The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-13
LITTLE COPPER IN
G0LDF|ELD CON.
Management Refutes Stories
Circulated i'm Cities of
the East.
BIG MILL SAVING %
PER CENT OF CONTENT
Caved Drifts in Hampton Slope
Cleaned Ont and
Timbered.
SnecIal 10 The TrIhune.


GOLDFIELD. Nov. Feb. ia con-
troversy OF far-reaching scope has been
precipitated as a result OF reports sent
out from GoldGeld to the effect that In
the deeper levels OF the Consolidated
mines the gold content of the ore was
being replaced to a large extent by cop
per. The rumor has created widespread
interest and in some quarters no litte
alarm from the fact that were &c true
the expensive reduction plants now in
use would be unable to treat the product
successfully and only by the smelling
process could the recovery OF the metals
be effected. A most emphatic rcfutatIon
OF the story is given your correspondent
in an Interview with J. r. Finlay. gen
eral manager for the GoldMeld Consoii-
dated Mines company, who declares mat
in the great ore shoot opened on me
900 foot level and In the vein in which
drifting is in progress AT the lOOO-toot
level the proportion OF copper Is no
greater than at the surface or At any IN
tcrvenlnS point,
Copper. chiefly In the form OF tetrahed-
rite or gray copper occurs in nearly all
the ore of the Goldneld district. except
ing in some forms OF oXidlzed orc above
the water level but with the exception
OF one vein on the Victor and Gold Bar
claims of the c. O. II. Consolidated, the
vein cut by the Annex shaft on the
Poleverde and a portion of the. Florence
territory, the quantity Is negligible, ana
In the entire mining history of Goldheld
but one small shipment of ore has been
produced I'm the district from which any
return was made for the copper content,
this being taken as an experiment from
a depth of but 100 feet in the Victor
workings. The assertion that copper was
found to be replacing gold in the Con
solidated was made In highly imaSina-
tive story of a local writer, who had
never been In the workings OF the mine.
Gipp9l small OOdElpS car
rying a high percentage OF copper are
found. but nowhere In sufficient propor-
tlon 10 affect treatment processes.
With recovery OF about 30 per cent
OF the gold content. the mill OF The Con-
sOlidated Is now treating over 800 tons
OF ore daily. and il Is expected that THIS
will be increased 10 above 900 tons The
recently installed equipment OF Chilean
mills and other machinery is operating In
a satisfactory manner. heavy produc-
tion is now being made from the Cler-
mont workings, where slopes OF great
size are being opened at the 500. $50 ana
900 foot levels as well as AT intermedi-
ate points. The ore body on the 1SO-toot
level Is being opened for over 300 feet
and is OF great width. attording ore re-
serves far in excess of anything antici-
pated during earlier stages OF develop
meni. At the l000-foot level the drift
following the vein is now thought TO be
nearing the ere shoot and the formation
IS said by The manager 10 be identlcal
in character with that exposed on the
levels above, giving no cause 10 fear any
depreciation In size or quality OF the
vein.
Combination Workings.
The Combination workings are again
in good order, the drifts in the caved
area Of the Hampton stope having been
cleaned out and supplied with ample tim
bering to insure their safety. Prepara-
lions are being made 70 stope out TINS
entire vein from the lower levels TO the
surface when the entire mass OF ore, one
OF the largest deposits in this bonanza
territory. will be sent TO the mill for
treatment. BY a similar process the ore
In the Red Top vein VIII be mined. In
the latter vein. ore OF excellent quality
has been developed continuously for 100
feet, with the exception OF a short Inter
val where a fault has thrown the vein
10 the west toward the Mohawk Good
ore is being stopped at the fourth and
fifth levels far to the south on the Com
bination No. =. in ground adjoining the
Florence. and on the Mohawk develop
ment continues 10 augment the reserves
OF ore.
George Wingheld, president OF the
Consolidated. Is now In Goldfeld. and
will leave shortly for New York to at
tend the regular quarterly meeting of di-
rcctors on February "a. He will be ac-
companied by a. II. Howe. secretary and
treasurer OF the company; ], II. Mac
kenZ!e, consulting engineer. and W. {.
Ralstou, assistant United States treas
urer at San Francisco. all of whom are
directors. and IL is believed that the en-
tire board will be in attendance. The
meeting will be OF particular interest
from the fact that the amount OF the
next and subsequent dividends Will then
be determined upon and the possibility
that the regular disbursement Will be In
creased from 30 to 90 cents quarterly, No
informa tion Is obtainable as to the pros
poets In this direction, but the largely
Increased earning capacity Of the proper
ties renders the step well within the
range OF possibility.