Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-05-07
The New Mexican's Special COrre-
spondent Writes of a Section Rich
in Mineral Resources and Rare
in Scenic Beauty.
4 GENERAL REVIVAL OF PROSPERITY
A Visit to the Graphic Mine and Smell
ter, Under the Management of Capt.
A. B. Fitch, Which Properties
at the Present Time Consti-
tute the Life of Mag
dalena.

Special Correspondence New Mexican.
Magdalena, May 6, 1871 wonder if
all men fall in love as easily and as often
as do! In travelling over the territory l
see place after place that appeals to my
love of the beautiful or picturesque, and
| think, we'll, this is certainly the prettiest
place have aver seen, only to change my
idea of the degree of beauty when the next
spot of interest is visited. The latest and
last OBJ ject of my affections is the great
valley and plain near the Magdalena noun
tains upon which stands the town of Mag
dalena, the Graphic smelter, the homes of
Capt. A. B. Fitch and Mr.. 7. s. Austin,
and on the eastern slope the town Of
Kelly. The distance between these differ
ent places is "right smart" and yet the
eye, in scanning the plain, takes them all
in, and they all 60 to make up picture
fell of life and interest.
THE GOOD, OLD DAYS.
In the days that have gone Kelly and
Msgdalena were camps of activity and
interest. The Hardscrabble, Graphic,
Greyhound and Ida Hill mines, located ir
the mountains on the east Of the plain,
gave employment to hundreds of men and
train loads of ore which were shipped out
to different mills and smelters. The
glories of thoss days have in large meas
ure departed, but revival has begun and
better and brighter days are again grad
ually returning.
THE ACTIVE PRESENT TIME.
The Graphic mine is and has been turn
ing out large quantities of ore; work on
the Ida Hill has just been resumed by
Captain Moore; the old Kelly mine
has passed into the control of Conley
Bros. and Babcock, who are cleaning up
preparatory to beginning active opera
tions, while over in the hills to the south
Judge Church is opening up promising
copper claim adjoining the once famous
Iron Mask. Activity and success beget
activity, and in the opinion Of men here
who keep themselves informed upon the
recurrence of events, the day is not
far distant when the conditions that OBJ
tained in the ''good, old days" Of Magda-
lena will have returned. Perhaps not in
all their flush prosperity, but on sound,
lasting business basis.
THE GRAPHIC MINE AND sNkLTER.
The Graphic mine and smelters, under
the management of Captain A. B. Fitch,
are properties which at present are the
life of the camp. For four years past
the mine has been managed by the cap
tain, and three years of that time the ore
from the mine was sold and shipped to
distant smelters.
The company was not satisfied with
that manner of conducting the business
and erected a smelter, which began treat
ing ore just one year ago, and the success
Of that venture has been most fattering.
The mine is up on the mountain side,
while the smelter is in the valley on the
railroad a mile and quarter below. A
tramway has been built between them,
and down this miniature railroad the ore
cars glide by gravity. Let no one sup
pose that no difficulties we're encountered
in building the tram, or that 1t is child's
play to manage the cars on the way down
Che mountain. The road has descent of
from SIX to 13 feet to 100 feet of distance,
and great care and skill are required to
safely guide the cars from the mine to
the smelter. Each car when loaded con-
tains from 5000 to 5000 pounds of ore,
and the train consists of either eight or
nine cars each. ! watched train of
eight cars from the time it left the mine
until it reached the smelter, and made up
my mind that when rode in that man.
ner, it would be when could not walk. A
little excitement is oftentimes agreeable
and desirable, but there is too much of
that kind of agreeableness connected
with ride on the Graphic tramway to
suit me. One of the advantageous feat
ures entering into the treatment of ore
from this mine, is that an excellent
quality of lime stone ia found right at
the mouth of the mine, thus supplying
that very necessary material with but lit
tie cost.
! The smelter is admirably arranged. II
is "a down hill haul" from the mine to
the cars, and every handling Of the ore is
from higher level to lower, making
the work easy and obviating the use o.
expensive hosting machinery. From &c
to 80 tons Of ore every "a hours past
through tho crushers and smelter, anG
from IL to IA oars of bullion are shipped
to the eastern markets every month. TIL,
, company carries $50 men on the pay roll
and work goes on day and night, th'
night men doing their work BY the ligh
of electricity, so light plant being par
of the equipment of the smelter.
In the office building are located q goo
7 chemical laboratory and q we'll equippe'
! sam pling room, which are in charge o
Mr.. Max Fitch, and every lot of ore
every shipment of bullion, is tested thor
( oughly ard carefully before 1t is treate
Or shipped.
CAPTAIN FIToH's SUCCESS.
II is claimed by the managers of th
Colorado smelters that smelters canno
/, be operated on low grade New Mexic
ores advantsgeou but in the past l
months Captain Fitch has demonstrate
. to the contrary very conclusively, and th
ores from the Ida Hill and Kelly mine
will be treated at the Graphic smelter
roads from those mines being under cor
struction now.
At the eastern foot Of the Magdalen
mountain, in q pretty little grove, whel
N Captain Fitch and Mr.. Austin have thei
| mi L. IN