The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-03-09
ANACONDA COPPER MINING CO. TAKES
OVER OPTION ON DOUGLAS MINING co.
GREAT MONTANA COMPANY APPEARANCE IN THE
coEuR DALENEs-WoRK DOUGLAS ON
15-TERMs OPTION.

The entrance Of the Anaconda Cop
per Mining company into the Occur
d'Alene district is a matter Of the
greatest Importance. In taking over
the option held by J. O. Elton on the
Douglas, the Anaconda company will
soon begin the development of a Pine
creek property that promises to be-
come one of the great mines of the dis
trict, and which will probably be fol-
perty, for the Anaconda is progressive
and Is steadily expanding the vast field
of its operations. Already the great
est copper producer in the world, Ana
conda has suddenly become a factor
of corresponding Importance in the
production and smelling of zinc, a po-
sition it has secured through the sue
cess of its chemists and metallurgists
in solving the problem of treatment of
complex zinc ores. The experimental
department of the Anaconda company
is one of the most important branches
of the company's operations, and ac-
counts for the wonderful success 1t
has achieved not only in the discovery
of new processes for the treatment of
refractory ores, but also in the i'm
provement of old methods to recover
values heretofore lost. 1t was the sue
cess of the Anaconda company in de-
Veloping what is termed the eleetroly-
tic process for the treatment of zinc
ore that caused the Douglas to be
brought to its attention
Many Tests Made.
The problem of treating the ore of
the Douglas mine on a profitable ba-
sis has been one that has occupied the
attention of the owners for many
years Samples have been sent to
laboratories in all parts of tn Unittd
States and to foreign countries in an
effort to find a successful treatment,
but all spelled the same result, fall
ure. Experts have visited the mine,
and men with new processes design
ed especially for such ore as Douglas
have held out encouragement, but
none of them materialized. But when
the Anaconda company announced
that a process had been worked out in
it's experimental department which
would recover the values in all classes
of zinc, it was known then that posi-
| ha
complished and that an important
step had been taken which would be
of tremendous benefit to the zinc min
ing industry. The. success of the ex-
perimental plant was Immediately fol-
lowed by the announcement that the
Anaconda company would erect $2,-
100000 plant at Great Falls for the
electrolytic treatment Of zinc ores.
This plant is now in course of con-
struction and will be in operation by
September /. 1t was this certainty of
a process that would successfully han
die Douglas ore that led to the option
that was taken on the property last
December and which has now been
transferred to the Anaconda company.
The final steps in the transfer were
taken the first of this week, when d.
Gay Silver, of Butte, attorney for the
Anaconda, arrived in the city, and with
the assistance of Fl. j. Rossi, vice
thorough investigation in order to
pass upon the title of the property In
all essential respects he found the
title perfect, although there were some
irregularities in the records of the
company which he arranged to have
corrected by the directors. That every
thing was all right so far as title is
concerned is evidenced by the fact
that Mr.. Silver filed the option with
the county recorder, both the original
option to Mr. Elton and the paper
transferring it to the Anaconda COM
pany.
Terms of Option.
The option is in the form of a lease
and bond and runs for a period of
Three years lrOHl DeCeHlUeF 10 last,
when a cash payment of $1,000 was
made. as matter of good faith I'm
der the terms Of the option, the Ana
conda company is required within 80
days to begin work on the property
and spend not less than $500 per
month in development and in the event
that ore is being shipped the lessee
must spend $500 in the actual devel-
opment of new ore bodies. On all ore
, shipped a royalty of SO per ton is to
be paid to the company. The Douglas
company agrees to deposit a deed in
the First National Bank conveying the
property of the company to the lessee
upon the payment of $256,O5O, repre-
senting 80 cents per share for all out
standing stock, payment to be made in
the following installments: Ten thous-
and dollars within nine months from
the date of option, and $4,000 every