The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-06-30
ereat FaIls, Montana. June q.

picaI Il aiIs, montana, June 22.
Editor of the Banner
In my letter of last week. prom.
ised to send you few lines, and to-
day | am fulfilling that promise.
Yesterday afternoon was spent in
going through the smelter of the An
aconda Copper Mining Co. The plant
covers an area of twenty-five acres.
and is located along the banks of the
Missouri river. The land is not level.
but rises for three hundred feet from
the river bank. At the highest eleya-
tion, an immense smoke stack car
ries away the sulphur fumes which
come from the smelter, and which
are very injuries to vegetation. This
brick smoke stack is the largest I
have ever seen, being sos feet high,
80 feet in diameter at the base and so
feet at the top. Its cost was approx
mately s1,0OO,OOO.
Ore is shipped here from Butte at
cost of one dollar per ton. A small
quantity of this ore is very rich in
copper, running about rs per cent to
the ton. This high grade ore is smelt-
ed with the fiux without further treat
ment. larger quantity of the ore
received, is far less rich in copper.
running only about to per cent to
the ton. This low grade ore is passed
through many different stages before
it reaches a comparative state of puri-
ty. 1t is dumped into the large bins
directly from the cars which are run
along at the highest point OF ground
on which the smelter is located. From
these bins, the are passes by gravity
into crushers, and is moistened by
running water. After passing through
number of crushers we find it re-
duced to about the fineness of ordin-
ary gravel In this state, IL is al
lowed to fall by gravity, into the first
jigging machine. These iigging ma
chimes are used to wash the concen-
trate and separate the dross from the
rich ore containing the copper, silver,
and gold. These machines are large
corrugated tables, set on an incline,
with stream of water, running over
them. The tables are kept constantly
In motion by jigger which does just
what the word implies, shakes the
table back and forth This motion
causes the heavier part of the concen-
trate to settle into the grooves of the
table, and the running water carries
away the light colored dress which
rises to the top After passing through
many of these jigging machines, the
ore reaches a very fine state, almost
like fine plaster of paris, but still
contains much dross
The Venner machines come next,
and they are too complicated to des-
cribe. They do the last refining act,
and when the ore leaves this machine,
it is calcined in a furnace to remove
a portion of the sulphur which it con-
tains.
The McDougal furnace is next used
in the process of reduction. The mol
ten ore, still containing much dross,
is oxigenated for a period of from
three to four hours, which causes the
copper to rise to the top, and it is
then poured off into molds.
We have now traced it from the
start of low grade ore, down to 9S
per cent pure copper. The contents
of these molds are called annodes,
and weigh about 700 lbs. each. One
| is made every minute. Copper is
worth here, at the present time 1875
cents per lb., and it is therefore an
easy matter to calculate the worth OF
one of these annodes. This SO per
cent copper is next treated by cleo
trolosis, which yields chemically pure
copper. The process is simple, con
sisting only of immersing the annodes
in large vats, which contain a solu
tion of blue vitrol. Pure copper plates
/ gather by electrolosis, pure copper
from the annode, leaving honey
combed mass of dross metal. Power
is furnished by the Missouri river to
operate this immense plant.
The men work on eight-hour shifts
and are paid good wages, from $4.Ot
to $500 per day. Small quantities ot
gold and silver are obtained but are
considered as by-products.
There are many interesting things