The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-21
Ely AND BINGHAM
MINES DOING WORK
Eastern Mining Engineer Gives
Great Copper Camp Recent
Going Over.
THERE WAS MUCH TO
CHALLENGE INTEREST
Arizona Properties Promise to
Play Important Part in
Copper History.

T. \. Skinner. the mining engineer OF
Trippe. Thompson Co, returned TINS
week from a 90,000-mile trip. covering
neriod of three months and embracing the
examination of some OF the largest mines
q, 1.-Two United States. Canada and Mexico
MIR Skinner, during this trip visited o'er
$50 properties. representing almost every
large copper producing enterprise III INC
western United States, With one or TWO
exceptions, he noticed several improve
lncnts at ali the camps. Particularly SO a'
the so-called low-grade porphyry mines
which have recently become Immensely
popular.
BEGINNING in Arizona. Mr. Skinner went
through all the big ca mps, spending soi''e
time looking over the properties at Ilooe'
Miami. RAY and Bisbee. Speaking oil some
of the changes, when interviewed la's
week, he said:
"The steptoe smelter at Ely continues
its splendid work, There are at ptSsere pfse,e
three units in opera ton tW9 a 0o wm' orss and
working on Nevada Consoloateu ores an an
rho third on Cumberland Ely. Inc lou!.h
unit which is 10 be assigned 70 ,, Iue a,,d
vada Consolidated, is now huiidihs ac anu
should be completed in July oil inns year.
Each unit is row treating on the aFyrase
Of 400 tons per day, The NeTaqa Eo, Sp,r,
solidated Is taking its ore entirey iIU,,r io''r
The Copper Flat ore body, where i0ur lou,
steam shoves are in opera ton. . oda ne
property was producing sl'etly over o uoo,,
00o pounds Of copper per month, at co''
of between { and cents per pound,
"At the Cumberland Ely property there
IS developed by the Veteran shaft an ore
body roughly 1900 feet long by ooU n leSe
wide by so feet thick. The orc Whlch
ranks among the highest grade OF por-
phyrites. assays around as per cent cop
per The mining Is being done by the I2p I'
slice cavng method ana aPPsoN.,,,S,.~s n,S,.,,,,y
1900 tons per day are sent TO the concen,
traitor a large amount of development
work has been done and the ore reserves reserves
have been extended conslderaoIy, lhoush ls
no figures have yet been prepared cover
ing the exact amount OF ore In sight Inc
property was producing roughly at the
rate of 1.15o.00o pounds per month.
"At the GirouX they were about 10 DC
gin operations on the sinking OF the new
Shaft, located 700 feet TO the westward OF
the Alpha, and out OF the ore oodles.
Crosscutting for the new location is now
being done from the Alpha shaft. which
Is 10 be bandoncd. this being the one
which caved in last December, entomolng
several miners, It Is the intention 70 rdlse
from the surface, thereby giving three
points Of attack. The ore bodies in inc
limestone will be workeA through TINS @ tun
mel The company is now engaged in drill
ing the porphyry deposit TO determine tne
thickness OF the overburden and whether
or not il will he possible 10 work inns ore
In operation and two more had oeen or
dered at the time of my visit. The mill
and SDeltcr are not IN operation.
AT Bingham. the Utah Copper company
is now producing at the rate Of 100000
pounds Of copper per month. and the man.
ncenlcai is busy working out the idea OF
reducing costs which are being cut by
reason OF the improved transportation
facilities which the Denver Rio Grandc
Western railroad is giving the company.
Al the mine a large amount of new ore
Ing h.pr n pI n
last visit. This amounts TO eight acres OF
ground and makes n total known mineral
lied area OF eighty acres. The mine is
equipped with ten steam shorels and
about $500 tons of ore are being sent 10
the mills daily. OF which 5000 tons are
going 10 the Garfield and 500 TO the Cop
pcrton plant.
"At the Boston Consolidated the previ-
,usly defined limits OF the porphyry ore
cody have been extended from n depth OF
5e5 feet 10 525 feet. Computations as TO
this Increased tonnage have not been
made up TO the present time. The orig
nal estimates were 16.0OO,oo tons, as
lion az The property is now at the rate
II 5000 900 pounds per month. This in
rludcs the copper from the sulphide ore
q bodies: which amounts to approXimately
one-hfth Of the total and which Is
shipped and smclted direct. Like the
Utah Copper company this property has
becu handicapped by the lack of trans
portation facilities on the Denver Rio
CJraude Western railroad, This trouble.
however. has been remedied. and for the
past two months shipments have been
proceeding satisfactorily
at the Ohio Copper property they are
constructing q 2400- ton mill. OF which the
first Unit OF 800 tons capacity Will be
ready In August. This property is devel-
oped by a l400-foot inclined shaft and
the $4,000 foot Wascotte tunnel, The
mana cement here claims reserves OF 49,
per cent copper. On this grade ore they
expect to get an extraction OF SO per
cent which is considerably higher than
Is being obtained from the low grade por-
phyry.'
Mr., Skinner was greatly Impressed with
the new porphyry deposits. namely. the
Miami. Ray, Inspiration. ella. now more
or less In the process of development and
equipment. In this class of deposits there
sprear TO be enormous possibilities.
This class OF properties seem destined
in the future 10 play very important
role in the country's copper production.
s they Will be among the lowest cost
producers. These porphyry and achist
deposits now developed and the ore
reserves blocked out accurately by
means OF churn drilling. BY this method
the reserves are Increased rapidly. Tho
Ray may he cited as IN instance of this,
where, with eleven drills I'm operation
100000 tons per month are added to
the developed tonnage. The Inspiration
Is now engaged In drilling and sinking
with the result that new orc is being
developed daily.-Ncw York Mining Age,
Trout fishing best in years at Upper
Falls Resort