Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-06-05
EUREKA CON.
Interview With President Mckenzie
on the Situation.

RisdOn d Co. to be sued-The New
shaft Machinery n SwindIe =
Learned Gentleman Unfamiliar
with Detsiis-The Question of Ex-
plOrfng the Lower Levels An
swered sharply for the Present.
A representative of the SENTINEL called
yesterday upon DR.. ]. G. Mckenzie, Presi-
dent Of the Eureka Consolidated Mining
Company. The object Of the call was to
get from this proper source all the infor-
nation possible in regard to the Con.
mine for the benefit of our own people
and of many others abroad, from whom
we receive letters of inquiry almost every
day. The Doctor was ready to be inter-
viewed. He started right in and told the
whole story clearly and without reserve.
We regret that VI cannot reproduce his
words fully and as he uttered them.
A WRECKED PROPERTY.
DR.. Mckenzie said thsi when he came
into the management Of the Eureka Con.
he found it to be q wrecked property. He
was severe in his criticisms Of the proceed
ing Board Of Directors. He said he had
nothing to conceal: he wanted everything
he has done to come out to the light; he
was plain and straightforward, and he was
willing that his acts should be discussed
as he freely discussed the official acts of
others. The mine had paid splendid divi-
dends, but when the time of slack came it
looked as though the old Board wanted to
squeeze the orange once more as hard as
they could, suck the last drop and then
throw away the once golden fruit. He re-
verted to the enormous cost OF the works
at the new shaft. Jumbo" and the
pumping apparatus had proved a failure.
His belief is that Risdon & Co. knew it
would be so, and that these manufactur-
ers, in his opinion, had been guilty Of
A GROSS FRAUD.
He had been ct work for six months
collecting the necessary information to
establish his belief with reference to q law
suit to recover damages to the amount his
company has been swindled. Mr.. Eckart,
the civil engineer, had made an exhaustive
report on the subject. He had accumu-
lated other incidental proofs making to
the same conclusion. At last, having got
OIL u OfAucuCO RObbiDio 10 OOtUAhCu 4
shape for use, he had submitted the whole
matter in carefully prepared documents to
| one of the most eminent firms OF lawyers
in San Francisco. If they think they can
make q case out Of 1t in the courts the suit
will be started at once and pushed with
| vigor.
II REDUCTION WORKS.
DR.. Mckenzie spoke freely about the
work at the furnaces also. He said that
when the question of reducing the speiss
in the Eureka Con. slag-pile came up.
he found that he had. first, to wipe out
the sale OF il to ex-Superintendent Don
nelly for a song. This was accomplished,
and then the next step was to go to work
and extract the precious metals from the
iron. This was q problem. A man for
this special work was needed. Prof. Rising
of the University of California recon-
mended Mr.. Harding for it in a highly
| ~eulogistic letter as a talented metallurgisl
and chemist. Mr.. Harding was, on THU
astonishingty fsudatory certificate, made
superintendent of reduction and, also,
asssyer for the company. IL turned ou'
that Mr.. Harding possessed sufficient in
formation, theoretically, perhaps, to ena
BILE him to occupy q professors chair IL
| elkueT CuCLukbtIN Va mCtaiAuA6y aha din
course ~learnedly to a class of young scien.
lists; but that he was peculiarly lacking
in practice and accuracy in rudimentary
details. To begin with, to use the Doc
tors own phraseology, "he was unfortu
nate in his assays" With the help of Mr.
McTurney to do the figuring Mr.. Hard
ing's assay work was found to be correct
Being left to himself in the premises
NJ uard,p0 bod a chairman rupalO mn
up at the works at considerable expense
According to Mr.. Harding's idea in tn
construction this piece OF apparatus il
useless, but can be turned, with little cost
into a "~calcining pan" that will serve al
excellent purpose in getting ducats out o
the speiss.
Mr.. Harding had besides q water-jacke
furnace built ON the bed Of one of the ole
smelling furnaces. This. the Docto
thinks, involves an idea of Mr.. Hard
ing's which is practical and good and Cal
be utilized very profitably; but the water
Jacket has o belly on it vulgar for q from
attachment) which is worse than useless
The molten speiss received therein chill
and does not flow out. This, however, q
intimated. is only an attachment and cal
be detached leaving the water-jacket in
tact and useful.
Mr.. Harding has resigned.
! DIR. Mckenzie assures us that with som
changes in the apparatus, involving mayb
q fortnight's delay, the reduction OF tn
speiss will be undertaken with the positiv
assurance of ease and profit.
a WILL THEY SINK E
Our reporter said to DR.. Mckenzie that
, while our people are interested in thes
things, they consider them as OF s%econdar.
importance; and that what we want II
know is whether explorations are going t.
: be undertaken on the lower levels OF tn
Eureka Con. through the new shaft. Th'
Doctor said he had always held this hope
fully in view. "We are getting" he said
"some ore from the tributers for our fur
nsces. They come upon pockets ever,
now and then that are rich. All thi
helps, and it makes US more cheerful. Blu
regard it as a fact that the upper level
of our mine are practically worked out
worked out so far as regards finding suct
a mine as the Eureka Con. has been II
times past. l agree with you in your sug'
gestion that to abandon the work of ex'
: ploration on the lower levels throu gh tn
. new shaft would be to abandon the prop
erty altogether. We would then have bu
the small pockets Of ore left in the uppeI
; levels and the s~lag-pile. The latter l re
gard "a an asset that may be fairly Sc
U 81 mn nm