The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-04
VISITOR TELLS OF
HOMESTAKE MINE
Foreman of the Greatest Low
Grade Mine in World Now
in Salt Lake.
CYANIDE PROCESS ON
SHINES OR TAILINGS
Eight-HOur System Generally
Adopted by HOmestake
Interests.

F. R. Daniels of Lead, S. D., fore
man in the great Homestake mine, was
in the city yesterday, and while here
talked interestingly of the Homestake
workings. the greatest low-grade ore
mine in the world The entire Black
Hills are saturated with low grade ores,
it being almost impossible TO find soil
that does not contain small amount
OF gold ore The Homestake manage
ment, under the direction of Thomas J.
Grier, has been able TO extract the gold
from the low-gradc ore so cheaply that
the stock is quoted high in the mining
world, but is not on the market at any
price Mr. Daniels told Of the great
cyanide process now being employed,
that makes it possible to secure 20 per
cent more of the valuable metal than
has ever been secured heretofore. The
new cyanide process treats the shines
or tailings that were formerly allowed
to 60, to waste, To c w Merrill is
due the credit of the discovery of the
method whereby this gold could be
saved The new shines plant Will be
In operation not later than the first Of
March, and the work may be completed
before that time The Homestake com
pany has It's own boiler shops and ma
chine shops, and therefore makes its
own machinery, even the most intricate
pieces of work being manufactured
with the greatest ease, as the best
machinsts obtainable are employed by
the company
New cages for all the different mines
are soon to be installed. w. S. o 'Brien,
assistant superintendent; j, a. Sphrge,
master mechanic; Ole Danielson, night
foreman of the entire mine. and several
other members Of the company s staff,
were in Colorado and Utah recently, to
inspect the workings of the different
mine cages, and after they have decided
what is wanted, will get a cage for n
pattern and will manufacture new ones
| for all the workings.
For a number of years the men
worked from ten hours in the mines to
twelve and even fourteen hours in
other places, and this without extra
pay. With the installation of new and
modern machinery, it was found that
the stock was paying handsome divi-
dends, and il was decided that the men
should be given an eight-hour day, and
this was done, 5000 men being affected.
Every employee was given eight hours,
even the clerks In the Hearst Mercau
tile company store being gwen the
short day. The employees of other mer-
camille establishments asked for SIM
liar hours and their employers were
compelled to accede. as it was found
that they would be boycotted entirely
if they did not grant the mems de-
mands. The city of Lead is now a
| strictly eight hour town.
The granting of the eight-hour law
| by the Homestake brought out a pecu-
| liar state of affairs. as the smaller
companies are in the same predicament
as was the Homestake for several years
before they had installed their new
machinery, and the men threaten to
strike in most of the smaller mines,
At one time the Homestake stock was
largely owned by the Hearst family,
but at present the control is not held
by the Hearst interests. although Mrs.
Phoebe Hearst, W. R Hearst s mother,
owns the controlling interest in the
Hearst Mercantile company, the concern
which furnishes most of the mining
company's employees with their mer
chandise though there is nothing that
prevents their buying where they please.
Mr.. Daniels spent the dav in the city
and left for the coast. where he and
Mrs Daniels viii spend a few weeks
for the benefit of the lattcr's health.
He was greatly pleased with Salt Lake
City and said tnat he should try. TO
arrange TO spend several days here on
his return