OCR Text |
Show Utah Engineering Miracle Gives U. S. Third of Vital Copper Supply If a farmer worked full time on 1.1)00 acres, and then surrpodi'd in living off the yield of just tn acres, he vould he considered a miiarle num. Yet, in effect, this is exactly what is accomplished at the liinnham Mine of the Utah Copper Division, Kennecott Copper Corp. An engineering miracle makes possible successful operation of a mine with ore that has a copper content as low as 0.4 'J . This low grade ore, combined with slightly tiighei giade ore, gives the mine nil average ore slightly less than l'.'f of copper. To appreciate the problem in volved in mining such low grade ore, it is neii's.-ary to go back to the beginning ofthe century, when Daniel C. .hn kling advanced the theory that 2'A copper could be mined successfully. At the time, his idea was consid"ied completely impractical. Yet tmlav, this '1' '' figure has been cut Hi)'', , even thoiigt production costs, wages anil taxes hae risen materially. The ability to operate successfully success-fully With ore that fill years ago would have been considered waste material is a tribute to eiii:inering genius that developed new pro cesses, equipment and renter effi cieru y r'verv phase of eoppei pro duction, from mining through or haulage, milling anil refining was subjected to constant research foi imnrovrd methods. A key dcvelopi 'lit in the search for improved methods as the flu tatioii process used in milling. The discovery that metal bearing particles par-ticles of sulphide ore will cling to a chemical froth greatly increased the amount of copper recovered, and made possible the use of lower grade ore. The lowering of the so-called "cut-off" point between ore and waste to thp present 0.4';; has had a profound effect on the prosperity of I'tah and the well being of her people. Mail the life of the liing-harn liing-harn mine been limited by Daniel iack'irg's original estimate of 12.000.00(1 tons of ore averaging i'.'i copper. I'tah foppei wou'd not now be iiio.hu iog :;0',i of the nation's new coppci. I'rodui tivitv of the liinghnm mine has hropght the benefits of payrolls, supply purchases and lax payments to help every segment of I'tah. The engineering mirs;cle that s I'tah Cipper operating, re-i. re-i. during (he first six months :)fl, in the production of 274.-0118 274.-0118 pounds of copper, a payroll pay-roll of JIMIX.IiMOnd. supply purchases pur-chases of $l2.lliK.0O7 Mi, othc: . -penalities of ?1 1 i'. ' ,ri4 !U ai d taxes of $24,2X1,4(18 !I7. |