Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-04-27
A WONDERFUL
SHELTER RECORD
New Bingham SmeIter is Earning
Nearly 60 Per Cent Per Annum
A MODEL OF PERFECTION.
Nothing Like IL for Certain bingham
Ores Enlargement IL Now
Contemplated.

Contemplated
A visit to the new smelter of the
Bingham Copper & Gold company dur
ing the past week revealed a very
pleasing state Of affairs on which the
company is to be congratulated and es-
pecially w. II. Nutting. who has had
full charge Of the work of construc-
ton, The plant is the only one Of Its
kind In Utah, and the number of SIM
liar ones in the world is very limited
with only two stacks going, the com
pany is earning about $500 per day, or
in the neighborhood Of $4,000 per
year The cost OF the mine and smell
ter TO date has been between $4,000
and s5OO,OOO on this showing the
company is earning between 80 and 40
per cent on the investment with two
stacks. Everything is now In readi-
ness for starting up the third stack
Some difficulty has been experienced
with the Copper Belt railway, owned
by the company 1t was built In win
ter, and the thaw out Of the past few
weeks has caused the road bed to yield
With these repairs made the company
expects TO blow In the third stack next
week. This win enable the company
to handle from 400 to $50 tons of ore
per day, and on this basis the company
is expected to eln between so and 60
per cent per annum on the capital exx-
pended In the equipmnt of the mine
and smelter. With this object lesson
In sight, 1t requires no deep study to
answer the question, Does mining pay?
The company owns the Commercial
group at Bingham, where II has opened
up big body OF sulphide ore. This
ore Is low grade and were 1t not for
the process established here by Mr..
Nutting. II Is doubtful whether the ores
would have any commercial value.
They carry about three per cent cop
per, with small values in silver and
from 81 10 s. in gold per ton. II is
not these values however which make
them 30 valuable In the mating pro-
cess, or fire concentration, in use at
the companys new smelter The ore
contain large percentage OF iron AMI
sulphur combined as iron pyrltes.
These two last features are in reality
the basis of the company's operations.
a large quantity Of the 2S per cent OF
sulphur in the ores is released In the
furnace and assists In combustion 10
such an extent that the superintendent
SAYS his treatment Of the ores requires
only one-third Of the fuel ordinarily
used. The other important feature Is
the percentage Of iron which enables
the company to 1ux the high grade
sllceous ores OF Tintlc and thus smelt
them at a much lower cos THAN IL
possible in an ordinary blast furnace
The company has been handling
about 300 tons OF ore per day since the
two stacks were fired OF this guam
tity from 90 TO 100 tons OF Tintic's 81
liceous ores are being used, Some OF
this Is furnished by the Tesora mine,
In which the company owns controlling
interest. The greater part OF the ST.
llceous ores needed come from the
Grand Central mine. the output or
which is tied up under contract The
Lower Mammoth and other occasional
shippers sell their ores to the
new company which has en-
with the American Smelling COM
pany, and the result has been an ad-
vance OF from 81 to 800 per ton on
copper ores OF the mines OF Utah ana
adjoining states. The mine owners who
have copper ores for sale have reason
to feel grateful for the competition
which insures them such good prices.
The company's plant Is located on the
banks of the Jordan river about twelve
miles south Of the city The location is
an ideal one as It secures plenty or
water for the water Jackets OF the tur.
naces. and also affords good
dumping ground for the stag
The smelter Is built on the
side Of a hill % feet above the rlv,,
er About 55 acres OF dumping ground
ls owned nv the COMPANY. when may
be Increased when necessary. me
building is constructed almost entirely
Of iron. The ore bins only are con-
structed Of wood. These are built on
cement floors and have total capacity
Of l40O0 tons. Cement floors are used
everywhere on the furnace level, when
greatly aids the moving OF the ores
from the bins to the furnace. Each
charge consists " about 1000 pounds OF
ore. limestone and coke. As about 22O
tons Of stuff Is handled In each fur
pace every "a hours II means that a
charge IL made about every minutes.
| The ores, properly mixed are SIMPLY
l dropped into the furnace ana steady
/ stream OF molten matter runs out OF the
/ furnace on the dump level. The fux.
I ing Of the ores Is greatly accelerated
| hy a strong draft Of air from 10
| big rotary fans driven by three power
| ful electric motors. The ores soon nell
| and the molten stream runs steaully
| from the furnace into tank about
! feet deep and or feet long. rhe siat
| passes through a couple OF large slaf
| buckets and is eventually conveyed t'
the dump, while nearly an h'
metallic values sink In the mrs
tank from specific gravity. lh'
matte Is then drawn on hpout
foot below the top OF the tank ana u
stored for treatment at the Hlshlah'
Boy convertors, pending the ereclloh p
| convertors by the Bingham company
| At the outset the company turned gu
Is per cent copper matte, "nlcn wa
turned over to the American smelunl
n ps6rirg company for reduction int
bnIllrn The company has since secure
| a Le,tor rate for the treatment OF II
| matte from the Highland Boy com
many though II has been necessary L
p,ate greater concentration In IN
matte At present the management ]
cunning ont n SO per cent copper matt
carving gold and silver, which in
creases lis total value 20 about SliO pc
ION OF this matte the company ha
obo,,, a thousand tons on hand whicl
Il Is now beginning to market. A bri
nnn,,ing machine has been ordered witt
which 10 handle the dust a,, which Z
saved in the long hue. This dust viii
c go ce as well win be compresse,
Inio bricks and thus treated in the fur
The company has ordered new sam
Ming mill which viii shortly be erecte,
AZ the smelter Plans are al
ready under way Tor the en-
| V1 %