The Butte inter mountain. [volume], January 01, 1903, Page 3, Image 47

About The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
ESTIMATE OF OUTPUT OF BUTTE MINES.DURING YEAR
Figures Show Total Output, in Tonnage, for the-Year Just Closed, Will Exceed That of Any Previous Period-Profits Fall Off, Despite
This, Owing to the Decline of Thirty Per Cent in the Price of Copper and the Fact That the Silver Mined Is No Longer of Much
Value-Leading Groups of Local Mines and How Many Men They Employ and What Their Average Output Is.
N I OTWITHSTANDING the de
pression which ruled the copper
market, the year tgoa estab
lished a new record of produc
tion for the Butte district. The estimat
ed output of ore will reach the enormous
total of 3,571,Soo tons, an incresse over
the showing of any previous year in the
history of the camp.
While the ore reserves have been drawn
upon for this increased tonnage, pros
pecting and development work have been
carried on, so that In nearly all the larger
properties vast areas of rich rock have
F.:II~"~;'... II~·Ra~ n~% ·y
2 '·· ~ ~ ~ -
MAIN~grr STRT LOOING OUTH
been blocked out, givial assurance for
the future of these mines for years to
come.
Because of the low prices for copper
which have prevailed during :pos, great
quantities or ore, averaging about 3% per
cent copper, which had been blocked out,
have remained undisturbed in the mines..
It is estimated that fully z,ooo,ooo tons of
this ore have not been touched, on ac
count of the falling off in the demand
and the consequent reduction in the mar
ket price of copper from :6 cents a
pound to about ts' cents.
Another reason why the output of the
Butte mines will compare unfavorably
when calculated in dollars and cents is
the recent decline in the value of silver,
for nearly all the ores of this district
carry a large percentage of the white
metal.
ACTUAL DECLINE IN
THE FIGIURES FOR 1902
While the tonnage for sgol will great
ly exceed that of either sgot or the year
previous, the returns from the output, be
cause of the low prices of both copper
'fir 'ft. 4OOK I ka EA T
S ~ ~ ~ ~ / y~ yk`ý
and silver, will hardly exceed those of
the earlier years ana, in fact, it is pos
sible these figures will show an actual
decrease from those of :poo. If the
returns reach $zo,ooo,ooo, which is slight
ly under the figures of two years ago, the
showing will be considered very grati
fying, in view of such a low average price,
which has marked the copper industry
during the ia months just ended.
Probably -the most pleasing feature of
the situation, at least for the investors,
is the substantiation of the theories of
the experts, who placed their faith on
the Butte hills. In several of the big
mines the increased values looked for
at greater depths have not heen realized,
but in these cases the widening veins
and cheaper methods of reduction have
brought greater earnings and made profit
able the treatment of ores running very
low in copper.
Most of the larger mines, however, have
shown greater values at increased depths,
leading to the opinion that deep mining
has but just been begun in Butte. When
it is known that in the Michigan district
properties ate being worked at s,ooo feet,
while the maximum depth here is only
s,soo feet, the possibilities of enormous
wealth still contained in the hills can be
readily imagined.
BUTTE MINES ARE WELL
MANAGED AND VERY SAFE
The Butte mines are without doubt the
best managed and most safely regulated
mining properties in the world. Accord
ing to the report of the state mining
inspector, the greater number of acci
dents occurring last year were the result
of carelessness on the part of the work
men, or disobedience of ru'cs laid down
by the companies for the protection of the
employes.
The principle properties of the camp
have been equipped with the most modern
mining machinery, and the methods of
operation are those resulting from years
of experience and adopted with the idea
of reducing ad risks to a minimum and
expediting the production of ores.
In order to give a comparative idea of
the condition of the Butte mines, the
appended tables have been prepared, show
ing the daily ore output of the principal
mines and the distribution of men em
ployed by the mining companies of the
Butte district.
Following is the daily output of the
more important mines:
Anaconda Group.
Ton..
Anaconda ........................ 830
Neversweat ...................... 6ss
St. Lawrence ............ 40....... 4o
Mountain Consolidated ............ 330
Bee and Diamond................. . ,r4o
High Ore ... , ........... ...... . 39
W ashoe .......................... 350
Parrot ........................ 65o
Cole Co.......................... 650
Total..........................5,70o
Boston 6 Montana.
Tons.
Mountain View .................. oo
Pennsylvania ...................... oo
Leonard ........6.... ............ 60o
West Colusa .............. .... 700
Total.....,.... ........... ,
Butte £ Boston.
Tons.
East Gray Rock................... Ioo
Silver Bow No. ............... 400oo
Silver Bow, No. 3**...,,,,-,..,, 300
-.erkley .......................... 2Se
Total.. ... ................... 1,450
Colusa Parrot Company.
Tons.
Original ........................ oo
East Stewart ................... 350
West Stewart ............ :...... so
Total ......................... ,o5o
Montana Ore Purchasing Company.
Cora ........ . ................ 215
Raru, ........................... 5So
Nora ........................... 150
Total ... .................. ... 950
Miscellaneous Mines.
Tons.
Output, estimated .............. oo
Total daily output of mines, 1r,9o5 tons.
With this daily ore output of nearly
za,ooo tons as a basis, it hasebeen esti
mated that the total figure for the year
will be close to j,500,0o tons of ore,
yielding about 357,0ooo0,000 pouls of cop
per, as against a39,87o,415 pounds for
9poo and S4,46o0,713 pounds for the year
1900.
ENORMOUS 'INCREASE IN
THE TOTAL TONNAGE
As before pointed out, the year 190o
shows an enormous increase over pre
ceding years, but when it is considered
that the decline in the price of copper
has amounted to about 30 per cent, it
will be seen that even with this increased
tonnage, the money returns for the pro
duct will but only equal or vwry slightly
exceed those of former years.
One of the most striking features of
the hunt for copper in the vicinity of
Butte has been the movement during the
past year or two toward the lower part
of the city. The flats all around the
town are dotted with newly-built shaft
houses and hoists and the steam from
hordes of puffing engines tell of efforts to
find the rich veins at lower levels. A
large amount of work has also been done
on the east side, where many new claim
have been opened up during the year,
and shafts sunk on those which had for
merly been worked with promises of
success.
MEN EMPLOYED BY THE
PRINCIPAL COMPANIES
The following table gives the number
of men employed by the principal mining
companies operating in the Butte district:
Amalgamated Company.
Top EngI.
Miners. Men. neers.
Anaconds ........... ,36 468 ag
Boston & Montana... 982 153 a3
Btitte & Boston .... 464 8,3 a
Parrot ............ 3ao 66 3
Colorado ........... 350o 6 4
ash ............ a 30 3
4,597 826 74
Total. S.497.
Br.sides which there are employed at
the t o smelters of the Amalgamated com
pany a .I in the lumber yards 525 men,
makil: a total of 6,o0a on toe pay tolls of
this , omliany.
M. O. P. Company.
Top Engi
Miners. Men. ncers.
Raln... .......... 4ao 55 3
E. an, I W. Cora..... oo a5 .3
Nera .............. S 3
679 tou 9
Total., ;R.
At Ithe Ilhinm, smelter 3o50 imen are cle
ployI., making a grand total of o93.
Se Sthr C'lark employs 615 men at his
vnriain mine, and aSo at the smelter, giv
PARK STREET, LOOKING EAST.
ii IIi, grc
IIi ii
-4-....,.
______ PRK SREET_LOOIN EST
ing a total of 865. Scattered about the
district are v:.rious smaller miinig prop
erties eimploying 275 men, divided as fol
lows: The lhnima, 26; the Gem, za; the
Raven. 42 ; Sioux Chief, 6 ; the Jessie, . ;
the Brittania, 35; the Lexington, 13; the
Alice. S.1:- the Farrell properties, 33, and
at the ,loose 32.
The grand total of men employed by
the v:ariousi mining companies is H8,oo.
AMACulrDA, GROUP ARE
THE GREATEST PRODUCERS
Of all the mines in the Ilutte district
those comprising the Anaconda group r.re
the gr,;,test producers. Included in these
are thi' Anaconda, Ncversweat, St. L.aw
rence, Mountain Consolidated, Green
Mouni.oin, Diamond, Bell and High Ore,
employing in all 2,356 men rnlder ground,
468 t,,p men and a0 engineers. The
shaft of the Anaconda is in three conm
partml its and is clown 0,8oo feet. The
shaft i, cequipped with two dloubl, decked
cages ilh eight-ton skips, which are liad
ed from one chute at each level, gates
being icltomatically operated by coim
pressel air to dump the ore into the skips.
The iain shaft of the St. Lawrence
*r w
7
.,..~j, ,.
LOOKING WEST ON BROADWAY.
mioq is down s,S85 feet and is equipped
practically the same as the Anaconda
mine. On the s,ooo-foot level of this
mine is located a 6oo-gallon per minute
Reidler pump, which takes the water from
the Anaconda, St. Lawrence and Never.
sweat shafts.
The Neversweat shaft is down a,ooo
feet and has three compartments and a
hoisting engine with a capacity of 3a,ooo
pounds at the rate of 3,ooo feet per min
ute. This mine also has an air com.
pressor plant, which also furnishes air
for the Anaconda and St. l.awrence
mines. The hoisting equipment in prac
ticraly the same is that used at the Ana
conla and St. Lawrence properties.
HIGH ORE SHAFT IS
ONE OF THE DEEPEST
The High Ore nline gives employmrent
to more than j.oo men. This shaft is
one of the deepest in the camp;l, eillng
down 2,.oo feet The pumping plant of tlt.h
High Ore also handles the water from the
Mountain Consolidatedl, (;reen Motntaitl,
ellt and Diamond minies. T'his pumping
plant was installed with the idea of
handling all the water from the Iprincipal
mines of the Anacolla groulp an;ll to this
en11, a drain t ltnnl is bling conslltructed
f',uin thile St. La.wrtnce.
The lell shaft is a, No feet deetp :,i
that of the D)iamondl. hich adjoins the
tlll on the west, htas wern sunlk ito a
depth of la.,n feet. I. er 5Wo metn aret
employed a). t these properties.
The Mountain t'Conslidatel and the
green Mount:ain, both of which are down
,200o ?eet, are provided with practically the
isaiie llmodern metchanlllical elollllnllet fou(lni
at the other ll ines of the AI:acOnlda ciom
p.ulny. All of these milicR are connecteCd
anll ill one place bioth the Anaconlla iand
St. La:iwrence are workilg tle samlle veill
.;lnd almihost connect on tle various levlrs.
It is belie.vcel thiat the Anliacund;a pirop
(rties are the bhet carclI for minesii of
the ltutte dlistrict. Nearly all of them
hlave steCl gallows frrillal(' frolll 1, to
I.2o feet inl height .aisd ar.e provided with
all thei important mIechanical improve
Ilentsl kllown to aIlinlle-cn lgi leurinlg.
BOSTON & MONTANA
GROUP OF BIG MINES
I lle Itoton & Monltana groaup includes
the Mountaaii View, the Leona ird, a.st
anl( iWest (olusna and tile Inllsylvacllia.
'Il e Mo.e is also otie of the proplrties
of this company, but is hciilg workedl Iu
hder hlease hby Eugene C(arro,,. The NMoiiu
tainl View iemploy 2a 64 L imen ii hai a
three compartlimenit sha;ft I, Iu, feet l.dee(p.
The Wesa t ('tlusa ellphlys 157 mnrlll anil
the EIast Colusa :4i.,. 'The shaft of
thu fulullr is down I ,4w u feet,
while that of the East Colusa has only
reached a depth of go900o feet. The Leon
ard shaft is I,aoo feet down and that of
the Pennsylvania z,soo feet. All the mines
of the Boston & Montana company are
equipped with modern machinery and
the most improved mining methods are
employed.
The mines of the Butte & Boston com
pany comprise the Silver Bows Nos. i and
3, East Gray Rock, Berkley, the Blue
Jay, the Tramway and Snohomish. The
coImpniny emtployes S!V men and the out.
put is ablouit I,5iio totiR l IndilIy
Sitnator I lark's toititi itocI iti t hr I)rig.
ittal, Imiet and Wetit Strwd"rt. nand three
Nrw hoitlilg rengint art Ibring in.iallcdl
at tlh ()riginal attil %N'v't Stewart prop
a piar with thttiti of the At. n~ttitla iii.
platy.
l11 thei I einrlci piropitti't thine are tlti
Ratrot. lati toil %H gi I irt aitd the
Nitra, eiipiut tug iI all -8tn m .it. I le
li'.n r lllla\o is d ;tl legit III Is the JIC
it producer of thtis gunutti iii lg la hily
flutptli if SSi tIuti. it he .hft oft thle
West Corua it dlow n.,, ictt autu thatt of
'flit Iti1rt it ittot, ~utt ti by the li'Itriii
\liiitg (iii pllly, is ott If lut IWt-t pro
hat tOt yreit'i libuite tiltti o ilt int
ilownt 1,5(10 lrii. ihrre iiieilre.I adli
digity melt Lre c'mipliyved it thc. I atrtot,
the, ouctiict of whiihiii 650~. tonii daily.
Anacondccca grouip.
Thi. Spiculactor, .cwccii IDy fli I ary
estatli, Walt oti of ltce Ia1g lot-, pc4 It t c.
of Ithei ,iiiatile toeiD'il. two to liii ago wh en
iwaclosed dcciic; by~D rthe coyrtic.~
Iºhrsalrpoperat ib iikg i, es Iin till- dlci ctg
0.rnd P. r eDicclitnt pray tilheii Dl DIDutrV~
:dining &ile I. eloiimi. ii tic.' ny *i thep
alict, ipey the IyI~I. L.1iiiik iiiiiri liii ;ci
kprti'iI o.rtd by Hr iits Miearle t. \1It Decc;D
lii Naouo bcy ui"xtlio io, cpray b iurlei 'Dy
NlcI'.i coiD'y iijtaiija e ritt ittl, by-rl
tic by Jiwcthi Mi.iie I iihcc ;ial time lesie, xu
ica'.ii p.rcid by th eiunitiriIer tiie l1"acc-t
kcei Jly opierae, b Chee arles byI.. NI.i I ~cuiiJ
aiDl Srilver NIining Dcomcpaiy.
'lime i' licni I Itally, whiti It is also (hlosed
iceiiosect of ieiniieg litigatlioe, up to a fiw
monthlli agci prdcrcdie 55DD iecii' daily miill
employed 440 men. The title to this
mine is in dispute between Miles Finlen
and F. Aug. Ifeinze.
The Gagnon mine, owned by the Colo
rado Mining company, has a shaft I,8oo
feet deep and gives employment to 3So
men. The Moonlight and the Cambers
are operated by the Washoe Copper com
pany, employing together about zgo men.
The Pittsburg-Montana company, operat
ing the Franklin Farrell mines, cmploy
in the neighborhood of too men.