Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-12-13


During the year the Anaconda
Copper Mining Co. finished its neV
manganese mill and rooster at tn
Washoe plant at Anaconda. During thu
building period the company created
a stockpile Of milling ore at Butte, the
ore coming from the Emma mine. The
company is now milling and roasting
! ,450 tons Of pink manganese (rhodo-
chrosite) per day, of which 300 tons
Is coming from the stockpile. However
mining operations are being enlarged
so that about 1900 tons per day can
be mined and the stockpile held for
an emergency The ore Is ground to
300 mesh and the impurities removed
by a flotation process. The manganese
concentrates are then given a flash
roast in a kiln rooster over 200 feet
long. At present rate of milling the
output of the plant is over 5000 long
tons Of concentrates per month. This
is the highest grade manganese con-
centrate ever produced In quantity in
the history of metallurgy and 1t Is
sold under contract to the Metals Re
serve Co., a subsidiary Of the Recon-
struction Finance Corp.
At Philipsburg, in Granite county,
several mining companies are operat-
ing magnetic Concentrations and pro-
ducing a high grade manganese di-
oxide known as battery or chemical
ore. PhilipSburg has the largest de-
veloped body Of manganese dioxide ore
in the United States and is at present
supplying about one-third Of the do
nestle demand for that ore. Philips
burg also has some ores that can be
used for metallurgical purposes and
which probably will be mined when,
as, and If the price OF manganese
metallurgical ore advances.
There are a number OF scattered de-
posits of black manganese ores in west
ern Montana A great many OF these
deposits have been examined by the
Montana Mineral Resources survey.
The Mineral Resources survey also has
done quite a lot Of trenching and sam
pIing on the milling grade black man
9anese deposits which may furnish
quite O tonnage, In the aggregate, II
the lower grade ores are needed.
Chromium
It has long been known that there
are large deposits of chromium ore
in saltwater and Carbon counties IN |
south central Montana. The late James
p Kemp. head of the mining course
of Columbia university, in 1923, stated
that these were the largest chromium
deposits in the United States and prob
ably In the world, although they were
not considered commercial as compared
with foreign ores. However, the United
States Bureau of Mines diamond
drilled and trenched the deposits In
county and the Mineral Re-
sources survey trenched the depoSltS
in Carbon county so as to give q
better idea of the extent and contents
of these ore bodies. AS result OF
this work the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. through one of its subsidiaries,
mas taken over the Benbow and Mouat
mines in saltwater county and the
properties are being opened and VIII
,e operated by the Anaconda Copper
Mining Co. on strictly management
,asis. The Anaconda Copper Mining
TO- IS doing this work as a patriotic :
Iuty as it will not share In any Of
he profits. The properties are near !
)ean and Nye and the present pro- :
ram calls for the building Of a 450-
ON mill. The concentrates probably
ill be stOckpiled near the mill until 4
eeded. ]
In Carbon county the q. S. Vana- A
ium Corp. has taken over a number
( claims and Is mining at the rate q
( $50 tons per day. The ore Is being h
,ockpiled at Red Lodge where the N
1mpany is going to erect a milling n
lant. @
There are several scattered deposits is
I chromium near Silver Star and Ii
heridan In Madison county. The de-
osit near Silver Star was trenched II
nd surveyed by the Mineral Resources
rvey and several lenses Of good grade p
lromium were exposed. This deposit tt
as been taken over by Montana and b.
pokane capitalists who expect to start n
oerations on 1t early in 1912. sc
ungsten OF
Tungsten is being mined and milled Of
? the Jardine Mining Co., which is -
0erating four miles north Of the Gar !,
ner entrance to the Yellowstone ma ~ =,
onal park. Tungsten is produced as 81
by-product from the gold and silver - -
Is db JdIQulG. n SullldI OCCuIICuCc =.
tungsten is found at the properties 49, -,
the Midas Gold Mining Co. near - =,
bby, Lincoln county. The Libby prop ~
ty is not in operation. %
The Mineral Resources survey did do
ute lot Of work on a large scat be
red, low-grade tungsten deposit in tri
e Potosi district near Pony in Madi- du
n county. If the urge for tungsten all
comes greater this property probably of
u be operated. 81,
For a number of years tungsten M
Inerals have been found in some Of co
e gold placer deposits in the north tn
ntral portion Of Granite county. on
veral Of the placer operators have OK
ipped some of the tungsten recov- mi
ID from their operations. 1t Is known fut
at there Is a small amount Of tung-
n in some Of the ores of the Black
ne silver mines, which operated In
1t vicinity about five years ago. The
neral Resources survey traced the
rce Of the stream tungsten to the
Der fork of Henderson creek and