The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-06-09
FRIDAY. JUNE 0, 1882.
Copper smelling in Cheyenne.

There IL a principle TO be applied 10
all reduction works for copper, in fact
1t may be applied to every kind of mIn
eral, that your mine must drive your
furnace and not let your furnece drive
your mine. In other words, it is much
better to have a furnace of less capacity
than is actually necessary than one that
Is too large and has to stand idle wait
ing for ore. The kind of furnace L
have recommended in my last commu-
nication-the Pacific copper furnace
is all iron. II q ten ton furnace, when
put up and worked for a few months,
is found to be too small, it can be
taken down without any depreciation of
its value mot like a brick or stone fur
nace) and removed to any other locality,
or sold, and replaced by a twenty ton
one. 1t must be borne in mind that it
is not thoroughly settled in the opinion
Of our business men that enough ore
can be mined at first to keep a twenty
ton furnace running, much less n of
thirty ton capacity, though l think there
can. Yet it will require some consid-
cradle grit to put in a thirty ton fur
mace in Cheyenne, where it would have
the Green Mountain Boy, Village Belle,
Sunrise and Empire mines of Hartville,
the mines Of Muskrat Canon, the "CCl-
orado" and the mines of Granite
Canon; also a chance Of competition
for the ores of Nevada, Utah, Montana,
Idaho and the western copper fields of
Wyoming; all of which have to pass by
u doors every day on the U. p. rail-
road.
To keep a thirty ton furnace running
constantly, would give employment,
to haul ore from Hartville and Muskrat
Canon, to at least one hundred and fifty
teams. The citizens of Cheyenne will
readily see the immense amount of bus
mess which will be subordinate to her
commercial interests.
The old Metcalf furnace, built in the
neighborhood of Granite Canon many
years ago was an eXpirement, the result
of an idea of Aperson, who imagined
he could, with q reverberatory toy fur.
mace, reduce coppes ores with irewood
for fuel. Several thousand dollars were
expended by the business men of Wyo-
ming, who are always ready to invest
capital if there is anything like a decent
show to get their money back; but it
resulted in a most disastrous failure.
1t is necessary to guard against fail
ures Of that kind, therefore a rigid in
vestigation of the character of the fur
mace should be instituted. The furnace
mentioned above has been tested and
tried by many crucial tests.
The following is n list of a few fur
naces now in use in the west:
Blue Belle Co., Elko, New. 20 tons
selby Copper Co., Ward, New. 40 tons
Alta Copper Co., Lincoln, New. 80 tons
Swansea Copper Co., Arizona. 80 tons
Orion Copper Co., Arizona. 30 tons
Riley Copper Co., Arizona. % tons
San Francisco Copper Co, Cal
norma 10 q
Copper Queen Mining Co., Bis
bee, Arizona (two) go. .... 80 tons
.IIuachuca Co., Arizona ...... 30 tons
And many others.
These furnaces surpass every other
for the reduction of the ores peculiar
TO the mines subordinate to Cheyenne,
and are unsurpassed by any other pro-
cess for economy of fuel, %lneness of
bullion produced and continuous work
without stoppage for repairs.
Cost Of converting % per cent sul.
phuret copper ore at Cheyenne:
10 tons roasting in heaps It
81 per ton ............. SO
1000 pounds coke at $50 per
ION ~
Labor of 3 men, smelter and
superintendent, all experts, 80
Incidental expenses. ......... 10
Int. On investment of Sl5,OOO
for n day at one per cent.
per month ....,,.......... !
sos
Or. by charge for reduction Of
ore, 500 per ton ...-.... $500
Profit on reduction OF ore, 10
tons, Il day ...... .... lUj
5000