Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-29
JOYOUS DRIVING
Of LAST SPIKE.
CONTINUED from page one.)


appears to have been the crudest OF
metallurglcal appliances, but also per-
mitted OF extensive experiments, which
In their sequence have made possible
the profitable exploitation OF these low
grade bodies. which bid fair IN ulu-
mate production 10 exceed the produce
ton Of the high grade districts. Few
people realize the evolution that has
been taking place In the copper indus
try OF the west during the past two or
three years. The low grade porphyry
deposits which are being exploited IN
the Bingham district and In the Ely
district, have come 10 be looked upon
as the future source OF the great cop
per output OF the west, and owing 10
their enormous tonnage. II is possible
to forecast their production as continu-
ing far beyond the life Of The present
generation.
say that the methods OF handling
these ores has been perfected. We are
today confronted at the first step OF
our process with a loss OF from 10 10
20 per cent OF our total values, which Is
carried away In the tailings from our
ooncentTators.
MOST PROMISING FIELD.
Il know OF no field so promising for
the winning OF large fortune In the
mining line. as the perfecting Of some
method whereby the loss In concen-
tration may be eliminated. or at least
largely reduced. The smelling processes
are much near perfection, but with all
that the plant that we are going 70
erect for the treatment OF these ores,
will within 10 years be obsolete. In
fact believe that We VIII within Ave
years see changes that Will materially
alter our process In some Of It's most
vital points We are. however. build
ing here at THIS time the very test
plant that the combined knowledge OF
modern copper metallurgy Il capable OF
producing. and / can say without fear
OF contradiction that when finished, and
IN operation, Il will be the most mod
ern and economical copper reduction
plant IN tho world.
The task OF bringing this undertake
ing to successful fruition, has not been
an easy one,
SAW ONLY FAILURE.
''On my hrst visit, saw only the
signs Of repeated failures, the efforts
that had been made 10 wiring profits |
from the rocks. had been without sue |
cess, and my first days inspection con-
WINGED me that II there was TO be sue |
cess, II must be along lines radically |
different from those that had already |
been tried, After a weeks study. the |
problem had resolved Itself to a very /
simple one. save for the unknown fac
tor that must be supplied In order 10
make the problem susceptible Of solu-
lion. ! saw before me a mineralized
zone wherein the question OF tonnage
had even at that time TO my mind been
Efficient for which was searching. could
only be determined by extensive devel-
>pment work; that co-efilcient was the
average copper content OF the porphyry
IN large masses. had seen upon the
surface streaks OF high grade ore, that
In themselves we're interesting. but
which did not hold forth prospects Of
l tonnage sufficiently large 10 justify
he expenditure that | knew must be
made IN order to put the copper into
form. / saw in those early
lays that the only hope for this dis
rict was In developing tonnage OF such
magnitude and value as would justify
he building OF railroad from the
southern Pacific. This meant the build
ng OF a line approximately $50 miles
ong. to Justify the building OF which
would require the development Of mil
ions Of tons OF copper bearing ore.
lad crawled down the Ruth mine 800
eet on the incline and seen 40 feet OF a
ross-cut that averaged approximately
per cent, with apparently no end In
,ither direction. had seen this same
,orphyry upon the surface leached Of
Is copper values, extending for hun
lreds OF feet IN width and l knew that
ground development would re-
real enormous masses Of this material,
nut / did not know what the copper
,ontent Of II would be.
DETERMINING OF VALUE.
1T was. therefore, necessary first. 10
levelop this ore and determine its value
lot only sufficiently 10 justify the build
ng OF a railway. but sufficient In guam
fly to Justify the building OF an en-
rfmous reduction plant, because profits
ould not bo hoped for unless the ore
vas handled by the thousands Of tons
YER day. over period Of two years
his prospecting work was carried on
lntll n large tonnage Of ore was de-
'oloped. Even then. the railway was
iot justified. because there was no GER
ainty as 10 what could be done with
he ore IN concentration. To deter
nine this factor small experimntal
MIL was built AZ the Ruth mine. which
vas operated during a period Of three
months and most exhaustive tests and
made. The entire mine
n fact was sampled by means OF this
Mill; results compared, tabulated and
,arefllly scr1ltinized. That these re-
iults were satisfactory, Is proven by
ne building OF the Nevada Northern
'ailway. which was undertaken imme-
iiately after these mill tests were COM
,leted.
CONSOLIDATION ACCOMPLISHED.
In the meantime there had been at
'ected the Consolidation Of the New
FORK q Nevada and the White Pine
properties under the name Of the Ne
ada Consolidated Copper company.
AZ Copper Flat We had not been idle
md the tonnage developed at Ruth
8 more than equaled by the tremen-
ious body OF ore az the Flat. whose
limits have not yet been defined. !
hink you will agree with me that
We were JUSTIFIED In suspendlng de-
-elopment work. when I say that there
9 developed At Copper Flat and al
Ruth. ore sufficient 10 supply this re-
iuction plant for 81 least 10 years.
Nth the largest part Of our ground
mn unprospected. but giving every
violence Of containing ore similar 70
hat we have already developed II
ras 20 meet this situation and az
ORD means for working this ore that
he Nevada Northern railway was
,ullt