The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-03-22


the low grade deposit contained more
than billion pounds of copper
He acquired an ancient stamp mill
crushed hundreds of tons, worked out
the exact cost of mining, hauling
milling and smelling, tested the fig
ures by runnig more ore through
went over his computations again and
again, and reported that the property
could be worked at a profit on a large
scale.
Capt. DeEamar praised his work
but declined to sink more money, That
was in 1909.
Did lacking give up? lie had
every reason to quit His employer
had spent 100000 experimenting. and
had abandoned his investment. For
four years Jackling tried every ave-
nue. of approach to the lords of many
millions, and found them all closed
Scores OF men and corporations in
America and Europe had his plans,
and sent them back. Yet, though he
did not own one ounce of the por-
phyry mountain he never gave up.
Early in 1903 he succeeded in OBJ
! tanning. indirectly through third par
ties an option on the porphyry
ground But no one would listen to
jhim-until he came to c. NJ. Mac
Neill.
MacNeill was neither a practical
miner nor a mining engineer. He had
entered the Cripple Greek district as
a business manager with vision be-
yond rows of ledger figures. He had
become keen judge of men. Mae
Neill was willing to listen, even
though strike was on and his life
was in constant danger.
Taking MacNeil and associates to
Bingham, Jackling conducted them
through the workings, showed them
everything. They agreed to supply
money to develop the property on
scale large enough to feed a mill with
a capacity of 800 tons day.
Jackling made good. The first year
proved his contentious. The lean
porphyry ore actually produced cop
per at a profit larger than the gain
of most of the famous old copper
mines! Jackling produced copper for
10 cents a pound; most mines in
Michigan, Montana and Arizona could
not do it for less than II.
Expanding Into Millions.
Jackling's keen insight revealed
such enormous possibilities that the
size of his project scared his assOci-
ates Costs must be reduced and the
quantities increased. He must have
millions.
He got them. He went to the Gug-
genheims He was SO, practically un-
known. But he had proved his the
Dry. And the Guggenheims were big
enough had vision and foresight
enough They loaned three million
taking convertible bonds in return.
Now lacking tackled the mountain
in earnest. He ate and slept only
when physical necessity compelled
He bought steam shovels and set to
stripping the mountain until they
reached the ore. At times his SHOW
els moved as much yardage as Goe-
thals did at Panama. He built a mill
with capacity of 5000 tons day
He built power plant with a capac-
ty of 1900 horse power, lifted the
output to 100000 pounds month,
md reduced costs to s cents.
Still his plans expanded. He in
creased milling capacity to 10000 tons
a day. When the railroad could not
guarantee cars and locomotives
enough, he built a railroad that cost,
n some stretches, more than $500, 900
a mile.
His initial calculations had been
BASED on 40 pounds of metal per ton.
To-day the ore averages only 80 But
lacking is not worrying.
I'VE can handle at profit, ore that
contains only IA pounds to the ton,"
he told me, "and have several hundred
million tons Of far better grade
ully developed in reserve"
This means that available supply of
copper has almost been doubled.
Which means that copper, without the
Quantities made available through
'ackling's work, would now be SELL
ng at 81 a pound.
For lacking did not confine him
self to the Bingham mountain. He
went into Nevada, Arizona and New
Mexico and obtained similar deposits.
This year the quartet of new mines
under his control is producing nearly
500,O00,OOO pounds, one third Of all
mined in the United States for less
than cents pound and selling it
for more than rs cents, leaving a sur
plus above cost of more than $50, 000,-
900 in ~ months.
1.-THE time was ripe for the utiliza-
ton Of the porphyry deposits" said
Jackling IF had not done 1t, some.
body else would. But did It,"