State  operating  mines  on  the  Rand.  "Mining,"  he 
said,  "is  always  risky,  and  under  State  control  there 
would  be  a  tendency  to  employ  political  adherents" — of 
course,  like  the  State  Mineralogist's  office,  in  California, 
for  example.  He  proceeded  to  say:  "A  tendency  exists 
to  ignore  amortization.  Without  speculation  there  would 
be  no  mining.  Propagandists  ignore  the  difficulties 
and  dangers  attendant  upon  mining."  Warming  to  his 
subject,  Sir  George  referred  to  the  "absolute  rot"  that 
had  been  said  about  the  mines  of  the  Rand;  the  world 
had  been  hypnotized  with  extreme  statements  about  in- 
exhaustible riches;  the  awakening  had  long  since  taken 
place.  Finally,  he  asserted  that  "few  individuals  dis- 
tinct from  the  general  public  favor  State  mining." 
For  this  abstract  of  his  testimony  we  are  indebted  to  the 
Financial  Times,  London.  The  "absolute  rot"  that  has 
been  talked  concerning  the  Rand  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  local  papers  at  Johannesburg  and  some  others  in 
London  are  subsidized,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  the 
financial  houses,  and  also  to  the  fact  that  some  engineers 
sell  not  their  professional  services  only  but  their  souls 
also  to  their  employers. 


^spBa^sr^ 


In  our  issue  of  November  18  Mr.  W.  N.  Thayer  made 
a  protest  against  the  use  of  the  term  'porphyries'  as 
applied  to  a  group  of  low-grade  big-scale  copper  mines. 
His  objection  is  well  taken.  Among  the  mines  to  which 
he  refers  are  several,  such  as  the  Inspiration,  Miami,  and 
Ray,  in  which  the  principal  ore  is  chalcocite,  not  in  por- 
phyry, but  in  schist.  Indeed  the  characteristic  that  the 
ore  deposits  mined  by  the  Utah  Copper  and  Nevada  Con- 
solidated companies  share  with  the  orebodies  in  the  In- 
spiration and  Miami  mines  is  not  a  similar  lode-rock,  or 
matrix,  but  the  dissemination  of  small  particles  of  chal- 
cocite- Therefore  the  term  'disseminated  copper'  mines 
is  preferable. 

To  the  miner  'porphyry'  is  a  word  rich  in  associa- 
tions; it  is  resonant  with  suggestions  of  mineral  wealth. 
The  prospector  and  the  digger  have  appropriated  the 
term  for  their  own  and  widened  its  meaning  despite  the 
protest  of  the  petrographer.     The  word  'porphyry'  is 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


829 


of  Greek  origin  and  menus  purple.  The  Romans  gave 
the  name  porphyrites  lapis,  or  purple  stone,  to  the  rock 
that  they  obtained  from  their  quarries  at  Djebel  Dokhan 
in  Egypt.  This  was  the  porfido  rosso  untico,  or  red  an- 
tique porphyry,  of  the  Italians.  According  to  Zirkel  this 
original  'porphyry'  had  a  beautiful  blood-red  ground- 
mass  speckled  with  small  snow-white  and  rose-red 
crystals  of  feldspar,  the  feldspar  being  a  plagioclase 
accompanied  by  needles  of  black  hornblende  and  small 
crystals  of  specular  iron.  Throughout  the  rock  there 
ran  a  network  of  minute  veins  of  accessory  quartz.  The 
ground-mass  itself  was  homogeneous,  so  that  no  crystals 
of  quartz  or  feldspar  were  distinguishable.  Such  a  rock 
today  would  be  called  a  'porphyrite,'  and  Pliny  indeed 
speaks  of  the  "porphyrites  in  JEgypto."  Agricola  men- 
tions the  fact  that  the  columns  in  the  mosque  of  St. 
Sophia  at  Constantinople  are  made  of  this  same  'por- 
phyry.' Owing  to  the  appearance  of  this  rock  the 
original  significance  of  the  term  'porphyry,'  indicating 
purple  color,  was  transferred  to  the  spotted  character 
due  to  the  presence  of  noticeable  crystals  in  a  dense 
matrix  or  ground-mass,  causing  what  we  now  call  'por- 
phyritic'  structure. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  recall  the  fact,  related  by  Van- 
dam  in  'An  Englishman  in  Paris,'  that  it  was  intended 
to  cut  Napoleon's  tomb  from  the  ancient  porphyry. 
Guizot  got  into  trouble  over  the  matter  in  the  following 
way :  Visconti,  the  architect,  of  the  Napoleonic  monu- 
ment at  that  time  being  erected  at  the  Invalides,  wanted 
the  sarcophagus  to  be  made  of  red  porphyry.  Guizot 
acquiesced.  It  was  found,  however,  that  the  old  Egyp- 
tion  quarries  were  exhausted.  Inquiries  were  then  made 
in  the  Vosges,  in  the  Pyrenees,  and  elsewhere,  for  similar 
stone,  but  without  success,  and  the  idea  was  about  to  be 
abandoned  when  it  was  learned  at  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior  that  this  variety  of  ornamental  stone  existed  in 
a  quarry  on  the  bank  of  Lake  Onega,  in  north-western 
Eussia.  The  quarry,  however,  belonged  to  the  Crown 
and  could  not  be  worked  without  the  payment  of  a  tax. 
On  becoming  acquainted  with  the  purpose  of  the  French 
engineers  that  had  charge  of  the  affair,  the  Czar  Nicholas 
remitted  this  tax,  about  6000  francs.  Although  the 
French  paid  for  the  entire  cost  of  the  excavating,  cutting, 
and  transport  of  the  stone — over  200,000  francs — yet  the 
report  was  circulated  that  "Russia  had  made  France  a 
present  of  the  tomb  of  Napoleon,"  much  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  Guizot  and  the  other  French  ministers. 

In  designating  rocks  of  this  class  the  ancients  re- 
stricted the  term  'porphyry'  to  the  red  variety,  thereby 
recognizing  the  etymology  of  the  word.  Rocks  of  the 
same  kind,  'but  of  other  colors,  were,  according  to  Quen- 
stadt,  called  indiscriminately  marmor,  or  marble.  To 
the  modern  petrographer  a  'porphyry'  is  an  igneous 
rock  having  a  homogeneous  groundmass  that  encloses  dis- 
tinct crystals,  such  as  quartz,  feldspar,  hornblende,  or 
some  other  mineral,  according  to  which  it  becomes  a 
'quartz  porphyry,'  a  'feldspar  porphyry,'  an  'augite 
porphyry,'  a  'hornblende  porphyry,'  and  so  on.  The 
groundmass  may  be  micro-crystalline  or  it  may  be  glassy, 


and  the  rock  accordingly  may  be,  for  instance,  a  'granite 
porphyry'  on  the  one  hand  or  a  'rhyolite  porphyry'  on 
the  other.  In  short,  the  word  'porphyry'  is  not  the  name 
of  a  particular  rock,  but  an  adjectival  noun  referring  to 
a  particular  structure  or  habit,  not  to  the  mineral  com- 
position. It  is  more  correct  therefore  to  speak  of  a  'por- 
phyritic  rhyolite'  than  a  'rhyolite  porphyry.'  According 
to  the  German  petrographers,  the  porphyries  having  a 
glassy  groundmass  belong  to  the  newer  eruptives,  just  as 
those  having  a  micro-crystalline  base  are  supposed  to  be 
of  more  ancient  origin.  The  propriety  of  this  distinction 
is  questioned  by  many  petrographers  in  the  United 
States  and  in  England.  The  term  'porphyrite'  was  con- 
fined by  Rosenbusch  and  other  German  authorities  to  the 
pre-Tertiary  plagioclase-hornblende  group  of  porphyries, 
such  as  diorite-porphyry. 

To  the  Western  miner  'porphyry'  means  an  eruptive 
rock — whether  occurring  in  sheets,  masses,  or  dikes— 
that  is  distinguished  from  granite  by  its  finer  grain,  and 
from  limestone,  and  quartzite,  or  other  metamorphic 
rocks  by  its  fracture.  The  'bird's-eye  porphyry'  of 
Leadville,  which  Emmons  labeled  'quartz  felsite,'  is  to 
the  Western  prospector  a  type  of  rocks  of  this  kind. 
Ignorant  as  he  may  be  of  scientific  nomenclature,  the 
average  miner  has  a  clear  idea  concerning  the  association 
of  certain  rocks  with  deposits  of  ore,  and  the  knowledge 
of  that  association  affords  him  often  a  serviceable  guide 
in  his  work  of  exploration.  The  'porphyry'  of  Colorado 
is  usually  a  quartz-andesite,  the  old  name  of  which  was 
'dacite,'  because  it  prevails  in  the  old  Roman  province  of 
Dacia,  now  Transylvania,  when  it  is  not  part  of  Ger- 
mania  or  Rumania.  In  California  the  term  'greenstone' 
is  used  in  a  similar  loose  way  and  is  likewise  associated 
with  ore  deposits,  particularly  gold-bearing  quartz  veins. 
In  the  foot-hill  region  'greenstone'  is  usually  either  dia- 
base or  diorite ;  and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  speckled  or 
true  porphyritic  habit  of  the  porphyries  in  Colorado  is 
not  as  marked  a  characteristic  of  the  greenstones  in  Cali- 
fornia. Therefore  the  term  has  become  a  misnomer. 
Much  more  so,  however,  is  the  description  of  copper 
mines  in  schist  as  'porphyries.'  We  hope  that  technical 
men  will  abstain  from  such  blundering  usage. 


m  am 


In  this  issue  we  publish  an  interview  that  serves  to 
summarize  the  professional  career  of  a  supremely  useful 
and  public-spirited  citizen.  Few  men  are  better  known 
or  have  made  more  friends  in  an  honorable  way  than 
Edward  Payson  Mathewson.  The  reasons  for  it  appear 
in  the  interview,  for  no  man  can  be  catechized  intelli- 
gently for  a  couple  of  hours  without  disclosing  the  main- 
springs of  his  action.  To  us  it  seems  that  the  metal- 
lurgist so  long  associated  with  the  successful  manage- 
ment of  the  Anaconda  works  is  particularly  the  exponent 
of  free  trade  in  knowledge,  of  the  open  shop  in  experi- 
ence, and  of  the  helping  hand  to  the  young  men  of  the 
profession.  All  of  this  argues  a  generosity  of  mind  that 
is  far  more  admirable  than  the  giving  of  money  or  the 


830 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


endowment  of  libraries.  In  the  14  years  spent  at  Ana- 
conda, Mr.  Mathewson  gave  mental  hospitality  to  thou- 
sands of  technologists  from  every  civilized  country  in 
the  "world,  showing  willingness  not  only  to  allow  properly 
accredited  visitors  to  see  the  splendid  establishment  that 
he  directed,  but  also  to  give  them  hints  and  suggestions 
that  have  proved  fruitful  in  many  smelters  far  from 
Montana.  And  he  did  this  without  allowing  any  trespass 
on  the  property  rights  of  the  company  whose  representa- 
tive he  was;  at  times  reticence — even  secrecy — may  be 
required  by  the  exigencies  of  business,  and  he  knew  when 
those  times  had  arrived,  and  also  when  they  expired,  but 
it  is  remarkable  that  he  was  able  to  reconcile  his  duty 
to  the  company  with  his  hospitality  to  visitors  so  that 
the  latter  forgot  the  small  withholding  in  the  large  en- 
lightenment. Another  sagacious  Canadian,  Mr.  James 
Douglas,  the  Bryce  of  mining,  long  ago  exposed  the 
stupidity  of  secrecy  in  the  arts,  and  himself  adopted  the 
open-handed  policy,  believing  it  to  be  best  for  all  con- 
cerned. We  note  Mr.  Mathewson 's  reference  to  the  fact 
that  when  the  Guggenheims  made  their  big  consolidation 
of  smelters,  in  1899,  it  was  the  secret  plants  that  were 
found  so  inefficient  that  they  were  put  out  of  business. 
And  we  can  say,  what  he  naturally  forebore  from  sug- 
gesting, that  the  establishments  conspicious  for  willing- 
ness to  give  information  are  exactly  the  ones  that  have 
prospered  exceedingly,  both  in  a  technical  and  in  a 
financial  sense.  Of  course,  a  metallurgical  secret  is  an 
absurdity,  for  operations  cannot  be  conducted  on  a  big 
scale  for  any  length  of  time  without  their  rationale  be- 
coming known  to  so  many  men  as  to  render  it  impos- 
sible to  withhold  the  essential  knowledge  within  the 
smelter-yard.  Any  enterprising  competitor  or  persist- 
ently curious  investigator  can  ascertain  the  facts  if  he 
has  sufficient  cause  for  doing  so.  Secrecy  usually  in- 
dicates meanness  of  spirit  or  a  desire  to  cloak  ineptitude. 
The  secrets  of  technology  are  sometimes  only  blunders. 

But  Anaconda  under  Mr.  Mathewson 's  regime,  as  it  is 
likely  to  be  under  the  charge  of  his  able  successor,  Mr. 
Frederick  Laist,  stands  for  something  even  finer:  it  has 
been  a  post-graduate  school  for  young  metallurgists. 
We  envy  Mr.  Mathewson  nothing  so  much  as  the  grati- 
tude and  respect  that  goes  out  to  him  from  scores  of 
technicians,  some  of  them  now  distinguished  metal- 
lurgists, on  account  of  the  chances  he  gave  them  in  the 
years  of  their  apprenticeship.  To  be  able  to  afford  such 
training  is  one  of  the  distinctions  of  which  a  big  reduc- 
tion works  may  well  be  proud.  Anaconda  has  produced 
something  more  valuable  than  copper,  than  zinc,  even 
than  the  precious  metals — it  has  made  men  and  the 
leaders  of  men.  The  interview  is  rich  in  hints  to  the 
young  fellows :  not  to  be  afraid  to  tackle  any  job  that  is 
offered,  to  train  themselves  in  preparation  for  an 
emergency,  to  make  records  of  technical  observations,  to 
write  technical  articles  when  the  necessary  material  has 
been  collected,  to  learn  to  use  the  English  language 
effectively,  to  be  not  afraid  to  soil  their  hands  with 
work,  yet  not  to  spend  too  much  of  their  early  days  at 
manual  labor,  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  older  men, 
and  to  not  neglect  their  social  duties. 


The  Playa  Blanca  episode  was  the  most  crucial  in  Mr. 
Mathewson 's  career.  It  must  please  our  readers  to  see 
how  men  of  real  bigness  of  spirit  triumph  over  disaster 
and  live  to  present  their  compliments  to  those  that  did 
them  an  injustice.  Mr.  Charming  has  related  how  he 
was  dismissed  by  the  Bourbons  at  the  Calumet  &  Hecla, 
and  how  he  lived  to  be  asked  by  that  company  for  his 
technical  advice  in  later  years ;  Mr.  Mathewson  tells  us 
how  he  was  'fired'  by  the  Guggenheims  at  a  time  when 
they  practically  controlled  all  the  lead  smelters  of  the 
country.  As  the  smelting  of  lead  ores  was  his  specialty, 
the  dismissal  seemed  calamitous  at  the  time  it  happened. 
Time  has  proved  that  he  was  right  and  that  the  Guggen- 
heim directorate  was  wrong,  and  it  has  demonstrated 
also  how  a  man  of  real  capacity  cannot  be  kept  down  by 
anybody.  From  lead  smelting,  Mr.  Mathewson  went  to 
copper  smelting,  in  which  he  achieved  an  equal  special- 
ization, and  now,  as  if  to  round  his  career  by  attacking 
fresh  problems,  he  takes  charge  of  a  big  nickel  enter- 
prise. We  can  readily  understand  how  gratifying  it 
must  be  to  him  that  he  has  been  selected  for  work  so 
interesting  and  so  important  as  the  British  governmental 
exploitation  of  the  nickel  industry  in  Canada. 

The  labor  question  is  one  that  every  wide-eyed  man 
must  face.  Knowledge  of  humankind  is  at  least  as  im- 
.  portant  as  that  of  the  metals.  Our  readers  will  appre- 
ciate the  spirit  animating  Mr.  Mathewson 's  remarks  on 
the  relation  of  employer  to  employee.  Of  course,  he  has 
placed  his  index  finger  on  one  of  the  fundamental  weak- 
nesses of  the  big  corporation,  namely,  the  dehumanizing 
of  the  administration.  You  can  make  machinery  auto- 
matic— or  very  nearly  so — but  the  complex  play  of  the 
human  relationship  will  slip  a  cog  if  there  is  no  personal 
contact  between  the  workman  and  the  manager.  How 
well  Mr.  Mathewson  succeeded  not  only  in  his  duties  as 
an  engineer,  but  also  in  his  obligations  as  a  free  citizen 
in  a  civilized  community  is  shown  by  the  demonstration 
that  was  made  when  he  left  Anaconda  on  October  16. 
From  the  local  musical  organizations  that  he  had  en- 
couraged, to  the  children  for  whom  he  had  created  play- 
grounds, from  the  technical  men  on  his  staff  whose 
friendship  he  had  won,  to  the  people  of  the  town  whose 
goodwill  he  had  gained — from  all  of  these  he  obtained  a 
regretful  farewell  and  an  enthusiastic  godspeed  that 
must  have  thrilled  him  to  the  very  core  of  his  being.  It 
was  a  demonstration  of  which  not  only  he  and  his  family, 
but  the  profession  whom  he  so  worthily  represents,  may 
well  be  proud.  Other  men  have  been  given  gold  cups; 
and  paintings,  but  there  are  sentiments  that  no  organized 
testimonial  can  express.  "For  his  welfare  work  in  the 
Town ;  for  his  good  work  in  the  County  and  State ;  for 
the  many  things  he  has  done  to  make  this  a  pleasanter 
and  better  place  to  live,  we  owe  him  a  debt  of  gratitude 
that  we  cannot  repay,  and  we  assure  him  his  name  will' 
always  be  synonymous  with  good  citizenship  in  this 
State."  Thus  said  Mr.  Laist  in  an  eloquent  speech  at  a' 
farewell  dinner.  To  have  "a  name  synonymous  with: 
good  citizenship" — that  is  worth  more  than  much  re- 
fined copper.  Young  man  that  reads  this:  go  thou  and 
do  likewise. 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


83] 


2g(gmr 


H©M 


Our  readers  ore  invited  to  use  this  department  for  tJie  discussion  of  technical  mid  other  matters  pertain- 
ing t<<  mining  ami  nu  Uillurtjij.       The  Editor  welcome*  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  awn,  believ~ 
ing  that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


GMaailMjgj  Mills  at  the  1- .     -■ 
ration 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  am  pleased  to  note  your  prompt  correction  of 
the  unfortunate  error  which  seemed  to  reverse  the  mean- 
ing of  my  statement  in  regard  to  the  experience  of  the 
Inspiration  Consolidated  Copper  Co.  in  their  test-mill 
work  using  both  the  Hardinge  and  Marcy  type  of  grind- 
ing mills.  I  note  also  that  this  'slip  of  the  types'  brought 
a  prompt  remonstrance  from  Mr.  Hardinge,  indicating 
that  the  controversy  over  the  form  of  these  popular  sim- 
plified grinders  still  lives. 

To  those  who  recall  the  effective  advertising  program 
adopted  by  the  Hardinge  Conical  Mill  Co.  immediately 
after  they  had  sold  the  Hardinge  patent  rights  for  Ari- 
zona to  the  Inspiration  company  it  doubtless  was  quite 
a  surprise  and  somewhat  of  a  shock  to  learn  that  after 
extensive  experiments  with  both  the  Hardinge  and  Marcy 
machines,  the  Inspiration  company  had  finally  adopted 
the  latter  for  the  extensive  grinding  equipment  required 
in  their  new  mill.  The  Hardinge  maehine  was  not  con- 
demned ;  its  final  trial  was  simply  deferred.  Those  who 
are  familiar  with  all  the  circumstances  connected  with 
this  decision  to  use  the  Marcy  machine  do  not  criticize 
the  wisdom  of  it,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  course 
pursued  left  the  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  milling 
public  generally  that  the  Marcy  type  of  ball-mill  had 
won  in  a  fair  competition  with  the  Hardinge  type  of 
ball-mill,  and  it  was  in  order  to  correct,  in  some  measure, 
this  erroneous  belief  that  I  referred  to  the  matter  in  the 
technical  discussion  you  quoted. 

Except  for  determining  the  comparative  value  of  the 
material  used  in  the  grinding  media,  it  is  manifestly  un- 
fair to  compare  the  work  of  a  machine  using  flint  pebbles 
with  one  using  iron  or  steel  grinding  media.  Mr.  Blick- 
ensderfer  fell  into  the  error  of  making  such  a  comparison 
in  his  paper  entitled  'Comparative  Test  of  the  Mara- 
thon, Chilean,  and  Hardinge  Mills,'  which  was  read  at 
the  Globe  session  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  meeting  in  Arizona, 
in  which  he  assumed  that  the  work  of  a  Hardinge  mill 
carrying  flint  pebbles  and  lined  with  pebbles  should  be  as 
good  per  unit  of  power  as  that  of  a  Marathon  mill  lined 
with  white  iron  and  carrying  steel  rods  as  grinding 
media. 

More  experiments,  to  determine  the  best  form  of  these 
various  types  of  grinders,  and  also  to  get  at  the  facts  in 
regard  to  the  best  material,  size,  shape,  etc.,  to  use  as 
grinding  media  in  them,  are  probably  being  made  in  the 


South-west  than  anywhere  else  at  present.  The  various 
companies  in  this  region  that  are  interested  in  the  de- 
velopments are  inclined  to  co-operate  with  each  other  in 
every  way,  to  the  end  that  the  good  points  of  each 
grinder  may  become  a  matter  of  common  knowledge 
among  them.  The  Inspiration  company  may  be  con- 
sidered as  temporarily  favoring  the  Marcy'  mill,  the 
Miami  company  the  Hardinge,  and  the  Phelps-Dodge 
company  the  Marathon;  but  the  prejudices  of  none  of 
them  is  fixed.  That  they  are  still  open  to  conviction  and 
anxious  for  the  truth  is  made  evident  by  the  money  they 
are  putting  into  the  installations  noted  below. 

The  present  Inspiration  mill  is  completely  equipped 
with  Marcy  mills  and  is  now  handling  about  16,000  tons 
of  ore  per  day.  Additional  sections  are  being  added  to 
the  plant  and  in  one  of  these  sections  two  8-ft.  by  36-in. 
Hardinge  ball-mills,  especially  designed  to  meet  the 
Marcy  type  in  a  fair  competition,  will  be  installed.  I 
understand  that  the  machines  will  be  placed  tandem  and 
the  first  one  of  the  series  will  receive  exactly  the  same 
feed  as  that  fed  to  the  adjacent  Marcy  machines.  Its 
product  will  go  to  a  mechanical  classifier,  which  deter- 
mines, through  an  overflow  arrangement,  the  final  degree 
of  comminution ;  the  second  mill  in  the  series  will  work 
in  closed  circuit  with  this  classifier,  thereby  finishing  the 
work  to  the  standard  for  the  district,  namely,  1  to  3% 
plus  48-mesh.  The  first  mill  will  carry  large  balls  be- 
lieved to  be  best  suited  for  reducing  the  coarse  feed,  and 
the  second  one  will  carry  smaller  balls,  which  are  thought 
to  be  the  best  adapted  for  the  final  reduction.  By  using 
this  combination  Mr.  Hardinge  hopes  materially  to  re- 
duce the  power  required  to  grind  a  unit  of  ore,  and  other- 
wise to  make  a  good  showing  for  his  machines.  The  com- 
petition will  be  direct  and  fair ;  opportunity  for  measur- 
ing power,  weighing  input,  etc.,  will  be  ideal,  and  the 
merits  of  the  competing  mills  will  be  clearly  brought  out. 

In  a  neighboring  plant  the  Miami  company  has  been 
using  for  some  time  a  full  equipment  of  8-ft.  Hardinge 
mills  in  its  fine-grinding  department.  These  were  in- 
stalled as  pebble-mills  but  have  since  been  adapted  as 
much  as  possible  to  carry  steel  balls.  The  result,  how- 
ever, has  not  been  as  good  as  could  be  expected  with  ma- 
chines especially  designed  to  carry  'balls.'  This  com- 
pany is  the  pioneer  in  the  use  of  the  Hardinge  machine 
in  the  district  and  has  been  very  favorably  inclined 
toward  this  type  and  believes  that  its  use  results  in  the 
saving  of  considerable  power.  The  Miami  company  now 
proposes  to  use  8-ft.  by  28-in.  specially  designed  Har- 
dinge ball-mills  in  groups  of  three.     The  run-of-mine 


832 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


will  be  reduced  in  crushers  to  pass  a  5-in.  hole  and  in 
this  condition  will  be  fed  to  the  first  one  of  the  Hardinge 
mills,  which  will  discharge  to  classifiers,  the  overflow  of 
which  will  be  finished  material,  and  the  coarser  sand  will 
be  split  at  the  classifiers  into  two  Hardinge  ball-mills 
carrying  somewhat  smaller  balls  and  adapted  to  finish 
the  grinding.  The  last  two  mills  will  work  in  closed 
circuit  with  the  classifiers  and  this  arrangement  will 
make  it  possible  for  the  company,  besides  getting  finer 
grinding  than  it  formerly  obtained,  to  increase  consider- 
ably the  capacity  of  each  section  of  the  plant. 

Thus  in  the  Inspiration  mill  we  shall  have  direct  com- 
parison between  the  work  of  real  Hardinge  ball-mills  and 
the  standard  type  of  Marcy  mill.  At  the  Miami  concen- 
trator we  shall  have  real  Hardinge  ball-mills  arranged 
in  what  should  be  an  ideal  combination  for  getting  the 
best  results  out  of  them.  In  both  cases  the  grinders  will 
handle  ore  from  practically  the  same  orebody,  having  the 
same  degree  of  crushability,  and  the  results  obtained 
should  be  important  and  quite  conclusive ;  and  these 
will  be  the  first  conclusive  results  to  be  obtained,  for  the 
reason  that  this  will  be  the  first  time  these  two  types  of 
mills  have  been  operated  in  a  proper  and  fair  competi- 
tion with  each  other. 

During  the  late  trip  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  party  through 
the  district,  both  of  these  companies  gave  out  detailed 
figures  as  to  the  results  being  obtained  in  their  plants. 
At  the  Inspiration  mill,  it  is  notable  that  in  grinding 
from  l£-in.  size  to  2.9%  plus  48-mesh  in  fine-grinding 
Marcy  mill-sets  (including  also  the  operation  of  the 
classifiers  and  belt-conveyor  for  the  feed  to  the  mills) 
the  power  used  was  9.86  kw.-hours  per  ton  ground;  and 
when  the  power  required  for  preparing  the  feed  from 
run-of-mine  to  l|-in.  is  included,  the  total  amounts  to 
10.27  kw.-hr.  per  ton.  At  the  Miami  mill  the  power  used 
for  crushing  and  grinding  was  given  as  7.86  kw.-hr.  per 
ton ;  but  since  Miami  does  not  grind  all  of  its  tailing  to 
pass  a  48-mesh  screen,  the  mills  there  have  not  done  as 
much  work.  The  present  tailing  of  the  Miami  mill  con- 
tains 14.5%  plus  48-mesh,  as  compared  with  2.9%  plus 
48  found  in  the  tailing  of  the  Inspiration  mill,  and  this 
difference  may  account  for  the  difference  in  power  re- 
ported. 

I  understand  that  the  larger  Marathon  mills  being 
operated  by  the  Detroit  Copper  Mining  Co.  at  Morenci, 
Arizona,  and  the  Burro  Mountain  Copper  Co.  at  Tyrone, 
New  Mexico,  have  given  excellent  results  as  to  output 
per  unit  of  power,  and  that  they  are  pleased  with  them. 
There  has  been  some  little  mechanical  difficulty  that  has 
been  overcome.  These  mills  have  not  been  run  in  compe- 
tition with  ball-mill  or  tube-mill  grinders  using  iron 
grinding  media.  It  is  significant  to  note  that  the  Burro 
Mountain  company  is  preparing  to  try  'manganoid'  balls 
in  a  Marathon  mill.  I  do  not  think  that  they  expect  to 
increase  capacity  or  conserve  power  by  using  balls  in- 
stead of  rods,  but  I  understand  that  they  are  interested 
in  proving  whether  ball-ground  product  is  better  pre- 
pared for  flotation  separation  than  rod-ground  product. 
and  incidentally  the  results  of  this  trial  will  be  interest- 


ing as  bearing  on  the  general  subject  of  what  is  the  best 
form  to  use. 

The  New  Cornelia  Copper  Co.  is  installing  a  fine- 
crushing  plant  using  Symons  vertical  disc-crushers  for 
reducing  from  3J-in.  cube  to  -J-in.  size  in  two  stages  at  the 
rate  of  400  tons  per  hour.  This  type  of  machine  is  cap- 
able of  crushing  from  4  to  $  in.  in  a  single  stage,  but  it 
is  thought  that  power  will  be  conserved  and  a  more  desir- 
able arrangement  result  from  dividing  the  work  between 
three  machines  per  unit,  working  in  two-stage  reduction 
similar  to  the  Miami  plan  for  the  use  of  the  Hardinge 
mill.  The  Symons  machines  were  designed  especially  for 
the  work  and  should  set  up  a  new  mile-post  in  crushing- 
work  of  this  character. 

All  of  these  interesting  experiments  promise  to  come  to 

fruition  early  next  year  and  should  add  materially  to  our 

knowledge   of   crushing   and   grinding   as   practised   in 

metal  mining. 

™  ™        xt         i      nl  David  Cole. 

El  Paso,  November  21. 


Constructive  Aid  for  the 
Prospector 

The  Editor : 

Sir — The  fact  is  patent,  without  referring  to  statis- 
tics, that  the  prospector  finds  a  more  attractive  field  for 
his  endeavor  in  Canada  and  other  foreign  countries  than 
his  old  stamping-ground,  the  United  States  and  Alaska. 
Since  the  prospector  is  the  fundamental  operator  of  the 
mining  industry,  his  important  relation  should  be  care- 
fully analyzed  and  the  conditions  under  which  he  op- 
erates well  established.  The  activity  of  the  prospector 
in  the  field  is  a  well  known  index  to  the  activity  of  min- 
ing and  any  interference  with  his  freedom  of  operation 
is  directly  reflected  in  a  retardation  of  the  industr.y. 

The  Federal  government,  through  its  Bureau  of  Mines, 
can  do  nothing  more  useful  than  study  the  reasons  for 
the  rapid  migration  of  the  prospector  to  foreign  fields 
and  remove  the  causes  of  it  by  recommendations  to  Con- 
gress. Pursuant  to  a  better  understanding  of  this  sub- 
ject, it  is  well  to  cite  a  number  of  the  reasons  that  are 
most  destructive  to  the  occupation  of  the  prospector  in 
the  United  States  and  Alaska,  as  the  prospector  sees 
them. 

The  inborn  patriotism  of  the  American  is  so  strong 
that  it  is  a  hardship  for  him  to  leave  this  country  for 
any  economic  reason,  but  when  he  does  go  into  foreign 
parts,  he  feels  that  his  own  Government  should  care 
for  his  welfare  at  least  as  much  as  the  government  of 
the  country  to  which  he  goes.  His  position  in  this 
matter  is  sane.  Often  the  United  States,  for  lack  of  a 
system  of  aid  to  the  prospector,  not  only  loses  the  result 
of  individual  enterprise  but  also  a  citizen. 

To  trace  this  feeling  generally  that  the  Government  is 
not  protecting  but  rather  hampering  the  prospector's 
efforts,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to  1906-1907  when  the 
land-fraud  cases  in  the  North-West  and  Alaska  forced 
the  President  to  withdraw  thousands  of  acres  of  public 
land  and  place  it  in  reserve  to  await  more  specific  classi- 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


83a 


fication  before  re-opening  it  Eor  entry.  At  about  the  same 
time  the  conservation  idea  was  sown  broadcast  without 
qualification.  Like  most  reforms;  the  conservation  move- 
ment was  born  in  theory  and  since  has  been  developing 
to  meet  more  practical  demands.  The  theoretical  stage 
was  marked  by  the  grossest  economic  waste  of  our 
natural  resources,  while  the  more  recent  constructive 
conservation  recognizes  the  necessity  for  developing  and 
using  our  natural  resources.  While  this  movement  in 
the  United  States  started  because  of  high-handed  and 
dishonest  land  and  timber  locators,  the  Alaskan  with- 
drawals resulted  from  fraudulent  coal  locations.  To  the 
prospector  a  speculative  element  was  introduced  into  the 
title  to  his  holdings.  The  capitalist  backing  the  pros- 
pector soon  withdrew  his  aid  on  the  ground  that  the  title 
in  fee  might  not  be  forthcoming  as  security  for  his  in- 
vestment. It  remained  for  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior to  dispel  this  idea  of  uncertainty.  The  construc- 
tive work  of  the  present  Department  of  the  Interior 
began  to  be  felt  through  the  expediting  of  titles  (by 
clipping  much  red  tape)  and  through  legislation. 

The  re-opening  of  vast  areas  in  the  United  States  and 
Alaska  to  entry  ;  the  passage  of  the  Alaska  Railroad  and 
Coal-Leasing  bills,  marked  the  first  steps  in  permitting 
the  development  of  our  natural  resources  after  a  period 
of  lethargy  during  which  thousands  of  prospectors  were 
forced  to  change  their  field  of  operation. 

The  United  States  Geological  Survey  has  won  the  pub- 
lic confidence  in  matters  pertaining  to  land  classification. 
This  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  most  capable  geolo- 
gists are  selected  to  advise  in  such  important  business. 
The  classification  of  the  natural  resources  on  the  public 
domain,  which  responsibility  Congress  long  since  called 
upon  the  Geological  Survey  to  assume,  should  be  rigor- 
ously sustained  by  the  issuance  of  the  corresponding 
land-titles  by  the  U.  S.  Land-Office.  Inasmuch  as  the 
funds  available  are  not  sufficient  to  enable  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey  to  keep  pace  with  the  public  demand 
for  land  classification,  Congress  should  recognize  the 
need  for  increasing  this  appropriation  to  an  amount 
commensurate  with  the  public  demands,  in  order  not  to 
further  block  the  development  of  our  natural  resources. 
The  prospector  is  vitally  concerned  in  this  matter  of  land 
classification,  and  unless  the  classification  keeps  pace 
with  his  activities,  a  delay  is  introduced  that  is  inimical 
to  his  best  interests. 

Many  foreign  countries  have  for  some  time  been  ex- 
tending aid  to  the  prospector,  both  educational  and  per- 
sonal. Therefore,  in  order  to  complete  any  system  for 
the  help  of  the  prospector,  it  will  be  necessary  to  estab- 
lish this  personal  relationship  between  the  prospector 
and  the  Government. 

Prom  the  successful  experience  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines 
in  educating  the  coal  miner  in  matters  of  safety,  the  in- 
ference may  be  drawn  that  no  less  success  would  be  at- 
tained in  extending  personal  aid  to  the  prospector,  but 
with  a  different  purpose.  This  favorable  result  empha- 
sizes the  fact  that  the  most  successful  government  is  the 
rue  which  anticipates  the  needs  of  those  upon  whom  it 
depends  for  support. 


This  persona]  aid  from  a  government  to  the  prospector 
can  lie  no  better  illustrated  than  by  recounting  an  ex- 
perience on  the  Queen  Charlotte  islands,  off  the  coast  of 
British  Columbia,  in  1908.  In  the  month  of  February, 
I  landed  at  Jedway,  on  Moresby  island,  amid  the  excite- 
ment of  a  copper  discovery.  On  the  same  boat  was 
shipped,  by  the  Government,  a  portable  house  for  the 
Mining  Recorder,  a  complete  set  of  record  books,  etc.,  a 
portable  prison,  a  Mining  Recorder,  and  a  force  of  men 
to  build  trails,  fully  equipped  and  provisioned.  While 
many  prospectors  went  in,  there  was  no  confusion ;  in- 
dividual rights  were  clearly  defined  and  protected ;  and 
the  prospectors  had  every  opportunity  to  devote  their 
time  to  prospecting  rather  than  to  the  building  of  trails. 
Shortly  after  came  the  technical  branch  of  the  Govern- 
ment service  to  counsel  and  advise  the  prospector  and  to 
publish  authentic  reports,  which  were  followed  by  the 
capitalist's  engineer,  and  the  financial  assistance  to  the 
prospector  who  had  developed  a  likely  prospect.  The 
mining  industry  based  upon  so  sound  a  premise,  of  Fed- 
eral action  is  bound  to  be  progressive  and  flourish  to  the 
utmost.  This  is  an  excellent  investment  of  public  funds, 
judging  from  the  results.  One  should  not  wonder  why  so 
many  prospectors  go  to  Canada  when  they  know  that  this 
vital  assistance  will  be  rendered. 

During  the  winter  months  a  course  of  practical  lec- 
tures is  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  Canadian  prospector 
Prom  these  lectures  on  field  mineralogy,  methods  oi 
mining  and  milling,  and  the  interpretation  of  mining 
law,  the  prospector  gains  a  grasp  of  the  larger  problems 
of  the  industry  in  which  he  is  engaged.  He  is  also  better 
able  to  estimate  his  position  with  respect  to  capital  when 
he  is  about  to  close  a  deal  for  his  prospect. 

The  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  is  naturally  adapted  and 
organized  to  assume  these  functions  of  personal  aid  to 
the  prospector.  There  is  no  need  more  pressing  than 
this  constructive  program.  Congress  must  fully  recog- 
nize the  responsibility  of  our  Government  to  control 
the  future  of  a  great  industry  by  creating  a  sound  foun- 
dation for  further  progress.  It  will  not  require  a  big 
appropriation  because  the  means  of  accomplishment  have 
been  partly  provided  in  the  establishment  of  experiment 
stations  throughout  the  United  States  and  Alaska.  In 
fact,  to  expand  the  activities  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  so 
as  to  include  this  personal  service  would  be  to  return 
more  dividends  from  an  investment  already  made. 

Now  that  the  general  activity  of  mining  is  so  much 
improved  over  past  years,  there  would  seem  to  be  a  most 
favorable  opportunity  to  start  this  work.  For  the  same 
reason  there  also  appears  a  still  greater  need  for  direct- 
ing and  conserving  the  efforts  of  the  prospector. 

H.  N.  Lawrie. 
Portland,  Oregon,  November  15. 

Magnesian  limestone,  though  not  preferred  by  smelt- 
ers, has  been  used  successfully  as  a  flux.  Long  cam- 
paigns were  carried  on  at  the  Deadwood  &  Delaware 
smelter,  at  Deadwood,  South  Dakota,  by  Dr.  Franklin  R. 
Carpenter,  when  only  magnesian  limestone  was  avail- 
able as  flux. 


834 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


From   Precipitate   to   Bullion 


By      &■      £ 

One  of  the  disagreeable  and  unsatisfactory  perform- 
ances in  a  small  cyanide  plant,  employing  zinc-dust  as 
a  precipitant  and  treating  gold  ore,  is  the  handling  of 
the  'clean-up.'  It  is  aggravating  that  when  the  precious 
metal  has  been  concentrated  to  the  degree  represented 
by  a  precipitate,  that  still  further  concentration  and 
refining  to  a  marketable  product  should  require  such  un- 
wieldy, laborious,  and  trying  operations.  In  large 
plants  the  handling  of  quantities  minimizes  some  of  the 
difficulties  incidental  to  small  plants,  but  even  then  it 
would  seem  that  there  is  room  for  improvement  over  the 
present  cumbersome  smelting  methods. 

The  Tavener  lead-smelting  method,  with  modifications, 
is  most  used  in  large  plants  but  it  entails  a  tie-up  of 
values  and  a  re-treatment  of  products  that  is  prohibitive 
to  the  small  plant. 

The  method  of  refining  herein  described  was  developed 
after  several  months  of  experimenting  and  has  proved 
an  improvement  over  the  method  formerly  in  use. 

Since  the  difficulties  of  refining  are  greatly  reduced 
when  treating  higher-grade  precipitates,  it  is  of  first  im- 
portance to  direct  attention  to  such  a  regulation  of  the 
conditions  governing  precipitation  as  will  produce  the 
highest  grade  of  precipitate  possible  without  increasing 
the  cost  or  disturbing  other  essential  factors.  The  way 
in  which  this  is  accomplished  is  known  generally  but  an 
outline  of  the  procedure  may  help  those  not  so  familiar 
with  cyanidation.  The  conditions  favoring  the  making 
of  the  best  precipitate  for  refining  are: 

(1)  A  pregnant  solution  free  from  suspended  matter. 
A  clarifying-press  or  similar  means  is  well  worth  using 
and  there  should  be  no  excuse  for  suspended  matter  in 
solution. 

(2)  A  pregnant  solution  of  maximum  value  per  ton. 
This  will  depend  on  other  plant  conditions  and  must  be 
determined  for  each  plant  accordingly. 

(3)  Use  of  the  least  amount  of  zinc-dust  that  will  give 
the  required  barren  solution.  This  will  depend  on  the 
conditions  and  requirements  of  the  plant. 

(4)  A  constant  cyanide  and  alkali  strength  of  the 
solution  precipitated.  This  can  always  be  obtained  by 
careful  watching  and  regulation  of  the  pregnant  solution. 

Having  obtained  the  best  grade  of  precipitate  that  the 
plant  can  yield  economically  (its  value  may  be  from  $10 
to  $60  per  pound  in  gold) ,  the  next  step  is  the  acid  treat- 
ment, by  which  the  value  of  the  precipitate  is  increased 
$50  to  $150  per  pound. 

A  decided  difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to  the  efficacy 
of  sulphuric  acid  treatment,  especially  in  the  small 
plant.  It  is  undisputed  that  it  removes  a  large  quantity 
of  zinc  at  a  low  cost  and  with  much  less  trouble  and  loss 
than  can  be  obtained  by  the  fire  method.    It  is  also  true 


; .      Ssyaa 

that  it  introduces  sulphur,  which,  in  the  subsequent  melt- 
ing, tends  to  form  matte  and  produces  a  product  whose 
treatment  is  generally  more  destructive  to  the  graphite 
pot.  Prolonged  washing  reduces  this  difficulty  to  a  mini- 
mum but  does  not  remove  it.  The  use  of  acids  other 
than  sulphuric  seems  to  be  regarded  with  mistrust,  prob- 
ably on  account  of  the  greater  danger  of  putting  metal 
into  solution  and  the  greater  cost  and  discomfort. 

Whether  acid  treatment  be  adopted,  or  not,  the  refin- 
ing operations  have  one  common  source  of  difficulty  and 
that  is  the  use  of  the  graphite  crucible.  This  kind  of 
crucible  was  used  originally  for  the  melting  (not  refin- 
ing) of  a  relatively  pure  metal.  It  has  come  to  the  re- 
fining of  precipitate  through  its  use  in  melting  the 
precious  metals  resulting  from  retorting  and  its  use  in 
the  mints.  The  graphite  crucible  is  not  adapted  to  with- 
stand the  fluxing  of  metallic  impurities  nor  the  corrosive 
action  of  slags  high  in  metallic  oxides  or  of  oxidizing 
agents  introduced  to  remove  matte  or  base  metal.  This 
crucible  introduces  a  condition  that  is  essentially  re- 
ducing whereas  the  operation  of  refining  requires  a  con- 
dition that  is  essentially  oxidizing.  The  metallic  oxides 
formed  in  the  pot  readily  attack  the  graphite  and  are 
reduced  to  the  metallic  state,  joining  the  precious  metals. 
Some  metallic  zinc  is  volatilized  and  part  of  this  will 
burn  to  oxide  before  escaping  from  the  pot  and  again 
react  with  the  graphite,  being  reduced  again  to  metallic 
zinc,  all  of  which  corrodes  the  graphite  pot  and  defeats 
the  object  of  refining.  A  furnace  of  the  tilting  rever- 
beratory  type  with  basic  lining  should  be  well  adapted 
to  the  refining  of  precipitate,  as  it  would  permit  the  use 
of  oxidizers  and  the  formation  of  a  basic  slag  high  in 
metallic  oxides. 

The  sulphuric  acid  treatment  was  selected  because  it 
removed  a  large  quantity  of  base  metal  and,  in  spite  of 
the  difficulty  introduced  by  sulphur,  made  the  process 
more  efficient  and  economical. 

The  acid-treated  precipitate  is  filtered,  washed,  and 
partly  dried,  enough  moisture  being  left  to  prevent  dust- 
ing.    Fluxing  is  as  follows: 

Precipitate    100  parts 

Old  assay-slag  75  to  125 

Iron   turnings 1  to      6 

The  slag  is  a  good  glassy  slag  high  in  litharge  and 
borax.  The  melt  proceeds  rapidly  with  only  slight  boil- 
ing and  the  temperature  is  held  high  at  the  last  until 
the  dense  yellow  fumes  have  subsided.  The  pot  is  then 
turned  down  and  the  slag  skimmed  to  the  surface  of  the 
matte,  with  care  not  to  skim  so  close  as  to  get  any  matte 
or  metal  into  the  first  slag,  which  is  a  finished  slag.  The 
cover  must  be  turned  back  for  this  operation  and  the  pot 
turned  down.     At  this  point  the  metal  is  usually  about 


December  9.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific    PRESS 


835 


•_'.">o  in  300  fine  dore\  After  the  firsl  finished  slag  is  re- 
moved the  surface  of  the  matte  is  kepi  clean  by  raking 
the  scum  to  the  side  of  the  pol  as  rapidly  as  it  is  formed. 
The  rim  of  contact  between  the  surface  of  matte  or  slag 
and  the  pot  is  kepi  fettled  with  silex  or  other  silicious 
materia]  to  prevent  corrosion.  As  the  charge  cools  the 
oxidation  is  assisted  by  sprinkling  nitre  over  the  surface, 
raking  it  to  one  side  as  soon  as  its  action  ceases  ami  add- 
ing fresh  nitre.  It  may  become  necessary  to  remove 
sonic  of  this  skimmed  material  from  the  pot  to  allow  more 
room.  In  this  case  the  material  removed  is  kept  separate 
and  returned  to  the  pot  when  turned  back  for  re-heating. 
Before  the  metal  becomes  cool  enough  to  solidify,  borax 
glass,  nitre,  and  silex  are  stirred  into  it  with  a  rod  until 
it  is  pasty.    The  furnace  is  then  turned  back  and  heated 


A   TILTING    MELTING-FURNACE. 

The  furnace  as  illustrated  above  may  be  fired  by  gas  or 
gasoline.  It  rests  on  trunnions,  and  can  be  tilted  through 
more  than  90°  by  means  of  a  crank,  thus  discharging  the  con- 
tents of  the  crucible,  and  relieving  the  attendant  from  ex- 
posure to  heat.  The  burner  is  fastened  rigidly  to  the  pipe- 
line, and  must  be  shut-off  before  the  furnace  is  tilted. 

again  to  a  high  heat,  the  slag  skimmed  off  as  finished 
slag,  and  operation  repeated  as  outlined  above.  The 
final  destruction  of  matte  will  be  indicated  by  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  dense  yellow  fumes  upon  sprinkling  with 
nitre  and  by  the  general  appearance  of  the  surface.  As 
long  as  much  zinc  remains  in  the  metal,  oxidation  will 
be  slow  and  the  surface  will  be  continually  freezing 
with  a  scum.  The  process  of  oxidation  and  removal  of 
resulting  products  followed  by  stirring-in  borax,  nitre, 
and  silex  is  continued  until  the  desired  degree  of  fineness 
is  obtained,  as  determined  by  taking  a  dip-sample  and 
testing  with  touch-stone  and  needles.  Bach  cycle  of 
operations  will  require  about  1|  hours  and  will  remove 
about  40  oz.  of  base  metal  in  a  No.  100  graphite  crucible. 
The  question  then  arises,  to  what  extent  is  it  profitable 
to  refine  bullion  for  the  Mint?  Before  attempting  to 
answer  this,  it  will  be  well  to  consider  the  table  of 
charges  at  the  Mints  and  Assay-Offices  of  the  United 
States.  The  latest  of  these  schedules  went  into  effect  on 
.April  15,  1916.     A  brief  exposition  of  that  part  of  this 


Table  of  Charges  which  is  of  interest  to  one  marketing 

gold   bullion   will   lie  given. 

(A)  Bullion   containing  over   800   thousandths   base   will    be 

declined. 

(B)  When  bullion  is  so  impure  that  the  loss  in   weight  in 

melting  exceeds  25'/;,  a  charge  in  addition  to  the 
regular  charge  is  made. 

(C)  Bullion   that   does   not   give   concordant  assays   on    the 

first  dip  may  be  given  an  extra  charge  for  re-melting 
and  treatment,  and  if  the  second  dip  fails  to  give 
concordant  assays  the  bullion  will  be  refused. 

(D)  The  regular  charges  are  three  in  number,  as  follows: 

1.  Melting  Charge.  Equal  to  $1  each  1000  oz.  or  fraction 
thereof  as  determined  from  the  weight  of  bullion  after 
melting. 

2.  Parting  and  Refining  Charge.  This  is  the  main  item 
of  the  charges  and  depends  upon  the  fineness  of  the  gold  and 
the  fineness  of  the  dore.  From  the  following  the  charges  per 
ounce  of  weight  after  melting  for  parting  and  refining  can 
be  determined  for  each  fineness  of  gold  and  dore. 

Gold  fine 
1-250  2504-5^00      500J-949J     950-991J     992-1000 

Dore  fine     , Charge  per  ounce  weight  after  melting , 

200-  299       $0.08  $0.09 

300-  399         0.07  0.08 

400-  499         0.06  0.07 

500-599         0.05  0.06  $0.04 

600-  699         0.04  0.05  0.04 

700-  799         0.03  0.04  0.04 

800-  899         0.02  0.03  0.04 

900-  969         0.01  0.02  0.04  $0.04 

970-1000         0.01  0.02  0.04  0.02      No  charge 

3.  Alloy  Charge.  Equal  to  2.5c.  for  each  ounce  of  copper 
required  for  alloy,  as  determined  by  taking  one-tenth  of  the 
fine  weight  of  gold  in  the  bullion. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  parting  and  refining 
charge  is  the  only  one  seriously  affected  by  the  refining. 
Further  study  of  this  portion  of  the  charge  will  reveal 
some  interesting  facts  relating  to  the  possible  reduction 
in  Mint  charges  by  refining.  To  the  mill-man  whose 
bullion  will  contain  some  silver  but  not  over  one  part  in 
four  of  gold,  the  study  of  this  table  limits  itself  to  the 
gold  fineness  ranging  from  250.25  to  949.75.  Now  from 
500.25  to  949.75  the  rate  is  a  flat  4c.  per  ounce  regard- 
less of  the  dore,  so  that  refining  beyond  500.25  fine  gold 
only  results  in  lessening  the  Mint  charges  by  4c.  times 
the  ounces  of  weight  lost  by  the  bullion  through  the  re- 
moval of  base  metal.  It  is  quite  safe  to  say  that  the  loss 
and  cost  of  refining  past  500-fine  gold  for  the  small  plant 
usually  exceeds  4c.  per  ounce  of  dross  removed,  so  that 
from  the  point  of  economy  the  discussion  is  limited  to 
fineness  below  500.25.  When  fineness  drops  below 
500.25,  the  rate  is  dependent  upon  the  dore  and  the 
saving  effected  by  refining  is  not  only  by  a  reduction  in 
weight,  but  also  through  producing  a  dore  of  higher 
fineness.  For  this  reason,  with  good  manipulation,  it  is 
profitable  to  refine  at  least  to  500.25  fine  in  gold.  As  an 
example,  take  the  following: 

A  B 

Weight  after  melting   500  460 

Gold  fineness   490  532.6 

Silver  fineness    95  103.3 

Dore   fineness    585  635.9 

Parting  and  refining  charge  per  ounce. ...   $  0.06  $  0.04 

Parting  and  refining  charge  total $30.00  $18.40 


836 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


If  the  bar  A  were  sent  to  the  Mint  the  parting  and 
refining  charges  would  have  been  $30.  The  bar  B  is 
obtained  by  removing  40  oz.  of  dross;  on  this  the  part- 
ing and  refining  charges  are  only  $18.40,  so  that  the 
removal  of  the  40  oz.  of  dross  has  decreased  the  cost  of 
marketing  $11.60  (or  29c.  per  ounce  of  dross),  which 
should  be  far  in  excess  of  the  cost  and  loss  in  refining 
this  amount.  Refining  beyond  this  point  only  reduces 
the  cost  of  marketing  by  4c.  per  ounce  of  dross  removed. 
When,  for  the  sake  of  appearance,  it  seems  desirable  to 
produce  bars  of  a  greater  fineness  than  500.25  gold,  this 
may  be  done  and  fineness  increased  to  about  800  dore 
without  any  considerable  increase  in  the  cost  and  loss  of 
the  operation  over  the  saving  effected  through  reduced 
Mint  charges. 

Assume  a  clean-up  yielding  100  oz.  gold  and  25  oz. 
silver,  and  assuming  that  the  precious  metal  loss  in 
smelting  is  slight,  the  following  table  will  serve  to  show 
the  reduction  in  gross  weight  and  total  Mint  charges 
and  the  reduction  in  cost  of  marketing  per  ounce  of  base 
metal  removed  for  each  increase  of  50  fine  dore. 


Parting  and 

Fineness 

Weight 

refining 

Total 

r- Redaction 

in^ 

Dore 

Gold 

Oz. 

Rate 

Cost 

cost 

Weight  Cost 

Per  oz. 

200 

160 

625 

$0.0S 

$50.00 

$51.25 

250 

200 

500 

0.08 

40.00 

41.25 

125 

$10.00 

$0.08 

300 

240 

417 

0.07 

29.19 

30.44 

83 

10.81 

0.13 

350 

2S0 

357 

0.08 

28.56 

29.81 

60 

0.63 

0.01 

400 

320 

313 

0.07 

21.91 

23.16 

44 

6.65 

0.15 

450 

360 

27S 

0.07 

19.46 

20.71 

35 

2.45 

0.07 

500 

400 

250 

0.06 

15.00 

16.25 

28 

4.46 

0.16 

550 

440 

227 

0.06 

13.62 

14.87 

23 

1.3S 

0.06 

600 

4S0 

208 

0.05 

10.40 

11.65 

19 

3.22 

0.17 

650 

520 

192 

0.04 

7.68 

8.93 

16 

2.72 

0.17 

700 

560 

179 

0.04 

7.16 

.  S.41 

13 

0.52 

0.04 

750 

600 

167 

0.04 

6.68 

7.93 

12 

0.4S 

0.04 

SOO 

640 

156 

0.04 

6.24 

7.49 

11 

0.44 

0.04 

,850 

680 

147 

0.04 

5.88 

7.13 

9 

0.36 

0.04 

900 

720 

139 

0.04 

5.56 

6.81 

S 

0.32 

0.04 

970 

760 

132 

0.04 

5.28 

6.53 

7 

0.28 

0.04 

1000 

SOO 

125 

0.04 

5.00 

6.25 

7 

0.28 

0.04 

It  will  be  noted  that  in  bringing  the  gold  fineness  from 
240  to  280,  which  is  effected  by  the  removal  of  60  oz.  of 
base  metal,  the  cost  is  only  reduced  63c.  or  a  trifle  over 
lc.  per  ounce  of  base  removed.  Let  us  examine  this 
point  more  .closely.  Comparing  the  charges  on  this  100 
oz.  of  gold  and  25  oz.  of  silver  when  in  a  bar  of  250-gold 
fineness  with  the  same  in  a  bar  of  251-gold  fineness,  it 
will  be  shown  that  in  the  first  case  the  charges  would 
be  $29.25  and  in  the  second  $33.09.  Thus,  at  this  par- 
ticular point  the  removal  of  two  ounces  of  base  metal 
has  resulted  in  an  increase  of  Mint  charges  of  $3.84  or 
$1.92  per  ounce  of  base  removed.  So  it  seems  that  this 
schedule  may  result  in  some  peculiar  charges.  At  any 
rate  the  charges  are  so  moderate  that  the  marketer  of 
bullion  should  find  no  cause  for  complaint  although  the 
irregularity  may  often  afford  him  a  chance  to  save  a 
few  dollars  by  a  little  refining  when  the  variation  is  un- 
derstood. 

Rainfall  of  Broken  Hill,  Australia,  was  1.43  in.  dur- 
ing the  half-year  ended  May  31,  1916. 


JMUqjs  ©if  M^Mmsmsii 

Aluminum  alloys  are  receiving  more  attention  because 
of  their  usefulness,  particularly  in  aeronautical  construc- 
tion. The  copper-aluminum  alloy  resists  atmospheric 
corrosion  well,  which  appears  to  be  the  greatest  advan- 
tage of  adding  copper  to  aluminum.  This  alloy  can  be 
rolled  while  hot  up  to  a  content  of  12%  copper,  though 
where  it  is  intended  to  roll  the  metal  3  or  4%  copper  is 
best.  For  castings,  copper  to  the  amount  of  10  to  15% 
may  be  added  to  advantage.  Nickel  acts  in  much  the 
same  way  as  copper;  alloys  containing  11  to  12%  nickel 
roll  readily  when  hot,  though  about  4%  is  the  amount 
generally  added.  For  castings,  10  to  12%  nickel  is 
added.  While  iron-aluminum  alloys  possess  no  particu- 
lar advantage,  aluminum  containing  up  to  2  or  3%  iron 
is  not  injured  by  the  presence  of  the  iron.  It  is  claimed 
that  the  most  valuable  aluminum  alloy  thus  far  made  is 
that  produced  by  the  addition  of  zinc  up  to  12  or  14%. 
This  alloy  possesses  about  the  same  ductility  as  pure 
aluminum  with  high  tensile  strength.  Alloy  containing 
25  to  30%  zinc  is  stronger  but  is  much  less  ductile. 
Aluminum-zinc  alloys  are  not  suitable  for  castings. 
Aluminum-magnesium  alloys  with  the  magnesium  over 
6  to  7%  cannot  be  rolled  and  shrinkage  is  least  between 

3  and  4%.  For  castings  the  magnesium  content  should 
be  between  8  and  12%,  if  higher  the  alloy  is  too  brittle. 
Silicon-aluminum  alloy  has  about  the  same  specific  grav- 
ity as  pure  aluminum.  The  best  proportion  has  been 
found  to  be  from  5  to  7%  silicon  for  rolled  metal  and  10 
to  12%  for  castings.  With  silicon  under  8%  the  alloy 
suffers  less  corrosion  from  water  than  pure  aluminum. 
Tin-aluminum  alloys  are  valuable  and  can  be  rolled  cold. 
but  will  crack  if  rolled  when  hot.  These  latter  alloys  re- 
sist atmospheric  corrosion  well,  but  the  elastic  properties 
are  seriously  affected  by  the  addition  of  tin.  The  addi- 
tion of  either  lead  or  bismuth  to  aluminum  has  been 
found  to  possess  no  technical  advantage.  Chromium 
added  to  aluminum  up  to  5  or  6%  produces  a  valuable 
alloy :  one  that  can  be  rolled  at  500°  C.  with  as  much  as 

4  or  5%  chromium,  but  when  the  alloy  is  made  with  the 
intention  of  rolling,  not  more  than  1%  should  be  added, 
and  for  casting  about  3%.  Manganese,  up  to  5%,  can  be 
added  and  this  alloy  rolls  easily,  but  the  alloy  has  no  ad- 
vantage over  others.  Tungsten  added  to  aluminum  ren- 
ders the  alloy  extremely  brittle.  Experiments  have  been 
made  in  adding  various  other  elements  to  aluminum, 
among  them  molybdenum,  vanadium,  titanium,  tantalum, 
and  zirconium,  but  these  alloys  have  been  found  to 
possess  no  particular  advantage  over  the  others  above 
mentioned. 

Coal  consumption  in  the  United  States  used  in  heat- 
ing and  cooking  is  estimated  at  1  to  1.5  ton  per  capita. 
In  1915  it  is  stated  to  have  been  1.1  ton.  The  total  con- 
sumption of  coal  for  all  purposes  is  about  4.6  tons  per 
capita.  The  present  high  and  still  rising  price  of  coal  is 
charged  to  the  shortage  of  labor,  and  of  cars  for  ship- 
ment. 


December  9,   1916 


MINING    and   Scientific    PRESS 


837 


■?J, 


IP-    Ma£h£-</y£josL    im 


A.T 


\i  Dtl:ll  f]     IVJ  gtMiMo^JigS 


ii  ii       '1  si  i  a  x  v  i  a  ' 


By      T. 


J!  .  I<   i    C   ii  3  v   d 


My  first  im- 


.!/;-.  Mal/uirtun,  you  are  a  Canadian? 

Yes,  I  was  born  at  Montreal  on  October  16,  1S64. 
Where  did  you  get  your  early  education? 

At  Montreal,  in  private  scbools  and  the  high-school, 
graduating  from  McGill  University  in  mining  engineer- 
ing in  1885,  as  Bachelor  of  Applied  Science. 
Was  your  father  connected  with  mining  or  metallurgy? 

No.  He  was  a  wholesale  grocer  at  Montreal,  and  his 
father  before  him. 

What  made  you  take  to  metallurgy? 

Intuition,  I  think.  It  fascinated  me 
pulse  toward  metallurgy  came  when 
looking  at  some  models  of  furnaces  in 
the  college  at  McGill.  When  I  entered 
McGill  I  did  not  know  what  course  I 
was  to  follow,  and  went  through  the 
first  year  without  making  a  decision. 
What  was  your  first  job? 

I  was  a  surveyor  on  the  Dominion 
Geological  Survey,  surveying  lakes  in 
Ontario  under  Eugene  Coste.  He  was 
head  of  the  party;'  A.  E.  C.  Selwyn 
was  head  of  the  Survey  at  that  time; 
my  immediate  superior  was  E.  H. 
Vautelet. 

Did  you  remain  with  the  Survey  long? 

Just  for  the  summer;  then  I  killed 
time    around    my    father's    establish- 
ment during  the  winter  months,  and 
the  following  spring  I  decided  to  go  to 
Colorado.     I  did  not  know  anyone  in 
Colorado,  so  I  asked  my  old  professor 
of  chemistry,  Dr.  B.  J.  Harrington,  if 
he  knew  of  anyone  in  the  West.     He 
referred  me  to  T.  Sterry  Hunt.     Dr. 
Hunt    received   me   most   kindly,    at   his   residence    in 
Montreal,  and  told  me  that  he  knew  of  one  of  his  former 
pupils  at  Yale  who  was  in  the  smelting  business  in  Colo- 
rado, namely,  A.  W.  Geist,  and  he  gave  me  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  Mr.  Geist. 
So  then  you  proceeded  to  Denver? 

I  met  a  friend,  Tom  Drummond,  another  graduate  of 
McGill,  in  civil  engineering,  who  was  going  West  to 
British  Columbia.  We  traveled  together  as  far  as  Kan- 
sas City,  where  he  missed  the  train,  leaving  his  survey- 
ing instruments  on  board.  He  wired  me  to  leave  them 
at  the  Windsor  hotel  in  Denver,  which  I  did.  On  arrival 
at  Denver,  I  found  there  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
Cushing,  who  was  a  Canadian,  and  who  advised  me  to 
go  to  Pueblo  as  soon  as  possible,  and  present  my  letter 


to  Mr.  Geist,  and  not  be  afraid  to  tackle  any  pob  that  I 
might  be  offered. 
That  was  good  advice. 

Yes.  That's  good  advice  for  any  young  man — always 
to  be  prepared  to  take  what  is  offered,  even  to  the  extent 
of  making  a  small  bluff.  I  took  the  first  train  for  Pueblo 
and  found  Mr.  Geist  in  a  receptive  mood.  It  seems  that 
one  of  his  assayers,  Ben  Sadtler,  was  leaving  him  to  ac- 
cept a  better  position,  to  take  charge  of  a  small  furnace 
at  Canyon  City,  so  Mr.  Geist  told  me  to  report  next 
morning.  That  was  the  last  day  of  March  1886.  My 
name  went  on  the  payroll  of  April  1,  1886,  but  in  spite 


HOWARD   LEAD   PRESS    AT   PERTH    AMBOY. 

of  the  date,  it  has  been  off  the  payroll  very  seldom  since. 
My  salary  was  $50  per  month,  13  hours  work  on  night- 
shift,  and  11  hours  on  day-shift  alternately,  in  two-week 
stretches.  My  partner  on  the  opposite  shift  was  E.  N. 
Engelhardt,  now  superintendent  of  the  Selby  smelter. 
The  smelter  of  which  you  liave  teen  speaking  was,  I  take 
it,  that  of  the  Pueblo  Smelting  &  Refining  Company. 
Yes.  A  Boston  corporation.  I  remained  with  that 
company  until  March  1897.  At  the  end  of  nine  months 
I  was  promoted  to  the  all-day  shift,  and  shortly  after 
was  transferred  to  the  laboratory  and  given  over  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  the  chief  chemist,  E.  C.  Engelhardt — 
no  relation  to  the  one  previously  mentioned.  Inciden- 
tally, the  former  is  a  Russian  by  birth,  and  the  latter  a 
German.     After  a  few  months  in  the  laboratory,  owing 


838 


to  the  fact  that  the  chief  metallurgist,  H.  H.  Schlapp, 
left  the  employ  of  the  company  to  go  to  Australia,  there 
was  a  general  move  up ;  Baron  de  Ropp  was  made  chief 
metallurgist,  my  old  chum  Bngelhardt,  hecame  his  as- 
sistant, and  shortly  afterward  the  Baron,  then  'Tommy' 
Ropp,  left,  and  Engelhardt  became  chief  metallurgist, 
and  I  was  promoted  to  be  his  assistant.  Within  a  few 
months  de  Ropp  went  to  Anaconda  to  take  charge  of  the 
lower  works  there,  and  sent  for  Engelhardt  to  act  as  his 
assistant,  thereby  creating  a  vacancy,  to  which  I  was 
promoted. 

By  that  time  your  salary  had  been  increased? 

Up  to  $150  per  month.  I  made  some  slight  remon- 
strance with  the  manager,  Foster  Nichols,  and  after 
some  correspondence  with  the  Boston  directorate,  my 
salary  was  increased  to  $250  per  month,  but  that  in- 
cluded the  supervision  not  only  of  the  lead-silver  smelter 
but  the  copper  department  as  well,  the  head  of  that  de- 
partment, William  Foster,  having  resigned. 

What  teas  your  copper  process? 

It  was  the  Crookes  process,  whereby  the  matte  from 
the  lead  blast-furnaces  containing  a  certain  amount  of 
copper  was  desilverized  in  a  series  of  reverberatory  fur- 
naces, in  each  of  which  there  was  a  bath  of  molten  lead. 
After  desilverization  the  matte  was  given  an  oxidizing 
roast,  to  form  what  was  called  'moss'  copper,  the  name 
coming  from  the  fact  that  the  metallic  copper  appeared 
on  the  surface  of  the  roasted  material  in  a  form  resem- 
bling moss.  This  moss  copper  was  then  treated  in 
blister-furnaces  and  the  blister  put  into  a  refining  fur- 
nace, to  be  refined  by  the  old  Welsh  method. 

Can  you  recall  any  of  the  figures  of  cost  in  those  days? 

My  recollection  is  that  the  cost  of  producing  copper 
from  matte  by  this  process  was  something  like  $40  per 
ton  of  matte. 
What  was  the  cost  of  your  lead  smelting? 

In  the  neighborhood  of  $4  per  ton  of  ore. 

The  smelting  was  done,  I  presume,  in  furnaces  of  the 
Piltz  type? 

No.  The  furnaces  were  of  the  Rachette  type,  using 
coke  from  Trinidad,  mixed  occasionally  with  wood-char- 
coal. We  had  water-jackets  of  cast-iron,  and  we  had  two 
wonderful  furnaces,  5  ft.  by  8  ft.,  with  water-cooled 
tuyeres  projecting  inward  six  inches  on  each  side.  When 
the  ore  was  free  from  fine,  these  furnaces  would  smelt 
over  90  tons  of  charge  in  a  day,  which  was  considered 
impossible  by  the  fraternity,  and  doubted  by  our  com- 
petitors. 
Tour  ore  ivas  mostly  from  Leadville? 

Yes.     A  little  of  the  copper  ore  came  from  Salida. 
Not  much  of  the  ore  was  treated  as  strictly  copper  ore. 
Some  of  it  came  from  the  San  Juan  and  Clear  Creek. 
What  caused  you  to  move  from  Pueblo? 

In  1897  Ben  Guggenheim  of  M.  Guggenheim's  Sons, 
offered  me  the  position  of  superintendent  and  metal- 
lurgist of  the  Philadelphia  smelter  at  Pueblo,  which  had 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  December  9,  1916 

been  built  nine  years  before  in  conjunction  with  Ed. 
Hoklen,  backed  by  the  money  of  Meyer  Guggenheim. 
That  smelter  aho  was  at  Pueblo,  tons  it  not? 

Yes,  but  I  remained  there  only  a  short  time.  I  had 
hardly  been  appointed  when  Ben.  Guggenheim  asked 
me  to  select  my  successor,  and  prepare  to  go  to  Perth 
Amboy  to  manage  their  lead  and  copper  refinery  at  that 
point.  I  selected  R.  D.  Rhodes,  of  Leadville,  and  we 
made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  him  to  take  my 
place.  Three  months  after  my  appointment  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Philadelphia  smelter,  I  was  moved  to 
Perth  Amboy. 

Did   the  Philadelphia  smelter  present  any  remarkable 
features? 

It  was  considered  a  large  smelter  at  that  time,  and  the 
bedding  system — the  mixing  of  the  ores  in  beds — was 
very  carefully  done  by  hand,  from  tram-cars,  so  that  the 
charge  was  fairly  uniform  on  the  furnace.  They  had 
external  crucibles  and  other  fancy  stuff  when  the  plant 
was  first  started,  but  these  innovations  were  discarded  in 
favor  of  standard  practice. 
You  found  your  new  post  at  Perth  Amboy  interesting? 

Yes.  This  plant  was  a  large  lead  and  silver  refinery, 
for  its  day,  and  had  the  Mcebius  method  for  parting  gold 
and  silver.  This  was  an  electrolytic  method,  the  silver 
crystals  being  deposited  either  on  silver  belts  or  silver 
plates  from  a  nitric  acid  solution,  while  the  gold  was 
collected  as  a  mud  in  canvas  bags,  the  anodes  being  in 
the  bags  themselves.  We  built  some' of  the  largest  lead- 
refining  furnaces  in  existence  at  that  time.  They  were 
capable  of  holding  100  tons  of  lead  at  a  charge.  They 
have  furnaces  two  or  three  times  as  big  now,  at  the  same 
plant. 
How  long  did  you  remain  at  Perth  Amboy? 

I  remained  there  until  September  of  1897,  when  I  was 
sent  by  M.  Guggenheim's  Sons  to  Monterrey,  Mexico, 
to  succeed  the  late  O.  H.  Hahn,  superintendent  and 
metallurgist  of  a  lead  plant -there.  We  treated  oxidized 
ores  from  the  Santa  Eulalia,  Santa  Barbara,  Angangueo, 
and  Catorce  districts  in  northern  Mexico. 
Was  your  practice  remarkable  in  any  way? 

One  notable  feature  of  the  plant  was  the  use  of  gas- 
producers  for  firing  the  roasters.  We  made  our  gas  from 
Coahuila  coal,  otherwise  we  would  have  had  to  import 
coal  from  the  United  States.  The  limestone  was  all 
hauled  from  Topo  Chico,  a  distance  of  a  few  miles,  by 
ox-cart. 
You  found  it  pleasant  to  be  in  Mexico? 

It  was  pleasant  so  far  as  the  climate  was  concerned, 
but  the  labor  conditions  were  peculiar.  At  that  time,  on 
the  least  sign  of  rain  in  the  afternoon,  the  night-shift 
would  fail  to  show  up.  We  would  then  send  our  trusted 
watchman  to  scour  the  town  and  round  up  as  many 
Mexicans  as  he  could,  and  we  would  put  them  to  work, 
but  every  evening  we  had  to  count  noses  to  see  how  many 
furnaces  could  be  run  through  the  night.  Another  pe- 
culiar feature  of  the  labor  at  that  time  was  the  utter 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


839 


indifference  of  the  Mexican  laborer  to  the  company's 
interest.  It'  a  tap-hole  broke  out  and  the  hot  slag  ran 
over  the  floor,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  stop  it.  the 
peons  would  dance  around  the  hot  slag  like  a  lot  of  wild 
Indians  in  a  sun-dance  until  the  furnace  emptied  her- 
self. 

How  long  did  you  remain  at  Monterrey! 

Eight  mouths.  I  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Alice 
Barry  of  Montreal  and  by  this  time  I  had  a  family  of 
two  children.  My  wife  and  family  remained  in  Montreal 
while  I  was  in  Mexico.  I  left  Monterrey  because  M. 
Guggenheim's    Sons    had    secured    Mr.    Van    Cleve    as 


two  Stands  of  converters.     A I   Anaconda,  at  the  present 
' '■  s'*  stands  of  converters  are  treating  1400  tons  of 

matte   per  day. 

Where  did  you  </<>  from  Moult  i-rci/.' 

Hack  to  Perth  Amboy.  Previous  to  taking  charge 
there  again,  1  made  a  trip  through  the  "West,  to  Mon- 
tana, taking  in  Great  Palls,  Butte,  and  Anaconda,  then 
through  Colorado  back  to  Perth  Amboy,  inspecting  the 
various  plants  on  the  way. 

Do  you  recall  any  of  your  impressions? 

The  most  curious  thing  that  impressed  me  on  that  trip 


FIRST   MECHANICAL   FEED   FOE  LEAD    BLAST-FURNACE,    PUEBLO    SMELTEE,   1890. 


permanent  metallurgist,  my  position  being  considered 
only  temporary.  Before  leaving  Monterrey,  I  paid  a 
visit  to  Paul  Johnson,  at  Aguas  Calientes,  where  I  saw 
the  large  converters,  the  wonders  of  their  day,  which 
were  engaged  in  converting  the  copper  matte  made  from 
the  Tepezala  ore.  These  converters  were  8  ft.  across. 
They  had  been  erected  by  Hiram  W.  Hixon.  This  was 
before  the  day  of  the  electric  traveling  crane,  so  that 
the  converters  all  had  to  be  taken  out  on  trucks  to  be 
emptied,  and  had  to  be  taken  apart  in  sections  to  be  re- 
lined,  as  is  still  done  at  Mt.  Lyell,  Tasmania.  Nowa- 
days converters  of  this  type  are  20  ft.  in  diameter. 
Mr.  Mathewson,  you  must  be  impressed  by  the  greater 

facilities  now  afforded  to  the  metallurgist  in  the 

handling  of  his  material. 
Certainly.    At  the  Mexican  plant,  for  instance,  much 
less  than  50  tons  of  matte  could  be  treated  in  a  day  by 


was  not  metallurgical.  I  had,  a  few  months  previously, 
bidden  farewell  to  my  old  friend,  August  Raht,  in 
Mexico,  as  he  had  started  for  Europe,  intending  to  end 
his  days  there.  I  was  surprised  in  going  into  the  lobby 
of  the  McDermott  House  at  Butte,  to  meet  him  and  find 
that  he  was  on  his  way  to  Australia.  I  bade  him  another 
farewell,  and  a  few  months  later,  I  was  at  Pueblo  and 
looking  through  the  arch  in  the  Union  depot,  I  noticed  a 
familiar  back  on  the  platform  and  went  out  and  found 
my  old  friend  again,  on  his  return  from  Australia,  head- 
ing for  New  York.  Metallurgically,  the  thing  that  im- 
pressed me  most  was  the  size  of  the  Anaconda  smelter, 
which  was  considered  a  wonder,  even  in  those  early  days. 
The  plant,  at  that  time,  was  handling  over  3000  tons  of 
ore  daily,  under  the  management  of  the  late  John  S. 
Dougherty. 

What  is  the  present  capacity  of  the  Anaconda? 


840 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


18,000  tons  daily  of  copper  ore,  and  2000  tons  of  zinc 
ore. 
You  returned  to  Perth  Amboy? 

I  returned  to  Perth  Amboy  and  remained  there  as 
manager  until  September  1899,  when  the  Messrs.  Gug- 
genheim asked  me  to  take  charge  temporarily  of  a 
smelter  at  Playa  Blanea,  near  Antofagasta,  Chile,  which 
they  had  leased  from  the  Huanehaea  company,  the  idea 
being  that  I  start  operations  and  turn  the  plant  over  to 
my  successor  in  three  months.  Consequently  I  left  my 
family  at  Perth  Amboy  and  reached  my  destination  at 
Antofagasta  on  the  13th  of  October  1899.  I  immediately 
put  the  furnaces  in  operation,  under  the  charge  of  Lud- 
wig  Kloz,  as  metallurgist.  But  in  a  few  months  it  was 
evident  that  I  would  have  to  remain  longer,  so  the  Gug- 
genheims  advised  me  that  they  would  send  my  family 
down  to  Chile  if  I  would  remain  a  year.  This  I  agreed 
to  do,  and  my  family  all  came  down,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
F.  D.  Aller,  the  present  agent,  of  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  at 
Antofagasta.  arriving  early  in  1900.  I  remained  in 
charge  as  manager  of  the  Playa  Blanea  plant  until  Octo- 
ber 13,  1901,  when  I  was  recalled  to  New  York. 

Did  this  smelter  at  Playa.  Blanea  have  any  interesting 
features ? 

It  had  many.  There  being  no  rain  in  that  region, 
there  were  no  buildings  over  the  furnaces.  In  places 
there  were  sheds  to  keep  off  the  sun ;  these  were  roofed 
with  split  bamboo.  The  furnaces  presented  a  strange 
appearance.  They  were  all  exposed  to  the  open  air. 
The  ores  were  refractory,  and  fluxes  were  extremely 
hard  to  obtain.  The  ores  came  from  the  Pulacayo  mine 
in  Bolivia,  15,000  ft.  above  sea-level,  and  were  trans- 
ported in  narrow-gauge  cars  to  the  smelter,  which  was 
near  sea-level.  The  water-jackets  of  the  furnaces  were 
supplied  with  salt  water  pumped  from  the  sea.  The 
water  for  drinking  purposes  used  at  the  smelter  colony 
was  the  overflow  from  a  pipe-line,  starting  near  Quil- 
lagua,  240  miles  long,  and  this  fluid,  though  clear,  was 
anything  but  pure.  It  was  contaminated  with  salt,  nitre, 
borax,  etc.,  and  had  to  be  distilled  before  use.  In  the 
town  of  Antofagasta  they  used  sea-water  largely  for 
distilling.  The  ore,  containing  copper,  lead,  and  silver, 
together  with  a  little  antimony  and  tin  and  considerable 
sulphur,  was  made  into  adobes  by  hand,  mixing  it  with 
lime  burned  on  the  premises ;  these  adobes  were  dried  by 
the  sun,  then  piled  up  in  racks  and  burned  with  coke 
breeze,  as  ordinary  mud-bricks  are  burned.  After  burn- 
ing, these  were  conveyed  directly  to  the  blast-furnaces. 
The  amount  of  impurities  in  the  ore  and  the  lack  of 
fluxes  made  the  slags  extremely  unsatisfactory  to  one 
accustomed  to  the  metallurgy  of  Colorado,  but  the  capi- 
talists who  were  backing  the  enterprise  did  not  see  their 
way  clear  to  advance  any  money  to  the  poor  miners  of 
that  country,  who  had  no  capital  and  could  not  work 
without  some  advance  in  cash.  After  using  up  a  large 
quantity  of  slags  rich  in  lead  from  Oruro,  the  discard 
from  the  ancient  furnaces  of  the  Spaniards,  and  no  other 
lead  being  available,  an  attempt  was  made  to  use  the 


lead  concentrates  from  Broken  Hill,  Australia,  one  ship- 
load of  these  being  tried,  but  there  not  being  sufficient 
profit  in  the  arrangement,  we  discontinued  their  use  and 
substituted  concentrate  from  Moyie,  British  Columbia. 
Which  mine? 

The  St.  Eugene  mine,  in  the  Kootenay.  This,  as  a 
business  proposition,  proved  no  better  than  the  Broken 
Hill  shipment,  and  on  the  advice  of  Willard  S.  Morse, 
representing  M.  Guggenheim's  Sons,  we  gradually 
changed  the  furnaces  from  the  use  of  lead  to  copper  as  a 
collector  of  precious  metals.  To  this  I  objected,  on  the 
ground  that  the  copper  ores  available  at  Chuquicamata 
and  vicinity  all  contained  various  chlorides,  and  would 
result  in  large  losses  of  precious  metals  by  volatilization. 
But  Mr.  Morse  saw  fit  to  insist,  and  the  furnaces  were 
changed  as  directed,  with  the  result  that  the  losses  by 
volatilization  proved  so  great  that  the  operation  became 
unprofitable.  Meantime  Mr.  Morse  returned  to  New 
York,  the  Guggenheims  having  merged  with  the  Ameri- 
can Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  Shortly  afterward  I  was 
summoned  to  New  York,  and  on  my  arrival  there,  in  con- 
sultation with  the  firm,  I  advised  that  the  operations  of 
the  smelter  at  Playa  Blanea  be  discontinued,  which  was 
done,  instructions  being  sent  by  cable.  At  the  same  time 
I  was  fired.  This  was  a  serious  thing  for  me,  as  it  ap- 
peared to  me  that  all  the  metallurgical  positions  in  my 
line  as  a  lead  metallurgist  were  in  the  hands  of  one  com- 
pany, and  that  company  had  no  further  use  for  me. 
What  did  you  do? 

I  took  my  family  to  Montreal,  and  immediately  started 
on  a  still  hunt  for  a  job.  I  failed  to  secure  one  for  six 
months,  and  was  becoming  desperate,  when  a  good 
friend  of  mine,  L.  J.  "W.  Jones,  suggested  that  we  enter 
into  partnership  and  start  a  copper  refinery  on  the  Pa- 
cific Coast,  possibly  in  British  Columbia.  I  agreed  with 
him  that  this  was  a  business  possibility,  as  he  had  a  little 
money  and  could  interest  more  capital,  and  I  had  a  little 
of  my  own  that  I  was  willing  to  risk.  I  agreed  to  start 
for  British  Columbia  and  look  into  the  situation.  1  had 
my  grip  packed,  ready  to  leave,  when  I  received  a  tele- 
gram from  Frank  Klepetko,  asking  me  if  I  would  come 
to  Anaconda  and  look  into  the  blast-furnace  situation 
at  the  new  Washoe  smelter  there,  with  a  view  to  taking 
charge  of  the  blast-furnaces  if  I  liked  the  job. 
That  ivas  in  1902? 

Yes.  In  June  1902.  I  proceeded  at  once  to  Anaconda, 
met  Mr.  Klepetko,  who  took  me  down  to  the  blast-fur- 
nace room,  and  this  was  in  such  a  sad  condition  that  I 
thought  there  was  plenty  of  work  cut  out  for  me  if  I 
liked  to  take  charge  of  it.  I  could  see  no  difficulty  in 
the  position,  so  I  accepted  his  offer  to  act  as  blast-furnace 
superintendent.  I  found  a  peculiar  condition  of  affairs. 
No  less  than  eight  different  men  had  the  authority,  and 
used  it,  to  change  the  charge  of  the  blast-furnaces  as  they 
saw  fit,  the  result  being  chaos.  Of  the  five  furnaces  at 
that  time  supposed  to  be  in  blast,  there  were  never  three 
in  operation  at  one  time.  I  speedily  rectified  this,  to  the 
amazement  of  the  furnace  foremen,  who  found  they  were 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


S41 


able  to  keep  five  furnaces  in  blast  continually.  Shortly 
after  this.  Mr.  Klepetko  accepted  a  position  with  Mr. 
Haggin,  to  go  to  Cerro  de  Pasco  and  build  a  plant  there, 
and  P.  1.  Cairns  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Washoe 
smelter,  as  manager.    1  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the 


CHUQUICAMATA  IN   1899. 

reverberatory  furnaces  and  roasters.  These  reverbera- 
tory  furnaces  were  at  that  time  the  largest  in  the  world. 
The  hearths  were  50  ft.  in  length  and  19  ft.  in  width, 
and  the  furnaces  were  smelting  on  an  average  of  75  to 
100  tons  per  day.  These  compare  with  the  modern  fur- 
nace of  this  type  as  follows :  140  ft.  length  of  hearth,  25 
ft.  width,  average  smelting  650  tons  per  day. 
How  do  the  costs  compare? 

Costs  at  present  in  reverberatory-smelting  practice  are 
about  one-third  of  what  they  were  then.  A  few  months 
later  Mr.  Cairns  resigned  to  accept  a  position  as  man- 
ager of  the  Michigan  Smelting  Co.  at  Houghton,  Michi- 
gan, which  position  he  still  holds,  and  I  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  plant,  remaining  there  until  this  month. 
You  are  leaving  Anaconda,  Mr.  Mathewson? 

Yes.  I  have  received  a  flattering  offer  from  the  Brit- 
ish America  Nickel  Corporation  to  take  the  position  of 
general  manager  of  their  properties  in  Canada,  with 
headquarters  in  Toronto.  This  position  I  have  accepted, 
and  will  assume  my  new  duties  October  15. 
What  mines  does  this  company  operate? 

The  company  operates  the  Murray  mine  near  Sud- 
bury, Ontario,  and  it  is  proposed  to  build  a  smelter  near 
the  mine  and  a  refinery  for  the  electrolytic  refining  of 
the  nickel  matte  near  Niagara  Falls,  on  the  Canadian 
side. 

Mr.  Mathewson,  you  have  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the 
introduction  of  flotation  in  America,  on  a  large 
scale.  Could  you  give  me  your  opinion  as  to  the 
scope  of  the  process? 

So  far  as  my  experience  goes,  the  application  of  the 
process  to  sulphide  copper  ore  is  a  wonderful  success, 


and  can  be  utilized   in   nearly  every  ease  that   has  come 

under  my  observation.    Even  where  a  part  of  the  ore  is 

oxidized,  the  sulphide  portion  can  be  recovered  by  flota- 
tion and  a  considerable  part  of  the  oxidized  ore  by  the 
original  gravity  methods  of  concentration. 
What  do  you  think-  of  the  new  method  of  sulphidizing 
the  oxidized  ore? 
From  experiments  tried  at  Anaconda,  indications  are 
that  the  oxidized  portion  of  the  ore  forms  such  a  thin 
layer  on  the  particles  of  gaugue,  that  when  the  sulphid- 
izing is  completed  and  the  artificial  sulphide   mineral 
submitted  to  flotation,  the  gangue  floats  with  the  sul- 
phide  and   no   commercial   degree   of   concentration   is 
reached.    In  my  opinion  the  oxidized  ore,  or  the  oxidized 
portion  of  sulphide  ore  is  best  treated  by  some  form  of 
sulphuric  acid  leaching. 
What  episode  in  your  career  pleased  you  most? 

My  recent  appointment  in  Canada,  which  came  to  me 
wholly  unsolicited. 

Mr.  Mathewson,  you  know  that  the  technology  of  metal- 
lurgy is  under  great  obligation  to  you  and  your 
staff  at  Anaconda  for  your  hospitality,  not  only 
physically  but  mentally,  extended  to  properly  ac- 
credited visitors  to  your  plant.  I  presume  I  may 
take  it  from  you  that  you  do  not  believe  in  secrecy 
in  technology  any  more  than  our  distinguished 
friend  James  Douglas. 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  metallurgist  with  a  secret 
process  is  like  the  ostrich  that  buries  its  head  in  the  sand 


C.  H.   MACNUTT,  WIIXABD   S.   MOUSE,   AND  MRS.   MOUSE   AT 
CHUQUICAMATA   IN   1901. 

on  the  approach  of  danger.  The  metallurgist  who  is 
free  to  give  out  information  is  certain  to  receive  infor- 
mation in  equal  or  greater  proportion.  It  has  been  my 
experience  that  on  account  of  the  policy  pursued  at 
Anaconda  I  or  any  member  of  my  staff  have  been  wel- 
comed at  the  most  secretive  establishments  and  shown 
everything  of  interest. 

Furthermore,  is  it  not  a  fact  than  anybody  going  to 
work  systematically,  honorably  or  dishonorably,  as 


842 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


the  case  may  be,  to  get  at  any  metallurgical  method, 
can  do  so? 
It  is  a  faet.    Secrets  cannot  be  kept  in  a  metallurgical 

works  because  so  many  are  employed,  and  the  cupidity 

of  employees  is  always  to  be  taken  into  account. 

/  was  informed  recently  by  a  metallurgist  who  used  to 
be  at  the  old  Pueblo  plant  that  when  the  Guggen- 
heim consolidation  was  made  the  three  smelters  that 
were  shut  down  inn-  the  three  secret  plants,  the 
Kansas  City,  the  Philadelphia,  and  the  Eilers. 
There  was  one  other  secret  one  not  shut-down,  that  was 

the  Globe.    It  is  still  running,  but  is  not  so  secretive  as 

it  was. 

Now  that  yon  are  leaving  Anaconda,  I  am  frank  to  say 
that  you  ought  to  feel  proud  of  the  large  number 
of  metallurgists  to  whom  that  smelter,  under  your 
charge,  has  been  a  veritable  post-graduate  school  of 
metallurgy. 

It  has  always  been  my  idea  to  give  the  young  technical 
men  under  me  a  chance,  and  whenever  an  opportunity 
was  afforded  for  one  of  them  to  better  his  condition  by 
going  to  some  other  plant,  I  have  not  hesitated  to  recom- 
mend a  man  suited  for  the  particular  position  offered,  no 
matter  what  place  he  occupied  in  our  organization.  I 
learned  the  value  of  this  method  in  the  early  days  of  my 
experience  in  Pueblo,  with  the  old  Pueblo  Smelting  & 
Refining  Co.,  under  Mr.  Geist.  Many  of  the  older 
metallurgists,  some  of  whom  are  world-famous,  were 
trained  in  that  establishment,  where  I  received  my  first 
knocks. 
Who  were  at  the  Pueblo  smelter? 

H.  H.  Schlapp,  of  Broken  Hill  fame ;  Philip  S.  Morse, 
formerly  manager  of  the  Cockle  Creek  smelter  in  New 
South  Wales;  Tommy  Ropp,  as  the  Baron  was  known 
then;  Wayne  Darlington,  now  in  Philadelphia;  B.  C. 
Canby,  of  flotation  fame ;  W.  W.  Adams,  now  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  S.  D.  Bridge,  who  made  his  name  in  Mexico ; 
Ben  Sadtler,  afterward  professor  at  Golden ;  0.  J. 
Smith,  of  Reno,  Nevada ;  and  among  the  later  crop,  W. 
H.  Howard  of  Salt  Lake,  B.  H.  Hamilton  of  Trail,  B.  C, 
W.  J.  Hamilton  of  Cerro  de  Pasco,  Peru,  Forest  Ruther- 
ford of  Douglas,  Arizona. 

Do  you  regard  metallurgy  as  a  good  career  for  the  young 
men  of  today? 
I  do. 
Do  you  think  that  metallurgists  or  managers  of  metal- 
lurgical establishments  should. have  a  financial  in- 
terest in  the  company  with  which  they  are  connected 
or  in  other  mining  or  metallurgical  enterprises? 
I  do. 
You  are  doing  some  interesting  work  in  the  electrolytic 
reduction  of  zinc.     Would  you  mind  saying  some- 
thing about  it?     Particularly  in  regard  to  the  fu- 
ture of  this  new  branch  of  the  art. 
The  work  done  at  Anaconda  in  the  electrolytic  reduc- 
tion of  zinc  has  been  most  interesting.    The  general  prin- 
ciples involved  are  the  roasting  of  the  ore;  the  solution 
of  the  zinc  in  sulphuric  acid;  the  purifying  of  the  solu- 


tion and  then  the  electrolysis.  Each  step  in  the  process 
must  be  most  carefully  watched,  particularly  the  puri- 
fication of  the  solution  before  electrolysis.  The  obtain- 
ing of  a  zinc  sulphate  solution  from  the  ore  is  by  no 
means  new  to  the  art;  but  the  details  of  the  process  in 
use  at  this  plant  have  many  novel  features — just  at  this 
time  we  are  endeavoring  to  protect  these  by  patents — 
and  consequently  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  divulge  this  in- 
formation. However,  I  will  say  that  this  new  branch 
of  the  art  promises  great  things  for  low-grade  copper 
ores  and  low-grade  lead-zinc  ores  (containing  zinc  above 
12%).  By  the  removal  of  the  greater  part  of  the  zinc, 
the  ore  becomes  readily  amenable  to  treatment.  Many 
mines  have  large  reserves  of  ore  of  this  character  which 
heretofore  have  been  unworkable  and  classed  as  waste ; 
and  these  reserves  will  now  become  available. 
Would  you  agree  in  the  opinion  that  electrolytic  zinc  is 
likely  to  drive  retorted  zinc  out  of  the  market. 
No. 
Did  you  receive  the  Gold  Medal  of  the  Institution  of 
Mining  and  Metallurgy? 
Yes,  in  1911,  and  the  receipt  of  this  medal  was  the 
source  of  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  me. 
Do  you  believe  in  young  professional  men  writing  tech- 
nical papers? 
I  certainly  believe  in  young  professional  men  writing 
technical  papers  and  contributing  to  the  technical  press, 
if  they  have  anything  to  write  about.  A  great  many 
little  things  come  up  in  practice  that  it  is  well  to  have 
recorded.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  the  young  men  to  put 
their  ideas  into  a  crystalline  shape  and  to  get  into  the 
habit  of  making  notes  systematically.  I  certainly  agree 
with  you ;  and  in  this  connection,  I  think  it  would  be 
well  for  all  our  mining  schools  to  pay  a  little  more  atten- 
tion to  English,  so  that  their  graduates  will  be  able  to 
make  readable  reports  and  write  short  technical  articles 
without  any  great  effort.  The  manner  in  which  facts 
are  presented  to  a  board  of  directors  by  the  technical 
men  in  the  employ  of  a  company  has  a  great  effect  upon 
the  actions  of  the  said  board  in  approving  or  disapprov- 
ing the  recommendations  made. 

Do  you  approve  of  the  present  system  of  settling  ore- 
purchases  on  the  quotations  given  in  a  technical 
journal?     Would  it  be  practicable  to  settle  on  the 
price  obtained  by  the  smelting-purchaser? 
Of  two  evils,  choose  the  less.    I  think  the  settlement  on 
quotations  given  in  a  reliable  technical  journal  is  the 
less  evil.     We  want  to  settle  on  the  true  market  value 
of  the  metals.    The  only  way  we  can  approach  that  is  to 
get  the  figures  of  actual  transactions.     If  the  technical 
journal  or  its  people  has  no  dealings  in  the  market,  if  it 
cares  for  its  reputation,  the  results  are  not  too  bad.     I 
do  not  think  it  practicable  to  settle  on  the  price  obtained 
by  the  smelting-purchaser  because  no  smelting-purchaser 
would  be  willing  to  give  out  the  actual  figures  pertaining 
to  his  sales  of  metals. 

To  what  extent  is  the  enlargement  of  copper  furnaces 
likely  to  go? 
The  furnaces  in  most  establishments  are  now  as  large 


December  9,  L916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


843 


Iff  Ml 

J^^.. 

\v 

--  V 

, 

m 

TAPPING   MATTE   FROM   THE   BLAST-FURNACE   AT   ANACONDA. 


CONVERTER   TAPPING-FLOOR,    ANACONDA,    1902. 


844 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  9,   1916 


as  the  ore-supply  warrants.  There  is  no  limit  to  the 
length  of  a  blast-furnace,  but  under  existing  conditions 
there  is  no  advantage  in  the  operation  of  furnaces  over 
75  ft.  in  length.  The  construction  of  the  building  to 
house  very  long  furnaces  is  too  expensive.  In  reverber- 
atory-praetice  the  limit  of  economical  size  of  furnace  has 
not  yet  been  reached  but  the  units  are  now  about  as  large 
as  it  is  safe  to  make  them  to  insure  regular  output. 
When  the  unit  in  reverberatory-practiee  is  too  large,  two 
units  being  down  for  repairs  at  the  same  time  would 
cause  serious  reduction  of  output.  On  the  other  hand. 
in  blast-furnace  practice,  any  part  of  a  furnace  of  the 
type  used  at  Anaconda  may  be  repaired  while  the  rest 
of  it  continues  operating  normally.  I  believe  that  there 
will  be  no  great  enlargement  of  copper  furnaces  unless 
the  supply  of  ore  at  some  given  point  is  enormously  in- 
creased. 

Referring  to  the  saving  of  labor  and  the  use  of  electric 
cranes,  can  you  outline  the  extent  to  which  such 
machinery  has  replaced  manual  labor? 

Without  electric  cranes  the  big  converter  installations 
of  the  present  day  would  be  impracticable.  In  repair- 
shops  and  power-plants  also,  modern  requirements  de- 
mand such  machinery.  The  builders  of  smelting  and 
power  machinery  today  always  count  on  traveling  cranes 
as  part  of  the  regular  equipment ;  therefore  they  have  no 
hesitation  in  designing  parts  weighing  tons,  whereas 
when  only  manual  labor  was  used  such  heavy  pieces 
would  be  out  of  the  question.  A  great  change  has  come 
over  the  laborer  of  today.  He  is  accustomed  to  all  kinds 
of  labor-saving  devices,  and  the  man  who  makes  his  bread 
by  the  sweat — literally — of  his  brow  around  a  smelting- 
plant  is  a  rare  specimen. 

In  what  direction  lies  the  further  development  of  copper 
metallurgy  ? 

In  the  saving  of  values  from  the  flue-dust  and  smoke, 
and  the  similar  saving  from  the  oxidized  portion  of 
tailing.  I  believe  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the 
application  of  electricity  to  the  copper-smelting  industry 
will  be  as  important  as  it  now  is  in  copper  refining. 
There  is  room  for  improvement  in  the  reduction  of  cop- 
per in  furnace-slags. 

You  have  had  a  lot  of  experience  in  the  abatement  of 
smelter  fume;  do  you  consider  that  this  difficulty 
has  been  overcome  f 

Each  smelter-plant  has  its  own  particular  smoke 
problem,  and  it  will  not  be  solved  until  there  is  a  market 
for  all  the  by-products  that  can  be  obtained  from  smoke. 
This  means  the  utilization  of  the  sulphur,  either  as  ele- 
mental sulphur,  as  sulphur  di-oxide,  sulphuric  acid,  or 
some  other  compound.  In  my  opinion,  if  care  be  taken 
in  the  selection  of  a  smelter  site,  so  that  the  gases  be  dis- 
charged at  a  considerable  height  above  the  surrounding 
country,  and  settling  apparatus,  either  electrical  or 
mechanical,  be  installed  to  remove  dust,  no  trouble 
should  be  experienced  and  no  material  damage  done. 
The  dilution  of  the  gases  with  air  and  their  discharge 
as  high  as  practicable  above  surrounding  lands  is  the 


best  way  to  dispose  of  them  until  the  time  comes  when  all 
possible  by-products  can  find  a  market.  The  addition 
of  water  to  spray  the  gases  is  inadvisable,  in  most  eases, 
on  account  of  the  liability  to  pollute  streams  and  water- 
courses with  the  product. 

You  have  helped  many  young  professional  men.  Would 
you  please  give  some  advice  based  upon  your  ex- 
perience in  aiding  them? 
The  remarks  above  referring  to  the  working-man  ap- 
ply to  professional  men  also.  I  think  it  is  well  in  deal- 
ing with  young  professional  men  to  caution  them  not  to 
be  afraid  to  dirty  their  hands  or  clothes,  but  at  the  same 
time  not  to  forget  that  they  have  spent  a  number  of  years 
of  their  lives  in  preparing  for  a  professional  career,  and 
to  spend  many  additional  years  at  manual  labor  is  a 
mistake.  Wherever  possible  it  is  well  to  encourage  young 
men  not  to  neglect  their  social  duties.  When  a  friend 
or  business  acquaintance  has  a  position  to  offer  that 
would  suit  any  of  your  young  men,  give  them  a  chance 
at  it ;  get  acquainted  with  your  young  professional  men 
and  if  there  are  too  many  of  them,  as  in  some  large 
establishments,  for  personal  acquaintance  with  all  of 
them ;  see  to  it  that  your  trusted  subordinates  attend  to 
this  matter.  I  think  it  a  mistake  to  pay  young  profes- 
sional men  high  salaries  at  the  start,  as  it  gives  them 
wrong  notions  of  their  value.  Give  them  enough  on 
which  to  live  decently  and  then  increase  their  salaries 
as  they  merit  it. 

The  management  of  men,  as  well  as  machinery,  has  en- 
gaged your  attention.  In  what  direction  do  you 
discern  the  best  hope  of  allaying  labor  troubles? 
The  best  way  to  avoid  labor  troubles  is  to  give  the 
laboring-man  a  square  deal,  paying  the  highest  wages 
that  the  enterprise  can  afford.  In  these  days  the  laborer 
seldom  sees  the  capitalist  who  is  responsible  for  his 
employment.  The  personal  contact  of  the  employer  with 
the  employee  must  be  accomplished  in  some  way,  and  the 
best  way  is  to  have  the  employer's  representative,  either 
the  general  manager  or  the  superintendent,  given  full 
power  to  treat  with  the  employees  in  all  matters  per- 
taining to  wages  and  working-conditions.  The  general 
manager  and  the  superintendent  should  be  selected  with 
a  view  to  their  ability  to  handle  men.  The  old-fashioned 
swearing  foreman  armed  with  a  pick-handle  has  gone, 
never  to  return.  The  modern  workman  reads  the  papers, 
he  knows  the  stock  market,  and  has  a  pretty  shrewd  idea 
as  to  just  what  amount  of  money  his  employers  are  mak- 
ing out  of  his  labor  and  whether  or  no  he  is  receiving 
his  fair  share  of  the  profits.  I  believe  a  system  of 
bonuses  should  be  established  wherever  possible,  by 
which  the  faithful  employee  should  receive  in  prosperous 
times  a  fair  percentage  of  the  abnormal  profits  accruing 
to  the  business.  Laboring-men  should  be  encouraged  to 
save  their  money,  marry,  and  settle  down  in  homes  of 
their  own.  Amusements  should  be  provided,  but  not  in 
the  form  of  donations.  A  man  seldom  appreciates  any- 
thing acquired  without  an  effort  on  his  part.  Anything 
that  can  be  done  to  make  a  man  love  his  work  is  a  boon 
to  the  man  and  to  his  employer. 


iber  9,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


si;, 


Manufacture   of  Chromates   From   Chromite 


By     Haiold     Fitenci 


In  the  preparation  of  chromates  and  bichromates  of 

sodium  or  potassium,  high-grade  chromic  iron  ore  is 
essential.  Ores  containing  less  than  50%  chromium 
sesquioxide  (Cr20,)  however  suitable  for  the  manu- 
facture of  ferrochrome  and  chrome  bricks,  are  not  de- 
sired by  the  industrial  chemist.  As  there  is  a  rapidly  in- 
creasing demand  for  chromite  averaging  between  50  and 
55%  Cr203  and  low  in  alumina  content,  it  will  save  time, 
money,  and  worry  if  the  producers  will  sort  the  high- 
grade  ores  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  manu- 
facturers of  these  refined  salts.  Although  chromic  iron 
is  mined  or  occurs  in  26  of  the  counties  of  California, 
and  a  number  of  these  deposits  contain  considerable 
bodies  of  high-grade  ore,  there  is  much  complaint  from 
the  purchasers  that  the  ores  are  not  properly  sorted,  so 
that  the  general  average  of  shipments  is  too  low  for 
economic  treatment.  Alumina  is  a  particularly  objec- 
tionable constituent,  in  chromate  manufacture,  although 
it  may  be  highly  desirable  at  chrome-brick  plants.  A 
better  understanding  of  the  processes  described  below 
may  lead  to  more  discrimination  on  the  part  of  the 
producer  in  segregating  the  various  grades  he  desires 
to  market. 

Inasmuch  as  the  price  of  potassium  bichromate  has 
risen  during  the  past  two  years  from  5  to  40c.  per  lb., 
f.o.b.  New  York,  domestic  users  of  this  salt  have  under- 
taken to  manufacture  chromium  compounds  for  their 
own  needs.  Tanneries  consume  a  large  part  of  the  sup- 
ply of  chromates  and  chrome  alum  in  producing  a  quality 
of  leather  that  will  resist  heat  and  acids.  In  California, 
the  Sawyer  Tanning  Co.  of  Napa,  requiring  about  600 
lb.  of  bichromate  daily,  decided  to  manufacture  its 
own  salts  from  Californian  ores.  Since  the  sodium  salt 
is  ten  times  more  soluble  than  the  potassium  and  much 
cheaper  to  prepare,  they  have  established  a  large  chem- 
ical plant  at  their  works.  While  the  process  they  are 
working  is  not  a  complete  technical  success,  it  serves  its 
purpose  and  is  a  source  of  considerable  saving.  Its  full 
efficiency  depends  upon  a  reliable  supply  of  high-grade 
chromite  ore. 

In  a  large  structure,  roofed  with  corrugated  iron  and 
floored  with  cement,  the  highly  soluble  normal  chromate 
of  soda  is  now  being  manufactured.  On  the  outside  are 
sorted  piles  of  chromic  iron  that  have  been  shipped  from 
Amador  county  and  from  the  near-by  Chiles  and  Pope 
valleys  in  Napa  county.  At  a  glance  the  character  of 
three  standard  grades  may  be  estimated.  The  best  qual- 
ity is  fine-grained  and  brittle,  resembling  anthracite  coal. 
This  contains  from  50  to  55%  chromic  oxide  and  gives 
the  best  results.  A  middling  grade  has  the  appearance 
of  dull  graphite,  characteristic  of  most  chromite  ore 
mined  in  California,  and  averages  44%.     A  third  lot, 


supposed  to  be  high-grade  chromite,  assays  only  35% 
and  has  a  rusty  ochreous  color;  it  is  useless  for  manu- 
facturing purposes,  and  the  producers  of  it  may  look 
elsewhere  for  marketing  their  product. 

After  crushing  dry  to  a  fine  powder,  the  pulp  is  fed 
into  reverberatory  furnaces,  heated  with  crude  oil.  The 
charge  is  mixed  with  a  slightly  greater  quantity  of  soda- 
ash  and  chalk  in  equal  proportions.  If  there  is  much 
alumina  in  the  ore  a  greater  amount  of  soda-ash  and 
chalk  is  added.  Up  to  the  present  date,  the  conditions  of 
roasting  are  still  largely  in  the  experimental  stage.  By- 
careful  pyrometric  observations,  the  temperature  is 
being  regulated  so  as  to  control  the  conversion  of  chrom- 
ite into  sodium  chromate  of  higher  purity  than  the  qual- 
ity produced  at  first.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  to  the 
plant  the  roasting  operations  were  conducted  for  periods 
ranging  from  8  to  16  hours.  After  repeated  rabbling  the 
viscous  mass  is  raked  out  upon  a  cooling-floor,  where  it 
appears  as  a  dirty  but  characteristic  yellow  chromate  of 
sodium. 

The  solution  of  this  crude  salt  is  effected  by  lixiviation 
in  a  series  of  tall  cylindrical  vats.  Theoretically  100 
parts  of  water  dissolve  87.36  parts  of  sodium  chromate. 
In  practice  a  much  larger  amount  of  the  solvent  is  used. 
Some  difficulties  are  caused  by  the  formation  of  sodium 
sulphate  in  the  roasting-furnace,  because  this  sulphate 
dissolves  with  the  sodium  chromate.  It  is  probable  that 
a  desulphurizing  roast  of  the  ore  separate  from  the 
sodium  charge  will  prevent  the  formation  of  soluble  sul- 
phates. From  the  vats  the  normal  chromate  solution  is 
pumped  to  the  tannery,  where  it  is  boiled  with  sulphuric 
acid  and  converted  into  the  bichromate.  Special  care  is 
taken  at  this  stage  of  the  process  to  add  no  more  than  the 
exact  amount  of  acid  necessary  to  produce  the  required 
chemical  change  from  Na,Cr04  to  Na2Cr207. 

At  this  Napa  tannery  the  rich  green  solution  of  sodium 
bichromate  is  run  directly  into  tanks,  where  hides  are 
'paddled'  by  revolving  blades  that  beat  the  chrome  salt 
into  the  leather.  This  fixes  the  basic  salt  in  the  saturated 
skin,  causing  it  to  dry  without  wrinkling,  and  upon  fin- 
ishing the  process  of  tanning,  the  leather  is  given  the 
property  of  resisting  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  Gloves 
made  of  chrome-tanned  leather  are  most  serviceable  and 
pliable.  Workmen  that  handle  hot  tools  and  other 
objects  are  generally  supplied  with  gauntlets  of  this 
heat-resistant  material. 

Producers  of  chromic  iron  ore  may  well  look  to  the 
industrial  chemist  for  the  sale  of  their  high-grade  ore. 
With  such  extensive  deposits  of  chromite,  soda,  and  lime 
rock  available  in  California,  a  wide  field  for  the  manu- 
facture of  chromium  salts  appears  to  be  available.  In 
preparing  the  refined  chromates  for  the  market,  it  will  be 


846 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


necessary  to  go  further  than  the  stage  practised  thus  far 
at  the  plant  of  the  Sawyer  Tanning  Co.  There  the 
chromate,  as  soon  as  it  is  converted  into  the  bichromate, 
is  utilized  at  once  in  the  liquid  form.  To  produce  the 
pure  crystals  the  following  steps  must  be  taken :  In 
roasting,  extra  care  is  required  to  prevent  the  formation 
of  soluble  salts  other  than  sodium  chromate.  After 
lixiviation  of  the  roasted  pulp,  the  solution  must  be  con- 
centrated to  52°  B.  by  evaporation  and  crystallized  in 
lead-lined  pans.  The  normal  chromate  crystals  are  then 
washed  in  centrifugals,  dried  and  heated  to  about  30°  in 
drying-drums  or  chambers.  Under  these  conditions  the 
crystals  crumble  into  a  yellow  anhydrous  powder  that 
should  contain  over  95%  of  the  normal  chromate. 

The  bichromate  of  sodium  is  formed  by  dissolving  the 
normal  salt  to  a  density  of  40°  B.,  and  treating  with  sul- 
phuric acid  (chamber  grade).  This  requires  consider- 
able exactness  on  the  part  of  the  operators,  who  will  note 
the  actual  point  of  conversion  by  testing  with  potassium 
iodide  .and  starch-paper.  An  excess  quantity  of  the 
normal  salt  is  added  in  order  to  bring  the  proportion  of 
chromic  acid  up  to  72.5%.  The  bichromate  solution 
must  be  cooled  in  the  vat  until  sodium  sulphate,  if  pres- 
ent, crystallizes.  Then  the  purer  solution  is  drained  off, 
filtered,  and  evaporated  to  dryness  in  an  iron  pot.  Al- 
most continuous  stirring  is  necessary  during  the  concen- 
tration of  the  super-saturated  bichromate  solution.  The 
solidified  salt  should  be  rolled  to  a  fine  powder  while  hot 
before  it  is  marketed.  When  pure  it  should  contain 
72.3%  Cr03. 

The  process  of  manufacturing  potassium  bichromate  is 
similar  in  many  respects,  only  potassium  lye  is  used  in- 
stead of  soda-ash.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  this 
industry  is  conducted  on  an  extensive  scale  in  Europe. 
Great  Britain  alone  produced  10,000  tons  of  potassium 
bichromate  annually  before  the  War.  Since  the  sodium 
salts  can  be  produced  at  far  less  cost  than  the  potassium 
chromates  and  are  ten  times  as  soluble,  the  demand  for 
sodium  bichromate  produced  from  Californian  chromite 
and  soda  should  greatly  increase  during  the  next  few 
years.  Not  only  will  the  flourishing  tanning  industry 
of  California  absorb  a  large  amount  of  the  bichromate 
production,  but  the  demand  for  chromium  compounds  as 
mordants  and  pigments  should  greatly  increase  the  de- 
mand for  high-grade  chromite  ores. 


Sampling  of  Mines 

We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Morton  Webber,  of  New  York, 
for  the  following  detailed  description  of  his  sampling 
of  the  American  Girl  mine,  in  southern  California.  The 
most  interesting  feature  of  this  practice  is  the  timing  of 
the  mixing  so  as  to  mix  each  sample  equally. 

The  workings  were  sampled  throughout  the  supposed 
orebody  at  intervals  of  10  feet.  In  the  raises  and  winzes 
sectionalized  sampling  was  employed  wherever  desirable. 
In  view  of  the  low  tenor  of  the  ore,  it  was  important  that 
sampling  should  be  accurate.  An  error  that  may  be  un- 
important in  medium  or  high-grade  ore  becomes  a  large 


proportion  of  the  total  content  when  the  ore  is  low-grade. 
The  sampling  and  cutting  down  was  performed  as  fol- 
lows: The  original  cut  averaged  about  10  lb.  per  foot. 
This  mine-sample  was  reduced  on  the  surface  to  pass 
half-inch  holes.  The  entire  sample  was  then  mixed  on  a 
mat  for  a  minimum  of  5  minutes.  Great  care  was  taken 
to  insure  each  sample  being  mixed  for  at  least  this  period. 
A  clock  was  furnished  for  this  purpose.  The  work  was 
under  the  constant  supervision  of  a  trained  engineer. 
His  duties  were  confined  to  this  department.  After  the 
sample  had  been  mixed,  as  described,  it  was  then  reduced 
by  a  Jones  sampler,  when  it  was  ground  to  pass  quarter- 
inch  holes.  The  sample  was  then  mixed  again  on  a  mat 
for  5  minutes,  when  it  was  cut  down  by  a  Jones  sampler 
to  approximately  one  pound  and  a  half.  The  sample  was 
then,  without  further  reduction,  ground  in  its  entirety 


DISCARD  PILE  AND  THE  SAMPLERS. 

to  pass  80-mesh,  when  it  was  again  mixed  for  5  minutes, 
prior  to  being  split  in  duplicate.  Great  importance  was 
attached  to  mixing.  By  this  process  each  sample  in  its 
reduction  from  the  original,  which  averaged  between  50 
and  60  lb.  in  duplicate,  had  been  mixed  for  at  least  15 
minutes. 

In  order  to  check  the  accuracy  of  the  sample  as  cut  in 
the  mine  and  also  in  its  reduction  to  duplicate  pulps,  two 
systems  of  checking  were  employed.  A  series  of  cuts  was 
re-cut  and  given  different  numbers  from  the  original  tags 
and  were  treated  in  every  respect  as  separate  samples  in 
subsequent  reduction  and  assay.  The  series  checked  to 
25  cents  per  ton.  This  checked  the  accuracy  in  the  cut- 
ting of  the  sample  and  its  subsequent  reduction.  The 
sampling  work  was  also  checked  by  the  assay  of  a  series 
of  duplicate  pulps.  The  assays  were  in  duplicate  and 
they  checked  with  the  original  pulps,  as  assayed  at  the 
mine,  to  20  cents.  The  assaying  at  the  mine  was  checked 
by  a  third  system  whereby  a  group  of  pulps  that  had 
been  assayed  were  put  into  fresh  envelopes  and  different 
numbers  attached.  The  assayer  was  thereby  caused  to 
check  himself,  which  he  did  to  20  cents.  A  flux  and  slag 
assay  was  run  every  day. 


December  9.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


847 


Flotation   Conceia-J^ti 


'lU'll 


sift    ^aaa^midca 


By     Fitdtrick     3L  a  1  s -i     sad     A.     E.     Wiggi 


•Early  in  1914  it  was  decided  to  test,  on  a  fairly  large 
scale,  the  treatment  by  notation  of  Anaconda  slime  and 
tailing.  For  this  purpose  a  standard  Minerals  Sep- 
aration machine  was  installed  at  the  Washoe  Reduction 
Works  during  May  and  June  1914.  This  was  followed 
by  the  installation  of  a  full-size  Callow  pneumatic  ma- 
chine plant.  Experiments  were  also  made,  on  a  smaller 
scale,  with  the  Froment.  the  Towne,  the  Fields,  and  the 
Anaconda  flotation  machines.  The  last-named  machine 
was  developed  at  this  plant.  In  addition  to  the  tests 
made  in  the  standard  Minerals  Separation  machine,  some 
tests  were  made  using  an  M.  S.  machine  of  the  sub- 
aeration  type. 

During  the  series  of  experiments  a  large  variety  of 
oils  was  tested.  Experiments  were  also  conducted  using 
both  round-table  feed  and  tailing  to  determine  whether 
it  would  be  better  to  displace  the  round  tables  by  flota- 
tion for  the  treatment  of  the  slime,  or  to  supplement  the 
round  tables  by  flotation  of  the  round-table  tailing. 

A  series  of  tests  was  also  made  on  the  treatment  of  the 
mill-tailing  by  grinding  followed  by  flotation  to  deter- 
mine the  relative  merits  of  flotation  and  leaching  for  the 
treatment  of  this  product.  In  addition,  flotation  tests 
were  made  on  mixtures  of  tailing  and  slime. 

The  round-table  feed  referred  to  above  is  the  total 
slime  from  the  mill.  It  contains  about  35%  colloidal 
solids  and  approximately  90  to  95%  of  the  total  solids 
will  pass  through  200  mesh  (0.067  mm.).  It  assays 
from  2.3  to  2.6%  copper. 

The  mill-tailing  mentioned  is  the  total  discard  from 
the  mill,  exclusive  of  the  slime.  It  is  all  finer  than  2  mm. 
and  about  90  to  95%  will  remain  on  0.25  mm.  It  assays 
about  0.60%  copper. 

A  series  of  tests  was  first  carried  out  to  determine 
roughly  the  best  conditions  for  flotation,  using  the 
standard  M.  S.  machine  and  treating  round-table  feed. 
The  following  reagents  were  tested  either  alone,  or  in 
combinations:  turpentine,  crude  petroleum,  cresylie 
acid,  stove-oil,  tar  oil,  Caroline  oil  of  tar,  argol,  sludge- 
acid,  fuel-oil,  wood-creosote,  and  sulphuric  acid.  In 
some  of  these  tests  sulphuric  acid  was  used,  and  in  others 
it  was  omitted.  Also  the  effect  of  varying  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  pulp  upon  the  flotation  results  was  deter- 
mined. 

It  was  proved  conclusively  that  the  best  combination 
of  reagents  for  the  treatment  of  our  mill-products  was 
sludge-acid,  wood-creosote,  stove-oil,  and  sulphuric  acid. 
Fortunately,  of  all  the  reagents  tested,  these  happened 
to  be  the  cheapest.  It  was  also  proved  that  the  addition 
of  sulphuric  acid  to  the  pulp  was  of  decided  advantage 

'Abstract  of  paper  presented  before  the  Arizona  meeting  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


in  the  treatment  of  the  slime.  In  two  successive  tests 
in  which  sludge-acid,  wood-creosote,  and  stove-oil  were 
used,  the  slime-tailing  assayed  1.25%  copper  when  no 
acid  was  used  and  0.3%  when  acid  was  used.  Since 
these  tests  were  made  we  have  omitted  the  use  of  stove- 
oil. 

The  M.  S.  machine  had  16  agitator-compartments, 
each  two  feet  square,  and  14  spitzkasten,  and  was  of  the 
standard  design.  This  machine  is  known  by  us  as  M.  S. 
No.  1.  The  agitators  were  of  the  standard  M.  S.  type, 
the  impellers  being  18  in.  diam.  and  the  agitators  making 
265  r.p.rn.  This  gave  the  impellers  a  peripheral  speed 
of  1245  ft.  per  min.  The  machine  required  45  to  55  hp., 
including  motor  and  belt  transmission  loss,  when  op- 
erating under  a  full  load  of  pulp. 

Summary  op  Results  When  Treating  Slime 

1.  The  economic  capacity  of  the  M.  S.  No.  1  machine 
when  treating  slime,  as  produced  from  the  mill  at  pres- 
ent, is  approximately  80  tons  per  24  hours.  We  have 
found  that  the  tonnage  treated  by  the  experimental 
machine,  which  had  agitator  boxes  2  ft.  square,  is  to  that 
treated  by  the  full-size  machine,  with  boxes  3  ft.  square, 
as  the  cross-sectional  area. 

2.  The  best  combination  of  reagents  for  the  treatment 
of  slime  seems  to  be  sulphuric  acid,  kerosene  acid-sludge, 
wood-creosote,  and  stove-oil.  There  is  some  question  as 
to  the  real  value  of  stove-oil — its  principal  function 
being  to  make  a  more  compact  froth. 

3.  It  would  not  be  economical  to  retain  the  round 
tables,  as  the  recovery  by  treating  the  slime  directly  by 
flotation  is  just  as  high  as  by  retaining  the  round  tables 
and  treating  the  round-table  tailing  by  flotation.  The 
heating  of  the  round-table  tailing-pulp,  on  account  of  its 
low  density,  would  increase  the  cost  of  flotation. 

4.  In  treating  the  round-table  feed  directly  by  flota- 
tion, the  resulting  tailing  should  assay  0.30%  copper,  or 
less,  with  a  concentrate  carrying  not  over  40%  insoluble. 
Possibly  the  concentrate  can  be  made  much  cleaner  with 
no  sacrifice  in  the  recovery. 

5.  It  is  thought  that  the  best  circuit-density  for  the 
slime-pulp  in  flotation  treatment  is  about  12%  solid. 

6.  It  is  thought  that  about  70°F.  will  be  found  to  be 
the  most  economical  temperature  at  which  to  keep  the 
pulp. 

7.  Acid  seems  to  be  absolutely  essential  to  the  suc- 
cessful treatment  by  flotation  of  our  slime. 

8.  The  addition  of  air  in  the  last  spitzkasten  is  of  no 
advantage. 

9.  Any  considerable  increase  in  speed  of  the  agitators 
above  a  peripheral  speed  of  about  1300  ft.  per  min. 
seems  to  be  disadvantageous. 


848 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


Summary  of  Results  When  Treating  Mill-Tailing 
After  Grinding  Through  60-Mesh 

These  tests  were  made  in  the  M.  S.  No.  1  machine. 
Dewatered  mill-tailing  was  crushed  through  60-mesh 
(0.25  mm.)  in  either  a  Hardinge  mill,  10  by  4  ft.,  or  a 
tube-mill,  8  by  12  ft.  The  grinding-mills  were  operated 
in  closed  circuit  with  a  Dorr  classifier,  the  overflow  of 
the  classifier  being  the  final  product  of  the  system  and 
going  to  the  flotation  plant  for  treatment. 

1.  Although  not  definitely  demonstrated,  it  is  thought 
that  the  economical  capacity  of  the  M.  S.  No.  1  machine 
when  treating  sand-tailing  crushed  through  60-mesh  is 
about  175  to  200  tons  per  24  hours. 

2.  The  best  combination  of  reagents  seems  to  be  kero- 
sene sludge-acid  and  sulphuric  acid.  However,  a  mixture 
of  creosote,  turpentine,  and  pine-oil,  in  a  non-acid  circuit 
gave  good  results  also.  The  non-acid  circuit,  however, 
seems  to  require  more  delicate  adjustment  and  more 
careful  attendance  than  the  acid-circuit. 

3.  The  grinding-mill  makes  an  ideal  agitator,  and  it 
is  of  decided  advantage  to  add  the  oil  ahead  of  the 
grinders. 

4.  The  treatment  of  the  mill-tailing  ground  through 
60-mesh  should  result  in  a  tailing  assaying  not  over 
0.10%  copper  and  a  concentrate  carrying  not  over  30% 
insoluble. 

5.  It  is  thought  that  the  best  density  of  pulp  is  from 
25  to  30%  solid. 

6.  Heating  of  the  pulp  to  about  70°  F.  seems  to  be  of 
advantage,  although  there  is  a  possibility  that  this  heat- 
ing may  be  dispensed  with  during  the  summer  months 
without  any  injurious  results. 

7.  Acid  seems  to  be  beneficial,  but  it  is  not  of  as  much 
importance  as  in  the  treatment  of  slime. 

Treatment  of  Mixture  of   Round-Table   Feed   and 
Mill-Tailing  After  Grinding  Through  60-Mesh 

These  tests  were  made  in  the  M.  S.  No.  1  machine.  It 
was  thought  that  it  might  be  of  advantage  to  mix  the 
slime  and  re-ground  mill-tailing  for  flotation  treatment. 

The  average  portion  of  sand-tailing  to  slime  in  the 
mixture  treated  was  75.7 :  20.1  or  3.8  : 1.  In  practice  the 
proportion  of  production  of  tailing  to  slime  is  about 
3:1;  thus  the  mixture  was  somewhat  deficient  in  slime. 

Although  the  test  was  not  conclusive,  it  was  decided, 
from  observation,  that  it  is  better  to  treat  the  slime  and 
the  sand-tailing  separately.  Of  course,  the  slime  made 
in  the  grinding  of  the  sand-tailing  is  included  in  the 
sand-tailing  for  treatment.  This  slime  produced  in 
grinding  the  tailing  is  much  lower  grade  and  more  sili- 
cious  than  the  original  mill-slime. 

Test  with  Callow  Pneumatic  Machine 

The  equipment  recommended  by  J.  M.  Callow  for  test 
purposes  was  five  standard  Callow  cells,  2  by  8  ft.,  a 
Pachuca  agitator  and  accessory  apparatus,  consisting  of 
blower  and  sand-pumps.  In  addition  we  built  a  set  of 
two  mechanical  agitators.  These  agitators  consisted  of  a 
tank  about  10  ft.  long  by  2J  ft.  wide  and  2\  ft.  deep. 
in  which  revolved  a  horizontal  shaft  carrying  a  set  of 


paddles.     The  agitators  seemed  to  work  well  and  had  a 
combined  capacity  of  about  60  tons  of  slime  per  24  hours. 

Summary  of  Results  When  Treating  Slime 

1.  On  our  slime,  air  agitation  is  not  as  satisfactory  as 
mechanical. 

2.  The  capacity  of  one  standard  Callow  cell  is  about 
15  to  20  tons  of  slime  per  day. 

3.  The  Callow  machine  makes  a  clean  concentrate,  but 
does  not  give  as  clean  a  tailing  as  the  M.  S.  machine. 

4.  The  Callow  machine  is  more  sensitive  and  requires 
closer  attention  than  the  M.  S.  machine. 

5.  The  cost  of  repairs  would  probably  be  less  on  the 
Callow  machine  than  on  the  M.  S.  machine.  This  cost, 
however,  is  comparatively  small  for  either  machine. 

6.  The  power  required  per  ton  of  slime  treated  in  the 
Callow  system  is  just  about  the  same  as  that  required  in 
the  M.  S.  machine. 

In  all  these  tests  the  original  feed  was  divided  among 
the  Callow  rougher-cells,  operating  in  parallel.  As  a 
rule,  there  was  one  cleaner-cell  operating  also.  When 
this  was  operating  the  concentrate  from  the  rougher- 
cells  went  to  it,  the  cleaner  making  a  final  concentrate 
and  a  middling  that  was  returned  to  the  system.  The 
rougher-cells  made  the  final  tailing. 

Treatment  of  Mill-Tailing  in  Callow  Machines 
After  Grinding  Through  60-Mesh 

During  the  first  few  shifts  the  mechanical  agitators  at 
the  Callow  plant  were  used,  but  it  was  soon  found  that 
they  were  not  required ;  that  the  grinding  mill  gave 
sufficient  and  thorough  agitation. 

Kerosene  sludge-acid  was  the  only  oil  used  during  this 
period,  and  was  added  ahead  of  the  grinding-mill.  Sul- 
phuric acid  was  added  ahead  of  the  flotation-cells.  The 
tailing  for  this  period  average  0.10%  copper  and  the 
concentrate  carried  an  average  of  42.2%  insoluble.  The 
pulp  was  heated  just  ahead  of  the  flotation-cells. 

1.  The  capacity  of  the  standard  Callow  cell  when 
treating  ground  mill-tailing  is  about  75  tons  per  day. 

2.  No  other  agitation  is  required  if  the  reagents  can 
be  added  ahead  of  the  grinding-mill. 

3.  The  use  of  acid  seems  to  be  of  considerable  ad- 
vantage. 

4.  On  account  of  utilizing  the  grinding-mill  as  an 
agitator  the  Callow  machine  requires  less  power  per  ton 
treated  than  the  M.  S.  machine. 

5.  The  Callow  machine  is  more  sensitive  and  requires 
more  attention  than  the  M.  S.  machine. 

The  work  of  the  Froment,  Towne,  and  Fields  flotation 
machines  was  found  to  be  unsatisfactory;  that  on  the 
Anaconda  cell  was  of  short  duration,  no  definite  results 
being  obtained. 

The  conclusions  drawn  from  the  foregoing  tests  were 
that  the  Minerals  Separation  machine  was  best  adapted 
for  the  flotation  work  at  Anaconda.  Furthermore,  that 
the  most  efficient  reagents  would  be  sludge-acid  kerosene, 
wood-creosote,  and  sulphuric  acid. 

The  froth  in  the  flotation  concentrate  was  broken  up 
by  a  circular  disc  revolving  in  a  tank. 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


849 


Concentrates 

Rrwltrtt  at  tne  Misisa  and  Scientific  PJUBSS  are  fnutiod  to  ask  qitesttons  and    % 
Otoe  information  deattng  wtln  technical  and  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  prac-    I 
Hce  of  mining,  millmo.  ami  smcltino. 


Crushing  in  a  ball-mill  is  the  result  of  two  actions, 
tlie  impact  of  the  falling  balls  and  the  abrasion  due  to 
their  rolling. 

Few  persons  can  receive  a  shock  of  500  volts  of  elec- 
tricity without  serious,  if  not  fatal,  effect.  Instances 
have  been  recorded,  however,  of  men  surviving  a  shock 
of  several  thousand  volts. 

Crude  petroleum  is  used  at  some  mines  as  a  dressing 
for  hoisting-ropes,  and  for  this  purpose  some  kinds  of 
crude  oil  are  excellent,  but  care  should  be  taken  to  obtain 
oil  as  free  as  possible  from  sulphur. 


Potash  from  the  flue-gases  of  blast-furnaces  treating 
iron  ores  is  a  commercial  possibility  and  may  become  an 
important  source  of  supply.  The  Cottrell  process  is  used 
to  precipitate  the  solids  from  the  gases. 


Sheet-piling  of  wood,  metal,  or  concrete  is  most  use- 
ful in  excavating  through  water-saturated  ground  or 
quicksand.  When  properly  placed  and  driven,  prac- 
tically all  the  water,  except  that  entering  from  below, 
is  excluded  by  this  method. 

Asphalt  was  used  extensively  in  the  construction  of 
the  palaces  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  the  tower  of  Babel, 
and  the  temple  of  Solomon.  Many  evidences  of  these 
remain  in  the  petroleum-cemented  walks  that  have  en- 
dured for  more  than  3000  years. 


Carbon  monoxide  to  the  extent  of  0.2%  is  dangerous 
to  life  if  breathed  for  one-half  hour.  Larger  amounts 
may  be  fatal  in  correspondingly  shorter  intervals  of 
time.  Not  more  than  0.05%  carbon  monoxide  should  be 
allowed  in  any  mine  working  at  any  time. 

There  is  no  method  of  determining  sulphuric  acid  in 
presence  of  sulphates  except  by  titrating  the  solution 
with  standard  alkali  and  methyl-orange  indicator.  In 
some  cases  the  end-point  is  obscured  owing  to  precipita- 
tion of  metallic  hydroxides  before  the  point  of  neutrality 
is  reached. 


A  novel  method  for  testing  detonators  is  used  in  New 
Zealand.  The  detonator  is  crimped  on  a  short  fuse  and 
hung  so  that  the  detonator  touches  the  centre  of  a  lead 
plate.  Upon  firing  by  the  fuse,  a  small  crater  is  cut  in 
the  plate,  with  scratches  radiating  from  the  crater  as  a 
centre.  The  extent  of  the  marks  is  a  measure  of  the 
force  of  the  explosion. 

Quality  op  air  in  mine-workings  is  affected  by  the 
consumption  of  the  contained  oxygen  and  by  the  produc- 
tion of  poisonous  gases.    The  consumption  of  oxygen  and 


the  production  of  carbon  dioxide  is  accomplished  by, 
breathing  of  men,  burning  of  candles  or  lights,  oxida- 
tion of  timbers  and  carbonaceous  rocks,  and  by  blasting. 
Poisonous  gases  are  usually  produced  by  the  blasting  but 
may  also  result  from  the  rotting  of  the  timbers. 


Stamp-mill  shoes  and  dies  have  no  standard  size. 
Both  are  made  of  various  weights,  the  chief  difference 
in  weight  being  generally  due  to  the  variable  height. 
In  shape  the  main  difference  is  in  the  form  of  the  shank, 
or  neck,  of  the  shoes,  and  in  the  corresponding  socket  in 
the  bosshead.  One  foundry  in  California  has  no  less 
than  40  different  patterns  for  shoes  and  dies,  no  two  of 
which  are  alike.  Undoubtedly  if  a  standard  of  size  could 
be  adopted  it  would  be  welcome  to  mill-men. 

Gold  associated  with  calcite  is  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon. In  some  instances  the  gold  occurs  in  veins  having 
a  gangue  of  both  calcite  and  quartz,  in  others  the  ma- 
terial is  pure  crystallized  limestone.  At  the  Alvord 
mine,  25  miles  north-east  of  Daggett,  in  San  Bernardino 
county,  California,  coarse  gold  occurs  in  crystallized 
limestone,  and  a  similar  occurrence  has  been  noted  near 
Box  Spring,  40  miles  east  of  Victorville  in  the  same 
county.  At  the  Carbonate  mine,  near  Oro  Grande,  coarse 
gold  was  found  in  small  veins  of  calcite  and  quartz,  cut- 
ting limestone  and  schist.  These  little  veins  were  small 
offshoots  of  a  large  vein-like  mass  of  limonite  with  lead 
carbonate,  occurring  as  a  replacement  of  limestone. 
Many  are  prejudiced  against  limestone  as  the  formation 
for  a  profitable  gold  mine,  but  there  is  no  good  reason 
for  antipathy  to  any  formation  known  to  carry  gold, 
such  as  limestone,  quartzite,  or  any  other  rock. 

Aluminum-chips  from  castings,  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  automobiles,  have  become  a  valuable  source  of 
aluminum.  By  the  old  methods  of  treatment  the  re- 
covery of  the  metal  was  about  60%,  although  90%  is 
commercially  possible.  Recent  investigations  by  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Mines  has  shown  that  the  causes 
of  the  high  loss  in  the  usual  method  of  melting  chips  is 
due  to  the  difficulty  of  causing  coalescence  of  the  tiny 
globules  of  molten  metal  which  are  covered  with  a  skin 
of  oxide  and  dirt.  Two  methods  can  be  successfully 
used  to  promote  coalescence.  In  one  method  the  chips 
are  kept  just  above  the  fusion-point  and  the  globules 
made  to  coalesce  by  hand-puddling,  which  breaks 
through  the  skin  and  makes  the  globules  unite.  In  this 
method,  melting  is  done  in  an  iron  pot  heated  by  oil. 
The  other  method  is  the  use  of  a  flux  that  dissolves  the 
skin  of  dirt  and  oxide,  producing  clean  globules  which 
can  unite.  The  flux  suggested  is  85%  common  salt,  15% 
fluorspar,  used  in  large  amount  (20  to  30%  of  the  weight 
of  chips)  and  mixed  with  the  chips  before  charging. 
High  temperatures  are  required  by  this  method  which 
makes  the  iron-pot  furnace  impracticable.  Melting  is 
done  in  graphite  crucibles  or  in  a  reverberatory-furnaee. 
Since  the  presence  of  dirt  and  oxide  causes  low  recover- 
ies, care  must  be  taken  to  prevent  contamination  of  the 
chips  with  dirt,  oil,  or  oxidation. 


850 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


mn¥inw    ©IF 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


imimm 


ROCHESTER,  NEVADA 

Intebesting  Mining  and  Milling  Notes  Fkom  a  Silver  Dis- 
tkict. 

Through  the  declaration  of  its  initial  dividend  o£  5c.  per 
share,  payable  on  December  20,  the  Nevada  Packard  company 
has  been  the  centre  of  interest  in  the  Rochester  district  during 
the  past  week.  Milling  operations  began  in  December,  1915. 
Recently  a  number  of  interesting  changes  were  made  in 
cyanidation  practice.  The  grinding  unit  originally  consisted 
of  a  6  by  5-ft.  and  a  6  by  10-ft.  tube-mill  in  closed-circuit 
with  a  Dorr  classifier.  The  former  was  converted  into  a  ball- 
mill  after  reducing  the  diameter  to  4  ft.  4  in.,  with  a  resulting 
increase  in  tonnage  from  95  to  130  tons  per  day.  Power  con- 
sumption remained  practically  the  same.  The  necessary  in- 
crease in  settling  capacity  was  obtained  by  the  use  of  glue  as 
a  settling  agent,  A  lb.  per  ton  of  ore  being  added,  after  dissolv- 
ing in  warm  water.  Laboratory  experiments  proved  its  effi- 
ciency on  this  ore.  The  appearance  of  refractory  sulphides  in 
the  ore  led  to  the  installation  of  a  canvas  table  test-plant  be- 
tween the  last  agitator  and  the  C.  C.  D.  thickeners,  the  original 
intention  having  been  to  return  the  concentrate  to  the  tube- 
mill  circuit  for  further  grinding.  The  concentrate  proved  to 
be  higher  grade  than  expected,  and  will  probably  be  shipped  to 
the  smelter,  the  lowering  of  tailing  loss  more  than  balancing 
the  increased  cost.  This  is  interesting  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  at  both  the  West  End  and  Extension  mills  at  Tonopah, 
concentration  was  recently  discarded  on  silver  sulphide  ores. 
On  a  basis  of  3263  tons  treated,  the  October  costs  at  the  Pack- 
ard were 

Mining    $1.46 

Milling 1.23 

Development    0.62 

Total  direct  cost  $3.31 

Office  and  general   0.46 

Marketing    0.29 

Total  indirect  cost $0.75 

Total  cost  per  ton   $4.06 

This  is  exclusive  of  interest  and  depreciation.     J.  W.  Wilkey 
is  superintendent. 

At  the  Packard  North  Extension  the  main  adit  is  being 
driven  to  cut  the  extension  of  the  Packard  orebody,  under 
the  direction  of  Leo  Hogerton,  lessee.  The  tunnel  has  been 
driven  800  ft.  through  hard  rhyolite,  entirely  by  hand  work. 

A  promising  vein  containing  silver-bearing  galena  and  cer- 
rusite  is  being  developed  by  J.  C.  Eppelsheimer,  on  his  claims 
adjoining  the  Packard  on  the  west.  A  fair-sized  ore  dump  has 
been  accumulated. 

The  Rochester  Mines  Co.'s  mill  at  lower  Rochester  is  treat- 
ing 120  tons  of  ore  daily.  The  new  additions  will  probably 
begin  operations  in  December,  increasing  the  daily  capacity  to 
200  tons.  The  contract  for  the  three-mile  tramway,  connect- 
ing mine  and  mill,  has  been  let,  but  actual  construction  has 
not  yet  begun.  The  haulage  cost  per  ton  will  be  cut  from  50c. 
to  20c,  or  less.  The  ore  is  now  being  hauled  by  the  Nevada 
Short  Line  Railroad;  a  narrow-gauge  road  built  during  the 
boom  days  to  connect  Oreana,  on  the  Southern  Pacific,  to 
Rochester.    It  is  now  in  receivership. 

Former  lessees  have  resumed  work  on  the  Buck  and  Charley, 


at  Lower  Rochester.  A  number  of  shipments  of  rich  ore  were 
made  from  this  property  during  the  early  days  of  Rochester. 

It  has  been  persistently  rumored  for  some  time  that  the 
Tonopah  Belmont-Jim  Butler  people  were  acquiring  interests 
in  the  Rochester  district.  The  election  of  Clyde  Heller  to  the 
vice-presidency  of  the  Merger  company  confirms  these  rumors. 
The  cyanide-plant  may  now  be  expected  to  replace  the  print- 
ing-press as  a  method  of  ore  treatment  at  at  least  one  property. 

Some  work  is  being  done  on  the  Lincoln  Hill  mine.  It  was 
equipped  with  a  five-stamp  amalgamating  mill  about  two 
years  ago.  This  appears  to  have  been  built  for  decorative 
purposes  only. 

The  American  Mining  Co.  is  shipping  a  lead-silver  ore  to  the 


smelters  each  week.  The 
property  is  situated  in 
American  canyon,  a  few 
miles  from  Rochester.  The 
ore  has  to  be  taken  20  miles 
by  wagon  to  the  nearest  ac- 
cessible railroad  point.  The 
shipping  ore  is  accumulated  by  hand-sorting  and  jigging. 
It  is  probable  that  a  small  concentrating  plant  may  be  erected 
in  the  spring.    A.  L.  Russell  of  Rochester  is  in  charge. 

Rose  creek,  on  the  Southern  Pacific,  12  miles  below  Winne- 
mucca,  was  a  scene  of  some  excitement  last  week,  due  to  the 
discovery  of  some  high-grade  silver  ore.  The  veins  are  only 
a  few  inches  wide.  A  40-ft.  shaft  constitutes  the  deepest  work- 
ings so  far. 

Lee  Campbell  and  associates,  of  Packard,  are  pushing  de- 
velopment on  their  property  at  the  head  of  Say  canyon,  a  few 
miles  west  of  Kennedy.  The  deposit  is  an  extremely  interest- 
ing one,  due  to  the  diversity  of  mineralization.  Three  grades 
of  ore  are  sent  to  the  smelter,  payments  being  made  for  gold, 
silver,  copper,  and  lead-content.  The  owners  hope  to  be  able 
to  sort  out  an  acceptable  zinc  product.  The  veins  are  ex- 
tremely rich,  yielding  a  profit  after  hand-hammer  mining, 
hand-sorting,  and  wagon  haulage  of  57  miles,  to  Mill  City. 
Such  a  variety  of  metals  occurring  in  one  property  is,  of 
course,  a  rare  occurrence  in  this  district,  although  it  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  Humboldt  range  as  a  whole.  Within  a  radius 
of  25  miles  of  Rochester,  gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  zinc,  anti- 
mony, tungsten,  and  quicksilver  ores  are  being  produced  on  a 
commercial  scale. 

The  average  number  of  men  employed  at  the  larger  proper- 
ties of  the  Rochester  district  is  as  follows:  Rochester  Mines 
Co.,  70;  Nevada,  Packard  Mines  Co.,  52;  Rochester  Merger,  35; 
Nenzel  Crown  Point,  30;  Rochester  United,  7;  and  Limerick,  5. 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


851 


SUTTER    CREEK,  CALIFORNIA 

Central  Eureka.  Sinking   Shaft.— South  Eureka. — Lincoln 

Consolidated  to  Re-open  Old  Minks. — Original  Amador. 

The  Central  Eureka  Mining  Co.  began  sinking  its  shaft 
below  3200  ft.  two  weeks  ago.  the  idea  being  to  increase  the 
depth  sufficiently  to  permit  the  opening  of  two  new  levels 
below  the  present  bottom  of  the  mine.  Waste  from  the  sinking 
is  not  carried  above  3100  ft.,  being  used  for  filling,  regular 
mining  operations  are  practically  uninterrupted,  and  sufficient 
ore  can  be  hauled  from  the  main  working  levels  to  keep  at 
least  20  stamps  dropping.  The  company  first  contemplated 
sinking  a  winze  on  ore  at  3200  ft.,  but  this  plan  was  abandoned. 
Cross-cutting  a  short  distance  to  the  vein  will  be  necessary 
and  then  raising  and  stoping.  The  company  reports  a  cost  in 
October  of  $1090  for  watchmen's  services  as  a  result  of  the 
recent  strike.  Considerable  repair  work  was  done  in  the  shaft 
and  preparations  made  for  sinking  so  that  all  of  the  time  was 
not  wasted  while  actual  mining  was  suspended.  The  report 
shows  the  total  expense  for  October  to  have  been  $3129,  of 
which  repairs  consumed  $577;  pumping,  $383;  enlarging  and 
strengthening  tailing  dam,  $31S;  assaying,  $77;  mill  improve- 
ments, $20;  general  expense,  compensation  insurance,  etc., 
$664,  leaving  a  balance  on  hand  of  $1236,  which  will  be  in- 
creased by  the  present  month's  gold  yield  and  the  3c.  assess- 
ment payable  on  or  before  December  1. 

Forty  stamps  of  the  South  Eureka  company's  sixty  are  now 
in  operation,  and  the  property  is  gradually  being  put  into 
shape  for  greater  production.  The  general  manager,  H.  Mal- 
loch  of  San  Francisco,  visited  the  property  last  week. 

Articles  of  incorporation  of  the  Lincoln  Consolidated  Mining 
Co.  were  filed  at  Jackson  last  week,  and  considerable  interest 
is  taken  in  the  current  rumor  that  operations  will  commence 
in  the  near  future  on  this  Sutter  Creek  property,  which  the 
former  Lincoln  company  sold  last  spring  to  T.  Hoatson  and 
other  Michigan  capitalists.  The  company  is  capitalized  at 
$250,000,  and  its  holdings  include  the  Wildman,  Mahoney, 
Lincoln,  Emerson,  and  several  adjoining  mining  claims,  all 
of  which  have  been  idle  for  a  number  of  years.  The  Lincoln 
shaft  has  a  depth  of  2000  ft.,  and  from  the  lowest  level,  1950 
ft.,  a  long  cross-cut  was  driven  under  the  Mahoney  1200-ft. 
shaft  toward  the  Wildman  shaft  a  few  years  ago,  with  the  in- 
tention of  connecting  the  three  properties.  On  the  1400-ft. 
level  of  the  Wildman  property,  an  immense  body  of  low-grade 
ore  was  cut,  which  will  be  profitable  when  the  mine  is  properly 
equipped.  The  Emerson  shaft  was  sunk  in  diabase  1000  ft. 
east  of  the  Wildman  shaft  to  cut  the  Wildman  vein  at  a 
vertical  depth  of  2300  ft.,  but  had  attained  a  depth  of  only  619 
ft.  when  operations  ceased  for  lack  of  money.  The  property 
stands  high  in  local  esteem,  and  a  great  future  is  predicted 
for  it  if  properly  equipped  and  opened  on  a  large  scale.  There 
are  two  40-stamp  mills  on  the  ground,  but  these  and  the  hoist- 
ing plants  are  antiquated  and  will  doubtless  all  be  replaced 
by  modern  machinery. 

During  the  past  week  progress  of  from  10  to  20  ft.  per  day 
has  been  made  in  unwatering  and  repairing  the  Old  Eureka 
shaft,  and  the  repair  crew  has  now  reached  the  1000-ft.  station, 
which  is  about  950  ft.  from  the  surface,  the  distance  between 
several  stations  not  measuring  the  usual  100  ft.  Timber  in  this 
portion  of  the  shaft,  so  many  years  under  water,  appears  in  a 
remarkable  state  of  preservation.  Twenty-eight  inch  logs, 
hewn  flat  on  two  sides,  were  used  extensively  in  this  old  shaft, 
and  these  immense  timbers  appear  as  sound  as  when  they  were 
first  put  in.  A  large  tank  and  pump  for  lifting  the  water  from 
the  lower  levels  will  be  installed  at  the  1000-ft.  station,  and  an 
18-in.  concrete  floor  is  now  being  laid  for  this  purpose.  The 
forms  are  ready  for  pouring  concrete,  and  some  concrete  has 
been  run  in  for  the  36-ft.  piers,  which  will  support  the  new 
head-frame.  The  tops  of  these  piers  are  on  a  level  with  the 
newly-erected  engine  standing  on  the  hanging-wall  side  of  the 


shaft.  The  hoist  now  in  use  is  on  the  foot-wall  side.  The  low 
ground  around  the  collar  of  the  shaft  is  to  be  filled  in  to  the 
top  of  the  concrete  piers,  making  the  ground  level  between  the 
hillside  and  the  old  waste  dump  that  borders  the  wagon-road. 
This  will  bring  the  shaft-collar  on  a  level  with  the  timber-shed 
and  compressor-room,  and  will  be  a  great  improvement  over 
present  conditions.  The  head-frame,  which  is  to  be  built  of 
steel  and  heavy  timber,  will  extend  92  ft.  above  the  concrete 
piers.  Concrete  foundations  for  the  large  hoist  are  now  being 
laid.  Good  material  and  workmanship  is  evidenced  in  all  the 
company's  surface  construction,  and  strong  foundations  for 
buildings  and  machinery  denote  faith  in  the  future  of  the 
mine.  Excellent  progress  has  been  made  in  re-opening  and 
equipping  this  old  producer,  considering  that  eight  months  ago 
there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  on  the  property  save  the  depres- 
sions around  caved  shaft-collars.  It  now  appears  probable  that 
the  shaft  will  be  cleared  to  the  bottom  early  in  January.  After 
that  it  is  understood  that  the  company  contemplates  sinking  a 
vertical  shaft  on  the  Frakes  ranch,  and  later  erecting  its  mill 
on  the  Goodman  ranch,  both  of  these  properties  having  been 
purchased  by  the  present  company  and  added  to  the  original 
Old  Eureka  holdings. 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 
North  Butte  at  Depth  and  in  Eastern  Part  or  District. — 
Butte    Great    Falls,    Great    Butte    Copper,    and    Bull- 
whacker. 

North  Butte's  Granite  Mountain  shaft  has  been  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  over  3700  ft.  Stations  are  being  cut  on  the  3200, 
3400,  and  3600-ft.  levels.  Development  will  be  hurried  at  these 
depths,  to  open  a  large  quantity  of  ore.  High  temperatures 
that  interfere  with  ventilation  have  tended  to  increase  under- 
ground costs,  and  the  cool  weather  and  ventilating  appliances 
that  have  been  installed  in  the  deep  workings  will  be  of  great 
benefit.  Forcing  air  through  a  canvas  hose  into  the  face  has 
been  found  to  be  the  most  satisfactory  way  of  ventilating  the 
places  that  are  situated  a  long  distance  from  a  shaft.  Ore 
averaging  2i%  copper  can  now  be  extracted  at  a  profit,  and  a 
much  lower  grade  of  ore  is  being  mined  while  the  metal  is 
high  in  price.  Zinc  ore  has  been  developed  on  the  2000-ft. 
level,  where  the  vein  is  10  ft.  wide  and  averages  20%  metal. 
Several  carloads  were  shipped  to  the  Great  Falls  plant  of  the 
Anaconda  company  containing  17%  zinc.  The  metal-content  is 
expected  to  be  higher  when  stoping  is  commenced,  as  there 
will  then  be  a  better  opportunity  to  keep  waste  out  of  the  ore. 
Development  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  district,  where  a 
tunnel  is  being  driven  on  the  Northwestern  claim,  has  dis- 
closed some  small  sulphide  veins,  one  of  which  was  18  in. 
wide,  assaying  3.2%  copper  and  2.6  oz.  silver.  The  adit  is  not 
yet  in  far  enough  to  cut  the  large  veins  that  are  exposed  on 
the  surface,  but  indications  are  favorable  and  point  to  an 
extension  of  mining  operations  in  this  part  of  the  district  on  a 
considerable  scale. 

The  Butte-Great  Falls  company  has  levied  an  assessment  of 
5c.  a  share.  This  will  yield  $30,000  for  the  treasury.  A  heavy 
flow  of  water  was  encountered  on  the  500-ft.  level,  and  a  new 
electric  pump  will  be  installed.  It  is  also  proposed  to  drive  a 
drainage-tunnel  that  will  open  the  500-ft.  level.  Butte-Great 
Falls  owns  186  acres  north  of  the  productive  area  of  the  dis- 
trict, and  the  veins  cut  at  500  ft.  did  not  contain  profitable 
ore.  Many  of  the  Butte  veins  are  non-productive  in  the  upper 
levels,  and  there  is  a  good  chance  that  the  Butte-Great  Falls 
veins  would  be  productive  if  they  were  opened  at  a  depth  of 
1000  ft.  The  company  may  commence  operations  in  the 
Neihart  field.  Several  of  the  old  silver-lead  properties  there 
are  being  examined. 

The  Great  Butte  Copper  Co.,  successor  to  the  Butte  &  Baeorn 
company,  which  owns  claims  between  the  Butte  &  Superior  and 
Butte-Great  Falls,  has   completed  Its  surface   plant,   and  un- 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS. 


December  9,  1916 


watered  and  repaired  the  shaft  to  a  depth  of  450  ft.  It  is 
believed  that  the  shaft  is  in  good  condition  below  500  ft.,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  water  can  probably  be  bailed  out.  The 
shaft  is  1025  ft.  deep,  and  will  be  sunk  an  additional  500  ft. 
Cross-cuts  are  to  be  driven  on  the  1000  and  1500-ft.  levels  to 
intersect  veins  that  have  been  found  on  the  surface  by  a  net- 
work of  trenches  and  adits. 

Bullwhacker's  production  from  its  open-cut  is  greater  than 
before.  Underground  development  is  also  encouraging,  and 
sub-lessees  are  working  in  different  parts  of  the  property 
with  such  success  that  the  North  Butte,  which  owns  adjoining 
ground,  has  had  many  applications  for  leases.  Much  of  the 
copper-content  of  the  ore  is  in  the  form  of  silicate,  and  it  is 
not  probable  that  North  Butte  will  mine  the  ore  until  a  more 
economical  method  of  treatment  has  been  devised. 


TORONTO,   ONTARIO 

Interesting   Notes   on   Metal   Production   During   the  Past 
Nine  Months. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines  has  collected  returns  from  the  metal- 
liferous mines  and  works  of  Ontario  showing  the  production 
for  the  nine  months  ended  September  30,  1916.  Following  are 
the  figures  for  the  period,  and  for  purposes  of  comparison, 
those  for  the  corresponding  period  of  1915.  It  will  be  noted 
that  there  has  been  a  large  increase  in  the  aggregate  value, 
and  also  in  the  value  of  nearly  all  the  individual  products,  due 
to  causes  mentioned  in  the  notes  appended. 


built,  which  will  be  put  in  operation  as  soon  as  the  power 
transmission-line  now  being  erected  from  Cobalt  is  completed. 
Other  prospects  here,  the  Lake  Shore,  Wright-Hargrave,  Kirk- 
land  Lake  Gold  Mines,  La  Belle-Kirkland,  and  Sylvanite  are 
also  being  developed.  This  is  a  promising  centre.  In  Gauthier 
township  the  Huronian  mine  is  being  worked  under  lease. 
Several  discoveries  of  gold  were  made  during  the  summer  in 
Benoit  township,  but  there  has  not  been  time  to  prove  their 
value.  At  Tashota,  the  Tash-Orn  company  has  bought  the 
Wells'  claim,  and  has  erected  machinery  to  give  it  a  thorough 
test.  This  company  is  also  working  the  King-Dodds  claims. 
A  diamond-drill  has  been  operated  on  the  Devanney,  Reams- 
bottom,  and  Clive  claims. 

Molyrdenite.  There  is  a  demand  in  England  for  making 
tool-steel,  and  several  deposits  of  the  ore  in  eastern  Ontario 
have  been  opened  and  are  being  worked.  There  are  dressing 
plants  at  Renfrew  and  Ottawa,  the  latter  operated  by  the 
Dominion  Mines  Department.  Ferro-molybdenum  is  also 
being  made  at  Orillia  and  Belleville.  The  supply  of  molyb- 
denite throughout  the  British  Empire  has  been  reserved  as  a 
war  measure,  and  a  price  of  105  shillings  ($25.20)  per  unit 
fixed  for  concentrate  delivered  at  Liverpool.  This  approxi- 
mates $1  per  pound  here. 

Nickel.  The  Canadian  Copper  and  the  Mond  Nickel  com- 
panies have  been  working  their  mines  and  smelters  at  maxi- 
mum capacity,  and  the  output  of  nickel,  contained  in  the  matte 
product  of  the  furnaces,  for  the  nine  months  falls  little  short 
of  that  for  the  full  year  1915.     The  production  for  1916  will 


Quantity  Value 

Product  1915                           1916                          1915                         1916 

Cobalt   (ore),  tons  92                               98                 $    12,472                 $      10,591 

Cobalt  oxide,  pounds 135,337                     378,732                    107,363                      231,947 

Cobalt  metallic,  pounds   76,979                    172,055                     66,552                     146,467 

Cobalt  and  nickel  oxides  (unseparated),  pounds  2,501                      57,026                         500                      22,890 

Copper  ore,  tons  1,715  21.6S5 

Copper  in  matte,  tons   14,057                      16.9S9                2,024,658                  6,285,930 

Gold,   ounces    281,712                     363,955                 5,826,941                   7,513,734 

Iron  ore,  tons   302,586                     271,034                    601,044                      673,170 

Molybdenite (  concentrate) ,  pounds   15,845  15,845 

Nickel  oxide,   pounds    142,483                       54,152                      16,085                          6,381 

Nickel  metallic,  pounds  11,905                      17,435                      4,762                        7,618 

Nickel  in  matte,  tons  24,054                       31,046                 5,369,536                 15,523,000 

Pig  iron,  tons   354,153                     501,410                 4,510,906                   6,686,965 

Silver,  ounces    17,178,629                16,203,091                 8,030,469                   9,750,040 

Total    value    $26,571,288               $46,896,263 

Coralt.     The  silver  mines  of  the  Cobalt  district  have  defi-  probably  exceed  the  production  of  1915  by  20%.    The  valuation 

nitely    established    their    supremacy    among    sources    of    the  of  the  nickel  in  the  matte  has  been  increased  from  about  lie. 

world's  supply  of  this  metal.    Notwithstanding  the  War,  which  per  pound   (the  figure  adopted  by  the  mining  companies)   in 

has  closed  the  European  markets,  shipments  of  cobalt  oxides  1915  to  25c.  per  pound  in  1916. 

were  much  greater,  both  in  quantity  and  value  than  in  the  Silver.    The  mines  at  Cobalt  continue  to  produce,  though  on 

first  nine  months  of  1915.     It  will  be  observed  that  metallic  a  slowly  diminishing  scale.     The  quantity  contained  in  the 

cobalt  is  assuming  an  important  place  in  the  list.     This  is  shipments  of  the  nine  months  was  975,538  fine  ounces  below  the 

mainly  due  to  its  use  in  the  manufacture  of  special  alloys,  record  for  the  same  period  of  last  year ;  but  owing  to  the  much 

principally  stellite,  for  high-speed  tools.     Stellite  is  made  of  higher  prices  that  have  prevailed  for  silver  the  return  to  the 

cobalt,  chromium,  and  tungsten,  and  is  finding  a  good  demand  mining  companies  was  $1,719,571  greater.     Silver  started  the 

from   munition-makers   and   other   workers   of   modern   hard  year  at  56.76c.  per  ounce  and  rose  to  a  maximum  in  May  of 

steels.  74.27c,  when  it   receded  to   63.06c.   in   July,  reaching  68. 51c. 

Gold.  The  output  from  the  mines  of  northern  Ontario  is  again  in  September.  In  1915  the  monthly  average  was  49.75c. 
steadily  increasing,  being  28%  in  excess  of  that  for  the  nine  per  ounce.  Nipissing  still  leads  in  production,  Mining  Corpora- 
months  of  1915.  Hollinger  Consolidated  continues  to  be  the  tion  coming  next,  followed  by  Kerr  Lake,  Coniagas.  MeKinley- 
chief  producer,  accounting  for  47%  of  the  total.  Dome  followed  Darragh-Savage,  Seneca-Superior,  Temiskaming,  etc.  The  flo- 
with  21%,  and  Mclntyre-Porcupine  with  10%.  The  other  im-  tation  process  is  likely  to  assist  materially  in  increasing  the 
portant  contributors  at  Porcupine  are  the  Porcupine  Crown,  production  of  silver  at  Cobalt.  It  has  been  introduced  at  the 
Schumacher,  Vipond,  and  Jupiter,  which  together  furnished  Buffalo  mine,  where  it  is  treating  successfully  low-grade  ore 
5.5%.  Outside  of  Porcupine  proper,  Tough-Oakes  yielded  $519,-  containing  5  or  6  oz.  per  ton.  From  the  gold  ore  treated  during 
149;  Canadian  Exploration,  Croesus,  and  a  small  output  from  the  period  66,347  oz.  of  silver  was  obtained,  and  from  the 
Dome  Lake,  amounted  to  over  $250,000.  At  Teck-Hughes  copper  ores  607  ounces. 
(Kirkland   Lake)    the  mine   has   been   developed   and  a  mill  A  large  increase  in  pig  iron  is  recorded. 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


853 


IF  IEEE!    MSMSM^    ©UMM^Jirif 

The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  ami  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA 

Am  uobage.  Three  carloads  of  coal  daily  are  being  hauled 
from  Moose  creek  on  the  Matanuska  branch  of  the  new  rail- 
way for  consumption  at  Anchorage.  The  population  of  this 
place  is  now  over  4000.  Large  areas  of  land  are  being  taken 
up  for  agricultural  purposes. 

ARIZONA 

Ajo.  Over  400  Mexican  miners  employed  by  the  New  Cor- 
nelia Copper  Co.  are  on  strike,  demanding  the  sliding-scale 
for  their  wages.  Twenty  carpenters  previously  downed  tools, 
after  asking  for  more  pay. 

Chloride.  Mines  and  dumps  in  the  district  are  being  sam- 
pled by  the  "Western  Ore  Purchasing  Co.,  F.  M.  Manson,  gen- 
eral manager,  to  see  whether  a  sampling-plant  is  warranted. 

The  custom  mill  to  be  erected  by  F.  E.  Steffey  and  others  of 
Chicago  is  to  be  centrally  situated  on  a  hill-side. 

The  Tennessee  mine  is  employing  150  men,  and  is  shipping 
three  carloads  of  ore  daily  to  Needles.  Electric  power  is  to  be 
available  as  soon  as  the  motors  are  in  place. 

Roads  into  the  district  are  to  receive  attention  at  an  early 
date. 

Jebome.  In  7  days  the  United  Verde  Extension  shipped  70 
carloads  of  rich  ore  to  smelters,  a  record.  The  1300-ft.  level 
is  opening  as  well  as  No.  14.  Plans  are  being  prepared  for  a 
smelter.     Limestone  can  be  secured  near-by. 

Miami.  The  Miners'  Union  voted  on  November  27,  28,  and 
29  on  the  question  of  closed  shop  and  raising  the  minimum 
of  sliding  wage-scale  from  $3.50  to  $4  per  shift.  Miners  are 
now  receiving  $5.25  with  copper  at  the  present  price.  The 
Globe  union  decided  to  take  no  action;  also  that  at  Miami. 

The  Old  Dominion  mine  is  producing  1200  tons  of  ore  daily, 
while  three  blast-furnaces  and  one  converter  are  making  45 
tons  of  copper  each  24  hours.  By  connecting  the  two  ends  the 
west  foot-wall  drift  on  No.  18  level,  ventilation  and  ore-han- 
dling is  improved.  The  flow  of  water  in  the  mine  is  under 
5,000,000  gal.  daily.  Drilling  and  grouting  of  Pinal  creek  con- 
tinues with  the  object  of  lessening  the  inflow  of  water.  Flota- 
tion equipment  is  to  be  enlarged. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Three  modern  gold  reduction 
plants  are  being  constructed,  or  will  soon  be  under  way,  in  the 
Oatman  district.  They  will  have  a  combined  capacity  of  from 
1300  to  1500  tons  of  ore  daily.  The  United  Eastern  400-ton 
mill  is  practically  complete  and  will  be  operating  within  the 
next  30  days.  The  plant  was  well  designed.  The  ore  will  be 
crushed  by  both  ball  and  pebble-mills,  while  the  counter-cur- 
rent decantation  system  of  cyaniding  will  be  used.  A  total 
mining  and  milling  cost  of  $3  per  ton  is  estimated  when  the 
three  new  plants  are  in  operation.  The  other  two  plants  are 
being  designed  for  the  Tom  Reed  and  Big  Jim  companies,  the 
former  with  a  daily  capacity  of  500  tons,  and  the  latter  400 
or  500  tons.  The  new  Tom  Reed  plant  will  be  erected  just 
below  the  Aztec  shaft,  where  a  large  body  of  ore  is  now  being 
developed.  This  deposit  is  now  being  explored  by  sinking  a 
shaft  to  the  800-ft.  level  (now  down  500  ft.),  and  by  driving 
on  the  400-ft.  level.  It  is  30  ft.  wide,  1000  ft.  long,  and  aver- 
ages from  $15  to  $20  gold  per  ton.  Orders  have  already  been 
placed  for  the  electrical  equipment  and  some  of  the  machinery, 
as  from  five  to  seven  months'  time  is  necessary  before  de- 
liveries can  be  made.  The  general  plans  and  specifications  of 
the  Big  Jim  mill  are  completed,  but  before  the  type  of  ma- 


chinery is  decided  on,  the  manager,  A.  G.  Keating,  will  spend 
a  month  or  more  studying  the  latest  methods  being  used  in 
gold  and  copper  plants  throughout  the  country.  The  Big  Jim 
mill  will  be  built  just  west,  of  the  working-shaft  of  the  com- 
pany. "With  these  three  mills  reducing  1500  tons  of  ore  daily, 
the  output  of  bullion  is  estimated  at  $30,000  per  day. 

Ore  treatment  by  an  entirely  new  process  is  being  done  at 
the  Gold  Dust  plant.  This  process  consists  of  a  Marks  rotary 
pulverizer  and  a  Zimruer  centrifugal  separator,  a  combination 
which  it  is  claimed  will  reduce  treatment  costs  to  $1  per  ton. 
If  this  end  is  achieved  it  will  mean  that  many  properties  in 
the  district  having  reserves  of  low-grade  ore  will  be  able  to 
mill  it  at  a  good  profit,  which  has  not  been  possible  with  costs 
of  mining  and  milling  running  from  $S  to  $10  per  ton. 

Oatman,  November  22. 

Prescott.  The  Courier  states  that  it  is  almost  certain  that 
Prescott  will  have  a  large  custom  smelter.  Representatives  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  are  due  here  from 
England  at  the  end  of  December.  H.  R.  Croup  is  president, 
and  J.  E.  Russell  of  Prescott  is  attorney.  Options  may  be 
taken  on  several  groups  of  claims.  The  town  authorities  have 
provided  a  smelter-site  for  the  company. 

ARKANSAS 

In  the  Buffalo  River  district  five  new  concentrating  plants 
are  being  erected  to  treat  the  zinc  ore.  Ore  production  from 
the  north  Arkansas  field  in  November  is  expected  to  beat  that 
for  October,  the  record  month. 

CALIFORNIA 

The  report  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau  for  the  week  ended 
November  25  shows  13  new  wells  starting  to  drill,  making  a 
total  of  663  since  the  beginning  of  the  year.  Six  wells  are  to 
be  deepened  or  re-drilled,  and  three  abandoned.  There  were 
16  wells  ready  for  test  of  shut-off,  which  is  usually  inspected 
by  officials  of  the  Bureau.  Since  the  first  of  the  year  there 
have  been  S20  such  inspections  that  have  absorbed  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  of  the  Bureau  staff.  This  work  has  been  given 
particular  attention,  for  the  reason  that  it  has  insured  that 
new  or  repaired  wells  would  be  completed  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  prevent  damage  to  the  oil-fields  by  infiltrating  water.  How- 
ever, this  work  is  of  less  ultimate  value  than  outlining  proper 
development  methods  to  meet  various  geological  conditions, 
and  steps  are  being  taken  to  alter  the  procedure  when  tests 
are  made  so  as  to  enable  the  Bureau  to  perform  its  more  im- 
portant functions.  The  routine  work  of  testing  has  prevented 
widespread  study  and  correction  of  damage  done  by  improper 
work  through  the  past  15  years,  but  a  few  such  cases  have 
been  acted  upon,  and  prove  that  repairs  properly  made  will 
greatly  increase  the  value  of  some  properties  which  were 
badly  flooded.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  cases  of  improve- 
ment is  at  the  property  of  the  Del  Rey  Oil  Co.  in  the  Kern 
River  field,  where  the  proper  plugging  of  a  well,  by  the  owners 
working  in  co-operation  with  the  Bureau,  has  materially  de- 
creased operating  cost  and  also  increased  the  productiveness 
of  the  property. 

Caliente.  About  five  tons  of  high-grade  antimony  ore  is 
being  shipped  daily  from  the  Big  Fifty  mine,  15  miles  away. 
A  mill  may  be  erected  for  the  lower-grade  ore.  The  Fifty 
Associates  Securities  Co.  of  Los  Angeles  is  owner. 

Crescent  Muxs.    The  old  Crescent  gold  mine,  one  of  the  best 


854 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


producers  in  the  Indian  Valley  district  of  Plumas  county,  is 
being  re-opened  by  the  Philadelphia  Exploration  Co.  The 
mint  is  to  be  unwatered  and  the  mill  re-built.  Albert  Burch 
is  in  control,  with  A.  Buckbee  as  superintendent. 

Grass  Valley.  The  old  Syndicate  holdings  of  53  acres  have 
been  acquired  by  the  Grass  Valley  Consolidated  Gold  Mines 
Co.,  owners  of  the  Allison  Ranch  mine.  The  area  of  this  com- 
pany is  now  over  200  acres.  The  Allison  Ranch  will  be  able 
to  mine  several  veins  apexing  in  Syndicate  property. 

Groveland.  The  Flap  Jack  gold  mine  in  Tuolumne  county, 
fairly  well  equipped,  has  been  bonded  to  Honolulu  and  New 
York  sugar  interests  for  $50,000.  D.  Dana  is  making  an  ex- 
amination. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Construction  of  a  three-mile 
road  from  the  Gray  Eagle  copper  mine  to  Happy  Camp  in  Sis- 


company  has  opened  two  good  quartz  veins  on  Horse  creek, 
and  is  preparing  to  hurry  developments. 

Happy  Camp,  November  24. 

Hammonton.  On  Sunday,  November  26,  the  Yuba  Consoli- 
dated launched  the  steel  hull  of  No.  16  dredge.  The  exercises 
were  preceded  by  a  turkey  dinner  and  band  concert.  The  hull 
cost  $150,000,  and  the  completed  boat  $500,000.  Instead  of 
stacking  tailing  behind  it  in  the  river,  two  belts  will  discharge 
the  gravel  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 

Marysville.  A  temporary  injunction  has  been  allowed  the 
Yuba  Consolidated  in  its  suit  against  the  Marigold  Dredging 
Co.  restraining  the  latter  from  operating  a  dredge  on  land  in 
dispute.  The  Court  is  to  decide  on  December  8  whether  the  in- 
junction be  made  permanent  or  not. 

Mokelumne  Hill.    In  a  new  shaft  being  sunk  by  lessees  of 


SURFACE   PLANT   OF    CALAVERAS    COPPER    CO.,    COPPEROPOLIS,    CALIFOE  NIA. 


kiyou  county  proceeds.  It  is  hoped  to  have  it  complete  before 
winter.  Arrangements  have  been  made  for  installation  of 
much  equipment  in  the  early  spring.  It  is  reported  that  a 
concentrator  will  be  erected  and  that  concentrate  and  shipping 
ore  will  be  sent  to  the  Thompson  smelter  of  the  Mason  Valley 
Mines  Co.  This  company  recently  acquired  the  Gray  Eagle 
and  is  directing  operations.  "William  Hoerner  is  superin- 
tendent. Ore  reserves  are  estimated  by  competent  engineers 
to  be  considerable. 

Numerous  copper  deposits  in  this  district  are  claiming  at- 
tention. At  the  Ely  on  Elk  creek,  an  adit  is  being  driven  to 
intersect  the  vein  exposed  near  the  surface.  The  orebody 
averages  15  ft.  in  width  and  has  been  traced  for  2000  ft.  Re- 
cent assays  gave  1S%  copper  and  $20  in  gold  and  silver. 

Considerable  work  is  going  on  at  the  Williams  claims,  lately 

taken  under  bond  for  $50,000  by  San  Francisco  people. J.  F. 

McCoy   is  pushing  the  work  at  the   Fairview,   adjoining  the 

Williams  mine. H.  G.  Boone  has  sold  his  interest  in  the 

Bon  Ton  group  to  M.  A.  Delano,  of  Grants  Pass,  Oregon,  who 

is  arranging  for  vigorous  work. The  W.  B.  West  company 

has  opened  high-grade  copper  ore  at  a  point  48  ft.  in  from  the 

adit  portal. Several  deals  have  been  reported  in  the  past 

month. 

Gold  mining  is  also  active.  From  the  Bradley  mine,  on 
Independence  creek,  a  12-mile  road  is  being  built  to  Klamath 
river,  where  it  will  connect  with  the  highway.  Plans  have 
been  drawn  for  a  mill  and  cyanide-plant,  and  operations  are 
soon  to  begin.  Rich  gravel  is  being  worked  at  the  Atterberry 
Brothers'  property,  and  an  elevator  will  be  installed  in  the 
spring.  The  main  deposit  is  said  to  be  300  ft.  wide  and  8  to 
24  ft.  deep. Preparations  are  being  completed  for  resump- 
tion of  hydraulic  mining  at  the  Davis  Consolidated,  one  of  the 
largest  placer  properties  in  the   county.     The  Savage-Jehogg 


the  old  Garibaldi  mine,  8  miles  away,  rich  gold  ore  has  been 
opened  at  a  depth  of  50  feet. 

Plymouth.  The  Plymouth  Consolidated  reports  as  follows 
for  October: 

Ore  milled,  tons    7,900 

Gold  recovered ' $52,3S5 

Working  expenditure  24,931 

Development   6,783 

Surplus    20,671 

Other  charges,  construction  6,662 

COLORADO 

Boulder.  The  tungsten  market  is  improving,  buying  being 
better.  The  Primos,  Wolf  Tongue,  and  Vasco  companies  are 
preparing  to  re-open  leases  and  encourage  miners  to  renew  op- 
erations. Degge-Clark  and  other  leaders  in  the  independent 
market  are  receiving  all  the  lower-grade  ores  offered,  and  much 
activity  is  observable  on  the  part  of  independent  miners. 

A  region  of  especial  geologic  as  well  as  economic  interest 
is  that  described  in  Bulletin  265  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey, 
entitled,  'Geology  of  the  Boulder  District,  Colorado.'  The  area 
shown  on  the  maps  accompanying  this  report  is  a  quadrangle 
measuring  16  miles  from  north  to  south  by  9  miles  from  east 
to  west,  of  which  Boulder  is  practically  the  centre.  The  dis- 
covery of  coal,  oil,  and  gas  in  the  region  first  called  attention 
to  it,  and  was  the  immediate  occasion  for  the  survey  which 
resulted  in  the  publication  of  this  bulletin.  The  structural 
and  other  geologic  features  of  the  area,  including  the  folds, 
faults,  landslips,  and  mesas,  afford  attractive  subjects  for 
study  and  comparison. 

Cripple  Creek.  In  addition  to  its  monthly  distribution  of 
$122,000,  the  Cresson  company  will  pay  $183,000  on  December 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


855 


10.  Shares  are  quoted  at  $9.  The  mine  is  said  to  be  in  a 
favorable  condition.  The  gold  output  of  the  district  in  No- 
vember was  J1.311.35C  from  76,623  tons  of  ore. 

Georgetown.  The  mining  situation  in  the  Georgetown  and 
adjoining  districts  is  better  than  it  has  been  for  a  long  time, 
according  to  the  Courier,  and  although  there  may  seem  to  the 
casual  visitor  an  appearance  of  want  of  'get-up'  to  the  town, 
it  is  more  greatly  due  to  past  years  of  stagnation  in  mining, 
which  was  general  throughout  the  United  States,  than  to  the 
present  condition  of  business  here.  At  the  present  time  more 
mines  are  being  worked  and  more  men  employed  in  this  and 
neighboring  centres  than  has  been  the  case  for  years,  and 
what  is  better  still,  more  ore  is  being  produced,  ore  of  all 
grades  from  $10  to  $200  per  ton,  and  in  large  quantities.  This 
being  the  case,  why  is  not  every  mine  and  prospect  in  the 
vicinity  being  worked?  The  ores  contain  gold,  silver,  lead, 
copper,  and  zinc,  the  prices  for  all  of  which  are  higher  than 
they  have  been,  and  at  prices  which  have  prevailed  for  a  good 
while  past,  all  these  metals  can  be  mined  at  a  good  profit  under 
practical  business  management.  The  want  of  practical  busi- 
ness methods  as  applied  to  mining  has  been  the  great  cause  of 
failure.  The  one  big  and  most  glaring  reason  why  more  mines 
here  are  not  worked  is  the  want  of  proper  publicity,  and  this 
will  never  be  given  to  the  district  as  long  as  it  stays  in  a  rut. 
It  takes  capital  to  open  any  business,  and  although  there  may 
be  good  ore  in  the  mine,  still  capital  is  needed  to  get  it  out 
and  market  it  to  the  best  advantage.  Capital  is  what  we  want. 
How  are  we  going  to  get  it?  This  is  up  to  the  business- 
men and  miners  of  Georgetown  and  not  to  any  one  else.  No 
one  is  interested  but  ourselves. 

Leadville.  The  higher  price  for  silver  is  pleasing  to  pro- 
ducers in  this  district,  as  most  of  their  ores  contain  a  good 
deal  of  the  metal,  the  aggregate  being  nearly  3,000,000  oz. 
yearly.  The  Dinero  and  Louisville  mines  yield  ore  assaying 
up  to  1000  oz.  per  ton. 

At  Robinson  the  Progress  M.  &  M.  Co.  has  re-built  the  old 
Wilson  mill,  and  is  now  operating  it  in  conjunction  with  other 
mines  under  its  control. 

John  Cortellini,  manager  of  the  Garbutt  and  other  proper- 
ties on  Breece  hill,  has  just  returned  from  a  short  tour  through 
the  important  zinc-fields  of  the  country  where  the  latest 
methods  of  mining  and  treatment  are  in  vogue.  He  said  that 
every  mine  has  its  own  concentration  plant.  It  is  conserva- 
tively estimated  that  it  is  necessary  to  concentrate  at  least 
75%  of  the  total  output  from  the  mines  before  shipping  to  the 
smelters.  Mr.  Cortellini  is  a  strong  advocate  of  milling,  and 
considers  that  if  concentration  has  been  found  to  be  such  a 
remarkable  success  in  zinc  mining  throughout  Missouri,  it 
should  be  of  great  benefit  at  Leadville,  where  there  is  at.  pres- 
ent only  one  mill  in  operation.  Much  of  the  ore  that  is  being 
extracted  from  the  Garbutt  and  Ibex  properties  needs  con- 
centration, and  Mr.  Cortellini  is  still  engaged  in  an  effort  to 
perfect  suitable  plans  for  the  erection  of  a  large  mill  in  the 
district  for  treating  this  ore.  The  Garbutt  and  Ibex  are  now 
producing  450  tons  daily  for  the  smelters. 

Silverton.  Twenty  companies  shipped  a  total  of  49  car- 
loads of  ore  and  concentrate  last  week.  Owing  to  the  alleged 
action  of  the  D.  &  R.  G.  Railroad  it  is  expected  that  there  will 
be  a  coal  famine  in  the  district.  Durango  coal,  usually  $6.25 
per  ton,  is  now  from  $8.50  to  $10. 

IDAHO 

Burke.  The  Marsh  workings  that  are  flooded  are  to  be  un- 
watered  as  soon  as  possible,  and  search  made  for  the  eastern 
extension  of  the  Tiger-Poorman  vein,  from  which  the  Fed- 
eral company  extracted  $5,000,000  net. 

Development  is  to  be  resumed  at  the  Ajax  and  Ambergris 
companies,  whose  claims  adjoin  the  Hercules  lead-silver  mine. 

The  control  of  the  Hercules  mine,  a  large  silver  pro- 
ducer, has  passed  to  the  Day  interests  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene, 


through  the  purchase  by  Mrs.  Eleanor  Day  Boyce  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  of  the  ^  interest  in  the  property  formerly  held  by 
the  estate  of  the  late  Damian  Cardoner  of  Barcelona,  Spain. 
With  the  exception  of  August  Paulsen  of  Spokane,  Mrs. 
Boyce  becomes  the  largest  individual  owner  in  the  Hercules 
mine,  her  interest  now  being  7/32,  while  the  Paulsen  interest 
is  33/128,  or  a  fraction  over  one-quarter.  The  aggregate  in- 
terests of  the  Days  in  the  Hercules  now  amount  to  33/64,  or 
slightly  more  than  a  half.  The  Days  are  divided  into  3/32 
each  for  Harry  L.,  Jerome  J.,  and  Eugene  R.  Day,  while 
Blanche  Day  Ellis,  a  sister,  holds  1/64.  The  consideration 
named  in  the  deed,  which  bears  date  of  October  28,  is  $1,  but  it 
is  believed  that  the  price  actually  paid  is  $500,000.  The  A 
interest  conveyed  by  deed  is  the  interest  left  in  the  estate  of 
Cardoner,  and  was  appraised  in  probate  court  at  $250,000. 
This  interest  was  distributed  to  Mathilde  Cardoner,  widow, 
and  the  deed  is  made  by  her  to  Mrs.  Boyce. 

Florence.  In  the  Marshall  Lake  district,  40  miles  south- 
east, W.  Fox  and  two  others  cleaned-up  $20,000  from  a  7  days' 
run  with  a  Chilean  mill.  Ore  containing  $400,000  is  said  to  be 
blocked  out  in  the  Sherman  property. 

Kellogg.  Rapid  progress  in  construction  is  reported  at  the 
Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  smelter.  An  average  of  275  men  is 
employed  on  the  buildings,  stack,  etc. 

Kingston.  After  an  examination  of  the  Hypotheek  mine 
had  been  made  by  its  representatives,  the  Rex  Consolidated 
Mining  Co.  has  taken  a  tentative  option,  according  to  rumors 
circulating  both  in  Spokane  and  the  Coeur  d'Alene.  The  engi- 
neers' reports  have  not  yet  reached  New  York,  however,  and 
there  is  no  definite  assurance  that  the  Rex  directors  will 
authorize  the  purchase.  The  Hypotheek  was  equipped  recently 
with  a  200-ton  daily  capacity  concentrator  and  machine-drills. 
Regular  shipments  are  being  made  to  the  smelter  at  North- 
port,  Washington.  The  crushing  department  of  the  concen- 
trator is  capable  of  dealing  with  500  to  600  tons  of  ore  daily. 
The  Rex  company  has  purchased  6  claims  adjoining  the  Rex 
group  in  the  Nine-Mile  district,  for  $47,600  cash  and  187,000 
Rex  shares. 

Mullan.  Capacity  of  the  Gold  Hunter  company's  concen- 
trator is  to  be  increased,  and  the  apparatus  remodeled  to  treat 
the  lead  and  silver  ores.  During  its  last  financial  year  the  out- 
put was  $614,590  from  118,764  tons  of  ore,  yielding  a  profit  of 
$31,662. 

Pine  Creek  District.  The  Highland-Surprise  company  will 
practically  double  its  milling  capacity  and  as  soon  as  improve- 
ments now  under  way  are  completed,  thirty  additional  miners 
will  be  employed,  according  to  W.  W.  Papesh,  the  president. 
Another  cell  is  to  be  added  to  the  flotation-plant,  and  the  pres- 
ent small  crushers  and  rolls  are  being  replaced  by  40-in.  rolls 
and  crushers  of  double  the  former  size.  This  will  give  the 
mill  a  capacity  of  from  150  to  175  tons  daily.  These  changes 
will  be  complete  in  about  10  days.  Physical  condition  of  the 
mine  shows  an  immense  quantity  of  ore  blocked  out  for  ship- 
ment. The  Highland  orebody  is  being  opened  for  a  length 
of  480  ft.  with  a  vertical  depth  of  440  ft.  Stoping  is  under  way 
on  this  body,  which  shows  ore  at  both  'ends  of  the  drift  from 
24  to  12  ft.  in  width,  and  carrying  14%  zinc,  8%  lead,  and  5  oz. 
silver  per  ton.  The  management  expects  to  ship  not  less  than 
50  tons  of  concentrate  per  day  as  soon  as  the  improvements 
are  completed. 

Recently  on  the  200  and  400-ft.  levels  of  the  Northern  Light 
mine  three  veins  have  been  developed,  exposing  a  large 
tonnage  of  lead,  zinc,  and  copper  ore,  including  some  silver. 
A  recent  cross-cut  at  400  ft.  has  passed  through  25  ft.  of 
ore,  5  ft.  of  which  is  solid  lead-zinc  ore.  An  average  sample 
yielded  7.5%  lead,  9.5%  zinc,  and  20  oz.  silver  per  ton.  B.  G. 
Harmon  is  in  charge. 

Wallace.  The  Montana  Power  Co.  has  connected  up  its 
high-tension  power-lines  with  the  Coeur  d'Alene  region,  and 
has  begun  to  serve  the  Douglas  and  other  mines. 


856 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  9,  1916 


MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  During  the  latter  part  of  November  three  steam- 
ers carried  to  lower  lake  ports  over  3000  tons  of  refined  cop- 
per each.  The  season  for  navigation  is  nearly  over.  More 
metal  was  moved  on  the  Lakes  this  season  than  before. 

The  labor  situation  in  the  Lake  Superior  mining  dis- 
trict has  cleared  itself  in  a  remarkable  manner,  according  to 
the  Daily  Mining  Gazette.  The  number  of  men  employed  in- 
creases steadily  now  that  winter  is  ahead,  and  the  men  are 
doing  more  work.  That  applies  particularly  to  contract  min- 
ing and  tramming  where  the  pay  is  high.  Ten  years  ago  it 
was  proposed  to  eliminate  contract  mining — the  old  Cornish 
mining  system  that  came  to  the  Lake  Superior  district  with 
the  first  copper  miners.  Some  of  the  companies  applied  noth- 
ing but  the  day-wage  system  to  all  miners,  but  in  recent  years 
more  and  more  of  them  have  changed  back  to  the  contract 
system.  When  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  took  over  the  Fay  and  the 
Bigelow  mines  they  instituted  the  contract  system,  always 
popular  in  the  C.  &  H.  And  it  has  resulted  in  greater  efficiency. 
At  the  present  time  the  men  are  making  larger  wages.  Miners 
who  are  able  to  get  better  than  $200  a  month  are  not  so  ex- 
ceptional as  formerly.  This  is  not  the  average,  of  course,  but 
there  is  hardly  a  contract  miner  in  the  district  who  is  not 
averaging  over  $5  a  shift  at  present.  Of  course  the  contract 
men  are  the  best  men.  And  they  work  all  the  time  and  know 
their  business.  They  are  the  pick  of  the  miners.  Contract 
tramming,  at  first  considered  a  joke,  is  becoming  more  and 
more  in  vogue,  and  it  is  resulting  in  a  much  larger  haulage 
per  ton  than  ever  considered  possible.  Not  only  that,  but  the 
men  are  making  a  great  deal  more  money  than  was  possible  on 
the  first  scale.  One  gang  of  trammers  averaged  $4.85  per 
shift,  per  man,  in  October. 

MISSOURI 

Joplin.  Best  grades  of  zinc  ore  advanced  $10  per  ton  last 
week,  the  range  being  $90  to  $105.  Lead  and  calamine  were 
also  higher.  The  output  of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma 
region  was  8202  tons  of  blende,  1023  tons  of  calamine,  and  1129 
tons  of  lead,  averaging  $95,  $54,  and  $S7  per  ton,  respectively. 
The  total  value  was  $937,187,  and  for  47  weeks,  $30,381,854. 

Owing  to  curtailment  of  work  in  this  district,  and  many 
men  going  to  the  busier  Oklahoma  centres,  there  is  a  shortage 
of  shovelers  at  Joplin. 

MONTANA 

Bannack.  As  the  Bannack  Gold  Mining  Co.  could  not  get 
delivery  on  its  order  for  a  Diesel  engine  it  will  not  be  possible 
to  start  the  new  150-ton  mill.  The  climate  is  too  severe  to  de- 
pend on  water-power  during  the  winter. 

Bdtte.  During  October  the  Butte  &  Superior  treated  54,450 
tons  of  ore  assaying  15.52%  of  zinc.  The  recovery  was  92.5%. 
Zinc  in  concentrate  totaled  15,694,000  pounds. 

In  the  suit  of  Minerals  Separation  v.  Butte  &  Superior, 
Judge  G.  M.  Bourquin  decided  that  the  defendant  is  not  to 
be  restrained  from  paying  dividends,  disposing  of  assets,  or 
enlarging  its  plant.  The  company  was  also  released  from  the 
bond  of  $75,000  to  secure  a  possible  Judgement  for  infringe- 
ment of  the  M.  S.  patent.  The  crushing  plant  is  to 'be  en- 
larged at  once. 

Iron  Mountain.  Owing  to  a  freeze-up  and  shutting-down  of 
mine  and  mill  the  Intermountain  Copper  company  was  un- 
able to  distribute  its  second  dividend  of  $8075. 

Teoy.  If  all  is  complete  it  is  expected  that  the  Snowstorm 
Consolidated  mill  will  commence  operations  early  in  January. 
L.  Greenough  is  general  manager.  Over  700  men  are  em- 
ployed at  present. 

NEVADA 

(Special  Correspondence.) — A  smelting  plant  of  150  tons' 
capacity  is  being  erected  at  the  copper  centre  of  Bullion,  2S 


miles  south  of  Elko,  by  T.  M.  Moe  and  associates.  The  plant  is 
scheduled  to  go  into  operation  before  the  end  of  December. 
Coke  and  crude  oil  will  be  used  as  fuel.  The  company  has 
acquired  large  dumps  of  medium-grade  ore,  and  in  addition 
will  take  the  output  of  leasing  companies,  of  which  nine  are 
shipping  at  present. 

The  Hidden  Treasure  group  of  gold-silver-lead  claims  has 
been  taken  under  bond  and  option  by  W.  D.  Chambers  and 
associates  of  San  Francisco,  and  work  started  with  a  few  men. 
The  property  is  about  1$  miles  from  Aura,  and  is  owned  by 
R.  S.  Carmichael  and  William  Vore  of  Elko.  Approximately 
1200  ft.  of  development  has  been  done,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
ore  exposed. 

Elko,  November  25. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Nevada  Consolidated  is 
working  at  full  capacity  in  all  departments.  At  the  mines 
four  or  five  cars  of  silicious  carbonate  ore,  mostly  from  the 
stock-pile,  saved  in  removing  the  overburden,  is  shipped  daily 
to  Garfield,  Utah.  This  ore  is  said  to  contain  4  to  6%  copper. 
Some  comes  from  open-cuts.  This  silicious  ore  is  used  all  the 
time  in  the  converters  at  McGill,  three  or  four  cars  per  week. 
Work  on  the  larger  crushing-plant  is  being  hurried,  but  on 
account  of  non-delivery  of  material  the  completion  will  be 
delayed  into  next  year.  The  public  appears  to  have  finally 
found  out,  during  the  past  three  months,  judging  from  the 
number  of  sales,  and  activity  of  the  shares,  to  realize  that  it 
has  been  the  cheapest  stock  of  all  the  coppers.  Outside  of  the 
known  drilled  50,000,000  tons,  the  company  has  a  large  area 
of  as  promising  ground  as  that  which  has  been  opened.  Drill- 
ing operations  this  year  have  developed  other  extensive  de- 
posits. The  metal  extraction  at  McGill  is  the  best  of  any  of 
the  large  coppers.  Inspiration,  in  Arizona,  shows  higher,  but 
they  deduct  from  the  heads  first  the  carbonate  content. 

At  the  old  Giroux  the  Coppermines  Consolidated  is  sinking 
the  Morris  shaft  at  a  cost  of  upwards  of  $250  per  foot,  accord- 
ing to  those  in  a  position  to  know.  The  mill  will  be  com- 
pleted ahead  of  contract  time  if  the  company  is  able  to  secure 
the  materials. 

Active  work  is  being  pushed  at  the  Ward  mine,  IS  miles 
south  of  Ely,  both  on  account  of  those  holding  the  bond  and 

lease  and  those  having  a  lease  on  the  workings. A  couple  of 

men  are  at  work  on  the  Argus,  across  the  valley  from  Ward. 
W.  Stewart,  on  the  Minerva  Tungsten,  south  of  Osceola,  is 
employing  three  men.  The  U.  S.  Tungsten  Co.  has  a  few 
lessees  extracting  ore. 

North  in  Spring  valley,  R.  Millick  has  commenced  operating 
the  mill  on  the  Piermont  property;  the  plant  was  moved  from 
south  of  Cherry  creek.  Some  Salt  Lake  City  people  are  work- 
ing the  Grand  deposit,  at  Muncy  creek,  near  Aurum,  and  are 
now  hauling  one  carload  of  copper  ore  to  the  smelter  at 
McGill.  The  Utah  people  who  have  been  doing  some  work  on 
the  Lucky  deposit,  at  the  old  town  of  Aurum,  have  quit. 

The  Tungstonia  Mining  Co.  is  running  its  mill  continuously. 
The  owners  have  an  extensive  deposit  of  commercial  ore  and 
with  better  milling  facilities  this  should  prove  a  winner,  at 
one-half  the  present  price  of  concentrate.  Utah  people  are 
erecting  a  small  mill  at  Mikes  spring,  three  miles  west  of 
Tungstonia,  to  treat  tungsten  ores,  which  they  have  north  and 
west  of  Tungstonia. 

Lacey  and  Clarey  are  working  their  Red  Hills  lead-silver 
mine.  Their  dead  work,  a  long  cross-cut  tunnel  and  raise,  is 
nearly  finished,  when  they  should  be  able  to  make  shipments. 

There  is  more  activity  than  in  many  years  and  ores  are 
being  shipped  from  the  old  camp  of  Hamilton,  45  miles  west  of 
Ely. 

Paul  Moorman  has  just  shipped  another  car  of  silver-lead 
ore,  that  assays  $100  per  ton. 

Ely,  November  20. 

Goldfield.  Final  figures  for  October  show  that  the  Goldfield 
Consolidated  made  $17,046  net  from  30,000  tons  of  ore  treated. 


December  0,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


857 


Costs  totaled  $4.78  per  ton.  Filter  and  flotation  royalties  were 
4c.  per  ton  each.  Development  cost  $5.65  per  foot  for  1896  ft. 
It  is  expected  that  one  500-ton  flotation  unit  mill  be  ready 
early  in  January. 

Goodsprings.     To  receive  ore  from  this  zinc-lead  centre  and 


Scale  Of  Miles 
25 


MAP    OF    SOUTH-EASTERN    NEVADA. 

other  districts,  Utah  people  are  to  erect  a  sampling-plant  at 
Jean  to  handle  200  tons  in  10  hours. 

Tonopah.  During  October  the  Belmont  made  a  profit  of 
$90,872  from  the  treatment  of  12,367  tons  of  ore.  The  Exten- 
sion's profit  was  $50,902  from  10,038  tons.  This  company  will 
pay  dividends  of  5%  and  10%  on  January  1. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Good  progress  is  being  made 
in  unwatering  the  deep  winze  near  the  Mexican-Ophir  line. 
The  2700-ft.  level  is  now  open  and  changes  are  being  made  in 
the  3-compartment  winze.  The  two  dividers  are  being  re- 
moved, and  a  single  centre-piece  is  being  substituted,  giving 
the  winze  two  compartments  instead  of  three.  This  is  neces- 
sary to  make  room  for  the  handling  of  the  electric  pump  which 
is  being  lowered  as  the  water  goes  down.  It  is  expected  that 
the  2900-ft.  level  will  have  been  reached  by  the  middle  of  De- 
cember, when  extensive  prospecting  work  on  that  level  will 
be  commenced  by  cross-cutting  both  east  and  west  at  various 
points  from  the  long  level  run  by  W.  H.  Patton  many  years 
ago.  A  valuable  shoot  of  ore  was  discovered  some  time  since, 
back  on  the  foot-wall  in  the  Mexican,  from  which  over  $400,000 
has  already  been  taken.  Most  of  the  ore  from  the  Mexican  in 
recent  years  has  been  mined  in  the  hanging-wall  ground 
which  has  resulted  in  the  production  of  several  million  dollars 
from  this  series  of  orebodies  in  the  Mexican  and  Union  mines. 

Virginia  City,  November  29. 

During  its  financial  year  the  Union  Con.  Mining  Co.  sent  to 
the  Mexican  mill  16,126  tons  of  ore  averaging  $25.86  per  ton. 
The  profit  was  $262,057.  Owing  to  the  plant  being  short  of 
cyanide,  ore  is  now  being  stored.     The  Union  shaft  was  re- 


opened from  2000  to  2500  ft.  This  Improved  ventilation  and 
operations  considerably.  Exploration  is  under  way  at  2300, 
2400,  2500,  2600,  and  2700  ft.  When  the  2900-ft.  level  is  dry  a 
large  area  will  be  available  for  prospecting.  Whitman  Symmes 
is  superintendent. 

Yerington.  During  the  third  quarter  of  1916  the  Nevada- 
Douglas  Consolidated  Copper  Co.'s  revenue  totaled  $146,002 
from  the  sale  of  ore  and  precipitate.  The  net  profit  was 
$60,827,  after  paying  operating  expenses,  interest,  bonds,  etc. 

NEW    MEXICO 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  Socorro  M.  &  M.  Co.'s  prod- 
uct for  the  first  half  of  November  was  18  bars  of  gold-bullion. 

The  Mogollon   Mines  Co.'s  clean-up   for  the  same  period 

yielded  820  lb.  of  bullion  and  2J  tons  of  high-grade  concen- 
trate, from  2000  tons  of  ore.  The  new  960-ft.  shaft  has  been 
timbered  700  ft.,  and  is  said  to  be  the  best  work  done  here. 
Timbering  will  be  extended  to  the  bottom  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible. 

The  Oaks  Co.  is  making  another  shipment  of  ore  to  custom 
mill. 

At  the  Pacific  mine,  the  ore-bins  are  being  filled  and  aerial 
tramway  to  the  Socorro  mill  will  be  started  this  week,  and 
regular  daily  shipments  maintained.  A  test  run  of  the  tram 
was  entirely  satisfactory. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — The  road  through  Mogollon  is 
being  macadamized  and  repaired  to  accommodate  heavy  traffic 
without  inconvenience  in  winter. 

D.  E.  Bearup,  owner  and  operator  of  the  Eureka  mine  in 
which  a  rich  discovery  was  recently  made,  is  scouring  the  place 
for  burros  to  pack  an  accumulation  of  milling  ore  to  the  local 
custom  works.  The  richer  ore  is  being  sacked  for  shipment 
to  smelter. 

Timbering  of  the  new  shaft  below  the  500-ft.  level  in  the 
Last  Chance  mine  is  progressing  rapidly,  the  work  being  con- 
ducted from  two  different  points.  The  shaft  is  960  ft.  deep. 
Development  will  be  pushed  from  both  the  800  and  900-ft. 
levels  as  soon  as  timbering  will  permit.  The  Mogollon  Mines 
Co.  is  operating  the  property. 

The  Socorro  M.  &  M.  Co.  has  installed  an  automatic  scale  at 
the  mill  terminal  of  the  aerial  wire-rope  tramway  from  the 
Pacific  mine  for  weighing  all  ore  received  from  the  latter 
property.  A  helt-conveyor  is  being  erected  to  handle  this 
ore  between  receiving  bins  and  crusher. 

The  Oaks  company  is  breaking  ground  in  its  main  drainage 
and  transportation  tunnel  on  Mineral  creek,  which  will  eventu- 
ally open  the  main  vein  systems  of  the  district  at  various 
depths  up  to  1800  ft.  A  road  to  the  tunnel-site  has  been  over- 
hauled to  facilitate  traffic  to  that  point. At  the  Eberle  mine, 

drifts  are  being  advanced  both  north  and  south  from  the 
50-ft.  level  in  an  exploratory  shaft,  which  is  equipped  with  a 
Fairbanks-Morse  15-hp.  gasoline  hoist  and  compressor  plant. 
Present  development  on  the  Clifton  mine  consists  of  driv- 
ing the  south  drift  from  the  adit-level  and  raising  on  No.  1 
orebody. 

Mogollon,  November  20. 

Tyrone.  Renewed  activity  is  reported  from  the  old  Black 
Hawk  silver  district  of  Grant  county.  Under  E.  D.  Lidstone 
the  Black  Hawk  mine  is  being  unwatered  and  re-timbered  to 
750  ft.  Work  is  also  under  way  at  the  Extension,  Black  Jack, 
and  Hose  mines. 

OKLAHOMA 

Cardin.  At  the  Bilharz  company's  mine  the  new  400-ton 
mill,  costing  $60,000,  is  in  operation.  F.  H.  Gartung  is  man- 
ager. The  machinery  is  driven  by  150  and  50-hp.  motors. 
Mining  is  done  at  a  depth  of  270  ft.  The  zinc  and  lead  ores 
are  of  high  quality. 

By  the  middle  of  December  a  new  250-ton  mill  will  be  at 
work  on  the  ground  of  the  W.  M.  Sheridan  Trustee  Mining  Co., 


858 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS, 


December  9,  1916 


in  charge  of  J.  W.  Marshall.  Prospects  for  a  good  future  are 
considered  splendid. 

UTAH 

Alta.  The  Alta  T.  &  T.  Co.'s  tunnel  is  considered  to  be 
near  the  vein,  as  the  formation  is  mineralized  and  the  flow  of 
water  is  increasing. 

Salt  Lake  City.  After  the  return  of  O.  C.  Ralston  to  this 
city  from  a  tour  of  investigation  in  several  states,  the  U.  S. 
Bureau  of  Mines  issued  the  following  notes: 

At  Pueblo.  Colorado,  there  is  a  zinc  smelter  which  is  the 
only  one  in  the  country  operating  on  a  zinc-lead  basis.  The 
zinc  in  complex  ores  of  this  type  is  first  distilled,  and  the 
residue  is  then  sent  to  lead  blast-furnaces  for  extraction  of 
the  lead,  silver,  and  gold.  As  far  as  could  be  learned,  most  of 
the  zinc,  lead,  silver,  and  gold-contents  in  such  ores  are  being 
recovered  in  this  plant,  but  the  present  ore-buying  conditions 
are  such  that  a  smelter  pays  for  only  60%  of  the  lead  in 
a  zinc  ore,  and  at  a  figure  considerably  below  the  market  value 
of  the  lead,  and  the  same  is  true  of  silver.  In  fact,  the  present 
metallurgical  margin  between  the  value  of  the  metals  in  such 
complex  ores,  and  the  price  usually  paid  for  them  is  so  large 
that  many  people  are  considering  entering  the  field  of  treat- 
ment of  complex  ores.  Throughout  south-west  and  central 
Colorado  are  numerous  deposits  of  these  complex  ores,  most 
of  which  are  not  being  worked,  as  the  total  cost  of  smelting  is 
at  present  so  high  as  to  make  it  almost  prohibitive  to  treat 

the  ores. In  New  Mexico  the  magnetic-separation  plants  at 

Kelly,  Silver  City,  and  Hanover  were  visited.  Bach  of  these 
plants  is  in  the  complex-ore  district,  and  is  making  zinc  or 
zinc-lead  products  from  ores  contaminated  with  iron  sulphide. 
The  magnetic  concentration  plants  are  removing  the  iron  from 
such  ores.  It  was  learned  that  such  large  losses  of  ore  were 
sustained  in  these  plants  from  dusting,  etc.,  that  as  a  rule 
1  lb.  of  zinc  is  lost  for  every  2  lb.  shipped  from  the  mill  in  a 
concentrate.  On  that  account  methods  of  treatment  of  such 
ore  yielding  higher  recoveries  of  the  zinc  should  be  developed 

and  used.    Plans  are  now  on  foot  for  doing  this. At  Bisbee, 

Arizona,  it  was  found  that  while  this  mining  centre  is  reputed 
to  be  a  producer  of  copper,  it  is  now  developing  large  quanti- 
ties of  lead  and  zinc  ores.  Lead  carbonate  ores,  which  are 
difficult  to  concentrate,  are  present  in  many  of  the  copper 
mines,  and  are  being  exploited  in  only  a  few  instances.  As 
the  Salt  Lake  City  experiment  station  has  developed  three 
alternative  methods  of  treatment  of  such  ore  during  the  study 
of  Utah  problems,  it  has  been  easy  to  get  out  an  immediate 
solution  of  the  difficulties  in  this  district.  The  Shattuck-Ari- 
zona  company  has  employed  as  metallurgist  Glenn  L.  Allen, 
formerly  one  of  the  'fellows'  of  the  department  of  metallurgical 
research  at  the  Salt  Lake  City  station.  It  is  further  learned 
that  in  the  Junction  mine  of  this  district  a  large  body  of 
complex  sulphides  of  lead,  zinc,  and  iron  has  been  developed. 

These  are  very  similar  to  the  Colorado  complex  ores. In 

the  Chloride-Kingman  district  of  Arizona  considerable  activity 
is  now  evident  in  the  mining  of  complex  ores,  and  throughout 
Arizona  at  various  places  are  locations  where  this  type  of  ore 

is  being   developed. At  Los  Angetes,   Mr.   Ralston   visited 

the  plant  of  the  Stebbins  Dry  Concentrator  Co.  In  many  of 
the  inter-mountain  mining  districts  not  enough  water  is  avail- 
able for  milling  purposes,  and  it  has  been  found  that  many 
of  the  lead  and  zinc  ores  of  lower  grade  are  not  being  con- 
centrated, due  to  this  deficiency;  hence  a  study  of  the  various 
methods  of  dry  concentration  will  some  time  be  taken  up  by 
the  Salt  Lake  station.  The  plant  of  the  Western  Precipitation 
Co.  at  Los  Angeles  was  also  visited,  and  samples  of  some 
strange  products  from  testing  by  flotation  were  obtained. 
This  company  is  exploiting  the  Cottrell  precipitation  process, 
and  in  passing  petroleum  and  other  oil  vapors  through  a  Cot- 
trell treater,  some  strange  new  products  were  obtained  which 
promise  to  be  good  frothers  for  flotation  work. 


IF©iPS©aamIi 


Note:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     This  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


I.  D.  D.  DaimprIs  is  with  the  Army  Medical  Corps  in  France. 

E.  C.  Morse  has  returned  from  Dolomi,  Alaska,  to  Portland, 
Oregon. 

L.  J.  Pepperberg  has  gone  to  Salt  Lake  City,  to  be  absent 
several  weeks. 

F.  L.  Sizer  has  returned  to  Butte  from  a  visit  to  the  Coeur 
d'Alene,  Idaho. 

Theodore  J.  Hoover  has  opened  an  office  in  the  Mills  build- 
ing, San  Francisco. 

J.  H.  Batcheller  is  manager  for  the  Virginia  Lead  &  Zinc 
Corporation,  in  Virginia. 

Edwin  Higgins  recently  was  appointed  consulting  engineer 
of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 

William  Hague  has  opened  an  office,  as  consulting  engineer, 
in  the  Mills  building,  San  Francisco. 

W.  Rowland  Cox  has  been  inspecting  the  Socorro  Mining  & 
Milling  Co.'s  property  at  Mogollon,  New  Mexico. 

Samuel  Colt,  superintendent  of  the  Princeton  Mining  Co., 
at  Dolomi,  Alaska,  has  returned  to  Nevada  City,  California. 

Henry  G.  Ferguson,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  has 
just  finished  a  complete  geological  survey  of  the  Mogollon 
district,  New  Mexico. 

C.  C.  Burger,  who  was  partly  instrumental  in  the  formation 
of  the  Andes  Copper  Co.  of  the  Anaconda  company,  has  sold 
his  interest  therein  and  has  resumed  professional  practice  at 
71  Broadway,  New  York. 

Francis  A.  Thomson,  head  of  the  department  of  mining 
engineering  at  the  State  College  of  Washington,  has  recently 
been  engaged  in  making  an  exhaustive  examination  of  quartz 
properties  near  Pierce  City,  Idaho,  for  New  York  interests. 

Frederick  Laist,  formerly  metallurgical  manager,  has  been 
promoted  to  be  manager  of  the  Washoe  Reduction  Works  at 
Anaconda,  in  place  of  E.  P.  Mathewson,  who  resigned  to  go  to 
Canada.  C.  A.  Lemmon,  formerly  civil  engineer  for  the  Butte, 
Anaconda  &  Pacific  Railway,  has  been  appointed  assistant 
manager  under  Mr.  Laist,  and  will  have  charge  of  all  opera- 
tions of  the  Anaconda  company,  at  Anaconda,  exclusive  of 
those  conducted  at  the  Reduction  Works  and  foundry  depart- 
ment. In  that  capacity,  Mr.  Lemmon  will  have  supervision 
over  all  sociological,  or  welfare  work,  with  which  the  company 
is  connected. 


The  death  of  Samuel  James  is  announced  by  the  Northport 
Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  Mr.  James  was  manager  of  the  North- 
port  company  and  is  succeeded  temporarily  by  R.  W.  Marston. 

George  Nelson  Wagoner,  well  known  in  Nevada  county,  Cali- 
fornia, died  recently  at  Boma,  in  the  Belgian  Congo,  at  the 
age  of  38.  He  had  been  in  the  employ  ot1  an  English  syndicate 
in  Africa  for  two  years. 

George  W.  McDaniel,  Stanford  'OS,  died  on  November  21 
of  typhoid  fever  at  the  age  of  31.  He  had  been  employed  by 
J.  E.  Spurr  as  field  engineer  on  mine  exploration  and  ex- 
amination work  in  the  United  States  and  Mexico;  and  by  the 
Tonopah  Mining  Co.  in  the  United  States,  Mexico,  Alaska,  and 
Canada.  He  had  superintended  properties  in  Nevada  and 
Colorado.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  engineer  for  the 
Tonopah  Mining  Co.  at  Tonopah.  Nevada.  He  is  survived  by  a 
wife  and  son 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


859 


*£W&    Mlgm&IL,    MJmi£]£i¥ 


lUIHIUI 


ili;>:i(hii::;jii!liii.ii!!lN!ii[ir:iil:i!i!lL': 


METAL   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  December  5. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound   14 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 35 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.25 —  8.50 

Platinum:  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce 105 — 111 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb $80 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 13 

Tin,  cents  per  pound  45 

Zinc-dust,   cents  per  pound    20 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  December  5. 

Antimony:  50%  metal,  per  unit   $1.00 

Chrome:  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  15.00 

Magnesite.   crude,  per   ton 6.50 — ■  9.00 

Manganese,  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 16.00 

Tungsten,  60%  WO,  per  unit 17.50 — 20.00 

At  Boulder,  Colorado,  there  has  been  bidding  for  tungsten 
ore,  and  an  advance  in  price  is  expected. 

New  York,  November  29. 

Antimony:  Only  a  small  business  has  been  done  in  antimony 
ore.     The  quotation  is  unchanged  at  $1.50  per  unit. 

Molybdenite:  The  market  is  unchanged  at  $1.75  to  $1.85  per 
lb.  of  MoS2  contained. 

Tungsten:  Europe  has  been  a  good  buyer,  taking  100  tons 
and  bidding  for  100  tons  additional.  Altogether  the  market  has 
been  active,  and  most  of  the  ore  available  for  prompt  delivery 
has  been  absorbed.  The  quotation  is  $18  per  unit,  with  $20 
expected  before  the  end  of  the  year. 


EASTERN    METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
December    5. — Copper    is    strong,    with    the    future    demand 
steady;  lead  is  also  strong,  though  irregular;  spelter  is  easier 
from  profit-taking. 


COPPER 


Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Oct. 

Nov. 


Dec 


Date. 

Nov.    29 34.00 

"      30  Holiday 

Dec.      1 34.00 

2 34.00 

3  Sunday 

4 34.00 

5 34.50 

Monthly  averages 
1915.       1916. 
13.60 
14.38 

14:80 

16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


Average  week  ending 

24. 28.37 

31 28.50 

7 28.79 

14 31.46 

21 32.87 

28 34.00 

5 34.10 


24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 
28.50 
31.95 


1914. 

Jan :  14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 

Wages  at  Butte  have  been  raised  25c.  per  day,  to  $4.75,  from 
December  1,  to  remain  so  as  long  as  copper  sells  for  27  %c.  or 
over.  About  20,000  men  benefit,  including  those  of  the  zinc 
mines. 

October  output  of  Utah  Copper  was  20,225,520  lb.;  Chino, 
6,921,081;  Nevada  Con.,  8,676,327;  and  Ray  Con.,  7,590,038  pounds. 


SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,   in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 
Nov.    29 


Jan. 


74.37 

0  Holiday 

1 75.12 

2 75.25 

3  Sunday 

4 75.00 

5 75.50 

Monthly 
1915.  1916. 
48.85  56.76 
48.45  56.74 
50.61  57.89 
50.25  64.37 
49.87  74.27 
49.03        65.04 


Average  week  ending 

.     24 67.70 

31 67.60 

r.      7 68.52 

14 71.68 

21 71.79 

28 73.43 

5 75.05 


1914. 
.57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June   56.43 


Dec. 
averages 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 
71.60 


The  silver  market  shows  considerable  strength,  exchanges  in 
China  being  firm  and  the  export  season  is  in  full  swing.     India 


has  competed   for  supplies,  and   the   European   coinage  demand 
is  steady. 

All    the   Mints    in    the   United    States    are    working    full    time 
making  small  silver  coins. 


LEAD 


Lead  Is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 

Nov.   29 

"      30   Holiday 

Dec.      1 

2 

"        3   Sunday 

"        4 

5 


7.25 
7.25 


7.37 
7.50 


Average  week  ending 


Dec. 


24. 
31. 

7. 
14. 
21. 
28. 

5. 


7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.02 
7.21 
7.32 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 
.  4.11 
.  4.02 
.  3.94 
.  3.86 
3.90 


1915. 
3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 
6.88 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


1914. 

.  3.80 

.  3.86 

.  3.82 

.  3.60 

.  3.68 

.  3.80 


1915. 
5.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


1916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 
7.07 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June   3.90 

Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  paid  two  dividends  of  $81,750  each  on 
December  4.  This  makes  a  total  of  $18,489,750  to  date.  The 
Caledonia  company,  under  the  same  management,  paid  $78,150. 
Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.  of  Canada  distributes 
$250,000  on  January  2,  making  $881,204  for  1916. 


ZINC 


Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 


delivery,  In  cents  per  pound. 

Date. 

Nov.    29 13.25 

"      30  Holiday 

Dec.      1 13.25 

2 13.25 

"        3  Sunday 

4 13.25 

5 13.00 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.    24 9.78 

"      31 10.27 

Nov.      7 10.68 

"      14 11.23 

"      21 11.96 

"      28 12.87 

Dec.      6 13.20 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 5.14 

Feb 5.22 

Mch 5.12 

Apr 4.98 

May    4.91 

June   4.84 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

5.16 

14.14 

9.18 

4.75 

14.05 

9.92 

5.01 

17.20 

11.81 

5.40 

16.75 

QUICKSILVER 


The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 


Date.  I    Nov.   21. 

Nov.      7 80.00  "28. 

"      14 80.00    I    Dec.      5. 

Monthly  averages 


.80.00 
.78.00 
.80.00 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 


1914. 
.39.25 
.39.00 
.39.00 
.38.90 
.39.00 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 

90.00 


June    38.60        90.00        74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug.    80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


TIN 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June   30.72 


1915. 
34.40 
37.23 
48.76 
48.25 
39.28 
40.26 


1916. 
41.76 
42.60 
50.50 
51.49 
49.10 
42.07 


1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 
79.50 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 
41.10 
44.12 


Tin  is  steady  at  45  cents. 

ANTIMONY 

This  metal  is  quiet,  but  firm,  at  14.50c,  duty  paid,  for  Asiatic 
grades  at  New  York. 

ALUMINUM 

The  market  is  a  little  easier  at   63   to   65c.   for  No.   1  virgin 
aluminum,  98  to  99%  pure. 


860 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS. 


December  9,  1916 


New  York,  November  29. 

That  the  copper  market  is  quieter  is  admitted  on  all  sides, 
but  prices  are  practically  as  strong  as  ever.  The  large  pro- 
duction, and  possibility  of  metal  being  re-sold,  and  that  ship- 
ments may  be  delayed  is  causing  some  apprehension,  the  latter 
tor  the  reason  that  it  is  deliveries  and  not  sales  that  actually 
count. 

Zinc  has  been  active  and  quotations  are  higher,  although  the 
upward  trend  has  been  halted  slightly  by  the  tendency  of 
second-hands  to  take  profits.  Sheet  zinc  is  now  quoted  at  21 
cents. 

Prompt  lead  is  scarce.  The  leading  producer  is  not  selling 
at  its  official  quotation,  but  is  taking  some  January  business 
at  7.15c,  New  York.  Independents  are  well  sold-up,  but  have 
made  contracts  at  7.25  to  7.30c,  New  York.  Higher  prices  are 
looked  for. 

The  week  has  been  quiet  in  the  tin  market. 

Antimony  is  dull  but  firm. 

Aluminum  is  a  trifle  easier. 

Excitement  continues  the  feature  in  the  pig-iron  market, 
both  foundry  and  steel-making  grades  advancing  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  Since  the  first  of  November,  prices  on  some  grades 
have  shot-up  as  much  as  $S  per  ton.  Buffalo  No.  2X  has  sold 
at  $30  per  ton  at  furnace;  eastern  Pennsylvania  No.  2X  has 
sold  at  $29,  furnace,  and  Southern  iron  at  $23,  Birmingham. 
Basic  has  sold  at  $30  valley  (Pittsburg),  and  Bessemer  at  $33 
for  standard  grades,  and  $35  for  special.  Standard  low  phos- 
phorus is  quoted  at  $49  to  $50,  delivered.  The  export  demand 
is  tremendous  and  almost  entirely  responsible  for  the  situa- 
tion. 

The  demand  from  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  for 
ship-plates  is  overwhelming  the  mills,  and  sales  at  5c.  per  lb. 
for  the  last  half  of  next  year  have  been  made.  Advances  in 
prices  are  too  numerous  to  mention  in  extenso.  Wire  prod- 
ucts have  gone  up  $3  per  ton.  Steel  rails  are  being  bought  for 
1918  delivery  at  $10  over  the  price  paid  for  1917  delivery.  Re- 
rolling  billets  are  quoted  at  $55  per  ton  and  forging  billets  at 
$75  upward.    The  entire  situation  is  amazing. 

Revised  ore  prices  are  as  follows:  $5.95  for  old  range  and 
$5.70  for  Mesabi  Bessemer;  $5.20  for  old  range  and  $5.05  for 
Mesabi  non-Bessemer.  The  advance  amounts  to  $1.50  per  ton. 
It  was  expected  to  be  but  $1.30,  but  this  was  changed  by  an 
advance  in  wages  granted  to  the  iron-ore  miners. 

COPPER 

The  demand  for  copper  is  easier,  as  should  be  expected  after 
the  heavy  and  excited  buying  of  recent  weeks.  At  the  same 
time,  quotations  are  about  as  strong  as  ever.  When  conces- 
sions are  made  they  are  a  consequence  of  quiet  negotiations  of 
which  the  public  is  supposed  to  know  nothing.  Of  course, 
there  is  more  or  less  current  business,  and  if  copper  were 
more  plentiful  for  near-by  delivery  more  would  be  doing.  An 
Italian  interest  is  understood  to  hav,e  taken  a  large  block 
within  the  past  week.  Prompt,  December  and  January  metal, 
both  Lake  and  electrolytic,  is  held  at  34c.  For  most  positions 
the  range  of  quotations  is  unusually  wide.  Some  sellers 
quote  December  at  34.50c,  first  quarter  at  33.75c,  second  at 
33c,  third  at  31.75c,  and  last  quarter  at  31c.  On  the  other 
hand,  others  say  that  the  producers  are  covering  favored  cus- 
tomers at  33c  for  the  first  quarter,  and  that  on  quiet  trans- 
actions 32c  probably  could  be  done  for  second  quarter  and 
31c  for  third  quarter.  It  is  intimated  that  some  of  the  con- 
sumers who  have  withheld  from  covering  their  second-quarter 
requirements  may  profit  thereby.  Last  week  allusion  was 
made  to  the  uneasiness  with  which  the  trade  was  viewing  the 
course  of  prices,  and  conservative  members  continue  to  ex- 
press similar  views.    They  point  out  that,  in  the  last  analysis, 


it  is  not  sales,  but  deliveries,  that  count,  and  should  deliveries 
be  interfered  with,  re-sale  metal  might  well  be  expected  to 
appear.  Last  winter,  when  the  mills  in  New  England  were 
embargoed,  considerable  copper  was  thrown  on  the  market 
with  a  depressing  effect  on  prices.  Already  many  Eastern 
freight-terminals  are  congested,  and  New  England  has  been 
embargoed.  Again,  there  is  the  probability  of  speculators,  and 
even  consumers,  selling  metal  to  take  the  handsome  profits 
that  they  can  realize.  A  note  of  caution,  inspired  by  produc- 
tion figures,  is  sounded  by  'Copper  Gossip,'  the  organ  of  the 
National  Conduit  &  Cable  Company. 

The  demand  for  brass  and  copper  products  shows  no  sign 
of  letting-up,  and  for  prompt  shipments  premiums  are  cheer- 
fully paid.  It  is  asserted  by  a  mill  rolling  sheet  copper  that 
it  cannot  compete  with  English  mills,  despite  the  scarcity  of 
copper  abroad  and  the  great  demand  for  finished  products. 
Sheet  copper  is  quoted  at  42c,  mill.  The  London  market  for 
spot  electrolytic  is  stronger,  the  quotation  yesterday  being 
£169  against  £163  a  week  previous.  Exports,  November  1  to 
28,  totaled  19,622  tons,  a  rather  small  showing. 

ZINC 

Business  has  been  good  in  the  past  few  days,  although  on 
Monday  and  Tuesday  of  this  week  a  somewhat  easier  ten- 
dency developed  through  the  desire  of  second-hands  to  take 
profits.  They  offered  and  sold  zinc  at  prices  a  little  below 
the  quotations  of  the  producers.  The  latter  are  not  so  willing 
to  sell  far  ahead  as  they  were.  All  classes  of  consumers  have 
been  in  the  market.  Prompt  prime  Western  was  to  be  had 
yesterday  at  13.25c,  New  York,  and  13c,  St.  Louis,  although 
some  of  the  producers  were  asking  at  least  ic  over  these 
prices.  For  December  producers  wanted  13.12$c,  St.  Louis, 
for  first  quarter  12.87J  to  13c,  and  for  second  quarter  12  to 
12.25c,  St.  Louis.  On  the  other  hand,  dealers  quoted  first 
quarter  at  12.75c,  St.  Louis,  and  12c.  for  second  quarter. 
Prominent  producers  believe  that  prices  will  hold  fairly  firm 
throughout  the  winter  The  London  market  for  spot  was 
quoted  yesterday  at  £59  against  £56  10s.  a  week  previous.  Ex- 
ports, November  1  to  28,  were  large,  amounting  to  13,334  tons. 
Sheet  zinc  for  prompt  shipment  in  carload  lots  is  quoted  at 
21c,  f.o.b.  smelter,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  lead  situation  is  an  interesting  one  for  several  reasons. 
In  the  first  place,  while  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  has  not  changed  its 
official  quotation  of  7c,  New  York,  and  6.92*c,  St.  Louis,  it  is 
nevertheless  taking  orders  for  January  shipment  at  7.15c. 
Near-by  lead  is  difficult  to  procure.  The  independent  pro- 
ducers are  well  filled  with  orders,  and  when  they  sell,  their 
product  easily  commands  7.25  to  7.30c,  New  York.  The  lead- 
ing interest  is  not  selling  prompt  metal,  and  probably  will  not 
until  its  price  is  advanced.  The  trade  will  not  be  surprised  to 
see  the  quotation  go  to  7.50c  in  the  next  few  days.  There  is 
a  good  demand,  as  yet  unsatisfied.  The  London  spot  quotation 
is  unchanged  at  £30  10s.  Exports  November  1  to  28  totaled 
1363  tons. 

TIN 

The  quotation  for  spot  Straits  tin  yesterday  was  45.25c, 
New  York.  In  the  week  the  price  has  been  higher,  but  the 
market  became  easier  as  dullness  became  more  settled.  The 
only  interest  shown  was  in  far  futures.  One  explanation  of 
the  quiet  is  that  the  tin-plate  mills  only  cover  their  contracts 
when  the  latter  are  signed  and  sealed,  in  a  manner  similar  to 
that  in  which  the  brass  mills  have  been  buying  copper  and 
spelter.  The  statistics  are  considered  fairly  good,  the  arrivals 
this  month  amounting  to  2230  tons,  while  there  is  afloat  3392 
tons. 


December  9,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


861 


Book  Reviews 


Field  GEOLOGY.  By  Frederick  H.  Lahee.  P.  508.  111.,  index. 
McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  Inc.,  New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  the 
Mixing  and  Scientific  Press.    Price  $3. 

The  author  presents  an  excellent  treatise  on  geology  which 
will  be  useful  to  students  and  engineers  in  the  field,  its  size 
7.5  by  5.25  in.  with  flexible  morocco  cover,  making  it  conven- 
ient to  carry  in  the  pocket.  It  contains  409  half-tones  and  line- 
drawings,  which  so  illustrate  the  text  that  even  the  young 
student  can  understand.  In  addition  to  the  descriptive  geology 
there  is  a  chapter  devoted  to  geologic  surveying,  in  which 
many  valuable  suggestions  are  made  to  the  young  geologist 
and  engineer  in  the  field.  Another  chapter  deals  with  the 
preparation  of  reports  and  geologic  maps,  and  in  the  appendix 
are  found  tables  for  use  in  determining  rocks;  the  solution  of 
triangles,  and  a  useful  bibliography.  In  fact,  it  covers  the 
field  thoroughly,  from  the  viewpoint  of  both  the  geologist  and 
the  engineer. 

The  Mines  Handbook  and  Coppeb  Handbook.  By  Walter 
Harvey  Weed.  P.  1686.  111.,  index.  Stevens  Copper  Handbook 
Co.,  29  Broadway,  New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press.    Price,  $10. 

Since  1914,  when  Volume  XI  was  published,  there  has  been 
a  growing  enquiry  as  to  when  the  next  edition  would  be  avail- 
able. The  great  business  in  copper  is  responsible  for  this  de- 
mand for  a  reliable  reference  work.  It  is  with  pleasure  that 
we  review  such  a  compilation,  which  must  have  occupied  con- 
siderable time  and  labor.  Compared  with  the  previous  number 
this  contains  273  additional  pages.  As  will  be  observed,  the 
title  has  been  changed,  rendered  necessary  by  the  inclusion  of 
companies  extracting  antimony,  gold,  lead,  silver,  tungsten, 
and  zinc,  in  fact,  all  metals  save  iron,  in  addition  to  the  usual 
details  concerning  copper  companies.  Herein  lies  the  much- 
added  value  to  the  work,  and  for  the  first  time  those  who  use 
such  a  reference  are  able  to  find  data  concerning  active  com- 
panies producing  all  of  these  metals  in  North  America,  and  a 
few  in  Central  and  South  America.  We  have  been  accustomed 
in  the  past  to  consult  Skinner's  'Mining  Manual'  for  many 
things  not  answered  in  any  American  work;  now  we  will  find 
Weed's  'Mines  Handbook'  helps  us  considerably.  Owing  to  the 
War,  many  foreign  mines  were  omitted,  as  it  was  impossible  to 
procure  the  required  information.  The  data  concerning  in- 
dividual companies  range  from  one  line  to  ten  pages.  The 
publication  contains  a  vast  amount  of  new  matter,  added  to 
that  in  the  last  volume.  In  the  first  22  pages  the  glossary  of 
mining  terms  is  right  up  to  date,  including  definitions  of 
flotation  and  froth.  The  increased  search  for  the  rarer  and 
common  metals  has  resulted  in  better  study  of  their  mineral 
occurrences,  and  in  the  Handbook  are  24  pages  giving  all  the 
copper  minerals  and  the  more  important  of  the  other  metals, 
though  we  miss  those  of  tungsten  and  molybdenum.  From 
page  S6  to  1249,  inclusive,  alphabetically  arranged,  are  all  the 
companies  previously  referred  to.  Statistics  on  the  metal- 
mining  industry  cover  79  pages.  Herein  are  production  figures, 
prices,  charts,  brief  notes  on  each  important  metal,  and  trad- 
ing transactions.  Chapters  VII  and  VIII  show  dividends, 
prices  of  stocks,  and  data  of  the  world's  principal  mines.  A 
list  of  dormant  or  dead  mining  companies  covers  97  pages. 
Chapter  X  is  a  directory  of  175  pages  of  presidents,  secretaries, 
treasurers,  directors,  mine  managers,  and  superintendents  of 
the  companies  listed.  A  geographical  list  of  all  companies 
occupies  the  last  chapter.    In  short,  a  valuable  compendium. 


Accidents  at  Metallurgical  Works  in  the  United  States  is 
the  title  of  Technical  Paper  164  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  just 
issued. 


Oil  Lease — Liability  to  Pabtnebs 
Persons  contributing  labor,  material,  and  cash  for  driving  an 
oil-well  under  agreement  to  incorporate  and  issue  stock  in  pro- 
portion to  their  contributions  if  the  well  comes  in,  otherwise 
each  to  lose  what  he  put  in,  are  partners  and  are  jointly  liable 
for  labor  debts  incurred  by  one  of  the  partners  in  drilling. 
Roberts   v.    McKinney    (Texas),    187    Southwestern,    976. 
July  3,  1916. 

Coal  Lands — Notice  of  Fraudulent  Entry 
A  coal  company  acquired  a  bond  for  a  deed  to  a  large  quan- 
tity of  land,  800  acres  of  which  was  then  a  part  of  the  Public 
Domain  and  was  known  coal  land.  Subsequently  the  obligor 
obtained  patents  through  dummy  locators  and  conveyed  the 
land  to  the  company.  Held,  that  the  company  was  chargeable 
with  knowledge  of  such  facts  that  it  was  not  entitled  to  pro- 
tection as  a  bona-fide  purchaser.  The  stockholders  of  a  cor- 
poration which  has  purchased  coal  lands  previously  patented 
are  not  disqualified  by  such  act  from  making  individual  entries 
of  their  own,  as  the  acquisition  by  purchase  after  patent  of 
coal  lands  is  not  counted  as  a  "single  entry"  allowed  by  the 
statute. 

Northern  Colorado  Coal  Co.  v.  United  States  (Colorado), 
234  Federal,  34.    May  1,  1916. 

Oil  and  Gas  Lease — Covenant  Breached — Damages 
An  oil  and  gas  lessee  who  has  assigned  a  portion  of  his  in- 
terest in  his  leases  and  agreed  with  his  assignee  to  pay  all 
delay  rentals  until  oil  or  gas  is  produced  and  who,  although 
stipulating  that  he  is  not  to  be  bound  to  make  explanations, 
agrees  that  before  he  will  suffer  any  leases  to  lapse,  he  will 
notify  such  assignee,  and  will  assign  to  him  all  leases  which 
he  may  not  desire  to  keep  alive,  thereby  impliedly  covenants 
not  to  dispose  of  such  leases  to  a  stranger  without  the  consent 
of  such  assignee.  Such  a  covenant  being  personal  would  not 
pass  with  the  lease  on  assignment  to  the  new  assignee.  In 
estimating  damages  for  breach  of  such  covenant  and  subse- 
quent lapse  of  the  leases,  it  is  proper  to  take  into  account  the 
selling-value  of  the  leases  at  the  time  the  right  of  action 
accrued. 

Millan  v.  Bartlett  (West  Virginia),  89  Southeastern,  711. 
September  12,  1916. 

Railroad  Patent — Collateral  Attack  by  Mineral  Claimant 
The  plaintiff  originally  located  mineral  lands  and  mined  ore 
thereon.  Long  prior  to  his  location  the  land  in  question  had 
been  placed  by  Congress  within  the  limits  of  a  grant  to  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Co.,  and  patent  thereto  was  issued 
under  the  terms  of  said  grant  to  defendant's  predecessors  in 
interest  while  the  plaintiff  was  still  in  possession  of  and  min- 
ing on  said  ground.  Later  the  plaintiff  abandoned  his  claim, 
and  years  afterward  came  back  and  re-located  the  land  as  a 
mining  claim,  on  the  theory  that  it  had  been  excluded  from 
the  railroad  patent  as  mineral-bearing  land.  Plaintiff's  claim 
of  title  was  based  on  this  later  location.  Held,  title  vested  in 
defendant  under  the  railroad  patent.  The  attempted  exception 
from  said  patent  by  the  Land  Department  of  "all  mineral 
land,  should  any  such  be  found  in  the  tracts  aforesaid"  was 
void  on  its  face.  The  issuance  by  the  Department  of  a  rail- 
road patent  was  in  itself  an  adjudication  that  the  land  was 
non-mineral,  conclusive  against  all  collateral  attacks.  A  sub- 
sequent locator  is  not  in  privity  with  the  Government  in  the 
sense  that  would  permit  of  a  direct  attack  by  him  on  the 
validity  of  the  patent. 

Vore  v.  Ephram  (California),  159  Pacific,  719.    August  2, 
1916. 


862 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS. 


December  9,  1916 


Industrial  Notes 

Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 

PUBSQpihlJ     :j\>  :••,:: J     VJSLsl    Cos,ip3^SSS<S.  jMs 

One  of  the  most  interesting  air-lift  plants  in  the  South-west 
is  the  one  on  the  J.  A.  "White  ranch,  three  miles  north-west  of 
Fort  Bliss,  near  El  Paso,  Texas.  One  class  N-SO  Chicago 
pneumatic  compressor  pumps  two  wells,  each  600  ft.  deep,  the 
water  standing  250  ft.  from  the  surface.  The  compressor 
forces  the  air  down  into  the  wells,  and  although  they  are  not 
yet  entirely  free  from  sand,  the  water  is  raised  in  sufficient 
volume  to  supply  a  town  of  2000  inhabitants. 


PLANT   FOE   PUMPING    WATER   BY    COMPRESSED   AIE. 

Class  N-SO  compressors  are  made  in  four  standard  strokes, 
S,  10,  12,  and  14  in.,  with  capacities  from  70  to  300  cu.  ft.  They 
may  be  supplied  portable  (on  truck)  or  skid  mounted  as  well 
as  stationary,  and  are  manufactured  by  the  Chicago  Pneumatic 
Tool  Company. 


Esje^-y  'Type  of  Bfisslhsm'leal 


The  oil-pump  shown  was  designed  for  the  lubrication  of 
stationary  and  portable  steam  or  Diesel  oil-engines  and  air- 
compressor  cylinders.  The  manufacturers,  the  Lunkenheimer 
Co.  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  exercised  great  care  in  the  selection 
of  the  materials  used  in  the  construction  of  the  pump.  As 
practically  all  operating  parts  are  within  the  body  and  either 
immersed  in  oil  or  automatically  lubricated,  the  greatest  dur- 
ability possible  is  attained. 

The  operation  is  as  follows,  reference  being  had  to  the  ac- 
companying illustration:  Engine-link  B-50377  is  attached  to 
eccentric-rod  or  other  moving  part  of  engine  and  connected  to 
link  B-50376  by  a  rod  of  proper  length.  Line  check  B-7354, 
threaded  for  J-in.  pipe,  is  furnished  for  every  oil  outlet  on 
pump  and  is  attached  as  close  to  the  steam  pipe  as  possible. 
The  position  of  the  link  B-50376  on  rod"  RB-1754A,  governs  the 
arc  of  travel  of  ratchet-wheel  1-1995.  Gear  1-3965,  revolving 
with  ratchet-wheel  1-1995,  imparts  motion  to  pump-plungers 
through  the  mediums  of  gear  1-3965  on  eccentric  shaft  and 
eccentrics  S-625A.  Auxiliary  plungers  being  suitably  con- 
nected with  force-pump  plungers,  move  in  unison  therewith. 
On  the  up-stroke  of  auxiliary  plungers,  oil  is  drawn  through 
strainers  in  bottom  of  holders  SB-402,  into  auxiliary  cylinders 
B-51841,  from  where  it  is  forced  on  downward  stroke  through 
tubes  CT-24,  and  passage  in  parts  B-51839  to  sight-feeds  G-52M. 
As  the  oil  drops  through  the  sight-feeds,  it  is  drawn  into 
force-pump  cylinder  on  the  downward  stroke  of  the  plungers 
S-1939,  from  where  it  is  forced  upon  the  upward  stroke  through 
unions  B-6126  to  the  cylinders  to  be  lubricated.    The  quantity 


of  oil  desired  fed  is  regulated  outside  the  body  by  auxiliary 
pump-plunger  extension  stems  RB-2129.  Regardless  of  the 
level  of  oil  in  reservoir,  the  lubrication  of  such  parts  within 
the  body  constantly  requiring  same,  is  automatically  taken 
care  of  by  an  arrangement  provided  at  the  bottom  of  the  force- 
pump  plunger. 

The  pump  operates  only  while  the  engine  is  running,  and 
automatically  feeds  more  or  less  oil  according  to  the  speed  of 
the  engine;  consequently  there  is  no  waste  of  oil.  Every  out- 
let is  provided  with  a  sight-feed.     These  are  large,  will  not 


B5IB39 

SI939 

RB2I29 


NEW  TYPE  OF  OIL-PUMP. 

become  oil  splashed,  and  the  dropping  oil  can  be  plainly  seen 
from  a  distance.  Independent  feed  regulation  for  each  out- 
let is  also  provided.  They  can  readily  be  adjusted  without  the 
use  of  tools  or  the  removal  of  any  of  the  parts.  The  filling 
hole  is  large  for  convenience  in  filling.  A  sliding  cap,  to  pre- 
vent dirt  from  entering,  is  provided,  and  within  the  opening  is 
a  bronze  strainer  which  can  readily  be  removed  for  cleaning. 
The  pump  can  be  had  with  from  one  to  four  feeds,  the  one-feed 
having  a  capacity  of  one  quart  or  half-gallon,  the  two-feed, 
half-gallon  or  one  gallon,  and  the  three  and  four-feed,  one 
gallon. 
The  trade  name  'Invincible'  has  been  given  to  the  apparatus. 

A  2000-ton  mill  is  being  erected  at  the  Ray  Hercules  copper 
mine  in  Arizona,  for  which  the  Deister  Concentrator  Co.  has 
been  awarded  a  contract  to  supply  3  units  of  Overstrom  tables 
of  the  latest  type.  This  order  consists  of  4  roughers  and  1 
cleaner  for  each  unit,  or  15  in  all. 

Bulletin  201  of  the  Rolleb-Smith  Co.  of  New  York  briefly 
describes  its  portable  storage-battery  equipment  for  use  with 
the  firm's  bond-tester  on  rails. 


Bulletin  34  of  the  Mine  &  Smelter  Supply  Co.  of  Denver 
deals  with  the  Lindsay  oil-furnaces  and  burners,  as  used  in 
assay-offices. 


and 
Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A,  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  DECEMBER  16,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  25 


ililllllDIDIflllillilNllllffil 


lllllBllillllllllllflllllllllflllllAllilllliiH 


The  War   limits   our   facilities   for    the   supply  of  Constructional 
Steel  Work,  but  we  are  still  able  to 

TAKE  CARE  OF  THE  REQUIREMENTS 

OF  OUR 

OLD  CUSTOMERS 

FOR 

CYANIDE 


SODA 


BORAX 


QUICKSILVER 

AND  OTHER  CHEMICALS 


1      COTTON  TWILL 


JUTE  AND  COCOA  MATS     | 


I  AND  OTHER  FILTER-CLOTH 

|  Also  PUMPS  of  all  kinds,  TUBE-MILLS  ex  stock 

I  and  IRON  CASTINGS 

1  The  CYANIDE   PLANT   SUPPLY   COMPANY,  LIMITED 


■         28,  Victoria  Street 


[Note  new  address] 


London,  S.  W. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16.  1916 


THE  Dewatering  Device 

is  the 

Oliver  Filter 


Proved  by  the  foremost 

Mining 

Companies  in  the  United 

States. 

Here  are  some  that  dewater  with 

OLIVERS: 

ALVARADO  M.  &  M.  CO 

. . .  .Mexico 

AMPAEO    MINING    CO 

ANACONDA  COPPER  MINING  CO .  .  . 

.  .Montana 

ARIZONA   COPPER    CO 

ATOLIA   MINING    CO 

.California 

BEATSON  COPPER  CO 

. . .  .Alaska 

BETHLEHEM  STEEL  CO Fenn      - 

BUNKER  HILL  &  SULLIVAN 

Idaho 

BUTTE  &   SUPERIOR  MINING   CO.. 

.  .Montana 

CALAVERAS  COPPER  CO 

.California 

CANANEA  CON.   COPPER  CO 

CINCO   MINAS   CO 

COMACARAN  GOLD  MINING  CO 

. .  Salvador 

COMMONWEALTH  M.   &  M.   CO 

. .  .Arizona 

CON.    INTERSTATE-CALLAHAN  M. 

20.  ..Idaho 

CON.  M.  &  M.  CO.  OP  CANADA 

. .  . . Canada 

COPPER   CHIEF   MINING  CO 

. .  .Arizona 

CUBA  COPPER  CO 

Cuba 

DALY    REDUCTION    CO 

DOE   RUN  LEAD  CO 

EMPIRE  MINES  CO 

.California 

ENGELS  COPPER   MINING   CO 

.California 

FEDERAL   LEAD    CO 

.  .Missouri 

FEDERAL  M.  &  S.  CO 

Idaho 

FIRTH    STERLING   STEEL   CO Pennsylvania 

FURUKAWA    MINING    CO 

Japan 

GRASSELLI  CHEMICAL  CO New  Jersey 

INCA    MINING   CO 

Peru 

INSPIRATION   CON.    COPPER   CO... 

.  .  .Arizona 

LA  COTABAMAS  AURARIA 

Peru 

MIAMI    COPPER   CO 

. .  .Arizona 

MINA     JAVALI 

.Nicaragua 

MINAS    DEL   TAJO 

. .  .  .Mexico 

MOCTEZUMA    COPPER    CO 

. . .  .Mexico 

MOUNTAIN    COPPER    CO 

.California 

NATURAL  SODA   PRODUCTS   CO 

.California 

NEVADA  CON.   COPPER   CO 

. .  .Arizona 

NORTH    STAR   MINES    CO 

.California 

OLD  DOMINION  COPPER  M.  CO 

. .  .Arizona 

PORTLAND    GAS  &   COKE    CO 

RAY  CONS.  COPPER  CO 

ST.    JOSEPH    LEAD    CO 

TAKATA  &  CO 

TOMBOY   GOLD  MINES  CO 

.  .Colorado 

USHIO    KINZAN    CO ' 

Japan 

To  be  able  to  handle  1000  tons 
a  day — to  operate  automatically  and 
to  discharge  the  cake  to  a  belt  con- 
veyor—  and  at  a  cost  of  only  3X 
cents  a  ton  makes  an  OLIVER 
THE  filter  for  your  mine. 

Oliver  Continuous 
Filter  Company 


501  Market  St. 


San  Francisco 


NO     ROYALTIES    TO     PAY 


''.::■  .  !  '!i  i!:  '   :.;;,: 


EDITORIAL  STAFF; 
T.  A.  RICKARD  Editor 

M-W.-oaBERNEWITZI^Ej^ 
W.  H.  STORMS  I 


ESTABLISHED  I860 

Published  at  420  Market  St..  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publishing  Co. 
CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Business  Manaaer 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  II.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelasfo  Caetant. 
Courtenay   De  Kalb. 
F.    Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.   H.   Probert. 
C.  W.  Purlngton. 
Horace  V.  Wlnchell. 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ijjnoranl 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  December  16,  1916 


J3  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


EDITORIAL  Page. 

NOTES     S63 

The  Human  Side  of  the  Engineer's  Work S64 

The  Congress  of  Human  Engineering  at  the  University 
of  Ohio.  Expressions  of  opinion  in  the  relation  of 
the  engineer  to  the  employer  and  employee.  Impor- 
tance of  this  phase  of  his  professional  life.  The  part 
to  be  played  by  the  engineer  in  adjusting  the  rela- 
tions of  capital  and  labor.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16, 
1916. 

American  Capital  in  British  Columbia  S65 

Most  of  the  important  mining  enterprises  in  British 
Columbia  are  under  American  control,  financial  and 
technical.  The  American  is  welcomed.  Prospects  of 
further  good  business.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916. 

Minerals  Separation  Wins 866 

Comment  on  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court's  decision  in  the 
case  of  Minerals  Separation  v.  James  M.  Hyde.  The 
collection  of  royalty  from  infringers.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  16,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 
A  Matter  of  Principle. 

By  E.  W.  Parker  and  C.  E.  Grunsky,  Jr 867 

Discussion  of  the  so-called  "Shockley  episode"  has 
come  to  a  natural  conclusion.  The  dispute  originally 
arose  over  some  figures  dealing  with  the  earnings  of 
anthracite  coal-miners  in  Pennsylvania.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  16,  1916. 
Flotation  at  the  Calaveras  CorPEE  Mine. 

By  Ernest  Gayford  868 

Comparison  of  ore  occurrence  in  the  Calaveras  and 
National  copper  mines — the  latter  in  Idaho;  hardness 
of  the   ores,   extraction   by   flotation,   and   pneumatic 
cells.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916. 
The  Extra-Lateral  Right. 

By  S.  S.  Fowler  868 

Facts  concerning  apex-rights  in  British  Columbia,  and 
their  abolition  in  1S92.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916. 
Absorption  of  Gold  by  Plates. 

By  William  Macdonald   869 

Hints  on  amalgamation  and  on  the  scaling  of  plates. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916. 

ARTICLES 
The  Prevention  of  Misfires. 

By  E.  F.  Brooks   871 

Poor  judgment  is  responsible  for  many  misfires,  also 


Page, 
cheap   powder,    caps,   and    fuse.     Practical    hints    on 
charging  holes.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916.      ' 

The  Launching  of  the  Yuba  No.  16. 

By  Walter  S.  Weeks  872 

Much  gaiety  usually  attends  the  launching  of  a  vessel; 
this  affair  was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  This  dredge 
is  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world — and  the  most  effi- 
cient.   M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Conditions  in  Mexico. 

By  Our  Mexican  Correspondent 874 

Another  letter  from  a  well-informed  mining  engineer. 
These  notes  discuss  the  financial  conditions  in  Mexico. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Gold  in  Silver  Concentrate. 

By  A.  J.  Sale   878 

The  assay  of  silver  concentrate  containing  a  small 
quantity  of  gold.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916. 

Recovering  Gold  From  Saprolite 878 

Saprolite  is  decomposed  schist  or  slate,  which,  when 
washed  in  simple  machines,  yields  its  gold  contents. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916. 

The  Hydraulic  Air-Compressor. 

By  A.  E.  Clwdzko 879 

A  technical  description  of  a  system  whereby  com- 
pressed air  is  generated  efficiently  at  low  cost,  using 
no  machinery,  only  the  power  of  falling  water,  which 
entraps  air  in  suitable  receivers.  M.  &  S.  P.,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1916.    Illustrated. 

The  White  Caps  Mine,  Manhattan,  Nevada. 

By  John  L.  Dynan  884 

Ore  deposits  consist  of  small  gold-bearing  veins  of 
quartz  and  calcite,  low-grade  disseminations  through 
cleavage-planes  of  schist,  and  replacements  in  lime- 
stone.   M.  &  S.  P.,  December  16,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Cheap  Mine  Ventilation   886 

Tank  Construction    886 

DEPARTMENTS 

Mining  News  Summary    887 

Personal    890 

The  Metal  Market 891 

Eastern  Metal  Market   892 

Recent  Patents   893 

Company  Reports    895 

Prices  of  Chemicals  and  Old  Metals  895 

Recent  Publications    896 

Book  Review 896 

Industrial  Notes 896 


Established  May  24.  1860.  as  The  Scientific  Press;  name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press.  M  _     , 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


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20 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

(i 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 


TO  MINERS 

of 

PLACER  GOLD 


Investigate  the  Union  Drill.  It  is  easy  to  operate;  it 
is  readily  portable  and  can  be  knocked  down  for  mule- 
back  transportation  and  easily  re-assembled.  It  is 
made  in  two  types,  A  and  B,  the  latter  with  steel  frame 
and  design  for  somewhat  heavier  work  than  A.  The 
illustration  below  shows  the  Type  B  drill  ready  for 
operation.  Bulletin  15  gives  much  interesting  data 
of  value  to  prospectors  and  placer  miners  in  general. 
Write  for  it. 


Union 

Construction 

Company 

H.  G.  PEAKE     W.  W.  JOHNSON 

604  Mission  St. 
San  Francisco 


This  is  one  of  many  gold  dredges  designed  and 
constructed  by  this  company.  It  was  built  for 
C.  J.  Berry  and  has  a  3J-foot  bucket  line,  and 
digs  from  1700  to  2400  cubic  yards  per  day  of 
24  hours.  We  contract  for  the  design  and  con- 
struction of  gold  dredges  for  any  capacity,  to  be 
erected  anywhere.  This  dredge  is  operated  on 
wood  fuel,  using  only  3^  cords  per  day  of  24 
hours. 


The  Neill  jig  is  being  used  with  great  success  on 
dredging  and  sluicing  operations  for  the  saving 
of  fine  and  rusty  gold.  If  you  are  operating  a 
placer  mine,  it  is  worth  money  to  you.    Write  us. 


December  Hi.  l!H(i 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


863 


1  ■  :   .    ... 


HH BBBBW  U  ;. 


T.    A.    RICKARD,     Editor 


QPEAK1NC  of  patents,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
*"-*  the  Chilean  law  allows  rights  to  anyone  bringing 
forward  a  new  application  of  another's  patented  inven- 
tion. 

O  ILVER  continues  strong  at  the  pleasant  price  of  about 
k~'  75  cents  per  ounce.  Prospects  are  good  for  the  main- 
tenance of  a  market  favorable  to  the  miner.  Chinese  ex- 
ports are  calling  for  silver  in  exchange  and  the  European 
governments  continue  to  buy  silver  for  minting  into  sub- 
sidiary coin. 

/"•URVES  of  the  cost  of  living  aud  of  gold  importation 
^  are  found  on  opposite  pages  of  The  Annalist,  sug- 
gesting the  possible  relation  of  cause  and  effect.  The 
depreciation  of  gold,  following  upon  our  accumulation 
of  a  plethoric  stock  of  it,  is  one  reason  why  the  cost  of 
domestic  supplies  has  risen  so  uncomfortably. 

^TENNESSEE  COPPER  has  passed  again  into  the 
■*■  hands  of  the  Lewisohns,  who  first  made  it  a  success. 
A  re-organization  of  the  company  has  followed  the  resig- 
nation of  Mr.  Utley  Wedge,  who  is  followed,  as  president, 
by  Mr.  Adolph  Lewisohn.  We  note,  with  pleasure,  that 
Mr.  J.  Parke  Channing  also  joins  the  board  of  directors. 

T>  EPERRING  to  the  flotation  decision,  discussed  on 
■*-*-  another  page,  it  is  necessary  to  note  that  the  life  of 
the  basic  patent,  No.  835,120,  is  short.  It  will  run  as 
long  as  the  British  patent  No.  7803,  of  which  it  is  a 
duplicate.  The  latter  dates  from  April  12,  1905,  and  has 
a  life  of  14  years,  that  is,  to  April  12,  1919,  or  a  little 
over  two  years  more.  This  is  an  important  point  that 
will  become  prominent  in  the  discussion  of  the  subject. 

SECRETARY  LANE'S  annual  report  includes  an  ac- 
count of  the  work  done  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Van.  H.  Manning.  The  record 
includes  sundry  remarkable  items,  such  as  the  extraction 
of  $1,000,000  worth  of  radium  from  carnotite  ore  mined 
in  Colorado.  During  the  year  8|  grams  of  radium  was 
produced  at  a  cost  of  $40,000  per  gram,  as  compared  with 
a  market  price  of  $100,000.  Most  of  this  was  delivered 
to  the  two  principal  cancer  hospitals.  Another  im- 
portant item  is  the  claim  that  in  the  Rittman  process  the 
Bureau  has  perfected  a  cracking  method  for  producing 
gasoline  from  crude  oil  at  a  cost  of  6  cents  per  gallon. 
Controversy  is  rampant  over  this  claim,  but  we  hope  that 
it  may  be  fully  confirmed  in  due  course.  The  saving  of 
$20,000,000  worth  of  natural  gas  in  the  Blackwell  dis- 
trict of  Oklahoma  and  the  development  of  an  electrical 
furnace  that  will  save  $10,000,000  in  the  brass  industry 


are  two  more  feats  recorded  to  the  credit  of  the  Bureau. 
Some  of  the  newspaper  summaries  sent  out  from  Wash- 
ington savor  of  sensational  advertising,  and  we  regret 
that  such  methods  should  be  deemed  necessary  to  win 
public  support  for  the  Bureau.  It  is  doing  good  work 
and  needs  no  exaggerated  stories  to  commend  its  labors 
to  the  special  public  interested  in  mining. 

(~\N  another  page  we  publish  a  short  but  vivid  account 
^^  of  the  launching  of  another  dredge  on  the  property 
of  the  Yuba  Consolidated  Goldfields  Company.  This  is 
written  by  Mr.  Walter  S.  Weeks,  of  the  University  of 
California,  and  is  delightfully  illustrated  with  the  photo- 
graphs he  himself  took.  Last  week  we  quoted  some  of  the 
figures  of  yield  and  cost  at  this  celebrated  gold-dredging 
mine,  showing  that  the  yield  was  12.87  and  the  cost  3.7 
cents  during  the  first  half  of  the  current  year.  We  are 
informed  by  Mr.  W.  P.  Hammon  that  the  type  of  boat 
described  in  the  article  will  dig  for  3f  cents  per  cubic 
yard  in  the  Yuba  alluvium,  where  the  depth  of  gravel 
below  the  water-line  is  80  feet  and  the  height  of  bank 
above  water  is  20  feet,  so  that  the  total  depth  of  digging 
is  100  feet.  A  dredge  of  this  kind  will  move  boulders 
weighing  four  tons,  but  at  Marysville  the  absence  of  any 
such  masses  of  rock  is  a  favorable  feature,  the  largest 
weighing  barely  one  ton.  The  power  of  the  machine  is 
shown,  however,  by  its  ability  to  knock  off  projecting 
points  of  rock,  such  as  the  basalt  dikes  protruding 
through  the  false  bottom  of  tuff.  Roots  of  trees  and  logs 
embedded  in  the  gravel  are  the  chief  nuisance  to  the 
dredge-master,  but  even  of  these  there  is  not  much  to 
interfere  with  regular  excavation.  The  new  dredge  is 
almost  a  duplicate  of  its  predecessor,  the  chief  difference 
being  the  double  stacker  required  to  keep  an  open  chan- 
nel. Such  improvements  as  have  been  made  in  the  con- 
struction of  this  machine  are  mostly  in  the  minor  details 
that  contribute  to  greater  strength  and  to  operation  at  a 
minimum  cost,  which  means  the  overcoming  of  the  lia- 
bility to  breakage  and  the  consequent  nearest  approach 
to  continuous  running.  The  Yuba  Consolidated  is  the 
biggest  and  best  dredging  enterprise  in  existence.  There 
remains  enough  ground  to  operate  for  12  years  at  the 
rate  of  150,000,000  cubic  yards  per  annum.  The  com- 
pany is  controlled  in  Boston. 

TN  this  issue  we  publish  another  letter  from  our  Mexican 
■*•  correspondent  describing  the  real  conditions  prevail- 
ing in  the  interior  of  that  ungoverned  country.  His  de- 
scription of  the  shifts  to  which  Carranza  has  been  put 
in  order  to  raise  money  should  prove  illuminating.    Re- 


864 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


pudiatiou  of  one  set  of  notes,  bearing  the  seal  of  na- 
tional honor,  has  been  followed  by  the  creation  of  new 
notes  that  within  six  months  have  fallen  to  the  vanishing 
point.  This  destruction  of  paper-values  has  made  it 
difficult  for  the  de  facto,  more  accurately  the  pseudo, 
government  to  satisfy  the  soldiers  in  its  employ,  so  that 
discipline  passes  easily  into  desertion,  setting  loose  a 
swarm  of  marauders.  Cabrera's  law  regulating  debts  is 
worthy  of  opera  bouffe.  As  is  usual  during  a  revolution, 
the  debtor  discards  his  obligations,  so  that  the  new  decree 
is  only  an  impudent  legalization  of  accomplished  depre- 
dation. The  recent  attempt  to  enforce  payment  in  gold 
was  a  fiasco,  of  course,  because  there  is  not  enough  to  go 
round,  even  if  public  confidence  in  the  Government  were 
such  as  to  warrant  the  use  of  the  hoarded  coin  in  a  world 
of  flimsy  paper.  The  banking  position  is  as  bad  as  it  can 
be.  Cabrera's  baiting  of  the  banks  has  only  failed  be- 
cause the  vaults  are  physically  irresistible  to  anything 
except  dynamite.  From  what  our  correspondent  states, 
it  appears  likely  that  even  explosive  methods  of  finance 
will  be  adopted  in  the  last  resort.  The  Burton  Wilson 
incident  is  significant  as  showing  the  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing information  without  subjecting  the  informant  to 
Mexican  reprisals.  If  Cabrera  and  Carranza  broke  faith 
with  the  American  members  of  the  Commission,  as  is 
stated,  it  is  high  time  to  cease  polite  conversations  with 
them.  We  believe  the  story  told  by  our  correspondent, 
who  has  proved  singularly  accurate  in  his  previous  let- 
ters. Famine  and  typhus  are  spreading  over  the  devas- 
tated country.  Zapata  and  his  band  are  on  the  rampage 
still,  Felix  Diaz  is  somewhere  on  the  edge  of  things  con- 
cocting a  new  revolution,  Villa  is  capturing  cities  and 
looting  them  as  heretofore,  Carranza  is  fulminating  de- 
crees and  enacting  paper  laws,  Washington  is  making 
phrases  to  pass  the  time  of  watchful  waiting,  and  Mexico 
is  sinking  ever  deeper  into  the  abyss  of  perdition. 


HaaijfiaiKSfSsr's  WosfUs 


We  have  received  a  short  account  of  the  Congress  of 
Human  Engineering  that  was  held  at  the  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity in  the  last  week  of  October.  This  conference  was 
designed  to  discuss  the  human  factor  in  industry  from 
various  points  of  view,  notably  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
employer,  superintendent,  engineer,  laborer,  employment 
agent,  welfare  worker,  economist,  a*id  teacher.  All  the 
students  in  the  College  of  Engineering  and  in  the  De- 
partment of  Economics  and  Sociology  were  required  to 
attend,  so  that  a  considerable  body  of  young  men  in  the 
University  of  Ohio  had  the  chance  to  learn  something 
that  should  prove  of  great  use  to  them.  The  various  ad- 
dresses delivered  during  the  three  days  of  session  were 
intended  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  engineer,  in  order 
to  attain  the  highest  usefulness  to  himself,  to  his  em- 
ployer, to  the  workmen,  and  to  society  as  a  whole,  must 
be  trained  in  a  knowledge  of  the  psychology,  needs,  pos- 
sibilities, and  weaknesses  of  the  workers — in  short,  he 


must  do  his  share  in  bringing  peace  into  industry,  and 
to  do  that  he  must  be  equipped  with  a  sympathetic  knowl- 
edge of  human  nature.  This  conference  appears  to  have 
achieved  its  purpose  in  bringing  this  point  of  view  into 
large  relief.  The  progress  being  made  in  social  better- 
ment throughout  the  country  received  proper  recogni- 
tion. Among  the  notable  expressions  of  opinion  we  quote 
the  following.  Mr.  W.  A.  Knight  said :  ' '  Engineers  are 
fast  awakening  to  the  fact  that  there  can  be  no  real 
efficiency  in  production  without  willing  co-operation  on 
the  part  of  workmen."  Mr.  C.  C.  Morris:  "The  engineer 
of  the  future  will  be  one  with  a  more  thorough  training 
in  the  fundamentals,  with  a  knowledge  of  men  and 
things,  and  a  sympathy  broad  enough  to  see  even  in  the 
most  illiterate  immigrant  not  only  a  human  being  but  a 
future  American  citizen."  Mr.  C.  R.  Dooley  said  that 
the  meetings  gave  a  "lasting  impression  that  engineer- 
ing is  not  altogether  mathematics,  and  that  human  in- 
terest is  not  altogether  sentimental."  Mr.  Charles  R. 
Hook  remarked:  "Very  little  can  be  accomplished  by 
any  one  individual  in  any  industrial  establishment 
entirely  through  his  own  efforts ;  it  is  his  ability  to  obtain 
the  co-operation  of  all  those  who  work  with  him  .  .  . 
that  really  counts. ' '  Mr.  S.  P.  Brush  acknowledged  that 
"engineering  courses  are  narrow  to  the  extent  that 
they  deal  only  with  things"  and  that  "today  the  human 
element  in  all  industry  is  of  paramount  importance." 
Finally,  we  quote  Mr.  F.  H.  Newell,  who  laid  stress  on 
the  fact  that  "the  full  efficiency  of  any  man,  whether 
employer  or  employee,  is  the  outcome  of  goodwill,  of  the 
proper  mental  attitude,  such  as  is  attained  only  when 
men  have  a  close  personal  sympathy  and  a  feeling  that 
each  is  receiving  the  best  which  the  conditions  afford." 
He  also  said  that  "industrial  or  engineering  success  for 
any  one  man  or  class  of  men  does  not  involve  the  cor- 
responding distress  of  other  men;  but  rather  the  con- 
trary," and  that  "no  working-man  desires  to  be  consid- 
ered as  an  object  of  charity,  but  each  has  a  proper  right 
to  demand  equity."  These  sentiments  do  credit  to  the 
hearts  as  well  as  to  the  heads  of  the  gentlemen  quoted. 
They  represent  a  composite  opinion  that  it  is  a  pleasure 
to  record.  Manifestly  it  is  illogical  to  lay  emphasis  on 
the  growth  of  the  democratic  ideal  and  then  permit  em- 
ployers of  labor  to  treat  men  that  have  become  American 
citizens  as  if  they  were  peons  in  the  Mexico  of  today  or 
serfs  in  the  Russia  of  yesterday.  It  is  equally  foolish 
for  engineers  to  talk  about  efficiency  and  then  to  spoil 
the  usefulness  of  the  chief  implement  of  engineering — 
the  worker — by  handling  him  as  if  he  were  a  bit  of  cot- 
ton-waste. And  is  it  not  also  a  blunder  to  prate  about 
'safety  first'  and  then  to  treat  so  dangerous  an  explosive 
as  collective  bargaining  as  if  it  were  a  cylinder  of  saw- 
dust ?  Is  an  engineer  truly  educated  that  regards  labor 
organization  as  a  nuisance  to  be  tolerated  or  suppressed  ? 
These  are  some  of  the  thoughts  evoked  by  reading  about 
this  Congress  of  Human  Engineering — we  do  not  like  the 
name  of  it,  but  it  will  serve.  We  do  like  the  idea  behind 
it,  the  intellectual  sympathy  that  gave  it  momentum  and 
that  produced  so  fine  an  expression  of  opinion,  for  we 


December  lti.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


si;;, 


number  ourselves  with  those  that  regard  the  labor  prob- 
lem as  the  most  serious  to  be  faced  in  this  great  indus- 
trial democracy.  It  is  becoming  more  serious  every  year 
as  the  immigrant  becomes  Americanized  into  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  a  citizen  in  a  republic.  The  rise  in 
wages  caused  by  the  War  boom  and  the  shortage  of  labor 
due  to  the  check  upon  immigration  are  sure  to  be  suc- 
ceeded, when  peace  is  declared  in  Europe,  by  a  resump- 
tion of  immigration  and  a  drop  in  wages,  inevitably  in- 
eiting  protests  and  strikes  that  will  have  to  be  met  fairly 
and  eourageously.  Mining  will  suffer  from  them,  for  a 
time,  and  engineers  will  have  to  play  a  part  in  adjusting 
them.  They  can  do  so.  to  the  permanent  advantage 
equally  of  those  by  whom  they  are  employed  and  of  those 
whom  they  employ,  if  they  acquire  a  sympathetic  knowl- 
edge of  the  conditions  of  labor,  its  rights  and  its  respon- 
sibilities. The  editor  of  an  independent  paper  can 
sympathize  with  them — the  engineers — because  it  is  im- 
possible to  be  just  without  antagonizing  both  parties  in 
the  eternal  quarrel — a  stupid  quarrel — between  capital 
and  labor.  We,  for  example,  have  never  discussed  a 
strike  in  a  mining  district  without  being  anathematized 
by  the  labor-union  and  at  the  same  time  condemned  by  the 
company  management.  That,  of  course,  is  a  compliment 
to  our  effort  to  be  fair.  So  also  the  engineer,  in  his 
anxiety  to  be  humane,  may  be  reprimanded  by  the  head- 
office,  and  in  his  desire  to  defend  the  rights  of  his  em- 
ployer he  may  be  damned — or  dynamited — by  the  men 
formerly  under  his  direction.  However,  we  see  a  great 
improvement.  The  more  sagacious  among  presidents  and 
managing  directors  realize  the  necessity  for  reasonable- 
ness— indeed  many  of  them  are  leaders  of  enlightenment 
in  this  phase  of  human  philosophy.  The  divine  right  of 
Baer  and  the  anthraeite  trust  is  as  much  an  exploded 
fallacy  as  the  holiness  of  kingship.  Nevertheless  the  en- 
gineer still  occupies  a  middle  position  of  much  difficulty ; 
it  is  a  strong  character  that  can  escape  on  the  one  hand 
being  made  the  tool  of  a  soulless  corporation  and  on  the 
other  hand  becoming  victim  to  an  irresponsible  con- 
spiracy of  walking  delegates.  It  is  in  such  a  dilemma  that 
the  engineer  proves  himself  educated  in  more  than  mathe- 
matics, versed  in  more  than  maxims,  neither  a  pedant 
nor  a  brute,  but  a  man  and  a  citizen. 


J^.5M@£i©aia  <gapasiaH  aso,  HMSagH 


In  the  course  of  a  recent  journey  of  observation 
through  British  Columbia,  the  present  writer's  atten- 
tion waa  called  to  the  fact  that  most  of  the  important 
mining  enterprises  in  the  Province  are  controlled  by 
American  capital.  It  is  true  the  Consolidated  Mining  & 
Smelting  Company  of  Canada  is  a  conspicuous  excep- 
tion, bnt  the  exception  only  serves  to  emphasize  the  gen- 
eral trend  of  affairs  in  that  important  mineral  region. 
During  the  time  of  our  visit  the  subject  was  brought  to 
public  notice  in  a  speech  by  Mr.  Lorne  Campbell,  the 
Minister  of  Mines,  who  had  been  attacked  by  the  local 


press  ill'  the  opposite  political  party  for  his  goodwill 
toward  American  operators.  He  replied  that  he  was  not 
concerned  as  to  who  developed  the  mines  of  the  Province 
so  long  as  they  were  developed.  lie  recognized  that  the 
War  bad  put.  a  stop  to  the  supply  of  money  from  Eng- 
land and  suggested  that  capital  for  the  purpose  was  not 
available  just  now  in  Canada.  In  the  Sandon  district, 
for  example,  out  of  22  companies  operating  mines  no 
less  than  17  are  backed  by  American  capital,  so  said  Mr. 
Campbell.  He  pointed  to  the  fact  that  the  principal 
mines  of  Rossland  had  been  opened  up  by  Americans, 
chiefly  from  Spokane  and  the  Coeur  d'Alene,  and  he 
spoke  approvingly  of  the  splendid  work  done  by  the 
Granby  and  Britannia  companies,  concerning  which  our 
readers  can  form  their  own  opinion  if  they  read  the  de- 
scriptive articles  appearing  in  our  pages.  The  Minister 
of  Mines  went  further  and  expressed  the  hope  that  not 
only  would  American  money  become  increasingly  avail- 
able for  the  development  of  the  mines,  but  that  capital 
from  this  side  would  be  furnished  for  the  erection  of  re- 
fineries in  British  Columbia,  so  that  the  base  metals 
would  not  be  exported  to  distant  points  in  New  York  or 
Oklahoma.  The  blister  copper  made  at  Anyox,  550  miles 
northward  from  Vancouver,  is  sent  to  the  Nichols  re- 
finery in  the  State  of  New  York,  3300  miles  eastward 
from  Vancouver.  During  the  past  summer,  matte  made 
at  Anyox  has  been  shipped  through  Seattle  across  the 
border  to  Grand  Forks  to  be  converted,  and  the  result- 
ing blister  copper  then  transported  to  New  York.  The 
copper  concentrate  from  the  Britannia  mine  is  shipped 
to  Tacoma.  Zinc  concentrate  from  the  Kootenay  region 
goes  to  Kansas  City  to  be  roasted  for  the  manufacture 
of  sulphuric  acid,  the  residue  after  that  operation  being 
forwarded  to  Oklahoma,  where  it  yields  its  zinc,  and 
then  to  Norfolk,  West  Virginia,  where  finally  the  gold, 
silver,  and  copper  are  extracted.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  the  suggestion  of  establishing  a  refinery  on  the 
coast  of  British  Columbia  wins  support,  nor  that  Ameri- 
can capital  is  invited  to  take  the  project  in  hand.  From 
our  own  enquiries  among  representative  Canadians,  we 
ascertained  that  the  Minister  of  Mines  did  not  voice  the 
opinion  of  any  political  party  in  this  matter,  but  that 
the  people  of  the  Province  generally  are  thoroughly  in 
accord  with  the  views  enunciated  by  him. 

Why  should  it  be  otherwise?  Not  only  have  Ameri- 
cans furnished  the  capital,  but  they  have  supplied  tech- 
nical talent  of  the  highest  order,  so  that  mines  hereto- 
fore unproductive  have  developed  into  centres  of  living 
industry.  Many  of  the  Americans  employed  at  the  mines 
and  smelters  have  become  naturalized,  and  all  of  them 
have  proved  good  citizens  in  the  country  of  their  adop- 
tion— not  of  exile — at  a  time  when  the  patriotic  spirit 
of  Canada  has  been  thoroughly  awakened  by  the  great 
events  in  Europe.  In  short,  the  American  in  British 
Columbia  is  a  welcome  friend,  not  a  foreigner.  This  is 
the  consequence  of  their  spirit  of  co-operation.  They  do 
not  use  their  influence,  as  employers  of  labor,  to  corrupt 
the  legislature  or  the  municipality  in  order  to  gain  spe- 
cial privileges ;  they  simply  behave  as  good  citizens  and 


866 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


wide-awake  developers  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the 
Province.  That  is  a  relation  complimentary  to  the  Do- 
minion. In  countries  weakly  governed  it  is  difficult  to 
do  anything  without  being  'held  up,'  which,  in  the 
sequel,  means  compliance  with  methods  of  corruption. 
Canada  is  no  so-called  Latin-American  republic  ready 
to  be  the  prey  of  an  unscrupulous  exploiter.  The  Gov- 
ernment, both  Federal  and  Provincial,  may  not  be  im- 
maculate, but  it  offers  no  special  temptation  to  alien  cor- 
ruption. In  short,  what  is  called  the  political  'pene- 
tration' of  foreign  capital  and  the  commercial  'infiltra- 
tion' of  foreign  interests  in  an  insidiously  disintegrating 
way  is  not  possible  in  a  country  so  well  governed  and 
so  strong  in  its  spirit  of  nationality  as  is  Canada  today. 
It  is  no  Nicaragua,  no  Mexico,  nor  even  Italy.  Mr. 
Robert  Herrick  in  his  recent  book,  '  The  World  Decision, ' 
tells  how  German  capitalists  got  hold  of  hotels,  the  fac- 
tories, the  shops  in  Italy,  and  at  the  same  time  suborned 
the  politicians,  from  Gioletti  down.  He  also  dwells  upon 
the  fact  that  much  of  Mexico's  misery  is  traceable  to  the 
pernicious  influence  of  foreign  capital  upon  its  domestic 
policies.  On  the  other  hand,  the  United  States  "has 
drawn  upon  the  European  hoard  as  upon  an  interna- 
tional bank,  but  we  have  absolutely  controlled  the  dis- 
position of  the  moneys  borrowed."  The  beneficial  ex- 
ploitation of  our  own  country  by  foreign  capital  has 
entailed  no  surrender  of  industrial  or  political  power. 
The  position  of  Canada  is  exactly  the  same.  The  peo- 
ples north  and  south  of  the  unfortified  international 
boundary  go  into  the  house  of  their  friends  with  no 
thought  of  interfering  with  the  domestic  arrangements. 
On  the  contrary,  we  see  many  reasons  why  the  co-op- 
eration of  capital  and  technical  knowledge  from  the 
United  States  should  be  brought  to  bear  on  British  Co- 
lumbian mining  enterprise.  Our  contiguity  is  conven- 
ient and  attractive.  This  country  is  going  to  be  a  lender 
of  money,  instead  of  a  borrower ;  the  accumulation  of 
capital  in  consequence  of  these  years  of  abnormal  pros- 
perity is  destined  to  create  a  surplus  that  will  have  to  be 
used  fruitfully.  Why  go  to  China  and  Peru,  to  Chile  or 
Siberia,  when  a  resourceful  healthful  mineral  region  is 
across  the  street,  as  it  were?  Why  deal  with  people 
whose  language  we  do  not  speak  and  whose  ways  of  liv- 
ing we  cannot  understand  if  others  between  whom  and 
us  no  such  barriers  exist  are  much  nearer  ?  A  welcome  is 
given  by  the  people  of  British  Columbia,  They  recog- 
nize that  British,  and  even  Eastern  Canadian,  capital  is 
not  going  to  be  available  in  large. amount,  and  being 
Western,  progressive,  and  energetic,  they  turn  naturally 
to  the  capable  operators  and  engineers  in  our  West  for 
friendly  assistance.  We  commend  the  matter  to  the  con- 
sideration of  our  readers,  believing  that  it  will  prove  of 
mutual  benefit  to  the  two  parties  chiefly  concerned. 
Those  desiring  information  concerning  the  mining  regu- 
lations, the  distribution  of  the  mineral  deposits,  the 
facilities  of  transport,  and  the  like,  should  address 
themselves  to  the  Provincial  Mineralogist,  Mr.  William 
Fleet  Robertson,  at  Victoria,  to  whose  courtesy  we  can 
commend  them  confidently. 


On  December  11  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  by  unanimous  decision,  reversed  the  finding  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals  in  San  Francisco  in  the  case  of  Minerals 
Separation  v.  J.  M.  Hyde.  The  decision  substantially 
affirms  the  opinion  of  Judge  Bourquin  in  the  District 
Court  of  Montana  and  upholds  the  validity  of  the  basic 
patent,  No.  835,120,  owned  by  the  Minerals  Separation 
company,  a  British  corporation.  Thus  the  first  phase  of 
the  flotation  litigation  in  this  country  is  concluded  and 
the  owners  of  the  froth  patent  are  now  entitled  to  collect 
royalty  from  all  those  whom  the  law  has  defined  as  in- 
fringers, that  is,  anybody  making  a  mineral-laden  bubble 
for  metallurgical  purposes.  What  tax  the  Minerals  Sep- 
aration will,  or  can,  impose  we  do  not  know.  That  will  be 
disclosed  in  due  course.  Some  facetious  lawyers  have 
suggested  that  the  measure  of  benefit  is  the  difference  in 
the  cost  of  the  oil  saved  by  the  use  of  the  M.  S.  patent  as 
compared  with  the  amounts  used  in  the  prior  art.  Ordi- 
narily we  would  assume  that  the  'customary'  royalty  to 
be  allowed  by  the  Court  would  be  that  already  specified 
in  existing  contracts,  such  as  the  one  with  the  Anaconda 
and  Inspiration  companies,  as  published  in  our  issue  of 
September  16,  but  it  is  not  improbable  that  Minerals  Sep- 
aration will  endeavor  to  make  the  infringers  pay  more 
than  its  present  licensees,  who  showed  a  willingness  to 
recognize  its  patent  rights  before  the  Court  compelled 
them  to  do  so.  In  the  Anaconda-Inspiration  contract  the 
royalty  ranges  from  12  cents  per  ton  on  a  daily  output  of 
4000  tons  to  4  cents  per  ton  on  a  daily  tonnage  of  30,000. 
On  lead-zinc  ores  the  royalty  has  varied  with  the  richness 
of  the  ore,  and  has  ranged  between  15  and  20  cents  per 
ton.  On  gold  ores  the  usual  royalty  has  been  25  cents  per 
ounce  of  gold.  These  figures  furnish  a  basis  for  guessing 
what  may  be  demanded.  We  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
the  Minerals  Separation  people  will  make  a  serious  blun- 
der if  they  try  to  exact  punitive  royalties.  The  litigation 
is  not  necessarily  at  an  end;  the  Elmore  air  patent  has 
not  been  cited  as  yet  against  the  froth  patent  and  it 
offers  scope  for  much  more  trouble,  particularly  as  the 
American  rights  to  this  prior  patent  are  now  owned  in 
the  United  States.  Minerals  Separation  has  a  chance  to 
avoid  further  bitterness  of  feeling  by  being  reasonable — 
even  generous.  A  royalty  of  10  cents  per  ton  on  copper 
ores  and  of  25  cents  per  ounce  on  gold  ores  would  do  no 
great  hurt  to  anybody  and  would  give  the  patentee  an 
income  of  at  least  $3,000,000  now,  with  the  prospect  of 
a  great  deal  more  in  the  future.  We  note  that  the  British 
company  has  transferred  its  American  rights  to  a  new 
corporation  registered  in  Maryland  and  called  the  Min- 
erals Separation  North  American  Corporation.  This  is 
done,  we  presume,  to  remove  the  stigma  of  the  foreigner ; 
but  we  submit  that  prejudice  against  the  company  can 
be  obviated  much  more  effectively  by  a  display  of  gener- 
osity toward  users  of  the  process  instead  of  taking  re- 
prisals such  as  would  invite  litigation  that  might  out-last 
the  short  life  of  the  patent. 


December  Hi.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


867 


s 


Our  readers  are  invited  to  use  this  department  for  the  diacimion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertaia- 
ing  to  mining  and  metallurgy.      The  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  ovm,  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  Hum  casual  compliment. 


A  Matter  of  Principle 

The  Editor : 

Sir — The  'reply'  of  the  editor  of  the  Mining  and 
Scientific  Press  to  the  writer's  communication  of  No- 
vember 6  bears  out  the  impression  that  some  of  its  East- 
ern readers  conceived  in  the  first  place,  namely,  that  the 
securing  of  action  by  the  San  Francisco  section  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  on  the  so- 
called  Shoekley  episode,  and  the  publication  of  the 
objectionable  matter  in  the  Mining  and  Scientific 
Press,  were  more  for  the  purpose  of  making  copy  for 
that  journal,  than  to  do  justice  in  a  controversy  involving 
' '  a  matter  of  principle, ' '  and  in  which  the  editor  would 
make  it  appear  "a  wrong  is  done  to  a  member  of  our 
profession. ' ' 

The  editor  takes  the  opportunity  in  his  'reply'  to 
impugn  the  writer's  integrity  and  thereby  offers  a  gratui- 
tous insult.  No  notice  would  be  taken  of  this,  however, 
and,  so  far  as  the  writer  is  concerned,  the  incident  would 
be  closed,  if  the  editor  had  not  followed  it  with  a  mis- 
leading statement  in  which  he,  with  evident  intent  to  de- 
ceive his  readers,  apparently  quotes  from  the  writer,  but 
quotes  wrongly,  omits  important  portions  of  the  state- 
ment, and  thereby  does  the  author  of  them  gross  in- 
justice. Furthermore,  in  order  to  indulge  his  well- 
known  propensity  for  making  a  quip,  the  editor  "takes 
a  fling"  at  the  anthracite  industry  which  laeks  only  one 
essential — the  truth — to  give  it  justification. 

The  misquoted  statement  which  the  editor  attributes 
to  the  writer  is  made  in  the  following  tenus:  "Mr. 
Parker's  estimate  of  the  earnings  of  the  anthracite  miner 
is  $628."  Mr.  Parker  made  no  such  statement.  What 
he  did  say  in  a  letter  to  the  chairman  of  the  Anthracite 
Section,  and  which  was  sent  to  Mr.  Shoekley  was  that 
in  a  report  to  the  Anthracite  Coal  Strike  Commission 
' '  a  statement  by  the  Lehigh  Coal  &  Navigation  Company 
showed  that  the  contract  miners  in  their  employ  in  1901  • 
earned  $738.84,  which,  with  the  increases  in  1902  and 
1912  would  make  the  wages  of  their  contract  miners  at 
the  present  time  for  the  same  number  of  working  days, 
$894,"  and  that  on  the  same  basis  of  deduction  the 
average  yearly  earnings  of  all  underground  employees 
of  the  same  company  would  be  $628.  The  latter  figure 
included  the  wages  of  door-boys,  drivers,  and  all  other 
low-priced  labor.  The  editor  has  compared  the  highest 
priced  labor  in  the  Colorado  mines  with  the  average  of 
all  underground  labor  in  the  employ  of  one  anthracite 
company.    It  is  to  be  noted  that  in  the  foregoing  extract 


from  the  letter  to  the  chairman  of  the  Anthracite  Sec- 
tion the  writer  said  "for  the  same  number  of  working 
days"  as  in  1901  the  earnings  of  the  anthracite  miners 
for  this  one  company  in  1915  would  be  $894.  The  statis- 
tics for  1915  were  naturally  not  available  on  October  13 
of  that  year,  however  the  editor  of  the  Press  may  desire 
to  distort  the  statement.  They  have  since  been  published 
and  show  that  the  anthracite  mines  worked  an  average 
of  230  days.  In  1901  they  worked  196  days,  the  ability 
to  earn  in  1915  being,  therefore,  increased  by  17%  over 
the  above  estimate  for  that  year.  The  editor  may  draw 
his  own  conclusions  as  to  the  correctness  and  fairness  of 
the  manner  in  which  he  has  "quoted"  the  writer. 

The  writer's  present  position  is  one  of  confidence  and 
trust;  for  twenty-five  years  he  held  a  similar  position 
with  the  United  States  government,  and  so  far  as  he 
knows  was  never  guilty  of  a  breach  of  faith.  It  is  a 
little  late  in  life  to  break  a  habit.  It  is  not  the  writer's 
desire  nor  his  intention  to  continue  this  discussion,  nor 
to  bandy  words  or  phrases  with  the  editor,  who  will 
naturally  take  advantage  of  his  position  to  have  the 
last  word  and  who  is  disposed  to  juggle  with  figures  to 
meet  his  requirements.  The  writer  has  been  accustomed 
to  dealing  with  facts  and  of  interpreting  statistical  data 
conscientiously;  wherefore  he  does  not  feel  qualified  to 
cross  swords  (or  pens)  with  the  editor  of  the  Press. 
Moreover,  he  has  a  very  lively  recollection  of  a  charge 
once  made  against  him  by  the  present  editor  of  the 
Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  who  when  shown  the  base- 
lessness of  the  charge,  apologized  to  the  writer,  it  is  true, 
but  did  not  consider  it  necessary  as  "a  matter  of  prin- 
ciple" to  acknowledge  his  error  to  the  superior  officer 
with  whom  the  complaint  was  lodged,  and  the  amende 
Iwnorable  has,  accordingly,  never  been  made. 

E.  W.  Parker. 
Wilkes-Barre,  December  2. 

[Mr.  Parker  is  welcome  to  the  "last  word." — Editor.] 


The  Editor: 

Sir — Mr.  E.  W.  Parker,  Director  of  the  Anthracite 
Bureau  of  Information,  in  a  letter  dated  November  6, 
published  in  your  issue  of  November  25,  criticizes  the 
San  Francisco  Section  of  the  Institute  for  the  passing 
of  a  resolution  based  "entirely  on  ex  parte  evidence  and 
on  a  matter  with  which  it  was  not  in  any  way  familiar. ' ' 

As  Secretary  of  the  San  Francisco  Section,  I  am  some- 
what familiar  with  the  manner  in  which  the  Shoekley 
matter  was  considered  by  the  Special  Committee  and  can 


868 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16.  1916 


inform  Mr.  Parker  that  the  Committee  was  familiar  with 
the  letters  and  telegrams  of  both  sides  of  the  controversy. 
These  documents  were  sufficient  to  indicate  the  fact  that 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers  had  ordered  the  management  of  the 
International  Engineering  Congress  to  delete  from  Mr. 
Shockley's  paper  certain  statements  based  on  published 
Government  and  State  statistics. 

Mr.  Parker  is  evidently  not  familiar  with  the  protest 
of  the  San  Francisco  Section,  which  has  not  attempted 
"to  pass  judgment  upon  a  matter  affecting  a  region  and 
an  industry  with  which  it  is  not  familiar,"  but  has  pro- 
tested against  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  in- 
terfering with  the  professional  right  of  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Institute  to  express  his  opinion  in  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  International  Engineering  Congress. 


San  Francisco,  December  6. 


IF 


C.  E.  Grunsky,  Je. 


•S©pp^i?  Mas,® 

The  Editor : 

Sir — In  the  article  by  Hallet  R.  Robbins  appearing 
in  your  issue  of  November  25,  I  find  the  following : 

"Without  wishing  to  draw  invidious  comparisons,  it 
is  interesting  to  note  that  the  National  mill  in  the  Coeur 
d'Alene,  built  to  treat  500  tons  per  day  of  a  simple 
chalcopyrite  ore,  cost  $153,000,  and  has  never  made  so 
close  a  saving  as  the  Calaveras  plant,  and  cost  about  the 
same  to  operate  as  the  latter  with  its  present  small  ca- 
pacity of  less  than  200  tons  per  day.  Of  course,  much 
less  was  known  about  flotation  when  the  National  mill 
was  built  than  today." 

Certainly  only  to  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  the 
different  conditions  surrounding  the  two  mills  that  are 
compared  could  such  comparison  be  considered  "in- 
vidious." Mr.  Robbins  has  started  out  to  draw  a  com- 
parison that  does  not  compare,  and  leaves  the  impression 
that,  in  his  opinion,  what  can  be  done  in  crushing  and 
treating  an  ore  under  one  set  of  conditions,  and  in  one 
locality,  should  be  duplicated  under  different  conditions 
if  the  same  talent  is  available. 

The  'Mines  Handbook'  for  1916  describes  the  ore  of 
the  Calaveras  Copper  Co.  as  follows: 

"Ore  occurs  in  amphibolite  schist  underlying  Mari- 
posa slates,  near  intrusions  of  granodiorite,  the  ore- 
bearing  schists  ranging  100  to  200  ft.  in  width." 

The  same  authority  describes  the  ore  of  the  National 
Copper  Co.  as  follows : 

"Ore  occurs  in  a  fault- vein  in  thickly-bedded  wliite 
Revett  quartzite." 

We  hardly  think  that  Mr.  Robbins  means  us  to  assume 
that,  in  his  opinion,  white  Revett  quartzite  can  be  re- 
duced to  the  same  mesh  with  as  little  expenditure  of 
power,  wear  and  tear,  attention,  etc.,  as  would  be  re- 
quired for  schist.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  white  Revett 
quartzite  at  the  National  Copper  mine  was  found  to  be 
of  sufficient  hardness  to  serve  excellently  for  tube-mill 


pebbles,  and  caused  the  most  excessive  wear  on  cheek- 
plates,  liners,  pebbles,  and  all  wearing  parts,  that  those 
connected  with  the  construction  and  operation  of  the 
plant  had  ever  experienced  before,  or  since.  Another 
point  that  should  have  been  brought  out,  if  a  compari- 
son were  desired,  is  that  the  National  Copper  mill  was 
built  in  1913,  before  the  development  of  the  ball-mill  to 
its  present  stage  of  usefulness.  Had  ball-mills  been 
available  at  that  time,  they  could  have  taken  the  place 
of  the  rolls  and  Symons  screens  in  the  dry-crushing 
plant,  and  the  first  series  of  Hardinge  mills  in  the  wet 
plant,  materially  reducing  the  cost  of  the  mill,  and  the 
subsequent  operating  cost. 

Mr.  Robbins  also  states  that  the  National  Copper  mill 
never  made  so  close  a  saving  as  the  Calaveras  plant.  In 
this  he  is  in  error.  The  National  Copper  mill-feed  av- 
eraged 0.8%  copper  and  often  less.  The  tailing,  during 
the  later  operations,  averaged  0.02%  copper.  The  sav- 
ing, therefore,  was  closer,  although,  because  of  the  ex- 
tremely low  heading,  the  percentage  of  copper  per  ton 
of  ore  was  not  so  high. 

As  to  the  cost  of  the  National  Copper  mill,  this  figures 
out  at  $306  per  ton  of  daily  capacity,  and  includes  ex- 
cavations, concrete  work,  buildings,  etc.,  as  well  as  ma- 
chinery and  equipment.  This  price,  considering  the 
nature  of  the  ore,  the  fineness  to  which  it  is  necessary 
to  crush,  and  the  fact  that  the  mill  was  built  during  a 
severe  Coeur  d'Alene  winter,  compares  favorably  with 
average  costs  under  similar  conditions.  I  cannot  com- 
pare it  with  the  cost  of  the  Calaveras  plant  because  I 
have  not  the  necessary  figures  and  facts  to  enable  me  to 
make  such  a  comparison,  and  without  these,  I  might 
reach  erroneous  conclusions  and  mislead  your  readers. 

As  to  the  pneumatic  cells  described  and  illustrated, 
these  are,  like  several  others,  self-evidently  an  imitation 
of  those  used  at  the  National  plant,  in  which  it  is  hard 
to  see  where  the  improvement  comes  in.  One  would 
have  more  respect  for  the  cell  illustrated  if  it  had  some 
points  of  originality. 

0  u  t   i     re*     ™         k     o  Ernest  Gatpord. 
Salt  Lake  City,  December  2. 

The  Extra-Lateral  Right 

The  Editor : 

Sir — I  have  just  read  with  interest  Mr.  Colby's  article 
in  your  issue  of  November  11,  and  note  a  misconception 
in  his  allusion  to  the  period  during  which  extra-lateral 
pursuit  of  a  lode  was  permitted  in  British  Columbia. 

1  have  not  at  hand  all  the  old  British  Columbian  stat- 
utes, and  therefore  cannot  say  just  when  extra-lateral 
right  was  first  granted.  The  Mineral  Act  of  1884  cer- 
tainly specifically  afforded  that  right,  and  I  myself  am 
working  claims  possessing  it,  located  in  1883,  probably 
under  the  Act  of  1882.  To  go  back  no  further,  it  is  plain 
that  the  right  was  permitted  for  at  least  ten  years,  and  it 
required  considerably  more  than  the  "brief  period" 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Colby  (from  the  coming  into  force  of 
the  Act  of  1891  to  that  of  1892)  to  establish  the  con- 
viction in  the  minds  of  those  concerned,  that  the  evils 


December  16.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


869 


which  have  proved  to  be  virtually  inherent  in  the  "old 

law"  were  greater  than  its  supposed  benefits. 

Fortunately,  •  I  believe,  the  change  of  law  was  made 
before  either  British  Columbia  had  become  'fashionable' 
with  mining  investors  in  London,  Montreal,  or  New 
York,  or  any  great  number  of  claims  had  been  staked. 
The  Act  of  1892,  prescribing  vertical  limitation  of  mining 
rights  was  passed  with  but  slight  opposition,  and  the 
principle  has  become  so  thoroughly  established,  that  we 
hardly  realize  that  it  has,  without  doubt,  been  account- 
able for  the  almost  complete  freedom  from  litigation 
concerned  with  underground  trespass,  enjoyed  by  claims 
located  since  the  spring  of  1892.  It  is  an  interesting  and 
important  matter  of  fact  that  the  only  two  big  lawsuits* 
arising  from  instances  of  underground  trespass  (whether 
alleged  or  actual  matters  not)  which  have  been  tried  in 
British  Columbia,  concerned  claims  possessed  of  extra- 
lateral  rights,  and  it  is  probably  not  far  wide  of  the  mark 
to  assert  that  these  two  cases  cost  as  much  as  all  the  other 
mining  cases  of  the  Province  combined. 

The  increasing  importance  and  present  magnitude  of 
the  metal  mining  industry  in  B.  C.  are  sufficient  refuta- 
tion of  the  dicta  of  those  who,  almost  twenty-five  years 
ago,  had  very  clear  visions  of  stagnation  and  decay,  if 
not  of  disaster,  following  closely  upon  abolition  of  extra- 
lateral  rights. 


S.  S.  Fowler. 


Riondel,  B.  C,  November  25. 


The  Editor: 

Sir — The  absorption  of  gold  by  copper  plates,  men- 
tioned in  your  editorial  columns  of  November  18,  is  a 
matter  of  commercial  as  well  as  of  technical  interest, 
particularly  to  those  who  have  to  do  with  mills  where 
plate-amalgamation  is  practised. 

Figures  are  quoted  giving  the  yield  from  the  'sweat- 
ing' of  old  plates.  The  connection  in  which  the  term 
'sweating'  is  here  used  is  somewhat  ambiguous.  As 
"old  plates"  are  mentioned,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  the 
plates  were  no  longer  in  use  and  that  it  was  intended  to 
remove  all  the  gold  and  amalgam  from  them  that  was 
possible.  To  do  this, '  scaling '  of  the  plates  would  have  to 
be  resorted-to,  an  altogether  different  process  from  sweat- 
ing. 

The  actual  procedure  in  the  process  of  scaling  varies 
in  different  regions.  In  some  places  in  this  country, 
plates  are  scaled  by  hammering  and  buckling  the  plate. 
In  South  Africa  the  plate  is  heated  over  a  wood-fire  to  a 
temperature  sufficient  to  volatilize  the  mercury.  While 
still  hot  the  surface  is  treated  with  strong  hydrochloric 
acid  and  then  with  a  saturated  solution  of  ammonium 
chloride  and  saltpetre.  After  standing  for  several  hours 
the  plate  is  again  heated  to  redness,  whereupon  the  scale 
rises  and  can  be  collected  on  cooling. 

'Sweating,'  as  generally  understood,  consists  in  sub- 
jecting the  plate  in  place  to  boiling  water,  or  steam  under 

♦Center  Star  v.  Iron  Mask,  and  Star  M.  &  M.  Co.  v.  Byron 
N.  White  Company. 


low  pressure,  and  the  removal  of  the  softened  amalgam 
by  means  of  a  wooden  chisel  or  other  hard  scraper.     In 
the  treatment   of  plates  to  recover  all  the  gold  or  amal 
gam,  they  arc  first  sweated  and  afterward  sealed. 

At  some  mills  the  sweating  is  done  at  regular  intervals, 
so  that  large  accumulations  of  amalgam  on  the  plates  are 
obviated.  In  other  places  the  opinion  is  held  that  plates 
which  have  been  sweated  do  not  recover  their  maximum 
efficiency  for  a  while  and  that  the  loss  occasioned  in  this 
way  more  than  equals  any  gain  derived  from  systematic 
sweating.  There  is  something  to  be  said  in  favor  of  this 
view,  but  the  argument  looses  force  as  the  accumulation 
of  gold  increases  in  value.  Undoubtedly  there  are  also 
cases  where  a  considerable  quantity  of  amalgam  has  been 
allowed  to  accumulate  on  plates,  not  as  a  result  of  the 
definite  policy  of  the  management,  but  simply  because 
the  extent  of  the  accumulation  was  not  known  or  sus- 
pected. In  one  instance  within  my  knowledge  a  large 
amount  of  amalgam  was  recovered  from  plates  after  it 
jhad  been  decided  to  close-down  the  mill,  and  the  large 
sum  realized  came  as  a  pleasant  surprise  to  both  the  man- 
agement and  the  shareholders. 

It  will  be  gathered  from  the  preceding  remarks  that 
the  amount  of  amalgam  which  may  accumulate  on  plates 
depends  upon  whether  or  not  they  are  sweated  periodic- 
ally. The  rate  at  which  amalgam  accumulates  depends 
upon  a  number  of  factors,  chief  of  which  is  the  method 
of  working  the  plates.  This  is  seldom  the  same  in  differ- 
ent places.  In  South  Africa  and  New  Zealand  it  used  to 
be  common  practice  to  keep  the  top  half  of  the  plates 
'wet,'  or  soft,  and  the  lower  end  'dry,'  or  hard,  these 
terms  referring  to  the  condition  of  the  amalgam.  The 
surface  of  the  upper  part  of  the  plate  was  kept  in  a  soft 
condition  by  the  application  of  sufficient  fresh  mercury 
at  each  dressing.  At  the  daily  clean-up  all  the  amalgam 
that  could  be  scraped  together  with  a  light  iron  scraper 
from  the  soft  portion  of  the  plate  was  collected.  A  por- 
tion of  this  was  cleaned  on  the  plate  by  washing  with 
water  from  a  hose  and  mixed  (to  the  proper  consistence 
for  rubbing  on  the  plate)  with  fresh  mercury.  This  was 
then  rubbed  into  the  plate  with  a  blanket  swab.  The 
lower  or  'dry'  portion  of  the  plate  was  dressed  by  rub- 
bing heavily  with  a  canvas  pad.  No  amalgam  was  taken 
off  this  part  of  the  plate  and  it  was  not  usual  to  apply 
fresh  mercury,  the  surface  being  kept  in  the  right  work- 
ing condition  by  absorption  of  the  mercury  draining  from 
the  upper  part  of  the  plate  during  operation.  At  the 
larger  of  the  mills  of  the  Waihi  company  in  New  Zealand 
it  used  to  be  the  custom  (amalgamation  has  now  been  dis- 
continued in  favor  of  all-cyaniding)  to  steam  the  hard 
amalgam  on  the  lower  half  of  the  plates  at  the  rate  of 
two  plates  per  week,  and  as  there  were  15  plates,  each 
plate  was  treated  thus  about  once  every  seven  weeks. 
The  portion  of  the  plate  to  be  steamed  was  covered  with 
canvas  stretched  on  a  light  wooden  frame  leaving  about 
three  inches  between  the  canvas  and  the  surface  of  the 
plate.  Steam  from  a  hose  connected  with  a  boiler  was 
forced  under  this  canvas  frame  for  30  to  60  minutes, 
according  to  the  supposed  extent  of  the  accumulation. 


870 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


The  plates  were  of  Muntz  metal  and  it  was  necessary  to 
exercise  some  care  in  order  to  prevent  buckling  and 
cracking  of  the  plate  by  keeping  the  steam-pressure  low 
and  not  allowing  the  jet  to  impinge  directly  on  the  plate. 
The  scraping  operation  took  two  men  about  30  minutes 
per  plate  and  was  done  with  wooden  chisels  having  a 
steep  edge.  The  amount  of  steamed  amalgam  obtained 
in  this  way  from  two  plates  was  approximately  1000 
ounces.  The  total  recovery  of  gold  by  amalgamation  was 
approximately  23%  of  the  total  gold  content.  The  gold 
was  finely  and  evenly  distributed  through  this  ore  and 
was  never  visible  to  the  unaided  eye. 

This  system  of  working  the  plates  was  particularly 
well  suited  to  the  ore  at  Waihi,  where  it  was  not  sought 
to  obtain  the  maximum  recovery  possible  by  plate  amal- 
gamation, but  rather  to  recover  the  more  easily  amalgam- 
able  gold,  leaving  the  finer  gold  to  be  recovered  subse- 
quently by  cyanidation.  In  other  places  hard  amalgam 
is  not  intentionally  allowed  to  accumulate  in  the  way 
described.  Usually  the  entire  surface  is  kept  soft,  and 
scraped  as  closely  as  possible  at  each  clean-up.  If  an 
iron  scraper  is  used  for  this  purpose  the  accumulation  of 
a  large  quantity  of  amalgam  may  be  prevented,  but  if 
only  india-rubber  scrapers  are  used,  a  skin  of  hard  amal- 
gam will  continue  to  form  until  removed  by  the  sweating 
of  the  plate.  This,  in  some  instances,  may  not  be  done 
until  the  plate  is  no  longer  required  for  amalgamation. 

It  will  be  gathered  from  the  foregoing  that  the  amount 
of  amalgam  accumulated  on  plates,  recoverable  by  sweat- 
ing, cannot  rightly  be  considered  as  a  factor  of  the  ton- 
nage, nor  yet  of  the  time  involved  in  its  accumulation, 
but  that  it  is  altogether  dependent  upon  local  circum- 
stances and  expedience. 

After  plates  have  been  in  use  for  some  time  (unless 
special  care  has  been  taken  to  prevent  it)  a  scale  of  hard 
amalgam  forms  on  the  surface  of  the  copper.  This  is  not 
easily  removed  by  sweating,  being  difficult  to  soften  on 
account  of  the  small  proportion  of  mercury  in  its  com- 
position. Such  a  superficial  scale  can  be  removed  only 
(and  not  completely  even  then)  by  scaling.  It  is  the 
gold  in  this  scale  that  is  generally  said  to  have  been 
'absorbed.'  but  this  is  an  instance  of  incorrect  termi- 
nology, for  it  has  been  conclusively  shown  by  investi- 
gators that  neither  mercury  nor  gold  is  absorbed  by  the 
copper  in  the  sense  that  it  soaks  into  the  copper  plate, 
but  that  it  exists,  as  already  stated,  as  a  scale  on  the  sur- 
face. Stanley's  investigations  in  South  Africa*  have 
shown  that  99%  of  the  gold  remaining  after  sweating 
is  in  the  top  or  surface  layer,  0.02  inch  thick.  He  showed 
further,  by  microscopic  examination  of  sections  of  a 
plate,  that  the  little  gold  remaining  existed  as  a  filling  in 
minute  pores  and  blow-holes  in  the  copper  into  which 
mercury  carrying  gold  in  solution  or  suspension  had 
percolated.  Richardsf  also  investigated  this  matter  and 
showed  that  the  amount  of  gold  below  0.01  inch  was 
negligible. 

♦Trans.  Chem.  Met.  &  Min.  Soc.  of  South  Africa.  Vol.  12, 
No.  6. 

fOre  Dressing,'  by  R.  H.  Richards,  Vol.  2,  page  76. 


The  amount  of  gold  left  on  plates  after  careful  sweat- 
ing has  been  variously  recorded  as  8  up  to  45  oz.  per 
plate.  This  depends  upon  the  thoroughness  with  which 
the  sweating  has  been  done  and  also  on  the  condition  of 
the  surface  of  the  copper  of  the  plate.  The  surface  of 
very  old  plates  becomes  covered  with  inequalities  that 
make  it  difficult  to  remove  the  hard  amalgam.  If  the 
operation  of  scaling  is  performed  carefully,  the  value  of 
gold  left  on  the  plate  is  negligible,  and  certainly  would 
not  pay  for  further  treatment.  Much  less  would  it  be 
worth  while,  as  was  the  old  custom,  to  send  it  to  the 
smelter,  save  for  its  copper  value. 

William  Macdonald. 

Berkeley,  November  22. 

Russian  petroleum  production,  prices,  and  ship- 
ments from  January  to  April  inclusive,  show  points  of 
special  interest.  The  period  covered  by  the  statistics  is 
unusually  recent  to  appear  in  so  careful  a  study;  the 
detail  in  which  the  returns  are  given  suggests  an  authen- 
tic source,  possibly  the  official  figures  of  the  Petroleum 
Convention  itself,  and  the  picture  of  the  whole  industry 
which  even  the  colorless  figures  of  the  review  suggest, 
shows  both  depressing  and  stimulating  effects  which 
have  resulted  from  war-time  conditions.  In  spite  of  a 
greatly  increased  demand  for  oil-fuel,  due  to  interfer- 
ence with  the  usual  coal  supplies,  the  total  production  of 
petroleum  in  the  whole  Empire  for  the  first  third  of  the 
year  showed  a  decrease  of  three  million  poods  (1  pood  = 
36  lb.  1  in  comparison  with  the  same  period  of  1915,  thus 
continuing  the  decrease  in  output  which  has  been  marked 
for  several  years  past.  Apart  from  influences  previously 
active,  this  decrease  may  be  in  some  degree  due  to  short- 
age of  labor  and  materials,  and  difficulties  with  trans- 
portation such  as  would  naturally  arise  from  the  "War. 
Marked  increase  of  production  during  April  1916, 
amounting  to  2.1  million  poods  in  comparison  with  April 
1915  (most  of  the  increase  occurring  in  the  Grozny  and 
Surakhan  fields)  shows  on  the  other  hand  that  the  stim- 
ulus of  the  War  markets  has  taken  effect.  It  seems 
reasonable  to  expect  that  for  the  whole  year  the  total 
output  of  the  Empire  will  be  considerably  larger  than 
that  for  1915.  Russia,  published  by  R.  Martens  &  Co., 
Incorporated. 

Fibrous  structure  in  minerals  is  thus  explained  by 
Dana,  in  his  'Systematic  Mineralogy':  "When  a  solu- 
tion is  spread  thinly  over  a  large  surface,  minute  crystal- 
line points  encrust  the  whole,  and  if  the  solution  be 
gradually  supplied,  as  crystallization  goes  on,  it  is 
obvious  that  the  minute  points  may  elongate  into 
crowded  prisms  of  fibres,  producing  a  fibrous  structure. 
Such  a  structure  is  common  in  narrow  seams  in  rocks. 
and  the  fibres  are  usually  elongated  across  the  seam." 
Chrysotile  is  an  excellent  example  of  this  type  of  struc- 
ture. 


Dividends  paid  by  the  Broken  Hill  Proprietary,  Aus- 
tralia, during  its  last  half-year  were  $580,000,  making  a 
total  of  $61,135,000  since  1885. 


December  lti.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


K71 


The  Prevention  of  Misfires 


By 


Brooks 


Blasting,  or  breaking  of  ore  and  rock,  constitutes  a 
large  item  of  expense  in  mining,  and  any  reduction  of 
this  expense  is  always  welcomed.  One  way  of  reducing 
cosl  would  be  to  lessen  the  number  of  'misfires'  or 
missed  holes,  as  they  are  commonly  called  in  the  mine. 
Precautions  amy  be  taken  to  reduce  them  to  a  minimum. 
They  arc  sometimes  caused  through  poor  judgment  in 
placing  the  holes,  the  first  hole  to  be  fired  breaking  to  a 
joint  or  cleavage-plane,  tearing  oft'  the  collar  of  some 
other  hole,  and  with  it  the  fuse,  causing  a  'miss.'  No 
inflexible  rule  can  be  given  for  placing  a  round  of  holes, 
as  this  depends  entirely  on  the  character  and  hardness 
of  the  ground  to  be  broken.  The  machine-man  must  use 
his  judgment,  which  only  becomes  ripened  through  ex- 
perience. The  fuse  should  always  be  of  the  best  quality, 
whether  in  wet  or  dry  ground.  A  poor  quality  of  fuse 
is  dear  at  any  price ;  the  best  fuse  is  always  the  cheapest, 
as  one  misfire,  due  to  poor  fuse,  particularly  in  hard 
ground,  may  result  in  more  damage  than  the  cost  of 
several  cases  of  good  fuse.  The  same  applies  to  de- 
tonators, or  caps.  The  best  results  are  obtained  by  using 
high-power  caps,  5X  or  6X.  In  the  case  of  gelatine 
powder,  it  frequently  happens  that  a  3X  or  4X  cap  may 
still  fail  to  explode  the  charge,  merely  setting  the  dyna- 
mite on  fire,  causing  a  'burnt  hole,'  which  is  worse  than 
an  ordinary  'miss,'  owing  to  the  resulting  noxious  fume, 
which  is  more  poisonous  to  inhale  than  the  fume  from 
powder  that  has  exploded  properly.  A  'burned'  hole,  in 
the  absence  of  good  ventilation,  usually  means  a  head- 
ache for  the  next  shift. 

Nothing  weaker  than  5X  or  6X  caps  should  be  used. 
Misfires  may  be  caused  by  not  using  proper  care  in  cut- 
ting or  'spitting'  the  fuse,  so  that  the  holes  will  go  in 
proper  succession,  the  hole  that  should  be  second  or  third 
sometimes  being  the  first  to  explode,  possibly  tearing  a 
portion  off  the  collars  of  the  holes  that  should  have  pre- 
ceded it :  pulling  out  or  cutting  off  fuses  and  resulting 
in  one  or  more  'missed  holes.'  If  in  hard  ground,  such 
a  result  is  likely  to  spoil  the  whole  round,  leaving  in  the 
face  holes  of  varying  depth,  called  by  miners  'old  bot- 
toms,' 'old  guns,'  'boot-legs,'  and  so  forth,  each  contain- 
ing from  one  to  four  or  more  sticks  of  powder,  and  con- 
stituting a  menace  to  those  who  have  to  work  later, 
whether  the  men  of  the  same  shift  or  others. 

Another  occasional  cause  of  missed-holes,  and  one  I 
have  never  known  miners  to  take  into  consideration,  is 
tamping.  Many  years  ago,  when  black  powder  was  the 
explosive  used,  it  was  necessary  to  tamp  holes,  and  tamp 
them  firmly,  using  a  wooden  or  copper  rod,  and  a  ham- 
mer for  the  purpose.  This  is  unnecessary  in  the  use  of 
nitro-explosives,  as  even  the  air  itself  will  offer  sufficient 
resistance  to  exploding  dynamite  to  constitute  good 
tamping. 

It  is  a  common  practice  with  most  miners  to  use  some 
kind  of  tamping.    Sometimes  fine  rock,  or  dirt,  is  thrown 


in  the  hole,  and  rat id  with  the  Loading  stick ;  at  other 

times    balls   arc    made   of   day   or   gouge,   and    firmly 

rammed,  which  is  even  worse  than  using  line  rock,  for 
the  reason  that  the  side-spitting  of  the  lire  in  the  fuse 
will  sometimes  sel  fire  to  the  powder,  which,  while  il  dues 
not  explode,  will  generate  sufficient  gas  to  force  the  tamp- 
ing out  of  the  hole,  drawing  the  fuse  with  il  and  leaving 
another  'missed  hole'  Had  there  been  no  tamping  use, I. 
even  if  the  powder  took  fire  and  burned  faster  than  the 
train  of  powder  in  the  fuse,  it  would  explode  the  charge 
as  soon  as  the  fire  reached  the  cap. 

1  would  suggest  that  in  holes  pointed  downward,  a 
handful  or  two  of  fine  dirt  be  thrown  into  the  hole,  but 
not  firmly  tamped,  using  this  as  a  safeguard  against  ac- 
cidents when  firing  or  'spitting'  the  holes,  such  as  the 
accidental  dropping  of  a  lighted  candle  into  the  hole,  or 
dropping  the  lighted  end  of  a  fuse  into  it. 

Many  times  '  reports  short, '  or  '  misfires, '  are  traceable 
to  carelessness,  or  to  the  nervousness,  due  to  inexperience, 
of  the  man  'spitting'  the  round  of  holes.  In  his  haste 
to  leave,  the  miner  overlooks  some  of  the  fuses,  and  so 
fails  to  spit  them.  Evidence  of  this  is  not  infrequently 
found  in  the  broken  rock — a  fuse  with  cap  attached — 
which,  upon  examination,  shows  that  it  never  had  been 
lighted.  A  fuse  cut  to  proper  length  will  give  the  miner 
abundant  time  to  reach  a  place  of  safety. 

In  blasting  under  water  or  in  wet  ground,  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  see  that  the  point  of  union  between 
fuse  and  cap  is  waterproof.  This  may  be  accomplished 
with  a  good  pair  of  crimpers,  properly  used,  without  the 
use  of  any  waterproof  substance,  such  as  axle-grease, 
which  is  so  commonly  used  for  this  purpose.  However, 
it  is  generally  safer  to  employ  some  kind  of  waterproof 
substance.  But  axle-grease,  or  an3'thing  containing  coal- 
oil,  is  not  recommended,  for,  if  left  too  long,  it  will  pene- 
trate the  fuse,  and  possibly  cause  a  misfire.  There  is  on 
the  market,  and  handled  by  most  dealers  in  powder,  a 
preparation  made  for  this  purpose  that  is  more  reliable 
than  most  kinds  of  grease  or  wax. 

The  kind  of  crimpers  used  is  largely  a  matter  of  pref- 
erence. I  prefer  those  making  a  groove  around  the  cap. 
Make  a  double-crimp,  turning  the  fuse  slightly  after 
making  the  first  crimp,  and  take  care  to  crimp  close  to 
the  joint  between  the  fuse  and  cap,  but  never  close  to 
the  fulminate  in  the  cap,  for  if  crimped  too  close  to  the 
fulminate  the  flash  from  the  little  powder  remaining  in 
the  fuse  between  the  crimp  and  fulminate  may  not  be 
strong  enough  to  explode  it,  while  if  i  in.  or  so  of  fuse 
is  left  below  the  crimp,  the  force  will  be  sufficient  even  if 
tightly  crimped.  Care  should  be  taken  to  see  that  the 
diameter  of  the  fuse  is  just  slightly  smaller  than  the 
shell  of  the  cap,  for  if  too  tight,  the  crimper  will  com- 
press the  fuse  so  tightly  that  the  fire  may  fail  to  pass 
the  point  of  compression,  when  there  is  created  another 
cause  for  a  misfire.  By  observing  the  foregoing  sugges- 
tions, with  ordinary  care  the  miner  will  reduce  to  a  mini- 
mum the  chance  of  having  '  missed  holes, '  and  instead  of 
being  the  rule,  they  will  become  the  exception.  Above 
all  things  do  not  use  the  teeth  for  a  crimper. 


872 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16.  1916 


^■■■■H 


Far.  Side-  of  TH&Po/ib 


E.A.DnEDGEr,7i9  15 


>t  rre  li 


The  reasons  why  the  Press  selected  me  to  'cover'  the 
launching  of  the  'Sweet  Sixteen'  of  the  Tuba  Construc- 
tion Co.,  built  for  the  Yuba  Consolidated  Goldfields  Co., 
may  be  enumerated  as  follows : 

A  new  Graflex  camera. 

An  amphibious  Ford. 

An  invitation  to  a  turkey  dinner  at  the  construction 
camp  at  Marysville. 

The  band  played,  the  whistles  blew,  the  flags  waved, 
and  everybody  cheered  as  the  great  black  hull  slipped 
smoothly  into  the  muddy  pond,  driving  a  curling  wave 
before  it  which  rocked  shoreward  until  it  broke  against 
the  hills  of  tailing. 

I  stood  on  a  bit  of  an  island  in  the  pond,  and  it  was 
hard  to  realize  that  I  was  not  in  Kennebunkport,  Maine, 
watching  the  good  ship  Mary  Jane  take  her  maiden  dip. 

The  new  dredge  seemed  anxious  to  be  about  her  stu- 
pendous task,  for  she  could  not  wait  to  have  all  of  her 
triggers  sprung,  but  started  down  the  ways  crushing  the 
two  inside  4  by  4  timbers  that  tied  her  to  the  land.  Down 
she  went  with  a  dignity  comparable  only  to  the  precession 
of  the  equinoxes  and  glided  majestically  to  the  farther 
side  of  the  pond.  Then  a  rope  was  rove  about  her  taff-rail 
and  a  tiny  Yuba  tractor  like  Ulysses  was  called  from  the 
plow  to  pull  her  back  to  shore.  But  the  good  ship,  as  if 
resentful,  snapped  the  line.  She  was  finally  subdued 
and  now  floats  meekly  at  her  berth  while  the  various  ap- 
pliances that  are  considered  good  form  in  gold-dredge 
construction  are  heaped  upon  her.  When  finished  she 
will  weigh  2700  tons,  will  have  buckets  holding  18  eu.  ft., 
able  to  dig  to  a  depth  of  84  ft.,  and  with  a  monthly  ca- 
pacity  of  350,000  cu.  yd. — all  at  a  cost  of  half  a  million 
dollars. 

But  why,  you  may  ask,  do  I  not  give  the  size  of  her 
waist   (nautical  term)   and  other  useful  and  entertain- 


December  16,  L916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


873 


SECTION  OF  DKEDOE  HULL  AND  WAYS  BEFORE  LAUNCHING. 


mg  dimensions.  It  is  because  with  the  exception  of  the 
tailing-stacker  she  will  be  almost  a  duplicate  of  her  sister 
boat  No.  15,  which  has  been  thoroughly  described.  The 
picture  shows  No.  15  in  her  present  position.  No.  16 
will  have  two  tailing-stackers  each  220  ft.  long,  placed  at 
the  stern,  but  stacking  one  to  each  side.  This  construc- 
tion has  been  adopted  to  comply  with  the  mandate  of  the 


Scale  of  Miles 


Debris  Commission  that  a  1000-ft.  channel  shall  be  left 
through  the  dredging  field.  No.  16  will  dig  one-half  of 
this  channel  and  a  later  boat  will  dig  the  other  half. 

The  accompanying  sketch  shows  where  dredges  No.  14 
and  15  are  working.  No.  16  will  enter  the  field  at  A 
and,  working  down-stream,  will  remove  the  virgin 
ground  between  the  two  piles  of  tailing  left  by  No.  14 


Ta  iitNGslcrrBrflf'lS 


w         ■*- Dow/v  Stream  soo  ft 

L_ 

SREBGE 

-  □ 

N'Jt 


yincjn  grovm> 


TAILlHGSLZrTBr  WW 


MAP    SHOWING   PRINCIPAL   DREDGING    DISTRICTS    OF    CALIFORNIA. 


THE  NEW  BOAT  WILL  START  DIGGING  AT  A. 

and  15.  The  ground  will  be  excavated  in  two  cuts,  each 
about  250  ft.  at  the  surface.  When  No.  16  is  taking  the 
right-hand  cut  the  starboard  stacker  will  pile  the  tailing 
on  those  already  left  by  No.  15,  and  when  she  is  taking 
the  left-hand  cut  the  port  stacker  will  pile  the  tailing 
on  that  left  by  No.  14.  In  this  way  an  open  channel  500 
ft.  wide  will  be  left  through  the  dredging  ground.  An- 
other 500-ft.  channel  will  be  dug  by  a  later  dredge  to 
the  north  of  the  tailing-pile  left  by  No.  15,  giving  a  total 
width  of  1000  feet. 

The  bottom  photo  of  the  group  shows  the  virgin  ground 
between  the  two  tailing-piles.  The  picture  is  taken 
looking  east.    No  15  dredge  is  on  the  left. 

In  1915  Yuba  county  held  third  place  in  rank  of  gold 
producers,  being  exceeded  only  by  Amador  and  Nevada. 
It  holds  the  leading  position  in  production  of  placer  gold, 
by  reason  of  its  gold-dredging  activities.  The  output  of 
the  county  in  1915  was  130,792  fine  ounces  of  gold, 
valued  at  $2,703,710,  and  10,363  fine  ounces  of  silver. 
There  were  12  dredges  in  operation  in  the  county  in  1915. 


874 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


C©5£i(SlM'®ns   in   Mexico 


ii  y       [)'!i; 


[ezlcaa     Csiittpondent 


It  is  curious  that  Carranza's  banking  decree  of  Sep- 
tember has  not  caused  more  comment  in  the  United 
States.  Aside  from  a  protest  made  by  the  diplomats 
representing  European  powers  before  the  United  States- 
Mexican  Commission,  nothing  seems  to  have  been  done  to 
enlighten  the  American  public  as  to  this  bold  pronounce- 
ment, which  may  prove  later  to  contain  more  inter- 
national political  dynamite  than  all  the  other  Carranza 
decrees  put  together.  A  condensed  translation  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

"V.  Carranza  in  use  of  the  faculties  of  the  Executive  Power 
of  the  Nation,  and  considering: 

(1)  That  the  Executive  Power  is  under  obligation  to  fulfill 
the  Constitution  and  is  competent  to  abrogate  unconstitutional 
laws  and  concessions. 

(2)  That  the  laws  which  establish  banks  of  emission,  allow 
them  the  privilege  of  emitting  notes  in  excess  of  their  metal- 
lic reserves  without  paying  any  compensation  to  the  Nation, 
and  permit  them  to  cash  in  their  mortgage  credits  without  a 
judgment,  and  exempt  them  from  taxation,  are  unconstitu- 
tional. Because  Article  2S  of  the  Constitution  declares  that 
there  shall  be  no  monopolies  under  the  guise  of  protecting  in- 
dustry; and  diverse  rules  of  the  Constitution  prescribe  that 
laws  must  be  applied  equally  to  all  litigants,  and  that  none 
may  enjoy  advantages  except  in  return  for  public  service.  Also 
it  is  forbidden  to  restrict  the  States  by  exempting  banks  from 
local  taxation. 

(3)  That  the  application  of  ordinary  law  to  banks  might 
bankrupt  them  and  bring  back  the  financial  crisis,  besides  giv- 
ing rise  to  many  legal  questions  to  the  injury  of  bank  invest- 
ments that  should  be  protected  by  the  State,  even  though  the, 
banks  were  created  under  illegal  franchises  and  laws. 

(4)  That  the  bankruptcy  of  enterprises  intrusted  with 
public  services  requires  the  naming  of  Boards  of  Receivers 
(Consejos  de  Incantation)  who  may  take  charge  of  the  dis- 
puted interests.  In  the  present  case,  it  is  convenient  that,  for 
the  management  and  liquidation  of  the  banks,  legal  representa- 
tives of  all  interests  should  take  part. 

Thus  I  have  decided  to  decree: 

Art.  I.  There  are  abolished  all  laws  giving  franchises  to 
banks  of  emission;  and  the  corresponding  part  of  the  general 
banking  laws  of  1897  and  1908,  by  which  these  banks  have  the 
monopoly  of  note  issues,  and  are  allowed  to  follow  unusual 
procedures  in  judicial  actions,  and  are  exempt  from  taxation. 

Art.  II.  There  are  allowed  to  banks  of  emission  a  period  of 
60  days  from  date  in  which  to  increase  their  metallic  reserves 
enough  to  pay  all  their  notes  in  circulation. 

Art.  III.  After  today,  the  said  banks  can  only  do  business 
when  authorized  by  the  resident  inspector  ( interventor)  of 
the  Treasury  (Hacienda),  and  of  a  sort  to  protect  the  bank's 
interests. 

Art.  IV.  The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  will  at  once  proceed  to 
name  for  each  bank  of  emission  a  Board  of  Receivers,  which 
will  consist  of  a  member  of  the  Commission  of  Bank  Inspec- 
tion, a  bank  inspector,  the  bank  manager,  and  a  representative 
of  the  creditors.  The  latter's  place  will  at  first  be  filled  by 
the  National  Procurator,  or  a  specially  designated  agent  of  the 
Federal  public  ministry;  but  when  the  bank's  creditors  have 
met  and  selected,  under  material  seal,  a  representative  of  the 
majority   of   its   creditors,   and   so   notified   the   Secretary   of 


Hacienda,  the  place  of  the  temporary  incumbent  will  be  filled 
by  the  latter.  The  member  of  the  Commission  of  Bank  In- 
spection will  be  president  of  the  Board  of  Receivers  and  have 
the  decisive  vote. 

Art.  V.  The  Board  of  Receivers  will  have  the  following 
powers:  (1)  Watch  over  the  conservation  of  the  specie.  (2) 
Perform  all  kinds  of  operations  whose  object  is  to  preserve 
the  bank's  interests.  (3)  Liquidate  the  bank,  after  getting 
permission  of  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda,  or  in  obedience  to 
orders  from  him  in  case  the  bank  does  not  increase  its  metal- 
lic reserve  according  to  Art.  II  of  this  decree. 

Art.  VI.  The  Secretary  of  Hacienda,  ex-officio  or  on  request 
of  an  interested  party,  will  decree  all  those  measures  that 
may  appertain  to  the  protection  of  the  bank  and  to  the  action 
of  the  Board  of  Receivers. 

Art.  VII.  The  banks  cannot  be  declared  judicially  bankrupt 
without  permission  of  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda. 

Art.  VIII.  The  distribution  of  the  specie  reserve  of  a. bank 
can  only  be  effected  according  to  the  orders  of  the  Secretary 
of  Hacienda. 

Art.  IX.  In  case  of  non-judicial  liquidation,  there  must  be 
observed,  except  for  a  law  to  the  contrary,  the  graduations 
established  by  the  common  law  for  credits. 

Art.  X.  The  banks  that  comply  with  Art.  II  of  this  decree 
will  be  free  from  receivers,  but  will  be  subject  to  existing 
legislation  in  everything  not  contrary  to  this  decree.  Con- 
stitution and  Reforms.  Given  by  V.  Carranza  in  Mexico  City, 
September  15,  1916,  to  R.  Nieto,  sub-Secretary  of  Hacienda. 

To  get  the  proper  perspective  of  this  decree,  I  shall 
review  recent  events  in  Mexican  finance.  The  wholesale 
repudiations,  in  June,  of  the  old  Carranza  notes  (pub- 
lished in  the  Press  of  July  15)  failed  in  their  object  of 
validating  the  new  'infalsifiable'  notes.  The  mere  de- 
cree of  the  obligations  of  a  debtor,  if  accomplished  by 
dishonorable  and  violent  means,  will  not  increase  the 
market-value  of  his  remaining  obligations.  This  state- 
ment applies  to  either  public  or  private  debtors,  and  its 
truth  was  never  better  demonstrated  than  by  the  fate  of 
the  infalsifiable  notes  after  the  'massacre'  of  their  prede- 
cessors last  June.  By  August  1,  three  months  after  their 
debut,  the  new  peso  notes  had  dropped  from  their  nom- 
inal value  of  10  cents  (U.  S.)  to  4.3c.;  by  September  1 
they  were  down  to  3.3c. ;  by  October  1,  3c. ;  and  by 
October  28  to  1.8  cents.  Their  present  official  quotation 
is  1.4c,  and  as  the  old  notes  are  still  receivable  for  a 
few  public  dues  such  as  railroad  fares  at  one-tenth 
their  nominal  value,  this  makes  the  value  of  the  latter 
a  tenth  of  1.4  cents,  or  0.14e.  Thus  the  old  notes  are 
now  officially  declared  by  Carranza  to  have  a  value  of 
only  1/360  of  their  nominal  value  of  50  cents,  a  record 
in  depreciation  that  beats  the  famous  example  of  the 
French  Revolutionary  assignats.  Yet  it  was  only  last 
March  that  Carranza  decreed  the  old  notes  to  be  "sacred 
obligations  of  the  Nation,"  which  could  never,  in  honor, 
be  redeemed  at  less  than  par. 

The  collapse  of  the  new  paper  money  during  the  sum- 


December  16.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


ST.", 


inn-  aroused  discontenl  in  the  army.  Though  the  com- 
mon soldiers  were  advanced  Erom  P2.50  to  i*:i  per  day, 
this  had  little  effect,  as  all  prices  had  long  been  ap- 
proaching a  gold  basis.    On  the  northern  frontier  and  in 

the  capital,  the  troops  were  kept  quiet  by  giving  them 
rations  in  addition  to  their  wages,  but  elsewhere,  where 
tins  was  not  done,  various  things  happened.  In  the 
country,  the  soldiers  took  to  foraging  for  a  jiving  more 
actively  than  before,  and  few  were  the  Zapatistas  of  the 
animal  kingdom,  such  as  poultry,  pigs,  or  lambs,  that 
escaped  their  hungry  maws.  In  the  cities,  a  troop  could 
often  better  its  condition  by  deserting  bodily  from  one 
barrack  to  another;  and.  as  the  Carranza  military  or- 
ganization is  not  centralized,  but  Federal,  there  was 
nothing  to  prevent  an  ambitious  general  from  thus  in- 
creasing his  forces  at  the  expense  of  his  rivals. 

The  peninsula  of  Yucatan  has  been  protected  by  its 
isolated  position  from  the  ravages  of  revolution,  and  has 
been  fortunate  in  its  Governor,  the  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive General  Alvarado.  This  State  enjoys  a  big  in- 
come from  the  henequin  (hemp)  industry,  and  its  sol- 
diers are  paid  so  well  in  coin  that  were  it  not  for  the  ex- 
pense of  the  long  journey,  it  is  likely  that  not  another 
Carranza  general  in  southern  Mexico  could  hold  his 
troops  against  the  superior  attractions  of  the  Yucatan 
service. 

Early  in  September  Cabrera  decreed  a  ley  de  payos 
(law  of  payments)  that  attempts  to  adjust  debts  unpaid 
or  not  yet  due,  in  terms  of  the  infalsifiable  notes.  It 
divides  financial  time  into  four  periods,  namely:  (1) 
Normal,  or  when  money  was  at  par,  before  April  15, 
1913;  (2)  from  April  15,  1913,  to  September  30,  1914; 
(3)  from  September  30,  1914,  to  April  30,  1916;  and  (4) 
from  April  30,  1916,  to  date. 

During  the  first  period,  debts  will  be  based  on  silver 
and  may  be  settled  in  infalsifiable  notes  at  a  ratio  of 
5 : 1.  During  the  second  period  debts  will  be  based  on 
bank-notes  and  may  be  settled  in  infalsifiable  notes  at 
ratio  of  4: 1.  During  periods  No.  3  and  4,  all  debts  will 
be  based  on  Government  notes  and  may  be  settled  in  in- 
falsifiable notes  at  par.  To  this  practically  the  only  ex- 
ceptions are  debts  payable  in  foreign  money,  which  must 
be  settled  only  in  such  money  or  its  equivalent  in  Mex- 
ican gold.  A  curious  feature  is  the  regulation  that  al- 
lows certain  favored  classes  of  creditors  to  postpone  for 
a  year  the  agony  of  a  payment  in  infalsifiable  notes. 
Among  these  are  charities  and  eity  councils,  also  the 
legally  incompetent,  the  aged  and  invalids,  provided  only 
their  capital  is  under  9=20,000  gold.  Evidently  any 
creditor,  however  crippled  or  ancient,  who  is  enough  of  a 
plutocrat  to  own  ¥=20,000  gold  has  put  himself  beyond 
the  pale  of  this  precious  ley  de  payos. 

As  debtors  had  cheerfully  been  robbing  their  creditors 
with  legal  sanction  ever  since  1913,  the  new  Cabrera  de- 
cree did  not  cause  much  havoc ;  for  creditors  had  already 
either  lost  their  money  or  ceased  to  make  loans.  As  it 
assumed  a  value  of  10  cents  (U.  S.)  for  the  infalsifiable 
peso,  when  its  market-value  was  only  3  cents,  the  ab- 
surdity of  the  regulation  was  almost  visible  to  the  aver- 


age Mexican — who  is  quite  devoid  of  any  mathematical 

sense.  Soon,  perceiving  its  practical  uselessness,  Cabrera 
decided  to  ignore  it,  as  he  has  already  ignored  BO  many 
other  of  his  progeny  of  still-born  fiats,  and  to  proceed  on 
a  new  lack,  leading  to  speedy  specie  payments.  In 
October  it  was  decreed  that  all  labor  should  be  paid  in 
coin  at  the  rates  of  1912,  beginning  on  November  1 ;  hut 
later  the  Department  of  Pomento  modified  this  decree 
by  allowing  40%  of  wages,  for  rates  under  =M.50  daily, 
and  50%  of  wages,  for  higher  rates,  to  be  paid  in  in- 
falsifiable notes  until  January  1,  1917.  As  there  is 
scarcely  any  coin  in  circulation,  the  coin  portion  of 
wages  can  be  paid  in  paper  at  the  official  rate,  which  is 
changed  every  10  days,  and  was  25:1  on  November  1, 
and  35 : 1  on  November  10.  All  railroad  charges,  as  well 
as  national  and  local  taxes,  began  to  be  collected  on  a  gold 
basis  on  November  1,  and  mail-rates,  payable  in  paper, 
were  quadrupled  on  that  date. 

On  the  first  decennial  pay-day  of  the  new  system,  on 


*•  MEXICO 


November  10,  the  common  soldiers  were  paid-oflf  at  a 
rate  of  50  centavos  in  silver  plus  =P=1.50  paper  per  day, 
and  officers  proportionally  higher.  Few  in  the  Civil 
Service  fared  as  well,  as  most  of  them  only  got  the  usual 
Government  notes  as  pay.  Similarly,  many  factories 
were  unable  to  meet  the  new  exactions  as  to  payment, 
and  their  men  therefore  went  on  strike.  It  took  the 
United  States  from  1865  to  1878  to  effect  a  resumption 
of  specie  payments,  and  it  seems  to  be  beyond  the  power 
of  even  Luis  Cabrera  to  effect  this  change  in  three 
months.  Of  course,  import  duties  could  at  once  be  col- 
lected in  coin,  but  the  collection  from  real-estate  owners 
and  merchants  in  November  of  just  25  times  the  direct 
taxes  they  had  to  pay  in  October  is  entirely  another  mat- 
ter. Therefore  most  of  the  local  taxes  remain  unpaid, 
and  along  with  them  the  increase  in  the  salaries  of  Civil 
officials.  However,  many  of  the  latter  are  not  suffering 
on  this  account,  for,  as  the  history  of  Turkey  and  China 
proves,  an  official  may  often  wax  rich  on  pauper's  pay. 
It  is  a  peculiarity  of  what  little  morality  there  is  among 
Mexicans  that  it  is  a  strictly  private  affair;  thus  an 
official  who  personally  might  be  stainless,  would  work 
cheerfully  and  without  a  word  of  criticism  beside  the 
most  flagrant  of  rogues.  This  national  trait  makes  it 
improbable  that  Mexico  can  ever  attain  a  civilized  gov- 
ernment from  within,  for  few  are  the  decent  Liberals 
in  Mexico  who  are  not  now  working,  without  a.  word  of 
protest,  as  aid  to  one  of  the  most  heartless  rings  of  spoil- 
ers who  ever  had  control  of  any  modern  country. 

In  1912  there  were  20  odd  banks  of  emission  in  Mexico, 
mostly  chartered  by  Limantour  in  1897  and  named  from 


876 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


the  State  where  the  main  office  was  situated.  These 
banks  were  authorized  to  issue  notes  and  loan  them  on 
commercial  paper  up  to  double  the  quantity  of  their 
metallic  reserves.  Two  banks  only,  the  Nacional  and  the 
Nuevo  Leon,  were  allowed  to  issue  notes  to  thrice  their 
reserves.  Huerta  was  the  first  ruler  to  tamper  with  the 
banks;  in  1913  he  allowed  them  to  suspend  specie  pay- 
ment, and  in  1914  he  permitted  them  to  expand  their 
issues  beyond  the  legal  limit  in  order  to  grant  him  a 
forced  loan  of  1*50,000,000  in  bank-notes.  These  meas- 
ures began  the  decline  in  the  value  of  Mexican  pesos, 
which  were  quoted  below  30  cents  in  July  1914.  As  ex- 
plained in  my  letter  published  in  the  Press  of  January 
29,  the  banks  have  long  abandoned  their  usual  functions 
and  have  only  been  kept  open  to  handle  a  fraction  of 
their  former  discounting  operations.  Though  it  has  been 
their  policy  since  1914  to  retain  all  bank-notes  taken  in, 
and  to  pay  out  only  Government  notes,  there  is  still  out- 
standing a  great  quantity  of  bank-notes,  most  of  which 
are  probably  hoarded  by  the  native  middle-class,  who 
were  unable  to  get  enough  coin  to  embody  their  savings 
when  the  deluge  of  Government  paper  drove  them  to 
burying  their  fortunes. 

Cabrera  first  tackled  the  banks  a  year  ago,  just  after 
Carranza's  recognition  by  the  A.  B.  C.  and  B.  U.  G. 
conference,  but  as  the  attack  depressed  the  value  of  Gov- 
ernment notes,  and  seemed  to  be  of  no  public  advantage, 
he  abandoned  it  after  merely  revoking  the  charters  of  a 
few  of  the  minor  banks.  But  this  year,  Cabrera  has 
been  compelled  by  his  dire  need  to  resume  the  bank- 
baiting  game.  His  issue  of  infalsifiable  notes  is  a  com- 
plete failure,  and  the  Mexican  masses  are  now  too  well 
enlightened  as  to  the  paper-money  fraud  to  permit  the 
success  of  any  more  fiat  currency.  The  only  exit  to  this 
blind  alley  is  the  path  of  specie  payment,  and  the  banks 
have  the  specie. 

In  September,  the  acting-Secretary  of  Hacienda,  R. 
Nieto,  decided  to  intervene  only  the  two  largest  banks  of 
emission,  the  Nacional  and  the  Londres  of  Mexico  City. 
Nieto  promised  the  other  banks  that  he  would  not  dis- 
turb them  under  the  September  decree  until  after  Oc- 
tober 31.  But  the  managers  of  the  two  intervened  banks 
proved  lawless  and  stubborn,  they  refused  to  open  their 
vaults,  and  were  accordingly  sent  to  jail;  so  Nieto  de- 
termined to  temporize  no  longer  with  anyone,  and,  with- 
drawing his  promise,  he  intervened  all  the  doomed  banks 
early  in  October.  The  custom  of  Mexican  banks  is  to 
divide  the  secret  of  the  vault's  look  among  several  per- 
sons, whose  united  efforts  are  therefore  essential  to  open 
the  combination.  Faced  by  this  obstacle,  Nieto  is  mak- 
ing slow  progress,  though  he  has  finally  managed  to  open 
the  Nacional  and  the  Londres  banks.  A  mere  jailing  of 
the  recalcitrant  bank-officials  seems  a  feeble  measure  in 
view  of  the  public  need,  and  either  a  torture  of  the  offi- 
cials or  a  dynamiting  of  the  vaults  seems  the  only  al- 
ternatives to  quick  fulfilment  of  the  decree.  It  is  plan- 
ned to  get  from  the  loot  of  all  the  banks  some  80  million 
pesos,  and  before  this  is  spent  Cabrera  hopes  that  for- 
tune will  again  direct  him  to  some  fresh  store-houses  of 


coin.  Should  Wall  Street  still  remain  deaf  to  his  ap- 
peals for  a  loan,  there  are  still  untapped  reserves  among 
American  pacificists;  thousands  of  these  worthy  people 
will  undoubtedly  only  be  too  glad  to  invest  the  bulk  of 
their  fortunes  in  Mexican  bonds,  if  only  given  the 
chance,  in  order  to  assist  such  a  pacifist  hero  as  Carranza. 

The  wholesale  spoliation  of  Mexican  banks  may  alarm 
some  American  statesmen,  for  fear  that  later,  under  the 
Monroe  doctrine,  the  United  States  may  have  to  reim- 
burse the  stockholders  and  depositors,  mostly  Europeans. 
That  this  fear  is  baseless  has  been  shown  by  Ing.  Hol- 
land, editor  for  the  Latin-American  News  Association 
of  New  York,  which  is  busily  circulating  booklets  in 
English  to  explain  the  Carranza  government's  doings 
to  Americans.  In  an  essay  entitled  'Intrigues  of  Clergy 
against  Monroe  Doctrine,'  Bolland  says:  "The  capital 
placed  at  interest  in  Mexico  is,  by  more  than  80%,  the 
property  of  one  creditor  only,  the  clergy.  And  the 
clergy  within  Mexico  has  Europeanized  its  interests. 
How  ?  By  making  laws  in  the  name  of  European  bank- 
ers and  pretending  that  the  capital  which  supports  and 
gives  life  to  business  here  is  capital  belonging  to  the 
clients  of  said  bankers,  the  savings  of  Frenchmen,  Eng- 
lishmen, Belgians,  etc." 

The  agitation  of  the  Mexican  question  in  the  recent 
presidential  campaign  in  the  United  States  seems  to 
have  done  little  beyond  confusing  the  voters'  minds.  To 
be  a  good  Republican,  one  had  to  approve  of  Henry 
Lane  Wilson  and  of  the  recognition  of  Huerta;  to  be  a 
sound  Democrat,  one  had  to  defend  with  unction  all  the 
countless  blunders  of  President  Wilson  in  Mexico  since 
1913.  The  prevailing  ignorance  of  facts  is  shown  by  no 
one  nailing  the  error  of  Senator  La  Follette,  when  he 
affirmed  that  Americans  own  in  Mexico  a  third  more 
property  than  the  natives,  1057  millions  against  793  mil- 
lions, while  all  other  foreigners  only  own  582  millions. 
La  Follette  took  his  figures,  heedlessly,  from  Letcher's 
U.  S.  Consular  Report  of  1912,  without  stopping  to  con- 
sider how  all  the  property  of  an  industrial  nation  of 
15,000,000  could  only  be  worth  1932  millions  of  dollars 
or  $129  per  capita,  as  compared  with  about  $1500  per 
capita  in  the  United  States.  Figures  don't  lie,  but  surely 
liars  do  figure !  It  is  probably  little  known  in  the  United 
States  what  an  influence  the  help  of  Carranza  exerted 
for  the  re-election  of  Wilson. 

The  many  Mexicans  who  were  boldly  "interfering  in 
the  internal  affaire  of  the  United  States,"  by  preaching 
for  Wilson,  met  with  little  or  no  opposition,  for  the  few 
former  residents  of  Mexico,  who  alone  had  the  knowledge 
to  expose  their  yarns,  did  not  care  to  lose  their  holdings 
in  Mexico  by  attracting  Carranza's  adverse  attention. 
The  one-sided  nature  of  the  friendship  for  Woodrow 
Wilson  was  never  better  exhibited  than  in  what  hap- 
pened in  September  to  Burton  Wilson,  a  lawyer  of 
Mexico  City  and  president  of  the  American  Club.  The 
latter  had  directed  to  the  United  States-Mexican  Com- 
mission a  short  history  of  Carranzaism  in  Mexico.  On 
being  confronted  with  this  history  by  the  American 
members  of  the   Commission,   Cabrera  refused  to  con- 


December  16.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


877 


older  it  until  he  was  told  the  name  of  its  author,  whom 
he  guaranteed  immunity  from  any  harm.  Within  a 
week  this  American  viper  was  arrested  and  ejected  by 
Carranza   from   the   bosom  of  his  outraged   .Mexico.      On 

being  blamed  Eor  this  breach  of  faith.  Cabrera  merely 
shrugged  and  deplored  the  fact  that  his  superior  powers 
had  not  allowed  him  to  extend  the  promised  protection. 
A  side-light  on  this  incident  is  the  recovery,  by  Burton 
Wilson's  expulsion,  of  a  palace  long  coveted  by  Car- 
ranza's  'Commission  of  Intervened  Property.'  The 
palace  in  the  Colonia  Roma  of  Mexico  City  belonged  to 
Huerta's  ex-minister  Lie.  Vera  Estafiol,  who  had  rented 
it  in  1913  at  a  low  figure  to  his  friend  Burton  Wilson, 
and  the  latter  had  for  over  two  years  succeeded  in  hold- 
ing it  against  the  attempts  of  the  Commission  to  eject 
him.  This  Commission  has  had  as  many  as  1000  houses 
and  estates  intervened  at  one  time  in  the  Federal  dis- 
trict ;  but  as  it  operates  in  secret  and  gives  no  public  ac- 
counting of  the  'reactionary'  property  in  its  charge,  and 
the  original  owners  are  mostly  in  exile  or  in  jail,  it 
attracts  little  public  comment. 

Some  events  in  August  have  strained  to  the  breaking- 
point  what  once  gave  promise  of  becoming  a  touching  in- 
ternational labor  friendship.  I  refer  to  that  between 
Gompers,  president  of  the  American  Federation,  and 
Carranza,  erstwhile  patron  of  the  Mexican  I.  W.  W. 
Last  June  it  was  perhaps  more  due  to  the  pleading  tele- 
gram from  friend  Gompers  than  to  anything  else  that 
Carranza  held  his  hand  from  exacting  stern  retribution 
on  the  U.  S.  Army  for  the  Carrizal  massacre.  But  in 
August,  the  labor-unions  comprising  the  men  working  on 
the  electric  trains  and  power-supply  of  Mexico  City — 
operated  by  Carranza — struck  for  the  payment  of  wages 
in  coin  and  announced  the  event  by  shutting-off  all  the 
current  in  town.  Reversing  the  procedure  of  Wilson  in 
the  Adamson  episode,  Carranza,  instead  of  being  held- 
up  by  the  labor  leaders,  clapped  them  in  jail  and  gave 
them  48  hours  to  die  or  else  stop  the  strike.  It  stopped, 
but  so  apparently  has  the  international  friendship. 

As  the  leader  of  this  strike,  the  anarchist  genius,  Dr. 
Atl,  was  arrested  and  condemned  to  be  shot ;  but  he  ap- 
pealed to  his  original  Carrapzista  patron,  General 
Obregon,  and  through  his  protection  was  enabled  to 
escape  to  the  United  States,  after  a  very  close  call.  The 
fast  is  that  Dr.  Atl  has  been  an  eyesore  to  Carranza  for 
some  time,  his  labor  doctrines  had  become  as  out-of-date 
as  a  last  year's  bird-nest,  and  in  his  editorship  of  the 
important  Government  daily,  the  Action  Mundial,  he  had 
allowed  a  passion  for  literary  sensations  to  lead  him 
often  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice  of  Use  majeste.  What 
a  mine  for  the  inner  history  of  the  Carranza  ring  Dr. 
Atl  might  prove  if  he  would  open  his  heart  to  some 
enterprising  American  journalist!  Carranza  may  yet 
regret  his  action;  tyrants  have  been  ruined  ere  this  by 
cast-off  servants  of  far  less  ability  and  audacity  than  Atl. 

The  famine  predicted  in  my  July  letter  probably 
caused  less  mortality  than  then  seemed  likely.  But  this 
outcome  was  due  chiefly  to  having  this  year  more  favor- 
able rain  than  in  1915,  enabling  the  harvesting  of  60% 


of  the  normal  crop.  In  June  many  places  were  without 
food,  and  in  San  Luis  Potoai  it  was  only  the  prompt  ac- 
tion of  the  Governor  in  importing  ;i  train-load  of  grain 
from  Michoacan  that  saved  the  city  from  decimation. 
However,  the  governors  along  the  west  side,  from  Leon  to 
Zaeatecas,  were  less  energetic  and  lost  thousands  of  their 
subjects  from  famine  and  its  resultant  typhus.  The 
famine  was  aggravated  between  Guanajuato  and  Quere- 
taro  by  some  July  cloud-bursts,  to  which  was  ascribed 
its  entire  origin  by  the  official  press-notices,  but  its  real 
cause  everywhere  was  not  water,  but  two  years  of  dosing 
by  old  Dr.  Carranza. 

There  seem  to  be  just  as  many  Zapatistas  as  ever  in 
southern  Mexico,  where  Carranza  has  never  held  more 
than  the  cities  and  the  railroads.  When  Pablo  Gonsalez 
captured  his  capital,  Cuernavaca,  last  May,  Zapata 
merely  shifted  his  headquarters  to  a  valley  farther  east. 
During  the  summer,  there  was  a  lull  in  the  combats  be- 
tween 'liberators,'  but  not  because  of  any  culpable  de- 
crease of  zeal.  The  obstacle  was  the  scarcity  of  car- 
tridges due  to  the  United  States  embargo,  in  force  since 
April.  What  Carranza  now  wants  most  of  all  is  his 
new  cartridge  factory,  detained  by  the  embargo;  for 
with  this  factory  he  can  provide  cartridges  by  merely 
filling  old  shells  with  fresh  powder,  and  can  then  feel 
independent  of  expensive  new  American  cartridges.  One 
would  fancy  that  Zapata  might  have  cartridges  even  if 
Carranza  hadn't,  but  he  would  be  wrong,  for  Zapata 
relies  mainly  for  new  cartridges  upon  their  capture  or 
purchase  from  Carranza  officers.  However,  evidently 
tired  of  inaction,  Zapata,  a  fortnight  ago,  posted  notices 
all  over  his  territory,  warning  travelers  to  beware  of 
Carranza  trains,  as  he  expected  to  begin  blowing  them 
up.  That  this  was  no  idle  threat  was  soon  demonstrated 
by  the  wrecking  of  the  Mexicana  railroad  tunnel  at 
Maltrata  by  the  artificial  collision  of  two  trains,  while 
on  November  10  the  Interoceanic  train  was  derailed  at 
Banderilla  near  Jalapa,  and  many  passengers  were 
killed. 

As  yet  Carranza  has  shown  no  signs  of  abrogating  his 
degree  of  last  year,  which  forbids  the  sale  of  Mexican 
real  estate  to  foreigners,  though  this  decree  was  pro- 
mulgated ostensibly  as  a  temporary  measure  to  protect 
simple  native  land-owners  from  the  decoy  of  a  depre- 
ciated fiat  currency.  Many  of  these  simpletons  are  being 
made  to  pay  dearly  this  year  for  protection,  for  they 
can  only  safely  harvest  their  crops  by  agreeing  to  give 
50%  of  them  to  the  local  general.  Just  before  harvest, 
one  'honest'  Carranza  general  bought  a  big  ranch,  whose 
crops  had  been  cultivated  by  villagers  on  shares.  But 
the  new  owner  harvested  all  the  crops  for  himself  and 
the  villagers  found  themselves  with  nothing  for  their 
pains. 

Gold  received  at  the  San  Francisco  Mint  during  No- 
vember totaled  667,239.777  fine  oz.,  and  1,115,453.45  oz. 
of  silver.  Coinage  consisted  of  5,400,000  dimes,  3,600,- 
000  nickels,  and  4,920,000  cents.  The  vaults  contain 
$426,173,268.95. 


878 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


Gold  in  UaSwdr  Concentrate 


By     &.     3 .     SaSe 

When  concentrate  carries  three  or  four  hundred  ounces 
of  silver  and  but  one  or  two-tenths  of  gold,  the  assayer 
may  have  some  difficulty  in  making  an  accurate  gold 
determination.  When  a  silver  button  contains  less  than 
0.05%  gold,  the  parting  leaves  the  gold  in  such  a  state 
of  division  that,  even  if  it  does  not  '  break, '  it  has  a  ten- 
dency to  adhere  to  the  annealing  cup.  I  have  worked 
out  the  following  method,  which  gives  an  accurate  gold 
determination,  even  with  the  highest  grade  of  silver  con- 
centrate that  has  ever  come  within  the  range  of  my 
personal  experience : 

Weigh  an  assay -ton  of  the  pulp  and  place  it  in  a  clean 
clay  crucible.  Have  the  muffle  at  not  quite  red  heat. 
Hold  the  crucible  on  its  side  and  with  a  few  light  taps 
cause  the  pulp  to  distribute  itself  uniformly  in  the 
crucible.  Carefully  place  the  crucible  near  the  mouth 
of  the  muffle  and  allow  a  full  draught  of  air  to  pass 
through.  After  about  20  minutes'  roasting,  remove  the 
crucible  from  the  muffle  and  tip  it  the  other  way,  so  that 
the  bottom  layer  of  the  pulp  becomes  the  top.  Roast  10 
minutes  longer,  then  take  out  and  allow  to  cool.  If  the 
roasting  is  performed  with  care,  the  pulp  will  not  matte 
or  cake,  and  will  not  need  re-grinding. 

On  top  of  the  roasted  pulp  put  a  charge  consisting  of 
25  grams  bicarbonate  of  soda,  30  gm.  litharge,  and  12 
gm.  borax-glass.  Mix,  with  a  spatula,  as  much  as  pos- 
sible in  the  crucible ;  then  dump  into  a  cloth  and  roll 
until  thoroughly  mixed,  being  sure  to  pulverize  any 
lumps  that  may  be  present. 

After  mixing,  the  assay  is  given  a  cover  of  borax-glass 
and  fused  in  the  usual  way,  using  a  low  heat  at  the  start. 
A  few  trials  will  be  sufficient  to  determine  the  exact  time 
of  roasting  necessary  to  give  the  proper-sized  lead  button. 
Cupel  as  usual.  - 

After  cupelling,  the  silver  button  should  be  hammered 
flat  and  placed  in  a  small  porcelain  crucible  half-filled 
with  1 :  10  nitric  acid.  The  acid  is  heated,  but  not  al- 
lowed to  boil. 

When  the  action  has  proceeded  so  far  that  but  few 
bubbles  are  being  liberated,  the  gold  button  should  re- 
main intact,  but  will  probably  be  swimming  around  on 
account  of  its  spongy  condition.  When  this  stage  has 
been  reached,  most  of  the  acid  may  be  drained  off  by 
holding  against  a  stirring-rod. 

Cut  a  disc  of  lead-foil  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  and 
shape  it  into  a  small  dish  by  pressing  against  the  thumb. 
Into  this  dish  carefully  wash  the  almost  parted  gold  but- 
ton. Allow  to  settle,  and  drain  off  as  much  of  the  water 
as  possible.  Dry  at  a  low  heat,  being  careful  that  it  does 
not  'spit.'  When  thoroughly  dry,  wrap  the  button  in 
another  piece  of  lead-foil ;  cupel ;  flatten  the  small  silver 
button ;  part ;  anneal,  and  weigh  in  the  usual  manner. 
The  lead  precipitates  the  proper  amount  of  silver  from 
the  nitrate  solution  to  make  a  good  separation  of  the 
gold,  and  the  final  button,  while  small,  will  be  in  com- 
pact form. 


Recovering  Gold  From 
Saprolite 

The  saprolite  of  the  southern  Appalachian  mountains 
is  merely  the  much  decomposed  country-rock,  principally 
schist  and  slate  of  various  kinds.  It  is  a  name  applied 
to  thoroughly  decomposed  'rotten'  rock  that  is  still  in 
place.  The  composition  is  variable.  In  some  districts 
the  saprolite  is  gold-bearing.  Kock  of  this  description, 
particularly  the  red  kind,  was  formerly  called  'laterite.' 
In  such  rocks  the  gold  occurs  in  the  schist  and  in  vein- 
lets  of  quartz  traversing  it  in  every  direction.  Pyrite 
usually  is  found  in  the  schist,  particularly  in  close  prox- 
imity to  the  quartz  veinlets.  It  has  been  found  desir- 
able, if  not  actually  necessary,  to  remove  the  hard  lumps 
of  mineral  from  the  soft  decomposed  rock  when  attempt- 
ing to  recover  the  gold.  These  lumps  consist  of  quartz 
and  other  hard  rocks,  in  pieces  ranging  in  size  from  an 
inch  to  a  foot  in  diameter.  Garnet  also  is  plentiful  in 
some  localities.  These  hard  lumps  are  removed  by  run- 
ning the  material,  mixed  with  about  an  equal  weight  of 
water,  through  trommels  having  holes  from  \  in.  to  \\ 
in.  diameter.  The  soft  portion  passing  through  the 
trommels  goes  to  a  'washer'  where  the  clayey  earth  is 
dissolved  and  the  gold  brightened,  so  that  it  will  amal- 
gamate readily.  It  is  the  practice  to  disintegrate  the 
gold-bearing  material  before  it  reaches  the  trommel,  and 
to  accomplish  this  it  is  run  through  an  iron-lined  sluice, 
50  ft.  or  more  in  length,  set  on  a  grade  of  3  in.  to  the  foot. 

There  are  two  types  of  washer  used — high-speed  and 
slow.  The  high-speed  washer  disintegrates  the  pulp  by 
the  beating  of  propeller-like  blades  on  a  revolving-shaft, 
which  push  the  pulp  forward  up-grade  to  the  discharge. 
Two  of  these  machines  comprise  a  set,  and  are  arranged 
tandem.  The  first  one,  18  ft.  long,  has  a  grade  of  3  in.  in 
its  length,  the  shaft  revolving  200  r.p.m.  The  second 
washer  is  12  ft.  long  with  a  grade  of  2  in.,  the  shaft  re- 
volving 260  r.p.m.  A  screen  follows  each  washer,  the 
first  of  which  removes  oversize  rocks,  roots,  and  any  other 
foreign  substances  that  may  be  present.  This  screen  is 
of  woven  wire  with  3  or  4  holes  per  linear  inch.  The 
screen  following  the  second  washer  is  similar,  but  may 
be  6  or  8-mesh.  Too  much  water  must  not  be  used,  or 
satisfactory  work  is  impossible. 

The  slow-speed  'log- washer'  is  similar  to  those  used 
in  iron-mining  districts,  and  is  adapted  for  heavier  work. 
One  of  these  machines  will  handle  1500  cubic  yards  of 
material  in  10  hours.  It  is  set  at  a  grade  of  two  inches 
to  the  foot.  The  slime  flows  out  at  the  lower  end,  where 
the  quantity  of  fine  sand  escaping  can  be  regulated  by 
means  of  the  height  of  discharge  and  the  amount  of  water 
used.  The  coarse  sand  and  gravel  are  forced  up-grade 
by  the  revolving  paddles  to  the  discharge-end,  from 
which  it  goes  through  a  double  trommel,  the  inner  one 
having  f-in.  holes  and  the  outer  one  16  to  20-mesh. 
Slotted  screens  are.  used  in  these  machines,  as  the  ma- 
terial is  all  granular. 

The  operation  of  the  log-washer  was  fully  described  by 
W.  R.  Dodge  in  the  M.  &  S.  P.  of  March  14,  1914. 


December  16,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


879 


The  Hydraulic  Air -Compressor 


By      A.      E.      Ciiodiko 


It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  Pacific  coast  of  the 
United  States,  so  liberally  supplied  with  natural  sources 
of  water-power,  already  utilized  in  a  number  of  impor- 
tant hydro-electric  installations,  should  not  present  a 
single  case  of  application  of  a  process  that  has  been 
turned  to  good  advantage  by  our  Canadian  neighbors,  as 
also  in  a  few  localities  in  this  country  and  in  Europe, 
namely,  the  hydraulic  compression  of  air. 

The  increase  of  activity  in  the  mining  industry,  caused 
by  the  present  upheaval  and  by  the  fact  that  new  metal- 
lic substances  have  recently  been  enhancing  the  general 
demand  for  further  development  in  the  opening  of  min- 
eral deposits,  may  lend  interest  to  a  brief  description  of 
a  device  that  some  eminent  technical  writers  have  been 
satisfied  to  pass  with  the  cursory  remark  that  it  is  "the 
reverse  of  the  air-lift."  Here  not  improbably  lies  one 
reason  for  the  indifference  manifested  toward  hydraulic 
compression:  a  common  notion  exists  that  the  air-lift, 
while  a  convenient  and  widely  used  contrivance  for  well- 
pumping,  is  unfit  for  mining  practice,  and  the  above 
opinion,  expressed  by  accepted  professional  authorities, 
contributes  to  relegate  in  the  make-shift  class  a  system 
that,  when  rationally  used,  surpasses  in  efficiency  the 
most  advanced  types  of  mechanical  pumping-plants. 

Another  cause  of  reticence  on  the  subject  may  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  so  far,  its  successful  applications 
have  been  made  on  a  large  scale,  so  that  the  superin- 
tendent of  a  mine  of  moderate  size,  and  disposing  of  a 
limited  amount  of  water,  naturally  enough  deems  it  use- 
less to  look  into  its  possible  use  for  his  own  requirements. 
Finally,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  while  the  process  itself  is 
by  no  means  novel,  little  is  generally  known  about  its 
practical  use ;  as  in  other  questions  of  commercial  popu- 
larity, both  truth  and  error  can  be  found  in  these  argu- 
ments. They  are  well  worth  a  few  moments  of  attention 
because  not  uncommonly  have  valuable  processes  or 
articles  been  condemned  simply  because  they  were  ap- 
plied out  of  season  and  under  faulty  conditions. 

In  the  first  place,  and  without  dealing  with  the  air- 
lift beyond  the  statement  that  under  ordinary  and  prac- 
ticable circumstances  it  is  eminently  adapted  to  mining 
work,  nor  is  it  true  that  the  principle  of  operation  is 
reversed  in  hydraulic  compression. 

True  it  is  that  they  present  some  traits  of  similarity ; 
in  both  of  them,  air  and  water  are  circulated  side  by  side 
in  immediate  contact,  and  a  satisfactory  degree  of  effi- 
ciency requires  a  proper  volumetric  proportion  between 
the  two  fluids;  in  both,  also,  the  principle  of  operation 
lies  in  the  difference  of  weights  between  two  liquid 
columns  in  communication.  The  modes  of  action  of  the 
two  machines  are,  nevertheless,  widely  different,  as  also 
are  the  determinations  of  their  elements. 


J.  P.  Frizell,  who  originated  that  system  in  1878,  con- 
tends that  the  volume  of  air  drawn  by  the  water  into  the 
induction-pipe  (Fig.  1)  automatically  adjusts  itself  to 
balancing  its  contents  and  those  of  the  return-column. 
That  statement  is  too  vague  to  satisfy  a  man  who,  having 
at  his  disposal  a  given  amount  of  water,  wants  to  know 
how  much  air  he  can  raise  with  it  to  a  given  pressure. 
C.  H.  Taylor,  of  Montreal,  attempted  to  answer  that 
question  by  constructing  in  1896  at  the  Magog  mills, 
Quebec,  a  hydraulic  plant  that  successfully  supplied 
power  to  a  number  of  compressed-air  motors.  In  that 
installation,  a  volume  of  free  air  from  1377  to  1616  cu. 
ft.  per  minute  was  compressed  to  52  lb.  effective  per 
square  inch  by  a  volume  of  water  from  6122  to  7162  cu. 
ft.  per  minute  respectively,  with  a  fall  of  from  21.2  to 
22.3  feet. 

Prof.  C.  H.  McLeod,  of  McGill  University,  performed 
in  August  1896  on  the  Magog  plant  some  tests  that 
showed  an  efficiency  ranging  from  53.5  to  62.4%.  En- 
couraging as  were  these  results,  they  could  not  outshine 
customary  makes  of  air-compressors  in  the  competitive 
field ;  the  tests  suggested  a  better  proportion  between  the 
main  parts  of  the  machine,  and  further  attempts  justi- 
fied that  prevision. 

The  efforts  of  the  promoters  of  the  system  were  re- 
warded by  such  marked  progress  that  a  hydraulic  com- 
pressor nowadays  can  be  established  under  guarantee  of 
showing  a  higher  total  efficiency  than  a  reciprocating  or 
centrifugal  machine  for  the  same  capacity  and  air-pres- 
sure. That  efficiency  is  permanent,  because  deteriora- 
tion is  practically  absent,  and  no  apparent  reason  exists, 
barring  accident,  why  a  well  constructed  hydraulic  com- 
pressor should  not  be  in  as  good  condition  after  years  of 
eontinous  use  as  on  the  day  when  water  was  first  turned 
on.  Nor  does  its  relative  superiority  stop  here;  while, 
like  any  power-plant  whatever,  the  hydraulic  compressor 
demands  some  attendance,  this  does  not  compare  with 
that  required  by  a  mechanical  plant  of  like  capacity. 

This,  indeed,  does  not  imply  an  unrestricted  com- 
mendation of  that  type  of  compressor;  its  success  is 
primarily  subservient  to  natural  conditions  that  do  not 
exist  everywhere,  even  in  regions  where  it  would  seem  to 
warrant  consideration.  But  when  these  requisites  are 
fulfilled,  the  manager  in  need  of  compressed  air  should 
be  enabled  to  figure  out,  at  least  approximately,  as  he 
would  for  steam,  electric,  or  water  power,  the  nature  and 
the  cost  of  the  work  involved  in  the  prospective  equip- 
ment. 

Many  will  hesitate  to  apply  for  advice  to  exclusive 
firms,  who  not  uncommonly  seem  to  treat  a  mere  request 
for  information  as  the  forerunner  of  an  immediate  order, 


880 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


and  they  naturally  prefer  to  work  the  matter  out  by 
themselves.  Professional  inquiries  received  from  mining 
men  satisfied  me  that  the  elements  of  such  estimates  are 
lacking,  and  they  have  prompted  me  to  present  a  few 
pointers  that  may  prove  useful.  Such  suggestions  are 
the  outcome  of  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  hydraulic 
compression  prepared  for  my  personal  use,  in  an  effort 
to  co-ordinate  the  various  requirements  and  physical 
features  of  the  case.  Similar,  or  perhaps  identical,  for- 
mula? may  have  been  propounded  elsewhere ;  they  have 
not  come  under  my  observation. 

A  strictly  analytical  treatment  of  the  subject  would 
prove  both  a  useless  and  a  hopeless  task :  useless  because 
to  the  man  of  action,  for  whom  these  notes  are  intended, 
the  sight  of  a  forbidding  array  of  differential  equations 
is  a  sure  incentive  to  closing  the  book  and  dismissing  a 
question  presented  in  that  shape ;  hopeless,  because  prob- 
lems of  that  nature  unavoidably  involve  some  purely 
practical  factors,  our  correct  knowledge  of  which  is  at 
best  very  restricted.  If  they  follow  definite  laws,  these 
are  still,  to  a  large  extent,  enshrouded  with  uncertainty, 
and  so  long  as  the  requirements  do  not  trespass  the 
limits  of  present  practice,  one  must  rest  content  for  the 
time  being  with  records  of  experiment  and  actual  per- 
formance as  a  corrective  to  the  common  tendency  to  gen- 
eralize unduly  the  results  of  limited  observations.  Such 
records  are  unfortunately  scarce ;  too  often  inquiries  of 
that  nature  are  checked  by  commercial  reticence. 

The  proposed  line  of  computation  assumes  only  an 
elementary  familiarity  with  mathematics  and  physical 
mechanics ;  first  using  it  as  a  checking  process,  it  will  be 
applied  to  the  published  results  of  elaborate  tests  con- 
ducted on  a  large  and  successful  installation  of  hydraulic 
compressors;  it  next  will  be  used  for  treating  a  special 
case  in  actual  mining  practice,  the  object  being  to  impart 
an  idea  of  the  conditions  under  which  a  hydraulic  plant 
deserves  competitive  comparison  with  the  usual  makes  of 
air-compressor. 

Again  referring  to  Pig.  1,  which  indicates  the  general 
outline  of  a  hydraulic  compressor,  air  and  water  will  be 
traced  step  by  step  during  their  passage  through  the 
machine,  the  following  notations  being  used : 

p„  =  atmospheric  pressure  in  pounds  per  square  inch. 

Pi  =  absolute    highest    air-pressure    in    pounds    per 
square  inch. 

Q  =  volume  in  cubic  feet  of  free  air  available  for  use- 
ful purposes. 

c  =  volume  in  cubic  feet  of  ireerair  available  for  ef- 
fecting compression. 

R  =  volumetric  ratio  of  the  total  amount  of  entrained 
air  to  the  volume  of  water. 

S  =  weight  in  pounds  of  one  cubic  foot  of  free  air  at 

pressure  p0. 
V-l  =  mean  velocity  in  feet  per  second  along  induction- 
pipe. 

Induction  Column.  "Water  from  the  fore-bay  enters 
the  induction-pipe  at  its  top,  together  with  a  certain 
volume  of  entrained  free  air,  depending  upon  the  ve- 
locity of  the  water.    Various  devices,  which  need  not  be 


examined  at  this  time,  have  been  proposed  for  improving 
the  entraining  action  of  water  on  the  air;  it  would 
appear  that  their  main  advantage  consists  in  dividing 
that  air  into  small  bubbles,  and  thus  facilitating  cooling 
during  compression,  but  the  amount  of  entrained  air  is 
practically  the  same  with  or  without  these  devices. 

That  fact  was  emphatically  asserted  by  Frizell,  and  it 
is  confirmed  by  more  recent  observation  (Peele,  'Com- 
pressed Air  Plant, '  p.  245 ) .  At  any  rate,  a  mixture  of 
water  and  of  air  bubbles  is  falling  along  the  induction- 
pipe,  the  air  being  gradually  compressed  as  the  hydro- 
static head  increases  with  the  distance  below  the  level 
of  water  in  the  fore-bay.  The  entire  amount  of  that 
air,  however,  is  not  available  for  useful  purposes,  be- 
cause part  of  it  becomes  dissolved  in  the  water. 

The  latter  at  saturation  contains  air  to  one-twentieth 
of  its  volume,  irrespective  of  pressure.  The  result  is 
that  one  cubic  foot  of  water  entering  the  induction-pipe 
contains  in  dissolution,  and  with  no  increase  of  volume 

2j  cu.  ft.  of  free  air ;  but  as  the  fall  proceeds  and  that 

air  becomes  compressed,  its  volume  diminishes,  so  that. 

in  order  to  keep  up  saturation,  the  difference  between  jt 

cu.  ft.  and  the  actual  volume  occupied  by  the  partly 
compressed  air  must  be  made  up  at  the  expense  of  the 
non-dissolved  entrained  air. 

A  steady  and  increasing  drain  therefore  takes  place 
on  the  initial  volume  of  air,  along  the  induction  pipe, 
until  the  air  and  water  mixture  reaches  the  lower  end  of 
that  pipe. 

The  0.05  cu.  ft.  of  free  air  held  in  dissolution  at  en- 

trance  has  now  become  0.05  —  cu.  ft.  of  compressed  air 
at  pressure  p1  and  the  drain  on  the  entrained  air.  also 
measured  in  compressed  state,  is  0.05    \  1 °       cu.  ft., 

corresponding  to  0.05  -  |"1  -  —  "I  =0.05  ("-  -1]  eu. 
ft.  free  air. 

In  other  words,  if  c  cubic  feet  of  water  enter  the  in- 
duction-pipe in  one  second,  the  total  volume  of  free  air 
moving  with  it  is  Re  cu.  ft.,  out  of  which  the  water  holds 
in  saturation  0.05  c,  making  the  volume  of  entrained  free 
air  at  entrance  to  induction.  =-- 

i?e - 0.05  e  =  c(.E- 0.05)   cu.  ft.  per  second. 

"When  the  mixture  reaches  the  bottom  of  the  induc- 
tion-pipe, the  drain  on  the  entrained  air  to  maintain 

saturation  is,  as  above  stated,  0.05  c   f  — ^  -  ll  measured 

in  free  air,  leaving  for  useful  purposes 

c(R- 0.05)  -0.05c  [I1-!] 

=-  c\R-  0.05-^1  =  Q 

cubic  feet  of  free  air  per  second  available  for  use,  and 
therefore 

R  =  4  +0.05  | 

The  limits  of  available  space  and  of  the  reader's  for- 
bearance would  be  exceeded  by  the  tedious  unfolding 
of  simple  calculations  that  lead|  to  the  following  results : 


December  16,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


881 


lb 


Mean  weight  per  cubic  foot  of  mixture  of  air  and 
water  along  the  induction-pipe: 

62.4  +  8  (/,'     0.05)    T     1  — " 1 

Mean  volume  of  mixture  passing  per  second  through 

induction-pipe: 

c,=  f  [l.9  +  ii;(l  +  f)]  cubic  feet. 

V,  is,  in  feet  per  second,  the  mean  net  velocity  of  fall 
of  that  mixture,  supposed  to  be  constant  along  the  in- 
duction pipe. 

The  corresponding  diameter  d,  in  feet  is  given  by  the 
relation 

0.7854  d,-  y,  =  c,  or  d,  =  1.128  JK 
Frizell  states  that  small  air-bubbles,  say  i-inch  diam., 


induce  air  by  entrainmenl  at  the  top  of  the  induction- 
pipe  tu  be  1  foot  =  &1. 

The  entrance  head,  covering  contraction  is  generally 
reckoned  as  one-half  the  velocity-head,  or  0.00781  I',    ' 

=  /,,. 

The  velocity-head  0.0155  {V\y-  =  htl_ 
The  friction-head  on  the  length  II  of  the  induction  is 
B  /4  TV  +  5  T,  -  2  \  _ 

<f,\         14400  )  —  "<■ 

There  is,  besides,  a  loss  due  to  the  disruption,  in  the 
separation-chamber,  of  the  induction-column  moving  at 
the  assumed  velocity  {V\).    The  corresponding  head  is 
mc, 
20    {V    l>   ■ 
The  net  work  done  by  the  falling  water  is  therefore 

mcs  [H-{lh  +  h,  +  h3  +  /,.,)-  (™1]  ft.  lb. 


Forebay. 

~-:-|  *w  £ 

'■           i  ^ 

^^^^^H                              ^^V 

11    Tail  fierce^- 

w  * 

¥m 

U::.-\-'\ 

•V      : 

1    }: 
1    - 

.  *  i  i 

k-       •  b    1      i 

*   :i.  I   ! 

'•    £-.i   i 

?> .  i   ' 

i   i 

_A 

;•'•■■    !       I 

• 

Forebay 


^ 


m 


Zj|; 


mi- 


m 


''Separating 
Chamber 


Fig  1 


in  suspension  in  still  water,  have  a  natural  tendency  to 
rise  with  a  velocity  of  0.8  ft.  per  second,  varying  as  the 
square  root  of  the  bubble's  diameter.  And,  therefore, 
if  we  assume  that  the  compressed  air  at  the  foot  of  the 
induction-pipe  is  in  the  shape  of  small  bubbles  of  that 
size,  it  will  easily  be  found  that  the  rising  velocity  at 

the  surface  would  be  W0  =  0.8  I  —  )     feet  per  second,  so 

that,  while  the  net  average  velocity  is  V1  its  actual  value 
at  the  top  of  the  induction  must  be  (V1  -\-  W0)  =  V\, 
and  as  the  velocity  is  supposed  constant,  this  value  must 
prevail  along  the  induction. 

The  following  portions  of  the  total  head  are  lost  dur- 
ing the  fall:    Frizell  estimates  the  necessary  head  to 


Fig.  2. 


■4 


Tail  Race. 


->■ 


W&p0F' 


HSMSSt't't'ttk 


/*"■ 


Return  Column.  When  the  mixture  issues  from  the 
induction-pipe  into  the  separating-chamber,  the  com- 
pression of  the  entrained  air  has  been  completed;  the 
descending  column  meets  a  stationary  shield  that 
spreads  it  radially,  at  right  angles  with  its  former  direc- 
tion, and  facilitates  the  separation  of  the  air  from  the 
water.  The  former  naturally  seeks  the  upper  part  of 
the  separating-room,  where  it  enters  the  air-main.  It  is 
obvious  that  the  larger  this  room  is  horizontally,  the 
more  complete  will  that  segregation  be,  because  the  sud- 
den increase  of  area  brings  the  water  to  a  comparative 
rest,  and  it  abandons  the  entrained  air-bubbles.  The 
water  remains  saturated  with  air,  and  fills  the  lower 
portion  of  the  room,  where  the  submerged  entrance  to 


882 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


the  return-shaft  is  placed.  The  top  of  it  opens  in  the 
tail-race,  and  its  vertical  depth  determines  the  effective 
air-pressure. 

The  size  of  that  ascending  passage  varies  in  the  few 
existing  installations  of  that  type :  it  generally  is  a  shaft, 
vertical  or  inclined,  either  enclosing  the  induction-pipe, 
or  independent  of  it,  but  as  a  rule,  of  a  materially  larger 
cross-section.  This,  however,  is  not  without  exception: 
Kent  (page  623)  mentions  an  installation  with  a  3-ft. 
induction  and  a  4  ft.  9  in.  return-pipe,  and  circumstances 
are  readily  conceivable  where  both  may  be  laid  on  the 
inclined  surface  of  the  ground.  If  a  is  the  uniform 
area  of  the  return-passage  in  square  feet,  the  mean  ve- 
locity is  V2  =   —  when  c2  is  the  mean  volume  in  cubic 

feet  per  second  of  the  ascending  column  of  air  and  water. 
If  the  return-passage  is  a  circular  pipe  of  diameter  d2 
feet,  then 

Y2  =  1.273(| ) 

Whatever  be  the  sectional  shape  of  the  return-passage, 
d,  may  be  taken  as  the  diameter  of  an  equivalent  circu- 
lar section. 

The  mean  volume  e,  passing  per  second  is 

C2  =  c  [l  +  0.025  (_£i  _i)|   cu.  ft. 

The  mean  weight  per  cubic  foot  is 

_,    62.4  +  0.05    (I1  -l)  |~i     1    

mi = I 11° L  P  +  1  +  0.05 

2  L  \p0 

The  losses  occurring  during  the  return  flow  are  repre- 
sented by 

a  velocity-head  0.0155   (y2-0.8)2  =  A5, 

a  friction-head    -g-  ( — '  7200  ; —  )  =  hB, 

when  I  is  the  actual  length  of  the  return-shaft  in  feet. 
The  divisor  7200  applies  to  a  rough  shaft  blasted  out  of 
the  rock;  with  a  smooth  passage,  that  divisor  should  be 
14,400. 

A  pressure-head  2.31   (p1~Po)  =h. 

And  finally,  the  work  of  isothermal  compression  of  Q 

cu.  ft.  of  free  air  from  p0  to  p1  is  144  p0  Q  hyp.  log.     — 
=  W.  p° 

The  total  resisting  work  is  therefore  [9%  c2  (h  +  h5  -\- 
K)  +  W]  ft-  lb.  and  equating  it  to  the  net  work  done 
by  the  water : 

™<>i  lH-(K  +  K  +  K  +  K)- -j^]  =»h  c=  (*  + 
K  +  K)  +  w.  '  (1) 

The  efficiency  of  the  process  is  the  ratio  of  the  useful 
work  to  the  work  of  falling  water,  or 

W 


X(t  -l)]  ^ 


E  = 


(2) 


62Ac(.H-h) 

These  two  expressions  furnish  all  the  fundamental 
data  necessary  for  an  installation  of  hydraulic  compres- 
sion to  meet  given  conditions.  The  manner  of  using 
them  will  now  be  exemplified  on  an  existing  plant 
erected  in  1906  at  the  Victoria  copper  mine,  near  Bock- 
land,  in  Ontonagon  county,  Michigan,  the  description  of 
which  can  be  found  in  Peele  ('Compressed  Air  Plant.' 


pp.  242,  et  seq.)  and  in  an  article  by  C.  H.  Taylor  in 
the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  of  August  18,  1906. 

The  plan  will  ultimately  comprise  three  identical 
units,  one  of  which  was  in  operation  when  tests  were 
conducted  by  Prof.  F.  W.  Sperr  in  May  1906. 

Their  results,  published  in  the  above  papers,  present 
slight  discrepancies  of  pressure  in  connection  with  the 
dimensions  given  in  the  two  descriptions,  but  that  does 
not  affect  the  result  in  view,  namely,  the  concordance  of 
the  actual  data  with  the  above  formula;. 

The  results  of  the  tests  are  as  follows,  in  one  of  three 
cases : 

Atmospheric  p0  =  14. 

Absolute  air-pressure  p1  =  128. 

Cubic  feet  free  air  per  second  Q  =  198.83. 

Cubic  feet  water  per  second  c  =  247. 

Diameter  of  induction  dx  =  5  ft. 

Working-head  H-h  =  70  ft. 

Return-shaft  540  ft.  long  =  I,  10  by  10  ft.  (?)  with  a 
2-ft.  air-main  concreted. 

Efficiency  E  =  0.8227. 

Assumed  temperature  60°  F.  8 =  0.0726. 

Applying  the  previous  formulae,  the  results  are 

R  =  1.262. 

m  =  41.273. 

ct  =  407.55  cu.  ft. 
m,  =  53.396  lb. 
C2  =  297.28  cu.  ft. 
W  =  887,061.75  ft.  lb. 

The  value  of  the  main  velocity  V1  is  arbitrary,  and 
lacking  a  definite  law  of  correlation  between  that  ele- 
ment of  the  question  and  the  volume  of  entrained  air, 
one  may  safely  assume  that  they  vary  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, as  also  do  the  inertial  and  frictional  resistance, 
while  the  size  and  the  cost  of  the  induction-pipe  becomes 
less. 

Ivens  ('Pumping  by  Compressed  Air,'  p.  124)  men- 
tions a  lift  of  840  ft.  with  a  maximum  velocity  of  22  ft. 
per  second  in  the  eduction-pipe.  This  has  reached  25  ft. 
in  other  cases. 

In  the  present  instance,  a  5-ft.  induction-diameter 
gives  e. 


V  = 


=  20.756  ft. 


19.635 
and  assuming  the  same  value,  for  the  sake  of  comparison, 

wMl  Wo  =  0.8(fif=1.157ft.sec. 

as  the  rising  velocity  at  surface,  V\  =  21.913  ft.,  and 
therefore  \  =  1 ;  7i2  =  7.443 ;  h3  =  3.721 ;  7i4  =  0.025  H ; 

(T",)2 
and  — g —  =  7.443,  making  the  net  work  of  water  16,820.81 

[0.975.#-  19.607]  ft.  lb. 

Thej.width  of  the  return-shaft,  not  given,  is  assumed 
equal  tp,  its  height,  namely,  10  ft.  Concreting  of  the  2-ft. 
air-main  occupies  3  by  3  ft.  =  9  sq.  ft.,  leaving  a  net 
area  of  91  sq.  ft.  with  an  equivalent  diameter  of  9.52 
feet.  / 

The  mean  velocity  in  the  return-shaft  is 
c. 


P~,= 


91 


=3.267  ft. 


December  lti,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


883 


and  therefore  fc„  =  0.0155  (3.267-0.8)'=     0.092  El 

*.= 

/'  =as  per  descriptions     =272.000  ft. 

I,  +h.  +/i„  =  272.5-11   ft. 
Equation  ( 1 1  becomes 
16820.81    [0.975  //  -  19.607]  =  ir)873.56  X  272.541  -f 
887061.75. 
ff  =  337.99,  say.  338  ft. 
and  subtracting  working-head     70  ft. 

the  pressure-head  is  268  ft. 
The  efficiency  is  0.823. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  value  of  H  in  the  Victoria 
plant  is  342  ft.,  with  a  pressure-head  of  270  ft.,  a  work- 
ing-head of  72  ft.,  and  an  air-pressure  of  117  lb.,  instead 
of  114  lb.  given  in  the  test's  records.  A  shorter  length 
of  the  total  head  H  was  therefore  to  be  expected  with 
thf  present  data,  and  the  above  results  established  the 
practical  conformity  of  the  proposed  solution  with  actual 
facts. 

Another  application  will  now  be  considered  to  the 
case  of  a  mine  where  the  available  supply  of  water  is 
scant,  compared  with  the  required  amount  of  air. 

The  data  furnished  by  the  inquirers  are 

Altitude  =  10,000  ft. 

Temperature  from  +  90°  to  -  25°  F. 

Minimum  flow  of  water  =  500  m.i. 

Volume  of  free  air  required  for  use  =  2000  cu.  ft.  min. 

Effective  air-pressure  per  square  inch  =  100  lb. 

The  site  makes  it  desirable  to  avoid,  if  possible,  the  use 
of  heavy  machinery  and  the  necessity  of  important  re- 
pairs. 

An  assumed  repartition  of  temperature  throughout 
the  year  places  its  mean  value,  between  the  mine  and 
sea-level,  at  48°  F.  and  this  gives 

p„=  10.156;  p,=  110.156;  Q  =  33.33:  S  =  0.054; 

c  =  12.5;    -^    =2.6664:  R  =  3.209. 

A  series  of  calculations  entirely  similar  to  those  used 
in  the  previous  example  give  the  following  results: 

Diameter  of  induction-pipe,  20  in. 

Mean  velocity  in  induction-pipe,  15.47  ft.  sec. 

Diameter  of  return-pipe,  28  in. 

Mean  velocity  in  return-pipe,  3.64  ft.  see. 

Total  height,  H  =  310.86  ft. 

Working  head,  H  -  h  =  79.86  ft. 

Efficiency  of  the  process,  E  =  1.863. 
This  means  an  impossibility. 

Now,  an  ordinary  air-compressor,  operated  by  a  water- 
wheel,  would  meet  the  present  requirements,  at  a  total 
efficiency  of  55%,  with  a  working-head  of  271  ft.  In  a 
general  way,  it  is  true  to  say  that  theoretically  any  defi- 
nite amount  of  water  will  perform  any  definite  amount 
of  work  under  a  sufficient  head.  Nor  does  the  rule  suffer 
exception  in  the  case  of  hydraulic  compression ;  the  rec- 
orded impossibility  is  chargeable,  not  to  the  system  it- 
self, but  to  the  imposed  combination  of  volume  and 
pressure  of  the  air. 


'I'lic  following  results  would  be  found,  for  the  same 
volume  of  air  and  water  as  assumed  in  the  last  example: 

Effective  air-pressure  (lb.  per  sq.  in.).  50  25            S 

Total  head,  S  fi 216.7  14S.99  sl'.::n 

Working  head,  B-h  ft 101.2  91.24  63.9 

Efficiency    1.098  0.854       0.567 

It  appears  therefore  that  under  given  volumetric  con- 
ditions <if  air  and  water,  there  is  a  certain  pressure  cor- 
responding to  the  maximum  efficiency,  the  upper  limit 
of  which  is  necessarily  below  unity,  on  account  of  the 
loss  incurred  from  the  compression  of  the  saturating  air. 

In  mining,  pressures  of  100  lb.  or  thereabouts  are  gen- 
erally desired  for  operating  machine-drills.  Lower  pres- 
sures may,  however,  be  useful,  for  instance,  as  sometimes 
suggested,  to  furnish  the  first  stage  of  compression  for 
a  compound-piston  machine ;  this  would  permit  an  or- 
dinary one-stage  compressor  to  perform  the  finishing 
stage  to  100  lb.,  a  result  that  could  not  economically  be 
obtained  in  a  single  cylinder. 

Another  valuable  use  of  low  pressures  is  the  operation 
of  serial  air-lifts,  which  only  can  be  mentioned  at  this 
place.  If,  however,  an  effective  pressure  of  100  lb.  is 
considered  imperative,  a  hydraulic  installation  becomes 
possible  by  fraetioning  the  plant  into  several  consecutive 
units  acting  in  parallel  so  far  as  air  is  concerned,  and  in 
series  for  the  use  of  water ;  in  other  words,  the  same 
water  is  used  several  times  in  succession  to  produce  a 
cumulative  amount  of  air,  the  scope  of  the  combination 
being  only  limited  by  the  total  available  fall,  controlled, 
of  course,  by  considerations  of  economy. 

Here  are  some  results  of  such  an  arrangement. 
(Fig.  2.) 

Effective  air-pressure  per  sq.  in.  100  100  100 

Cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute.  750  750  750 
Cubic     feet     of     free     air     per 

minute  at  each  stage 1000  S00  666.67 

Number  of  serial  stages 2  2.5  3 

Total  height,  if  ft 315.45  304.47  297.25 

Working  head,  H  -  h  ft 84.45  73.48  66.25 

Efficiency    0.SS1  0.811  0.749 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  the  hydraulic  system  of 
compression  is  adaptable  to  a  variety  of  forms,  under  a 
high  efficiency;  it  is,  however,  safe  to  say  that  its  best 
field  of  application  is  characterized  by  large  volumes  of 
air  and  of  water,  and  that,  when  their  ratio,  in  the  order 
here  named,  materially  exceeds  the  unit,  a  mechanical 
installation  seems,  at  first  glance,  more  satisfactory. 

The  problem  involves,  however,  too  many  conflicting 
factors  to  warrant  rigid  rules  of  limitation.  One  unique 
feature  of  this  type  of  compressor  is  that  it  can  be  es- 
tablished in  a  case  of  emergency  when  more  elaborate 
machinery  would  be  altogether  out  of  question ;  and  in 
a  remote  locality,  it  may,  on  that  account,  prove  ex- 
tremely valuable. 

Damascus  steel,  famous  throughout  the  world,  owes 
its  peculiarly  valuable  qualities  to  the  fact  that  it  eon- 
tains  tungsten,  according  to  Due  de  Luynes,  who  pub- 
lished something  on  the  subject  in  1844. 


884 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


TMm   WM3®    Saps   WM^i  Mmmh.?mmm,  Tlmm&m 


By      J  ©  Si  sa 

The  White  Caps  mine  is  at  Manhattan,  Nevada,  45 
miles  north  of  Tonopah,  and  has  been  operated  intermit- 
tently since.  1905.  Recent  discoveries  of  good  ore  on  the 
300-ft.  level  have  revived  interest  in  this  long  neglected, 
although  promising,  mining  district. 

Oxidized  gold  ore  was  discovered  on  the  surface  of  the 
White  Caps  claims,  and  an  incline-shaft  was  sunk  to  a 
vertical  depth  of  200  ft.  Water-level  was  at  150  ft.,  and 
below  that  point  the  ore  changed  to  massive  sulphide. 
The  oxidized  ore  can  be  readily  cyanided,  while  the  sul- 
phide ore  is  not  amenable  to  direct  cyanidation. 

In  1912  a  party  of  lessees  erected  a  mill  and  cyanide 
plant  of  75  tons  daily  capacity.  For  a  time  a  good  pro- 
duction was  made,  but  when  the  oxidized  ore  was  ex- 
hausted the  mine  and  mill  were  closed,  except  for  a  few 
shipments,  to  smelters,  of  selected  high-grade  sulphide 
ore.  A  process  has  been  designed  recently  for  treating 
the  sulphide  ore  by  roasting  and  cyaniding,  and  a  roaster 


W 


Fig.  1.     plan  or  ore-shoots  on  the  200-ft.  level. 

is  now  being  added  to  the  mill.  Details  of  the  treatment 
will  be  given  at  some  future  time,  after  the  mill  has  been 
in  operation. 

The  mine  is  now  operated  through  a  vertical  two-com- 
partment shaft,  sunk  in  the  hanging  wall  of  the  ore- 
bodies.  There  are  levels  at  100,  200,  and  300  ft.  The 
total  production  to  date  is  19,909  tons  of  ore,  assaying 
$19.14  per  ton  in  gold,  or  $381,053  gross.  This  was  al- 
most all  oxidized  ore  from  above  the  200-ft.  level. 

The  sedimentary  rocks  of  the  region  were  originally 
shale  and  limestone,  which  have  been  intruded  by  a  large 
mass  of  granite.  The  granite  outcrops  two  miles  south 
of  Manhattan,  also  four  miles  north* and  probably  under- 
lies the  whole  district.  Later  flows  of  rhyolite  cover 
much  of  the  surface.  The  sediments  have  a  north-west 
strike,  and  dip  55°  south-west.  Metamorphism  has  been 
widespread,  changing  the  shale  to  schist,  or  quartzite. 
and  altering  the  limestone  to  coarse  calcite. 

The  ore  deposits  occur  in  the  sediments,  and  are  of 
three  types,  as  follows:  (1)  Small  gold-bearing  veins, 
with  a  gangue  consisting  principally  of  quartz  and  cal- 
cite ;  (2)  Low-grade  disseminations  of  free  gold  through- 
out the  cleavage-planes  of  the  schist;  and  (3)  Replace- 
ment deposits  in  the  limestone. 


1 .       AyBSi 

It  is  to  the  third  type  that  the  White  Caps  orebodies 
belong.  The  ore  is  a  replacement  of  limestone  by  quartz, 
pyrite,  arsenopyrite,  and  stibnite.  Calcite,  due  to  re- 
crystallization  of  the  limestone,  is  abundant.  Realgar  is 
common,  and  cinnabar  occurred  in  small  quantities  above 


Fig.  2.     sketch-plan  showing  ore-shoots  in  the  limestone. 

the  200-ft.  level,  but  has  not.  been  found  below  it. 
An  analysis  of  typical  ore  is  given : 


SiO=  .. 
A1A,  . 
CaO    .. 

Fe    ... 

S    

Gold, 


1.02  oz.  per  ton 


% 
..55.8 

. .  1.8 
.  .  7.2 
.  .  S.9 
.  .  S.2 
silver, 


Sb  .. 
As  .  . 
MgO 
H.O  . 
CO=  . 
0.02  oz. 


% 
0.7 
1.5 
3.2 
0.8 
9.2 


per  ton. 


This  corresponds  roughly  with  the  following  mineralog- 
ical  composition : 


% 


% 


Pyrite   13. S 

Arsenopyrite     3.3 

Stibnite    1.0 


Calcite    19.6 

Quartz     52.0 

(Ca,   Fe,   Al)    silicates. . .   7.4 

Typical  ore  has  much  the  same  appearance  as  the  hard 
blue  limestone  of  which  it  is  a  replacement.  Upon  close 
inspection,  however,  its  silicious  nature  is  apparent. 
The  pyrite  and  arsenopyrite  are  fine-grained.  The  char- 
acteristic odor  of  arsenic  can  be  detected  upon  striking 
the  ore  with  a  pick.  Stibnite  is  found  in  prismatic  and 
radiating  needles  and  often  forms  bunches  up  to  four 
inches  in  diameter.  Samples  of  ore  occasionally  assay 
as  high  as  8%  antimony.  Calcite  occurs  in  coarse 
crystals,  and  its  presence  in  the  limestone  is  a  good  in- 


December  16,  1916 


MINING   and   Scientific    PRESS 


885 


dioation  of  the  proximity  of  an  ore-shoot.  Veins  of  pure 
white  caloite  are  frequently  followed  until  they  lead  to 
ore. 

Realgar  is  usually  found  as  a  thin  tilm  coating  calcite 
crystals,  or  in  cracks  in  the  limestone.  It  also  occurs  in 
the  shale  hanging  wall,  three  or  four  feet  above  the  ore. 
Sometimes  it  forms  a  him  two  or  three  feet  square  on 
some  smooth  surface,  and  then  presents  a  beautiful  ap- 
pearance. Probably  the  realgar  is  a  secondary  mineral 
derived  from  the  arsenopyrite. 

Cinnabar  has  been  found  in  small  quantities  above  the 
200-ft.  level.  Its  resistance  to  oxidation  made  it  par- 
ticularly conspicuous  in  the  oxidized  zone. 

The  condition  in  which  the  gold  occurs  is  not  known. 
The  sulphide  ore,  in  its  raw  state,  is  quite  refractory  to 
cyanide  treatment,  and  some  of  the  tests  made  on  it 
showed   identical  gold  content  in  heading  and  tailing 


Fig.  3.     section  through  the  west  obe-shoot. 

samples.  The  oxidized  ore  can  be  cyanided  readily,  with 
90%  extraction,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  sulphide  ore 
when  roasted  under  special  conditions.  The  gold  evi- 
dently is  in  such  form  that  heat  or  oxidation  sets  it  free. 
It  may  be  present  as  a  telluride,  although  no  tests  suffi- 
ciently delicate  to  determine  this  have  yet  been  made. 

Two  principal  ore-shoots,  known  as  the  Bast  and  West, 
respectively,  have  been  discovered  to  date.  They  are 
separated  by  a  fault,  called  the  White  Caps  fault,  which 
is  older  than  the  ore.  A  third  ore-shoot,  less  important, 
occurs  along  this  fault.  This  is  called  the  shaft  orebody, 
from  an  old  incline,  now  abandoned,  which  followed  the 
ore  from  the  surface  to  the  200-ft.  level.  The  relation  of 
these  orebodies  to  each  other,  and  to  the  surrounding 
rocks,  is  shown  in  Fig.  1,  which  is  a  sketch  of  conditions 
on  the  200-ft.  level. 

The  limestone  in  which  the  ore  is  found  is  a  hard  com- 
pact rock  of  dark-blue  color.  Its  thickness  is  from  20  to 
100  ft.  It  strikes  north-west  and  dips  55°  south-west. 
The  bedding-planes  are  well  defined  and  average  four 
feet  apart.  A  conspicuous  system  of  joints  strikes  N  10° 
B  and  dips  70°  east. 

Above  this  limestone  is  a  thin-bedded  shale,  called  the 
hanging-wall  shale.    Below  the  limestone  is  the  foot-wall 


shale,  of  the  same  character  as  the  other.  Both  these 
shales  pass  into  limestone,  becoming  more  calcareous  as 
they  approach  it.  The  exact,  line  of  conlart  is  often 
obscure. 

The  chief  importance  of  the  shales  is  that  they  have 
formed  impervious  barriers  to  the  solutions  which  de- 
posited the  ore.  Calcite  veins  occur  in  both  the  upper 
and  lower  shale,  but  they  are  small  and  non-persistent. 
Numerous  faults  are  exposed.  The  principal  one  is  the 
White  Caps  fault,  which  strikes  west  and  dips  south  60°. 
On  the  200-ft.  level,  the  horizontal  displacement  is  300 
ft.  It  is  marked  by  a  dark-blue  gouge  from  six  inches 
to  four  feet  thick.  Faults  transverse  to  the  strike  of 
the  orebodies  are  numerous,  but  they  are  usually  of 
small  displacement.  There  has  also  been  movement 
parallel  with  the  bedding  of  the  shale,  and  both  hanging- 
wall  and  foot-wall  shales  contain  numerous  interbedded 
layers  of  gouge,  up  to  six  inches  thick. 

This  mine  affords  an  excellent  example  of  the  in- 
fluence of  structure  upon  ore  deposition.  The  ore-hear- 
ing solutions  have,  of  course,  been  confined  to  the  lime- 
stone by  the  impervious  shale  strata  lying  above  and 
below  it.  Within  the  limestone  itself  the  bedding- 
planes  and  joints  have  a  marked  effect  upon  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  ore.  An  important  ore-shoot  will  fre- 
quently start  as  a  thin  seam  of  calcite  along  a  bedding- 
plane.  Upon  driving  on  this  seam,  it  gradually 
widens  to  a  calcite  vein,  from  four  to  five  feet  wide, 
and  may  finally  make  an  orebody  as  much  as  20  ft. 
wide,  with  coarse  calcite  scattered  through  it.  The  ore 
will  then  stop  abruptly  against  a  strong  joint  or  cross- 
fracture  ;  this  joint  is  frequently  filled  by  another  calcite 
veinlet,  and  by  following  this  another  ore-shoot  may  be 
found  on  some  other  bedding-plane.  Two  or  three  stopes 
are  sometimes  superimposed,  each  ore-shoot  following  its 
own  bedding-plane,  being  separated  from  the  others  by 
barren  limestone.  Pig.  2  is  a  generalized  sketch  showing 
the  conditions  described  above,  and  Pig.  3  is  a  section 
through  the  West  ore-shoot. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  ore  owes  its  origin  to 
solutions  emanating  from  the  intrusive  granite.  The 
contact,  however,  is  remote  from  the  orebodies,  and  con- 
tact minerals  have  not  been  found  in  the  White  Caps 
mine.  Near  the  contact  south  of  the  town,  however, 
coarse  calcite  and  garnet  have  been  found  in  the  sedi- 
ments, and  assays  of  some  of  these  specimens  showed 
0.03  oz.  gold  per  ton. 

Petroleum  production  in  Wyoming  at  present  ap- 
proximates 31,000  bbl.  daily,  distributed  as  follows: 
Moorcroft  field  in  Cook  county,  250  bbl. ;  Big  Muddy,  in 
Converse  county,  500  bbl. ;  Salt  creek  in  Natrona  county, 
15,000  bbl. ;  Lost  Soldier,  in  the  extreme  north-east  cor- 
ner of  Sweetwater  county,  250  bbl. ;  Spring  Valley,  in 
southern  Uinta  county  near  Bvanston,  150  bbl. ;  Pilot 
Butte,  in  Fremont  county,  100  bbl. ;  Grass  creek,  6000 
bbl.;  Elk  Basin,  4000  bbl.;  Gray  Bull,  500  bbl.;  and 
Warren,  4000  bbl.  The  last  four  fields  are  all  in  Big 
Horn  county.  The  Warren  field  is  just  over  the  line 
from  the  Montana  boundary. 


886 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


Cheap  Mine  Ventilation 

Mine  ventilation  is  most  important.  Metal  mines  are 
usually  well  ventilated  throughout  the  main  workings, 
but  distant  drifts,  raises,  and  dead-ends  generally  fail 
to  get  sufficient  fresh  air.  In  most  cases  these  poorly- 
ventilated  places  may  get  a  fair  share  of  fresh  air  if  the 
circulating  air-currents  are  not  cut  off  or  short-circuited. 
The  remedy  lies  in  placing  doors  at  proper  places  so  as 
to  cause  the  air  to  pass  along  to  the  most  remote  work- 
ings of  the  mine  instead  of  taking  the  shortest  way  out 
to  the  surface,  as  it  naturally  will  if  not  diverted.  When 
natural  ventilation  fails,  blowers  or  fans  of  some  descrip- 
tion are  generally  utilized  to  send  the  pure  air  where 
needed.  At  some  mines  the  water-blast  is  used  effectively 
and  may  be  employed  at  any  mine  where  suitable  condi- 
tions exist.  The  essentials  are  a  few  inches  of  water 
that  can  be  allowed  to  fall  into  a  vertical  box  or  pipe  10 
or  12  in.  in  diameter,  through  a  height  of  30  ft.  or  more. 
The  water  entrains  air  as  it  falls  and  this  air  is  collected 
in  a  closed  chamber  above  the  water-level  and  at  the  foot 
of  the  pipe.  From  here  it  is  conducted  by  pipes  into  the 
mine-workings.  An  arrangement  such  as  described  will 
send  a  good  volume  of  air  through  an  8-in.  pipe  to  a 
working-face  several  hundred  feet  distant.  When  the 
water  costs  nothing  the  expense  of  ventilation  by  this 
method  is  merely  the  cost  of  the  simple  equipment  at  the 
surface  and  the  pipes  leading  into  the  workings. 

Where  water  is  not  available  for  use  as  above  de- 
scribed, cheap  ventilation  may  be  secured  by  several 
other  methods;  for  example,  the  placing  of  a  wind-sail 
on  a  light  wooden  frame  at  the  surface,  so  constructed 
that  a  current  of  pure  air  may  be  sent  into  the  mine 
through  a  pipe  by  the  force  of  the  wind  blowing  against 
the  sail.  The  sail  should  be  triangular  in  shape,  6  ft. 
broad  at  the  top  and  6  ft.  long,  converging  to  a  funnel- 
shaped  opening  at  the  bottom,  which  is  secured  to  the  top 
of  the  pipe.  The  sail  should  be  so  arranged  that  it  can  be 
turned  to  face  the  wind.  A  strong  wind  directed  in  this 
manner  will  serve  effectively  to  ventilate  many  hundred 
feet  of  mine-workings. 

Another  device  is  the  stove  or  furnace,  built  at  the 
opening  to  the  mine  and  so  arranged  that  the  supply  of 
air  must  come  from  the  workings  through  a  pipe  carried 
to  a  point  near  the  face  of  the  drift,  or  bottom  of  the 
shaft.  This  device  exhausts  the  foul  air  from  the  mine, 
a  current  of  pure  air  from  the  outside  flowing  through 
the  workings  to  replace  the  impure  air  passing  out 
through  the  pipe.  There  is  no  better  material  for  ven- 
tilation-pipe than  galvanized  sheet-iron,  which,  though 
more  expensive  in  first  cost,  will  not  corrode,  and  there- 
fore is  more  economical  than  plain  sheet-iron.  A  box- 
pipe  made  of  lumber  will  answer  the  purpose,  but  it  must 
be  made  tight  its  entire  length,  particular  attention 
being  given  the  joints. 

A  tightly-covered  drain,  beneath  the  floor  of  the  adit 
or  drift,  has  been  successfully  employed  for  ventilation, 
while  serving  at  the  same  time  as  an  exit  for  water.  In 
this  case  the  flow  of  the  stream  of  water  facilitates  the 


passage  of  the  air.  Any  miner  with  a  little  ingenuity 
and  mechanical  skill  can  make  any  of  these  arrangements 
at  little  cost  of  labor  and  materials,  and  the  result  will 
well  repay  such  expense,  as  he  can  then  work  in  a  fairly 
pure  atmosphere,  and  there  will  be  a  minimum  of  lost 
time  in  clearing  the  workings  of  smoke  and  gas  after 
blasting. 

Tank  Construction 

Leaching-tanks  should  be  made  of  clear  lumber,  red- 
wood or  Oregon  pine  being  best  for  the  purpose.  Cir- 
cular tanks  are  preferred  for  permanent  plant,  though 
those  of  square  or  rectangular  section  are  frequently 
used.  The  tank  should  rest  on  sills,  and,  if  possible, 
these  should  be  supported  on  posts  sufficiently  high  above 
the  ground  to  admit  of  easy  passage  beneath  the  tank 
to  stop  leaks,  or  to  make  repairs.  Rectangular  tanks 
should  be  braced  with  2  by  6-in.  posts  mortised  into  the 
sills  and  strengthened  with  horizontal  iron  bolts  so  that 
the  sides  may  be  drawn  tight.  Upright  bolts  are  also 
advisable  for  the  same  purpose.  Tanks  of  large  sec- 
tional area  are  preferable  to  smaller  ones  as  it  is  pro- 
portionately less  expensive  to  treat  a  large  than  a  small 
charge.  Ordinarily  the  rate  of  leaching  is  not  increased 
by  depth,  therefore  comparatively  shallow  tanks  are  bet- 
ter, leaching  being  facilitated  by  greater  superficial  area 
rather  than  by  a  deeper  charge.  It  is  the  practice  to 
sluice  out  tailing  when  water  is  abundant,  otherwise  the 
tailing  must  be  shoveled  out. 

False  bottoms  are  usually  constructed  of  slats  If  in. 
high  and  1  in.  wide,  spaced  1  in.  apart.  They  are  gen- 
erally screwed  to  the  bottom  of  the  tank,  though  some- 
times the  slats  are  made  in  two  semi-circular  segments 
so  constructed  that  they  may  be  taken  up  and  removed 
from  the  tank.  The  under  edge  of  the  slats  should  be 
provided  with  numerous  notches  which  will  permit  a 
free  passage  of  solution  toward  the  outlet  of  the  tank. 
An  annular  space  is  also  left  between  the  edge  of  the 
tank  and  the  false-bottom.  The  filter  of  cocoa-matting 
is  laid  on  the  slats,  the  superficial  area  of  which  co- 
incides with  the  false-bottom,  and  this  is  covered  with 
heavy  drilling  or  light  canvas  (generally  10-oz.  duck) 
cut  in  circular  form  and  of  a  diameter  6  in.  greater  than 
that  of  the  tank.  The  edge  of  the  canvas  is  forced  down 
and  the  filter  secured  in  place  by  calking  in  a  piece  of 
J-in.  manila-rope,  just  long  enough  to  conform  to  the 
inside  circumference  of  the  tank.  The  outlet  for  the 
solution  should  be  made  in  the  bottom.  This  opening  is 
covered  with  a  block  of  wood  3  in.  thick  and  having  a 
hole  bored  through  it  at  an  angle  of  30°.  Through  this 
hole  a  rubber  hose  is  drawn ;  a  flange-coupling  being  used 
to  make  a  close  fit.  If  tailing  is  to  be  sluiced  out,  a  gate 
18  to  20  in.  wide  and  10  in.  high  should  be  provided  in 
one  side  of  the  tank,  the  bottom  of  which  is  flush  with 
the  top  of  the  filter.  In  tanks  of  150  tons  capacity,  or 
larger,  the  aischarge-gate  is  generally  placed  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  tank.  In  either  case  care  must  be  taken  in 
construction  to  prevent  leakage. 


Deoembei  16,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


887 


"  ■■'■ "   .m.  ';:  ';   '■  '■  v<'\"     n  n::n  '■''  n\  rani.nnnni.ii iiii[iii!!iiii[|ii!iii!!tiiiiii!:in:ii!;'ii  iiiiimiwii  iii'.iuuiin  mm: iiiiiim::: 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


ALASKA 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  is  asking  Congress  to  appro- 
priate $10,590,672  for  next  season's  work  on  the  railway.  Last 
year  $6,247,620  was  voted.  Plans  were  submitted  for  240  miles 
of  line  to  be  constructed. 

Juneau.  October  returns  of  the  mines  on  Douglas  island 
were  as  follows: 

Alaska  Alaska  Alaska 

Mexican      Treadwell        United 
Stock  of   broken  ore,   decrease 

or  increase,  tons   -11,237  -16,107         +19,618 

Ore  crushed,  tons   12,635  26,362  48,734 

Gold  yield   $14,926  $56,262  $66,153 

Yield  per  ton   1.18  2.13  1.35 

Operating   profit    516  25,320  

Construction   charge    5,045  16,736  15,003 

Loss     4,529  7,704 

Other    income    3,784  11,521  3,881 

Net  value  of  copper  plates 32,518  37,567 

Total  profit  $52,623 

At  the  Mexican  mill  amalgamation  has  been  discontinued, 
and  all  the  gold  recovered  from   concentrate.     Treatment  of 
'  copper  plates  at  the  other  mills  continues. 

ARIZONA 

Globe.  The  New  Dominion  Copper  Co.  is  preparing  to  com- 
mence shipping  ore  mined  by  lessees.  The  carbonate  ore  aver- 
ages S%.  The  shaft  is  timbered  to  a  depth  of  250  ft.  Nearly 
30  men  are  employed.  ■ 

Jerome.  Diamond-drilling  from  the  1400-ft.  level  of  the 
United  Verde  Extension  may  be  done  .to  prospect  the  adjoining 
Jerome  Verde  property. 

Tucson.  The  Tucson  Arizona  Copper  Co.  has  been  organ- 
ized by  J.  F.  Cowan  of  Salt  Lake  City  with  a  capital  of  1,000,- 
000  $1  shares.  Auto-trucks  are  to  haul  ore  to  the  Sasco  smelter 
at  an  early  date.    Sixty  men  are  to  be  employed  for  a  start. 

CALIFORNIA 

(Special  Correspondence.) — At  the  Rand  mine  on  Slickrock 
creek,  8  miles  north-east  of  this  place,  the  south  adit  has  been 
put  in  65  ft.  The  pay-ore  continues  for  25  ft.,  beyond  which 
there  is  little  value.  On  the  north  side  of  the  creek  an  adit 
was  driven  40  ft.,  showing  a  little  scheelite.  A  shaft,  sunk  in 
the  open-cut  at  the  mouth  of  the  south  adit  shows  good  ore — 7 
to  9%  W03.  The  ore  on  the  dump  is  valued  at  $50,000.  It  will 
be  concentrated  to  35%  for  shipment.  There  is  a  good  pros- 
pect of  scheelite  on  the  C.O.D.  claim  on  Cedar  creek,  two  miles 
north  of  the  Rand  mine. 

Glenville,  December  6. 

Grass  Valley.  The  Grass  Valley  Boundary  Mines  Co., 
organized  by  M.  J.  Brock,  is  to  develop  the  Oak  Tree,  New 
Idea,  and  Cabin  Flat  claims  under  part  of  the  town.  About 
$10,000  is  to  he  spent. 

The  Empire  mine  has  80  stamps  crushing  ore,  and  the 
monthly  gold  yield  is  reported  to  be  $120,000. 

Oroville.  The  Federal  Government  has  approved  of  the 
new  concrete  restraining  dam  across  Slate  creek,  and  hy- 
draulicking  will  be  started  on  a  large  scale  at  St.  Louis  and 
Howland's.  Flat  in  the  spring. 

(Special    Correspondence.) — The    bonding   of   the    Harvard 


mine  to  W.  J.  Loring  is  regarded  locally  as  one  of  the  most 
important  deals  that  have  ever  been  consummated  in  Tuol- 
umne county.  It  is  understood  that  the  property,  if  the  ex- 
amination proves  satisfactory  to  Mr.  Loring,  will  be  operated 
under  the  same  management  as  the  App,  Dutch,  and  Sweeney 
mines.  This  transaction,  together  with  the  recent  acquisition 
of  the  Rawhide  and  other  properties  by  the  Silver  Peak  Min- 
ing Co.,  and  the  report  that  the  Guggenheims  have  representa- 
tives investigating  this  field,  gives  rise  to  the  belief  that  the 
county  is  to  benefit  considerably.  The  new  flotation  plant  at 
the  Dutch  mine,  which  was  installed  by  Minerals  Separation 
was  given  a  thorough  test  this  week  and  proved  a  success.    Its 


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PART    OF   TUOLUMNE    COUNTY,    CALIFORNIA. 

capacity  is  250  tons  daily.  Many  mining  men  of  the  county 
have  inspected  the  new  plant,  and  as  the  initial  test  has  given 
satisfaction,  it  is  likely  that  flotation  will  be  adopted  by  other 
mines. 

Additional  pumping  machinery  is  to  be  installed  at  the 
Rawhide. 

The  old  adit  at  the  Ocean  Star,  formerly  known  as  the 
Duffield,  has  been  repaired,  and  will  be  driven  300  ft.  in  the 
hope  of  cutting  the  lost  vein.  Over  $250,000  was  extracted 
from  the  property  prior  to  the  time  the  fault  was  encountered, 
a  number  of  years  ago.  Attempts  to  find  the  lost  vein  have 
failed  so  far. 

In  a  statement  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Nyman  Con- 
solidated Mines  Co.,  which  recently  acquired  by  purchase  the 
Santa  Ysabel  mine,  it  is  stated  that  the  Knox  and  Boyle  vein 
yielded  $3000  during  October. 

The  Deep  Channel  Mining  Co.,  in  which  several  Los  Angeles 
men  are  financially  interested,  will  at  once  commence  pros- 
pecting operations  with  a  drill  on  its  headings  in  the  Con- 
fidence section. 

Sonora,  November  30. 

COLORADO 

Cripple  Creek.  The  November  gold  output,  as  reported  by 
the  mills  and  smelters,  was  as  under: 

Golden  Cycle    38,000  $19.00  $772,000 

Portland     11,333  19.85  233,969 

Portland   18,700  2.51  45,937 

Smelters,  Denver  and  Pueblo     4,550  55.00  250,250 

Isabella     2,640  3.00  7,920 

Worcester-Rubie     400  3.20  1,280 

Total    75,623  $16.54  $1,311,356 

Georgetown.  As  treatment  tests  on  dump  ore  of  the  Colo- 
rado Central  Mining  Co.  have  been  satisfactory,  plans  for  the 


888 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


first  100-ton  unit  are  being  prepared.  A  roek-house  of  500-ton 
capacity  is  to  be  erected  also. 

L  :ai>\  ille.  Below  the  1200-ft.  level  of  the  Greenback  shaft 
there  is  a  large  flow  of  water,  taxing  the  pump's  capacity  to 
the  limit.    The  cause  of  this  flow  is  not  understood. 

The  Jamie  Lee  shaft  on  Fryer  hill,  has  been  drained  and  the 
U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.  is  preparing  to  deepen  it.  All  the  mines 
in  this  group  have  been  connected  to  the  air-compressor.  Zinc 
carbonate  is  being  extracted  from  the  Tip  Top  shaft. 

IDAHO 

Elk  City.  Considerable  new  work  is  being  done  in  this 
district,  especially  at  the  Mineral  Zone  and  Black  Pine  mines. 
Seattle  people  have  bonded  the  Mother  Lode  and  other  claims 
for  $25,000. 

Muixan.  The  Federal  M.  &  S.  Co.  is  to  complete  enlarging 
its  Mammoth  mill  early  in  February;  the  capacity  will  then 
be  2000  tons  daily  at  this  and  the  Morning  mill.  Except  that 
of  the  Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  the  Morning  mine  will  have  the 
largest  plant  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene. 

Murray.  Shortage  of  water  and  other  troubles  have  caused 
a  suspension  of  work  at  the  Golden  Chest  gold-tungsten  mine 
for  the  winter.    It  is  probable  that  a  new  mill  may  be  erected. 

Pine  Creek  District.  The  Highland-Surprise  company  ex- 
pects to  pay  dividends  at  an  early  date.  There  is  160,000  tons 
of  zinc-lead  ore  blocked  out.  The  smelter  contract  has  been 
revised  to  advantage.  The  mill  is  doing  good  work  in  charge 
of  T.  Owens.    Flotation  is  part  of  the  process. 

MISSOURI 

Chauwick.  The  old  Casey  Roberts  mine,  near  here,  in 
Christian  county,  has  been  re-opened  recently  by  the  Hobart- 
Lee  Tie  Co.,  of  Springfield,  and  shipments  of  lead  ore  have 
been  commenced  to  Joplin.  Chadwick  is  75  miles  east  of 
Joplin  and  25  miles  south-east  of  Springfield.  This  property 
has  been  idle  since  the  Civil  War,  prior  to  which  Christian 
county  was  a  scene  of  mining  activity,  when  both  lead  and 
zinc  ore  were  mined  in  large  quantity.  A  man  named  Gibbs 
undertook  to  work  the  mines  many  years  ago  and  was  found 
dead  in  the  workings,  the  physicians  said  of  heart  failure,  but 
the  miners  attributed  his  death  to  supernatural  causes  and 
refused  to  work  in  the  mine,  since  which  time  nothing  has 
been  done  until  this  new  company  took  hold  of  the  property. 

Joplin.  Zinc-ore  prices  were  unchanged  last  week,  though 
firm.  Lead  advanced  slightly.  The  Empire  District  company's 
electric  plant  at  Riverton  had  a  break-down,  resulting  in  cur- 
tailment of  ore  production.  The  output  of  the  region  was  9208 
tons  of  blende,  446  tons  of  calamine,  and  1390  tons  of  lead, 
averaging  $99,  $54,  and  $S9  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total 
value  was  $1,050,845. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  The  increased  price  of  spelter  will  make  a  dig  differ- 
ence to  Butte  &  Superior's  earnings. 

The  Bullwhacker  lessees  are  to  ship  100  tons  daily  to  the 
Garfield  smelter  in  Utah.     November  profits  were  $11,800. 

In  the  Main  Range  mine  of  the  Tuolumne  the  lode  is  30  ft. 
wide,  assaying  8%  copper  and  16  oz.  silver  across  15  ft.  and 
4%  and  6  oz.  across  the  remainder.  Boilers  and  a  pump  are  to 
be  installed. 

During  the  third  quarter  of  1916  the  Davis-Daly  Copper  Co. 
made  a  loss  of  $2441.  The  revenue  totaled  $107,610.  The  cop- 
per output  was  679.09S  lb.,  and  silver  57,069  oz.  It  is  said  that 
Butte  people  are  buying  shares  all  the  time.  About  5  of  the 
property  is  in  the  zinc  area  and  i  in  the  copper  zone,  and 
future  development  is  expected  to  reveal  considerable  ore- 
bodies.  High-grade  glance  and  bornite  was  cut  at  2400  ft.  last 
week.    This  is  the  lode  worked  on  the  2500-ft.  level. 

Thirty  tons  of  90%  copper  precipitate  has  been  sent  to 
Anaconda  by  the  Butte-Duluth  company. 


NEVADA 

Goldfield.  To  develop  ground  adjoining  the  Goldfield  Con- 
solidated and  Florence  Goldfield,  the  Red  Hill  Florence  Min- 
ing Co.  has  been  organized,  being  a  consolidation  of  the  Red 
Hill  and  Florence  American  companies.  No  work  has  been 
done  by  the  last  mentioned  for  a  long  time,  owing  to  there 
being  no  money  for  this. 

Lovelock.  At  the  Lovelock  Quicksilver  Co.'s  mine  a  5-ton 
furnace  is  producing  10  flasks  of  mercury  each  week.  The 
property  is  at  Antelope  Springs. 

The  new  mill  of  the  Humboldt  County  Tungsten  Co.  at 
Toulon  is  yielding  one  ton  of  concentrate  daily,  containing 
70%  WO,. 

Rand.  A  report  has  been  made  by  C.  R.  Murdoch  on  the 
Nevada  Rand  Mines  property,  in  Mineral  county,  15  miles  from 
the  railroad  station  at  Rand,  or  midway  between  Tonopah  and 
Wonder.  The  rocks  consist  of  andesite,  dacite,  and  rhyolite; 
the  ore  occurs  chiefly  on  the  foot-wall  and  along  cross  faults. 
Associated  with  the  gold-silver  ore  is  manganese  oxide,  char- 
acteristic of  the  district.  The  ore  is  oxidized  to  a  depth  of  250 
ft.  The  formation  is  wide,  and  the  pay-ore  is  confined  to  a 
vein  from  1  to  3  ft.  wide,  with  lenses  up  to  S  and  10  ft.  A 
shaft  has  opened  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  250  ft.  Some  high- 
grade  shoots  have  been  opened,  that  between  150  and  250  ft. 
has  benn  extracted.  Some  good  ore  still  remains;  also  a  sur- 
face dump  of  1200  tons  of  $15  material.  The  mine  is  capable 
of  further  development,  and  is  fairly  well  equipped. 

Thompson.  Ore,  coke,  and  supplies  are  being  taken  to  the 
Mason  Valley  smelter,  which  is  expected  to  start  again  early 
next  year. 

Tonopah.  Last  week  the  district's  output  was  9952  tons  of 
ore  worth  $195,076. 

The  old  Tybo  mine  in  Nye  county  has  been  leased  for  20 
years  to  the  Louisiana  Consolidated  Mining  Co.  of  New  York. 
J.  B.  Farish  made  a  report  on  the  property  for  Baruch  Bros. 
Hoisting  and  pumping  equipment  is  to  be  installed. 

Virginia  City.  On  December  6  pumps  started  lowering 
water  to  the  2900-ft.  level  of  the  Comstock.  A  review  of  work 
done  on  the  lode  during  1916  is  as  follows: 

(1)  Opening  of  the  Union  shaft  from  the  2000  to  the  2700-ft. 
level,  making  it  the  deepest  vertical  shaft  operating  in  Nevada. 
This  cuts  out  a  long  haul  of  nearly  half  a  mile  through  the 
drifts,  and  in  addition  greatly  helps  the  ventilation.  (2) 
Opening  of  the  Union  and  Sierra  Nevada  winze  from  the  2500 
to  the  2700-ft.  levels  and  the  additional  discovery  that  it  is 
in  good  condition  to  2900  ft.  (3)  The  purchase  and  instal- 
lation of  pumps  in  the  Mexican-Ophir  winze,  which  have  now 
commenced  work,  and  will  drain  the  North  End  mines  to  the 
2900-ft.  level,  opening  ground  that  has  been  flooded  for  over 
30  years.  (4)  A  great  improvement  in  ventilation  which  has 
made  work  at  every  point  underground  easier  and  cheaper. 
(5)  The  discovery  of  ore  in  Union,  which  has  placed  that 
mine  in  better  financial  condition  than  for  36  years.  (6) 
The  repairing  of  the  Ophir  shaft,  the  up-cast  shaft  of  the 
North  End  mines,  thereby  protecting  them  from  any  inter- 
ruption of  ventilation,  and  the  enlarging  of  drifts  that  carry 
the  air  in  many  places.  And  (7)  the  commencement  of 
work  at  the  Combination  shaft,  which  means  active  mining 
in  the  middle  group,  the  centre  of  the  Comstock  lode. 

OKLAHOMA 

Cardin.  The  mill  that  was  moved  from  Reeds,  Missouri,  to 
the  U.  S.  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.'s  mine  here,  has  been  fin- 
ished, with  a  capacity  of  300  tons  daily.  Coal  is  used  for  fuel. 
The  ore  is  all  of  high  grade,  and  occurs  in  flint  formation  at 
a  depth  of  260  feet. 

Miami.  The  largest  operator  here  is  the  Commerce  Mining 
&  Royalty  Co.  A  150-ton  mill  is  at  work  on  its  Turkey  Flat, 
and  one  of  250  tons'  capacity  on  the  Blue  Goose.     A  300-ton 


December  16,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


KK'I 


l>lant  is  being  erected  near  that  on  the  latter.     In  storage  the 
company  has  about  4000  tons  of  zinc-blende  for  sale. 

Another  large  producer  is  the  Miami  Zinc  &  Lead  Co..  which 
has  two  mills,  one  of  250  tons,  the  other  of  300-ton  capacity. 
The  largest  pump  in  the  Missotiri-Kausas-Oklahoma  region  is 
being  worked.  It  is  a  16-in.  Prescott  make,  pumping  2500  to 
3000  g.p.m.  from  a  depth  of  3S0  ft.,  draining  the  entire  Com- 
merce field. 

NEW  MEXICO 

Mooollon.  An  initial  dividend  of  V/c  has  been  paid  by  the 
Oaks  Company.  Similar  monthly  distributions  are  to  con- 
tinue. 

The  Mogollon  Mines  Co.  treated  4000  tons  of  ore  in  No- 
vember. 


^^JW^^^^^      J 

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4£  .-'  v , 

■I 

fetiL. 

BURBO  MOUNTAIN   COPPER  CO.  S   MILL  AT  TYRONE,   NEW   MEXICO. 

Santa  Rita.  Among  the  dividend-payers  of  December,  the 
Chino  Copper  Co.  will  distribute  $2.50  per  share. 

OREGON 

Riddle.  The  Eldorado  Copper  Mining  Co.,  capitalized  for 
2,000,000  shares  at  $1  each,  has  been  organized  by  Spokane 
and  Oregon  men  to  take  over  and  operate  the  Banfield  copper 
mine,  32  miles  east  of  this  place,  on  the  main  line  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  railway.  The  reported  price  is  $300,000,  part 
cash  and  the  remainder  shares  in  the  new  company.  The  in- 
corporators are  Andrew  Laidlaw  and  S.  W.  Miller,  of  Spokane, 
and  others.  The  Banfield  mine  is  one  of  the  best  known 
copper  properties  in  Southern  Oregon,  and  many  well  posted 
mining  men  regard  it  as  the  largest  high-grade  copper  de- 
posit in  the  State. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA 

The  statistical  branch  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  has 
issued  its  report  of  mineral  production  for  South  Dakota  and 
Wyoming  in  1915.  It  shows  that  in  1915  there  were  33  mines 
operating  in  the  Black  Hills,  in  South  Dakota,  producing 
1,889,975  tons  of  ore,  having  a  value  of  $7,406,305  in  gold  and 
$101,331  in  silver.  The  production  of  lead  was  only  3107  lb., 
worth  $146.  This  output  shows  an  increase  of  $76,439  over  the 
production  of  1914. 

In  the  Black  Hills,  the  Homestake  was  the  principal  pro- 
ducer, as  it  always  has  been.  The  total  production  of  gold  in 
the  Black  Hills  from  the  discovery  of  the  placers  in  1875  to 
the  end  of  1915  has  been  $192,693,945,  and  of  silver  $4,315,005. 
a  total  of  $197,008,950.  The  production  of  placer  gold  in  the 
Hills,  which  in  the  early  years  of  the  country — from  1876  to 
18S0  amounted  to  millions  of  dollars — in  1915  was  but  $15S9. 

Wyoming,  in  1915,  mined  4216  tons  of  ore,  which  produced 
gold  valued  at  $14,592,  silver  $426,  and  copper  447,246  lb.,  worth 
$78,268,  a  total  of  $93,286,  which  was  an  increase  of  $85,899 
over  the  output  of  1914. 

Lead.  The  Homestake  Mining  Co.  has  posted  the  following 
notice:  "The  Homestake  Mining  Co.  will  pay  to  all  employees 
whose  names  appear  on  the  December  1916  pay-roll,  additional 
wages  amounting  to  7%  of  the  year's  salary  for  1916.  Checks 
for  same  will  be  given  out  on  the  January  pay-days." 


UTAH 

Fu  s-r.  Fifty  miles  north-west  or  this  place,  which  Is  on 
the  Salt  Lake  Route,  is  the  Dugway  district,  which  is  said  to 
be  fairly  active.  A  number  of  properties  are  giving  gratify- 
ing results,  some  shipping  ore.  The  ores  contain  lead  and 
copper. 

Park  City.  On  December  30  the  Silver  King  Consolidated 
pays  15c.  a  share,  equal  to  $95,250.  This  makes  a  total  of 
$285,750  for  1916.  The  daily  output  is  50  tons  of  $45  to  $65 
ore;  a  recent  shipment  netted  $63.  Ore  comes  mostly  from  a 
depth  of  1500  and  1650  feet. 

On  January  1  the  Silver  King  Coalition  pays  15c.  a  share,  or 
$187,500.  This  makes  $750,000  in  1916.  The  weekly  output 
of  crude  ore  and  concentrate  is  over  500  tons. 

The  Judge  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.  pays  25c.  per  share  on  the 
20th.    This  is  equal  to  $120,000,  and  makes  $435,000  for  1916. 

Salt  Lake  City.  Affairs  of  the  Ohio  Copper  Co.  are  still 
unsettled,  and  Utah  shareholders  are  watching  the  decision 
of  the  U.  S.  District  Court  in  the  matter  of  the  title  being 
given  to  the  Stockholders'  Protective  Committee,  whose  rep- 
resentatives in  New  York  offered  a  check  for  $1,350,000  to 
liquidate  the  bonded  indebtedness. 

Later  advice:  The  Court  has  decided  to  allow  of  a  re- 
organization of  the  Ohio  Copper  Co.  Shareholders  have  sub- 
scribed for  over  $500,000.  The  new  company  is  to  have  2,500,- 
000  $1  shares,  850,000  to  be  held  by  the  treasury. 

During  the  9  months  ended  October  1,  1916,  the  Utah  Metal 
&  Tunnel  Co.  and  Bingham-New  Haven  Co.  made  a  profit  of 
$567,737.  The  gross  value  of  the  gold-silver-lead-copper  ore 
was  $1,262,752.  The  weight  of  ore  and  concentrate  was  60,364 
tons.  Water  sold  realized  $37,162.  Mining  cost  $2.42,  and 
milling  $1.01  per  ton.  On  August  15  a  dividend  absorbed 
$342,473.  Development  covered  10,190  ft.,  at  $10.45  per  foot. 
Results  were  encouraging.  The  flotation  plant  started  in 
October  to  treat  tailing  and  low-grade  copper-iron  ore.  An- 
other crusher  and  ball-mill  will  add  to  the  daily  capacity  75 
tons,  making  a  total  of  300  tons.  The  copper  and  lead  has 
been  sold  for  delivery  during  the  first  half  of  1917.  The 
bonded  debt  was  reduced  $145,500,  leaving  $229,500  out- 
standing. 

Tintic.  November  production  of  the  Tintic  district  was 
44,200  tons,  valued  at  $1,100,000.  Last  week  was  the  heaviest 
for  any  period  in  1916,  namely,  13,000  tons.  For  11  months 
the  total  is  estimated  at  416,100  tons,  valued  at  $10,000,000. 

To  open  ore  being  mined  at  1800  ft.  depth,  the  Chief  Con- 
solidated contemplates  putting  in  pumps  and  sinking.  One 
of  the  difficulties  in  this  district  is  the  height  that  water  must 
be  pumped  in  order  to  get  it  to  the  surface. 

From  December  1,  Tintic  mine-owners  are  to  pav  miners 
and  others  25c.  per  day  extra.  Miners  will  get  $3.75,  machine- 
men  $4,  shaft-men  $4.50,  and  shovelers  $3.50  per  shift. 

The  Colorado  company  is  sinking  its  shaft  from  1500  to  2000 
ft.    Walter  Fitch  is  the  contractor. 

The  May  Day's  upper  levels  are  yielding  75-oz.  silver  ore. 

WASHINGTON 

Chewelaii.  On  January  15  the  United  Copper  Co.  dis- 
tributes lc.  a  share,  or  $10,000.  A  shaft  is  to  be  sunk  from 
the  1000-ft.  level,  where  the  ore-shoot  is  1300  ft.  long  and  S 
ft.  wide.    A.  McDonald  is  now  superintendent. 

Northport.  During  the  four  months  ended  October  31  the 
Electric  Point  mine  shipped  151  carloads  of  ore.  The  car- 
bonate ore  averaged  22.89%,  and  the  sulphide  71.47%  lead. 
Receipts  were  $90,602,  not  including  settlements  on  43  car- 
loads.   This  is  a  new  mine,  discovered  a  year  ago. 

Republic  There  are  150  men  employed  in  this  district,  and 
the  daily  ore  production  is  200  tons.  Results  at  the  North- 
port.  S.  &  R.,  Last  Chance,  Knob  Hill,  and  others  are  reported 
as  good. 


890 


MINING   and  Scientific  PRESS, 


December  16,  1916 


Spokane.  The  Loon  Lake-Blue  Bird  Copper  Mining  Co., 
capitalized  for  1,500,000  shares  at  25c.  each,  of  which  500,000 
shares  are  to  be  held  in  the  treasury,  has  been  incorporated 
by  Andrew  Laidlaw,  H.  H.  Schallenberger,  Lester  P.  Edge, 
Joseph  McCarthy,  and  M.  L.  Moe,  all  of  Spokane,  to  take  over 
and  develop  the  Blue  Bird  and  Dupont  claims,  adjoining  the 
Loon  Lake  Copper  Co.'s  holdings,  45  miles  north  of  Spokane. 

Valley.  There  is  considerable  activity  among  the  recently- 
discovered  magnesite  deposits  near  here. 

CANADA 
British  Columbia 

Tbail.  The  electrolytic  copper  refinery  at  the  smelter  is  to 
be  enlarged  50%.  In  the  last  week  of  November  the  smelter 
received  11,215  tons  of  ore. 

Ontario 

Cobalt.  Silver  production  of  the  Nipissing  for  10  months 
totals  $2,228,658.  Shipments,  including  custom  bullion,  were 
$3,172,582. 

Poecupine.  In  a  few  weeks  the  aerial  tram  being  con- 
structed across  Pearl  lake  from  the  Mclntyre  company's 
Extension  mine  to  its  mill  will  be  finished,  enabling  the  plant 
to  treat  600  tons  daily. 

Sudbuby.  On  account  of  the  large  increase  in  nickel  mining 
and  proposed  new  plants,  this  district  is  short  of  electric 
power,  fully  20,000  horse-power. 

MEXICO 

Hidalgo 
Pachuca.     During  October  the  Santa  Gertrudis  company's 
profit  was  only  $4700,  from  14,823  tons.    Owing  to  shortage  of 
supplies,  it  was  found  impossible  to  operate  the  mill  at  more 
than  half  its  normal  capacity. 

SONOBA 

Alamos.  Development  continues  at  the  Plata-Fina  com- 
pany's property  S  miles  east  of  here.  Eight  shafts  have  been 
sunk  from  90  to  115  ft.  deep.  This,  and  other  work  totals 
2000  ft.,  all  by  windlass.  The  owner,  T.  P.  Brinegar  of  Tucson, 
Arizona,  has  continued  work  practically  through  the  years  of 
revolution.  Some  high-grade  silver  ore  is  being  opened  in  a 
new  shaft.  Only  one  other  American  concern  has  worked 
here  during  the  trouble,  but  two  Mexican  mine-owners  have 
kept  working  with  arrastras.  The  other  Americans  quit  10 
months  ago,  and  now  none  are  working  within  60  miles  of 
Alamos. 


Mffg© 


Note:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointment*.     This  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


The  Columbia  Section  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  met  at  Spokane 
on  November  25,  Stanly  A.  Easton  of  the  Bunker  Hill  & 
Sullivan  presiding.  The  membership  has  grown  from  129  to 
158.  W.  H.  Dinney  was  elected  chairman,  Oscar  Lachmund 
vice-chairman,  and  L.  K.  Armstrong  secretary-treasurer.  C. 
G.  Warfel,  assistant  professor  of  mining  in  the  State  College 
at  Pullman,  read  a  paper  on  electric  reduction  of  iron  ores  of 
eastern  Washington.  D.  F.  Haley  of  the  Interstate-Callahan 
company,  and  others  discussed  flotation  problems. 


The  John  Fritz  medal  was  awarded  in  January  1916  to  Dr. 
Elihu  Thomson  for  achievements  in  electrical  inventions,  elec- 
trical engineering,  industrial  development,  and  scientific  re- 
search. The  medal  will  be  presented  to  him  at  a  meeting  to 
be  held  in  Boston  on  December  S,  1916. 

The  Mackay  School  of  Mines,  University  of  Nevada,  Reno, 
will  begin  its  short  course  for  prospectors  on  January  S,  thence 
to  February  2.  No  charges  are  made,  save  a  fee  of  $5  to  cover 
cost  of  supplies.  During  the  previous  two  courses  the  attend- 
ance was  24  and  29  students. 

The  Utah  Section  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E.  met  at  Salt  Lake  City 
on  December  16,  J.  M.  Callow  presented  a  paper  entitled 
'Notes  on  Flotation,  1916,'  and  Erwin  Wilke,  'Manufacture  and 
Use  of  Sulphuric  Acid.' 


Bebnabd  MacDonald  is  at  New  York. 

H.  L.  Huston  has  gone  to  Ely,  Nevada. 

G.  V.  Michell  has  gone  from  London  to  Tomsk,  Siberia. 

Robert  E.  Cbanston  has  gone  to  Colorado  and  New  York. 

Nelson  Dickerman  returned  here  from  Bolivia  on  Decem- 
ber 4. 

H.  B.  Lowden,  of  the  Colorado  Iron  "Works,  is  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

T.  W.  Matheb  is  leaving  Guayaquil,  Ecuador,  for  Pacific 
Grove,  California. 

A.  J.  Sale,  assayer  at  Battle  Mountain,  Nevada,  is  spending 
the  holidays  at  Los  Angeles. 

W.  W.  Mein  and  Walter  Kabri-Davies  left  San  Francisco, 
for  New  York  on  December  4. 

J.  H.  Mackenzie  made  a  visit  of  inspection  to  Atolia,  in 
San  Bernardino  county,  last  week. 

W.  E.  Thorne,  engineer  to  the  Lenskoie  Gold  Mining  Co., 
Lena  region,  Siberia,  is  in  London. 

George  B.  Holderer  hes  recently  been  appointed  superin- 
tendent to  the  Northern  Pyrites  Co.,  at  Northpines,  Ontario. 

Charles  E.  Van  Barneveld  has  been  appointed  supervising 
mining  engineer  and  metallurgist  to  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines. 

Drummond  MacGavin,  who  is  with  the  Canadian  Mining 
Corporation,  at  Toronto,  is  spending  the  holidays  in  San 
Francisco. 

M.  E.  MacDonald  was  here  early  this  week,  from  Los  An- 
geles, accompanied  by  his  brother,  Joseph  MacDonald,  of 
Guanajuato. 

Ralph  H.  Moore  and  F.  L.  Stack,  formerly  with  the  Moro- 
cocha  Mining  Co.,  Morococha,  Peru,  returned  to  Mexico  early 
in  December. 

Frederick  W.  Gay  announces  that  he  has  opened  offices  as 
consulting  engineer  in  power,  etc.,  for  mines,  at  310  Sansome- 
street,  San  Francisco. 

W.  J.  Elmendorf  has  joined  G.  M.  Wells  and  Donald  G. 
Campbell  in  a  new  firm  to  be  known  as  Campbell,  Wells  & 
Elmendorf,  with  offices  at  Seattle. 

Henry  F.  Collins  has  resigned  the  executive  management 
of  the  Huelva  Copper  &  Sulphur  Mines  and  has  accepted  the 
position  of  consulting  engineer  to  the  company. 

James  MacNaughton,  general  manager  of  the  Calumet  & 
Hecla,  is  now  living  in  Boston,  where  he  will  spend  most  of 
his  time,  making  occasional  visits  to  Houghton. 

D.  P.  Thomas  has  resigned  as  superintendent  for  the  Moose- 
Mountain,  Ltd.,  at  Sellwood,  Ontario,  to  accept  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Davidson  Mines,  at  South  Porcupine. 

C.  T.  Griswold,  of  the  Associated  Geological  Engineers,  has 
transferred  his  activities  from  Wyoming  to  Oklahoma.  M.  L. 
Fuller,  managing  engineer  of  the  engineering  division  of  this 
firm,  visited  New  York  recently. 

H.  J.  Wallace,  formerly  field  engineer  for  the  Anaconda  com- 
pany at  Great  Falls,  has  been  appointed  superintendent  of  con- 
struction in  place  of  F.  J.  Brule,  who  has  resigned  to  accept 
the  position  of  chief  engineer  for  the  British  America  Nickel 
Co.  under  E.  P.  Mathewson. 

Augustus  D.  Cox  has  resigned  as  superintendent  of  the 
Union  Hill  mine  at  Grass  Valley  to  become  manager  of  the 
mining  ventures  being  financed  by  the  G.  S.  Johnson  Co. 
Errol  MacBoyle,  who  was  formerly  general  manager  of  the- 
Union  Hill  mine,  will  now  assume  the  resident  management 
of  this  and  the  other  mines  that  have  been  acquired  by  the 
new  corporation  known  as  the  Gold  Point  Consolidated  Mines, 


December  16,  1910 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


891 


TMm    METAL    MJm^l^if 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  December  12. 


Antimony,  cents  per  pound    

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 

Platinum,  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce. 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 

Tin,  cents  per  pound  

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound    


M 

35 
-  S.75 
—105 
{80 

13 

45 

20 


ORE   PRICES 


San  Francisco,  December  12. 

Antimony,  50%,  metal,  per  unit  $1.00 

Chrome,  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  15.00 

Magnesite,   crude,  per   ton 6.50 —  9.00 

Manganese,  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 16.00 

Tungsten,  60%,  WOs.  per  unit 17.50 — 20.00 

New  York,  December  6. 

Antimony  ore  is  unchanged  and  quiet  at  about  $1.50  per  unit. 

Molybdenite:    A   little    business    has    been    done    at    $1.75    per 
pound. 

Tungsten:    Several   hundred   tons    has   changed    hands   in    the 
week  at  $18,  and  an  advance  is  looked  for. 

EASTERN   METAL,   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
December  12. — Copper  is  quieter  and  irregular:  lead  is  scarce 
and  irregular;  spelter  is  quiet  but  steadier. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Date. 


6 34.50 

34.75 

35.00 

35.00 


10   Sunday 

11 

12 


.35.00 
.35.00 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.     31 28.50 

Nov.      7 28.79 

"      14 31.46 

"      21 32.87 

"      28 34.00 

Dec.      5 34.10 

"      12 34.87 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Men 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June   13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.30 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 
28.50 
31.95 


Copper  production  of  26  large  mines  in  North  and  South 
America  totals  1,700,000,000  lb.  for  10  months,  a  great  increase 
over  this  period  in  1915. 

Anaconda  produced  25,500,000  lb.  in  November,  a  decrease  of 
6,000,000  lb.  due  to  cold  weather.  Inspiration  yielded  10,600,000 
lb.,  Old  Dominion,  3.650,000  lb.;  Miami,  4,968,500  lb.;  East  Butte, 
1,648,040  lb.;  Chile  Copper,  4,098,000  lb.;  Cerro  de  Pasco,  5,700,000 
lb.;  Arizona  Copper,  4,380,000  pounds. 

Dividends  declared  are:  Champion,  $6.40;  Shattuck-Arizona, 
$1.25;  United  Verde,  $1.50  ($4,050,000  for  1916,  of  which  "W.  A. 
Clark  receives  $4,000,000);  Old  Dominion,  $3.50;  Utah  Copper, 
$3.50;  Nevada  Con.,  $1.50;  Ray  Con.,  $1;  Chino,  $2.50  per  share. 

SILVER 

Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations,  in  cents 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver.  * 

Date. 

Dec.       6 75.62 

7 75.62 

8 75.25 

9 75.25 

10  Sunday 

"      11 75.50 

"      12 76.00 

Monthly 
1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June    56.43 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.     31 67.60 

Nov.      7 68.52 

"      14 71.68 

"      21 71.79 

"      28 73.43 

Dec.      5 75.05 

"      12 75.37 


1915. 

1916. 

48.85 

56.76 

48.45 

56.74 

50.61 

57.89 

50.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

averages 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 

1916. 

47.52 

63.06 

47.11 

66.07 

48.77 

68.51 

49.40 

67.86 

51.88 

71.60 

55.34 

The  silver  market  is  strong1.  Slight  recessions  in  price  are 
the  natural  reactions  of  a  healthy  market.  The  present  strength 
is  due  to  firmness  of  China  exchanges,  apart  from  the  European 
and   Indian    currency   demand.      There   is   a   shortage    of   sycee 


(bars)   in  the  East.     As  long  as  Chinese  export  business  keeps 
active  there  is  expected  to  be  a  firmness  of  exchange. 

On   December   8   silver  valued  at  $1,056,000    (say   1,400,000   oz.) 
was  shipped  from  San  Francisco  to  Shanghai. 

LEAD 

Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound.  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 
Dec.       6. 

7. 


Sunday 


7.50 

Oct. 

31 

7.62 

Nov. 

7 

7.75 

" 

14 

7.80 

.. 

21 
28 

7.85 

Dec. 

5 

7.90 

•' 

12 

Average  week  ending 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June   3.90 


1914. 
4.11 
4.02 
3.94 
3.86 
3.90 


4.04 
4.21 
4.24 
5.75 


1916. 
5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec 3.80 


1914. 

.  3.80 
.  3.86 
.  3.82 
.  3.60 
3.1 


1915. 
6.59 
4.67 
4.62 
4.62 
5.15 
5.34 


7.00 
7.00 
7.00 
7.02 
7.21 
7.32 
7.73 


1916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 
7.07 


Dividends  declared  by  three  Park  City,  Utah,  companies,  are 
as  follows:  Judge  M.  &  S.  Co.,  $120,000;  Silver  King  Coalition, 
$187,500;  and  Silver  King  Consolidated,  $95,250. 

ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  "Western  brands.  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 

Date. 
Dee.      6 12.75 

7 12.62 

8 12.12 

9 12.00 

"      10  Sunday 

"      11 12.00 

"  ■   12 12.00 


Average  week  ending 

Oct.     31 10.27 

Nov.      7 10.68 

"      14 11.23 

"      21 11.96 

"      28 12.87 

Dec.      5 13.20 

"      12 12.25 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 
.  5.14 
.  5.22 
.  5.12 
4.98 
4.91 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec.    . 


1914. 

.  4.75 

.  4.75 

.  5.16 

.  4.75 

.  5.01 

.  5.40 


1915. 
20.54 
14.17 
14.14 
14.05 
17.20 
16.75 


1916. 
9.90 
9.03 
9.18 
9.92 

11.81 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June   4.84 

Butte  &  Superior  has  declared  $6.25  per  share.  The  Interstate- 
Callahan  will  pay  $1.50  per  share  on  the  30th,  equal  to  $697,485. 
This  makes  $2,789,940  for  1916,  and  $5,347,885  since  April  1,  1915. 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
fiask  of  75  pounds: 

"Week  ending 


Date. 

Nov.    14 80.00 

"      21 80.00 


Nov. 
Dec. 


28 78.00 

5 80.00 

12 80.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 
51.90 
60.00 
78.00 
77.50 
75.00 
90.00 


1916. 
222.00 
295.00 
219.00 
141.60 
90.00 
74.70 


1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug.    80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 56.00 

Dec 63.10 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June   30.72 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 
79.50 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 
41.10 
44.12 


Tin  is  quiet  at  43  cents. 

ANTIMONY 

Importers  are  maintaining  their  quotations  firmly,  and  report 
a  fair  business,  but  dealers  say  that  business  is  dull.  The  quo- 
tation for  Asiatic  grades  is  14  to  14.50c,  duty  paid,  New  York. 


The   market   is    firm, 
virgin  metal,  98  to  99%  pure. 


ALUMINUM 

but  unchanged. 


at    63    to    65c.    for   No.    1 


892 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


^as&Bm   MdtM   Sfcto 


New  York,  December  6. 

The  quieter  tendency  in  copper  has  continued,  largely  be- 
cause near-by  metal  is  scarce,  even  first  quarter  being  difficult 
to  obtain,  but  the  strength  of  prices  is  unimpaired.  It  is  be- 
lieved, however,  that  they  have  reached  their  apex. 

Statements  pertaining  to  possible  over-production  ol  zinc 
have  disturbed  the  trade.  Second-hands  have  been  selling  this 
week  and  have  caused  prices  to  soften. 

Lead  is  stronger  and  quotations  are  more  uniform  following 
an  announcement  by  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.,  December  5,  fixing  its 
New  York  price  at  7.50  cents. 

Tin  has  been  dull  and  lower,  the  November  statistics  having 
been  interpreted  unfavorably. 

Antimony  and  aluminum  are  unchanged. 

In  pig  iron  there  is  a  quieter  market,  but  quotations  are  firm 
around  $29  to  $30,  furnace,  for  eastern  Pennsylvania  and  Buf- 
falo iron,  also  at  central-western  furnaces. 

The  November  production  of  pig  iron  dropped  below  the 
enormous  production  of  October.  The  total  was  3,311,811  tons, 
or  110,394  tons  per  day,  against  3,508,849  tons  in  October,  or 
113,189  tons  daily.  Even  at  the  lessened  production  no  other 
month  than  October  equalled  the  November  output.  The  pro- 
duction always  drops  in  November  for  seasonable  reasons, 
while  this  year  the  furnaces  had  to  cope  with  shortages  in 
their  coke  deliveries,  and  the  virtual  breaking-down  of  fur- 
naces that  had  been  hard  pressed  for  months.  Several  were 
blown-out  for  re-lining.  The  export  demand  for  pig  iron  is  ex- 
tending more  and  more  to  foundry  grades,  although  the  de- 
mand for  steel-making  iron  continues  heavy. 

COPPER 

November  was  a  great  month  in  the  copper  market,  the 
volume  of  sales  being  estimated  at  around  600,000,000  lb.  Next 
to  September,  the  month  just  closed  was  the  largest  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  copper  industry.  In  the  past  week  buying  has  been 
much  quieter,  although  there  still  is  unsatisfied  demand.  The 
absorption  of  the  metal  has  been  so  great  that  first-quarter  de- 
livery is  about  as  difficult  to  arrange  as  it  is  to  procure  spot. 
The  scarcity  of  near-by  copper  has  served  to  restrict  sales, 
while  another  influence  making  for  a  quieter  market  is  that 
the  larger  consumers  have  covered  their  needs.  Although  there 
is  less  doing,  prices  are  as  strong  as  ever,  even  a  trifle 
stronger.  Both  electrolytic  and  Lake  for  delivery  to  the  end 
of  the  year  is  held  at  34.50c,  while  first  quarter  is  about  34  to 
34.50.,  second  at  32.50  to  33c,  third  30.50  to  31c,  and  fourth 
30  to  30.50c.  Strictly  spot  metal  commands  35c,  and  small  lots 
have  sold  over  this  figure.  It  is  the  general  opinion  that  prices 
have  reached  the  top  notch,  and  considerable  satisfaction  is 
felt  thereat,  for  the  reason  that  further  advances  would  be 
dangerous,  according  to  the  trade.  A  saving  clause  in  the 
situation  is  that  the  bulk  of  the  buying  of  late  has  been  done 
to  cover  contracts  actually  in  the  -hands  of  consumers,  and 
only  the  abrogation  of  these  contracts  would  make  the  buyers 
decline  to  take  the  copper  purchased.  Of  course,  contracts  are 
not  supposed  to  be  broken,  but  most  of  the  war  contracts  have 
cancellation  clauses.  The  London  market  for  spot  electrolytic 
yesterday  was  strong  at  £170,  or  £1  higher  than  a  week  ago. 
November  exports  totaled  21,433  tons.  In  11  months  of  this 
year  exports  totaled  299,659  tons,  against  233,918  tons  in  the 
same  period  of  1915,  an  increase  of  65,741  tons.  It  is  regarded 
as  certain  that  the  large  French  inquiry  which  came  before  the 
trade  a  few  weeks  ago  will  soon  develop  into  business.  In  the 
past  few  days  dealers  have  handled  the  bulk  of  the  sales. 

ZINC 

On  Monday  of  this  week  (December  4)  the  upward  trend  of 


prices  was  halted  by  a  decision  on  the  part  of  second-hands 
that  it  was  time  for  them  to  take  profits.  The  New  York  price 
has  reached  13.25c,  but  under  the  pressure  of  offerings  it 
dropped,  until  yesterday,  the  5th,  to  12.75c,  New  York,  and 
12.50c,  St.  Louis,  for  prompt,  were  done.  First  quarter  was 
about  Jc.  per  lb.  less.  The  selling  at  concessions  was  started 
entirely  by  dealers,  but  it  was  not  long  before  some  of  the 
large  producers  were  meeting  the  lower  prices.  Certain  large 
producers,  however,  are  not  at  all  dismayed  by  the  break  in 
the  market.  They  point  out  that  there  has  been  a  steady  rise, 
lasting  through  all  November,  and  that  perhaps  a  little  check 
just  now  may  be  healthy,  particularly  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
it  probably  will  bring  down  the  price  of  ore.  They  are  of  the 
opinion — in  fact,  one  or  two  little  bets  have  been  made  on  the 
subject — that  the  price  will  touch  14c.  early  in  January.  They 
hold  this  view  despite  the  expressed  opinion  of  some  experts 
with  regard  to  over-production,  views  which  were  in  part  re- 
sponsible for  the  decision  of  dealers  to  sell.  It  is  undoubtedly 
true,  as  C.  E.  Siebenthal  of  the  TJ.  S.  Geological  Surpey  pointed 
out  early  in  the  year,  that  production  has  increased  enormous- 
ly, yet  the  consumption  is  great  also.  Exports  in  November 
totaled  16.09S  tons.  Production  will  be  cut  down  this  winter, 
as  it  is  every  cold  season.  Snows  interfere  with  mining  and 
the  cold  hampers  the  gas  supply  and  furnace  operation.  From 
Joplin  comes  the  news  this  week  that  two  out  of  three  large 
steam  turbines  used  by  an  electric-power  company  supplying 
the  district  had  broken  down  under  the  strain  of  overload,  and 
would  be  out  of  commission  for  two  or  three  weeks,  the  one 
turbine  operating  being  used  to  pump-out  the  mines.  This 
news  quickly  had  the  effect  of  checking  a  decline  in  the  price 
of  ore.  The  London  spot  market  was  10s.  lower  yesterday  at 
£58  10s. ,  as  compared  with  a  week  previous.  Fundamentally 
the  position  of  the  metal  is  strong,  despite  its  ups  and  downs 
because  of  the  influences  referred  to.  Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged 
at  21c,  f.o.b.  smelter,  carload  lots,  8%  off  for  cash. 

LEAD 

The  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  finally  took  action  yesterday,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  day  advanced  its  price  twice.  It  first  announced 
that  its  New  York  quotation  had  been  advanced  from  7  to 
7.25c,  then,  that  it  had  fixed  the  New  York  price  at  7.50c  The 
independents  already  had  been  quoting  over  7.50c,  New  York, 
for  prompt  delivery,  in  fact  some  were  asking  7.75c,  New 
York.  December  lead  has  been  at  a  premium  because  of  its 
scarcity,  little  or  none  being  available  at  any  price.  Following 
the  action  of  the  big  producer  the  market  steadied  at  7.50  to 
7.62Jc,  New  York,  independents  asking  7.40c,  at  St.  Louis. 
Prior  to  the  announcement  of  the  leading  producer  it  was 
difficult  accurately  to  gage  the  market,  inasmuch  as  prices 
covered  a  wide  range.  The  London  spot  quotations  continue 
unchanged  at  £30  10s.  Exports  in  November  totaled  1436  tons. 
Lower  prices  for  lead  are  not  looked  for  in  the  near  future. 
TIN 

Since  the  last  report  the  market  has  been  dull.  On  Decem- 
ber 4  some  likely-looking  inquiry  came  out,  but  it  was  followed 
immediately  by  the  announcement  of  the  November  statistics. 
These  did  not  look  good  to  consumers  and  they  withdrew  from 
the  market.  The  most  adverse  feature  of  the  figures  was  the 
showing  that  the  total  visible  supply  had  increased  3771  tons  in 
November.  The  total  visible  supply  October  31  stood  at  17,415, 
whereas  a  month  later  it  amounted  to  21.1S6  tons.  Deliveries 
into  consumption  in  November  were  fair,  amounting  to  3165 
tons,  of  which  365  tons  arrived  at  Pacific  ports.  Total  deliv- 
eries in  11  months  of  the  year  totaled  51,553  tons  against 
44,962  tons  in  the  same  period  of  1915,  an  increase  of  6591  tons. 
The  quantity  now  afloat  is  6168  tons. 


December  It;.  1916 


MINING  and   Scientific   PRESS 


893 


RECENT 


p  A^-jEiiTi' a 


1,199,S1S.  Conveyer  System.  Staunton  B.  Peck,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  assignor  to  Link-Belt  Company,  Chicago,  111.,  a 
Corporation  of  Illinois.     Filed  Jan.  16.  1915.     Serial  No.  2521. 


1.  A  conveyor  comprising  successive  groups  of  over-lapping 
parallel  conveyer  sections  and  means  for  independently  driv- 
ing each  group. 

1,196,049.  Process  for  Removing  Iron  From  Tin  Ores. 
Giinzel  von  Rauschenplat,  Steglitz,  Germany,  assignor  to 
Barilla  Limited,  London,  England,  a  Corporation  of  Great 
Britain.    Filed  Jan.  2S,  1914.     Serial  No.  S15.029. 


1.  The  herein  described  process  for  removing  iron  from  iron- 
bearing  tin  ores,  which  consists  in  subjecting  the  ore  to  a  re- 
ducing treatment  at  a  temperature  at  which  the  tin  will  re- 
main in  a  form  insoluble  in  acids,  while  the  iron  contents  will 
be  reduced  to  a  form  readily  soluble  in  acids,  and  then  sub- 
jecting the  resulting  product  to  treatment  with  acid. 


1,196,699.  Art  of  Producing  Tungsten  Powder.  Frederick 
G.  Keyes  and  Robert  B.  Brownlee,  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  assignors  to 
Cooper  Hewitt  Electric  Company,  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  a  Corpora- 
tion of  New  Jersey.    Filed  Feb.  17,  1915.     Serial  No.  8769. 


The  combination  with  a  crucible,  of  fused  sodium  tungstate 
within  the  same,  a  porous  cup  dipping  into  the  fused  material 
and  permitting  the  said  material  to  enter  the  said  cup  to  sub- 
stantially the  level  of  the  material  in  the  crucible,  an  anode 
extending  into  the  crucible  and  tb_e  fused  material  therein  and 
a  cathode  dipping  into  the  material  within  the  porous  cup. 


1,199,794.  Mine-Car.  Warren  V.  Johnson,  Bloomsburg,  Pa., 
assignor  to  American  Car  and  Foundry  Company,  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  a  Corporation  of  New  Jersey.  Filed  Aug.  4,  1916.  Serial 
No.  113,127. 


1.  In  combination  in  a  mine  car,  a  wood  floor  portion,  metal- 
lic body  bands  extending  beneath  said  floor  near  its  ends  and 
intermediate  its  ends  and  secured  directly  to  said  floor,  corru- 
gated metal  side  body  sheets  secured  directly  to  said  body 
bands,  flanged  members  connecting  the  side  body  sheets  with 
said  floor,  longitudinally  spaced  journal  boxes  connected  to 
each  of  said  flanged  members  by  bolts  extending  through  said 
journal  boxes,  the  floor  and  said  flanged  members,  a  fixed  end 
wall  and  a  hinged  gate. 


1,199,962.    Sintering-Machine.    Sophus  P.  C.  Borson,  Salida, 
Colo.    Filed  Aug.  23,  1915.    Serial  No.  46,959. 


1.  In  a  machine  for  sintering  and  roasting  ore,  the  combina- 
tion with  a  movably  supported  ore  carrier  comprising  an  im- 
pervious bed  member  with  projecting  joint  members,  of  a  fixed 
ore  retainer  comprising  two  oppositely  disposed  perforated 
side  walls  provided  with  depending  flanges  adapted  to  combine 
with  the  said  joint  members  to  form  sliding  joints,  means 
attached  to  the  said  ore  retainer  for  forcing  a  blast  of  air 
through  the  material  under  treatment,  means  for  supporting 
the  said  ore  carrier  and  ore  retainer,  and  operating  means 
attached  to  the  said  ore  carrier  adapted  to  produce  compara- 
tively slow  foward  motion  and  a  comparatively  rapid  return 
motion  thereof,  substantially  as  shown  and  described. 


1,197,843.  Apparatus  for  Separating  Oiled  Concentrates 
From  the  Gangue  of  Ores.  Ralph  T.  Mishler,  Pomona,  Cal. 
Filed  Sept.  13,  1915.     Serial  No.  50,457. 


1.  In  an  apparatus  for  separating  concentrate  from  the 
gangue  of  ores,  the  combination  with  a  longitudinal  pulp  re- 
ceiving case,  provided  with  transverse  partitions  separating 
the  interior  of  said  case  into  pulp  receiving  chambers,  and 


894 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


with  superposed  pulp  separating  receptacle  supported  by  said 
case  and  provided  with  passages  from  the  respective  pulp 
separating  chambers,  of  pulp  conducting  stand  pipes  for  con- 
ducting the  pulp  from  one  pulp  receiving  chamber  to  a  super- 
posed pulp  separating  receptacle,  and  having  their  lower  ends 
connected  with  the  inlet  passages  from  the  pulp  receiving 
chambers,  said  chambers  being  provided  with  separate  outlet 
passages  leading  from  said  pulp  separating  receptacles  to  said 
pulp  receiving  chambers,  a  longitudinal  shaft  extending 
through  said  case  and  said  chambers,  and  means  on  said  shaft 
within  said  chambers  for  forcibly  discharging  the  pulp  from 
said  chambers  through  said  stand  pipes  above  the  level  of  the 
pulp  in  the  pulp  separating  receptacles. 

1,201,151.  Ore-Concentrator.  George  T.  Cooley,  Joplin,  Mo., 
assignor  of  one-half  to  James  Athel  Brent,  San  Francisco.  Cal. 
Filed  Nov.  10,  1914.    Serial  No.  871,307. 


1,197,331.  Process  foe  the  Manufacture  of  Sulfuric  Acid. 
Lucien  Paul  Basset,  Paris,  France.  Filed  July  5,  1916.  Serial 
No.  107,597. 


1.  In  an  ore  concentrator,  the  combination  with  a  frame,  of 
a  bolster,  means  for  suspending  the  latter  from  the  frame,  a 
plurality  of  tables  pivotally  and  yieldably  connected  with  the 
bolster  at  one  end,  means  connected  with  the  tables  for  adjust- 
ing their  inclination,  and  a  head  motion  attached  to  the 
bolster. 

2.  In  an  ore  concentrator,  the  combination  with  a  frame,  of 
a  plurality  of  three-point  suspension  tables  suspended  in  the 
frame,  one  of  which  suspensions  is  a  horizontal  pivot,  and 
means  at  the  sides  for  adjusting  the  inclination  of  the  tables 
simultaneously  upon  said  pivots. 

1,197,137.  Method  of  Reducing  Metals.  Robert  J.  McNit, 
Perth  Amboy,  N.  J.,  assignor  to  The  Roessler  &  Hasslacher 
Chemical  Co.,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  a  Corporation  of  New  York. 
Filed  Jan.  2,  1913.    Serial  No.  739,710. 


1.  A  method  of  reducing  metallic  compounds  to  their  metals 
by  electrolysis  consisting  in  raising  the  boiling  point  of  said 
metals  by  pressure  on  the  molten  electrolyte  while  maintain- 
ing the  temperature  of  the  electrolyte  below  its  boiling  point 
at  atmospheric  pressure. 

2.  A  method  of  reducing  metallic  compounds  to  their  metals 
by  electrolysis  consisting  in  raising  the  boiling  point  of  said 
metals  by  pressure  of  a  compressed  gas  on  the  molten  electro- 
lyte while  maintaining  the  temperature  of  the  electrolyte 
below  its  boiling  point  at  atmospheric  pressure. 


1.  A  process  of  producing  sulfuric  acid  which  comprises  pass- 
ing gases  containing  sulfur  dioxid  and  oxygen  in  contact  with 
a  catalytic  substance  capable  of  partially  oxidizing  the  sulfur 
dioxid,  removing  the  so  oxidized  portion,  and  thereafter  ab- 
sorbing the  unconverted  residue  of  sulfur  dioxid  in  a  calcareous 
material  suitable  for  use  in  making  cement. 

1,197,199.  Apparatus  for  Roasting  and  Sintering  Ores. 
James  Gayley,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  assignor  to  American  Ore 
Reclamation  Company,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  a  Corporation  of  New- 
York.    Filed  May  6,  1916.    Serial  No.  95,775. 


1.  In  a  continuous  sintering  machine  of  the  kind  described, 
the  combination  with  a  wind  box,  a  series  of  grate  bearing 
pallets,  and  supports  therefor  which  permit  the  pallets  to  be 
moved  over  the  continuous  top  of  the  wind  box,  of  series  of 
sectional  seal  bars  or  curtains  intermediate  to  the  pallets  and 
wind  box  adapted  by  their  adjustment  to  automatically  close 
the  joints  between  said  pallets  and  the  wind  box  and  thus  pre- 
vent impairment  of  the  air-tight  union  between  the  two. 


1,198,882.     Treating  Lead  Matte.     Utley  Wedge,  Ardmore, 
Pa.    Filed  Jan.  29,  1913.    Serial  No.  744,894. 


The  mode  herein  described  of  roasting  lead  matte  in  a  fur- 
nace of  the  superposed  hearth  type,  said '  mode  consisting  in 
carrying  said  lead  matte  forwardly  through  the  furnace,  re- 
tarding sulfur  elimination  by  abstracting  heat  from  the  fur- 
nace until  the  sulfur  has  been  so  far  reduced  as  to  permit  of 
the  free  application  of  the  heat  necessary  to  effect  the  desired 
desulfurization,  and  then  applying  such  higher  heat. 


December  16,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


895 


Consolidated  Gold  Fields  of  South  Africa 

An  abstract  of  the  report  of  this  great  company  for  the  year 
ended  June  30,  191(5,  should  interest  American  mining  men  on 
account  of  the  company'  interests  in  this  country.  The  prin- 
cipal holdings  throughout  the  world  are  in  34  companies- 
gold,  tin,  potash,  power,  etc. 

The  realized  profit — mainly  from  dividends  received  on  in- 
vestments, after  deducting  debenture  interest,  etc.,  was  £440,- 
141.  After  paying  dividends  and  taxes  the  balance  was 
£283,917;  and  after  allowing  for  depreciation,  and  adding  the 
previous  balance,  there  remains  £231,740  ($1,120,000).  From 
this  was  paid  7J%  on  ordinary  shares,  amounting  to  £150,000. 

Some  details  of  the  properties  controlled  by  the  Consolidated 
Gold  Fields  company  are  as  follows: 

Mines  in  the  Transvaal 

Ore  Yield  Cost 

Reserves,     treated,     per  per 

Name                                            tons             tons        ton  ton 

Simmer   &   Jack 1,935,000        788,700  $5.26  $3.50 

Robinson    Deep 1,849,000        646,900       6.84  4.60 

Knights    Deep    2,614,000     1,307,300       3.64  2.90 

Simmer   Deep    1,492,000       762,800      4.12  3.85 

Jupiter 1,178,000        234,000       5.04  4.62 

Sub  Nigel   214,000          93,260       9.56  7.52 

Crown  Mines   9,938,000     2,332,000       6.18  4.32 

Government  (Modderfontein)  .4,368,000       627,200       6.42  4.86 

In  the  last  two  the  company  has  a  minor  interest.  The 
total  working  profit  from  the  other  companies  was  $4,224,000, 
a  small  reduction  compared  with  the  previous  year,  although 
more  ore  was  treated.  Owing  to  the  War  the  companies  lost  a 
large  number  of  efficient  employees,  and  had  to  pay  increased 
charges  on  supplies,  bullion,  and  taxes. 

Transcontinental  Consolidated  Oil  Co.  The  area  held  in 
the  Panuco  and  Huasteca  fields  of  eastern  Mexico  totals  over 
10,000  acres.  Six  wells  are  yielding  10,000  bbl.  daily.  Equip- 
ment is  equal  to  three  times  this  quantity.  The  properties  pro- 
duced 736,881  bbl.  Profits  earned  were  sufficient  to  pay  divi- 
dends on  preferred  stock.  The  International  Petroleum  Co. 
produced  582,124  bbl.,  which  was  handled  by  the  Transconti- 
nental company. 

Granville  Mining  Co.  The  Canadian  Klondyke  Mining  Co. 
recovered  72,464  oz.  of  gold  in  the  last  season,  and  34,112  oz. 
to  September  of  the.  current  season.  As  there  was  a  shortage 
of  repair  parts  the  dredges  did  not  operate  at  highest  capacity. 
The  North  West  Corporation  removed  779,000  cu.  yd.  of  over- 
burden. 

Sierra  Pacific  Electric  Co.  Net  earnings  of  this  concern 
in  1915  were  $279,710,  and  in  seven  months  ended  July  31, 
1916,  $173,376,  a  slight  improvement.  Subsidiaries  serve  25% 
of  the  total  population  of  Nevada. 

Yuba  Consolidated  Gold  Fields.  During  the  year  ended 
February  29,  1916,  the  dredges  recovered  $2,133,529,  equal  to 
12.02c.  per  yard.  Expenses  totaled  4.27c.  per  yard.  In  the 
five  months  to  July  31,  1916,  the  average  grade  was  12.87c, 
with  3.7c.  cost.  The  present  rate  of  profit  is  $1,800,000  per 
annum. 

Natomas  Company  of  California.  The  net  profit  in  1915 
was  $1,570,799.  For  the  seven  months  ended  July  31  the  net 
result  was  $588,789,  a  low  return  due  to  less  dredging  opera- 
tions. 

La  Grange  Mining  Co.  About  2,000,000  cu.  yd.  was  sluiced 
last  season,  costing  4c.  per  yard.  The  total  clean-up  was 
$39,763,  and  expenses  $80,000,  making  a  loss  of  about  $40,000. 


If  a  tunnel  is  driven  1100  ft.,  so  as  to  shorten  the  sluice  by  a 
half,  thus  decreasing  its  maintenance,  and  increasing  the 
grade,  about  4,000,000  cu.  yd.  could  be  handled  at  1}  to  2c.  per 
yard.  It  is  not  possible  to  sample  the  gravel  ahead  of  hydrau- 
licking. 

Mississippi  River  Power  Co.  This  company's  great  power- 
plant  is  at  Keokuk  on  the  Mississippi,  half-way  between  Chi- 
cago and  Kansas  City,  and  140  miles  north  of  St.  Louis.  The 
possibilities  for  sale  of  power  in  this  region  are  enormous. 
In  1915  gross  earnings  were  $1,651,269,  and  net  $1,326,868. 
For  seven  months  in  1916  the  profit  was  $792,227. 

American  Trona  Corporation.  Considerable  annoying  liti- 
gation was  settled  in  April,  when  the  Supreme  Court  of  Cali- 
fornia decided  in  favor  of  the  company  involving  holdings  of 
shares  in  the  California  Trona  Co.,  which  owns  claims  on 
Searles  lake.  Other  suits  by  claim-jumpers  were  awarded  the 
corporation.  The  last  question  in  dispute  is  the  settlement 
with  the  United  States  government  on  the  validity  of  the 
California  Trona  Co.'s  claims  at  Searles  lake.  After  many 
tests  a  process  was  evolved  for  treating  the  brine.  Concen- 
trated salts  are  being  produced  at  Trona  at  the  rate  of  50 
tons  daily,  from  400,000  gal.  of  brine.  This  quantity  of  potash 
is  to  be  increased  by  adding  to  the  plant.  A  refinery  is  well 
on  toward  completion  at  San  Pedro,  near  Los  Angeles.  The 
Trona  salts  have  a  high  market  value,  and  a  contract  has 
been  closed  for  3500  tons  to  be  shipped  by  the  end  of  1916. 
The  Trona  railroad  of  30  miles,  connecting  Trona  with  the 
Southern  Pacific  at  Searles,  had  a  revenue  of  $53,000  and 
$23,000  profit.  Mining  in  the  vicinity  is  responsible  for  these 
good  results. 


Pinl<g©s  ®f  Chemicals 


Acetic  acid,  cents  per  pound 50 — 55 

Arsenic,  white,  cents  per  pound 6 —  6J- 

Barytes,  prime  white  foreign,  per  ton $35 — 40 

Borax  crystals,  cents  per  pound 7 J —  7£ 

Caustic  soda,  76%,  cents  per  pound 33 —  4 

Creosote,  cents  per  pound  2J —  3 

Cresol,  per  gallon  $1.36: 

China  clay,  imported,  per  ton $18 — 30' 

Feldspar,  per  ton  $8 — 10. 

Fuller's  earth,  foreign,  powdered,  per  ton $35 

Hydrochloric  acid,  commercial,  cents  per  pound...  li —  It, 

Lead  acetate,  white  crystals,  cents  per  pound 13* — 14 

Litharge,  cents  per  pound 9J — ■  9} 

Nitric  acid,  cents  per  pound 4j — ■  6$ 

Potassium  cyanide,  cents  per  pound 70  — 72; 

Phosphate  rock,  Florida,  68%,  per  ton $2.75— 3.00> 

Potassium  iodide,  cents  per  pound 4 

Pyrite,  furnace  size,  imported,  cents  per  unit 15 i 

Silver  nitrate,  cents  per  ounce 42 J 

Soda  ash,  cents  per  pound '. .  3 

Sodium  nitrate,  cents  per  pound 3 

Sulphur,  crude,  per  ton  $35 

Sulphuric  acid,  66°B.,  per  ton $20—21 

Talc,  American  white,  per  ton $9 — 12 

Tar  oil,  cents  per  gallon 35  — 40 

Aluminum,  old  cast,  cents  per  pound 32  — 32*. 

Copper,  light,  crucible,  wire,  or  heavy,  cents 21* — 25* 

Brass,  cents  per  pound 14J — 17 

Lead,  cents  per  pound  64, —  6f 

Tin,  block,  cents  per  pound 40 

Zinc,  cents  per  pound 9  —  9* 

Electrotype,  cents  per  pound   6|- 

Old  rails,  per  ton $25 

Old  car-wheels,  per  ton   $24 

Heavy  cast-iron  scrap,  per  ton $17" 

Machine-shop  turnings,  per  ton $10i 


896 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  16,  1916 


WZm^mti  lBmW.mm.tmm.3 


Industrial  Notes 

Information  supplied  by  the  manufacturers. 


Safety  and  Efficiency  in  Mines.  By  Edwin  Higgins.  Bul- 
letin No.  3  of  Industrial  Accident  Commission  of  California. 
P.  14. 


Notes  on  the  Invention,  Development,  and  Introduction  of 
the  Flotation  Process.  By  A.  Stanley  Elmore.  P.  30.  Re- 
print from  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press,  and  issued  by 
the  Ore  Concentration  Co.  of  London. 

A  Series  of  Treatises  on  the  Rare  Metals.  By  Herman 
Fleck.     P.  73. 

These  lectures  were  delivered  at  meetings  of  the  Colorado 
Scientific  Society,  Denver,  in  1915  and  1916.  The  metals  dis- 
cussed were  tungsten,  molybdenum,  vanadium,  and  uranium. 
We  have  already  abstracted  from  the  notes.  At  this  time  the 
publication  is  worth  securing. 

U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines,  Washington.  D.  C,  1916: 

Ore-Sampling  Conditions  in  the  West.  By  T.  R.  Wood- 
bridge.    Technical  Paper  86.    P.  96.     111.,  index. 

Important  points  from  this  useful  investigation  were  ab- 
stracted for  the  Press  of  November  11. 

Melting  Aluminum  Chips.  By  H.  W.  Gillett  and  G.  M. 
James.    Bulletin  108;  Mineral  Technology  14.    P.  8S.    Index. 

U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  Washington,  D.  C,  1916: 

Measurement  of  Silt-Laden  Streams.  By  R.  C.  Pierce. 
Water-Supply  Paper  400-C.    P.  13. 

Geology  of  the  Hound  Creek  District  of  the  Great  Falls 
Coal  Field,  Cascade  County.  Montana.  By  V.  H.  Barnett. 
Bulletin  641-H.     P.  17.     Map. 

The  Gold  Log  Mine,  Talladega  County.  Alabama.  By 
Edson  S.  Bastin.    Bulletin  640-1.    P.  3. 

The  Yukon-Koyukuk  Region.  Alaska.  By  H.  M.  Eakin. 
Bulletin  631.    P.  S8.     111.,  maps,  index. 

Notes  on  a  district  that  has  no  deposits  of  value,  as  far  as 
discovered. 

Lubricating  Engineers'  Handbook.  By  J.  R.  Battle.  P.  333. 
111.,  plans,  index.  J.  B.  Lippincott  Co,  Philadelphia,  1916.  For 
sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $4. 

We  have  perused  this  work  on  a  very  important  subject 
with  much  interest,  and  consider  it  worth  a  place  in  every 
oil  and  mechanical  engineer's  library.  To  the  mining  man, 
the  statement  that  "the  most  essential  and  yet  the  most  neg- 
lected detail  necessary  to  obtain  the  best  results  from  pneu- 
matic tools  (drills,  etc.)  is  proper  and  efficient  lubrication," 
will  be  found  apropos;  also  the  remarks  on  lubrication  of 
pumps  and  cars.  In  these  times  of  high-speed  engines,  whether 
steam  or  oil-driven,  lubrication  is  of  paramount  importance. 
Engines  are  not  the  only  machinery  to  be  considered,  there 
being  a  thousand  and  one  machines  that  require  oil  or  grease 
at  some  part.  Wherever  two  surfaces  work  against  one  an- 
other, friction  and  heat  results,  requiring  a  lubricant  to  re- 
duce this  as  low  as  possible.  The  author  terms  this  a  "fric- 
tion tax."  Picking  out  several  chapters  of  the  book  we  find 
tersely  given  and  practically  illustrated,  the  theory  of  lubri- 
cation, petroleum  and  other  lubricants  and  their  manufacture, 
vegetal  oils  (under  the  caption  'vegetable  oils'),  tests  of  oils 
and  grease,  miscellaneous  notes  on  oil,  steam  engines  and 
turbines,  bearings,  lubricating  apparatus,  air-compressors,  au- 
tomobiles, Diesel  engines,  internal-combustion  engines,  loco- 
motives, and  the  cost  of  lubrication.  The  index  of  20  pages 
is  well  arranged. 


Catalogue  No.  14  of  the  National  Tank  &  Pipe  Co.,  Portland, 
Oregon,  consists  of  48  pages  of  well-illustrated  data,  including 
four  full-page  colored  views  of  pipe-lines  installed  by  the  firm. 
Brief  discussions  are  given  on  the  strength,  life,  capacity,  and 
uses  of  wood-pipe.  Ten  reasons  are  stated  for  using  this  prod- 
uct. Fittings  for  pipe  are  shown  and  described.  As  far  back 
as  1799,  New  York  used  wood-pipe  for  its  water-supply.  Some 
useful  tables  are  appended. 

The  Ingersoll-Rand  Co.  of  New  York  has  issued  form  8311 
of  16  pages  on  'Little  David'  pneumatic  riveting-hammers, 
inside  trigger  pattern.  These  hammers  are  offered  in  six 
sizes,  the  dimensions  and  specifications  of  which  are  listed  in 
the  catalogue.  An  important  feature  of  this  tool  is  the  rivet- 
set  retainer  designed  to  meet  the  regulations  and  requirements 
of  the  safety  appliance  laws  enacted  in  the  various  States. 
Form  3130  of  24  pages  is  on  class  ER-1  power-driven  single- 
stage  straight-line  air-compressors.  Machines  are  built  in 
various  sizes  from  6  to  12-in.  stroke,  with  a  piston  displace- 
ment capacity  of  52  to  955  cu.  ft.  per  minute  and  are  equipped 
with  the  Ingersoll-Rogler  type  of  air-valve. 


Several  types  of  tractors  are  in  use  for  hauling  ore,  supplies, 
and  machinery  in  mining  districts.  A  machine  has  been  de- 
vised by  R.  Hamilton  of  Geyserville,  California,  and  severe  tests 
are  said  to  have  proved  its  reliability.  It  is  3i  ft.  wide  and  7  ft. 
long,  and  weighs  1750  lb.  The  motor,  gearing,  and  frame  are 
of  good  design.  Distillate  is  used  for  fuel.  The  special  ad- 
vantage, as  may  be  seen  from  the  picture,  is  the  traction  ar- 
rangement. The  periphery  of  each  wheel  is  fitted  with  16  two- 
pronged  forks,  7  in.  long  and  9  in.  wide,  which  dig  into  the 
ground,  giving  great  tractive  effect,  especially  on  rough  or 
muddy  roads.  The  clearance  of  the  frame  above  ground  is  10 
in.  under  normal  working  conditions.  Like  several  other 
tractors  this  one  was  developed  on  a  farm. 

The  suit  brought  by  the  Koering  Cyaniding  Process  Co. 
against  the  Wasatch  Utah  Mining  Co.,  of  Sandy,  Utah,  has  been 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Koering  company.  The  evidence  pre- 
sented showed  that  the  Koering  company  installed  a  unit  for 
the  treatment  of  what  was  represented  as  being  a  large  ore- 
body,  but  which  subsequently  proved  to  be  not  the  case,  as 
after  a  three  weeks'  run  the  ore  supply  was  exhausted.  The 
Wasatch  company  will  return  the  equipment  and  also  pay 
damages  to  the  Koering  company  for  mis-representation  of  the 
facts  in  the  case.  The  Koering  company  has  issued  a  pamphlet 
entitled,  'The  highest  development  of  the  copper-leaching  art,' 
in  which  is  described  the  use  of  its  plant  for  sulphuric  acid  in- 
stead of  cyanide.    Detailed  costs  are  given. 

Announcement  has  been  made  by  the  Westinghouse  Elec- 
tric &  Mfg.  Co.  of  an  extension  of  its  present  bonus  system 
to  include  salaried  and  office  employees  on  hourly  rates,  by 
which  they  will  receive  a  bonus  of  8%  of  their  salary  each 
month,  providing  their  total  excusable  time  absent  and  late 
during  the  month  does  not  exceed  6  hours  incurred  on  not 
over  three  occasions.  An  additional  i%  will  be  given  each 
month  to  the  employee  who  has  not  lost  any  time  from  work 
during  the  month  through  absence  or  tardiness,  thus  enabling 
those  affected  to  obtain  an  increase  in  earnings  of  12%  for  a 
100%  attendance.  Several  thousand  employees  in  the  Pitts- 
burg district  are  benefited  by  the  granting  of  the  bonus.  The 
company  has  issued  a  circular  discussing  electric-furnace 
equipment.  One  great  improvement  is  the  automatic  regula- 
tion of  current,  the  Thury  regulator  being  extensively  used. 


and 

Scientific 


Edited  by 
T.  A.  RICKARD 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  DECEMBER  23,  1916 


Volume  113 
Number  26 


BONNINGTON  FALLS,  OF  THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER,  NEAR  ROBSON,  B.  C. 

VV  7ATER-POWER  is  becoming  an  increasingly  important  factor 
*  in  metallurgy  by  reason  of  the  application  of  electricity  to  the 
electrolytic  precipitation  of  metals.  The  great  falls  of  the  Columbia 
river,  shown  m  the  above  photograph,  constitute  the  source  of  the  energy 
used  at  the  Trail  smelter,  where  five  metals — gold,  silver,  copper,  lead, 
and  zinc  —  are  extracted  in  a  pure  form  by  means  of  electrolytic  methods 
of  refining,  as  described  by  the  Editor  in  this  issue  and  in  the  one 
that  is  to  follow. 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRES^ 


December  23,  3916 


SAFE  DELIVERIES 


^  These  three  Oliver  Filters  are  ready  for  shipment. 

^  Olivers  are  easy  to  ship.  They  are  so  sturdily  built 
that  the  wear  and  tear  of  railroad  or  other  travel  will 
not  injure  them.     Safe  deliveries  are  assured. 

*J  Investigate  the  Oliver.  Remember — no  matter  what 
your  filtration  is  now  costing  you,  the  Oliver  can  do 
your  work  more  completely  and  at  lower  cost. 

Write  and  let  our  engineers 
explain    the    Oliver  to    you. 

Oliver  Continuous  Filter  Company 


501  MARKET  STREET 


SAN  FRANCISCO 


NO  ROYALTIES    TO  PAY 


EDITORIAL  STAFF: 
T.  A.  RICKARD         -         .         Editor 
M.  W.  von  BERNEWITZ  I  .    .    c ,. 
W.H.  STORMS  jA.iEd.lo,. 


ESTABLISHED  I860 

Publuhed  at  420  Market  St..  San  Francisco,  by  the  Dewey  Publish ina  Co. 

CHARLES  T.  HUTCHINSON.  Buainea  Mnnaser 


i'.:.i-  I.;:.:1' 


Science  has  no  enemy  save  the  ignorant 


Issued  Every  Saturday 


San  Francisco,  December  23,  1916 


SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
W.  H.  Shockley. 
Leonard  S.  Austin. 
Gelaslo  Caetanl, 
Courtenay  De  Kalb. 
B\  Lynwood  Garrison. 
Charles  Janin. 
James  F.  Kemp. 
F.  H.  Probert. 
C.   W.   Purlngton. 
Horace  V.  Winchell. 


?:;  per  Tear — 10  Cents  per  Copy 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL                                    Page. 
Notes   §97 

The  Great  Calamity    899 

An  attempt  to  bring  home  the  greatness  of  the  con- 
flict in  Europe,  its  horror  and  its  deep  significance 
to  all  of  us.  An  effort  to  cause  the  reader  to  pause  tor 
a  few  minutes  and  realize  what  it  means.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  23,  1916. 

Belgian  Kiddies   900 

An  appeal  from  the  mining  engineers  to  the  mining 
public  in  behalf  of  the  Belgian  Relief  Commission, 
particularly  in  its  work  in  behalf  of  the  children.  The 
debt  owing  to  Mr.  Hoover.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23, 
1916. 

DISCUSSION 

Beloian  Kiddies,  Ltd 901 

Appeal  of  mining  engineers  to  aid  in  relief  work  in 
Belgium.  Interesting  figures  show  the  extent  of  the 
present  Commission's  efforts.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December 
23,  1916. 

Pan  Americanism — A  Myth. 

By  Russell  T.  Mason 901 

Comments  on  a  recent  editorial  by  one  who  has  lived 
in  South  America.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916. 

Electbic  Heater  for  Solutions. 

By  F.  Dean  Bradley 902 

Simple  and  efficient  apparatus  for  heating  cyanide 
solutions.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Effect  of  Faults  on  Richness  of  Ore. 

By  Enquirer    902 

Do  faults  commonly  affect  the  value  of  ore  in  their 
immediate  vicinity?    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916. 

ARTICLES 
Electrolytic  Refining  at  Trail. 

By  T.  A.  Riekard 903 

The  Trail  smelter  of  the  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelt- 
ing Co.  of  Canada  is  probably  the  only  one  in  exist- 
ence that  produces  electrically-refined  gold,  silver,  cop- 
per, lead,  and  zinc;  also  chemical  by-products.  The 
plant  is  a  veritable  metallurgical  laboratory,  and  is 
being  enlarged.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916.  Illus- 
trated. 


The  Cache  Creek  Dredge,  Alaska.  Page. 

By  Sumner  S.  Smith 90S 

This  boat  operates  north  of  Anchorage,  the  new  rail- 
road terminus.  The  gravel  is  shallow,  and  the  7-cu.  ft. 
buckets  can  dig  3000  cu.  yd.  daily.  A  new  feature  is 
rock-chutes  from  the  grizzly.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23, 
1916.    Illustrated. 

A  Matter  of  Principle 910 

A  letter  on  the  'Shockley  episode'  from  L.  D.  Ricketts, 
and  end  of  the  controversy.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23, 
1916. 

Plant  of  the  Babilonia  Gold  Mines,  Nicaragua. 

By  S.  M.  Parker 911 

A  gold-bearing  clayey  ore  is  crushed  by  Holman  pneu- 
matic stamps,  ground  by  pans,  pulp  thickened  in  Dorr 
machines,  agitated  in  Pachuca  tanks,  filtered  on  leaf- 
filters,  and  precipitated  on  zinc  shaving.  The  cost  is 
$3,076  per  ton.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916. 

A  Local  Magnetic  Pole 914 

A  centre  of  magnetic  attraction  is  near  Juneau, 
Alaska.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916. 

Gold  Mining  in  Korea. 

By  E.  W.  Mills   915 

A  summary  of  current  and  past  operations.  M.  &  S. 
P.,  December  23,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Analysis  of  Molybdenum  Obes. 

By  H.  Westling  and  Carl  Andersen 917 

A  timely  method  for  testing  a  difficult  mineral.  M. 
&  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916. 

California's  Volcano  Still  Active  918 

Mt.  Lassen  has  spasmodic  outbursts,  and  its  future 
may  be  disastrous.  Types  of  eruptions  described,  and 
cause  of  mud-streams.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  23,  1916. 

Minerals  Separation  Decision  919 

DEPARTMENTS 

Review  of  Mining  920' 

The  Mining  Summary  923 

Personal 926 

The  Metal  Market 927 

Eastern  Metal  Market 928 

Industrial  Notes  929 

Improvements  in  Air-Compressors.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 23,  1916.    Illustrated. 

Mining  Decisions    - 930 


Established    May    24,    I860,    as    The    Scientific    Press;    name 
changed  October  20  of  the  same  year  to  Mining  and  Scientific 

Entered  at  the  San  Francisco  post-office  as  second-class  mat- 
ter.    Cable  address:  Pertusola. 


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12 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS, 


December  23,  1916 


Central  Power  Plant,  Davis  Coal  and  Coke  Company,  Thomas, 


W.  Va. 


Greatly  Increased  Tonnage 
For  Less  Power 

By  using  one  power  plant  for  a  group  of 
mines  instead  of  a  power  plant  at  each  mine,  a 
greatly  increased  tonnage  has  been  obtained  by  a 
well  known  mining  syndicate. 

Much  less  fuel  per  ton  of  coal  extracted  is 
required  and  greater  continuity  of  power  assured 
than  before  centralization. 

Turbo-generators  and  motors  made  by  the 
General  Electric  Company  were  used  in  making 
the  above  change,  which  has  proven  so  profitable. 
Probably  centralization  of  power  plants  may  work 
economies  for  you. 


This  Trade  Mark 

the  Guarantee 
of  Excellence  on 
Goods  Electrical 

Address  Nearest  Office 

Atlanta,  Ga. 
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and  Arizona  busi- 
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Electric  Company 
(formerly  Hobson 
Electric  Co.). 
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homa City. 

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ness refer  to  Cana- 
dian General  Elec- 
tric Company,  Ltd., 
Toronto,  Ont. 

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nectady, N.  Y.;  30 
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York  City;  83  Can- 
non St.,  London,  E. 
C.,  England. 


General  Electric  Company 


General  Office :     Schenectady,  N.  Y. 


December  2:1.  1!M(i 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


897 


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W)  2  T  ®  IE  2  M.  IL 

t,  jl   iri  a  >s  is  ji,  a  ©  „    is di a -s© 3r 


IC'iliai E'lIEiJIililllllll: LMilllBIIiin: '.,',' 


O  INSCRIPTION  of  $5,000,000  to  the  purchase  of 
^  United  Kingdom  5%  notes  by  the  copper  companies 
under  Jaekling  management  is  announced  at  New  York. 
This  is  stated  to  be  "a  matter  of  reciprocity,"  seeing 
that  the  Allies  are  buying  so  much  of  the  copper  pro- 
duced by  this  group  of  mines. 


A  MONG  the  destructive  consequences  of  the  War  we 
•*"*-  should  take  note  of  the  loss  of  metal  as  cargo  on 
ships  that  are  sunk  as  well  as  the  metal  in  piping  and 
fittings  that  are  sent  to  the  bottom,  where  none  of  it  can 
be  salvaged.  On  the  Chemung,  sunk  on  November  27, 
was  a  large  tonnage  of  copper,  zinc,  and  steel. 


T  T  IS  estimated  that  the  increase  in  the  sum  of  wages 
-*■  distributed  in  the  organized  industries  of  the  United 
States  since  the  beginning  of  1916  is  about  a  billion  dol- 
lars. Notwithstanding  this  colossal  increase  in  wages  it 
is  doubtful  whether  the  average  worker  has  gained  any 
advantage,  for  the  increase  of  income  is  less  than  the  rise 
in  the  cost  of  living. 


OELECTIVE  flotation,  based  on  the  Owen  idea,  has 
•^  been  developed  at  the  Broken  Hill  South  mill  to  the 
point  of  obtaining  a  62.6%  lead  concentrate  containing 
45.6  ounces  of  silver  and  only  9.6%  of  zinc.  The  silver 
minerals  escape  water-concentration  owing  to  their  fis- 
sibility,  causing  them  to  break  into  minute  flakey  par- 
ticles, which  are  well  adapted  to  being  buoyed  by  bubbles. 


/"\UR  friends  at  Oatman  make  a  mistake  in  comparing 
^-*  their  rich  and  prosperous  little  district  with  the 
Rand,  or  with  the  Mother  Lode,  as  we  note  is  done  by 
Mr.  C.  P.  Spilman,  who  has  taken  charge  of  the  publicity 
department  of  the  Oatman  Bureau  of  Mines.  The 
Rand  goldfield  is  mined  continuously  for  a  length  of  40 
miles  and  produces  over  $180,000,000  per  annum.  The 
Mother  Lode  is  worked  along  a  length  of  100  miles  and 
produces  $6,500,000  per  annum.  Oatman  is  good 
•enough;  no  benefit  can  come  from  comparisons  that  are 
■essentially  exaggerations. 


THE  Western  Federation  of  Miners  has  changed  its 
name  to  the  International  Union  of  Mine,  Mill,  and 
Smelter  Workers.  Some  change  was  urgently  needed, 
out  the  substitution  of  a  new  name  will  not  suffice.  We 
■would  like  to  see  the  organization  out  of  the  hands  of 
men  that  have  used  labor-unionism  to  terrorize  industry 
and  to  promote  anarchy.  The  "international"  sugges- 
tion is  not  good.    All  of  us — employers  and  employees — 


are  subject  to  the  laws  of  our  State  and  Nation,  and  to 
them  we  owe  respect.  Labor  troubles  cannot  be  settled 
on  an  international  basis.  If  the  idea  is  to  incite  inter- 
national strikes,  it. is  wrong. 

"DEACE  has  greater  terrors  than  War  for  Wall  Street, 
-*-  as  was  evident  last  week.  The  near  panic  that  came 
between  the  German  proposal  and  the  Russian  rejection 
of  negotiations  is  an  indicator  of  what  may  happen  when 
a  genuine  approach  is  made  to  cessation  of  fighting.  The 
episode  proves  that  New  York  is  far  from  being  the 
financial  centre  of  the  world — it  is  the  biggest  gambling 
centre,  that  is  evident. 


T  ARGE  bonuses  are  being  paid  by  mining  and  manu- 
-*-J  facturing  companies  to  their  employees  at  Christ- 
mas or  New  Year.  This  shows  the  right  spirit,  for  ab- 
normal profits  are  being  made;  but  it  is  to  be  hoped — 
against  experience — that  the  abnormality  of  the  times 
and  the  exceptional  character  of  the  bonuses  will  be  ap- 
preciated, so  that  the  reversion  to  ordinary  wages  will 
not  be  accompanied  by  unreasoned  bitterness  between 
employer  and  employee. 


QUEER  shifts  may  be  made  to  prolong  the  life  of  a 
mine.  We  remember  one  that  appeared,  after  care- 
ful examination,  to  have  enough  ore  to  last  for  two  years, 
yet  operations  continued  for  five  years.  Long  afterward 
the  engineer  that  had  made  the  examination  met  the 
superintendent  and  asked  him  how  he  managed  to  do  it. 
Did  the  mine  pay  during  the  extra  three  years?  "No," 
he  replied,  "it  did  not,  but  the  boarding-house  did — and 
I  ran  the  boarding-house." 

AMONG  the  sensible  and  kind  actions  to  be  associated 
with  this  Christmas  we  note  the  club-house  for  rail- 
road men  to  be  built  by  Mr.  J.  Parke  Channing  at  a  little 
junction  point,  in  the  iron  region  of  northern  Michigan, 
that  is  named  after  the  donor.  Our  contemporary  the 
Mining  Gazette  mentions  the  matter  in  a  friendly  way 
and  expresses  the  hope  that  other  men  similarly  success- 
ful in  the  Copper  Country  will  follow  the  example  and 
show  some  practical  remembrance  of  the  locality  where 
they  started  on  the  road  to  fortune. 

GOOD  WORK  in  flotation  is  being  done  at  the  Atlas 
mine,  near  Sneffels,  Colorado,  where  a  silver-lead  ore 
assaying  2|%  lead  and  8 \  oz.  silver  per  ton  is  being 
treated  at  a  recovery  of  90%  of  the  lead  and  93%  of  the 
silver.  By  re-treatment  of  the  flotation  product,  on 
tables,   the  silica  content  is  reduced  from   15-20%    to 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


about  10%.  The  recovery  is  25%  better  than  it  was 
formerly  when  using  ordinary  wet  concentration.  The 
concentrate  assays  16%  lead,  35  oz.  silver,  and  0.22  oz. 
gold.  The  cost  of  milling,  treating  only  100  tons  daily, 
and  concentrating  10 ;  1,  is  94  cents,  to  which  12  cents 
per  ton  must  be  added  for  royalty. 

/^kN  another  page  we  record  the  conclusion  of  the 
"  Shockley  episode.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  directors  of 
the  American  Institute  realize  that  a  mistake  was  made 
and  regret  the  apparently  mandatory  tone  of  the  mes- 
sage sent  by  them  to  San  Francisco.  It  was  the  friendly 
letter  of  the  President,  however,  that  had  most  to  do 
with  the  prompt  acceptance  of  the  apology  and  the  ex- 
pression of  goodwill  that  was  voted  by  our  local  section. 
The  incident,  and  the  discussion  of  it,  has  been  salutary. 
Having  regard  to  sundry  criticisms — always  welcome — 
from  some  of  our  friends  on  the  Eastern  seaboard,  we 
take  the  opportunity  of  stating  that  it  is  part  of  the 
proper  function  of  a  professional  journal  to  protest 
against  any  trespass  on  the  rights  of  a  member  of  the 
profession  and  to  defend  him  when  occasion  arises. 

"IVTECESSITY  is  proverbially  the  mother  of  invention. 
-1- "  This  is  illustrated  by  two  of  the  photographs  ac- 
companying Mr.  Sumner  S.  Smith's  article  on  the  Cache 
Creek  dredge.  One  photograph  shows  how  a  small 
single-cylinder  gasoline-engine,  mounted  on  a  truck,  is 
geared  to  a  sprocket  that,  in  turn,  is  geared  to  the 
wheels  of  the  truck,  which  hauls  the  ore,  and  thereby 
displaces  a  much  less  effective  mule.  This  locomotive 
brings  ore  two  miles  from  the  Cymru  mine  to  the  dock 
on  Moira  Sound,  on  the  east  coast  of  Prince  of  Wales 
island.  The  other  illustration  is  not  as  clear  because 
the  engine  is  covered  by  canvas.  A  small  gasoline- 
engine  is  belted  to  a  bull-wheel  operating  a  piston  that 
drives  a  cross-cut  saw  held  in  place  by  the  two  guides, 
which  can  be  seen  clearly.  The  log  is  held  in  place  by  a 
couple  of  'dogs.'  The  pond  fills  with  wood  that  has 
been  sawed;  the  machine  is  then  pulled  ashore,  and  an 
abundant  supply  of  fuel  is  left  on  the  beach  when  the 
tide  recedes. 

i~iWING  to  the  lavish  production  of  copper  ore  at  this 
"  time,  most  of  the  larger  smelters  are  unable  to  accept 
small  lots  of  custom  ore  for  treatment.  This  works  a 
hardship  on  the  owners  of  little  mines  that  can  supply 
a  limited  tonnage  of  relatively  high-grade  ore.  There 
are  many  small  mines  that  can  produce  a  considerable 
tonnage  of  5  to  10%  ore,  such  as  would  yield  a  satis- 
factory profit  at  the  present  price  of  the  metal,  if  the  ore 
could  be  smelted.  The  big  smelters  are  overloaded  with 
ore  sent  to  them  under  contract  from  regular  customers, 
including  mines  controlled  by  the  smelting  company 
itself,  so  that  they  find  it  inexpedient  to  accept  ore  from 
the  small  shipper,  except  on  terms  so  exacting  as  to  pile 
insult  on  the  injury  that  the  minor  producer  already 
feels,  owing  to  being  denied  an  opportunity  to  share  in 
the  benefit  of  an  abnormally  high  market  for  copper. 
"We  appreciate  the  bitterness  of  his  position  and  advise 


him  to  investigate  wet  methods  of  extraction.  Undoubt- 
edly the  smelter  congestion  should  stimulate  experimen- 
tation in  the  hydro-metallurgy  of  copper. 


"D  USSIAN  gold  production  has  varied  during  the  past 
**•  12  years  between  $22,000,000  and  $35,000,000  per 
annum,  the  last  four  years  showing  a  gain  of  about 
$2,000,000  successively.  The  latest  available  figures  are 
$26,750,000  for  1914.  The  correctness  of  these  Eussian 
gold  statistics  are  open  to  doubt,  as  the  exact  amount  of 
gold  recovered  is  not  really  known,  partly  because  the 
department  dealing  with  the  industry  is  not  as  well 
organized  as  our  own  or  those  of  other  countries,  and 
partly  because  of  the  legalized  theft  prevailing  in  the 
gold  mines,  causing  a  good  deal  of  the  product  to  be 
smuggled  across  the  border  into  China,  which  for  many 
years  was  credited  with  a  preposterous  production  of 
gold.  However,  the  somewhat  stationary  condition  of 
gold  mining  in  Russia  and  Siberia,  it  is  reported,  has  at 
last  attracted  the  serious  attention  of  the  Government, 
which  is  showing  an  inclination  to  act  upon  the  resolu- 
tions passed  at  the  various  conferences  that  have  been 
held  in  the  empire,  including  the  gold  and  platinum 
producers,  calling  for  measures  of  support  and  stimula- 
tion. The  area  allotted  for  exploitation  of  gold  has  de- 
creased in  recent  years,  also  the  quantity  of  gravel 
treated,  for,  at  present,  most  of  the  Russian  yield  is 
from  placers.  Gold  is  known  to  exist,  in  quantity  in- 
viting mining,  over  a  million  square  versts,  of  which 
only  5000  versts  is  being  exploited.  The  Government  is 
being  urged  to  throw  open  more  of  the  Crown  lands  for 
mining  exploration,  to  send  geological  expeditions  into 
the  field,  and  to  facilitate  colonization  of  the  known 
gold-bearing  areas.  Lack  of  the  means  of  transport 
hinders  new  work  even  in  regions  that  are  open  to  ex- 
ploitation. Good  roads  are  wanted,  as  also  the  extension 
of  the  postal  and  telegraphic  services,  which  are  the 
nerves  of  industry.  It  is  said  that  many  old  dumps  of 
half-washed  gravel,  left  by  operators  using  crude  meth- 
ods, are  available  for  profitable  re-treatment.  Lode 
mining  for  gold  is  yet  in  its  beginning,  and  in  this  re- 
spect affords  a  curious  contrast  with  the  recent  growth 
of  activity  in  copper,  lead,  and  zinc  mining,  particu- 
larly in  the  Ural,  Akmolinsk,  and  Altai  regions.  Of 
course,  the  War  and  its  financial  exigencies  should  cause 
the  Russian  government  to  do  all  it  can  to  stimulate  the 
winning  of  gold  from  the  ground.  We  believe  that  it 
will,  and  in  doing  so  that  it  may  find  it  advisable  to 
draw  further  on  American  experience. 


T)  Y  courtesy  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Colorado  Scientific 
-*-*  Society,  we  have  received  the  report  of  a  committee 
of  that  society  on  the  revision  of  the  mining  law,  covering 
the  ballot  taken  on  the  questions  submitted  by  the  Mining 
and  Metallurgical  Society  of  America,  as  related  in  our 
issue  of  November  11.  A  majority  of  the  committee  was 
unwilling  to  waive  the  requirement  of  'discovery'  before 
location,  preferring  that  possession  of  a  claim  be  legal- 
ized pending  a  l)ona-fide  effort  to  find  ore  in  place.     It 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


899 


was  decided,  however,  thai  even  if  location  be  permitted 

prior  to  'discovery,'  patent  should  not  issue  until  this  re- 
quirement, of  discovery,  has  been  fulfilled.  The  committee 
was  divided  on  the  question  of  one  discovery  sufficing 
for  more  than  one  of  a  group  of  contiguous  claims,  but 
it  agreed  that  every  claim  should  be  separately  marked 
by  monuments.  Likewise  a  unanimous  vote  was  given 
for  placing  no  limit  on  the  number  of  claims  any  person 
or  association  may  locate.  No  support  was  accorded 
the  proposal  to  compel  the  recording  of  claims  in  the 
U.  S.  Land  Office,  but  the  suggestion  was  made  that  the 
time  for  recording  with  the  County  Recorder  be  short- 
ened to  60  days.  The  suggestion  to  substitute  money 
payment  in  lieu  of  assessment  work  was  not  endorsed, 
nor  was  the  Committee  in  favor  of  crediting  excess  as- 
sessment work  from  one  year  to  the  next,  but  urged  that 
adequate  provision  be  made  for  ensuring  bona- fide  per- 
formance of  assessment  work,  to  be  valued  at  the  rate 
of  wages  current  in  the  particular  district.  On  the  main 
question,  the  Committee  approved  the  proposal  to 
abolish  the  extra-lateral  right.  Not  only  did  it  vote 
against  recording  in  the  Land  Office,  but  it  approved  the 
suggestion  of  an  appeal  from  the  decisions  of  the  Land 
Office  to  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction.  These  are 
the  main  findings  and  we  give  them  because  they  repre- 
sent current  opinion  among  mining  engineers  in  a  great 
mineral  region.  In  the  main,  they  are  likely  to  reflect 
the  views  not  only  of  engineers  but  of  many  owners  and 
operators  of  mines.  However,  they  throw  no  light  on 
the  opinion  of  the  prospector  and  of  other  humble  but 
extremely  useful  members  of  the  mining  public.  Any 
change  in  the  law  is  not  likely  to  be  made,  nor  should  it 
be  made,  without  considering  the  effect  of  it  on  the 
varied  interests  to  be  affected  thereby;  nor  should  any 
fresh  enactment  be  passed  without  weighing  carefully 
the  confusion  inevitably  to  arise  from  the  conflict  be- 
tween the  new  and  the  old  regulations.  The  old  law,  de- 
fective as  it  may  be,  has  been  filtered  through  the  courts 
until  its  intent  is  clear.  Any  new  law  will  be  difficult 
to  interpret  until  it  also  has  gone  through  a  protracted 
baptism  of  litigation. 


TM®  ©s-daft 


The  end  of  another  calendar  year  and  the  coming  of 
the  season  of  goodwill  finds  civilization  in  the  midst  of  a 

murderous  conflict  that  shows  no  prospect  of  an  end. 

The  early  appeal  to  our  sympathy  for  the  victims  of 
ruthless  aggression  and  the  instinctive  lift  given  to  our 
imagination  when  we  realized  the  splendor  of  sacrifice 
that  was  driving  thousands  into  the  jaws  of  death  have 
alike  lost  their  force.  The  iteration  has  dulled  sensi- 
bility. Are  we  not  becoming  callous?  and  is  not  that 
callousness  more  horrible  than  the  horrors  of  the  battle- 
field? One  can  read  in  the  daily  paper  that  at  Chicago 
wheat  was  down  yesterday  "under  the  depressing  in- 
fluence of  peace  talk,"  and  one  can  hear  people  on  the 
train  or  tram  say  that  they  are  "sick  of  the  "War,"  as 
they  turn  a  page  to  read  about  the  latest  football  match 


or  the  newest  scandal  in  suburban  life.  Is  not  that  picture 
more  sad  than  an  abandoned  trench  in  which  the  dead  lie 
five  yards  apart;  is  it  not  more  brutalizing  than  the  bomb 
that  falls  from  a  Zeppelin?  We  think  it  is.  How  many 
of  our  more  intelligent  readers  have  begun  to  look  upon 
the  War  as  an  unnecessary  and  wasteful  quarrel,  as  other 
people's  quarrels  usually  seem  to  those  that  go  about 
their  daily  work  in  normal  tranquillity  of  mind.  To  such 
of  us  as  are  interested  in  mining  has  not  the  War  be- 
come the  barometer  of  metal  prices  and  is  there  not  a 
danger  that  the  cessation  of  the  organized  calamity  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  will  mean  to  us  not  a  con- 
summation devoutly  to  be  wished  but  a  check  to  abnor- 
mally favorable  markets?  We  have  not  even  salved  our 
consciences  with  giving  money  to  help  the  distressed; 
what  we  have  done  is  too  small  to  assuage  self -contempt. 
We  hear-  a  lot  about  Belgian  relief ;  out  of  $227,500,000 
devoted  to  that  purpose,  the  people  of  this  country  have 
subscribed  $10,000,000— and  we  eat  $200,000,000  worth 
of  candy  annually!  A  few  heroic  souls  have  gone  to 
fight  or  to  drive  ambulances,  and  even  these  are  con- 
demned for  their  un-neutrality.  There  has  been  a  lot 
of  petty  collecting  of  money,  much  of  which  is  typified 
by  the  four  young  women  that  lunched  in  aid  of  a  Bel- 
gian fund:  they  subscribed  $1  apiece,  but  the  luncheon 
cost  $31.50.  People  must  lunch,  dine,  or  dance,  they 
must  be  amused  by  song  or  play,  before  they  will  give  a 
dollar — and  when  they  have  given  a  pittance  they  turn 
complacently  from  the  untold  sorrows  of  the  great  na- 
tions from  which  all  of  them  originated.  Let  the  Red 
Indian  ignore  the  Great  War — or  the  Negro — but  not  a 
nation  that  consists  of  European  immigrants  and  their 
descendants.  Whether  a  man's  forefathers  landed  on 
Plymouth  Rock  or  on  Ellis  Island,  he  has  some  tie  with 
some  country  in  Europe,  and  he  must  have  a  pitiful 
imagination  and  a  stunted  spirit  if  he  cannot  give  a 
heart-throb  for  those,  on  whichever  side  they  may  be, 
that  are  risking  all  that  they  have  and  hope  in  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death.  Must  neutrals  be  ignorant? 
must  they  cease  to  think  and  to  imagine,  while  going  on 
their  way  in  a  fierce  scramble  to  get  all  the  'prosperity' 
that  is  being  created  by  the  misery  of  the  other  half  of 
the  world?  Must  we  accept  the  dictum  of  our  wretched 
morning  paper  when  it  says  that  "as  neutrals,  we  are 
not  concerned  to  know  the  merits  or  demerits  of  either 
side"?  Surely  not;  as  rational  beings  we  cannot  help 
being  keenly  interested  in  the  events  that  are  the  greatest 
in  human  history.  This  thing  at  which  we  look  from 
day  to  day  is  no  Yaqui  uprising  in  Sonora,  it  is  not  a 
Villa  raid  on  our  border,  exciting  as  that  may  seem  to  the 
hysterical  reporter;  this  drama  on  which  we  look  is  the 
most  tremendous  episode  in  the  history  of  the  race ;  it  is 
a  privilege  to  be  alive  to  see  it  and  it  is  a  crime  to  treat 
it  as  if  it  were  a  cinema  show  for  children.  We  are  spec- 
tators of  the  greatest  calamity  that  has  befallen  civiliza- 
tion ;  the  very  cradle  of  what  we  call  modern  civilization 
is  being  smashed  to  smithereens,  and  the  peoples  that 
were  deemed  the  most  civilized  are  cutting  each  other's 
throats  by  tens  of  thousands.     We  cannot  stop  it — we 


900 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


have  not  the  organized  force  to  do  so;  we  cannot  call  a 
halt — we  have  not  the  moral  authority  to  do  that ;  we 
can  do  nothing — for  we  are  neutral ;  but  we  can  at  least 
be  alive  to  the  fatefulness  of  the  conflict  and  of  the  part 
that  it  must  play  in  the  destiny  of  the  world  and  in  that 
of  America.  Already  the  fateful  contest  has  served  to 
disclose  the  diversity  of  the  elements  out  of  which  this 
nation  has  been  made.  The  War  has  been  a  disintegrat- 
ing force  south  of  the  Great  Lakes  as  it  has  been 
an  integrating  factor  north  of  the  boundary.  The  par- 
ticipant has  been  warmed  to  a  great  loyalty;  the  spec- 
tator has  been  chilled  to  a  cold  misgiving.  The  tem- 
perature of  this  melting-pot  of  alien  races  has  been  kept 
so  low,  by  official  request,  that  it  is  only  a  mixing-pot, 
in  which  the  engredients  tend  to  become  mutually  re- 
pellant.  To  complete  the  fusion  of  the  unlike  elements — 
the  scrap  and  the  dross  as  well  as  the  ore  and  the  flux — 
that  have  been  shipped  across  the  Atlantic  to  be  melted 
in  the  crucible  of  generous  democracy,  we  must  have  the 
warmth  of  a  wide  charity,  the  heat  of  a  great  ideal,  and 
the  fire  of  self-sacrifice.  The  cold  glare  of  prosperity 
will  melt  nothing ;  it  will  only  illumine  the  inequalities 
of  existence  and  the  unfairness  of  the  scramble  for 
wealth.  We  need  the  glow  of  generous  sentiment.  Let 
us  bow  our  heads  in  sorrow  for  the  countless  thousands 
that  have  seen  their  homes  smashed  like  a  child's  toy  by 
the  engines  of  destruction ;  for  the  horde  of  miserable 
ones  whose  weary  tramp  across  the  devastated  fields  could 
almost  be  heard  by  us  if  the  more  insistent  roar  of  guns 
did  not  drown  the  tread  of  their  tired  feet ;  for  the  mil- 
lions of  prisoners  herded  like  cattle  in  barbed-wire  en- 
closures. What  is  Christmas  to  these?  What  is  it  to 
the  homes  bereaved  by  the  loss  of  husband  or  son  ?  What 
is  it  to  the  fatherless  children  and  the  widowed  women 
that  sit  beside  the  dying  embers  of  a  winter  evening? 
What  is  Christmas  to  the  Belgian  enslaved  by  the  in- 
vader, to  the  Pole  or  Rumanian  whose  hearthstone  lies 
buried  amid  smoldering  ruins ;  what  is  it  to  the  Serbian 
or  Montenegrin  whose  country  has  been  trodden  under- 
foot, or  to  the  wretched  Greek  who  has  become  the 
shuttlecock  of  opposing  policies?  What  is  Christmas, 
what  is  civilization,  what  is  life  to  the  million  Armenians 
that  have  been  the  victims  of  an  organized  scheme  of 
brutality  and  bestiality?  We  are  proud,  if  we  are 
not  patriotic ;  can  we  imagine  the  degradation  of  spirit 
that  these  tragedies  bespeak  ?  Think  of  these ;  think  of  the 
shame  of  the  conquered  and  the  pain  of  the  dispossessed ; 
think  of  the  travail  of  spirit,  the  unutterable  misery,  and 
the  blank  despair  that  is  the  Christmas  portion  of  mil- 
lions of  fellow-men  not  far  from  us;  and  thinking  thus, 
let  us  condemn  the  gluttony  of  wealth  that  is  making 
New  York  a  byword ;  despise  the  commercialism  in  Chi- 
cago that  regrets  the  whisper  of  peace ;  and  disdain  the 
gaiety  in  San  Francisco  that  ignores  a  world  of  sorrow, 
famine,  and  murder.  If  we  cannot  fight,  if  we  do  not 
give,  let  us  at  least  on  Christmas  day  pause  for  one 
moment  and  bow  our  heads  in  bitter  humiliation  of  spirit 
that  we  can  do  so  little  to  lessen  the  pain  and  the  suffer- 
ing that  man  is  causing  to  man. 


Two  days  after  the  foregoing  editorial  was  written  we 
received  the  circular  letter  headed  'Belgian  Kiddies, 
Ltd.,'  which  we  publish  on  another  page.  It  is  signed  by 
60  members  of  the  mining-engineering  profession  and 
if  time  had  permitted  it  would  have  been  signed  by  6000 
more.  We  ask  our  readers  to  give  it  their  thoughtful 
consideration  and  then  act  forthwith.  Is  it  not  true 
that  many  of  us  have  soothed  our  self-respect  by  ad- 
miring the  splendid  work  done  by  Mr.  Hoover  and  his 
associates,  most  of  them  mining  engineers,  in  Belgium; 
have  we  realized  sufficiently  that  the  principal  gift  of 
America  to  Belgium  has  been  neither  money  nor  food, 
but  a  priceless  executive  ability  in  which  as  engineers 
we  can  take  pride,  of  course,  because  it  has  been  con- 
tributed by  a  distinguished  member  of  our  own  pro- 
fession ?  The  circular  letter  suggests  how  great  has  been 
that  gift  to  Belgium  from  America  but  how  miserably 
small  has  been  the  financial  aid  given  to  the  Relief  Com- 
mission. Is  it  not  time  to  correct  the  pitiful  dis- 
crepancy? Should  not  our  natural  pride  in  the  work 
of  the  Hoover  commission  take  a  more  substantial  form  ? 
Let  us  then  shake  the  Chairman  by  the  hand  and  in  the 
act  transfer  something  golden  from  our  hand  to  his. 
There  is  no  need  to  eulogize  the  great  performance  of 
Mr.  Hoover — it  has  become  a  part  of  current  history; 
it  were  better  to  express  our  admiration  in  tangible 
form.  It  is  not  necessary  to  pour  praise  on  the  equally 
unselfish  labors  of  his  associates,  but  we  would  like  to 
say  that  the  university  founded  by  Leland  Stanford 
has  shown  a  spirit  that  places  it  among  the  great  in- 
stitutions of  human  culture — a  university  indeed.  The 
group  of  men  recruited  so  largely  from  California  has 
done  a  big  thing  and  it  is  high  time  for  the  mining  pro- 
fession to  recognize  it.  The  opportunity  to  do  so  is  given 
to  us  now  by  this  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  Belgian  chil- 
dren. 'Belgian  Kiddies,  Ltd.,'  it  is  called,  as  if  to  sug- 
gest the  prospectus  of  an  undertaking  in  which  big  divi- 
dends are  assured ;  as  assuredly  they  are — the  gratitude 
of  thousands  of  little  ones  that  can  be  saved  from  the 
sickness  threatened  by  lack  of  food.  The  preferred 
stock  now  issued  in  this  glorious  enterprise  is  offered  at 
$12  per  share;  it  is  expected  to  sell  10,000  shares  and 
so  to  raise  $120,000.  With  this  money  it  will  be  pos- 
sible to  provide  one  meal  per  day  for  10,000  children 
during  the  coming  year.  As  the  prospectus  says,  each 
share  sold  means  365  square  meals  for  one  child.  The 
corporation  is  organized  under  the  Laws  of  Humanity 
and  the  legality  of  the  issue  is  guaranteed  by  the  Court 
of  Last  Resort.  If  you  subscribe  you  will  have  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  the  money  will  be  used  with 
maximum  efficiency,  for  the  overhead  expenses  of  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  are  only  J  of  1%  of 
the  gross  cost.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  urging  our 
readers  to  respond  promptly  to  this  appeal  for  the  little 
ones  that  are  the  pitifully  innocent  victims  of  the  great 
calamity.  Send  your  remittances  to  Belgian  Kiddies, 
Ltd.,  at  120  Broadway,  New  York. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


!»01 


'.;,'.::      . 


■ 


II 


Our  readers  an  invited  to  use  this  department  for  (he  discussion  of  technical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  mining  and  metallurgy.       Tlie  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  views  contrary  to  his  own,  believ- 
ing that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  titan  casual  compliment. 


Belgian  Kiddies,   Ltd. 

The  Editor: 

Sir — An  informal  committee  of  mining  engineers, 
from  all  over  the  United  States,  is  undertaking  to  give 
our  friend  Herbert  C.  Hoover  a  Christmas  present,  by 
taking  off  his  shoulders  part  of  the  burden  which  he  and 
his  associates  have  been  carrying  for  the  last  two  years 
and  a  half. 

During  this  time,  the  United  States  has  received  a 
great  deal  of  gratitude  from  Belgian  people  which  it  has 
not  deserved.  To  the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium 
all  praise  is  due  for  its'  work.  The  C.  B.  B. — as  it  is 
known — has  distributed  in  Belgium  goods  costing  about 
$227,000,000,  of  which  the  United  States  has  contributed 
$10,000,000,  or  about  4.3%  of  the  total;  and  much  of  this 
has  come  from  a  few  large  foundations.  The  commission 
has  purchased  in  the  United  States  goods  to  the  amount 
of  $125,000,000.  We  have  not  even  paid  a  fair  commis- 
sion thereon.  Reduced  to  a  per-capita  basis,  we  have 
given  8  cents  apiece.  Canada  has  given  18  cents  per 
capita,  New  Zealand  $2.34  and  little  Tasmania  $6.25  a 
head.  Yet  the  United  States  gets  most  of  the  credit.  We 
have  been  obtaining  gratitude  under  false  pretenses. 

This  is  naturally  discouraging  to  us  who  know  and 
appreciate  the  work  of  American  engineers  in  Belgium. 
These  men  have  been  keeping  alive  a  population  of  nine 
million  on  one  meal  a  day.  This  is  not  enough  for  chil- 
dren. (Would  you  like  it  yourself?)  At  present  one 
million  children  are  failing  in  health,  and  the  C.  R.  B. 
has  asked  us  Americans  to  assume  the  proper  feeding  of 
these  children  as  our  little  share  of  the  big  job. 

To  do  this  right  the  C.  R.  B.  has  started  to  give  the 
children  a  nourishing  noon-day  meal,  and  it  has  not  the 
money  to  carry  it  on.  This  costs  only  one  dollar  per 
month  per  child  (three  cents  a  day).  This  seems  in- 
credible but  as  the  overhead  expenses  of  the  C.  R.  B.  are 
only  f  of  1%  of  the  gross  cost  you  will  understand  that 
this  is  real  engineering  efficiency. 

As  engineers  we  want  to  show  our  appreciation  and  so 
we  have  organized  an  informal  syndicate  to  float  a  new 
venture.  We  would  like  to  cable  Hoover  before  Christ- 
mas that  we  will  take  a  block  of  "Belgian  Kiddies"  off 
his  hands.    Don't  you  want  to  come  in  with  us? 


W.  H.  Bassett 

F.  Beadshaw 

D.  W.  Brunton 

D.  H.  Browne 

R.  B.  Caenahan,  Jr. 

R.  M.  Catlin 


A.  C.  Clark 
J.  P.  Channing 
F.  H.  Clymer 
J.  V.-N.  Doee 
W.  Douglas 
H.  S.  Drinker 


T.  C.  Dupont 
S.  A.  Easton 

C.   W.    GOODALE 

J.  C.  Greenway 
H.  G.  Hixon 
C.  B.  Hollis     . 


R.  J.  HOLDEN* 

E. 

P.  Mathewson 

D. 

M.    RlOKDAN 

R.  W.  Hunt 

C. 

G.  Memsiinger 

T. 

Robins 

G.  P.  Hulst 

C. 

W.  Merrill 

T. 

A.   RlCKARD 

H.  Jennings 

C. 

E.  Mills 

W 

L.  Saunders 

D.  C.  Jackling 

P. 

N.  Moore 

E. 

A.  C.  Smith 

W.  R.  Ingalls 

s. 

W.  Mudd 

F. 

M.  Smith 

W.  Kelly 

R. 

V.  Norris 

J. 

M.  Sully 

E.  B.  KlRBY 

H 

C.  Parmelee 

T. 

B.  Stearns 

C.  B.  Lakenan 

C. 

F.  Rand 

C. 

R.  Van  Hise 

D.  A.  Lyon 

F. 

B.  Richards 

W 

R.  Webster 

J.  F.  McCarthy 

R. 

H.  Richards 

H. 

V.  WlNCHEIX 

C.  H.  MacDowell 

L. 

D.  Ricketts 

C. 

W.  Whitley 

G.  Macfarlane 

M 

Roberts 

I. 

C.  White 

J.  MacNaughton 

J. 

C.  Ralston 

P. 

Yeatman 

iFasa-^A.sadE'aemiriiiigsia— i&   mt_ 

The  Editor: 

Sir — I  have  found  your  recent  editorial  (November 
18,  1916)  under  the  above  heading  of  especial  interest, 
having  myself  had  experience  in  South  America.  With 
parts  of  the  article  I  thoroughly  agree;  some  of  the 
arguments  set  forth,  however,  seem  erroneous,  at  least 
merely  theoretical.  For  example,  why  should  an  exten- 
sion of  our  trade  in  one  direction,  south,  necessarily 
result  in  curtailment  in  another,-  east?  If  commercial 
intercourse  with  Europe  remains  profitable  after  the 
War,  it  will  continue.  Many  of  the  tropical  agricultural 
products  of  South  America  are  needed  and  used  in  this 
country.  Europe  has,  in  the  past,  supplied  most  of  the 
manufactured  articles  consumed  south  of  Panama,  but 
cannot  we,  as  a  nation,  with  intelligent  preparation, 
make  the  things  needed  by  South  Americans  and  make 
them  the  way  they  want  them  in  competition  with 
Europe  ? 

I  admit  the  existence  of  racial,  political,  legal,  social, 
religious,  and  educational  differences  existing  between 
the  United  States  and  the  South  American  countries,  but 
has  our  brother  from  northern  Europe  any  advantage 
over  us  in  these  respects?  Would  we  be  any  more  of  a 
hermit  nation  if  we  broadly  took  into  account  all  differ- 
ences, made  allowances  therefor,  and  proceeded  to  over- 
come any  difficulties  that  might  threaten  therefrom? 
The  question  is,  can  we,  after  the  War,  compete  with 
Europe  in  South  American  commerce?  If  so,  we  now 
have  an  opportunity  to  take  our  share  of  this  trade. 
This  question  can  only  be  answered  finally  by  the  busi- 
ness man  who  is  willing  to  back  up  his  practical  knowl- 
edge, confidence,  and  fearlessness  with  the  investment  of 
his  capital. 

If  we  have  been  hypnotized  by  a  figure  of  speech  let 
us  drop  it ;  but  why  limit  our  trade  if  found  profitable  in 


902 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


other  directions  than  the  east.  Above  all  let  our  citizens 
have  protection  at  home  and  abroad,  let  us  have  our  own 
merchant  marine  and  let  us  have  an  adequate  navy  to 
guard  our  coasts  and  our  shipping. 

Russell  T.  Mason. 
Los  Angeles,  December  8. 

Electric  Heater  for  Solutions 

The  Editor: 

Sir — A  simple  and  effective  electric  heater  can  be 
made  for  heating  solutions  or  pulp  in  a  tank  from  ma- 
terial that  may  be  found  around  any  mine  or  mill  re- 
pair-shop. 

In  running  a  cyanide  test  recently  it  was  desired  to 
heat  the  solutions  in  an  experimental  tank  that  was  so 
situated  that  no  method  of  heating  was  available  but  to 
use  electricity.  An  endeavor  was  made  to  purchase 
something  that  would  do  the  work,  but  nothing  could  be 
found  locally  that  was  satisfactory,  nor  could  the  dealers 
suggest  a  heater  that  would  do.    After  a  few  trials  of 


3 /*7    fi/bc 


the  \-va..  pipe  or  a  substitute,  tying  it  securely  and  wind- 
ing any  high-resistance  wire  around  it  in  a  spiral  so  that 
the  windings  do  not  run  together.  A  convenient  way  of 
doing  this  is  to  use  a  lathe  with  a  thread-feed. 

This  heater  was  attached  to  the  ordinary  lighting- 
circuit  with  an  extension-cord  and  could  be  removed  at 
will.  On  a  120-volt  circuit  the  current  consumed  was 
from  6  to  8  amperes.  The  pulp  reached  a  temperature 
of  100  °F.  in  about  8  hours.  It  is  set  inside  the  tank  and 
the  heat  adjusted  by  merely  turning  on  or  off  the  cur- 
rent as  required.  No  dimensions  are  given  as  each  case 
would  involve  different  conditions. 


F.  Dean  Bradley. 


Reno,  Nevada,  December  4. 


H2S®st§  ©3  FauaMs  ©sa  5M©3fesa<sss 

©H   ©s© 

The  Editor: 

Sir — In  several   different  mines  operated  under  my 
own  direction,  and  in  others  as  well,  I  have  noticed  that, 


7d  />far,'rr 


ELECTBIC    HEATER   FOE    MILL    SOLUTIONS. 


various  inventions,  the  heater  shown  in  the  accompany- 
ing sketch  was  evolved. 

The  container  was  an  experimental  tank  of  the 
pachuca  type  48  in.  high  by  20  in.  diameter  with  the 
customary  column  in  the  centre  so  as  to  permit  nothing 
of  broad  dimensions  to  be  used.  It  was  necessary  to  have 
the  heater  of  greater  proportions  longitudinally  than 
transversely. 

Three  resistance-coils  from  dismantled  arc-lamps  were 
secured  from  the  power  company's  scrap-pile,  and  con- 
nected in  series.  Through  the  hollow  core  of  these  was 
run  a  ^-in.  pipe  having  a  sleeve  or  other  connection  on 
the  end  to  form  a  shoulder.  The  length  of  this  was 
such  that  when  screwed  into  the  fitting  on  the  other  end 
it  would  pull  the  coils  securely  -together  and  form  a 
support  free  from  the  casing.  The  details  are  so  obvious 
from  the  drawing  that  further  description  is  unneces- 
sary. The  wires  must  be  well  insulated  and  the  joints 
of  the  pipe  tight  to  prevent  leakage  of  either  current  or 
water.  If  no  asbestos-covered  wire  can  be  obtained  for 
the  conductors  inside  the  heater  proper,  it  is  possible  to 
resort  to  the  method  used  in  this  case  of  cutting  glass- 
tubing  (found  in  any  mine  assay-office)  into  short  beads 
and  stringing  them  on  the  wire  before  insertion.  "Where 
it  is  not  possible  to  get  coils  of  the  kind  mentioned,  one 
may  be  made  by  rolling  dampened  asbestos-board  around 


in  most  instances  where  a  vein  or  orebody  is  intersected 
by  a  fault,  the  continuation  of  the  ore  beneath  the  plane 
of  dislocation  is  of  lower  value  than  that  above  the  fault, 
and  that  this  condition  was  present  whether  the  amount 
of  displacement  was  great  or  small.  In  some  cases  there 
was  found  a  decided  enrichment  of  the  vein  or  orebody 
just  above  the  plane  of  faulting,  although  this  was  not 
always  so.  I  would  like  to  ask  if  others  have  ever  ob- 
served the  apparent  influence  in  this  respect  of  faulting 
on  veins  and  ore-deposits,  and  what  were  the  conditions 
where  thus  observed?  The  several  instances  I  have  in 
mind  were  those  where  the  continuity  of  the  orebody  was 
interrupted  by  dip-faults  rather  than  those  approximat- 
ing the  strike  of  the  vein. 

San  Francisco,  November  20. 

High  explosives,  such  as  dynamite,  nitro-glycerine, 
and  similar  compounds  may  not  be  legally  carried  in 
personal  baggage  on  railroad  trains  or  other  passenger 
vehicles.  There  is  a  prescribed  maximum  penalty  of 
imprisonment  for  10  years  for  anyone  convicted  of  this 
crime  when  death  or  bodily  injury  results  from  the 
illegal  transportation  of  explosives.  When  no  injury 
results,  the  maximum  penalty  is  18  months  imprison- 
ment and  a  fine  of  $2000. 


December  23,   1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


903 


MAP  OF  SOUTHERN   BRITISH  COLUMBIA,   SHOWING  THE  BOUNDARY   REGION. 


S®(sS2,®E^i(g   LriMasatag   mt   Ismail 


By     T.     A. 

Introduction.  The  Consolidated  Mining  &  Smelting 
Company  of  Canada  is  the  owner  of  the  smelter  at  Trail, 
the  only  refinery  in  the  Dominion.  This  metallurgical 
establishment  is  remarkable  for  producing  five  metals  by 
electrolytic  process:  gold,  silver,  copper,  lead,  and  zinc. 
Several  other  metallurgical  products  are  manufactured, 
such  as  manganese  dioxide,  sulphuric  acid,  hydrofluo- 
silicic  acid,  and  copper  sulphate. 

The  Trail  plant  was  built  originally  by  F.  Augustus 
Heinze  in  April  1896  for  the  treatment  of  the  silicious 
copper  output  of  Rossland  and  the  silver-lead  product 
of  the  Kootenay  region.  Heinze  constructed  the  42-inch 
gauge  railway,  10i  miles  long,  that  connects  the  smelter 
with  the  mines  at  Rossland.  The  Consolidated  Company, 
as  it  is  known  locally,  was  organized  in  1906  to  acquire 
the  smelter  and  the  mines,  these  including  the  St.  Eugene 
silver-lead  mine  in  the  Sloean  district  and  the  Centre 
Star-War  Eagle  group  of  copper  mines  at  Bossland.  The 
railway  to  Rossland  passed  into  the  possession  of  the 
Canadian  Pacific,  which  also  controls  the  Consolidated 
Company.  The  managing  director  and  general  manager 
of  the  latter  is  James  J.  Warren,  who  likewise  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Kettle  Valley  railroad,  now  also  a  part  of  the 
C.  P.  R.  system,  although  operated  as  an  independent 
line.  R.  H.  Stewart,  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed 
engineers  in  British  Columbia,  is  consulting  engineer 
and  has  charge  of  the  mining  operations  of  the  company. 
E.  H.  Hamilton  was  appointed  consulting  metallurgist 
in  January  of  this  year  and  in  October  he  was  promoted 
to  manager  of  smelteries  and  refineries.  The  Le  Roi 
mine  was  bought  from  the  English  liquidator  of  a  for- 
mer company  in  1912.  In  1909  a  lease  and  option  was 
taken  on  the  Sullivan  mine  from  the  Federal  Mining  & 
Smelting  Co.,  the  purchase  of  this  valuable  property  was 
completed  in  1911,  on  the  initiative  of  Mr.  Stewart,  then 
general  manager  for  the  Consolidated  Company.  This 
will  prove  a  decisive  episode  in  the  history  of  the  enter- 
prise, for  the  Sullivan  is  proving  itself  one  of  the  big 
mines  of  North  America.     The  immense  zinc-lead  ore- 


Si  cfeffl s & 

body  in  that  mine  caused  the  management  of  the  smelter 
to  erect  an  electrolytic  plant  in  September  1915.  At 
the  time  of  my  visit,  in  August  last,  this  addition  had 
just  started  to  produce  the  several  metals,  illustrating 
many  interesting  phases  of  the  newest  metallurgy.  Of 
the  ore  now  coming  daily  to  Trail,  1000  tons  of  low- 
grade  copper  ore  is  obtained  from  the  mines  at  Rossland, 
while  600  tons  of  zinc-lead  ore  is  supplied  by  the  Sul- 
livan. Small  lots  of  lead  ore  are  received  from  the  Con- 
solidated Company's  own  properties  in  the  Ainsworth 
district  and  sundry  contributions  of  custom  ore  are  de- 
rived from  mines  scattered  throughout  the  adjacent  min- 
eral territory. 

The  Trail  smelter  occupies  a  fine  site,'  on  a  gravel  ter- 
race, backed  by  high  hills  and  overlooking  the  Columbia 
river,  here  a  lordly  stream  flowing  between  granitic 
slopes.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  the  supply  of  labor  was 
inadequate  owing  to  the  harvesting  operations,  for  which 
men  had  been  drawn  to  Alberta  on  wages  of  $3  to  $4  per 
day.  The  War,  of  course,  has  taken  a  good  many,  espe- 
cially the  better  class  of  operatives  and  members  of  the 
technical  staff. 

The  smelter  is  not  bothered  by  '  smoke  suits, '  the  Con- 
solidated Company  having  purchased  the  adjacent  land 
to  avoid  this  very  trouble.  Now  that  the  operations  of 
the  smelter  support  a  community  of  increasing  size  and 
create  a  market  for  agricultural  products,  the  farmers 
are  buying  back  the  land  under  agreements  to  which  a 
smoke  clause  is  attached. 

The  main  smelting-plant  contains  five  copper  blast- 
furnaces, four  lead  blast-furnaces,  and  two  12-ft.  basic- 
lined  converters.  All  except  one  of  the  blast-furnaces 
receive  their  charge  in  cars  that  are  dumped  by  means 
of  latches  released  on  arrival  within  the  furnace  itself. 
One  furnace  is  charged  in  the  old-fashioned  way, 
through  an  opening  in  the  charge-floor,  after  the  cover, 
which  is  on  wheels,  is  pushed  away.  This  work  on  the 
charge-floor  of  a  smelter  is  among  the  most  unpleasant 
and  it  deserves  all  the  attention  that  the  metallurgist  can 


904 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


give  to  it,  for  the  workman's  efficiency,  physical  and 
mental,  is  impaired  by  the  fume  and  smoke.  The  fact 
thut  the  men  are  "used  to  it"  does  not  alter  the  fact 
that  their  health  and  efficiency  suffer  from  the  escaping 
fume  and  dust.  Of  course,  the  lead  fume  is  poisonous, 
but  the  sulphurous  gas  is  said  to  be  irritating  only. 
Watching  the  operations  of  smelting,  particularly  in  the 
converter  department,  one  realizes  that  big-scale  opera- 
tions were  impracticable  before  electric  cranes  became 
available  for  the  moving  of  heavy  loads. 

Looking  at  the  interior  of  a  blast-furnace  and  remem- 
bering the  great  diversity  of  shape  given  to  this  metal- 
lurgical unit,  one  concludes  that  the  shape  of  a  furnace 
is  not  so  important.    It  makes  its  own  smelting  area. 

The  distinctive  features  of  metallurgical  practice  at 
Trail  at  the  present  time  are  due  to  the  treatment  of  a 
large  tonnage  of  zinc-lead  ore  from  the  Sullivan  mine, 
which  is  situated  250  miles  north-east  of  Trail  in  the 
Bast  Kootenay  district,  and  about  20  miles  north  of 
Cranbrook.  It  is  an  old  mine,  as  age  is  measured  in 
this  part  of  the  world,  having  been  opened  up  in  1888, 
when  it  was  operated  by  a  local  company  that  built 
a  lead  smelter  near  the  mine  and  went  bankrupt.  Two 
or  three  other  companies  tried  in  vain  to  exploit  the  mine 
as  a  source  of  silver-lead  ore,  but  the  zinc  spoiled  the 
operation.  The  ore  is  a  dense  and  intimate  mineral  mix- 
ture, part  of  which  appears  to  be  a  compound  of  iron, 
zinc,  lead,  and  sulphur.  Geologically  the  deposit  is  an 
impregnation  along  the  bedding-planes  of  a  flatly  dip- 
ping quartzite — so  I  am  told  by  S.  G.  Blaylock,  the  as- 
sistant general  manager.  Drill-holes  have  tested  the  ore- 
body  for  1400  ft.  on  the  dip,  finding  a  thickness  of  as 
much  as  140  ft.  of  ore  at  the  bottom  of  the  bores.  The 
stopes  are  spread  over  3500  ft.  on  the  strike  and  have  an 
average  width  of  about  40  ft.  This  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  big  orebodies  of  the  world  and  is  destined  to  become 
famous.  An  extension  of  the  ore-bearing  ground  is 
found  in  the  adjacent  Stemwinder  mine,  which  is  owned 
by  McKenzie  &  Mann.  The  zinc,  which  formerly  was  a 
fatal  blemish,  has  now  become  an  asset,  thanks  to  metal- 
lurgical progress  and  a  favorable  market. 

The  Sullivan  'zinc'  ore  averages  25%  zinc,  11%  lead, 
and  3.5  oz.  silver  per  ton,  while  the  Sullivan  'lead'  ore 
runs  14%  lead,  12%  zinc,  and  12  oz.  silver  per  ton. 
The  treatment  of  the  zinc  ore  is  divided  into  two  parts : 
the  ore  is  roasted,  leached,  and  subjected  to  electrolytic 
precipitation,  as  will  be  described  in  detail;  then  the 
residue,  which  contains  all  the  lead  and  8  to  10%  zinc,  is 
passed  to  the  sintering  machines  of  the  lead-smelting  de- 
partment, where  it  is  mixed  with  lead  ores  from  other 
sources. 

Lead  Smelting.  The  Sullivan  'lead'  ore  is  ground  to 
28-mesh  and  pre-roasted  to  10-12%-  sulphur  in  Wedge 
&  Godfrey  furnaces,  from  which  it  is  delivered  by  a 
Peck  conveyor  to  a  bin  made  of  reinforced  concrete.  A 
similar  bin  receives  the  leady  residue  from  the  electro- 
lytic zinc  plant.  From  these  bins  the  ore-mixture  is  fed 
into  a  charging-pot  moved  by  a  crane  so  as  to  deliver  its 
contents  into  the  Huntington  &  Heberlein  pots,  of  which 


there  are  28.  Each  pot  holds  6  to  8  tons.  On  the  bottom 
a  fire  of  wood  slabs  is  started,  and  then  the  ore-mixture 
is  introduced,  as  described ;  next  the  hood  is  put  in  place, 
by  the  crane,  so  that  the  gases  can  escape  into  a  pipe 
leading  to  the  Cottrell  plant,  in  which  the  fume  is  con- 
densed. The  blast  being  turned  on,  the  ore  in  the  pot 
is  sintered  into  a  porous  mass,  which  is  discharged,  after 
6  to  8  hours,  by  lifting  the  pot,  by  aid  of  the  crane,  and 
moving  it  to  the  dumping-floor,  where  it  is  tilted  and 
emptied.  The  lumps  are  picked  up  by  a  'crab,'  or 
pincers,  operated  from  the  crane  overhead,  and  lifted 
into  a  large  rock-breaker.  The  fine  is  taken  by  belt-con- 
veyor to  a  bin,  where  it  is  mixed  with  fresh  charge  and 
re-sintered  either  by  a  Dwight-Lloyd  machine  or  in  more 
H  &  H  pots;  in  short,  it  has  to  be  agglomerated  anew, 


D-L  SINTERING  MACHINES 


Lead  Ore 

^=1 


CHARGING-POT 


28  II.  &  H.  POTS 


Sinter 


Flue-Gases 


DUMPING-FLOOR 


T 


COTTRELL  PLANT 


ROCK-BREAKER 

1       T 

Fine  Coarse 

T    T 

fEYOR  SKIP 

? — r 

BIX  BINS 


CONVEYOR 


BLAST-FURNACES 

FLOW-SHEET   OF   LEAD   TEEATSIEXT. 


for  its  finely  divided  condition  renders  it  unsuitable  for 
smelting  in  the  blast-furnace.  The  objects  of  sintering 
are  to  reduce  the  sulphur  content  and  to  turn  fine  ma- 
terial into  lumps  suitable  for  the  blast-furnace. 

Meanwhile  the  coarse  product  from  the  breaker  to 
which  the  H  &  H  sinter  was  delivered  is  transferred  by 
a  skip  to  the  bins  above  the  blast-furnace.  A  Dwight- 
Lloyd  machine  treats  material  similar  to  that  in  the 
H  &  H  pots,  and  treats  it  in  a  manner  that  appeared  to 
me  more  satisfactory.  The  H  &  H  performance  looks 
clumsy;  there  is  much  handling  of  material,  too  much 
discharging  and  lifting.  The  smoke  from  the  wood-fire 
and  the  steam  from  the  wetting  of  the  roasted  ore,  to- 
gether with  the  hammering  on  the  Cottrell  tubes,  all 
suggested  uneconomic  methods.  To  the  technical  ob- 
server, noise,  smoke,  and  steam  do  not  indicate  the  last 
word  in  metallurgy.     On  the  other  hand,  the  Dwight- 


D« ii><i-  23,  in  it; 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


905 


CKXERATOR   ROOM.    ELECTROLYTIC   PLANT,   AND   SUB-STATION. 


Lloyd  sintering  machine  strikes  the  visitor  as  a  clever 
device,  in  that  the  hearth,  or  'palette,'  is  so  small  and 
the  operation  so  intensified  within  a  restricted  area.  At 
Trail  each  palette  has  five  interlocking  herring-bone 
grates,  so  that  the  interior  grates  are  alternately  fixed 
and  loose,  causing  the  sintered  ore  to  detach  readily  when 
about  to  be  dumped.  This  arrangement  was  designed  by 
Mr.  Stewart.  It  means  the  saving  of  six  men  per  day 
on  the  two  machines. 

While  the  tailing  from  the  zinc-leaching  plant  now 
goes  to  the  H  &  H  pots,  it  is  intended  to  try  briquetting, 
which  permits  the  utilization  of  scrap-fuel  such  as  coke- 
breeze,  ashes,  cinders,  and  other  carbonaceous  matter 
after  it  has  been  sized  by  jigging. 

The  zinc  increases  the  difficulties  of  the  metallurgist. 
A  10  to  12%  zinc  ore  makes  trouble  in  lead  smelting  at 


many  points — in  the  sintering,  for  example.  In  the  lead 
furnace  the  atmosphere  that  reduces  the  lead  oxide  also 
reduces  the  zinc,  which  is  then  volatilized  as  it  descends 
into  the  region  of  high  temperature  and  there  resumes  its 
condition  of  fume,  which  settles  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
furnace  as  zinc  oxide,  forming  accretions  that  encrust 
the  sides  of  the  furnace  and  makes  growths  on  the  walls, 
culminating  in  blow-holes  that  prevent  the  uniform 
settling  of  the  charge.  Then  follows  high  temperature  in 
spots,  causing  the  lead  to  be  carried  into  the  flue.  The 
smelter  limit  on  zinc  nowadays  is  5%.  This  is  about 
right,  but  it  seems  strange  to  see  smelter  people  making 
an  excess  of  zinc  for  themselves;  it  indicates  a  notable 
increase  of  metallurgical  resourcefulness. 

Zinc  Oee.     The  Sullivan  ore  is  a  dense  and  intimate 
mixture  of  blende,  galena,  and  pyrite.     Some  of  it  ex- 


BREAKING  GROUND  FOR  THE  ELECTROLYTIC  ZINC  PLANT,    OCTOBER   4,    1915.      RAILROAD   GRADE   TO   ROSSLAND 
IN    BACKGROUND.       SMOKE   OF   TRAIL    REFINERY  ON  THE  EXTREME  BIGHT. 


906 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


hibits  a  banded  structure,  the  component  sulphides  being 
differentiated.  In  looking  at  specimens,  I  was  reminded 
of  the  equally  complex  ore  produced  by  the  Bawdwin 
mine,  in  Burma.  The  average  composition  of  the  ore 
shipped  from  the  Sullivan  mine  to  the  zinc  plant  at  Trail 
during  a  month  was  as  follows: 


Pb 

Zn 
Fe 
S     . 
Si02 


%  % 

13.8  A1.03     4.1 

22.7  CaO    1.0 

24.0  MgO    0.08 

23.7  Ag   3.7  oz. 

5.4  Au    Trace 


On  arrival  at  the  smelter  this  ore  is  crushed  to  |-inch 
and  then  passed  through  a  cylindrical  drier,  from  which 
it  is  elevated  to  bins  that  feed  two  ball-mills,  each  5  by 
18  ft.  and  having  a  capacity  of  10  tons  per  hour.  They 
were  made  by  the  Traylor  Engineering  "Works.  Thus 
the  ore  is  reduced  so  that  90%  of  it  will  pass  150-mesh. 
It  is  then  conveyed  by  belts  to  the  hoppers  in  the  roaster- 
building  and  by  these  hoppers  it  is  fed  to  a  belt-con- 
veyor that  passes  to  bins  above  the  Wedge  furnaces. 

Roasting  the  Zinc  Ore.  Eight  Wedge  furnaces  are 
in  operation,  each  delivering  40  tons  of  roasted  ore  daily. 
Five  more  furnaces  of  the  same  kind  are  now  nearly  com- 
pleted. All  of  those  in  use  are  being  fired  with  coal,  but 
it  is  intended  to  substitute  coal-dust  as  fuel.  Each  fur- 
nace has  one  hearth  for  drying  and  seven  for  roasting; 
of  these,  five  have  air-cooled  arms,  or  rabbles,  while  on 
two  hearths  the  rabbles  are  water-cooled.  The  doors  are 
used  to  regulate  the  temperature,  this  having  been  found 
advantageous.  On  each  hearth  are  two  rabbles,  which 
make  one  complete  revolution  in  four  minutes,  sweeping 
the  pulverized  ore  toward  the  centre  on  one  hearth  and 
from  the  centre  on  the  next  hearth,  alternately. 

The  critical  stage  of  the  roasting  is  reached  on  the 
second  and  third  hearths,  where,  if  the  temperature  is 
allowed  to  get  too  high,  the  charge  may  agglomerate  or 
clog,  forming  lumps  of  partly  roasted  material  having 
an  unroasted  core,  which  therefore  escapes  oxidation 
and  comes  out  of  the  furnace  in  a  sulphide  condition. 
The  temperature  of  roasting  is  kept  as  near  1200  °F.  as 
possible.  If  the  heat  is  greater  the  sulphides  burn  too 
rapidly,  creating  nuclei  of  still  higher  temperature  and 
promoting  the  rapid  formation  of  a  zinc  ferrite,  which 
is  only  slightly  soluble  in  acid.  ■  The  aim,  of  course,  is 
to  roast  the  zinc-blende  to  an  oxide  or  a  sulphate.  The 
roasted  product  contains  about  3  to  5%  total  sulphur, 
of  which  about  one-half  represents  sulphide  and  the 
other  half  sulphate  of  zinc.  The  latter  is  soluble  in 
water.  The  oxide  is  readily  soluble  in  sulphuric  acid. 
Any  sulphide  in  the  'roast'  is  not  dissolved  in  the  aeid 
solution ;  from  the  leaching- vats  it  passes  into  the  tailing, 
which  is  accumulated  for  re-treatment  in  the  lead- 
smelting  department. 

Condensation  of  fume  from  the  roaster  is  effected  in 
10-in.  Cottrell  tubes,  yielding  an  impalpable  powder, 
which  is  wetted  before  being  removed  to  the  furnace- 
room,  where  it  joins  the  rest  of  the  'roast'  on  its  way  to 
the  leaching-room.     This  sublimate  leaches  readily.     I 


learn  that  more  recently  the  Cottrell  product  is  being 
returned  to  the  roasting-furnace,  but  it  is  not  yet  cer- 
tain which  method  is  preferable. 

Leaching.  The  sulphuric  acid  used  in  the  various 
departments  at  Trail  is  obtained  from  the  gas  escaping 
from  the  Wedge  roasters  of  the  zinc  plant  and  also  from 
lump-burners  fed  with  pyritic  ore  from  the  Sullivan 
mine.  These  burners  are  the  old  kilns  or  'stall  burners' 
for  burning  lump  pyrite.  They  are  rectangular  in  plan 
and  have  grate-bars.  Charging  is  done  by  shovel  through 
a  door  in  the  front.  The  chamber  process  is  employed 
and  12  to  15  tons  of  aeid  is  produced  daily.  This  acid  is 
available  for  parting  the  dore  bars,  for  the  production  of 
hydrofluosilicic  acid,  and  for  making  the  electrolyte  in 
both  the  copper  and  zinc  refineries. 

The  hot  cinder  of  roasted  ore  that  comes  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  furnace  is  spread  upon  a  revolving  table, 
where  it  is  wetted  by  a  spray  and  thereby  cooled  before 
being  delivered  to  the  rubber  belt  of  a  conveyor  that 
takes  it  to  the  leaching-room.  The  hot  oxidized  ore  com- 
ing into  contact  with  the  water-spray  is  subject  to  incipi- 
ent solution.  Arriving  in  the  leaching-room  the  so-called 
calcine,*  is  delivered  into  a  launder  flowing  with  water 
containing  4%  free  sulphuric  aeid  and  discharging  upon 
the  first  of  eight  Dorr  classifiers.  The  sand  is  washed 
and  discarded.  The  slime-overflow  is  pumped  into  a 
Brown  agitator  (commonly  called  a  Pachuca  tank).  In 
the  classifiers  the  solution  becomes  nearly  neutralized 
and  in  the  pachuca  this  neutralization  is  supposed  to  be 
completed.  The  soluble  zinc  in  the  roasted  ore  is  dis- 
solved rapidly:  in  10  to  15  minutes.  The  ferrous  iron 
is  oxidized  to  a  ferric  state  and  is  eliminated ;  otherwise 
the  subsequent  precipitation  of  zinc  in  the  electrolytic 
cell  would  he  hindered  and  the  zinc  of  the  cathode  dis- 
solved, causing  a  rise  of  temperature  in  the  electrolyte. 

The  overflow  from  the  pachuca  is  a  chocolate-colored 
liquor ;  it  goes  to  a  Dorr  thickener,  and  the  overflow  from 
this  to  another  thickener,  for  further  clarification,  yield- 
ing a  clear  solution,  or  'electrolyte,'  as  it  is  called  al- 
ready, by  anticipation.  The  feed  to  the  thickeners  enters 
as  a  4 : 1  pulp ;  the  underflow  emerges  with  a  1 : 1  con- 
sistence. 

This  underflow  goes  to  three  Dorr  agitators,  in  which 
it  is  mixed  with  fresh  acid  in  order  to  remove  any  un- 
dissolved zinc;  then  the  pulp  is  air-lifted  to  four  acid- 
proof  Dorr  thickeners  where  a  counter-current  decanta- 
tion  system  is  employed  to  wash  out  the  dissolved  zinc, 
the  reject  being  final  tailing,  containing  12%  zinc.  It  is 
the  aim  to  lessen  this  zinc  to  8%.  The  decanted  solu- 
tion goes  back  to  the  classifiers.  The  slime  is  removed 
by  spigot-discharge  and  pumped  into  a  settling-pond. 
The  sandy  residue,  containing  25%  lead  and  12%  zinc, 
is  removed  in  small  cars  to  the  lead  smelter.  The  over- 
flow from  the  thickeners — a  clean  solution — is  passed 
through  a  6-ft.  Hardinge  mill,  which  is  kept  loaded  with 

*A  term  that  should  be  restricted  to  tbe  product  tbat  re- 
sults from  tbe  process  for  removing  carbon  di-oxide  from 
carbonates,  not  sulphur  from  sulphides.  That  is  'roasting.' 
'Calcine'  is  derived  from  calx,  lime. 


[i mlirr  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


907 


limestone,  for  the  purpose  of  precipitating  iron.  From 
here  the  solution  is  raised  by  air-lift  into  a  settling-tank, 
the  overflow  from  which  passes  to  a  Kelly  filter-press 
and  thence  to  a  pachuea,  after  which  it  is  agitated  with 
cubes  of  impure  zinc  (weighing  one  pound  apiece)  in 
cylinders,  6  ft.  diam.  and  20  ft.  long,  in  order  to  remove 
any  copper  or  cadmium.  These  cylinders  are  equipped 
with  baflles.  The  violent  agitation  keeps  the  zinc  well 
scoured.  The  combined  copper  and  cadmium  in  the 
Trail  smelter  amounts  only  to  between  0.008  and  0.01%. 
From  the  cylinders,  called  'tumblers,'  the  solution  passes 
through  sacks  (30  by  36  in.)  made  of  cheap  canvas  or 
6-oz.  duck.  These  are  cleaned  weekly.  Using  180  sacks, 
700  tons  of  solution  is  filtered  daily. 

The  above  describes  the  operations  as  conducted  at  the 
time  of  my  visit,  last  August. 

The  tonnage  of  solution  going  out  of  the  leaching-room 
is  measured  by  a  V-notch  weir  and  a  float  to  which  a 
Bristol  disc  is  attached.  The  new  plant,  then  being 
erected,  to  produce  70  tons  of  spelter  daily,  and  there- 
fore to  treat  1800  tons  of  solution  daily,  consisted  of 
9  Brown  agitators,  13  (40-ft.)  thickeners,  9  (32-ft.) 
thickeners,  4  (12  by  60-ft.)  storage-vats,  besides  the 
filter-presses.    This  plant  is  now  at  work. 

The  leaching  process  was  in  course  of  experimental 
development  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  It  will  be  interest- 
ing to  note  the  changes  made  in  the  three  months  since 
then.  Now  the  roasted  ore  is  mixed  with  water  contain- 
ing 6%  free  acid  and  is  then  pumped  into  the  first  of  an 
'acid'  series  of  pachucas,  each  10  ft.  diam.  by  30  ft.  high. 
The  overflow  from  the  first  goes  to  a  second  pachuea, 
then  to  a  third,  and  a  fourth,  in  series,  finally  overflow- 
ing to  four  Dorr  classifiers.  Here  the  sand  is  washed 
and  discharged,  while  the  slime-overflow  goes  to  six  32- 
ft.  Dorr  thickeners  for  counter-current  washing.  The 
tailing  is  discharged.  The  overflow  from  these  thick- 
eners is  air-lifted  to  the  first  of  four  'neutralizing' 
pachucas,  where  high-grade  roasted  ore  is  added  to  neu- 
tralize the  solution  thoroughly  and  to  coagulate  any 
slime.  If  necessary,  a  small  quantity  of  ground  lime- 
stone is  added  at  the  last  pachuea  in  order  to  hasten  the 
settling  of  slime.  The  overflow  from  the  last  pachuea 
goes  directly  to  three  32-ft.  Dorr  thickeners,  the  overflow 
from  which  passes  to  two  Kelly  presses,  by  which  it  is 
thoroughly  clarified.  The  filtrate  is  pumped  to  two  10 
by  30-ft.  pachucas  loaded  with  granulated  zinc,  which 
serves  to  precipitate  the  copper  and  cadmium.  The 
overflow  goes  to  vacuum-filters  that  collect  this  copper 
and  cadmium,  leaving  a  filtrate  that  is  fit  to  be  an  elec- 
trolyte. The  underflow  of  the  neutral  thickeners  is 
pumped  to  the  first  member  of  the  first,  or  'acid,'  series 
of  pachuea  tanks.  Bobert  Vaughan,  the  superintendent 
of  this  department,  states  in  a  recent  letter  that  the  three 
main  points  in  the  success  of  the  leaching  have  been : 

1.  The  designing  of  an  efficient  diaphragm  pump. 

2.  Thorough  neutralization  of  the  solution. 

3.  Agitation  of  the  clear  solution  with  granulated  zinc 
to  precipitate  the  cadmium  and  copper. 

On  August  17  the  daily  record  showed  that  223  wet 


tons  had  been  delivered  into  the  leaching-room;  the 
moisture  averaged  12%,  so  that  the  dry  weight  was  196 
tons.  This  roasted  ore  contained  25.5%  zinc  and  5.9 
total  sulphur,  of  which  2.4%  was  present  as  sulphate. 
As  regards  'sand,'  the  heading  consisted  of  73  tons 
assaying  25.57c  zine>  while  the  tailing  of  64  tons  con- 
tained 14.2%  undissolved  metal  in  the  sand  itself  and 
1.6%  zinc  as  dissolved  loss  in  the  liquid,  so  that  the 
total  loss  was  15.8%,  the  extraction  being  48%  only.  As 
regards  the  slime,  the  123  tons  of  heading  assayed  25.5%, 
while  the  108  tons  of  tailing  assayed- 14.2%  undissolved 
and  1.4%  dissolved,  so  that  the  total  loss  in  the  slime  was 
15.6%  zinc,  or  61%.  These  results  have  been  greatly 
improved  since  then,  I  am  informed.  Among  the  agi- 
tators the  percentage  of  moisture  was  77.71  and  88 ;  the 
percentage  of  acid  was  0.42,  0.38,  and  0.38,  respectively ; 
the  percentage  of  iron  in  the  solution  was  0.124,  0.095, 
and  0.095.  Becently  this  percentage  hag  been  reduced 
to  0.002.  In  the  pachuea  the  moisture  was  88%,  the  zinc 
percentage  22.8,  the  acid  percentage  zero,  the  iron  per- 
centage 0.013.  In  the  various  thickeners  the  underflow 
ranged  from  41  to  54%,  while  the  acid  in  the  underflow 
varied  from  zero  to  0.38%.  The  storage  of  acid  was 
shown  as  619  tons  of  3.98%.  This  was  the  solution  ap- 
plied to  the  roasted  ore.  [It  averages  now  5  to  5.5%.] 
The  difference  between  head  tonnage  and  tailing  tonnage 
was  9  tons,  in  73  tons,  or  a  little  over  12%,  which  repre- 
sents the  zinc  extracted. 

This  outline  of  the  work  in  its  experimental  stage  is 
worthy  of  record.  The  'sand'  and  'slime'  refer  to  the 
coarse  and  fine  cinder  in  the  roasted  ore.  The  extraction 
of  the  zinc  in  the  Sullivan  ore  has  been  improved  to  65% 
since  the  time  of  my  visit,  so  I  am  informed  by  Mr. 
Hamilton,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  many  courtesies. 

The  zinc  oxide  and  sulphate  go  into  solution  quickly; 
"they  have  not  to  be  played  with,"  remarked  Mr. 
Vaughan,  as  in  the  cyanidation  of  the  precious  metals. 
The  apparatus  used,  however,  reminds  one  of  a  cyanide 
plant.  As  regards  filtration,  it  will  be  interesting  to 
ascertain  whether  a  cake  of  slime  can  be  made  thick 
enough  to  hold  a  vacuum.  No  barren  wash  is  in  use,  as 
in  cyanidation.  The  poorest  solution  contains  2  to  3% ; 
therefore  a  filtering  effect  is  essential;  dewatering  will 
not  suffice.  The  precipitation  of  ferric  hydrate  clogs  the 
classifying  apparatus;  so  also  the  lead  oxide,  lead  sul- 
phate, and  lime  sulphate  have  a  cementing  quality  that  is 
annoying.  In  the  Hardinge  mill  the  lime  kills  any 
'latent'  acidity  and  separates  the  last  of  the  iron.  Thus 
the  lime  is  a  useful  precaution. 

The  pumping  of  1 : 1  slime  in  slightly  acid  solution  is 
hard  on  the  metal  bearings  of  pumps.  The  solution  is 
never  perfectly  neutral.  The  sulphate  of  lead  made  by 
the  action  of  the  acid  on  lead  oxide — as  also  the  gypsum 
analogously  made — tends  to  be  sticky  if  allowed  to  settle, 
as  happens  during  any  temporary  break-down  in  the 
plant.  Any  difficulty  in  pumping  arising  from  this 
cause  has  been  overcome  now  by  the  use  of  diaphragm 
pumps. 

{To  be  Continued) 


908 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


CACHE   CEEEK,   ALASKA. 


A   MAKE-SHIFT   SAW-MILL. 


The  Cache  Creek  Dredge,  Alaska 


By 


l  "oa  saa  aa  ©  i? 


i  see  a  i  si 


During  the  past  spring  the  Cache  Creek  Dredging  Co. 
installed  a  dredge  on  Cache  creek,  which  is  the  first 
serious  attempt  at  this  type  of  mining  in  this  part  of 
Alaska. 

Cache  creek  is  about  midway  between  the  Yetna  and 
Susitna  rivers,  65  miles  from  McDougall,  a  small  settle- 
ment on  the  Yetna.  It  is  a  tributary  of  the  Kahiltna 
from  the  north,  the  latter  flowing  into  the  Yetna  25 
miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Susitna.  Stern-wheel 
steamers  can  run  up  the  river  to  McDougall,  from  which 
point  a  wagon-road  has  been  made  along  the  east  bank 
of  Lake  creek  to  the  Kahiltna,  where  a  bridge  has  been 
built  by  the  Alaska  Road  Commission.  From  this  point 
the  summer  trail  follows  the  higher  ground  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  Peters  hills,  although  the  marshes  and 
bogs  are  so  frequent  that  it  is  practically  impossible  to 
do  any  freighting  over  it  during  the  summer.  In  the 
winter  the  road  from  the  bridge  follows  the  river  and 
the  northerly  bank  to  Cache  creek  and  then  up  the  creek. 
The  Alaska  Road  Commission  sent  an  engineer  over  the 
district  this  summer,  investigating  the  possibility  of  im- 
proving the  present  trail  or  of  building  a  new  trail  from 
Talkeetna,  on  the  Susitna  river.  The  latter  route  would 
shorten  the  haul  and  it  is  probable  that  the  Government 
railroad  will  be  completed  to  this  point  during  the  sum- 
mer or  fall  of  1917,  permitting  a  better  freight-rate 
than  can  be  obtained  at  present.  The  district  warrants 
this  consideration,  as  freighting  is  impossible  over  the 
present  summer  trail,  but  the  Road-Commission  appro- 
priations have  been  so  limited  that  it  has  been  impossible 
to  serve  all  districts,  however  meritorious. 

The  Cache  Creek  valley  lies  between  the  Dutch  and 
Peters  hills  and  is  comparatively  narrow  in  the  upper 
portion,  where  the  dredge  is  at  work.     The  bedrock  is 


slate,  graywaeke,  sandstone,  and  shale  with  occasional 
beds  of  lignite.  In  referring  to  this  district,  Capps 
states  (U.  S.  G.  S.  Bull.  520,  p.  179)  :  "Next  younger 
in  age  than  the  slates  are  the  diorites  and  granites,  and 
associated  dikes  of  the  high  range.  These  cut  the  slates 
and  so  are  younger.  The  slates  have  undergone  contact 
metamorphism  near  the  large  intrusive  masses,  and  the 
abundant  veins  and  stringers  of  quartz  that  are  present 
for  several  miles  from  these  bodies  are  probably  the 
source  from  which  the  gold  of  the  placer  districts  is 
derived."* 

The  dredge  equipment  and  timber  were  assembled  at 
Seattle  in  June.  1915,  and  towed  to  Anchorage  on  the 
old  sailing-vessel  Garden  City.  The  stern-wheel  steamer 
Lois  was  also  built  at  Seattle  and  brought  to  Anchorage 
at  the  same  time  under  her  own  steam,  as  the  facilities 
for  handling  barges  across  Cook  inlet  and  up  the  Susitna 
and  Yetna  rivers  were  totally  inadequate  at  that  time. 
At  Anchorage,  the  equipment  was  transferred  to  barges 
that  were  pushed  up  the  Susitna  and  Yetna  rivers  to 
McDougall.  Here  the  dredge-timbers  were  framed  and 
during  the  following  winter  (December  to  April)  the 
entire  outfit  was  hauled  on  bob-sleds  from  this  point  to 
Cache  creek,  12  miles  above  its  mouth,  where  the  dredge 
was  assembled  this  spring  and  started  operations  on 
July  7. 

The  creek  is  comparatively  shallow,  the  average  depth 
being  approximately  six  feet,  so  the  dredge  was  built 
with  a  large  hull  to  secure  a  shallow  draft.  It  is  87  ft. 
long,  54-ft.  beam,  and  7  ft.  deep.  The  planks  on  the 
bottom  are  4  by  12,  those  on  the  sides  6  by  12  and  those 
on  the  deck  3  by  12.  The  winch-deck  is  30  ft.  above  the 
main  deck,  and  the  pilot-deck  12  ft.-  above  this. 

*Note  the  unnecessary  plurals  in  this  quotation. — Editok. 


December  23,  191(1 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


90S 


There  are  sixty-five  7-cu.  ft,  close-connected  buckets 
whli  manganese-steel  lips;  and,  while  the  dredge  lias  a 
capacity  of  3000  ou.  yd.  per  24  hours,  the  management 
has  based  its  plans  on  2000  en.  yd.  only,  on  accounl  of 
the  shallowness  of  the  ground  and  the  number  of  boul- 
ders. Though  the  latter  have  retarded  the  speed  of  dig- 
ging, they  have  not  proved  a  serious  hindrance,  as  they 


THE   CACHE   CREEK   DREDGE. 

are  not  large  enough  to  require  special  apparatus  for 
handling  them.  With  the  present  number  of  buckets, 
the  dredge  will  dig  30  ft.  below  the  water-line,  though  it 
is  improbable  that  it  will  be  called  upon  to  work  at  any- 
where near  this  depth  on  this  portion  of  the  creek. 

The  fine  gravel  from  the 
buckets  falls  through  an  11-iu. 
grizzly  into  a  48-in.  flume,  108 
ft.  long.  The  grade  of  the 
flume  is  adjustable,  though  the 
best  results  are  obtained  by 
keeping  it  at  an  inclination  of 
about  1^  in.  per  foot.  The 
riffles  are  2  by  4's,  capped  with 
f-in.     manganese-steel     plates 


Power  is  furnished  by  a  250-hp.  Yarrow  tubular  boiler, 
burning  coal,  which  is  mined  locally.  A  150-hp.  Reaves 
engine  drives  the  pumps  and  dynamo,  a  J25-hp.  Lidger- 
wood  the  digging-ladder,  and  a  20-hp.  the  winches.  The 
steam  from  the  engines  is  condensed  and  returned  to  the 
boiler. 

A  number  of  beds  of  lignite  outcrop  on  Cache  creek 
and  its  tributaries,  and  from  these  an  ample 
supply  of  fuel  may  be  obtained  at  a  low  cost. 
The  company  has  secured  a  free-use  10-acre 
permit  to  mine  coal  and  this  summer  obtained 
its  supply  from  an  open-eut  two  miles  from 
the  dredge.  This  haul  will  be  obviated  the 
coming  season,  as  a  contract  has  been  let  to 
drive  entries  and  to  open  rooms  on  a  5-ft.  bed 
on  Cache  creek  during  the  winter,  so  a  supply  ' 
will  be  easily  available  at  a  convenient  point 
in  the  spring.  The  coal  has  a  long  flame  and 
is  good  for  making  steam,  though  the  percent- 
age of  ash  is  high.  If  the  company  had  not 
owned  the  steam-equipment  before  the  con- 
struction of  the  boat  was  planned,  the  situa- 
tion would  have  been  ideal  for  an  electrically- 
operated  dredge,  the  power  being  generated  at 
the  point  where  the  coal  was  mined. 

After  a  short,  though  successful  season,  the  only 
change  planned  on  the  dredge  is  to  add  a  second  bull- 
wheel  so  that  the  drive  will  be  on  both  sides  of  the 
bucket-line,  which  it  is  believed  will  reduce  friction  and 


and  are  set  1J  in.  apart.  A 
6-in.  centrifugal  pump  sup- 
plies wash-water  at  the  grizzly 
and  an  18-in.  centrifugal  pump 
discharges  directly  to  the  flume. 
The  buckets  are  washed  clean 
by  water  from  two  nozzles,  the 
gravel  falling  to  a  save-all 
sluice  equipped  with  Hungar- 
ian riffles.  This  flume  is  18  in. 
wide  set  on  a  grade  of  one  inch 
per  foot. 

A  feature  never  previously  used  on  an  Alaskan  dredge 
is  the  construction  of  rock-chutes  from  the  grizzly.  The 
oversize  from  the  bars  goes  to  a  Y,  the  branches  of  which 
pass  on  each  side  of  the  save-all  sluice  and  empty  in  the 
pond  aft  of  the  dredge,  where  the  stones  form  a  dam  and 
prevent  the  fine  from  filling  the  pond  under  the  boat. 
These  chutes  are  42  in.  wide  and  lined  with  manganese- 
steel  plates  at  the  points  of  greatest  wear. 


NECESSITY   IS  THE  MOTHER  OF  INVENTION. 


give  the  dredge  a  marked  increase  in  efficiency,  with  a 
corresponding  decrease  in  operating  cost. 


The  consumption  op  potassium  cyanide  by  the  mills 
of  the  Black  Hills  in  1915  was  11,477  lb.  and  of  sodium 
cyanide  485,300  lb.  It  required  13,900  lb.  of  quicksilver 
to  supply  the  gold  mills,  nearly  all  of  which  was  used  in 
the  Homestake  mills. 


910 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


M.       I 


*r   of   Principle 


The  following  is  an  excerpt  from  the  minutes  of  the 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  American  In- 
stitute of  Mining  Engineers,  on  November  24. 

Manuscript  of  W.  H.  Shockley.  The  Pennsylvania 
Anthracite  Section,  through  Vice-Chairman  Edwin  Lud- 
low, presented  the  answer  of  that  Section  to  the  criticism 
of  the  San  Francisco  Section.  The  following  resolution 
was  then  passed : 

Whereas,  this  Board  of  Directors  on  June  23,  1916,  in- 
structed the  Secretary  to  telegraph  Mr.  Durand,  the  Chairman 
of  the  International  Engineering  Congress,  as  follows: 

"Voted  that  it  is  the  sense  of  this  meeting  that  if 
the  paper  of  W.  H.  Shockley  to  the  International  En- 
gineering Congress  which  has  been  objected  to  cannot 
be  changed  to  meet  the  views  of  the  Pennsylvania  An- 
thracite Section,  it  should  not  be  published." 

Now  Therefore  5e  it  Resolved,  that  the  Directors  of  the  In- 
stitute regret  that  the  language  of  the  above  message  was  con- 
sidered unwarrantably  mandatory  in  tone  and  assure  the  San 
Francisco  Section  that  there  was  no  intent  on  their  part  to 
arbitrarily  censor,  or. cause  to  be  censored,  Mr.  Shockley's 
paper,  and  refer  the  Section  to  the  letter  of  President  Ricketts 
to  C.  W.  Merrill,  dated  November  25,  1916,  which  is  hereby 
approved.     [This  letter  follows.] 

42  Broadway,  New  York  City, 
25  November,  1916. 
C.  W.  Merrill,  Esq., 

121  Second  Street, 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 
My  dear  Mr.  Merrill: 

I  feel,  and  have  always  felt,  that  Mr.  Shockley's  intent  is 
not  to  be  impugned,  and  I  have  never  questioned  his  good 
faith  in  presenting  the  figures  he  did,  but  I  did  feel  that  he 
was  not,  and  is  not,  personally  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
anthracite  district.  On  the  other  hand,  I  am  inclined  to  put 
great  weight  upon  the  statements  of  eminent  engineers  of  like 
high  character,  bearing  on  matters  of  fact  in  their  own  par- 
ticular field. 

After  investigation  I  felt,  and  feel,  that  the  figures  quoted 
by  Mr.  Shockley  are  not  average  figures,  and  while  official  in 
that  'in  the  catalogue'  they  go  as  such,  they  are  not  really 
representative,  and  other  figures  are  available  and  could  have 
been  found  which  are  representative  and  official. 

I  readily  admit  that  the  form  of  our  resolution  was  crude, 
badly  expressed  and  not  in  accordance  with  the  thought  we 
intended  to  convey,  and  I  for  one  will  be  very,  very  glad  to 
see  it  withdrawn.  What  I  thought  we  were  saying  was  that 
in  our  opinion  the  figures  in  question  did  not  represent  the 
facts,  and  that  therefore  they  should  not  in  our  opinion  be 
published.  I  thought  from  Mr.  Shockley's  and  Mr.  Durand's 
letters,  which  you  have,  that  this  matter  had  been  adjusted 
satisfactorily,  and  as  you  know,  Mr.  Shockley  permitted  his 
paper  to  be  published  and  expressed  his  acquiescence  in  having 
it  published  in  its  present  form. 

Personally  I  feel  very  deeply  the  criticism  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Section.  I  feel  that  we  are  culpable  to  a  certain  extent. 
We  have  been  careless  in  form  rather  than  in  fact,  and  are  to 
blame.  On  the  other  hand,  I  regret  a  certain  cynicism  and 
lack  of  faith  in  me  and  my  associates,  shown  by  the  resolution 


of  the  San  Francisco  Section,  giving  me  and  the  parent  insti- 
tution no  chance  of  a  previous  explanation  before  condemna- 
tion, and  I  believe  that  my  good  friends  and  associates,  includ- 
ing Mr.  Shockley,  for  whom  I  have  the  highest  regard,  will 
upon  consideration  see  the  justice  of  my  position. 

Tours  very  truly, 

L.  D.  Ricketts. 
President. 

The  foregoing  was  presented  by  Mr.  Merrill  to  the  San 
Francisco  Section  at  its  regular  monthly  meeting  on  De- 
cember 12 ;  whereupon  the  following  resolution  was 
passed  unanimously : 

"Voted  that  having  heard  the  resolution  of  the  directors  of 
the  Institute,  including  the  friendly  message  from  oar  Presi- 
dent, we  appreciate  the  expression  of  regret,  we  desire  to  re- 
ciprocate the  goodwill  indicated  thereby,  and  we  are  glad  that 
the  incident  is  now  satisfactorily  closed." 

Mine  ventilation  has  an  important  bearing  on  the 
cost  of  producing  ore.  Impure  air,  together  with  ex- 
cessive heat  and  high  humidity,  not  only  seriously  affect 
the  efficiency  of  the  miner,  but  they  may  impair  also  his 
health  and  safety.  These  facts  are  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  warrant  the  close  attention  of  every  metal-mine 
operator  who  wants  to  reduce  his  costs  to  a  minimum. 
In  recent  years  this  subject  has  been  given  much  thought 
by  large  metal  companies  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States.  Many  of  them  now  employ  men  whose  chief  duty 
is  to  see  to  the  proper  ventilation  of  the  mine.  In  many 
cases  fans  have  been  installed,  at  great  expense,  in  order 
to  secure  better  ventilation.  The  following  case  will 
serve  to  illustrate  how  the  cost  of  production  may  be  in- 
creased through  poor  ventilation ;  according  to  the  in- 
vestigations of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines:  A  certain 
large  mine  produced  approximately  1000  tons  of  ore  per 
day  at  a  cost  of  $1000.  The  labor  cost  was  $750.  The 
working-places  from  which  300  tons  of  this  output  came 
were  poorly  ventilated.  On  account  of  the  poor  air  and 
the  heat  in  this  part  of  the  mine  (85  to  90°  relative 
humidity  95  to  100%),  it  was  estimated  that  the  miners 
put  in  only  one-half  of  their  time  in  effective  work. 
These  miners  would  have  produced  600,  instead  of  300 
tons,  had  conditions  been  normal,  thus  increasing  the 
total  production  of  the  mine  .to  1300  tons  per  day.  This 
would  have  reduced  the  labor  cost  from  75  to  57.7c.  per 
ton.  This  illustration  is  conservative.  In  a  great  many 
deep  mines  an  even  greater  saving  could  be  effected 
through  improved  ventilation. 

Molybdenite,  the  di-sulphide  MoS2,  is  the  only  molyb- 
denum mineral  of  importance.  It  contains  40%  sulphur, 
the  remainder  metal.  The  mineral  belongs  to  the  acid- 
forming  elements,  and  frequently  occurs  in  granite, 
though  also  known  in  limestone,  schist,  and  other  rocks. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


911 


Plant  of  the   Babilonia  Gold   Mines,   Nicaragua 


By 


Crushing.  The  ore  is  delivered  to  the  mill-bin  from 
the  mine  in  cars  of  1500  lb.  capacity.  It  is  iron-stained 
quartz  containing  fine  free  gold,  invisible  except  in  some 
of  the  high-grade.  This  ore  is  about  half  clay  and  half 
rock,  so  that  in  the  wet  season  it  is  difficult  to  handle  on 
account  of  its  excessive  moisture. 

The   ore  is   dumped  over  two   grizzlies  with   2\  in. 


Grizzlies. 

2.  Jaw-crusher. 

3.  Holman  stamps. 

4.  Cone-classifier. 
6.   Grinding-pans. 
Dorr    classifier. 
Cone  classifier. 
Dorr   thickeners. 
Abbg-Frenier     sand 

pump. 
12,  13.  Pachuca 

agitators. 
Pulp    stock-tank. 
Butters  filter. 
Excess-pulp    tank. 
Excess-wash    tank. 
Stock- wash    tank. 
Residue-discharge 

agitator. 
Duplex  wet-vacuum 

pump. 
22.   Centrifugal 

pump. 
23,   24.   Gold-solution 

tank. 
Zinc-boxes. 
Sumps. 
Duplex    solution 

pump. 
Solution  meter. 
Solution-tank. 
Triplex  solution- 
pump. 
Mill-stock    tank. 
Vacuum-filter  box 

for    precipitate. 

33.  Precipitate-dryer. 

34.  Smelting-furnaces. 


Q3Z. 


,6 <- — <£>-(«) 


FLOW-SHEET   OF   THE   BABILONIA   MILL. 


spacing,  the  oversize  passing  through  a  10  by  19-in. 
Gates  jaw-crusher,  set  to  crush  to  2J  inches.  The  crushed 
rock  joins  the  fine  in  the  bin.  The  crusher  consumes  6 
hp.  and  has  had  only  one  set  of  jaw-plates  in  10  months. 
Stamping.  The  crushed  ore  is  fed  to  the  stamps  by 
two  suspended-type  Challenge  feeders.  Originally  these 
were  equipped  with  the  Dale  patent  friction-feed,  but  on 
account  of  not  being  able  to  handle  the  wet  ore  they 
were  equipped  with  a  pawl,  gripping  on  the  edge  of  the 
friction-wheel.  This  arrangement  has  given  entire  satis- 
faction, the  only  wearing  part  being  the  pawl,  which 


M .      Parker 

lasts  about  three  months.     These  pawls  are  made  at  the 
mine  and  cost  very  little. 

The  mills  are  two  No.  3  Holman  pneumatic  stamps, 
consisting  of  a  stem  or  piston  carrying  a  boss-head  and 
shoe,  and  working  in  a  cylinder  hung  by  two  arms  from 
a  crank-shaft.  In  the  walls  of  the  cylinder  are  four 
rows  of  holes,  two  above  and  two  below  the  centre  posi- 
tion of  the  cylinder.  When  working  with  a  new  shoe, 
rows  two  and  four  are  plugged  and  as  the  cylinder 
travels  up  and  down  it  traps  air  between  the  piston  and 
cylinder-head.  This  air  on  the  return  stroke  is  com- 
pressed, acting  as  a  cushion,  and  also  assists  in  the  pro- 
pulsion of  the  stem.  As  the  shoes  and  dies  wear,  the 
plugs  are  changed  to  rows  one  and  three.  The  stamps 
drop  145  to  150  times  per  minute,  depending  on  the 
class  of  ore. 

Cyanide  solution  is  fed  to  the  mortar-boxes  around 
the  stem  in  a  shower,  which  helps  to  keep  the  sand  out 
of  the  lower  guides.  In  order  to  increase  the  tonnage  it 
was  found  necessary  to  add  solution  to  the  throat  of  the 
mortar-box.  The  ratio  of  solution  to  ore  is  9 : 1,  1.6  lb. 
sodium  cyanide  and  0.5  lb.  lime  per  ton,  and  $1.56  gold 
per  ton.  Lime  is  added  in  the  mill-bin  at  the  rate  of  10 
to  15  lb.  per  ton  of  ore. 

The  screens  used  are  the  Tyler  double-crimped  steel- 
wire  of  6,  7,  8,  and  9-mesh,  as  needed..  The  average 
stamp-duty  per  24  hours  from  August  1915  to  May  1916 
was  25.08  tons.  From  January  1916  to  May  1916  it  was 
27.84  tons. 

Mortar-liners  last  about  4  months;  stems,  3  months; 
and  screens,  3  days.  The  wear  of  shoes  is  0.48  lb.  and  of 
dies,  0.17  lb.  per.  ton  of  ore  crushed. 

Screen-Analysis  of  Batteby-Pulp 

By  weight,  Value         Proportional 

Mesh  %  per  ton     value  per  ton 

20   50.63  $10.00  $5,063 

40    15.95  8.80  1.403 

60   8.67  6.00  0.520 

80   4.14  5.60        .  0.232 

100    4.10  6.80  0.278 

150   3.61  10.00  0.361 

200   0.92  8.00  0.074 

_  200   11.90  •  8.80  1.047 

$8,978. 

66.58%  by  weight  is  coarser  than  40-mesh  and  con- 
tains 72.02%  of  the  gold. 

Grinding  and  Classification.  The  battery-pulp 
passes  through  wooden  launders  to  a  pointed  box  with 
an  ascending  stream  of  solution,  which  separates  about 
20%  of  the  fine  in  the  overflow,  which  passes  direct  to 
the  Dorr  thickeners,  the  underflow  going  to  the  grinding- 
pans. 

The  grinding  equipment  consists  of  two  5-ft.  Fraser 


912 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


&   Chalmers   pans   making   54   r.p.m.,    and  fitted   with 
Freeman 's  classifier-overflow. 

Screen-Analysis  of  Pan-Discharge 

By  weight.  Value  Proportional 

Mesh.                                  %  per  to*n    value  per  ton 

20   5.96  $13.40  $0,798 

50   6:50  9.04  0.58S 

60    12.98  6.20  0.805 

70   13.40  5.70  0.764 

SO   8.21  5.50  0.452 

100   18.78  5.50  1.033 

150   11.33  7.70  0.872 

200   3.04  14.80  0.450 

-  200   19.31  14.50  2.S00 


$8,562 
The  pans  require  7.5  hp.  each.  A  set  of  shoes  and 
dies  lasts  from  24  to  26  days.  Wear  of  shoes  is  3.22  lb. 
and  of  dies  4.41  lb.  per  ton  of  ore.  The  consumption 
of  metal  is  excessive  as  the  shoes  and  dies  do  not  wear 
evenly.  From  14,  to  2  in.  of  metal  remains  in  the  dies 
when  the  shoes  are  entirely  worn  out.  A  new  set  of  shoes 
is  sometimes  used  with  the  old  dies,  the  shoes  requiring 
about  three  sets  of  old  dies.  However,  using  them  in 
this  way  causes  excessive  loss  of  time  in  changing  dies 
and  grinding  a  poor  surface.  New  models  have  been 
made,  having  more  metal  in  the  shoes  and  less  in  the 
dies,  and  it  is  expected  that  these  will  wear  evenly. 

When  shoes  and  dies  are  new  the  return-sand  to  be 
re-ground  is  about  5%,  increasing  to  about  15%  as  the 
pans  wear.  The  pans  discharge  to  a  simplex  Dorr  classi- 
fier, which  returns  the  sand  and  delivers  the  slime  to  a 
5-ft.  cone. 

In  order  to  overflow  as  much  -  60  mesh  material  as 
possible,  the  rake  was  raised  and  run  at  the  rate  of  24 
strokes  per  minute.  A  spray  was  also  added  to  help 
separate  the  fine. 

Screen-Analysis  of  Classifier-Product 

Feed  Sand  Slime 

By  weight,       By  weight,     By  weight, 
Mesh  %  %  % 

40    0.21  3.42  0.20 

50    2.71  6.47  1.45 

60   5.85  18.75  3.87 

80   15.60  35.55  14.32 

100   19.05  26.12  15.35 

120   4.38  3.30  3.57 

-120   50.13  6.11  60.85 

The  overflow  is  good,  but  the  sand  still  contains 
28.64%  of  minus  60-mesh  product.. 

From  the  5-ft.  cone,  receiving  the  overflow  of  the  Dorr 
classifier,  the  underflow  goes  to  an  Abbe-Frenier  sand- 
pump,  and  the  overflow  to  the  Dorr  thickeners.  The 
object  of  this  cone  is  only  to  remove  the  coarse  sand  and 
avoid  sending  it  to  the  thickeners. 

The  Dorr  thickeners  are  two  9  by  17  ft.  tanks  with"  an 
area  of  454  sq.  ft.  The  speed  of  the  rakes  is  one  revo- 
lution in  five  minutes.  Settled  slime  is  drawn  intermit- 
tently with  an  average  specific  gravity  of  1.40.  This 
slime  is  passed  to  the  sand-pump  before-mentioned  and 
joins  the  sand  from  the  cone,  being  then  elevated  to  the 
Paehuca  tanks,  or  Brown  agitators. 


The  clear  overflow  from  the  thickeners  carrying  an 
average  of  $1.14  is  pumped  back  to  the  mill  stock-tank 
by  a  6  by  8  in.  triplex  pump. 

Agitation.  The  Pachucas  are  three  8  by  32-ft.  tanks 
connected  for  continuous  treatment.  The  specific  gravity 
of  the  pulp  averages  1.42 ;  it  is  agitated  for  24  hours. 

Cyanide  strength  is  maintained  at  24  lb.  NaCN  per 
ton  of  solution,  by  adding  solid  cyanide  in  a  basket  under 
the  overflow  of  the  air-lift.  Air-pressure  is  maintained 
at  21  lb.,  each  tank  using  28  cu.  ft.  of  free  air  per 
minute.  Consumption  of  cyanide  is  0.7  lb.  per  ton  of 
ore. 

From  the  agitators  the  pulp  passes  to  a  20  by  6-ft. 
stock-tank  equipped  with  a  mechanical  agitator. 

Filtration.  The  filter  is  a  21-leaf  vacuum-filter  plant, 
constructed  on  the  gravity-system  and  having  a  filtering- 
area  of  1890  sq.  ft.  The  vacuum  is  maintained  at  21 
inches  by  a  7J  by  7-in.  duplex  wet-vacuum  pump,  re- 
quiring 5  hp.  This  pump  has  done  good  service  for 
nearly  two  years,  two  valves  being  replaced  but  once  in 
this  time. 

The  average  thickness  of  cake  obtained  is  1^  in.  A 
2J-in.  air-lift  is  used  to  keep  the  sand  from  settling,  dis- 
charging to  a  distributing-launder.  In  order  not  to 
crack  the  cake  on  transferring  pulp  and  wash-water,  the 
vacuum  is  reduced  to  15  in.  No  water-wash  is  used.  To 
discharge  the  cake,  water  and  air  are  blown-in  together. 
The  cakes  fall  into  a  cement  tank  with  a  revolving-arm 
agitator,  which  mixes  the  pulp  with  enough  water  to 
discharge  it  to  the  river. 

Filtering  Cycle 

Minutes 

Filling    3 

Filtration    32 

Emptying    3 

Filling  wash-solution    3 

Wash  period 134 

Discharge    15 

190 
Cents 

Value  of  wash-solution  7 

Effluent  wash  at  end  of  90  minutes 34 

Effluent  wash  at  end  of  120  minutes 10 

The  average  life  of  the  leaves  is  12  months.  They 
are  treated  in  a  1%  hydrochloric  acid  solution,  four 
leaves  being  changed  every  week.  Consumption  of  acid 
is  0.19  lb.  per  ton  of  ore  treated.  One  man  spends  half 
his  time  repairing  and  washing  the  leaves. 

The  pulp  in  the  residue-agitator  is  agitated  45 
minutes,  its  volume  and  specific  gravity  being  measured. 
From  these  data  the  daily  tonnage  is  calculated. 

Precipitation.  The  pregnant  and  wash-solutions  are 
measured  by  a  meter  and  go  to  two  12-ton  gold-vats, 
each  containing  four  filter-leaves,  filtering  by  gravity. 

Solution  is  then  distributed  to  pass  through  three 
zinc-boxes,  each  containing  nine  compartments,  and  is 
precipitated  on  zinc  shaving.  Approximately  170  tons 
of  solution  is  precipitated  daily,  or  1.5  tons  of  solution 
per  cubic  foot  of  zinc.  Consumption  of  zinc  is  0.5  lb. 
per  ton  of  ore. 


December  •-':!.  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


913 


FRONT  AND   ENU   ELEVATION    HOLJIAX   PNEUMATIC   STAMPS   SHOWING     CONCRETE  BATTERY-BLOCKS. 


The  barren  solution  is  run  partly  to  the  wash-circuit 
and  the  remainder  pumped  by  a  5  by  15-in.  duplex 
■  pump  to  join  with  the  overflow  of  the  thickeners,  where 
it  is  pumped  to  the  mill-stock  tank. 

Boxes  are  packed  every  3  to  5  days,  moving  the  zinc 
up  to  the  head  compartments  and  adding  new  zinc  in 
the  lower  ones.  Average  value  of  barren  solution  is  9e. 
per  ton. 

Clean-Up  and  Smelting.  The  precipitate  is  collected 
at  the  end  of  every  month  and  filtered  on  a  vacuum-filter 
to  about  25%  moisture.  It  is  then  dried,  fluxed,  and 
smelted  in  two  oil-burning  furnaces. 

Flux 

Parts 

Precipitate    100 

Carbonate  of  soda   20 

Borax  glass   25 

Sand   2 

The  smelt  requires  from  14  to  16  hours. 


The  slag  produced  is  granulated  and  amalgamated  in 
a  small  barrel,  the  resulting  amalgam  being  added  to  the 
next  month's  smelt.  The  residue  from  amalgamation  is 
assayed  and  kept  for  future  treatment.  Average  value 
of  slag  after  amalgamation  is  92c.  per  pound. 

Experiments  have  proved  that  by  agitating  five  days 
in  a  solution  of  6  lb.  of  cyanide  per  ton,  an  extraction 
of  70  to  75%  can  be  obtained.  This  method  of  treatment 
will  probably  be  followed  in  the  future. 

Sampling.  Battery-head  samples  are  taken  every  half- 
hour  from  the  feeders.  Every  eight  hours  the  sample 
obtained  (about  200  lb.)  is  crushed  and  quartered  to  a 
suitable  size  for  the  assayer.  The  daily  head-value  is 
calculated  by  multiplying  the  time  run  by  the  assay- 
value  and  dividing  by  the  total  time  run. 

Samples  are  taken  from  the  residue-agitator-tank  at 
every  discharge  of  the  filter.  In  order  to  obtain  an  av- 
erage sample  the  valve  is  opened  and  a  small  can  is  used 
to  dip  out  a  portion  of  the  stream,  from  time  to  time, 


914 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


until  a  five-gallon  oil-tin  is  filled.  This  sample  is  mixed 
thoroughly  and  the  specific  gravity  determined.  Every 
eight  hours  this  sample  is  changed,  its  specific  gravity 
taken,  filtered,  and  washed.  The  filtrate  is  assayed  for 
soluble  gold  and  the  washed  cake  for  insoluble.  The 
value  of  the  residue  is  the  number  of  tons  of  dry  pulp, 
multiplied  by  the  assay-value  of  the  undissolved  per  ton, 
plus  the  tons  of  solution  in  discharge,  times  value  of  the 
soluble  gold,  the  total  being  divided  by  the  tonnage 
treated. 

Solution  samples  are  taken  at  the  top  and  bottom  end 
of  the  zinc-boxes.  On  packing  the  zinc-boxes  at  the  close 
of  the  month,  a  sample  of  zinc  returned  to  the  boxes  is 


The  'gold  recovered'  is  the  sum  of  the  bullion  pro- 
duced, plus  the  value  of  zinc  replaced,  plus  values  of 
pulp  and  solution  in  circulation,  plus  value  of  slag. 

The  'gold  called  for'  is  the  assay-value  of  the  ore,  less 
the  residue-value,  plus  the  value  of  the  zinc,  pulp,  solu- 
tion, and  slag  of  the  previous  month.  The  difference  is 
the  over  or  under-production. 

Power  is  furnished  by  three  25-hp.  suction-gas  en- 
gines and  one  60-hp.  engine.  In  the  wet  season  a  Pelton 
water-wheel  furnishes  about  35  hp.    There  are  two  gas- 


producers  burning  charcoal,  one  only  being  used  at  a 
time. 

General  Remarks.  It  was  shown  by  the  experi- 
mental work  that  crushing  to  pass  60-mesh  gave  the 
most  economical  results.  Finer  grinding  will  reduce  the 
value  of  the  residue  somewhat,  but  the  increased  cost  of 
grinding  will  more  than  offset  this  gain.  The  plus  60- 
mesh  product  in  the  residue  averages  1.6%  by  weight 
for  the  last  10  months. 

Extraction  is  shown  as  follows: 

Extraction, 
% 

Battery    1.0 

Pans    5.0 

Dorr   thickeners    38.5 

Agitators    49.0 

Filters    1.0 

Total    94.5 

The  Holman  pneumatic  stamp  is  an  excellent  mill  for 
coarse  crushing,  although  the  capacity  decreases  rapidly 
when  using  screens  finer  than  12-mesh.  It  is  a  good 
machine  for  small  properties  where  freighting  is  done  by 
animals,  no  part  being  excessively  large,  especially  in 
the  No.  3  mill  with  its  built-up  mortar-box. 


Cost  foe  an  Average  Month  Per  Ton  of  Oee 


Rock 
breaking 

Labor  and   salaries $0,134 

Power    0.032 

Repairs  and  maintenance 0.002 

Assaying    

General  expense  0.044 

Cyanide   

Lime    

Shoes  and  dies 

Filter  cloth 

Zinc    

Acid    

Sundry  supplies   0.004 


Precipitation 

Ore 

Grinding  and 

and 

haulage 

Milling 

classification  Agitation  Filtration    smelting 

Total 

$0,080 

$0,262 

$0,066 

$0,090 

$0,126 

$0,032 

$0,790 

0.204 

0.092 

0.180 

0.106 

0.614 

0.022 

0.080 

0.004 

0.026 
0.126 

0.010' 

0.004 

0.144 
0.130 

0.020 

0.080 
0.052 

0.018 
0.490 

0.026 
0.166 
0.200 

0.03S 

0.040 
0.012 

0.012 
0.116 

0.238 
0.166 
0.200 
0.542 
0.040 
0.116 
0.012 

0.010 

0.032 

0.012 

0.008 

0.002 

0.016 

0.084 

Total    $0,216 

A  total  of  1615  tons  of  ore  was  treated. 


$0,132 


$0,710 


$0,682 


$0,822 


$0,334 


$0,180 


$3,076 


A  Local  Magnetic  Pole 

The  magnetic  poles  of  the  earth  are  commonly  sup- 
posed to  be  diametrically  opposite  each  other,  and  that  a 
line  through  the  earth  connecting  them  would  necessarily 
pass  directly  through  the  earth's  oentre.  Such,  however, 
is  not  the  fact,  for  a  line  connecting  the  north  and  south 
magnetic  poles  passes  beneath  the  Pacific  Ocean  and 
about  750  miles  to  one  side  of  the  centre  of  the  earth. 
The  north  magnetic  pole  is  on  the  west  coast  of  the 
Boothia  peninsula,  opposite  the  north  point  of  King 
William's  Land,  an  island,  just  above  latitude  70°  north 
and  longitude  95°  west.  It  is  interesting  to  know  that 
there  is  a  centre  of  magnetic  attraction — a  local  magnetic 
north  pole,  at  Treadwell  Point,  near  Juneau,  Alaska. 
Observations  were  made  there  in  1900  and  again  in  1907. 
A  tent  was  erected  at  a  spot  where  the  dipping-needle 
stood  vertical  with  its  north  end  down,  and  the  compass 


reversed  its  direction  when  carried  from  one  side  of  the 
tent  to  the  other.  Ship's  compasses,  a  mile  away,  in 
Gastineau  channel,  are  deflected  about  11°  by  this  local 
magnetic  attraction. 

Success  in  smelting  requires  a  careful  study  of  the 
slags.  If  the  slags  are  suitable  the  smelting  operations 
are  likely  to  prove  successful.  The  things  to  be  carefully 
considered  and  watched  are  the  melting-points  of  the 
various  constituents  of  the  charge ;  these  determine  the 
amount  of  fuel  necessary ;  the  viscosity  of  the  slag,  which 
is  important,  as  it  must  be  low  or  the  valuable  minerals 
in  the  form  of  matte,  speiss,  or  metal,  will  not  readily 
separate  from  the  earthy  minerals  of  the  charge.  The 
chemical  composition  of  the  slag  must  be  such  that  it  will 
not  dissolve  large  quantities  of  the  valuable  metals 
present  in  the  ore,  and  occasionally  it  is  required  to  re- 
move detrimental  substances  from  the  charge. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


915 


Gold  Mining   in  Korea 


By      E.      W. 

•In  the  course  of  a  long  paper  contributed  to  the 
Korean  branch  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  the  history 
and  present  position  of  gold  mining  in  Korea  was  given. 
The  author  has  personal  knowledge  of  all  the  gold  dis- 
tricts during  13  years'  experience,  and  from  a  personal 
connection  with  the  three  chief  gold-mining  companies, 
the  Unsan,  Suan,  and  Chiksan.  The  Unsau  mines  are 
situated  in  North  Pyengan,  40  kilometres  south  of  the 
Yalu  river.  The  Suan  mines  are  situated  some  100  kilo- 
metres farther  south,  about  the  middle  of  south  Pyengan, 
while  the  Chiksan  mines  are  situated  about  the  same 
distance  farther  south  in  the  province  of  Kyong-Ki, 
adjacent  to  Namyang  bay. 

The  development  of  production  in  recent  years  has 
been  rapid.  In  1895  the  output  first  passed  the  f£100,000 
mark,  while  in  1913  it  was  valued  at  £1,035,391,  in  1914 
£1,023,398,  and  last  year  it  attained  the  record  yield  of 
£1,229,621. 

Gold  mining  is  of  ancient  origin  in  Korea,  going  back 
probably  before  the  Christian  era.  This  branch  of  min- 
ing, however,  was  entirely  alluvial,  and  it  has  been  over- 
shadowed of  late  by  the  development  of  lode  mining 
under  modern  conditions.  The  first  concession  to  foreign 
engineers  was  the  Morse  in  1895.  Subsequently,  conces- 
sions were  granted  to  British,  German,  French,  Russian, 
Japanese,  and  Italian  representatives.  The  following  is 
a  short  account  of  the  leading  mines  now  operating : 

Unsan  Concession.  This  property  is  being  worked 
by  the  Oriental  Consolidated  Mining  Co.,  an  American 
company,  which  has  been  highly  successful  in  its  opera- 
tions in  this  district  from  the  beginning.  Operations 
were  first  started  at  Chittabalbie,  and  a  20-stamp  mill 
was  placed  in  operation  in  1897.  This  mill  was  the 
pioneer  of  the  modern  stamp-mills  in  Korea.  Before  the 
mine  was  abandoned,  in  1905,  it  had  produced  152,632 
tons  of  ore,  valued  at  |Y3,036,952.  In  1899  a  40-stamp 
mill  was  erected  at  Tabowie,  and  in  1907  was  enlarged  to 
80  stamps.  To  June  30,  1915,  this  mine  has  produced 
1,226,859  tons  of  ore,  valued  at  Y15,918,755.  A  20- 
stamp  mill  was  erected  at  Kuk-San-Dong  in  1900.  It  was 
increased  to  40  stamps  in  1905.  This  mine  was  closed 
down  on  January  15,  1915,  after  having  produced  551,- 
892  tons  of  ore,  valued  at  Y4,788,182.  In  1902  a  40-stamp 
mill  was  placed  in  operation  at  Maibong.  To  June  30, 
1915,  412,071  tons  of  ore,  valued  at  Y5,967,274,  has  been 
produced.  In  1903  an  80-stamp  mill  was  erected  at 
Taracol.  To  June  30,  1915,  this  mine  has  produced 
1,173,208  tons  of  ore,  valued  at  Y13,749,526.  There  are 
16  hatteries  of  five  stamps  each,  and  32  vanners  of  the 


Mills 

Frue  type.  The  daily  capacity  of  this  mill  is  350  tons. 
In  1908  a  10-stamp  mill  was  placed  in  operation  at  Can- 
dlestick. From  this  mine  43,998  tons  of  ore,  valued  at 
Y999,591,  has  been  produced  up  to  June  30,  1915.  As 
may  be  seen  from  the  foregoing,  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  this  concession  has  heen  exceedingly  satisfactory. 
On  July  1,  1915,  a  total  of  210  stamps  was  in  operation 
at  the  following  mines :  Tabowie,  80 ;  Taracol,  80 ;  Mai- 
bong, 40 ;  East  Candlestick,  10.  The  amount  of  ore 
crushed   for  the  year  ended  December  31,   1915,  was 


/"V'~  { 

<^*/i    y^ 

j£r- 

Jbssr 

7 

i        .S-.^«W^V( 

u>»,  Kj^Ii?^^**    vtSf"*'*" 

i5ca      or    JnmAN 

X"                 )        *                      \ 

vJ^^^-  cA.c*y^M'«,hg 

Co                 \ 

frita*     Jf 

^jj   T        \       Vs.               XaA'A *s<A»/ Mine        \ 

'  ***"-*. 

*Abstract  from  London  Mining  Journal. 
t£l  =  $4.85. 
JY1  =  50  cents. 


295,379  tons,  valued  at  Y3,758,135.  From  this  ore,  gold 
in  bullion  and  concentrate  was  recovered  to  the  value  of 
Y3,228,941.  The  total  tonnage  of  ore  produced  from  the 
various  mines  since  1897  to  December  31,  1915,  has  been 
3,986,772,  valued  at  Y49,568,632.  The  first  dividend  of 
5%  was  paid  in  1903.  Since  that  time  to  July  1,  1915, 
total  dividends  have  amounted  to  150%  of  a  total  of 
Y12,871,550. 

Suan  Concession.  This  British  concession  is  held  by 
the  Korea  Syndicate,  Limited,  of  London,  but  is  being 
operated  by  the  Seoul  Mining  Co.  This  concession  is 
being  developed  with  highly  successful  results.  Although 
not  as  old  as  the  Unsan,  its  tonnage  and  output  are  in- 
creasing yearly.  It  shows  promise  of  eventually  becom- 
ing the  largest  producer  in  Korea.    The  first  mill  of  20 


916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23.  1916 


stamps  was  placed  in  operation  in  the  latter  part  of  1909 
at  the  Suan  mine.  This  mine  developed  satisfactorily, 
and  the  mill  was  increased  to  40  stamps  in  the  autumn 
of  1911.  During  the  past  three  years  a  larger  mine  than 
the  Suan  mine  has  been  developed  at  Tul-mi-chung,  six 
miles  south  of  Holkol. .  A  reduction  plant,  the  pioneer  of 
its  kind  in  Korea,  was  placed  in  operation  late  in  Sep- 
tember 1915.  This  plant  has  a  rated  capacity  of  350  tons 
in  24  hours,  and  is  the  first  one  in  Korea  to  use  Har- 
dinge  ball  and  pebble-mills,  in  place  of  ordinary  gravity 
stamps,  for  crushing  and  grinding  ore.  Both  plants  also 
employ  the  oil-flotation  process  for  the  recovery  of  con- 
centrate. It  is  expected  that  the  production  of  gold  from 
the  Suan  concession  for  1916  will  approximate  a  total  of 
Y2,500,000.  For  the  year  ended  December  31,  1915,  the 
Suan  concession  produced  108,078  tons  of  ore,  valued  at 
Yl,789,224.  The  gold  production  for  the  same  period 
amounted  to  Yl,435,041.  Since  the  date  of  the  com- 
mencement of  milling  operations  in  1909  to  January  1, 
1916,  the  Suan  concession  has  produced  433,361  tons  of 
ore,  valued  at  Y7,945,328,  with  a  total  gold  production 
of  Y6,566,244.  Dividends  for  the  same  period  amounted 
to  Y2,180,087,  or  a  total  of  275%. 

Chiksan  Concession.  This  concession  was  operated 
intermittently  by  the  concessionaires,  Shibusawa-Asano 
Mining  Partnership,  on  a  small  scale  until  1906.  In  this 
year  American  partners  were  admitted,  and  in  1907  a 
small  stamp-mill  was  placed  in  operation.  In  1911  a  re- 
organization took  place,  whereby  the  control  of  the  con- 
cession rights  was  taken  over  by  an  American  company, 
the  Chiksan  Mining  Co.  During  the  Japanese  regime 
considerable  work  was  done  on  the  placer  deposits,  and 
a  small  profit  was  made.  Although  no  exact  figures  are 
available,  it  is  probable  that  the  alluvial  gold  production 
during  this  time  amounted  to  over  Y300,000.  For  the 
year  ended  December  31,  1915,  the  production  of  gold 
from  this  concession  was  Y933,261.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  Chiksan  concession  has  produced  Y3, 199,073  in  gold, 
and  has  treated  192,144  tons  of  ore  during  the  period 
from  February,  1908,  to  January  1,  1916.  This  con- 
cession has  now  reached  the  dividend-paying  stage,  and 
is  being  operated  successfully.  The  present  company 
has  proved  the  existence  of  a  large  acreage  of  ground 
containing  sufficient  gold  to  warrant  the  installation  of 
a  gold  dredge  at  Sei-go-ri,  which  was  worked  earlier  un- 
der the  supervision  of  the  Japanese  concessionaires.  The 
order  has  been  placed  for  this  dredge,  and  it  is  expected 
that  it  wall  be  in  operation  before  the  end  of  1916.  Chik- 
san will,  therefore,  have  the  distinction  of  starting  the 
first  gold  dredge  in  Korea.  The  operation  of  this  boat, 
in  conjunction  with  the  present  mill  of  40  stamps,  should 
result  in  showing  considerable  increase  in  the  gold  pro- 
duction for  1916  and  for  several  succeeding  years.  It  is 
probable  that  some  monazite  may  be  recovered  by  the 
dredge. 

Japanese  Enterprises.  Under  Government  encour- 
agement an  important  combination  was  formed  in  recent 
years  known  as  the  Furukawa  Partnership  Co.,  which 
holds  some  15,000  acres  in  the  Koo-Sung  district,  north 


Pyengan.  The  chief  interests  comprised  are  those  of 
Messrs.  Furukawa,  Asona,  and  Kuhara.  In  co-operation 
with  this  company,  the  Kuhara  Mining  Co.  of  Osaka, 
lately  completed  a  smelter  at  Chin-nam-po,  designed  pri- 
marily to  treat  gold-copper  ores,  more  especially  the  con- 
centrate, from  the  Suan  mines. 

Government  Mines.  The  Japanese  government  has 
itself  retained  a  number  of  gold  prospects  for  experi- 
mental working  in  different  districts. 

In  all,  about  50,000  Koreans  and  several  thousand 
Chinese  and  Japanese  are  now  dependent  on  the  foreign 
companies  for  their  livelihood.  The  author  states  that 
Japanese  authorities  are  willing  to  assist  foreign  mining 
companies  in  every  possible  way.  After  the  occupation 
of  Korea,  mining  regulations  were  issued  in  1906,  with 
further  amendments  in  1907  and  1908,  and  a  further  re- 
vision is  expected  to  be  published  shortly.  Henceforth  it 
is  provided  that  "none  can  enjoy  mining  rights  other 
than  subjects  of  the  Empire  or  juridical  persons  or- 
ganized in  accordance  with  the  laws  and  ordinances  of 
the  Empire."  It  is  stated,  however,  that  foreigners  who 
already  possess  mining  rights  will  not  be  affected  by  the 
revision  either  now  or  in  the  future. 

The  author  concludes  that  the  outlook  for  a  continued 
increase  in  gold  production  is  promising,  more  especially 
from  the  successful  development  of  large,  low-grade 
auriferous  deposits. 

Mine  timbers  submerged  in  water  will  endure  in- 
definitely. This  fact  is  being  demonstrated  at  the 
Amador  Consolidated  mine,  at  Sutter  Creek,  California, 
where  the  timbers  of  the  shaft  near  the  1000-ft.  level  are 
found  to  be  as  sound  as  when  put  in  place  nearly  40 
years  ago.  The  mine  has  been  idle  about  35  years,  the 
workings  during  this  time  having  been  filled  with  water, 
which  has  preserved  the  timber.  The  heavy  swelling- 
ground  that  ordinarily  so  quickly  crushes  the  timbers  in 
the  mines  of  the  Mother  Lode  in  Amador  county  has 
little  effect  when  the  workings  are  flooded.  This  seems 
to  prove  that  the  swelling  of  the  rock  is  due  to  exposure 
to  the  air,  otherwise  the  process  would  continue  when 
submerged  in  water.  It  suggests  that  the  swelling  of  the 
ground  that  is  the  cause  of  so  much  expense  might  in 
some  measure  be  prevented  if  the  surface  of  the  rock,  in 
drifts  and  shafts,  for  instance,  were  plastered  with  a 
cover  of  cement-mortar  soon  after  its  first  exposure  to  the 
air  by  the  advance  of  mining  work. 

Molybdenite  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  ammonium 
molybdate,  a  chemical  reagent  employed  in  the  labora- 
tory in  the  determination  of  phosphorus  in  iron  ore,  the 
products  of  the  iron  furnace,  and  in  fertilizers.  The 
metal  molybdenum  is  added  to  steel  in  order  to  make  it 
self-hardening.  From  5  to  10%  of  molybdenum  raises 
the  elasticity  and  tensile  strength  of  steel,  and  gives  it 
greater  toughness.  The  tensile  strength  of  molybdenum- 
steel  wire  is  stated  to  be  from  200,000  to  270,000  lb.  per 
sq.  in.,  that  of  tungsten-steel  480,000  to  580,000  lb.  to 
the  square  inch. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


!)17 


Analysis  of  Molybdenum  Ores 


By      H.      West  ling      and      Carl      Andersen 


The  analysis  of  molybdenum  ore  presents  several  diffi- 
culties as  yet  not  thoroughly  discussed  in  the  literature 
on  the  subject  and  we  have  been  compelled  to  work  out  a 
method  of  our  own  which,  so  far  as  we  have  ascertained 
by  actual  practice  on  many  ores  from  various  parts  of 
the  country,  is  satisfactory. 

For  the  purpose  of  our  work  with  the  U.  S.  Molyb- 
denum Co..  we  found  it  necessary  to  have  a  method  of 
analysis  that  would  give  a  quick  and  accurate  return,  not 
only  of  the  molybdenum  but  also  of  the  constituents  that 
usually  accompany  molybdenum.  These  are  silicious 
residue,  copper,  iron,  and  not  infrequently  lead  and 
bismuth. 

Two  difficulties  bad  to  be  overcome  if  any  reasonable 
degree  of  accuracy  was  to  be  reached.  The  first  was  the 
peculiar  behavior  of  molybdenum  to  hydrogen  sulphide 
in  acid  solution.  We  found  that  the  one  essential  to 
complete  precipitation  of  the  metal  was  hcxavalency. 
It  seems,  however,  as  if  a  small  amount  of  molybdenum 
would  be  reduced  to  lower  valency  simultaneously  with 
the  precipitation  of  the  greater  part  as  MoS3.  Especially 
will  this  happen  if  iron  is  present  in  the  solution.  Mellor 
recommends  precipitation  under  pressure,  but  even  this, 
although  satisfactory  in  the  absence  of  iron,  is  not  quite 
complete  in  one  operation  when  iron  is  present. 

The  second  difficulty  was  the  separation  from  copper. 
This  seems  impossible  to  effect  when  it  is  in  the  sulphide 
state.  Pure  sodium-sulphide  solution  will  separate  cop- 
per completely  from  the  arsenic  group  of  sulphides,  to 
which  molybdenum  belongs.  When  we  tried  this,  we 
found  that  copper  misbehaves  in  this  particular  respect 
when  molybdenum  is  present.  After  trying  several 
methods  we  adopted  the  one  below  described.  This  has 
the  advantage  of  effecting  the  separation  at  the  very 
time  of  titration  for  molybdenum. 

In  the  description  of  our  method,  we  have  made  refer- 
ences to  the  general  scheme  of  analysis  used  in  the  Ran- 
kin-Westling  laboratory. 

Our  method  is  as  follows:  Dissolve  2  grams  of  the 
sample  in  20  cc.  HN03,  20  ec.  HC1,  20  cc.  H20.  After 
main  action  has  ceased — usually  after  10  to  15  minutes 
boiling — add  about  20  cc.  60%  H2S04,  and  evaporate  to 
copious  white  fumes.  Proceed  in  the  usual  way  for  lead 
sulphate  and  silicious  residue. 

The  filtrate  from  lead  sulphate  and  silica  should  now 
be  boiled  with  a  few  crystals  of  ammonium  persulphate 
(to  oxidize  a  small  quantity  of  lower  valency  Mo  up  to 
hexavalent  Mo).  Boil  a  few  minutes  to  destroy  persul- 
phate, then  cool,  and  precipitate  with  H2S.  After  one 
hour  of  brisk  current  of  H2S  in  cold  solution,  discontinue 
the  EPS  and  boil  the  solution  a  few  minutes.  Then  filter 
the  H,S  precipitate.     Wash  with  previously-boiled  cold 


water  containing  ■&  of  H2S  water.    Treat  the  filtrate  as 
later  described,  and  the  precipitate  as  below : 

Rinse  the  bulk  of  the  precipitate  into  a  beaker  with 
water.  Wash  the  filter-paper  with  dilute  boiling  aqua 
regia  (1  part  HN03,  1  part  HC1,  3.  parts  water).  Run 
down  into  beaker  with  main  precipitate  and  boil  to  dis- 
solve same.  When  the  precipitate  is  well  dissolved, 
filter  off  the  free  sulphur,  and  evaporate  to  white  fumes 
with  about  5  cc.  60%  H2S04. 

Then  cool,  dilute  to  about  60  cc. ;  neutralize  with  i 
NH3  (1  part  strong  NH3,  1  part  H20)  until  there  is  a 
distinct  smell  of  NH3.  Note  if  white  or  yellowish  precipi- 
tate separates  out.  If  so,  filter  and  treat  it  for  bismuth. 
To  the  solution  add  enough  acetic  acid  to  smell  natu- 
ral, and  5  grams  of  sodium  acetate,  dissolve  same,  and 
titrate  for  Mo03  with  standard  solution  of  lead  acetate, 
using  tannic  acid  as  outside  indicator.  If  the  titration 
should  go  beyond  the  point,  titrate  back  with  the  stand- 
ard ammonium  molybdate  used  for  lead  titration.  When 
the  titration  point  is  accurately  reached,  allow  to  stand 
10  minutes,  then  filter  out  the  lead  molybdate,  wash  once 
with  cold  water.  Make  the  filtrate  distinctly  acid,  using 
5  cc.  strong  H2S04,  then  precipitate  the  copper  with 
ELS.    Wash  and  treat  as  above  described  for  copper. 

The  reason  why  ammonium  persulphate  is  added,  and 
then  destroyed,  before  the  introduction  of  hydrogen  sul- 
phide is  as  follows : 

The  molybdic  acid  is  evaporated  with  H2S04  especially 
in  the  presence  of  free  sulphur;  a  small  part  of  the 
molybdic  acid  is  reduced  to  compounds  of  lower  valency, 
some  of  which  precipitate  very  slowly,  and  some  not  at 
all,  with  EPS  in  acid  solution.  Hence  the  persulphate. 
Further,  when  molybdenum  occurs  in  solution  as  molyb- 
dic acid  in  the  presence  of  ferric  iron,  and  hydrogen 
sulphide  is  introduced,  there  are  several  reactions  hap- 
pening simultaneously.  When  the  solution  is  hot,  the 
EPS  acts  rapidly  on  the  ferric  iron,  reducing  it  to  ferrous 
iron,  which  again  acts  on  molybdic  acid,  reducing  the 
latter  to  lower-valency  compounds  which  are  not  acted 
on  by  hydrogen  sulphide  in  acid  solution. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  solution  is  cold,  molybdic 
trisulphide  precipitates  before  this  reducing  action  takes 
place,  hence  the  solution  must  be  cold  while  Mo  is  pre- 
cipitated. However,  a  small  amount  of  molybdic  sul- 
phide is  soluble  in  water  containing  H2S,  probably  as 
colloidal  sulpho-molybdic  acid.  Hence  the  boiling  be- 
fore final  filtration. 

The  titration  with  lead  acetate  is  slightly  interfered 
with,  when  copper  is  present,  because  copper  gives  a 
green  color  with  the  tannic  acid  indicator.  The  yellow 
color  of  molybdic  acid  with  this  indicator,  however, 
comes  out  first,  and  after  a  little  practice  there  is  no  diffi- 


918 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


eulty  in  seeing  the  end  point,  when  the  yellow  changes 
to  green.  The  titration  is  best  done  at  ordinary  temper- 
atures. 

When  the  lead-acetate  solution  is  made  up,  enough 
ammonium  acetate  must  be  added  to  make  sure  that  no 
basic  lead  salts  will  precipitate  on  diluting  the  solution 
to  proper  strength.  To  make  up  lead  solution,  dissolve 
18.35  gm.  lead  acetate  crystals,  Pb(C202H3)2  +  3(H20), 
in  100  cc.  strong  solution  of  ammonium  acetate,  and 
make  up  to  one  litre. 

Sometimes  the  molybdenum  is  not  completely  precipi- 
tated with  hydrogen  sulphide,  even  when  the  above  pre- 
cautions are  carefully  followed.  In  that  case,  it  will 
always  be  recovered  when  the  iron  is  precipitated,  as 
follows : 

Boil  the  filtrate  from  the  H2S  precipitation  with  a  few 
crystals  of  ammonium  persulphate,  to  oxidize  both  the 
iron  and  molybdenum  possibly  still  present  in  the  solu- 
tion, then  add  ammonia  (dilute  enough  to  prevent  splut- 
tering) until  the  iron  and  alumina  are  precipitated,  and 
a  distinct  excess  of  ammonia  is  left  in  the  solution.  Boil 
a  few  minutes,  still  maintaining  excess  of  ammonia,  then 
filter,  and  wash  with  hot  water.  Dissolve  the  precipitate 
in  dilute  H,S04  and  determine  the  iron  either  by  zinc 
and  permanganate  titration,  or  by  bichromate  titration. 

The  filtrate  from  the  iron  precipitation  may  contain 
a  residue  of  molybdic  acid;  it  is  now  boiled,  to  remove 
excess  ammonia,  then  cooled,  and  made  acid  with  about 
5  cc.  of  60%  H2S04.  Add  H2S  for  half  an  hour,  then 
remove  the  H2S  tube,  and  boil  the  solution.  If  any 
molybdenum  is  left  in  the  solution,  it  will  now  precipi- 
tate completely.  Filter,  wash  with  previously-boiled 
cold  water.  Add  precipitate  to  the  rest  of  the  molyb- 
denum, or  titrate  separately,  as  before. 

The  solution  may  now  be  treated  for  manganese,  zinc. 
lime,  and  other  substances,  as  described  in  the  general 
method  of  analysis. 

It  will  be  noticed,  that  the  above-described  procedure 
would  be  interfered  with  by  the  presence  of  a  large  per- 
centage of  copper  as  compared  to  the  molybdenum.  Ar- 
senic and  phosphorus  in  appreciable  quantities  also 
would  interfere,  ,by  the  formation  of  compounds  with 
molybdic  acid. 

None  of  the  objections,  however,  are  of  any  importance 
in  practice,  because  they  do  not  occur  in  any  of  the 
molybdenum  ores  that  we  have  analyzed  so  far.  To  be 
sure,  we  have  seen  ores  containing  arsenic,  where  a  little 
ammonium  arseno-molybdate  was"  formed.  It  was  filter- 
ed off,  dissolved  in  a  little  ammonia,  made  acid  with 
sulphuric  acid,  reduced  with  zinc,  and  titrated  with  per- 
manganate. 

So  thorough  has  been  the  sanitation  of  the  Panama 
Canal  zone  that  the  last  case  of  yellow  fever  contracted 
there  was  in  1905.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  as  prior 
to  the  improvement  of  conditions  on  the  Isthmus  of' 
Panama,  not  a  year  passed  when  Yellow  Jack  did  not 
flourish  among  the  native  population,  and  travelers  were 
frequently  among  the  victims,  where  this  terrible  disease 
is  endemic. 


California's  Volcano   Still 
Active 


Mount  Lassen,  contrary  to  the  expectation  of  some, 
continues  to  give  repeated  though  irregular  evidences 
of  temper.  After  an  interval  of  rest,  extending  over  sev- 
eral weeks,  it  suddenly  went  into  action  on  the  afternoon 
of  December  10,  discharging  a  large  quantity  of  com- 
minuted material  and  rocks  that  quickly  converted  the 
dazzling  whiteness  of  the  snow-clad  mountain  to  an  omi- 
nous, sombre  dark  gray.  This  eruption,  it  is  stated,  was 
accompanied  by  very  little  water  vapor. 

Thus  far,  Lassen  has  afforded  an  exhibition  of  three 
types  of  eruption,  the  Vulcanian,  the  Peleean,  and  the 
Strombolian.  In  the  vulcanian  type  the  explosions  are 
violent,  ejecting  much  consolidated  ancient  lava,  accom- 
panied by  dense  clouds  of  smoke  (dust)  and  water- 
vapor.  In  the  Peleean  type,  the  volcanic  cloud  is  so 
heavily  laden  with  solid  materials  that  it,  together  with 
the  water-vapor,  after  rising  rapidly  above  the  vent, 
driven  upward  by  the  explosive  force  within  the  volcano, 
falls  rapidly  by  gravity  and  rolls  down  the  mountain 
side  in  heavy  clouds,  as  on  the  morning  of  June  14,  1914. 
Strombolian  eruptions  consist  chiefly  of  finely  commi- 
nuted rock,  small  fragments  and  angular  boulders,  some 
of  them  large,  torn  from  the  sides  of  the  vent,  but  there 
is  little  water-vapor  present.  The  eruption  of  December 
10,  was  evidently  of  this  latter  type. 

The  mud  streams  that  are  reported  to  have  flowed  from 
the  crater  some  time  since  may  be  due  to  either  of  two 
causes :  first,  the  rapid  condensation  of  water-vapor,  pro- 
ducing a  large  amount  of  water  which  would  quickly 
wash  down  the  accumulated  fine  material  lying  on  the 
slopes  of  the  mountain,  forming  rills  of  mud,  which, 
uniting  lower  down,  become  good-sized  streams  heavily- 
laden  with  the  ejected  finer  products  of  the  volcano. 
Second,  the  welling-up  in  the  crater  of  a  large  amount  of 
the  fine  rock  material  saturated  with  water,  the  presence 
of  which  is  due  to  condensation  of  water-vapor  on  ap- 
proaching the  surface.  If  this  mud  is  ejected  in  suffi- 
cient amount,  it  would  flow  down  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain in  streams,  the  size  of  which  would  depend  upon  the 
quantity  of  material  poured  out  and  the  velocity  with 
which  it  is  ejected.  This  phase  is  distinctly  that  char- 
acteristic of  the  Taal  volcano,  thirty  miles  south  of 
Manila,  on  the  island  of  Luzon,  which  went  into  violent 
eruption  in  1912,  after  a  long  period  of  quiescence. 

It  is  impossible  to  predict  what  Mount  Lassen  may  yet 
do  in  the  way  of  eruption.  It  may  continue  spasmodic 
eruptions,  such  as  have  characterized  it  during  the  past 
two  and  a  half  years,  and  finally  settle  down  to  a  staid 
and  uneventful  existence,  or  it  may  at  any  moment  break 
into  violent  and  devastating  eruption,  destroying  a  good 
part  of  the  mountain  mass,  and  spreading  a  thick  blanket 
of  volcanic  ash  over  hundreds  of  square  miles  of  the 
surrounding  country,  as  did  Katmai  on  the  Alaska  Pen- 
insula in  1912.  Only  time  will  tell;  meanwhile,  it  is  an 
excellent  place  for  the  curious  to  avoid,  pending  events 
at  Mount  Lassen. 


December  -J.'i,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


919 


Minerals  Separation  Decision 

In  the  Minerals  Separation  decision  rendered  on  December 
11,  tbe  Supreme  Court  held  that  seven  of  the  company's  claims 
on  patents  were  valid  where  the  amount  of  oil  used  was  in 
the  proportion  of  a  fraction  of  1%  to  the  amount  of  ore.  Three 
claims  which  did  not  specify  the  precise  proportion,  but  merely 
specified  the  use  of  "a  little  oil."  were  held  invalid.  The  re- 
jection of  these  claims  is  held  by  the  company's  representatives 
to  be  inconsequential,  while  the  affirmation  by  the  Court  of  the 
validity  of  the  practicable  patents  held  by  it  is  said  by  them  to 
be  immensely  valuable.  The  Supreme  Court's  decision  re- 
versed the  findings  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  for  the 
9th  circuit,  and  affirms  the  decision  of  the  District  Court  of 
Montana  as  modified  as  to  the  three  inconsequential  claims. 

The  patents  adjudged  as  belonging  to  Minerals  Separation 
cover  the  so-called  froth  flotation  method  of  concentrating  cop- 
per and  sulphide  ores.  The  process  involved  the  violent  agi- 
tation of  the  powdered  ore,  mixed  with  water,  and  a  critical 
proportion,  a  fraction  of  1%  per  amount  of  ore,  of  oil  or  oleic 
acid.  The  result  achieved  is  that  the  fine  particles  of  valuable 
minerals  rise  to  the  surface  of  the  mixture  whence  they  are 
readily  floated  off  into  receptacles,  while  the  valueless  residue 
sinks. 

The  Court  says:  "The  decision  of  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Appeals  will  be  reversed,  and  the  decision  of  District  Court 
modified  to  conform  to  the  conclusions  expressed  in  this 
opinion,  will  be  affirmed." 

The  decision  reviews  at  some  length  the  arguments  of  both 
sides  and  then  says: 

"The  evidence  of  infringement  is  clear.  While  we  thus  find 
in  favor  of  the  validity  of  the  patent,  we  can't  agree  with  the 
District  Court  in  regarding  it  valid  as  to  all  of  the  claims  in 
suit.  As  we  have  pointed  out  in  this  opinion  there  were  many 
investigators  at  work  in  this  field  to  which  the  process  in  suit 
relates  when  the  patentees  came  into  it  and  it  was  while  en- 
gaged in  study  of  prior  kindred  processes  that  their  dis- 
covery was  made.  "While  the  evidence  in  the  case  makes  it 
clear  that  they  discovered  the  final  step  which  'turned  failure 
into  success,'  yet  the  investigation  proceedings  were  so  in- 
forming that  this  final  step  was  not  a  long  one  and  the  patent 
must  be  confined  to  the  results  obtained  by  the  use  of  oil 
within  the  proportions  often  described  in  the  testimony,  and 
in  the  claims  of  the  patent  as  'critical  proportions'  amounting 
to  a  fraction  of  1%  on  the  ore,  and  therefore  the  decree  of  this 
Court  will  be  that  the  patent  is  valid,  as  to  claims  numbered 
1,  2,  3,  5,  6,  7,  and  12  and  that  the  defendant  infringed  these 
claims,  but  that  it  is  invalid  as  to  claims  9,  10,  and  11.  Claims 
numbered  4,  S,  and  13  were  not  considered  in  the  decrees  of 
the  two  lower  courts  and  are  not  in  issue  in  this  proceeding." 
The  Court  points  out  that  all  allegations  in  the  bill  are  denied 
and  that  the  defendant  (Hyde)  "a  man  obviously  experienced 
in  the  subject,  says  that  in  his  opinion  the  whole  basis  for  flota- 
tion concentration  was  disclosed  in  the  Everson  United  States 
patent  and  the  Froment  British  patent.  It  is  clear  that  in  the 
prior  art  as  it  is  developed  in  this  record,  it  was  well  known 
that  oil  and  oily  substances  had  a  selective  affinity  or  attrac- 
tion for  and  would  unite  mechanically  with  the  minute  particles 
of  metal  and  metallic  compounds  found  in  crushed  or  powdered 
ores  but  would  not  so  unite  with  the  quartz  or  rocky  metallic 
material  called  gangue.  It  was  also  well  known  that  the 
selective  property  of  oils  and  oily  substances  was  increased 
when  applied  to  some  ores  by  the  addition  of  a  small  amount  of 
acid  to  the  ore  and  water  used  in  process  of  concentration." 

Prior  to  the  patent  in  suit  a  number  of  patents  had  been 
granted,  the  decision  points  out,  all  of  which,  broadly  speak- 
ing, consisted  in  mixing  finely  crushed  or  powdered  ore  with 
water  and  oil.  From  the  resulting  concentrate  the  metals 
were  recovered  in  various  ways.  The  Court  adds  that  proc- 
esses of  this  general  character  could  be  roughly  divided  into 
two  classes.    The  process  of  the  first  class  is  called  the  "sur- 


face flotation  process,"  which  depends  for  its  usefulness  on  the 
oil  used  being  sufficient  to  collect  and  hold  in  mechanical  sus- 
pension the  small  particles  of  metal  and  by  Its  buoyancy  to 
carry  them  to  the  surface  of  the  mixture.  The  other  class, 
called  "metal-sinking  process,"  reverses  the  action  of  the  sur- 
face flotation  process.  The  process  of  the  patent  in  suit,  the 
Court  says,  consists  in  the  use  of  the  amount  of  oil  which  is 
"critical"  and  minute  as  compared  with  the  amount  used  in 
prior  processes,  "amounting  to  a  fraction  of  1%  on  [he  ore." 
After  describing  this  process  the  decision  says  "it  is  obvious 
that  the  process  in  suit  is  not  of  the  metal-sinking  class  and 
while  it  may  in  terms  be  described  as  a  surface  flotation  proc- 
ess, yet  it  differs  so  essentially  from  all  processes  in  its 
character,  in  its  simplicity  of  operation,  and  in  the  resulting 
concentrate,  that  we  are  persuaded  that  it  constitutes  patent- 
able discovery." 

Continuing,  the  Court  says:  "The  prior  processes  which  we 
have  described  required  the  use  of  so  much  oil  that  they  were 
too  expensive  to  be  used  on  lean  ores,  to  which  they  were  in- 
tended to  have  their  chief  application,  and  the  efforts  of  in- 
vestigators for  several  years  prior  to  the  discovery  of  the 
process  in  suit  had  been  directed  to  the  search  for  a  means  or 
method  of  reducing  the  amount  of  oil  used,  and  it  is  clear  from 
the  record  that  approach  was  being  made,  slowly,  but  more 
and  more  nearly  to  the  result  which  was  reached  by  the 
patentees  of  the  process  in  suit  in  March  1905." 

The  Court  characterizes  the  Froment  Great  Britain  patent 
as  "little  more  than  a  laboratory  experiment"  which  has  never 
proved  of  value  in  practice,  while  of  the  Kirby  United  States 
patent  it  says,  "though  approaching  in  some  respects  more 
nearly  to  the  end  attained  by  the  process  of  the  patent  in  suit, 
found  its  preferred  application  in  the  use  of  an  amount  of  oil 
solution  equal  to  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  in  weight  of  the 
ore  treated,  which  was  prohibitive  in  cost."  It  was  at  this 
point,  says  the  Court,  that  patentees  came  into  the  field  in 
investigation.  They  worked  on  the  Cattermole  process  as  a 
basis  when  they  discovered  that  "an  increase  in  the  amount 
of  froth  reached  its  maximum  when  about  1%  or  slightly  less 
on  the  ore  of  oleic  acid  was  used,"  this  froth  of  air  bubbles 
held  in  suspense  between  70%  and  80%  of  the  total  mineral  con- 
tent of  the  mass  treated.  "It  was  promptly  recognized  by  the 
patentees  that  this  froth,"  says  the  decision,  "was  not  due  to 
liberation  of  gas  in  the  mass  treated  but  rather  to  the  presence 
of  air  introduced  in  the  mixture  by  the  agitation  which  had 
been  resorted  to  to  mix  the  oil  with  the  particles  of  crushed 
ore,  which  air,  in  bubbles,  attached  itself  to  the  mineral  par- 
ticles, slightly  coated  as  they  were  with  what  was  necessarily 
an  infinitesimal  amount  of  oil,  floated  them  to  the  surface." 
The  lifting  force,  the  Court  says,  is  in  the  buoyancy  of  the  air 
bubbles  caused  by  agitation.  It  results  without  more  discus- 
sion, says  the  Court,  "that  we  fully  agree  with  the  decision  of 
the  House  of  Lords"  in  other  cases. 

The  claim  that  the  patentees  of  the  patent,  are  not  the 
original  discoverers  of  the  process  patented  because  an  em- 
ployee of  theirs  happened  to  make  the  analysis  cannot  be 
allowed.  Equally  untenable  is  the  claim  that  the  patent  is 
invalid  for  the  reason  that  the  evidence  shows  that  when  dif- 
ferent ores  are  treated  preliminary  tests  must  be  made  to  de- 
termine the  amount  of  oil  and  extent  of  agitation  necessary  in 
order  to  obtain  best  results. 


Copper  output  of  Mt.  Lyell,  Tasmania,  during  the  half-year 
ended  September  30,  1916,  was  7,104,520  lb.,  also  4183  oz.  of 
gold  and  170,399  oz.  of  silver.  The  cost  of  mining  was  $2.50, 
smelting  and  concentration,  $2.76,  and  converting  38c,  a  total 
of  $5.64  per  ton.  In  the  previous  quarter  the  cost  was  $4.56 
per  ton.  The  blast-furnaces  reduced  151,836  tons  of  ore  and 
flotation  concentrate. 


Sulphur  production  from  the  pyrite  of  Mt.  Lyell  has  been 
proved  practicable.  Several  kinds  of  muffle-furnaces  are  under 
trial. 


920 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


mmwmm  ©if 


:jotwg 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


LEADVILLE,  COLORADO 
Wages  Raised. — Oee  Treatment  at  Robinson. 

Local  mine-owners  have  again  raised  the  wage-scale.  Em- 
ployees who  have  been  receiving  $3.30  per  shift,  including 
miners,  shovelers,  trammers,  and  top-men,  were  given  a  raise 
of  20c,  making  $3.50.  Timber-men,  machine-men,  and  other 
skilled  workers  who  were  receiving  $3.85  receive  15c.  extra, 
making  $4.  Hoist  engine-men,  mechanics,  and  skilled  men 
who  had  been  paid  at  the  rate  of  $4.40  get  10c,  making  $4.50 
per  shift.  This  new  increase  makes  a  uniform  raise  of  50c.  a 
shift  over  and  above  the  wage-schedule  in  force  in  the  district 
prior  to  the  10%  increase  made  last  April.  The  new  rate  will 
continue  in  force  until  further  notice,  according  to  the  state- 
ment issued  to  the  men  by  the  different  companies  here.  It 
is  not  based  on  any  market  quotations,  and  is  in  no  way  de- 
pendent on  future  conditions.  The  announcement  that  the 
operators  had  decided  to  raise  wages  came  as  a  surprise.  It 
was  generally  thought  that  no  steps  would  be  taken  in  the 
matter  until  after  the  State  Industrial  Commission  had  investi- 
gated the  wage  situation  and  made  some  recommendation. 
Members  of  the  Commission  did  not  put  in  an  appearance, 
although  it  is  reported  that  they  were  securing  information  on 
local  conditions.  The  delay  on  the  part  of  the  Commission 
caused  the  operators  to  get  together  and  carefully  consider  the 
wage  question.  They  came  to  the  conclusion  that  under  the 
existing  conditions  an  increase  was  justified,  and  quietly  in- 
formed their  employees  of  the  new  schedule  when  issuing  pay- 
checks on  December  5.  The  increase  dates  from  the  1st  of  the 
month.  Leadville  is  now  a  $3.50  district  for  miners.  All  the 
large  producers  have  instituted  the  new  schedule,  including  the 
Iron  Silver  Mining  Co.,  Western  Mining  Co.,  Empire  Zinc  Co., 
Leadville  Unit  of  the  U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.,  Star  Consolidated  Min- 
ing Co.,  Yak  Mining  &  Milling  Co..  Down  Town  Mines  Co., 
Julia  Mining  Co.,  Dinero  Mining  Co.,  Valley  Mining  Co.,  Louis- 
ville Mine,  the  Bowden  Leases,  and  others. 

The  Progress  Mining  &  Milling  Co.  has  just  completed  a 
unit  of  the  Wilson  mill  at  Robinson  having  a  capacity  of  from 
150  to  200  tons,  using  a  new  process  that  had  been  tried  pre- 
viously and  proved  a  success  by  William  B.  Brooks,  assistant 
manager.  The  company  was  first  organized  about  four  years 
ago  by  Mr.  Brooks  and  others,  and  until  the  early  part  of  this 
year  work  was  confined  to  laboratory  tests  at  Leadville,  on 
the  lead-zinc  ores  of  the  Leadville  and  Robinson  districts.  The 
first  plans  of  the  company  after  fully  proving  the  success  of  the 
process,  included  the  taking  over  of  the  old  American  Zinc 
company's  mill  near  the  portal  of  the  Yak  tunnel.  This  deal 
was  not  closed,  and  the  attention  of  the  company  was  turned 
to  the  old  Wilson  mill  at  Robinson,  situated  in  the  centre  of 
one  of  the  largest  and  richest  lead-zinc  areas  of  the  State.  The 
manager,  Ross  D.  McCausland,  and  assistant  manager,  W.  B. 
Brooks,  entered  the  Robinson  district  in  March,  and  purchased 
the  Wilson  mill  and  mining  property  of  26  patented  claims. 
The  work  of  overhauling  the  old  plant  and  installing  new- 
machinery  was  commenced  at  once.  In  spite  of  numerous 
delays  in  delivery  of  equipment,  rapid  and  satisfactory  progress 
was  made.  The  plant  is  capable  of  treating  from  150  to  200 
tons  per  day.  It  is  equipped  with  a  1000-ton  crushing-plant, 
the  largest  set  of  Traylor  rolls  in  the  State,  Denver  Engineer- 
ing Works'  ball-mills,  Dewey  roasters,  Wilfley,  Butchart,  and 
Deister  tables,  and  a  K.  &  K.  flotation  machine,  the  last  being 
delivered  at  the  plant  a  few  days  ago.    The  trial  runs  that  have 


been  made  since  the  installation  of  the  flotation  machine  prove 
the  value  of  the  process.  After  being  crushed  the  ore  is  re- 
duced to  40-mesh  in  the  tube-mills.  Tables  concentrate  out  the 
lead,  silica  being  discharged  in  the  tailing.  The  zinc-iron 
middling  is  roasted  in  the  Dewey  machines,  then  separated  by 
flotation.  The  process  recovers  80%  of  the  zinc  in  a  concen- 
trate containing  at  least  40%  metal.  The  greater  part  of  the 
gold-content  remains  in  the  iron;  the  lead  contains  the  silver. 
The  process  will  yield  these  products:  lead  concentrate  carry- 
ing some  gold  and  silver,  zinc  concentrate,  and  a  low-grade 
iron  concentrate  containing  most  of  the  gold.  The  zinc  and 
lead  will  be  marketed  separately,  and  the  iron  will  be  stored 
to  be  cyanided  in  the  coming  spring,  when  a  plant  will  be 
erected  for  this  purpose.  Results  from  the  second  days'  run 
showed  the  galena  from  the  tables  to  assay  75%  lead,  and  only 
1%  zinc.  The  zinc  concentrate  from  the  flotation  machine 
assayed  from  40%  to  46%  metal,  with  a  trace  of  lead.  These 
results  prove  beyond  any  doubt  the  efficiency  of  the  process 
for  the  separation  of  Robinson  ore,  and  may  be  looked  upon 
with  considerable  satisfaction. 

The  Progress  company  controls  a  great  supply  of  ore.  At 
present,  there  are  800  tons  of  crushed  ore  in  the  mill-bins,  and 
30  railroad  carloads  on  the  siding  at  the  plant.  The  company 
owns  the  Wilson  property,  has  a  lease  and  bond  on  the  Robin- 
son, Felicia  Grace,  and  Champion,  and  has  contracted  for  the 
output  of  the  Michigan,  Colonel  Sellers,  and  surrounding 
mines.  Engineers  who  recently  inspected  these  mines,  and 
those  who  made  reports  on  them  in  the  past,  place  the  mini- 
mum milling  ore  available  as  3,000,000  tons,  and  the  maximum 
at  nearly  double  that  figure.  The  average  value  of  the  ore 
as  determined  by  numerous  samples  taken  from  every  vein, 
streak,  and  face  of  ore  now  open  is  $20  per  ton;  many  of  the 
samples  assayed  above  $50  per  ton.  No  ore  under  $15  will  be 
purchased  by  the  company  under  contract. 

The  Robinson  district  is  credited  with  a  production  of  $36,- 
000,000,  the  old  Robinson  mine  alone  contributing  $6,000,000. 
At  the  time  of  this  output,  nothing  but  ore  that  had  a  gross 
value  of  $100  per  ton,  or  better,  was  mined,  with  the  result 
that  much  of  the  ore  remaining  is  of  fair  value.  With  the 
present  high  prices  for  lead  and  silver  it  is  possible  that  a 
large  tonnage  will  be  mined  of  sufficient  value  to  be  shipped 
direct  to  the  smelters  without  separation.  The  Progress  com- 
pany also  proposes  to  do  some  deep  mining  in  its  territory. 
All  of  the  ore  that  has  so  far  been  discovered  in  the  district 
has  been  found  in  what  is  known  as  the  Robinson  contact, 
lying  between  the  white  sandstone  and  blue  lime.  The  ore  in 
this  contact  has  been  developed  to  a  depth  of  1200  ft.  in  the 
Wilson  mine,  but  no  work  has  been  done  below  it.  Diamond- 
drill  holes  put  down  from  the  old  Robinson  tunnel  several 
years  ago  cut  a  strong  sulphide  shoot  at  a  depth  of  212  ft. 
below  the  tunnel-level.  The  ore  gave  fair  value  in  gold.  The 
formations  that  have  proved  so  productive  in  the  Leadville 
district  underlie  the  deepest  workings  in  the  Robinson  area. 
These  will  be  penetrated  during  the  coming  summer  by  several 
drill-holes  to  be  put  down  from  the  lowest  level  of  the  Wilson 
mine. 

Officers  of  the  company  are:  Philip  S.  Smith,  president;  Ross 
D.  McCausland,  vice-president  and  manager;  William  B. 
Brooks,  assistant  manager;  and  M.  E.  Peters,  secretary.  The 
first  three  named,  with  B.  W.  McCausland  and  Martin  Barber, 
form  the  board  of  directors.  The  main  offices  of  the  company 
are  at  926  Equitable  building,  Denver. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


921 


JOPLIN,  MISSOURI 
A  Si'Kvky  OF  TiiK  Missoiki-Kansas-Oki.ahoma  REGION. 

Increasing  zinc-ore  prices  during  the  past  two  months  have 
brought  this  district  out  of  its  summer  dullness  to  activity  not 
exceeded  heretofore,  with,  the  possible  exception  of  June,  1915, 
when  ore  sold  for  $137.50  per  ton,  basis  of  60%  metal-content. 
In  September  the  average  basis  price  of  zinc  concentrate  was 
$55.62;  in  October,  $65.56;  and  in  November,  $86.25.  As  a 
result  of  these  substantial  advances,  many  properties  that  were 
shut-down  during  the  summer  have  been  started  once  more. 
The  immediate  prospect  is  unusual  activity  all  winter. 

The  only  serious  trouble  is  the  power  question.  Low  water 
due  to  the  drought,  resulting  in  bad  water,  caused  boiler 
trouble  at  the  Empire  District  Electric  Co.'s  Riverton  plant. 
Added  to  this,  the  company's  three  large  turbo-generators 
have  burned  out,  one  after  another,  and  during  the  past  week 
the  breaking-down  of  the  last  engine  necessitated  an  order 
from  the  company  prohibiting  the  use  of  electric  current  at 
the  mines  for  anything  except  pumping.  It  is  estimated  that 
this  means  a  curtailment  of  at  least  20%  of  the  district's  pro- 
duction, some  of  the  larger  properties  affected  being  the  Picher 
mills  at  Picher,  Oklahoma,  the  A.  W.  C.  mines  at  Joplin,  and 
the  American  Z.  L.  &  S.  Co.'s  Klondike  mill  at  Granby.  These 
use  electricity  exclusively,  and  besides  these  there  are  many 
other  smaller  properties  so  equipped  with  motors.  Many  oper- 
ators would  use  steam  or  gas,  but  they  have  no  assurance  of 
being  able  to  get  gas,  and  coal-dealers  are  refusing  to  supply 
new  heavy  consumers,  declaring  it  is  all  they  can  do  to  take 
care  of  their  present  customers.  In  the  meantime  the  power 
company  is  sparing  no  expense  to  get  running  once  more, 
spending  not  less  than  $300,000  in  order  to  make  certain  that 
similar  trouble  will  not  occur  again. 

Notwithstanding  the  power  shortage,  the  output  of  the  dis- 
trict is  greater  than  ever,  the  continued  extraordinary  devel- 
opments in  the  Oklahoma  field  being  principally  responsible. 
During  the  past  week  the  'turn-in'  from  the  Miami  district  was 
in  excess  of  2000  tons  of  blende,  and  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  it  will  be  close  to  this  every  week  from  now  on, 
and  may  even  exceed  it.  Most  of  the  development  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  Picher,  Cardin,  and  Century,  the  new  centres  that 
have  sprung-up,  mushroom-like,  in  the  past  18  months,  on  the 
level  prairie  4J  miles  north  of  Commerce.  At  Picher,  the 
Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co.'s  four  mills  are  making  regular  turn-ins. 
The  Netta,  the  last  of  these  mills  to  be  erected,  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  district,  having  a  capacity  of  1200  tons  in  24 
hours. 

At  Century,  the  Montreal  Mining  Co.  has  just  completed  the 
construction  of  a  new  mill,  and  is  regularly  in  the  turn-in  list. 
This  property  was  the  richest  hand-jig  mine  ever  opened  here, 
and  promises  to  be  almost  as  much  a  record-breaker  as  a  mill- 
ing property. The  Lucky  Kid  also  is  operating  regularly 

now,  with  large  production. The  Welsh  Mining  Co.  has  just 

completed  a  new  400-ton  concentrating  plant  that  will  add  to 
the  output.  This  company  is  backed  by  the  Church-Mabon 
interests  that  developed  the  ground  at  this  point.  It  was  rich 
almost  from  the  first  drill-hole,  but  is  expensive  in  pumping. 
The  pumps  now  at  work  include  a  Pomona  with  a  capacity  of 
4000  gal.  per  minute,  a  10-in.  Texas  centrifugal  pump,  and  a 
smaller  Pomona,  besides  a  number  of  air-lift  pumps.  It  is 
asserted  that  the  Church-Mabon  interests  have  expended  not 
less  than  $50,000  for  pumping  alone. 

At  Cardin,  the  Blue  Goose  and  Beaver  mines  continue  to  be 
heavy  producers.  A  new  company  has  taken  hold  of  the  Corn- 
field, and  will  start  it  during  the  coming  week,  working  on  a 

newly-discovered  deposit  of  the  north-east  part  of  the  lease. 

Construction  of  two  new  mills  has  been  started  by  the  Com- 
merce Mining  &  Royalty  Co.,  owners  of  the  Beaver  and  Blue 
Goose,  one  to  be  known  as  the  Blue  Jay.  The  U.  S.  Smelting 
Co.  has  just  completed  the  re-construction  of  the  old  Ravens- 


wood  mill,  which  it  moved  from  Reeds,  Missouri,  on  a  60-acre 

lease  not  far  from  the  Blue  Goose. The  Walker  Mining  Co. 

has  started  working  its  new  mill. The  Underwriters  new 

mill  is  yielding  concentrate  at  the  rate  of  more  than  100  tons 
per  week. The  Admiralty  Zinc  Co.  now  has  three  mills  oper- 
ating.  Numerous  other  companies  are  at  work,  drilling  or 

preparing  to  start  new  mills. 

In  the  Webb  City-Carterville  district  of  Missouri,  the  most 
important  addition  to  the  producers  is  the  Red  Bird  Mining 
Co.'s  plant,  owned  by  Tulsa,  Oklahoma,  parties  already  largely 
interested  in  this  field,  and  situated  on  the  site  of  the  old  En- 


THE  ZINC-LEAD   DISTRICT   OF   OKLAHOMA. 

deavor  mine,  just  south  of  the  American  Z.  L.  &  S.  Co.'s  group. 
This  plant  started  a  few  weeks  ago  and  is  producing  60  tons 
of  blende  and  a  similar  amount  of  lead  each  week,  and  yet  is 
operating  the  mine  and  mill  only  one  shift.  This  also  excludes 
the  sludge  output,  which  averages  4£  .tons  daily.  The  sludge- 
plant  consists  of  12  tables,  with  three  more  to  be  added  this 
week,  a  Henry  screen  for  sizing,  and  a  40-ft.  Dorr  thickener. 
The  sludge-plant  is  operated  by  electric  motor,  but  the  re- 
mainder of  the  plant  by  steam,  there  being  three  150-hp. 
forced-draught  boilers,  an  innovation  for  this  district.  It  is 
expected  that  the  present  output  will  be  doubled  when  two 
shifts  are  employed,  in  the  near  future. 

As  previously  mentioned,  the  output  from  Joplin  has  been 
greatly  reduced  during  the  past  6  weeks  by  shortage  of  water 
and  electricity.  The  A.  W.  C.  mines  west  of  the  city,  with 
four  motor-driven  concentrating  plants,  have  been  able  to 
operate  only  half-time,  so  far  as  power  was  concerned,  and 
could  not  work  even  this  much  most  of  the  time  on  account 
of  the  water.  The  company  also  had  a  surplus  of  1000  tons 
of  blende  in  its  bins,  and  it  is  believed  this  had  something  to 
do  with  a  several  weeks'  shut-down,  which  is  now  at  an  end. 
The  blende,  which  the  company  willingly  had  sold  at  one  time 
for  $75  per  ton  was  sold  a  week  ago  at  $95  basis.  The  plants 
are  in  operation  again. 

At  Duenweg  the  new  plant  of  the  Coahuila  Mining  Co.  has 
been  the  biggest  producer,  and  continues  such.  The  company 
this  week  started  up  its  No.  1  mill  once  more,  after  a  shut-down 
since  early  in  September;  and  also  its  No.  2  plant  at  Carthage, 

formerly    the    Hermosa. At    Duenweg   the    Evans-Hall-Soy 

mine,  once  known  as  the  Rosebud,  after  a  modest  beginning 
following  the  completion  of  its  new  concentrating  plant,  has 
developed  into  a  consistently  heavy  producer,  with  fine  pros- 


922 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


pects. The  Wampler  interests  have  just  got  a  shaft  into  ore 

on  a  lease  south-west  of  the  town,  and  hope  to  have  a  profitable 
mine  in  virgin  ground.  If  they  are  successful  it  will  mean  the 
extension  of  the  Duenweg  field  to  the  south-west  a  half-mile  or 
more.  The  formation  is  similar  to  that  found  at  the  Baltic 
and  Wilson  mines. 

Production  at  Granby,  while  handicapped  so  far  as  the 
largest  plant  was  concerned,  (the  Klondike,  which  is  electric- 
ally equipped),  has  been  making  big  turn-ins  during  the  past 
few  weeks,  particularly  of  silicate.  To  a  large  extent  it  is  ore 
that  was  hand-cobbed  during  the  summer,  and  held  for  higher 
prices. 

On  the  whole,  the  immediate  prospects  for  the  Missouri- 
Kansas-Oklahoma  region  are  very  satisfactory.  The  large 
surplus  of  zinc  concentrate  that  was  on  hand  two  months  ago 
has  not  entirely  disappeared,  but  so  nearly  that  little  is  heard 
of  it  as  a  bearish  tendency  on  the  market.  It  is  expected  that 
the  shortage  in  electric  power  will  be  entirely  eliminated  by 
the  first  of  the  year,  and  while  cold  weather  will  affect  pro- 
duction somewhat,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  year  will 
end  with  the  weekly  output  from  the  mines  heavier  than  ever 
before  in  the  history  of  the  district. 


PLATTEVILLE,  WISCONSIN 
Satisfactory  Conditions  in  the  Zinc,  Lead,  and  Pvbite  Busi- 
ness During  Novembee. 

Wisconsin  zinc  and  lead  miners  enjoyed  an  unusually  pros- 
perous period  during  November.  Remarkable  advances  were 
made  in  the  prices  of  all  mineral  products  offered  for  sale; 
weather  conditions  were  ideal,  allowing  uninterrupted  opera- 
tions and  perfect  roads  for  teaming;  tension  in  the  labor  de- 
mand, which  was  acute  at  the  beginning  of  the  month  was 
lessened  but  not  entirely  relieved;  and  power  furnished  by 
the  principal  generating  plants  supplying  the  entire  field  was 
constant,  and  acknowledged  to  be  fair  by  leading  operators. 
With  this  combination  of  advantages  it  was  surmised  there 
would  be  a  stimulated  recovery  of  ore  extracted,  but  it  did 
nothing  of  the  kind,  and  no  deep  search  was  required  to  ascer- 
tain the  reason.  As  prices,  especially  for  zinc  ore,  rose  from 
day  to  day,  miners  prudently  calculated  that  it  would  both 
pay  to  hold  ore  ready  for  shipment  and  conserve  ore  under- 
ground. In  this  they  again  proved  their  business  acumen,  and 
for  a  time  while  prices  were  soaring  shipments  of  high-grade 
zinc  ore  from  refining  plants  to  smelter  were  significantly 
light.  The  beginning  of  November  found  blende  in  ordinary 
demand  at  $70  per  ton,  base  of  60%  zinc-content.  Medium  and 
second  grades  held  at  $5  per  ton  less,  the  range  including  ore 
assaying  as  low  as  50%  metal.  Under  this  last  figure  all 
grades  were  designated  as  low,  and  many  independent  pro- 
ducers actually  went  begging  for  a  market.  This  condition 
was  of  brief  duration;  immediately  the  spelter  market  dis- 
played bullish  tendencies,  the  price  of  zinc  ore  began  to  climb, 
and  all  grades  of  zinc  ore  were  in  active  demand., 

The  reserve  of  ore  in  the  field  at  the  close  of  October,  and 
conservatively  estimated  at  2000  tons,  was  soon  eliminated, 
one  quick  deal  for  1000  tons  being  closed  in  the  Linden  dis- 
trict, and  the  Eagle-Picher  company  cleaned-up  the  remainder 
in  both  the  Mifflin  and  Dodgeville  districts.  Toward  the  close 
of  November  there  was  almost  a  complete  reversal  of  ideas  on 
low-grade  ore,  which  was  being  bid-in  on  a  basis  of  $1.20  per 
unit  of  zinc-content.  Whereas  at  the  beginning  of  the  month 
some  producers  had  been  seeking  a  market,  at  the  close  a 
genuine  scarcity  of  low-grade  products  to  keep  reduction 
plants  running  full  time  had  manifested  itself,  and  sharp 
competition  developed  among  buyers  to  cover  this  class  of  ore 
offered  in  open  market  to  the  highest  bidder.  During  this 
state  of  affairs  the  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.  was  exceedingly  active, 
in  numerous  instances  over-bidding  its  nearest  competitor  sev- 
eral dollars  per  ton;    in  this  manner  it  managed  to  obtain 


most  of  the  low-grade  ore  offered,  and  shipments  of  high-grade 
refinery  material  from  its  separating  plants  at  Mineral  Point 
exceeded  6,000,000  lb.  The  Eagle-Picher  Lead  Co.  was  also 
active  in  its  quest  for  high-grade  zinc  ore,  and  secured  a  fair 
quantity.  The  Grasselli  Chemical  Co.  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  be- 
came the  runner-up  for  the  field  on  buying,  following  closely  on 
the  heels  of  the  New  Jersey  Zinc  Co.,  and  through  contract 
arrangements  cutting-in  on  several  of  the  old-established 
buying-agents  here.  The  Wisconsin  Roasters  and  the  National 
Separators  treated  large  quantities  of  low-grade  ore,  and  ship- 
ments of  finished  product  became  heavier  toward  the  end  of 
the  month. 

The  close  of  November  found  miners  exceedingly  affluent, 
and  in  good  humor  for  Thanksgiving  Day.  Zinc  ore  had 
reached  the  $100  mark  for  premium  grades,  and  the  base  held" 
strong  at  $98  per  ton  for  60%  blende.  All  other  grades  were  in 
good  demand,  and  producers  displayed  a  uniform  tendency  to 
withhold  shipments.  Whether  this  followed  a  concerted  agree- 
ment or  otherwise  is  not  known,  but  the  situation  was  quite 
apparent  to  the  close  observer. 

In  other  ways  November  contributed  material  gains  to  a  still 
higher  stage  in  physical  development  of  the  local  field.  Newly- 
developed  mines,  with  complete  modern  equipment,  were  intro- 
duced for  the  first  time  in  the  Linden,  Mifflin,  Platteville, 
Benton,  and  New  Diggings  districts.  Official  announcement 
was  made  by  the  Wisconsin  Zinc  Co.  that  early  in  1917,  three 
new  power  and  mining  plants  would  be  constructed  in  the 
Benton  district.  A  mill  was  being  built  at  the  Champion  mine 
at  New  Diggings  during  November,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to 
wash  out  all  lime  compounds  from  the  finished  refinery  ore,  a 
contamination  for  which  refiners  are  at  present  suffering 
severe  penalties.  Several  classifiers  and  eight  slime-tables 
were  being  installed.  In  addition  to  the  improvement  made 
by  the  building  of  the  wet  mill  a  great  warehouse  was  being 
erected  where  supplies  of  all  kinds  for  the  mines,  mills,  re- 
fineries, and  boarding-houses  of  the  Wisconsin  Zinc  Co.  will  be 
stored.  Drilling  operations  continued  effectively  in  the  south- 
ern districts,  and  several  new  mining  companies  were  or- 
ganized. 

Proportionate  gains  were  registered  in  the  price  of  lead  ore, 
zinc  carbonate  ore — of  which  a  small  quantity  was  marketed 
during  November,  and  iron  pyrite.  Lead  ore  was  in  fair  de- 
mand at  the  beginning  of  the  month  on  a  basis  of  $80  per  ton, 
the  price  advancing  steadily  until  $91  had  been  reached.  Even 
with  this  inducement  at  hand  a  small  tonnage  cleared,  pro- 
ducers scenting  higher  prices  and  withholding  shipments. 

Carbonate  ore,  quotations  for  which  are  governed  by  cala- 
mine quotations  of  the  Joplin  field,  Missouri,  made  substantial 
advances,  going  from  $40  to  $65  per  ton,  basis  of  40%  zinc- 
content.  Wisconsin  miners  were  at  the  mercy  of  such  buying 
as  was  offered  by  outside  interests,  fair-grade  ore  selling  on  a 
basis  of  $30  per  ton,  at  which  price  a  small  tonnage  cleared, 
the  bulk  of  the  ore  held  being  carried  over. 

Iron  pyrite  that  has  been  coming  from  the  reduction  plants 
exclusively,  and  mainly  under  contract  arrangement,  showed 
increases  in  price,  the  average  being  $4  to  $5  per  ton  at  the 
beginning  of  the  month.  Offers  of  $10  per  ton  were  revealed 
in  certain  quarters,  but  shippers  tied-up  under  contract  failed 
to  share  in  the  improved  prices.  Crude  iron  pyrite,  in  the 
hands  of  independent  producers,  was  not  to  be  had,  as  mines 
capable  of  producing  in  quantity  had  long  been  abandoned 
because  of  the  unsatisfactory  state  of  the  market  all  the  year, 
so  there  was  no  one  so  situated  in  this  respect  that  might  take 
advantage  of  the  increase  in  price.  An  attempt  to  raise  crude 
pyrite  was  being  made  to  meet  the  better  market. 

Deliveries  of  ore  from  the  1st  to  25th  were  44,376,000  lb. 
zinc,  722,000  lb.  lead,  and  5,586,000  lb.  of  pyrite.  The  gross  re- 
covery of  crude  ore  totaled  37,000,000  lb.;  net  refinery  ore  to 
smelter  direct  and  mine  run  under  contract  to  Grasselli  Chem- 
ical Co.  24,000,000  lb.  There  was  2000  tons  of  reserve  ore  in 
the  field,  all  grades,  at  the  end  of  the  month. 


December  28,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


923 


SUTTER    CREEK.  CALIFORNIA 
Oi.n  Eureka,  Keystone,  Central  Eureka,  anm  Soi  hi  Euseka. 

The  shaft  at  the  Old  Eureka  mine  has  been  tinwatered  and 
re-timbered  to  a  depth  of  1150  ft.  from  the  surface.  The  shaft 
Appears  to  be  in  good  condition  as  the  water  recedes,  and  no 
caves  have  been  encountered  since  passing  the  SOO-ft.  station. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  charred  timbers  found  near  500 
ft.,  no  evidence  has  so  far  been  found  of  the  fire  that  is  said 
to  have  caused  the  closing  of  the  property  years  ago.  so  the 
damage  done  by  that  fire  must  have  been  confined  to  other 
shafts  of  the  property.  Men  are  engaged  this  week  installing 
the  new  engine,  and  in  building  up  around  the  collar  of  the 
shaft  to  bring  it  to  the  level  of  the  new  hoist.  The  construc- 
tion of  a  large  change-house  for  the  miners  will  be  commenced 
as  soon  as  the  necessary  lumber  arrives. 

The  heavy  rain  here  during  the  early  part  of  last  week 
caused  a  small  landslide  on  the  hillside  behind  the  new  hoist 
building  in  course  of  construction  at  the  Old  Eureka  mine, 
and  some  damage  was  done  to  the  foundations  being  laid 
there  for  machinery.  A  small  retaining  wall  will  prevent 
trouble  of  this  kind  in  the  future.  The  shaft  has  been  un- 
watered  to  a  point  just  below  the  1200-ft.  station,  and  good 
headway  is  also  being  made  in  raising  and  filling  in  around  the 
shaft-collar. 

The  Old  Eureka  shaft  has  now  been  cleared  and  re-timbered 
to  a  depth  of  1225  ft.,  some  delay  having  been  caused  by  catch- 
ing up  a  small  cave  at  the  SOO-ft.  station  and  in  handling  in- 
creased water.  From  50,000  to  60,000  ft.  of  square  timbers 
monthly  is  being  used  in  the  shaft.  The  dirt  road  leading 
from  the  county  highway  across  the  gulch  to  the  mine  is  being 
reinforced  -with  broken  greenstone,  several  men  and  teams 
being  engaged  at  this  improvement.  John  R.  Cahill  of  San 
Francisco  has  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  new  head- 
frame  and  ore-bins.  This  structure  is  gradually  taking  shape, 
as  the  immense  timbers  are  being  bolted  into  place  above  the 
36-ft.  concrete  piers.  Two  of  the  hoist-drums  have  been  put 
into  place  in  the  new  engine-room  built  east  of  the  shaft,  and 
foundations  for  the  engine  are  ready,  so  that  the  engine  could 
be  ready  for  operation  within  a  few  days  were  it  not  for  the 
delay  in  arrival  of  electric  equipment.  Factories  are  so  far 
behind  with  their  orders  that  motors  ordered  last  February 
for  this  plant  have  not  yet  been  delivered,  and  it  seems  likely 
that  there  will  be  still  further  delay.  The  new  hoist  will  have 
a  lifting  capacity  of  15,000  lb.  from  a  depth  of  3300  ft.,  1200  ft. 
below  the  present  bottom  of  the  mine.  The  Old  Eureka  hoist- 
ing plant  is  of  similar  construction  to  that  recently  installed . 
at  the  Plymouth  Consolidated  Mines,  although  the  latter  is 
designed  for  a  5000-ft.  haul. 

The  Keystone  mine  is  to  resume  regular  mining  operations 
about  the  15th  of  this  month,  by  which  time  the  shaft  repair- 
work  started  during  the  strike  will  be  completed.  The  shaft 
has  been  re-timbered  to  a  point  400  ft.  from  the  surface  with 
timbers  18  by  18  in.,  and  IS  ft.  in  length.  The  shaft-stations 
have  also  been  enlarged  and  improved,  concrete  floors  having 
been  laid  and  modern  appliances  installed  for  handling  sup- 
plies and  ore.  The  company  is  also  paying  particular  atten- 
tion to  sanitation  and  taking  every  possible  precaution  to 
safeguard  the  lives  of  its  employees.  C.  R.  Downs  of  Sutter 
Creek  is  superintendent,  and  B.  I.  Hoxsie  is  the  foreman. 

After  two  weeks'  hauling  by  means  of  a  large  truck,  all  the 
machinery,  buildings,  and  equipment  of  every  description  have 
been  transferred  from  the  Amador  Queen  mine  south  of  Jack- 
son to  the  North  Star  shaft  of  the  South  Keystone  group.  All 
possible  speed-  is  being  made  in  getting  the  plant  installed  at 
its  new  site.  Owing  to  the  small  amount  of  water  in  this  shaft, 
only  a  short  time  need  elapse  before  driving  and  cross-cutting 
can  be  started  at  the  600-ft.  level  to  prospect  the  several  claims 
of  this  consolidation.  John  A.  Mclntire  of  Sacramento,  who  is 
largely  interested  in  this  property,  was  a  Sutter  Creek  visitor 
last  week. 


A  cross-cut  driven  640  ft.  west  from  the  1800-ft.  station  of 
the  Central  Eureka  mine  has  cut  some  good-looking  quartz 
within  the  past  few  days.  While  low  grade  at  the  point  of 
intersection,  drifts  will  be  run  north  and  south  on  the  vein, 
which  appears  strong  and  of  good  width.  In  the  hope  of  In- 
suring more  rapid  progress  in  sinking  the  shaft,  the  manage- 
ment contemplates  having  the  men  do  the  work  on  contract. 
The  progress  made  since  sinking  commenced  has  not  been  up 
to  expectations  so  far,  and  it  is  imperative  that  the  shaft  be 
sunk  and  new  levels  opened  with  the  least  expense,  as  the  mine 
is  being  operated  on  assessments.  The  vein  just  encountered 
in  the  west  ground  is  an  encouraging  feature,  for  it  was  in 
cross-cutting  to  the  west  in  the  adjoining  South  Eureka  ground 
that  the  rich  orebodies  were  developed  several  years  ago,  Just 
in  time  to  save  that  mine  from  closing  down  after  a  long 
period  of  assessments.  The  president,  V.  S.  Walsh,  and  J. 
Toplitz,  one  of  the  directors,  visited  the  property  during  the 
past  week.  Fred  Jost  is  superintendent  and  W.  J.  Bryant 
foreman. 

Contracts  have  been  let  for  sinking  the  Central  Eureka 
shaft  at  the  rate  of  $21  per  foot,  the  company  furnishing  en- 
gineers, all  tools,  and  supplies,  except  powder.  Better  progress 
has  been  made  during  the  past  week,  the  shaft  having  reached 
a  point  about  100  ft.  below  the  3200-ft.  level.  It  is  expected 
that  sufficient  ore  will  be  developed  by  opening  two  new  levels 
below  3200  ft.  to  keep  the  mine  in  successful  operation  for 
many  years. 

An  encouraging  development  was  made  at  the  Oneida  mine, 
part  of  the  South  Eureka  company's  holdings,  during  the 
week,  a  lode  of  good  milling  grade,  varying  in  width  from  5 
to  15  ft,  having  been  opened  for  a  length  of  109  ft.  on  the 
2600-ft.  level.  The  orebody  so  far  gives  every  indication  of 
persistence,  and  its  discovery  at  this  depth  is  particularly 
pleasing  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  ore  heretofore  encoun- 
tered in  the  lower  levels  of  this  mine  has  proved  of  low  value. 
The  Oneida  was  at  one  time  equipped  with  a  60-stamp  mill, 
and  the  grade  of  ore  mined  in  the  upper  levels  gave  promise 
of  a  great  future  for  the  property,  but  the  lower-grade  ma- 
terial found  at  depth  discouraged  the  owners,  who  ceased  op- 
erations, disposed  of  their  milling  equipment,  and  finally  sold 
their  holdings  to  the  South  Eureka  company.  A  cross-cut  was 
driven  on  the  1800-ft.  level  to  connect  the  two  shafts,  and  for 
a  long  time  the  shaft  below  this  connection  was  not  unwatered. 
Sufficient  ore  was  mined  above  1S00  ft.  to  keep  20  stamps  in 
operation  for  a  few  months  prior  to  the  strike,  but  if  this  re- 
cent discovery  proves  as  valuable  as  expected,  the  mill  capacity 
will  doubtless  shortly  be  increased. 

The  orebody  discovered  recently  on  the  lowest  level  of  the 
Oneida  mine  is  widening  as  work  progresses,  and  still  retains 
its  Talue.  For  the  first  100  ft.  or  so  of  driving  the  vein  varied 
in  width  from  5  to  15  ft. ;  it  has  now  been  driven  on  for  about 
200  ft.  and  measures  30  ft.  across  the  face.  The  old  ore-bin  at 
the  shaft-collar  has  been  repaired,  and  a  new  bin  and  waste 
chutes  are  now  in  course  of  construction.  Twenty  stamps  are 
dropping  constantly. 

L.  R.  Poundstone  of  Colusa  was  a  Sutter  Creek  visitor  last 
week  on  business  connected  with  the  Rose  mine,  which  is  east 
of  Sutter  Creek.  An  engineer  and  pump-man  are  keeping  the 
main  shaft  on  the  hill  unwatered,  and  it  is  understood  that 
negotiations  are  pending  for  a  change  of  ownership  and  a  re- 
sumption of  operations.  The  present  plant  consists  of  a 
20-stamp  mill,  small  hoist,  and  compressor;  and  there  are  two 
shafts  in  good  condition. 

A  few  men  are  employed  unwatering  and  repairing  the 
Hardenburg  shaft  near  the  Mokelumne  river,  south  of  Jackson. 
The  mine  has  been  idle  for  three  years  and  the  condition  of 
the  shaft  is  such  that  only  a  few  men  can  be  worked  to  ad- 
vantage at  present;  but  a  new  pumping  plant  is  being  in- 
stalled, which  will  result  in  better  progress.  Other  improve- 
ments are  being  made,  the  surface  plant  receiving  a  thorough 
overhauling. 


924 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


i;nii!;aiiriiiiilili!iiililiii ml : ill ; n; ;m 


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<TMm    MHSfHSf®    lilllF 

The  news  of  the  week  as  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 


ALASKA 

Juneau.  The  November  yield  of  the  Alaska  Gastineau  was 
167,600  tons  of  ore  assaying  $1.13  per  ton.  Compared  with 
October  there  was  an  increase  of  9600  tons,  but  a  decrease  of 
19c.  per  ton  in  value.    The  recovery  was  81.71%. 

The  suit  of  the  Ebner  v.  the  Alaska-Juneau  company  con- 
cerning water-rights  on  Gold  creek  is  still  before  the  Court  at 
San  Francisco,  and  a  decision  will  not  be  given  until  next  May. 

Appropriations  submitted  to  Congress  include  $100,000  for 


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AT    THE    ALASKA    GASTINEAU    PROPERTY,    JUNEAU. 

a  bridge  across  Gastineau  channel   from   Juneau  to   Douglas 
island. 

ARIZONA 

Globe.  A  large  deposit  of  high-grade  manganese  is  being 
developed  east  of  the  Big  Johnnie  claims  of  the  Old  Dominion 
company,  and  adjoining  the  Iron  Cap  mine.  Wright  &  Buck- 
ingham are  lessees.  Thirteen  carloads  have  been  sent  to 
Chicago.    A  company  has  been  formed  to  extend  operations. 

On  the  800-ft.  level  of  the  Iron  Cap  mine  the  Arizona  Com- 
mercial vein  was  cut  last  week  showing  5  ft.  of  bornite. 

Mater.  This  district  of  Yavapai  county  is  reported  to  be 
very  busy.  There  are  250  men  at  the  Blue  Bell,  150  at  the 
Stoddard,  150  at  the  Henrietta,  100  at  the  De  Soto,  and  100  at 
the  Butternut.  The  new  400-ton  smelter  of  the  Great  Western 
Smelting  Co.  was  blown-in  last  week.  The  Big  Ledge  and  other 
mines  will  supply  the  ore.  The  plant  was  partly  made  from 
material  at  the  old  United  Verde  smelter  at  Jerome.  A.  C. 
Cole  is  superintendent. 

Miami.  The  Greater  Miami  Copper  Co.'s  manager,  H.  C. 
Malloy,  has  made  a  report  on  the  property.  Two  large  Assures 
have  been  opened  considerably  by  shallow  shafts  and  adits. 
From  one  vein  a  good  deal  of  ore  has  been  mined  and  treated 
locally  in  a  crude  way.  Later  development  opened  high-grade 
copper-gold-silver  ore.  Some  rich  silver  ore  is  to  be  sent  to 
the  Selby  smelter.  No.  2  adit,  started  on  ore  containing  35  to 
42%  zinc,  opened  sulphides  at  a  depth  of  35  ft.,  the  zinc  dis- 
appearing, copper  ore  taking  its  place.  So  far  the  adit  is  in 
84  ft.  in  similar  material.  A  road  2*  miles  is  to  be  constructed, 
costing  $4000.    A  mill  is  proposed. 


CALIFORNIA 

Georgetown.  The  old  Woodside  mine  is  to  be  unwatered  by 
R.  H.  Shannon. 

Oroville.  In  the  Banner  mine  operated  by  Richard  Phillips 
ore  assaying  $25  per  ton  has  been  opened  on  the  400-ft.  level. 
The  vein  is  4  ft.  wide  and  is  getting  wider.  Twenty-flve  men 
are  employed.  Ten  stamps  are  to  start  crushing.  A  transmis- 
sion-line four  miles  long  is  being  erected. 

Redding.  Effective  from  December  1,  employees  (200)  of  the 
Balaklala  Copper  Co.  at  Coram  will  receive  an  increase  of  25c. 
per  shift;  at  Kennett  the  Mammoth  Copper  Co.  is  to  pay  its 
1100  men  a  similar  advance;  and  at  Keswick  the  Mountain 
Copper  Co.  will  do  likewise  to  its  600  employees.  The  lowest 
wage  in  the  copper  belt  is  $3.25  per  day. 

Sonoba.  Diamond-drilling,  and  exploration  at  1300  and 
1800  ft.  constitutes  some  of  the  work  being  done  at  the  Black 
Oak  mine. 

Taylorsville.  Labor  troubles  are  reported  from  the  Engels 
copper  mine  in  Lights  canyon,  caused,  it  is  alleged,  by  I.  W.  W. 
agitators.  Demanding  an  increase  of  wages  from  $4  to  $5  per 
day,  200  men  walked  out,  after  which  the  company  closed  the 
property,  putting  400  out  of  work.  There  was  some  fighting, 
but  this  was  quelled  by  the  Sheriff.  The  strikers  said  that 
men  at  the  Walker  copper  mine,  near  Colfax,  were  getting  $5 
per  shift. 

COLORADO 

Boulder.  A  new  150-ton  tungsten  mill,  using  tables  and 
oil  flotation  apparatus,  was  started  by  the  Gold  Hill  Concen- 
trating Co.  on  the  Slide  dump  last  week.  The  plant  is  backed 
by  G.  W.  Teal,  C.  A.  Barr,  R.  R.  Kermack,  and  C.  Gustafson. 

Cripple  Creek.  An  extra  dividend  of  2c.  a  share  was  paid 
by  the  Portland  on  December  18.  This  equals  $60,000,  and 
makes  $420,000  for  1916. 

Eighty  tons  of  ore  from  the  Shoo  Fly  mine  on  Womack  hill 
was  valued  at  $4000. 

The  Carolina  company  has  taken  over  the  Ajax  mine.  The 
three-compartment  shaft  is  to  be  deepened  from  1450  ft.  to 
water-level,  probably  between  1900  and  2000  ft.  The  upper 
levels  are  to  be  explored. 

The  properties  of  the  Granite  Gold  Mining  Co.  on  Battle 
mountain  are  producing  more  than  100  tons  per  day  of  better 
than  average  grade  ore.  Development  on  company  account  is 
confined  chiefly  to  the  1400  and  1600-ft.  levels  of  the  Dillon 
shaft. 

A  new  company,  the  Modoc  Consolidated  Mines  Co.,  has 
recently  been  formed  to  operate  the  Modoc  mine  situated  in  the 
saddle  between  Battle  mountain  and  Bull  hill.  Among  other 
proposed  work  the  company  intends  to  sink  a  vertical  shaft  to 
a  depth  of  1500  ft.  to  replace  the  old  inclined  shaft.  The 
Modoc  mine  adjoins  the  Portland  estate,  and  so  far  has  pro- 
duced $2,000,000.  A.  H.  Frankenberg  of  Pueblo  is  general 
manager. 

It  is  expected  that  work  will  be  resumed  in  the  heading  of 
the  Roosevelt  drainage-tunnel  about  December  10.  Re-timber- 
ing of  the  Blkton  shaft  from  the  surface  to  the  200-ft.  level 
necessitated  a  cessation  of  work  in  the  tunnel.  The  heading 
was  advanced  295  ft.  during  17  days  of  November  on  which 
work  was  in  progress,  and  is  now  2100  ft.  east  of  the  Elkton 
shaft.  At  the  last  time  measurements  were  taken  the  flow  of 
water  from  the  portal  was  9500  gal.  per  minute. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


925 


On  December  10,  the  Cresson  Consolidated  paid  a  25%  divi- 
dend; In  addition  to  the  regular  monthly  dividend  of  10%;  an 
extra  dividend  of  15%  was  distributed.  It  is  reported  that 
the  extra  payment  will  be  made  from  the  returns  on  three  car- 
loads of  ore  netting  over  $60,000  per  car.  At  a  recent  meet- 
ing of  the  newly-elected  directors  of  the  company,  A.  E. 
Carlton  was  re-elected  president. 

Telluride.  During  November  the  Tomboy  company  treated 
12.000  tons  of  ore  yielding  $96,500.    The  profit  was  $28,500. 

IDAHO 

According  to  Robert  N.  Bell,  State  inspector  of  mines,  the 
lead  and  silver  output  of  Idaho  this  year  will  about  equal  that 
of  1915,  but  the  selling  value  is  much  higher.  Zinc  production 
will  be  much  greater.  The  dividend  total  will  exceed  any 
previous  year. 

Gilmobe.  The  Pittsburg-Idaho  company  paid  6c.  per  share 
on  the  Sth.  This  makes  $100,000  for  the  year.  The  reserve 
fund  is  $100,000;  and  all  debts  have  been  paid.  The  mine  is  in 
good  condition,  and  100  men  are  employed. 

Keixooq.  To  supply  its  new  smelter  with  limestone  the 
Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  company  has  leased  the  old  Evolution 
mine  near  Osburn.  The  rock  contains  a  little  lead,  zinc,  cop- 
per, silver,  and  gold,  and  37.5%  CaO.  The  owner  of  the  prop- 
erty is  to  receive  payment  for  25%  of  the  metal-content  of  the 
rock.  The  mine  has  an  interesting  history,  being  the  first 
quartz  location  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene. 

Pine  Creek  District.  The  Kellogg  United  Mines  Co.,  capi- 
talized for  2,000,000  shares  at  25c.  each,  has  been  organized 
by  Spokane  and  Coeur  d'Alene  men  to  take  over  and  operate 
three  groups  of  claims  in  this  district.  The  incorporators  are 
Samuel  A.  McCoy,  J.  A.  McEachran,  George  H.  Wilson,  and  G. 
W.  Sommer,  all  of  Spokane,  and  Theodore  Brown  of  Kellogg. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.  On  January  1  about  17,000  men  will  participate 
in  the  bonus  distribution  of  25c.  for  each  day  for  every  em- 
ployee who  worked  steadily  from  July  1  to  December  31. 
There  are  now  25,000  men  employed  at  the  copper  mines. 

MISSOURI 

Jefferson  City.  During  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  two 
plants  in  Newton  county  produced  6300  tons  of  tripoli  worth 
$65,767.    This  is  used  as  an  abrasive  and  for  filtering. 

Joplik.  The  electric-power  situation  was  improved  last 
week  by  the  Empire  District  company  starting  a  19,000-hp. 
turbo-generator.  This  will  supply  60%  of  the  district's  normal 
demand,  and  will  suffice  underground  work  on  day  and  mills 
on  night  shift.  A  number  of  mines  thereby  resumed  work. 
A  new  17,000-hp.  generator  is  expected  to  arrive  at  an  early 
date  from  the  General  Electric  Company. 

Ore  prices  were  $5  per  ton  weaker  last  week,  due  to  a  lower 
spelter  market.  The  output  of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma 
region  was  10,132  tons  of  blende,  293  tons  of  calamine,  and  1280 
tons  of  lead,  averaging  $94,  $54,  and  $91  per  ton,  respectively. 
The  total  value  was  $1,071,434,  and  $32,515,132  for  49  weeks. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  During  November  Butte  &  Superior  produced  14,300 
tons  of  concentrate  assaying  53%  zinc  from  53,880  tons  of  ore. 
The  recovery  was  93.7%. 

To  arrange  for  a  spur-line  for  the  eastern  part  of  the  dis- 
trict the  Tuolumne  and  Bullwhaeker  companies  have  con- 
ferred with  the  Great  Northern  Railroad. 

The  Butte-Detroit  company  has  started  the  Ophir  concen- 
trator on  zinc  ore  from  the  Davis-Daly.  The  present  capacity 
is  from  150  to  200  tons  per  day,  which  is  to  be  increased.  This 
is  the  third  zinc  mill  at  Butte,  including  the  Butte  &  Superior 
and  Elm  Orlu. 


Elkhorn.  The  East  Butte  Mining  Co.  should  have  its  mill 
running  early  in  1917.     Its  capacity  is  300  tons  per  day.    The 

main  shaft  is  being  sunk  another  100  ft. The  Rothfuss  & 

Dlckman  mill  Is  operating  with  good  results. The  Elkhorn 

Queen  Is  shipping  regularly,  and  has  a  large  quantity  of  ore 
available. 

Marysvii.le.  During  November  the  Barnes-King  Develop- 
ment Co.'s  bullion  yield  was  $80,024  from  7531  tons  of  ore. 
The  Shannon  mine  contributed  3093  tons  of  $15.80  ore. 

NEVADA 

Ely.  Another  500-ton  unit  is  to  be  erected  at  the  Giroux 
mill  of  the  Consolidated  Copper  Mines  Co.  The  first  unit  is 
expected  to  start  work  early  in  January. 

Goldfield.  At  a  depth  of  840  ft.,  and  800  ft.  north  of  the 
main  station,  the  Reorganized  Kewanas  has  opened  $45  to  $67 
ore.  Work  is  conducted  through  the  Laguna  shaft  .of  the 
Goldfield  Consolidated. 

Goodsprings.  The  Contact,  Copper  Metal,  and  New  Dominion 
groups  of  claims  have  been  acquired  by  C.  B.  Stewart  and 
others  of  Salt  Lake  City. 

A  shipment  of  copper-platinum  ore  from  the  Boss  mine  has 
just  been  treated  at  the  Garfield  smelter.  The  last  carload  was 
settled  for  $6000. 

Luning.  This  district  is  as  active  as  ever,  producing  be- 
tween 2000  and  3000  tons  of  ore  monthly.  Most  of  the  ore  is 
a  carbonate.    The  deepest  shaft  is  450  feet. 

Pioche.  Results  at  the  Consolidated  Nevada-Utah  mill  are 
better  than  expected,  the  capacity  being  10%  greater.  The  ore 
treated  contains  zinc  and  silver.  The  heating  system  is  a 
success.  A  heavy  flow  of  water  was  encountered  on  No.  14 
level. 

Thompson.  When  the  Mason  Valley  company  resumes  smelt- 
ing here,  it  will  have  a  large  supply  of  ore  at  its  own  mine, 
and  at  the  Bluestone  mine  in  charge  of  C.  D.  Kaeding. 

UTAH 

Dividends  paid  by  Utah  companies  during  1916  are  as  fol- 
lows, according  to  the  Herald'Republican  of  Salt  Lake  City : 

Per  share        Amount  To  date 

Cardiff    $0.75  $    375,000  $    500,000 

Centennial-Eureka    1.00  100,000  4,000,000 

Chief  Consolidated   0.20  176,000  527,000 

Eagle  &  Blue  Bell 0.05  45,000  492,600 

Eureka  Hill    1.00  10,000  10,000 

Gemini    16.00  80,000  2,435,000 

Grand  Central    0.04  20,000  1,634,750 

Iron  Blossom    0.35  350,000  2,850,000 

Horn   Silver    0.05  20,000  5,662,000 

Judge    Smelting    1.00  435,000  1,590,000 

Lakeview  Mining    0.10  65,000  124,000 

May  Day    0.07  56,000  300,000 

Mammoth    0.25  100,000  2,420,000 

Pacific  Gold    0.02  8,000  8,000 

Silver  King  Coalition    . . .   0.60  750,000  14,705,000 

Silver  King  Con 0.45  286,875  1,229,240 

South  Hecla    0.15  39,525  39,525 

Utah    Consolidated    3.75  1,125,000  11,434,000 

Utah  Apex  0.75  396,150  521,200 

Utah  Metal   &  Tunnel....   0.50  342,470  1,243,470 

Utah  Copper    12.00  19,494,410  52,161,110 

Total    $24,374,430         $103,886,895 

The  total  in  1915  was  $10,025,000.  Most  of  the  increase  was 
due  to  the  Utah  Copper  Co.,  which  paid  under  $7,000,000  in 
1915. 

Bingham.  The  flotation  plant  at  the  Utah  Metal  company's 
mill  is  to  be  enlarged,  giving  a  daily  capacity  of  300  tons,  an 
increase  of  75  tons. 


926 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


The  Utah  Copper  Co.  of  Utah  has  taken  over  the  Ohio  Copper 
Mining  Co.,  paying  all  debts  and  liabilities  of  the  latter  com- 
pany, which  were  over  $1,500,000. 

Garfield.  In  the  Arthur  mill  of  the  Utah  Copper  Co.  im- 
provements are  under  way  in  the  fine-grinding  department. 
More  concentrators  will  be  needed  to  care  for  this  material. 
The  company  has  6000  acres  for  impounding  tailing,  around 
which  a  levee  is  to  be  built  as  it  fills. 

Tintic.  On  December  9  the  Gemini  company  paid  $6  per 
share,  equal  to  $30,000.  This  year's  total  is  $80,000,  and  $2,- 
435,000  to  date. 

The  Tintic  Milling  Co.'s  plant  is  treating  200  tons  daily. 

Two  shifts  at  the  Utah  Ore  Sampling  Co.'s  plant  are  passing 
through  600  tons  of  ore  per  day. 

At  the  Tintic  milling  plant  the  seven  roasting-furnaces  are 
treating  200  tons  of  ore  daily.  The  extraction  is  highly  sat- 
isfactory. 

On  the  28th  the  Eagle  &  Blue  Bell  pays  5c.  per  share,  equal 
to  $45,000.    The  total  for  this  year  is  $90,000. 

The  Grand  Central  pays  4c.  on  the  23rd,  equal  to  $20,000. 

It  is  considered  that  Utah  lake,  15  miles  from  Tintic,  is 
the  source  of  the  water  trouble  in  Tintic  mines,  and  its  drain- 
age is  now  being  discussed.  At  a  depth  of  2018  ft.  the  Eagle 
&  Blue  Bell  mine  cut  a  large  flow  of  water,  suspending  sink- 
ing operations.  At  1790  ft.  the  Chief  Consolidated  encountered 
water,  and  at  2310  ft.  the  Grand  Central. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia 

Silverton.  Dividends  are  to  be  paid  quarterly,  instead  o£ 
monthly,  by  the  Standard  Silver-Lead  company.  A  loss  of 
$1111  was  made  in  October,  against  a  profit  of  $17,785  in  Sep- 
tember, $137,637  in  March,  $88,008  in  April,  and  $40,968  in 
May.  No  zinc  concentrate  was  shipped  in  October,  but  3000 
tons  worth  $30  per  ton  net  are  now  on  the  way  to  smelters. 
The  surplus  is  $202,669. 

Ontario 

Cobalt.  From  the  treatment  of  162  tons  of  high  and  6462 
tons  of  low-grade  ores,  the  Nipissing  produced  silver  valued 
at  $246,630.  The  refinery  shipped  490.7S2  oz.  of  bullion,  partly 
from  custom  treatment.  Development  on  No.  490  vein  was 
satisfactory  during  November. 

Porcupine.  Gold  production  of  the  Dome  Mines  Co.  in 
November  was  $177,000  from  37,900  tons  of  ore.  The  cost  was 
$2.88  per  ton. 

KOREA 

The  Seoul  Mining  Co.,  operating  the  Suan  concession  in 
Whanghai  province,  Chosen,  reports  the  following  results  for 
November:  total  recovery,  $141,750.  In  the  Tul  Mi  Chung 
mine,  developments  in  several  workings  are  very  promising.  A 
favorable  showing  was  made  in  several  of  the  prospects  being 
developed,  the  most  important  being  an  orebody  10  ft.  wide, 
averaging  $9.50  gold  per  ton. 

During  October  the  Oriental  Consolidated  produced  bullion 
worth  $123,836  from  26,391  tons  of  ore.  The  September  rain- 
fall was  low,  and  this  season's  rain  will  not  fill  the  Chorrie 
reservoir.  Okura  &  Co.  is  to  supply  power  at  1.5c.  per  kw.-hr., 
a  reduction  of  a  half  cent.  Cholera  fias  killed  hundreds  of 
people  in  Japan,  and  the  disease  entered  Korea  late  in  Sep- 
tember, but  there  have  been  no  serious  cases  north  of  Seoul 
and  Chemulpo. 

The  State  School  of  Mines,  University  of  Utah,  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  is  to  have  a  course  for  prospectors  from  January  S 
to  February  3,  1917.  Robert  S.  Lewis,  of  the  department  of 
mining,  says  that  the  work  is  in  the  nature  of  an  experiment, 
and  changes  will  be  made  to  suit  the  needs  of  those  who 
register  for  the  course,  should  there  be  a  real  demand  for 
such  instruction.  The  subjects  include  geology  and  miner- 
alogy, mining  and  milling,  metallurgy,  and  laboratory  work. 
There  are  no  fees,  save  $1  for  registration. 


Personal 


Note:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     This  information  is  interesting  to  our  readers. 


J.  R.  Finlay  has  returned  to  New  York  from  Arizona. 

J.  W.  Bryant  is  serving  with  the  Royal  Engineers  in  France. 

R.  H.  Channing  was  here  last  week,  on  his  way  from  Los 
Angeles  to  New  York. 

K.  C.  Li  passed  through.  San  Francisco  on  his  way  from 
Shanghai  to  New  York. 

L.  A.  Smith  has  been  appointed  inspector  of  mines  for  the 
Federated  Malay  States. 

Chester  F.  Lee,  of  Seattle,  has  been  examining  mines  in 
Butte  county,  California. 

Herbert  W.  Gepp,  manager  for  the  Amalgamated  Zinc  Co., 
has  returned  to  Broken  Hill. 

C.  H.  Banks  has  recovered  from  wounds  received  while  with 
the  Tunneling  Corps  in  France. 

D.  D.  Homer,  assistant  general  manager  of  Butters  Divisa- 
dero,  San  Salvador,  is  in  San  Francisco. 

W.  S.  Black  has  been  appointed  manager  of  the  Ajax  mine, 
at  Cripple  Creek,  for  the  Carolina  company. 

E.  H.  C.  Oliphant,  editor  of  the  Australian  Mining  Standard, 
returned  to  Australia  by  the  Sierra  on  December  19. 

A.  S.  Wheeler  has  resigned  as  inspector  general  of  mines 
for  the  Chinese  government  and  is  on  his  way  back  to  London. 

W.  J.  C.  Scrutton  has  resigned  the  position  as  manager  for 
the  South  American  Copper  Syndicate  in  Venezuela,  owing  to 
ill-health. 

J.  B.  Tyrrell  is  in  the  East  Kootenay  district,  British  Co- 
lumbia, examining  and  sampling  the  Paradise  mine,  west  of 
Invermere. 

E.  L.  Forbes,  local  secretary  of  Butters  Salvador  Mines,  has 
arrived  in  San  Francisco  from  the  mines  in  Salvador,  and  will 
spend  the  winter  at  Los  Angeles. 

Ben  B.  Lawrence  made  a  visit  of  inspection  to  the  Cornu- 
copia mines  of  the  Baker  Mines  Co.,  in  Oregon,  on  his  return 
from  San  Francisco  to  New  York. 

George  H.  Garrey,  consulting  geologist  in  charge  of  explora- 
tion work  for  the  Tonopah  Belmont  Development  Co.,  was  at 
Salt  Lake  City  this  week,  on  his  way  to  south-western  Colo- 
rado. 

H.  C.  Bellinger  has  been  appointed  general  manager  of  the 
Chuquicamata  mine,  for  the  Chile  Exploration  Co.,  in  suc- 
cession to  Frederick  Hellman,  who  is  now  chief  consulting 
mining  engineer  to  the  Guggenheims. 

A.  H.  Collbran,  general  manager  for  the  Seoul  Mining  Co., 
has  resigned  the  active  management  of  its  Korean  properties, 
and  will  devote  his  time  to  personal  mining  interests  in  the 
Orient  and  the  United  States.  He  continues  his  connection 
with  the  Seoul  company  as  a  director,  so  that  the  company 
will  still  have  the  benefit  of  his  knowledge  of  the  mines,  which 
were  developed  during  the  past  eight  years  under  his  organiza- 
tion and  management  from  mere  prospects  into  one  of  the  best 
paying  properties  in  the  Far  East. 

The  International  Committee  of  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations,  whose  North-west  headquarters  are  at  Portland. 
Oregon,  has  just  concluded  a  financial  campaign  at  Butte  for 
$200,000  for  a  miners'  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building.  Among  the  large 
personal  givers  were  C.  W.  Goodale,  $5000;  T.  F.  Cole,  $2000 
by  telegram  from  Jerome,  Arizona;  also  $350  each  from  D.  C. 
Jackling  and  N.  B.  McKelvie  of  the  Butte  &  Superior;  East 
Butte  Mining  Co.,  $5000:  John  Gillie,  $500;  and  L.  O.  Evans, 
attorney  for  the  Anaconda  company,  $1000.  The  total  subscrip- 
tions were  $202,475. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


927 


METAL  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  December  19. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 12 

Electrolytic  copper,  cents  per  pound 35 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 7.75 —  8.75 

Platinum,  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce $S5 — 91 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  70   lb {80 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound 13 

Tin.  cents  per  pound    43 

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound 20 

ORE  PRICES 

San  Francisco,  December  19. 

Antimony,  50%  metal,  per  unit  $1.00 

Chrome,  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  15.00 

Magnesite,   crude,  per   ton 6.50 —  9.00 

Manganese,  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 16.00 

Tungsten,  60%  WOi,  per  unit 20.00 

Advice  from  New  York  states  that  Great  Britain  has  bought 
tungsten  ore  in  Bolivia  and  the  Argentine  at  $18  per  unit  for 
the  first  quarter  of  1917. 

New  York,  December  16. 

Antimony:  No  business  is  reported,  and  the  nominal  quota- 
tion is  unchanged  at  $1.50  per  unit. 

Molybdenite:  A  dealer  asserts  that  an  effort  to  corner  the 
market  has  been  partly  successful.  For  90%  concentrate  the 
quotation  is  $1.75,  but  it  is  nominal  for  the  reason  that  there  is 
so  little  to  be  had. 

Tungsten:  One  of  the  larger  producers  announces  an  advance 
to  $20  per  unit,  following  heavy  sales  for  both  prompt  and  for- 
metal  is  lower;  lead  dull  and  easy;  spelter  is  unsettled  and  dull. 

EASTERN   METAL  MARKET 
(By  wire  from  New  York.) 

December  19. — Copper  prices  are  upset  by  peace  talk,  re-sale 
metal  is  lower;  lead  is  dull  and  easy;  spelter  is  unsettled  and 
dull. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 

Date. 
Dec.    13 35.00 

"      14 34.75 

"      15 34.50 

"      16 34.00 

"      17  Sunday 

"      18 33.50 

"      19 32.50 


Nov. 


Dec. 


Average  week  ending 


7 28.79 

14 31.46 

21 32.87 

28 34.00 

5 34.10 

12 34.87 

19 34.04 

Monthly  averages 


Jan. 


1914. 
.14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 
13.60 
14.38 
14.80 
16.64 
18.71 
19.75 


1916. 
24.S0 
26.62 
26.65 
28.02 
29.02 
27.47 


1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 
19.09 
17.27 
17.69 
17.90 
18.88 
20.67 


1916. 
25.66 
27.03 
28.28 
28.50 
31.95 


Braden  produced   4.418,000   lb.   during  November,   an  increase 


of  400,000   lb.; 
pounds. 


Greene-Cananea,   5,100,000,   a  decrease  of  900,000 


SILVER 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations, 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 

Date. 
Dec.    13 76.00       Nov. 

"      14 75.87 

"      15 76.75 

"      16 76.25 

17  Sunday  Dec. 

"      18 76.62 

"      19 76.62 


Average  week  ending 

7 68.52 

14 71.68 

21 71.79 

28 73.43 

5 75.05 

12 75.37 

19 76.35 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 


1914. 
.57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May    58.21 

June   56.43 


1915. 
48.85 
48.45 
50.61 
50.25 
49.87 
49.03 


1916. 
56.76 
56.74 
57.89 
64.37 
74.27 
65.04 


1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54.35 

Sept 53.75 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 
47.52 
47.11 
48.77 
49.40 
51.88 
55.34 


1916. 
63.06 
66.07 
68.51 
67.86 
71.60 


Continued  strength  characterizes  the  silver  market,  an  up- 
ward tendency  being  apparent,  the  occasional  recession  indi- 
cating nothing  unusual.  "Writing  on  November  23,  Samuel 
Montagu  &  Co.  of  London  say:  "Enquiry  is  not  confined  to 
mintage  alone,  but  embraces  orders  for  general  purposes, 
British  and  Continental,  and  also  for  the  Indian  Bazaars.  The 
unfavorable  views  taken  in  India  have  caused  a  bear  position 
to  be  opened  in  the  London  market — a  state  of  affairs,  in  view 
of  the  statistical  position,    not   without   danger.      It   cannot   be 


challenged  that  the  present  condition  of  the  market  Is  more 
sound  than  when  the  spectacular  movements  in  May  last  car- 
ried the  quotation  to  76.87c.  During  the  intervening  period  the 
Chinese  stock  lias  been  greatly  reduced,  America  has  been  re- 
lieved of  certain  accumulations  she  then  held,  and  the  Indian 
currency  figures,  notwithstanding  large  continuous  purchases 
for  the  Indian  mints,  show  a  declining  tendency.  The  silver 
market  has  often  lived  up  to  its  reputation  of  doing  the  un- 
expected, but  the  situation  is  such  that  further  advances  may 
be  expected  before  the  close  of  the  year,  provided  no  new  factor 
Intervenes." 

LEAD 
Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 

Average  week  ending 

14 

.  .    7.90 

Nov.      7. 
"      14. 

..    7.75 

.    7.00 

" 

"      21. 

.    7.02 

" 

16 

..    7.62 

"      28. 

.    7.21 

IV 

Sunday 

Dec.      5. 

.    7.32 

" 

18 

..    7.62 

"      12. 

.    7.73 

19 

.  .    7.62 

"      19. 

.    7.69 

Monthly 

averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

Jan. 

..   4.11 

3.73 

5.95 

July    ... 

.    3.80 

5.59 

6.40 

Feb. 

..    4.02 

3.83 

6.23 

Aug.    .  . . 

.    3.86 

4.67 

6.28 

Mch. 

..    3.94 

4.04 

7.26 

Sept 

.    3.82 

4.62 

6.86 

Apr. 

..    3.86 

4.21 

7.70 

Oct.     . . . 

.    3.60 

4.62 

7.02 

May 

..    3.90 

4.24 

7.38 

.    3.68 

5.15 

7.07 

June 

..    3.90 

5.75 

6.88 

Dec 

.    3.80 

5.34 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  Western  brands,  New  York 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Dec.    13 11.75 

"      14 11.75 

"      15 11.50 

"      16 10.75 

17  Sunday 

"      IS 10.50 

"      19 10.50 


Average  week  ending 

r.      7 10.68 

14 11.23 

21 11.96 

28 12.87 

•..      5 13.20 

12 12.25 

19 11.18 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

...    5.14 

6.30 

18.21 

July    .  . 

.  ..    4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

Feb.    . . 

...    5.22 

9.05 

19.99 

Aug.    .  . 

.  ..    4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

Mch.    . . 

...    5.12 

8.40 

18.40 

Sept.  .  . 

.  ..    5.16 

14.14 

9.18 

.  ..    4.98 

9.78 

18.62 

Oct.     .  . 

...    4.75 

14.05 

9.92 

.  ..    4.91 

17.03 

16.01 

Nov.    .  . 

.  ..    5.01 

17.20 

11.81 

...    4.84 

22.20 

12.85 

Dec.    . . 

.  ..    5.40 

16.75 

QUICKSILVER 

The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

"Week  ending 

Date.  I    Dec.      5 80.00 


Nov.    21 80.00 

28 78.00 


12 80.00 

19 80.00 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

...39.25 

51.90 

222.00 

July    . . 

.  .  .37.50 

95.00 

81.20 

Feb.    . . 

...39.00 

60.00 

295.00 

...80.00 

93.75 

74.50 

Mch.    .  . 

.  ..39.00 

78.00 

219.00 

Sept.  . . 

.  .  .76.25 

91.00 

75.00 

...38.90 

77.50 

141.60 

Oct.     .  . 

...53.00 

92.90 

78.20 

...39.00 

75.00 

90.00 

.  ..55.00 

101.50 

79.50 

June   . . 

.  .  .38.60 

90.00 

74.70 

Dec.     .  . 

.  ..53.10 

123.00 

Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

...37.85 

34.40 

41.76 

Feb.    . . 

...39.76 

37.23 

42.60 

Mch.    . 

.  ..38.10 

48.76 

50.50 

.  ..36.10 

48.25 

51.49 

...33.29 

39.28 

49.10 

...30.72 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 
41.10 
44.12 


Tin  is  quiet  at  42.50  cents. 

ANTIMONY 

On  the  whole,  the  New  York  market  is  quiet  but  firm,  with 
quotations  ranging  from  14  to  14.50c.  It  has  been  reported 
from  time  to  time  that  munitions  makers  are  likely  to  buy,  but 
so  far  their  business  has  not  materialized.  It  is  said  by  one 
authority  that  considerable  effort  is  being  made  to  obtain 
antimony  free  from  the  British  restrictions,  but  without  much 
success.  Asiatic  grades,  of  course,  are  subject  to  agreement 
that  they  will  not  reach  the  hands  of  Britain's  enemies,  just 
as  tin  and  ferro-manganese  are,  and  the  would-be  buyers  are 
willing  to  pay  y2c.  higher  to  be  free  of  the  restriction. 


928 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


Uagftsaia   MtsfM   Mustefi 


New  York,  December  17. 

The  metals  have  been  rendered  quieter  by  the  German  peace 
scheme.  Although  Germany's  proposal  may  not  be  accepted, 
and  the  general  feeling  is  that  it  will  not  be,  her  announce- 
ment will  drive  home  to  consumers  a  realization  that  the  War 
may  be  ended  sooner  than  was  expected,  with  the  result  that 
buyers  are  likely  to  become  even  more  conservative  than  they 
have  been.  Should  the  War  end  suddenly  it  will  have  a  pro- 
found effect  on  all  metals.  It  is  needless  to  emphasize  the 
extent  to  which  the  direct  and  indirect  demand  has  sprung 
from  the  ammunition  makers.  Another  important  develop- 
ment is  Great  Britain's  further  efforts  to  conserve  her  supply 
of  copper.  She  has  prohibited  the  use  of  the  metal  except  for 
Government  work,  as  well  as  forbidden  all  trading  except  un- 
der special  permit.  American  copper  prices  are  so  far  not 
affected,  which  demonstrates  the  strong  position  of  the  metal, 
and  the  solid  way  in  which  the  producers  are  booked  up  for 
months  to  come. 

Zinc  has  declined  in  a  quiet  market.  It  seems  to  have  been 
more  affected  by  the  peace  proposal  than  the  other  metals. 

The  scarcity  of  lead  continues.  Some  talk  is  heard  of 
manipulation  being   partly  responsible  for   the  scant  supply. 

Tin  is  dull  and  lower. 

Antimony  is  firm,  but  quiet. 

The  high  prices  for  pig  iron,  which  range  from  $30  to  $35 
per  ton  at  furnace,  has  caused  buying  to  slow-up.  For  steel 
products,  especially  ship-plates,  the  demand  is  as  strong  as 
ever,  with  both  domestic  and  foreign  shipbuilders  clamoring 
for  material.  At  the  close  of  November  the  unfilled  tonnage  of 
the  United  States  Steel  Corporation  was  11,058,542  tons,  an 
increase  of  1,043,282  tons  as  compared  with  October  31.  Orders 
for  nearly  500,000  tons  of  rails  have  been  placed  by  the  rail- 
roads for  1918  delivery,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  is  ex- 
pected to  place  orders  at  an  early  date  for  205,000  tons  for  de- 
livery in  that  year. 

A  bad  feature  of  the  situation  is  the  growth  of  railroad  em- 
bargoes against  material  for  export  originating  in  the  Middle 
West.  They  are  trying  to  avoid  the  congestion  of  port  ter- 
minals which  so  paralyzed  traffic  last  winter.  Of  course,  in 
one  sense,  the  embargoes  will  have  a  salutary  effect,  otherwise 
they  would  not  be  declared.  The  embargo  on  various  points 
in  New  England  was  raised  December  10.  Metals  can  be 
shipped  and  delivered  to  the  brass  mills  in  that  district,  but 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  ship  in  excess  of  needs,  otherwise 
the  embargo  will  be  lowered  again. 

COPPER 

Despite  events  of  world-wide  importance,  which  theoret- 
ically, at  least,  would  seem  to  entail  a  depression  in  the  copper 
market,  prices  are  as  firm  as  ever,  if  not  a  little  stronger.  The 
truth  is  that  the  metal  is  so  thoroughly  entrenched  that  senti- 
ment cannot  easily  do  it  harm.  The  market  has  been  quiet, 
and  it  was  made  more  so  by  the  announcement  of  Germany's1 
peace  proposal,  but  prices  remained  firm.  Then,  on  Monday 
came  news  from  London  that  Great  Britain  had  forbidden  all 
transactions  in  copper  except  under  special  license.  All  hold- 
ers of  the  metal  were  ordered  to  furnish  the  Government  with 
the  details  of  their  stocks  and  quantities  due  on  contracts, 
with  the  further  and  more  important  stipulation  that  the  use 
of  copper  was  prohibited  except  for  Government  work.  These 
strict  regulations  were  designed,  as  were  those  of  early  in  the 
year  forbidding  trading  in  futures,  to  conserve  Great  Britain's 
supply  of  the  metal  for  war  purposes,  and  also  to  prevent  specu- 
lation which  threatened  to  make  the  Government  exorbitant 
prices  for  a  necessity  of  war.  Electrolytic  dropped  £3  in  Lon- 
don (to  £168)  on  the  day  of  the  announcement,  but  the  Ameri- 


can market  did  not  change.  The  strength  of  the  market  lies 
in  the  fact  that  the  entire  production  for  the  first  quarter  of 
1917  is  sold,  and  that  fully  80%  of  the  production  in  the  second 
quarter  is  under  contract.  January  copper  is  held  at  35.50c; 
first  quarter  at  35c,  second 'at  33.50  to  34c,  third  at  32.50  to 
33c,  and  fourth  at  31.50  to  to  32c.  First  quarter  has  been 
quoted  at  36c  and  upward.  It  is  considered  not  unlikely  that 
any  of  these  prices  might  be  shaded  as  a  result  of  private 
negotiations.  One  who  wants  to  sell  copper  has  to  search  for 
a  buyer  who  wants  the  metal,  and  a  buyer  has  to  search  for  a 
seller  who  has  the  metal,  and  the  scarcity  makes  the  latter  not 
an  easy  proposition.  The  brass  business  is  as  heavy  as  at  any 
time.  Sheet  brass  is  sold-up  for  the  second  quarter,  except  for 
odd  lots.  The  American  mills  prefer  to  make  sheets  10  to  12 
in.  wide  which  export  buyers  are  taking,  although  abroad  they 
really  want  sheets  20  in.  and  upward  in  width.  J.  P.  Morgan 
&  Co.  is  in  the  market  for  brass  rods,  sheets,  and  disks,  Janu- 
ary to  May  delivery.  Of  brass  rods  alone  5000  tons  is  wanted. 
The  London  market  for  spot  electrolytic  stood  yesterday  at 
£168.  Exports  of  the  month  (including  December  12)  amount 
to  only  8925  tons. 

ZINC 

Quotations  in  the  past  few  days  have  been  irregular,  and  the 
market  on  its  face,  is  weak,  yet  some  of  the  producers  declare 
that  January  will  see  higher  prices,  basing  their  faith  on 
fundamental  conditions,  which,  they  say,  are  sound.  It  re- 
mains true,  however,  that  prices  have  continued  to  decline,  and 
that  11.50c,  St.  Louis,  and  11.75c,  New  York,  could  be  done 
yesterday  for  the  first  quarter,  with  spot  around  11.75c,  St. 
Louis,  and  12c,  New  York.  For  some  reason  zinc  seems  to 
have  been  more  affected  by  Germany's  proposals  for  peace 
than  any  of  the  other  metals.  Late  December  and  January 
brass  mill  special  is  around  13  to  13.25c  Sheet  zinc  is  un- 
changed at  21c,  carload  lots,  f.o.b.  smelter,  8%  off  for  cash. 
Exports,  December  1  to  12,  totaled  1601  tons,  which  would  in- 
dicate that  they  are  slowing-up.  The  London  quotation  for 
spot  yesterday  was  £57,  or  £1  10s.  lower  than  a  week  previous. 

LEAD 

While  the  A.  S.  &  R.  Co.  announced  advances  to  7.50c,  New 
York,  December  5,  as  reported  a  week  ago,  it  has  not  been 
taking  business  at  that  level.  On  the  15th,  however,  it  will 
begin  taking  orders  for  January  delivery,  the  price  to  be  fixed 
by  its  monthly  average  of  quotations.  Meanwhile  the  scarcity 
of  near-by  lead  has  continued  the  feature,  and  independents 
have  been  asking  up  to  8c,  New  York,  for  December  delivery. 
That  they  have  obtained  this  price  has  not  been  confirmed,  but 
they  have  done  business  at  from  7.75  to  7.90c,  New  York,  with 
consumers  whose  needs  were  urgent.  Intimations  are  heard 
that  speculators  had  a  hand  in  creating  the  scarcity  of  spot 
metal,  but  this  has  to  be  proved.  On  behalf  of  the  producers 
it  can  be  said  that  they  are  hampered  by  transportation  diffi- 
culties. In  the  first  12  days  of  this  month  exports  amounted 
to  only  51  tons.    The  London  quotation  is  unchanged  at  £30  10s. 

TIN 

The  week  has  been  a  dull  one,  and  devoid  of  interesting 
features.  Importers  continue  to  encounter  difficulties  in  ob- 
taining licenses  to  ship  from  England,  and  the  supply  of  Banca 
tin  is  about  exhausted  except  for  a  few  unimportant  lots. 
Arrivals  this  month  total  675  tons,  and  there  was  afloat  on  the 
12th  622S  tons,  most  of  which  is  scheduled  to  arrive  in  De- 
cember. 

ALUMINUM 

No.  1  virgin  metal,  98  to  99%  pure,  is  63  to  65  cents. 


December  23,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


929 


" 


Industrial  Notes 

Ii\fi)rmtitiun  supplied  by  the  tnanuAxcturert. 


Improvements  In   Air-Compressors 

The  improvements  described  below  relate  to  air-compressor 
design  of  the  Sullivan  Machinery  Co.  and  have  been  intro- 
duced during  the  past  12  months.  They  include:  (1)  twin 
design  for  angle-compound  compressors,  either  belted  or  direct 
connected;  (2)  plate  air-valves  of  a  distinctive  pattern;  (3) 
three-pass  counter-current  inter-coolers. 

As  the  name  implies,  the  twin-angle  compound  compressor 
consists  of  two  complete  Sullivan  air-compressors  of  the  angle- 
compound  type  set  side  by  side  on  a  common  foundation  and 
driven  by  a  common  shaft.  As  in  the  single  units  of  this 
class,  the  intake  cylinders  are  horizontal,  and  the  high-pres- 


THE  TWIN-ANGLE  COMPOUND   AIR-COMPRESSOR. 

sure  cylinders  vertical.  The  inter-cooler  is  horizontal,  and  is 
supported  by  the  low-pressure  cylinder  and  its  frame.  The 
connecting-rods  for  both  members  are  attached  to  one  crank- 
pin.  As  shown  in  the  photograph,  the  common  driving-shaft 
is  provided  with  couplings  at  each  end,  so  that  either  com- 
pressor may  be  cut  out  in  case  the  amount  of  air  needed  over 
a  considerable  period  is  less  than  one-half  the  total  capacity 
of  the  compressor.  The  belt-pulley,  or  in  the  machine  illus- 
trated, the  motor,  is  supported  on  an  independent  frame  and 
on  independent  bearings.  The  air-intake  for  each  half  of  the 
machine  is  independent,  and  each  intake  cylinder  is  equipped 
with  a  standard  double-beat,  total-closure,  unloading-valve. 
When  the  automatic  unloaders  on  the  intake-cylinders  close 
and  after  the  high-pressure  cylinders  have  pumped  out  the  air 
contained  in  the  inter-coolers  (which  require  only  a  few 
seconds),  the  unloaders  on  these  cylinders  open  communica- 
tion with  the  atmosphere,  so  that  small  quantities  of  air  leak- 
ing in  around  the  valve-stems  and  piston-rods  are  discharged 
to  the  atmosphere  without  being  compressed  to  a  pressure 
higher  than  the  atmosphere.  This  prevents  heating  of  the 
cylinders  and  maintains  a  nearly  perfect  vacuum  in  which 
the  pistons  move  when  the  compressor  is  unloaded.  Cross- 
head  pins,  crank-pins,  guides,  and  other  connections  are  thus 
entirely  relieved  from  the  friction  to  which  they  would  be 
subjected  in  case  any  pressure  remained  in  the  cylinders 
during  the  unloading  period. 

The  chief  object  in  perfecting  the  twin-angle  compound 
design  was  to  provide  a  compressor  of  elastic  capacity,  capable 
of  advantageous  operation  at  any  portion  of  its  piston  dis- 
placement. 


As  already  described,  the  capacity  of  the  plant  may  be  cut 
in  two  by  removing  the  bolts  that  hold  the  coupling  together 
at  either  end  of  the  shaft,  thus  allowing  one-lialf  of  the  ma- 
cblne  to  stand  Idle;  the  other  half,  consisting  of  a  complete. 
Independent,  two-stage  compressor,  then  operates  at  full  ca- 
pacity and  efficiency  as  before.  If  desired,  for  short  periods, 
the  same  results  can  be  obtained  by  closing  one  of  the  inlet 
unloaders  by  hand.  The  unloaded  compressor  then  turns  over, 
without  compressing  any  air,  until  it  is  again  required  by  the 
engineer.  If  only  one-quarter  of  the  full  capacity  is  sufficient 
for  the  conditions,  as  in  mine  development,  starting  a  con- 
tract, or  opening  a  quarry,  one  side  of  the  unit  is  uncoupled, 
and  one  intake-valve  removed  from  each  cylinder  of  the  re- 
maining side,  thus  reducing  the  power  required  for  operation 
as  well  as  the  air  delivered.  For  three-quarter  load,  both 
sides  of  the  plant  would  remain  in  commission,  but  on  one  side 
an  inlet-valve  would  be  removed  from  each  cylinder.  The 
regular  unloaders,  of  course,  provide  complete  elasticity  of 
output  at  all  times,  on  whatever  basis  the  plant  may  be  for 
the  time;  and  the  adjustments  referred  to  are  only 
made  when  the  requirements  suggested  above  are  to 
obtain  for  days  or  weeks  at  a  time.  The  advantages 
of  the  multi-unit  air-plant  are  thus  fully  realized  in 
this  new  twin-angle  compound  type. 

Another  interesting  feature  of  the  twin-angle  design 
is  that  it  enables  the  plant  to  run  at  the  same  speed 
as   a  single   compressor.     Two   hundred   and   fifteen 
revolutions  per  minute  would  be  considered  out  of  the 
question    for   a   cross-compound   unit   of   2200-eu.    ft. 
capacity;   but  the  1100-ft.  single-compound  compress- 
ors of  which  this  Sullivan  twin-machine  is  made  up 
operate  with  complete  satisfaction  at  this  speed,  and 
their  piston-speed  is  relatively  low  so  that  abundant 
opportunity  is  afforded  for  the  flow  of  air  through  the 
valves,  and  the  wear  of  the  reciprocating  parts  is  low. 
As  stated  above,  the  pulley  or  motor  and  the  part 
of  the  driving-shaft  between  the  two  compressor  units 
are   supported   by   separate   stands   and   independent 
bearings.     These  bearings  are  adjustable  for  either 
side    or   lengthwise    adjustment,    a    particularly    im- 
portant element  in  motor-driven  machines.    None  of 
the   weight    of   the   motor    is    supported   by    the    compressor 
bearings  proper,  so  that  the  danger  of  motor  destruction  from 
burnt-out  bearings  is  greatly  reduced.    A  separate  lubricating 
system  is  also  provided  for  the  motor-bearings. 

The  characteristic  features  of  single-angle  compound  com- 
pressors, such  as  balancing  of  reciprocating  forces,  with  re- 
sultant smoothness  of  operation  and  power  economy,  small 
floor  space,  accessibility,  etc.,  inhere  also  in  the  twin-angle 
compound  type.  These  are  built  in  five  standard  sizes  with  a 
full  load  rating  of  900,  1300,  1500,  1800,  and  2200  cu.  ft.  of  free 
air  per  minute.  Sullivan  twin-angle  compound  compressors 
are  in  extended  service  under  varied  working  conditions,  and 
are  amply  justifying  the  expectations  of  their  designers. 

Plate-valves  for  air-compressors  are  offered  in  a  variety  of 
designs  by  different  builders.  These  valves  are  now  fre- 
quently applied  to  compressors  operating  at  high  speeds  and 
aim  to  secure  rapidity  of  action,  wide  port  opening  with  little 
wire-drawing  effect,  absence  of  care  and  wear,  and  a  reduction 
in  motive  power.  Speaking  generally,  the  disadvantages  of 
this  class  of  air-valve  are  increased  clearance-losses,  compli- 
cation in  construction,  and  danger  of  breakage,  with  resulting 
damage  to  the  air-cylinder,  because  plate-valves  are  frequently 
inaccessible  and  breakage  is  hard  to  detect  in  proper  season. 
The  accompanying  illustrations  show  valves  of  the  plate  type 
designed  by  the  Sullivan  company,  which  have  certain  points 
of  interest  and  advantage.  As  shown  in  Fig.  1,  this  valve  is  of 
a  distinctive  form,  shaped  like  a  group  of  thin,  fiat  fingers, 
made  from  special  rolled  spring-steel.  Individual  fingers  or 
plates  are  about  6  in.  long  by  *  in.  wide.  When  in  place,  these 
valves  are  rigidly  bolted  at  one  end  only  to  a  steel  guard  or 


930 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  23,  1916 


pressure-plate,  the  other  end  being  free.  The  guard-plate  is 
curved  to  form  a  rest  or  stop  for  the  entire  length  of  each 
plate  or  finger  when  bent  or  lifted  by  the  incoming  or  out- 
going air.  The  guards  also  equalize  the  lift  of  the  valves.  In 
lifting  under  air  pressure,  the  fingers  exercise  a  rolling  or 
rocking  action  against  the  guard,  opening  first  at  their  outer 
ends.  In  closing,  the  fingers  roll  back  their  seats,  the  fixed 
ends  closing  first  and  the  free  outer  points  last.  Advantages 
claimed  for  the  'end-rolling'  action,  as  it  is  called,  are  that  it 
is  free  from  any  bodily  lift  that  would  produce  a  hammering 
or  slapping  effect,  and  that  it  secures  freedom  from  leakage 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  3. 


in  a  high  degree.  Fig.  3.  shows  how  the  valves  are  set,  in 
plates  or  end  walls,  situated  between  the  cylinder-barrel  and 
the  heads.  The  left-hand  plate  shows  the  cylinder  side,  the 
right-hand,  the  head  side,  of  these  end  walls.  The  position  and 
construction  of  these  valve-plates  reduces  clearance  loss  to  a 
minimum  for  this  type  of  valve.  The  inlet-valves  are  placed 
in  the  lower  half  of  the  plates,  the  discharge-valves  in  the 
upper  half.  The  cylinder  heads  are  fitted  with  hand-holes 
and  cover-plates,  to  permit  easy  removal  of  the  valves  without 
disturbing  either  the  heads  or  the  cylinders.  In  the  high- 
pressure  cylinders    (or   in  single-stage   compressors  of  small 


cooler.  In  all  Sullivan  two-stage  compressors  the  inter-cooler 
consists  of  a  nest  of  tubes  made  of  copper  or  aluminum,  sub- 
stances of  high  conductivity,  through  which  the  cooling-water 
passes.  In  ordinary  practice,  the  current  of  water  enters  the 
inter-cooler  at  one  end,  traverses  one-half  of  the  tubes  and  re- 
turns through  the  other  half  to  the  starting-point.  The  air  is 
caused  by  baffle-plates  to  take  a  zigzag  course  across  the  tubes, 
and  comes  in  contact  with  them  three  times  in  passing  from 
one  end  of  the  inter-cooler  to  the  other.  While  effective  for 
ordinary  conditions  and  with  cooling-water  of  ordinary  tem- 
peratures, there  has  been  some  call  for  inter-coolers  of  un- 
usually high  effectiveness  for  places  where  the  tem- 
perature of  the  circulating  water  is  high,  or  where 
the  highest  efficiency  possible  is  desired.  For  these 
conditions,  the  Sullivan  three-pass,  counter-current 
inter-cooler  has  been  designed.  It  is  shown  on  this 
A  A  page  as  applied  to  a  twin-angle  compound  'WN-4' 
Tm  A    motor-driven    air-compressor.      The    inter-cooling 

>C   ^P*    surface  of  this  inter-cooler  consists  of  three  nests 
of  copper  tubes,  through  each  of  which  cooling- 
water  circulates,  entering  at  one  end,  traversing 
one-half  of  the  tubes,  and  returning  through  the 
remainder.    The  ends  of  these  tubes  are  expanded 
into  headers,  the  outer  header  being  bolted  against 
a  packed  joint  on  the  outer  end  of  the  inter-cooler 
body,  while  the  other  header,  inside  the  inter-cooler 
body,  is  left  free  to  move  with  the  expansion  and 
contraction  of  the  tubes.    Suitable  baffle-plates  are 
placed  in  the  interior  of  the  body,  so  arranged  that 
the  air,  in  flowing  through  it,  is  compelled  to  pass  three  times 
across  each  nest  of  tubes,  thus  insuring  a  thorough  cooling 
effect.    The  course  of  air  is  opposed  to  that  of  the  water,  thus 
obtaining  the  greatest  possible  cooling  value   from  it.     The 
tubes  and  the  three  compartments  in  which  they  are  placed 
are  housed  in  a  rectangular  cast-iron  shell. 


Mining    Dec! 


Oil  Lease — Authority  of  a  Guardian 

Surrender  of  an  oil  lease  to  the  guardian  of  a 

minor  by  the  lessee  in  order  to  escape  liability  for 

rentals  is  of  no  avail,  unless  approved  by  the  Court 

that  authorized  the  guardian  to  make  the  lease. 

Ardizzone  v.  Archer  (Oklahoma),  160  Pacific, 

446.    October  31, 1916. 


Fig.  2. 

size)  the  plate-valves  are  placed  in  cages  and  arranged  radially 
around  the  periphery  of  the  cylinder-heads  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  automatic  poppet-valves  are  set  on  Sullivan  compressors 
of  ordinary  type.  Each  cage  contains  two  valves,  each  con- 
sisting of  two  fingers  that  run  lengthwise  in  the  cage.  These 
are  equipped  with  guards  of  the  same  form  as  those  already 
described,  as  in  Fig.  2. 

The  full  advantages  of  the  two-stage  compression  of  air  are 
not  realized  unless  the  heat  generated  in  the  intake-cylinder 
is  thoroughly  removed  before  it  reaches  the  high-pressure 
cylinder.  While  cylinder  water-jackets  are  valuable  aids  in 
this  regard,  this  cooling  depends  in  the  main  on  the  inter- 


Miner's  Liens — Notice  of  Non-Liability 

A  notice  of  owner's  non-liability  written  in  lead 
pencil  and  posted  so  as  to  be  exposed  to  the  ele- 
ments on  the  compressor-house  and  on  temporary 
structures  at  the  collar  of  the  shaft  which  were 
intended  to  be  removed  before  certain  workmen 
commenced  work,  is  not  a  good  defense  against  a 
suit  to  foreclose  a  miner's  lien. 

Phillips  v.  Snowden  Placer  Co.  (Nevada),  160 
Pacific,  786.    November  9.  1916. 

On.  Lease — Forfeiture 

Where  an  oil  lease  required  the  lessee  to  drill  a  well  within 
four  -months  or  pay  a  minimum  royalty  of  $S0  per  month 
thereafter,  and  the  lessee  did  neither,  it  was  held  that  the 
lease  was  voidable  at  the  option  of  the  lessor  after  the  expira- 
tion of  the  four  months'  period,  even  though  no  express 
covenant  to  that  effect  was  included  in  the  lease,  and  a  judicial 
decree  of  forfeiture  should  be  granted  at  the  lessor's  suit  to 
clear  his  title. 


Brown  v.  Wilson  (Oklahoma),  160  Pacific,  94. 
1916. 


October  10, 


and 
Scientific 

Edited  by  T.A.RICKARD 


AN  FRANCISCO.  DECEMBER  30. 1916. 


fit 


VOLUME  113      NUMBER  27 


GREETING 

'ne  close  oi  the  year  prompts  a 
retrospec-f  1916  has  been  £oodfo 
us.ior  we  nave  made  many  new  friends. 

During  the  12  months  Ave  nave  added 
2492  new  subscribers  "to  our  clientele. 

To  them  the  editorial  and  business 
staff  of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press 
exiends  both  welcome  and  thanks. 

To  the  friends  that  nave  supported 
us  ihrou&h  me  vicissiiudes  ofrecent 
years  we  offer  our  band  -  enough  said. 

To  all  our  subscribers,  now  a  number 
or  which  we  have  reason  to  be  proud, 
we  transmit  our  wishes  tor  6ooa  health 
and  prosperity  in  191 7  and  after. 


m^w 


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MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


Above  them  all ! 


The  Operating  Record  of  the 

Oliver  Filter 

for  continuous,  efficient  service  makes 

it  the  choice  of  engineers  in 

standardized  plants. 


OLIVER  CONTINUOUS  FILTER  CO. 

501  MARKET  ST.  SAN  FRANCISCO 


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EDITORJAL  STAFF: 
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SPECIAL   CONTRIBUTORS 
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TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

EDITORIAL  Page. 

Notes   931 

Announcement   933 

Owing  to  the  increased  cost  of  paper,  the  subscription 
price  of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Pkess  is  raised  to 
$4  per  annum.  Announcement  of  the  return  to  the 
editorial  staff  of  Courtenay  De  Kalb  and  W.  H. 
Storms.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 

Electrolytic  Zinc  at  Trail 933 

Comment  supplementing  the  article  by  T.  A.  Rickard 
in  the  current  issue  and  in  the  preceding  one.  The 
patent  controversy.  The  French  Complex  Ore  Re- 
duction Co.  The  cost  of  electrolytic  zinc.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  30,  1916. 

DISCUSSION 
Tin:  Prospector  Again. 

By  John  A.  Roos  and  W.  H.  Storms 935 

(1)  An  analysis  of  the  prospector  from  an  education- 
al standpoint.  A  suggestion  for  consideration  of  the 
Federal  Bureau  of  Mines. 

(2)  The  new  conditions  surrounding  the  prospector — 
his  main  incentive  gone.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30, 
1916. 

Black  Sand. 

By  Fred.  O.  Tyrrel  938 

An  experience  with  black  sand  on  the  beach  at  Nome. 
M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 
Handling  Mexican  Labor. 

By  H.  T.  W 93S 

An  innovation  to  an  American  engineer  observed  in  a 
large  Mexican  mine.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 
Stamp  v.  Ball-Mills. 

By  Ed.  C.  Morse 938 

Wear  and  tear  of  balls  in  ball-mills  and  in  other  grind- 
ing media — a  comparison  with  stamps.  M.  &  S.  P., 
December  30,  1916. 

ARTICLES 
Electrolytic  Refining  at  Trail — II. 

By  T.  A.  Rickard 939 

Method  by  which  high-grade  zinc  and  lead  are  being 
produced  at  the  Trail,  B.  C,  refinery.  Copper,  gold, 
and  silver  as  by-products.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30, 
1916.     Illustrated. 

New  Decrees  in  Mexico 942 

New  decrees  of  the  de  facto  Government  as  they  affect 
the  mining  industry.  M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 
Illustrated. 


Page. 

Text  op  Minerals  Separation  v.  Hyde  Decision 943 

The  opinion  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the  litigation 
over  the  patent  rights  in  this  important  metallurgical 
process.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 

Accidents  in  California  946 

Official  report  of  the  California  Industrial  Accident 
Commission.  Training  in  first-aid.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 30,  1916. 

Court  Decisions  on  Compensation 946 

The  Court  rules  against  some  of  the  findings  of  the 
Accident  Commission,  but  decides  that  the  Commis- 
sion is  vested  with  many  of  the  functions  of  a  trial 
court.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 

Manganese  in  West-Central  Arkansas. 

By  Garnett  A.  Joslin   947 

Large  deposits  of  manganese  long  neglected  that  now 
may  become  valuable.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 

Nitrates  in  the  United  States  948 

Nitrates  occur  in  many  places  in  the  arid  region  of 
the  West,  but  these  occurrences  thus  far  have  been 
found  of  mineralogical  interest  only.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 30,  1916. 

Matte  Granulation  at  Herculaneum,  Missouri. 

By  S.  Paul  Lindau  and  Henry  B.  Smith 949 

Interesting  method  of  granulating  lead-matte  at  the 
old  mines  of  Herculaneum,  Missouri.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 30,  1916.     Illustrated. 

Counter-Current  Decantation.- 

By  L.  B.  Eames  951 

The  operation  of  the  counter-current  method  of  de- 
cantation in  the  cyanide  process.  M.  &  S.  P.,  De- 
cember 30,  1916.     Illustrated. 

A  Discovery  of  Celestite. 

By  Willard  Mallery 952 

An  interesting  deposit  of  strontium  sulphate  on  the 
Mojave  Desert.    M.  &  S.  P.,  December  30,  1916. 

DEPARTMENTS 

Concentrates    953 

Review  of  Mining   954 

Special  correspondence  from  Butte,  Montana;  Oat- 
man,  Arizona;  Toronto,  Ontario. 

Mining  Summary 957 

Personal    960 

The  Metal  Market 961 

Eastern  Metal  Market   962 

Mining  Decisions    963 

Book  Reviews   964 


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14 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


UNION 

CONSTRUCTION 

COMPANY 


In  This  Age  of  Specialization 


No  one  branch  of  engineering  has  pro- 
gressed more  in  the  last  ten  years  than 


The  Design  and  Construction  of  Gold  Dredges 


The  recovery  of  placer  gold,  tin  and 
platinum  is  a  field  in  itself,  and  the 
success  or  failure  of  any  placer-mining 
enterprise  hinges  directly  upon  the 
skill,  experience  and  ability  of  the  en- 
gineers entrusted  with  the  design  and 
construction  of  the  apparatus.  The 
Neill  Jig  has  increased  the  saving  25% 
under  certain  conditions  where  gold 
saving  was  difficult. 


More  than  One  Hundred  Gold  Dredges 


in  operation  in  every  placer  mining 
field  in  the  world  is  the  best  guarantee 
of  efficiency.  Gravel  having  a  content 
of  less  than  five  cents  per  cubic  yard, 
has  been  worked  at  a  profit.  This  we 
think  is  a  world's  record  for  cheap 
mining. 

Agents    for    Bucyrus    Placer    Dredge 

Machinery  in  the  Western  States, 

British  Columbia  and  Alaslea 

We  solicit  your  inquiries. 
Our  help  and  advice  are  at  your  disposal. 


UNION  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY 


H.  G.  PEAKE 

604  Mission  Street 


W.  W.  JONHSON 

San  Francisco 


i^SS 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


931 


MMMMMi^l^^^^^lMMBMII^MHWBMi—— M^— nwnwiwmil— llllMill  IIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIMWIIIIIIIII  llllllllll— illlllll  III  IIIHIIM1I 


2  ^ 


3RS 


T.    A.    RICKARD, 


.  i  tf  ©  a- 


\  C'CORDING  to  a  later  ruling,  every  American  patent 
-^*-  runs  its  full  life,  irrespective  of  the  time  at  which 
its  corresponding  foreign  patent  may  terminate.  So 
No.  835,120  of  Minerals  Separation  American  patent 
will  lapse  on  November  6,  1923,  although  the  original 
British  patent  expires  on  April  12,  1919. 

"W/~E  note  an  item  in  the  daily  press  concerning  Albert 
"*  Freeman,  who  was  indicted  several  years  ago 
jointly  with  Julian  Hawthorne  and  William  J.  Morton 
for  swindling  the  public  by  means  of  a  mining  pros- 
pectus. Freeman  was  sentenced  to  five  years  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. On  appeal,  he  was  granted  a  new  trial  and  re- 
leased temporarily  on  heavy  bail.  On  December  10  in 
New  York  he  pleaded  guilty  to  the  charge  of  conspiracy 
to  defraud  investors  through  illegal  use  of  the  mails  and 
was  fined  $3000,  which  he  paid.  His  attorney  stated  that 
he  pleaded  guilty  to  the  indictment  because  he  was  "no 
longer  able  to  meet  the  aggressiveness  of  the  Govern- 
ment. ' '  It  only  remains  for  all  good  citizens  to  commend 
the  Government  for  its  "aggressiveness"  in  checking 
swindling  through  misuse  not  only  of  the  mails  but  of 
legitimate  industry. 

/"^  ERMAN  peace  overtures  have  done  as  much  damage 
^-*  as  an  army  corps  on  the  war-path.  Wall  Street  cut 
a  sorry  figure  during  the  ten  days  in  which  it  was  at 
the  mercy  of  peace  and  rumors  of  peace.  The  'peace 
scare,'  as  it  is  pathetically  called,  must  have  caused  a 
great  many  million  dollars  to  change  hands  and  to  that 
extent  it  made  a  broker's  holiday,  but  it  was  a  poor  spec- 
tacle. However,  in  Japan  they  do  things  even  worse. 
The  Tokio  stock-exchange  had  to  be  closed  "after  one 
of  the  most  riotous  days  in  its  history."  Of  course,  we 
do  not  know  how  riotous  Japanese  brokers  can  become, 
but  judging  from  their  prowess  in  the  field  of  battle  we 
may  assume  that  it  was  '  some  riot. '  Meanwhile  thought- 
ful men  must  be  asking  each  other  what  will  happen 
when  the  dove  of  peace  is  seen,  if  such  a  welter  of  specu- 
lative panic  can  ensue  from  a  sound  that  is  not  particu- 
larly  like    the   beating    of   her   wings. 

HO  L.  is  a  Western  abbreviation  for  the  high  cost  of 
•  living,  concerning  which  a  lot  of  nonsense  is  being 
written  in  blind  disregard  of  the  fact  that  it  is  mainly 
the  consequence  of  a  love  of  luxury  that  a  period  of  ex- 
cessive prosperity  has  engendered.  Unless  we  are  much 
mistaken  this  confusion  of  ideas  extends  to  the  mining 
industry,  in  which  the  intensive  exploitation  of  ore  re- 
serves is  causing  an  extravagance  in  management  that  is 
not  all  due  to  the  high  cost  of  machinery  or  supplies  but 


is  traceable  in  large  part  to  the  rash  to  become  rich,  that 
is  the  haste  to  earn  dividends.  When  the  orgy  of  produc- 
tion is  over,  the  managers  of  mines  will  have  to  face  all 
the  dreariness  of  the  proverbial '  morning  after. '  Wheth- 
er the  gutting  of  mines  is  commendable  or  not  depends 
upon  a  fundamental  difference  of  opinion,  as  to  whether 
it  is  proper  to  realize  upon  the  ore  in  a  minimum  of  time 
and  a  maximum  of  immediate  profit  or  to  operate  a  prop- 
erty as  an  investment  that  will  last  for  a  human  lifetime. 
In  this,  as  in  other  matters,  a  sane  economy  lies  between 
the  extremes. 

TNQUIRIES  have  been  received  from  a  number  of 
-*■  localities  in  California  concerning  annual  assessment 
work  on  unpatented  mining  claims.  Those  who  desire 
a  copy  of  the  latest  California  mining  laws  would  do 
well  to  request  the  State  Mineralogist,  Ferry  Building, 
San  Francisco,  to  send  Bulletin  No.  71,  which  contains 
the  mining  laws,  county  maps,  and  statistical  informa- 
tion regarding  mineral  production  of  the  State  in  1915. 
The  California  law  regarding  annual  assessment  is  as 
follows :  ' '  Sec.  1426  1.  The  amount  of  work  done  or  im- 
provements made  during  each  year  to  hold  possession  of 
a  mining  claim  shall  be  that  prescribed  by  the  laws  of 
the  United  States,  to  wit:  One  hundred  dollars  annu- 
ally." The  State  law  makes  a  much-needed  provision,  as 
follows:  "The  failure  or  neglect  of  any  locator  of  a 
mining  claim  to  perform  development  work  of  the  char- 
acter, in  the  manner,  and  within  the  time  required  by 
the  laws  of  the  United  States,  shall  disqualify  such 
locators  from  re-locating  the  ground  embraced  in  the 
original  location  or  mining  claim  or  any  part  thereof 
under  the  mining  laws,  within  three  years  after  the  date 
of  his  original  location,  and  any  attempted  re-location 
thereof  by  any  of  the  original  locators  shall  render  such 
location  void." 

READERS  of  this  paper  indicate  what  is  interesting 
by  the  letters  they  send  to  the  discussion  depart- 
ment. The  prospector  and  his  fortunes  appears  to  be  a 
topic  that  cannot  be  suppressed,  for  in  this  issue  we 
have  two  letters  dealing  with  it.  Mr.  John  A.  Roos 
makes  some  incisive  remarks,  such  as  that  the  training 
of  the  prospector  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  training  of 
the  engineer,  so  that  the  latter  has  usurped  part  of  his 
function  as  a  scout.  That  the  explorer  must  be  an 
optimist,  one  must  agree,  but  that  he  must  be  ignorant 
of  scientific  aids  does  not  follow.  For  the  suggestion  of 
a  'Prospector's  Special'  we  can  arouse  no  enthusiasm, 
but  it  is  in  accord  with  those  pictorial  developments  in 
modern  life  that  the  cinema  typifies.     However,  we  like 


932 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


Mr.  Roos's  humane  and  humorous  treatment  of  the  sub- 
ject. On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  W.  H.  Storms  finds  less 
fault  with  the  prospector  than  with  the  conditions  that 
have  rendered  the  old  'hit  or  miss'  method  of  explora- 
tion no  longer  successful.  Mr.  Storms  is  in  a  position 
to  know,  for,  while  a  technologist  himself,  he  numbers 
many  of  the  old-time  prospectors  among  his  personal 
friends.  We  commend  his  diagnosis  of  the  trouble  that 
has  befallen  the  pioneers  of  mining. 


A  CCORDING  to  letters  received  from  mining  engi- 


A 


neers  still  remaining  in  Mexico,  the  principal  mines 


at  El  Oro  are  working  full  time  and  the  workmen  are 
being  paid  in  silver.  Coin  is  hard  to  get  and  a  shortage 
is  anticipated  despite  the  premium  offered.  Small  strikes 
among  the  men  have  been  settled  promptly.  At  Pachuca 
the  depreciation  of  paper  money  makes  business  difficult. 
The  Government  refuses  even  to  receive  its  own  money 
in  payment  for  taxes  and  freight.  The  mining  com- 
panies are  compelled  to  use  gold  and  silver,  but  the 
scarcity  of  this  means  of  exchange  hampers  dealings. 
Several  strikes,  due  to  the  inabilitj'  of  the  peons  to  under- 
stand the  financial  situation,  have  interrupted  mining 
operations,  but  not  for  long.  Another  difficulty  is  the 
scarcity  of  cyanide.  This  has  curtailed  the  capacity  of 
the  mills.  Moreover,  the  exorbitant  price  of  cyanide, 
caused  in  part  by  the  withdrawal  of  large  stocks  bought 
by  speculators,  will  render  it  impossible  for  the  poorer 
properties  to  continue  at  work.  The  destruction  of 
trains,  the  strikes  among  the  railway  employees,  and  the 
raids  of  bandits  render  operations  so  precarious  that  it  is 
impossible  to  look  ahead.  Correspondents  in  localities 
so  wide  apart  as  Pachuca  and  Tequila  agree  that  the  one 
thing  that  would  aid  the  existing  Government  in  restor- 
ing order  would  be  a  loan.  "Without  money  the  powers 
that  be  are  helpless.  On  another  page  we  quote  the 
latest  decree  concerning  the  export  tax  on  metals.  The 
reduction  of  3%  on  the  gold  and  silver  will  be  helpful. 


TTOW  the  metal  markets  are  dominated  by  groups  of 
-*--*-  foreign  traders  backed  by  big  banks  is  explained 
clearly  in  a  chapter  on  'Buying  Combinations  in  the 
Metal  Market'  appearing  in  the  report  of  the  Federal 
Trade  Commission  dealing  with  '  Co-operation  in  Ameri- 
can Export  Trade. '  Those  engaged  in  mining  operations 
will  find  a  good  deal  of  interesting  information  set  forth 
clearly  in  the  chapter  to  which  we  refer.  What  these  in- 
ternational— or,  more  correctly,  non-national — cartels 
and  syndicates  have  done  in  fixing  metal  prices  and  in 
otherwise  regulating  the  market  to  suit  their  own  ends 
ought  to  be  known  to  every  intelligent  mine-operator. 
We  have  referred  to  the  subject  frequently  in  these 
columns.  The  official  report  may  be  more  convincing. 
Incidentally,  we  may  refer  to  the  controversy  raging  in 
Canada — chiefly  at  Toronto — over  the  two  shipments  of 
nickel  to  Germany  on  the  submarine  Deutsehland  as  dis- 
closed by  the  Providence  Journal.  We  have  been  quoted 
in  this  connection,  and  not  improperly.  In  that  con- 
troversy we  shall  take  no  part,  for  it  is  tinged  with  local 


politics  an  of  an  evident  effort  to  injure  the  International 
Nickel  Corporation.  But  we  do  suggest,  not  for  the  first 
time,  that  a  searching  investigation  into  the  metal-sell- 
ing business  would  prove  illuminating  not  only  to  the 
trade  and  to  the  several  governments  but  most  of  all  to 
those  engaged  in  mining,  because  it  has  a  vital  bearing 
upon  the  disposal  of  the  metallic  products  they  are  en- 
gaged in  producing. 


"C*  A.  VANDERLIP  is  known  as  the  president  of 
-*-  *  the  National  City  Bank  of  New  York,  an  enter- 
prising and  intelligent  organization  that  is  doing  a 
great  service  for  American  business  abroad.  But  he  is 
more  than  a  banker,  he  is  a  good  citizen,  as  is  made  evi- 
dent by  the  text  of  the  recent  address  delivered  by  him 
before  the  Bankers  Club  of  Chicago.  We  would  like  to 
reproduce  all  of  it  for  the  benefit  of  our  readers,  but  the 
subject  is  outside  our  immediate  province  and  we  shall 
have  to  content  ourselves  with  a  brief  quotation:  "A 
part  of  the  country  has  been  submerged  in  prosperity 
and  its  sense  of  proportions  and  relationships  has  cer- 
tainly been  dulled.  Another,  and  a  greater  part,  which 
has  only  experienced  this  prosperity  in  a  reflected  way 
and  has  viewed  both  the  War  itself  and  its  reflex  action 
upon  our  industries  in  a  somewhat  far-away  and  de- 
tached manner,  has  developed  a  point  of  view  of  aloof- 
ness from  the  world's  tragedy.  It  has  been  a  spectacle, 
but  it  has  not  gripped  their  souls.  They  look  with  horror 
on  the  carnage,  with  satisfaction  on  the  profits,  but  with 
an  unrelated  sort  of  superiority  to  both,  and  feel  that 
as  a  nation  it  is  best  for  us  to  avoid  being  involved  in 
any  of  the  consequences:  ...  To  me,  this  seems  an 
utter  lack  of  imagination,  a  blindness  of  vision,  a  com- 
plete failure  to  understand  the  unity  of  the  industrial, 
commercial,  and  financial  world."  We  remember  a 
banker  early  in  1893  in  the  Denver  Club  deriding  the 
successive  failures  in  Australia  and  we  ventured  to  sug- 
gest to  him  that  the  people  of  Denver  might  feel  the 
financial  perturbation  of  events  even  in  cities  so  distant 
as  Melbourne  and  Sydney.  In  July  of  that  year  13  out 
of  17  banks  closed  their  doors  in  Denver.  The  warning 
given  b}'  Mr.  Vanderlip  is  timely. 

/~\N  another  page  we  give  the  full  text  of  the  Supreme 
^-'  Court  decision  in  .the  Minerals  Separation  case 
against  James  M.  Hyde.  We  believed  that  our  readers 
would  be  glad  to  have  the  ipsissima  verba  of  the  Court, 
rather  than  an  abstract  or  summary  prepared  by  any- 
body else.  However,  after  the  text  had  gone  to  press 
we  were  notified  of  three  errors  in  the  printed  copy  of 
the  decision  as  sent  to  us,  namely,  (1)  in  line  15,  second 
column,  of  our  page  944  "tenth  of  one"  should  precede 
"per  cent,"  (2)  in  line  20,  second  column  of  page  944 
"tenth  of  one"  should  precede  "per  cent,"  and  (3)  in 
line  12,  first  column,  of  page  945  the  word  "impossible" 
should  be  "clear."  In  announcing  the  close  of  this  par- 
ticular litigation,  in  our  issue  of  December  16,  we  made 
some  suggestions.  Further  comment  will  be  deferred 
until  the  policy  of  Minerals  Separation  is  announced.  In 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


933 


New  York  it  is  believed  the  decision  will  pave  the  way  Eor 
amicable  adjustment  of  the  controversy — by  a  reasonable 
arrangement  For  royalty,  we  presume.  The  number  of 
American  infringers  is  given  as  234  and  all  of  them  will 
be  given  a  chance  "to  come  to  time."  If  any  one  of  these 
mining  companies  prove  recalcitrant,  as  we  expect  they 
will,  then  demands  tor  injunction  and  suits  for  damage 
will  be  started  by  the  successful  patentees,  followed  by 
an  accounting  of  the  profit  derived  from  the  use  of  the 
flotation  process.  The  .Tackling  companies  are  likely  to 
file  bonds  so  as  to  enable  them  to  proceed  with  their  oper- 
ations pending  a  settlement,  amicable  or  legal,  as  events 
may  decide,  of  the  controversy.  The  Miami  Copper  Com- 
pany declared  $299,396  as  the  profit  made  in  November 
on  that  portion  of  its  output  that  was  treated  by  flota- 
tion, namely,  120,988  tons.  We  note  that  the  idea  of  ad- 
judging the  profit  arising  from  patent  No.  835,120  by  the 
saving  of  oil,  as  determined  by  deducting  what  is  used 
from  the  limit  specified  in  the  patent,  has  been  brought 
forward  in  Boston.  According  to  this  ingenious  inter- 
pretation of  the  law,  the  Butte  &  Superior  would  deduct 
the  value  of  the  18  pounds  of  oil  used  per  ton  from  21 
pounds — or  over  1% — on  the  supposition  that  the  use  of 
any  quantity  over  1%  does  not  infringe.  An  announce- 
ment of  the  Minerals  Separation  policy  should  be  forth- 
coming at  an  early  date. 


Announcement 

Our  readers  will  have  become  aware,  from  frequent 
references  to  the  subject  in  the  daily  press  and  in  our 
own  columns,  that  the  price  of  paper  has  risen  consider- 
ably, partly  owing  to  the  increased  cost  of  the  raw  ma- 
terial of  manufacture  and  partly  by  reason  of  the  arbi- 
trary action  of  the  manufacturers  themselves.  The  cost 
of  the  high-grade  paper  that  we  use  has  risen  60%  dur- 
ing the  past  twelve  months.  This  may  be  compared  with 
the  statement  of  the  Associated  Business  Papers  that  the 
average  advance  among  36  publications  has  been  70%, 
the  figures  ranging  from  35  to  250%.  Thus  the  increased 
cost  to  us  is  slightly  below  the  average;  but,  as  can 
readily  be  surmised,  it  may  rise  further  at  any  moment. 
We  have  been  notified  of  a  further  advance  on  the  day 
this  is  written.  The  net  result  is  that  the  mechanical  cost 
of  producing  a  copy  of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press 
is  2J  cents  more  than  it  was  a  year  ago.  This  represents 
an  addition  of  $1.30  per  annum,  and  there  is  no  assur- 
ance that  it  will  not  become  more.  At  $3  per  annum,  our 
readers  pay  5.77  cents  per  copy,  whereas  the  direct  cost — 
of  paper,  printing,  and  postage  only — is  10  cents  at  this 
time.  All  of  this  is  stated  in  the  frankest  way  in  order 
that  our  subscribers  may  understand  the  reason  for  the 
decision,  now  announced,  to  increase  the  subscription  to 
$4  per  annum.  At  that  figure  it  is  still  $1  less  than  the 
rate  charged  by  other  technical  journals  of  the  same  class. 
We  are  the  less  unwilling  to  take  this  step  as  it  is  one 
that  has  been  taken  by  some  of  our  contemporaries,  for 
similar  reasons,  and  because  it  is  our  intention  to  incur 
greater  expense  in  making  the  Mining  and  Scientific 


Press  increasingly  valuable  to  all  those  engaged  in  rain- 
mg.  We  take  this  opportunity  of  announcing  that  Mr.  W. 
II.  Storms,  editor  of  tins  paper  before  1906  and  a  mining 
engineer  of  varied  experience,  particularly  in  the  actual 
work  of  directing  underground  operations,  has  rejoined 
the  editorial  staff.  In  addition,  we  are  glad  to  state  that 
Sir.  Courtenay  Do  Kalb,  associate  editor  from  1908  to 
1910,  and  a  technical  writer  of  acknowledged  distinction, 
combining  the  experience  of  the  mining  engineer  and 
metallurgist  with  the  rare  faculty  of  clear  and  incisive 
exposition,  will  also  become  associated  with  the  present 
editor  in  the  early  days  of  the  new  year.  The  division  of 
editorial  work  will  enable  Mr.  De  Kalb  and  Mr.  Rickard 
to  make  frequent  journeys  of  observation  to  the  principal 
mining  regions  and  give  the  readers  of  this  paper  first- 
hand information  conveyed  in  an  illuminating  manner. 
In  short,  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  is  growing 
with  the  industry  to  the  service  of  which  it  is  dedicated. 

Electrolytic  Zinc  at  Trail 

In  this  issue  we  conclude  a  description  of  recent 
changes  in  smelting  practice  at  Trail.  Of  these  changes 
the  most  interesting  is  the  successful  introduction  of 
electrolysis  for  the  extraction  of  zinc.  While  the  methods 
of  leaching  and  precipitation  in  use  are  still  undergoing 
improvement  from  month  to  month,  enough  has  been 
done  to  demonstrate  the  success  of  electrolytic  refining 
and  fully  to  justify  the  metallurgical  designs  of  Mr.  E. 
H.  Hamilton,  with  whose  name  the  new  departure  is  not 
improperly  identified. 

It  is  worth  while  to  review  the  events  that  led  up  to 
this  result.  Electrolytic  zinc  in  British  Columbia  was 
associated  with  the  name  of  French.  Andrew  Gordon 
French  was  a  Scot  from  Glasgow ;  at  one  time  he  was 
technical  manager  of  the  refinery  business  conducted  by 
the  Sheffield  Smelting  Company,  at  Sheffield,  in  Eng- 
land. In  1909  he  came  to  Victoria,  B.  O,  and  made  ex7 
periments  on  zinky  ores,  following  a  little  experience  that 
he  had  had  with  the  Parnell  and  similar  obsolete  proc- 
esses at  Swansea,  in  Wales.  His  work  at  Victoria  was 
sufficiently  successful  to  lead  to  the  organization  of  a 
company  intended  to  exploit  the  process  he  had  elabo- 
rated. In  1911  he  moved  to  Nelson,  where  he  obtained 
the  use  of  an  abandoned  municipal  power-plant  and 
conducted  experiments  on  a  larger  scale,  producing 
electrolytic  zinc  of  high  quality  from  various  ores  mined 
in  the  Slocan  district.  This  came  to  the  notice  of  the 
Consolidated  Company  at  Trail  and  it  is  stated  that 
representatives  of  the  company  went  to  Nelson  to  make 
tests  on  the  Sullivan  ore  at  French's  plant.  The  Sulli- 
van mine  had  been  acquired  by  the  company  in  1911  and 
it  gave  promise  of  becoming  a  big  thing.  The  tests  made 
at  Nelson  were  sufficiently  encouraging  to  cause  the  Con- 
solidated Company  to  make  a  contract  for  the  purchase 
of  the  sole  rights  to  the  French  process  in  Canada,  but 
nothing  seems  to  have  been  done  until  1914  when  the 
process  company  appointed  one  of  its  directors,  Mr. 
Thomas  French,  the  son  of  the  inventor,  then  deceased, 


934 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


to  advise  the  Consolidated  Company  in  the  erection  of  a 
1-ton  plant.  What  happened  then  is  a  matter  of  contro- 
versy. Mr.  French  asserts  that  obstacles  were  placed  in 
his  way  but  that  in  spite  of  this  lack  of  co-operation  the 
plant  was  worked  successfully  in  accordance  with  his 
directions.  The  contract,  he  says,  was  not  fulfilled,  so 
the  French  Complex  Ore  Reduction  Company,  as  the 
process  syndicate  was  called,  cancelled  the  agreement 
and  withdrew  from  further  participation  in  the  experi- 
mental work  at  Trail.  The  gentlemen  at  the  big  smelter 
are  unwilling  to  ventilate  the  dispute  that  ensued,  but 
we  infer  that  they  found  in  Mr.  French's  method  an 
echo  of  older  patents  and  in  his  process  too  many  details 
requiring  further  elaboration. 

On  his  return  to  Nelson,  Mr.  French  continued  to 
have  the  backing  of  Mr.  J.  0.  Patenaude,  a  local  jeweler 
and  a  sagacious  man  of  business.  Mr.  Patenaude  took 
steps  to  obtain  Government  assistance,  and  succeeded, 
after  a  favorable  demonstration  of  the  process  had  been 
made  at  Silverton  on  zinc-lead  ore  from  the  Standard 
mine.  With  the  support  of  Mr.  R.  F.  Green,  the  repre- 
sentative for  the  Kootenay  in  the  Provincial  parliament, 
he  secured  a  grant  of  $40,000  for  the  erection  of  a  plant. 
He  also  obtained  the  use  of  the  old  electric  smelter  at 
Fairview,  on  the  outskirts  of  Nelson,  where  last  summer 
an.  electrolytic  plant  was  being  built  under  the  super- 
vision of  Mr.  French.  This  plant  includes  a  McDougall 
roaster  left  from  an  earlier  metallurgical  effort.  The 
leaching  department  includes  two  vats  and  a  filter-tank 
aided  by  vacuum.  The  electrolytic  department  contains 
37  cells.  It  is  expected  to  add  a  lead  refinery,  using  the 
Pattinson  and  Parkes  methods  for  separating  the  silver. 
Mr.  French  claims  that  he  can  extract  90%  of  both 
metals  from  a  15%  zinc  and  30%  lead  ore.  He  will  use 
sheets  of  rolled  zinc  for  starting  and  then  a  lead  anode. 
The  show  of  secrecy  concerning  details  may  be  excused 
en  account  of  the  feeling  engendered  by  the  controversy 
with  the  Trail  management  but  it  seems  to  us  that  the 
Provincial  government,  as  a  patron,  should  insist  on  the 
publication  of  the  fullest  information  in  return  for  its 
subsidy. 

Into  the  controversy  over  patents  it  is  unprofitable  to 
go.  It  is  proper  to  state,  however,  that  Mr.  French 
claims  originality  (1)  in  the  use  of  manganese  to  pre- 
vent corrosion  of  the  cathode  and  to  maintain  the  purity 
of  the  electrolyte;  and  (2)  in  the  use  of  sodium  bi-sul- 
phate,  or  'nitre-cake,'  which  is  added  to  the  ore  while  it 
is  being  roasted,  for  the  purpose  of  converting  the  metal- 
lic oxides  into  sulphates.  It  is  asserted  also  that  the  zinc 
sulphate  goes  into  solution  before  the  iron  sulphate, 
which  remains  undissolved  if  the  leaching  is  stopped  at 
the  right  moment.  He  further  asserts  that  his  patents 
are  being  infringed  both  at  Trail  and  Anaconda,  but  as  he 
confessed  to  the  present  writer  that  he  had  not  made  a 
search  of  the  patent  record,  this  assertion  may  be  im- 
puted to  the  natural  eagerness  of  an  inventor.  The 
Anaconda  management  has  looked  into  the  matter  and 
finds  that  French's  American  patents  do  not  conflict 
with  the  process  in  use  at  either  the  Washoe  or  the  Great 


Falls  plants*  which  follow  the  method  designed  by  Mr. 
Frederick  Laist.  The  Consolidated  Company  acknowl- 
edges the  taking  of  an  option  on  the  French  patent,  for 
which  a  royalty  was  to  be  paid  in  case  it  was  used,  but 
the  metallurgists  at  Trail  assert  that  after  French  had 
erected  and  run  his  trial  plant,  they  found  it  unsuitable 
and  since  then  they  have  developed  another  electrolytic 
process.  At  Trail  sodium  sulphate  is  not  used,  and  as 
for  manganese,  that  exists  in  the  Sullivan  ore.  Presum- 
ably if  a  reagent  is  a  natural  constituent  of  an  ore,  and 
produces  sundry  reactions  of  a  beneficent  kind,  the  use 
of  it  cannot  be  claimed  as  an  infringement,  even  if  the 
patent  be  validated.  The  manganese  idea  in  electrolytic 
zinc  refining  is  like  that  for  the  formation  of  magnetite 
to  protect  the  lining  of  a  copper  converter,  as  patented 
by  Krejici  and  Wheeler;  it  is  difficult  to  prevent  the 
formation  of  magnetite  under  the  conditions  specified 
and  the  desired  result  was  obtained  in  converters  long 
previous  to  the  publication  of  the  method. 

Passing  from  these  disputable  points  we  come  to  the 
main  question  of  the  dependence  of  economic  success  in 
electrolytic  refining  upon  cheap  electrical  energy.  It  is 
difficult  to  obtain  accurate  information  concerning  the 
cost  of  power.  The  big  metallurgical  company  usually 
obtains  its  electricity  from  a  power  company  and  an 
inquirer  is  told  the  figure  in  the  contract,  but  the  power 
company  is  likely  to  be  a  subsidiary  of  the  smelting  com- 
pany, so  that  the  bedrock  price  is  not  disclosed.  At 
Trail  a  nominal  figure  of  i  cent  per  kw.-hour,  or  $20  per 
hp.-year  is  quoted.  The  little  plant  at  Nelson  is  said  to 
obtain  its  power  from  Bonnington  Falls  at  $13.50  per 
hp.-year.  It  may  be  taken,  as  a  rough  estimate,  that  in 
the  West  it  is  possible  to  generate  power  for  $10  per 
hp.-year,  this  sum  including  attendance,  maintenance, 
and  interest  on  a  20-year  redemption  of  the  capital  in- 
volved. Of  course,  the  cost  depends  mainly  on  the  rate 
of  amortization,  which  is  based  upon  the  estimated  life  of 
the  enterprise.  In  a  new  country  most  people  do  not 
look  far  ahead  and  enterprises  change  hands  at  com- 
paratively short  intervals — hence  a  high  rate  of  amortiza- 
tion ;  but  given  a  metallurgical  plant  like  that  at  Trail 
or  Great  Falls,  well-established  and  strongly  supported, 
assured  of  an  abundant  supply  of  ore,  it  would  be  safe 
to  cut  down  the  interest  for  redemption  to  a  low  per- 
centage over  a  long  period.  What  the  cost  of  producing 
zinc  in  this  way  is  has  not  been  disclosed.  That  interest- 
ing financial  gossip,  the  Boston  News  Bureau,  stated  re- 
cently that  at  Trail  "the  actual  cost  of  making  zinc 
from  a  40%  zinc  concentrate  should  never  exceed  two 
cents  per  pound,  and  where  power  is  $10  or  $12  per 
horse-power,  it  should  not  exceed  1J  cents  per  pound." 
Presumably  'never'  stands  for  'not'  and  the  cost  men- 
tioned may  be  meant  to  cover  only  the  roasting,  leaching, 
and  precipitation,  not  the  mining  and  concentrating. 
The  statement  is  not  clear,  but  it  is  likely  to  be  taken  to 
mean  that  spelter  can  be  made  for  2  cents  per  pound  as 
against  an  average  pre-War  cost  of  5  cents.  If  a  guess  is 
permissible  we  would  hazard  4  cents  as  the  cost  of  pro- 
ducing zinc  from  the  Sullivan  ore  at  Trail. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


935 


|l       ■       .1     II     -.■..■  ■    ,:l      |l  liiHM,!!    ' 


llltltlU!lll9IU«»Hm«l'»itrt;r-';iKJiN': 


Our  read  rt  are  invited  to  use  this  department 'far  the  dixmi.'.-l",!  ni  inimical  and  other  matters  pertain- 
ing to  minimi  iiml  metallurgy.      Tin-  Editor  welcomes  expressions  of  mews  contrary  to  his  own,  belkv- 
in,!  that  careful  criticism  is  more  valuable  than  casual  compliment. 


„,,,.,  ,,,,    „., 


The  Editor: 

Sir — I  have  read  with  interest  the  views  of  many  as 
to  'What  is  the  Matter  with  Prospecting?'  Having 
mined  and  prospected  in  several  States  during  the  last 
ten  years,  my  views  as  a  prospector  may  he  of  interest. 

The  education  of  the  prospector  has  not  kept  apace 
with  that  of  the  engineer.  Were  the  problem  put  to  me, 
I  would  analyze  it  by  dividing  prospectors  into  three 
classes :  Class  A  would  include  the  men  who  through 
their  powers  of  observation,  technical  reading,  and  simi- 
lar accomplishments,  have  placed  themselves  in  a  position 
to  form  a  fairly  good  idea  of  prospective  mining  values ; 
they  are  the  scientific  prospectors.  When  our  prospector 
gets  this  far  along,  he  gains  something  of  the  engineer's 
pessimism  and  is  likely  to  confine  his  search  to  located 
ground,  for  a  lease  or  a  bond-and-lease  on  property,  the 
value  of  which  a  less  experienced  owner  is  not  aware. 
The  hardihood  and  natural  liking  of  the  game  should 
make  this  man  of  value,  but  the  engineering  staffs  of  the 
large  companies  seldom  employ  him  and  few  have  the 
means  to  go  to  the  hills  for  the  season. 

In  Class  B,  I  would  put  those  who  prospect  by  the  hit- 
or-miss  method.  Early  in  the  career  of  one  of  this  class 
he  is  likely  to  find  a  cropping  imposing  as  to  size  but 
barren  of  possibilities.  Not  being  able  to  appraise  same, 
he  decides  to  read  up,  so  he  sends  for  a  professional  paper 
on  his  district ;  upon  opening  it  he  find's  a  photo-micro- 
graph of  a  quartz  mica-hypersthene-diorite  and  is  dumb- 
founded; turning  farther,  he  finds  he  never  could  pro- 
nounce or  remember  such  a  name,  and  finally  decides 
that  anyone  who  would  call  granite  by  such  a  name  is 
crazy.  Next  he  meets  an  older  Class  B  man  who  tells 
him  that  the  names,  and  such,  are  for  the  same  purpose 
as  a  doctor's  prescription  in  Latin,  namely,  so  you  can- 
not fill  it  at  the  grocery,  and  that  you  can't  tell  a  thing 
about  the  rock  beneath  except  by  digging,  and  he  digs. 
A  little  rightly-applied  information  would  start  him  to- 
ward Class  A.    He  is  also  a  loss. 

In  Class  C,  I  will  put  the  man  whose  education  is  about 
equal  to  figuring  up  a  grub  bill.  He  is  as  likely  to  hold 
the  technical  man  in  great  regard  as  not,  or  to  say 
' '  Shucks,  one  of  them  book  learnin '  fellers  told  old  Jones 
he'd  never  hit  nuthin'  and  look  at  his  mine  now,  workin' 
six  men."  But  don't  ridicule  this  man,  he's  likely  to 
have  eyes  that  see  and  a  memory  a  mile  long,  and  he 
makes  a  strike  oftener  than  a  Class  B  man.  He  doesn't 
carry  a  head  full  of  technical  phrases,  but  a  picture  gal- 
lery crowded  with  rock-pictures  gathered  through  the 


years  as  miner,  mucker,  and  prospector.  He's  more  of 
an  explorer  than  A  or  B,  always  with  an  eye  for  placer 
and  for  such  formations  as  he  has  seen  that  held  ore.  An 
optimist?    Well,  I  guess  yes. 

Now,  say  all  three  have  a  claim  of  about  equal  pros- 
pective value  for  sale.  •  A  will  generally  be  fair  in  terms, 
but  B — well,  he  wants  a  million  or  two  cash  and  the 
trusts  "ain't  goin'  to  get  his  claim  for  a  song."  C  may 
ask  a  big  figure,  not  knowing  the  value  of  money,  but 
stack  a  little  pile  of  gold  in  front  of  his  eyes  and  you 
have  generally  bought  something.  Now,  A  is  apt  to  keep 
abreast  of  the  times,  but  put  him  in  the  field  or  he's  a 
loss;  B  and  C  need  the  handling  advised  for  a  mule — 
just  convince  him  you  know  more  than  he  does,  by  using 
proper  language.  No,  I  would  not  club  him  over  the  head 
with  anything  he  could  not  digest.  He'd  fight  shy. 
"But,"  you  say,  "how  can  we  get  to  him  as  an  indi- 
vidual, for  he's  scattered  all  over  the  Cordilleras,  and  he 
holds  us  in  such  light  esteem,  he  '11  be  shy  ? ' '  Well,  the 
feeling  is  mutual  in  many  cases,  so  you've  got  to  take  a 
lesson  in  pulling  together,  not  bucking,  or  you'll  both 
continue  to  ask  why  good  properties  are  getting  harder 
to  find.  Generally  speaking,  you  are  older  and  should 
know  more  than  he  does. 

Now  here's  my  plan,  Utopian  as  it  may  seem  to  some, 
and  it  calls  for  co-operation  by  everyone  directly  con- 
cerned in  the  mining  industry.  Say  I've  got  all  this  co- 
operation that  the  U.  S.  G.  S.,  A.  I.  M.  E.,  or  other  asso- 
ciations or  individuals  can  give.  The  U.  S.  G.  S.  should 
handle  this  work,  for  they  are  equal  to  it,  if  the  pork- 
barrel  doesn't  get  all  the  kale.  Co-operation  comes  in 
here,  for  it  takes  money.  A  dozen  geologists,  good  'mix- 
ers,' to  begin  with,  should  receive  a  special  treatment 
which  would  leave  them  just  ordinary  humans,  able  to 
talk  mining  to  B  and  C  prospectors  so  they'll  'savvy.' 
I'd  get  six  specially  designed  railroad-cars  and  in  big 
letters,  label  them  the  'Prospector's  Special.'  Take  the 
moving-picture  outfit  along  and  in  the  mining  towns  or 
all  places  with  mineral  possibilities,  hire  the  town-hall  or 
theatre  for  a  night  or  two.  Show  mining  scenes,  pros- 
pecting outfits  in  the  field,  croppings  of  prominent  mine's, 
and  where  possible,  from  prospect  to  mine.  Give  a  little 
talk  at  the  same  time,  the  idea  being  to  convince  people 
that  prospecting  is  not  always  humbuggery,  but  an  hon- 
orable calling ;  one  in  which  to  strive  to  excell. 

You  say  this  is  not  educating  the  A-B-C  mixture.  No, ' 
it's  just  boosting  the  game,  encouraging  him  a  bit,  put- 
ting him  right  with  the  public.  We'll  go  with  him  to 
the  car — he's  read  the  announcements  and  has  come  out 
of  the  hills.    We're  going  to  be  here  a  week,  you  know, 


936 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


not  a  fly-by-night.  Into  the  car  comes  Mr.  Rainbow 
Chaser.  Mr.  Mixer  doesn't  see  the  bacon  tracks  or  need 
of  a  shave,  but  gives  him  the  'glad  hand'  and  up  a  notch 
goes  Mr.  Geologist  with  his  more  primitive  brother,  and 
his  interest  is  excited  now  that  he  feels  at  ease.  He  sees 
cases  of  rock  ingeniously  arranged ;  croppings  from  the 
'Wonder'  and  ore  from  below.  Croppings  from  above 
orebodies  predominate — that  is  his  problem.  He  can't 
remember  the  scientific  names  put  there  for  A,  but  he 
can  judge  rock  and  read  values.  The  croppings  will  be 
observed  so  minutely  that  he'll  have  a  collection  worth 
while  for  the  picture-book  he'll  open  in  his  head  as  he 
goes  back,  not  a  batch  of  meaningless  words. 

In  the  'rare'  mineral  collection  he  has  seen  a  sample 
of  stuff  he  passed  over  years  ago  apd  no  one  of  his  friends 
knew  what  it  was.  He  knows  now,  for  the  picture-book 
has  kept  its  colors  well;  it  is  likely  to  result  in  a  dis- 
covery. Also  he's  brought  along  rock  for  comparison 
and  he  takes  back  a  publication  that  reads  like  a  story- 
book in  non-technical  language  and  after  he's  read  it 
through  he  has  an  idea  of  primary  and  secondary  ore- 
bodies  and  what  to  waste  no  time  over.  He's  on  his  way 
to  Class  A,  his  prejudice  scuttled  and  sunk  with  all 
hands,  a  missionary  now,  not  a  knocker. 

It  is  1925  now  and  we  read  in  a  1916  M.  &  S.  P.  that 
someone  said  all  worth-while  orebodies  have  been  found 
and  we  laugh  as  we  read  of  the  new  mines  coming  in  and 
the  generally  prosperous  condition  of  mining  and  decide 
that  most  assuredly  do  advertising  and  education  pay. 

Ravalli,  Montana,  November  25.         John  A.  Roos. 

The  Editor : 

Sir — I  have  refrained,  until  now,  from  attempting  to 
add  to  the  already  too  heavy  burden  of  the  prospector, 
who,  a  number  of  our  friends  insist,  has  "something 
the  matter  with  him. ' ' 

I  have  known  the  prospector  quite  intimately  for  many 
years,  I  have  watched  his  career  with  interest,  and  I  have 
reached  the  conclusion  that  the  trouble  he  has  experi- 
enced in  recent  years  is  not  so  much  his  fault  after  all. 
The  'matter'  is  that  there  is  an  entirely  new  dispensa- 
tion in  affairs  that  affect  him  profoundly.  The  old-time 
prospector  is  dissatisfied  with  his  present  opportunities 
for  finding  rich  ore  deposits,  and  even  more  so  with  his 
chances  of  turning  any  'find'  he  may  make  into  a  sndden 
fortune.  By  nature  he  is  an  optimist,  with  an  inborn 
faith  in  his  own  ability  and  judgment,  as  far  as  the 
search  for  and  the  ultimate  discovery  of  a  rich  mine  is 
concerned,  and  he  used  to  feel  entirely  competent  to  sell 
a  promising  prospect  to  good  advantage  should  he  be  so 
fortunate  as  to  find  one. 

A  few  years  ago  the  prospector  went  into  the  hills 
alone  or  in  groups,  and  'ran  over'  the  country,  looking 
for  minerals.  So  rapidly  did  he  move  that  most  people 
thought  his  work  was  done  carelessly,  and  that  he  was 
prone  to  overlook  much  that  was  valuable,  but  the  history 
of  most  mining  districts  shows  that,  generally  speaking, 
such  was  not  the  ease.  Unless  a  vein  or  ore  deposit  was 
obscure,  he  was  pretty  likely  to  discover  it.  and  it  was 


only  those  deposits  that  required  considerable  geolog- 
ical knowledge  and  prolonged  exploratory  work  before 
discovery  that  escaped  him.  The  first  men  to  go  up  Gold 
Run  in  the  Black  Hills  discovered  and  located  the  Home- 
stake;  any  man  that  ever  saw  a  mineral  deposit,  who 
might  have  chanced  to  run  across  the  huge  outcrop  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  &  Sullivan  mine,  in  the  Coeur  d'Alene, 
would  have  at  once  recognized  it  as  a  great  possibility 
and  promptly  have  located  it ;  and  so  with  a  great  many 
others.  It  is  true,  some  of  the  best  mines,  like  the 
Granite  Mountain,  at  Philipsburg,  Montana,  were  not 
rich,  nor  particularly  favorable  at  the  surface,  but  the 
good  ones  usually  gave  sufficient  evidence  of  their  poten- 
tial value  to  make  them  look  attractive  to  the  prospector. 

What  was  it  that  made  the  business  of  prospecting  so 
alluring  to  a  large  number  of  men  throughout  that 
wonderful  period  to  which  we  refer  as  'the  early  days'? 
It  was  the  constant  hope,  not  ill-founded,  of  finding  rich 
ore  that  could  be  shipped  at  good  profit,  or  the  belief 
that  any  discovery  possessing  an  attractive  appearance 
could  be  sold  at  a  price  which  would  insure  to  the  fortun- 
ate discoverer  at  least  a  competency,  if  not  a  large 
fortune. 

A  party  of  several  prospectors  found  the  McCracken 
mine  years  ago  in  western  Arizona.  The  ore  was  rich, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  lucky  discoverers  sold  out  for  a 
large  sum.  One  of  them  chartered  a  special  train  to  take 
himself  and  family  on  a  trip  to  Washington.  He  lasted 
a  year  or  two  and  then,  flat  broke,  returned  to  his  old 
business  of  prospecting.  But  was  he  again  fortunate? 
Indeed,  he  was.  He  made  two  or  three  fortunes  later  by 
lucky  discoveries,  though  none  of  them  as  valuable  as  the 
first.  A  party  of  ten  men  went  prospecting  in  the  Black 
Hills  in  1879.  They  had  been  out  but  a  few  days  when 
they  found  a  large  mass  of  schist  and  quartz  carrying 
gold.  They  named  it  the  Grand  Junction.  Before  they 
had  done  development  work  to  the  extent  of  $2000  they 
sold  out  for  $125,000  cash.  The  mine  was  not  worth  it. 
but  they  got  the  money  just  the  same.  Another  crowd 
discovered  a  small  rich  streak  in  a  big  vein  at  the  side  of 
the  road  a  few  miles  from  the  Grand  Junction  and  not 
far  from  the  town  of  Custer.  They  called  it  the  Tele- 
graph mine,  and  within  a  few  weeks  disposed  of  it  for 
$75,000  cash.  Again,  the  property  was  not  worth  the 
price,  but  that  was  learned  later.  The  Quijatoa  in  south- 
ern Arizona,  a  rugged  hill  on  the  side  of  which  was  a 
plaster  of  high-grade  ore,  was  discovered,  located,  and 
sold  with  scarcely  any  development  work,  for  $450,000. 
It  was  one  of  the  dismal  failures,  but  the  losers  were 
millionaire  Comstock  miners  and  could  stand  it.  The  ex- 
perience did  not  deter  them  from  taking  other  chances 
elsewhere. 

These  are  but  a  very  few  instances  of  large  fortune, 
quickly  acquired  by  the  humble  prospector.  The  annals 
of  mining  in  the  West  teem  with  just  such  stories  of 
rich  strikes,  high-grade  ores,  fortunes  almost  over  night, 
and  stampedes  from  place  to  place — White  Pine,  Pioche, 
Reese  River,  Tuscarora,  Tombstone,  the  Black  Hills, 
Leadville,  and  Cripple  Creek.     More  recently  we  have 


December  :«),  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


937 


bad  Nome,  Tonopah,  Qoldfield,  National,  and  a  dozen 

othrrs  of  less  spectacular  character,  and  now  it  is  Oat- 
man,  iii  Arizona. 

In  those  days  the  prospector  was  all  right.  He  was 
independent  and  needed  no  other  incentive  than  the  op- 
portunities of  his  calling  to  urge  him  to  seek  success. 
But  now — it's  different.  In  those  days  he  penetrated 
everywhere;  no  desert  was  too  threatening,  no  mountain 
too  rugged,  no  forest  too  impenetrable,  and  no  danger 
too  great.  He  went,  he  saw,  he  located,  and  sometimes 
he  won.  The  easy  good  things — either  ore  deposits  or 
capitalists,  are  numerous  no  longer.  The  prospector 
still  goes  afield,  but  the  railroad  and  the  automobile 
have  to  a  great  extent  displaced  his  burro  and  pack, 
greatly  reducing  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  his  occu- 
pation, but  if  he  has  been  in  the  game  very  long,  he  no 
longer  really  expects  to  sell  a  ten-foot  hole  for  a  half- 
million  dollars  more  or  less.  He  knows  that  the  pros- 
pective purchaser,  if  he  ever  gets  one,  will  be  discriminat- 
ing, exacting,  and  hard  to  please.  He  knows  that  the 
man  with  the  money  is  no  longer  satisfied  to  cheerfully 
hand  out  his  certified  check  after  giving  the  prospect  the 
'once-over,'  for  if  he  is  'wise  to  the  game'  he  sends  an 
experienced  engineer  and  geologist  to  investigate.  If  the 
report  is  favorable,  he  may  send  another,  and  possibly 
several  others  in  succession.  Not  only  does  he  have  a 
most  rigid  inquiry  made  as  to  the  amount  of  ore  avail- 
able, but  he  wants  to  know  its  probabilities  for  the  future 
beyond  what  actually  has  been  exposed  by  development. 
Then  there  is  the  question  of  the  metallurgy,  which  has 
to  be  investigated  to  a  finish.  The  capitalist  or  his  engi- 
neer must  know  the  methods  to  be  employed,  the  cost, 
and  everything  else  that  in  any  way  has  any  bearing  on 
the  matter.  After  having  ascertained  all  concerning  the 
property  that  can  be  learned,  and  as  much  as  possible  of 
that  which  lies  wholly  in  the  future,  he  coolly  calculates 
all  the  chances  for  and  against  success,  enlarging  on  the 
latter,  and  finally  makes  up  his  mind.  If  the  prospector 
makes  a  sale,  it  is  at  a  price  far  below  his  hopes,  and 
with  terms  attached  that  would  make  an  old-timer  shiver, 
if  not  quit  the  game  in  disgust. 

The  prospector  has  learned  that  mining  has  been  di- 
vested of  much  of  its  glamor — has  been  reduced  to  a 
scientific  calculation  of  cold  dollars  and  cents.  .  Capital- 
ists no  longer  run  a  race  with  each  other  over  hundreds 
of  miles  of  mountain  or  desert  to  be  first  to  reach  the 
owner  of  a  prospect.  Today  the  prospector  will  be 
fortunate  if  he  can  succeed  at  all  in  bringing  the  atten- 
tion of  capital  to  his  fairly  well-developed  property. 
Not  only  must  he  have  an  attractive  showing,  but  it  must 
be  easily  accessible,  preferably  by  railroad,  and  if  neces- 
sary, by  automobile.  Long  stage-coach  rides  and  jour- 
neys in  the  saddle  are  no  longer  considered  as  trifles  by 
the  wealthy  comfort-loving  investor.  The  prospector 
must  be  able  to  show  that  not  only  has  he  an  excellent 
prospect,  but  he  must  be  able  to  show  that  he  also  has 
available,  if  not  actually  owning,  water  and  timber,  and 
some  inexpensive  means  of  securing  or  generating  power, 
for  all  of  which  he  must  be  willing  to  accept  a  moderate 


price,  and   then,  worst   of  all.  be  must   wait    for  months, 

or  even  years,  before  he  can  gel  his  money. 

There  is  no  one  thing  al ■  that  is  the  matter  with  the 

prospector.  It  is  the  entire  change  in  conditions  which 
have  come  about  in  recent  years,  that  have  nearly  driven 
him  OUt  of  business.  A  return  to  the  old-time  reckless 
way  of  doing  things  is  neither  possible  uor  desirable, 
but  if  the  prospector  can  get  into  a  new  field  affording 
anything  like  the  opportunities  of  30  to  50  years  ago,  he 
will  quickly  be  in  evidence  once  more,  and  will  flourish 
too,  but  never  again  in  the  same  old  way. 

San  Francisco,  December  25.  W.  H.  Storms. 

IBilsueik  £lii;n£i 

The  Editor: 

Sir — During  the  summer  of  1900  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  witnessing  the  natural  concentration  of  beach-sand 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Herbert  Lang.  I  was  operating  a 
string  of  sluice-boxes  on  the  beach,  about  nine  miles 
above  Nome,  and  at  the  time  when  the  big  storm  came, 
in  August,  the  sluicers  had  almost  completed  the  job  of 
washing  that  part  of  the  beach  lying  between  high-water 
mark  and  the  tundra,  for  almost  10  miles  along  the  coast 
west  of  Nome.  The  so-called  bedrock  was  simply  a  clear 
white  sand,  on  which  the  pay-streak  usually  lay  in  alter- 
nate layers  of  black  sand,  one  to  four  inches  thick,  then 
ruby  sand  of  about  the  same  thickness,  then  the  top  dirt 
of  about  four  feet.  Sometimes  the  pay-streak  was  not 
on  the  white  sand,  but  a  foot  or  so  deep,  and  again  there 
would  be  several  streaks  of  black  sand  at  different  depths, 
and  always  the  ruby  sand  over  the  black  sand,  with  the 
classification  of  each  material  very  clear. 

Of  course,  the  beach  had  been  pretty  well  turned  over 
in  1899  by  the  rocker  men,  who  simply  stripped  the  top 
dirt  and  worked  the  richest  of  the  black  sand  in  their 
rockers',  but  they  overlooked  patches  here  and  there,  so 
that  I  was  able  to  see  exactly  how  the  original  formation 
had  lain.  In  one  of  these  patches  the  pay-streak  was 
fully  six  inches  thick,  and  about  12  ft.  across,  and  car- 
ried about  $1.50  to  the  pan.  This  was  a  little  bonanza. 
Well,  the  big  storm  came  and  raged  for  three  days,  leav- 
ing the  beach  in  exactly  the  same  condition  as  it  was 
before  any  work  had  been  done.  Naturally  we  were 
curious  to  know  if  there  was  any  'pay,'  and  with  the 
first  lull  we  began  panning.  To  our  amazement  we  found 
a  thin  streak  of  black  sand  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick,  and  carrying  gold  directly  on  top  of  the  whole 
formation.  "We  immediately  set  up  a  'long  torn,'  which 
was  simply  the  end  box  from  our  sluice  in  which  we  had 
ten  feet  of  plates.  Turning  in  a  small  stream  of  water 
from  the  tundra,  we  began  shoveling  in,  using  a  pyramid 
grizzly  to  keep  the  coarse  material  from  scouring  the 
plate.  Two  of  us  worked  about  six  hours  when  the  storm 
drove  us  off  the  beach  again.  We  cleaned  up  the  amal- 
gam, retorted  it,  and  obtained  close  to  ten  ounces  of  gold 
which  at  that  time  had  a  trade  value  at  the  Nome  stores 
of  $16  per  ounce.  After  the  storm  had  subsided  again, 
we  prospected  in  vain.     The  black  sand  and  ruby  sand 


938 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


were  there  in  streaks,  just  as  they  were  originally,  and 
there  was  some  gold.  We  tried  at  different  places  along 
the  beach  for  miles  and  could  make  about,  three  dollars 
per  day  per  man,  but  we  never  found  what  was  consid- 
ered  good  '  pay. '  Fked  q  TyRREL 

Selby,  December  4. 

The  Editor: 

Sir — Sometime  ago  I  had  an  opportunity  to  go  under- 
ground at  the  Dos  Pilares  mine,  near  Nacozari,  in 
Sonora,  Mexico,  and  there  I  saw  a  method  of  handling 
Mexican  laborers  that  was  entirely  new  to  me.  With  a 
foreman  as  guide,  I  and  two  friends  stepped  on  the  plat- 
form of  the  cage,  which  took  us  down  into  the  mine.  As 
we  approached  the  stope,  through  a  cross-cut  from  the 
shaft,  the  sound  of  music  came  to  my  astonished  ears, 
nor  did  it  cease  when  we  entered  the  stope.  Here  was  a 
great  chamber  nearly  100  ft.  square  cut  in  the  heart  of 
a  great  orebody,  and  not  a  single  stick  of  timber  for 
support  was  in  sight.  Haste  was  being  made,  however, 
to  fill  the  stope  with  waste  drawn  down  through  a  raise 
connecting  with  a  big  glory-hole  on  the  surface.  The 
chamber  was  well  lighted  by  numerous  incandescent 
electric  lamps.  Near  the  centre  of  the  excavation,  but  a 
little  to  one  side,  sat  a  Mexican  youth  at  a  table  over 
which  was  suspended  one  of  the  lamps.  Over  against  a 
wall,  a  young  fellow  lounged  carelessly  while  vigorously 
playing  a  harmonica,  which  he  encompassed  with  his 
cupped  hands  alternately  uncovering  and  again  closing 
his  hands  over  the  instrument  with  the  rhythm  of  the 
music.  Near  him  three  or  four  other  men  were  stretched 
out  full  length  on  planks,  apparently  sleeping.  Not  far 
away  several  others  were  enjoying  a  game  of  cards,  a 
number  of  men  standing-by  interested  spectators  of  the 
game.  The  appearance  of  the  foreman  made  no  differ- 
ence to  the  men  in  their  pleasant  diversions.  The  fel- 
low with  the  harmonica  never  missed  a  note,  the  card- 
players  seemed  unmindful  of  his  presence,  and  the  sleep- 
ing ones  continued  to  sleep.  There  were,  perhaps,  60 
men  in  the  stope,  of  whom  all  were  at  work  except  those 
engaged  as  described.  Bach  man  wore  on  his  left  breast 
a  disc  of  brass,  displaying  a  conspicuous  number.  Those 
who  were  at  work  were  either  shoveling  waste-rock  into  a 
wheelbarrow,  trundling  a  "wheelbarrow  from  the  shovel- 
ing place  to  the  'fill'  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  stope,  or 
taking  it  back  empty  to  be  re-filled.  As  each  man  with 
his  loaded  barrow  passed  the  youthjat  the  table,  he  would 
call  out  the  number  of  his  tag,  whereupon  the  clerk 
would  tally  a  mark  opposite  the  number  called.  At  the 
end  of  the  shift,  each  workman  was  credited  with  the 
number  of  loads  he  had  moved  from  the  shoveling  place 
at  the  foot  of  the  raise  to  the  fill  across  the  stope,  and 
on  this  basis  he  was  paid — a  good  scheme — no  work,  no 
pay.  The  foreman  asked :  ' '  Ever  see  anything  like  this 
before?"  I  replied  that  it  was  entirely  new  in  by  ex- 
perience, and  he  remarked.  "Well,  it's  a  good  thing  to 
remember.  We  have  to  treat  these  men  much  like  chil- 
dren, and  we  have  found  that  it  works  fine."     It  un- 


doubtedly  did,  for  the  stope  was  being  filled  rapidly  and 
cheaply,  and  the  workmen  all  appeared  to  be  well 
satisfied.  H   T   W 

Berkeley,  December  22. 

The  Editor : 

Sir — I  have  watched  the  discussion  of  this  subject  with 
much  interest.  There  is  one  point  that  does  not  seem  to 
me  to  have  received  sufficient  attention.  The  only  weak 
point  about  ball-mill  operations  in  my  experience  is  the 
wear  of  balls  and  lining.  I  have  not  seen  any  statement, 
in  pounds,  of  the  balls  and  lining  consumed  per  ton  of 
ore  pulverized  from  a  given  size  to  a  given  mesh  with  the 
newer  types  of  ball-mill  such  as  the  Marcy  or  some  other 
modern  ball-mill  operated  in  closed  circuit  with  a  classi- 
fier and  equipped  with  chrome-steel  or  manganese-steel 
lining,  and  where  balls  of  an  equally  good  quality  were 
used.  I  had  an  extensive  experience  with  an  early  de- 
sign of  central-discharge  ball-tube  mill  6  by  5|  ft.,  in 
which  white  iron  linings  and  balls  were  used.  The  eon- 
sumption  of  balls  and  linings  was  about  four  pounds  per 
ton  of  bard  flinty  Republic  quartz  pulverized  from  f-in. 
size  to  about  20-mesh,  when  operated  at  a  capacity  of  100 
tons  daily.  The  mills  of  more  recent  design  have  de- 
veloped a  considerably  higher  capacity.  A  coarse  feed 
from  the  rock-breaker — say,  a  2J-in.  size — undoubtedly 
reduces  the  wear  of  balls  and  lining,  and  the  use  of  high- 
grade  chrome  or  manganese-steel  balls  and  linings  will 
undoubtedly  be  helpful,  but  I  have  seen  no  data  giving 
the  exact  wear  of  this  better-grade  material.  Mr.  Mill- 
iean  once  told  me  that  in  the  dry-crushing  ball-mills  used 
at  the  Golden  Cycle  mill,  where  a  good  grade  of  imported 
manganese-steel  ball  was  used,  the  consumption  of  balls 
was  0.7  lb.  per  ton.  That  would  not  be  a  bad  showing 
in  comparison  with  the  average  shoe-and-die  consump- 
tion with  stamps.  There  seems  to  be  no  longer  any  ques- 
tion but  that  the  ball-mill  has  the  better  of  the  stamp  on 
all  other  points.  For  a  given  tonnage  it  is  very  much 
more  economical  in  first  cost,  cost  of  installation,  floor- 
space,  power,  and  simplicity  of  operation,  and  when  run- 
ning in  close  circuit  with  a  classifier,  it  will  do  a  wider 
range  of  work,  and  it  can  be  manipulated  so  as  to  prepare 
any  desired  product.  The  only  question  is  this:  Is  the 
consumption  of  balls  and  linings  enough  heavier  than  the 
wear  of  shoes  and  dies  to  make  the  old  stamp- battery  or 
the  combination  of  stamps  followed  by  Chilean  mill  or 
pebble-mill  more  desirable  in  a  remote  district  where  the 
transportation  of  balls  and  lining  would  be  both  ex- 
pensive and  difficult?  If  the  metallurgical  department 
of  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press  would  collect  the 
results  of  recent  experience  with  different  mills  using 
the  different  types  of  ball-mills  and  varying  grades  and 
designs  of  lining,  and  varying  grades  and  sizes  of  balls 
and  the  practice  as  to  size  of  feed  and  mesh  of  finished 
product,  it  would  perform  an  important  service  to  the 
metallurgical  profession.  _     „  M 

Dolomi.  Alaska,  November  20. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


939 


TWO   VIEWS   OF   THE   INTERIOR  OF  THE  ELECTROLYTIC   ZINC   DEPARTMENT. 


!Il<g-g£jF®IlSFfti©   iEdHaMng   at   Txml — HH 


By     T.     A. 

Electrolytic  Process.  The  solution  enters  as  a  clear 
slightly  amber  liquid  containing  6  to  8%  zinc  with 
0.002%  iron.  The  buss-bars  from  the  generator-room,  as 
they  reach  the  'tank'  or  electrolytic  cell,  are  enclosed  in 
cast-lead  to  protect  them  from  corrosion.  Each  buss-bar 
is  fused  to  the  top  of  the  cast-lead  anode  (30  by  25-J  in. 
and  -J  in.  thick)  to  ensure  perfect  connection.  The  buss- 
bar  connected  with  the  cathode  of  the  alternate  cell  con- 
sists of  two  copper  plates  that  grip  the  cathode  support, 
also  of  copper.  The  current  passes  from  the  lead  anode 
into  the  solution,  now  properly  called  the  'electrolyte,' 
and  thenee  to  the  cathode,  which  consists  of  a  plate  of 
aluminum,  24  by  27  in.  and  -fa  in.  thick.  This  is  sup- 
ported at  one  end  by  a  copper  lug,  connecting  with  the 
buss-bar,  while  the  other  end  has  an  iron  bar  or  lug  in- 
sulated by  resting  on  a  strip  of  wood  lying  on  the  lead  of 
the  buss-bar.  The  cells  are  in  pairs.  From  the  buss-bar 
along  the  central  axis  of  one  cell  the  current  goes  to  the 
next  cell.  The  voltage  is  3  to  3.5.  The  consumption  of 
electricity  normally  is  2.2  kw.-hr.  per  pound  of  spelter. 
The  slight  smell  of  acid  recognizable  in  the  building  is 
caused  by  the  bursting  of  bubbles  of  oxygen  and  hydro- 
gen liberated  by  the  electrolysis  of  water  in  the  solution 
at  the  anode.  "When  entering  the  room  the  solution  has 
a  temperature  of  25  to  30  °C.  After  repeated  electrolysis 
it  emerged  at  a  temperature  of  55°  on  the  occasion  of  my 
visit;  it  is  now  kept  down  to  about  35 °C.  The  solution 
entered  neutral,  and  issued  with  a  5  to  6%  acidity.  The 
electrolyte,  as  we  have  seen,  becomes  heated  as  it  circu- 
lates through  the  cells ;  therefore  an  effort  is  made  to  cool 
it,  especially  in  the  lower  cells,  by  inserting  coils  of  lead 
pipe  through  which  cold  water  flows.  Fortunately,  at 
this  plant  any  quantity  of  pure  cold  water  is  available, 
so  that  this  difficulty  has  been  overcome  satisfactorily. 

The  acid  electrolyte,  after  leaving  the  cells,  is  returned 
by  gravity  to  tanks  in  the  leaching-room.  From  these 
tanks  the  solution  is  raised  to  another  tank  on  a  higher 


Ricktid 

level,  where  the  acidity  is  increased  to  the  required  pro- 
portion by  the  addition  of  fresh  acid  through  a  pipe  from 
tht  sulphuric  acid  plant. 

This  electrolytic  plant  then  consisted  of  14  sections  of 
32  cells  each.  The  whole  equipment  has  been  doubled.  Of 
the  14  sections,  one  is  lined  with  lead  and  13  are  made 
of  concrete,  protected  with  P  &  B  paint  covered  with 
asphalt.  Each  section  produced  2\  to  3  tons  of  spelter 
per  working  day.  In  starting  with  new  lead,  the  anode 
is  coated  with  manganese  dioxide,  present  in  the  solu- 
tion and  extracted  from  the  ore  itself,  as  explained  to  me 
by  F.  S.  Willis,  the  superintendent  of  this  department. 
The  manganese  coating  renders  the  lead  insoluble.  Also 
it  performs  the  highly  important  function  of  oxidizing 
the  iron  in  the  electrolyte  from  the  ferrous  to  the  ferric 
state,  the  latter  being  precipitated,  while  the  oxygen 
from  the  decomposition  of  the  zinc  sulphate  serves  to  re- 
oxidize  the  manganese,  so  that  it  is  again  ready  to  act 
as  an  oxidizer. 

An  electric  crane  runs  above  each  series  of  cells,  and 
at  one  side  of  the  room  a  transfer-crane  makes  it  possible 
to  shift  material  from  one  series  of  cells  to  another  or  to 
the  melting  department.  Porcelain  insulators  are  placed 
along  the  sides  and  along  the  centres  of  the  cells  to  sup- 
port the  buss-bars. 

The  cathodes  are  hung  in  cold  water  in  order  to  re- 
move any  free  acid,  before  stripping.  The  zinc  deposited 
on  the  aluminum  is  detached  in  sheets  by  aid  of  a  chisel- 
bar.  Each  sheet  averages  about  9  lb.,  so  that  18  lb.  is 
taken  from  a  single  cathode.  The  yield  ranges  from  5 
to  40  lb.  per  cathode.  These  sheets  are  piled  in  1000-lb. 
lots  and  taken  by  the  crane  to  the  melting-room.  Thin 
sheets  of  zinc  will  take  fire,  or  oxidize,  before  melting  in 
a  reverberatory  furnace ;  therefore  the  fine  stuff  and 
scraps  of  cathode  zinc  are  melted  in  graphite  crucibles, 
placed  in  an  oil-fired  furnace,  where  the  supply  of  air 
can  be  restricted.     Metallic  pots  of  any  kind  are  objec- 


940 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


tionable  because  the  zinc  is  likely  to  absorb  impurities 
from  them.  Hence  a  brick  furnace  is  preferred.  The 
cathode-sheets  themselves  are  fed  into  a  coal-fired  rever- 
beratory  furnace,  having  a  hearth  6  by  12  ft.  and  a  4-ft. 
fire-box.  A  brick  ridge  is  built  across  the  hearth  to  hold 
the  dross  back  from  the  wall.  The  dross  is  removed  by 
skimming  through  the  charging-door  once  every  24  hours. 
The  capacity  of  this  furnace  is  20  tons  of  metal.  The 
melting  is  done  in  half  an  hour — the  slower  the  better, 
as  it  hinders  oxidation.  Any  oxide  found  in  the  furnace 
is  returned  to  the  acid  solution  and  re-treated.  The 
cathode-sheets  yield  93%  of  spelter  suitable  for  ship- 
ment. Eventually  the  missing  7%  is  recovered.  It  is  a 
question  whether  to  treat  the  dross  (82%  zinc)  on  the 
spot  or  send  it  to  a  zinc-retort  smelter.  At  present  it  is 
being  re-treated.  The  metal  is  sampled  by  boring  a  half- 
inch  hole  in  every  50th  bar  or  else  the  spelter  is  cut  by  a 
power-driven  saw  and  the  saw-dust  used  as  a  sample. 
On  August  17  the  plant  produced  39,975  lb.  of  spelter, 
which  was  99.801  fine,  the  impurities  being  0.04  lead, 
0.009  iron,  and  0.15  cadmium.  As  the  process  is  being 
developed  and  the  difficulties  surmounted,  the  impurities 
in  the  spelter  are  being  further  reduced.  The  produc- 
tion is  now  70  tons  per  day. 

Copper.  This  electrolytic  plant,  at  present,  consists 
of  96  cells,  each  with  a  capacity  of  10  tons  of  solution. 
Only  the  first  half  of  the  equipment  was  at  work  in 
August.  The  copper  to  be  refined  was  cast  direct  from 
the  converter,  but  the  new  melting-furnace,  I  am  in- 
formed, is  now  finished.  The  cast  anode  in  the  electro- 
lytic cell  weighs  320  lb. ;  it  remains  in  the  cell  until  92% 
of  its  weight  has  been  dissolved  by  the  acid  solution,  or 
electrolyte,  which  consists  of  14%  copper  sulphate,  14% 
sulphuric  acid,  and  72%  water.  When  the  proportion 
of  copper  sulphate  increases  above  the  normal,  the  ex- 
cess is  removed  by  withdrawing  a  portion  of  the  elec- 
trolyte (to  evaporate  it  into  crystals  of  bluestone),  re- 
placing it  with  fresh  acid.  The  absence  of  ebullition  and 
the  freedom  from  gas  are  noteworthy  in  this  plant.  It 
has  been  modeled  on  the  Walker  design ;  indeed  it  was 
erected  after  consultation  with  him,  Arthur  L.  Walker, 
professor  of  non-ferrous  metallurgy  in  Columbia  Uni- 
versity. 

The  anode  is  suspended  by  two  copper-wire  loops, 
which  are  cast  into  the  anode  and  enable  it  to  hang  from 
a  round  bar  (also  of  copper),  one  end  resting  on  the 
buss-bar,  which  transmits  the  electric  current,  while  the 
other  end  rests  upon  an  insulating  block  of  wood*  I 
give  these  details  for  the  sake  of  those  unfamiliar  with 
electrolytic  practice. 

Starting-sheets  of  hard  (antimonial)  lead,  from  St. 
Louis  and  having  dimensions  of  26i  by  41^  by  ^  in., 
are  being  used  just  now,  in  lieu  of  the  customary 
sheet  of  thin  (^V  inch)  copper.  This,  which  constitutes 
the  beginning  of  the  cathode,  is  rivetted  at  the  bottom 
between  two  horizontal  copper  bars  (■£  by  1  inch),  so  as 
to  hang  vertically  in  the  solution.     The  copper  precipi- 

*Mr.  Hamilton  informs  me  that  this  system  was  temporary. 
Anodes  and  cathodes  provided  with  lugs  are  now  being  used. 


tated  upon  the  lead  cathode  is  stripped  every  day,  yield- 
ing 5  to  8  lb.  of  copper  on  each  face  of  the  cathode. 
These  sheets  will  serve  as  starting-sheets,  on  which  the 
cathode  copper  will  accumulate,  to  the  weight  of  150  lb., 
to  be  removed,  washed,  and  melted  subsequently,  yield- 
ing metal  99.98  fine. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  unsophisticated,  I  may  state 
that  when  an  electric  current  is  conducted  through  a 
solution,  it  decomposes  that  solution,  causing  a  re-ar- 
rangement of  the  molecules  and  a  movement  of  particles 
called  'ions'  in  opposite  directions.  Some  go  with  the 
positive  electricity  to  the  negative  pole  or  'electrode,' 
called  the  'cathode,'  while  others  go  to  the  positive 
electrode,  or  'anode.'  The  solution  is  called  an  'elec- 
trolyte,' and  the  action  is  called  'electrolysis.'  As  Edgar 
A.  Ashcroft  says:  "When  electricity  is  passing  through 
•  an  electrolytic  medium,  disruption  of  chemical  affinities 
is  the  result."  To  this  I  may  add  that  the  theory  of 
electrolysis  rests  mainly  on  Faraday's  idea  of  the  actual 
dissociation  (ionization)  of  the  constituents  of  the  elec- 
trolyte and  his  inference  that  the  quantity  of  an  element 
or  'ion'  set  free  by  a  current  of  electricity  is  solely  de- 
pendent on  the  amperes,  or  volume  of  current  used,  not 
the  voltage. 

The  gold  and  silver  together  with  other  impurities  in 
the  anodes  become  concentrated  in  the  slime  that  is  de- 
posited on  the  bottom  of  the  cell  as  the  anode  is  dis- 
solved by  the  electrolyte.  Likewise  in  the  lead  refinery, 
the  precious  metals  pass  into  the  slime.  This  slime,  from 
both  refineries,  is  collected  and  dried.  The  drying  and 
roasting  are  done  while  the  slime  lies  in  a  steel  pan-car. 
exposed  to  the  waste  gases  from  the  silver  and  dore  fur- 
naces. As  soon  as  the  drying  is  finished,  the  process  of 
combustion  is  started  by  the  oxidation  of  the  antimony, 
also  present  in  the  slime. 

This  product  is  then  melted,  without  flux,  in  a  small 
reverberatory  lined  with  magnesite  brick.  The  anti- 
monial slag  is  skimmed  into  a  pot  and  'hard  lead'  is 
eventually  obtained  from  it.  The  copper  rises  next  as 
an  oxide  slag  and  is  skimmed.  Then  the  dore  metal  (con- 
taining 970  parts  gold  and  silver,  predominantly  the 
first)  is  ladled  and  cast  into  bars  (each  of  1000  to  1200 
oz.)  ready  for  parting.  Two  kettles  each  holding  7000 
oz.  are  used.  Sulphuric  acid,  94%  pure,  is  added  and 
boiling  is  maintained  for  8  hours.  This  puts  the  silver 
into  solution  as  sulphate,  the  gold  remaining  as  a  granu- 
lar powder,  which  is  washed,  dried,  and  melted  into 
ingots.  The  silver  solution  is  siphoned  into  two  lead- 
lined  tanks  and  boiled  in  the  presence  of  copper  plates, 
which  precipitate  the  silver,  while  an  equivalent  amount 
of  copper  passes  into  solution  as  sulphate,  which  goes  to 
the  bluestone  plant.  I  saw  a  car  loaded  with  the  'cement' 
silver,  washed  from  the  copper  on  which  it  had  been  de- 
posited, and  noted  that  the  surface  of  the  silver  had 
already  been  darkened  by  light  from  a  window.  The 
copper  sulphate  is  pumped  to  another  building,  where 
it  is  evaporated  to  45  °B.  and  allowed  to  crystallize.  This 
first  and  usually  impure  crystalline  product  is  dissolved 
in  boiling  water;  the  resulting  solution  of  copper  sul- 


December  30,   1916 


MINING   and   Scientific   PRESS 


941 


phate  is  then  placed  in  tanks  in  whicb  are  hung  strips 

of  lead  upon  which  crystals  of  'Milestone'  are  Eon I 

iis  the  solution  cools,  the  cooling  being  assisted  by  the 
injection  of  air.  The  bluestone  is  detached  while  the 
mother  liquor  drains  back  into  the  vat.  Most  of  this 
bluestone  is  sold  to  farmers  in  Manitoba  for  killing 
•smut'  on  wheat,  and  about  two  tons  (out  of  the  88  tons 
tuade  per  month)  is  sold  for  use  in  the  gravity-cells  of 
telegraphic  apparatus.  Some  of  it  is  also  sold  to  fruit- 
farmers  to  make  the  Bordeaux  mixture,  or  spray,  that 
kills  the  insect  pests. 

Lead.  In  this  plant  I  saw.  first,  the  making  of  start- 
ing-sheets. The  lead  is  melted  in  a  kettle  and  is  ladled 
into  a  6-inch  trough  so  as  to  pour  or  spread  over  an  in- 
clined steel  plate,  upon  which  the  metal  cools  instantly, 
leaving  a  sheet  of  lead,  gV  inch  thick,  39  by  27  in.,  the 
edges  of  which  the  operator  trims  with  a  knife  and  then 
peels  off  the  steel  plate.  In  8  hours  he  makes  4000  sheets. 
These  are  taken  into  another  room  where  they  are 
smoothed  and  one  end  wrapped  around  a  copper  bar. 
Then  the  operator  puts  a  band  of  paint  at  the  solution- 
line  of  the  lead  sheet,  so  as  to  prevent  it  from  being  cor- 
roded by  the  electrolyte  in  the  cell. 

The  cells,  which  are  made  of  concrete,  are  408  in  num- 
ber and  have  a  total  capacity  of  100  tons  of  lead  per  day. 
The  lead  anode,  cast  at  the  blast-furnace,  weighs  312  to 
320  lb.,  and  is  reduced  80  to  85%  before  being  re-melted. 
The  starting-sheets  have  been  described.  Two-  cathode 
deposits  are  'pulled,'  or  stripped,  for  each  anode  con- 
sumed. An  average  of  135  lb.  is  obtained  at  each  strip- 
ping, or  270  lb.  per  cathode.  The  electrolyte  in  the  lead 
cell  contains  10%  hydrofluosilicic  acid  (H,SiF0)  and  5% 
lead  fluosilicate  (PbSiF6)  in  water.  The  solution  main- 
tains its  composition  well,  but  there  is  a  small  loss  and 
even  a  slight  decomposition  owing  to  chemical  insta- 
bility, so  that  fresh  acid  has  to  be  added  once  per  week. 
The  lead  does  not  accumulate  in  the  electrolyte.  Of 
course,  this  stability  of  the  electrolyte  is  an  important 
factor  in  the  process,  as  it  was  explained  to  me  by  John 
F.  Miller,  the  superintendent  of  this  department. 

The  slime  containing  the  precious  metals  that  re- 
mains on  the  anode  is  washed  off,  collected,  dried,  and 
treated  in  the  manner  already  described. 

The  electrolytic  lead  produced  at  Trail  averaged  in 
December,  for  example : 

Gold 0.0027  oz.  per  ton 

Silver    0.6126    "      " 

Copper    0.0026% 

Iron   0.0068% 

Antimony 0.0075% 

The  electric  current  as  received  from  Bonnington 
Falls  has  a  voltage  of  50,000,  which  is  stepped-down  to 
2200  volts.  The  load  at  present  is  8000  kw.  So  far  the 
installation  is  for  15,000  kva.,  of  which  one-half  is  being 
used,  but  the  plant  will  be  doubled  shortly  to  30,000  kva. 
Now  13  or  14  sections  of  3500  to  4000  amperes  at  125 
volts  are  being  run.  In  the  transformer-house  there  is  a 
set  of  storage-batteries  to  operate  the  switches  and  also 
automatically  to  supply  light  to  the  electrical  plant  in 


case  of  a  break  in  the  transmission-line.  In  the  adjacent 
generator-room,  2300  volts  is  taken  Erom  the  West 
Kootenay  Power  Co.,  the  alternating  current  being  con- 
verted into  direct  current  by  Westinghouse  and  General 
Electric  generators  of  500  kw.  each,  two  generators  in  a 
set.  Seven  sets  are  in  place.  They  deliver  current  at  125 
volts.  The  saving  of  labor  is  noticeable  in  these  direct- 
current  installations:  one  man  per  shift  of  8  hours,  with 
another  on  day-shift  to  attend  to  repairs.  Bach  unit  is 
distinct,  each  motor  and  each  generator  being  under  sep- 
arate control.  The  visitor  is  impressed  by  the  quantity 
of  copper  used  in  these  plants,  especially  in  the  form  of 
buss-bars.  The  bright  copper  looks  handsome;  it  is 
lacquered  to  prevent  oxidation.  The  noise  of  the  gen- 
erators is  due  to  the  indrawing  of  the  air  for  cooling,  as 
explained  to  me  by  H.  E.  Large,  representative  of  the 
General  Electric  Co.  Seven  generators  at  full  load  will 
give  out  1200  hp.  in  heat-loss.  This  cannot  be  avoided ; 
it  is  inherent  in  all  electrical  apparatus  as  used  today. 
The  temperature  of  the  room  was  114°  F.,  when  it  was 
92°  outside,  owing  to  the  heat  thus  generated. 

All  the  power-conductors  are  run  underground  in 
fibre  conduits.  The  direct-current  generators  are  pro- 
vided with  the  eommutating  poles  introduced  eight  or 
nine  years  ago.  The  equipment  was  supplied  by  the 
Canadian  Westinghouse  company  at  Hamilton  and  the 
Canadian  General  Electric  at  Peterboro,  both  of  these 
manufactories  being  in  Ontario.  The  power  company 
sells  electricity  to  the  smelting  company  at  the  rate  of 
i  cent  per  kw.-hour,  which  is  equivalent  to  $20  per  hp.- 
year.  At  a  consumption  of  2.2  kw.-hours  per  pound  of 
spelter,  the  power  consumed  in  the  process  of  electrolytic 
extraction  represents  a  cost  of  0.73c.  per  pound  of  metal. 

The  supply  of  cheap  lead  is  a  noteworthy  factor  at 
Trail.  A  lot  of  lead  piping  has  to  be  used  in  making 
changes  of  one  kind  or  another.  The  company  uses  its 
own  lead,  sending  the  scrap  back  to  the  refinery,  so  that 
none  is  wasted. 

The  equipment  at  Trail  includes  four  Cottrell  plants, 
which  receive  the  waste-gases  and  dust  from  the  lead 
blast-furnaces,  the  copper  converters,  the  lead  and  zinc 
roasters,  the  D-L  machine  and  the  H  &  H  pots.  The 
Cottrellapparatus  consists  of  steel  tubes,  12  in.  diam.,  in 
each  of  which  hangs  an  iron  chain  charged  with  80,000 
volts.  The  effect  of  the  electric  current  is  to  compel  the 
deposition  of  the  dust  on  the  sides  of  the  tube.  As  the 
dust  adheres,  it  is  loosened  by  blows  of  a  hammer  on  the 
outside  of  the  tubes.  For  those  of  less  than  12-in.  diam- 
eter, the  speed  of  the  furnace-gases  must  not  exceed  3.6 
ft.  per  second  in  order  to  ensure  effective  condensation 
of  the  fume.  The  lead  blast-furnaces  alone  give  about 
160,000  cu.  ft.  of  gas  per  minute.  The  sublimate  is  dis- 
charged into  a  hopper  at  the  bottom  of  the  tubes  and  is 
moved  thence  automatically  by  hoes,  drags,  or  spiral 
conveyors  to  steel-plate  cylindrical  receivers,  where  it 
burns  without  the  addition  of  any  fuel.  The  fine  sul- 
phur, antimony,  and  carbon  (from  the  coke)  in  the  sub- 
limate of  fume  all  supply  fuel  sufficient  to  form  an  ag- 
glomerate suitable  for  blast-furnace  smelting. 


942 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


M<BW    E><B©ff@@S 


iexi۩ 


During  the  last  few  months  there  have  been  issued 
several  decrees  by  Carranza.  These  may  be  grouped 
under  three  main  headings : 

I.  Acquisition  of  New  Titles.  In  the  case  of  all  new- 
denouncements,  before  title  can  be  obtained  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  denouncer  to  sign  a  statement  submitting 
himself  to  the  same  regulations  as  would  apply  to  a 
national,  in  other  words,  to  renounce  his  right  to  apply 
to  his  home  government  for  redress  should  occasion  for 
same  arise. 

Under  normal  conditions  this  law  does  not  seem  out 
of  place,  but  in  revolutionary  times  where  revolutionists 


collection  of  claims  under  one  denouncement.  Most 
large  properties  consist  of  several  funclos  mineros,  and 
the  decree  is  not  clear  whether  each  of  these  has  to  be 
worked  or  whether  it  be  sufficient  that  a  company  op- 
erate its  property  as  a  whole.  Technically,  each  fundo 
minero  separately  has  to  be  worked,  but  it  is  inconceiv- 
able that  this  can  be  the  meaning  of  the  law. 

III.  Payment  op  "Wages.  On  October  23,  1916,  a 
decree  was  issued  requiring  that  all  wages  be  paid  on  a 
basis  of  Mexican  gold.  A  few  days  later  this  was  in- 
terpreted by  the  Department  of  Fomento  to  the  effect 
that  the  basis  of  wages  should  be  that  existing  in  1912. 
but  with  the  modification  that  an  employee  getting  $1.50 
or  more  per  day  should  be  paid  50%  of  1912  wages  and 
one  getting  $1.50  or  less  should  be  paid  60%.    The  rate 


MEXICANS   SORTING  AND   SACKING  OSE  AT   EL   ORO. 


or  the  Government  may  seize  property  and  work  it  for 
their  own  account,  it  would  work  a  great  hardship. 

II.  Retention  op  Titles.  According  to  the  old  law 
in  Mexico,  title  to  mining  property  {fundo  minero),  was 
retained  so  long  as  taxes  were  paid.  Now,  according  to 
a  decree  of  September  14,  to  retain  title  all  properties 
are  required  to  commence  operations  before  November 
14,  1916,  and,  furthermore,  they  are  subject  to  forfeiture 
should  they  desist  operation  for  two  consecutive  months 
or  a  total  of  three  months  in  one  year. 

On  November  13,  the  operation  *>f  this  law  was  post- 
poned by  another  decree,  for  three  months.  Unless  a 
further  change  is  made,  then,  all  properties  in  Mexico 
will  have  to  be  working  by  February  14,  1917.  There 
are  some  districts  in  Mexico  which  are  inaccessible  owing 
to  depredations  of  bandits ;  in  such  cases  it  is  supposed 
that  a  special  dispensation  will  be  granted. 

A  technicality  exists  in  this  decree  in  that  it  states 
that  all  fundos  mineros  shall  be  obliged  to  work  within  a 
certain  date,  etc.  Every  mining  property  may  consist 
of  one  or  more  fundos  mineros — a  fundo  minero  being  a 


of  exchange  on  which  these  wages  have  to  be  paid  is 
issued  every  ten  days  by  the  Department  of  Hacienda. 
This  has  received  further  modifications,  the  principal 
being  that  the  Governor  of  each  State  shall  decide  for 
his  particular  State  what  basis  of  wages  shall  be  paid. 
In  Jalisco  the  Governor  has  decreed  that  60%  of  wages 
shall  be  paid  (giving  another  rate  of  exchange  different 
from  the  Federal  rate),  except  in  the  case  of  miners  and 
farm-laborers,  who  shall  receive  the  same  wage  as  in 
1912  without  any  reduction.  Further  dispositions  have 
been  made  or  arranged,  whereby  part  of  the  money 
should  be  paid  in  silver  or  gold  and  part  in  paper,  ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  mines,  which  have  been  ordered  by  the 
Governor  to  paj'  all  wages  in  silver,  though  without  any 
decree  to  this  effect. 

The  net  result  of  all  these  decrees  and  interpretations 
is  that  paper  money  no  longer  has  any  value  in  Mexico 
nor  is  it  used,  except  in  a  few  cases,  such  as  for  second- 
class  fares  on  railroads.  The  last  rate  of  exchange  given 
by  the  Ministerio  de  Hacienda  is  100  pesos  paper  for  one 
peso  Mexican  gold. 


December  30.  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


943 


Text   of  the   Minerals   Separation  v.   Hyde 


SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 


No.  46.— October  Term,  1916. 


Minerals  Separation,  Limited,  " 
and    Minerals     Separation 
American   Syndicate,   Lim- 
ited, 

vs. 
James  M.  Hyde. 


Certiorari  to  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court 
of  Appeals,  Ninth 
Circuit. 


[December  11,  1916.] 

Mr.  Justice  Clarke  delivered  the  opinion  of  the 
Court. 

In  this  suit  the  complainants,  the  first  named  as  the 
owner  and  the  other  as  general  licensee,  claim  an  in- 
fringement of  United  States  letters  patent  No.  835120, 
issued  on  the  6th  day  of  November  1906,  to  Henry  Liv- 
ingstone Sulman,  Hugh  Pitzalis  Kirkpatrick-Picard  and 
John  Ballot.  The  usual  injunction,  accounting  and 
damages  are  prayed  for.  The  District  Court  sustained 
the  patent  as  to  claims  numbered  1,  2,  3,  5,  6,  7,  9,  10, 
11  and  12;  found  that  the  defendant  had  infringed 
each  of  these  claims,  and  granted  the  prayer  of  the 
petition.  The  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  for  the  Ninth 
Circuit  reversed  the  decree  of  the  District  Court  and 
remanded  the  case  with  instructions  to  dismiss  the  bill. 
The  case  is  here  on  writ  of  certiorari  to  review  that 
decision. 

As  stated  in  the  specification,  the  claimed  discovery 
of  the  patent  in  the  suit  relates  "to  improvements  in 
the  process  for  the  concentration  of  ores,  the  object  being 
to  separate  metalliferous  matter  from  gangue  by  means 
of  oils,  fatty  acids,  or  other  substances  which  have  a 
preferential  affinity  for  such  metalliferous  matter  over 
gangue." 

The  answer  denies  all  of  the  allegations  of  the  bill  and 
avers  that  in  twenty-five  designated  United  States  and 
five  British  patents  the  process  described  in  suit  was 
"fully  and  clearly  described  and  claimed,"  and  it  also 
avers  that  the  claimed  discovery  was  invented,  known 
and  used  by  many  persons  long  prior  to  the  time  when 
the  application  was  made  for  the  patent  in  suit.  Not- 
withstanding this  elaboration  of  denial  counsel  for  the 
defendant  in  the  summarized  conclusion  to  their  brief 
rely  upon  only  five  of  the  many  patents  referred  to  as 
showing  that  the  patent  in  suit  was  anticipated  and  is 
therefore  invalid  for  want  of  novelty  and  invention,  viz : 
Everson  (1886),  Froment  (Italy,  1902';  Great  Britain, 
1903) ;  Glagner  (1903),  Schwartz  (applied  for  April  19, 
1905,  issued  December  19,  1905),  and  Kirby  (applied 
for  October  17,  1903,  issued  December  18,  1906).    And 


the  defendant,  a  man  obviously  experienced  in  the  sub- 
ject, says  that,  in  his  opinion,  the  whole  basis  oC  flota- 
tion concentration  was  disclosed  in  the  Everson  United 
States  patent  No.  348157  and  in  the  Froment  British 
patent. 

It  is  clear  that  in  the  prior  art,  as  it  is  developed  in 
this  record,  it  was  well  known  that  oil  and  oily  sub- 
stances had  a  selective  affinity  or  attraction  for,  and 
would  unite  mechanically  with,  the  minute  particles  of 
metal  and  metallic  compounds  found  in  crushed  or 
powdered  ores,  but  would  not  so  unite  with  the  quartz, 
or  rocky  non-metallic  material,  called  "gangue." 
Haynes  British  patent  (1860),  and  United  States  pat- 
ents, Everson  (1885),  Robson  (1897)  and  Elmore 
(1901) .  It  was  also  well  known  that  this  selective  prop- 
erty of  oils  and  oily  substances  was  increased  when 
applied  to  some  ores  by  the  addition  of  a  small  amount 
of  acid  to  the  ore  and  water  used  in  process  of  concen- 
tration. United  States  patents,  Everson  (1885),  El- 
more (1901),  and  Cattermole  (1904). 

Prior  to  the  date  of  the  patent  in  suit  a  number  of 
patents  had  been  granted  in  this  and  other  countries  for 
processes  aiming  to  make  practical  use  of  this  property 
of  oil  and  of  oil  mixed  with  acid  in  the  treatment  of 
ores,  all  of  which,  speaking  broadly,  consisted  in  mixing 
finely  crushed  or  powdered  ore  with  water  and  oil,  some- 
times with  acid  added,  and  then  in  variously  treating 
the  mass — "the  pulp" — thus  formed  so  as  to  separate 
the  oil,  when  it  became  impregnated  or  loaded  with  the 
metal  and  metal-bearing  particles,  from  the  valueless 
gangue.  From  the  resulting  concentrate  the  metals 
were  recovered  in  various  ways. 

The  processes,  of  this  general  character,  described  in 
the  prior  patents  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two 
classes.  The  process  in  the  patents  of  the  first  class  is 
called  in  the  record  the  "Surface  Flotation  Process" 
and  it  depends  for  its  usefulness  on  the  oil  used  being 
sufficient  to  collect  and  hold  in  mechanical  suspension 
the  small  particles  of  metal  and  metalliferous  com- 
pounds and  by  its  buoyancy  to  carry  them  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  mixture  of  ore,  water  and  oil,  thus  making 
it  possible,  by  methods  familiar  to  persons  skilled  in  the 
art,  to  float  off  the  concentrate  thus  obtained  into  any 
desired  receptacle.  The  waste  material,  or  gangue,  not 
being  affected  by  the  oil  and  being  heavier  than  water 
sinks  to  the  bottom  of  the  containing  vessel  and  may  be 
disposed  of  as  desired. 

The  process  of  the  other  class,  called  in  the  record 
the  "Metal  Sinking  Process,"  reverses  tlie  action  of  the 
Surface  Flotation  Process  and  is  illustrated  by  the  Cat- 
termole U.  S.  patent,  No.  777273,  in  which  oil  is  used 
to  the  extent  of  4%  to  6%  to  10%  of  the  weight  of  the 


944 


MINING  and   Scientific   PRESS 


December  30.  1916 


metalliferous  mineral  matter,  depending  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  ore,  for  the  purpose  of  agglomerating  the 
oil-coated  concentrate  into  granules  heavier  than  water, 
so  that  they  will  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  containing 
vessel,  permitting  the  gangue  to  be  carried  away  by  an 
upward  flowing  stream  of  water. 

The  process  of  the  patent  in  suit,  as  described  and 
practiced,  consists  in  the  use  of  an  amount  of  oil  which 
is  "critical,"  and  minute  as  compared  with  the  amount 
used  in  prior  processes  "amounting  to  a  fraction  of  one 
per  cent  on  the  ore,"  and  in  so  impregnating  with  air 
the  mass  of  ore  and  water  used,  by  agitation — "by  beat- 
ing air  into  the  mass" — as  to  cause  to  rise  to  the  surface 
of  the  mass,  or  pulp,  a  froth,  peculiarly  coherent  and 
persistent  in  character,  which  is  composed  of  air  bubbles 
with  only  a  trace  of  oil  in  them,  which  carry  in  me- 
chanical suspension  a  very  high  percentage  of  the  metal 
and  metalliferous  particles  of  ore  which  were  contained 
in  the  mass  of  crushed  ore  subjected  to  treatment.  This 
froth  can  be  removed  and  the  metal  recovered  by 
processes  with  which  the  patent  is  not  concerned. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  process  of  the  patent  in  suit, 
as  we  have  described  it,  is  not  of  the  Metal  Sinking 
class,  and  while  it  may,  in  terms,  be  described  as  a 
Surface  Flotation  Process,  yet  it  differs  so  essentially 
from  all  prior  processes  in  its  character,  in  its  simplicity 
of  operation  and  in  the  resulting  concentration,  that  we 
are  persuaded  that  it  constitutes  a  new  and  patentable 
discovery. 

The  prior  processes  which  we  have  described  required 
the  use  of  so  much  oil  that  they  were  too  expensive  to  be 
used  on  lean  ores,  to  which  they  were  intended  to  have 
their  chief  application,  and  the  efforts  of  investigators 
for  several  years  prior  to  the  discovery  of  the  process  in 
suit  had  been  directed  to  the  search  for  a  means  or 
method  of  reducing  the  amount  of  oil  used,  and  it  is 
clear  from  the  record  that  approach  was  being  made, 
slowly,  but  more  and  more  nearly  to  the  result  which 
was  reached  by  the  patentees  of  the  process  in  suit  in 
March,  1905.  The  Froment  Great  Britain  patent  (1903) 
and  the  Kirby  United  States  patent  (applied  for  in 
1903  and  granted  in  1906)  are  especially  suggestive  of 
the  advance  which  was  being  made  toward  the  desired 
result,  but  the  Froment  process  was  little  more  than  a 
laboratory  experiment  and  has  never  proved  of  value  in 
practice,  and  the  Kirby  process,  though  approaching  in 
some  respects  more  nearly  to  the  end  attained  by  the 
process  of  the  patent  in  suit,  found  its  preferred  appli- 
cation in  the  use  of  an  amount 'of  oil  solution  equal  to 
one-fourth  to  three-fourths  in  weight  of  the  ore  treated, 
which  was  prohibitive  in  cost. 

Into  this  field  of  investigation  at  this  stage  of  its  de- 
velopment came  the  patentees  of  the  patent  in  suit. 
They  were  experienced  metallurgists  of  London,  of  in- 
ventive genius  and  with  financial  resources,  and  they 
entered  upon  an  investigation  of  the  processes  of  oil 
concentration  of  ores  which  was  continued  through  sev- 
eral years,  and  consisted  of  a  very  extended  series  of  ex- 
periments in  which  the  quantities  of  oil,  of  water  and  of 


acid  used  and  the  extent  and  character  of  the  agitation 
of  the  mass  under  treatment  resorted  to,  were  varied  to 
an  almost  unparalleled'  extent  as  to  each  factor  and  the 
results  were  carefully  tabulated  and  interpreted.  It 
was  while  pursuing  a  comprehensive  investigation  of 
this  character,  having,  as  the  evidence  shows,  the  special 
purpose  in  mind  at  the  time  to  trace  the  effect  on  the 
results  of  the  process  of  a  reduction  to  the  vanishing 
point  of  the  quantity  of  oil  used,  that  the  discovery  em- 
bodied in  the  patent  in  suit  was  made.  The  experi- 
menters were  working  on  the  Cattermole  "Metal  Sinking 
Process"  as  a  basis  when  it  was  discovered  that  the 
granulation  on  which  the  process  depended  practically 
ceased  when  the  oleic  acid  (oil)  was  reduced  to  about 
five  per  cent  "on  the  ore."  It  was  observed,  however, 
that,  as  the  amount  of  oleic  acid  was  further  reduced 
and  the  granulation  diminished,  there  was  an  increase  in 
the  amount  of  "float  froth,"  which  collected  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  mass  and  that  the  production  of  this  froth 
reached  its  maximum  when  about  one  per  cent  or  slight- 
ly less  "on  the  ore"  of  oleic  acid  was  used.  This  froth, 
on  collection,  was  found  to  consist  of  air  bubbles  modi- 
fied by  the  presence  of  the  minute  amount  of  oil  used 
and  holding  in  mechanical  suspension  between  70%  and 
80%  of  the  total  mineral  content  of  the  mass  treated. 
It  was  promptly  recognized  by  the  patentees  that  this 
froth  was  not  due  to  the  liberation  of  gas  in  the  mass 
treated  by  the  action  of  the  dilute  acid  used,  and  its 
formation  was  at  once  attributed  in  large  part  to  the 
presence  of  the  air  introduced  into  the  mixture  by  the 
agitation  which  had  been  resorted  to  to  mix  the  oil  with 
the  particles  of  crushed  ore,  which  air,  in  bubbles,  at- 
tached itself  to  the  mineral  particles,  slightly  coated  as 
they  were  with  what  was  necessarily  an  infinitesimal 
amount  of  oil,  and  floated  them  to  the  surface.  The  ex- 
tent of  the  agitation  of  the  mass  had  been  increased  as 
the  experiments  proceeded  until  the  "series  of  Gabbett 
mixers,  fitted  with  the  usual  baffles,  were  speeded  at 
from  1,000  to  1,100  revolutions  per  minute." 

A  careful  consideration  of  the  record  in  this  case  con- 
vinces us  that  the  facts  with  respect  to  the  process  of 
the  patent  in  suit  are  not  overstated  by  the  plaintiffs' 
witness,  Adolph  Liebmann,  an  expert  of  learning  and 
experience,  when  he  says  in  substance : 

"The  present  invention  differs  essentially  from  all 
previous  results.  It  is  true  that  oil  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stances used  hut  it  is  used  in  quantities  much  smaller 
than  was  ever  heard  of,  and  it  produces  a  result  never 
obtained,  before.  The  minerals  are  obtained  in  a  froth 
of  a  peculiar  character,  consisting  of  air  bubbles  which 
in  their  covering  film  have  the  minei'als  embedded  in 
such  manner  that  they  form  a  complete  surface  all  over 
the  bubbles.  A  remarkable  fact  with  regard  to  this 
froth  is  that,  although  the  very  light  and  easily  destruc- 
tible air  bubbles  are  covered  with  a  heavy  mineral,  yet 
the  froth  is  stable  and  utterly  different  from  any  froth 
known  before,  being  so  permanent  in  character  that  I 
have  personally  seen  it  stand  for  twenty-four  hours 
without  any  change  having  taken  place.    The  simplicity 


I). mber  30,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


945 


of  the  operation,  as  compared  with  the  prior  attempts, 
i-  startling.  All  thai  has  to  be  clime  is  to  add  a  minute 
quantity  of  oil  to  the  pulp  to  which  acid  may  or  may 
not  be  added,  agitate  Eor  from  two  and  one-half  to  ten 
minutes  and  then  after  a  few  seconds  collect  Erora  the 
surface  the  froth  which  will  contain  a  large  percentage 
of  the  minerals  present  in  the  ore." 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  go  into  a  detailed  ex- 
amination of  the  process  in  suit  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  processes  of  the  patents  relied  on  as  anticipations, 
convinced  us  we  are  that  the  small  amount  of  oil  used 
makes  it  impossible  that  the  lifting  force  which  separates 
the  metallic  particles  of  the  pulp  from  the  other  sub- 
stances of  it  is  not  to  be  found  principally  in  the  buoy- 
aney  of  the  oil  used,  as  was  the  case  in  prior  processes, 
but  that  this  force  is  to  be  found,  chiefly,  in  the  buoy- 
ancy of  the  air  bubbles  introduced  into  the  mixture  by 
an  agitation  greater  than  and  different  from  that  which 
had  been  resorted  to  before  and  that  this  advance  on  the 
prior  art  and  the  resulting  froth  concentrate  so  different 
from  the  product  of  other  processes  make  of  it  a  patent- 
able discovery  as  new  and  original  as  it  has  proved  use- 
ful and  economical.  It  results  without  more  discussion, 
that  we  fully  agree  with  the  decision  of  the  House  of 
Lords,  arrived  at  upon  a  different  record  and  with  dif- 
ferent witnesses,  hut  when  dealing  with  the  equivalent 
of  the 'patent  in  suit,  in  Minerals  Separation,  Limited, 
v.  British  Air  Concentration  Syndicate,  Limited,  27  R. 
P.  C.  33.  In  this  decision  Lord  Shaw,  speaking  for  the 
court  and  distinguishing  the  process  there  in  suit  espe- 
cially from  the  Elmore  oil  flotation  process  which  had 
gone  before  but  which  was  typical  of  the  then  prior  art 
said :  ' '  They  (the  patentees  of  the  Agitation  Froth  Proc- 
ess of  the  patent  in  suit)  are  not  promoting  a  method  of 
separation  which  had  before  been  described,  but  they  are 
engaged  upon  a  new  method  of  separation.  Instead  of 
relying  upon  the  lesser  specific  gravity  of  oil  in  bulk 
they  rely  upon  the  production  of  a  froth  by  means  of 
an  agitation  which  not  only  assists  the  process  of  the 
minute  quantities  of  oil  reaching  the  minute  particles 
of  metal,  hut  forms  a  multitude  of  air  cells,  the  buoy- 
ancy of  which  air  cells,  forming  around  single  particles 
of  the  metal,  floats  them  to  the  surface  of  the  liquid." 

And  Lord  Atkinson  said:  "In  their  process  this 
mysterious  affinity  of  oil  for  the  metallic  particles  of 
the  ore  is  availed  of,  yet  the  oil  is  used  in  such  relatively 
infinitesimal  quantities,  that  the  metallic  particles  are 
only  coated  with  a  thin  film  of  it,  and  the  lifting  force 
is  found  not  in  the  natural  buoyancy  of  the  mass  of 
added  oil,  but  in  the  buoyancy  of  air  bubbles,  which,  in- 
troduced into  the  mixture  by  the  more  or  less  violent 
agitation  of  it,  envelop  or  become  attached  to,  the  thinly 
oiled  metallic  particles,  and  raise  them  to  the  surface, 
where  they  are  maintained  by  what  is  styled  the  surface 
tension  of  the  water. ' ' 

The  record  shows  not  only  that  the  process  in  suit  was 
promptly  considered  by  the  patentees  as  an  original  and 
important  discovery,  but  that  it  was  immediately  gen- 
erally accepted  as  so  great  an  advance  over  any  process 


known  before  that,  without  puffing  or  other  business 
exploitation,  it  promptly  came  into  extensive  use  lor  the 
concentration  of  ores  in  most,  if  not  all.  of  the  principal 

milling  countries  of  the  world,  notably  in  tie'  United 
Stairs.  Australia,  Sweden.  Chile  anil  Cuba,  and  that,  bc- 
cause  of  its  economy  and  simplicity,  it  has  largely  re- 
plaeed  all  earlier  processes.  This,  of  itself,  is  persuasive 
evidence  of  that  invention  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  the 
patent  laws  to  reward  and  protect.  Diamond.  Rubber 
Co.  v.  Consolidated  Tire  Co.,  220  U.  S.  428;  Carnegie 
Steel  Co.  v.  Cambria  Iron  Co.,  185,  U.  S.  403,  429,  430 ; 
The  Barbed  Wire  Patent,  143  U.  S.  275 ;  Smith  v.  Good- 
year Denial  Vulcanite  Co.,  93  U.  S.  486. 

The  claim  that  the  patentees  of  the  patent  in  suit  are 
not  the  original  discoverers  of  the  process  patented  be- 
cause an  employee  of  theirs  happened  to  make  the 
analyses  and  observations  which  resulted  immediately 
in  the  discover}',  cannot  be  allowed.  The  record  shows 
very  clearly  that  the  patentees  planned  the  experiments 
in  progress  when  the  discovery  was  made ;  that  they  di- 
rected the  investigations  day  by  day,  conducting  them 
in  large  part  personally  and  that  they  interpreted  the 
results.  Agawam  Company  v.  Jordan,  7  Wall.  583-603, 
rules  this  claim  against  the  defendant. 

Equally  untenable  is  the  claim  that  the  patent  is  in- 
valid for  the  reason  that  the  evidence  shows  that  when 
different  ores  are  treated  preliminary  tests  must  be  made 
to  determine  the  amount  of  oil  and  the  extent  of  agita- 
tion necessary  in  order  to  obtain  the  best  results.  Such 
variation  of  treatment  must  be  within  the  scope  of  the 
claims,  and  the  certainty  which  the  law  requires  in  pat- 
ents is  not  greater  than  is  reasonable,  having  regard  to 
their  subject  matter.  The  composition  of  ores  varies  in- 
finitely, each  one  presenting  its  special  problem,  and  it 
is  obviously  impossible  to  specify  in  a  patent  the  precise 
treatment  which  would  be  most  successful  and  econom- 
ical in  each  case.  The  process  is  one  for  dealing  with  a 
large  class  of  substances  and  the  range  of  treatment 
within  the  terms  of  the  claims,  while  leaving  something 
to  the  skill  of  persons  applying  the  invention,  is  clearly 
sufficiently  definite  to  guide  those  skilled  in  the  art  to  its 
successful  application,  as  the  evidence  abundantly  shows. 
This  satisfies  the  law.  Mowry  v.  Whitney,  14  "Wall.  620 ; 
Ives  v.  Hamilton,  92  U.  S.  426,  and  Carnegie  Steel  Co. 
v.  Cambria  Iron  Co.,  185  U.  S.  403,  436,  437. 

The  evidence  of  infringement  is  clear. 

While  we  thus  find  in  favor  of  the  validity  of  the  pat- 
ent, we  cannot  agree  with  the  District  Court  in  regard- 
ing it  valid  as  to  all  of  the  claims  in  suit.  As  we  have 
pointed  out  in  this  opinion  there  were  many  investi- 
gators at  work  in  this  field  to  which  the  process  in  suit 
relates  when  the  patentees  came  into  it,  and  it  was  while 
engaged  in  study  of  prior  kindred  processes  that  their 
discovery  was  made.  While  the  evidence  in  the  case 
makes  it  clear  that  they  discovered  the  final  step  which 
converted  experiment  into  solution,  "turned  failure  into 
success,"  {The  Barbed  Wire  Patent,  143  U.  S.  275),  yet 
the  investigations  preceding  were  so  informing  that  this 
final  step  was  not  a  long  one  and  the  patent  must  be  eon- 


946 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


fined  to  the  results  obtained  by  the  use  of  oil  within  the 
proportions  often  described  in  the  testimony  and  in  the 
claims  of  the  patent  as  "critical  proportions"  "amount- 
ing to  a  fraction  of  one  per  cent  on  the  ore,"  and  there- 
fore the  decree  of  this  court  will  be  that  the  patent  is 
valid  as  to  claims  No.  1,  2,  3,  5,  6,  7  and  12,  and  that  the 
defendant  infringed  these  claims,  but  that  it  is  invalid 
as  to  claims  9,  10  and  11.    Claims  No.  4,  8  and  13  were 


not  considered  in  the  decrees  of  the  two  lower  courts  and 
are  not  in  issue  in  this  proceeding. 

The  decision  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals  will  be 
reversed,  and  the  decision  of  the  District  Court  modified 
to  conform  to  the  conclusions  expressed  in  this  opinion, 
will  be  affirmed. 

A  true  copy. 

Test :     Cleric  Supreme  Court,  U.  S. 


Jl©©M;B2r£§  Sua  igaflfiSoffaaSa 

The  Industrial  Accident  Commission  of  California  re- 
ports that  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  there  were 
533  deaths,  1264  permanent  injuries,  and  65,741  tempo- 
rary injuries.  There  was  a  reduction  of  158  deaths  com- 
pared with  1914- '15.  There  were  also  28  less  permanent 
injuries,  but  5500  more  temporary  injuries.  The  latter 
is  accounted  for  by  the  growth  of  industry.  There  are 
nearly  1,000,000  wage-earners  in  the  State.  The  compen- 
sation paid  to  injured  workers  or  their  dependents  for 
67,538  injuries  was  $1,150,504.  The  medical  cost  was 
$852,202.  The  wage-loss  created  by  industrial  injury 
was  close  to  $18,250,000.  Over  90%  of  the  compensable 
injuries  are  not  disputed.  The  average  number  of  days 
between  medical  examinations  and  decisions  was  29.31 
days.  More  and  more  as  time  goes  on  it  has  been  found 
advantageous  to  rate  permanent  injuries  on  the  loss  of 
earning  power,  based  on  the  nature  of  injury  or  dis- 
figurement, the  occupation,  and  the  age. 

The  income  of  the  State  Compensation  Insurance  Fund 
to  June  30,  1916,  had  reached  $1,837,761.  Expenditures 
and  reserves  amounted  to  $1,461,315.  Refunds  to  policy- 
holders have  been  paid  to  the  extent  of  $134,382,  leaving 
a  net  surplus  of  admitted  assets  over  liabilities  of  $242,- 
063.  The  dividends  declared  have  amounted  to  15%  of 
the  premiums  earned  during  the  years  1914  and  1915. 
The  total  will  probably  exceed  $170,000  when  pay-rolls 
of  all  insured  employers  have  been  ascertained.  The 
actual  refunds  do  not  constitute  the  entire  saving  to 
patrons,  but  really  represent  a  saving  in  operating  cost 
only.  The  total  average  expense-ratio  is  14.47%,  or  less 
than  half  that  of  insurance  corporations. 

The  general  safety  orders  for  California's  industries 
became  effective  on  January  1,  1916.  The  mine-safety 
rules  became  effective  on  the  same  date.  These  were 
compiled  by  a  committee  of  operators  and  miners,  in  con- 
junction with  the  mining  engineer  who  heads  the  mining 
department  under  the  co-operative  agreement  in  effect 
between  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Mines  and  the  Industrial 
Accident  Commission.  There  was  started  a  safety  cam- 
paign among  those  engaged  in  California's  mining  in- 
dustry. A  total  of  355  mines,  quarries,  and  dredges  was 
inspected.  Training  in  first-aid  to  the  injured  was  given 
to  711  miners.  The  interest  of  miners  was  enlisted  in 
safety  by  the  formation  of  the  Miner's  Safety  Bear  Club. 
More  than  5000  miners  are  on  the  membership  roll.  This 
club  is  unique  in  that  it  has  no  dues  and  each  member  re- 
ceives a  safety-bear  button  and  safety  literature  con- 
tributed by  the  State  through  the  Commission. 


Court  Decisions  on  Compen- 
sation 

The  most  important  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court 
was  rendered  in  the  case  of  the  "Western  Indemnity  Co. 
v.  Industrial  Accident  Commission  of  California  (151 
Pac,  398),  when  a  divided  Court  found  full  sanction 
for  the  statute  in  the  police  power  and  in  the  right  and 
power  of  the  Legislature  to  classify  occupations  for  the 
purpose  of  this  kind  of  legislation. 

In  the  case  of  the  Western  Metal  Supply  Co.  v.  In- 
dustrial Accident  Commission  (51  Cal.  Dec.  447)  a  di- 
vided Court  upheld  the  validity  of  the  extension  of  the 
Act  by  the  Legislature  to  cover  death  benefits  to  de- 
pendents of  workmen  fatally  injured,  and  upheld  its 
further  extension  for  the  benefit  of  alien  dependents. 

The  Supreme  Court  leans  strongly  toward  the  position 
that  the  Industrial  Accident  Commission  is  "in  legal 
effect"  a  court,  because  it  is  invested  with  many  of  the 
formal  functions  of  a  judicial  tribunal.  It  is  asserted 
by  the  Commission  that  compensation,  insurance,  and 
safety  are  so  intimately  related  and  interwoven  as  parts 
of  an  adequate  compensation  system,  as  to  require  inti- 
mate knowledge  and  close  contact  with  all  three  depart- 
ments. 

Wilful  misconduct  has  been  broadly  constructed  in  the 
Commission's  decisions.  The  Courts  have  taken  a  nar- 
rower view  and  have  annulled  several  awards. 

In  the  case  of  the  North  Alaska  Salmon  Co.  v.  Pills- 
bury  et  al.  (51  Cal.  Dec.  473)  the  Commission's  award 
was  affirmed  that  the  compensation  statute  extends  to 
cover  injuries  and  deaths  suffered  by  employees  without 
the  physical  boundaries  of  the  State,  where  the  contract 
of  hire  is  made  within  the  State  and  the  employee  is  a 
resident  of  the  State.  A  petition  for  re-hearing  was 
granted. 

Blas^hole  machines,  as  they  are  called,  are  drilling- 
machines  of  the  Keystone  type,  used  to  drill  holes  6  in. 
diameter  and  35  to  40  ft.  deep  for  the  purpose  of  blasting 
down  a  large  amount  of  ore  or  waste  in  advance  of  the 
steam-shovels.  They  are  used  in  all  of  the  great  excava- 
tions of  the  disseminated-copper  deposits.  The  holes  are 
usually  drilled  about  20  ft.  back  from  the  edge  of  the 
terrace,  or  face,  on  which  work  is  progressing.  Several 
holes  are  drilled  at  intervals  of  20  or  25  ft.  and  these  are 
'sprung'  several  times  and  then  charged  heavily  for  the 
final  blast.  Where  conditions  are  favorable  thousands 
of  tons  of  rock,  or  ore,  are  thrown  down  in  a  single  series 
of  blasts  prepared  in  this  manner. 


December  30,  KMii 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


947 


Msmxjsm 


BS>£ 


Ti 


y     i      atral  Arkansas 


By      Ganttt 

• 
Knowledge  of  the  presence  of  manganese  in  the 
Ouachita  mountains  of  west-central  Arkansas  antedates 
the  <ivil  War.  yet,  until  the  present  summer,  there  has 
been  no  active  interest  in  the  deposits.  Some  desultory 
prospecting  was  done  years  ago,  under  the  impression 
that  the  psilomelane  was  an  ore  of  gold,  but  the  holes 
have  long  since  caved  and  the  prospectors  vanished. 
Later,  when  the  ore  was  identified,  the  demand  for 
manganese  offered  no  incentive  for  prospecting  a  field  so 
inaccessible.  Railroads  were  far  away  and  the  few  roads 
were  bad.  A  report  by  Penrose.*  published  by  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  of  Arkansas  in  1890,  and  later  the  com- 
ments of  Harder,t  in  a  bulletin  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  offered  little  encouragement  to  the  prospector. 
Now,  with  railroads  nearer  and  wagon-roads  in  better 
condition,  the  higher  price  for  the  ore  has  stimulated 
prospecting  and  it  is  probable  the  present  year  will  de- 
termine whether  the  district  can  profitably  produce 
"manganese  ore. 

The  manganese  belt  of  west-central  Arkansas  extends 
from  Polk  county,  on  the  west,  in  an  easterly  direction 
to  Pulaski  county  on  the  east.  The  part  of  the  belt  to 
be  described  consists  of  those  portions  of  Pike,  Mont- 
gomery, and  Polk  counties  that  lie  in  the  Ouachita  moun- 
tains. The  Ouachita  mountains  extend  south  of  the 
Arkansas  river  in  an  east-west  chain,  and  form  a  prom- 
inent feature  of  the  topography.  Structurally,  the  sys- 
tem is  an  anticlinorium  characterized  by  many  sharp 
ridges  that  rise  500  to  1000  ft.  above  the  intervening 
valleys,  or  to  altitudes  of  1500  to  2000  ft.  above  sea-level. 
These  anticlinal  ridges  are  formed  of  steeply-dipping 
beds,  are  roughly  parallel,  and  trend  east- west ;  the  anti- 
clinorium having  been  formed  by  thrust-pressure  from 
the  north  and  south.  The  rocks  are  sedimentar3r,  com- 
prising sandstone,  chert,  shale,  and  novaculite.  Erosion 
has  accentuated  the  steep  slope  of  the  ridges  by  cutting 
into  the  softer  sandstones  and  shales,  forming  stream- 
beds  and  leaving  sharp  crests  of  the  novaculite  and  the 
harder  sandstone.  Water-gaps  cut  the  ridges  in  a  north- 
south  direction  at  frequent  intervals. 

The  rocks  of  economic  interest  are  the  shale  and  the 
novaculite.  Novaculite  (razor-stone)  is  a  sedimentary 
rock  resembling  dense  fine-grained  quartzite,  and  was 
long  thought  to  be  quartzite,  having  been  described  by 
Kemp  as  "a  silicious  ooze."  Whether  this  term  sug- 
gests the  correct  genesis  is  open  to  question,  but  as  a  lever 
to  dislodge  the  name  'quartzite'  from  the  mind  it  is  ad- 
mirable. Manganese  ore  occurs  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
novaculite  bed  and  in  its  upper  portion  with  the  over- 
lying shale.  It  forms  discontinuous  lenses,  which  follow 
bedding-planes,  frequently  widening  to  fill  joint-cracks 
and  form  local  segregations  at  the  junction  of  bedding- 

*R.  A.  F.  Penrose,  Jr.,  Ark.  Geol.  Surv.,  vol.  1,  1893. 
+Edmund  Cecil  Harder.  U.  S.  G.  S.  Bull.  427,  1910. 


A.      Joilin 

plane  and  joint-crack.     It  also  occurs  as  a  manganese 

cement  in  a  novaeulite-breceia.  In  general  the  ore  is  a 
blue-black  psilomelane,  commonly  botryoidal,  contain- 
ing occasional  pockets  of  pyrolusite  in  soft  earthy  masses. 
In  intimate  association  with  the  manganese  are  ores  of 
iron  that  vary  from  black  botryoidal  hydrated  oxides  to 
the  familiar  'brown  ores.'  They  occur  in  the  same  lens, 
either  with  the  manganese  or  wholly  displacing  it,  and  in 
separate  bedding-planes.  In  prospecting  the  iron  is  con- 
sidered a  good  lead  to  manganese. 

Successive  outcrops  of  an  ore-bearing  horizon  in  the 
novaculite  may  be  traced  for  miles.  It  is  this  general 
east-west  continuity,  together  with  the  frequent  repeti- 
tion of  the  outcrops  in  a  north-south  direction — due  to 
the  close  folding  that  causes  the  beds  to  rise  and  plunge 
alternately — that  causes  prospectors  to  believe  in  a  sys- 
tem of  parallel '  fissure-veins, '  while  the  native  mountain- 
eers hold  that  there  are  ' '  mountains  of  ore. ' ' 

In  this  connection,  and  in  speculating  on  the  depth  to 
which  the  manganese  may  go,  the  origin  of  the  ore  should 
be  considered.  Such  evidence  as  has  been  gathered 
points  to  a  theory  similar  to  that  advanced  by  Harder]; 
for  the  origin  of  the  manganese  ore  of  the  Appalachian 
region,  which  appears  to  apply  to  that  of  the  Ouachita 
mountains.  The  rocks  from  which  the  novaculite  was 
derived  contained  manganese  minerals  that  were  de- 
posited with  the  sediments.  After  emergence  from  the 
sea,  erosion  began,  the  manganese  was  dissolved,  precipi- 
tated and  concentrated  by  percolating  waters  along 
favorable  bedding-planes  and  joint-cracks  in  what  are 
now  the  lower  manganese  horizon  and  the  upper  portion 
of  the  novaculite  beds.  If  this  theory  is  correct,  it  fol- 
lows that  there  will  be  no  marked  persistence  of  ore  be- 
low the  ground-water  level. 

Methods  of  prospecting  so  far  developed  are  both 
good  and  bad.  Individuals  and  groups  of  men  who  have 
staked  claims,  or  own  land  upon  which  manganese  oc- 
curs, men  who  have  little  money  to  spare  and  must  there- 
fore make  their  work  pay  for  itself,  are  forced  to  follow 
that  golden  rule:  "follow  the  ore."  Several  shafts  now 
being  sunk,  in  the  belief  that  the  richer  ore  is  deeper  may 
throw  some  light  upon  the  depth  to  which  profitable  ore 
may  be  expected.  In  general  the  prospectors  and  miners 
who  cannot  afford  to  pay  for  the  advice  of  a  mining 
engineer  are  following  the  usual  methods.  In  one  in- 
stance a  cross-cut  adit  is  being  driven  to  cut  a  lode  that 
outcrops  on  the  hillside  several  hundred  feet  above  the 
'tunnel'  mouth,  in  the  belief  that  the  lode  is  vertical.  A 
brief  study  of  the  structure  would  have  shown  that  the 
direction  of  dip  of  the  ore-horizon  at  this  place  is  the 
same  as  the  line  of  the  adit.  The  lure  of  the  cheap  oper- 
ating cost  of  the  cross-adit  still  hovers  over  undeveloped 
prospects.     With  a  little  more  attention  to  geological 

tU.  S.  G.  S.  Bull.  427.  pp.  99-300. 


948 


MINING  and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


structure  and  some  serious  speculation  over  the  origin 
of  the  ore,  more  would  be  learned  about  the  deposits. 

Harder  in  his  report  discouraged  prospecting  when 
he  stated  that  widths  of  over  a  foot  were  rare.  At  the 
present  time  there  are  several  prospects  that  show  a 
width  of  three  feet  and  over  of  solid  psilomelane.  Sev- 
eral carloads  of  ore  have  been  shipped.  It  is  reported 
that  this  ore  gave  returns  of  50  to  60%  manganese.  This 
seems  to  be  the  average  for  the  sorted  ore  of  the  region. 
Silica  sometimes  mounts  to  8%  and  the  phosphorous  con- 
tent is  usually  about  0.2%.  There  is  a  fair  chance  that 
somewhere  in  this  region  a  profitable  mine  will  be  de- 
veloped. 


Mining  conditions  are  good.  Water  is  abundant  and 
the  hills  are  covered  with  pine  and  oak.  The  climate  is 
favorable.  It  is  estimated  that  roads  suitable  for  motor- 
truck haulage  can  be  built  connecting  with  railroad- 
points  at  a  moderate  cost  per  mile.  Labor  is  cheap,  the 
prevailing  wage  being  $1.50  per  day  and  board,  but  as 
might  be  expected,  it  is  inexperienced  and  erratic.  The 
mountaineer  is  illiterate  and  none  too  fond  of  work.  He 
is  prone  to  light  a  ten-minute  fuse  and  then  run  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  at  top  speed.  He  has  much  respect  for 
dynamite  and  very  little  for  'moonshine.'  So  far  the 
supply  of  men  has  been  ample  for  all  operators  and  the 
'cost  of  firing'  may  be  considered  as  negligible. 


M&attei  in  tlii 


Faa&tM   iftsifcgg 


Nitrate  deposits  in  many  parts  of  this  country  have 
been  examined  during  the  last  two  years  by  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey.  The  importance  of  finding  a  natural 
supply  of  nitrates  within  our  own  borders,  which  might 
serve  our  needs  in  case  of  war,  has  given  incentive  to  this 
work,  and  has  directed  widespread  public  attention  to 
the  subject. 

Prospectors  in  many  places  have  raised  great  hopes  by 
finding  good  surface-showings  of  these  salts,  but  investi- 
gation has  seemed  to  force  the  acceptance  of  a  general 
adverse  judgment  as  to  their  value — a  judgment  that  has 
been  adopted  with  the  greatest  reluctance  by  all  con- 
cerned. Incidentally,  advantage  seems  to  have  been 
taken  of  the  situation  to  promote  certain  share-selling 
enterprises,  even  after  the  evidence  as  to  the  worthless- 
ness  of  the  deposits  became  sufficient  to  satisfy  any  com- 
petent judge,  so  that  one  is  forced  to  question  either  the 
good  faith  of  the  promoters  or  their  practical  judgment. 
As  a  result  of  careful  study  of  these  deposits,  and  par- 
ticularly of  evidence  gathered  on  recent  visits  to  pros- 
pects in  different  parts  of  the  country,  Hoyt  S.  Gale,  a 
geologist  of  the  Survey,  has  submitted  the  following  gen- 
eral summary,  which  is  commended  to  the  consideration 
of  those  tempted  to  invest  their  money  in  such  enter- 
prises. 

Fine  specimens  of  practically  pure  nitrate  of  soda  and 
nitrate  of  potash  (saltpeter)  have  been  found  in  many 
parts  of  the  country,  and  careful  investigation  of  speci- 
mens and  localities  seems  to  warrant  some  definite  con- 
clusions as  to  the  practical  value  of  these  deposits,  espe- 
cially to  those  who  are  invited  J:o  spend  their  money  in 
investigations  like  those  the  Survey  has  already  made. 
The  nitrate  salts  occur  as  crusts  or  films  on  the  faces  of 
ledges;  as  seams — most  of  them  thin,  though  some  are 
fairly  thick — in  crevices  of  shattered  rock;  and  as  de- 
posits filling  spaces  in  porous  rocks  at  and  near  the  sur- 
face or  extending  to  a  depth  of  several  feet.  They  are 
naturally  preserved  in  recesses  in  the  rock-ledges,  where 
they  are  sheltered  from  the  dissolving  action  of  rain, 
snow-water,  or  even  mist.  They  are  found  in  lava-ledges, 
in  beds  of  volcanic  tuff  or  ash,  and  in  limestone  and 
sandstone.    Their  existence  or  preservation  is  apparently 


dependent  rather  on  the  shattered  or  porous  nature  of 
the  rock  than  on  its  kind  or  composition.  These  deposits, 
which  have  been  referred  to  as  cave  or  ledge  deposits, 
are  of  essentially  the  same  type  wherever  found,  although 
they  vary  considerably  in  details  of  occurrence.  The  in- 
crustations are  found  not  only  on  the  faces  and  fractures 
of  ledges  of  solid  rock,  but  some  of  them  form  layers  or 
cementing  constituents  in  the  loose  soil  and  rock-breccia 
at  the  bases  of  cliffs,  or  lie  in  places  protected  from  the 
weather.  Some  samples  obtained  from  both  these  sources 
Are  rich  in  nitrate  salts,  and  analyses  of  such  materials 
will  bear  little  significant  relation  to  the  actual  character 
or  content  of  the  mass  of  the  rock  of  which  the  ledge  is 
formed.  It  appears  that  the  deposits  are  surficial — that 
is,  they  do  not  extend  far  into  the  mass  of  the  rock — and 
the  nitrate  salt  found  is  insignificant  in  amount.  Ni- 
trates are  found  in  unusually  large  quantities  in  some 
soils  and  in  some  clay  hills,  particularly  in  southern 
California.  These  deposits  have  been  examined  by  many 
persons  and  the  general  conclusion  reached  has  been  un- 
favorable to  the  idea  of  their  practical  utilization.  The 
nitrate  content,  although  unusually  large  as  compared 
with  the  content  of  ordinary  soils,  probably  does  not 
average  over  1  or  2%  of  the  soil  or  clay,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  material  could  be  worked  commercially. 
Any  one  who  is  not  convinced  by  the  judgment  already 
reached  as  to  these  deposits,  and  who  is  determined  to  de- 
vote his  time  or  money  to  their  further  exploration, 
should  do  so  with  full  knowledge  of  the  evidence  already 
in  hand  and  should  not  he  led  into  such  a  venture  by 
more  or  less  misleading  representations.  The  Survey  will 
always  be  glad  to  make  an  examination  of  any  samples, 
submitted. 


The  Aluminum  Ore  Co.,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Aluminum 
Co.  of  America,  of  Pittsburg,  has  bought  200  acres  at 
Sollers  Point,  Md.,  where  a  plant  will  he  built  to  manu- 
facture aluminum  from  bauxite.  The  capacity  of  this 
new  plant  will  be  less  than  the  company's  plant  at  Bast 
St.  Louis,  but  is  so  planned  that  extensions  can  be  made 
as  needed.  It  will  cost  about  $1,000,000  and  is  expected 
to  be  ready  for  operation  early  in  1918. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


949 


Matte   Granulation  at  Herculaneum.   Missouri 


By       B .       IP  a  I 


X,  i  lu  (1  a  ti       ssiii 


.    -  M    '  J 


>  im  I  i:  ii 


•Three  years  ago  it  was  decided  by  the  management 
to  granulate  the  matte  produced  in  the  smelter  of  the 
St.  Joseph  Lead  Co.  at  Herculaneum,  thereby  doing 
away  with  a  large  amount  of  labor  in  handling  the  matte 
and  in  subsequent  crushing.  On  March  1,  1915,  the 
granulator  was  put  in  operation  and  up  to  January  1, 
1916,  18,735  tons  had  been  granulated.  The  four  blast- 
furnaces have  a  daily  output  of  about  280  tons  of  pig- 
lead  and  100  tons  of  matte  assaying  about  11%  lead.  It 
is  expected  that  projected  improvements  in  roasting 
methods  will  eliminate  more  sulphur  from  the  charge, 
and  cut  down  the  matte-fall  to  about  one-half  of  the 
present  figure. 

The  blast-furnaces  are  tapped  into  movable  fore-' 
hearths  or  settlers,  6  ft.  by  4  ft.  by  22  in.,  the  slag  over- 
flowing into  27-cu.  ft.  slag-cars  that  are  hauled  to  the 
dump  by  electric  locomotives. 

Under  the  present  plan  of  granulating,  the  matte  is 
tapped  into  6-cu.  ft.  iron  ladles.     These  are  transported 

'Abstract  from  paper  to  be  read  before  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Mining  Engineers  New  York  meeting,  February  1917. 


lo  I  he  granulating-plant  by  a  5-ton  overhead  electric 
traveling-crane,  the  runway  of  which  extends  the  full 
length  of  the  blast-furnace  building.  A  cylindrical  con- 
tainer receives  the  matte  from  the  ladles.  This  con- 
tainer is  a  specially  designed  Traylor  copper-converter 
minus  the  tuyeres  and  with  a  20-in.  opening  at.  one  end 
for  the  flue  and  oil-burners.  It  measures  77  by  120  in. 
inside,  is  lined  with  maguesite  brick  9  in.  thick  and  can 
be  tilted  by  means  of  a  50-hp.  motor.  A  steel  flue  18  in. 
diameter,  leading  from  one  end,  conducts  any  fume  to 
the  bag-house.  Just  under  this  flue  are  placed  two  oil- 
burners  for  heating.  Generally  one  is  found  sufficient 
to  keep  the  matte  in  a  molten  state.  The  consumption  of 
18°  to  20°  B.  crude  oil  is  250  gal.  per  24  hr.,  or  2  to  2$ 
gal.  of  oil  per  ton  of  matte  granulated.  Air  at  30  lb. 
pressure  is  supplied  to  the  burners  for  atomizing  the  oil. 
The  granulation  is  accomplished  by  pouring  the  molten 
matte  through  two  superimposed  flat  jets  of  water  shoot- 
ing horizontally  into  a  concrete  tank  lined  with  cast- 
iron  plates.  The  stream  of  matte  is  disintegrated  into 
small  shot-like   particles  before   reaching  the   body   of 


^  ■  .,         Pdtt*J3I,i  6",   l'i'^~-*W 

,«FRi11   120  LE.  />   ■  <„../jU  glJ„ 


ENLARGED  SECTION  THROUGH  DEWATERING 
CONVEYOR    TROUGH 


MATTE  GRANULATING  PLANT  OF  THE  ST.  JOSEPH  LEAD   CO.   AT  HERCULANEUM,   MISSOURI. 


950 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


water.  The  stream  of  molten  matte  is  accurately  direct- 
ed on  the  jets  of  water  by  a  so-called  pouring-box,  the 
spout  of  which  is  6  in.  above  and  12  in.  in  front  of  the 
upper  nozzle.  This  box  is  lined  with  common  brick  and 
the  matte  is  poured  directly  into  it  by  revolving  the  con- 
tainer.   The  pour-holes  are  slots  2  in.  wide  by  8  in.  high. 

A  dewatering  drag-conveyor  removes  the  granulated 
particles  of  matte  from  the  tank.  The  floor  of  the  tank 
slopes  down  to  the  trough  in  which  the  conveyor  operates, 
at  an  angle  of  about  30°.  It  is  placed  to  one  side,  out  of 
the  line  of  the  streams  from  the  nozzles.  It  elevates  the 
matte  over  the  slag-track  and  discharges  into  standard- 
gauge  railroad  cars,  which  are  weighed,  and  their  con- 
tents sampled  and  emptied  into  the  roaster-bins.  In  the 
end  of  the  concrete  tank  opposite  the  nozzles,  a  V-shaped 
settling-box  takes  the  overflow  water.  This  box  prevents 
the  loss  of  the  coarser  slime,  while  the  finer  material 
settles  out  in  a  series  of  settling-tanks,  one  overflowing 
into  the  other.  An  excelsior  filter  finally  clears  the  water 
before  it  enters  the  circulating  pond.  There  are  two 
series  of  settling-tanks,  one  in  use  while  the  other  is 
being  cleaned  out. 

The  matte  in  the  cylindrical  container  is  kept  fluid  by 
one  or  both  of  the  two  oil-burners  before  mentioned. 
The  burners  are  placed  so  that  the  flame  shoots  slightly 
upward  in  the  container.  An  oxidizing  flame  is  used, 
though  there  would  be  some  practical  advantages  if  a 
reducing  flame  could  be  employed.  It  was  found  im- 
possible, however,  to  maintain  the  required  temperature 
with  a  reducing  flame.  If  the  matte  remains  in  the  con- 
tainer too  long,  an  oxidized  scum  is  formed  which  inter- 
feres with  the  pouring. 

The  matte  is  discharged  from  the  barrel  container 
through  an  opening  in  the  side,  2  by  8  in.,  provided  with 
a  spout  delivering  into  the  pouring-box  which  rests  on 
the  concrete  wall  of  the  tank  directly  over  the  water- 
nozzles.  This  pouring-box  is  made  of  sheet-iron  and  is 
lined  with  common  firebrick;  inside  dimensions  are  18 
in.  by  18  in.  by  3  ft.  The  matte  tends  to  chill  and  build 
up  in  the  box,  but  a  narrow  passage  about  3  in.  wide  is 
easily  maintained  along  the  path  of  the  stream.  This 
box  in  turn  discharges  through  an  opening  2  by  8  in., 
the  matte  being  directed  by  a  cast-iron  spout  so  that  it 
meets  the  horizontal  jets  of  water  at  an  angle  of  70°  to 
80°.  All  the  matte  should  be  broken  up  and  be  pre- 
chilled  before  striking  the  main  body  of  water.  As  a 
.rule  the  stream  of  matte  is  broken  up  by  striking  the 
upper  jet  while  the  lower  jet  insures  further  cooling. 
It  was  found  that  if  some  of  the  matte  missed  the  jets  or 
if  the  rate  of  pouring  was  too  rapid,  thus  preventing  the 
thorough  pre-chilling  of  the  matte,  some  of  the  semi- 
molten  particles  united  again  into  large  lumps,  fre- 
quently causing  explosions  in  the  tank.  Likewise,  too 
rapid  pouring  will  promote  the  formation  of  large  gran- 
ules up  to  an  inch  in  diameter,  which  are  detrimental  to 
good  roasting.  Too  slow  pouring  allows  the  matte  to  chill 
before  leaving  the  pouring-box,  thereby  causing  the  open- 
ing in  the  spout  to  freeze  gradually.  The  right  speed 
was  obtained  after  a  little  experimentation.     A  stream 


of  matte  as  large  as  2J  in.  diam.  where  it  strikes  the  jets 
has  been  granulated  satisfactorily.  A  hot  matte  makes 
a  better  product  for  roasting,  because  it  is  more  uniform 
and  finer.  A  good  product  is  that  of  which  75%  passes 
a  tV-in.  screen.  The  average  rate  of  pouring  is  3.2  cu. 
ft.  of  matte  per  minute. 

The  water-jets  are  delivered  through  rectangular 
nozzles,  the  openings  being  §  by  3f  in.  with  the  nozzles 
5  in.  apart.  The  supply  of  water  is  100  gal.  per  min. 
under  a  head  of  40  ft.  The  granulating-tank  is  con- 
structed of  concrete,  17  ft.  long  and  7i  ft.  wide,  the  floor 
being  plated  with  1-in.  cast-iron  plates,  at  a  30°  slope 
into  the  conveyor-trough.  This  degree  of  slope  has  been 
found  sufficient  to  cause  the  granulated  particles  to  run 
into  this  trough.  The  drag-conveyor  is  driven  by  a 
10-hp.  motor  at  a  speed  of  30  ft.  per  min.  and  runs  in  a 
sectional  cast-iron  trough  4  in.  deep  and  15  in.  wide. 
A  small  amount  of  water,  about  5%,  passes  over  with 
the  matte  into  the  railroad-cars,  drainage  being  assisted 
by  notching  the  conveyor-flights  alternately  in  the  centre 
and  on  the  ends,  thus  allowing  the  entrained  water  to 
escape  and  flow  back  into  the  tank.  The  tail-sprocket 
wheel  and  the  idler-sprocket  wheel  A  are  both  under 
water.  The  shafts  of  these  wheels  extend  through  stuff- 
ing boxes  in  the  sides  of  the  tank,  to  the  bearings  on  the 
outside. 

Some  lead  settles  out  of  the  matte  while  in  the  con- 
tainer, about  30  to  60  pigs  of  65  lb.  each,  according  to 
the  condition  of  the  furnaces,  being  poured  out  daily. 
In  case  lead  goes  over  and  is  granulated  with  the  matte, 
it  manifests  itself  by  a  sputtering  and  popping  on  the 
surface  of  the  water.  After  the  matte  has  been  poured 
down  to  the  lead-level,  the  operator  turns  the  container 
backward  and  pours  the  lead  into  a  ladle,  whence  it  is 
molded  into  pigs. 

To  prevent  metal  losses,  the  fumes  are  caught  by  a 
swinging  hood  that  fits  over  the  charge-opening  and  con- 
nects with  the  blast-furnace  flue  leading  to  the  bag- 
house.  The  hood  may  be  swung  back  so  as  to  uncover  the 
charge-opening,  when  the  crane  is  ready  to  pour  a  ladle 
of  matte  into  the  barrel-container. 

This  installation  requires  only  two  men  per  shift  for 
operation,  one  to  operate  the  container  and  one  the  crane. 
The  forehearth  tappers  at  the  furnaces  attach  the  crane- 
hook  to  the  ladles.  Under  the  old  method  of  handling 
the  matte  by  hand-pots,  the  cost  was  87c.  per  ton,  which 
included  hand-breaking.  Crushing  and  screening 
amounted  to  56c.  per  ton  in  addition,  which  brought  the 
total  cost  to  $1.43  per  ton.  Granulation  costs  only  75c. 
per  ton,  which  makes  the  total  saving  of  $1.43-0.75  = 
$0.68  per  ton  of  matte  granulated. 

Some  of  the  large  more  progressive  manufacturers  of 
the  East  are  seriously  considering  the  adoption  of  the 
metric  system  of  weights  and  measures,  and  to  this  end 
enquiry  is  being  made  by  the  Philadelphia  Bourse  to 
ascertain  to  what  extent  the  French  system  can  be  read- 
ily adopted  in  catering  to  the  large  and  rapidly  increas- 
ing foreign  trade. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


951 


Counter  -  Current   Decantation 


By 


■  a  B  •  I 


•The  recovery  of  dissolved  gold  from  pulp  in  cyanide- 
plants  was  first  accomplished  by  intermittent  decanta- 
tion. This  simple  process  consists  in  mixing  with  the 
pulp,  containing  the  metal  in  solution,  a  solution  of  lower 
gold-content,  settling  the  mixture  in  a  tank,  and  decant- 
ing the  clear  supernatant  liquor.  The  thick  pulp  re- 
maining in  the  tank  is  pumped  to  a  second  tank,  together 
with  more  barren  solution,  and  again  settled  and  de- 
canted. After  several  repetitions  of  this  operation,  the 
value  is  so  far  reduced  that  further  washing  is  not  profit- 
able. Gold  extraction  by  this  process  is  high,  but  the 
plant  required  is  extensive,  labor  cost  is  high,  and  the 
amount  of  solution  to  be  precipitated  is  excessive. 

In  1901,  John  Randall  employed  the  same  principle 
in  cones,  instead  of  flat-bottomed  tanks,  which  operated 
continuously,  discharging  a  regular  stream  of  thickened 
pulp.  These  cones  were  operated  in  series,  the  thick 
under-flow  of  the  first  one  forming,  with  a  stream  of 
diluting  solution,  the  feed  to  the  second  cone  of  the 
series.  Barren  solution  was  added  to  the  tank  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  discharge-tank  and,  after  being 
slightly  enriched  by  the  low-grade  pulp  in  this  tank, 
overflowed  to  form  a  diluting  solution  again  for  the 
richer  feed  entering  the  third  tank  from  the  end  of  the 
series,  and  so  on  back  to  the  richest  tank  of  the  series. 
Clear  water  was  used  for  the  wash  in  the  final  tank.  This 
is  the  principle  on  which  all  successful  counter-current 
decantation  plants  operate  at  the  present  time,  but 
Randall's  plant  was  not  successful  because  of  mechanical 
difficulties  in  getting  a  continuous  thick  discharge  from 
his  cone-tanks. 

In  1910,  two  decantation  plants  were  built  making  use 
of  flow-sheets  similar  to  that  used  by  Randall  9  years 
before,  but  substituting  Dorr  thickeners  for  the  eones. 
One  of  these  was  at  Moeorito  in  Sinaloa,  Mexico,  and  was 
installed  under  the  direction  of  C.  Dupre  Smith;  while 
the  other  was  designed  by  J.  V.  N.  Dorr,  assisted  by  the 
writer,  for  the  Vulture  Mines  Co.  of  Wickenburg,  Ari- 
zona. While  perhaps  not  perfect  at  first,  both  of  these 
pioneer  plants  were  so  successful  as  to  encourage  further 
installations,  which  have  increased  considerably  during 
the  past  three  years. 

The  accompanying  sketch  is  a  simple  yet  typical  flow- 
sheet of  the  C.C.D.  system.  It  is  assumed  that  crushing 
is  done  in  cyanide  solution,  the  overflow  from  the  tank 
T2  being  used  for  the  crushing-solution.  This  solution 
leaves  the  grinding-circuit  with  the  ground  pulp  and 
enters  Tlt  and  that  part  which  does  not  pass  to  the  agi- 
tators with  the  pulp  overflows  Tt,  and  goes  to  precipita- 
tion. After  depositing  its  gold-content,  it  is  used  to 
dilute  the  underflow  of  T3  as  it  enters  Tt.  The  over- 
flow of  T5  is  also  mixed  into  the  feed  to  Tt.  The  overflow 
of  Tt  mixes  with  the  underflow  of  T,  to  form  the  feed 

'Abstract  from  paper  prepared  for  New  York  meeting  of 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers. 


to  T3,  and  so  forth,  as  indicated  in  the  flow-sheet.  At 
each  succeeding  mixture  the  solution  meets  a  pulp  of 
higher  dissolved  metal-content  than  itself,  and  is  en- 
riched while  the  pulp  is  correspondingly  impoverished. 
The  pulp  at  each  step  approaches  the  discharge-end  of 
the  mill  while  the  solution  goes  to  the  feed  end— hence 
counter-current  decantation. 

The  principal  factors  that  may  affect  the  efficiency 
of  the  process  are:  (1)  grade  of  ore;  (2)  ratio  of  solu- 
tion precipitated  to  ore  treated;  (3)  thickness  at  which 
pulp  can  be  discharged;  (4)  cost  of  chemicals;  (5) 
rapidity  of  dissolving,  and  the  place  in  the  circuit  where 
it  takes  place ;  and  (6)  efficiency  of  precipitation. 

Since  the  process  is  one  involving  volumes  and  dilu- 
tions, it  is  possible  to  calculate  accurately  what  distribu- 
tion of  metal-content  should  take  place  under  any  given 
set  of  conditions.  As  far  as  possible,  each  one  of  the 
above  variables  has  been  mathematically  considered  in- 
dependently of  the  rest  and  the  results  have  been  plot- 
ted. [In  the  Press  of  August  28,  1915,  these  calcula- 
tions were  given  in  full,  when  the  Rochester  Mines  Co.  's 
mill  was  described. — Editor.] 

Any  considerable  dissolving  during  decantation  will 


-V ■ 


FLOW-SHEET   OF   C.C.D.   PLANT. 

be  indicated  by  a  difference  in  the  assay-value  of  the 
solution  in  the  under-flow  of  the  tanks  as  compared  with 
the  over-flowing  solution.  In  practice  there  is  always 
more  gold  per  ton  in  the  under-flow  solution  than  in  the 
over-flow  of  any  given  tank,  but  in  the  ores  of  Porcupine 
district,  Ontario,  this  difference  is  very  small.  Other 
causes  may,  and  no  doubt  do,  tend  to  produce  this  dif- 
ference between  the  over-flow  and  the  under-flowing 
solution.  Adsorption  is  probably  the  most  important  and 
perhaps  the  least  understood  of  these.  In  the  case  of 
Porcupine  ores  this  phenomenon  is  of  small  importance, 
as  the  ore  is  composed  of  crystalline  schist  and  quartz, 
and  there  is  little  tendency  for  the  ore  to  flocculate  under 
the  influence  of  the  solutions  used.  The  gold  and  silver 
ores  of  the  Western  States  are  in  many  cases  in  eruptive 
rocks;  these  ores  usually  flocculate  in  solution,  and  in 
doing  so  seem  to  entrap  a  portion  of  the  metal  in  solu- 
tion. At  any  rate  there  is  a  much  more  noticeable  differ- 
ence in  the  assays  of  tank  effluents  in  the  treatment  of 
these  ores.  This  has  in  some  cases  been  blamed  on  faulty 
mixing  of  the  products  fed  to  the  tank. 

Proper  precipitation  is  essential  in  decantation,  as  the 
amount  of  dissolved  gold  lost  is  in  proportion  to  the 
value  of  the  barren  solution  used. 

At  the  Hollinger  mill  at  Porcupine,  the  decantation 
plant  at  present  consists  of  five  rows  of  40-ft.  tanks, 
four  tanks  to  a  row,  forming  a  plant  of  five  units.     The 


952 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


tanks  are  arranged  with  a  difference  in  elevation  of  2  ft. 
6  in.  between  steps,  with  the  final  tanks  of  the  series  the 
highest,  so  that  all  solutions  pass  through  and  out 
of  the  plant  to  precipitation.  The  diaphragm-pumps 
used  were  designed  by  the  company's  staff,  and  have 
been  reliable  and  economical.  They  are  all  three-throw 
or  triplex  pumps,  so  that  in  spite  of  the  large  tonnage 
handled,  the  duty  on  each  diaphragm  is  light.  The  bar- 
ren solution  and  water-wash  added  to  each  row  are 
measured  by  separate  float-reading  weir-boxes  assuring 
uniform  results  from  the  various  units.  Only  one  man  is 
necessary  for  each  shift.  Power  consumed  by  each  tank 
is  under  one  horse-power,  while  each  pump  uses  about  the 


same.  The  cost  of  decanting  is  2.09c.  per  ton.  The  re- 
covery is  almost  the  theoretical  maximum.  The  follow- 
ing table  gives  results  covering  a  period  during  which 
38,885  tons  of  $8.92  ore  was  treated : 

Ratio  of  ore  to  solution  precipitated 100  to  285 

Solution   precipitated,   tons 110,604 

Strength  of  cyanide  used 0.9  lb.  per  ton,  or  0.0045% 

Cyanide  added  per  ton  of  ore,  pounds 0.46 

Difference  between  pulp-feed  and  pulp-discharge  for  first  tank 

after  agitators,  cents 25 

Average  moisture  in  tailing,  per  cent 45 

Average  value  of  barren  solution,  cents 3.2 

Dissolved  gold  per  ton  of  solution  discharged,  cents 11.71 

Dissolved  gold  per  ton  of  ore  discharged,  cents 9.57 


.A  Discovery  of  Celestite 


ly      wassas* 


;  a  11  ©  sy 


Pour  miles  north-east  of  Lavic  station,  on  the  Santa  Pe 
railroad,  in  San  Bernardino  county,  California,  is  a  large 
deposit  of  celestite,  the  white  outcrops  of  which  are 
plainly  visible  from  the  railroad,  which  at  its  nearest 
point  is  two  and  one-half  miles  south. 

These  outcrops  have  been  examined  by  prospectors 
many  times,  but  only  recently  has  the  real  character  of 
the  mineral  in  them  been  determined.  The  deposit  is  in 
a  stratified  formation  with  an  easterly  strike  and  a  steep 
dip  to  the  south.  It  lies  along  the  southern  base  of  a 
mountain  composed  of  Tertiary  volcanic  rocks  and  oc- 
cupies a  tilted  position  in  normal  relation  to  this  moun- 
tain uplift. 

This  formation  has  an  average  width  of  100  ft.  for  a 
length  of  2000  ft.  To  the  east  it  narrows  rapidly  in 
width  and  finally  gives  place  to  a  wide  zone  of  banded 
red  and  yellow  jasper.  "Westward  it  plunges  under  a 
heavy  overburden  of  sand  and  drift.  Upon  both  sides 
is  a  conformable  series  of  banded  red  and  yellow  jasper, 
that  forms  the  walls  of  the  deposit.  The  foot-wall  jasper 
is  succeeded  by  the  volcanic  rocks  of  the  mountain  to 
the  north.  The  hanging-wall  jasper  is  overlain  by  a 
black  finely  crystalline  limestone,  which  continues  under 
the  drift-sand  of  the  valley. 

All  the  outcropping  rock  within  the  dimensions  given 
is  celestite,  although  the  material  varies  in  texture  and 
purity  in  the  different  strata.  Some  is  darkly  discolored 
by  oxide  of  manganese,  other  portions  are  free  from  im- 
purities, and  in  these  the  ore  is  finely  crystalline,  of  a 
sugary  texture  and  yellowish-\uhite.  It  has  a  high  spe- 
cific gravity,  but  is  appreciably  lighter  than  barite,  for 
which  it  has  been  mistaken.  Analysis  shows  95%  stron- 
tium sulphate. 

A  number  of  veinlets,  two  to  three  inches  wide  form 
fibrous  crystalline  celestite,  with  the  typical  pale-blue 
tinge  from  which  the  mineral  derives  its  name.  The 
longer  axis  of  the  crystals  lies  across  the  course  of  the 
veinlets,  their  length  being  determined  by  the  width  of 
the  latter. 

In  many  instances  celestite  deposits  appear  to  be  the 
result  of  precipitation  and  to  have  an  origin  analogous 


to  that  of  gypsum,  which  is  associated  with  them.  Gyp- 
sum does  not  occur  in  this  deposit,  but  jasper,  which  is 
often  recognized  as  precipitated  silica,  is  an  important 
associate.     Precipitation  can  with  reason  be  held  to  ac- 


OUTCROP   OF   CELESTITE   NEAR   LAVIC,    CALIFORNIA. 

count  for  the  celestite  in  this  instance  but  other  condi- 
tions observed  preclude  the  application  of  this  theory  and 
suggest  one  wherein  circulating  hot  waters,  with  stron- 
tium compounds  and  silica  in  solution,  have  attacked  a 
sedimentary  series  along  an  igneous  contact,  resulting 
in  extensive  replacement  of  limestone  by  celestite,  and 
of  calcareous  and  silicious  shales  by  jasper. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


953 


Concentrates 

Beadtn  n/  the  MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS  are  im-itfl  to  ask  questions  and    I 
give  fnjbrmn/i  ■'■  technical  and  othetmattcn  pettainino  to  theprac*    I 

tict  "/mining,  milling,  and  melting, 

L  

Farthest  xokth  for  a  cyanide  plant  is  claimed  by  the 
Willow  Creek  mill  on  Cook's  inlet,  Alaska.  The  latitude 
is  61°  45' N. 


Gold-bearing  arsenical  minerals  (mispickel  and  loll- 
ingite)  are  floated  with  difficulty  at  the  Tul  Mi  Chung 
mill  in  Korea. 

"Water-tight  canvas  can  be  made  by  coating  it  with 
a  mixture  of  five  parts  of  coal  tar,  one  part  gasoline,  and 
one  part  japan  dryer. 

Temperature  of  flotation  concentrate  at  the  Inspira- 
tion Consolidated  affects  the  rate  of  filtration  on  Oliver 
machines,  and  arrangements  have  been  made  to  use  hot 
water  from  condensers. 


Grading  in  soft  material  during  wet  weather,  when  the 
working  place  is  likely  to  become  a  quagmire,  always 
justifies  the  laying  of  tracks  and  the  use  of  cars,  even  if 
both  track  and  cars  are  of  rude  construction. 


In  1905  and  1906  the  Elmore  bulk-oil  process  was  used 
at  the  Massey  mine,  in  Ontario,  with  success,  as  regards 
recovery,  which  was  87% ;  but  the  cost  of  the  oil,  too 
much  of  which  was  wasted,  rendered  the  operation  un- 
economical. 

Dampers  placed  in  ventilation  pipes  in  mines  should 
be  made  of  extra  heavy  sheet  iron  or  steel  or  they  will  be 
found  to  be  severely  bent  by  concussion  due  to  blasting ; 
the  tendency  to  double  up  will  always  be  inward,  not  out- 
ward, as  may  be  supposed. 


At  Ouro  Preto,  in  Brazil,  the  jurupeba,  one  of  the 
solanaceae  and  a  soap-bearing  plant,  is  used  in  the  Pas- 
sagem  stamp-mill  to  hasten  the  settling  of  fine  gold,  that 
is,  to  prevent  the  floating  of  gold.  This  effect  is  due  to 
lowering  of  the  surface  tension  of  the  water. 


The  track-jack  is  one  of  the  most  useful  tools  about 
a  mine  either  on  the  surface  or  underground.  It  is  use- 
ful not  only  in  adjusting  the  grade  of  tracks,  but  in  re- 
placing derailed  cars  and  in  numerous  other  ways.  It  is 
easily  carried,  quick  and  direct  in  action,  and  once  em- 
ployed seems  indispensable. 

Alaskite  was  a  name  originally  applied  by  J.  E. 
Spurr  to  aplite  that  contained  a  large  amount  of 
quartz,  much  of  which  was  due  to  the  secondary  deposi- 
tion of  silica,  great  quantities  of  which  he  found  in  some 
parts  of  Alaska.  The  term  has  more  recently  been  ex- 
tended to  include  all  rocks  composed  principally  of 
quartz  and  alkali  feldspar. 


Titanium  is  a  silver-white  metal  wiili  a  specific  grav- 
ity of  4.5.  It  occurs  most  commonly  as  rutile,  titanium 
dioxide.  Titanium  unites  with  other  metals  to  form 
alloys;  an  alloy  of  titaniuiii  and  iron  is  used  as  a  de- 
oxidizer  in  the  purification  of  steel.  Carbide  of  titanium 
is  formed  at  high  temperature.  This  is  known  com- 
mercially  as  ferro-carbon-titanium,  and  is  made  by  re- 
ducing titaniferous  iron  ores  in  an  electric  furnace. 

Impurities  most  common  in  magnesite  are  alumina, 
silica,  lime,  and  iron.  Buyers  generally  penalize  too 
much  of  either  of  the  first  three,  but  for  some  purposes 
make  no  objection  to  the  iron  unless  it  occurs  in  excess  of 
5%,  preferring  iron  up  to  3  or  4%  in  the  raw  ore.  Silica 
is  permissible  up  to  5%  if  the  magnesite  is  to  be  used  for 
furnace  linings.  In  chromic  iron  the  usual  impurities 
are  alumina  and  ferrous  iron,  neither  of  which  substances 
can  be  detected  readily  by  the  eye,  though  an  analysis 
promptly  discloses  their  presence. 


Concrete  may  be  placed  successfully  in  freezing 
weather  by  heating  the  rock  and  sand,  and  the  water 
used  in  making  the  mixture,  just  before  it  is  placed  in 
the  forms.  In  some  instances  concrete  thus  placed  has 
been  protected  from  freezing  by  arranging  improvised 
radiators  of  2-in.  pipes  at  the  sides  of  the  concrete  mass, 
turning  steam  into  the  pipes,  and  covering  the  whole 
with  tarpaulins.  In  other  cases,  a  constant  flow  of  hot 
water  has  been  discharged  on  the  concrete,  which  per- 
mitted the  cement  to  set  firmly  before  freezing  should 
cause  it  to  disintegrate. 


Steel  cables  may  be  either  cut  or  welded  by  means 
of  the  oxy-acetylene  flame,  but  a  broken  cable  welded  by 
this  method  would  have  its  usefulness  as  a  hoisting  rope 
largely  impaired,  if  not  destroyed,  for  the  reason  that  the 
individual  wires  composing  the  cable  would  have  their 
tensile  strength  diminished  by  the  process  of  annealing, 
which  could  not  be  avoided.  Cables  welded  by  this  meth- 
od might  safely  be  used  for  standing-ropes  when  the  ten- 
sion to  which  they  will  be  subjected  never  exceeded 
50%  of  the  original  guaranteed  tensile  strength,  as  stated 
by  the  manufacturers  of  the  rope. 

Caustic  soda  is  added  to  ball-mill  pulp — containing 
35%  moisture — at  the  Tul  Mi  Chung  plant  of  the  Seoul 
Mining  Co.  in  Korea.  The  addition  at  this  point  is  con- 
sidered essential  in  the  treatment  of  the  gold-copper  ore, 
as  the  colloid  slime  becomes  flocculated  as  soon  as  liber- 
ated, and  allows  the  eucalyptus  oil  freer  access  to  the 
mineral  particles.  To  such  an  extent  is  this  the  case,  that 
when  ore  is  being  milled  containing  appreciably  coarse 
mineral  particles,  they  are  immediately  floated  out  of  the 
mill  and  freed  from  the  risk  of  over-grinding.  Prior  to 
the  addition  of  caustic  soda  at  the  ball-mill  feed,  the 
colloid  slime  appeared  to  coat  and  protect  the  sulphide 
mineral  particles  from  oiling.  The  quantity  added,  as  a 
20%  solution  of  NaHO,  is  2  lb.  per  ton ;  and  of  eucalyptus 
oil  0.6  pound. 


954 


MINING   and  Scientific   PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


ii niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiinii 


©IF    MESHING 


As  seen  at  the  world's  great  mining  centres  by  our  own  correspondents. 


BUTTE,  MONTANA 

Compensation  Results. — Tuolumne  Company's  Pbopebties. — 

Davis-Daly  at  Depth  and  Zinc. — New  Company. 

There  are  1675  employees  operating  under  the  Workmen's 
Compensation  Act.  Practically  all  of  the  mining  companies  in 
the  State  are  included  in  this  total.  Three  plans  were  pro- 
vided for  carrying  the  risk.  Some  of  the  companies  carried 
their  own  risk,  and  paid  compensation  direct  to  their  injured 
men.  For  the  17  months  that  the  law  has  been  in  effect  their 
accident  costs  averaged  less  than  0.5%  of  the  annual  pay-roll. 
Under  No.  2  plan,  insurance  companies  paid  the  employee's 
claim,  and  collected  premiums  from  the  employers.  The  13 
different  insurance  companies  had  an  accident  cost  of  about 
0.5%  of  the  annual  pay-roll.  Under  the  third  plan  the  State 
took  the  place  of  the  insurance  companies,  and  the  cost  was 
found  to  be  about  0.75%.  The  costs  prove  conclusively  that 
the  premiums  charged  by  insurance  companies  are  too  high. 
The  premiums  charged  by  the  State  amounted  to  less  than  1%, 
which  is  perhaps  the  cheapest  insurance  protection  in  exist- 
ence. During  the  17  months  there  were  10,241  accidents  re- 
ported, of  which  197  were  fatal.  The  few  complaints  made 
show  that  the  law  is  giving  complete  satisfaction. 

Tuolumne  company's  development  on  the  700-ft.  level  of  the 
Butte  Main  Range  mine  continues  satisfactory,  and  no  doubt 
the  property  will  develop  into  a  good  mine.  The  ore  was  found 
in  a  cross-cut  that  was  driven  south  from  the  Sinbad  shaft. 
The  Spread  Delight  vein  was  cut,  showing  4  ft.  of  4%  copper 
ore.  Farther  south,  vein-material  and  altered  granite  were 
found,  and  then  a  body  of  ore  30  ft.  wide  was  penetrated.  The 
first  10  ft.  averaged  over  5%  copper,  and  the  remainder  is  said 
to  be  payable  ore.  Tuolumne  controls  the  vein  for  a  distance 
of  2400  ft.  along  the  strike.  For  1400  ft.  the  vein  is  in  the 
Main  Range.  It  crosses  into  the  Colusa-Leonard  to  the  west, 
which  is  also  under  option  to  the  Tuolumne.  A  drift  is  being 
driven  along  the  strike  of  the  vein  with  encouraging  results, 
and  arrangements  are  being  made  to  cross-cut  to  the  vein  from 
the  Colusa-Leonard  shaft.  The  development  will  lend  new 
impetus  to  the  exploration  that  is  being  prosecuted  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  district,  and  it  is  probable  that  several 
large  mines  will  be  developed  in  ground  that  has  been  re- 
peatedly scorned  by  geologists.  Of  course,  the  present  high 
price  of  copper  could  not  be  foreseen  by  geologists,  and  it  is 
true  that  all  these  properties  would  be  scrambling  to  make 
both  ends  meet  if  copper  were  selling  for  14c,  but  it  now  seems 
certain  that  orebodies  will  be  developed  that  can  be  worked 

with  great  profit  after  copper  returns  to  its  normal  price. 

It  is  rumored  that  the  North  Butte  will  sink  a  shaft  in  its 
ground  east  of  the  Main  Range  to  explore  veins  at  depth  that 
have  recently  been  exposeed  in  an  adit  driven  on  the  North- 
western claim. The  Tropic,  Bullwhacker,  and  Butte-Duluth, 

all  in  the  eastern  section,  continue  to  yield  good  ore. 

The  Davis-Daly  is  attracting  much  attention,  and  its  shares 
have  risen  to  several  times  their  former  price.-  Development 
on  the  2500-ft.  level  is  said  to  have  disclosed  a  large  body  of 
high-grade  copper  ore.  On  the  upper  levels  good  ore  was  en- 
countered, but  because  of  extensive  faulting  none  of  the  ore- 
shoots  were  long  enough  to  make  the  mine  profitable.  The 
company  had  to  spend  more  for  development  to  keep  the  mine 
in  ore  than  the  profit  on  the  ore  amounted  to.  The  ore-shoot 
at  2500  ft.  is  said  to  be  much  longer  and  wider  than  anything 


found  heretofore.  New  hoisting  equipment  is  being  installed, 
and  a  greatly  increased  production  may  be  expected  when  it  is 
ready.  For  some  months  past  production  has  averaged  100 
tons  per  day;  the  profit  from  this,  even  at  the  prevailing  high 
price  of  copper,  was  not  enough  to  meet  expenses.  With  an  in- 
creased production  the  cost  will  be  materially  lower,  and  a 
good  profit  should  be  made.  Davis-Daly's  position  as  a  pros- 
pective producer  of  zinc  has  been  greatly  over-estimated.  No 
ore  has  been  developed  in  the  Hibernia  claim,  and  no  com- 
mercial zinc  ore  has  been  developed  in  ground  near  it.  The 
Hibernia  has  a  good  surface  showing,  but  at  best  it  is  only  a 
good  prospect.  In  the  Hesperus  claim  some  narrow  veins  of 
high-grade  zinc  ore  have  been  explored,  and  the  ore  will  re- 
turn a  good  profit  if  it  is  mined  while  the  price  of  spelter  is 
high.  The  tonnage  developed,  however,  has  been  greatly  ex- 
aggerated in  the  local  papers,  and  has  been  favorably  com- 
pared %vith  the  orebodies  in  the  Rainbow  lode  that  runs 
through  the  properties  of  W.  A.  Clark  and  the  Butte  &  Super- 
ior. The  veins  in  the  Rainbow  lode  are  from  four  to  eight 
times  as  wide  as  the  zinc-bearing  veins  in  the  Hesperus,  and 
the  shoots  in  the  Rainbow  are  many  times  as  long  as  any  that 
have  been  discovered  in  the  Hesperus. 

A  company  has  been  incorporated  to  explore  the  Britannia 
and  adjoining  claims  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  district. 
The  Britannia  is  one  of  the  old  silver  producers,  and  was 
worked  for  this  metal  to  a  depth  of  700  ft.  The  veins  that  can 
be  cross-cut  from  the  old  shaft  are  wide  and  long.  The  indica- 
tions that  point  to  commercial  ore  of  the  base  metals  at  greater 
depth  are  as  strongly  developed  here  as  at  any  point  in  the 
entire  district.  The  management  is  capable  and  efficient.  Of 
all  the  properties  in  Butte  that  are  in  the  development  stage 
this  is  the  best  gamble. 

OATMAN,   ARIZONA 

Condition  of  the  United  Eastern  and  Tom  Reed  Mines. 

On  about  December  25,  the  exact  time  depending  on  the 
arrival  of  a  consignment  of  cyanide,  the  new  200-ton  mill  of 
the  United  Eastern  Mining  Co.  will  commence,  and  shortly 
after  should  produce  $4000  to  $5000  of  bullion  per  day.  This 
plant  will  no  sooner  start  than  the  Tom  Reed  Gold  Mines  Co. 
will  commence  the  construction  of  a  second  unit  of  its  mill, 
to  increase  the  capacity  from  150  to  300  tons  per  day.  While 
this  work  is  under  way  the  Big  Jim  Mining  Co.  will  have  con- 
cluded its  plans  and  will  have  let  contracts  for  the  machinery 
for  a  400-ton  cyanide  mill  which  should  be  in  operation  within 
a  year. 

The  United  Eastern  mill  is  a  modern  all-sliming  plant  em- 
ploying tlie  continuous  counter-current  system  of  decantation 
and  agitation.  The  ore  is  crushed  in  solution  in  two  200-ton 
Marcy  ball-mills  and  ground  to  200-mesh  in  three  Allis- 
Chalmers  5  by  6-ft.  pebble-mills  with  a  capacity  of  133  tons 
each  with.  S5%  through  200-mesh.  The  machinery  is  elec- 
trically driven.  The  gold  of  Oatman  mines  is  free  and  the 
ore  requires  fine  grinding.  The  report  of  the  Tom  Reed  com- 
pany for  the  last  fiscal  year  shows  an  extraction  of  98.6%, 
crushing  to  200-mesh.  The  crushing  and  grinding  depart- 
ment of  the  United  Eastern  mill  is  designed  to  reduce  400 
tons  per  day,  but  the  capacity  of  the  vats  is  limited  to  200 
tons.  The  mill  is  so  constructed  that  the  capacity  can  be 
increased  at  slight  cost.     Precipitation  is  by  Merrill  zinc-dust 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


955 


system.  The  accompanying  picture  shows  a  compact  arrange- 
ment of  shaft  equipment  and  mill. 

The  company  recently  sank  a  3-compnrtment  shaft  to  a 
depth  of  725  ft.,  which  has  been  connected  with  the  vein,  first 
opened  through  No.  1  shaft,  on  three  levels.  The  shaft  is 
timbered  with  10  by  10-ln.  lumber,  and  arranged  with  ore- 
loading  pockets  on  each  level.  The  bins  on  each  level  have 
two  compartments,  one  for  each  compartment  of  the  shaft, 
and  the  pockets  are  so  constructed  that  they  contain  an  exact 
load  for  the  skip.  The  cross-cuts  are  electric-lighted,  and  the 
shaft  equipped  with  electric-flash  signal  system. 

The  development  of  the  United  Eastern  mine  from  a  rather 
doubtful  prospect  to  a  great  gold  mine,  accomplished  in  two 
years'  work,  of  which  the  greater  part  has  been  done  within 
a  year,  is  a  splendid  result.  The  company's  property  adjoins 
part  of  the  three  or  four  miles  of  land  owned  by  the  Tom 
Reed  company.  It  was  located  by  one  Joe  Perrizi,  and  as  a 
result  of  his  faith  and  perseverance  he  is  now  possessed  of  a 
fortune  of  $250,000.    In  the  autumn  of  1913,  J.  L.  Mclver,  who 


opened  on  the  565  and  667-ft.  levels,  had  exposed  "sufficiently 
for  sampling  and  assaying,  200,000  tons  of  ore  assaying  higher 
than  $20  per  ton  and  having  a  gross  value  of  $5,000,000."  Sub- 
sequent work  has  doubtless  increased  this  quantity.  Thus  a 
mine  was  made,  and  incidentally  several  huge  fortunes.  At 
present  market  prices  for  the  shares,  Long  and  Mclver  are 
worth  not  less  than  $750,000  each.  W.  K.  Ridenour,  who  had 
faith  in  the  mine  when  it  was  a  prospect,  bought  treasury 
shares  from  Long  and  Mclver  at  25c.  each.  These  are  now 
worth  about  $5  each.  Wiseman,  Mudd,  Keith,  and  D.  C.  Jack- 
ling,  who  joined  the  first  named  trio,  have  profited  also.  Joe 
Perrizi  sold  10.000  shares,  according  to  rumor,  bought  an  auto- 
mobile and  toured  the  country,  and  is  now  living  luxuriously 
at  San  Diego. 

No.  2  shaft  was  sunk  about  300  ft.  from  the  vein,  which  it 
should  cut  at  950  ft.  This  shaft  is  being  sunk,  and  will  be 
continued  until  the  vein  is  intersected. 

The  Tom  Reed  company  has  opened  a  large  vein  in  the 
south-east  end  of  its  ground  and  is  rapidly  developing  this. 


Jh^^^ 

uiy 

J^iTf^  ■■■■iiitiiir 

l               "                              .-;■:'--■',           '  ■•'  ''- 

Hfek'^j^- 

NO.    2   SHAFT  AND   NEW   MUX  OF  UNITED   EASTERN   AT  OATMAN. 


is  known  throughout  Western  camps  as  a  champion  double- 
hand  driller,  secured  a  bond  on  the  Perrizi  holdings,  and  with 
his  partner,  G.  W.  Long,  organized  the  United  Eastern  Mining 
Co.  Long  and  Mclver  had  hard  sledding,  and  for  many  months 
made  slow  progress  in  development,  selling  a  few  shares  and 
working  for  wages  in  the  Tom  Reed  mine  to  keep  going.  In 
December  1914,  Frank  A.  Keith,  Seeley  W.  Mudd,  and  Philip 
Wiseman,  of  Los  Angeles,  after  an  examination  of  the  prop- 
erty by  C.  H.  Palmer,  Jr.,  contracted  to  purchase  a  large  num- 
ber of  treasury  shares  for  further  development  of  the  mine. 
A  small  gasoline  hoist  was  installed  and  prospecting  resumed 
under  George  W.  Long.  The  shaft  passed  through  the  vein  at 
200  ft.,  where  it  was  small,  the  best  assays  being  $S.78  per  ton. 
At  300  ft.  a  cross-cut  was  driven  to  the  vein  which  showed  a 
width  of  12  in.,  assaying  $14  to  $27;  this  was  in  October  1914. 
The  important  strike  was  in  March  1915.  At  a  depth  of  465  ft. 
a  cross-cut  from  the  shaft  exposed  25  ft.  of  ore  that  assayed 
$22.93  per  ton.  Subsequently  a  drift  driven  along  the  foot- 
wall  opened  a  shoot  for  650  ft.  in  which  some  rich  ore  was 
found.  At  places  on  this  and  other  levels  the  shoot  is  40  ft. 
wide,  an  unbroken  body  of  gold-bearing  quartz  excepting  for 
an  occasional  horse  of  andesite.  In  May  1916,  J.  A.  Burgess 
was  appointed  general  superintendent.  In  June  following  he 
made  a  report  stating  that  the  mine,  which  had  then  been 


The  existence  of  a  vein  in  this  part,  which  is  a  mile  from 
the  main  workings,  has  long  been  known,  but  it  was  not  until 
the  discovery  on  the  Big  Jim  mine,  which  adjoins  the  Tom 
Reed  on  the  east  and  south,  that  active  development  was  un- 
dertaken. A  shoot  of  good  milling  ore  has  since  been  proved 
for  a  length  of  1100  ft.  At  a  depth  of  200  ft.  on  the  Bald 
Eagle  claim  33  ft.  of  quartz  was  exposed  in  a  cross-cut,  of 
which  26  ft.  assayed  $9  to  $10  per  ton.  Farther  south,  650  ft., 
the  Aztec  workings  at  400  ft.  cut  18  ft.  of  ore,  of  which  12  ft. 
on  the  hanging  wall  assayed  $8.50  and  6  feet  on  the  foot-wall 
$14.50.  A  drift  was  extended  north-east  350  ft.,  and  in  several 
places  face  samples  across  the  6  ft.  of  drift  assayed  up  to  $50 
per  ton.  The  entire  350  ft.  is  officially  reported  as  milling  ore 
of  excellent  grade.  The  shaft  at  470  ft.  is  in  8  ft.  of  quartz 
worth  $13.88.  Mine  and  mill  costs  are  under  $6  per  ton,  so 
this  grade  of  ore  pays  well.  It  is  expected  that  the  new  unit 
of  the  mill,  which  will  be  equipped  with  Marcy  ball-mills,  etc., 
will  lower  the  costs  to  $5  or  less. 

Bulletin  No.  43  of  the  University  of  Arizona  at  Tucson,  by 
P.  E.  Joseph,  deals  with  iron.  Ten  pages  give  the  composition, 
characteristics,  and  tests  for  iron  minerals,  and  three  pages 
discuss  the  origin  and  uses.  Some  iron  ores,  such  as  the 
oxides  and  pyrites,  occur  in  Arizona,  and  are  used  as  fluxes, 
but  no  metal  has  ever  been  reported  as  made  from  the  ores. 


956 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


TORONTO,   ONTARIO 

Foeest  Pikes  and  Prevention. — Research  Council. — Porcupine 
and  Cobalt  Developments. 

Important  legislation  embodying  more  effective  means  tor 
the  prevention  of  forest  fires,  which,  with  the  opening  of  the 
wooded  areas  of  Northern  Ontario,  are  a  continually  increasing 
source  of  danger  to  the  mining  centres,  is  promised  by  the 
Provincial  government.  Last  week  a  large  and  representative 
deputation  waited  on  the  Hon.  G.  Howard  Ferguson,  Minister 
of  Lands,  Forests,  and  Mines,  to  urge  the  need  of  stronger 
preventive  measures  and  were  assured  that  the  Government 
was  alive  to  the  need  for  a  thorough  re-organization  of  the 
fire-prevention  system  to  meet  the  new  conditions.  The  first 
step  taken  was  by  establishing  a  separate  branch  of  the  Depart- 
ment with  full  control  of  the  forestry  and  fire-prevention 
service,  of  which  E.  J.  Zavitz  has  been  appointed  chief,  with 
extensive  power.  The  contemplated  reforms,  for  which  the 
sanction  of  the  Legislature  will  be  required,  include  the  adop- 
tion of  the  permit  system  for  the  clearing  of  settlers'  lands 
under  which  no  burning  of  brush  will  be  allowed,  except  under 
official  direction,  and  the  establishment  of  observation  towers, 
trails,  and  a  telephone  system  in  connection  with  the  fire- 
ranging  service.  It  is  also  proposed  to  give  the  municipal 
councils  more  extended  authority  for  fire  prevention,  and 
jurisdiction  for  some  distance  outside  of  town-limits. 

The  Canadian  Government  has  appointed  a  number  of  scien- 
tists, engineers,  and  steel  experts  as  an  Honorary  Advisory 
Council  on  Industrial  and  Scientific  Research  for  the  purpose 
of  promoting  the  application  of  scientific  methods  to  produc- 
tion and  manufacture,  utilizing  waste  products  and  discovering 
new  processes.  The  Council  consists  of  A.  Stanley  Mackenzie, 
president  of  Dalhousie  college,  Halifax,  chairman;  Frank  D. 
Adams,  and  R.  F.  Ruttan,  of  McGill  University,  Montreal;  J.  C. 
McLennan  and  A.  B.  Macallum,  University  of  Toronto;  Walter 
C.  Murray,  president  of  Saskatchewan  University;  Robert 
Hobson,  president  of  the  Steel  Company  of  Canada,  Hamilton, 
Ontario;  R.  A.  Ross,  consulting  electrical  engineer,  Montreal, 
and  Tanerede  Bienvenue,  general  manager  of  the  Banque  Pro- 
vincial, Montreal.  The  Council  with  others  will  carry  on  scien- 
tific and  research  work,  and  co-ordinate  the  work  as  far  as 
possible  to  avoid  overlapping,  selecting  the  most  practical  and 
pressing  problems  and  assigning  them  to  research  institutions 
for  an  early  solution. 

Porcupine  had  a  three  days'  inspection  last  week  from  a  large 
party  embracing  the  members  of  the  Standard  Stock  Exchange, 
Toronto,  and  a  number  of  American  capitalists  from  New  York, 
Boston,  and  other  points,  as  guests  of  the  brokerage  house  of 
Mark  Harris  &  Co.  They  visited  the  large  mines,  the  principal 
object  of  the  trip  being  the  inspection  of  the  Newray.  It  is 
anticipated  that  the  result  will  be  a  considerable  influx  of 
American  capital. 

During  November  the  production  of  bullion  at  the  Dome 
mines  was  $177,000,  from  the  treatment  of  37,900  tons  of  ore, 
valued  at  $4.67  per  ton.  Operating  costs  of  $2.88  per  ton  were 
the  highest  for  the  year. 

The  4-weekly  statement  of  the  Hollinger  Consolidated  for  the 
period  ended  November  3  shows  gross  profits  of  $241,591  from 
the  treatment  of  49,956  tons  of  ore,  averaging  $S.62  per  ton. 
The  working  cost  was  $3.64  per  ton.  The  deficit  on  the  in- 
creased scale  of  dividends  caused  by  the  merger  was  $238, 14S. 
The  directors  have  ordered  an  issue  of  120,000  shares  of  treas- 
ury stock,  which  will  be  offered  to  shareholders  at  $6.50  per 
share,  in  the  proportion  of  1  share  for  every  40  old  shares. 
The  money  to  be  raised  will  pay  off  the  liability  due  to  the 
shareholders  of  the  Acme,  Millerton  and  Canadian  Mining  & 
Finance  Co.  under  the  terms  of  the  merger  amounting  to 
$720,000,  and  leave  a  substantial  sum  towards  the  wiping  out 
of  the  present  deficit. 

At  the  Lally,  free  gold  is  showing  in  the  quartz  vein,  and 
the  company  is  asking  tenders  for  4000  ft.  of  diamond-drilling. 


At  the  Davidson,  Frank  G.  Stevens,  the  new  managing  en- 
gineer, has  assumed  control,  and  active  development  is  meet- 
ing with  good  results.  A  raise  from  the  100-ft.  level  has  ex- 
posed ore  S  ft.  wide.  Two  small  veins  with  free  gold  have 
been  picked  up  50  ft.  in  No.  2  shaft.  D.  R.  Thomas  has  been 
appointed  mine  manager. 

During  November,  the  Schumacher  produced  $18,295,  at  a 
cost  of  $15,000.  The  new  shaft  has  readied  the  200-£t.  level, 
where  a  station  is  being  cut. 

Sinking  has  been  started  at  the  Gold  Reefs.  The  shaft  now 
down  30  ft.  will  be  sunk  to  the  100-ft.  point  at  which  cross- 
cuts will  be  driven  to  cut  rich  veins  showing  on  the  surface. 

At  the  West  Dome  new  equipment  has  been  installed  after 
considerable  delay.  The  new  12-drill  compressor  is  being  oper- 
ated by  a  100-hp.  motor.    Forty-five  men  are  employed. 

An  important  strike  has  been  made  on  the  Aurum,  formerly 
known  as  the  Smith-Curry,  in  Munro  Township,  where  a  4-ft. 
vein,  showing  free  gold,  has  been  opened. 

Recent  operations  on  the  Ophir  at  Cobalt  show  encouraging 
results.  In  the  cross-cut  now  at  the  425-ft.  level  seven  small 
veins  were  found  within  a  distance  of  20  ft.  Three  of  them 
have  united  forming  a  strong  vein  14  in.  wide,  and  it  is 
thought  that  they  all  converge  into  a  considerable  orebody. 
The  important  feature  of  this  is  that  it  shows  an  extension 
for  about  a  half  mile  to  the  south  of  the  silver-bearing  belt  on 
which  the  Beaver  and  Timiskaming  are  working. 

The  National  Mines,  operating  the  old  King  Edward  under 
lease,  is  pursuing  a  deep-mining  policy,  and  has  sunk  to  the 
contact  at  1170  ft.,  where  a  station  has  been  cut  and  cross- 
cutting  commenced. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Mining  Law  Revision  Doubtful  This  Session. 

No  mining  legislation  is  to  be  attempted  in  the  present  short 
session  of  Congress,  at  least  this  is  the  announcement  of  the 
House  Committee  on  Mines  and  Mining,  of  which  Representa- 
tive Foster  of  Illinois  is  chairman.  It  is  this  committee  that 
has  set  about  the  revision  of  the  mining  laws  on  its  own  re- 
sponsibility, with  the  help  of  the  mining  authorities  in  Wash- 
ington. Out  of  this  has  come  the  so-called  Foster  bill,  which 
has  been  caustically  criticized  by  the  mining  profession.  This 
criticism  has  not  been  without  force.  It  has  served  for  one 
thing  to  make  the  Foster  bill  impossible,  so  that  it  is  de- 
clared as  dead,  although  really  it  may  be  said  that  it  was 
written  simply  as  a  suggestion  for  the  contemplated  revision 
and  codification  of  laws.  Since  then  a  concession  has  been 
made  by  the  Committee,  and  that  is  to  receive  a  bill  which 
those  mining  men  opposed  to  the  Foster  bill  conceive  ought  to 
constitute  the  revision  and  which  they  are  to  draw  up.  Of 
course  the  House  Committee  refuses  to  commit  itself  with 
respect  to  this,  but  it  will  not  be  very  welcome.  All  that  mem- 
bers of  the  Committee  will  say  is  that  it  ought  to  serve  as  a 
good  topic  for  discussion.  It  is  expected  that  this  bill  will 
arrive  during  the  present  short  session;  but  nothing  is  to  be 
done  regarding  it  in  the  way  of  substantial  advance,  for  it  is 
recognized  that  the  session  is  too  short  for  action  in  this 
Congress,  even  if  an  agreement  respecting  mining  legislation 
could  be  reached.  The  Committee  is  as  irreconcilably  opposed 
to  a  separate  and  independent  codification  commission  as 
ever.  The  chances  for  legislation  in  the  next  House  can 
hardly  be  forecasted.  For  one  thing,  it  is  still  in  doubt  which 
political  party  will  control  the  next  House,  if  any;  there  may 
have  to  be  a  coalition.  So  the  complexion  of  the  next  com- 
mittee on  mines  and  mining  of  the  House  remains  in  doubt. 
One  member  will  not  be  on  it,  and  he  is  Delegate  Wiekersham 
of  Alaska.  He  was  defeated  in  re-election.  Although  without 
a  vote  in  the  Committee  he  had  great  influence  over  it,  and 
has  been  the  chief  obstructionist  to  the  revision  and  codifi- 
cation as  desired  by  many  in  the  mining  profession,  and  recog- 
nized as  being  necessary. 


D< mber  30,  1.916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


957 


rsm  mxmm®  &wmm&,wz 


i  told  by  our  special  correspondents  and  compiled  from  the  local  press. 

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ARIZONA 


Chloride.  Roads  in  the  vicinity  of  Chloride  are  in  poor 
condition  tor  teams,  and  all  concerned  are  being  asked  to 
help  in  their  improvement  at  an  early  date. 

The  district  maintains  its  activity,  especially  in  the  copper 
zone.  In  the  170-ft.  level  of  the  Copper  Age  the  shoot  is  300 
ft.  long  and  3  ft.  wide,  worth  $40  per  ton  in  gold,  silver,  cop- 
per, and  other  metals.     Foundations  are  being  prepared   for 

the  concentrating  mill. The  Diana  claims  have  been  bonded 

to  G.  Beveridge  for  $20,000. The  Arizona-Chloride  company 

has  been  completely  financed. 

Jerome.  This  centre  has  two  large  copper  producers,  the 
United  Verde  and  the  United  Verde  Extension.  Eleven  others 
have  ore.  namely,  the  Copper  Chief,  Pittsburg-Jerome,  Ar- 
kansas &  Arizona,  Dundee,  Verde  Apex,  United  Verde  Con- 
solidated, Shea,  Grand  Island,  and  others. 

Miami.  At  the  Inspiration  Consolidated  it  is  proposed  to 
enlarge  the  miners'  change-house,  the  present  one  being  over- 
crowded. Erection  of  a  duplicate  motor-generator  set  is  under 
■way  at  the  mine  power-house,  to  serve  the  hoists.  Structural 
work  on  No.  19  and  20  units  of  the  mill  is  finished.  Founda- 
tions are  to  be  prepared  for  the  new  flotation-plant  blowing- 
engines.  Ingersoll-Rand  centrifugal  and  Root  rotary  blowers 
are  used.     Experiments  are  being  made  in  leaching  tailing. 

The  Miami  Copper  Co.  filed  a  statement  with  the  Court  re- 
garding its  November  results,  as  follows:  pulp  treated  by 
flotation,  120,988  tons;  copper  in  feed,  1.157%;  concentrate 
produced,  1589  tons;  copper  in  concentrate;  41.439%;  copper  in 
residue,  0.621%.  The  profit  from  this  treatment  was  $299,396. 
The  feed  had  already  been  treated  by  water  concentration. 

Oatman.  A  good  development  is  reported  from  the  Gold 
Road  mine,  details  of  which  should  be  available  soon. 

CALIFORNIA 

'Borax  in  1915,'  by  Charles  G.  Yale,  has  just  been  issued  by 
the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey.  The  output  of  crude  borate 
materials  in  the  United  States  was  67,003  tons,  valued  at 
$1,677,099.  In  1914  the  yield  was  62,400  tons  and  $1,464,400. 
All  the  crude  mineral  is  colemanite  (calcium  borate).  The 
deposits  are  shown  on  the  accompanying  map.  The  produc- 
tion is  derived  entirely  from  California  ore.  The  famous  Lila 
C.  mine  of  the  Pacific  Borax  Co.,  in  the  mountains  of  the 
Death  Valley  region  of  Inyo  county,  after  making  a  final  small 
output  early  in  1915,  was  abandoned,  and  the  company  con- 
fined its  efforts  to  the  Biddy  McCarthy  and  Widow  mines,  two 
new  properties  opened  and  made  productive  in  1915.  A  small 
18-in.  tramway  connects  with  the  narrow-gauge  line  to  the 
main  line  of  railroad.  At  this  property  more  rotary  furnaces 
are  to  be  put  in.  At  the  Lang  property  of  the  Sterling  Borax 
Co.,  in  Los  Angeles  county,  the  calcining  plant  has  been  en- 
larged and  new  deposits  have  been  opened.  New  rotary  Wedge 
furnaces  have  also  been  put  in.  The  Stauffer  Chemical  Co.,  of 
San  Francisco,  did  not  make  any  production  at  the  Russell 
borate  mines  in  Ventura  county  in  1915. 

Jackson.  To  cyanide  tailing  from  the  old  Argonaut  mill, 
Simmonds  &  Latham  of  Melones,  Calaveras  county,  are  to 
erect  a  plant  costing  $15,000.  There  are  200,000  tons  stored, 
which  average  from  $1.75  to  $2.50  per  ton. 

Lewiston.  The  dredge  on  the  Trinity  river  has  been  dig- 
ging rich  gravel,  yielding  much  fine  gold  and  nuggets.    After 


a  16-day  run  there  was  $19,748  recovered.  Chico  people  operate 
the   Lewiston  Dredging  Company. 

Plymouth.  According  to  W.  J.  Loring,  the  Plymouth  Con- 
solidated has  produced  nearly  $1,500,000  from  270,000  tons 
of  ore  in  27  months,  of  which  $460,000  was  clear  profit.  The 
shaft  is  2450  ft.  deep,  and  is  to  be  sunk  300  ft.  lower.  Re- 
serves amount  to  180,000  tons. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Copper  mining  in  Plumas 
county  is  exceptionally  active.  At  Gulling,  the  Walker  mine, 
controlled  by  the  International  Smelting  Co.,  is  employing 
75  men  and  is  shipping  concentrate.  A  100-ton  flotation  plant 
is  in  operation  and  its  capacity  may  be  increased  next  sum- 
mer.   Small  amounts  of  gold  and  silver  occur  in  the  ore. A 


MAP  SHOWING  BOEAX  DEPOSITS   IN  THE  WESTERN  UNITED   STATES. 

short  distance  from  the  Walker  is  the  Bonita  group,  recently 
acquired  by  the  Walker  Bros.  Consolidated  Co.  of  Salt  Lake 
City.  Work  has  been  going  on  for  four  years  with  encourag- 
ing ore  exposures.  A  compressor  and  three  machine-drills 
have  been  installed,  and  electric  power  will  be  extended  to 
the  mine  as  soon  as  the  weather  permits.  Work  started  with 
H.  L.  Allread  as  superintendent.  The  Boca  &  Loyalton  rail- 
way, controlled  by  the  Western  Pacific,  has  arranged  to  extend 
its  Grizzly  Creek  spur  five  miles,  which  will  greatly  facilitate 
ore  shipments  from  this  district. 

Following  a  short-lived  strike,  influenced  by  I.  W.  W.  agi- 
tators, the  Engels  Copper  Co.  has  resumed  operations  near 
Taylorsville.  The  men  demanded  their  wages  be  increased 
from  $4  to  $5  per  shift,  and  for  a  time  serious  trouble  was 
feared,  as  the  strikers  were  promptly  discharged  and  opera- 


958 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


tions  discontinued.  Approximately  300  men  are  now  at  work, 
and  a  normal  tonnage  is  being  treated  by  the  flotation  plant. 
Driving  of  a  main  lower  adit  is  progressing,  and  more  equip- 
ment will  be  added  to  the  plant  shortly. 

Many  of  the  old  gold  producers  of  the  county  are  active. 
At  the  Jamison  mine,  near  Mohawk,  60  men  are  employed  and 

the   mill   is   running   on   good-grade   ore. Operations   have 

been  resumed  at  the  Plumas  Eureka,  and  an  extensive  cam- 
paign of  development  has  been  outlined.  The  property  is  a 
short  distance  from  the  Jamison. A  number  of  gold  proper- 
ties at  Gold  Lake,  Beckwith,  and  other  old  centres  are  receiv- 
ing   attention. Representatives    of    an    Eastern    syndicate 

have  taken  options  on  several  copper  properties  at  Greenville, 
and  are  preparing  for  thorough  prospecting. 

Quincy,  December  19. 

COLORADO 

On  January  9,  10,  and  11  the  Colorado  Metal  Mining  Asso- 
ciation meets  at  Denver.  Among  questions  to  be  considered 
for  a  definite  plan  of  action  are  the  following:  (1)  Proposed 
repeal  of  the  present  law  for  the  taxation  of  producing  mines; 
(2)  proposed  change  in  laws  regarding  the  Industrial  Board 
and  compensation  insurance;  (3)  action  of  Association  regard- 
ing regulation  of  smelters  by  Utility  Commission;  (4)  proposed 
tariff  laws  affecting  tungsten  and  other  metals  mined  in  this 
State;  (5)  co-operation  of  the  State  Association  with  similar 
organizations  of  other  States  for  mutual  beneflt;  (6)  proposed' 
changes  in  Federal  mining  laws;  and  (7)  Government  con- 
servation policies  and  continued  withdrawal  from  development 
of  public  lands. 

At  a  meeting  of  a  special  committee  of  the  tungsten  pro- 
ducers of  this  State,  appointed  by  the  president,  Bulkeley 
Wells,  and  composed  of  the  following  members:  Harold 
Boericke,  Primos  N.  &  M.  Co.,  Boulder;  J.  A.  McKenna,  Vasco 
M.  Co.,  Boulder;  Robert  M.  Keeney,  Rare  Metals  Ore  Co.,  Den- 
ver; J.  G.  Clark,  Boulder  Tungsten  Production  Co.,  Boulder; 
William  Loach,  Wolf  Tongue  M.  Co.,  Boulder:  Forbes  Riekard, 
Ragged  Top  M.  Co.,  Denver;  Piatt  Rogers,  Rogers  Patent, 
Denver;  Horace  Holmes,  Luckie  2  M.  Co.,  Boulder;  Geo.  W. 
Teal,  Tungsten  Metals  Co.,  Boulder:  William  Cowdry,  Long 
Chance  M.  Co.,  Nederland;  Nelson  Franklin,  Rare  Metals  Ore 
Co.,  Rollinsville;  and  H.  N.  Brown,  Moiave-Boulder  Tungsten 
M.  Co.,  Sugar  Loaf;  it  was  decided  to  call  a  meeting  of  the 
tungsten  producers  of  the  United  States  to  convene  during 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  Association.  This  meeting  is  called 
for  the  purpose  of  a  conference  of  the  tungsten  producers  of 
the  country  to  formulate  a  plan  for  concerted  action  in  all 
matters  affecting  the  industry,  and  especially  to  unite  in  an 
effort  to  secure  as  early  as  possible,  favorable  action  on  the 
part  of  the  proposed  tariff  commission  in  behalf  of  a  duty  on 
tungsten  ores  and  the  products  thereof. 

LEAnvnxE.  The  Derry  Ranch  dredge  has  been  stopped  for 
the  winter,  after  working  continuously  for  8  months.  Over 
500,000  cu.  yd.  of  gravel  was  dug,  averaging  at  least  50c.  per 
yard.  In  February  the  boat  will  be  overhauled.  R.  E.  Laf- 
ferty  is  manager. 

At  the  Emmet  shaft  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.  is  installing  a 
G.  E.  52-hp.  hoist  to  replace  an  old  steam  engine,  also  a  motor- 
driven  compressor.  Water  in  the  Greenback  shaft  has  been 
lowered  to  1350  feet. 

The  Monarch  company  is  to  sink  its  shaft  100  or  150  ft. 
below  the  750-ft.  level. 

At  the  Jamie  Lee  Shaft  of  the  U.  S.  S.  R.  &  E.  Co.,  a  105-hp. 
electric  hoist  has  been  put  in  place.  Rubbish  and  mud  in  the 
shaft  has  hindered  cutting-out  a  pump-station. 

Silvekton.  According  to  the  Weekly  Miner  this  district 
shipped  approximately  60,000  tons  of  ore  worth  $1,800,000 
during  1916.  In  1915  the  quantity  was  only  19,672  tons.  Snow 
prevented  any  shipments  in  January.  Leading  producers  were 
the  Sunnyside,  S.  D.  &  G.,  Gold  King,  Davey  Leasing,  Iowa- 


Tiger,  St.  Paul,  Dives  Leasing,  Silver  Ledge,  and  Silver  Lake. 
Local  custom  mills  were  busy  during  the  summer,  and  im- 
proved methods  gave  better  recoveries.  The  coming  year  is 
expected  to  be  a  better  one. 

Sneffels.  The  report  of  the  Atlas  Mining  &  Milling  Co. 
for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  contains  the  following  in- 
formation: 

Underground  development  advanced  1681  ft.  on  the  Klondyke 
vein,  with  favorable  results.  The  amount  of  broken  ore  in 
reserve  was  increased  by  9000  to  12,000  tons,  worth  $75,000. 
An  electric  storage-battery  loco  replaced  horses  and  mules  in 
March,  giving  all-round  better  results.  The  mill  treated  36,647 
tons  of  ore  averaging  0.0422  oz.  gold,  9.19  oz.  silver,  and  35.2 
lb.  lead,  worth  $6.77  per  ton.  Oil  flotation  gives  25%  better  re- 
covery than  by  the  tables;  on  gold  this  was  83.9%,  on  silver 
87.9%,  and  on  lead  90.4%.  In  June  the  average  was  92.3%,  and 
in  November  93.6%  silver  and  over  90%  lead.  Costs  were  as 
follows:  Mining,  $1.8603;  milling,  94.37c;  tramway,  10.27c; 
maintenance,  23.49c;  development,  47.56c;  transport  and  mar- 
keting, $1.2334;  management,  19.37c;  taxes,  3.5c;  bond  inter- 
est, lie;  royalty,  12c;  and  insurance  7.21c;  a  total  of  $5.3814 
per  ton.  The  year's  revenue  totaled  $212,156,  of  which  $17,265 
was  operating  profit,  less  $S437  for  improvements. 

IDAHO 

Adaie.  Control  of  the  Richmond  Mining  &  Milling  Co., 
which  owns  and  is  operating  a  group  of  six  copper  claims  near 
here,  has  been  secured  by  New  York  capitalists  for  a  reported 
price  of  $350,000,  or  on  a  basis  of  approximately  $500,000  for 
the  entire  property.  The  mine  was  reported  on  by  B.  N. 
Sharp,  whose  estimate  of  reserves  was  $375,000  net.  The 
average  copper-content  is  11%. 

Kellogg.  According  to  S.  A.  McCoy,  president  of  the  Kel- 
logg United  Mines  Co.,  a  100-ton  mill  and  other  equipment 
costing  $50,000  will  be  erected  in  the  spring.  The  mine  con- 
tains 40,000  tons  of  lead-zinc-silver  ore,  with  recent  develop- 
ments indicating  much  more. 

Mukbay.  It  is  rumored  here  that  the  Guggenheim  Explora- 
tion Co.  has  acquired  a  large  tract  of  dredging  ground  along 
Prichard  creek,  and  that  prospecting  will  be  continued  next 
season. 

Pine  Cbeek  District.  The  Douglas  mine  of  the  Anaconda 
company  is  shipping  20  tons  daily  of  selected  zinc-lead  ore  to 
Montana  for  electrolytic  treatment,  while  preparations  are 
under  way  to  install  new  machinery. The  Highland-Sur- 
prise is  the  largest  shipper  in  the  district. 

MICHIGAN 

Houghton.'  Copper  production  of  the  Lake  Superior  region 
in  1916  will  total  260,000,000  lb.,  a  record.  No  Sunday  work  is 
done,  this  making  the  output  40,000,000  lb.  less  than  it  would 
have  been,  worth  at  25c  per  pound,  $10,000,000. 

To  July  1,  1917,  the  Calumet  &  Hecla  and  subsidiaries  will 
pay  10%  additional  wages,  while  the  present  bonus  of  25c.  per 
day  will  be  increased  to  50c  The  Mohawk  and  Wolverine 
companies  will  also  pay  the  50c.  bonus. 

The  Quincy  mine  is  producing  4300  tons  of  ore  daily;   one 

day's  output  was  4600  tons.    This  comes  from  three  shafts. 

Franklin  is  producing  1000  tons,  to  be  1300  tons  by  March. 

After  much  delay,  due  to  slow  delivery  of  steel,  the  Cham- 
pion has  completed  the  frame  of  its  re-grinding  mill. 

The  threatened  coal  shortage  in  the  Lake  Superior  region 
this  winter  will  affect  the  smaller  companies  much  worse  than 
the  others.  The  district,  according  to  some  of  the  largest 
dealers,  is  about  300,000  tons  of  coal  short  of  actual  needs. 
About  the  same  quantity  was  shipped  in  as  a  year  ago,  but  the 
mining  companies  were  unable  to  get  in  the  amount  they 
ordered.  The  Calumet  &  Hecla  company,  alone,  will  be  about 
100,000  tons  short.  This  company  and  its  subsidiaries  use 
1,000,000   tons   per   annum.     Plans   for   conservation   of    fuel 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


959 


have    been    worked    on    by    the   company's   officers    for   some 
months. 

The  Calumet  &  Hecla  reports  as  follows  for  November,  in 
pounds: 

M'nes  Month  n  months 

Ahmeek  2,157,959  21,820,622 

Allouez     S15.45S  9,449,067 

Calumet  &  Hecla   6,513,333  70,338,187 

Centennial    155,505  2,174,350 

Isle  Royale  1,036,492  11 .29S.297 

La   Salle    135,220  1,211,141 

Osceola     1,533,944  18,024,665 

Superior    204,487  2,780,179 

Tamarack    504.S31  6,036,240 

White  Pine  314,534  3,969,142 

MISSOURI 

Joflin.  Severe  weather  curtailed  ore  production  last  week. 
The  coal  situation — shortage  and  high  price — is  serious.  Zinc 
ore  declined  $5  per  ton,  while  lead  ore  rose  $3.  The  output 
of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region  was  9634  tons  of 
blende,  342  tons  of  calamine,  and  1241  tons  of  lead,  averaging 
$86,  $48,  and  $90  per  ton,  respectively.  The  total  value  was 
$965,004. 

MONTANA 

Butte.  On  the  1000-ft.  level  of  the  Butte  &  Zenith  City 
mine  the  north  cross-cut  cut  the  hanging  wall  of  the  Paint 
vein.  The  casing  has  considerably  altered  granite  mixed  with 
it,  and  assays  1.45%  copper  and  3  oz.  silver  per  ton.  The 
south  cross-cut  and  east  drift  is  after  the  Economic  vein. 

The  north  cross-cut  on  the  1600-ft.  level  of  the  Butte  &  Lon- 
don has  passed  through  25  ft.  of  formation,  18  ft.  assaying  1.2 
to  8%  zinc  and  several  ounces  of  silver. 

A  gas  pocket  has  been  encountered  during  unwatering  and 
repairing  the  Butte  &  Bacorn  shaft,  causing  a  slight  explosion 
last  week. 

NEVADA 

Ely.  Effective  from  December  1  the  Nevada  Consolidated 
company  is  to  increase  wages  25c.  per  shift,  to  be  paid  while 
copper  sales  average  between  27*  and  30c.  per  lb.;  when  the 
average  is  30  to  32ic,  another  25e.  per  shift  will  be  paid  to 
those  employees  receiving  $3  per  day;  while  those  getting 
under  will  receive  a  bonus  of  20  cents. 

Lovelock.  In  the  Seven  Troughs  Coalition  mine  a  winze  is 
being  sunk  to  1900-ft.  depth.  This  is  to  cut  through  the  broken 
zone  recently  encountered.  The  mill  continues  to  make  a 
profit. 

Rochester.  During  1916  the  Rochester  Mines  Co.  yielded 
approximately  $400,000,  against  $334,157  in  1915,  $279,659  in 
1914,  and  $399,025  in  1913,  a  total  of  $1,412,841. 

Tonopah.  Last  week  the  district  produced  10,096  tons  of 
ore  valued  at  $198,666.    Some  November  outputs  are  as  under: 

Tons  Oz.  bullion  Profit 

Belmont    12,027  230.05S  $121,265 

Extension    9,019  145,975  52,670 

Jim  Butler    4,020  31,572 

Tonopah  Mining    8,585  167,315  90,550 

Virginia  City.  On  December  21,  water  in  the  North  End 
mines  of  the  Comstock  was  down  38  ft.  below  the  2700-ft.  level, 
which  is  good  progress.  The  unwatering  to  2900  ft.  is  being 
done  through  the  Mexiean-Ophir  joint  winze. 

The  Comstock  Phoenix  property,  in  a  fissure  running  diag- 
onal to  the  Comstock  lode,  has  been  acquired  by  Jesse  Knight 
and  others  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  650-ft.  shaft  is  to  be  sunk 
to  several  times  that  depth. 

NEW    MEXICO 

Cuba.  In  this  district  of  north-central  New  Mexico,  copper 
properties  belonging  to  J.  T.  McLaughlin  and  others  have  re- 


cently been  sold,  and  ground  will  soon  be  broken  there  for  a 
plant  using  modified  pyrite  smelting  devised  by  Mr.  Greene- 
wald.  This  plant  will  utilize  the  sulphur  deposits  in  the 
vicinity  of  Jemez  springs,  30  miles  away.  The  haul  will  prob- 
ably be  made  by  wagon,  only  a  few  tons  of  the  low-grade  sul- 
phur-bearing travertine  being  required  to  add  to  the  partly 
chalcocitic  Cuba  ores.  These  ores  are  of  the  bedded  sandstone 
type,  such  as  are  found  at  Scholle,  New  Mexico. 

(Special  Correspondence.) — Three  feet  of  $12  ore  has  been 
opened  in  the  south  drift  from  shaft  of  the  Eberle  mine.  The 
Oaks  company  will  mill  this  as  it  does  other  ores  at  the  Socorro 
mill. 

At  the  Pacific  mine,  construction  work  is  about  completed 
for  hoisting  from  the  adit-level  to  the  collar  of  the  shaft. 
The  ore  will  be  dumped  into  chute  to  crusher,  thence  by  belt- 
conveyor  to  bins  at  terminal  of  the  aerial  tramway  to  the 
Socorro  mill.  At  present  a  large  number  of  burros  are  em- 
ployed moving  an  old  ore-dump  to  the  terminal  station. 

A  new  head-frame  has  been  installed  at  the  Trilby  group, 
and  sinking  and  driving  will  be  started  at  once. 

The  Oaks  Company  has  resumed  sinking  of  the  shaft  on 
the  Meridian  claim.  This  is  a  fraction  lying  between  the  Top, 
on  the  east,  one  of  the  properties  under  operation  by  the 
Mogollon  Mines  Co.,  and  the  Confidence  group  on  the  west, 


WINTER  ALONG  THE  COMSTOCK,  NEVAOA. 

which  together  have  produced  over  $5,000,000.  Although  sur- 
face rights  are  restricted,  the  fraction  is  considered  valuable, 
as  it  embraces  a  constantly  increasing  length  of  this  impor- 
tant vein  as  depth  is  gained. 

Mogollon,  December  12. 

Silver  City.  G.  H.  Utter  has  sold  for  $200,000,  on  terms, 
to  Los  Angeles  and  New  York  capital  the  Jim  Crow-Imperial 
claims  in  the  Steeplerock  district.  The  property  contains  gold 
and  silver  deposit.  G.  A.  Whiteford  of  Los  Angeles  examined 
the  mine. 

OKLAHOMA 

Miami.  Drill-rigs  are  badly  wanted  in  this  district,  which 
includes  Cardin,  Century,  Picher,  and  Quapaw.  One  company, 
Church  &  Wright,  wants  40  drills.  For  3000-ft.  contracts  they 
will  pay  $1.10  per  foot.  There  are  200  drills  working  in  the 
new  district,  and  500  around  Miami.  Drill-men  are  paid  $4.50 
to  $5  per  day. 

OREGON 

Jacksonville.  Little  is  published  concerning  mining  in 
Jackson  county.  The  reason  why  so  little  is  being  done  is 
the  short-sighted  non-progressive  crowd  that  'guarded'  the 
district  and  warned  off  would-be  purchasers  of  properties, 
afraid  that  the  mine-owners  would  not  receive  their  dues. 
The  county  has  had  rich  placer  mines,  and  there  are  some  that 
will  still  pay  to  work.  There  is  also  some  likely  looking 
ground  in  the  ranges.    A  subscriber  sends  this  news. 


960 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


VTAE 

Ai.ta.  The  daily  output  of  the  Alta  district  is  irregular, 
due  to  the  weather,  but  is  from  150  to  250  tons. 

The  Emma  Copper  Co.  expects  to  ship  30  tons  of  ore  daily 
until  the  mine  is  further  developed.  A  recent  assay  of  6  ft. 
of  ore  gives  175.6  oz.  silver,  21.1%  lead,  and  0.01  oz.  gold. 

The  Michigan-Utah  is  shipping  60  tons  daily.  A  recent 
special  carload  was  settled  for,  assaying  0.0325  oz.  gold,  142.7 
oz.  silver,  14.9%  lead,  and  19.31%  copper. 

With  15  teams  the  South  Hecla  is  able  to  move  50  to  75 
tons  of  ore  daily,  and  more  regular  shipments  are  expected. 

Garfield.  When  the  A.  S.  &  R.  smelter's  additions  are  com- 
pleted by  about  next  November  its  capacity  will  be  6000  tons 
of  ore  per  day,  against  over  2500  tons  at  present.  There  will 
be  new  furnaces,  sulphuric  acid  plant,  and  electric  apparatus; 
also  a  central  bath-house  for  the  1500  employees.  C.  W.  Whit- 
ley is  manager. 

MEXICO 

Following  is  a  translation  of  a  decree  by  Carranza  affecting 
the  exportation  of  ores  and  metals  from  Mexico. 

Considering  that  to  aid  in  the  re-construction  of  the  country 
and  to  assist  business  back  to  normal,  it  is  convenient  to  give 
necessary  aid  to  home  industries  for  the  renewal  of  business 
that  has  been  suspended  and  for  the  proper  enlargement  of 
those  industries  that  have  continued  in  operation;  especially 
to  the  mining  industry  of  such  vital  importance  to  the  nation. 
It  is  well  to  give  special  facilities  for  the  object  indicated. 

Therefore  I  have  considered  it  advisable  to  make  the  fol- 
lowing decree: 

Art.  1.  From  December  10,  1916,  to  December  31,  1917,  the 
export  duties  established  by  article  10  of  the  law  of  May  1, 
1916,  will  be  suspended. 

Art.  2.  During  the  time  of  suspension  (December  10,  '16,  to 
December  31,  '17)  metals  (for  export)  will  pay  the  following 
rates:  Gold  and  silver  in  bars,  5%  of  the  assay-value;  ores  of 
gold  and  silver,  7%  of  the  assay-value;  copper  in  bars,  5%  of 
value  of  metal;  ores  of  copper,  6%  of  assay-value;  other  ores, 
3%  of  value  of  metal. 

Art.  3.  To  determine  the  value  of  the  metals  the  Department 
of  Hacienda  will  announce  each  month  the  prices  that  will 
apply  for  the  following  month,  taking  for  a  base,  the  prices 
given  for  metals  in  a  separate  circular  by  the  Department  of 
State. 

Art.  4.  If  the  value  of  copper  goes  below  20c.  per  pound  in 
New  York,  the  5%  for  bars  and  the  6%  for  ores  (and  products) 
will  be  calculated  on  95%  of  the  New  York  quotation. 

Art.  5.  Exemption  from  export  duties,  established  by  Article 
2  of  addition  G  of  the  decree  of  May  1,  1916,  will  apply  only 
in  the  following  cases:  Ores  of  copper  less  than  5%  copper, 
ores  of  lead  with  less  than  15%  lead,  ores  of  zinc  containing 
less  than  20%  zinc. 

Therefore,  I  send  this  to  be  printed,  circulated,  and  complied 
with. 
Coxstitucion  y  Refoemas — Queretaro,  Diciembre  8  de  1916. 

V.  Cakranza. 
Gold   and  silver  bullion,   and   copper   ore  and   concentrate, 
exported  from  Mexico  to  the  United  States,  across  the  border, 
during  1916  totaled  P24,S27,160. 

On  December  19  the  Utah  Section  of  the  A.  I.  M.  E^  held  its 
annual  meeting  and  election  at  Salt  Lake  City.  The  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  C.  W.  Whitley, 
chairman;  W.  Wraith,  vice-chairman;  and  Ernest  Gayford, 
secretary-treasurer.  Papers  by  J.  M.  Callow,  entitled  'Notes 
on  Flotation,  1916,'  and  by  Irwin  Wilke,  entitled  'The  Manu- 
facture and  Use  of  Sulphuric  Acid,'  were  presented.  An  ad- 
dress was  also  made  by  Major  AVestley  King  on  'Military  Condi- 
tions on  the  Mexican  Border.'  The  number  in  attendance,  in- 
cluding the  majority  of  the  members  of  the  local  section  and 
guests,  was  about  one  hundred. 


IP^5?g©aamIl 


Note:    The  Editor  invites  members  of  the  profession  to  send  particulars  of  their 
work  and  appointments.     This  information  is  interestino  to  our  readers. 


William  A.  Faeish  is  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

Bulkeley  Wells  is  at  the  St.  Francis  hotel. 

R.  B.  Lamb,  of  New  York,  is  visiting  California. 

O.  C.  Ralston  spent  Christmas  at  Colorado  Springs. 

Leon  J.  Peppeebeeg  has  returned  from  Salt  Lake  City. 

T.  Walter  Beam  is  out  of  hospital,  we  are  glad  to  state. 

Horace  V.  Winchell  was  recently  in  the  Oatman  district. 

John  F.  Newsom  was  at  Salt  Lake  City  just  before  Christ- 
mas. 

Iba  B.  Joralemon,  of  Bisbee,  is  spending  the  holidays  at 
Berkeley. 

Forbes  Rickard  spent  Christmas  with  his  brother  in 
Berkeley. 

Etiiredge  Walker,  of  Boise,  Idaho,  spent  Christmas  in  San 
Francisco. 

J.  E.  Johnson,  of  New  York,  passed  through  San  Francisco 
on  his  way  to  New  York. 

A.  R.  Weigall  was  at  Kobe,  Japan,  during  November,  and 
has  now  returned  to  Korea. 

Samuel  Weis,  dredging  engineer  to  the  Lena  Gold  Mining 
Co.,  is  purchasing  machinery  in  San  Francisco. 

W.  J.  Bloch  has  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Mile  Wide  Copper  Co.,  near  Tuscon,  Arizona. 

Edward  P.  Scallon  has  been  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  Lincoln  mine  of  the  Inter-State  Iron  Co.,  at  Virginia,  Min- 
nesota. 

Charles  B.  Croner  is  in  charge  of  operations  at  the  Bunker 
Hill  mine,  Inyo  county,  recently  bonded  to  Los  Angeles  capi- 
talists. 

W.  J.  Cox,  manager  of  the  Camp  Bird,  and  Hugh  Rose, 
manager  of  the  Santa  Gertrudis,  have  been  in  London  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  their  directors. 

Charles  T.  Kirk,  State  geologist  of  New  Mexico,  has  re- 
turned to  Albuquerque  from  Oatman  and  the  Big  Bend  country 
of  northern  Mohave  county,  Arizona. 

Frank  Leland  has  resigned  as  general  manager  of  the  Bala- 
klala  and  Trinity  copper  companies  at  Coram,  Shasta  county, 
to  make  his  home  in  southern  California. 

John  Roberts  Mitchell,  born  at  Perran  Porth,  Cornwall, 
in  1856,  died  at  his  home  in  Denver  of  heart  disease  on  De- 
cember 16.  He  spent  some  years  in  Ireland,  where  his  father 
was  manager  for  the  Mining  Company  of  Ireland;  his  first 
mining  was  in  the  Glendalough  lead  mines,  county  Wicklow; 
from  there  he  went  to  Kimberley,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
James,  and  engaged  in  diamond-mining  and  in  placer-work 
on  the  Vaal  river.  His  next  move  was  to  America,  visiting 
Leadville  and  the  mining  regions  of  New  Mexico,  settling 
down  at  Black  Hawk,  Colorado,  in  the  early  'eighties;  there 
he  acquired  a  keen  insight  into  the  handling  of  low-grade  gold 
mines.  His  next  field  of  operation  was  the  San  Juan.  Mr. 
Mitchell's  superintendence  of  mines  embraced  California,  Ne- 
vada, British  Columbia,  Mexico,  and  Alaska.  For  seven  years 
he  was  superintendent  of  the  Alaska  Perseverance,  now  the 
Alaska  Gold,  and  his  work  at  that  great  mine  received  high 
commendation  from  the  directors  and  stands  as  his  best 
achievement.  He  was  an  able  miner,  a  keen  and  progressive 
superintendent,  a  man  of  high  character,  and  bore  an  un- 
sullied reputation  through  the  vicissitudes  of  40  years  in 
many  lands.  He  is  survived  by  a  wife  and  son,  a  brother  in 
Rhodesia,  and  by  two  sisters. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Colorado  Metal  Mining  Associa- 
tion is  to  be  held  at  Denver  on  January  9,  10,  and  11.  M.  B. 
Tomblin  is  secretary. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


961 


^^m   m^^A^L  m&m^m^ 


METAL   PRICES 

San  Francisco,  December  36. 

Antimony,  cents  per  pound 

Electrolytic  copper,   cents  per  pound 

Pig  lead,  cents  per  pound 

Platinum,  soft  and  hard  metal,  per  ounce 

Quicksilver,  per  flask  of  75  lb 

Spelter,  cents  per  pound  

Tin,   cents   per  pound    

Zinc-dust,  cents  per  pound 


Monthly  averages 


12 

35 

J.00—  9.00 

$85—91 

$80 

14 

43 

20 


ORE  PRICES 


San  Francisco,  December  26. 

Antimony,  50%  metal,  per  unit $1.00 

Chrome,  40%  and  over,  f.o.b.  cars  California,  per  ton.  15.00 

Magnesite,   crude,  per   ton 6.50 —  9.00 

Manganese.  50%  (under  35%  metal  not  desired) 16.00 

Tungsten,   60%>  W03,  per  unit 18.00 — 20.00 

Tungsten  is  to  be  discussed  by  the  Colorado  Metal  Mining 
Association  at  its  annual  meeting  at  Denver  on  January  9,  10, 
and  11. 

The  'Manganese  Number'  of  the  'Pahasapa  Quarterly,'  pub- 
lished by  the  South  Dakota  School  of  Mines,  will  he  found  of 
value  to  producers. 

New  York,  December  20. 

Tungsten:  Germany's  peace  overture  was  of  great  interest  to 
the  tungsten  trade,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  in  times  of  peace 
she  is  the  largest  consumer  of  the  ore.  Brokers  believe  that  a 
cessation  of  hostilities  would  for  a  time,  at  least,  send  prices 
upward.  British  and  French  buyers  have  been  active  in  the 
past  few  days,  taking  ore  for  prompt  delivery  and  over  the 
first  half  of  1917,  at  prices  ranging  from  $16.50  to  $18  per  unit, 
the  latter  for  choice  Argentine  ore.  A  domestic  consumer  is  in 
the  market  for  a  large  quantity,  and  the  market  is  stiff  at  $17.50 
to  $20,  according  to  grade  and  position.  Thirty  of  the  largest 
consumers  of  tungsten  in  England  have  combined  to  build  their 
own  reduction  works,  but  have  been  hampered  by  a  shortage  of 
ore. 

Molybdenite:  The  supply  appears  to  be  inadequate  to  fill  the 
available  orders.  Large  orders  for  ferro-molybdenum  are  seek- 
ing placement.  The  quotation  for  molybdenite  is  $1.80  to  $2 
per  pound. 

Antimony:  Ore  is  difficult  to  obtain,  and  up  to  $1.70  per  unit 
c.i.f.,  New  York,  has  been  offered. 

EASTERN  METAL   MARKET 

(By  wire  from  New  York.) 
December    26. — Copper    is    dull    and    steadier;    lead    is    quiet; 
spelter  is  steadier  but  quiet. 

COPPER 

Prices  of  electrolytic  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 


Date. 

Dec.  20 32.50 

"  21 32.00 

"  22 31.25 

"  23 31.00 

*'  24   Sunday 

"  25  Holiday 

■"  26 31.00 


Average  week  ending 

T.    14 31.46 

21 32.87 

28 34.00 

:.      5 34.10 

12 34.87 

19 34.04 

26 31.55 


Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 14.21 

Feb 14.46 

Mch 14.11 

Apr 14.19 

May    13.97 

June    13.60 


1915. 

1916. 

13.60 

24.30 

14.38 

26.62 

14.80 

26.65 

16.64 

28.02 

18.71 

29.02 

19.75 

27.47 

1914. 

July    13.26 

Aug- 12.34 

Sept 12.02 

Oct 11.10 

Nov 11.75 

Dec 12.75 


1915. 

1916. 

19.09 

25.66 

17.27 

27.03 

17.69 

28.28 

17.90 

28.50 

18.88 

31.95 

20.67 

On   February   1   the   Granby   Consolidated  will  pay   $2.50    per 
share,  equal  to  1374,963.     This  makes  ?7  for  1916. 


Below  are  given  the  average  New  York  quotations, 
per  ounce,  of  fine  silver. 


Date. 

Dec.  20 76.62 

"  21 76.50 

"  22 75.75 

"  23 75.75 

"  24   Sunday 

"  25  Holiday 

"  26 75.75 


Average  week  ending 

/.    14 71.68 

21 71.79 

28 73.43 

:.      6 75.05 

12 75.37 

19 76.35 

26 76.05 


1914. 

Jan 57.58 

Feb 57.53 

Mch 58.01 

Apr 58.52 

May     58.21 

June    56.43 


1915. 

1916. 

48.85 

66.76 

48.45 

56.74 

50.61 

57.89 

50.25 

64.37 

49.87 

74.27 

49.03 

65.04 

1914. 

July    54.90 

Aug 54. .15 

Sept 58.76 

Oct 51.12 

Nov 49.12 

Dec 49.27 


1915. 

1916. 

47.52 

63.06 

47.11 

66.07 

48.77 

68.51 

49.40 

67.86 

51.88 

71.60 

65.34 

Silver  valued  at  $750,000  was  shipped  from  San  Francisco  to 
the  Orient  on  December  22. 

LEAD 


Lead  is  quoted  in  cents  per  pound,  New  York  delivery. 


Date. 

Average  week  ending 

Dec.    20 

..    7.50 

Nov.   14. 

•■      21 

.  .    7.50 

"      21. 

"      22 

..    7.50 

"      28. 

"      23 

..    7.50 

Dec.      5. 

"      24 

Sunday 

"      12. 

"      25 

Holiday 

"      19. 

"      26 

..    7.50 

"      26. 

Monthly 

averages 

1914. 

1915. 

1916. 

1914. 

1915.      •: 

..    4.11 

3.73 
3.83 
4.04 
4.21 
4.24 

5.95 
6.23 
7.26 
7.70 
7.38 

July    .  .  . 
Aug.    .  . . 

Sept 

Oct.     ,    . 

3.80 
3.86 
3.82 
3.60 
.    3.68 

5.59 

Feb.    . . 

..    4.02 

4.67 

Mch.    . . 

..    3.94 

4.62 

..    3.86 

4.62 

May    . . 

..    3.90 

5.15 

June   .  . 

..    3.90 

5.75 

6.88 

Dec.    . .  . 

.    3.80 

5.34 

7.00 
7.02 
7.21 
7.32 
7.73 
7.69 
7.50 

916. 
6.40 
6.28 
6.86 
7.02 
7.07 


ZINC 

Zinc  is  quoted  as  spelter,  standard  "Western  brands 
delivery,  in  cents  per  pound. 

Date. 
Dec.    20 10.25        Nov. 

"      21 10.25 

"      22 10.00 

"      23 9.75        Dec. 

24   Sunday 

"      2  5  Holiday 

"      26 9.75 


Average  week  ending 

14 11.23 

21 11.96 

28 12.87 

5 13.20 

12 12.25 

19 11.13 

26 10.00 


Zinc-ore  production  of  the  Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma  region 
in  1916  was  estimated  to  be  fully  $35,000,000,  a  record.  Details 
will  be  available  soon. 


Monthly  averages 


Jan. 
Feb. 
Mch. 
Apr. 
May 
June   4.84 


1914. 
.  5.14 
.  5.22 
.  5.12 
.  4.98 
4.91 


1915. 
6.30 
9.05 
8.40 
9.78 
17.03 
22.20 


1916. 
18.21 
19.99 
18.40 
18.62 
16.01 
12.85 


July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 


914. 

1915. 

1916. 

4.75 

20.54 

9.90 

4.75 

14.17 

9.03 

5.16 

14.14 

9.18 

4.75 

14.05 

9.92 

5.01 

17.20 

11.81 

5.40 

16.75 

QUICKSILVER 


The  primary  market  for  quicksilver  is  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia being  the  largest  producer.  The  price  is  fixed  in  the 
open  market,  according  to  quantity.  Prices,  in  dollars  per 
flask  of  75  pounds: 

Week  ending 

Date.  I    Dec.    12 80.00 

Nov.    28 78.00  "      19 80.00 

Dec.      5 80.00    I         "      26 80.00 

Monthly  averages 


1914. 

Jan 39.25 

Feb 39.00 

Mch 39.00 

Apr 38.90 

May    39.00 

June   38.60 


1915. 

1916. 

51.90 

222.00 

60.00 

295.00 

78.00 

219.00 

77.50 

141.60 

75.00 

90.00 

90.00 

74.70 

1914. 

July    37.50 

Aug 80.00 

Sept 76.25 

Oct 53.00 

Nov 55.00 

Dec 53.10 


1915. 
95.00 
93.75 
91.00 
92.90 
101.50 
123.00 


1916. 
81.20 
74.50 
75.00 
78.20 
79.50 


Prices  in  New  York,  in  cents  per  pound. 
Monthly  averages 


1915. 

1916. 

34.40 

41.76 

37.23 

42.60 

48.76 

50.50 

48.25 

51.49 

39.28 

49.10 

40.26 

42.07 

1914. 

July    31.60 

Aug 50.20 

Sept 33.10 

Oct 30.40 

Nov 33.51 

Dec 33.60 


1915. 
37.38 
34.37 
33.12 
33.00 
39.50 
38.71 


1916. 
38.37 
38.88 
36.66 
41.10 
44.12 


1914. 

Jan 37.85 

Feb 39.76 

Mch 38.10 

Apr 36.10 

May    33.29 

June   30.72 

Tin  is  steady  at  41  cents. 

ANTIMONY 

Quotations  at  New  York  show  considerable  irregularity, 
ranging  all  the  way  from  13.75  to  14.50c,  duty  paid,  for  Asiatic 
grades.  There  is  not  enough  business  to  actually  test  the 
market. 

ALUMINUM 

The  quotation  for  No.  1  virgin  aluminum,  98  to  99%  pure,  is 
unchanged  at  63  to  65c.  per  pound. 


962 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


l&gffrgsraa   MeS&H   MlmMM 


dS3 


New  York,  December  20. 

Despite  the  unquestioned  sold-up  state  of  producers,  who 
have  but  little  copper  to  sell  in  the  first  half  of  1917,  the  peace 
talk  has  unsettled  the  market  and  brought  out  offerings  from 
second-hands.  While  a  good  quantity  of  metal  was  undoubt- 
edly in  speculative  hands,  they  are  not  the  only  would-be 
sellers,  for  at  least  a  few  consumers  have  placed  copper  in 
the  hands  of  brokers.  The  great  quantity  sold,  however,  will 
undoubtedly  act  as  a  bulwark  against  any  radical  decline  in 
prices. 

Zinc  has  declined  steadily  in  a  quiet  market. 

Lead  prices  have  dropped  sharply,  and  all  interests  are  now 
at  the  same  level — 7.50c,  New  York.  Where  there  was  a  seem- 
ing shortage  of  lead,  second-hands  are  now  pressing  the  metal 
for  sale. 

Antimony  and  aluminum  are  quiet.  While  there  is  a  wide 
divergence  of  opinion  as  to  what  Germany's  peace  proposal 
will  amount  to,  it  is  notable  that  many  factors  of  the  metal 
trade  who  have  close  connections  abroad  believe  that  peace  is 
not  far  off.  They  base  their  opinion  on  the  attitude  of  the 
Germans  themselves.  In  the  past  week,  for  instance,  a  Ger- 
man banker  representing  German  financial  interests  in  New 
York  has  expressed  a  belief  that  peace  is  near.  The  two  larg- 
est German  trans-Atlantic  steamship  lines  have  sent  out  let- 
ters inviting  communications  concerning  freight  space  and 
rates  "when  the  War  is  ended,"  and  letters  from  abroad  show 
a  conservative  strain. 

The  iron  and  steel  market  was  rendered  distinctly  quiet 
when  the  peace  announcement  was  received,  but  the  quiet  was 
only  temporary,  and  conditions  are  now  much  the  same  as 
they  were  before,  so  far  as  finished  steel  is  concerned.  Pig 
iron  is  not  so  active,  but  prices  have  not  suffered.  The  inter- 
ruption exercised  a  healthful  effect  on  business,  inasmuch  as 
from  now  on,  buyers  will  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the 
War  must  end  sooner  or  later,  and  will  govern  themselves  ac- 
cordingly. France  and  Italy  have  placed  additional  orders  for 
steel  in  the  past  week.  It  also  may  be  noted  that  should  a 
condition  arise  which  would  call  for  the  cancellation  of  war 
steel,  the  same  tonnage  would  be  diverted  to  plates,  shapes, 
and  bars,  for  which  peace  would  bring  a  great  demand.  Some 
of  the  war  contracts  are  stated  to  have  such  a  proviso. 

COPPER 
Although  the  producers  assert  that  their  prices  have  not 
been  changed  since  Germany's  suggestion  that  she  would  wel- 
come peace  under  satisfactory  terms,  second-hands,  including 
consumers,  have  offered  copper  at  substantial  concessions.  It 
is  predicted  that  the  business  of  the  next  few  months  will  be 
done  by  second-hands,  this  view  being  based,  of  course,  on  the 
sold-up  state  of  the  producers.  As  for  activity,  none  of  mo- 
ment is  expected  this  year,  or  early  in  1917.  Prices  are  too 
high  to  start  a  movement  of  noteworthy  proportions,  while 
the  sellers  are  too  well  filled  with  orders  to  let  quotations 
drop  far.  In  far-off  positions  considerable  short  selling  is  re- 
ported, indicating  that  speculators  are  willing  to  gamble  that 
prices  will  be  lower  in  the  last  half  of  the  year.  It  is  reliably 
stated  that  a  large  mill  became  so  disturbed  over  the  peace 
talk  that  it  offered  1,000,000  lb.  of  prime  Lake  copper  last 
week  at  30c.  per  pound.  It  cannot  be  learned  that  the  copper 
was  taken.  There  has  been  some  business  in  the  past  week, 
mostly  for  nearby  delivery,  although  August  and  September 
was  sought  also.  Generally,  the  market  has  been  quiet,  both 
sellers  and  consumers  being  inclined  to  simply  watch  develop- 
ments. It  is  curious  that,  whereas  prompt  copper  was  so 
scarce  prior  to  the  news  from  Germany,  it  is  now  quite  plenti- 
ful, a  fact  only  to  be  accounted  for  by  offerings  on  the  part  of 


consumers  and  speculators.  January  electrolytic  and  Lake 
were  offered  yesterday  at  35.50c,  and  first  quarter  at  31.50  to 
32c,  with  the  latter  figure  more  generally  prevailing.  Spot 
was  nominally  around  34c  While  awaiting  Lloyd-George's 
reply  to  Germany  on  the  19th,  the  market  was  in  a  nervous 
state,  with  thought  concentrated  on  what  an  early  ending  of 
the  War  would  mean.  One  reassuring  theory  was  that  Great 
Britain  would  take  the  200,000  tons  it  purchased  for  delivery 
over  the  first  half  of  1917,  but  that  the  metal  would  be  used 
for  industrial  instead  of  war  purposes.  She  now  has  a  firm 
grasp  on  the  copper  within  her  boundaries  and  is  regulating 
both  the  price  and  consumption,  none  being  used  for  any  pur- 
pose except  by  express  permission  of  the  Government.  The 
London  quotation  for  spot  electrolytic  yesterday  was  down 
to  £161  against  £168  a  week  previous.  Exports  from  the  1st 
to  20th  total  14,040  tons.  It  is  yet  too  early  to  tell  just  what 
the  copper  market  is  going  to  do,  but  a  period  of  dullness  is 
indicated,  with  second-hands  making  the  sales.  They  usually 
will  make  concessions  to  get  business.  Brass  and  copper 
products  are  as  strong  as  ever.  Since  the  beginning  of  the 
peace  talk  one  or  two  Dutch  concerns  have  cabled,  asking  that 
shipments  to  them  be  hurried. 

ZINC 
The  decline  in  spelter  has  continued,  and  December  delivery 
was  sold  yesterday  at  10c,  St.  Louis,  by  second-hands.  They 
also  disposed  of  second  quarter  at  9.25  to  9.50c,  St.  Louis. 
First  quarter  was  quoted  yesterday  around  9.75  to  10c,  St. 
Louis,  the  new  York  quotation  ranging  about  25  points  higher 
for  each  position.  The  situation  is  unsettled,  with  little  busi- 
ness to  be  reported.  Representatives  of  some  of  the  producers 
are  quoting  above  what  appears  to  be  the  market,  insisting 
that  they  believe  fundamental  conditions  to  be  sound,  and 
that  January  will  see  higher  prices.  Of  course,  those  who 
take  this  stand  are  undoubtedly  well  filled  with  orders  for 
the  next  few  months.  The  London  spot  quotation  yesterday, 
the  19th,  was  £54  5s.,  compared  with  £57  a  week  previous. 
Exports  in  20  days  total  27S7  tons,  a  poorer  showing  than  has 
been  usual  of  late.  Sheet  zinc  is  unchanged  at  21c  per  pound, 
f.o.b.  smelter,  8%  off  for  carloads. 

LEAD 
This  metal  has  been  acting  more  or  less  in  company  with 
copper,  in  that  prices  have  declined  and  stocks  appeared 
which  were  not  supposed  to  be  in  existence.  In  the  past  few 
days  the  market  has  entirely  reversed  itself.  On  December  11, 
independent  producers  were  asking  Sc,  New  York,  whereas 
yesterday  they  quoted  7.50c,  New  York,  and  about  7.40c,  St. 
Louis.  In  the  course  of  the  decline  second-hand  lots  were 
freely  offered,  showing  that  a  good  deal  of  metal  has  been 
held  for  speculation.  The  London  quotation .  was  unchanged 
yesterday,  the  19th,  at  £30  10s.  Exports  from  December  1  to 
20  were  small,  amounting  to  only  122  tons. 

TIN 
On  the  ISth  about  200  tons  changed  hands,  and  yesterday, 
the  19th,  100  tons  was  taken,  otherwise  the  market  has  been 
quiet  since  the  last  report.  The  buying  referred  to  was  con- 
fined to  a  few  concerns,  and  is  believed  to  have  been  done  for 
the  purpose  of  covering  contracts  against  which  tin  had  failed 
to  arrive.  The  quotation  for  spot  Straits  has  weakened  during 
the  dullness,  and  yesterday  42.371c  was  quoted.  Should  defi- 
nite steps  toward  peace  be  taken,  it  is  thought  that  the  tin 
market  would  be  benefited,  inasmuch  as  it  would  mean  the 
earlier  restoration  of  a  wider  market.  Plenty  of  tin  is  avail- 
able. Arrivals  in  December,  including  the  19th,  amounted 
to  1070  tons.    There  are  6393  tons  afloat. 


December  30,  1916 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


963 


Mining  Decisions 


Minim  Claims — Taxation 
The  Idaho  Statute  requiring  assessors  to  assess  mining 
claims  by  taking  the  Government  price  per  acre  for  mineral 
lands  as  a  basis  for  valuing  the  surface,  adding  the  cash  value 
of  improvements,  and  then  adding  the  net  output  for  the  pre- 
ceding year,  was  held  constitutional. 

Hanley  v.  Federal  Mining  &  Smelting  Co.    (Idaho),   235 
Federal,  769.    July  22,  1916. 

On.  Lease — Extension  Valid 
A  grantor,  having  granted  an  extension  of  the  time  a  well 
should  be  drilled  under  an  oil  lease  in  consideration  of  quarter- 
ly payments,  sought  to  terminate  the  extension  within  the 
term  thereof  by  refusing  to  accept  the  quarterly  payments 
when  tendered.  Held,  the  extension  was  binding  upon  the 
lessor. 

Leonard  v.  Busch-Everett  Co.    (Louisiana),   72   Southern, 
749.     October  16,  1916. 

Oil  Lease — Failure  to  Deux  Off-Set  Wells 
Under  an  ordinary  oil  and  gas  lease  where  delay  rentals 
were  provided  for,  paid  and  accepted,  there  was  no  implied 
•covenant  by  the  lessee  to  drill  off-set  wells  to  prevent  drainage 
through  wells  driven  on  adjacent  land,  and  his  failure  to  do  so 
during  the  period  in  which  he  was  paying  and  the  lessor  was 
accepting  such  rentals  does  not  make  him  liable  for  damages 
on  account  of  such  drainage. 

Stanley    v.    United    Fuel    Gas    Co.    (West    Virginia),    90 
Southeastern,  344.    October  10,  1916. 

Assessment  Work  Prevented  by  Foece 
Where  defendant  prevented  plaintiff's' predecessor  in  title 
from  performing  the  assessment  work  on  a  mine  for  a  year, 
driving  away  laborers  and  threatening  them,  defendant,  whose 
location  overlapped  that  of  plaintiff  cannot  base  any  rights  on 
the  failure  of  plaintiff  and  his  predecessor  to  perform  the 
assessment  work,  particularly  where  there  was  no  showing 
that  tHere  was  any  part  of  plaintiff's  claim  outside  the  over- 
lap on  which  assessment  work  might  have  been  beneficially 
performed. 

Ames  v.  Sullivan   (Alaska),  235  Federal,  S80.     September 
5,  1916. 

Oil  and  Gas  Lease — Unconscionable  Forfeiture  Enjoined 
Where  an  oil  and  gas  lease  provided  for  forfeiture  for  non- 
payment of  rent,  and  the  lessee  after  paying  rent  promptly 
for  13  years,  in  the  14th  year  sent  his  check  so  that  it  reached 
the  lessor  the  day  after  it  was  due  and  before  a  forfeiture 
had  been  declared,  a  forfeiture  would  be  unconscionable  and 
the  lessor  will  be  enjoined  from  enforcing  it.  An  oil  and  gas 
lease  is  not  a  mere  license,  but  creates  a  corporeal  interest  in 
the  land  which  does  not  divest  except  through  a  lawfully  de- 
clared forfeiture. 

McKean  Natural  Gas  Co.  v.  Wolcott   (Pennsylvania),  98 
Atlantic,  955.    July  1,  1916. 

Oil  and  Gas  Lease — Extension — Death  or  Gkantor 
A  grantor  of  an  oil  and  gas  lease  died,  and  his  widow, 
Taeing  entitled  to  one-half  of  his  estate  and  the  usufructuary 
Tights  to  the  other  half,  granted  extensions  from  time  to  time 
lor  additional  considerations  paid  by  the  lessee.  She  died  be- 
fore the  last  extension  had  expired,  and  her  daughters,  being 
joint  heirs  to  her  estate,  attempted  to  have  the  lease  declared 
forfeited  because  no  wells  had  been  driven  within  the  period 


originally  contemplated,  alleging  that  their  mother's  last  ex- 
tension was  terminated  by  her  death,  because  she  had  had  only 
the  usufructuary  use  of  half  of  the  land.  Held,  that  as  the 
daughter's  based  their  title  solely  on  their  unconditional  suc- 
cession to  their  mother's  estate  they  could  not  avoid  the  lease. 
Cochran  v.  Gulf  Refining  Co.  of  Louisiana  (Louisiana), 
72  Southern,  718.    October  16,  1916. 


Oil-Land  Withdrawal — Subsequent  Claim  Void 
Locators  who  had  expended  some  $20,000  in  a  fruitless  at- 
tempt to  make  a  discovery  of  oil,  and  discontinued  work  on 
their  claims  except  for  the  employment  of  a  watchman,  prior 
to  the  issuance  of  the  Taft  withdrawal  order  of  1909,  cannot 
vest  any  title  under  such  attempted  location  in  an  assignee 
who  comes  in  several  months  after  said  withdrawal  order  took 
effect  and  actually  develops  oil.  Such  an  assignee  is  a  mere 
trespasser  on  the  domain  of  the  United  States,  and  will  be 
enjoined  from  further  work  and  a  receiver  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  further  operations. 

United  States  v.  McCutchen  et  al.   (California),  234  Fed- 
eral, 702.    July  12,  1915. 


Quarry  Lease — Implied  Covenant 
A  quarry  lease  for  "as  long  as  the  property  is  suitable  for 
quarrying  purposes,"  and  providing  for  royalties  per  cubic 
yard  of  stone  excavated,  by  implication  obligates  the  lessee  to 
work  the  quarry  or  sustain  the  burden  of  proof  in  a  suit  for 
royalties  that  the  quarry  cannot  be  profitably  worked.  The 
mere  fact  that  it  would  require  larger  machinery  than  that 
which  had  been  installed  by  a  previous  lessee  does  not  excuse 
his  performance.  If  the  rock  is  shown  to  be  there,  he  will  be 
held  to  his  implied  covenant  to  excavate  it  or  to  pay  damages 
for  failure  so  to  do. 

Stoddard  v.  Illinois  Improvement  &  Ballast  Co.  (Illinois), 
113  Northeastern,  913.    October  24,  1916. 

Mining  Contract — Construction 
A  mining  contract  required  the  purchaser  to  pay  a  percent- 
age of  the  net  profits  thereunder,  after  deducting  from  gross 
receipts  the  actual  expense  of  labor  including  wages,  team-hire, 
and  board.  Held,  that  such  language  did  not  include  permis- 
sion to  deduct  the  cost  of  materials  and  supplies  such  as 
shovels,  picks,  and  lumber.  Nor,  if  the  purchaser  departed 
from  the  methods  of  mining  originally  contemplated  by  the 
agreement  for  the  purpose  of  employing  the  more  economical 
hydraulic  method,  was  he  entitled  to  charge  more  than  the 
stipulated  price  for  water,  although  the  high-pressure  water, 
necessary  for  hydraulic  mining,  might  as  a  matter  of  fact  cost 
more. 

Blanck  v.  Pioneer  Mining  Co.   (Washington),  159  Pacific, 
1077.     September  15,  1916. 


Iron-Mining  Lease — Clause  Construed 
An  iron-mining  lease,  providing  for  minimum  ground  rents 
in  substantial  amounts,  contained  a  clause  to  the  effect  that 
the  lessee  should  "work  the  mine  or  mines  now  or  hereafter 
discovered  on  said  lands  in  a  good  workman-like  manner  dur- 
ing the  existence  of  the  lease"  and  that  forfeiture  should  be 
had  for  failure  of  the  lessee  to  "work  such  mine  in  a  good 
workman-like  manner  or  fail  to  pay  the  ground  rent  when 
due."  For  10  years  lessees  paid  and  lessors  accepted  the  mini- 
mum ground  rent,  but  no  work  other  than  prospecting  was 
done.  Held,  on  suit  by  lessor  for  forfeiture  that  the  above 
clauses  only  required  "good  and  workman-like  work"  if  any 
work  was  undertaken,  but  did  not  obligate  the  lessee  to  keep 
up  mining  operations  so  long  as  he  paid  his  ground  rent. 

Niles  Land  Co.  v.  Chemung  Iron  Co.  (Minnesota),  234  Fed- 
eral, 294.    April  28,  1916. 


964 


MINING  and  Scientific  PRESS 


December  30,  1916 


Syok  Vi&w&-&w® 


Mining  and  Mine  Ventilation.  By  Joseph  J.  Walsh.  P.  180. 
111.  and  index.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  25  Park  Place,  New  York, 
1915.    For  sale  by  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Pbess.    Price,  $2. 

The  author  of  this  book  had  a  large  practical  experience 
in  matters  of  mine  ventilation  in  a  region,  Wilkes-Barre, 
Pennsylvania,  where  this  is  a  positive  necessity.  Here  he 
has  written  a  treatise  both  interesting  and  valuable.  There  is 
given  a  method  for  determining  the  size  of  fan  or  blower  re- 
quired to  ventilate  a  mine  under  given  conditions.  There  is 
also  a  chapter  on  mine  fires  which  will  interest  all  mining 
men,  and  the  chapter  on  mine  lamps  is  also  of  value  and  full 
of  common-sense  suggestions. 

Flow  of  Water  in  Pipes.  By  George  T.  Prince.  P.  149. 
Charts  and  tables.  D.  Van  Nostrand  Co.,  New  York,  1916.  For 
sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.    Price,  $2. 

The  notes  and  tabulated  data  in  this  book  refer  to  the  flow 
of  water  under  pressure  through  clean,  closed  pipes,  collected 
by  the  author  while  chief  engineer  for  a  water-supply  company 
at  Denver,  Colorado.  In  that  city  there  is  over  100  miles  of 
continuous  wood-stave  pipe  from  30  to  48  in.  diam.  The  im- 
portance of  pipe-design  was  investigated,  and  flow-data  were 
compared  with  accepted  formula,  five  of  which  were  selected 
by  means  of  which  123  pages  of  tabulated  values  were  com- 
puted. Therein  is  calculated  the  fall,  velocity,  and  discharge 
from  pipe  4  to  120  in.  diam.  Thirteen  pages  discuss  formulae, 
and  nine  plotting  flow-data  by  means  of  logarithms.  Hydraulic 
engineers  should  find  this  little  book  of  service. 

Treatise  on  Hydraulics.  By  Mansfield  Merriman.  Tenth 
edition.  P.  556.  111.,  index.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc.,  New 
York.     For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.     Price,  $4. 

In  the  latest  edition  of  this  standard  work,  a  considerable 
part  has  been  revised  or  re-written  and  considerable  new  mat- 
ter added.  The  more  important  additions  include  a  complete 
table  of  values  for  n  in  Kutter's  formula,  based  upon  Horton's 
recent  experiments  and  a  discussion  of  the  newer  types  of 
hydraulic  turbines.  The  chapter  headings  are  Fundamental 
Data,  Hydrostatics,  Theoretical  Hydraulics,  Instruments  _and 
Observations,  Flow  through  Orifices,  over  Weirs,  through 
Tubes,  through  Pipes,  in  Conduits.  Flow  of  Rivers,  Water 
Supply  and  Water  Power,  Dynamic  Pressure  of  Water,  Water- 
Wheels,  Turbines,  Naval  Hydromechanics,  and  Pumps  and 
Pumping.  The  hydraulic  tables  are  placed  in  the  text  next  to 
the  explanation  of  their  use,  but  a  special  index  of  the  tables 
facilitates  reference. 

The  Fundamental  Principles  of  Petrology.  By  Albert 
Johannsen,  translation  from  the  German  work  by  Dr.  Ernst 
Weinschenk.  P.  214.  111.,  index.  McGraw-Hill  Book  Co.,  Inc., 
New  York,  1916.  For  sale  by  the  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 
Price,  $2.50. 

This  work,  recently  translated  from  the  original  German, 
will  prove  of  great  value  to  the  students  of  petrology.  Its 
title  is,  perhaps,  somewhat  misleading,  as  it  is  in  no  sense  a 
treatise  on  microscopic  petrography,  but  a  clear  and  compre- 
hensive dissertation  on  the  character  of  rocks — what  they  are, 
and  how  they  came  to  be  as  they  are  found.  It  deals  with  the 
solidified  crust  of  the  earth  and  the  rocks  that  comprise  it,  and 
particularly  with  the  alterations  to  which  rocks  have  been 
subjected  and  the  causes  therefor;  the  composition  of  igneous 
rocks;  rock-weathering  processes  and  their  results;  the  nature 
of  sediments  and  the  metamorphism  of  sedimentary  and  other 
rocks,  and  post-volcanic  processes.    An  understanding  of  these 


subjects  cannot  fail  to  be  of  value  to  any  student  who  desires 
to  become  proficient  in  the  study  of  rocks,  either  microscopic- 
ally or  otherwise.    The  book  is  profusely  illustrated. 

Laboratory  Manual  of  Bituminous  Materials.  By  Prevost 
Hubbard.  P.  153.  111.  John  Wiley  &  Sons,  Inc.,  New  York. 
For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press.   Price  $1.50. 

The  title  ,of  the  book  states  that  it  is  for  the  use  of  students 
in  highway  engineering.  This  doubtless  includes  the  many 
engineers  now  engaged  in  highway  construction  who  completed 
their  technical  training  before  highway  engineering  became 
recognized  as  a  special  subject,  and  who,  as  well  as  the  college 
student,  will  find  the  present  volume  of  value.  Part  I  gives  a 
general  discussion  of  bituminous  materials.  Part  II  describes 
in  detail  the  various  tests  and  the  different  methods  used  for 
making  these  tests.  Part  III  gives  the  characteristics  of  the 
more  important  bituminous  materials.  A  number  of  blank 
pages  for  notes  are  included  with  the  text. 

Contracts,  Specifications,  and  Engineering  Relations. 
By  Daniel  W.  Mead.  P.  518.  111.,  index.  McGraw-Hill  Book 
Co.,  New  York.  For  sale  by  Mining  and  Scientific  Press. 
Price,  $3. 

The  divisions  of  this  book  that  treat  of  contracts  and  speci- 
fications are  similar  in  character  to  several  other  treatises  on 
these  subjects  that  have  appeared  during  the  past  few  years, 
although  the  treatment  is  perhaps  more  complete  in  the  pres- 
ent volume.  The  division  dealing  with  engineering  relations, 
which  includes  presumably  the  chapters  on  The  Engineer  and1 
His  Education;  Success  in  the  Engineering  Profession;  The 
Engineer  at  Work;  Personal  and  Ethical  Relations;  The  Use 
of  English;  Letters  and  Reports;  Origin,  Nature,  and  De- 
velopment of  Law;  Some  Legal  Relations  of  Technical  Men; 
and  Legal  Rights  and  Responsibilities,  is  largely  devoted  to 
matters  that  have  never  been  discussed  so  thoroughly  before. 
It  is  also  true  that  discussion  of  a  number  of  subjects  that 
is  usually  found  scattered  among  a  number  of  volumes  is  here 
grouped  so  that  the  relation  between  them  is  clearly  shown. 
It  has  frequently  been  pointed  out  that  the  work  of  the  true 
engineer  deals  with  men  as  much  as  with  materials  and  ma- 
chines. We  know  of  no  book  better  suited  to  guide  the  young 
engineer  in  his  relations  with  men  than  the  present  volume. 
However,  the  book  is  of  value  to  the  experienced  member  of 
the  profession  as  well  as  to  the  student  and  young  engineer. 
The  older  engineer  will  probably  find  a  good  deal  that  he  did 
not  know  before,  besides  being  able  to  use  the  volume  as  a 
reference  book  to  make  sure  that  he  has  omitted  nothing  in 
the  preparation  of  an  important  set  of  specifications. 

Following  the  chapters  already  mentioned,  there  are  several 
that  comprise  a  brief  but  complete  discussion  of  the  law  of 
contracts  as  applied  to  engineering  and  construction  matters, 
not  befogged  by  unnecessary  legal  terms.  The  sections  deal- 
ing with  specifications  discuss  the  general  principles  under- 
lying specification  writing  and  then  proceed  to  the  considera- 
tion of  specifications  for  particular  kinds  of  work  and  ma- 
terials. Here  also  the  emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  objects  to  be 
attained  by  each  clause  in  the  specifications,  rather  than  upon 
the  wording  of  particular  sections.  In  fact,  special  attention 
is  paid  to  the  danger  of  copying  specifications  used  on  some 
other  work  without  making  sure  that  each  clause  is  applicable 
to  the  work  in  hand.  There  are  four  appendices.  The  first 
contains  outlines  of  specifications  for  several  different  kinds 
of  construction.  The  second  contains  a  sample  contract  and 
specifications  for  a  complete  structure,  in  this  case,  a  concrete 
reservoir  and  suction-well.  The  third  contains  a  number  of 
examples  of  drawings  that  may  be  used  in  connection  with 
specification  writing.  The  fourth  is  a  classified  bibliography, 
whose  completeness  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  it  com- 
prises 50  pages. 


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