Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-30
COL. WALL Strikes
At Mr.. JhCkLING
Vice President Of Utah Copper
Company Writes a Letter
to Prest. Mcneil.
MAKES SENSATIONAL CHARGES
Not Satisfied With Results OF Opera
ton OF Big Bingham Cop
per Property.

Col. Enos A. Wall, vice president OF
the Utah Copper company and who
was formerly the sole owner of the big
Bingham property now being operated
by that corporation, Is out with sem
sational letter which, In Effect, charges
General Manager u. G. Jackling with
gross Incompetence. The letter Is adj
dressed to President Charles NJ. Nc
Neill, In care OF the Guggenheim Ex-
ploration company, New York.
Col. Wall, It Is quite generally known,
has not been satisfied with the way
things have gone on at the Utah Cop
per mine for a good many months past
and has had no hesltency about ex-
pressing his displeasure to General
Manager Jackllng as well az to other
officers OF the company. He has con-
tended right along that the Bingham
mill has not been doing the work that
q ought to do. and that the equipment
of the plant IL not suited to attain the
best results. The letter reads as
follows:
My Dear Sir--In view of your early
departure and probable extended alb
sence abroad, I have thought it most
expedient to urge upon you before you
go the importance Of ordering a fadi-
cal change In the methods in use both
IN the mining and concentration of
our ores. That results have not been
what we had every reason to hope for,
All freely admit, and doubtless no one
regrets more than yourself, bat that no
intelligent effort should thus far have
been made to remedy or cure the evils
from which we suffer seems inexcusa-
BE.
Having encouraged our friends and
the public to purchase of our shares at
eyer-increasing prices I insist that
the dogmatic determination Of our
general manager TO persist In ruinous
methods rather than confess a lack
OF knowledge Of an art In which he
has never received any training. ought
not longer be permitted TO deprive our
stockholders and ourselves of the bene-
hts OF intelligent modern skill and
modern methods in the operation of
our mine and the treatment of its In
exhaustible ore bodies
THAT BIG TONNAGE
We have allowed the statement to go
abroad that there Is exposed in our
property, 20, 40, even 81 hundred million
OF tons OF ore. OF a grade I'm value far
above he average of the ores of the
Lake superior mines, which alone have
supplied Il large portion Of the worlds
demand for copper during the last 40
years, and we have truthfully said that
because of our exceptional facilities for
cheap mining. the extremely soft and
frlable nature Of our ores and the free
dom with which its values yield 10 SIM
pie methods of concentration, we can
produce copper at lower rates OF cost
than any of the great mines OF that ia
Vored region And all this Is true, but
what Of results? And why have our
reasonable expectations failed Of reali-
zatlon?
Il is useless to say that our mill Is
only experimental. or that II Is too small
TO insure economic results. because a
mill Of coo or 700 tons daily capacity
should be operated at practically ms low
rate of cost per ton OF ore treated az
II II were of ave times that capacity.
The difficulty lies deeper; 1t Is funde-
mental. But the cure is most simple
and has been urged upon yourself and
your manager from the first, his In
sensate arrogance Inflated 20 the point
of spontaneous explosion by sudden.
unexpected aud unearned wealth. would
not permit him 10 change his system"
lest his total Ignorance Of even the rudi-
ments OF the work in hand should there
by be betrayed.
Up to this date nearly 100000 tons Of
valuable ores have been ground into
impalpable -four by the Jackling Chill
mills" and the resulting pulp treated
ana retreated by every conceivable de-
vice. until every grain Of the Shiny
mass should become as familiar to the
attendance operator as household words
and until IN absolute despair the re-
beious substance was turned into the
creek, carrying with 1t quantity Of
mineral equal IN value to more than
two and one-half times the net profit
recovered.
ADMITS a LOSS.
MIR. Jackllng admits loss Of "A
pounds OF free copper per ton IN me
tails, but 1t is more nearly 20 pounds
Eighty per cent Of this, or ii pOunls
II properly crushed, could be easily ie.
covered which, with included gold and
silver would add s. per ton or go per
cent to our net prohts.
We have IN use I'm our mill an ade-
quate number OF the best type OF stan
dard machines adapted 90 the concen-
traton Of our ores, and | believe they
have been operated with more than aY-
erage care and ability and yet results
have continued from the first most dis
appointing; iu fact We are today no
nearer an Intelligent solution OF most
simple problem than the day we first
began. nearly rNO years ago. But not
withstanding this fact. our manager"
several months ago declared This sys-
tenn" complete I'm every detail and
thereupon began the construction Of our
new 6000-ton plant. fashioned upon the
same lines and embracing all the OBJ
jeCtonable aud destructive features OF
the old mill,
Having 30 often impressed upon YOU
the fact that failure to obtain higher
recoverlcs ls due solely to the Jacklng
method of crushing or rather grind
ing" I have hesitated In urging the
matter upon you further hut the mag
nltude of personal interest involved, not
more than the interests of our stock
holders In general lmpels me not only
10 insist that the lackling grinding
mills but the Jackling mlnag ment be
forthwith and forever dispensed with
These mills, MS YOU ore 2wIr were
purchased from the scrap heaps Of
the Washoe concentrator 40 Anaconda
Mont. where they had hcon discarded
and thrown out. after being subjected
10 an exhaustive test upon the work 81
that great plant and found absolutely
untitled for the duty required, which
IN every respect was similar % 0ur
own. All Of which facts. together with
n fun explanation OF the cause ~ fil-
ure (the excessive production Of refrac-
tory slmes). was furnished by the min
superintendent and published In the
New York Engineering and Mining
Journal at the time. some four years
ago. as note OF warning 10 others