The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1922-08-11
ACHIEVEMENT IN
LOCAL MINES IS
HIGHLY PRAISED
Prominent Mining Authority
Says Low Costs of Juneau
Are Astonishing.

| The achievements CT the Bradley
managemn in the Alaska juneau
! mine here is hailed as astonishing ;
and "a performance lin which the
mining profession can take pride
I by T. A, Richard in the Mining and
Engineering Journal-PrcSs of July
20, last Mr., Richard was for many
wears editor of the Mining and Scien-
tific Press and before, that OF Lon
don mining paper. and a well known
authority on mining engineering.
Treadwell Held Record
His article follows lin full
For decades the Alaska Treadwell
Mining Company held the record for
low cost. the lowest figure being
made in the fiscal year ending May
81. 1900. when 557,96O tons of ore
was treated at an average cost of
SS cents. AMI for a, yield of 500 per
ION. The president of the Treadwell
company is Mr. F. iWa,Rradlcy 1t was
he who, while "a yolrhgster, in 1887
gained distinction BY his work as
superintendent Of the Spanish mine,
in Nevada county. California, when
he won. so per cent profit on gold
ore averaging s1,15 per ton. To be
exact, his mining costs were 81 cents
and his milling costs % cents. so
that the total operating costs were
so cents. He had soft ore to treat
and he used Chinese labor. but the
results were remarkable and attract
ed wide attention. Now, as presi-
don't of the Alaska Juneau Gold Min
irg Company, he is engaged on a
much bigger scale. in living up to
ffint early reputation The Juneau
mine is separated from Treadwell by
Gastinesu Strait.
History Of Development
From 1880 to 1897 the juneau
mine was worked by its locatcrs,
who sold to The incorporators of the
Alaska juneau Gold Mining Com
pany in 1897. In 1910 Mr.. Bradley
made a contract with the company
to drive long adit and erect a mill
at sea-lcvel. In. ~ lsuthe scope of
the tompany's opcimsac ex-
banded This expansion was prompt
ed by the example of the Alaska
Treadwell and by the promising char
acter of'the work being done by the
Alaska Gold Mines aCpWpany The
Treadwell, up to theiepf oH the yeer
1914. had produced 1477S,O74 tons
Of ore, yielding $246 per ton. from
which dividends amounting to $14,-
s85 900 had been ,fGstbnted. In
1912. the Alaska GosTr Mines Com
ppny was organized by an Influential
1rcu3. i-cluding HARDEN. S'orc &
o.. as brokers and Mr. G. D. Jack
frg ss engineer to exploit the Gas
'ircal. or Perseverance. mine. which
70 on the same belt or lode as the
Iunean: indeed. the ,so-called gold
belt at Jnncsu consists Of lenticu
~ Gro body four miles long and
I 100 feot in maximum width. the
-orthorn end Of which Is covered by
{ he Ebncr7 m'ne. the southern end
~ the Gastincsu.. and the central
~ maior. portion by the Jnnoau
Tho Ga7.'ncau wes ~ erect q mill CT
capacity not loss thar 10000 tons
pcr day and profit of Is cents was
axrected S1r~ 81: aS~aving sl.5G
lsnar ton. Tho Juneau, was to produce
dolly 5000 tons of selected ore, on
which profit of so scepts per ton
was to be made. The Elmer enter
-~ise was vet in course OF incpba
lion. hut this group Of three mines
was expected 10 produce five million
tons per annum: in short. Jun"ar
.1s to- loom largo on he man. But
the promise of a groA industrial
DEVELOPMENT was not fulfilled, and
five yeary later an Acknowledgement
of failure had to be mode. The
samr.lipg OF the Ebnnr did not jnsti
fv exploitation on large scale. The
Gastineau produced 2249.346 tons in
1917: this ore assayed S1,l03 pen
ton and yielded $40 cer.s at = -
! tai cost OF 77.O2 ccnts. In 1920 he
Output was 213345s 4ons. sssayinf
SO cents par ton ara yielding II
en-.e which was recovered at cos
~ SO ceDts-ihGt Is, ct loss o
l13 cents nnr ton, Tbe, trouble will
1.-The Gastin"en ep'rrnrtsf was tia
the mine did not contain tho eral'
Of ore estimated; the void declinaf
~ one-hav If the 81 5ey,apt'cinatod
rrcwrver. the A'~Sk1 GH'd tech~icians
did excellent work IN the mill: the,
~rrl;cd the -~artisn ut frgrner cor
~
| Neu CT s.amns ard amalgamatins