The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-12-18
ANACONDA COMPANY
SPENDS 100000 DAY
ENORMOUS EXPENDITURES THAT
INDICATE VALUE or MIN.
ING TO STATE.
John H. Mcintosh in Butte Minerp

(John II. Mcintosh in Butte MnerD
That the reader may get more
intimate acquaintance with the cop
per producing industry OF Montana,
which, as before remarked, is the in.
dustry OF Butte, we will bring in some
facts as CLEANED from an official Of
the Anaconda company, company
that has proved copper mining to be
a business in which the element Of
chance Is eliminated as far as il can
possibly be done.
This gigantic company produces ana
distributes 100000 every day before
la dollar comes in for profit Those
are average figures every day now,
and of that average $4,000 goes out
every day for labor Sixteen thous.
and dollars is also paid out every day
for freight $4,000 for fuel and power.
$500 for lumber and timber, $1,000 for
supplies and $4,000 for taxes and 9th.
err expenses, In the last five years thi,
one mining company has distributet
the huge sum of $2OS,279,S32. Of which
$3.50, S3O,754 was paid for labor and
material and about SIS, 800. 900 in divi-
dends.
Money Circulates at Homo
What the mining industry means to
the young state of Montana can be
guessed when the information is given
that an overwhelming percentage of
the money paid out for labor and sup
plies by the mining companies Is paid
out in Montana, to Montana men and
for Montana supplies Another at
tractive feature is the fact that min
ing employees in this state receive the
best wages for like work in the world
The figures Of the Anaconda COM
pany are at hand and show that last
year the 1894 employees Of this com
pany were paid sl6,s182s4, which is
an average Of something more than
$1,000 a year. With the mining indus
try CT the state on such a sound basis
It is easy TO account sfor the fact that
labor troubles are practically unknown
in the treasure state and that the most
friendly relations exist between the
company heads and the employees, and
the latter includes the army of wage
earners.
Where else in the world can be
found a mining district so fraugh'
with interest. both to the mining m9r
and the layman, as Butte?
Steady Development.
| Forty years ago the Butte hill, Oh
the Anaconda hill as 1t Is sometimes
called, was a heavily wooded district
What occasional sign Of life was seer
was furnished by some passing pros.
pector. Attention was first called tc
it as a placer mining district. Next
there was some silver mining near thr
grass roots The copper ore came
later. In a few years this industry
was on firm basis. The production
has been steady and there have beer
no vicissitudes worthy Of mention.
AS the larger copper deposits were
discovered with greater depth came
greater costs of mining. But also
came improved methods, offsetting the
added expense Of having to go deer
into the earth's bowels for the red
metal
We said just now that 40 years age
Butte was virtually a wilderness. 1r
that 40 years billion dollars worth
Of ore roughly estimated. has been
mined from beneath the very streets
Of the city. which long ago outgrew
the mining camp stage and IS today q
metropolitan place of $4,000 inhabit.
ants.
And the most valuable item of all IS
the fact that the mines are daily prov
ing richer with depth, thus establish
ing the permanency of the district
Underground Works.
II is said that the underground
workings Of the Butte mines aggre-
gate 1000 miles. The total depth Of
all the shafts of the district combined
Is IL miles. Nearly all the. mines are
connected with underground workings
and one might travel for week GO
ing through new tunnels and drifts
and slopes, Through the shafts of
the Butte district are daily hoisted
about $4,000 tons of ore. The big bulk
of this ore Is sent to the Washoe smell
ter I'm Anaconda and the Great Falls
smelter. incidentally the Washoe