The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-10-07
of the Works of the Boston
& Montana Company at
Great Falls.
mas Greatest Undertaking Ever At
F tmpted i" Connection with the
Smelling Of Copper.
Editu c,,I., Coal Produces an Excel
H. ,ut Quality OF Gas and is
Now i'm Use Here.

r W. Barron, publisher of the
on News Bureau, spent his vacation
Iontana to examine in a primary
Ler the field in which so many mil
of Eastern capital, in railroads,
and commercial enterprises, have
recently planted. When asked for
Uinion of the country, and especial
the vicinity of Great Falls. where
aeyo,ed his time to a study of the
Of the Boston e. Montana plant
tbe Sand Coulee coal fields, he SAID
he was disappointed at his inability
zscure the cooperation of an able
inc engineer to assist his study of
mineral deposits in the Rocky noun
h and therefore he a give sub
bprs TO the Boston News Bureau no
bries regarding the copper deposits Of
btsna. But il the problem of the
ueo Of the Boston & Montana Con-
dated Copper & Silver Mining Co. is
be future Of the great smelter now
10 completed at Great Falls, Mont,
can give his assurance, unasked, and
what it may be worth to the Boston
%lontana stockholders that the Great
Is shelter is worth today all that it
cost; that it will cost some more and
worth a great deal more, and that the
bd Coulee coal is rich in gas, and will
bit copper at a minimum of cost.
The Boston a. Montana had a million
lar bond issue before any works at
eat Falls were thought of. 1t has to-
h outstanding s1,6O0,OO0 bonds, has
10000 in cash planted in the Great
lis smelling works, and should, when
king the product at Great Falls,
leh is now made at Butte, have alto
her at least S2,000,O00 in the smelling
d~aectrolytic plants by the falls of the
fsouri. There has been much misin-
nation concerning Great Falls and
bch that has been misunderstood, but
the Boston Il Montana's three great
pper mines at Butte warrant such
betting works-and the company had
yen years of copper slopes opened
ben it began the works-there is not
eingle ground for encouragement over
e expenditure at Great Falls or Over
prospect for the ultimate achieve
ents Of all the results claimed for the
kw works at their inspection. Such a
brk as was planned and is now nearing
)mpletion was never attempted before
connection with copper-smelting.
The Boston d Montana people took a
tlderness, and approximately a gift OF
|ater power of 10000 horse capacity,
y acres of land, now taxed for more
ban four times it's cost. exceptionally
lyorable railroad contracts for switch
lg charges and ore transportation from
be mines and for the furnishing of coal
less than one-hfth of the price paid at
lutte and then began the erection of
f%duction works to do more in capacity
pd IN economy of operation than could
p done at Butte, and to be abreast OF
fery modern device known in the me
%hanical, metalurgical or electric world
The water power has been harr essed,
|nd concentration to reduce the crude
Re by one-half from the washing out OF
pc Silica has been built and presents no
lew problems. 1t has every device In
ts line from stamp and roll crusher and
l%eyators for the regrinding of seconds
0 slime tables for the saving of the finer
articles of copper. 1t has been built
nth a capacity to handle fifty per cent
rock than is now treated at Butte
ad this again can be increased another
my per cent without further building,
ul with only additional machinery, and
retaining wall against the hill SIDE
X TO 10 feet thick, is in place SO thai the
Oncentrator capacity can be again
oubled to treat II necessary 1900 tons or
IL II hours, while at present only
W tons are treated at the company's
upper and 'lower' works in Butte.
ne smelter has been constructed with a
apaclty to roast or drive out the sulphur
rom 80 tons OF concentrates, with an
,qulvalent of 800 tons of crude ore per
LAY, but the capacity can be extended
The O'Hara furnaces, which have beer
'uopted by the Butte a. Boston Co.,are I'M
ioVed and adapted to economical autom-
nc work. At present Bruckner furnaces
rtl adopted for copper calcinlng at ana
ohoa, are in Use Eight hydrauilc TIT
y furnaces, capable of smelling by gas
tons of calcines (the roasted concen-
,ates) per day, are in place. Inc ca
dclty is equal to a concentrator capaci,,
= as the ore is treated, of loo tons OF
,ude ore per day. The hydraulic tlitlhS
Ilangement works perfectly, and Is a
leat labor saver, but the gas ilucs are
'und not to be- adapted to the San''
.oalee coal, which though rich in gas Ii
lsh in ash, and these have yet To be
ldened out and changed and some
hanges made in the form "l
he gas producers. But the gas
In the coal, and it /:
an engineering and mechanics
roolem to bring it forth. The smelling
copper by gas was never before at
implied upon sc large a scale, but it ma,
= pronounced at the present stage a sue
'ss' and the product of the smelter SOM
ionths hence will emphasize its success
ne Sand Coulee coal is not what 1T
suggests. 1t is used all over thu
,reat Northern railroad system-l,5U
Jus a day-and recent tests at Amazon
: made by the railroad company hav'
,owa that 1t compared favorably will
'ock Springs coal in the production o