The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-12-31
AN UNWELCOME NJ
The Contemplated Shutting Down Of
Shelters.
A few Pertinent Fscts and Figures
Submitted,

1t has been rumOred upon the
streets for q few days past that
several If not all the copper shelters
in the vicinity Of Butte and the Ana
cOnda smelter would shut down IN
the near future. Inquiry develops
the fact that there is more foundation
for the rumOr than is agreeable to
contemplate. The cause assigned for
the shutting down of the works is
the unprecedented low price to which
copper has fallen. The metal is now
quoted at 81 cents in New York, with
no visible prospects of an immediate
advance. Smelling men say it costs
8 cents a pound to lay down copper
in that market, and that to continue
the smelling of ore at that price is
like working for q new dollar in
the place of an old one, and
that they do not care to ex.
haust their mines without some
remuneration for the wear and
tear Of their plants. We understand
that the mines will be worked as
usual, and probably with the usual
complement of men, the smelters
alone being closed down.
While it is not pleasant to con-
TEMPLATE this condition Of things, 1t
is well that all should realize its pos
sibility and prepare to face the reality.
Forewarned Is forearmed in this con-
tingency as we'll a in others. The
s:utting down of the smelters would
throw hundreds of men Out of en-
ployment, and work great hardship
to many who are not prepared to pass
through the bleakest season of the
year in idleness. The question then
arises, what shall he done? or what
can be done under the circumstances:
An advance in the price of copper
would settle the problem, but as We
have said there is ne present pros
pect of such advance. This being
the casethere must bea cutting down
OF expenses somewhere that copper
miners may realize a fair profit upon
their investment. Where should
that cutting down be done? Let us see.
The Utah and Northern railway on
an average ship daily from this place
twenty-five a loads of ore and matte
to Omaha. Each al takes ten tons,
and the twenty-five cars 250 tons.
The freight on this ore and matte,
we understand, is $40 per ton or S.
600 per day. We furthermore un-
derstand that the actual cost to the
railway company OF this Transporter
ton to the point named does not ex- |
coed 3d. II per ton thus leaving a clear
earning Of $3.50 per ton or 81 252. so
per day. OF course a certain amount
must be deducted from this latter
sum for wear and tear of road and
rolling stock and interest on money
invested etc.
In considering what the railway
company can do in the matter of re-
ducing freights and thus aiding cop
per miners another important point |
must be noted. Butte business men,
smelling men and miners pay or an
average about 81, 900 a day or $215, 900
a month charges on incoming freight,
making an aggregate of $l2, 900 a day
or $3.50, 600 a month paid for freight
by Butte business and mining men
alone. In view of these facts and
figures it would seem that the rail-
way company should now step for
ward and help the smelling men out
by a pronounced reduction of freight
charges each way. Their interests,
it would appear, lay in the direct
line of this step. One thing, how
ever, Is certain. If a reduction is not
made in the expense attending the
down of Butte copper in the
New York market the Utah and
Northern may as we'll prepare to
side track q large number Of freight
cars.