Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-26
7 r MINES.
Some Information Regardinr The,
from an ANONYMOUS Corresnondenf.

Some Information REGARDING Their
from IN Anonymous Correspondent.
The Butte correspondent of the Eu.inee,
ing and Mining Journal writes ~ follow
under date Of June IL:
I'm the Boston Commercial Bulletin.
read that the Calumet & Hecla coult
make q handsome profit by selling iii
copper at 10 cents, while producing it a
q cos OF z, and also that Arizona ant
Montana producers will be compelled t.
close II 10 cents remains the price, and tn,
market be left to the Calumet & Hccla anC
those Lake companies that can stand THU
price.
II am not in a position to speak for thu
Arizona producers, but as far as Montana
that is, Butte-is concerned, being con.
versant with the capacity Of Montana pro.
ducers since the first copper was shipped
from here, and having been since then q
close observer, I might perhaps be able to
destroy this comfortable, though false, I'm.
preston held apparently. by the mana.
gers Of the Lake concerns, and by other
parties interested in the copper trade.
The Calumet d Hecla may perhaps com
pei the Parrot Company, with it's small ore
reserves, and but one mine 500 feet long by
loo ieet wide, to close down, by reducing
the price OF copper to 8 or even 8 cents,
ii the shareholders will allow it. But such
concerns as the Anaconda or Montana
Copper Company could not be compelled
to close, even by reducing the price to ever
less than 8 cents.
The Anaconda will soon be in a posi-
ton, by strict economy and after compile
ton OF it's new concentrating mill-which
in itself is q wonder of the age, the largest
in the world, ana provided with the latest
automatic appliances-to reduce in the la
Dor charges and to compete in the cost of
producing copper with any concern in the
world. At the same time, the Anaconda
will be able to double it's production, il
forced to SO by the further reductionso f
the price OF copper.
ut is almost q certainty that the ore
bodies in sight at the Anaconda and st.
Lawrence mine will warrant the same pro-
duction for five or, perhaps-if the 1000
loot level continues to show as large an
ore body as at present-for ten years to
come. Besides, this concern could fall
pack on the other copper mines indirectly
controlled by it, such Is the Modoc, Mat,
Adelaide, Wake-Up-Jim, Green Mountain
and many Others. Most Of them carry
silver, and it is only q question OF time
when they will be prepared to desilverize
on a large scale in this country, instead of
allowing the English smelters to get the
profits on the work.
"In my last letter, 1 wrote thatthe Ana
conda plant would be enlarged by a forty
stamp mill, to work the silver ores of the
surrounding silver mines, thus reducing
general expenses. There is a large field left
for such operations, and I believe that this
is q in the right direction, and very
to Manager DAILY
"You may rely on it that the Anaconda
be frozen out by the Lake compa-
MES, whatever moves they may make, or
however they may surprise and demoralize
tho copper markets.
Neither can. they do it with the Mon
tana Copper Company, should that com.
pany decide to run. The greater part Of
its mine has hardly been opened and
worked. For instance. in its West Colusa
and L~iquidator mine, the rich surface ores
between the 400-foot level and the surface
are almost intact, and are estimated at
300, 900 tons in sight, averaging from Is
II per cent. OF copper and carrying
ZONE silver. Should the directors follow
the advice OF their Butte anager they
could produce copper cheaper than any
other Butte concern. For some r~easons, +
however, due probably to the circumstance
hat the controlling interest is in the hands
copper dealers who have also other in
only q little development work is /
done at the Colusa mine, and most Of the |
are lying idle. -Four furnaces work |
some copper matte high-grade in silver, to
clean up silver custom ores ON hand at the |
plant. Altogether about 200 IONS of such !
matte will be made, and then these fur
oaces will be closed also. l
In fine, I repeat that there can he no
reezing out OF these two companies and OF
other smaller concerns here. Besides,
n a year OF two, fuel will cost only one
,alf its present price. The Northern Pa
;ific Railroad will have direct communica-
Ion with Butte by the first Of August, and
a strong competitor of the Union Pacific
Railroad. Also, a third railroad is sur
Keyed to Butte, and will no doubt be COM
,leted iefore the end OF 1887. It is pro-
posed to run the railroad north from
Helena to Fort Benton, and to connect it
With the Canadian Pacific, while it will ex-
end from Helena south directly to Butte,
the rich s~ilver-galena mines at
Boulder and Basin. The projectors of this
Dad are wealthy capitalists"