The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-21
ROOM FOR MANY
EXPERTS IN WEST
Experiments on Ore Treatment
Will Make Several New
Regulations Yet.
HOW TO ACHIEVE
A BETTER SAVING
Method of Rescuing Copper
From Tailings, Is An
other Problem.

The adherents of the conservation OF
resources movement have called atten-
ton in q manner which has made the
country do some deep thinking TO the
waste involved in many modern indus
tries and a party OF engineers on Mon :
day were caught in the act OF predict-
ing that the ncXt great advance In met.
aliurgy will be 10 perfect some more Ideal
means Of orc concentration. especially
copper, than any now In use. IL is not
so much question, they agreed OF eI-
istins conditions being good enough,
taking as they do what has heretofore
been useless material like the low,
grade porphyry ores OF the west ana
it is d question of whether or not some-
thing better is possible, something which
will come nearer the point where con-
servatonists will have less with which
To find fault
Copper ores. for instance, carrying
from thirty to thirty-flve pounds OF
copper per ton as now treated give a
recovery OF 90 10 10 per cent. and a loss
In the taiings OF the balance. There
are being accumulated. therefore. in the
tailings dumps throughout the west an
from mills. the tailings carrying say
from ten To fifteen pounds per ton. These
,ailings are being accumulated so that
when the right fellow with the risht
taken and treated. The time and the
fellow are coming as surely as the pio-
neer porphyry operator came. his proc
ess Al the same time may extend 10 the
original mill treatment: guaranteeing a
less loss oi metal than is now the rule.
West Is Experimentive.
Western metallurgists realizing these
conditions not sitting idle awaiting
tor some metallurgical Moses TO lead
them TO higher ground. II is understood
that exhaustive experiments are now be-
ing made throughout the west with this
end In view. IL is expected. for instance,
that oXlGlzed copper ores OF extremely
low metallic content. and not amenable
10 the concentration process now being
used so universally. can be brought into
the commercial column by new sys-
tenn of teaching. and success In this di-
rccticn viii unquestionably assist r.
bringing many OF the old tailirgs dumps
!nto use. for greater portion OF the
copper now lost is a member OF the oXi-
died family. while In the course OF time
much ri the slilphides by contact with
air VIII be reduced to the same chemical
classification. hence within the influence
OF teaching req agents.
There SIM is n wide experimental field
10 he covered III these western mining
fields. and future tasks should be easier
owing Ia the extensive ground covered
by rhe pioneers already. One hears fre-
quently Of new smelling devices 10 fur-
ther cheaper the cost of ore reduction,
and old time Comstockers will snudder
when they recall To what extent ilcv
had to timber drifts and crosscuts long
ago applying past conditions 10 present
needs.
Up Ia very few years ago there was
no such thing as a porphyry copper
proposition as the term is now under
stood. The industry is really in its In
fancy. and while il is "A decidedly husky
youngster there is room for growth and
grow II must.