Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1907-09-29
COBALT Mines.

OODHlb NllHcS.
Cobalt, like Goldfield and Tonopah,
has a wonderful development in a
short time. its history mas practi-
cally been of less than three years
duration. 1t is the center of district
supporting from 5000 to 5000 peo-
pie, directly or indirectly engaged in
mining silver. Twenty mines are now
shipping ore and fifteen more are
ready to ship, SO one may say that
there are thirty-five shipping mines
in the districts not over five miles
from Cobalt as center. All the ore,
with the exception of two cases, is
being taken from a depth of less than
200 feet, the greater portion being
from less than 100 feet in depth.
Hitherto the policy has been to ship
ore as quickly as possible, irrespec-
tive of the cost of production or of
the conditions in which the workings
were left. This policy must change,
and at once, for now that the snow
and ice are melting the surface cuts
and shafts, left without support, are
filing in. To keep up production
| larger plants must be installed, and
to mine economically the get-rich-
quick methods must be changed to
mining methods whereby preserves
are being created as the ore is ex-
hausted. We find now that many
mines are passing their usual divi-
dends and holding their cash for new
machinery and for prospecting new
! ground. 1t may be that some of
| the veins have have proved too un-
certain for profitable mining, and
that others must be sought, or it may
be too much has been spent on pros
pecting without results. At all
events, the second stage of develop
ment has been reached. First a
hurried production to boom stock;
isecond, the inevitable reaction. The
third stage will be legitimate mining.
Now, here is the question, and the
only one on which there is doubt.
The surface ores are ric hand the
The surface ores are rich and the
ditions be below $50 or 200 feet?
| a few mines have gone below this
and the results have been kept secret.
Some have not gone so deep, with
poor results--that is, the veins have
pinched to almost nothing, while the
majority have not gone below rs
feet, All one can say is, that the
mines are unproyen, in depth, with
indications not very favorable fol
the life of the camp. Possibly poor
zone may be followed by another en-
richment, but indications point tc
rich shipping ore on the surface. OF
within $50 feet of the surface, and
, low grade milling ore below this
Individual mines~may disprove this
but the results attained in the mines
that have gone below that depth be
+ ing kept secret. one can only judge
/ by the development open to the pub
lie
/ One OF the worst features of Co
f bait is the number of irresponsible
mine superintendents who issue false
| reports to boom their respective
mines so that one hardly knows Wha
4 to believe without personal inspec
ton. These men are fairly good a
/, gouging out surface ores, but know
: little of actual mining operations. |
< is only fair to say that this class i
4 being replaced by practical men AM
4 the others are entering the ranks 0
mining engineers" but in Cobalt
: at least, the title of mining enginee
d does not signify very much. Los An
Il geles Mining Review.