The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-06-12

w
fords the producers better profits than
the former practice of wagon hauling.
This advance movement is exactly in
line with the compulsory economies ap-
piled in all other directions where the
extradition and reuction of mineral is
carried on The pursuit of gold and sill
yer in this state, with a few short-lived
exceptions, has always heretofore been
extravagant and reckless resulting in
enormous waste. Leadville, Aspen and
Cripple Greek produced great profits in
the early years CT their existence, sim
ply because near the surface cost of
extraction was less than it is now and
in many cases the ores We're more
abundant and richer.
A few made money with bewildering
ease and rapidity, but the majority did
not. Witness the early careers of Tabor.
Moffat. Smith and others at Leadville,
James B. Wheeler, Hyman. Cowenhover,
D. r. C. Brown ct al in Aspen, anu
Stratton, Burns, Doyle. Herman and 4
still longer list Of operators at Cripple
Creek. In each case the men of today
are working over their old dumps and
making money out of the material they
formerly threw away. 1t seems almost
wonderful that such changes as now ap-
greatest factor is found in the reduction
of transportation, milling and lsme!tin
rates, all Of which. rendered possible by
constant improvement of methods of
handling, have made it possible for the
business of mining to attain it's present
exalted stage. The brightest engineers
and metallurgists of the age have de-
voted their best abilities to the study
of practical economics and it's applica>
ton to every department of this great
industry. How to reduce the expense
and at the same time expedite the work
of extraction is the chief study Of a..
competent managers of the present day
1t has frequently been necessary to ex
pend hundreds of thousands in prelimi-
nary work in order to accomplish thai
result and put the mines upon an en-
during basis, the pans running into q
to so years hence. Witness the vast IN
dertaking in this direction by A. E. Rey
no!ds in the construction of his great
Revenue tunnel under Mount Sniffels a,
Ouray, veritable triumph of genius j.
cost a prodigious sum, but look at the
result.
Mr.. Reynolds has thereby produced a
system of working that will last fer
generations, with probably q constantly
increasing flow of wealth. Again, Sc
what Samuel Newhouse is doing TO:
future generations OF men in his twj
great tunnels. the first at Idaho Springs
and the second into Battle mountain
over in Eagle county, both magnif1ceH;
enterprises which none but the bodies,
and most far-sighted men are .courageous
enough and financially able to attempt
Again, the Yak tunnel at LeaGville
scarcely less important than those JUS
enumerated; the Cold Spring and Wocd
mountain tunnels in Boulder the WI
cox and others in Clear creek, the
Ophelia at Cripple and several Others III
the San Juan. These projects are cos
ing millions in the aggregate, but each
is designed to save millions in the cos
of operating the mines which they pene-
trate. Again. observe what the mani,
turers of mining, milling and smeltin,
machinery have done in the last five e.
ten years. Everything has been changes
Said one of them to me the other day:
1--WE are burning all our old pattern
Every last one of them has been supeF-
seeded by newer and better things"
| And so it goes all along the line. Som
| years ago Prof. Richard Pearce of tn.
Argo works invented and put into us
! the most wonderful automatic calcinins
furnace ever known. 1t took the plafe
of 40 men. This, like everything else n
the line of economics now in daily us.
is directly calculated to benefit the PR
ducers of ore. Where the progress of T.
vention has displaced a dozen Artisans
it has made room for the employmeat
of hundreds in the mines, whereby IT
has been gradually uplifted from tie
haphazard, speculative and Dangerous
field of investment to the legitimacy IT
iron and steel manufacture.
The more important changes ma-
toned are soon to be supplemented ~
others in the process Of formation. evey
one Of them expressly designed to Pr
mote the greatest possible output If
ores. We are advancing with gret
rapidity now toward to end which el
Of us desire to have accomplished. tie
planting of our basic industry upon a
foundation which cannot be shaken y
financial commissions. 1t has created tie
impression everywhere that Colorado IS
the finest mining field In the worn.
hence the constant inflow of capital 10
its aid. The maintenance Of this rep
tation by fruitful results will soon plqe