The Alaska citizen., 1915-03-22
LOCAL MINE:
To SHIP
ORE:
FOUR THOUSAND TONS OF ANTI
MONY ORE is TO BE SENT
TO THE SHELTERS AT SAN
FRANCISCO THIS SUMNER
WILL SHIP SACKS TODAY
ORE CONTRACT JUST CLOSED
WILL NET MINE OWNERS A TC-
TAI OF ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS, IT is re.
PORTED; METAL PRICE JUMPS.

PORTEO METAL PRICE JUMPS.
4 contract Tor the shipment of
1900 tons OF antimony ore. That
was the result of the visit OF L. L.
tSD Scraftord to the Outside during
the past winter. When Nj Scraf-
ford came in from the Outside sew
eral weeks ago he had nothing TO
say concerning his "Trip but it now
develops that lie organized the
Chatham Greek Mines company, In
corporated while in New York, and
that the corporation with MIR. Scraf-
ford as manager is now working the
property of the Chatham Mining com
pany on Chatham creek. Mr.. Scraf-
ford corroboroted all Of the facts re-
lated herein, over the phone from
Chatham creek Saturday afternoon
\ crew OF six men is now working
at the Chatham mine doing nothing
but getting out antimony ore at tho
rate of Is tons a day. Several hun
dred tons are now on the dump
awaiting sorting and shipping, il be
ing expected that the first 5O0-ton
shipment viii be made on one Of
the first boats The ore is to be
shipped TO the only antimony smelt-
ing concern on the Pacific coast, al
San Francisco.
One thousand pounds Of suippiug
sacks are being sent out to Chatham
creek on this mornings train, ana
the hauling OF the ore from Chatham
10 Chatanika, Will start as soon as
they reach the mine. Mr.. Scrafford
states that he has special contracts
with all Of the transportation lines
over which the ore will be shipped
straight through from Chatanika to
San Francisco.
Mr.. Scrafford states that the Toea
he is mining on Chatham is 50
per cent pure antimony. However
he is figuring on it going so per
cent, or about 1900 pounds OF anti
lnony to the ton of ore, He also
states that the rock to Ec shipped
carries other values than those OF
antimony and that these will also
be extracted at the smelter.
The rise in the price of antimony
during the past two years has been
almost phenomenal. According to
the Mining & Scientific journal the
best grade was worth but 8 cents
a pound in October, 1913. In Aug
ust, 1914, it was worth Is cents, the
latest quotations being q cents a
pound. The present high prices are
believed to be due to the European
war.
If the ore from the Chatham mine
is so per cent pure antimony, and
is sold at 20 cents a pound, the
gross receipts of the corporation OF
ganized by Mr. Scrafford will be
$240 900 for each 1000 tons. Mr.
Scrafford thinks that he can mine
and ship the ore easily for not
more than $40 a ton, which would
tions of 100000 for each 1000
tons, or $4,000 600 for the entire deal.
Providing the ledge on Chatham
creek holds out, and Mr.. Scrafford
thinks it will. it is expected that
the entire contract for 1000 tons
will be filled before navigation closes
next fall. The ledge being worked
is now six feet in width and is get
ting wider as the work progresses.
Where it was first struck in the
tunnel, at a depth of 100 feet from
the surface and distance of 500
feet from the mouth of the tunnel,
the ledge was four feet wide.
Mr.. Scrafford states that he was
fully aware that he had good
antimony proposition when he went
Outside last year. 1t was his in
tention, however, to organize COM
pany for the development of the
Chatham mine as gold mining
venture, and he organized the Chat
ham Greek Mines company, Inc,
with offices at number 135 Broad
way, New York, with that idea in
view, but the war in Europe pre-
cluded all possibility of interesting
capital in Alaska gold mines.
Several other large ledges of anti
mony ore are known to exist in diff
ferent parts of interior Alaska, par
ticularly in the Kantishna country.
Other ledges than that on Chatham
have also been discovered in this
locality. 1t is, therefore, probable
that should Mr.. Scrafford's venture
prove a. successful as it bids fair