Show california SMELTERS TO START SPECIAL correspondence grants pass ore march II 11 there is considerable activity over in the waldo copper district preparing for the coming seasons smelting smelling sm elting and mining operations though it will be fully three months before the roads are in condition to allow of heavy teaming between the smelter and grants pass the companies operating in the dis brict are making preliminary preparations for the beginning of work colonel draper manager of the mines of the waldo smelting smelling Sm elting mining company has placed a crew and has laid plans for extensive work this summer charles tutt of colorado springs manager of the takilma smelter and of the properties of the takilma smelting smelling Sm elting company is expected to arrive at an early date to start up work in the takilma mines both the takilma company and the waldo smelting smelling Sm elting mining company are interested in the smelter as well as the several properties about the plant and both have had crews at work all winter developing the ledges in the queen of bronze one of the properties of the takilma company an exceptionally fine body of copper ore has been uncovered and this will receive the first attention of the smelter when it is blown in for the season the new smelter at kennett on the mammoth copper mines of northern california will this summer use a great amount of ores from southern oregon copper mines arrangements are now bein beins 1 made for the shipping of ore from several josephine county copper properties the kennett smelter is a three furnace plant and has a daily capacity of over 1000 tons the ore is conveyed by gravity tram from the mine to the bins of the smelter the ore of the mammoth copper mine is a heavy sulphide and carries high values throughout the distribution of its content is as follows silica 10 per cent iron 35 per cent sulphur 45 per cent the average copper values are 5 per cent with about 3 a ton in gold and 1 in silver the company is pro procuring curin its lime rock for fluxing flexing from a quarry above the smelter like the ore the lime rock is conveyed to the smelter bins by gravity tram the company has had considerable difficulty in securing ores for flux ing for this purpose ores have been shipped from nevada and southern california but in the future southern oregon will be looked to for this grade of ore new machinery for mines there le is considerable activity just now in southern oregon mines in the placing of new equipment and additional machinery major andrus and crew have about completed the installing of additional equipment on the bill nye mine of gold hill district A pound compressor of 10 drill capacity capacity has been placed wires have been strung from the power plant of the gold hill canal company transformers and motors have been placed and as soon as connections are made the mill and entire plant will be operated by electricity the mine is the property of the bill nye mining company of which major D R andrus is manager the golden drift mining company is placing a large steam dredger and will widen and deepen its tall tail race below the power dam of the company the giants have been shut down temporarily while a number of improvements prove ments are being made chief among them being the building of retaining walls to hold the tailings from the sluices two additional dit ional turbines giving more horsepower will also be placed as will another five step centrifugal pump of the same type and capacity as that now employed when this is done the company will operate four giants in the dry diggings instead of two three carloads of machinery have arrived for the mount pitt mine and are being unloaded at merlin for the property on jump off joe manager A C hoofer I 1 of the mount pitt mining company is placing the new equipment which consists of a compressor hoist machine drills concentrators turbine and stamp mill the mount pitt has been shipping for some time the granite hill mill has started up again after being shut down for fok six weeks during which time the change from steam to ta electric power has been made and several pieces of heavier machinery added the mill and concentrating plant now have a capacity of eighty tons daily DENNIS H STOVALL |