The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1909-07-17
HISTORY OF fam.
Gus ELY MINES

The Nevada Consolidated Copper
Icompany's property, located at Ely,
White Pine county, belongs to that
class of deposits which are attracting
so much attention today, namely, the
low grade porphyry coppers, the prop
erty being one of the oldest and best
known of this classification. The first
work was begun at the mine some
eight years ago but it was not until
1908 that vigorous campaign of de-
velopment was inaugurated and the
blocking out of the ore bodies begun.
This work has been carried on continu-
ously with the result that millions of
dollars have been spent in equipment
and development and millions of tons
of ore placed in reserve, until to-day,
the property stands as one of the fore
most of the porphyry coppers and one
of the most important mines in the
United States.
In addition to the company's exten-
sive mining interests the Nevada Con.
solidated is joint owner with the Cum
berland Ely company in the Nevada
Northern railroad, which has built and
equipped more than 200 miles of rail
way at cost of over $2,500,000 and in
the Steptoe Valley Smelling and Min,
ing company, which has expended to
date approximately $7,o00,000 on its
coneentrator and smelter, located at
McGill, "a miles from the mine.
| The mining property of the Nevada
Consolidated amounts to 85S acres and
consists of So claims, 81 in the Euraka
and 36 in the Ruth group.
/ Development work has been carried
on by underground workings and also
by churn drilling and today there are
blocked out and indicated in the two
groups roughly 30,000,00O tons of ore
assaying over two per cent copper.
The greater part of this tonnage is To-
Gated at the Copper Flat where steam
shovels are now at work mining the ore.
Here the porphyry adjoining the cap
ping is slightly higher grade than the
average of the underlying ore bodies
and the production for the next two
years, which will be taken principally
from this location, Will probably be
above average grade. In the Ruth
group several million tons of ore assay
ing considerably over two per cent cop
per have been developed.
The Nevada Consolidated is the only
property in the United States today
mining all of its ore by steam shovel.
Work at the present time is being con-
centrated at the Copper Flat where
four of these machines are in opera
tion. Here the overburden, which av-
erages 20 feet in thickness, is being
stripped for the actual mining of the
underlying commercial ore which ex-
tends to an average depth of $50 feet.
Up to the present time more than L.
100000 cubic yards of ore and cap
ping have been excavated from the pit
until now the workings resemble a
huge quarry with steam shovels in
benches, one above the other, mining
and dumping the ore directly into cars.
About 5000 tons of ore are being
shipped to the mill daily from the
Copper Fiat.
The concentration, which is one of
the most modern plants in the country,
is cmposed of three units, with fourth
one building. At present one unit is
treating Cumberland Ely ore and two
that of the Nevada Consolidated. The
fourth unit, which is nearly completed
will be assigned to the Nevada Con
solidated The capacity of each uni!
is 1900 tons of ore per day, which
means that the Nevada Consolidated
this summer, should be handling f.,
500 tons daily. The ores are concen
trated about 10 into one and an ex
traction of ~ per cent is made. The
average grade now going to the con
lcentrator is approximately 2.6 per cent
copper. The concentrates from the
mill are treated at the Steptoe Valley
smelter.
The first ore was concentrated in
May, 1908, and the first copper made
in July of the same year. Prior to Do
cember l, 1908, the company produced
$4,000 pounds Of copper.