El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-28
by
Frank G. Carpenter
Copyright. 1918, by
Frank G. Carpenter).

and il exports copper from there 10
the United States. The largest or It's
others are the Braden mines, not a
long distance from Santiago. There
are also large copper mines in 30
livia. and some OF the most famous
Of the world are 10 be found in Peru
During my last trip to that country
found a colony Of Americans taking
out copper from the very top OF the
Andes They have erected a smelter
at 1900 feet above the sea and are
turning out more than 100000 pounds
Of copper a day. They are working
the old mines OF Cerro de Pasco,
where silver was discovered almost
500 years ago. and from where some
thing like a half billion ounces OF Sill
yer have been taken out They are
now finding copper below where the
silver ore was and are mining ii at
a great profit The work is being
done by Peruvian Indians. but the
foremen are Americans The stock
Of the company is listed on the New
York stock exchange. The smelter IS
the highest in the world.
There are large copper mines IN
Cuba about IL miles west OF Santiago
which were opened I'd less than 40
years after Columbus set foot on that
island. They were worked for 200
years by the Spanish government:
and before the Calumet & Hecla mines
Of Lake Superior were discovered
they were considered the richest cop
per mines Of the world They are
now owned by Americans. The ore
IS smelted and sent 10 the United
States. I visited that property not
long ago. and found hundreds OF Mex
leans working under American 1ore-
men They are now mining some
thing like 1900 feet below the sur
face, and pumps have to be kept go
ing 70 take out the water. Some OF
the tunnels are 900 feet below the
level Of the sea The ore Is OF a low
grade, and the deposits do not COM
pare in richness or magnitude with
those Of many small mines OF the
United states Leads.
As TO the copper deposits OF the
United States. they are the largest
and most valuable OF the world We
have copper scattered here and there
over our country from Alabama to
Maine and from Lake Superior to
Alaska The mineral was found IN
Massachusetts, Il years after the Pll-
grims landed on Plymouth Rock. and
in 1908 q company was incorporated
in Connecticut to work copper ere
At about the same time they were
mining copper in New Jersey ana
sending the ore 10 England for smeft-
ing. BENJAMIN Franklin once visited
the New Jersey mines before the war
Of the revolution and at its close
Nicholas J. Roosevelt, a great grand
uncle OF Theodore, had an interest IN
them and organized a company to put
up a smelter and a copper and brass
rolling mill there. Other mines were
soon found in Virginia North Caro-
lima South Carolina and Georgia
and Tennessee was once one OF the
chief copper producers OF the country.
We have some OF the richest COP
Der deposits Of the world on our
Rocky mountain plateau There are
some near Butte. Mont, which pro-
ducs more copper than any two for
eign countries, and the present out
put OF Arizona is more than 1.000.0oO
pounds per day all the year through
Arizona ranks first among our cop
per producers: Montana second, after
which comes Utah and Michigan It
was the Anaconda copper mine. near
Butte, that made the fortune Of Mar
Gus Daily. and It was the United Verde
Of Arizona which added so greatly to
the wealth OF william A Clark The
interest in the latter prop
erty was bought by Mr.. Clark 30
years ago for less than 10000. and
since then IL has for long periods pro-
duced copper worth 20 times that
much Senator Clark was once Of
fered SIS. 600. 600 in cash for the prop
ertv, and during the first 20 years OF
its operation It had an output OF
falsuuuruvu worth o. ore Inc ore mas
gold and silver mixed with the cop
per. and the gold and silver, I am
told. have been enough to pay the
running expenses, leaving the copper
all profit
One OF the most wonderful copper
mines OF today Is at Bingham. not
far from Salt Lake City. It is known
as the Utah copper mine. It produced
more than 100000 tons Of ore last
year. and this. computed at II pounds
refined copper per ton. made a prod
uct Of more than 900, 900. 900 pounds,
which was worth over sec, 000. 900.