Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-12-20
GREAT ANACONDA PROPERTIES
Reports of Experts Hamilton Smith,
j. ID. Hague and Others Inter-
es:ingly Reviewed.
No Fabulous Percentage of Copper,
But Enormous PrOfits-Silver
and Gold.

In the issue of the New York Mining
and Engineering journal of last Satur-
day is published the report on the Ana
conda companys property Of Hamilton
Smith, expert. to the Exploration COM
pany, limited, of London.
The same journal says, editorially:
1.-The Information to be gained from
Mr.. Hamilton Smiths report, supple
mented by the report of j. ID. Hague and
two other private reports, which by cour-
tesy we have been privileged to carefully
examine, ia Of vast importance, very in
structive, and OF the greatest interest tc
the producers of copper in this or any
other country The facts and figures
now ia our possession form u perfect il
Illustration O. the difficulty in obtaining
accurate statistical Information OF the
| operation of our most Important mining
enterprises IN this country. AS rule
the more valuable they are the moie Ger
tainly are they held by private partner
ship, or If Incorporated, by close cor
pofaIlon operating in the same manner,
| and it is only IN the case OF death OF
one OF these partners or members of the
corporal ion When the legal necessity
arises Of eet'ling UP the estate by ID more
or lees public valuation and sale,
''The information now available with
regard to this property may be sad to
brlng is history right up to date, as the
complete examination by hiessrs. j. ID.
Hague, Hamilton Smith and a staff of
accountants employed to examine the
books, also by DIR. A. X. LedouX, who
visited the property and works in Sep
tembcr and October last, and has placed
his information at our disposal, was only
concluded last month. i he first thing
in this report that would attract the at
tcntion OF any one interested in the sub
jcct of copper would be MIR. Hamilton
Smiths two claims: First, that the
Anaconda can now produce much more
copper than any other company Ill the
world, and, second, at Il smaller cost per
ton. Mcssrs. Hamilton Smith and
Hague are two high authorities, and
many investors will accept their dictum
. on such subject without question; but
!, il is of importance to examine the mat
ter more closely. The crucial test to be
, applied is to ascertain some reliable fig
ures of the cost of producing the copper.
| This, we are glad to say, is gone into in
great detail in one Of the reports We have
r critically examined, and we are satisfied
of its correctness.
'Inere is only one defect in the pres
ent arrangement Of the Anaconda prop
erty, aud that viii be rrmeditd in the
newt two or three months, W., tie re-
lning capacity Of the works. AT present
tha capacity IS Only about % tons DAY
. of electloiytic copper; bur by the In
| crease of tho plant uuder "nns'ruction
, this Will be raised to capacity OF 100 tc
l2O tons day, and L.usU Of the proiits
6 on tho operation at Anaconda are de
, penurnt on refining the whole OF thelI
/ own product.
e - he ascertaned cost for the produc
1 tun of refined copper delivered 10 the
= buS ers will seem astonishing to many o.
6 our readers; but it must he borne II
d mind that every one Of the thousands o
tons Of ore handled contains from fouI
!. 10 SIX ounces of silver. and SONS Of 1t I
o small amount OF gold taking ont
t. lnuuth, for INSTANCE, Of thia year, anC
that 10 Xcep,ional one aA to tonnage
d there was d daily average, $500 tons q
. ore concentrated, and between 80 ant
{. 800 tons of picked ore Gmolted Wllhou
8 concentration, containing IN found llS
/ urea 100000 ponnd6 Of copper III tina
@ month, and for the first SIX months o
t the current year, ON copper production
q Of less than .I0,OOO,OOO pnunds, there wa
% net pruht Of urarly 1 cents pound
It The balance sheet for th" first hhlf o
. lhe present year we shall publish in ou
II .exL Issue, and it Will be seen that TN
g net prolit WA 81 ,D3l,3UI and We hav
I closely appr0Xiuatrd tie product.
:. There has been iuuCh curiosity f.
g. know exactly wat the Anaconda or
- Goes run, and We are now III IA pusi'io
j. to state that the average during tha
! half year WAS over go per cent copper
10 that the average silver Is about
,r ounces to The ton OF ore, and that ia
gold collected ia the Elk month
t, appointed to about l2,OOO ounces iiue
1, "Tno past history Of the mine It's JUS
"a I'D u.terrsljng az it's present condiho'
H. Tho Anaconda proper, with whlch
i'll worked as one mine the ~. LaWrenG
y hae been in operation about - year
rr Tho workings now extend more 'h-
tt 200 feet in length upon the vttn, an
re to a depth Of ] 300 feet; the orc ia var
Us ahlo in quality, and in the early days b.
III fore toe reduction WORKS wore esial
II !Ishcd at Anaconda, about InIUO toi
,c were Slapped to Europe, continuing q
ut an average - per cent "copper" and
cr ounces os silver to the ton. Thrpugho,
the length Of these workings, the VEN
70 practically continuous, 10 to - feet
40 width in the nhrrOWeEt portiona al
ry OVur 100 feet IN the widest, ana may
re fHiriy stated 70 average between ~ al
n 10 feet. ln 1851 treatment Of the ore W
to commenced al Auacoada, and IN smell
ay ing an enormous tonnage between u
at ditto and 1889, the contents Of the o
vo was about pee cent copper; but as th
wv was a'l sold or sent to reiiners in Il
lL # %