The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-17
ERA Of ELECTRICITY
IN MINE OPERATION
Has Almost Replaced Steam
Everywhere About Great
Anaconda Workings.
USED EVEN IN HOSTING
Raise Twenty Tons From
Deepest Workings With
Ease and Economy.
SpeciaI 10 The Tribune.

SpGCldi 10 lNe lIlpuHb
BUTTE, Mont. Dec. 1S.-Gradually
electricity is replacing steam in all the
mining operations OF the Anaconda COM
pany Electric power congresses the air
with which the great hosting engines
OF the district are operated. Not all OF
the mines have as yet been equipped with
these air engines, but they Will be in
time. Electrical power indirectly drives
the air drills which are in use In all the
underground workings, The tramming In
the mines is being done with electrical
energy. The ore from the mines 10 the
Anaconda smelter is transported now In
trains pulled by electric locomotives. sew
eral of which are already in commission.
At the smelters the copper earring rock
is crushed by electrical power. 1t is con-
centrated by the same force. i'll fact, cleo
tricity is now being used at every step
in the mining and smelling OF the Ana
conda Company'S ores.
The application of electricity to the
mines Is eTectlng a great saving. There
was q time when the builders of hoisting
machinery were of the opinion that steam
the lifting of heavy loads from great
depths, That day has passed The Ana
conda compa nys air engines are capable
OF developing 3O00-h horsepower. They can
tons from the deepest workings in the
district and they are proving 8 adapt
BILE In every way as the old style OF en-
gines. The deepest workings in the dis
trict are 2S00 feet, one shaft being down
5000 feet, and, an air-driven engine Is
adequate there.
AS further evidence of the enterprise
OF the Anaconda company management
may be cited the electrification of the
railroad connecting It's mines In Butte
with its smelter In Anaconda, This road.
the BUTTE, Anaconda & Pacific, was built
In 1898 by Marcus DAILY, and is said 10
be the busiest road of its miles In the
world. Its main line is only twenty-siX
miles long. but with its side tracks 1t
road In the world was better equipped
or better maintained, but when the COM
pany became convinced that it could sue
cessfully apply electrical energy as the
motive power for the line, II lost no time
in bringing about the change. This is
now in effect An overhead trolley sys-
TEN is used and electric locomotives OF
the latest type and built especially for
and freight trains between Butte and
Anaconda. The eyes Of railroad men
generally are on this road Tor y is the
pioneer in the matter of electrification
| No other line where the usual difficulties
| In the way OF curva tures and grades are
encountered has been electrified through
out.
Not alone IN It's mining and transpor-
| tation departments Is the Anaconda COM
! pany leading. Its smelters are models OF
their type. They attract experts from
| all over the world. who come TO Mon
tana to study mining and metallurgica
| Developments. Al the Great Falls plant
| is located the highest stack In the world
! This chimney is 500 feet high and has
an inside diameter OF fifty feet At
| ached TO this stack are condensing tlues
| constructed for the purpose of eliminat-
| ing Objectionable dust and gases, II
| much the same way the solid particles
| from the gases passing through the fur
| naces at the Anaconda plant are con
| trolled, Some Of the Butte ores contain
| compounds OF arsenic, and a department
is maintained at the smelling plant t.
dispose of it and other obnoxious ele
ments. The question has received mucl
attention and nothing has been left un
] done TO arrive at "A solution OF th'
| smoke problem. European as we'll al
| American experts have been employed
and elaborate tests and experiments con
| Quoted with the result that the Ana
conda company has the situation wei
under control. The department referred
10 RECEIVERS daily from one to two ton!
Of arsenic from the smelter fumes. whlcl
are cleaned and cleared OF Objectionable
| gases in large part before escapini
| through the big stack. The arsenic re
covered by this method is Commercial
product and all OF it is shipped TO eastern
| ma rkets