The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-05-24
D. c. Jackling---His Marvellous Mining
Career Modestly Told in An Interview
CONTINUED from last issue.)


company and his success in maxim
that great low grade porphyry deposi
the most productive copper mine Il
the world. 1t is story of fascinatin
interest, and its success led to tn
development of Nevada Consolidated
Ray Consolidated and Chino, all unde
the direction of Mr.. Jackling and form
ing the main properties in what i
commonly referred to as the rorphyr.
group. The greatest of these is Utal
Copper, the Magma and Arthur plants
of which during the last quarter o
last year treated an average of $4,000
tons per day, and averaged during sew
eral months last year 100000 tom
per month.
In response to a question Mr.. Jack
ling stated that in 1912 the Butte
Superior property also attracted thu
attention. of Messrs. Hayden, Stone
Co. l visited the mines in July 191;
and found that while only relatively
small ore bodies had been developed
the promise of much larger ont
was great. outlined a plan Of de.
velopment to be pursued for the. re,
mainder of that year. and this having
fulfilled my expectations. l advised
Messrs. Hayden, Stone & Co., in jan
uary, 1913, to finance the properties
for larger operations.
No. int q
ed in them?
Yes, was interested in all these en-
terprises, and have always retained
as large interests in them as my means
would permit.
And you acted as consulting en-
gineer?
was vice president and general
manager of all of the companies until
] relinquished the general managers
title to the local managers, and took
to myself that Of managing director.
When you went to Butte at that
time you probably had your first
glimpse of flotation?
Yes, it was the first knew about 1t
in practical operation; and the flota-
ton process in it's commercial appli-
cation in a large way in this country
was developed by the Butte & Superior
Co., under the direction of my engin-
eers
Which engineers?
Frank Janney, and Frank Janney,
Jr., and other engineers that came
out Of my organization, principally
from the Utah Copper company.
Will you speak of your Alaskan
venture?
In 1911 A. f. Holden and his asso-
ciates brought to the attention of
Hayden, Stone & Co. the Alaska Gas
tineau mines at Juneau. In 1912, in
company with Holden, I visited these
properties, and stated my belief that
the large ore deposits of low grade ore
there justified development and equip
ment, which was done; the metallurgi-
cal problems and plant design being
worked out by the same engineering
staff that had to do with the equip
ment and metallurgy of all of the
"porphyry" properties and the Butte
& Superior; and the mine development
and equipment being worked out by
the men whom we found in charge of
the Alaska Gastineau mines when we
became interested.
You had some trouble owing to adj
mixture of waste rock?
AS matter of fact, the actual trou-
BILE we have experienced was that in
parts of the mine, which according
to all development records should have
yielded certain grade of ore, it was
found when we came to mine it, that
the grade wasn't there, and isn't now.
To what extent, Mr. Jackling, do
you believe that large bodies of such
low grade ore can be sampled?
Large bodies of the kind of ore that
we have in the "porphyry" deposits,
and located as these deposits are, can
be thoroughly sampled at reasonable
expense, because we can drill them;
but large bodies of very low grade
ore, and particularly gold ore, such as
those of the Juneau properties, cannot
be satisfactorily sampled. We have
learned that they cannot be tested
within the limits of reasonable eX-
pense for development, and with any
satisfactory degree of accuracy COM
pared with ordinary deposits
You agree, then, that we cannot find
cut how many raisins there are in the
cake, except by eating a large por-
ton of the cake?
That is the answer as to deposit
like that exploited by the Alaska Gold
Mines. You must mine large ton
mage and mill it and get your result
in order to know what the grade OF
your ore is The proportion of gold is
so small that a. few cents per ton
what would be a negligible amount In
ordinary ore--makes vital difference
in such low grade ore; and our ex-
perience in Alaska indicates that sam
ping from development almost invar-
iably shows results higher than they
should be. The difference isn't much
only 80 or 40 cents per ton, but thai
much where the profits were expected
to be only so or as cents per ton is