Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-12-21
GREAT ENTERPRISE
Silver City's Reduction Works One
Of the Greatest Smelling Plants
in the West.
TO HANDLE 200 TONS DAILY
The Works Cover Five and One Half Acres
of Ground, and Are Equipped with All
the Latest and Most Improved
Machinery.

| Special correspondence New Mexican.
Silver City, Dec. 1s.-According to the
statement of the leading iinanciers and
business men of Silver City, the main
stay and backbone of the city and tribu-
tary mining districts is the smelter
operated by the Silver City Reduction
Company.
The plant occupies five acres of ground
located about one-half mile from the
business center of the city, At present
the enterprising operators are effecting
numerous improvements in the structure,
which will tend to place it in thorough
condition to handle the character of
business available and will give maxi
mum of efficiency in minimum of
space.
The capacity of the smelter is now 100
tons of ore per day, but this will be in
creased to 200 tons so soon as the new
furnaces and stack are in place. The
main smoke stack is nearly completed
and will occupy 125 feet elevation, meas
uring 12xl2 feet at the base. The new
dust chambers will connect the stack
WlIll Uut luI ldCeS l. Ilt uNOOlu llll lluCtS
handle 70 tons of ore each per day and
the new one will add another 70 tons to
the capacity.
considerable amount Of raw con-
centrates are now handled by the CON
cern. In fact, concentrates seem to
comprise about onefourth Of the ore
treated. A Chisholm bricking machine
is kept continually operating pressing
the small concentrates into bricks. This
machine also bricks the tlue dust.
Power is generated in two so and one
$50 horse power boilers and transmitted
by $50 horse power engine of huge
proportions. which cost about $40. 900 in
place.
Two blowers are already in use and a
new Roots will be added to the equip
ment.
Two roasters. one revolving and one
reverberatOry, do the necessary work in
segregating and freeing the ore of sui
phur and arsenic.
The arrangement of the receiving bins
is handy and complete. From the rail
way above the ore is dumped into the
bins, which are on level with the feed
floor, and then shoveled into small cars
anu NHccltu AWAY lUl bltduHcIu, oHuS
obviatng the necessity of handling the
ore as often as in the majority of smell
tiers. A system of double trackage is
used around the bins. Coke is unloaded
| in the same manner and is readily avail
able. The ore bins have a capacity Of
6 900 tons
The sampling room is equipped with
Gates crusher and Cornish rolls and
grinders Every miner is familiar with
sampling and it is not necessary to go
into details. The system in use here is
as fair and complete as elsewhere.
Gold. silver and copper ores are now
being handled exclusively, but lead ores
| will also be treated as soon as the new
| Improvements are completed. An eX-
| cellent water system furnishes that
essential commodity.
For economical treatment and general
efficiency. the smelter compares favor
| ably with the best Colorado plants, and
the management of the concern could
not be in better hands. 1t is mystery
how such splendid plant can secure
sufficient ore for constant operations
and one is readily impressed with the
belief that the Hearst interests must
mean business on Il large scale, for the
custom trade can not possibly, for sew
eral years, hope to support the lnstitu-