The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1908-01-25
KNOX SMITH TELLS
OF HIS TRIP TO NEVADA

FferDtrt hnOx Smitn, OF HartfOru,
Conn., one of the commissioners sent
here by President Roosevelt to investi-
gate the labor trouble. gave the follow
ing interview on Goldneld to the Hart
ford Courant on his return to his home:
las soon as the rpesident had sent
the troops to Goldheld. at the request of
the governor of Nevada, so tina they
might be promptly available In case the
disorder alleged by the governor should
be found to exist" said Mr.. Smith, he
directed Lawrence o. Murray. assistant
secretary of m and labor.
Charles p. NELL, commissioner of labor,
and myself. at about twenty hours no.
tice, to go to Goldfheld and make a re-
port to him on the conditions existing
there. We left Washington on the
afternoon of December IL. and arrived
at Goldfeld Sunday night. December Is.
and were there until the following Sat-
urday, spending all our time there TAX
ing evidence as to the conditions there.
and especially as to the question of law
and order. We usually worked from 3
in the morning until midnight. and On
Thursday night we didn't get through
until 6 o'clock in the morning.
'Goldfeld is a mining camp of about
is, 900 inhabitants in southern Nevada,
and about 200 miles into the desert.
There is substantially nothing in that
country except mining; nc vegetation
except sage brush and practically no
water. except that by driving wells of
some 500 feet in depth. they get a water
-..~-1. rrl,A.a ta m hr,nah Itna Tho q q
Vegas & Tonopah railroad, running
from the main line of the Salt Lake rail-
road northwest about $50 miles to Coli
field, passing through certain other min
ing camps. Bullfrog, Rhyolite and
1 only saw two springs In the
entire 10 miles. and only one place
where there was any cultivation. and
that very scanty. The country is a bar
rem and savage desert. Immediately to
the west of 1t lies the famous. Death
Valley. just over the Funeral ang of
mountains. The road lies over great
plains between distant hills, and across
accurately graded slopes of wash from
the hills laid put in long slightly tilted
levels or spurs from the base of the
hills for miles down into the valley.
is a certain ava impressive
ness about the country and it's evident
hostility to all life. and at sunset for a
few minutes there is the most beautiful
display of pure color that I ever saw,
on the ranges and sweeping across the
valleys.
The air is very clear and keen. and
was not while we were there. In sum-
- tLo,, ear A. ,,pC IN rnnS{1arohlv
over 100 degrees in the shade and there
isn't any shade. Goldfeld is exclusively
a mining town. / was told that there
was one farmer somewhere In the u
ty, but / didn't see him. and what he
raised or where he raised 1t would be
an interesting problem. Right across
this desert, usually 800 or 400 feet un-
foreground. there run i~rregularly narrow
streaks of gold bearing rock. and on
these the entire community depends.
Some of this ore is extremely rich. I
saw some specimens that were claimed
to be worth over $4,000 a ton. This, of
course, however, is true only Of certain
parts of the ore bearing rock. The en-
tire district has been prospected with
extreme -thoroughness. The CHER en-
gineer Of the branch railroad, who went
up with us On the train, told me that
from Bullfrog up to the end of the line.
some fifty miles or more. the entire
right-of-way of the railroad runs over
mining claims. One sees prospect foles
everywhere, even at the tops of the dis
trr+ mountains.
1.-THE ore bearing strata of Goldfeld
lies mostly along a ridge, slightly out
--1 NO. tofl NAL
that a great majority of the paying
properties were practically Under one
concern. Very little of the ore Is re-
duceG or smelied in Goldfeld. mos, of it
Icing sent some distance to other titles
for treatment. The output of the lis
trict has been very largo since its hrst
development some five Years ago. but IL
has been hamperad by quit, frequent
labor difficulties between the mine OPP
orators, as they were called, and the