The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1924-01-17
.HECLA WILL RESUME
PRODUCTION JAN. q
ONLY 6 MONTHS DOWN
Remarkable Record of Re-
construction What Remains
to be Completed

r 4 ECLA WILL begin production
- next Tuesday, January %.
That is the prediction made
yesterday by James f. Nc
Carthy general manager of the Hecla
Mining company BY this he does not
mean that the plant will be in condi-
ton to handle the usual output Of the
mine What he does mean is that
those essential parts of the big plant
hoist, ore bins, rock crusher and
belt conveyor from the mine bin to
the loading bin-will be in readiness
for operation and that on that date
the hosting of ore from the mine will
begin. Naturally more or less delay
is anticipated due to adjusting and
tuning up this new, massive and some
what complicated machinery, but it is
believed that the start will be made
on the date named and gradually the
output of the mine will be brought up
to normal The fire that destroyed the
Hecla plant occurred on July 10 and it
was believed up to almost the first of
the year that it would be possible to
resume on January 10, exactly six
months from the date of the big fire.
This would doubtless have been ac-
complished had it not been for the ex-
tremely cold weather of the past few
weeks which seriously interfered
with the work on the new plant As
Stunning that the hoist begins to func-
ton on the 22d, resumption of pro-
duction will have been just nine days
more than six months from the time
the old plant went up in smoke, a re-
markable achievement considering the
gigantic task that confronted the
management.
Galows Frame and Conveyor.
The two things that remain to be
completed are the various annurten-
ances to the gigantic steel gallows
frame, which stands 1874 feet above
the collar of the shaft, and the big
belt conveyor from the mine bins to
the loading bins. The sheave wheels
for both the main hoist and the lit
ney" are in position, and in fact the
latter is now in operation. About
all that remains to be done now is
to complete the arrangements for
dumping the skips automatically into
the ore bin. From the bin the ore
will pass through rock breakers to
reduce it to mill size and then pass
to the belt cOnveyor which will de-
liver it to the top of the great con-
crete ore bin over the railroad track.
Work on the conyeyor is well adyanc-
ed and will undoubtedly be in work
ing order on the date named. The
loading ore bin will not be used for
probably two weeks in order to allow
the concrete to become thoroughly
set. In the meantime a chute will be
provided by which the ore will be de-
posted direct into the cars arrange
ments having been made for moving
and spOtting the cars as desired
Thus it will be seen that while much
remains to be done to round out and
this modern fireproof plant,
BY directing all efforts to the COM
Dletion of those parts essential to the
of ore. the Hecla manage
nent has been able to reduce the ac-
.ual suspension of production to half
he time that was freely predicted
following the fire.
Other Departments.
The new compressor is now in op-
,ration, the main hoist has been
urned over and is ready for service.
md the headhouse is rapidly being
placed in condition for service. On
he opposite side of the shaft and be-
'ond the ore bins the blacksmith and
machine shops are functioning, while
he extreme end of the building, de-
igned for a warehouse, is Temporal
Iy being used for a carpenter shop.
On top of the loading ore bins at
he terminal of the belt conveyor will
alter be built the ore sorting plant
he concrete conduit to carry the
sater of Canyon creek 5000 feet along
he base of the dump is practically
ompleted. AS stated before, while
luch remains to be done to round
ut the plant, the big things have been
ccOmplished and the remaining work
ill be carried to completion while
he mine is turning out its wealth of
re.