Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1925-11-05


Sunday mornings uaper relative 70
the meeting Of members Of tina anasu-
tive ssafgs Of the Silver Dyke and
Block P mining coEmpahies.
II also reveals the fact that the
Silver Dyke has been working along
the iinea previously privately catlinsd
and ars showing their good faith IN
the matter Of curbing the menace to
health and property along Belt creek.
he question Of the further course
Of the Belt Greek Valley Protective
a meeting Of the executive board 70
he held IN the near future. Previously
expressed opinion Of that body is bO
the effect that they desire the clear
ing OF Belt creek alone and have no
malice or fell designs against the de-
velopnent Of mining properties in ths
Neihart district.
ID. /. Hayes. manager Of the Silver
Dyke Mining company at Neihart,
Saturday laid before members ef the
executive committee Of the Belt Val
ley Protective association methods by
which the company voluntarily pro
poses to correct the situation growing
out Of the dumping Of mill tailings
in Carpenter creek tributary Of Belt
creek
A conference between representa-
tives Of the association and Mr.. Hayes
was proposed by W. H. Hoover. at
torney for the Silver Dyke, recently
in letter to Attorney General L. A.
Foote, following the associations de-
cisiOn to ask Mr.. Foote to interest
himself in the matter with a view To-
bringing abatement proceedings. Man-
ager Hayes met Saturday with W r.
Strain, president Of the association
andoscar English and Walter Blom-
quist, all members Of the executive
committee. The conference was also
attended by Walter Flynn, an engin.
eer Of Anaconda; Manager Won Rhys
of the Block P. Mining company, DR..
H. C. Gardner Of Anaconda and Mr..
Hoover.
Manager Hayes told the COMMITTEES
members chat the Silver Dyke COM
pany would do everything necessary, 4
and spare no expense which the oper-
alton Of the mine would Justify,
in correcting the situation complain
ed of by the association Outlining
the activities Of the company The ac-
tivities Of the company at Neihart
since Il opened work there three
years ago, Mr. Hayes said the oper-
ations thns far carried on bad been
largely experimental, a result Of the
necessity Of discovering processes by
which the low grade ore could be sue
eessfully handled.
The character Of the materials han
died IN operating the mine Is distinc-
tly different from any the company
has previously handled, Manager Hay
es said Use Of the fAotation pro-
cess requires that the ore be reduced
to fine particles, leaving residue
which offered problems entirely new
The extreme compIexdty Of the ores
made necessary modification Of the
processes employed before the mine
could be placed on practical work
ing basis.
Manager Hayes said he thOughs
that the period Of experimentation
now is past. Results in the last siA
months give promise Of permanency
in the methods now used in the min
IN and milling operations, he stated.
The tailings dam nsed until il was
destroyed by an earthquake last July
while not entirely satisfactory. had
accomplished the result Of taking the
sediment objected 30 BY property
owners along Belt creek Coloration
Of the water while the dam was IN
was virtually the only re
suit from the mills operation.
The dam was 80 seriously broken
BY the earthquake that II cannot be
used again, Manager Hayes eontin-
ueds and the compauy had no other
site for storage Of sailinga. the result
being the aggravated condition ex-
psrieuced since July The company
now intends % construct series Of