The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-30
COPPER MINING
FOR YEAR 1906
Government Data for Year
Mentioned Makes Present
Years Showing Shine.
RANK OF DISTRICTS GIVEN
BINGHAM LEADS, WITH TINTIc
IN SECOND PLACE.

Utah stood fourth in rank among the
copper-producing states in 1906. Blister
copper to the amount of q, 329. 119 pounds
was produced. mainly from three import
ant districts-Bingham, TintiC and
Frisco. This output was less by 3,670SSI
pounds than that of 1903, which amount
ed to 100000 pounds. The mine produc-
ton for the year exceeded the smelJcr
production by over 6,eg0,0G0 pounds OF
blister copper for the reason that great
amount of material received from the
mines was not worked up during the
year, and at the end of the year there
were stored at the smelteTs ores and con-
centrates containing more than S,OOO,OU0
pounds of copper. The chief cause OF
the decrease in smelter production was
the failure of the new Garfield smeltcr
TO handle as much material during the
year as mad been expected.
Bingham District.
The Bingham district, in salt Lake
county, is sixth in Importance IN the
country. The blister production of the
district in 1866 fell somewhat below that
of 1905, which was 80 OU0,OOO pounds, the
decrease being caused by lack of fuel
and storage OF ore at reduction works.
The smelJers south of Salt Lake city
have long been the subject of heavy
claims for alleged injury to agriculture
and as a result much money has been
spent by operating companies in the et-
fort to reduce the amount of sulphur
in their smoke. The local market for sui
phuric acid is, however, extremely SMALL
and as the shelters are not within profit
able reach of markets to the east and
south they have found it cheaper to pay
the damage claims than to make sui
phuric acid for practically nothing. A
decision given by the federal court late
in the year enjoined four smelling plants
near Murray and Bingham Junction from
operating on an ore or combination OF
ores containing any arsenic or more than
10 per cent of sulphur. This decision, II
sustained. may force the companies to
move elsewhere: but the threatened re-
moVal of the smelters has aroused prop
erty owners and business men in the VI
Cinity, and, as in California, the depen-
dence of the communities on the smeiters
has been realized.
Tintic District.
The Tintic district, at Eureka Juab
county. is the second copper camp in the
state and the tenth IN the country. The
camp IS essentially "a precious metal
camp with copper and lead as accom-
panying metals of importance, but in
varying quantities The copper prOduc-
ton OF the district in 1906 was derived IN
large part from the Centennial Eureka.
Eureka Hin and Mammoth companies
but nearly every producing mine in the
camp added more or less copper to the
output of the district. The average yield
of all the ores of the Tintic district is
about per cent of copper, but certain
ores yield much more.
There is no sneter in the immediate
vicinity of the TintiC camp, although il
was reported near the close OF 1906 that
one was to be erected there in the uear
future. The old mills of the district,
which depended largely on amalgamation,
have beel abandoned because of their
failure TO save the baser metals. The
new mills make d concentrate for ship
ment. but the greater part of the ore
is shipped direct to the shelters.
Frisco District.
The Frisco district. i'm Beaver county,
made a decided gain in its copper out
put for 1906. but considerable portion
of the production did not reach the form
of blister copper during the year The
bulk of the output was derived from the
Cactus mine. Figures given in the pub
the Cactus mine yields a lower percent
age of copper than any other large mine
outside the Lake Superior region. Low
gold and silver values. however, some
what reduce the cost of production per
pound, and high grade ore has been
found in some places. The ore is con-
centTsted about 10 into l. and the pro-
duct is shipped TO Salt Lake smelters
The mill was enlarged in 1906 from 50{
tons TO 600 tons daily capacity.
other Districts.
The Little Cottonwood district in Salt
Lake county; the Park City mines; the
Ophir district in Tooele county. and the
Tutsagubet district, in Washington coun-
~. We're the principal contributors 10
the states copper production outside OF
the three principal districts. In all but
the last named of these smaller dis
tricts the copper is recovered inciden-
Tally TO the production of other metals
In the TutSagubet district, however. a
small smelter was operated during the
year and the black copper which il
turned out was shipped east for refin-
ing. Small quantities of copper were pro-
duced il numerous other districts of the
state. An important deposit at Copper
Mountain, in Box Elder county, was re