The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-13
BINGHAM CAMP
TO LEAD BUTTE
Four Mines in Utah Camp Will
Soon Be Mining More Ore
Than All Butte.
COMPARISON NOW POSSIBLE
BY GEORGE L. WALKERS STORY
ON NORTHERN DISTRICT.

George l. Walker of the Boston Com
mercial, who has been doing the camp of
Butte. turns out some highly interesting
dope" on that camp. A portion of his
communication is here reproduced, as it
illustrates to a nicely what may be ex-
pected from Bingham operations during
the next twelve months. Mr.. Walker
shows that the camp of Butte is now pro-
ducing 1900 tons of ore daily. His figures
show that the average of all the copper
ores mined in the district is only a lit
tie better than per cent, with insignifi-
cant associate values in silver and gold,
Insignificant in comparison with the aver
age of these metals in the mines of Bing-
ham and other Utah camps. Butte has
been twenty years getting things down to
such a fine point that il can accurately
figure the silver and gold contents of its
ores 1t will take some time to reach that
stage IN Titan, but the history of the
Highland Boy, the Boston Consolidated,
Utah Copper, Cactus, Columbus Consoli-
dated, Mammoth, Observation-Disclosures and
other contributors to the copper wealth
OF the Utah districts will make it plain,
H Hls they get down to figuring, that
Butte has no edge over Utah in that re
spect; that this state, in reality, will beat
the northern camps record city block.
Bingham viii Lead Butte.
During the next few months. and GER
tainly within year. Bingham will be
handling more copper ore Of an average
grade as good as that Of Butte than the
northern camp Is now turning out. The
Utah Copper company alone will be hand
ling 1000 tons a day. The Boston COnSOI-
ldated VIII be treating 5000 tons in its new
mill and probably be marketing 1000 tons
of high-grade sulphides a day as well.
The Ohio Copper will be handling at least
go tons day in its two mills, and the
Utah Consolidated will be steadily grind
Ing away on its 900 tons day, II il does
not increase. These mines, then, will be
producing nearly, if not quite. just as
much ore as the entire camp of Butte is
producing today.
But there are a number of other mines
to be reckoned with as well.
The Yampa Will be producing close to !
loo tons of better than 3 per cent ore; |
the Bingham Consolidated company's |
Commercial and Dalton & Lark mines will |
contribute from 500 to 200 tons more; the |
United States mines, 40 tons; the For
tuna, 200 tons, and not less than a dozen
others will be contributing from 81 to |
800 tons each. By this time next year
loco tons of ore a day will not begin TO |
touch the product Of the Bingham. In |
view of these facts the following comment |
OF Butte by Mr.. Walker will be read with |
added interest here:
Butte's Past Production.
1T is estimated that since the produc- /
ton OF copper ore began, the output of all /
the mines on the Butte hill has aegre- |
gated 100000 tons, and that if taken |
from single vein 80 feet wide and 1900 |
feet long 1t would have exhausted it to /
a depth of 100 feet. From these figures /
l estimate that Butte has produced al |
ready approximately S250O00,O0O pounds of /
copper. This is approximately as much as 4
all the mines in the world can now pro-
duCe in two years.
There Is a considerable variation in |
the silver values contained in the copper |
a in farr ,fr,re
carry as low as half an ounce for each /
per cent 60 pounds) of copper Others |
carry an ounce for each per cent of COD
per, and still others contain ? ounces.
There is an average of u of a cent in |
gold and ia cents in silver secured with |
each pound Of copper produced. Precious
metal values, therefore, aggregate $780,
90 annually.
1.-The deepest shaft in the Butte district
Is the High ore, which is now down ? so |
feet. strike of bornite and glance was
made the other day at the very bottom of |
this shaft This indicates that the re-
markable secondary enrichment of the
Butte veins extends on down below the
deepest mining levels. Massive copper
glance is found in the 2,4O0-foot level of
the Anaconda mine.
The statement so often made that the
mines of Butte are running into iron at
depth is untrue. There has been an in |
crease in the percentage of iron in the
concentrating ores, but il is so exceed !
lngly small that it has no significance 1t
IL III q measure unfortunate, little /
larger percentage OF iron in its ores Will
help out decidedly at the smelters.
What Mines Are Doing Now.
THE mines Of Butte are now putting
out total Of 1900 tons of ore daily. 1t
yields an average of about 60 pounds of
copper to the ton, making the daily pro-
ductiOn Of the district only a little less
than 100000 pounds Of refined copper.
There has been no material increase in
the gross production of this district in the
past five or ten years. Formerly the
largest mines were worked chiefly for the
higher grades Of ore, and the big tonnage
of per cent TO u per cent ores were re-
spOnsible for the astonishing annual pro-
duction figures of former years. At pres
ent the largest companies go on the prin-
ciple that all the ore that will Weld a
profit should be extracted and treated
This policy has made possible a big rela-
tive decrease in operating expenses. and il
will tremendously lengthen the lives of
the mines.
1T Is estimated that there is a total of
100000 to 5000 900 tons of ore blocked out
in sight and ready for mining in the
Butte district This is sufficient to keep
all existing mills and smslters here in ot1-
Grafton for five years. On a 15-cent COP
per market this ore would have a net !
value of about $50 900 600; with copper at