The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-05-30
SS3.luIl,llll(] E BEING SPENT bY TH5-
 <. [. C(l.
Geo. L. Walker, In Boston Commercial After Visit to Clifton Describes the Big Improvements Now
 Nearing Completion,

l Arizona Copper is expending $5,- 1 100000 or more in new construction
 work, chiefly with the object of re.
 ducing operating expenses and mak ing it possible to treat lower grade ores profitably. AS this company
 was financed in Scotland and nearly paratively little is known of it in this country. It has been an import ant and growing producer for 30 years, however, and continuous divi-
 dend payer for 15 years.
 The porphyry copper mine is pop ularly considered a very recent de
 Arizona Copper has been producing
 from low grade disseminated DOT
 phyry deposit for 30 years. The
 technical papers are just beginning
 to get excited over the possibilities of
 chemical processes of ore reduction,
 but the Arizona Copper company has
 been teaching copper ores profitably
 for the past % years.
 It is one of the decided exceptions
 to the general rule of foreign owned mining companies, for this company
 has always had the benefit of excel lent management. It has been handi- capped to some extent by difficult and complicated transportation arrange mentS for it's ores between some of it's outlying mines and its concentrat- ors and smelter, by the necessity of pumping it's water a long distance at great expense, by a badly planned, un- fortunately located and now antiQuat- ed smelter and by excessively high power costs.
 The mana cement is now removing these handicaps. It is building an entirely new smelter on an admirably chosen site about mile down the river from Clifton. It will cost about s2,500,000, will probably be the best and most efficient plant in existence when it is finished and will go into commission in August or September this year.
 This new smelter will consist of naces, the waste heat from which will be used to generate electric power for mining, ore transportation, milling and all other necessary power pur- poses. It is being equipped with the largest types of roasting furnaces and basic lined convertorS. A bedding plant and all the other up-to-date con trivances which experience has prov. ed to be of advantage in obtaining low
 
 are included in the equipment
 The old smelter will be razed, as will also be the Clifton concentratcr, which is now treating about TOO tons of ore daily The only portion of the old plant that will be left at it's pres ant location is the teaching plant, and eventually that may be substituted by a new one at a more advantageous b. cation.
 To overcome expensive ore haulage by roundabout routes, all of the com- pany's mines on the west side of Chase Creek are being connected by an electric railway something over four miles long, of which about three ! miles is in tunnels deep under the {; The ores from the Hum- , ooldt, Clay and Coronado mines will i 1e dropped down to this tunnel and 1 delivered to, the Humboldt concentrat- i ,r, which is now being doubled in size rom 1,5O0 to 5000 tons daily capacity. |
 Coronado ores are now being hoist d through a 700-foot shaft, delivered r o mine railroad, which winds and wists for about two miles around the ' peaks of the mountains, and then ent down 1,000-foot incline to tho ailroad. The new tunnel referred to z ;uts the Coronado vein 400 feet below H6 pTcScuI UOIIOu Ol llS Sudlt. i1c nergy of the companys management s illustrated by the rapidity with which this work is being done. The worlds record was recently broken by Irving this deep tunnel 799 feet in me month through granite porphyry, 4 he size of the opening being six Dy tight feet. i'
 When all these improvements have 'een completed, which will be in the present. year, the company will have educed it's power cost approximately ne-half, eliminated shaft and hoist, ts short skyline railroad and incline nd cut off several miles from the aulage on 25 per cent. of it's ore. It will have increased it's present con- entrator capacity by 800 tons daily nd provided itself with a smelter which will reduce it's concentrates 1uch more cheaply and recover con iderably more of their copper con- ents. It is estimated that these hanges will enable it to treat ores arrying an average of 10 to 15 ounds less copper per ton and pro- uce the copper at the same cost per ound as heretofore.
 In it's last fiscal year, which ended I September, Arizona Copper broke Il previous records of production 'ith an output of 3S,15O,0OO pounds, [ with 35,150,000 pounds in 911. For the calendar year 1912 the ecord was again broken by a pro- uction of 3S,670,000 pounds. More han 90 per cent of all it's output now I omes from concentrating ores
 It is figured that the capacity of it's works as reconstructed will e 100000 pounds annually, or g. I OO,O0O to 100000 pounds in excess f present production; but this will ! be increased to around l 0, 0,00O,000 pounds year
 The average grade of the concen- f rating ores treated by Arizona Cop } CT is about 21a per cent and the re- l every from 70 to 75 per cent of their (