The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-19
COPPER FAMINE
IN TWO YEARS
Such Is the Prediction of HOr-
ace ]. Stevens in Boston
Interview.

Horace J. Stevens Of Houghton, Mich,
who is spending a few days in Boston. Is
conseryatively optimistic regarding the
copper situation. He says:
4 am well satisfied with the presen mt
situation. There is considerable accu-
mutation of copper, part of which is
thought TO be speculative. but il by no
means compares with the accumulation
Of the Sccretan syndicate Of twenty years
ago. In my judgment the entire surplus
viii be absorbed, probably within twelve
or fifteen months. and / think there VIII
be a sO-called copper famine within two
years. As "a matter of fact however.
there will be plenty of copper to go
round 10 those who can pay the price.
The salvation of the copper industry
lies ina the great length of time, great
amount Of money and the great amount
of technical skill and financial ability re
uuired in making q big copper mine. To
make a mine II takes on an average five
years time and 81 100000 for a small mine
and several millions for a fair-sized
mine"
Speaking of the low grade porphyry
mines. Mr.. Stevens says; The country
rock COPPER mines, including the porphy-
ries and schisi7, are TO the copper indus
try what the NIesaba iron range was TO
iron and steel Fifteen years ago the iron
men Of Lake Superior believed that they
were ruined by the opening of the Mesaba
deposits. but time has shown that the
ores of an of the Lake Superior ranges
the opening 90. 1untry rock copper mines
was OpportUU
AS to the lake Superior district. ne
says. THE lake mines viii continue 10
make copper on q slowly but steadily in
creasiug basis for an indefinite length of
time. absolutely regardless of the price.
They raise copper at Lake Superior the
way the farmer raises wheat and pota-
toes. and get the best price they can.
There viii be a little increase I'm our out
put each year for the next fifty years.
The most important development In
Lake Superior mining at the present time
and for some time past is the more sys-
tematic and better planned work under
ground, and the leader I'm this is William
d. Uren, formerly the mining superin-
tendent of the so-cailed BigelOw proper
ties. He now holds the same position for
the Calumet & Hecla.
AT the Ahmaek i'm February, carry
ing drift-stopes 10y l6 feet in size, work
ing two machines instead of one ma
chine, as is worked ir the ordinary G by
S drift the distance made was 1874 feet in
tNenIE-fOur working days comparing
with an average of about - feet in Il
month of twenty-sjX working days but
in THAI month the miners failed for seven
Gays 10 square theiT cut. In April
twenty-siN working days with two ma
chimes. the distance made was l6l feet,
and there Were only three days when they
failed To square their cut This was a
lcmaTka BILE achievement.
FIFTY per cent or more of the cost OF
mailing copper Is under ground, but a
mall pare Utage IS in the milling. Lake
t'-irerior milli-g has already been brought
to phenomenal effectiveness, the cost al
,.t- Do. ..atI-- Deeu reduced to Is cents
o. p ton. Ii can't be IrUuced much fur
the-
''i- is plain TO Re seen. therefore, that
the efforts to reduce underground costs
are I'm the right direction. and are meet
ing with considerable success. a frac-
ton of a cent saved i'm the cost Of max