The Anaconda standard., 1899-08-08
BUTTE REDUCTION WORKS
One of the Plants That Helps to
Keep Butte Busy.
HOW THE PLANT Is RIGGED
1t Has Been Years in Operation.
Some of the Mines From
Which the Works
Get Ore.

just to the eastward of the Colorado
smelter, and upon the same side CT
Silver Bow creek-that is on the south
side-are the Butte Reduction Works,
oommoniy known as the Clark smeltes.
The two plants are similar in their
scope and purpose, and of about the
same capacity, but differing somewhat
in their details.
The Butte works have no tailings
mill corresponding with that of the
Colorado, but have out-of-door furn-
| aces for stall roasting, which the Colo
rado has not.
The Butte has a concentrator of
about $50 tons capacity. Steam stamps
were formerly used, but the manage
ment has returned to the use of crush
ers and rollers. In addition to the
crushers the concentrator is provided
with two Chill mills for grinding tail
ings. These are too well known to re-
quire specific description. There is also
a Montgomery grinder, intended and
used for the same purpose 1t differs
from the Chilli mill, mainly in the grind
ers, which consist of three large iron
balls that roll with a circular motion
within the pan or receptacle for the
tallings. A remarkable feature of the
machinery is the immense wheel that is
used to elevate the tailings to the
grinders.
Forty-eight new jgs are now being
installed This will increase the ca
pacity of the concentrator to about SEQ
tons per day. The Jigs work in the
usual way and the concentrator is pro-
vided with grooved Whitley tables.
There is also one Hallett table, which
differs from the Wilfiey in having the
grooves run diagonally across the table
instead of straight and lengthwise.
The shines from these tables are cal
clned. There is a regular equipment cf
revolving, cylindrical sizing machines
for screening the jig tailings.
The works have one blast furnace
with capacity of 100 tons day, and
two matte furnaces, each of rs to so
tons capacity. The calcined ores and
finer jig concentrates are sent to
the matte furnaces, while the ccarser
concentrates, which are sometimes half
as large as egg, perhaps occasionally
larger, are sert to the blast furnace.
The outside stall furnaces are used for
roasting the first-class coarse ores.
These carry from 35 to 40 per cent of
ing or desulphurlzing process, to about
8 per cent. From the stall furnaces
the ores are sent to the blast furnace.
Some green ores-that is ores that have
not been roasted-also go to the blast
furnace. This is frequently done when
the matte is too high in copper, the aim
being to keep it at about so per cent.
For calciping there are three four
story Wethey furnaces. These are for
treating the fine ores. The purpose is
the same as in the stall roasting,
namely, to get rid of most of the sui
phur. From the calciners the ore is
carried by an endless chain up to cars
which deliver it at the matte furnaces,
where it is dumped into hoppers and
thence fed automatically to the furn-
aces as required 1t is said that it
formerly cost So a ton to calcine the ore,
and that now by the improved process.
it has been reduced to q cents.
The plant is well equipped with ap-
pliances for expediting work and econo-
MIXING labor. Among other things may
be mentioned the travelling conveyor
which carries the ore to the crushers
from the chutes into which the cars
dump it. This conveyor is a sort of
endless chain or tramway, with small
carriages to hold the ore.
At these works small quantities Of
custom ores are treated, but the most
of the ores come from the company's
own mines. These are the Colusa-Par-
rot, Original Stewart. Burt Woolman
and Dives. The average output of
these mines for the last twelve months
has been about 400 tens per day.
The machine and blacksmith shops
appear to be especially well appointed.
This is made necessary by the circum-
stance that these shops do nearly all
the work in those lines for the mines
as well as for the smelter itself. The
engine power of the plant is also
worthy of special mention There is
one engine of 600 horsepower and an
other of $50, steam condensers being
used, the effective power of the en-
gines is greatly increased.
The works. were erected in 1SS4-5, and
it is said that so many changes have
been made that nothing of the original
structure remains, except, possibly,
some of the foundations.
A. II. Wethy is general manager and
there is force of about 200 men en-
ployed.