The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-20
The Great Phoenix Mines and the
Cranky smelters-How Copper
is Made in Large Quantities
BY Frank G. Carpenter.

Especial Correspondence to The Times
Dispatch.J
GRAND FORKS. B. C., May To-
] am tn British Columbia within a
stones throw OF the international boun-
Diary. This town of Grand Forks is just
over the way from the State OF Wash
tngton. and about five hours by rail from
Spokane. 1t lies here In the heart OF the
Rockies. Ragged brown hills rise high
above 1t, and the Kettle River crosses Its
principal street. The place Is only
few years old, but 1t has now about
1000 people, with building lots sufficient
for city of twenty times that size. 1t Is
Il mining town. supported by a smeiter
owned by Americans. which turns out
more copper than any other in the Do
.nlnion of Canada.
The Phoenix Copper Mines.
This whole region is great treasure
house with gold silver. iron and coal
scattered here and there through 1t. Only
an hours ride away are the Phoenix
mines. which are said to be working in
one % the biggest copper beds OF the
world. The ore Is taken out with steam
Ehovels. 1t lies In great body two
hundred feet wide and more than half
a mile long. The deposit Is, in fact. wider
than Pennsylvania Avenue: and II 1t could
De DlarKeu5 GOWN III w dSIl'IlStOll DcSlIl-
ming at the Treasury Department 1t would
reach just half way to the Capitol. No
one knows how far down the ore extends.
Diamond drills have been sunk. into it for
1000 feet. and one OF the STATISTIC nbwf
taking up copper from levels 400 feet he
low the surface. fagH s'9@At1
Mining With Steam Shovels.@l
The output OF these mines is now 1000
tons per day. and up to the beginning Of
last year something like 100000 tons OF
ore had been shipped. The machinery Is
altogether modern The copper is loaded
with steam shovels each Of which will
pick up n ton Mt a bite; and 1t comes
TO the surface in electric cars. The drills
are worked by Westinghouse motors, and
electricity moves the crushers. The econ
omies are such that the ore is hardly
touched by man from the time the dyna-
mite blasts 1t out until 1t Is ready for
: shipment in great bars about rs thick as
n loaf Of bread and rs long as n mans
arm These bars are almost pure each
containing 80 per cent. OF copper. silver
and gold.
A Big Smelter Owned By
Americans.
The biggest copper smeter In British
America is situated here Mt Grand Forks.
1t Is known as the CRANKY and 1t Is fed
K ny THESE great i>loelllN ilHlllcs' " ElicS
right on tho banks Of the Kettle River.
Swallowed by mighty mountains and
washed by that stream. The smelling
works are high above the river; and day
and night, Sundays and week days, all
the year round. the smoke rises from
their mighty stacks and the golden Stag
Of their furnaces rolls down into the wa
ters n
These smelters have no superors in size
anywhere except those at Rutte City.Mon-
tnna, and no superlors at all In their
treatment of ore. They are now pro-
huoing millions of pounds OF copper per
annum. and their smelling output last
year amounted to about 40. 900 900 pounds
OF copper and In addition silver and gold
to the value of a million and quarter
dollars.
From Rock to Copper.
I wish could take you through this
mighty establishments, 1t surpasses any l
have seen In the elimination OF human Ia
bor and the substitution therefor OF econ
omical machinery. The railroad runs
high up on the sides of the H,ountain
and the ore Is dropped from the cars
into great bins through cllutes so ar
ranged that just the right proportion of
ore can he dropped into other cars
farther down before II goes to the smelt-
ers Each car carries one charge TO the