The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1875-05-10
MINING IN HUMBOLDT.

Since our last issue we paid visit
to the Humboldt Reduction Works,
owned by the Humboldt M. & NJ. Co.
| The mil, at Winnemucca is the point
toward which the ore from an extensive
area of mineral country gravitates for
reduction. In the past it has done much
TO secure the prosperity of the town.
| and promises to do still more in the
| future.
We were shown over the establish
ment by Mr.. Ginaca, one of the ente.-
| prising prOprietors, who kindly volun-
teered all the information at his COM
mand respecting the mill and the min
ing industry of Humboldt.
THE QUANTITY OF ORE
The mill has been undergoing repairs
for several days, and the quantity Of
ore awaiting REELECTION has accumulated
considerably. We fonnd some half
! dozen compartments filled with argent
iferoas rock most of it the product of
| the Pride of the Mountain mine in
Winnemucca Mountain One compart.
ment contained quantity of rock sent
| from the recent mineral discoveries
near Carlin. In another partition We
were shown about one and half tons
of galena ore. from the Golden Age
| niue in Central District. for which the
mill owners paid nearly $500, and
which is expected to yield upwards of
$3.50 per ton. A small quantity of
similar rock was lying close by, which
came from newly-opened prospect in
| Central District. No assay has been
made as yet, but its value is placed
away up in the hundreds. q
THE REDUCTION WORKS.
! The mill, when run to its full ca
| pacity, is estimated to reduce about IA
tons of ordinary rock per day. Its re-
ducing power. of course, depends in n
great measure upon the nature OF the
| rock Some rock, taken from Winnie
mucca Mountain. has been worked at
the rate of Il tons daily. while another
class Of ore from an outside district has
proved practically intractsble. When
the mineral contains any appreciable
amount of zinc aud antimony its reduc
ton becomes d fficult aud the result
.. often proves Improbable. Ore of this
character has been worked at serious
loss to the proprietors, who are not
anxious to receive any more of 1t even
AS a gift. Another class of rock from
"a distant camp in Humboldt county
contains large percentage of arsenic.
| To reduce crude rock to bullion is,
| under the most favorable circumstances,
an unhealthy business, and its I'M
healthfulnes is vastly increased by an
undue proportion of arsenic. For
sanitary and humanitarian reasons,
therefore, the mill men pray that fur
| ther consignments of this arsenic-silver
ore may be postponed sine die.
The mill is run in the most econon-
ical manner. Sagebrush is used ex-
clusively in the generation of steam,
bnt for the furnace, where an intense
and uniform heat is indispensable.
cordwood only is used. Several thou
sand dollars worth of quicksilver is
constantly kept on the premises, and
the loss of this metal in the amalgam-
a,ing and retorting processes does not
exceed thirty cents to each ton of ore.
THE BULLION.
The bullion shipments last month
aggregated $4,000. During the cur
rent month the shipments will at least
equal, and probably exceed these
figures. The quality of the bullion
ranges from 700 to $50 fine. which lat
ter is so parts finer than coin silver.
At the Mint, however, all bullion,
whether above or below. the standard of
coin, is reduced to pure silver, after
which an alloy of 100 parts of copper is
added to 900 parts of silver, aud the
metal is then in condition to receive
the impress of the American eagle, and
be issued as circulating medium in