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Show j jj I 1 1 BINGHAM CONSOLIDATED MINING AND 1 1 I ( 1 1 ii SMELTING COMPANY j : i Copper mining nor copper smelt Ir.g XX afford no clinics more exhaustive nor yy lessons moro instructive than those that Sffl have been taught by the Bingham Con- ! T solidatcd Mining and Smeltliig company M In the evolution of its great mines nt ' Bingham and Tlntlc. the crystallization ' of Its smelter In Salt Bake- valley. By ' 5 the former the student presented with Tr o discourse upon the copper, gold and j.i silver-bearing resources of the State, to Which there Is little to be added; from ! 4vi) the latter he derives a lesson on the KS economic reduction of ores and the ' channels through which great fortunes Np ure achieved, that Is Imparted through no other school. Success In the one has TT been equally as pronounced as In the I-W other, while the success of each has ?X been made possible by the splendid sln- fyp i Ki affbrded by the ores of two camps upon which the splendid organization w as foundt d rwi) It waf in 1S97 that those who laid the foundation for this splendid superstruc-rf1?1 superstruc-rf1?1 ture Bought a foothold at Bingham and Ca acquired it in a handful of earth that XV was, upon the map of those diggings, HI ')() known as the Commercial group. The $v extent of this acquisition was confined rJ) to less than fifty acres, but not a recess within that area but was plugged with 9 B wealth of copper, gold and silver- 9 bearing ore It was, indeed, as subse- 9 "Hp quent development demonstrated, a !T Slice from the very heart of Bingham's (w great mineral-bearing zone. Prior to JUb that time It had been mined for Its au- .' rlferous ores and, while not productive vv of a large amount of gold, its operation 'ly had at hast been made remunerative Search for Copper. :) Profiting by the lessons that had been taught by its neighbor, the United States Mining company, the purchasers I of the Commi rclal, who were to pioneer 9 yz. the way for the Bingham Copper nnd 9 B Gold Mining company, dismissed the 9 5HP gold-bearing stratum by which the main 9 jv copper-bearing resources were overlaid ..i and dropped at once Into the underlying v-J- metals. The zone here ueveloped as I- gg had in the Highland Boy, as had It In the properties of the I'nited States Mi-btx Mi-btx nlng company, and became a source of wealth relatively as great as that upon jPe which any of Its neighbors were found- ed. In IfctfS the company was formally 47T organize.! ;jm began a career whh h has j. been as eventful and as productive as has any corresponding undertaking In V" tt camp of copper. With the Commer- clal group as its nucleus and the great 'i'V, z(nc responding most generously to lu every stroke of the pick, every blast fjXj) of giar.i. it was Boon demonstrated that XT the resources of the Bingham Con. were VV as permanent as those of any of Its con- 5 temporaries. Enormous volumes of topper-bearing ore having been blocked g out, the com puny began to seek means TV for its reduction, this culminating in SSj 3901 in the erection of a smelter, two fix!) furnaces then constituting Its batterj. Acquires New Ground. VX To the company It soon became ap- j parent that U must surround itself with fcfo .-.ildliional territory and for this the 'tt search was begun, its policy of expan- j sion extending until finally it absorbed the great Dal ton & Lark group of I u mines eac h unit In w hic h had bee n pro- ! W ductive of a fortune that was piled H- higher and higher, until the water level ! ! was reached, and the control of that clement became so onerous that opera - Zf. Hons were of necessity suspended. vj) Added to the Bingham company's - - YY tte, the reclamation of ore bodies that (yg had been long submerged was begun 'XX The enormous expense that the- conten-l'on conten-l'on with water incurred, however, (vS) forced them to suspend the active j pumping of it and emboldened by thf Sot reports of every expert who had ever i Xfa i made inventory of its riches that they -M- existed in large volume, u was final 1 decided to undermine the znnf, tap tho XX various channels through that avenue W and to unv atc-r Its ledges to a depth of ffii) many hundreds of feet below the h-n l- W zon to which the waters had risen, it ) was In 1901 that this work was InaugU- j JT rated. Since that time, with the excep- I .V tion of five months, during which the j fy) forces were withdrawn, this work ban r-r been prosecuted continuously until to-day to-day it has penetrated the zor for a dls- VV tanee of 7000 feet. From It has poured rr; a Niagara of water, the oro bodies so (fit) long in Its embrace have been liberated, r and today the Dalton & Lark group Is supplying the furnaces with 2"j0 tons of 0j) ore dallV- Through it connection has been made with the Brooklyn ledge, rW) one of the largest in the system, while xi within the next sixty days tho Lark 2i veln have been tapped, connection , XX with the Lead-Mine to follow some tlmo ! Th- present year, at a distance of 9500 ' (Sc feet from the mouth of the tunnel. Meanwhile, the main purpose for which J tne flraJn tunnel was conceived has been i XX accomplished, tho upper workings have L been unwatered, and work in new and (j) hitherto unexplored territory Is ad- ,j vanclng at all points in dry earth. ! v Ialton and Lark's Resources. l Although a waterlog when It was ae- I (jj) quired by the Bingham Consolidated I X Mining and Smelting company, the Dal- I it ton Lark since its reclamation has ( become one of the most resourceful of f its assets, and that it will continue to 1 g increase its output is emphasized by every shot that Is fired, every shift that ! ii! Is excused In the group has been proa- SS) ecutc-d r.o less than 30.000 feet of v.,.,u 1 XjZ, nrl ln lhls 8rno t most stupendous ore bodies of which Bingham has been XX permitted to boast have been disclosed Xj At intervals some of the ledges with I n H shich this group is honeycombed have fhown a width of over eighty feet between be-tween walls, while for several hundred feel they have been opened up along their strike. Indeed, the history of the Dalton & I-ark group is Identical with the history of the neighboring mines. During Its pioneer days It vas productive produc-tive of vast tonnages of ore, in which silver and lead predominated, v. Idle gold Values there, as In other localities In a camp that was at one period mined for the gold it contained, constituted no i. depth of about GOO feet, with the workings work-ings throughout aggregating about 1.-000 1.-000 feet. From the hour the first volley of shots was put off In this territory It has been productive and while vast tonnages ton-nages have been extracted, a larger volume Is exposed today than at any period ln the chronology of Its operations. opera-tions. These. o;es are Identical with those of which the neighboring mines nre productive, consisting of a pyritlc-lron pyritlc-lron containing copper, gold and silver, and with such an excess in iron as to in the Bingham CnnsolMated's holdings Is now quite positively assured, and that larger volumes of ore will be encountered en-countered as depth Is attained is clearly clear-ly emphasized by the experience In tho neighboring mines. With the slllclous ores of the Kagle & Blue Bell combined com-bined with the copper, gold and silver-bearing silver-bearing fluxes of Bingham the management man-agement of the Bingham Consolidated has acquired e pi rfect smelting product atid at a cost not above the nominal Is i accomplishing results that were hlth- - queuing plant, etc., with eyej-y device essential to the efficient and'economlcal reduction of ores. During the same cy-cle cy-cle of construction additions havo been made to the battery of blasts which at this time consists of five with a total of five that are capable of reducing approximately ap-proximately 1000 tons dally, although the management Is contenting Itself with about 800 at this hour Perfected, the Bingham Consolidated company s Kineli r Is, of its type, a perfect example exam-ple of smelter construction and to the -,,.,r.(gp. , .. - ; X interior or BlngTiam Consolidated EulHon Dept. ( y. ,1 small unit ln its output There has been the rame transformation there, however, how-ever, that there has been ln the other mines. In levels below the latitude to which the waters had climbed, the lead lias been replaced by the red metal nnd a ferro-sulphlde carrying copper, gold and silver exists there, as does it in the neighboring boaanzas The Value of Its Ores TVhile the metallic contents of some of this is very high, the average Is Identical Iden-tical with that which characterizes the other mines. In addition to the copper-bearing copper-bearing ores, tin re is found at intervals In this group lead-bearing channels, tho average value of which exceeds greatlj the average that rules ln thai camp. Of this class of ore several hundred tons per month are sent to the furnaces of the American Smelting and Refining company, settlements on a recent lot disclosing tho presence of over 100 ounces of silver per ton. with considerable consider-able lead and good values In gold, Of the Dalton & Lark group It may be said that it has developed Into one of the companv s most gigantic resources, re-sources, and with the tunnel driven to Its projected destination, a total distance of 13.000 feet from its portals, many most Interesting and most profitable lessons on the occurrence of ore and the strength of the camp's great arteries may be relied on In addition to the Brooklyn, the Lark and the Lead-Mine svstc-m of ledges, there are equally well-denned well-denned ones, equally productive ones, in the Miners Dream. Yosemlte and Antelope, and while the latter have not been extensively' exploited, each has been and Is now productive of ore The system of ledges embraced within this group la undoubtedly one of the most remarkable that has been developed In tho camps of TTtah Nope of them, no matter at what depth they have been explored In Bingham, ha e ever show n signs of quitting, and while a depth of over 1800 feet has be-en reached upon this zone, the resources at that depth are as strong and apparently as enduring endur-ing as at any point between that and the grass roots above. At the Commercial. The f'ommercial group, adjoining the properties of the United Ft. t. . aiming company, and first among the Bingham Con company's acquisitions in that great camp, has been fathomed to a ( constitute an Ideal smelting product In the Commercial grojp two tunnels have now been driven, tho main one, or lower tunnel, connecting with the main ore-bearing zone at a point 430 feet lower than the upper one. The ledge at that depth Is a tremendous one and is going down with a strength that can be stopped by dynamic resistance only. To fathom this enormous channel nt greater depth a third tunnel has been projected, and. ujton this, '"riving will probably begin early the present season Through this the management expe, ts-to ts-to tap the ore bodies at over 1100 feet, connection at this point affording several sev-eral hundred feet of sloping groune At no time. Indeed, have the ore bodies In the Commercial Shown anj signs whatever what-ever of decadence, and greater depth should disclose a volume of wealth even greater than that revealed in levels above. Tho Tlntic Purchase For a supply of sllirlous ore with v.hlch to blend the sulphlies of Ms Bingham system the Bingham Consoll- dated Mining and Smeitlng company, In 1903. reached out and Into- Tlntic where ln November of that year II acquired ac-quired control of the Kagle & Blue Bell group containing eighty acres of glbund adjoining that of the famous Centennial Kureka and covering the very heart of that most productive region. re-gion. Since that time the properties of this company have been under the administration ad-ministration of the Bingham company At Its arteries It went with a zeal that had characterized it in all Its undertakings under-takings und with an unstinted energy behind it, Us ledges soon began to rc-lox, rc-lox, soon began to respond with a considerable con-siderable volume of gold, silver and copper bearing ore. Tho main ledge In this property since that time has been opened to a depth of S00 feet, the channel chan-nel at that point showing great strength and while the property Is one of the latest to develop In that rajnp, and along that zone, !t affords many assurances of becoming as productive ns are any upon It Since taking hold of it the management of the Bingham Confnlldated has succeeded demonstrating demon-strating the presence of three distinct and Independent channels, the characteristics charac-teristics of which are the same as are those ln the Centennial Eureka, the Fame metals occurring in its ores. That this acquisition will be made a source of wealth equal to any other Included vl- tr'r yi- i i 4- z -I- fbil- ; crto unattainable. "With the ore bodies of all thes various holdings on which to draw the company now has at its command ore enough with which to meet the requirements of its plant in the valley for an Indefinite period, and tr.at It will begin the active distribution distribu-tion of wealth among its shareholders before the expiration of ninety days, Is now reasonably well assured. Bingham Con. Smelter. The story of the Bingham Consolidated Consoli-dated Mining and Smelting company's Kinelter In the valley and upon the tracks of two systems Of railway, Is tho story of cine of the most Important achievements In the realms of Western metallurgy. The evolution of this plant, which Tins done so much to simplify sim-plify methods of reduction, began with the Installation of two furnaces, the product of which consisted of a matte, containing h'Kh percentages In the red metal with not a small amount of gold and silver, ln other words It produceel a fire-concentrate for which there was an eager market at the furnaces of the custom smelter, w here it was converted Into pig-copper while affording a matchless flux In the reduction of other ores. This unit In tjie Bingham Consolidated Consol-idated company's smeiter. constructed at a cost of less than $100,000, perhaps, was capable of reducing 300 tons of ord dally, the product regulated by the management and made to conform to that for which there was the best mar-"ket mar-"ket at the furnaces to which it was subseeiuently consigned. Furnaces Made Mofiey. While the smelter was unfinished and the superstructure- at that time constituted con-stituted but one unit In the Imposing plant that had . been projected and Which has now been completed at a cost of about $1,000,000, it nevertheless became a tource of steady revenue to the company and to those pioneer furnaces fur-naces the founders are Indebted not a little for subsequent achievements. About a year later and after the management man-agement had demonstrated conclusively the adaptability of its methods to the reouli eiivn's of its ores, construction, fo proficiently begun, was renewed. The nexl unit, which was completed in 1302. provided It with two converter stands and six shells, with a blowing capacity of lOuO horse-power or enough for two more of these units. In addJ-i addJ-i tlon to these equipments there Is a brl- A- -:- ? ; ? i- -I- -:- wo I builders of similar plants throughout the country has been of Invaluable service. ser-vice. In Its consummation the company com-pany has spared nothing that could add whatsoever to the results it sought nnd It is said of it that It is now reducing re-ducing its ores at a cost attained by no other In the country. In tho Open Maikot. In addition to the output of Its personal per-sonal acquisitions the company has ever found it josslble to help out the neighbors and of the tonnages reduced during the year not a little of It was from these sources. Among Its contracts con-tracts for custom work, Indeed, are some of the largest ever slgne.j up in the West. To Its furnaec3 has appealed the management of the Utah Copper company, at whose mill In Bingham canyon about 20,000 tons of low-grade ore is being converted into high-grade copper gold and silver-bearing concentrates concen-trates monthly, while the Boston Consolidated Con-solidated of the same great camp of copper Is sending to them as much as 2S0 tons dally. AJ. Its furnaces Is also being reduced tire output of the For-ttma For-ttma company's mines at Bingham, the Carlsa. Grand Central and Star Consolidated Consol-idated of Tlntic In addition to this duster, whose ores have found their v ay ino Bingham 'onsolldated furnaces fur-naces are miscellaneous others, while the output of Samuel Newhouse's plant through whli h the copper ores of the Cactus mines at Newhouss will soon 1" Kin to pass will also be reduced at these furnaces From custom sources the company, Indeed. Is deriving a rnlendld revenue, and the new season begins with every assurance of ;t material ma-terial Increase before the close of tho J e ar. The Year's Outut The output of bullion from the furnaces fur-naces of the Bingham Consolidated smelter duilng the year showed an ag-gr. ag-gr. gate of ll.4S0.14t? pounds of copper bullion, which In addition to '.he red metal contained nearly 39.000 ounces of gold, nearly 1,400.000 ounces of silver. The year at the plnnt began with three furnaces only in eommlhoion. To this another was added In Julv, while in '"'her a fifth was blown In and the capacity of tne plant thus increased ' over 40 per cent With this equipment the output of 19'i5 should be vastly ln-creased ln-creased and while much depends upon the metallic contents of the charge, the management fe-is mite wen assured that the crop for the year will exceed IS.000,000 piundf At present It has four furnaces under fire with the fifth ready to go whenever corslgnmentj Shall Justify it. Meanwhile a tremendous tremen-dous stock of ore Is carried In the bins within the smeltr yard, while not ono of the sources for which the company is relying for a Bteady supply but hi . a pable of reporting with a greatlj in. creased tonnage Earning Good Dividends. That the Bingham Consolidated Mining Mi-ning and Smelting company. capital-Led capital-Led at 110,000,000 under the laws of Maine, has long bee-n earning revenues greatly in "xcebs of operating expenses has long been known to those of this State wno have followed up Its career. Conspicuously out of tho rule, Indeed, It has been piling up profits ever since the plant with its two matting furnaces fi went Into active commission, and that the distribution of bread money was TS not Inaugurated several years ago was ! that the earnings were levied uf.oti for means with Which to elaborate and to 9 perfect the company's equipment, fl means with whli l lo add to its territory terri-tory and while the shareholders among W whom are scattered 150.000 of the 2o0,000 shares, tho other 50,000 remaining 9 as a most stupendous asset In the M treasury, and which has a valuation of approximately $.',000,000 on ihe present 9 market, havo been deprived of dlvi- 1 dends during the period, the equivalent 9 has found its way Into Increased as- 6ets. Into the betterment of the smelter. M Between them and dividends at this 9 time, however. Is a gap that ninety 9 days should span, and while the off!- 9 cers of the company, uniformly con- 9 servatlve, have not authorized the an- B nouncenv nt. h first m an endicys sue. 9 csslon of dividends will probably bo 9 posted In March, for distribution In 9 April. At all events the period of dls- 9 I'ursement has perhaps reached its end with the consummation of all that was ;!J undertaken by its founders when tho 9 equipment of the proposition with an fr up-to-date smelter was begun, when 9 the acquisition of mines with which to 9 supply their needs indefinitely was un- 9 dtrtaken. If there Is anything further 9 to levy upon Its earnings It is not ap- 9 parent at this time, although there ih a !; possibility that a future patronage of Tf Its plant shall become so liberal as to necessitate some day Its further en- fl largement. Nor would that entail any 9 serious encroachment upon its earnings 9 for left In the site upon which the 9 present plant Is reared Is abundant 9 space with which to accommodate any I enlargement that may be required. 9 The Company's Management. The present organization by which 9 the affairs of the company are directed, 9 nnd by which its destinies are shaped, 9 Is an experienced one in the explolta- 9 tlon of large concerns -and may be re- 9 lied upon implicitly for a most lnlelll- 9 gent and a most economic management, M the official household consisting of E. 9 L. "Unite, president; O E. YVeller, treas- m urer; W. J. Freeman, secretary, and 9 Duncan MacVlchle, general manager. B Than anything that might be said in behalf of tho local management the r achievements at the mines, the results JH accomplished at the furnaces, will B speak with Infinitely greater emphasis. Capt. MacVlchle, upon whom has de- M VOlved the general management of ths 9 company's Interests, has given them his j undivided attention, and it is under his supervision and the support accorded S him by his superiors that the mines have attained a stature equal to ths most prominent ln the West if, at pres- ent, they are not levied upon for so S great a tonnage as some of their neigh- bors. Of his ability as a manager and M as a miner the results throughout, and Tt those achieved at tho Dalton & Lark In particular, afford splendid evidence. ; It was by him and his underground, - staff that the work at the latter was outlined that the results accomplished since that time were told with an ac- curacy that has been more than veil- ,iJ fled. In penetrating the gioup he has U not only made It possible to eliminate H an item of expense that had crippled ;1 tho property for many years, but rondo it possible to operate It as one of ths i& most productive of Its assets. Not only has it made it possible to overcome the wafers in -whose grip the enormous n wealth of the bonanza, was locked hut J It will bo made an outlet through which jJ the ores shall be discharged at a cost merely nothing compared with mean! Jj to which the previous owners were re- fj quired to resort. When the group f turned over to him as an asset the pre- duetion of ore from that source was -j entirely suspended. Today It is one of J the most productive of Its many sources Tt of wealth Results accomplished at a the Eagle & Blue Bell of Tlntlc ars fit equally expressive of the skill behind. ;H them. When the control of these prop- U ertles was. upon the recommendation ,a of Manager MacVlchle, acquired by the a company it was with much difficulty a that the bills were paid without appeal -H to tho shareholders. With tho sinews J afforded by the purchasing company, ,; however, the systematic development of J its channels was begun and at this tlrn y It Is among the most active of the r camp's producers. . H At the smelter he has, with the elc or 1 Superintendent William H. Nutting. Jk a. hieved in the field of metallurgy H equally as much in ihe company's he- M half. In Superintendent Nutting, in- a de.-1, the company h id secured tne ser- 4 Vices of one who had been present at if the birth of pyrltlc smelting m tins eountrv. During the experience tnnt followed he had acquired a thorougn knowledge of its minutest detail ana K, under his Immediate supervision the H plant has attained a prestige In tne b world of smelting which singles It out H as tho ideal of its type. . .;-. . j. i .;. ; . .;-. - ' t ;t;j4-J9Wl |
