The Daily Inter Mountain, 1900-12-21, p.21

DAILY INTER MOUNTAIN: BUTTE, MONTANA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1900. 21 # THE UNDERGROUND WORLD OF BUTTE [spans all columns; decorative leaf ornaments between the words of the title] ### Progress and Development of the State's Great Industry ### It's Great Copper Mines Are as Enduring as the Ages. ### Millions Distributed In Dividends and Pay Rolls [the three subheads stand side by side across the page, each in its own panel, separated by dotted rules; first panel hyphenated "Develop-ment" at the line end] ## Column 1 [boxed table, spans columns 1-2, ornamental border] ### Depth of Butte Mines, Shaft Development During 1900 and Number of Men Employed at Each Mine The following table shows the depth of the various mines in the Butte district, the shaft development in feet during 1900 and the number of men employed. In the Bell and Diamond, the number of miners employed in the two mines is given under the Diamond head. The same statement applies to the employes of the Mountain Con. No. 1, No. 2 and the Buffalo | Mine | Depth | Shaft Development in 1900 | Men Employed | |---|---|---|---| | ANACONDA | 1800 | 100 | 853 | | ST. LAWRENCE | 1600 | 100 | 708 | | NEVER SWEAT | 2000 | 200 | 478 | | HIGH ORE | 2200 | 500 | 223 | | BELL | 1650 | — | — | | DIAMOND | 2200 | 400 | 731 | | GREEN MOUNTAIN | 2200 | — | 213 | | MOUNT. CON. NO. 1 | 2000 | — | — | | MOUNT. CON. NO. 2 | 1500 | — | 726 | | BUFFALO | 1600 | — | — | | LITTLE MINAH | 800 | — | 43 | | PARROT | 1600 | 400 | 288 | | PENNSYLVANIA | 1400 | 300 | 231 | | MOUNTAIN VIEW | 1700 | 100 | 278 | | MOOSE | 300 | — | 22 | | LEONARD | 1200 | 100 | 433 | | WEST COLUSA | 1300 | 200 | 309 | | EAST COLUSA | 900 | — | 80 | | MOONLIGHT | 1300 | — | 163 | | SHAFT NO. 4 | 200 | 200 | 12 | | SHAFT NO. 5 | 275 | 275 | 24 | | GAGNON | 1800 | 100 | 316 | | SILVER BOW NO. 1 | 1000 | — | 158 | | SILVER BOW NO. 3 | 575 | 200 | 73 | | EAST GRAY ROCK | 1600 | — | 178 | | BLUE JAY | 1075 | — | 95 | | BERKELEY | 900 | 250 | 63 | | SHAFT NO. 6 | 400 | 400 | 12 | | SNOHOMISH | 400 | — | 50 | | COLUSA-PARROT | 1400 | — | 195 | | STEWART | 1000 | — | 152 | | ORIGINAL | 1200 | 100 | 186 | | ALICE | 1500 | — | 23 | | BLUE WING | 650 | — | 11 | | MAGNA CHARTA | 700 | — | 23 | | VALDEMERE | 275 | — | 19 | | RARUS | 1200 | — | 408 | | NIPPER | 800 | 800 | 210 | | MINNIE HEALEY | 800 | 200 | 88 | | SMOKEHOUSE | 400 | 400 | 14 | | ELLA | 500 | 200 | 21 | | BRITTANIA | 250 | 100 | 19 | | SPECULATOR | 1200 | 600 | 148 | | ADRIONDACK | 475 | 275 | 10 | | MONITOR | 200 | — | 30 | | DUTTON | 165 | 165 | 36 | THE HISTORY OF MINING in Montana constitutes at once one of the most fascinating and one of the most noteworthy pages in the annals of our national growth. Advancing within a few years to undisputed leadership not only of this continent, but of the entire globe, in the output of minerals, it can be truthfully asserted that the threshold of Montana's vast storehouse of treasure has scarcely yet been crossed. Estimating the state's output of mineral for 1900 at $65,000,000, Montana has produced in gold, silver, lead and copper since the year 1862, the enormous sum of $942,328,763. Its copper output alone during the past 15 years has amounted to about one-third of this ## Column 2 [the table box above spans columns 1-2; this column begins below it] sum. The succeeding years will show a greater increase in copper and gold, for the reason that the copper mines are now developed on a splendid scale and can increase their output at any time, while some of the richest gold mines in the state are now in progress of development. For more than half the period of its existence the ephemeral pursuit of surface mining constituted the only source of revenue in the state. It has only been within the past 15 years that the permanent industry of quartz exploitation, with its attendant interests of ore reduction, has been entered upon with sufficient vigor to bring the state into prominence. Year after year its output has steadily increased. In the years gone by Montana depended upon ## Column 3 the production of its gold and silver mines; today Montana owes its proud position in the mineral world mainly to the splendid development of the copper mines in the Butte district. ### WHAT OF THE FUTURE. How many years can the mines of Butte be worked before becoming exhausted? The future generation may worry over this question, but the present generation need not, for the best experts of the country who have studied the underground world of Butte unite in declaring that the present generation will not live long enough to see the ore bodies of this district exhausted. Copper will undoubtedly be the chief product of Butte for the next quarter of a century. The deepest shaft in the district is down only 2200 feet—less than one-half of the depth of some of the greatest copper producing mines of the Lake Superior district. The High Ore and Diamond shafts—each 2200 feet in depth—show copper glance at the bottom ,and some of the richest copper ore produced by the Anaconda company has been taken from the mines named. The Green Mountain also has a depth of 2200 feet. At this mine the ore body some years ago pinched out at a depth of about 1800 feet but 200 feet deeper the rock again changed to a kindly metal-bearing character, and the vein changed in accordance with the inclosing rock and resumed its fertility. It is true that in some of the deep mines of the Anaconda company the copper values of the ore have decreased with depth, but what they have lost in this metal they have amply made up for in silver and gold values. The product from the gold and silver more than pays for all the copper treatment charges. In some of the other mines of the same company, notably the Never Sweat, the ore has increased in richness with depth, and the amount of ore now in sight in the mine is larger than at any previous time. In the St. Lawrence the ledge has a width of from 50 to 200 feet. This ore body pinches out on the east side, but comes in larger and richer in the Mountain View, further east. The St. Lawrence ore runs as high as 65 per cent copper for first grade, but the average will run between 7 and 15 per cent, with very high values in gold and silver. The Never Sweat ore body runs between 10 and 18 per cent copper. The ore body in the Anaconda maintains a width of from 50 to 150 feet and averages about 5 per cent for the low grade and as high as 65 per cent for first grade. The ore reserve[s] in this mine are fully equal to those o[f] a year ago. The same is true of the splendid mine[s] of the Boston & Montana. In the Leonard the ledge has a width of from 2[5] to 150 feet down to the 800-foot level, and increases in width from that level down. The ore runs from 7 to 35 per cent copper, the high grade approachin[g] 65 per cent, but with smaller value[s] in gold and silver than the Anacond[a] mines. The ledge of the Pennsylvani[a] is from 2 to 25 feet, the ore averagin[g] 40 per cent for the high grade and th[e] remaining ore averaging about 8 per cent. This ore also increases in copper values with depth. The Mountain Vie[w] ledge has a width of from 5 to 30 feet, and the selected ore runs as high a[s] 65 per cent. There is very little secon[d] grade ore in this mine. The ore bodie[s] in the East and West Colusa hav[e] increased in width from 60 to 80 fee[t] in the lower levels, the ore runnin[g] from 10 to 20 per cent copper. Th[e] ore also shows a little gold and fair values in silver The Blue Jay ledg[e] also increased in width from 50 feet a[t] the 900 to 100 feet at the 1000, the or[e] consisting of high grade copper glanc[e] and sulphides running about 6 per cent, with fair values in gold and silver. ### EXTENSION OF COPPER BELT. Recent developments in this distric[t] tend to confirm the long cherished belief of mining men that the copper belt of Butte will be very materially extended within the next few years. Som[e] of the best mining engineers of th[e] country believe that this extension will be discovered toward the east. Th[e] main range to the east i[s] composed of a coarse granular, dark boric granite. The Butt[e] slope, on which the great Anaconda, St. Lawrence, Mountain View and other[s] are located, is exactly the same formation, with this exception, that in th[e] known copper belt the disintegration o[f] the vapors and other phenomena attendant upon the eruption of the "Bi[g] Butte," i[s] more apparent. There is another difference, however. The vein[s] of Butte, strictly speaking, are not tru[e] fissures, as they seldom show a well-defined wall, while in Park canyon, in the main range to the east, the vein[s] show both walls, and, moreover, ar[e] filled with angular fragments of country rock and vein matter intermingled. Th[e] former condition is, however, charged up to the eruption of the big rhyolit[e] cone on the west of town, the geologist[s] claiming that the vapors that accompanied the disturbance from the depth[s] increased the fissures in which the copper ore of the district was stored. Perhaps, too, this big cone is largely responsible for the many big mining lawsuits which have arisen over th[e] "zone" question in this district. While few geologists believe that th[e] copper belt extends west of Missoul[a] gulch, there are a number of well-informed mining men in Butte who be- ## Column 4 lieve that nothing but depth is required to open up a large copper bearing area in that portion of the district. On the west the copper belt seems to break off abruptly in the Gagnon property. It is worthy of mention in this connection that the dip of the Gagnon is greater than that of any other mine in the copper belt. This may also be attributed to the "Big Butte." The Gagnon, like the Anaconda and other copper mines of the district, was originally a silver mine, and it is recorded that when it turned into coppore [sic], one of its owners became disgusted and disposed of his interest for a trifle. The rock on the surface was copper stained. Over in the western portion of the district, in nearly all of the silver mines, the rock is not only copper stained, but much of it carries a fair percentage of copper. Why should not they also develop into copper mines with depts [sic]? The copper-bearing area of Butte, however, has been exended [sic] during the past few years. What is known as the Parrot flat, in the southeastern portion of the city, has now some very profitable producers, and there is every indication that the copper leads extend out across the flat to the east. There is every reason to believe that copper will yet be discovered in paying quantities on the flat south of the city. All the indications are there—stronger indications in fact than the original owners of the Anaconda had when they began work 22 years ago. Possibly all that is needed to develop another Butte is a deep shaft or some deep prospecting with a diamond drill. Skeptical people may laugh at this suggestion, but the wiseacres of the early days also thought Dennis Leary, Billy Parks and others, lunatics, when they first began the development of Butte's copper deposits. For years the Speculator and High Ore were supposed to be the northern boundary of the copper belt, yet within the past year several very promising leads of copper have been opened up north of these mines, notably the Gem and Miners' Union, from which some rich copper ore has been taken during the past year. With thorough development it is more than probable other rich copper ore bodies will be discovered in the same locality. The Park canyon district is also becoming more promising every year as depth is attained. The developments at the Homestake during the year justify the belief that its output of copper next year will be very large. # BUTTE'S MINERAL PRODUCTION IN 1900 ## IN ROUND NUMBERS IT WILL AMOUNT TO $52,000,000. The mining district of Butte has so far outstripped any other mining district of the world in the production of minerals during the closing year of the nineteenth century. People unacquainted with mining and the extent to which it is carried on here, could scarcely conceive the enormous amount of money the mines of Butte added to the imperishable wealth of the world. Measured in dollars, the production reached, in round numbers, the stupendous total of $52,000,000. The figures of the recent census give Butte and its environs, about 46,000 people. This means that Butte's mines added to the world's wealth during the year, considerably over $1,000 for every man, woman and child in the community. This most gratifying showing has been achieved without any especial effort on the part of the companies operating mines in the district at a large production. On the contrary, several of the large producing mines of the district have been shut down for various reasons at different times, notably the Parrot, owing to the fire last summer, and the recent shut down of the Anaconda, owing to an accident to the engine. Other instances were of less importance, but in the aggregate the amount of production which must necessarily be deducted from the total that would have been reached during the year but for the various interruptions in operations, is considerable. Then, too, the figures given are only for the larger con[c]erns of the district. There are many minor properties, leases, etc., whose production would reach a large figure, which are not included. The larger companies operating in the [d]istrict have very kindly furnished the Inter Mountain with estimates of their production for the year. These estimates are all given in round numbers for the full year 1900, and are based upon the production for the year up to Dec. [1]5th. The Anaconda company led in the matter of production. In fact, the estimated [p]roduction of that company is nearly half of the total. This company produced, [d]uring the year, nearly 112,000,000 pounds [f]ine copper, nearly 4,000,000 ounces of sil[v]er and nearly 15,000 ounces of gold. The [t]otal valuation of its production was $20,928,208. The Boston and Montana was second as a producer. This company's production of fine copper was 75,000,000 pounds, of silver 1,312,500 ounces and of gold 4811. The total valuation of the production was $12,896,845. ## Column 5 [boxed table, spans columns 5-6, ornamental border] ### Total Number of Men Employed at Butte Mines During 1900 The following list gives the total number of men employed during the past year in the mines of Butte: | Mine or company | Men employed | |---|---| | ANACONDA | 3931 | | BOSTON & MONTANA | 1389 | | BUTTE & BOSTON | 629 | | MONT. ORE PUR. CO. | 618 | | CLARK'S PROPERTIES | 533 | | COLORADO CO. | 316 | | PARROT | 288 | | WASHOE | 163 | | SPECULATOR | 148 | | MINNIE HEALEY | 88 | | ALICE | 76 | | MISCELLANEOUS MINES | 500 | | TOTAL | 8679 | The Butte and Boson [sic] was next. Its production of fine copper was 24,000,00[6?] pounds, silver, 936,000 ounces and gold 1600 ounces. Total valuation of production, $4,733,600. This company has only been operating its own smelting plant since February, and the estimates are therefore based on the production since that time. Next in order was the Colorado company. Its production of copper was 11,281,578 pounds, silver, 1,251,988 ounces and gold, 21,303 ounces. Total valuation, $3,051,232. The Colusa Parrot produced approximately 12,000,000 pounds of copper, 750,000 ounces of silver and 2500 ounces of gold. The total value of the production was $2,427,560. The Montana Ore Purchasing company furnished an estimate of 30,000,000 pounds of copper, 750,000 ounces of silver and 5000 ounces of gold. This estimate was, however, for the total production of the smelter, and from it should be deduced the custom business handled. This includes the production of the Colusa-Parrot company and a large amount of other custom business. An estimate of the value of the acual [sic] production of the M. O. P. company is placed at $2,150,000. The Parrot company's production is given at 11,400,187 pounds of copper and 644,912 ounces of silver and gold. As the silver and gold are not separated by the company, the amounts of each cou'd no [sic] be obtained, and it was only possible to get the net value of the company's production. This was placed at $1,613,352. The Washoe company's production was 4,262,727 pounds of copper, 280,579 ounces of silver and 641 ounces of gold. The total value of the production was placed at $887,333. The following table shows the estimated production and value of copper, silver and gold of the different companies: ### ANACONDA COMPANY. Copper, 111,707,378 pounds, value $18,431,717. Silver, [3?],608,074 ounces, value $2,200,931. Gold, 14,779 ounces value $295,560. Total value of production, $20,928,208. ### BOSTON & MONTANA. Copper, 75,000,000 pounds, value $12,000,000. Silver, 1,312,500 ounces, value $800,625. Gold, 4,811 ounces, value $96,220. Total value of production $12,896,845. ### BUTTE & BOSTON. Copper, 24,000,000 pounds, value $3,960,000. Silver, 936,000 ounces, value $741,600. Gold, 1,600 ounces, value $32,000. Total value of production, $4,733,600. ### COLORADO COMPANY. Copper, 11,281,578 pounds, value $1,861,460. Silver, 1,251,988 ounces, value $763,712. Gold, 21,303 ounces, value $426,060. Total value of production, $3,051,232. ### COLUSA-PARROT COMPANY. Copper, 10,000,000 pounds, value $1,600,000. Silver, 750,000 ounces, value $450,000. Gold, 5,000 ounces, value $100,000. Total value of production, $2,150,000. ### PARROT COMPANY. Copper, 11,400,187 pounds. Silver and gold, 644,912 ounces. Net value of product, $1,613,352. ### WASHOE COMPANY. Copper, 4,262,727, pounds, value $703,349. Silver, 280,579 ounces, value $171,164. Gold, 641 ounces, value $12,820. Total value of production, $887,333. ### SPECULATOR. The total output of the Speculator mine for the year 1900 will amount to $1,190,137. ## Column 6 [the table box that begins in column 5 spans this column too; the text below it is column 6] ### DIVIDENDS PAID BY BUTTE COPPER MINES. The following dividends were paid during 1900 by the leading copper mines of Butte: | | | |---|---| | Boston & Montana | $6,450,000 | | Anaconda | 4,800,000 | | Parrot | 1,379,000 | | M. O. P. company | 160,000 | The Colusa-Parrot properties, and numerous smaller copper mines in the district, have made no reports of operations or dividends. ### FATAL ACCIDENTS IN THE BUTTE MINES. There were 30 fatal accidents in the mines of Butte during the year, the victims being as follows: John Kielty was killed at the Diamond mine on December 6, 1899, by being crushed between the cage and wallplates. Michael Driscoll was killed December 17, at the Never Sweat by a cave of ground. Patrick Joyce was killed December 24, at the St. Lawrence mine, by a fall of rock Ed Perrow was killed December 30, at the Parrot by a fall of ground. Thomas Bilbow and Mike Piano were killed January 6 at the Never Sweat by a blast. Mike Sullivan and Thomas Smith were killed January 13 at the Mountain Con. No. 1 by a blast. J. H. Maxwell and J. [M?]ilonovich were killed January 14 at the Colusa-Parrot by a blast. Henry Jeffery was killed February 22 at the Moose mine by a fall of ground. Milton Kel[l?]er was kille[d on] February 23 at the Moonlight by a fall of rock. Jerry Murphy los[t] his life on March 24, at the Parrot, by being caught between the cage and wallplate. Ed Fogarty fell down the shaft of the Never Sweat on June 10 and was killed. Ed Cavanaugh met his death June 11 at the Mountain Con. No. 1, by falling down the shaft. P. C. Duncan was instantly killed June 14 at the Gagnon by an explosion of a blast. Ed Young lost his life June 27, at the Original mine, by a fall of rock. M. L. Dunlev[y?] was killed July 19 at the Anaconda by falling down the shaft. Thomas Cashion met his death July 24, at the High Ore mine, by a fall of ground. Patrick Murphy was killed August 24 at the Diamond mine by a blast. John Kelly and J. J. Murray lost their lives September 14 at t[h]e Stewart mine from an explosion. Bernard McDonald fell from the bucket in the Smokehouse shaft on October 1 and lost his life. S. L. Fuller was killed October 11 at th[e] Old Joe mine by a cave of ground. Dan Buckley was crushed to death October 14, by being caught between the cage and wallplates at the Diamond mine. J. T. Drummey was killed October 29 at the Rose mine by being struck by a piece of lagging. Charles Backie, William Whitmore and Robert Campbell were overcome by gas at the Smokehouse mine, October 30, and died from the effects. Joseph Morello lost his life in shaft No. 5 of the Boston & Montana company on October 31 by falling down the shaft.