Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-04-23

| I11t<VlBW WITH a. GAt9tUL
I OBSERVER ADvANC ES IN
!! BUILDING MATERIAL GENER-
Al BUSINESS TOPICS.
At this advanced period we can hard
~ realize what progress has already
been made in methods Of great daily
usefulness. It is not so many years ago
that electric lights and telephones
were unknown, and as for street cars
| going without horses. they seemed a
great wonder indeed. In all this adj
vancement copper has played an indis-
pensable part.
In conversation with Mr.. L. G. Scofil,
! a gentleman who has had years of ex-
perience in connection with brass and
copper rolling mills, we have acquired
much information about copper, it be-
| ing the larger component of brass, and
! therefore was valuable in connection
with that industry. He said from his
| past experience and close observation
of modern appliances, he was more i'm
pressed than ever with the great useful
ness and increasing demand for cop
| per, and he was therefore looking more
closely into the source of supply OF that
metal; and when asked if he believed
| we had copper enough in our country to
supply this great coming demand,
said, Eyes, but it is yet in the ground. ("
why" said he, Michigan, Arizona
and Montana supply 60 per cent of the
worlds output now; and as to our hav-
ing suficiency, there can be no ques-
tion."
Arizona" he said, "has unlimited de-
posits of rich copper ore, enough, 1t is
\ believed, to last for generations to
come; so we have the supply. 1t only
needs mining, or getting out OF the
EARTH"
| He here produced comparative
table, showing the production in the
different copper mining districts of this
country The summary showing a
large Increase in production in 1898
over 1897 It shows as follows In
the Lake Superior region an increase of
nearly ten per cent, Montana showed a
decrease of " per cent, while Arizona
regions show an increase OF over 81 per
cent.
Arizona's increase in copper produce
ton in 1898 over 1897 was more than
six times the total net increase of all
other copper regions combined. From
tilIs 1t is plainly evident that Arizona
is the coming great copper producing
region" and this, added Mr.. Scofil, lis
what has led me to investigation and
consideration of some new copper MIN
ing companies now being formed to OPP
crate in the rich copper districts of Ar
iona Ore in the great Vrde belt OF
that region yield3 anywhere from thir-
ty to seventy pei cent pure copper, and
in this district it is said, are tn. rich
est copper mines in the world.
Continuing, he said: when men OF
high standing and ability become in
terested with practical mining, men like
J. K.NClark and others, and prominent
capitalists in New York and Boston,
such as Joshua Brown, Geo. l.. Upshur
and Col w Fleming become associat-
ed with them in copper mining COM
panies, not over capitalized, like trusts,
as mining companies usually are, before
their value is proven, but those having
good first-class properties at low val
uation and intending to vigorously op-
crate and mine in rich ore belts, lying
almost side by side, the result is great
mining companies that have paid mil
lions of dollars to their stockholders in
dividends l am only too willing he
said, "to join them and option their
shares, for believe in the great copper
future. The present magnitude and fu-
ture development Of the great electrical
industry (yet in its infancy and the al
ready large and increasing use OF cop
per and brass, all go, believe, to prove
the correctness of my conclusions.
Why" said he, "the whole brass indus
try could not exist but for copper,
brass being two-thirds copper.
Where are the brass end copper
rolling mills located" was asked
Mostly in Connecticut and in the
New England States" was his reply.
Some are located in the Middle States,
but only small number of them
Pittsburg has one, so has Chicago, also
Detroit, and there is a large establish
ment at Rome, N. Y; but Waterbury,
brass and copper rolling mill indus
try"
Would not Wheeling be good loca-
mill" was asked?
would be all right 81 ussa4
rs the business profitable. was ask
ed by the reporter?
Eyes, it has proven very profitable
wherever undertaken
"Why, then, could we not have one
in Wheeling?"
There is no good reason why we
could not. 1t is probably too new to
our people at present"
Have you ever talked with our lead
ing business men upon this subject?"
1.-THE subject has only been men
toned to a few acquaintance, not
then expecting anything to come from
it."
why not then call the attention of
the public to this matter?"
81 sincerely believe if some good.
thorough, up-to-date business man
would assist in this matter, new and
profitable industry could be established
in our city," was the answer.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL.