The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1906-07-10
State ENGINEER
OUTLOOK OF ELY
Henry ThurtelI Write an interest.
ins Article on the Prospects
OF This Section for the
Carson News.

Prof Henry Thurtell, State Engi-
neer, was here from Carson few days
ago on official business. He writes the
following letter to the Carson News on
the outlook of Ely and tells what is be-
ing done in this section with the water:
A new sort of mining district for
this state is to be found at Ely, White
Pine county, Nevada.
Virginia City, Austin, Eureka Phoebe,
Tonopah, Goldfeld and nearly all of the
camps of Nevada of lesser note We're
built upon precious metals and the chic
output was gold, silver and in the case
of Eureka, lead. The first four camps
named, must, by even the most opti-
mistic, be considered to have their day,
to have exhausted in a comparatively
few years the larger part of the treas
ure they contained. Tonopah or Gold
field may or may not prove to be more
lasting in character than have been the
older camps named
The mines of Ely and vicinity are
very great deposits of low grade cop
per Gre. They cover large area.
They will be and have been an un-
profitable investment when handled on
a small scale. The cost for the necces-
sary plants for the reduction of the
ores is so great as to be prohibitive for
any but large companies with abund-
ancc of capital.
The Cumberland Ely Copper Com
pany believe that they have upwards of
fifteen millions of tons of orc blocked
out in their mines They have entered
into an agreement to purchase the Nc
Gill and Gallagher ranches in Steptoe
valley upon Duck Creek. This will
give them control of the waters of
Duck Creek and the springs upon the
McGill ranch for conc entrating pur
poses.
The Nevada Consolidated Mining
Company have purchased the rights of
all the farmers using the water Of
Murry Creek and they expect to use
this water in their concentrating plant.
The Ely Townsite Company and the
Giroux Consolidated Mining Company
have purchased the rights of all the
irricators on Steptoe Greek in order
that this water may be brought to the
point of use where it is needed for do
nestle purposes and in a concentrating
plant.
The railroad is building steadily and
surely. 1t may be completed to Ely in
September or October, but nothing of
actual construction on sneters or con-
centrators can reasonably be expected
to be done until the railroad is COM
pleted to Ely. When material may be
brought to Ely at reasonable cost, then
| see no reason why work on the re-
duction plants should not proceed al
once.
Elv will be a camp foe big companies
and steady work for wage earners.
Even if five thousand tons per day
were to be reduced, in concentrations
and smelters the ore now in sight in
the Cumberland-Ely mines, should last
ten years.
The explorations in these mines have
not proceeded below a depth of four
hundred feet. If 5000, 900 tons has
been developed above that level, it is
not unreasonable to believe thas as
much or more will be found below
! Many citizens of Ely look forward to
long period of prosperity and produc-
ton and point to the mines of Butte in
Montana and the Calumet and Hecla
mines in Michigan as examples OF ere
deposits, apparently inexhaustible, GER
tainly of vast magnitude. These de-
posits, they compare with those in
White Pine county, and look forward to
similar future for Ely. No one can
20 to Ely without catching some of the
spirit of enthusiasm prevailing and see
ing, perhaps through rose tinted glasses
bright future and long career OF
productiveness of this copper camp Of
| Nevada.
Valuable Ground