Bisbee daily review., 1910-07-03

Shannon II ~
Superior Cop. 4 IL
Utah Con. IL 8
Sup. & Pittsburg rs 8
A total OF fourteen companies with
a production of $50 million pounds q
year He also gives the c. & A
cost at 81 and c. & II. at 10. Now
We know that S. p. is not producing
copper at J cent a pound cheaper
than the c & A.
Now just look at the above list
and tell me what these fourteen com
panies are going to do?
There is but one solution and that
is, cease producing or discover a
cheaper method OF extraction.
Besides these there are a number
of smaller fry who sell their product
to the custom smelters. Now in the
| fight between the vein mines and
the pOrphyry ones. the vein mines
have one advantage aud that is,
they can run up their grade for a
considerable length of time. but with
. the porphyries they can not increase
/ their grade one atom, as il has
been run up to the highest notch by
the floaters of the various get rich
quick concerns, and as | said be-
fore their mill heads viii not be
gin TO show that the ores are aver
aging anything near what they claim
for them.And outside of the Ely dis.
trict l predict a complete failure for
the performers who are to work out
the miracles that have been promised
TO the dear public.
As il has been impossible 10 merge
all the copper properties into one
gigantic merger or TO reach an agree
ment TO curtail production, there re-
mains but one solution to the prob
lem and that is dog eat dog" the
best ones to live out the fight and
il is the best thing that has been or
is being done for the copper situa-
ton since the panicky days OF '07.
From Mines and Methods whose
editor has given this subject more
thought than all other mining mag
azlnes put together, take the fol
lowing:
There seems 20 be strong indica-
tons that there is going TO be a
trying-out Of the claims of the low
grade disseminated" deposits against
the vein mines. A recent interview
published throughout the country. in
which John Ryan stated that IL any
one showed him a mine producing at
such cost per pound OF copper that
he would show a mine at Butte that
was producing still cheaper than that,
sounds much like a defy TO those
who are publishing extremely low
costs, and We predict that Mr.. Ryan
has made no empty boast.
Statements are made that the low
price of copper is going to spell the
death Of Butte, but those that make
such statements do not know Butte.
The cessation OF mining litigation and
Of the necessity of the innumerable
expenses due directly and indirectly
to this fight that has for years been
draining the treasures of the Butte
companies, together with the many
economies that will inevitably arise
from the consolidation OF the differ
ent properties under one management
and the avoidance of the duplication
of work that was formerly necessa-
rily done, will undoubtedly mean a
decrease OF fully a cent a pound il
the cost of producing copper at
Butte
Butte mining practice is good, but
there are many economies still pos
sible that will decrease the cost OF
operating the mines. The more gen
eral use Of the air-hammer drills
alone viii mean, | am assured. a de
crease in the stopping costs Of fully
twenty per cent. The new system
of framing the round timbers of the
square sets will save in the cost
Of timbering. The increased use of
electricity will make still further
saving. Moreover, the editor who
has worked as a miner in many OF
the Butte mines believes that If the
low price Of copper continues there
will be radical changes made in the
square-set practice at Butte so that
gravity will be used to more advant-
age in getting the ore out OF, and
the waste into, the Slopes That
would cut out much Of the cost Of
mucking. which amounts TO consid-
cradle at present
In short, in the early days Butte
raised square-set mining to the high
est point of development that as yet
the method has attained to. but
Butte became self-satisfied, or rather
the bitterness of the litigation and
the accompanying political fight, the
troll Of the courts took the attention
Of the companies away from the
Slopes and mining practices OF the
law of the apex.
But that is ended and If the fight
does come, as IL seems that it must,
the brains that were displayed in
unsnarling the tangle Of mining liti-
cation and the resisting. as well as
the corrupting, Of a dishonest judi
ciary viii be transferred to the more
inspiring task of evolving economies
in the different steps Of the produc-
ton OF copper. Then the so-called
porphyry. and equally incorrectly
designated disseminated properties
can well look to steam shovels and
cost sheets. The men in charge of
the policies in the operation of the
Amalgamated group of mines have
been schooled by years Of experience