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 ORGANIZATION 
 
 and KQUIPMKNT 
 
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 Of 
 
 THE CANADIAN 
 COPPER COMPANY 
 
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 BY 
 
 ALEXANDER GRAY 
 
 In The MINING WORLD. Chicago 
 
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The Canadian Copper Co. 
 
 CIIAPTKR I. 
 
 INCKI'TIO.V AMI OHC.ANIZATKIN. 
 
 Romantic stories of discovcrirH iind (Kvclopniciit in nu-tal niiniuK tinvi- no more 
 instructively intercstitiK, tliniiKli niiromnntic si'C|ui-l, thnn that of the inception nnd per- 
 fection of the nickel-copinT iiidiislry of Onliirio nnd N'ew Jersey. I'ldike other thrill- 
 ing accounts of chance tinds an<l fortunes won at the imint of tlu- pick, that of The 
 Canadian Copper Co. primarily, and of the Orford Copper Co. secondarily, has 
 more of scieiitilic purpose and the prolilcmatical in it. Tliat (lie denouement has lieeii 
 industrially felicitous is the more noteworthy in view of what was slated and implied 
 iiy .Alfred K. Harlow, M. A., U. Sc, when he wrote: 
 
 "The history of the <levclopmcnt of niininj< in the Sudhury district (of Ontario) 
 is, in the main, that of The Canadian Copper Co. It was the first conihination of 
 capital which seriously undertook ihe iiusiness of miniuK in this area, while, at the 
 same time having the distinction of heiug the only corporation which has continued 
 its operations without serious interruptions, frou. the commencement until the present 
 time." 
 
 That puts cause and effect concisely. The mines, metallurgical works and power 
 plants of The Canadian Copper Co. are situated innnediately to the west of Sudhury, 
 with headcpiartiTS at Copper ClifT. The existence of nickel had heen vaguely known 
 since 177(». (ieological reports of '4S-I!I also refer to nickel on the north shore of 
 Lake Superior. In the Sudhury district the first authentic discovery was recorded hy 
 .Mexaiuler Murray, who in his report to the (ieological Survey of Canada, IHtVi-oli, 
 mentions the strong deviation of the compass noted l)y Mr. Salter while running a 
 meridian line near what is now the Creighton mine. Mr. Murray sought out the 
 cause of this deviation and found an inunense mass of magnetic trap rock. He took 
 samples of the rock and ascertained that it contained magnetic iron pyrites, and small 
 (|uantities of nickel and copper. 
 
 In those days the few residents of the locality had other husiness in hand than 
 "geologizing," or ''rock-knocking," as it is described in some parts ; so '27 years elapsed 
 before the matter was deemed worthy of attention. Then the Canadian Pacific rail- 
 way, in 188:5, being under construction beyond Sudbury, was instrumental in again 
 bringing these mineral-bearing rocks into prominence. A stipendiary magistrate 
 named McXaughton had wandered and become lost in the vicinity of the railway 
 right-of-way. His friends sought and found him. One of them. Dr. Howie, observed 
 that thp knoll upon which the magistrate was seated was mineralized His curiosity 
 induced him to take samples which he submitted to Dr. Selwyn, director of the 
 Geological Survey of Canada, the result being that they were pronounced to be value- 
 less, there not being enough chalcoyprite, and the more plentiful pyrrhotite being 
 economically worthless. 
 1 Two years later this authority is said to have reversed himself, without detecting 
 
4 UIKJANIZATION AM) IK^l II'MKNT OF 
 
 iiirkri, hiit rrport RhowiiiK i-ii|)|>rr, without uny rrfcrrncc to nirkri cnntrnt. An nimo- 
 cialr niiMcriiliiKisi .'ivrrrtd llif s|n'i-im«'ns Hiihniitlcil to him fi>ii<ii<(tj'<| of "niaKHctio 
 |)yritL'» ami roppfr pyritiit" mlimatcly rciati'il to a "«lark-j<rei'ii, linr Kraii"'' liioritc, 
 and n Kr .m^Ii urcrn ihloritic schitl." A few picccH wrrc partly "coatid with hydrati-d 
 peroxide of iron," and tlie analyHi* wn»: '"I'.'.W/, iron, \iM% copper, I8,(t»9^ sulphur; 
 insohihle mailer (KiniKne), !l<i.ii:i',i. 
 
 The siicnlist was in error. Xiikel wan not detennined. The pionecm were after 
 copper; the incident attaching to the Canadian i'acilic railway culling atui the stray 
 manisiralf started prosptitinn in !KW| Amon^ Ihc lirst pronpiTtors were Stohie, 
 MiCoinull, I'rood, McAllister .ind Nhtialf Ore was located by Frood and others 
 on lot (3, concession l(, in McKim township, aiul McC'onnell had more on lot |, con- 
 cession 4, Snider township. .Snlise(|uently those liecaine the F'rood and Clara Belle 
 properties. The Mc.Mlister mine was simultaneously located in lot I, concession ,'l of 
 Snider; it hecanie the Lady Macdonald in IHKil, in honor of a visit to the nickel-copper 
 fields then paid by VV. C. Vanllornc, president of the Canadian Pacific (now Sir Wil- 
 liam). Sir (ieorKe Stephens, Sir Charles Tupper and several Montreal ca(>ilalisls. At 
 that moment those men were amoiiK the most inlluential in Canada. They ha<l it in 
 their power to command the new ininiiiK fields. Their Montreal friends already were 
 parlicipaliiiK with The Canailiaii Copper Co and they .have remained as shareholders 
 to lienelit from what has been accomplished by that company. Whelher it was ihcir 
 powers of divination or their disincliiialion to lend themselves to inininK enterprises, 
 the trio of Sir KniKhts refrained from invesliiiK. Other Canadians could take the risk, 
 and did, f<ir there are numerous shareholders in the Dominion. The zeal of the 
 Canadian I'acilic inaKnates for lonnaKc for the railway and business for Montreal 
 (lid not carry them lo the reckless sta^e ; they were wise in their Reneration. 
 
 THE CANADIAN rOI'I'KR CO. OROANIZEn. 
 
 Canada's great railway was more happily placed than the Central Ontario railway, 
 of which S. J. Ritchie of Cleveland, ()., was president. Mr. Ritchie needed toimage, 
 and was prepared lo take his road after it. lie had enlisted the late Senator Henry 
 B. Payne, Judne Burke and Thomas Cornell of Ohio in the Hastings, Ontario, iron 
 fields.' In their sphere those men were as potential as the aforementioned Canadian 
 Sir Knights. They had to do with large affairs and corporate interests, and being 
 receptive toward anylhing lliaf looked big enough, Mr. Ritchie had in 18H-J convinced 
 them that the Hastings Ci>. iron ores were of enormous extent and value. They 
 accordingly acquired TO.Ono acres, organized the .\nglo-.-\merican Iron Co.. and built the 
 Central Ontario railway. They then learned that certain jirecautions arc prerequisites 
 in mining undertakings. A shi|)ment of the iron ore was sent to Cleveland, was duly 
 tried and found to be economically unlit — there was too much sulphur. The group of 
 capitalists was certainly up against a hard scientific pro|)osition. The Anglo-.Vmerican 
 Iron Co. and the Central Ontario railway seemed to be expensive memorials to 
 Ohioans. However, Mr. Ritchie was a man of many resources. When he heard of 
 the rich copper discoveries made on the line of the Canadian Pacific it occurred to 
 him he might get some traffic. That is why be went to Ottawa in IHKt and examined 
 the samples taken from the Canadian Pacific and "Soo" cuttings. They intluenced 
 him to proceed to Sudbury. There be concluded that W. B. McAllister of Pembroke 
 and J. II. Metcalf had the pick of the areas thus far prospected. Acting with the 
 authority of his Ohio colleagues, he purchased their holdings. On further investiga- 
 
 I 'i 
 
TIIK CANADIAN <(HM'i;U ( (». 9 
 
 lini) hr olit.iinril ()|)tii)iiH and iiunhiisi'il various other propcrtic* Tlitsr lattt-r were 
 llu' MiCninull (C'<ipi>tr ('Ii(T), ilu- r'niml (now No. '.\) and ilu' CrciKliton N'rxt the 
 KvaiiH Krotiiiil wa* iik-liided. Thfii Tho Canadinii Copprr Co, wai conceived in \HXt\, 
 and rcnistcrrd in IMHil, willi a capital of $j,tMi(t,nitn, snliM-iinintly increased f<> $'.'.r»(»0,(>00. 
 Tlic Creaii liiil nickel properties were piircliasc<l hy the .\n|{U)-Americaii Iron Co. 
 
 MOKK IM-MCHASKM AND MININd HKdl'N. 
 
 Hctween llaslinKs iron fields and Siidlmrv mineral lands, the Ohio [jcople were 
 amply provided as to acreaxc Oltlivious of what ihcy were almut to encounter, they 
 began operations. I'nrther alonR in IH8«1 they purchased the Stohie property, in lot ft, 
 concession I, HUvard township. Stihseipiently the l'"rood section was extended hy the 
 acquisition of the soiuli half of lot 7. concessit . (i, McKim township, for |M0,0(»0. 
 That was the year in which the "Soo" hranch railway was laid from Sudbury to 
 Copper ClifT; it also v.-'-. a year of amiiitious programs and j{re;iter disappointments. 
 Combined companies capitalized at $7,-''iO(),()()0 had scmicthinn like !l",000 pri>l>lematical 
 acres, all paid for. Analyses showed there was liiKh Kr.tde copper in the McComiell, 
 or Copper ClifT, as it was <lesiKnated. NolhinR was known or surmised reR,<r.lin< the 
 nickel content. There w.is an ore which cmihl he sorted np to \^//r copper. Ilrrres- 
 hofT of the Nichols Co. on r.onn Island siKnil'ied his williiiKness to accept consiRH- 
 ments of such ores. Colonel K. M. Thompson of the (Irford Copper Co. at Cons able 
 Hook, N. J., was another tenderer. Copper ClitT was elated. 
 
 Minit!K lienan in the Ontario "wilderness." Some .'KMHI tons of ore were taken 
 out, sorted to Krade and shii)pcd to the Nichols Co. and to the Orford Co. The 
 Canadian Copper Co. was on the sunny side of the thoroughfare. Its officials con- 
 fidently antici(iateil the returns. When the returns arrived they were accompanied 
 by somelhiiiK more vigorous than invinoralinK- Ke^rcts were expressed and recrimi- 
 nations spread upon the minutes. Nichols bcKKcd to be excused from further ship- 
 ments. There was something; decidedly "(|ueer" about that ore which Nichols '-ould 
 not f.'ithom. Undoubtedly there was copper in it— i)leiity of it — the copper would not 
 be reasonable. Tliey, therefore, were prepared to surrender their rights in further 
 consignments cont'.'.nplatcd to Cf)lonel Thompson and his Orford Co., whose works 
 were very coiivn.iently located just across the bay from Long Island; it would be no 
 trouble for the Nichols people to transfer what they had to Constable Hook, if it was 
 all the same t(. Copper Cliflf. No doubt the Orford could do something with the stuflf. 
 
 At Orford, Colonel Thompson was no haiipier. He always had been keen for 
 research, but that Copper Cliff ore sorely vexed him. His works did not get copper, 
 try as they would. What they did get was a peculiar weird, grey-pinkish alloy, abso- 
 lutely unsalable. He was nonplussed with the mmameable mess. His chemists were 
 deputed to ascertain what was the matter. He was renewing the experiences of the 
 (ierman miners of a century previous with a similar ore, a copper ore that would not 
 produce copper, hence its appellation — "Kupfernickel," meaning "Old Nick's" copper. 
 The Orford Co. simply h;ul to make the best of it. Inability to solve the problem 
 meant bankruptcy. Colonel Thompson was against a situation of his own making. 
 .'\s far back as 1878 he had begun to invite what was happening. 
 
 Canada's first nk kei, venture. 
 
 It may here be explained that Colonel Thompson and Mr. Eustis, in or about 1878, 
 owned a mine near the village of Orford, in the province of Quebec. The mine had 
 nickel in it — the metal was then worth probably $5 a lb. They did not know much 
 
tt OIKJANIZATION AND KQUIPMKNT OF 
 
 alHiiit iticki'l. The owiuts put up a small ri'vcr))erat()ry funiaci' and trifd tn siiu-lt the 
 lire, James MeArthur, a disciple of Sir Henry Hessemer, lieinn their fiinuu-e matiaKer. 
 Needless to say, they were in troiihle from the ontstart. The sUik was too stiff, the 
 metal would not separate — the enterprise was a t1at failure from the start. LookiuR 
 for something easier, the partners hou^ht the Capelton mine near liy, a low copper 
 ore high in sulphur. Then they put up the lirst Kachette furnace i.. Cana<la, 10 hy 3 
 ft., of brick, which accomplished the puri)osi'. It made uiiUte which was shipped to 
 Hunt and Douglas at I'hoeni.wille, I'enn. 
 
 OKi-dKll WOKKS KST.MM ISIlKli IN NKW IKKSKV. 
 
 l'"or a while all was merry, (."olonel Thompson wever believed in doing things 
 by halves. He chafed because some one else was making ingot copper out of his 
 matte. He wanted the |irofits frcim mine to market in his own account. There was 
 a duty on ingot copper entering the states, whereas matte went in free. Conse(|uently 
 it was decided to erect a refinery in the states, and as a site for this the siuiken 
 meadows at the end of Constable Hook in New Jersey, in the lower part of New 
 N'ork harbor, were selected. He purchased four acres of the swampy country and 
 l)repared to till it in. Henry M. Howe was appointed manager, and the combination 
 was hopefid. The place was unhealthy. The promoters of the enterprise had diffi- 
 culty in securing labor. Mr. McArthur and Mr. Howe stuck to it, however, and it is 
 recalled that they successfully negotiated with New York authorities for ashes, gar- 
 bage and refuse of any and all kinds as tilling. When they had finished, the furnaces 
 were erected and the Orford Copper & Sulphur Co. was ready for business, the com- 
 pany taking its name from the little Canadian village of Orford in Quebec, where 
 Colonel Thompson had first encountered and abandoned his nickel ore some years 
 before. 
 
 Alongside the Orford site at Constable Hook the Standard Oil Co. had been simi- 
 larly engaged in making land. When it had gotten far enough along it wanted sul- 
 phuric acid. Colonel Thompson concluded it would be mutually advantageous if he 
 shipped Capelton ore direct to Constable Hook, or Rayonne, closing down the Eustis 
 furnaces, and supplying the Standard Oil Co. with sulphuric acid from the sulphur in the 
 ore. Another project, advanced by a man named Chaddock, agreed to take the Eustis 
 ore, roast it near the Orford works, jiipe the acid to the Standard Oil plant and return 
 the roasted ore to the Orford Co. free of cost. 
 
 The Orford works were started with Mr. McArthur as furnaceman on one shift, 
 Sam Leek as furnaceman on the other, and with Mr. Howe as manager. Later they 
 imported Charles Rartlett, who had been running the furnaces at Eustis. Bartlett 
 was assigned to the reverberatory furnaces, where the company was making a blue 
 metal. Dr. Peters, who had been employed by Hunt and Douglas at Phoenixville 
 making ingot copper, was retained, and with this staff Colonel Thompson hoped to 
 have his venture equipped for any emergency. Unfortunately Dr. Peters resigned 
 and went to the Parrot Works at Butte, where they were experimenting with the Man- 
 hes process for converting copper. The Parrot Co. had Frenchmen from Lyons dem- 
 onstrating the process, on which President Farrcll held the patent rights in the L^nited 
 States. It was French practice never to cliarge more than 1100 lbs. of matte in the 
 converter, consequently their charges frequently chilled. Dr. Peters took issue 
 with this procedure and recommended that James Mc.Vrthur be employed as furnace 
 manager. This was done, and the Frenchmen departed. The new force got better 
 
THE CANAIMAN COl'I'KH ("(). 7 
 
 results from the converter. At oiiee Anai-onda skeptics who had scoffed at the con- 
 verter, sought rights fur its use in their plant. 
 
 ORICIN OK lU'TTK KKHrCTlllN WORKS. 
 
 Things went alouR sniootlily for a year, so iniuh so tiiat Mr. McArthur joined 
 with some of his fellows in startiiiR a smelter of their own. Rutte had hegun as a 
 silver canij). Its old dunijjs were rich in copper. Between them the lu w conihination 
 mustered ahoiit ^l'.Vmmi, and with that they purchased 4(t acres, an<l init up a water 
 jacket furnace, in which they made excellent W/,- matte. As anticipated, some of 
 the dumps had 7% copper. The outi)ut of the smelter was satisfactr)ry. Settlements 
 were to the contrary and coke cost $l'7 a ton. Eventually it was necessary to go to 
 VV. A. Clark, from whom a loan was solicite 1. Mr. Clark let them have it and took a 
 lien on the |)roperty and plant, which soon went to the mortgagee. That was the 
 heginning of the Butte Reduction Works. 
 
 Meantime Colonel Thomi)Son met with reverses. Hardly had tlie Orford Co. 
 started to work than Mr. luistis concluded to take the Canadian mines as his share 
 of the iiartnership, leaving the Constable Hook plant to Colonel Thompson. I'inan- 
 cial difticulties arose. Opportunely a hVench syndicate, alleged to have $!)0,()0(I,0(K) 
 (or that many francs), contemplating the purchase of alnio.st all llie copper nnnes in 
 the states, as well as the smelters, made a deal with Colonel Thompson. He promptly 
 accepted their terms, which relic\ed him from his embarrassments, That was why 
 he went to Butte and imdertook to get western smelters ; send cojjper ores east to 
 him for treatment. He met Mr. Clark and the late Marcus Oaly, both of whom de- 
 clined to entertain that idea. Thereupon Colonel Thompson went prospecting. His 
 health could nf)t withstand the severity of the rough life, so he again sought Messrs. 
 Clark and Daly, with a view to having them ship concentrates to New York and let 
 him smelt them. Mr. Daly was obdurate. 
 
 ANOTHKR START AT ORKORM. 
 
 As Stated, Mr. Clark had the plant that was built by members of the Parrot staff. 
 The French syndicate, controlling the Orford plant, went wrong before its payments 
 were completed. The Orford Works reverted to Colonel Thompson and he again 
 sought Mr. Clark, who consented to an arrangement. Mr, Clark had ascertained that 
 Colonel Thompson knew his business. .A bargain was struck. Colonel Thompson had 
 mastered copper sniehing. Mr. Clark had satisfied himself t)n the point and agreed 
 to put up $(l(t,(MlO for one year, on condition that he controlled the smelter and was 
 allowed to send his own men there. Colonel Thompson at once resumed operations 
 at Orford, Mr. Clark shipping matte there to be relined. That v\ as in 188(1-7. Colonel 
 Thompson made enough in a year to wipe out his debt. He was again in quest of ore 
 and was told by John Blue that there was "a mountain of copper at Copper ClifT in 
 northern Ontario." 
 
 ■ft 
 
 DISCOVERY OF THK ORKORO .MCKKI. PROCKSS. 
 
 We are back again to the starting point of Copper Cliff-Orford metallurgy. Col- 
 onel Thompson and Mr. Ritchie came together, and it would seem as though "Old 
 Nick" was the former's inevitable business partner. With furnaces and plant equipped, 
 Orford prepared for expansion. Mr. Ritchie's company was in the market with ores. 
 Nothing appeared more roseate than to take those ores and prosper. Colonel Thomp- 
 
8 
 
 ()R(iANIZATI()\ AND KgilPMlONT OF 
 
 soil was dated when shipments from Copper ('lifT arrived. Alas fur tlie frailty of 
 human expectation, Orford could not get copper out of this nice clean chalcopyrite. 
 The Orford chemists were peremptorily directed to "fjet husy." They did, and after a 
 while Rohert Medley reported the presence of Colonel Thompson's arch enemy — nickel. 
 Nickel had hested him once. 1 Ic determined to master it. SurveyinK the international 
 situation as to nickel, he learned that at that time the Vivians in Wales were the only 
 nickel redners in England. Beyond that his incpiiry could not penetrate. There was 
 nothiiiR in the patent records, and the text 1 ks were silent. The Vivians had pre- 
 served their secrets for a century. All the Colonel could find out was what any one 
 in the gallery could see. Cargoes duly arrived at Swansea. Copper-nickel ores were 
 discharged and taken to the Vivian plant. Nickel and copper came out of the works 
 and were shipped to metal huyers. It was hardly a satisfaction to ascertain that the 
 acid works sold a lot of what they called "Sallie Nixon" to the Vivians. However, 
 Colonel Thompson consulted a dealer in chemicals whom he requested to send him 
 some "Sallie Nixon." The dealer reiwrted that "Sallie Nixon" was crude sodium 
 sulphate that liore the ancient alchemistic name of Sal Enixum — washed out salt — it 
 heing the salt that is washed out of the retorts in making hydrochloric acid. 
 
 Several harrels of "Sallie Nixon" shortly reached New York and were delivered 
 at Constable Hook. The Orford Co. began to smelt matte in crucibles. It is not to 
 be inferred that the Vivian secret was thus surreptiously obtained. I'ar from it. The 
 Orford management found that if the matte and the sodium sulphate were melted 
 together, there was "nothing doing." Coke in the mixture was tried, and it was ob- 
 served that when the crucible cooled and was broken, two substances were in evidence, 
 clearly defined, so the top portion could be broken off. Analysis .showed that the 
 bottom was higher in nickel and lower in copper than the top. Increasing the amount 
 of "Sallie Nixon" did not help the separation. Finally Mr. Gibb suggested the re- 
 smelting of the bottom. I'lxin this being done it was noted that the second bottom 
 had less copper in it than the first. This procedure was rei)eated. After nine smelt- 
 ings they secured a bottom practically free from copper. Some of this was roasted 
 and found to consist mainly of iron oxide and nickel oxide. 
 
 MET.M.I.l'KGY OF NICKEL POI-VEfl, 
 
 When means for the removal of the iron were devised, the Orford process was 
 almost completed. Colonel Thompson and his staff were solving the metallurgy of 
 nickel. In the interim other things were going on. The Canadian Copper Co. had 
 taken Dr. Peters from the Parrot Works, and requested him to erect furnaces at 
 Copper Cliff, to reduce the ore to a matte, and save the great expense in freight. Dr. 
 Peters had l)rought Mr. McArthur along with him as furnace manager. .\ site for a 
 roast yard was chosen, and in the summer of 1888 the first roast heap was fired. 
 Meanwhile several others had taken in hand the nickel problem. Colonel Thompson's 
 people were perfecting their process and were making the separation, and Mr. Ritchie 
 and his colleagues of The Canadian Copper Co. were intent upon the more important 
 question of what they would do with the nickel when it was separated in quantities. 
 Curiously enough, Mr. Ritchie had had some experience with nickel beforehand — it is 
 a coincidence that he and Colonel Thompson could not escape from "Old Nick." This 
 phase, as effecting Mr. Ritchie, is given in Coleman's report to the Ontario Bureau 
 of Mines in 1005. The gist of it is that in 187() there was a yellow fever epidemic in 
 the southern states. It was recognized that frost killed the fever germs. Mr. Ritchie 
 
THK ( AXADIAN COITKU CO. 
 
 » 
 
 was in Washington, where he met John (ianinee, an I-Jimhshnian, wlio had an idea 
 about building a ship on which a refrigerating machine would keep the i-mperature 
 below fret zing. This was to lu' moved around the gulf ports taking on fever patients 
 and freezing the germs out of them. The senate conunittec promised $'J.')ii,(l(Hl for 
 such a ship if Gamgee proved that he could maintain an even temperature therein; 
 and it [)ut a large shop and all machinery for experiment at his disjjosal at Washing- 
 ton, (iamgee started on annnonia machines, and soon found that cast iron would 
 not hold compressed ammonia gas. lie tried all kinds of alloys. I-'inally he and 
 Ritchie went over to the Smithsonian Institute and looked over the meteorites, which 
 are nickel-iron alloy. Camgee sent to Wharton of Camden and ol)laine<l some nickel. 
 lie commenced alloying nickel and iron and got a very tine alloy, which held the 
 gas. Reing erratic, however, fiamgce failed to agree with the senate committee about 
 the cost and maintenance of the shii>, and the whole scheme fell through. 
 
 THK FIRST .\KM()K l'l..\TK. 
 
 Recalling those experiences with (iamgee, ai'd the exceedingly tough alloy tiickel 
 had formed with iron, Mr. Ritchie wrote to Krupp and endeavored to interest him 
 in the matter. Long range negotiations being tedious and somewhat ineffectual, Mr. 
 Ritchie concluded to go to Europe and interview and interest steel makers in 
 nickel-steel. The Canadian govermnent co-operated to the extent of ai)pointing Sir 
 Charles Tuppcr, and the .Vmerican govermnent appointed Lieutenant H. 11. Bucking- 
 ham to investigate the sid)ject. Accordingly the trio visited all of the I'jiglish and 
 Continental steel plants, and created a decided interest in the matter. The outcome 
 was that James Riley of Glasgow began the study of nickel-steel, and in 1H8!) he read 
 a paper before the Iron and Steel Institute, which was the beginning of the nickel-steil 
 industry. That paper was presented to General Benjamin F. Tracy, secretary of the 
 navy in President Harrison's cabinet. He was so impressed with it that he ordered of 
 Creusot an armor plate of nickel-steel, and of Cainmel of Sheffield a plate of com- 
 pound steel, such as was then used by the British admiralty in their naval ccjiistruction. 
 Those two plates were tested at the Annapolis proving grounds, and the nickel plate 
 was so much the superior that congress immediately voted $1,000,000 for the purchase 
 of nickel. Thus the nickel-steel industry was given its status, and a start made toward 
 the broader conditions upon which the metal was dependent. 
 
 TROfBLF. AT COPPKR CI.IFF AND IN METAL MARKETS. 
 
 Progression was dolefully tedious. During the investigations further afield, as 
 outlined, Dr. Peters was wrestling with accumulating troubles at Copper Cliff. There 
 was a railway, it is true, and certain facilities, but building houses, clearing ground, 
 erecting shops, track laying and so on, practically 200 miles from a machine shop, 
 made for tribulations and objurations. Nickel ores could never be dealt with in 
 piecemeal. In the very nature of things they called for comprehensive treatment by 
 men of money and affairs. Finally a 100-ton Herreshoff furnace, and the necessary 
 plant to maintain it, was ilnished. On December 22, 1888, the first furnace was 
 started. Details of those pioneering days, descriptions of the frequent explosions at 
 the furnace and of the green workmen, bolting like scared rabbits at every unusual 
 sound, recitals of the struggles of the manager night and day to keep the process 
 going, would consume more space than is available. In retrospect they are all part 
 of the romance of metallurgy as it began at Copper Cliflf. At the time discourage- 
 ments were distressing if not altogether promotive of despondence. 
 
10 
 
 ORCANIZATIOX AND EQl'II'MKNT OF 
 
 MOKK NKKKI. THAN THF. WORLD WANTKII. 
 
 
 The furnacf was a success. Dr. F'eters, who like other coiiipctent technical men, 
 was not infrequently wedded to his idols, was asked to extend his plans in order to 
 increase the capacity of the smelter to .'loo tons i>f ore a day. To this his reply was 
 that while no other plant in .\merica was snu'lting so much, and while such larRe 
 gures were very hewildering, yet he would do his best to oliline the manaKcment. 
 Consequently, next year another furnace was lilown in. That is how the realization 
 was speedily reached that The Canadian Copper Co. was shippin)^ more nickel in the 
 matte in 1?-H!» than the world consume<l. Colonel Thompson was getting along toward con- 
 tinuous separations, and the Copper Co. was wishing he would hurry. Markets were 
 narrow and i.xp'.ii(!ltures heavy. Mr. Ritchie was an optimist in his views on nickel- 
 steel, and was conducting a propaganda. The Orford people were gaining experience. 
 So were Messrs. Payne, Murke aiul Cornell in Cleveland, the original I'lnancial spon- 
 sors for so much of it all. They were pledging their private fortunes to secure over- 
 drafts and conserve the credit of an industry, whose creation had involved them in no 
 end of outlay. Never was there greater need of goiid business sense and unity of 
 purpose. Sales of matte were small and scattered. An initial sliipment of matte 
 went to the Vivians at Swansea. Tenant & Co. of London were taking a little, 
 Joseph Wharton of Philadelphia and his former partner. Mr. I'Meetman of Iserlohne, 
 and the French nickel producers were occasionally willing to accept consignments. 
 What matte was going to the Orford Works was piling up in the furnace yard. On 
 the other hand, by maintaining activity and proceeding with the production of the 
 matte. The Canadian Copper Co. had devdopcil an envious en\ ironnu-nt. .\t all 
 events numerous nickel ventures were inaugurated by a number of individuals and 
 companies unfamiliar with the tribulation of the most important factor in the locality. 
 If they could have had a look at the overdrafts — in some cases amounting to !?■_'")(>.- 
 000 — the game would have been less furious, disillusionizing instead of alluring, to 
 foolhardy novices. Even where experience shoidd have assured success, the ViviariS 
 failed. That firm hastened into the field, bought the Murray mine and prepared to 
 erect furnaces. 
 
 THE VIVI.W K.MI.l'RE. 
 
 All Canada was enthused over the advent of the N'ivians. They represented British 
 capital and perfected methods which had been in use for a century. Nickel was now 
 coming into its own. More areas were incidentally acquired by venturesome specula- 
 tors. Probably the promoters of The Canadian Copper Co. ruefully contemplated 
 such competition following on their endeavors to establish an adequate market for 
 their matte. No doubt they aTiticipated ruinous rivalries. It might have been so 
 were it not that the Vivians sent ov^r antiquated machinery from an abandoned mine 
 in Norway. Copper Cliff ceased to grieve. When the Vivian furnace was demon- 
 strated to be inefficient and capable of smeltuig less than a third of the furnaces 
 erected under the direction of Dr. Peters there were juhiliations at Copper Cliff. 
 Dr. Barlow, in his capacity as a distinguished member of the survey, has fittingly 
 described the Vivian episode. He connnents bitterly on the lack of technical knowl- 
 edge shown in this venture. Local tradition preserves the story of the action of the 
 British directors solemnly and satisfiedly ordering diamond drill holes put down in 
 the granite and overruling the advice of their local manager. By this time cordial 
 relations prevailed between the Vivian staff and The Canadian Copper Co. There 
 
TIIK CANADIAN COPPKR CO. 
 
 11 
 
 was IK) si-iTi'cy. Mutual frccdoiu uf acci-ss was graiitcd. How \hv X'ivians failfd is 
 not a inystt'ry. Loudon directors know more than the men on the spot. It cost the 
 Vivians $:{7ri,(io(i to (leinoiistrate their stuiiidity. Nor were they alone. Of the other 
 linns ciiterinK upon mining operations and ex|)erimeiilation with processes, little need 
 he written at this date. Among tho.sc were the Dominion Mineral Co., whose opera- 
 tions contimied from 18M!> to I8!t|; ihe Drnry Nickel Co.. the .Mgoma Nickel Co., the 
 Funniens Metal Co., the lloepfner KefiniuK Co., the (ireat i^ikes Copier Co., the Lake 
 Superior Power Co. .MI of these are mer"ly nulestones marking the progress of 
 The Canadian Copper Co. Perhaps they migi^t he more correctly delined as tomh- 
 stones in a large graveyard devoted to the r'.Iicts or derelicts of the nickel fields 
 The comiiaiiies enumerated could mine aii'I make matte, hut they had no relining 
 proccs.s, and nickel matte is not a salahle rti:le. Of those remaining and uiii'ro- 
 ductive, the Dominion C"oi)per Co. is the mi» imixirtant. 
 
 A (AN.\ni.\N KKKINKKV AIMKn AT, 
 
 haihue was meanwhile heing excluded from Canadian Copper Co. anticipations. 
 Colonel Thompson was out of the woods and taking more matte. Cradually the 
 nickel-steel hunincss was expanding, and bank overdrafts reduced. Realizing that 
 political and economic consider;itions invited the provision of a Canadian relinery. 
 The Canadian Copiier Co. sought a process of its own rather than be tied up to one 
 relinery in New Jersey. In this endeavor there was the additional incentive, that it 
 wf)uld be injudicious to patroni/.e the Orlord exclusively, and leave it within the 
 power of Colonel Thompson to operate nickel mines on liis own account. To meet 
 this latter contingency and to satisfy Cana<Iian sentiment, if possible, The Canadian 
 Copper Co, decided it must have its own process of retining, and further, that this 
 refming must be done in Canada. .Mready, in 1«8!), Dr. Peters had proposed a re- 
 linery at Caiie Breton, where cheap coal and ocean freights offered more advantages 
 than conld be .secured in coalless Ontario. His plant was never realized. His furnace 
 troubles at Copper Cliff were all sufficieni for him. In WH) The Canadian Copper Co. 
 therefore retained Jules (iarnier, the di.scoverer of nickel in New Caledonia, and 
 gave him carte blanche to solve the retining problem. He went to Copper Cliff, 
 erected a Hessemer plant and proceeded in 1H!)1 to reline the furnace matte and bring 
 it up to 8(i7f copper-nickel. That matte was shipped to Cleveland, where Mr. Ciarnier 
 had erected a relinery with cupcdas, gas producers and hot blast stoves, Siemens 
 furnaces and all the paraphernalia of the modern alchemist. Mr. Garnier's experi- 
 ments were unavailing. The experience with him cost The Canadian Copper Co 
 $1.50,000. 
 
 Another attempt was made by Hoepfner, who spent a year and some $.')0,(iOO in 
 illustrating how not to do it. Ohio was not unwilling to have Hoepfner try his hand 
 elsewhere. He transferred his services to the lloepfner Refining Co. of Hamilton, 
 Ontario, with the subsequent failure of which Dr. Harlow deals. 
 
 invk.sti<;atin(; thk mono process. 
 
 Once more, in 180."), The Canadian Copper Co. sought a process. It sent its 
 metallurgist to England to study the Mond process. This invention of Dr. Carl 
 Langer is probably the most beautifully intricate and metallurgically interesting in 
 the whole realm of modern research. For a year the process was watched and then 
 regretfully declined as not being suitable to the rigors of the Canadian climate. Dr. 
 
la 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND E(ii;iFMENT OF 
 
 Mond evidently was of the same opinion, for when, in l!t(>0, he ac(|niri'(l tin- \'iitnria 
 iniiii' iiiid iTvctt'd liis snu'ltiTs thrrc, hi' loi-aled his ri'liniT)' in W'aK-s, whiTo olicap coal 
 and aciiis connterbahmced the long matte haul. After experinientiiiK with the Mond 
 process The Caiia<iian Copper Co. worked out a metliod of its own and put up a small 
 electrolytic elinery at Cleveland, with which for a year or two it supplied a superior 
 grade of metal to "(ierman silver" refiners. While that process was successfid, its 
 costs in comparison with those at Orford inaJe it prohibitive. Kepeated returns to 
 the attack duriiiK those years had demonstrated that nickel could he relined. Processes 
 galore were elTiclive, hut "Sallie Ni.xon's" offspring ai (Irford, in point of ecnnom>, 
 held an advantage a haiid-toinou'.h nickel industry could not with impunity forego. 
 "Nothing in science is impossible," the management stoutly declared. "Certainly 
 nickel can be refmed in Canada, but it camiot be done here at a cost which will 
 enable the Canadian nickel to com|)are with that produced abroad.'' 
 
 All of this time tbe plant at Copi)er Cliff had been growing little by little, here a 
 shed, there a shanty, until In works were a labyrinth of glorified lean-to's, worse 
 than a maze to a stranger. T!'e V.;\f' smelter had grown to si.\ furnac?s in 1800. In 
 that year the West s nelte •, \' \'h sc ii or i.iore tinpot furnaces, startei'.. The Orford 
 Co. in 1000 put u]) at Copper C • refinery known as the Ontario Smelting Works, 
 which took the furnf • matte pr luced at Copper ClifT, containing 3.")% of metal and 
 refined it up to i •'>'/( , '(ling this refined matte to the Orford works at Constable 
 Hook for further treatment. 1 he. .• was no connection at the time between The Cana- 
 dian Copper Co. and the Orford Copper Co. One had the mines and the other had 
 the process. 
 
 INTERN.\TIONAI. NUKKl. CO. ORCANIZKD. 
 
 Such was the status of the companies when the International Nickel Co. was 
 organized. When it became manifest that the Orford Copper Co. and The Canadian 
 Copper Co. were indispensable to each other, it was decided to organize a holding 
 company. In December, 1001, the contract for the purchase of The Canadian Copper 
 Co., the Anglo-American Iron Co. and the Orford Copper Co. was entered into by 
 Colonel R. M. Thompson, Captain DeLamar, E. C. Converse and Charles M. Schwab. 
 On April 1, 1002, they formed the International Nickel Co., after having gathered np 
 the stocks of the constituent companies and deposited them with the New York 
 Security & Trust Co. as the basis for a bond issue. The share capital was $'24,00O.O(i(l 
 with authority for $12,000,000 in bonds. Included in this larger organization with its 
 influential directorate, beside the subsidiary companies named, were the .'\merican 
 Nickel Co., the Whittaker Wright Nickel Corporation of New London and the Societe 
 Miniere Caledonicnne. None of these companies were what might be called com- 
 petitors. The Anglo-.Anierican Co., The Canadian Copper Co., the Nickel Corpora- 
 tion and the Societe Miniere had mines, The Canadian Copper Co. had furnaces and 
 could make matte. The Orford Co. had furnaces and could separate nickel from 
 copper. The American Nickel Co. had a wet process and was especially interested 
 in making nickel salts, copper sulphate, cobalt oxide and other by-products. All of 
 these companies were nnitually concerned about the nickel market. Their combined 
 shares amounted to $10,000,000. The promoters of the International Nickel Co. de- 
 cided to issue $10,300,000 in bonds and $18,000,000 in preferred and common stock. 
 The interest on the paramount issue has been met with regularity. It was not until 
 September of last year that the cominon stock received a dividend, notwithstanding 
 
THK ('ANADIAN' ("ol'PKH CO. 
 
 IM 
 
 the market valuiition placed upon the shares was over $lO(». For that matter, the 
 rt'tiirii tipon the securities nf tlu- International Co. tluis far has been sul)or<linate(l to 
 the larger policy of ImildiiiK and e(|nip|)inK their plants. It was so with The Canadian 
 Copper Co., orRani/.ed in IWKfi, and not having ma<lc a distrihution until IH'M. That 
 8-year-old dividend was H'/r, at the rate of 1% i^>r each of those disconcertinR years. 
 In IH!».'i and IK!MI Canadian Copi)er shares paid 7 and K'f respectively, making 2 .1/")% 
 spread over the !<• years, hrom 1HII7 to l!ln-_» the yearly dividend was 12%; so tliat, 
 if extended over all the years the capital return to Canadian Copper shareholders 
 to the time of amalKamation, was not si)ecially remunerati\t — ahout 79f per annum. 
 Gradually the International Ixnids are heinn retired. The preferred issue has been 
 receiving its (>% regularly for 5 years. 
 
 CIIArri'.R II. 
 
 GROWTH OK TIIK NICKKI. IlfSINKSS. 
 
 When Secretary William C. Whitney succeeded (ieneral Tracy as secretary of 
 the navy, and the Venezuelan or some other episode was endangering international 
 relations, Henry B. Payne, who was Mr. Whitney's father-in-law, took up the cudgels 
 for nickel. The personal factor saved a situation that was embarrassing at the 
 moment. There was more nickel on hand than was pleasant. The surplus disappeared 
 — went iiUo nickel-steel armor plate, thanks to Mr. Payne. In 188f) the toimage mined 
 in the Sudbury district was ll,ll!M), of which 10,14(1 was treated. In \H'.)\ the toiuiage 
 mined was 83,.'t(i0, of which '■iJM was treated for lti.:!:<() tons of matte "sold and 
 shipped." the nickel and copper contents of that being respectively I'ulK and 'JOtU tons. 
 Canada was then within striking distance of the T'ew Caledonia nickel output — "J 104 
 tons. The panic of I8!i;i reversed this order of things. In that year the nickel in 
 the matte dropped oflf to l(i.'»S tons and the copper to 14.31 tons. Two fat years and 
 two lean followed. After that the Spanish-American war lifted the nickel output to 
 2800 tons. Since then the growth has been gradual, notwithstanding temporary de- 
 pressions. From 3.')40 tons in 1900, the advance has been steady until in 190!), the 
 Ontario output totaled 13,142 tons, as given in the table of exports prepared by 
 Statistician McLeish at Ottawa. Of this 1022, or lo'/c, went to Great Britain. The 
 "spot" valuation of all the 1000 nickel-copper shipped was $3,013,012. The Canadian 
 Copper Co.'s share of that was $2,080,4()7, or 7fi%. It took 451,802 tons mined and 
 4(i2,3.3() tons smelted to produce 2.'),84o tons of nickel-copper matte. The Canadian 
 Copper Co. mined 3-18,()00 tons, which yielded 21,10.') tons of matte, 81% of the Cana- 
 dian output. In its fiscal year just ended The Canadian Copper Co. made a still bet- 
 ter presentation, approximately 24,000 tons of matte. Of that, 13.000,000 lbs. of nickel 
 were sold by the Orford Co., the relining and selling partner of The Canadian Cop- 
 per Co., at a profit of $1,027,000, so it has taken 24 years of wandering in what was 
 regarded as a "wilderness"' to force or coax nickel into the affections of consumers. 
 Those who have followed this recital, which is introductory to the mining and metal- 
 lurgical features, will appreciate that the splendid growth of Canadian nickel was 
 a matter of brains and capital, reinforced by geographical vantage and ore reserves 
 now conservatively figured at 30,000,000 tons, and of which more will be written later 
 in this review. The world's supply is assured to Canada for some time, irrespective of 
 other fields of greater or less importance. 
 
14 
 
 OHOANIZATIOX AN'D K(irri'MKXT nF 
 
 MINER AND ONE RESERVES. 
 
 The Cniiadinn Copper Co. remains the predtuniiiant faitor in tin- prn<imti(>n of 
 nickel. Last year it aceonntcd for 81'/{ of the Canadian l)essenier niikel-inppir matte. 
 M nothinK occurs to npsct the ecinihliriinn of iron and steel trades llie present rate of 
 oiitpnttinK may he accepted as a fair measure of wliat ttie nickel intUistry will he 
 capahle of as occasions require. 
 
 ThrouKhont the career of tlu' company, more particularly in those years since the 
 formation of the liilern.ilional Nickel Co., there has heen constructive purpose, scien- 
 tific persistence, studied conservatism and the reipiisite, ready capital. Gradually the 
 intelliKcnt application of money, latterly the recoKuition of nickel steel as an indis- 
 pensaMe, wherever ureat tensile slreuKth is re(|uired. have estahlishd what was a nehu- 
 lous opportunity as one of the world's uiiiipie industries. 
 
 With the organization of the International Nickel Co. as the holding company, there 
 was co-or<liiiation of the coi-iiorate tniits, an^ressive endeavor to occupy a larger field. 
 While capital outlay amounting into the millions demanded nerve, there has heen a 
 campaiKii of education in the use of nickel steel and Monel metal, combined with pre- 
 cautionary writings otT for depreciat'on anil exhaustion of ore reserves, which, coiiici- 
 dentally, have persistently heen on the increase. Moreover, the profit and loss surplus 
 and sinking fund for the redemption of the bonds have been suhstaiUially replenished, 
 until the former is approaching the $;Ummi.(H)(> mark, having been $'_V)nO,00(» at the end 
 ot the fiscal year l!Mi8-!t, Mesides, it is claimed that "earnings to the extent of ap- 
 proximately $7") per share" have been put back into properties and plants. 
 
 After deducting expenses and bond interest the International Nickel net has 
 totaled almost $!•,(» 10,000. 'I'he spending power per annum of The Canadian Copper 
 Co. amounts to about $'2,000,000, and that there is more confidence prevailing, the pay- 
 ment of dividends on the International Nickel common .stock attests. 
 
 SLI'KKM.XCV .\NI) ITS KEWAROS. 
 
 "Exhaustion of reserves adjustments" no longer seem t<i be an essential, apart 
 from the business principle involved. Depreciation reserves have been extremely pru- 
 dent. The surplus each year after providing for all fixed charges and bond sinking 
 fund has varied from $.'>70,!Mit; in l!l()8-!l to $l,;y l,2.");i in 1000-7. Heavier capital ex- 
 penditure being unlikely, except for reverberatory furnace plant and b.isic converters, 
 and that special modification of metallurgical practice being an economy in that green 
 ore will he treated instead of being subjected to expensive and prolonged heap roast- 
 ing, necessity for radical safeguards no longer exists. Common shareholders who 
 almost despaired of reward for their patience are very apt to be agreeably surprised. 
 
 The success of The Canadian Copper Co. is remarkable in view of the fact that 
 this company has only about (»% of the 400,000 acres of nickel-bearing lands in the 
 Sudbury district. 
 
 Canadian ore bodies containing nickel-copper are at once the basis of credit, and 
 the sources of discredit to those who thought — and who still think — that all they had 
 to do was to find the characteristic rocks in quantities. There was a time when lands 
 now valuable, because of Canadian Copper Co, operations, were assessed at less than 
 it costs for a meal on a dining car. A wag has suggested that the "unearned incre- 
 ment" beneficially conferred by the company upon reactionary critics, should revert to 
 those who supplied the momentum and obliterated the memories of their initial efforts. 
 UnfortunPicly for all parties in interest, when there was lack of concert between The 
 

 i 
 
 THK CANADIAN COIMM'.U CO. 
 
 1.1 
 
 Canadian Cupper Co. and the residents of the district, the company hai not always 
 felt at lilierty to conl'ule its itic^esscs to the pulilic. Only cpiite recently has sufficient 
 hiiiilio.iiie olitained to make possible an exposition of what the corporation has 
 adiicved, of what it experienced, of what disappointments and risks were met with 
 and assumed, when the group of Ohio capitalists jauntily launched themselves upon a 
 veritahle Styx a quarter of a century aRo. 
 
 I'l.KNTV (IK NIC KKI. AKOINU Sl'IIIU'RV. 
 
 To have their purpose misinterpreted or misunderstood, when they were emerxing 
 from a ma/e of triumiih and tro'thle, was taken to he cause all-surticient why analytical 
 data atTectiuK nickel production and distrihution should he sparingly sup|)lied. More- 
 over, metal markets were narrow, and still re(iuire heroic stinmtants. 
 
 Hetween the Sultana mine at the southwest end of the nickel range, and the 
 Whistle mine at the northeast, an inunense amount of nickel-hearing laud awa.ts 
 development. The formation may he ilescrilied as an oval rin^t of nickel-hearing 
 eruptive. This oval is IM miles in width hy Xt miles in length. Around the circum- 
 ference is approximately 110 miles. As the same rock occurs all around this circum- 
 ference, and as diamond drilling has shown the presence of ore bodies widely scat- 
 tered throughout this rock, it follows that the present (levelo|)ment is iiilinitesimal in 
 comparison with the possibilities of the future. All the authorities are agreed that 
 the norites have more metallics than capital is willing to experiment with; so The 
 Canadian Copper Co., as one of the predecessors of the International Nickel Corpora- 
 tion, chose to contule in itself alone concerning its ore reserves until its domestic 
 affairs were thoroughly safeguarded. A matter of ,'(,'(,000,000 more tons of ore in 
 reserve, ;is estimated from hore-hole results, and expansion in the uses of nickel and 
 Monel metal, have contributed elements of certainty, and eliminated the factor of 
 difiidencc. 
 
 NKVV I'OI.ICV OK KR.\NKNKSS. 
 
 No longer can it be alleged that there is inordinate sccretiveness about Canadian 
 Copper Co. conduct. Doubtless there were periods when those who aimed at the 
 mastery of the nickel product and markets did not always concede to their rivals the 
 information desired. The cardin.'d thought publicly reaffirmed by Mr. Schwab that 
 "commerce is war" was displayed in vigorous maimer. Decisive influences in the 
 steel business brooked no interference where so much had been risked on behalf of 
 nickel as an adjunct to steel mai<ing. Again and again attempts to enlist other capi- 
 talists in nickel-copper areas have failed. Consideration of the issues, knowledge of 
 the economic facts and the potency of the men behind the nickel movement, coupled 
 with the object lessons afforded by those ill-conceived ventures in the Sudbury dis- 
 trict, have induced fmanciers to hesitate about undertaking large expenditures where 
 there was little chance of ousting the fixed quantities fortified with processes and the 
 possession of restricted markets. 
 
 WHAT OTHER COMPANIES HOI-D. 
 
 There is infinitely more nickel in Canada than the established companies will 
 recover, since it is agreed that the mineral exists in payable and problematical quan- 
 tities in an area 40 miles by 25 miles. 
 
in 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND KCini'MFA'T OK 
 
 ! 
 
 i 
 
 «ii)itiK around the oval in wliiih the iiuki-l ore it fiiunil, there ii at the extreme 
 soutinvi'st coriHT liu' Snliiuia mini-; tluii in ordrr follows thi- Cliiiano, and lu-xt to 
 this the Victoria, wluri- the Mond Nickfi In. lias taken out most of its ore. South 
 of the Victoria are the WorthinKton, Totteii, Mileheuer and utherit, on an olTshont 
 from the main raiiKe. (ioiuK east from Victoria is the Crean Hill, and south of this 
 a small deposit of liiKJi Krade ore known as tlie Vermilion, 'jhese are the most 
 westerly holdings of jlu' ('ana<lian ('(ipper Co. !''ast of the t'rean Hill is the (ier- 
 trude, owned hy the l-iike Superior Power Co., and then follows the CreiKhton mine, 
 The Canadian Copper Co.'s larKest |>rodiicer. I'assiiif{ further east is the North Star 
 mine, owned liy the .\lond Co., and then the I'.lsie mine, and the famous Murray, 
 where the X'ivians made their spectacular f.iilure South of the Murray lie the old 
 pits of Nos. I, ."» and (I mines, then No. 'J, the Copper ClitT, No. 1 and the l-'vans, all 
 owned liy The Canadian Copper ( o. .None of tlu>e except .No. 'J are proiluciuK mines. 
 Kast of the .Murray are the t amcron, Mount .Nickel, Hle/ard and the Sheppard, all 
 owneil by defunct corporations. .South of these on ;ni otTshoot of the main raiiKe lie 
 the Slnliie :ind the No. It, owned li.\ The Canadian Copi>er Co. Mast of the Sheppat.! 
 is the (iarson mine, owned liy the Mond .Nickel Co. l''rom that point east, a fewr 
 scattered pits represent all the development yet done. The rauRc from there swings 
 north past Wahnapitae lake, some l.'i miles, to the Whistle property, owned liy the 
 Dominion Copper Co. This is the extreme northeast corner of the nickel ran^e. The 
 formation can lie followed west over an entirely undeveloped area, on all of which the 
 nickel-heariuK eruptive mck is seen. The only development there has lieeii done at the 
 HIk l.e\ack and the Stratlicun.-i properties, which are directly opposite to the CreiKh- 
 ton mine, itnd |M miles roitluvest of it. The nickel eruptive continues unlirokenly 
 west ;ind curves south, joiniiiK the main or southern raiine at the .Sultana mine, where 
 we lienjin the circuit. 
 
 On the North Nickel ran^e a urouii of Canadian capitalists of prominence and 
 wealth have several thousand acres, which they have jirospected to some extent, and 
 which, it is said, will he broUKht to the producing sta^e one of these days. The trou- 
 lile seems to be that the nickel content is not as iirolitalily consistent all over the dis- 
 trict as it is in some of the selected properties of the noiiiK concerns. Certainly there 
 is scope for exploration, such as the Dominion Copper Co. may undertake, and at any 
 rate there is no monopoly of country, either in Caiia<la or in New Caledonia, where 
 the Singer .Sewing Machine people have begun to mine for themselves. On the other 
 hand the International Nickel organization has New Caledonia areas, which will en- 
 able it to meet competition from any and all directions. 
 
 SMALL PROFITS ON .\ LAK(;K TIKNOVKR. 
 
 Briefly, the International Nickel Co. has attained to pre-eminence, in that it com- 
 manded the support of most influential men and correlatively deterred others from 
 risking their funds. In l!»0(t it sold l:t,(lUO,000 lbs. of nickel at a profit of $1,027,000 
 — about 7V6 cts, per lb. — a significant fact, and one which makes it manifest why 
 there has been more faith than dividends in the production of the metal. On the 
 Moncl metal sold to the Pennsylvania and Chicago & Northwestern railways for the 
 roofs of their mammoth depots, there was a loss instead of a profit, because the 
 demonstration of the material was essential. Likewise it is true history that nickel 
 was a "slow seller" for more years than the management care to recall before nickel 
 steel was introduced into armor plates, deck plates, bridge work and heavy steel 
 construction. 
 
THK CANADIAN COIM'KK «<) 
 
 IT 
 
 AlthiiiiKh the Sinlliury diitlriit wan a ni<><lcrii (inlKoiha- innri- ho than many sul- 
 phide canipH thriiiiKlioiit thr iniiiiiiK world, iicforc iiiclailnrKV i°atnc to the rcnciu* — 
 thtTc is nil doidit that Tlic Caiiailian tupprr L'n. luT'afttT will havo the- solace con- 
 taiiifd in the Koran: ' Then as to hitn whose lialanics are heavy his shall lie a life 
 that shall please him well. And as to him whnsc l)alanceR are liKht, hii ttwelliiiK place 
 shall lie the pit." 
 
 THK FtKST Nl( KKI.-STKKI, Mll.l.. 
 
 ft used to he said that if Whittaker Wright had stuck to his New Caledonia 
 nickel country, and kejit away from the .Xu^traliaii Deep leads, it would not have led 
 to his committinK suiciilo. The point is deliatalile. The Canadian nickel tithls were 
 ha|i|iily orKani/ed in Imt one resjiect ; wealthy men had metallnrKical anil m:irket prob- 
 lems in hand, and they linally foresaw more than the mere speculator in mines liothers 
 about. Carnegie's "youiiK men" contributed a status to the metal as refined under 
 OrfortI Co. auspices; Turner and his stalT have produced the raw and partly-retined 
 material. The I'nited States navy department authorities were rpiick to discern the 
 superiority of nickel steel. They discussed the matter with Mr. CarncKie, and with 
 the understandiiiK that there would be a rcKular demand for nickel-steel, a special 
 mill was erected at llnniestead for its production. 
 
 It has been cotneniled that nickel can be rclined and workeil into steel in Canada, 
 and that there may be a market here now that a Canadian navy is contemplated. 
 To this the facetious rejoinder is made that the Canadian navy minht re(|nire oO tons 
 of nickel for nickel-steel. The CariiKeie Nickd-Sleel plant is estimated to have cost 
 $.')(i(),(MMi. It has a capacity of .'(t.tMH) tons a month. Without the arrauKement with 
 WashiiiKton it miKht not have been built until later. Without it nickel-steel con- 
 struction would not be undertaken on a larpe scale. K. I'. Wood, who speaks c.v- 
 callicdra on the subject of the metallurgy of steel, says there is no advantage in 
 building a small bridge of nickel-steel, for there nnist be a certain amount of steel 
 for stiffness, and ordinary steel is good enough. lUit when a structure such as the 
 Quebec bridge is planned, there will probably be plates 8 by !M) ft, long, bars prob- 
 ably of lo to 20 by 2 Ins., up to 70 or 80 ft. The mills to roll these will have to be 
 very heavy and necessarily expensive, and they will cost millions. Citing as a further 
 example the eye bars of the Mlackwell bridge. New York, Mr. Wood explains that; 
 "They were 18 by >, made of nickel-steel. They were rolled on the 12-in. L'niversal 
 mill at the Homestead Steel Works, but the tonnage of bars rolled for the whole 
 bridge was from 'M»M\ to 40(iO tons." Conse(|nently the erection of nickel-steel works 
 in Canada would be premature. If we consider the $.■">,.■)( Kl.or i spent at Copper ClifT 
 and vicinity, the cost of mining and metallurgy, the hiatr..i between the purchase of 
 the properties and the declaration of H'/c in 181 4 on Canadian Copper Co. stock, the 
 return from nickel investments was tardily contingent on the acceptance of the metal 
 by steel masters. In I8!ir>-(;-7 the dividends were 7, 8 and 12%. From 18!»7 to 1902 
 the dividends were 12%. To do that and to make up for previous unprofitable years, 
 ni'-kel had to be sold at a price prohibiting its general utility. Even for special steels 
 nickel has been a costly item, considering that ■W*% of nickel at '.Vt cts. per lb., added 
 to the contents of the crucible, has been the practice. Should Monel metal meet 
 with the popular demand, markets will be simplified. That accomplished the Copper 
 Co. will be prepared for greater things, instead of alternating conditions governing 
 its mining and metallurgy. 
 
IK 
 
 OH<l,\NI)C\rH)N AND KC^III'MKNT OK 
 
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 OROANIZATION AND EtiriPMKNT OK 
 
 THIRTY MII.I.MIN TONS AMI MOKK ORE RESERVKS. 
 
 The Caii.'idian Coppi-r Co. has provod supplies of ore aiuountinn to at least 'M\- 
 OOO.OOO tons. This much the iiiaiiaKcnieiit acknowledges, althouKli rou«h calculations 
 indicate that those tiniires are ultra conservative. .\t any rate when tlie average 
 tonnaKe mined is maintained at .'lOit.iMMi per annuni, there will lie reserves suHicient 
 fur tio years, irrespective of what unexploited areas may show up. In this regard 
 the company is removeil from the prohlematical. It is not averse to the extension 
 of its holdings, liut it has not found any preferalile to what it owns. Ciradually 
 the variety and niagnitude of the ore bodies are being demonstrated and the policy 
 is one of expansion within its organixation. 
 
 WIIKN .\NII iniW MININC, llKd.VN. 
 
 Mining began at the McMlister, locally known as the Lady MacDonald, and 
 now No. 4. Next some prospecting was done on the ICvans. Later, when the Coii- 
 per Co. had taken over these an<l others, operations in 1887 were concentrated at 
 the Copper ClitT, that being regartled as the best. .\s already stated the first ship- 
 ments were made from the Copper Cliff, where the ore was handpicked for its copper 
 contents, (iradually the field of activity w-as broadened, and the complexity of the 
 whole proposition became more manifest. The company's headquarters were at 
 Sudbury, conunnnication was attended by vexations; a diarist on the spot has it that 
 there was no mail delivery for a week, and that it would be a blessing "if some one 
 would hitch up a bull-team and bring us our letters." .\ boy was fished out of the 
 mud on the highway where he tloundered to his death. Never was there a mining 
 venture in sorer business straits. Yet the record shows the obstinacy with which 
 the management pursued the programme. 
 
 More extensive mining began in 1887 at the Stobie, and in 1888 at the ICvans. 
 Then ten years were occupied in exploration, special efforts being directed toward 
 the metallurgy of the ores and the exploiting of markets. Drilling was resorted to 
 at Nos. 1 and 2 mines. This led to their being mined in 180!). The Trood (No. 3) 
 started in 1!KK», No. 4 in 18i)!t, Nos. ,1 and ti in 18!)!t. Most important of all events 
 was the discovery of the Creighton, "undoubtedly the largest mine in the district of 
 which we at present have any knowledge, and which from the very beginning of 
 operations has produced very large quantities of the almost pure sulphides, with 
 little or no rocky admixture." 
 
 So wrote Dr. Barlow in l!tO',". "It is essentially valuable as carrying a high 
 percentage of nickel, with a very much smaller proportion of copper." Another 
 pleasing development is the Crcan Hill mine. The Canadian Copper Co. has produced 
 up to the end of 1!)0!) some 3,.j00,000 tons from all its properties. Had The Canadian 
 Copper Co. remained a separate organization, the value of that tonnage as mined 
 might hypothetically be given as about $20,0110,000, that is if it had been possible to 
 dispose of it f. o. b. Copper Cliflf. The 1909 value of the nickel contaitied in the 
 matte now being produced is averaged by Mr. McLiesh, Chief of the Ottawa Division 
 of Mineral Resources and Statistics, at 10.7 cts. per lb. The same authority puts the 
 copper contents of all smelter products at 12.982 cts. per lb. Copper or nickel alone 
 is worth more than each is in the mixture, on account of the expense of separation. 
 In reality the export value of all the nickel-copper matte in 1909 works out at about 
 9 cts. per lb. Were the copper contents of the nickel-copper matte enumerated as a 
 distinct item, there would be no question as to the exact export value of the respective 
 
 1 
 I 
 
 1 
 I 
 
 i 
 
1 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 \ 
 
 I 
 
 THE CANADIAN COPPKH CO. Jl 
 
 iiH'tals ill tlu' matte. .\ iKiri/milal \aliiati(iii of :f."i in $ii por tmi miiu-d, as a coiuijro- 
 misc, iiiiRlit lint be so wide of the mark. ,\ lut profit of $l..")(l to $"J.0(» per ton mined 
 would tlu'ii lie a conservative, if imaiitlinri/ed, estimate of the return. Tliat would 
 mean a yearly jirofit of $.V_'-.',!Hmi, or $ti!l7,J(iii, as apiilied to i!lii!i mining operations. 
 The l.'U'OO.Otld il)s. of the iiiekel cHsposed of in I'M)!;, it is claimed, hrought a prot'ii of 
 7*/i ets. jier pound spread over niiiiin).t, snieitiiiK and relininji; charges. 
 
 IKKICMTON MI.NK I'rtOmiTION I'KOSI'KCTS. 
 
 An nnnsnal feature aliout the Creightoii mine is that it came near being one of 
 the first to be discovered, instead of being the last and best. Murray in IHoti noted 
 the outcrops of sulphide-bearing rocks, which really are an extension of the Creighton 
 mine. I'he (ieological Survey gave the cue. but Dr. Harlow attributed the delay of 
 a quarter of a century in the discovery to "the inaccessible nature of the country." 
 Not only is the Creighton "good to look upon" but in four years it has contributed 
 over W/c of the tonnage treated, and there are ."i.iHHi.doo tons of ore in process of 
 development without including certain extensions. Laterally 700 ft., and for a depth 
 of l!Mi ft., there are open-cast workings, all of uniform grade, only about I'/r of the 
 rock being discarded. The ore contains about \%' i coiiper and 4'';'7c> of nickel. The 
 highest monthly output from this mine was .V),00(> tons, and that for March was 
 47,000. 
 
 Of the total tonnage hoisted throughout the operating career of the property, 
 the average for the combined metals has been i>M'/<. A series of bore holes leaves 
 little to be desired as to the life of the huge lens in which the luanageiueiit is work- 
 ing. Granting that the ore section has been bottomed at an average of about 500 ft., 
 the width of the lens at the 4th level is about 'J.'iO ft., as against 400 at surface. Ore 
 has been proved for 1500 ft. on the strike of the deposit, and it is inferred that 
 drilling will indicate more further on. The ore is so massive it (piickly makes tonna.ge. 
 If it has a fault, it is in its basic character which exacts the addition of siliceous 
 material when going to the furnaces. 
 
 THK CRE.VN HII.l, I'ROl'KRTV. 
 
 For the latter purpose the siliceous Crean Hill ore is admirably adapted. As 
 explained, Crean Hill is near the Victoria mines of the Mond people. It is the 
 latest of The Canadian Copper Co.'s large producers, having yielded L'OO.l'.VJ tons to 
 the end of 100!). This mine has extensive reserves variously estimated from the 
 workings and 27 bore holes throughout the property. Since the begimiing the Crean 
 Hill has averaged i't.'^'i'/'r of conibine<l metals, the copper lieiiig in excess, 'fhe disparity 
 between the metallic contents has been less pronounced in the lower levels. 
 
 Ore has been located to a depth of about 1000 ft. ; so with ti% of metals the 
 Crean Hill can supplement the Creighton for a good many years. To the end of 
 the year the mine was not drawn on to any appreciable extent. It lias high-grade 
 copper in places, and some very fine pentlandite. Northwest from the Crean Hill 
 there is an outcrop from which enough ore for a test w.-'s taken, and which satisfied 
 the managciuent that they have not ascertained all they are going to about this 
 vicinity. The Crean Hill is being developed along the same lines as the Creighton, 
 and it is the intention to have enough ore broken in the stopes to meet any and all 
 emergencies. General Superintendent Lawson has solved the difficulties accompany- 
 ing the mining of such large stopes as those of the Crean Hill and the Creighton, 
 
22 
 
 OHdAN'IZATION AXl) K(il'IPMK\T () 
 
 1 
 
 li 
 
THK CANADIAN COPl'KR CO. 
 
 2:i 
 
24 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND EQl IPMKNT OF 
 
 and it was through the courtesy of President Turner that the writer was favored 
 with a permit to go undergroutKl, so as to obtain a more intelligent, comprehensive 
 view of the exphiration and development done. 
 
 HOW THE I.ARliE STOPES ARE MINED. 
 
 To Start with, about five years ago, it was decided to diamond drill the Crean Hill 
 section before proceeding to minirg. These borings, the management states, revealed the 
 pre.eei ce of a body of high-grade copper ore along the foot wall. On the opposite or 
 hanging-wall side, as it is usually <lcsignated (although no hanging wall exists), and 
 beyond what was at lir.-it supposed to be the economic limit, there were irregular patches 
 of nickel ore quite different from that on the foot wall, and extending for over 200 
 ft. into the hanging. The mine, in the first stages, was developed with a view to 
 removing only the high-grade cojjper ore along the foot wall, which is fairly regular 
 and well defined. Subsc(|uent developments, however, indicated that these apparently 
 isolated patches of nickel ore were in reality continuous, enclosing masses of rock 
 and usually not intimately mi.xed with the rock. The question then arose, how to 
 win this nickel ore at an economically reasonable cost. It was evident that, in order 
 to separate the ore from the rock with which it is so intimately associated, it would 
 be necessary to break up the entire mass, the problem, of course, being to dispose 
 of the rock conveniently and cheaply. To meet this situation was Mr. Lawson'3 
 objective. A brief description and sketch are given of the methods now employed 
 by him to this end. 
 
 At each level the ground is cut into blocks by exploratory drifts (below the oth, 
 125 ft. apart), laid out as regularly as possible and carried to the boundary of the 
 mineralized section. Wherever an enrichment occurs, these drifts are widened and 
 raised to a height of about 35 ft., and then carried as breast stopes. These breast 
 stopes are advanced by first taking a cut out at the floor (about !) ft. deep), setting 
 up the drills on the muck and slicing with wet holes until the roof is reached. A 
 cu: is then taken out at the back; the drills thereafter being set up on bars, the cut 
 dei'pened and the stope carried underhand to the floor. The face being then squared 
 up, the bottom cut is again in order. By this means no staging is required, and the 
 work is carried on regularly and continuously. \t the floor level, the richer por- 
 tions only are removed, so as to avoid handling rock, but on the back stopes, where 
 the rock can readily be disposed of, pretty much all rock containing mineral is broken 
 and handled, except the very large masses which are left as pillars, care of course 
 being taken to maintain pillars in position to support the ground. Until sufficient 
 space has been provided, all rock, as well as ore, must be hoisted, but, as soon as 
 practicable without hampering work at the breast stopes, the rock is piled up along 
 the walls. Masons are then employed to build the dry stone walls, which take the 
 place of drift sets to maintain the tramways. The walls are built about 4 ft. thick, 
 and 7 ft. high, reinforced at intervals with round timber. These walls are stronger 
 and not more expensive than drift sets. In the walls are built ore chutes and man- 
 ways. The latter commerce at the floor, are rectangular in form and large enough to 
 admit a tram car. In them are placed ladders and drill chutes. The ore chutes are 
 built up solid to the bottoms, which are formed of wood, lined with steel or cast-iron 
 plates. They are built circular in form above the roof of the drifts, which, where 
 manways and chutes occur, are about 12 ft. high. Ihe main tramways are double 
 tracked, covered with round tamarac or pine lagging. No effort is made to fill to the 
 
THE CANADIAN COIM'KR CO. 
 
 2") 
 
 top of the walls with rock from the breast stopes, the deficit being supplied by return- 
 ing through chutes provided for the purpose, waste rock from the surface, all rock 
 hoisted direct or rejected in the ore house being returned to the mine. 
 
 The first lill is made lo within H or In ft. of the back, and is carefully leveled 
 oflf with crushed rock from the surface to form a smooth floor. Back stoping is 
 connnenccd on top of the till by slicing and raising until the back has reached a 
 height of 155 to 40 ft. above the tilled floor. While the stopes above the tills arc 
 designated "back stopes," they are in reality breast stopes, with the bottoms cut 
 away. By this means, maximum footage is attained by the drillers, and maximum 
 tonnage from the drilling. 
 
 A Creighton Stope, all in Ore. 
 
 The drilling is performed on bars, on top of the muck, and the drill holes, after 
 the proper height has been attained, are nearly all underhand, or wet holes (the 
 latter a very important advantage in such hard ground). The roof is easily accessible 
 for scaling and but little delay occurs after blasting, before the machine men can 
 again start to set up their machines. The trammers also can begin work promptly 
 at the beginning of the shift. On a new fill considerable waste of fine ore is inevi- 
 table, but, by dropping a slice 30 ft. thick, and handling it on one floor, the waste 
 is minimized. 
 
26 
 
 ()R(!ANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT OF 
 
 INGENIOUS AIR-OPERATED GATES ON CHUTES. 
 
 Some care i III engineering is required to provide convenient dumps for the rock 
 rejected on the back stopes. With this object in view the stopes are carried one 
 ahead of the other (i. e., one higher than the other), in the form of terraces, the 
 stopes being advanced in opposite directions to the fills, the reject of one stope 
 forming filling for the succeeding one. The ore-bearing rock is transferred from 
 
 Air-Operated Chute Gates. 
 
 the chutes to the tram cars by means of air-operated gates, devised by the manage- 
 ment (see illustration). The gate is hung radially to the lip of the chute, on a 
 square shaft placed underneath the bottom of the lip, and held in position by means 
 of arms which are integral parts of the gate. The bottom of the dip is about 1 ft. 
 above the side of the tram car. When the gate is open it swings under the lip. 
 The stream of ore flows into the car until it blocks. The car is filled to its full 
 capacity, heaped up, but no overflow occurs. The air is turned on and the gate cuts 
 
THE CANADIAN COI'PKIt CO. 
 
 27 
 
 through the pile of coarse rock, separating the rock in the car from that in the 
 chute. No adjustment of the load is necessary. No delay occurs. Unless the chute 
 happens to be blocked, the whole operation of loading does not consume one minute. 
 Tram cars and skips each have a capacity of three tons, both designed to run con- 
 tinuously and withstand the excessive hard usage to which they are subjected. The 
 tram cars are designed and built on the premises. They are models of strength and 
 utility, the trucks being practically dirt proof and the bodies thoroughly braced. 
 
 NOTHING BUT OKE AT CREIGHTON FOR FILLING. 
 
 In all levels of the Creighton mine below the third, and all of the western part 
 on all levels, the method of mining is similar to that at Crean Hill, except that the 
 walls and filling consist entirely of ore. By this means a large reserve of broken 
 ore is always available in case of shortage of labor or a sudden demand for increased 
 tonnage. The latter emergency was met last winter by withdrawing filling from 
 part of a stope in which sloping had been completed. In this connection it may be 
 stated that these sloping operations at the Creighton are an object lesson in point 
 of economy and effectiveness. In one stope now being carried toward the surface 
 by Mr. Lawson — provided it is not drawn on too heavily in the meantime — there will 
 be approximately 1,000,000 tons. 
 
 BONUSES FOR EMPLOYES. 
 
 To accomplish this where you have scattered areas, so much handling and haul- 
 age by two or three railways, involves the closest supervision of cost. The system 
 employed at Copper Cliff is as thorough as the economies inseparable from such 
 ores make it imperative. Nothing is done without being threshe<l out by the depart- 
 ment chiefs, periodical councils and free discussions being the effective means 
 whereby best judgments are obtained. Whether it be in supplies, repairs, foundry 
 work or new plant — a great deal of which is produced in the company's shops on 
 the premises — the accounting is most business-like. Efficiency is the basis upon which 
 the equipment department is maintained. Underground or at surface there is a record 
 and comparative data for every item of expenditure. Drillers are bonused for reg- 
 ularity and footage in excess of a fixed minimum, runners and helpers .sharing pro- 
 portionately. This prize-giving is not confined to mines, however. Those crews 
 engaged on the furnaces are induced to make tonnage. As a consequence a maxi- 
 mum of output is secured with alacrity, and there is no quibbling by walking dele- 
 gates. Union and non-union men are given employment without discrimination. There 
 are 105 men employed in the machine, blacksmith, pattern and carpenter shops. On 
 transportation 6 locomotive engineers, 6 firemen, 1 hostler and 4 wipers, 3 conductors, 
 7 brakemen and 17 trackmen are employed. Here it may be explained that the 
 company has 25 miles of tracks, a roundhouse full of locomotives, ample rolling 
 stock, etc. 
 
 MORALE OF THE PREMISES PRESERVED. 
 
 By promoting fellowship and loyalty among employes, the management has 
 created a settlement with a united purpose, and instead of doubts which prevailed 
 in the earlier years, there is harmony and determination. Only so many stores are 
 allowed. Schools and churches of divers denominations evidence the permanency 
 of the residents. There is no room at Copper Cliff for mischief-makers. When a 
 public building is needed the company provides it — and then taxes itself to pay for 
 it. Roughly speaking the company provides three- fourths of the taxes. Residences 
 
28 
 
 ORCJANIZAT'.ON AND KQUII'MENT OF 
 
 and living quarters arc made attractive, and at reasonable rentals. There is a club 
 house and hospital that ininht well serve as a nvulel for many Canadian municipali- 
 ties. Two skilled physicians are retained at Copper Cliff and one at each of the 
 mines, together with a corps of trained nurses. Modest charges are imposed for 
 treatmetit, there is up-to-date surgical e(|uipment, an«l a dispensary at which either 
 one of the physicians is in almost constant attendance. So that nothirg is left undone 
 to promote ihe comfort, health and sanitation of the community. 
 
 There is no need for reiterating routine mining features. The Canadian Copper 
 Co. for years deemed it good policy to work its larger areas, and defer the numerous 
 properties touched in the earlier year, until there were broader nickel markets, and 
 perhaps, lower treatment charges. The Lady Macdonald or No. 4 section, is soon to 
 be tested by diamond drilling. It is expected that a large body of ore will be revealed 
 as the formation bears a remarkable resemblance to the I'rood or No. 3 property, 
 where diamond drilling has shown a very extensive deposit. Perhaps it would be 
 unreasonable to expect to find two or three Creightons, and two or more Crean 
 Hills, and No. 3's ; yet there is nothing to prevent tonnage in quantity being obtained, 
 even though quality requires sorting. Thus far there is but one Creighton on the 
 fields, with clean ore and the grade that makes for snug profits. The Crean Hill ore 
 has to be sorted and the facilities for this arc simply effective. The rock house is 
 substantial and convenient, chutes, crushers, and trommels being so compactly installed 
 that a few men take care of the tonnage raised. Most of the sorting is done under- 
 ground. 
 
 LATEST ADIITION TO ORE RESERVES. 
 
 No. 3 mine, north from Sudbury, is one of the greatest assets in nickeldom. For 
 a distance of 3200 ft. bore holes were put down at intervals during the past year or 
 two. The management was confident the gossan outcroppings would not be so strong 
 unless there was substantial reason for it. In all '21 holes on the ridge have proved 
 an ore section that will of itself supply material for years. I was privileged to inspect 
 the core sections— the holes averaged 500 ft. deep. The grade is not that of 
 the Creighton or the Crean Hill. It can easily and at slight cost be brought up to 
 4%% of combined metal. Doubtless it would be unremunerative to sort it closer, more 
 especially as the contour lines of the section will make low mining costs a certainty. 
 If we allow for waste rock— the section is stratified and simplifies sorting— and take 
 1000 ft. vertical as an average of the ore in the section, and 8V6 cu. ft. to the ton, the 
 boring already indicates a grand total tonnage in the property of 35,000,000 tons. 
 Presently Capt. Lawson proposes to further block out the area by means of more 
 bore holes. When this has been done a railway will be built across lots to Copper 
 Cliff, three miles distant. No. 3 mine, therefore, with the estimated 5,000,000 reserve 
 at the Creighton, the reserve at the Crean Hill and the odds and ends elsewhere, some 
 of which may have other agreeable surprises, materially contributed to the potentiali- 
 ties of the company. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 METAILURCY AND EQUIPMENT. 
 
 Ores so complex as those of the Sudbury district, Ontario, and with their mar- 
 gins of profit contingent on special markets, inevitably throw the burden of proof 
 upon the metallurgist. Capital was provided for every phase of the progressive and 
 
TIIK CANADIAN COIM'KU (X). 
 
 99 
 
 perplexing movement— the snittary exception beinn that in the early clays there was 
 a moment when the Ohio people felt it would he better to shut down. What metal- 
 ItirKii'al fxicllfiKj- thtrc has been at Copper Cliff and tho Orfnrd Works has In-en the 
 result of patience and thoroughness of practice. David II. Mrowiie, chief of the metal- 
 lurgical «lepartment at Copper Cliff, is a long way from being satisfied with the degree 
 of success attained. The management is maturing plans for basic hearth converters, 
 by the aid of which it is expected to smelt the green ore direct from the mine. That 
 would be an important economy. MoncI metal is to be ,{iven a wider range of applica- 
 tion. If the final separation and refining of th: R!*!"!* cannot be a> cheaply effected 
 in Can-'dn. as it i in the States, there is satisfaciion in the knowledge thai the malic 
 as shippe<l across tiie br)rder is not far removed from refinement. It is just snthcicntly 
 unrefined to be admitted free of duty to the United States. 
 
 The routine piirsi ed in the mining and metallurgy of the nickel-copper ore is of 
 most interest to the scitntist. .As it comes from the mines the ore is crushed and sized 
 in the rock houses, ap|)roximately to .'l-in. pieces. It is hauled to the roast yard. Us- 
 ually it preserves the h.irmonies between the mining and metallurgical chiefs if 
 there is a half year's ^tinp'y of roasted ore, or ore in process of roasting, upon the 
 heaps ready for the funi.'ce, . .\t Cojjper Cliff this heap roasting is an institution that 
 may not be altogether coii'liicive to comfort or the cultivation of lawns. Sulphur 
 fumes are unpleasant to those with sensitive olfactory nerves. None the less is the 
 roasting an essential preliminary. When this detail has been obviated the Copper Co 
 will have effected an economy of far reaching influence, because not only does it 
 involve added handling expenditures, but it locks up money for several months before 
 the ores are put through the furnaces. By smelting green ores, as it is planned to do. 
 the action would be quicker and profits realized sooner. 
 
 The first step in the roasting is to lay a bed of split cordwood, 18 to 24 in. deep. 
 On this the ore is piled to a depth of (I to 7 ft., the ratio of fuel to the ore being 
 as one cord is to each 'J5 tons of ore. In the smaller heaps, where a quick roast is 
 sought, the ratio is one cord of wood to 20 tons of ore. It may as well be explained 
 that the object of the roasting is to oxidize as much ( f the iron as possible, and also 
 to reduce the sulphur. As a rule, about one-half of the sulphur is eliminated. Im- 
 perfect oxidization of the iron is undesirable, as it leaves too much of the sulphur 
 going to the furnaces, thereby retarding the treatment. On the other hand, it is 
 anomalous that if too much sulphur is eliminated and the iron more perfectly oxi- 
 dized in the roasting, the smelter slags will be too high in nickel and copper. 
 
 Roast heaps now contain from 800 to 1000 tons. A quick roast may be obtained 
 in three months, although a better one will be had with a heap of 3000 tons roasted for 
 9 months. The time varies according to the size of the heaps, which it is the practice 
 to cover with G or 8 ins. of fines. After the pile is fired the combustion of the sul- 
 phur provides the necessary heat for the operation. Though crude, therefore, these 
 heaps have their advantages, except in wet weather. The loss in sulphur is grievous 
 Academic gentlemen have declared that this should not be. It would be hazardous, 
 however, to borrow trouble and money to save sulphur in that northern latitude, not- 
 withstanding the company would be willing to have the by-product, if it could sec 
 its way clear to obtain it without undue risk. 
 
 When ready, the roasted material is lifted by steam shovels. It is hauled in 
 50-ton drop-bottom cars to the ore house, a structure 35 by 600 ft., where there is a 
 double row of bins or pockets, 120 in all. Usually about 2000 tons of roasted ore is 
 on hand; also 1000 tons of green ore from the Crean Hill mine, with perhaps 1000 
 
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 OHdANIZATlON AND Ktilll'MKNT ()l 
 
 
 
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 oncJANIZATION AXn Kgril'MKNT OF 
 
 Ion* of ilnK nnil n-riip iiwaitiiiK rriri'atim-nl, bvniilcii the (|itarti, clay, coal, cokr and 
 limrxlonr, ii*ri| in thr rharRri. 
 
 Initnriliatt*!)' Iiclow tlu- liinn anil |)<K-kt*iii nro curvrd niinr KUlr* fnin) whirh the 
 charKc cars arc iDuilvd. I'lMir trains nf H cart each containiiiK the rharK<'<«, arr 
 haiile'l Ity i-lcrtric motors to the furnacei AlHutt 7 ton* make a charxe, along with 
 which thrre in II Ik \'i'/r coke, which ix ftil timl to the ftirnnce*. The chnrne varies 
 CreiKhtrin ore re(|nires silica; Creun Hill ore HiMnetimes needi lime. An average 
 train Koing to the furnaces coniitti of Ti tons of roasteil ore, 1 ton of quartz, I ton of 
 Crean Hill green ore, I Ion either of scrap from the furnace, or slag, and odds and 
 ends cleaned up in the smelter, l-'.ach car is weighed. The weight chocks against the 
 output nf matte. The trains are operated on a douhie-track oval al)uut mie third of a 
 mile in circumference. They pass on each side of the five furnaces, thus enalding 
 the crews to dump them tlirect into cupolas, to <lo which takes about live mimites. 
 Every 'Jn minutes the charge is repeated. It is an unwritten regulation of the man- 
 agement that the furnaces are to he kept going perpetually, and at all rea.sutiahh* 
 hazards, l-'or that matter the entire arrangement ai ns at continuity and consecutive- 
 ness. Mr. Browne has learned the lesson that, while carrying a fixed charge, certain 
 variations in the silica and coke must lie left to the ju<lgment of the foreman, and 
 that local variations in the ore, and the working of the furnaces, must he left to that 
 common sense which is a factor of experience. One of the most interesting exam- 
 ples of how thoroughly the various departments co operate is ohservalile in the pipe- 
 cooled jackets used in the furnaces. The detail was entirely worked out in the Cop- 
 per C'o.'s shoj)s, and the result is a furnace which has the attraction of novelty and 
 the merit of practical utility. 
 
 The furnaces are set on M ft. of concrete on a tap platform. The blast is supplied 
 by 'V2 tuyeres, and the air supplied weighs three times as much as the ore and Huxes, 
 The furnaces are .V) by 201 ins. at the tuyeres, and they ci>nsist of three tiers ,)f water 
 jackets, the lower, the tuyere, being cast iron, forming together one jacket, M ft. (I ins 
 high. The upper, or top jacket, tl ft. in height, is made of plate iron. Each of the 
 tuyere jackets contains two ti-in. tuyeres. The side tap is notched out of one of the 
 middle tuyeres on the crane side, and is fitted with a water-cooled bronze side-tap 
 jacket, 10 by 24 ins. In the beginning, the ordinary copper furnace spout was used to 
 carry matte from the furnaces to the settler. As a result there were 32 separate 
 explosions at this spout, to say nothing of Mr. fJrownc's other troubles. This diffi- 
 culty now is obviated by a chrome brick water-cooled spout of local conception ami 
 design. It looks clumsy, but works beautifully. 
 
 Each of the settlers is Iti ft, in diameter and 5 ft. high. The slag flows oflf at the 
 back of the tap platform into pots. This slag carries about one-half of 1% copper- 
 nickel. The matte is tapped out at intervals, 5 to 7 tons being taken at each tapping. 
 This is known as furnace matte and contains 30 to 35% copper-nickel. As the matte 
 has been tapped into ladles two tracks are provided upon which the ladles are hauled 
 by motor some 75 ft., to the converter building, where the converter crane picks them 
 up. The delivery of the ladles and their contents to the respective converters, of 
 which there are 10, is controlled from the two converter cranes. 
 
 The converters in use are of the Allis-Chalmers type, 10 ft. long and 8 ft. in diam- 
 eter. It costs about $000 per day to reline these when the converter plant is running 
 in full force. The lining is an ordinary mixture of white quartz and clay rammed 
 around a central core, the inside measurement being fi by t by 2 ft. 
 
 Blowing is carried on in exactly the same manner as for blister copper. The laity 
 
TIIK CANADIAN ('(H'l'KIl CO. 
 
 may i-iii))|>r<liriiil lliin l)rtlrr witrn it i* ilntod that thr convrrtrr lookn likr an im- 
 niriixv liitrrt'l liiid <>ii iii niilc on roller*. At tlu' Uiuk nf tjic liiirrfl ii mw of tuyeret 
 or pipri, ailiiiii the air, at it wrrr, nlotiK mtc itavc of the barrel. When matte ii put 
 in ihr roiurrtcr, air '\* tiirtifil mi and |iaii*ii'K ihrnnKh the matte liiirnit the iron, which 
 unites with the (|iiart/ in the linitiK to form hUik I liit xloK i* (Minred otT from time 
 to time. In niKuit two hotiri the iron in all hnrned out and the matte, which cont lincd 
 ;tO t.i l.i' ; iTiital at the start, now contain HO'X. This is the final proiluct— Heuemer 
 ttiattr .\lr. Itrowne, it may here lie said, has recently presented a most interesting 
 li;i|KT on the liehavior of copper-nickel matte in the llessenur converter, pulilishetl in 
 the transactions of the .American Institute of MiniiiK KiiHiiu-ers. "Cons, lering," he 
 says, "the lie.it of formation, nickel would lie expecteil to follow the iron easily anil 
 completely into the slag. Instead of doiiiK xo it displays a most extraordinary reluc- 
 tance to part from the cupper, the two metals clinginK toKether in a deathless affinity 
 — so nnich so that 1 lli. of nickel p.i'Hsiin; into shm drans l.'J'i llis. of copper v/itli it." 
 
 iCxaniiniiiK carefully the work done on copper conversion, and compariiiK thii 
 with The Canadian Copper (.'o.'s matte, it is found that copper nickel ffirmn an alloy 
 in the converter, which resists oxidation until all of the iron has heen Mown out of 
 the matte. This alloy is Monel metal, and the action of Monel metal in the con- 
 verter follows exactly the laws that copper follows duruiK the Mow The two metals 
 act together, no matter what the proportion he, high copper and low nickel, or vice 
 versa; they present in conversion the same curious resistance to oxidation, and their 
 relations toward iron are alisolutely similar to the relations of copper alone. This 
 alloy, or Monel metal, contains aliout 70% nickel and ;»()% copper. 
 
 The proportion is very nearly that in which the two metals exist in the ores 
 of The Canadian Copper Co. and liy careful attention to the furnace charge a Besse- 
 mer matte can lie produced within I'/r of that required in makiiiK Monel metal. "The 
 matte is Mown," Mr. Browne explains, "till the iron is eliminated, the sulphur is 
 removed liy roastiiiK, and the coniliined oxides are reduced to metal. As the combined 
 metals have never lieen sejiarated from e.nch other the particles of each seem to be 
 in more intimate contact than can be attained by any synthetic method of manufac- 
 ture. It seems incredible, but it is a fact, that nutalhirKists have not been able to 
 produce by meltiiiK copper and nickel toffctber, an alloy having the same physical 
 properties as the alloy produced direct from the matte." 
 
 It is hardly necessary to elaborate beyond this the action within the converter 
 during the two hours devoted to the burning of the iron to iron oxide. That oxide 
 grabs th • silica. United thsy make the slag. Those supervising the converters deter- 
 mine the extent of the elimination of the iron by the gradual clarification of the 
 green tiamc. When the bright flame shows that the nickel has begun to slag, 
 the converter is turned down and the matte is cast into a ladle from which, in turn, 
 after being shifted by the traveling crane, it is poured into molds in the shed adjoin- 
 ing the converter building. The matte contains about 80% copper-nickel, 17% sulphur, 
 antl %% of iron. 
 
 Meanwhile the slag from the settlers has been taken to a "merry-go-round," a 
 circular steel framework 58 ft. in diameter, on a circular track. On this framework 
 rest cast-iron molds forming a continuous flat ring. Each mold is 12 by '10 by 4 ins. 
 and holds about 150 lbs. of slag. This ring is slowly rotated under the stream of 
 slag being poured from the pots. The slow rotation allows time for the slag to cool 
 before the molds reach a hand-controlled tripper, which reverses the mold and drops 
 
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 OHC.ANIZATION AND KCil'IPMKNT OK 
 
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 the matorinl intu a liupiii-r. lU'low iliis Imiipir is a iiiitR- skip that carries the slagf 
 up an incline track and drops it into a steel bin of TttHl tons capacity above the cliarging 
 tracks. 
 
 KIN.M, AITION .\T TlIK ORI'OKIl W'OHKS. 
 
 A nhmce hack at what has to ha|)pen before the matte reaches its final destination 
 will carry the conviction to the open-minded that Canada does not fare so hadly in 
 its share of the expenditures incurred in the mining and smelting of nickel-copper 
 ores. The spending money helorgs to Canada, and Canada gets it. Of course it 
 would lie ideal to have the relining done on this side of the border, were it not for 
 economic handica|)S and tariff imposts which would cripple the nickel industry. Tiie 
 hope is that Monel metal will be complete in itself and without further treatment find 
 a market. As such it would be a bulk product avoiding relining costs. Of its future, 
 Ex-Judge Wallace Nesbitt stated to a legislative conunittee: "If the conipany succeeds 
 in popularizing Monel metal, the results will be of greater benelit to Canada than any 
 other discovery, because we then can utili/.e the thousands of acres of the low-gradi 
 ores." 
 
 Briefly, the Orford process, as the court of last resort in the n fining of nickel, is 
 a chemical process con<lucted in a locality where there are sundry other scientilic 
 nuisances to which distance lends enchantment. The Orford Works are close to 
 chemical factories, and oil refineries. The coke an<l coal used there woidd cost three 
 times as nnich as if they were hauled to Sudburv or Copper ClifT, and then the assort- 
 ment of unsavory flavors would doubtless suggest that the Orford Copper Co. shoidd 
 be bonused to return to Hayomie. In the smelting at the refinery the quantity of coke 
 runs to about 4<l% and in the reverberatory work selected coal is necessary. In the 
 filial smelting of the nickel there must be a sulphur-free oil. Nickel cannot he smelted 
 or heated for rolling with a sulphur-bearing oil. 
 
 Refining consists, according to Orford practice, of several smeltings. Fir't there 
 is a smelting in a blast furnace with salt cake or sodium sulphate, the latter being 
 reducetl to a sulphide which forms, with the copper and iron sulphides, a fluid matte 
 of lower specific gravity than the nickel sulphide. A crude separation is the result 
 The material is cast in pots. On cooling, the "tops" or upper portion containinf{ iron 
 and copper sulphides with sodium sulphide and some nickel, and the "bottoms" carry- 
 ing most of the nickel with a small quantity o( iron and copper, are easily separated 
 by the blow of a hanuner. Then the retreatment of the "bottoms'* begins. They are 
 mixed with fresh salt cake and re-smelted, and the sulphide of soda liquates the 
 copper from the nickel present, allowing the nickel to go to the bottom as nickel sul- 
 l iiide. llventually, by means of careful adjustments, a pure sulphide of nickel 
 is obtained. There are leachings with acids and Henderson roasts to eliminate the 
 iron, copper and cobalt and a tinal reduction with charcoal in a reverberatory. The 
 copper "tops," which contain 5 or (•% nickel, are re-melted in a cupola, and taken to 
 a Oessemer converter forming blister copper, which is sent to the electric refinery. 
 The copper slags go back to the matte cupolas. Altogether the metallurgy of the 
 separation of nickel and copper is one of the most complicated problems in modern 
 practice. 
 
 COMPREHENSIVE PI^NTS AND POWER SYSTEM. 
 
 This narrative would be incomplete without a chapter on the permanency of the 
 plans following on the formation of the International Nickel Co., which made possible 
 
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 ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT OF 
 
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THE CANADIAN COPPER CO. 
 
 37 
 
 metallurgical works and power plants costing $4,0(M),')00. No better illustration of the 
 evolution of the nickel industry can be offered than this : 
 
 East smelter started December, 1888. 
 
 West smelter started Deccmhcr, 180!). 
 
 New smelter started July, 1!M»4. 
 
 Power rights obtained on Spanish ri\ ■, 1904. 
 
 Power plant provided on Spanish river at cost of $750,000. 
 
 Practically 10 years elapsed before The Canadian Copper Co. was in shape for 
 large business. Given exemption from local prejudices and export duties, and having 
 a measure of official sympathy, after the organization of the International Nickel Co., 
 The Canadian Copper Co. was free to consummate its plans for the modernizing of 
 its plants. Today the buildings al Copper Cliff may thus be summarized; 
 
 Laboratory, 40 by 80 ft. 
 Sub-station, 8,') by 104 ft. 
 Furnace building, 8.5 by ,375 ft. 
 Converter building, 95 by 522 ft. 
 Furnace shed, 32 by 295 ft. 
 Steam power plant, 104 by 160 ft. 
 Sample house, 30 by 50 ft. 
 Ore bins, 35 by COO ft. 
 
 Warehouse. CO by 150 ft. 
 
 Foundry, 36 by 98 ft. 
 
 Car and carpenter shop, 60 by 154 ft. 
 
 Pattern storage, 30 by 84 ft. 
 
 Machine shop, 72 by 154 ft. 
 
 Hoiler shop, 60 by 98 ft. 
 
 Balloon flues, 20 by 472 ft. 
 
 The identification of Messrs. Schwab, Monel, Thompson, Converse, Wood, De- 
 Lamar, and others of prominence, and the gi'^atest influence in the industrial world, 
 lent substance to what already had been aci oniplished. Instead of make-shifts at 
 Copper Cliflf and throughout the areas controlled, there are all the facilities science 
 and capital could provide. President Turner of The Canadian Copper Co. stated the 
 case to Ottawa legislators when he said that during the 15 years previous to the Inter- 
 national Nickel Co., the works at Copper Cliff had grown, furnace by furnace and 
 shed by shed, until in 1902 they consisted of a series of "dilapidated wooden build- 
 "jigs covering a lot of antiquated machinery, entirely unadapted to future expan- 
 sion. By contrast we have Mr. Turner's present day view that the Copper Cliff 
 smeller is "the most up-to-date of its kind in the world." Experts who have been 
 privileged to visit the premises coincide with Mr Turner's view. Electric power 
 came into general use, and for the first time anywhi re, in that plant. Even the man- 
 agement has had to revise and enlarge its plans. "Realizing,' says Mr. Turner, "that 
 the plant was not large enough for curreii' developments, and believing in the future 
 of the nickel industry, the company in 1905 decided to again enlarge, making the 
 furnace building suitable for five larg ' ' naces, besides arranging for a separate 
 building con* iiip i.) ilessemer stand.', \v ,h a possible future capacity of 1500 tons 
 of ore per day. ' 
 
 It had long ijeen cidont to the management that power costs were too high. In 
 1904 water-power rights, tlierefore, were obtained on the Spanish river — those rights 
 being vested in the Huronian Co., a subsidiary concern. At what is known as High 
 Falls there has been provided at a cost of $750,000, one of the most efficient plants 
 in the world, capable of supplying 12,000 hp. This cost covers transmission lines. 
 
 High Falls is located 4 miles or so north of the town of Nairn, on the "Soo" 
 branch of the Canadian Pacific railway, and about 28 miles from Copper Cliflf. At 
 High Falls the river flows on both sides of an island, 2000 ft. long by 900 ft., the 
 
38 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT OF 
 
 center of which stands at an elevation of 7o ft. above the upper water level. Pictur- 
 esquely the spot is ideal; economically it could not be excelled for power purposes. 
 On each side of the island was a natural fall of 05 ft. The island, therefore, entered 
 into the plans of the engineers, Messrs. Ross & Holgate of Montreal. By cutting a 
 forebay on its east side and damming both channels, a total head of about 85 ft. was 
 obtained between the upper and lower levels. The raising of the water 20 ft. by this 
 construction forms a storage basin (i miles long. From 15,000 to 20,000 ft. of water 
 per second is going over the large spillway to the west, considerable of the surplus 
 not taken into the penstocks going over another spillway to the east near the forebay. 
 
 The water enters gates at the extremity of the forebay, thence to three penstocks, 
 9 ft. in diameter. There is an effective head of 85 ft., and the water is regulated so as 
 to enter the turbines at a maximum speed of 7.2 ft. per second. The power house is 
 a concrete and brick building, 100 ft. long by 71 ft. wide, in the main, with an exten- 
 sion 24 ft. wide along one side, and a wing .'JS ft. sq. at one end, containing a store- 
 house and repair plant. The power plant proper consists of three Crocker-Wheeler 
 generators of 3000 hp. each, direct-connected to 1. P. Morris twin-type turbines, each 
 served by one of the 9-ft. steel penstocks. There are two exciters of 275 kw. each 
 direct-coupled to a small turbine of similar design to the power turbines, and both 
 served by a common exciter penstock, 3 ft. in diameter. Each generator has its own 
 bank of three transformers. There are also a 5-in. 2-stage turbine fire pump, a 
 Westinghouse air compressor, a Sturtevant blower-heating system, and a Whiting 
 traveling crane over the machinery. Everything is distantly controlled by low-voltage 
 switches from an elevated pulpit, with a Westinghouse switchboard. 
 
 Usually only two units are in operation, one being held in reserve, and there is 
 space for a fourth. The machines generate 2200 volts, and the pressure is raised to 
 35,000 volts, at which tension it passes through the tower to the transmission line to 
 Copper Cliff, where it is again reduced to 2200 volts. At the moment the daily require- 
 ments are 4000 hp. The transmission line follows the "Soo" railway for about 29 
 miles to Copper Cliff, where it enters the sub-station, a concrete building. 
 
 At the sub-station are four Nordberg radial valve blowing engines. 
 These are rope-driven by Allis-Chalmers induction motors of COO hp. working at 
 2200 volts. The motors may be worked at three speeds. The engines are duplex, 
 42-in. stroke, 70-in. piston diameter, and they deliver 320 cu. ft. of free air per revo- 
 lution. The blast for the Bessemer converters is furnished at 12-lb. pressure, by a 
 Nordberg blowing engme, capacity 10,200 cu. ft. per minute, rope-driven by an Allis- 
 Chalmers-Bullock 500 hp. induction motor, running at a constant speed of 375 r.p.m. ; 
 also by an Allis-Chalmers blowing engine, capacity 20,700 cu. ft. of air per minute, 
 rope-driven by a 1200 hp. motor. For the air hoists on the furnace doors, for oper- 
 ating drills, and for similar mechanical work, a 110-lb. air-compressor (Laidlaw- 
 Dunn-Gordon) is provided, direct-connected to an AUis-Chalmers-Bullock induction 
 motor of 300 hp. The motive power for the electric locomotives, which take the 
 trains of ore from the ore bins to the furnaces, is furnished by a 100-kw. n^otor-gen- 
 erator set, which takes 550 volts, alternating current, and delivers 250 volts, direct 
 current. There are besides a Worthington turbine fire pump, a Sturtevant heating 
 blower, two banks of three each of Crocker-Wheeler transformers, three banks of 
 three each of Westinghouse transformers, a 50-cell Westinghouse storage battery, a 
 15-panel switchboard (Westinghouse), and two 10-ton Whiting hand-power cranes. 
 In addition to the electrical power there is an emergency steam plant, containing four 
 400-hp. boilers (Aultmen-Taylor), Snow feed and Snow hot- well pumps, two Nord- 
 
^T 
 
 THE CANADIAN COPPER CO. 
 
 39 
 
 berg Corliss cross-compound furnace blowing engines, one Nordberg Corliss cross- 
 compound converter blowing engine, two Robb-Armstrong tandem-compound steam- 
 driven generator sets, etc. 
 
 Wherever expenditure nuant economy the International Nickel orgnnixation has 
 sustained President Turner of the Copper Co. The Spanish river station and trans- 
 mission system was costly on capital account, but it is saving about $.'W0,000 per 
 annum as compared with former power items in the balance sheet. Power now is 
 being obtained for about $15 or less per horsepower-year, spread over all charges, 
 including cost of plant. Exclusive of capital charges the cost per horsepower year is 
 about $(), so that the Spanish river plant is useful as well as ornamental. There was 
 a time when power cost $125, $80 and $00, according to governing conditions. Going 
 it alone The Canadian Copper Co. might not so soon have projected the generating 
 plant at the price, to say nothing of all the other improvements following on the 
 amalgamation under the .Tgis of the International Nickel Co. 
 
 THE SILVER PLANT AT COPPER CLIFF. 
 
 The old Ontario smelter plant in which the Orford Co. tried to treat nickel-copper 
 ores in 1001, and which was partly burned in 1904, is now the site of works at which 
 the mine owners of Cobalt have received much relief. The present plant began 
 operations in 1904. It is not remarkable for its arrangement, but it has given results 
 which were welcomed by the silver mines whose ores were specially sought. Fully 
 a third of the silver from Cobalt has been accounted for at this Canadian copper 
 smelter. It is more convenient than the American metallurgical works, freights 
 are lower, the charges always have been regarded as comparatively favorable, and it 
 is felt that the competitive factor should be encouraged. In five years, therefore, 
 the silver recovered at Copper Cliff has been as follows : 
 
 Tona ore 
 
 Year. treated. 
 
 1905 205 
 
 1906 771 
 
 1907 2,286 
 
 1908 4,493 
 
 1909 5,361 
 
 13,116 
 
 
 
 Tons 
 
 Tons 
 
 Ounces silver 
 
 Average 
 
 Cobalt 
 
 arsenic 
 
 accounted for. 
 
 assay, oz. 
 
 bought. 
 
 shipped 
 
 234,700 
 
 1,145 
 
 16.4 
 
 .... 
 
 1,117,900 
 
 1,450 
 
 53.9 
 
 201 
 
 3,903,200 
 
 1.707 
 
 143.0 
 
 330 
 
 8,553,000 
 
 1,748 
 
 305.0 
 
 489 
 
 8,824,630 
 
 1,646 
 1,539 Avg 
 
 331.0 
 . 849.3 
 
 622 
 
 22,633,430 
 
 1.642 
 
 To comprehend these figures it must also be understood that Canadian metal- 
 lurgical works all told, took 2585 tons of Cobalt ore in 1907; for example, 7401 tons 
 in 1908 and 10,230 tons in 1909; so that Copper Cliff retains its position as the 
 Canadian banker for Cobalt mine owners. Really it has had a sixth of the tonnage 
 from Cobalt, paid for more than a third of the silver, and it allowed something for 
 cobalt contents of 6% and over until the market for the oxide offered little hope for 
 future reward from the speiss. 
 
 The Cobalt plant is an adaptation, the tonnage of ore shipped from that camp 
 being so small that large installations could not be thought of. It has a daily capacity 
 of about 30 tons. The ore is conveyed from the cars to a weighing scale. There it 
 is stacked in 10-sack lots, and the gross weight ascertained. It is then put through a 
 Buchanan jaw crusher. Provided the ore is dry it is delivered directly to an Allis- 
 Chalmers ball mill, otherwise it is spread upon steam drying plates, and then it goes 
 to the ball mill. Meanwhile, as the ore came from the jaw crusher, a small shovelful 
 
■^-T 
 
 40 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND EQUIPMENT OP 
 
 from each sackful has been set aside as a preliminary inoistiirc sample, reprcsciuing 
 the moisture contained in the ore as shipped. These samples are coned and carefully 
 quartered to about 20 lbs., after which they arc taken to the sampling room. The ore 
 passes from the ball mill into a Snyder automatic sampler. It is calculated that 20% 
 of it will pass a 20-mesh, that 40% of it will pass a lOO-mesh screen, and 40% a 
 50-mesh screen. The nietallics remain in the ball mill. After the run is completed 
 they are removed, weighed, melted and run into bars. The speiss and the slag from 
 these are combined and sampled together, while the bullion is sampled separately. 
 In going through the Snyder sampler one-tenth of the milled product is automatically 
 cut out. The sampler takes TjO samples per minute or 00,00!) per carload of HO tons. 
 The adjustment by which the cuts are made is regulated by a chain <lrive which pre- 
 vents slipping. The pulp is delivered through a spout so as to fall inside of a sloping 
 flange, shaped somewhat on the principle of a miner's pan, but having four openings 
 in the flange, which revolves at the end of a horizontal shaft. Two of the openings 
 are closed. The other two take the samples as they fall from the spout and imme- 
 diately discharge them each revolution, of which there are 25 per minute. 
 
 The milled product, less the percentage automatically sampled into a sample 
 chamber, is weighed and goes to storage bins. The bulk sample amounting to 10% 
 of a 30-ton car is taken from the chamber and weighed, so that the sum of what is 
 in the storage bins and the bulk sample becomes the basis of settlement, less the 
 moisture, after the customary quartering, coning and drying. The whole sample is 
 coned and systematically quartered down to a 20-lb. sample, dried overnight, and in 
 a Braun grinder ground to pass a lOO-mesh screen. The original sample from the 
 ore as received is similarly dealt with, until the metallic scales in each instance are 
 left clean and bright on the sieve. The routine of this has been described by A. A. 
 Cole, who held that the methods employed were "exceedingly good practice" and that 
 "the final samples should be about as close to the truth as it is possible to get them." 
 
 In the subsequent treatment of the ores the main difficulty is in getting rid of the 
 arsenic. It is eliminated in roasters. Not all of the ores are put through, however, 
 as a good deal depends upon the amount of sulphur and silica. Some of the ore is 
 given a straight roast. The arsenic is drawn off to condensing chambers, of which 
 there are 96, thence to a sublimer and passed on. Subsequently teachings of the 
 speiss are dealt with for arsenic in order to avoid accident to cattle. 
 
 Otherwise the process of separation of the metals does not differ materially from 
 the furnace practice in the average smelter. The slag is tapped, and the speiss and 
 silver are drawn off twice an hour, according to the grade of ore. The bullion 
 obtained is 90% pure silver. It is melted with a little lead into bars. The speiss 
 usually carries about 1200 oz. of silver to the ton, 25% cobalt, 18% nickel, 32% arsenic 
 and 15% of iron. It is reground, roasted and leached so as to get a lower iron 
 content. 
 
 In regard to the work at the Cobalt plant, the management has just received the 
 approval of the directors of the company to make certain changes by which it will 
 be enabled to treat 800 tons of ore per month. It is planned to install a silver refinery 
 o that the company will ship both refined arsenic and refined silver. At the same 
 time it will ship crude cobalt. It should be explained that there is no refined cobalt 
 made. It is always produced in the form of an oxide or hydrate so that when 
 shipped it will really be a refined product as it will be in the form that the cobalt 
 users purchase. 
 
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