The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-03
MoNTANA'S MINES.
The Principal cOpper-Producing State
in the Country.

Montana's output OF blister copper in 1905
amounted TO 294, 7O1, 252 pounds, a decrease OF
about 100000 pounds from the production
in 1905, but still amply sufficient to keep the
State In the first place among the copper
producers of this greatest eopper-produclng
country of the world. The output from the
mines was a little lower than that of the
smelters, mainly because severe weather
and congestion in traffic prevented regular
shipments to the shelters so near the end
of the year that the decrease was not felt
In the smelter production till 1907
Nearly the entire production OF the state
came, as in former years, from the Butte
district, in Silver Bow County, which is the
greatest copper camp in the world, The
mines Of the Amalgamated, the North
Butte, the Butte Coalition and the Clark
companies were the chief producers;. but
the United Copper, the East Butte and the
Pittsburg and Montana companies contrib
uted considerably to the output, and a few
other companies produced q little. The out
treated was a little larger than in 1905.
The decided falling off in production must
therefore be attributed mainly to the decrease
in the grade of the ores, but this was In
part the result of a deliberate plan to con-
serve the higher-grade ores while copper
remained high Low-grade concentrating
ores comprised over 80 per cent. OF the
total treated during the year, and the aver
age in copper was low, approximately 3l9
per cent. The yield in silver of these ores
Is rather high, the average in 1905 being
about 2 ounces per ton of ore. or 0.032 ounce
per pound of copper. Gold is comparatively
lower, the yield per ton of ore being 0Ol
ounce, or 0.00016 ounce per pound or copper.
The precious metals therefore reduced the
cost of copper production by about "a
cents per pound in 1906. The recovery OF
arsenic from the enargite ores. as practised
at the Washoe smelter, is also n source OF
revenue. This smelter, by the way, is the
only one in the United States which con-
verts the arsenical fumes pouring from the
stacks into a marketable product.
The productive area of the Butte district
is remarkably small for so great an out
put. Most of the ore bodies are larg.e,
though they are more tabular than IN
many camps, and hence are not especially
wide. Great activity was manifested dur
ing 1906 in prospecting for an extension OF
the profitable ground TO the north, soufh
and east of the known bodies. The most
important developments of the year Were.
however, in depth. several of the principal
shafts having beer sunk from 100 to Apo
feet and new ore bodies or combinations
of knewn bodies cut by the crosscuts
driven nj the ,lepths reached The most
noteworthy development of the year was
the cutting of a lode of good ore on the
2, 4O0-foot level of the Anaconda.
A geological study OF the. Butte dlsfrict
has been made by Walter Harvey Weed
and a report is now in preparation. a
brief account of the copper production or
the district is included In a report on the
production of copper in 1906. prepared by
/. G. Grafton. ~Rnoloeist D tho United
States Geological Survey, and published by
the survey.