Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-03-02

uOlcc huouS uoy anu Wltilout cithSi
effort or desire on his part he has be-
come q celebrity on the Pacific coast.
1t seems but few weeks only since
his name was first mentioned in one
of the San Francisco daily papers,
and now Fryer and ''the Fryer pro-
cess" are as frequently spoken of on
California street as are our "bonanza
kings and the Consolidated Vir-
GINA. Yet with all this publicity
and prominence nothing has yet been
published that has afforded reading
people any understanding of either
Mr.. Fryer or the invention with
which his name is now so promi-
nently associated; and as we have
had the pleasure of making his per.
sonal acquaintance and have been
privileged with the opportunity OF
studying the process by which he
proposes to reduce refractory ores"
we assume that we violate no conf
dence in writing somewhat freely
about both the inventor and the in
vcntion.
Mr.. Fryer is still young man.
not more than thirty-two years OF
age, and in a crowd would net be the
first to attract the attention of the
passer-by; but where there is per-
sonal acquaintance and he can be
studied, he carries in his features
that he is a thinker and no ordinary
man. He has magnificent forehead,
clear, lustrous eyes and an advancing
face that indicates penetration into
everything before him that invites
his attention. If he looks at any
thing he means to know thoroughly
what it is and he takes it all in. He
has been favored in early life with
excellent associations and has not
acquired the too easily learned du-
plicity of business competition. He
is in every sense Of the word an in
yentor and in no sense is he trader.
In brief, Robert NJ. Fryer bears with
him in all his intercourse with rich
or poor; with the man of daily toll
and the wealthy capitalist alike, the
impression that he values men for
what they are morally and intellect
ually, and not what they may say of
themselves or seem to be. From
those who meet him he expects the
same Judgment, and is frank and
open with everybody. No one can
associate with him, if for only few
minutes, and misunderstood him; his
language has no double meaning and
he expects in return the same good
faith from others.
We probably would not have taken
the liberty to write so freely Of Mr..
Fryer, personally, had we not heard
some observations made about the
secrecy with which he is said to have
conducted his business affairs since
it was announced that he had invent
ed this process, which our mining
population have SO long desired to
know. and in abiding to such idle
talk we shall as freely state the facts,
which, we think, are greatly to the
cre.lit of Mr.. Fryer as modest but
unassuming man.
About two years ago Mr.. Fryer was
living in Nashville, Tennessee, at
tending to his professional business
as a mining engineer and attorney
for mining patents. In the same
house there was living Mr.. James
r. Wallace, by profession printer,
with whom Mr.. Fryer became ac-
ouainted. Mr.. Wallace had been ten
wears in California and had had some
experience in mining camps. He
drew the attention Of Dir. Fryer to the
difficulty of treating refractory ores
and asked him if he did not think
that some process could be invented
to overcome this great drawback to
the profession of mining. Mr.. Fryer
said he .would think Of it, and this
simple, accidental meeting of two
gentlemen far away from the mining
regions was the beginning OF what
promises to be one Of the greatest dis
coveries of the age, and it it should
lie successful, as what is now pre-
dicted. it will bring about a grand
revolution in everything pertaining
: to mining.
Fryer up to the time we speak OF
had never seen piece Of mineral ore
ssin place." and knew nothing practi-
cally of mining. lie was an engineer
and q chemist, and with that practi-
cal experience for foundation he be-
gan his study for the reduction OF
ores. He knew nothing of what
Others had done. aud looked at his
new subject free from the cumbrances
Of the thoughts of others land in that,