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OCR for page 29
CHARLES M. BRINCKERHOFF
1901-1987
BY PLATO MALOZEMOFF
P ERHAPS THE MOST SUCCINCT TRIBUTE to Charles M.
Brinckerhoff was the citation of the award in 1968 of the
most prestigious honor in the mining industry, the William
Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal for distinguished achieve-
ment in the field of mining, given by the American Institute
of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers "for his
outstanding administrative and technical ability en cl for
discerning foresight ant] leadership in the minerals indus-
try.99
At the time of this award, he was chairman of the board
and chief executive officer of one of the then two largest
copper mining companies in the world, The Anaconda
Company. This warm-hearted, gentle, fair-minded man of
strong principles and vast experience, with over forty years
of active participation in the mining industry, was admired
and loved by his many friends en c! associates, and by the
working men in the mines with whom he came in contact.
He always listened with respect and attention to the opin-
ions expressed by others, and was interested in and solicitous
of their problems and misadventures. Yet he was firm and
just in his decisions affecting people subordinate to him,
which gained him universal respect. He was keenly interested
in the young engineers entering the industry and helped
them at every opportunity. He possessed a keen intelligence
29
OCR for page 30
30
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
that gave him the ability to analyze a situation correctly, be
it political, technical, financial, or organizational. He was
dedicated to innovation in these fields.
Charles Brinckerhoff, born on March 15, 1901, was a
graduate of Columbia University in New York City, having
received his B.A. at Columbia College in 1922, and his
metallurgical engineering degree from the Columbia
University's School of Mining in 1925. During the first
year out of college he was a cost engineer at Morenci, Ari-
zona, for Phelps Dodge Corporation. He felt, however,
that he should learn practical mining from scratch and
moved to the Inspiration underground copper mine in Arizona,
owned partially by The Anaconda Company. There he worked
as a miner side by side with other workmen in drilling,
blasting, and timbering. In those days drilling was done
dry, without water that is used today, and this created rock
dust-laden air in the workplace. This affected Charles' lungs,
and he developed silicosis, which eventually was the cause
of his death many years later. This impairment did not
prevent him from having an illustrious career in mining
during some fifty years. It was not until after his retirement
in 1969 that the affliction began to affect his activities.
After a stint as a miner, he was made a mine foreman;
then, an engineer. He worked at Inspiration from 1926 to
1935. The mine employed the so-called caving mining sys-
tem, a method that calls for undercutting a block of ore,
causing it to break up as it fills the void created by undercutting.
This allows the broken ore to be drawn out without requiring
drilling and blasting. The drilling and blasting are clone
only for undercutting and driving development and haulage
headings as well as for sinking shafts and forming stations
and other installations underground. With an acute perception
of the mechanics of mining, Charles introduced numerous
improvements in the practice of caving, which were employed
by caving operations throughout the world.
In 1935 he was sent by The Anaconda Copper Company
to Chile, where he took the position of an assistant mine
OCR for page 31
CHARLES M. BRINCKERHOFF
3
superintendent from 1935 to 1937 at the Potrerillos mine
of the Andes Copper Company, a subsidiary of Anaconda.
Before he embarked for Chile, he married Florence Andreen,
his lifetime loyal and charming companion. They had one
daughter, Carol Kietzman.
He made steady progress in Chile from 1937 to 194S,
becoming mine superintendent, then assistant to the general
manager, and finally general manager of Andes Copper
Mining Company. From 1948 to 1955 he served as the
general manager of Chile Exploration Company, another
subsidiary of Anaconda, which owned the Chuquicamata
mine, the largest copper mine in the world. It was during
this period that he directed the expansion of Chuquicamata,
doubling its production.
The 1955 discovery of a new deposit, El Salvador, only
twenty miles from the Potrerillos mine, led to the develop-
ment of this mine by the Andes Company. The caving
method was used at this mine but not very successfully.
Charles, always looking for better solutions, established the
practice of weakening the vertical boundaries of the block
to be caved by driving raises and fan drilling the boundaries
from the raises. This solved the main problem of this difficult
orebody. He also made a number of other improvements
in the operations, resulting in lower costs.
It was in the early 1950s that plans took shape to develop
the great Toquepala orebody, one of three orebodies owned
by Southern Peru Copper Corporation in Peru, the share-
holders of which were American Smelting and Refining
Company, Phelps Docige Corporation, Cerro Corporation,
and Newmont Mining Corporation. These shareholders
were looking for a general manager and president for Southern
Peru Copper Corporation who would be the best mining
man available with experience in large-scale construction.
Charles Brinckerhoff, everyone agreed, would be the ideal
choice. He was interested, and a contract was drawn up
with terms agreed on by everyone. On the morning Charles
was to sign the agreement, he felt obliged before doing so
OCR for page 32
32
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
to tell of his interest in this job to Clyde Weed, the chief
executive officer (CEO) of Anaconda. When he did so
early that day, Weed blew up and disclosed to Charles that
he was destined eventually to become the CEO of Anaconda.
He wanted Charles to stay with Anaconda, and Charles ad-
vised the Southern Peru shareholders that he felt he could
not accept their offer after all.
Promotions at Anaconda followed rapidly until in 1958
he was made the president and in 1964 the chief executive
officer.
After retirement in 1969, he was active as a consultant
for several of the prominent mining companies in the United
States. He was also a consultant to the Shah of Iran, who
after expropriating the rights of Selection Trust of London
to develop the great Sar Chesma copper mine decided to
have Iran develop it. Charles advised him to hire the group
of engineers who worked at the Chuquicamata mine and
were then idle because the Chilean Communist government
led by Allende had just expropriated it. The Shah agreed,
and the Chuquicamata engineers designed the mine and
facilities (mill, smelter, and refinery as well as the railroad
and port). Charles undertook to negotiate an agreement
on behalf of Iran with the contractors to do the construction.
This took over two years to complete because all the terms
had to be approved by the mine minister, who was very
busy. During this time Charles commuted from New York
to Iran every two months or so. With infinite patience and
skill, he finally had the agreement approved by the minister,
and construction started. By then Charles had had enough
of Iran.
The Columbia Engineering School Alumni Association
awarded Charles the Eglestone Medal:
. . . for distinguished engineering achievement as a metallurgical
engineer, mining engineer, executive and director of companies in
the field of world metal resources, particularly as president of The
Anaconda Company devoted to the betterment of inter-American
OCR for page 33
CHARLES M. BRINCKERHOFF
33
relations in the finest traditions of the engineer-diplomat; industrial
representative for twenty three years in Latin America, enhancing
both personal and corporate integrity in those countries where he
served; holder of international honors in his field; devoted alumnus
of Columbia University and member of the Columbia Engineering
Council; steeped in the best tradition of his profession and ambassador
without portfolio for that profession and the United States, both
here and abroad, for the achievement of human welfare and human
relations.
~ always looked up to Charles Brinckerhoff as a beacon
to be guided by. He pursued patient but steady progress in
his career, which was deservedly crowned with one of the
highest posts among the leading mining companies in America.
Yet personally, and with his friends, he never changed—
one felt he was always the Charles we knew before, attentive,
interested in his friends, warm, and kind. I fee! privileged
to have known him for so long.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
columbia engineering
