Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-12-27
VAL VERDE SHELTER.
Mammoth Reduction Plant Completed and Ready for Operation-Rn Enterprise Of Great Ben
 eft 10 Arizona.
The Finest Equipped Plant of It's Kind in the Southuest-Located in
 the Center Of a Rich
 Mining Section.

m the outnWeSt-LOCated in
 the Center ot a Rich
 Mining Section.
 The editor of the JoURSAL-MNET recently made a visit to the new shelter of the Val Verde Copper company, limited, on the Agua Fra river. about twenty miles east oi Prescott, in company with Cecil C. Fenneil, the able manager of the company, and was much grati6ed at witnessing the marvellous change there since Mr. Fennell first com menced operations.
 The shelter has been completed and the machinery has been thor oughly tested and tried and has been found perfectly satisfactory and everything is now in readiness for starting up
 The smelter is what is known as a rectangular copper mating water jacket furnace with air jackets above and water jackets below and IS of the very latest style of furnace man ufactured with all of the very latest improvements and attachments. lt has a daily capacity of 20 tons oi ore per day.
 The engine, blowers, sampling works and all the machinery con nected with it are also of the very latest and most improved designs In fact DO expense seems to have been spared to make it complete in every detail.
 The smelter IS located on the bank of the Agua Fria river on a steep side hill and is connected with the railroad bv tramways for the de livery of ore and coke 10 it and fOl carrying the product from it. Tbese tramways are equipped with auto matic dumping appliances for the cars and the ore and coke is loaded into them automatically and emp tied in a similar manner. The cop per and matte is loaded near the furnace and on arrival at the rail. road platform is dumped by these automatic appliances without fur ther handling.
 Ali signal bells in connection with the plant are operated by electricity, and in fact 1t Is noticeable through out the construction of the entire plant that everything is arranged tO reduce the expense of the operation of it, aud the handling of the sup plies and product to the minimum and for the most rigid economy.
 Ore bins have been erected with a capacity of about 1000 or l2O0 tons for the receipt of the ore before be- ng sampled. In addition 10 the trsmway to the railroad for the re- ceIpt of ores from i;, an elevated road has been constructed for the use of teams bringing in ore from aC jacent mines and for the con veniebt handling of the same. Ar idea of the magnitude of the plant may be obtained from the fact that over 3O0000 feet of lumber was used in its construction. All the timbers are large and capable of sustaining great weight.
 The sampling works connected with the shelter is one of the most complete manufactured, the crush ing, handling and sampling being pl actically all done by machinery securing not ouly economy in the work performed but greater sccu racy tLan by hand ssmpling. Thi: IS one of the most important feS lures of the entire plant, as 1t Il through IL that the values of the ort are determined, aud accuracy IS ar all important factor, both 10 tht purchaser and seller in the sale O! ore.
 An elaborate and complete watel system has been constructed in con nection with the plaht, both for us, of the plant and for the use of the town, now being rapidly built. The water IS raised 10 two tanks, on { level with the smelter, from the Agua Fria river, and from there It IS raised by another pumpt to a nam moth tank of 5000 gallons capacity on top of the hill, where the town i, located. For a protection from 6rC a series of fire hose is attached al convenient places throughout the entire plant. A system of pipes hal been lad throughout the town tC supply all houses with water.
 The assay and laboratory, wbict was recently destroyed by fire, hai b-aen rebuilt and refurnished, the furnishings and appliances of it be ing in keeping with the balance o the plant,oi the very latest and best designs The scales connected wltl tt are of the most expensive kinC made, and are adjusted to such { nicety that they will almost register the weight oI a pencil mark or paper,
 The company has also built ar office. a fiDe two story boarding house, and 6 commodious two-stOry bunk house with a capacity for sixt, occupants, with a reading room al tsched. and other conveniences lock ing toward the comfort of the men In addition to these they have also number of other buildings for oc. cupancy ny the officers of the com- pany and employees with families, . large warehouse, carpenter shop etc, while there Is also a large amount of lumber on the ground fol the construction Of additional build ings. and within a very short time .here promises to be quite respect able sized town there.
 The company has quite a large tract of land in connection with the plant, portion of which has beer laid of in town lots.
 The town and shelter have al been built within the past thret or four months under the persona supervision of Cecil G. Fennell, and are certainly a credit to his ability The supervision of these, even to de tails, together with the general man. agement of the business, has beer quite heavy task on one man, but he has demonstrated great executive ability in its perfect management.
 A post office has been ordered es- tablished there and the postmaster has been appointed, and by the first of the new year. or very soon there after the place will be supplied with mail facilities.
 A spur about a mile in length has been constructed from the Prescott & Eastern railroad, and trains over that road both ways make regular stops at Val Verde, the name of the new town.
 4 feature of the location of the plant is it affords down grade by wagon road from all the adjacent rpinas Of uhiah fhara ara a laFOa