Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1915-05-28
MILLIONS Spent
ON COPPER MOUNT
cueeeHheims Find Deposits in Chill
PITCHER Tran Geld Mines
Ct meas"
ARE PREPARING TO nARKeT ORE
Ships ans Reiireeds Are 5uiIt by Them
in Scheme Of Develop
\ ment Of Mine.

4 nent Of Mine.
New York Richer By far than the
sources from which the lncss and Az.
tees drew their supply of gold is the
way an American mining engineer who
recently returned from South America
described the copper deposits which
have been opened up at Chauqusca.
mata, Chill, by the Chill Exploration
Company, an American corporation
controlled by the Gugsenheim inter.
ests
The description given by the engi-
neer % the mountain of almost pure
copper To market which the Guggen.
helms are spending millions of dollars
in steamships, mining equipment, rail
roads ahi port equipment, reads like a
tale from tie Arabian Nights. The
operations eHtailed the overcoming OF
what looked to be practically insur.
mountabie diniyul.ics
Back Of the story Of the Cuggen-
helms achievements in opening up
the ChGuquagamata mine lies the yet
stranger tale Of now the presence of
the ricn copper deposits had been
knoTn for 30 years before the news
reached the GutgeHheims That q
mountain composed wholly of copper
ore which could be scooped up by
steam shovels, the ore assaying a high
or percentage OF copper than the ore OF
any mine in the United States, really
existed was scJffcd at The Guggen-
helms took 1t seriously, sent men 10
Investigate the matter and on the re
ceipt of their reports Immediately
made arrangements to secretly obtain
possession Of the concession.
One hundred million tons is the es.
innate given OF the amount of copper
which the mountain contains. 1t is
situated about 200 kilometers inland
irCm the port OF Antofagasta The
country is extremely mountainous and
the copper mountain itself is al an Gle.
walton OF 8 800 feet above the sea level
The actual work Oh the preparations
for getting the ore 10 market began
two years &So. First Of all II was nee
essary 10 UuIii railroad from Anto-
f2gGs,a - the mine. Tie railroad was
the List difficult Of ali the problems
which Is@si the engineers The road
soon became al accomplished fact
however, and il IS now in operation.
Long before the railroad was com
pleted contracts were let in Germany
for the machinery which Is to extract
the copper from the ore. AN entirely
new process never before used in the
landing OF copper ore will he intro.
duced at CEauQuacEmata. 1t is known
as the teaching" process, By which
the copper is extracted b. means OF
electricity,
Although the war held up the deliv.
cry CT much OF the mining machinery,
necessitatng the purchase Of some oil
the equipment in this country, the
mine will be in full operation soon
After the copper has been extracted
1t will be cast into ingots, transported
on the private railroad to Antofsgasta
where il will be put on board steam
ships for the markets of the world.
1t is estimated that more than $40.
900 600 has already been spent III
equipment for getting the copper 10
the coast. The outlay is still aeon
plete, however, as Antofagasta is 10 be
abandoned as a port by the Guggen.
helms in favor Of Megillones, located
a short distance 10 the north of Anto-
fagastd
British and German interests are
competing strongly with Americans in
their efforts 10 obtain the most desir.
able concessions, but the Americans
have taken the lead in developing such
concessions as have been given out by
the Government.