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Show LJ7IKA3Y 'fTrr of rrv.iZ frjvV i w ' ' ft tr - V t . V HIM 17 p-.-- - r- - ; 1 'Vi' ; IILTEB VOL 18, NO. 36. Organization of a new firm has been effected and preparations are now' going forward for the start of operations directed toward the reduction of rare minerals' ores, thus producing metallic salts, according to information reaching Salt Lake today. The firm, known all the Rare Minerals Processing & Chemical Co., a Nevada Corporation, proposes to engage primarily in the business of treating refractory concentrates, particularly those containing rare minerals by processing them into metallic salts, and initially to market tungstic acid. New Process The company plans to base its initial operations upon utilization of methods and processes convered by a patent granted to William C. Kirkpatrick, well known for his achievements in improving mechanical and other processes. Also connected with the technical operations of the firm is Harvey A. Sill, of Los Angeles, recognized for his activities in development of th leaching process for copper ores. Advantages of establishment of a metallic salt industry in the West is apparent, as heretofore most rare minerals have been shipped to the eastern seaboard where they have been fabricated Into diversified metallurgical products and compounds and quantities again shipped back West and sold. To Use Pilot Plant The first operation is being established at the present plant of Mr. Sill in Los Angeles. It is expected that this plant will proc- ess approximately one tenth of concentrates per day, but its principal objective is that of working out a definite process for various rare minerals and sands, as well as the training of a full scale operations' personnel. It is expected this experimental (Continued On Page 2) . - 1 GOLD UNO MEXICO CITY, Mexico At Pachuca, 60 miles north of here, one hears reports that the big Real del Monte mine, may have to close down. First developed in 1739, this operation has been one of the worlds greatest bonanzas. In recent years it has produced 18 million ounces of silver and 120,000 ounces of gold annually. Controlled by the IL S. Smelting. Refining & Mining Co., it employs some 4500 men. Onq big difficulty is this: The Mexican government has rested its revenues heavily on the minal ing industry. One estimate is that taxes from this source are currently supplying nearly 20 per cent of the entire budgeted income of approximately two million' pesos ($400 million in U. S. money). Right now, with U. S. quotations for copper at 21 cents a pound Connecticut Valley basis, lead at 15 cents in New York and zinc at 10 cents in East St. Louis, most Mexican producers be makof these metals-shouling money. But many silver miners can hardly hope for satisfactory profits with the white metal currently selling at New York in the neighborhood of 68 cents an ounce. Th situation (s complicated by the fact that, there is a U. S. duty. of 1 cents on dead and. 1 cent on zinc. Therefore, on those two metals net price quotations on Mexican production ate folly1 cents for lead and 9 cents 13 for cine. semi-offici- - . d U.M .. S.91M (far m) pw IM MM One Year $2.50 Butte Scene of Great New Mining Project Anaconda Copper Mining Company, at a cost of over $20 million during foe next 5 years, willpreparatory comimmediately mence work in Butte on an entirely new to ultimately project mine and mill 15,000 tons per day of hitherto unprofitable low trade copper ore, returning at least 20 pounds of copper per ton, together with substantial precious metal returns, it was announced recently by C. F. Kelley, New York City, Chairman of he Companys Board, at a 500 man banquet given in his honor by foe combined civic clubs of Butte, Montana. PROBING DEEPER and extending lateral workings toward heretofore unexplored areas of its extensive mineral holdings, Tintic Standard Mining Company continues its efforts toward development of new orebodies. With a production record of many millions in new wealth, the company is directing a substantial portion of its activities toward the finding of new ore bodies to replace those depleted during the past. Tintic Standard Pushes Work Development Mining, one of the great mining companies Tintic conStandard, nected with Utahs metal production history, is continuing an aggressive exploration and development program at its mineral holdings located in the Tintic district, it was disclosed in Salt Lake this week. The company is now engaged in transferring main opera- Oil Well tions to the number one shaft which will eventually become the main working shaft. In preparation for this change over, a Shows Progress drift has been run on the 1450 Bonneville level to the number one shaft, TOOELE, Utah which is being deepened to the Gas, Oil Exploration Companys 1450 level. Due to excessive test well for oil, being drilled maintenance costs it is antici- three miles northwest of Grants pated that the number two ville, has been sunk 1500 feet acshaft will be practically aban- cording to announcement Thursdoned. day of J. Q. Griffith, company Exploration of the lime area manager. east of the main shaft on the 900 The well now is in what is will be continued to the south- known as the Park City formaeast and will also include dia- tion, which, in the Rangely Oil mond drilling. Present plans call Field, is just above the Webfor a continued diligent search ber sand whidi gave production for new orebodies, including ex- in the Rangely field. ploration for downward extenJ. A. Traver, driller, who has sion of areas formerly produc- had experience with several huntive. dred wells, reports that the inOperations at several Tintic dications are very good, as the Standard subsidiaries are also formation clearly indicated that going forward and include pro- it is cut off from the nearby duction and development at sections and becomes .what is Eureka Lilly; lessee shipments known as a area, which from Colorado Cons.; mining at is necessary trapped oil production. for Sioux; oil production by EuDrilling is proceeding at apreka Standard from Texas hold- proximately 50 feet a day and ings and development and pro- unless oil is struck, the test will duction in the Tintic Standard-Nort- h continue to the 4000 or 5000 feet Lily joint operation. depth. Transcript Bulletin. Controlling extensive mineral We read about a fellow who is grounds in the Tintic District, much of which is unexplored, and planning to go around the world with its strong financial posi- on a bicycle. By the time he gets . Near Grantsville Mr. Kelley designated this new work foe Greater Butte Project, because it ushers in the greatest period of foe long and exciting history of the Richest fill on Earth. Mr. Kelley further stated that this work was addition to foe present reguar mining of higher-grad- e ore. Various Metals At foe time, of making his Mr. announcement, startling Kelley gave a brief history of foe Richest Hill .on Earth, drawing attention to its successive periods of development and ts rue to world, fame, first as a gold camp, then as a great producer of silver as underground mining was inaugurated, and foe eventual development at depth of zinc and copper ores. During this latter period, Butte became known as the greatest copper-produciarea in foe world. Consolidation It was inevitable, Mr. Kelley said, in speaking of foe early era, that with the complex geological pattern presented, the law of foe apex and the legislative doctrine of extralateral rights on descending orebodies, conflicts as to ownership should occur, some justified and others designed solely for foe purpose of harassment and blackmail. These Conflicts led to what has become known historically A peas The Copper War. riod of intensive litigation was finally terminated by the purchase of foe Heinze interests by an Independent group, friendly to the principal producing interests of the district. Up to this point each producer, large or small, conducted operations on its segment of foe pattern Independent of those (Continued On Page 2) . ng ore-beari- ng . Heavy Taxes Retard Mines SMELTED tlJBa COrrEB Salt Lake City, Utah, September 26, 1947 Company Plans Processing of Rare Minerals " (w VALLEY PUCEI m. mv mImA) HHi LEAD, pm 1M Features Mining, Oil, Financial I UU ALT . tion, Tintic Standard continues back maybe his new automobile to hold wide public interest. will be ready. Engineers Meet at Denver To Discuss Developments At the first postwar regional U. S. will be on hand to exideas and express themmeeting of the American Institute change on selves controversial topics. of Mining and Metallurgical Enof the technical Organizers gineers, to be held in Denver sessions covering mining methods Sept. 28 to Oct.' 3, mineral en- have stated that timely papers gineers and technologists from all over the United States will convene to discuss current and future developments in the mineral industry. Dr. A. B. Parsons, secretary of the institute, has announced that the technical sessions, to be held at the Shirley Savoy Hotel, will embrace the manifold problems of the petroleum industry as well as mining and concentration of ores, and will indicate the trend of future developments. Authorities in their respective fields will present papers which will be of wide .interest to producers and users of mineral products. . Current problems in milling and concentrating ores and minerals will be the' high point of An' 6peh 'forum. Topnotch exin of mineral field the perts dressing from all parts of the on underground and surface mining methods will be presented. One morning session will be devoted to methods of ore transportation and will include a paper by Earl R. Maize on diesel locomotives in mines. Another session will cover new developments in mining practice and mining in Colorado. In addition to the field trip to Rangely field and to the oil shale project, other field, trips have been arranged to the Climax Molybdenum Co., the Lead-vil- le mining district, and to the ooerations of the New Jersey Zinc Co. at Gilman, Colo. A group will visit foe plant of the Colorado Fuel Iron Co. at Pueblo, and another trip will cover foe Cripple Creek district am the custom milling plant of the Golden Cycle Corp. at Colorado Springs. Drilling Slated West, of Moab MOAB, Utah In the opinion of G. L. Pitts, consulting geolo- gist of Los Angeles, who was a visitor here recently, drilling, operations will get under way shortly on the Seven Mile structure west of Moab. Two potash prospecting permits recently were issued covering acreage on foe structure, and others probably will be issued soon. Wells on Seven Mile drilled in recent years showed extensive deposits of potassium of a rich grade. Bunker Hill To Mine Low Grade Ores ker Hill & Sullivan Mining Co. at JKell.?Sg is preparing to mine and mill huge tonnages of low grade ore, says The Miner. It will be largely a mechanical process. According to J. B. Haffner, general manager, foe system used will be block caving and will involve around 5,000,000 tons of low ore. grade Plans for the enterprise are being worked out Bunker Hill engineers headedbyby C. E. Schwab, and involve a huge un-derground station in which will be located an extra large crushing plant. The station is estimated at a cost of $100,000 and the crushing plant at $36,000. Modem labor saving machinery, sink-flo- at and flotation machines combined with large tonnage operations make the enterprise possible. The area to be block caved is in the old workings where the high grade ore has been taken out, and embraces a territory about 1000 feet long, 165 feet wide and 300 feet deep from foe old No. 5 level to foe surface. The company has done 6000 feet of exploration work in this area to determine the size of the ore body, and obtained a comparative average sample which jp estimated to be around 3 per cent lead and zinc and about a half ounce of silver per ton. Engineer Schwab says he expects the system will be ready for initial operation by spring and tonnage production will depend on foe capacity of foe milling plant. The mine will be ablf to produce anywhere from 200Q to 10,000 tons a day. Engineers believe that under this system, production of 20 to 25 tons per man employed will, be possible against about 2 tons per man, as at present. Studies are being made of foe adjoining Last Chance mine workings and other portions of foe Bunker Hill workings for similar operating areas on a mass tonnage basis. The capacity of the companys milling plants now stands at 1800 tons per day and plans are in progress to increase this to 2800 tons a day as starting point for foe heavy tonnage program, and eventually increasing to 5000 lead-silver-z- inc . zinc-lead-sil- r tons. Only three other mining companies in the entire world surpass foe Bunker Hill in lead production the Broken Hill in Australia, foe Sullivan mine in Canada, and the St. Joseph Lead mines in southeastern Missouri. is The St. Joseph Lead Co. operating on a 'mass production basis on an ore as low grade as much of the mill tailings that have been treated in the Coeur dAlene district in the past few years. St. Joseph ore averaged 2 per cent to 2 per cent lead with no diver or zinc to sweeten it. During its peak year (1942) this company mined and milled 7,000,000 tons of ore. According to an estimate by Walter Renton Ingalls, an authority on lead and zinc, St. Joseph Lead Co. has iroduced 6,628,000 tons of pig ead since operations began some 135 years ago. That amount of lead would be worth $650 million at an average price of 5 cents a pound, or $1950 million at foe current price of lead. |