The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-21
HOW BINGHAM ORE
TONNAGE IS HANDLED
Chief Engineer Goodrich of
Utah Copper Gives His
tory of Process.
FIRST ROAD IN EIGHTIES
Twenty-Five Steam Shovels
and Fifty-tllree Engines
at One Mine.
FIRST ROAD IN EIGHTIES

| ciety Of Engineers FRIDAY cVcntnS, II
| C. Goodrich chief engineer OF the Utah
Copper company. gave an intensely Inter
estlng history OF railroad development at
the Bingham camp. also many details oil
tho enormous operations OF the Utah Cop
per company from the engineers stand
point. This paper follows.
| With the carly history OF the Bingham
| camp some OF YOU gentlemen are more
| familiar than | am. Some time IN inc
| sos the Bingham 81 Camp Floyd con-
structed narrow gauge railroad so ma,
| ores from this camp could be dchFcreo
to the smelters. then I'm the valley.
| The railroad was constructed on four
per cent grade and extended into bhnS
| ham Canyon as far ur as the grade Woulo
allow. From this point a survey was pro.
Jected. using seven and one-halt per cent
| grades. which Is tho average grade OF
! Bingham Canyon from the present Den
yer IL Rio Grundc depot to the Uhltco
States Mining comDany'S house at tne
mouth of. Bear Gulch. horse Tram
| line was constructed on this survey, &c
comnodatinG the StarlesS, Utah copper,
| United States. Commercial, and otner
mines. Along about 1890 the narrow
gauge railroad from the valley TO bihs :
| ham Canyon was rebuilt 10 broad gauge
! line ,oo
/ first visited Bingham Canyon In laoo
This was tho first time ! had ever seen
freight transported as il was on the morse
tram. a string of twenty or more nu'es
and horses would haul up the small ore
cars 10 their several destinations lhe
drivers would lie strings OF these h9rscS
together. tail TO head. and turn them loose
down the wagon road In tho bottom OF
the canyon. Tho drivers would then ger
on the loaded ore cars. running tnem
down tho grade by gravity TO inc ioaoins
up the ores for the smeltcr. The horses
and mules would be on hand Tor announcer
haul up the hill.
First Standard Gauge.
| was sent 10 this camp by The iio
Graudc Western Railway company 10 re
construct tho horse tram into railroad.
The instructions were TO follow the horse
tram as near as possible, using maximum
seven and onc-half per cent grades ana
forty degree curves. which was done. This
ra abroad was constructed from the Rio
Grande Western depot TO the CONNER
cial mine in 1900-lo0l. The track was
laid TO the Commercial mine in the spring
OF 190l- This was the first STANDARD
gauge railroad that was built up TO the
mines in Bingham Canyon.
II is necessary 10 use special type
of engine for these grades and curves.
the one most commonly used being smc
Shay. In 1908 a branch line was built
up Carr Fork TO the Yampa mine and lat
cr extended to the Boston Consolidated
ore bin, which company al that time was
mining sulDhlde ores. About this time
Ing a mill OF 500 tons capacity at Cop
perton and other mines were actively
engaged In producing ores.
/ am going into these details In order
10 show YOU gentlemen that the style
OF railroad originally built for the hand :
ling of the Commercial mine orc was not
aole to handle the tonnage later turned
out by the various mines. The United
States company. the Highland Boy and
Yampa company had 10 construct aerial
tram lines down to toe main railroad I'm
order 10 get their product to market. The
Utah Copper company Commercial. and
other mines were not able To dispose Of
the ore they were mining on account OF
the limited capacity OF this road. IL is
an expensive railroad TO operate, and
while probably better than horse tram;
one should hesitate before adopting it
TO handle freight over.
Long Look Ahead.
There was a remark made 10 me in the
fall OF 1900 that would Ike to repeat
now We were standing AT the old Ros
ers mill, tnat was situated about the cen
ter OF the Utah Copper property, when
the gentleman with me said Goodrich.
| YOU will see the dag when that Hill will
six years later ! saw the frsr steam
shovel start at the Boston Consolidated
| mine.
| The Utah Copper company in trying 20
| protcc. their output at different times.
made surveys for a railroad on lighter
! gradients and curvature from their mine
| 10 the mill at Coppcrion These plans
| iinai'y cnlininated in an entirely new To-
| pacity a great deal larger The 10
cation OF the Magma plant and It's out
put. YOU all familiar with. This rad
ical change In The location OF the mill
| and its large tonnage neCeSSitatcd a low
grade railroad with light curvature which
much be built right into the ore bony',
The Boston Consolidated were trying unf
| several plans for their property. finally
locating their mill in the Garfciu o,.-
| trict. which neccssitatcd handling OF this
| tonnage over The new line
Better Facilities Needed.
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad
| company. formerly the Rio Grande
Western Railway company started The To-
| In the spring Of 1905, 7 had the pleas
| ure OF having charge OF the construc
ton Of this line from the Utah Copper
ne mine IN Bingham CANYON TO the Am
plant al CaTield In order 10 handle the
construction material al tho mills. IL was
deemed advisable 10 start the work OF
| building the railroad TO the mills first
while the location al the Bingham end
WAS in progress. This construction zyorl;
was Completed IN November, 1905. Dur
ing 'nls ,lnc several plans had been un
der consideration for the Bingham end
and c%tcndeG Surveys had been made
| FINALLY plan was adopted using two and
ono naIf per cent compensated grade and
| sixteen degree maximum curves This
linc was completed on January ond iaa-
when the FIRST train was run over tho
new line 10 the Utah Copper mine.
In describing the operations al the
( {ItdH Copper mine. 7 will confinc ,n,scI,
10 the steam shovel opera lions and ra
road construction only. Triol 10 my con.
ncction with tho company. II had hcnr
decided that this orc coud be exiraIiod
more economically and Isrgcr sa,.inr
could he made by using steam shovrIs
Tho ore body lies I'm one large doposii
covered With Gaping from 80 To o0n fee,
thick. The problem Is Ia remove ,Ie
Gaping from the orc and deposit II or
ground away from the orc body. and re-.
move the ore 10 the railroad wards he
low.
4 Steam Shovel Elevations
These operations at present extend
vertically from elevation $40 10 eloya
iion 7Sio. or 1900 feet All OF This Tor.
rilory Was moi at that time embraces
within the Utah Copper compsny's prop
crty. but plans were being formulated or
a broad plane 10 handle the proper,,
economicaliy, Owing to tic stoep can.
yon that Is thickIv populated IL was
found. or account OF the expensive ra II.
road construction. that the economical
height OF the steam shovel benches ghotijd
be not To exceed seyenty-five feet This
has proTen 10 be correct and whcrevo,
it has been found possible the levels have
been made lesser height
| The stcam shoveis and attendant To-
comoliycs are operated by ytea:n THE