Show improvements AT THE EAST BUTTE changes and improvements that will greatly increase the capacity of the pitts mont smelter and repairs at the mines of the east butte company that will put them in splendid shape for operation says the anaconda standard are nearing completion and the resumption of work at an early date waits now only on the arrival of some of the machinery required in the completion of the enlarged smelting smelling sm elting plant As soon as this part of the improvement is finished fully men will go back to work at the big east butte companas Comp anys mine and smelter during the six menthes that have elapsed since the shutdown extensive changes and repairs have been made the th 2 smelting smelling sm elting plant has been entirely overhauled and is practically new one of the two blast furnaces has been bean entirely rebuilt and its capacity increased from tons per day to tons per day the other blast furnace has a capacity ot of tons per day and this makes it possible to handle more than tons of ore per day at the smelter now the old ore lins bins have been replaced by new large railroad ore hins bins so that the ore can be handled direct at the time that the plant shut down in august quite an amount of repair work had just been completed the crushing and screening arrangement ran gement was entirely overhauled and improved during the shutdown the smaller jigs have all been removed and their places taken by two large hancock jigs an elaborate system of slime treating tables has been put into place for operation and settling tanks installed so that this improvement will enable the company to make a great saving the same principles 11 involved in the large plant at the washoe smelter have been followed in the construction of these new features with the renewal of operations at the east butte the experimenting with the flotation system which had begun when the mill closed down will be renewed the east butte company is still mining from froin some of the higher levels where there is 0 some oxidation and this makes the chaile change in this respect quite a problem A force of men has been busily engaged for the past month making needed repairs at the mine A large amount of re timbering has been done and one main drift on the foot level has been entirely re timbered alt alf these repairs were completed by april 1 and the mine ready tor for operation and in better shape than ever before mining will be carried on at practically pra cacic all the levels between the an ana 1 1500 foot level the company probably will not start its smelter at its new capacity butlin butwill r oper ift F ate at a bout about the same rate that it did when it closed down and until the market conditions and the demand for copper reach the point where there will he be a good opportunity to dispose of the output the output when the smelter closed ran about 1250 pounds of copper per month the definite news of the plans to open the Pitts mont again was most welcome in butte business circles the gradual resumption of work in the mines means a steady prot progress ress toward the return to normal conditions in butte and the opinion is general that by summer butte will be back where it was last june when the troubles began that resulted in a hard winter I 1 tv I 1 the date for starting the mine has been fled fid for april 15 the operation of th the jo bot ot abt f sol certain but will probably be april 25 there is a possibility of some delay in ill getting the required machinery that will carry this date forward to may 1 but by the latter date both mine and smelter will be in full operation |