Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-12-17
THE RIO GRANDE SHELTER.
A Readable Des ri ,.tiOn OF One of the
Substantial Industrial Enterprises
of New Mexico,
Regular Correspondence Daily New Mexican

Regular Correspondence Daily New Mexican
SocoRRo, N. NJ, Dec. 14.-On the
verge of the gran0 mesa which stretches
down toward the Rio Grande, about
half way between the city OF Socorro and
the mountains named after it, lies the
extensive plant OF the Rio Grande Smelt.
ing company.
These works, with the names of 250
men on their pay roll, have for the past
three years furnished the greater part OF
their business to the merchants of Socor-
no and illustrate the value of such an
institution to the community in which it
is placed.
The ores reduced are drawn not alone
from the neighboring camps in New Mex
leo but the company, by its agents and
correspondents, reaches out into all the
important mining points of the great
southwest and Mexico and brings their
products to its works. When one
approaches the busy scenes this
impression is confirmed by the sight
of the long freight trains and busy
engines placing the cars of ore at the
bins for unloading.
A branch from the main line of the
railroad to Kelly brings all freight con-
signed to the smelter directly into the
yards, where it is weighed before being
unloaded and sampled.
Between two long lines of track are stu.
ated
THE SAMPLING WORKS.
These are provided with every means and
facility for accurately sampling all kinds
Of ores in small or large quantities. Here
everything is a wonder of order and clean
Illness, and busy crowd of workmen is
engaged in crushing, mixing and quarter
ing down the samples of the various lots
of ore which have been received and I'M
loaded.
Beyond the sampling room and back
of the large furnace house are the ore bins
for the final reception of the ores, INTO
which, after their value is determine to
the satisfaction of the shipper and are
paid for, the ores are dumped and spread
out in layers.
Firm these bins, when filled, the ores
are taken and weighed out into cars with
the appropriate huxes proportioned accord
in to their composition and these charges,
with fuel necessary for their reduction,
are elevated to the level of the CHARGING
floor, where they are run to the furnaces
and placed ready to be put into them by
the lee ers"
A system OF small rail tracks goes from
all the bins to the scales where the ores
are weighed out, and thence to the
furnaces, so that the cost of handling ali
material is reduced to minimum.
The furnaces are four in number, two
of them ~ feet bv SO feet at the
tuyeres and 10 feet by feet at the throat
ana u ieet IN height; two larger ones are
IL feet by 31a at the tuyeres, Y feet by 5
Ieet at the throat and also % feet high.
THESE FURNACES
easily smelt 250 tons of material in twen-
;y-Io- hours. One sees here continual |
succession of charges being shoveled
nto the furnaces, and descending to the
'Iag floor below one sees the constituents
If the charge beng drawn off in con
,nual streams as they come down before
he tnyeres or blow pipes of the furnaces
md are melted by the intense heat there
present.
The Stag, which represents the i'm.