The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-14
MINES and MINING ;%:~i IN THE NORTHWEST
EDITED ~
B. f. st. Charles

the route exhibit beautiful specimens
OF copper pyrites which are sold to the
J Japanese pilgrims on their way to the
| sacred mountain Of Nan-taisan over
| looking Lake Chuzenji; and the traveller
| l.; also notified of his proximity to the
copper mines by the tram cars passing
| through the street Of NikkO, drawn by
| Slow-mOving bullOckS. laden with COP
! per ingots on the down trip and return
| ing with fue..
| Thee hange of scene from NikkO, or
Chuzenji, is complete. One leaves a land
| of peace with delightful surroundings
and steps into the midst of foul
smelling. smoke-laden valley where the
bare red hillsides, denuded of all vegeta-
ton. present striking contrast to the
green hills at NikkO. with it's world
famed avenue of cryptomerias. while the
air vibrates with the clang of hammers
and the throb of engines.
THE mines are worked by adits
located at the villages of Asho and
kotaki: the former is the more import
ant and is situated on the eastern side
! OF the mountain. the latter on the west
ern but the two are generally spoken
of collectively as the "Ashio Mines.
The adits from the Ashio side are be-
ing pushed forward to meet those work
ing from Kotaki, about 21a miles dis
tant. and al the present rate of working
the mines will be exhausted in about 10
years.
The village of Ashio where the oper-
atiVes have their homes, is separated
by the Watarasegara mountain
stream running between steep banks.
and spanned by numerous bridges
carrying the tramway and fumes. No
two Of these bridges are alike in design;
i'll fact. it would seem as if the bridge
engineer of the works had put into prac-
teal use all of the available literature
on bridge designing.
The total number of persons employ
ed in various services at the mines and
furnaces is about 10000 and these with
their families make up small city of
1000. OF these IS per cent. have been
born on the spot as were their fathers
and grandfathers, and some have never
seen beyond the red hills which close
II the village and mines. They are cared
for by the proprietor. fed. and sent to
school until II years of age. The village
has well-equipped hospital at which
the operatives and their families are
tended without charge. Only men are
working in shifts Of eight hours each.
While those employed at lighter tasks
work shifts of II hours. Women are en-
ployed at the light work, such as sort
ing and washing ore by hand most of
them being the wives of the miners. The
average pay per day for those engaged
IN manual work is IS cents in silver
money and stated quantity Of rice and
1uel' While the miners are paid by the
quantity of ore extracted. The furnace
ana shatt men receive from II to 20
cents per day, and the women are Maid
1 cents. f
Inc ore is almost entirely COPPER chi
phlde' although a small quantity of the
oxide is also present. and it is worked
from twelve veins from 3 to 6 feet in
thickness. 1t carries about 10 per cent
of the metal, and the total output of
sorted Gre is about 100 tons per day. The
treatment of the ore is as follows: The
ore is sorted at the mines and divided
INTO two classes, the rich and the poor;
the former is sent to the concentrating
works. while the latter is rescrted.
crushed, and coneentra ted to bring it up
to the same grade as the rich, after
which the trea tment is the same. Thi,
work is mostly done by machinery o.
washing done by the women is still in
use. The ore is roasted in brick rever-
beratory furnaces in which wood is used
as fuel; it is then passed to the smelling
furnaces. which are rectangular charcoal
blast-furnaces, each having eighteen
tuyeres, constructed of wrought iron and
protected by water jackets. The char
coal is made in the mountains close by.
by native burners, and is mixed with
small quantity of coke brought up from
n kko on the tramWay. The tiuN-lime-
stone-is obtained at Quarries in the vi
entity. The product of these furnaces is
black copper with a considerable amount
of copper matte, assaying about 80 per
cent. The black copper analyzes: cop
per, 96.O14; arsenic, 1.226: iron. l.S6l; tin,
O692; lead, 0.42S; sulphur, 0.33': bismuth,
O.112; silver, O.014: cobalt. 0.0l2-total,
leo. 1856. The matte is broken up and re-
melted. after which it is put through
Bessemer furnace, each melt being SUI
pounds. and the result is fine black cop
per which is said to be nearly pure. the
copper is cast into rectangular ingots
each weighing So pounds. rotating cast
ing tables with cast-iron moulds peins
used.
.Originally the water from the ore
washing rlant, as we'll as the Stag, was
RIM into the Watarase- CARA, but owing
to the damage done by the poisonous
discharge to the crops in the valley De
low where the water is used Tor lrri-
eating, and the subsequent agitation
amongst the farmers living along us
course, a series of settling tanks ana nj
tiers have been fitted up for the purlhca
tion If the water before it is allowed
TO enter the stream. Powdered lime Is
added to the water as it is run INTO the
settling tanks. and after setting the
water is filtered through sand beds.
large sum of money has been spent on
this publication plant. and the result is
said to be in every way satisfactory.
Another protection which it has been
found necessary to inaugurate is the
construction of basket work on the hill