The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-13
OREGON NICKEL MINES.
A Hundred Thousand Dollar Plant to
Work the Riddles Deposits.
Portland oregonia

Portland Oregonian.
From time to time some notice has been
given of the nickel mines near Riddles,
on the Southern Pacific road. in Douglas
County, Oregon. but it may not be gen.
orally known that these mines have now
become one of the m ost important institu-
lions in the United States.
Last year the international Nickel Com
pany, Chicago corporation, purchased
these mines and began the erection OF
works for the. reduction of the ores. and
these works are now approaching compile
tion, and will be in operation by the 18th
of May. The plant has cost 100000. and
has the heaviest and best machinery of
any concern on the Pacific Coast The
snlelter and power house are built OF brick,
and are extensive ana substantial. The
company has also erected saw and planning
mills. an elegant hotel, and a great num-
Der of cottages for their employees, so that
now qui'e a little city appears high up on
the mOuntainside, where but recently
there was only rugged and barren waste.
The c0mpany's purchases OF lands en-
braces about 1900 acres, for which 1t has
paid about 100000, and these, together
with the lands filed on by the company
and those for which 1t is now negotiating,
will cover all the nickel-producing lands
so far discovered in the United States, and
all of the most important of the three
nickel fields OF the world, one of the others
being in New Caledonia, and the other in
Canada. This field is limited, and en-
braces section 10. a small part of section
-, q small part of section 9, the greater
part of section II, a small part OF section
IS aud very small part of section 30, III
township 80 south, range 6 west, in Doug
las County. As before stated the reduc-
ton works will be in operation by the mid
die OF May, and will turn out five tons of
nickel per day, which is worth 90 cents per
pound. The great importance Of this field
is recognized in the fact that before a
pound of the metal has been reduced il
has commanded the atteH ton of those in
terested in the production Of this metal.
and it has been consolidated with the other
fields of its kind aud all have been placed
under one management, the Consolidated
Nickel Company of London England and
Chicago. which now owns and controls the
whole.
1t is generally known that all the navies
OF the world are now being armored with
nickel-steel plates. and that there is from
this source alone great and growing de-
mand for this metal, but IL is not so gen.
orally known that steam boilers are now
being manufactured of nickel-ron. and
that the tensile strength of this metal is
seyentOld greater than that of any other
known metal. so that the demand for
nickel for this purpose is, no doubt. des-
tined 10 be greater than even that for armor
plates.
1t is understood that there will be addi-
tional plants put up at Riddles, and that
pig metal for the manufacture of nickel
steel armor-plate will be turned out here.
the chrome iron and copper ore necessary
therefor being found in great abundance
in the immediate vicinity of the nickel
mines. thus making the production OF the
combined metal both easy and cheap.
While this is one OF the greatest of the
mining interests of the world. it is only
one of the many mining interests of
Southern Oregon, which are now coming
rapidly to the front and attracting the at
tention OF capitalists everywhere.