The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-04

selecting location beyond the lands Of
the Calumet and Hecla and above the vein.
No calculated that perpendicular shaft
would strike the vein at depth Of $500
feet. 1t was bold enterprise to go ont in
the open country and lay ont the work upon
land that showed NO indications Of copper
at the surface and enter upon a labor Of
years to find 4 vein Of copper, the continu-
ity which was unknown. except by logical
reasoning from the surface openings Of the
Calumet and Hecla.
What freaks Of allure in the bowels Of
the earth might defeat his logic no man
can tell. Patiently year after year the
work went on. and at the end of three wears
and four months the expected vein was
found within thirty feet Of the expected
depth. The result was the opening Of the
famous Tamarack mine, which, with other
mines now opening by the same men, bid
fair to rival the Calumet and Hecla, The
T8marack mine has been in successful op-
Grafton for four years.
Encouraged by this success, a second shaft
has been sunk on the same location, which
has just come into successful operation.
The vein where pierced by these two shafts
Is OF the same general character as that in
the Calumet Il Hecla. On another location
the same company has sunk two shafts to q
depth of 1890 feet, but do not expect to
reach the copper until November next at a
depth of about z, 800 feet. third mine of
two shafts has been commenced on still
another location that has attained depth
about $500 feet before reaching copper.
Within about two years the Calumet and
Hecla commenced an enormous vertical
shaft, intending to cnt the vein on their
land at point below their present work
ings at depth Of about 8, 76O feet. It will
take nearly two years before this shaft can
reach the vein. It will be interesting to
note the result of all these unfinished
works. II the calculations of their projec-
tors are not ct fault, they will put in the
shade all past achievements in copper min
ing in this country.
The rock is no longer roasted. That
method was abandoned years ago. The
such Jumps as it is left in by the blast in
the mine. Here the large pieces are put
through stone crushers, that break it into
Jumps not larger than a mans fist. It is
then dumped into cars, and taken about
four miles to the border Of a small lake,
called milling. After the earthly matter is
worked out as far as practicable, it is sent
to the smelter, where it is cast into the
various forms of copper required in the
markets of the world.
It is difficult in few words to give an
The people who live almost together upon
the group of mines, of which the Calumet
d Hecla is the principal one, number about
1900, all of whom are either directly or in
directly supported by the mines. About
half as many more are support around
the mills and smelling works.
All the mines have to pump the water up
to their mills to wash the earthly matter
from the copper. The amount Of water
pumped daily by the Calumet q Hecla to its
mill is about "a ,OOO, 600 gallons, good sup
ply for city. A pump nearly completed
will throw about 80 100000 gallons day.
The Calumet & Hecla sends daily to the
smelling works about 1876 tons of mineral,
as the copper is called after stamping and
washing, which, when smelted, will produce
about 95 tons of pure copper daily. The
greatest depth of the Calumet is over 5000
feet, and the greatest depth of the Tamar-
ack is about 1850 feet.
The native copper of these mines is the
only considerable Eody of such copper yet
found in the world. The character of the
mines improves the greater the depth to
which they are worked. In this respect this
district is different from many others. The
Cornwall mines in England as they went
down, gradually changed to tin mines. In
Montana the mines are of decreasing value
when worked below the water level of the
country. The Chilian mines, that once die
tated the price of copper for the world, can
no longer be worked with much profit and
are not serious factor in the market. The
native copper Of Michigan has more tensile
strength and greater conductivity tor cleo
trical purposes than any other. It com-
mands the highest price in the market for
its batter adaptability for many kinds of
misunderstanding purnOgea. ~