The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-03-03
CUSTER
COUNTY

Report Of Robert N. Bell, State Mining In
speetor for the year 1907.
The mining industry of Gus
ter county enjoyed one of the
most prosperous years of its his
tory during 1907, and among it's
principal districts some exten-
sive and important ore develop /
ments were made, including sew
eral new discoveries of great |
promise. The total output will /
closely approximate that of 1906 |
in spite of the fact that the in
dustry of this county was hit
hard by the slump in copper,
which occurred during the early
fall, and the bullion yield rep
resents less than 9 months of
production, and would have made
a record breaking showing had
the main producer filed out a
full year.
White Knob Mine.-The prin-
cipal operation this year, as last,
was that of the White Knob mine
at Mackay, which was handled
by the Macbeth lease until June
9th, when this association was
succeeded and the entire White
Knob properties taken over by
the Empire Copper Co. of New
York City, of which Frank NJ.
Leland OF Mackay, under whose
able management this property
was rescued and transformed
from a dismal failure to a large
and profitable producer of cop
I per, is president and general
manager, with John H. Hobbs,
a vice-president, and Robert L.
I Moffet, secretary and treasurer,
d both of New York City.
S The new company is incorpor-
# ated with 100000 capital stock
= of a par value of So per share,
g and during the first eight months
5 of the year employed force OF
= about 275 men. The ore of this
e property is low grade on the
IS average and needs very close
.e management for it's successful
d treatment. The mine is quite
r. extensively developed by adit
t. tunnels and is equipred with
c. smelter containing two stacks
al each of about 800 tons daily cap
acity, by which the ore was re
duced to high grade matte unde-
the Macbeth lease, using tn,
. sulphide from Bingham, Utah, tt
III supply the deficiency of sulphu
" in the ore. Uunder the Empire
o. Copper company's management
an arrangement was made Wit
j. the Bingham smelter and tn
C. railroad people for a shipping
u and treatment rate that warrant
. ed sending the ore direct to til
~ smelter in Utah, and under thl
~ method shows a better margi
NC of profit than did the necessaril
-, expensive smelling operation o
eu the ground, where freights bot
% ways on fuel, sulphur and matt
" ran the cost of treatment up to
high to leave much of margi
a of profit.
ay The awful slump in cope
ne values in September, heweve
he made it Improbable to ship tt
nd grade of ore available, whicI
m while occurring in large bodie
ice is low grade on the average col
les tanning about 90 to 80 pounds
er- copper and a few dollars in go
at. and silver per ton. The pro
De- erty was completely put out
cir commission by the 1st of Octo
.ge er. and the crew reduced to
ct watchman. At the close of t
nd operation, however, the mi
be- was in better shape for ore pr
,dy duction and had as large nuI
,od Der of ore faces in sight to wo
a on as ever before, and if cepp
in prices recover to IL or Is cen
nd per pound the property W
st. doubtless resume operation a
did can then be handled at a dece
the margin of profit.
,Nf fhn Wh