The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-12-20
REPORT OF THE FINNISH AMER
lcAN MINING CO.
CONTINUED from Page 81

lUdl NtIt ia lOintttrOh Win
copper or that were taken out because
the miners had no place underground
In which to store them, have piled up
on surface. The enormous rock piles |
OF many hundred thousand tons, in
clude many thousand OF shipable ore |
of this class. have referred to Pres
ident Danielrs estimates and to my |
own, and will add now that believe
there are. in the first and second class |
ores alone. values of about 1920 900, at
a low price for zinc. There may be
$4,000 or 100000 tons of low grade
zinc ores suitable for concentration
In low cost mill, and from this a
considerable additional value can be
taken.
II has been estimated by Trusted
that from the entire mass of rock min
ed, amounting to some 100000 tons,
the copper recovered average not far
from O.64 per cent. This is very
low ratio and less than could be sue
cessfuly treated in America. But this
estimate includes all the rock mined
and is, therefore, quite misleading.
I have already called attention to the
former manner OF mining and the ex-
cessive proportion of waste handled
Hereunder And Mr.. Trustedt, while
using this figure of 0.64 per cent. notes
that all the copper taken. instead or
coming from the entire rock exca-
waited was from about one third OF IT,
or less Under this basis of figuring
the copper percentage was about per
cent. which is not so bad. The best
obtainable estimates are for an aver
age of about 2, TO 5 per cent. But as
a matter Of fact It is especially true
of such deposits as this, that the per-
centage OF copper in the ore mlned
can be made quite largely matter
of the price OF copper metal that Is,
the miners can so select their rock
to be mined that they will produce
what will be treated at a profit, and
the limits of the ore body VIII De
measured by the market price of re-
fined metal. II the metal shall sell
at, say, Is cents a pound ore running
down to. say, 1 per cent. can be pro-
us say. nothing of ttat character can
be treated. with labor at as low cost
as i'm Finland, where all combined
costs of mine operations In district
like Orijarvi, should not be more than
30 per cent. of what they are IN
l America. a much leaner ore can be pro-
htably mined than here, and the ton
mage thus correspondingly Increased
Labor for this mine should be had at
from 10 cents to s1.OO day, which Is
about one third of the equivalent costs
here, and there is not the slightest
question of the efficiency or this
labor. 1t is well known that large
part of the mine labor around Lake
! Superior, which is as capable as any
in the world, Is Finnish, and there is
no reason why Films at home should
not do as well as in the western states
of America.
In considering the future Of this
mine this matter OF labor is one of the
important items, and the abundant and
cheap labor available will materially
assist in working out low grade ores.
These ores are exceedingly base and
are difficult of treatment. Some IN
terest has been shown in the Eimore
Vacuum process of concentration, as
possibly adapted for this ore, but there
is not that similarity there should De
nor is IL concentration alone that IL
wanted but separation of two minerals
exceedingly alike in their specific gra-
witty. Broken Hill ores are an mt
mate mixture of galena and zinc
blende. The Butte and Superior com
many is now erecting a mill for the
separation of chalcopyrite ana zih'
sulnhide. that, from what | have hearc
about A. seems adaptable to this ore
and Il will be made the subject or
later letter. The process or Sutton
steele OF Dallas. Texas, combined VIII
preliminary concentration by water, II
we'll worth investigation on thes'
ores. and has worked exceliently vi
ores much similar in general nature
have hopes that new separation
nrocess developed by well Know
Swedish engineer, Mr.. Karl ward VII
enable n rather sharp separation 0
these ores. II is doing remarkapr
work in the water fiotation separation
OF materials of very slight diferenc
In gravity. The Ward process is
extreme simplicity and efficiency
cheap and very delicate in its apph
! cation. and as soon as receive furthe
details they will be made the SUP
iect of n special letter to you AS III
dicated above, It will be possible
select much OF the zinc by simp'
hand sorting at very low cost,
nickeing belts and hand cobbing. IN
low price of labor that can be use
for such work will be especially advan
tageous.
Your company should proceed VIII
its operations of exploration and de
ye,onment. to a considerable create
depth and longitudinal extent befor
making prepatations for the instaiia
ton of any costly mills for the treat
ment Of these complex ores. though
cheap mill for the separation OF zin
ore already mined from its was'
eangue might well be built as 500
% n railway connection for handiin