New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-15

Total cos base bullion per .on.......... Il 90
Ore ron of this bullion contain. about sixty
ounce of silver worth 500. aad o"e 10" ~ .ea',
worth ~ present prices between so and $50. .lc
bullion H. worth therefore. about = 20 % ton. The
mine produces about twenty tons oay Of this
rad, of ere. aud JOut seven tons of b1se bullion
from IT. The remaining eighty tons sent daily To-
trc smelteT have 20 be leaghed. concentrated
ard smeted. The cost of mining u l.
10 - tom $40, OF transportation, ~luO,
and of treating IT, ar the lowest estimate
have heard 40 for every ton OF base bullion
produced As u takes large quantity OF this grade
Of ore 90 make one TON OF bullion n must be seen
thar every bar costs he company az least twice a.
much 10 j. worth, and that ali tie pf"iiS ou MIN
ing and reducing the tirsi-c ass ore more than
eaten up by the handling the second-class
A. the old Telegraph reduction works are more
perfect than any Others have seen. brief descrp
tion oi them Will Dot be out OF place here. The
smelling department contains nNe stacks three Of
which were rurnng on the day ot my Y'-it. They
were not different from other furnaces used toi re-
duciug ore The low-grade ores handled IN these
works contain some chloride OF SILVER, Whch - re-
moved bv teaching This process consists Of seven
steps. namely: /. Crushing the ore. =. Dssoivlng
ont of che the chloride of silver b. causing 10
pass through o. strong solution of hvperhul phide
of soda in Wa-eT. 3. The addition of calclnc "
tarcc-ht1hs sulphur and two-hi ls lime mixed with
water 10 form ,g.pLide OF silver. }. The ptecipl-
fatiou II the supllie OF silver on ilc bottom OF
tanks. II /. black, gummy substance. wh ch looks
like tar. .. Roasting TO remove the sulphur. g.
Sme'ting. :. Melting into bars.
After the chloride of silver mas been lcached out
the ore crushed and reduced O ru -. after which
10 Is concentrated on "A broad, horizontal revolvI Z
disc which slopes slightly toward an opening m
the centre. The lighter PARTICLES Of rock are carried
hv rhe water through the opening while The
heavier PARTICLES Of lead lodge ON the surface near
the rim and -craped or The concentrated ore
j. afferward -melfed. The process, though very
nerfect Is very complicated and expensive and
doubt II low grade ores can at present be prohtaOy
Ibaye written enough in this letter 10 show that
the Old Tel, graph Mine and reduction works are
not likely To Weld much prOht 10 the recent French
nurcha. ers who have paid the eXOrultant sum OF
AZ 600 900 for them Indeed the new company
seems 10 have been more unfortunate. even, than
Hose who invested IN the STOCK OF thr Lutte Emma
Nine few wears ago, tor the latter was for time
operated with profit and made some dividends
while the new Old Telegraph Company has very
little prospect Of realizing any prOht anG Is likely
70 lose large part oi the capital 1t ha' invested
| have been curious 10 learn how ~ was
possible for investors TO nave Deen so nluSh
nropertv. especially rs the purchasers were men Of
experience IN business affair." ant, supposed. took
measures 10 learn al about the mines before they
nourlt | fnd that the two experts sent To report
upon the property. one "a Frenchman and the other
a German made several very serious mistakes. not
only in regard to the character ot the ore IN Tire
mine. but also touching the cost or reducing IT,.
Watcher these men were themselves decciyed or
not / have means OF knowing. Dnt some OF the
estimates they furn shed were so strlkIn-y cTIOnc-
ous that II is difficult to how they could
have made them or how they coud have been ac-
cepted By intelligent bus ness men. viii gave a
single example:
TLe experts reported that the cost Of smelling
n the Old Telegraph furnaces was - ton; the
,,resent managers find that on the best and
under the most favorable circumstances II Il so -
a ton | said 10 one of the present managers that
an estimate like this ought 10 have aroused the sus-
uieions of any one IN the least cOuyeIssnt with
mining matters. tie replied that IL dId not. simply
for the reason that 70 a ton would be- nigh price
for smelling M Europe. and the memh hers OF the COM
many knew nothing of the extraordinary expenses
which had TO b. incurred here. " Coke SAID he,
rosfs IL SOB ton. whether We buy Pennsylvania
ar british coke IN England 10 Is worth II 80 ton.
Labor from the salary Of the superintendent OF the
.r.ltrr 10 tne pay Of the humblest workman. costs
tvrire as much Us in Europe and these two items
alone almost account for the difference
The managers who represent the French company
are verv- indignant, ana denOunce the sale of the
mine A. one OF the most bdretaCed swlndlcs that
was ever perpetrated. No doubt the price paid was
m least three times too great and i possible that
a. some assert. the purchasers were pun pO-ely de-
ceived but, on the other hand, the c4Denses OF
managing the property since II fell into the new
hands have apparently been much greater than ne
ces-ary 4 part Of the losses sustained might have
been saved by economical management. The losses
which must certainly be borne 10y this company
will not affect ITS stock holders alone. Utah has
many good mines like the Ontario and Horn silver.
though perhaps not large as these. that only
await the advent OF capital to he developed INTO
paying properties but SO much money has been
lost, especially hy foreign mOneyed men who have
invested ~ mines IN this Territory, that tan en-
terprlses particularly and Ia less degree those OF
other Western Territories, looked upon with
great aud IL many eases undt-crNcd suspicion.
Every man Ia Utah. therefore. who Is trying 10 de-
ward 10 the enlistment Of foreign capital IN his en-
ternrlse feels that he has been injured by the sale
of the Old Telegraph Mine and the sequel to IT,
LLw.