Gilpin observer., 1900-02-15
NEW CONCENTRATION MILL

shipped from mines of Gilpin county to
Idaho Springs for treatment has been
the cause of much comment among the
mine owners and mine managers of the
county, That they were receiving better
returns, rather larger values, must of
necessity been fact; otherwise the ship.
ments would long since have ceased. To
overcome this drawba on Gilpin coun-
ty the owners of the Avon mill and Mug
get placer have taken the initiatory steps
which will lead to the erection of 25O
ton concentrating plant on the present
site of the Avon company's stamp mill
on North Clear creek, above Black
Hawk. To do this they have merged the
Avon mill, mill site, Nugget placer, and
the water rights thereunto belonging,
into the Avon Mining, Milling and Power
company. The purpose of the company
is defined as follows in the plans for the
new mill building which will be erected
on the present four acre Avon mill site:
1t will have a treating capacity of $50
tons and be equipped with crushers, rolls
jigs and all modern appliances for con-
centrating ores. The mill will be in three
sections, independent of one another, and
each section will be driven by 43-inch
Pelton water wheels. The ores will be
handled automatically from start to fin
ish of treatment
The company has laid it's own rails a
length of 300 feet, to connect with the
Gilpin County Tramway system, and will
also lay third rail like length to the
Colorado & Southern tracks, which
places the mill in direct communication
with all the shippers for milling ores,
and with through rail haul to smelters
for concentrates. The cars of the tram
way will enter the receiving end of the
new mill on elevated tracks. and their
ores will be discharged by gravity into
compartment bins, from whence they
pass to crushers and rolls, to sizing
screens, TO jigs, to stamps, to bumpers,
to Wilheys and to the concentration
bins. The ore will drop down six ter
races during the treating process, and
there will be no manual handling of ma.
terial in transit.
While the new Avon is designed as
custom mill it is expected the ores from
mines owned by stockholders of the com
pany alone will keep it going to almost
it's fullest capacity; in addition, enough
outside tonnage has been offered the
new mill to keepit going to its fun limit.
Provisions have been made in the plans
for further enlargements to meet the in
creasing demands.
The Nugget placer, owned by the com
pany, is tract OF rich placer ground, ex-
tending from the mill site to a distance
of two miles along and up the course of
North Clear creek. 1t has an average
width of 400 feet OF undetermined depth,
and has never been worked in a syste-
matte manner. The ground has always
yielded exceptionally good returns when
ever it has been exploited. The com
pany is now going ahead to work the
property on an extended scale.
The water rights OF the company en-
ciuNc uii oic W uttl VI ANOI III SltdT CTcth
from the Avon mill site to the watershed
OF the streams. These prior rights con.
stitute one of the most valuable holdings
of the company and give to it the i'm.
mense advantage OF plenty of clear and
clean water at first hands for concentra-
ton purposes, as well as plenty OF piping
head for hydraulic mining. The com
pany has decided to derive the fullest re
turns from its water rights and resources
Plans are under way for installing an
electric power plant Of sufficient capacity
for the company's own needs, as well ns
for lighting and operating many of the
neighboring mills ard mines.
The power plant will be equipped for
a maximum output Of LOCO. horse power,
distributed in two main circuits adapted
for constant and variable loads OF the
mills and mines, respectively.
The dam for the reservoir will be built
across the creek at the upper end of the
Nugget placer, at which point exists Il
great reservoir basin, which, with the
side gulches, will be able to mpound
enough OF the summers discharge OF
water to insure continuous flow for
every day in the year, and eliminate the
necessity OF steam power altogether.
LAW RELATING TO ABANDONED
SHAFTS.
Inasmuch as State Commissioner of
Metalliferous Mines Harry A. Lee
will hereafter strictly enforce the
mining law relating to abandoned
shafts, The OBSERVER copies the fol
lowing sections OF the Law relating to
misdcmeanors Of that nature, and the
penalty attached. They are rs follows;
SEC. 20. Tint all abandoned shafts.