Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-01
THE FACTS ABOUT TIN PRODUCTION
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

THE FACTS ABOUT TIN PRODUCTION
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
yesterdays HERALD we alluded te
the fact that Judge Enoch knight had
written a very interesting article fol
February's Overland Monthly on the
Temescal tin mines, the lode which il
now being worked being known by the
name of the Cajalco. This mine is sit
mated about eight miles easterly from
the Southern California railways sta
fion at South Riverside, and has sent
the first American tin to the market
which has reached it in commercial
quantities. Led by curiosity, Mr.
Knight has collected some facts which
are not generally known in regard
to the efforts which have been
made to develop tin in the United
States in former years. The Broad
Arrow" mines of Alabama never yielded
ore that went ever one and one-half
per cent, and the work was abandoned
years ago. A supposed extensive de-
posit of the metal was discovered
in the James River Gap OF the
Blue Ridge, Virginia. After prospect
ing this failed to show results, as was
the case with similar efforts in North
Carolina, Maine and New Hampshire.
Outside of the Temescal region, the
Black Hills of Dakota are the only
localities in the United States that
give promise Of commercial results in
tin mining, the ore there running from
two to six per cent.
'sThe San Jacinto Estate, Limited, lis
the title of the new ownership of the
Temescal mines. A year ago last
August COLI N. Robinson effected sale
of the property to an English company.
It consists of Al. 1000 acres, considera-
ble portion of which is productive and
easily titled land, with a valuable water
right and indications of gold. The
newly organized company comprises
Sir John Stokes, of London, vice presi-
dent of the Suez Canal company, chair
man; Mr.. Hugh Stephen, general rep
resentative; Mr.. E. G. West, engineer,
and Captain Harris, for forty years a
Cornwall mine manager, superintend-
ent of the mining department.
We pass over much interesting dis
QUESTION of Judge Knight, and come
down to the facts concerning the real
tin output and the probabilities as to re-
Enumeration to the stockholders. On his
recent visit to the mines he was allowed
to see the confidential reports OF the di-
xectors of the company, as also OF the
experts, and was given the fullest use of
ali official information. The amount
of ore now being handled daily is
somewhat over thirty tons, and the
tin metal product about three-fourtha
of q ton. Captain Harris assured the
company, during his visit to England
last summer, that he expected soon to
be able to make the mines pay ex-
penses, and he says he is now doing it.
The product for December was twenty
five tons marketed, little having been
left over from November. The actual
amount smelted was little over twenty
tons. He estimates the output of this
one lode for 1892 at $50 tons at the pres
ent rate of work and yield of ore. With
the third level he expects to get better
ore. the present yield being about per
cent.
Only one of the thirty lodes is being
worked. The expected early increase
in percentage of the ore yield will also
increase the production. The gross
value of a ton of 2240 pounds OF pig
tin, at the highest price yet paid, 23
cents, is $515. Taking the superin-
tendent's conservative estimate of $3.50
n ton will give for this years working of
n single lode return of $4,000.
There would be handsome profit in
working ore that yields per cent if it
were not for the high price of labor and
the rude conditions of manufacturing
and marketing the product. The per-
centage of yield in the Cornish mines is
less than 2 per cent. Engineers and
carpenters receive $5, enginemen So. 25,
able miners $2.75 and common surface
laborers $2.25 a day at the Temescal
mines-
Captain Harris confidently expects
his mines to grow richer with depth.
III the Cajalco continues to improve as it
goes down the company have the salts
faction of knowing that they have thirty
more veins presumably as good. They
have put three-quar ters Of million OF
dollars into develo ping their property,
and have every re ason to look for re-
returns on their invest
ment. 1t viii necessarily be q long
lime before the product of the Temescal
hin mines can have any appreciable eff
Iect On the worlds 50 pply Of tin, which