The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-01-19
pfvGl l0PMENTS,AT THE COAaANCHE.
br'et Story Of Development Ia Which
. Many Nirqiaians are interested.

Nso"y V1rg'n1d0S are Interested.
FROM the Silver City, N. NJ, Enter
prise OF recent date we take the fol-
rowing excerpts from an article on
the Comanche, which will be inter-
eating to Virginia investors in the
property, many thousand shares of
Cpmanche stock being owned by
local men,
During the past twelve months
the company has started and part
tally completed narrow gauge
line OF railroad to Pinos Altos. Had
't5not been for the recent severe
weather, the whole of this line
would have been completed and in
operation today. As it is, it will be
early in February before the line
's completed. The purpose of this
railway is to provide cheap trans
portation for the mountains of ore
from the Pinos Altos mines. The
company has built a large smelling
plant on the ground which it &C.
qnifed from the old Silver City Re-
dnction Works; has added rever-
baratory and blast furnace, which
are ready for operations; complete
machine shops, car shops and
foundry; has built an extensive net
work of ore bins, capable OF storing
5'lO tons of ore; has put into effect
the extensive program of develop.
nent of its mining properties at
Pinos Altos and in the Burro,
mountains.
Nor is this all. The company has
just fairly cotton under way the
improvements it is intended to in.
angurate, and which will be the
means Of developing hitherto ab-
solutely dormant resources in the
mining districts tributary to Silver
City. BY reason of cheap trans
portation over the narrow gauge
line of railway, and by an efficient
and economical treatment of the
ores by concentration, it will be
possible to ship and treat low grade
ore at protit-something that has
never before been possible in these
districts. ... ..~s,y, .
T1'e new concentration Mill, plans
for which have"been elaborated for
months, has now commenced it's
period of actual construction. Mas
sive crushing machinery of capa-
city of 400 tons per day for this mill
already arrived. The mill will be
of the latest type known to the art
of ore concentration. Each indi-
vidual concentrating machine will
be solidly fixed, each to it's own
heavy concrete foundation, which,
with the precautions taken to in
sure absolutely uniform speed, will
enable the most minute adjust
nents to be made. The zinc con-
centrating department has already
booked its product for sale in the
east for 1906 on very advantage
terms, and for handling the copper
silver-gold concentrates, large
briqueting plant of the most i'm
proved pattern had already been
installed at the smelter, so that
this product can be handled
through one of the large blast
furnaces. Orders have been placed
for magnetic ore separators, com
paratively recent invention in the
concentration treatment of zinc
ores. Thus the zinc. which has
been hitherto a detriment, will now
be turned to financial profit.
The new go ton furnace is now
being placed in position and will
be ready for work by February 1st.
This is the largest blast furnace in
the territory, and like all of the
Comanche company's purchases, is
Of the latest pattern. The manage
ment has already considered it
necessary. from the ore contracts
which they have signed up, to add
another furnace of the same size
and pattern, which will make the
capacityo of the plant 600 tons per
daily capacity.
All the machiney at the plant al
Silver City, is to be driven from a
central power house, involving the
purchase of one of the largest and
most complete electrical transmits.
sion systems in the southwest, each
machine, or group of machines, be.
ing run by separate and independ
ent motors, giving great elasticity
to the entire installation. Two new
boilers, inaddition+ to, the three old
ones, will be placed in this, new
power house. giving a total Of 6O(
HIP. IL % -.
The company has recently closed
Fcontracts with many of the most
infportantproducers Of ore, both ir
New Mexicoand Arizona, and Other
contracts, that are not yet closec