The Fremont County record., 1881-05-28

empty houses in Silver Cliff. This is
true, but of class that neither we
nor you, reader, would live IN, ex-
cept in case of absolute necessity if
we could not find tent or decent
abandoned prospect hole. These
empty houses, nine out of ten which
are for rent or sale, can only be COM
pared with the cow sheds in Canon
CITY, and some of them are not so
habitabie. roofs half gone, windows
entirely out, walls full of cracks and
tumble down doors. These were the
first buildings hastily erected during
the great excitement and have been
abandoned by their owners for so:nc-
thing much better. They will nearly
all disappear within year. OF course
the city is almost entirely built up
with frame houses, because the brick
or good stone could not be procured,
but the frames in which business is
being transacted or in which it is de-
sirable to live, are of good charac-
| ter, considering that the first discov-
ery of mineral was made there less
than three years ago. Some attempt
has been made at ornamentation in
building, trees of the decidious and
evergreen kinds have been literally
set out this spriug and many miles of
fencing built. The water, supplied
by the water works, is being quite
extensively used in yards and while
the beauty is yet crude the prospect
for handsome streets and premises is
excellent. That part of Cliff street
which was DESTROYED by fire, will be
almost entirely rebuilt with brick. a
very large and handsome brick hotel
will soon be erected in the business
centre of Main street, and number
of brick buildings, stores and dwell
ings, will go up this year. Any
body with half an eye to impartiali-
ty, can see that Silver Cliff has a long
and prosperous future ahead of her,
since the problem of reducing the
low grade ore has been solved by the
SILVER CLIFF MILL.
By special invitation of Mr.. G.. G..
Perkins, the superintendent of the
Silver Cliff Mining company's new
mill and mines, the representative of
the RECORD. in company with Mr..
G. NJ. Allen of the Denver Inter-
Ocean, Mr.. A. d. Balcomb and two
other gentlemen of Silver Cliff. visit
ed the splendid mill recently COM
pleted by that company near the old
mill erected by them and abandoned
on account of its failure to produce
the results expected. This new mill
is conducted upon what is called the
"wet process" plan while the old one
was the "dry." This "wet process
of reducing chloride ores. one of the
most difficult ores 10 extract silver
from, especially where the grade is
| low, is entirely the discovery of Mr..
and do ht- hin,
years ago in the celebrated WhitePine
/ district of Nevada and from what
they are doing in Silver Cliff with
| that process we have every reason to
| believe the problem of extracting sill
yer from low grade ore has been
solved. A full description of the inn
mensity of this mill would occupy
| too much space. but to novice in
the complicated and tremendous ma
| chinery fer taking the precious silver
\ from the raw rock, it is a curious and
| interesting sight. Here, under one
roof. the entire process can be seen.
| All the machinery is run by Corliss
engine. There are two boilers each
twenty-four feet long and twenty-six
inches in diameter, TO supply the
steam. The fiy-wheel which carrie.
| the huge belt that moves all of the
machinery runs at the rate of sixty
nine revolutions per minute Two
crushers and forty stamps are con-
stsntly pounding the ore into dust
and after the dust comes the eNtract-
| ing of the silver. A silver brick is
were two of them in the office on the
day of our visit, one 9I0 fine aud
the other 97S fine. The mill is now
reducing one hundred and twenty
tons of Racine Boy ore every day,
just as it is taken from the mine near
| by. The great thing, however, and
| that which makes the mill so valuable
| 10 its owners and so beneficial to Sill
yer Cliff, is the fact that the ore is
being reduced at cost of less than
| IS per ton, aud Mr.. Perkins informed
| YOUR reporter that he could make a
profit on ore which would carry but
$40 in silver to the ton. 1t is SPLEEN
did thing for the Cliff and praCtic-
able monument to the pluck and en-
ergy of its superintendent, the solid
results of which must soon be more
appreciated.
OTHER MILLS AND MINES.
In the Bull-Domingo on Tuesday a
new vein of gslena was uncovered
and the concentrator was started.
| The Bassick concentration was also
running and also the Dora smelter.
Some new strikes are being made
and old mines are being worked
again. One of the finest claims in
the district is the Boulder, owned by
Mr.. A. ID. Bslcomb. From that mine
has been taken what are pronounced
the richest aud handsomest specimens
OF horn silver ever discovered. Con-
siderable prospecting is being done
on the Sangre de Cristo mountains
and some rich finds are reported.
SILVER CLIFF CITIZENS.
The people of Silver Cliff and Rosi-
ia have established a reputation for
hospitality, both municipal and in-
dividusl, first in the state. Every
expense of the invited guests was
provided for from the time they took
their seats in the train until they
reached their homes again. To each
guest was given pass by the Denver
4 Rio Grande railroad company both
going and returning. The Powell
house was opened to them and its
proprietors and clerks left nothing
undoue, for the comfort of those peo-
Il Ill.