Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-09
SHORTAGE OF RAILROAD CARS
Find it Impossible to Get Ore to
The Market Under Pres
ent Conditions.
Compelled 10 Lay on Miners Until the
Railroads Lift the Existing
Prevailing Embargo.

The Boston Consolidated Arinjn,. oo,,,-
pany dropped 300 men from its pay roll
In Bingham today. As n reason for
taking such radical step. Acting,
Manager II. s. Townsend explained to
"News' representative today was
due mainly to the fact that the COM
pany has been operating to decided
disadvantage on account of a. shortaue
of railroad cars in which 10 move ore
to the valley smelters for reduction.
This condition has existed for some
time" declared Mr.. Townsend, hut we
have been going along the best way we
could all the time, living in hopes that
the situation would improve But IL
has not improved--on the contrary 1t
has been getting worse. The Boston
Consolidated company has been en-
ploying about 800 men at Bingham. and
the letting out of the 300 today reduces
our force TO about 500.
BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS.
Conditions as far as the tlansporta-
ton question is concerned have be-
come so bad within the past few weeks
that the Boston company has simply
found 1t impossible to get ore to mar
ket. The ore bins are filled and 1t has
piled upon us so that we haven't any
place to put 1t. Consequently, we have
been forced to take the miners out of
the mine until the embargo is removed.
Just when this will be, no one knows.
We should be getting Is cars a day to
handle the output of the sulphide mine
alone and 10 cars for the pcrphyry
mine, Yesterday we got no cars at all,
and for days and days 1t has been pos
sible to get only from two OF three
cars. Sometimes we might get as high
as 10 cars; but the local railroad Off
Gals wei.ld not promises anything.
II am satisfied" Mr.. Townsend went
on. that the local officials of the Rio
Grande have done the very best they
could with limited equipment. The
Boston Consolidated company has no
complaint to make against them. The
fault lies at the New York headquar-
tiers, where the executive heads have
been slow to appreciate the rapid de-
velopment OF this western country dur
ing the past few years and as con-
sequence the road has not been equip
ped TO keep pace with the times. The
Rio Grande is not in shape to handle
its Bingham business as 1t should. We
have simply got tired of trying to get
service and that Is why we have re-
duced our force at Bingham.
$4,000 A MONTH CUT.
THE letting out of so many men at
the Boston Consolidated means re-
duction In Its monthly payroll of ap-
proximately $4,000, bYt IL is probable
that large portion of the men relieved
from service will be able to get en-
ployment at other mines In the camp.
IL not there. In other camps Of the
state, for mine owners OF Beaver coun-
ty and elsewhere have been complain
ing because they could not get enough
help to operate their properties up 10
capacity.
UTAH COPPER SITUATION.
AT the Utah Copper companys office.
Manager d. C. Jackling declared his
company would net follow the Boston
Consolidated and let out any men: at
least not until the transportation stu
alton became very much worse than Il
Is at the present time. While the Utah
Copper company has had It's share OF
troubles with the Rio Grande, at the
sanle time conditions have not become
so bad that IL has been deemed neces-
sary TO take such radical steps as the
Boston Consolidated has done.
BINS ARE FULL
The cutting off OF 300 men from the
pay roll Is not takon as an indication
that ore shipments win cease alto
gether. On the contrary, the manage
ment hopes to send some ore to the
smolter. IT has the supply In the bins
to draw on, and when they are emptied
II Ia likely more miners will be put
back to work in the mine In tho
meantime. development work viii 60
on and tho steam shovels will be kept
at work stripping the overburden from
the porphyry ore deposits,