The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1915-04-24
COPPER MOUNTAIN
IN CHILL IS RICH,
The Guggenheims Said TO
Have Expended Millions
in Development.

Richer by far than the sources from
which the Incas ard Aztecs drew their
supply Of gold is the way an American
mining engineer who recently return
ed from South America described the
copper deposits which have been OPP
ened up at Chuquacamata, Chile, by
the Chilli Exploration Company. an
American corporation controlled by
the Guggenheim interests.
The description given by the engi-
neer of the mountain OF almost pure
copper, to market which the Guggen-
helms are spending millions OF dollars
in steamships, mining equipment,
railroads and port equipment, reads
Ikea tale from the Arabian Nights.
The operations entailed the OvercOm'
ing of what looked to be practically
insurmountable difficulties.
Back of the story of the Guggen-
| helms achievements in opening up
the Chuquacamata mine lies the yet
stranger tale of how the presence OF
the rich copper deposits had been
known for fifty years before the news
reached the Guggenheims. That
mountain composed wholly OF copper
ore which could be scooped up by
steam shovels, the ore assaying
higher percentage Of copper than the
ore of any mine in the United States,
really existed was scotfed at. The
| Guggenheims took it seriously, sent
men to investigate the matter and on
the receipt of their reports Immediate
| ly made arrangements to secretly OBJ
! tain possession of the concession.
One hundred million tons is the es
| innate given to the amount of copper
which the mountain contains. 1t is
situated about two hundred kilOme-
ters inland from the port of Antofa-
gasta. The country Is extremely
mountainous and the copper noun
tain itself is at an elevation of $500
feet above the sea level.
The actual work on the preparations
for getting the ore to market began
two years ago. First Of all 1t was ne
cessary to build a railroad from AntO-
fagasta to the mine. The railroad
was the most difficult eff all the prob
lens which faced the engineers. The
road soon became an accomplished
fact, however, and it is now in opera
| ton.
Long before the railroad was com.
pleted contracts was let in Germany
for the machinery which is to extract
the copper from the ore. An entirely
new process never before used in the
handling OF copper ore will be intro
duced at Chuquacamata. 1t is known
as the Teaching" process, by which
the copper is extractad by means OF
electricity.
Although the war held up the deli
very of much of the mining machine
ry, necessitating the purchase of some
iof the equipment in this country. the
mine is In full operation since March
l. After the copper has been extract
ed it will be cast into ingots, trans
ported on the private railroad to An
tofagasta, where 1t will be loaded on
board steamship for the markets oil
the world.
1t is estimated that more than ten
million dollars has already been spent
In equipment for getting the copper
to the coast. The outlay is still in.
complete, however, as Antofagasta Is
TO be abandoned as q port by the Gug-
genheims in favor Of Megillones, 10
Gated a short distance to the north Of
Antofagasta.
British and German interests are
competing strongly with Americans II
their efforts to obtain the most desira
Bile concessions, but the American
have taken the lead in developing
such concessions as have been giveI
out by the government-Ex.