Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-10-25
OPENING Up AFRICAN
COPPER DEPOSITS.
sRaflroad Reaches Edge of Red Metal
RcsioIl-Grcnt Ore Bodies
Are Blocked Out.

Cape to Cairo railway lTis just reached
Elizabctliyile are Of the greatest i'm
jSportancc to the copper markets of the
world. as this city il the first station
in the Kntanga copper regions, about
which European interests have been
making the most remarkable reports
for several years. The most important
mine Of the Katanga region Is known
as The Star Of the Congo. and is located
Z at Elizabethvllle. In the Immediate vi
entity there are five or six other copper
mines. which 1t Is believed will develop
into producers soon. The Star mine is
now being equipped with machinery
recently shipped from Antwerp and
within half IL year the first katanga
copper Is expected to reach European
markets.
In view of the great Importance of
this event to the copper interests of
America, n description of the Katanga
deposits and their prospects VIII be of
Interest The district lies in the remote
part OF the Congo Free State. 1t ex-
tends nearly east and west across the
streams forming the head waters of the
Congo The mineral district is about
, 200 miles long by % niles wide. and In
1t nearly $50 copper deposits have been
= located. Recent explorations in the
mountains lying north Of the eastern
part Of the belt have resulted In further
discoveries of copper ore although It is
: impossible from the mcager data thus
2 far received TO form any conclusions as
to their Importance.
IN DEPTH is LACKING.
1T is not yet possible to form any ac-
Ecurate estimate OF the copper contained
In the Katansa region. owing to lack or
transportation facilities. The work OF 4
developing the deposits has been of a
most superficial character. most of the
deposits having merely been scratched
on the surface to verify their existence.
Only about 10 mines have been opened
up to any extent, and of these only
two have beensopencd as deep as lO0
feet below the surface
& The Star mine at Elizabethville is de-
scrihed as being in a hill of ore about
two miles long. Some 800 meters of
tunnels and crosscuts have been opened
and 1t is estimated that ore worth So
900 to ss000,00O has thus far been
exposed Mining experts said that the
ore contained from II to IL per cent OF
copper. Thus far the ore has been
mined in the most primitive way, ne
groes hauling out the ore with windlass
and rope. Il Is
5s&-About so miles to tile northwest lies
I the Kambove mine. said to be. the rlch
est copper mine In the world. IT Is
described as consisting of two hills OF
conner ore, one Of which is 1880 meters
long and 600 meters wide, the other con-
sidernbly longer. Tunnels have been
Sdriyen into one OF them about j 100 feet
and the engineers gave the average
richness OF the orc taken out as IA 10
18 per cent. 1t is.estimnted that IT con-
5tilins 100000 tons of IL per cent ore
down ia the 1oO-foot level. Ton other
mines in tho district at which some
\ work had been done show that large
amount OF ore had been exposed.
IN DARKEST AFRICA.
IN two respects the Katanga deposits
make IA favorable comparison WITH
those Of the United. States. iney8 nre
Sncr,ses will be cheaper. Notwithstanding
the fact that the district lies In inc
heart Of darkest Africa. The average
conner for the district is now assumed
3 NJ betwcen IL and 10 per cent. ms
compares with an average OF . 70
spsr cent for American mines ana NIL, Mil
4 is per cent for the famous NO .i.M.u
: ,s,I,,s IN southern Spau The Katanga
sannsits moreover lie on the surface
I ,:I,ite thr best American mines are now
down several thousand feet, and II VIII
i ~ ,,asaible to work many OF them lfoiii
an.n cuts, Robert Williams. general
manager of the Tanganyike concessions.
!. which together with q Belgian cpinpuilS
e 81, jovi a monopoly of exploring ana mn mn
M, in Katanga. said alta stockholders
4 s,,,e..ting two years ago that the costs
Il ~ mining at the Star mine would not
nxceed els per ton of copper produceu,
and his engineers expected u sun iio MI
cost when the KamboNe ana otIgl
mines should come intogopcfation. re
IA ,.aye the average cost of mining N tne
tinted states ut ESQ u ton. ! nc ta AZ,
ranvil;c company has secured an'pie
4 fs'Sai fdenosits in Rhudesia: and there
1 q 70 n biIndant streams in the copper, dls-
trict for the generation of electtici'!'5
5s. BUILDING RAILROADS,
The transportation problem has NJ, no.
K ,,ct hecn fully solved In Katansn. nc nc
srynilway Will he carried forward from ON
,lisiIznIethyille to the kamboNe nine
within the next year or, two, The ran,
Il snmvi,,e6 company is building u roau
: rs own from Bcnguela in Portusuese
I Svest Africa. About 200 miles OF tils :
t,,SaI will be completed by the END O
tbIs yeur. but 1t will take some nSe
Years to finish the remaining s2o n,,ea
4 = thc western end Of the copper uls-
tr,ct, Tho Bclgians are also p tiltui,is
=, =, road into the district. when, suppiGi,
vented with Il steamer service, VIII
.snnen communication with the mouth
tinf the Congo.
STOCKS EE{sLoW AGAIN.
IRON Blossom Grows Stronger on