The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-05-02
SHANNON COMPANY |S PRAISED BY
 WALKER.
Clifton and Writes About Shannon Mines in Boston Commercial

Shannon's death warrant, obituarj
 and epitaph have been written hal
 a dozen time by as many engineer.
 and gologists in the past 10 or 1:
 years. Eight or nine years ago il
 was declared that there was less thar
 150,000 tons of possible ore in the
 property. As a result Shannon has
 many enemies, because no one who
 has condemned the property is able
 to forgive it for making good.
 am satisfied that there is more ore
 in sight in the Shannon property now
 than there was the first time I went
 through the mine eight years ago, and
 the new ore being opened up at great
 CT depth is fully as high in grade if
 not slightly richer than that mined to note, also, that neither has the ton mage of concentrating ore increased nor the percentage of smelting ore de- creased.
 The known mineralized area is much larger now than it was a few
 y that the ore goes to greater depth an1 also that it extends much farther to tN east and northeast than anyone until quite recently believed. "A lot of good ore Is being opened up in:new ground on the Shannon group, of claims and a large area remains un- prospected.
 h0 non group of 80 or 90 acres is a big mass of limestone lying on quartzite. The limestone has been cut irregular ly by numerous porphyry dikes, which in places carry good chalcocite con contracting ore. Along the contacts and extending out into the limestone are large and small deposits of smelt- ing ore. The irregular shape and oc- currence of these ore bodies make it s.rapossible to measure up tonnage ac- curately in advance; but the 1000 feet of new development and explora tory openings, which are being driven every month, are continually finding cut workings.
 Since Shannon began producing, Il or 12 years ago, it has taken out g. 301 ,9O5 tons of ore, of which 1,202, 2,130 tons averaging 4.43 per cent copper was smelting ore; 1,0S7.930 tons was cent; 1888 tons was used for con verter Things and 4,O57 tons has been leached experimentally. A conserva- tive estimate of the company's produc- tion from it's own ores is .130,000, ,000 pounds of copper. That it will pro- duce at least as much more from the Shannon group of claims alone seems reasonably certain. What it will do in excess of jhis will depend largely ] upon future developmnts in it's out lying groups of claims.
 Few people realize that all of Shan non's ore is mined by hand. On top | of the mountain where the mine is located, approximately 1000 feet | above the, railroad, there is no avavil- able power, and experience has dem- onstrated that drifts can be driven and ore mined and delivered more cheaply by hand than it could be with the aid of any power that could be supplied Of course hand work is slower; but the rock is soft and there are so many different faces, drifts, I1 erosscuts, tunnels and stopes in the ore area that it never becomes necessary to make very rapid progress at any 1ne point.
 The fact that the mine is well opened ID ahead and has plenty of ore in sight finds confirmation in the fact { hat Shannon has recently discontin- l led night work and is now mining ts customary 500 and $50 tons of ore t with one day shift Although one of Arizona's new labor laws makes 1t t to get more than 71a hours t york out of a man daily, Shannon is S this output with about | 50 men employed at the mine in all a apacities. il About 125 tons of ore is being quar- t. jed from open cuts above and be- S ween the old workings on top of n harmon hill. The country is so pre- b ipitous that there is plenty of dump t, lg room for waa1e. In the large reas that are being broken down punches of good ore, red and e lack oxides, carbonates and even F opper glance are found. The aver a ge grade of this ore is around per tl