The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-11-02
WALLACE MAN TELLS Of WONDERFUL
C0PPERDEPOs|Ts OF KENNEC0TT, ALASKA
LOCAL PEOPLE INTERESTED PROPERTY NEAR eypRE
COPPER NuGeETs-cosT OF eueeENHEM RAIL
ROAD AND FARE R RIDING ON IT.

Nuggets of pure native copper from
> to G inches in diameter and one-hal
to three-quarters of an inch thick, il
odd and irregular shapes, as if the
molten metal had been drawn from q
furnace, are among the interesting
curios brought by Charles McKinnis
who returned the first of the week
from Alaska, where he had been dur
ing the past month inspecting mining
property. These nuggets were taken
from Nugget creek, in the vicinity of
the famous Kennecott mine, owned by
the Guggenheims. There is mug
that is estimated to weigh two tons.
He also brought with him samples of
Kennecott ore, chunks of chalcocite,
commonly called copper glance, and
covellite, also commonly designated as
indigo copper. Both of these are
sulphides of copper, the former when
pure being 1913 copper and the latter
when pure is 66.5 copper. An idea
of the character of the ore that is be-
ing shipped by the Kennecott COM
pany may be gained from a statement
by Mr.. McKinnis that lens of ore
100x6O feet was shipped without sort
ing which averaged 73 per cent cop
per
The Bonanza Mine.
The Bonanza. one of the three mines
operated by the Kennecott company,
is unquestionably the richest copper
mine in the world today. When Sc
cured only few years ago by the
Guggenheims there was $1,000, 900
worth of ore in sight on the surface,
being embodied in a great slide from
the ledge Equally remarkable is the
result of underground development.
In one place total footage of deVel-
opment of 2o4 feet produced ore val
ued at $9,O00,0oO. This is at the rate
of $31 900 for every foot.
During the month of July the Ken
necott company shipped copper ore to
the value of $7,2OO,OOO at cost of
production of 4 V cents per pound and
this is the average cost of production
at the mines of the company. Mr..
McKinnis exhibited photograph of a
train on the Guggenheim railroad
loaded with ore valued at $25O,O0O.
The usual value of the monthly out
put of Kennecott is $3,O00,00O. On the
wharf at Cordova there were sacks of
ore awaiting shipment valued at $4,
100000.
The Guggenheim Railroad.
The railroad built by the Guggen-
helms from Cordova to the Kennecott
mines is 100 miles long, said Mr.. Nc
Kinnis, and cost $22,OOO,OOO. It was
built to transport ore to the seaboard
at Cordova, but of course does a gen.
eral passenger and freight business.
The fare on this road is IL cents
mile.
The Josevig -kennecott.
Mr.. McKinnis also visited the pro-
rerty of the Josevig- Kennecott com
pany which has holdings near the
Kennecott and which, according to
Alaska men, has a showing of ore on
the surface second only to the Bonan-
"a of the Kennecott company above
mentioned. 1t is estimated that there
is 700 tons of high grade copper on
the Josevig- Kennecott ready for ship
ment. Mr.. McKinnis has samples OF
this ore, and a trial shipment is now
being packed to the Guggenheim rail-
road that will average rs per cent IN
copper The limited amount of un-
derground development has exposed
much high grade ore. A wagon ROAD
is now being built to the property
which will be completed this winter
In the spring the company Will De IN
position to begin active development
and make ore shipments and by the
following winter an aerial tramWaS
will connect the mine with the rail-
road at Kennecott This tramWay
viii span several glaciers.
d. K. Mcdonald, of Spokane, is the
president of the Josevig- -Kennecot
company, and M. e. Hay, former gov
ernor of Washington, is vice president
The remaining officers and directors
are bankers and attorneys of Seattle
A number of local people are stock
holders in the company
Government Railroad.
Mr.. McKinnis states that work II
progressing rapidly on the governmen
railroad which will extend from sew
ard, on the coast to navigable stream
so miles from Fairbanks. This rail
road will afford direct connection VIII
navigable streams in Alaska aggre
eating 1000 miles in length whici
drain fertile valleys, particularly tn
Tanana, which are said to be wei
adapted to agriculture.
Mr. McKinnis met a number OF TOT
mer Coeur d'Aleners while In Alaska
all of whom appeared to be prosper
ing in the far north. One of thes
was William (BilD Springer who
well and kindly remembered by a.
old-timers in the Coeur d'Alene dis