The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-03-22
Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.

N1ty 1uUepeQOeuC Oh the 1ALu 1nSC.
will be of more than passing inter-
est to Virginians, where the men
mentioned in connection with the
developments of the Colorado Fuel
& Iron Co. are we'll known as former
residents of this city:
"The Colorado Fuel & Iron Com
pany is the pioneer in it's chosen
field, and has no rival in the min-
ing of manganiferous iron ores,
which are valuable and essential
in the manufacture of steel rails and
in the various grades of steel re-
quired and in constant use in the
industrial world. Prior to the com.
pletion of the Silver City and North
ern railroad the iron values of the
district were in the main utilized as
fluxes for the smelling of copper
and the ores containing gold and
silver. Large quantities were ship
ped to Benson, Ariz., 81 Paso, Texas
and Socorro, N. Me-. During the
- = - I'-'
year 1891 there we re shipped
through Silver City 1928 carloads of
iron, over 5000 tons representing a
freight valuation of $4,000. To this
amount the cost of rail transporta-
ton must be added $4,000 more,
making total of $4,000 as an item
of transportation. The cost of min
ing and other incidentals will in
crease this amount to approximate
ely $4,000, the volue of the mineral
product for the year.
"At it's inception the mining of
iron created valuable industry,
and to bring the total iron product
of the property up to 10000 tons re-
quired nearly sixteen years of con-
slant development, aided by every
economical device and appliance
known to the mining world, besides
all the advantages afforded by
cheap and rapid by rail.
"The fiscal year of the company,
ending June 80, 1907, will be the ban
ner year in point of gross tonnage
in the history of the greatest iron
estatein New Mexico.
"rhe c. & F. I. Company, which is
operating the property under lease,
will have to it's credit at the years
close $175,000 tons of iron ore. This
is the largest output for any one
year in the history of the property
The value of the ore f. o. b. at the
foot of the incline 'closely approx.
mates $4,000. The ore as mined is
trammed from the great open cuts
at the head of the incline and sent
by gravity to the Gates crusher al
the foot and is loaded into cars as il
leaves the crusher, having been
handled but once after breakaee by
blasting.
"The power house contains one
100 h. p. engine, two 100 h. p. boilers
and one Fordville & Norwalk al,
compressor. The company furn.
ishes constant employment to 15(
men. B. Gilchrist is manager OF
the Iron Mines department of the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company
at Fierro and is more than ably as,
sisted by T. McNamara, Esq, whose
skillful management az practical
miner, and whose rare executive
ability as superintendent of the
mining department of thie widel,
known corporation, has contributed
greatly to tbs successful year soon
to close. The great output of 175,
COO tons, record breaker, has but
opened the way for a larger output
for 1908, and with no appreciable
increase in labor. or additional min
ing appliances, the total product
for the coming year will exceed
aQao0. and probably, barring acci
dents, will foot up 225Q00 toms o
ore. Ygssy
III @ s.lLook -.
Thro1 the bIe .lina ~ 81 IeR 3
- : ~ y = 4 3
!