Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-05-03
BIG VALUES.

LIN Ec. |
Mr.. Grant briefly repeated the story !
of the organization Of the Rio Arriba
Placer Mining Company by Kansas
City and st. Louis capitalists about
twelve or fourteen months ago, and the
subsequent requirement by this COM |
pany of about 100 acres of the placer
grounds a few miles above Abiquiu, on
the Rio Chama, the purchases covering |
the river bed, as we'll as the placer land
on either side. Mr.. Grant is one of the
directors of this company. The numer-
thorough tests made by the experts
of the corporation satisfied all con-
cerned that the golden values concealed
in the deposits had not been exagger-
ated, but the same difficulty was expe-
prospecting undertakings. 1t was found
that most of the gold was so fine and
light that it could not be saved by ordi-
nary hydraulic methods. Mr.. Jaccard
and his persistent associates sent out
other men to study the situation, and
offered them large inducements to re-
port a practicable plan whereby the
flour gold as we'll as the nuggets could
be saved at a profit.
THE PROBLEM SOLVED.
Finally the conclusion was reached
that all the gold was in intimate asso-
citation with the black sand, that the
sand itself carried large values, and
that all the values could be rescued by
concentrating the gravel down to the
black sands and then smelling the con-
centrates. Many exhaustive expert
mental tests have since been made, and
as a result this sensible method Of pro-
cedure has been adopted. 1t has been
definitely ascertained that the black
sands can be readily and cheaply sepa-
rated from the gravel, and that when
smelted they yield from $125 to 1925 per
ton in gold, silver, copper and alumni
mum AS it costs about $35 per ton for
transportation aw;s treatment when the
concentrates are sent to the smelters
at Pueblo, the company naturally con-
cluded next that, as plenty of cheap flu
ell was obtainable on the ground, it
would be wise to erect and operate a
smelter on it's own property. This plan
at once adopted. and it is rapidly
taking tangible form.
A SHELTER IS BEING BUILT.
The dredging plant of the Rio Arriba
Placer Mining Company, at present in
operation in the Rio Chama, a few miles
above Abiquiu, is 60 feet long and 30
feet wide, and looks like a large old
equipped with the necessary power and
appliances to handle from 700 to 1000
cubic yards of gravel per day, which
averages in value about SO cents per
yard, and yields from five to six tons
of black sand concentrates every TWEEN
ty-four hours. Mr.. Grant personally
knows that the brick and machinery re-
quired for the construction of the
smelter for the treatment of these con-
centrates and many tons more, are al
ready on the ground, because his teams
hauled these materials this week from
Espanola to Abiquiu, and his freight
bills were cashed by the company with
out a moments hesitation. The work
of putting up the plant will be pressed
with all possible diligence, and no doubt
is entertained that it will be in opera
ton within ninety days. Then the
dredging plant will be operated I'd the
top of it's capacity, and the long antici-
pated placer mining boom at Abiquiu
will be permanently initiated. The sue |
cess of the enterprise is assured.
OPERATIONS ON A LARGE SCALE.
In this connection, Mr.. Grant fully
New Mexican some weeks ago, that the
Rio Arriba Placer Mining Company has
leased about 900 acres Of it's lands to the
Rio Chama Gold and Copper Company, |
chiefly composed of St. Louis capital
lists, with John f. NOLAN as general
manager, and this company, working in
harmony with the one first
is making arrangements imme-
lately to put on its grounds "a dredg-
ng plant with at least double the ca
oacity of the n mentioned, and a smell
.er capable of handling its own output
Ind all the black sands and copper ores
that may be furnished by other oper-
ators in the district. Contracts for the
machinery have already been
let, bids are invited for 100, 900 feet of
lumber for the required buildings, and
NOLAN writes that he will soon be
IN the ground personally to push con-
'truction work. Messrs. Pope and Hun
.er, who have for some time been pros
and experimenting in the dis
-rict, have also decided TO put in a
1redging plant on lands they have Sc
just above Abiquiu, and will Ell
her treat their concentrates at a smell
er Of their wi or at the large plant of
he Rio Chama Gold and Copper Com
,any. Mr.. Grant Is not only engaged
n general merchandising and wool
at Abiquiu, but is a shareholder
n n or two Of these companies, and
naturally feels highly elated in view Of
he bright outlook Of his locality. He
that "the good time coming
las actually arrived, and may conf
lently be counted among the perma-
tent settlers of eastern Rio Arriba
'