Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-11-22
Beaverhead Graphite Mine
Soon Resumes Operation

Montana soon may become an in
portant producer Of graphite, a mir
eral necessary to the national defens
program, If plans materialize f
working a pure crystal graphite depos
located at the top Of the souther
extension of the Ruby range
Beaverhead county and a short dis
lance from the Madison county line
The claims located by the late Pear
I. Smith and his associates, were a
one time known as the Crystal Graph
tie group and were worked intermit
tently for many years prior to and tn
beginning of World war No. l anC
during that epoch was worked to ;
| considerable extent, some LOO tom
having been shipped to the Atlantic
seaboard for use in the steel industry
graphite Of crystal grade being neces-
/ sary for crucible making After the
close of hostilities in 1918, the prop
erty was closed down, due to high
mining and shipping costs.
Early in 1941, Abbott s. Pond, an
operator formerly Of Baltimore, Md.
and until recently connected with the
protective receivership of the 'Inspir-
alton" gold mining property near
Silver Star, leased the graphite group
under an agreement to place this
strategic property in production.
Rail Rate Reduced
After a careful survey Of the geology
of the property the condition Of the
country road and private road leading
I'D to the camp and tunnelsite together
with shipping facilities, it was appar
ent that if it were to be made paying
proposition. freight rates to the sea-
board of $3.50 per ton, would have
to be lowered. The oregon Short Line
Union Pacific co-operated in that
they supplied loading and storage
space. made application to the Inter
state Commerce Commission for re-
duction in the freight rate and this
was finally approved for approximately
SIG per ton to seaboard points.
Recently a report was made on the
geology and possibilities of the prop
erty by M. r. Cooper of Butte, which
resulted in interesting Wayne L. Fen
ner. formerly with Cerro de Pasco In
South America and now superintend-
emit of the Golden Sunlight mine at
Whitehall, in the operation OF the
graphite property.
Operations now consist Of building
a road from the junction Of the county
road up Axe canyon to the mine camp,
of a group of bunk houses, |
office. boarding house and storage
quarters. A dry house for the miners
and a new compressor house will be
constructed at once to take care OF |
equipment and provide adequate Ia |
,ilities for miners comfort.
It is contemplated that diesel
operated electric lighting plant will be
installed shortly to light the camp and
supply illumination for the tunnel
work which will be started at once. II
IS planned to tap the ore body APP
500 feet below the crest |
IF the range and 300 feet below the
potion of a shaft sunk from the crest
# the range. This new tunnel work
will be at a point near the camp at
IN elevation of TOO feet and VIII
rosscut the lead and should encoun-
er several new veins not now shown
n the surface.
High-grade leads heretofore encoun-
cred in the vein matter have been
rom 1 to 6 or 8 inches in width and
n one instance pocket developed
which produced SO tons of this high
rade ore, needing only to be SHOW
led into the shipping sacks. 1t is ex-
ected that in about As days that
he production will be about 100 tons
er month.
The firm of Cummings & Moore,
)etroit, Mich, has agreed to purchase
ne entire output of the property, and
ne United States government has ex-
ressed the desire that shipments be
at once, so great is the
eed of this strategic ore. Mr.. Cum
lings has expressed the opinion that
lie crystal graphite Of Dillon win now
e able to compete with the foreign
roduct as he says that the labor costs,
ansportation, wharfage, insurance,
,mmission, tariff import duty and I
Fights to inland points of consump-
on can be met by improved mining !
Iethods and the new freight rates
DIV authorized by the I. G. G.