The Mena weekly star., 1919-03-20
EXPLAINS LULU
 IN MINING FIELD
Weather Conditions, Dull Market and Present Low Prices Are Given as Contributing Causes-Active Work
 to Begin With Springtime
(Bv Rohert VI. Berry.l

Ao1 ANObtii AA+ ICti4sJ
 Many Mena residents have inquired of late concerning development in the mining field and because there has been no big "whoop hurrah" about the city, have enormously concluded all mine work was ended, and that Mena's chance to become mining center had gone glimmering.
 To dispel any such idea The Star proposes to give the facts concerning conditions in the Mena field at the present time as they appear to the mining men themselves. With this object in view the following statement from J. B. Dickinson, resident mana ger of the Federal Company, who has just returned from a business trip in the interests of his company, to Fort Smith, Joplin, Okmulgee and other cities, of timely interest and brimful of information.
 T have been asked by many why we have not done more towards mill building, etc. The prime reason is the lack of market and low price of manganese. Another reason is that weather conditions have been decided ly against keeping bunch of men in camp, where open mining is carried on, that cannot be carried on in the rain. With warm, dry weather we will begin active mining, mill con- struction and deep prospecting. hope the above and foregoing will answer some of the questions so often asked me. My advice to all is to sit steady in the boat Mena is all right. We have demonstrated our faith in this district to the eytent of several thous- and dollars of real money and stand ready to spend still larger sums" Mir. Dickinson is an optimist by na- ture and a booster" by choice, ac- cording to his oft-repeated claims, but his optimism about Mena's greatness as a mining field is backed by what he calls indisputable evidence in the way of manganese and copper-the former on the surface and the latter at depths from 150 to greater depths.
 q predict that before the end of the present year Mena will be the center of a great mining activity" says Manager Dickinson. Many will mine manganese first and as they go deep CT they will mine copper. Both metals, however, are very low priced and in little demand, but the time is not very far distant when they will command better prices and the demand will be hard to fill. l have great faith in the future growth and development of mining in the Mena distict
 "The Federal Mining Company will soon have a core drill that will give us core two inches in diameter to a depth of 800 feet, if need be, and with it we expect to do considerable pros- l pecting for copper at lower levels. My contention has always been that copper underlies all of the large fis- sure deposits of manganese, but of course, it vii. take the core drill to furnish facts worth while. My aim is to cross-cut the Assure vein near our present development, thereby deter mining exactly what we have at depth. Should we discover copper in paying quantity we will at once drive a tun- nel under the mountain and begin mining
 'It is our aim to mine manganese just where we have driven an open cut. This can be done at a profit in com petition with foreign ores, or pre- war prices, which ranged between $15 and $23 per ton.