The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-08
PROGRESS IN COPPER MINING
$4,000 MEN NOW EMPLOYED IN
THE LAKE SUPERIOR FIELD.
Great Amount % New work Under way
Final Settlement Of The Heinze.Amal-
essmatea Disputed Properties -AIaskA's
Gold output Likely 10 ne $4,000, 900.

Final settlement Of the H~einZe-AmAls
essmatea Disputed Properties -AlAskA's
Gold output Likely 70 ne 9le 900 900.
HoU0HToN. Mich. Oct. 4.-The great
progress accomplished in the past decade
n now being carried for ward at sn in
creased pace by the Lake Superior copper
industry h shown by the forces employed
and by the capital invested in the business.
a. well 80 by the steadily increasing output
Of copper. In 1905 the production OF refined
copper by the Lake Superior mines was I2o,-
1884, Q pounds AVoirdupois. and in 1905 the
output was 72S. 27O. 09S pounds. showing a
gain for the decade Of q trths more than
lOO.O 900 pounds. or. expressed In figures Of
proportlon. IN Increase OF II per cent. In 1905
the forces employed In the copper mines Of
the Lake district were 7,2ts men. while at
present the force IL about Is. 900 men for the
mines. mills and smelters, an increase Of iAe
per cent. 70 will be Noted that the increase
IN forces 10 almost double the increase in pro-
duction. the reason OF which 10 not that men
are less entcient now than ten years ago. but
lying rather In the vast amount Of new work
now under way at properties not yet On a
productive basis or just beginning production;
also In the large amount OF new work under
way at the old producing mines. the effects
Of which will be felt in fu.ure production,
through not apparent in the present output.
AN yU2t a2O ~ ABAV COppT muubtIy
was at It's lowest ebb. There were only seven
mines In operation, and mining was in prog
fess for . distance Of but twenty miles along
tn mineral range In HouRhton county. all
work having been suspended In both Kewee-
nav and 0ntonagon counties. Exploratory
work was practically unknown during 1894.
1895 and 1890. and the producing mines did
practically no dead work. with the sin gle ex-
ception OF the Calumet and Hecla, which con-
tinued its time honored policy Of opening
ground for ten years ahead of immediate
requirements. In 1897 there came a chan 90
for the better, with the b~eginnin e OF explora-
tory work at Six Mile Hin, south Of Houghton,
and from this small germ has grown the
Baltic. Trimountain and Champion mines,
which made more than 100000 pounds Of
copper last year, and will make nearly So
100000 pounds this year. with assurance OF
steady growth for some years to come, and
with four other mines being opened on the
same cupriferous bed. In 1898 a considerable
AMOUNT OF new work was started. and tn ere
was Q revival Of the copper mining industry
In both Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties.
while 1890 was siRnaized by a mining boom
Of proportions un precedented in the history
Of the district. Great as was the activity Of
1898, there 10 more new work under way in
1909, but the work OF the present day attracts
far less attention and comment than seven
years ago. due to the growth of the mining
industry. In place Of the twenty miles Of
copper belt on which seven mines were work.
I'M ten years ago. there now are nearly twenty
producing mines and an equal number of
developing properties, some OF which are
working upon a large scale. keweenaw
county has three and Ontonagon county has
four producing mines where no copper was
made ten years ago, except the few tons
scrammed from old waste burrows or work.
inEs above the water levels of abandoned
min es.
Although the Calumet and Hecla remains
the predominant mine. and il likely to so
continue. 1t is no longer the producer OF
more than half OF the copper made by the
Lake district. as was the case from 1870,
only four years after the mine was opened,
until and including 1901. with the single ex-
ceptiOn OF 1892. when the proportion of Calu-
met and Hecla output to the production
OF the entire district was but 80 per cent.
For 1905 the Calumet and Hecla made but
~ per cent. Of the copper turned out by Lake
mines. In 1895 the Calumet and Hecla made
7o.l37, 500 pounds OF fine copper out Of a total
production Of i2s, 1876. 400 pounds. leaving only
SO.06i .OSl pounds coming from other mines,
while In 1905 the Calumet and HeCla made
9S, 100. $40 pounds. an increase Of 20 per cent.
in ten years. and other mines made 1874, t59, A25
pounds, an increase Of I6s per cent. in the
same period. Even deductinR the 1000. OOO
POunuS y COpprT mhut hHL year ny the
Copper Range min ca, none of which were
opened or even dreamed of ten years ago,
tho remaining mines OF the district, other than
the Calumet and Hecla. made more than
100000 pounds. OF copper. an increase OF
IS per cent. for the decade.
The vast amount Of exploratory and de-
veiopnhent work now under way, both at the
old mines and AZ the properties not yet be-
come producers. will require years 10 arrive
at full %fruition. From 1--WE TO seven years
time and the expenditure of one and a half TO
two million d0lIn rG are FNnmlrQd IN naEa n
new mine In this district. and the production
OF 1905 may be said to marx the results OF the
1911 IN 1918 the results OF the present de-
yelopment work will become fully apparent.
Long distance predictions are extra hazar-
forecast with some approximation OF cor
r~cctness the results Of six years hence. Lorg
before that time the Calumet and Hecla
5000. 900 pounds Of hne copper monthly
from the shafts Of its main property. IN adj
considerable producer by that time from
several Of It's numerous subsidiary prop
erties, OF which three. the Manitou. Gratlot
showlngs at the present time. From its
main tract the Calumet and Hecla should
make Approximately I2Io3? no pounds Of
and Champion mines OF the Gopher Range
Company should mike NJ least rs. Oo0.OO0
account the Globe. which hns more than
en- even chance of making another big mine
property NJ the same claSs m the three mines
named. The Osceola should be capable of
making at least 2SOOO OOO pounds NJ metal
ak wears hence. The FIVE mines enumerated
in the foregoing list should make. by the
figures given. 225. OOO,O ON pounds of copper
in 1912. practically equivalent to the total
output Of the eighteen producing mines OF
the district during 1895. lea wing the pro-
duction output Of thirteen other producing
mines Of 1905. plus the output ot new mines
to become producers In the next ak wears.
az a net gain for the output OF the district
as . VIII ole.
The siy mines NEXT on the Lat which are
reasonably certain 10 make IO.OOn. 900 n
20. OO0, O00 hounds n line conner each In iol.
are the Quincy, Tamsrack. Wolverine. Mo-
hawk, Ahmeek and Allouez. Nothing short
Of q general cstaclvsm in the copper industry
can prevent these. mines making at least
5000. 900 pounds 81 copper. in loi!, and an
an excessive estimate. The newt seven
mines. ompletin ~ the let ~ present producers
are the Franklin, Centennial. Iale RovalP.
Michigan, Mass, Adventure and Victoria.
These NAV be count ed on for At least III. OO0. OOO
pounds Of copper in 1912. with a proSnect ~
doing considerably better. esncciallv ~
recent developments in the Centennial are
moot encouraging and tho Franklin is show
ing better ground, while the dichigln IA an
assured auccess: and the. Victoria. by reason
OF It's phenOmenally cheap power. Is making
very low costs on a sn.AU oUtnut.
In addition to the producers listed IN the
three lots before RiYen, there are at least
ian other properties in the district none
producing as yeti that are Of more than
average promise. the majority Of which are