The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-12-21

Butte Will Produce $14O,OOO,OOO in
Metals Next Year; State Is Exected
to Grow 6O,OOO,OOO. Bushels of
Wheat; New Methods of Extract
ing Ore Values.
Montana is humming with indus
try and thrilling with life, says the
Boston News Bureau, newspaper
that is accepted as an authority by
the financiers of the east. Butte
hopes to yield next year something
like $140,OO0,O00 in gold, copper, sill
yer and zinc. Miners and farmers
and ranchers are all prosperous. Min
ers working machines get $5.25
wage for an eight-hour day. Farm
ers have been paying $500 day and
all the banks of the state are over
flowing with money.
The railways have had all they
could do to handle the business. Ten
years ago Montana was not included
in the wheat growing states, but this
year it grew 100000 bushels and
next year they expect crop of Co.
100000 bushels. One rancher har-
vested AZ bushels of wheat to the
acre from farm at an elevation of
5000 feet.
When the St. Paul pushed up the
Missouri valley and across the Con-
tlnental Divide, grave fears were en-
tertained that it would embarass it.
self and other railroads financially.
1t cut heavily into Northern Pacific
and Great Northern business, but in
little while it developed enormous
new business. The mineral, grain
and livestock development in this
new territory has been so great that
all the railroads have their hands
full and now the $500" is getting
ready to push up the Missouri to
Great Falls and on to the northwest
to some point in southwestern Alber-
ia. This will shorten the $500" be-
tween Minneapolis and Spokane by
about 120 miles. This $500" route
running through Crows Nest Pass to
Spokane and thence to the coast. will
be the shortest route between Chica-
go and the Pacific.
Wonderful Agricultural Possibilities.
When one realizes that all the New
England states could be carved out
of Montana and that it's agricultural
possibilities are five times greater
than those of New York state and
that it's mineral wealth far surpasses
that of Pennsylvania, some idea can
be formed of Montana's future. When
these facts are taken into account
it can be easily understood why the
great railroads of the west are pay
ing SO much attention to Montana.
The mineral development of the
whole state is moving forward rapid
ly. The Anaconda ore reserves are
ten times greater than they were ten
years ago. The properties that
Heinze sold to his rivals i years ago
are today worth ten times more than
they were then.
The discovery of the minerals sep
aration process and the electro-chem-
ical process for recovering zinc from
sulphide ores will more than double
the life of the Butte mines and the
profits which will Come to their own
ers.
Pioneering in Electrolites.
Just as the discovery of the pro-
cess to make electrolytic copper re-
volutionized the copper business of
the world, so will electro-chemical
metallurgy revolutionize the spelter
trade of the world. It is a curious
coincidence that it was the Anaconda
which led the way nearly 40 years
ago in the development of the process
of making electrolytic copper, and
today it is leading the way in the de-
velopment of the process to recover
zinc by electro-chemical treatment.
The Canadian Pacific smelter !
plant at Trail is the pioneer in the
new process, but Anaconda is already
double the quantity of zinc.
Anaconda will produce 100000
pounds in 1917. Trail will hardly
exceed 100000 pounds.
The electro-chemiCal process re-
Gently put into operation consists of |
crushing and roasting the ore and
the zinc sulphide in an acid
solution, containing manganese and
bi-sulphate of soda. The lead, cop
per, and iron sulplides will not dis
solve in this solution, but the zinc
and manganese sulphide will and
when drawn off from 90 per cent to
Us per cent of the zinc can be COL
lected by electrolysis If proper care
be taken the zinc so deposited is al
most perfectly free from impurities
and is worth in normal times 20 per-
cent more than ordinary spelter.
The actual cost of making this zinc
from a 40 per cent zinc concentrate
should never exceed two cents a
pound, and where power is SO or
S12 per horse power, it should not
exceed one and one-half cents a
pound.