Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-09-23

Experts having examined the miner
al prospects in the vicinity of this
city il was deemed proper that they
should also be examined by an igno-
ramns. For this purpose no one seem
ed more fully to fill the requirements
than myself hence was entrusted
with the mission on the principle,
probably, that "a darn fool can some
times see more than one of your smart
fellows a proposition tenable only as
exception to rule.
II was breezy morning last week
when Charley, myself and the future
Copper King OF Las Vegas, as guide,
set out on our well packed ponies bent
on seeing what could be seen In q
three.days' survey of the mineral belt
Of the Tecolote from Salitre peak to
the head of the stream which is to be.
come famous:
Through Kearney's gap, that gate
way in the erosion formed by erup-
tion and erosion where the drainage
Of Aqua Zarca passes out from the
hills, our way led southwark across
pastures and In and out of other gaps
in the further crestons until the base
OF Salitre peak was reached at a
point near tne Tuttle sranch, Here
water from copious spring irrigates
fields and garden forming quite q lit
tie oasis in the brown stretches OF
open country around this mountain
This place Of three hundred and twen-
ty acres is now owned by Erb q West
erman of the Bismark restaurant.
They intend cultivating it and grazing
stock on it and also to develope the
mineral which is said to be In large
body on portion of it. We did not
stop to look at this as our purpose
was to inspect only the points where
work is now being done.
A brisk gallop to the top Of the next
rise revealed TO our eyes sight ex-
tremely pleasing to one who has long
hoped for some new form Of industry
for this vicinitythe first mill for the
reduction Of ore ever operated IN THIS
section. the mill of the Tecolote Cop
per & Mercantile Co. ]. X. Elliott,
manager. now running night and DAY
with capacity Of twenty-five tons OF
ore ii twenty-fonr hours. The works
consist of the mill and engine house
built against steep hillside and the
boarding house and commissary near
by on the level
II was dinner time and. waiting not
for invitation. we were soon seated AZ
the well filed table in company with
Manager Elliott, Engineer Conneli,
Miners Whittier and Griffith, served
~ cruz Apodaca and his wife who is
the efficient cook for the force. The
well.filled table soon gave place 70
well-filled men while We exchanged
news with the cordial company OF the
mill Then we went out to look over
the plant going first to the well from
which water for all purposes IS drawn,
II is An arroyo below and about three
hundred feet from the mill 70 which
II il pumped by steam through two.
inch pIpe. The engine house adjoins
The mill proper and contains the large
boiler and 15-horsepower engine Pts
e,ded over by S. A. Connell who Is Mr.
Elliotts efficient aid In the mechanical
work of the mill. The mill Is best de-
scribed by following the processcssot
ore reduction through II.
The mineral impregnated rock, a
white sandstone composed Of rather
coarse crystals colored more or less
thickIy with the green of the copper
il auarricd from the sides Of an r.,
royo about quarter mile from The
mil. II IA carried BY wagons u the
bins built on the hill just above the
min. Here the larger pieces Of the
rock are broken TO smaller size by
hammers. Then II Is loaded into
wheeIbarrows and taken over q plank.
way to scales built into the same