The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1904-10-06
MINING PAST AND FUTURE

Mr. John 4. Church. one OF the /
6Est mining engineers ever graduated |
from an American Institution. has |
written an extremely interesting ar
ticle for the MiSINc MACHINE. Of |
New York. entitled Mining past and /
Future" Abiding to the history Of
mining ia America. Mr.. Church says |
II is only quarter Of century
since the WELD Of British copper ores I
was shout per cent, and Of foreign |
ores smelted IN British works about /
l 5 per cent America was then s
large contributor 60 the Welsh fur
nsoes. and long before our contiucat
was spsnned by railroads, ores. chief
" Of copper and silver, we've gath
cred in desert regions. and after a
toiisome wagon haul were taken by
the most devious waterways. OF by
long railrosd journey. 90 a shipping
port. aud landed in Cornwall. alter a
"trip that In some cases covered irom
ak 20 nine months.
This WAS the history Of even such
a remarkable mine a. the Anaconda.
aud many Of us can remember the
exhibition Of industrial courage with
which the owners Of that celebrated
property proceeded 20 the erection Of
their own smelters under conditions
OF fuel supply and freight that were
fotbidding
This il also the history Of Butte
from the earliest days when the fun
naccs turned out product that was
hauled by wagon 60 Ogdcn. Il is
the history Of the Copper Queen, sit
uatcd fifty miles from a railroad and
two thousand miles from market
The beginnings of the great dis
trict NJ Clifton aud Morcuci. Arizona.
were made when copper was hauled
J 600 miles ia wagons. and when ncar-
= by year was needed Co get iour-
ton locomotive on the ground. The
freight alone ON coke delivered az
Globe was SAP ton.
Frequently tire development oi the
mines has led io che construction of
railroad, and the Importance ID
some of the mines has been power
, iul incentive 60 the building of cou-
tinontsl systems
In view Of American interest, iu
the Far East snd recent develop.
, ments in that direction. one state
meut h. rather significant
We are slready reaching out iut,
other countries that afford sca trans.
port. and should not be- surprised
10 see the day come when certain
% great mines which I visited iu Chin,
e will be brought into the American
= market.
4 Nj Church refers in grarhi'
- manner 60 the relation existing be
C tween recent scientific discoveue
q aud the industry Of mining
r The wonderful discoveries 10 chem
istry mske IL almost certain that Cd
miner Of the future will be engage
a in search fcr rare elements and per
, haps for some that are still unkuow
or not fully appreciated. The pow
" CT Of electricity has given Us "a
m command Of elements which coul
II rot be separated except ia miuul
D, specks twenty hve years ago sud
j. entirely possible that new alloy
!, with valuable qualities will eNten
' the held Of his usefulness. The mii
- e. Ia fact has one eye applied 10
" microscope. searching for traces ,
metal. that be may recover from a
slsgs snd gases Of his wss,e produe;
His work is bound closely with a
g development Of transportation, an
y indeed with every other industry,
=, that men who boast a conservatis
AZ that rejects Investments in mimi
d, look with dismsy while their bon
-. fall in value because there is a stril
." among distant mines.