Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-30
ANY AMOUNT OF TIN
Awaiting a Market in the Durango
Mines of Local Capitalists.
s11CCEssFUL MEETING YESTERDAY
of shareholders in the Pittsburg and Mex
ican Tin Company.
PREPARED TO SUPPLY THE COUNTRY


Company was held yesterday afternoon, at
the eMonongahela House, to hear the report of
Colonel Robert H. Fitzhugh, the general
manager, read. The company is close
corporation in regard to its operations, and
no outsiders were admitted, but after the
close of the meeting stockholder gave the
following facts:
Colonel Fitzhugh's report was very sat-
isfetorv one from the stockholders stand
point, being elaborate as to all essential
facts concerning the condition and pros
pets of the company's property, and very
conservative in its calculations as to
Weld of ore from the mines, cost
of operation, transportation, ETC.
Under concession from the Mexican Gov
errment the company controls about 24e
souare miles of mineral land, containing
not only rich deposits of tin, but gold and
silver veins and some cinnabar Quick
silyer). While the entire territory has
been prospected and the fact demonstrated
that the more precious metals exist in pay
ing quantity, attention has only been given
tins far to the development of the tin-bearing
deposits. In this direction some 100 veins
of tin ore have been uncovered, ranging in
width from 1 inch to 6 feet, and carrying
from to 60 per cent of metallic tin. Of
these 100 veins some go are of
sufficient Importance to render their
working profitable. There are six mines
opened and three of them in operation,
yielding 60 tons of ore per day, with the
PRESENT working force, which can be greatly
Increased as soon as the completion of addi-
tional reduction and smelling capacity rem
ders a greater output of ore necessary.
The mining is conducted on the primitive
Mexican plan, the ore being carried from
the workings on the shoulders of Mexicans.
PURE AND FINE PIG TIN.
Native labor is very cheap, but as soon as
hosting machinery is supplied the expense
Of this department will be greatly reduced.
The mill now in use has a capacity of 100
tons per day of ten hours, the ore being
soft and requiring no blasting IN mining,
being carried in rotten porphyry. The
two smelling furnaces now in operation are
ton per. day of as pure and fine
pig tin as the world has seen, analysis by
local chemist showing no trace of arsenic,
iron or copper, and very slight trace Of ami
NAL matter. Lime for fux is made very
cheaply from fuor spar, found in great
quantity quarter of a mile from the reduc-
ton works.
Fire clay abounds and good brick can be
made from it for SIS per 1000, whereas Pitts
burg brick costs S25 delivered in Durango.
The ore thus far smelted has averaged II to
IA per cent, while an analysis of the Stag
shows a loss of but ) per cent from the concen-
trates. The loss from this source at the
tin mines is from 5 to 6 pei cent
and in Germany and Saxony from 10 to 13
per cent, so that the local company starts at
the minimum. Additional smelling furn-
aces and other necessary works now in
course of erection will give the concern a
of two to three tons of pig tin per
day within three months, and II months
hence it is expected the output will be at the
rate of 800 tons per annum. The works
are 200 miles from railroad and the metal
has to be transported that distance on burros
md mules,a burro carrying 200 pounds and a
mule 800. One Mexican manages ten burros,
but it requires three men to 20 mules. All
present at the meeting were pledged to
secrecy as to the figures of cost
Of production of pig tin, but it
is so low as to enable the company to
lay the metal down In Pittsburg at price
that will yield very handsome profit, and,
as the supply of ore is practically inexhaus-
tible, liberal dividends are assured in the
near future.
EFFECT OF TIN PLATE MAKING.
Compared with other known tin deposits
in California and Dakota on this continent,
and those of Cornwall, Wales, Australia,
5axony and elsewhere throughout the
world, those in Mexico which have come
into the possession of Pittsburg capitalists
are by long odds the most extensive and
and ought to have an important
in the problem of establishing a
flourishing tin plate industry in the United
States. The Durango deposits are all true
assure veins, the ore running, as has. been
stated, from to 60 per cent of metallic tin,
while the richest ore found elsewhere con-
A vote of thanks to Colonel Fitzhugh was
passed unanimously. The reports of the
Secretary and Treasurer showed that the
company was out of debt and had money in
The treasury. Only such portion of the
81 800, 600 capital stock has been sold as was
necessary to pay for the property pur-
chased and the expenses of development A
resolution was adopted to sell 270 shares
Of stock, to be distributed pro rata
three shares each) among the present
stock holders, to pay for the additions to
,he plant now in course of construction.
The option on this new stock runs till Sep
;ember 10.
The meeting of the company was success
'ul in every respect. The financial stand
ng of the enterprise was satisfactory to the
and the prospects of supplying
he country with North American tin was
,ratifying to those who believe in Ameri-
AN products for American consumers The
operations of the company are on strictly
business basis, however, and if the Mexican
in should be excluded from the States
brought tariff acts, as good q market will
,e found in Liverpool.
ROOM FOR LARGE BUSINESS.
Colonel Robert Fitzhugh, the general
manager of the company, was spoken with
lfter the meeting with regard to future
operations in the mines. He said that for
ne present the output of two would be re-
tricted to about two tons per day, increas-
ng in tons up to 1,500 tons annually, and
extending the output just as rapidly as the
market warranted. The consumption of tin
n the United States was, he thought, about
6, 900 tons each year, so that there was
,lenty OF room for extensive business.
The tin would De sn1ppeQ 10 Ine pest
market For the present the shipments
would be made to Pittsburg. Allegheny
county alone consumed about so tons of
in monthly, and the company would try to
,lace that amount here. There was no
eason why it should not, as the Mexican
in was equal in grade to any other and
,ould be placed at as level price.
No duty would be placed on foreign tin
until 1893. If then the President is salts
led that 5000 tons of tin can be produced
n the United States within year he is
to place duty of cents a
,ound on the imported article for q period
# two years. Colonel Fitzhugh does not