The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-07-11


being made in the Interstate
| Callahan mill are rapidly near.
ing completion, and c. w. New
ton, superintendent of the mine, stated
this week that everything would be
IN readiness for a general resumption
of mine production before the frs
OF August. Prior to the suspension t
permit the changes in the mill the
company had experienced no trouble
on account of labor shortage and Mr.
Newton does not anticipate any seri-
Gus delay in getting a full quota OF
men when the mine resumes produc-
tion on or before the first. In fact
he is now receiving numerous applica- :
tions from former employees to return
other mines of the district when laid
off, many Interstate Callahan en-
ployes went to the harvest fields of the
northwest, while many others sought
employment in the shipyards of the
coast. The first will return when the
harvest is over. and many of the sec
Ond have found that the high wage
scale on the coast has it's drawbacks
in the form of excessive living costs
and who will soon be found back on
the Interstate Callahan payroll In
wage scale in the Occur d'Alene dis
trict in connection with the favorable
working conditions, cost of board and
lodging facilities, it may we'll be
doubted whether the men who are dis
posed to leave for new fields through
the attraction of higher wages sue
coed in improving their condition.
Mine in Fine Condition.
During the period of suspension OF
production the Interstate Callahan
company has taken advantage of the
situation to push development work
Eighty men have been employed in the
mine extending drifts on the lower
levels, making connecting raises ant
putting in chutes to accommodate new
Slopes. The lowest level is now 1856
feet below the working tunnel, or No
4, and the amount Of ore actually
blocked out is now perhaps greater
than at any time in the history OF
the mine. So thoroughly have the de-
velopment plans been carried out Mr.
Newton states that within one houl
after the order is given the mine is
in position to begin maximum pro-
duction.
Money in TaiIings.
While the mill has been closed down
the flotation plant has been running
on the big accumulation of tailings
estimated at 250,000 tons. In his. re-
port to the stockholders President Per-
cival estimated that these taiings
would run IL per cent zinc and that
with a 80 per cent recovery the tail
irgs should produce $4,000 tons of con-
centrates assaying 46 per cent zinc
On this basis with zinc at cents pei
pound, the price at the time the re-
poll was HIduc II was tolllIdttu TIA
the company would clean up $1,000 O0C
through the treatment of these tail
ings. The results have shown that
President Percival was conservative In
his estimates. Mr.. Newton Is authority
for the statement that the tailings run
Is per cen zinc and that the recovery
Is above 80 per cent, and that the con-
centrates average 40 per cent In ad-
dition to these higher figures, the
price Of zinc has advanced and the
company is probably receiving
cent per pound more than the price
when the president made his report
Last month the company shipped 32O(
tons of concentrates the product oi
these tailings, and shipments are nov
going forward at the rate of 100 ton!
per day or better. The cost of han
ding these tailings is almost nominal
They are conveyed to the flotatior
plant by a drag-line operated by on
man, ground in ball mills operated b.
one man, and thence pass through tn
flotation cells which require only on
man.
Increase Milling Capacity.
The flotation plant was complete,
only a few months ago and is meeting
every expectation. Many changes ar
being made in the original mill. ol,
machinery being replaced by new an
improved patterns However the mos
floor, where new tables hav
been added, the purpose to be attaine
being to make a more perfect separa
tion Of the zinc and lead. The los