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Show '1 r 51 FOUNDED DESERET EVENING NEWS. SATURDAY DECEMBER 1850 20 1010 SALT LAKE CITY UTAH seventieth YEAR History of Bingham One of Failure and Success One of the World e Great ett Mining Camp Today by Rearon of ft t immense Tonnage Wat the Scene of Many Disappointments in Earlier V.. I f Day. J , t: V w . fhoto by Sh p r Panorama Showtng Workings of the Utah Copper Mine at Bingham a party which went to Bingham fori area In each celebrated mines as Ih The Jordan, Galena and tYInnemueea In the tamp made yrlng unsuccessthe purpose of locating th discovery, Wtnnemucca. Jordan snd Oalena, but' mines had gone through the oxidised ful attempts to ntak a profit from th i I'.TASCE of the Bingham mina producer of ores ing dm'r.ct which was don in ni id1 prominent by th tr (he discoverer. 1 I I great production mad by th exhausted most district had by of the deposits found doe to lb surface and Increased mining costs were becoming apparent. Also tb great profit mad by the properties wer realty beginning to attract attention of outside capital with th result that big promoter found th district a fertile pise fur consolidation. The problem of the district bad resolved Into on of reducing mining costs and lessening reduction costa. Ths result was large numbers of th older mines were consolidated Into single companies (bat started to min on more extensive plans and companies that built their own smelting plants. These consolidations brought forth such companies the United States, th Utah Consolidated. Bingham Consolidated which was reorganised later and la now th Bingham Mine company, and Boston Consolidated, with tb i which later waa merged Utah Copper. The great exploitation of the copper deposits reduced costs and mads mining In the district so successful commercially, especially with th Utah Con. that by 1304, which was bsfor the advent of the Utah Copper as a big producer, the greatest copper producing camp In th state with a production of nearly 1,000,000 pounds of copper that year. Demand for copper also brought about rapid development of the experiments In , concentrating the low grad porphvry ores of ths Utah Copwa per company. D. C. Jackllng, devoting his energies to the problem of the porphyry ores. An experimental concentrating plant bad been built In th mouth of Bingham canUtah tne yon by Copper, company to try on a large seal the theory first thought of by Colonel Wall in 1337. Great sums of money were expended Tb lltl tt to th method end th development of tb Utah Coppar min waa going forward with vigor. Th euccea of the low grade copper concentrating theory was proved soil' 'ha Utah Copper and Boston Consolidated com pan lee both erected 1,00-to- n mills at Garfield. Later these twe' companies were merged and camp quickly gained a leading position a a coppar producer which place It continues to maintain. The overburden, covering the copper Impregnated porphyry maaa waa stripped off with, steam shovels and th Utah Copper became th .mining wonder of lb world. The spectacular operations at this mine have since the beginning oC It development- - by Mr. Jackllng-beethe .outstanding feature of th district, even though such mines ay th Utah Con., Utah Apex, a oonaoU- datlon which was mad later, the Bingham Mines company, tbe Utah Metal 4k Tunnel and th United. Btates Mines, which are the leading consolidations of numerous small mines, have consistently been In the dividend column by virtu of large lode deposit of both silver and lead and copper ores. Th ora of consolidations was also notable from ih standpoint bf deep development. Ths older mlnea whlcn' wer ponsolldatod bad la many in-- ! stances-booworked to water lever and tb or shoots were still going down strong, .but th heavy cost of! pumping water was so great a stratnj on small cdmpanls that deep tunnel wer driven through , mountain t drain th lower level f th mtn.r It was th need, in most cases, for this drainage of lower workings that forced many of th consolidations and again opened Ih way for Bingham to be the' home of the biggest lead producing! mine In Utah, which position wasj maintained throughout the world wan by ths Utah Apex mine. also to the deep oxidation of th min- - son and wer encountering sulphide mine net eral properties, among them the Highland Boy. wsrs exploitj eral yielding easily reducible carbonfaiiioi.d'Hi' output of the world While numerous locations were ate ores even at considerable depth In A recently perfected as gold mine mous 1'tuh l i pei Die huge produO' made very qulokly after the first one such mines as the Brooklyn Lead and ed method for recovering gold from iv- waa posted, active development of ths! Yosemlte slllclous ore wa tried at the Hightion of thvt gigantic Mine, which la ef-- district With the big production of silver was rstarded for some yer land Hoy min without success It I tied i. steam shovels la an open becauee of the high cost of mining followed the active lead ore which lelleved the copper content of Ih ore pof to the district, smelting Imarf the Importance and other adverse conditions. vslopmsnt Tt was also during this period (hat was the reason for I he failure, since quarr. tend 1371 th as! In wer started. The was erallons district formally organised Of the iiii1tio nil mine. That the th first attention was paid to the huge copper consume loo much c van Ids the "Weet Mountain district' In D-- 1 Utah and Wlnnemucca smelters were of copper Impregnated porphvry and Interfere wllh gold recovery. dltn t apart from the t'tah Copper cember. 183. It being apparent that I blown In. but only the latter waa suc-th- e mate on which th Utah Copper Industry However It wss s gold exploitation on the then From claims of a'anda prominent aa a (Treat producer locators operated. cersfuliy mining original was to be founded Col E A. Wall, period and It la Aid the miners covthe forced district of the In to b unsbl would the district development la one of Utah's foremost nilns operators, ered up discoveries of copper Ih their ef ore apparent from the fact that prowith th laws as regards de- development of metallurgical who in Butte and knew cop- properties under the belief It would flur.ng the pint ea.r apex litigation in- comply of their claims because of cesses for the treatment of the ores, per had been went to Bingham velopment In Influence Investors against their mines ores sulphide, volving right to aeeral million of the unfavorable conditions which ex- aa the easily reduced carbonate han1187. Hla attention waa attracted to Then esme an acGv dsmyvd for dollar worth of ore was started In the isted. the locator of the district held a were being exhausted and the huge por-ph- r copper and the attention of lead ore had not th copper stalna In tb of to th camp amendments and sulphide dling adopted meeting some the of federal court, litigation the district law's which would hold YVlnne-mucmas. That ihla maaa had been was really directed to production of yet been solved. In 1874 tb because this metal. Improved now being lit fore the court for hear- - their rights for them until railroad smelter closed down snd atten- prospected before la certain, procsmelting In Col. It when to handling the numerous tunnels wer tion was directed esses had oeen discovered for th retransportation came. tunnel was duction of copper and thla wllh stliclous gangue gold bearing ores. Wall arrived On of the th IMncrr Gold Found. TvSfcnel." Bingham whs th first mining disas known which "Soldier the While reporU of the successful operamarket demand caused rehabilitation ore It name still but locations trict organised in Utah. Ths Initial these the retains of th camp. During the period of waiting for tion of plants Ithandling had been abandoned and Col. Wall rehas always been mad on ths outcrop of the raltroad, however, a party discovery of old wer given out. The Highland Boy mine, which wss make He not could located for them. tested rock the J Usd silver ore which was developed prospectors found placer cepted that they concentration by washing it In s pan scheduled as a gold failure, mad a early In 1IM. and from i of a high grad shoot of tnto the famous M1 Jordan mine. The gold there, 1871 The develo, nent of thejdlstrlct was and from then bis Interest in the de- discovery placer mining was en- ore. In a very short time this copper canyon in which Bingham Ilea Is in then until for not ln he retarded wane, dl$ posit gained In. although It has been estimated that the middle of the eat slope of the gaged the character of ores the ridicule of the other miners who discovery waa opened up and activeIn reducing 1 Oquirrh about 30 the placer workings produced 31,000,-00- 0 which In 'Decern her of lit! ly developed. 'range of mountalna now sulphide were It uncovered, "Wall' called and referred to this folly" It that which after during period, company shipped MHO tons of miles southwest of Salt Lake City, It waned lead with ellver and the or aa "Wall rock. end of -- has copper been resumed apd snd only was a heavily forested wilderness copper, the first to be regarded as Th pephxrTiSSlMMtr until 1813 gold content. From 1874 to 1880 much intervals. t was first regarded as valuable because at temporary lode was given to smelting and on of lead silver fmoductlon w Ithwja commercially valuable. An Increase attention bewas Although Red prospecting In stands. pine the value of lead came at this Urn of the big timber leaching steady output milling methods and the first ing carried on, active development and coming from th large so, that th operators In the district In erected abounded, some of the trees being was concentration plants mines and a number of small one were enabled to Increase not really started until 1870, when In fact, the At three feet In diameter. this time there were 21 producing of 11 classes of ores found production was the state wer ofbuilt. transcontinental railroad In UtAh the lead with mine there and Prospecting for minerals Mormon leaching process In the camp, the largest tonmilling However Lake Salt during nearing find a good market for their product. mas not encouraged bv the the experiment but waa tried brine a ore Gaof Old from this the copper shipment period Jordan, E Conner, who la said waa nage coming Until this time most of ths or depeople. General atP Fort to Bal- was not continued and it lena, Brooklyn, Highland, Telegraph. Douglas, Ini- from thebvcamn was forwarded waa In command mined In the camp had been a failure for lack of proper equip- York. posits brothers! Walker The timore Petro Yosemlte. and Wonderful found very tiated th first acme mineral exploraclose to the surface. Tb . ment. to' bv ore was hauled beUinta, waa wagon wss until sliver enjoyed tion. The soldiers In his regiment was known aa a "poor man's The life of the district wss then prosperity camp railroad. on Pacific Union the which a of them most dealt Bingham In that extensive mining bv the big production of demonetised, ing California recruits, camp, The first mining at Bingham was maintained lead-allvwere experienced prospector er ores which a staggering blow, as the high silver equipment waa not required to handle carbonate lead the sliver bearing the of content litby of ores lead the became of of prompted 183, samples aide of In September the product of the mines and large Ore that outcropped on the hillsides. being developed In the east tle value. first mineral discovery In the Bingham sum of mohey were not particularly the district In such famous old mines waa of lead success the The on mining and to him. were on brought can ore bodies During the next few years operator required to develop th not only to the silver content of the as the Brooklyn. Lead and Yosemlte. .September IT of that year, he headed to carry mineralized fissures continued ore at great depth. Values Run High and low. V tunnel Mascott the came Following driven from the east side of the ridge which divides Salt Lake valley and the Bingham canyon through the mountain to tap at depth the rich minea , surrounding the famous old Dalton f and Lark and In to the Ohio Copper RIGINALLY exploited as a cop- In the upper workings In th arlc HE geology and mlneriiisatlon of mineralization, one of copper and property adjoining the Utah Copper. history of th property. However, per mine, the Utah Apex tn its or Later came the very long Utah Metal of the Bingham district are very the other of lead and silver adeposlts In the upper working! Into turned th development most In the wer the was for driven ffom tunnel which relatively smaller than th ones" complex studies, Development Methods. HE United Btates Mining comBingham Mines property, leati In yB. mine Utah, biggest encountered at depth. Just as the lira Tooele canyon side to tap at depth on is' a consolidasituated 'of mineralized jpart the structure is composed the thesastorii pany of property Development bed slope became lx It held the has for Intru-alv- e thicker In th downward ' which place past by the Oqulrrh range, la aoon-solidatl, of quartzite and limestone with of old mines a zones then Jias been of three kinds. numerous properties consolidated number of occurrence tion of thte four main strata. ' Is In The located Carr the property years. Highland extrusive company adjoining Also the lead ore waa encountered monzonite porphyry and at Upper Bingham. It Includes of a number of the Fork The one which through the Utah Cop- that as, and below .the Utah the mine Boy mine at the head of Carr Fork. adjoining Theeiitnerallzed andesite porphyry. per has come to be the most important Then the Montana Bingham tunnel the old Jordan and Galena. Utah, Ni- oldest mines in the West Mountain Consolidated. It is a consolidation of has been workings wentth lower and It J to that Assured lead depo--- " accepted prior Mining district. It embracss an area district was heavily from a standpoint of tonnage produc- from the main canyon to tap the For- agara, Spanish and Old Telegraph of various of small mne In Carr Fork eltlon is later than that of the copper. -481,083 acres of the monzonite Intrusion and following tion. stripping the over burden from tune, Conger and other mines. U. 8. geo- and 686,550 acres ofmineral ground, mines. to the At the According lowest present working In th and now embraces 363 aersa of min- mine tha or In all cases tt has been established has become richer than -the monzonite Intrusion there were the impregnated monzonite porphyry logical survey bulletin on the district ground and Is traversed by three sep- eral land, to . mineralization goes the great that , . the ore found in higher workings and other Assures and faulting. Fissures and mining the entire malvs with steam depth and that large areas of the lime- the Telegraphy Old Jordan and Niag- arata and distinct veins for distances The development of the property h&i it Is apparent that there is consider- 7,000 feet each, along northeasterare found In the district running to shovels. This Is the latest type of de- stone beds are now, and will be for ara mine ' had produced more than of and southwesterly courses. These been done through a tunnel and shaft. able depth yet to be prospected, by 1800, about tbe time ly years to come fertile territory In which $33,000,000, every point of the compass but the velopment. There have been some local occur- were consolidated into this com- lodes are correlated as the northeast- The main workings consist of a shaft ore and they that for deposits to prospect a genstrike rencea of zinc In tbe lead ora devel- mineral- bearing Assures erly extensions of those made famous The earlier types of development the Assures have many hundreds of pany. feet sunk from of In the 1,800 deep fob Addtop their mineral wealth. Bingham oped In the mine, but the lower or eral northeast southwest course. During the past year operations at were of .two kinds, prospecting along feet In depth to be worked yet before The different mines which are In- the ridge and a 3,000 toot tunnel pro- bodies seem to be free of zinc And as rehave this been mineraliproperty the of abanore of materially compel ing to the complexity mineralized Assures pr prospecting the Impoverishment in the Bingham Mines propIn- -' the gulch to cut the shaft It leaves the ore the lead content duced as a result of the unfavorable cludedwere zation study not all of the northeast lime beds. In the case of the Assuri donment of operation.In first worked In the early jected from erty v , creases. ; has which metal market prevailed. of ore mined values the have foot Drifts level. at the 1,004) range The mice wnlpfttent Is of the best, . southwest Assures were mineral bear- the method was the usual one of fol- in The Is principally copper and lead seventies and have beenshlpplng the district is so very wide that an The orebut under various ownerships un- been made on hundred foot levels Two big electric , pump of the most . carloads silver, occasionally only a hard be ing. to would thing give. of lowing the fissure and at intervals average 1808, when .the present organizaore have been extracted til from to miner- modern make handle the water on th shaft the the coppsr prospect rein lime the The was deposits In the copper effected and placed under While the ore bodies found 1,800 level Electric motors handling breaking through the wall rocks In of th armistice pf tion since the . alized zone. , present management placement bodies and the Assure de- the world signing on each level and ther the war as a result of the big theFor district resulted from the monzonite search of any ore deposit which may posits the past ten years operatlona vary from approximately 3 to decline In copper The ore deposits of this' mine have are tramming automatic skips on each-shaft- ', price.,lead-silvintrusion, there are three distinct types have found a favorable lodging place. 15 per cent, while the huge porphyry-deposithave been on carried uninterruptedly been found in four limestone members level, A 500 horsepower Nordberg ' While production of ores at the and it has been a average less. than 2 per cent. of deposits. It Is certain that the anThe terriAc disturbances of the The lime- electric hoist la on the shaft. produce? and Ib lead Of of silver values both Md,Ab?.b5Sd5SS.t2r The range not copper and traversing the property. wa EoUiTri how Because of the recent Jow metal desite porphyry extrusive structure had faulted and broken the even ores- - The ore produced re a di- - stones are in the order of their occurWhile lea bodies of large tfi greater. 2,. market the output, of "the tnlne hat been maintained throughout1 rect a mineralizing agent and It Is found lime beds so that they .outcropped In this character of ore have been mixed ore ore. smelting rence from, surface the of the Phoenix . reduced been the property only' year. ( Th'e conform with the strati- or York Petro, Parnell, Yampa and worked to half and mostly tn the foothills of th ridge the deep gulches which traverse the that averaged several hundred ounces theThe of Its capacity. Normal Is developed through fication veins property 45 and to cent the northwest at Highland Boy. Mineralization pfcr dip lead, other tunnels and shafts. Th lowest tunnel which divides the canyon proper from district. In prospecting thesj beds the of silver and has output per year la 85.000,000 to 45.- deposits have been found In which Is about 1,200 feet below the crest or Stn average dip of 26 degrees Miles of been by means of Assures which the 000,000 pounds of lead and 600 000 Salt Lake valley. miners either-drov-e tunnels through values have were much lees, being a few ths hill, th underground workings explored mineral solutions followed until fav- - ounces of silver. The ore reserves In ' on the hill- the veins from their outcrop to the orable Th three types of mineral deposi- the lime bed on Its strike or else fol- ounces of silver and a few per cent of side above portal being This limestones for of the property Indicate thi production Copperfleld. tynnel. bottom .whfch present vary values were encountered.precipitation the lower openings But lowed minerallead. grade deposits th Niagara, with its ' branches, is the lime bed through incline tion found in the district are can be maintained for a considerable on feet to of. 1,300 2,200 ores from, furnish dip a the, th copper like very more than three miles long. There the veins. Not all of the limestones found In period to come. ized Assure veins, contact metamor-phl- c shafts along the foot wall, prospecting An ore so that the are concentrating also the Numbers 1 and 2 tunnels The management and development The "Maacotte Tunnel a drainage the property though are mineral beardeposits or replacements In rock along Assures or fault. smelter product may be ' raised to on the Old Jordan and Galena. The and transportation adit, intercepts the ing, aa eight or ten barren lime beds of th property have been of th t As th upper horizons of the Assure very desirable quality. which was favorable for mineral depoin have mine. The are the Galena, sunk on the different lodes at been found the order. Exhaustive tests are . points about one. method of prospecting for ore deposits highest of the district a large shafts vein of the asm name, to a depth or and three-quartunder way by th company to find a sition, along faults and Assures, and and lime beds were worked out and "In some parts miles from the por- -' is occurs also zinc of amount with the to of th where that 450 Vet- Jordan, which Is down 450 tal of the "Tunnel suitable method-fopoint drifting the com- The various th type of deposit which the Utah depth was attained, water was encoun lead or. In some place It occurs In Assures cut one of these four prin- lined lead zinc ore milling' and th Utah shaft, down- 800 Oreshoot the so that both a feet, monthree the veins In found j tered so on, ne impregnated that methods of develop- such a molecular combination aa to feet to tap th hr bodies In 'that Copper operates beds and then Jtme lead and a zinc shipping product can part have been remarkably persistent and cipal the Assure to locateprospecting ment had to be employed. These new make the or of no commercial value of th mlpe. Thd Jordan shaft 1 used ionite porphyry. be had fro vt this grade of ore, which, replaceproducUve down tq the lowest levels; along part of the camp th mainly to handle the moving of men and lime. ments In the while In of now occurrence in the local Th mineralized Assures carry or methods consisted of driving long tun- while tn other progress. ; present plans, zinc may be easily separated so that and supplies, all min supplies except Include The present mining operations ar has been developed to a large ton mine, below this drainage sinking nag. from desirable regardless of the character of rock nel through the mountains ar made coal smelting products and handled level and extending drifts en th dif- being conducted on tbe following waa There considerable powder being : production Recent metallurgical developments through It. The .underground work- ferent veins to .develop the downward levels, 180, 1.180, 1,300, 1.400, 1.6C0 from the mine before it became through Which they ar found and it lower elevations than th territory In th f and 1,800, whll preparation has been Utah Apex. Under Utah Apex ownerhas been determined that the Assures which th mine were located. This ar being directed toward th separa- ings of the consolidated properties are extension of known ore bodies. ore sine lead tion t and of to b complex to said work the 1,700 level. The main ship the production1 has been approximade In excess of 15 considerably show very little difference In passing resulted in tb driving of the Butter-Ael- d when this ' problem is solved there are miles there hat not been any apparent development being along the two prin- mately 18.000.008 and dividend distunnel from ButterAeld gulch on numerous old tlm producer In tbe from one kind of rock to another. The The oxidised sons of these proper-ti- e ehange In the values of ths ore which cipal fissure through the property, bursements of th company hare been -were explcited early in th his- carrte a good silver content. Th rise namely the Petro and the Dana. . 1 100.080. " replacement bodice though are con- S westerly course through th A sett res camp which will , agutn enter the proand numerous or tory of th camp, so that the explora- irt silver price should help this comTwo ages of mineralization occurred fined. to deposits In limestone, and tt of the'Butterfield canyon district. This ducing column R. Boston to of F, Jlaffenreffer. Jr.; now being developed by the tion vryk of this company has been pany materially during the coming in the structure embraced In this mine president of tbe company end V, S.; has been accepted that the deposits of was the first of the tunnels of several bodies consolidations will take on an In the sulphide son snd although year and result in an Increased lead-silv- A smaller fissure undoubtedly was re- Rood larger la manager and superintendent this kind represent two different ages thousand feet, but it proved that the Increased value. considerable depth has been reached or production. sponsible for the copper deposits found of the mine. s l by George B. Ogllvle, i f, ra sn , Geology And Mineralization Of Bingham District Make Most Interesting Study The United .... a Utah Apex, First Believed Steady. Producer Copper Property, Turns Out To ) Be Utahs Biggest Lead Mine Of Lead and StatesIBinghara Mines Is Mining Company Big Producer Of Metals 8 Silver - 0 th' on . non-miner- al -- ' Inter-mlttnt- ly er f"; ' -- er r ' er j - . i k f L I D |