Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-13
THE ANACONDA.

George L. Walker, managing editor Of
the Boston Financial News, who visited
Butte last week, mas the following arr
tlcie in a recent issue o. that pubiica-
tion:
The Anaconda Copper Mining COM
pany, a majority of whose stock is the
chief asset Of the A~malgnmated Copper
is In many ways a most re-
markable corporation. 1t is the largest
producer of copper and the second larg-
est producer Of silver in the world. Be-
ides it's several rich mines on Butte
mountain IT. owns a reduction smelter
and refining plant capable of treating
5000 tons of ore daily: two large depart
ment stores that would compare we'll
with the finest in Boston; the electric
street railway in the city of Anaconda;
a steam railroad 50 miles in length; and
has other assets too numerous to men
ftion. Over 10000 men are on it's pay
rolls.
The Anaconda company's railroad, the
Butte, Anaconda & Pacific, does a mag
nificent passenger and local freight bust
ness. Good authorities say that few, If
any, railroads in the country have an
equal mileage, which will compare with
this road In net earnings. The Great
Northern and Northern Pacific have to
run their trains over this road in order
to reach Anaconda.
The Anaconda's output of silver
amounted ito 400.O 900 ounces in July. It
averages from 300, 1000 to 400, 900 ounces
monthly. The coanpany's income from
reducing, smelling and refining expenses,
and helps ITO pay the cost Of operating its
mines.
Nothing can be learned here to SUBJ
stantfate the claim that the Anaconda
ores are changing at depth, from copper
to iron. The introduction of an increas-
ing number of blast %urnaces is due to
the fact that the experience of this and
either companies has demonstrated that
coarse ores can be treated more econom-
ica1ly in such furnaces. Rolls will take
the place of steam stamps because by
their use coarser concentrates can be
made, and a large portion OF them smelt-
ed in the blast furnace The reverber-
atory furnace will not be discarded. 1t
will continue to be used to treat the fine
first-class ores and the finer concentrates
of the second-class ores.
In view of the fact that the naconda's
immense smelling plant was built piece
meal to accommodate a rapidly expand
ing business, 1T is not surprising that it
| is in some ways defective. Some idea
of its present size can be gained from the
fact that it requires twelve trains of so
cars each. 10 tons to the car, to haul the
ore these smelters treat daily. Over 100
toys of sulphur are volatilized and passes
off y. thin air through its stacks every
day.
.Perhaps the Anaconda would not be a
lower grade mine THAN the Boston &
Montana if it handled no great ore ton
mage" There are SO manv factors in the
question thai even the experts would
probab bly, disagree as to the amount of
selection, and as to how low-grade ore
should be treated. The fact thai the new
smelter has a capacity Of only 5000 tons,
1000 tons less than the present Amazon
da plant, may lee that only the high
grade ores of the Amalgamated group OF
mines will be treated in the future, and
the old smelter abandoned; or it may,
and probably does. mean that the output
of the mines will be largely increased and
both shelters kept at work.
The Anaconda company earned 1885,
$40 net profits last year, and paid 1890,