Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1909-07-03
COPPER famine
IN TWO YEARS

Horace ]. Stevens Of Houghton, Mich.
igan. who is spending a few days In
Boston, conservstively optomistic re.
garding the copper situation. He says:
\ am well satisfied with the present
situation. There is considerable ac.
cumalation of copper, part of which Ii
thought to be speculative but it by 10
means compares with the accumulation
OF the Secretan syndicate of twent,
years ago. In my judgment the entire
surplus viii be absorbed. probably with.
in twelve os dftesp months, aud think
there will Be so-called copper famine
within two years. As a matter of fact,
however. there will be plenty OF copper
to go round to those who can pay the
price.
The salvation OF the copper industry
lies In the great length of time, great
amount Of money and the great amount
OF technical skill and financial ability
required in making big copper mine.
To make mine it takes on an average
FIVE years time. and 81. 900, 600 for a
small mine and several millions for a
fair sized mine"
Speaking of the low grade porphyry
mines, Mr.. Stevens says: The coun-
try rock copper mines. including the
porphyryries and schists, are to the cop
PR industry what the Mesaba iron range
was to iron and steel Fifteen wears
ago the iron men of Lake Superior be-
lieved that they were ruined by the
opening of the Mesaba deposits, but
time has shown that the ores of all of
the Lake Supeiior ranges were neces-
sary, and time will show that the OPP
ening OF country rock copper mines was
opportune.
As to the Lake Superior district, he
says: THE lake mines will continue to
make copper on slowly but steadily
increasing basis for an indefinite length
of time. absolutely regardless of the
price. They raise copper at Lake SUI
perior the way the farmer raises wheat
and potatoes, and get the best price they
can. There will be little increase in
our output 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
systematic, and better planned work un-
derground, and the leader In this is
VIM ]. Uren, formerly the mining su-
perintendent of the so-called Bigelow
properties. He now holds the same po-
sition for the Columet 4 Hecla.
AT the Ahmeek in February, carry
ing drift-stopes 9 by 10 feet in size,
working two machines instead of one
machine. as is worked in the ordinary
8 by drift, the distance made was l34
feet in twenty-four working days, COM
pairing with an average of about IS feet
in month of twenty-six working days,
but in that month the miners failed for
seven days to square their cut In
April, twenty-six working days. with
two machines, the distance made was
lol feet, and there were only three days
when they failed to square their cut.
This was remarkable achievement.
Fifty per cent or more of the cost OF
making copper is under ground, but q
small percentage is in the milling
Lake Superior milling has already beer
brought to phenomenal effectiveness,
the cost having been reduced to 16 cent.
per ton. 1t can't be reduced much
further.
1T is plain to be seen, therefore, thai
the efforts to reduce underground cost,
are in the right direction, and are meet
ing with considerable success. A frac
ton of cent saved in the cost of max
ing copper from rock which yields les.
than twenty pounds of ingot per ton il
an important economy.