Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-26
STEAM SHOVEL
OR old SYSTEM |
FORMER Advocate Of Surface Min.
ing Materially Alters
Mind.
4 RETURN is ADVOCATED
Colonel E. a. Wall Says Underground
Mining Is Chcnpcst III The Long
I,uu for Bingham.


nm investor in Boston Con-, Col II. A.
Wall, tells many Interesting things
about the difference in ultimate cost
of steam shovel mining rs opposed to
underground work. and sites many fig
lires$ to prove that the latter method
VIII eventually be proven the most
economic In the vicinity Of bingham.
The communication, which us taken
from the Boston News bureau. fol :
lows:
II have prepared the following with
ihe thought that you will regard Its
publication as of public interest as we'll
as an actof justice to the stockholders
81 the Boston Consolidated company.
and not inconsistent with fair treat
nent Of their immcdintc neighbor, the
Utah Copper company.
I'm q recent interview published in
lie BOSTON News Bureau, Mr. Gates.
The manager of the Boston CONSOLIDATE
ed mines, speaking of tho abandon.
mcnt of steam shovel mining, and the.
resort to underground mining instead.
stated in substance that they had pre-
vio,lsly removed With steam sl,ovels
30O0.00D tons of capp,ng ut n cost Of
IS cents per ton but that all the ore
vas now being mined through tunnels
underground at IL total cost of 20 cents
acr ton, and that he was convinced
that time would vlndicate his Judgment
Z in dscontinling the use of the steam
shovel and returning to underground
methods, thus clearly indicating that
The abandonmcnto of the steam shovel
VAS final
ut IS understood that Mr.. Gates ex-
poets. when his ground is properly
,pened. to reduce the cost Of mining to
10 cents per ton. or less. and 1t Is not
believed that any sum approximating
his cost can eyer be reached either by
Boston or Utah Copper by means Of
The steam shovel. II the cost Of the
,hoveIing. plant. trucks switches AMI
Ines tr road required exclusively for
removal of waste be charged to mining
,ostand not to general construction ac-t
.nunt.
According to Mr. Gates, 100000 tons
!. II capping was removed to n total cost
" $4,000: there was probably invested
n steam shovels, locomotives, cars and
racks $4,000 more. and 1t would prob
iblyrsuuirc the expenditure OF an ad-
iitional million dollars to secure tho
removal of sufficient of the remaining
waste. or Gaping. to make available
+ orEmining by steam shovel. any OF the
3ast ore bodies which lie beneath. and
= hen its extraction would be burdened
Hfthtu further cost of Is cents per ton.
IN other words. stockholders must
,e burdencd with the expenditure OF a
yum equal to 10 cents per ton on $780,
100 tons of ore and the amount
+ charged to construction before actual
4 mining begins, then. OF course, cheap
mining can be done until the
stripped segment IS exhausted. when
mother bond issue may have to be re-
torted to. to provide funds To pay for
hoveling off more Gaping.
When one thinks seriously Of the
natter. he will be strongly inclined to
agree with Mr.. Gates. that the rocky
lifts Of Bingham are not adapted TO
profitable removal by steam shovel
In view of the foregoing 1t is quite
possible that the Boston cost OF sc
:ents Eer ton for mining is much lowe,
han the actual cost of mining Utah
-npner ore by means of the steam
,hovel. and that abandonment OF that
method is but question Of time.
"On the other hand it is conceded
hat rccoverics by the Boston mill OK
.eeds that of Utah Copper by pei
ent. Now, assuming Utah ores t,
contain only 10 per cent copper. q
pounds Is 3.04 pounds, which. at 13I
'ents per pound, gives Al cents per tor
Is the gnin on each ton of ore treated
~ the Boston mill. This applied I,
he Utah mill shows 4 loss of $500
Der month. OF Sla32.200 per annum 81
900 tons of ore treuted per day.
There are also other important al
'nntages in operating costs in fnvo
" the Boston mill. One item alone
md that by no means the largest, ma
Ne mentioned. The Utah mill is opcr
tied by electricity generated by its ow,
steam plant. at a cost. as nearly Il
IAN be nsccrtained. of s72 per electrica
lorse power per ;nntlm. The Bosto
company purchases electrical power a
1876 per horsepower per annum, bu
tctual rating of power consumed, OWN
% peak loads. and occasional sudde
ihoclts. brings the cost up to $40 pc
horsepower per annum. Tho differenc
g $50 per horsepower which. on LOT
horsepower consumed by Utah. equa
900 per annum. and upon two item
mentioned sl,3S4.200 pertannuln in Il
yor of the Boston method ana yet II
Utah Copper earnings are very grec
wen under the present depressed prit
IF the metals. whilst It's nrea of worl
ablS. ores Is practically ineXhaustIbl
Why. then, may not Boston, With OF
,odies Of equal magnitude and in add
ton to a .sulphIde' mine of genera,
proportions, notwithstanding It's cost
experiments With the steam shoy,
soon take its place among the gree
profit producers"
ANOTHER CAMPAIGN PLANNEr
The North Horn Silver and. Copp
company is planning m active car
oaign tocolpmence in January. on
Z witch to n rlpS. J1nirl1bpr