Arizona daily citizen., 1901-04-18
Arizona Copper
Mining Conditions.

A"O hAhihS N EbkIucCIiuk JOuEHAi Oi
currant issue contains the following
conservative review of copper mining in
Arizona;
Predictions made last year OF an in
crease of Arizona's production have not
been fulfilled. The coal strikes of Colora-
do interfered seriously with the supply
of fuel, and the burning down of the
Detroit Copper Company in June cut off
the supply from that source for several
months. Returns, therefore, for 1900
show decrease from the production of
1899. None of the mines exhibits symp-
toms OF improverishing or exhaustion.
The dec ease is purely due to accidental
causes.
Taking the principal mining districts
in succession, the United Verde Compa-
ny has improved it's plant without not.
ably increasing it, bat its matallurgical
operations have been seriously inter
fered with by the coal miners strike,
which for many months completely shut
of supplies from the Galloupe District
At the Copper Queen a ffth furnace
and another stand OF converters have
been erected. The effect has been less TO
increase the production OF the company
than to enable it to convert all its pro-
duct into Beesemer bars A new shaft has
been sunk and equipped with steel gal
lows-frame and a large hoist. This in
crease in plant has also been made, not
so much with view OF increasing pro-
duetion, as Of enabling more active de-
Velopment and dead work to be carried
on underground, the older shafts and
equipment having been strained TO their
utmost TO hoist ore alone. The confined
situation in which the metallnrgical
works at the Copper Queen are built
seriously interferes with the introduction
| Of improvements as well as extensions,
and therefore there is no probability of
largely increased production during 1901.
Three ather companies, the South
Bisbee, the Lowell d Arizona, and the
Bisbee Lake Superior are actively al
work in the Warren district. Their
| operations have been conducted with
both skill and energy, and with homes,
purpose, and all three have met with
considerable encouragement, though no
| one Of them az yet is, or In likely TO be,
during 1901, a large producer. None Of
them has yet reached the stage at whiel.
the erection Of smelling works Nould lsa
| warranted.
Globe has produced more during 1900
than Tor many years previously. The
Old Dominion company's smeIter has
run steadily, making above 10000
pounds monthly, and the United Globe
| mines have shipped ore TO the Ell Paso
s'nelter. II continues to be the only
notable source Of bar copper made di.
rectlv from the ore. But the losses in
Stag are such that. II acceptable rates
could he obtained, sulphide ores would
be imported from Bisbee and the Globe
ores matted. Unfortunately. 10 yet the
scaie oi railroad charges in Arizona pro.
hibits that interchange Of ores from dis.
trict 10 district which, if il could be ef-
fccted. would greatly help Arizona .
mining and metailusgicai interests.
At Clifton the smelling aud teaching
works Of the Arizona Copper company
have been run TO their utmost capacity, |
and the company's production has been |
the largest on record. II is remodiius |
its smelling works, which may interfere |
somewhat with the production OF 1901, |
but will enable the company in future |
10 make better use OF its large mineral |
reserves.
The Detroit Copper Company, as al.
ready remarked, suffered from a fire
which burned not only its smelling |
works but one OF its concentrators. The |
smelling works have been rebuilt, but |
the old ceneentrator which was destroy
ed at the same time will not be replaced. |
The new 4oo-toB concentration was for |
tunately completed before the fire, and |
will enable the company during 1901 to !
make somewhat larger production
than ever before. unless unforeseen &C.
cidents again intervene TO disturb cal |
culations.
The novel feature at both the Arizona |
Copper Company's and the Detroit Cop. |
per Mining Company's works is the large
use at both places OF gas engines. At
both works the most satisfactory type OF |
engine as yet employed is the Crossley
lotto" At the Arizona Copper Com |
pany's works the gas is made exclusive
ly in Dowson producers from hard coal. |
But at Morenci the Detroit Copper Com
pany has a Loomis generator capable of
making gas for l 900 horse power from
soft coal. The fuel economy is unques-
tionable, ranging from l.5 lbs. to LIS
lbs. per horsepower hour, and the de-
lays and interruption which were at first
incidental to the introduction OF such a
novelty are being rapidly eliminated.
Making allowances for unforeseen con.
tingencies, there is no reason to suppose
that Arjzona's production for 1901 will |